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interactive guide to the region's web of relationships amid the battle against Islamic State.
The constant flow of refugees and migrants is raising tensions between Turkey and the EU, which recently agreed to pay the Turkish government €3-billion ($4.7-billion) in exchange for more help deterring refugees from reaching Europe.
European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans travelled to Ankara last week to tell the Turkish government that the EU was "a long way from being satisfied" with Turkey's efforts to keep refugees from travelling to Europe. "The only benchmark is to bring figures down. Over the past weeks, figures remained relatively high, so there is still a lot of work to do there," Mr. Timmermans said.
In addition to the showy crackdown around Ayvalik, Turkey unveiled a policy change this week that could have a longer-term impact, announcing it will allow many of the 2.2 million Syrian refugees registered in the country to apply for work permits.
Aid workers say the inability to make a legal living in Turkey has been a major factor driving refugees to risk their lives trying to reach the EU.
But Syrians are only part of the refugee tide. Ms. Dwommoh says the early statistics for 2016 suggest Afghan refugees make up a larger share of the total than they did in 2015. There's also believed to be an upsurge in migrants from other countries, claiming to be Syrian, hoping that will give them a better chance of gaining asylum in Europe or elsewhere.
"We do know that there is a substantial amount of document fraud," Ms. Dwommoh says.
The Black & White clothes shop in Izmir, Turkey, sells life jackets for refugees.
The mini economic boom created by the refugees passing through coastal Turkey is evident as soon as you step out of the train station in Izmir, the regional capital and Turkey's third-largest city. Just 100 metres from the station's main entrance on Fevzi Pasa Boulevard is Black & White – a store that, until last year, sold primarily sweaters and jeans to Turkish customers.
Now, the customers are mostly refugees, and the most popular items are the orange life jackets that sell for 40 to 75 lira (about $20 to $35) apiece, depending on the brand.
In the summer, Black & White often sold 300 life jackets a day. Winter has brought a drop-off in the trade, but staff say they still sell 30 on a good day.
It's not just Black & White. The neighbouring shop is a shoe store that also stocks life jackets, for 75 lira each, as well as children's sizes for 65 lira. Black & White's other neighbour is a clothing store that displays inflatable rubber rings – more suitable for floating on in a swimming pool than for crossing the choppy Aegean – for 25 lira, as well as waterproof passport holders for 20 lira.
Waterproof passport holders are for sale at an Izmir shop.
"Sales of T-shirts have stopped. Life jackets are the only thing we sell now," says Bahar, an Arabic-speaking store employee who explains to shoppers the difference in quality between the various brands of life jackets that Black & White sells. She tries to convince them to buy the more expensive ones, she says, but most refugees opt for the 40-lira models.
"Most of the people who come in are from Syria and Iraq, and a few from Palestine," Bahar says. "But increasing numbers are from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Now, Iranians are starting to come, too. We hadn't seen them until recently."
Bahar's boss, Farhad Kobane, says he doesn't mind his staff speaking to a foreign reporter, because he's confident the life jackets sold at Black & White are real and thus helping to save lives. Down the street – where the price of life jackets falls below 30 lira – shopkeepers are immediately hostile to questions about their wares.
"It's haram [forbidden in Islam] to sell the fake ones," says the owner of a jeans shop, who also claims the life jackets he sells are real, though he wouldn't give his name. "I don't want to feed my children with money made from sin."
An abandoned package for a child’s inflatable arm rings lies on Dikili beach, north of Izmir, Turkey.
Lurking in the background of the Izmir markets are the human smugglers who arrange the refugees' transportation to Dikili and Ayvalik, and then onward to Lesbos.
"The smugglers arrange everything, from the drop-off point in Izmir to the Greek islands," according to one Izmir taxi driver, who says he regularly picks up refugees at the local airport and lends them his mobile phone so they can call the smugglers to arrange a meeting place. "There's nothing amateur about this. The smugglers always keep their promises."
Locals say the business is run by the long-standing crime syndicates, many of whom simply switched from smuggling goods to people when the refugee crisis began. "Even if I knew who they were, I wouldn't tell you where to find them," says Vesel Erdogan, a 43-year-old mobile-phone vendor who sells Turkish SIM cards to refugees passing through Izmir. "These people kill to protect their business."
The crackdown has spread as far as Izmir. Taxi drivers in the city say they've been warned they will be arrested if they're spotted – either by police or on traffic cameras – carrying refugees beyond the city limits.
Nonetheless, a new refugee route is already emerging from somewhere new along the coast. Médecins sans frontières (Doctors Without Borders) reports that a mini-flotilla of 26 boats packed with refugees reached lesbos on Thursday morning.
And on the Turkish side, nine more bodies washed ashore. Once more, no one knows their names.
Dikili beach, north of Izmir.
Mark MacKinnon is The Globe and Mail's senior international correspondent, based in London.
MORE READING ON REFUGEES
Absolutely nothing has changed’ since Alan Kurdi: Mark MacKinnon on the ground in Turkey 2:43
A primer for Canadians who want to sponsor refugees As the plight of those forced to flee the civil war in Syria continues to dominate headlines, many Canadians are clamouring to help. Oliver Moore and Colin Freeze explain how.ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech fired defensive coordinator Al Groh on Monday, hoping a change will save what has been a hugely disappointing season.
Coach Paul Johnson announced the move two days after the Yellow Jackets (2-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost 47-31 to No. 16 Clemson, their third straight defeat -- all of them while surrendering more than 40 points, the first time that's happened in school history. The stretch included an embarrassing 49-28 home loss to Middle Tennessee.
Johnson has never fired an assistant during the season, but felt he had to do something to show he was committed to turning things around. The Yellow Jackets are off this week, giving them extra time to adjust to the jarring change.
"To me, it was inevitable," Johnson said. "I didn't want to give up on the rest of the season. I still think we can come back and have a good season. That's why I did it now."
The Yellow Jackets have one of the nation's worst-ranked defenses -- 89th in points allowed (30.2), 90th in total defense (431 yards per game) and 103rd in third-down efficiency. That latter figure might be most troubling to Johnson, whose team has allowed opponents to convert nearly 48 percent in those situations and was especially poor against Clemson. The Tigers were 13 of 19 on third down, keeping Georgia Tech's potent offense on the sideline.
The defense has been especially leaky in the second half, squandering a 17-point lead to Miami and allowing Virginia Tech to kick a tying field goal after going ahead of the Hokies with less than a minute remaining. Both times, the Yellow Jackets lost in overtime.
Groh, a former head coach at Virginia and for one season with the NFL's New York Jets, was in his third year running Georgia Tech's defense. He issued a statement through Georgia Tech saying he understood the decision. The 68-year-old Groh also thanked the players and his assistants for their hard work.
"The institute has decided to go in a different direction, which I respect," Groh said. "I aimed to give the best that I had every day. It's been an honor to be a part of the legacy of Georgia Tech football. I feel positive that this is a good time in life to move on to a new situation."
The time to move on has been building for a while.
Johnson's discontent with Groh actually goes back to last season, when the Yellow Jackets lost five of their last seven games, capped by a 30-27 overtime loss to Utah in the Sun Bowl. The Utes scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to tie the game, then won in overtime.
This year, more of the same.
"I was hopeful as we started, this being the third year. I was hopeful we would see some improvement," Johnson said. "I was encouraged at the first of year, but it became apparent that was short-lived. The last three games was a carry-over of the last six games a year ago."
Secondary coach Charles Kelly will take over as interim coordinator, and Johnson shook up the rest of the defensive staff. Specials teams coordinator David Walkosky will oversee the line, Andy McCollum shifts from the line to inside linebackers, and Joe Speed moves from inside to outside linebackers.
Their orders are clear.
"My big goal is to simplify and see if we can't get lined up and play faster, play harder," Johnson said. "I don't think you've got to trick people. You've got to line up and know what you're doing and play fast."
Groh installed the 3-4 when he got to Georgia Tech, but it was clear the players never fully picked up the scheme. Also, there was a difference in philosophy with Johnson, who felt Groh didn't do enough full-speed work in practice.
"To me, defense is energy and playing fast and playing with enthusiasm," Johnson said. "It's hard to get that if you don't go live (full-speed drills) some of the time."
While Johnson's focus has been on running the option offense, he believes the Yellow Jackets have plenty of talent on the defensive side.
"I'm not sold that we don't have good players," he said. "I'm very confident in our players' ability. We'll see."
Johnson praised Groh's defensive knowledge, but said he was never able to pass it on to his players.
"Al is a very smart man. He understands what's inside his head," Johnson said. "The problem is we weren't seeing it on the field. For whatever reason, it wasn't transcending."
That left the head coach with only one option -- make a change.
"It's really disappointing and frustrating," Johnson said. "You never want to do it. But, to me, that's part of being a leader. Sometimes you have to do hard things. I still have a great deal of respect for Al. In my mind, he's had a very good career. Maybe he will still coach. I don't know what the future holds. It just wasn't working here."Everyone has different Christmas traditions: Some of us decorate trees, some of us drink egg-nog, some of us eat fruitcake and some of us cover ourselves in feces, threaten to murder our children and foster racism in their hearts.
5 The Caganer
The Nativity scene is a Christmas tradition all around the world. In Catalonia though, they do it just a little bit differently. For one thing, the model encompasses the whole town of Bethlehem, not just the manger, so there are a ton of characters you have to buy to get the full set. Hey, if it's good enough for Star Wars, why not Jesus? But in addition to the all-stars -- Mary, Joseph, that bitchin' camel -- they add in something called a "Caganer," which roughly translates as "shitter." And the name is accurate: He's the one guy in Bethlehem who had the misfortune to be moving his bowels during the birth of Jesus, and is now immortalized that way for all time.
You had some bad goat on the day Christ was born. This is your legacy.
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Because their nativity scenes are so much larger, finding the Caganer is a popular game in Catalonia. Kind of like a biblical-themed, three dimensional, fecalphiliac Where's Waldo -- which makes no difference to us (we've always played that game like that anyway). Although traditionally, the Caganer is a peasant in a red hat, nowadays you can buy Caganers that resemble almost anything you can think of. There are nuns, popes, George W. Bush, Santa even Barack Obama:There’s a possible solution to white male angst that white men seem to have not discovered, and Patricia Clarkson is right on the money in explaining exactly what this solution entails.
In an interview with In an interview with The Guardian on Thursday, Clarkson shared a few of her common-sense views on sexism in Hollywood. She’s asked about one particular actor’s gripe over so-called reverse sexism:
I tell her about the I tell her about the complaint of one white male actor, Game of Thrones star Kit Harington, who expressed disappointment at what he sees as a sexist double standard in the industry, saying he’s sick of talking about his hair and his body. “He’s a sex symbol,” Clarkson scoffs. “Get over it. You have an amazing career and you’re on a hot show. Take your shirt off.”
Hard to argue with that. She goes on:
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“There are still so many movies made starring 50 men and one woman!... A white male actor should never be allowed to complain about anything. Shut up and sit in the corner.”
Regarding the oft-sexist spotlight on the Ghostbusters, Clarkson says, “Eat me!” and adds that the “archetypal older women in movies can sometimes make my skin crawl.” Regarding the oft-sexist spotlight on theGhostbusters remake, Clarkson says, “Eat me!” and adds that the “archetypal older women in movies can sometimes make my skin crawl.”
Image via GettyWhen Congress reauthorized Head Start in 2007, a little girl named Cynthia Martinez-Cardoso from one of the District’s longest-running Head Start centers sat in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lap as she signed the bill.
The law put into motion sweeping changes designed to improve the quality of the nation’s largest preschool program for poor families, in part by introducing competition and cutting off funding for the lowest performers.
Seven years later, scores of grantees have lost their awards, including the one that served Martinez-Cardoso.
The Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center has been a backdrop for political news conferences and a destination for foreign dignitaries. Now it’s among the first in the Washington region to lose its grant.
“It was a shock. It was definitely a shock,” said Almeta R. Keys, the center’s chief executive, who began her Head Start career more than 30 years ago as a Head Start mother.
The Mazique Center, which served about 275 children and families in four sites in the past school year, is operating under transitional funding through the end of this month to help its families make new plans.
But Keys hopes to keep the doors open and continue providing the same child-care, medical and social services, albeit without the $3.1 million in federal funding she said the center received last year.
“There is a great need in this city for the types of services we offer,” Keys said. “There is no way we can think of closing.”
Head Start, which costs about $8 billion a year and serves a million children and families nationwide, has been under pressure to improve quality amid reports of fiscal mismanagement and questionable academic outcomes.
Reforms reflect shifting political priorities for Head Start, from the anti-poverty program that began in the 1960s to an increasingly education-oriented program aimed at reducing the achievement gap between students from rich and poor families.
The 2007 reauthorization raised the education requirements for Head Start teachers and changed the grant-making process.
Traditionally, Head Start grantees lost funding only in extreme circumstances. Under the revised law, grantees were given five-year awards.
Strong performers would be renewed, but those flagged for quality concerns would have to compete for continued funding.
Approximately 360 of the nation’s 1,700 Head Start grantees have been required to compete for continued Head Start funding, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. And of 245 grantees who competed and received final decisions, 171 — about 70 percent — were awarded new grants.
For Mazique, the trigger for competition was a concern identified during a review that was not promptly addressed, according to federal records.
The review found that the center had not provided adequate staff training for eligibility, selection, recruitment and enrollment procedures.
Mazique competed as part of a pilot group that was encouraged to design innovative programs spanning the birth-to-5 age group. Typically, centers apply separately for Head Start and Early Head Start grants.
Keys said she submitted the application in May 2013 and then saw an announcement about the winners online the following February. The list included Bright Beginnings ; District of Columbia Public Schools; Rosemount Center; and United Planning Organization.
It did not include Mazique. The notice was marked “preliminary,” but Keys started planning accordingly. She said she was not officially notified of the ruling until this summer.
Keys told her staff first. Then she called a meeting with her families.
“It’s like your home is being foreclosed,” said Shannon Jeter, a nursing assistant and Mazique mother whose three sons have gone through the program. “It’s scary.... You don’t know what you are going to do.”
Keys said she laid off about 34 people and then called many of them back to work temporarily after she got two months of transition funding.
Many advocates for early childhood education say the new system is necessary to improve the quality of Head Start but it could use some improvements, including more timely notification for grantees.
They would also like to see the quality of instruction — rather than regulatory compliance — play a more prominent role in determining which grants are selected to compete.
“I would be surprised if there were not some bumps in the road, but overall I think this is a very good thing,” said Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.
Kenneth Wolfe, a spokesman for the Office of Head Start, said the government “makes every effort to reduce risk of disruption for children, families and staff,” in particular by timing the transitions for the summer.
Keys said she does not fault the process.
Four of her five children went through Head Start in Louisiana, and she has spent her career with Head Start, including a stint as a fellow in the federal office.
“I’m rooted in Head Start. I’m vested in Head Start, not just because I have a job but because I have a mission,” she said.
The Mazique Center’s main office on 13th Street NW is covered with plaques and certificates and pictures of Keys with children’s advocates and politicians, including President Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and former secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius.
“People say, ‘Do you want to see a good, high-quality program? Visit Mazique,’ ” Keys said.
Now she is hoping to keep the doors open with local child-care subsidies for parents who are working or in school, by admitting fee-paying families, and by expanding special-education services.
Mazique also got a grant from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education that will help open new classrooms at a birthing center in Northeast Washington.
Keys said she expects to have about 130 children enrolled in September and to continue to rebuild.
She also plans to apply for another Head Start grant, but she is cautiously optimistic.
“I know it’s a competitive process,” she said.Wednesday night I sent a text to a friend, “Tomorrow is Friday!!!” completely unaware that it was definitely not Friday the next day until I was gently reminded. That’s a true friend.
We biked to dinner, taking advantage of the long daylight hours and the much more reasonable temperatures (80°F/26°C). The burger place we wanted to eat at was closed [again] so we went down to Bar Bar. They have mediocre burgers, decent beers, and a nice patio. The need for a burger was desperate, so there we sat on the patio. Long story short, they managed to mess up our order. Again. We won’t be back. We biked to Voodoo Doughnut to soothe the frustration. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting with coconut because I certainly didn’t need an Old Dirty Bastard. They threw in a blueberry cake for free. Delicious.
The past two days I’ve had steamed sweet potato, kidney beans, and avocado covered in lime juice for lunch. While it was good, I’m definitely looking forward to Food Cart Friday with Andrew.
I spatchcocked my first chicken [more on that another day].
I’m joining the gym again. I’ve been going over the pro/con list for awhile now [thanks to those of you who had to endure my yammering about it], and it just makes sense. Costco makes it super cheap for me to hit up the 24 Hour Fitness a block away from my office. If I can spend $15 on a night out, I can spend $15 a month on the gym for some variety. Plus I’ll get 45-60 minutes more sleep. It’s starting to get darker in the mornings, which is a whole lot less motivation to go do burpees in the other room half asleep. I’ll have something to do at lunch again, that isn’t shopping, now that I don’t have homework to do. That doesn’t count evenings and weekends either. It’s safe to say working out is my hobby. Definitely going to try out this Level Up Workout.
I made more meatballs. We haven’t had meatballs since February. What happened to me? Did I lose my talent? Will I ever be good again [five points if you know what movie that’s from]? Having extra hot dog buns inspired this whole endeavor. That and Stonesoup’s easy five-ingredient recipe. I love the ones I made before, but they take way longer. This version about as easy as it can get without going to buy a sandwich. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t pulse the oats into a flour. I used whole ones. They were just fine, but it would have yielded a slightly better consistency with them pulsed. There is no frying involved. Mix your ingredients together. Put tomato on the base of the dish. Put the meatballs on top. Bake away. See? Easy.
Inspiration: Stonesoup
Ingredients
1 onion, minced
1/2lb ground beef
1/2lb ground pork
24oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup rolled oats, ground into flour
2 tablespoons butter
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 400°F and get out an 11×7″ baking dish. Pour some olive oil into a large pan and heat the pan to medium-high. Saute the onion until it’s soft and golden, 5-7 minutes. Pour the tomatoes into the bottom of the baking dish. In a bowl, mix the ground meats, onion, and rolled oats. I used my hands. Form into ping pong sized meat balls. Place the finished balls into the tomato sauce, evenly spaced. Top each ball with a chunk of butter. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the meatballs are golden brown on top.
AdvertisementsHand the power of preferences back to the people
Updated
The answer to the Senate's electoral malaise doesn't lie in punishing minor parties, but rather in handing the power over preferences back to the voters, writes Antony Green.
The debate over micro-parties and their impact on the 2013 Senate election result has a terrible sense of déjà vu for me.
Yesterday I dug through my scrapbooks to find past articles by me going back nearly two decades warning about how the loose rules on the registration of political parties, as well as the use of 'above the line' group preference ticket voting, would lead to giant ballot papers and distorted election outcomes.
I first wrote on the subject for the Sydney Morning Herald on February 16, 1995, warning that the then record number of 24 registered parties could produce a ballot paper one metre long for the 1995 NSW Legislative Council election.
The election resulted in the first example of preference 'harvesting' with the election of Alan Corbett from a party called A Better Future for Our Children. Collecting preferences from all the other micro-parties on the ballot paper, he was elected despite polling just 1.28 per cent of the vote and spending only $1,589 on his campaign.
It was an example noticed by others, especially a certain Glenn Druery, who has come to prominence in recent times, advising micro-parties as the so-called 'preference whisperer'.
In 1997, I returned to the issue of preference harvesting for the NSW Legislative Council. In the Sydney Morning Herald on June 10, 1997, I wrote:
Under current electoral laws, the 1999 election for the NSW Legislative Council could be reduced to political farce. Instead of 21 members elected reflecting the will of the people, the result could be distorted by electoral rorting and voter confusion.
I went on to warn about the dangers of larger ballot papers and smaller print size, and prophetically wrote:
The result of the election could be determined by voters incapable of reading the ballot paper, unable to manipulate a ballot paper one metre square, or simple bewildered and unable to find the party they want to vote for.
I also noted that:
The current growth in registered parties is clearly about manipulating this process with a string of stalking horse parties with attractive names running to attract votes that can be delivered as preferences to other related minor parties or perhaps to one of the major parties.
A surge of minor-party registrations in the run-up to the 1999 NSW Legislative Council election saw me return to the topic and warn that:
Voters will be faced with a farcical ballot paper stacked with stalking-horse parties, the final result owing more to shady backroom deals and the random chance of the draw for ballot positions. The state's political balance of power may well fall to a bunch of ragtag political fringe dwellers. (Sydney Morning Herald, January 27, 1999)
I then warned that voters would be forced to manipulate a ballot paper the size of a small tablecloth, a prediction that came true when 264 candidates in 81 groups nominated, the parties and candidates triple decked across a ballot paper one metre wide by 700mm deep.
On March 11, 1999, as nominations were about to close, I warned that the:
... 60 or so micro-parties that have mushroomed since the start of the year are organising a complex swap of preferences. To take part, political fringe-dwellers from across the political spectrum have been prepared to ignore ideological differences for their chance at the Holy Grail of election to the Legislative Council. It is like a giant Lotto syndicate, with one or two of the number winning election to a prize job that in eight years delivers more than a million dollars in salary and allowances and gives influence over all government legislation.
My suggested solution:
... abolish ticket preferencing, forcing parties to campaign for votes rather than lobby for the preferences of other parties.
After the close of nominations, I returned to the subject on March 17, 1999, and wrote:
The man who understands how to use the system best is Glenn Druery of an until now unknown party called People First. His direct flow of preferences, and the secondary flow as intermediary parties are excluded, means his election is almost certain.
In the end I was wrong about Druery's election. One of his front parties, the Marijuana Smokers Rights Party, had a favourable ballot draw and polled too well, knocking Druery out and instead electing Malcolm Jones of the Outdoor Recreation Party, who received just 0.2 per cent of the vote.
Jones's victory came about thanks to preferences from 22 other parties, including Marijuana Smokers Rights, the Three Day Weekend Party, the Gay and Lesbian Party (which apparently had no gay and lesbian members), Animal Liberation, the Four Wheel Drive Party, the Marine Environment Conservation Party, the Women's Party/Save the Forests and so on. How complex the preference arrangements were is shown by the fact that eight of the 22 parties that helped elect Jones in fact polled more votes than him.
After the election I undertook research on how voters reacted to the tablecloth ballot paper by comparing the preferences of below the line voters with the registered above the line preference tickets.
It was clear that several of the party names were designed to deceive voters, tricking them into voting for a party and then harvesting the preferences and sending them elsewhere.
The Marijuana Smokers Rights Party directed preferences to Glenn Druery and Malcolm Jones, but of those who voted below the line for the party, 41 per cent gave preferences to the Greens and 12 per cent to the Australian Democrats.
The Gay and Lesbian Party directed its preference ticket to Druery and Jones, but below the line voters directed 33 per cent of preferences to the Greens, 29 per cent to the Australian Democrats and 12 per cent to Labor.
The Animal Liberation Party directed its ticket preferences to Malcolm Jones, but 44 per cent of below the line votes flowed to the Greens as preferences.
The Marine Environment Conservation Party had ticket preferences to Malcolm Jones but below the line votes flowed 59 per cent to the Greens.
The Wilderness Party had ticket preferences for Druery and Jones, but 51 per cent of below the line preferences went to the Greens.
The Women's Party/Save the Forests had ticket preferences to Druery and Jones, but 48 per cent of below the line preferences flowed to the Greens.
This is clear evidence that people who voted for the party below the line considered them to be environment parties and gave preferences accordingly. However, anyone thinking that way and voting above the line found their preferences effectively stolen and delivered to Glenn Druery and Malcolm Jones.
Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald on September 11, 1999, I used the experience of the NSW tablecloth ballot paper to warn that exactly the same thing could occur at Senate elections.
At the time Liberal Senator Helen Coonan was proposing a very high threshold quota to help keep minor parties out of the Senate. This was attracting outright opposition from both Labor and the Australian Democrats, but I warned that defending the existing system also risked political fringe dwellers getting hold of the balance of power.
I wrote that:
Ticket voting has led to the profusion of micro-parties. Like-minded parties unable to resolve personal and ideological differences are able to stand multiple candidates and swap preferences. Instead of micro parties being forced to stand behind a single platform with agreed candidates, ticket voting allows internal differences to go unresolved, with the lottery of the electoral system determining who gets elected
At the time I supported some form of threshold quota as a solution, a proposal that has re-surfaced again in the light of the current Senate result. I wrote:
Minimum quotas reward minor parties that build support by agreeing on common platforms and candidates, and campaign for votes instead of preferences. Such activities are the training ground in which future Senators will learn the skills to carry out their important role in the house of review.
I no longer support threshold quotas because it has become more evident that above the line ticket voting is the real cause of parties being elected from low votes. A better solution is to deal with the cause of the problem, not impose an arbitrary threshold.
If ticket preferencing under the control of parties were retained while imposing a threshold quota, the system would still be rorted. The current system advantages micro-parties set up as fronts for each other. Ticket voting with threshold quotas would advantage micro-parties set up as fronts for the major parties.
The best way to reform the Senate's electoral system is to deliver the power over preferences back into the hands of voters, the reform that was introduced in NSW after the farce of the 1999 Legislative Council election.
I would propose the following measures.
Tighten the regulation of parties
Federal law requires only 500 members to register a party, where applying the same standards as NSW would require more than 2,000. NSW also requires that parties be registered 12 months before an election, a provision very much driven by the Labor Party's shock at the sudden emergence of the No Aircraft Noise Party ahead of the 1995 election.
A surge of newly registered parties was a feature of the 1999 NSW election and was repeated ahead of the 2013 federal election, helped by micro-parties having some idea of when the election was due to be held. Some delay in party registrations becoming effective will help in weeding out less serious parties.
Stopping over-lapping party membership is also important. David Leyonhjelm, set to be elected as the Liberal Democrat Senator for NSW, is the registered office of both the Liberal Democrats and the Outdoor Recreation Party (Stop the Greens). Members of his party also seem to be closely associated with the Smokers Rights Party.
Political parties should be more heavily regulated as registration brings with it significant advantages. Parties are able to have their names printed on the ballot paper, and have the major advantage of being able to nominate candidates for any contest in the country without the need for local nominators. The Liberal Democrats took advantage of this provision to nominate NSW-based candidates for the Tasmanian Senate election.
Keep 'above the line' voting but abolish between-party preferences
The NSW reforms changed the meaning of a single '1' above the line. Instead of adopting a ticket of preferences, such a vote became a single vote for the selected parties. No further preferences beyond the party were implied.
Voters were given a new voting option to number groups above the line. So you could vote '1' Family First and '2' Liberal, and your vote would go to Family First, and if required later, would go to the Liberal Party. Parties can try to influence voters to fill in squares above the line, but they cannot control them.
The NSW above the line voting system advantages parties that actively campaign, as by distributing how-to-votes with preference recommendations, parties can influence preference flows. Parties that don't campaign for first preferences lose power to control how their preferences flow.
This system is appropriate for the NSW Legislative Council where 21 members are elected, but may need some tweaking for the Senate where only six members are elected. In NSW, only 20 per cent of voters have been using the above the line preference option, though the rate has varied by party. Its use would probably increase if introduced for federal elections.
NSW has had three elections using the new system, but only once have preferences changed the order candidates were elected - that was in 2011 when just enough voters filled in preferences to deprive Pauline Hanson of election to the final seat.
Deposit laws
Another increase in deposits may be required. An additional deposit could be introduced for groups wanting to have an above the line voting box.
Optional below the line preferences
Even if nothing else changed, a simpler method for below the line voting must be introduced. At the NSW Senate election, voters had two choices: select a single ticket above the line, or give 110 preferences below the line. In the Victorian Legislative Council only five preferences are required for a valid below the line vote, and some similar option must be adopted for the Senate.
Changes to formulas
The new above the line voting option is a form of optional preferential voting and will therefore increase the number of exhausted preferences, as will optional preferential voting below the line.
The formulas for dealing with surplus to quota preferences of elected candidates will need to be changed so that exhausted preferences stay with an elected candidate, while ballot papers with preferences are given greater chance of continuing in the count. There are also other technical aspects of how surplus to quota preferences are dealt with that would need to change.
No doubt the natural reflex of the larger parties will be to clamp down on the new entrants to politics. You can expect tough party registration laws, big increases in deposits and relatively high threshold quotas to be the first response.
Punishing minor parties is the wrong approach as it addresses only the symptom of the Senate's electoral malaise, not its cause. That cause is group ticket voting preferences and the tight control on preferences by political parties both major and minor.
The real solution is one that hands the power over preferences back to the voters. The Senate should be elected to reflect the will of the electorate, not the arranged deals of a few backroom operators.
Antony Green is the ABC's election analyst. View his full profile here.
Topics: electoral-system, federal-elections
First postedTaylor Davis reportedly used a hole in his sweatshirt to masturbate (Picture: Osceola County Sheriff’s Office)
A Walt Disney World employee has been arrested after allegedly masturbating in a branch of Walmart and ‘flinging’ semen at an unsuspecting woman.
Taylor Davis, 20, was reportedly listening to ‘audio pornography’ through his headphones and touching himself inappropriately through a hole in his hoodie while in the infants section of a branch of Walmart in Osceola County, Florida.
And police said that when Davis had ‘finished’, he ‘flung the semen off his hand’ and it hit an unsuspecting female customer on the back.
MORE: Pervert masturbates onto woman’s back during festival
Davis acknowledged he had a problem with public masturbation and sought help, police said (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Davis stated that he has an addiction to porn and has masturbated in several public places including his high school, place of employment, public restroom stalls and “even a classroom I sat in almost every day”,’ the arrest document reads.
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Davis, who was arrested in the car park by arriving officers, is alleged to have said that he had spotted the attractive woman shopping and had followed her around Walmart.
He reportedly told officers that he had ‘struggled with the issue of public masturbation for close to a year’ and ‘wished to seek help’.
MORE: Rail worker masturbated over sleeping pregnant passenger because he was stressedAdvertisers don’t want to whisper. With new competitors and a fragmented industry for allocating ad budgets, legacy brands’ messages need to scream. Yet, Whisper -- a mobile app for sharing thoughts anonymously -- has become quite the shiny object for corporate advertisers.
With more than 10 million monthly active users, 10 billion monthly page views and users spending an average of 30 minutes per day on the app, Whisper has recently attracted campaigns from Coca-Cola, Fox and Universal Studios. Later this month, the company will launch an anti-bullying campaign with the nonprofit Ad Council.
On Whisper, users type messages and the app generates an image to serve as a background. A public feed shows these text-overlaid images under categories “Popular,” “Nearby” or “Latest.” Users can also search under “Confessions,” “LGBTQ” and
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Canada needs more women to apply for judicial appointments, but then walked away from reporters who asked him about the discrepancy.
As of June 1, 24 of the 81 federally appointed judges in Canada were women – just shy of 30 per cent.
Some of MacKay’s Conservative colleagues appeared uncomfortable with his remarks.
Calgary MP Michelle Rempel said parliamentarians should celebrate women, no matter their career choices – including staying at home.
Ontario MP Mike Wallace, who chairs the justice committee, refused to comment on the matter, saying it’s up to MacKay to defend his own statements.
And Quebec MP Maxime Bernier laughed off MacKay’s comments, but was quick to point out that he has a “special bond” with his daughters.
Several men and women who were on hand for the meeting with MacKay described the minister’s remarks to the Star as “disappointing,” “frustrating” and “offensive.”
TMS debates: Are Peter MacKay’s comments in any way defensible?Image caption The Glockenspiel has been redesigned as a free-standing clock
A Derby clockmaker has helped bring a famous Swiss landmark back to London's Leicester Square.
The Swiss Glockenspiel has returned to the capital for the first time since being removed when the Swiss Centre was demolished in 2008.
The redesigned musical clock, featuring 27 bells and 11 moving Swiss figures, was rebuilt by Smith of Derby in collaboration with Swiss artists.
It was officially inaugurated at a Switzerland-themed ceremony.
The 10m (32ft) high glockenspiel was originally gifted to the City of Westminster in 1985 by Switzerland and Liechtenstein as a token of centuries of friendship.
Traditional elements
Image caption The clock was attached to the Swiss Centre from 1985 to 2008
Its return to the square was a condition of planning approval being granted to redevelop the site of the Swiss Centre which the clock used to adorn.
Smith of Derby was asked by developers McAleer and Rushe, based in Northern Ireland, to design and create a new free-standing version which retained a strong Swiss identity.
The clockmaker worked with the glockenspiel's original producer to retune the bells and combine the clock's traditional elements with new wireless technology which allows it to be controlled from Derby.
Swiss artist Adalbert Fassler restored the wood figures and new music has been written by the Royal Academy of Music in Westminster and the University for Music and Art in Berne.
A ceremony to unveil the new glockenspiel featured six alphorn players placed on various rooftops around Leicester Square.
Jim Foster, sales director for Smith of Derby, said it had been a "fascinating project".
"We faced a series of challenges to ensure the glockenspiel met a number of requirements relating to the design, fabrication and installation.
"We collaborated very closely throughout with Swiss experts to ensure we kept a very strong element of 'Swissness' running through the design.
"We are delighted with the result and hope that the glockenspiel can once again become a great attraction in the area."By Leo Babauta
One of the things that gives me most peace is have a clean, simple home. When I wake up in the morning and walk out into a living room that has been decluttered, that has a minimalist look, and there isn’t junk lying around, there is a calm and joy that enters my heart.
When, on the other hand, I walk out into a living room cluttered with toys and books and extra things all over the place, it is chaos and my mind is frenetic.
I’ve been a simplifier and a declutterer for years now (probably 8-9 years) and I’ve gotten pretty good at it, but I’ve found that you have to keep coming back to revisit your clutter every once in awhile.
Here are my top decluttering tips:
Do it in small chunks. Set aside just 15 minutes to declutter just one shelf, and when that shelf or that 15 minutes is up, celebrate your victory. Then tackle another shelf for 15 minutes the next day. Conquering an entire closet or room can be overwhelming, and you might put it off forever. If that’s the case, just do it in baby steps.
. Set aside just 15 minutes to declutter just one shelf, and when that shelf or that 15 minutes is up, celebrate your victory. Then tackle another shelf for 15 minutes the next day. Conquering an entire closet or room can be overwhelming, and you might put it off forever. If that’s the case, just do it in baby steps. Set aside a couple hours to do it. This may seem contradictory to the above tip … and it is. It’s simply a different strategy, and I say do whatever works for you. Sometimes, for me, it’s good to set aside part of a morning, or an entire Saturday morning, to declutter a closet or room. I do it all at once, and when I’m done, it feels awesome.
. This may seem contradictory to the above tip … and it is. It’s simply a different strategy, and I say do whatever works for you. Sometimes, for me, it’s good to set aside part of a morning, or an entire Saturday morning, to declutter a closet or room. I do it all at once, and when I’m done, it feels awesome. Take everything out of a shelf or drawer at once. Whichever of the two above strategies you choose, you should focus on one drawer or shelf at a time, and empty it completely. Then clean that shelf or drawer. Then, take the pile and sort it (see next tip), and put back just what you want to keep. Then tackle the next shelf or drawer.
. Whichever of the two above strategies you choose, you should focus on one drawer or shelf at a time, and empty it completely. Then clean that shelf or drawer. Then, take the pile and sort it (see next tip), and put back just what you want to keep. Then tackle the next shelf or drawer. Sort through your pile, one item at a time, and make quick decisions. Have a trash bag and a give-away box handy. When you pull everything out of a shelf or drawer, sort through the pile one at a time. Pick up an item, and make a decision: trash, give away, or keep. Don’t put it back in the pile. Do this with the entire pile, and soon, you’ll be done. If you keep sorting through the pile, and re-sorting, it’ll take forever. Put back only what you want to keep, and arrange it nicely.
. Have a trash bag and a give-away box handy. When you pull everything out of a shelf or drawer, sort through the pile one at a time. Pick up an item, and make a decision: trash, give away, or keep. Don’t put it back in the pile. Do this with the entire pile, and soon, you’ll be done. If you keep sorting through the pile, and re-sorting, it’ll take forever. Put back only what you want to keep, and arrange it nicely. Be merciless. You may be a pack rat, but the truth is, you won’t ever use most of the junk you’ve accumulated. If you haven’t used it in the last year, get rid of it. It’s as simple as that. If you’ve only used it once or twice in the last year, but know you won’t use it in the next year, get rid of it. Toss it if it’s unsalvageable, and give it away if someone else might be able to use it.
. You may be a pack rat, but the truth is, you won’t ever use most of the junk you’ve accumulated. If you haven’t used it in the last year, get rid of it. It’s as simple as that. If you’ve only used it once or twice in the last year, but know you won’t use it in the next year, get rid of it. Toss it if it’s unsalvageable, and give it away if someone else might be able to use it. Papers? Be merciless, unless it’s important. Magazines, catalogues, junk mail, bills more than a year old, notes to yourself, notes from others, old work stuff … toss it! The only exception is with tax-related stuff, which should be kept for seven years, and other important documents like warranties, birth and death and marriage certificates, insurance, wills, and other important documents like that. But you’ll know those when you see ’em. Otherwise, toss!!!!
. Magazines, catalogues, junk mail, bills more than a year old, notes to yourself, notes from others, old work stuff … toss it! The only exception is with tax-related stuff, which should be kept for seven years, and other important documents like warranties, birth and death and marriage certificates, insurance, wills, and other important documents like that. But you’ll know those when you see ’em. Otherwise, toss!!!! If you are on the fence with a lot of things, create a “maybe” box. If you can’t bear to toss something because you might need it later, put it in the box, then close the box, label it, and put it in storage (garage, attic, closet), out of sight. Most likely, you’ll never open that box again. If that’s the case, pull it out after six months or a year, and toss it or give it away.
If you can’t bear to toss something because you might need it later, put it in the box, then close the box, label it, and put it in storage (garage, attic, closet), out of sight. Most likely, you’ll never open that box again. If that’s the case, pull it out after six months or a year, and toss it or give it away. Create a system to stop clutter from accumulating. There’s a reason you have tall stacks of papers all over the place, and big piles of toys and books and clothes. It’s because you don’t have a regular system to keep things in their place, and get rid of stuff you don’t need. This is a topic for another day, but it’s something to think about as you declutter. You’ll never get to perfect, but if you think more intelligently about how your house got cluttered, perhaps you can find ways to stop it from happening again.
. There’s a reason you have tall stacks of papers all over the place, and big piles of toys and books and clothes. It’s because you don’t have a regular system to keep things in their place, and get rid of stuff you don’t need. This is a topic for another day, but it’s something to think about as you declutter. You’ll never get to perfect, but if you think more intelligently about how your house got cluttered, perhaps you can find ways to stop it from happening again. Celebrate when you’re done! This is actually a general rule in life: always celebrate your accomplishments, no matter how small. Even if you just decluttered one drawer, that’s great. Treat yourself to something delicious. Open that drawer (or closet, or whatever), and admire its simplicity. Breathe deeply and know that you have done a good thing. Bask in your peacefulness.
Other posts about decluttering elsewhere:Israel dismally fails the requirements of a tolerant pluralistic society, according to a new report from the U.S. State Department.
Despite boasting religious freedom and protection of all holy sites, Israel falls short in tolerance toward minorities, equal treatment of ethnic groups, openness toward various streams within society, and respect for holy and other sites.
The comprehensive report, written by the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, says Israel discriminates against groups including Muslims, Jehova's Witnesses, Reform Jews, Christians, women and Bedouin.
The report says that the 1967 law on the protection of holy places refers to all religious groups in the country, including in Jerusalem, but "the government implements regulations only for Jewish sites. Non-Jewish holy sites do not enjoy legal protection under it because the government does not recognize them as official holy sites."
At the end of 2008, for example, all of the 137 officially recognized holy sites were Jewish. Moreover, Israel issued regulations for the identification, preservation and guarding of Jewish sites only. Many Christian and Muslim sites are said to be neglected, inaccessible or at risk of exploitation by real estate entrepreneurs and local authorities.
The report makes it clear that practices that have become routine in Israel are considered unacceptable in enlightened countries and should be corrected.
Among other examples, the report notes that more than 300,000 immigrants who are not considered Jewish under rabbinical law are not allowed to marry and divorce in Israel or be buried in Jewish cemeteries.
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Spotify's research arm The Echo Nest "identified 'core' artists that are most central to each genre" and quantified genre loyalty worldwide by "divid[ing] the number of streams each core artist had by their number of listeners" and then normalizing the charts. Spotify's lineup of "core" heavy metal bands included such names as METALLICA, SLAYER, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, SEPULTURA, PANTERA, CRADLE OF FILTH and ANTHRAX.
In an e-mail to Mashable, Bob Lugowe, director of promotions and new media at Relapse Records, stated about metalheads' dedication to their genre: "Whether it's wearing a 'battle jacket' full of sewn-on patches of their favorite bands, buying every vinyl color and edition of their favorite album, tattooing their favorite band mascot on their arm or traveling exceptionally long distances to concerts and festivals, metalheads are extremely diehard and dedicated to their favorite bands and the genre as a whole."
He added: "Streaming has been particularly beneficial as a promotional tool and a discovery vehicle [for new artists]."
Although heavy metal fans tend to be stereotyped as angry, alienated, and rebellious, a 2013 study found that fans of metal tend to have higher openness to experience, more negative attitudes toward authority, lower self-esteem, greater need for uniqueness and lower religiosity than those individuals with a preference for other musical genres.
Michael Friedman, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist specializing in how social relationships influence mental and physical health, wrote an article for the Psychology Today web site last year in which he stated about heavy metal devotees: "People who like intense and rebellious music such as heavy metal… [are] more likely to engage in civic activism. In fact, research suggests that heavy metal musicians and fans are 'gifted outsiders with feelings of low self-esteem that develop from their sense of alienation. They turn to heavy metal for inspiration and support. This is perhaps one of the reasons that heavy metal musicians and fans are so dedicated. Pop bands may come and go, but a METALLICA fan is a fan for life."
Biff Byford, singer of British heavy metal legends SAXON, told Independent.co.uk in 2010 that "heavy metal is a tribal music and everyone is a member of the tribe. The audience is very, very loyal… especially the Germans. It's not like pop music, where if the next song isn't good enough then forget about it; with our music, people will allow you to be shit sometimes, and that's one of the great things."
He added, "The music's not about love. Our songs are more about Richard The Lionheart, steel trains and thunder. But when you do click with a big audience, it can be quite an experience, a massive connection… I suppose you could say it is a religious experience in a way."The Gateway Pundit uncovered photos from Bill’s meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Note: The Novo-Ogaryovo was built in the 1950s and is an estate in the Odintsovo District of Moscow Oblast. This was not clear by the Getty images.
The Hill reported:
As he prepared to collect a $500,000 payday in Moscow in 2010, Bill Clinton sought clearance from the State Department to meet with a key board director of the Russian nuclear energy firm Rosatom — which at the time needed the Obama administration’s approval for a controversial uranium deal, government records show.
Arkady Dvorkovich, a top aide to then-Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and one of the highest-ranking government officials to serve on Rosatom’s board of supervisors, was listed on a May 14, 2010, email as one of 15 Russians the former president wanted to meet during a late June 2010 trip, the documents show…
…Bill Clinton instead got together with Vladimir Putin at the Russian leader’s private homestead.
“Requests of this type were run by the State Department as a matter of course. This was yet another one of those instances. Ultimately, President Clinton did not meet with these people,” Angel Urena, the official spokesperson for the former president, told The Hill.
Aides to the ex-president, Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation said Bill Clinton did not have any conversations about Rosatom or the Uranium One deal while in Russia, and that no one connected to the deal was involved in the trip.General Motors says it's nailed the lithium-ion battery technology at the heart of the Chevrolet Volt and is consistently achieving a range of 40 miles in road tests, thereby clearing a big hurdle to getting the car built by 2010.
Company Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says GM is road-testing the gas-electric hybrid drivetrain at its Milford Proving Grounds and "it is reliably meeting its objectives." That's a key milestone because sorting out the batteries has long been considered the biggest obstacle to meeting GM's aggressive time line for producing the car.
Maximum Bob is so confident with the status of the battery development that he told Auto Observer, "I can almost say the battery is the least of our problems."
So it's clear sailing from here, right?
Not quite.
Lutz says the next challenge is smoothly integrating the battery drivetrain and the gasoline engine. Unlike a conventional hybrid like the Toyota Prius, which uses a gasoline engine to drive the wheels, the Volt will be driven entirely by electricity. The engine will drive a generator that will charge the batteries.
According to Auto Observer, GM's engineers are answering such questions as: "When does the engine cut in? How long does it stay on? How will it deal with extreme cold, when the engine will have to warm up the battery? Lutz says answering these questions requires "reams and reams of software" and is key to reaching GM's goal of building an electric vehicle with a range of 640 miles.
With the batteries performing as expected and the drivetrain being sorted out in a test vehicle – a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu – Lutz says General Motors is increasingly confident it'll have the Volt in showrooms by the end of 2010.
"November 2010 looks good," he says.
Photo by Dr. Lyle Dennis, editor of GM-Volt.com, which has been covering the Volt in almost microscopic detail.Albany – Today, The New York State Assembly will vote on the Compassionate Care Act -- A.6357-B (Gottfried), New York’s comprehensive medical marijuana bill. The bill will help provide relief to thousands of New Yorker’s who are currently suffering with debilitating medical conditions such as, cancer, multiple sclerosis, severe seizure disorders, and other serious conditions. Traveling from New York City, Westchester, and Central New York, patients will gather in Albany for an advocacy day and to hear the Assembly debate and vote on the bill. The bill would create one of the nation’s most tightly regulated medical marijuana programs and allow patients with seriously and debilitating conditions to access marijuana under the supervision of their healthcare provider.
What: Compassionate Care NY Advocacy Day
When: Tuesday, March 27th – Assembly Session at 2 PM – Patients and Caregivers Available for Comment Immediately Following the Vote
Location: New York State Capitol, Outside Assembly Chamber, Albany, NY
Who (patient and providers, including):
Holly Anderson, Rochester -- Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester
Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester Dawn Carney - Mount Vernon - Person living with HIV/AIDS
- Person living with HIV/AIDS Nancy Rivera – Troy - Grandmother and four-time cancer survivor
– Grandmother and four-time cancer survivor Donna Romano– Syracuse - MS patient
- MS patient Kate Hintz – North Salem- Mother of Morgan, who suffers from a severe and life-threatening seizure disorder
Mother of Morgan, who suffers from a severe and life-threatening seizure disorder Wanda Hernandez – New York City - Person living with HIV/AIDS
– - Person living with HIV/AIDS Cindy Tangney - Chester - Grandmother of child with severe seizure disorder; the family recently had to relocate to CO to get their medicine
Momentum for the Compassionate Care Act continues to build. A poll from Quinnipiac University released last week found that a super majority (83%) of New York voters support medical marijuana. The Assembly has passed the bill by wide margins four times and included the Compassionate Care Act in their budget bill earlier this session. Last week, the Senate Health Committee voted in favor of the senate version of the bill (S.4406-B/ Savino) and advanced it to the Finance Committee. The bill has strong bipartisan support in the Senate: Republicans Senator John Bonacic (R-Middletown), Senator George Maziarz (R – Newfane), Senator Mark Grisanti (R, IP – Buffalo), Senator Tim O’Mara (R, C – Big Flats, Elmira) and bill co-sponsor, Senator Joe Robach (R, C, IP – Rochester) have all expressed their support.
Patients and caregivers will be in Albany every week between now and the end of session to demand legislators take up the issue.
###If Your Goal Is To: Make the Most of 20 Minutes
Try This: Warm up at a slow to moderate pace for five minutes, then increase the speed to race pace and hold it for 10 minutes for a hard tempo. Cool down for five minutes.
If Your Goal Is To: Beat Boredom (and Get Wicked Fast)
Try This: Watch TV. During the show, run at an easy-moderate pace, then punch up the speed to run hard for the duration of the commercial break. Return to your moderate pace when the show resumes. If no TV is available, listen to music, varying your pace or effort by song.
If Your Goal Is To: Improve Speed at Any Distance
Try This: Set the treadmill to a two percent incline. After warming up, match speedy segments with equal recovery (e.g., one minute hard, one minute recovery) for 1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1 minutes, then cool down. “The idea is to run your 10-K pace in a broken tempo format,” says coach Brad Hudson of Hudson Training Systems in Boulder, Colorado.
If Your Goal Is To: Return from Injury or Illness
Try This: Alternate jogging and walking—two minutes jogging, two minutes walking—for a total of 20 to 30 minutes. If your injury or illness doesn’t flare up, increase the run interval during subsequent workouts to three minutes, then four, then five (and so on), and bring the walking segment down to one minute in between.
If Your Goal Is To: Introduce Your Legs to the Treadmill
Try This: Start at an easy pace. After five minutes, crank up the speed by.5 mph for one minute, then back down to your easy pace for two minutes. Crank up the incline by.5 percent for one minute, then back down for two minutes. Continue alternating, experimenting with pace and incline.
If Your Goal Is To: Finish Your Marathon Strong
Try This: Run four miles at 30 seconds slower than your marathon pace; then four miles at 15 seconds slower than race pace; then four miles at race pace; then four miles at 15 seconds faster than race pace. “This trains your body to go fast when you’re tired, but is best done in the last phase of training,” says coach Dan Guillory of West Coast Road Runners.
If Your Goal Is To: Chew Up Hills and Spit ’Em Out
Try This: After warming up, increase the incline to four to five percent and run at an effort between your marathon and half-marathon pace for 20 to 30 minutes. Cool down. “This workout will get you really strong while increasing overall endurance,” says Hudson.
Get more information about treadmills, including treadmill reviews and workouts, on our treadmill page.House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., warned that Republicans who vote to pass the American Health Care Act today will have a "scar they will carry" from that vote, and that they will be "forever identified" with the vote.
"They have this vote tattooed on them. This is a scar they will carry," Pelosi said when asked if the House bill could be improved in the Senate. "It's their vote, not the Senate vote. It's their vote they are taking. So that is really a poor choice... cowardly, I might add. Why would they vote for it if they don't think it's worthy of support because the Senate will change it?"
"Whatever happens down the road, the members of the House Republican caucus will be forever identified with the worst aspects of the bill they passed," she added.
Given the unpopularity of the AHCA, some believe the vote could lead to an opportunity for Democrats could retake the House.
However, Pelosi claimed that she was not thinking about the 2018 ramifications.
"This isn't about politics. This is about the American people. It's about a pillar of economic and health... security for America's families," she said. "It's a stupid bill. It's a bill of deconstruction of government. It's not a bill of saying 'we have a better way to do this.' They're saying 'we don't want to do this.'"
The House Democratic leader said that she Is not encouraging any disruptions on the House floor ahead of or during the vote.Ashley Stephenson tried to put on a brave face, but she couldn’t hide her heartbreak. An original member of Canada’s first women’s baseball team in 2004, the 32-year-old phys ed teacher has watched the sport’s steady growth over the last decade, culminating in this historic first competition in a multi-sport event.
Canada acknowledges the crowd following their loss to the U.S. in the gold medal baseball game on Sunday in Ajax. ( Richard Lautens / Toronto Star ) Canada's Nicole Luchanski can't quite haul in a drive from American Sarah Hudek in first-inning women's baseball play on Sunday. ( Richard Lautens / Toronto Star )
She knows the Pan Am Games tournament itself is an important accomplishment and that one day she will be able to enjoy the silver medal around her neck, despite how it feels right now. “Obviously we’re disappointed in the way today finished,” Stephenson said following Canada’s 11-3 loss to the U.S. in Sunday’s gold-medal final. “But I said to the girls: ‘Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but in a year or so we’ll be proud of this medal.’ ” But then Stephenson couldn’t continue. She looked down, kicked at some dirt and took a long, deep breath to collect herself. When she looked up again her eyes were wet with tears.
Article Continued Below
“We’re really disappointed,” she said. “But this was a huge opportunity for us... and I’m so proud of the girls, proud of the coaches and proud of what we did here. We really think we put on a great tournament for everybody and we think we’ll be back in four years.” The debut of women’s baseball at the Pan Ams did not go as Canada had hoped, but the athletes and coaches hope they left an impression on the thousands of people who watched them play this week and the tournament organizers who opened the door for their participation. “It was not the ideal outcome,” said Canada’s manager, André Lachance. “But you know what, at the end of the day, I think we made a good run at it and we sincerely hope that people realized that these guys can play baseball — and we’re not (playing) softball — and we sincerely hope we’re going to remain a Pan Am sport.” Not only was the tournament important to showcase women’s baseball on a larger stage, said Amanda Asay — who pitched 3.2 innings in relief for Canada on Sunday — but also simply to show girls and young women that they can keep playing the sport as they get older. “Hopefully these little girls see us playing with each other and against each other — all women — and sort of keep striving for that.” Unlike the men’s national team — which won gold in a wild finish over the U.S. last weekend — Canada’s top female baseball players are not professional athletes. They are teachers and police officers and plastic surgeons and yoga instructors and students, juggling their training and competition with full-time jobs. The police officer, Autumn Mills, is working the graveyard shift in Oakville on Monday because she used up all her vacation to compete in Pan Ams.
“There’s all kinds of sacrifices people make,” Stephenson said. “But we love to play ball, so you can say it’s a sacrifice or you can say this was an opportunity of a lifetime. Maybe a little bit of both.” The Americans jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning on Sunday, weathered a Canadian rally in the fourth and tacked on seven more runs to win the first Pan Am title in women’s baseball. U.S. manager Jonathan Pollard said it was an important moment for the burgeoning sport. “The entire world needs to respect this and come see it and support it,” he said. “Give it a chance and you’ll see the great baseball these girls are capable of playing.”Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said he would cut off Medicaid funding for the state’s Planned Parenthood. The move would deprive the organization of about $61,000.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said he would cut off Medicaid funding for the state’s Planned Parenthood. The move would deprive Planned Parenthood of about $61,000.
Gov. Sam Brownback / YouTube
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) said this week that he would cut off Medicaid funding for the state’s Planned Parenthood, joining a host of GOP governors who have attempted to defund the health care organization.
“We have become the shining city on the hill and the champions for life,” Brownback said Tuesday in his State of the State address. “Today, I am directing Secretary Susan Mosier to ensure that not a single dollar of taxpayer money goes to Planned Parenthood through our Medicaid program.”
He added that he would welcome legislation enshrining the directive into state law.
The move would deprive Planned Parenthood of about $61,000 in Medicaid reimbursements, which fund health exams, cancer screenings, and birth control for low-income people, said Elise Higgins, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri. Planned Parenthood provides abortion care in Overland Park, Kansas, and non-abortion services at a clinic in Wichita.
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“I am disappointed on behalf of the women who rely on us for health care that the governor has chosen to make them his political scapegoat,” Higgins told The New York Times.
Several states have made similar moves to cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. Courts have blocked those attempts in Utah, Louisiana, and Alabama.
Brownback has passed a series of anti-choice laws in his five years as governor, including the first law in the nation banning dilation and evacuation, a common medical procedure used after miscarriages and in second trimester abortions. That law is under review by the state Court of Appeals.
Brownback launched an investigation last year into whether the state’s Planned Parenthood was selling donated fetal tissue, after an anti-choice front group called the Center for Medical Progress released a series of highly edited videos making that allegation. Kansas facilities don’t have any tissue collection programs, according to the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.
Higgins was firm in response to Brownback’s latest attempt to deprive Planned Parenthood of reimbursements. “We intend to fight this.”Ontario's standardized tests will transition from pencil-and-paper to online over the next several years, starting with Grade 10 students in the 2015-16 school year. “The current 2014-15 school year will be a year of consultation, research, analyses, field tests and trials runs,” the Education Quality and Accountability Office, or EQAO, said in an announcement Wednesday morning.
Ontario's standardized tests will move online over the next several years, the EQAO office announced on Wednesday. ( Toronto Star File Photo )
“If all goes as planned, the first students to have an opportunity to write the OSSLT (Grade 10 literacy test) online will be those scheduled to write it in the 2015-16 school year.” The EQAO calls the move “one component of... efforts to modernize the provincial assessment program” and says it will “make the assessments more engaging for students by allowing them to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a number of different ways.” Online testing will also allow for more detailed analysis of test results and help schools more easily administer the tests, which in younger grades run over several days each spring, the testing body says.
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EQAO tests cover reading, writing and math in Grades 3 and 6, math in Grade 9 and reading and writing in Grade 10. Teens must pass the Grade 10 test in order to graduate from high school. The tests cost the province more than $30 million a year and have been derided by teacher unions, in particular, who say they are time consuming and expensive; they have recommended a random sampling of students instead of the widespread testing of so many kids. The tests are widely referred to by educators and kids as “evil questions attacking Ontario.” The EQAO has also dealt with several cases of test tampering, including a recent case in the London District Catholic board where Tillsonburg principal Ronald Curridor lost his teaching licence for six months after a disciplinary panel found he had given the tests to teachers ahead of time, altered kids' responses and provided help to them during testing. The EQAO said in a release that computer testing will “improve the consistency of assessment administration across Ontario schools while increasing assessment security and, in certain cases, providing the results more quickly.”
The move will also “reduce the environmental impact of Ontario's provincial assessment program.” Paper versions of the tests will be available during the switch to online testing.
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Bruce Rodrigues, EQAO's chair who is also the former director of education at the Toronto Catholic board, said “it's important that we bring the provincial assessments in line with the digital world we live in and the digital classroom that is an increasing part of education.” However, it is unclear how schools without sufficient numbers of computers would be able to administer the online testing. EQAO says it will look at “questions related to equity, availability of technology at schools, assessment security, assessment validity, reliability and comparability” as it goes fully digital.A statewide prescription drug take-back effort will continue, even through federal coordination ended last year.
The Wisconsin Justice Department said earlier this week that it take the lead on safe disposal of prescription drugs by providing personnel and logistics. Attorney General Brad Schimel said an incinerator company in Indiana, Covanta Energy, has agreed to dispose of the drugs for free.
While the process of shipping the disposed-of prescriptions will be expensive — a ballpark estimate is around $20,000 per collection event — Schimel said it's an important preventive measure and will save money for local law enforcement.
"If local law enforcement was doing this themselves, each of them would be incurring these costs of transporting the drugs, getting all this done," he said. "I think we can, we'll experience a tremendous economy of scale."
After the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act was signed in 2010, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency began administering drug take-back events to help local law enforcement dispose of unused prescription drugs. However, federal regulations were changed, and the last statewide drug take-back run by the DEA was in September 2014. During that last collection, more than 17 tons of drugs were disposed of in Wisconsin.
Law enforcement agencies around Wisconsin took part in these take-back events, among them the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Erik Severson said that when the DEA began its drug collection, the department jumped on board early. After the DEA announced it would no longer be coordinating these efforts, Severson said they had to take a hard look at how they would continue to manage an important part of the heroin and opiate problem.
They began to explore the idea of having drug drop-off boxes available, like other law enforcement agencies around the country were doing.
"My position was that I want to do what we can to collect and make the collection of those pills as easy as possible for the public," Severson said. "If it meant that we were going to have to divert some funding to pay for the destruction of those down the road, I was willing to do that."
The sheriff's department maintains three drug collection units in partnership with CVS Pharmacy. Other agencies in the county also have their own drug collection boxes, which brings the total number of dropbox locations to nine in Waukesha County.
Severson said they were also in contact with the DOJ to considering other avenues for drug disposal and that they're looking forward to working with the agency to re-establish drug collection days.
"We're really excited that the attorney general has taken this on as being an important thing," he said. "It's really a opportunity for law enforcement agencies to really come together and work on the collection of these opiates."
The first drug take-back coordinated by the DOJ is scheduled for May.History and statistics Edit
In the fiscal year 2008–2009, over 3,136,664 passengers used the former Benazir Bhutto International Airport and 34,025 aircraft movements were registered.[4] The airport served as a hub for the flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines. It was also the hub of
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learn. This is for the whole world. We can learn from them and they can learn from us. We can all be more successful. We are open.”Not to be confused with Anarcho-capitalism
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is a car safety performance assessment programme based in Australia and founded in 1993. ANCAP specialises in the crash testing of automobiles sold in Australia and the publishing of these results for the benefit of consumers. ANCAP provides consumers with transparent advice and information on the level of occupant and pedestrian protection provided by different vehicle models in the most common types of crashes, as well as their ability—through technology—to avoid a crash.
Since 1993, ANCAP has published crash test results (as of 2015) for over 515 passenger and light commercial vehicles sold in Australia and New Zealand. Vehicles are awarded an ANCAP safety rating of between one and five stars indicating the level of safety they provide in the event of a crash. The more stars, the better the vehicle performed in ANCAP tests. To achieve the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, a vehicle must achieve the highest standards in all tests and feature advanced safety assist technologies.
2018, ANCAP adopted the Euro NCAP protocols.Photo Credit: Charlie Neibergal/AP Images
Welcome to the Deadspin 25, a college football poll that strives to be more democratic and less useless than every other preseason poll. Leading up to the college football season kickoff, we will give you previews of the 25 teams that you, the readers, voted to be most worthy of writing about. Now, No. 25 Iowa State.
It’s tossed and turned; it’s grunted and kicked; it’s fucked and bucked; but after seven glorious months of sleep, college football is officially awake. And where better to start the only poll that matters than with the team that matters least.
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Iowa State is a prime example of the fact that longevity, on its own, does not breed success. Despite being one of the first programs to join what would become the Big 6 (which turned into the Big Eight and is now the Big 12) back in 1908—Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State rounded out the bunch that previously made up the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association—the Cyclones have never been truly sustained any success that fell their way. They’ve posted a winning percentage over.500 just 42 times in 120 years; of the top 10 finishes in program history, seven came before the year 1915; and they’ve managed to capture a conference title just twice (1911 and 1912) in over a century of playing college ball.
Plain and simple, Iowa State is a not a good football program—the Cyclones aren’t quite the worst of the worst, but they definitely at least share the sought-after title of college football’s most mediocre Power Five program. There’s a thin line between mediocrity and just simply sucking ass, a la Duke 2000-2008; Iowa State tap dances on this line, as it will occasionally flash its fans with a sliver of light when it strings together a couple five-, six-, or seven-win seasons, only to inevitably follow it by at least three-to-four years of blindly bumping into Kansas and the floor in dark, damp basement of the Big 12.
This is the part where I say “BUT!” and tell you about the new game-changing coach who’s going to really shake things up and get Iowa State maybe, possibly headed in the Right Direction, or rave about their latest recruit that could really start a wave incoming talent. This does not appear to be happening, so I will save the inspiration for a fan base that is young and dumb enough to believe it—Cyclones fans, like my beloved N.C. State masochists, are (or at least should be) immune to the vile disease known commonly as hope.
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That’s not to say that they aren’t in capable hands, though. Matt Campbell enters his second year at the helm, fresh off an initial campaign that ended with his team 3-9, the same record the program finished with in 2015 and 2013 (they went 2-10 in 2014). The 37-year-old Ohio native is on the younger side, but already boasts a solid four-year run as Toldeo’s head coach on his résumé. There, he went from run-game coordinator to head coach in two years; he then proceeded to lead the Rockets to a 35-15 slate and two conference crowns in four full seasons. But the incredible MACtion was not for long, unfortunately, as Campbell jumped ship once Paul Rhoads got tossed overboard at Iowa State in late 2015.
Through a year-and-a-half on the recruiting trail, Campbell’s haul has been, like the program was decades before him, fairly mediocre. His Class of 2017 is ranked 44th per Rivals, 50th per Scout, and 53rd per 24/7—this sounds fine, until you remember that while there are 129 active FBS teams competing for a postseason slot this year, just 64 of them are Power Five programs with access to top-end facilities and truckloads of television dollars. The Cyclones have regularly been out-recruited by Group of Five squads for the past seven years (and likely longer than that), so the 2016 season-opening loss to Northern fucking Iowa shouldn’t have been a shock to anyone.
There were better outings in Campbell’s first season, of course. The Cyclones held Texas Tech’s prolific aerial attack in check the entire afternoon, roasting Kliff Kingsbury’s squad 66-10; they also played Baylor (pre-six-game losing streak) within three points and had Oklahoma in a one-score game in the fourth quarter. But the Cyclones started the season 1-8 for a reason—they didn’t (and don’t) have enough high-quality recruits to hang with the Big 12's top or middle tier, and most of the quality players they did have played like shit.
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As the plague of hope is unrelenting, I will note that some of those same prospects that struggled last season are returning for another go-round, and chances are they won’t be as terrible again. The Cyclones return six starters apiece on defense and offense this season, with the majority of notable faces coming of the offensive side of the ball.
Up front, Iowa State gets left tackle Jake Campos, who missed the whole season after breaking his leg in training camp last year, back on the offensive line. Unfortunately, the team also lost the majority of last year’s starters to graduation. Establishing a core rotation will be key for the Cyclones, as they’ll be looking to build upon the late-season success that quarterback Jacob Park had while carving out enough room to ensure the run game takes at least a little step forward.
The Cyclones had the good fortune of fielding a trio of 500-yard rushers last season in quarterback Joel Lanning and backs Mike Warren and David Montgomery. The two backs were granted fairly even turns in the backfield (Montgomery had 109 carries; Warren ran 134 times), and while it turned out fine, it wasn’t the plan. The plan was for Warren to be The Man, while Montgomery, a freshman in 2016, spent time developing behind the explosive sophomore. Warren, currently in his third year, was truly, actually good in his rookie season—he rushed for 1,339 yards and five scores, earning him Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. Last year, though, he dealt with pesky ankle injury that sidelined him and was publicly admonished by Campbell with regards to his practice habits.
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If Warren can recapture his 2015 form, then the Cyclones might actually have something of a 1-2 punch in him and Montgomery; add in receiver Allen Lazard, who is a legitimate NFL prospect with the height and speed to take advantage of the Big 12's many porous passing defenses, and you actually might raise an eyebrow at the Iowa State skill positions. Lazard will be joined by senior slot receiver Trever Ryen, sophomore Deshaunte Jones, who caught 37 balls in his rookie season, and Matthew Eaton, a 6-foot-4 transfer from Pearl River Community College who will give the Cyclones another height advantage on the end and in the redzone. Ideally, this group should be enough to take the any double-team heat off of Lazard; realistically, Lazard will be both the star and the only true threat for Big 12 secondaries.
Defensively, well, there’s just not much to say. Ignoring whatever the fuck it was that Texas Tech put on the field, Iowa State was rivaled only by Kansas in terms of shitty Big 12 defenses last year, allowing 31.3 points per game (yes, I know Texas allowed slightly more, but it did so with talent, meaning there is hope; Iowa State, like I said, can claim neither talent nor hope.) They’re godawful against the run, and likely will be again this year given the youth on their defensive line. The only positive note I can add is that Lanning wasn’t completely incompetent at running through and past people as a quarterback, so maybe he’ll be okay at his new middle linebacker spot.
A Guy To Know
Allen Lazard was just about the only good thing Iowa State had going for it last year; while Warren can be expected to be closer to his 2015 form and thus be an actual above-replacement player, the Cyclones’ hulking, 6-foot-5 aerial threat will once again be the best case anyone can make for actually tuning in to an Iowa State football game.
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An honest-to-God, homegrown Iowan four-star prospect, Lazard fielded offers from Stanford, Notre Dame, and Nebraska, among others, as a high school senior; he opted to follow in the footsteps of his father and brother, committing to the Cyclones. Since then, Lazard’s spent the past three years developing into one of the Big 12's premier pass-catchers. Lazard has steadily improved each season, racking up 593 yards as a freshman and 808 as a sophomore; last season, he finished with 1,018 yards and seven scores on 69 catches, ranking sixth in the conference in receptions and fifth in receiving yards.
The 2016 first-team All-Big 12 receiver is everything one could want out of a larger wideout—he has the frame and armspan, the speed (he’s reportedly been hand-timed running a 4.4), and the open-field agility to rack up a handful of yards after catch. Heading into the 2017 draft, Lazard was projected to go anywhere from the fifth round to undrafted; if he can have another productive season in Ames and the Cyclones can implement some increased versatility in his route options, Lazard could very easily be working his way on an NFL depth chart come this time next year.
Can They Make The Playoff?
Not a chance in hell. The best the Cyclones can hope for this year is somehow scraping together six wins and sending a much-deserving Lazard to a meaningless bowl game. Games against Northern Iowa, Akron, Kansas, and Texas Tech should be winnable—if Iowa State wants to go bowling, though, it’s going to have to beat an actual Big 12 team, which, as of the past four years, is not a safe bet.
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Is The Coach A Dick?
Campbell is not a dick, as far as I can tell. His players, both at Toledo and last year’s Iowa State crew, seem to enjoy him, and he’s well liked among his Big 12 peers. It probably helps that opposing coaches recognize he’s both 1) new to Big Football and 2) saddled with a project that is going to require numerous repairs before it actually starts to be a real threat.
However, that doesn’t mean Ames is dick-free. Athletic director Jamie Pollard steps up to the plate for the Cyclones—although the guy is bold enough to call a press conference to shit on the Big 12 and its officials, he’s also the local asshole that gets tossed from dang high school basketball games for arguing with the refs, and one of dozens of dickhead ADs that offer the following hollow, shameless sentiment when confronted with the stark inequity that envelops college football:
“Unionization? They’re not employees so I don’t believe that’s the right pathway to ultimately achieving, maybe, what some believe needs to be done,” Pollard says. “We’re all committed to the wellness of our student athletes and we continue to do a lot for that. That, unfortunately, probably doesn’t get talked about enough.”
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I’m sure Pollard and Iowa State do lots of nice things for their athletes; he’s still a dick.
Schedule
Sept. 2: Northern Iowa
Sept. 9: Iowa
Sept. 16: @ Akron
Sept. 28: Texas
Oct. 7: @ Oklahoma
Oct. 14: Kansas
Oct. 21: @ Texas Tech
Oct. 28: TCU
Nov. 4: @ West Virginia
Nov. 11: Oklahoma State
Nov. 18: @ Baylor
Nov. 25: @ Kansas StateIt is incredibly useful to know where the priorities of Old School players are. We always want to be putting out the most desired content for you and priority polls help us judge what we should be focusing on.
At this point we have delivered a large majority of the content that was voted as a priority and the content that hasn't been delivered is well on the way. As a result, we will be conducting another priority poll in the near future.
We have just released a developer blog detailing what is in the poll so far and would love feedback to find out if there is anything that we have missed.
Make sure to give the developer blog a read and let us know what you think.
Mods Alfred, Ash, John C, Mat K, Reach, Ronan & Weath
The Old School TeamThe historic Texas drought caused the Ogallala Aquifer to experience its largest decline in 25 years across a large swath of the Texas Panhandle, new numbers from a water district show.
The 16-county High Plains Underground Water Conservation District reported this week that its monitoring wells showed an average decline last year of 2.56 feet — the third-largest in the district’s 61-year history, and three times the average rate over the past decade. Farmers pumped more water during the drought to compensate for the lack of rainfall, which was about two-thirds less than normal last year in Lubbock and Amarillo.
Further north in the Panhandle, along the state's border with Oklahoma, a second water district also registered large declines in the Ogallala. Steve Walthour, the general manager of the eight-county North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, calculated on Monday that the average drop in the Ogallala reached 2.9 feet last year.
"We’ve seen some pretty heavy declines," Walthour said, noting that the west side of his district got hit especially hard.
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Given the catastrophic nature of the drought, which was the most intense in recorded state history, some farmers said things could have been worse.
“You never want to pull that much down, but under the circumstances I think we’re probably coming out pretty well,” said Tommy Fondren, who rents out his land in Crosby County for cotton farming.
Brad Heffington, a cotton farmer based in Lamb County, pointed out that the Ogallala in the High Plains Underground Water District was essentially stable in 2010, a rainy year that allowed for some replenishing of the aquifer. Some of the counties with larger declines had large amounts of groundwater, he said — and farmers were clearly making use of it, judging from the drops.
One observation well in Floyd County recorded a decline of more than 25 feet, according to the High Plains water district.
Heffington, who is also the chairman of the group Plains Cotton Growers, said that farmers were doing their best to conserve the resource. But “the bottom line is, it’s a finite resource and we’re mining it,” he said. His own farm experienced declines of up to two feet last year, and the place remains exceptionally dry, with less than 5 inches of rain since July 3, 2010.
The severe drops come amid a swirl of debate over new metering requirements in the High Plains district, along with a first-ever cap on the amount of water farmers can pump. (The requirements are not yet enforced.) A study published this year by a University of Texas scientist and other groups projected that depletion of the Ogallala will severely impact farming in the Panhandle and across the Great Plains.
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As for this year, farmers say that spring rains have helped, but most of the Panhandle remains in moderate drought, or worse. Fondren is holding out hope for showers soon. "We’re going to go back to pumping pretty hard again if we don’t get some rain," he said.
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 videos in question, some of which have since been deleted, include people holding signs that say “Death to all Jews” and someone dressed up as Jesus Christ telling viewers that “Hitler did nothing wrong.”
Kjellberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The news appears to have caught everyone involved off-guard; as of Tuesday morning, Kjellberg was still listed as part of the Maker Studios network on the company’s website.
“Although Felix has created a following by being provocative and irreverent, he clearly went too far in this case and the resulting videos are inappropriate,” a representative for Maker Studios said in a statement. “Maker Studios has made the decision to end our affiliation with him going forward.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that Disney-owned Maker Studios, which operates the Revelmode network that hosts Kjellberg and other YouTube stars, severed ties with Kjellberg after the company was made aware of the anti-Semitic content. When reached for comment, a representative for YouTube, which is owned by Google, said in a statement that the company is cancelling its PewDiePie web TV show (“Scare PewDiePie”). Additionally, YouTube is “removing the PewDiePie channel from Google Preferred,” an ad program for “stars” that are most desirable to advertisers.
Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, is a 27-year-old Swedish man who last year earned $15 million from YouTube videos of himself playing and talking about video games. But as of Monday night, Kjellberg had started to lose major business partners after he posted a series of videos that included Holocaust jokes and Nazi images.
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Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, is a 27-year-old Swedish man who last year earned $15 million from YouTube videos of himself playing and talking about video games. But as of Monday night, Kjellberg had started to lose major business partners after he posted a series of videos that included Holocaust jokes and Nazi images.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Disney-owned Maker Studios, which operates the Revelmode network that hosts Kjellberg and other YouTube stars, severed ties with Kjellberg after the company was made aware of the anti-Semitic content. When reached for comment, a representative for YouTube, which is owned by Google, said in a statement that the company is cancelling its PewDiePie web TV show (“Scare PewDiePie”). Additionally, YouTube is “removing the PewDiePie channel from Google Preferred,” an ad program for “stars” that are most desirable to advertisers.
“Although Felix has created a following by being provocative and irreverent, he clearly went too far in this case and the resulting videos are inappropriate,” a representative for Maker Studios said in a statement. “Maker Studios has made the decision to end our affiliation with him going forward.”
Kjellberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The news appears to have caught everyone involved off-guard; as of Tuesday morning, Kjellberg was still listed as part of the Maker Studios network on the company’s website.
The videos in question, some of which have since been deleted, include people holding signs that say “Death to all Jews” and someone dressed up as Jesus Christ telling viewers that “Hitler did nothing wrong.”
Though PewDiePie has yet to respond publicly to the latest news, he wrote in a Tumblr post this past weekend that he “was trying to show how crazy the modern world is” and that he is in “no way supporting any kind of hateful attitudes.” It was part of an experiment, he said, to see what he could get away with paying people to do on the freelance work marketplace Fiverr (which is based in Israel).
In the past few months, edgy humor on TV and the internet that toes the line between “anti-comedy” and hate speech has come under a microscope. In early December, Turner Broadcasting-owned Adult Swim canceled the show “Million-Dollar Extreme” after sustained allegations of racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia. Ad agency exec Ian Schafer, who runs the firm DeepFocus, says that such attempts at comedy are bound to run afoul of people who manage the business side.
“Regardless of the true intent, this kind of attempt at dark humor goes places that would make most, if not all, advertisers uncomfortable,” Schafer said. “What a new generation of creators need to understand is that making content for audiences can be a business, but appealing to them shouldn’t happen at all costs.”Member of Knesset Oren Hazan posts a video to Facebook on July 22, 2107 where he states he wants to kill Palestinians in their homes, and equates them to "scum" that are "vile human beings." (Screen shot: video with subtitles provided by Ronnie Barkan)
An Israeli lawmaker said he wants to enter the homes of three Palestinians who killed two Israeli police officers near the holy sites in Jerusalem earlier this month, and “execute” their relatives–“execute them all. Yes just like that. With no shame. A quick and simple execution.” The comments were made over the weekend by Knesset member Oren Hazan, who posted a feed of himself making the remarks to Facebook Live. A shortened version of the audio was translated into English by Israeli activist and co-founder of the Boycott from Within, Ronnie Barkan.
Hazan further compared Arabs to animals, stating “They are the ones who run away like dogs with their tail between their legs. Without insulting any dogs, God forbid. Yes, even dogs are better than these vile human animals.”
At one point in the 12-minute video, Hazan referenced former prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, who ordered over 400 Palestinian detainees be expelled en masse from Israeli prisons to Lebanon. Hazan praised the deportations and made a direct appeal to Israel’s current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu who is the head of the Likud party where Hazan is also a member, and urged him to repeat the deportation of prisoners.
Yet Hazan went a step further, asking Netanyahu to expel influential Palestinian leaders “to Syria” or ” Iraq, or Iran” so they may be extra-judicially killed in operations outside of Israel’s borders and legal roadblocks.
“Israel’s long hand could reach places overseas in the past and take murderers. You don’t need me to remind you of that. You don’t need me to say the most obvious: that when we want we can eliminate terrorist in their sleep, even in the most remote places,” Hazan said.
The lawmaker then named two Palestinian members of Knesset, the Joint List’s Hanin Zoabi and Ahmed Tibi, and alluded to stripping them of their citizenship, casting them abroad, and executing them. Hazan blamed Zoabi and Tibi for inspiring a July 14 attack by Palestinian citizens of Israel Muhammad Ahmed Jabarin, 29, Muhammad Hamid Jabarin, 19, and Muhammad Ahmed Mufdal Jabarin, 19. The three shot dead Advanced Staff Sgt. Maj. Hayil Satawi, 30, and Advanced Staff Sgt. Maj. Kamil Shnaan, 22, both of whom were Druze, near the entrance to al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
In the aftermath of the killings, Israeli police erected metal detectors outside of the holy site’s complex in Jerusalem’s Old City, prompting ten days of mass protests coordinated by Palestinians from Jerusalem and citizens of Israel. In the week and a half of protests where thousands demonstrated by refusing to enter the mosque and holding prayer sessions in the stone streets of Jerusalem, more than 1,000 were injured according to Palestinian medical sources.
On Monday, Israeli officials decided to remove the metal detectors. Hazan’s video was posted two days before the reversal of security orders were announced.
Hazan, a member of Israel’s ruling party, is a far-right politician who resides in the West Bank settlement of Ariel. He made international headlines in May during President Donald Trump’s visit to Israel when he snapped a photograph with the president, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to elbow Hazan out of the way. A few days later he posted another image to social media where he intimated removing the Dome of the Rock. For years, Hazan has advocated alongside the Temple Mount movement, which seeks to demolish the Muslim religious complex and replace it with a Jewish synagogue. In 2016 Mondoweiss reported Hazan told a meeting of Students For The Temple Mount. “It would not be responsible at this point in time to tell you how we would do it, but I will say it clear and loud: When I have the opportunity to [destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque], I will.”
With each unfolding contentious statement and picture, Israeli media were quick to note Hazan’s checkered past as a manager of a casino in Bulgaria where he pimped prostitutes for patrons and used drugs. The allegations against Hazan were first made by Israel’s Channel 2 in an extensive report that aired in 2015. After the broadcast, Hazan filed a lawsuit against the network but lost the libel case as Channel 2 provided the court with evidence of the malfeasances.
Earlier this summer Hazan’s again stoked a media affair after he admonished a center-left Knesset member for wearing a sleeveless dress inside of the parliament building. The Zionist Union’s Stav Shaffir replied to Hazan over social media shortly after International Women’s Day tweeting, “In honor of Women’s Day, two MKs, the first a former pimp and the second from a party in which women aren’t allowed to run, chastised me for wearing a dress that bared my shoulders. Happy holiday, everyone.”
Hazan then filed an ethics complaint against Shaffir. On Monday the committee ruled Shaffir was in the wrong for labeling Hazan a pimp, as there is pre-existing Knesset rules against invoking that specific word when describing another lawmaker.
Below is a transcription of the full text translated by Ronnie Barkan, which posted to Facebook.
Look, friends, we have to say the truth. We have to say it loud and clear. The real issue, along with the relentless hatred by those who call themselves Palestinian toward us, the Jewish people who have returned to Zion…The real issue, along with the hatred, is that there isn’t enough deterrence against the terrorist and their families. It’s time to improve our deterrence and to expel the families of terrorist. These criminal murderers, the scum, the garbage… Should they be thrown into the garbage bins of history while leaving us with the pain? They understand nothing but violence. Nothing but power. It’s time that we stopped being submissive. It’s time to expel the families of terrorists. I’d like to say the truth without sounding, God forbid, too extreme. But if it were up to me, I’d enter the terrorist’s home last night, take him and his family with him and execute them all. Yes just like that. With no shame. A quick and simple execution. Only like this, we will regain security. Only like this, they will understand that we’re not playing around here. You can see the lights in the background, these are the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem. It sounds almost serene. Almost pastoral. Just the wind blowing here, blowing my hair a bit. But in reality, it is very loud out there. It is too loud. There should be no misunderstanding here: The knife that was used in a murder yesterday was held in the hand of a terrorist, but his mind and his heart belonged to [Palestinian representatives in Israel’s parliament, Hanin] Zoabi, [Ahmed] Tibi and their friends who sit in the Knesset and incite over and over again. Once again blood is on their hands. They are the snake’s head that incites from within our home, from within the Knesset. The snake’s head that incites with state sponsorship and with state-funding. I’d like to address you, Mr. prime minister–Mr. prime minister, enough with the talk. It’s time for action. At the time, Rabin expelled over 400 terrorists.* Maybe it’s time that we started doing the same. There’s no shame in that. No country in the world would accept the reality that we have to live through. No country in the world would agree to be so submissive. We are only good at giving explanations at justifying ourselves. We are so afraid of ‘what the world would say?’—what would our critics abroad say?’—But meanwhile, we are paying the ultimate price. The issue of hatred. Their hatred toward us. Their desire for us not to be here. You know what? I don’t need to remind you of history. To remind you that no one can outdo us. When we are united and stand our ground, when we are not afraid or subservient, they are the ones who lower their heads. They are the ones who run away like dogs with their tail between their legs. Without insulting any dogs, God forbid. Yes, even dogs are better than these vile human animals. We need to respond strongly to each and every such terror attack. No more siege but a collective and massive punishment. So they understand that as long as they continue to harm us—they have no right to exist. They need to understand that they’ve got something to lose. We need to take Raed Salah**, fold him into four and stick him in a suitcase. Board him on a plane to Syria, if you ask me, or maybe even Iraq or Iran. As far away as possible. Believe me, he won’t last there for a minute. Those who incite on the other side of the border, who give heroic speeches and hide in their bunkers and unknown locations, dressed nicely, inciting while wearing a white suit, they too should be silenced. Israel’s long hand could reach places overseas in the past and take murderers. You don’t need me to remind you of that. You don’t need me to say the most obvious: that when we want we can eliminate terrorist in their sleep, even in the most remote places. Enough with playing nice. Enough with being a humanitarian. I will clearly say it again and expect you all to say it: The hands, the knife, the blood that spilled yesterday, the hands were the hands of the terrorist, but his mind and his heart were Zoabi, Tibi, and their friends. I truly hope that the Jewish people with our strength and wisdom, with our strong hand, will know how to deal with these inciters. And the sooner the better. I apologize if you couldn’t hear me because of the wind, but the intention was good. As I said, the quiet behind me doesn’t reflect the truth, that there is a storm inside. But they–the Arabs, the terrorist their senders and supporters–understand only violence. And we will handle them with a strong hand. We’ll continue with our battle cry: The land of Israel is for the people of Israel and not for Ishmael.We’ll stop paying the price and I don’t plan on shutting up about it.
*In December 1992, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin ordered more than 400 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons be deported to Lebanon. The prisoners originated from the West Bank and Gaza and were rounded up, placed blindfolded and bound on a bus, given $50 in cash, and food, blankets, and a coat. At the time, the New York Times reported that the Palestinians who were expelled to Lebanon were influential members of Palestinian society, described by Israeli officials as “inciters,” rather than armed militants—“it seemed that nearly all those deported are theoreticians, fund-raisers and heads of Islamic institutions, not gunmen.”
**Sheikh Raed Salah is the head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel and the former mayor of Umm el-Fahm, the village where the three Palestinians lived who killed two Israeli police officers and a third on July 14, 2017. Salah is regarded as a leader in organizing protests against changes to the status quo at the al-Aqsa mosque, although his organization was banned by law in 2015.Sam Allardyce has said he will be powerless to prevent Ross Barkley leaving Everton next month should the club’s board decide to cash in on the midfielder.
Barkley, yet to feature this season because of a serious hamstring injury, is out of contract at the end of the campaign having rejected a new deal with his boyhood club. He turned down a move to Chelsea on deadline day in August as he wanted more time to consider a transfer that could have earned Everton up to £35m. Chelsea are expected to renew their interest in January while Tottenham Hotspur are also keen on the England international.
Wayne Rooney strikes again as Everton add to Newcastle’s problems Read more
Everton had hoped Barkley, 24, would reconsider his decision not to sign a contract extension after the departure of Ronald Koeman, with whom he had a strained relationship. But, in the absence of a U-turn, the club face a choice of losing the homegrown talent on a free transfer next summer or selling next month. Their new manager says he will be guided by the board’s decision and has yet to speak to Barkley about his intentions.
“It’s a difficult one,” Allardyce said. “I haven’t had the opportunity yet to find out the truth, or the whole scenario, to ask: ‘Where does it lie?’ and then make a decision one way or the other. I’m not in control of that in too many ways. If someone comes in during January and says: ‘Here you go’ [with an offer] and the club says: ‘Look, if he’s not going to sign for us this has to be the case,’ then I accept that.
“If Ross stays until the end of the season and I feel he is giving 100% to the team, like he has done since he was a kid, then he is an available asset for us until he leaves on a free transfer. I would hate that to happen but it might do.”
Sam Allardyce cancels Christmas party because of Everton’s festive demands Read more
Everton spent £140m on new players in the summer, with Koeman looking to move on without Barkley by signing Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Davy Klaassen. Only Rooney, however, has made a consistent impact and Barkley would have a clear opportunity to regain his place under Allardyce should he decide to stay.
The midfielder is close to resuming first-team training, having been out of action since the summer. Barkley underwent groin surgery at the end of last season and then ruptured a hamstring one week after his return to training in August. That also required an operation to repair and this week Barkley posted a picture of a lengthy scar on his left leg along with the caption: “Not Long Now.”
Everton, meanwhile, have announced Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Mason Holgate and Jonjoe Kenny have all signed new long-term contracts.
The defenders Kenny and Holgate, who have both impressed in the team’s recent recovery under Allardyce, have agreed four-and-a-half-year deals that will tie them to Goodison Park until 2022. England’s Under-20 World Cup-winning forward Calvert-Lewin has committed his future to the club until 2023.
The trio’s commitment provides further encouragement for Everton, who have corrected a dreadful start to the season and extended their unbeaten run to five matches with the 1-0 win at Newcastle United on Wednesday.
Allardyce said: “Jonjoe’s decision-making for such a young man is very impressive and part of the reason he makes the game look simple. He is also an excellent defender, very grounded as an individual and he has an innate desire to succeed. He’s hungry and his choice of ball possession is first-class for a young man. He is an outstanding young man at full-back.
“For me, Mason Holgate’s potential is becoming a reality. He has set his standards in these past number of games he’s been involved in and it’s a matter of him maintaining those standards, continuing to work hard on his game and then he can become a really top player in the Premier League.
“Dominic Calvert-Lewin, too, is a really exciting talent, he’s improving all the time and he has the athleticism and attributes to become a top player in his position. Working so closely with a player like Wayne Rooney can’t fail to help him in the role he plays in the team and, collectively, these three players will all have big parts to play here in the years ahead.”When the Nintendo Switch launched, tech and game blogs all-but-unanimously praised the Pro Wireless Controller. It looks and feels like a traditional wireless game controller — two joysticks, a directional pad, a ton of buttons and triggers — and must be purchased separately for $70.
There was a limited stock at the time, so if you were lucky enough to find one, the critics said, buy it. I was not lucky enough. Until recently, I’ve relied on the Joy-Con, a pair of diminutive controllers that detach from Switch tablet.
The Joy-Con is a cross between tiny Wii nunchakus and what would happen if you chopped a traditional controller half. They look uncomfortable. And yet, after a couple months, I am surprised to say the Joy-Con are my preferred way to play games.
Is this the end of the T. Rex posture?
I have back pains — probably because I’ve spent a better part of three decades with my back hunched, my arms curled in T. rex position, and hands clenched around a bar of plastic. I hadn’t noticed how the position aggravates my spine until a few weeks passed with the Joy-Con. With one in each hand, I find I sit straighter, relaxing my arms to each side.
Using the Joy-Con can feel almost comically hedonistic. I’ll extend one arm, finger extended,
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had the crowd in his hands during Mr. Fantasy, the Touch of Grey was great with giant dancing skeletons on each side of the stage, and getting The Weight as the encore was the icing on the cake. Here's hoping they'll release the whole show on DVD, as the pre-drums is part of View from the Vault 2. - May 1, 2017This is a soundboard - great show
Reviewer: c-freedom - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - December 31, 2013
Subject: Let your love 'rain' down on me Oh, this show was not only fun because it rained like crazy but it was fun because the band just pulled out all the stops.
Foolish>Dark Star>Jam>Dark Star>Jam>Drumz>Space - December 31, 2013Let your love 'rain' down on me
Reviewer: OldeTymeHeade - favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 12, 2013
Subject: What's wrong with your ears? I don't write comments here much but couldn't let this go. Just because you hear some people talking don't assume this is an AUD. Listen to the bass and the upfront vocals. Only a SBD sounds like that. So, at a minimum, it's a MTX, but I don't think so. My best guess is that it's a SBD with a mic in the audience. - July 12, 2013What's wrong with your ears?
Reviewer: Andysalina5 - favorite favorite favorite favorite - June 23, 2011
Subject: A nice bit of 90's Dead Almost positive that this is either a quality matrix or a superb aud. Just A Little Light is a great song that I haven't heard too much of but is actually really good. I really dig the use of synths by Brent, my favorite Dead Keyboard player (other than Pigpen). Dark Star is pretty stellar, but not outstanding. Overall, a nice show. - June 23, 2011A nice bit of 90's Dead
Reviewer: smole - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 15, 2007
Subject: Cassidy After reading all of the reviews from all of the sources I can't believe that nobody called out Cassidy. Easily a top 10 all time version of this song. Also I agree with someone who called out Victim. Not a favorite tune of mine but this version is played flawlessly. IMO Victim is a first set song. Its too much of a mood changer to be played in the 2nd set. Along with my first show, 7/13/89, this show is my favorite. This whole night though ranks very high as "MOST PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCE" of my life. Thanks buddy for that kind microdot! - July 15, 2007Cassidy
Reviewer: tzuriel - - June 10, 2007
Subject: Edie Brickell opening available http://www.archive.org/details/nb1990-07-12.sbd.flac16 - June 10, 2007Edie Brickell opening available
Reviewer: Chris U. - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 26, 2007
Subject: Wow BEST TOUCH OF GREY EVER!!!
[pukes in mouth a little bit]
DUUUUUUUDE!!!!!!! - May 26, 2007Wow
Reviewer: tree-ap - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 25, 2007
Subject: this is NOT a soundboard I reviewed this show after listening to another source, so I won't bother other than saying this was a FABULOUS show.
This source is NOT a soundboard, as I mentioned in my other review. Maybe it's a matrix recording, because you can hear everyone clearly, and you can CLEARLY hear the tapers talking during some of the songs & during all of the tunings between songs. If someone could change it to read that it's an AUDIENCE recording so we can download it, that would be wonderful. - May 25, 2007this is NOT a soundboard
Reviewer: Chris Freedom - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 24, 2007
Subject: Dawn is Breaking Everywhere One of my favorite shows for rain and muddy madness, we gave new meaning that night to the term mosh pit.
Probably my favorite 'Touch of Grey'! - March 24, 2007Dawn is Breaking Everywhere
Reviewer: kine2b - favorite favorite favorite - June 5, 2006
Subject: It was raining like HELL! i was so soaked - June 5, 2006It was raining like HELL!
Reviewer: captain_trip_420 - favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 8, 2005
Subject: Best Sound? this one sounds pretty good, but not as good as the macatee.... - October 8, 2005Best Sound?George Weigel responds to Michael Hanby in his essay “To See Things As They Are.“
Rod Dreher responds to Michael Hanby in his essay “Christian and Countercultural.”
According to Hans Jonas, the birth of modern science was bound up with the advent of a radical new view of reality, a “technological ontology” that conflates nature and artifice, knowing and making, truth and utility. This metaphysical revolution has set in motion a perpetual historical revolution, whose interminable machinations continually threaten to overwhelm the revolutionaries themselves. Confronting the obvious question of how a perpetual revolution could be recognized or measured from the “inside,” Jonas offered for consideration the span of an ordinary man’s life:
If a man in the fullness of his days, at the end of his life, can pass on the wisdom of his experience to those who grow up after him; if what he has learned in his youth, added to but not discarded in his maturity, still serves him in his old age and is still worth teaching the then young—then his was not an age of revolution, not counting, of course, abortive revolutions. The world into which his children enter is still his world, not because it is entirely unchanged, but because the changes that did occur were gradual and limited enough for him to absorb them into his initial stock and keep abreast of them. If, however, a man in his advancing years has to turn to his children, or grandchildren, to have them tell him what the present is about; if his own acquired knowledge and understanding no longer avail him; if at the end of his days he finds himself to be obsolete rather than wise—then we may term the rate and scope of change that thus overtook him, “revolutionary.”
By this measure, there can be little doubt that we live in revolutionary times, even if this revolution is the full flower of seeds planted long ago. What availed as the common wisdom of mankind until the day before yesterday—for example, that man, woman, mother, and father name natural realities as well as social roles, that children issue naturally from their union, that the marital union of man and woman is the foundation of human society and provides the optimal home for the flourishing of children—all this is now regarded by many as obsolete and even hopelessly bigoted, as court after court, demonstrating that this revolution has profoundly transformed even the meaning of reason itself, has declared that this bygone wisdom now fails even to pass the minimum legal threshold of rational cogency. This is astonishing by any measure; that it has occurred in half the time span proposed by Jonas makes it more astonishing still.
Such are the logical consequences of the sexual revolution, but to grasp more fully the meaning of its triumph, we must see that the sexual revolution is not merely—or perhaps even primarily—sexual. It has profound implications for the relationship not just between man and woman but between nature and culture, the person and the body, children and parents. It has enormous ramifications for the nature of reason, for the meaning of education, and for the relations between the state, the family, civil society, and the Church. This is because the sexual revolution is one aspect of a deeper revolution in the question of who or what we understand the human person to be (fundamental anthropology), and indeed of what we understand reality to be (ontology).
All notions of justice presuppose ontology and anthropology, and so a revolution in fundamental anthropology will invariably transform the meaning and content of justice and bring about its own morality. We are beginning to feel the force of this transformation in civil society and the political order. Court decisions invalidating traditional marriage law fall from the sky like rain. The regulatory state and ubiquitous new global media throw their ever increasing weight behind the new understanding of marriage and its implicit anthropology, which treats our bodies as raw material to be used as we see fit. Today a rigorous new public morality inverts and supplants the residuum of our Christian moral inheritance.
This compels us to reconsider the civic project of American Christianity that has for the most part guided our participation in the liberal public order for at least a century. Encompassing the Social Gospel movement of the early twentieth century and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at the beginning of the twenty-first, this project has transcended the historical and theological division between Catholics and Protestants. This has been particularly the case as Protestant adherence to divisive confessional commitments has declined and Evangelicals, filling the void left by the decline of mainline Protestantism, have found common ground with Catholics on moral and social issues in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade. Though popular imagination identifies this project in its latter stages with political conservatism, it also transcends the division between the Christian left and the Christian right, which partly explains why their opposing arguments so often appear as mirror images of one another.
Of course, for Protestants, the fate of the United States and the fate of American Protestantism have been deeply intertwined from the very beginning, so adherence to the civic project must stem not simply from confidence that American liberty was generally hospitable to the flourishing of Christianity but from a deep, if inchoate, conviction that the American experiment itself was the political outworking of a Protestant sense of “nature and nature’s God.” For Catholics, whose experience in this country was at least initially very different from that of Protestants, common commitment to this project is testimony to the long shadow cast by John Courtney Murray. Catholics generally find his argument for the compatibility of Catholicism with the principles of the American founding convincing because they believe that the argument has been vindicated by the growth and assimilation of the Church in the United States and by the apparent vitality of American Catholicism in comparison with Catholicism in Europe. Rarely do political or theological disagreements penetrate deeply enough to disturb this shared foundation. Liberal or conservative, postconciliar Catholicism in America is essentially Murrayite.
Broadly speaking, we may characterize the civic project of American Christianity as the attempt to harmonize Christianity and liberal order and to anchor American public philosophy in the substance of Protestant morality, Catholic social teaching, or some version of natural law that might qualify as public reason. George Weigel articulated one of the assumptions animating protagonists on all sides of this project when in Tranquilitas Ordinis he wrote that “there is no contradiction between the truth claims of Catholicism and the American democratic experiment.” This assertion rests on some form of Murray’s familiar distinction between articles of faith and articles of peace. This view defines the state as a juridical order that exists principally for the purpose of securing public order and protecting our ability to act on our own initiative. It therefore renounces all competence in religious and ontological matters. This ostensibly modest view of government opens up space that is then filled with the Christian substance that animates civil society.
One needn’t be ungrateful for the genuine achievements of American liberalism in order to question the wisdom of this project and its guiding assumptions. First, a purely juridical order devoid of metaphysical and theological judgment is as logically and theologically impossible as a pure, metaphysically innocent science. One cannot set a limit to one’s own religious competence without an implicit judgment about what falls on the other side of that limit; one cannot draw a clear and distinct boundary between the political and the religious, or between science, metaphysics, and theology, without tacitly determining what sort of God transcends these realms. The very act by which liberalism declares its religious incompetence is thus a theological act. Its supposed indifference to metaphysics conceals a metaphysics of original indifference. A thing’s relation to God, being a creature, makes no difference to its nature or intelligibility. Those are tacked on extrinsically through the free act of the agent.
Liberalism’s articles of peace thus mask tacit articles of faith in a particular eighteenth-century conception of nature and nature’s God, which also entails an eighteenth-century view of the Church. Moreover, liberalism refuses integration into any more comprehensive order over which it is not finally arbiter and judge. It establishes its peculiar absolutism, not as the exhaustive dictator of everything one can and cannot do—to the contrary, liberal order persists precisely by generating an ever expanding space for the exercise of private options—but as the all-encompassing totality within which atomic social facts are permitted to appear like so many Congregationalist polities, the horizon beyond which there is no outside. Hobbes’s thought aspired to this kind of sovereignty, and Locke’s thought more effectively achieved it, but it was Rousseau who really understood it.
If we analyze the liberal character of the American project in this deeper way, we find that there is room to accommodate many of the nuances and to circumvent many of the controversies about the American founding. It is not necessary, for instance, to settle every contested question in the interpretation of Locke, to regard the founding as a purely Lockean event, or to deny the presence of classical and Christian elements alongside the unmistakable Lockean elements. I would readily concede that, in the founders’ minds, the presupposition of republican self-government is not liberty in the form of license (Locke himself said as much) but the self-governed man who is master of his passions. One can also concede a good deal of truth in the notion of a Progressive “fall” when in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries a positive conception of rights supplanted the negative rights of the founders, and Progressives substituted, in Woodrow Wilson’s image, a “Darwinian” approach to the Constitution for the older, “Newtonian” one.
Wilson’s image is revealing, for it captures the dependence of political philosophy on natural philosophy, and it rightly locates the early modern revolution in political thought within the broader revolution in natural philosophy and metaphysics, the one that conflated nature and art, knowing and making, in ways that so concerned Jonas. The prevailing nominalism, voluntarism, and mechanism infected eighteenth-century assumptions about nature and nature’s God with a built-in obsolescence. Therefore, it is fair to say that the ontological presuppositions of liberal political theory were fated to undermine the classical and Christian moral inheritance and the nobility of liberalism’s own ideals. For instance, inasmuch as the founders’ notion of free self-government rests on an essentially Lockean conception of freedom as power outside and prior to truth (however much God or truth imposes an extrinsic obligation to obey, and however reasonable it is to do so in view of future rewards and punishments), then American liberty will eventually erode the moral and cultural foundations of civil society inherited from Protestant Christianity. The founders fretted over this possibility in their own lifetimes.
John Locke in the Second Treatise remarked that law enlarges the scope of freedom. He does not appear to have considered the converse, that freedom enlarges the scope of law. But insofar as liberal freedom is atomistic and precludes the claim of others on the property that is my person, the state tasked with securing this liberty will exist to protect me from God’s commandments, the demands of other persons, so-called intermediary institutions, and, ultimately, even nature itself. The liberal state then becomes the mediator of all human relations, charged with creating in reality the denatured individuals heretofore existing only at the theoretical foundations of liberalism.
The result, as Pierre Manent and others have observed, is a paradoxical coincidence of absolutism and libertarianism, indeed an absolutism that grows in proportion to the increase in liberty. For every clarification of negative rights brings with it an increase in the scope and power of the state to secure and enforce them. The line between negative rights and positive entitlements is thus inherently blurry. If I am to have a right to free speech, for example, then I must be empowered to speak and be heard, which means using the power of the state to give me the resources I need and to suppress anything that might disempower me. Finally, insofar as a mechanistic understanding of nature and a pragmatic conception of truth are the correlates of the abstract individual and the liberal notion of freedom as power, even a Newtonian understanding of nature, reason, and freedom will eventually destroy the foundations for the rationality of natural law, as reason is reduced to the calculation of forces and law becomes an extrinsic imposition.
The civic project has taken as gospel Murray’s conviction that the founders “built better than they knew.” But this presupposes the very thing in question: that the state and its institutions are merely juridical and that they neither enforce nor are informed by the ontological and anthropological judgments inherent in their creation. That exactly the opposite has more or less come to pass suggests rather that the founders built worse than they intended, that the founding was in some sense ill-fated. This does not make liberty any less of an ideal or its obvious blessings any less real. It simply suggests a tragic flaw in the American understanding and articulation of it. Nor need this diminish our affection for our country, though it is an endlessly fascinating question, what American patriotism really means today. One can love his country despite its philosophy, provided there is more to the country than its philosophy. Yet it is surely a sign of the impoverishment of common culture and the common good—and an index of the degree to which liberal order has succeeded in establishing itself as both—that we are virtually required to equate love of country with devotion to the animating philosophy of the regime rather than to, say, the tales of our youth, the lay of the land and the bend in the road, and “peace and quiet and good tilled earth.”
This creates a great temptation for protagonists on all sides of the civic project—right, left, and in between—to conflate their Christian obligation to pursue the common good with the task of upholding liberal order, effectively eliminating any daylight between the civic and Christian projects. For example, virtually absent from our lament over the threats to religious freedom in the juridical sense is any mention of that deeper freedom opened up by the transcendent horizon of Christ’s resurrection, though this was a frequent theme of Pope Benedict’s papacy. If we cannot see beyond the juridical meaning of religious freedom to the freedom that the truth itself gives, how then can we expect to exercise this more fundamental freedom when our juridical freedom is denied? Too often we are content to accept the absolutism of liberal order, which consists in its capacity to establish itself as the ultimate horizon, to remake everything within that horizon in its own image, and to establish itself as the highest good and the condition of possibility for the pursuit of all other goods—including religious freedom.
There are important debates about how and why the liberal order has attained this dangerous, all-encompassing absolutism. Patrick Deneen evokes its main contours in his American Conservative article “A Catholic Showdown Worth Watching.” He describes a debate between “radical” Catholicism and “neoconservative” Catholicism. The neoconservative Catholic often draws attention to a progressive fall from classical liberalism, while the radical Catholic sees our current crisis as the outworking of liberalism’s deepest premises. Not surprisingly, therefore, the radical Catholic thinks it necessary to engage liberal order in a fundamental, ontological critique, while the neoconservative Catholic settles for a moral, sociological, legal, or political approach. He thinks energies are best spent recalling America to its founding principles, in hopes of preserving the dwindling space of freedom for Christians in the public square. The radical Catholic is more likely to counsel preparing for the day when filing another lawsuit is no longer enough. The same contrasts play out among Protestants, largely along the same lines.
This is a debate worth having, for it addresses fundamental questions about the structure of being, the nature of human beings, and the relations between nature and grace, faith and reason, and the political and ecclesial orders. I am inclined toward the “radical Catholic” side of this debate, convinced that unless and until we engage in a thorough reassessment of the metaphysical and crypto-theological conceits of liberalism, we will find ourselves coopted by it, unwittingly serving its project even as we bemoan and increasingly are afflicted by its excesses.
Yet I wonder whether at some level this debate has not already been overtaken by events. Even if all parties were to agree that American republicanism is not classically liberal, or that classical liberalism really is ontologically indifferent, or that the laws of nature and of nature’s God are the foundation of constitutional order and that these are the same thing as natural law—even if, in other words, all parties were to agree to some version of a pristine American founding harmonious in principle with the truth of God and the human being—returning to the first principles of the eighteenth century isn’t much more realistic than a return to the first principles of the thirteenth. For in its enforcement of the sexual revolution, the state is effectively codifying ontological and anthropological presuppositions. In redefining marriage and the family, the state not only embarks on an unprecedented expansion of its powers into realms heretofore considered prior to or outside its reach, and not only does it usurp functions and prerogatives once performed by intermediary associations within civil society, it also exercises these powers by tacitly redefining what the human being is and committing the nation to a decidedly post-Christian (and ultimately post-human) anthropology and philosophy of nature.
To understand this, let us ask: What must one take for granted in order for same-sex marriage to be intelligible? (This is not a question about the motives or beliefs—which can seem quite humane—of those who support same-sex marriage.) It is commonly argued that marriage is no longer principally about the procreation and the rearing of children but that it centers instead on the companionship of the couple and the building of a household. The courts have repeatedly accepted this reasoning. And yet, if same-sex marriage is to be truly equal to natural marriage in the eyes of society and the law, then all the rights and privileges of marriage—including those involving the procreation and rearing of children—must in principle belong to both kinds of marriage, irrespective of the motives impelling a couple toward marriage or whether, once married, they exercise these rights and privileges.
With same-sex couples this can be achieved only by technological means. And so the case for companionate marriage has been supplemented again and again by the argument that we must endorse reproductive technologies that eliminate any relevant difference between a male–female couple and a same-sex couple. This elevates these technologies from a remedy for infertility, what they principally have been, to a normative form of reproduction equivalent and perhaps even superior to natural procreation. But if there is no meaningful difference between a male–female couple conceiving a child naturally and same-sex couples conceiving children through surrogates and various technological means, then it follows that nothing of ontological significance attaches to natural motherhood and fatherhood or to having a father and a mother. These roles and relations are not fundamentally natural phenomena integral to human identity and social welfare but are mere accidents of biology overlaid with social conventions that can be replaced by functionally equivalent roles without loss. The implications are enormous: existential changes to the relation between kinship and personal identity, legal redefinitions of the relation between natural kinship and parental rights, and practical, biotechnical innovations that are only beginning to emerge into view and will be defended as necessary for a liberal society.
This rejection of nature is manifest in the now orthodox distinction between sex, which is “merely biological,” and gender, defined as a construct either of oppressive social norms or of the free, self-defining subject—one often finds protagonists of this revolution oscillating back and forth between those polar extremes. And this sex–gender distinction, in turn, is premised upon a still more basic dualism, which bifurcates the human being into a mechanical body composed of meaningless material stuff subject to deterministic physical laws and of the free, spontaneous will that indifferently presides over it. This anthropology denies from the outset that nature and the body have any intrinsic form or finality beyond what the will gives itself in its freedom, and thus it fails to integrate human biology and sexual difference into the unity of the person. Indeed, the classical Aristotelian nature and the Christian idea of the human being as body and soul united as an indivisible and integrated whole are excluded from the outset.
Whether this is the logical outworking of the metaphysical and anthropological premises of liberalism or a radically new thing—and Hans Jonas’s analysis would suggest that these are not mutually exclusive alternatives—it marks a point of no return in American public philosophy. And it effectively brings the civic project of American Christianity to an end.
This is not to say that Christians should disengage or retreat, the usual misinterpretation of the so-called Benedict Option. There is no ground to retreat to, for the liberal order claims unlimited jurisdiction and permits no outside. We do not have the option of choosing our place within it if we wish to remain Christian. We cannot avoid the fact that this new philosophy, once it is fully instantiated, will in all likelihood deprive Christians of effective participation in the public square. Hobby Lobby notwithstanding, appeals to religious liberty, conceived as the freedom to put one’s idiosyncratic beliefs into practice with minimal state interference, are not likely to fare well over the long haul as these beliefs come to seem still more idiosyncratic, as religious practice comes into conflict with more “fundamental” rights, and as the state’s mediation of familial relations becomes ever more intrusive. And attempts to restore religious freedom to its proper philosophical place, as something like the sine qua non of freedom itself, presuppose just the view of human nature and reason that our post-Christian liberalism rejects from the outset.
To say that the civic project of American Christianity is at an end is not to say that it will simply cease, however. There will no doubt be those who continue to fight on, like Japanese holdouts after the Second World War, unaware that the war is over. And they should carry on in some fashion, doomed though the civic project may be. Religious freedom is worth defending after all, even in its flawed liberal sense, and Hobby Lobby shows us that it is still possible to win some battles while losing the war. Moreover, if liberalism is indeed absolute, so that there is no longer any outside, then a contest of rights is really the only ground on which liberal public reason will permit itself to be publicly engaged.
Yet something greater than liberal freedom is at stake. There seems to be a prevailing sense that this moment is something of a kairos for American Christianity, a moment of deep change in the public significance of Christianity and a moment of decision in the life of the Church. When George Weigel concedes his naivete over the possibility of a “Catholic moment” in America and concludes that the West no longer understands freedom, or when Robert George solemnly declares to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast the end of “comfortable” Christianity, then you know that the times they are a-changin’. Perhaps this kairos is a chance for some sort of synthesis rather than a showdown, for an opportunity to rediscover those dimensions of Christian existence that comfortable Christianity has caused us to neglect, and an opportunity not simply to confront but also to serve our country in a new and deeper way.
This synthesis cannot be a political one, as if the civic project of American Christianity could be revived by rejiggered coalitions or a new united front. We must rather conceive of it principally as a form of witness. Here some elements of the Benedict Option become essential: educating our children, rebuilding our parishes, and patiently building little bulwarks of truly humanist culture within our decaying civilization. This decay is internal as well as external, for while the civic project has been a spectacular failure at Christianizing liberalism, it has been wildly successful at liberalizing Christianity.
A witness is, first, one who sees. And none of these efforts are likely to come to much unless we are able to see outside the ontology of liberalism to the truth of things, to enter more deeply into the meaning of our creaturehood. Only then can we rediscover, as a matter of reason,the truth of the human being, the truth of freedom, and the truth of truth itself. It is no accident that Benedict XVI placed the spirit of monasticism at the foundation of any authentically human culture. For nothing less than an all-consuming quest for God, one that lays claim to heart, soul, and mind, will suffice to save Christianity from this decaying civilization—or this civilization from itself.
This quest requires an internal renewal of theology and philosophy—not merely as academic disciplines, but as ways of life—and they need to be brought to bear on the governing assumptions, the unarticulated ontology of our culture. In other words, we will need a much more penetrating ontological engagement with the first principles of liberal and secular order than has heretofore characterized American Christian thought. We will need a deeper assessment of how liberal principles shape both the objects of our thought and the very form of our thinking. Only thus can we really hope to come to grips with the true depths of our predicament and help our liberal culture understand the truth about itself and the profound implications of its present course toward an impoverished absolutism now poised to seize control of the most primitive junction between nature and culture—the family itself.
This labor is contemplative before it is active. It is not primarily political; indeed, everything in our politics and in our culture seems predisposed against it. To the extent that we Americans can be said to have a philosophy, it is pragmatism, which is less a philosophy than a trick the devil uses to entice philosophy into killing itself. One need only note the sheer absence of thought that has accompanied the revolution of liberal absolutism to see how successful this trick has been. To speak of freedom as something more than immunity from coercion, to speak of nature as something other than so many accidental aggregations of malleable matter at our disposal, to speak of truth as something other than pragmatic function, is to place oneself outside the rule of public reason and to risk becoming a stranger to the public square. To undertake this labor, in other words, is to risk becoming what liberal absolutism would make of each of us anyway: a man without a country.
Even so, to see and to think are not without political effect. We have seen that the liberal state cannot really limit itself; its act of self-abnegation is the very act by which it refuses integration into an order of nature or grace that precedes and exceeds it. Only the Church can really limit the state, which is why the existence of the Church is a perennial problem for it. Ultimately, the Church’s limitation of the state depends on our ability to recover a genuine understanding of the Church’s true nature and to regard ourselves not simply as a so-called intermediate association within the state and civil society but as the true whole, the heavenly city, that precedes and transcends them. This contradicts the implicit ecclesiology of liberalism, which recognizes no universality but itself. Knowing only “denominations,” it can acknowledge no truly catholic Christianity. And yet, to see the truth of God and the human person, even through a glass darkly, is already to begin to live in accord with something greater than liberal absolutism. It is already to limit the state in some measure, for it is already to see beyond liberalism’s immanent horizons.
Sustaining this vision will require disciplined reflection, and this labor is daunting enough. Yet it will also require a countercultural way of life, a deep faith in the goodness of God and in the intelligibility of creation, and real hope in the transcendent vantage, beyond our immanent success or failure, opened up by the Resurrection. It will take a great deal of courage and not a little imagination to risk failure, powerlessness, and cultural and political irrelevance—to be, in Pope Francis’s words, a less “worldly” Church—for the sake of the truth.
I have long thought the civic project of American Christianity an implausible enterprise that underestimates the imperial ambition of liberalism’s metaphysical conceits. However, as the civic project of American Christianity and its hopes of providing moral and metaphysical ballast to our liberal polity come to an end, let us not allow liberal absolutism to control our sense of what is possible. Yes, liberalism today refuses to license the conviction that human beings have a natural end, and to speak in this way puts one in violation of the canons of public reason. Yet to live in witness to the truth simply because it is true is already to have exercised religious freedom in its deepest form, a freedom that passeth liberal understanding. It is already to have done something when there is nothing else that can be done. This freedom cannot be taken away; indeed, it often grows in proportion to the attempts to suppress it. But it can be given away, through failures of courage and poverty of thought and imagination. It is this freedom that will be the ground for a new Christian mode of serving the common good in the “post-human” dispensation in which liberalism is all we’re allowed to have in common. Weigel alludes to it, perhaps, when he laments our misunderstanding of freedom, and George gestures toward it more directly when he prophesies the end of Christian comfort. This is the freedom that the truth itself gives and that the Church in our society will increasingly be called to exercise as the revolution overseen by liberal absolutism proceeds along its present course: the freedom to suffer for the truth of the Gospel.
Michael Hanby is associate professor of religion and philosophy of science at Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Catholic University of America.The man who built his very own luxury mountain palace atop a condo tower in China – illegally – is hardly alone in his endeavors. A Chinese microblogger spotted what looks like another unsanctioned resort on the roof of a 21-story luxury apartment complex in Shenzhen, complete with lush landscaping and a temple.
While it’s clear that the stone penthouse was built without permission, this particular rooftop paradise is shrouded in mystery. It has been situated on top of the apartment building for at least three years, but nobody knows who it belongs to, or why it appears to be under such tight security, including cameras, guard dogs and a fingerprint scanner.
A video taken from a helicopter gives us a glimpse at the complex, which appears to include gardens and a pond as well as the gold-tiled temple itself. Tenants fear the suspected illegal construction could jeopardize the structural integrity of the entire building. Neighbors report that golden sheets of joss paper, which is burned to honor ancestors, occasionally floats down from the temple’s perch, leading them to believe it’s used for traditional Chinese religious practices.
According to the South China Morning Post, a local property owner told reporters that the person responsible for the temple might be the director of Nanshan district’s Residential Property Management Office, a man named Xiong. “We once had a meeting [regarding the temple] and required it to be demolished. We put up notifications. But [Xiong] installed a security door and refused to let demolition people near [the structure.] The [problem] has still yet to be resolved.”Flogging of a man who seduced a woman in Islamabad Pakistan (late 1970s)
Part of Pakistan's Islamization
The Hudood Ordinances (Urdu حدود; also Romanized Hadood, Hadud, Hudud; singular form is Hadh or hadd) are laws in Pakistan that were enacted in 1979 as part of then military ruler Zia-ul-Haq's "Sharisation or "Islamisation" process. It replaced parts of the British-era Pakistan Penal Code, adding new criminal offences of adultery and fornication, and new punishments of whipping, amputation, and stoning to death.[1][2] After much controversy and criticism parts of the law were extensively revised in 2006 by the Women's Protection Bill.
The Hudood Law was intended to implement Shari'a law or bring Pakistani law into "conformity with the injunctions of Islam", by enforcing punishments mentioned in the Quran and sunnah for zina (extramarital sex),[3] qazf (false accusation of zina), theft, and consumption of alcohol. The system provided for two kinds of offences — hadd and tazir — with different punishments to go with them. Hadd offences (fixed punishment) require a higher standard of proof than tazir (discretionary punishment) and their punishments are more severe.[4]
The zina provisions of the law were particularly controversial[5] and critics alleged that there were "hundreds of incidents where a woman subjected to rape, or even gang rape, was eventually accused of zina" and incarcerated.[6] Supporters defended the Ordinances' punishments as ordained by God and the law as the victim of "extremely unjust propaganda" in the media.[7]
Ordinances [ edit ]
The ordinances follow the classical mainly Hanafi jurisprudence doctrine. One non-classical feature is that Hadd punishments can only be carried out after an appeal to the Federal Shariat Court has failed.[8] The Federal Shariat Court, which has "exclusive jurisdiction" to examine whether or not a law is in accordance with the injunctions of Islam, was created along with the Ordinances.[9]
Under the ordinances, tazir punishments often involve flogging.[8]
Offences Against Property (theft) ordinance [ edit ]
Officially known as "The Offences Against Property (Enforcement Of Hudood) Ordinance (VI of 1979)."
Offences Against Property liable to hadd must be theft of something nisab level of value, i.e. property worth more than 4.457 grams of gold (about USD $170 as of 18 November 2014 ) from a place where the property was protected. [10] evidence must be from a confession by the accused, or at least two Muslim adult male witnesses who are ` tazkiyah-al-shuhood `, (truthful and non-sinners). [11]
must be Punishment for "theft liable to hadd "; first offence: "amputation of his right hand from the joint of the wrist"; second offence: "amputation of his left foot up to the ankle"; third offence: imprisonment for life; [11]
"; Theft liable to tazir : Whoever commits theft, which, is not liable to 'hadd' or for which there is no confession or evidence provided by two qualifying Muslim adult male witnesses, or for which 'hadd' may not be imposed or enforced under this Ordinance
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Delaying of the Torah Reading, in THERE ONCE WAS A WORLD 84-86.
[20] See Joshua D. Rosenberg & H. Jay Folberg, Alternative Dispute Resolution: an Empirical Analysis, 46 STAN. L. REW. 1487 (1994).
[21] See HAROLD BERM AN, LAW AND REVOLUTION (1983).
[22] See E. P. THOM PSON, CUSTOM S IN COM M ON: STUDIES IN TRADITIO NAL POPULAR CULTURE (1993).Like many, I am sad to have heard of David Bowie’s recent death after a long battle with cancer. He was a brilliant artist and one with a refreshing prescience on many subjects (especially the internet). However, there was a time when another artist depicted him and his life and that was the wonderful Yoshitaka Amano.
Amano is probably best known in gaming circles as the original character designer and illustrator for the older Final Fantasy games. However, he is also internationally regarded as an artist in his own right.
Back in 2004 Amano worked on a sci-fi short story with Neil Gaiman called Return of The Thin White Duke, a reference to his 1976 persona of the same name.
It featured Bowie and his wife Iman in a futuristic sci-fi themed New York.
The art, as with all of Amano’s work, is lovely and it captures Bowie’s likeness in only the ethereal way he can (as shown above).
The story was split into two parts, with the first using art from Amano. You can get Gaiman’s book containing the short story over at Amazon if you are at all curious.
However, if you want to check out the beautiful art for it then you can see a collection of that here.
For an individual like Bowie that had such a fascinating and creatively rich life, it's nice to see that Amano also had a part in cataloging that in his art.
Follow me on Twitter and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii.
Read my Forbes blog here.If you hear a lot of loud noises in Galveston tonight, it's probably part of a military training exercise.
According to the Galveston County Daily News, the Army is using the old jail on 17th Street for a night drill in urban warfare.
Residents on the East End may see military personnel and a helicopter, and possibly hear gunfire and explosions. The Army unit is from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
That announcement comes a day after the Army and Houston police apologized for not giving advance warning of a joint training exercise in southeast Houston.
People living near the Old Carnegie Vanguard High School were concerned when they saw low-flying helicopters and heard multiple rounds of gunfire Monday afternoon.
The Army says it did notify the office of the city's public safety director, but the message never got out.
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Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry devicesFrom the beginning, Republicans decided to forgo dedicated financing for Part D. Except for trivial premiums paid by recipients, the entire cost would fall on taxpayers. Moreover, Republicans refused to raise the Medicare tax or cut spending to cover Part D. Hence, the deficit increased by virtually the entire cost of the program. Through 2012, Medicare Part D added $318 billion to the national debt (see “General Revenue” on Page 111 in the 2013 Medicare trustees report). That same report projects that Medicare Part D will add $852 billion to the debt over the next 10 years.
Obama and his allies adopted a very different approach. They made two vows—that health care reform would pay for itself and that, over time, it would actually reduce the deficit. Critics mocked them and, to this day, few people seem to believe them. But the official projections suggest they were good to their word. The Congressional Budget Office has on several occasions estimated the cost of the Affordable Care Act, first upon passage and then following various tweaks to the law. Each time, the conclusion has been the same: A slight reduction in the deficit during the first ten years, with greater reductions after that.
But fiscal responsibility is not easy. To offset the law’s new spending—and, by the way, to reduce health care spending overall—the Affordable Care Act raises revenue and cuts spending. Among other things, the law reduces Medicare spending, caps the existing tax break for employer health insurance, and raises payroll taxes on the wealthy. It also calls upon individuals to spend some of their own money on insurance, even if that means requiring them to buy coverage they might not otherwise get. And for each of these changes, there’s a constituency bound to get angry about it. Seniors and parts of the health care industry don’t like Medicare cuts. People with more generous health plans don’t like losing some of their tax benefits. Wealthy people don’t like paying taxes. Healthy people don’t like paying more for their coverage.
By taking these steps, Obamacare’s architects guaranteed they’d make some people angry. And that is the biggest difference between what Bush did and what Obama did. Medicare Part D was all gain, no pain—the program gave millions of senior citizens access to drugs, without asking anybody to pay for it immediately. Instead, the program passes along the bill to future generations, for whom higher deficits mean fewer resources for public or private spending. The Affordable Care Act, by contrast, has gain and pain. Most of the people bearing the pain can arguably afford to bear it, and the consequences are frequently not what they imagine, but they won’t like it and they’re going to say so. Many already have.
The political backlash Obama and his allies are facing, evident in a series of new polls, have a lot to do with poor implementation: If healthcare.gov were working, the storyline about Obamacare would be a lot different. It also has to do with the president's vow that people could keep their health plans, even though a small but significant number of people can't. But some of the backlash is a product of the policy’s trade-offs—trade-offs that Obamacare’s architects embraced because, unlike their predecessors, they happened to take fiscal responsibility seriously.Oracle Buys Sun [April 20, 2009] Oracle Buys Sun
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., April 20, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Oracle Corporation (Nasdaq: ORCL) and Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: JAVA) announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Oracle will acquire Sun common stock for $9.50 per share in cash. The transaction is valued at approximately $7.4 billion, or $5.6 billion net of Sun's cash and debt. "We expect this acquisition to be accretive to Oracle's earnings by at least 15 cents on a non-GAAP basis in the first full year after closing. We estimate that the acquired business will contribute over $1.5 billion to Oracle's non-GAAP operating profit in the first year, increasing to over $2 billion in the second year. This would make the Sun acquisition more profitable in per share contribution in the first year than we had planned for the acquisitions of BEA, PeopleSoft and Siebel combined," said Oracle President Safra Catz.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020718/ORCLLOGO) "The acquisition of Sun transforms the IT industry, combining best-in-class enterprise software and mission-critical computing systems," said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. "Oracle will be the only company that can engineer an integrated system - applications to disk - where all the pieces fit and work together so customers do not have to do it themselves. Our customers benefit as their systems integration costs go down while system performance, reliability and security go up." There are substantial long-term strategic customer advantages to Oracle owning two key Sun software assets: Java and Solaris. Java is one of the computer industry's best-known brands and most widely deployed technologies, and it is the most important software Oracle has ever acquired. Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle's fastest growing business, is built on top of Sun's Java language and software. Oracle can now ensure continued innovation and investment in Java technology for the benefit of customers and the Java community.
The Sun Solaris operating system is the leading platform for the Oracle database, Oracle's largest business, and has been for a long time. With the acquisition of Sun, Oracle can optimize the Oracle database for some of the unique, high-end features of Solaris. Oracle is as committed as ever to Linux and other open platforms and will continue to support and enhance our strong industry partnerships.
"Oracle and Sun have been industry pioneers and close partners for more than 20 years," said Sun Chairman Scott McNealy. "This combination is a natural evolution of our relationship and will be an industry-defining event." "This is a fantastic day for Sun's customers, developers, partners and employees across the globe, joining forces with the global leader in enterprise software to drive innovation and value across every aspect of the technology marketplace," said Jonathan Schwartz, Sun's CEO, "From the Java platform touching nearly every business system on earth, powering billions of consumers on mobile handsets and consumer electronics, to the convergence of storage, networking and computing driven by the Solaris operating system and Sun's SPARC and x64 systems. Together with Oracle, we'll drive the innovation pipeline to create compelling value to our customer base and the marketplace." "Sun is a pioneer in enterprise computing, and this combination recognizes the innovation and customer success the company has achieved. Our largest customers have been asking us to step up to a broader role to reduce complexity, risk and cost by delivering a highly optimized stack based on standards," said Oracle President Charles Phillips. "This transaction will preserve and enhance investments made by our customers, while we continue to work with our partners to provide customers with choice." The Board of Directors of Sun Microsystems has unanimously approved the transaction. It is anticipated to close this summer, subject to Sun stockholder approval, certain regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
There will be a conference call today to discuss the transaction at 5:30 a.m. Pacific time. Investors can listen to the conference call by dialing (719) 234-7870, passcode 923645. A replay will be available for 24 hours after the call ends at (719) 884-8882, passcode: 923645. A live audio webcast of the call will be made available at www.oracle.com/investor and a replay will be available for seven days after the call ends.
About Oracle Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world's largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, please visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.
About Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) develops the technologies that power the global marketplace. Guided by a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" -- Sun drives network participation through shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://www.sun.com.
Trademarks Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, Solaris and the Network is the Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements about Oracle and Sun, including statements that involve risks and uncertainties concerning Oracle's proposed acquisition of Sun, anticipated product information, estimates of future results of operations and general business outlook. When used in this press release, the words "anticipates", "estimates", "may", "can", "will", "believes", "expects", "projects", "intends", "likely", similar expressions and any other statements that are not historical facts are intended to identify those assertions as forward-looking statements. Any such statement may be influenced by a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Oracle or Sun, that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected, described, expressed or implied in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the possibility that the transaction will not close or that the closing may be delayed, the anticipated synergies of the combined companies may not be achieved after closing, the combined operations may not be successfully integrated in a timely manner, if at all, general economic conditions in regions in which either company does business, and the possibility that Oracle or Sun may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what impact they will have on the results of operations or financial condition of Oracle or Sun.
In addition, please refer to the documents that Oracle and Sun, respectively, file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. These filings identify and address other important factors that could cause Oracle's and Sun's respective financial and operational results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements set forth in this document. You are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. Neither Oracle nor Sun is under any duty to update any of the information in this release.
Additional Information about the Merger and Where to Find It In connection with the proposed merger, Sun will file a proxy statement with the SEC. Additionally, Sun and Oracle will file other relevant materials in connection with the proposed acquisition of Sun by Oracle pursuant to the terms of an Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among Oracle, Soda Acquisition Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oracle, and Sun. The materials to be filed by Sun with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. Investors and security holders of Sun are urged to read the proxy statement and the other relevant materials when they become available before making any voting or investment decision with respect to the proposed merger because they will contain important information about the merger and the parties to the merger.
Oracle, Sun and their respective directors, executive officers and other members of its management and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of Sun stockholders in connection with the proposed merger. Investors and security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of certain of Oracle's executive officers and directors in the solicitation by reading the proxy statement and other relevant materials filed with the SEC when they become available. Information concerning the interests of Sun's participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different than those of Sun's stockholders generally, is set forth in the materials filed with the SEC on Form 10-K and will be set forth in the proxy statement relating to the merger when it becomes available.
SOURCE Oracle Corporation http://www.oracle.com
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Leave some for the rest of us!
Hey, you can only buy 15 of these.
Cover Me
You better have good insurance!
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Wear this shirt: while hiding away inside your shell.
Don't wear this shirt: if you're in 1st place. You're just kinda asking for it then.
This shirt tells the world: "Some things should stay in the pixelated world."
We call this color: Baby Blue Koopa
Back to topby Jay Lorenz
Growing, unfurling, expanding endlessly into the horizon, an unstoppable tide of unbridled Aryan ambition let loose onto an empty continent ready to receive us forever, or so it seemed; but after the untamed land of America came under European domain from ocean to ocean, what was to be done with the spirit of our ancestors? The last addition to the continental United States was made in 1853, and after that, much territory still needed to be settled, making the country still feel empty in many ways. A man could strike west and enter untamed land with opportunity only limited by his ambition. We lived off of that momentum for a time—the same basic spirit existed in the post-WWII period, but with one problem—there was no where left to go. America was basking in the glow of manifest destiny, and impressive though it was, the never-ending ambition that brought us to that point was lost.
Here we are, only a few decades later, going nowhere. The feeling of exhaustion hangs in the air, not from using all of our energy in conquest, but from being confined and tied down. A body always at rest feels constantly tired, while a body always moving generates boundless energy. This is the state of the American today. I say “the American” and not “America,” because of the wedge that has been driven between the American nation and the so-called country he now inhabits. This feeling does not apply to the non-White usurpers of America. They are now exacting their own form of manifest destiny on our land. They are able to expand uninhibited into America, gobbling up massive amounts of territory, even faster than the founding stock of the nation. The “new Americans” have a great advantage as well. Not only are there no enemy combatants to contend with in their conquest, the infrastructure is already built for them—no labor required. What’s more, the creators of the previous nation are willfully giving up resources to these settler colonists, creating the unprecedented phenomenon of welfare colonialism, by which the host nation subsidizes the acquisition of its territory by hostile foreign parties.
Here we are, Americans, completely exhausted from inactivity. America as a nation has not accomplished anything great, or even anything that is in its own interest since perhaps the 1960s. The moon landing was a monumental accomplishment, not for its direct usefulness, but for the awesomeness of the feat. However, four years before that, a law was passed that has come to haunt America, the Hart-Celler act. Now, Americans are in a double-bind. Not only does no one seem to want to accomplish anything in the name of the American nation, but because of changing demographics, such an accomplishment has been rendered nearly impossible.
We are exhausted from inactivity. We are exhausted from diversity. We are exhausted from all the forces working against us. Instead of sprinting into a never-ending horizon, we are trapped in a shrinking room, the walls slowly closing in upon us from all sides. Before, we attacked the frontier for our own benefit, each generation building upon the last to create something truly great. Then we turned to a new frontier—the attempt to make the races of the Third World equal to our own. Countless resources have been wasted with no payoff, only making our lives more cluttered and crowded. Our land is becoming crowded, not with the people who built it, but with a colored mass that is sapping the potential of America completely.
So what are we to do in this predicament? The first step in our self-improvement must be the rediscovery of the spirit that built America, a rediscovery of the energy that was used to strike into the frontier. The longer we are inactive, the harder it will be to tap into that energy and the fewer resources we will have. The America that caused us to become complacent in the 1970s and 80s no longer exists. We must find a new frontier. The walls are closing in, but only if we let them. We must always remember this time without an objective—this meaningless, contracting existence. The new frontier cannot be the last. We must regain the American spirit—and more.US Government's Failure To Protect Public Privacy Is Driving Business Overseas
from the all-for-what? dept
Many foreign companies are converging toward a common argument for why they’re better than their American competitors. It’s not that the foreign-made technology is better, more resilient, or more ubiquitous, nor that the foreign companies are more innovative or better managed. They compare not their businessmen but their politicians. They argue simply that American laws undermine any American product — that these laws fail to protect privacy of personal or business information of all users. This argument works partly because consumers claim to “avoid doing business” with companies they don’t trust to protect their privacy.
As we've covered over and over again, the US government has made it clear that it wants access to your data. With things like the FISA Amendments Act, ECPA and various other laws, law enforcement plays the FUD card repeatedly, insisting that it needs to be able to go in and see data to "protect" the public. There's very little basis to make this claim. And, worse, by decimating online privacy, the US government may actively be driving business outside of the US to foreign countries that have stricter privacy laws that actually protect data from government snooping.Basically, because law enforcement believes it needs to build a much bigger haystack as it searches for needles, we're handing other countries a key selling point in setting up services to compete with US services: "you can't trust any service based in the US, because it's subject to government surveillance." That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I know I've see a number of companies lately who advertise the fact that they'rebased in the US to suggest that they're more secure and can keep your data private. This is not the reputation the US needs or wants right now.
Filed Under: 4th amendment, economic impact, ecpa, ecpa reform, fisa, privacy, us governmentThe Australian found himself on super soft tyres following a late safety car caused by Max Verstappen’s collision with Romain Grosjean, which meant he was in with a shot of the podium as the race drew to a close.
His first job was to get passed Raikkonen, which he did with a forceful manoeuvre at Mirabeau at the re-start. His Red Bull Racing team-mate Daniil Kyat then let him through so he could have a go at passing Lewis Hamilton for third place.
Ultimately Ricciardo couldn’t get through, conceding fourth back to Kvyat at the finish as thanks for being released several laps earlier.
Despite missing out on the podium, Ricciardo said it was an enjoyable way to finish the race.
“It was a good race today and a good result for the team,” he said.
“I had some fun in the last few laps trying to get close to Hamilton and [Sebastian] Vettel to fight for a podium position.
“I knew we were in a position to attack in the end which made it exciting, I think. The team worked well, Dany let me past to have a crack at the podium and I gave back the place on the last lap when I couldn’t get past Hamilton.
“We’ll try and keep up the pace in the next few races to hopefully stay in the top five.”
Ricciardo thankful for stewards' decision
Ricciardo benefited from some lenient officiating following his forceful move on Raikkonen, with the stewards deciding not to take action despite there being clear contact between the two.
While Raikkonen complained over the radio that Ricciardo’s move was “not nice”, the Australian explained that making a 100 percent clean move is difficult at Monaco, and that the stewards made the right call at that stage of the race.
“I had a little incident with Kimi and it’s hard to get a clean move without a little contact in Monaco,” he said.
“I appreciate the stewards not taking any further action, and I think the crowd and the fans enjoyed it.”NAIROBI, Kenya — A young man from Alabama who traveled to Somalia and became an infamous Islamist militant, commanding guerrilla forces and earning a $5 million American bounty on his head, was believed to have been killed by his former extremist allies on Thursday, according to news reports and Islamist Web sites.
The jihadist, Omar Hammami, known for his rap-infused propaganda videos for the Shabab, a brutal Islamist group in Somalia, was reported killed in an ambush on Thursday morning. If true, his death would bring to a close one of the more unusual chapters in more than two decades of fighting in the Horn of Africa.
But Mr. Hammami, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki, “the American,” has been declared dead before, only to resurface alive.
There is little question that Mr. Hammami has been on the run from his former comrades. His recent troubles brought to the surface rifts within militant circles in Somalia, particularly between foreign fighters and Somalis. In a Twitter message in April, Mr. Hammami said the group’s leader had “gone mad” and was “starting a civil war.”You know those dreams where you’re giving a speech to your whole school in just your underpants… and then your teeth fall out… and then you’re being chased by a giant Daffy Duck (just me?)? This is the journalistic equivalent of that.
For more overly ambitious architectural feats, check out the best Minecraft mods.
I’ve just been given a blank canvas and half an hour with which to design the theme park of my dreams in Planet Coaster, the latest theme park sim from Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 and Elite: Dangerous devs Frontier. That would be fine – wonderful, even – if it wasn’t for the game’s producer, Rich Newbold, sitting right next to me, and the fact that all my architectural ineptitudes are being recorded for the whole internet to see. [Ed: Yep, right below this, in fact. Everyone point and laugh…]
Talk about performance anxiety…
Thankfully, Rich is nice enough to tell me that he hasn’t got much of an eye for theme park design himself, meaning that we both blithely stumble through the hands-on together. In addition, the more advanced tools like the robust, voxel-based terraforming (more on that later) and the custom rollercoasters aren’t available to me, meaning I don’t get the chance to get too bespoke and Frankensteinian with my creation.
Traffic management of people plays a big part in Planet Coaster (or people-trafficking, as I inappropriately quipped to the game’s creative director Jonny Watts), so I decide to start things with a towering ride called the Sun Flare, piercing into the sky right in the middle of the park, off of which paths will lead to other sections of my park. Leading up to the Sun Flare, there’s a wide grand parade flanked by giant mechanical monsters, fountains and, errr, trees-on-top-of-trees (the result of my botched attempt at making a woodland area).
While I’m told that trees-on-top-of-trees probably won’t exist as an option when the full game comes out (and the rapid copy-pasting of trees to make woods probably will), players will still have the freedom to build gravity-defying structures. “We want to keep in things like floating rocks, and landscapes that you can raise and cut off underneath to create things a bit like in The Avatar”, says Rich, referring presumably to the Floating Mountains in the movie – huge slabs of rock that manage to stay suspended in the air for reasons I’ve now forgotten.
But back to my Sun Flare tower. It’s magnificent, a menacing marvel that people can see and flock to from miles away… only to then be disappointed to find that it’s the only ride in the park, there are no toilets, and the closest thing resembling food is Chief Beef – a mascot dressed as a beefburger in police uniform who I don’t recall employing. Still, maybe he’ll keep guests’ morale up in these dark early days for my Wonderland…
I plonk down the first toilet in the park right next to the exit from the Sun Flare, just in case the ride makes people queasy. The modular nature of the building means that you can essentially have ‘grounds’ around the toilets, build a wall to frame them, and embellish them with decorations and signs. You can also have several contiguous toilets next to each other in a cube formation facing outwards, or even build a tower of toilets, though at this point I can’t yet build stairs (or a ladder) going up to them.
As I play Planet Coaster, and something sort-of resembling a theme park starts materialising, I start seeing elements of what Watts describes as a “deep simulation”. Every building and landscape-shaping tool has a range of keyboard modifiers (think Photoshop), which let you tweak and fine-tunes the functions of that tool. These tools are pretty much wasted in my amateur hands, so Rich takes over to show me something sculpted by one of the game’s artists.
Rich loads up a park with a huge tree-like structure in the middle, with giant fairy lights tastefully wrapped around it. “The brush used to make this is very simple,” says Rich. “It pushes, and it pulls, and it smooths, with options to change the intensity with which it does those things. It’s a bit like Play-Doh”. I’m reassured that this isn’t something anyone could just knock up in a minute, and that it took a good few hours to complete – showcasing the possibilities of what Watts calls the ‘power users’ can achieve.
While I in the company of Frontier, the name ‘Cities: Skylines’ is thrown around quite a few times. The city-building sim effectively saved and took over its genre in the vacuum left behind by SimCity, and the more I see Planet Coaster, the more tempting it is to refer to it as the rollercoaster equivalent of Colossal Order’s sleeper hit.
With time running out, I haphazardly throw a few more rides into my park, then proceed to observe the park visitors in action. The designs of the people are lovely – minimal, moulded characters (Play-Doh once again springs to mind) with super-expressionate animations and faces that leave you with little doubt about their feelings. In my case, they don’t seem too happy about having to walk about a mile from the entrance to get to the nearest toilet, though my grand parade leading to my star attraction actually caused some smiles.
Once you hit the ‘Play’ button, the crux of the game comes down to how your guests feel. Watts tells me that Planet Coaster is, at its base level, about “extracting money from guests”, and the layout of your park will play a big part in that process. Walking distance to rides is obviously a factor, but also managing the order in which people go on rides, so placing a few gentle rides between the more extreme ones may appeal to older guests, while segmenting the hardcore stuff away from the kids’ rides will help prevent overcrowding.
Rich describes with demonic glee about how he even turned one of his parks into a hellish endless loop of rides, where the exits from one ride fed directly into queues for another, then another, then another. Then, after several rides, “they’ll get to go to the toilet, if they’re lucky”.
If, unlike Rich, you prefer to treat your guests like human beings rather than gerbils in an endless maze, your park will need to meet their expectations. AI happiness is judged using an algorithm that takes into account hundreds of minor details that make up individual visitors’ needs and tastes. There are the obvious things like hunger, toilets and excitement from rides, but even the layout, design and thematising of your park will be judged by guests. That’s not to say that guests will stick their noses up at the design efforts of novices like me, but put the time into sculpting your park into something beautiful, and it’ll definitely be appreciated.
And time is one of the biggest problems with a half-hour hands-on of Planet Coaster. It’s a game of deep systems and rich complexity unprecedented in the genre, and I only skimmed the surface of what it’s capable of doing. Things look promising however, particularly as the team working on it – a mix of young devs and stalwarts who have been working on theme park sims since the Rollercoaster Tycoon days – seems to be taking on the task with the fresh-faced excitement of a school trip to Disneyland.
I’m eager to spend more time with Planet Coaster’s robust tools (in ascetic solitude), though I feel that I’ll be more of a consumer than a creator in this game, taking advantage of the community-sharing features to download the beautiful maps and structures, then trying to work out how to lay out a park for maximum profits.
Being the goal-oriented gamer that I am, I’m particularly intrigued to see some form of Campaign mode – not mentioned during my playtime – and hear more about the scenarios that Watts mentions to me (one of which entails building exciting rollercoasters with very strict height restrictions). But the priority for Frontier is clearly to make the creation tools the best ever seen in a theme park sim – and they’re doing a fine job of it so far.
What’s the first thing you’re going to try and build when you get your hands on Planet Coaster’s impressive creation tools? Tell us in the comments below.The online Anonymous Hacktivist has released a video message in which it has declared cyberwar on countries and organizations, posing a threat to freedom and independence of Ukraine. The operation has been named as ”Operation Ukraine” (#OpIndependence).
A 4:37 minute video message highlights several aspects of Ukrainian crisis such as international interference and divided mindset of Anonymous collective over the issue.
This is sad as some Anons are unknowingly supporting the dark forces at work in Ukraine. Members of Anonymous Ukraine are aware of the internal meddling by the United States, NATO and the European Union into the internal sovereign affairs of Ukraine.
Anonymous Ukraine claims that the country doesn’t need to join European Union nor the NATO on their territory. The message also highlights Nazi role in the crisis.
The people of Ukraine do not want European Union integration. The people of Ukraine do not want NATO on their territory. The Bandera Nazis and fascist thugs that are beating and killing police and members of the security services of Ukraine do not represent the will or the wishes of the people of Ukraine.
Anonymous has vowed to expose West and Ukrainian opposition as it did last February when it hacked and leaked secret email conversations of Vitali Klitschko’s UDAR opposition party. You can read the leaked emails here.
Anonymous Ukraine has released the e-mails of one of the leaders of the so called opposition and will continue to expose the moves by the west to subvert the sovereign country of Ukraine.
Hacktivists have urged the Ukrainian President Yanukovich, to restore order and bring calm and stability in the country. The message ends with a declaration in which Anonymous Ukraine has declared cyberwar on countries and organizations posing threat to freedom and independence of Ukraine.
We appeal to the president of our country. The people of Ukraine urge you. President Yanukovich, to restore order and bring calm and stability. Anonymous Ukraine will strike at all of the web resources of western hirelings and fascists. We declare the continuation of Operation Independence. We will strike at the web resources of countries and organizations that pose a threat to freedom and independence of Ukraine!
Follow @HackReadPerhaps no other composer in history sought to combine such obviously incompatible elements in his works. The qualities that make Richard Wagner’s supporters so enthusiastic are often the same ones that repel his opponents, such as his tendency toward extremes in every aspect of composition. Although he stretched the limits of harmony and operatic form to the breaking point, the realization of his musical concepts always remained exceedingly economical. Paradoxically, this very economy defines the incomparable dimension of his structures. Perhaps he found it necessary to make especially frugal use of certain individual elements in order to make the effect of the Gesamtkunstwerk—the total work of art—even greater and more unexpected.
A good example of Wagner’s economy can be found at the beginning of the first act of Die Walküre, in which a wild storm rages. Even Beethoven made use of all the orchestral instruments in the storm in his Sixth Symphony, and given the instrumentation available to Wagner, one could assume that his storm would take on even grander proportions.
Instead, however, he allows only the strings to unfurl the full force of the storm; the result is a far more direct, naked, and compact sound than a full Wagnerian orchestra with brass and timpani would have produced. It is the precision of Wagner’s directions in the dynamic structuring of his scores that brings out the emotionality of the music. Wagner was the first composer to very consciously calculate and demand the speed of dynamic developments. When he wants to achieve a climax, he generally applies one of two techniques: either he lets a crescendo grow gradually and organically, or he lets the same musical material swell two or three times in order to let it explode the third or fourth time.
In Wagner’s operas, there are frequent cases in which the musical material swells up and down in two bars the first time it appears. The second time Wagner allows the same material to grow for two bars with a subito piano—sudden quiet—immediately afterward. Only the third time is there a climax after four bars of crescendo. A mathematical equation therefore gives rise to sensuality and fervor. It is his skillful intellectual calculation that creates the impression of spontaneity and purely emotional sensation.
Another characteristic of Wagner’s musical uniqueness can be observed in the Prelude to Tristan und Isolde, in the continuation of the famous “Tristan chord” at the beginning of the opera. A composer with less genius and with a poorer understanding of the mystery of music would assume that he must resolve the tension he has created. It is precisely the sensation caused by an only partial resolution, though, that allows Wagner to create more and more ambiguity and more and more tension as this process continues; each unresolved chord is a new beginning.
Wagner’s music is often complex, sometimes simple, but never complicated. It is a subtle difference, but complication, in this sense, implies among other meanings the use of unnecessary mechanisms or…Astronomers are looking to identify Earth-like watery worlds circling distant stars from a glint of light seen through an optical space telescope and a mathematical method developed by researchers at Penn State and the University of Hawaii.
"We are looking for Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of their star, a band not too hot nor too cold for life to exist," says Darren M. Williams, associate professor of physics and astronomy, Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. "We also want to
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second derivative (“she’s losing ground, but not as quickly as before”). Multiply 23 candidates by 10 metrics by three ways of reporting on those metrics, and you have 690 opportunities to be “surprised” at any given time.
In a sense, the primaries are a lot like the NCAA basketball tournament: You know there are going to be some surprises. The odds of every favorite winning every game in the NCAA tournament are longer than a billion-to-one against. And yet, in the end, one of the front-runners usually wins. (Since the men’s tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, all but three champions have been No. 4 seeds or better.)
So be wary of grand pronouncements about What It All Means based on a handful of “surprising” developments. Is Scott Walker’s campaign off to an “unexpectedly” bad start, for instance? Maybe. (I wouldn’t be thrilled if I were one of Walker’s strategists. I’d also remind myself that we have five months to go before the Iowa caucuses.) Even if you grant that Walker is having some problems, however, it would be stunning if all the Democratic and Republican campaigns were doing exactly as well as pundits anticipated. At any given moment, some campaigns are bound to be struggling to meet expectations, or exceeding them.
Similarly, while one might not have predicted that Bernie Sanders would be the one to do it, it was reasonably likely that some rival would emerge to Hillary Clinton. It’s happened for every non-incumbent front-runner in the past: Buchanan for Dole; Bill Bradley for Al Gore.
The other big difference between the general election and primaries is that polls are not very reliable in the primaries. They improve as you get closer to the election, although only up to a point. But they have little meaning now, five months before the first states vote.
It’s not only that the polls have a poor predictive track record — at this point in the past four competitive races, the leaders in national polls were Joe Lieberman, Rudy Giuliani, Hillary Clinton and Rick Perry, none of whom won the nomination — but also that they don’t have a lot of intrinsic meaning. At this point, the polls you see reported on are surveying broad groups of Republican- or Democratic-leaning adults who are relatively unlikely to actually vote in the primaries and caucuses and who haven’t been paying all that much attention to the campaigns. The ones who eventually do vote will have been subjected to hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of advertising, had their door knocked on several times, and seen a half-dozen more debates. The ballots they see may not resemble the one the pollsters are testing since it’s likely that (at least on the GOP side) several of the candidates will have dropped out by the time their state votes.
Some reporters object to this by saying that the polls are meaningful to the extent that they influence the behavior of the campaigns: If Joe Biden enters the race because he reads the polls as indicating that Clinton is vulnerable, that could matter, for instance.
Fair enough. But it’s dubious to compare hypothesized behavior with actual outcomes we’ve seen in past election years. If Biden or Mitt Romney thinks the field is weak and makes a late entry, that will be interesting. If Donald Trump or Sanders actually wins the nomination or comes very close to doing so, that will be a watershed in American political history. But there’s a high rate of false alarms compared with the number of late-entry candidates that actually make a bid or watershed moments that actually occur.
None of this is to imply that nominations are all that easy to forecast. And some things this year have been genuinely surprising. In particular, that there are 17 Republican candidates, including a dozen or so who have traditional credentials for the White House, is unprecedented. If you want to develop a theory about how “this time is different,” figuring out how to explain the size of the Republican field (and how it might affect the race) seems like a good starting point.
Oddly, this abundance of candidates has been somewhat taken for granted in campaign coverage, even though it potentially plays a big role in explaining Trump’s position in the polls, among other things. The reason may be that it’s something we’ve known about for a long time; there aren’t a lot of clicks to be had from the headline “17 Candidates Still Running; Nothing Else Much Changed Today.” Chasing down the bright, shiny object is more exciting, but usually not more revealing.President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, seen recently at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., spoke early Wednesday about the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. (Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)
During a telephone call early Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged President Trump to find a peaceful solution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, state media reported.
The call came just four days after the leaders held face-to-face talks in Florida and hours after Trump tweeted that North Korea was “looking for trouble” and that the United States would “solve the problem” with or without China’s help.
The People’s Daily, the official Communist Party mouthpiece, said Xi thanked Trump for his “warm hospitality” in Florida but also took the opportunity to discuss “common concerns” about the Korean Peninsula and warn against any military escalation of the situation.
“Xi Jinping stressed that China insists on realizing the goal of denuclearization of the peninsula, insists on maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, advocates resolving the problem through peaceful means and is willing to maintain communication and coordination with the U.S. side on the issue of the peninsula,” the paper wrote.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs weighed in soon afterward.
(Reuters)
“All relevant parties should exercise restraint and keep calm, ease the tension instead of provoking each other and adding fuel to the fire,” spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news conference.
Lu said Xi had placed the phone call, at Trump’s request.
Trump later described the exchange in positive terms. “Had a very good call last night with the President of China concerning the menace of North Korea,” he tweeted.
The Pentagon sent a Navy strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier toward the Korean Peninsula over the weekend to “maintain readiness” amid concerns that North Korea could be preparing for more missile launches and a sixth nuclear test.
The Carl Vinson is accompanied by a carrier air wing, a guided-missile cruiser and two destroyers, a group Trump described to Fox Business Network as “an armada, very powerful.”
[With both the U.S. and North Korea saber rattling, is conflict imminent?]
According to Chinese state media, Xi said that he and Trump had “enhanced mutual understanding” and established a good working relationship. On Syria, Xi said that “any uses of chemical weapons are unacceptable” and voiced the need for a political settlement there, as well as “solidarity” and unanimity at the U.N. Security Council, the media said.
(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
But Lü Chao, a North Korea expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, said the situation on the Korean Peninsula appeared to top the agenda, warning that the U.S. carrier group’s move to nearby waters had led to a “very serious standoff.”
“The concerned parties should really signal red lights and hit the brakes to defuse the situation,” Lü said. “Otherwise, it would be very easy for this to accidentally turn into a conflict.”
Pyongyang has also raised the stakes by warning that it could “hit the U.S. first” with nuclear weapons.
“Our military is keeping an eye on the movement of enemy forces while putting them in our nuclear sights,” said Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers’ Party, adding that North Korea will use its “mighty nuclear weapons” to “obliterate” the United States.
While China continues to call for dialogue and a peaceful settlement of the crisis, it has also shown signs of growing impatience with North Korea.
On Monday, a senior South Korean official said that China had agreed to toughen sanctions on the North, through a stronger U.N. resolution, if it carries out nuclear or long-range missile tests.
However, South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy, Kim Hong-kyun, said there was no mention of a military option in his talks with China’s envoy for Korean Peninsula affairs, Wu Dawei, nor had the two discussed the possibility of a strike by the United States.
U.S. officials have stressed that stronger sanctions are likely to come first but that military options are not off the table. Experts say a U.S. military strike remains unlikely, though, partly because it is not clear what the target would be and partly because North Korea would probably respond with a devastating attack on the South Korean capital, Seoul.
On Tuesday, China’s state-run Global Times newspaper urged Pyongyang to stop its nuclear and missile program for its own security, arguing that a sixth nuclear test or inter-continental ballistic missile test would be seen as a “slap in the face” of the U.S. government and increase the chances of U.S. military action.
“Not only is Washington brimming with confidence and arrogance following the missile attacks on Syria, but Trump is also willing to be regarded as a man who honors his promises,” the paper wrote. “Pyongyang should avoid making mistakes at this time.”
Global Times editorials do not represent official government policy, but they often reflect thinking within the Communist Party.
The paper also said that China would seek stronger action by the U.N. Security Council if North Korea continues to conduct tests.
“If the North makes another provocative move this month, Chinese society will be willing to see the UNSC adopt severe restrictive measures that have never been seen before, such as restricting oil imports to the North,” the paper said.
North Korea is expected to hold a huge military parade Saturday to celebrate the 105th birthday of its founding president, Kim Il Sung, and to mark with similar fanfare the 85th anniversary of the creation of the Korean People’s Army on April 25.
Luna Lin and Jin Xin contributed to this report.
Read more
Trump administration calls North Korea a ‘pariah’
North Korea tests four more missiles — and China’s patience
Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign newsThe Insular Cases are a series of opinions by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1901, about the status of U.S. territories acquired in the Spanish–American War. When the war ended in 1898, the United States had to answer the question of whether or not people in newly acquired territories were citizens, a question the country had never faced before. The preliminary answer came from a series of Supreme Court rulings, now known as the Insular Cases, which responded to the question of how American constitutional rights apply to those in United States territories. The Supreme Court held that full constitutional protection of rights does not automatically (or ex proprio vigore—i.e., of its own force) extend to all places under American control. This meant that inhabitants of unincorporated territories such as Puerto Rico—"even if they are U.S. citizens"—may lack some constitutional rights (e.g., the right to remain part of the United States in case of de-annexation).[1] Today, many legal scholars refer to the Insular Cases as a constitutional justification for colonialism and annexation of places not within United States boundaries.[2] The Insular Cases “authorized the colonial regime created by Congress, which allowed the United States to continue its administration—and exploitation— of the territories acquired from Spain after the Spanish–American War."[3] These Supreme Court rulings allowed for the United States government to extend unilateral power over these newly acquired territories.
The Court also established the doctrine of territorial incorporation, under which the Constitution applied fully only in incorporated territories such as Alaska and Hawaii. Incorporated territories are those that the government deems on a path to statehood. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled the Constitution applied only partially in the newly unincorporated Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. The Supreme Court created the distinction that unincorporated territories were not on the path to statehood, which effectively allowed for the Constitution to apply differently.[4]
The term "insular" signifies that the territories were islands administered by the War Department's Bureau of Insular Affairs. Today, the categorizations and implications put forth by the Insular Cases still govern the United States’ territories.
Background [ edit ]
In 1898, the United States signed the Treaty of Paris (entered into force April 11, 1899), which ended the Spanish–American War and granted the United States the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Additionally, Cuba remained under the jurisdiction of the United States Military Government until its independence on May 20, 1902. Since there was nothing in the United States Constitution about governing newly acquired territories, the government used the guideline from Title IX of the Treaty of Paris. Those that were born in Spain but living in one of the territories, peninsulares, “could retain their Spanish citizenship,” or even eventually have the option to become United States citizens.[2] Title IX of the Treaty of Paris did not grant the same rights to the indigenous population. Edguardo Melendez writes, “Puerto Ricans and Filipinos-- ‘the natives of the islands’-- not only remained colonial subjects but became stateless peoples too: they were denied the right to keep their Spanish citizenship, as well as their right to become U.S. citizens.”[2]
After Title IX of the Treaty of Paris came the Foraker Act of 1900, which established American rule in Puerto Rico for all of the Twentieth Century.[2] The Act allowed the United States to appoint the governor, a portion of the Legislature, and the entirety of the Supreme Court.[2] These two documents precede the Insular Cases and set a precedent on the status of the United States’ new territories prior to the Supreme Court's rulings.
In addition to the Treaty of Paris and the Foraker Act, the Citizenship Clause found within the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution informed the Insular Case decisions. Lisa Marie Perez of the Virginia Law Review writes “The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment provides that ‘All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.’”[5] However, the Insular Cases soon set a precedent that the territories are not inherently part of the United States and therefore the Citizenship Clause does not automatically apply.[5] Furthermore, the Citizenship Clause was crucial throughout the 1800’s in the United States as the country expanded and full citizenship was extended. Yet, the discussion never centered around citizenship in terms of overseas expansion. Soon, the precedent from the Insular Cases became very different from early interpretations of the Citizenship Clause.[6]
Unincorporated territories and other Insular Case rulings [ edit ]
Unlike many other United States Supreme Court rulings, single Insular Case decisions did not create sweeping change. Together they create a doctrine allowing for the United States’ colonial expansion. The most important doctrinal lines from the Insular Cases include the idea of incorporated and unincorporated territories and the overarching principle that the Constitution does not inherently extend to unincorporated territories. Certain Insular Case rulings had a greater impact on the legacy of the Insular Cases than others, which are discussed below.[7]
For example, the first Insular Case Downes v. Bidwell (1901) created the distinction between incorporated and unincorporated territories. The Supreme Court came to this decision by examining Congress’ right to impose tariffs on states and territories. Bartholomew Sparrow writes that in Downes v. Bidwell (1901), “the Court found that Congress could tax trade between Puerto Rico and the states. Puerto Rico was thus not a part of the United States for tariff purposes—contrary to the Uniformity Clause.”[8] Although the Uniformity Clause states that Congress must enforce tariffs equally throughout the United States, the Supreme Court created a distinction between territories that were fully part of the union and those that were not, allowing them to ignore the Uniformity Clause.[2] The line drawn by the Supreme Court created “incorporated territories,” those destined to be states, and “unincorporated territories,” which were not on the path to statehood. In 1901 and the era of the Insular Cases, the areas that became unincorporated territories were Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. With the establishment of the legality of unincorporated territories, the Court also found that in these said territories, the Constitution “did not apply in full.”[8] This means the Constitution does not extend “ex proprio vigore” or by its own force to unincorporated territories.[8] Instead, it could be extended at Congress’ discretion. The lines of reasoning from Downes v. Bidwell (1901) created legal precedent for the remainder of the Insular Cases.
Another noteworthy Insular Case, closely related to Downes v. Bidwell (1901) is De Lima v. Bidwell (1901). In De Lima v. Bidwell (1901), the Supreme Court found “Puerto Rico was part of the United States for the purpose of the Uniformity Clause.”[8] Therefore, duties could not be collected from Puerto Rico. The Supreme Court set alternative precedents in Downes v. Bidwell (1901) and De Lima v. Bidwell (1901) based on the differing interpretation of the Uniformity Clause of the United States Constitution and the subsequent implications of these rulings.
In Balzac v. Puerto Rico (1922), the Supreme Court found that Puerto Ricans, extended statutory citizenship by the Jones Act (1917), are not guaranteed a trial by jury, an inherent aspect of the United States Constitution.[8] Similarly, in Dorr v. United States (1904), the Supreme Court ruled against right to trial by jury for Philippines residents, another unincorporated territory at the time.[8] These two cases exemplify the idea implemented by the Insular Cases that the Constitution does not automatically extend to territories “ex proprio vigore,” or by its own force.
The last incorporated territory: Palmyra Island [ edit ]
In contrast, by the court's distinction, the United States has only one incorporated territory left now: the United States Territory of Palmyra Island, a remote, uninhabited coral atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It had been part of the incorporated[9] Territory of Hawaii until 1959, when Palmyra was deliberately excluded from the new State of Hawaii by the Hawaii Admission Act, so Palmyra was left as a remnant of the old federal territory,[10] still "incorporated," so the Constitution applies there in full.[11]
List of the Insular Cases [ edit ]
Various authorities have listed what they consider are the legitimate constituents of the Insular Cases.
Juan R. Torruella, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (the federal appeals court with jurisdiction over the Federal Court for the District of Puerto Rico) considers that the landmark decisions consisted of six fundamental cases only, all decided in 1901: "strictly speaking the Insular Cases are the original six opinions issued concerning acquired territories as a result of the 1898 Treaty of Paris".[12] These six cases were:[13]
Other authorities, such as José Trías Monge, former Chief Justice of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, states that the list also includes these additional two cases also decided in 1901:[14]
Dooley v. United States, 183 U.S. 151 (1901)
, 183 U.S. 151 (1901) Fourteen Diamond Rings v. United States, 183 U.S. 176 (1901)
Law professor Pedro A. Malavet wrote in his book America's Colony: The Political and Cultural Conflict Between the United States and Puerto Rico that while many law experts include cases from 1903 to 1979, some scholars limit the number of cases in the list to just nine, adding Crossman v. United States, 182 U.S. 221 (1901).[15]
Six of the nine Insular Cases only involve Puerto Rico.[15]
Constitutional law professor Efrén Rivera-Ramos argues that the "Insular Cases" designation has been extended beyond the first nine cases in 1901 to include additional cases decided between 1903 and 1914:[16]
The Insular Cases, hence, often include:[18]
Political reception [ edit ]
The Insular Cases came at a time when America was building its empire. Throughout history, empire building and colonial expansion have been a contentious topic. The reaction within the United States to the Insular decisions was no different, with both supporters and dissenters voicing their opinions. Furthermore, Bartholomew Sparrow notes that almost all of the Insular Case opinions were 5-4 within the Supreme Court, demonstrating the contentious nature of the topic even from the highest voice of law in the United States.[8] In Downes v. Bidwell (1901), the Supreme Court reached a decision “after one of the most spirited discussions ever held within the sacred circle of the Supreme Court bench,’ the Associated Press reported.”[8]
Reactions to the Insular Cases also exemplify the divide that existed at the time in the United States government surrounding empire building. Republicans, who favored expansion and authored the Foraker Act supported the decisions: “the decision is a complete vindication of the position held by the Republican party with respect to the power of Congress to legislate for Porto Rico and the Philippines.”[8] Additionally, “Solicitor General John Richards noted, ‘they sustain to the fullest extent the so-called insular policy of the administration. The government now has the sanction of the Supreme Court for governing these islands as their needs require.’”[8] These examples show the support for the decisions at the time they were handed down.
However, there were many who did not support the decisions. Many former congressman spoke out against the decisions. Charles E. Littlefield wrote in the Harvard Law Review, “the Insular Cases, in the manner in which the results were reached, the incongruity of the results, and the variety of inconsistent views expressed by the different members of the court, are, I believe, without parallel in our judicial history.”[8] George. S. Boutwell, former congressman and U.S. Senator commented, “the opinion of the majority seems to justify the conclusion that the power of acquiring territories is an indefinite power.”[8] Thus, the divisive nature of the Insular decisions was revealed through the opinions held by those active in government.
American popular response [ edit ]
Furthermore, the announcement of the Downes v. Bidwell (1901) decision drew the largest crowd in Supreme Court history, displaying the interest the American public had in the outcome of the case. Newspapers, often a beacon of public opinion, around the United States also took great interest in the outcome of the Insular Cases. Many newspapers were highly critical of the decisions.[8] The New York Herald wrote that the Supreme Court “by a bare majority of one holds that the constitution is supreme only in the States, and that a million square miles, or one-fourth of the national domain, and ten million people are subject to no law but the will of Congress…”[8] Furthermore, the Denver Post exclaimed the “Downes decision ‘at one fell swoop’ brought the United States ‘into the ownership of colonies and putting us into the rank of land grabbing nations of Europe.”[8] The commentary from local newspapers is important because it is reflective of the opinions of the people living in the areas. The assessments from the newspapers indicate the decisions were not popular with many citizens.
Criticism [ edit ]
Former Puerto Rico Supreme Court Chief Justice José Trías Monge contends that the Insular Cases were based on premises that would be considered bizarre today, such as:[19]
Democracy and colonialism are "fully compatible".
There is "nothing wrong when a democracy such as the United States engages in the business of governing other" subjects that have not participated in their democratic election process.
People are not created equal, some races being superior to others.
It is the "burden of the superior peoples, the white man's burden, to bring up others in their image, except to the extent that the nation which possesses them should in due time determine".[19]
In Harris v. Rosario, 446 U.S. 651 (1980), the Court applied Califano v. Torres, 435 U.S. 1 (1978) in a succinct per curiam order, holding that less aid to Puerto Rican families with dependent children did not violate the Equal Protection Clause, because in U.S. territories Congress can discriminate against its citizens applying a rational basis review. Justice Marshall wrote a staunch dissent, noting that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and that the Insular Cases are questionable.
In Torres v. Puerto Rico, 442 U.S. 465 (1979), cited above, Justice Brennan, with whom Justice Stewart, Justice Marshall, and Justice Blackmun joined, concurring in the judgment, cited Reid v. Covert, 354 U.S. 1, 14 (1957), in which Justice Black said the "concept that the Bill of Rights and other constitutional protections against arbitrary government are inoperative when they become inconvenient or when expediency dictates otherwise is a very dangerous doctrine and if allowed to flourish would destroy the benefit of a written Constitution and undermine the basis of our Government".
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]The Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus), also known ambiguously as the bearded pig, is a species in the pig genus, Sus.[2]
It can be recognized by its prominent beard. It also sometimes has tassels on its tail. It is found in Southeast Asia—Sumatra, Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, and various smaller islands like in Sulu archipelago such as Tawi-Tawi, where it inhabits rainforests and mangrove forests. The bearded pig lives in a family. It can reproduce from the age of 18 months, and can be cross-bred with other species in the family Suidae.
Subspecies [ edit ]
The two subspecies of this pig are:[2]
S. b. barbatus (the nominate subspecies)
(the nominate subspecies) S. b. oi (the western bearded pig)
As traditionally defined, the nominate is from Borneo. The species is widely ranging in Borneo. It is also found in Tawi-Tawi province at the tip of the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines, although possibly has been extirpated,[3] and S. b. oi is from the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Genetic evidence suggests this is incorrect, and S. b. oi is better limited to Sumatra, leaving bearded pigs from both Borneo and the Malay Peninsula in the nominate subspecies.[4] Those from Bangka Island appear somewhat intermediate between the two subspecies.[4]
The Palawan bearded pig (Sus ahoenobarbus) has formerly been considered a subspecies of the bearded pig. However, as indicated by its genetic and morphological distinctness, under the phylogenetic species concept (which does not use subspecies) it needs to be elevated to full species status; while the situation is less clear under other species concepts (as not all S. barbatus populations have been restudied in modern times), the presently available information seems to favor full species status for S. ahoenobarbus in any case.[4]
In captivity [ edit ]
The San Diego Zoo was the first zoo in the Western Hemisphere to breed them.[5]
As of January 2016, it is held in the London Zoo, Berlin Zoo, Hellabrunn Zoo,[6] Gladys Porter Zoo, National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara), Zoo Taiping, Singapore Zoo, Capital of Texas Zoo, and Southwick's Zoo.[7] Unfortunately, the animals at Hellabrunn Zoo were euthanized in 2017 because of old age,[8] and there is only one male left at Berlin Zoo, 3 individuals (1 castrated male and 2 females) left at London Zoo[6] and one individual left at Gladys Porter Zoo[9] and the individuals were replaced by red river hogs in Southwick's Zoo as of 2017, which means that the species will likely disappear soon from European and American zoos.
See also [ edit ]
Bornean tiger, a potential predator
References [ edit ]From the minds behind Nickelodeon’s acclaimed Avatar comes an exciting new chapter with a brand new heroine, The Legend of Korra.
In the trend-conscious world of TV animation, it is rare that a show comes along that really shakes things up. But that is what happened back in 2005 when Film Roman alums Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino’s Avatar: The Last Airbender first appeared on Nickelodeon.
Like Spaghetti Westerns or Korean tacos, Avatar cleverly gleaned influences from around the world to create its blend of fantastical mythology, martial-arts action and top-notch anime-influenced animation design. After three seasons, fans sadly bid the show adieu in 2008—but now these key elements have been recombined into a highly anticipated sequel series, The Legend of Korra.
Korra began to take shape when Nickelodeon approached the creative duo in November of 2009 about continuing the Avatar universe. After only a few short months hammering out the concept, DiMartino and Konietzko were back at the studio in February, where they teamed up with co-executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos and supervising director Ki Hyun Ryu to fine tune the story and visuals. By summer, the boys were back in the production trenches.
“When Ryu and I cam on board we pretty much hit the ground running with visual development,” Dos Santos recalls. “To be honest, it’s such a blur that I’m not sure how much time we took before actual pre-production started … As far as my experience goes, Korra was probably the most time I’ve had for development and it still seemed too short!”
Dos Santos served as a storyboard artist on Avatar, and his directing credits include Justice League, G.I. Joe: Resolute and several DC Showcase shorts; Ryu also worked on Avatar in the animation and design departments.
Going for Girl Power
The clearest contrast between the two series is the new face of the Avatar. While Aang was a reluctant 12-year-old boy struggling with his fate, Korra is a headstrong teenager who relishes her role as “The Chosen One.” While her physical prowess and confidence have made her a master at bending water, earth and fire, her underdeveloped spiritual side prevents her from succeeding at airbending and realizing her full potential.
As DiMartino relates, he and Konietzko wanted to match their experience level with a more artistically and narratively mature series.
“We also wanted to explore an Avatar who was the exact opposite of peaceful Aang, so we chose a hot-headed teenage girl from the Water Tribe. Her ‘punch first and ask questions later’ attitude opened up a whole new world of story possibilities.”
For inspiration, Mixed Martial Arts fight fan Konietzko referenced female fighter Gina Carano. “Once we had the idea of a tough, athletic girl, her personality took shape pretty quickly,” he recalls. Women competitive snowboarders also served as inspiration for the look and attitude of the character.
“That really helped inform [Korra’s] design,” says Dos Santos. “She’s got a really tough look. The baggy pants and low-hanging fur wrap against her athletic upper body really bring those two elements together well.”
A rough-and-tumble heroine like Korra is a rarity for the TV animation world, and Nickelodeon is confident that fans will cheer her on through her adventures just as they did with Aang. As Brown Johnson, president of animation for Nickelodeon and MTVN kids and family group, notes:
“Korra is a terrific heroine, for boys and for girls. Like all great action heroes, she combines great heart, kick-butt powers—and the idiotic mistakes of a typical teen.”
Rebuilding the World
Although Korra takes place 70 years after the events of the original series, the producers wanted to ensure the world and story felt familiar to audiences. Fans can expect the familiar blend of humor, drama, action and relationships to bubble around the new Avatar. Additionally, Avatar composers The Track Team have returned to give the music and sound design a familiar feel.
But, as DiMartino points out, the creators also strove to up the ante across the board for this series, adding layers of sophistication to the storytelling, artwork and animation to do justice to the more mature feel of the show.
As Konietzko explains, the duo were originally after a 12-episode season when they pitched Avatar back in 2002, but the network was running on 20 episode cycles. With Korra, they have their ideal timeframe at last.
“[Nickelodeon] came to us with 12 episodes, and we were relieved. I know some fans just want more, more, more, but we are primarily concerned with the quality of the storytelling and animation, and shorter seasons are the best way for us to achieve that … The stories are leaner, more focused on one driving storyline.”
“Tonally, things have shifted just a bit darker as well,” Dos Santos adds. “The visual style plays on the theme that the world is going through the Avatar equivalent of the Industrial Revolution. The character designs along with the color direction really accentuate that idea.”
While the original series constantly shifted locales as Aang and his comrades made their journey across the various nations, Korra takes place inside the confines of the steam-punk influenced Republic City—what DiMartino describes as an early, conscious decision meant to cut down the design workload, although building up a huge metropolis in which to set the action proved just as challenging!
From an artistic standpoint, the creators wanted to infuse the new series with a stronger sense of art direction and more “style,” while still maintaining the feel of the Avatar world. For season one, Konietzko shared art direction duties with Dos Santos and Ryu, and sought to incorporate their individual styles into the character design to achieve a more sophisticated look. The background style also underwent a facelift:
“I was adamant that the background paintings have more of a painterly look, more like concept designs,” Konietzko explains. “We found some young and energetic painters, Fred Stewart and Emily Tetri, and developed a looser painting style for the show with them.”
Konietzko adds that additional steps in the art direction process were incorporated to improve the lighting and create a more cinematic look.
“Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere!” Dos Santos seconds. “It’s been a challenge, but building room in the schedule to allow for real lighting direction and compositing has been something that we are really proud of. It’s also something that oftentimes gets overlooked in U.S. TV animation. I’m really proud of the fact that Republic City feels like a real place.”
The Art of Toonbending
Aiding the crew in achieving these new levels of sophistication are the incredible digital animation technological advances that have occurred since 2008 when Avatar wrapped. In fact, Korra’s 2D animation (augmented with CG effects) is fairly ground-up digital. The team has incorporated Toon Boom software into the storyboard process, and can now be found hunched over Cintiq drawing tablets rather than sheaves of paper.
“The transition to working digitally all the way down the production pipeline has really allowed for us to take a ‘pre-viz meets storyboard’ approach to our storytelling,” Dos Santos enthuses. “We can share assets with our other departments and get a feel for the timing and tone almost instantly. For our more complex shots, we’ve added an amazing After Effects artist to tour crew who can interpret our rough staging and really build an amazing sequence with subtle camera work and lighting. It really helps get our ideas across to the animators.”
The animation team is even utilizing Google SketchUp to digitally build rough sets, allowing them to play around with camera angles virtually and pick the coolest shots before diving into the thick of storyboarding.
Despite these technological facilitations and fewer episodes per season to crank out, Konietzko says that serial animation’s old nemesis, time, is still one of their largest challenges.
“There is simply never enough time. We’re trying to improve the quality of all aspects of this series compared to the original series, so we never stop making it hard on ourselves!”
Another double-edged sword during this production is the increased collaboration with the talented Korean animation team at Studio Mir, which also worked on Avatar.
“We did a lot more pre-production in Seoul … We’ve always collaborated closely with the Korean artists, but even more so on this series—they really became an extension of our crew in Burbank. But the biggest challenge was simply dealing with the distance and communication. Many times we wished we could explain a storyboard or animation idea directly to someone sitting down the hall, rather than halfway around the world,” DiMartino admits.
Dos Santos seconds DiMartino’s logistical qualms, adding that certain cultural differences can make it difficult to get the correct ideas across, no matter how talented the artists are.
“Thankfully there was an already established working relationship with the amazing artists and animators at Studio Mir. But even so, I remember them struggling initially with the idea that Korra was so muscular. We really wanted to make a point of the fact that she is not your traditional rail-thin girl. She’s an athlete and tough, but still beautiful.”
Despite a few bumps in the road, all three producers say they have enjoyed the process immensely. For DiMartino and Konietzko, the chance to write all of the first season together and watch the world and the characters who populate it take shape through the story and design phases has been both fun and challenging—in a good way. For Dos Santos, Korra has allowed him to take some of his biggest artistic leaps. All credit the talented crews at Nickelodeon and in Korea with easing the growing pains of this ambitious project.
As Dos Santos sums up: “When the dust settles—and we get some sleep—we’ll have an amazing show and we’ll all have leveled up!”
Nickelodeon unveils The Legend of Korra on April 14, at 11:00 AM (ET/PT).Setup AWS S3 static website hosting using SSL (ACM)
Sebastian Buckpesch Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 23, 2017
I registered a new domain (ssml.io) and I want to use it to host a static website using S3 and Cloudfront. For this website I want an SSL connection using a AWS Certificate Manager certificate.
To finish this setup you have to go through these steps:
Create an S3 bucket and upload your index.html file Create a cloudfront distribution pointing to this S3 bucket Setup Domain MX records using SES to receive the SSL certificate domain validation email Request a new SSL certificate in region us-east-1 (!) Assign the certificate to your Cloudfront distribution
I assume that you already have a (new) domain registered in Route 53 with
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and whether the system requires key members to act against their short-run interests in order to work properly. Negotiated (sometimes referred to as “constitutional”) orders are complex systems that rely on ad hoc human choices and require actors to choose voluntarily to subordinate their immediate interests to communal or remote ones (e.g., in collective security systems). As such, how they actually perform when confronted with a disturbance that trips the alarm, so to speak, will be highly unpredictable. In contrast, the operation of a balance-of-power system is fairly automatic and therefore highly predictable. It simply requires that states, seeking to survive and thrive in a competitive, self-help realm, pursue their short-run interests; that is, states seek power and security, as they must in an anarchic order.38 Here, I do not mean to suggest that balance-of-power systems always function properly and predictably. Balancing can be late, uncertain, or nonexistent. These types of balancing maladies, however, typically occur when states consciously seek to opt out of a balance-of-power system, as happened in the interwar period, but then fail to replace it with a functioning alternative security system. The result is that a balance-of-power order, which may be viewed as a default system that arises spontaneously, in the absence or failure of concerted arrangements among all the units of the system to provide for their collective security, eventually emerges but is not accomplished as efficiently as it otherwise would have been.
Does Balancing Behavior Prevail Over Other State Responses to Growing Power? There have been several recent challenges to the conventional realist wisdom that balancing is more prevalent than bandwagoning behavior, that is, when states join the stronger or more threatening side.39 Paul Schroeder’s broad historical survey of international politics shows that states have bandwagoned with or hid from threats far more often than they have balanced against them. Similarly, I have claimed that bandwagoning behavior is more prevalent than contemporary realists have led us to believe because alliances among revisionist states, whose behavior has been ignored by modern realists, are driven by the search for profit, not security.40 Most recently, Robert Powell treats states as rational unitary actors within a simple strategic setting composed of commitment issues, informational problems, and the technology of coercion and finds that “balancing is relatively rare in the model. Balances of power sometimes form, but there is no general tendency toward this outcome. Nor do states generally balance against threats. States frequently wait, bandwagon, or, much less often, balance.”41 Powell freely admits, however, that a rational-unitary-actor assumption “does not mean that domestic politics is unimportant.”42 None of these studies, however, has offered a domestic-politics explanation for bandwagoning or a theory of the broader phenomenon of underbalancing behavior, which includes buck-passing, distancing, hiding, waiting, appeasement, bandwagoning, incoherent half-measures, and, in extreme cases, civil war, revolution, and state disintegration. In addition to studies of bandwagoning, there has been some work on what is called “buck-passing” behavior, a form of under-reaction to threats by which states attempt to ride free on the balancing efforts of others. Two popular explanations for buck-passing behavior are structural-systemic ones. Thomas Christensen and Jack Snyder claim that great powers under multipolarity will buck-pass when they perceive defensive advantage; while John Mearsheimer argues that buck-passing occurs primarily in balanced multipolar systems, especially among great powers that are geographically insulated from the aggressor.43 Others argue that whether or not states balance against threats is not primarily determined by systemic factors but rather by domestic political processes.44 Along these lines, it is important to point out that, when we speak of balancing and other competing responses to growing power, we are actually referring to four distinct categories of behavior. First, there is appropriate balancing, which occurs when the target is a truly dangerous aggressor that cannot or should not be appeased. Second, there is inappropriate balancing, which unnecessarily triggers a costly and dangerous arms spiral because the target is misperceived as an aggressor but is, in fact, a defensively minded state seeking only to enhance its security.45 Third, there is nonbalancing, which may take the form of buck-passing, bandwagoning, appeasement, engagement, distancing, or hiding. These policies may be quite prudent and rational when the state is thereby able to avoid the costs of war either by satisfying the legitimate grievances of the revisionist state or allowing others to satisfy them, or by letting others defeat the aggressor while safely remaining on the sidelines. Moreover, if the state also seeks revision, then it may wisely choose to bandwagon with the potential aggressor in the hope of profiting from its success in overturning the established order. Finally, there is an unusual state of affairs, such as those we live under today, in which one state is so overwhelmingly powerful that there can be said to exist an actual harmony of interests between the hegemon (or unipole) and the rest of the great powers—those that could either one day become peer competitors or join together to balance against the predominant power. The other states do not balance against the hegemon because they are too weak (individually and collectively) and, more important, because they perceive their well being as inextricably tied up with the well-being of the hegemon. Here, potential “balancers” bandwagon with the hegemon not because they seek to overthrow the established order (the motive for revisionist bandwagoning), but because they perceive themselves to be benefiting from the status-quo order and, therefore, seek to preserve it.46 Finally, there is underbalancing, which occurs when the state does not balance or does so inefficiently in response to a dangerous and unappeasable aggressor, and the state’s efforts are absolutely essential to deter or defeat it. In these cases, the underbalancing state not only does not avoid the costs of war but also brings about a war that could have been avoided or makes the war more costly than it otherwise would have been or both.47
Criticisms of Balance-of-Power Theory Since the end of the Cold War, many scholars of international politics have come to believe that realism and the balance of power are now obsolete. Liberal critics charge that, while power balancing may have been appropriate to a bygone era, international politics has been transformed as democracy extends its sway, as interdependence tightens its grip, and as institutions smooth the way to peace. If other states do arise over the coming decades to become peer competitors of the United States, the world will not return to a multipolar balance of power system but rather will enter a new multipartner phase. In the words of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “It does not make sense to adapt a 19th-century concert of powers or a 20th-century balance-of-power strategy. We cannot go back to Cold War containment or to unilateralism,” she said in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in July 2009. “We will lead by inducing greater cooperation among a greater number of actors and reducing competition, tilting the balance away from a multipolar world and toward a multipartner world.”48 It is a view based on the assumption that history moves forward in a progressive direction—one consistent with the metaphor of time’s arrow.49 Of course, realists have heard all this before. Consider Woodrow Wilson’s description of pre-World War I Europe: “The day we left behind us was a day of alliances. It was a day of balances of power. It was a day of ‘every nation take care of itself or make a partnership with some other nation or group of nations to hold the peace of the world steady or to dominate the weaker portions of the world’.”50 While I suspect that social constructivists would agree with most (if not all) of the arguments posed by the liberal challenge to realism, the thrust of their attack is more conceptual and theoretically oriented. As mentioned, Stephen Walt’s “balance of threat” theory, by including “aggressive intentions” as a dimension of threat, widens the stimuli to which states perceive dangers to include more than just material power. Social constructivists, like Michael Barnett, charge that Walt, having shattered neorealist theory, does not go far enough in defining the ideational elements that determine threats and alliances. Ideology and ideas about identity and norms are, according to social constructivists, often the most important sources of threat perception, as well as the primary basis for alliance formation itself.51 Finally, even self-described realists wonder if balance of power still operates in the contemporary world, at least at the global level. For various “sound realist” reasons, Stephen Brooks and William Wohlforth see a world out of balance—one in which the United States maintains its unchallenged global primacy for another 20 years or more.52 Edward Rhodes goes farther, urging the field to abandon, rather than hopelessly attempting to rehabilitate, the “balancing” metaphor and the logic that flows from it. Balancing behavior, he claims, makes no sense in a world devoid of “trinitarian wars” and the belief that any state, if too powerful and unchecked by other states, threatens the sovereignty of all other states. Today, nuclear arsenals assure great powers of the ultimate invulnerability of their sovereignty.53 Moreover, war among the great powers in the present age is, if not downright ludicrous and unthinkable, far from an expected and sensible means to resolve their disputes. Balance of power is a theory deeply rooted in a territorial view of wealth and security—a world that no longer exists.54Towering above all else, dinosaurs are well-known to be the largest land animals. In popular culture, the Tyrannosaurus rex is portrayed as paralyzing in both manner and size. In all actuality, the T. rex does not even make the top fifteen list of these massive creatures. The following information provides a glimpse of the largest dinosaurs, measured first by length, with height and weight taken into account next. Other sources may provide different sizing information, simply because they have a different system of measurement. With height measured from the top of the head to the ground, the fifteen biggest dinosaurs that ever walked this earth are as follows:
15. Camarasaurus
Length: 60 feet
Height: 23 feet
Weight: 20 tons [37]
With a name that means “chambered lizard,” the Camarasaurus was an herbivore (plant-eater) and a quadruped, meaning it walked on all fours. This dinosaur is the most well-known sauropod that comes from the late Jurassic period in North America [37].
The Camarasaurus acquired its name due to the large openings that were discovered in its head. These are suspected to have helped it cool down. It also had hollow vertebrae in order to lessen some of the weight from its backbone. It is believed that during the time of its existence, plants were more difficult to chew, which made it necessary for the Camarasaurus’ teeth to adapt to this tough quality of vegetation. Paleontologists also suspect that this particular type of dinosaur swallowed gastroliths, or small stones that helped it grind its food. Camarasaurus likely traveled in herds and is thought to have been attacked and eaten by the carnivorous theropods that also wandered the plains of North America [38].
14. Titanosaurus
Length: 65 feet
Height: 25 feet
Weight: about 15 tons [39]
The Titanosaurus, like the Camarasaurus, was an herbivore and a quadruped. Its name translates to “titanic lizard.” Part of the order Saurischia, it was found in Argentina and India. Resembling a Diplodocus in form, its back was lined with small, armored plates [39].
This species of dinosaurs was the main member of the titanosaur family. This particular group of dinosaurs is notable because they were the last sauropods on the planet before the occurrence of the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction Event (also known as the K/T Extinction Event) 65 million years ago. Oddly, though the remains of the Titanosaurus have been found, its skull has not yet been located. This is a common trend with several different types of dinosaurs and allows only a partial picture of the Titanosaurus to be revealed. Their weight is, therefore, an estimation based on the assumed size of the head. The bony armor covering the Titanosaurus is probably what kept them safe from theropods and other predators and allowed them to live up to the point of the K/T Extinction Event[40].
13. Bothriospondylus
Length: 66 feet
Height: 35 feet
Weight: about 20 tons [41]
The Bothriospondylus (meaning “excavated vertebrae”) was an herbivore and a quadruped and is also known as a Marmarospondylus. Fragments of the Bothriospondylus’ fossils were found in Madagascar and Western Europe. It has been estimated that its forelegs and hind legs were approximately the same size [41].
These dinosaurs lived during the late Jurassic period and are classified as sauropods. Their large size, as well as their long neck and tail, have led the Bothriospondylus to be described as similar to a Brachiosaurus. In 1875, paleontologist Richard Owen analyzed four substantially sized vertebrae that were uncovered in an English geologic formation. Owen described four different species of Bothriospondylus, which were soon afterwards given a new classification that are currently as extinct as the dinosaur itself. Because of this shifting categorization and the doubt surrounding this type of dinosaur, studies of the Bothriospondylus are often shoved aside in order to spend time examining dinosaurs that have a more solid determination of their characteristics and classification [42].
Credit: http://www.artoflegendindia.com/popup_image.php?pID=5599&type=jpg
12. Alamosaurus
Length: 69 feet
Height: 28 feet
Weight: 30 tons [43]
The Alamosaurus, or “Alamo lizard,” was an herbivore and a quadruped that lived during the late Cretaceous period. Remains have been found in New Mexico, Texas, and Utah. As North America’s only titanosaurid, the Alamosaurus has gotten a lot of attention as such. It was also one of the last sauropods to exist when the Age of Dinosaurs came to an end. There is a possibility that this dinosaur came to North America from South America[43].
One study ponders the large number of the Alamosaurus that existed in Texas at any point in time. It is estimated that there were up to 350,000 of this type of dinosaur in that area. However, the name of the Alamosaurus is merely a coincidence. It was named after the sandstone formation called the Ojo Alamo, which exists in New Mexico. The Alamosaurus appears to be closely related to the Saltasaurus, another titanosaur that walked the woodlands of South America [44].
Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AlamosaurusDB.jpg
11. Laplatasaurus
Length: 69 feet
Height: 30 feet
Weight: about 26 tons [45]
The Laplatasaurus (“La Plata lizard”) was named after the location of its discovery: near the La Plata River in Argentina. It is an herbivore and a quadruped, and it is a member of the family of titanosaurs. Its skin was hardened in some places, where bony plates were thought to provide protection. The Laplatasaurus is known to be a sauropod, and it lived in the late Cretaceous period. Not much outside of the basic order and family information is known about this type of dinosaur [45].
The Laplatasaurus is believed to have had a long neck and a short tail. Its vertebrae, though armored, were relatively light, allowing it to more easily transport its massive body across land. Fossils of the Laplatasaurus were discovered in 1927 by the paleontologist Friedrich von Huene. Along with its location in Argentina, it is possible that this dinosaur also lived in Madagascar at one point [46].
Credit: http://www.artoflegendindia.com/laplatasaurus-p-5701.html
10. Mamenchisaurus
Length: 69 feet
Height: 35 feet
Weight: 30 tons [47]
The Mamenchisaurus, or “Mamenchi lizard” was an herbivore and a quadruped that lived during the late Jurassic period. Most notable about this dinosaur, perhaps, is the size of its neck, which measured up to 36 feet and held 19 vertebrae. This is longer than the neck of any other dinosaur that has been found thus far. Because of the similarity of its foot and ankle bones to those of a Diplodocus, the Mamenchisaurus is classified as a diplodocid [47].
Named after the province of China where it was first found in 1952, the Mamenchisaurus has since been classified as a sauropod. Though its size was not particularly remarkable, the length of its neck makes it a popular topic of conversation. Paleontologists suspect that, rather than holding its neck straight up to eat leaves from tall trees, the Mamenchisaurus ate vegetation that grew on the ground. These eating patterns may explain how this dinosaur was able to survive while still allowing oxygen to pump through its entire bloodstream [48].
Credit: http://www.wikidino.com/?attachment_id=3347
9. Haplocanthosaurus
Length: 72 feet
Height: 35 feet
Weight: 22.5 tons [49]
The Haplocanthosaurus (“single-spined lizard”) was an herbivore and a quadruped that lived during the late Jurassic period. It is the most primitive sauropod that has been discovered in North America at this point, and it is the sole member of the Cetiosauridae group that represents the basal sauropods. It was initially thought to be much smaller than it actually is, with recent discoveries pointing to its actual size. With its fossils found in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, the Haplocanthosaurus has been proven to have single-spined vertebrae, as well as a heavy trunk and a relatively short neck and tail, in comparison to the rest of its body [49].
This sauropod, while similar to the Brachiosaurus, is much smaller than its popular cousin. At this time, there is only one fully composed adult Haplocanthosaurus skeleton, and it is displayed at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where it is referred to by the name “Happy” [50].
Credit: http://web.me.com/dooleyclan/Site_2/Blog/Entries/2008/10/15_SVP,_Day_1.html
8. Apatosaurus
Length: 75 feet
Height: 15 feet
Weight: 33 tons [51]
The Apatosaurus, or “deceptive lizard,” was initially known as the Brontosaurus. It was an herbivore and a quadruped that lived during the late Jurassic period. Its main source of defense was its whip-like tail, which measured approximately thirty feet in length. Remains of the Apatosaurus have mainly been found in western North America. At the top of its twenty-foot-long neck rested a small head with a brain that was comparable in size to a large apple. In order to support its neck and tail, the Apatosaurus had two low ridges along the entirety of its backbone [51].
The confusion surrounding the name of the Apatosaurus is explained by the early error of Othniel C. Marsh, the paleontologist who is credited with discovering this dinosaur. When he first located the dinosaur’s bones in 1877, he called it an Apatosaurus. Later on, when he found larger bones of a similar nature, he named his discovery “Brontosaurus.” In all actuality, these bones belonged to an adult Apatosaurus, so scientists made the decision to change the name back to its original name [52].
Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Apatosaurus33.jpg
7. Diplodocus
Length: 89 feet
Height: 24 feet
Weight: 25 tons [53]
The Diplodocus (“double beam”) was an herbivore and a quadruped that lived during the late Jurassic period. They are thought to have roamed the western United States and are one of the longest dinosaurs known to have existed. Their exact length is uncertain, however, because a full Diplodocus tail has not yet been found. With hind legs that were longer than those in front, it had ample access to plants both low and high. Other characteristics it was known for include the following: elongated snout, peglike teeth, and a small brain [53].
After analysis of the Diplodocus’ teeth, paleontologists have come to the conclusion that this dinosaur had a deliberate way of removing leaves with its teeth in order to keep it fed constantly. While it is possible that the Diplodocus lowered its head to eat ground-level leaves, there are disagreements about whether they actually did keep their head low or if their sights were set on taller trees and plants [54].
Credit: http://amazescience.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-jurassic-park.html
6. Barosaurus
Length: 89 feet
Height: 40 feet
Weight: 25 tons [55]
The Barosaurus, or “heavy lizard,” was an herbivore and a quadruped that lived during the late Jurassic period. As far as sauropods go, they are comparatively rare. Its remains have been found in both the Black Hills of South Dakota, as well as in East Africa. This provides possible evidence that the continents of modern-day Africa and North America were connected during the late Jurassic period, if not before [55].
The Barosaurus is identical to the Diplodocus, with the exception of its neck, which measures thirty feet in length. Another similarity that the Barosaurus shared with its sauropod family was its small brain, located inside an equally small head (in comparison to the rest of its body). Because of the length of this dinosaur’s neck, scientists have called into question the means of pumping blood throughout the entire body, all the way to the top of the head. In order for it to function properly, the heart of a Barosaurus would have had to weight 1.5 tons. It is possible that dinosaurs may have had a different make-up than animals today, with “subsidiary” hearts along their necks [56].
Credit: http://scienceblogs.com/laelaps/2007/12/meet_gordo_the_barosaurus.php
5. Brachiosaurus
Length: 100 feet
Height: 50 feet
Weight: 50 tons [57]
The Brachiosaurus (“arm lizard”) was an herbivore and a quadruped that walked the planet during the late Jurassic period. Its full skeleton was found in Tanzania and is admired for its enormous mass. Just a single vertebra in its neck stretched to a length of more than three feet long. Because some sources say that this dinosaur’s nostrils were on top of its head, it is thought that it may also have immersed its body in water. However, that has been discredited by some scientists who believe that the Brachiosaurus would not be able to breathe in those depths because of the water pressure [57].
Other sources have shown that the nostrils of the Brachiosaurus were in fact on the end of its snout rather than on top of its head. At one point, the Brachiosaurus was perceived as an underwater animal that used the top of its head as a snorkel. This has since proven to be untrue, though new details continue to unfold as fossils are uncovered and explored, as is the case with any of the dinosaurs [58].
Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FMNH_Brachiosaurus.JPG
4. Ultrasaurus
Length: 100 feet
Height: 53 feet
Weight: 70 tons [59]
The Ultrasaurus, or “ultra lizard,” was an herbivore and a quadruped that was alive during the late Jurassic period. Digger Jim Jensen (Brigham Young University) uncovered this immense dinosaur in Colorado. Previously known as an “Ultrasaurus,” the spelling had to be altered because the initial name had already been taken by a South Korean specimen. Some experts believe that the Ultrasaurus may have been a large Brachiosaurus [59].
Evidence shows that the Ultrasaurus, like other sauropods, laid eggs while they were walking and did not take care of their eggs. At one point, paleontologists thought that sauropods such as this one had a second brain. This has since been identified as an enlargement of the spinal cord that was located around the area of their hips. Comparing the small size of the Ultrasaurus to its significant body size and weight, it is estimated that they have amongst the lowest intelligence of all dinosaurs [60].
3. Supersaurus
Length: 100 feet
Height: 66 feet
Weight: 60 tons [61]
The Supersaurus (“super lizard”) was an herbivore and a quadruped that lived during the late Jurassic period. Just like its relative, the Ultrasauros, the Supersaurus was discovered in 1972 by Jim Jensen in Colorado. Notable characteristics include a long neck that was topped with a small, narrow head. Its tail was also very long, adding to its impressive length [61].
Some sources claim that the Supersaurus was longer than its fellow sauropod, the Argentinosaurus, while others claim that it is about twenty feet shorter. Regardless of its exact length, the Supersaurus was undoubtedly one of the longest dinosaurs that existed. Even so, it weighed significantly less than other sauropods. Though the Barosaurus was once thought of as the closest relative of the Supersaurus, it is now thought that it has more in common with the Apatosaurus. Some paleontologists claim that the Ultrasauros, rather than having a category of its own, was actually a species of Supersaurus [62].
Credit: http://www.wikidino.com/wp-content/uploads/Supersaurus-dustdevil.jpg
2. Argentinosaurus
Length: 120 feet
Height: 70 feet
Weight: 110 tons [63]
The Argentinosaurus, or “Argentina lizard,” was an herbivore and a quadruped that walked the Earth during the late Cretaceous period. As can be gathered from its name, this dinosaur was unearthed in Argentina only recently. Competing with the Seismosaurus for the title of the largest dinosaur that ever existed, the Argentinosaurus had astonishingly sized bones. One of the cross sections of its vertebra hovers at a height of five and one half feet[63].
Because of the immensity of the Argentinosaurus, some scientists classify it as a titanosaur. The entire skeleton of this dinosaur has not yet been uncovered. With size and weight estimates that are already mind-boggling, it is difficult to imagine the possibility that the Argentinosaurus may be even larger than already thought. Based on the location of its fossils, the Argentinosaurus was thought to have been hunted by a carnivorous theropod known as the Gigantosaurus. Both species were discovered within the vicinity of each other in South America [64].
Credit: Alain Beneteau
Credit: Alain Beneteau
1. Seismosaurus
Length: 150 feet
Height: 84 feet
Weight: 100 tons [65]
The Seismosaurus (“earth-shaking lizard”) was an herbivore and a quadruped that lived during the late Jurassic period. This dinosaur is well-deserving of its top place on this list, namely because of its impressive length. The average American man stands 5 feet, 10 inches tall. It would take nearly 26 American men stacked on top of each other to equal the length of one Seismosaurus. Current research shows that it is the longest dinosaur that existed. This dinosaur was found in New Mexico and is thought to have used gastroliths in order to assist it in grinding its food for digestion [65].
There is much debate, not only about the size of the Seismosaurus, but also about its classification. Once thought to have belonged to its own genus, it is now thought that the Seismosaurus was a species of Diplodocus. Some scientists believe that this dinosaur was only about a quarter of the weight that previous paleontologists have estimated. They also disagree with the suggested length of the Seismosaurus. Despite certain scientific doubts, the Seismosaurus is still considered the longest dinosaur to have existed and thus tops the list of the 15 biggest dinosaurs that ever walked this earth [66].
Credit: http://fossil.wikia.com/wiki/SeismosaurusDo You Really Need a Smart Gun? By Duncan Long July 20, 2002 Smart guns sound great on paper. The basic concept is that a smart gun would be a firearm which can only be operated by its legal owner. As such the gun would be useless in the hands of anyone else where criminal, toddler, or others that might through happenstance or intent misuse the weapon. A few such weapons have been successfully marketed; these depend on magnetic rings or a wrist transmitter to engage and unlock a mechanical system on the gun. The idea has never met with great interest from the public, for the simple reason that there is actually little use for such devices. Too, most of us have had experience with electronic equipment that failed; who wants a firearm that is as reliable as Windows 3.1? Police officers (who have in the past had a problem with being shot with their own guns after a criminal snatches them from a holster) have also seen the numbers of such shootings drop in recent years, in part due to better training and also due to the use of bullet-proof vests. (Even during the worst of times, there are only around 12 such shootings of policemen nationwide in the US during any given year, truly a tragedy, but hardly a problem of major proportions.)[1] Another bogus reason occasionally given for the need for smart guns is that they will protect against "accidental discharge." Modern guns have a variety of safety devices, but automatic as well as manual, that make it impossible for a gun to fire if dropped or otherwise abused. With very rare exceptions they only fire when the trigger is pulled and never at any other time. Today’s guns are among the best designed mechanical tools ever seen in terms of safety. Accidental discharges for the most part are caused by a careless finger on a trigger, or the insertion of a pencil or other object inside the trigger guard. Smart gun technology will not prevent many of them; teaching proper gun safety will. Another argument for smart guns is that they would prevent suicides. This is a noble goal, though the idea that if guns somehow couldn’t kill the person holding them would somehow bring an end to suicides is rather quaint. For example in cultures like Japan where gun ownership among citizens is rare, the suicide rate is even higher than in the US. If people don’t have access to firearms, they will still kill themselves (though perhaps not as painlessly). Even so, there’s no mechanism in the smart gun to determine whether or not the user has it pointed at a criminal or the user’s temple. That a smart gun would somehow prevent the user from shooting himself is way beyond today’s technology or any in the near future. In the 22nd Century such devices equipped with artificial intelligence might be practical. In the 21st Century it is a doubtful proposition. So like all the other "reasons" we need smart guns, this one is bogus as well. Yet the anti-gun crowd continued to push for the adoption of smart guns. The culmination of this push was seen with Bill Clinton in 2000 when the then-President asked congress for $10 million to help test and develop smart guns (after seeking but failing to get $4 million for this project the year before).[2] Fortunately for the American public and gun owners in particular, these measures were never funded; and those politicians speaking in favor of gun control during the 2000 elections discovered themselves on the losing side of the ballot for the most part. However it seems likely that with the next school shooting, rampage, or other criminal activity, like vultures circling the corpses on the playground, opportunist legislators will be trotting out anti-gun measures to pass into law during the hysteria. (The lengths congressmen will go to in order to stretch the truth in such circumstances is quite often nothing short of amazing. For example following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in which the criminals were armed with knives and box cutting tools, Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman, and Charles Schumer trotted out an old anti-gun bill that would regulate gun shows — claiming the terrorist attacks mandated such an action, even though guns weren’t even involved in the hijacker and, indeed, might have been prevented had the captain, crew, or other passengers been armed.[3]) So if there is no real market for smart guns, they are not wanted by gun owners, and they present no safety pluses, why are there so many calls for smart guns? And why are so many anti-gunners so enthused about smart guns? Smart Gun Technology Today Many smart guns are based upon a magnetic or radio transmitter system which requires the user to wear a special ring or bracelet. However the next generation of smart guns may be equipped with a biometric sensor of some sort so it can truly "recognize" its owner through fingerprints, voice command, or some other unique identifier. Now the surprise to many is that some gun manufacturers have embraced the idea of the smart gun. However this isn’t such a surprise when one thinks about it: If legislators made it mandatory that all civilians must own only smart guns, those manufacturers having such products would have a huge market of buyers overnight. Furthermore, the smart gun, because of the need for extra parts and sophisticated computer chips, would wear a price tag two or three times higher than a normal gun costs. This would make it possible for the manufacturer to see a bigger markup and profit (and also help the gun control crowd out by making it impossible for the poor to afford guns, thereby immediately disarming a large segment of the population). One such manufacturer that appears to be hoping for such profits is Colt’s Firearms, a company that has for years been making money through sales of its M16 rifle and M4 Carbine to the US military and many federal agencies. The prototype smart gun offered by Colt’s was the Z40 pistol (which later led to the "iColt" pistol — both since taken out of development by Colt’s due in part at least due their unreliable nature). This design had a computer microprocessor embedded in its grip. This chip is then activated by a wristband that emits a coded radio signal. The only catch to this weapon is that, after years of development costing millions of dollars, it wasn’t reliable. Even during demonstrations when the gun had been carefully "tuned" and cleaned with fresh batteries in gun and wristlet, it failed with alarming regularity (much to the horror of political proponents of such systems as well as the Colt’s demonstrators).[4] It now appears Colts Firearms has abandoned its smart gun — or at least put it on the back burner for a while. Other gun manufacturers appear to still be in the running, however. Smith & Wesson also has been working to develop a smart gun of its own. The S&W prototype has a fingerprint scanner lock designed to read a shooter’s thumbprint before the gun can even be loaded. Of course the catch to this, even assuming it works flawlessly, is that a shooter must have clean hands without gloves — not a plus in northern states during the winter or for those fighting in less than pristine environments. Nor is it fast. By the time the scan is taken and the gun loaded, one might easily be dead if there was a need for quick defense. San Jose-based Smart Links Corporation is also said to have a prototype smart gun. And like Colt’s prototype, this one seems finicky with one trial involving a reporter having the gun fail to fire until the tester altered his grip so the wristlet would activate the lock — not an option one has when facing a burglar in the dead of night.[5] Yet another manufacturer with an eye on the smart guns market is German based SIG Arms. This gun has an even slower system for arming the gun, this type based on an electronic keypad into which a would-be shooter must punch in the proper combination of numbers, with the lock reactivating if the gun is left unused for anywhere from one to eight hours (depending on how it is programmed). Of course this presupposes a citizen would have the foresight to unlock the gun before a mugger or burglar poses a threat since punching in the numbers takes not only time but good lighting. And while the gun is unlocked, it is like the old "dumb gun" in that anyone can fire it. In other words one might argue it has all the disadvantages of previous guns coupled with all the downside of the smart gun. Finally, there’s the small Houston-based Fulton Arms (which has trademarked the name "Smart Gun" for its system). This company’s smart gun (make that "Smart Gun") uses a simple magnet on a ring to deactivate the lock. The catch, of course, is that there is some question as to whether or not one might create a "pass ring" simply by taping a magnet to ones finger. (The manufacturer claims that this would not be practical because the magnet would need to be a specific strength and orientation.) In short, all the current smart guns vying for the marketplace have little to offer and are either buggy, hard or slow to operate, and less than secure. Hardly the type of thing a citizen would want to stake their life on when facing a criminal with almost any other type of weapon. The old saw that "Only a fool brings a knife to a gun fight" may soon be modified to "Only a fool brings a smart gun to a gun fight." Why Smart Guns? It should be painfully obvious that if the proponents of smart guns were really concerned about the safety of citizens, they would not be lobbying for smart guns, most of which fail to even work reliably when brand new and operated in clean environments during demonstrations. If owners were engaged in target shooting or other sports, such a system might at least be viable. But when people might be putting their or others lives on the line, the so-called smart gun is not such a smart thing to own. But of course "if proponents were really concerned about the safety of citizens" contains one big "if." With the obvious conclusion that they simply have anything but the safety of citizens in mind when lobbying for such weapons.
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state of emergency, with many Sunni and Kurdish legislators boycotting the session because they oppose expanding the prime minister’s powers.
The ease with which ISIL now operates there reflects the collapse of the “Awakening” strategy at the heart of the U.S. surge in 2007, when local Sunni militias recruited by the U.S. effectively drove Al-Qaeda and its offshoots out of the region. The Maliki government has progressively antagonized these groups, who don’t appear to be resisting ISIL’s latest surge.
ISIL has flourished amid the alienation of Iraq’s Sunni communities from the Shia-dominated Maliki government. Long before this week’s takeover of Mosul and other towns and cities, Baghdad had lost control of Anbar province and faced widespread Sunni discontent with Maliki’s rule.
Iraq’s post–Saddam Hussein political order remains deeply divided, and U.S. officials have long expressed frustration at Maliki’s failure to forge an inclusive political compact with the political representatives of the country’s Sunni minority. Even as Washington considers emergency action to shore up the Iraqi state, there’s no evidence to inspire confidence that Maliki will substantially change the basis on which he governs.
At West Point, Obama outlined a vision of counterterrorism outsourced to local allies and proxies, but in the Iraqi case, U.S. officials see the politics of the local partner as part of what is driving the security problem.
The president noted that the Iraqi security forces’ setbacks weren’t simply a result of their level of weaponry and technical capacity. Although the U.S. has spent some $14 billion over the past decade bolstering Iraqi forces, the problem is that the state those forces are intended to protect has never transcended its ethnic and sectarian rivalries to forge a stable national consensus, he said.
"We won't allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation in which, while we're there, we're keeping a lid on things, and after enormous sacrifices by us, as soon as we're not there, suddenly people end up acting in ways that are not conducive to the long-term stability of the country."
"The United States will do our part, but understand that ultimately it's up to the Iraqis as a sovereign nation to solve their problems," Obama said.
‘Bunch of thugs’
The challenge for Iraq’s neighbors may be more acute, because their strategic rivalry has prompted Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, among others, to back favored factions as proxies in their regionwide geopolitical contest.
Of all the regional powers, things are most clear-cut for Iran, the neighbor with whom Maliki is most closely aligned — an uncomfortable reality that U.S. conversation about Iraq has tended to overlook. Iran has promised to back Maliki to the hilt, much as it has done for its other key Arab ally, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.
At the same time, an unnamed senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran is willing to cooperate with the U.S. in confronting the challenge of ISIL in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia, Tehran’s regional archenemy, is in a trickier position. Riyadh “has regarded Maliki as little more than an Iranian stooge,” wrote Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
“Although vulnerable to Al-Qaeda-types at home, [Gulf] countries (particularly Kuwait and Qatar) have often turned a blind eye to their citizens funding radical groups like Jabhat al-Nusra, one of the most active Islamist groups opposed to Bashar al-Assad in Syria,” he wrote.
Even then, however, ISIL’s emergence as a key player in the region is deeply threatening to the Saudis and their allies, too.
But as Iran steps forward to help its ally in Baghdad — a source in Tehran said Iran’s elite Quds Force has already deployed 150 men to help its neighbor — more robust Iranian involvement could further antagonize Iran’s regional rivals.
The dynamic on the ground, meanwhile, appears to foreshadow further fracturing. Even Thursday’s good news for Baghdad — that Kirkuk had been reclaimed from ISIL — was a mixed blessing: It was not central government forces who expelled the rebels, but militia units of the autonomous Kurdish Regional Government in the north, which has long laid claim to the oil-rich city. Whether Kirkuk will be restored to control from Baghdad remains an open question.
Maliki has responded to the weakness of the state security forces by calling for an army of volunteers to take matters into their own hands — widely read as a move to revive the Shia militias that had come out on top in the country’s sectarian civil war in 2006–07. That impression was underscored by Friday’s call to arms by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraq’s Shia.
Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose Mahdi Army was one of the largest sectarian militias, officially dormant since 2007, promised to reactivate some of its units to defend Shia holy sites.
A slide back into sectarian warfare offers ISIL more fertile ground in which to operate, and the increasingly powerful nonstate actor poses a threat to all of the region’s states, the antagonisms among them notwithstanding. But containing the danger will require a measure of cooperation and consensus among regional stakeholders Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the U.S.
“Even if the territorial gains by [ISIL] are reversed, its offensive has already rapidly reframed analytical debates over the nature and fortunes of Al-Qaeda and the jihadist movement, the ability to contain spillover from Syria, possible areas of U.S.-Iranian cooperation and the viability of President Obama’s light-footprint Middle East strategy,” wrote Marc Lynch, director of George Washington University’s Institute for Middle East Studies, on Thursday.
Nuclear talks suggest the U.S. and Iran are emerging from decades of icy relations, but any tentative rapprochement could be put to the test by the challenge of restoring Iraqi security. Even if they share a mutual interest in backing Maliki against ISIL, their broader strategic interests — and those of key U.S. ally and Iran adversary Saudi Arabia — are clearly divergent. But cooperation is hardly out of the question.
“Iran and the U.S. have essentially been the only important allies for the Maliki government, because of its alienation from the Sunni Arab world,” said Michael W. Hanna of the Century Foundation in Washington.
“People are waking up to [that] now because we have it in its undiluted form — the prospect of them both giving direct military aid to Maliki. But that was the case when the U.S. was there — Iran was just playing a more complicated game, funding and training Shia militias.”
Those militias may now rejoin the fight, and the Iranians are likely to expand their own involvement to prop up Maliki — as will the U.S. “I think we will help,” said Hanna. “I don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like, but I’m fairly certain we will take some serious steps.”
These steps would be aimed at shoring up the central government and preventing the rebels from marching on Baghdad. But as Obama alluded to on Friday, stopping the resumption of broad-based sectarian civil war will be far more challenging.USA voters like Obama’s renewable energy policies, not Romney’s renewable rejection
Voters Favor Obama over Romney on Energy http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Voters-Favor-Obama-over-Romney-on-Energy.html By Jen Alic, 28 August 2012 US voters apparently favor President Barack Obama’s energy policy over the energy independence plan unveiled by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, according to two new polls conducted this week.
According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, 49% of registered voters surveyed preferred Obama’s energy policy, while 41% preferred Romney’s. Voters were specifically asked who they trust more to come through with a successful energy policy.
In the same poll that considered adults who are both registered voters and non-registered voters, 49% chose Obama’s energy plan, while 37% chose Romney’s.
In a separate poll conducted by USA Today/Gallup, 53% of those surveyed preferred Obama’s energy plan, to 40% for Romney. This particular poll was conducted before Romney unveiled his energy independence plan.
On Thursday, Romney unveiled his much-talked-about energy plan, a 21-page white paper that focuses on drilling and makes no mention of climate change and only a vague mention of renewable energy efforts.
Obama’s policy is nearly the flip side, focusing on supporting renewable energy at the expense of fossil fuels, though it is described as an “all-of-the-above” strategy to expand domestic energy production.
AdvertisementsExample of Success Story: A Rational Response to Homelessness I talk about how a government should fund itself in my 2nd blog entry. So, bear that in mind before reading this 5th entry and assuming that we can't afford to talk about something like this.)The goal of any successful country's government should be from the start: to guarantee that everyone will be provided the basic needs of food and shelter,. (there are other supplemental needs such as: utilities, manufactured home supplies, transportation, internet access, minimal health care, etc. but those first 2 are the most important).There should be government-run grocery stores and government-run homeless shelters. Instead, what we have are governmentprograms. The key problem with this is that you always have to be employed (or in a work training program where you're forced to accept any shitty job) in order to qualify.Every grocery store should be a government-run grocery store, so that decent, healthy food is no longer a living expense for anyone. Not all homes should be government-run micro apartments, but there should be enough of them so that if a person chooses to live in one, he/she should have the option of doing that (as a service provided for free by the government).Instead, America is a country with an economy that is completely dependent on a demand for high employment rates. This will eventually be hopelessly unsustainable. An investment banking driven economy can't sustain such a high employment rate without eventually making progress in ways that use only a few jobs to make many jobs obsolete. (for example: the small kickstarter company that manufactures the video game console 'OUYA' could potentially cause major companies like Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony to significantly downsize their employee count).This is especially disastrous when the government tries to create government jobs that aren't a reliable investment (such as education, when 50% of college graduates are massively underemployed while saddled with humongous student loans that they can't pay back). In general, most government spending does not really go toward negating living expenses (creates financial dependence). What's worse is: there's talk of trying to cut government spending by ~90% (see Romney-Ryan budget proposal ). So, it's often a choice between a delusional democratic economic world-view and a brutally unforgiving republican/libertarian world-view.A country with an economy where citizens have virtually no living expenses is almost completely immune to any deceleration of growth. The only jobs that are needed are the government jobs that provide these basic necessities, and also you need jobs that motivate the government employees to actually want to earn and spend money. For instance: one person works on a government farm supplying a government grocery store that gives everyone free food, while another person is a professional movie director/actor/producer. Both types of employment are necessary for the functioning of society, so it's reasonable to assume that both would pay handsomely and that these people would enjoy being wealthy.However, what is not necessary are shitty slave labor jobs like scrubbing toilets and mopping floors (unless of course someone has a good reason to pay well for this, like a hospital that needs a clean room or a mansion that needs a well-paid maid). Just put a toilet brush next to each toilet, and if you're using the toilet, and you want it clean, give it a quick brushing. It's the same with the dirty floor: just leave a mop out and if the floor is bothering you so much, just spend 5 minutes to make it tolerable. There's a point where if something is just a shitty meaningless job, a country's economy is better off without it. This sets a high standard for a minimum wage and a minimum quality of life.This is important because freedom from labor guarantees that a country can survive the point where its economic growth is eclipsed by the demand to hoard savings. Economic opportunity can't just go forever into infinity. Eventually, some people/companies have to go completely bankrupt (hopefully without dying in the streets from hunger), while others have to continually upgrade their large business to be more and more exclusive (marketing products more exclusively to the very wealthy). This dual class dichotomy between the bankrupt and the ultra-wealthy is an inevitable consequence of the eventual limits of the reality of investment banking.It's not that investment banking is flawed. It's just that, eventually, not investing has a better opportunity cost than investing. Otherwise, an economy could pretend to have more investment momentum than it actually has and cause a massive financial bubble to pop. Regardless, an economy has to decide what does it actually want. No economy is going to place more value in a huge amount of poor people than in a small amount of extremely rich people. The only way to guarantee the rights of acquisition of the poor is through governing the responsibilities of the ultra-wealthy establishment.The toothless steersman positioned the rudder. A second sailor, balancing barefoot on an outrigger, coaxed an elderly engine into life. A third poled the boat away from the trash-strewn beach. In West Sulawesi, Indonesia, a ground-breaking mobile library was on its way.
The Perahu Pustaka (Book Boat) is sorely needed. In a recent study of 61 nations for which data was available, Indonesia ranked second worst for literacy – only Botswana scored lower. More than 10% of the West Sulawesi's adult population cannot read, while in many villages, the only book available is a solitary copy of the Quran.
So in 2015, local news journalist Muhammad Ridwan Alimuddin decided to combine his twin passions for books and boats by setting up a mobile library on a baqgo, a small traditional sailboat. His aim? To bring fun, colourful children's books to remote fishermen's villages and tiny islands in the region where literacy is low and reading for pleasure virtually non-existent. He preaches the joy of reading.
“As soon as the boat was built, I sent an email to my boss resigning,” he said.
Not that the boat is the limit of Alimuddin's library ambitions. A physical library in his home village of Pambusuang on the West Sulawesi coast contains thousands of volumes, drawing students from local high schools and even university, as well as hordes of village children. He has a motorbike and rickshaw for transporting books overland, as well as an ATV, which he uses to reach isolated mountain villages, some only accessible by crossing rivers on a bamboo raft.
But it's the boat library that's closest to Alimuddin's heart. Despite never finishing university, he has written 10 books on maritime culture and helped sail a small traditional pakur craft from Sulawesi to Okinawa in Japan. His love of the sea can be seen in his maritime museum, a collection of model and antique boats, which shares space with his library. And he uses the boat journeys, which can mean up to 20 days at sea, to research and make YouTube documentaries on the fishing and seafaring life of his native Mandar people.
Since 2015, Alimuddin has criss-crossed South, Central and West Sulawesi, bringing boxes of books and comics from his 4,000-strong library to the children of remote communities as often as his budget permits. Sometimes his young son, who is home-schooled, comes with him.
As we closed in on the oyster-farming village of Mampie on the West Sulawesi coast, a gaggle of children emerged from the palms to watch the library boat pull in. Others stopped the hard, repetitive work of shucking oysters as Alimuddin, a volunteer from his home village and his crew of three unrolled plastic mats and covered them in books.
Excited children dived into the brightly coloured tomes; their mothers, some with babies, were more circumspect.
“We have low expectations,” Alimuddin said. “We want them to use the books – that's all.”
With more than 17,000 islands scattered across the Indian and Pacific oceans – some virtually in the Philippines, others close to Australia or butting up against Singapore – education in Indonesia is a constant struggle. Although there are plentiful primary schools, even in small islands and remote villages, facilities are often decayed. Resources and teachers are harder to come by; it's not unusual for teachers, suffocated by the social constraints of island life, to fail to show up for work.
After three hours in Mampie watching the children devour the books, we packed up and set sail along the coast for the nearby island of Battoa, home to around 2,000 people scattered between several villages. The book boat pulled into the mangroves and moored at a shell midden; Alimuddin scrambled ashore to look for children.
Under the trees, the books came out: comics, cartoons, books on Ancient Egyptians, dinosaurs, science, dolphins, princesses, Indonesian heroes and tales from the Quran. Within seconds, 20-odd children had appeared from the hinterlands. The comics went fast, as did the brightly coloured picture books written half in Indonesian and half in broken English.
Alimuddin runs his library entirely on donations – some from businesses, some from friends, others from people who've seen his activities on social media. A sponsor had recently donated some jigsaw puzzles, which he used as gifts to motivate a discussion about books.
We anchored for the night on a striking white sand islet not far from Battoa, populated only by a gaggle of stray cats, ate a simple dinner and caught a spectacular sunset. Close to the equator, the night was warm enough to sleep on deck.
Long before 7 am, we were on our way to the village school on the island of Tangnga, a few kilometres east of Battoa, where tiny children in pristine uniforms were already awaiting the arrival of their teachers from the mainland.
“We're just 3km from the district capital [of Polewali],” Alimuddin said, gesturing at the ramshackle buildings with their broken furniture, bereft of books or artwork. “And you see?”
The kids fell on the books and clustered in small groups under the bamboos. The air filled with the steady hum of voices reciting out loud. Some read to younger siblings, others to themselves.
“When you see a child smile and open a book, all your problems disappear,” Alimuddin said with a smile of his own.
If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Earth, Culture, Capital, Travel and Autos, delivered to your inbox every Friday.When we are doing a NodeSchool or a Node.js/Microservices training we usually run into participants who feel lost when they have to use the terminal. Because of this we decided to do a mini blog series of two posts of using the terminal for Node.js development: one dealing with the very basics, and one with more advanced, in-depth tips and tricks.
Terminal Basics
Disclaimer: I'm using the word terminal here because I don't mean a particular shell, but a whole collection of shells.
Just to be clear: In computing, a shell is a user interface for access to an operating system's services.
The terminal is your universal Swiss Army knife, it will be always with you wherever you go, even if you're working on a remote server or a local machine.
The terminal is a computer console, a text output device for system administration messages.
Having text input has been always a part of the computer since the beginning of time, but since then we have changed for so called suser-friendly interfaces that are much easier to use.
But are you sure that those are more efficient?
A text-based input and output is mandatory for building good software:
Write programs to handle text streams, because that is a universal interface.
Having a blinking cursor can be too scary at first for many, but when you get into using it, it will be as simple as any other program.
Here's a picture of my setup:
That's not that bad, is it?
But this post is not about how fancy it could be, but rather what can you accomplish using it. There are a few tools that if you integrate into your workflow you will definitely become a more productive programmer.
Without further due, let's begin! These tools are must have, if you'd like to work with the command line.
MAN pages
Read the manual. Man pages are used for documenting CLI applications. Be sure to get familiar with them if you want to dive into using a console interface.
Simply type:
man program_name
You can navigate with the arrow or h, j, k, l keys and quit with q. Searches can be performed starting with a / and after that the search query.
Bash
Shell knowledge comes handy almost every day; the basic commands are the following, if you'd like to know how to use them try out their man pages.
(eg. man cd )
cd
ls
cp
rm
mv
When opening Finder on OSX and clicking through the folders finding a way through them and dragging and dropping is slow. Admit it you feel it every time, there must be a better way. If you know these simple commands and their various switches, you will eventually become more productive.
For more advanced users there is also:
find
grep
sed
These can speed up file-related operations searching and replacing. With a modern editor that can be easily accomplished but for insane RegEx patterns sometimes its better to pull out grep (or any alternative these days: ack, ag or fzf ) and use that. And also that's a nice show-off you can do at the office when pulling off a sweet search and replace by a crazy RegEx command.
Nodemon
This is a tool I always use to manage my node processes during development. With nodemon you can start a node process and it keeps it running for. It utilizes fsevents to hook into filesystem changes and it restarts the node process on each file change.
You can specify the configuration in the nodemon.json file which looks just like
this sample file:
{ "restartable": "rs", "ignore": [ ".git", "node_modules/**/node_modules" ], "verbose": true, "execMap": { "js": "node --harmony_destructing" }, "env": { "NODE_ENV": "development", "MONGODB_URI": "mongodb://fakemongodb.io" }, "ext": "js json yaml" }
I use it for several reasons:
it keeps my env variables needed for development organised
ability to specify extensions to watch is a powerful feature
specify exec command for harmony flags on node v4.0.0 :)
You can pass these configurations around if you're working on the project with someone else, and they will have the same project setup without having to fiddle with the env variables.
Also make sure you keep nodemon.json in your.gitignore as you may add sensitive information to it. Better be safe than sorry.
Gulp
Gulp is a build tool that is useful if you have to manage a lot of files for a frontend application. It lets you set up a build pipeline and set up a handful of tasks that otherwise you'd have to do manually. Gulp is also available on npm and has quite a few already written plugins for you so you don't have to write all the code yourself.
As I've mentioned gulp has tasks, these tasks look something like this:
'use strict'; var gulp = require('gulp'); var stylus = require('gulp-stylus'); var sourcemaps = require('gulp-sourcemaps'); var config = require('./config'); /* * Style */ gulp.task('style', function () { var opts = { 'include css': true }; if (config.isProduction) { opts.compress = true; } return gulp.src(config.srcPath.styles).pipe(sourcemaps.init()).pipe(stylus(opts)).pipe(sourcemaps.write('.')).pipe(gulp.dest('dist/styles/')); });
To run this you just have to:
gulp style
And all these things will be done for you automagically.
This one bit right here will compile stylus code to css, minify css, and create sourcemaps for them, and copy them to a dist folder.
Having these tasks you can tell gulp what to do with your files, these can be as simple as a copy, but can also be more complex like packaging applications into an artifact.
NPM
If you'd like to work with Node, you have to get familiar with the concepts behind modular architecture. NPM is a tool that not only makes this possible for us but also makes it easy and frictionless.
If you are about to start working on a new project, just type:
npm init
npm init -y sets up a project with defaults, that is pretty useful for test projects or prototyping.
"Everything" is just an npm install away.
npm install package_name
npm install has a shorter alias which is npm i
In case you want to save it as a dependency use
npm install --save
If you want to install to development dependencies
npm i package_name --save-dev
For me --save-dev is way too long, use -D as an alias for --save-dev.
These are the most simple tasks that can be accomplished with npm, but this can be taken further by tinkering a bit with the package.json file.
There is a script field in the package.json file and with that you can add additional functionalities to your NPM CLI.
"scripts": { "test": "npm run test-server & gulp test-client", "coverage": "NODE_ENV=test istanbul cover _mocha -- --require co-mocha $(find server -name \"*.spec.js\"); open coverage/lcov-report/index.html", "test-server": "NODE_ENV=test mocha --require co-mocha $(find server -name \"*.spec.js\")", "test-client": "gulp test-client", "start": "node server/processes/web/server.js", "start-worker": "node server/processes/worker/index.js", "jshint": "jshint server", "jscs-server": "jscs server" }
As seen above you can also chain these scripts together to add even more spice to it. Anything can be passed there as long as they are valid bash scripts.
Also what's great about it is that NPM looks for node_modules/.bin for executables when running these scripts - so in the example above neither jshint, nor jscs was installed globally.
Node Version Manager (NVM)
Have you tried installing multiple Node versions on your computer before? Well, I'm sure that was a pain to manage but with this small little tool it's already solved for you. nvm is a tool that let's you manage multiple node versions with a single command. Installing it is as simple as this:
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.26.1/install.sh | bash
It will install nvm and put a small snippet into your.bashrc to load it every time you launch a shell.
nvm install 0.12 nvm install 4
If you install a new version nvm will automatically set that version as default if you want to alter it, use:
nvm alias default 4
If you install a new version, globally installed packages will not be available in the newly installed environment. For that you can use:
nvm install 4 --reinstall-packages-from=iojs
This way it will install all the previously installed packages on the new version as well.
bash_profile
.bash_profile or.bashrc is the file that's being read and executed upon creating new bash process when opening a terminal window. You can set up various init scripts and aliases in that file. Having aliases in your.bash_profile will eventually speed up your work process with these tools I've mentioned even more. This will save you a couple of letters when typing.
A small example would be:
set alias git=g set alias nrtc=npm run test-client
4 letters instead of 19, once it's not much but when you have to type that every minute while working on a project on the longer run, it's totally worth it.
Tmux
tmux is a terminal multiplexer that allows you to have multiple windows and so-called 'panes' running in one terminal window. During development, I always have several windows open with one or more panes. These consist of a gulp build process for frontend, nodemon for running a server, vim for editing files, mongo-shell for interacting with the database, and I also like to run irssi for connecting to various team chats.
You can get tmux from brew or apt-get depending on the operating system. For further reading.
Integrating the terminal into your Node.js development workflow
But come on, it's a long road to learn all these things, and chances are that you already have a GUI app for these things!
At first everything may seem hard and useless but then you start grasping it, you'll create things that would be more time consuming otherwise. All of these things can be composed together to create an exciting, fast and portable workflow that will make daily coding much more enjoyable.
You can check my dotfiles on GitHub at peteyy/dotfiles.
I would not recommend you to fetch someone else's dotfiles, but find out what you want and how you can do it, and build up your own little domain that's truly yours.
Some inspiration on how to start out other than mine can be found at here: https://dotfiles.github.io/.Yunus Bek-Evkurov, who heads Ingushetia, called the act of the official's son a disgrace for the clan.
Head of Ingush village Ali-Yurt Rashid Gagiev left his post after his son became a hero of scandalous history.
All Ingushetia was indignant with the video posted on the network, where Gagiev Jr. poured a bottle of whiskey onto his friend's bride head. The girl at first resigned to mockery, but after a few seconds falls in tears on the chair. Note that one of the guests of the wedding wanted to protect the bride, but Gagiev did not change his intentions. By his actions, the man allegedly wanted to follow the ancient Ingush custom to ‘loosen bride's tongue’. How could such an idea come to Gagiev's head? It's not clear. In fact, there is not a hint of alcohol in the customs, let alone a pouring of the bride. According to tradition, the rite of ‘loosen bride's tongue’ takes place in the evening and consists in the fact that young guys entertain and amuse the bride, and she, in turn, must withstand, do not laugh and do not utter a word. The bride starts talking only after the guests give the money for her perseverance that she traditionally transfers to her mother-in-law.
At the incident that occurred at the wedding, Head of Ingushetia Yunus Bek-Evkurov reacted and condemned official Rashid Gagiev for the behavior of his son.
"Disrespect for the bride, shown by the so-called friend of the groom, was evidence of the fall of morals among a certain contingent of our youth and the lack of proper parenting," the Head of Ingushetia wrote in his Instagram. "It's surprising that this friend is the son of the village Head, who, alas, did not give an adequate response."
Evkurov also noted that "showing off in a drunken state of his stupid parade is a disgrace to the whole family, and even teip".
The Head of Ingushetia instructed the chief of the religious department of the administration of the Head of the Republic in all populated areas to hold public gatherings with the involvement of kadiyas, imams of mosques, representatives of the clergy and the public, in order to explain to the youth about the consequences of their actions.
Video: Derision of bride in IngushetiaWhile it hardly comes as much of a surprise, Ericsson Chief Marketing Officer Johan Bergendahl is now predicting nothing short of the demise of WiFi hotspots, and he's saying that they'll be replaced by -- you guessed it -- mobile broadband. Speaking at a conference in Stockholm, Bergendahl said that "hot spots at places like Starbucks are becoming the telephone boxes of the broadband era," and that "in a few years, [HSPA] will be as common as Wi-Fi is today." Leading to that widespread use, he says, is ever-decreasing prices for mobile broadband subscriptions, and the fact that HSPA is being built into more and more laptops. Of course, if other companies have their way, WiFi hotspots could become a thing of the past simply because entire cities would effectively be one huge hotspot, although we'd gladly take both options.
[Image courtesy of IDG.no]The Munk School of Global Affairs in possible conflict of interest in debates
Munk School of Global Affairs appears to be in conflict of interest with the Munk Debates.
Last week, I wrote that the Munk School of Global Affairs received $9 million in federal research grants, and hinted about a possible conflict of interest this funding may have on the federal leaders debate, and with the leader selection processes for these debates. The Munk School of Global Affairs responded to that blog. Munk School Director Steven Toope released this statement (emphasis added):
"To be clear, we at the Munk School are neither hosting nor running the foreign policy election debate. The semi-annual Munk Debates are a project of the Aurea Foundation; a federally registered charity dedicated to public policy research and discussion. Our only potential role is to give advice on questions that might be posed, but as part of an independent national advisory committee. We have nothing to do with the decision about who can participate."
Essentially what this says is that the Munk School of Global Affairs is a separate organization from the Munk Debates. A fact that the school seems to be rather intent in correcting since numerous news agencies recently have been tying the Munk School to the Munk debates. Sick of Munks yet? Wait there's more.
It is important to note that Janice Stein who is the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs sits on the advisory board of the Munk Debates. I raised concerns regarding Ms. Stein's role on the advisory committee at the Munk Debates being a potential conflict of interest, along with the fact that the Munk School of Global Affairs is advising a committee on questions that might be posed to the leaders. Questions posed could be tailored in a way that could very well lean towards the Conservatives to give them the upper hand in answering them.
Questions I posed to Toope on his statement were the following:
1) Is it ethical or even considered independent that the Munk School would have any potential role in asking leaders questions while in receipt of $9 million in public funds?
2) Your founding director sits on the advisory committee for the Munk Debates. Is that not a conflict of interest?
Munk School of Global Affairs spokesperson Kelley Teahen e-mailed the following on the conflict of interest questions on Stein and the Munk School's position on the advisory committee regarding leader questions:
"You brought up the fact the school recently was awarded a research grant from a federal ministry to support the Digital Public Square project.
Professor Toope explains that the Munk School, like all Canadian post-secondary institutions involved in conducting research, receives many grants from the federal government, and other governments, related to supporting research. These are awarded through competitive processes, or agreed to after processes in and due diligence with the departments involved. They are not awarded politically."
Why is the Munk School of Global Affairs advising a committee on potential leadership debate questions, when those questions should be coming from the voters to begin with? Why are the Munk Debates still refusing to let all leaders participate in these debates?
In a recent article Munk Debates Chairman Rudyard Griffiths was recently questioned on Green Leader Elizabeth May's exclusion from the Munk Debates:
"The chairman of Munk Debates, Rudyard Griffiths, said back in May that inviting all six parties with MPs "would unduly limit our ability to hold a substantive debate." Now he says he “really struggled" with this decision."
The academic community doesn't seem to quite fully understand the public's perception of conflict of interest, nor do they seem to care that these debates belong to the Canadian public, so do the funds they are receiving from the federal government.Richard Hammond and James May are set to become the highest paid stars at the BBC, after the corporation offered them a massive combined wage of £9.2million for two more series of Top Gear.
The £4.6million pay-packet that each would receive for the shows is double the amount previously thought.
The Top Gear trio - including Jeremy Clarkson - are together again on stage as part of a show tour, which has been renamed Clarkson, Hammond and May Live.
Scroll down for video
Together again: The Top Gear trio are back together again on stage as part of a show tour, which has been renamed Clarkson, Hammond and May Live
Glorious return: Jeremy Clarkson on stage at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, as part of the current tour, despite being ousted from the TV show in March after punching his producer in a row over a steak
The motoring show is the BBC's biggest money-earner, making tens of millions every year, and the dramatic pay increase shows the lengths that the corporation is willing to go to to save the cult favourite.
But the BBC fears losing the stars to ITV or Netflix, after the presenters' contracts ran out earlier this year.
BBC bosses are said to be ‘extremely keen’ on modelling the Top Gear after Have I Got News For You.
BBC bosses have offered May and Hammond a reported £9.2million deal for two more series of the cult favourite TV show
The live show has been renamed Clarkson, Hammond & May Live, but contains the same wacky stunts that made Top Gear the BBC's biggest money-spinner
Rather than face replacing Clarkson directly, they would instead bring in a third presenter who would change on a weekly basis.
Clarkson, 55, was ousted from the show in March after he punched his producer, Oisin Tymon, in a row over a steak.
Lord Tony Hall, the BBC’s director-general, refused to renew Clarkson’s Top Gear contract, saying a ‘line had been crossed’.
But sources claim that the Corporation is paving the way to welcome him back again in the future.
‘Hammond and May will go back to the BBC. Jeremy Clarkson goes back a season later. Then it’s all like it never happened.
Speculators claim that the BBC is simply paving the way to welcome Clarkson back to the small screen in the future, adding that then it will be 'like it never happened'
Bizarrely, Clarkson could actually see
|
receive his contribution, but he's a really good guy who loves this city, so I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me at all.
You wrote that this book is intended to stir up discussions about how Cincinnati can improve as a city. What is the most pressing conversation Cincinnatians need to have?
I think I haven't lived here long enough to have a strong opinion on this yet, but I do think that economic disparity is behind a lot of different issues this city has, from issues of gentrification and racial tensions, to other hot topics like the streetcar project and various downtown developments. There are two essays in the book about what's been happening in Over-the-Rhine, and I think that while it's exciting, it's also extremely dangerous to assume that what's happening down there is automatically good for all of our citizens. It's important to examine these shifts from all perspectives. That's not to say that developments shouldn't happen, just that we should be open to having honest discussions about how the city is changing, and how it will affect people at all income levels, and how we can maintain a healthy diversity in this city.
What's Cincinnati's best kept secret?
I feel like I discover a new Cincinnati "secret" almost weekly that is new to me, but well-known to everyone else: the view from Bellevue Hill Park, the pozole at Mazunte, MadTree's beers, the Mercantile Library. There's so much to discover here, and so many things keep springing up around the city. It might be easier to say that Cincinnati is America's best kept secret. I became a little bit evangelical about the city when I first moved here; I thought it was ridiculous that everyone didn't want to come live here. You can buy a house for next to nothing, there is one of every type of restaurant you could imagine, good restaurants, and these hills and this river make it one of the most beautiful places on earth. This city takes my breath away on a daily basis, and I couldn't understand why more people weren't flooding the place.
Imagine you're at a cocktail party in LA and someone mentions how "behind the times" Cincinnati has always been. How do you counter?
I have a stock answer for this type of question: Whose times are you talking about? I think it's unfortunate when people think that everyone in the middle of the country has to keep up with the coasts. We're not LA; we're not New York. We shouldn't feel the need to live up to someone else's standards of what it means to be "with the times," of what it means to be a good city, and we should be proud of our differences. We can do things at our own pace here, and that's what makes it such a wonderful place to live.
I'm also a bit of a nostalgist, so if this city has one foot in the past, be it architecture or art or food or whatever, I'm fine with that. The fact that we are able to be a movie set for films set in the 1950s or 1960s, like "Carol " or the new Miles Davis biopic, might mean that LA thinks we're behind the times, but to me, it just shows that we also value our old buildings, that we're not too set on tearing things down and building glass high-rises or having banks on every street corner. While not everything from the past is good, there is plenty of good to honor and recognize from this city's past, and I think there's something really wonderful in finding a way to maintain the good parts while still moving the city forward.
When has Cincinnati let you down? How could/did it redeem itself?
One of the essays in the book by Rebecca Morgan Frank talks about how hard this city can be to live in if you're not from here. She suggests that Cincinnatians love our city so much that we're hesitant to be open to accepting outsiders because we fear outside criticism. I think that this is absolutely true; I myself have experienced a bit of this hesitancy from others to open up, and as much as I think it's important to love the city you live in, I think it's important to invite criticism and look at our city objectively now and again. That's where we can find new ways to grow.
For the most part, though, I think this city feels like the kind of place anyone can make a dent, and that's where it redeems itself. It takes some time to crack, but if you keep giving it enough love, it will absolutely love you right back.
What's your No. 1 favorite place in Cincinnati?It predicted the government would gain 46 per cent of the primary vote and Labor would snare 34 per cent, 9 per cent up from its shellacking at the 2011 election. Exit polling has predicted a comfortable win for Premier Mike Baird. Credit:Andrew Meares Support for the Greens was at 11 per cent, a slight gain on the last election. The Galaxy poll was based on a sample of 2113 voters in 18 electorates. In the last week of the campaign it appeared clear that Mr Baird would clinch a second term for the Coalition government, albeit with a vastly reduced majority.
The most recent polling indicated the government would suffer a 10 per cent swing against it, losing up to 18 seats. It would dramatically redraw the power balance in the 93-seat Parliament after the government's landslide win in 2011 – the biggest in Australian political history – and put Labor within striking distance of an election victory in 2019. This time around, Labor is expected to fall well short of gaining the 27 seats it needs to snatch power. Mr Baird's personal popularity did not wane throughout the campaign, but he struggled to win broad support for his signature policy, a plan to part-lease the state's "poles and wires" and spend an expected $20 billion proceeds on big-ticket infrastructure projects, such as a second harbour rail crossing.
Labor, led by rookie leader Luke Foley, waged a strident campaign against the privatisation plan, backed by a vigorous anti-sell off advertising campaign by the unions. Opponents warned of higher power prices and mass job losses if private interests controlled almost half the electricity network. In the later stages of the campaign it emerged a Chinese-government owned company had shown interest in the power lease, prompting Labor and the unions to question the appropriateness of a foreign power leasing the state's electricity assets. In regional NSW, bitter opposition to coal seam gas threatened to end the reign of Nationals MPs in a handful of seats, including Ballina, Tweed and Lismore on the north coast and Tamworth in north-west NSW.
In Western Sydney, a former Labor heartland, the government has not fully consolidated the gains it made in 2011 and several seats were expected to swing back to Labor at this election. Mr Baird has claimed a win in the lower house would give his government a mandate to pass the power reforms. However, results in the upper house will be crucial to the policy's future. The government needs a working majority in the upper house to pass its legislation. A re-elected Coalition government will need to improve its position in the upper house, getting nine members elected to pass laws with the support of Fred Nile's Christian Democratic Party, which has given conditional support to the policy. Presently, the government relies on the support of the Shooters and Fishers Party, which shares the balance of power in the upper house and has vowed to block the power plan.
If the Baird government is returned, it would end the string of Coalition one-term governments, after recent conservative losses in the Victorian and Queensland elections. Polls had indicated that beleaguered Prime Minister Tony Abbott, a friend of Mr Baird, would drag down the Coalition vote in NSW. Mr Abbott kept a low profile throughout the NSW campaign, appearing only twice – including at the Liberal Party launch where he did not address the crowd.Adult Swim is one network that knows how to party off-screen as well as on-screen. The channel just announced a 10-city "carnival tour" coming to college towns across the country; it will include games, swag, sideshow curiosities, food and indie rock (Best Coast and Wavves are among the live performers).
To learn more about "The Ragbag of Jollification" tour, check out the official site. Dates and the poster are below:
March 30: Baton Rouge, La. / Curren$y
April 2: College Station, Texas / Best Coast
April 4: Albuquerque, N.M. / Maserati
April 6: Tucson, Ariz. / High On Fire
April 9: San Diego / Young Dro, Killer Mike & Pac Div
April 12: Boulder, Colo. / Wavves
April 14: Lawrence, Kan. / Pusha T featuring DJ Rick Geez
April 16: Urbana-Champaign, Ill. / How to Dress Well
April 18: East Lansing, Mich. / Washed Out
April 22: TBDIf you feel like your living room needs some mood lighting, Brian Slevin from Brickablocks recently published these instructions for building a round lamp base with Legos. Once you have assembled the 400 individual Lego pieces, you can plug in the internal wiring, add a lightbulb, slap on a lampshade, and bask in your modular illumination.
Slevin offers build photos along with a free PDF template on his website. He admits finding 400 Lego pieces all in the same color is a daunting task, although it would also be pretty cool to work in a pattern or design with pieces of varying colors.
The free tool Slevin uses to design his Lego builds is Lego’s own Digital Designer. He says,
It helps with brainstorming because you can reach for an enormous variety of parts without cluttering up your workspace. Once I am happy with the general design, I export the model into a format compatible with a more sophisticated CAD modeling tool called MLCAD, which allows me to manipulate the assembly order.
Then, Slevin uses a Lego documentation publishing tool called LPub to draft the build instructions. The CAD tools he uses are also free downloads available from LDraw.
“My background is in software development, so graphics rendering and CAD modeling are skills I am acquiring on the fly,” says Slevin. He’s currently acquiring parts to build the lamp again in white and brown, so he’s hoping to improve his published instructions. As Makers can surely understand, sharing instructions and build notes is a very important part of the online Lego community. We’re looking forward to seeing more Lego creations from Brickablocks, and if you build this be sure to share it in the comments below.
[via Reddit]Back again for some more election platform analysis. This week: the Conservatives. But first, a caveat. Part of the problem with trying to analyze party platforms in a 326-day election is that one’s rhythm gets all thrown off. In a five-week campaign, all of the announceables are pretty much there in the first 21 days or so, so you more or less know when a party’s done announcing things. In this election, we’re weeks into the campaign and we can’t be completely sure if the parties are done announcing things, unless, like the Greens, they actually publish the entire manifesto at once (an idea which, judging by their behaviour, the other parties find ridiculously passé). So what I’m about to analyze is the Conservative platform as of Wednesday the 16th of September. It’s possible there is a little more to come, but I have a feeling there isn’t – if I’m wrong, I will add some analysis later in the campaign.
Now, I should start by acknowledging that there loads of people in PSE who won’t care a fig what Conservatives promise, because they think the Harper record consists entirely of some kind of “War on Science”. Long-time readers will know I’m not a fan of that theory: treatment of science and data within government (e.g. the long-from census) has been pretty horrible, but they haven’t done so badly on funding of academic science. Arguably, by historic standards, their support has been the second-best of any government in Canadian history. Their problem, however, is that first place goes to their immediate predecessors.
Anyways, the Tory strategy on higher education in this election seems to be to go with small, but tightly-targeted promises. The first, released a couple of days after the election call, was a change to the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit (not to be confused with the much sillier Apprenticeship Completion Bonus). This credit targets employers, which is the right focus, since they are the ones who control the supply of apprenticeship “places”. Currently, it provides employers with a non-refundable tax credit of up to 10% of wages paid to each first- and second-year apprentice employed, up to a maximum of $2,000 per employee. The tweak announced on August 3rd was to include third- and fourth-year apprentices, and bump the maximum reclaimable amount to $2,500.
This is one of those “meh” announcements. Does it do a lot of good? Probably not. The credit makes sense in first and second year because those employees are noobs who require so much supervision that they don’t always add value. By their third and fourth year, however, apprentices are getting hired because they add value to an employer, not because there’s a tax break involved (and in any case, in a lot of companies, the people doing the taxes don’t always talk to the HR people who make hiring decisions, so the logic model here of how this increases the supply of spaces isn’t perfect). But on the other hand, it doesn’t do a lot of harm either. It’s small ball – I didn’t see a cost estimate for this, but it’s got to be somewhere in the $30-50 million range.
The other, better announcement had to do with improvements to the system of Canada Education Savings Grants (CESG). You remember those? Introduced in 1998, they initially paid a 20 cent top-up on every dollar placed in a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), up to a maximum of $400/year (later increased to $500). About ten years ago the system was tweaked to create something called an A-CESG, which changed the top-up rate on the first $500 contributed to 40 cents on the dollar for families in the bottom income quartile, and 30 cents on the dollar for those in the second quartile. In early September, the Conservatives announced they would raise those top-ups again, to 60 cents and 40 cents, respectively.
Some of the usual suspects dismissed this announcement out-of-hand because “savings are only for the rich”. That’s idiotic – it’s right there in the design that this money only goes to families with below-median income. In that sense, this is a tight, targeted, progressive measure. But like with the apprenticeship credit, you have to wonder if it’s actually going to change anything. Why give more money to people who are already saving, rather than – say – adjusting the Canada Learning Bond (which essentially kick-starts RESPs for low-income families by making a $500 initial donation) and making it an automatic benefit, instead of an application-based one? It’s not so much that it’s a bad promise; it’s just less effective than it could be.
This, to my mind, sort of sums up the Conservative record. They can be counted on to do something every year for post-secondary education: just not always the most effective thing.
Next week: probably the NDP, if they’ve fully release their platform.Morro Bay, California medical marijuana dispensary operator Charles Lynch finds himself caught between the old guard and the new guard. While the dispensary he ran was fully legal under state law, he was convicted under federal law last year and faces the prospect of decades in jail--all for helping sick people.
Lynch is waiting on his sentence. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recently signaled that the Obama administration would break with the Bush administration and prosecute medical marijuana dispensary owners only if they violated both federal and state law.
Lynch was convicted during the Bush years, but his sentencing will occur under the new regime. So where would that leave him on his sentencing day--a free man, a lifelong prisoner, something else?
It turns out that the man who hold Lynch's life in his hands isn't sure how the policy shift should affect sentencing. U.S. District Court Judge George H. Wu postponed his decision until he learns more about the Justice Department's policy regarding such cases.
In this press conference, Charles Lynch and Reuven Cohen, one of his public defenders, answer questions about the man who stands squarely in the middle of the nation's debate over medical marijuana. Will Lynch be punished for following the law? Or will he be set free from the drug war's long reach?
Produced by Ted Balaker and Alex Manning of Reason.tv. Approximately 5 minutes.
For more video and information on Lynch's case, go here.
Watch "Raiding California," which lays out the miscarriage of justice at the heart of this case.
For more Reason.tv, go here.The higher-education information website eCollegeFinder has put together a great map showing the college in each state with the most expensive room and board based on data from the 2013-2014 academic year. Via eCollegeFinder
Room and board is an often overlooked expense when planning for college, but it can quickly add up. The map features a diverse array of schools, including large state universities, art and music institutes, and prestigious private colleges.
The New York School of Interior Design has the most expensive room and board in the country, charging $21,000 for one year.
Only colleges that offered four-year undergraduate degrees with housing were included on this map.
eCollegeFinder's Mike Simmons put the map together using data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Via eCollegeFinder, these are the colleges with the most expensive room and board:
eCollegeFinder also compiled a helpful list of the 10 schools with the most applications and an excellent state-by-state breakdown of just how much each school charges:
Top 10 Colleges With The Most Expensive Room And Board
New York — New York School of Interior Design — $21,000 Massachusetts — The Boston Conservatory — $17,195 California — University of California Berkeley — $15,482 Pennsylvania — Drexel University — $14,415 DC — Catholic University of America — $14,326 Connecticut — Quinnipiac University — $14,250 New Jersey — Stevens Institute of Technology — $14,214 Illinois — School of the Art Institute of Chicago — $14,190 Rhode Island — Roger Williams University — $14,120 Tennessee — Vanderbilt University — $14,094
Most Expensive Room And Board By State:An immensely powerful yet invisible force pulls water from Earth to the top of the tallest redwood and delivers snow to the tops of the Himalayas. Yet despite the power of evaporating water, its potential to propel self-sufficient devices or produce electricity has remained largely untapped -- until now.
In the June 16 online issue of Nature Communications, Columbia University scientists report the development of two novel devices that derive power directly from evaporation -- a floating, piston-driven engine that generates electricity causing a light to flash, and a rotary engine that drives a miniature car.
When evaporation energy is scaled up, the researchers predict, it could one day produce electricity from giant floating power generators that sit on bays or reservoirs, or from huge rotating machines akin to wind turbines that sit above water, said Ozgur Sahin, Ph.D., an associate professor of biological sciences and physics at Columbia University and the paper's lead author.
"Evaporation is a fundamental force of nature," Sahin said. "It's everywhere, and it's more powerful than other forces like wind and waves."
Last year, Sahin found that when bacterial spores shrink and swell with changing humidity, they can push and pull other objects forcefully. They pack more energy, pound for pound, than other materials used in engineering for moving objects, he reported in a paper published in Nature Nanotechnology, which was based on work Sahin had started as a Scholar in Residence at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.
Building on last year's findings, Sahin and his Columbia colleagues sought to build actual devices that could be powered by such energy.
To build a floating, piston-driven engine, the researchers first glued spores to both sides of a thin, double-sided plastic tape akin to that in cassette tapes, creating a dashed line of spores. They did the same on the opposite side of the tape, but offset the line so dashes on one side overlapped with gaps on the other.
When dry air shrinks the spores, the spore-covered dashes curve. This transforms the tape from straight to wavy, shortening the tape. If one or both ends of the tape are anchored, the tape tugs on whatever it's attached to. Conversely, when the air is moist, the tape extends, releasing the force. The result is a new type of artificial muscle that is controlled by changing humidity.
Sahin and Xi Chen, a postdoctoral fellow in his lab, then placed dozens of these tapes side by side, creating a stronger artificial muscle that they then placed inside a floating plastic case topped with shutters. Inside the case, evaporating water made the air humid. The humidity caused the muscle to elongate, opening the shutters and allowing the air to dry out. When the humidity escaped, the spores shrunk and the tapes contracted, pulling the shutters closed and allowing humidity to build again. A self-sustaining cycle of motion was born.
"When we placed water beneath the device, it suddenly came to life, moving on its own," Chen said.
The spore-covered artificial muscles function as an evaporation-driven piston. Coupling that piston to a generator produced enough electricity to cause a small light to flash.
"We turned evaporation from a pool of water into light," Sahin said.
With its current power output, the floating evaporation engine could supply small floating lights or sensors at the ocean floor that monitor the environment, Chen said, speculating that an improved version with stickier plastic tape and more spores could potentially generate even more power per unit area than a wind farm.
The Columbia team's other new evaporation-driven engine -- the Moisture Mill -- contains a plastic wheel with protruding tabs of tape covered on one side with spores. Half of the wheel sits in dry air, causing the tabs to curve, and the other half sits in humid environment, where the tabs straighten. As a result, the wheel rotates continuously, effectively acting as a rotary engine.
The researchers next built a small toy car, powering it with the Moisture Mill and were successful in getting the car to roll on its own, powered only by evaporation. In the future, Sahin said, it may be possible to design engines that use the mechanical energy stored in spores to propel a full-sized vehicle. Such an engine, if achieved, would require neither fuel to burn nor an electrical battery.
A larger version of the Moisture Mill could also produce electricity, Sahin said, suggesting a wheel that sits above a large body of water and evaporates saltwater, causing the wheel to rotate and generate electricity. This development would steadily produce as much electricity as a wind turbine, Sahin said.The new federal government should proceed slowly with changing the country's drug laws, says the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, which has released a report on the U.S.'s experience legalizing cannabis.
Representatives with the centre, which is funded by Health Canada, met with officials from the two U.S. states to legalize pot for personal use — Colorado and Washington — to learn about what mistakes to avoid.
Rebecca Jesseman, senior adviser for the centre, said in an interview the Canadian addiction experts were given one key message during their visit south of the border: Take your time.
"They said to start incrementally and don't move too quickly," on marijuana legalization, she said. "And make sure your decisions and your actions are informed by the best possible evidence available because there are going to be unanticipated consequences."
Colorado learned that lesson while trying to regulate non-smoked marijuana products, known as edibles.
THC in edibles
Authorities quickly realized that while the state regulated the amount of marijuana allowed in a single dose, it failed to restrict the number of doses allowed in food portions.
"So you had single brownies containing multiple doses of THC," she said.
THC is the main component of marijuana that causes the high.
"Now they changed the law and then the producers had to change their packaging and (producers) even told us they wanted a more restrictive approach from the beginning."
Representatives from the substance abuse centre, as well as other Canadian health experts and members of the RCMP, met with U.S. regulators, law-enforcement officials, marijuana producers as well as advocates for and against legalization.
Stores began selling recreational marijuana in Colorado on Jan. 1, 2014, and on July 8, 2014, in Washington.
Fact-finding mission
Jesseman said it was important to go on the fact-finding mission because there isn't a lot reliable data on the American legalization experience and "waiting for scientific publications can take years."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during the recent election campaign he wanted to legalize marijuana in order to restrict its access to children, reduce the drug market share of organized criminals and lessen the burden on the country's justice system.
Jesseman said those three points are a good place to start, but she added Trudeau needs to direct his government to begin collecting drug-related data immediately.
Baseline data needed
She said in order for the government to monitor the success or failure of policies, the country needs better baseline data on current drug habits in order to compare the figures with data collected after marijuana is legalized.
"There are questions that Colorado and Washington can't answer because there wasn't any baseline data," Jesseman said. "The greater the extent of work that can be done in advance the better."
While there is a lot of sound, scientific data going back years on the harmful effects of marijuana on the developing brains of people under 25, there are important gaps in research, said doctor Amy Porath-Waller, director of research and policy at the substance abuse centre.
She said there isn't much data available on the consequences of regularly ingesting high doses of THC in edibles, and little data on the long-term effects of marijuana use for medical purposes.
"For any of our other pharmaceutical drugs they go through rigorous clinical trials," Porath-Waller said. "We really need to do the same for medical cannabis."• Obama: US willing to negotiate cease-fire between Israel, Hamas • 103 Palestinians killed so far in Operation Protective Edge • Eight civilians killed watching World Cup semi final in Gaza • Rockets fired from south Lebanon hit Israeli territory
00.01 Thanks for following. Join us back here tomorrow for more updates.
22.20 Hamas's armed wing has warned airlines that it intends to target Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport with its rockets from Gaza and has told them not to fly there, according to a statement by the group.
The airport, Israel's main international aerial gateway, has been fully operational since Israel began an aerial offensive on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian militants intensified their cross-border rocket fire.
21.25 The Telegraph's Robert Tait reports exclusively from Gaza City on Hamas's threat to kidnap Israeli soldiers in the event of a ground offensive on the Palestinian coastal enclave by Israeli military troops:
Fawzeh Barhoom, a Hamas spokesman, said such a move [a ground offensive] would only make it easier to abduct Israeli troops, which the Islamist movement would use as bargaining chips to wring concessions from Israel.
“If they launch a ground war, they will be shortening the path for us to kidnap many soldiers in order to make a deal to end the bloodshed and release the detainees as happened in the past,” he told The Telegraph, referring to the 2006 kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was held in Gaza for five years before his release in 2011 in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The kidnap threat was reinforced by Ihab al-Ghussain, Gaza’s deputy information minister and a Hamas member, who called it “a normal response” to Israel’s actions.
“They are coming to us,” he said. “Israel started this, so I will do whatever I can to stop it, even if it means kidnapping Israelis. You are talking about thousands of Palestinians in [Israeli] prisons for whom the peace process did nothing. The only way we can help these people is to kidnap Israelis and get these people out of jail.”
21.10 Israel's Channel 2 television has reported on Friday evening that a man helped his wife to deliver their baby in their home in Sderot - less than a mile from the Gaza border - after rocket attacks prevented the pair going to hospital.
Mother and child are in good health, the channel reports.
20.30 The White House has urged both sides to "leave the door open to the possibility of negotiating a cease fire".
Josh Earnet, the White House press secretary, also urged the avoidance of civilian casualties and reiterated the US's willingness to help mediate a solution to the conflict.
19.52 Reports of "moderate" injuries to two Israeli citizens from rocket fire are emerging from Sderot - just across the border from Gaza - and Beersheba to the southeast (see map below).
19.11 Two arrests have been made by Lebanese authorities over the rockets fired from the south of the country into Israel early this morning.
According to Israel Radio, two Palestinian-Lebanese men beloning to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) were arrested on suspicion of firing three rockets.
At least one of the arrested men was believed to have been wounded.
18.46 Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's hawkish foreign minister, has called on Israel to "go all the way" in Gaza and end Hamas's rule.
“After three military campaigns — Operations Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense and Protective Edge — it’s time to go all the way in the Gaza Strip. We cannot allow Hamas to continue ruling,” he told Israel's Channel 2 television.
Mother of three-year-old Saher Abu Namous mourns during his funeral after he was killed in an explosion in a refugee camp on the Gaza strip (EPA)
18.00 The United States' House of Representatives has passed by unanimous consent a "forceful" resolution in support of Israel, the Times of Israel reports:
The US House of Representatives passed by unanimous consent a resolution reaffirming support for Israel’s defense of its citizens, condemning “unprovoked rocket fire at Israel” and calling on Hamas to immediately cease all attacks against Israel...
Representatives included in the resolution’s wording acknowledgement that Iran has provided material support in long-range missile production to both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad...
AIPAC immediately released a statement praising the House of Representatives “for passing a forceful resolution affirming Israel’s right to self-defense and holding Hamas responsible for the attacks on America’s democratic ally.”
17.23
Rescue workers take shelter in Gaza as Israeli missiles fall:
17.15
Sirens have been sounded across the greater Tel Aviv area after another barrage of missiles were aimed toward Israel's second-largest city from the Gaza Strip.
Five rockets were spotted in total, with two intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system.
The attack coincided with Benjamin Netanyahu's press briefing, reported below.
16.49
Netanyahu warned that the military will “not stop until quiet returns to Israeli citizens”.
“I will end [Operation Protective Edge] when the missile threat is over,” said the PM.
The prime minister accused Hamas and Islamic Jihad members of “hiding behind civilians” saying they were responsible if any harm comes to them.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a news conference in Tel Aviv (REUTERS)
16.45
Netanyahu said Israel had attacked more than 1,000 targets in Gaza since Tuesday, and was using twice the force it used during a similar operation in 2012.
16.35
Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has said that "no normal country would accept a situation" in which rockets are fired on their cities and towns. He added that he held "very good, positive" telephone consultations with US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
He told journalists that that world pressure won't stop Israel from "striking the terrorists" and that the country is paying the price for its 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, "something which I did not support." He said that any Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank "would create another 20 fronts with Gaza, 20 Gazas.”
16.26
An Israeli soldier prays on the Israel-Gaza border (Lefteris Pitarakis/AP)
16.22
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused Israel of a policy "based on lies" over its aerial bombardment of Gaza, in his latest vehement criticism of the Jewish state.
Speaking to supporters in Istanbul, Erdogan pointed out that 100 Palestinians had now been killed in the Israeli campaign while no Israeli's had died due to Palestinian attacks.
"They say (Hamas) is firing rockets. But is there anybody who died?" he asked.
"The number of Palestinians that you (Israel) killed is now 100. Their (Israel's) life is based on lies. They are not honest.
"We cannot take the side of the cruel."
Erdogan in 2009 famously walked out of the World Economic Forum in Davos during a previous Israeli assault on Gaza and relations between Israel and Turkey have become even frostier over the last years.
Ten Turkish activists died after a 2010 maritime assault by Israeli commandos on Gaza-bound ship Mavi Marmara and Ankara responded by expelling the Israeli ambassador and demanding a formal apology.
Erdogan said that a deal for the normalisation of ties had been close with an agreement near on compensation for the 2010 deaths, but it had now been put back after the latest assault.
"We cannot look positively to the normalisation process while our Palestinian brothers are being killed," said Erdogan.
"The Palestinian cause is our cause", said Erdogan, adding Turkey would help make their voice heard in the world.
16.10
Footage from AP: Gaza Exchange Rocket Fire.
15.43
An early morning Israeli air strike on Rafah (SAID KHATIB/AFP)
15.39
DF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has said that the Israeli military is ready for a possible ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, and was awaiting instructions from the political leadership.
"Nothing is stopping us from moving forward," Gantz said during a tour of a Paratroopers training base. "The IDF is not waiting for the last straw to go on a ground offensive, it's waiting on political instruction." Terrorists "in Gaza are understanding that they've made a big mistake. In four days we've been intelligently using our offensive means while remembering that there are civilians there that Hamas has turned into hostages," Gantz said. "Gaza is slowly sinking to its doom."
14.25
The United Nations human rights chief on Friday voiced serious doubts that Israeli's military operation against Gaza complied with international law banning the targeting of civilians, and called on both sides to step back from the brink.
International law requires Israel to take all measures to ensure that its attacks are proportional, distinguish between military and civilian objects, and avoid civilian casualties, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said.
"We have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes. Such reports raise serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law," Pillay said in a statement.
Pillay also called on Palestinian armed groups to uphold international law, noting that military assets should not be located in densely-populated areas, nor should attacks be launched from those areas.
Targeting civilian homes violates international humanitarian law unless the homes are being used for military purposes, said Pillay, a former UN war crimes judge.
13.43
Israel's government thinks the conflict with Palestinians can simply be "managed". The Economist says this is wrong.
Mr Netanyahu’s mistake—compounded by the actions of Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinians on the West Bank—is to think that their versions of normality can be sustained simply by managing the conflict. A stand-off is always liable to tip into violence. Lasting peace will come about only when the two sides reach a comprehensive settlement.
The failure of Mr Netanyahu to make peace a priority is dangerous. He did not make the most of the recent plan put forward by John Kerry, America’s secretary of state. Both he and Mr Abbas recklessly pursued short-term advantage during the talks, leaving their countries vulnerable to those who argue that, with the hopes of peace exhausted, conflict is all that remains. That is wrong. Two states, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians, remains by far the greatest hope for peace. The parameters of an agreement are well-rehearsed. What is lacking is the conviction among reasonable people that such a settlement is needed now. Without that belief, Israel’s normality will always have an air of unreality.
13.14
A group of 34 charities and other non-governmental organisations signed a statement Friday urging an end to the deadly conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The statement was signed by groups including ActionAid, CARE, Oxfam and Save the Children and urged the international community to step up efforts to find a lasting solution to disputes in the region.
"Military actions by all parties must stop," the statement said.
"Since 2009, history has shown that military operations have failed to bring peace and security for people in Gaza and in Israel.
"Over the years we have repeatedly called for ceasefires and for all sides to protect civilians from harm.
"Sadly, these ceasefires have not lasted and we have had to revert back to life-saving relief and emergency programmes, aiding innocent people to cope with the trauma, and rebuilding Gaza time and time again."
13.04
This would be funny if it was not so sad. ABC news confuses Israelis with "Palest-id-ians"
12.57
12.03
Promotional video of the graduates from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology - giving a cursory explanation on how the Iron dome works system works.
11.50
Tony Blair in his capacity as UN Middle East Envoy has spoken on Gaza (see above):
We are at a very, very critical point, and obviously in the international community and in the region I think we have got to do everything we can to put in place both that short term change in the circumstances here, and then that longer term plan that allows us to create a situation in which the people in Gaza, the West Bank and in Israel feel that this is not then going to recur, and that there is some genuine plan in place that is going to allow this situation to be resolved for the long term, for the security and peace of the people here"
11.40
Gaza city streets almost completely empty, an IDF induced curfew. On Israeli side even
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2.44% 48 Kentucky 4 8,100 333,500 2.43% 49 California 23 6,600 274,100 2.41% 50 Ohio 8 7,900 328,800 2.40% 51 Indiana 1 7,300 310,600 2.35% 52 Wyoming Statewide 6,800 290,000 2.34% 53 Tennessee 2 7,600 327,200 2.32% 54 Texas 3 8,500 371,200 2.29% 55Several mothers in Halifax who are outraged by what they say is a lack of respect in parking lots are calling for reserved parking spaces for up to two years.
Jacqueline Potvin Boucher says too many drivers are using the parking spots at shopping malls that are designated for mothers.
"It's often men, just lazy men, or lazy other people who just say they're in a hurry and they need those spots more than we do," she told CBC on Thursday.
"Many of us have approached those people and asked them why they're in the spots, but they just disregard any comments we say and shove us by."
The courtesy spots are usually marked with pink lettering. They're at the entrance to stores, next to the spaces for accessible parking.
The problem, Potvin Boucher said, is there are no penalties for drivers who snag the courtesy spots. While some U.S. cities give pregnant women and new mothers accessible parking privileges, that's not the case in Nova Scotia.
Potvin Boucher said new mothers could receive passes when they leave the hospital.
"It would be ideal if the IWK [Health Centre in Halifax] would automatically give out these permits, which would be valid for maybe two years," she said.
Potvin Boucher and several other moms have launched a campaign on Facebook, as well as an online petition, to win the same parking privileges as drivers with physical disabilities.
They say it's difficult when they're forced to park far away.
"What society doesn't realize is that many of us are at high risk of premature labour, falling and injuring ourselves or our babies, suffering from blood loss after labour, risk of tearing stitches, risk of fainting during early pregnancy, let alone risking our other children's safety and the public's as our kids escape our hand while we carry the newborn infant and get caught up in traffic," the group says on its Facebook page.
Potvin Boucher said there is some support for their parking plight, but she has also received a number of emails from people condemning the idea of special spaces for mothers.In the UK, about 1 in 2 households own a pet with around 21 million pets owned (excluding fish). The UK pet population is estimated at nine million dogs and approximately 8 million cats. The Animal Welfare Act places a legal obligation on owners and keepers of animals to care for them properly. The inquiry will examine the effectiveness of the Act and its enforcement with regards to domestic animals. The inquiry will also examine whether that Act and other existing legislation remains fit for purpose in the age of the internet with regards to the sale of domestic pets.
Terms of reference
Written submissions are invited on the following issues:
The effectiveness of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 with regard to domestic pets
Regulation surrounding the sale of domestic pets, including online sales and advertising
Enforcement of current animal welfare legislation, including prosecution of offences by the police, local authorities, the RSPCA and others
Comparative approaches to enforcement in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Notes on submissions
As a guideline, submissions should state clearly who the submission is from e.g. ‘Written evidence submitted by xxxx’ and be no longer than 1500 words, please contact the Committee staff if you wish to discuss this.
Deadline for submissions
Submissions should arrive by midday on Thursday 17 March 2016
Further information
Image: iStockphotoThe College Football Playoff galvanized college football fans from coast to coast way before the games were actually played.
That's because selection committee chairman Jeff Long made the weekly rankings announcement must-see TV from Week 7 through the end of the season. It isn't every day a new lexicon is introduced into the American language.
Seriously, did you know "eye test" could be used as a college football term? You do now, and we have Long to thank.
That was only one of the gems he trotted out as a way to explain what appeared to be inexplicable at times. So now that we're going into Year 2 with a College Football Playoff committee, we thought it would be beneficial to provide a little "cheat sheet" for getting through the rankings announcements.
That way you really know what Long means when he says your favorite team looks like eye candy... I mean, passes the eye test.
The first rankings are set for Nov. 3! Do not disappoint us, Jeff Long!
The Washington Post via Getty Images
SOS
Commonly thought to be strength of schedule, but really means "Souuthehnness of schedule."
Example: Mississippi State played such a strong SOS with wins over LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn and Kentucky, it vaulted to No. 1 in the first selection committee rankings.
Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports
Eye test
You know the eye in the middle of LSU's field? If you've played on that eye, you get moved up in the rankings four spots.
Example: Mississippi State, above.
AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser
Game control
Modern twist on outdated "margin of victory" (that's sooooo BCS!). Refers to the state of being up by 20 or more points at all times, in all games.
Example: Even though Florida State won 13 games, the Seminoles' game control was atrocious, so some of those wins really counted as losses.
Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports
Body of work
Translation: schedule with a championship game.
Example: TCU lost only one game by three points, but its body of work is nothing compared to Big Ten title game winner Ohio State! (Wait, Ohio State lost by 14 at home to a mediocre ACC outfit? That was clearly before body of work was completed!)
Bobby Bank/Getty Images
Clean slate
The art of pretending to start over with the evaluations every single week.
Example: Florida State fails the eye test, has no game control, is lacking SOS, and has a body of work that's marginal at best. But to answer the question, of course the Seminoles got a clean slate each week!
Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports
Head-to-head
Translation: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Example: Wait, Baylor beat TCU head-to-head? What exactly do you mean by head-to-head? We don't follow.The Wonder Dream Concert held on October 4, 1975 at Kingston’s National Stadium was one of three events on the Holiday Jamaica package scheduled from September 29, 1975 through October 5, 1975. The concert was a benefit for the Jamaican Institute for the Blind and featured Third World as the opening act. Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes were scheduled to play but did not show.
Third World, just back from a tour of the UK, opened their set with “Crying On The Rail Road Track” and followed with popular favorites “Sun Won’t Shine,” “Satta Massagana,” and “Slavery Days.”
The concert is often referred to as the Wailers Reunion Show, as it was the first time the original Wailers trio performed together since 1974. It is the last time that all three founding members appeared live on-stage together.
The Wailers and the I-Three kick off their set with “Rastaman Chant” and perform spirited renditions of “Nice Time,” “Simmer Down,” and “One Love” before each member performs several tunes of their own.
Bunny Wailer, who had officially left the group the year before, stuns the crowd with a performance of “Dreamland” (“Place Called Africa”) followed by the classic “Battering Down Sentence.” Peter Tosh performs “Mark of the Beast,” “Can’t Blame The Youth,” and wows the audience with his first live performance of “Legalize It.”
Bob Marley wrapped up the Wailers’ set with fiery performances of “So Jah Seh,” “No Woman, No Cry,” and “Jah Live.”
The Wailers join Stevie Wonder on-stage for his encore to perform “I Shot The Sheriff” and “Superstition.” Stevie Wonder then presented a check for $23,000 to the Salvation Army.
Marley meets Wonder. A ‘Dream‘ Concert.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
I have included four articles from the Jamaica Gleaner, the islands leading newspaper. These articles profile the Wonder Dream Concert over several weeks leading up to the show on October 4, 1975.
Click image to read on Issuu
Click image to read on Issuu
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Click image to read on Issuu
© Kim Gottlieb-Walker, www.lenswoman.com, all rights reserved. From her book “Bob Marley and the Golden Age of Reggae, 1975-76, the Photographs of Kim Gottlieb-Walker
© Kim Gottlieb-Walker, www.lenswoman.com, all rights reserved. From her book “Bob Marley and the Golden Age of Reggae, 1975-76, the Photographs of Kim Gottlieb-Walker”
© Kim Gottlieb-Walker, www.lenswoman.com, all rights reserved. From her book “Bob Marley and the Golden Age of Reggae, 1975-76, the Photographs of Kim Gottlieb-Walker”London, Apr 16 (ANI): Newly released FBI files claim that Adolf Hitler escaped by submarine to Argentina where he lived in a heavily guarded ranch at the end of the Second World War suffering from asthma and ulcers.
An amazing cache of files shows that J Edgar Hoover's FBI took claims of Hitler's survival seriously and a team was assigned to exploring scores of tip offs.
The astonishing documents detail how an Argentinean fugitive claimed he helped Hitler, two women and other Germans disembark from a submarine in the South American country approximately two and half weeks after the fall of Berlin in April 1945, the Daily Express reported.
Hitler and his companions then went by horse pack to the foothills of the southern Andes, and the plan was for the 50-strong group to move in with German families in villages in the area.
The unnamed Argentinian informant, who gave the information over to the US authorities hoping to get asylum in return, gives a description of Hitler to a journalist for the Los Angeles Examiner on July 29 1945, saying the Nazi "is suffering from asthma and ulcers, has shaved off his moustache and has a long 'but' on his upper lip".
Other tip-offs to the FBI suggested Hitler was actually living in New York City, again without his moustache, while some suggested he was hiding with Nazi sympathisers in the German speaking part of Switzerland.
The revelations come just weeks after a Nazi-hunting author claimed he had found a picture of Hitler which proved he died in Brazil aged 95. (ANI)GALVESTON, Texas - A novel and affordable diagnostic test for chikungunya will soon be available thanks to the work of researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in partnership with a commercial lab.
Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne illness that while not often deadly causes severe, incapacitating and often chronic joint pain, is spreading throughout the Americas. It can be difficult to diagnose and most tests available now are expensive and challenging to develop.
UTMB researchers were able to use another mosquito-borne virus that had remained largely unknown and unstudied in UTMB’s World Reference Center for Arboviruses, led by UTMB Professor Robert Tesh, to create the new test that could help doctors and researchers diagnose and track the spread of chikungunya.
The formerly unknown virus, now named Eilat virus, is related to chikungunya and other mosquito-borne viruses and was collected in Israel’s Negev Desert about three decades ago, said Scott Weaver, director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at UTMB.
There are about 6,000 virus strains in UTMB’s arboviruses reference center, the largest collection of its kind, and the majority have been identified, he said. Once researchers, including former UTMB graduate student Farooq Nasar, started looking at the Eilat virus they found something interesting.
The virus will only replicate in mosquitoes, which makes it harmless to humans and other vertebrates, Weaver said.
“We started thinking that maybe there is something practical we can do with this unusual virus,” Weaver said.
What researchers found is that they could replace the structural proteins of the Eilat virus with those of chikungunya and create a virus that looks like chikungunya to the immune system but will not replicate in humans, said Jesse Erasmus, a graduate student at UTMB who helped to develop the new test.
Most diagnostics available today use chikungunya virus that has been inactivated. That requires work in higher-level containment labs so these tests are more expensive to make and their sensitivity can be compromised by the inactivation, Erasmus said.
Working with the private commercial lab InBios International, UTMB scientists used the Eilat virus-based chimera to create a safe and simple-to-use diagnostic test. Health care professionals are able to take the serum of those suspected of being infected with chikungunya and, using the diagnostic test kit created in conjunction with InBios, have a result in less than two hours, Weaver said.
Researchers described their discovery in a paper published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The development of a diagnostic kit for chikungunya virus is a classic example of a University-Industry partnership resulting in products which will improve the quality of life for at-risk patients.
“Our office is committed in developing relationships with commercial partners to support development of products that will benefit patients,” said Carolee King, general counsel and senior vice president, Office of Technology Transfer at UTMB.
“We are very pleased to now offer these innovative CE marked chikungunya antibody detection kits,” said Wendy Bagnato, an account manager with InBios International. “End users have provided positive feedback on the high quality of the kits and consistency of results.”
Weaver said he believed the diagnostic kit could be of great help as chikungunya continues to spread.
“If you have a kit that is simple to use and is more affordable, then more local hospitals and clinics can start using it rather than guessing whether someone has chikungunya,” Weaver said.Call it a "crude awakening." Energy stocks plunged Friday after OPEC announced no cuts in production, a decision that sent oil prices crashing to their lowest levels since May 2010.
Shares of Dow components Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) fell 4% and 5%, respectively. And they were among the better performers in the sector.
Oil driller Transocean (RIG) plummeted 10%. So did oil services giants Schlumberger (SLB) and Halliburton (HAL).
Energy prices have been on a slip and slide ride for the past few months due to concerns about sluggish demand out of Europe and an economic slowdown in China.
But the supply part of the equation is also a bit out of whack lately. The United States has boosted its output of oil thanks to the shale gas boom in North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and other states.
It has been reported that Saudi Arabia and several other OPEC members in the Persian Gulf region were not in favor of oil production cuts partly because lower prices could make it tougher for U.S. energy companies to compete in the global market.
Natural gas takes hit too: It should be no surprise that shares of several natural gas companies in the U.S. fell hard Friday too. Chesapeake Energy (CHK), EOG (EOG) and Devon Energy (DVN) were all down nearly 10%. Newfield Exploration (NFX) and Denbury Resources (DNR), the two worst performers in the S&P 500 Friday, dropped more than 15%. Continental Resources (CLR) tumbled 20%.
If oil prices continue to slide, energy stocks are going to suffer for a prolonged period unless they take some dramatic steps.
Related: Black Friday's real deal: Cheap gas
One driller, Norwegian-based SeaDrill (SDRL), announced Wednesday that it was halting its dividend payment to conserve cash. Shares plunged more than 23% on the news and several other drillers, including Transocean, Noble (NE), Ensco (ESV) and Diamond Offshore (DO) all fell sharply as well.
Lower crude prices could also spark a wave of consolidation in the energy sector as companies seek to cut costs. Halliburton has already agreed to buy rival Baker Hughes (BHI) for nearly $35 billion.
Cheap gas is good for these stocks: Even though oil stocks were getting absolutely destroyed on Friday, the broader market continued to march higher. And it was led by two sectors that should benefit from the decline in energy prices... at least temporarily.
Airline stocks were soaring Friday. Southwest (LUV), which is the best performer in the S&P 500 this year, gained nearly 8%. Delta (DAL), JetBlue (JBLU), United Continental (UAL), American Airlines (AAL) and recently public Virgin America (VA) were also dramatically higher. The rationale is simple. Lower jet fuel prices should lead to bigger profits for the airlines.
Related: Black Friday bargain: Airline stocks
Retailers popped as well. With shoppers hitting the stores on Black Friday (and even on Thanksgiving) the hope is that consumers will feel more flush since they won't have to pay as much at the pump to refuel their cars.
Shares of WalMart (WMT), Target (TGT), Best Buy (BBY) and Macy's (M) enjoyed a nice bump, as did online retail king Amazon (AMZN).
Still, investors and consumers need to be careful about what they wish for. If energy prices keep falling, that could hurt the U.S. economy if it leads to an end of the shale bonanza. And while more bad economic news from Europe and China could also put pressure on oil prices in the short-term, that's not good news for anyone longer-term,
Remember how low oil and gas prices got in 2008 and early 2009? Anyone want to go through another Great Recession again?
I didn't think so.
Reader Comment of the Week. I tweeted a reference to one of my favorite movies this morning as oil prices and oil stocks were tanking.
"There Will Be Blood 2: Electric Boogaloo. Oil stocks are getting shellacked #premarket. I don't drink your milkshake. $DO $RIG $XOM $CVX $BP"
For the record, the Daniel Day Lewis movie is my personal pick, not Breakin' 2. But one reader trumped my movie reference with another by "There Will Be Blood" director Paul Thomas Anderson.
"Try some Punch Drunk Love instead $TAP $BREW $DEO," tweeted @t_aaron_brown.
Nice! Even though "Punch Drunk Love" isn't about beer, I'll let it slide. An underrated movie. Sandler is pretty good. And I don't know about you, but I can't wait for "Inherent Vice." PTA + Pynchon (with another soundtrack from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood) = nerd nirvana!Originally released exclusively as episodic digital downloads, now players on the PlayStation 3 can get get both part one and two of Watchmen: The End is Nigh, along with a copy of the Director's Cut of Watchmen the movie on one Blu-ray disc and exclusive artwork, in the Watchmen: The End is Nigh Complete Experience. A prequel to the events of Watchmen, the celebrated graphic novel by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins, and released at the same time as Watchmen the movie, the games follow the personal struggles and vocational adventures of freelance costumed vigilantes in an alternate history of the United States. The games featuring both single player and a local co-op multiplayer option and offer players the choice of two playable characters: Rorschach and Nite Owl.
The Games
The lines between good and evil have been blurred and crime and terror run rampant in the streets unchecked. The alleys, rooftops, and sewers are crawling with criminals and brutal gangs. And now to make matters worse, Underboss—in a daring escape—has broken out of prison and is ruling with vicious darkness. The city is in need of saviors and only masked hero vigilantes answer the call. Answer the call in Watchmen: The End Is Nigh. Key Features Two Watchmen Characters - Play either as Rorschach, a feral, street-wise fighter who can disarm enemies to use their own weapons against them, or Nite Owl, a refined fighter who uses martial arts expertise and high-tech wizardry.
- Play either as Rorschach, a feral, street-wise fighter who can disarm enemies to use their own weapons against them, or Nite Owl, a refined fighter who uses martial arts expertise and high-tech wizardry. Fierce Action - Fight and watch the blood fly through six chapters of gut-wrenching in-your-face action.
- Fight and watch the blood fly through six chapters of gut-wrenching in-your-face action. Intense, Visceral Battles - Fight up to 20 enemies at the same time with bloody, street-fighting moves.
- Fight up to 20 enemies at the same time with bloody, street-fighting moves. Local Multiplayer - Clean up the streets with friends in split screen co-op multiplayer competition, or solo.
- Clean up the streets with friends in split screen co-op multiplayer competition, or solo. Advanced Audio/Video Support - The game supports in-game Dolby Digital and HDTV 1080i.
It's June 1977, and any day now the passage of the Keene Act will outlaw all masked vigilantes not sanctioned by the government. In the meanwhile, Rorschach has uncovered a strange and mysterious missing person's case. Together with the help of Nite Owl, the pair has set out to find the missing young girl in Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part 2. Their search takes them deep into the depraved, sleazy corners of the city, and eventually face-to-face with the mysterious Twilight Lady. The seedy underbelly of New York beckons … will you take the call? Key Features The Journey Continues - Rorschach and Nite Owl once again prowl the back alleys of the city in their quest for justice, and you get to play as either character throughout the game.
- Rorschach and Nite Owl once again prowl the back alleys of the city in their quest for justice, and you get to play as either character throughout the game. Voice Acting - Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earl Haley reprise their roles as Nite Owl and Rorschach from the film, supplying voiceovers for the crime-fighting characters.
- Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earl Haley reprise their roles as Nite Owl and Rorschach from the film, supplying voiceovers for the crime-fighting characters. Fierce Action - Fight and watch the blood fly through loads of gut-wrenching, in-your-face action.
- Fight and watch the blood fly through loads of gut-wrenching, in-your-face action. Game Modes - In addition to a robust single player option Watchmen: the End is Nigh Part 2 features local split-screen co-op multiplayer support, allowing players to bring justice to the city alone or with a sidekick.
- In addition to a robust single player option Watchmen: the End is Nigh Part 2 features local split-screen co-op multiplayer support, allowing players to bring justice to the city alone or with a sidekick. Advanced Audio/Video Support - The game supports in-game Dolby Digital and HDTV 1080i. Watchmen: The Director's Cut & Exclusive Artwork
Along with both games in the Watchmen series, The Watchmen: The End is Nigh Complete Experience for playStation 3 also features additional exclusive Watchmen artwork, as well as a copy of the Directors Cut of Watchmen, the movie on Blu-ray disc. This new verision of the action-packed 2009 blockbuster includes an additional 25 minutes of footage not seen in theaters, and together with the included artwork is destined to become a collector's item.SAF IMPRESSED WITH JUDGE NEIL GORSUCH FOR SUPREME COURT
BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today said that Federal Judge Neil Gorsuch is an impressive choice to fill the vacancy on the United States Supreme Court, bringing with him a perspective on Constitutional rights that reflects strongly on the man he will replace, late Justice Antonin Scalia.
“We are delighted at President Donald Trump’s selection,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Based on what we know and what others are saying about Judge Gorsuch, we can honestly say that there may not be a better candidate to fill the seat left vacant by Justice Scalia’s passing last year.
“We’re especially impressed with the fact that he has observed in a legal opinion that ‘the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to own firearms and may not be infringed lightly’,” he added. “Judge Gorsuch definitely understands that firearms ownership is an American tradition, as noted in a case called United States v. Games-Perez.”
“President Trump has kept his word,” Gottlieb continued, “by nominating a superb high court candidate with an originalist approach to interpreting the Constitution, and particularly the Bill of Rights, as the Founders intended. We are eager to see him confirmed, and we are hopeful that he will enjoy smooth sailing through the confirmation process. After all, he was confirmed unanimously by the Senate when he was appointed to the Tenth Circuit Court.”
Judge Gorsuch has an impressive background, with a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, a law degree from Harvard and a philosophy degree from Oxford. He served in the Justice Department under the George W. Bush administration.
“Antonin Scalia was a remarkable justice with a fine legal mind,” Gottlieb recalled. “It is our impression that Judge Gorsuch is cut from the same cloth. If he is confirmed by the Senate – and we see no reason why that should not happen – it is our expectation that Neil Gorsuch will prove himself to be a tremendous addition to the court, and among the wisest decisions in Donald Trump’s presidency.”Share The Latest News
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) has been a game long known for its DLCs. While the game itself is quite entertaining, the add-ons are what continues to drive its community. Recently, community members have been releasing mods based around the Rick and Morty series. Using the mods, you can play GTA V as Rick, Morty and even Scary Terry. Most recently, fans have released a mod called “Smith residence” which allows you to go inside the Rick and Morty’s house.
Inside, you’ll notice that the house is quite similar to the one displayed in the actual show. And on top of that, the “Smith residence” mod even has items featured in Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality VR game. When you enter the garage, you’ll notice the exact same items featured in the VR game. From the Mr. Meeseeks box to the washing machine, you’ll notice the similar placement and subtle details.
When you enter the living room you’ll also notice an image on the TV that reads Rick and Morty Virtual Rick-ality. On the left is a set of discs that are found in the VR game and even the video game player is quite similar in detail. Another hilarious thing about this mod is that you can go to the backyard and see the graves of Rick and Morty where they buried their alternate selves.
So far there are 3 different mods for GTA V featuring Rick and Morty. The first one is called “Pickle Rick,” the second one is called “Naked Scary Terry,” and the third one is called “Smith residence.”
In the featured video you can see the spacecraft that sits right outside the driveway. You can actually hop on in to the spacecraft and drive or fly around in it. If you happen to own a copy of GTA V, make sure to give the Rick and Morty mod a try. You’ll surely be in for a treat.The Alabama government has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately — Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended over his attempts to block gay marriage following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, Mike Hubbard was convicted of 12 felony counts of public corruption and removed from office last Friday, Governor Robert Bentley‘s impeachment investigation got underway this week — but the drama stops with Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, who, unlike her colleagues, is making Alabama proud.
Wednesday night, Lt. Gov. Ivey was awarded the 2016 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Public Service Award at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.
The AIAA Public Service Award was established in 1986 to honor a person outside the aerospace community who has shown consistent and visible support for national aviation and space goals. Lt. Gov. Ivey was nominated by the AIAA Huntsville Chapter for her public service as a distinguished leader and stalwart supporter of the aerospace industry and profession in Alabama and throughout the nation.
“I was truly honored to accept the 2016 AIAA Public Service Award,” said Ivey in a news release. “It is a huge honor to join this distinguished group. The aerospace industry is not only important to Alabama but to our nation. I am proud to have a part in advancing the aerospace industry. Promoting STEM education through our partners in aerospace is vital for preparing the future workforce.”
Lt. Gov. Ivey currently serves as the national chair of the Aerospace States Association (ASA), an organization of lieutenant governors that represents states’ interest in aerospace. Ivey worked with the Alabama Legislature to create the Joint Legislative Aerospace Caucus to educate Alabama’s legislators on the important role aerospace plays to our state’s economy.
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Sage Karam wanted to treat his race team to some pizzas as a thank you for their work in his dazzling debut in the Indianapolis 500.
Karam could keep his money once the delivery man arrived with three large pizzas and recognized the teen sensation who rebounded from a 31st-place starting spot to finish ninth in his first IndyCar Series start on the sport's grandest stage.
"Stuff like that is pretty cool," said Karam, a recent Indiana resident.
It's waiting around for another shot in an Indy car that's the bummer.
Fresh off his Indy 500 run, Karam is waiting for more races and a chance to prove his rookie run was no one-hit wonder, just the birth of what could be a successful open-wheel career.
Karam at least knows when he'll get behind the wheel again for his next race. Karam was added Thursday to the Tudor United SportsCar Championship driver lineup for the June 29 Six Hours of the Glen. He will join Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas in the No. 01 car driving for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Karam also drove for Ganassi at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.
"He has done nothing but impress all of us whenever he gets behind the wheel of a car, any car," Ganassi said. "Whether it is in these prototypes or an Indy car, he has been equally impressive. It is not often when you have someone so young driving with such maturity and calm when he is behind the wheel. I can't wait to see him in a car again."
The recent Pennsylvania high school graduate and reigning Indy Lights Champion has found his weekends free or racing karts at local tracks this season instead of hitting the grid for his next race. His spot as a developmental driver for Ganassi hasn't led to a fulltime ride, and his Indy 500 spot came as a joint entry fielded by Ganassi Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdom Racing.
He made a splash in May, stealing headlines when he attended a makeshift prom with his girlfriend, Anna de Ferran, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Karam was runner-up to Scott Dixon in the pit crew competition and become an instant fan favorite and media darling with his carefree persona.
But it was his ninth-place finish that really opened some eyes. Karam, who could have applied a $1 million Indy Light championship stipend to a full-time ride in 2014, just wished his top 10 led to more opportunities.
"It kind of hurts a little bit just because we did everything we were asked to do last year," Karam said. "We won the championship, we got the scholarship money. It all still just comes down to some money issues. There are some drivers who can bring $5 million to a team and run full season but have never run in the States ever before. That's been my goal ever since I was a little kid, and I did everything I had to do and we're still struggling."
Known around the paddock as SK$ (SK Money), Karam lost a chance to earn a few more bucks when he lost out on Indy 500 rookie of the year honors to Kurt Busch. The NASCAR champion attempted The Double — racing 1,110 miles at Indy and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day — and finished a robust sixth. That finish was enough for the veteran driver to earn the award ahead of the 19-year-old driver.
"That one hurt a little bit," Busch said. "Kurt finished ahead of me and outqualified me. But it's hard to look at Kurt as a rookie. Look at what he's done in his career. He's had an outstanding career. But I passed so many cars in that race and had to do it twice. I was really wanting rookie of the year."
Karam graduated from Nazareth Area High School this month but didn't apply to college. While his classmates decorated the top of their caps with logos and mascots from their colleges, Karam colored his with the IMS logo, the No. 22 and the SK$ symbol. When it was time to accept his diploma, his classmates shouted "SK Money!"
"I just threw up the giant money symbol to them," he said. "It was a really cool thing to graduate."
There's little chance his friends will be at Pocono Raceway cheering him next month when IndyCar hits his home track of Pocono Raceway. Time is about out for Karam to put together the deal needed that can land him in the July 6 race.
Karam remained confident 2015 will truly be his year in IndyCar.
"If there's one guy and one team that can really make it happen and get me in a car full time," Karam said, "it's Chip Ganassi."
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Getty Images
This is the full 2017 NFL preseason schedule. All times Eastern.
Hall of Fame Game – AUGUST 3
Thursday, Aug. 3: Dallas Cowboys vs Arizona Cardinals 8:00 PM (NBC)
WEEK 1 – AUGUST 9-13
Wednesday, Aug. 9: Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers 7:30 PM
Thursday, Aug. 10: Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills 7:00 PM
Thursday, Aug. 10: Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins 7:00 PM
Thursday, Aug. 10: Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens 7:30 PM
Thursday, Aug. 10: Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots 7:30 PM
Thursday, Aug. 10: Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears 8:00 PM
Thursday, Aug. 10: New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns 8:00 PM
Thursday, Aug. 10 Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers 8:00 PM
Friday, Aug. 11: Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants 7:00 PM
Friday, Aug. 11: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals 7:30 PM
Friday, Aug. 11: San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs 9:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 12: Tennessee Titans at New York Jets 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 12: Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams 9:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 12: Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals 10:00 PM
Sunday, Aug. 13: Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts 1:30 PM
Sunday, Aug. 13: Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Chargers 8:00 PM
WEEK 2 – AUGUST 17-21
Thursday, Aug. 17: Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins 7:00 PM
Thursday, Aug. 17: Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles 7:00 PM
Thursday, Aug. 17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars 8:00 PM ESPN
Friday, Aug. 18: Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks 10:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 19: Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans 3:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 19: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals 7:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 19: Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys 7:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 19: New York Jets at Detroit Lions 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 19: Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 19: New England Patriots at Houston Texans 8:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 19: Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders 10:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 19: Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers 10:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 19: Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals 10:00 PM
Sunday, Aug. 20: Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers 4:00 PM
Sunday, Aug. 20: New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers 8:00 PM
Monday, Aug. 21: New York Giants at Cleveland Browns 8:00 PM ESPN
WEEK 3 – AUGUST 24-27
Thursday, Aug. 24: Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles 7:00 PM
Thursday, Aug. 24: Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars 7:30 PM
Friday, Aug. 25: New England Patriots at Detroit Lions 7:00 PM
Friday, Aug. 25: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks 8:00 PM CBS
Saturday, Aug
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, Badreddine, but rather by several men. Nonetheless, Badreddine was a very high-ranking figure in the organisation.
"Hezbollah has suffered heavy losses in Syria, with some sources estimating that at least 1,200 fighters have died since the group started its involvement in the war. The group is weakened and some in Lebanon are wondering what Hezbollah's exit strategy is.
"Hezbollah's military intervention in Syria caused a divide in Lebanon. Some say it was totally wrong as it exposed Lebanon to threats. However, Hezbollah sees this as an existential decision because the Syrian government provides a lifeline to the group."
'A significant blow'
Badreddine was indicted by the United Nations-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon over the 2005 killing of a former prime minister, Rafik al-Hariri, and was also sanctioned by the United States.
READ MORE: Killing Imad Mughniyeh made him a legend
Badreddine was sentenced to death in Kuwait for his role in bomb attacks there in 1983. He escaped from prison in Kuwait after Iraq, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, invaded the country in 1990.
Mathew Levitt, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and the author of Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God, told Al Jazeera that Badreddine's killing would hurt the group.
"This is a pretty significant blow to Hezbollah... He was extremely close to the Secretary General of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah," Levitt said.After a splashy world premiere in Berlin last Thursday, event series The Night Manager kicked off in the UK last night. This is the adaptation of the 1993 John Le Carré bestseller that’s produced by The Ink Factory, BBC One and AMC. The debut on BBC One at 9 PM scored 6.14M viewers in the overnights for a 26.2 share. That’s about on par with the start of another recent epic BBC drama, War And Peace, which drew 6.3M back in January.
The Night Manager won its slot, but was not the most-watched primetime program on Sunday. That honor went to Call The Midwife, also on BBC One, in the hour-earlier slot with 7.7M viewers and a 30.8 share, The Guardian notes.
The six-part Night Manager has been met with stunning reviews and awards buzz and should see a big jump in the consolidated figures. The spy series stars Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander and Elizabeth Debicki, who all came to Berlin last week along with director Susanne Bier in her series helming debut, and Le Carré.
The first television adaptation of a Le Carré novel in more than 20 years follows former British soldier Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston), who is recruited by intelligence operative Burr (Colman) to navigate an unholy alliance between the intelligence community and the secret arms trade. To infiltrate the inner circle of lethal arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper (Laurie), Pine must himself become a criminal.
Kicking off as part of the Berlin Film Festival’s Drama Series Days sidebar was a “statement,” exec producer Simon Cornwell told me ahead of the screening on Thursday. The lush locations and production values on the roughly $30M series indeed made it a compelling cinematic presentation.
Stateside viewers will have to wait until April 19 to see the first episode on AMC. International rollout in some AMC markets begins today.
The mini is exec produced by Stephen and Simon Cornwell and Stephen Garrett and adapted by David Farr.ON THE ground floor of a primary school in Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan, five dozen pupils wait for the lunch break. The school has three teachers, but two of them are absent. One is “off sick” and the other, the head teacher, left at noon, explaining that she has “work to do”. No child is learning much. Thick poetry textbooks sit open before pupils who struggle to read simple sentences.
Upstairs is different. Rekha Gurjar, an instructor from Pratham, a charity, asks children to come to the blackboard and read a line of text. She asks questions, and hands shoot up. By adjusting the curriculum to a level pupils understand, Pratham’s high-intensity “learning camps” help teach basic Hindi and maths in 40 days. “You have to start where children are,” says Rishi Rajvanshi, head of the charity’s office in Rajasthan, “not where you wish they were.”
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About 260m children attend school in India, more than in any other country. Enrolment has risen steadily over the past two decades, helped by legislation such as the Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009, which makes school compulsory up to the age of 14. Attendance at secondary school (69% of eligible children) lags behind that, say, of China (96%). But primary-school enrolment is nearly universal.
Learning is not. Half of fifth-grade pupils (ten-year-olds) cannot read a story designed for second-graders, according to Pratham. Just a quarter can do simple division. “Where we have failed miserably is translating schooling into learning,” says Yamini Aiyar of the Centre for Policy Research, a think-tank in Delhi.
The consequences of failure are profound, if hard to measure. How well pupils do in school is associated with higher wages and faster economic growth. India will not fully take part in the Programme for International Assessment (PISA), an influential global test, until 2021. But 15-year-olds in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu did do the test in 2009. A rough analysis of those results puts them five years of schooling behind pupils in Shanghai and other high-performers in East Asia. The Indian children are a lot poorer yet poverty explains only part of the gap.
More teachers showing up would help. About a quarter are absent when they should be at work. Pay is not the problem: a public schoolteacher’s salary is often more than ten times the local median. Indeed, many Indian applicants bribe school boards to get a job, which they treat as a sinecure rather than a career. Then there are generous allowances for “sick leave”, often taken as holiday. Political work is one cause of absenteeism. Teachers can spend several weeks a year urging voters to support their political patron. Their unions are, in effect, guaranteed representation in the upper houses of some state legislatures.
And yet more teachers turning up might not make much difference. India’s 17,000 teacher-training institutes are low-grade degree shops. Few trainees are taught how to manage a class. Learning from other teachers is hard, in part because schools are so small. Under RTE, every village must have a primary school within one kilometre. This helps explain why a third of Indian schools have fewer than 50 pupils—and why, as country people migrate to the city, more than 5,000 schools have no pupils at all. With 35% more pupils than China, India has four times more schools.
By law, pupils are automatically shoved up to the next grade each year. So teachers have little incentive to help them grasp the curriculum. A study in 2016 suggests that the knowledge of sixth-grade pupils in a poor area of Delhi is 2½ grades below what the maths syllabus expects of them. By ninth grade the gap is 4½ grades.
For some, money is the answer. India spends 2.7% of GDP on schools, less than other developing countries, such as Brazil. Two-fifths of schools lack even electricity. But much of the budget is not spent, or is spent badly. School funding increased by 80% from 2011 to 2015, according to analysis of eight states’ budgets by Geeta Kingdon of University College London, yet test scores have fallen. Education in India is a “concurrent” responsibility, shared between federal and state governments. But officials at neither central nor state level are accountable for academic outcomes. Data on student achievement are collected manually, if at all.
Some reformers are trying to improve the public system. A programme in Haryana, established in 2014, has reversed declining literacy in the state through regular assessment and more relevant curricula. In Delhi, the city government has doubled spending on schools and recruited “mentor teachers” to help others teach at the right level. Pratham is running learning camps in 5,000 schools in 19 out of India’s 36 states and union territories. Yet although these changes are welcome, their ambitions are limited to helping children grasp just the basics.
Richer parents are opting out of public education: nearly half of urban children and a fifth of rural ones attend private primary schools. From 2010-11 to 2015-16, enrolment in public schools fell by 13m while the number in private establishments rose by more than 17m.
A study published in 2013 found that pupils at low-cost private schools in the south-eastern state of Andhra Pradesh achieved the same scores in maths and Telugu (the local language) as pupils at government-run schools. Yet because private teachers are paid a lot less than public ones, they produced these results for a third of the cost. Privately educated pupils also did slightly better than their peers at public schools in tests in English, Hindi, science and social studies.
Encouraged by such results, reformers are trying to expand and improve private schools. Punjab and Rajasthan, for example, are trying “public-private partnerships” where, like charter schools in America, schools are run by private outfits but are funded by the government. Voucher schemes, meanwhile, have been piloted in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, among other places.
Yet there are limits to what such reforms can achieve. Teachers’ unions fiercely oppose vouchers. Public-private partnerships are hamstrung by a lack of big operators able to ensure consistency and scale. And even if private schools are better, many are still horrendous.
So some people are looking to technology to transform education. To date, much of India’s “ed tech” sector has been in the business of selling software to help rich children pass exams. But schemes such as EkStep, funded by an IT tycoon turned philanthropist, Nandan Nilekani, are trying to improve education for all. EkStep is building a platform that connects pupils with third parties, including newer software providers aiming squarely at a mass market. It hopes to provide better learning materials, at school or at home. EkStep wants to reach 200m pupils within five years.
Ambition on that scale is needed. But in the end even technological fixes will have to be part of a broader change among Indian policymakers. The government of Narendra Modi, the prime minister, has said it will undertake some reforms. It has suggested amending the law to add commitments about the quality of education. Prakash Javadekar, the minister for human resources, has pledged to increase accountability for outcomes in both public and private schools.
Still, the central government has promised much more than it has delivered. A new strategy for education, due in the next few months, has been subject to delays. Though it should have some sensible ideas, it is unlikely to upset the unions much. That is a shame. And with more than 20m Indians reaching school age every year, such caution amounts to a huge waste of talent.DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings will make the 18th selection in Sunday's NHL entry draft, their highest pick since 1991. They'd like to use it on a decent-sized forward with skill.
Joe McDonnell, the club's director of amateur scouting, likes their chances of landing such a player in what is considered a deep draft.
“We're excited,'' McDonnell said. “The draft is strong, in the first round and into the second round. There will be guys we like even in the seventh round. But the high-end part of the draft is good. At 18, we'll get a quality player.''
This will be McDonnell's 19th draft with the Red Wings, his first sitting at the head of the table, behind the microphone, making the final decision on each selection at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. He replaces former assistant general manager Jim Nill in that capacity. Nill was hired as GM of the Dallas Stars on April 29.
The Red Wings, under Nill, shifted their drafting philosophy in recent years, targeting bigger players. McDonnell also puts a premium on size.
“It's just the way the game has evolved; it's a big man's game,'' McDonnell said. “I'm not saying there's no room for smaller guys, but if you can get a big, skilled guy, you go that route. We'll still take small guys if we have to, but we're looking to get bigger.''
The Red Wings' top picks in the past three drafts were decent-sized forwards – Martin Frk (2012), Tomas Jurco (2011) and Riley Sheahan (2010). They have used their first selection on a forward four years in a row, and McDonnell hopes to make it five.
That's because their system is stocked with promising defensemen, led by Ryan Sproul, the CHL defenseman of the year from Sault Ste. Marie, and Xavier Ouellet, a first-team All-Star in the Quebec League with Blainville-Boisbriand. They also have highly regarded Swede Mattias Backman, Russian Alexei Marchenko and American Nick Jensen.
“We'd really like to get a forward, unless there's a defenseman that's too good to pass up,'' he said. “If we feel there's two players (at different positions) that are even we'll lean toward the forward. … If we can add a little size up front, it would be beneficial.''
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland (left) and director of amateur scouting Joe McDonnell (right) welcome top pick Riley Sheahan in 2010.
Some decent-sized forwards who might be available when the Red Wings pick include Bo Horvat of London (6-0, 206), Adam Erne of Quebec (6-0, 210) and Anthony Mantha of Val-d'Or (6-4, 190).
Horvat is a good skater who competes and goes to the hard areas of the ice. Erne also skates well, has skills and can play a physical game. Mantha is a pure sniper who led the Quebec League with 50 goals.
Others forwards who might be available at No. 18 include Curtis Lazar of Edmonton (WHL), Andre Burakowsky of Malmo (Sweden), Alexander Wennberg of Djurgardens (Sweden), Kerby Rychel of Windsor (OHL), Frederik Gauthier of Rimouski (QMJHL), and Valentin Zykov of Baie Comeau (QMJHL).
If the Red Wings take a defenseman with their first pick, various mock drafts have them selecting Mirco Mueller of Everett (WHL), Josh Morrissey of Prince Albert (WHL) or Nikita Zadorov of London.
McDonnell said selecting a goaltender is not a high priority this year and they will not take one in the first three rounds, at least. They're well-stocked at the position with Petr Mrazek, who led the Grand Rapids Griffins to the Calder Cup championship as a rookie, 6-foot-5 free agent Jared Coreau of Northern Michigan, and Jake Paterson of Saginaw (OHL), their third-round pick a year ago.
The Red Wings have each of their picks in the seven rounds. The entire draft is Sunday.
Free agency opens on July 5. It's a relatively weak free-agent class because more teams are locking up their own players to long-term contracts.
It further emphasizes the need to build through the draft.
“In the salary-cap era, it's everything,'' McDonnell said. “If you don't draft well and develop your players you don't have any hope. If you're going to be a good organization you better draft.''
NHL entry draft
When: Sunday from 3-11 p.m.
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
TV: NBC Sports Network from 3-8 p.m.; NHL Network from 8 p.m. to conclusion.
Top five picks: 1. Colorado, 2. Florida, 3. Tampa Bay, 4. Nashville, 5. Carolina.
Top prospects: Seth Jones, D, Portland; Nathan MacKinnon, C, Halifax; Jonathan Drouin, LW, Halifax; Aleksander Barkov, C, Tappara (Finland); Elias Lindholm, C, Brynas (Sweden).
Red Wings selections: 18th, 48th, 79th, 109th, 139th, 169th, 199th.From Kartemquin Films footage that appears to show Bernie Sanders, then a University of Chicago student, being arrested during a 1963 school segregation protest. Kartemquin Films
Filmmakers in Chicago making a documentary about 1963 school segregation protests appear to have identified 53-year-old footage of a young Bernie Sanders being arrested during a demonstration, the group making the film said in a Monday blog post. Here’s the clip:
Sanders hasn’t commented on whether he’s seen the footage or believes it depicts his arrest.
The Vermont senator studied at the University of Chicago from 1960 to 1964 and is known to have been arrested during a segregation protest on Aug. 12, 1963 in the same area that the footage was taken. (Here’s a Mother Jones article about Sanders’ participation in Chicago civil rights activism.)
The group making the documentary is called Kartemquin Films; the project in progress, called ’63 Boycott, is a then-and-now look at a boycott of Chicago public schools in which “more than 200,000 Chicagoans, mostly students, marched to protest the segregationist policies of CPS Superintendent Benjamin Willis.” Willis had refused to integrate Chicago schools despite overcrowding in black classrooms, instead assigning many black students to attend classes in aluminum trailers that became known as “Willis Wagons.” The protest at which Sanders was arrested, Kartemquin writes, was in the Englewood neighborhood at a site at which “Chicago Public Schools was planning to build an entire school out of Willis Wagons.”Kansas Secretary of State and candidate for governor Kris Kobach (R) blasted “open borders liberals” for their defense of sanctuary cities which he says cost 32-year-old Kate Steinle her life.
His intervention follows the acquittal of the illegal alien killer who caused her death in sanctuary city San Francisco, California.
After five-time deported and seven-time felon illegal alien Jose Garcia Zarate, also known as Juan Francisco López-Sánchez, was not convicted of the 2015 murder of Steinle — despite previously admitting to shooting and killing the woman while she was walking on a pier with her father — Kobach told Breitbart News in an exclusive statement that the verdict “obscures the real problem” which is that Zarate should have never been in the United States to begin with.
Kobach told Breitbart News:
The verdict of not guilty obscures the real problem. Regardless of whether Zarate shot the bullet intentionally or accidentally, the facts are: 1. Zarate was a five-times-deported illegal alien who should never have been in the United States, and 2. by his own admission, Zarate went to San Francisco because it was a sanctuary city. In short, San Francisco’s sanctuary policy led to Kate Steinle’s death. The open borders liberals who continue to defend sanctuary policies are putting American lives at risk.
In 2015, a local news station interviewed Zarate. In this interview, the illegal alien admitted that he had relocated to San Francisco because of its sanctuary city policy.
“Sanchez said he knew San Francisco was a sanctuary city where he would not be pursued by immigration officials,” the report added.
Since Steinle’s death in 2015, the state of California has become a sanctuary state, Breitbart California reported in October, allowing illegal aliens to roam freely across the West Coast region without being detained or deported by federal immigration officials.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has committed to deporting — for the sixth time — the illegal alien who caused Steinle’s death, as Breitbart News reported.
Steinle was killed while walking with her father on a pier in San Francisco in 2015 when the illegal alien shot her. Steinle pleaded with her father to not let her die, but she soon passed away in her father’s arms.
Steinle’s death has not only caused a national debate on immigration policy, but the killing has galvanized a grassroots movements of pro-American immigration reformers and Angel Parents — the family members of Americans killed by illegal aliens — to demand a crackdown on illegal immigration and a legal immigration policy that puts the jobs, needs, and lives of Americans first.
As part of the immigration fight to defend the interests of Americans, rather than illegal aliens, Kobach is responsible for crafting anti-sanctuary city legislation across the country in various states.
Kris Kobach is a columnist for Breitbart News.Baltimore hardcore supergroup Angel Du$t are fronted by Justice Tripp of Trapped Under Ice and also include Turnstile member Daniel Fang. The band’s sophomore album Rock The Fuck On Forever will be the first release on the new label Pop Wig. While Angel Du$t’s other projects have an extremely heavy sound, the heavily melodic new single “Stay” proves Angel Du$t is a band who simply wants to have fun. Or as a press release puts it, “Do you like the Lemonheads and the Bad Brains at the same time? Of course you do. This is kind of like that, but with less heroin involved.” The song is rich in vibrant punk tenacity, all racing drums and rampant guitar electricity. Though Tripp’s vocals are filled with yearning as he sings, “Why won’t you stay?” it is nearly impossible not to move to the song’s upbeat rhythm. Listen below.
Tracklist:
01 “Toxic Boombox”
02 “Ready 2 Receive U”
03 “Stay”
04 “Upside Down”
05 “Hurt You Bad”
06 “Bad Thing”
07 “Rectify”
08 “Deep Love”
09 “Headstone”
10 “Twist N Shout”
11 “Cool Inside You”
12 “Somebody Else”
13 “Stranger Things”
Tour dates:
03/18 Brooklyn, NY @ The Acheron *
03/19 Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA *
03/20 Washington, DC @ The Pinch *
03/21 Fayetteville, NC @ The Drunk Horse Pub *
06/03 Tijuana, Mexico ^
06/04 Pomona, CA @ PBW ^
06/05 Berkley, CA @ 924 Gilman ^
06/06 Portland, OR @ Blackwater ^
06/07 Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse ^
06/08 Olympia, WA @ GAG House ^
06/09 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst ^
06/10 Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent (Sound and Fury)
06/11 Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent (Sound and Fury)
* = w/ Red Death, Higher Power and Soft Grip
^ = w/ Gag and Big Bite
Rock The Fuck On Forever will be out 5/20 via Pop Wig. Pre-order it here.NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville SC has its first home at First Tennessee Park. It has unveiled its first uniform for the 2018 USL season, and is holding a vote for the second. It has 2,000 season-ticket members and rising.
And it appears very soon it will have the first players that will represent the club in its inaugural season in the USL next spring.
“It’s almost like the mist is starting to clear a little bit and now you can start to see a bit of what the team will look like,” Head Coach Gary Smith told the Nashville Ledger’s John Glennon this week. “Because part of a coach’s job is creating – in his mind – what the team will look like, how they want to play and some of the qualities he’s after. Then it’s about adding the right ingredients to make it work.
“Once you start adding those players that you can see mentally bringing certain aspects of your team to life, of course it’s much more exciting.”
Nashville and Smith had the chance to put some players through a test run this year, with the club’s PDL team just missing out on a playoff place this past summer as some strong college prospects got put through their paces.The mystery has been solved; we now know the identity of Prophets of Rage.
It may not be a full-blown Rage Against the Machine reunion as some originally thought, but the new supergroup does feature three members of the hard-rock outfit: guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk. They’re joined by a pair of MCs in Chuck D of Public Enemy and Cypress Hill’s B-Real. RATM vocalist Zack de la Rocha is not involved.
According to Billboard, Prophets of Rage will make their debut at the Hollywood Palladium on June 3rd, where they will perform songs from Rage, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill. A summer tour is also being “considered,” Billboard adds.
This is not the first time Morello, Commerford, and Wilk formed a project sans de la Rocha. In 2001, they teamed up with Chris Cornell for Audioslave. Their collaboration with Chuck D is not entirely out of left field, as they previously performed on stage with the Public Enemy rapper during a gig at the Pinkpop Festival in 1996 (see above). More recently, Morello and Chuck D performed together at the 2013 Grammys.Let’s face it; any job is stressful. Money makes the world go 'round, and working to earn enough money to survive, or maintain a lifestyle, however luxurious or not, is a source of daily struggle for everyone. While money concerns are not the sole source of stress in one’s profession, they are a large one, but there are other factors that make a job stressful; long hours, high client demand, and the emotional trauma of the job. While everyone deals with stress on the job, even in high amounts, on a daily basis many people are able to deal with and overcome this stress one way or another. There are some professions with higher stress levels than others, however, and sadly, there are workers within those professions that do not deal with the stress and demands of their job as successfully as others. These are the ten professions with the highest suicide rates in America.
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10 Scientists
Via universitypost.dk
Perhaps a surprise on this list, but the work of a scientist can be quite stressful. The push to discover and innovate as well as to constantly publish new findings creates a lot of stress in a field where the competition is rather fierce, and sometimes, even cut-throat. Suicide rates amongst scientists are surprising, with scientists having a likelihood of committing suicide at a rate of 1.28 higher than the general population. For every 45 male suicides in the field, there are an estimated five female suicides per year, with one prominent example of a female chemist, (chemists being the scientists most likely to take their own lives), committing suicide by swallowing cyanide upon refusal of a research grant.
9 Pharmacists
Via programs.mkedu.org
Perhaps another surprising entry on this list, pharmacists are not immune to the acute stress their job heaps upon them. Generally, a pharmacist is responsible for running their own business, and is responsible for patient welfare by prescribing them their medications. Furthermore, when some patients cannot afford to pay for their medications, or insurance will not cover said medications, the pharmacist often takes the brunt of a patient’s ire. Moreover, perhaps most difficultly, a pharmacist is constantly involved in the high-pressure world of the big pharmaceutical companies, sometimes treated as a sales rep as opposed to a health care professional. Pharmacists also have a substance abuse rate of nearly 20% higher than average, all of which contribute to the rate of suicide amongst pharmacists to be 1.29 higher than average.
8 Farm Workers
Via foxnews.com
One of the lowest paying jobs in America, with a salary of less than $20,000 annually; working in agriculture can be extremely stressful. Not only is the work hard labour, it is also dangerous, working with heavy machinery. There were 216 farm accident fatalities in 2012 alone, prompting Forbes magazine to rank farming as one of the nation's deadliest jobs. Beyond the stress of farming and the workplace hazards, a farmer is also at the mercy of nature, and nature can be cruel. When the earth doesn’t cooperate, than a farmer’s livelihood can be completely in jeopardy, resulting in a suicide rate that is 1.32 higher than average.
7 Electricians
Via electricianinottawa.com
There may be a scientific explanation for the higher than average suicide rates amongst electricians, a rate that is 1.36 higher than average. While being an electrician can be a lucrative profession, it can also be difficult when the economy is bad and work is scarce. Beyond the stressful economic factors that may affect electricians, there have been recent studies that have posited that an electrician’s long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields could ultimately affect brain chemistry. The electromagnetic fields may affect melatonin production in the brain, which can potentially lead to depression, potentially culminating in suicide.
6 Real Estate Agents
Via jkgroves.com
The world of real estate can be a high risk, high reward profession, with all of the accompanying stress expected of a career that can make you millions of dollars, or leave you broke. Especially since the housing crisis in 2008 when housing prices plummeted, the world of real estate has become extremely unpredictable. The lack of stability in real estate, particularly not knowing when the next paycheck may arrive if the housing market is weak, may very well be one of the main reasons why real estate agents commit suicide at a rate of 1.38 higher than the average person. Not only is suicide a risk as a real estate agent, but over one-third of all job-related deaths among real estate agents are murders.
5 Police Officers
Via highlandstoday.com
Thus far, police officers may be the least surprising entry on this list. The amount of stress, both physical and emotional, that a police officer endures during the course of their career can sometimes create emotional duress. Studies have suggested that police officers are more than twice as likely to show signs of depression during their careers than those in other professions, and are four times more likely to get less than 6 hours of a sleep a night, all the while dealing with violence and crime on a daily basis. While suicide amongst police officers is more common than other professions in America, it is a problem that plagues women and African-American men more often than white men, with suicide rates amongst women 2.03 higher and amongst African-American men 2.55 times higher than average.
4 Lawyers
Via mesrianilawgroup.yolasite.com
According to studies, before even graduating from law school, a reported 40% of law students already suffer from depression. Once practicing, lawyers are nearly four times more likely to suffer from depression than the average American. The extremely stressful environment a career in law demands, with long hours, poor public opinion and difficult cases and clients, are considered the biggest reasons why lawyers commit suicide at a rate of 1.33 times higher than the national average. Suicide among lawyers has become such a concern that many states have implemented mental health programs that are required for their lawyers.
3 Financial Workers
Via whistleblower.org
Another profession that may not come as a surprise, as the correlation between financial workers and suicide has been witnessed by the public since the Great Depression when stock brokers who had been bankrupted leapt from buildings, as the economy goes, so does the average rate of suicide amongst workers in the financial sector. The suicide rate amongst financial workers in America is 1.51 times higher than average, and it is not entirely surprising given the economic landscape of the country post-2008. In the first three months of 2014 alone, there were already 11 reported suicides amongst those in finance.
2 Dentists
Via freewebsitehosting4u.info
Not many, if anyone, enjoys going to the dentist. Though this may not actively contribute to the likelihood of a dentist committing suicide at a rate of 1.67 times higher than the American average, it may compound the extremely high stress nature of the job and amongst all professions, dentistry is considered one of the most stressful. Being a dentist can be a lucrative, rewarding profession, but it also brings with it long hours, reluctant, if not downright difficult patients, and no guarantee of success or stability. Because of this, studies suggest that dentists are more likely to suffer from mental disorders, but are also more reluctant to seek treatment for disorders, perhaps explaining the higher than average suicide rate.
1 Doctors
Via healthindya.com
Doctors are 1.87 times more likely to commit suicide than the average American. While suicide accounts for roughly 2% of all deaths amongst the general population in the United States, 4% of all physician deaths are by suicide. The high stress nature of the job, like all jobs on this list, is the number one factor in the suicide rate amongst doctors. Doctors also have extra difficulty; when a doctor suffers from depression or another mental disorder, they are reluctant to seek treatment, potentially fearing for their practice if word of their own need for professional help were to be revealed. There have also been theories that suggest that because doctors are trained in medicine, they simply are more adept at actually committing suicide, knowing how to achieve their desired result, and knowing what drugs to administer to do so. While this theory hasn’t been proven, it may also be a factor that helps explain the high rate of suicide amongst doctors.(Photo by me. Click to embiggen and get more info at Flickr.)
Last night, Anne and I went to watch Roller Derby (which doesn't, by the rules of English grammar, need to be capitalized, but by the rules of capitalizing Things What Are Awesome does) live for the very first time.
I used to watch it on TV when I was a kid, and grew out of it the same time I grew out of wrestling, for pretty much the same reasons, so each time my friend Burns, who is a referee at the Doll Factory, told me to come watch a derby, I always had something else to do.
About a week ago, Burns told us that he'd get us VIP tickets if we wanted to come out. He promised us that we'd have a good time. Anne and I have been looking for excuses to get out of goddamn fucking suburbia lately, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to see something our friend loves, experience something new, and get out of goddamn fucking suburbia all at once.
We fought through horrible are-you-fucking-kidding-me-it's-7pm-on-a-Saturday traffic (we can't move away from Los Angeles soon enough) and walked into the Doll Factory just before 7:30. I instantly fell in love with the scene: an incredibly diverse crowd of enthusiastic, interesting people mingled around The Doll Mall, a room off to one side of the main building where artists and vendors had all sorts of cool stuff for sale. Skaters from both teams cruised around, talking to fans and each other, and the vibe was overwhelmingly positive.
We found Burns, found our seats, paid way too much for two Newcastles (not the Dolls' fault, apparently, but come on, vendors: $7 for one can of beer is bullshit) and got ready for the derby to start. Checking Twitter, I learned that the people sitting next to me were friends of @Mickipedia, putting them one degree from me through a bunch of different friends, including Sean Bonner, who I've concluded is the nexus of awesome in Los Angeles.
(Fun fact: About two weeks ago, I taunted Paul F. Tompkins during his hilarious #verifypft efforts that I'd get reverified before he got verified. I didn't think it would actually happen, but I sat next to @trammell who works for Twitter, and he was able to speed up my process. I got reverified this morning. Your move, @PFTompkins.)
Just before 8, the derby started. The Dolls' fielded an all-star team called the After Shockers, while Arizona brought the Derby Dames. The match was a blowout - LA won by something like 80 points - but it didn't seem to bother either team, because it was obvious that everyone was having a hell of a good time. All the girls skated like they meant it, and I'm pretty sure most of them are feeling it today, because they beat the shit out of each other for every point.
Unlike the televised stuff I watched in the late 70s and early 80s, this was not scripted or planned or faked or stupid, and by the end of the first quarter, the only thing I regretted about coming to the derby was waiting so long. The entire experience was amazing, from beginning to end, and did I mention that the girls are incredibly sexy? Because holy shit, you guys.
Now that our kids are grown and becoming more independent, Anne and I finally have time for ourselves that we haven't had for over a decade. In the absence of being full-time parents, we're starting to miss all the art and culture that we used to experience before we moved out here for the schools. We both feel like we've been trapped in a Suburban world bounded by responsibility, yard work and the mall, and the only road out is so choked with traffic, taking it is an aggravating ordeal that's barely worth the effort... but I keep thinking about the quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off about life moving by pretty fast, and I'm not quite ready to resign myself to missing it. Going to the Roller Derby last night, and being around all the non-suburbanized people there felt foreign and familiar and inspiring, all at once. It viscerally reminded me of all the things I've been missing, and I can't wait to go back.
Seriously, guys, if you live anywhere near roller derby, it's really worth making the effort to go and see it in person, at least once. Unless, as I said on Twitter last night, you hate things that are awesome.BY DAVID MIKICS
For the researcher plagued from time to time by what Norman Mailer called the Swiss cheese effect (i.e., you reach for something in your head and find a hole), the Internet is invaluable. A question pops up, and you tap the computer for the answer. When did people start thinking that the Druids built Stonehenge? Who said “the devil is in
|
took her.
The issues I had with the Predators being underpowered in Predator: Incursion are gone by the time Alien: Invasion comes around and there are no such concerns with Alien vs. Predator: Armageddon. They’re an effective force and without their brief alliance mankind would have been in a far worse place.
Fans like to groan at the team-up from Paul Anderson’s Alien vs. Predator but like the original Randy Stradley comic, the alliance in the Rage War (however brief it is going to be) just feels so natural. At no point in the series did it feel out of place or unnecessary. I really think Tim did a great job at making that alliance work so well.
The interactions between the few primary Predator characters and our main human characters continued to be fun to read and their burgeoning relationship really has me eager to see a post-Rage War continuity. I really want to see where it goes.
I did miss the emphasize on the difficulties that the human characters faced while communicating with the Predators but I can’t fault Tim for glazing over this as we’re at the point where we know how they’re capable of communication and it’s not really a vital part of the story at this point. It’s all about driving that story forward more.
As I predicted in my Alien: Invasion review, the Faze’s importance is amplified tenfold. While Tim Lebbon isn’t explicit, it’s heavily implied that the Faze is in fact acting on behalf of another race known as the Drukathi to manipulate the Rage into crippling mankind.
Whether the Drukathi are the dog-aliens introduced in Lebbon’s Alien: Out of the Shadows or actually the Engineers is unknown. The Predators are very aware and very wary of them though. This is yet another reason I’m eager to see some post-Rage War stories!
It’s a bit of a tangent and not related to Alien vs. Predator: Armageddon specifically but it’s something I know I’m not alone in and I think it needs to be said. Titan – please stop using game screenshots or dodgy photoshops for your book covers! These latest covers are really putting an emphasis on the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
In a time where we’re getting some cracking new novels and Dark Horse are putting out some gorgeous comics, please invest in some original cover artwork. It would be fantastic to see John Bolton, Dave Dorman, Raymond Swanland, Den Beauvais or Tristan Jone’s talent grace the covers of these new novels and really help attract attention!
I’ve really enjoyed the entire Rage War trilogy. The militaristic, hard sci-fi approach that Tim Lebbon has taken really does help the series stand apart from the previous novels. It feels so completely different. This isn’t going to be something that everyone enjoys but I really appreciated the tonal shift.
The series flowed nicely from one book to another, never feeling stalled or dull. I really look forward to seeing more of this universe in the upcoming Predator anthology series were Tim will be re-entering the Rage War world.
From Corporal Hicks here at Alien vs. Predator Galaxy, I award Tim Lebbon’s Alien vs. Predator: Armagedon (and the Rage War trilogy as a whole) with 7.2 out of 10!Japanese Internet Services Provider, GMO Internet Acquires Z.com for JPY800 million
Single-character domain name offer unparalleled marketing power as GMO Internet Group takes on Global Market
Tokyo, Japan – November 21, 2014 -- GMO Internet, Inc. one of Japan’s leading Internet services providers and operator of the country’s largest domain registrar, today announces the acquisition of single-character domain name, Z.com (z.com/en) for JPY800 million.
As one of only three single-character domain names currently existing in the.com space, Z.com is highly memorable and offers unparalleled marketing opportunity. With over 100 million registrations,.com is one of the most instantly recognizable and easily identifiable domains in the world. Z.com was acquired to spearhead GMO Internet Group global growth strategy, and securing “Z” under the.com Top Level Domain, provides the Group with a powerful tool to build a strong global brand.BAMAKO (Reuters) - Soldiers from Mali’s presidential guard unit, loyal to the country’s ousted president, battled junta forces on Monday in an bid to wrest back control of the capital Bamako a month after a coup, witnesses and a junta official said.
Malian soldiers stand guard at the international airport of Bamako March 29, 2012. REUTERS/Luc Gnago
Heavy gunfire rang out in the centre of the city near a military barracks, and the red beret presidential unit took up positions around the airport and entered the state broadcaster building, witnesses said.
“These are elements of the presidential guard from the old regime and they’re trying to turn things around,” Bacary Mariko, a spokesman for the ruling military junta told Reuters. “We have the situation under control.”
A Reuters witness said residents near the airport were fleeing after truckloads of heavily armed red berets arrived. Electricity to the neighborhood was later cut, plunging it into darkness.
Gunfire rang out near the state broadcaster’s main building, and a technician inside said red berets had entered. State television broadcast a documentary about Japan instead of the usual 2000 GMT news programming.
“There is heavy firing all around. It is continuing. The streets are deserted. No one is moving,” a Reuters witness said.
Mutinous soldiers angered by the government’s handling of a rebellion by Tuaregs in the vast desert north toppled President Amadou Toumani Toure on March 22, forcing him to flee the country for neighboring Senegal.
The coup, which pre-empted a planned April election meant to replace Toure, has drawn broad international criticism as a major setback for regional democracy. The northern rebels took advantage of the chaos to seize several northern towns, effectively taking control of two-third of the nation.
Mali’s ruling junta has named an interim government in a first step to restoring constitutional order since the coup, but it has balked at a plan by regional bloc ECOWAS to send more than 3,000 troops to help oversee a one-year transition.
The junta had already agreed to hand over power for 40 days to a civilian government led by caretaker president Dioncounda Traore, and then allow elections by the end of May.
But ECOWAS said last week the interim government should have up to 12 months to prepare for the elections, an announcement that angered the junta.Question number one: “Does Clean Master Boost and Applock work?” And so began my interview with the Cheetah Mobile team, developer of the ever-popular Clean Master app. Said to be able to "boost phone speed by 80 percent," Clean Master has had more than 660 million global downloads, but many in the Android community believe its benefits are overstated. This is what I wanted to investigate.
Leopard Mobile Chairman, David Wu (left). / © ANDROIDPIT
How it works
“We work with over 100 OEMs today including Samsung, Sony, HTC, Acer Asus, Huawei, ZTE...all the tier-one brands you can think of,” said David Wu, Chairman of Leopard Mobile, Cheetah Mobile's marketing partner. According to Mr Wu, Clean Master is the fifth-most popular app in the world of Android, only Facebook, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have more downloads.
How could there be such vast support for this app if it doesn’t work? Difficult as is to believe, I still wanted tangible proof of Clean Master's capabilities. To help me ascertain this, Mr Wu was joined by Regina Lin, working on Global Brand Communications at Leopard Mobile, and Kangzong Zhang, the R&D Director for Cheetah Mobile.
Mr Zhang dialed in from Cheetah Mobile's Beijing headquarters and Ms Lin and Mr Wu translated for him. Despite difficulties concerning language barriers and call connections, the team was very patient and understanding with my questions.
Clean Master notifies you of junk files and how to boost your device performance. / © ANDROIDPIT
For those who aren't aware, RAM (random access memory) is a limited storage space where app content is loaded temporarily for quick access. 'RAM cleaner' apps, like Clean Master, are said to be able to manually or automatically clear or manage smartphone RAM to increase the speed of devices (though this is just one of Clean Master's numerous features).
That's the basic idea, but the counter-argument is that the Android system manages RAM effectively already and that these 'boosters' don't really change anything.
I asked how Clean Master's performance booster works and Mr Wu translated for Mr Zhang. “For Android, the system will not automatically clear out the processes until the system has a warning that it’s going to fail. Then, the Android system mechanism will activate. But Clean Master is lessening the process all the time,” Mr Wu said. "If you kill [a process] it will reactivate itself – so we proactively monitor the process that is going to have a problem.”
Gentle and funny: Mr Wu even joked about the caption we'd use for this picture. / © ANDROIDPIT
In essence, Clean Master is better at managing background processes than Android itself. I asked Mr Wu if he could demonstrate the effect of this on my phone. He installed the Facebook app and showed me how it performed before and after using Clean Master's boost function. I didn't see a difference in speed and said it looked just the same as before.
“If you play multiple games and play YouTube at the same time, having all this heavy processing running, and at this time you do Facebook chatting...use Clean Master and then chat, the whole experience will be smoother," Mr Wu said.
The recent apps menu
Mr Wu said that with Clean Master, you don't need to manually remove items from the recent apps menu because Clean Master does something similar, but more effectively. Personally, I don't believe it's necessary to remove items from the recent apps menu. I told Mr Wu that apps loaded there meant that the system was faster rather than slower.
“But you have to clear [these processes] otherwise you will keep accumulating like PC RAM. You can not have 30 windows open,” Mr Wu said.
This may be true of browser tabs on PC systems: it may even be true of tabs in Chrome for Android. But as for apps in this menu – I never clear them. Nor do I ever manually delete cached data (unless it's to fix an uncommon app error or bug). Until Mr Wu did it on my device, I hadn't in more than a year.
I haven't cleared the recent apps menu in more than a year
“That’s probably why the phone is slow,” he said. It didn't seem slow to me.
In the end, Mr Wu said that it comes down to habits: he kills tasks on his PC and he does it on his phone. I asked if “users who are doing lots of multitasking” are more likely to see the benefits of Clean Master than those who multitask less. Mr Wu said yes.
Overheating and scaremongering
Aside from performance matters, there are several other aspects of the Clean Master app which I wanted to address. I had concerns about the 'CPU Cooler' function of the app. Clean Master claims it can cool down your smartphone to prevent the processor overheating. I said modern smartphones don't overheat (with some exceptions) and that it's not necessary to have this.
David said it's there so that users can visualize the RAM cleaning process, but told me “some OEMs requested to turn it off,” adding, “you have a right to complain.”
I then discussed some of Clean Master's security notifications. The Clean Master app warned me of "monetary loss" and recommended I install the CM Security app (another Cheetah Mobile product) to fix this. Apps at risk included Chrome and other seemingly safe products.
CPU Cooling and 'Boost Even More' features. / © ANDROIDPIT
Scammers often target websites and emails, it's not that these spaces can't cause a risk to the user. But, to suggest that Clean Master had the solution to this, I believe, is unnecessary: we can be safe online ourselves. I asked how Cheetah Mobile was responding to criticisms that it was scaremongering.
"You have a right to complain," David Wu said of Clean Master's CPU Cooler feature.
“You can turn [these notifications] off, but as long as you do something that has a security risk, or privacy risk...Clean Master has a responsibility to remind the user,” Mr Wu said. However, he told me that some OEMs had requested the function be disabled on their phones because it suggests the handset has security problems out of the box. “Samsung complained, HTC complained,” Mr Wu said. Ms Lin added: “It’s a legit question.”
Finally, I reiterated my concerns with the app and asked what they would say to a user like me, to put my mind at ease. Mr Wu said that most of the app's functions could be turned off.
Ms Lin added that you can customize the app, that it can be altered to suit the tastes of users. CM Lite, a slimmer version of the app, was also mentioned for giving users just the “core features”.On June 3, 2016 the Science department at Mother Teresa S.S. (M.T.S.) in London, Ontario launched a weather balloon into the skies with a GoPRO attached. The views are spectacular and reaches altitudes near space.
Man loses his cool in Flat versus Round Earth argument
Find Your Forecast Search for a location
Caroline Floyd
Meteorologist
Wednesday, June 15, 2016, 12:02 PM - Brockville Police are looking for a 56-year-old man after a family argument got heated at a local campground on Monday - make that very heated.
The man was visiting St. Lawrence Park with his son and his son's girlfriend earlier this week when an argument erupted over the shape of planet Earth.
According to a release from the police department, when the older man failed to convince his son's girlfriend that Earth is, in fact, round, he began throwing their items into the campfire.
Showing off Earth's curves with the former Mir space station. Photo credit Wikimedia Commons.
Unfortunately for the group, one of the items included a propane cylinder, which resulted in a visit from both the Brockville fire and police departments (perhaps regrettably, there is no emergency science department). By the time the police arrived, however, the exasperated party had fled the scene.
Thankfully, no injuries or other damage were reported in what could have been an explosive situation. Brockville Police are still looking for the man to charge him with mischief.
The Earth was first established as round in the 3rd century B.C.E. by Greek astronomers calculating the planet's circumference using varying shadow lengths and observing the shadow of Earth on the Moon during an eclipse. Ferdinand Magellan's 1519 - 1522 expedition was the first to successfully circumnavigate the globe, proving conclusively there was no 'edge' to fall off. Today, as seen in the lead video, more practical demonstrations of the curvature of the Earth are available to anyone with a GoPro and a weather balloon.
Sources: Brockville Police | CTV News |THE Philippine Catholic Church has apologised after a priest was filmed riding a hoverboard in church while celebrating Christmas Eve Mass.
In clips that have gone viral on YouTube and social media sites, a middle-aged man in a white cassock sings a Christmas song while riding a self-balancing electric scooter between packed pews.
The diocese of San Pablo said the priest rode the hoverboard inside his Miraculous Medal church in the town of Binan, about 30 kilometres south of Manila, “as a way of greeting his parishioners”.
MORE: Ten hoverboard fails on social media
-Ce curé est hilarant sur son hoverboard Weebot, leur E-shop : www.wee-bot.com - This Pastor is so funny on his Weebot, get yours on http://www.wee-bot.com- Este cura Sí está a la moda con su Weebot, Compra la tuya en http://www.wee-bot.com Posted by FLOW CARTAGENA on Saturday, December 26, 2015
“That was wrong. The Eucharist demands utmost respect and reverence... it is the Church’s highest form of worship,” the diocese said.
Its statement was released to AFP by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, which named the priest as Father Albert San Jose.
“Consequently, it is not a personal celebration where one can capriciously introduce something to get the attention of the people,” the statement added.
“The priest said that it was a wake-up call for him; he acknowledged that his action was not right and promised that it will not happen again.
“He will be out of the parish and will spend some time to reflect on this past event,” it said, adding the priest also offered an apology.
The Philippines is a conservative bastion of the Catholic Church in Asia, the only state outside the Vatican to ban divorce. About 80 per cent of its 100 million people are members of the faith.This game is fun. It’s like a cross between a free-movement fighter and an RPG. The concept is similar to MegaMan.EXE, where you’re a kid and you control this little robot thing around, except that all overworld movement is done by the kid, so there’s none of this “walk the internet” nonsense.
The sounds are alright, they work. The graphics are standard N64 polygon stuff (in-battles) and pretty above-average-SNES sprite-work for maps.
I can’t comment on the story, but I can’t imagine it being too complicated. I played this game when I didn’t know the amount of Japanese that I do now, and even if I were to play this game today, I’d still be able to tell you very little.
But it’s fun. I recommend it if you want to waste an hour screwing around with little robot people. I feel it’s better than the Gamecube one anyway.RICHMOND — Standing within eyeshot of the former Confederate capitol, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine yesterday endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.
“I am very happy to say it is a very simple decision for me in terms of what I think is important in my assessment of where the nation is to endorse Sen. Barack Obama as our nation’s next president,” Mr. Kaine said, standing outside the governor’s mansion in Capitol Square.
Mr. Obama, Illinois Democrat, was joined by his wife, Michelle. He said he was “honored” to have Mr. Kaine’s early public support.
“For Tim Kaine to step forward as the first governor outside of my home state of Illinois to endorse my candidacy is an extraordinary honor,” he said. “I am absolutely determined that the confidence he has placed in me will be reflected in the hard work over the next several months … to win the presidency.”
Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, said his early endorsement was a sign of his enthusiasm for Mr. Obama. His endorsement of the first-term senator made Mr. Kaine the first governor to publicly endorse any presidential candidate.
Mr. Obama yesterday said it was “humbling” to stand in the heart of the Confederacy and receive the backing of the Virginia governor.
“Here we are in what was the heart of the Confederacy, and for me to be able to stand here as an African-American reflects the enormous progress that this country has made, and I think to some degree represents not the perfection of the union, but a whole lot of progress in perfecting this union,” he said.
He said that he was “standing on the shoulders” on many black leaders who have paved the way for him.
“It is worth noting that the trajectory of America is to include more people and bring more people together,” he said. “We have stumbled at times. It’s been a rocky path and we still have a long way to go, but part of my campaign I hope is to remind people of the capacity for this nation to change and that has always been one of our strengths.”
Mr. Kaine, standing next to his wife, Anne, said the two men shared similar life experiences.
Both graduated from Harvard Law School, married lawyers and practiced civil rights law before entering politics.
“The thing that cemented our relationship early on is when we found out that our [mothers] grew up in the very tiny town of El Dorado, Kansas, and there are just so few people that can claim that,” Mr. Kaine said.
Mr. Obama was in Richmond last night to headline the Jefferson-Jackson dinner, the Virginia Democratic Party’s annual fundraising event, which each year showcases key national Democratic figures and this year drew 4,000 people.
Mr. Obama, the son of a Kenyan immigrant, campaigned in Virginia last fall for Sen. James H. Webb Jr. and received a rock-star ovation alongside Mr. Webb and former Gov. Mark Warner at a rally in Richmond.
He also appeared at a fundraiser for Mr. Kaine in July 2005 and donated $10,000 to Mr. Kaine’s gubernatorial bid.
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Columnist
Since well before the White House plan to replace Secretary of State Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo became public Thursday, Pompeo had been informally preparing to take over in Foggy Bottom, reaching out to potential candidates for positions and collecting ideas.
“Pompeo is quietly looking at staff and figuring out how the department could be reorganized to be effective again,” a White House official told me. A CIA spokesman declined to comment.
Pompeo has been calling around to friends and top Republican foreign policy hands and asking them to help him get ready to be America’s top diplomat, if he is ultimately chosen, two GOP foreign policy sources who are familiar with the calls said.
The Trump administration denied Thursday that the White House has drawn up plans to replace Tillerson with Pompeo and then appoint Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to be CIA director, as first reported by the New York Times. But White House officials confirmed to me that such a plan does exist, drawn up by Chief of Staff John F. Kelly. It is still unclear if President Trump has personally approved the plan, officials said, and the timing is also uncertain.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Kelly called Tillerson’s chief of staff, Margaret Peterlin, Thursday morning to dispute the reports. Tillerson is going about his normal business, she said, and was not rattled.
“The White House statement confirmed there will be no personnel changes,” she said. “Secretary Tillerson enjoys this job, he has a lot of work to do.”
Tillerson and Trump met twice Thursday. In a pool meeting with reporters, Trump answered questions about Tillerson simply by saying, “He’s here. Rex is here.”
Several State Department officials said Thursday they were happy that Tillerson was leaving and hopeful that Pompeo, if selected, would give them a fresh start with the Trump administration. Morale is low in Foggy Bottom amid budget and staffing cuts, hiring freezes, a departure of top talent and scores of vacant top-level positions.
Tillerson’s support on Capitol Hill has also deteriorated in recent weeks as lawmakers in both parties openly criticized his ongoing reorganization initiative. The main State Department official in charge of that effort, Maliz Beams, quit her job earlier this week.
Tillerson has consistently denied reports he is considering leaving or anticipating being pushed out. This week he pushed back against reports the diplomatic core is in trouble.
Last month, he denied being aware of the low morale and overall discontent with his leadership at the State Department. “If it’s as bad as it seems to be described, I’m not seeing it, I’m not getting it,” he said.
If Pompeo does become secretary of state, his first task should be to repair the Trump administration’s relationship with the thousands of State Department employees who are ready to follow him, if he is ready to lead them.Senate Republicans are forging their own path on the effort to overhaul the U.S. tax code, offering a plan Thursday that would delay an immediate corporate tax cut President Trump has demanded and blow up House Republicans' carefully crafted compromise on a controversial tax deduction.
GOP Senate leaders unveiled a tax package that would delay cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent until 2019. That's a major departure from Trump's insistence on immediate tax cuts that he says are necessary to spur the economy.
The one-year delay would lower the cost of the Senate bill by more than $100 billion, giving negotiators more revenue for other changes. But it could also delay companies moving back to the United States from overseas or prompt them to hold off on other decisions as they wait for the corporate rate to fall.
The unveiling of the Senate plan, combined with a House committee vote to send a version of its bill to the House floor, is a step forward in the party's race to rewrite the U.S. tax code before year's end. Before those bills could become law, however, the House and Senate must pass matching versions of the legislation. And as leaders in each chamber grapple with difficult trade-offs on tax rates, deductions and deficits, the House is making decisions the Senate won't accept and the Senate is doing the same to the House.
"We know we have more work yet to be done, but this is a historic step," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) said. "Will there be some differences? Of course, that's the legislative process. We welcome that."
Those differences became more pronounced Thursday, making the path forward more complicated. Republicans are under intense pressure to pass a tax bill or face ending a year of near-complete control over the federal government without a a single major legislative achievement to bring voters and donors.
From left: Republicans House SpeakerPaul Ryan, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
Delaying the corporate-tax-rate reduction was one of many tough choices Senate leaders made as they tried to craft a bill that would lower taxes but also add no more than $1.5 trillion to the debt over 10 years. Further changes are expected next week as lawmakers begin debating the measure.
The bill does not comply with Senate rules that prohibit certain legislation from adding to the deficit after 10 years. This could force Republicans to make some of the tax cuts temporary, though those decisions have not yet been made.
Senate Republicans briefed White House officials on the one-year delay, and Trump administration officials said they would accept such a provision. To try to prod companies into expansion next year, the Senate bill would allow companies to immediately deduct all capital investments in 2018. Companies would be allowed to immediately expense these investments for five years.
In a move that could cause major tension in the House, the Senate bill also would prohibit Americans from deducting certain state and local taxes from their federal bills, a change that could raise taxes overall for Americans in high-tax states such as New York, New Jersey, California, Oregon and Illinois.
[5 big changes in the Senate tax bill (and what they mean for you)]
The Senate's approach to state and local taxes is at odds with that of the House, where Republicans settled on a compromise — scrapping some of the state and local deductions but still allowing a deduction of up to $10,000 on property taxes — after GOP lawmakers from high-tax states revolted against an initial House plan to scrap the deduction entirely.
The proposal to eliminate that deduction in the Senate and House bills would apply only to individuals and families, while businesses would still be allowed to claim the deduction. The discrepancy could further inflame Democrats, who have criticized the GOP tax cut effort as offering too many benefits for companies and stripping benefits away from individuals and families.
"Senate Republicans are doubling down on their gamble with middle-class family budgets to pay for massive handouts to big corporations and tax cheats," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore).
Trump, traveling in Asia this week, called in to a meeting between White House officials and a collection of moderate Senate Democrats on Tuesday, hoping he could win their support for his tax effort. The call was part of a broader push from the president to enact a major piece of his domestic agenda, with repeated attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act having failed and the infrastructure package he campaigned still in its nascent stages.
The stakes are also high for Republicans in Congress, where Republicans on Tuesday night watched their party peers in state and local races get ousted in a string of election defeats. Top GOP officials were split on whether the losses would complicate the tax overhaul. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said Wednesday that it demonstrated the need for the GOP to deliver on its promises.
"We need to start making our legislation match our campaign rhetoric," Meadows said.
Businesses are watching the process closely as well. The stock market fell Thursday after reports the Senate bill included the one-year delay to corporate tax cuts, with investors worried that it could force companies to hold back expansion plans.
The Senate bill also eliminates the personal exemption many Americans take to lower their taxable income, but it does expand the tax credits for families with children and nearly doubles the "standard deduction" taken by tens of millions of taxpayers who don't itemize their returns.
The Senate plan would also keep the mortgage interest deduction intact, according to a Republican official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly. In the House bill, homeowners would be allowed to deduct only interest payments on their first $500,000 worth of home loans, a proposal that generated fierce opposition from the housing industry, while the Senate bill would keep the current threshold of $1 million.
[In House GOP tax plan, people lose key deduction, but businesses keep it]
Another feature of the Senate bill would be to make changes to the estate tax, a levy placed only on very large estates when they're inherited from their deceased owner. The House bill would eliminate the estate tax by 2024, while the Senate bill would instead reduce the number of people who have to pay it by doubling the size of estates that are exempt from being taxed.
It would also continue allowing people to deduct payments on student loan interest and to deduct some medical expenses — a provision dropped from the House plan that could lead to significantly higher taxes for many households, particularly for the elderly.
The Senate bill would lower tax rates across income levels as a way to lower tax bills for most Americans, Senate Finance Committee aides said.
The package as currently constructed, however, has significant problems.
Senate Finance Committee aides said they planned to make adjustments to the legislation because it probably does not comply with the rules for a special Senate procedure they hope to use to pass the bill with 50 votes, rather than the 60 votes typically needed to beat a filibuster.
Republicans control 52 votes in the 100-seat Senate, meaning they can only lose two members if they want to pass a bill without Democratic support. A 50-50 tie would go to Republicans, as Vice President Pence would cast the tiebreaking vote.
It's because of that delicate majority that many White House officials expect a tax bill — if it eventually becomes law — to more closely resemble the Senate bill. Senate Republicans will work to resolve differences among themselves in the next few weeks, but major changes made in the House could upend any agreement.
Senate lawmakers also must grapple with strict rules that regulate how a tax-cut bill is designed. To use special Senate procedures to get around a filibuster from Democrats, Republicans must write a bill that does not add more than $1.5 trillion to the debt over 10 years.
Republicans such as Sens. Bob Corker (Tenn.), Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and James Lankford (Okla.) have said they would not support a tax plan that adds too much to the debt, creating a bloc of votes that would be able to kill the bill if they aren't appeased.
House Republican leaders are facing difficult decisions as they try to advance their tax bill. On Thursday, House Ways and Means Committee Republicans voted to advance their bill out of committee. The vote, which clears the bill to advance to the House floor, included revisions meant to eliminate a $74 billion shortfall and address other issues complicating the bill's passage.
[Gary Cohn says the estate tax repeal isn’t just about the wealthy. Here’s the truth.]
To offset the various revenue-losing provisions introduced Thursday, House tax writers opted to increase tax rates on foreign assets that multinational corporations move back to the United States.
The House revisions would also direct further benefits to middle-class taxpayers. It would restore the Child Adoption Tax Credit left out of the previous version and allow for a deduction of moving expenses available to active-duty military members. The Child Adoption Tax Credit is also included in the Senate bill.
Other changes in the House bill are directed at businesses, including a further rate reduction for certain qualified "pass-through" firms that send their earnings to their owners to be taxed as individual income.
Earlier versions of the bill established a new 25 percent rate for income from "pass-through" firms that send their earnings to their owners to be taxed as individual income. But business owners already paying a top individual rate of 25 percent or lower would not benefit. The revised bill creates a rate as low as 9 percent for some small-business income.
The change was enough to win support for the House bill from a key holdout, the National Federation of Independent Business. "This amendment would create substantial tax relief for millions of small-business owners who were left out of the original bill," the group said.
[Trump says he asked accountant how he’d be affected by GOP tax bill]
There are other notable differences between the Senate and House bills.
In a break from the House plan, which kept the top marginal income tax rate at the current 39.6 percent, the Senate bill would slightly lower it to 38.5 percent — a win for advocates of supply-side economic theory who argue that a lower top rate will grow the economy.
The House bill would immediately cut the corporate tax rate to 20 percent, offer families a five-year "flexibility credit" of $300 per parent, and expand the child tax credit. It would also collapse the seven income-tax brackets paid by families and individuals down to four, only taxing income above $1 million at the highest rate of 39.6 percent.Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s sports broadcasting business (TEN Sports) has been a drag for a long time now. The business has posted operating losses continuously for the last seven years at least.
Over FY2010-2016, cumulative sports business Ebitda losses stood at ₹ 621 crore. For FY16, revenue and Ebitda loss stood at ₹ 631 crore and ₹ 35 crore, respectively. Ebitda is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization.
Ambit Capital Pvt. Ltd sums it up aptly: “Sports has been a white elephant for Zee."
Given this scenario, Zee’s announcement that it will sell TEN Sports to Sony Pictures Network in an all-cash deal for $385 million, or about ₹ 2,600 crore, is more than welcome. The deal translates to about four times the revenues of the sports business in FY16.
It is difficult to value the company’s sports business considering there wasn’t any visibility of sustainable profits or break-even, pointed out an analyst. “Nonetheless, value of sports broadcasting business resides entirely in the franchise/brand (TEN Sports in this case)," he added.
Zee had acquired TEN Sports for $107 million in tranches. The TEN Sports portfolio includes TEN 1, TEN 1 HD, TEN 2, TEN 3, TEN Golf HD, TEN Cricket and TEN Sports.
The Zee stock reacted positively, ending 2% higher on BSE on Wednesday.
Also Read: Zee sells TEN Sports to Sony for $385 million
According to Punit Goenka, managing director and chief executive of Zee, there won’t be much impact for this fiscal year, as it will take some time to complete the process. But absence of sports business losses should help the financials for FY18. The company’s Ebitda margin is expected to improve and that should eventually help core profits.
Zee’s consolidated Ebitda margin for FY16 was 25.8%. Analysts expect a 300-400 basis point improvement in the measure excluding the sports portfolio. A basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.
Additionally, it helps that the performance of the regional channels has been robust, making Zee’s overall channel bouquet strong even without sports channels.
“Bearish arguments of weakening bargaining power with distribution platforms are unfounded given sub-par cricket viewership of Zee’s sports channels," wrote Vivekanand Subbaraman in an Ambit Capital report on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the company has performed well on the advertising revenues front in recent quarters including the last quarter. For this year, Zee expects to outperform industry advertisement growth.
So far this fiscal year, Zee shares have outperformed the benchmark Sensex. Currently, one share trades at 41 times its estimated
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to act more as pro-feminist allies than as leaders.
This links back to the notion of protection I mentioned earlier. Women are not to be liberated by men, for that would be a false liberation such as that promoted by ‘dude feminism’ and Justin Timberlake. Instead, women must liberate themselves and lead their own feminist societies, while men should aim to listen and cooperate within these movements.
Secondly, the word listen is key for men operating within the feminist movement. Rows and arguments arise when men try to dominate discussion, or insist that their ideas be heard over others. The line between contributing to discussion and endeavouring to dominate it can be a fine one – one which I hope to tread carefully with this article, partly by aiming it at men rather than telling women how to run their feminist movement.
The idea that feminism is a movement owned and led by women is central to both of these aims, but it is acutely central to the third – that men must make space for feminism, not demand space from it.
The greatest problem with many male feminists is that they demand that the feminist movement take notice of them, and then complain when feminist societies & groups reject their input.
This can happen because they fail to meet the two requirements I have just listed, and are being too forceful in their input. Or feminist societies may be uncomfortable with men barging into a group which is inherently a space for women in their collective effort to liberate women from men. Such motives are often understandable and men need to appreciate that often their membership is problematic and not wanted.
Instead, the role of male feminists is to recognise that, as a man, they already have access to spheres of power and influence that women do not. The idea that men complain about not always being welcome in feminism when, as men, they have already got superior access to everything else often comes across as blinkered and insensitive. Thus, the role of male feminists is to utilise their access to these areas by discouraging sexism & encouraging female membership and enthusiasm.
A good example of how men and boys could make space for feminism is in video gaming. Online gaming is often a boys-only, cliquey and misogynist atmosphere, as explored in Kirsty Wark’s documentary Blurred Lines and on Jenny Haniver’s website Not in the Kitchen Anymore.
You, dear male reader, can encourage change within male-orientated groups, such as gaming, by discouraging sexism amongst your friends and peers, encouraging women to get involved, and supporting women who suffer abuse online. These are often little actions which make a big difference in the long-term, making more feminist spaces through the actions of male pro-feminist allies.
However, we must avoid adopting the patronising or protective stance when making space for feminism in male-dominated sections of society. Men ought to create avenues for women to access these spaces so that they can continue to lead change themselves. Our job, as men, is then to know when to step aside and work as the allies of women.
That, for me, is our role within feminism.The proposal comes as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary relief from deportation to those immigrants, who are known as "Dreamers," faces a legal challenge from Texas and nine other states.
The Trump administration has not said whether it will defend DACA in court.
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White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said at an off-camera briefing Wednesday that the administration is unlikely to support the new bill.
"The administration has opposed the Dream Act and we are likely to be consistent in that," he said.
President Trump extended DACA in June, but has vacillated on the issue of Dreamers — the DACA recipients who received that monicker after the original Dream Act.
“It’s a decision that I make and it’s a decision that’s very, very hard to make. I really understand the situation now. I understand the situation very well. What I’d like to do is a comprehensive immigration plan. But our country and political forces are not ready yet,” Trump said last week.
A White House official speaking on background said Trump "campaigned on enforcement first, and that is where his focus is."
The official added that the White House is "working with Congress on a number of key pieces of legislation, including with [House Judiciary Committee] Chairman [Bob] Goodlatte [R-Va.] on a series of enforcement measures as well as with Sens. [Tom] Cotton [R-Ark.] and [David] Perdue [R-Ga.] on merit-based reforms to the legal immigration system."
The bipartisan bill is likely to receive some support from Democrats and moderate Republicans pushing to provide a permanent legislative solution before any legal challenge against DACA takes effect.
Many members on both sides of the aisle are on record in support of making DACA benefits permanent, and have supported previous iterations of the Dream Act dating back to 2001.
In their bill, Graham and Durbin — the top Democratic sponsor of most earlier versions of the Senate bill — will set guidelines for qualification, similar to DACA and earlier Dream Act guidelines.
Under the 2017 Dream Act, immigrants would qualify for permanent residence and a path to citizenship if they are longtime residents who came to the United States as children; earn a high school diploma or GED; pursue higher education, have lawful employment for three years or serve in the military; pass a background check and pay a fee; show proficiency in English and U.S. history; and have not committed a felony nor posed a threat to the country.I commend Professor Slaughter's decision to broach a difficult but still important subject. As Snowden and his predecessors have shown, US systemic primacy, and the determination expressed by successive Administrations to extend this primacy into the indefinite future by widening and deepening its overwhelming all-domain superiority, can only serve to gravely imprint profound collective insecurity among those at the receiving end of this dominance. As recent hacks initiated by both the NSA and its Five-Eyes partners, and others, show quite clearly, this is a game many can play. America can not logically emphasise its system-encompassing national interests on the one hand, and deny any rival (or even non-allied) state might have comparable interests on the other, and still expect good and predictable order to prevail without lethal enforcement. Obligations, like charity, usually begin at home. No?With the ever-increasing temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere from as early as the late 19th century, nature is sending us signals to do something about global warming. We humans have a tendency to neglect obvious signs and this is probably why warning messages of global warming are only surfacing in the recent years when we could have intervened a hundred years ago.
On a lighter side, I’m glad that artists are doing their part and taking a stand to highlight the effects of global warning while using this as a platform to express their creativity. As people become more aware of the dangers and complications that will come from global warming, the demand for such awe-inducing posters will certainly rise. From these art pieces, we can briefly appreciate the beauty and vulnerability of Mother Nature, and her impending wrath if we continue to disrespect Earth.
Recommended Reading: 60 Creative Public Awareness Ads That Makes You Think
In joining the celebration of World Environment Day on the 5th of June, I’d like to showcase just some of the most unique global warming warning posters out there on the Web.
Atlas Holding Our World (Image Credit: Karim Fakhoury)
Fight Global Warming Poster (Image Credit: Tim Shundo)
Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute (Image Credit:Francisco Rodriguez)
Climate, Justice, Action. NOW. (Image Credit: Danny)
Evolution Of Global Warming (Image Credit: Hany Mansy)
Running Out of Time (Image Credit: Ferdi Rizkiyanto)
It’s What We Have Left (Image Credit: Crooklyn2108)
Global Warming: Extinction (Image Credit: Karlis Dovnorovics)
Global Warming (Image Credit: Zibas)
I Scream (Image Credit: Arkun)
Greenpeace: Climate Change (Image Credit: Sascha Kuntze)
Greenpeace: Future Of The Ice Bear (Image Credit: Greenpeace Turkey)
Greenpeace: Last Will (Image Credit: Adverbox)
Greed — Cause Of Global Warming? (Image Credit: Brittany Jackson)
Stop Global Warming: Corn (Image Credit: Cayenne Italy)
The Earth Is Heating Up (Image Credit: Jan Macken)
We Are Drowning: Hand (Image Credit: Kim, Junghwa)
We Are Drowning: Face (Image Credit: Kim, Junghwa)
Switch Off Global Warming (Image Credit: Takanori Matsumoto)
Global Warming: Shattered Sky (Image Credit: Rusalkadesign)
Earth Tree (Image Credit: Andrew Lumban Gaol)
Global Warming Awareness: Earth (Image Credit: Satya PR)
Join the Earth Hour! (Image Credit: Andrew Lumban Gaol)
Help Stop Global Warming (Image Credit: Ferdi Rizkiyanto)
Someday (Image Credit: Orphen316)
Flaming Earth (Image Credit: Fayth)
‘Til Death Do Us Part (Image Credit: Privatechino)
Stop Global Warming. Now! (Image Credit: Bonar Fitriarman)
Polar Bears In The Desert (Image Credit: Luis Beltrán)
Global Warming Ad Campaign (Image Credit: Koray Sahan)
O Estado de São Paulo: Brazil (Image Credit: Rui Branquinho)
Stop Global Warming, They Need Spaces (Image Credit: Jake Hays)
Increasing Sea Level (Image Credit: Fubiz)
Homeless Seal (Image Credit: Marcelo Coutinho)
Smoky Skies… (Image Credit: Miteshkothari)
Deleting Trees… (Image Credit: Pradeep Ts)UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Germany has requested that the U.N. Security Council meet on Monday to discuss the worsening violence in Syria, a spokesman for the German mission at the United Nations said.
The request came after human rights groups said 80 people had been killed in the Syrian city of Hama when government troops stormed in on Sunday to crush protests amid a five-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
Germany holds the rotating Security Council presidency until midnight on Sunday, then India takes over for the month of August.
German spokesman Alexander Eberl said his mission had asked the Indian mission to schedule closed-door council consultations for Monday and it was likely to take place in the afternoon, New York time.
Practical council action on Syria has been paralyzed for weeks by disagreements within the 15-nation body.
Western European countries circulated a draft resolution on June 8 that would condemn the Syrian crackdown on protesters, but Russia and China, both allies of Damascus, have threatened to veto it.
Temporary council members Brazil, India, Lebanon and South Africa have also said they do not support the resolution. They say they fear that even a simple condemnation could be the first step toward Western military intervention in Syria, as happened in Libya in March.The band will reenter the studio next month to continue work on the follow-up to 2011's 'The King Of Limbs'
Philip Selway has discussed the progress of the new Radiohead album, saying that the LP is “coming along nicely” but that it might not be released this year.
Speaking to Drowned In Sound, the band’s drummer commented: “It’s all coming along nicely… We worked throughout the autumn up to just before Christmas, and now we’re just taking some time away for other projects.”
He went on to say that they will restart the process next month. “We’ll get back to it in March and we’ll make an assessment of where we are then, but we’ve been excited about what we’ve been doing so far. It’s by no means finished yet, so we’ve got a way to go. It’s been a productive time though.”
When asked about a possible release date, Selway explained: “I wouldn’t want to start to predict that kind of thing in a Radiohead schedule because you can find yourself six months down the line saying “I wish I hadn’t have said that actually!”
In November 2014, Jonny Greenwood gave an update on the progress of the album, stating that they were trying a number of different approaches. “I’m late, they’ve all gone there now,” he said. “We’re currently playing and recording and it’s fun to see everyone again, it’s been a long time coming, we’ve been waiting all of us for a long time.”
Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich went on to post a picture of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood as they worked on the new album.
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NME Blogs: Eight Radiohead Covers That Aren’t Completely Unbearable
NME Blogs: The Ten Moments In Radiohead Songs Which Give You Goosebumps
50 Geeky Facts About RadioheadMayor Rahm Emanuel today announced that he, along with the City of Chicago’s finance and legal teams and Chicago Parking Meters (CPM) has settled the outstanding legal disputes associated with the parking meter contract, and have negotiated improvements that benefit Chicagoans. The proposed changes will provide for free parking in Chicago neighborhoods on Sundays and will introduce a pay-by-cell option that will provide convenience for parkers choosing to use it. The settlement of outstanding legal disputes will eliminate more than $1 billion of estimated additional charges over the life of the contract.
“When I was elected Mayor, I said this was a bad deal, but promised to do everything I could to make improvements on behalf of the taxpayers of this city,” said Mayor Emanuel. “So, my administration fought to ensure not one tax dollar was paid that we didn’t need to pay. After thorough and ultimately constructive negotiations, I am proud to say that on behalf of the taxpayers of Chicago, we were able to successfully reach agreement with CPM to make some necessary and positive changes to this contract.”
CPM reached out to the City and expressed its shared interest in resolving the outstanding legal disputes. The City welcomed CPM’s willingness to address key areas of concern and work constructively toward a positive solution for Chicago taxpayers. While accepting the contract as binding, both sides worked together on important adjustments that, if approved by the City Council, make important improvements for Chicagoans.
The proposed settlement agreement reached between the City and CPM and the proposed amendment to the parking meter contract will be introduced to City Council on May 8, 2013 for its thorough review. In contrast to the original deal, which allowed for just three days of review, the City Council will have 30 days to review the proposed agreement and amendment.
These revisions were the result of Mayor Emanuel’s directive to his financial, technology and legal teams to obtain the tools and strategic positioning necessary to effectively manage the contract. Corporation Counsel Steve Patton, Chief Financial Officer Lois Scott, Deputy Mayor Steve Koch, Commissioner of the Department of Innovation and Technology Brett Goldstein, Vice Chairman of World Business Chicago Michael Sacks, were heavily involved in the effort.
The resulting dispute resolution and agreements include three important changes to the current parking-meter construct:
Taxpayers Will See $1 Billion Less in Charges
CPM would release more than $1 billion in estimated future charges to the City. The City received invoices totaling $49 million for the two-year period ending March 31, 2013. As part of the settlement, the City would pay $8.9 million for those two years, in line with its accounting of the amounts due to CPM under the original contract. These amounts were contemplated by the original transaction to compensate either the City or CPM for the City closing or adding parking spaces or changing periods of stay, hours of operation or parking rates. The $40 million difference between what was invoiced and what would be paid under this agreement represents over $1 billion in estimated future charges in today’s dollars to the City over the life of the contract that will no longer be payable.
Thanks to Mayor Emanuel’s directive to his financial and legal team, the City is now in position to access, control and process the data necessary for determining amounts due to or from the City under the contract. Previously, CPM had been performing its own calculations and submitting them to the City for review. Going forward, the City will perform the calculations and present them to CPM.
Free Sundays
Metered parking spaces in Chicago neighborhoods will now be free on Sundays. This will provide a much-needed benefit to people attending religious services and to those enjoying all that our neighborhoods have to offer on Sundays. Neighborhoods affected are those south of Roosevelt, west of Halsted and north of North Avenue. Free Sundays are expected to go into effect by the end of summer 2013.
Convenient Pay-By-Cell Option
CPM will introduce a new pay-by-cell convenience option. This new feature will eliminate the need for parkers to visit the pay box, print a parking receipt and then place the receipt in their windshields. Instead, parkers will be able to simply enter a pay box number visibly posted on street signage into a cellular phone application without the need for a receipt. Parkers choosing to pay-by-cell will see a convenience charge of.35 cents applied to purchases of less than two hours at one time. Their phones will operate as their payment method and individuals can create an account with an initial balance of $20. The pay-by-cell option will be available by the summer of 2014.
Parking Hour Extensions
In connection with the agreement, the City has agreed to extend metered parking by one hour for all blocks where metered parking currently ends at 9:00pm (from 9:00pm to 10:00pm). The area bordered by the Chicago River to the South, the lake to the East, Division Street to the North and the Chicago River to the West will extend meter times by three hours (from 9:00pm to Midnight.) Residential streets where meters currently run until 6:00pm will not see their hours of operation extended.
“These changes provide relief on Sundays in Chicago’s neighborhoods, some convenience for those that choose to use it and significant savings for taxpayers,” said Mayor Emanuel. “While we cannot turn back the clock and undo the parking meter deal, we have shown we can improve it and can certainly learn from it.”
In addition to these three major points, the settlement agreement and amendment provide for numerous measures designed to improve the dispute process and improve communications and operations between the City and CPM going forward.
With respect to the EPAEL, or the disabled placard use dispute, an arbitration panel in In the Matter of the Arbitration between Chicago Parking Meters, LLC and City of Chicago, made findings in favor of both the City and CPM on various issues. In accordance with the arbitrator’s findings bound the City to pay CPM $12 million to close that dispute and will pay an additional $42.9 million of outstanding EPAEL claims from the past two years.
# # #Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) in a new book writes that President 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 once compared the cost of running for the White House to buying a yacht, but said it would be "a lot more fun."
In an excerpt from “Understanding Trump” published by ABC News, Gingrich, a Trump confidant, describes a January 2015 exchange in which Trump asked what “the bottom line” would be if he were to launch a bid. Gingrich recalls telling Trump that he could competitively enter the race for about $70 million to 80 million, according to the excerpt.
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“His response was priceless. After a moment of thought, he said, ‘$70 to 80 million: that would be a yacht. This would be a lot more fun than a yacht!’" Gingrich writes.
"That’s when Callista and I learned that a Trump candidacy was likely—and a Trump presidency was possible," Gingrich added, referring to his wife.
Trump would enter the presidential race several months later, announcing his bid in June from Trump Tower in New York City.
Gingrich also recalled a conversation he had with Trump after his primary victory in the South Carolina, where Trump said he spent less than Gingrich’s suggested amount.
“'By the way, I know you said I needed to spend eighty million but I’ve only spent thirty million. I feel kind of bad,’” Gingrich quotes Trump as saying.[asa]B003MGICQ8[/asa]
Well the title says it all and not to the surprise, these NoPoPo (Non Pollution Power) batteries have also been invented by the Japanese and are a lot better than those vibration powered batteries. These have some sort of chemicals that will generate electric charge with just a few drops of water. The NoPoPo rechargeable batteries have a remarkable shelf life of up to 20 years and these are 100% rechargeable and recyclable batteries. The NoPoPo batteries (also termed as water battery) can be recharged with any kind of liquid (as long as you can think of it) but for optimum recharging, drinking or tap water is recommended. You can either fill in few drops of water inside these AA batteries or submerge them in liquid for just 3-5 minutes in order to charge them. These produce 1.5V 500mA which is standard and can be used in any device that runs on regular size AA batteries. These are about to be released in Japan. No information on price at this time.
Share this Post!Jdimytai Damour via CBS
Walmart received a $7,000 fine from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 2008 after a Long Island store’s annual orchestrated stampede got too intense and one of its employees got killed. Since then, they have devoted 4,700 hours of legal work to not paying that fine. Because to do so would be to admit that they did something wrong.
After all, what did they do wrong? All they did was mark some highly-sought-after items down to discount prices and offer them to consumers two months into a global economic collapse. Then they encouraged shoppers to wait outside their store by a sign that said “Blitz Line Starts Here,” all while the store manager “rested” in a hotel, according to The New Yorker. They also brought in an extra staff of just two people specifically to work security, one of whom was assigned to watch the door, while the other one safeguarded the merchandise.
Did those actions contribute to what happened next (PDF)? Namely: Does all that preparation mean Walmart could have known that it was possible for over a thousand people to show up, and start jumping barriers and clashing with cops? Walmart didn’t strike any agreements with local law enforcement, who took a this-is-your-problem approach to crowd control and beat it when the time was nearing to open the flood gate. It was assistant manager, Mike Sicuranza’s decision, not corporate’s, to place the biggest, burliest non-security employees front and center when the doors broke open in order to help stampeding customers up when they inevitably fell down.
So when one of those non-security employees, Jdimytai Damour, a Haitian immigrant who had been working there for a week, tried to do his job, and got his windpipe crushed by the crowd, his death was clearly the crowd’s fault, or the fault of Damour himself maybe, not Walmart
That's Walmart’s take. Every dollar they’ve spent in this matter has come with the caveat that it means they don’t have to admit fault. They did pay $400,000 to employees who were injured, or, to their families in the event that the injuries were fatal. But those $400,000 and the $1.5 million foundation they set up were all given out in exchange for not being blamed. They have also paid their lawyers (assuming a $90/hour average) $423,000 to make sure they don’t admit fault.
The $7,000 fine from OSHA comes with an admission of fault, and possibly even requirements that company policies be changed, but that doesn’t make paying it optional. Every judge who has evaluated this case has upheld the teeny little fine, which is the largest fine OSHA can levy unless the corporation was doing something malicious. So what would be the big deal if Walmart lost its final appeal, which might happen as early as next year, and had to admit fault?
It wouldn’t spell the end of Black Friday as we know it. This mythical construct in American culture is weirdly resilient. Every year it’s turned by maudlin leftists into something like a national day of mourning. If International Buy Nothing Day strikes you as sane and practical, check out BlackFridayDeathCount.com. Meanwhile, the mainstream media treats it as something more or less sacred, and the inevitable horrifying stampede footage is just a darkly funny sidenote.
In a story from Black Friday last year about two people being shot in a Walmart parking lot, the anchors on ABC News chuckled and thank their field reporter for “risking life and limb,” by being in stores. In this totally essential Wall Street Journal video about how retailers plan their markdowns in advance so that you’re never actually getting a bargain, the anchor behind the desk signs off by saying: “Well, I’ll still be doing the Black Friday sprint.” Why the fuck would you still do that? Did you not just hear the other lady tell you you’re being used?
No, Black Friday would still exist, but Walmart, where 6 out of 10 Black Friday injuries occur, would have to change its policies. For instance, they’d have to move their doorbuster markdowns so that they go into effect the evening of Thanksgiving, when the store is already open. They would also need to do something like make sure their inventory included enough of the high-demand items to make certain, or even guarantee, that customers who got there within the first hour would actually get the item they came for. That way maniacs won’t arm themselves with guns and grenades to keep other customers away, as happened in 2010.
Oh wait, they’ve already done that. This year, Black Friday bargains went into effect at dinner time on Thanksgiving (Fuck you, employees!), and they’ve introduced the “1-Hour In Stock Guarantee,” on the really in-demand items. They’ve looked into their policies from before, seen what they were doing to endanger people, and revised them. They just won’t say they’re sorry.
@MikeLeePearlChevron takes $1 million-a-day oil gamble deep in Gulf A $1 million-a-day gamble in the Gulf
Chevron has a lot riding on its high-tech drill ship 190 miles southeast of here. But will it pay off in oil or come up empty?
Long sections of drill pipe, pushed through a buoyant riser, enter the moon pool at the center of a ship Chevron has contracted to drill a Gulf exploration well. Long sections of drill pipe, pushed through a buoyant riser, enter the moon pool at the center of a ship Chevron has contracted to drill a Gulf exploration well. Photo: Melissa Phillip, Chronicle Photo: Melissa Phillip, Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Chevron takes $1 million-a-day oil gamble deep in Gulf 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
Years of research and planning have brought the oil giant to this point, and to this solitary location about 190 miles southeast of Houston, where water depths reach nearly 7,000 feet and a vast, uninterrupted expanse of sea is the only view.
Now, the only thing left to do is wait, as a drill bit far below inches closer to a target that may or may not exist.
“You can do all the planning you want,” said Tom Jones, drilling superintendent of Chevron's Moccasin prospect, aboard the new rig called the Discoverer Inspiration. “But there's only one way to find out, and that's to drill a well.”
The fact that one of the world's biggest oil companies has found itself here underscores how difficult the global hunt for oil has become. It also helps explain why the Gulf of Mexico has recently taken on greater importance in that search.
As oil companies face limited access to new reserves elsewhere around the world, the heavily explored U.S. basin — with its established oil and natural gas infrastructure and stable fiscal regime — has grown more attractive. Recent deepwater discoveries there have also brought new attention to the region, while improved drilling rigs and other technologies have put fields into play that once weren't feasible to explore and develop.
“(Oil companies) understand the financial risk in the Gulf of Mexico and are a whole lot more comfortable with that than some of the other areas they might consider going to work,” said Steven Newman, CEO of drilling contractor Transocean Ltd., owner of the Discoverer Inspiration, with headquarters in Zug, Switzerland, and large operations in Houston.
Others on board
BP, the largest oil and gas producer in the Gulf, recently relocated its global exploration and production business to Houston from Europe as it eyes growth in the U.S. offshore area.
Royal Dutch Shell says in coming years, its Upstream Americas unit, which oversees oil and gas exploration and production activities in North and South America, has the opportunity to attract up to 40 percent of the European company's global upstream budget, up from 25 percent in 2005, partly for projects in the Gulf of Mexico.
Elsewhere, Houston's Marathon Oil said in February it plans to spend $370 million this year on exploration wells in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, more than double what it spent in 2009. And more state-owned oil companies are either entering the region for the first time or making expansion plans.
For Chevron, the deepwater Gulf of Mexico is the largest of four geographic focus areas for the company. As such, it receives “more than its fair share” of company resources — of the $17.3 billion the company will spend in 2010 on its upstream oil and gas exploration and production budget, $4.1 billion will go to the U.S., including the Gulf of Mexico, and will for the next five to 10 years, said Gary Luquette, president of Chevron's North America Exploration and Production Co. in Houston.
“I've heard the term used, a resurgence in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. But for us, this has been a constant purpose now for nearly a decade,” Luquette said.
And President Barack Obama's new plan to open more U.S. waters to drilling in the coming years, including parts of the eastern Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast, will allow Chevron to sustain investments in the Gulf of Mexico beyond what it is planning today, he said.
The sweet spot
Major oil companies have focused particular attention on an ancient rock bed geologists call the Lower Tertiary trend, which runs miles below the sea floor in an outer rim of the U.S. Gulf between Texas and Louisiana.
Thought to be the biggest U.S. oil discovery in generations, Lower Tertiary fields are expected to help offset declines in shallow water fields and lift overall output of the Gulf of Mexico, which today accounts for about a quarter of U.S. oil production.
But the region also presents huge technical and cost challenges.
Not only are fields often found in waters 2 miles deep, but oil and gas deposits, buried under think salt layers, are hard to detect in geologic surveys. Also, extreme temperatures and pressures in reservoirs test equipment.
Last month, Shell became the first to begin commercial production of oil from Lower Tertiary fields at its new $3 billion Perdido hub.
Over time, 15 of the 19 discoveries made so far in the region have the potential to be big enough to warrant commercial development, estimates Leta K. Smith, director of IHS-Cambridge Energy Research Associates'E&P Trends Forum in Houston.
“It represents a big opportunity, particularly for the larger oil companies, because they're the only ones that can afford that kind of risk,” she said.
The industry's success rate in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico is roughly one discovery for every three exploratory wells drilled, she said, although others peg it closer to one in eight.
Either way, the odds of coming up empty remain frighteningly high, as do the consequences: Each dry hole is estimated to cost at least $100 million.
Steering drill's path
Last year, Chevron racked up four misses in the deepwater Gulf but also celebrated the huge Buckskin discovery, in an area known as Keathley Canyon, that will help cover outlays for the dry holes.
The Moccasin well Chevron is drilling today is about five miles southeast of the Buckskin. The plan calls for a well drilled to a total depth of 29,000 feet — which includes the 6,750 feet of water between the ship and the sea floor.
On a recent visit to the Discoverer Inspiration, drilling operators were about a third of the way to the target. A geologist on board analyzed rock and salt “cuttings” returned to the surface for clues about what the formation may hold.
If need be, engineers, armed with real-time well data, can recommend small adjustments to the path of the drill bit, which operators can make with joysticks from a control room on the ship.
But they can only “see” where the bit is now. Chevron, despite the millions spent getting to this point, still remains blind to what's ahead.
“Exploration is what it is,” said Jones, the drilling superintendent. “It's a shot in the dark.”
[email protected] Mourinho summed it up quite neatly following Chelsea ’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City. “The Premier League is not just different, it is crazy,” he said. “My concept is this is the best league, because the concept is competitive teams.”
“I think every fixture in the league is winnable – I think it’s that open,” said Warnock. “Anybody is capable of beating anyone.”
After just five games, Chelsea and Arsenal are already left standing as the only undefeated clubs in the entire league but even their managers, Mourinho and Arsène Wenger, are acutely aware of their vulnerabilities.
“We [the top teams] pay the price because of the toughness, the intensity,” said Wenger. “You cannot rest any player. I honestly feel it is the most difficult league. If you speak to [Manuel] Pellegrini and [Mesut] Özil they will tell you the same. It is the most level league.”
Mourinho did not lose a single Premier League game at Stamford Bridge during his first reign as Chelsea manager but now regards his team’s 2-1 home defeat against Sunderland in April as the moment they lost last season’s title. Wenger noted earlier in the year that there are “no invincibles” anymore and the statistics would certainly seem to support this theory.
When Mourinho first won the Premier League in 2004-5, the top three clubs – Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United – suffered 11 defeats. The top three clubs last season were beaten 18 times. Those points must go somewhere and the most striking difference is further down the table. The clubs finishing fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh last year accumulated some 284 points.
In 2004-5, those same four finishers registered 232. The trend is clear: more upsets and a more even spread of points. The question, though, is why? What has changed to make the elite so much more vulnerable?
Wenger has specifically highlighted how players are generally so much better prepared physically, attributing this to football’s increased appreciation of sports science and diet. Whether it be distances covered or the actual intensity and number of sprints, just about every conceivable match statistic is now available to every team. With the use of heart-rate monitors and GPS devices, a manager also has real-time information on how a player is exerting himself during a training session.
Where once Wenger felt that he could gain an advantage in his preparation of players, he knows that the absolute minimum starting point now of any Premier League opponent is that they will be physically able. Gary Neville touched upon it in his Telegraph column on Saturday.
“Since 2002 there has been an explosion in physical stats,” he said. “Over the summer I watched young England players who are not particularly physical lift 35k dumbbells. In my career I lifted 16s and 18s and 20s. Football is getting quicker and quicker. Players are getting fitter and fitter.”
That change is a big leveller for the top teams, especially this weekend just gone when most of them had the additional drain of European competition. The explanation for all the upsets, however, still extends far beyond the fitness of footballers. At the very top, the recent performances of the English clubs in the Champions League clearly points to a slip in standards.
In the past three years, Chelsea’s appearances in 2011-12 and 2013-14 have been English football’s only quarter-final representation. Contrast that with the three years from 2007 until 2009 when the English clubs had a combined 11 quarter-final places.
It would also be difficult to convincingly argue that, of the six or seven very best players in world, (perhaps Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Manuel Neuer, Luis Suarez and Thomas Mueller), there is anyone currently based in the Premier League.
Yet despite the strength at the very top of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the technical quality of English-based players has still been steadily deepening over the past decade and that process was specifically accelerated this summer.
Yes, the most eye-catching deals – Radamel Falcao and Angel di Maria to Manchester United, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea, Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal or Mario Balotelli to Liverpool – all involved the established elite but there was considerable action further down the league.
Palace smashed their club record outlay for James McArthur. Everton did the same for Romelu Lukaku. Leonardo Ulloa was a record signing for Leicester, who also pulled off something of a coup for Argentina international Esteban Cambiasso. Whether it be Alex Song to West Ham United, Brown Ideye to West Brom, Jack Rodwell to Sunderland or Sandro to Queens Park Rangers, you can go through the clubs and see that the acquisition of quality, often at considerable expense, was evident.
Southampton were even in a position where they could recruit arguably the two best players in the Dutch league last season – Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic – as well as one of the very best managers in Ronald Koeman. Would Koeman really have regarded St Mary’s as a step up from Feyenoord a decade ago? Similarly, look at how Swansea were able to bring in Wilfried Bony from the Eredivisie and then fend off interest in him from across Europe.
This is all partly down to the enhanced scope of the various scouting departments – another area in which the top clubs now gain less of an advantage – but it mostly comes down to money. The financial model of the Premier League, which splits the core broadcast deals equally between the 20 clubs, has always underpinned its collective strength. Yet this has been magnified during this last year by a vastly improved new deal from 2013-14 worth £5.5 billion.
To put the increase in perspective, Cardiff City received more for finishing bottom last season (£62.
|
Nevertheless the 31-year-old, who hails from the firmly Democrat stronghold of Attleboro, Mass., is undeterred.
“I try to discourage him from talking politics on the national team,” said his father, Scott Cameron, a former pro hockey player. “There are only one or two who come from a Republican point of view.”
Cameron frequently squares off with midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, one of his closest friends on the U.S. squad. They rant at each other on Facetime over the merits or otherwise of the candidates and their platforms.
Sometimes one or the other will hang up in frustration, Cameron says, yet their friendship has been unaffected.
Cameron has done his homework on the ongoing campaign and current events. He admits that Trump is far from being an ideal candidate, but says that is overridden by his strong mistrust for Clinton, claiming he would likely not shake her hand if it was offered.
“The fact is if you have two numpties (English slang loosely meaning ‘idiot’) who are not great candidates,” Cameron said. “Which one has the possibility of changing a little bit for the better? Not someone who might have years of backhanders and corruption behind her.”
One thing that cannot be questioned is Cameron’s love of his country. All down his right arm is a tattoo themed around national pride, featuring an image of the Stars and Stripes, a bald eagle, words from the Declaration of Independence and a map of 18th century Boston.
He has emerged as a rock for Klinsmann, with the versatility to play in the center of defense, as a holding midfielder, or as right back. Physically tireless, his uncompromising style could be critical against a star-studded Mexico team that the U.S. has beaten at this stage of World Cup qualifying four times in a row, 2-0 on each occasion.
“His physical abilities are unsurpassed in this country,” DC United defender Bobby Boswell said. Boswell has known Cameron since their days together on the Houston Dynamo, where the underrated Cameron fell to 42nd in the MLS Draft and started on just $34,000 per season. “Guys come back from national team camp and talk about how he is a freak of nature. That has helped him settle so well in England, where only the toughest survive.”
Scott Cameron said he believes part of the reason his son is so invested in politics is because it provides a connection to home. While he has become part of the furniture at Stoke, national team trips are always keenly anticipated, both for the chance to play at international level and through a sense of patriotic duty.
He would be “furious” if a teammate followed Colin Kaepernick's lead and took a knee during the playing of the anthem against Mexico next Friday. “We are a team,” Cameron says. “Don’t make it about you.”
Cameron has worked long and hard to reach this point. Many of those drafted ahead of him have become MLS journeymen or are out of the game. Meanwhile, he plays in the most competitive league in the world, as someone Stoke boss Mark Hughes relies heavily upon.
While central defenders or holding midfielders don’t grab the headlines, there might be no other U.S. player performing at a higher or more consistent level. Cameron has a sideline as a model for Paul Mitchell hair products, but a show pony he is not.
“He is a gamer,” Boswell said. “The bigger the occasion, the more he gets stuck in and gets down to work. A lot of guys go to England or other leagues in Europe and they come back and you hear about how it is hard to adapt over there. Geoff has almost made it look easy by settling in and becoming a trusted and reliable – and of course it is not easy.”
Cameron’s contract is up after next season and at some point he will be faced with the decision of whether to return home. Major League Soccer has money to spend and the likes of Michael Bradley, Tim Howard, Bedoya and others have returned from European stints.
Yet Cameron has a never-ending appetite for toil and the physical nature of the game in England suits him. The Mexico game, given the hostile nature of the rivalry, should be the same.
The Columbus showdown comes at an intriguing time. The result of the election three days prior could add spice, especially if Trump prevails. Columbus was chosen in part because it has a small Mexican population, ensuring home-field advantage.
The top three of the six remaining nations in the CONCACAF region reach the World Cup, the fourth enters a playoff with an Asian country. The U.S. should be strong enough to reach the World Cup for an eighth straight time. However, a bad start can easily get you in trouble. A road game in Costa Rica, where the Americans lost in the last cycle, follows for next Tuesday.
“It is a huge week,” Cameron said. “I’ll be happy with two wins. Three if you count the election.”A military judge is questioning why a navy non-commissioned officer who was facing a court martial for charges involving dishonesty was transferred to a top-secret intelligence unit in Halifax, violating the military’s own security rules.
HMCS Trinity, an intelligence facility at the naval dockyard in Halifax (CBC)
In 2011, Petty Officer 1st Class D.W. Morton convinced a colleague to take a mandatory fitness test in his name. Members in the Canadian Forces need to maintain no less than a pass in order to be eligible for promotion.
"Your motive for these offences was for personal gain," court documents from the case said.
Despite the charges and the military’s own regulations, which forbid navy non-commissioned officers from being transferred while facing a court martial, Morton was posted in December 2012 to HMCS Trinity, an intelligence facility base that depends on officers being trustworthy.
Trinity tracks vessels entering and exiting Canadian waters via satellites, drones and underwater devices
Morton eventually pleaded guilty to serious military charges including forgery and conspiracy. He was fined $3,000 and given a severe reprimand for his deception.
Petty Officer 1st Class Darrell Morton convinced a colleague to take a mandatory fitness test in his name. (NESOP)
In his ruling, military judge Lt.-Col. J.G. Perron commented on Morton's transfer to Trinity, saying: "It would appear that Petty Officer Morton was posted to a key intelligence gathering unit awaiting his trial. It does appear that his chain of command thought he was trustworthy enough to occupy the position in a very sensitive and key intelligence gathering unit."
HMCS Trinity is the base where former sub-lieutenant Jeffery Delisle was stationed while he sold secrets to Russia. Morton worked at the naval dockyard facility at the same time as Delisle
"Trinity is by its very nature a very sensitive posting because of the type of work this unit performs for the Canadian Forces and the Canadian government. Anyone who has watched the news in the past few months would know the nature of that unit," read the documents.
.The navy won’t say whether Morton is still posted at Trinity.In their darkest moments, people occasionally say “my best years are behind me.” The problem is, people say this whether they’re 69 or 29. Ezekiel Emanuel, a doctor and bioethicist, believes he only has 18 good years left: By 75, he wrote, “I will have made whatever contributions, important or not, I am going to make.”
At what age do we really peak? Is there ever a point where, intellectually, we’re as good as we’re going to get?
It depends on what you’re measuring, it turns out. In a study just out in Psychological Science, Joshua Hartshorne of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Laura Germine of Harvard take a look at the ages at which various types of cognitive performance crest. For the study, they gave 2,450 Americans of various ages and geographic provenances a set of 15 tasks, including math tests, picture completion, vocabulary quizzes, and even tapping sets of cubes in a certain order.
They found that most of the skills peaked in the subjects’ late teens and early 20s. Notably, though, four types of proficiencies didn’t fully ripen until people were in their 50s: vocabulary, math, general knowledge, and comprehension (a test that involved explaining why things are the way they are—for example, why we have a parole system):Swarms of midges have been upsetting residents living close to the Christchurch City Council's wastewater treatment plant.
Swarms of midges have plagued residents in a Christchurch street this summer, forcing them to keep their windows and doors shut.
An infestation of the tiny insects has prevented residents in Aranui's Shortland St from having barbecues outside or even doing the gardening.
Resident Janet Profit said she sometimes wore a mask and raincoat when walking her dogs to protect herself.
"They just swarm on you. They get in your clothes and in your mouth."
Are you plagued by midges? Send us your information, photos and video to [email protected]
The midges were worse at night, but were still there during the day, she said.
"You don't turn a light on at night time. I keep everything shut and cannot have a barbecue or do gardening outside. They are everywhere."
The non-biting New Zealand native species attracted hundreds of birds, who feasted on the midges and left their droppings behind.
"The swallows stay here to have breakfast and they make a mess everywhere. You have no idea what my concrete looks like."
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said the midges were "just diabolical."
"You can't walk out the door without getting them in your ears and your mouth."
The midges first became a problem in 2007 and have progressively got worse since then, the residents said.
Last year, for the first time, the midges stayed around in winter too, Profit said.
The midge population had reduced in the past 10 days, but Profit was not sure if it was due to the colder weather or measures undertaken by the Christchurch City Council to control the insects.
The insects breed at the nearby wastewater treatment plant. Residents have complained to the council and signed petitions over the years to get action.
Council wastewater treatment manager Gijs Hoven said the combination of hot days and long periods of cool weather caused a concentrated spike in midge numbers this year.
The council has approached a number of pest control companies throughout New Zealand and was using an insect hormone called S-Methoprene to limit midge numbers.
"Any chemicals used for midges control must comply with the treatment plant's resource consents and not affect bird life."
The council was unable to do a bulk application of airborne insecticides over the entire ponds, but was experimenting with point spraying, Hoven said.
It was clearing vegetation around the oxidation ponds to reduce breeding habitats. It had started a project to monitor midge populations and help test future midge control measures.
Midges breed in freshwater and improved treatment at the plant meant cleaner water was entering the oxidation ponds. This had contributed to a midge population increase in the past 10 years, Hoven said..
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GNU lightning
This document describes installing and using the GNU lightning library for dynamic code generation.
• Overview: What GNU lightning is • Installation: Configuring and installing GNU lightning • The instruction set: The RISC instruction set used in GNU lightning • GNU lightning examples: GNU lightning’s examples • Reentrancy: Re-entrant usage of GNU lightning • Customizations: Advanced code generation customizations • Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements for GNU lightning
1 Introduction to GNU lightning
Dynamic code generation is the generation of machine code at runtime. It is typically used to strip a layer of interpretation by allowing compilation to occur at runtime. One of the most well-known applications of dynamic code generation is perhaps that of interpreters that compile source code to an intermediate bytecode form, which is then recompiled to machine code at run-time: this approach effectively combines the portability of bytecode representations with the speed of machine code. Another common application of dynamic code generation is in the field of hardware simulators and binary emulators, which can use the same techniques to translate simulated instructions to the instructions of the underlying machine.
Yet other applications come to mind: for example, windowing bitblt operations, matrix manipulations, and network packet filters. Albeit very powerful and relatively well known within the compiler community, dynamic code generation techniques are rarely exploited to their full potential and, with the exception of the two applications described above, have remained curiosities because of their portability and functionality barriers: binary instructions are generated, so programs using dynamic code generation must be retargeted for each machine; in addition, coding a run-time code generator is a tedious and error-prone task more than a difficult one.
GNU lightning provides a portable, fast and easily retargetable dynamic code generation system.
To be portable, GNU lightning abstracts over current architectures’ quirks and unorthogonalities. The interface that it exposes to is that of a standardized RISC architecture loosely based on the SPARC and MIPS chips. There are a few general-purpose registers (six, not including those used to receive and pass parameters between subroutines), and arithmetic operations involve three operands—either three registers or two registers and an arbitrarily sized immediate value.
On one hand, this architecture is general enough that it is possible to generate pretty efficient code even on CISC architectures such as the Intel x86 or the Motorola 68k families. On the other hand, it matches real architectures closely enough that, most of the time, the compiler’s constant folding pass ends up generating code which assembles machine instructions without further tests.
2 Configuring and installing GNU lightning
The first thing to do to use GNU lightning is to configure the program, picking the set of macros to be used on the host architecture; this configuration is automatically performed by the configure shell script; to run it, merely type:
./configure
GNU lightning supports the --enable-disassembler option, that enables linking to GNU binutils and optionally print human readable disassembly of the jit code. This option can be disabled by the --disable-disassembler option.
Another option that configure accepts is --enable-assertions, which enables several consistency checks in the run-time assemblers. These are not usually needed, so you can decide to simply forget about it; also remember that these consistency checks tend to slow down your code generator.
After you’ve configured GNU lightning, run make as usual.
GNU lightning has an extensive set of tests to validate it is working correctly in the build host. To test it run:
make check
The next important step is:
make install
This ends the process of installing GNU lightning.
3 GNU lightning’s instruction set
GNU lightning’s instruction set was designed by deriving instructions that closely match those of most existing RISC architectures, or that can be easily syntesized if absent. Each instruction is composed of:
an operation, like sub or mul
or most times, a register/immediate flag ( r or i )
or ) an unsigned modifier ( u ), a type identifier or two, when applicable.
Examples of legal mnemonics are addr (integer add, with three register operands) and muli (integer multiply, with two register operands and an immediate operand). Each instruction takes two or three operands; in most cases, one of them can be an immediate value instead of a register.
Most GNU lightning integer operations are signed wordsize operations, with the exception of operations that convert types, or load or store values to/from memory. When applicable, the types and C types are as follow:
_c signed char _uc unsigned char _s short _us unsigned short _i int _ui unsigned int _l long _f float _d double
Most integer operations do not need a type modifier, and when loading or storing values to memory there is an alias to the proper operation using wordsize operands, that is, if ommited, the type is int on 32-bit architectures and long on 64-bit architectures. Note that lightning also expects sizeof(void*) to match the wordsize.
When an unsigned operation result differs from the equivalent signed operation, there is a the _u modifier.
There are at least seven integer registers, of which six are general-purpose, while the last is used to contain the frame pointer ( FP ). The frame pointer can be used to allocate and access local variables on the stack, using the allocai or allocar instruction.
Of the general-purpose registers, at least three are guaranteed to be preserved across function calls ( V0, V1 and V2 ) and at least three are not ( R0, R1 and R2 ). Six registers are not very much, but this restriction was forced by the need to target CISC architectures which, like the x86, are poor of registers; anyway, backends can specify the actual number of available registers with the calls JIT_R_NUM (for caller-save registers) and JIT_V_NUM (for callee-save registers).
There are at least six floating-point registers, named F0 to F5. These are usually caller-save and are separate from the integer registers on the supported architectures; on Intel architectures, in 32 bit mode if SSE2 is not available or use of X87 is forced, the register stack is mapped to a flat register file. As for the integer registers, the macro JIT_F_NUM yields the number of floating-point registers.
The complete instruction set follows; as you can see, most non-memory operations only take integers (either signed or unsigned) as operands; this was done in order to reduce the instruction set, and because most architectures only provide word and long word operations on registers. There are instructions that allow operands to be extended to fit a larger data type, both in a signed and in an unsigned way.
Binary ALU operations These accept three operands; the last one can be an immediate. addx operations must directly follow addc, and subx must follow subc ; otherwise, results are undefined. Most, if not all, architectures do not support float or double immediate operands; lightning emulates those operations by moving the immediate to a temporary register and emiting the call with only register operands. addr _f _d O1 = O2 + O3 addi _f _d O1 = O2 + O3 addxr O1 = O2 + (O3 + carry) addxi O1 = O2 + (O3 + carry) addcr O1 = O2 + O3, set carry addci O1 = O2 + O3, set carry subr _f _d O1 = O2 - O3 subi _f _d O1 = O2 - O3 subxr O1 = O2 - (O3 + carry) subxi O1 = O2 - (O3 + carry) subcr O1 = O2 - O3, set carry subci O1 = O2 - O3, set carry rsbr _f _d O1 = O3 - O1 rsbi _f _d O1 = O3 - O1 mulr _f _d O1 = O2 * O3 muli _f _d O1 = O2 * O3 divr _u _f _d O1 = O2 / O3 divi _u _f _d O1 = O2 / O3 remr _u O1 = O2 % O3 remi _u O1 = O2 % O3 andr O1 = O2 & O3 andi O1 = O2 & O3 orr O1 = O2 | O3 ori O1 = O2 | O3 xorr O1 = O2 ^ O3 xori O1 = O2 ^ O3 lshr O1 = O2 << O3 lshi O1 = O2 << O3 rshr _u O1 = O2 >> O3(1) rshi _u O1 = O2 >> O3(2) Four operand binary ALU operations These accept two result registers, and two operands; the last one can be an immediate. The first two arguments cannot be the same register. qmul stores the low word of the result in O1 and the high word in O2. For unsigned multiplication, O2 zero means there was no overflow. For signed multiplication, no overflow check is based on sign, and can be detected if O2 is zero or minus one. qdiv stores the quotient in O1 and the remainder in O2. It can be used as quick way to check if a division is exact, in which case the remainder is zero. qmulr _u O1 O2 = O3 * O4 qmuli _u O1 O2 = O3 * O4 qdivr _u O1 O2 = O3 / O4 qdivi _u O1 O2 = O3 / O4 Unary ALU operations These accept two operands, both of which must be registers. negr _f _d O1 = -O2 comr O1 = ~O2 These unary ALU operations are only defined for float operands. absr _f _d O1 = fabs(O2) sqrtr O1 = sqrt(O2) Besides requiring the r modifier, there are no unary operations with an immediate operand. Compare instructions These accept three operands; again, the last can be an immediate. The last two operands are compared, and the first operand, that must be an integer register, is set to either 0 or 1, according to whether the given condition was met or not. The conditions given below are for the standard behavior of C, where the “unordered” comparison result is mapped to false. ltr _u _f _d O1 = (O2 < O3) lti _u _f _d O1 = (O2 < O3) ler _u _f _d O1 = (O2 <= O3) lei _u _f _d O1 = (O2 <= O3) gtr _u _f _d O1 = (O2 > O3) gti _u _f _d O1 = (O2 > O3) ger _u _f _d O1 = (O2 >= O3) gei _u _f _d O1 = (O2 >= O3) eqr _f _d O1 = (O2 == O3) eqi _f _d O1 = (O2 == O3) ner _f _d O1 = (O2!= O3) nei _f _d O1 = (O2!= O3) unltr _f _d O1 =!(O2 >= O3) unler _f _d O1 =!(O2 > O3) ungtr _f _d O1 =!(O2 <= O3) unger _f _d O1 =!(O2 < O3) uneqr _f _d O1 =!(O2 < O3) &&!(O2 > O3) ltgtr _f _d O1 =!(O2 >= O3) ||!(O2 <= O3) ordr _f _d O1 = (O2 == O2) && (O3 == O3) unordr _f _d O1 = (O2!= O2) || (O3!= O3) Transfer operations These accept two operands; for ext both of them must be registers, while mov accepts an immediate value as the second operand. Unlike movr and movi, the other instructions are used to truncate a wordsize operand to a smaller integer data type or to convert float data types. You can also use extr to convert an integer to a floating point value: the usual options are extr_f and extr_d. movr _f _d O1 = O2 movi _f _d O1 = O2 extr _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _f _d O1 = O2 truncr _f _d O1 = trunc(O2) In 64-bit architectures it may be required to use truncr_f_i, truncr_f_l, truncr_d_i and truncr_d_l to match the equivalent C code. Only the _i modifier is available in 32-bit architectures. truncr_f_i = <int> O1 = <float> O2 truncr_f_l = <long>O1 = <float> O2 truncr_d_i = <int> O1 = <double>O2 truncr_d_l = <long>O1 = <double>O2 The float conversion operations are destination first, source second, but the order of the types is reversed. This happens for historical reasons. extr_f_d = <double>O1 = <float> O2 extr_d_f = <float> O1 = <double>O2 Network extensions These accept two operands, both of which must be registers; these two instructions actually perform the same task, yet they are assigned to two mnemonics for the sake of convenience and completeness. As usual, the first operand is the destination and the second is the source. The _ul variant is only available in 64-bit architectures. htonr _us _ui _ul Host-to-network (big endian) order ntohr _us _ui _ul Network-to-host order Load operations ld accepts two operands while ldx accepts three; in both cases, the last can be either a register or an immediate value. Values are extended (with or without sign, according to the data type specification) to fit a whole register. The _ui and _l types are only available in 64-bit architectures. For convenience, there is a version without a type modifier for integer or pointer operands that uses the appropriate wordsize call. ldr _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d O1 = *O2 ldi _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d O1 = *O2 ldxr _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d O1 = *(O2+O3) ldxi _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d O1 = *(O2+O3) Store operations st accepts two operands while stx accepts three; in both cases, the first can be either a register or an immediate value. Values are sign-extended to fit a whole register. str _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d *O1 = O2 sti _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d *O1 = O2 stxr _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d *(O1+O2) = O3 stxi _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d *(O1+O2) = O3 As for the load operations, the _ui and _l types are only available in 64-bit architectures, and for convenience, there is a version without a type modifier for integer or pointer operands that uses the appropriate wordsize call. Argument management These are: prepare (not specified) pushargr _f _d pushargi _f _d arg _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d getarg _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d putargr _f _d putargi _f _d ret (not specified) retr _f _d reti _f _d retval _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d epilog (not specified) As with other operations that use a type modifier, the _ui and _l types are only available in 64-bit architectures, but there are operations without a type modifier that alias to the appropriate integer operation with wordsize operands. prepare, pusharg, and retval are used by the caller, while arg, getarg and ret are used by the callee. A code snippet that wants to call another procedure and has to pass arguments must, in order: use the prepare instruction and use the pushargr or pushargi to push the arguments in left to right order; and use finish or call (explained below) to perform the actual call. arg, getarg and putarg are used by the callee. arg is different from other instruction in that it does not actually generate any code: instead, it is a function which returns a value to be passed to getarg or putarg. 3 You should call arg as soon as possible, before any function call or, more easily, right after the prolog instructions (which is treated later). getarg accepts a register argument and a value returned by arg, and will move that argument to the register, extending it (with or without sign, according to the data type specification) to fit a whole register. These instructions are more intimately related to the usage of the GNU lightning instruction set in code that generates other code, so they will be treated more specifically in Generating code at run-time. putarg is a mix of getarg and pusharg in that it accepts as first argument a register or immediate, and as second argument a value returned by arg. It allows changing, or restoring an argument to the current function, and is a construct required to implement tail call optimization. Note that arguments in registers are very cheap, but will be overwritten at any moment, including on some operations, for example division, that on several ports is implemented as a function call. Finally, the retval instruction fetches the return value of a called function in a register. The retval instruction takes a register argument and copies the return value of the previously called function in that register. A function with a return value should use retr or reti to put the return value in the return register before returning. See the Fibonacci numbers, for an example. epilog is an optional call, that marks the end of a function body. It is automatically generated by GNU lightning if starting a new function (what should be done after a ret call) or finishing generating jit. It is very important to note that the fact that epilog being optional may cause a common mistake. Consider this: fun1: prolog... ret fun2: prolog Because epilog is added when finding a new prolog, this will cause the fun2 label to actually be before the return from fun1. Because GNU lightning will actually understand it as: fun1: prolog... ret fun2: epilog prolog You should observe a few rules when using these macros. First of all, if calling a varargs function, you should use the ellipsis call to mark the position of the ellipsis in the C prototype. You should not nest calls to prepare inside a prepare/finish block. Doing this will result in undefined behavior. Note that for functions with zero arguments you can use just call. Branch instructions Like arg, these also return a value which, in this case, is to be used to compile forward branches as explained in Fibonacci numbers. They accept two operands to be compared; of these, the last can be either a register or an immediate. They are: bltr _u _f _d if (O2 < O3) goto O1 blti _u _f _d if (O2 < O3) goto O1 bler _u _f _d if (O2 <= O3) goto O1 blei _u _f _d if (O2 <= O3) goto O1 bgtr _u _f _d if (O2 > O3) goto O1 bgti _u _f _d if (O2 > O3) goto O1 bger _u _f _d if (O2 >= O3) goto O1 bgei _u _f _d if (O2 >= O3) goto O1 beqr _f _d if (O2 == O3) goto O1 beqi _f _d if (O2 == O3) goto O1 bner _f _d if (O2!= O3) goto O1 bnei _f _d if (O2!= O3) goto O1 bunltr _f _d if!(O2 >= O3) goto O1 bunler _f _d if!(O2 > O3) goto O1 bungtr _f _d if!(O2 <= O3) goto O1 bunger _f _d if!(O2 < O3) goto O1 buneqr _f _d if!(O2 < O3) &&!(O2 > O3) goto O1 bltgtr _f _d if!(O2 >= O3) ||!(O2 <= O3) goto O1 bordr _f _d if (O2 == O2) && (O3 == O3) goto O1 bunordr _f _d if!(O2!= O2) || (O3!= O3) goto O1 bmsr if O2 & O3 goto O1 bmsi if O2 & O3 goto O1 bmcr if!(O2 & O3) goto O1 bmci if!(O2 & O3) goto O1(4) boaddr _u O2 += O3, goto O1 if overflow boaddi _u O2 += O3, goto O1 if overflow bxaddr _u O2 += O3, goto O1 if no overflow bxaddi _u O2 += O3, goto O1 if no overflow bosubr _u O2 -= O3, goto O1 if overflow bosubi _u O2 -= O3, goto O1 if overflow bxsubr _u O2 -= O3, goto O1 if no overflow bxsubi _u O2 -= O3, goto O1 if no overflow Jump and return operations These accept one argument except ret and jmpi which have none; the difference between finishi and calli is that the latter does not clean the stack from pushed parameters (if any) and the former must always follow a prepare instruction. callr (not specified) function call to register O1 calli (not specified) function call to immediate O1 finishr (not specified) function call to register O1 finishi (not specified) function call to immediate O1 jmpr (not specified) unconditional jump to register jmpi (not specified) unconditional jump ret (not specified) return from subroutine retr _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d reti _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d retval _c _uc _s _us _i _ui _l _f _d move return value to register Like branch instruction, jmpi also returns a value which is to be used to compile forward branches. See Fibonacci numbers. Labels There are 3 GNU lightning instructions to create labels: label (not specified) simple label forward (not specified) forward label indirect (not specified) special simple label label is normally used as patch_at argument for backward jumps. jit_node_t *jump, *label; label = jit_label();... jump = jit_beqr(JIT_R0, JIT_R1); jit_patch_at(jump, label); forward is used to patch code generation before the actual position of the label is known. jit_node_t *jump, *label; label = jit_forward(); jump = jit_beqr(JIT_R0, JIT_R1); jit_patch_at(jump, label);... jit_link(label); indirect is useful when creating jump tables, and tells GNU lightning to not optimize out a label that is not the target of any jump, because an indirect jump may land where it is defined. jit_node_t *jump, *label;... jmpr(JIT_R0); /* may jump to label */... label = jit_indirect(); indirect is an special case of note and name because it is a valid argument to address. Note that the usual idiom to write the previous example is jit_node_t *addr, *jump; addr = jit_movi(JIT_R0, 0); /* immediate is ignored */... jmpr(JIT_R0);... jit_patch(addr); /* implicit label added */ that automatically binds the implicit label added by patch with the movi, but on some special conditions it is required to create an "unbound" label. Function prolog These macros are used to set up a function prolog. The allocai call accept a single integer argument and returns an offset value for stack storage access. The allocar accepts two registers arguments, the first is set to the offset for stack access, and the second is the size in bytes argument. prolog (not specified) function prolog allocai (not specified) reserve space on the stack
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z the singer, something he’s very good at doing. The problem is he doesn’t actually have anything to say. After years of Drake-wave and clones like Bryson Tiller and PARTYNEXTDOOR beating the sound into the ground, it’s hard to have patience for another moody, emotionally distant piece of one-note R&B dystopia. The brightest moment on Chixtape is "Juvenile (Freestyle)," in which Lanez rap-sings over Juvenile’s "Slow Motion." Nothing particularly interesting is being said, ("Shorty when we meet, gotta fuck for real/ Took the TTC just to get the whole meal/ And we used to fuck, girl it was so trill/ You remind me of Monica, you was so real") but he sells you on it anyways, riding the instrumental with a quivering, confident sing-song. It’s infectious, even as you become aware of the dullness and grossness of the lyrics.
About those lyrics: Lanez has a disturbing tendency to conflate lines that surpass aggression and tip into assault ("Now shawty I'mma take it, if you don’t give it to me," from "Juvenile (Freestyle)") with "swagger." Aggressively dehumanizing women even while serenading them is nothing new in rap or R&B: The Weeknd and Ty Dolla $ign, arguably the new gold standards in the current sound Tory Lanez is chasing, have been just as crude and disrespectful. But Lanez doesn’t have half their talent to make you forgive him. His star power, such as it is, shines in sparks that can barely carry your typical mixtape, much less one with such uncomfortable lyrics.
The best moments on either tape come when he chooses to sing: He seems the most comfortable on songs like "Them Days," off New Toronto, when he kicks back into crooning about sex with ex-girls rather than the damaged-puppy rapping he spends so much of the tape committed to. It makes you wonder why he doesn’t just commit to that aspect fully. Also, for a Gangsta Grillz tape, DJ Drama makes no impression. Most of the time, you completely forget that he’s there; none of his usual overbearing bombast and record rewinds show up over the tracks, making you wonder whether the fanfare is an extra fee rappers need to pay for.
Despite all this, Tory Lanez does have a buzz going, and it feels like a missed opportunity that neither of these tapes offer anything more than reconstructed pieces of what’s already popular. Lanez has a great voice that appears in glimmers; on "Say It," his voice is full of vulnerability and a confidence that allows him to stay afloat the easily-recognizable Brownstone sample instead of drowning in it. The New Toronto closer "Letter to the City" is stripped of the theatrics and eager need to impress radio, and exhibits a competent rapper trying to be heard living in a city increasingly being crafted into a hub of Drake impersonators. Competency may seem like a low bar, but for now, it’s the best thing going for an artist with a lovely voice and absolutely nothing to say.USDA ditches food pyramid for new design istockphoto
(CBS) After almost two decades, the USDA food pyramid is history. First Lady Michelle Obama today unveiled the USDA's update on America's visual nutrition guide, replacing the familiar - and much maligned - pyramid with a plate.
PICTURES - Bye-bye pyramid, hello plate: Timeline of food guidelines
The food pyramid has been around since 1992, but nutrition experts don't seem to be mourning its demise.
"It's going to be hard not to do better than the current pyramid, which basically conveys no useful information," Dr. Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, told the New York Times.
The new design incorporates seven key dietary messages:
- Enjoy your food, but eat less- Avoid oversized portions- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables- Drink water instead of sugary drinks- Make at least half your grains whole grains- Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals - and choose the foods with lower numbers.
Experts argued the now-defunct pyramid lumped all types of foods in its design - including unhealthy ones at the top of the pyramid. That made it hard to tell which foods were better choices.
"The original icon was a bit misleading, e.g., all fats are bad," Dr. Sara Bleich, an assistant professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University, told ABC News.
USDA spent $2 million to design and promote the plate, the Times reported. Will this costly venture cause Americans to eat better?
Dr. Robert C. Post, deputy director of the USDA, told the Times that he hopes the new visual will prompt "consumers to say, 'I need to be a little more concerned about what I choose to build a healthy day's diet.' "
The USDA has more on the new food plate.Aurélie Filippetti / Open Knowledge Foundation / CC BY
French minister of culture and communications Aurélie Filippetti launched a set of initiatives yesterday designed to promote a more creative, more open France. The impressive announcement covers a lot of measures, including an open data policy for cultural data, the launch of a new workspace designed to stimulate cultural innovation, and much more. But of particular interest to us are the new partnerships Filipetti announced with the Open Knowledge Foundation and Creative Commons France.
The ministry of culture and communication will work with CC France to educate students, cultural creators, and society in general on understanding and using Creative Commons licenses. According to the announcement, “These tools align with intellectual property law and fit perfectly within the minister’s policy of digital inclusion as a part of her great national project for arts and cultural education.”*
Meanwhile, the ministry will also work with the Open Knowledge Foundation France to map the French public domain, making it easier for anyone to discern whether a work is in the public domain or not. This partnership is the next step in OKFN’s Public Domain Calculators project, and it’s great news for anyone who cares about a vibrant, living public domain.
We applaud Minister Fillipetti and congratulate both CC France and OKFN France on this exciting partnership.
*Rough translation from the French announcement.Travel the back roads of coastal Maine to a town called Newcastle, past a spot of land named “Cowshit Corner” (there’s a sign), and you’ll find Oxbow Brewing, which calls itself an American farmhouse brewery. These places, and others like it, inspire a harkening back to the European hills and countrysides where farmhouse ales — also called saisons — were born.
The romantic connotation of farmhouse ales to farmhands enjoying pints in the summer sun on some Wallonian countryside is both true and untrue. At one time, these beers were enjoyed on the farms of France and French-speaking Belgium at the end of a long, hot day, but today the terms have come to mean something else. But what that is, exactly, is up for debate.
“If you ask ten brewers, you’ll probably get ten different answers,” said Jeff Stuffings of Austin, Texas’s Jester King Brewery.
If there is a temptation to call every beer with some dryness or some funk or some spice a farmhouse or saison, it’s because of what Stuffings called a “bastardization” of the terms. That’s because today’s definition — light, dry beers with additional spicing — encompass a wide array of beers.
Still other brewers differentiate between “farmhouse” and “saison.”
“Farmhouse is the tree,” said Tim Adams of Newcastle, Maine’s Oxbow Beer. “And I’d say a large branch is called saison.”
We know the romanticized version of how farmhouse beers came into existence. The saisonniers (essentially, “seasonal workers”) would lend their skills to the farmhouses in the southern part of Belgium and Northern France. After a grueling day of field work, they’d need something light to satisfy their thirst. Enter the farmhouse ale, each one unique to the farm on which it was served. This was less a style than simply the beer they brewed.
But although our vision tends to imagine these beers as rustic anachronisms — all world-class and delicious — to be enjoyed on a bale of hay in front of a setting sun, the reality is different. According to the authoritative text Farmhouse Ales by Phil Markowski, “In reality, these homemade ales were extremely varied in quality and taste.” They were truly distinct, but couldn’t really be categorized.
In America, we tend to place things into neat little categories. But placing the Franco-Belgian version in a strict category would be a mistake. Yvan De Baets, one of the world’s great experts in farmhouse ales and the owner of Brasserie De La Senne in Brussels, believes farmhouse ale isn’t necessarily a style but “rather an interpretation of the style.”
“The term [farmhouse ale] obviously comes from the U.S., and I think it relates to some images Americans have of Old Europe, especially when they go to the countryside,” he wrote via e-mail. “It’s understandable, of course. I suppose it gives some people a mental comfort with a sort of ‘window of flavors’ those type of beers are having in common.”
Todd Boera, founder of Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton, North Carolina, agrees. “Stylistically, [in America] we’re really just borrowing the idea of French and Belgian styles,” he said.
Given the significant shade cast by the large Sequoia that is the farmhouse ale tree, a distinct definition is hard to pin down. The reality lies somewhere in between a modern twist and a traditional take. Oxbow’s Tim Adams says that the American Farmhouse Ale is an homage grown out of respect to the perfected styles of the entire Franco-Belgian region, from the farmhouse ales to the Lambics, the gueuze to the Flanders Reds. The modern farmhouse combines the best of American brewing with the techniques and flavors of these ancient styles.
“It’s interesting to see what’s happening with American beers when you put them into an historical and geographical context,” he said. “With Oxbow, we’re taking these influences from Belgian beers and combining them into American farmhouse ales.”
Stuffings mirrored those thoughts, saying his outfit is “heavily inspired and [has] borrowed principles [from the European masters], but is really trying to do something that’s our own.”
But there’s still some adherence to the traditional methodologies, focused largely on accessibility of localized ingredients and terroir.
“We have certain principles that have translated across the ocean,” Stuffings said. “We try to stay true to that spirit.”
Jester King, he says, focuses on local agriculture, and surrounding resources like well water, grain, and hops that, if not grown there, are aged in their barn. They also ferment their products with their own yeast cultures and microorganisms from their property. Most importantly, there’s a focus on subtlety, which runs directly counter to the American craft beer scene, which seems to increasingly express itself through extremes, as well as the fallacy that more — hops, adjuncts, time in barrel — equates to better. There’s a complexity in Jester King beers that’s a product of simplicity.
“That’s one of our defining principles,” said Stuffings. “[At Jester King], there are principles of restraint and subtlety. Despite the debate of true origin of the style, there’s a functionality in that they are historically purposed for nourishment and hydration. I think these are the most interesting and drinkable beers. They are every bit as complex, and harder to appreciate. The subtlety, the restraint are paradoxically the key to complexity.”
If there is a commonality among the style we call American farmhouse, it’s drinkability — a term that has more to do with ease-of-drinking, palatability, and a coexistence of balanced ingredients than just literal consumption. It’s a major tenet of the hard-to-grasp style, and almost all American farmhouse brewers seek a lack of ostentation and complexity-through-simplicity. At De La Senne, De Baets also favors this take and seems concerned with other American styles that border on extreme.
Said De Baets, “Brewers should always remember that a beer, whatever its style, should always be easy to drink, especially the family of the ‘farmhouse’ ones.”
That said, he considers some of the best interpretations of the traditional style to be found in America. He points to places like Russian River, Allagash, De Garde, Crooked Stave, and Tired Hands, as well as the outfits run by Adams and Stuffings.
Are there other commonalities? It’s charming to believe that American Farmhouse Ales are a product of place, that the beers are inspired by the place and the place is symbiotically inspired by the beer, but the quality of beer and the setting seem to be mutually exclusive. Aside from the breweries featured in this story, breweries like Vermont’s Hill Farmstead and New York’s Plan Bee are crafting unique interpretations of the style in a rural setting; on the other end of the spectrum, both Adams and Stuffings pointed to Allagash and Sante Adarius Rustic Ales as examples of exemplary modern producers of the style, both of which are located near urban centers. Simply put, location doesn’t matter.
“What’s the real relationship between the type of building in which a beer is brewed and a style?” asked De Baets. “Is a super clean pilsner brewed in a genuine farm a farmhouse beer? Can a genuine 19th Century Saison be brewed in a ‘modern’ plant, with no pigs or cows running around?”
“There are people making exceptional farmhouse style ales in warehouses,” asserted Adams, “and people brewing crappy farmhouse ales in farmhouses. It isn’t linked to place. The things we do at Oxbow — brew in an authentic setting in a rural area, use well water, surrounded by farming operations that help produce ingredients — help make our beer that much more special and unique. We’re drawn to the farmhouse setting, but it’d be foolish to think that it’s related to the quality of the beer.”
For Boera, who calls Fonta Flora an Appalachian Farmhouse Brewery, the property on a farm is a combination of luck and intent.
“I really lucked out making this whole farmhouse location a reality,” he said. “How many people have the opportunity to put a brewery on a farm? It’s certainly unfair to say some people don’t count because they’re not on a farm, but for me it sweetens the deal to be on a farm with access to local ingredients. That’s the heart and soul.”
All things considered, what comes to rest inside the bottle ends up being more important than location or ingredients or process. The end product is paramount, and finding the right combination of ingredients, mouthfeel, and fermentation character makes for a true American farmhouse ale.Transitioning between seasons on a farm always brings new opportunities and new hurdles. Over the years, I’ve made sure that my little barn at our micro dairy is fairly weather proof and requires very few modifications for seasonal changes. But this might not be the case on all farms, so I’ve pulled together a quick list of seven steps that can help you get your barn ready for winter.
1. Ventilation. During the winter months, all barns need a source of fresh air. In my barn, all that is required for cold weather is simply closing the windows a bit but not all the way. I leave them cracked at the top for fresh air and ventilation. The stable area is also ventilated by a variable speed wall mounted exhaust fan that sucks the stale moist air out of the barn and brings in fresh air through the partially open windows. I like to keep the stable area around 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter.
2. Winterize the water lines and troughs. I start by begrudgingly draining my water troughs and the 3/4-inch black PVC water lines that feed them when I know I can no longer avoid the freezing cold. I store the troughs inside but leave empty water lines out in the pastures for the winter. I then set up a trough for the cows close enough to the barn to fill with a hose. But thanks to the freezing temperatures in the winter, I have to break and remove ice nearly every day. And I’m tired of it — and you will be too eventually. I am planning to put a floating electric heater in the trough this winter to keep the water from freezing.
3. Barn yard clean up. Every spring and fall I thoroughly clean up the barn yard where the cows stand and linger when they eat at their feeder. I used to scrape off the manure regularly and put down a layer of hard-pack (a local form of crushed stone commonly used for driveways and dirt roads) in the fall and spring; however, I no longer do that. Instead of crush stone I now put down a thick layer of wood chips that I buy very reasonably from a local tree trimming and removal company. They work much better and last a lot longer than hard-pack. Plus they are easier on the cows' feet. And I'd much rather put a few rotten wood chips in my composted manure than crushed stones when I clean and scrape my barn yard.
4. Assess the barn yard shelter. Because I don't have to make many modifications to my barn to prepare for winter I try to make time to make one or two improvements every fall. One fault in my set up is the lack of a run-in shed for my cows where they can find shelter during miserable cold rainy fall weather when they are out of the barn. So, this year I am optimistically planning to double the size of my hay shed/calving pen that is next to the barn and make it available as a run in shed for my cows to seek shelter during inclement weather.
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5. Have a plan for removing and storing manure. Cows make 100 lbs. of manure per day. In the winter months, I have clean the manure gutters daily just to keep up. This is a big change from the summer when I only clean the manure gutters once a month because the cows are outside night and day. But when the cold weather arrives and the cows are inside a lot more I shovel the manure into a wheelbarrow and dump it on a pad just outside the barn door. Then every few days, I use my small bucket tractor to move the accumulated manure to the compost pile.Posted on 18 July 2009
Hanoi’s Environmental Police on Thursday found a frozen tiger and more than 11 kgs of tiger bones smuggled by taxi from the country’s interior to Hanoi – the third seizure of tiger parts in the city this year.
-- Hanoi’s Environmental Police on Thursday found a frozen tiger and more than 11 kgs of tiger bones smuggled by taxi from the country’s interior to Hanoi – the third seizure of tiger parts in the city this year.Police stopped a suspicious looking taxi at the Hoang Cau Stadium in the Dong Da District of the city early Thursday and found a frozen tiger wrapped in several layers of blankets in the trunk, and 11 kgs of tiger limb bones.Dr. Dang Tat The, an expert at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnam’s CITES Scientific Authority, identified the animal and bones as tiger, and speculated that the animal, which weighed 57 kg, was probably a young individual that had been recently killed and that the bones had come from at least two adult tigers.The tiger likely was transported from Central Vietnam, but it is currently unknown whether the animal originated in Vietnam, or whether it was a wild or captive specimen.“To complete the police investigation, we call upon the authorities to carry out DNA testing to help determine where these tigers came from,” said Nguyen Dao Ngoc Van, a Senior Projects Officer at the Ha Noi-based office of TRAFFIC, the international wildlife trade monitoring network—a joint programme of WWF and IUCN.“While the continuing trade in tigers and tiger parts is of great concern, the work of the Environmental Police towards stopping the trade is encouraging and impressive,” Van said. “Although recently formed, the police are quickly improving Vietnam’s capacity to enforce its existing wildlife trade legislation.”Two other tiger seizures have taken place in Hanoi this year; a January seizure of more than two tonnes of wildlife products from a store in Dong Da district, Hanoi that included six tiger skins, and a February seizure of 23 kgs of frozen tiger parts, also in Dong Da.“These seizures show us just how serious the threat to Asia’s remaining wild tigers is,” Van said.Fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild, with an estimated population of only about 50 individuals in Vietnam. All six tiger sub-species are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered on IUCN’s Red List. Poaching represents a major threat to the survival of wild tigers. Tiger habitat is also dwindling at an ever increasing rate and that which remains is still unprotected."We appreciate the good work of the police in Vietnam in finding smuggled tiger skins and parts, said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of the Species Programme, WWF-International. "However, it is critical that protection of tigers by anti-poaching patrols and on-the-ground efforts are greatly increased, so that tigers are not poached in the first place," Dr. Lieberman said.Tigers are listed in Appendix I of CITES, strictly prohibiting any commercial international trade in them or their derivatives. Although Vietnam is party to CITES, and has banned all domestic trade of tigers, the trade in tigers continues for the use of their bones in traditional medicines, the consumption of their meat as a health tonic and as a status symbol, and the use of their skin for trophy and decorative purposes.The seizure comes just one week after the World Bank announced it considered any experimentation with tiger farming too risky and could drive wild tigers further toward extinction.It looks like the rumors were true: Google has picked up Web IM company Meebo.
Meebo announced the news in a blog post today (which was brought to our attention by TechCrunch):
We are happy to announce that Meebo has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Google! For more than seven years we've been helping publishers find deeper relationships with their users and to make their sites more social and engaging. Together with Google, we're super jazzed to roll up our sleeves and get cracking on even bigger and better ways to help users and Web site owners alike. We've had a blast building Meebo so far, and we're really excited to start the next leg of our journey. Thank you all for coming along for the ride!
Meebo Team
Specifics of the deal -- mainly how much Google paid -- were not disclosed, and a Google spokesperson declined to comment on that aspect of the deal. In a statement, the company said the Meebo team would be working on its Google+ product:
We are always looking for better ways to help users share content and connect with others across the Web, just as they do in real life. With the Meebo team's expertise in social publisher tools, we believe they will be a great fit with the Google+ team. We look forward to closing the transaction and working with the Meebo team to create more ways for users to engage online.
A report from All Things D last month was the first to suggest Google was in talks to pick up the company, with a purchase price of around $100 million. In a follow-up post today, TechCrunch said that number is accurate, adding that Meebo had raised about $70 million across four rounds of funding ahead of the sale, and has laid off some of its staff as part of the deal.
Meebo launched as a Web-based instant messaging client in 2005, letting users log in to multiple IM networks at once, and in their browser, at a time when that kind of functionality was limited to standalone software apps. The service later launched multiuser chat rooms, APIs for developers to build tools, and mobile apps that replicated these features.
More recently, Meebo turned its focus toward ways to add extra social and advertising features to Web sites, and toward its technology's potential usefulness as a personal content aggregation tool.
Update, 1:44 p.m. PT: Adds comment from Google, and at 2:24 p.m. with additional details from separate TechCrunch report.Roughly 30 percent of the Earth’s surface is land. And where there is land, there is a nation (or multiple nations) ready to claim it as its own. In fact, some of the world’s strangest disputes have been over pieces of land so small as to inspire bemused disbelief. Outside of Antarctica, almost every square foot of land is claimed by at least one nation.
Almost, because of an 800 square mile trapezoid-shaped piece of land call Bir Tawil.
Bir Tawil sits between Egypt and Sudan, as pictured above. And neither country wants the land; in fact, either would be quite happy if the other took it. The area is landlocked and barren. The terrain is dry and mountainous and no one lives there permanently; a century ago, a tribe of nomads used the area as grazing lands, but that has long since changed. “Bir Tawil” translates to “deep water well,” a name given to the area decades ago due to the presence of a well in the region (and literally nothing else), but even that well is long gone.
But Bir Tawil’s general worthlessness is not why neither country wants it. Rather, the nations don’t want it because it would preclude them from claiming the Hala’ib Triangle to Bir Tawil’s northeast. Much larger and with fertile soil bordering the Red Sea, the triangle is claimed by both Egypt and Sudan.
The dispute dates back to two edicts, one from 1899 and another in 1902. In 1899, the United Kingdom (which controlled the area) drew the northern border of Sudan at the 22nd Parallel, a straight line stretching eastward to the Red Sea. Under these borders, Egypt would control the Hala’ib Triangle while Bir Tawil (as these regions are called today) would fall to Sudan. But these borders had a small flaw. A group of people living in the triangle were both geographically and culturally closer to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, but under the guise of Cairo. To fix this, in 1902, the UK decided to draw a jagged “administrative boundary” which placed the Triangle under the administration of Sudan — and, for some reason, carved out the divot known as Bir Tawil to be administered by Egypt.
Today, Egypt recognizes the 1899 border while Sudan claims the 1902 border to be true. As a result, no one wants Bir Tawil, making it the only place, outside of Antarctica, unclaimed by a nation.
Bonus fact : In October of 2006, the United States passed the “Secure Fence Act of 2006,” which endeavored to build a border fence across its southwest border with Mexico. The fence, however, does not track the border exactly because a treaty between the U.S. and Mexico prevents development in the Rio Grande floodplain in Texas. As a result, the U.S. built some sections of the fence about a mile north of the border, placing some Texans, still technically in the U.S., on the Mexican side of the fence.
From the Archives: Capture the Flag: Why Canada and Denmark squabble over a half-square mile piece of rock in the Arctic Circle.
Related: “The Second Book of General Ignorance” by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. Mentions Bir Tawil and seems interesting. Five stars on three reviews.Joseph A. Griswold -Assistant Sports Editor
The goal was clear: The Boston Bruins needed a top-six forward to boost their secondary scoring at the trade deadline. They failed–at least for now.
The Bruins acquired Minnesota Wild forward, Charlie Coyle for winger Ryan Donato and a fifth-round pick. Coyle, 26 is an East Weymouth, Mass., native and will look to add more secondary scoring. However, this season Coyle only has 10 goals and 18 assists and has never scored more than 21 goals in a season. For a team looking for more scoring, Coyle does not seem like the answer.
With all the available scorers on the market such as Artemi Panarin, Mark Stone or even Wayne Simmonds, a third-line winger in Coyle simply does not make sense.
The Bruins also gave up a young prospect in Ryan Donato, who could have been packaged with a higher pick in order to bring in a proven top-six scorer. Despite Donato’s lack of production in the NHL thus far, his ceiling is much higher.
Donato is just the latest prospect under 25 given up by the Bruins adding to a list that includes, Phil Kessel, Tyler Seguin, Blake Wheeler, Frank Vatrano, and Dougie Hamilton.
Focusing on the positive aspects, Coyle will add some size to the struggling third-line and will probably center David Backes and Joakim Nordstrom.
However, the third-line has seen the least ice-time this season and the addition of Coyle may not be enough to change that.
The addition of Coyle does not eliminate them from the potential top scorers on the market, but it does eliminate a young prospect to offer.
Don Sweeney spent too much last season on the addition of Rick Nash and it seems that has left him hesitant to pull the trigger on a big move this year.
If the Bruins plan to land a top-six forward before the deadline they have to be willing to move a first-round pick and a quality prospect, likely Jakob Forsbacka-Karlson or Danton Heinen. With the core players of the Bruins getting older, Don Sweeney needs to decide whether or not to go all-in on a cup run. The addition of Coyle does not hurt the Bruins but it certainly does not supply the needed scoring to challenge for a cup. If the Bruins believe they are a true contender they must be willing to move from a top-prospect and go after one of the top-scorers left on the market.This is a birthday commission for someone i known for a few years. I will say that this person kinda got me into the competitive side of Pokemon and showed me a few things of some games. I will say she is also a talented artist who showed me a few things while she studied at SCAD. Of all what she makes, her signature pokemon is without a doubt Charizard. I did not know how to make this picture but this time around while she is playing in Pokemon Sun, this is more than likely what she does. Breeding and readying herself for the competitive scene. I am grateful to met this person in my life because not only she helped me with improving my artistic abilities but is one of the few people that made an impact.
I made a picture similar to this before but it really needed an upgrade.
(NOTE) This is not the project I helped with for the past few months but it will be beavered soon.The letter that arrived at the home of a leading Afghan women’s rights activist in February 2012 was chilling. “Respected Adela Mohseni, you all the time betray religion and the Koran,” it began. Because she had ignored warnings and continued to “co-operate with infidels,” it said, she now faced death.
“After this, wherever our mujahedeen find you, it is obligated that they will sentence you to death and kill you in order to save our Islamic country.”
Such “night letters” are a common Taliban intimidation tactic, often producing deadly results for Afghans considered enemies of the fundamentalists. In this case, though, the message reverberated all the way to Canada.
Though not named in the letter, the “infidels” for whom Ms. Mohseni had been working were at a Canadian government-funded human rights institute. Since 2007, she had been employed in Kabul by Montreal-based Rights and Democracy, promoting legal reforms to protect the rights of women.
After this, wherever our mujahedeen find you, it is obligated that they will sentence you to death and kill you in order to save our Islamic country
She went into hiding immediately after receiving the letter and then, on the advice of her superior at Rights and Democracy, fled with her family to India, seeking temporary refuge. Fifteen months later, she is still there, recognized as a refugee by the United Nations but unable to work, struggling to support her children and still fearing for her life.
“I was working for Canada, and they should support and secure me, but unfortunately they didn’t,” she wrote recently.
Ms. Mohseni’s misfortune was compounded by the fact that as the fatwa was declared against her, Rights and Democracy was about to receive a death sentence of its own from the Conservative government. On April 3, 2012, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced that Rights and Democracy, which had been embroiled in controversy on the home front, was shutting down. Ms. Mohseni would essentially be left to fend for herself.
A Shia Muslim born in Afghanistan’s Wardak province, Ms. Mohseni, 33, is a highly educated Islamic scholar. She fled to Iran after the anti-Shia Taliban came to power in the 1990s, and it was there that she became committed to women’s rights.
She returned to Afghanistan after a U.S.-led military intervention toppled the Taliban in 2001. She began working on women’s rights programs with Germany’s Heinrich Boll Foundation in 2005, then joined Rights and Democracy as a program officer in 2007.
“She was the kind of personality who could make things happen,” said Hamid Saboory, who as country director was in charge of the Kabul office from March 2011 until it closed. “She was a very active member of Afghan civil society, helping Afghan women secure their rights and work for a better future. That’s why we had her at Rights and Democracy.”
Rights and Democracy was created in 1988 by Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government as an arm’s-length institute promoting human rights and democratic development abroad. By the end, it was receiving more than $11-million in annual government funding through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian International Development Agency. It had projects in 17 countries.
Nowhere was its work more dangerous than in Afghanistan, where its focus was advocating for women’s rights in the face of opposition from religious extremists. There was no sign or Canadian flag outside the Rights and Democracy Kabul office, and in its annual reports the organization cited “security reasons” for not publishing the names of its 18 Afghan employees.
“That sort of work is pretty complicated and dangerous in Afghanistan given that there is a huge number of conservatives,” Mr. Saboory said from Kabul, where he is working as a consultant. Ms. Mohseni was working to rewrite family law and prevent violence against women. Her “moderate interpretation of Islam and Sharia and the kind of sensitive work she was involved with was not acceptable for many people,” he said. And even though the organization’s Afghan employees were told not to identify their employer when speaking publicly, word got around.
Ms. Mohseni began receiving threats on her cellphone in 2011. “They would threaten things like they would come and burn down my house,” she said, through an interpreter, in a recent interview from India. She went to police and two students of a well-known warlord were arrested. She said she agreed not to press charges after being advised that if she persisted, worse actions could follow.
The night letter that came in February 2012, identified as originating from the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” in her native province of Wardak, proved she was not to be spared. Mr. Saboory showed the letter to a number of anti-terrorism experts in Kabul, who judged it authentic. It was quickly decided that Ms. Mohseni could not remain in Kabul, and India was seen as a safer destination than Iran or Pakistan. With her husband and small sons Elya, now 3, and Danyal, now 2, she fled.
“I have to say that I left Afghanistan in a really bad state,” she said in the interview. “I had been in someone else’s house for two weeks, so I left with nothing. All my things are there. I didn’t even have time to say goodbye to my two sisters and my brother.”
In Montreal, a special committee including Rights and Democracy president Gérard Latulippe was formed to address a situation unlike anything the organization had experienced in its 24 years. Then, in the midst of the crisis, Mr. Baird announced that Rights and Democracy would be closed, citing the turmoil that had engulfed the organization over the previous two years.
In discussions through an interpreter with the Montreal office, Ms. Mohseni had been led to believe the organization would provide legal help and [refugee] sponsorship so she could come to Canada. “But after that, the office closed down,” she said. “They gave me four months’ salary but nothing else.”
On April 17, 2012, Mr. Latulippe wrote a letter to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in India, urging that Ms. Mohseni be accepted as a refugee. He said that reliable sources had identified “elements specific to the Taliban” in the night letter she received. “We feel that her fear of persecution and bodily harm are well founded,” he wrote. That appears to have been the last official Canadian intervention on Ms. Mohseni’s behalf. Mr. Saboory said a low-level official from the Canadian embassy in Kabul came by the Rights and Democracy office after the night letter was received and recommended security improvements. “That’s the only support we received,” he said.
Now Ms. Mohseni is beginning to feel desperate as her time in India stretches on indefinitely. “I am here with two really small children. I don’t have the right to work. I have no money. I have nothing that I can do,” she said. “I don’t even understand the language, so I’m really having a hard time.”
Last January, the Taliban murdered a woman working with a local non-governmental organization in her home province, leaving her body hanging from a tree. In Kabul, mysterious visitors have been recently showing up at Ms. Mohseni’s house, asking the current occupants about her whereabouts.
“I can’t go back to Afghanistan and I can’t stay in India so I really have to find a third place to go,” she said. “Since Canada was the country that I was working with, that’s the place that I’ve got to turn to.”
Sarah Kamal, a Montreal-based expert on Afghanistan who met Ms. Mohseni while working for Rights and Democracy in Kabul, said she has no doubt that Ms.
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the lifelong Kopite is not a man who takes praise well, yet given the rise in particular of Sterling, the 17-year-old winger who is practically assured of starting against Manchester United on Sunday following a sparkling start to the season that has seen him called up to the senior England squad, it is rightly due. And more may be heading McParland's way given how his importance to Liverpool's future has grown following the club's clumsy dealings in the recent transfer window.
Andy Carroll was allowed to join West Ham on loan and a replacement striker – namely Clint Dempsey – was not signed, leading to Liverpool's principal owner, John Henry, stating the club's desire to put an "emphasis on developing our own players" in an open letter to disgruntled supporters, and to Brendan Rodgers suggesting that the lack of depth to his squad provided "a number of boys" with an opportunity to break into the first team, a claim that was put into action against Young Boys and had led to a collective shifting of eyes towards the academy setup in Kirkby.
"All the staff here put themselves under pressure to produce," said McParland when asked if he feels under more pressure now than at any other time since becoming academy director in 2009. "We're self motivated and will work through thick and thin to do what's best for the kids.
"We believe we're doing it the right way – the kids understand tactically better now, they still have work to do when they go with the first-team but the work is getting done properly and there's no one better than Brendan to make the necessary tweaks once they are with him."
Rodgers' heralded work as Chelsea's youth-team manager certainly provides encouragement that he be trusted to nurture young players provided to him by Liverpool's academy, with the transition process aided further by the similar nature of playing styles adhered to at youth and first-team level.
Rodgers wants Liverpool to perform in a high-tempo, high-pressing, possession-dominated manner and, as McParland outlines, that is how every one of the club's age groups, from under-nines up to the under-21 side –which has replaced the reserve team as part of the Premier League's elite player performance plan – have played ever since the former manager Rafael Benítez overhauled the academy three years ago.
Unhappy with the youth setup despite it having brought through Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard and provided the platform for Liverpool to win the FA Youth Cup in 2006 and 2007, Benítez hired McParland as academy director, having previously deployed him as the club's chief scout, and brought in José "Pep" Segura as the academy's technical director and Rodolfo Borrell as the Under-18s coach from Barcelona's acclaimed La Masia academy.
"The programme introduced in 2009 is the Spanish way of playing, which is about pressing hard, keeping the ball and being verycomfortable in possession," McParland said. "All the coaches work to that plan.
"We have an established style in regards to how we play and fortunatelyit's not far away from what Brendan wants to do with the first team. I've had five or six meetings with him and he's always been positive about the players here. He is happy with our results and I am sure he will only want to influence that further."
That may be the case but there is no denying the uncertainty currently surrounding Liverpool's youth setup. Segura recently announced his resignation after, it is believed, missing out on a senior role at the club in the wake of Damien Comolli's sacking as director of football. And the Frenchman's departure, while not a loss at first-team level, is rued by McParland, who described him as having being "heavily involved" in recruitment at youth level.
That issue should be resolved now Liverpool's new scouting team is in place but there remains a question mark over just how capable the academy is of supplementing Liverpool's first team in the short, medium and long term. Sterling is an undoubted star in the making, and has been since he was signed from QPR as a 15-year-old in 2010, but the same cannot necessarily be said of fellow graduates Martin Kelly, Jack Robinson, Jon Flanagan and Adam Morgan, all of whom have appeared for the first team in the past three years.
Indeed, the last player to progress from being an academy member to first-team regular was Gerrard, with the club captain making his senior debut in 1998. Why does McParland think Liverpool's youth system has not produced another Gerrard since then? "To produce another Steven Gerrard is difficult because his mum and dad produced Steven Gerrard, not the coaches here," he said.
"Steven was born to be a top player, but what we're better at now is producing players that can play in the Premier League and in the next three or four years we'll have a lot more players come through.
"This is the fourth year of the project and already we've had the youngest player to have played for Liverpool in Jack Robinson, the third youngest in Raheem Sterling, and then there is Flanno [Flanagan] and Morgan, who are both in the top 20. So in the history of a club that is 120 years old, four of its youngest players have come through the current youth setup. That shows we're making an impact and pushing the kids on quicker. The target is to have 50% of the first-team squad coming through the academy."
For McParland, who like Gerrard was raised in Huyton, a key part of the development process is the NextGen series, the Uefa-sanctioned under-19s competition now in its second year. Liverpool, who reached the semi-finals last season, opened with a 3-2 defeat to the holders, and Group Five rivals, Internazionale, on Wednesday.
"It's about playing best against best and is designed for the next level, so when kids push through to the first team they are used to doing what the first team do," said McParland. "There's only one team that matters at Liverpool and that's the first team. No matter who has been the manager that's been our philosophy."
The NextGen Series is a Uefa-sanctioned youth competition that, now in its second season, comprises of 24 clubs from across Europe, including Barcelona, Juventus, Ajax, Arsenal, Sporting Lisbon and current holders Internazionale.
The teams are split into six groups of four with the knockout stages taking place at the start of 2013 ahead of the final in March.
"NextGen has opened everyone's eyes to how important international club football is to these players," said tournament co-founder Justin Andrews. "We're now in season two of our competition and are already seeing the benefits this tournament brings to European football in general."Just a curiosity: why the Python is in the "not accepted ships becouse it's already popular for explorers"?Never met an explorer that's happy with a Python, while met a lot of explorers that would love to bring a Python to exploration and are just waiting for an excuse.I know, with engineers a stripped down Python can achieve >30 LY jumprange. But a stripped down Python feels wrong every second.I have this Python I love becouse it's a true multipurpose, can hold a single fight, has srv, can repair, has limpets, etc.For the expedition I could swap a 6A fuel scoop and fit also a fuel limpet controller. If I bring 60 limpets it has a jumprange of almost 18LY wich is everything but ideal. Also after next patch is deployes I will A rate the sensors and loose other 2LY jumprange.I love this ship, especially now it has the Wireframe paintjob, and I'm really needing an excuse to explore in it.Is it too performing for this expedition?Note: 0 irony here, a genuine question.Donald Trump. Mike Stone/Reuters President-elect Donald Trump is stepping into office on Friday.
And some analysts argue that his "America first" foreign policy agenda could mark a break in the global order, given that it rejects the Wilsonian approach centered on US-backed international alliances and institutions.
"I believe that the Pax Americana, as of tomorrow, is over," Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, said in an interview with Business Insider on Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"I think that we can actually close the book on that chapter and that we enter into a new world order," he said.
Bremmer and his firm recently articulated a similar idea in their annual list of top risks. They wrote that Trump's "America first" philosophy sees multilateral institutions and international affairs as transactional — that is, rather than aiming for longer-term global order and common values, Trump believes the US should act on near-term national interests and be more flexible in dealing with rapid shifts on the global stage.
"With it ends a 70-year geopolitical era of Pax Americana, one in which globalization and Americanization were tightly linked and American hegemony in security, trade, and promotion of values provided guardrails for the global economy," the firm wrote of the "America first" philosophy in its report.
Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech on Tuesday in Davos defending economic globalization, which Bremmer cited as an example of globalization continuing while Americanization is not.
Davos attendees "know that Trump represents a level of significant uncertainty in the global order," he said. "And they also know the Chinese government coming here and saying, 'We're leading the charge on globalization,' and quoting from Charles Dickens and things like that — well, China is not a democracy. Not going to become one. China's not a free-market economy. And while it is becoming more market-oriented over time, it's still fundamentally state capitalist.
"So the idea that your new globalization overlords are a country that does not have rule of law or an independent judiciary — in fact, a country that many of you do not feel particularly welcome investing in, even though you're making some money — they don't know how to deal with that, that uncertainty as globalization continues but Americanization is clearly over."
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters
Another example of Trump's shift in foreign policy views that Bremmer singled out was the president-elect's recent comments in an interview with Bild and The Times of London on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Well, I start off trusting both, but let's see how long that lasts. It may not last at all," Trump said.
Bremmer said: "The Trans-Atlantic relationship right now... when Trump comes out and says that his relationship with Putin and Merkel are basically the same, that's literally an astounding thing for a postwar American president to say. And if you're Merkel, the most important leader in Europe, you have to react strongly to that.
"I think there's an open question right now as to the state of and maybe the existence of the US-German alliance. And that is not appreciated by the people that are here."ProtonMail Bridge is a new desktop program for Windows, Mac and Linux devices that integrates ProtonMail email accounts in desktop email clients such as Thunderbird, Outlook or Apple Mail.
We reviewed ProtonMail twice in past years. First in 2014 when the service was announced, and then just a month ago when we published our getting started guide.
ProtonMail was available as a web-based version and in form of applications only back then. While you could download your keys to integrate them in other applications, it was not such a comfortable option.
ProtonMail Bridge changes that. The free software program bridges the gap and makes ProtonMail available in desktop email programs. The main benefit of the approach is that the program ensures the same level of security -- end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption -- that ProtonMail offers.
Note: Bridge is only available for paying customers and not to free users of ProtonMail.
The ProtonMail Bridge application "sits" between the email client and the ProtonMail servers. It acts as a proxy if you will that powers the encrypting and decrypting of content. The email client communicates via IMAP and SMTP with the Bridge which in turn encrypts or decrypts ProtonMail messages.
This means that you interact with ProtonMail emails like you would with any other emails from other providers. Good news is that this means that you can run searches across all emails or part of them, and don't have to change the configuration of the email client in any way.
One issue from a security and privacy point of view is that emails are not stored in encrypted form in the email client. This means that they may be accessed by anyone with local access to the device, and by programs that may dump data from it as well.
ProtonMail plans to release the source code for the Bridge application after the technical documentation of the code is done.
Setting up ProtonMail Bridge
The first thing that you need to do is install the Bridge application on the device. This is a straightforward process; the only options you get are to change the directory the program is installed in, and to select whether you want the installer to create application shortcuts on the system.
The actual setup of accounts happens when you run ProtonMail Bridge on the system. Start with a click on the "add account" link in the program interface.
You are then asked to sign in using your ProtonMail username and password to add the account to the Bridge application. Bridge is set up in combined addresses mode by default; all email addresses are managed in a single mailbox in that mode. You can change it it with a click on mailbox configuration so that all addresses are handled individually (each with its own mailbox).
ProtonMail Bridge displays the IMAP and SMTP settings afterwards. These use 127.0.01 as the hostname, local ports, and the ProtonMail username as identifiers. The password is generated by the Bridge application and not identical to the ProtonMail password.
This is done for added security according to ProtonMail.
Configuration in the client depends on that client. It is necessary usually to pick custom setup as you need to specify the custom hostname and port during setup.
ProtonMail's support site has guides for Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail which you may use to set things up.
Closing Words
ProtonMail Bridge brings the secure email service to the desktop. While that means having to run the Bridge application in the background and needing a paid subscription to use it at all, it is something that many users have been waiting for.
Summary Article Name ProtonMail Bride: encrypted email for Outlook, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail Description ProtonMail Bridge is a new desktop program for Windows, Mac and Linux devices that integrates ProtonMail email accounts in desktop email clients such as Thunderbird, Outlook or Apple Mail. Author Martin Brinkmann Publisher Ghacks Technology News Logo
AdvertisementOver the past few years, several policymakers have been heard complaining that Indian firms are not investing enough. The latest data on asset sales provides a clear and stark answer for that phenomenon: the Indian economy is currently going through the biggest deleveraging of the past quarter century, if not the biggest in history.
Data sourced from Thomson Reuters Eikon show that Indian companies have sold more assets in 2016 than they have in any year since liberalization. It is no wonder then that private investments have been tepid as the deleveraging process picked up pace over the past year or so. The data shows that asset-sale deals announced, pending or completed in 2016 are worth $40.85 billion. This beats the previous peak of $27.96 billion announced in 2007 by a wide margin. The Reuters data covers any tangible asset, branch, division, operations or subsidiary sold off by a parent firm.
While the previous peak was driven by demand from investors who wanted a stake in the ‘India growth story’, the current round of asset sales has been driven largely by distress of indebted corporations. Essar features in the list of top deals in both 2007 and 2016. The top deals in 2007 include Vodafone’s acquisition of Hutchison Essar and Matsushita Electric Works’ acquisition of Anchor Electricals. The top deals of 2016 include the sale of controlling stake in Essar Oil to PJSC Rosneft Oil Co by the heavily indebted Essar group, and UltraTech Cement Ltd’s acquisition of Jaypee Group’s cement assets. However, in terms of completed deals, 2016 has seen lower amount of such deals compared to previous years but that is largely because many of the asset sales are yet to receive regulatory approvals.
As the charts below show, the asset sales have been led by stressed firms in the debt-laden sectors of the Indian economy such as energy, real estate, and metals. Many of the leading firms in these sectors are owned by some of the most indebted corporate groups of the country.
The debt overhang of India’s corporate sector has been many years in the making and the unwinding of debt is taking almost as much time as the accumulation of debt. The seeds of the current debt problems were sown during the effervescent lending of the boom years in the mid-2000s. The credit boom leading up to the great global financial crash of 2008 witnessed a dilution of lending norms by banks and an aggressive asset-buying spree by Indian corporations. The financial crash brought an end to such excesses, and the boom turned to bust. In a 2012 report, Credit Suisse pointed out that the borrowings of the top 10 indebted conglomerates in the country (which included Essar, Reliance ADAG, Vedanta, Adani and the Jaypee group) had grown five times in the five years leading up to 2012 to Rs5.4 trillion, which equalled 13% of total bank loans.
Even then, delayed recognition of bad loans by banks and regulatory forbearance by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) ensured that indebted firms and conglomerates did not face the pressures of paying back their debts that they are faced with today. In a 2015 update of their original report, Credit Suisse pointed out that the total borrowings of the top 10 indebted groups stood at Rs7.3 trillion.
Thanks to tightening of norms related to restructuring of assets, and greater power provided to lenders to recover dues, promoters have been forced to consider selling distressed assets and subsidiaries to retire some of their debt. Some of the top deals of the past year feature firms owned by the top 10 indebted corporate groups and other large indebted conglomerates.
But does this year’s asset-selling spree signal an end to India’s debt woes? Most analysts suggest that is unlikely. In fact, the debt problem has become more acute for companies which are not able to meet their interest obligations or have an interest cover less than 1.
“Contrary to expectations of a recovery in stressed companies, the share of debt with interest cover (IC) saw a slight increase up to 39% vs 38%. The share of chronically stressed companies also increased to 34% vs 32% QoQ, and 30% (vs 34%) debt was with loss-making companies," noted a 19 September Credit Suisse report by analysts Ashish Gupta, Kush Shah and Prashant Kumar.
Bankers have pointed out that cash from many asset sales is only enough to stay out of debt trouble for a year or so. And once cash-generating assets have been sold, it could lead to fresh problems for indebted groups as the cash from the deals run out. It is likely that bankers or promoters, or more likely both, would have to take a hit in the coming quarters.
A 20 September Religare Capital Markets Ltd report, which examined six steel companies to analyse their debt servicing capability, noted that EBITDA (or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) would have to triple for these companies to be able to meet their debt obligations. “Given the limited upsides to EBITDA (ex-sale of non-core assets), we believe debt servicing will be possible only post a 35-40% loan haircut by banks," said the report authored by analysts Pritesh Jani, Parag Jariwala and Vikesh Mehta.
The continuing spectre of further deleveraging seems to have affected risk appetite across the economy. As the chart below shows, cash levels have witnessed a rise for Indian firms after the crash of 2008 even though indebted firms have lagged others. Yet, the hangover of debt and the turning of the credit cycle seems to be deterring firms from making new investments.
The tepid investment climate has affected overall demand in the economy and in turn hurt the debt-servicing capabilities of the indebted groups, analysts say.
India’s debt issues will not be solved without an improvement in growth or a pick-up in demand, said V. Balasubramanian, head of equities at IDBI Mutual Fund.
“The problem is huge," said Balasubramanian. And even the biggest year of asset sales will likely fall short of solving it.
This is the first of a four-part data journalism series on corporate debt in the country. The second part will examine the leverage levels of small-cap firmsThis post has been crossposted at The Spectrum Cafe
I don’t think it’s much of a secret that feminism as a movement (and sometimes even as an ideology) has some troubles.
A movement plagued by prescriptive nonsense on a fairly regular basis, it has been guilty of body policing, life choice policing and attacking those women who choose options or exhibit traits that it deems to be part of the sexism aligned axis of kyriarchy. Thin women are attacked with body policing with catchphrases like, “real women have curves” and “eat a sandwich”. Women who choose to work in porn or in sex work are attacked in some really awful ways, as their self determination is stripped from them by the women who claim to protect the self determination of us all.
Feminism is also well known for truly abhorrent cissexism and transphobia from its second wave and radical feminism zones (trigger warning on the comments) and hasn’t exactly solved the problem of cissexism in the third wave either. This can include treating trans men like “men lite” (something that is endemic all over feminism) and especially shows itself in degendering and even levying misogynistic attacks on trans women. Often with the claim that since we transitioned, we deserve it because we “chose to be women” (a pretty foolish conclusion built on a lack of comprehension and willful ignorance).
And it has certainly been utterly awful to women of color and women with disabilities as well. The fact that womanism was built specifically to escape the racism of feminism and the fact that an entire community blog (FWD) tore away from all the major feminist blogs due to their ableism, should be indicator enough that there’s some serious problems here.
So with feminism’s issues being so distinct and so serious, one would think that feminist “allies” would quickly acknowledge and work to fix the problems. Right? As it turns out, no, not really. (You’ll notice she deleted the post in question after a long and drawn out argument about it. Another waste of my day to try to educate cis feminists)
Feminists have this really bad habit of disavowing anything in their movement that makes it look bad. Whether it be racism, ableism, cissexism or another -ism; body policing, prescriptivism, or other attacks on self determination, the fact remains that a significant number of feminists’ response to their movement being called out for these things is, “NOT ALL OF US ARE LIKE THAT, IT’S NOT MY FEMINISM/TRUE FEMINISM/ACTUAL FEMINISM/REAL FEMINISM”. What this comes down to, in the end, is reputation. Something a professed ally should not be prioritizing under any circumstances.
Since I’m tired of dealing with this argument every time I talk about feminism’s issues, I’m going to make this post address all of them so I can link bomb instead of wasting my life on these people.
1: Dissociating Reputation Save: “But not all of us are like that!”
I hate this one the most because it is a giant fallacious load of garbage to even say it. Of course not all of you are like that. I never said all of you were. If it isn’t about your actions, don’t make it about you. No, it isn’t my job to reassure you that you are an ally of repute. The fact that you couldn’t even put the effort into thinking about what I said really shows how concerned you are with fixing the problems in your movement. The fact that you immediately made it about how you look really shows what your priorities are.
2: Unique Snowflake Feminism: “But that’s not MY feminism.”
Funny story: feminism is a movement, a group, a united common ideology fueled alliance of women. Not a fingerprint, snowflake, particle trail, personal taste in pizza toppings or individual viewpoint about modern art. I thought this was common knowledge, that feminists are part of a group and movement called feminism and not an army of one. You might as well call it Carrie-ism, Stephanie-ism, Zoe-ism, etcetera instead of feminism if it’s just your personal philosophy, taken totally apart from any other feminist out there. This once again comes down to reputation. Only this time it is not just the reputation of the individual feminist at stake, it is the reputation of the Voltron combination of feminism and one single very upset feminist who very much dislikes how us mean minority type people dare to claim her symbiotic companion (and by proxy, herself) could dare to have anything wrong with them. This one is more silly than irritating and I have to admit, I laugh when I hear it. At least in the beginning, before this argument goes on for hours and makes me want to claw my eyes out.
3: No True Scotsman. “That’s not REAL feminism”
Circular logic can make an argument go on for days. And there’s nothing more circular than claiming that feminists, who are part of the movement, engage in activism, follow the base ideology of feminism (gender equality) as they interpret it aren’t actually feminists when they do something that establishes that feminism has people who do bigoted things. As shitty as it is, transphobia, racism, ableism, body policing and etc were all parts of feminism since its early days. Many of the greats of feminism, like Mary Daly, were transphobic as shit (and likely racist and ableist too) and these elements were hard coded into second wave. Third wave still hasn’t recovered from that damage. You can claim that the feminists who do that stuff are bad feminists, are doing it wrong, are failing at the spirit of the philosophy of feminism, but claiming that what they follow isn’t feminism? No. That’s just silly. They’ve got the base philosophy, which they do follow, based on their interpretation. That’s the problem with simple philosophies. Interpretation leaves holes for bigotry. Might be wise to be mindful of that.
It’s tiring dealing with this shit.
But the really funny part is since you’re spending your time trying to protect your reputation as an ally or prove feminism doesn’t have bigotry and bullshit instead of actually fighting the issues, you’re actually proving that you’re a bad ally and that you’re part of feminism’s problem. It’s a bit counterproductive for everyone. And really ironic.Piaget Crenshaw is a Ferguson, Missouri, resident now – but she moved from Jennings about a month before the shooting of Michael Brown.
Crenshaw told CNN's Michaela Pereira she witnessed the incident from her apartment and recorded video of the scene immediately following the shooting.
"I had just moved there out of my parents home," she said.
"To see something like this outside of my window... it’s just, traumatizing."
Crenshaw said Brown was running away from police and then turned around. She said that was when Brown was shot.
But police have given a different narrative, saying Brown struggled with the officer and reached for his weapon.
On Monday, the preliminary results of an autopsy that Michael Brown's family requested was released, showing the teen was shot at least six times.
In the video, you can hear Crenshaw's emotional response to what she had just seen.
"God bless his soul," she said. "Police shot this boy outside my apartment."
WATCH INTERVIEW ABOVE
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RELATED: Michael Brown death: Missouri National Guard headed to Ferguson
RELATED: Michael Brown death: Autopsy unlikely to settle dueling narrativesCourt Rejects Pennsylvania's Ridiculous Law That Takes Away First Amendment For Convicts
from the the-first-amendment-lives dept
The Act's sponsor, State Representative Mike Vereb, announced the bill on October 2, 2014, just three days after Goddard College—a small liberal arts college in Vermont and plaintiff Mumia Abu-Jamal's alma mater—announced its selection of Abu-Jamal as its commencement speaker.... His cosponsor memorandum admonished an unidentified “convicted killer” for “traumatizing the victim's family.”...
During an October 21 bill-signing event near the intersection where Abu-Jamal's crime of conviction occurred, then-Governor Tom Corbett lauded the Act for its ability to enjoin offenders whose speech distresses victims. The Governor noted that the Act “is not about any one single criminal” but was “inspired by the excesses and hypocrisy of one particular killer,”..., transparently referencing Abu-Jamal.
The court concludes that the challenged statute betrays several constitutional requirements; the enactment is unlawfully purposed, vaguely executed, and patently overbroad in scope. However well-intentioned its legislative efforts, the General Assembly fell woefully short of the mark. The result is a law that is manifestly unconstitutional, both facially and as applied to plaintiffs.
Significantly, however, the fact that certain plaintiffs have been convicted of infamous or violent crimes is largely irrelevant to our First Amendment analysis. A past criminal offense does not extinguish the offender's constitutional right to free expression. The First Amendment does not evanesce at the prison gate, and its enduring guarantee of freedom of speech subsumes the right to expressive conduct that some may find offensive.
Since its passage, the Revictimization Act has had an undeniable chilling effect on the speech of prisoners and on the behavior of those individuals and entities who rely on that speech. Although several plaintiffs have continued their respective endeavors without restraint or repercussion,... some have limited their commentaries or been denied publication for fear of the Act's enforcement. For example, nonparty Free Speech Radio News ceased widely publishing Abu-Jamal's weekly commentaries on the radio..... Kerry Shakaboona Marshall (“Marshall”) shelved publication of his book, a memoir of his experiences as a juvenile serving life in prison without parole.... Anthony Chance (“Chance”) will publish under a pseudonym, in an effort to avoid the Act's scope.... Prison Radio, HRC, and EMAJ have continued their work without incident, but at least one member of EMAJ was delayed in presenting Abu-Jamal to his class pending review of the Act by seminary counsel.... PLN withheld publication of an article authored by Abu-Jamal,... and PPS published a warning in its “Graterfriends” newsletter admonishing potential authors of the new risk attendant to prisoner publications.
"It wasn't suppressing speech, it was suppressing harassment and revictimization of our victims," Vereb said. "This is the first ring of the bell in this fight. The victims need fighters, we're fighters."
Last fall, we wrote about a very troubling law that was passed in Pennyslvania that flat out stripped First Amendment rights from any convict. The law was clearly passed directly in response to Goddard College deciding to have Mumia Abu-Jamal give a commencement speech for the college. Abu-Jamal is certainly a controversial figure, but apparently this was so troubling to some in the Pennsylvania legislature that they passed a "Revictimization Relief Act" that said if a convict's actions somehow "causes a temporary or permanent state of mental anguish," the victims of the original crime can seek an injunction against that conduct "or other appropriate relief." As we noted at the time, interpreted broadly, this would even forbid a convict fromtheir own conviction, if the victim in the case claimed that it would cause mental anguish to go through another legal process -- and thus they could be barred.Thankfully, many stepped up to challenge the law, and a federal court has made fairly quick work of it by striking down the law as unconstitutional. The court clearly recognized that the bill was entirely about stopping Abu-Jamal from speaking:The court, rightly, found that this was overhwelmingly unconstitutional ("manifestly unconstitutional," as the court says) for a fairly long list of reasons:In fact, Judge Christopher Conner seemed perplexed that Pennsylvania politicians seemed to think that just because someone had been convicted of previous crimes, that had anything to do with the First Amendment questions at play:Furthermore, the judge recognized what an incredible chilling effect such a law is already having, pointing to some of the plaintiffs who are former prisoners who are now activists and advocates for crime- and prison-related issues.In other words, the risk to the First Amendment was not just theoretical here. The impact and the stifling of free speech was real and immediate.But, of course, it's not over yet. Those who supported the law are apparently planning to appeal the ruling, though one hopes that any such appeals will be slapped down just as thoroughly. Meanwhile, Mike Vereb, the state legislator who apparently has nothing but contempt for the First Amendment, has said that if the appeal doesn't work he'll amend the law and try again, and notes that he considers this "a fight" that he's going to continue. He also doesn't understand how this suppresses speechthe judge laid it out in such great detail:Dude. Seriously. The judge himself put together a long list of how it wassuppressing speech. It's not about "harassment" or "revictimization" just because itthat someone speaks publicly. How is Vereb even in office after such a blatantly unconstitutional move?
Filed Under: christopher conner, first amendment, free speech, mike vereb, mumia abu-jamal, pennsylvania, revictimization relief act, tom corbett
Companies: goddard collegeGlobal climate change
What has happened to the Greenland meltwater?
4/26/2016, 9:43:30 AM
More interesting research in regards to glacial meltwater off of Greenland......
New research, just published in the journal Nature Geoscience attempts to find out what happens to much of the freshwater that empties into the ocean from the melting ice sheet on Greenland each summer.
According to the study, which was led by the University of Georgia, there has been an acceleration of ice mass loss along the ice sheet during recent decades.
In addition to biological impacts in the ocean, the researchers found evidence that this meltwater could alter ocean currents and impact the normal formation of sea ice.
Using a high resolution ocean simulation model that tracks meltwater runoff, the team was surprised to find that most of the meltwater found off the west coast of Greenland actually came from ice on the east coast of Greenland.
It was also found that meltwater from the the west coast of Greenland is usually kept pinned to the coastline by strong prevailing winds, which eventually force it northward toward Baffin Bay.
"Meltwater from Greenland is directed by the surrounding ocean currents, but its fate depends on when and where the runoff occurs and the wind fields driving ocean currents," said study co-author Thomas Mote, Distinguished Research Professor of Geography at UGA. (from UGA Today)
The journey of meltwater from east to west can take up to 60 days, with most of the water getting deposited into the Labrador Sea.
"The meltwater that comes from the east coast could have different qualities from the meltwater on the west coast, including different nutrient compositions," he said. "We need to take the origins of this meltwater into account when we study the effects of ice sheet melt, as it could impact the oceans differently depending on where it comes from."
And this is a problem that is only going to get worse, said study co-author Renato Castelao, an associate professor of marine sciences in UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences., citing scientific models that suggest the amount of meltwater runoff from Greenland could more than double before the end of this century. (from UGA Today)
Up to 50-60 percent of the meltwater runoff coming off the southeast coast of Greenland is being transported west, which is causing significant salinity and stratification anomalies far from the coast. (Water stratification occurs when water masses with different properties - salinity (halocline), oxygenation (chemocline), density (pycnocline), temperature (thermocline) - form layers that act as barriers to water mixing which could lead to anoxia or euxinia. via Wikipedia)
Future climate scenarios predict a possible doubling of meltwater runoff, which could result in a more-than-double increase in anomalies offshore that persists into the winter, according to the report.
"We need to pay careful attention to where melt and runoff is occurring and how it interacts with surrounding ocean currents, in addition to measuring the total amount of melt," said Mote.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.comThe number of people in the Outer Hebrides is expected to fall 14% over the next two decades.
Western Isles Council will take "radical action" to halt depopulation in the Outer Hebrides.
It has been described as the biggest threat facing the islands, where the population is expected to fall 14% over the next two decades.
About 4000 fewer people will live in the Western Isles by 2039, according to the latest estimates.
Following a two-day seminar on depopulation in Stornoway this week, council leader Angus Campbell said: "It is important to note that these are projections based on nothing changing.
"Our aim is, together with our partners and communities across the Outer Hebrides, to take radical action which will reverse the decline in population and increase the number of younger people living and working in the islands.
"We have had two days of good and thoughtful discussions and we are now in the process of drawing up an action plan to take matters forward and to alleviate this acute economic and social challenge.
"Whilst there is much we can do at a local level we also need investment in the islands as well as government commitment at both a Scottish and UK level.
"The most obvious example of that is in the development of renewables which offer the best potential for economic development in the islands."
Western Isles Council expects a 28% decline in the 0-15 age group, a 21% drop in the working age population and an 11% rise in the number of pensioners.
It previously estimated a total decline of just over 11%. About 27,000 people live in the islands.
The Scottish Government said it has contributed £265,000 to TalentScotland, which promotes
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. Engineering, ships systems management, turrets, etc…
– New flight control is on; changes up how you fly a bit.
– More talk about the new IFCS flight modes. precision, combat, quantum, etc…
– Fuel is in and required.
– Lots of new features added in 2.0.
– FPS is fully functional in 2.0. More animations and stances will be added over time, but the core FPS functionality is there.
– Port Olisar is a green zone. Weapons are shut down inside the green zone. Gives people a safe place to spawn.
– They’ll be working round the clock to work on issues in 2.0, get it live to everyone as soon as possible.
– And now it’s question time for 2.0
– [invites?] Invites haven’t gone out yet. They’re in the process of getting that ready for later today.
– [ship you get if you have a higher multicrew ship?] Connie in most cases. It’s the most all around ship.
– [trading and cargo mechanics?] Can’t say when we’ll get them, but they’re working on it. It’s the next thing they’re working on. Need to be able to travel from A to B with cargo and such. They’ll announce it as soon as possible. They have a new plan for the production process that they’ll share in the future that they think will make the process better for everyone.
– Going to be more about consistent releases, less about locking onto a specific featureset.
– working on getting features to the point they’re ready to go live. Too often their releases drag on, waiting for a minimum feature set, now they’re going to work more on developing features and releasing them to us faster than before.
– 2.0 is very big, not just in terms of gameplay but in terms of background tech.
– It’s like if you’re building a lego house. You start with a green board, build everything on top. The 2.0 is kinda like that green board, with a very basic shape of the house.
– [Ship signatures?] They’ve increased some stuff. Some things were shut off in AC; in 2.0 you have to target to get a signature on someone. Lots more scanning and signature work coming in later. Not all of it’s in 2.0 yet though.
– [what happens in the PTU permanent?] No. You won’t lose your ships. In the game itself, if you’re having a fight, you get blown up, you’ll respawn in Port Olisar, wake up, and you’ll be able to just load another ship and keep going.
– What they’re trying to do with 2.0 and Crusader is create a situation where it’s more like you’ll play in the final game. Won’t be like AC where you respawn immediately.
– Two seater Avenger doesn’t have a role it can be used for right now. It’s not one of the current variants.
– [NDA on PTU 2.0?] Chris and Erin aren’t sure.
– Freelancer won’t be flyable when 2.0 kicks off, but it’s being worked on right now in the UK. It’ll be the next multicrew, it and the Vanguard.
– Trying to get those done for one of the next updates.
– Presales for the HOTAS next month, mid next year for delivery of it hopefully.
– [Timeline for introducing people to the PTU?] Can’t say right now. First few days, hardcore pioneers will probably suffer for a while. As the first few issues and days go by, they’ll slowly open it more and more. At some point they’ll just go live.
– [New footage to share?] Planning to do a full-on gameplay trailer when 2.0 is launched live. They aren’t there yet, but they’re in the process. The UK QA team played around with some things and put together a WIP though. That’ll run now!
– And we’re back, with a a large group of the studio people.
– There’ll be a cooler trailer done in around a week when Live goes up
– CR is talking about how the game is a dream that everyone gets to build, and it’s amazing to have gotten to this point.
– They’re incredibly thankful, can’t wait to see what we do in 2.0
– Through the week there’ll be Q&A’s and some various reveals. Lots of talk about the new ships etc…
– Bye from LAEvery actor has their ways of getting into character, including the Emmy-winning television icon.
On the other end of the phone, near the end of our conversation, Gillian Anderson laughed. “Did you think that your entire interview was going to have to do with hair?”
The answer was no, that had not been the plan. But the topic proved to be surprisingly insightful.
Anderson has been called the Queen of TV upon multiple occasions — such as when, in 2014, she starred on three different series (“Crisis,” “The Fall” and “Hannibal”) while also turning in acclaimed work on the stage as the doomed Blanche of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” IndieWire spoke to her just as she was preparing for “Streetcar’s” New York debut, but the focus was on the role for which she remains best known.
READ MORE: The 49 Most Important Characters of ‘The X-Files,’ Ranked
As Special Agent Dana Scully of “The X-Files,” Anderson became one of television’s most iconic characters, inspired an entire generation of young women to pursue careers in science and earned one Emmy win and three nominations. And this spring, she, David Duchovny and series creator Chris Carter once again returned to Fox for a six-episode Season 10.
Returning to the role over a decade after the series had ended, though, wasn’t the easiest thing — especially since, unlike returning to Blanche for “Streetcar,” she was playing the same character in different scenarios. “It’s quite different to go back with text that is kind of ingrained into your system and redo the text, that it is going back to a character with a different text. We’re going back to repeat something in its entirety. It’s not just a character I’m repeating. It is moves, it is words, it is everything,” she said.
Thus, returning to Scully was a whole different challenge, especially since instead of dying her hair back to that iconic red for Season 10, she chose to wear a wig — and yes, hair matters much more than you might think.
Ed Araquel/FOX
Below, Anderson explains the nuances of physicality that help her build characters, and also admits that while she originally thought the “X-Files” Season 10 finale would be a “final goodbye,” she’s glad it didn’t exactly end that way.
In going back to Scully, were there key things to rediscovering the character that were physical?
I mean, Scully walks like I walk. I think characters that I’ve played since her have had their own distinctive walks, but Scully very much has Gillian’s walk. There were vocal aspects to Scully, that I had forgotten were a part of who she was, that took some remembering and getting used to. And I guess also some mannerisms that I think I hadn’t actually realized were a part of her personality, until I really started to ask myself why I was struggling to find her again. And then remembered that I wasn’t allowing certain aspects of her to come through. Anyway, yes is the answer.
What about other elements like that? For example, I’m always curious about, say, how important the shoes you’re wearing are.
I’ve actually thought they were important — I always find that it’s important for me to, for instance, be in the character’s wardrobe when we’re rehearsing a scene. Not necessarily for Scully, but for other characters when rehearsing a scene, as well as filming. Because I feel that one’s wardrobe impacts on the character and etcetera, etcetera.
But I guess I didn’t realize how much other aspects… It was a year when I was playing three different blondes. Not even including Blanche, there was Stella [on “The Fall”], there was Meg on “Crisis” and there was… Oh, I can’t remember. [Bedelia on “Hannibal.”] At one point, it was important for me, playing three different blondes simultaneously, that one of the differences between the three was how they styled their hair. I mean, how else… I’m keeping the same blonde and it’s the same length because I can’t change it, because I’m on a plane from one of them to the next every other day. So it’s got to be in hair and makeup.
And there was a time when we actually needed to stop using hot irons on my hair in “The Fall,” because my hair was falling out. I was [laughs] doing so many different things, my hair was going through so much processing, that it was starting to fall out. And so they started to use rollers and that day, having rollered, my hair started sitting differently on my shoulders than it usually sat as Stella. And I couldn’t figure out why I was struggling to get into Stella that day. I felt like every way that I stood, everything that I did, the lines were coming out differently. I couldn’t figure it out. And then finally I figured out that it actually had to do with the fact that in my body, I don’t feel like her because my hair [laughs] is different.
Netflix
On the one hand, it’s just kinda crazy, but on the other hand, I wonder if that’s just how it is for me. One of the ways that helps me to get into character is much more profound of a tool than I had even realized.
Was the wig on “The X-Files” a blessing?
The wig for Scully was a blessing in that my hair was going to be saved at that stage. But it was also weird because I was used to feeling Scully’s head… with the natural hair head [laughs]. So I think that that’s the difficulty that I was having with her, which also contributed to the fact that I felt fake in that I had this fake skullcap on and I was used to being Scully without that feeling on my head. And so, yeah. Did you think that your entire interview was going to have to do with hair?
I did not, but I’m enjoying the conversation!
[laughs] Okay, good!
Looking back on Season 10, how are you feeling about the series?
Good! I think that Chris [Carter], he created and designed what it was we delivered in the tenth season, and I feel like we gave the audiences what they were asking for, ultimately — that feeling that they used to get when they used to watch it on Friday or Sunday night. Whatever that feeling was that they got from our show that they haven’t been able to get from other shows, it sounds from feedback that I have read or have heard that fans were satisfied with the particular version of the episodes that they received in Season 10.
When you were reading the script for Episode 6 [“My Struggle II”] and you found out that it was a cliffhanger, what was your reaction?
It can be a cliffhanger that is forever, so it didn’t really at the time… it didn’t alert me to anything untoward, I think. [laughs] I mean, I went into the sixth [episode] as it being our final goodbye. And I think I feel a little bit differently about that now. It’s all going to come down to logistics and various other things, but whether we were continuing or ending, I feel like it needed to be some kind of a cliffhanger.
So, do you have any sense of what will happen next?
I think it’s more likely than not, but it’s not a given.
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Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.A couple of years ago, while reviewing the second NDA II budget, I made a case for a more imaginative initiative to reduce the burden of taxation on a ‘chosen’ few and to spread the tax net wider. In fact, I calculated that a Banking Transaction Tax (BTT) of just 1.1 per cent on all banking transactions covered under NEFT, RTGS and ECS would be adequate to get rid of all other taxes including GST.
The idea of BTT was mooted by a Pune-based think-tank called Arthakranti. It was made popular by Baba Ramdev. The details of their proposal have been covered later in this article.
Some of the arguments against BTT are as follows:
-Indians prefer to deal with cash
-Most people would avoid the banking system to bypass BTT, and pay cash for property deals, large purchases and so on
-This would put a huge burden on the underprivileged and those below the poverty line who are in the banking system. Bad optics.
-If BTT is so good, why has it not been tried elsewhere?
-How would one distribute taxes collected under BTT. Would it be by way of amounts proportionate to BTT collected in states, or any other way?
There were other arguments too, not worth recounting.
However, with great sagacity, this government has been working towards it and there is a pattern to it. Here is the sequence of events that have lead to the present moment:
1. Opening of Jandhan accounts: At present count, around 26 crore or 260 million accounts have been opened. To facilitate ease of operation, the government has allowed these accounts to be opened with zero balance and with no charges. Aadhar cards are being used for identification purposes.
2. Direct Benefit Transfer of subsidies: Many subsidies are going directly to beneficiaries’ accounts. This appears to be a sweetener to get everyone into the banking system.
3. Tax amnesty schemes with a fairly liberal deadline: This was to make people get into the habit of paying taxes on income not declared in their returns or those who had not submitted their returns.
4. Demonetisation of high value rupee notes: This is resulting in people paying their undeclared income into their bank accounts and being forced to draw their needs from their accounts. The collateral benefit is that people who had earned their money through illegal means would also be forced to declare their income and explain how it was obtained or would simply dispose of it by burning or shredding it.
5. After demonetisation, there has been a shortage of the new high denomination notes. The people have adapted to the change by using mobile-linked payment systems that allow them to pay each other even small amounts.
Overall, the government has tried to create a financial infrastructure covering all people or at least all earning members.
It is interesting to see the figures for taxation in the Union Budget for 2016-2017. The total tax revenues estimated to accrue to the government in the current fiscal year is Rs 1632771.90 crores.
After making huge efforts to raise taxes, the equivalent of peanuts by way of tax relief to the populace, was provided. An example of two ‘concessions’ is provided here: -
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“Raise the ceiling of tax rebate under section 87A from
2000 to 5000 to lessen tax burden on individuals with income upto 5 lakhs.
Increase the limit of deduction of rent paid under section 80GG from
24000 per annum to 60000, to provide relief to those who live in rented houses.”
The question that begs to be asked is, how many people stay in houses with a rent of less than or equal to Rs 5000 per month?
It’s time to completely overhaul the way tax is levied and collected. In order to spread the burden of taxes to everyone in the system and in a very equitable manner, the only way out is by imposing a Banking Transaction Tax or BTT. I will get to the possible objections to the tax and the answers a little later.
Here are my calculations for how much BTT can be collected and a comparison with the actual budget estimates for revenue collections including non tax revenue.A man working on a travelling carnival in Indiana has been charged with molesting a 13-year-old girl, Porter County Sheriff's Office has said.
Officers and detectives were called out to the fairgrounds around 2am on Friday 28 July about a alleged sexual assault between 24-year-old James Todd, a carnival worker from Florida, and a 13-year-old girl who was also travelling with the carnival and her family.
The Sheriff's Office said that while officers went to attend the first call, another call came in that other carnival workers who had heard of the alleged sexual assault had themselves confronted Todd.
Authorities described the second call as one of a "physical disturbance".
Todd received minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital where he was treated. The Sheriff's Office said he was then taken to Porter County Jail after being charged with Level one felony child molesting.
Although the sheriff's office reported Todd as aged 24, online jail records said he is in fact 25. Authorities said at the time that the Porter County Fair would soon be ending - they reportedly wrapped up on Saturday 29 July, just a day after the incident allegedly took place.The only fixed head coupé
[4] A publicity shot of CKV250 outside the SS Cars building in 1937. This is considered to be the first recorded use of the Jaguar 'leaper' mascot.
A 1938 SS Jaguar 100 - 2 1⁄2 Litre
The SS Jaguar 100 is a British 2-seat sports car built between 1936 and 1941 by SS Cars Ltd of Coventry, England.
The manufacturer's name 'SS Cars' used from 1934 maintained a link to the previous owner, Swallow Sidecar, founded in 1922 by Walmsley and Lyons to build motorcycle sidecars. In March 1945 the S. S. Cars shareholders agreed to change the name to Jaguar Cars Limited.[5]
In common with many products of the thirties the adoption of an animal name was deemed appropriate[citation needed] and the model name "Jaguar" was given to a new SS saloon car in 1935, and then to all new SS models.
The '100' was for the theoretical 100 mph maximum speed of the vehicle.[6]
Construction [ edit ]
The chassis had a wheelbase of 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m), and was essentially a shortened version of the one designed for the 2.5-litre saloon, a car produced in much greater numbers, and first seen in the SS 90 of 1935. When leaving the factory it originally fitted 5.50 or 5.25 × 18 inch tyres on 18 inch wire wheels.[7] Suspension was on half-elliptical springs all round with rigid axles. The engine was a development of the old 2.5-litre Standard pushrod unit converted from side valve to overhead valve with a new cylinder head designed by William Heynes and Harry Weslake. The power output was increased from 70 bhp (52 kW) to 100 bhp (70 kW). Twin SU carburettors were bolted directly to the cylinder head. In 1938 the engine was further enlarged to 3.5 litres and the power increased to 125 bhp (93 kW). The four-speed gearbox had synchromesh on the top 3 ratios. Brakes were by Girling. The complete car weighed just over 23 cwt (2600 pounds, 1150 kg).
On test by the Autocar magazine in 1937 the 2.5-litre (20 RAC hp rating) car was found, with the windscreen lowered, to have a maximum speed of 95 mph (153 km/h) and a 0–60 mph (97 km/h) time of 13.5 seconds. With the 3.5-litre (25 RAC hp rating) the top speed reached the magic 100 mph (160 km/h) with a best of 101 mph (163 km/h) over the quarter mile and the 0–60 mph (97 km/h) coming down to 10.4 seconds.
In 1937 the 2.5-litre car cost £395 and in 1938 the 3.5-litre £445.[8] The fixed head coupé, of which only one was made,[9] was listed at £595. A few examples were supplied as chassis-only to external coachbuilders.
Legacy [ edit ]
Widely considered one of the most aesthetically pleasing sporting cars of the 1930s the SS100 is also very rare, with only 198 2.5-litre and 116 3.5-litre models made. While most stayed on the home market, 49 were exported. Cars in good condition will now regularly fetch in excess of £300,000. A near concours example was auctioned by Bonhams at the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed for £199,500. Due largely to its rarity, auction prices for the SS100 have since risen strongly.
More recently a beautifully restored former Pebble Beach concours winning 1937 S.S. Jaguar 100 3½ Litre Roadster - was sold by Gooding & Co. at their August 2010 Pebble Beach auction. It fetched a noteworthy £666,270 ($1,045,000).[10]
It was on an SS100 that the famous Jaguar 'leaper', the marque's signature feline hood ornament, was first displayed. In mid 1936 the first version of the Jaguar mascot was reputedly described by Sir William Lyons, founder of the company, as "looking like a cat shot off a fence". A later publicity photograph of the new Model 100 "Jaguar" (registration mark CKV 250) parked outside the offices of SS Cars Ltd in early 1937 shows a revised Jaguar 'leaper' mounted on the radiator cap. It is this more stylised 'leaper' that became the trade mark for Jaguar Cars, Ltd., remaining in use to this day.
The unnamed owner of the Belgravia vintage car dealer in James Leasor's 'Aristo Autos' novels, 'They Don't Make Them Like That Any More', 'Never Had a Spanner on Her' and 'Host of Extras', drives an SS100, and the car features prominently in the books.
The late Alan Clark (1928-1999) MP owned an SS Jaguar 100, and during his time in Margaret Thatcher's government was often to be seen piloting his SS100 away from the House of Commons after late Parliamentary sittings.
Of the 49 exported models, one notable example, CNP 947, was driven and raced by pioneering American television host Dave Garroway. His white 3 1/2 Litre car still bears the alligator hide trim on its instrument panel, seat surfaces and steering wheel from his ownership. Jaguar Motorcars provided Garroway the first XK 3.8 litre engine sold privately, a race prepared unit which remains with the car. At Gooding's January 2017 auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Garroway SS100, with both the XK engine and a correct 3 1/2 litre Standard engine, sold for £493,000.
Replicas and recreations [ edit ]
A number of Jaguar SS100 replicas and recreations of varying material quality and execution have been manufactured since the 1960s. Significant makers include the Birchfield Motor Company, the Steadman Motor Company, Suffolk Sportscars and the Finch Motor Company. In recent years, even these replicas regularly bring in excess of £50,000.
Comparison of SS100 replicas and recreations Birchfield Sports [11] Steadman TS100 [12] Suffolk SS100 [13] Finch SS100 [14] Production Years 1982 - 2004 late 1980s to late 1990s 1990–present 1992–present Chassis In-house design to suit donor XJ6 In-house design to suit donor XJ6 In-house design to suit donor XJ6 Original 1939 SS100 design Body Alloy cladding on steel-tube frame Alloy cladding on steel-tube frame Glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) Alloy cladding on timber frame Engine XK 4.2-litre XK 2.8, 3.8 or 4.2 litre XJ6 3.4 or 4.2 litre Mk IV or SS 2.5 or 3.5 litre Gearbox XJ6 automatic gearbox 4 speed manual or 3 speed automatic XJ6 4 or 5 speed manual XJ6 Short Compact Box 4 speed manual Moss Box
Birchfield Motor Company [ edit ]
In 1982, the first Birchfield Sports was produced but it was only intended to be a one-off. A company called Shapecraft in Northampton, UK, then developed the concept further as a (small) production-run vehicle using Jaguar XJ6 mechanicals, with the looks of the SS Jaguar.[11]
Due to the complexity of the design, and the advanced degree of engineering knowledge needed to deal with the Jaguar parts, the car was not very successful as a kit car.[11] For this reason, only 18 were ever produced in the UK.[15]
After production ceased in the UK, a Shapecraft employee emigrated to Australia taking with him the Birchfield drawings and the last production car (#18) to use as a pattern.[15] By 2004, at least two cars had been completed in Australia and two more were in production.[16]
Steadman Motor Company [ edit ]
The Steadman TS100 manufactured during the late 1980s and early 1990s by Ottercraft Ltd in Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom, is described as a'reproduction' of the SS100.[17]
The actual build numbers for this car are unknown, but it is thought that a maximum of twenty-eight of these vehicles were assembled, and were also referred to as the Jaguar Steadman TS100. The Steadman TS100 was never intended to be a replica of the SS100 of the 1930s, but was designed to be a sports car in its own right.[12]
With a hand-built aluminium body, the Steadman TS100 used unadapted Jaguar XJ6 running gear and was sold as a high quality, more modern version of the SS Jaguar 100. Dimensionally and visually, the Steadman TS100 was quite different from the original SS Jaguar 100. These differences occurred because the manufacturers were forced to change the original proportions to both accommodate the wider track of the donor car and allow the use of more readily available smaller, wider wheels. Attention was paid to styling detail during design (such as the use of appropriately large headlights) and at the time of production, the Steadman TS100 was regarded as more successful than most other evocations.[18] With an unknown number surviving, this re-creation is a rare sight at classic car events.
The Steadman TS100 Enthusiasts Club was established in 2011 to maintain the vehicle's marque and to bring together owners from around the world.[12]
Suffolk Sportscars [ edit ]
Suffolk Sportscars are based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom and build glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) SS100 replicas. Upon receiving an order, the replica car is built individually by hand to the customer's own specifications. Alternatively, a replica may be ordered in component form for skilled home assembly.
The Suffolk SS100 uses the Jaguar XK6 engine, and commonly the 4-speed Jaguar 'Short Compact' gearbox as the drivetrain. Some examples of the Suffolk are built with automatic transmissions, 5-speed gearboxes or in LHD. The company are now even able to offer further modern comforts such as electric power steering and air conditioning.
The Suffolk SS100 is still in limited production today with 8-12 cars being produced each year with exports to a number of countries including the USA, several European nations, Australia and New Zealand. The Suffolk Sportscars SS100 is probably the most prolific replica of the SS Jaguar 100. In Fact, as of 2017, Suffolk Sportscars Ltd. report to have built over 315 examples of their Suffolk SS100, therefore outproducing the original SS100s production run of 314 vehicles.[citation needed]
A Finch SS100 winning the Australian Concours d' Elegance (Gold Coast)
Finch Motor Company [ edit ]
The Finch Motor Company is based in Mount Barker, South Australia.
Finch's approach to the Finch SS100 is somewhat different to the other SS100 replica manufacturers. Finch endeavoured to recreate their Finch SS100 as faithfully as possible and do not use the XJ6 as the base donor car. Finch sourced original factory drawings and build their SS100 chassis to the original design. The bodies of the Finch SS100 are made from aluminium metal-shaped to fit the traditional wooden frames built by Finch. Finch SS100 mechanicals are sourced from 'deceased' MkIV and SS Jaguars to obtain contemporary components.[14]
A Finch SS100 won the Australian Concours d' Elegance.[14]
References [ edit ]
ReplicasWestern Digital has launched a new range of consumer-focused solid state drives after several years spent banking on spinning-disk storage. The WD Blue and WD Green lines are SATA SSDs that you can slip into a laptop to get faster, more efficient performance than a hard drive.
The products come five months after Western Digital closed its acquisition of SanDisk, and are similar to prior models from the flash storage company. While Western Digital will of course continue to sell traditional hard drives like the new hyper-colorful My Passport range, the move into consumer SSDs signifies that the company wants a broader and more modern product offering.
The Blue SSDs come in 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB capacities priced from $79 to $299; they’re available now to "select customers." The entry-level Green range has 120GB and 240GB variants, but there’s no pricing information yet as they won’t be released til later in the year.In memory of Hillis L. Howie (1903-1982), amateur naturalist - A good man who took me and my best friend Ben Hitz and some other boys out to the American Wild West from Indianapolis, Indiana, in the summer of 1938 Mr Howie introduced us to real Indians and had us sleep out-of-doors every night and bury our dung, and taught us how to ride horses, and told us the names of many plants and animals, and what they needed to do in order to stay alive and reproduce themselves. One night Mr Howie scared us half to death on purpose, screaming like a wildcat near our camp. A real wildcat screamed back.
The thing was: One million years ago, back in A.D. 1986, Guayaquil was the chief seaport of the little South American democracy of Ecuador, whose capital was Quito, high in the Andes Mountains.
QuotationsBy Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on September 30, 2015
Russia began airstrikes in Syria today, ostensibly to combat the Islamic State (I.S.). In reality the strikes first hit U.S.-supported moderate rebels and the campaign is intended to buttress the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad.
Russia’s upper house of parliament “voted” to approve an air operation against I.S. in Syria this morning. The operation, which allegedly won’t include ground forces, though there are 2,400 of them in Syria, began with Russian airstrikes in Zaafarana and Talbiseh in Homs Province, and Latamenah, Hama, where there are no I.S. targets.
Zaafarana is said by oppositionists to have been struck with thermobaric weapons with at least three civilian casualties, including children, and the Talbiseh strike is said to have killed up to fifty civilians. According to the Local Coordination Committees, Russia actually hit a total of five towns in Homs—the other three being Rastan, Makarmia, and Ghanto—which killed at least thirty-six people, including five children. The Ltamenah strike hit the headquarters of Tajamu al-A’aza, a U.S.-vetted moderate rebel group that has receive TOW anti-tank missiles.
It is notable that Russia chose not to attack Jaysh al-Fatah (JAF) as its first non-I.S. target. JAF includes Jabhat an-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda. It doesn’t matter that JAF has no transnationalist ambitions and that al-Qaeda is only one part among many; this is an argument for Syria wonks. Politically, it would be extremely difficult in the West to condemn Russia for attacking JAF. But Russia went straight for Free Syrian Army (FSA)-branded, American-supported, nationalist rebels. One explanation is that the FSA-branded rebels pose more of a threat to Assad than is usually recognized. Another explanation, not mutually exclusive with the former, is that Vladimir Putin does not want to give the U.S. any fig leaf: Putin intends to humiliate the United States and leave no room for doubt that this is a Russian victory at America’s expense.
The U.S. was informed about these strikes ahead of time through the Embassy in Baghdad, though Moscow claimed that I.S. was the only target. Russia had asked the U.S. to “avoid Syrian airspace,” i.e. get out and leave Russia in sole control of Syria’s airspace. The U.S. has apparently refused that request but will continue to “deconflict,” which is to say not get in Russia’s way. The U.S. opened this “deconfliction” channel with the Russians yesterday. The ostensible aim is to avoid mid-air collisions and other miscues, but this all looks on the ground like coordination against the revolution, and not unreasonably. Now the U.S. will be sharing airspace with both Assad’s and Russia’s air force, which the U.S. could easily deter (and ground) if it wanted to.
None of this is surprising. Russia has long referred to all opposition to Assad as “terrorist,” and using the language of the War on Terror has supplied weaponry, fuel, specialist intelligence capacity, and diplomatic support to Assad’s murder machine in the hopes of keeping the regime in place and defeating the insurgency.
The Obama administration effectively outsourced its Syria policy to Putin when it stepped down from the chemical weapons red line two years ago, and has meanwhile consolidated détente with Iran through the nuclear deal. It was not an accident that Qassem Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, went to Moscow immediately after the nuclear accord was signed in July. It was at that time that Suleimani agreed to deploy hundreds more Revolutionary Guardsmen in Syria and Putin began preparations for this direct intervention, which started in late August.
President Obama wanted to draw down U.S. resources from the Middle East and his idea was to replace American hegemony with a concert system where the great powers would have balance; in reality an enemy coalition has taken advantage of his drawing back to impose its own hegemony, and to draw into a closer alliance specifically designed to counter American influence and interests.
The signing of the intelligence sharing agreement between Russia, Iran, Assad’s regime, and the Iraqi government on September 27 was another event for which not-shocked faces were needed. Assad’s regime has been reliant on Iran, notably the National Defence Forces, constructed and commanded by Iran, and the (largely Iraqi) foreign Shi’a jihadists, since the end of 2012, and Baghdad is also reliant on these Iranian proxy Shi’a militias for its security. In other words, this was an accord between Iran and Russia, which began direct collaboration on intelligence matters last autumn.
The arguments that Putin will help stabilize the situation by fighting I.S. or that Obama has cunningly let Putin walk into a quagmire are notable only because people are still making them. A Russian military colony on the doorstep of a NATO member (Turkey) and a major NATO ally (Israel) that puts Iranian weapons shipments to Hizballah under the protection of its air defence systems and props up a regime that’s murdered 300,000 people and displaced eleven million more hardly seems like a recipe for stability. Some European politicians seem to have bought the idea that Putin can help stop the refugee flow, which is exactly wrong: those refugees are caused not by I.S. but by the Assad/Iran regime that Russia is supporting.
Moreover, even for those who believe I.S. and the Salafi-jihadists, not Assad/Iran, are the main problem in Syria, since Russia’s intervention began two groups have joined al-Qaeda and Russia—like Iran and Assad—has no real interest in defeating I.S., at least not yet. Russia, Iran, and Assad waged a massive media campaign from the start of the uprising to portray the revolution as a terrorist insurrection against which Assad was the only bulwark; they then worked tirelessly to make terrorists the only alternative to Assad by empowering the extremists within the insurgency. While Russia is bombing the moderate rebels, Russia’s intelligence services are sending fighters to I.S. from the Caucasus. Thus the Russian efforts to portray themselves as the guardian of the minorities, especially the Christians of the Levant—the Russian Orthodox Church declared Russia’s intervention a “holy war” earlier today, echoes of the religious themes that have accompanied the aggression in Ukraine—ring hollow.
Russia does not want to “fix” Syria, merely to ensure that Assad does not fall and to demonstrate that Putin, and not America, is the go-to man in Syria, which has much wider implications since Syria is the centre of the contest for regional order.
Putin wants the restoration of Russia’s great power status. Central to this is the effective destruction of NATO. To get there, Putin needs to establish that the West cannot constrain him and needs an international anti-Western coalition. To gain allies for this anti-NATO, Putin needs an alternative vision, and he has it: Moscow will never bother a regime about human rights and when the Kremlin backs an ally they actually mean it. In Syria, this has all come together: now Putin can use force in the Middle East—from which Moscow was expelled in the 1970s—at will, and unlike the U.S. with, say, Hosni Mubarak, Putin has gone to the mat for Assad. Other autocrats will be tempted.
None of this was inevitable, but nor was it accidental.
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we going to get this into a podcast? What are the landing pages for this? What are all the ways people bid on this? Media, how are we going to talk to the press about this? And you’re kind of looking for like every one, here’s the core idea, you’re all welcome to take your own lens or your own flavor of it, but we all need to push on this idea. Bad things happen I think either when your product, sorry your product and your marketing are out of sync. Karen Peacock, who’s our COO, she always says build what you sell, sell what you build. If you’re not doing both of those things, you’re in fucking trouble, basically. But similarly, I think that’s the first challenge. If we’re selling onboarding and you think you’re building auto mailing, we’re in trouble, alright? And then similarly I think the piece that a lot of startups and we’ve had to fight to get this right is making sure that your brand is also resonant with the same ideas. So you can’t, I often think of, you know Michelin, the people who do Michelin star restaurants? You know it’s a tire company?
Craig Cannon [00:28:01] – I do.
Des Traynor [00:28:01] – So I often, that’s like orthogonal brands in a lot of ways, no one finishes their meal and goes mmm, I’m going to buy some tires. I do worry, I see a lot of startups, specifically folks who try to copy say something like Stripes brand and are like we want to be cool with developers too. And that’s great, but you’re selling an online writing app. Developers aren’t your thing, but they have this really cool tech blog but that’s literally, it’s not against what you’re doing but it’s totally, it just also happens to happen at the same time, it’s not helping you at all, right?
Craig Cannon [00:28:35] – Well how do you think about product in that way then? Because obviously you guys are a big company, you could release a ton of products. How do you figure out what’s going to resonate with your customers and your brand?
Des Traynor [00:28:46] – At the very very start we set our stall out to say our mission is to make internet business personal. At the very core, anytime we have to make a decision about whether or not we do a product, we ask ourselves does this make business more personal on the internet? You can sort of say, would we release a tool that made it easy to spam people you’ve never talked to before? Well no, because that’s totally opposite. Would we release a tool that lets you stream soccer live to your mobile phone? No.
Craig Cannon [00:29:15] – I did read that in an interview though, that’s what you would be working on.
Des Traynor [00:29:19] – Yeah, but that’s sort of our core sort of guardrail for the product that just basically, does it do that? And then within there, the we have other sort of, let’s say rubrics for what’s the next most important way we could tackle the impersonality of digital business? And so we kind of move through it like that, Every change we make in product has to trigger changes in product marketing, product design, brand, content marketing, sales et cetera.
Craig Cannon [00:29:54] – Yeah.
Des Traynor [00:29:55] – You do have to have this sort of like inside out sort of thing where at the very core we decide, all right, we’re now also going to do push notifications. Well why are they personal? Okay, well let’s expand from there. Has to weep out into everything, otherwise your product, your marketing, and your brand get out of sync and that’s when bad things happen. I’m really, truly–
Craig Cannon [00:30:15] – Well you’ve talked about this in the context of hiring and growth. Because you become out of sync and then it kind of expounds, or rather grows exponentially, if you start hiring the wrong people.
Des Traynor [00:30:25] – Yes, totally. It’s so easy to… The point I make exactly in sort of hiring is if you hire one person who’s not on the same page and you let them hire people, they’re going to hire more people who are not on the same page and next thing you have whole wings of the company working against you in bad ways. And they don’t think they’re being malicious, they think they’re helping, but sometimes they can be doing the exact wrong thing but more often they’re just doing something that’s literally not helping. It’s not hurting, but they may as well not be doing it.
Craig Cannon [00:30:55] – Right, it’s just not working. How do you guard against that?
Des Traynor [00:31:01] – Alignment is like, I think like… We had a big event here two nights ago, Inside Intercom, it’s like our blog on tour, we had like a thousand people, and one of the talks… gave was all about keeping people aligned. Basically the things that when companies go through these really fast growth periods, there’s a few things that always, always get left behind. One of them is new hire onboarding. Person number five joining a four-person company, has full access to everyone and basically absolute immersion therapy, they learn everything by osmosis. Person number 66 joining a 65-person company gets access to three people, each of whom have been have been there less than a year. It’s not the same thing, but almost always no one’s designed it any differently. They’re just like, oh well, so the logical conclusion is that the company goes off course. So we invested head-on, like we made versions of this mistake quite a lot in the early days. Today, we obsess over new-hire onboarding. When I leave here I’ll be heading back to Dublin, Tuesday morning that’s all I’m doing is just meeting people. Letting them know what are we doing, what are we actually doing here, why are doing it, why do we care, what are the problems faced, why does it matter to us, how do we do it, like how do we actually work, how does work happen at Intercom.
Craig Cannon [00:32:19] – In practical terms, this means a one-on-one meeting with you just talking.
Des Traynor [00:32:23] – Yeah, it’ll be a combination of sort of… Firstly it’s a bunch of new-hires, it’ll be a presentation from me about walking through absolutely everything, and then it will be one-on-one meetings and then we’ll take it from there. Because they’re not all reporting to me in this case, so they’ll be with they’re manager to keep that going. But I would say that I still believe that we’re probably not even doing enough, but I think most companies don’t do enough. They don’t really think about what’s the experience of being person number 397 at your company? And then they act somehow shocked, like I can’t believe they thought it was okay to ship that. Well show me the guardrails that stopped her, how on earth were they supposed to work that out?
Craig Cannon [00:33:03] – Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, you can’t really blame them. We do it, we need to do a better job here as well. Andy Cook asked a question related to this, “In addition to hiring, what has been the biggest challenge with scaling the organization?”
Des Traynor [00:33:18] – Yeah, I guess there’s a few ones that are probably more typical, but eventually you end up hiring into areas that you don’t understand at all. And your best bet at that point is to go and find somebody who you think is doing a good job at it. But it’s still a version of the same flawed logic, which is, I think I can work this out–
Craig Cannon [00:33:42] – Right, they wrote a blog post about this.
Des Traynor [00:33:45] – They probably know it all. There’s some version of that and it’s very easy when you’re dipping your toes in areas that you really don’t understand to basically be bullshitted. Specifically in marketing and sales land this is more common. Marketers and sales people are good at marketing to you and selling to you so if you’ve never hired a sales person before, don’t be shocked if the first person that comes to you sells you on the role. It’s obvious in hindsight sort of thing, but I think it’s genuinely tough to break outside of your own area of expertise and hire well there. You will learn it, but it’s takes longer and you don’t get the same immersion that you did from say studying computer science or something like that. That’s definitely one. I think we probably more than other companies, we started with two offices, so in some sense we never had to deal with the like, oh my god, now we’re two offices. We were always two. But that’s been a challenge, working out the right headcounts in the right places. We now have four offices, we’re in Dublin, London, San Francisco, and Chicago, so we’re spread. It makes some things really tricky, like today, we had a show and tell sort of thing where everyone who works in any sort of aspect, any who kicked ass basically, closed a great sales deal, built a great piece of product, or whatever, they all line up to present. Orchestrating that is so hard across all the time zones, across all the offices, it’s far from easy
Des Traynor [00:35:09] – and you have to do these sort of little rituals to keep the whole company on the same page, but maintaining that is hard. And it was hard for us at the very start. Today we can spend a lot of money of video conferencing and shit like that, but early on it was rough.
Craig Cannon [00:35:24] – Do you spend money flying people around to hang out with each other?
Des Traynor [00:35:28] – Mm-hmm.
Craig Cannon [00:35:28] – Do you do like any kind of everyone comes together conference?
Des Traynor [00:35:31] – We haven’t done a sort of all-company, all-hands, in I think like two and half, three years, but we definitely do like version of it. So any team that’s distributed will always come together once to four times a year depending on the type of team. Then the leadership level, the executive level, we’ll do like six times a year, something like that. So there’s versions of it. For me what that means is, if I get on flight number EI147 everyone knows me because… You don’t want to be on Foursquare like the mayor of the lounges in the airports and all that, but c’est la vie.
Craig Cannon [00:36:02] – What hasn’t worked out? What’s been really hard for you personally?
Des Traynor [00:36:08] – Marketing has been tough. The stuff I’ve really struggled with is hiring senior leaders in a function where you don’t understand it well is tough. It’s a big challenge and they’re never bad people. When you’re going shopping for directors and senior directors and VPs, you’re only really talking to accomplished people. It’s not like you get them in and it turns out they don’t now how to write code or something. It’s very much the feedback period to whether or not they’re strategy is correct for the company can be six months to a year, which is long. The impact if they’re going the wrong direction can be negative, because you have to bet on them. Which means you have to empower them to hire, empower them to do everything that they need to do, empower them to spend the budget, et cetera. And then you get to find out in quite awhile if all this pays back. The piece that’s hard, I actually don’t think I’ve made that many mistakes, per se, but I’ve just paid quite an emotional tax of just a great degree of fear and anxiety in the recruiting process. And then I guess, honestly, post-hire you’re like I need to do everything I can to make this a success. I think that’s genuinely something I’ve struggled with. Learning a lot people stuff has been hard. Learning how to ensure that we actually have a good policy for say performance management. I think those conversations, and even on podcasts like this it’s easier for me to not talk about stuff, but of course companies have to fire people and do all sorts of stuff.
Craig Cannon [00:37:39] – Totally.
Des Traynor [00:37:40] – No one ever wants to hear it of course, but I think getting to a place where you understand that these things should be openly discussed and professional conversations by people who know what they’re doing. Getting there, genuinely I think every startup I talk to takes them way too long. And I think if I was to do it all again, of course, you’d be more for familiar, but I think there’s a lot of obvious pitfalls. And yet I don’t think you can necessarily preempt every mistake. As in, even if I told somebody who was just starting their first startup, here’s everything I know about this, some of it’s like, “Yeah that’s doesn’t apply to me.” They’re not going to, you know, it’s back to that point I was saying earlier, you’re not going to buy the solution until you’ve bought the problem. And I’m trying to force feed them–
Craig Cannon [00:38:29] – Were there any books or anything? Because I feel similarly, so many people have given me advice and I’ve had to fall into the hole myself before I could really learn it. But where there any books or podcasts that really helped you figure out how to manage people better?
Des Traynor [00:38:45] – Rands has a book called “Managing Humans” and I thought that was… It’s written entirely in story form. So it’s no preachy, it’s very much like here’s stories from his time. Now I’m sure they’re either fake or embellished, or modified to protect the innocent, but it’s written in a very sort of conversational tone. It kind of reminds of “The Hard Thing About Hard Things,” by Ben Harrowitz. Every story, they’re almost like fortune cookies, when you think about it for a second, like shit, I have been in that situation or I put somebody in that situation, or I was that guy. And I think it’s a great book for that reason. I think at the very least what I see it do for first time managers is it opens their eyes to the idea that there’s more going on to managing than just being really good at engineering. they realize there’s an actual whole craft here that they need to perfect to take the next steps in their career. And I think it’s a great book for that, but it’s also a book I think the third you read it you start picking up better lessons than you did the first time.
Craig Cannon [00:39:45] – Okay, and so just to shift gears back to product again, if someone is just getting started out, what do you advise them on thinking about products? Just framing the entire company. Where do you have them start?
Des Traynor [00:40:04] – I guess, I’ve always sort of said startups need a strong vision. It sounds fluffy and people want to start writing code on day one, but you need to have a good, strong sense of purpose for your company. And it’s so important for hiring and keeping everyone in line and stuff as well. You need to have everyone on the same page you. You need a page, you know? Often times people start maybe two or three steps down the path, so they might say like, a lot of people email themselves to-dos, I’m going to fix that. And I’m like, okay, and I can see how you might have had a brilliant idea, specifically around that, but it’s kind of like what’s the bigger landscape that this sits in. Are you trying to change productivity? What do you believe with productivity that no one else believes? It might be like, oh, I believe it shouldn’t be siloed or I believe it should be a part of everyday life or I believe that you shouldn’t be able to take on more than one thing at a time, or whatever. I’m like okay, well, so we’re going to form a basis for a philosophy for you and your problem domain and then we’ll work out what pieces do you think you can uniquely productify. If you know what I mean? As in program and codify. And then that will form the basis of your product. And maybe that happens to look like your tool that looks like an e-mail client, but it’s actually a to-do list, maybe let’s take a step back first. That’s kind of the first conversation I try to have. Let’s just appraise the whole environment here and work out what unique thing are you saying.
Des Traynor [00:41:31] – When people pitch me on like a new weather app or whatever, what’s your belief about weather? And they’re like, oh I just think they all look ugly. And I’m like, okay, so you believe that beautiful weather will do what? And they’re like, I just like designing weather apps. And I’m like, I thought that’s what it was. Maybe you shouldn’t be raising around. That’s the kind of like the base of the platform. The next piece I would say to people is you have to be really weary of solving a small, rare, problem. You can solve a big problem, you can solve a rare problem, sorry, you can solve a small problem, fine. A rare problem, fine, but small and rare, it just never works. And these products can be effing beautiful, right? What I mean by this is basically problems in life are either big or small. A big problem might be like, “Hey, me and several of my friends wants to book a group holiday to Alaska and we have to do blah, blah, and this is a whole big project. I’m only going to do it once a year, but it’s a big enough thing.” Okay, fine. You can probably build a product around that and make some money because there’s enough value, it’s a big enough problem in your life that if we can fix it, you’ll pay some money or we’ll take some commission or something. So that’s the size spectrum. Then there’s things that happen every year or things that happen every day. And the things that happen every day typically you’ll have a lot of engagements so the product will bury its way into your life. However, if you have something that no one really
Des Traynor [00:42:56] – cares about that often, sorry, no one really cares about and they don’t have that problem often, let’s say over the last two years there was a large amount of apps that are all now defunct that were saying, you know the way Marc Andreessen splits up his tweets? We’ll help you do that. And they designed these typographically stunning products, as in anyone who looks at this will be like, “Yes, that is a beautiful product. It’s a perfect piece of product.” It solves a very rare problem that is very small in nature. And now that’s the extreme case, but there are versions of this like, you can imagine loads of B2B things that happen occasionally and not that big of a deal. Then on the other extreme you’ve got problems that occur all the time and are pretty big. Workplace communication, charging your customers money, talking to your customers. It’s a big problem and you do it all the time. They’re the places where the Slacks, Stripes and Intercoms can play. It creates that sort of… No one ever threatens to idly change platform provider or whatever, or payment provider, no you’re not.
Craig Cannon [00:44:01] – You’re locked in.
Des Traynor [00:44:03] – Yeah, so that’s the next piece. Intercom might have been responsible for some of this, we deified product so much that people just thought if you have great product, that’s it. The product itself will match with a problem. That’s great products match problems. Does it match with a big problem or a frequent problem? Or ideally a big frequent problem. That’s the next big task. A lot of startups fall down there when they’re like, oh, we sync your Facebook to your Instagram and we can do x and y and spits out a Shopify app. And I’m like, “Yeah, I just don’t see it being a problem that often in someone’s life.” So that’s kind of the next wave. Then there’s other little philosophies like, if you’re going to charge not a lot of money, it needs to be self-serve and it needs to be entirely friction-less for the users. And I see a lot of people get what I call fake-traction where they hand-hold a lot of their early customers doing like the YC-famed call us and install type thing. But they actually don’t have a bridge towards a world where that isn’t necessary. And I’m trying to say if you’re going to spend 30 minutes talking to every single customer who needs to install and you’ve no bigger picture as to how you’re not going to be necessary, you need to be charging more than nine dollars a month. And it sounds obvious, but you’ll find a lot of people who have a very high, let’s call adjusted customer acquisition cost when you factor in the founder involvement and all that, they have a high CAC and they literally have no plan to get away from it.
Des Traynor [00:45:32] – Yet, they have traction because they can point to the nine grand a month that they’re making–
Craig Cannon [00:45:36] – Because it’s working.
Des Traynor [00:45:37] – Yes, exactly. But it’s not scalable. And that’s another sort of dangerous area. And another example of this might be like, “My product’s kind of good, but I actually learn a lot of free consulting time with me.” So like this, okay, I’ve built a way to automatically e-mail your customers and as part of the service I’m going to jump in and write all your e-mails. And I’m like, well, that’s what people are buying you. You’re a consultant. No, no, I’m a software provider. And I’m like, that’s not how it works.
Craig Cannon [00:46:03] – That’s dangerous. What about markets that are growing? Something entirely new. How do you think about that in the context of you know, frequency, rare, small, big?
Des Traynor [00:46:14] – Yeah, so I think it’s, I wouldn’t say essential, but it’s really, really useful if you’re selling in to a growing market. But, everything I said still needs to apply. The addressable of a market is one variable in the formula here, but ultimately if it’s a small rare problem, it’s still… You could have a billion people in the addressable market, it’s still the fact that small and rare means that they’re very uninclined to pay any real money. Because the fact that they’re in a market doesn’t change how much money they have, right? That’s one problem you have there. And then the usual knee-jerk reaction of how we’re going to get out of this, is “Oh we won’t charge users, we’ll go with ads instead.” And I’m like but the ads won’t work, because if it’s a rare problem they’re not going to launch the app or not going to visit your page a lot. You don’t have the engagement to get the eyeballs to get the actual revenue for your publishers or for your advertisers. In some sense, it is in some abstract sense possible to have a product that all of the world uses, like seven billion people use, but if they actually don’t care about it at all and it’s not important in their lives, they could take it or leave it, and on top of that they can take it or leave it once a year when the actual problem occurs, it’s just not going to work.
Craig Cannon [00:47:31] – They’re never going to pay you enough. There were a couple questions about Intercom specifically and your future goals, so Fossybear on Twitter asks, “What are your top two growth initiatives for Intercom in the next two years?”
Des Traynor [00:47:45] – So I’d love to ask Fossybear what exactly the definition of what a growth initiative is. I guess the things I’m keen to do over the next two years is getting our marketing to a place where we are comfortable being slightly more direct. I think we’ve done a really good job from a thought-leadership perspective of getting the attention of a lot of people who should use this B2B and B2C, but I think we need to learn to be more direct and upfront about say, the ROI of Intercom and I think that’s an area where we have a lot of maturing to do. Intercom helps all sorts of businesses deliver multi-million dollar results, but we never tell anyone that. We’re telling people you should love your users and treat them really well and good things will happen to your business. And that works.
Craig Cannon [00:48:24] – Which is true.
Des Traynor [00:48:25] – It’s true, right? But, I think at some point as you move up through the market the onus is on you to say basically businesses at some scale care about two things, how much money they spend and how much money they make. When you’re trying to pitch them something, they just say “Hey, here’s my two numbers, which one of these are you changing?” And I think when we show up and we’re like, well if you love your users you’re going to stick around, and they’re like sh-sh. Don’t care about any of that. Are you going to make me money or save me money? And we need to get better at answering that question. And we need to have better evidence to answer that question. We need to surface more case studies and we have all the material, we just need to be more intentional about being upfront about that value. That’s one whole area that I’m quite invested in. The second one for me is the Intercom brand is quite big, we had 1,200 people show up to our event here on Wednesday, we’ve had like 6,000 people attend our tour. We have a widely popular podcast, books, blogs, et cetera, but a piece I’m keen to do is connect the dots a little bit better between Intercom the content phenomena of sorts and Intercom the software. That’s something else I’ll be working on. I don’t know if that qualifies as a growth initiative–
Craig Cannon [00:49:40] – It’s a challenge that we have too.
Des Traynor [00:49:41] – For sure.
Craig Cannon [00:49:42] – We have things like HN, we have this podcast, we have our Youtube channel. And I was just talking to Michael Seibel yesterday, we’ve doubled our Youtube channel in six months. And that’s awesome. How many of those people know what YC is?
Des Traynor [00:49:54] – Totally, yeah, totally.
Craig Cannon [00:49:56] – And how it actually works.
Des Traynor [00:49:57] – Exactly, and we have that. A lot brands get stuck in this sort of ambiguous place where people know them and love them, but when it comes to shopping for software or shopping for incubators, they just don’t see them in that way. And I think that’s a challenge, as in, I hope it’s not, but it could well be the case where there are hundreds of thousands of people who really love YC, but they when go shopping for the incubator they’d rather go to their local incubator shop or whatever. And it’s because almost in both senses, Intercom and YC, maybe being a bit too demure or standoffish. Come to us when you’re ready, but we’re not coming to you. And maybe that suits the brand, maybe it doesn’t, but I can see how it’s a challenge on your side of things–
Craig Cannon [00:50:44] – Well, I mean, in large part we’re just making stuff that we want and at least me, I don’t really consume the super sales-forward content. Even blogs and podcasts that are all about throwing their brand down your throat, I’m just not into it. I unsubscribe. I just get out of it. For me that’s a thing, but then on the other hand, I’m like okay, there has to be some growth strategy here.
Des Traynor [00:51:08] – Precisely, you’re the Director of Marketing, you do want to think that you’re actually doing something as well, right? There’s a really interesting spectrum that I often talk to people about when they’re in the early stages of their startup, if you were to say, let’s say Y Combinator’s product is the actual incubator. It’s cash for equity in high potential startups. If you were to literally only invest on making sure that everyone knows about that, you’ll become know as a type of bank or something like. Oh, “Y Combinator, the financial model?” And if you really drive for that then what happens is, everyone forgets about everything else and you don’t appeal to people under any other grounds whatsoever. It’s just like, “Oh if you need money go to them.” And that’s actually not your message, right?
Craig Cannon [00:51:56] – Oh no, because then we’d be a commodity, which would be the worst case.
Des Traynor [00:52:00] – Precisely, and your value profit is 50k for eight percent, or something, right? Then then very second you quantify it all like that, something else will come in and say we’re 60k for seven percent. And now you’ve just lost the fight because you’ve made it so quantifiable, you’ve taken brand and all that sort of stuff out of it, that you’ve basically sowed the seeds of your own destruction. On the other extreme, you can have like Y Combinator, the global phenomenona, right? We barely tell you that we do anything other than just evoke magnificence. And the challenge there is then you’re so abstract that no one actually realizes what you do. And there are genuine big brands that have spread themselves, and I hate to pick on people, I hate to pick on big brands, but you can think of some of the huge consulting houses or some of the huge software firms, No one really knows exactly what they do, but everyone knows who they are. And I think that’s no use either, becoming one of the biggest brands in the world that no one can explain for a moment what the hell you do. Or becoming one of these people that’s so associated with you product that you can never do anything else except for your product.
Craig Cannon [00:53:05] – Yeah, absolutely.
Des Traynor [00:53:06] – And an example I see is someone pitches me a startup and it’s “Oh, we track tickets for help desks.” And what are you called? Ticket Tracker. And I’m like okay, you do realize that you’re basically saying over the next years you’re only ever going to track tickets. Is that like, are you comfortable… I can see how the value is strong for you today because no one’s going to ask you what does Ticket Tracker do, right? And no one’s going to be oh, Ticket Tracker, what do you really sell? But you’ve sowed yourselves the seeds of your own destruction, because you can’t grow that brand in any way. If you’re like Hotels dot com. Well what do you do? Oh well we sell… Okay, that’s cool. But not you see like Hotels com and we also sell flights. And you’re like, huh?
Craig Cannon [00:53:46] – Totally.
Des Traynor [00:53:47] – It’s hard to expand a brand that has a high degree of specificity. It’s hard to convert a brand that has a high degree of ambiguity. And that’s the sort of spectrum that we dance in.
Craig Cannon [00:53:55] – And how do you connect those dots effectively and in a way that makes sense for your users? Or would be users.
Des Traynor [00:54:01] – First of all, it’s like finding the point on the spectrum that you’re comfortable. As in, so Intercom at its core, the idea is it’s an intercom. You want to talk to people. The logo is like eyes and a mouth. You can see and talk to your users. And so our mission is to make internet business personal. We’ve picked a relatively abstract point, another version of Intercom would have been called website messenger. And we would struggle then to sell marketing software or something. For us, it’s like finding the right level of abstraction such that the brand umbrella can cover all of your needs. All of the things you might want to do. And to do that right, and this is something I would advise all people to do, you need to read up on concepts like brand architecture and understand the different between an endorser brand and like a primary brand and what’s the difference between a branded house and house of brands and all that sort of stuff. That’s all really worth doing. And then when you’ve done all that, then it’s like okay, so if you’re deliberately going for a slightly bigger thing, you could be selling cheapflights dot com or you could say Aviate, we will take you to your destination. Aviate is a harder one to convert, cheapflights dot com is a harder one to expand. You find your level and then that tells you the starting point in your funnel. So our starting point is anyone that has an internet business. From that point, job one, create an audience of people who are interested in internet businesses and their problems.
Des Traynor [00:55:30] – And then job two is then sort of specify into the problems Intercom solves. We primarily solve go-to-market type problems. It’s like sales marketing and support software. That’s basically where Intercom plays. So talk about the problems for those people, we also talk about product problems because basically in early stage startups everyone does everything, so it’s usually the product person that’s also the marketer, you know. First of all grow the audience, then you get the specificity by talking about specific problems. And by the way, I say talking and my mind goes to content but it’s worth saying, this could be media campaigns, it can be ad buys, it can be sponsorships of events. But basically pushing out the messages that you want and ultimately get people to the landing pages that represent the things that you want to sell. And then obviously try to convert them and start talking to them and say, hey, what were you shopping for? This is probably the thing we did most in the early days of Intercom, when someone signed up we’d be like, “Out of curiosity, what did you think you were getting when you bought Intercom?” And it was a great question because it helps us unravel a lot of stuff like someone had a question here, David Kafed asks why did we split up our product? We used to be just one Intercom thing and now we’re a suite of things. That was entirely a result of this. It was basically realizing we were selling Intercom, but people were buying a help desk. Or people were buying and this was back to Karen’s point earlier,
Des Traynor [00:56:50] – build what you sell, sell what you build. So we’re like okay, some people love Intercom because it’s a great way to support your customers. And that’s one of the most visible use cases and that’s why you see it on all the sites. When we meet them like on our website, we need to let them find the thing they want. So if job one of that is import a CSV of all your targets and we’ll set up some campaigns, “Dude I came here to support my user base.”
Craig Cannon [00:57:14] – This is a lot for me right now.
Des Traynor [00:57:16] – Yeah, it’s like you need to talk to those folks over marketing, I’m just trying to support people. What we ended up doing is we split up our product into the things we knew it was used for, which is primarily supporting your customers and marketing to your customers. And let us be much more specific about when we could pitch Intercom. And then we could say here’s what Intercom does for support teams and then if you sign up for the support product we could say okay, here’s the onboarding steps for support. And we wouldn’t talk to you about marketing at all, because you’re not a marketer. In the old world we were trying to charge you and get you to use everything at the same time, so we seemed kind of expensive. And also we were trying use like a 12-step configuration because you had to everything. And that actually made sense when we were talking to two-person startups way back, but these days generally we’re talking to functions not whole companies. We had to help people find their own home within the product, so that’s where we split the product up. That comes back to that question as we got more specific, we had to give every single person who’s shopping for a different thing, they’re own tailored experience to find the exact part of Intercom they need.
Craig Cannon [00:58:19] – Yeah, and so when someone is shopping on your site, what have been the things that have been most effective in actually converting them right there?
Des Traynor [00:58:28] – We haven’t done a great degree of like… I mean there’s a certain amount of your listeners you’re
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et, online June 2, 2011.Ceylon M4 "Analytical Engine" is now available for download, along with a simultaneous compatible release of Ceylon IDE. The compiler now implements almost all of the language specification, for both Java and JavaScript virtual machines as execution environments. New Ceylon platform modules are available in Ceylon Herd, the community module repository.
You can download the Ceylon command line distribution here:
http://ceylon-lang.org/download
Or you can install Ceylon IDE from Eclipse Marketplace or from our Eclipse update site.
Ceylon M4 and Ceylon IDE M4 require Java 7.
The Ceylon team hopes to release Ceylon 1.0 beta in January.
Language features
M4 is an almost-complete implementation of the Ceylon language, including the following new features compared to M3:
The following language features are not yet supported in M4:
reified generics
user-defined annotations, interceptors, and the type safe metamodel
serialization
This page provides a quick introduction to the language. The draft language specification is the complete definition.
Ceylon IDE
Ceylon IDE is a complete development environment for Ceylon, based on the Eclipse platform. This release of Ceylon IDE introduces:
support for JavaScript compilation and execution,
module import completion,
the brand new Ceylon Repository Explorer view,
support for Maven repositories, and
more than 30 other improvements and bug fixes.
Ceylon IDE M4 requires Java 7. Users of Ceylon IDE on Mac OS should install Eclipse Juno. Users on other platforms may run Ceylon IDE in either Eclipse Indigo or Eclipse Juno on Java 7. Ceylon IDE will not work if Eclipse is run on Java 6.
Compilation and execution on the JVM and JavaScript VMs
Ceylon programs compiled to JavaScript execute on standard JavaScript virtual machines. The Ceylon command line distribution and IDE include a launcher for running Ceylon programs on Node.js.
Interoperation with Java
Interoperation with Java code is robust and well-tested. As usual, this release fixes several bugs that affected Java interoperation in the previous release.
Contrary to previous releases, the JDK is no longer automatically imported, so you need to import the JDK using the modularised JDK module names as defined by Jigsaw (Java 9).
Platform modules
The following new platform modules are now available in Ceylon Herd:
ceylon.net provides URI and HTTP support
provides URI and HTTP support ceylon.io provides charset and socket (blocking and non-blocking) support
provides charset and socket (blocking and non-blocking) support ceylon.json provides JSON parsing and serialization
provides JSON parsing and serialization ceylon.collection collection implementations organized into mutable array-based collections, mutable hashtable-based collections and immutable linked-list based collections
The language module, ceylon.language is included in the distribution.
Modularity and runtime
The shared community repository, Ceylon Herd is now online:
https://herd.ceylon-lang.org
Source code
The source code for Ceylon, its specification, and its website, is freely available from GitHub:
https://github.com/ceylon
Issues
Bugs and suggestions may be reported in GitHub's issue tracker.
Community
The Ceylon community site includes documentation, the current draft of the language specification, the roadmap, and information about getting involved.
http://ceylon-lang.org
Acknowledgement
We're deeply indebted to the community volunteers who contributed a substantial part of the current Ceylon codebase, working in their own spare time. The following people have contributed to this release:
Gavin King, Stéphane Épardaud, Tako Schotanus, Emmanuel Bernard, Tom Bentley, Aleš Justin, David Festal, Flavio Oliveri, Max Rydahl Andersen, Mladen Turk, James Cobb, Tomáš Hradec, Michael Brackx, Ross Tate, Ivo Kasiuk, Enrique Zamudio, Julien Ponge, Julien Viet, Pete Muir, Nicolas Leroux, Brett Cannon, Geoffrey De Smet, Guillaume Lours, Gunnar Morling, Jeff Parsons, Jesse Sightler, Oleg Kulikov, Raimund Klein, Sergej Koščejev, Chris Marshall, Simon Thum, Maia Kozheva, Shelby, Aslak Knutsen, Fabien Meurisse, Paco Soberón, sjur, Xavier Coulon.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.The now dead, Baroness Phillipine de Rothschild, is seen here wearing what appears a horned Baphomet necklace at a social event in France. She was photographed wearing the same odd clunky piece (like in this wine magazine) and other satanic-looking ones on a number of occasions. The war-mongering Zionist State of Israel is quietly known to have been a long-running project of her insanely wealthy (considered the richest on the planet) Rothschild family ever since the 19th century. [INCOG]
Great comment from “allovertheplace” @AMERICAN ALLIANCE
The writing on the wall is so clear. The murderous and totalitarian liberals aren’t seeking “multiculturalism” or “tolerance.” They are demanding things exactly how they want them and their outlook clearly harbors no tolerance for traditional America.
Think about it: there is no possible way for their vision and our vision to coexist whatsoever. The wicked liberals know this, and frankly have known it. They just cloak it in altruistic rhetoric and portray their victories as social evolution; so those opposed are reactionaries to what ”should” happen.
Lost in the blitzkrieg of jew media hype is the simple fact that this is perverse degeneracy. The attacks on our heritage never cease and never will. We are the only ones who will stop them. The promotion of perversity is, of course, a ruse by the wicked. It isn’t about justice for the ‘oppressed’ for the sake of justice itself, love, or equality, but a direct assault at decency and the natural order by the sons and daughters of Satan in the name of good. They are taking territory in the spiritual realm, a prelude to the temporal.
Our heritage was good. We inherited a country that was progressively more moral the farther back from the present one considers. It was also more safe, sane, and secure. The oppression they complain about white heterosexual males meting on minority groups like faggots, mexicans and niggers hardly existed in all reality in the way it is portrayed. We forget, and they encourage this, that in prior times this country was our country and only our country.
What the “left” well knows but does not reveal is that the fact remains it can only belong to either them or us. They are the aggressors. They assault us under pretexts that have no foundation in reality and the territory they relentlessly pursue is limitless. The bar for our legitimacy is raised with each assault, with the final end, which we can now see, is that the only way we are acceptable is if we are completely against ourselves and renounce every vestige of the glorious spiritual and temporal heritage we received at birth.
As these things transpire the world that we receive in trade for our unacceptable heritage comes quite clearly into view: it is oppressive and totalitarian and entirely lacking in anything that is actually redeeming spiritually; the wicked ones, in other words, are building for real the terrible world that they falsely accuse us of maintaining but which in reality never existed. They are playing with fire because they want to start one. Only reason.
One hardly needs to look long before spotting all sorts of truly demonic things in today’s Jewish dominated media and culture. Every day it becomes worse and worse. This is all not just some crazy talk, either. Where are WE GOING? [INCOG]
Like this: Like Loading...The McLaren driver, currently in his 17th season in the sport, is yet to secure a deal to race in F1 next year, although he is understood to has been in discussions with Williams over a possible drive in 2017.
The 36-year-old suggests he is yet to make up his mind on whether he will stay on in F1 beyond 2016, but admitted he is looking forward to a life without schedules.
Button says talks with McLaren over a possible new deal will star next month.
"I haven't talked to the team yet," said Button. "In September we are going to sit down and have a chat and decide whether I want to be racing in Formula 1 or whether they want me racing in Formula 1 or what the decision is.
"And if I'm not racing in F1 next year, I don't know where I'm going to be. [I'll] have some fun.
"I've lived my whole life by a schedule and suddenly I won't be living by a schedule, which will be the first time in my 18 years as an adult, which is really exciting, whenever that does happen."
The 2009 world champion, however, insists that he will look to continue racing once he leaves Formula 1, and reiterated his intention to compete in the World Endurance Championship if he finds the right option.
"In terms of racing, I'd like to do other racing series in the future," said Button.
"I would love to be part of the WEC programme. I think I would really enjoy the camaraderie and the team effort that goes into building and racing a car for a long distance event.
"I don't know what the possibilities would be in the future. There needs to be space for me to start with, because that's always very difficult, but if there was a space and it's something I was excited about, I'd definitely do it.
"I'd also like to do Rallycross in the future, something my dad did. There's lot of things I'd love to do.
"There are so many options, not just in motorsport, but in other sports, in life."
Click on the image below for Button merchandise...The Center for Data Science and Public Policy (DSaPP) at the University of Chicago is a collaboration between the Computer Science Department and the Harris School of Public Policy to further the use of data science in public policy research and practice. Our work includes educating current and future policymakers, doing data science projects with government, nonprofit, academic, and foundation partners, and developing new methods and open-source tools that support and extend the use of data science for public policy and social impact. Our team is made up of data scientists and researchers from computer science, statistics, and social science backgrounds to bring in methods from all of these disciplines, software engineers to make sure our work becomes usable code and implemented, topic and policy experts to provide context and relevance, and project managers who help get things done.Barn House (Gone)
Bowling Green, Indiana
Jim Pendleton is the Dr. Frankenstein of house building, and the Barn House is his Creature.
This whimsical monstrosity was sewn together by Jim from parts of over 25 barns he has demolished. He dreamed of the Barn House in the late 1960s in high school, and entered his blueprints for it in the state fair. Actual construction started in 1972, on Hwy. 46 about 10 miles west of Spencer. Jim was soon tearing down barns and houses around the state to feed his obsession.
The Barn House contains 41 rooms, 15 stairways and 15 walking decks. There are secret passages and tunnels, peepholes, a room with 688 hats, a prayer alcove, and a "quickie" room (where a "man and woman can do their business."). Jim recommends that visitors sun themselves in the nude on his sun decks. He has continued building for the last twenty-five years -- his wife left him, and his son and daughter have moved away.
In interviews, Jim drops into dreamer trance and rattles off the minutia of his palace -- number of visitors to date, how many times the Barn House has appeared in the newspapers and television. He fits the profile of other dreamers and obsessed castle-builders.
His second notable project was his "Noah's Ark House," built from salvage to float in times of great floods. It features glass floors with framed family photos below, which might become a wall or ceiling should the Ark house flip over. This is where the family currently lives, while Jim continues work on the adjacent Barn House.
November 2002: The Barn House has burned to the ground.
January 2001: Jim Pendleton is reported to be out of prison, though the fate of the Barn House is uncertain.
The only way to view the interior of the Barn House is to see the video. Mary Ann Michna created an 18-minute video documentary tour and interview with Jim Pendleton in 1993. The clip and images here were provided by Mary Ann. You can see her complete Barn House video here.A report published today by the Linux Foundation provides insight into the state of the Linux kernel development community and includes statistics that reveal which companies are the most prolific contributors. The study indicates that the project is attracting new programmers and has strong backing from a highly diverse assortment of hardware and software companies that actively participate in the development process.
The Linux kernel, with over 11.5 million lines of code, is arguably one of the largest and most significant open source software projects. The health of the kernel development ecosystem is important to the growing number of Linux vendors and adopters. The Linux Foundation, a nonprofit organization that coordinates kernel development, studies the matter closely. In April 2008, the organization released its first report with kernel contributor statistics. The new report provides updated information and a view into the current state of the kernel.
According to the report, the number of kernel developers who contribute to each release has increased by approximately 10 percent since the 2008 study, with almost 1,000 developers participating in each released version of the kernel. The entire code base has grown by over 2.7 million lines while the number of lines of code that are contributed ever day has nearly tripled. An average of 5.45 patches are accepted every hour.
Part of the increase in total code base size is attributable to the inclusion of the -staging tree, which allows incomplete or unstable ("crap") drivers to be merged into the mainline kernel. It was introduced in version 2.6.28 which was released in December. The contents of the staging tree have received a significant number of improvements this year.
One of the most significant aspects of the report is its analysis of corporate involvement in kernel development. The report reveals that an average of 200 companies are involved in development for any given version of the kernel and that they are responsible for developing roughly 70 percent of the code. The leading code contributor is Red Hat, whose involvement accounts for roughly 12 percent of code contributions. Other leading corporate contributors are IBM and Novel, which each contribute 7.6 percent and Intel, which contributes 5.3 percent.
Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin commented on the implications of the report in a statement. He believes that the current trend of rapid growth will continue.
"This paper shows that the pace of Linux development continues to grow, with more individuals and more companies supporting Linux kernel development with every release cycle," Zemlin said. "With the increasing use of Linux in new markets and the dedication of the development community and corporate sponsors, the number of contributors will continue to grow, ensuring a vibrant ecosystem to support the platform."
At the Linux Collaboration Summit earlier this year, Zemlin characterized Linux as the "fastest growing platform" during his keynote presentation. His lofty expectations for Linux growth were supported by an IDC study that was unveiled during the conference which predicts that Linux will withstand the current economic recession better than its proprietary competitors and will emerge in a stronger position.
Linux is also getting a boost from the mobile market where it is attracting a lot of major hardware and software vendors. It's got a foothold in the netbook space and could see broader adoption as new ARM-based netbooks begin to emerge.
The Linux kernel ecosystem is clearly stronger than ever and benefits from the enthusiastic support of a multitude of major technology companies. The new kernel status report shows who the major players are and casts a light on the kernel's rapid rate of growth. For more details, you can download the report from the Linux Foundation website.
Listing image by Tribbles imageRepublican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer took out a party American Express card Saturday and cut it in half in front of a roomful of party activists and warned the group never to talk about the party's credit cards again.
ORLANDO - Piece of advice: Don't say "American Express" around Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer.
Greer took out a party American Express card Saturday and cut it in half in front of a roomful of party activists and warned the group never to talk about the party's credit cards again. He also announced every party leader, including himself, has turned their card in and no more will be issued.
He hopes that stops months of questions about the party's American Express bills, capped this week by news that the former House Speaker racked up $173,000 in AmEx charges, including a family trip to Europe and other personal expenses.
"We're done. I hope I never hear American Express again," Greer said showing obvious frustration. "For those people who want to keep talking about the issue, they're doing it for one reason and that is to cause trouble."
The party had a practice of giving its leaders American Express cards to be used when traveling, entertaining or raising money on behalf of the party.
Greer insisted the practice was acceptable and said the credit cards are not being abused. He compared the party to a multimillion-dollar company and credit cards issued to executives.
For months, the party has refused requests to release its American Express card statements. After Sansom's were released, Greer told activists people are asking him if he will also reveal the other statements.
"No! No! No! That's not what we're going to do. We're just like a private company," Greer said. "No! Never, as long as I am chairman and I'm tired of talking about it."
Sansom's American Express charges were released Thursday by a prosecutor. Sansom, R-Destin, is facing trial later this year on charges of official misconduct and perjury. He is accused of funneling millions to a state college that then gave him a $110,000 job and then lying to a grand jury.
The documents show that over a two-year period ending in November 2008, Sansom rang up hundreds of expenditures from Long Beach, Calif,. to Boston, and stops in between at $400-a-night hotel rooms. He also had limousine rides in Washington and Chicago, a review of his account shows, and a steady flow of coffee - $839 at Starbucks alone.
In one monthly billing period ending Aug. 15, 2008, Sansom ran up $18,646.29. It was during this period that he took his wife and three daughters to Europe.
Under state law, the specifics of party credit-card expenditures are shielded from the public. Only bottom-line amounts are revealed. That makes the detailed Sansom reports all the more eye-catching. He spent $11,475 at Best Buy and $8,993 at Friendly Florist in Fort Walton Beach.
Records show that numerous top politicians and officials with the Republican Party of Florida racked up $3.6 million in credit card charges from January 2007 to June 30, 2009, so Sansom's expenses might not be that unusual. The Florida Democratic Party, which is often outraised and outspent by the Republican Party, doesn't give credit cards to officials.
Never before in recent years have such internal financial details been made public, exposing what has long been a source of intense curiosity and friction among top campaign contributors worried their money is being misused.
Sansom, 47, resigned as speaker earlier this year shortly before being indicted, but remained in the House.
Rep. Larry Cretul of Ocala, who replaced Sansom as speaker, did not have a party credit card.Looking for Parajet spares and parts? Order your genuine Paramotor parts here or search for your local authorised Parajet dealer for spares and parts.
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A report on human rights around the world from the US Department of State has revealed that 99 individuals were convicted in Malta last year for "public blasphemy", down from 119 in 2011.
Malta, which is predominatly a Roman Catholic country with a significant British ex-pat population, is known for its architecture, weather and to many as being a key planning location in the allied defense of Europe.
But despite its popularity amongst Brits, many are unaware that Maltese law prohibits the vilification of or giving offense to the Roman Catholic Church. It is a criminal offense to utter publicly any obscene or indecent words, make obscene acts or gestures or in any other way offend public morality, propriety or decency.
The report, which was generally positive about the freedom of the press in Malta, stated that, "From January to September [2012] there were 99 convictions for public blasphemy, compared with the 119 convictions from January to July 2011."
It also pointed out that international media could operate freely and there was no indication of reprisals against individuals for either public or private criticism of the government.
However, the existence of a blasphemy law that is so heavily enforced tells a different story about the rights of individuals to say what is on their mind – particularly if it is about the Catholic Church.With the news that at least 26 people had been shot to death in a Texas church, President Trump took a moment from his Asian trip to tweet his concern:
“May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene. I am monitoring the situation from Japan.”
Trump should also monitor the situation in Japan, where fewer people were shot to death in the past five years than were gunned down at the First Baptist Church in what was by one witness’ estimate just 15 seconds on Sunday.
In 2015, the United States reported 13,286 non-suicide gun deaths. Japan reported exactly one.
The primary reason is that private citizens in Japan are not allowed to own handguns, much less assault rifles or indeed rifles of any kind. They are permitted to own shotguns for hunting or skeet shooting, but to do so they must go through a four month screening process that David Kopel of the Firearms Research Project detailed back in 1993.
Then, as now, the process begins with classes that cover gun safety, maintenance, and proper loading and unloading. The applicant must then pass a written test.
After that comes instruction at a shooting range, followed by a proficiency and safety test. Next comes a drug test and mental exam at a medical facility intended to detect any manifest mental illness.
Upon receipt of certification that the applicant is mentally stable and drug free, the police conduct a background check to ensure that neither the applicant nor the applicant's relatives have criminal records.
The police further investigate whether the applicant is a member of any potentially violent groups. The Japanese Law Controlling Possession, Etc. of Fire-Arms and Swords allows the authorities deny the application if “there is reasonable cause to suspect [the applicant] may be dangerous to other persons' lives or properties or to the public peace.”
Anyone who so much as handles a proscribed firearm or shotgun without a permit faces a maximum term of 10 years in prison. The great majority of violators actually serve a year or more.
A suggestion that a shotgun is more than adequate to protect a person and a home was offered by a news item that the NRA itself cited in 2008 concerning an event in the same Texas county as Sunday’s mass shooting.
“Eighty-three-year-old Raymond Bunte is the kind of person anyone would like to have as a neighbor,” the Wilson County News reported. “He heard a loud noise from his neighbor's house and, knowing the neighbor was at work, decided to investigate. A strange vehicle was parked outside, so Bunte used his own to block it. Noticing the front door was kicked in, Bunte grabbed his 12-gauge shotgun and ordered the burglars out of the house. Police say one suspect fled, but the other got into his vehicle and tried to run over Bunte, who then shot and killed the assailant. The second suspect was caught by police.”
In the absence of a Japanese-style ban on handguns and assault rifles, a Japanese-style procedure for screening and certifying gun owners here in America might very well keep firearms out of the hands of those who are manifestly unbalanced and/or associated with terrorist organizations.
Under the present federal screening, a person who is under psychiatric treatment but has not been involuntarily committed can arm him or herself with an arsenal.
A person on the terrorist watch list can do the same.
So can someone with a bad conduct discharge from the military who is sentenced to no more than a year in prison.
Devin Patrick Kelley reportedly received a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force accompanied by 12 months behind bars. One day more and he would have been precluded from legally owning a firearm such as the assault rifle he posted a picture of on Facebook, along with the now infamous words “She’s a bad bitch.”
Others who received a less than honorable discharge but were still able to purchase weapons include a former soldier who murdered six at a Sikh temple is Wisconsin in 2012 and a one-time sailor who murdered 12 at the Navy Yard in Washington in 2013.
The latest came on Sunday, when former airman Kelley arrived at the First Baptist Church dressed in black and wearing body armor. He demonstrated how much carnage an assault rifle can inflict in just seconds and then fled. He was reportedly pursued by a civilian armed with a shotgun such as killed a burglar in the same county in 2008 and can be obtained even in Japan if you pass the four month application process.
“ Neither gunman had any more trouble buying an assault rifle than someone in Japan can buy chopsticks. ”
Outside the church, tearful survivors held hands and prayed. A woman beseeched God, “ Be with us as we learn to deal with this in days to come.”
At the suggestion that one way to deal with it would be to lessen the chances of more mass shootings in the future, someone on the church Facebook page said this was “no time for politics.”
But of course this was exactly the time for politics, for true politics are not about Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives, left or right.
True politics in America are about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, especially about life when it concerns innocents such as those who perished at the church, most particularly a pregnant woman and a number of children, who included the pastor’s 14-year-old daughter.
Her name was Annabelle.
Meanwhile, our president was monitoring the situation from Japan, which reported just one gun death in a year.
“This isn’t a guns situation,” Trump said about the Texas church shooting during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “This is a mental-health problem at the highest level.”
Abe is too polite and diplomatic to have told his guest that the Japanese application process for gun ownership screens for mental health problems as well as a criminal record, which would made the gunman doubly disqualified.
Back in America, November was beginning with 26 dead at a mass shooting in Texas, just as October had begun with 58 killed in a mass shooting in Las Vegas. Neither gunman had any more trouble buying an assault rifle than someone in Japan can buy chopsticks.Occasionally, I feel like I'm just handing an organisation more shovels - "here, keep digging, I'm sure this'll work out just fine..." The latest such event was with NatWest (a bank in the UK), and it culminated with this tweet from them:
I'm sorry you feel this way. I can certainly pass on your concerns and feed this back to the tech team for you Troy? DC — NatWest (@NatWest_Help) December 12, 2017
This was after a concerned customer and then myself trying to explain to them that serving their home page over a non-secure connection wasn't such a good idea. The "I'm sorry you feel this way" tweet was in response to me laying things out in what I thought was a pretty crystal-clear fashion:
You’re missing the point: when people want to logon they go to your homepage. The homepage is insecure so you can’t trust anything on it. The link to the login page is on it. You can’t trust the link to the login page. Make sense? — Troy Hunt (@troyhunt) December 12, 2017
Their original argument - and certainly they're not alone in this misconception - is that because the landing page of the website doesn't have anything sensitive on it then it doesn't require HTTPS:
Hi there Troy, the website contains general information, rest assured when you are logging in that the website is secure. Please feel free to DM me if you have anymore queries around this. Thank you, DC — NatWest (@NatWest_Help) December 12, 2017
So, let's just look at the home page for a moment and break down all the problems in the highlighted areas:
It's served over HTTP so it's not an encrypted connection and can therefore be intercepted, the traffic read, modified or requests redirect to other locations. We're seeing "Not secure" next to the address bar because I've typed something into the search box. This change began rolling out in Chrome in October and I would opine that "Not secure" is not what you want to see on your bank (although as I've said before, "bank grade" security is not necessarily a virtue either).
And then we have the link to the login page which is the source of much of this controversy. That link takes you off to https://www.nwolb.com/default.aspx which is indeed encrypted. The padlock next to that link is of zero functional value and importantly in the context of this post, is the only padlock on the page because the browser won't give you one due to the non-secure connection!
Here's the problem in the simplest terms I can put it:
NatWest acknowledges that HTTPS is important because they have it on their login page and (presumably), all their banking pages. Agree?
They're using HTTPS because of the aforementioned threats involving someone getting in the middle of the connection and messing with traffic. Still with me?
If someone is messing with traffic then they can modify non-secure requests. Yeah?
The NatWest landing page in non-secure and it serves up this bit of HTML for the login link:
But because of all the things we just agreed on, that link could just as easily be changed to this:
Get it? It's just a "w" versus "uu" change (and yes, you could go and register nuuolb.com right now), then you can go and stand your own site up on that domain and phish the credentials.
Edit: Shortly after publishing this post, NatWest went and registered that domain in what I assume is an attempt to stop a man in the middle intercepting their traffic and making a visually trivial change to a URL. Alarmingly though, nw0lb.com is still available as is nuu0lb.com and it-doesnt-matter-because-that-isnt-the-point.com.
Alternatively, you could do as Scott Helme just demonstrated and use sslstrip to grab everything:
And just as a brief reminder of how prevalent intercepting and modifying someone's traffic is, imagine your ISP injecting hundreds of lines of their own JavaScript into your bank's site:
Your users [*] could "enjoy" this bonus collection of JavaScript, when visiting your HTTP website.
[*] limited offer at participating locations; HTTPS sites need not apply.https://t.co/B6zpuD8nQ0 pic.twitter.com/4hvhsB7PTA — John ☆.o(≧▽≦)o.☆ (@JohnMu) December 8, 2017
Now fortunately Comcast is getting the press they so rightly deserve for this, but you can see the point.
We're on a march towards HTTPS everywhere. Almost 70% of web traffic today is encrypted and organisations not getting with the program are being increasingly penalised for lagging behind. A bank - of all sites - should be getting this right or at the very least, taking the discussion offline and deferring to their tech folks. Oh - and Twitter's CSIO has some good advice for these circumstances too 😎
Companies - A general public announcement
If you receive security feedback from @troyhunt go ahead and have your security folks review the situation before attempting to claim troy is in the wrong. It's probably going to be a good use of time 😀 https://t.co/jYA36a8UN9 — Michael Coates (@_mwc) December 12, 2017
These days, the minimum accepted criteria is HTTPS across everything with HSTS preload. If you're not sure where to start, give my 6-Step "Happy Path" to HTTPS a go!
BTW NatWest - while you're fixing stuff, make sure you also reply to people reporting security vulnerabilities:
I've reported to them a XSS 4 months ago (Still not fixed!). They ignore my e-mails, don't accept my phone calls.. Terrible! pic.twitter.com/v1pzpiiYzV — ~ (@huykha10) December 13, 2017
Edit: A day later and NatWest was on the front of the BBC's tech page:
@troyhunt so you've made it onto the BBC main technology page https://t.co/Dwp0taYopF pic.twitter.com/4UTzBbMKBa — Dan Clarke (@OverByDan) December 14, 2017
To their credit, they also very quickly started redirecting the landing page to HTTPS albeit with a couple of glitches:
lol, now it's over ssl when I load it, but mixed content AND bad certs. pic.twitter.com/N2KtjHpEW0 — Zach Silveira (@zachcodes) December 14, 2017
So to the NatWest folks - kudos for responding quickly! But do read that 6-Step "Happy Path" post and get upgrade-insecure-requests in there pronto.Geologists working in northern Chile have found similarities between hot spring silica deposits on Earth and deposits photographed on Mars nine years ago – and they think they could be evidence of past life on the Red Planet.
These types of deposits on Earth typically contain microorganism fossils, and though NASA's Spirit rover couldn't look for evidence of life back in 2007, the research could prompt another rover visit to the Home Plate plateau on Mars.
The team from Arizona State University went looking for silica structures in El Tatio similar to those snapped on Mars, and say the closest matches were those produced by a combination of biological and non-biological processes – hot spring deposits created with the help of tiny organisms.
"The fact that microbes play a role in producing the distinctive silica structures at El Tatio raises the possibility that the Martian silica structures formed in a comparable manner," says one of the researchers, Steve Ruff. "In other words, with the help of organisms that were alive at the time."
The idea that hot springs had created the Home Plate deposits was raised when they were first photographed, but the findings in Chile give the hypothesis more credibility.
That's partly because the environment at El Tatio is so Mars-like: freezing temperatures at night, plenty of ultraviolet light from the Sun, and thin, dry air.
"Such conditions provide a better environmental analog for Mars than those of Yellowstone National Park (USA) and other well-known geothermal sites on Earth," write Ruff and his colleague Jack Farmer in Nature.
The researchers don't rule out the possibility that the silica deposits on Mars were created through non-biological processes, but they also say the fingerlike patterns in Chile are "among the most Mars-like of any silica deposits on Earth".
Based on what we know about Mars so far, it's likely that the only ancient fossils we're going to find will be microscopic ones. The problem is knowing where to look, which is where the new research can help.
If we want to take another pass at this part of Martian land, the next NASA rover to head to the Red Planet is due to launch in 2020. Unfortunately, Spirit was decommissioned in 2011 after getting stuck in soft soil.
Even then, we might need to return Martian rocks to laboratories on Earth before we can definitively say life once existed on the planet – but we're getting closer all the time.
NASA is still deciding where its 2020 rover should roam, but the Home Plate site is currently second on a list of eight possibilities, and Ruff and Farmer are backing its inclusion in the final list of four.
"This is a known hydrothermal deposit," says Ruff. "We know exactly where to land and where to go collect samples. And the silica structures found by Spirit meet the definition of a potential biosignature."
Spot the difference (Mars on the left, Chile on the right):
Arizona State UniversityThis is a reticulated giraffe, also known as
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board
An eighth-grade boy was paddled after being reported by a teacher for writing “Trump” on a class blackboard.
The father, Troy Stephenson, told AL.com that he did not “think you ought to be punished for writing the president’s name.”
The incident took place at Childersburg Middle School, where the student was sent home with a Talladega County Schools Discipline Referral Form. The referral stated that students are not to discuss the election outside of a history class due to the “sensitivity of the matter.” The referral further stated that the incident “upset some students,” and that students were warned of disciplinary action for violating the school’s policy on the subject.
The disciplinary form indicated the student had a conference with the principal, a phone call to parents, and corporal punishment as the disciplinary actions taken. Childersburg Middle School officials have so far declined to comment.
According to AL.com, the boy’s mother was on her way to the school to help choose between corporal punishment or suspension, but officials were told to let the student make the decision if they could not wait for her.
Stephenson said he spoke with a school official on Monday who said his son was not paddled for writing “Trump” on the blackboard, but rather for writing on the blackboard in general. Stephenson has contacted a lawyer and has instructed his son not to engage in any political discussions.As he grappled on Thursday with his first major decision involving military action, a fed-up and frustrated President Donald Trump turned to his two top aides and told them he had had enough of their incessant knife-fights in the media.
“Work this out,” Trump said, according to two people briefed on the exchange. The admonition was aimed at Stephen Bannon, the tempestuous chief strategist, and Reince Priebus, the mild-mannered chief of staff, over a series of dustups with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, and the top economic adviser, Gary D. Cohn.
But they may not be able to.
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 president is said to be aware that a meaningful reconciliation is unlikely between Bannon, who sees himself as the keeper of Trump’s campaign promises, and the competing ideologies of Kushner and Cohn, a longtime Wall Street executive and a Democrat. And he is considering a shake-up of his senior staff, according to four people with direct knowledge of the process.
Whether he acts on it remains to be seen. Trump has often pondered making changes for several weeks or even months before making them, if he does at all. He has a high tolerance for chaos, and a unique gift for creating it — and, despite his famous “You’re fired!” tagline from the show “The Apprentice,” an aversion to dismissing people.
Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home Show all 13 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home 1/13 The front of the house Zillow 2/13 The lobby Zillow 3/13 The house exterior Zillow 4/13 The patio Zillow 5/13 The bedroom Zillow 6/13 The living room Zillow 7/13 The living area Zillow 8/13 The Living Room Zillow 9/13 The kitchen Zillow 10/13 The living room Zillow 11/13 The bathroom Zillow 12/13 The living room Zillow 13/13 The hall Zillow 1/13 The front of the house Zillow 2/13 The lobby Zillow 3/13 The house exterior Zillow 4/13 The patio Zillow 5/13 The bedroom Zillow 6/13 The living room Zillow 7/13 The living area Zillow 8/13 The Living Room Zillow 9/13 The kitchen Zillow 10/13 The living room Zillow 11/13 The bathroom Zillow 12/13 The living room Zillow 13/13 The hall Zillow
But this past week, one that some of his aides considered the best of his presidency, was marred by fits, starts and self-inflicted wounds — and the constant churn of news accounts of a White House at war with itself finally wore the president out. And notice of a possible shake-up was a warning shot to his team to make adjustments.
A spokeswoman for Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, insisted that such accounts were untrue.
“Once again this is completely false story driven by people who want to distract from the success taking place in this administration,” she said in an emailed statement. “The President’s pick for the Supreme Court (a decision that has generational impact) was confirmed today, we hosted multiple foreign leaders this week and the President took bold and decisive military action against Syria last night. The only thing we are shaking up is the way Washington operates as we push the President’s aggressive agenda forward.”
But two people who have spoken with Trump said he recognised that the continuing state of drama was unsustainable.
No changes are imminent, they said. But the president is considering a range of options, including a shift in role for Bannon, who has become increasingly isolated in the White House as other power centres have grown, as well as additional senior staff.
Priebus has been a source of contention for a number of Trump’s former advisers, with the president pushing back on criticism with the response that the former chairman of the Republican National Committee is a “nice guy.”
Bannon, a hard-charging, fast-talking confidant of the president’s whose roving job in the White House has given him influence over policy and hiring decisions, now finds himself in the undesirable position of being caught between the president and his family. That is a position that others have not survived, most notably Corey Lewandowski, the first of the president’s three campaign managers.
Bannon, whose portfolio is broad but vague as a chief strategist, has told people he believes Kushner’s allies have undermined him, that he has no plans to quit and is digging in for a fight. One option being discussed is moving Bannon to a different role. His allies at an outside group supporting him run by his main benefactor, investor Rebekah Mercer, have also discussed him joining them to provide strategy.
Kushner, 36, a government neophyte who has taken on a much larger portfolio as a top West Wing aide and foreign envoy, was said to be displeased after hearing that Bannon made critical remarks about him to other aides and Trump associates while he was in Iraq recently. Bannon has told confidantes that he believes Kushner’s contact with Russians, and his expected testimony before Congress on the subject, will become a major distraction for the White House.
Kushner allies have also raised the issue with the president of the increasingly unflattering coverage that Kushner is receiving from Breitbart News, the right-wing website that Bannon used to run.
But Bannon has his own core of supporters outside the White House. And he has argued that Kushner’s efforts to pull his father-in-law more to the center on issues like immigration would poison him with the conservative base — a hopeless position to be in because Bannon believes so few Democrats would ever consider supporting Trump.
In the White House blame game, no one is safe. Bannon’s team is blamed for the contested and controversial travel bans. Priebus was damaged by the failure of health care legislation. Kushner has yet to show he can master his own portfolio, and his role is so large that miscues will be magnified.
Trump does not like any staff member gaining too much attention, including those who are related to him. He had three campaign shake-ups in the 2016 cycle, and he tends to make changes based on instinct. As he learns the job of a president, his allies say, he was destined to make such changes.
There is a long history of presidents making staff changes, and one of Trump’s predecessors, Bill Clinton, made changes within the first six months of his administration.
Newt Gingrich, an informal adviser to Trump and a former House speaker, said, “I think first of all a very high amount of tension in the White House is normal.”
“I think they have particular tension right now because the health bill failed,” he added.
The stories about infighting “probably bother him some,” Gingrich said. “But do I think they’re damaging to his long-term prospects? I think they’re noise.”
New York Times
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Subscribe nowIt’s been a revolving door at the goaltending position for the Arizona Coyotes since the season began back on Oct. 5. Louis Domingue has been shelled every time he’s been on the ice. Antti Raanta looked good in his first appearance, but he’s since had a bad night in Las Vegas and has missed time with an injury. Now, with their third starting goaltender in six games, could Arizona have finally found a solution in net?
Adin Hill made his NHL debut on Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center against the Dallas Stars. The 21-year-old netminder played well for head coach Rick Tocchet, but, once again, the Coyotes faltered on the offensive end of the ice and dropped their sixth straight game to start the year, 3-1, to fall to 0-5-1 on the young season.
However, the game was much closer than the box score will indicate – despite the final 3-1 margin, Hill was beaten just twice on 33 shots as Dallas added an empty-netter late in the game for their third goal of the contest. Hill more than proved that he belongs in the NHL – he nearly stole the game for the Coyotes and likely earned himself some more future work in net as a result of his solid performance.
Related: Coyotes Turn to Hill to Solve Goaltending Issues
Coyotes Struggling to Score
Although Hill played well enough to win the game, the Coyotes failed, yet again, to support their goaltender on the offensive end of the ice. Tuesday was the fifth time in six games so far this season that Arizona failed to score more than two goals. They scored four goals in two periods against the Ducks in the season opener, but have scored just eight times in the 16 periods they’ve played since.
That isn’t even close to being good enough, and the Coyotes will need to significantly improve on the offensive end of the ice in order to have a chance to win games. Arizona’s effort during the first two periods on Tuesday seemed to be lacking as well – the Desert Dogs generated just 13 shots on goal in the first 40 minutes before exceeding that total with 15 in the third period alone.
.@ArizonaCoyotes hanging in there at 2-1, despite 15-5 disadvantage in scoring chances, 25-13 in shots on goal. 3rd period coming up. pic.twitter.com/PUbG40BDSI — FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) October 18, 2017
Generating five scoring chances through two periods simply isn’t acceptable in the NHL. Neither is allowing 15 scoring chances the other way, for that matter, but we’ll leave that conversation for another time.
Either way, despite their lackluster first and second periods on Tuesday, the Coyotes vastly improved in the third frame, but, by then, their efforts were a day late and a dollar short. Stars netminder Ben Bishop yielded just one goal in the game – a screened shot from Jason Demers – and made big saves when he had to in order to get his team the victory. The Stars were the better team on Tuesday, and they deserved the win.
Related: Monday Morning Howl: Coyotes Still Winless After Two Weeks
More Missed Opportunities
The Coyotes did have their chances to beat Bishop in the game, though, but they just couldn’t find a way to bury any of their looks. They had a golden opportunity to tie the game early in the third period, as Dallas was called for back-to-back minor penalties 1:43 apart. As a result, the Coyotes had a long power play, including 17 seconds of 5-on-3 time, but they were unable to take advantage.
Derek Stepan also had a chance to tie the game late off of a 2-on-1 rush, but his shot hit the pipe after getting through Bishop. Stepan’s shot was a microcosm of what the entire season has been like for the Coyotes – close, but no cigar. Tocchet spoke about his team’s performance after the game:
#Yotes coach Rick Tocchet: The guys worked hard, we just couldn't score. pic.twitter.com/Fb4RVOAahZ — FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) October 18, 2017
The Coyotes will have a chance to redeem themselves at Gila River Arena on Thursday, as they’ll host the same Dallas team that caused them so many problems on Tuesday. Arizona has now dropped 10 straight contests at the American Airlines Center, so a return to Glendale could tilt things in the Yotes’ favor come game time.
The biggest question for Thursday’s contest is goaltending – will Tocchet turn things back over to Domingue, who has struggled badly in four appearances this season? Or did Hill do enough on Tuesday to earn a second consecutive start in net?If the UK’s Daily Star is to be believed, one of MMA’s most infamous characters is poised for a comeback—just so long as he’s actually released from the Moroccan prison where he’s currently being detained.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, we’re talking about Lee Murray, a British-Moroccan middleweight whose fearsome striking—and absurd out-of-cage actions—made him an MMA star in the early 2000s.
Murray, who is now 38, was last seen in competition in September 2004, when he battled Anderson Silva to a unanimous decision loss. Since then, he’s made plenty of headlines—but not for his accomplishments as a fighter.
In 2006, Murray and several accomplices broke into a Securitas cash depot in Kent, UK, detained and threatened to kill the employees on site, and made off with £53 million in cash (more than 90 million USD) in an event deemed the biggest cash heist in British history. Then, after escaping to Morocco with an accomplice, Murray was arrested on unrelated charges, before eventually being identified as the man behind the Securitas heist.
From there, the UK attempted to extradite Murray back to the country. A hearing in Morocco, however, deemed the former fighter a Moroccan national, which meant he would be tried under the North African country’s laws.
Murray’s 2010 trial in Morocco resulted in a ten-year sentence which, according to BBC News, was later increased to 25 years, when Kent police implored his initial sentence was too lenient. Given that you’ve got fingers to count on, you’ve probably determined that this means Murray is about 6 years into his sentence.
So, why the hell is he prepping for a comeback?
Well, according to Daily Star, one of Murray’s key accomplices, a man named Paul Allen, has been granted early release from a UK prison on good behavior. This has apparently given Murray hope for similar treatment. And while Murray is rumored to have attempted an escape from prison before his trial was even underway, the Daily Star reports that he’s recently been on such good behaviour that the guards have allowed him to train as much as he wants and enjoy conjugal visits.
While it’s certainly hard to imagine Murray taking part in any serious training from the inside of a Moroccan prison, Daily Star reported that the one-time UFC vet has “recruited two Thai boxers to get him fighting fit.”
Daily Star was also able to secure comments from an unnamed “source close to Murray,” who touched on the former fighter’s current mindset.
“Lee believes that he still has a lot to live for and he won’t accept he will spend the rest of his days in jail,” the source is reported to have said. “He says he has lawyers on the case. That is why he is training.”
This unexpected Lee Murray comeback arc doesn’t end there, either. Apparently, Murray even has his crosshairs set on a prospective opponent: Alex Reid, another former fighter and past star of Britain’s Celebrity Big Brother. The 40-year-old reality star is poised for a comeback of his own, having been scheduled to take on a yet-unnamed opponent when Bellator MMA touches down in London this July.
Strange as it may sound, Murray’s behind-bars callout is not entirely unfounded. He and Reid actually have some history, having fought in a shadowy contest back in 1999. On that night, Murray was handed a disqualification loss, and apparently assaulted Reid after the fight. According to Daily Star’s source, this unfortunate outcome has left Murray chomping at the bit for a do-over.
“When he heard about Reid still fighting it just gave him even more focus,” the source told Daily Star. “He is training like a lunatic.”
So, there you have it. While we have little real reason to believe Murray’s 25-year sentence is anywhere near over, the man himself seems to be optimistic. And while Reid’s focus is surely glued to his looming Bellator return, it is certainly possible that, somewhere down the road, he may be the man to shepherd Lee Murray out of his prison cell and back into the MMA cage.
Check out this related story:
Reza Madadi Robs His Way Into European MMA LoreThe Indian remake of Hollywood action flick Rambo has created quite a stir here. It was revealed yesterday during the ongoing Cannes film festival that Bollywood star Tiger Shroff is set to reprise the iconic character in the Indian version. The film is slated for a 2018 release. And amid the entire fan frenzy, what’s motivating the makers is the fact that they’ve also got the thumbs up from original Rambo Sylvester Stallone. Sylvester took to Twitter and showed his support for the Indian remake but in his own style. His short, crisp message also carried a caution. Here’s what Sylvester wrote: “I read recently they are remaking Rambo in India!!.. Great character.. hope they don’t wreck it.”
Humbled and blessed to be walking the road u lay down 🙏❤ u r irreplaceable and I hope I don’t let you down sir @TheSlyStallone #RamboRemake https://t.co/A55zcoj5Kr — Tiger Shroff (@iTIGERSHROFF) May 19, 2017
Grew up on this character, humbled and blessed to step into his shoes years later. #RamboRemake pic.twitter.com/eQYqMw46pm — Tiger Shroff (@iTIGERSHROFF) May 20, 2017 Advertising
Tiger who has already earned a name for his action and martial arts in Bollywood films said that he will not let down Sylvester. The actor took to Twitter and in his quintessential humble manner wrote, “Humbled and blessed to be walking the road u lay down 🙏❤ u r irreplaceable and I hope I don’t let you down sir @TheSlyStallone #RamboRemake.”
Rambo will be directed by Siddharth Anand, of Bang Bang fame. The Indian Rambo will be a story about the last surviving member of a special unit of Indian Armed Forces who will return to his home only to find it ravaged by the ongoing war, reported Hollywood Reporter.
Also Read: Half Girlfriend box office collection day 1: Arjun Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor film has a sluggish start
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“Being a martial artist and a huge action movie buff since childhood, this all seems very surreal, and I’m very grateful for this opportunity. By no means do I believe I can replace the legendary Sylvester Stallone; however, I do feel that somehow this is something I’ve been preparing for since childhood, ” Tiger was quoted in the report.2014-02-26 01:57, edited 2014-02-27 00:17 by FPSTrollywood
Seriously... Whatever happened to the promised vehicle balancing patch... it had all these changes and was posted on 27JAN2014 and we are still waiting on it...AIR VEHICLESReducing the acquisition angle for Active Radar Missiles - PLEASE HURRY UP ON THIS ONEBuffing the Zuni Rockets on the Attack Heli - Nobody asked for this... but since the Attack Heli has the longevity of a popsicle in a kindergarten class...why not?Reducing the Velocity of the MAA's 20mm cannon - Hurry upReducing the number of missiles carried by the MAA - Hurry upRemoving the helicopter flipping action that is currently part of the game from all anti-air missiles - Hurry the hell upIncreasing direct impact damage of the Attack Heli Gunner cannon - Ok... I won't argue there... after all... the Attack Heli is like an attractive virgin in a room full of unchained sex offendersReducing splash damage from the Scout Heli 25mm cannon - ok... probably wouldn't hurt but I, personally, think the Scout Heli is fairly well balanced since the repair tool nerf.GROUND VEHICLESMaking MBT Law dumber, requiring it to be closer to the target to get a hitFixing APS and MP-APS protection from frag rounds... not that anybody cared.Reducing the damage radius of M2 Slams - Good idea... seems appropriateReducing the damage from Staff Rounds - Most people would agree with this change http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/01/bf4-balancing-vehicles/ [blogs.battlefield.com]Reddit Thread is here: http://redd.it/1yybq5 [redd.it]Grigory Alexeyevich Yavlinsky (Russian: Григо́рий Алексе́евич Явли́нский; born 10 April 1952[2]) is a Russian economist and politician.
He is best known as the author of the 500 Days Programme, a plan for the transition of the USSR to a free-market economy, and for his leadership of the social-liberal Yabloko party. He ran twice for Russia's presidency – in 1996, against Boris Yeltsin, finishing fourth with 7.3% of the vote; and in 2000, against Vladimir Putin, finishing third with 5.8%. He did not run in 2004 or 2008, after his party failed to cross the 5% threshold in the 2003 Duma elections. In 2012 presidential election he was prevented from running for president by Russian authorities, despite collecting 2 million signatures of Russian citizens for his candidacy, as was demanded by law. Yavlinsky was Yabloko's nominee for President of Russia in the 2018 presidential election.[3][4][5][6]
Yavlinsky holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Central Economic Mathematical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; his doctoral dissertation was entitled "The socio-economic system of Russia and the problem of its modernization." He is a professor in the National Research University Higher School of Economics.[7] Yavlinsky speaks Russian, Ukrainian and English.[8]
Life and career [ edit ]
Early life [ edit ]
Yavlinsky was born and grew up in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR. His father, Alexei Yavlinsky, was an officer, and his mother, Vera Naumovna, was a Russian Jew who taught chemistry at an institute.[9] Both his parents are buried in Lviv, and his brother Mikhail lives there.
In 1967 and 1968, he was the champion of the Ukrainian SSR in junior boxing. He decided to become an economist during his school years. From 1967 to 1976, he studied at the Plekhanov Institute of the National Economy in Moscow as a labor economist and took a post-graduate course there. As a kandidat (Ph.D. student) of economics, he worked in the coal sector. After finishing his postgraduate studies he was employed by the All-Soviet Union Coal Mines Department Research Institute. His job was to compose new unified work instructions for the coal industry, and he was the first in the USSR to accomplish this assignment. To perform his duties, he had to go down into the mines. One of his shifts nearly ended tragically for him when the mine collapsed. Together with four workers, he spent ten hours waist-deep in ice-cold water, waiting for help. Three of his fellow sufferers died in a hospital after having been rescued. Yavlinsky spent four years at this job. For him, it was an opportunity to see the world hidden behind the propaganda posters. He reported about the horrible conditions in which the coal miners lived and worked, but his reports changed nothing.[10]
In 1980, Yavlinsky was assigned to the USSR State Committee for Labor and Social Affairs as the head of the heavy industry sector. At this position, he began to develop a project aimed at improving the USSR labor system. In his work he pointed out two possible ways of making the system more efficient: establishing total control over every move of every worker in the country or, as an alternative, giving more independence to the enterprises. Yavlinsky's work caused discomfort with the head of the State Committee for Labor, Yury Batalin. The KGB confiscated 600 draft copies of Yavlinsky's project and interrogated the author several times. When Brezhnev died in 1982, the KGB got off Yavlinsky's back, but he still had to stop working: he was diagnosed with an active form of tuberculosis and sent to a closed medical facility for nine months. The drafts of his project were burned together with his other personal belongings as contagious. It is still not exactly clear if he was ill or if his diagnosis was faked by the secret services.[10]
From 1984, he held a management position at the Labor Ministry and then the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In this capacity, he had to join Communist Party of the Soviet Union, of which he was a member in 1985–1991. He was head of the Joint Economic Department of the Government of the USSR. In 1989, he was made department head of Academician Leonid Abalkin's State Commission for Economic Reforms.
Post-Soviet economic reforms [ edit ]
Yavlinsky's commitment to a market economy was established when in 1990 he wrote "500 Days" – a program for the Soviet Union promising rapid transition from centrally planned economy to a free market in less than 2 years. To implement the program, Yavlinsky was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR and Deputy Chairman of the State Commission for Economic Reform. President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev decided to combine Yavlinsky's program with another one which had been developed simultaneously. This other program, "The Main Directives for Development", was created by the chairman of the Council of Ministers Nikolai Ryzhkov, who threatened to retire if his project would be rejected. In October 1990, when it became clear that his program was not going to be implemented, he resigned from the government. He then established his own think tank, EPICenter, which brought together many members of his 500 Days team who were to become his future associates in Yabloko (Sergei Ivanenko, Aleksei Melnikov, Aleksei Mikhailov et al.)
In the summer of 1991, during his stay in Harvard, he co-authored a new reform program, jointly with Graham Allison, that offered a platform for Gorbachev's negotiations with the "G-7" over financial aid in support of transition to the market After the defeat of the hardline August 1991 coup against Gorbachev and Yeltsin, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Management of National Economy that acted in place of Soviet government. The new president of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin made Yavlinsky return to the government to work and even thought about making him Prime MinisterIn this role he successfully negotiated an economic union among Soviet republics. The agreement was signed by representatives of twelve republics in Alma-Ata on 18 October 1991. But when Yeltsin signed the Belavezha Accords, ending the Soviet Union and tearing up all the political and economic connections between the former Soviet republics, Yavlinsky left again as a sign of protest against Yeltsin's actions. A year later, Yavlinsky started his own political career.[10]
With the launching of the'shock therapy' reforms by Yeltsin and Gaidar in January 1992, Yavlinsky became an outspoken critic of these policies, emphasizing differences between his and Gaidar's reforms program (such as the sequencing of privatization vs. liberalization of prices and the applicability of his program to the entire Soviet Union).
In 1992, Yavlinsky served as advisor to Boris Nemtsov who at the time was Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. Yavlinsky developed a regional economic reform program for him. Later, however, their paths diverged, as Nemtsov sided with Yeltsin's government on most issues, eventually becoming deputy prime minister and one of the founders and leaders of the Union of Rightist Forces, while Yavlinsky became the leader of liberal opposition to Yeltsin.
Political activities [ edit ]
During Yeltsin's presidency [ edit ]
In 1993, as conflict between Yeltsin and the parliament over shock therapy exacerbated, Yavlinsky had high ratings in the polls as a potential candidate for Russia's presidency, who had the image of an independent, centrist politician, untainted by corruption. He built close relations with many disaffected democrats and NGOs, as well as with Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov and rising financial and media magnate Vladimir Gusinsky. In September–October 1993, he joined a group of senior politicians who tried to mediate between Yeltsin and the parliament and was on a short list of compromise candidates for the post of the Prime Minister. However, with the outbreak of hostilities on the streets of Moscow on 3 October he unequivocally called upon Yeltsin to use force against violent supporters of the parliament. (He was later blamed for having abandoned neutrality in this situation.)
When Yeltsin set the date for the elections to the new parliament and a constitutional referendum for 12 December 1993, Yavlinsky had to cobble together an electoral bloc in haste, as he had no party of his own, and had to recruit existing parties as co-founders. His bloc was co-founded by three of them, Republican Party of the Russian Federation, Social Democratic Party of Russia and Christian Democratic Party of Russia, all three tilting on most issues toward the Yeltsin camp. However, they were soon marginalized within his bloc and RPRF was ousted from it 1994.
The top three names on the slate – Yavlinsky, Yury Boldyrev (former State Comptroller and a disaffected democrat) and Vladimir Lukin (at the time Russia's ambassador to the US) – gave the bloc its initial name, "Yavlinsky-Boldyrev-Lukin", abbreviated as YaBLoko. The bloc's leadership was divided over Yeltsin's constitutional project, but Yavlinsky himself was openly critical of it. With no prior electoral experience, YaBLoko succeeded in winning 7.9% of the vote and forming the fifth largest faction in the Duma. After Boldyrev clashed with Yavlinsky over the bill on production-sharing agreements and left the bloc in 1995, the name was retained but now reinterpreted as "Yavlinsky Bloc". In 1995, the Yabloko caucus in the Duma set up its own political association that in 2001 was reincorporated as a political party.
Yavlinsky meets people in 1997
Among the features of the new party that would distinguish it from other liberal parties was its critique of Yeltsin's policies, from economic "shock therapy" and the handling of the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis to First Chechen War and Russia's relations with the West. Yavlinsky established himself as a permanent leader of "democratic opposition". In this capacity, he was a principled opponent of Gaidar's Russia's Choice and its successors in the parliament, such as the Union of Rightist Forces. In their turn, they charged him with being too inflexible and blamed his personality for a failure to merge with other democrats in order to mount a concentrated electoral challenge to the hardline forces. Others, however, admitted to philosophical differences between Yavlinsky's unspoken social democratic bent and the neoliberal orientation of his democratic opponents.
In September 1998, after Russia's 1998 financial crash brought down Sergei Kirienko government, Yavlinsky proposed the candidacy of Yevgeny Primakov who was elected Prime Minister in spite of resistance from Yeltsin, his family and entourage. This helped resolve the political stalemate and many credit Primakov with rescuing the economy from chaos and with the start of the recovery of the industrial production that continued under Vladimir Putin. However, Yavlinsky declined Primakov's offer to join his Communist-dominated government as deputy premier for social policies and soon joined the ranks of his critics on the liberal side. Later in 1999 Yavlinsky criticized Primakov as a throwback to the stagnation days of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. "This Brezhnev style of the government absolutely does not suit us," he was quoted as saying by Interfax.[11] Yavlinsky said Primakov relied too much on communists and other leftists who do not understand modern economics. Yet even Yavlinsky warned Yeltsin against sacking the entire government. That, he believed, would have set up a showdown with the Duma of the kind that brought Primakov to the prime minister's chair in the first place.[12]
Yavlinsky in 1999
In May 1999 Yavlinsky joined forces with the Communist Party in an attempt to impeach Yeltsin. The news media had been full of speculation that if the Duma goes ahead with impeachment, Yeltsin may retaliate by firing the communist-backed Cabinet of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov. That would precipitate a political crisis and possible dissolution of the Duma, threaten the political stability that Primakov has brought Russia since previous summer.[11] Of the four items of impeachment, the article that got the most support from both parties was the one charging Yeltsin with abuse of power in connection with war in Chechnya. This was a warning, Yavlinsky said, to all politicians that they will be judged for their actions. Just as the Communists began to nod their assent, Yavlinsky attacked them, dismissing the other charges as politically inspired. He said Yeltsin made very serious mistakes, sometimes fateful, in the course of reform, that led to the bankruptcy of the country, not out of a desire to destroy Russia but because he could not overcome his past and that he did not have the intent to destroy or liquidate anyone, he did not have such a conscious goal.[13] In his final speech, Yavlinsky declared:[14]
Such indifference and negligence is a longtime tradition of the Communist-Bolshevik leaders from whose midst he (Yeltsin) rose and with whom his entire biography is linked. The Communist regime headed by Stalin deliberately murdered tens of millions of citizens of various nationalities. The party which proclaims as its historical leaders and heroes Lenin and Stalin, the ideologists and organizers of massive crimes against humanity, assumes the responsibilities for these atrocities with cynical pride.
Although Yavlinsky's repeated statements that his party's all forty-six Duma deputies would vote unanimously in favor of the Chechen war accusation, eight defected and sided with Yeltsin.[15] The outcome was still 17 votes short of the two-thirds majority(300 votes) needed to start impeachment proceedings.[16][17][18] The impeachment drive is largely a sideshow. Even if it clears the Duma, the effort is considered doomed because Russia's constitution strongly favors the presidency.[12] Russia's vague 1993 constitution makes impeaching a president and removing him from office very difficult. If one of the charges musters the necessary support, the Duma has five days to submit the charges to the Supreme Court for examination and to the Constitutional Court to confirm that the procedure has not been violated. If both courts give a positive ruling, the accusations then go to the upper house, the Federation Council. A two-thirds council majority is then required to remove Yeltsin from office.[19]
In 1996 and 2000, Yavlinsky ran for President with endorsement from his party and other organizations. In 1996, he came in fourth and received 7.3% of the vote. In the 2000 presidential elections, he finished third and received 5.8% of the vote. In both cases, he did not subsequently offer his support to either Yeltsin or Putin or their Communist opponent in both elections, Gennady Zyuganov.
Yavlinsky does not conceal his lukewarm view of the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 that occurred while he was negotiating an economic treaty among the republics. However, he never advocated a restoration of Soviet Union or a revision of post-Soviet borders.
Yavlinsky was at times critical of the US policies toward Russia, particularly under the Clinton administration. Some of the most trenchant of these criticisms are contained in his lecture at the Nobel Institute, delivered in May 2000.[20]
During Putin's presidency [ edit ]
President Putin with Yavlinsky in 2000
Under the Putin presidency, Yavlinsky remained an active opponent of military solution to the problems in Chechnya. In 2002, he took part in the unsuccessful negotiations during the Moscow theater hostage crisis and was praised by President Vladimir Putin for his role in the standoff. His party also campaigned against the imports of radioactive waste into Russia, thus building a crucial alliance with environmental NGOs, as well as with human rights organizations, labor unions, women associations, and ethnic minority groups. He was also an uncompromising critic of the Putin government's reforms of the housing and utilities sector and of the energy sector. A number of times, the Yabloko faction in the Duma initiated petitioning campaigns for the resignation of the government. At that time, he developed close relations with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an oligarch who positioned himself as an autonomous economic and political player vis-a-vis the Kremlin. A number of
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a supposed “opinion” by giving it publicity, placement and protection. I would argue the exact opposite would happen if we scrapped the advertisement: Smith would argue, as he has in the past, that such suppression is part and parcel of the exact reason he embarks upon this insane mission of his. He will caterwaul and gain a few misguided converts and move on to other student communities with a slightly increased entourage. What is more, many would still be drawn to the site through the sheer amount of ranting and resistance such a rejection would elicit.
By allowing the ad to run and acknowledging its completely vacuous nature, we place this idea in the marketplace where it will be met with disgust, bemused laughter and, above all, facts. Such refusal to accept these rotten goods will expedite its expulsion from this market; pretending they do not exist simply allows them to fester and pollute all items that surround them.
For all those who doubt this scenario and the rationality of the student body, I remind you of our most recent high profile case of rampant lies and rejection of the truth.
A few years ago, UW was presented with lecturer Kevin Barrett. His view, held by a fringe minority, that the September 11 attacks were planned by the United States government, was viewed in a much more dangerous context: UW classrooms. While many in the state Legislature fought for his removal, UW gave him the class and allowed him to teach and carry out his elucidation of this distortion.
The class came and went and the evaluations of Barrett were positive. But his continued push on campus of the conspiracy view of 9/11 for Truth was met with eye rolling and dismissal. He held press conferences on the subject, he crashed a lecture for David Horowitz with the topic and even ran for public office on the issue. It is not a coincidence that his false rant no longer plagues this campus as an issue of debate — his persistence was met with indifference and dismissal and now barely raises an eyebrow among the campus community.
The same process will and should take place with Smith. The money he paid for this advertisement will go toward efforts to counter his movement, as is the wish of the Board of Directors. The text ad to the left will be visited by some, but rejected by nearly all. His “argument” will flounder the second it is exposed. It will be viewed not as a revision of history but as a rejection of reality.
I understand the majority of this campus’ Jewish community must feel the placement of this advertisement compounds the harm created by reader comments. For that reason, every comment on this article will be intensely monitored for attacks, threats and expressions of hatred toward the Jewish community. Those comments will be deleted. There will inevitably be those comments that attempt to justify Smith’s position. Those comments will be posted. I can only hope that those who read these comments either meet them with deafening silence or come armed with the truth.
But if there is no debate, if the “sifting and winnowing” has been done, and there is no doubt that the truth is clear, we have nothing to fear when presented with obvious untruths. We must only stand guard of the truth while falsehoods are allowed to expend themselves of manufactured “legitimacy.”
For those looking for more information on the history of Holocaust denial and those fighting it, visit http://www.hdot.org/The new Hells Angels chapter in Albert St has drawn complaints from neighbours.
An infamous bike gang is keeping its neighbours awake with late-night parties, as the newly-formed chapter makes its presence felt on one of Palmerston North's most affluent streets.
Hells Angels members have converged on the city from Auckland and Whanganui.
The new chapter, on Albert St, between College and Ferguson streets, promised to be good neighbours and planned to host a BBQ for those who live nearby.
DAVID UNWIN/STUFF Late night parties have been keeping the neighbours awake at night.
But the open night hasn't happened yet and one woman, whose son lives in the area, says the Hells Angels are partying hard.
READ MORE:
* Hells Angels sets up a gang pad in Palmerston North suburb
* Motorcycle gang members descend on Nelson for Hells Angels Poker Run
Police Detective Inspector Ross McKay confirmed on Monday that the Hells Angels' Albert St base houses a newly established chapter of the gang.
McKay said police had received complaints about the gang's arrival.
"Local residents and members of the public have expressed concern about the presence of a motorcycle gang within their community and the associated behaviour."
He said the complaints were mostly about anti-social behaviour, both in the Albert St area and throughout the city.
To create a new chapter, the gang needed to be sanctioned internationally, McKay said.
"The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has strict rules to ensure the image and reputation of the club is maintained and that it is not infiltrated by rivals or the police."
The Auckland chapter is the oldest one outside the United States and the fourth oldest chapter worldwide.
Before setting up the new chapter in Palmerston North, McKay said the closest one was in Whanganui.
When the gang arrived in Palmerston North, members letter dropped neighbours, telling them they planned to hold a BBQ in the future to introduce themselves.
In the letter, they also provided a contact number, saying if neighbours have any problems they should get in touch, or come over and talk to them.
The woman, whose son lives in the area, said the gang had
not held a BBQ and the house was still creating a lot of noise.
"Parties go on till the early hours of the morning.
"It's normally at the weekend. They have no qualms going into the early hours of the morning," said the woman, who didn't want to be named because she feared retribution.
"I live in Cloverlea and there's a few of them living over here as well. They are in our area, these people are everywhere."
McKay confirmed one member of the gang had been trespassed from a licensed property in Palmerston North, a decision made by the business' owner.
"Some towns have centres, such as shopping malls, [that] impose a no-patch rule for their complex."
However, McKay did not believe any Palmerston North shopping complexes had such regulations.
Members of the new gang chapter appeared to have come from Whanganui and Auckland, with some locals hanging around.
"Not all are permanently based here, with numbers visiting the address varying, but there appears to be approximately nine regulars."The 20-year-old has joined on a Standard Loan until the end of the 2016/17 campaign.
Blues boss Zola had been looking to sign an additional frontman, following the news that the injured Clayton Donaldson is not going to available until at least mid-March.
Blues fought off interest from several other Championship clubs to secure the services of the highly-rated former Liverpool striker.
Birmingham-born Sinclair joined Watford last summer after failing to agree a new deal with the Reds.
Because he came through the ranks at Liverpool, Watford were forced to pay an agreed compensation package of a reported £4m.
During his time at Anfield the former England Under-17 international became the youngest ever debutant for the club, when he made his debut at the age of just 16 years and six days old.
Since making the switch to Vicarage Road, Sinclair has made six appearances, the most recent of which was last weekend in the FA Cup, when the Premier League outfit lost 1-0 away at Millwall.
Sinclair was not signed in time for tonight's home game against Reading, but will be available for the visit of Fulham on Saturday.
Speaking yesterday about his interest in Sinclair, Zola said: "He is an interesting player, he has potential.
"He would obviously bring pace because he is quick and has energy, but also technically he has good ability.
"He is the type of player that could certainly help us."
Sinclair will wear the number 48 shirt during his time with Blues.SeaWorld’s San Diego location will get to keep its 10 killer whales for the time being.
At a committee hearing in Sacramento on Tuesday, lawmakers heard impassioned arguments for and against a bill that would force SeaWorld San Diego to stop using orcas in its shows, but the issue never came to a vote. Instead, the committee recommended that the bill go through a detailed study that likely won’t conclude for another year.
The bill, introduced by Los Angeles–area state-assembly member Richard Bloom, would make it unlawful to hold any wild orca in captivity for entertainment or performance purposes, as well as breed orcas in captivity. All orcas held in captivity before the bill was passed would be returned to the wild if possible and to “sea pens” if not.
Hundreds of people flooded the hearing room in support of the bill, having arrived from all over California. Some were associated with groups like the Humane Society or local unions, while others were simply individuals who opposed keeping large mammals in captivity. “We are the voice for the voiceless,” one supporter said, a phrase that was repeated or paraphrased by many at the hearing. “You have the power to free these animals,” another said to the committee members. “Please do so.”
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Representatives from SeaWorld and opponents of the bill argued that the money generated from millions of visitors to the parks helps support the much larger population of orcas in the wild and generates interest in marine life, providing close encounters between people and whales that would be unlikely otherwise.
Bloom introduced the bill after seeing the controversial film Blackfish, a 2013 documentary about the consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity, which has led to death in some cases. The team from SeaWorld has fought back against the perspective of the film and at the hearing called it “dominated by falsehoods.” The parks have 29 orcas throughout the world.
The decision to study the bill further was not the desired result for animal-rights activists, but some saw it as only a temporary setback. “The writing is on the sea wall,” PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. “The public has learned how orcas suffer psychologically, succumb to premature deaths, and lash out in frustration and aggression in SeaWorld’s orca pits, and they’ve responded with lower attendance levels, public protests, and legislation. SeaWorld can take the year to figure out how to release the orcas into ocean sanctuaries.”
Bloom’s office would have preferred a favorable vote that would keep the bill moving through the California legislature and toward Governor Jerry Brown’s desk, but his chief of staff, Sean MacNeil, says the study period will also allow for more public hearings and discussion about the issue. “The study, in many ways, can serve as an opportunity,” he said.
Write to Katy Steinmetz at [email protected]: May soothes the Franco-German motor 22/07/2016
Follow @eureferendum
If she is going to get anywhere at all in European politics, then the first thing she has to do is make her obeisance to the Franco-German motor. And that is precisely what Theresa May has done, visiting first Angela Merkel and then, last night, François Hollande.
The symbolism has not escaped the attention of the
What we can draw from the separate meetings is extremely limited. Both continental politicians are facing re-election next year and will be more concerned with their domestic audiences than UK sentiment. And at least one of them will probably not survive the electoral process.
However, Merkel seems to have offered Mrs May some breathing space, agreeing that the new Prime Minister should not trigger Article 50 until the New Year. Merkel is happy to give the new government time and will then respond in a "constructive" manner in "a spirit of solidarity". She told reporters that Britain needed a "well-defined position" before starting the talks.
Whether this spirit of goodwill is entirely shared by President Hollande remains to be seen. Before meeting Mrs May yesterday evening, he was
Both men expressed concerns about any undue delay in the UK starting Brexit negotiations, with Hollande declaring that they should not drag on. "The sooner the negotiations are opened the better, and the shorter the better", he said.
In the evening, after yesterday's meeting with Mrs May, however, he was
Nonetheless, Hollande repeated that it was in "the common interest" that the talks should be "sooner the better", warning that there could be "no discussions, no pre-negotiation before the negotiation". On the plus side, the French President agreed that the Le Touquet agreement on border controls would stay in place.
Less helpfully, Hollande warned that if the UK chooses to limit free movement of persons, it will see trade restrictions introduced. At a press conference after the meeting, he talked of this being "the most crucial point". "Britain will have to choose: stay in the single market and accept free movement or have another status", he said.
This was
Interestingly, and perhaps significantly, the day previously, Merkel had refused to be drawn on the issue, saying it would "cause too much uncertainty" if leaders commented on possible negotiating scenarios. Nevertheless, according to
May said her priority was a "sensible and orderly departure", even though that would "not please everyone", although she is not offering any clues as to her vision for a post-exit settlement. Before leaving for Berlin, though, she was confronted at
All he got for his efforts was a non-committal Mrs May, telling him that "we need to ensure that we listen to what people have said about the need for controls on free movement, and that we also negotiate the right and best deal for trade in goods and services for the British people".
Leigh's intervention was indicative of a rich vein of sentiment amongst backbench Tory "eurosceptics", whose tenuous grip on reality keeps them firmly anchored in 80's free-trade doctrine, where "deregulation" is almost a religion and ending free movement has become an article of faith.
The extreme end of this sentiment can be seen in this month's Eurofacts which has an insane piece from Michael Shrimpton on its front page. It has him writing that "a failure to denounce the EEA Agreement would be a gross betrayal of the electorate, and constitutionally improper".
That we are getting this sort of thing from Shrimpton is no surprise, but the fact that it gets front-page treatment on Eurofacts reminds us of a (hopefully) dwindling corps on the leaver "community" who are to Brexit what flat-earthers are to geography. Short of pulling the plug on the ECA tomorrow, there will be no pleasing this sect.
For different reasons, we can no more trust what Hollande has to say. Booed in the aftermath of the Nice atrocity, and with Marine Le Pen breathing down his neck, his statements are conditioned by his domestic audience and his need to hold on to the reins of power. Looking too friendly with a British leader is not good for his ratings.
Neither can anything be taken from the diplomatic pleasantries between Merkel and May. The German press is quick to remind us that Dr Merkel has a habit of being nice to visiting politicians, only later going on to eviscerate them. But then, she doesn't eviscerate everybody she meets.
Pleasantries of the kind reported are common, the Germans tell us. But one can assume that both were serious. May wants to take the UK out of the EU without triggering a recession or consigning us to political isolation. Merkel wants to prevent Brexit plunging the euro zone into a new crisis or splitting the European political community asunder.
To that extent, Merkel and May share the same interests and, if Merkel survives next year's election, there should be a meeting of minds. But, with Hollande almost certainly for the chop, there will be a whole new set of political relationships to forge before we can get down to the nitty-gritty of the Article 50 negotiations.
At some time, however, it may dawn on the UK government that the key bodies in the early phase are the EEA institutions, the Council and the Joint Committee, releasing us in the early phases from the tyranny of the Article 50 timetable. But, for us to benefit from this release, serious policy decisions are going to have to be made by Mrs May.
As it stands, there is little point in looking to David Davis for inspiration. "Mr Brexit" did not accompany Mrs May to either of the capitals, and the egregious Mr Johnson was also noticeable by his absence. This could suggest that Mrs May intends to take a hands-on approach to the negotiations, leaving her ministers the minor role of attending to the administrative details.
The
While May will make Brexit happen, writes Noel Whelan, she and her government will inevitably be accused of a selling-out on some aspects of it. She has decided that Boris and the other Brexiteers should be beside her in the tent taking the flack for those compromises and having to explain the extent to which they may have oversold the benefits of leaving.
As for the present, May's direct intervention already seems to be yielding dividends. Confronted with the problem of the two-year initial limit on the Article 50 talks, German officials
To deal with this, officials are spelling out two possible scenarios. Under the first, the EU would revise its position and agree to a prolonged period of negotiations before Article 50 is invoked. That would win both sides extra time before the clock starts ticking.
Under the second option, May would trigger Article 50 early next year but would be for Britain to settle for a very basic framework for its future ties with the EU, based on an existing model. Enter the first phase of
As regards extending the time before the talks start, this was precisely the option I put to the
My suggestion had MP Stephen Hammond, and Treasury Committee member, airily summoning up "the world of realpolitik", arguing that this would be "unlikely", thus reinforcing the view that Mrs May is going to have to look outside Westminster for her advice.
But, in first attending to the Franco-German motor, Mrs May has at least got her priorities right. The symbolism has not escaped the attention of the German media, which has been quick to note that, unlike her predecessors, Mrs May has chosen not the United States to visit first, but Germany.What we can draw from the separate meetings is extremely limited. Both continental politicians are facing re-election next year and will be more concerned with their domestic audiences than UK sentiment. And at least one of them will probably not survive the electoral process.However, Merkel seems to have offered Mrs May some breathing space, agreeing that the new Prime Minister should not trigger Article 50 until the New Year. Merkel is happy to give the new government time and will then respond in a "constructive" manner in "a spirit of solidarity". She told reporters that Britain needed a "well-defined position" before starting the talks.Whether this spirit of goodwill is entirely shared by President Hollande remains to be seen. Before meeting Mrs May yesterday evening, he was in the Republic of Ireland talking to Taoiseach Enda Kenny, with Brexit and terrorism on the agenda.Both men expressed concerns about any undue delay in the UK starting Brexit negotiations, with Hollande declaring that they should not drag on. "The sooner the negotiations are opened the better, and the shorter the better", he said.In the evening, after yesterday's meeting with Mrs May, however, he was more specific, agreeing that there needed to be "preparations" for the negotiations. The led the Financial Times to speculate that he was relaxing his stance.Nonetheless, Hollande repeated that it was in "the common interest" that the talks should be "sooner the better", warning that there could be "no discussions, no pre-negotiation before the negotiation". On the plus side, the French President agreed that theagreement on border controls would stay in place.Less helpfully, Hollande warned that if the UK chooses to limit free movement of persons, it will see trade restrictions introduced. At a press conference after the meeting, he talked of this being "the most crucial point". "Britain will have to choose: stay in the single market and accept free movement or have another status", he said.This was earlier reinforced by Pascal Lamy, former WTO head, who said that it was "pie in the sky" to expect free trade with Europe while curbing EU migration.Interestingly, and perhaps significantly, the day previously, Merkel had refused to be drawn on the issue, saying it would "cause too much uncertainty" if leaders commented on possible negotiating scenarios. Nevertheless, according to Frankfurer Allgemeine Zietung, Mrs May stated that freedom of movement: "will be part of our discussions".May said her priority was a "sensible and orderly departure", even though that would "not please everyone", although she is not offering any clues as to her vision for a post-exit settlement. Before leaving for Berlin, though, she was confronted at PMQs by Sir Edward Leigh, who asked is she was "prepared to reject staying in the single regulated market and to offer instead to our friends in Europe a free trade deal".All he got for his efforts was a non-committal Mrs May, telling him that "we need to ensure that we listen to what people have said about the need for controls on free movement, and that we also negotiate the right and best deal for trade in goods and services for the British people".Leigh's intervention was indicative of a rich vein of sentiment amongst backbench Tory "eurosceptics", whose tenuous grip on reality keeps them firmly anchored in 80's free-trade doctrine, where "deregulation" is almost a religion and ending free movement has become an article of faith.The extreme end of this sentiment can be seen in this month'swhich has an insane piece from Michael Shrimpton on its front page. It has him writing that "a failure to denounce the EEA Agreement would be a gross betrayal of the electorate, and constitutionally improper".That we are getting this sort of thing from Shrimpton is no surprise, but the fact that it gets front-page treatment onreminds us of a (hopefully) dwindling corps on the leaver "community" who are to Brexit what flat-earthers are to geography. Short of pulling the plug on the ECA tomorrow, there will be no pleasing this sect.For different reasons, we can no more trust what Hollande has to say. Booed in the aftermath of the Nice atrocity, and with Marine Le Pen breathing down his neck, his statements are conditioned by his domestic audience and his need to hold on to the reins of power. Looking too friendly with a British leader is not good for his ratings.Neither can anything be taken from the diplomatic pleasantries between Merkel and May. The German press is quick to remind us that Dr Merkel has a habit of being nice to visiting politicians, only later going on to eviscerate them. But then, she doesn't eviscerate everybody she meets.Pleasantries of the kind reported are common, the Germans tell us. But one can assume that both were serious. May wants to take the UK out of the EU without triggering a recession or consigning us to political isolation. Merkel wants to prevent Brexit plunging the euro zone into a new crisis or splitting the European political community asunder.To that extent, Merkel and May share the same interests and, if Merkel survives next year's election, there should be a meeting of minds. But, with Hollande almost certainly for the chop, there will be a whole new set of political relationships to forge before we can get down to the nitty-gritty of the Article 50 negotiations.At some time, however, it may dawn on the UK government that the key bodies in the early phase are the EEA institutions, the Council and the Joint Committee, releasing us in the early phases from the tyranny of the Article 50 timetable. But, for us to benefit from this release, serious policy decisions are going to have to be made by Mrs May.As it stands, there is little point in looking to David Davis for inspiration. "Mr Brexit" did not accompany Mrs May to either of the capitals, and the egregious Mr Johnson was also noticeable by his absence. This could suggest that Mrs May intends to take a hands-on approach to the negotiations, leaving her ministers the minor role of attending to the administrative details.The Irish Times has a different "take" on this, suggesting that the "three Brexiteers" are to become the "fall guys", when Brexit doesn't deliver the eurosceptic fantasies.While May will make Brexit happen, writes Noel Whelan, she and her government will inevitably be accused of a selling-out on some aspects of it. She has decided that Boris and the other Brexiteers should be beside her in the tent taking the flack for those compromises and having to explain the extent to which they may have oversold the benefits of leaving.As for the present, May's direct intervention already seems to be yielding dividends. Confronted with the problem of the two-year initial limit on the Article 50 talks, German officials are conceding that the timescale is far too short.To deal with this, officials are spelling out two possible scenarios. Under the first, the EU would revise its position and agree to a prolonged period of negotiations before Article 50 is invoked. That would win both sides extra time before the clock starts ticking.Under the second option, May would trigger Article 50 early next year but would be for Britain to settle for a very basic framework for its future ties with the EU, based on an existing model. Enter the first phase of Flexcit... they get there eventually.As regards extending the time before the talks start, this was precisely the option I put to the Treasury Committee, something I first suggested at the end of June My suggestion had MP Stephen Hammond, and Treasury Committee member, airily summoning up "the world of", arguing that this would be "unlikely", thus reinforcing the view that Mrs May is going to have to look outside Westminster for her advice.But, in first attending to the Franco-German motor, Mrs May has at least got her priorities right.Bank of America customers are again being targeted by scammers.As in previous scams, customers are being directed to a scam site via an email message saying their account has been deactivated due to suspicious activity.The scam link directs them to a site where they are asked to give all of their personal and banking info.The info asked for is personal information (name, date of birth, address, phone number, social security number, mother's maiden name, driver license number), email address information (email address, password), and payment card information (number, expire [sic] date, CVV). The phishers also ask for the answers to the three security questions the users set up during their initial registration with the bank.More savvy users will note that the original link has nothing to do with the Bank of America.If you have fallen victim to such a scam, you need to immediately contact the bank and alert them to the scam. You also need to reset your information that can be changed (security questions), and ask that they issue you a new payment card.You should also change any log in info as well as passwords for your email accounts.Source:New Delhi: Pranab Mukherjee, India’s 13th President, will complete four years in office on Monday.
Analysts say Mukherjee has largely been an effective President, who has conducted himself in a statesmanly manner.
Sworn in President on 25 July 2012, Mukherjee was till then a senior member of the Congress party and had held various portfolios in government like minister for commerce, finance, defence and external affairs besides the deputy chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission. He was seen as someone the Congress party could rely on in case the 2014 national polls threw up an indecisive verdict.
As it happened, the 2014 general election gave a decisive verdict in favour of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which, along with its allies, went on to form the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. This was the first time in three decades that a general election had given a two-thirds majority to a single party.
“I would describe him as a statesman-president," said Sandeep Shastri, pro-vice chancellor of Bengaluru-based Jain University. “One of Mukherjee’s successes, I would say, is that he has maintained the dignity of office of the president including during the shift in power," said Shastri, referring to the transition in government in May 2014 when Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) lost power.
Shastri’s comments were echoed by Balveer Arora, former head of the Centre of Political Studies at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University, who said that Mukherjee had acquitted himself well with the power transition.
Also noteworthy was the fact that the President has spoken his mind on many occasions which have, at times, appeared critical of the central government, said Abhay Kumar Dubey, associate professor at the New Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
The themes in many of his speeches have referred to the problems of the day—corruption, aspirations of the youth, the need for probity in public life, issues related to governance and the functioning of Parliament.
A case in point was his customary speech on the eve of 26 January 2013, when the UPA government was in power.
“We are on the cusp of another generational change; the youth of India spread across villages and towns, are in the vanguard of change... They are today troubled by a range of existential doubts. Does the system offer due reward for merit? Have the powerful lost their dharma in pursuit of greed? Has corruption overtaken morality in public life? Does our legislature reflect emerging India or does it need radical reforms? These doubts have to be set at rest. Elected representatives must win back the confidence of the people," the President said.
These comments came at a time when the UPA government was confronting a seeming crisis of faith, being mired in a series of scandals like the ₹ 1.8 trillion coal block auction scam and the ₹ 1.7 trillion 2G spectrum allocation scam. As allegations of corruption mounted, the government appeared to be in a state of policy paralysis. Adding to its woes was a slowdown in the global economy that depressed India’s economic growth.
Corruption as a theme was revisited by Mukherjee in his speech on 25 January 2014, just months ahead of the general election. “Corruption is a cancer that erodes democracy, and weakens the foundations of our state. If Indians are enraged, it is because they are witnessing corruption and waste of national resources. If governments do not remove these flaws, voters will remove governments," the President said in comments that seemed to serve as a portent for the future.
According to Arora, these instances mark the transition of Mukherjee from a Congress leader to President of India, “where he took the liberty to advise the government of the day." “He spoke frankly and reminded the government of the day of its obligations," Arora said, adding this was something that has continued even after the change in government.
Shastri agreed that Mukherjee had been forthright in his views, pointing to the President’s comments on inclusivity that followed the lynching of a Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh last year after rumours that he allegedly had stored and consumed beef.
“We cannot allow the core values of our civilisation to be wasted... Over the years, this civilisation has celebrated diversity, promoted and advocated tolerance, enjoyed plurality," the President said in remarks at a book launch ceremony at his official residence Rashtrapati Bhavan in October, weeks after the lynching.
“This shows that within the domain of the influence that he wields" as President, Mukherjee has not hesitated to exercise that influence, Shastri said, recalling that Modi had quoted Mukherjee’s comments at an election rally in Bihar in November.
Another instance of the President seemingly cautioning the NDA government was on the frequent issuance of ordinances last January. Addressing students, Mukherjee said Parliament was “the platform where through debate and deliberations, this ‘will’ and ‘aspirations’ have to be prioritized and translated into laws, policies and concrete programmes of action."
A legislature was effective “only if it is able to address the differences amongst stakeholders and succeeds in building a consensus for the law to be enacted and enforced," he said in the backdrop of the centre issuing eight ordinances in the space of as many months because of its lack of majority in the Rajya Sabha that was required to push through laws.
According to Dubey, Mukherjee’s clear views on issues like corruption, inclusivity and tolerance could well have become his legacy and depicted him as a President of independent judgement had it not been for two instances.
One was giving assent to President’s rule in Uttarakhand in March, a decision that was overturned by the court, which restored the state government in May. The second was a similar case in January when President’s rule was recommended in Arunachal Pradesh. In July, the Supreme Court restored the state government.
“On the one hand, Mukherjee is credited with raising the right issues that resonated with the public but on the other hand, on matters like the imposition of president’s rule, Mukherjee did not show the same consistency," Dubey said. He could have been labelled an “outstanding" President had he not imposed President’s rule in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, but these two instances have tarred his term in office, Dubey said.
Arora was of the view that Mukherjee was perhaps “overcautious" or “over-reticent" about not playing an adversarial role given that he was a member of the Congress party before becoming President.
This reservation, however, did not stand in the way of K.R. Narayanan, Arora said, noting that in 1998, the former President had sent back a recommendation of President’s rule in Bihar for reconsideration to the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. President’s rule was imposed in Bihar in 1999 when the recommendation was sent back to Narayanan.
Also interesting was the fact that Mukherjee rejected the mercy petitions of almost three dozen death-row prisoners. This is in contrast to three of his predecessors who together rejected mercy petitions of six death-row convicts.
“It is evident that Pranab Mukherjee does not subscribe to the strategy or reading of the Constitution adopted by his three predecessors," said Anup Surendranath, director of the Centre on the Death Penalty at National Law University in New Delhi.
“While the President cannot take a decision contrary to that of advice of the Council of Ministers, the President can choose not to take a decision (on rejecting mercy petitions)," he added.
With Mukherjee beginning his fifth and final year in office this week, the inevitable question of whether he may seek a second term in office had cropped up. But analysts seemed certain that Mukherjee was unlikely to be nominated for a second term. “The BJP has so many candidates of its own; why would the party look at giving Mukherjee a second term?" asked Arora.
Shreeja Sen contributed to this story.Since Oscar Wilde defined a cynic as “A man who knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing” in Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892),” economists have often been called cynics, commonly as justification for ignoring them whenever they oppose someone’s latest political diagnosis or panacea.
However, one cannot dismiss economists as mere cynics who can safely be ignored. A better description would be that economists tend to be justified skeptics of claims, and government prescriptions based on them, that are at odds with economic principles.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Perhaps the strongest reason to call economists cynics is that they don’t necessarily believe what someone says, just because they say it. That runs afoul of people’s desires to have what they say accepted without question. Yet there are reasons for justifiable skepticism about much that is said.
Economists simply know claims inconsistent with actions justify a very high degree of skepticism.
One reason is that people can be self-deceived, reflecting their self-interest in feeling good about themselves (in contrast with Saint Paul’s warning not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought). We often do what we want, and invent a story to rationalize to ourselves why it was justified. Since we also want others to think well of us, we may further embellish that story for them. The result is that when someone “explains” why something should be done, as with politics, where success depends on public perception, it can easily reflect compounded misrepresentations.
In contrast to what may be said, when a self-interested person agrees to an exchange, it reveals the truth about the relative values they place on the alternatives, given their circumstances, because they must actually give up one thing for another. That is why economists tend to take the opposite approach from what my dad told me when I was learning to golf: “Do as I say, not as I do.” They look to see if what is done comports with what is said, and when they are in conflict, they will believe what someone does over what they say. So someone who is self-deceived, or deceiving others, may resort to ad hominem attacks on economists who noticed, but such name-calling does not make them cynical. Economists simply know claims inconsistent with actions justify a very high degree of skepticism.
This is frequently illustrated by people asserting altruistic reasons for favoring policies that advance their own narrow self-interest (though they seldom note that fact). Economists recognize self-interest (not necessarily the same as selfishness, but not inconsistent with selfishness, either) as a universal motivator for choices, while altruism acts with much less constancy. So when an altruistic explanation is put forward to justify political support, but it also advances a proponent’s narrow self-interest, economists tend to reject the altruistic explanation. And when a proponent’s self-interest is advanced, while the supposed altruistic purpose may not be, altruism will be rejected even more strongly.
For example, unions push for raising minimum wages to “help the poor.” However, minimum wages benefit unions and their membership by increasing the price of substitutes for their labor services, increasing the demand for union members’ services and thus their earnings. They also harm many of the poor (via reduced jobs, hours, fringe benefits, opportunities, etc.) whose interests are allegedly advanced. The negative effects of many other union-backed policies on the poor (e.g., protectionism against lower-cost imports) also undermines belief in altruism for the poor as their motivation.
No Free Lunches
Economists also know that scarcity is an unavoidable fact. Consequently, there are no free lunches. Yet every time someone promises something for nothing, they are promising a free lunch, making economists justifiably skeptical. This is why the ultimate test of what government could do to advance the general welfare is what people all accept that government could do better for them than they could with their own resources, even though government agents know you less well and care about you less than you do. That small (and perhaps empty) set includes the only things that could jointly advance everyone’s “general welfare
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00001 to 0.00002 is a 100% increase, and going from 0.01 to 0.0099 is a 1% decrease, as described in the post).
Many of you are probably familiar with the product rule. This states that if you have two independent events, then the probability of both occurring is the product of the probabilities of each occurring independently. For example, if we are going to flip two coins and we want to know the probability of getting heads on both flips, then we simply take 0.5 times 0.5, because the odds of getting heads from coin 1 is 50% (0.5) and the odds of getting heads from coin 2 is also 50% (0.5). Thus, the odds of getting both heads is 0.5*0.5=0.25 (25% chance). In our disease example, however we don’t want the odds of both diseases occurring. Rather, we want the odds of at least one occurring. Calculating that is a bit less straightforward. What we need to do is calculate the odds of neither happening, then subtract that from 1.
Let me use coins again to illustrate. Suppose that we want to know the odds of getting at least one head (rather than the odds of getting both heads). The only way to get at least 1 head is if we don’t get both tails (i.e., you can think of getting at least one head as the opposite of getting both tails). Thus, we calculate the odds of getting both tails (0.5*0.5=0.25) and subtract from 1 (1-0.25 = 0.75). Thus, there is a 75% chance of getting at least 1 head. If you think about what we just did there, it should make sense. There are 4 possible combinations of heads and tails (HH, HT, TH, TT) and the only one of those that does not involve getting any heads is two tails (TT). Thus, if there is a 25% chance of getting two tails, then there must be a 75% chance of a result other than two tails, and any result other than two tails will involve at least one head. Thus, there must be a 75% chance of getting at least one head.
Now, for our disease example. Without X, the odds of getting disease 1 are 0.00001, which means the odds that you won’t get disease 1 are 1-0.00001=0.99999. Similarly, the odds of getting disease 2 are 0.01, which means that the odds that you won’t get disease 2 are 1-0.99=0.99. Therefore, the odds that you won’t get disease 1 or disease 2 are 0.99999*0.99=0.9899901. In other words, there is a 98.99901% chance that you will not get either disease. Just like in our coin example, anything other than getting neither disease must involve getting at least one disease. Thus, the odds of getting at least one disease without X are 1-0.9899901=0.0100099. Now, you can then do the exact same thing for the diseases when X is in use, and (assuming that I did my math correctly) you should find that with X, the odds of getting at least one disease have dropped to 0.0099198.
AdvertisementsCLOSE Jennifer Sanow saw the suspect driving south on Merriman Road with Livonia police in hot pursuit. Bill Bresler | Staff photographer
Livonia Police search for evidence on Merriman Road between Plymouth and West Chicago. (Photo: Bill Bresler | staff photographer)
An armed robbery suspect wearing masks tried to rob several hotels in Livonia and is still on the loose after officials say he fired several shots on Merriman Road, police said Thursday.
Livonia police Capt. Robert Nenciarini said the suspect, who was wanted in the robbery of the Embassy Suites in Livonia earlier Thursday morning while wearing a clown mask, apparently tried to rob the Days Inn, 36655 Plymouth near Ann Arbor Road. Police said the suspect was wearing the same outfit, but may have had a "pumpkin" mask on at the time. Police then began a pursuit when the suspect reportedly pulled a gun out and attempted to shoot police.
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"We began a pursuit on Farmington. He went south on Merriman where he fired shots at us," Nenciarini said.
He said no one was injured after the shooting.
"We're actively looking for him," he said.
Police say the suspect was driving a "newer" royal blue Chevrolet Malibu without a license plate.
Livonia Police searching Merriman Road for shell casings. (Photo: Bill Bresler | staff photographer)
The incident forced the shutdown of Merriman Road from Joy to Plymouth and prompted Livonia Public Schools to go on lockdown.
"Our district was apprised of the police situation and took immediate measures to keep all students indoors until the all-clear was issued by the police department," read a letter sent out to parents. "Student safety is our No. 1 priority, and we are fortunate to work closely with the Livonia Police Department when public safety incidents occur in the area of our schools."
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Several residents who live along Merriman Road in Livonia heard the gunshots go off earlier in the morning. Jennifer Sanow said she had a contractor come to her house that morning to work on her cable.
"He actually almost got shot at," she said. "He had to duck back into the car."
Sanow said she saw the suspect driving down the road, speeding even for that stretch of Merriman.
"I just heard the gunshots and opened the door immediately, which is probably not the best thing to do," she said. "He was probably going 90 m.p.h. He was going so fast."
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Livonia police at 734-466-2470.
Contact reporter David Veselenak: 734-678-6728 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DavidVeselenak
Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2e5yy3qCLOSE Iowa columnist Chad Leistikow offers records and insights for each of the Big Ten Conference's 14 teams. Wochit
Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell has become an icon in his hometown of Decorah, Iowa. (Photo: Mark Marturello/Illustration)
DECORAH, Ia. – Josey Jewell's football story really begins with his hard-headed Irish grandfather.
Robert Jewell was a star fullback at Decorah High School whose big plans of playing for Iowa were excised along with the brain tumor that nearly killed him. Surgeons were able to keep Robert alive in February 1947, but they clipped a nerve in the process, impairing his balance and leaving him deaf in one ear. They told him he’d never reach 60 years of age.
Robert proved them wrong, hanging around to see 87.
Robert and Josey Jewell are linked by blood and temperament and childhood dreams.
Throughout Josey’s childhood, breakfast at his grandparents was a daily routine. There, he listened to Robert lecture about the value of hard work and sling verbal barbs at the young and old alike. Josey was a favorite target, and he learned to give as good as he got. He had inherited his grandfather’s stubbornness, if not necessarily his interest in farm chores.
Josey also got Robert’s strength and football prowess. And one more thing – an unquenchable need to defy everyone who tried to tell him what he couldn’t do.
It’s what pushed Josey Jewell all the way to Iowa City despite the absence of big-time recruiters. It’s what enabled Jewell to barge into the Hawkeyes’ starting lineup at middle linebacker, where he’ll be the focal point of the team this fall, a Jewell shining in black and gold after all.
Robert Jewell plays football with grandson Josey in the yard of their Decorah farm. The elder Jewell's Hawkeye career was undone by a brain tumor; Josey believes he's fulfilling that dream as a star linebacker at Iowa. (Photo: Courtesy of Paula Jewell)
Josey grew up a half-mile from his grandfather. And he feels even closer to the proud farmer now that he’s dead.
Every time Josey steps on to the Kinnick Stadium turf, he hears Robert Jewell’s voice. Whenever Josey sees an eagle flying around their Upper Iowa River valley homestead, he imagines his grandfather’s spirit.
“I think about that sometimes, that I’m playing for my grandfather,” Jewell said, "that I’m living the dream he couldn’t."
But there is another reality about to bear down on Jewell.
Taking the next step in his football journey means defying even his beloved grandfather.
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Just shy of his fourth birthday, Josey was determined to help his father, Bob, move an auger. Bob let him push on the tire of the machine, which wasn’t running. Josey laid on the tire, whose momentum took him along for the ride, pitching him on to his shoulder and squashing his wrist. Josey broke two metacarpal bones, requiring a pair of surgeries. “I honestly thought I’d ruined his football career,” Bob said, acknowledging that was an odd direction for his mind to go at that moment. In the hospital waiting room, Bob looked up and saw a TV story about the Hawkeyes hiring a new football coach. It was Kirk Ferentz. “I thought maybe, just maybe, Josey could play for this guy some day,” Bob said.
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Bob Jewell played football at Decorah in the mid-1970s and drew some mild small-college interest, but he mainly wanted to help his dad Robert tend the family acreage and start a family of his own. He married former classmate Paula Pilgrim, a state champion distance runner in high school en route to a teaching career, and together they had four children.
All of them were born on holidays – Jess on Labor Day 1985, Samantha on Mother’s Day 1989, Robby on Thanksgiving 1991.
The youngest arrived on Christmas Day 1994. Bob helped deliver the boy. "I've delivered plenty of calves, and he's just another beef animal," Bob reasoned.
They named him Josey, after the terse vigilante portrayed by Clint Eastwood in the 1976 movie “The Outlaw Josey Wales.”
The Jewell siblings -- Robby, Samantha, Jess and Josey in the middle -- along with Jess's husband-to-be Mike, on a lake vacation. The family takes annual fishing trips to Minnesota, where waterskiing is also on the agenda. (Photo: Courtesy of Paula Jewell)
“The Outlaw” was an obvious nickname for a kid who would play in a cowboy hat so big that it obscured his eyes. But Jewell kept collecting other monikers.
From his family: “Baby Jesus.” (“Although I never heard Jesus drop the F-bomb like Josey does,” Bob joked.)
From his father: “Stonehead.” (“He’s got the hardest head I’ve ever seen on a human being,” Bob said.)
From his high school teammates: “The All-American.” (A sure way to get everyone laughing at a tense moment in the huddle.)
From childhood friend James Ostlie: “The Prince of Decorah.” (“He’s kind of putting Decorah on the map,” Ostlie explained. “But I never call him that to his face. Never.”)
The nicknames are a way to get under Jewell’s skin, much like his grandfather used to do. Anyone who knows Jewell is aware that he is wired to resist any hint of flamboyance. He has always been the quiet Jewell.
“Stoic,” Paula said. “That’s the perfect word.”
The three oldest Jewell kids were standout athletes at nearby Luther College. Jess excelled at track and field; Samantha played basketball; Robby was on the football and baseball teams.
Josey was the most gifted, more consumed by athletics, and it was obvious early. Paula recalls her youngest son transfixed by a Nintendo football game.
“It looked like he was studying it more than playing it,” she said.
Josey tagged along with Robby throughout his childhood, always testing himself against his brother and older cousins and friends. Robby didn’t mind. It made them both better, he said.
The family would stage annual football games for Robby’s birthday, complete with goal posts and Bob and Paula wearing referee uniforms.
“Josey always had that rough-and-tumble demeanor about him,” Bob said. “Always, one of Robby’s friends would end up in tears because Josey hit him. It seemed like he was born to play football.”
Josey and Samantha Jewell saddle up on their horse Apache. Cowboy boots were familiar attire for Josey. (Photo: Courtesy of Paula Jewell)
Jewell played every sport in its season through high school – football, basketball, track and baseball, which was his second-best sport. He brought a certain ferociousness to the diamond, as well.
Gavin Nimrod remembers facing Jewell in Little League.
“I was afraid to stand in (the batter’s box),” Nimrod said. “He threw hard, and he didn’t know where it was going.”
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The Jewells once had a dog on their farm that was known for biting. Bob used to watch Josey in the mornings while Paula taught school, and one day the dog scraped the boy’s cheek with its fang, drawing blood. Josey, then 4 years old, cried, which was a rare occurrence. The next morning, Bob saw Josey and the dog in a standoff, nose to nose. He watched, ready to intervene. “It seemed like it lasted an eternity,” Bob said. “And Josey finally says – and he had a deep voice for a young kid – ‘Bite me.’ The dog turned and walked away.” Maybe some people are born to be linebackers.
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The farm has been in the Jewell family since the late 19th century. It encompasses some rough terrain, timberland mixed with ravines, a muddy morass during rainy spells. The family grows corn, alfalfa or hay, tends to 150-200 head of beef cattle at one time and gets at least one batch of 18,000 turkeys each year. Robby and Josey spent much of their childhood repairing fencing.
“Usually, it’s a hot, humid day, and there’s mosquitoes and brush. It’s just not a pleasant job,” Bob Jewell said.
Fishing was always a favorite pastime of the Jewell brothers -- Robby (left) and Josey -- even if it meant practicing in the sink. (Photo: Courtesy of Paula Jewell)
Robby was always the more eager farmer, perhaps feeling more responsibility as the older son. He still lives there, helping his father and intending to inherit the land and the labor. Josey never shirked his chores, but he didn’t always embrace them either. That’s when his grandfather would needle him.
“It was built in me to be a farmer, and it was built in Josey to play football,” Robby said. “Maybe Josey will come back (to Decorah to live). Me and dad have always hoped that he would. But that’s totally up to him. I’m doing what I love to do and so I don’t ask any questions about that.”
When not farming, the Jewell brothers would spend hours fishing in the Upper Iowa. Smallmouth bass mostly. Their grandfather showed them how, and later their mother would come down and help them bait their hooks and then go read a book in the shade while they cast their lines.
Fishing remains Josey’s favorite pastime. The quickest way to get him into a conversation is to ask about his latest trip.
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Otherwise he lives by this philosophy: “I don’t talk a lot unless it needs to be said. I’m not going to waste words if it’s not needed.”
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Jewell always wanted to be a little bigger than he was. Ostlie recalled that, during weigh-ins before their sophomore football season at Decorah, Jewell was determined to exceed 200 pounds. Never mind that he was probably 10 pounds shy of that mark. A new assistant coach was in charge of the weigh-ins, using a big scale that seemed more at home on a farm. Ostlie stood behind Jewell and surreptitiously put his foot on the scale, while the coach watched in wide-eyed amazement as the reading reached 205 pounds. So that’s what Jewell was listed at.
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Jewell moved into the Vikings’ varsity starting lineup as a sophomore, weight be damned. He was a fullback and linebacker. His coach, Bill Post, was never sure what to make of Josey. He wasn’t the fun-loving kid Robby had been while starring at Decorah. But he had an indisputable drive.
“It wasn’t real positive feelings about him, because he was kind of sullen and quiet and just ornerier than hell. He was physical, almost to the point where he was mean it seemed like at times. But he wasn’t mean. It was just the way he played, so aggressively,” Post said. “As a sophomore, he was kind of, I thought, headstrong a little bit. He would do things the way he wanted to do them. But even if he made a mistake, he covered it up.”
Just because Josey Jewell is of Irish/English heritage doesn't mean he shied away from the Nordic dancing that Decorah is known for. He participated from third grade on, taking trips to Catalina Island, Calif., and Estes Park, Colo., along the way. Pictured (left to right): Lee Rollins, Jared Blodget, Josey Jewell, Andy Hovden and Gavin Nimrod. (Photo: Courtesy of Paula Jewell)
Jewell, Ostlie, Nimrod and that class were determined to bring Post his first state title after four runner-up finishes. Post said it was like they had made a pact back in middle school and were bound to see it through.
In the opening game of their senior year, Jewell returned the first punt for a touchdown against Waverly-Shell Rock.
“From that point on, things just kept blooming for us,” Post said.
The 2012 Class 3-A state championship game will be talked about in Decorah for years to come. It was Jewell’s tour de force. He rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns, threw an option pass for a 32-yard gain, dived to secure a fingertip catch down the sideline for a key 23-yard pickup, intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards. Jewell's class got its title with a 49-21 win over Sioux City Heelan.
“That’s where a lot of people’s eyes were opened statewide,” said Darin Svenson, the veteran radio voice of Decorah athletics who called the game. “The whole completeness of him as a football player got shown off.”
Still, Svenson was struck in his postgame interview with Jewell that the senior star was so uncertain of his college plans. In a flat voice, Jewell said he was talking to Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa, maybe even Luther, but that nothing was imminent.
Where were the recruiters? Where was the fanfare?
Everyone who saw Jewell play had the same questions. So did Jewell.
“We always knew he was Division I material. We were surprised when teams started passing him by. I was wondering, maybe we’ve been misjudging how good these D-I players are,” said Ostlie, who wrapped up his football career at Luther last fall. “I could definitely tell that it bothered Josey. Our senior year, he was unstoppable.”
Buy Photo Josey Jewell was a standout pitcher and third basemen for Decorah in high school. (Photo: File photo/The Register)
Hawkeyes assistant coach Reese Morgan made a couple of trips to Decorah and reassured Bob Jewell that a scholarship offer was coming. Except it didn’t. Bob Jewell said Iowa State would call occasionally, but only to see what Iowa was doing. That left UNI as the most logical landing spot for his son, and Bob felt it would be a comfortable fit.
On their final visit to Cedar Falls, Panthers coach Mark Farley pulled back on Northern Iowa's interest in Jewell. Bob remembers a somber drive home.
“They told me I’d get a three-fourths scholarship, then it was one-fourth and so I was like, ‘OK, you kind of lied to me,’” Josey said, the sting still in his voice. “So then I was like, ‘OK, I’m probably going to stray away from you guys because of the honesty part.’”
Jewell prepared to play at Luther, excited about the chance to play one season alongside Robby, who was an all-conference safety.
Finally, the Hawkeyes came through with an offer, just before signing day. Jewell, who had wanted to attend Iowa all along, was going to play where his grandfather never got a chance to.
And Robert Jewell would get to watch.
“He was proud of that,” Jewell said. “You hope to help him feel like he was a part of that. And I hope he did feel like he was part of it.”
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Robby Jewell said his brother has an unusual routine after Hawkeye football games. “The first thing he does is go online. He loves to read that negative stuff, and then it’s: ‘I’ll show you,’” Robby said. “There was a chatroom once where they mocked Josey and Bo Bower as being the 'future' of Iowa’s linebackers. He couldn’t wait to shove that in their face.” Not literally, of course. But he sure did.
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Jewell’s introduction to Hawkeye football was rough. First, he decided to spend the summer of 2013 playing baseball for Decorah, not training in Iowa City with his future teammates. The Vikings had lost the previous year in the state championship game. For Jewell, a pitcher and third baseman, there was unfinished business. Plus one final chance to play with his childhood buddies.
“It was very much Josey,” said Adam Riley, the athletic director at Decorah who helped coach that baseball team. “My discussions with him were very matter of fact and that he was going to play baseball and he was not going to walk away from his teammates. He even would have been willing to forego his scholarship and walk-on in order to stay with his teammates.”
It didn’t come to that.
The Jewell family gathers outside Kinnick Stadium, where Josey has been an instant star. Pictured (left to right): Bob, Jess, Josey, Robby, Samantha and Paula. (Photo: Courtesy of Paula Jewell)
Paula and Josey made a visit to Iowa City that summer. Bower, a West Branch native, recalls meeting his new teammate on that trip. Bower had opted not to play summer baseball, the typical course of action.
“I didn’t like him,” Bower said with a smile. “I met him and it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s competition.’”
Within six months, they were best friends.
Jewell redshirted during the 2013 season, still struggling to stay above the 200-pound mark. August was a hot mess.
“Those big 300-pounders were throwing me around, and I still couldn’t run with the wide receivers or tight ends,” Jewell said. “I got pancaked a couple of times by some third-string guy, which was kind of bad. But you have to start somewhere, I guess.”
Brett Van Sloten helped ease the transition. The fifth-year senior offensive lineman also played at Decorah and was a teammate of Robby’s. The Van Sloten and Jewell families are tight. He was going to see that the new Hawkeye didn’t fail.
“He was a little scrawny kid then. The people on the scout team threw him at defensive end a few times,” Van Sloten said. “He’s not one that’s going to back down from anything, not even when he’s a true freshman going against fifth-year seniors.”
The results were predictable.
“Maybe I took it too far at times,” Van Sloten conceded, “but Josey didn’t take it too personally.”
Jewell emerged late in his redshirt freshman season in 2014, earning starts in the final four games. In Iowa’s humbling defeat in the TaxSlayer Bowl, it was Jewell alone who seemed to take offense. He finished with 14 tackles, hustling from sideline to sideline until the clock expired. Ferentz has said repeatedly that the late stages of that game convinced him Jewell needed to remain in the lineup.
“Coach (Phil) Parker talks to you in the huddle and says, ‘You’re playing for pride and you’re playing for your team name. You’re playing for the Tiger Hawk,’” Jewell said. “That’s what I was trying to listen to. You don’t want to look back and you don’t want to regret anything. That’s something my dad said every Friday morning before high school games.”
Jewell followed that with 126 tackles as a sophomore, when Iowa went 12-2. He had 124 more last season, when he was a finalist for the Butkus Award given to the nation’s top linebacker. Now 6-foot-2, 236 pounds, Jewell is a bona fide star and arguably the best player on the team heading into his senior season.
Parker certainly recognizes it.
“It starts with our inside linebacker, Josey Jewell,” Parker said this summer. “He’s the one that’s got to keep everybody together.”
Iowa linebackers coach Seth Wallace marvels at Jewell’s instincts.
“You can spend hours, you can spend months, you can spend years trying to get guys to get to the football like he does, and they may never,” Wallace said. “He does have an outstanding knack for seeing what’s going on in front of him, being able to react and then taking the right angle to the football.”
Nimrod, who played safety behind Jewell at Decorah, said those are the same attributes he saw in Jewell for years. The difference now, besides size, is the extra studying Jewell does. When Jewell talks football with his old buddies now, Nimrod said, they can’t understand what he’s saying.
Nimrod still lives in Decorah, working for the local cable company. He’s also had Hawkeye football season tickets the past two seasons and has watched the Josey Jewell hype grow.
“We’ve known since he was in seventh, eighth grade that he was way better than us and he was going to go places,” Nimrod said.
But Decorah will always be home, and Jewell gets back often. It’s just that when he does, he draws a lot of attention. Nimrod recalled a Decorah football game two years ago at which he had an entire section of seats to himself. Jewell, in town with the Hawkeyes on a bye week, climbed up to chat with his friend. Soon, the section was filled with well-wishers.
“People follow him a lot. All the little kids, they want to see him. They’re wearing Josey stuff,” said Post, who still coaches the Vikings. “He’s always brought up in conversations. When they talk about football, it’s always about Josey. When they talk about Iowa, it’s always about Josey.”
Only Jerry Reichow has made it from Decorah to the NFL. A Hawkeye star in the 1950s, Reichow had a long career as a receiver with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.
There’s a strong sense in this heavily Norwegian town of 7,918 in northeastern Iowa that Jewell could be the next.
“Everybody thinks they know him,” Nimrod said of his friend. “In a little town, when somebody becomes famous like that, everyone’s got their connection to him.”
Perhaps that’s why fishing has become a bigger outlet for Jewell these days.
“He texts me every week. ‘How’s the fishing? You been fishing yet?’” Nimrod said. “I don’t know if he just wants to relax in his free time, but ever since he went to college, every time he comes home it’s, ‘Hey, let’s go fishing.’”
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Jewell finished second in the Big Ten Conference in tackles last season. Yet he was only selected as second team all-conference. Jewell never said a word about it. “Whether he tells you it affects him or not, I know it does,” Wallace said. “It’s that that I think keeps this kid’s fire driving, to be honest with you.” Some poor tailback doesn’t know it yet, but he’s about to feel Jewell’s wrath.
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Robert Jewell’s health was failing in the fall of 2015. But he was determined to die at home, on his land, and so the family arranged for hospice care and waited for the inevitable.
Josey is relieved that he got to speak with his grandfather a couple of weeks before the end, while he was still coherent and in “one of his chipper times.”
Robby recalls an odd conversation he had with Robert shortly after.
“Out of nowhere, he said: ‘Tell Josey to be humble,’” Robby said in a tone of bewilderment. “I don’t know what was going through his head at the time. He didn’t want him to be too big-headed, which I know Josey would never be that way.”
The impetus for those words remains a mystery.
Buy Photo Iowa senior middle linebacker Josey Jewell (43) warms up during the Hawkeyes football team's spring practice at Valley Stadium on Friday, April 7, 2017, in West Des Moines. (Photo: Brian Powers/The Register)
The Hawkeyes had an Oct. 3 trip to Wisconsin and Josey headed north with a heavy heart. Bob and Paula left the rest of the family at Robert’s bedside and drove up to comfort their son. They got the phone call an hour before kickoff – Robert had died. They decided to wait until after the game to tell Josey.
Iowa held off the 18th-ranked Badgers 10-6, a victory sealed on a miraculous play in which Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave tripped and fumbled at the Hawkeye 1-yard line.
Two coaches escorted Josey to his parents after the game, but he already knew what he was about to hear.
“I think he was your 12th man today,” Bob Jewell recalled telling his son.
“You’re goddamn right he was,” Josey replied, "I saw him out there."
Robert Jewell always felt some connection to the eagles that are constantly criss-crossing the farmstead. He would point out their nests above his pasture.
Josey sees them flying now when he returns home and thinks of his grandfather.
He also hears Robert cautioning him about the dangers of football. He always told Josey to watch out for head injuries and for broken necks. Jewell said he does try to be more cautious when tackling, but it’s not always easy. He takes pride in packing a wallop. He was ejected after a helmet-to-helmet hit in the Hawkeyes’ season opener last fall.
Bob Jewell remembers a pointed conversation his father had with his son. Robert told Josey: “If the next level presents itself, don’t do it. Your health is worth far more than any dollar.”
No one expects Josey to pass up a chance to play professional football. He’s been talking about it since childhood.
Jewell once told Doug Van Sloten, Brett’s father, that he had a long-range plan.
“I’m going to play in the NFL some day,” Jewell predicted. “And I’m going to save the family farm.”
Is the Jewell farm in jeopardy?
“We’ve had our challenges,” Bob admitted.
So Josey Jewell, middle linebacker extraordinaire, is caught in the middle.
Follow his path and try to secure the future for Robby and himself.
Or listen to his grandfather and give up the sport they both loved to not risk his health.
One final disagreement between two stubborn Irishmen.Madonna Vs. Lady Gaga Who is the Better Pop Star?
Madonna is known around the world by her music and eccentric ways but that description also sounds like another pop star, Lady Gaga. These women have been compared ever since Lady Gaga emerged as a pop star. From the way they dress to the types of songs they sing and even down to the lyrics they write, these women have a lot of similarities.
The infographic below compares the two women on their shocking style. They are known for their extreme costumes and have made headlines over the years for shocking people. Let us not forget Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress.
Let the infographic breakdown the styles for you and then decide who has the most unique style or the craziest.
This entertainment infographic was provided by Confused.com
Since this site is run by a child of the 80s we have to give the crown of Pop Diva to Madonna. She has had the longest career so far and changed pop culture like no other woman and helped MTV become the non-video playing television/media company it is today. Here are two more infographics celebrating the Material Girl.
Madonna: A Digital Story
Includes information and stats about Madonna’s tour from the Virgin Tour in 1985 to the Stick & Sweet tour in2009. Album sales are also charted with a steady decline over the years, but it is obvious Madonna has staying power with her Sticky & Sweet tour grossing 407 million dollars.
Madonna Fashion (D)Evolution?
What would Madonna be without her fashion sense, probably just a mediocre voice with a lot of sex appeal. Clothes may make the man, but they can also make a female singer’s career. While Madonna may be better known for her sex appeal, it was her style and flair for the dramatic, both on stage and in concert that gave her an identity. This infographic is a timeline of Madonna’s fashionable changes from 1982 through 2012. Our favorite is Material Girl in 1984, but we are Marilyn Monroe fans too, so there go. Rock on, Madonna.
Download this infographic.With all the slights and insults this cruel and callous world is levelling at poor innocent victim China, there has to come a point when something snaps – the glorious motherland can take no more.
It could have been the Philippines, insultingly insisting it had a legal right to its territorial waters. It could have been South Korea, arrogantly allowing the US to install anti-missile systems as protection against the North’s nukes. It could have been the UK, insolently rethinking a part-Chinese nuclear power station project. It could have been Australia, whose boorish Olympic athletes bring up Chinese rivals’ records of doping. (Or France, ditto.) It could have been Austria, which irritatingly and stupidly has a name almost the same as Australia. It could have been Brazil, hoisting a Chinese flag with the little stars not pointing the right way (for the correct positioning, see example on right). It could have been Apple, Microsoft or Volkswagen, who have ripped off Mainland consumers and/or intellectual property. It could have been Japan or America for obvious reasons far far far too numerous to relate. It could have been [insert dozens of other instances in which hostile brutes have hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, attempted to thwart the country’s rise, etc].
But it seems it is plucky little Hong Kong that has mightily miffed the motherland so much that the miff-ometer reaches breaking point. Ever-depressing all-purpose pro-Beijing spokesman Lau Siu-kai conveys China’s official mega-mouth-froth-rant over Hongkongers’ offensive and disgraceful laughter and hilarity in reaction to Chinese Olympians’ crappy performance…
Unless you break down in tears at our nation’s sporting failures, he says (pretty much), Beijing will scrap the ‘One Country Two Systems’ principle, make you all drive on the right-hand side of the road, abolish traditional written characters, and force you to drink adulterated Yakult, just like the 1.3 billion compatriots across the border – then you’ll be sorry.
In short, if you don’t start being happy about the one-party Communist regime, it will come and hurt you. Love the motherland, or the motherland will inflict pain on you. If this warning doesn’t convince you to respect and adore Beijing, whatever will?As one of the few Western journalists who has traveled widely in North Korea, David Guttenfelder believes that photography can open a window onto a country. And on a recent trip to that closed society, he took that credo to a different level.
Six Days in North Korea A photographer parts the curtains on one of the world’s least-known places and brings back pictures of a country defined for many by mystery and war. Read more»
About 31 floors up in his hotel room.
Firing up his Periscope app, Mr. Guttenfelder pointed his iPhone outside his hotel window and began to stream live video. Soon, he was being peppered with questions from online viewers: What was it like? What did he eat? How was it working there? That intense curiosity — not to mention engagement — was similar to when he had posted images to Instagram, not only during his recent visit, but also dating back to his tenure as The Associated Press’s chief Asia photographer.
“There’s probably not a better place to test the power of photography and photojournalism than a place that has never really allowed photography or foreigners there,” Mr. Guttenfelder said. “We don’t know very much about North Korea because it has not been photographed for 60-something years. The only images we ever see have been distributed by the state as propaganda. For me to go there over the years has been a rare opportunity and responsibility. Otherwise, it’s completely unknown. While imperfect, we have eyes on the ground and some windows opening.”
Photo
Mr. Guttenfelder, who left the news service last year and
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Caucus, either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2016
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDianaThis Aug. 18, 2010 image provided by the U.S. Army shows the Chaffee Gate entrance to Fort Knox. An Army civilian employee was shot and killed in a parking lot at Kentucky's Fort Knox on Wednesday, and investigators were seeking to question a man in connection with the shooting, authorities said. Army officials said in a news release late Wednesday April 3, 2013 that the victim was an employee of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, which handles personnel actions for soldiers. The shooting occurred in a lot outside the command. The victim was transported to the Ireland Army Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead. (AP Photo/US Army)
FORT KNOX, Ky. (AP) — An Army civilian employee was shot and killed in a parking lot at Kentucky's Fort Knox, and investigators were seeking to question a man in connection with the shooting, authorities said.
Army officials said in a news release late Wednesday that the victim was an employee of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, which handles personnel actions for soldiers. The shooting occurred in a lot outside the command. The victim was transported to the Ireland Army Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are investigating a personal incident and not a random act of violence," said Chris Grey, spokesman for the independent Army investigative agency.
The identity of the victim was being withheld pending notification of family.
Police were seeking to speak with a person of interest in the case. The news release identified him as a 5-foot, 9-inch black man who is American and is believed to be using a black Yamaha motorcycle for transportation.
Fort Knox police received a 911 call about the shooting at about 5:40 pm., the news release said.
As a security measure, the post's gates were locked down at about 5:50 p.m. About an hour later, the main gate was fully reopened, but due to enhanced security measures, those coming and going were advised to expect delays.
Fort Knox spokesman Kyle Hodges said late Wednesday that the post remained on a heightened security alert, but said officials don't believe the person of interest was still on post.
He said he could not comment on whether the victim was targeted, or whether the shooting may have been related to his work. He also couldn't say what type of weapon was used.
The FBI dispatched two agents to Fort Knox and is assisting in the investigation, said Mary Trotman, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Louisville.Google has officially released the final version of the Developer Preview for Android Wear 2.0 which brings a number of new tools to help developers with their apps and more.
We now know that Google will begin to roll out the stable release of Android Wear 2.0 on February 9. This is the same say we expect to hear about a pair of new smartwatches from Google and LG, Watch Style and Watch Sport. New Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches are said to go up for order shortly after the update rolls out publicly, making sense that Google wants to be first. One that we know of is the Casio WSD-F20, which was unveiled during CES 2017. Some older generation smartwatches such as the Huawei Watch, second gen Moto 360, LG Watch Urbane 2, and others are also said to receive the update shortly upon its arrival.
The final Android Wear 2.0 Developer Preview is now live. Most of the features present in the software are familiar from earlier previews, but has received some bug fixes and further polishing. However, there are some notes we should make about this version first being that it brings support for select Apple iOS devices. Additionally, Google has added NFC Host Card Emulation, which will hopefully in turn bring the rumored Android Pay support to comparable smartwatches with the required hardware.
The smartwatch market had a rough last year due to falling sales. Motorola and others announced that they might go away with the platform and instead create software of their own if possible. This lead many into doubting the future of Google’s Android Wear platform. All of a sudden, it now seems that hope has been revived for a comeback in 2017 as Google seems to be taking Wear more seriously. The many updates and improvements made in Android Wear 2.0 over such an expanded period of time indicate that the company is looking into the causes of failure in previous versions. We sure hope this turns out true, as we are open and excited about the potential Android Wear 2.0 may hold.
Download and test the final Android Wear 2.0 Developer Preview -> [Click Here]
SOURCE [Android Developers]“Indeed, at the very heart of the Palestinian struggle is a determination to win back (the) very rights and protections long denied us by Israel.”
Hanan Ashrawi - Palestinians, America and the UN, NYT Jan 20, 2011
“...no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it, and insistence on the rights of the Palestinian people in their own country.”
The "Three No's" of the Arab League in Khartoum, August 29, 1967
“The appearance of a distinct Palestinian national personality comes as an answer to Israel’s claim that Palestine is Jewish.”
King Hussein, Arab League Summit Amman, Nov. 1987
Palestine Papers Why are peace talks secret? Jessica Brandt Op-ed: Israel, PA must do better job of preparing public opinion for necessary concessions Why are peace talks secret?
The above citations from Hanan Ashrawi's recent Op-Ed in the New York Times, Palestinians, America and the UN, and the 1967 Arab League Summits demonstrate just how intellectually corrupt the discourse over the Israel -Palestinian conflict has become; just how much it is driven by false axioms, historical amnesia and the norms of social bon-ton that are woefully dethatched from reality.
Indeed, it has become discourse that is based far more on cultural mores and urban myths than on historical fact. It has become a dramatic production where political correctness has taken over the starring role; while that of political truth has been reduced to one of a minor “extra."
Ashrawi’s accusations regarding Israel's actions reflect the quintessential reasons why the Palestinians find themselves in the miserable state in which they are today: a chronic and cavalier disregard for the truth; an enduring propensity to blame others for their fate; and an obdurate refusal to take responsibility for their own actions - and inaction.
Anyone with the slightest knowledge of the history of the conflict must be wondering precisely what "rights" the Palestinians are striving to "win back." After all, until Israel’s presence in the "West Bank", they not only had no rights as a collective there – they did not even claim any! In fact, they expressly eschewed any such rights! In Article 24 of their 1964 national covenant they explicitly declare that they had no aspirations to "exercise any territorial sovereignty over the West Bank in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (sic), on the Gaza Strip …"
Indeed, prior to any Israeli presence in these areas, it was quite clear on which territory Palestinians focused their demands for their "rights." On November 18, 1965, Egyptian President Nasser declared: "Our aim is the full restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people. In other words, we aim at the destruction of the State of Israel …The national aim: the eradication of Israel."
‘There is no middle road’
Echoing this sentiment in a premature flush of triumph, on June 1, 1967, Arafat's predecessor, PLO leader Ahmad Shukairy crowed: "This is a fight for the homeland. It is either us or the Israelis. There is no middle road.....We shall destroy Israel and its inhabitants and as for the survivors - if there are any - the boats are ready to deport them
This resonated well with his previous pronouncements. For example, on May 27, 1967, Shukairy gloated: “D-Day is approaching. The Arabs have waited 19 years for this and will not flinch from the war of liberation."
The use of the words "liberation" and "homeland" is revealing - for at the time, the notions of "occupation" and "settlements" had neither conceptual significance nor practical relevance. Accordingly they could not possibly account for this ferocious hostility towards the Jewish nation-state by the Arabs, who clearly were not seeking "liberation" for the Palestinians in the then Arab-ruled "West Bank" and Gaza which in no way were perceived as the" homeland" targeted for such "liberation" efforts.
Furthermore, the allusion to the fact that "Arabs have waited 19 years" is also pregnant with significance - too often ignored or obscured. Indeed, although the West Bank and Gaza were under Arab rule for almost two decades, not the feeblest of efforts was made to establish a Palestinian state on them.
Quite the opposite, King Hussein annexed the West Bank in 1950 (an act formally recognized by both Britain and US and de facto by the Arab League) and Palestinians residing in it were granted Jordanian citizenship. Three years later, he annexed east Jerusalem declaring it the "alternative capital of the Hashemite Kingdom" and an "integral and inseparable part" of Jordan.
It was not until 1988 when King Hussein relinquished his claim to the territory, now portrayed as the "ancient homeland" of the Palestinians - and stripped its residents of their Jordanian citizenship. Accordingly, a persuasive claim can be made that the "stateless" status of the Palestinians was brought about not by any Israeli action but by that of the Jordanian monarch. In the words of a prominent Palestinian legal expert, Anis F. Kassim: “…over one-and-a-half million Palestinians went to bed on 31 July 1988 as Jordanian citizens, and woke up on 1 August 1988 as stateless persons.”
Take back the narrative
The Gaza example shows how ludicrous Ashrawi's accusations are, for all Gaza settlements were razed to the ground, hi-tech greenhouses trampled, synagogues desecrated and even cemeteries uprooted. Yet none of this brought any peaceable Palestinian initiative, irrefutably demonstrating that the settlements are an excuse for Palestinian enmity, not a reason for it. Any attempt to ascribe this hostility to" the blockade" should be summarily dismissed with the contempt it deserves. After all, the quarantine of Gaza is a consequence, not a cause, of Palestinian violence against Israel.
So if Israel cannot be blamed for the fate that befell collective rights of the Palestinian - what about their rights as individuals?
In this regard the facts are irrefutable and documented. The lot of individual Palestinians improved beyond recognitions under Israeli administration, from 1967 until the early 1990s when "Oslophilic" wisdom began to dominate the discourse and induce the retraction of Israeli presence in the "West Bank" (and Gaza).The hard facts are unequivocal. Israel elevated Palestinian living standards from the virtually medieval levels under the Hashemite regime into those of the 20th Century.
Under Israeli administration, GDP per capita soared by over 10-fold to overtake nearly all Arab countries other than the major oil-exporters, life expectancy climbed from barely 40 to over 70, Infant mortality (deaths per 1000 births) plummeted from 60 to 15 (18 for Gaza), access to safe water grew by 500%, and agriculture underwent a modernizing metamorphosis, adopting modern methods of cultivation irrigation, and processing. Output increased dramatically, transforming it from a subsistence enterprise to a commercial industry.
Similarly, Palestinians were given access to due process within the Israeli judicial system, which often ruled in their favor. Thus although Ashrawi contends that Palestinians "rights and protections enshrined under international law" are trampled by Israel, they were in fact safeguarded manifestly more effectively than under any other regime – whether the Hashemite predecessor or the Palestinian successors. Just ask any Fatah member who was pitched off a multi-storey Gaza high-rise, or had his kneecaps blown away by a kindred Hamas "militant."
Surely the time has come for Israel to take back the narrative - and rewrite it on the basis of historical realities, not political distortions; on the basis of prevailing realities rather than fabricated fantasies; on the basis of events as they actually occurred, not as they are deceitfully contrived.SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) – San Francisco renters are often forced to dig deep to pay for a spacious apartment, but all of the excavation work has been done for you on the latest Richmond District rental offering on Craigslist.
One clever Craigslist poster is offering to rent you a massive sinkhole that opened up in the street Wednesday after days of rain. The hole, at Sixth Avenue and Lake Street, was 20 feet by 30 feet Wednesday but had grown to 30 feet by 28 feet as of Thursday morning. The pit is 10 feet deep.
“1 bedroom sink hole for rent. Just opened up, act fast. Best deal in San Francisco. On major bus lines, and convenient location to coffee shops, GG Park,” reads the post. “Spacious 60sq feet floor plan allows for creative interior arrangements. Sun roof and exciting ambient city soundscapes provide for excellent entertaining.”
Craigslist’s founder thought the post was funny enough to post on his personal Twitter account.
For some reason Cats are ok, but no dogs. Still, it’s not a terrible price for a unit in the lively part of the sleepy Richmond District. Here’s a look at your alternatives.
Those interested are urged to “drop by for a showing” but city crews hope they won’t get the chance. They’re working quickly to fix the road.While Japan is by and large a secular society, the majority of funerals conducted in the country are Buddhist ceremonies. In most cases, the memorials are practiced more out of social custom rather than any overt religious belief.
Even so, funerals tend to be solemn events where laughter and lively music appear to have no place.
Except a joyful ceremony was exactly the kind of send-off I helped arrange for my own father when he passed away. It was his dying wish that his loved ones would celebrate his life rather than grieve over the cancer that killed him.
The idea might seem outlandish. However, the funeral is the final opportunity to bid farewell to the departed. Why, I thought, not make it an event that conveys my father’s character to the fullest? I trust there are many bereaved families out there who might feel the same.
My father, who died in late March at the age of 60, discovered he had cancer a year before his death when he was temporarily posted in Okinawa for work.
An active journalist himself, he was a nonreligious man. He instructed me before he died not to hold any religious memorial service for him, and I was determined to plan a funeral that represented the unique and original person he had been. He wanted to show how much he appreciated all the people he had known in his life.
Urban Funes Corp., the funeral home that conducted the service, pioneers “freestyle funerals” in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Company President Takayuki Nakagawa, 44, had worked in the bridal industry before establishing the funeral parlor in 2002.
“The age is coming when funerals will not be imposed on people but created in line with clients’ wishes,” said Nakagawa.
According to a 2016 survey conducted by the Japan Consumers’ Association, Buddhist memorial services make up almost 90 percent of funerals nationwide.
Even at Urban Funes, about 80 percent of the 2,500 ceremonies conducted by the company each year are also religious memorials, mainly because it is customary to do so. The company says once the main ceremony is over, many like to host a unique second event where people can say goodbye in a less formal way. Freestyle humanist ceremonies, the company says, are also on the rise.
The idea for my father’s unusual memorial service came in an email titled, “For that time.” It was three months before he passed away, and he sent it to me, his eldest daughter, in Nara Prefecture where I live, from where he was hospitalized after his condition had worsened.
In a single message, he wrote his wishes plainly on decisions to be made from the time he would fall into a critical state through to the funeral itself. He even asked me to take charge of the proceedings as “chief mourner.”
“The concept is to have everyone enjoy themselves, and get rid of their bias about cancer,” the message began. It went on to describe various details of the ceremony, such as putting his memorabilia on display, playing background music and having his friend who is a professional singer perform. I could almost see him happily showing up himself for the celebration.
With the skill of an experienced professional, the funeral planner arranged an event befitting what seemed to me at the time an outrageous occasion planned by my father. The venue was a funeral hall owned by a Buddhist temple located in Yokohama. According to Urban Funes, more venues are responding to diverse needs and allowing customers to use their facilities, regardless of their beliefs.
A portrait of my father was projected onto a large screen followed by slideshow of his photographs. Also on display were drawings and wood block prints that my father created and saved when he had in his youth once dreamed of becoming an artist.
“This was time well spent, where I could bid him a proper farewell,” said a 60-year-old male friend of his who had been a source of encouragement to my father for 50 years.
When my father was battling cancer, he had repeatedly told my mother, “I led a blessed life.” Although his life was cut short by an unexpected illness, it didn’t mean that everything he had built in his life was reduced to sorrow.
Viewing life through his photos, touching the belongings he left behind and sharing stories we never knew with old friends, our family got a glimpse of my father’s life philosophy. Preparations for the funeral, it turned out, became an important time for our bereavement.
The way funerals are practice is influenced by the times. Hajime Himonya, 71, a journalist who specializes on the subject, said humanist funerals were a consequence of the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy in the early 1990s.
“Freestyle funerals made their emergence around 1995 when people’s sense of values began to change after the collapse of the bubble economy, as they became keenly aware of the recession and inequality,” Himonya explained.
With small-scale family services becoming the norm, he believes ceremonies will become even more individualistic and diversified. “A funeral means the time from one’s deathbed, to the wake, on to the vigil, and the time to cope with death. How this time is spent beyond physical form is important,” Himonya said.
The fact that we were able to hold a unique ceremony according to my father’s wishes meant the world to my mother.
“The actual feeling of being able to give him a proper send-off will drive me forward for the rest of my life,” my mother said.
In the end, a funeral is not merely a time to bid farewell to a loved one, but also a ceremony for those of us left behind to remember the moments spent with that person, and cherish those lasting memories as we embark on a new future.
The unique funeral conceived by my father and carried through on his own terms became the final but best memory of him for our family.Fulham head coach Rene Meulensteen has urged his players to "dig" the Cottagers out of trouble after admitting they have hit "rock bottom".
His club sit at the foot of the Premier League and are out of the FA Cup after a shock defeat by Sheffield United.
"We know we only have ourselves to blame," said Meulensteen. "We need to look in each other's eyes and dig ourselves out of it."
We could have played until next month and not scored a goal Rene Meulensteen
The Dutchman added: "Have we hit rock bottom? We probably have."
After a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane, Fulham were beaten 1-0 in a dour fourth-round replay thanks to Shaun Miller's last-minute header in extra time.
"We could have played until next month and not scored a goal," added Meulensteen.
"The knocks we have picked up over the last couple of weeks have definitely had an influence on the confidence. When it happens, that is when you need to stick together."
Sheffield United boss Nigel Clough hailed the attitude of his players after defeating top-flight opposition in the competition for a second time, following their earlier triumph against Aston Villa.
"If you hang on in there at 0-0, you've always got that opportunity," said Clough, adding it was "a remarkable effort again" by his players.
The League One strugglers will now host either Preston or Nottingham Forest in the fifth round on Saturday, 15 February.
Preston and Forest play their fourth-round replay on Wednesday.One of the first frustrating situations a beginning microcontroller programmer will come across is the issue of debouncing switches. Microcontrollers are faster than switches, and the switch has yet to be built that can change state in zero time like they can on paper. This hurdle is easily overcome, but soon we are all faced with another issue: filtering noise from an analog signal. Luckily [Paul Martinsen] has put together a primer of three different ways to use an Arduino to filter signals.
The first (and fastest, simplest, etc.) way to filter an analog signal is to sample a bunch of times and then average all of the samples together. This will eliminate most outliers and chatter without losing much of the information. From there, the tutorial moves on to programming a running average to help increase the sample time (but consume much more memory). Finally, [Paul] takes a look at exponential filters, which are recursive, use less memory, and can be tweaked to respond to changes in different ways.
[Paul] discusses all of the perks and downsides of each method and provides examples for each as well. It’s worth checking out, whether you’re a seasoned veteran who might glean some nuance or you’re a beginner who hasn’t even encountered this problem yet. And if you’re still working on debouncing a digital input, we have you covered there, too.A network of underworld figures and associates have used a licensed finance business as a front to run a loan sharking operation that charges desperate borrowers interest rates of up to 792 per cent.
The firm, Capital One Securities, is owned and run by former bankrupt Tom Karas, who was accused by the Purana anti-gangland taskforce of laundering criminal proceeds on behalf of the Mokbel drug empire.
Illustration: Matt Golding.
Karas' control of the company seems to be in contravention of finance industry regulations, which could now be the subject of a review by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
Despite links to organised crime and a history of financial impropriety, Karas was granted a national credit licence by ASIC in 2011 after being deemed ''fit and proper''.I think the hardest business in the world is that of loving someone.
But it’s inevitable. From the moment we’re born we attach to someone like a plant’s roots wander for water, wrapping ourselves around laughter and friendship and similarities and bonds. People are everything to us.
And how ironic that because of that we experience the greatest joys–and the greatest pain.
During the time that I’ve kept this blog I’ve seen stories that have changed me and I’ve made friends from worlds away who have uplifted me. And I’ve also seen my share of doubts, skepticism, even people struggling with their faith or the reason they’re even alive. I’ve loved people I don’t even know and I’ve teared up over those who have wandered away from a God they once loved. And that was the price of having this blog–of simply being human in general.
So you can say that this letter to you, whoever you are, is a long time coming. I’ve had the title scratched down for a while, almost scared to write it until some members of my own family began the back-stepping, the I-don’t-know-if-this-church-is-for-me journey.
All I want you to really know is that I want you to stay. Even if we don’t know each other at all, even if this is your first time reading my blog and even if you’ll never be back to it–I just want you to know that.
And it’s not for reasons you might think.
While I was on my way to Denver a few weeks ago I was boarding my plane when I saw my stake president sitting a few rows ahead of my seat. We waved and smiled and the whole “Wow it’s a small world” conversation ensued for a minute or two. Then we landed, spent four days with family, and life went on. But as we were headed back to Seattle, lo and behold there he was again on our same plane. But this time, he was sitting right next to us.
I didn’t tell my husband this, but I knew exactly why he was there.
After a bit of small talk he turned more serious.
He asked what our opinions were on how to best convey the difference between the culture and the gospel for members. How do we tell them that the gospel is EVERYTHING–that the Savior lived and died for all of us–that the gospel was restored through Joseph Smith for those of us in THIS time who need that light to get back. How do we explain that?
I was embarrassed to tell him I don’t know. That I’m struggling with seeing people I love doubt something they once believed. It hurts me to see the Savior fade away into some kind of illusion. And I have nothing to help them. I have no idea what to do!
That’s when he turned to Enos 1:9-10 and I realized that the struggle to have those we love remember God extended way back, long before Christ.
“Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them.
And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments.”
“Don’t give up on them,” he finally told me before our plane landed. “They’re worth it, aren’t they?”
And that’s why I write to you today.
It’s not about me being right or having all the answers for you. Because I don’t. It’s not even about you having all the answers in this life. Because you won’t. It’s about you being worth the reward.
You are worth the wrestle because you are worth Heaven.
I remember, almost seven years ago now, learning about the Book of Mormon for the first time, seeing the temple for the first time, feeling the waters of the baptismal font for the first time–and although I didn’t know it all, I knew one thing: It was all true. And that’s how most of us begin. But then over time people offend us. Lessons can hurt us. Things become familiar and the stories not as exciting. Sacrament meeting becomes routine rather than a sacred ordinance and suddenly we go a week, two weeks, three weeks, without getting on our knees. We go a month or two without church.
And we start to wonder if it’s true simply because we’ve stepped far enough away that everything begins to fade and blur in the distance we’ve created.
That will happen to almost all of us. There will be a day when we have to be converted again. But you are worth walking back.
Turning away is a statement that will only hurt yourself. Forgetting where you’ve come from and the journey the Savior took to pick you up out of that place will only plunge your further into the world where almost everyone else lives nowadays, immersed in things that just won’t last.
Let’s talk real here.
You don’t like where you are. It’s confusing there. It’s sad. There are no real answers. But it usually feels safe. Safer than vulnerably putting your soul and heart on the line, safer than maybe not making it with the rest of your family. Safer than trying–only to fail. Right?
I get it.
But you are worth remembering why you came, no matter how long ago. You are worth the kingdom. You are the rightful heir.
I sometimes struggle with missionary work because I don’t want people to think that I just want to be right. I don’t want to seem “judgy” or pushy or God forbid, “holier than thou”. And I struggle because more than anything, I just want those I love and those I don’t even know to feel how it feels to have the comfort of the spirit when someone you love more than anything slips to the others side. I want you to feel how it feels to sincerely repent and feel entirely forgiven. I want you to know how it feels to see a prayer answered and to know exactly why it was. I want you to know how it feels to dress in white and see God in the faces of those who simply believe like you do with a faith that exceeds knowledge.
I want you to get there with me.
And I will wrestle for you and plead for you and believe in you and cry for you. Jesus always tended to care for the 1 lost sheep out of the hundred, and that’s our burden to continue.
Because I love you, whoever you are. You are beautiful. You are SO needed. You are worth it.
And if you don’t hear it from anyone else, I want you to hear it from me.
I want you to stay.In 1902, Bartitsu Club member Captain F.C. Laing wrote an article titled The ‘Bartitsu’ Method of Self-Defence for the Journal of the United Service Institution. Captain Laing’s sequence of set-plays such as “Attacked by a man with a stick in his hand” and “A man without a stick rushes at you with his fist” offers a unique canonical supplement to E.W. Barton-Wright’s Self-Defence with a Walking Stick (1901) and also includes some basic technical drills which B-W did not record. Laing’s article is reproduced in full in the second volume of the Bartitsu Compendium (2008).
Although Captain Laing produced some simple sketch illustrations of basic techniques, most of his sets were only described in a few lines of text. The following is the first of a series of interpretations of Laing’s “Practices”, illustrated using modified photographs from Barton-Wright’s articles, which will appear on this website over the coming weeks.
“1st Practice” #1 is a foundational drill teaching a high strike, guard and riposte.Story highlights Some classrooms are building in time for students to work on passion projects
The projects teach students how to learn from failure, teachers said
Still, "genius hour" can be a tough sell for parents, and even students
When snow days piled up this winter, seventh-grader Emily Born was upset. It wasn't that she always loved school, or that she had a big test coming up and needed her teacher's help. No, the student from Thomas Middle School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, was sad to miss out on her "genius hour."
That's an 80-minute period every Monday during which Emily and her classmates work on projects entirely of their choosing. Over months of study, Emily and her friends have spent their time researching running shoes -- what people prefer and why.
"It's definitely the highlight of my week," says Emily, 12. "It's not a project a teacher assigned, it's something that actually interests you, and it gets you learning in different ways from what we do the rest of the day at school."
Her classroom's "genius hour" was inspired by Google's 20% time initiative, which allows employees to dedicate 20% of working hours to their own ideas. The concept is now catching on in schools, usually rooted in the idea of student-led passion projects with a focus on creating and sharing.
Teachers said it's part of a larger movement in education to promote student-driven learning, ensuring that young people learn to think for themselves. Educators across grade levels are asking students to come up with their own questions, do their own research and form their own conclusions.
Nicholas Provenzano's students at Grosse Pointe South High School in Michigan maintain 20 Time blogs where they post weekly about projects ranging from documenting Detroit, going vegetarian, learning Polish and how to make T-shirts.
The English teacher was inspired by conversations on Twitter, and launched 20 Time this fall after a summer of planning and setting guidelines for students to follow. A key one on his list of "commandments": "Failure IS an option."
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Amid pressure to pass tests and succeed, letting students know that failure is acceptable allows them to take risks, said Provenzano, who documents his experience with 20 Time on his website, " The Nerdy Teacher."
"With genius hour, failure is an acceptable result and the emphasis is in learning from failure. This allows student to push themselves and take risks. Traditional learning environments do not support that approach."
"I asked my students what they liked about this project and the most common response was that they loved the freedom to explore what they are passionate about instead of just doing the work they have been assigned by teachers. That freedom is what motivates them to explore big ideas and take ownership of their learning."
In an era when standardized tests dominate education conversations, it can be tough for teachers to sell administrators, parents and even students on the idea. But there's a lot for students to learn when they have some freedom, teachers said. It's one hour of the week when failure isn't just an option -- it's a learning opportunity.
"It's getting kids to learn on their own and become lifelong learners," said Joy Kirr, Emily Born's teacher in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and a genius hour evangelist. "They're not going to have teachers to help them throughout life. They're going to be on their own."
Selling the idea to parents
Inspired by a talk about design thinking in schools, Kirr began in February 2012 to dedicate one class period each week to student-driven learning.
She didn't give it a name; she simply told students she wanted to try something different to encourage more reading. Instead of assigning books, students would choose their own, and discuss them with the class.
Some students were excited, but others were confused. Two girls actually cried, Kirr said.
"They were so into grades and being told what to do, and they thought quarterly book projects were fine," she said. "All I wanted to do was take fabricated teacher assignments and make them more student-led."
Those weekly open reading session evolved into time for students to work on projects of their own choosing.
"At first, I said, 'Let's just read and share what we read,'" Kirr said. Now she tells them to "read, be inspired by what you read, and act on it," an idea she picked up from Iowa educator Erin Olson
Over time, Kirr said, she recognized the need to build in more structure in order to keep students on task. Now, genius hour includes regular one-on-one conferences, biweekly goal-setting and self-evaluation. Upon completion, students share what they learned in a class presentation. Kirr and a colleague work continuously to make sure the projects meet the school's curriculum standards, especially to make students into better readers, writers, communicators and listeners.
Kirr also learned the importance of educating parents early and often. As unfamiliar as genius hour seemed for kids, it's even less familiar to adults. Kirr reflects on genius hour on her personal blog and celebrates students' progress on her classroom blog.
She includes updates in biweekly emails to parents and offered a detailed explanation during a curriculum night early in the school year.
That's where she sold Emily Born's mother on the idea.
As a mother of three and substitute teacher, Sara Born wondered how her Kirr would manage a room of students working on different projects. But she found Kirr's emphasis on one-on-one conferences reassuring, has seen the follow-through, she said.
"Mrs. Kirr described conferencing with kids, not to tell them what to do but to lead them in right direction, and she has stayed true to that," she said.
Plus, she likes that genius hour is ongoing. Most of the time, students complete assignments and immediately forget about them. Because it's student-driven, they make decisions to pivot on their own.
"Sometimes, the ideas fail and they move on. They have to learn to adapt and I love that," Sara Born said.
On a practical level, her daughter is learning to brainstorm, interview people, write professional letters and collect data -- all with a larger goal than just finishing a worksheet.
Perhaps most significantly, her daughter was "heartbroken" when she had to miss school this year because of snow days.
"How can you not love something that makes your kid enjoy going to school?" she said.
Early on, Emily said it wasn't so easy. She struggled to come up with an idea until she and her friends found themselves discussing which sneaker brands were best. That, they decided, would be the perfect subject to explore on their own.
They searched for an answer online but realized that sneaker preference was a matter of opinion. So, they shifted the focus of their project. They came up with a list of questions and surveyed students. Then, with their teacher's help, they posted an online survey and got students, parents and teachers from other schools to respond.
After a few months of gathering opinions, they hit another wall: What to do next? They decided to put the sneakers through more empirical testing with the help of their science teacher. To get the sneakers, they wrote letters asking for samples from eight brands that had come up in their surveys.
It was intimidating at first, Emily said. Never before had she written a formal letter or called a company to request information.
"It helped me get over fear of talking to someone important," she said. "It's helped me in so many ways."
For one, it has helped her learn to brainstorm and interact with others and have confidence in her own ideas "instead of agreeing with others," she said.
Oh, and, she learned a lot about sneakers: Color and style mean a lot to consumers, she discovered, but comfort, support and function are important
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). Oracle then acquired Sleepycat, creators of the Berkeley DB, a database engine providing the basis for another MySQL storage engine.
Suddenly, in 2008, Sun Microsystems bought MySQL for $1billion; not long after that, Sun was acquired by Oracle, which became the official owner of MySQL.
The MariaDB Seal logo and the MySQL Dolphin “Sakila,” which was chosen from a huge list of names suggested by users in “Name the Dolphin” contest.
MariaDB’s birth
The main author of MySQL definitely didn’t like the idea of Oracle becoming the owner of MySQL.
Consequently, a community-developed fork of the MySQL database source code named MariaDB was created.
According to Monty’s own words at a MySQL & MariaDB conference in Santa Clara on April 2014, MariaDB was born to ensure that a free version of MySQL always exists.
Is MariaDB replacing MySQL?
MariaDB replaces MySQL as the default database in Arch Linux, OpenSUSE, Mageia and other distributions.
It is also evident that the MySQL development process isn’t as open as it once was, which has affected the community’s trust. For example, when Oracle added major new capabilities to MySQL, it was via closed-source extensions which seemed to reinforce the worst fears of those in the open source community who opposed Oracle’s acquisition of MySQL. Oracle also stopped using a public bug tracker and instead switched to an internal system. These actions, among others, are considered examples of Oracle moving away from the open development model that made MySQL successful in the first place.
Are you looking to switch to MariaDB? If so, why? Let us know in the comments.
Will MariaDB replace MySQL in the long run? Monty certainly agrees with that idea. However, as Daniel Bartholomew points out, “the competition between MariaDB and MySQL can only be good.” Indeed, the new release of MariaDB provides major new and quite controversial features aiming to extend MariaDB to be a bridge between SQL and NOSQL. These are MariaDB’s dynamic columns, which represent schema-less data in a way that resembles NoSQL solutions like MongoDB.
Does such a step have a future? Share your opinion with us.Astrophotographers have a tough job, balancing the use of electronics and star-gazing apps with the ability to keep their eyes adjusted for the night sky or the dark ground that surrounds them as they shoot. I have wrapped my phone in red cellophane plenty of times. While some apps (many of which were recently pulled) allowed for changing the bluish cast of your device's screen to something more amber, Apple's iOS 10 update is the first time the company has included a way to make everything on your screen an actual shade of red.
By only using red flashlights and screens, astrophotographers are able to preserve their night vision once their eyes have adjusted, as red light doesn't affect your night-adjusted sight as much as other wavelengths. While this last point is debatable (some recommend other wavelengths of light such as blue or green), the Color Filters feature in the newly released iOS 10 software allows the screen to shift to any color you prefer.
To get there, simply go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Display Accommodations > Color Filters. Turn color filters on, select "Color Tint" toward the bottom and pump the intensity to 100 percent (all the way to the right). Red is conveniently placed at the far right of the "Hue" slider, but you can slide this hue to any color you prefer. When you're ready to turn it off, iOS 10 will remember your most recent settings for the next time you turn Color Filters back on. One thing to note is that iOS sees this only as a local graphics change. For example, screenshots of the screen will still be in their normal colors and not in red.
Also, because this is a software change and not one that requires any specific hardware (other than an iPhone), any iPhone that can run iOS 10 can take advantage of this feature. That means that as of yesterday's release of iOS 10 to the public, the iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, iPhone 5, iPhone SE, sixth-generation iPod Touch, and any newer devices are capable of using Color Filters.
Let us know how this works for you and whether or not you prefer to work with red light (or perhaps a different hue) in the comments below.Image copyright KCNA Image caption Kim Jong-un's personal assets are being targeted by the US draft resolution
The US has proposed a range of new United Nations sanctions against North Korea, including an oil ban and a freeze on leader Kim Jong-un's assets.
The draft resolution circulated to the Security Council members comes after North Korea's sixth nuclear test and repeated missile launches.
Pyongyang also claims to have developed a hydrogen bomb and continues to threaten to strike the US.
China and Russia are both expected to oppose further sanctions.
North Korea is already under highly restrictive sanctions imposed by the UN that are intended to force the leadership to curtail its weapons programmes.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption South Koreans staged protests as US missile defences were installed
In August, a new round of sanctions banned exports including coal, costing North Korea an estimated $1bn (£767m) - about a third of its entire export economy.
But some trade avenues remain open to it.
The draft US proposal calls for a total ban on supplying a range of oil products to North Korea and a ban on its textile export industry.
It also suggests freezing the assets of Mr Kim and the North Korean government, as well as banning him and other senior officials from travelling.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US ambassador Nikki Haley: "Kim Jong-un is begging for war"
North Korean labourers would also be banned from working abroad, principally in Russia's Far East and China.
Remittances from foreign earnings and textile exports are two of the most important remaining sources of income for North Korea.
But it is not clear how China and Russia, which both supply oil to North Korea and wield vetoes at the Security Council, will respond to the US move.
On Thursday, China's foreign minister Wang Yi told reporters that the council should respond further "by taking necessary measures", but did not elaborate.
He added that "sanctions and pressure are only half of the key to resolving the issue. The other half is dialogue and negotiation."
China is both North Korea's and the US's biggest trade partner, and has supported recent sanctions against it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that the amount of oil his country exports to North Korea - some 40,000 tonnes - is negligible.
"It is not worth giving in to emotions and driving North Korea into a corner," he said.
Both China and Russia have been pushing for an alternative solution.
Image copyright KCNA Image caption North Korea's news agency said this photo showed citizens celebrating the latest nuclear test
They are proposing that the US and ally South Korea stop their military drills - which anger the North - and end the deployment of the controversial anti-missile Thaad system in South Korea, in return for Pyongyang ceasing its nuclear and missile programme.
The proposal has been rejected by the US and South Korea.
On Thursday, the South's military announced it had completed the deployment of Thaad, reported Yonhap news agency.
President Moon Jae-in also met with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, where both agreed to push for greater sanctions. Mr Abe called for "the greatest possible pressure" to be put on North Korea.
Image copyright EPA Image caption South Koreans protesting the Thaad deployment have clashed with police
US President Donald Trump had previously warned the US could cut off trade with countries that do business with North Korea.
The US has indicated that if the resolution is not passed when the Security Council meets next Monday it may impose its own sanctions unilaterally.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters on Wednesday night: "We believe that we need to economically cut off North Korea.
"I have an executive order prepared. It's ready to go to the president. It will authorise me to... put sanctions on anybody that does trade with North Korea."
Image copyright Reuters Image caption South Korea's military announced it had deployed the controversial anti-missile Thaad system on Thursday
Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping also discussed North Korea over the phone on Wednesday, where they agreed to "take further action", said a White House statement.
The US president, who has previously threatened a military response to North Korea, told reporters this was was "not our first choice", but did not rule it out.
Mr Trump added: "President Xi would like to do something. We'll see whether or not he can do it. But we will not be putting up with what's happening in North Korea."
Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that Mr Xi called for a "peaceful settlement of the issue" involving "dialogue combined with a set of comprehensive measures".Life lessons from… Epicurus
Words by Scout Boxall
Illustration by Jennifer Choat
Like many Arts students, I aspire to a life of inertial academia – always learning, never doing. Our talents are best spent pondering the immensities of an ambivalent universe, filling out Centrelink forms and ’finding oneself’ on a Contiki tour of the Far East. God forbid we ever acquire some marketable skills—other than a knack for making decidedly mediocre lattés and a propensity to knock over retail displays—and enter the workplace. Third Century BC Greek author and philosopher Epicurus had a word for the ideal student’s condition: ataraxia, the purest form of happiness.
1. Whatever’s up there probably isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
This continues to get Epicurus—and probably this columnist—in hot water. Epicurus tackled the ’god’ problem with brutal materialistic logic. It went something like this. God is good and all-powerful, right? He tends to his flock etc. Now explain why is there evil. Either (A) that being cannot eradicate evil, and is therefore not omnipotent; or (B) he/she/it can eradicate evil but chooses not to, and is therefore not benevolent. It is more likely, Epicurus postured, that the god(s) we worship – if indeed they exist – are unconcerned with us mere mortals. There is no point appeasing a petty deity; just do as you please.
2. Settle for mediocrity.
Take on as little responsibility as possible. You should only do the minimum work required to pass a capstone subject/stay above the poverty line. We should not learn in order to be assessed or have our knowledge quantified, but to enrich our experience of the world around us. Don’t go for that internship for its own sake if you don’t want to do it. Instead, if your passion is restocking corporate kitchens with biscuits and contending with lecherous colleagues, be satisfied as a lowly tea lad(y). Want a qualification? Epicurus recommends a breadth course in the School of Life.
3. You can have too much of a good thing.
To the philanderers, hedonists, and general hooligans; don’t think that this is a moral Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card. Epicurus had the foresight to note that spending your days drug-addled, inebriated, and comatose is not conducive to long-term happiness. Many pleasures contain the seeds of pain. His idea of pleasure was a simple life of philosophical conversation among friends under a tree on South Lawn. What Epicurus wanted was wholesome, clean fun.
4. Avoid politics.
It doesn’t matter which century or continent you’re in, investing in politics is never worth it. There’s no point waiting on the world to change. The hopeless machinations of politics will only leave you anxious and jaded. Don’t bother voting either. Take the fine like a man—with your raw-egg-protein-supplement shake. Better to live in blissful obscurity, Epicurus suggests.
“I was not. I was. I am not. I do not care.”—Epicurus’ badass epitaph.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
In case you’re not already excited for BMW’s upcoming M2, the high-performance, M GmbH–fettled version of the diminutive 2-series coupe, allow us to remind you why you should be giddy. Reports from Auto Express and BMW Blog shed more light on the 2016 M2, including more specific output figures, as well as when we can expect to see the boisterous Bimmer debut.
Auto Express claims that the M2 will be revealed at the 2015 Detroit auto show in January, one year after the base model arrived. We’re okay with that, since it’ll probably be freezing cold here in southeast Michigan—the BMW might just warm things up a little. The British outlet also has pretty convincing evidence that, like its 1-series M coupe predecessor, the M2 will come only with a manual transmission. According to AE, BMW M’s head of product development suggests that the availability of an automatic transmission would potentially steal buyers from the M3/M4 twins and is quick to point out that the 1-series M followed the same formula.
As for what kind of power might be routed through the M2’s manual transmission, well, BMW Blog cites a recent Auto Bild story that specifies 374 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque as being plausible. We agree, since our early speculation on the M2 pegged output at nearly 400 horsepower from a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six. So, are you excited yet? We are.Share
Ask e-cigarette advocates for proof that their battery-powered vice is a safer way to maintain a nicotine addiction, and they’ll likely point you to an August 2013 study (PDF) from Drexel University’s School of Public Health, which found that “exposures from using e-cigarettes fall well below the threshold for concern for compounds with known toxicity.”
E-cigarette opponents will shoot back with a 2009 study from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that found evidence of various carcinogens and other toxins in the vapor of two brands of e-cigarettes – findings that were supported earlier this year in a study out of France.
And those who remain on the fence will all say the same thing: We simply don’t know enough about e-cigarettes to judge their safety one way or another. As the World Health Organization wrote in July, “The potential risks [e-cigarettes] pose for the health of users remain undetermined.”
Overall lung function of those “working close to the fog source” was “significantly lower” than those not exposed to fog.
This is the narrative you’ll hear most often about e-cigarettes – that we just don’t have the science to back up safety claims one way or another. But none of the studies I’ve seen thus far – and I’ve read a whole lot of them – seem to take into consideration a potentially useful body of knowledge: Studies of fog machine “smoke.”
E-cigarettes, you see, are basically mini fog machines. Both work by heating glycols or glycerin to their boiling point, which then produces vapor. (Fog machines also use mineral oils, which are not used in e-cigarette juice.) There are a few significant differences – not the least of which is that e-cigarette juice often contains nicotine while fog machine vapor doesn’t – but the mechanics and chemicals are, at least generally, the same.
Like the safety of e-cigarettes, the health effects of fog machine vapor are matter of contention, especially among theatrical workers who spend much of their work day enveloped in fake “smoke.” However, unlike e-cigarettes, which were reportedly invented in 2003 by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, medical professionals have studied the health effects of fog machine vapor for decades.
The first of these studies was released in 1991 by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which was asked by the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and the League of American Theaters and Producers (now known as The Broadway League) to investigate the effects of fog machine vapor on the health of actors and theatrical workers. NIOSH followed up its study with a revision (PDF) completed in 1994. In both cases, NIOSH found that, despite a high number of theater employees reporting negative respiratory, nasal, and mucous symptoms in questionnaires, there was little objective evidence that fog machine “smoke” cause more than a bit of throat and eye irritation.
The next major study (PDF) of fog machine “smoke” came in 2001 from the Department of Community and Preventative Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and ENVIRONS, an environmental consulting firm. Like the NIOSH studies, the 2001 study was also commissioned by the AEA and the League of American Theaters and Producers. Also like the NIOSH studies, researchers found that inhaling vaporized glycols – like propylene glycol, a primary ingredient in e-cigarette juice – can cause “respiratory irritation, shortness of breath, and coughing.” Due to this, the study made a variety of detailed recommendations for how to monitor the amount of fog machine vapor in a particular space, and prescribed maximum exposure limits.
The primary question remains: If these are the short-term symptoms, what are the long-term consequences?
Perhaps the most recent study investigating the effects of fog machine vapor came in 2005. Conducted by the School of Environment and Health at the University of British Columbia and published by the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, this study focused on theater and other entertainment workers who were exposed to fog machine “smoke.” Unfortunately for the e-cigarette crowd, “acute cough and dry throat” resulted from high exposure to glycol-based vapor, and the overall lung function of those “working close to the fog source” was “significantly lower” than those not exposed to the fog.
As mentioned above, the correlation between the effects of fog machine vapor and e-cigarette vapor is far from perfect. Puffing on an e-cig is going to expose you to quite a bit more vapor than just being in a room with a fog machine running. On the flip side, fog machine smoke often uses chemicals that aren’t approved for human consumption, while e-cigarette liquid is often made of food-grade propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin.
What we can take from these studies, however, is that e-cigarettes will likely not be consequence-free. Coughing, dry throat, headaches, dizziness – all of these symptoms have been found among those exposed to high amounts of fog machine vapor, and e-cigarette users will privately report similar danger signs. (For the record, I’m one of them.) Still, fog machines haven’t been banned – a move some regulators would like to take with e-cigs.
At the end of the day, the primary question remains: If these are the short-term symptoms, what are the long-term consequences? That, unfortunately, remains to be seen, heard, or felt.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not reflect the beliefs of Digital Trends.Since earning her doctorate in international relations from Oxford University, Claire Berlinski has lived and worked in Britain, Thailand, Laos, Turkey and now France as a journalist, academic, editor, translator and freelance writer. She is the author of Menace in Europe: Why the Continent's Crisis is America's, Too and There is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters. She has also written two spy novels. Her writing has been published in publications including the Wall Street Journal, Th… [more]
As you know, yesterday the United States embassy in Syria was attacked. Embassies and naval vessels throughout the world are by longstanding tradition considered representations of their nations. Article 31 of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations formalizes this sentiment:
3. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of this article, the receiving State is under a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the consular premises against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the consular post or impairment of its dignity.
We are not dealing with a situation in which the government of Syria merely failed to prevent this; there is no way it was not planned and authorized by Assad. Meanwhile, Syrian envoys in the United States have flagrantly been using their diplomatic status to spy on American citizens:
The State Department is investigating charges that Syrian diplomats are spying on Syrian anti-government demonstrators in Washington and other U.S. cities in order to intimidate their relatives in the restive Middle Eastern nation.
(Note to Washington Times’ copy-editors: “The restive Middle Eastern nation?”)
So, why can’t we say, “What’s happening in Syria’s terrible, but it’s not our business. Just one of those eternal hellholes. Leave the place alone?”
Let me spell out the big picture. Iran is blatantly killing US troops in Iraq and blazing forward with its nuclear weapons development program. It has the region cowed. Assad is allied with Iran. This axis has gobbled up Lebanon and poses a major threat to every other country in this region. To describe the Middle East as “volatile” right now is like describing the Manson family as “frisky.” Hezbollah–the external shock troops of the Iran-Syria axis–is on the southern border of the US.
As General Eisenhower remarked in 1951, and as every rational strategist has always acknowledged, “As far as the sheer value of the territory is concerned, there is no more strategically important area in the world than the Middle East.” The region borders Europe, Asia and Africa; it is bound by the by the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Black Sea and the Caspian. By land, sea and air the region links communications between Western and Eastern Europe, East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Far East. and Australasia. The Suez Canal is the shortest shipping route between Western Europe and Asia and the major supply route for the transport of Persian Gulf oil to Western Europe. The Gulf area houses the world’s largest known oil reserves. Right now the whole world–not just the United States–depends upon this oil. The Left tends to forget that developing countries in particular would be crippled instantly by any interruption of those supplies.
The United States has far more than a limited economic interest in preventing an extremely hostile power from becoming the region’s hegemon. If that happens, it means lights out–and not only for America.
Someone will say “The answer is energy independence.” It’s not–notice the part about the geography of this region and its shipping lanes–but even if it were, “energy independence” is right now a fantasy, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. This is happening today. And “independence” is economically meaningless unless it is energy that costs less than energy purchased overseas. I don’t think I need to spell out why.
The only world in which this is “not our business” is one in which we’ve embraced economic autarky. We’ve withdrawn from global trade and commerce, including but not limited at all to purchasing energy from this region. (Energy: “the stuff that keeps the lights on.”) We’ve put up a million-mile high border fence. No one leaves, no one comes in.
If you’re proposing that will work, I’d like to hear one example from history of a country embracing that policy to a happy end.
We have an overwhelming national interest in these developments, which happens to coincide with an overwhelming moral interest. Assad is not a force for regional stability, he’s a time-bomb. And for some reason, we’ve chosen to approach his regime with the most appalling unseriousness and fantasy-mindedness I think I’ve ever witnessed.
Clinton at last said yesterday that the regime had lost its legitimacy. It took an attack on the US Embassy to prompt her to say that. The length of time and the extremity of the provocation required even for us to say that signals to everyone in the region that we’re credulous, unprincipled bozos–not to put too fine a point on it.
No one in his or her right mind thinks we should “attack Syria.” That’s not an option, though every planner in our government needs to be working around the clock to figure out what the military options are if Syria attacks one of its neighbors, which dying regimes often do. But some things are obvious: We take a stand that at least hints that we know what we’re dealing with.
Expel the Syrian ambassador. Kick out the entire Syrian embassy staff–no diplomatic relations. Withdraw our ambassador. Get American citizens out of that country: How long do you think it will be before we have a hostage crisis that limits our options even further? Mobilize a complete European boycott of the regime: I suspect the French are convinced. No more phone calls to Assad. No more visits. No recognition. International pariah status. Freeze every asset we can freeze. Use the ICC. Put public pressure on the Arab League–make it clear who’s propping him up. Stop, completely, with the fantasy rhetoric about reform–it won’t happen, and the language signals that we are living in an alternate reality. Stop saying that military intervention is not on the table: Don’t tip your hand, for God’s sake. Let Assad worry about what we might do. Go to the Security Council: If the Russians and the Chinese veto a resolution, at least the Syrian people will see who’s really backing Assad.
Here’s our real-world goal: To visibly distance ourselves from the Assad regime in every conceivable diplomatic, economic and rhetorical way we can, support the opposition in every conceivable diplomatic, economic and rhetorical way we can, and to leave the world wondering whether we just might be crazy enough to rain destruction on the presidential palace.
Right now, the IHH is leading the way in providing assistance to the Syrian opposition. Not us. Turkey is hosting the conferences for the opposition, not us. I’m sure the logic is, “We should keep a low profile, let Assad get angry at Turkey, not us. It’s not in our interest to look involved.” I’ve got an important tip for people who think this: People in this region are not stupid. We look involved already. We just look like we’re fools at best, on the wrong side at worst.Editor’s note: Dan Schawbel is the managing partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and management consulting firm. He is also the #1 international bestselling author of Me 2.0 and was named to the Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30 list in 2010. Subscribe to his updates at Facebook.com/DanSchawbel.
More and more students are realizing that they can’t pass their degree in for a job upon graduation anymore. The old promise made by our education system was that if you worked really hard in school, you would be almost guaranteed a job as a reward for your efforts. Furthermore, corporations used to hire most of their interns into full-time positions. Both of these promises have been broken due to economic constraints and global competition. Based on a recent report by my company, we found that employers expect students to have at least one internship, yet only half of them are bringing on new interns and few have hired them into full-time positions. The normal path to growing your career is non-existent. In today’s world, you can’t rely on anything or anyone to make you successful – you have to be accountable for your own career and create your own path.
Students are stressed out because there are few paid internships and it’s even hard to get unpaid ones. To me, the solution to this mess is clear: Students who can’t get internships should start a small business or a side project, both of which can act as an internship. If the business fails, they still learn something and have experience on their resume. If the business is successful, they don’t have to worry about getting a full-time job upon graduation. Instead of sending resumes, praying and begging your friends, you can do things your way. Years ago, it would be rare for a student to have entrepreneurship experience on their resume because the cost of starting a business was so high and because they didn’t have the resources or expertise to pull it off. Times
have changed!
Now, hundreds of colleges offer entrepreneurship courses and employers are starting to understand the importance of that type of education. In our research, we found that some employers are actually looking for students with entrepreneurship experience when hiring for entry-level positions. Why do you think? Well, it’s because students who have an entrepreneurial mindset are accountable for their own actions, aggressive and know how to execute. They also have the communication and sales skills that are necessary to be successful in business today. Smart companies fully understand that if they don’t innovate, they won’t exist in the future. By recruiting young entrepreneurs, they bring new perspectives and youthful ideas into the workplace.
When speaking to employers about this phenomenon, some of the top executives said that they would rather hire a student with entrepreneurship experience over a student that had five internships. Entrepreneurs naturally develop soft skills, such as communication skills and teamwork skills that employers are desperately looking for right now as they scout to find the next generation of leaders at their companies. If you’re a student right now, make it your mission to take your career into your own hands and start a project or small business, whether you’re selling clothes on eBay, selling products to fellow students or you come up with the next big Facebook idea. Employers don’t care if it succeeds or fails, just that you gave it a shot and learned something from it. If you want to graduate with a job, then you better brush up your entrepreneurship skills today – your future depends on it!When a baseball trade happens, it’s common practice for folks to want a winner or a loser anointed right away. It’s only natural to desire an instant verdict, to immediately express an opinion. Truth is, it’s impossible to declare a winner or loser on the day of a trade. It might be impossible to do so until the careers of every player involved are finished. It might even take longer than that. It sure looks like the Blue Jays are going to win the Josh Donaldson trade, but what if Franklin Barreto turns into a Hall of Famer?
The expected deal between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs is different. There’s external factors we don’t typically have to figure into a trade evaluation. Aroldis Chapman is likely heading to the Cubs. Some prospects will be going back to the Yankees, including a really good one. It’s interesting, strictly from a baseball perspective. Strictly from a baseball perspective, we won’t know who will have won or lost this trade for more than a decade. But this is one of those rare times when you can rightfully declare a winner or loser on the day of the trade, if inclined.
Aroldis Chapman’s been accused of choking a woman and firing eight shots in the garage of his home, for which he was suspended 30 games. I’ve since heard folks refer to him as a monster. You’d be hard-pressed to argue with that description if the police report is accurate. We enjoy sports because they provide us a necessary diversion from the terrors of the world and the tedium of daily life. It becomes harder to glean pleasure from the diversion when the diversion and the terrors begin to intertwine. The Chicago Cubs had a young man in their organization who, as far as we can tell, is an upstanding citizen with a bright future ahead of him, personally and professionally. They seem, in this case, to prefer the troubled man with the dark history. You could say the Cubs already lost this trade.
I know this is FanGraphs. I know you came here for baseball analysis. This is supposed to be the diversion from your favorite diversion. We’re getting to that. The real-life stuff is just so much more important, and it needs to be discussed. Front and center.
It’s difficult to transition back into the trivial stuff. Feels dirty. But that’s what you came here for. This is the best I can do.
Despite a month of mediocrity, the Cubs still look like the best team in baseball. They’ve got the most wins, the most expected future wins, and a run differential that sticks its tongue out while pointing and laughing at the rest of the run differentials. Despite a recent winning streak, the Yankees still look like an obvious seller. They’ve got worse than a one-in-10 shot of making the postseason with an aging roster that still features some intriguing soon-to-be free agents. Baseball-wise, Chapman is one of those intriguing soon-to-be free agents.
The Cubs certainly don’t have much need for upgrades in the position-player department, and the rotation moving forward still looks about as good as they come. That leaves the bullpen as the remaining area where the Cubs could meaningfully improve their odds of winning a World Series, and that’s what the trade deadline is all about, after all. You can’t say, if the deal for Chapman becomes official, that the Cubs aren’t more likely to win the World Series today than they were yesterday. They would have added one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. Maybe the best. The best team would be getting better.
The questions are: how much better? How much would those odds go up? And at what cost?
The cost sure looks hefty. Gleyber Torres is the big piece included in the deal. Torres is a 19-year-old out of Venezuela, a shortstop by trade with the tools to stick. Baseball America recently called him the 27th-overall prospect in the game. He’s a prospect chip likely worth somewhere around $50 million in surplus value. Chapman will throw 20 or 30 innings for the Cubs and hit the open market without draft-pick compensation.
When I speculated on the possibility of a complete Yankees teardown last week, I considered Torres as a potential starting point for an Andrew Miller trade, figuring Chapman’s value as a rental was too limited to command a prospect of Torres’ caliber. Once again, it appears as thought the anticipated market for an elite reliever was undersold. I used the Miller trade between Baltimore and Boston at the 2014 trade deadline as my baseline for a Chapman return. Miller was an impending free-agent left-handed reliever with a 44 FIP- and no off-field baggage. Chapman is currently an impending free-agent left-handed reliever with a 46 FIP- and his history. And, granted, a longer track record supporting his on-field performance.
Miller cost Baltimore Eduardo Rodriguez, BA’s No. 67 overall prospect, and at the time, it seemed like an overpay. We were surprised by that Miller return, and Chapman just cost far more than that. Maybe Torres’ age and distance from the majors somewhat suppresses his trade value relative to this prospect value, but Torres isn’t even the only piece heading out. It’s still a shocking return. We were surprised at what the Padres got for Craig Kimbrel this offseason. At what the Phillies recently received for Ken Giles. Hell, even at what Mike Montgomery just netted the Mariners. Safe to say, there’s a sizable gap between the public’s valuation of elite relief arms and the industry’s valuation. We’ve known this. Thing is, the gap seems to continue growing.
The Yankees are on the verge of turning a quartet of essentially non-prospects from seven months ago into one of the most valuable young assets in the prospect world in Torres, a pitcher who’s had success for them in the past in Adam Warren, another legitimate major league prospect in Billy McKinney, and more. You can read Eric Longenhagen’s scouting reports on all the prospects involved right here.
It looks like the kind of return we might’ve expected for two-and-a-half reasonably priced years of Miller. It’s the kind of return that forces us to once again re-evaluate our perception of a reliever’s trade value. The kind of return that forces a club like the Royals to think long and hard about selling what they’ve got at the back-end of their bullpen, and has to make the Yankees wonder what they could get for their lefty with real trade value. Even considering the possibility of the suspension that loomed over Chapman and suppressed his trade value in the offseason, the difference between what it cost the Yankees to acquire Chapman and what they’re about to receive for him is both staggering and puzzling.
As for the Cubs, they’re about to get what they need to increase their odds of winning a World Series in 2016 for a price they evidently feel comfortable paying. Chapman’s a truly dominant force, pitching with a new style that’s seen him cut his walk rate nearly in half. Between Chapman and Hector Rondon, the Cubs would have the best one-two punch of relievers of any playoff-bound team. They only had two reliable options in the bullpen — Rondon and Pedro Strop — and now they’d get a third. Doesn’t get much more reliable on the mound than Chapman. The Cubs are only asking six innings from their starters in the postseason, now. In a perfect world, they’d require a total of seven pitchers per playoff series — all remarkable arms. It doesn’t matter that the Cubs already had the highest World Series odds. They wanted the odds to be better, and now they will be.
It’s probably not worth worrying about the fact that Torres is a shortstop while the Yankees already have Didi Gregorius and Jorge Mateo, just as it’s illogical to consider Torres more expendable to the Cubs due to the presence of Addison Russell and Javier Baez. Torres’ value is Torres’ value regardless of his environment, and that value is sky-high. It’s not a problem that the Astros have both Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa. It’s not a problem that the Rangers have Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor, and Jurickson Profar. The Cubs are glad to have Baez around even with Russell. None of Gregorius, Mateo, or Torres are sure things. If any of those three fail for whatever reason, the club will be glad to have the others. If all succeed, the Yankees either have three excellent infielders or an immensely valuable trade piece to patch another hole. Regardless of circumstance, adding a Gleyber Torres to your farm system can only help it, just as adding an Aroldis Chapman to your bullpen can only do the same in the quest for a World Series.
This whole deal boils down to several interesting discussions regarding differences in perception. The perception between future value for a club with a wide-open window and present value for that same club with a 107-year World Series drought. Perception regarding allocation of resources and the value of an elite reliever. Perception regarding the cost for marginal upgrades in unpredictable, short-series playoff baseball. Perception regarding the value of talent vs. character. It’s a lot to unpack. Probably more than any one person can handle.Republican Matt Bevin, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) tea party primary challenger, spoke at a cockfighting rally which he said he thought was an event advocating more general states rights.
On Bevin’s campaign itinerary he listed a Saturday morning event at The Arena in Corbin, Kentucky as a “states rights rally.” But according to organizers, the event was very clearly a pro-cockfighting event.
“I was the first person to speak and then I left,” Bevin said according to the News Journal of
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elt of fresh grass.There was a flash of fear in Chiara Lovecchio's eyes as she stole a glance at the house next door.
The six-year-old believes the bogeyman lives there. Sure, it's just a child's imagination, but her grandfather said he's scared too.
Leo Lovecchio thought it's only a matter of time until 27 Brownville Avenue burns down, or that the animals living in the house will make his family and the kids who roam freely in the neighbourhood sick.
Neighbours say police and city bylaw officers have visited the property near Black Creek Drive and Weston Road for a decade. Recently, they've made some headway.
Lovecchio watched the city remove two huge dumpsters full of waste in March, although there's little to show for all that work.
The neglect clings to it more firmly than any of the nails, boards and shingles. A padlocked rusted fence in the front yard lines the property and the house can barely be seen through vegetation. The rotten wooden roofline has splayed and warped, and part of the roof has caved in.
The house is uninhabited. But there's a twist. The property isn't. The homeowner isn't allowed inside his own house anymore, so he lives in the back yard.
"The raccoons live inside. So he lives in a tent. You want to see the tent?" Lovecchio asked. Sure enough, from Lovecchio's back yard it's easy to see the large black tent.
Decade-old problem
The city says it can bar entry to properties if a structure is in an unsafe condition.
"It's one of those situations where we're concerned about the property as much as we're concerned about the person," said Joe Magalhaes, a manager with the city's Municipal Licensing and Standards department.
Magalhaes says even though the city has done some clean up, the homeowner — or anyone else — shouldn't be there. Getting the owner to accept that is another matter, he says.
"So in cases like that we engage Toronto Public Health and shelter support and housing and other city divisions and agencies to assist the individual while we're looking after the property."
Attempts to contact the owner in the back yard of the property went unanswered.
Toronto Building has closed its most recent file that was securing the property.
Magalhaes said that department has the lead for any future investigations and it will become involved again if the owner continues to live on the property.
Lovecchio added, "The city told me if he doesn't do something about it, we'll do something about it."
Magalhaes said his department first started fielding complaints about the property last September.
But the local councilor's office said the city has been addressing problems at this property since 2005.
Jennifer Cicchelli, Coun. Frances Nunziata's executive assistant, wouldn't share specifics, but said a number of city divisions, including the Toronto Building department, became involved "to deal with its condition and the housing structure itself" as recently as January.
Junction trouble
The Brownville property is an extreme example of some of the abandoned homes that CBC News visited after getting several responses to a report on a problem house at 441 Pacific Avenue in the Junction area.
The owner of 441 Pacific Avenue, CBC News has learned, also owns another dilapidated home nearby, at 58 Laws Street. The home, which has been abandoned for about a decade, was secured by the city in the last couple of months.
Other licensing investigation requests date back to July 2014. Neighbours said before securing the porch, children would drop their backpacks inside the decrepit space as they played outside.
There are tax arrears, repair and maintenance costs owed on the property.
The city couldn't provide estimate for how many such abandoned homes exist in Toronto, but a common theme among the properties investigated by CBC News is the lengthy, cumbersome and frustrating process when it comes to dealing with them.
Waste, mail accumulate
Consider the home at 197 Boulton Avenue in Riverdale.
It looks unremarkable from the curb. But from his vantage point on the sidewalk, general contractor Jason Forsyth noticed problems with the roof, porch and eavestrough. And he believes those problems could spell trouble for the owner of the adjoining home.
"Because he's attached he's going to have his roof destroyed, his veranda destroyed," said Forsyth, speaking of the owner of the neighbouring home at 195 Boulton Avenue. "It's wrecking his side."
James Owen and his partner bought the property at 195 Boulton Avenue a year ago and didn't know the house attached was empty. Neighbours have told him it's been that way for about five years.
Owen said they noticed waste and mail accumulating. They could see deadfall in their neighbour's backyard. Another neighbour told them that was from an ice storm two years ago.
Homeowners on the street work together to cut the lawn and collect waste and accumulated mail. They don't want to telegraph to vandals or thieves that it's abandoned.
An emergency order notice dated April 2015 from the water meter program hangs on the front door, and there's another emergency order notice dated December 2014.
Neighbours also say the original owner died.
The name and address on that notice is for a Power of Attorney who lives in Ottawa.
Owen and his partner have done their own sleuthing. He said their extensive searches to find the P.O.A. were unsuccessful.
Nerve-wracking situation
Moreover, CBC News found an obituary for a woman who died unexpectedly at 54, with the same name as the legally-appointed agent.
CBC News also contacted someone with the same last name in Ottawa who told CBC they were unrelated to the power of attorney and that a year ago they received a similar inquiry.
A spokeswoman for local Coun. Paula Fletcher said there was an issue with a broken window and wildlife.
MLS fixed it and applied charges, as it would in any of these cases, to property taxes.
Owen called the situation nerve-wracking.
"I've had a little bit of contact with the city inspector. And we've had some discussion back and forth but there hasn't been a lot of follow-up," he said.
Often the city relies on proactive residents to call 311 about problems, said Magalhaes, acknowledging the process could take months or even years.
In drastic cases the city could take possession of the house for sale but he said, "we're not in the business of 'dehousing' and we want to find other options."
Toronto council will consider changing bylaws in the fall to reduce the length of time the city requires to act when there's an abandoned property.
Meanwhile, in Regal Heights
One case that the city has been able to resolve involves a home at 16 Lauder Avenue near St. Clair Avenue West and Dufferin Street.
The area is known as Regal Heights, one where houses routinely sell for millions. The home, a grand dame located on one of the most coveted streets in the in the area, has been unoccupied for an estimated 15 years.
The brick structure looks solid and there are stained glass windows still intact. But any wood on the house has sunlight shining through, and neighbours said the city was already involved in tearing down a chimney, an unsafe garage and sunroom as well as yard maintenance.
Briged Higgins lives next door and knows the owners who she didn't want to identify. She said the property "became too much for the owners to deal with it. So I guess they moved on to another property and shut the door on it."
She says families of lumbering raccoons have lived in the century-old house for years.
One of the owners has died since and another has been difficult to locate, she said.
"There's a certain amount of civic responsibility. You know it doesn't have to have a manicured lawn. It doesn't have to be painted well. It doesn't have to have one kind of veranda but it does have to have a minimum standard of upkeep," Higgins added.
MLS had investigation requests from October 2011, with the latest being issued this June. But the city recently tracked down the homeowner, who it says is now complying with requests.
"We'll get to a point where if we feel they're dragging their feet, the city has the authority under the bylaws to undertake the work and that's what we'll do," Magalhaes said.
CBC News has been unable to make contact with the person named on the violation notices posted at the home.The shearers will be sentenced at the end of March.
Australia's peak shearing body says animal cruelty cases heard in western Victoria this week have forever changed the industry.
Four men pleaded guilty to a combined total of 60 animal cruelty charges in the Horsham Magistrates Court on Monday.
Evidence against the shearers included hidden camera footage obtained by animal rights group PETA.
A packed court room was shown videos of sheep being repeatedly punched in the face, beaten with shearing handpieces, gouged in the eyes sockets, lifted and slammed to the ground and stomped on by shearers.
Many of the animals were seen stumbling away bleeding from the eyes, nose and mouth.
Shearing Contractors Association of Australia secretary Jason Letchford said the footage was an embarrassment for the industry.
"We're all shocked, upset and embarrassed as an industry. It's been a wake-up call," he said.
Mr Letchford said industry bodies had been working together to improve industry standards since the footage was published.
"None of us from wool growers to shearing contractors to the union are sitting around thinking it's just a case of mongrel shearers doing a mongrel job," Mr Letchford said.
"It's all of us that need to pull up our socks and head towards a zero tolerance policy."
Long-term problem in industry
Witness for the defence and wool producer Tom Silcock said historically, the Australian wool industry had seen sheep being abused for a long time.
The case began in 2013 when two people fitted with video cameras obtained work as roustabouts in shearing sheds in locations including Rupanyup, Nurrabiel and Moyston, and documented what they described as cruel shearing practices.
The footage was posted online by PETA, prompting Agriculture Victoria to launch a full-scale investigation.
In a statement, PETA said justice was finally coming to shearing sheds around Australia, and that violent abuse should be met with maximum penalties, starting with a ban on being in charge of farmed animals.
The Agriculture Victoria investigation resulted in a number of shearers being referred for prosecution.
In December, a 60-year-old Lucindale man was the first to be successfully prosecuted.
Authorities will continue to prosecute abusers
Victoria's senior veterinary officer Robert Suter said as much as animal activists were "a thorn in everyone's side", their work had resulted in positive outcomes for animal welfare.
Dr Suter warned authorities would continue to prosecute people in the sheep industry who abused animals.
"This is a reminder to everyone that allegations into cruelty will be investigated," Dr Suter said.
This week's cases included Natimuk man Bradley James Arnold, 39, Horsham man Jake Lachlan Williams, 23, Keith man Graham Ivan Batson, 49, and Hamilton man Lindsay David Gillin, 61.
Magistrate Mark Stratmann said the men's behaviour was "confronting, offensive and very serious".
"It offends community standards to treat animals this way," he said.
The men will return to the Horsham Magistrates' Court on March 31 for sentencing.LOS ANGELES — A 42-year-old skydiver with more than 18,000 jumps made history Saturday when he became the first person to leap without a parachute and land in a net instead.
After a two-minute freefall, Luke Aikins landed dead center in the 100-by-100-foot net at the Big Sky movie ranch on the outskirts of Simi Valley.
As cheers erupted, Aikins quickly climbed out, walked over and hugged his wife, Monica, who had been watching from the ground with their 4-year-old son, Logan, and other family members.
"I'm almost levitating, it's incredible," the jubilant skydiver said, raising his hands over his head as his wife held their son, who dozed in her arms.
"This thing just happened! I can't even get the words out of my mouth," he added as he thanked the dozens of crew members who spent two years helping him prepare for the jump, including those who assembled the fishing trawler-like net and made sure it really worked.
Skydiver Luke Aikins celebrates with son Logan after jumping 25,000 feet from an airplane without a parachute or wing suit as part of 'Stride Gum Presets Heaven Sent' on July 30, 2016 in Simi Valley, California. Image: Getty Images for Stride Gum
The stunt, broadcast live on the Fox network for the TV special "Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent," nearly didn't come off as planned when Aikins revealed just before climbing into his plane that the Screen Actors Guild had ordered him to wear a parachute to ensure his safety.
Aikins didn't say what prompted the original restriction, and representatives for the show and the Screen Actors Guild did not immediately respond to phone and email messages.
Aikins said he considered pulling out at that point because having the parachute canister on his back would make his landing in the net far more dangerous. If he had to wear it he said he wouldn't bother to pull the ripcord anyway.
"I'm going all the way to the net, no question about it," he said from the plane. "I'll just have to deal with the consequences when I land of wearing the parachute on my back and what it's going to do to my body."
A few minutes before the jump one of the show's hosts said the requirement had been lifted. Aikins left the plane without the chute.
Skydiver Luke Aikins (R) lands safely after jumping 25,000 feet from an airplane without a parachute or wing suit as part of 'Stride Gum Presets Heaven Sent' on July 30, 2016 in Simi Valley, California. Image: Getty Images for Stride Gum
He jumped with three other skydivers, each wearing parachutes. One had a camera, another trailed smoke so people on the ground could follow his descent and the third took an oxygen canister he handed off after they got to an altitude where it was no longer needed.
Then the others opened their parachutes and left him on his own.
Aikins admitted before the jump he was nervous and his mother said she was one family member who wouldn't watch.
When his friend Chris Talley came up with the idea two years ago, Aikins acknowledged he turned it down cold.
"I kind of laugh and I say, 'Ok, that's great. I'll help you find somebody to do it,'" he told The Associated Press as he trained for the jump last week.
Skydiver Luke Aikins lands safely after jumping 25,000 feet from an airplane without a parachute or wing suit as part of 'Stride Gum Presets Heaven Sent' on July 30, 2016 in Simi Valley, California. Image: Getty Images for Stride Gum
A couple of weeks after Talley made his proposal Aikins called back and said he would do it. He'd been the backup jumper in 2012 when Felix Baumgartner became the first skydiver to break the speed of sound during a jump from 24 miles above Earth.
The 42-year-old daredevil made his first tandem jump when he was 12, following with his first solo leap four years later. He's been racking them up at several hundred a year ever since.
His father and grandfather were skydivers, and his wife has made 2,000 jumps. His family owns Skydive Kapowsin near Tacoma, Washington.
Aikins is also a safety and training adviser for the United States Parachute Association and is certified to teach both students and skydiving instructors. His business Para Tactics provides skydiving training to Navy Seals and other members of elite fighting forces.The cuddly dogs we all love are back for one last session this semester Tuesday and Wednesday, from 12 to 1 p.m., outside Moffitt Library.
This isn’t just a rare occurrence during dead week. Every semester, on the first Tuesday of the month, the UHS Tang Center arranges a Pet Hug event with Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation. According to the UHS website, studies show interaction with companion animals lowers blood pressure and reduces anxiety (which is something we all need).
Even if you haven’t started stressing about finals yet, Pet Hug is a great way to get some love and add some variety to what we’re sure is going to be a long week ahead of you. If you’re still not convinced, just take a look at some of these adorable dogs:
Image source: Be Well @ CalHere’s something interesting from Google’s parent company, Alphabet: Its experimental balloon-based initiative to bring internet connectivity to remote parts of the world, called Project Loon, was spotted flying balloons over Yellowstone National Park last week.
Here’s a snapshot of a flight map. The red balloon is Loon.
Seems Google is testing its LTE loon balloons over Yellowstone National Park, a place usually devoid of connectivity https://t.co/mPT1LUeXuw pic.twitter.com/UJQSHv7ufC — Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 23, 2016
Loon is a project of Google’s moonshot division, X, formerly called Google X, now a separate business under the Alphabet umbrella.
While Google has been testing these balloons in the U.S. for the past two years — they have a test site in Winnemucca, Nev. — this is one of the rare times they’ve actually been spotted by a human being. Or at least, spotted and tweeted.
The balloons generally hover around 55,000-70,000 feet in the air, which is too high to see with a naked eye. They have been spotted as far away as Wichita, Kan., a full 1,377 miles from the test site. Yellowstone is 610 miles north of Winnemucca.
Loon shared the story of its 98-day flight over Peru earlier this month.
It makes sense that Google wants to get more people online — because if you’re on the internet, you probably use Google. And when people use Google, the company can collect data and serve ads.
Internet providers generally won’t lay cables in places where there aren’t enough potential subscribers to make it profitable, keeping a lot of the world offline. As for whether Loon will be cheaper than building infrastructure in remote areas remains to be seen.
If you want to check where Loon balloons are flying right now, take a look at a flight radar map and search for the call sign HBAL.
Correction: This article previously stated that Alphabet has been spending more than $1 billion on Loon. That figure, from a 2014 WSJ article, referred to Google’s spending plans for a satellite-based internet project.It must be ultrasonic month here at Seattle Food Geek headquarters, ‘cause I’ve got another high-frequency food hack. I recently bought an ultrasonic mist generator to use as a humidifier for a meat curing chamber I’m working on. These little devices emit ultrasonic waves (around 20KHz) which cause the surrounding water to cavitate into a very fine mist without raising the water temperature. Since the mist is so fine (about 1 micron) and is instantaneous and low-temperature, I thought it might be a great way to disperse aromatics around a food or beverage. I ran a few experiments to see if it would turn alcohol into mist, but unfortunately most of the results were very poor.
Rum did bupkis. Whiskey gin were the same. Dry vermouth produced a small amount of mist, and absinthe on it’s own produced a decent fog. However, since Absinthe is meant to be consumed with added water anyway, the cocktail you see above was the best result I achieved in my limited testing. From what little I can gather, I think the mist generator relies on a relationship between the frequency of the emitted ultrasonic wave and the speed with which sound travels through water in order to produce the mist. Sound waves will move at different speeds in liquids with different densities, so perhaps tweaking frequency of the transducer would allow me to directly mist other liquids. Just a theory.
The mist generator has a ring of garish, color-changing LED lights built in – this is not part of the intended effect. However, the mist produced above the drink does add something nice to the act of drinking it; the aromatics of the absinthe are amplified by becoming airborne, so you get a pleasant hit of anise aroma before you make contact with the drink. I think there’s potential to this technique, but until I can make mists out of whatever liquid I want, and without having to submerge a plastic doodad in your cocktail, I’ll consider this to be a “promising prototype.”This isn’t my contribution to the Hot Take-a-Thon, but it might qualify as a hot take nonetheless:
PNC Arena is just fine where it is, and the Carolina Hurricanes don’t need to play in downtown Raleigh to be successful.
Like plenty of other sports fans in the Triangle, I was excited to see the the plans unveiled Wednesday for a new soccer-specific stadium at the north end of downtown Raleigh that, if built, will serve as the home ground for North Carolina FC and the North Carolina Courage, and hopefully springboard NCFC’s entry into Major League Soccer. It would be a great addition to a long-neglected part of downtown, but almost as soon as the location was revealed the buckets of cold water began filling up:
The proposed stadium site is on state government land, meaning the General Assembly would need to sign off on any sale or lease agreement. They were given the plan on Tuesday, one day before it was revealed to the public. Given that half the time the General Assembly can’t agree on what day it is, getting them to eagerly jump at this proposal seems hopelessly naive.
And, to that end, it took all of a day before Charlotte legislators started harrumphing about how the NCGA shouldn’t give Charlotte the shaft in favor of helping Raleigh. Never change, North Carolina politics.
The plan requires demolishing multiple state government buildings, including the monolith known as the Archdale Building. This was a priority under the McCrory administration, but has seen very little momentum since Gov. Roy Cooper took office.
The location of the stadium would require significant infrastructure investment from the city of Raleigh, which would have no control over the plan (since the city cannot control planning on state property) but has its own idea for where a theoretical sports facility should go: on the other side of downtown. Oh.
Which brings us to the Hurricanes and the regular lamenting that the team plays in a nondescript arena in the suburbs with no character and little scenery other than an expansive parking lot.
All of which is true. But it’s still the right place for the Hurricanes.
Please recall why PNC Arena is where it is in the first place. It was in the cards years before the Canes left Hartford, as an arena for N.C. State basketball. When the Hurricanes entered the picture, they contributed more than a third of the cost of the arena, mostly to get it up to the standards required of an NHL facility. But by the time they came to the table, the location was already set: next door to Carter-Finley Stadium, on state land, in an area where N.C. State already had plenty of property available to it.
Putting an N.C. State arena downtown was always a pipe dream, especially in the mid 1990s when downtown Raleigh was, to be kind, a barren wasteland. A quarter of the city’s population has moved here in the eleven years since Fayetteville Street was reopened to traffic in July 2006, and has no recollection of a downtown area that closed for business at 5:00 every day.
It’s also worth pointing out that, as a government and university town with comparatively little industry for most of its existence, Raleigh’s population explosion since 1960 has been largely suburban in nature. Not many cities have a full beltway at a roughly four-mile radius from the center of the city, but Raleigh does - and that’s because, when it was first built in the 1960s, what’s now I-440 was the outer edge of the city.
Really. Here’s a map of the Raleigh city limits in 1960.
Raleigh, God love it, is the world’s biggest suburb. There’s nothing wrong with that; nearly half a million people live in the city, and that doesn’t happen because it’s a terrible place to be.
But wouldn’t an arena planned 20 years ago, in a city with no downtown atmosphere to speak of at the time, located in a largely suburban region, make sense in...the suburbs? Given that Raleigh has little public transit of consequence - and had next to none when PNC was in the initial planning phase in the mid-1990s - a car-focused arena located just off a freeway within shouting distance of two interstates was a no-brainer.
To that end, WakeMed Soccer Park, the current home of NCFC and the Courage that opened in 2002, is in Cary. Again: it’s a suburban location for a sports complex that made sense at the time.
Feel free to complain - rightly - about the lack of things to do around PNC. It would be great if there was an entertainment district of some sort. But tailgating is as much a part of the culture of the Hurricanes as anything, and there’s no way it would exist in the same form without the parking lot being just outside the arena doors.
The land across Edwards Mill Road where Cardinal Gibbons High School sits sure would be nice for development, but that’s out of the question for obvious reasons. Carter-Finley Stadium borders PNC to the east. To the north and south, state government land and the State Fairgrounds preclude any development, bar the small lot that plays host to Backyard Bistro and the Comfort Suites. In short, PNC is hemmed in.
Could a downtown Raleigh arena have served as a catalyst for development the way Fayetteville Street and the new convention center did just a few years later? Possibly, but that didn’t really concern N.C. State, which wanted an arena to compete with UNC’s Dean Smith Center and had a wide-open plot of land - available to it free of charge - on which to build it.
PNC isn’t the only NHL arena in a suburban location, and the others like it have largely the same lack of development nearby. The Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa has long been derided for its suburban location; likewise for Arizona’s Gila River Arena. The Honda Center in Anaheim sits smack in the middle of Orange County (Calif.), which is effectively one big suburb. Two others, American Airlines Center in Dallas and Buffalo’s KeyBank Center, are close but not close enough to their downtown areas, and both have had to rely on extensive development nearby to mitigate a similar arena-surrounded-by-parking-lot fate.
That’s the attitude that the Canes need to take with PNC. The arena’s location isn’t the problem; in fact, given the unique dynamics at play in this market, it’s probably more of a benefit than a liability. Perhaps potential new owner Chuck Greenberg could consider partnering with a developer to approach the state about building a small entertainment district across Wade Avenue on all of that state-owned land. The worst they could say is no.
And if that doesn’t happen, the same could be accomplished with significant renovations to the arena itself, an idea that’s been tossed around by the Centennial Authority on occasion over the past few years.
Putting an arena downtown is the right move for NCFC, but it would be the wrong move for the Hurricanes. It would move the team further away from a significant fanbase in western Wake County, make access infinitely more difficult, and could totally change the fan culture that’s built up around the team over the years.
PNC is in the right spot for this region. The Hurricanes are right where they need to be.This article is about the botanical garden in Florida. For the Tulsa skyscraper (formerly One Williams Center), see BOK Tower
Bok Tower Gardens (also known as Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower) is a contemplative garden, and bird sanctuary located north of Lake Wales, Florida, United States. It consists of a 250-acre (100 ha) garden, the 205-foot (62 m) tall Singing Tower with its carillon bells, Pine Ridge Trail, Pinewood Estate, and a visitor center. The tower is built upon Iron Mountain, one of the highest points of peninsular Florida, estimated to be 295 feet (90 m) above sea level.[4] It is a National Historic Landmark that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, nationally significant for its association with Edward W. Bok and its designers.
Bok Tower Gardens is open daily and an admission fee is charged.
History [ edit ]
The gardens began in 1921 when a Dutch immigrant, Edward W. Bok, editor of the popular women's magazine Ladies Home Journal and his wife, Mary Louise Curtis Bok, who would found the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 1924, were spending the winter beside Florida's Lake Wales Ridge and decided to create a bird sanctuary on its highest hill, 295 feet (90 meters) above sea level.
Bok commissioned noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to transform what then was an arid sandhill into "a spot of beauty second to none in the country". The first year was spent digging trenches and laying pipes for irrigation, after which soil was brought to the site by thousands of truck loads and plantings began. The Olmsted plan included the planting of 1,000 large live oaks, 10,000 azaleas, 100 sabal palms, 300 magnolias, and 500 gordonias, as well as hundreds of fruit shrubs such as blueberry and holly.
[5] Where Edward Bok is Happiest: In His Garden
Attempts were made to introduce flamingos to the sanctuary several times, which is why early renderings of the tower show flamingos at the reflection pool rather than swans. These early efforts were unsuccessful, however, as the flamingos were not native to central Florida and could not survive the winters that were cooler than those of southern Florida, where they may be found.
Under construction for over five years, Bok Tower Gardens was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge on February 1, 1929.[6] Edward Bok died on January 9, 1930 and was interred at the base of the tower.[7]
Gardens [ edit ]
Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. designed the meandering gardens of Bok Tower Gardens to feature acres of ferns, palms, oaks, pines, and wetland plants. The plantings also include camellias, tree ferns, creeping fig, yaupon and dahoon holly, Asiatic jasmine, Justicia, crinum and spider lily, monstera, wax myrtle, date and sabal palm, papyrus, philodendron, blue plumbago, and horsetail rush. The site is a refuge for more than a hundred bird species. Wild turkey and groups of sandhill cranes are also often seen wandering the grounds.
Singing Tower [ edit ]
The ornate brass door leading into Bok Tower and details of its stonework
The Singing Tower is the centerpiece of the gardens. The tower was built at the highest elevation of the site, south of a reflection pool that allows the water to reflect its full image. A 60-bell carillon (cast by Taylor[8]) set within the 205-foot (62 m) tall, Gothic Revival and Art Deco tower that was designed by architect Milton B. Medary. Construction on the tower began in 1927 and was completed for the dedication of the gardens in 1929, when it was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge. The tower is 51 feet (16 m) square at its base, changing form at 150 feet (46 m) high to an octagon with 37 feet (11 m) sides that include sculptures designed by Lee Lawrie. The tower is surrounded by a 15-foot (4.6 m) moat that serves as a koi pond. It is built of pink Etowah marble and gray Creole marble, mined in Tate, Georgia, and coquina stone from St. Augustine, Florida.
Although the tower's interior is not open to the public, it contains the Anton Brees Carillon Library, said to be the largest carillon library in the world. It also is home to the Chao Research Center Archives, which keeps various institutional records related to Bok Tower.[9]
Inside the bell chamber is a playing room that houses a clavier, or keyboard, that is used for playing the carillon bells. Recitals are given daily from the 60-bell carillon set.
Library and Archives [ edit ]
Bok Tower Gardens currently houses a substantial amount of collections that document the history and growth of the Singing tower, the Gardens, and Pinewood Estate. While many of the collections are closed to the public for viewing, some selections from the archives about the history of the Gardens, Singing Tower, and Edward Bok are on display in the Visitor Center.[10]
Anton Brees Carillon Library [ edit ]
The Anton Brees Carillon Library was established in 1968 after the death of Anton Brees, the beloved first carillonneur of the Singing Tower. The library is located on the fifth floor of the Singing Tower. It is often considered to be one of the largest collections of carillon-related materials in the world.
The Anton Brees Carillon Library includes over 1500 books, 200 collections of scores for keyboard instruments, 3000 scores and musical compositions for carillon, 1600 audio and video recordings, and 15 international professional journals that include more than 900 individual volumes. The library also houses vertical files on international carillons that include newspaper clippings, biographical information and concert programs along with the original blueprints and plans for the Singing Tower and Gardens and thousands of photographs and slides. There are several important collections located in the Anton Brees Carillon Library, including the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America Archives, Ronald Barnes Collection, Anton Brees Collection, Sidney Giles Collection and Arthur Bigelow Collection.
Access to the collections in the Anton Brees Carillon Library is available by appointment only. To make an appointment, the Bok Tower librarian should be contacted.[10]
Chao Research Center Archives [ edit ]
The Chao Research Center Archives was formed in 2008, after a generous donation made by the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation. With this donation, space was made available on the second floor of the Singing Tower to accommodate a growing need for delicate archival documents. The Chao Research Center Archives stores the official archives of Bok Tower Gardens along with other significant collections. These significant collections include the Nellie Lee Bok Collection, American Foundation Collection, and Edward Bok Newspaper Scrapbook Collection.
The Nellie Lee Bok Collection includes her personal communications, photographs, manuscript writings, and family possessions. The American Foundation Collection includes newspaper scrapbooks, meeting minutes, publications, and other manuscript materials. The Edward Bok Newspaper Scrapbook Collection is made up of 42 bound scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings about Bok's publications and charitable acts.
Access to the collections in the Chao Research Center Archives is available by appointment only. To make an appointment the Bok Tower Librarian should be contacted.[10]
Pinewood Estate Collections [ edit ]
The Pinewood Estate Mansion holds furniture, ceramics and other objects that were kept in the house before Bok Tower purchased it in 1970. Other collections held at Pinewood Estate include letters, promotional materials, and manuscripts. Pinewood Estate is open to the public throughout most of the year at a small fee. To explore the Pinewood Estate Collections an appointment must be set with the Pinewood Estate coordinator in advance.[10]
Pine Ridge Trail [ edit ]
The Pine Ridge Nature Preserve and Trail is an ecosystem typified by an over-story of Longleaf Pine, sandhill habitats, and a dense ground cover of perennial grasses that includes a nature trail that begins at the Window by the Pond and extends for three-quarters of a mile ending at the Visitor Center. The trail is located on one of the highest points in peninsular Florida at 298 feet above sea level. Long ago the Ridge was a chain of islands. The plants and animals found on the Ridge are unique because they evolved on the chain of islands, which is why the most rare plants and animals can be found in this area. The Pine Ridge is home to several endangered animals including the gopher tortoise, eastern indigo snake, gopher frogs, and the Florida mouse.[11] Conservation efforts for the pine trail by Bok Tower include restoration of native plants, the regulation of invasive species and educating the public.[12]
Pinewood Estate [ edit ]
8 acres (32,000 m2) of the Gardens include the Pinewood Estate, which features a twenty-room Mediterranean Revival mansion. This mansion was built between 1930-1932 by C. Austin Buck, vice-president of Bethlehem Steel Co. in Pennsylvania, as a winter residence. Its original name was "El Retiro", and it has been restored to its 1930s appearance. The sanctuary features several events at this mansion during the year. Guided tours of the 20-room Mediterranean-style mansion are given daily.
Exhibit Hall and Museum [ edit ]
Historical perspective on the life of Edward W. Bok and the story of the creation of the garden.
Education [ edit ]
All of the Education Department's programs and field trips align with the Florida Sunshine State Standards and Polk County Curriculum Maps. The lessons presented in the Education Department's curriculum guide cover academic areas such as science, nature, visual & performance arts, culture and history. The curriculum guide was created to help students explore and discover Bok Tower Gardens before, during and after their trip. Students are able to learn detailed information about the gardens, the singing tower, Pinewood Estate and the Visitor Center that is contained within the curriculum guide.[13]
Events [ edit ]
Throughout the year, there are numerous events designed to draw visitors to the Gardens. These events include concerts featuring jazz, orchestras, and the carillon bells of the Tower. The most popular are the semi-annual symphony concerts, given in the evening once in the fall and once in the spring. These events draw thousands of visitors to the large field in front of the Tower for an outdoor picnic. They feature music from both the symphony orchestra and carillon bells.[14]
Gallery [ edit ]
Rear side of tower
Detail of glazed ceramic m
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had weapons of mass destruction before the Iraq war and for employing harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects that rights groups said amounted to torture.
© AFPOCALA - A 41-year-old Ocala woman who was taken to the Marion County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, stripped naked at the jail when asked to take off her shoes, according to sheriff's deputies.
The booking deputy reported that she told Tina M. Boggess, a Holiday Inn Travel employee, to remove her shoes while she was in the holding area, according to a Sheriff's Office report. Instead, the woman unzipped her pants, pulled them down and began removing her clothing.
The arresting deputy said Boggess had to hold onto the wall to take off her clothes because she could not maintain her balance.
Boggess took a breath test and blew an estimated blood alcohol level of.157 and a.151, nearly twice he state's legal limit for driving.
Boggess had been taken to the jail because a deputy clocked her doing 82 in a 40 mph zone in the 4700 block of Northwest 44th Avenue, according to the report. Boggess was driving erratically when she was pulled over by Deputy Micah Moore.
Detecting a strong odor of alcohol, the deputy asked for her license. She reportedly told the deputy she had drunk three or four beers.
She also reportedly told Moore, "I know I've been drinking, but I'm not [expletive] up."
Boggess took and failed a field sobriety test, and was taken to the jail, according to the report. It's her first DUI arrest.
- Austin L. MillerIn this week's New York Times Book Review, I write about Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space by astrophysicist and novelist Janna Levin. It's a miraculously beautiful book about the story of one of the most important scientific discoveries ever made – the detection of gravitational waves, first imagined by Einstein in 1915 and finally a reality that opens up a new era of exploring the universe through sound after 500 years of knowing it only through light.
I enjoyed the book so thoroughly that this is how my galley ended up:
Since Brain Pickings takes nearly every waking moment of my day, I partake in such time- and thought-consuming extracurricular adventures only rarely, when a book so rivets me that I feel a kind of civic duty to get it into the hands, hearts, and minds of as many people as possible. This particular book is one of the finest I've ever read – the kind that will be read and cherished a century from now. Dr. Levin is a splendid writer of extraordinary intellectual elegance – partway between Galileo and Goethe, she fuses her scientific scrupulousness with remarkable poetic potency.
From the review, a labor of love months in the making:
Levin profiles the key figures in this revolution with Dostoyevskian insight into the often irrational human psychology animating this rigorous project of reason. She counters the mad-genius archetype with evidence that trailblazing scientists accomplish great feats not because of their idiosyncrasies and ferocious egos but despite them, often skirting self-destruction with only a measure of luck and a generous dose of forgiveness from sympathetic peers. [...] But as redemptive as the story of the countless trials and unlikely triumph may be, what makes the book most rewarding is Levin’s exquisite prose, which bears the mark of a first-rate writer: an acute critical mind haloed with a generosity of spirit.
You can read the rest here. I hope you find as much joy in reading it as I did in writing it.
You can find Dr. Levin on Twitter under @JannaLevin.Nothing brings more unintentional joy to my small heart than knockoffs and bootlegs. I don’t support the illegal goods, but I do admire the work and effort that was put into them. Because someone, somewhere sees Pikachu as this:
Welcome to hell, I’ll be your guide!
Let’s go meet his twelve disciples.
1. Sader
Let’s get this out of the way. Sader is so damn moe, she won our Wait/don’t go Tonight character poll.
2. Power Surfboard Shrewd Boy
He’s gnarly. He’s rad. He’s Shrewd Boy! Just don’t tell him that his surfboard is actually a skateboard.
3. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods QUALITY Figures
Whoa there buddy! These figures are so accurate, that Toei Animation might hit you with a lawsuit.
Dragon Ball Super © Toei Animation
Beerus, pls.
4. Super Heroes Justice League
>The Naruto
5. Sailor Bike
In some alternate universe, Sailor Moon is the leader of a biker gang. Wait, why can’t we have that in this universe?
6. Pocket Monica
The packaging says it all.
7. The raddest Pokemon bootleg ever.
Let’s take some time to appreciate this work of art. There is Ash’s pimpin’ ear ring. That Pikachu abomination’s rocking headphones, and that Sailor Moon reject. Waifu of the year right there.
Real life.
8. JaJa’s Crazy Trip
Apparently Stands are now Mobile Suits. Makes as much sense as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure in reality.
9. Naburo vs Waterboy
The best game of the year is an understatement. Let’s try best game of all time.
10. Evanegelion
Heero Yuy has it all figured out Shinji. You know why? Because you’re father treats him as a son for getting in the damn robot.
11. Attack on Titan
Eren, pls.
12. Whatever this thing is.
Not only did someone go out of their way to make Meowth “sexy,” and I’m using that word lightly, but they made Pikachu cry. Pikachu’s expression is the only thing that makes sense here.Intro
The GeForce GTX 1070 is the second GPU based on Nvidia’s Pascal architecture. It is very similar to the GTX 1080 that we reviewed last week although it is less powerful. It is also considerably less expensive compared with the GTX 1080 which launched at $699 for the reference Founder’s Edition, or at $599 for entry-level partner cards. The GTX 1070 is expected to be priced at $379, or at $459 for the built by Nvidia reference Founder’s Edition that we are testing today, and it will be available for purchase on June 10.
Instead of repeating all of the same information in our GTX 1080 launch review, we are going to highlight the differences between the GTX 1070 and the GTX 1080, and then we will benchmark it against a similar but updated benching suite to see just how capable it is.
Since the GTX 1070 is based on the same GP104 GPU used in the GeForce GTX 1080, the GeForce GTX 1070 supports all of the same new features that NVIDIA’s Pascal architecture brings. They both deliver high clock speeds while using relatively little power – the GeForce GTX 1070 runs over 1.6 GHz with a TDP of just 150 watts. Pascal’s 16nm manufacturing process allows the GTX 1070 GPU to perform faster than prior generation GPUs giving GeForce GTX 1070 a Nvidia-claimed 70% performance lead over the Maxwell generation GeForce GTX 970 which we shall test today.
BabelTechReviews was at Nvidia’s GTX 1080 Austin Launch event earlier this month, May 5-8. Nvidia’s CEO Jensen had just fully unveiled the new DX12, fully VR-enabled, 7.1 billion transistor Pascal flagship GTX 1080 and he also mentioned the GTX 1070. Nvidia has claimed that the GTX 1080 would be significantly faster than any other single GPU video card while the GTX 1070 would be about as fast as the TITAN X. Today we will give our own testing results of the GTX 1070 and its comparison with the GTX 1080 and the other top cards.
BTR received a GTX 1070 from Nvidia only this past Friday, and for the past two days we have put it through its stock and even some preliminary overclocked paces with our updated 25-game PC benchmark suite against the GTX 1080, the GTX TITAN X and GTX 980 SLI, and also versus the Fury X, AMD’s flagship. We have fully updated all AMD cards (Fury X/290X/280X) to their latest Crimson Software drivers, and we have added a GTX 970 EXOC and a GTX 980 for a further comparison, with all GeForce cards updated to their latest drivers released this last Monday, so our test bed is completely up to date and all of our games have been patched to their latest versions as of this morning.
We are testing all of our competing cards on a clean installation of Windows 10 64-bit Home edition, using resolutions of 1920×1080, 2560×1440 and at 4K’s 3840×2160. As befits testing top video cards, we use Intel’s enthusiast Z97 platform with Core i7 4790K turboed to 4.4GHz by the BIOS, and 16GB of Kingston’s 2133MHz Predator DDR3.
Before we give you the results of our performance testing, we want to briefly cover Pascal architecture, as well as detail the specifications and features of the new GTX 1070. Since we benchmark 25 games, we have a much larger benchmark suite than any other English-speaking tech site in the world, so we are going to concentrate on performance and we will only briefly summarize the new features of the GTX 1070 and will go into further detail in future articles. But first, let’s bring our readers up to date.
The GTX 980 and the GTX 970 both launched in September 2014 as Maxwell GM204 architecture – a mid-sized chip – and both of them were faster than AMD’s flagship at the time, the R9 290X. Afterward, Nvidia launched their $1000 TITAN X as GM110, a big chip Maxwell GPU with 12GB of vRAM followed quickly by their 6GB-equipped flagship gaming card, the GTX 980 Ti for $649 which is slightly faster than the TITAN X in most games. In the meantime, AMD rebadged their 200 series lineup into 300 series, renaming the 290X into the 390X and equipping it with 8GB of slightly faster vRAM. AMD also brought out their new Fiji Flagship, the Fury X at the same $650 price point as the GTX 980 Ti, but its performance generally fell short of the GeForce card.
Key Features of the Pascal GTX 1070
Pascal offers large increases in performance, memory bandwidth, and power efficiency over the current Maxwell architecture. It introduces new graphics features and technologies that confirm the PC as the ultimate platform for playing AAA games and for enjoying virtual reality. All of the features found in the GTX 1080 are also present in the GTX 1070 and we would highly recommend looking back at our GTX 1080 launch article. However, this is a very brief summary:
Nvidia sums up Pascal’s features as being “the Perfect 10”, this being the GeForce ten series beginning with the release of the GTX 1080, and now, the GTX 1070.
Nvidia has engineered the Pascal architecture to handle the demanding computing and gaming needs of technologies like VR. It incorporates five new technologies:
Next-Gen GPU Architecture. Pascal is optimized for performance per watt. The GTX 1080/1070 are about 3x more power efficient than the Maxwell Architecture.
16nm FinFET Process. The GTX 1080 and the GTX 1070 are the first gaming GPUs designed for the 16nm FinFET process, which uses smaller, faster transistors that can be packed together more densely. Their 7.2 billion transistors deliver a significant increase in performance and efficiency.
Advanced Memory. Pascal-based GTX 1080 GPUs are the first to use 8GB of Micron’s GDDR5X memory while the GTX 1070 uses 8GB of the fastest available GDDR5 memory.
Superb Craftsmanship. Increases in bandwidth and power efficiency allow the GTX 1080 and the GTX 1070 to run at really high clock speeds while only using 180 watts and 150 watts of power respectively. New to Pascal is asynchronous compute. And new GPU Boost 3 technology supports advanced overclocking functions.
Groundbreaking Gaming Technology. New VRWorks software features let game developers bring more immersion to gaming environments. And Nvidia’s Ansel technology lets gamers share their gaming experiences and explore gaming worlds in new ways.
The next generation of games will not only look better but run faster on the GeForce GTX 1080 and the GTX 1070. Nvidia has developed a number of advancements for virtual reality – reducing latency, improving image quality, and bringing a whole range of new content to VR.
The GTX 1080 Pascal GPU
First, take a look at the GTX 1080 block diagram which proved to be the world’s fastest GPU as we have shown.
The GTX 1080 GPU has all 4 Graphics Processing clusters enabled with 64 Raster Operating Units, 20 SMs of 128 Cores each totaling 2560 CUDA cores, 20 Geometry units and 160 Texture units. It uses Micron’s 256-bit GDDR5X at 10 Gbps which makes it significantly faster than GDDR5 and its 1.61GHz GPU clock has a boost of 1.73GHz or higher. We also easily managed better than a 1.9 GHz boost clock with complete stability and an offset of +400MHz to its GDDR5X memory (5400MHz).
The GTX 1070 has 3 Graphics processing clusters and it uses 15 Streaming Multiprocessors and 1920 CUDA Cores. The GeForce GTX 1070 runs at a Boost Clock Speed of 1683MHz. Its 120 Texture Units provide a peak texture fill rate of nearly 202 Gigatexels/sec. The memory subsystem of the GeForce GTX 1070 features a fully enabled 256bit memory interface, and ships with 8 Gbps of fast GDDR5 memory, providing up to 256 GB/sec of peak memory bandwidth, but not up to the speeds of the GTX 1080’s GDDR5X. We also managed more than a 200MHz offset to our sample of the GTX 1070’s core with the new Precision XOC and a surprising +500MHz offset to the GDDR5 memory to 4500MHz.
As befits a new architecture, Pascal uses a more advanced and efficient memory compression system. More effective memory compression means a significant savings in bandwidth which make for more efficiency and for faster video cards than Maxwell.
The Founder’s Edition of the GTX 1070
The GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition, like the GTX 1080 Founder’s Edition, are reference graphics card designed and built by Nvidia. The GTX 1070 Founder’s Edition will sell for $459, $80 more than the base models of the GTX 1070 partner cards. It was crafted with premium materials and components, including a die cast aluminum body and a low profile backplate. It is ideal for situations where air needs to be exhausted out of a case, and perfect for SLI compared with open designs which do not do well in small form factor cases.
Underneath the GeForce GTX 1070’s metal shroud lies an aluminum heatsink. Embedded in the base of the heatsink are three copper heatpipes which are responsible for drawing heat off the GPU. Heat from the heatpipes is then dissipated by the aluminum heatsink. Finally, a metal baseplate is placed on top of low profile components, providing clean air channels for the thermal efficiency and quiet cooling.
The GTX 1070 comes in a big and rather heavy box. If you remove the top of the box, it makes a nice display for the card.
The Founders Edition of the GTX 1080 and the GTX 1070 are premium built by Nvidia reference versions that will be available for purchase for the entire life of the Pascal line instead of only at launch.
Specifications
Here are the specifications for the GTX 1080:
Now let’s look at the specifications for the GTX 1070:
The connectors for the GTX 1070 are identical to the GTX 1080’s:
How does the GTX 1070 compare with the GTX 1080 and with their rival, AMD’s Fury X?
First of all, as we saw in our GTX 1080 launch article, the GTX 1080 is simply in a class above the Fury X and even well above GTX 980 SLI, GTX 980 Ti and above the TITAN X. However, the GTX 1070 is slower than the GTX 1080, and in a very few games it trades blows with the Fury X, in most others, it is much faster We are going to look at the performance of 25 games to compare the GTX 1070 with the GTX 1080, with the TITAN X, with the GTX 980 Ti and with the GTX 980 SLI, and versus the Fury X. And of course, we want to see how much the GTX 1070 has progressed over the Maxwell GTX 970 by comparing with the mildly factory overclocked GALAX GTX 970 EXOC.
However, before we do performance testing, let’s take a closer look at the GTX 1080 and check out overclocking and noise.TRIPOLI, Libya The Bush administrations sent terror suspects to Libya for interrogation, despite that country's reputation for torture, according to documents found in the abandoned office of Libya's spy chief.
The intelligence documents were left behind when Tripoli fell to the rebels. They show a close working relationship between the Central Intelligence Agency and Muammar Qaddafi's intelligence service.
The CIA declined to comment on the documents. But it did say the U.S. works with foreign governments in an effort to fight terrorism.
"It can't come as a surprise that the Central Intelligence Agency works with foreign governments to help protect our country from terrorism and other deadly threats," CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood told the Associated Press. "That is exactly what we are expected to do."
The CIA was among a number of foreign intelligence services that worked with Libya's agencies. Reports of such cooperation have surfaced before, but the documents provide new details on the ties between Western countries and Qaddafi's regime.
Many of those same countries backed the NATO attacks that helped Libya's rebels force Qaddafi from power.
One notable case is that of Abdel-Hakim Belhaj, commander of the anti-Qaddafi rebel force that now controls Tripoli. Belhaj is the former leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a now-dissolved militant group with links to al Qaeda. Belhaj says he was tortured by CIA agents at a secret prison, then returned to Libya.
Two documents from March 2004 appear to be American correspondence to Libyan officials to arrange Belhaj's rendition.
Photos: Documents linking CIA and Qaddafi regime
Libya rebel leader plays down Islamist past
Referring to him by his nom de guerre, Abdullah al-Sadiq, the documents say he will be flown from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Libya and asks for Libyan government agents to accompany him.
It also requests American "access to al-Sadiq for debriefing purposes once he is in your custody."
"Please be advised that we must be assured that al-Sadiq will be treated humanely and that his human rights will be respected," the document says.
Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch, which found the documents, called the ties between Washington and Qaddafi's regime "a very dark chapter in American intelligence history, and it remains a stain on the record of the American intelligence services that they cooperated with these very abusive intelligence services."WHAT A YEAR for the Camp Out!
Total pounds: 1.826 Million Pounds – (that’s over 913 TONS of food! (2017 results: 1.679 million pounds)
Monetary donations: $198,188
Largest contribution (by weight) by a business / group / organization:
1 st place: A Live Broadcast from Preston and Steve at your place of business : Subaru of America – 554,026 lbs.
place: : Subaru of America 554,026 lbs. 2 nd : Pierre Live Broadcast : Porsche Club – 126, 989 lbs.
: : Porsche Club – 126 989 lbs. 3 rd : $20,000 Q1 Ad Schedule on MMR : Fred Beans Family of Dealerships – 97,012 lbs.
: : Fred Beans Family of Dealerships – 97,012 lbs. Randomly selected business/group donor gets: a 36-month lease on a Canon, full-color copy, print and scan, Image Runner Advance ($8,000 copier), from Heritage Business Systems – your authorized Canon Copier Dealer : Brinker-Simpson & Company LLC in Springfield, PA – 3,505 lbs.
Largest Individual Donation (by weight) Each Day:
Monday : “vinyl of the month” membership for next year from Warner Brothers Records… AND A 3-room set of Denon HEOS Multi-room Wireless Streaming Speakers from World Wide Stereo… AND a $250 Dunkin gift card. William Kraenbring from Cinnaminson, NJ – 2,480 pounds.
: “vinyl of the month” membership for next year from Warner Brothers Records… AND A 3-room set of Denon HEOS Multi-room Wireless Streaming Speakers from World Wide Stereo… AND a $250 Dunkin gift card.
Tuesday : Top donor gets: 3 foursomes to Ron Jaworski’s Blue Heron Pines Golf Club, including cart, compliments of KDI Office Technology… AND Free Dunkin for a year… AND Dunkin will send the community coffee cruiser to your work for a morning. Harry Downey from Bensalem – 3,809 pounds. 2 nd place donor gets: 3 foursomes to Ron Jaworski’s Blue Heron Pines Golf Club, including cart, compliments of KDI Office Technology … AND a $250 Dunkin gift card. Sarah Watson from Hammonton, NJ – 1,286 pounds.
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Wednesday : A Franklin Music Hall Golden Ticket – entrance for you and a guest for every concert at Franklin Music Hall in 2019… AND a $250 Dunkin gift card. Patrick Doherty from Rockledge, PA – 2,471 pounds.
: A Franklin Music Hall Golden Ticket – entrance for you and a guest for every concert at Franklin Music Hall in 2019… AND a $250 Dunkin gift card.
Thursday : A pair of P1 PIT Tickets to see The Rolling Stones – 6/4 at The Linc… AND a $250 Dunkin gift card. Lisa D’Annunzio from Downingtown, PA – 2,198 pounds.
: A pair of P1 PIT Tickets to see The Rolling Stones – 6/4 at The Linc… AND a $250 Dunkin gift card.
Preston & Steve's Camp Out for Hunger 2018
Join us for the 21st year of Camp Out for Hunger, the largest single-location food drive in the country. Hosts Preston Elliot & Steve Morrison camp out in the parking lot of Xfinity Live! beginning Monday morning and broadcast live all week from the site. Their only goal is to get YOU to come down and donate! Throughout the week they will be joined by famous guests, perform crazy stunts and welcome fellow WMMR DJs to broadcast their shows as well, in the carnival-like atmosphere- loaded with rides, games and entertainment. The only price of admission is a simple donation for Philabundance. NOTE- event/donations end 11am Fri 11/30.
Camp Out for Hunger 2018 Poster - HERE
DATES: Monday 11/26 - Friday 11/30, broadcasting LIVE all week inside the Bimbo Bakeries Broadcast Tent.
DONATION HOURS: Mon - Thurs: 6am to 9pm | Fri: 6am to 11am
Please bring only non-perishable food items for Philabundance. To drop off your donations, look for the GBCA "Demolish Hunger" Drop-Off Area.
Can't make it down to donate? You can contribute through THIS LINK via Philabundance.org.
Thank you to our generous sponsors and partners:NAPLES — It was one of the most dramatic thefts ever to hit the rare-book world, the disappearance of thousands of volumes — including centuries-old editions of Aristotle, Descartes, Galileo and Machiavelli — from the Baroque-era Girolamini Library in Naples. Now, prosecutors at a trial here are trying to show how such a wholesale violation of Western cultural patrimony could have taken place.
The very man charged with protecting these treasures, Marino Massimo De Caro, a politically connected former director of the library, is accused of being at the center of a network of middlemen, book dealers and possibly crooked conservators — all part of what prosecutors say is a sometimes corrupt market for rare books in which much is spent and few questions are asked. Apart from Mr. De Caro, 13 others are charged, including a priest.
The full extent of the losses is not known — the Girolamini Library lacks a complete catalog — but prosecutors, with some bombast, have compared it to the destruction of Dresden during World War II. In 2012, the authorities recovered more than a thousand library volumes that were found in a self-storage unit in Verona traced to Mr. De Caro.
“This is the biggest books scandal to hit in the past 150 or 200 years,” said Fabrizio Govi, the president of the Italian Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association, adding that nothing of this scope had happened since the case of Count Guglielmo Libri, a 19th-century Italian collector who absconded with books on a grand scale.How to finish an internship with a job offer
Finding an internship can be difficult, but landing a full-time job can be even harder for college graduates. Many students will go into internships hoping that the experience will lead to a full-time job offer after they finish their online degree program.
In order for this dream to become a reality, however, students will need to go above and beyond the expectations of an average intern. It is important for one to make him or herself a valuable asset to the team and to treat the internship as if it were a 12-week-long job interview. Here are a few tips for improving one's chances of being hired post-internship.
Choose the right internship
Not all internships are created equally, so it is important to evaluate the kind of work one will be doing. Small- and medium-sized companies are more likely to involve interns on meaningful projects and give them greater opportunities because they are often short on staff for the work they need to do. Since these companies are smaller than the big business corporations, they also make it easier for interns to network with higher-level employees.
In large companies, interns may have more busy work to do and they may rarely have a chance to interact with important employees. While many students trying to earn an MBA online think that a large, big-name company will look better on their resumes, they may actually find standing out and being noticed more challenging than if they had interned somewhere else.
Meet with the supervisor
At the beginning of the internship, one should set up a meeting with his or her supervisor to establish goals. During this time, both the intern and the supervisor will be able to disclose exactly what they are expecting and how they would like to see these goals met. This is also a good opportunity to ask one's supervisor any remaining questions he or she may have to clarify a few things in regards to office protocol or project assignments. After this initial meeting, one should set up periodic meetings throughout the internship so that he or she can discuss his or her progress in achieving the previously established goals.
Dress the part
Interns who want to be hired after they have completed their internships must take care to always dress within the company's dress code. Take a cue from the upper-level employees and dress in a similar manner. Whether the dress code is business formal, business casual or casual, it is important to never wear clothes of inappropriate length, exposure or tightness. Also, avoid anything that is torn, and keep in mind that flip-flops are never appropriate office wear. One's wardrobe should convey that he or she is professional and serious about the job. It shouldn't announce that one is an inexperienced college student working on his or her online degree.
Always participate
Participation is a key factor in being offered a job after the internship is complete. This can mean being present both during the workday and at after-hours events. Participating in meetings is a great way for one to demonstrate his or her engagement with a project. By adding to a brainstorming session or joining in a project discussion with thoughtful questions or comments, one can show off his or knowledge and eagerness to perform.
If the company one works for is a part of a sports league or has events for employees outside of the office, interns who want to be hired would be well advised to attend. Events that take place outside of office hours are great opportunities to build relationships with supervisors and coworkers and show that one is a part of the company's culture.
For help with higher education decisions, look no further than collegesear.ch. We have the tools and resources to get you started on working toward your long-term goals.FICO report shows cross-border and card-not-present fraud predominate
LONDON, July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Highlights:
Card fraud losses rose six percent across Europe in 2014, and in UK
across in 2014, and in UK 70 percent of UK card fraud losses were due to card-not-present fraud
of UK card fraud losses were due to card-not-present fraud Cross-border fraud dominates in UK
dominates in UK France had highest card fraud losses relative to sales
had highest card fraud losses relative to sales Analytics, EMV are key to controlling card fraud
are key to controlling card fraud FICO analysis of fraud in 19 countries is based on data from Euromonitor International
Card fraud losses across 19 countries in Europe rose an average of 6 percent in 2014, according to a new report from analytic software company FICO based on data from Euromonitor International. But the low overall rise masks large shifts in so-called "cross-border" fraud, where criminals use data on cards from one country to commit fraudulent transactions in another country.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111010/CG83314LOGO
Download the Insights white paper: www.fico.com/europeanfraud
UK card fraud losses rose by £29 million in 2014, a 6 percent rise on the previous year. Most of this increase was due to cross-border fraud, with domestic losses remaining flat.
In the UK, FICO previously reported a 25% increase in cross-border fraud on debit cards in 2014, compared to 2013. 47% of the fraudulent transactions were taking place in the US -- a pattern that seems related to the delay in US adoption of EMV technology. The first wave of the EMV liability shift takes place in October 2015 in the US.
"Banks in the UK and most of Europe adopted EMV technology years ago, so it may appear that they have little to worry about from mag-stripe fraud," said Martin Warwick, FICO's fraud chief for Europe. "However, the trends suggest that any European plastic card can be targeted, as criminals try to 'fill their boots' before the US finally shuts the door on skimming fraud."
CNP Fraud
As reported in the FICO European Fraud Map for the last three years, the leading type of fraudulent card transaction is so-called card-not-present (CNP) fraud. The percentage of fraud losses from CNP fraud averaged 41 percent for Western European countries, and 23 percent for Eastern European countries.
In the UK, ecommerce spending in the UK more than doubled between 2008 and 2014, but CNP fraud losses have grown just 1 percent in that time. However, it has become a greater share of UK card losses, rising from 54 percent of card losses in 2008 to 70 percent in 2014.
"We are winning the war on CNP fraud, but we still have a long way to go to get CNP fraud fully under control," Warwick said. "Authentication of customers and their devices will play an ever-increasing role.This is why FICO has been focused on advances in analytics that assess consumer behavior, and profile not just cardholders but also devices and merchants."
Highest Fraud Rates
France had the highest card fraud losses relative to card sales, followed by Greece and the UK, which is the same ranking as last year. Russia saw the fastest growth in card fraud losses – 24 percent -- but card sales in the same period grew 36 percent.
"Any market that is growing will attract criminals attention and that's exactly what is happening in Russia," Warwick said. "EMV has a long way to go to reach maturity in Russia. However, overall Russia has low fraud relative to sales. The key aim for banks will be to ensure that when growth in sales slows they are also in a position to slow the growth in fraud losses".
About FICO
FICO (NYSE: FICO), formerly known as Fair Isaac, is a leading analytics software company, helping businesses in 90+ countries make better decisions that drive higher levels of growth, profitability and customer satisfaction. The company's groundbreaking use of Big Data and mathematical algorithms to predict consumer behavior has transformed entire industries. FICO provides analytics software and tools used across multiple industries to manage risk, fight fraud, build more profitable customer relationships, optimize operations and meet strict government regulations. Many of our products reach industry-wide adoption. These include the FICO® Score, the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the United States. FICO solutions leverage open-source standards and cloud computing to maximize flexibility, speed deployment and reduce costs. The company also helps millions of people manage their personal credit health. Learn more at www.fico.com.
For FICO news and media resources, visit www.fico.com/news.
FICO is a trademark or registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the US and other countries.
Related Links
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SOURCE FICOForza Motorsport has been on the forefront of competitive racing for years and 2016 has proven to be the biggest year yet. The first half of 2016 has been a momentous one for Forza Motorsport 6 and its commitment to competitive online racing and esports. There are currently three million players racing in Forza games every month, competing in events such as June’s Le Mans-timed Michelin 24 Hour Forza Challenge and Audi 24 Hours of Le Forza Contest, where over 700,000 unique viewers tuned in. In addition, recent Forza Motorsport 6 FIA Formula E Race Off competitions garnered over 600,000 unique viewers.
In early June, we announced the Forza Racing Championship (#ForzaRC), our all-new competitive online racing and esports program. This is the largest competition in Forza history, and we are proud to announce that the inaugural season begins on August 8 and registration is open as of today – go to ESL to sign up.
Players from across the world, and of all skill levels, can compete for amazing Forza and Xbox prizes throughout the month of August, while the best Forza players in the world will lay it all on the line for the ultimate prize – the all-new 2017 Ford Focus RS. Arguably the most acclaimed hot-hatch of the decade, the 350-horsepower Focus RS has wowed fans and critics alike with its track-bred performance and its sleek and sophisticated lines.
Whether you’re racing royalty or just getting started, we’ve got a place for you in ForzaRC. We designed the competition to be a place where players of all skill levels can participate and have a great time competing for awesome prizes. The first season of ForzaRC will include both an Elite Series and an Open Series available to all players. Each series will follow a slightly different path, utilize different modes in the game, and have different prizes available to winners. The common link between them? Everyone is invited to compete!
Check out ForzaMotorsport.net to learn more the rules for each series and how to sign up.
Good luck to all the competitors!Last week, we looked at Recovering a Router with the Password Recovery Service Disabled. Today we're going to examine a related Cisco IOS security feature, dubbed resilient configuration. This feature enables critical router files, namely the IOS image and configuration, to persist despite destructive events such as deletion of the startup configuration or a format of the Flash filesystem. The feature does not require any external services; all persistent files are stored locally on the router.
Enabling Resilient Configuration
First, a quick review of how Cisco ISR (x800 series) routers work. The binary IOS image used to boot the router is stored on the Flash filesystem, which is a type of memory very similar to that found inside a USB thumbdrive. The startup configuration file is stored on a separate filesystem, NVRAM. The contents of both filesystems can be viewed with the dir command.
Router# dir flash: Directory of flash:/ 1 -rw- 23587052 Jan 9 2010 17:16:58 +00:00 c181x-advipservicesk9-mz.124-24.T.bin 2 -rw- 600 Sep 26 2010 07:28:12 +00:00 vlan.dat 128237568 bytes total (104644608 bytes free) Router# dir nvram: Directory of nvram:/ 189 -rw- 1396 startup-config 190 ---- 24 private-config 191 -rw- 1396 underlying-config 1 -rw- 0 ifIndex-table 2 -rw- 593 IOS-Self-Sig#3401.cer 3 ---- 32 persistent-data 4 -rw- 2945 cwmp_inventory 21 -rw- 581 IOS-Self-Sig#1.cer 196600 bytes total (130616 bytes free)
The resilient image and configuration features are enabled with one command each.
Router(config)# secure boot-image Router(config)# %IOS_RESILIENCE-5-IMAGE_RESIL_ACTIVE: Successfully secured running image Router(config)# secure boot-config Router(config)# %IOS_RESILIENCE-5-CONFIG_RESIL_ACTIVE: Successfully secured config archive [flash:.runcfg-20101017-020040.ar]
The combination of the secured IOS image and configuration file is referred to as the bootset. We can verify the secure configuration with the command show secure bootset.
Router# show secure bootset IOS resilience router id FHK110913UQ IOS image resilience version 12.4 activated at 02:00:30 UTC Sun Oct 17 2010 Secure archive flash:c181x-advipservicesk
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such as job offers). This also extends to tenant screening or background checks for credit-related matters.
Our Terms of Service Per our terms of service, we do not provide consumer reports and we are not a consumer reporting agency. This means you cannot use this service or any of the information provided to make decisions about consumer credit, employers, insurance, education, housing, benefits, tenant screening or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently provided clearer guidelines as to how consumer reports are to be treated. There are specific companies that offer FCRA compliant background checks, so do some research to ensure you find a reliable source that operates within the law. Consumer Reporting Agencies such as TransUnion, Equifax and Experian are a good place to look for credit reports. If you are looking to perform a pre-employment background check, or want to perform a background check on an employee, you may want to consider a service such as GoodHire.
The Right Ways to Use Our Service CheckThem is committed to operating within the law, so we reserve the right to terminate (and/or report) any user account that is found using the information provided on this website in an unlawful manner. So now that we addressed the ways you don't use our service, here are some of the ways you do: Reconnect with People That Matter to You
Reconnect with People That Matter to You Maybe it's a long-lost love or a family member or friend you've lost touch with it doesn't matter. CheckThem can help you find them!
Maybe it's a long-lost love or a family member or friend you've lost touch with it doesn't matter. CheckThem can help you find them! Know Who You Will be Living With
Know Who You Will be Living With Don't sign a lease until you have taken a closer look at your potential roommate.
Don't sign a lease until you have taken a closer look at your potential roommate. Get Ready for That First Date
Get Ready for That First Date If you're like us, your idea of fun is not waiting in line in a Government building. Let us deliver the public data you are looking you. Online dating sites make it easy to meet people, but you want to protect yourself before going out on that first date. We've got you covered!
Online dating sites make it easy to meet people, but you want to protect yourself before going out on that first date. We've got you covered! See Yourself the Way Others Do
See Yourself the Way Others Do The easiest way to find out what's in your public record is to do a background check on yourself.
The easiest way to find out what's in your public record is to do a background check on yourself. Avoid Getting Scammed
Avoid Getting Scammed Selling your goods on a site like Craigslist is a great way to make some extra cash, but you want to make sure the buyer is somebody who can be trusted.
Selling your goods on a site like Craigslist is a great way to make some extra cash, but you want to make sure the buyer is somebody who can be trusted. Save a Trip to the Courthouse Additionally, you can use our service to update your address book, learn more about distant relatives, perform a Reverse Phone Lookup to see who called you, get to know your neighbors, research a neighborhood before buying or renting... There are countless ways we can help you by providing quick, accurate background checks.
Is CheckThem Legit? If you are researching different background check resources, good job on doing your wikiwork! It is vital to rely on a trusted resource when seeking sensitive personal data in order to protect you, your loved ones or your property. CheckThem.com fully complies with high security guidelines and takes advanced measures to ensure your privacy. Your searches are always anonymous so nobody will ever know you searched for information on them. We pride ourselves in offering the most accurate, up-to-date results within seconds when you use our innovative search tools. Our breakthrough proprietary 'Deep Search' is not available anywhere else. We are based in San Diego, California and can be reached toll free at 800-410-3722 Monday through Friday 7am to 5pm if you ever have any questions or concerns. Other public records websites cannot claim to offer personalized service such as this. You can be confident that we are a legitimate background check resource that is committed to offering you the best service at a reasonable rate. If you're looking for a good background check site, we are at your service.
How Can I Perform a Criminal Background Check? You may have heard the statistic that one in every five Americans is the victim of a crime each year. In fact, as many Americans have criminal records as college degrees, according to a Department of Justice survey in 2012. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) collects these records and has established a database called the Interstate Identification Index (III) in order to ensure criminal histories are easily accessible to every law enforcement agency in the country. As a citizen, you are able to find out information on people's criminal histories as well. In order to protect yourself and your family, it is vital that you have a resource you can go to when you want to check someone's history. We work hard to offer the best criminal background checks available so you can get the complete story on someone. Rather than visiting a country clerk in person to request such records, you can perform a criminal background check using our service and get the information you are looking for quickly and confidentially. Avoid the waiting period and fees associated with requesting information through a municipal website. Some localities even require you to fill out a form and submit it through the mail, which takes a significant amount of time to get the details you are looking for. There are three types of records that typically fall under the category of criminal records, but each of them are distinct from each other: Arrest Records: Detail the records of arrests according to law enforcement
Arrest Records: Detail the records of arrests according to law enforcement Criminal Court Records: These include local, state or federal records
Criminal Court Records: These include local, state or federal records Corrections Records: These include prison records and can typically be accessed through an inmate database We make it easy to find the information contained within each of these records. Additionally, we provide access to an extensive Sex Offender Registry so you can stay safe and protect your loved ones. When performing a search, you will find information pertaining to felonies, infractions, misdemeanors, police arrests, driving under the influence (DUIs), warrants and other criminal convictions. We provide results for each state within America, so you can rest assured you will find what you are looking for. The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) was established by the FBI as a central database for storing crime-related data. It was established in 1967 under J. Edgar Hoover as a way of enhancing communications among various law enforcement branches. By the end of 2015, the NCIC grew to include 12 million active records in 21 files. Another FBI system is the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) which was established as a means of saving lives by ensuring people with certain criminal records are unable to buy or transfer firearms. This check comes into play oftentimes when someone is looking to buy a gun. Unfortunately, the information contained within these two databases is not available to the public. This is where a resource such as ours comes into play. Our Deep Search scans state, federal and county databases to get you the information you are looking for instantly. Curious about your own history and what is available for the public to see? If you have had a run-in with the law in the past, it might be a good idea to perform a criminal background check on yourself to see what information is public. This way you can work to clear up any erroneous information. It is important to note that our records database is continually being updated with the latest and most accurate information and while every effort is made to ensure you receive the most accurate information, some data may be inaccurate or incomplete. Furthermore, certain states and jurisdictions have specific laws concerning criminal records, so it's important to understand them before accessing them.
Is CheckThem a Web App? When you are looking to find the most current, up-to-date public record information available, you can rely on us to deliver. CheckThem is a web app that you don't have to download and can use within your preferred browser to perform background checks. A web application simply describes the user interface (or client) that runs in a web browser. If you check your e-mail on using a web browser, you are essentially relying on a web app. The same applies to using instant messaging services and wikis within a browser.
A Background Check Web App You Can Trust Web applications offer similar functionality to what you would find in a desktop software application, but you don't have to download or install anything. It is the most convenient way to find the information you are looking for. You will never have to leave your house or visit a court. Think of all the time you will save! Think twice before using another service that requires you to download anything in order to perform a background check. Also, we have optimized the experience to ensure that our service works well on mobile devices as well, so you can enjoy the benefit of using CheckThem wherever you are, thanks to superior responsive web design. You will get results online, instantly.The English edition of Wikipedia Encyclopedia contains around 5 million articles and if someone were to print the entire Wikipedia encyclopedia into a book, the size of the printed book would roughly be equivalent to 2000+ volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica (source).
Rob Matthews, a graphics design student from UK, converted 5000 pages of Wikipedia into a printed book in 2012. He downloaded few hundred featured articles from Wikipedia and bound them together in a physical book that was almost 1’7″ thick. Rob’s website (rob-matthews.com) has been taken over by domain squatters but the pictures of the printed Wikipedia book have survived.
While Rob limited his printed book to the featured articles, Michael Mandiberg’s team has a more ambitious plan. They’re working on making the entire English-language Wikipedia in print format. The work has about 7500 volumes, each made up of 700 pages, and you’ll soon be order individual volumes from Lulu.
The project launched at the Denny Gallery this month and visitors to the exhibition can see the process in real time as Wikipedia pages are converted in digital books and uploaded to Lulu. A Twitter bot, @PrintedWikipedia updates when new volumes are added to the book library.
Here are pictures of the Printed Wikipedia project courtesy Wikimedia.
Print your own Wikipedia Book
Wikipedia does include a built-in book creator that would let anyone, include anonymous non-logged users, create ebooks from Wikipedia articles. You can download these ebooks as PDF files or send them to a print-on-demand service like Lulu or PediaPress and have a custom printed book made of your favorite Wikipedia pages.
See more Wikipedia tools.Apple responded today to the contacts-sharing issue with a statement indicating it plans to put some form of a setting on contact data that would allow users to control who views the data, similar to the way Apple locks down location data.
“Apps that collect or transmit a user’s contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines. We’re working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release.”
Congress became involved and probably motivated the move, but the legislative body is not going to like what it hears.
The problem is that iOS apps not only have access to a user’s contacts database (including addresses and notes), but apps also have full and unencumbered access to everything in the iOS app sandbox, such as pictures, music, movies, calendars, and a host of other data. Any of this content is literally open for developers to freely transmit to their own servers while apps are open.
(note that pictures with geotags will pop up a Location dialog which can be averted in code with some well known tricks)
Moreover, approved apps also have access to the iPhone’s camera and microphone, so apps can also take pictures and make recordings without permission (although, this would be easy to detect by the user with the light from the front camera or red bar during audio). Photos, videos, and audio are transmittable securely or insecurely up to servers that you and Apple do not know about.
To developers, this is no big secret. It is not trivial, but putting that kind of functionality into an app is straightforward and only uses Apple’s publicly available and blessed developer APIs (which means this stuff will not likely be detected by Apple’s App Store approval process).
Obviously, shady developers and even government entities are probably already using such apps to gather information. Therefore, these are some scenarios:
A Spam marketing firm creates a free fart/flashlight app that—while using it—sucks up your complete contact address book and shoots it over the net to their servers securely. A shady government creates a free photo app that automatically uploads any pictures geotagged in a particular area to their servers for free intelligence gathering. That also means users are traceable by picture-taking without location services toggled on.
Some important points to note:
Apps can only spy and slurp down your information when they are open. Just installing an app does not let this happen. Obviously, most developers would never consider doing something like this, and most companies would never try to do this either, because word getting out would destroy them immediately. However, there are many developers out there, and it is trivial to get on Apple’s development platform. Apps like Path were busted because it was transmitting data via SSL, but granting it a fake SSL certificate (Ed. Thanks commenter) actually let the developer watch the data as it is transmits. However, if data is encrypted without SSL, security experts and Apple cannot really see what is transferring securely, so it is harder to ferret out nasty applications This is not specifically an iOS problem. Any desktop application can suck up data and send it to a server somewhere far away (including email). Android handles this a little differently: If an app wants access contacts, it asks permission upon installation. Most people do not look at this, but the onus is on the user to approve access. So, that is protection in name only.
What can Apple do about this?
There is not an easy answer. Obviously Apple plans to add a Location type control in Settings for contacts, but it cannot do that for /everything/.
If Apple decides it has to block access to these features, it would almost instantly break many apps that are not doing anything illegal.
Apple, in an upcoming release, could institute controls for everything meaning you would have to expressly give all apps individual permission to access location, contacts, camera, photos, etc.
In other words, opening Facebook would take 10 minutes.
It will be interesting to see what Apple does.
Related articlesAbstract
Recent research suggests that video game playing is associated with many cognitive benefits. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms mediating such effects, especially with regard to probabilistic categorization learning, which is a widely unexplored area in gaming research. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the neural correlates of probabilistic classification learning in video gamers in comparison to non-gamers. Subjects were scanned in a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner while performing a modified version of the weather prediction task. Behavioral data yielded evidence for better categorization performance of video gamers, particularly under conditions characterized by stronger uncertainty. Furthermore, a post-experimental questionnaire showed that video gamers had acquired higher declarative knowledge about the card combinations and the related weather outcomes. Functional imaging data revealed for video gamers stronger activation clusters in the hippocampus, the precuneus, the cingulate gyrus and the middle temporal gyrus as well as in occipital visual areas and in areas related to attentional processes. All these areas are connected with each other and represent critical nodes for semantic memory, visual imagery and cognitive control. Apart from this, and in line with previous studies, both groups showed activation in brain areas that are related to attention and executive functions as well as in the basal ganglia and in memory-associated regions of the medial temporal lobe. These results suggest that playing video games might enhance the usage of declarative knowledge as well as hippocampal involvement and enhances overall learning performance during probabilistic learning. In contrast to non-gamers, video gamers showed better categorization performance, independently of the uncertainty of the condition.
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.For the legion of Toronto Blue Jays fans – and the bandwagon is buckling – Gregg Zaun offers news.
Good or bad? Well, that depends on your perspective.
But here goes: Your favourite team’s makeup is basically unchanged.
Meaning lots of home runs.
Meaning lots of questions about pitching.
Whichever side of that equation obsesses you most – mountains of runs for, mountains of runs against – there is no shortage of interest in the Jays’ fate. Enthusiasm could not be more intense – even now, on the prairies, in January.
“A lot of people still have Blue Jays fever – chomping at the bit for spring training to get here,” says Zaun. “I don’t think it can get here soon enough. It’s nice to see people still into it and wanting to talk about baseball.”
Zaun, of course, is happy to oblige.
Former Major League catcher, current Sportsnet baseball analyst, the 44-year-old is barnstorming Alberta.
Coaching clinic at the University of Calgary. Poker night at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino. Celebrity Dinner for the Brooks Bombers. Fundraiser for the Badlands Badgers in Oyen.
Saturday, he concludes his provincial junket with the Okotoks Dawgs’ annual banquet.
All trip, he’s been sharing his opinions on the team that secured its first playoff berth since 1993, that eliminated the Texas Rangers, that succumbed to the Kansas Royals.
The team that entranced a nation in 2015.
“A bit of it had to be perfect storm and stars aligning,” Zaun says of the fall’s unexpected rush. “Never seen anything like it, to be honest with you. At one point, there were 15 million sets of eyes on the Toronto Blue Jays games. That’s amazing when you’re talking about a country that has 35 million.
“There is no other situation in professional sports in North America where one team belongs to an entire country.”
However, it’s fair to wonder about Canadians’ emotional investment in late-July. Lurching along at a 50-50 clip, their heroes had been no one’s idea of a legitimate contender.
Then Troy Tulowitzki arrived. Then David Price.
“There seemed to be a shift in attitude,” says Zaun. “I used to be highly critical of the fact that these guys spent more time polishing their secret handshakes than polishing their game. But (after the trades), I saw a lot less nonsense and a little more serious baseball going on.”
Asked for an indelible moment from the wild run – on or off the field, game or practice, regular- or post-season – Zaun does not hesitate.
Oct. 14 at Rogers Centre – Game 5 of the American League Division Series.
“The way the Texas Rangers imploded,” he says of the guests’ defensive breakdown in the seventh inning of the decisive game. “Three straight errors to basically gift-wrap the series for Toronto. If you’re a Blue Jays fan, you’re thinking, ‘Wow, this is a team of destiny because things just don’t happen like that in big-league baseball.’ ”
Conveniently overlooked by Zaun? Jose Bautista’s dinger, which was accompanied by you-know-what, which created a social-frenzy, which spawned tattoos, memes, T-shirts, all commemorating The Bat Flip.
Zaun, even now, is not amused.
“Totally disappointing,” he says. “It’s not how I’d like to see big-league hitters react and certainly not 35-year-old faces of the franchise. People can argue with me all day and night about the emotional build-up of the situation … but if I had a son, it’s not how I would teach him to play the game or react.”
The Rangers haven’t forgotten, either. Bank on it.
“We’ll see how much it bothered them,” says Zaun, “and what they’re willing to do about it.”
The teams meet May 2 in Toronto.
And, according to the old-schooler, that won’t be the first – nor last – night of hardball for Bautista & Co.
“If I’m every other team the Blue Jays have to play?” starts Zaun. “I’m going right to the film of every game they played against Kansas City and say, ‘What did these guys do differently than everybody else?’ They didn’t lay down for them.
“Teams willing to do the dirty work, like Kansas City – meaning: pitch inside, knock people down, intimidate – are going to be giving the Blue Jays all kinds of trouble.”
Zaun points to the boosts in blue – Tulowitzki’s bat for a full year, Roberto Osuna’s seasoned arm – but he remains leery.
He realizes that expectations are sky-high.
“Everyone will be monumentally disappointed if they don’t make the post-season again,” says Zaun. “The problem with assuming that that’s possible? The Yankees and Boston got a heck of a lot better. (East Division) got real strong again. It was a little soft last year …
“Now the Jays have a target on their back.”
[email protected]
Twitter.com/CruickshankCHIf you have a good job overseas‚ living in a country where the tax rate is 25%‚ but your salary falls into South Africa's 45% tax bracket‚ the taxman now wants to come after you to collect the difference of 20%.
Jerry Botha‚ a managing partner at Tax Consulting‚ said the draft tax law amendments for 2017‚ which have been published by National Treasury‚ propose a far harsher tax treatment on people earning their livelihood abroad.
He said the draft law recommends that the exemption section 10(1)(o)(ii) be completely repealed.
"This means foreign employment income will become fully taxable‚ and the only relief may be claimed is foreign taxes paid as a tax credit. For example‚ where the employee falls into the 45% tax bracket and pays 25% tax in the foreign country‚ the SARS will now collect the difference of 20%‚" he explained.
The current tax law determines that South African tax residents abroad must disclose their world-wide income to the South African Revenue Service (SARS)‚ and may then claim an exemption on their employment income physically earned outside South Africa.
The then Minister Pravin Gordhan announced in his 22 February 2017 Budget Speech that changes to this section were on the horizon. The suggestion was made that the exemption should not apply where the employee is not being taxed in the foreign country.
"There are limited options for South Africans abroad‚ should this law take effect‚" Botha said.
"One alternative would be to properly emigrate‚ in which case there is a deemed disposal capital gains tax event. SARS probably anticipates this likely move‚ as the 2016/17 tax return now has a specific disclosure hereon‚ which never previously existed.
"Other taxpayers are looking at establishing tax treaty residency in another country‚ but this is not as simple as getting a tax residency certificate somewhere else. Anyone who has been through a SARS process (on this) would know how complex this may become.
Botha said this move by the taxman could see more South Africans doing a cost estimate and possibly returning home.
"We have seen some expatriates indicating that with full tax on international employment income‚ which is what is effectively proposed‚ coupled with the high costs of international work‚ coming home may be their only alternative‚" he said.
The comment deadline on the draft law is 18 August 2017. It is set to take effect from 1 March 2019.Miriam Hertzler
Posted on October 05 2016
To say that Hulaween hasn’t been at the forefront of our minds as it creeps closer and closer upon us would most definitely be a lie because we absolutely cannot WAIT to return to Florida for another weekend of magic at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park. As you read through this you’ll hopefully start to gain some excitement with us while we touch on topics such as how to handle Suwannee like a pro, fun pre and post festival activities, ticket giveaways, and our top 10 must see artists for this year’s event.
Over the last four years we’ve been able to gain some knowledge of the amazing Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and the tricks to optimal success while there. We’ve narrowed these down to what we feel are the most important for you to crush Hulaween like a pro (especially if this is your first time!)
How to Crush Hulaween Like a Pro
Make sure to check the weather forecast before you go! We’ve been both hot and freezing while at Hulaween so take into account the humidity will make the nights a little bit more chilly than you’d expect Florida to be. Luckily, we usually bring our new fall clothing down for the weekend so if you don’t come prepared feel free to stop by our booth and we’ll have something to help keep you warm ;)
If it does call for warm weather bring a swimming suit as the Suwannee River is a short walk from the main stage and VIP camping area. This short trek is well worth it for a dip in the river when it gets hot during the day. Tubes, floaties, and other fun water toys are highly encouraged.
Partake in the themed night and go hard with your costumes! People go all out for Hulaween’s costume parties so don’t be the unprepared kid who didn’t plan ahead and start putting that badass outfit together asap. For the full breakdown of the costume contest and theme night go here
This one goes out to all of my Colorado like minded kidz… BE CAREFUL during any 4/20 related activities while at the park (or anywhere down South for that matter). Florida’s laws are the polar opposite of the laws we enjoy here in the Mile High, so if you like toking up at home and want to keep exercising that right after the festival is over, don’t be a silly and watch out for under covers. They will absolutely love to ruin your weekend with zero remorse.
But on a more positive note…
We have teamed up with our good friends at Silver Wrapper to host a ticket giveaway where one lucky winner will receive a pair of tickets as well as the official GRC Hulaween 2016 hats. This contest is live now on our Facebook page and we will announce who the lucky winner is Wednesday, 10/12!
Pictured below are the three different hats (snapback, fitted, and reversible bucket hat) that will be for sale at both the official merchandise and the Grassroots California booths. They’re extremely limited so we recommend purchasing early before they disappear. Tickets to Suwannee Hulaween are moving fast, so grab yours today right here!
Pre and Post Hulaween Activities
If you have the ability to take some extra time either before or after the festival, we highly recommend doing at least one of these pre/post festival activities we have listed below:
Madison Blue Springs is located about 45 minutes West of Live Oak, FL. It’s a beautiful spring that we went to after Hulaween last year for a cool dip and it was one of the most rewarding activities we had the whole weekend. Click here for more information on the springs and how to get there.
Jacksonville Beaches are a rapidly growing, ever evolving beach city with everything from the local deep routed surf and skate scene to a beach college town feel with a weekend booming tourist industry. A few of our favorite spots around the Jax Beaches include North Beach Fish Camp for some seafood and Taco Lu for some Mexican flavor and margaritas. This area would be a great spot for a nice chill few days of decompression post event!
Top 10 Artists to see at Hulaween
Last but not least, here is our top ten must see artists for the weekend! (hint don’t miss our #1, he’s the best).eero software updates are released on a rolling basis, so your eero may not be updated immediately after a new version is released.
New versions will be pushed to all customers’ networks (both 1st and 2nd-generation) within a few weeks of public release.
eeroOS: v3.11.0-436 - Released January 30, 2019
Improvements to port forwarding for UPnP requests
System stability improvements, performance improvements, and bug fixes
eeroOS: v3.10.1-1 - Released December 5, 2018
System stability improvements
eeroOS: v3.10.0-804 - Released October 25, 2018
eero+ bug fixes
Mesh improvements and bug fixes
IPv6 stability improvements
eeroOS: v3.9.2-18 - Released September 27, 2018
Stability enhancements for eero Plus when using IPv6
Stability enhancements for LAN persistence
Bug fixes
eeroOS: v3.9.1-3 - Released August 22, 2018
IPv6 improvements
Stability and performance improvements
Bug fixes
eeroOS: v3.9.0-1113 - Released August 14, 2018
Support for LAN Persistence during WAN outages
System stability improvements
Bug fixes
eeroOS: v3.8.2-18 - Released July 26, 2018
System stability improvements
Bug fixes
eeroOS: v3.8.1-9 - Released June 18, 2018
Bug fixes related to eero plus
System stability improvements
eeroOS: v3.8.0-1205 - Released May 29, 2018
IPv6 improvements
Stability and performance improvements
Bug fixes
eeroOS: v3.7.0-948 - Released February 22, 2018
Enabled support for IPv6
Enabled support for Thread device commissioning
System stability improvements
General bug fixes
eeroOS: v3.6.0-898 - Released January 8, 2018
System stability improvements
Bug fixes
eeroOS: v3.5.2-38 - Released December 5, 2017
System stability improvements
Bug fixes
eeroOS-v3.5.1-1 - Released October 30, 2017
System stability improvements
Bug fixes for eero plus
eeroOS-v3.5.0-312 - Released October 17, 2017
KRACK WPA2 Vulnerability Patches
Fix potential vulnerability in dnsmasq
System stability improvements
Bug fixes
eeroOS-v3.4.0-442 - Released September 26, 2017
System stability improvements
Bug fixes
Improved client roaming
eeroOS-v3.3.0-350 - Released August 30, 2017
System stability improvements
Bug fixes for eero Plus
Improvements to reduce errors during setup
Hairpin NAT Support
eeroOS-v3.2.1-2+2017-08-03 - Released August 8, 2017
Ethernet port configuration fix
eeroOS-v3.2.0-658 - Released July 27, 2017
Improvements to multi-hop TrueMesh throughput between second-generation eeros
Improvements to 802.11r FT (fast transition) for Apple iOS devices
Changes to TrueMesh for faster route switching and more accurate link metrics
Reliability improvements for internet speed tests
Updated DHCP server for security and performance fixes
eeroOS-v3.1.1-0+2017 - Released July 1, 2017
Improved performance for eero (2nd generation)
eeroOS-v3.1.0-454 - Released June 27, 2017
Enables 802.11r Fast Transition (FT) roaming
Improved device stability and performance
eeroOS-v3.0.0-1242* - Released June 13, 2017
Support for 2nd-generation eero and eero Beacon
Tri-band TrueMesh™ support
*eero 2nd-generation factory build
eeroOS-v2.3.0-91 - Released March 28, 2017
Improvements to TrueMesh™ and eeroOS stability
Various bug fixes and reliability improvements
Improved speed test accuracy
eeroOS v2.2.0-2478 - Released February 7, 2017
Improvements to TrueMesh™ to immediately notify all eeros of a roaming device
More accurate connected client reporting
Various bug fixes and reliability improvements
eeroOS v2.1.0 - Released December 15, 2016
TrueMesh™ - Improvements to stability and interoperability with various spanning tree protocols
Improvements to connected device list accuracy
Various bug fixes and reliability improvements
eeroOS v2.0.0 - Released November 17, 2016
Initial release of TrueMesh™ — our next generation of mesh technology
Support indicator LED on/off from mobile app and Alexa skill (More here)
Support for new app features such as eero-to-eero and connected device quality (More here)
Improvements to WiFi and network acceleration systems
Small bug fix for realtime Cloud communications protocol
Improved reliability of how Cloud configuration is stored on device
eeroOS v1.1.6 - Released November 8, 2016
Improved responsiveness of cloud-initiated actions such as speedtest
Various performance and stability improvements
eeroOS v1.1.5 - Released October 6, 2016
Improvements to device time syncing
Several bug fixes for UPnP
Various performance and stability improvements
eeroOS v1.1.4 - Released September 15, 2016
General performance and stability fixes
eeroOS v1.1.3 - Released August 25, 2016
Improved behavior with Apple Macbooks
Bugfix: Fixed an issue with the connected device list
Bugfix: Fixed a DNS setup issue
Small bug fixes/improvements to UPnP behavior
General system reliability and performance improvements
eeroOS v1.1.2 - Released July 20, 2016
Bugfix: Improved UPnP behavior with certain devices
Bugfix: Improved accuracy of connected device listing
Bugfix: Improvements to Family Profiles during soft-reset
Various other system and performance improvements
eeroOS v1.1.1 - Released July 7, 2016
Bugfix: Fixed an issue with connected device naming functionality
Various other system and performance improvements
eeroOS v1.1.0 - Released June 9, 2016
Bugfix: Improvements to port forwarding and UPnP behavior
Connected Devices: Improved connected device information accuracy
Security: Updated OpenSSL package
System Reliability: Improvements to automatic software update process
eeroOS v1.0.11 - Released May 24, 2016
Improvements to connected devices information in app
Bugfix: Improved UPnP behavior on custom LAN subnets
Bugfix: Improved port forwarding behavior
Various system stability and performance improvements
eeroOS v1.0.10 - Released April 27, 2016
Static IP can now be set up over Bluetooth (See this article for more details.)
Various stability and performance improvements
eeroOS v1.0.9 - Released April 7, 2016
Improvements to UPnP behavior, especially for game consoles
Bugfix: Improved accuracy of connected device list
Stability: Improvements to mesh wifi subsystem
Stability: Updates to eeroOS kernel
eeroOS v1.0.8 - Released March 25, 2016
Bugfix:Small fix to WiFi mesh architecture
eeroOS v1.0.7 - Released March 17, 2016
Bugfix: Improved DNS behavior when using a local or custom upstream DNS server
Bugfix: Bug fixes for Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)
Stability: Improvements to mesh WiFi subsystem
eeroOS v1.0.6 - Released March 11, 2016
Bugfix: Improved behavior for ISP lease renewal
eeroOS v1.0.5 - Released March 8, 2016
Bugfix: Improvements to software update behavior
eeroOS v1.0.4 - Released March 4, 2016
Bugfix: Improved parsing of upstream domain name system (DNS) information
eeroOS v1.0.3 - Released February 25, 2016
Stability: Improvements to mesh WiFi subsystem
eeroOS v1.0.2 - Released February 24, 2016
Performance: Improved mesh WiFi performance
Performance: Thermal management system improvements
Performance: Reduced local area network (LAN) latency between certain devices
Bugfix: Improvements to virtual private network (VPN) passthrough with certain VPN servers
Bugfix: Improved recovery behavior from Internet Service Provider (ISP) Internet outages
Bugfix: Improved client roaming behavior between eeros
Stability: Add additional filesystem consistency protection
Stability: Improvements to mesh WiFi subsystem
eeroOS v1.0.0 - Released February 23, 2016The Ravens struggled in 2013 after a Super Bowl title. Despite off-the-field issues, they improved drastically in 2014.
Repeating as Super Bowl champion is tough.
However, the step backward that the Ravens took in 2013 was worrisome. According to nERD, one of our signature metrics, the Ravens were just the 23rd-best team last year. Their nERD score in 2013 was -2.90, meaning they'd be expected to lose to an average team on a neutral field by about a field goal.
This year? Their nERD improved to 5.53 by the regular season's end, fifth-best in the league. How did they do it?
Let's dig into the numbers and find out.
The Good
Joe Flacco was good this year, according to our Net Expected Points (NEP) metric. NEP indicates how well above or below expectation a player performs. It's weighted on situational results, which means that a 10-yard pass to pick up a first down and a 10-yard pass on third and 15 aren't weighted the same because one adds to a drive and to a drive's expected point outcome and the other doesn't.
Last year, Flacco posted a Passing NEP of -18.84, which ranked 28th out of 39 quarterbacks with at least 200 drop backs. His Passing NEP per drop back was -0.03, 27th-best. This year, his Passing NEP was 89.35, which ranked
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a tome of prophecy.
These five followers, who were to become the Foretellers, read the future written in the tome.
Apparently a passage written on the last page shocked them.
"The war in that place will lead to the defeat and destruction of the Light.
The World will be enveloped in eternal Darkness."
In order to save the future World, the five Foretellers thought to use the power hidden in the tome of prophecy.
That's the power you are all using now.
Through the cards, you are using the power of the future to try and protect the light from the darkness, and avert the future enveloped in darkness.
Also, as you know, even though the five Foretellers share the same goal, they by no means share the same will.
So, you mustn't lose sight of it yourself.The notable children’s book If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson is a sweet story that teaches kids about kindness. To go along with the book, you may like to do a special kindness activity. This one is perfect for spring. (Or even late winter.)
(Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)
Let me back up.
I found If You Plant a Seed (affiliate) when I was browsing through a list of notable new-ish children’s books. Kadir Nelson is an award-winning author-illustrator best known for his stories of diversity and his richly detailed illustrations.
This story of generosity and kindness is appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s about a bunny and a mouse who plant seeds to grow food. Birds come and try to take their harvest. In the end, though, the animals share their food and together have an even more successful garden.
Kindness Activity Overview
The idea for this kindness activity is simple. Put some seeds you want to plant in the bottom of a jar. Then, catch your children being kind. Write down what they did on a slip of paper, and put it in the jar. When it’s time to plant the seeds, re-read the story, and talk about what’s on the slips of paper.
Kindness Activity Details
Read the story and explain the activity to your child. Choose some seeds and put them in a small jar. You may like to decorate it. Store the jar in a dark place such as a cupboard.
You might like to read this excellent short article on teaching kindness to children. When you catch your child showing kindness, write down the behavior.
Give your child the slip of paper and help him or her put it into the jar. (By “help” I mean make sure they don’t spill the seeds or drop the jar). You don’t have to fill the jar up. You could cram a whole lot of paper in a jar. The idea is to just praise and reinforce good behavior.
When you have a small collection of kind deeds in the jar, and when you have time, plant the seeds. Talk about how your plants can be used for kindness too. Flowers can brighten someone’s day. Vegetables can feed people and animals. (And if insects or critters get to your plants first, you can talk about that in terms of kindness too — of course you may still want to discourage them from getting to the plants!)
This post is part of the Book Inspired Crafts and Activities for Kids blog hop hosted by Raising Little Superheroes.
For more fun and inspiring activities from over 25 other bloggers, you may like to have a look!
For more book-inspired ideas from Books and Giggles you may like…
Dog Craft & Story for Preschoolers
Ox-Cart Man Storytelling Basket
Tiptoe Joe – New Baby Story and Extension Activities“In my next life I want to be a cat,” wrote the late poet Charles Bukowski. “To sleep 20 hours a day and wait to be fed. To sit around licking my ass.” Now a posthumously published collection of writing will see the “laureate of American lowlife” join authors from TS Eliot to Doris Lessing in chronicling his love of all things feline.
The work, acquired by publisher Canongate, will bring together Bukowski’s musings on cats. “We associate him with a kind of righteous, barfly-esque, dangerous, rock’n’roll way of life. But there is a gentleness to his writing, and a love of pets, which we’re bringing out here,” said Francis Bickmore, the publishing director of Canongate, which will publish On Cats in October. It will follow the publication of a collection of previously unpublished Bukowski letters about the art of authorship, On Writing, in July.
“Having a bunch of cats around is good,” wrote Bukowski, who died in 1994 aged 73, leaving behind six novels and more than 50 collections of poetry, letters and short stories. “If you’re feeling bad, you just look at the cats, you’ll feel better, because they know that everything is, just as it is. There’s nothing to get excited about. They just know. They’re saviours. The more cats you have, the longer you live. If you have a hundred cats, you’ll live 10 times longer than if you have 10. Someday this will be discovered, and people will have a thousand cats and live for ever. It’s truly ridiculous.”
“He became sentimental about cats in his old age,” Howard Sounes, author of Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life, told the Independent. “When he made a bit of money, he lived the suburban life with his wife Linda Lee and they had a lot of cats. He got a bit soppy about them.”
In his poem My Cats, included in the collection The Pleasures of the Damned, Bukowski writes of how “they complain but never/worry./they walk with a surprising dignity./they sleep with a direct simplicity that/humans just can’t/understand”, adding later: “when I am feeling/low/all I have to do is/watch my cats/and my/courage/returns.”
In The History of One Tough Motherfucker, he writes of an abused, abandoned cat he took in, and of how journalists would ask him about “life and literature and I get drunk and hold up my cross-eyed,/shot, runover de-tailed cat and I say, ‘look, look/at this!’/but they don’t understand, they say something like, ‘you/say you’ve been influenced by Celine?’/‘no, I hold the cat up, ‘by/what happens, by things like this, by this, by this!’”
On Cats will follow July’s reissue of Bukowski’s semi-autobiographical novel Ham on Rye, and the publication of On Writing, letters from Bukowski which span his career. They move “from early letters to editors requesting work in any form, really”, said Bickmore, to his correspondence with his long-term editor John Martin. “Early on, he gets a letter from a magazine editor saying their submissions reader didn’t like his work. He writes back, saying that sounds like a good job, and that he’d like to be a submissions reader.”
Another letter, written in January 1985, lays out his response to discovering that his short story collection, Tales of Ordinary Madness, has been removed from the shelves of a Dutch library for being “very sadistic, occasionally fascist and discriminatory against certain groups [including homosexuals]”.
“If I write badly about blacks, homosexuals and women it is because those who I met were that. There are many ‘bads’ – bad dogs, bad censorship; there are even ‘bad’ white males. Only when you write about ‘bad’ white males they don’t complain about it. And need I say that there are ‘good’ blacks, ‘good’ homosexuals and ‘good’ women?” Bukowski wrote.
“Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others. Their fear is only their inability to face what is real, and I can’t vent any anger against them, I only feel this appalling sadness. Somewhere, in their upbringing, they were shielded against the total facts of our existence. They were only taught to look one way when many ways exist.” The letter ends: “may we all get better together. Hank”.
“You get a sense of an incredibly attuned mind, to the written and spoken word, who cared a great amount about what the written word could do,” said Bickmore of the unpublished letters, which were gleaned by his biographer Abel Debritto from the vast archive of material Bukowski left behind when he died. “And there’s this incredible, brilliantly indelible rage, about the idea of censorship.”
Next February, Canongate will also publish On Love, a collection of the author’s writings on relationships. “He always sought to tell the truth, whatever the cost,” said Bickmore. Describing the writer as “one of the greatest 20th-century icons that America produced”, he added that “no one talks truth to power like Charles Bukowski”.
“His fan base just seems to get bigger and bigger,” Bickmore said. “People are obsessed with him, and his iconic status seems to get more and more significant.”Here’s something totally awesome for anyone who’s a fan of movies like ‘The Dark Crystal’ & ‘Meet The Feebles’. Check out the ‘We R Animals’ trailer, a new movie you can fully support on Kickstarter. This project looks totally bonkers and like ‘Meet The Feebles’ boasts an R rating as well. All the characters are played by animatronic puppets bringing to mind a bit of a Gremlins feel as well to the whole thing. This project has been in the making now since 2010 but now seems to be looking like it’s gearing up to get very serious soon.
Here’s the crazy synopsis:
“We R Animals is the story about a bunny who’s never experienced love, who lives in a shady old circus but wants to get out. One day her dream comes true when she manages to escape and meets an old sweet lady called Alice. But her happy new life won’t last long. A criminal cat who runs a business where he shoots cute animal videos for the web now wants the bunny in one of his videos and therefore kidnaps her. It’s a nasty business where he earns big money on ads, while treating his actors like shit, often drugging them and doesn’t care if they die.
What happens next is a fun twisted r-rated ride with violence, ninja cats, soviet collie cyborgs, vicious dogs, vampire bats, revenge and magic.”
Sounds like a trip huh? I’m pretty excited to see the final product here. So many movies these days simply resort to CGI which is totally cool but it’s also really nice to see an inspiring “hands on approach” being utilized for a project as unique as this. The puppets look absolutely stunning & the sets look mindbending. The Sweden based writer and director also got the dude from “Kung Fury” involved recently as a producer on the project. Support this one if you can!
AdvertisementsHunting Giants. 05/12/12
It had been a long week.
My father was undergoing heart surgery 2000 miles away. My wife was another 500 miles beyond that for a week, visiting family. I'd been stressed out, lonely, and a bit depressed... not feeling very social, and really sort of wallowing around home. I had plenty of time for fun or distractions, but ended up wasting time online, watching stupid things I downloaded, and generally getting nothing of import done, much less making use of the time I had to myself.
I had an tentative invitation to ride with a couple of friends on saturday morning, but no one was actually stepping up and making any plans, or committing to anything. I'm not an over planner by any means, but I do like to make a concerted effort to get out fast and decisively if I'm going to bother. Few things are as frustrating a waste of time as spending an hour of a saturday morning sitting in traffic, trying to get to the actual riding part of the day, because you wanted to sleep in late. I like to get up and go, and spend the most time doing the most fun stuff I can.
I was happy when everyone bailed. I didn't realize it at first, but as I texted back to people telling them that since no plans had been made, I was making them myself, and for a longish ride. At least 5 hours. The majority of the day.... I knew they'd back out, and that was desireable. Somewhere I knew what I needed. I am one of the defacto leaders of a very loosely knit riding group, so I do a lot of planning, and leading, and herding, and making sure the group dynamic is not too fast or too slow for everyone. What I needed was to not worry about anyone else's comfort with speed. Not have to remember how high maintenence someone might be, or how easily distracted they might be from getting back on the bike any time we stopped. I needed one vibe, mine.
Perfect. All on my own. It's nice to not have to communicate the route to anyone, or repeat the plans that I already sent via email days before, but no one bothered to read, or worry about anyone's readyness, or where their gloves are, or their earplugs,... whatever it is. I knew I'd filled up before a short recent ride, and didn't have a full tank, but that it was close. I knew more or less how far I was going, and where the nearest fuel stations were. Looking to be a nice warm day, but still cool at 10am (a late start, but at least it was by my own choice...) even so, the cold blooded Triumph started first time, with a little choke to get the mix just right for the morning. On the bike, down the hill, out on the highway.
Took it easy on the in-town interstate, no use rushing, and the area is full of cops anyway until you get to the base of the foothills. Started the climb. Started on the throttle. I'm no fan of interstates, but if you have to do one, a mountain pass is a good choice.
Its blustery, and full of construction, and I forgot to switch glasses. With a new helmet and new glasses last year I noticed that when I was going fast enough to have the pressure on the helmet increase, as it raised up a little in the wind it would pull my glasses up too, so they'd be hovering above my nose by a mm or two. Then on a bumpy construction ridden road (not to mention new stiff progresssive springs in the front that I haven't dialed in yet), and the glasses bounce all over.. making it hard to see. Can't slow down. It doesn't matter that this is suboptimal performance of my gear... I want to get over this mountain. I need to. Adjust the glasses with the visor open at 85. Hunker down and hump the tank, elbows on knees, slip into the wind.... thats better. 90 around this sweeeping corner. Some lifestyle tough guy and his old lady are dropping a lane over behind an SUV who (true to form for the majority of drivers in Washington state) is camped out in the left lane, just barely kissing the speedlimit. Admitedly, its annoying when it happens, but somehow I've seen the lay out from a 1/2 mile back and am coming up on them already dropped into a right lane to make the pass with nary a ripple in the fluid dynamics of this school of mechanical fish, swimming up stream. Harley guy has come up all the way behind the SUV, trying to intimidate him over, when that fails, he makes this jackass pass around him, then gets right back in front of him, nearly clipping the front bumper with his rear wheel, just so he can flip off the driver. I moved another lane to the right to disassociate myself from these beanied knobs, just keeping my flow smooth. Two more cars in front of the Harley, one each in the left two lanes. He's gunning it away from the SUV to show off how much faster he is than the guy who was blocking him, suddenly he's about to rear end this next SUV. He dives to the right, taking both lanes at once, into my lane, where I've just about pulled abreast and am about to pass the right most car. He swerves his chromed out douche-canoe into my lane, just barely clearing the sedan one lane over, and half a bike length in front of me. His pillion scopes me over her shoulder, looking nervous, but he's intent on getting past evernyone. I've already slipped to the right in my lane and laid into it, wanting nothing to do with this retard, and as he cuts back to the left, right across the sedan and the second SUV, making a spectacle of himself and how much he deserves his covetted left lane, I blip my eyes to the mirror and see his headlight already disappearing as I crest the pass at about 103. No time for this bullshit.
Coming down the otherside, things are opening up. The landscape is getting airier. The air is getting warmer. The road is finally getting smoother. And just a bit, there, in the back of my head, hiding behind all the hard thoughts of the week, the tension breaks... barely perceptibly at first, and then a little bit more. My shoulders loosen. My grip loosens. Bad riding habits I know better than to be wasting energy on start to fall away as I remember why I love it. Why I started a riding group in the first place. Why people want to share this activity with friends they love.
My plan had been to get over the mountains and ride a canyon that follows a river down from the snow caps. As I'm coming out of the foothills, and into canyon and farming country I remember the windmills. Several windfarms are placed an the ridge line to the north of the highway, and in the space of a moment a handful of memories and ideas all congeal into an ammended plan. I tuck it away and continue on, inhaling the verdant fields, rocky outcrops, and blue skies... starting to itch to get off the interstate. I'm banked over taking one of the last nice long wide open turns before the next city begins to approach at a brisk clip, I feel a lurch and a hesitation... a quick spitting sound. Oh yeah, reach inside of my left leg and flip the petcock over to Reserve, and crank the throttle again. Never missed a beat, glance at the odometer, which reads 127 since my last fill up. I chuckle, as under civilized riding conditions I can push 150 before hitting reserve... but this is par for the course considering how I jammed through the last 80 miles of mountains.
I pull off at the head of the canyon, put some fluids in the bike, relieve some fluids from my body. Make a quick check on my nascent scheme: Looks like the road I remember hearing about appears to be paved, as far as google maps can be trusted at least.
But first, I need to get take care of my original plan. I head down the road, old 821, which follows the Yakima river down to Selah. All I had originally planned to do today was the 25 miles from the gas station to the southern end, then run it back to the top. I'm off down from the top and after the first few good turns I see a county sheriff writing someone a ticket. At least its not a bike. No surprise though... this is a killer road, and easy to speed on it, even if you're not doing anything absurd out there. I'd rather see them at the top or bottom than in the middle at least.
After I'm out of view of the Sheriff, I eventually pass the two cars in front of me, and set out on my own.... speeding, but at what I'd consider a reasonable amount. Enough that I might be able to talk myself out of a ticket if that white SUV decides to come looking for me. Nothing too egregious. It doesn't matter... laying into these curves with no one in sight is what I need. This rocky landscape. This River. And this road giving me everything I need, at any speed.
I made it down and back with no sign of the 5-0, and little to no other traffic aside from a dude with his lady friend on a Guzzi, who gave me thumbs up as we crossed paths, and who waved again when I passed them after I'd turned around and caught up to them on the return leg.
Cruising out of the canyon, I enjoyed the abandoned railroad depots and farm buildings that dot the area south of town. Speaking of town, I now have to enter it, which often sets my teeth on edge when I've been out in the country. Small towns are almost always nice. You putter through and enjoy the old cars, non-ironic non-kitchy old burger stands, a gas station or two...If you're lucky a dog walks across the road at its own pace, forcing you to slow down on what is clearly its turf... or maybe a tractor in the road. But this is not that kind of small town, its just a small city. Big enough to have some strip malls with a couple nail salons, jet-ski/ATV dealers, and based on the lurid colors of the kiosks I notice, probably a bikini/topless coffee shop or two.
I'm thinking I might have to pull over and ask for directions to satisfy my quest, but then a chance head check to the right, and I glimpse the sign I am seeking, just over some bushes at the next intersection: Wine and Liquor.
Spotting a state liquor store in an unfamiliar town seems like a wonderful coup at the moment for some reason. I stop in, peruse the cheap baskets, and find a bottle that will do. At the check out I am stunned to find out it only costs a dollar. I don't know why this baffles me, but then, I can't remember having ever bought airplane sized booze bottles in at least 15 years. Throw the bottle in my bag, and I'm off again. Now I'm headed out of town up an old local highway into the hills. Old farmland in the afternoon sun is just beautiful. I know I'm close to my destination when I see a sign for Whiskey Dick Ranch. That is what jumped from my memory when I saw the windmills earlier in the day... the fact that somewhere outside of this town is a place called Whiskey Dick Mountain, which I have been joking about visiting for years. I also remembered that despite its colorful name, it is home to a wind-farm that generates power for the state utilities conglomerate. Probably worth a visit.
The windmills have been getting ever closer, and just past the ranch that shares its name with the mountain it lies at the foot of, there is an archway, like an old western corral sign over the driveway, welcoming you to The Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility and Renewable Energy Center.
Turning off the old highway, I'm climbing a narrow 2 lane road that while paved, has a wonderful wash of gravel down the middle, for pretty much the whole length. Riding in the areas cleaned by car tires keeps me pretty comfy though, and I enjoy the ruggedness of un-developed land and increasing altitude as I progress.
Things start to get surreal as I get closer to the windmills:
These clean crisp white giants pop out against the blue sky, most of their blades sloooowly turning in a 10-15mph breeze. One or two are in hotter spots, and keep up a more lively pace, and others in the distance sit silently holding their arms up in some permanent mechanical shrug, or maybe exaltation. On beyond that, they stretch along the ridgelinesfor miles, keeping each other company, waiting to spin to life.
There is a visitor center up there, where I find out that the ridge line road continues on for miles through the windfarm, all the way to Wenatchee.. however its not paved. I'm not feeling quite that adventurous today anyway, so me and my street bike just hang out. Take in the view, check out a windmill blade up close and personal, and then sit down on the rock wall and just listen to the wind, the faint whirring sound of the few turbines that are slowly turning near by.
It was time to celebrate the fact that I'd finally made good on my years old threat to come up here, and had done so properly provisioned to raise a salute to this place.
Then I called my dad.
My sister had only just got me the number to his room, and he'd only just begun to be up and awake and lucid in the last day or so. I gave it a shot, and he answered. He sounded great. He cracked jokes. He laughed when I told him I'd ridden my bike up whiskey dick mountain to have a drink and look at windmills. He sighed a little bit knowing that he has many weeks of PT in front of him before he can get his own bike out again, but he was happy enough, and looking down an increased number of healthy years in which to enjoy life thanks to his new aorta.
I'd been getting text updates from my family through out his surgery and post op, and so I knew he was fine all this time, but hearing his voice. Hearing him tell me he was okay... that made it real. That made the distance seem farther, and as the reality of his voice made me believe it was all going to be okay, the weight got less. I had no idea how tightly wound I'd become with my family far away, my darling partner taking care of things with her own family, and just my own fears for my dad and the future to stew in.
I couldn't have planned a better way to sort it all out. Thats not the only point, but its worth noting. Sometimes you just have to charge off after something, even if you don't know why, or what it is you're actually tilting at.
"Destiny guides our fortunes more favorably than we could have expected. Look there, Sancho Panza, my friend, and see those thirty or so wild giants, with whom I intend to do battle and kill each and all of them, so with their stolen booty we can begin to enrich ourselves. This is nobel, righteous warfare, for it is wonderfully useful to God to have such an evil race wiped from the face of the earth."
"What giants?" Asked Sancho Panza.
"The ones you can see over there," answered his master, "with the huge arms, some of which are very nearly two leagues long."
"Now look, your grace," said Sancho, "what you see over there >aren't giants, but windmills, and what seems to be arms are just >their sails, that go around in the wind and turn the millstone."
"Obviously," replied Don Quijote, "you don't know much about adventures."
The ride home was effortless, smooth, relaxing. I soaked up the warmth riding westward into the sun, enjoyed the cool air coming through my vents on the colder western slopes as I descended through the snowfields, and slipped back into the city, and the landscapes of glass and steel and concrete.
Somewhere out there all the rough edges and hardened scabs of worry and loneliness had gotten blown away by the adventure.
In their place I return armed with a clear head, a peaceful calm, and rasterburns of the countryside and the mountains imprinted in my psyche. They'll last for a while, feeding me and keeping me sane, until I need to go out and recharge again.
But for now, I'm ready for anything.Earlier this year, JPMorgan Chase was the victim of a massive data breach, but the attack might have been avoided if the bank had installed a “simple” security fix, The New York Times reveals. Apparently, an unsecured server on the bank’s computer network was targeted by hackers, who then were able to steal personal data belonging to tens of millions of Americans.
FROM EARLIER: North Korea’s statement on the Sony hack is as hilariously insane as you’d expect
According to people familiar with the investigation, the financial institution might have been able to prevent the intrusion had it not been for a server that lacked a simple security feature most people are familiar with: Two-factor authentication.
After stealing credentials from a JPMorgan Chase employee, hackers were then able to access the bank’s computer network and gain high-level access to more than 90 bank servers. From there, hackers stole account information for 83 million households and businesses in the U.S.
The server used to infiltrate JPMorgan lacked the two-step authentication scheme, meaning that hackers did not have to obtain a second password in addition to the stolen login information to access the bank’s system.
Apparently, the simple vulnerability the hackers took advantage of surprised investigators, who initially believed a more complex hack was used to breach the system.
While not all details of this ongoing investigation have been revealed, it appears that a sophisticated zero day attack was not used in this data breach. The simple nature of the attack that ultimately defeated a security system costing JPMorgan some $250 million each year, also explains why other financial institutions that have two-factor authentication in place were not also hit.Virginia Congressional Districts
Delegate mathematics in Virginia. Previously we covered Iowa and New Hampshire. Now we come to Virginia. Virginia is a super Tuesday state. Virginia operates a primary ballot. So it is much easier to calculate than caucuses (caucii?). I chose Virginia because vivling expressed an interest.
Virginia has a nice mix of available delegates in few different Congressional Districts. This gives us a chance to get familiar with many different ranges and numbers within a state. Virginia has the most common complement of delegate numbers in use across the nation. {Never know, we might even get to be comfortable with Texas one day if they have not got round to banning mathematics yet}.
While poll numbers and rumours abound, our own expectations might inflate while we think will happen. Mostly what we find is that there are mathematical boundaries to what a few percentage change in base support level will do. The mathematics of delegate allocation has some set borders within which any changes in votes will not make corresponding change in delegates. In many cases even a big % difference leaves no perceptible change. Also we can see why irrespective of who a candidate is as long as they are achieving around 30% support they will manage very respectable delegate count.
Virginia has 11 Congressional Districts. So including state-wide allocations, Virginia has 13 different delegate allocation units. The delegates are unevenly spread. Number of delegates available in each are as follows: 3 from CD9; 4 from CD6; 5 from CD1, CD2, CD5, CD7; 6 from CD4; 7 from CD11;8 from CD3, CD8 and 12 PLEOs and 21 state-wide. Making a total of 95 delegates. Most districts have a substantially high non-white Democrats. The white population seem to be heavily republican tilting.
Congressional District Based Delegate Allocation Triggers: The triggers for congressional districts based allocations are listed below. I have grouped the Congressional districts which have same available delegates together since the same thresholds and triggers apply to them.
Delegate Acquired Out of available> 3 Del (CD9) 4 Del (CD6) 5 DEl (CD1, CD2, CD5, CD7) 6 Del (CD4) 7 del (CD11) 8 DEL (CD3, CD8) Delegation Allocation Thresholds/Triggers 1 del 16.7 15 15 15 15 15 2 del 50 37.5 30 25 21.4 18.8 3 del 83.3 62.5 50 41.7 35.7 31.3 4 del - 85 70 58.3 50 43.8 5 del - - 85 75 64.3 56.3 6 del - - - 85 78.6 68.8 7 del - - - - 85 81.3 8 del - - - - - 85
Virtual Guarantee of 1 Delegate Every District: No one is going to be able to maintain a clean sweep of all delegates. That would require 85% in the relevant Congressional district with 4 or more delegates (only 83.3% in district with 3 delegates). For both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders 1 delegate is guaranteed in every allocating district with 3 or more available. So even at the start both camps are sure to have at least 12 delegates each. The rest come into play after that.
For 3 Delegates at CD9: The first delegate is very cheap to acquire with just 16.7% votes. second delegate available to whoever manages to get more than 50% votes. That final delegate requires a whopping 83.3% votes. Unless the poll numbers are literally hovering around 50% marker, this place is unlikely to see much action. There are not many democrats in CD9 but of the ones that are there Clinton should be comfortably get 2-1 split. Interesting district features are less that 20% college education.
For 4 Delegates at CD6: The first delegate here is available at 15%. Second delegate at 37.5%. Third delegate trigger is high at 62.5%. The whole range from 37.5 to 62.5 will still have delegates split 2-2. So again the sheer level of change in support levels required to flip CD6 is indicates not much activity here. Without a spectacular success this is just going to play at 2-2
For 5 Delegates at CD1 CD2 CD5 and CD7: Second delegate at 30.%. Third delegate trigger is precariously balanced at 50%. These districts becomes very crucial as they break even with small % advantage, a whole delegate is available. Most likely to be fought over tooth and nail to get that 3-2 split in favour. 70% votes are needed to get a 4-1 split seems a bit too much of a demand on any campaign. All districts have a large number of non-white Democrats.
For 6 Delegates at CD4 and CD10: Within the whole range of 41.7 — 58.3 the delegate split will be straight 3-3. The vote advantage of 16% is not going to make any difference. Interesting points are at 41.7%. and 58.3%, if candidates are hovering around either of these mark, then some extra effort would break the district 4-2 split. To get a 5-1 split is going to take a 75% support level. Even in candidates home states and districts we have not yet seen this kind of support. On a side note Clinton team has local campaigning behind them here with all the incentive to break it 4-2split.
For 7 Delegates at CD11: Within the range of 35.7 — 50 the 3 delegates each will be allocated. The fight for the 7th delegate is again precariously balanced at 50% marker to make the overall break 4-3 split. To achieve a 5-2 split votes need to be at 64.3% or higher. In this hotbed of liberalism, turnout will be crucial. For Sanders advantage the district is a heavy mix of progressivism as well as core Clinton supporters. Clintons support level within non-white voters will be tested heavily here. Unlike other districts, white population is around 60%. Either candidates breaking through 64.3% support and achieve 5-2 split seems very distant. Sanders will be hoping to maintain at least 35.7% vote share and retain a 3 delegates and then slug it out for final odd delegate. The district is distinctly Democratic too. Perhaps the result from South Carolina primary will be better indicator of which way the wind is blowing and If that touted firewall will hold. (note to self: do the South Carolina Numbers soon).
For 8 Delegates at CD3 CD8: Any vote share between 43.8% and 56.3% will result in a 4-4 delegate split. Crossing a threshold trigger 56.3% results in two delegate advantage 5-3. The next trigger at 68.8% for 6-2 split. Unless there is some major event 68.8% is quite a huge barrier. 7-1 split is just extremely improbable it needs 81.3%.
Delegate Allocations Based On State-Wide Results: State-wide results work towards two different category of delegates; 21 At-Large delegates and 12 pledged PLEO delegates. While it is the same vote share, the odd number of state-wide allocations would reward state-wide winner with overall at least one delegate advantages.
The table below shows the PLEO specific triggers points. The at large delegates listed here are corresponding numbers at PLEO percentages. A separate table further down is just for at-large delegates.
Vote share% 15% 20.9% 29.2% 37.5% 45.9% 54.2% 62.5% 70.9% 79.2% Statewide Delegate for Vote Share Table - PLEOs PLEOs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Corresponding
At-Large Dels 3 4 6 8 10 11 13 15 17
For 12 Pledged PLEOs: Once again due to large number of delegates in this category, roughly 8.3% votes translate to 1 delegate. At 15% vote share 2 Delegates are acquired. Third one at 20.8%. Each subsequent delegate from then on at 8.3% increments. Even split (6-6) ranges from 45.9% — 54.2%. So in order to achieve a delegate advantage here a candidate will need to cross perform fairly well overall beyond 54.2%
For 21 Delegates State-wide (at-large): (See table below.) Because of a high number of available delegates, the incremental steps are fairly small. Results should reflect the similar percentages. The extra delegates achieving triggers are listed below. Roughly 4.8% votes translates to 1 delegate. crossing 15% threshold gives a starting point of 3 delegates. Fourth delegate is cheap at 16.7%. Subsequently every 4.8% gives an extra delegate. Odd number of delegates in
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and its allies backing Assad and their opponents supporting the Sunni-led rebellion against his family's 40-year rule.
Clashes have periodically erupted between supporters and opponents of the regime in the northern city of Tripoli and in recent months dozens of people have been killed in rocket attacks and bombings elsewhere in the country, including the predominantly Shia neighbourhoods of Beirut's southern suburbs.What if “life in prison” could mean 100 or 200 or 400 years? Does that change the way that sentences are doled out? What happens when a person gets out of prison?
For all of you who’ve written in asking me to do an episode about longevity, this episode is for you. But instead of looking at the usual living forever stuff, we’re specifically going to talk about what happens when it gets applied to the prison system.
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It turns out that there is a philosopher who thinks about exactly this. Rebecca Roache, a professor at Royal Holloway University, is heading up a team of scholars who are researching how future technology might change punishment. In this episode we also talk to Walidah Imarisha, a historian, writer and organizer, and one of the editors of Octavia’s Brood, an anthology of science fiction written by activists.
Now, in order to figure out life extension in the context of prisons, we have to think about what life extension will actually look like. Roache says that it won’t come in the form of a magic bottle or pill. Rather, longevity will come in the form of a series of cures for things like cancer and heart disease and all the other health problems that kill people. Because it will be a form of medical treatment, prisoners could have to have access to it.
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I wanted to apply the idea of longevity to prisons because it lets us think about a possible future technology in the context of possible future social structures. And while it might be nice to assume that in a future full of longevity, we might also have no injustice, that’s not exactly realistic. So what happens when we apply life-extending technology to the U.S. prison system, which is well documented to be full of systemic injustice?
Research already shows that punishments doled out to people of color are harsher than those doled out to white people for the same crimes. There’s no reason to think that wouldn’t apply to a future with life extension technology either. And since life extension will be synonymous with medical treatment, it stands to reason that the current problems with how prisoners receive medical care would carry into a future with longevity too.
Here’s the thing — when we talk about punishment, we tend to talk about punishment for the most evil people we can possibly imagine. Serial killers like Jack the Ripper or mass murderers like Hitler. People who’ve committed really, really atrocious crimes. People we might want to put away for 1000 years. The problem is that the vast majority of people in prison are not like that at all.
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The United States has a huge number of people serving life in prison. In 2012 there were over 159,000 people serving life sentences in U.S. prisons. About 50,000 of those people were serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. In 2013, there were 3,000 people in the United States serving life sentences for non-violent crimes. Just for comparison, according to the BBC, in the UK there are about 50 people serving life without the possibility of parole. (It’s not just a numbers game either. The US has five times the number of people as the UK, not 1,000 times).
All this is to say that in this episode we talk about how to apply what we know about prisons and justice now, to a future world where we have life extension technology.
In the episode, we also talk about what it would be like to try and re-enter society after being locked up for 300 years, and what it might mean to face another few hundred years of discrimination based on your prior convictions. We also talk about rehabilitation and education in prisons, something that might become a bigger focus if prisoners are going to go on to live hundreds of years after their sentence is complete.
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Life extension technology is going to be a slow march, if it ever happens at all. In that time we can hope that while some people work on curing cancer and heart disease, others work on breaking down the injustice that exists in our society.
If you have thoughts about futures we should explore on the podcast, leave us a note in the comments, on Twitter, or email us at [email protected]. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud or via whatever RSS reading app you chose.
The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Broke for Free.
A quick programming note: Meanwhile in the Future is taking a week off next week. But we’ll be back the week after that with another possible, or not so possible future. And that one, I promise, will be a little more optimistic.Pennsylvania has a three-day bear hunting season
A hunter in the American state of Pennsylvania has been fined nearly $7,000 (£4,569) for luring a bear to a sticky end with a trail of doughnuts.
Charles Olsen enticed the large black bear into his gunsights with pastries and illegally shot it, police said.
Mr Olsen attracted the attention of the Game Commission when his truck, laden with sugary treats, was spotted on a road a week before bear season.
The "pastry poacher" was found guilty of violating several game laws.
Mr Olsen was arrested last November when he attempted to register the bear, which weighed 707 lbs (a third of a tonne), the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
It would have been the biggest trophy claimed during the state's three-day bear hunting season had it been killed legally, the newspaper said.
The 39-year-old, of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, was rumbled when a Game Commission wildlife conservation officer spotted his truck loaded with pastries from a local shop and traced the licence number.
The officer, Cory Bentzoni said: "Being that we were so close to bear season, seeing that person drive by with an unusual amount of pastries was like watching an individual go down a row of parked vehicles testing each handle to see if it would open.
"Something just didn't seem right," he was quoted as saying by PR Newswire.
Mr Olsen could also lose his hunting and trapping privileges for at least three years after Thursday's hearing, it is reported.William Z. Foster
Toward Soviet America
Date: 1932
Publisher: International Publishers Publishers
HTML Markup: Brian Reid
Public Domain: Marxists Internet Archive (2009). You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet Archive” as your source.
Preface
I. THE DECLINE OF CAPITALISM
1. The Present Economic Crisis
2. The Mass Impoverishment of the Toilers
3. Capitalist Fear and Confusion
4. Cyclical Crises
5. The General Crisis of Capitalism
6. The Decaying Capitalist System
7. The War Danger
8. The World-Wide Revolutionary Upsurge
9. The Revolutionary Perspective
II. THE RISE OF SOCIALISM
1. Flourishing Bolshevik Industries
2. The Revolution in Agriculture
3. Outstripping the Capitalist Countries
4. Real Prosperity for the Toilers
5. The Cultural Revolution
6. Accomplishing the Impossible
7. Socialism and Communism
8. The Dictatorship of the Proletariat
9. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union
III. CAPITALIST ATTEMPTS TO LIQUIDATE THE CRISIS
1. Quack Capitalist Economic Remedies
2. The Rationalization of Industry
3. The American “New Capitalism”
4. Trusts and Cartels
5. The Movement for Capitalist Planned Economy
6. The Question of an Organized Capitalism
1. Futile Efforts to Quench the Class Struggle
2. From Social Reformism to Social Fascism
3. The Fasciszation of the American Federation of Labor
4. The Fasciszation of the Socialist Party
5. The “Left” Social Fascists
6. The Bankruptcy of Social Fascism
7. The Futility of Fascism
IV. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAY OUT OF THE CRISIS
1. The Conquest of Political Power
2. The Revolutionary Forces in the United States
3. The Communist Party; the Party of the Toilers
4. The Present-Day Tasks of the American Revolutionary Movement
5. The Communist Party Program of Immediate Demands
6. A Program of Class Struggle
7. The American Workers and the Revolution
V. THE UNITED SOVIET STATES OF AMERICA
1. The American Soviet Government
2. The Expropriation of the Expropriators
3. The Improvement of the Toilers’ Conditions
4. The Liquidation of Capitalist Robbery and Waste
5. The Reorganization of Industry
6. The Collectivization of Agriculture
7. The Liberation of the Negro
8. The Emancipation of Woman
9. Unshackling the Youth
10. The Cultural Revolution in the United States
11. Curing Crime and Criminals
12. The Abolition of War
13. Socialist Incentive
14. Collectivism and Individualism
15. Building a New WorldFrom RationalWiki
Bill Maher in 2010, attending a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“ ” Smart people are very good at rationalising things they came to believe for non-smart reasons. —Michael Shermer (in reference to people just like Bill Maher)[1]
Bill Maher (born 1956) is an outspoken, unapologetic and imperviously self-satisfied comedian and political commentator, best known for his Comedy Central/ABC show Politically Incorrect and his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher. He is vocal on several topics to the point of absolute annoyance to many people, most notably his atheistic views and harsh criticisms of religion, particularly Islam (often misrepresenting and stereotyping Muslims) and occasionally Christianity, but rarely Judaism (often defending Israel's human rights abuses).
However, Maher's science record is mixed, mostly spotted by his spreading outlandish anti-GMO and anti-vaccine claims. although he is a fervent critic of global warming deniers.[2] Maher was described as "an object lesson in how one can be intelligent and anti-science at the same time".[3] Alternatively, Maher has been described as a lesson in how mediocre upper-class white men can fake their intelligence and still be believed.[4]
Like any good neoliberal, Maher is in favor of free speech unless said speech involves collaboratively refusing to purchase things, in which case he believes it's un-American.[5] Though he isn't a fan of the use of the First Amendment for collective action, Maher has repeatedly defended Rush Limbaugh's attacks on Sandra Fluke,[6][7] likely because of the events that led to the cancelation of Politically Incorrect.[8][9] However, Maher himself[10] and others[11][12] claim such comparisons constitute false equivalence.
On politics [ edit ]
Maher eschews political labels, referring to himself as "practical".[13] In the past, he has described himself as a libertarian, and has also referred to himself "as a progressive, as a sane person".[14][15] He has also referred to himself as a "9/11 liberal", noting that his formerly liberal view of the Muslim religion changed as a result of the attacks on September 11, 2001, and he differentiates himself from liberals of the opinion that all religions are alike.[16]
Social views [ edit ]
Maher is a fierce advocate of both gay marriage and the legalization of marijuana. Recently, Maher has taken a hard stance on the gun control debate, stating his support for the assault weapons ban, background checks and limiting magazine sizes; Maher has criticized the Second Amendment multiple times and suggests changing it, although he claims he is justified in owning a gun because he feels he must protect himself from the "gun nuts" of the country. Furthermore, he states that it is the duty of government to protect their people, including from firearms. However, Maher's extensive use of marijuana and contempt for American drug policies makes him certain that drugs are not something that people should be protected from, as he believes that people put even worse legal substances into their bodies daily. He's a member of NORML, an organization dedicated to furthering this view. In April of 2015, he went so far as to start a petition to make 4/20 a national holiday.[17]
Maher is an environmentalist and animal-lover, often harshly criticizing deniers of global warming on Real Time and serving as a board member of PETA (though he's completely in favor of zoos for some reason). He's also contemptuous of corporations, especially pharmaceutical and health-care industries, on the grounds that they make money by curing people of problems they create through the consumption of unhealthy foods. He has advocated the abolition of corporate welfare.
He has been strongly opposed to the Iraq War, seeing it as a failure and saying that America cannot control the sectarian violence now razing Iraq. He was the victim of a manufactroversy over remarks he made on Politically Incorrect right after 9/11. At times, Maher implied that Iraq was better off under the rule of Saddam Hussein and that America's invasion has increased the threat of terrorism. On the other hand, he has humorously referred to himself as being "pro-death" due to his support of abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty.
When Occupy Wall Street first began, he endorsed the movement, but eventually, he jumped on the anti-politics bandwagon and told the Occupiers to "get a job."[18]
Maher has been hypocritical about child sexual abuse. While condemning sex between male teachers and 13-year old girls and celebrating the downfall of Milo Yiannopoulos after his comments about pederasty between 13-year old boys and older men, he defended Mary Kay Letourneau and Debra Lafave - two teachers convicted of having sex with underage boys (ages 12 and 14) who were their students.[19] [20] In a 2007 interview with Playboy, he openly professed a double standard on the matter.
Maher has attacked Palestine after the IDF slaughtered unarmed civilians, blaming them for "provoking Israel". After the recent move of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the Palestinians predictably protested the move. The IDF in turn shot them down, the figures numbering at least 58 unarmed civilians, including women and children. A guest on his show, New York Times op-ed columnist Bari Weiss, who in the past claimed that incels were the intellectual renegades of the dark web, said that the embassy move was not what caused these latest tensions. She said that the dead Palestinians were sent by their government to riot with the expectation that their sacrifice would make people feel sorry for them when the news hit.[note 1] Maher agreed with her, saying that Palestinians were bigoted for trying to control the international conversation through any means necessary, saying the US can't base it's foreign policy around, "What is Mohammed Atta gonna do?"[note 2] Even if they were right that the Palestinian government sent their own civilians to be used as human shields for some garish publicity purposes, that doesn't excuse the IDF for mowing them down without a second thought.[21]
Comic controversy [ edit ]
Following the death and burial of beloved icon Stan Lee, Maher wrote a blog post attacking not just Stan Lee, but the comic book fandom as a whole, going so far as to suggest comic books helped dumb down America and led to Donald Trump's presidency. [22] More than one person pointed out he appeared in Iron Man 3. [23]
Political endorsements [ edit ]
In 1996, Maher endorsed Bob Dole on the basis of Dole's status as a war hero and being an old-style Republican and it probably being his last chance to vote for someone of the "greatest generation".
In 2000, he ultimately supported Ralph Nader for president, having previously promised his vote to Libertarian Party candidate Harry Browne.
In 2004, Maher was stalwart in his opinion that Bush should not be re-elected and that Kerry was the best candidate for president. Possibly knowing the mistake he and many had made in 2000, he went so far as to kneel down on his show Real Time and beg Nader publicly to drop out of the race (along with his guest at the time, Michael Moore).
In 2008, he showed deep support for Barack Obama's campaign while also being highly critical of John McCain. But the greatest amount of Maher's bile was directed at Sarah Palin before her $40,000 premature resignation as Governor of Alaska; whom he called a "Category-5 moron," a "bimbo" and unfit to even be mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. He viewed her as the ultimate example of theocracy, religious extremism and blind faith. Maher was also very critical of Bristol Palin's pregnancy and engagement, calling it a loveless marriage and insinuating that Palin's baby Trig was really Bristol's first child.
As November approached, with the Republican Party swimming in crazy by stretching out to the likes of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, making Mittens seem like an A+ candidate, Maher "endorsed" Obama once more, promising to donate a staggering $1 million to the President's SuperPAC, to illustrate the audacity and easy manipulation of Corporate personhood and unlimited SuperPAC campaign donations.
In 2016 he first stated his support of Bernie Sanders while insinuating that Hillary was a fine choice as well. When Hillary ultimately won the primaries he endorsed her.
As of 2016 Maher does not plan to run for public office himself.[24]
On medicine [ edit ]
“ ” I’m not into western medicine. That to me is a complete scare tactic. [...] The flu shot is the worst thing you can do [because] it's got [25] I’m not into western medicine. That to me is a complete scare tactic. [...] The flu shot is the worst thing you can do [because] it's got mercury. [...] It doesn't prevent [the flu]. [...] [I]f you have a flu shot for more than five years in a row, there’s ten times the likelihood that you’ll get Alzheimer’s disease.
Although Maher's criticisms of the pharmaceutical industries are sometimes legitimate, his views regarding vaccines are wrong and potentially dangerous. Maher has gone on record as a germ theory denialist, claiming that Pasteur recanted germ theory on his deathbed.[26] He says he's not against all vaccines but, at the same time, he believes that being vaccinated for any and all illnesses represents a slippery slope and could damage our natural immune systems.[27][28] You can't have both, Maher. On at least one occasion his anti-vaccine stances were tracked back to whale.to.[29] He has also recently endorsed anti-GMO propaganda.[30]
In 2009, during one of his Real Time shows, Maher felt he had to "clear up a few things that people have been writing about me that are not true" and went on record to say "I’m not a germ theory denier."[31] This has caused a great amount of confusion for the media. One can conclude that although Bill Maher may claim not to be a germ theory denier and may have some legitimate concerns about the corporate corruption in the pharmaceutical industry, his views on medicine are in contrast with mainstream medicine and his perspective on vaccines may be harmful. In later shows, he stated, during an appearance with former senator (and doctor) Bill Frist, that vaccination is 'not a settled science'.
In early 2015, after a long respite from anti-vaccine rhetoric, Maher dove into the issue again in a series of incidents, claiming the flu shot is "bullshit" and nothing but a scam by "big pharma", justifying his vaccine skepticism by claiming medical science is (somehow) not as reliable as climate science (which he completely agrees with), and inviting none other than Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on his show.
In 2016, he outdid himself yet again by inviting Samir Chachoua, who claimed to be able to cure HIV with the milk of arthritic goats, on his show. To add insult to injury, he ended his "New Rules" segment of that episode bemoaning how the internet has allowed misinformation to spread easily.[32]
Maher was joking when he said he has a court appointed psychiatrist.[33] Please reassure us! He must have been joking.
On religion [ edit ]
Maher's militant opposition to religion is probably what he is most famous for: he calls it a kind of neurological disorder that keeps people from thinking; a detriment to the world in general. He has spoken about his anti-religious views at almost every possible opportunity, making an entire movie devoted to ridiculing several religions (the film was directed by Larry Charles, the same man who directed Borat). Maher has taken many shots at religion for what he sees as its hypocritical nature and its purportedly giving people permission to do terrible things in the name of morality. He is a vocal critic of the Religious Right, mocking especially their preaching on the "immorality" of abortion and homosexuality.
While critical of all organized religions, and holding that "they're all stupid and dangerous", Maher says all religions are not alike, and has drawn comparisons and contrasts between them.[34][35] He has declared that, "[b]y any standard, Mormonism is more ridiculous than any other religion".[36] He has referred to tenets of Judaism as "insane" and "funny", and has said Buddhism "includes crazy whack shit that doesn’t exist, that somebody made up, like reincarnation."[37]
He has described Christianity and Islam as more "warlike", and has asserted that, like historic Christianity, present-day Islam needs to undergo its own reformation and enlightenment.[38] In defense of his criticism of Islam, Sharia law and Muslim culture, Maher says he is "...someone who believes in the values that Western people believe in that a lot of the Muslim world does not. Like separation of church and state. Like equality of the sexes. Like respect for minorities, free elections, free speech, freedom to gather. These things are not just different from cultures that don’t have them...It’s better...I would like to keep those values here."[39] Citing studies and poll results by Pew Research Center, the World Economic Forum and others, Maher claims the human rights violations and "illiberal ideas" he finds in Islam are not extremist views merely held by a small minority, but are supported by a majority of citizens in Muslim countries. This ignores that the same polls he cites claim that many people in Muslim countries are either middle ground in their support of illiberal ideas (Bangladesh) or hardly support it at all (Albania, Indonesia) and that the results vary from country to country (i.e. while certain countries like Pakistan have a lot of support for illiberal views while other countries like Indonesia, Albania, Kosovo, and Tunisia are either more diverse in their opinions or don't support illiberal ideas.)[40] He also tried to justify the racist campaign Netanyahu pushed in 2015 and is seen as giving a pass to Judaism.[41]
Maher slams liberals as hypocritical for defending these core liberal values and ideals only at home, while not condemning the oppression of these values and groups in Muslim culture.[38][42] This view has generated controversy, but Maher insists, "I’m just shining a light on the reality of the situation. I don’t even understand why this is so controversial."[38] This would be more legitimate if he didn't willingly ignore the polls he cites when they disagreed with him (for instance, he claims the fact that most of the people in Egypt support the death penalty for apostasy is proof that most Muslims hold those views... even though the actual poll states that most of the 20 countries polled either had a majority opposed to it, or were somewhat more evenly split on the matter).[43] At times, he has been specifically criticized for being anti-Catholic due to his repeated references to Pope Benedict XVI's being an ex-member of the Hitler Youth, the Catholic sex abuse scandals, and for drawing parallels between Catholicism and pedophilic cults. But then again, calling someone anti-Catholic is just not as much fun as calling someone an Islamophobe.
In Religulous [ edit ]
His end speech from his movie Religulous reads as follows:[44]
It seems peaceful. But this is the very spot where a lot of Christians believe life on Earth will end. The irony of religion is that — because of its power to divert man to destructive causes — the world actually could come to an end. The plain fact is, religion must die for mankind to live. The hour is getting very late to be able to indulge in having key decisions made by religious people — by irrationalists. By those who would steer the ship of state not by a compass, but by the equivalent of reading the entrails of a chicken. George Bush prayed a lot about Iraq, but he didn't learn a lot about it. Faith means making a virtue out of not thinking. It's nothing to brag about. And those who preach faith, and enable and elevate it, are intellectual slaveholders — keeping mankind in a bondage to fantasy and nonsense that has spawned and justified so much lunacy and destruction. Religion is dangerous because it allows human beings who don't have all the answers to think they do. Most people would think it's wonderful when someone says I'm willing, Lord! I'll do whatever you want me to do! — except that since there are no Gods actually talking to us, that void is filled in by people, with their own corruptions and agendas. And anyone who tells you they know — they just know! — what happens when you die? I promise you, you don't. How can I be so sure? Because I don't know, and you do not possess mental powers that I do not. The only appropriate attitude for man to have about the big questions is not the arrogant certitude that is the hallmark of religion, but doubt. Doubt is humble, and that's what man needs to be — considering that human history is just a litany of getting shit dead wrong. This is why rational people — anti-religionists — must end their timidity and come out of the closet and assert themselves. And those who consider themselves only moderately religious really need to look in the mirror and realize that the solace and comfort that religion brings you actually comes at a terrible price. If you belonged to a political party, or a social club, that was tied to as much bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, violence and sheer ignorance as religion is, you'd resign in protest. To do otherwise is to be an enabler — a mafia wife — for the true devils of extremism, that draw their legitimacy from the billions of their fellow travelers. If the world does come to an end — here, or wherever — or if it limps into the future, decimated by the effects of a religion-inspired nuclear terrorism, let's remember what the real problem was: that we learned how to precipitate mass death before we got past the neurological disorder of wishing for it. That's it. Grow up, or die.
Quotes [ edit ]
“ ” Religious people don't need to be ethical, because religion is mostly about salvation. It's about closing your eyes, very tightly, and believing in someone so much, without question, that when you die he will save your ass. Religion is about saving your ass. And that ain't ethical. There's a million reasons I could give you as to why a religious person is less moral than an ethicist, but here's just one. Religious people think that animals don't have a soul - we're so sure people do - so it's okay to torture and kill and do anything you want to animals because there's some bullshit in the Bible about how we have dominion over them and they don't have a soul. For that reason alone I dislike religion.
“ ” Jesus is great — is there a better role model? No. It's religion, it's the people who get in between — the bureaucracy, you know.... It's the way people abuse Jesus. Was there ever a greater victim of name dropping?
“ ” If you have a few hundred followers, and you let some of them molest children, they call you a If you have a few hundred followers, and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you Pope
“ ” Couldn't we just get together and agree on the few basic Commandments that are Couldn't we just get together and agree on the few basic Commandments that are laws? Like 'I won't slaughter you, and don't take my shit.'
“ ” Republicans are always saying we should Republicans are always saying we should privatize things like schools, prisons, social security -- hey, how about we privatize privacy! Because if the government forbids gay men from tying the knot, what is their alternative? They can't all marry Liza Minnelli.
“ ” If you think Democrats are going to take away your Bible, you're an idiot. If you think they are going to take away your gun, you're an armed idiot. If you think they're going to take away your gun and give it to a Mexican to kill your God, you're If you think Democrats are going to take away your Bible, you're an idiot. If you think they are going to take away your gun, you're an armed idiot. If you think they're going to take away your gun and give it to a Mexican to kill your God, you're Bill O'Reilly
“ ” How do we know Bush wasn't behind September 11th? Because it worked. AND, it involved: PLANNING.
Notes [ edit ]
↑ "Look what you made me do!" ↑ Mohammed Atta is the name of one of the 9/11 hijackers, not the leader of Palestine. Cute, Bill.After warning letters were sent to owners 60 days ago (below), teams of Kevlar-armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are seizing grey market Nissan Skyline GT-Rs imported by Kaizo according to GTR USA Blog. Below, why it happened.
Last August the letter below was sent from the Southern California United States Attorney's office stating that "the referenced Nissan Skyline automobile... is not in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation requirements." The letter goes on to state that the vehicles can't be operated and the feds are coming for them within 60 days. They weren't lying.
According to GTR USA, two R34s and an R32 have already been seized and, if the letter above is an indication, an R33 is on the list.
Importing vehicles without the appropriate credentialing from the appropriate U.S. agencies almost always ends up with cars being seized by the government, especially Skylines, and people getting fined or jail time. In this case, the cars were imported by Kaizo under a special exemption for automotive parts. They brought over the shells and drivetrains separately and then reassembled them. They were then, apparently, registered under the law as SB 100, which is for kit/show cars. This exemption allows vehicles not driven frequently to be registered without smog checks.
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We have a feeling these cars are being driven frequently.
The U.S. Attorney ended his letter "Very Truly Yours" but it looks like those Nissans are now "Very Truly His."
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[Document Credit: GTR USA Blog, GTR USA Blog]The largest sunspot observed on the sun in more than 20 years has been firing off powerful solar flares for the past week, and it's still producing strong solar storms.
Today, the huge sunspot erupted with a large solar flare, peaking at around 10:47 a.m. EDT (1447 GMT). The flare caused a strong radio blackout on Earth, according to the National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center. This solar flare is the fourth X-flare (the most powerful kind of solar storms) in as many days.
On Sunday (Oct. 26), the giant sunspot unleashed a solar flare, which peaked at about 6:56 a.m. EDT (1056 GMT). The sunspot, called Active Region 12192 (also known as AR 2192), also shot out another powerful flare on Saturday. Today and Sunday's flares measured in at X2, while Saturday's is classified as an X1 flare. [See photos of the largest solar flares of 2014]
Sunday's X2-class flare was "the third X-class flare in 48 hours, erupting from the largest active region seen on the sun in 24 years," NASA spokesperson Karen Fox wrote in an update yesterday (Oct. 26). AR 2129 also shot out an X3.1-class flare on Friday (Oct. 24).
The sun unleashed an X2-class solar flare on Oct. 26, 2014. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this photo of the flare (lower right). (Image: © NASA/SDO)
The active region on the sun is also responsible for spewing out two big M-class flares — moderate solar storms — since Friday. The most recent M-class flare (categorized as an M6.7) peaked this morning at about 6:09 a.m. EDT (1009 GMT).
"An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, etc.," Fox added.
Sometimes, big solar flares are followed by huge bursts of hot plasma known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) shooting out from the sun. Large CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms or supercharge Earth's auroras, but according to astronomer Tony Phillips at Spaceweather.com, the earlier storms released by the current sunspot have not had any major accompanying CMEs.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught this image of an X1-class solar flare erupting from the sun on Oct. 25, 2014. (Image: © NASA/SDO)
If aimed at Earth, X-class flares can be dangerous for astronauts and spacecraft orbiting the planet. The radiation can disrupt radio and communication signals, but solar flares cannot injure people on Earth's surface, according to Fox. The planet's atmosphere acts as a protective barrier from the harmful radiation.
On Thursday (Oct. 23), skywatchers around North America got a chance to see the sunspot during an amazing partial solar eclipse. Many observers attempting to photograph the cosmic event were able to see the sunspot on the sun's face.
WARNING: Never look directly at the sun through binoculars, a telescope or with your unaided eyes. Serious eye damage and even blindness can result. Scientists and experienced skywatchers use special filters and glasses to safely observe the sun. Do not use regular sunglasses to look at the sun.
Although Friday's X3.1 flare is a powerful solar storm, it isn't the most powerful flare of the year. In February 2014, the sun discharged an X4.9-class tempest.
Editor's Note: If you safely capture an amazing photo of sunspot AR 2129 or any other skywatching sight that you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at [email protected].
Follow Miriam Kramer @mirikramer and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.You may have seen the video of President Trump’s cabinet meeting. Democrats are atwitter over what they saw as obsequious comments of cabinet members directed at an egotistical president. Republicans are atwitter over what they saw as sincere comments of cabinet members directed at a great leader.
An Overflowing Cabinet
Crammed around a conference table and stuffed into lookalike suits, there are too many cabinet heads in charge of too many functions and too many employees.
Both sides missed the larger point: that no matter who sits around the table at cabinet meetings, and no matter who is president, the federal government has become so large, so complex, so centralized, so bureaucratic, so costly, so caught up in minutia, and so involved in the affairs of citizens, cities, states, and other countries, that it is unmanageable.
I’ve lost count but believe that there are now 15 cabinet positions, versus the four or so in the early decades of the nation.
Whatever the exact number of positions, the staged photos of cabinet meetings make it obvious that there are too many government departments. Crammed around a conference table and stuffed into lookalike suits, there are too many cabinet heads in charge of too many functions and too many employees for cabinet meetings to ever be effective, which means that the government as a whole cannot be effective. There is no way for the participants to thoroughly discuss issues, to reach consensus on policy initiatives so that everyone is on board, to resolve conflicts and disagreements between each other and their departments, and to make sure that all the departments are cooperating with each other and working as a team toward common goals.
Silos and Fiefdoms
The silos and lack of coordination make it virtually impossible to even know the extent and cost of various programs.
In corporate lingo, the problem is made worse by the fact that the government is organized into very tall silos, or departments, each with its own hierarchy, budget, police force, fleet of limousines, marble headquarters, constituencies, conflicting legislative mandates, and highly politicized congressional oversight committees and subcommittees. The silos keep the departments from working well horizontally; that is, across departments, as was seen in the lack of communication between departments that resulted in the 9/11 terrorists not being stopped beforehand.
The problem is worsened still yet by the nature of government bureaucracies (aka fiefdoms), where poor performance is tolerated, where the incentives are to increase budgets and staffing instead of decrease them, and where department heads come and go with each passing administration.
The silos and lack of coordination make it virtually impossible to even know the extent and cost of various programs. Take social-welfare programs. By one estimate, there are nearly one hundred welfare programs spread across several departments. A president and members of Congress can spout pabulum about welfare reform, but without bringing together all of the affected department heads and their minions to discuss, debate, and plan how all of the pieces should come together, reform will be disjointed, ineffectual, and temporary.
Someday a smart entrepreneur will start a tour business in D.C. that takes tourists around to see how their money is wasted.
The Department of Agriculture is one of the departments involved with welfare; specifically, the food stamp program. The department’s headquarters building
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are major agricultural pests that feed on plant sap. Aphids have a pair of curved compound eyes that bulge out of the head and have a wide angle of view. Each eye is made up of thousands of repeating units known as ‘ommatidia’, each with a tiny lens on the front surface. Each lens faces a slightly different direction, and together they produce a mosaic image. This allows the fly to see very quick movements but not fine details or objects that are far away. The small circular structure (ocular tubercle; top left) may help insects see polarised light. The width of the image is 280 micrometres (0.28 mm).— Kevin Mackenzie, University of Aberdeen
The award isn’t a competition, and anybody can submit, scientist or not. The winning image of a horse uterus wasn’t taken by a researcher, for example, but by a fine art photographer. In contrast, the sensitively framed and dramatically lit photo of a scoliotic spine was taken as part of a researcher’s regular documentation work.
Reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock painting, this image shows part of the central nervous system in a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). Transmission electron micrographs were used to create a digital colour-coded map of the area. An organism’s nervous system controls everything it does, from breathing and moving to thinking and feeling. Instructions to perform these tasks are carried by cells called neurones. A neurone able to sense vibrations (yellow) is surrounded here by lots of other neurones, each depicted as a single line. Messages enter (blue circles) and exit (red circles) neurones at points of contact called synapses. Other features of interest (orange circles), such as mitochondria, are also marked. The width of the image is approximately 15 micrometres (0.015 mm). — Albert Cardona, HHMI Janelia Research Campus
Each image reveals a sublime perspective on things we may usually consider mundane — the fly that’s annoying you as you settle in to read a book is, upon close inspection, a living and rugged alien landscape; a tractographic MRI of the brain is hard to distinguish from a map of global shipping routes, only this one is for thoughts and actions instead of goods and materials. Such synesthetic shifts in perspective are the real power of images like these. “It’s about understanding life, death, sex, and disease: the cornerstones of drama and art,” said scientist and broadcaster Adam Rutherford, while presenting the awards at this year’s ceremony.
Scanning electron micrograph of tree-like branches (dendritic tree) spreading out from a particular type of nerve cell (Purkinje cell, or neurone) found in the brain. The finger-like projections in this elaborate network act like tiny sensors, picking up information and passing on messages to help control and coordinate muscle movement. This particular neurone is from the cerebellar cortex in a rat brain. To allow us to see the dendritic tree, this Purkinje cell was filled with a visual marker before being imaged by focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, which allows neurones and neural circuits to be reconstructed in high resolution. The width of the image is 110 micrometres (0.11 mm). — Prof. M. Hausser, Sarah Rieubland, andArnd Roth, UCL Confocal micrograph of whole mouse lungs (blue and green). Microparticles that can carry medicines (pink) are being studied to see whether they can deliver these drugs to the lungs. Current anticancer therapies have many toxic side-effects, so researchers hope that these microparticles could one day deliver anticancer medicine in a much simpler, more targeted way — for example, in an inhaler — with fewer side-effects. As microparticles release drug over time, fewer doses may be needed. The right lung in mice is divided into four lobes (right side of image), but the left lung has only one lobe (left side of image). Remnants of the windpipe (trachea) and surrounding tissue are also visible (centre). The width of the image is 12.7 mm. — Gregory Szeto, Adelaide Tovar, Jeffrey Wyckoff, Koch Institute, copyright MIT
The Wellcome Trust, established in 1936, has held the award sporadically since 1997 in accordance with the wishes of founder and pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome. He was himself a prodigious collector of medical artifacts, and saw to it that his immense fortune would continue to support medical research. The trust went public in the 80s, and maintains investments all over the world and in countless industries outside of the pharma realm. While Wellcome’s business ended up through various mergers as a part of the mega pharmaceutical company Glasko-Smith-Kline, the Wellcome Trust maintains an independent endowment of nearly $30 billion, making it the second largest private funder behind the Gates Foundation. As such, it’s well situated to partner with other organizations in promoting medical science. Partnerships with MIT, the University of Texas in Galveston, and numerous other museums and organizations across the UK means images from the award will be on display at 11 such locations, in addition to the exhibition space in Wellcome’s London headquarters. They’ll also join the more than 40,000 images hosted on the Wellcome’s online collection.
Photograph of a 79-year-old woman’s back, showing an abnormally curved spine. This hunched back appearance is known as kyphosis, or ‘dowager’s hump’, and causes the upper back and shoulders to round forward. Although kyphosis can occur at any age, it is most commonly seen in elderly women. There are many different causes, including poor posture, injury, osteoporosis, cancer and cancer treatments, infection, a birth defect, and degenerative or endocrine diseases. In addition to having an abnormally curved spine, other symptoms can include back pain, stiffness and — in severe cases — difficulty breathing or eating. Treatment options are varied and will depend on the cause and severity of the condition. — Mark Bartley, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Light micrograph of a tiny parasitoid wasp (Wallaceaphytis kikiae) viewed from above. Parasitoid wasps lay their eggs inside other insects. After hatching, the larvae feed on their host, eating it alive from the inside out. This is a new genus of parasitoid wasp recently discovered in the rainforests of Borneo, where a single female wasp was found mixed in with thousands of other insects. It measures only 0.75 mm in length and has unusual antennae, legs and wings. It’s named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who coauthored the first ever publication on evolution by natural selection with Charles Darwin and who himself identified new insects while in Borneo in the mid-19th century. Even today, Borneo is still known to be rich with other undiscovered species. — Andrew Polaszek, Natural History MuseumShare
China’s growing defense industry has quickly made a name for itself, especially in drones. Government produced CH-3 and CH-4 combat drones are already used worldwide, including by the Iraqi and Nigerian governments. Now NORINCO, one of the country’s largest state-owned corporations, is getting into the the act with a drone of its own.
Dubbed the Sky Saker H300, this helicopter drone sports electro-optical and infrared cameras and laser-targeted designators. It also has two missile launch tubes mounted on either side of the fuselage, and a total weight of about 200 kilograms when fully loaded.
While the H300 can fire missiles on its own, NORINCO is also pitching it as a way to assist other platforms in precision strikes. For example, computer-guided missiles from bombers or howitzer shells could receive mid-course corrections from the Sky Saker, ensuring these munitions hit their targets.
According to reports, the Sky Saker H300 is China’s first helicopter-based UCAV, short for “Unmanned Combat Arial Vehicle.” NORINCO already offers a plane-like UCAV also known as the Sky Saker, which it began selling in 2014.
Helicopter UCAVs have distinct advantages over standard UCAVs, though. Like the helicopters they’re based on, take off and landing of the drone is possible vertically, negating the need for some type of runway space. There are some disadvantages to this configuration, though, such as slower flight speeds and range limitations.
Given these attributes, it’s probably not out of the question to speculate the Sky Saker H300 would find more use in close-range combat, rather than longer range missions where mission control might be hundreds (if not thousands) of miles away. However, at least initially, we’re not aware of any commercial deployments or government contracts. Right now the H300 is being shown off as part of a larger defense exhibition that is taking place in Dubai, and for the time being, it’ll likely remain relegated to the show floor.Facebook's $US600 million ($754 million) losing bid to buy the streaming rights to the hugely popular Indian Premier League (IPL) shows the social network is willing to spend big bucks for high-profile sporting events to keep users glued to its platform and take advertising dollars away from television.
Facebook on Monday emerged as the highest bidder for the rights to stream the IPL for the next five years, but lost out to Twenty-First Century Fox's Star India, which bid $US2.55 billion for the television and streaming rights combined.
The IPL is watched by more than a billion people worldwide, pulling huge crowds in India where cricket is the most popular sport. The tournament began in 2008 with franchise owners including movie stars and India's richest man.
The bid by Facebook highlights the company's efforts to accelerate its push into video as it tries to boost its ad revenue and increase the time people spend on its platform. Facebook currently offers live video from a number of news publishers as well as its users.Yokohama general manager Shigeru Takada told reporters today that the organization terminated its contract with Yulieski Gurriel because they were not sure when he was going to arrive. Gurriel was supposed come to Japan on March 24, but hurt his right hamstring while playing in Cuba and refused to leave his country while hurt.
The Bay Stars sent a representative to Cuba on March 28 to see if they could work something out. They hoped to get Gurriel to board a flight on March 30, but could not reach him directly. The team representative finally got in touch with the thirty-year-old infielder when he visited him at his home on April 2.
"We weren't sure when he was going to come. He said wanted to play for Yokohama, but kept saying after he got better. We contacted [him] and said we were going to terminate the contract. The Cuban government also accepted [our decision]," said Takada.
The Bay Stars still have a two-year contract with Lourdes Gourriel Jr. They filed paperwork to place him on the restricted list.
Source: Nikkan Sports 4/2/2015, Sponichi 4/2/2015, Sanspo 4/2/2015, Daily Sports 4/2/2015WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For the first time, more than 34 million Americans received food stamps in May, the government said on Thursday, another symptom of the longest and one of the deepest recessions since the Great Depression.
Enrollment surged by 2 percent to reach a record 34.4 million people, or one in nine Americans, in the latest month for which figures are available.
It was the sixth month in a row that enrollment set a record. Every state recorded a gain, and Florida had the largest increase at 4.2 percent.
Enrollment for food stamps, which help people buy groceries, is highest during times of economic stress. The U.S. unemployment rate of 9.5 percent is the highest in 26 years.
“Food stamp enrollment is rising because the economy is having a devastating impact on low-income families and they need this program to eat,” said Stacy Dean of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank. “Every single state has been affected.”
The average benefit in May was $133.65 per person. The economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year included a temporary increase in food stamp benefits of $80 a month for a family of four.
The federal stimulus legislation will block a potential $5 a month decline in benefits in fiscal 2010 which would have been triggered by moderating food prices, the Agriculture Department said.
Food stamp enrollment
Month Total
May 34.409 million
April 33.758 million
March 33.157 million
February 32.556 million
January 32.205 million
December 2008 31.784 million
November 2008 31.097 million
October 2008 31.050 million
September 2008 31.586 millionAs contemporaries such as Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka retired, Cahill kept scoring goals for the national team, to the extent that many now consider him the best Socceroo of all time. His tally of 48 goals for Australia is more than anyone else in history. Cahill was part of the Australian team that won the Asian Cup in 2015, has played in three World Cups for the Socceroos and is aiming for a fourth in Russia in 2018.
Not just the main guy
Not that Cahill, who has just turned 37, wants any of that to define his return home. “I don’t want to be known as the best player Australia has produced, or come home and be the main guy,” he tells The Australian Financial Review Magazine. “If that’s what people want to portray, then that’s fine, but it doesn’t bother me.”
Cahill repaid Melbourne City’s faith in him on his October debut, when he scored a stunning goal against cross-town rival Melbourne Victory, smashing the ball from just inside the attacking half to help his team to a thumping 4-1 win. It joins a list of famous Cahill goals that includes a spectacular left-footed volley when playing for Australia against the Netherlands at the 2014 World Cup, and two against Japan in the same tournament back in 2006.
It’s not just City that’s counting on Australia’s most marketable soccer player. Cahill’s ambitions upon returning home have been conflated with a perception that Australian football needs saving. While soccer is the most popular sport in the world, it’s well behind Australian Rules, cricket and rugby league in local audience stakes. In Australia, it’s a sport that seems perennially on the verge of hitting the big time.
Cahill shoots for a goal in the Socceroos’ win over Kyrgyzstan in 2015. Getty Images
The Football Federation of Australia no doubt hopes Cahill will help change that, bringing new fans to the game through his combination of skill, profile and theatrics. Bigger audiences would help the case for a mooted $80-million-a-year television rights deal, double the amount the federation gets from its existing arrangement, which expires in June. Significantly, the deal under negotiation could put the A-League onto one of the big three commercial TV networks for the first time.
Why come home
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Playing for the A-League and helping boost the game’s profile factored somewhere in Cahill’s decision to join Melbourne City, as did bringing home wife and childhood sweetheart Rebekah Greenhill and their four children. But as he sits down with the AFR Magazine at the club’s training base in Melbourne’s sleepy northern suburbs, Cahill emphasises that he’s not here to do the bidding of the sport’s governing body, nor as a dumb athlete chasing one last pay day.
“I’ve never been owned and I never will be owned,” he says firmly. “I know what an image rights contract is. I’ve always owned my image rights. I do what I want to do, not what people want. You’ve got to have your own portfolio, you’ve got to have your own vision.”
That vision spans not only sport but business, where Cahill has set himself apart from many athletes by rejecting standard endorsement contracts in exchange for those which give him skin in the game. In 2014 Cahill established a menswear brand, Cahill+, in partnership with Melbourne-based suit company Shoreditch International. Featuring jackets, T-shirts, pants and shorts which retail for between $49.95 and $209.95, the range is sold through Myer, Topman, Culture Kings and Glue Store.
Tim Cahill celebrates scoring against Jordan in the first round of a World Cup qualifying match. Getty Images
Australia is a small market and Cahill doesn’t expect vast profits in the short term. At this stage it’s about getting the brand out there domestically, though it’s also sold in a couple of Canadian boutiques. “Australia is not about making money … straight away. In Australia you have to earn your stripes. Just because Cahill+ is sitting next to Alexander McQueen in Myer, yes it’s fantastic, but it doesn’t make you millions and millions.”
Chinese venture
Cahill has helped launch into China Australian men’s grooming brand Vitaman, of which he owns 10 per cent, and he also promotes Dynamic Tape, a Vanuatu-domiciled company in which he has an undisclosed shareholding. Dynamic Tape makes the strapping used to manage injuries. Established by Australian Ryan Kendrick and recognisable for its sleeve-tattoo-style prints, it’s used by English soccer player Dele Alli and Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios.
Cahill is linked to the Star casino group in Sydney, but as an ambassador for its hotel and entertainment properties, not its gambling interests. He doesn’t gamble, nor will he shill for the online betting companies. “And they pay a helluva lot of money,” Cahill says. “Half my job is to stop them using my image.”
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On top of his investments, Cahill has longer-term sponsorship arrangements with Weet-Bix, Australia Post, New Balance, Fox Sports and Foxtel. Further association with City sponsors Etihad and Nissan looms.
Modelling his Cahill+ fashion label.
“I take an ownership stake in the business instead of a set fee,” Cahill explains of many of his associations. “I help drive the brand from underneath as well as the commercial side of it. It’s about owning shares and building a company, and who knows where it can go? But I’m willing to take that risk and learn about business.”
Protecting his personal brand
The pay-off, he believes, is more rewarding than taking big cheques from a variety of sponsors for short-term campaigns or promotions. He has, after all, his own brand to protect. Cahill, who says he rebukes most offers, only wants to be involved in things he likes or wears, hence the fashion label, men’s grooming products and the sports tape company. His wealth was estimated at $36 million on this year’s BRW Young Rich list.
“Short-term goals mean no longevity. I focus on longevity. It may take me longer to earn but I think the return is there for forever, rather than just two minutes,” he says. “Offer me $100,000 for a photo shoot for an app or something, then no. I prefer to take a four-year contract and give me a percentage and let’s work together and grow it. I think that has more value than the short-term things with athletes where they take anything and everything. I think that has an adverse effect on what you’re trying to build.”
A relentless networker, Cahill was at Flemington racecourse for Derby Day in late October, not to watch the horses but to talk shop with Myer executives in the swanky Birdcage. He counts News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson, Fox Sports CEO Patrick Delany and Foxtel boss Peter Tonagh as mentors. He holidays with British billionaire Joe Lewis, and cites Planet Hollywood owner Robert Earl and West End theatre producer and former Everton chairman Bill Kenwright as friends.
Modelling his Cahill+ fashion label.
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Cahill is ubiquitous on social media and his commercial instincts can sometimes set off a torrent of abuse on his Twitter timeline. He walks the fine line between arrogance and confidence and has been accused of self-aggrandising.
Sometimes the villain
Playing for the cashed-up Melbourne City on a pay packet significantly above any other footballer means Cahill is also sometimes cast as villain. Booed relentlessly at a November game in Brisbane, Cahill stayed on the pitch an hour afterwards to sign autographs. If he noticed the jeers, it didn’t appear to bother him.
He released his autobiography last year, Legacy, and has co-authored a series of children’s books which have sold more than 100,000 copies. Cahill’s Tiny Timmy books are designed to promote sport and healthy living to a younger audience. “We write it, and the illustrator draws it, but they are all my scenes. They are all what I’ve grown up with. The next stage of Tiny Timmys will be the biggest thing ever because I have four kids and I think I know what they want.”
Cahill confounds typecasting; his brand straddles not only vastly different industries but also a wide age demographic. Munn, who has observed Cahill’s interest in business at close quarters, says the soccer star is a unique kind of sportsman.
“I’ve not seen any other player who can combine both,” says Munn. “He can quickly turn to the commercial side and deal with that. He is very good at compartmentalising.”
Yet Cahill says he’s still training as hard as ever, and knows every formation and player of the other nine A-League sides. It’s something Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop has noted. “You see some successful sports people start to become too occupied with their off-field pursuits,” says Gallop. “But as much as Tim has going off the pitch, it is clear that playing is still his priority.”
English experience
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It’s two decades since Cahill, who grew up in Sydney’s western suburbs with an English father and Samoan mother, headed to England to try his luck on its professional circuit. His parents took out a loan for him to travel for trials with several professional clubs. In 1998, the 17-year-old was offered a contract with Millwall, at the time a third-tier club supported by the rough and tough dockyard workers of London’s south.
Cahill stayed for seven seasons before moving in mid-2004 to Everton, a struggling club from Liverpool which played in the hugely popular Premier League, where massive broadcast deals were putting a rocket under player salaries. It was at Everton where Cahill really made his mark, scoring goals as a marauding midfielder and helping lift the club up the ladder of the richest club competition in the world. He was handsomely rewarded, earning at least £4 million a year and becoming much loved by the club’s fans. Cahill stayed in Liverpool for eight seasons, rejecting offers from bigger clubs such as Manchester United.
Tim Cahill photographed by Nic Walker
At 32 he decided it was time to move again, this time across the Atlantic to play in North America’s MLS or Major League Soccer competition. He signed on to play for the New York Red Bulls in 2012, living with his family in Manhattan while training with the team over the border in New Jersey.
Reflecting on the move, Cahill says he has always “dictated what is right for me and my family”, and that taking a chance in the US was right. “I could have stayed at Everton and retired at 35 and not played in a third World Cup and won an Asian Cup,” he says. “But I wanted to travel, I wanted to go to the MLS.”
At the Red Bulls, Cahill played alongside greats such as French star Thierry Henry. Both were marquee signings, placed in target markets by MLS management to boost club fortunes in the most competitive sporting market in the world. The move opened Cahill’s eyes to the commercial opportunities athletes and business owners could avail themselves of. That’s where he worked out that equity is the best kind of performance fee. “I want a stake in it and I want to drive it, which is what I learnt from the NBA, the NFL and other athletes,” he says. “That’s what they do.”
He was also impressed by MLS teams deciding to build their own stadiums. That push began in 1999, when the league realised that playing in stadiums designed for the larger crowds of the National Football League and college games was not good for audience growth. Most of its stadiums are now built specifically for soccer.
Lessons from the stadiums
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It’s a lesson Cahill believes the A-League should heed and that the Australian Football League already understands, the latter having recently signed to buy Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium for about $200 million. “The biggest thing I have seen happen in Australian sport is the AFL buying Etihad Stadium. That is genius. That is not just luck, that is someone learning from the Americans,” Cahill says. “Australia needs to understand that we [soccer] have the biggest sport... but we have to wait our turn, because our infrastructure needs to be built and we need to have a plan that takes us to the level of the MLS.”
Owning its own stadiums would mean A-League clubs could, like the AFL will at Etihad Stadium, derive all the revenue from tickets, corporate boxes and the like rather than just renting a venue.
China was a rewarding but perhaps less challenging turn. Cahill spent just over a year there, from March 2015 to July this year. He arrived after signing the most lucrative contract of his career, worth at least $8 million a season, with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, owned by the giant property group Greenland. After a season there he moved to the nearby Hangzhou Greentown, which is backed by the developer Greentown China Holdings.Cahill says he was close to the chairmen of both clubs, who were nevertheless not interested in his own business ambitions. “You can’t be a footballer and a businessman in China, but you can be everywhere else. They just want you to play and score goals.”
Vitaman launched its range of Australian-made face, hair, shaving, sport and anti-ageing products in China while Cahill was there. The experience taught him the importance of time, patience, and actual presence.
Nic Walker
“You need people on the ground, that is the key,” he says. “If you are going... to be in China, you have to commit and invest enough money to show the people that you really want to be there. You can’t be doing anything blind, because when they move and do something, they do it really big. You are going into [a market] of hundreds of millions of people there.”
The Cahill+ range is made in China, using fabrics from Europe and elsewhere. Cahill borrows from the language of the garment industry in recalling his first lessons in menswear. “The designers I used to like are so expensive, but I thought ‘it’s all the same thing, made in the same country, probably made in the same factory’. I went to the factory and I looked. I thought, ‘the only thing separating you and me is your logo and your commercialisation and your investment into marketing’,” he says. “In China, they can make everything. Anything. One of the biggest things I’ve ever seen was going to a Chinese market that was 10 levels. It was amazing, their craftsmanship, their work rate.”
His clothing line shares rack space in stores with the brands he once coveted but he is unwilling to be goaded into an expensive marketing war. “Men’s brands in Australia, they come and go. You can go into Glue and there’s 20 brands. Placement is very important, alignment and cross activation is smart, and marketing is expensive – and with my brands we don’t do a lot of it. I have to do market research about what is selling. You’ve got stock, you’ve got prices, you’ve got overheads. It’s a tough market but I’m happy I’ve broken down barriers slowly.”
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Longevity off-field
Few Australian athletes have outlived their on-field appeal. Only someone such as golfer Greg Norman has managed to carve out a brand that resonates in both the sporting and business worlds. Indeed, many of Australia’s much-worshipped Olympians have suffered far more ignominious fates than fading into dignified retirement. Whether the Cahill brand can make the leap remains to be seen, given he’s not yet even retired.
Rob Mills, chief executive of sports consultancy Gemba, notes that Cahill is the fifth-most popular athlete in Australia across all sports, and that this and his determination will help. “Tim is unique because he puts a lot of sweat into [business pursuits]. He is incredibly energetic about it.”
Patrick Delany of Fox Sports, which helped fund the Melbourne City deal and telecasts the A-League, concurs: “Rarely do you get talent calling you personally about the last couple of parts to finalise a deal. Tim did that. He has a very good sense of who he is, and what his brand is.”
Cahill’s strategic thinking extends to his choice of club. Melbourne City is part of a network of clubs that includes Manchester City, New York City FC and Japanese team Yokohama F. Marinos. Owned by Abu Dhabi ruling family member Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and a consortium led by China Media Capital Holdings, the network is said to be looking for a team in China. Cahill has played in every continent the network has a presence in and is working on getting his coaching qualifications by taking, as other players do, the FFA-accredited courses. If and when it comes to coaching, that means he could arguably fit in anywhere in the network.
Whatever happens post retirement, Cahill intends to keep working hard, arguing that his relentless determination will not simply disappear. “Why can’t I be successful off the pitch? Why are there some negative thoughts out there about wanting to be involved in business?” he asks. “I’m just a sports guy who grew up in Sydney and did well on the park as well as making sure I’m strategic off the park. As the best mentors and people close to me have said, you are not the same person without a challenge.”
The AFR Magazine is out Friday, December 9 inside The Australian Financial Review.
Follow AFR Mag on Twitter and InstagramA top editor at Michael Bloomberg's media empire has left the company, citing concerns over how it will cover the former New York City mayor's presidential aspirations.
Kathy Kiely, the Washington news director at Bloomberg Politics, said she resigned from her post after growing uncomfortable with the way her outlet responded to news that Bloomberg is considering an independent White House bid.
Kiely's resignation was first reported by the Huffington Post.
"I was not comfortable with how we were reacting to this story and I didn't see any indication that the situation was going to improve soon," Kiely told CNNMoney on Wednesday. "I think that every candidate should be covered the same way."
The New York Times reported last Saturday that Bloomberg, the billionaire mogul and former three-term mayor of NYC, has "taken concrete steps" toward a potential White House run. Bloomberg Politics aggregated the Times report that day with a brief post. Kiely submitted her letter of resignation on Sunday.
Related: Donald Trump goes after Mike Bloomberg where it hurts
"I agonized about it because I really like the people I work with at Bloomberg," Kiely said. "We built a team and we built a website, and I admire my colleagues very much. But I've been a political journalist all my life and I felt I was not able to do the job I should be doing."
Kiely declined to say if there was a directive on how to handle Bloomberg's latest presidential trial balloon. When asked what specifically prompted the resignation, she said, "I just think the fact that we didn't jump on the story the way other organizations did. I was not comfortable with that."
Bloomberg Politics reporters and commentators have covered the story about Bloomberg's political ambitions since Kiely turned in her resignation. Mark Halperin, the managing editor of Bloomberg Politics, discussed the story Monday on both MSNBC and Bloomberg TV. On Wednesday, the site ran a story on the "bleak history of third-party presidential bids."
Ty Trippet, a spokesman for Bloomberg News, defended the company's coverage.
"We've covered the speculation every day since the Times story was published," Trippet said. "Our Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait is in charge of decisions about coverage."
Kiely said she hopes her resignation "might help the folks who are trying to do the right thing."
"I think there are a lot of people at Bloomberg who are trying in their own way to allow a really good news organization to do the good work it's capable of," she said. "And this was my way."2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric
2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi
Ford announced at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show that it will deliver an all-electric version of the light-duty Transit Connect to the marketplace by the end of the year. This 2011 EV won’t come at the sacrifice of utility, said Derrick Kuzak, head of Ford global product development. It provides the same amount of cargo volume and floor space as the model powered by the 2.0-liter Duratec I-4 gas engine, which already is in production.
Despite the extra weight of the battery pack, it has about the same acceleration, Kuzak said. Its top speed is 75 mph and the range on a single charge is about 80 miles.
The Transit Connect Electric is propelled by a Force Drive battery-electric drivetrain developed by Azure Dynamics. An Azure Dynamics spokesperson said the battery pack is designed to last the life of the vehicle.
Ford also announced it will market a 2011 Transit Connect Taxi, powered by the 2.0-liter I-4, converted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) or propane (LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas).
Set to go on sale later this year, Ford says the Transit Connect’s interior is roomy, easy-to-access, and provides passenger comfort and ample luggage storage space — even after modification to contain CNG/LPG fuel tanks.I was working on some new code to generate Visual Studio solution/project files, and that means regenerating the files and checking them in VS a lot of times. And each time, it felt like VS takes ages to reopen them! This is with Visual Studio 2017, which presumably is super-turbo optimized in project open performance, compared to previous versions.
The VS solution I’m working on has three projects, with about 5000 source files in each, grouped into 500 folders (“filters” as VS calls them) to reflect hierarchy on disk. Typical stuff.
On my Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz machine VS2017 takes 45 seconds to open that solution first time after rebuilding it, and about 20 seconds each time I open it later.
That’s not fast at all! What is going on?!
Time for some profiling
Very much like in the “slow texture importing” blog post, I fired up windows performance recorder, and recorded everything interesting that’s going on while VS was busy opening up the solution file.
Predictably enough, VS ( devenv.exe ) is busy during most of the time of solution load:
Let’s dig into the heaviest call stacks during this busy period. Where will this puppy with 16k samples lead to?
First it leads us through the layers of calls, which is fairly common in software. It’s like an onion; with a lot of layers. And you cry as you peel them off :)
So that is Visual Studio, seemingly processing windows messages, into some thread dispatcher, getting into some UI background task scheduler, and into some async notifications helper. We are 20 stack frames in, and did not get anywhere so far, besides losing some profiling samples along the way. Where to next?
A-ha! Further down, it is something from JetBrains. I do have ReSharper (2016.3.2) installed in my VS… Could it be that R# being present causes the slow project load times (at least in VS2017 with R# 2016.3)? Let’s keep on digging for a bit!
One branch of heavy things under that stack frame leads into something called CVCArchy::GetCfgNames, which, I guess, is getting the build configurations available in the project or solution. Internally it’s another onion, getting into marshaling and into some immutable dictionaries and concurrent stacks.
And another call branch goes into CVCArchy::GetPlatformNames, which seemingly goes into exactly the same implementation again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So it would seem that two things are going on: 1) possibly R# is querying project configurations/platforms a lot of times (once for each file?), and 2) querying that from VS is actually a fairly costly operation.
VS seemingly tries to fulfill these “what configurations do you have, matey?” queries in an asynchronous fashion, since that also causes quite some activity on other VS threads. Hey at least it’s trying to help :)
Some of which causes not much actual work being done, e.g. this thread spends 1.5k samples doing spin waits. Likely an artifact of some generic thread work system not being quite used as it was intended to, or something.
There’s another background thread activity that kicks in towards end of the “I was busy opening the project” period. That one is probably some older code, since the call stack is not deep at all, and it fairly quickly gets to actual work that it tries to do :)
Let’s try with R# disabled
Disabling R# in VS 2017 makes it open the same solution in 8 seconds (first time) and 4 seconds (subsequent opens). So that is pretty much five times faster.
Does this sound like something that should be fixed in R#, somehow? That’s my guess too, so here’s a bug report I filed. Fingers crossed it will be fixed soon! They already responded on the bug report, so things are looking good.
(Edit: looks like this will be fixed in R# 2017.1, nice!)
Visual Studio 2015 does not seem to be affected; opening the same solution with R# enabled is about 8 seconds as well. So this could be Microsoft’s bug too, or an unintended consequence of some implementation change (e.g. “we made config queries async now”).
Complex software is complex, yo.
While at it: dotTrace profiler
Upon suggestion from JetBrains folks, I did a dotTrace capture of VS activity while it’s opening the solution. Turns out, it’s a pretty sweet C# profiler! It also pointed out to basically the same things, but has C# symbols in the callstacks, and a nice thread view and so on. Sweet!
So there. Profiling stuff is useful, and can answer questions like “why is this slow?
|
, the Chechen president’s security agencies continue to punish relatives and suspected supporters of alleged insurgents. Nothing of the sort can be found today in Belarus.
Belarus, it would seem, has never been Europe’s lone dictatorship
A number of both Russian and Belarusian opposition politicians have chosen to emigrate. For example, Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player and opposition figure, remains in exile, as well as prominent Belarusian public figures like Andrei Sannikau and Zianon Pazniak.
In Russia, non-governmental organisations do enjoy better conditions than their Belarusian counterparts. International groups such as Amnesty International can openly work in Russia while this remains impossible in Belarus.
Russian organisations funded from the west can officially receive that money, while in Belarus this is beyond the realm of possibility. Most, if not all, Belarusian NGOs acquire their financing illegally, according to Belarusian law. Moreover, the Belarusian authorities refuse to register many civil society organisations receiving funding from the west. Russia registers them, although it now labels them “foreign agents”.
In terms of economic freedoms the countries remains markedly similar – although Russia joined the World Trade Organisation in 2012 and Belarus has not. According to a Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal study, while both are slowly moving towards greater freedom their economies remain “mostly unfree”.
Both countries also suffer from serious corruption problems but Belarus is better off than Russia, according to Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by Transparency International which ranks Belarus 123rd while Russia sits at 127th.
Unpredictable authoritarian regimes in both countries deter many foreign investors. Some prime examples of this unpredictability include the Kremlin seizure of the assets of Yukos oil company and Belarusian authorities similar actions against the Kamunarka and Spartak confectioneries. Few people know what the Kremlin will do next, as sanctions against western foods have shown.
Questioning the ‘dictatorship’ label
Belarus, it would seem, has never been Europe’s lone dictatorship. Azerbaijan, which is in the Council of Europe, has about 100 political prisoners of its own, a dire human rights situation, and an authoritarian rule of law. Yet there are no international sanctions against Azeri authorities.
It is important to note that Belarusian and Azeri authoritarianism, however, is primarily the problem of Belarusians and Azeris. Russia, meanwhile, is felt to be threatening an entire region.
On 29 August, the United Nations reported that at least 2,593 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since April. Hundreds of Georgians died during the Russian invasion in 2008. Russia state media’s anti-western agenda has helped to mobilise public opinion against neighbours who choose western-style democracy and European integration over other alternatives. It is difficult to imagine Belarus waging a war against any country, while Russia takes pieces out of neighbouring states.
It is unlikely that Belarus will lose its cliched label any time soon. Moscow, unlike Minsk, has far more leverage on the EU and the United States in the form of oil, gas and nuclear weapons, and will not become as much of an outcast as its Customs Union partner.
But the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine, and the attention drawn to authoritarian measures at home, may contribute to a new level of understanding between the west and Belarus. Lukashenko’s apparent neutrality in the Ukraine conflict, and the weakening of democracy in Russia, helps to improve the image of the Belarusian’s regime, and offers an opportunity for greater engagement with the EU and the US.
Though Belarus remains economically dependent on Russia, Lukashenko is a reluctant vassal of Putin. He has more interest in maintaining Belarus’ neutrality and re-exporting western agricultural goods than participating in conflict or even maintaining the full support of the Kremlin.
The current climate should be a wake-up call for western politicians who had hoped that Russia would eventually democratise Belarus, and had thought Minsk could leave Moscow’s zone of influence. Instead, they should do what they can to increase people-to-people contacts, liberalise the visa regime, help Belarusians strengthen their national and civil identity. A good start would be to abandon an unhelpful, cliched, label.
Ryhor Astapenia is an analyst of the Ostrogorski Centre, an editor-in-chief of Belarusian internet magazine Idea and a coordinator of BelarusProfile.com.
A version of this article first appeared on Belarus DigestBy Rick Gethin
The search for a new man behind the Blue Jackets bench is entering it’s final phase. Manitoba Moose head coach Scott Arniel was the first of five to interview for the vacant coaching position in Columbus. He’s had a second meeting with the management team and is waiting for the word from Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson on whether he’s “The Man”.
As both sides are issuing “no comment” regarding the interview process, as well they should, I contacted a man who has known Arniel since 2000 as an assistant coach with the Moose. Ken Wiebe is a Sports Reporter for the Winnipeg Sun and was kind enough to help shed some light on a prominent contender and quite possibly the front-runner for the Head Coach position.
Scott Arniel has been around and paid his dues, both as a player and as a coach. He played junior hockey with the Cornwall Royals, skating alongside Dale Hawerchuk, Marc Crawford and Doug Gilmour. The team won consecutive Memorial Cups in 1980 and 1981.
Ken said that like many hockey players “He can be a fiery guy and he hates to lose, but he’s grown a great deal over the last four seasons. He’s a real student of the game and has a good hockey IQ”.
THW’s Derek Jung has more info and player quotes about Arniel here.
While an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres, Arniel worked under the aptly named Lindy Ruff. The good news for Blue Jackets fans is that he played a big role with the successful Buffalo power play, which had the likes of Daniel Briere and Brian Campbell on it. He returned to the Manitoba Moose after four years with Buffalo in 2006.
Ken made the point that with all of the roster turnover/call-ups in the AHL, a coach has to be flexible with his system. He also said “Arniel’s preference is to play an up-tempo, attacking game. Obviously, there is a defensive structure but he’s not a guy that likes his team to sit back and clog up the neutral zone. I would call him more of an offensive-minded coach but his teams always pay attention to detail in the defensive zone”. This would seem to be an indication that his style fits with the way that Scott Howson is building this Blue Jackets team. Columbus started playing a more up-tempo game towards the tail-end of the 2009-2010 season.
Ken goes on to say “The most talented team he coached (and most experienced) was the one that went to the Calder Cup final in 2009. That team had plenty of offense and also did a nice job keeping the puck out of their net.” In just his third year as a Head Coach, he was named the AHL’s Coach of the Year in 2009.
This year was a bit different, but he still managed to get the most out his players. “This season was filled with changes, constant insertion of new (often ECHL-calibre) players and the team still managed to make the playoffs”, said Wiebe, “and nearly pulled off a big upset of the first-place Hamilton Bulldogs in Round 1.” This shows the kind of character that is inherent in Arniel. He added this gem, “I can honestly say that without Cory Schneider in goal and Scott Arniel behind the bench, the Moose probably would have missed the playoffs this season. Most players agree Arniel had to do a lot more teaching in 2009-10“.
“He’s a good motivator and he also does a great job reading the pulse of a team. Admittedly, he’s not a big motivational speech giver”, said Ken. “But he’s not afraid to voice his concerns and he certainly knows when to tear the paint off the wall and when a player needs a pat on the back.” But what about his leadership abilities, you ask? Ken left me with this. “Regarding leadership, this is a guy who has been a captain often during his playing career and was also a player/assistant at various points, so he’s a pretty stable leader.”
There you have the definitive answer to Scott Arniel from someone who knows the man. He has the drive and the vision to take the next step into the NHL coaching ranks. His style and system would seem to fit nicely with the young team that resides in Columbus. Kevin Dineen has a bit of a temper, going so far as to get suspended by the AHL. To have that fire is not altogether a bad thing, but it needs to be tempered when coaching at this level. Guy Boucher has yet to have a first interview with Scott Howson, but it’s coming soon. He’s also only had one year as a Head Coach in the AHL. With it being no secret that he’s in line for the Montreal Canadiens coaching position eventually, he might decide to stay within the Montreal organization and get some seasoning. And lastly, I believe if Claude Noel were to be the new Columbus head coach, it would’ve already been announced.
My grateful thanks must go to Ken Wiebe (Winnipeg Sun) for the invaluable insight he provided.Of the 1,000 delegates, volunteers and staff at the recent national convention of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) — an organization of over 25,000 thousand dues-paying socialists — one would be hard-pressed to find 50 opposed to electoral politics. On display at the convention was a broad consensus that electoral politics had a key role to play in the U.S. socialist movement.
The question of whether or not to run candidates in Democratic primaries was hardly a question. A resolution to “Draft Bernie for a People’s Party” was overwhelmingly voted down. The national organization has endorsed six candidates currently running in 2017, three of whom are running as Democrats (including New York’s Khader El-Yateem), two of whom are running in nonpartisan races and one of whom is a Green (Jabari Brisport, also of New York). The list of DSA members in office is growing; most of them are Democrats. None of this is particularly controversial.
The explosive growth of DSA, which remains committed to supporting candidates running as Democrats, is an extraordinary and very hopeful development for the U.S. left.
• • •
Once upon a time, revolutionaries were a fixture of American electoral politics. The 1860s and 1870s saw a wave of left-wing black abolitionists elected to federal, state and local offices. The Populists of the 1890s railed against industry and capital; they elected governors and senators. The Socialist Party followed suit in the 1900s and 1910s. A slate of candidates in California ran in the 1930s on a platform of converting private industry to worker cooperatives, instituting a massive income tax and transitioning California toward a socialist economy. They swept races across the state, utterly transforming California’s politics, and they did so through the Democratic primary. Huge victories around wages, labor protections and rent control can be traced directly to the victories of these movements and, critically, their electoral arms. Like the modern DSA, they were committed to organizing everywhere — in the workplace, in schools, where people live. Like the modern DSA, they unapologetically pursued electoral politics.
This tradition withered. Many of those participating in the uprisings of the ’60s and early ’70s declared themselves fervently opposed to electoral politics, and scorned those who sought to run in the Democratic Party. Some radicals forsook elections altogether, as did foundation-backed organizers inspired by Saul Alinsky. The hopes of those seeking to “realign” the Democratic Party were dashed, their coalition shattered by the AFL-CIO-backed Vietnam War.
Between then and the Sanders campaign, there were three significant electoral moments on a nationwide scale on the American left:
-Ralph Nader’s run for president in 2000 ignited huge rallies and a grassroots groundswell. Sadly, by running as a Green Party candidate, he doomed his campaign from the beginning and finished with under 3 percent of the vote.
-A broad coalition of unions formed the Labor Party in 1996, which promptly discovered that third-party runs are a dead end in the vast majority of American elections. Within 10 years, the party was gone.
-Jesse Jackson’s runs for president in 1984 and 1988 spawned large mobilizations and built promising multiracial coalitions across the country. Instead of producing any sort of democratic organization, it produced a publicity mill for Jackson, who promptly ran the coalition into the ground.
This points to an obvious question: what if someone were to do what Jackson did, but do it better? What if they spawned not a personal machine, but instead incited massive growth of a bottom-up, democratic organization? What if this organization was openly socialist? What if this organization was part of a broad progressive coalition that sought to merge social movements with radical electoral politics? And what if the organization got over the left’s hang-ups about the Democratic ballot line? What would happen then?
It is a critical question — and in the wake of the Sanders campaign, DSA is part of a broad coalition on the left that is going to answer it.
Many socialist organizations — Socialist Alternative, the International Socialist Organization, Solidarity — condemned Sanders’ decision to run as a Democrat. DSA, which has always advocated a strategic orientation toward the Democratic line, supported Sanders’s strategy from the beginning. In doing so, DSA recognized a fundamental truth in American politics: it is virtually impossible to win almost any major election on a third-party line. If we want to gain the support of a large number of working-class voters, we will find them in the Democratic primary.
The organization has been proven right. Its membership has tripled in the past year. Its longtime members, who toiled in relative obscurity for decades, have been vindicated. Elections are a useful tactic for the left. We can run candidates as socialists and win. We must be willing to use the Democratic primary if we want to get anywhere.
For too long, the pursuit of revolution and the pursuit of practical electoral politics have been separated. This has robbed progressive electoral politics of critical energy and leadership, and it has robbed the left of realistic paths to power. The Sanders campaign and the rise of DSA represent a small but critical step.
Daniel Moraff is a member of the National Electoral Committee of the Democratic Socialists of America. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he is managing an (independent) judicial campaign.
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Photo: The Democratic Socialists of America at the national convention in Chicago in August. Source: Medium.Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala. Photo via Flickr user Presidencia Perú
On Wednesday, a survey released by the Levada Center, Russia's premier independent polling outfit, revealed that a record-high 87 percent of Russians approve of Vladimir Putin’s performance as their president. This will no doubt galvanize the Western press, since whenever a study is released indicating a spike in his approval rating (as was the case with a recent Gallup poll), journalists tend to leap at the opportunity to use the data to present Russia as a sort of Mordor and Russians themselves as half-breeds gleefully worshipping their power-hungry, evil overlord. The same overused adjectives to describe Putin are always bandied around, words like “stony-faced” and “bare-chested,” as though Russians love Putin because he can flex his pecs while insouciantly fishing out in the wild. In reality, many Russians laugh at his nudist hunting fetish just as hard as their Western counterparts.
But it’s easy for these crass caricatures and misunderstandings to develop when the data is presented, as it always is, without any cultural context. From a Western perspective, and especially from a right-wing/left-wing binary, it’s only natural to assume that Russians must approve of Putin because they are all radically homophobic, misogynistic, muscle-idolizing megalomaniacs. But Russia is not the West, and in the course of interviewing dozens of people in Russia about their views on Putin in the last month, I found that the perception of the man is rather different when looked at through the prism of Russia’s own culture.
There are, for one thing, plenty of Russians who are rabidly anti-Putin. Generally, they tend to be well-educated, cultured libertarian types who dissociate themselves with Russia (which they find barbaric) and refer to themselves, somewhat vaguely, as European. There are also, of course, many Russians who are rabidly pro-Putin. These tend to be your average machos who can never give any rational reasons (much less political ones) for liking him, suggesting that, like many extremists, their opinions stem from ideas pounded into them by parents at dinner tables—or else the type of family tragedy that led the main characters of American History X to become neo-Nazis. But these extremes are just that—polar opposites—and the vast majority of Russians is composed of people who half-support Putin. They largely fall into two categories: what I call the “Nobody cares” camp on one hand, and the “At least he’s better than what came before!” crowd on the other.
I use the term “half-support” quite consciously. In the West, we have a tendency to see issues through strict binaries: something is either right or wrong, good or evil, fresh or rotten. But Russians live in more of a gray area, and when you ask a Russian a question the answer is almost always some form of: “Well, on one hand [x] is true, but then, from another perspective, so is [y].” The same multi-faceted mentality can be seen in their take on virtually everything, including their president. While in the United States, most people tend to be either vociferously pro-Obama or anti-Obama, just as they are often staunchly Democratic or Republican, the sentiment among Russians who claim to support Putin is not nearly as strong, and is usually accompanied by a shoulder shrug and a half-hearted, “I guess he’s OK.”
This reticence to sing Putin’s praises derives from the fact that most of his citizens are perfectly well aware of the man’s multi-layered corruption, not least of all because corruption has been an integral part of the Russian government since its very inception.
Russians rallying against Putin after he reclaimed the presidency in 2012. Photo via Flickr Vladimir Varfolomeev
“Putin is the main crook, and everyone knows that,” Vadim, a director at an English language school, told me, reclining comfortably into his swivel chair. “Everyone knows that he controls the entire legal system and the press and so on, in part because he’s very transparent about it. But he’s a strong leader, so people like him. Russians like leaders with a big pair of balls, and his are huge. Putin is a bad guy, but I think one of the reasons Americans hate him so much is also because he makes Russia a strong country, and that scares Americans because they’re still afraid of Russia. But, anyway, what can you do?”
This amiable expression of indifference is common here, particularly in the vast “Nobody cares” camp. There’s a remarkable word in Russian: “pofigism.” It comes from the slang term, “pofig,” which means “not giving a shit.” It’s a darkly funny term, the addition of the suffix “-ism” speaking to the fact that, in Russia, not giving a shit has transcended from a state of emotional apathy into a full-fledged ideology. This is important to consider because one of the greatest differences between America and Russia is that while America is a highly politicized society, Russia is not.
“You have to understand that Russia is a country that went from having a string of tsars to a string of dictators,” an elderly hospital director named Seryezha told me. “So people don’t care about politics because we don’t have a frame of reference to a time when anyone had any influence on it. People in America seem to think that, in Russia, if people don’t protest against something, that means they implicitly support it (like the gay propaganda laws, for example), but that’s not true. It’s just that we don’t have a culture of activism here. In fact, protesting is considered vulgar, insecure and simply a form of personal attention-seeking. Just be who you are and let others be.”
Sergey’s view that protesting is more often than not just a self-involved PR stunt is echoed by many other Russians and backed up by research. A 2011 Gallup poll found that, out of 130 countries, America has the highest civic engagement score while Russia has one of the very lowest on Earth. What that means in practice is that people’s convictions are considered an intensely private, as opposed to public, matter, and thoughts do not manifest as frequently into actions, because the idea that one has the right to act on one’s beliefs comes from a “freedom of speech” culture that Russia just does not have, and never has had.
It’s easy to shake one’s head and think, “Oh, those poor, backward Russians,” but it’s worth acknowledging an uncomfortable truth instead: lofty ideas are a luxury of the well-fed. The reason that we can afford to keep up with all the news on Twitter and then have heated debates about current affairs over glasses of wine at French restaurants is because, on a global level, America is a relatively rich (and therefore spoiled) country. People in other parts of the world simply can’t indulge in conceptual ideals.
Putting on his serious face at a 2009 meeting in Davos. Photo via Flickr user World Economic Forum
The vast majority of Russia consists of lonely little villages frozen in time, places that often have no internet, no cellphone reception, no indoor plumbing, and certainly no Twitter. Russia is populated largely by people like my aunt, who lives in a desolate, isolated rural area near Samara in the southeast. She wakes up at the crack of dawn to feed the livestock, then spends her afternoons trying to sell produce at the market, her evenings taking the cows out to pasture and back, and her nights running around the village asking everyone whether or not they’ve seen her alcoholic husband—and then dragging him home once he’s been found. Any spare minute is spent looking over her son, who has permanent brain damage as a result of a bad polio vaccine administered to him as a child. Her entire emotional state is determined by a very simple philosophy:
“When there are potatoes, it’s a good day,” she says. “When there are no potatoes, it’s a bad day.”
When I ask her how she feels about Putin, I immediately feel embarrassed and suddenly very aware of just how entitled my “life of the mind” in New York is. Her response is characteristic of the responses I received from many people I interviewed in the provinces, and her so-called support is automatic and a product of what to Americans would seem like woefully low presidential standards.
“Oh, dearie, I don’t know about such things. We’re not being invaded by Nazis and there’s food in the stores, so as far as I’m concerned he’s doing a good job.”
That there’s food on the shelves of stores is a basic statement I heard echoed over and over again—which is now somewhat ironic given the ban on some food imports from Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States enacted by Moscow this week. While Americans tend to admire Mikhail Gorbachev because he “brought freedom to Russia,” Russians remember the last leader of the Soviet Union with a shudder because so many people starved to death or were forced into a life of crime thanks to capitalism’s shaky footing. With all due respect to the noble cause that is democracy, freedom is a pretty small consolation prize on an empty stomach. Or, as my friend Seva puts it, “Americans love ideas, but you can’t eat ideas.”
My friend Anya, an aspiring music therapist, protested against Putin in 2012, but has since started leaning toward the kind of tepid support of the president espoused by most of the people I interviewed.
“He’s a terrible human being, but at least he can hold himself with a degree of composure," she said. "He can formulate a sentence eloquently, he’s well educated, he’s always in control of the situation. It gives ordinary citizens a measure of peace to know that they’re being led by a fully-functioning adult. He’s not a drunk, like [former President Boris] Yeltsin, who was just embarrassing. He doesn’t lose his temper and lunge at politicians, like that lunatic Zhirinovsky [the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party]. And he isn’t a paranoid schizophrenic, like some of our former dictators.”
To Americans, Putin seems horrible, because they compare him to outwardly decent men like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. But to Russians, he is at the very least an improvement because they compare him to former leaders who set the bar awfully low.
And what Anya, an urbane intellectual, is saying is in some ways connected to what my aunt, a provincial farmer, meant as well. In the absence of transcendent ideals, people are instead concerned with tangible outcomes. And here’s where one needs to acknowledge another uncomfortable truth: While Putin is unequivocally terrible in regard to human rights and general human decency, he has tightened up what used to be a mess of a country in quotidian ways.
You can’t smoke in most public places anymore, which is a godsend because it means you can have a drink at a bar without choking to death in a steam-room of smoke. You can’t buy liquor in stores after ten at night, which seems to have significantly reduced the number of zombie-eyed men zigzagging through the streets on sunny afternoons. There’s a card now that you can use to ride in the metro, trolleybus, and marshrutka (a little minivan), which eliminates the hassle of constantly scrambling for change when late. In big cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, the streets are shockingly cleaner and safer, and the highways are packed with BMWs instead of the boxy Ladas that used to ubiquitously sputter black smoke into the air as recently as three years ago. There’s a Starbucks on Nevsky Prospekt, the main street in St. Petersburg. The appearance of this global coffee corporation may seem completely frivolous, but it isn’t to Russians, for whom, like McDonalds 24 years earlier, the Starbucks is a tangible if illusory indicator that they finally—finally!—get to have some of the same consumer goods as those in the West.
An ad for Putin and then-presidential candidate Dmitri Medvedev near Moscow's Red Square in 2008. Photo via Flickr user maailma.net
It’s easy to dismiss all of this as materialistic, even Faustian, but to a country that had so little for so long—many rural inhabitants still have next to nothing—smart phones and cars that don’t drive backwards of their own accord are a good enough reason to put up with a seemingly soulless leader. In the absence of abstract ideals, it is the minutiae of daily life that most matters, and it is these very minutiae that, up until now at least, Putin has cleverly provided.
That’s what makes the materialistic nature of his recent round of bans and prohibitions such an interesting potential turning point. There seemed to be little outrage in Russia over the laws that have made headlines all over the West in the last few years, like the gay propaganda laws, the swear-word censorship, and the blogger registration rule. But there was a visibly negative reaction to this month’s ban on the production and distribution of certain types of synthetic underwear, and the internet is as of now going apeshit over Wednesday’s decree restricting or banning for a period of one year food imports from European countries that have sanctions against Russia. You can take our so-called liberty, but you can’t take our lacy panties and our fancy French cheese. Russians lived too long without it in the black-market days and they will not give it up lightly. So perhaps we’ll get that revolution after all.
But perhaps not. For every person on the internet complaining about these recent laws there’s another one saying, “Putin is doing the right thing. Yea, I like McDonalds, but fast food is bad for you so I’m glad these chains are closing down. Yea, I like lacy underwear, but synthetic material is bad for the skin so I’m glad he’s making them illegal to obtain.” Choice, as psychologist Sheena Lyengar pointed out in her book The Art of Choosing, is considered inherently good in America, but that’s not always the case in other countries, where choice is viewed as a dangerous tool in the hands of human beings. We are, by nature, too weak to do what’s best for us—too lazy to go to the gym even when our doctor warns us it’s pivotal to do so and too self-indulgent to quit alcohol even when it’s destroying our lives. So for these societies it’s beneficial, if irritating, for a leader to eliminate the problematic paradox of choice.
Government systems are like parenting styles. America is an authoritative type, encouraging its children to exercise their free will responsibly; Russia is, it goes without saying, an authoritarian parent, setting strict rules and punitive measures. The highest achievement for Americans is to be “happy,” the highest achievement for Russians is to be “good.” It’s very subjective to suggest which style is better than the other, but the fact remains that for many Russians the authoritarian style is preferable because, on a cultural level, the perception remains that humans are dark and lazy by nature, so it is in fact beneficial to have someone forcing you to be your best and most productive self. And, for many Russians, Putin is precisely that stern father figure whose rules, while undeniably onerous and often cruel, are ultimately for their own good. So while the majority may admit that he is a competent but corrupt politician whose blood runs cold, to them Putin represents the human incarnation of a necessary evil.
Diana Bruk is a Russian-American freelance writer who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and raised in New York City. Her essays and short stories have appeared in Salon, the Paris Review, the New York Times supplement, Guernica, BuzzFeed, Nerve, and many other magazines. She also serves as a social media editor and NY reporter for Russia Beyond the Headlines, a government-sponsored outlet. Follow her on Twitter.New York Gave The Ellsbury ‘Doughboy’ a Mean Nickname for Us
Jacoby Ellsbury's jump to the New York Yankees inspired New York's tabloids to use the same headline.
Get a compelling long read and must-have lifestyle tips in your inbox every Sunday morning — great with coffee!
When big news hits New York, it’s always a pleasure to imagine what groan-worthy puns the city’s warring tabloid newspapers will devise. So it feels like a letdown that, in reacting to Jacoby Ellsbury’s move to the Yankees, the New York Post and New York Daily News settled on the same headline: “Ellsbury Doughboy.” Buzzfeed captured the sports page images:
New York Post and Daily News made the same Jacoby Ellsbury pun because it was just too easy pic.twitter.com/qV9LaygzzC — BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) December 4, 2013
No wonder neither paper could resist the line. It pretty succinctly tells the story of Ellsbury’s move to the Yankees, announced late Tuesday: moolah. The size of the seven year, $153 million contract is more interesting than the simple fact that he’s leaving us for the Bronx. Ellsbury, a fairly private, business-like player, never felt like a guy that wouldn’t take a good offer from our mortal enemies. So, no one was surprised. (Okay, actually Lil’ Wayne, of all people, expressed surprise on his Twitter.)
I kant believe this dude Ellsbury! Sleeping with the enemy — Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) December 4, 2013
But that’s also what makes the double “Doughboy” pun a letdown. We’ve seen it before. His reputation as a mercenary means it’s floated around him for a long time. People called him Doughboy when he charged $125 for autographs. Still, the headline is getting more than twice the attention it would have received had it appeared in just one paper, simply because it’s funny that the two rivals ran with the same thing. That added momentum suggests that it stands a pretty good chance of becoming the agreed-upon jeer next time he steps to the plate at Fenway. After all, surprising or not, we do need to say rude things about anyone who wears pinstripes.User interface techniques continued to evolve in 2012, often blurring the lines between design, usability, and technology in positive ways to create an overall experience that has been both useful and pleasurable.
Infinite scrolling, for example, is a technological achievement that also helps the user by enabling a more seamless experience. Similarly, advances in Web typography have an aesthetic dimension but also represent a movement toward greater clarity of communication.
1. Single-Page Sites
Single-page websites are everywhere. Big background images, rich illustrations, and animation techniques are being used to tell stories, entertain, and get a message across loud and clear. Free of the limitations of traditional website architecture, creative and beautiful one-pagers are flourishing. Two of our favorite single-page sites are Jess and Russ and Ben the Bodyguard. (Several other nice examples can be found here.) As with any trend, people want to emulate it, even if it's not the appropriate solution. This can easily lead to homogenization of style and, in some cases, poor execution. When done correctly, however, the single page website works very well.
2. Infinite Scrolling
Infinite scrolling is familiar to everyone, even if they don't realize it. It works best for unstructured information; live feed style, sorted by time. Sites with lots of images—like Google images or Pinterest—make excellent use of this technique, but thoughtful implementation is important to prevent user frustration. Lookbook is another good example. By pairing infinite scroll with a floating right column and a "back to top" button, the site allows users to consume endlessly and still get to other parts of the site easily. Infinite scroll is not a "one size fits all" solution—there are plenty of complex factors to consider, and pagination may still be the best technique for search results, large lists, and e-commerce.
3. Persistent Top Navigation or “Sticky Nav”
Persistent menus are ideal for complex sites, long scrolling pages, or applications with toolbar functionality. Persistent menus can be distracting, so it's best to keep them slim and unobtrusive. A great example is New Zealand's tourism website, which features a navigation that collapses down to just the main sections, leaving plenty of real estate for the rest of the page. The Gmail Web interface also does it right by giving users a persistent toolbar with the most used actions.
4. The Death of Web 2.0 Aesthetics
We've noticed a return to basics in visual design trends. A flat, clean, minimalist aesthetic with a focus on typography and information hierarchy has replaced the big, bright, juicy days of Web 2.0. A lot of websites and apps are even ditching graphical background images for pure CSS styles in order ensure a compelling experience across devices and resolutions. Our favorite recent visual designs include Basecamp, Dropbox, and the Smashing Magazine redesign.
5. Typography Returns
Thanks to maturing font technologies and improved font rendering on most browsers and devices, designers have more typefaces to choose from and more control of their type. There is an increased awareness of the importance of content, and with it, using typography to effectively communicate a message. With mobile, responsive design, and more retina displays, typography will continue to be an important focus on the Web in the next few years. One of our favorite examples is The New Yorker, which uses a standard Web font (Times New Roman) for body copy, beautifully paired with display fonts for headings and navigation (Irvin, Neutra).
In 2013, we’ll be looking for more examples of sites that improve user experience by judiciously balancing beauty, utility, and technology.Image copyright Getty Images
A Minnesota police force has threatened to punish drink drivers with Justin Bieber's dance moves if they get behind the wheel while intoxicated.
Police in Wyoming, Minnesota, tweeted on Sunday that drink drivers would be forced to watch Bieber's Super Bowl advert "the entire way to jail".
The pop star is seen performing celebratory end zone dances in a tuxedo during the mobile phone commercial.
Fortunately, no drink driving arrests were made on Sunday night.
Canada police to punish drink-drivers with Nickelback
Bieber's advert aired during the Super Bowl, in which he is heard saying: "This guy's got the shimmedy sham-sham shimmedy shake right there".
Image copyright Twitter
Twitter users lauded the police for the tongue-in-cheek tweet, which was retweeted nearly 10,000 times.
Wyoming Police Chief Paul Hoppe told the Pioneer Press that the tweet helped push the public service announcement about responsible drinking during the Super Bowl.
"It gets people to actually stop and read the message," Mr Hoppe said.
After the New England Patriots won the game in a historic 34-28 comeback, the Wyoming police changed their message, poking fun at the way many Americans love to hate the Patriots.
Image copyright Twitter
The alternative punishment is not the first time police have turned to Canadian artists to help deter drink driving.
Last November, a Canadian police force threatened to force festive drink-drivers to listen to Nickelback, a local band often derided as the world's worst band.According DHS’ official 2016 immigration enforcement report sanctuary cities released over 2,000 criminal illegal aliens back into their communities instead of working with ICE. This presents security concerns since under the Obama administration ICE only goes after the most serious criminal aliens.
ICE only caught 114,000 illegal aliens in 2016, the lowest number in Pres. Obama’s presidency. This is a huge declined compared to the 338,000 apprehended five years ago.
Nearly 84% of the illegal aliens ICE deported last year were serious felons, national security risks or gang members, or were caught at the border. 13% had repeat misdemeanors or had illegally entered the U.S. after 2013.
“Declined detainers result in convicted criminals being released back into U.S. communities with the potential to re-offend,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in its review released Friday.
Last summer the Department of Justice’s own inspector general released a report that said that sanctuary policies violate federal law. The DOJ received pressure from Congress and has
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was deleterious to their lives.
And much in the same way, we see that now. Right? So now we’re getting a kinder, gentler drug war, because they’re concerned that white people are dying of opiate overdose. And we didn’t have that, and there’s been no plan to talk about what are they going to do to repair the harms that have been done to people who were criminalized.
And, you know, when it comes to black people and Nixon, I will say this. We do know that Nixon participated in various counterintelligence-type programs, including Project New Kill comes up under his administration, and all these ways to disrupt black people and activists in general. And it strikes me that the War on Drugs begins right at the time, under Nixon, that black people really had the world looking at us and looking at the human rights violations that had been going on in America for so long against black people. Right? We’re at the height of that. The civil rights movement coming to a close, and really, now that we’ve gotten civil rights, how do we demand full human rights, which was what the Black Power movement was doing?
And so, right as that’s happening, Nixon finds a way to criminalize a whole swath of the American populace, the African-American swath of the American populace. There’s so many lies tied up in it that we even begin to believe that—the kind of misinformation that’s put out, not just about drug users, but about drugs themselves. Right? So you have marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, you have 10, 15 years later, all the lies about crack that are put out, that really have been debunked at this point by people like Dr. Carl Hart. But, you know, that’s really what happened: In the moment we held the moral high ground, we were all criminalized.
JJ: And I think there’s confusion about saying that just because you can say that policies are about something in addition to race, that that somehow means that race and racism are not irreducible factors in those policies.
Well, you’re talking about the shift, and new compassionate outlook, as the demographics, if you will, or perceived demographics of drug use change. The New York Times ran a piece last September with the headline, “In Heroin Crisis, White Families Seek Gentler War on Drugs.” And the reporter laid it out:
When the nation’s long-running war against drugs was defined by the crack epidemic and based in poor predominantly black urban areas, the public response was defined by zero tolerance and stiff prison sentences. Today’s heroin crisis is different.
And so on, to talk about the compassionate approach. Now, I take issue with the phrase “the public response.” People don’t make drug policy.
AB: Uh-huh.
JJ: But they are pointing to race as being a driver in this new compassionate approach to heroin. But what I wanted to get to is, in that piece, there’s an explanation given by Michael Botticelli, who heads the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, and he suggests that the reason these white and sometimes middle-class heroin addicts are getting a compassionate approach is their families and communities know how to politically organize and demand that kind of response. As if to suggest that if black people had only organized about the harms of the drug war, or as if to suggest that black people did not organize about the harms of the drug war, and that’s why that approach was different.
AB: No. 1, the only relationship that black people have continuously had to the government of the United States is a relationship of confinement and containment. Right? Whether it was chattel slavery, whether it was the terrorism imposed by the Ku Klux Klan, the Jim Crow laws and then immediately following that—those ended officially in 1968—Nixon starts the drug war in 1971, or the modern drug war, in 1971, which begins the climb from 200,000 people in the prison system then to over 2 million now, and another 5 million on paper, as we call it. Right? Still being monitored by the criminal justice system through parole, probation and whatever, their citizenship not fully intact.
So there’s never been a relationship, and I don’t even know that America and the people we have in leadership now fully know how to create a relationship with black people, that is not bounded by that fact, and that’s what we’re pushing against. But when it comes to—what Botticelli says is extraordinarily insulting. It’s a black woman who leads the first and successful raid during the Civil War. That’s Harriet Tubman. There’s always been resistance to oppression by black people.
Now, the response has been extraordinary. Right? We remember the first SWAT raids were leveled against the Black Panther Party in Los Angeles. Right? So those weren’t done to, like, take down a whole bunch of criminals. Those were activists they used it against. It was activists in Detroit who had tanks rolled on them, and it was activists in Baltimore and in Ferguson who had tanks and rubber bullets. It was the police who started that violence against young people, primarily, who were protesting another murder of another one of our own at the hands of police. So we’ve always resisted. The response to that resistance, the response to that organizing against oppression and against state violence, has been extraordinary.
JJ: Let me ask you on another tip, because I think people think, you know, the winds of change are in the air, and one of the things people would point to is the decriminalization, in many states, of marijuana. Does that marijuana decriminalization automatically bring with it an improvement in the lives of black and brown people?
AB: Marijuana was decriminalized in my city, New York City, in 1977, and yet arrest rates went skyrocketing. Until De Blasio gets in office, it was an extraordinary skyrocket in the arrests for marijuana. So that’s no guarantee. I think in some places like Washington, DC, where there was a full-out legalization, you saw a precipitous drop, I think really almost down to zero in arrest rates, and I think legalization may allow us to get to that level where drugs are fully taken out of the criminal justice system. Decriminalization is helpful, but it’s not the full answer for something that you can’t—it’s legislating morality. Right? And in deciding which drug is licit and which drug isn’t licit, and it really makes no sense. If you were to take pure acetaminophen into your body, it’s actually more toxic to your body than pure heroin.
So it’s not like we do this stuff based on science or based on public health or public safety. That’s not what happens. In fact, the laws we create generate public danger. Prohibitionist policies generate public danger, they generate underground markets, they generate all of that, just like they did during alcohol prohibition.
I don’t know that that’s the full answer. I look more toward where legalization has had a better impact, and then that’s only one part of the equation there. Because even with legalization, are we talking about full economic justice or are we still talking about economic violence where people are locked out of any systems of wealth creation and stabilizing their families?
JJ: Right. And the key factor there being that in many of the states that have legalized marijuana, if you have a drug-related felony conviction, you can’t open that cannabis-related business. So that’s going to close that path for a lot of people who were victimized by the drug war. Now things have changed, but they will not be on the winning team in terms of —
AB: And even if you get that, what percentage of the money that’s made by an above-ground licit market now in marijuana, or anything else that comes down the road, is going to go to repair of the harm? This is a moment for repairing the harm, it’s a moment for reparations, which people don’t want to think about. But it’s hard to speak to people’s intent. Right? We think that we know their heart; maybe we do, maybe we don’t. I’m going to speak to just the outcomes and the policies, and I’m interested in changing people’s behavior on this stuff. And when this is the outcome of what you did, you have to pay a price. Communities were destroyed, families were destroyed. People were locked out of having any kind of jobs when they came home. They were locked out of being able to go to school. You have to hold people accountable for that.
JJ: We’ve been speaking with asha bandele of the Drug Policy Alliance. She’s author of The Prisoner’s Wife, among other titles, and you can find the Alliance on line at DrugPolicy.org. asha bandele, thank you so much for joining us today on CounterSpin.
AB: Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure to be here.
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Janine Jackson: The impact of the US War on Drugs is not felt only in the United States, of course, and there is a vivid effort now underway to call attention to that fact. Our next guest is part of the Caravan for Peace, Life and Justice traveling through Central America and Mexico to New York. Laura Carlsen is the director of the Americas Program of the Center for International Policy, based in Mexico City. She joins us now by phone from Honduras. Welcome back to CounterSpin, Laura Carlsen.
Laura Carlsen: Thanks so much, Janine. It’s a pleasure.
JJ: Tell us, what is Caravan 2016; what is it itself, and then what is the message?
LC: Well, the caravan is an initiative that’s been in the process of organization for months now, and the idea is we started in Tegucigalpa, in Honduras, and we’re going through five countries—Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and the United States—to end up on the 19th of April at the United Nations special session on drugs. And the idea is to open the debate on prohibition policies and the War on Drugs. And as we go through the different towns and cities and countries that we’re visiting along the way, what we’re hearing are scores of testimonies as to the specific and concrete impact of the War on Drugs policy in these countries.
Of course, we chose Central America and Mexico because the violence that’s generated by this war mentality in respect to the enforcement of prohibitionist policies is so keenly felt in these countries. And although we’ve only been on the road now for several days, we’ve already heard many accounts of this. After starting in Tegucigalpa with human rights groups, and hearing the problems that they’re facing in terms of human rights violations and the direct impact of militarization, we then went to the Atlantic Coast, with indigenous population of mostly Afro-descendants there, and they have a particular perspective on it. They’re very clear about asking the United States to withdraw all support for this militarization policy and for the Honduran security forces.
Because one of the classic cases was several years ago. Their population suffered a massacre in Ahuas that was actually carried out by a State Department helicopter with DEA agents on board and Honduran military that apparently mistook a boat full of Garífuna indigenous people and Miskito Indian people for drug traffickers, and just began shooting in the predawn hours. There’s no full investigation, and there’s no prosecutions. They’ve suffered several assassinations since then.
They joined the caravan, and then we went from there to the town where we are right now, where the environmental activist Berta Cáceres was assassinated. The relationship is that this repressive apparatus of the War on Drugs, that’s supposedly aimed at breaking down the drug cartels, is actually being turned against grassroots movements, and particularly grassroots movements like Berta Cáceres and like the Garífuna people that are fighting to defend their land and resources against the incursions of transnational corporations.
JJ: Well, what you’re making clear here is that the reaction here and the activism here is in response not just to violence from drug trafficking, but very much a response to the violence of those that are ostensibly seeking to reduce drug trafficking. This is not a caravan that is simply saying, drug trafficking and the drug business is bad; it’s very much about what we are told is an effort to root out that drug trafficking, but which in fact is not having that effect, and is having other harmful effects on communities.
LC: That’s exactly right. And the people that we speak to are very clear about this. Because there’s a number of problems that are rooted in US prohibition policies. And the first is that when you create a multi-billion dollar market for an illegal substance, then you’re delivering this huge business into the hands of criminals, by definition. And so the violence generated by the drug cartels is also a huge part of it, and it’s also avoidable with better policies that are more focused on health.
But the other part of it is that illicit drug trafficking has been going on for ages, as long as prohibition has existed. And what the people are talking about here is that it generated a fairly controllable, at least, or low level of violence until the government security forces turned it into a war. And then that destabilized relationships between cartels, in some cases between security forces and the cartels themselves. But it also initiated this era in which the corruption of the security forces, police and armed forces—because in these countries the army and navy are deployed against cartels as well, which is very questionable, to say the least, in itself—and the contact has created a high level of complicity and corruption. So that you have the state actively involved, by many indications, in the illegal businesses themselves, and the citizenry suffering the consequences of the violence that’s generated as a result.
JJ: How important is the building of international connections and international solidarity? It seems that the national boundaries have kind of skewed our understanding and worked against our making common cause, victims of the drug war in the US and in other countries. The international aspect of this caravan is very important, is it not?
LC: Absolutely. Just one of the major objectives of the caravan—by going through these countries, we’re hoping to enable, as people get to know each other who are on the caravan, as people on the caravan get to know the grassroots organizations in the other countries, to enable more linkages between people who are fighting this policy and asking for more sensible policies based on public health and public safety. To get to know each other, to begin to work together, to begin to see how regional this problem is, to be able to understand the linkages that it has. And there’s already a high level of understanding here of US policy and the extremely high levels of the sales of arms and military and defense and security aid from the United States that’s going into perpetuating this war.
And on the other side, it’s been already one of the most wonderful outcomes of the caravan to see the appreciation of peoples like the Garífuna, like the Lenca people here in La Esperanza, when the caravan arrived, what it means to them to know that in other places of the world, there’s an understanding of what they have to go through, the risks they have to take, and the obstacles they face in defending their rivers, their lands, their traditional and ancestral territories. So it’s an encouraging process to all those involved, and it’s a process that we’re hoping and we really do think will leave some long-term kind of a basis for continuing to build on.
JJ: We’ve been speaking with Laura Carlsen of the Americas Program of the Center for International Policy. Thank you so much, Laura Carlsen, for taking time to speak with us this week on CounterSpin.
LC: Thank you for the opportunity.Duff McKagan sat down with Chris Jericho for his 'Talk Is Jericho' podcast this week to discuss a variety of topics, including frontman Axl Rose trying out for AC/DC, difficult songs to play and learning Chinese Democracy songs upon his return to Guns N' Roses.
"It's great," McKagan says of playing tracks from the album, which neither he nor guitarist Slash were a part of recording. "Axl, he put a lot into that record. I think Slash and I were challenged with a thing, like, 'How do we make these kinda ours now?' Cause we're gonna play these; we're gonna take ownership of these. And we went in and learned them and started playing them with [drummer] Frank [Ferrer] and then [guitarist] Rich [Fortus]. Let's tear these songs down and really know them and then build it up from there."
McKagan says they know "a bunch" of the songs from Chinese Democracy, but it depends on the set list during a particular show which ones will get played.
Jericho asked the bassist what song is hardest for him to play each night, and he says it's the little parts are the most challenging, like when the bass comes in on "Sweet Child O' Mine." He says, "You can't f--k that up. Everybody there is listening at that point. You gotta be on."
Talking about the current 'Not in This Lifetime...' world tour and how the set is devised each night, McKagan revealed that Rose is constantly cracking jokes that only the other band members can hear.
"We wear in-ears, right?" he begins. "So most of the time [Axl] is telling amazing jokes. He crushes everybody. You know, I fancy myself a humorist, a jokester, but he crushes me."
Asked about the frontman trying out for the lead spot in AC/DC, McKagan says Rose was nervous about it, but that, "He killed it."
"It's AC/DC and Bon [Scott] is his guy," he reveals. "He left to go try out and [afterwards] he was like, 'I don't know...' Like, dude - you have it. 'Oh, I don't know man, I don't know.' We knew he had it.'
McKagan also remembered touring in the early days opening for The Cult and Iron Maiden before Appetite for Destruction finally crashed the charts.
"The Cult crowd was a little more rock and roll," he says. "Maiden's crowd were like, 'Who in the hell are these f--ks' - you know? [laughs]. But you just go out and do the shows. We were thankful to Iron Maiden for that tour, but we toured a lot where nobody knew who we were, mostly. On that Appetite for Destruction tour we were out for a year [before it broke]. We'd go to London and the UK and stuff and we were blowing up there. We sold out the Hammersmith Odeon; that's 2500 people or something right? Then we'd come back to America and there'd be, like, three people up front who'd be like, 'Yeah, that's our band' - that's our three people!"
He then recalls how, after opening for Aerosmith is when, "It started to pick up."
"Then 'Sweet Child O' Mine' came out and it went from three [people] to 30 to 300, all in like, I swear, a couple of weeks," McKagan says. "Three thousand...'til everybody got there to see us. We had that fresh shiny vibe where everyone had to see us. That was a really interesting time."
Jericho also asks McKagan why he thinks that 30 years later, Appetite still resonates.
"It's probably impossible for me, being inside of that, to answer that," McKagan says. "I can't see our band like other people see it from the outside. I gotta say, when I went through and played that record before we went into rehearsal a couple January's ago? I was like, 'Oh...' I got this feeling that, 'Oh - this record rocks.' You can just hear the energy and that record captured that band really well."
Looking back on the scene in Los Angeles when Guns came up in the '80s, particularly the other bands, McKagan says they didn't want to be lumped in with certain others representative of the region at the time.
"There was other bands -- and I won't name them -- but there was just other bands in that scene that we just... oh, like if you get put in the same realm with them, like once Hit Parader were starting to write about it, 'Do not put us in the same category with those bands," he says. "We knew who was real and who wasn't."
See Where Appetite for Destruction Ranks Among the Top 50 Debut AlbumsThe start-up story in India's non-metros appears to be a non-starter.
While most of the service start-ups did well in the metros, riding on the increasing volume of business, the true test of their business model is when they step out of their comfort zones and get into tier II and III markets in search of growth. Interestingly, not many have really managed to replicate their success story outside tier I cities. The recent failures by players like Zomato and Grofers only go to further substantiate the fact that start-ups have to rethink their go-to-market strategy when it comes to doing business in smaller cities across the country.
It all started as a one-off incident last year in October when online grocery retailer Localbanya resorted to lay-offs and shutting down operations, citing technical issues. Though Localbanya called it a temporary suspension, their operations have still not resumed. The wave has caught up with other players like TinyOwl, Foodpanda, Grofers and Zomato going into the lay-off mode.
Industry experts say this is picking momentum, and many more start-ups will join the bandwagon as they get into curbing cash-burn and seeking profitable growth. In terms of factors making start-ups aggressively look at rationalising operations, experts say, it has a lot to do with their business model, expansion plans, fund raising and direction from investors.
According to Harminder Sahni, managing director, Wazir Advisors, investors fund start-ups for growth. "To fulfill this, start-ups look to expand their offerings in newer markets. However, what would work in cities doesn't necessarily work the same way in tier II and III towns. This is because the buying and consumption behaviour is very different there. However, when it comes to customer acquisition costs, it is more or less the same, which then puts more pressure on the business of the start-up leading to such drastic steps by their respective management."
Leading restaurant discovery and food ordering app Zomato is the latest example of a start-up that has failed in generating the same amount of excitement in smaller Indian cities. While it made headlines laying off 300 employees in October 2015, the company management has now decided to shut down online ordering service in four Indian cities – Lucknow, Kochi, Indore and Coimbatore. Zomato joins e-commerce grocery delivery firm Grofers, which last week said it has shut down operations in nine cities including Ludhiana, Bhopal, Kochi, Coimbatore and Visakhapatnam over the span of 15 days.
Elucidating the reasons behind this move, Pankaj Chaddah, co-founder, Zomato, said in a company statement that the size of the market in these cities is small right now and is growing with time. "We will re-launch when the time is right," said Chaddah who is leading Zomato's online ordering business.
Chaddah was not reachable for clarifications on whether shutting down the online ordering operations was restricted to the four Indian cities only or there is a likelihood of other cities joining the fray as well in the coming months. According to the company statement, Zomato was unable to see significant increase in the online order volumes in these cities despite recent marketing efforts, including television ads.
Interestingly, the Grofers management had given exactly the same reason for shutting down operations in the nine cities. Albinder Dhindsa, co-founder of the company, had cited low acceptance of its services in the particular areas as the key reason for discontinuing operations. And this was despite running a series of marketing campaigns including television ads to test the markets and see if the volume picks up.
Elaborating on their reasons for pulling out online ordering offering, Zomato said the combined order volume in the four cities accounted for less than 2% of its total order volumes. "These smaller cities are not yet entirely ready for the online food ordering business, but once they are, Zomato will reconsider its strategy," the company said in a statement. Though online ordering operations have been shut down in these cities, Zomato will continue to offer its content including scanned menus to ensure foodies are able to find and order food as per their requirements.
With Grofers and Zomato confirming their inability to sustain operations in smaller cities, the development is a clear indication that a lot of cleaning up of operations is still left to be done by other players in order to streamline business and put it on a profitable growth path. Accordingly, both investors and entrepreneurs are spending more time on evaluating if the growth strategies are working right and that money is being made on every penny spent.
"Failures in smaller cities is certainly because those markets don't generate the kind of traction tier I cities do. So smaller volumes and higher costs make the business unviable. With profitability becoming crucial, investors are also regularly reviewing the business performance of their investee companies and taking a call on whether to continue with cash burn or cut losses by shutting down operations. And in a few other cases, the start-ups themselves rationalise operations as the model may not be working as envisaged," said Harish H V, partner, Grant Thornton.Researcher Joan C. Williams explains Trump's overwhelming support from the white working class
How could a billionaire born into wealth become the champion of the white working class?
That question stumped a lot of liberal commentators, but Joan Williams wasn’t surprised.
Williams studies the white working class and is founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law at UC Hastings College of the Law.
On the Front Porch podcast, she makes a case for reaching across the class-culture gap to understand one another.
Here are nine things she said many liberals (and some non-liberal elites) don't understand about the white working class.
1. White working class folks tend to admire the very rich, but really resent professionals
“These (professionals) are the people who are ordering them around every day, often disrespectfully," she said, such as the college kid who gets promoted ahead of you, or the doctor or teacher who condescends to you.
And the rich? “That’s what the white working class would like to be,” she said.
“They don’t want to make all the cultural changes required for them to become professional families. They just want to be exactly the way they are, living their lives the ways they’ve always lived them with the values they’ve always had…but with more money.”
Clinton represented the condescension of professionals, she says. Trump represented their dream.
2. They are afraid of change…with good reason
“I associate change with loss,” one working class man told Williams. She says change has meant loss for this whole class of people over the last 30, 40 years.
3. College is not the answer for many working class kids
Our society seems to offer two options – a four-year college degree or dead-end, minimum wage service jobs.
But four-year degrees are increasingly hard and expensive to get for working class families. Many don’t try, and others try, but drop out – incurring debt along the way.
Williams says our government needs to offer more options between four-year-degrees and minimum wage – such as certificate programs at community colleges.
4. “We on the left have made racism and misogyny truly delicious” to the white working class
“Liberals have defined their coalition as women, people of color, LGBT, the disabled, the poor,” she said. “The white working class are just stupid racists with bad taste. Shame on us for creating a coalition that leaves out a key disenfranchised group.
“Racism and misogyny becomes a way to poke the elite in the eye.”
5. Straight talk is valued by the white working class, more than expressing feelings
“Talking through your feelings is part of being a good person” to the elite. To many working class people, “that’s kind of weird and self-obsessed and off-putting.”
6. Different classes see food in radically different ways
For the elite, it’s how you can signal sophistication to the world, i.e. the dinner party.
Working class families use food to signal comfort – large portions of everyday foods - and tradition, such as sharing family recipes.
7. There’s a big chasm within the working class between settled and unsettled families
In “Hillbilly Elegy,” J.D. Vance lived with his mother, who lived a chaotic life full of substance abuse and a parade of different men.
Vance’s father, however, found a settled life, defined by strict rules and religion.
8. Working class does not mean poor – or even necessarily low-income
Working class people can and do often make good money. That’s why Democratic promises of raising the minimum wage don’t get them very excited, Williams said.
When liberals talk about working class, they’re typically thinking of the bottom 30 percent of families (in income.) She’s talking about the middle 50 percent.
She says the “professional elite” also calls itself middle class, when it really is not.
9. Dignity is a huge issue to the white working class
They want work, not charity. And language of “lifting people up” or helping them will be rejected.
“That language will be rejected as condescending because it IS condescending,” she said.
"The Front Porch” is a place where we tackle the tough issues facing West Virginia and Appalachia with some of the region's most interesting thinkers.
WVPB Executive Director Scott Finn serves as host and provocateur, joined by Laurie Lin, a conservative lawyer and columnist, and Rick Wilson, a liberal columnist and avid goat herder who works for the American Friends Service Committee.
Subscribe to "The Front Porch" podcast on iTunes or however you listen to podcasts.
An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 4:50 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available above.
Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you'd like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org
The Front Porch is underwritten by The Charleston Gazette Mail, providing both sides of the story on its two editorial pages. Check it out: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/Would you dare stay the night at some of the most haunted places in the world?
12. Poveglia Island – Venice, Italy
Italians claim that Poveglia Island, also known as Plague Island, is the most haunted place in the world. The island is believed to be stalked by the spirits of 160,000 people who were left here when the area was used as a dumping ground for those who had the plague. Local fishermen won’t even come close to the area.
Two brave Australian journalists went against locals warning them not to visit here and they actually spent the night. They found a sign that read: “Ne Fodias Vita Functi Contagio Requiescunt MDCCXCIII” that translates to: “Do not dig there are contagious bodies here.” The many abandoned rooms are enough to give anyone the creeps.
11. Old Changhai Hospital – Changhai, Singapore
The former setting of Singapore’s Old Changi Hospital appeared like a horror movie, with its peeling walls and gloomy architecture. First built as a hospital in 1935, during the Japanese occupation in 1942, the building was used as a prison for captured British soldiers. Torture and executions within the ground were common, leaving behind a haunting history.
The Line-Up reported, “Visitors to the grounds report hearing disembodied screaming and seeing strange “shadow people” both day and night. Some claim to have seen the bloody apparitions of soldiers walking the halls, while others have reported the presence of a young boy who simply sits and stares.”
The hospital is now the Raintr33 hotel, which has been revamped erasing the many traces of the past. Guests who stay the night, and are familiar with it’s past, might feel a worrying chill in certain places – especially the iron railings at the front where prisoners were lined up before they were gunned down.
10. Monte Cristo Homestead – Australia
TOUR WEBSITE
Known as “Australia’s Most Haunted House”, the motto for this tour is “Be Prepared To Be Scared.” Located in Junee, New South Wales, a series of tragic events have caused many to fear this place. Built in 1885, a pregnant caretaker was pushed over a balcony, a baby was thrown down the stairs and a stable boy tragically burned to death while he slept.
When it’s owner Olive Ryan purchased the property in 1963, she claims the whole house lit up despite there being no power. She told The Project, “I’ve always felt as if someone was watching me. I’ve had a hand on my shoulder. I’ve had my name called when I’ve been here by myself. It’s nothing to hear footsteps on the balcony and you go out and there’s no one there.”
Bed and breakfast anyone?
9. Suicide Forest – Mount Fuji, Japan
Wikipedia Page
13.5 square miles of forest can be found at the base of Mount Fuji, known as “Suicide Forest”, it has been called “the perfect place to die.” More than 100 people a year commit suicide here and many of their bodies are undiscovered for years.
Local legend is the forest torments people to death and those who visit here will notice signs around pleading for people not to take their own lives. If you are feeling brave enough, then you can pitch up a tent overnight – but as you can imagine this is advised against.
8. Ancient Ram Inn – Gloucestershire, U.K
WEBSITE
The Ancient Ram Inn in Gloucestershire is believed to be the most haunted B&B in the U.K. Built on an ancient pagan burial ground, the former grounds were once used for devil worship and sacrifice. When the property was renovated, small bones, that could have belonged to children, were found buried in the ground.
Visitors have witnessed interactions with more than twenty ghosts who stalk the place. Caroline Humphries, who has owned the B&B for 50 years told Mail Online, “‘My father won’t go anywhere without his Bible.” She added, “When I was a child, I was so scared of the house I used to sleep in a caravan outside. It was normal for us to see people running out of the house, screaming in terror. Once, I woke up and found a chest of drawers hovering over my bed – before it crashed down the staircase.”
7. Eastern State Penitentiary – Philadelphia, U.S.
WEBSITE
For $100, thrill seekers can spend the night at East State Penitentiary in Philadelphia – if they are brave enough. Since the prison was abandoned in 1971, there have been many ghost sightings by the public and the building has featured on many ghost hunting programs.
East State Penitentiary was the first prison to introduce solitary confinement. Prisoners were made to eat, sleep, and exercise alone in their own individual areas – with no other contact the place has an eerie atmosphere that has stayed within its doomed corridors. Cell Block 12 is the most haunted area in the building, with a spontaneous outbreak of chilling laughter filling the corridors and shadowy figures appear throughout the night.
6. Banff Springs Hotel – Alberta, Canada
WEBSITE
To those who are unaware of its history, Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada, appears just like any other luxury resort. The hotel itself has been inviting guests to stay the night for more than 125 years and they have previously extended their hospitality to Queen Elizabeth II, Helen Keller, and Marilyn Monroe. However, some guests have never checked out.
Room 873 on the eighth floor is the most haunted room. According to the hotel’s history, a man who was staying with his wife and young daughter, he then murdered his family before committing suicide. A spirit, believed to be the young girl, still haunts the room now.
Guests who have stayed here have reportedly been woken in the middle of the night by loud shrieks or pulling their bed sheets. Previous staff members have also discovered bloody fingerprints around the room that could not be explained. Hotel staff sealed the room after too many disturbing reports – but it is believed the ghosts still stalk the hallways and other areas of the building.
5. Borgvattnet Vicarage – Ragunda N, Sweden
WEBSITE
If the idea of staying in an isolated and haunted vicarage, which was first built in 1876, is your idea of fun – then look no further than Borgvattnet Vicarage in Sweden. According to folklore and local legend, almost every vicar who has made this their home have experienced supernatural events. Things have moved, screams have been heard, shadow people have been seen, and the old rocking chair moves on its own.
Explanations for all this paranormal activity extends from old vicars dying here to even babies being buried in the backyard. Many exorcisms have been carried out on the property by several priests but none of them have been successful.
4. Chateau de Brissac – Maine-et-Loire, France
WEBSITE
Chateau de Brissac in France is an original castle first built in the 11th century. The charming castle is one of the tallest in the country and has plenty of charm – but there is one guest who refuses to move…
During some time in the 15th century, a hideous murder took place and one of the victims was La Dame Verte, or as she is now known – “The Green Lady”. Regular guests at the castle are now familiar with her spirit roaming between the rooms – although they have described this as terrifying. According to these guests, if you look directly at her face you will see gaping holes where her eyes and nose she be and her skin resembles that of a corpse. Not something anyone wants to be woken to during the early hours of the morning.
3. The Queen Mary Hotel – California, U.S.
WEBSITE
The Queen Mary ship has now been transformed into a luxury hotel but it was at one time in history a liner that would carry seasick sailors and stowaways. It is believed more than 50 deaths took place onboard and many of the cabins are still haunted.
A loud, unexplained knocking noise can be heard from engine room 13 where it is believed a young seaman named John Henry was crushed to death whilst fleeing a fire. Despite the room being out of use, people can still smell smoke and the
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, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak
1 Santa Claws
1 Vector, the Dracoverlord
1 Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit
1 Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries
1 Maxx “C”
1 System Down
1 Zombie World
1 Swords of Concealing Light
1 Twin Twisters
1 Galaxy Cyclone
2 Anti-Spell Fragrance
1 Solemn Warning
ヨシ イズミさん Yoshi Izumi-san
2 A-Assault Core
3 B-Buster Wyvern
2 C-Crush Wyvern
1 Gold Gadget
1 Silver Gadget
3 Galaxy Soldier
3 Photon Thrasher
2 Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit
3 Maxx “C”
1 Galaxy Serpent
3 Union Hanger
3 Terraforming
1 Chicken Game
3 Transmodify
1 Emergency Teleport
1 Burial from a Different Dimension
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Twin Twisters
1 Harpie’s Feather Duster
3 Solemn Strike
1 Solemn Judgement
3 ABC-Dragon Buster
1 Ancient Fairy Dragon
1 Gear Gigant X
1 Bujintei Tsukuyomi
1 Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer
1 Abyss Dweller
1 Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk
1 Number 39: Utopia
1 Number S39: Utopia the Lightning
1 Outer Entity Nyarla
1 Outer Entity Azzathoth
1 Cyber Dragon Nova
1 Cyber Dragon Infinity
-Side Deck-
2 Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries
2 D.D. Crow
2 Magical Spring
2 Swords of Concealing Light
1 Twin Twisters
2 Scramble Union
2 Mask of Restrict
2 Anti-Spell Fragrance
SourceDonald Trump wants more things for “us” and fewer things for “them.” The question then becomes, who gets to define and enforce those boundaries of political community.
The Republicans in the New Hampshire primary responded to Trump’s message with overwhelmingly support—he won with 35 percent of the vote.
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As reported by CNN, exit polling data in New Hampshire shows the reach of Donald Trump’s appeal to Republican voters:
Exit poll results from the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night showed deep discontent with the Republican Party and the federal government, and the candidate who railed hardest on those topics, Donald Trump, won with multiple groups of voters. Trump won New Hampshire's primary by carrying a range of demographic and ideological groups with more than 30% of the vote. He topped the rest of the field among both men and women, voters under age 64, voters without a college degree, and those who have a college degree but no postgraduate study. He won among conservatives and moderates, first-time voters and those who've voted before and registered Republicans and those who are undeclared. Trump won 6-in-10 voters who said they were looking for an outside candidate.
ABC highlighted the following important fact about Donald Trump’s base of support in New Hampshire:
Two-thirds said they support Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country. He won 42 percent of their votes. Four in 10 supported deporting undocumented immigrants; Trump won 46 percent in this group.
Exit polling data in New Hampshire complements the recent findings by the Rand Corp.’s Presidential Election Panel Survey (PEPS). Political scientist Michael Tesler (one of the researchers who conducted the survey) described its findings:
The PEPS follows prior research and measures resentment toward African Americans and immigrants with statements like “blacks could be just as well off as whites if they only tried harder” and “it bothers me when I come in contact with immigrants who speak little or no English.” It also contains a measure of ethnocentrism developed by Donald Kinder and Cindy Kam, which compares how favorably respondents rated whites to how favorably they rated minority groups.... Most striking is how each of these measures strongly correlates with support for Trump. The graph below shows that Trump performs best among Americans who express more resentment toward African Americans and immigrants and who tend to evaluate whites more favorably than minority groups. Moreover, statistical models show that each of these three attitudes about minorities contributes independently to Trump’s vote share. So much so, in fact, that GOP primary voters who score in the top 25 percent of their party on all three measures are 44 points more likely to support Donald Trump than those who score in the bottom 25 percent...... These findings also support the idea that Trump’s appeal mirrors Nixonian populism’s blend of racial conservatism with tacit support for the welfare state — a blend often seen in Europe’s right-wing populist parties as well as the presidential bid of George Wallace.
Donald Trump’s popularity is vexing to Republican elites (and the mainstream corporate news media) because he combines the nativism, racism, pro-big business attitude, wants more tax cuts for the wealthy, militaristic nationalism, and out-group animosity that typifies mainstream conservatism, with promises to expand healthcare, enact trade protectionism, fix the nation’s infrastructure, and improve the lives of the (white) working class.
Donald Trump’s particular version of right-wing populism is a direct threat to present day Republican orthodoxy. However, “Trumpania” is not a new phenomenon. Donald Trump’s political vision is simply a 21st century version of what sociologists, historians, and others have described as right-wing producerism.
Producerism is a belief that society is divided between “makers” and “takers.” Right-wing producerism tries to mobilize “real citizens” against “evil” parasites on the “bottom” of society such as the poor, people of color, immigrants, gays and lesbians, “the lazy” and any other subordinate group that can be identified as the Other.
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Producerism also targets the enemies above, i.e., corporations, Wall Street, international bankers and finance, political “insiders,” government “bureaucrats” or “elites” who are imagined as working against the interests of “the people.”
As explained by Chip Berlet and Matthew N. Lyons in their book “Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort,” “producerism, with its baggage of prejudice, remains today the most common populist narrative on the right, and it facilitates the use of demonization and scapegoating as political tools.”
In addition to right-wing producerism, Donald Trump is also channeling Herrenvolk ideology with his explicit promises to protect the white working and middle class from “those people” (be they supposedly rapine and violent immigrants; scheming Chinese; or nebulous brown Muslim terrorists in ISIS and al-Qaida) while also ensuring that there is a social welfare state, economic mobility and expanded healthcare for “real Americans.”
In a Herrenvolk society, the racial in-group is fully enfranchised while the racial out-group is marked as an “anti-citizen” that is not worthy of full democratic rights.
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Moreover, the racial Other’s subordinate status is used as a marker for elevating the status and power for the dominant racial group. Centuries of chattel slavery and then Jim and Jane Crow were means through which white Americans defined the meaning, worth and boundaries of citizenship. Historically and to the very recent present, American democracy and the exclusive white male franchise were not contradictions in a society organized around the Herrenvolk principle.
Citizenship and belonging are demarcated along racial lines in a Herrenvolk society; benefits, resources, rights and support from the state are allocated by the boundaries that separate “us” from “them."
In many ways, Donald Trump’s right-wing populism is a return to an understanding of the modern American welfare state that dominated from the end of the Civil War through to the Great Society. And while the American welfare state has certainly “evolved” in an era of neoliberalism, extreme wealth and income inequality, surveillance, punishment and austerity, there are a litany of programs that disproportionately benefit the white working, middle, upper classes, and rich as compared to non-whites. This, what is now termed the “submerged state," is a de facto type of welfare for (white) America. As public policy, the submerged state is heavily protected as an “entitlement” while simultaneously being decoupled from the history of white privilege and white supremacy that birthed, and in some ways, continues to sustain it. White voters are attracted to Donald Trump because they are afraid that the benefits of the submerged state will be taken away from them.
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As his increasing popularity demonstrates, Trump’s supporters are largely composed of frustrated and alienated working-class white Americans who are embracing authoritarian values.
Writing at the Democracy Journal, Jordan Michael Smith made the following incisive observation about this dangerous trend:
A white lower-educated supporter on the lower-income scale is not what we normally term middle-class: It’s more aptly called the working-class. Which is why William Galston of the Brookings Institution analyzed the data and wrote that “Trump is the staunchest champion of the white working class that American politics has seen in decades.” Combine their class with their self-declared conservatism and you have the people Lipset described. According to Lipset, “authoritarian predispositions and ethnic prejudice flow more naturally from the situation of the lower classes than from that of middle and upper classes.” These were the people who formed the base of the Nazi labor unions (Lipset was writing in 1959), the White Citizen’s Councils in the segregated American south, and race rioters in England. Lipset continued, “working-class groups have proved to be the most nationalistic and jingoistic sector of the population. In a number of nations, they have clearly been in the forefront of the struggle against equal rights for minority groups, and have sought to limit immigration or to impose racial standards in countries with open immigration.” This, of course, describes a Donald Trump rally almost perfectly… Now, not all of Trump’s supporters are working-class whites, and not all working-class whites are Trump supporters (mercifully). But rather than seeing most Trumpists as Middle American Radicals or even a uniquely American phenomenon, it is more accurate to see them as the latest in a long line of working-class authoritarians—people with a very scary, very dishonorable past.
Donald Trump’s right-wing producerism hustle has many ugly antecedents … and some of them are from the worst and most dark parts of American history. “Trumpmania” is a combination of the Know-Nothings, the Republican Southern Strategy and a type of right-wing populism that views people of color and non-white immigrants as toxins in the body politic.
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Donald Trump promises to “Make America Great Again.” Trump cannot do this without excluding millions of Americans who are not white and Christian. In practice, Donald Trump’s right-wing populism will shrink the boundaries of political community. This will make for a less vibrant, rich and productive American society. While Trump promises health, strength and vitality for his voters, the reality is that working-class authoritarianism and right-wing populism are poisons to a modern cosmopolitan society.
Welcome to BJPENN.com’s coverage of GLORY 6: Istanbul! The card is completed and below you can check out the results, as well as summaries of each fight.
Dong Su Kim vs. Naoki Yasuda
Dong Su Kim defeated Naoki Yasuda by way of unanimous decision.
– This was a bit of a slow fight with not much action. It was clear from the middle of the second round that we were going to decision.
Max Baumert vs. Ismail Uzuner
Max Baumert defeated Ismail Uzuner by way of knockout (headkick) 2:26 into Round 1
– This fight was dynamite from the get-go. They exchanged a lot of leg kicks and punches. With all the checked leg kicks, there were some suspect slips but the referee was understanding and stood them both back up without counts. Baumert was doing a very good job at working the body. He threw a hook at the body which connected, Uzuner blocked low and Baumert went high. Baumert connected with a head kick and that’s all she wrote; knockout victory for the underdog.
Joseph Valtelini vs. Murat Direkci
Joseph Valtelini defeated Murat Direkci after Direkci’s corner threw in the towel :27 into Round 3
– Exciting first round from these two. Valtelini got knocked around a little bit and his knees bent multiple times, but he was able to catch his composure and not get knocked down. Direkci on the other hand, fell flat on his butt late in the first round after getting kicked in the skull. He was up on his feet before the eight count, but it gave Valtelini the first round. The second round had a bit of a slower pace to it. Direkci got knocked down twice, but it seemed he only got knocked down because he was so exhausted. Valtelini displayed good striking skills and he knocked Direkci loopy with a couple uppercuts early on. Walking into the third, it was clear Direkci needed a knockout to win. They didn’t even make it a minute into the first round, however, as Direkci’s corner threw in the towel. Game over, man.
Alessandro Campanga vs. Andy Ristie
Andy Ristie defeated Alessandro Campanga by way of decision. (145-140)
– First round didn’t see many hard hits or any knockdowns, however it was fun to watch. Campanga is doing a great job at landing the one-two combinations and Ristie was visually getting frustrated by it. Ristie wasn’t landing any of his knees; he was looking to close the distance often so he could but he kept getting popped. Campanga’s pace slowed down a bit in the second. Ristie was still active but he kept trying to hit the same explosive shots and he didn’t succeed, which resulted in him gassing a bit. At the end of the round both fighters’ mouths were wide open. At the start of the third round, Campanga was still visually tired but Ristie seemed to get a second wind. Once again, he put a lot of effort into his shots and while some connected, none of them knocked his opponent down. Campagna fading towards the end of the fight led to his downfall, but Ristie really needs to watch his wild shots because they will make him susceptible for counter shots once he moves to elite competition.
Karim Ghajji vs. Nieky Holzken
Nieky Holzken defeated Karim Ghajji by way of TKO (Doctor Stoppage, Cut) 2:09 into Round 4
– Did not get to catch too much of this fight because my feed kept cutting out for some odd reason. The third round saw a brutal knockdown. Ghajji and Holzken were exchanging straight shots late in the third and Ghajji ate a straight right that sent his bum to the canvas. He was up by six, but the damage was done it seemed. He ate a couple more shots before the bell sounded and the third round was over. The fight was ruled a draw at the end of three rounds, so they went to a fourth. Ghajji started the fourth off well, but Holzken picked his shots and started gaining momentum. He hit a knee which resulted in a big cut that paused and ultimately ended the fight. Doctor stoppage.
Marc De Bonte vs. L’houcine Ouzgni
Marc De Bonte defeated L’houcine Ouzgni by way of KO (knee) 1:17 into Round 1
– De Bonte opened agressive with a double left hook to the body and a hook to the head. Ouzgni was stalking and looked like he was planning something, but he had no time to execute it. De Bonte knocked out Ouzgni with a left knee in the very first round. Big upset and an impressive performance from Marc De Bonte.
Filip Verlinden vs. Lucian Danilencu
Filip Verlinden defeated Lucian Danilencu by way of decision (150-135)
– This fight had a bit of a slow pace to it. Verlinden did a good job at picking apart Danilencu. He could have done some serious damage if he threw more combinations, but he seemed content with throwing single shots. Verlinden was very strategic and displayed good stamina. No knockdowns.
Fabiano Cyclone vs. Mourad Bouzidi
Mourad Bouzidi defeated Fabiano Cyclone after Cyclone’s corner threw in the towel 2:03 into Round 2
– Bouzidi did a great job in the first round listening to his corner. Every time they would shout out a combo to throw, he would execute it. Cyclone got caught eating a lot of hooks and it looked as if he was going to get knocked down, but a clinch with Bouzidi kept him on his feet. The second round was a different story, though. Bouzidi showed no mercy and threw powerful shot after powerful shot. Bouzidi knocked down Cyclone with a couple leg kicks and the corner eventually threw in the towel. The corners played a big part in this fight. Bouzidi’s instructed him exactly what to do, and Cyclone’s saved their fighter from a broken leg.
(MAIN EVENT) Daniel Ghita vs. Gokhan Saki
Gokhan Saki defeated Daniel Ghita by way of TKO (Punches) 2:22 into Round 2.
– Busy first round. Saki threw more shots and connected with more, but Ghita countered and threw some powerful shots of his town. Very hard first round to judge. Ghita is really fighting like a machine; he keeps moving forward and corners Saki often. He doesn’t do anything with it, though. He’s content with throwing counter shots. Saki landed a full-on hook and threw a series of punches that led to a knockdown! Ghita made it back to his feet only to get knocked down seconds later. Ghita got up by nine, but it should have been stopped there. Back on his feet, wobbly, Ghita ate punch after punch while being held up with the ropes. Saki’s combinations are ridiculous and violent. The referee peeled Saki off his opponent and the fight is over. Saki vs. Schilt next? I think so.Staff at the CSIRO are bracing for another round of job cuts, as unions warn of nearly 60 planned redundancies from minerals research and the Sydney laboratory that helped invented wi-fi internet technology.
The CSIRO Staff Association said 42 scientists working in the research organisation's mineral resources unit and 15 from Sydney's Marsfield laboratory would be made redundant, following scores of job cuts since the Coalition came to government in 2013.
More job cuts: CSIRO boss Larry Marshall. Credit:Christopher Pearce
Association secretary Sam Popovski said jobs would be lost in Sydney, Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland, with CSIRO management blaming weak minerals markets and cost cutting efforts.
Three areas of the mineral resources research unit have been identified for job cuts, including processing, characterisation and hard rock mining.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said on Monday it was lifting a ban on passengers on Saudi Arabian Airlines carrying large electronics like laptops onboard U.S.-bound flights, the last carrier under the restrictions.
FILE PHOTO: Baggage and a laptop are scanned using the Transport Security Administration's new Automated Screening Lane technology at Terminal 4 of JFK airport in New York City, U.S., May 17, 2017. REUTERS/Joe Penney/File Photo
In March, U.S. officials imposed restrictions on passengers carrying laptops and other large electronic gear in cabins on nine airlines, most of which were Middle Eastern carriers, to address the potential threat of hidden explosives.
Last month, U.S. officials announced new security requirements for all airlines rather than an expansion of the laptop ban and have been dropping the restrictions from airlines as they boosted security.
A TSA spokesman said the U.S. government had lifted the restrictions at Saudi Arabian Airlines’ main hub in Jeddah at King Abdulaziz International Airport on Monday. U.S. government officials will visit Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport “later this week to confirm compliance there as well,” spokesman James Gregory said.
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a revised directive to airlines around the world in response to requests that it clarify aviation security measures scheduled to begin taking effect later this week.
An airline official briefed on the matter said the directive gave airlines more flexibility and additional time to obtain explosive trace detection equipment. The official was not authorized to discuss sensitive security issues with the media and requested anonymity.
The directive includes technical adjustments, agency officials said, declining to release the text. European airlines have been pushing for changes to meet the new requirements.
DHS has said that it could impose new restrictions on laptops if airlines do not make security upgrades.
European and U.S. officials told Reuters that airlines have until July 19, to put in place increased explosive trace detection screening and other measures and 120 days to comply with other security measures, including enhanced screening of airline passengers.
The new requirements include enhanced passenger screening at foreign airports, increased security protocols around aircraft and in passenger areas and expanded canine screening. They affect 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,000 commercial flights arriving daily in the United States, on 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries.
A group of airline groups, including the International Air Transport Association, criticized the new requirements in a July 14 letter to U.S. officials saying it is a “fundamental shift away from the risk-based approach” and said it would be “extremely difficult” to “meet the deadlines because of the lack of availability of screening equipment technology and resources.”
TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein defended the new security requirements unveiled in June that were aimed at avoiding expansion of the laptop ban. She said the agency has been working with airlines for months to keep them informed on security issues.
“As we look to stay ahead of the evolving threats, we’ll be working with global aviation stakeholders to expand security measures even further,” she said in an email, adding the government has “seen a web of threats to commercial aviation.”Accident? Carroll catches the top of Chico Flores' head but the defender went down clutching his face
West Ham are incensed by what they see as a blatant injustice and could mount a legal challenge if Carroll’s three-match ban isn’t rescinded. Club officials believe the FA’s appeals procedure is flawed under European law.
Flores took to Twitter to defend his actions but Swansea supporters used online forums to vent their anger against the Spaniard. Carroll set up both of Kevin Nolan’s goals to seal victory before his clash with Flores, who has previous for such histrionics against the Hammers.
He and Sam Allardyce were involved in a spat in October when the defender went down clutching his face following an innocuous challenge from Carlton Cole.
Down and out: Chico stays on the ground as Carroll is shown a straight red cardShare of Women Who Have Experienced Physical or Sexual Violence by an Intimate Partner
World Bank
“Yes, it’s normal, being beaten, yelled at. If you tell [anyone], your peers will ask you, is this your first time to be beaten? Some of us are used to it, just like the way we are used to eating ugali,” one Tanzanian woman said in a World Bank focus group.
To make matters worse, one in three women said they thought wife-beating was justifiable, and women who condoned domestic violence were more likely to experience it.
Change in the Percent of Women Who Believe a Husband Is Justified in Beating His Wife if She...
World Bank
But the Bank also found that better-educated women were more likely to not be sexually or physically abused. Each additional year of schooling was associated with a 1-percent increase in their ability to refuse sex with their partner.
“The strongest correlate of women’s sexual autonomy in a relationship is her level of education,” the report notes. “Overall, 87 percent of women with a higher education say they can refuse sex. Women with some or completed secondary education have an 11 and 36 percent lower risk of violence, respectively, compared with women with no education.”
One of the most lasting, damaging impacts of the Boko Haram kidnapping could be making Nigerian girls nervous about attending class. According to recent interviews with some of the escaped girls, when the group arrived at the school in northern Nigeria, they were shouting, “We are Boko Haram. We will burn your school. You shall not do school again. You shall do Islamic school.”
Of course, it's also crucial to change social norms and laws in countries with high levels of domestic violence, and working with men’s groups can go a long way as well. But since female education seems to inoculate societies against misogyny, it’s both unsurprising and heartbreaking that Boko Haram would target classrooms.By Justin Raimondo
Let’s say you’re the President of the United States — okay? And you’re on the brink of escalating what promises to be a wider, more intense war than that which George W. Bush launched in Iraq. You’ve already sent in reinforcements, but you’re undecided about just how many more troops you’re going to send to Afghanistan – could be 20,000, could be 40,000, or even 60,000. But, in any case, you’ve ruled out withdrawal and diplomacy: the only option you have left is more war.
In addition, you’re moving – slowly but surely – toward full-scale involvement in Pakistan, where your drones are daily wreaking death and destruction on innocent civilians, and destabilizing a government that is increasingly hostile to your machinations – even though you’re bribing them with billions that never reach their ostensible beneficiaries and only serve to fatten the purses of your Pakistani sock-puppets.
On top of that, you’ve just told the Palestinians that they must live with Israeli “settlements” and forced the UN to ignore an official report detailing the killing of thousands of innocent men, women, and children by IDF forces armed by the US.
On top of that, you’re pushing through Congress a record military spending bill that keeps the US spending more than the top 45 nations on earth combined on weapons and methods of war.
So, naturally, as a reward for all your strenuous efforts on behalf of keeping the world a place that is less safe, less stable, and less worth living in than at any time since the outbreak of World War II, you are bestowed with – yes, that’s right, the Nobel Peace Prize. This, however, isn’t just any Nobel Peace Prize – oh no It’s a Bizarro Peace Prize – the natural result of us having slipped through a crack in the space-time continuum, and landed in a world where up is down, right is left, and war is peace – Bizarro World!
For years – ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks – I’ve been saying that the sheer force of the explosions that sent us hurtling into a nightmare world of color-coded terrorist alerts and hunts for “weapons of mass destruction,” must have ripped a hole in the very fabric of reality. So that, today, we’re living in an alternate universe, where the laws of logic and reason are repealed – Bizarro World.
For a while there I thought we might be heading back toward reality, or at least some more rational version of it, and that what I call the Bizarro Effect might be wearing off. However, this morning’s shocker – the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to an American president about to launch a decades-long military occupation, even as he promises (so far to little effect) to bring another occupation to an end — has dashed that hope beyond redemption.
And as if to underscore the fact that we are still living in the world we woke up to on September 11, 2001, a top official of the Democratic National Committee – communications director Brad Woodhouse – has issued the following statement in response to guffaws from the peanut gallery:
“The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists – the Taliban and Hamas this morning – in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize.”
As Obama prepares for war, and yet more war, anyone who questions this is a terrorist – and peace be with you, my son.
Last 5 posts by JustinMax Kepler set a Minnesota Twins rookie record Saturday by driving in seven runs to help the Twins topple the Texas Rangers, 17-5.
The young outfielder hit two home runs in the game — both three-run shots. The Twins did all of their damage early, scoring all 17 runs in the first five innings. The Rangers tried to fight back, but were already in too deep.
Twins designated hitter Eduardo Nunez continued his breakout campaign by collecting four hits, three runs scored and two RBIs. He is now batting.322 on the season.
Even with the win, Minnesota still sits 23 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central. But there is hope for the future with young players like Kepler, Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton all improving.
Sano hit a home run Saturday. He also had three RBIs and scored two runs. Buxton went 2 for 5 to finally rise above.200.
Player of the day
What the Los Angeles Angels did to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday just wasn't natural. First baseman C.J. Cron and catcher Carlos Perez were especially brutal to the Boston fans still celebrating from the news Al Horford chose the Celtics. Cron went 6 for 6 with two home runs, five RBIs and five runs scored. Perez was almost as prodigious. He went 5 for 6 with a home run, two runs scored and six RBIs. When it was all added up, the Angels beat the Red Sox 21-2 and Mike Trout didn't even drive in a single run. The 19-run differential was Boston's third-worst loss in the history of Fenway Park.
Highlight
Kendrys Morales is really starting to heat up since beginning his experiment in the outfield:
Three things to know
— Rajai Davis became the first Cleveland Indians player to hit for the cycle since Travis Hafner in 2003. Davis finished the game 4 for 5 with two runs scored, a home run, two RBIs and a stolen base. However, the Indians had their 14-game win streak snapped by a 9-6 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays.
— Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez allowed a career-high nine runs (six earned) in a 9-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves. He also gave up two home runs in a game for just the second time in his career. The Braves rank last in MLB in home runs this season.
— Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale earned his MLB-leading 14th win with a 7-6 victory over the Houston Astros. He didn't have his best stuff — he allowed five runs (four earned) while striking out nine batters in seven innings — but the talented lefty did enough to get the job done. Sale also became the first pitcher to win 14 games before the All-Star break since Ubaldo Jimenez in 2010.
What's next
Indians (49-31) at Blue Jays (44-39), 1:07 p.m. ET — Cleveland's 14-game winning streak ended Saturday, but it took firm control of the American League Central in the process. Corey Kluber (8-7, 3.50 ERA) will try to carry his recent good form into a matchup against J.A. Happ (10-3, 3.70 ERA).
Cubs (51-29) at Mets (43-37), 1:10 p.m. ET — After falling to the Mets on Saturday, Chicago has now lost nine of its last 13 games. Jon Lester (9-3, 2.03 ERA) will try to right the ship against Noah Syndergaard (8-3, 2.49 ERA).Dad jokes may be groan-inducing, but it turns out dad takedowns are worthy of a standing ovation.
A Dallas resident, and father of a 21-year-old daughter, posted a Facebook status on April 14 that, in the short time it's been on the social networking site, has garnered over 5,000 shares.
In the post, Steven Rudner, who is the chair of Equality Texas' board of directors, spoke out against the recent wave of anti-transgender laws in the United States, most notably HB2 in North Carolina, which forces people to use the bathroom that matches their gender assigned at birth, not their gender identity.
In the post, Rudner speaks candidly about the things that worry him when it comes to raising a daughter — one of which is not whether she uses the bathroom with transgender women.
I worry about her being sexually assaulted, because that happens a lot. I worry about her being the victim of a drunk driver, because that happens a lot. I worry about her being the victim of gun violence, because lots of people die from gun-related injuries. Here's what I do not worry about: I don't worry about her being attacked in a restroom by a trans woman because (a) it has never happened; and (b) trans women are the most victimized group of people I've ever met, and the least likely to commit a crime of indecency in a restroom, because they are afraid of getting beat up when all they want to do is pee.
Rudner's post directly confronts the transgender bathroom predator myth, often the fuel behind anti-trans legislation. These myths persist despite zero recorded instances of a transgender person ever assaulting someone in a restroom. Conversely, many transgender and gender nonconforming people feel nervous using a restroom that does not match their gender identity.
Several individuals and businesses have spoken out against the laws since they were passed. Corporate giants like PayPal have moved business out of North Carolina, retailer Target has publicly stated that anyone can use the bathroom or fitting room of their choice and even a local Georgia Kroger put up a sign explaining why they have unisex bathrooms.
Commenters seem to love Rudner's logic and empathy. The post has been universally praised, including by openly gay Pennsylvania state representative Brian Sims.
Source: Facebook More
Source: Facebook MoreBarack Obama Wins Landslide Victory!
At approximately 23:00 in the eastern United States, Senator Barack Obama was officially declared winner of the 2008 presidential election, becoming the first African American President of the United States. As the returns became known, Senator Obama passed milestone after milestone, winning Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Iowa and New Mexico — many Americans went out into the streets to celebrate, with understandable and unrestrained exhilaration.
Barack Obama Wins Landslide Victory!
There was an abundance of tears and cheers as the nation and the world rejoiced. The history of the civil rights movement was paraded on television screens along with the words and image of Dr. Martin Luther King. Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States.
Obama won all the key states. Buried at last was the country’s sordid history of racial discrimination. Hopefully also will be the country’s recent sordid history of worldwide bullying, arrogance and violence as a solution to every problem.
The day began portentously, glistening with history. Voters began lining up very early in the morning while it was still dark, hours before polls opened, to take part in the culmination of a campaign that, over the course of two years, commanded an extraordinary amount of attention from the American and world public. Throughout the voting process, both on Election Day and the early election period, records were broken in an unprecedented voter turnout.
Obama ran a flawless election campaign. Every spare moment at the end of the campaign, Barack Obama humbly sought the advice of those who could help him forge a path to solve the country’s problems as he realized that the job of President was going to be his. The enormity of the task ahead was visible in the President-Elect’s countenance before, during and after his victory speech.
People were hugging each other and crying. Excitement was in the air. John McCain made an uncharacteristically gracious concession speech offering his support to the victor, as the humbled face of Sarah Palin tearfully looked on from her location in Alaska. At this point the statistics are meaningless and not yet completely tallied. Whatever happens, the United States is a better place for what has happened tonight.
It is an extraordinary and awesome moment in American and world history. The man who has convinced his country that "Yes We Can" will lead the way…hopefully to a peaceful and better future for all, no matter their race, creed, nationality or economic status.
Current electoral vote count: 338-155 (270 needed to win)
Highlight from Barack Obama’s victory speech:
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America…"
Lisa KARPOVA
PRAVDA.RuOccasionally, politicians change laws through lawmaking, but they've also found another technique: shooting representations of things. They take a shotgun to a copy of Obamacare, or use a rifle to hit a printed Cap and Trade bill, and then they put it in their campaign ads.
It's a surprisingly recent phenomenon that's attracted candidates on both sides of the aisle.
1) Rand Paul attempts to destroy the tax code
The scene: On September 16, 2015, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R) shot at stacked boxes containing the IRS tax code. He used an AR-15, an antique 9mm pistol, and a semi-automatic shotgun at a California firing range.
Did the representation survive? Paul hit the target, but the boxes appear to still be largely intact.
Did the abstract concept survive? Currently, there is still a tax code.
2) A primary candidate targets Obamacare
The scene: In 201
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in the spine and brain that are the gateways into the heavenly regions of transcendent consciousness. One who achieves such awakening knows the omnipresent God in His Infinite Nature, and in the purity of one’s soul, and even in the delusive cloaks of changeable material forms and forces.
Jesus went very deep in teachings that appear on the surface to be simple—much deeper than most people understand…. [In his teachings] is the whole science of yoga, the transcendental way of divine union through meditation."There are very few African American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me," Obama said.
President Obama may be the head of state, but he is also a Black man, which means that even he is not immune to racism.
Yesterday afternoon, speaking to a crowd of law enforcement officials in Chicago, President Obama openly recounted his being pulled over for Driving While Black, and it wasn’t the first time he called on his own experiences to drive a point home. Read six of POTUS’ most moving—and heartbreaking—quotes about his own struggles in the ongoing race war.
POTUS to the International Association of Chiefs of Police
“There were times when I was younger and maybe as I got a little older…where I got pulled over, and I confessed. Most of the time I got a ticket, I deserved it. I knew why I was pulled over—but there were times where I didn’t. There are a lot of African-Americans—not just me—who have that same kind of story of being pulled over or frisked or something, and the data shows that this is not an aberration.”
POTUS on Trayvon Martin
“If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon. When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids.”
POTUS to People Magazine
“There’s not a Black male my age, who’s a professional, who hasn’t come out of a restaurant and is waiting for their cars, and somebody didn’t hand them their car keys.”
7 Times President Obama Has Spoken Candidly About Race in America
POTUS while speaking on the death of Trayvon Martin
“There are very few African American men in this country who haven’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me. There are very few African American men who haven’t had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happens to me—at least before I was a senator. There are very few African Americans who haven’t had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. That happens often.”
POTUS in Dreams From My Father
“…My mind would run down a ledger of slights: the first boy, in seventh grade, who called me a coon; his tears of surprise—’Why’dya do that?’—when I gave him a bloody nose. The tennis pro who told me during a tournament that I should touch the schedule of matches pinned up to the bulletin board because my color might rub off; his thin-lipped, red-faced smile—’Can’t you take a joke?’—when I threatened to report him. The older woman in my grandparents’ apartment building who became agitated when I got on the elevator behind her and ran out to tell the manager that I was following here; her refusal to apologize when she told that I lived in the building. Our assistant basketball coach, a young, wiry man from New York with a nice jumper, who, after pick-up game with some talkative Black men, had muttered within earshot of me and there of my teammates that we shouldn’t have lost to a bunch niggers; and who, when I told him—with a fury that surprised even me—to shut up, had calmly explained the apparently obvious fact that ‘there are Black people, and there are niggers. Those guys were niggers.'”
POTUS to People Magazine
“It’s one thing for me to be mistaken for a waiter at a gala. It’s another thing for my son to be mistaken for a robber and to be handcuffed—or worse—if he happens to be walking down the street and is dressed the way teenagers dress.”By Darts Weekly Staff
9 NOVEMBER 2016 • 10:30PM
Masumi Chino will make his debut at the William Hill World Darts Championship next month after winning the annual PDJ Qualifier in Japan.
Following the year’s earlier rounds, 12 players progressed to compete at the Ryogku KFC Hall for the final stages.
Chino defeated Kazuki Hagene and Chikara Fujimori for the loss of only three legs as he reached the final against Yuya Akutsu.
The best of 11 leg final began with four holds of throw, before Chino broke in the fifth leg with a 13 darter.
Chino held onto his throw again to go 4-2 up, with Akutsu then fought back with consecutive legs to level the final up at 4-4.
Another break for Chino put him on the brink of victory at 5-4, before he held throw to seal a 6-4 win.
2016 PDJ Qualifier
First Round
Keita Ono 4-3 Yuki Yamada
Shingo Enomata 4-2 Tsuneki Zaha
Kazuki Hagene 4-3 Arashi Matsumoto
Chikara Fujimori 4-3 Hiromitsu Tsuji
Quarter-Finals
Seigo Asada 4-3 Keita Ono
Yuya Akutsu 4-2 Shingo Enomata
Masumi Chino 4-1 Kazuki Hagene
Chikara Fujimori 4-2 Katsuya Aiba
Semi-Finals
Yuya Akutsu 5-3 Seigo Asada
Masumi Chino 5-2 Chikara Fujimori
Final
Masumi Chino 6-4 Yuya Akutsu
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AdvertisementsMany cancers are causally related to potentially modifiable risk factors, 4, 5 and contemporary estimates of this proportion in a population (ie, the population‐attributable fraction [PAF]) are a valuable tool for setting priorities for cancer prevention and control. Several previous studies provided estimates of PAFs in the United States, but they included a limited number of risk factors or cancer types, used data sources that may not be nationally representative, or are outdated. 4 - 11 Herein, we estimate the PAF of cases and deaths overall (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers) and for 26 cancer types, in adults aged 30 years and older in 2014, attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors using nationally representative data on exposure prevalence and cancer occurrence. These risk factors include cigarette smoking; secondhand smoke (SHS); excess body weight; alcohol intake; consumption of red and processed meat; low consumption of fruits and vegetables, dietary fiber, and dietary calcium; physical inactivity; ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure; and infection with Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human herpes virus type 8 (HHV8), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or human papillomavirus (HPV).
Much progress against cancer has been made in the United States over the past several decades, as evidenced by the 25% decline in the cancer mortality rate since 1991. 1 However, the cancer burden remains substantial, with more than 1.6 million newly diagnosed cases and 600,000 deaths estimated to occur in 2017. 1 The costs associated with cancer morbidity and premature mortality are staggering, with approximately $88 to $124 billion per year for direct medical costs alone. 2, 3
Numbers of attributable cancer cases and deaths overall and by sex and individual cancer type were obtained from separate simulation models and rounded to the nearest 10. Thus, numbers of cancer cases or deaths by sex or for individual cancer types may not sum to the totals. All statistical analyses to calculate proportions and numbers of cancers attributable to evaluated risk factors were conducted using Stata statistical software (version 13; Stata Corporation LP, College Station, Texas). Detailed information on statistical analysis is provided in the Supporting Information.
To calculate the overall attributable proportion and number of cancer cases or deaths for a given cancer type when there were several risk factors, we assumed that the risk factors had no interactions. We also calculated proportions and numbers of cancer cases and deaths attributable to 4 risk factor groups: 1) tobacco smoking (cigarette and secondhand); 2) excess body weight, alcohol intake, poor diet (consumption of red and processed meat and low consumption of fruits/vegetables, dietary fiber, and dietary calcium), and physical inactivity; 3) UV radiation; and 4) 6 cancer‐associated infections. It is believed that HIV only increases the risk of cancers associated with other carcinogenic viruses (several of which were considered in this analysis) indirectly and through immunosuppression. 10, 13 Thus, for estimates of all infections and all evaluated risk factors combined, we excluded HIV‐related cancers from the calculations, except for HIV‐related Hodgkin and non‐Hodgkin lymphomas, because the infection causally associated with these 2 cancer types (Epstein‐Barr virus) 13 was not considered in our analysis.
The above approximate formula was used for all associations, with a few exceptions. Similar to previous studies, we attributed all cervical cancers to HPV infection and all Kaposi sarcomas to HHV8 infection. 10 Because of the lack of data on anal HPV infection, we attributed 88% of anal cancers to HPV 10 before applying the simulation method. We estimated PAFs for excess UV radiation‐associated melanomas using the difference between observed melanoma incidence rates by sex and age group in the general population and the rates in blacks during 2010 through 2014, as applied in previous studies. 46 Melanoma occurrence in blacks can be considered a proxy for rates in people with minimal UV exposure, because UV radiation (through sun exposure and indoor tanning) is a much less important risk factor for melanoma among blacks compared with whites in the United States. 47
The number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to each risk factor by sex was calculated by multiplying the number of cancer cases or deaths in each sex and age group by the PAF in that sex and age group, and summing the results over age.
We applied a simulation method 44 in which numbers from repeated draws were generated for all RRs, exposure levels, and numbers of cancer cases and deaths, allowing for uncertainty in the data. The simulation process was replicated 1000 times for each sex and age‐group stratum. We used numbers from repeated draws to calculate the proportion and number of attributable cancer cases and deaths and their 95% confidence intervals. By using exposure prevalence ( Pi ) at the exposure category i and the corresponding RR ( RRi ), PAFs for categorical exposure variables for each stratum of sex and age group were calculated using the following approximate formula:
We used relative risks (RRs) from large‐scale pooled analyses or meta‐analyses of studies in the United States when available. Otherwise, we used RRs from pooled or meta‐analyses of studies conducted in North America and/or Europe or, tertiarily, from studies worldwide (see Supporting Information Table 3). For nonsex‐specific cancers (except breast), we used the overall RRs for men and women. When multiple risk estimates were available, we selected the RR adjusted for the greatest number of confounders.
Laboratory data from NHANES were used to calculate prevalence estimates for infections with HBV and HIV (survey years 2011‐2014), HCV (survey years 2009‐2012), H. pylori (survey years 1999‐2000), oral HPV (survey years 2011‐2014), and genital HPV (survey years 2013‐2014). Because HIV tests were done and swab samples for HPV were only collected from younger age groups (younger than 60 years for HIV and vaginal and penile swabs; younger than 70 years for oral swabs), combined HIV or HPV prevalence from the 2 oldest 5‐year age groups with available data were applied as the prevalence for older age groups without data. Equivocal tests for infections were considered as missing values, unless additional tests were performed (eg, HCV‐RNA after an anti‐HCV test).
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data were used to calculate estimates for other exposures. NHANES does not collect data on the same items every survey cycle; therefore, we included data from the most recent years available. Survey years were also combined to provide stable subgroup estimates for SHS exposure (based on serum cotinine levels; survey years 2007‐2010); body mass index (BMI), in kg/m 2 (as an indicator of excess body weight; survey years 2011‐2014); red meat, processed meat, fruit, vegetable, and dietary fiber and calcium consumption (all in grams per day, except calcium, which was in milligrams per day; survey years 2007‐2010); and physical activity (recreational activity in metabolic equivalent of task minutes per week; survey years 2011‐2014). 37 We considered only recreational activity for the association between physical inactivity and cancer, because guidelines generally pertain to recreational activity, and most studies have investigated this type of activity. 38, 39 SHS exposure was defined as having a serum cotinine level of 0.05 ng/mL or greater among never‐smokers and former‐smokers, according to definitions used for the 2014 US Surgeon General's report. 40, 41 Anthropomorphic measurements for BMI estimates were collected in person by trained personnel. The NCI method 42, 43 was implemented to estimate usual daily consumption of dietary factors using data from the two 24‐hour recalls of NHANES (see Supporting Information).
Data on cigarette smoking status (current, former, and never) and alcohol intake (number of drinks per day) were obtained from averaging results from the 2013 and 2014 National Health Interview Surveys to ensure more stable subgroup estimates. 35 The number of alcoholic drinks per day was calculated for current drinkers only; former drinkers and lifetime abstainers were combined for this analysis and were considered to have consumed 0 drinks per day in the year before the survey. Because alcohol intake is generally highly underreported in surveys, we adjusted National Health Interview Survey alcohol intake using per‐capita alcohol sales according to a method previously suggested by Rey et al (see Supporting Information). 36
Exposure data used in this analysis were based on sex‐specific and age‐specific (ages 30‐79 years in 5‐year increments and 80 years and older) prevalence estimates from nationally representative surveys and were weighted to account for the appropriate complex sample design using SAS (version 9.4; SAS Institute, Inc, Cary, North Carolina) and SAS‐callable SUDAAN (release 11.0.1; RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina). Exposure definitions and data sources are summarized in Supporting Information Table 2.
Cancer cases from the NPCR/SEER were adjusted for delays in reporting to central cancer registries, which have been shown to occur in the most recent data years, using composite, age‐specific, delay adjustment factors derived from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) 2016 December submission (personal communication, Andy Lake [Information Management Services Inc. on behalf of NAACCR] and Eric Feuer [NCI]). The methodology for delay adjustment is described elsewhere. 32, 33 Both cases and deaths were accessed via the NCI's SEER*Stat software program (version 8.3.4; NCI, Bethesda, MD) and were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, third edition 34 and the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, respectively. Because of high levels of misclassification and/or missing information on histologic and anatomic subtypes for mortality data, we used the corresponding proportions from incidence data to estimate the number of deaths from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, gastric cardia and noncardia cancers, and colon cancer (excluding rectal cancer).
Numbers of new invasive cancer cases in 2014 in the United States by sex and age group (ages 30‐79 years in 5‐year increments and 80 years and older) were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, which collectively provided complete coverage of the US population in 2014. 30 The corresponding numbers of cancer deaths were obtained from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. 31
We used reports published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) to identify potentially modifiable risk factors with sufficient 12 - 17 or strong (either convincing or probable) 18 - 29 evidence for causing cancer in humans and for which risk factor exposure and cancer outcome data were available (Table 1 ). When a risk factor was evaluated more than once, we prioritized the more recent evaluation. A list of potentially modifiable risk factors that were not considered in this analysis is provided in Supporting Information Table 1.
Cigarette smoking accounted for the greatest number (169,180 deaths) and proportion (28.8%) of overall cancer deaths, including 33.1% of deaths in men and 24.0% of deaths in women. In contrast to incidence, the fractions and numbers of cancer deaths because of excess body weight were similar in men (5.7%; 17,560 deaths) and women (7.4%; 20,690 deaths) (Fig. 4 ). Alcohol intake was the third largest contributor to overall cancer deaths in both men (13,350; 4.3% of all cancer deaths) and women (10,110; 3.6% of all cancer deaths). The combination of excess body weight, alcohol intake, poor diet, and physical inactivity accounted for 14.9% of cancer deaths in men and 16.9% in women (Fig. 3 ). The proportion of cancer deaths attributable to infections was 2.6% in men and 2.8% in women, which was slightly higher than that for UV radiation (1.9% and 1.0%, respectively). The proportions and numbers of cancer deaths attributable to evaluated risk factors by cancer type are shown in Table 5.
H. lymphoma indicates Hodgkin lymphoma; NH. Lymphoma, non‐Hodgkin lymphoma. Here, kidney also includes renal pelvis and ureter, and lung includes bronchus and trachea. Population‐attributable fractions (PAFs) are the percentages of total deaths for each cancer type (both sexes combined). The bars in the figure and numbers in parentheses represent 95% confidence intervals. Numbers of attributable cancer deaths are rounded to the nearest 10.
B.W. indicates body weight; CI, confidence interval; fru/veg, fruit and vegetable consumption; H. Pyl., Helicobacter pylori ; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HHV8, human herpes virus type 8; HPV, human papillomavirus; PAF, population‐attributable fraction; Phys. inact., physical inactivity; sm., smoking; UV, ultraviolet. PAFs are the percentages of all cancer deaths in the United States in 2014. The total number of all cancer deaths (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer deaths) in adults aged 30 years and older was 308,915 among men, 278,606 among women, and 587,521 in both sexes combined. The bars in the figure and numbers in parentheses represent 95% confidence intervals. Numbers of attributable cancer deaths are rounded to the nearest 10.
The PAF patterns for mortality were similar to those for incidence (Fig. 4 ). The proportion of all cancer deaths attributable to evaluated risk factors in 2014 was 47.9% (147,960 of 308,915 deaths) in men, 42.1% (117,250 of 278,606 deaths) in women, and 45.1% in both sexes combined (265,150 of 587,521 deaths). The risk factors considered in this analysis contributed to more than one‐half of cancer deaths in 14 of the 26 cancer types (Fig. 5 ). By cancer type, lung cancer had the largest number of deaths attributable to evaluated risk factors in both men (74,990 deaths) and women (57,980 deaths), followed by colorectal cancer in both men (15,740 deaths) and women (12,570 deaths), liver cancer in men (9860 deaths), and breast cancer in women (11,370 deaths) (Table 4 ).
All cervical cancers (11,970 cases) and 88.2% of anal cancers (6460 cases) were attributed to HPV infection. HPV infection also accounted for large fractions of cancers of the vagina (64.6%; 860 cases) and penis (56.9%; 860 cases). The proportion of HPV‐attributable cases was higher in men than in women for cancers of the oropharynx (37.9% vs 11.2%) and oral cavity (7.4% vs 1.6%).
Overall, 3.3% of all cancer cases were attributable to evaluated infections (Fig. 3 ). By infection type, the attributable fraction for all cases combined ranged from 0.1% to 1.2% in men and from less than 0.1% to 2.5% in women (Fig. 1 ). Although the number of gastric cancer cases attributable to H. pylori infection was similar in men (3360 cases) and women (4070 cases), the PAF in women (45.5%) was twice that in men (22.6%). While liver cancer in women was equally attributable to HBV infection (10.5%) and HCV infection (11.6%), in men, the PAF for HCV infection (28.4%) was 5 times that for HBV (5.4%). All cases of Kaposi sarcoma were attributed to HHV8. Non‐Hodgkin lymphoma had the highest number of cancers (5440 cases) attributable to HIV infection.
Despite an association with only one cancer, UV radiation was the second largest contributor to total cancer cases in men (5.8%; 45,120 cases) and the fifth largest contributor to total cancer cases in women (3.7%; 29,320 cases). Approximately 95% of skin melanoma cases were attributable to UV radiation exposure, with comparable PAFs in men and women.
Population‐attributable fractions (PAFs) are the percentages of all incident cancer cases or cancer deaths (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers). The bars in the figure and numbers in parentheses represent 95% confidence intervals. Numbers of attributable cancer cases and deaths are rounded to the nearest 10. Risk factor groups include tobacco smoking (cigarette and secondhand); excess body weight (Ex.w.), alcohol intake (Alc.), poor diet (Diet [consumption of red and processed meat; and low consumption of fruits/vegetables, dietary fiber, and dietary calcium]), and physical inactivity (Ph.in.); ultraviolet (UV) radiation (from any source); and infections ( Helicobacter pylori ; hepatitis B virus; hepatitis C virus; human herpes virus type 8; human immunodeficiency virus [only associated Hodgkin lymphoma and non‐Hodgkin lymphoma], and human papillomavirus). The proportion of cancer cases attributable to poor diet only was 4.8% (37,810 cases) in men, 3.7% (28,880 cases) in women, and 4.2% (66,640 cases) in both sexes combined; the corresponding proportion for cancer deaths was 5.4% (16,630 deaths) in men, 4.7% (13,230 deaths) in women, and 5.1% (29,850 deaths) in both sexes combined.
Physical inactivity accounted for 2.9% of all cancers, with the highest proportion for cancer of the corpus uteri (26.7%; 14,140 cases), but the largest number of cases were for colon cancer (22,930; 16.3% of all colorectal cancer cases); 3.9% of female breast cancers (9290 cases) were attributable to physical inactivity.
The proportion of all cancers attributed to poor diet ranged from 0.4% for low dietary calcium consumption to 1.9% for low fruit and vegetable consumption. However, for colorectal cancer specifically, the PAFs ranged from 4.9% (6900 cases) for low dietary calcium to 10.3% (14,460 cases) for low dietary fiber. Red and processed meat consumption accounted for 5.4% and 8.2% of colorectal cancers, respectively, with higher PAFs in men than in women. Low fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with 17.6% of oral cavity/pharyngeal cancers, 17.4% of laryngeal cancers, and 8.9% of lung cancers, and the highest number of attributable cases was from lung cancer (19,150 cases). There were no substantial differences between men and women in the PAFs for low fruit and vegetable or dietary fiber, while the PAF for low dietary calcium consumption was slightly higher in women.
Alcohol intake was the third largest contributor to all cancer cases among women (6.4%; 50,110 cases) and the fourth largest contributor among men (4.8%; 37,410 cases). Almost one‐half of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers in men (46.3%; 14,670 cases) and one‐fourth of esophageal (28.4%; 1010 cases) and oral cavity and pharyngeal (27.4%, 3450 cases) cancers in women were associated with alcohol; however, the largest burden by far was for female breast cancer (39,060 cases). In general, the proportions of cases attributable to alcohol intake by cancer type were higher in men than in women, except for esophageal cancer.
Excess body weight was associated with 4.8% of all cancers (37,670 cases) in men and 10.9% of all cancers (85,680 cases) in women (Fig. 1 ). However, it accounted for more than one‐half of all cancers of the corpus uteri (60.3%) and one‐third of gallbladder (35.5%), liver (33.9%), and kidney/renal pelvis (33.2%) cancers (Table 3 ). The case burden because of excess body weight was largest for cancers of the kidney/renal pelvis (12,250 cases), liver (6680 cases), and esophagus (4640 cases) among men and for cancers of the corpus uteri (31,950 cases), breast (26,780 cases), and kidney/renal pelvis (7740 cases) among women. Excess body weight accounted for a higher percentage of esophageal and gastric cancers in men than in women.
Cigarette smoking accounted for the highest proportion and number of cancer cases of all risk factors evaluated (23.6% of all cases in men and 14.5% in women), about three‐fourths of which occurred in current smokers. Lung cancer had the highest proportion of smoking‐attributable cases (81.7%), followed by cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (larynx, 73.8%; esophagus, 50.0%; and oral and nasal cavity, pharynx, and paranasal sinuses, 49.2%), and the urinary bladder (46.9%) (Table 3 ). Lung cancer also had the highest burden of smoking‐related cancer (176,190 cases), followed by urinary bladder cancer (35,050 cases), oral cavity/pharynx/nasal cavity/paranasal sinus cancers (22,960 cases), and colorectal cancer (16,510 cases). SHS exposure contributed an additional 5840 cases of lung cancer (2.7%).
H. lymphoma indicates Hodgkin lymphoma; N‐H. lymphoma, non‐Hodgkin lymphoma. Here, kidney also includes renal pelvis and ureter, and lung includes bronchus and trachea. Population‐attributable fractions (PAFs) are the percentages of total cases for each cancer type (both sexes combined). The bars in the figure and numbers in parentheses represent 95% confidence intervals. Numbers of attributable cancer cases are rounded to the nearest 10.
The proportion of cases caused by potentially modifiable risk factors ranged from 100% for cervical cancer and Kaposi sarcoma to 4.3% for ovarian cancer and was greater than 50% for 15 of the 26 cancer types (Fig. 2 ). In addition to cervical cancer and Kaposi sarcoma, more than three‐quarters of all melanomas of the skin (95.1%) and cancers of the anus (88.2%), lung (85.8%), larynx (83.2%), and oral cavity/pharynx/nasal cavity/paranasal sinus (77.9%) were attributable to evaluated risk factors. Lung cancer had the highest number of cases attributable to evaluated risk factors in both men (99,860 cases) and women (85,050 cases), followed by skin melanoma (45,120 cases), colorectal cancer (43,080 cases), and urinary bladder cancer (28,050 cases) among men and cancers of the breast (68,390 cases), corpus uteri (37,640 cases), and colorectum (33,980 cases) among women (Table 2 ).
B.W. indicates body weight; CI, confidence interval; fru/veg, fruit and vegetable consumption; H. Pyl., Helicobacter pylori ; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HHV8, human herpes virus type 8; HPV, human papillomavirus; PAF, population‐attributable fraction; Phys. inact., physical inactivity; sm., smoking; UV, ultraviolet radiation. PAFs are the percentages of all incident cancer cases in the United States in 2014. The total number of all incident cancer cases (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer cases) in adults aged 30 years and older was 782,210 among men, 788,765 among women, and 1570,975 for both sexes combined. The bars in the figure and numbers in parentheses represent 95% confidence intervals. Numbers of attributable cancer cases and deaths are rounded to the nearest 10.
In 2014, an estimated 42.0% of all incident cancers in adults aged 30 years and older (659,640 of 1570,975 incident cancers) were attributable to the potentially modifiable risk factors evaluated (Fig. 1 ). Cigarette smoking had by far the highest PAF (19.0% of all cases), accounting for 55.5% of all potentially preventable cancers in men (184,400 of 332,320 cancers) and 35.0% in women (114,520 of 327,240 cancers). Excess body weight had the second highest PAF (7.8%), followed by alcohol intake (5.6%), UV radiation (4.7%), and physical inactivity (2.9%). Excess body weight caused twice as many cancers in women as in men in terms of both the PAF (10.9% vs 4.8%) and case numbers (85,680 vs 37,670 cases). Similarly, physical inactivity accounted for 4.4% of cancers in women compared with 1.5% in men.
Discussion
We found that 42% of all incident cancer cases and almost one‐half of all cancer deaths, representing 659,640 cancer cases and 265,150 deaths, were attributable to evaluated risk factors in the United States in 2014. Cigarette smoking was associated with far more cancer cases and deaths than any other single risk factor, accounting for nearly 20% of all cancer cases and 30% of all cancer deaths, followed by excess body weight. Lung cancer had the highest number of cancer cases or deaths attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors, followed by colorectal cancer.
The proportions of all cancer cases and deaths attributable to smoking, red and processed meat consumption, HCV infection, UV radiation, and HIV infection were higher in men compared with women, reflecting historically higher prevalence of these risk factors in men.48-53 In contrast, the proportions were higher in women for excess body weight, alcohol intake, physical inactivity, and HPV infection, largely driven by the high burden of breast, endometrial, and cervical cancers attributable to these risk factors.
Our overall PAFs are generally comparable to those from recent studies that used similar methods.5-11 However, there are some notable differences, mainly in the proportion of specific cancer types attributable to a given risk factor. For example, previous studies reported larger proportions of HCV‐associated liver cancer in women (26%‐28%) than in men (18%‐19%),8, 54 whereas we found the reverse (28% in men vs 12% in women), consistent with higher HCV infection prevalence in men.51 A previous estimate of the PAF for cancer mortality specifically because of excess weight reported a slightly lower PAF for men (4% vs 6% in our study) and a higher PAF for women (14% vs 7%).55 However, these estimates were based on exposure data for a relatively narrow age group and used risk estimates for all cancers combined without taking into account the distribution of deaths and RRs by cancer type.
Several previous studies reported on the proportion of cancers attributable to various risk factors in the United States using cohort data,56, 57 and the findings from some of those studies differ slightly from ours. For example, compared with our study, the PAFs for cancer incidence within cohort studies of health professionals reported by Song and Giovannucci56 were lower than those in our study for both men (33% vs 43% in our study) and women (25% vs 42%), whereas the PAF for mortality was slightly lower in men (44% vs 48%) and higher in women (48% vs 42%). The lower PAFs in that study may be related in part to the lower numbers of risk factors considered and the inclusion of moderate alcohol drinkers and some former smokers in the low‐risk group. In general, however, PAFs within cohort studies may not be directly generalizable to the entire US population, mainly because of potential differences in exposure prevalence between the general population and cohort study participants.58, 59
Smoking Despite substantial declines in overall smoking prevalence over the past 5 decades,41, 48, 60 cigarette smoking remains the leading contributor to cancer cases and deaths in both men and women, accounting for 19% of all cancer cases and 29% of all cancer deaths. These estimates are comparable to findings from previous studies.5, 9 Our results reemphasize that expanding comprehensive tobacco‐control programs could have the greatest impact on reducing the overall cancer burden in the United States. It is noteworthy that we did not include the use of tobacco products other than cigarettes14, 61 and only considered smoking for cancer types with an established causal association according to IARC reports, although there is accumulating evidence for causal associations between smoking and additional cancers (eg, breast cancer).62 In an earlier study that also considered these cancer types, the proportion of cancer deaths attributable to cigarette smoking was about 32%.63 Furthermore, a considerable proportion of cancer deaths categorized as unknown site actually may be caused by smoking‐attributable cancers.62 Thus, the burden of cancer attributable to smoking is likely higher than we have estimated. Proven measures to reduce smoking include taxation, smoke‐free laws, assistance with smoking cessation, warning labels and media campaigns, and marketing bans.48 In the United States, taxation appears to have the strongest effect, followed by smoke‐free laws, which can also substantially reduce exposure to SHS and related health issues.48, 64, 65 Tobacco taxation has a higher impact on lower income people, who also have a higher smoking prevalence, and on youth, because taxation may prevent them from initiating smoking.48, 65, 66 However, there is wide variation across states in the number and intensity of implemented measures.9, 64, 66 For example, the state‐level tax per cigarette pack as of April 2017 ranged from $0.17 in Missouri to $4.35 in New York (with an additional $1.50 in New York City).67 In addition, as of July 2017, only 25 states and the District of Columbia had implemented comprehensive smoke‐free laws in all 3 recommended locations (worksite, restaurants, and bars).68 Currently, no state has fully implemented the CDC's recommended comprehensive tobacco‐control measures.69 It is also important to integrate tobacco initiation prevention and support for cessation into the health care system,70 but these services are generally underused, especially in low‐income and uninsured individuals.71 Moreover, only less than 4% of eligible current or former smokers received the recommended lung cancer screening in the United States in 2015.72 Overall, broad implementation of effective cancer prevention and control interventions, including tobacco‐control policies, has been challenging in the United States.73 There is a need for increasing awareness about the health hazards of smoking to discourage initiation and promote cessation; for equitable access to cessation services; and, more important, for further political commitment to tobacco control (including securing financial resources) at the local, state, and federal levels to substantially reduce the burden of smoking‐related diseases.69, 74
Excess Body Weight, Alcohol Intake, Poor Diet, and Physical Inactivity We estimated that nearly 7% to 8% of all cancer cases and deaths in the United States were attributable to excess body weight and 4% to 6% of cases and deaths were due to alcohol intake, respectively, similar to other recent estimates.6, 7, 11, 75 Previous PAFs for poor diet included variable dietary factors and criteria,76 but more recent PAFs are comparable to our estimates (4% to 5% of all
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action, privately interred his body.[7]
Although it is believed he was martyred by being stoned, the apocryphal Acts of Barnabas states that he was bound with a rope by the neck, and then being dragged only to the site where he would be burned to death. This is highly unlikely since the apocryphal Acts states that his bones were burnt to dust and that relics of some of his bones are stored in a church today; on the other hand, the fire in the apocryphal Acts could have cremated only some of his bones.
According to the History of the Cyprus Church,[8] in 478 Barnabas appeared in a dream to the Archbishop of Constantia (Salamis, Cyprus) Anthemios and revealed to him the place of his sepulchre beneath a carob-tree. The following day Anthemios found the tomb and inside it the remains of Barnabas with a manuscript of Matthew's Gospel on his breast. Anthemios presented the Gospel to Emperor Zeno at Constantinople and received from him the privileges of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus, that is, the purple cloak which the Greek Archbishop of Cyprus wears at festivals of the church, the imperial sceptre and the red ink with which he affixes his signature.
Anthemios then placed the venerable remains of Barnabas in a church which he founded near the tomb. Excavations near the site of a present-day church and monastery, have revealed an early church with two empty tombs, believed to be that of St. Barnabas and Anthemios.[9]
St. Barnabas is venerated as the Patron Saint of Cyprus.
Other sources [ edit ]
Although many assume that the biblical Mark the Cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10) is the same as John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15: 37) and Mark the Evangelist, the traditionally believed author of the Gospel of Mark, according to Hippolytus of Rome,[10] the three "Marks are distinct persons. They were all members of the Seventy Apostles of Christ, including Barnabas himself. There are two people named Barnabas among Hippolytus' list of Seventy Disciples, one (#13) became the bishop of Milan, the other (#25) the bishop of Heraclea. Most likely one of these two is the biblical Barnabas; the first one is more likely, because the numbering by Hippolytus seems to indicate a level of significance. Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, ii, 20) also makes Barnabas one of the Seventy Disciples that are mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 10:1ff.
Other sources bring Barnabas to Rome and Alexandria. In the "Clementine Recognitions" (i, 7) he is depicted as preaching in Rome even during Christ's lifetime.
Not older than the 3rd century is the tradition of the later activity and martyrdom of Barnabas in Cyprus, where his remains are said to have been discovered under the Emperor Zeno. The question whether Barnabas was an apostle was often discussed during the Middle Ages.[11]
Alleged writings [ edit ]
Tertullian and other Western writers regard Barnabas as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews. This may have been the Roman tradition—which Tertullian usually follows—and in Rome the epistle may have had its first readers. Modern biblical scholarship considers its authorship unknown, though Barnabas amongst others has been proposed as potential authors.[12]
“Photius of the ninth century, refers to some in his day who were uncertain whether the Acts was written by Clement of Rome, Barnabas, or Luke. Yet Photius is certain that the work must be ascribed to Luke.” [13]
He is also traditionally associated with the Epistle of Barnabas, although some modern scholars think it more likely that the epistle was written in Alexandria in the 130s. John Dominic Crossan quotes Koester as stating that New Testament writings are used "neither explicitly nor tacitly" in the Epistle of Barnabas and that this "would argue for an early date, perhaps even before the end of the first century AD." Crossan continues (The Cross that Spoke, p. 121): Richardson and Shukster have also argued for a first-century date. Among several arguments they point to the detail of "a little king, who shall subdue three of the kings under one" and "a little crescent horn, and that it subdued under one three of the great horns" in Barnabas 4:4-5. They propose a composition "date during or immediately after the reign of Nerva (96-8 AD.)... viewed as bringing to an end the glorious Flavian dynasty of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian... when a powerful, distinguished, and successful dynasty was brought low, humiliated by an assassin's knife" (33, 40). In 16:3-4, the Epistle of Barnabas says: "Furthermore he says again, 'Lo, they who destroyed this temple shall themselves build it.' That is happening now. For owing to the war it was destroyed by the enemy; at present even the servants of the enemy will build it up again." This clearly places Barnabas after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. But it also places Barnabas before the Bar Kochba revolt in 132 AD, after which there could have been no hope that the Romans would help to rebuild the temple. This shows that the document comes from the period between these two revolts. Jay Curry Treat states on the dating of Barnabas (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, v. 1, pp. 613–614): Since Barnabas 16:3 refers to the destruction of the temple, Barnabas must be written after 70 C.E. It must be written before its first indisputable use in Clement of Alexandria, ca. 190. Since 16:4 expects the temple to be rebuilt, it was most likely written before Hadrian built a Roman temple on the site ca. 135. Attempts to use 4:4-5 and 16:1-5 to specify the time of origin more exactly have not won wide agreement. It is important to remember that traditions of varying ages have been incorporated into this work. Treat comments on the provenance of the Epistle of Barnabas (op. cit., p. 613): Barnabas does not give enough indications to permit confident identification of either the teacher's location or the location to which he writes. His thought, hermeneutical methods, and style have many parallels throughout the known Jewish and Christian worlds. Most scholars have located the work's origin in the area of Alexandria, on the grounds that it has many affinities with Alexandrian Jewish and Christian thought and because its first witnesses are Alexandrian. Recently, Prigent (Prigent and Kraft 1971: 20-24), Wengst (1971: 114-18), and Scorza Barcellona (1975: 62-65) have suggested other origins based on affinities in Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor. The place of origin must remain an open question, although the Gk-speaking E. Mediterranean appears most probable. Concerning the relationship between Barnabas and the New Testament, Treat writes (op. cit., p. 614): Although Barnabas 4:14 appears to quote Matt 22:14, it must remain an open question whether the Barnabas circle knew written gospels. Based on Koester's analysis (1957: 125-27, 157), it appears more likely that Barnabas stood in the living oral tradition used by the written gospels. For example, the reference to gall and vinegar in Barnabas 7:3, 5 seems to preserve an early stage of tradition that influenced the formation of the passion narratives in the Gospel of Peter and the synoptic gospels.
The 5th century Decretum Gelasianum includes a Gospel of Barnabas amongst works condemned as apocryphal; but no certain text or quotation from this work has been identified.
Another book using that same title, the Gospel of Barnabas, survives in two post-medieval manuscripts in Italian and Spanish.[14] Contrary to the canonical Christian Gospels, and in accordance with the Islamic view of Jesus, this later Gospel of Barnabas states that Jesus was not the son of God, but a prophet and messenger.
The Barnabites [ edit ]
The Catholic religious order officially known as "Clerics Regular of St. Paul" (Clerici Regulares Sancti Pauli), founded in the 16th Century, was in 1538 given the grand old Monastery of Saint Barnabas by the city wall of Milan. This being their main seat, the Order was thenceforth known by the popular name of Barnabites.[15]
See also [ edit ]
Lectionary 214 - apocryphal Apodemia of Barnabas
References [ edit ]
Sources [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]Out of Google’s secretive moon-shot factory may come the scariest toys you’ve ever seen: Internet-connected robots that look like stuffed animals but are essentially fuzzy house servants that take orders from humans and program their other connected devices accordingly.
According to a patent filed by Google’s (GOOG) self-described mad scientist Richard DeVaul and fellow engineer Daniel Aminzade, the company has designed an “anthropomorphic device” that could take the form of a “doll or toy” and interact both with people as well as tech gadgets from computers to DVRs. While the patent was filed in February 2012, it was only published this week.
The patent filing diagrams a stuffed teddy bear and a bunny rabbit, but says that the devices could also be shaped like mythical creatures such as dragons and aliens, or even humans themselves. Robots that are “cute” or “toy-like” are best, however, because they appeal to children as well as adults, according to the filing.
Equipped with cameras, microphones, speakers and motors, the toy animals could make eye contact with humans and blink; “straighten or relax” their ears, wiggle their nose, or twitch their tail.
And they could also handle certain chores if someone commanded them—say, to turn on a TV to channel 7, pull up a weather report, or blast a playlist of 1960s John Coltrane jazz.
Indeed, the robots could potentially act like a sort of butler or concierge for Google’s growing family of so-called Internet-of-Things devices, such as its Wi-Fi-enabled “smart” thermostat, Nest. The blueprint for the devices references the proliferation of automated systems and “Internet appliances” for the home, including lighting, air conditioning and even window curtains. “Thus, it may be desirable to be able to simplify the management and control of a variety of media devices that may comprise a home entertainment system or a home automation system,” the patent filing states.
But the toy-like robots’ abilities seem to go far beyond functional and into artificial intelligence, potentially standing in for human companions. From the filing:
To express interest, an anthropomorphic device may open its eyes, lift its head, and/or focus its gaze on the user or object of its interest. To express curiosity, an anthropomorphic device may tilt its head, furrow its brow, and/or scratch its head with an arm. To express boredom, an anthropomorphic device may defocus its gaze, direct its gaze in a downward fashion, tap its foot, and/or close its eyes. To express surprise, an anthropomorphic device may make a sudden movement, sit or stand up straight, and/or dilate its pupils.
Cute or scary? We may never know, because a Google spokesperson told the BBC it couldn’t confirm whether the product would ever reach the market.
We would have asked DeVaul to comment, but his website is quite clear on what his response would have been:
I’m fortunate enough to have one of the coolest jobs in the tech world. And no, I’m not interested in discussing what I do with anyone outside a very small circle of people I work with. People I don’t talk to about my work include trusted friends and family as well as members of the press, bloggers, etc. I am extraordinarily unlikely to make an exception for you so it will save us both time if you fail to ask.
For more about Google, watch this Fortune video:Gary Kubiak attended his first NFL training camp in the 1970s. The team that employed him, the Houston Oilers, no longer exists. The Oilers featured running back Earl Campbell, quarterback Dan Pastorini, coach Bum Phillips and a catchy fight song, “Luv Ya Blue.”
During those days, Kubiak fell hard for football.
Four decades later, the ball boy who impressed Oilers players with his arm, the young man who earned all-state honors for Houston’s St. Pius X High School, the leader who played quarterback at Texas A&M with a dislocated hip, the grown man who stood in John Elway’s shadow for nine years, remains every bit as passionate about the sport.
Kubiak has been gripping a football since he could walk. But really, it is the other way around.
Gary Kubiak loves the game.
Football tried to kill him Nov. 3, 2013, when stress and 18-hour workdays led to a transient ischemic attack, or mini-stroke, during a nationally televised game. He came back long enough to get fired by the Houston Texans on Dec. 6. Under contract through 2014, Kubiak could have sat out last season.
His concession? He agreed to take a vacation from football, which he soon abandoned, when Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh called needing an offensive coordinator.
WATCH: Mike Klis talks about John Elway’s view of Gary Kubiak
It is now 2015 at Dove Valley, and Kubiak’s whirlwind adventure brings him back to Denver, where he will be introduced as the Broncos’ new head coach Tuesday. He jump-started the Texans, whose stadium is only 8 miles from where he grew up, but he was unable to finish the job.
He takes over the Broncos as the 15th head coach in franchise history, the magnetic attraction strong from his days as a player and offensive coordinator. He is driven to win a championship.
“Gary is coming home. I am sure that’s the mind-set he’s taking. You see former Broncos and fans fired up on Twitter and Facebook,” said erstwhile Broncos wide receiver Mark Jackson, a former teammate. “Of course there is pressure. Pressure from the media. Pressure to do well. But it won’t be greater than what Gary puts on himself. This sets up for Gary to coach here until he doesn’t want to do it anymore. To make this his last job.”
WATCH: Mike Klis talks about Alex Gibbs’ connection to the Broncos
Kubiak arrives with a four-year contract, and comfort with Elway, now his boss. Kubiak owns three Super Bowl title rings, one as a running backs coach with San Francisco and a pair with the Broncos, in 1997 and 1998. He enjoyed a silent playing career, starting only five games in nine seasons, trusted to keep the seat warm on the rare occasion Elway’s body betrayed him.
But Kubiak is not competing with his own ghost of Broncos past; he’s been asked to exorcise Elway’s demon as a general manager.
Elway wants a Super Bowl title, a team that will go out “kicking and screaming.” The parallel remains easy to draw. John Fox is out because he was Dan Reeves, wildly successful in the regular season but bearing no title rings. Elway needs Kubiak to play the role of Mike Shanahan, the only Denver head coach to win the Super Bowl.
“It’s tough; your best friend is now your boss. I have never been in a situation like that before. For a lot of people that can rankle some feathers. But Gary has always gotten along with John,” said Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, a former Broncos star. “At the end of the day, Gary was brought here to win a championship. Anything less than that is unacceptable. And of course, it’s a lot easier when you go into that locker room having won championships as (an assistant coach). He’s not guessing. He knows how it’s done.”
Thank you, Houston
Kubiak’s history in Denver and his connection to Elway explains this opportunity better than first glance at his résumé. Kubiak went 63-66 with Houston, including playoff games. But he led the team to its first winning season in 2009, and to its initial playoff victory in 2012. It ended badly in 2013, injuries, ineffectiveness and ultimately his own health scare conspiring to create a two-win season, and his first firing in 31 years.
Yet, Kubiak exited with class and dignity, buying a full page ad in the Houston Chronicle, thanking the players, coaches, staff and fans for “eight great years.”
Those who know Kubiak insist, feverishly, that he remains more than the sum of his record. He creates strong bonds with players.
“I would take a bullet for him,” said former Broncos tight end Joel Dreessen, who played for Kubiak in Houston. “I have no doubt that he will make the Broncos better. He turned things around in Houston, and that last year there wasn’t his fault in my opinion. He will have a more talented roster here. He will be demanding and provide energy.”
Sharpe, who knew Kubiak as a player and assistant coach, said Kubiak goes out of his way to “establish relationships.” Not long after he joined the Baltimore coaching staff, Kubiak took quarterback Joe Flacco to dinner and barely talked football, eager to get a read on Flacco the person, not the player. He bonded with Jake Plummer when Plummer was the Denver quarterback, serving as a buffer to Shanahan’s white-hot temper.
“I don’t see how it couldn’t work,” Plummer said of the Elway-Kubiak reunion.
Work and rolled-up sleeves define Kubiak. His father, Alfred, told him that life is full of “chicken and feathers,” according to a story in the Houston Chronicle. Kubiak drew from the analogy that “you have to deal with the good and bad. My old man taught me that when things aren’t going well, it doesn’t mean you’re not doing a good job. When things are going really well, I think you have to be humble in your approach.”
The idea of leaving coaching after suffering the mini-stroke never occurred to Kubiak. That’s why retirement exists, he deadpanned. He is a coach, and all three of his and wife Rhonda’s sons — Klint, Klay and Klein — played college football and remain involved in the game, Klein as an intern with the Broncos.
Because Kubiak backed up Elway, his own ability gets lost. He was a terrific athlete. He starred in high school, where he met Rhonda, a freshman cheerleader, and in college. As a QB, he relied more on timing, accuracy and knowledge of the game. This suggests he can appeal to Peyton Manning even if his zone-blocking, foot-in-the-ground, one-cut rushing attack and play action, bootleg calls don’t mesh perfectly with the NFL’s reigning MVP.
“You cater your offense to the quarterback. There’s no question in my mind he can do that if Peyton comes back,” Sharpe said.
Long to-do list in charge
Kubiak’s intelligence transformed him into a coach when he was still playing for the Broncos. Jackson remembers his rookie training camp, in 1986. Kubiak called him over and told the young receiver that if he had questions, to ask him.
“He said we were going to spend a lot of time together at practice during the season. So it was a vote of confidence that I was going to be on the team at that time when I didn’t know nothing from nothing,” Jackson said. “I will always remember that.”
What makes Kubiak a fit for this job also creates pause. His strength is pure X’s and O’s. In Baltimore, tight end Owen Daniels, a staple of Kubiak’s Texans offenses, remarked how much more refreshed and relaxed Kubiak appeared this season with a more narrow job description. As a head coach, the responsibilities are endless, from media obligations and overseeing meetings to extinguishing brush fires.
But Kubiak loves to coach. Elway loves to win, leaving the one-time backup quarterback unable to pass up a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Being in meetings with him for seven years, he can be stern enough. He knows what to say and how to stay it. He had no problem letting us know we had to do better,” Sharpe said. “He would take responsibility for his mistakes. And the one thing with Gary is that he will put in the work and absolutely will be prepared.”
Troy E. Renck: [email protected] or twitter.com/troyrenckAs if the whole defective NVIDIA GPU situation couldn't get any more confusing, The Inquirer is now reporting that the previous batch of bad GPUs may be far from the end of NVIDIA's problems. Apparently, four unspecified board partners are now saying that they're seeing G92 and G94 chips going bad at "high rates" as well, and in both desktop and laptop cards no less. That includes 8800GT, 8800GTS, 8800GS graphics cards, "several mobile flavors" of the 8800, "most" of the 9800 suffixes, and a few 9600 variants, all of which are based on the G92. As for the G94, it seems the only card affected is the 9600GT. Of course, none of this is nearly as set in stone as the previous lot of problems, but we have a sneaking suspicion this won't be last we hear about it.January 26, 2017
Variational Inference using Implicit Models Part IV: Denoisers instead of Discriminators
This post is part of a series of tutorials on how one can use implicit models for variational inference. Here's a table of contents so far:
Part I: Inference of single, global variable (Bayesian logistic regression)
Part II: Amortised Inference via the Prior-Contrastive Method (Explaining Away Demo)
Part III: Amortised Inference via a Joint-Contrastive Method (ALI, BiGAN)
➡️️Part IV (you are here): Using Denoisers instead of Discriminators
That's right, I went full George Lucas and skipped Part III because (a) it was your homework assignment to write that for me and (b) following up Part II with Part III is relatively boring and predictable and the stuff in this post is way more interesting! This is the rogue one. This is about replacing density ratio estimation (a.k.a. the discriminator) with denoising as the main tool to deal with implicit models.
Summary of this note
I explain how denoisers can be used to estimate the gradients of log-densities, which in turn can be used in a variational algorithm
I derive simple variational inference algorithms based on denoisers for Bayesian logistic regression and for amortised VI
I discuss related work and why the reconstruction error should not be used as a substitute for the energy
finally, I discuss the toy experiments I did in the associated iPython notebook
Rationale
The key difficulty in using implicit models is that their log density (also known as energy) is unknown. My way to understand GANs is that they use logistic regression to estimate the log density relative to some other distribution. In generative modelling we measure the log density ratio to the target data distribution, in VI to the prior, or between joint distributions. Crucually, training the discriminator only requires samples from the implicit model (and from the contrast distribution) which makes this possible.
Denoising provides another mechanism to learn about the log density of a distribution only requiring samples. Instead of learning a log density ratio, the denoiser function learns the gradient of the log density, also known as the score or score function in statistics. We can then use these gradient estimates with the chain rule to devise an algorithm that maximises or minimises functionals of the log density, such as entropy, mutual information or KL-divergence.
Derivation
Let's take an implicit probability distribution $q(x; \phi)$ over a $d$-dimensional Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^d$. Let's say we sample from $q$ by squashing normal random vectors $z$ through a nonlinearity G, so that $z\sim \mathcal{N}(0,I), x=G(z; \phi)$ is the same as writing $x\sim q(x; \psi)$.
Now consider training a denoising function $F:\mathbb{R^d\rightarrow R^d}$ so as to minimise the average mean-squared reconstruction error, that is
$$ F^{*} = \operatorname{argmin}_F \mathbb{E}_{x\sim q(x; \phi)} \mathbb{E}_{\epsilon \sim \mathcal{N}(0, \sigma^2I)}\|F(x+\epsilon) - x\|^2
$$
In the formula above, $\epsilon$ is additive isotropic Gaussian noise, $x$ is sampled from $q(x; \phi)$ and $F$ tries to reconstruct the original $x$ from its noise-corrupted version $x+\epsilon$. As it is mentioned e.g. in (Alain and Bengio, 2014), the Bayes-optimal solution to this denoising problem will approach the following approximate solution (as the noise variance $\sigma_n$ decreases) :
$$ F^{*}(x) \approx x + \sigma_n^2 \frac{\partial \log q(x; \phi)}{\partial x}
$$
Note that, of course, the optimal denoising behaviour depends on the data generating distribution q(x; \phi). Hence, once we trained a near-optimal denoising function that is close to Bayes-optimum, we can extract from it an estimate to the score $\frac{\partial \log q(x; \phi)}{\partial x}$. In turn, we can use these score estimates to estimate the gradient of $q$'s entropy with respect to its parameter $\phi$ in the following way:
\begin{align} \frac{\partial \mathbb{H}[q(x; \phi)]}{\partial \phi} &= -\frac{\partial}{\partial \phi} \mathbb{E}_{q(x;\phi)} \log q(x;\phi) \\ &= - \frac{\partial}{\partial \phi} \mathbb{E}_{z\sim \mathcal{N}(0,I)} \log q(G(z, \phi);\phi) \\ &= - \mathbb{E}_{z\sim \mathcal{N}(0,I)} \frac{\partial}{\partial \phi} \log q(G(z, \phi);\phi)\\ &= - \mathbb{E}_{z\sim \mathcal{N}(0,I)} \frac{\partial G(z; \phi)}{\partial \phi} \cdot \frac{\partial\log q(x; \phi)}{\partial x}\biggr\vert_{G(x; \phi)}\\ &\approx \mathbb{E}_{z\sim \mathcal{N}(0,I)} \frac{\partial G(z; \phi)}{\partial \phi} \cdot \frac{G(z; \phi) - F^{*}(G(z; \phi))}{{\sigma_n^2}} \end{align}
So here is how a denoising function can be used to construct an estimate to the Shannon entropy's gradient with respect to the impilicit model's parameters $\phi$. Now, of course, as we change $\phi$, and with it $q(x; \phi)$, the denoiser function is no longer Bayes-optimal, so we have to re-optimise it. This gives rise to an iterative algorithm where every time we improve $q$, we have to re-train the associated denoiser in tandem.
Notice, that nowhere in this derivation did we have another distribution, only $q$. As opposed to the GAN algorithms that rely on logistic regression for density ratios, the denoiser-based solution estimates an absolute quantity and does not require a contrastive distribution.
Bayesian logistic regression model
Let's see how we can apply this technique to the Bayesian logistic regression model from part I of this series. Here's what we can do:
$$ $\operatorname{KL}[q(w; \phi)\|p(w\vert \mathcal{D})]$ = -\mathbb{H} [q(w; \phi)] - \mathbb{E}_{w\sim q(w; \phi)} \log p(w,\mathcal{D}) $$
Assuming the prior $p(w)$ and likelihood $p(\mathcal{D}\vert w)$ are known in analyticsl form, the only non-trivial quantity here is the entropy of $q(w; \phi)$. Instead of estimating the KL divergence itself, we're going to construct an approximation to its gradients with respect to the variational parameter $\phi$ using a denoising function. We end up with an iterative algorithm consisting of two steps:
Denoiser loss - we minimise this to convergence, keeping the variational parameters $\phi$ fixed:
$$ \mathcal{L}(\psi; \phi) = \frac{1}{N}\sum_{n=1}^{N}\mathbb{E}_{w \sim \mathcal q(w; \phi)}\mathbb{E}_{\epsilon \sim \mathcal{N}(0, \sigma_n)} \|F(w + \epsilon; \psi) - w\|^2 $$
Derivative of the generator loss - we take steps along this gradient keeping the denoiser parameters $\psi$ fixed:
$$ \frac{\partial}{\partial \phi}\mathcal{L}(\phi; \psi) = \mathbb{E}_{z \sim \mathcal{N}(0,1)} \left( \frac{F(G(z,\phi)) - G(z,\phi)}{\sigma_n^2} - \frac{\partial \log p(w)}{\partial w}\biggr\vert_{G(z,\phi)} - \frac{\partial \log p(\mathcal{D} \vert w)}{\partial w}\biggr\vert_{G(z,\phi)} \right) \frac{\partial G(z,\phi)}{\partial \phi}, $$ where $G(z,\phi)$ is a sample from $q(w; \phi)$, $\frac{\partial \log p(w)}{\partial w}\biggr\vert_{G(z,\phi)}$ denotes the derivative of the log prior evaluated at a sampled weight $G(z,\phi)$, and $\sigma_n$ is the noise variance we used to train the denoiser $F$.
Amortised inference
Similarly to how we amortised the logistic regression-based method in part II, we can also amortise the denoiser-based method. Instead of a single denoiser, we will need a collection of denoisers indexed by the observation $y$. We can implement this as a function $F(x,y;\psi)$ that takes a noisy $x$ and observation $y$ as context and outputs an appropriately denoised $x$. Here's what the losses end up looking like:
Denoiser loss:
$$ \mathcal{L}(\psi; \phi) = \frac{1}{N}\sum_{n=1}^{N}\mathbb{E}_{x \sim \mathcal q(x\vert y_n; \phi)}\mathbb{E}_{\epsilon \sim \mathcal{N}(0, \sigma_n)} \|F(x + \epsilon, y_n; \psi) - x\|^2 $$
Derivative of the generator loss:
$$ \frac{\partial}{\partial \phi}\mathcal{L}(\phi; \psi) = \frac{1}{N}\sum_{n=1}^{N}\mathbb{E}_{z \sim \mathcal{N}(0,1)} \left( \frac{F(G(z,\phi),y_n) - G(z,\phi)}{\sigma_n^2} - \frac{\partial \log p(x)}{\partial x}\biggr\vert_{G(z,\phi)} - \frac{\partial \log p(y_n \vert x)}{\partial x}\biggr\vert_{G(z,\phi)} \right) \frac{\partial G(z,\phi)}{\partial \phi} $$
The intuition
The intuition of using denoisers is this: A good denoiser is specific the distribution of data you're dealing with. It takes any input and moves it to a nearby point that lies in a higher density region. Here is a simple fun example where I train a denoiser neural network on Celeb-A faces. Then I start from random noise (top left), apply the denoiser iteratively, over and over again. This process quickly takes us to high-density region of face-looking things, and eventually converges to a fix-point which is roughly going to be the mode of the distribution:
The converse is also true: if we revert the denoising process by stepping in the other direction instead (which would be implemented by applying the function $x - (F(x) - x)$, where $F$ is the denoiser) we can make faces look less like other faces. We walk away from high-probability regions of the space. This is how denoisers work for maximising the entropy of the variational distribution: they try to push every synthetic sample $G(z; \phi)$ less like one another.
So the denoiser-based variational inference procedure works by training a denoiser, which is used to stretch the variational distribution as wide as possible, while the likelihood and prior terms ensure that the variational posterior is still consistent with the forward model and with observations.
Does this work?
Yes it does, at least on the Bayesian logistic regression toy problem. Here is my Jupyter notebook for this one. The main result is this one (again, you can probably use better models and run this for longer for a nicer result, but it's kind of OK):
Here's another interesting figure to look at: gradients from different components of the loss function: entropy of Q, log prior and log likelihood. Here I'm plotting a quiver plot of negative gradients so you can see which way gradient descent will try to push each sample:
Note that the arrow lengths are normalised for each subplot separately, so they're not comparable.
Or, a better way to plot this, putting arrows only around samples (now the arrow lengths are comparable across subplots):
As you can see the entropy component (which comes from the denoiser) tries to stretch the distribution out as wide as possible. The prior tries to contract it and move it closer to the mean, which I chose to be $0$. The likelihood tries to make everything go North as these parameter values are more compatible with the data.
At equilibrium these gradients eventually cancel each other as the variational posterior approaches the real posterior (assuming it can be represented by the variational distribution).
Implementation details
The hard bit to implement is perhaps the custom backpropagation of the denoiser output as gradients. Here I made use of theano's helpful Lop function. Here's what I did:
First, I calculate the derivative of the entropy with respect to samples, as in the formula above. In this, samples_from_generator is basically $x$ and denoised_samples_from_generator are $F(x)$:
dHdG = (samples_from_generator - denoised_samples_from_generator)/noise_variance_var
Then here I calculate the derivative of the entropy with respect to $\phi$ by invoking the chain rule. I had to flatten the tensors because 'Lop' only works when $f$ is a vector, and here samples_from_generator is a matrix. Also, I had to divide by batchsize_var as this will calculate the sum, rather than the mean over the first axis:
dHdPhi = T.Lop( f = samples_from_generator.flatten()/batchsize_var, wrt = params_G, eval_points=dHdG.flatten())
The final detail that may need explaining is that when usign lasagne.updates.adam I passed it a list of pre-computed gradients $dLdPhi$ rather than the loss function itself. In fact, the loss function value is never even computed, only its gradient:
updates_G = adam( dLdPhi, params_G, learning_rate=learningrate_var, )
Reconstruction error ≠ energy
Why did I write the equations above in such a complicated way? Why do I talk about the gradient of the entropy rather than the entropy itself? The reason is, while the gradients work out fine, it's quite hard to express the energy (log density) itself. People often use the mean squared reconstruction error $\|F(x) - x\|^2$ as a proxy to energy. However, as pointed out by Alain and Bengio, (2014), this contradicts the connection to the gradients. Let's see what the gradients of the reconstruction error would be:
$$ \frac{\partial}{\partial x} c\|F(x) - x\|^2 = 2c(F(x) - x)(F'(x) - I) $$
However, we also know that in the limit of low noise
$$ \frac{\partial}{\partial x} E(x) \approx \frac{1}{\sigma_n^2}(F(x) - x) $$
Unless $F'(x) - I$ is constant, the two gradients don't match up. If $F$ is approximately the gradient of the energy then $F'(x)$ is its Hessian. The Hessian is constant only if the energy is quadratic, which happens if the distribution - in our case $q$ - is Gaussian. So for Gaussian distributions it's OK to interpret the reconstruction error as the energy, but for others it's not.
This complicates some things when using denoisers in the context of either VI or generative modelling. Instead of simply backpropagating through a nice function, we need to do weird things with the gradients. There are multiple ways of doing it, in the notebook I use one way.
Related papers
This method has been used a few times.
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PKK) member killed during a gun battle were allegedly shared by the Turkish Special Forces. The Turkish government has ordered a probe into the scandal that threatens to further anger the oppressed Kurds in the country.
Turkish media reported that Kevser Elturk, aka "Ekin Van", was a "PKK terrorist" killed by a special operations team on 10 August in a rural area of the Varto district - Gimgim. According to Save Kobane, a pro-Kurdish group: "The photo of the fallen guerrilla (without any censor bar) was initially shared by the Turkish security forces who took the picture, circulating within Turkish nationalistic networks who have been celebrating the picture with pride."
The images, which since have been widely shared on social media, have raised much public anger against the NATO ally. The pro-Kurdish groups also alleged that Ekin Van was tortured and killed, after she was captured on 10 August in "full uniform."
If the charges against the Turkish army are proved, then it would mean that the NATO member could be held responsible for breaching the Geneva Convention.
The office of Mus governor, in an official statement, said that it has launched an "administrative and criminal investigation" against those who shared the images, Todays Zaman reported.
The incident also triggered widespread condemnation. Idris Baluken, parliamentary group chairman of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a left-wing and pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey, said on Twitter that the people who "stripped the dead body of a female terrorist were no different from the Islamic State (Isis) terrorists".After rolling through the first week of the season with three straight victories, the Toronto Maple Leafs look to keep the wins coming with three straight games against Western Conference opponents.
Experts predict the Leafs will be betting favourites in all three and one sportsbook monitored by OddsShark.com already the Leafs at an affordable -136 price on the NHL moneyline.
Toronto won back-to-back road games against the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers to start its season Tuesday and Wednesday, then ran its record to 3-0 on Saturday night with a 5-4 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators.
Jonathan Bernier came into that game in relief of James Reimer and stopped all 15 shots he faced to secure that victory for the Maple Leafs.
The result was a quick climb up the NHL betting lines for Stanley Cup futures list to 14/1 from 25/1 just last week.
So standing atop the Atlantic Division, the Maple Leafs will next face the Colorado Avalanche at home on Tuesday night before playing in Nashville against the Predators on Thursday night and then hosting the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.
Toronto and Edmonton haven’t met since the 2011-12 season, when the Maple Leafs won a pair of games against the Oilers that paid out nicely for OVER bettors on the NHL betting lines at the sportsbooks — Toronto won 6-3 at home and 4-3 on the road in those two contests.
And OVER bettors will be watching the Oilers once again this week after they were bombarded for 11 goals in a pair of losses to the Winnipeg Jets (5-4) and Vancouver Canucks (6-2) in the first week of the season.
Oilers netminder Devan Dubnyk let in five goals on 31 shots against the Canucks then was pulled in favor of Jason LaBarbera.
Edmonton will use LaBarbera between the pipes on Monday night as they return to action at home against the New Jersey Devils. The Oilers are also expected to get some reinforcements on Monday night with centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins slated to return from his shoulder injury. Taylor Hall will shift back to left wing from centre.
The Oilers are also at home on Thursday against Montreal before heading to Toronto.
The most recent Stanley Cup odds at the sportsbooks continued to have the Chicago Blackhawks as the 13/2 favorites, with the Pittsburgh Penguins (7/1) and the Boston Bruins (9/1) just behind them on that list. The Maple Leafs have climbed up to 14/1 odds.As his policies, foreign and domestic, are collapsing on pretty much every front, President Obama has increasingly sought refuge in talk about global warming. He wants the U.S. to reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide, and the EPA has done its best to bring this about via increasingly stringent regulations on coal-fired power plants. The Democrats wanted to enact cap-and-trade, but couldn’t get it through Congress, so Obama is doing the best he can through administrative action. Simultaneously, the administration has poured billions of dollars into specious “green” energy projects, many of which can’t be kept alive even with lavish subsidies, although their developers always walk away with their pockets full.
But why? Even if we assume that the climateers’ bogus models reflect scientific reality rather than left-wing politics–an assumption that is plainly contrary to fact–does any plausible reduction in American CO2 emissions make any difference?
The answer is: no, it doesn’t. If the climate alarmists’ models are correct, then the Obama administration’s efforts to reduce CO2 emissions are pointless.
Ed Hoskins explains at Watts Up With That?:
The USA, simply by exploiting shale gas for electricity generation, has already reduced its CO2 emissions by some 9.5% since 2005. That alone has already had more CO2 emission reduction effect than the entire Kyoto protocol.
But the US’s emissions reductions are irrelevant. These two charts tell the story. First, a simple comparison of CO2 emissions from developed and underdeveloped countries:
Do India, China et al. have any interest in keeping their citizens in poverty to make the climateers happy? No. As Hoskins points out, 25% of India’s population still has no access to electric power. CO2 production in the underdeveloped world will continue to skyrocket, and there is nothing we can do about it.
This chart shows how China’s CO2 emission has eclipsed that of the U.S., as well as Europe, Japan, and so on. Any marginal reduction that the U.S. might achieve, short of going out of existence entirely (as some liberals might prefer for other reasons), simply won’t matter:
Hoskins notes Bjorn Lomborg’s calculation that if the climateers’ disaster scenarios are correct, then Germany’s investment of $100 billion in solar power schemes “can only reduce the onset of Global Warming by a matter of about 37 hours by the year 2100.” A similar calculation would show the futility of the Obama administration’s “green” initiatives.
So what’s the point? I don’t have a high opinion of President Obama’s abilities, but he isn’t a complete idiot. So I assume he understands that his war on CO2, and his provision of billions of dollars in subsidies to “green” energy, won’t make any perceptible difference to the Earth’s climate, if you assume the alarmists’ models are correct. So why does he do it? I think there are two reasons.
First, the Left has made an enormous investment in promoting misinformation about global warming. You can’t get through elementary school in the U.S. without being hectored about your family’s carbon footprint. (“I will never live in a house bigger than John Edwards’,” my then-third-grade daughter wrote in response to a question about what she, personally, intended to do to change the Earth’s climate.) Those millions of misinformed people are now voters, and Obama is secure in the knowledge that the newspapers and television networks haven’t done anything to educate them.
Second, to the Obama administration, the fact that “green” energy cannot survive without government subsidies and mandates isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. It allows the Democrats to slide billions of dollars to their cronies, like Tom Steyer, the left-wing billionaire who is now the number one financial supporter of the Democratic Party. Steyer made his first fortune by developing coal projects, and is making his second fortune as a Democratic Party crony, developing uneconomic but heavily subsidized “green” energy projects. So the war on coal and other sources of CO2, while it can’t have any impact at all on the climate, has turned into a funding mechanism for the Democratic Party.
Next time someone produces a dictionary and is looking for a definition of the word “cynic,” all he needs is a picture of Barack Obama.REGINA –Joshua Michael Harden was wearing a red shirt and hat when, while looking for his girlfriend, he wandered into a house party on Garnet Street.
The colour of his clothing became the motive for a violent attack that left him dead.
“This incident involved a level of violence resulting in death, between persons not known to each other, in a culture of street gang violence — a situation all too common in the city of Regina which has left numerous families both heartbroken and devastated,” Crown prosecutor Sonya Guiboche said Tuesday.
Harden — a 26-year-old father — was not known to 23-year-old Skylar Blue Alexson, the man who inflicted the single stab wound to Harden’s back, court heard.
Moments earlier, Harden had inadvertently walked into a house party populated by members and associates of the Native Syndicate while wearing the colour associated with rival street gang, the Native Syndicate Killers.
Alexson, along with three youths, was initially charged with second-degree murder in the early morning Feb. 20 death. On Tuesday, he became the first of the group to deal with his charges, pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Crown prosecutors Sonya Guiboche and Maura Landry joined with defence lawyer Jeff Deagle in asking Queen’s Bench Justice Ellen Gunn to impose a nine-year prison term on top of the time Alexson has spent on remand. After taking a few hours to consider, Gunn agreed to pass that sentence, which amounts to nine years, eight months with remand credit.
Court heard Harden and his girlfriend had been out that February night, socializing and drinking at a friend’s. Afterward, the two disagreed on whether to head home or stay out, Harden in favour of the second option.
The two separated momentarily and ended up losing sight of one another. As they looked for each other, Harden’s path led him into the party, a last-minute and unplanned gathering hosted by Alexson.
Alexson — a long-time addict who started using drugs at age 12 and was indoctrinated into gang life before age 10 — had not only been drinking but had taken three doses of hydromorphone.
After Harden, as Guiboche put it, “stumbled through the door” of Alexson’s house, a number of partygoers noticed the colour worn by Harden and kicked him out.
But, instead of simply letting Harden leave, Alexson and several others followed. Harden hadn’t made it far when he was set upon by the other males, Alexson delivering the single stab wound that cut open Harden’s aorta.
Harden made it a short distance before collapsing on the street. His girlfriend, having finally spotted him, called 9-1-1 and held him until emergency crews arrived. Despite efforts by police, EMS and emergency room staff, Harden was pronounced dead in hospital.
The courtroom was packed Tuesday, numerous members of Harden’s family having attended to see the case resolved. Several provided victim impact statements, describing their loved one as a soft-spoken man with a big heart and tremendous love for his family who had dealt with some of his own troubles in the past but was making efforts to turn things around.
Harden’s seven-year-old daughter touched on the sadness and anger she feels, while Harden’s mother, Theresa White, tearfully detailed the pain she’s had to endure since learning of her son’s death.
“Josh’s murder has taken everything from me,” she said.
In imposing sentence, Gunn referenced the family’s victim impact statements in speaking to the severity of Alexson’s actions.
“Mr. Alexson, you have taken a life,” she said. “You have damaged a family forever by your actions.”
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twitter.com/LPHeatherPSOMEBODY needs to take control of the NBN rollout in the Bundaberg region, because right now it's looking like a total mess.
This is the technology that was supposed to deliver state-of-the art communications around Australia.
Well, it isn't.
The NewsMail has been inundated with complaints about the NBN.
And it's not just one or two complaints, it is happening disturbingly often.
You have to ask how a company staffed supposedly by trained professionals could make such a mess of the rollout.
People who have had the NBN connected to their homes are reporting that they are losing internet access and telephone services for months.
And Telstra seems to be totally unresponsive to complaints.
Take the case of the woman who had her home phone number changed without being told.
How can that happen?
The NBN rollout is costing tens of millions of dollars of public money.
It's money the country cannot afford to spend on a flawed system, and we deserve better use of our money.The nastiest things Trump called the people he now wants in his Cabinet
This is what Donald Trump had to say about former opponent Carly Fiorina, who is currently under consideration for national intelligence chief, during the Republican primary campaign... (click to see). This is what Donald Trump had to say about former opponent Carly Fiorina, who is currently under consideration for national intelligence chief, during the Republican primary campaign... (click to see). Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images Image 1 of / 43 Caption Close The nastiest things Trump called the people he now wants in his Cabinet 1 / 43 Back to Gallery
When you're on Team Trump, there's no such thing as burning bridges.
At least four of Donald Trump's potential Cabinet picks were severely criticized, insulted or both by the president-elect during the campaign.
Yet today three are eager to serve the man who disparaged them, including one who called his new boss-to-be "a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense." The fourth reportedly wanted a different Cabinet job than those he was offered.
The general response to the Trump sleights seems to be, it's was just politics. Trump was merely lashing out in response to gains his opponents were making.
As Carly Fiorina, now under consideration for Trump's national intelligence chief, said at the time, "Maybe, just maybe, I'm getting under his skin a little bit, because I am climbing in the polls."
He didn't really mean it, folks. No harm, no foul.
We've compiled the meanest things Trump called the people he now wants in his Cabinet in the above slideshow.I’m not sure if anyone who regularly reads my blog knows but July 11 is World Population Day. Although I usually focus on things about farm and travel topics, and talking about World Population Day may seem a pretty odd topic, it fits in perfectly to me.
World Population Day is one of the programs of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). As an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity, there are several areas of focus. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. The headline on the PSAs for 2012 World Population Day is the vision “delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential fulfilled.”
Wow.
We spend a lot of time talking about how we are going to feed ourselves and communities. We know that the world’s population is growing and the demands for food, feed & fiber are increasing. At the same time, agriculture is working to increase food production but we need to stop and think about whether or not the Earth can handle never-ending population growth. And my personal thought is that although our farm productivity and resource conservation can and should continue to make improvements, we can’t count on that alone to solve the complex problems facing us.
Some of the facts and figures the UN posted really stunned me. Did you know that:
Approximately 222 million women in the developing world want to avoid/ plan pregnancies, but lack modern contraceptives. The UN figures that if we were to meet these current needs, we would have 53 million fewer unintended pregnancies and approximately 100,000 fewer maternal deaths every year.
Every year, worldwide, 358,000 women die from pregnancy-related causes and these things are not the dramatic issues we hear about in the U.S. some of the biggest causes of death are bleeding, infections, unsafe abortions, high blood pressure and obstructed labor—things that can be prevented or treated.
Half of all maternal deaths occur during the first 24 hours after delivery, when access to emergency care is absolutely critical.
Almost half of all women in developing countries deliver their babies without a nurse, midwife or doctor being there.
In sub-Saharan Africa, about 70 per cent of women have no contact with health professionals after childbirth.
These numbers frighten me but in some ways they are still so familiar. While I have lived in some of the medical rich places — Memphis certainly has a lot going for it with St. Jude, UT Medical, the Med for trauma, Baptist system, etc.; White Plains, NY was able to tap into the New York metro system and my new home of St. Louis seems on top of it – heck a friend came all the way from Turkey to study here! But I also lived in one of the poorest areas of the country and the medical gap was obvious. In fact, for a while, there were no obstetricians within two hours. And although there were hospitals in the area, friends regularly made agreements that people would be sure any significant accident would lead to transfer to Memphis of Jackson 2.5 hours away and we all got accustomed to the multihour drive when friends were having surgery. So good pre-natal care was tough there too and that was in the U.S. so I can only imagine in places further afield.
We will forever have people living far from major cities, but we need to find ways to get good information to them. Information about taking care of a woman’s health while she’s pregnant and about how to make choices for families. I’m not advocating for forcing people into contraception, etc but helping people access it…. that can help in some families and communities and over time, that can have a real impact on the global population growth. To learn more, check out UNFPA on their website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. I’m not sure what can be done beyond awareness and support of programs, so if you know of ways to more directly be involved, please feel free to share in the comments.
Related articlesSo this happened.
Hamas blocked journalists from filming a major protest against power cuts in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, detaining an Associated Press journalist at gunpoint and badly beating an Agence France-Presse photographer who refused to relinquish his camera.
The journalists sought to cover a demonstration against chronic electricity shortages in Gaza, which the AP described as “one of the largest unauthorized protests in the territory since the Islamic militant group took power a decade ago.”
“Hamas forces blocked journalists from filming the gathering, and an Associated Press journalist was briefly detained at gunpoint until he handed over his mobile phones to plainclothes security men,” the AP reported.
According to the Foreign Press Association, the Hamas men “stuck a pistol in his chest and verbally threatened the reporter until he agreed to give them the phones.”
In its statement, the association added that “an AFP photographer was badly beaten to the head by uniformed policemen [and] required medical care after he had refused to give up his camera. The memory card of his camera was confiscated and he was placed under arrest. He was subsequently released and the memory card was returned.”
A day before the protest, Hamas arrested a local comedian who made a viral video protesting the power outages.So you think you're a big-time hacker, huh? Well, Google is inviting you to show up at the CanSecWest security conference on March 7 in Vancouver, Canada, to see if you can crack your way into Chrome OS. And, to make it worth your time, Google is offering a pi worth of cash rewards. That's a total prize package of $3.14159 million. I thought that would get your attention.
Along with supporting the Pwn2Own Web browser hacking competition, Google is inviting hackers to try their luck with Chrome OS. According to Chris Evans, the tech lead of the Google Chrome Security Team, Google is putting its Linux-based desktop operating system to the test because, "Security is one of the core tenets of Chrome, but no software is perfect, and security bugs slip through even the best development and review processes. That's why we've continued to engage with the security research community to help us find and fix vulnerabilities."
The rules of the game are: "The attack must be demonstrated against a base (Wi-Fi) model of the Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook running the latest stable version of Chrome OS. Any installed software (including the kernel and drivers, etc) may be used to attempt the attack. For those without access to a physical device, note that the Chromium OS developer's guide offers assistance on getting up and running inside a virtual machine."
I've also written a helpful guide on running Chrome OS in a virtual machine. It's really not that hard.
In addition, the "Standard Pwnium rules apply: the deliverable is the full exploit plus accompanying explanation and breakdown of individual bugs used. Exploits should be served from a password-authenticated and HTTPS-supported Google property, such as Google App Engine. The bugs used must not be known to us or fixed on trunk. We reserve the right to issue partial rewards for partial, incomplete, or unreliable exploits."
At this time, only the Pwnium rules for the last go-around are available. Other than the details about the prize amounts I expect the rules will otherwise be the same.
The prizes are:
$110,000: browser or system level compromise in guest mode or as a logged-in user, delivered via a web page.
$150,000: compromise with device persistence--guest to guest with interim reboot, delivered via a web page.
That's real money. I don't know about you, but if I were a serious security and operating system hacker, I'd be working on my hacks now and packing my bags for Vancouver.
Related stories:Inspired by Yadier Molina, here are eight other times that baseballs have gotten stuck
When Yadier Molina blocked a pitch in the dirt during Thursday's game against the Cubs, something hapened that seemed to defy all laws of physics and gravity: The ball became lodged on his equipment, remaining stuck there as he searched in vain.
It looked more like a trick baseball or the result of a YouTube prank, rather than a baseball highlight. And yet, both Molina and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny had no idea how it happened, or had ever seen something like this before.
Though we hadn't seen something defy the known physics of the universe quite like that before, over the years baseballs have had an odd habit of becoming trapped in the strangest places. Like, for example:
The catcher's mask
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Molina's trapped ball may have been stranger, but Jose Lobaton's was certainly more harrowing. The catcher was probably never more thankful for the metal cage on his catcher's mask than after Carlos Gomez lined a foul ball straight into it.
The glove
The most common of baseball stuck-isms, probably because a mitt is made to, you know, catch and hold a baseball. Better to err on the side of catching it too well, I suppose.
The king of these was Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, who had to throw his glove -- with ball trapped inside -- to first base for the out in 1999.
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Oddly enough, what has become almost routine now was at the time considered something brand new. El Duque was a malfunctioning-equipment trailblazer.
The uniform
Ichiro Suzuki is the master of the infield single. According to Fangraphs' batted ball metrics that date back to 2002, Ichiro has the top three single-season infield-single marks. It's probably thanks to magic like this: finding a way to bury the ball in the pitcher's shirt, as he did against the A's Jarrod Parker in 2012.
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The legs
What's the best way to avoid being tagged out on the bases? Simple: magic. As Brian Roberts showed, you can't tag someone out if you've been David Blaine'd out of the ball:
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The legs pt. 2
Hiding a baseball between your legs is relatively easy -- after all, the ball is small and an athlete's legs are not. But Francisco Lindor managed to inadvertantly play reverse-hacky sack with the bat on his way to first base. Honestly, you could try to do this for weeks and never pull it off quite so spectacularly:
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The arm
Taking a Roger Clemens fastball to the ribs is a feeling no one ever wants to experience. Somehow, Yankees catcher Matt Nokes managed to not only hold back a barrage of tears after being hit, but kept the ball lodged in the crook of his arm. Blinded with fury, he hurled the ball back to Clemens, who simply caught the ball as if they were playing catch.
"I can see him being angry," Clemens said afterward. "I don't know how he caught it. He threw me back a pretty good pitch. He fired it back to me pretty good."
The broadcast booth
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OK, this isn't a baseball, but a person that was trapped. Because of the high strangeness of it, we'll include it. This time the usually friendly confines of the broadcast booth transformed into a house of horrors for legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker. They even needed to bring a ladder in to get him out.
The scoreboard platform
Plenty of balls get trapped in Wrigley's ivy or under the padding of an outfield fence. But at least this one won't ever happen again. As Jonathan Weeks detailed in "Mudville Madness," during a game between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago White Sox in 1905:
"...a member of the Philly squad hammered a towering shot that got stuck on a platform used by the scoreboard operator. Since there were no ground rules to account for this occurrence, outfielder Danny Green was forced to climb a steep wooden ladder in pursuit of the blast. Just as he reached the top, the ball rolled back onto the field. By the time it was recovered, the Philly batter had circled the bases."
Thanks to today's ground rules, we won't see a Rays player trying to get a ball trapped on the catwalk. However, Yoenis Cespdes proved that, yes, it is possible to have similar inside-the-park home runs in the modern era:
Michael Clair writes about baseball for Cut4. He believes stirrup socks are an integral part of every formal outfit and Adam Dunn's pitching performance was baseball's greatest moment.By Debra Muzikar
Last year The Art of Autism posted a blog on Person First Language (PFL) which proved to be educational for me and I hope for others. This year I’m tackling the word neurodiversity, which is much more complex. I didn’t know some people object to the word until I moderated a neurodiversity panel last weekend at the USC IGM Art Gallery.
The first time I became aware of the word neurodiversity was in 2011 when my son Kevin participated in a Neurodiversity Art Exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art Kiev in the Ukraine curated by KJ Baysa, M.D. who now serves on the Art of Autism advisory board. I thought at the time it was a cool word and described not only Kevin, but Kurt (my husband), myself and many others I knew.
A brief history
Judy Singer, Autistic, coined the term in a not well-read thesis in Australia in 1988. Harvey Blume popularized the word in a 1998 issue of The Atlantic “Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general. Who can say what form of wiring will prove best at any given moment? Cybernetics and computer culture, for example, may favor a somewhat autistic cast of mind.” The next year Judy Singer wrote “the ‘Neurologically Different’ represent a new addition to the familiar political categories of class/gender/race and will augment the insights of the social model of disability.” Dr. Thomas Armstrong, author of many books on on the topic writes neurodiversity “includes an exploration of what have thus far been considered mental disorders of neurological origin but that may instead represent alternative forms of natural human difference.”
Nick Walker has written a clear definition of neurodiversity terms in a blog on his website neurocosmopolitanism.com. He says “I’d love if everyone who wanted to weigh in on conversations about neurodiversity first took the time to learn the difference between neurodiversity (which is NOT a ‘perspective’ or ‘viewpoint,’ but a biological characteristic of the human species, of which autism is just one manifestation), the neurodiversity paradigm (which IS a perspective), and the neurodiversity movement (a social movement that promotes the neurodiversity paradigm). Or the difference between neurodiversity and neurodivergence. Or the difference between neurodiverse and neurodivergent (the human species is neurodiverse; individuals whose neurology differs substantially from dominant norms are neurodivergent).”
I didn’t realize neurodiversity was a controversial word until in a recent conversation a mom informed me it was a loaded word. It seems the reason why some people object to the word is they are confusing the neurodiversity paradigm and the neurodiveristy movement with the biological fact of neurodiversity.
Daniel Obejas from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network gave a definition for the neurodiversity panel last weekend.
Video courtesy of George Szabo and The USC IGM Gallery
Why do we need these terms at all?
“I keep encountering privilege-denying neurotypical people who say things along the lines of, ‘Why do we need labels like ‘autistic’ and ‘neurodivergent’? Everyone is unique in their own special way!’ Dear people who say things like this: stop it. Because you sound exactly like those privilege-denying white people who say ‘I don’t see color.'” Nick Walker
“Diagnosed at fifty as on the spectrum, I have two sons on the spectrum a sister and two cousins in England I just recently found all on the spectrum. It’s hard to keep up with a culture like autism [as it] constantly redefines itself as what is politically correct. I guess I am at the stage where it doesn’t really matter, who or how you define yourself or words you use, as much as it is tone and intent is respectful how you use the words when addressing a person… and as long as autistic doesn’t become a slur.” Janet Sebelius
“People get so wound up over trivial things! Don’t like the word? Don’t use it…Problem solved.” Marilyn Sheehan
Civil rights and the Neurodiversity Movement
“Typical people can be very cavalier about this topic, when they do not see it as a part of their daily world. If you were an Autistic person who was constantly talked down to as an adult and made to feel that you didn’t have any right to ideas about what you would like for your own life, while others make national plans for you without you, you might see it as more than just another annoying way for people to ‘divide.’ … We all need supports but, we do not need to always assume typical ways are the ‘right way’ because, they often are not.” Kelly Green, parent
“Until people recognize that the diagnosis was created for the convenience of others rather than the support of the recipient, anything that questions the medical model will present a threat … Furthermore, without this recognition, it must seem outrageously disrespectful for someone diagnosed to express anything other than gratitude for public policy that affects them and for the traditional societal perceptions of who they are.” Ed Ised, Autistic
“This is more an issue of the latest iteration of the government to treat a new group of people like garbage because they don’t fit the default idea of human/homo-sapien … It’s not so much a word; its more the meaning behind the word.” Andy Dreisewerd, Autistic
“I think we need labels-but I also think much of what happens in the neurodiversity movement appears to be preaching to the choir-because of the pain and marginalization of the neurodiverse. But does that mean that neurodiversity has to function as a separatist movement-in any civil rights movement? This is part of the story, but the goal should be real and meaningful inclusion. And in terms of our neurology-and diagnosis, the co-morbidities of the diagnosis are what many times create the exclusion in the dominant culture, not the neurology.” Aaron Feinstein
“To criticize neurodiversity for ‘highlighting differences’ is like criticizing feminism for being ‘sexist’ because it points out how women are oppressed. It’s important to understand the history of the development of the concept, which I write about in depth in a book that’s going to be published in August. The word neurodiversity was coined at a time when autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other cognitive variations were ONLY defined as inferior and diseased.” Steve Silberman
Eugenics agendas cause reactions of fear
My recent blog about why many people are upset with the nonprofit Autism Speaks addressed eugenics and the concern of ridding people of their neurodiversities. The percentage of neurodiverse in the criminal justice system has been on the rise. (Human Rights Watch report about the cruel treatment of people with mental disabilities in prisons, May 12, 2015).
“It seems that people in the ASD community get very concerned about the potential for society to want to eliminate neurodiversity, so I have seen a lot of reactivity around that fear. In that sense I can get some understanding about their reactions, but I think we have to educate society about the incredible value of neurodiversity.” Martha Somerville, Aspie, therapist
Antagonism between Neurodiversity self-advocates and parents
“The ND crowd goes a little crazy on parents trying to help their kids with diet and other things. They think they [the parents] are trying to fix their autism – not trying to work on their overall health. It’s the vocal ones [neurodiversity movement advocates] who make them upset because they get as emotional as those discussing vaccines. That’s what the issue is. I don’t want to have emotional arguments with anyone. I do enjoy a healthy debate knowing full well my goal isn’t to convince – it’s to present what I believe.” Laureen Forman, parent
Laureen goes on to state she has no problem with the word neurodiversity but has problems with emotional arguments and debates about interventions she is using to help her son.
“Not all those who support ND are in the ‘crowd’. Many have no problem with diets and supports as long as its not abusive or punitive.” Stefanie Tihanyi, Autistic
“There is a tendency for people to associate words with the people they hear use the word. Unfortunately there is a lot of animosity among some autism parents and some adult self advocates. The animosity comes from each side not giving the other the benefit of the doubt. Self advocates should be more understanding of parents who have normal fears for their children. Parents should face the certainty their children will become adults who will still need a sense of belonging and to feel good about who we are. Neurodiversity is good when it brings people together and empowers. It’s not so good when becomes a rallying battle cry.” Eric Wagers
Dani Bowman of Powerlight Studios made a video about the animosity between parents and self-advocates:
Functioning level
“It’s a bad [word] for us who are not super high functioning like the self DX group or ones doing so well they need little to no help.” Stefanie Sacks, Autistic
“I, like most adult autistics, don’t like functioning labels. They tend to be about speaking abilities more than anything. Many of us autistic adults get told to shut up when we try to talk about what it feels like to be autistic, or when we try to join and help autism charities like Autism Speaks. Many people, most parents, in those groups often assume that the autistic commenters must be ‘high functioning,’ meaning ‘can talk,’ but often the autistic commenter communicates via AAC, including typing… The other issue is that even for those of us who can ‘speak,’ and who are hyperlexic with impressive spoken vocabularies, it doesn’t mean what comes out of our mouth is what we mean, or that we are processing spoken conversation very well. Many of us prefer to type to communicate. … The problem is, that most NTs won’t honor that, and read way too much into my texts that isn’t there. In typing, I am most myself, with no filters. I can process. But am I ‘higher’ or ‘lower’ than a ‘non-verbal’ person?” Annette Sugden, Autistic
Negative spin comes from anti-vaccine and pro-cure communities
“The negative spin on the word comes almost entirely from the anti-vaccine and pro-cure communities, who claim that the concept only benefits ‘high-functioning’ people, which is incorrect. The people speaking against it are usually unaware of the fact that the neurodiversity movement from day one has sought to frame autism as a disability, rather than as a disease or as purely a gift. Framing autism as a disability that deserves support and reasonable accommodations (rather than, say, an epidemic caused by vaccines) would benefit everyone, including people with profound intellectual disability.” Steve Silberman, author of future book Neuro-Tribes, The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
Objection to the the world Neurotypical (NT)
“These terms do seem to be colored oftentimes by the emotional color put behind them. Especially the term neurotypical, which is the one I have the most issues within the neurodiversity paradigm. And this is because cultural ideas of what is considered normal are changing at an incredibly rapid rate.” Aaron Feinstein
We all are diverse
“To me this has no negative connotation, at all! Not good not bad just brilliantly different! As in we all think in different ways which we do. How could that be bad?” Sharon Fuentes, parent
“I believe the intention of neurodiversity is awesome. My
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left," the 68-year-old said. "What we're asking him to do is what he does for Arsenal with Alexis Sanchez."
England, who have already qualified for next summer's tournament as Group E winners with a 100% record from their eight games, play Estonia at Wembley on Friday before travelling to face Lithuania on 12 October.
Wayne Rooney replaced Steven Gerrard as England captain in August 2014
Rooney, England's record goalscorer, has not trained fully this week after injuring an ankle in Manchester United's defeat at Arsenal.
But he will remain with the squad for Friday's game, before which he will receive a commemorative golden boot from Sir Bobby Charlton, whose record he beat when he scored his 50th international goal in the victory over Switzerland last month.
"[The injury] is a disappointment for Wayne," said Hodgson. "Wayne is not the type of person or type of player who likes to miss a game.
"It is settling down very, very well but we don't want to risk him on Friday."So who were the 34 House Democrats that voted against the health care bill — and what are the politics for them back home? A close look at the list shows a heavy tendency towards Democrats who come from districts carried by John McCain in 2008 — though not completely so.
Of the 34 names, 26 of them came from districts carried by John McCain in 2008, ranging from a slim edge of 50%-49% (Harry Teague, New Mexico) to 67%-32% (Gene Taylor, Mississippi). The other eight came from districts carried by Barack Obama, ranging from 50%-48% (Michael Arcuri, New York, and also Glenn Nye, Virginia) all the way up to 71%-29% — in this case Artur Davis of Alabama, who is currently running for governor in his deep-red state.So here is our handy data reference — who the Democrats in question, which presidential candidate carried each district in 2008 and by how much, and other key information such as freshman status, or whether they are retiring or running for another office. We have organized them according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, which is compiled by taking a district’s votes in the last two presidential election, and comparing that average to how many more points they vote Democratic or Republican compared to the nationl average:
Member District 2008 Winner Margin Cook PVI Status Davis, Artur AL-07 Obama 71%-29% D+18 Running For Governor Lipinski IL-03 Obama 64%-35% D+11 Lynch MA-09 Obama 60%-38% D+11 Barrow GA-12 Obama 54%-45% D+1 Adler NJ-03 Obama 52%-47% R+1 Freshman Kissell NC-08 Obama 52%-47% R+2 Freshman Arcuri NY-24 Obama 50%-48% R+2 Nye VA-02 Obama 50%-48% R+5 Freshman McMahon NY-13 McCain 51%-49% R+4 Freshman Peterson MN-07 McCain 50%-47% R+5 McIntyre NC-07 McCain 52%-47% R+5 Shuler NC-11 McCain 52%-47% R+6 Teague NM-02 McCain 50%-49% R+6 Freshman Altmire PA-04 McCain 55%-44% R+6 Holden PA-17 McCain 51%-48% R+6 Tanner TN-08 McCain 56%-43% R+6 Retiring Ross AR-04 McCain 58%-39% R+7 Space OH-18 McCain 53%-45% R+7 Berry AR-01 McCain 59%-38% R+8 Retiring Chandler KY-06 McCain 55%-43% R+9 Herseth Sandlin SD-AL McCain 53%-45% R+9 Marshall GA-08 McCain 56%-43% R+10 Boucher VA-09 McCain 59%-40% R+11 Melancon LA-03 McCain 61%-37% R+12 Running For Senate Kratovil MD-01 McCain 58%-40% R+13 Freshman Davis, Lincoln TN-04 McCain 64%-34% R+13 Skelton MO-04 McCain 61%-38% R+14 Childers MS-01 McCain 62%-37% R+14 Boren OK-02 McCain 66%-34% R+14 Matheson UT-02 McCain 58%-40% R+15 Bright AL-02 McCain 63%-37% R+16 Freshman Minnick ID-01 McCain 62%-36% R+18 Freshman Taylor MS-04 McCain 67%-32% R+20 Edwards, Chet TX-17 McCain 67%-32% R+20
(All district election data taken from Congressional Quarterly. Special thanks to TPM Reader MFM, for providing us with an initial outline of the Democratic votes.)Buy Photo Three people are dead and two injured after a wrong-way driver caused a crash on I-75 in Detroit. (Photo: Detroit Free Press)Buy Photo
Update: The northbound lanes of I-75 have reopened.
I 75 has reopened. Thanks for your patience. Please use caution in the area. More snow is a comin!! pic.twitter.com/PKTyHH2ZO4 — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 10, 2016
Northbound I-75 in northern Oakland County has reopened after 33 vehicles and four semis were involved in a pileup that closed the interstate earlier today, Michigan State Police said on Twitter.
No one was killed in the pileup about 3 p.m., unlike a 53-vehicle crash two days ago on I-96 near Folwerville that left three people dead and 11 injured.
The northbound lanes were closed for more than three hours, reopening about 6:30 p.m., state police said on Twitter.
Today's incident on I-75 near Holly Road in Holly Township caused several non-life-threatening injuries, according to the police's Twitter feed.
Today's Crash totals:
33 Cars 4 Semis
12 injuries.
Emergency Response
MSP, OCSD, Groveland, North Oakland Springfield Fire MSP Dispatch pic.twitter.com/W1hMBaEbCT — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 11, 2016
► Related: Light snow today wreaks road havoc; storm coming Sunday
► Related: Police identify victims in 53-car pileup on I-96
All of the injured were taken to local hospitals and tow trucks cleared vehicles, state police said in a Tweet.
Drivers of vehicles that could not be driven were taken to Alex's Market & Grill on Grange Hall Road, just west of I-75, to contact family.
Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.
From Michigan State Police:
1) Preliminary Information on 75 crash. Approx. 40 cars and three semis involved. No fatalities. Several non life threatening injuries. pic.twitter.com/KzP1QVnw00 — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 10, 2016
2) NB 75 is closed at Dixie Hwy. All of the injured have been transported to local hospitals. Tow trucks are currently clearing cars. pic.twitter.com/i7FXdu92l2 — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 10, 2016
3) Drivers of vehicles that can not be driven are being transported to Alice's gas station at 75 and Grange Hall Rd to contact family. pic.twitter.com/pTRXhCqhRy — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 10, 2016
4) There is no media availability as all troopers are working to reopen the freeway. Clean up will take several hours to remove vehicles. pic.twitter.com/YSXLaA27f7 — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 10, 2016
5) Road commission will need to salt area after clean up is complete. I will continue to update as the scene progresses. AVOID THE AREA! pic.twitter.com/9eyYNctjJW — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 10, 2016
6) Clean up is continuing on I 75. Troopers are working as fast as they can. Please don't call 911 to find out when the freeway will reopen. pic.twitter.com/YuDaoTHmmz — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 10, 2016
7) https://t.co/jIroDTe6cO and the Michigan State Police Winter Travel Advisory Hotline at 1-800-381-8477 are excellent ways to find info. pic.twitter.com/ejXnlPvWZu — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 10, 2016
More from the scene:
Crash on I-75
Location: SB I-75 at E Holly Rd
Lanes Affected: Left Shoulder, Left Lane, Center Lane — MDOT - Metro Detroit (@MDOT_MetroDet) December 10, 2016
1) MSP is working a multiple vehicle crash on I 75 NB near Holly Rd. No fatalities. SB 75 is also restricted due to gawker crashes. pic.twitter.com/OYfndeeQhu — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 10, 2016
Major accident on I-75 N #DETtraffic. Traffic moving 46m slower than usual. https://t.co/WDRbPz1g3dpic.twitter.com/RdQwrSfhMr — Unusual Traffic DET (@WazeTrafficDet) December 10, 2016
Bad Stuff on the NB I-75 Near Holly Road. Oakland County. pic.twitter.com/SlYvUg2XjA — The Detroit Scanner (@DetroitScanner) December 10, 2016
UPDATE:Crash on I-75
Location: NB I-75 at Dixie Hwy (US-24)
Lanes Affected: All Lanes — MDOT - Metro Detroit (@MDOT_MetroDet) December 10, 2016
►Related: MDOT says watch out for new, wider plow this winter
►Related: Detroit adds 29 new trucks to help clear streets of snow
Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2hazUKMOk, so almost a year ago I wrote my first “retro-wrestling” piece here. That first little look back, entitled From Man to King – The Rise of the Macho King Randy Savage was uploaded on February 26th, 2013. It was well received enough that I wrote several more, and though I have been negligent over the last few months, in honor of my 1 year anniversary, I give you now, the second half I promised you way back then.
Randy Savage, having ended 1989 under his newly adopted moniker, “The Macho King”, opened the 90’s focused on ending his run against an old adversary, Hulk Hogan. On February 23rd, he battled Hogan for the WWF Championship on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Savage would lose when he was knocked out by Special Guest Referee James “Buster” Douglas during a confrontation over what Savage believed was a slow count (he was right by the way).
After this, Savage and Hogan ended their feud. Along with “Sensational Queen” Sherri, Randy began a program against “The Common Man” Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire, polka dots and all. This resulted in a mixed tag match at WrestleMania VI and a one-on-one at SummerSlam 1990. Savage lost the tag match, but defeated Dusty when it mattered, becoming the number 1 contender for the WWF Championship, now held by “The Ultimate Warrior”.
This feud, beginning in late 1990, actually came to head over Sgt. Slaughter. Slaughter, ready to fight the Warrior, promised that if he won, would give Savage the first shot at his title. When Savage demanded the same promise from the Warrior, he refused. In response, Savage cost the Warrior his match against the Sarge, knocking him out with his scepter (see, it did have a purpose) for an easy pin. However, Slaughter’s win didn’t get him the Title shot he wanted, instead sending Randy to WrestleMania VII in a “Career on the Line” match, which Randy lost. (In a ridiculous twist Mr. McMahon released the Warrior over a pay dispute about 3 months later anyway) After the match, “Queen” Sherri, screaming at Savage, attacked him while he was down with the scepter. Suddenly, through the crowd came Elizabeth, who fought off Sherri and rejoined her man.
Now “retired”, Savage stayed on as a broadcaster, all the while, his on again-off again romance with Elizabeth still going on. Finally, Randy popped the big question on TV, leading to SummerSlam 1991 and “The Match Made in Heaven: The Wedding of Randy Savage and Elizabeth”. Everyone was excited, the WWF even sold wedding photo sets (see right). But, at some point during the wedding preparations (the bachelor party in fact) you guessed it, a heel interfered. (Why do wrestlers try this on-screen wedding bit anyways?) In this case, it was Jake “The Snake” Roberts and his buddy, The Undertaker. Snakes were put in wedding gifts, and Savage was knocked unconscious by Taker’s Urn, pretty typical wedding day excitement, really. Savage, still unable to compete in the ring due to his WrestleMania loss, begged then WWF President Jack Tunney for reinstatement, but was declined. There was even a phone number you could call (at $9.00 a minute I’m sure) to let President Tunney know you supported Macho. Eventually in the eyes of the WWF, Jake Roberts went too far, and attacked Savage with a King Cobra. Tunney relented and Randy Savage was back. (By the way, the Cobra was real; it just had its poison glands removed, and it took a lot to remove the fangs from Savage’s arm in the locker area.) The pair feuded the rest of the year, over 2 pay-per-views, ending finally at Saturday Night’s Main Event in February 1992.
Soon after, the WWF Champion, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair began to recant stories of a night he spent with Randy’s wife, Elizabeth. He had hotel receipts and vague pictures of them places together. An enraged Savage went after Flair and the 2 fought through the spring and into WrestleMania VIII, where Randy defeated Flair in a terrific match to win his 2nd WWF Championship. In April, it was proven that Flair’s photos were actually doctored images of Savage and Liz. Ironically, during this time, Randy and Elizabeth had split in real life; and she made her final appearance on WWF television on April 18th, 1992.
Through the rest of 1992, Randy wrestled against the up and coming Shawn Michaels and then, a match with his old nemesis, the returning “Ultimate Warrior”, was set for SummerSlam 1992. During the match, Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect attacked Savage and the Warrior, which cost him the match, but not the Title. And a few weeks later, Savage dropped the belt back to Flair due to outside interference by “Razor” Ramon. A short-lived tag team of Randy Savage and “The Ultimate Warrior” was formed, calling themselves the “Ultimate Maniacs”. The team lost a WWF Tag Team Title shot against “Money Inc” (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Shyster) and then was scheduled to fight Flair and Razor. This match never happened as Vince McMahon again fired the Warrior 2 weeks before the match was set to take place for steroid use and the supply of steroids to other members of the WWF locker room. The Warrior was replaced by Mr. Perfect of all people, who turned on Flair and his manager Bobby Heenan when Heenan indicated the Perfect didn’t have “it” anymore. The new team won by disqualification.
Savage worked sporadically in matches over the next 2 years in WWF. Mostly, he did color commentary, though he did compete in the 1993 and 1994 Royal Rumbles. In ‘93, he was the next to the last combatant, being eliminated by Yokozuna. Randy left the WWF and accepted an offer from World Championship Wrestling in October 1994.
Savage joined WCW in December of ’94, and after a series of pointless matches, restarted his feud with Ric Flair. It truly felt like WCW had no place for him on their roster. Over the next few months, the two battled everywhere, even in the back, missing their own matches during US Title Tournament, allowing youngster Alex Wright (Das Wunderkind everybody!) to become Champion essentially by default. Flair attacked Randy’s father Angelo Poffo, Savage smashed up Flair’s luggage, real poignant stuff. Finally, at the 1995 “World War 3” pay-per-view, success! Randy Savage won WCW’s 60 man battle royal (essentially a 3 ring Royal Rumble) to become WCW Heavyweight Champion, but dropped the belt to Flair at Starrcade ’95 one month later. In January 1996, Savage rehired Elizabeth to be his valet/manager and immediately defeated Flair on WCW Monday Nitro. It was more of the same the next month at SuperBrawl VI. Liz turned on Randy and cost him the title, with Flair announcing the 2 had been secretly dating, frivolously spending the money Savage gave her in their real-life divorce settlement. This probably would have gone on longer had it not been for the change of direction the company would soon take.
At the 1996 “Bash at the Beach”, Hulk Hogan shocked the world, turning on Lex Luger, Sting, and especially Randy Savage. Hogan joined the “Outsiders” (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash) and formed the New World Order (n.W.o.) Savage initially led a team of WCW Crusaders against the n.W.o. and even battled Hogan for the WCW Championship at Halloween Havoc, but lost when the “Giant” (Paul Wight) chokeslammed Savage. Randy then left the company over contract issues for a couple of months.
He returned as “Macho Madness” Randy Savage and joined the n.W.o. at SuperBrawl VII, reuniting with Elizabeth. After helping Hogan defeat Roddy Piper, Randy and Liz began feuding with “Diamond” Dallas Page and his wife Kimberly. A long series of matches ensued over 8 months, including a number of mixed-tag matches. There was no clear winner of the feud, but there were some decent matches. This led to a feud with Lex Luger and an eventual title match against Sting for the WCW Championship. Hogan tried to cost Randy the match, feeling that he should be Champion, but Nash interfered and helped Savage win the belt.
On Monday Night Nitro the next evening, Hogan challenged Savage for the Championship, and nearly won. Kevin Nash interfered again, power-bombing Hogan, and setting Randy up to retain his belt, but then Bret Hart came in and interfered on Hogan’s behalf. Hogan went on to win the WCW Championship. But the damage was done, and the n.W.o. splintered into 2 factions, with Savage joining Nash in the n.W.o. Wolfpac.
Randy was gone for the most of the rest of 1998 healing from knee surgery. Returning in 1999, Savage reappeared with his new real life girlfriend, the 22-year-old Gorgeous George, as his new valet and manager. Savage seemed to befriend DDP and helped him retain the WCW Championship over the next few months, until he lost it to Kevin Nash. Savage formed Team Madness, with Madusa Miceli and Miss Madness (who later went to the WWF as Molly Holly) and feuded with Nash. Savage paired with Sid Vicious against Kevin Nash and Sting. Randy pinned Nash to claim his 4th and final WCW Championship. The next night on Nitro, Hogan challenged Savage and defeated him when Nash power-bombed Savage. Miss Madness and Madusa began to argue and Team Madness disbanded soon after. 3 months later at the Road Wild pay-per-view, Savage defeated Dennis Rodman (for some reason). He wrestled a few more times and then had last WCW match on Thursday Night Thunder in May 2000, as a member of a 41 man (what an odd number) battle royal. He then retired from wrestling.
In 2002, Randy Savage appeared in “Spider-Man” as wrestler Bonesaw McGraw. On May 1st, 2003, his famous wife, Elizabeth Ann Hulette, now in a volatile relationship with former wrestler Lex Luger, died of an overdose of painkillers and vodka at age 42. Stories indicate Savage was devastated by this news. Savage did a large amount of voice work for many animated shows including “Dexter’s Laboratory”, “King of the Hill”, “Duck Dodgers”, and the 2008 Disney hit, “Bolt”. He attempted a very short comeback in 2004 for Jeff Jarrett’s Total Nonstop Action promotion, but had to quit over health issues. In 2010, he married his longtime girlfriend, Barbara Lynn Payne.
Randy Poffo suffered a heart attack on May 20th, 2011 while driving his Jeep Wrangler with his wife in Seminole, Florida, crashing into a tree. He died before medical help arrived. Initial reports were that he died from the car crash itself, but autopsy reports showed he had advanced coronary heart disease that had been undiagnosed. He was 58.
Randy Savage lives on in the hearts of wrestling fans everywhere, and he is still wildly popular. Shortly after his death, CM Punk began using his flying elbow drop finisher in tribute, which he still does today. He is the most obvious missing entrant into the WWE Hall of Fame, likely due to his tense relationship with Vince McMahon that was never resolved. This year, his old arch-rivals, “The Ultimate Warrior” and Jake “The Snake” Roberts are being enshrined, and I only hope “The Macho Man” will be there soon. Thanks for reading, and keep your shoulders off the mat.
Here, for you, is the WWE’s tribute video after Randy Ravage’s passingDonald Trump blasted Hillary Clinton Monday for allegedly being too tired to campaign properly.
His remarks came during a pair of dueling Labor Day press conferences that he and Clinton held simultaneously on their separate private jets.
'She didn’t have energy to go to Louisiana and she didn’t have the energy to go to Mexico,' Trump said, when asked about last Wednesday's controversial visit to the Central American country.
Scroll down for video
'Low energy': Donald Trump said Monday Hillary Clinton 'didn't have the energy' to visit Mexico or Louisiana like he did and doesn't have the'stamina' to 'bring jobs back' to the US
'Destruction': Trump also blamed the NAFTA bill, signed in by Bill Clinton, for destroying jobs in the US, and said that he now wants to focus on jobs over immigration
He continued: 'She should have gone to Louisiana and she should have gone to Mexico. She still hasn’t gone to Louisiana and she didn’t have energy or drive to Mexico.'
Trump was referring to both last Wednesday's meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and his visit to flood-stricken Louisiana in mid-August.
He told press after the Nieto meeting that he hadn't discussed his plan to make Mexico pay for a wall separating it from the US - something Hillary Clinton criticized him for Monday.
Clinton's supposed lack of energy came up again when Trump was asked about his message to her for Labor Day.
'Bring back jobs, which she can’t,' he said. 'She doesn’t have clue. Number one she doesn’t have a clue, number two she doesn’t have the energy to bring them back.
'She doesn’t have the energy or stamina to bring them back.'
Clinton has been fighting rumors that she is badly ill, and battled a persistent cough during her speech in Ohio, which later flared up before reporters on the plane.
She reminded them: One thing you know from my doctor's letter is I have seasonal allergies.'
'Allegies': His remarks came the same day that Hillary Clinton suffered a coughing fit, which she attributed to'seasonal allergies'
Trump was also asked about his stance on immigration, which he said hadn't changed; that America has 'gotta stop the drugs, we gotta stop criminality, get rid of the bad (immigrants), and a lot of them are bad.'
And last Wednesday he unequivocally said that all 11million of the USA's undocumented immigrants would be made to leave the country.
But when pressed by ABC after Monday's flight, Trump seemed less certain about whether all undocumented immigrants would be deported.
When asked whether some might be able to stay, Trump said: 'It could be, but what’s going to happen is if you’re going to be a citizen, you’re going to leave and you're going to have to come back.'
And if they don't want to become citizens, he said, 'they have to make a determination what happens when the border is secure.'
'So you’re open to them staying here undocumented?' Trump was asked.
'I’m going to make a decision, or somebody will,' he replied, 'Whether it’s me or somebody else because by that time we’ll have a secure border, we’ll have a wall.'
During the press event, Trump also accused the NAFTA bill, spearheaded by George HW Bush but signed in by Bill Clinton, of destroying 'the manufacturing and jobs in this country,' and complained about Hillary Clinton's support of the TPP.
Despite his remarks on immigration, Trump said he was making a conscious pivot in his campaign towards focusing on job creation, which he assured the reporters he's 'going to be best at.'
'Everybody knows where I stand on immigration now; I am so about jobs,' he said. 'I see what’s happening in Pennsylvania, I see what’s happening in Ohio and they are getting so wiped out. '
In an interview with ABC Monday, Clinton said that she would not visit Mexico prior to election day, saying she would rather focus on the US.
'I'm going to continue to focus on what we're doing to create jobs here at home, what we're doing to make sure Americans have the best possible opportunities in the future,' she said.Is the U.S. losing faith in its own dollar? Bills proposed in more than a dozen states to make gold and silver legal currency for use
Bill to legalise gold & silver coins as usable currency
GOP proposal comes among financial uncertainties
These coins keep face value even if metal price moves
Would not lead to people carrying gold in their purse
U.S. politicians are rapidly losing faith in the dollar, with more than a dozen states proposing legislation to legalise gold and silver as a currency.
Politicians in Colorado concerned about the nation's financial stability are the latest to push a bill to legalise gold and silver coins as usable currency.
But from a consumer angle the conservative bill would not lead to people carrying gold nuggets in their purses and would have little practical effect.
Varying values: Five coins on the left were minted over 100 years ago and are worth thousands of dollars. The five on the right were minted in the last few years and are worth their face values of $1 to $25
The GOP proposal reflects anxieties about the domestic consequences of the European debt crisis and chronic deficit spending in Washington D.C.
Backup: Republican Senator Kent Lambert's bill in Colorado is designed to provide consumers with alternatives in case the dollar falls badly
‘There are lots of concerns about the U.S. monetary system,’ said the bill's sponsor, Republican Senator Kent Lambert of Colorado Springs.
‘There's no way to maintain the value of anything if countries start a race to the bottom by inflating their currency to get out of debt.’
GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul believes the U.S. should return to the gold standard, so paper currency is guaranteed by precious metal.
‘I am not a Ron Paul kind of guy,’ Senator Lambert said. ‘But that's something I think is very legitimate that he brought up.’
Utah legalised gold and silver as a currency option last year. Politicians in more than 12 other states have proposed similar legislation on currency.
Rich Danker of Washington-based conservative think tank the American Principles Project favours a return to the gold standard.
‘These bills offer a sound monetary alternative to the U.S. dollar,’ he said. ‘They allow people to store their wealth in coins that will not decrease in value.’
Support: GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul believes the U.S. should return to the gold standard, so paper currency is guaranteed by precious metal
THE GOLD STANDARD IN PROFILE
Minted U.S. gold and silver coins retain their face value, even if the value of the coins' precious metals rises.
So a $20 gold coin minted in the 1800s is still legally worth $20, even though its real value may be thousands of dollars in today's market.
Gold was trading at above $1,700 an ounce last Friday. The U.S. largely abandoned gold-backed money during World War One to pay for the war.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt basically banned gold and silver as legal currency to prevent hoarding during the Great Depression.
President Richard Nixon formally abandoned the gold standard in 1971.
The Colorado proposal faces long odds. People who want to spend gold and silver coins currently have to convert them to paper dollars first.
Gold and silver coins made by the U.S. Mint are mostly used for investment portfolios. People can trade them, with capital gains taxes on profits.
Senator Lambert's bill is designed to provide consumers alternatives in case the dollar falls badly. It would not make merchants accept nuggets of gold and silver as payment.
Colorado has a rich mining history, and its gold and silver caches helped finance construction of the state Capitol in the 19th century.
The state no longer keeps reserves of gold nor silver, although gold and silver bullion are kept at the U.S. Mint in Denver, near to the Capitol.Omaha Firefighters battled a brush fire at Lake Zorinsky Monday afternoon, located off the 168th Street entrance south of W Center Road. The fire was specifically located on the small Papio Creek dam that feeds into the main lake on the north side. The fire was reported at 4:08 PM, and multiple Omaha Fire apparatus responded.
There is a large brush fire in the area of Lake Zorinsky. — Mean Streets Omaha (@MeanStreetsOMA) March 7, 2016
More from brush fire at Lake Zorinsky. Water supply issues, brush truck getting stuck. Via @joelschafer pic.twitter.com/g3eHTPhPi1 — Mean Streets Omaha (@MeanStreetsOMA) March 7, 2016
Omaha Fire Department Units:
Battalion Chief 6
Engine 63
Engine 65
Engine 265 brush truck
Engine 277 brush truck
Rescue 251
Water Tender 77
Fire Car 77Cycle schemes have stagnated for 10 months, writes the former cycling commissioner. Will new cycling delegate Will Norman get London up to speed?
Under its first two mayors, London became important for the whole country as a leader in cycling. But Will Norman, Sadiq Khan’s new walking and cycling commissioner, starts work with the capital’s cyclists in a gloomy mood. Not just because of the deaths of three cyclists – and two pedestrians – in a single week last month, but because of the last 10 months’ stagnation in what was previously Britain’s most active programme to promote the bike.
I ran that programme for Khan’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, so perhaps I’m biased. But the figures aren’t biased. Over eight years, cycling increased by 53%. Not bad: but on the new central London segregated superhighways, which we opened in May, we saw the same percentage rise in six months.
Khan pledged during the election campaign to “accelerate” the cycling programme and “triple” the length of segregated lanes. On Norman’s first day, the mayor published a document, Healthy Streets for London, promising to make the streets less motor-dominated, better for cyclists and pedestrians, and used by more of them. But the new administration seems to be abandoning the very instruments which we proved bring that about.
City Hall is wringing its hands over closing gates in Regent's Park. A minority of locals dislike losing their rat-run
As well as the successful new superhighways, Sadiq inherited eight further superhighway or junction remodelling schemes at advanced stages of implementation. All had been designed and traffic-modelled. All had been put to public consultation, and approved by large majorities. All were to have started building in 2016. Of the eight, four have been cancelled or are in limbo, three have been delayed and only one has actually started building. Not a single meaningful new scheme has yet been proposed.
In December, City Hall announced “record investment” on cycling, an average of £154m a year. But close scrutiny of the Transport for London business plan reveals that new capital investment on the roads (which has to cover a lot more than cycling) will in fact fall by 17% next year and the year after, to £123m. Two future superhighways, likely to be consulted on later this year, have been shortened, and there is no commitment that they will be segregated.
Boris Johnson: 'I wish I'd built more segregated cycling routes for London' Read more
Andrew Gilligan (@mragilligan) CS4 was London Bridge- Woolwich, now "Tower Bridge to Greenwich." City Hall says only a feasibility study of rest https://t.co/UaZXhAKCOJ
Because of all this, Norman and the deputy mayor for transport, Val Shawcross, had a slightly tricky time at their first encounter with London’s main cycling campaigners last Wednesday. They spoke almost entirely in generalities. As one of those present, David Arditti, wrote afterwards, the audience “wanted to know what this administration would actually do on the ground, why key projects the last mayor had proposed were stalled, and what would come next. They did not get this information, and there was an increasing level of frustration palpable at being given ‘motherhood and apple pie’ recipes for the healthy city of the future.”
The problem may lie in Khan’s January statement to the London Assembly that “what I do not want is for there to be confrontation” over new cycling schemes. This quite simply rules out anything serious for as long as he is mayor. Given the pressure on London’s road space, no meaningful change to the status quo can avoid inconveniencing or upsetting somebody. There is nearly always majority support for serious cycling schemes – less than half of Londoners drive at all, and fewer than one in 20 drive in the centre – but there is absolutely always opposition, too, some of it highly confrontational.
From what they said at the meeting last week, Shawcross and Norman appear to be looking for some kind of formula that can avoid what the deputy mayor called “backlash” and make schemes acceptable to everyone. They will waste a lot of time (as, in fact, did we) finding out that this municipal Philosopher’s Stone does not exist. You certainly should – and we did – consult, listen to honest objections, and make sensible changes.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘An early test looms of whether the mayor’s words about making London less traffic-dominated mean anything at all.’ Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
But asking nicely, appealing to reason, and stressing the benefits to non-cyclists only gets you so far. It cuts no ice with the impassioned minority who care only for their ability to drive in exactly the same way they always have. And the inventions employed by some of our opponents should never be held equivalent to the truth.
London’s streets are, of course, places of daily confrontation between motor vehicles and vulnerable road users. Reducing that kind of confrontation, which costs lives, mattered much more to me, and should matter much more to Khan, than reducing the kind that involves occasionally being shouted at in church halls.
An early test now looms of whether the mayor’s words about making London less traffic-dominated, more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly mean anything at all. The easiest place imaginable to keep that promise is surely a park – Regent’s Park, to be exact, which currently doubles as a rat-run for speeding cars.
Last February, we consulted on closing four of its eight gates to motors. We received 60% support for the proposal from the public, and would, if still in office, have implemented it – which would have taken one bloke in a van about three-quarters of an hour.
Cycle lanes don’t cause traffic jams: they’re part of the solution Read more
A year later, City Hall is still wringing its hands about closing a few gates. A noisy minority of the locals dislike losing their rat-run and a certain amount of the dreaded “confrontation” has occurred (most of it from their side, I might add).
The great crusade does now seem to be losing steam. Only 24 people, not all of them opponents, turned up to a protest meeting this week. But it hasn’t stopped Team Khan performing contortions to try to please all sides. Shawcross told last week’s cyclists’ meeting that TfL was looking at “alternatives” to the gate closures, the main one of which appears to be installing a segregated cycle track in the park. This absurd idea would require reconsultation, take at least two years, cost another £1m, do nothing for pedestrians or traffic reduction, and still leave cyclists in danger on the roads leading to the park. Nobody wants it.
It’s an example of the greatest danger in trying to avoid confrontation – that you end up in a confrontation with everyone. The nimbies still hate the scheme because of a separate element, which does have the go-ahead, to remove a gyratory. The cyclists hate it because of the failure to close the gates. This is one case where being a little bit brave would be politically far easier.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Traffic in Brixton road. ‘London streets are lined with fume-spewing, often rather empty double-deckers... their health-giving qualities aren’t that obvious.’ Photograph: Elizabeth Dalziel/Greenpeace
One other concern about the new disposition: the potential for conflict between the “healthy” modes themselves. I was fascinated to see that buses appear in the Healthy Streets for London document to be promoted as an allegedly healthy form of “active travel” alongside walking and cycling. On many London streets, lined with fume-spewing, often rather
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from alternate dimensions).
I do not care at all if Steve and Nancy get back together - I just want Steve to be the kids' guardian forever.
Feel free to yell at Andrew Bridgman on Twitter or Facebook about calling characters by their actual names.Austin Wiley secured his second double-double of the FIBA U19 World Cup on Friday, and Team USA secured a berth in the tournament's semifinals.
Wiley had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead Team USA past Germany, 81-59, in the Americans' toughest test to date. Germany and USA went back and forth early on, with the Germans holding a 12-11 lead midway through the first.
"It was just a real physical game," Wiley said. "We all wanted to make it to the semifinals. Germany came out playing their best, and we came out a little slow, but we got it together and continued to play hard."
Wiley had six points and three rebounds in the first half, as Team USA took a two-point advantage into the break at 33-31. Wiley's six points -- on 3-of-7 shooting -- led Team USA in the first half.
Team USA pulled away in the third quarter and closed the on a 21-4 run. The Americans outscored Germany, 23-10, in the period, with Wiley scoring nine of his 19 points during the third quarter.
"There really wasn't a difference," Wiley said about the second-half effort. "We came with the same mentality. We kept pressuring and pressuring them, and eventually they folded, so that was good from us."
It was Wiley's second double-double of the tournament; he had 16 points and 16 rebounds against Angola in group play. His 10 rebounds against Germany led Team USA, with five coming on each end of the floor.
"I was just doing whatever I thought we needed from me to win the game-- whatever (coach John Calipari) and my teammates needed me to do," Wiley said.
Wiley was one of just two Team USA players to finish in double-figure scoring, as Cameron Reddish finished with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Team USA will play Canada on Saturday in the tournament semifinals, with a trip to the championship game on the line.Story highlights At Mosul Museum, ISIS uses vandalism to make a statement
But ISIS may not have destroyed quite as much as it thinks
(CNN) To get inside Mosul's museum, you no longer enter through the main entrance, flanked by the capitals of ancient columns. Instead, you scramble over a pile of rubble and duck through a jagged hole in the wall.
You also might want to wear a flak jacket and a helmet, because the museum is just a few blocks from the front line in west Mosul.
Once you enter, you're confronted with mounds of rubble. They're all that remains of an lammasu, a stone-winged bull dating back to the seventh century B.C., an iconic symbol of the once-mighty Assyrian Empire.
A soldier sits in the hole in the wall that is now the entrance to Mosul's museum.
In February 2015, ISIS posted a video online showing men with sledgehammers and jackhammers destroying one of the museum's lamassu, and other relics, while others can be seen toppling statue after statue. In typical ISIS fashion, this madness has been edited to include pious songs about idol-smashing in the name of God.
The clip includes a bearded, unnamed man in a black skullcap, who says, "O Muslims, these statues behind me are idols of people from previous centuries who worshiped them instead of God almighty.
Read MoreIn what may be the first enforcement of a controversial ban on music devices by elite runners in long distance races in the U.S., a 27-year-old woman was disqualified from the top spot in the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee because race officials spotted her using an iPod during a later portion of the race. ↵
↵Jennifer Goebel assumed the top female finish in the race after a faster runner, Cassie Peller, was disqualified for receiving a water bottle from a friend outside an official water station. Now Goebel's time of 3:02:50 has been nullified as well, thanks to a contentious 2007 rule put into place banning headphones or portable music devices by U.S. Track and Field, the governing body for running events. ↵
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↵She's obviously upset about the ruling, pointing out that she only used it between miles 19 and 21. Race officials only decided to take action against Goebel when put under pressure by posters from an online forum who complained that Peller was being unfairly targeted. The forum users found an image of Goebel with the iPod that Goebel had herself shared online. ↵
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↵Even though USTAF claims the rule was put in place for worries about a competitive edge as well as safety concerns about runners not being able to hear race announcements, last year the organization relaxed the rule, allowing race directors to decide whether or not they would enforce it. ↵
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.Jat leaders in Haryana demanding backward class reservation have threatened to resume the violent agitation if Haryana government does not meet their demands. In a meeting of Jat leaders from across the state in Sonipat district on Saturday it was decided that the community will hit the streets again if the state government does not act.
Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha president Hawa Singh Sangwan also said that Jat community will not sit silently if their demands were not met.
During the recent Jat agitation there were sectarian clashes reported from the state in which 30 people were killed and public and private property worth Rs 10,000 crore was damaged. The agitators had also damaged canals supplying water to Delhi resulting in a massive water shortage in the Capital. There were reports of women being raped in Murthal but the allegations have not been substantiated till now.
The Haryana government, however, said that it will introduce reservation bills to Jat, Sikh Jat, Bishnoi, Tyagi and Ror community in next session starting March 14.
"A five member committee has already been constituted to prepare a draft of the bill to grant reservation under the ambit of the Constitution. The presidents of all registered political parties were asked to send the names of their representatives for the committee to pass the draft of the new bill," an official statement by the government said.
According to the government, the people associated with the agitation and others could submit their suggestions in this regard to the committees, so that their suggestions could be incorporated while drafting the bill.
"The issue of Jat reservation is not new in the state. Three commissions were constituted after Mandal commission and all of them had recognised Jat as a backward class in Haryana. We had submitted a memorandum to former PM VP Singh in 1990 requesting him to include Jats in the OBC quota. We have since been struggling for a reservation but governments under different political parties have not implemented it. If the Khattar government does not meet our demand, we would intensify our protest," said Yudhveer Singh, national secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha.
"Initially, we were protesting in peaceful manner. BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini had made objectionable remarks against the community which led to unrest among the people. He is responsible for provoking the Jats in the state, " Singh alleged.
Jat leaders have consistently tried to spread their stir to Punjab. Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha representatives recently met Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh in Patiala.
Haryana government has so far released an interim assistance of Rs 20 crore to 1,537 people whose properties were damaged in the recent agitation.
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Witness the political side of Jat quota stir
Jat agitation: Former Haryana CM Hooda's aide in soup over audio clip
Jat reservation stir: Delhi govt moves Supreme Court as water crisis looms largeThere aren't very many old-school restaurateurs left in the world, the kind who are the face of the business, who greet customers by name when they arrive, and who become cheerleaders for their neighborhoods and community. But Luis Navarro is exactly that. The owner of Long Beach's Lola's Mexican Cuisine, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary, has become known as one of the city's greatest boosters, with massive involvement in charitable initiatives and community projects. But he's also a familiar, smiling face who still greets guests every day at one of his restaurants (he owns the Social List as well).
Navarro was excited to share with us his favorite places to eat in Long Beach (and one in Costa Mesa), displaying the same enthusiasm for the restaurant community that he brings to everything he does. From coffee houses to fresh-pressed juice to comfort-food classics, here are his 15 picks:
Limu poké at Poké Etc. Tony Chen
15. Poké Etc.
"With the poké craze going on, this place has been doing what they do for years. Hawaiian-owned and -operated, this is the truest and most fresh and delicious poké in town. Don't expect any frills, just down-to-earth fresh fish and delicious Hawaiian poké. I get it spicy every time!" 1442 W. Willow St., Long Beach. (562) 426-8717.After reading a veiled threat online last weekend against Premier Rachel Notley, MLA Karen McPherson reported it to the legislature security team.
The Facebook post suggested that taking over the government would require "a lone gunman," adding it was not something the poster condoned but that "bad things happen to bad leaders."
McPherson had seen disturbing comments about the premier before, but this post on a Facebook page called Out the NDP in Alberta was of particular concern.
"The tone went from dissatisfied to more action focused," said McPherson, who has also been the target of online misogynistic comments since being elected in the riding of Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill in May.
"The comments I'd seen before that hadn't referred to harming anyone. That comment seemed to be a tipping point, where more of that violent imagery was used."
On Tuesday CBC revealed Notley's security detail is closely monitoring online activity following several posts that appear to threaten her life.
Many of those posts take aim at her gender, using profane references to female anatomy.
One post suggested someone kill the premier, calling her a c---.
Another said, "That dumb bitch is going to get herself shot."
Comments seek to degrade
Gender consultant Cristina Stasia described the comments as shocking and sexually violent, taking specific aim at the premier's gender.
"They're not calling her an idiot, they're calling her the c-word," she said. "They're not saying she's too progressive, they're calling her a bitch.
"And there's a fury that lurks underneath this about the fact that we have a woman running our province."
Stasia said the remarks seek to degrade but say little about policy and show Alberta, which is "saturated with misogyny and high rates of violence," still has a long way to go.
"That becomes incredibly clear when we see how emboldened people are on Facebook to threaten the life of a premier and think that they'll just get away with it."
People behind the comments need to know there are consequences, such as being outed or reported to their employers, Stasia said.
In May, Hydro One fired one of its Toronto employees after he was identified on social media as the heckler who shouted crude remarks at a female TV reporter.
Stasia also called for improved legislation to deal with social media threats. She urged online sites to take complaints more seriously and encouraged people to be vigilant about reporting offensive comments.
St. Albert MLA Marie Renaud said on three occasions she reported the posts about the premier to Facebook, but no action was taken.
"We reviewed the page you reported for harassment and found it doesn't violate our community standards," reads a message in response to her complaint."
On Tuesday, the Facebook page Albertans Against the NDP was pulled down, just hours after CBC ran its original story. It is now back up, but no longer public.
Female Alberta cabinet ministers have also had to put up with sexist online remarks about their appearance and weight.
"We need to do our best to get rid of gendered insults, because it's a way of undermining the power of women," said McPherson.
[email protected] @andreahuncarJazz wrote about it earlier, I know, but it warrants another post. Do you realize what you’re witnessing here? In a PC age, this shines as one of the single stupidest examples of political correctness we’re ever likely to see. It’s so fantastically stupid that the consensus among even ESPN-skeptic conservatives last night on Twitter when the news first broke was that it was a hoax, and that the statement from the network confirming the story at Clay Travis’s Outkick The Coverage site was either a prank that had fooled Travis or was written by Travis himself. Not until a Washington Post reporter received the same statement from ESPN did people begin to believe they had actually done this. It’s the “sensitivity” equivalent of a solar eclipse, rare and wondrous in its majesty. Partial PC eclipses happen all the time but few achieve totality. Don’t look directly at this one or it’ll blind you.
Every employee of this fading garbage network should be ruthlessly wedgied until they apologize.
Just received this email from an ESPN executive re the Robert Lee controversy. pic.twitter.com/OuBORlWO9f — Yashar Ali (@yashar) August 23, 2017
“Eventually.” Imagine this poor bastard being pulled aside by the imbeciles who run ESPN and being, ahem, “asked” not to cover the UVA game because he happens to share a name with a long-dead Confederate at the center of a renewed public debate over white supremacy and memorials. And when he wanted to know why, they wouldn’t even tell him the truth, that they didn’t want to risk getting cross-wise with the left on its latest crusade even by coincidence. “Because of the memes,” they told him.
Because of the memes. How are they doing meme-wise this morning?
Supposedly Lee gave in … “eventually.” The least the network could have done for him would have been to say “He fought us all the way on this.” Instead they made him complicit in idiocy to cover their own tracks. He should change his name to Stone Walljackson out of spite and demand to cover only SEC games from now on.
The headline on this S.E. Cupp piece insisting that the ESPN debacle will mean ultimate victory for Trump and his allies in the debate over monuments seems overstated at first blush, but I don’t know. Conservative media and talk radio will have a field day with it. Tucker Carlson hastily arranged to have Travis on his show last night in primetime, just a few hours after the story broke, sensing the legs the story might have. Absurdity this dense is worth its weight in PR gold to the anti-PC side:
It also rendered inarguably true the assertion made by President Trump himself as well as many others that this debate will descend quickly and embarrassingly down a slippery slope. I’d argue the pre-emptive removal of an Asian-American sportscaster, who had nothing to do with the Civil War or slavery, from a college football game simply because his name sounds similar doesn’t represent a gradual slope, but a 1000-foot cliff… The list of offensive iconography grows by the hundreds every day. From removing Lee statues all over the South to changing the name of Fenway Park’s Yawkey Way and Boston’s Faneuil Hall, even abolitionist strongholds aren’t spared the scrutiny of ravenous liberal activists on a mission to run as far as they can towards crazy with this argument.
I’m honestly surprised Trump hasn’t tweeted about it yet. I guess he was too busy dogging Jeff Flake this morning. He’ll get around to it.
Here’s Travis on Carlson’s show. In lieu of an exit question, I’ll make the same hackey joke a million other people made last night: What we need now is to find a Confederate general named Bob Costas somewhere in the historical record.THE official death toll from the collapse of the Rana Plaza clothing factory complex (pictured) on the outskirts of Dhaka is now over 1100, making it probably the deadliest industrial accident ever after Bhopal. Although the factory owners and the government officials who failed properly to regulate them are the main culprits, anger both in Bangladesh and internationally has stung into action many of the big multinational firms who have clothes made there. Ambitious plans have been announced to ensure that such a disaster will never happen again or, if it does, that they will not be credibly held to blame.
The most ambitious is a beefed up version of an industry scheme to monitor factories and help finance making them safe, proposed by the Workers Rights Consortium, an NGO. Until the factory collapse at Rana Plaza, this had languishd for a year with only two corporat signatories, too few to trigger the scheme. On May 15th the number of companies to sign up to the scheme rose to 31, including Carrefour, Marks & Spencer, Benetton and Inditex, the owner of Zara.
Yet although American clothing brands and retailers have been heavily involved in discussions about this plan, only two have signed up so far, PVH, owner of the Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Van Heusen brands, and Abercrombie & Fitch. On May 14th having led the American end of the negotiations, WalMart and the Gap both publicly came out against the plan.
Gap said it would have signed but for six lines of text in the plan. It exposes GAP to far too much litigation risk in America, which is far more llitigator friendly than Europe, the firm says. It called on its European counterparts to draft a less legally onerous version—so far to no effect. As Gap has earned a reputation in recent years as a responsible corporate citizen, this stance should not be dismissed lightly.
WalMart also decided not to sign, instead announcing yet more upgrades to an earlier inhouse plan it launched in the aftermath of earlier deadly factory fires in Bangladesh. As well as its existing "zero tolerance" policy towards factories that fail safety examinations, introduced in January, WalMart now says it will conduct inspections every two months in all the factories it uses in Bangladesh and publish the names of any that fail to pass muster.
This approach has been criticised by the Workers Rights Consortium because, unlike its plan, it contains no binding commitment to help fund improvements to make factories safe. Yet it is debatable whether wealthy factory owners really lack funds to make factories safe, as opposed to the lack of incentive due to the Bangladesh government's failure to enforce its own building code. WalMart points out that the government has now started to close unsafe fatories, 19 so far (presumably because of the constant protests by locals since the collapse of Rana Plaza). It says its new approach will detect unsafe factories significantly faster than the Workers Rights Consortium's plan.
Perhaps it would be better if everyone agreed on a common approach. But if there must be competition, it is surely better that it is over how to make factories safer than the alternative.I miss StarCraft, man. I just miss it.
StarCraft wasn’t a game for me, it was a lifestyle. It was a “no, I can’t go out tonight” sort of thing. A start-at-7PM-end-at-2AM thing. StarCraft bent me to its will. It made my brain operate in new ways, taught my fingers to click and type in a new rhythm, conditioned my ass to fight the burn of sustained sitting. It asked me to learn how to lose without rage, to learn from my mistakes, to iterate, to memorize stupid build orders. Most of all, StarCraft was a new way to be friends with people.
StarCraft was a start-at-7PM-end-at-2AM thing for me
On a typical StarCraft night, I’d hop on to see if any of my friends were around. I had a “crew,” I guess you could say, and if any of them were around we’d chat a bit, figure out the status of our other members, and then jump into a team battle. If it was just me, I’d dive into random 1v1, the “real” StarCraft multiplayer. The balance of these activities was important: the 1v1 made me a better StarCraft player, a more valuable member of the crew; the team battles were why I played StarCraft.
Without the internet, StarCraft II is inoperable — and besides, I never cared much for the single player campaign or AI battles.
The worst part of losing StarCraft has been losing touch with my buddy Erik — an old friend from high school who has stayed in touch over the years. Before I left the internet, we would play StarCraft a couple times a week, regularly plotting strategies in gaming and in life over the phone. Once I left the internet, our phone conversations became more frequent. He was a lifeline to that world, and of course we leaned more on our extra-StarCraft commonalities, which was good for our friendship. And then, in the fall, he moved to China.
In an age of email and Skype, other-side-of-the-globe isn’t a total tragedy. But in my self-limited version of life, it’s meant that Erik and I haven’t spoken since he left. I don’t even have a mailing address for him… we didn’t exactly think this through.
I guess I thought by now I’d have found an alternative to StarCraft, a new game, a new “crew,” maybe even a new Erik. But it’s just not that easy.
I bought an expensive Warhammer starter set, and painted a couple figurines — it was all going so well
Originally, I figured I’d replace StarCraft with Warhammer 40,000, a tabletop wargame with aliens and space marines doing battle — in fact, much of StarCraft’s lore was ripped directly from Warhammer. I bought an expensive starter set, and painted a couple figurines. It was all going so well. Everybody wanted to know when I was going to play Warhammer. Everybody thought it was so cool that I was going to play Warhammer. The trouble was, nobody actually wanted to play Warhammer, least of all myself.
The problem with Warhammer is that it’s insane. Matches take days to unfold, especially once you get up to the recommended number of troops. To do battle in Warhammer you roll a number of dice for various reasons, and use a measuring tape or protractor to plot out moves for your troops, and roll more dice, and fight each unit against each other unit in painstaking detail. In StarCraft you just click once to perform all of the above. The other problem with Warhammer is that it takes a lot of space. I have to nearly rearrange my entire apartment to get a game of Catan going — a Warhammer setup would destroy me.
The final nail in the Warhammer coffin is that it’s more than a game — it’s a hobby. I had a hobby, with a capital H, once upon a time. Model trains. I inherited some HO scale electric trains from my grandpa, and my dad and I set out to build a track in our basement. We got about 10 or 20 man hours in and gave up. We had that piece of plywood, with the cork rail base nailed to it and a big chunk sawed out, for years, but never touched it again. The idea of collecting and painting little Warhammer figurines gives me model train flashbacks.
Magic the Gathering is the real king of offline games. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s a card game sort of like Pokémon or Yu Gi Oh, except it’s more “grown up” and harder to play ironically. There are monsters and spells and mana and elaborate illustrations on every card of bikini-clad sorceresses and large-thighed barbarian warriors.
At first I thought I wouldn’t like Magic because of the hobby-ish, card-collecting aspect and the embarrassing fantasy trappings. But after further investigation, I discovered I didn’t like Magic because it’s hard.
I dropped by a “Friday Night Magic” in Long Island a few weeks back to check out the scene. This wasn’t the sort of detached I-used-to-play-this-growing-up Magic that NYU students play in Manhattan clubs. This was a serious nerd haven. Gameplay etiquette was at a maximum, hygiene was at a minimum, women were scarce, and many guys were wearing what appeared to be pajamas while addressing each other as “sir” in a sort of Renaissance-Faire-lite affectation. Everyone I met was nice, welcoming, helpful, intelligent, passionate, self-confident, at ease, and basically great. But I still felt like I didn’t belong.
I need to hide behind screen and keyboard
There’s just no shortcut to being part of a community like that. Most people I met grew up with Magic, perhaps even grew up via Magic. Without extensive knowledge of the cards, the gameplay, the “meta game,” the people, or really anything relevant to the situation at hand, all I could do was sit there and ask dumb questions. With StarCraft, I’ve already asked most of the dumb questions.
Of course, I might just be nerd prejudiced. The “Friday Night Magic” crowd wasn’t enough like my crowd, the BarCraft and Twitch.tv scene, for me to feel at home there. Maybe I’m not man enough to game out in the open like that, face to face with my opponent. I need to hide behind screen and keyboard. In StarCraft, etiquette extends to saying “glhf” before a game and “gg” after. In Magic, you can get in trouble for not shuffling your cards correctly.
Whatever the ultimate reason might be, fear, inadequacy, or just plain good taste, I’m sticking with StarCraft. I have three months left without the internet. I’m going to wait it out.Influencer Negotiation: What is Fair?
You led with a pitch to the influencer, and because you understood the appropriate value assignment and picked the right product influencers it was a solid pitch. However, you find yourself now with a reply from an influencer asking for more. What to do, what to do? If you’re lost already, this is article 11 of a 14 part series on influencer marketing. I do recommend starting there to get the full benefit of this piece, or at minimum the other two articles referenced on selecting the best influencers and pitching them.
Is it Worth it?
The first question as you see the reply in front of you is whether or not negotiation is worth your time. Should you simply move on to different influencers or continue the conversation?
If you applied the rough mathematics associated with picking the right product influencers, then your target is of the best possible fit for you. In such a case, I would advise at lease continuing with the process. If you applied more of a scattershot approach and have contacted a large number of influencers on your campaign, then you may be alright politely declining to pay more / give more. Just don’t ignore the message; that isn’t professional.
Pick a Negotiating Strategy
The next consideration is how you anticipate using influencers and influencer networks like Intellifluence in the future. There are two primary schools of thought: relational negotiating and transactional negotiating. Let’s explore the differences.
Relational — long term focused, viewing the current transaction as one of a series of many future transactions. The focus is less on haggling and more on choice selection, where trust is more important than time expended in making that choice. If the transaction is successful, a repeat transaction is likely, and is important in businesses where word-of-mouth is crucial.
Transactional — short term focused, where the future transactions are less of a consideration. The focus on today’s deal and haggling for the best one. Trust and loyalty aren’t nearly as strong of factors; this style of negotiating is more about winning. If the other party perceives a win, then it is a strong word-of-mouth marketing takes places to other similar negotiators.
Which is right for influencer marketing though? On one hand, if you have a successful campaign, you’ll want to be able to use the same influencer again for follow-ups, future product launches, etc. On the other hand, let’s make a stronger assumption: if you’re reading this, you may have discovered some influencers and pitched, not fully knowing what to expect as a ROI, and thus in order to even consider employing the strategy back, you need a win.
To make this work as well as possible, we’re going to approach this negotiation as a polite transactional, which leaves the door open in the future for a greater relationship to flourish. In order to do this, let’s employ the Harvard Business Review’s 9 steps to getting the deal done.
Step 1: Determine satisfactory outcome for the influencer review
On your end, the satisfactory outcome would be a review on the right social channels that deliver traffic that converts into sales. How many sales? For your reviewer? An appropriate compensation for the time expended. At this stage, you don’t yet know what the appropriate compensation is — hence the negotiation.
Step 2: Identify the opportunities to create value
This is the common ground phase; you more or less have already covered that. Both parties believe the product is worth reviewing and the influencer is worth receiving some form of compensation for his or her time.
Step 3: Identify your BATNA and reservation price
A BATNA is the Best Alternative To Negotiated Agreement. Given the type of transaction we’re discussing, your BATNA could be to give the same amount of product and compensation to the next influencer on your list; or it could be to spend the money on PPC, or any number of activities. Knowing the highest price you’ll pay and your alternative if a deal can’t be reached that fits within those parameters is key, but so is trying to determine the other party’s BATNA. If the influencer declines the review at your current offer levels, is there another review waiting to be handled? Is the influencer highly sought after and thus is always busy? Or, is the alternative more free time? These are important considerations.
Step 4: Improve your BATNA
It goes without saying that the better your alternative is, the stricter you can be in your current negotiations. As an example, continue researching other influencers that might actually be a better fit and at better pricing, and continue testing other forms of traffic (always test, forever test).
Step 5: Get the decision maker
For all intents and purposes, the influencer responding to your pitch is the decision maker. However, that isn’t always the case. It is possible that the pitch/negotiation is being handled by an assistant — a caveat before you attempt to circumvent, the process may exist for a reason and attempts to bypass might result in burning a bridge. If you feel very strongly about the deal offered, believe it is also perfect for the influencer, and have determined that you aren’t getting anywhere with the support staff, then you may have nothing to lose by approaching directly via the social channels to indicate how excited you are to be working with said influencer in the future, if terms can be met.
Step 6: Study like the test is tomorrow
The more you know about your counterparty the better. Granted, you may not have time to invest in this, but assuming this were an aspirational influencer pitch it would be vital to understand the influencer’s personality, negotiating style, cultural background, goals…essentially anything that might impact a decision maker’s thought process. The more you understand, the easier it’ll be to understand your counterparty’s BATNA and help to frame your offer in a way that exceeds that while remaining within your own scope of success.
Step 7: Prepare for process flexibility
Essentially, this is where you are. You pitched and received a counter, perhaps unexpectedly. Negotiations don’t always follow the same volley of counters back and forth; sometimes strange and unpleasant situations arise out of emotional misunderstandings that can derail the overall process. Maybe someone else takes over negotiation for the influencer; maybe the counter keeps increasing instead of narrowing to something you’d be willing to pay. Patience is key; be calm, collected, firm with regards to your reservation price and BATNA, yet creative enough to find a solution that wins for everyone.
Step 8: Establish fairness
If the deal is to work, both parties need to be happy that the deal on the table (er…inbox) is both fair and reasonable. If you were to research current and comparable rates for similar review types and audience sizes, which might go a long ways to helping the influencer understand you aren’t trying to take advantage, but instead are wanting to pay a fair price. Your criteria for fairness may not be the same as the influencer though, so be prepared to explain why your formula is the preferred method — conversely, if the influencer is able to counter with even better criteria and data than you currently have, you may feel hard-pressed to reject the proposal and thus feel more satisfied with the proposed deal.
Step 9: Alter the process
The inverse of step 7, if you feel that your ideas and criteria are being ignored, you can always alter the process in your favor by bringing in one of your own support staff to complete the transaction with limited knowledge only on price you’re willing to pay and number/type of reviews you’re willing to accept. Sometimes, changing who sits at the table can more readily result in a deal.
Negotiate with an Eye to the Future
Just remember throughout the process to remain positive and focused on the goal of working with the influencer, including possibly again in the future. As such, be helpful in providing information, explaining your position, and if you are stuck, consider sharing why you are pitching with the product quantity and compensation levels that you are based on the criteria you used to determine what success might look like. If you found this by searching elsewhere on negotiating strategies and are intrigued on negotiating with influencers, you can get started by signing up here.LAS VEGAS—At the 2016 NAB Show, The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers will present “The Future of Cinema Conference: The Immortal Movie,” which will explore how content creators and storytellers combine artistry with motion imaging technology to thrive today and into the future.
SMPTE leadership with students during the 2015 NAB Show.
The conference, which hopes to inspire a new generation of filmmakers, will also feature "First Forays: High Dynamic Range in Animation," a session that will examine the benefits and challenges afforded by technology to the animating industry. Also, leaders in the alternate-content realm will discuss technical innovations during the session, "How Does Event Cinema Deal With Advanced Technologies?"
Conference sessions will also discuss the future of event cinema as it relates to distributing content to theaters in 4K/8K, wide color gamut, higher frame rate, and high dynamic range. And film director Ang Lee will give the keynote address, "Pushing the Limits of Cinema," where he’ll discuss his vision for cinema and creative opportunities for the future of filmmaking, among other conference presentations.
The 2016 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 18-21. SMPTE will be in booth L28. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.Police surround protesters on the Spring Street tram tracks. Credit:Jason South They formed a ring around the teenage girl, believed to be a Camberwell High School student, who became the centre-point of the protest. The teenager, who identified herself as Tallulah, sat on tram lines and other protesters linked arms in a tight ring around her to block police officers from removing her. Police eventually removed the group, lifting them by the arms and legs one by one. The intersection of Spring and Bourke Streets was cleared about 4.30pm. Sam Castro was one of the last protesters to be removed from the ring.
Teenage students sat on tram tracks on Spring Street during the heated protest. Credit:Jason South The co-founder of WikiLeaks support group, Whistleblowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance (WACA), said Talullah was one of the first people to sit down on the road. "She made it quite clear she didn’t want to get up," Ms Castro, who had three children about the girl’s age, said. The teenage girl at the centre of the protest outside Parliament. Credit:Jane Lee "When I asked her her age and she said 15 there was no way I was going to leave her sitting there to face police by herself."
Asked why she was there, the girl told Ms Castro "I'm fighting for my future, I want to go to uni and I’m not moving.'" Ms Castro said Talullah’s mother had known she was going to the rally, but found out by text message that she was sitting on tram tracks. Ms Castro said she thought the girl was very brave and "gets the seriousness of what’s going on. Our job as older activists was to protect her (from police)." Talullah was questioned by police but it is believed she was later released and left the scene with her mother. Jacob Grech, who spoke at the protest on behalf of Trades Hall, said about 18 protesters were arrested, including three minors, but later let go after police took their names and details.
Thousands of students turned up to the National Union of Students protest when it started at the State Library, with Greens MP Adam Bandt and Labor higher education spokeswoman Kate Ellis both re-affirming their vow to vote against the budget. They cheered as a copy of the budget papers were set alight in a cooking pot and marched down Swanston Street to State Parliament. Police blocked Bourke Street at Exhibition Street as the students continued their protest at the steps of parliament. They chanted slogans, including "bullshit, come off it, our education is not for profit" and "block the budget." Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young also appeared beside Mr Bandt holding a sign that read: "A first degree shouldn't cost a second mortgage".
National Union of Students' education officer Sarah Garnham called for Education Minister Christopher Pyne to resign and said this would be the first of several protests against the Coalition's budget with planned demonstrations against changes to Medicare. Ms Garnham told Fairfax Media, marchers were protesting against the budget, which she said was the "worst budget in Australian history for students". "It imposes unlimited fee increases, massive attacks on the HECS scheme and a demolition on student welfare and welfare for young people more generally," she said. Ms Garnham, 26, said students were "outraged...by the fact the government has, since the budget
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just kept going?
Asking around, you hear about a bauble, called the Amulet of Yendor by some, which, if you can find it, will bring you great wealth. One legend you were told even mentioned that the one who finds the amulet will be granted immortality by the gods. The amulet is rumored to be somewhere beyond the Valley of Gehennom, deep within the Mazes of Menace. Upon hearing the legends, you immediately realize that there is some profound and undiscovered reason that you are to descend into the caverns and seek out that amulet of which they spoke. Even if the rumors of the amulet's powers are untrue, you decide that you should at least be able to sell the tales of your adventures to the local minstrels for a tidy sum, especially if you encounter any of the terrifying and magical creatures of your dreams along the way. You spend one last night fortifying yourself at the local inn, becoming more and more depressed as you watch the odds of your success being posted on the inn's walls getting lower and lower.
In the morning you awake, collect your belongings, and set off for the dungeon. After several days of uneventful travel, you see the ancient ruins that mark the entrance to the Mazes of Menace. It is late at night, so you make camp at the entrance and spend the night sleeping under the open skies. In the morning, you gather your gear, eat what may be your last meal outside, and enter the dungeon...NEW YORK -- Bud Black hung on to win this race. Ron Gardenhire became a first-time manager of the year, too, after so many near misses.
A month after his San Diego Padres were knocked out of the playoff chase on the final day, Black nudged the Cincinnati Reds' Dusty Baker by one point for the NL award Wednesday.
"I guess this vote was sort of like our season, it came down to the wire," Black said on a conference call.
Gardenhire was the clear choice in the American League, earning the honor after five times as the runner-up. He led the Minnesota Twins to their sixth AL Central title in nine seasons.
"Congrats to the best manager in bestball!" Twins center fielder Denard Span tweeted. "Way overdue!" Span tweeted an apology moments later for misspelling baseball.
Said Gardenhire: "It's pretty neat to have your name mentioned up there."
Black was selected after guiding San Diego to a 15-game turnaround despite the second-lowest payroll in the majors. The Padres finished 90-72 and led the NL West until a late 10-game slump and then a loss to the San Francisco Giants on the last day eliminated them.
Black drew 16 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and got 104 points. Baker had 13 first-place votes and 103 points.
Bruce Bochy of the World Series champion Giants, the Atlanta Braves' retiring Bobby Cox and Philadelphia Phillies' Charlie Manuel got the other first-place votes.
"This was a great year in the NL," said Black, who was on a golf course near San Diego when he got the word. "I guess this vote could've gone either way. I feel fortunate that I won. All these guys are so deserving."
Baker, a three-time manager of the year, led the NL Central champion Reds to their first playoff spot since 1995. He was listed on 27 of the 32 ballots while Black was picked on 26.
"I'm not terribly disappointed because I didn't expect it," Baker told The Associated Press. "Buddy did a great job."
Baker was in the mountains of California when he heard the vote totals. The announcement came on the one-year anniversary of his father's death.
"When I woke up today, I was thinking about my dad, not the award," Baker said. "He'd be proud of me."
This marked the third time that the NL Manager of the Year was decided by a single point. There was a tie for the AL honor in 1996 between Joe Torre and Johnny Oates.
Two BBWAA voters from every league city send in three top choices when the regular season ends. Votes were counted on a 5-3-1 basis.
Gardenhire drew 16 first-place votes and 108 points and was the only AL manager listed on all 28 ballots.
Ron Washington, who started the year with a cocaine admission and ended it with the Texas Rangers' first trip to the World Series, was next in the AL with 10 first-place votes and 81 points. The Tampa Bay Rays' Joe Maddon and Toronto Blue Jays' retiring Cito Gaston drew the other first-place votes.
"It's pretty cool," Gardenhire said on a conference call from Florida.
The last time a manager won the award without making the playoffs was 2006, when Joe Girardi got it with the Florida Marlins.
The pitching-rich Padres were a surprise all season and led the division by 6½ games on Aug. 25. But San Diego's inability to hit proved to be its downfall.
Needing a win to keep playing, San Diego lost 3-0 at San Francisco on the last day and tarnished the year -- "162 defines your season," Black summed up.
"It still stings," he said.
Black moved the Padres within one win of a playoff berth for the second time in his four seasons. His first season as manager, in 2007, the Padres lost an epic 13-inning wild-card tiebreaker game at Colorado.
A former pitcher who once played under Baker, Black was hired by the Padres after Bochy was forced out following the 2006 season.
Black and Bochy are the lone Padres winners for the manager award, first presented in 1983. That first year, Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros' Bob Lillis by one point. In 1985, the St. Louis Cardinals' Whitey Herzog topped Cincinnati's Pete Rose by a point.
Gardenhire became the first manager in baseball history to win six division titles in his first nine seasons. Despite another loss to the New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs, there are many in the Minnesota organization who feel that he had his best year as a manager.
"A lot of good things came out this season," he said.
Always focusing on fundamentals, he won his 800th career game in September and another division title despite playing the entire year without closer Joe Nathan and most of it minus former MVP Justin Morneau. Gardenhire shuffled his lineups and batting order constantly.
Minnesota finished 94-68 in its first season at Target Field. The Twins were swept by New York in the opening round, the fourth time in eight seasons they've been eliminated by the Yankees.
"It's getting old, getting knocked out," Gardenhire said. "Not finishing second" in the voting, "that's good. Now if we go whack the Yankees in the playoffs next year, we'll get that done."
Gardenhire joined Tom Kelly as the only managers in Twins history to win the award. Gardenhire finished second the last two years, along with 2006, '04 and '03.
The next BBWAA award will be the AL Cy Young, to be announced Thursday.I first took an interest in Multi Club Ownerships (I like to refer to them as MCOs) back in the summer of 2012 when the Pozzo family completed their takeover of the team I support – Watford. Obviously wanting to do some research on the new owners, I looked around and found they’d been very successful with their model, which in turn made me wonder why MCOs weren’t widespread. This has changed significantly within the last five years and MCOs are quietly beginning to creep into mainstream football, and I strongly believe that whether you like the idea or not, they are here to stay and will form the future of football.
But what exactly is an MCO and what are the benefits of such a system? A multi club ownership is where an individual or company owns multiple football clubs, often in different countries. The reasoning behind each MCO differs greatly, but ultimately comes down to one factor – money.
There’s numerous ways clubs using the multi club model can benefit financially from such a system, and brand awareness is a huge factor. The football market is huge and growing quickly, and with masses of fans in Africa and the Far East wanting to support a “top” team, big clubs are starting their own teams in these areas to help push their club brand. This also has the added benefit of potentially spotting a future superstar, saving the club millions in potential transfer fees, which brings me nicely to the next reason for owning multiple clubs – player development.
Football players are more valuable than ever so it’s no wonder that owners are wanting to protect their investments and future source of income. Imagine if a top club has an 18-year-old prospect that’s not quite up to the level of the first team. Currently they could send him on loan to a club, but he might not suit the new team’s system or may not get game-time which could hinder their development, thus cutting into the potential value of the player. With an MCO, the player could be sent out to another club within the owner’s system, allowing his development to be monitored “in-house”.
However, alongside the advantages, there are disadvantages to the system. Existing fans of a club that has just been bought may not like having their club labelled as a “feeder” club, and the new owners may even want to rename the club or the ground (as seen with the Red Bull teams) which is unlikely to win them fan approval. There’s also the point of view that it’s another nail in the coffin for traditional football, with commercialism embedding itself deeper into the culture of the game.
This series will investigate each MCO that is present in football at the moment along with what purpose they’re serving, and my predicted future for each group, starting with the Pozzos.
The Pozzo Group
In 1986, Italian businessman Giampaolo Pozzo purchased his lifelong team, Udinese Calcio. The first few years of his ownership weren’t easy with implications in match fixing scandals and relegation battles. The next few years were spent as a yoyo club, bouncing between Serie A and B with little direction, however that soon changed in 1993 when Giampaolo’s son, Gino, joined the club. It was his son’s idea that would really take the club forward. As the Pozzos weren’t particularly wealthy, and couldn’t compete financially with most clubs in Serie A, he realised they needed to do things a bit differently. His idea was to set up a massive worldwide scouting network, to find young talented footballers before others beat them to it. These youngsters would help Udinese on the pitch, but then when bigger clubs came knocking, they would happily sell them on (providing the price was right). The profits from this would then be invested in more young players, meaning that when one player was sold, somebody equally as talented would be ready to take their place.
The list of players that they have “discovered” is extraordinary, and includes: Alexis Sanchez (plucked from the Chilean league for just £500k), Samir Handanović (bought on a free), Mehdi Benatia (bought on a free), Asamoah Gyan, Odion Ighalo, Sulley Muntari, Oliver Bierhoff and Gokhan Inler to name a few.
They focused on scouting undervalued markets such as Africa, Eastern Europe and South American countries such as Colombia and Chile. This allowed them to keep outgoing fees low as buying a player from a club in Colombia would cost significantly less than a player of equal ability from a country such as Brazil or Argentina.
The system was such a success that they soon had too many talented players waiting for their shot in Europe, so the next logical step was to buy a new club to send players out on loan to. Keeping with the careful financial approach they used for buying players, they applied the same methods for purchasing a new club, so in 2009 they purchased debt-ridden (and close to administration) Granada who were in the 3rd tier of Spanish football. An influx of loan players (10 in total) made their way to Granada and they sealed promotion moving up to the Segunda division. More loans made their way to Granada including the likes Allan Nyom (now at West Brom), Luis Muriel (Sampdoria), Guilherme Siqueira (Valencia) to join the likes of Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai) who were already there. Granada finished 5th and ended up beating Elche in the play-off final courtesy of an Ighalo goal, sealing their promotion into La Liga for the first time in the club’s history.
The model was proven to be a success once again, so the Pozzos set their sights higher – both clubs and the transfer model could be taken to new levels if they could have a club that was earning plenty of money to help bankroll the operation. Naturally they set their sights upon purchasing a club in England due to the huge TV rights deal that was about to be put into place, so in the summer of 2012 they purchased Championship side Watford for a deal believed to be in the region of £12m.
Again an influx of players joined on loan (12 from Udinese and 2 from Granada) as Watford narrowly missed out on promotion in their debut season of Pozzo ownership (losing to Crystal Palace in the play-off final) and would take another 2 seasons before promotion to the Premier League was gained.
Sadly for the Pozzos the footballing landscape has changed significantly over the last few years, teams are less willing to fork out the transfer fees they once were and are now chasing players at younger ages from further afield – stepping on the Pozzos feet in the process. It is probably the reason why the Pozzos decided to sell Granada to a Chinese investment group in the summer of 2016 (not before transferring 2 of their brightest prospects – Isaac Success and Adalberto Peñaranda to Watford first).
The Pozzos have had to adopt a different transfer strategy with Watford than they have with Udinese and Granada – the Premier League is simply too competitive with too much at stake to field a team mostly made of young talented prospects, so they’ve built a team of decent seasoned pros instead. In the future as Watford become more established in the Premier League I fully expect them to invest in some talented youth players, and use Udinese to prepare them for football at a higher level. They can also use Watford’s significant income to buy players who were previously financially out of the reach of Udinese (such as the transfer of Sven Kums to Watford from Gent for €10m last summer, who then instantly went to Udinese on loan).
The Pozzos have shown themselves as shrewd owners who are always one step ahead of the competition, and I expect both Udinese and Watford to thrive under their ownership for years to come.
Join me in Episode 2 as I investigate the behemoth that is the City Football Group, and whilst you wait for that, make sure you give me a follow on Twitter (@From_The_Wing).Remember the Firefox collections feature? No? Then you are not the only one. Back in 2009 Mozilla introduced collections to the official Firefox Add-ons repository. With this feature users could create their own add-on collections, and publish them publicly on the Mozilla website. A collection usually listed between 5 and 30 different add-ons that other Firefox users could then install more comfortably in the browser.
There was no option to install all add-ons in one go though, but a third party add-on Massive Extender made that possible. The collections in theory were quite useful, as many were curated by Firefox users in the know. Mozilla itself created a few, for web developers and travelers for instance, and other users added theirs which soon became popular as well.
One of the issues here was that the creator of the collection had to maintain the list. Add-ons that were not updated anymore or even entirely removed by their author or Mozilla from the Add-ons repository had to be removed, new add-ons had to be added and so on.
Mozilla yesterday announced that it has made the decision to retire the Add-on Collector. The core reason for retiring the extension are the following:
The add-on is not popular, only "a few hundred people have used the add-on in the past few months".
The Add-on Collector would need a rewrite of all APIs once Mozilla goes forward with plans to improve the collections feature.
Some of the features that the add-on offered were already integrated into the site natively.
Firefox users should not confuse the Add-on Collector add-on, with the collections feature itself. From the announcement it is clear, that Mozilla plans to retire the former and improve the latter.
Have you used collections in the past? If so, which features would you like to see to make the feature more attractive and usable? (via Techdows)
AdvertisementIn this article, I will describe the new features and changes to Hyper-V in the recent 1709 semi-annual channel release of Windows Server.
The Semi-Annual Channel
1709 is the first semi-annual channel release of Windows Server by Microsoft, so it’s probably a good idea to have a quick reminder of what this means. Microsoft split the timing of releases for Windows Server. The year-themed releases, such as Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2016 will continue to occur; these are known as the long-term servicing channel or LTSC. But twice a year, Microsoft will also distribute a semi-annual channel (SAC) release. The SAC is available to customers that:
Acquired Software Assurance with Windows Server
Opted into the SAC via a clean installation of 1709
Microsoft will gradually improve Windows Server features in SAC releases. “Most” of these features will be bundled into later LTSC releases. From time to time, you might see a feature not included (at all) in a SAC release, so you’ll have to use an older build. For example, in 1709, Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) is missing; you have to deploy S2D clusters using Windows Server 2016 LTSC media, and 1803 will include an updated version of S2D.
Note that SAC is intended for customers that want/need the latest releases, such as those working with containers or using Windows Server for infrastructure roles (S2D and/or virtualization). Microsoft provides 18 months of support for each released build.
1709 is our first SAC release and it has a number of improvements for Hyper-V customers that are worth highlighting.
Containers
1709 was when Microsoft admitted that they were wrong about Nano Server. Containerization customers wanted a smaller Nano Server and infrastructure customers wanted a bigger Nano Server (or just Windows Server). Microsoft decided to abandon plans to use Nano Server for normal workloads and to focus on providing a micro-OS for containerization.
As a result, the images for containers were made much smaller:
Server Core is 60 percent smaller.
Nano Server is 80 percetn smaller, coming in at a tiny 195MB (minus PowerShell).
This will make containers smaller, but more importantly, Hyper-V (secured) containers will be faster to deploy.
Speaking of Hyper-V Containers, 1709 also added support for running Linux as the OS in Hyper-V containers.
Some improvements were made to container storage too:
Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) Access : A container running inside a virtual machine on an S2D cluster can store/access persistent data on that cluster’s CSVs.
: A container running inside a virtual machine on an S2D cluster can store/access persistent data on that cluster’s CSVs. SMB Global Mapping: You can map a share to a drive letter inside of a container.
Also, Docker added a whole bunch of support for 1709.
Virtual Machines
Enough with the containers, already! 1709 is very container-centric and there’s not all that much to report with virtual machines. I guess we’re reaching a point where Microsoft is happy with Hyper-V’s progress.
Failover Clustering allows you to load balance virtual machines across the nodes of the cluster, based on resource utilization. This has been improved with OS and application awareness.
Microsoft has been working on storage-class memory for virtual machines, using high-speed flash storage devices, called Persistent Memory or PMEM, for ultra-low latency volumes. NTFS-formatted volumes (non-volatile DIMMs) can be direct-attached to virtual machines. Virtualization Persistent Memory (vPMEM) can be deployed in the form of a.vhdpmem file on this storage for extreme IOPS and low latency, making even NVME storage look slow. This new file is attached to the virtual machine via a vPMEM controller and this is only possible via PowerShell today.
Another new file format has been added for virtual machines. A.vmgs file is used for version 8.2 or higher Hyper-V virtual machines and is used to store the virtual machine guest state.
Security
One might consider Windows Server 2016 as the “Security Release” for Hyper-V. Shielded virtual machines, Host Guardian Service (HGS) and virtual TPM (vTPM) prevented tampering with virtual machines by people with physical host/storage access and gave peace of mind to tenants. This continues with 1709.
The HGS can run as a shielded virtual machine, meaning that you don’t need to use the previously required cluster of 3 physical servers.
Linux is supported as a shielded virtual machine.
You can encrypt software-defined virtual networks to secure data in transit between virtual machines.
Nano Server
The role of Nano Server as a physical or virtual machine installation has ended. All the bits to enable this have been removed. From now on, Nano Server is a micro-OS for containers. If you wanted a stripped-down server or virtual machine, then you should now use Server Core.
Project Honolulu
On the theme of being wrong about Nano Server, there was a big “about face” when it came to management via the GUI. After nearly a decade of MMC.EXE (the platform that powers most of Windows Server administration) being deprecated, Microsoft has finally started work on a new administrative experience … and it looks good!
Project Honolulu is not Server Manager or any of the other old/slow tools that auto-started with each release of Windows Server since 2000. It’s a whole new effort, built on HTML 5, based on customer feedback. Instead, Honolulu is a single platform with lots of tools that provide us with the tools and information that we need to run a server/application infrastructure.
Honolulu is not finished; it’s work in progress. I said that this tool is based on feedback. Microsoft is starving for your feedback, so they want you to try Honolulu out and to supply feedback to shape its future.
Storage Spaces Direct (S2D)
This is a good news and a bad news story. Yes, S2D is definitely still alive and will appear with much more functionality in the 1803 release. Microsoft “storage and clustering” have been very busy responding to feedback and improving S2D clusters. Unfortunately, the bits weren’t of high enough quality for the 1709 release, so you cannot deploy S2D in a 1709 deployment. If you want to use S2D before 1803, then you must use the WS2016 media. Furthermore, the cluster cannot include any 1709 nodes/hosts. But at least Microsoft has done the right thing, and you will get something better next Spring!Methanogenic life forms, such as those seen here under a microscope, could survive under Martian conditions. Rafal Kwiatkowski / Shutterstock
Methanogenic lifeforms have survived under simulated Martian conditions. The discovery not only represents a small boost for the chances of life on Mars, but also demonstrates that, if the red planet turns out to be sterile, it would be relatively easy for us to terraform it.
In the quest for life on Mars it is often assumed that if simple forms of life were to evolve there they would only need water and salts to survive. However, Rebecca Mickol, a PhD student at the University of Arkansas, pointed out to the American Society for Microbiology's annual conference that, “The low surface pressure of Mars (7 mbar) is one condition that any extant life at the surface or near subsurface would need to endure.”
Deeper within Mars, pressures increase, but life at depth may face other challenges.
As even at the top of Mount Everest the pressure is 300mb, no life on Earth has got used to facing such conditions. Nevertheless, Mickol wanted to see whether it would be a problem for single-celled organisms to adapt.
She chose four species that turn hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane (Methanothermobacter wolfeii, Methanosarcina barkeri, Methanobacterium formicicum and Methanococcus maripaludis), collectively known as methanogens, and tested their ability to survive in water under pressures as low as 6 mbar. The chamber in which the organisms and their water solution were placed was given a thin atmosphere of 80% hydrogen and 20% carbon dioxide. The species are all members of the Archaea, which are neither bacteria nor eukaryotes.
All four species survived the ordeal, demonstrating that low pressures are not an inherent obstacle to life, even among species that have not had time to acclimatize. The work follows Mickol's previous demonstrations that two species can survive being repeatedly frozen and thawed in a manner likely to be experienced by Martian life.
“These organisms are ideal candidates for life on Mars,” Mickol said. “All methanogen species displayed survival after exposure to low pressure, indicated by methane production in both original and transfer cultures following each experiment.” Since methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, their widespread presence would warm the planet.
When Curiosity detected methane last year the possibility that it might have come from methanogenic species created great excitement, although volcanic sources are also possible. Debate continues as to the possibility that the source may be Curiosity itself.
The downside of the discovery is that organisms that sneak on board robotic missions to Mars may flourish there, whether we want them to or not, emphasizing the need to thoroughly sterilize whatever we send to Mars, until we know if it already has life.
Another presentation in the same session found that many of the microbes collected from the Viking probes prior to sterilization are untroubled by salty environments, such as those on Mars.Good News: The Shawshank Oak Tree is Alive and Well
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When the giant oak tree made famous by the film “The Shawshank Redemption” was split in two by a storm last summer, the world took notice. News sites like TMZ, the Guardian, the Daily Mail, and even National Public Radio covered the unfortunate event. People expressed their sadness on message boards. The oak, a quiet celebrity before, was suddenly recognized as an international natural icon.
Unfortunately, the future of the tree – located in Mansfield, Ohio (and part of its popular “Shawshank Redemption Trail”) – was in doubt after an initial damage assessment. “The tree was rotted in the middle,” said Louis Andres of the Malabar Farm State Park. “I’m sorry to see it go. It’s a landmark. A lot of people always are asking about it.”
While reports suggested that the Mansfield community was rallying to save the tree, very little news filtered out after last summer. But good news: a little digging brought to me a a group called “The Shawshank Oak Tree, Ltd.” Part of the Shawshank Redemption Trail I mentioned earlier, they’re apparently raising money to protect the tree by selling branded souvenirs and other related merchandise. The group also recently posted this short update on their Facebook page:
“The Shawshank Oak Tree, Ltd., is pleased to announce that on May 18, 2012 the following individuals representing The Ohio Division of Forestry as well as The Ohio Department of Agriculture visited and personally inspected The Shawshank Oak Tree: ODNR Service Forester John Jolliff, ODNR Regional Urban, Forester Lisa M. Bowers and Ohio Department Of Agriculture Plant, and Pest Supervisor James Slyh.”
“All Parties concur … The Shawshank Oak Tree is Alive and Well!”
So there ya go “Shawshank” fans: The iconic oak is still standing guard over that gorgeous field on Pleasant Valley Rd. As the character Andy says in the film: “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
Interested in making a visit to Mansfield? Check out the tourism details here.When purchasing raw material Yamadori… that is trees that have been collected and are in the first container that they were established, many folk are concerned that the transition to a smaller container would be too traumatic an undertaking.
Timing, health and understanding the resilience of the species is essential when doing this work.
The example shown here is a yew tree that I am developing for David Carvalho from Portugal, the tree has been in its first container for three years and is ready to be moved to a much smaller ‘bonsai pot’ size container.
Checking the roots we see that it pot is full and there is Mycorrhiza present, good evidence of a healthy root system. The establishing planting medium is still very open and there are no ‘black’ roots to be seen.
On closer inspection a thick root needs to be shortened to enable the tree to fit into a smaller pot. The abundance of new fleshy root that is present closer to the tree enables me to make a big cut, the top of the root will need to be ‘carved’ to blend in the nebari, this will compliment the deadwood that will feature as part of the overall design.
The root ball is reduced with the fine roots being cut with very sharp sterilised scissors, the tree is tied into the container with wire and filled with my special soil mixture and left to grow for another season before any further work is done.Quantum physics and plant biology seem like two branches of science that could not be more different, but surprisingly they may in fact be intimately tied.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the Notre Dame Radiation Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame used ultrafast spectroscopy to see what happens at the subatomic level during the very first stage of photosynthesis. "If you think of photosynthesis as a marathon, we're getting a snapshot of what a runner looks like just as he leaves the blocks," said Argonne biochemist David Tiede. "We're seeing the potential for a much more fundamental interaction than a lot of people previously considered."
While different species of plants, algae and bacteria have evolved a variety of different mechanisms to harvest light energy, they all share a feature known as a photosynthetic reaction center. Pigments and proteins found in the reaction center help organisms perform the initial stage of energy conversion.
These pigment molecules, or chromophores, are responsible for absorbing the energy carried by incoming light. After a photon hits the cell, it excites one of the electrons inside the chromophore. As they observed the initial step of the process, Argonne scientists saw something no one had observed before: a single photon appeared to excite different chromophores simultaneously.
"The behavior we were able to see at these very fast time scales implies a much more sophisticated mixing of electronic states," Tiede said. "It shows us that high-level biological systems could be tapped into very fundamental physics in a way that didn't seem likely or even possible."
The quantum effects observed in the course of the experiment hint that the natural light-harvesting processes involved in photosynthesis may be more efficient than previously indicated by classical biophysics, said chemist Gary Wiederrecht of Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials. "It leaves us wondering: how did Mother Nature create this incredibly elegant solution?" he said.
The result of the study could significantly influence efforts by chemists and nanoscientists to create artificial materials and devices that can imitate natural photosynthetic systems. Researchers still have a long way to go before they will be able to create devices that match the light harvesting efficiency of a plant.
One reason for this shortcoming, Tiede explained, is that artificial photosynthesis experiments have not been able to replicate the molecular matrix that contains the chromophores. "The level that we are at with artificial photosynthesis is that we can make the pigments and stick them together, but we cannot duplicate any of the external environment," he said. "The next step is to build in this framework, and then these kinds of quantum effects may become more apparent."
Because the moment when the quantum effect occurs is so short-lived -- less than a trillionth of a second -- scientists will have a hard time ascertaining biological and physical rationales for their existence in the first place. "It makes us wonder if they are really just there by accident, or if they are telling us something subtle and unique about these materials," Tiede said. "Whatever the case, we're getting at the fundamentals of the first step of energy conversion in photosynthesis."
An article based on the study appeared online in the March 12 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research was supported by the DOE Office of Science.CROWLEY, Aleister (1875-1947). The Works. Foyers: Ballantyne, Hanson and Co for the Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth, 1905-07.
Three volumes, 8° (194 x 132 mm). PRINTED ON VELLUM. Frontispiece portraits in each volume. Original red crushed levant morocco, the sides with vertical gilt-rules, spines in six compartments with five raised bands, gilt-lettered in two, the remaining with continued vertical gilt-ruling, by Zaehnsdorf. Provenance: Aleister Crowley (inscription); Robert Lund; purchased from his estate by the current owner.
THE AUTHOR’S COPY, THE ONLY KNOWN COPY PRINTED ON VELLUM, INSCRIBED BY CROWLEY on the front free endpaper: “This unique copy is the sole and inalienable property of Aleister Crowley and shall devolve as an heirloom to his heirs.” Crowley brought his library of approximately 125 books and manuscripts to the United States in 1914 in hopes of selling it to John Quinn, the New York attorney, art patron and book collector. Quinn was not interested, and Crowley then set off around the US seeking members of the Masonic-related organization previously known as the O.T.O. or Ordo Templii Orientus or Order of the Oriental Templars, or Order of the Temple of the East. Crowley arrived in Detroit in 1918 to meet a businessman who agreed to distribute trade editions of Crowley’s many self-published works. He also came to the city to visit drug manufacturer Parke-Davis, which was preparing a batch of peyote extract that Crowley intended to use in O.T.O. rituals.
Crowley’s library was stored in the Leonard Warehouse in Detroit where it remained, unclaimed, until purchased in 1958 by Hearst writer and magic museum founder Robert Lund. Lund subsequently sold all but three items from, the library (the majority of the library is now in the Harry Ransom Center at University of Texas, Austin). See David Meyer, “Along Came Lund: One Magician Rescues the Library of Another,” in: Caxtonian, vol. XXII, no. 1, January 2014.31 PHOTOS Tamir Rice, 12-year-old boy shot by Cleveland police See Gallery Boy with fake gun dies after shot by Ohio officer Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Tadar Muhammad (right) and Jeremy Brustein (left) demonstrate in support of Tamir Rice outside of Quicken Loans Arena prior to game three of the NBA Finals. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports A police officer (L) is seen pointing his weapon during an incident involving the shooting of a 12-year-old boy with a pellet gun at the Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland, Ohio, in this still image from video released by the Cleveland Police Department November 26, 2014. Tamir E. Rice was shot by a patrol officer on Saturday after a 911 call reported someone pointing a gun at people at the Cudell Recreation Center. REUTERS/Cleveland Police Department/Handout via Reuters (UNITED STATES - Tags: CRIME LAW) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS A boy holds a sign in support as Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice, the 12-year old boy who was fatally shot by police last month while carrying what turned out to be a replica toy gun, speaks during a news conference at the Olivet Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio December 8, 2014. The mother of a 12-year-old Cleveland boy fatally shot by police last month broke her silence on Monday, saying the officers involved should be criminally convicted. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk (UNITED STATES - Tags: CRIME LAW CIVIL UNREST) MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2015/11/22: Kids with Tamir Rice signs. Stop Mass Incarcerations Network sponsored a children's march demanding accountability on the one year anniversary of Tamir Rice's death at the hands of the Cleveland police. (Photo by Andy Katz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 13: (L-R) Kadiatou Diallo, mother of Amadou Diallo; Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin; Samaira Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice; Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown Jr; Esaw Garner, the widow of Eric Garner; and Rev. Al Sharpton address the 'Justice For All' march and rally in the nation's capital December 13, 2014 in Washington, DC. Organized by Sharpton's National Action Network, this march and others like it across the country aim to tell Congress and the country that demonstrators will not stand down until there is systemic change, accountability and justice in cases of police misconduct. Sharpton said the demonstration is happening in Washington 'because all over the country we all need to come together and demand this Congress deal with the issues, that we need laws to protect the citizens in these states from these state grand jurors.' (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2015/11/22: Stop Mass Incarceration Network co-founder Carl Dix with sign. Stop Mass Incarcerations Network sponsored a children's march demanding accountability on the one year anniversary of Tamir Rice
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sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He was forced to cancel a planned discussion with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte after the bombastic leader referred to the American president as a "son of a bitch" when asked how he would respond if Obama questioned him on extrajudicial killings in his push to end the drug trade.
"I am a president of a sovereign state and we have long ceased to be a colony. I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. Putang ina I will swear at you in that forum," Duterte told reporters on Monday, using a Tagalog phrase meaning "son of a bitch."
The White House said early Tuesday that the bilateral meeting with Duterte, who has since expressed regret over the comment, had been canceled.
Obama, who cast himself as a global unifier and a broker of peace during his first campaign for president, will return from his 11th and final trip to Asia on Friday, with four months left in his term.Band's last album, 'Hypnotize', was released in 2005
A new System Of A Down album could be in the works, according to frontman Serj Tankian.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the singer revealed that there “had been talk” between he and the rest of his bandmates about recording a new LP. Their last album, ‘Hypnotize’, was released 10 years ago in 2005 but the band are scheduled to tour both the US and Europe this year.
Speaking about the prospect of a new album, Tankian said: “There has been talk. we are going to play this tour, come back and we’re going to see where we are. If we have songs that work for System, if I have them and Daron [Malakian, guitarist] has them. The openness is there to work together, but we haven’t made any particular plans that we can announce.”
System Of A Down will tour Europe this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In addition to playing their first ever gig in Armenia, with a free show in Yerevan’s Republic Square, they will also play shows in London, Cologne, Lyon, Brussels, Amsterdam and Moscow during April 2015. The date at London’s Wembley Arena will take place on April 10 and is the only UK date on the tour.
To check the availability of System Of A Down tickets and get all the latest listings, head to NME.COM/tickets.
https://link.brightcove.com/services/player/?bctid=2626783707001When President Duterte placed Mindanao under martial law, he said: “It would not be any different from what President Marcos did. I’d be harsh.” He further declared: “If I think that the Isis has already taken foothold also in Luzon, and terrorism is not really far behind, I might declare martial law throughout the country to protect the people.”
The President’s statements brought back dreadful memories among Filipinos who either lived through or who have read up on the Marcos regime’s martial rule. They were moved to think of making preparations in case Mr. Duterte makes good on his warning to expand martial law throughout the entire Philippines.
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One unique Filipino trait that serves as a coping mechanism against distressing news is to find humor in, and engage in satirical commentaries on, our troubled state of affairs. In the spirit of this tradition, I made a list of eight things to do before martial law is declared nationwide.
Get a “white sidewall” haircut. If you’re male, immediately go to your barber and get the sides of your head shaved clean at a space of two fingers from your ears and three fingers from your nape. This was the “maximum tolerable” haircut during the Marcos years, and anyone sporting long hair would instantly get a mutilated haircut from the police, which forces you to altogether shave your head a la Gen. Bato dela Rosa.
Stock up on camote. There will be panic-buying on food items, especially rice. To beat the inevitable rice shortage, go to the wet market and hoard on camote instead. A friend recently lost a lot of weight when he substituted rice with camote, so martial law may yet prove to be the answer to your long-held wish to for a shapely body or 6-pack abs.
Discard all your yellow clothing.
If you don’t, you may be mistaken for a defiant protester if you’re outdoors wearing a screaming yellow shirt. Perish the peril by throwing away all clothes in “opposition” color.
Reconcile or reconnect with relatives and friends. Start repairing severed relationships with relatives and rekindle old ties with friends living in the provinces. They can provide you a “safe house” if you’re in trouble, or after you outrun potbellied policemen trying to accost you because of your long hair or your yellow shirt.
Download a DIY on lambanog or basi. Alcohol may either be prohibited or hard to come by. It will come in handy if you have a do-it-yourself kit on how to distill lambanog or basi at home.
Stock up on food, bedding, and toiletries in your car. Martial law brings nightly curfews. Like the game of musical chairs, cars must stop and be off the road when the clock strikes 11 p.m. When traffic prevents you from reaching home before curfew time, park on the road and sleep the night away. If policemen accost you, tell them your wife threw you out of the house. Chances are they also have marital problems, and they will be amply sympathetic.
Throw away “I love New York” T-shirts and wear clothes emblazoned with “I love Moscow” or “I heart Beijing.”
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Delete all your Facebook rants against Mocha Uson and send her a “friend” request instead. Live with the
reality that you will lose your freedom to freely express your sentiments against government officials or make sarcastic commentaries like this one.
While the list is infused with satire, it is animated with our parents’ experiences during the Marcos regime, thereby giving the young generation a historical perspective of Mr. Duterte’s remarks that his version of martial law will be “as harsh” as martial law during the dictatorship.
Stripped of parody, the list should give our leaders a glimpse of the impact of a “harsh” martial law on the everyday lives of our people. It should serve as a cautionary tale for our leaders not to unsheathe and wield the fearsome powers of martial law to a scale and intensity that brings about pointless suffering by, and unnecessary violence against, our people.
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MOST READU.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) speaks as Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) listen. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The chief sponsors of the GOP’s 11th-hour effort to curtail the Affordable Care Act will debate two of their Senate opponents, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), on Monday night — an arrangement that surprised some of Sanders’s Democratic colleagues, who learned about the debate when host network CNN blasted out a news release.
According to Sanders spokesman Josh Miller-Lewis, CNN came to the senator with the idea earlier in the week, and Sanders signed on without hesitation.
“For us, it was a no brainer,” said Josh Miller-Lewis. “If it’s a debate between guaranteeing health care to every single person as a right, or taking it away from 30 million Americans, Democrats will always win. How could you not take that opportunity?”
[Behind the Senate GOP’s high-stakes health-care gamble: Unrelenting criticism back home]
But the news also prompted fresh panic from Senate aides — most of them anonymous — asking whether Sanders had walked into a trap. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who launched his bill with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) the same day that Sanders launched his universal Medicare for All bill, has frequently (and sarcastically) thanked the Vermont senator for giving him a contrast — repeal of the ACA, or inevitable health care “socialism.” (Klobuchar has not endorsed the Sanders bill.)
(It took 30 seconds for a Dem aide to text, worrying: "Republicans get to frame it as single payer vs their alternative in prime time.") — Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) September 21, 2017
Dems already worrying this will allow Rs to frame bill as alt to single-payer.
Quiet griping that Sanders jumped gun likely to grow louder. https://t.co/vhPolFkGZx — Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) September 21, 2017
Sanders, who has not directly addressed Graham’s taunts, has otherwise rejected the premise. Starting in January, shortly after becoming the Senate Democrats’ political outreach chair, Sanders helped organize health-care rallies meant to preempt any repeal of the ACA. Throughout 2017, Sanders used campaign funds (he is running for reelection in 2018) to give speaking tours in the states of senators who were seen as on the fence about repeal. He delayed the release of his universal health-care bill until Sept. 13 to avoid distracting from the fight against repeal.
A few days later, Republicans began organizing one last campaign for repeal; that prompted Sanders’s critics to accuse him of jumping the gun and distracting from the core debate over the ACA. The news of next week’s CNN debate jogged their memories of a similar CNN event in February, where Sanders and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) sparred over health care. At the time, Sanders pivoted from Cruz’s attacks on the ACA to his own arguments for universal care, including praise of single-payer systems in Europe.
“That was a very different moment in this debate,” Miller-Lewis said. “Bernie’s been saying for months that he knows single-payer isn’t going to pass next week. This is about making the argument to save the ACA.”Next Sunday, I sit down with conservative radio host @RealAlexJones to discuss controversies and conspiracies #SundayNight June 18 on NBC pic.twitter.com/7bVz6Fobf5 — Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 11, 2017
About a month ago, I received an email from a reader that began like this: “I love your work and The Washington Post — but please stop citing Infowars! I thought you were hacked for a second.”
The reader's message referred to a story I had written about Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle gunning for Sean Spicer's job. Guilfoyle had confirmed her interest in becoming White House press secretary in an interview with the Bay Area News Group, following a New York Times report that President Trump “has raised the Fox News host … to allies as a possible press secretary.”
The Times was not the first to report Guilfoyle's candidacy, however. That distinction belonged to Infowars, the website run by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, which based its report on unnamed “White House sources.”
Much of what Jones peddles is total garbage. He is perhaps the nation's foremost 9/11 “truther,” insisting that the World Trade Center attack was an “inside job.” He says the government controls the weather and uses it as a weapon, and claims juice boxes are lined with estrogen as part of a secret plot to turn boys gay.
But the reality — lamentable as it might be — is that Megyn Kelly, who interviewed Jones for this week's episode of her “Sunday Night” news magazine, and the rest of the media can't just ignore him.
Here's why:
[Megyn Kelly dropped as host for Sandy Hook group’s gala over Alex Jones interview]
Jones apparently does have a line to the White House that occasionally produces accurate information. Before the Guilfoyle scoop, Infowars obtained an outline of Trump's February address to a joint session of Congress, ahead of any reputable news outlet. (Count me among those who were skeptical of the outline's legitimacy until Spicer read it — practically verbatim — during a news briefing.)
Alex Jones was a powerful underground voice for the alternative conservative media, but he became a more mainstream figure in December 2015, when Donald Trump, then a Republican presidential candidate, spent 30 minutes on Jones's radio program, "Info Wars." (Erin Patrick O'Connor,Manuel Roig-Franzia/The Washington Post)
Jones recently welcomed Mike Cernovich to the Infowars family. Cernovich is a conspiracy theorist in his own right, but he was first to report in April that it was Susan E. Rice, the Obama national security adviser, who unmasked the identities of Trump campaign associates in U.S. intelligence reports last year.
Congrats to @Cernovich for breaking the #SusanRice story. In a long gone time of unbiased journalism he'd win the Pulitzer, but not today! — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 4, 2017
Jones also seems to wield a measure of influence over the president's thinking. Some of Trump's outlandish claims — about the media covering up terrorist attacks, about millions of undocumented immigrants voting for Hillary Clinton — can be traced to Infowars.
“Your reputation is amazing,” Trump told Jones in December 2015, when the billionaire presidential candidate appeared on Jones's talk show.
Earlier this month, Trump's reelection campaign shared an Infowars article in an email blast.
A perpetual challenge in journalism is deciding whether to give fringe figures and ideas the attention they seek. There is no clearly defined point at which someone like Jones becomes so significant that he must be confronted, rather than ignored.
But it is increasingly difficult to argue that Jones, who commands the attention of the president, has not passed the mark.
“Our goal in sitting down with him,” Kelly explained on Twitter Tuesday, “was to shine a light — as journalists are supposed to do — on this influential figure.”None of suspects charged with headline-grabbing plan to blow up airlines, alleged ringleader completely acquitted
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The much vaunted liquid bomb “terror plot” that provoked paranoid airport security measures, an overnight change in baggage procedures, and at one point led to mothers having to drink their own breast milk, completely collapsed yesterday in court after the alleged ringleader was completely acquitted and none of the other suspects were charged with conspiracy to blow up an airliner.
“Seven men admitted plotting to cause a public nuisance. An eighth man was cleared at Woolwich Crown Court,” reports the BBC.
“But after more than 50 hours of deliberations, the jury did not find any of the defendants guilty of conspiring to target aircraft.”
“Mohammad Gulzar, 27, who Scotland Yard accused of being a ringleader in the plot, was cleared of all offenses,” adds the Register.
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
Despite the fact that all the suspects were cleared of charges of targeting aircraft, some quarters of the media are still bizarrely citing the verdicts as a reason to continue the inane and pointless restrictions on liquids in carry-on luggage.
Numerous airliners as well as Britain’s largest airport owner are now calling on the government to repeal the measures.
“We would expect the government to review its security regulations following the outcome of this case,” said Roger Wiltshire, chief executive of the British Air Transport Association, whose members include BA and Virgin, reports the Guardian.
BAA, the owner of Britain’s top three airports, including Heathrow, said: “Today’s verdict seems like a good opportunity for the government to consider the security measures currently in place at British airports.”
Whether the government will cave in to pressure and reverse their much cherished behavior compliance airport security measures remains to be seen, but the fact that the “liquid terror plot” was a complete fabrication became apparent from the very start.
In every single major terror bust or terror alert we have proven the evidence to be flawed and the charges to be cooked up nonsense aimed at prolonging the illusion that terror cells are lurking around every corner waiting to cause mayhem. The geopolitical agenda of the U.S., Britain and Israel depends on the proliferation phony terror threats in order to continue the farcical war on terror and take more of our innate freedoms at home to stifle dissent against the plot for worldwide hegemony.
In a series of reports following the August 10th scare, we traced the source of the alleged attack plot to Pakistani and British intelligence and were rapidly able to confirm that the story was nothing more than a manufactured ploy to frighten travelers at the height of the holiday season.
The reason being cited for the failure to convict the suspects of being behind a plot to blow up airliners is that the U.S. government wanted the men apprehended before MI5 were able to collect all the evidence against them.
In reality, as we reported at the time, an MI5 spy had infiltrated the group at an early stage which is often the case when agent provocateurs are attempting to radicalize a group and provoke them into committing acts of violence.
The announcement of the foiled plot was made on August 10th, but officials stated that they wanted to wait at least another week before busting the group, meaning August 17th or thereafter. According to the very timescale of the plot put forward by authorities, the attack was scheduled for August 16th, meaning authorities only wanted to bust the group after the attack had taken place.
Evidence that the suspects identified were mere patsies in a wider conspiracy became clear when it emerged that they didn’t even have passports and could not have boarded a transatlantic plane.
Echoing the activities of the 7/7 bombers, some of the main suspects in the case exhibited behavior that in no way suggested they were preparing to launch mid-air suicide attacks on jumbo jets. Far from preparing his last will and testament, psyching himself up for his imminent death or acquiring the necessary materials to conduct the operation, Tayib Rauf was caught on CCTV hours before the launch of the plot doing something far more mundane – he was buying cakes for his father’s confectionary business.
Former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray slammed the so-called foiled plot story as “propaganda” on behalf of Bush and Blair who yearn for a “new 9/11” to reinvigorate their flagging support base.
“None of the alleged terrorists had made a bomb. None had bought a plane ticket. Many did not even have passports, which given the efficiency of the UK Passport Agency would mean they couldn’t be a plane bomber for quite some time,” said Murray.
The embarrassing collapse of another government-concocted terror fairytale should immediately mandate the repeal of ridiculous measures in airports that do nothing to stop would-be terrorists and everything to hassle and inconvenience innocent travelers – but don’t expect the authorities to give up a key aspect of their prototype police state without a fight.
This article was posted: Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 3:59 am
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Comment on this articleDeepak, who later reached with his brother Gaurav, allegedly beat up Avinash and handed him over to the police.
When the news of Avinash’s arrest spread, HYV regional President Jitendra Sharma and city unit President Pankaj, along with a number of other HYV activists, reached the police station and launched a protest.
BJP city unit chief Umesh Katharia also reached the police station. In presence of police, HVY activists allegedly misbehaved with the BJP leader and beat up sub-inspector Mayank Arora.
The SP city said that two FIRs have been lodged in this connection.
One FIR was lodged by Arora against Avinash, Jitendra and Pankaj for allegedly beating him and the other by a woman against the three and another person Anil Saxena for allegedly gangraping her.
Avinash, Jitendra and Pankaj have been arrested, police said on Tuesday, adding that a probe is on in the matter.Everyone complains that MPs these days are crashingly dull, but the recent return of one of the few who is not has given many people the vapours. Most of the Labour supporters I know regard George Galloway as something between a snake and a toad, and his recent victory a dark day for democracy. I don't know if this makes me more frivolous than them, or perhaps just less tribal, but for the life of me I cannot see it that way, Westminster being short on electrifyingly fearless maverick socialists. "Do you like him?" asked one friend, appalled and incredulous – and I do – but really it's more a question of enjoying him.
It has only been a fortnight since Galloway, 57, took his seat in the Commons, and already what theatre. He was sworn in to a deathly quiet chamber, but set the BBC's Question Time ablaze later that week, reviving the all-but-forgotten tradition of public debate as blood sport. Other dramas have been less predictable, if rather more farcical. Two days after winning Bradford West by a landslide, he wed his researcher, 30 years his junior, who he has known for six months, in an Islamic ceremony in Amsterdam. Three days later, the mother of his two sons – one of whom is just five months old – popped up, claiming that in the eyes of Islam he's still married to her. Then, last week, Jemima Khan declared in the New Statesman that Galloway converted to Islam in a London hotel 10 years ago, in a ceremony attended by someone she knew. The MP is always described as a Catholic, but under Islamic law, Khan pointed out, a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim – and Galloway's new bride is his third Muslim wife. By teatime, threats of libel writs were flying, raising the surreal prospect of a scion of the Goldsmith dynasty disputing the finer points of Islamic theology with a socialist firebrand from Dundee. And so the bizarre caravan of sensation and suspicion that follows Galloway wherever he goes is back on the road.
When we met 10 days ago he had a more mundane matter on his mind, and it was easy to guess what, because I found him camped with his staff around a cafe table in the public foyer of Portcullis House, next to a sign saying: "George Galloway MP Office." With no office yet assigned, or security passes issued to his staff, the team and their picnic of laptops and coffee cut a comically renegade picture, which seems to both suit and insult the MP in equal measure: "Laughable, isn't it?" He suspects there's more to it than mere administrative oversight, and observes with offhand pride that "most people here probably half-fear, half-hate me". He couldn't care less though, he adds, because he has never been happier.
"Coming back in here was the best day of my life. The US Senate hearing [to which he gave evidence in 2005] was my greatest day, until 29 March. Winning that election on 29 March, in the way that we did, with the landslide that we did, was definitely the best day of my life." What is his ambition now? "I don't have any political ambitions at all."
Galloway may no longer fancy himself for foreign secretary, but soon he's talking excitedly about getting a Respect mayor elected this year. The fact that his party has so far failed to produce a single other household name – even Respect's leader, Salma Yaqoob, is hardly that – doesn't discourage him at all, though he concedes it is disappointing. "Although – to be honest with you – the party became extremely small."
Really? At times it has claimed a membership of 10,000. "We were never that big, actually," he admits. "At our height, we probably had 3-4,000 members. When we lost the three parliamentary seats in 2010 that we'd hoped to win, we became almost minuscule." How minuscule? "About 8-900 people." In fact, he goes on, "it was probably winding down," and had he not won in Bradford would probably be dead. Yet now: "Put your house on it – we will win the mayoralty of Bradford in November."
That's funny, I laugh, because last time we met, in 2006, he told me to put my house on Respect winning Tower Hamlets council. Galloway's predictions are the stuff of legend, delivered with grand declamatory flourishes, like declarations of war. "I'm the one that stood up and confronted Mrs Thatcher [in 1992]," he reminds me at one point, "and said, on the eve of the fall of Kabul [to the Islamist mujahideen]: 'I tell you now, you have opened the gates to the barbarians, and a long, dark night will now descend upon the people of Afghanistan.' That's what I said two days before the fall of Kabul." That's quite a feat of recall – and he was right then, but I have always wanted to know how such impregnable confidence can keep going when predictions are proved wrong, as his was in Tower Hamlets. The answer, it turns out, is quite easy – those ones are clean forgotten. "Did I? Did I predict that?" he blinks in surprise. "Oh well, I was wrong that time."
But in a beat he is pointing out all the times he has been right – about Iraq, about Afghanistan, about winning Bradford West. He has also been astonishingly astute when it comes to defamation suits – to the tune of about £3m, "though most of it went to the lawyers." Galloway's houses in Portugal and south London were largely paid for by newspapers unwise enough to provoke him, and he has never lost a libel case. I'm quite surprised he hasn't sued over all the press reports that he arrived at his Bradford victory party in a Hummer, for "as God's my judge," he swears, "I've never been in a Hummer, nor will I ever be in a Hummer." But I'm curious to hear what he thinks he has got wrong in his political career.
"Well, I have been too brutal in dealing in political argument, and that has, unnecessarily, made enemies." I have to say, it didn't look like a lesson he had taken too close to heart when he let rip on Question Time. "But my main political mistake, in retrospect, was that state ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, in which I believed, and for which I campaigned, was a false God." Is that painful to admit? "Yes. I'm not saying, at all, that everything in the private garden is rosy. There's just more flowers than there were in the state garden. I'm sorry to say that, and yes, it is painful."
Galloway's politics today would still be regarded as lunacy by the right, but may be closer to those of more on the left than Labour perhaps realises. Were he to wake up in No 10 tomorrow, "We would bring all our soldiers home from foreign wars – thus saving billions of pounds. We would scrap the renewal of Trident submarines. And we would pursue what Vince Cable said was the £100bn-a-year-plus tax avoidance and tax evasion industry. Thus, we'd have no deficit. If you do the maths, if we did those three things we not only would have no deficit, we'd be quids in. We'd be £80bn up."
I wonder what the markets would make of this solution. "But you once believed in it, Decca." The reproof is softly teasing, but disarming, calculated to invoke guilt – and for a moment it works, until I remember he knows next to nothing about me or my politics, and laugh. But in that moment I glimpse the force of his famous charisma. It takes a lot to get traditional Muslim women in niqabs out canvassing for a Scot who dressed up in a leotard and pretended to be a cat on Celebrity Big Brother. It's even harder to think of anyone else in Westminster who could carry it off.
Galloway being arrested at a protest against nuclear weapons at the submarine base at Faslane, 2001. Photograph: Ross Mcdairmant/Rex Features
He claims to be less confident than we might think, though. "I feel self-conscious among educated, upper-class people. Insecure and uncomfortable." Is that why he deploys a vocabulary that would shame all but the extended edition of Roget's Thesaurus? "I think that's right, yeah. I think that's right. I feel an under-educated, working-class person. And, therefore, in the presence of some well-educated, upper-class people, I can feel uncomfortable and insecure."
How else does that feeling manifest itself? After a long, thoughtful pause, he says quietly: "Wishing I weren't there; wishing I could turn round and go away; wishing the ground would swallow me up."
I'm pretty sure that's why he boasts so much. He's a lot less self-aggrandising than the last time we met – but back then he had just emerged from the Big Brother house, so was probably feeling less secure than he does now. In fact, he says a lot of things that don't accord with his reputation. For example, he is frequently portrayed as a rogue for whom the ends always justify the means – but despite winning 75% of the postal vote in Bradford West, he is campaigning for postal voting to be banned.
"We are totally against postal voting on demand. Postal votes used to be something you got when you literally could not get to the polls; now they're available on demand and, once granted, are yours for ever. So large numbers of postal votes are delivered to places where the person no longer is. Large numbers of them are collected, unfilled-in, by these biradari chiefs," an Urdu word meaning clan seniors. "It's a kind of ritual that they bring votes to the candidate to show them: "Look, I'm bringing in 20 votes; that's 20 votes for you – I'm bringing that in.'" How can he be so sure?
"Well, I know it because they offered to do it to me. Yeah, and I said: 'I don't want to see anybody's vote, and I don't want you to see anybody's vote.' Now, I don't know that they filled them in, rather than the voter, but it's a fair inference; it's a fair inference if someone has got 20 votes in their pocket to take to the town hall, that they were either visibly observing the person filling the vote in – which is wrong, and I think illegal – or filled them in themselves. This happens in Asian areas on a widespread basis, and it is the antithesis of democracy." Does he think some of his own votes came that way? "It's possible, because people offered to show me other people's votes. So I redouble my call for postal voting on demand to be scrapped."
Galloway's views on Arab dictators may also come as a surprise to those who conflate condemnation of "Blair's liberal intervention foreign policy" with support for despotism. The confusion is hardly surprising, given that Galloway has, for example, both denounced President Assad of Syria as a "puppet dictator" and praised him as "the last Arab leader".
"I'm against all these Arab dictators," he says emphatically. "But you can't say: 'I'm against it because it's a dictatorship, therefore I don't care if Britain and America invades it.' If they do, nothing will get better, and everything will get worse." For Galloway, nothing can be worse than western military intervention, and he doesn't even want to say where he hopes the Arab spring will lead. "They're not requiring yours or my approbation." The weather doesn't require my approbation, I agree – but that doesn't mean I can't hope for a sunny weekend. "I hope that Arabs don't choose the path of fundamentalism. However, I think they will. I suspect they are going to – and we just have to make the best of it. In the end, it's nothing to do with me."
Galloway has an answer for everything, and yet there is something unknowable about him – which is partly why he annoys so many people. He himself was floored by a mystery recently, though, when he came home one day and found all the ties in his bedroom had been moved.
"I have a sword, given to me in Saudi Arabia or somewhere, so I unsheathed my sword, and went upstairs [to the top floor]. There was no one there, but there was a bottle of gin – which, of course, would never be in my house," Galloway being a life-long teetotaller. "And a gay video, which definitely would never be in my house. So the police came, and they said this person appears to have been living here in your house for some time."
Galloway at 24, an up-and-coming Labour activist in Dundee in 1978. Photograph: DC Thomson & Co Ltd
The secret lodger had broken in through an upstairs window; Galloway has no idea who it was, but is urging me to "emphasise that no one can do it now because I've got CCTV and alarms and so on" when the division bell goes off. "I must vote! I must vote, for fear of the media!" In his previous post as MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, his abysmal voting record was cited by critics as proof that he doesn't do his job. But he points out indignantly: "Voting is not the same as attendance." Representing neither the government nor opposition, "I have no means of voting an abstention. You just don't vote, and then you look like you weren't here. But as I always said, the CCTV cameras prove I'm here every day." And off he strides to vote, proud and alone.
We had talked a great deal about the role of religion in politics, and could not have disagreed more. I thought it outrageous to urge voters in Bradford, as he did, to vote for him or fear the wrath of judgment day. Galloway can't see the problem at all: "I believe that, on judgment day, people have to answer for what they did." When I ask if he is troubled that many voters thought he had converted to Islam, he replies: "Well, I don't think many of them are interested in my religion" – which is pretty rich, considering he put out a leaflet all about which candidate was more of a Muslim. Contrary to every report I've read, he doesn't deny writing the leaflet himself. I think he is ludicrously slippery about invoking religion, playing it both ways to suit his own purposes, but, as he says, we are never going to agree because he doesn't think politics should be secular. "So it's apples and pears, dear."
He never, however, gave any indication that he was anything other than the Catholic he was born and raised. After the New Statesman article appears, we speak again. "I didn't tell you that I'm a Catholic," he reminds me – and, parsing the transcript, I realise he never explicitly did, though he certainly allowed that impression to go unqueried. Does he believe in Allah? "I believe in God." Is he a Catholic or a Muslim? "I'm not discussing my personal religious beliefs." But we had talked for ever about the importance of his religious beliefs to his politics. Why won't he say what they are? "It's not necessary."
The magazine claims he did not deny that the conversion ceremony took place. Galloway says his denial is on tape – and so now he is going to sue the New Statesman. "Not because converting to Islam is defamatory. But calling me a liar is." And so the great Galloway soap opera is back once again, a Technicolor melodrama as complicated and compelling and crazy as ever.
"To be honest, I never felt that I would never be back. And I don't feel like I've been away."Free Speech on Trial in the Netherlands - Again Translations of this item: Danish
Dutch Freedom of speech is the ultimate liberal value -- and it is the first value that people who wish to control us would take away.
If a court in a Western society decides to censor or punish Geert Wilders or others for non-violent speech, the court not only attacks the very humanistic values and liberal society we claim to hold dear; it brings us a step closer to totalitarianism. Even the idea of having an "acceptable" range of views is inherently totalitarian.
But what does one do if immigrants prefer not to assimilate? Europeans may be faced with a painful choice: What do they want more, the humanistic values of individual freedom or an Islamized Europe?
Censorship is not a path we should wish to take. While we may rightly fear those on the political right, we would do well to fear even more the autocratic thought-police and censorship on the political left. You are not truly a proponent of free speech unless you defend speech you dislike as fervently as speech you like. There are many issues concerning the views of the Dutch MP, Geert Wilders, head of rapidly growing political party, the Freedom Party (Partij voor de Vrijheid, or PVV). Dutch prosecutors have charged Wilders with insulting deliberately a group of people because of their race and inciting hatred. Wilders's trial focuses on a speech he gave, in which he asked a crowd of supports whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands. In another instance, Wilders is reported to have stated that The Hague should be "a city with fewer burdens and if possible fewer Moroccans." Wilders admits to having made the remarks. Geert Wilders during his March 2014 speech, where he asked "Do you want more or fewer Moroccans?" (Image source: nos.nl video screenshot) The remarks Wilders made about Moroccans, as they target only one nationality rather than immigration in general, may sound ill-judged or distasteful to some. But do Wilders's comments, that there should be fewer Moroccans, actually incite hatred or violence? His remarks do not suggest that people attack Moroccans or that people should hate Moroccans; they simply suggest that there should be lower levels of immigration from Morocco. While Wilder's comments could certainly be convincingly portrayed as preying on people's anti-immigration sentiment, does that actually make them an insult to Moroccans, or is he simply
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look at what he tried to do in North Korea, it all kind of makes sense. He looked at the situation. He realized North Korea needed money to develop these programs. Eighty-five percent of that trade is with China, so you go to China — and that's what he did in Mar-a-Lago in April — and you cut them off.
It was clear he didn't believe the Chinese were doing enough, so last week he took the first step, which was to treat China not as part of the solution but as part of the problem. He sanctioned them [a small Chinese bank]. And he's moved a lot of military assets through the region, like aircraft carriers, to try to demonstrate a more muscular policy than the previous administration. Those seem like logical steps. I don't know what else he could do.
Is it normal to see the president think all this through out loud?
....and Japan will put up with this much longer. Perhaps China will put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2017
These are not normally things the U.S. president says out loud. He might think it. From an academic perspective, it's fascinating; you're actually getting a real-time look on how he thinks when he hears something like this. But whether that actually helps the situation, I don't know.
If Trump makes a decision Congress doesn't agree with, or it feels he isn't taking this seriously, is there anything Congress can do?
The president can't go to war without Congress. But he can issue sanctions unilaterally because of the USA Patriot Act [which allows the administration to impose sanctions on a country that threatens the United States' national security).The FBI has reopened an investigation into the disappearance of a newborn boy stolen from a Chicago hospital in 1964.
It comes after DNA tests showed that the child who was returned to the missing boy's parents is not their son.
Paul Fronczak, 49, was raised by Chester and Dora Fronczak after detectives found him abandoned in New Jersey in 1965.
But he questioned his identity as he felt he did not look like them, reports say.
Hundreds of police officers and FBI agents searched for the baby after his abduction from Michael Reese Hospital in April 1964 - when he was just one day old.
A woman dressed as a nurse reportedly told Dora Fronczak that the doctor wanted to examine her son. She handed him over and he was never returned.
Over a year later, a boy deemed to resemble the missing child was found abandoned outside a shop in Newark and given to the Fronczaks.
'Hopeful'
Earlier this year Paul Fronczak asked his parents to do DNA tests, and they revealed the case of the mistaken identity, according to KLAS-TV News.
Joan Hyde, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Chicago office, told the Associated Press that the bureau had decided to reopen the case after reviewing the original case file.
"We decided it merited another look," she said. "The main thing is to look at physical evidence and see if technology and tests that weren't available when the case was originally worked could provide leads."
Paul Fronczak, who is leading his own efforts to find his missing namesake, told Chicago radio he was optimistic about the renewed probe.
"Honestly, I really feel that we're going to solve both these mysteries, and I'm very hopeful, and I really feel that it's time," he said. "It's going to happen."The Africa Cup of Nations, the biannual tournament to crown the continent's top soccer country, is scheduled to kick off in three months. As of now, it'll be held in Morocco, but with West Africa currently suffering the worst Ebola outbreak ever, the idea of hundreds of thousands of people descending on the host nation doesn't seem very dope at all.
Morocco, located in North Africa, has so far evaded the epidemic that has already claimed some 4,500 lives, and understandably would like to keep it that way. And though they haven't exactly reneged on hosting the three-week tournament, they'd like it at least postponed until the virus is contained.
"Football is just a game and we can't play with the health of Moroccans," Morocco health minister Houssaine Louardi, said earlier this week. "There is no zero risk when it comes to Ebola."
These are good, solid takes. The Confederation of African Football, however, heard Morocco's request and responded with "nah."
"CAF has registered (Morocco's) request and wishes to state that there are no changes of the schedules of its competitions and events," the CAF said in a statement.
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This tournament is happening whether Morocco pulls out or not. So the CAF is looking for volunteers. They're currently approaching other nations to host, and if multiple countries agree, they'll draw the winner out of a hat in the world's suckiest lottery.
Right now Ghana, South Africa, and Egypt look to be interested, which, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, but more countries could be coaxed. I guess we'll see in the coming weeks. The CAF has banned soccer in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea due to the outbreak.
[Washington Post/BBC]
Photo Credit: Getty Images“I remember that moment distinctly,” Iannucci told me. Hale had been asked to perform one of Gary’s signature moves: pulling items for the veep out of his big leather shoulder bag. “He did it with great care and delicacy,” Iannucci remembered. “There was a kind of sadness to it, but also a pride about every object. What struck me was the humanity of it. He was a funny character, but you weren’t laughing at him for being sad and broken. He’s very warm. You knew Gary had walked into the room.”
Hale had performed a small miracle: He smuggled tenderness into the otherwise harsh world of “Veep.” Iannucci found himself removing scenes of outright cruelty. Gary was too human, too sad, to be annihilated over and over by the show’s fire hose of vitriol. This pathos made Hale an ideal foil for Louis-Dreyfus, who performs a similar miracle with the role of Selina. Played by a lesser actor, “Veep” ’s vice president would be merely loathsome: She is false, cruel, petty, demanding, moody and hypocritical. Her smalltalk is infantilizing. (“Look at you, a grown woman with cotton candy!” she says at a North Carolina pig roast. “Pink like your cheeks.”) Her speeches are inane. (As one of her aides puts it in the new season: “This is just noise-shaped air.”) Louis-Dreyfus, however, imbues this monstrous figure with a strange charisma — a precise combination of authority and vulnerability — that somehow redeems her. We root for Selina, even to the point of wanting her to become president, a position for which she is disastrously unqualified.
Through all of Selina’s misadventures and disgraces, we never learn what political party she belongs to. Policy, in “Veep,” is very much beside the point. Its characters never even really discuss it. What they do, instead, with hyperverbal vigor, is insult one another. “Veep” ’s characters speak fluently in baroque obscenities, with seven-layer metaphors and breathtaking innovations in profanity. No one is better at insults, of course, than the vice president herself. And yet one of the show’s great paradoxes is that Selina’s facility with words exists only in the privacy of offices, hallways and back rooms; as soon as she appears in public, she becomes an inarticulate buffoon.
This is, more or less, the central joke of “Veep.” The show draws most of its comic energy from the disjunction between public and private — the threshold, which a politician must cross hundreds of times every day, from reality to image: from the insecure, petty, foul-mouthed, power-hungry, private person to the bulletproof, platitudinous, smiling public figure. Selina pivots constantly between these two worlds.
Gary is the pivot on which she makes that turn. He performs the most menial chores with loving devotion. He sets up the portable platform on which Selina stands to look taller during speeches; he squirts hand sanitizer into her palm after she shakes somebody’s hand. As she walks through a room, Gary leans down to her ear, over and over, whispering cues about the people who approach — this one plays the trumpet, that one has a glass eye, this one just gave birth to triplets. He looks like one of those toy birds, dipping and dipping and dipping into a glass of water. Gary’s giant leather shoulder bag is practically a character in itself (he calls it the Leviathan); it has 60 inner pockets that contain everything the vice president might ever need — hand sanitizer, eyedrops, wipes (scented and unscented), yogurt, ginseng, boxes of official vice-presidential M&Ms — all of which he has trained himself to retrieve without looking.This was exactly the guy Bob Quinn was looking for
After writing the article last week on poor quality pass coverage at strong safety, we decided to take a look at the free agents Detroit brought in to compete to replace James Ihedigbo and Isa Abdul-Quddus as the "Detroit Lions starting safety not named Glover Quin." As I delved into Tavon Wilson’s old tape and background information on Pats Pulpit (and other places), an interesting picture dissimilar from the typical strong safety emerged.
Start with the controversy surrounding the original draft pick used by the Patriots to select Wilson back in 2012. From an unflattering article at ESPN following that draft, we can see the beginnings of the narrative portraying Wilson as the "ultimate WTF/FU pick by Belichick":
The 22-year-old Wilson was rated as the 24th safety by ESPN's Scouts Inc., considered more of a free agent than a draft pick. He wasn't mentioned in the 2012 Pro Football Weekly draft preview. USA Today's NFL draft preview overlooked him. So did Lindy's Pro Football Draft magazine. Wilson didn't attend the NFL combine. He didn't play in any all-star games. Yes, he was invited to the new super regional combine in Detroit, but declined the invite because it came after his pro day and the feeling was that there was little else to gain.
But in that same article, you get a sense of what Belichick thought he was acquiring in Wilson: a player with a good combination of size, athleticism, and just enough skills in each phase to mold into a versatile hybrid OLB/Safety. Again from the ESPN article:
Detractors might view it as Belichick "inventing" a player who doesn't exist. Those who adopt that line of thinking will note that Wilson has good size (6 feet, 203 pounds), runs well (high 4.4s in the 40), and is smart, durable and versatile, but it wasn't like he was a big-time producer at Illinois. Doubters would say a player like that fits closer to the middle or end of the draft, not the second round.
A free agency article on Pats Pulpit from February asked if the Tavon Wilson experiment was at an end. The descriptions of what he offers and why he would leave New England sound like they were tailored to the Detroit situation:
Unlike Ebner, Wilson offers a ton of value on defense as a back-up. He can play dime. He can play goal line. He can play cornerback in a pinch. While he'll ultimately be behind rising-sophomore Jordan Richards in the depth chart, it's undeniable that Wilson is a versatile back-up.
Why he should leave: Sometimes a player just needs a change of scenery to get a shot. Wilson will be the 5th safety in the depth chart and would be a core special teams player in New England, but he could receive greater opportunities elsewhere in a safety-hungry league.
This lines up with a number of things we know to be true about how general manager Bob Quinn has been building the Lions’ roster:
He likes versatile players who can line up at more than one position and be effective, especially if they are going to be a backup since that can save roster spots: "As we know, we can only dress 46 players, so every roster spot that we bring to the game is vitally important. So, if a guy can play more than one spot, it adds to his value."
The Lions lacked safety depth with the departure of both Ihedigbo and IAQ.
When asked about Miles Killebrew, Quinn revealed he wanted big safeties that could run with receiving tight ends: "Yeah, I mean, we’re really not looking for the linebacker/safety hybrid. We’re just looking for good defensive backs and linebackers. Now, we’re going to be in sub defense, nickel defense for close to 70-percent of the time, so to get a guy that’s this size, that can run as fast as he can run, you know, hopefully he can have a role covering tight ends."
Quinn pays attention to special teams, and surely knew about Wilson's ST contributions: "I would ask him about a special-teams player on a team from three years ago, and he would know all about him," said Slater, the Patriots receiver and special-teams star. "It was great. He’s got a lot of knowledge."
#freetavonwilson
Now we are obligated to wonder: If Tavon Wilson was such a good prospect, why didn’t he play more? The answer, I think, has less to do with Tavon Wilson than with the other guys on the Patriots’ roster. Their current roster is astonishingly deep at safety, and the first string pair of Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty are entrenched long time starters. Unless everybody got hurt, there was little chance of Wilson starting in place of Chung at strong safety. Everything said about second-round pick Jordan Richards here could just as easily be said about Wilson:
Well, Chung continued to improve in his second season back and Richards was unable to contribute- not due to lack of ability on his part, but because Chung was a legitimately dominant safety that could be considered one of the top ten in the league. So instead of watching a 2nd round safety possible thrive, we had to watch Richards play special teams.
That has been the story of Wilson’s career since he was drafted. Patrick Chung, drafted in 2009, was a starting safety from 2010 to 2012. Following a one year interlude in Philadelphia for 2013 in which veteran Steve Gregory took over for New England at SS, Chung returned and promptly reclaimed his starting job. Devin McCourty, previously a starting cornerback for New England, moved back to become the starting free safety.
The situation Wilson was drafted into was a team featuring three veterans who had all started at safety for New England. The only reason he cracked the starting lineup as a rookie in 2012 was because both Chung and Gregory went down due to injury. Tavon Wilson played about half the snaps in Weeks 1 and 4, and started Weeks 5 through 8. But eventually Chung (and Gregory) recovered and Wilson went back to being a depth player.
Granted Wilson was a bit raw coming out of college and needed work, but he has gotten it in the form of four years learning in the Belichick system. How good have his coverage skills become? The Patriots actually lined Tavon Wilson up at cornerback against Buffalo on national TV last year:
He showcased his versatility and ability to adapt this past season when after playing a total of nine snaps on defense all season, he was thrust in a key role against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. The Patriots were woefully thin at cornerback with only starters Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan and reserve Rashaan Melvin who had a poor game the week before. The Pats eschewed the normal 4-2-5 look with three corners and went ‘Big Nickel’ with three safeties facing the potent Bills rushing attack. Wilson also stayed on the field in their 4-1-6 dime look when they went to four safeties on the field. In all, he played 50 snaps in the Bills game on defense and was solid with three solo tackles.
Putting Wilson in the right situations underneath
When you read the articles on Pats Pulpit about Wilson leaving or grading the 2012 draft picks, the one thing that kept getting mentioned was Tavon Wilson getting dismantled against Seattle in 2012 and never coming back from that. I think this is revisionist nonsense: for most of the Seattle game, Wilson was okay, and all they are talking about is the late fourth quarter touchdown shown here. Tavon Wilson is the left safety in the two deep shell at the bottom right, and he gets beat by Sidney Rice on a double move corner-post route off play action:
2012 NED at SEA, 4Q (1:27), First-and-10 at the New England 46.
This play is burned into the memory of Patriots fans because it cost the team a road win at Seattle. But the exact same thing happened at St. Louis a few weeks later, and nobody ever brings that touchdown up merely because it was in the first quarter:
2012 NED at STL 1Q (12:35), First-and-10 at the 50.
I mention this because it is far worse to be beaten on that kind of throw by Sam Bradford than Russell Wilson. It also shows you that Tavon Wilson needed work when he was a rookie to get savvy to double moves and more complex coverage. It’s entirely possible that Wilson may simply never be a great deep safety. New England’s coaching staff adjusted and worked with what Wilson could do well, lining him up closer to the line of scrimmage and assigning him underneath a lot. Game-planning to Wilson’s strengths made him effective enough to line up on the outside one-on-one in man coverage or over the slot receiver as a big nickel:
2014 NYJ at NED, 1Q (7:13), Third-and-goal at the New England 13.
Wilson plays tight man coverage off the line on 88 TE Jace Amaro, preventing him from getting in the end zone on third down. This is pretty good coverage and nice tackling to prevent a touchdown.
2015 BUF at NED, 2Q (1:49), First-and-10 at the New England 34.
Wilson here is lined up over the slot receiver and zone drops to an underneath spot near the hash. Once 5 QB Tyrod Taylor makes the throw to 10 WR Robert Woods, Wilson breaks on the ball and unloads, preventing the completion:
2015 BUF at NED, 2Q (1:42). Second-and-10 at the New England 34.
On the very next play, Buffalo sends 15 WR Chris Hogan wide right with Wilson over him in loose man coverage. The route is a quick curl, and Wilson plays it perfectly:
He stays focused on his man, breaks on Hogan’s stop and look for the ball, and wraps up solidly. These are similar to the good mechanics we saw with Nevin Lawson. While the pass was still completed, the gain for Buffalo was minimal on the play. Wilson’s ability to come up from a deeper safety position and make open field tackles like this was actually quite good even as a rookie.
2012 DEN at NED, 3Q (13:17). First-and-10 at the Denver 42.
Wilson starts the play near the hash at the first down marker (the New England 48). 87 WR Eric Decker is the inside bunch receiver, and immediately breaks at the snap to the flat.
Wilson covers the distance between himself and Decker so quickly that the play goes for just two yards.
2012 NYJ at NED, OT (10:59). First-and-10 at the New York 15.
Finally, here’s Tavon Wilson coming up from the strong safety position as an underneath zone defender in cover-3 to stop 23 HB Shonn Greene from gaining much of anything on the check dump by 6 QB Mark Sanchez. I particularly like how he comes up under control and squares up to Greene.
Getting by with two starting linebackers: the 4-2-5
As the roster currently stands, the starting linebackers in base 4-3 personnel would be DeAndre Levy, Tahir Whitehead, and Josh Bynes. I’ve said elsewhere that an interesting possibility would be to use 6-foot-2 Miles Killebrew as a hybrid defender to gain experience and minimize the depth issue at outside linebacker. Tavon Wilson provides a veteran alternative: he’s had four years of development for that role in New England.
Forget about the 4-3 versus 3-4 debate. If Bob Quinn is serious when he says "we’re going to be in sub defense, nickel defense for close to 70-percent of the time," why not go to a base 4-2-5 defense with Wilson and Killebrew as the third safety on the field? When we need to go lighter and play the pass more, swap to the Quandre Diggs "true nickel" package, but otherwise Wilson (and possibly Killebrew) can replace a linebacker for better match-ups against tight ends.
Perhaps Bob Quinn wasn’t specifically looking for the OLB/SS hybrids, but he might have two decent ones on his hands. The lesson from Tavon Wilson’s time with New England seems to be to avoid lining him up deep. As long as he doesn’t let a slot receiver accelerate to full speed and run past him with a double move, Wilson is actually pretty good in coverage. Leave that job to Glover Quin and move Wilson up near the tackle box for better results. Chances are, this is also going to be a good way to limit Killebrew’s exposure in coverage.The Pentagon has cleared U.S. military bases across the country to down drones if those drones become a hazard to flight operations or a security risk. The new rules comes after reports of unauthorized aerial intrusions by drones above bases, including one that almost collided with a $250 million F-22A Raptor. A report by Reuters, quoting Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis, says that 130 bases across the country are now cleared to destroy or seize drones, although the full scope of authorized actions is classified.
The explosion of hobbyist drones has led to them being flown practically everywhere, including above U.S. military bases. While flying drones over bases has been illegal since April 2017, the regulation has been effectively toothless as the services were prohibited from forcing them down or shooting them down. In more than one occasion, security personnel could only watch helplessly as a drone flew over the base perimeter gate, went about its business, and then flew away.
Perhaps the last straw was an incident relayed by Gen. James Holmes, the head of the U.S. Air Force's Air Combat Command. Holmes said an F-22A fighter jet coming in for a landing almost struck a civilian drone. The $250 million dollar aircraft and pilot were unharmed, but the Air Force simply can't afford a drone-involved accident.UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 4: Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind., testifies during the House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing on 'State of American Schools and Workplaces: Expanding Opportunity in America's Schools and Workplaces' on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) went on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning to defend the “religious liberty” bill he recently signed, which critics say invites discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people.
Since the legislation was signed last Thursday, the governor has faced blistering criticism and a boycott that now includes the states of Connecticut and Washington.
“Five years ago, my wife and my family walked the Edmund Pettus Bridge with John Lewis when I co-chaired the pilgrimage to mark the 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday,” Pence said on the show. “I abhor discrimination. If I was in a restaurant and saw a business owner deny services to someone because they were gay, I wouldn’t eat there anymore. Frankly, that’s how most Hoosiers are.”
But Pence’s refusal to answer basic questions about what the law would allow make his assurances ring hollow. Pence has said he would not support LGBT anti-discrimination legislation to coincide with the law, and refused -- a whopping six times -- to answer whether the legislation would allow a florist to decline service to a gay couple.The West’s headlong rush from conflict to conflict is driven by media collusion and lapdog silence, writes John Pilger.
The exoneration of a man accused of the worst of crimes, genocide, made no headlines. Neither the BBC nor CNN covered it. The Guardian allowed a brief commentary. Such a rare official admission was buried or suppressed, understandably. It would explain too much about how the rulers of the world rule.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague has quietly cleared the late Serbian president, Slobodan Milosevic, of war crimes committed during the 1992-95 Bosnian war, including the massacre at Srebrenica.
Far from conspiring with the convicted Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, Milosevic actually “condemned ethnic cleansing”, opposed Karadzic and tried to stop the war that dismembered Yugoslavia. Buried near the end of a 2,590- page judgement on Karadzic last February, this truth further demolishes the propaganda that justified Nato’s illegal onslaught on Serbia in 1999.
Milosevic died of a heart attack in 2006, alone in his cell in The Hague, during what amounted to a bogus trial by an American-invented “international tribunal”. Denied heart surgery that might have saved his life, his condition worsened and was monitored and kept secret by US officials, as WikiLeaks has since revealed.
Milosevic was the victim of war propaganda that today runs like a torrent across our screens and newspapers and beckons great danger for us all. He was the prototype demon, vilified by the western media as the “butcher of the Balkans” who was responsible for “genocide”, especially in the secessionist Yugoslav province of Kosovo.
Prime Minister Tony Blair said so, invoked the Holocaust and demanded action against “this new Hitler”. David Scheffer, the US ambassador-at-large for war crimes [sic], declared that as many as “225,000 ethnic Albanian men aged between 14 and 59” may have been murdered by Milocevic’s forces.
This was the justification for Nato’s bombing, led by Bill Clinton and Blair, that killed hundreds of civilians in hospitals, schools, churches, parks and television studios and destroyed Serbia’s economic infrastructure. It was blatantly ideological; at a notorious “peace conference” in Rambouillet in France, Milosevic was confronted by Madeleine Albright, the US Secretary of State, who was to achieve infamy with her remark that the deaths of half a million Iraqi children were “worth it”.
Albright delivered an “offer” to Milosevic that no national leader could accept. Unless he agreed to the foreign military occupation of his country, with the occupying forces “outside the legal process”, and to the imposition of a neo-liberal “free market”, Serbia would be bombed. This was contained in an “Appendix B”, which the media failed to read or suppressed. The aim was to crush Europe’s last independent “socialist” state.
Once Nato began bombing, there was a stampede of Kosovar refugees “fleeing a holocaust”. When it was over, international police teams descended on Kosovo to exhume the victims of the “holocaust”. The FBI failed to find a single mass grave and went home. The Spanish forensic team did the same, its leader angrily denouncing “a semantic pirouette by the war propaganda machines”.
The final count of the dead in Kosovo was 2,788. This included combatants on both sides and Serbs and Roma murdered by the pro-Nato Kosovo Liberation Front.
There was no genocide. The Nato attack was both a fraud and a war crime.
All but a fraction of America’s vaunted “precision guided” missiles hit not military but civilian targets, including the news studios of Radio Television Serbia in Belgrade. Sixteen people were killed, including cameramen, producers and a make-up artist.
Blair described the dead, profanely, as part of Serbia’s “command and control”. In 2008, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Carla Del Ponte, revealed that she had been pressured not to investigate Nato’s crimes.
This was the model for Washington’s subsequent invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and, by stealth, Syria. All qualify as “paramount crimes” under the Nuremberg standard; all depended on media propaganda. While tabloid journalism played its traditional part, it was serious, credible, often liberal journalism that was the most effective – the evangelical promotion of Blair and his wars by the Guardian, the incessant lies about Saddam Hussein’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction in the Observer and the New York Times, and the unerring drumbeat of government propaganda by the BBC in the silence of its omissions.
At the height of the bombing, the BBC’s Kirsty Wark interviewed General Wesley Clark, the Nato commander. The Serbian city of Nis had just been sprayed with American cluster bombs, killing women, old people and children in an open market and a hospital. Wark asked not a single question about this, or about any other civilian deaths.
Others were more brazen.
In February 2003, the day after Blair and Bush had set fire to Iraq, the BBC’s political editor, Andrew Marr, stood in Downing Street and made what amounted to a victory speech. He excitedly told his viewers that Blair had “said they would be able to take Baghdad without a bloodbath, and that in the end the Iraqis would be celebrating. And on both of those points he has been proved conclusively right.”
Today, with a million dead and a society in ruins, Marr’s BBC interviews are recommended by the US embassy in London.
Marr’s colleagues lined up to pronounce Blair “vindicated”. The BBC’s Washington correspondent, Matt Frei, said, “There’s no doubt that the desire to bring good, to bring American values to the rest of the world, and especially to the Middle East… is now increasingly tied up with military power.”
This obeisance to the United States and its collaborators as a benign force “bringing good” runs deep in western establishment journalism. It ensures that the present-day catastrophe in Syria is blamed exclusively on Bashar al-Assad, whom the West and Israel have long conspired to overthrow, not for any humanitarian concerns, but to consolidate Israel’s aggressive power in the region.
The jihadist forces unleashed and armed by the US, Britain, France, Turkey and their “coalition” proxies serve this end. It is they who dispense the propaganda and videos that becomes news in the US and Europe, and provide access to journalists and guarantee a one-sided “coverage” of Syria.
The city of Aleppo is in the news. Most readers and viewers will be unaware that the majority of the population of Aleppo lives in the government-controlled western part of the city. That they suffer daily artillery bombardment from western-sponsored al-Qaida is not news.
On 21 July, French and American bombers attacked a government village in Aleppo province, killing up to 125 civilians. This was reported on page 22 of the Guardian; there were no photographs.
Having created and underwritten jihadism in Afghanistan in the 1980s as Operation Cyclone – a weapon to destroy the Soviet Union – the US is doing something similar in Syria. Like the Afghan Mujahideen, the Syrian “rebels” are America’s and Britain’s foot soldiers. Many fight for al-Qaida and its variants; some, like the Nusra Front, have rebranded themselves to comply with American sensitivities over 9/11. The CIA runs them, with difficulty, as it runs jihadists all over the world.
The immediate aim is to destroy the government in Damascus, which, according to the most credible poll (YouGov Siraj), the majority of Syrians support, or at least look to for protection, regardless of the barbarism in its shadows. The long-term aim is to deny Russia a key Middle Eastern ally as part of a Nato war of attrition against the Russian Federation that eventually destroys it.
The nuclear risk is obvious, though suppressed by the media across “the free world”. The editorial writers of the Washington Post, having promoted the fiction of WMD in Iraq, demand that Obama attack Syria.
Hillary Clinton, who publicly rejoiced at her executioner’s role during the destruction of Libya, has repeatedly indicated that, as president, she will “go further” than Obama.
Gareth Porter, a samidzat journalist reporting from Washington, recently revealed the names of those likely to make up a Clinton cabinet, who plan an attack on Syria. All have belligerent cold war histories; the former CIA director, Leon Panetta, says that “the next president is gonna have to consider adding additional special forces on the ground”.
What is most remarkable about the war propaganda now in floodtide is its patent absurdity and familiarity. I have been looking through archive film from Washington in the 1950s when diplomats, civil servants and journalists were witch-hunted and ruined by Senator Joe McCarthy for challenging the lies and paranoia about the Soviet Union and China. Like a resurgent tumour, the anti-Russia cult has returned.
In Britain, the Guardian’s Luke Harding leads his newspaper’s Russia-haters in a stream of journalistic parodies that assign to Vladimir Putin every earthly iniquity. When the Panama Papers leak was published, the front page said Putin, and there was a picture of Putin; never mind that Putin was not mentioned anywhere in the leaks.
Like Milosevic, Putin is Demon Number One. It was Putin who shot down a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine. Headline: “As far as I’m concerned, Putin killed my son.” No evidence required. It was Putin who was responsible for Washington’s documented (and paid for) overthrow of the elected government in Kiev in 2014. The subsequent terror campaign by fascist militias against the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine was the result of Putin’s “aggression”.
Preventing Crimea from becoming a Nato missile base and protecting the mostly Russian population who had voted in a referendum to rejoin Russia – from which Crimea had been annexed – were more examples of Putin’s “aggression”. Smear by media inevitably becomes war by media.
If war with Russia breaks out, by design or by accident, journalists will bear much of the responsibility.
In the US, the anti-Russia campaign has been elevated to virtual reality. The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, an economist with a Nobel Prize, has called Donald Trump the “Siberian Candidate” because Trump is Putin’s man, he says.
Trump had dared to suggest, in a rare lucid moment, that war with Russia might be a bad idea. In fact, he has gone further and removed American arms shipments to Ukraine from the Republican platform. “Wouldn’t it be great if we got along with Russia,” he said.
This is why America’s warmongering liberal establishment hates him. Trump’s racism and ranting demagoguery have nothing to do with it. Bill and Hillary Clinton’s record of racism and extremism can out-trump Trump’s any day (this week is the 20th anniversary of the Clinton welfare “reform” that launched a war on African-Americans).
As for Obama: while American police gun down his fellow African-Americans the great hope in the White House has done nothing to protect them, nothing to relieve their impoverishment, while running four rapacious wars and an assassination campaign without precedent.
The CIA has demanded Trump is not elected. Pentagon generals have demanded he is not elected. The pro-war New York Times – taking a breather from its relentless low-rent Putin smears – demands that he is not elected. Something is up. These tribunes of “perpetual war” are terrified that the multi-billion-dollar business of war by which the United States maintains its dominance will be undermined if Trump does a deal with Putin, then with China’s Xi Jinping.
Their panic at the possibility of the world’s great power talking peace – however unlikely – would be the blackest farce were the issues not so dire.
“Trump would have loved Stalin!” bellowed Vice-President Joe Biden at a rally for Hillary Clinton. With Clinton nodding, he shouted, “We never bow. We never bend. We never kneel. We never yield. We own the finish line. That’s who we are. We are America!”
In Britain, Jeremy Corbyn has also excited hysteria from the war-makers in the Labour Party and from a media devoted to trashing him. Lord West, a former admiral and Labour minister, put it well. Corbyn was taking an “outrageous” anti-war position “because it gets the unthinking masses to vote for him”.
In a debate with leadership challenger Owen Smith, Corbyn was asked by the moderator: “How would you act on a violation by Vladimir Putin of a fellow Nato state?”
Corbyn replied: “You would want to avoid that happening in the first place. You would build up a good dialogue with Russia…. We would try to introduce a de-militarisation of the borders between Russia, the Ukraine and the other countries on the border between Russia and Eastern Europe. What we cannot allow is a series of calamitous build-ups of troops on both sides which can only lead to great danger.”
Pressed to say if he would authorise war against Russia “if you had to”, Corbyn replied: “I don’t wish to go to war – what I want to do is achieve a world that we don’t need to go to war.”
The line of questioning owes much to the rise of Britain’s liberal war-makers. The Labour Party and the media have long offered them career opportunities. For a while the moral tsunami of the great crime of Iraq left them floundering, their inversions of the truth a temporary embarrassment. Regardless of Chilcot and the mountain of incriminating facts, Blair remains their inspiration, because he was a “winner”.
Dissenting journalism and scholarship have since been systematically banished or appropriated, and democratic ideas emptied and refilled with “identity politics” that confuse gender with feminism and public angst with liberation and wilfully ignore the state violence and weapons profiteering that destroys countless lives in faraway places, like Yemen and Syria, and beckon nuclear war in Europe and across the world.
The stirring of people of all ages around the spectacular rise of Jeremy Corbyn counters this to some extent. His life has been spent illuminating the horror of war.
The problem for Corbyn and his supporters is the Labour Party. In America, the problem for the thousands of followers of Bernie Sanders was
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, Kanhaiya is anti-national.
Adityanath is patriotic, Mahatma Gandhi, is anti-national.
Sadhvi Ritambhara is patriotic, Amit Shah is patriotic.
All goons are patriots according to them.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came out in support of students who took out a march in Delhi to demand justice for Rohith Vemula, the Hyderabad research scholar who committed suicide last month, and Kanhaiya Kumar, the JNU student arrested for sedition. Here are the highlights from his address:A man who started what he calls the “Genesis II Church” and reportedly claims to be a billion-year-old god from the Andromeda galaxy keeps finding success in selling some autism parents on “bleach as autism cure.” The latest story about Jim Humble and his "cure" comes from Saskatchewan, although evidence suggests that parents in many parts of the world continue to dose their children orally or by enema with bleach solution, all on the “autism cure” promise.
In addition to being a god of finite age from a galaxy far, far away, the inaptly named Humble also purports to be here with some friends to save the Earth, which evidently requires peddling his product as a cure for “95% of all diseases.” His book pushing his concoction as a “21st century breakthrough” is listed on Amazon, with 90 reviews and 3.5 stars and some glowing feedback of uncertain origin.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) begs to differ with the glow and the promises, citing the bleach product in a warning to those seeking autism treatments. Says the FDA:
This product becomes a potent chemical that's used as bleach when mixed according to package directions. FDA has received reports of consumers who say they experienced nausea, severe vomiting and life-threatening low blood pressure after drinking the MMS and citrus juice mixture.
When the product is mixed as directed, it certainly acts as bleach on textiles.
Repeated warnings have not deterred some who peddle it. In February, a fellow in Europe by the name of Leonardo Edwards, who considers himself a “bishop” in the Genesis II "church," was reportedly relieved of custody of his newborn child by European authorities because of his bleach-selling commitment. And warnings and evidence didn’t deter the million-plus-follower “March Against Monsanto” group from promoting this "treatment" in October as an "alternative therapy" that has "clear results."
Parents who are trying MMS to "cure" autism find their way to MMS-specific Facebook groups, where they post what their children are experiencing with the "treatment" and horrifying images of what MMS peddlers claim are parasites but what really is probably bowel lining. Kerri Rivera, a repeat speaker at the premier autism quackery conference AutismOne and dedicated promoter of this concoction as an autism cure, appears to advise one parent on a Facebook page that MMS can be used in a child as young as age 10 months.
Rivera’s related book, Healing the Symptoms Known as Autism, averages 3.5 stars at Amazon, with 374 reviews. On Facebook, posts about experiences with Rivera’s "protocol" can be horrifying in the denial the parents exhibit:
My daughter vomits every day now. We have been on cd [Kerri Rivera’s term for the bleach "treatment" of chlorine dioxide] for 2 months-and since 1 month she is vomiting, almost every day. Sometimes twice, today 3 times! Have any of you had this?
Vomiting has been suggested as sign of toxicity from CD, but MMS/CD proponents claim that nausea and vomiting indicate that the product is "working."
From another parent on a Facebook MMS page:
...my son [redacted], 10 yrs old. Seems to want to vomit at the very end of each enema these days. … Why is this? We put 10 ml of cd in his enema.
Many autistic people can be nonspeaking, and autism is characterized specifically by communication difficulties. So how some of these children feel about being dosed orally or by enema with bleach solution and about vomiting, shedding intestinal lining and having intestinal bleeding is not known. One adult user of MMS described the experience as like “drinking battery acid.”
Parents who are trying MMS generally seem to be convinced that intestinal worms, specifically "ropeworms" (which have no species classification and no identification outside of the duo who claims to have found them) cause autism, in addition to a host of maladies. Ropeworms even have their own Twitter hashtag, despite the fact that the human gut has been dissected and parsed and studied from end to end down to the molecular level, with no confirmation of the existence of such an entity.
Autistic people can’t stay afloat between this Scylla and Charybdis of literal worms: On the one hand, some people argue that parasitic worms will cure autism. And then over here, we have a reportedly self-described god from a distant galaxy and his colleagues allegedly telling parents that worms are the cause.
This intersection of snake oil susceptibility and alien gods might seem unique, but it’s not. In what was really a rather refreshing acknowledgment of the Venn overlaps among conspiracy-minded folk, a recent boat cruise, dubbed the “woo cruise” by some, featured not only anti-vaccine avatar Andrew Wakefield but also people who believe that Queen Elizabeth might be a “Reptilian” and that the moon landing was fake.
Perhaps certain beliefs, such as believing that the moon landing was fake (why?) or that Queen Elizabeth is really a giant reptile wearing my great-grandmother’s clothes (OK, does it matter?) are not that far-reaching in their repercussions. But trace the arc of how people talk about autism—from Autism Speaks’ relentlessly thoughtless characterizations to Jenny McCarthy’s description of stealing souls. Follow it to a quite recent quote in an NBC Chicago story about Humble and his dangerous shenanigans, from Dr. Sharon Hirsch, section chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Chicago Hospitals, who said:
There is nothing we can do at this time to get rid of autism. It's a horrible disorder.
Given that level of rhetoric, it’s perhaps almost understandable that parents might turn even to bleach, tolerate vomiting, convince themselves that peeling colon linings are parasites, do anything to cure these children of this “horrible disorder.”
After all, we accept the terrible side effects of chemotherapy for cancer, amputation for gangrene and other major surgical and medical interventions for dire conditions. And indeed, people are peddling MMS as a "cure" for genuine health threats such as dengue, prostate cancer and Ebola, and Humble claims that he began the MMS stage of his career using it to "treat" HIV in Africa. If we're willing to compromise other aspects of health for the sake of potential cure for these fatal threats, given the deeply negative and hopeless language around autism, it's perhaps not surprising that people driven desperate with fear and anxiety might reach for anything that looks like a cure.
But autism isn’t fatal. It's not hopeless. It doesn’t trace to parasitic infection. Even if it did, no evidence suggests that a bleach solution, administered orally or by enema, would cure such infections or do one thing to mitigate the real disabilities associated with autism.HamptonWatercraft/YouTube
On Long Island, Hampton Bays and Southhampton residents woke up to a gruesome sight on Monday morning: thousands and thousands of dead fish, all clustered and floating in the Shinnecock Canal.
Before the canal locks were opened to let the bodies flow out, the dead menhaden (or bunker) fish were so tightly packed that you could barely see water in areas.
A combination of factors most likely contributed to the massive die-off. Christopher Gobler, who directs the marine science program at Stony Brook University, told The East Hampton Star that predators probably pushed a massive school of the creatures up into the canal. Sean O'Neill, of the nonprofit Peconic Baykeeper, told The Star that the supermoon probably created a massive tide, contributing to a flood of fish up the canal on Sunday night.
Then the canal locks closed.
With the locks closed, the flow of water stopped. Thousands of fish would have been trapped, consuming all the available oxygen in the water until there wasn't any left. With no water flow or photosynthesis at night, none of that oxygen would have been replenished.
That alone was probably enough to cause the die-off. Tests are still pending, but O'Neill said there didn't appear to be any sort chemical problem or algal bloom, another phenomenon that can kill off marine life.
"I think it's kind of just wrong place, wrong time," he told The Star.
Sounds like a nightmarish "wrong place, wrong time" scenario.
(h/t Gizmodo)Some 550 streets, alleys and plazas in former communist East Germany bear the name of of the Communist Manifesto philosopher, according to Die Welt.
But the Economic Council of the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) believes it’s about time the country moved away from its Cold War past, as Bild first reported.
“More than a quarter of a century after the political and economic bankruptcy of the GDR [East Germany], it is time to part ways with communism’s replacement of saints in the streets,” general secretary for the CDU economic council Wolfgang Steiger told The Local in a statement on Thursday.
“I do not understand why some places today still have main streets named after him.”
The economic council is an organization of business professionals that works closely with the CDU party to represent the interests of entrepreneurs in economic policies.
Steiger went on to say that Marx and colleague Friedrich Engels “did nothing good with their ideology”.
“And the decaying last days of the GDR were proof of this,” he continued.
Instead, Steiger said that streets should more often be named after former West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard, who in the 1960s was credited with leading the postwar economic recovery known as the “economic miracle”.
“After German reunification, along with the freedom and successful model of a social market economy that blossomed, these streets should be named after Ludwig Erhard, one after the other” Steiger said.
But Berlin Die Linke (Left Party) politician Katrin Lompscher laughed off Steiger’s suggestion, telling The Local that she couldn’t take his economic council’s idea seriously, politically speaking.
She also doubted whether many other people would support changing the names of Karl Marx streets.
“Marx was one of the most important philosophers, not only for Germany but also for humankind,” Lompscher said.
“He is indisputably a huge figure in history… this isn’t even a question and it’s not surprising that there are so many streets named after him.”
She added that people outside of Germany might associate his name with something negative because he was “not a friend of capitalism”, but that he was for many Germans what perhaps Abraham Lincoln or George Washington is for Americans.
“He analyzed systems and political formations, but he was not a violent revolutionary.”
East Germany is also dotted with the names of other prominent communists, like Engels, and Polish-born Rosa Luxemburg, who took part in a socialist uprising after the First World War and was killed by government paramilitaries.
There are also streets named for Ernst Thälmann, who helped organize the attempted Hamburg Uprising during the Weimar Republic. During the Second World War, he was arrested by the Gestapo and killed on Adolf Hitler’s orders.
READ ALSO: The German streets that honour murderers and racistsResearchers from Rice University in Houston, Texas, have discovered a new carbon supermaterial that is stronger and stiffer than graphene and diamonds: carbyne.
The new material it’s a chain of carbon atoms linked either by alternate triple and single bonds, or just by consecutive double bonds. And it’s quite something.
Based on the scientists’ mathematical models, carbyne not only is stronger than both graphene and diamond, but also it’s around twice as stiff as the stiffest known materials. It’s also fairly flexible — somewhere between a typical polymer and double-stranded DNA. And when twisted, it can either rotate freely or become remain stiff depending on the chemical group attached to its end.
The truth is that carbyne has been around for a while, but this is the first time academics have theorized its properties when exposed to tension, bending and twisting.
If carbyne’s predicted properties can actually put to use, graphene — the strongest material in existence—may just have had its day.
Image from Wikimedia CommonsEver been tempted to rent a movie again, but thought the price was just a little too dear? Google may soon be willing to haggle a deal. One of its newly-granted patents could automatically lower the price of repurchase-friendly content, such as a Google Play Movies rental, depending on how likely you are to pull the trigger. Its algorithm weighs your personal tastes and repurchasing habits against those of your peers: if the code senses you'll be relatively stingy, you'll get a better discount. The analysis could even factor in the nature of the content itself. A thoughtful movie, ownership of the soundtrack or just a lot of related searches could lead to a repurchase at the usual price, while a simple action flick with no previous interest may bring the discount into effect. We don't know if Google will offer these extra-personal discounts to the public at any point in the future, but if you suddenly notice a lot of follow-up bargains in Google Play, you'll know how they came to be.After a recent scouting trip to the United Kingdom, three top English fighters are heading to Bellator.
The organization today announced it has signed Martin Stapleton, Rob Sinclair and Paul Sass to long-term contracts, though terms of the deals weren’t disclosed. Debut dates also haven’t been announced, though tournament entries are possible.
According to the head of the company, this is likely a play to get Bellator on U.K. television.
“Our talent development team does the best job in MMA by bringing hugely talented fighters to Bellator from around the globe,” Bellator CEO and Chairman Bjorn Rebney stated. “The No. 1 question I get from fans is, ‘When will a U.K. television deal be completed with Bellator?’ With these three signings, along with a roster already featuring the likes of Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley, Ronnie Mann and Michael Page, we are setting the table for making Bellator an every week televised occurrence in the U.K.”
Stapleton (12-1), a recent Cage Contender fighter, is riding an eight-fight win streak that included a decision victory over notable Tommy Maguire in December. The lightweight and former Royal Marine Commando Unit member actually defeated two opponents earlier in the evening to win an eight-man single-night tournament.
Sinclair (12-2), a lightweight, is on a five-fight win streak, with four of the victories coming with the BAMMA promotion. The part-time fighter and full-time engineer owns nine knockouts in 12 career wins.
Sass (13-2), meanwhile, is perhaps the most recognizable of the group. The former UFC fighter opened his career with 13 straight wins (12 via submission, including nine via triangle choke) before losses to Matt Wiman and Danny Castillo, which resulted in his UFC release earlier this year.
For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Paul Sass)Three crew members from the International Space Station (ISS) returned to Earth Wednesday after 169 days of science and technology research in space, including a record 82 hours of research in a single week, which happened in July.
[image-51]Expedition 40 Commander Steve Swanson of NASA and Flight Engineers Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) touched down southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan at 10:23 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 10 (8:23 a.m., Sept. 11, in Dzhezkazgan).
During their time aboard the space station, the crew members participated in a variety of research focusing on Earth remote sensing, human behavior and performance and studies of bone and muscle physiology.
One of several key research focus areas during Expedition 40 was human health management for long duration space travel as NASA and Roscosmos prepare for two crew members to spend one year aboard the orbiting laboratory in 2015.
During their time on the station, the crew members orbited Earth more than 2,700 times, traveled more than 71.7 million miles and welcomed five cargo spacecraft. Two Russian ISS Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the station bringing tons of supplies in April and July. The fifth and final European Space Agency (ESA) Automated Transfer Vehicle also launched to the station in July with the spacecraft bearing the name of Belgian physicist Georges Lemaitre, who is considered the father of the big-bang theory.
SpaceX launched a Dragon cargo spacecraft to the station in April, the company's third of at least 12 planned commercial resupply missions. In July, Orbital Sciences’ Cygnus spacecraft completed its third of at least eight resupply missions scheduled through 2016 under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.
During his time on the complex, Swanson ventured outside the confines of the space station for a spacewalk to replace a backup computer relay box that unexpectedly failed. Skvortsov and Artemyev conducted two spacewalks during Expedition 40, totaling 12 hours and 34 minutes.
The space station is more than a scientific research platform. It also serves as a test bed to demonstrate new technology. Even routine tasks, such as monitoring and operating the carbon dioxide removal system, provides valuable data for next-generation life support systems. Carbon dioxide removal from the pressurized compartments of the station proved to work differently in space than predicted by ground tests. The crew also saw the arrival of the Haptics-1 experiment, part of an effort to develop technology that would allow an astronaut in orbit to control a robot as it explores its target, such as an asteroid or Mars, during future human exploration missions.
Having completed his third space station mission, Swanson now has spent a total of 196 days in space. Skvortsov has accumulated 345 days in space on two flights, and Artemyev accrued 169 days in space on his first mission.
Expedition 41 now is operating aboard the station with Max Suraev of Roscosmos in command. Suraev and his crewmates, Flight Engineers Reid Wiseman of NASA and Alexander Gerst of ESA, will tend to the station as a three-person crew until the arrival in two weeks of three new crew members: Barry Wilmore of NASA and Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova of Roscosmos. Wilmore, Samokutyaev and Serova are scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan Thursday, Sept. 25.
For more information on the International Space Station and its crews, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
For b-roll and other media resources, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
-end-The advent of digital photography has transformed how we view the world around us. The breadth and scope of our image capture devices has exploded. But not even the most ingenious action cam can compare to the sheer audacity of these awesome rigs collected by our friends at Ooobject.
Be sure to also take a look through these industrial movie cameras, 14 film shooters what look like bullet shooters, and 20 8mm cameras (that may or may not have been used in that terrible Nic Cage movie).
Rectaflex Rotor 1952
Bell & Howell Clockwork Movie Camera
Giant 900lb camera 1900
In 1900, George R. Lawrence built this mammoth 900 lb. camera to take a picture of a train.
Dr. Neubronner's Miniature Pigeon Camera
Used for aerial reconnaissance during WWI
Meopta Pankopta Panoramic Camera, 1962
Nicca Nicnon Binocular spy camera
Stereo Photosphere camera, France 1890
Houghton Ticka, watch camera 1906
Demon Detective Camera 1880s
Cane Handle Camera Ben Akiba by A. Lehmann, 1903
Williamson propeller powered airplane camera
Camera attaches to the bottom of airplane; propeller provides power for film advance.
French Revolver Camera 1882OPINION: Greece Gives EU the Chance to Rediscover Its Social Responsibility
Marianna Fotaki is a Professor of Business Ethics at Warwick Business School in England. She co-directs pro bono an online think tank, the Centre for Health and the Public Interest, a charity that aims to disseminate research informing the public and policy makers (http://chpi.org.uk).
COVENTRY, England, Jan 24 2015 (IPS) - The European Union should not be afraid of the leftist opposition party Syriza winning the Greek election, but see it as a chance to rediscover its founding principle – the social dimension that created it and without which it cannot survive.
Greece’s entire economy accounts for three per cent of the euro zone’s output but its national debt totals €360 billion or 175 per cent of the country’s GDP and poses a continuous threat to its survival.
While the crippling debt cannot realistically be paid back in full, the troika of the EU, European Central Bank, and IMF insist that the drastic cuts in public spending must continue.
But if Syriza is successful – as the polls suggest – it promises to renegotiate the terms of the bailout and ask for substantial debt forgiveness, which could change the terms of the debate about the future of the European project.
It would also mean the important, but as yet, unaddressed question of who should bear the costs and risks of the monetary union within and between the euro zone countries is likely to become the centrepiece of such negotiations.
The immense social cost of the austerity policies demanded by the troika has put in question the political and social objectives of an ‘ever closer union’ proclaimed in the EU founding documents.
The old poor and the rapidly growing new poor comprise significant sections of Greek society: 20 per cent of children live in poverty, while Greece’s unemployment rate has topped 20 per cent for four consecutive years now and reached almost 27 per cent in 2013.
Formally established through the Treaty of Rome in 1957, the European Economic Community between France, Germany, Italy and the Benelux countries tied closely the economies of erstwhile foes, rendering the possibility of another disastrous war unaffordable. Yet the ultimate goal of integration was to bring about ‘the constant improvements of the living and working conditions of their peoples’.
The European project has been exceptionally successful in achieving peaceful collaboration and prosperity by progressively extending these stated benefits to an increasing number of member countries, with the EU now being the world’s largest economy.
Since the economic crisis of 2007, however, GDP per capita and gross disposable household incomes have declined across the EU and have not yet returned to their pre-crisis levels in many countries. Unemployment is at record high levels, with Greece and Spain topping the numbers of long-term unemployed youth.
There are also deep inequalities within the euro zone. Strong economies that are major exporters have benefitted from free trade and the fixed exchange rate mechanism protecting their goods from price fluctuations, but the euro has hurt the least competitive economies by depriving them of a currency flexibility that could have been used to respond to the crisis.
Without substantial transfers between weaker and stronger economies, which accounts for only 1.13 per cent of the EU’s budget at present, there is no effective mechanism for risk sharing among the member states and for addressing the consequences of the crisis in the euro zone.
But the EU was founded on the premise of solidarity and not as a free trade zone only. Economic growth was regarded as a means for achieving desirable political and social goals through the process of painstaking institution building.
With 500 million citizens and a combined GDP of €12.9 trillion in 2012 shared among its 27 members the EU is better placed than ever to live up to its founding principles. The member states that benefitted from the common currency should lead in offering meaningful support rather than decimating their weaker members in a time of crisis by forcing austerity measures upon them.
This is not denying the responsibility for reckless borrowing resting with the successive Greek governments and their supporters. However, the logic of a collective punishment of the most vulnerable groups of the population must be rejected.
The old poor and the rapidly growing new poor comprise significant sections of Greek society: 20 per cent of children live in poverty, while Greece’s unemployment rate has topped 20 per cent for four consecutive years now and reached almost 27 per cent in 2013.
With youth unemployment above 50 per cent, many well-educated people have left the country. There is no access to free health care and the weak social safety net from before the crisis has all but disappeared. The dramatic welfare retrenchment combined with unemployment has led to austerity induced suicides and people searching for food in garbage cans in cities.
A continued commitment to the policies that have produced such outcomes in the name of increasing the EU’s competitiveness challenges the terms of the European Union’s founding principles. The creditors often rationalise this using a rhetoric that assumes tax-evading unproductive Greeks brought this predicament upon themselves – they are seen as the undeserving members of the euro zone.
Such reasoning creates an unhealthy political climate that gives rise to extremist nationalist movements in the EU such as the Greek criminal Golden Dawn party, which gained almost 10 per cent of votes in the last European Parliament elections.
Explaining the euro zone debt crisis as a morality tale is both deleterious and untrue. The problematic nature of such moralistic logic must be challenged: one cannot easily justify on ethical grounds forcing the working poor to bail out a banking system from which many wealthy people benefit, or transferring the consequences of reckless lending by commercial outlets to the public.
Nor can one explain the acquiescence of creditors to the machinations of the nepotistic self-serving corrupt elites dominating the state over the last 40 years that got Greece into the euro zone on false data and continue to rule it. As I have argued, the bailout money was given to the very people who are largely responsible for the crisis, while the general population of Greece is being made to suffer.
Greece’s voters are determined to stop the ruling classes from continuing their nefarious policies that have brought the country to the brink of catastrophe, but in the coming elections their real concern will be opposing the sacrifice of the futures of an entire generation.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, IPS-Inter Press Service.
Edited by Kitty StappDark Nights #8 – Anarchist & Anti-Prison Newsletter September 2010
Dark Nights is an irregularly published anarchist & anti-prison freesheet of resistance reports and repression news.
Issue #8 has a feature on the 14 August anti-anarchist repression in Chile, with a letter from an imprisoned anarchist, communique from insurrectionalist groups about the state attacks against social centres and anarchist initiatives, and call for international solidarity.
On the 24th of September there is an international day of solidarity with the Chilean comrades, and we dedicate this issue to the situation. The repression is aimed at silencing the growing discontent and stopping the anarchist direct action against corporate, religious and state targets which has grown in recent years. Because the Chilean government has no way of stopping the attacks, it attempts to persecute and dismantle the broader anarchist movement with investigations, raids and beatings at gun point.
The international anarchist and radical social movements must answer this frame-up with our solidarity and resistance.
Dark Nights #8
Contents:
– Call for international solidarity with the hostages of the Chilean ‘democracy’.
– List of hostages and those under conditional ‘freedom’.
– Communique from Mónica Caballero
– Communique from insurrectionalist groups in South America concerning the frame up.
Tags: 14/14, Chile, Dark Nights, International Solidarity, Repression
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 16th, 2010 at 9:55 pm and is filed under Library.'Twisted Sisterhood' explores dark side of female friendships
Kelly Valen surveyed more than 3,000 women for her book. Kelly Valen surveyed more than 3,000 women for her book. Photo: Jack Valen Photo: Jack Valen Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 'Twisted Sisterhood' explores dark side of female friendships 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
We all know her. The "frenemy" who hugs you at parties, yet spills your secrets when you turn your back. The female boss who won't cut you a break. The feminist who scoffs at your fishnet stockings, or the stay-at-home mom who pities your childlessness.
Whether it's the mean girls on the playground or at the office, females leave lasting scars that make it difficult for adult women to form strong female friendships, according to the new book "Twisted Sisterhood: Unraveling the Dark Legacy of Female Friendships."
"There's something uniquely monstrous about the female herd," said author Kelly Valen, who surveyed more than 3,000 women for the book. "Many women told me men can hurt their body, but it's women who scour their souls."
Through their early attachments to mothers, schoolteachers and other women in their lives, women develop an incredible capacity for female intimacy, sharing confidences, relying on one another and expecting similar closeness in return, Valen said.
"It's fabulous and why our friendships are so deep, but it sets things up for trouble," Valen said.
Valen knows female betrayal firsthand.
As a sorority member in Arizona in the 1980s, she was raped by her date at a fraternity party. The rapist apologized, was ostracized by his brothers and eventually dropped out of school.
She never filed assault charges because back then, "for whatever reason, we simply didn't think of it that way," as Valen explained in a 2007 New York Times article.
The attack was horrifying, she wrote, but what her sorority sisters did afterward was worse.
They blamed her, saying she drank too much at the party. They tagged her as the proverbial "loose woman" and said she brought shame to the sorority. Her housemates began tallying her infractions, such as wearing sweatpants to a sorority meeting. Eventually her sisters called an emergency tribunal, took a vote, then came en masse to Valen's room to tell her to pack her things.
While she eventually got over the rape, the fallout gave her a lasting distrust of women, especially women in packs. Into her 40s, she avoided charity groups, book clubs and women's fitness classes and the attendant anxiety they induced.
Response to Valen's article was impassioned and enormous. She was blamed and lauded for airing female dirty laundry, for finally speaking the truth, for hating men, for hating women, for flying the victim flag.
She knew she was onto something. With the help of a statistician friend, Valen devised a 50-question survey. More than 3,000 women from all states and social classes answered, and 84 percent said they had suffered palpable emotional wounding at the hands of other women. Despite their friendships, which they valued as the most important in their lives, 88 percent reported an undercurrent of incivility and negativity within the female gender.
Valen, a lawyer, spent the next two years researching and writing what she calls her "accidental book."
With her three daughters and her son in mind, she embarked on a project to revive civility and support among women.
"When daughters see their mothers gossiping, see them bonding with other women over it, see how they reap social rewards by laughing together at someone else's expense, that's sending a powerful social message about how the world works," Valen said.
"Twisted Sisterhood" is more than just a mean-girl book. Valen interviews brain experts who explain how traumatic memories are encrypted and replayed while routine memories are filed away until needed. Sociologists describe how Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are making it culturally acceptable to humiliate others with impunity.
The why question is the hardest to answer. There are theories to explain female cattiness: Women are fighting over crumbs in a male-dominated society, excluding others is a genetically coded survival skill from our tribal cave days, or we've degenerated into a superficial, Jen-versus-Angelina, beauty-contest society where status has trumped relationships.
"Really, I'm not sure why we are throwing each other under the bus," Valen said.
Looking for a culprit is a distraction, she said; what we should be doing is sticking up for one another. Tips in the back of the book give instructions on how to be nice:
Say something, or change the subject, if the group starts a female feeding frenzy. Pay attention to what your daughters are texting and IM-ing. Try making friends with a woman who on first glance doesn't seem like your type.
And above all, just knock it off.(CNN) The same day that North Korea launched its latest intercontinental ballistic missile, former Secretary of State John Kerry called on US decision-makers to give diplomacy a chance.
"There's a false narrative about North Korea that has been purposefully promulgated... that somehow diplomacy has failed, and therefore it is only 'fire' and 'fury' that is going to meet this challenge and be effective," Kerry said Tuesday.
Kerry's statement was a nod to President Donald Trump's statement in August that "North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States" or "they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."
But the truth, Kerry said -- which is "depressingly... absent from the American dialogue" -- is that "we have not exhausted diplomacy."
The former diplomat made his remarks just hours after North Korea launched what US and South Korean military analysts say was likely an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Read MoreShadows over Innistrad is coming. As someone who loves playing decks with graveyard interactions, this bodes better for me than it does the denizens of the plane. Our first trip to Innistrad reintroduced flashback. According to spoilers, our second trip is going to torment us with the return of madness. And I couldn’t be more excited.
Back in the day when Pauper was just a player-supported community, I attempted to port G/U Madness to Pauper. Key cards (or cards I perceived as key), like Wild Mongrel, Werebear, Basking Rootwalla, and Deep Analysis were all available. Of course, this was before Terramorphic Expanse and Simic Guildgate. The deck was fun, but hardly competitive in that low-stakes environment.
But that was nearly ten years ago. In the interim, Coldsnap brought Rune Snag, and Time Spiral introduced Think Twice. Online Vintage Masters shifted Arrogant Wurm and Circular Logic to common. Could the time be right for Pauper to go mad?
Madness and similar strategies present an opportunity for tempo-based play. The goal is to produce large threats that can then be protected with defensive spells. Werebear and Arrogant Wurm are the old standards of such a game plan, but both Hooting Mandrills and Gurmag Angler fit the mold. Gathan Raiders serves as a discard outlet while also providing a sizeable body at the cost of being hellbent. Finally, Waterfront Bouncer combines keeping the board clear with a way to turn on madness. The tools exist, but what about the competition?
When we are talking about spitting out 4/4 monsters in Pauper, we need to examine the shiny and chrome standard that is Affinity. Myr Enforcer and Carapace Forger are both cheaper and more reliable than a Werebear or a Hooting Mandrills. Affinity can also run Galvanic Blast and the Atog-Fling kill giving it some serious reach. The problem is that Affinity relies on artifacts and Gorilla Shaman exists.
One only needs to look at the standings over the first six weeks of Pauper after Cloud of Faeries. Affinity was one of the best decks early, but as the metagame adjusted, it dropped off significantly. It is a common refrain—in Pauper, Affinity is at its best when no one is prepared. As players were adjusting to a world with a diminished Delver and an absent Esper Combo, Affinity was able to fill the power vacuum. But then the Mox Monkey and its friends Ancient Grudge and Gleeful Sabotage came to the party, and Affinity took a back seat to Tron and Delver. It is the nature of Affinity to cycle between a dominant force and something to be barely considered.
So why should we be running Arrogant Wurm over Myr Enforcer? It’s more resilient to sideboard hate. At its worst, Wurm is still a 4/4 creature for 5, whereas Myr Enforcer might be uncastable. You lose the multidimensional attack of the machine menace but gain additional flexibility in deck construction.
For the purposes of this experiment, we are going to be focusing on threshold, madness, flashback, and delve. These three mechanics all intersect in interesting ways and help to create a synergy-driven deck. White is the only color that is really missing out on the party, as its premier spells in this vein are Battle Screech and Cenn's Enlistment. These are strong cards but do not lend themselves to the any deck looking to present a huge threat.
The remaining four colors provide an abundance of options.
Blue has the most traditional control elements. Rune Snag and Circular Logic both want a full graveyard and do good work taxing mana. Aether Burst can clear paths in multiples, and Rushing River can help to turn on both threshold and delve. Deep Analysis and Think Twice can provide new cards even from the bin.
For outlets, blue grants access to a wide variety of Merfolk Looters, including Looter il-Kor. The shadowy Kor has the advantage of being nigh unblockable, but its ability is a must, not a may. Waterfront Bouncer has a pedigree, but it may be too slow and awkward in a world populated by Chittering Rats and Gray Merchant of Asphodel. Aquamoeba exists, but its day in the sun may have passed. Careful Study can lead to some strong sequences but needs cards with madness or flashback to be at its best.
Black has a bevy of options. The recent addition of Corpse Churn helps to turn on threshold and delve while also acting as a sort of Impulse for creatures. Using Churn to find a Gurmag Angler is not a bad play in the slightest.
On the discard side, black has Tortured Existence, but that is better suited for a long game. For the beatdown game, black can go to Vampire Hounds and Trespasser il-Vec. Putrid Imp is a solid
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builds a cocoon-worthy web before being consumed from the inside out by larvae.
And, in Brazil (as well as other countries), there are fungi that infect many species of ants, turning these insects into a host of zombies. The ants climb to the highest point they can find and then die as fungal stalks shoot through their skulls, dispersing the fungus' spores into the wind.
In the case of the fungi-entranced ants, scientists know that the fungi actually release a cocktail of chemicals into the ants' brains, inducing them to do the fungi's bidding. But entomologists are still actively studying the ways that wasps and other insect parasites might control their hosts.
Takasuka suspects that, in the case of R. nielseni and C. argenteoalba, the mechanism controlling the spider's web-strengthening preferences is somehow related to the hormone that is naturally released in the spider just before molting. This hormone is what motivates the spider to start building a resting nest. In the near future, Takasuka hopes to study the chemicals present in the larvae to determine how those chemicals might be related to the resting-web hormone and others.
The researchers' study was published Aug. 5 in The Journal of Experimental Biology.Update: Editor’s Update 3/25/15: Not only can GMOs cause gluten intolerance, but according to a recent article by Mark Bittman, they may also kill us. “This past week the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the widely used herbicide Roundup, probably causes cancer in humans. Two insecticides, malathion and diazinon, were also classified as “probable” carcinogens by the agency, a respected arm of the World Health Organization.” Shouldn’t we, as consumers, have the right to know what we’re eating?
Update: “GMO wheat not approved for sale in US yet GMO wheat found by a farmer in his Oregon field.” (npr.org)
Update: Genetically modified wheat that can’t be killed – even by Roundup – has escaped from Monsanto’s labs, threatening the world’s largest grain producer (bloomberg.com)
Update: “Farmer Sued by Monsanto for Planting Seeds.”
Update: “Hungary torches 500 hectares of GM corn to eradicate GMOs from food supply.” (gmwatch.org)
Cargill? Halliburton? Bechtel? De Beers? There’s some stiff competition for worst company in the world. But Monsanto has got to take the cake.
Check their list of accomplishments:
Click here for the Top 10 Reasons even Brave & Rational Humans Hate & Fear Monsanto.
DDT? PCBs? The Atom Bomb & Nuclear Weapons? Polystyrene plastic waste? Dioxin? Agent Orange? Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH)? GMOs? You name it.
BTW: behind Monsanto, Coke and Pepsi were two of the largest forces opposing Prop 37 in California:
But that’s not all! Monsanto has not only been eliminating organic seeds, and putting seed-keepers out of business (see Food, Inc.) but they’ve been buying up seed companies. We’re down to 10% of what we had only a decade or so ago—down to 10% of, you know, seeds, or, you know: food.
Not convinced? “Recent compelling GMO study shows that rats fed a lifetime diet of Monsanto’s corn or exposed to its top-selling weedkiller Roundup suffered tumors and multiple organ damage.”
Or: “Blamed for Bee Collapse, Monsanto Buys Leading Bee Research Firm.”
Or: Fort McClellan: “Monsanto processed the now-banned industrial coolants known as PCBs at a local factory, they routinely discharged toxic waste, dumped millions of pounds of PCBs, different kinds of dioxins and herbicides, including the infamous Agent Orange into local rivers.” (veteransunited.com)
Source: sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net via Nicole on Pinterest
“Monsanto Companies: Do Not Buy.”
The below list is made up not, of course, by “Monsanto Companies,” but rather companies that are thought to use Monsanto products.
“Finally! A straight-up list to help us avoid Monsanto brands! Get out your highlighters! Learn more: http:// www.sproutsanfrancisco.com/ get-educated/ monsanto-boycott-list-expla ined/ “
And remember: “DuPont, Syngenta, and Bayer, among others, produce GM crops and have nearly identical business models to Monsanto in terms of their intellectual property and marketing.”
But let’s end on a happier note. The tide can turn: “Soybean Farmer Takes Monsanto to Supreme Court – A single 75-year-old Indiana soybean farmer in rural southwestern Indiana is taking on the multibillion dollar agricultural giant over the issue of who controls the rights to seeds planted in the ground.”
And: “Monsanto sued by Indian government for releasing GMO eggplant without authorization from traditional varieties. Le Monde article and India News.”
And: Monsanto banned in Germany.
And: “Peru bans Monsanto for 10 years! Small victories.”
And: Poland bans Monsanto’s GM maize (ca.news.yahoo.com)
And: Hungary Throws Out Monsanto…
And: Monsanto is one step closer to losing billions of dollars in revenues from its genetically-modified Roundup Ready soya beans, following a ruling this week by the Brazilian Supreme Court; Monsanto may have to refund millions of Brazilian farmers who had paid royalties to Monsanto over the last decade (nature.com)
And: Monsanto Faced with Paying 7.5 Billion Back to Farmers, “It all started with a monumental lawsuit launched by over 5 million farmers against Monsanto looking to recover financial losses from ridiculous seed taxes that bankrupted many families.”Wanting Qu moved to Canada from China as a teenager in order to improve her English and attend school. Although she stuck to the plan for the first few years, by 2005 she was focusing most of her attention on writing and performing songs on piano, while sidestepping parental pressure to pursue a career in business. During the summer of 2009, Qu took some music courses at UBC and was in the process of applying for a full-time program when something big happened: Terry McBride contacted her. McBride is CEO of the Nettwerk Music Group, which has managed artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Dido, and Coldplay, and Qu had sent him a demo of her music. Soon after meeting her, McBride signed Qu to the label. Since that pivotal summer, Qu, who sings in English and Mandarin, has become a platinum-plated superstar in Asia with millions of fans. (This has not gone unnoticed by Tourism Vancouver, which appointed her Vancouver’s first tourism ambassador to China in 2013.) With her home base in Vancouver, Qu has been leading a dual life: superstardom in Asia and relative obscurity in North America. Determined to crack the market here, she has released an English‑language album and last year went on tour at venues across North America. You can watch how her career unfolds by following her on social media: North America: @WantingQu | facebook.com/wantingqu China: weibo.com/quwanting | site.douban.com/wanting
What is your most prized possession?
My life experiences. They are something nobody else has and they teach me how to become a better person.
Who was your childhood hero?
My mother. She is a hard worker and has given me the best life I can have, no matter what struggles she went through to do it.
Describe the place you most like to spend time.
Singer-songwriters need alone time. I like spending time in my home to think, reflect and write songs. If you’d asked me three years ago, I’d have said Hawaii, because I love warmth, nature and swimming with turtles.
What was the last thing you read?
The Consequences – a book I bought when stuck at the airport because of the cover image. I spend a lot of time on planes and so have usually seen all the movies.
What or who makes you laugh out loud?
My friends.
What’s the most important lesson you ever learned?
That everything happens for a reason. If you expect something to happen and it doesn’t, just be patient and know there is a reason. You won’t know what it is immediately, but you’ll know eventually.
What’s your idea of the perfect day?
It would start after a really good sleep. It has to be sunny and warm and I’d have to be near the oceans or mountains – close to nature. I would spend it surrounded by love.
What was your nickname at school?
Chili pepper. I was feisty and would always think I was right. Now I’m nicer and more diplomatic.
What would be the title of your biography?
The Things You Don’t Know about Wanting Or: Life is Like a Movie
What item have you owned for the longest time?
I came to Canada from China when I was 16. I still have a traditional Chinese dress from my childhood and a lot of photos.
What is your latest purchase?
Recording software for a friend.
Whom do you most admire (living or dead) and why?
I admire Amy Winehouse – not because of her personal lifestyle, but because she was so real and so vulnerable. She didn’t sugarcoat anything. I find her honesty brave and rare. It touched a lot of people.
What would you like your epitaph to say?
“She lives on through her music.”
If you could invent something, what would it be?
A potion that makes someone understand how others feel and think. If everybody understood each other there would be more harmony in the world.
In which era would you most like to have lived, and why?
I’d be a flying dinosaur, millions of years ago.
What are you afraid of?
The unknown.
Name the skill or talent you would most like to have.
I wish I could do my own accounting and I wish I could speak more languages.
Which three pieces of music would you take to that desert island?
Coldplay: “Fix You” ; Amy Winehouse: “Our Day Will Come” ; and anything from the movie soundtrack by Hans Zimmer for The Holiday
Which famous person (living or dead) do you think (or have you been told) you most resemble?
My friends in Asia say I look like the writer Sanmao. My younger fans say my music style reminds them of Taylor Swift.
What is your pet peeve?
Stupid and slow computers that don’t do what they’re told.
What are some of your UBC highlights?
I took a Balinese music course in the summer of 2009. I had to learn to play a Balinese instrument and all the different rhythms, and the teacher was awesome. The campus is beautiful, but the music school is too far away from the SUB. Sometimes there wouldn’t be time to get there and back for lunch!The co-founder and operating CEO of Hippos In Tanks has died, according to reports.
Barron Machat was co-founder and operating CEO of Hippos In Tanks, a Los Angeles-based record label and management company that released music from artists such as Dean Blunt, Laurel Halo, James Ferraro and Autre Ne Veut. Launched in 2010, in 2011 Hippos In Tanks was named label of the year by FACT.
Hippos in Tanks’ last record was released in 2013, but in recent years Machat had worked with Swedish rapper Yung Lean and the Sad Boys as part of Emotional Management. Machat was from a music family: his father was Steven Machat, the music lawyer and manager behind the book Gods, Gangsters and Honour, and his grandfather was Marty Machat, a lawyer and manager who worked closely with Leonard Cohen and Phil Spector.
Oneohtrix Point Never and Robin Carolan of Tri Angle Records confirmed the news via Twitter. Ferraro posted a photo on Instagram, while Arca and Laurel Halo have also shared condolences.
Update, 17.50 BST: Barron’s family have confirmed that he died in a car crash in Miami on Wednesday morning.
You can read our tribute to Barron Machat here.The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutras community.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.
Released in May 2010 out of pure fun by two developers on their free time, Transformice is a massively multiplayer platformer that gathered attention of the masses very early on through platforms like 4chan and SomethingAwful.
More than four years and many updates later, it now sits at 60 million accounts created.
While the game isn’t actually “finished” and still under active development, today I would like to share what is has been like during those four years, from the game viewpoint of course but moreover, monetization-wise. Because making a game is hard, but making money from it is even harder. Yay, numbers!
In 2010, Jean-Baptiste Le Marchand and I were full-time employed at a French videogame company, him as a developer and I as a graphic designer / technical artist. Jean-Baptiste had a history of creating small browser games for fun, and asked for my help in order to a new one, with better graphics.
Thrilled by his ability to quickly make a gameplay hilarious, I accepted and proposed him a gameplay with mice having to transform themselves into crates and planks in order to help their other fellow mice to cross gaps and get the cheese: Transform-mice. We quickly changed it for a super-mouse (the Shaman) summoning the planks and crates, but the name Transformice stuck.
Transformice splasher, 2010
The core gameplay loop was simple: climb your way up to the cheese, go back to the mouse hole, as one player (the Shaman) can summon planks and crates to help everyone. In about three weeks, we had a fully working prototype.
First prototype, 2010
We launched the game on May the 1st 2010 (we thought it would be funny to do it on French’s Labor Day) and we only shared the news on a single French videogames forum we were familiar with, JeuxOnline. Things were going pretty well and people were enjoying the game a lot, even with its great simplicity: no accounts, no cheese-counting, very simple brown mice and color-solid grounds. The physics engine (Box2D) and real-time multiplayer allowed extremely hilarious situations, and people got hooked fast. We added accounts very quickly to count cheese as a currency, so that people could use it to buy hats for their mouse.
Then, a couple weeks after launch, we’re not sure how but the SomethingAwful forums found out about us. The game wasn’t even translated in English, but the Goons didn’t care, and kept playing and yelling “OMELETTE DU FROMAGE” around. The funniest video in Transformice’s history (1M views) was made at this moment (I really recommend to watch it if you don’t already know the game, it’s a perfect summary).
As we quickly translated the game to English to welcome the Goons, pure chaos ensued. The moment SomethingAwful found out about it, 4chan was meant to follow, and our unique little server simply melted under the demand. Of course, this was the perfect moment for Kotaku, Rock Paper Shotgun, Indiegames.com and PC Gamer to write about us and make our bandwidth usage skyrocket a little more.
The server usage became problematic quite early on. We paid for the servers out of our own pocket, and there was no way we would be able to afford to pay for a dozen. That’s why we went for the fastest and cheapest solution of putting an Adsense horizontal advertising banner under the game, and opened up a Paypal account for donations.
The advert banner performed well, with an average of 47€ a day, and allowed us to rent more servers. By the end of 2010, it generated about 11 000€, for an average 80 000 unique visitors a day.
The Donate button with Paypal gathered around 3000€ before we pulled it off by the end of the next year. The list of donators is still displayed on our website today, and most of the donations came from the US and Norway, but almost none from France despite being our home country. It’s just not in the culture.
This went on for months, where we would be adding more servers as fast as possible, trying to cope up with the massive influx of players, while being full-time employed, and fixing some bugs / add content (hats!)
At this point, we knew we had to take a decision: leave our full-time jobs and create a company to take care of the game (which already generated some income), or kill it entirely because we didn’t have enough free time for its needs. Obviously, we went for the former.
That’s how one year later, April 2011, we left our day jobs and create Atelier 801, and thrilled by the new additions and seasonal events we could make thanks to finally being full-time on the game, the playerbase slowly doubled, from 150,000 to 300,000 unique visitors a day.
We had a very exotic player distribution : more than 50% of our overall audience came from Brazil, then from the United States (11%), Turkey (8%), France (7%), overall Latin America (5%) and Russia (3%). We made sure to localize the game in every language we could, to not leave any community behind, and it really paid off with Brazil and Turkey.
Despite those two countries not being really interesting to advertizers at the time, the advert banner performed very well, generating an average 280€ a day, even peaking as high as 1000€ by October, raking in 103,000€ for 2011. As a complement, and as the.swf file of the game was spreading around the web, we also added a quick pre-loader advert (that you could skip instantly), which performed at 150$ a day, generating 55,000$ for all 2011.
Thrilled by these numbers, we made some calculations based on servers cost and salaries, and realized that we could hire one more person to work on the game! We didn’t hesitate one moment, and recruited our most passionate moderator to be our Community Manager, in order to answer the thousands emails we were receiving and deal with moderation in game.
But the joy didn’t last long. See that big red bar on the advert revenue graph? That’s when we got banned from Google Adsense.
Atelier 801, end of 2011
We really took a hit at this moment. Since Google pays with a 60 days roll, the sudden ban of our account meant more than 13,500€ of unpaid clicks. We were left with three salaries and about 30 servers to pay for, and our main source of income had simply disappeared.
We immediately tried replacing Adsense with other advert agencies, but none were performing half as good, and numbers didn’t add up anymore. Jean-Baptiste and I stopped paying ourselves for a few months, in order to be able to pay for the servers and the salary of our Community Manager while working to sort this out.
Why did this happen? Suddenly our whole domain was blacklisted, without any warning or email, and not a single form available to inquire. Literally, there is absolutely no way to get in touch with any Google Adsense staff: your only chance is a user-driven forum, where people usually don’t know much more than you about what’s going on. One of them even snapped that we got banned because of our Donators page, and refused to answer any further.
New Year’s Eve passed, and we thought that having a full Wordpress website with a lot of content might get us unbanned, but we hit the same brick wall.
It’s only by tremendous luck that we got out of this: a friend of ours happened to go to the same school as one of Google’s employees, and a couple emails managed to get us unbanned in minutes. Never underestimate the power of networking...
It’s only then that we learnt why the banning occurred: Google bots detected that our banner was less than 150px away from our Flash game, which is against Adsense’s policies (always read the small characters!), and banned us automatically.
So, we reinstalled the Adsense banner by February 2012, but 150px is a large distance, and most of our audience with low-end computers and small screen resolutions weren’t even able to see it anymore. We let it run for a few months, generating around 150€ a day, but it still wasn’t enough for paying the three of us + the servers, and we were very bitter about the way the whole thing had been handled, so we decided not to depend on advertisements anymore: we were getting prepared to go Free-to-Play.
We took a lot of time to develop this with extreme caution, as it was a real shift for us. Will the players hate us for asking for money? Will we suddenly become sell-outs? Will the players stay?
We wanted an extremely fair and ethic monetization, making only cosmetics available, with a great majority still only available through playing, so hardcore players didn’t feel they fought for nothing, and very low prices. It was extremely hard for us to come up with price points. How much were we comfortable letting people pay within our browser-based, cute little mice Flash game?
We wanted to give our players the most out of their money: I completely re-drew all the items that we had (about 150-200 at that time) in Flash with different grayscale clips, in order to allow players complete customization of every area of color of each item.
Customization of each item could be unlocked against a large amount of cheese, or a small amount of hard currency, strawberries. We also chose about 20 cosmetic items to be purchasable with strawberries (and keeping them available through cheese too of course), and implemented 5 different fur colors to change the whole body of the mouse. As we were testing them, we purposefully showed off in the different rooms by wearing them ourselves, and players were VERY eager to get their hands on the fur-color feature.
With many fears in mind, and after six months without a proper salary, we removed all advert banners and finally released Transformice Free-to-Play on June 14th 2012. And it went… quite well!
As you can see on the graphs, the player’s response was astounding. They were thrilled to be able to support the game they loved, and the first month generated more than 250,000€! We were flabbergasted.
We quickly hired a few more people, 3 developers, 3 community managers, one chief financial officer, and a sysadmin. With about 3 million active players and 40 servers to handle, we thought it was a good team scale, and it would allow us to sleep a bit better.
We also moved into bigger, more expensive offices by the end of the year 2012.
All in all, between June and December 2012, microtransactions generated 1,068,300€, with an average 5,262€ a day. Every peak on the curve matches a new content/seasonal update, with more hats and fur colors to buy, and the red line is our break-even line including the new hirings. It was at the end of this year that we broke our all-time concurrent players’ record, with more than 86,000 users online.
Months passed, and 2013 started slowly monetization-wise, flirting with the break-even. Retrospectively, this can be explained by the fact that we ran a frenzy winter event throughout all December 2012, featuring an Advent calendar that gave players rewards every day, and we gave away a TON of content (hats, titles, cheese, even hard currency) for free. In retrospective, it was a huge mistake on our part, because players can only wear that many hats at a time, and it hindered our sales for several months.
It got even more concerning around October 2013, and we decided to reactivate an advert banner next to the game on the website, but this time vertical instead of horizontal. We then observed that it wasn’t disturbing our players at all, and it performed a lot better than before (stabilized at 500€ a day, compared to 150€ a day early 2012). It provided a nice complementary income that allowed us to stay above break-even.
Looking back, 18 months of ads even performing as bad as early 2012 was still worth more than 100,000€, and we were fools to get rid of it.
Meanwhile, the number of players was slowly decreasing, and the whole year 2013 saw a 15% drop in our active users.
Things weren’t looking too bright by the end of 2013, with the holiday’s season barely performing better than the rest of the year, and 2014 started grimly, January and February being usually slow months.
We then took one of our biggest decisions: to not give any free hats during seasonal events anymore, and sell them instead (against cheese/strawberries). It was only thanks to the frenzy 2012 Christmas event that we realized we were basically giving everything we sold for free during events, and while it was very appreciated, it put our future in jeopardy.
The decision was quite unpopular. Players complained a lot on the forums, and rightfully so: while we gave out badges and titles instead of hats, they felt that they didn’t have anything worthy to fight for anymore. Some players on the other hand were happy about it, because they didn’t want to play all throughout the event to get that nice Valentine’s hat, but mostly people felt we had become sell-outs.
It settled, eventually, and slowly but surely our sales went up. We were above break-even a lot more frequently, and while the number of players decreased a little, we were monetizing better.
In whole, 2014 generated 929,025€ in sales and adverts, and after paying for all charges and taxes, our benefit was 40,309€.
In January 2015, we managed to publish Transformice on Steam, and it allowed us to get some nice articles and a little more attention from the US community. At launch, the game peaked at 5 333 concurrent users, making it the 41st most played game on Steam. Therefore, we were able to sit on the Popular New Releases list on the homepage for almost a full week, and the game got downloaded 400,000 times during the first month. More than 120,000 new accounts got created through Steam during this month, and 38,423 of those played for more than an hour.
It is worth mentioning that during all those years, and before the Steam release, the only press we ever got was those four articles that I mentioned back at the launching of the game in 2010. It gained so much momentum by word-of-mouth at this moment that we never felt the need to do any PR, or talk to anyone in the industry at all. Retrospectively, we might have missed a lot of opportunities that way only because we were so busy improving the game, it might have hindered our capability to build a sustainable, long-term game development studio. We resigned from our first jobs in the industry and just did our thing in a corner, without looking around and paying attention to what others did, and that is probably backfiring for our other productions.
During those four years, we published three other games: Bouboum, Fortoresse and Nekodancer. While when all three united they gather around 300 000 unique visitors a month, and generate enough ad revenue to pay for the servers they’re running on, we’ve failed to promote these games out of our own community of players, revolving around Transformice. And to be only relying on a single game’s success is nothing short of worrying for the future of a studio.
We don’t have much to complain to be honest: we’ve got a huge dedicated userbase, a greatly successful game, and a rather regular source of income allowing us to run a 12 persons studio and develop other games. It’s only up to us now to learn all there is to know about marketing a game, and make the best use of all this potential that we have.
Time for the mandatory tl;dr What Went Right / Wrong!
What Went Right
1. Physics
Back in 2010, there was a kink for physic-based flash games, the most popular being Fantastic Contraption, and it definitely influenced us while making the game (and made Brian Fargo contact us!). Later came Incredibots, QWOP, Crush the Castle… All very fun in solo, but none of them included a multiplayer twist.
People love to mess with the physics engine by itself, but it’s becoming hilarious in multiplayer. Players toy with the physics, and basically we could leave them with a beach ball and they’d still have fun together.
It’s not as relevant today as people are less impressed by such features in browser games now, but the game came at a perfect timing with the genre.
2. Real Time Multiplayer
If you remember correctly, 2010 was a great year for Facebook games. In a world of desynchronized interaction, a real-time multiplayer game that could still be played in your browser was a great alternative.
Real-time multiplayer is rare on browsers, and rightfully so: it’s usually very demanding in resources, both for the player and the developer. Multiplayer in itself is a big piece to chew on for any indie game developer, but it’s so worth it! Playing together is really the core of a game for us, and that’s why we focus only on multiplayer games.
3. Accessibility
This one is tremendously important for any indie who wants to reach out to an audience. Why would anyone try your game if it takes so long to load and install?
Our game was weighing less than 1Mo, was playable on all desktop operating systems and browsers thanks to the popularity of Flash Player, and featured a “guest” mode for everyone who didn’t want to create an account to try it out. The registration is also quite easy: no email asked upon account creation, the players are incentivized to fill it in later with a small cheese and accessory reward.
All of this made the player’s tryout frictionless, a necessary feature in the browser-games world, where the attention span of a player rarely exceeds a couple minutes. It largely contributed to the viral part of our success.
We realized it later, but it’s even more important when you start reaching developing countries: their hardware specs are nowhere near the ones most of us are used to, but you shouldn’t let them out, because they’re players you want to reach! This leads us to the next point:
4. Localization
This is mainly part of Accessibility as well, but it deserves its own bullet point.
As soon as we saw English people playing on our little French game, we translated it to English of course, but we also did it for Brazilian, Russian, Spanish and Turkish very early on. Whenever we saw an emerging community, we would do our best to provide the game in their language (even in Arabic and Hebrew), and it proved to be more important than we thought.
More often than not, developing countries don’t have access to many interesting games. They are either not translated in their language, or too heavy to run on their hardware. Most of the big editors won’t try to market those countries, because either they’re not wealthy enough or not large enough, or the piracy is too high (hello Poland!)
This makes a HUGE reservoir of players you can reach. Small streams make big rivers!
We simply asked our players to help us with the translation, and they were more than happy to do it. Crowdfunding translation is a cheap (virtually free) and good quality way to go (players already know your game and will translate accordingly), even the big ones are doing it. Export a csv into Google Drive and you’re good to go.
Even if some countries will never spend a dime in our game (either because they can’t afford it or don’t have any available mean of payment), it doesn’t matter, as it only makes more players, which is the most important parameter in multiplayer games AND free to play games. More the players, funnier/more competitive the game gets, and further it reaches.
Only roughly 30% of the worldwide population can read English, as Rami said, games often suck at inclusivity.
5. Two-people team
This is both a good and a bad thing.
Good because being only two speeds processing tremendously: when you’re working with a bigger team, you’re more at risk that someone can’t keep up with the pace, slowing everyone down. There are numerous indie teams failing that way: starting too many. It’s even better if you can cover all aspects of development alone, but it doesn’t happen much often.
JB and I are very complementary, and we maxed the different competences while minimizing the number of persons involved, allowing us to develop very fast.
The downside of this of course is that it quickly becomes impossible to make bigger games, and it’s very hard to keep up with the pile of the most annoying bugs multiplayer games always come up with, and the management of hundreds thousands players.
But in the end, it’s because there were only the two of us that Transformice got released in three weeks of development.
6. Graphics
Not to be too self-congratulatory here, but the art style turned out to be a good part of our success, in its own simplicity. The choice of cute little mice contrasted very well with the unfathomable cruelty that awaited them, and the sight of a literal horde of adorable critters running all around the screen often triggered laughter. Even if the graphics were simple, they were slightly above the average Flash game you’d find on game portals, thanks to the experience gathered with Flash at my previous job, and people seemed to like it.
7. Player Feedback
Even if our players keep yelling on our forums that we never listen to them, we actually do a lot, and did so very early on in the development of the game. We took in players’ feedback quite regularly all through the game’s life, taking in suggestions about new content, and it allowed us to stay close from our community, even if most of the time, we have to adapt all the ideas to make them fit correctly with our game design.
We try our best to listen to what they want but we don’t do exactly as they say, because they often don’t know what they want for themselves.
What Went Wrong
1. Two-people team
When we started to develop Transformice, we didn’t give much thought about the consequences. We just wanted to make a small and fun game on our free time, without actually realizing what was coming for us: who would even think about making a multi-million players MMO when you’re only two persons? We missed a lot of opportunities because we weren’t able to cope up with the initial rush. Thousands of players tried to reach the game during the first months, and simply couldn’t, because we didn’t have an appropriate server scale. The more players you have, the higher expectations get, and with only one developer and a graphic designer, it was just impossible to cope up with the bug-fixing and new functionalities demands, let alone business stuff that we also had to do.
2. Read small characters
Retrospectively, our Adsense ban transformed in a good thing, but at the moment it certainly wasn’t, and it put a lot of physical stress on us. If anything, we have been careless with how we generated money, and when your business model only relies on a single source of income, you better make sure you know exactly what you’re doing.
Never try to do anything shady and think you will get away easily either, it’s the best way of taking risks to screw everything up, and karma will gladly remind you so.
3. Hiring too fast
When the microtransactions took off, we were so relieved that we could finally scale the team up to more reasonable standards that we didn’t pay as much attention to the hirings as we should have. We grew from three to ten persons in a less than eight months timespan, and we weren’t prepared for it. Some mistakes were made, some tensions arose, and suddenly employees management had become a thing without us two realizing. We always tried to provide the best working conditions, but shrugged off project management entirely, relying on everyone to find stuff to do on their own and without setting proper goals. This is something we’re getting better at lately, but it took us a very long time to realize how important it was.
4. Not paying attention to mobile
All during those four years, we shrugged off a mobile version of Transformice, not even allowing ourselves to think about it. Come on, it’s Flash, it’s heavy processor-demanding, and you need a keyboard and a mouse to play properly, how can you even closely emulate that on mobile devices? We were too busy coping up with the PC version anyway.
While we don’t have any numbers or experience yet to back up this opinion, we probably should have taken it more seriously earlier on. When we tried our hand at mobile with a spin-off runner version set in the Transformice universe, so many people were disappointed it wasn’t the real game, even if it wouldn’t be as comfortable as on PC.
We finally wrapped our head around it a couple months ago, and tried to build a small version using Adobe AIR, which to our great surprise proved to run quite smoothly on Android devices (and completely unusable on iOS). So much for preconceived ideas.
We are going to work some more on it and release it in the next few months.
5. Monetization: we had no idea what we were doing
When we decided to go Free-to-Play, once again we didn’t pay much attention to what other studios did around us. In our heads, you could only do F2P in two ways: the fair, League of Legends way, and the horrible Zynga/King way. We were so stressed out that players would hate us that we went for the most fair we could, but that also meant underselling our products.
Once they’re set, it’s always easier to go down on your prices, but you can never raise them, and we learnt it the hard way. We didn’t do our homework and had no idea about ARPPU, break-even costs, business plan or projections.
It really struck me at one masterclass, given by the awesome Nicholas Lovell: he asked us to raise our hand, and put it down whenever we weren’t comfortable with the amount of money our players could spend in our game. And he started counting, 1$, 5$, 10$, 100$ etc. Most hands were down at about 500$, and he simply told us “there’s no good answer to this, other than that you shouldn’t have let your hand down. If players want to spend so much on your game, you need to allow them to do so.” And he was right. We were the worst to
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first show, and we see that it has an effect on the age group [that watches the show]. It gets a pretty big following up to about age 24, so you see an effect on birth through age 24 but not beyond.
How do you get from people watching the show to teen birth rates dropping in real life? Because even the best TV isn’t actually birth control.
We know where babies come from. So can we find something to show that that behavior is changing as well? It would be great to get data directly about contraceptive use and sexual behavior, but that’s very difficult to do. So we decided to try out new data sources. In terms of social policy research, the use of Google Trends data and Twitter data is pretty novel…and it allows the researcher to actually get inside the heads of the viewer of the show to see what is changing about what they’re thinking about immediately afterwards. And it’s amazing.
What did you look for?
Apparently, when kids are watching TV these days, they have their phone in their hand. And when they see things that are meaningful to them, they tweet about them, or they search for another idea. So we see these huge spikes in searches and tweets immediately following the airing of a new [episode]. The first thing they’re searching on is the show itself and making some comment: “I just saw ’16 and Pregnant,’ blah blah.” But you can also link that to searches for birth control and abortion.
What specific search terms did you use?
In tweets, the search terms we used were “birth control” and “abortion.” In Google, where you can be a little more specific, we used “how do you get birth control,” “how do you get birth control pills,” “how do you get an abortion.”
What did you find?
What we were able to find was a very large number of tweets that literally said “’16 and Pregnant’ is the best form of birth control.” Thousands of tweets say that, or some variant of that. “Just watched ’16 and Pregnant,’ remembered to go take my birth control.” [We] also [saw] this apparently big movement of binge watching, mother-daughter “16 and Pregnant” marathons, which would never have occurred to me, except there’s people tweeting about it. So it opens up the possibility of this dialogue between mothers and daughters.
In the grand scheme of factors that influence the decline in teen birth rates, how big a contributor are these TV shows?
The economic conditions and the severity of the recession definitely contributed. During periods in which it’s difficult for a teen to get a job, and it’s difficult for the teen’s boyfriend and the teen’s parent to get a job, people are sitting there thinking, “It’s not obvious whether there’s going to be any support for this kid. It may not be a good time to get pregnant.” That happens across the age distribution, [not just to teenagers]. That was actually the biggest factor. We calculate that over half the decline is contributable to [the economy]. “16 and Pregnant” accounts for about a third.
Now that you’re a “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” expert, what do you think about the shows? Just as a viewer, are you hooked?
I think it’s incredibly compelling. I don’t know how anyone could possibly watch an episode of “16 and Pregnant” and think that it glamorizes teen pregnancy. It’s a very honest portrayal of the difficulties that these girls face. Anyone who thinks they’re going into this with a high probability that their boyfriend is going to stick around, or that they’ll continue their education, or maintain their friends, or continue going out and socializing, and maintain strong family relationships: there’s conflicts everywhere in these girls lives.
I think what “16 and Pregnant” is so successful at doing is portraying images that seem very real. And that’s why it works. It has exactly the right combination of, it’s MTV and they know what kids like, and they can market the show in a way that draws in large numbers of viewers — because if nobody sees it, what difference does it make? — and including messages which are very honest and realistic.To the Editor:
Re “Beyond Flint, Lead Poisoning Persists Despite Decades-Old Fight” (front page, March 4):
As a pediatrician specializing in toxicology, I lead the investigation when a child tests positive for lead. The water crisis in Flint, Mich., has crystallized our attention on lead pipes, but the fact is that hundreds of thousands of children across the United States face a daily threat of lead poisoning from many sources.
Often these children live in older communities, where lead lingers in the household dust and soil. Lead is in the paint, the pipes, toys, dishes, vinyl miniblinds and hobby materials. Parents with certain jobs pick up lead residue on their clothes, then come home to hug their children.
No level of lead exposure is safe for children. We cannot eliminate lead poisoning until we remove the sources of lead from children’s homes. To accomplish this, Congress must fund the surveillance programs of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that identify children at high risk, and then investigate their homes to discover and remove the sources of lead before children are exposed to lead.
Children in every community deserve a safe place to live, learn and grow.
JENNIFER A. LOWRY
Kansas City, Mo.Calls for the implementation of a tax on foreign buyers of property in the Greater Toronto Area are "premature," a pair of real estate groups say.
In letters to Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa and Toronto Mayor John Tory, the heads of the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) and the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) say introducing such a tax would be "a knee-jerk reaction to a problem which we do not fully understand."
TREB president Larry Cerqua and OREA president Ray Ferris wrote that a foreign buyers tax will do "little to address the growing affordability challenges facing many Ontarians and may have negative consequences for our broader economy."
The groups argue that more information is needed to get a better understanding of foreign buyer involvement in Toronto's housing market.
Slower activity
The government of British Columbia recently introduced a 15 per cent tax on foreigners buying property in Greater Vancouver. In the wake of the tax's introduction, housing activity in Vancouver area has slowed considerably. Reaction seems to have been swift — the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said house purchases declined by 26 per cent in August compared with the same month a year earlier.
The arrival of the tax in Vancouver led to suggestions that foreign interest in real estate will shift to other markets, including Toronto, which has already seen significant home price gains, just not on the same scale as Vancouver. High-end real estate seller Sotheby's recently said it expects a lot of demand in Vancouver's luxury market to move to Toronto.
Little choice: economist
There have been a pair of calls recently for a tax on foreign homebuyers in the Toronto area to help cool the market.
CIBC economist Benjamin Tal said Ontario will have little choice but to implement a tax similar to that of British Columbia. Tal said the main reason behind higher prices around Toronto is a policy-driven lack of land supply, leaving a tax as one of the only levers available to influence the market.
In addition, former federal finance minister Joe Oliver, writing in the National Post this week, said Ontario should quickly impose a 15 per cent tax on purchases by non-residents and foreigners of residential property in certain Toronto-area communities.
Sousa said earlier this week there are no plans at the moment to implement a tax in Toronto similar to Vancouver's.
"Our government will continue monitoring the housing market in both Ontario and B.C. over the course of the next few months to see the impacts of the recent decision by the government of B.C.," Sousa said in a written statement.Thought we need some more female Grineer Bosses...i mean... an army, led by Twin QUEENS, and most characters are male? WTF!? x)She don't have a name until nowHer primary weapon is this Giant Sniper Rifle wich seems to have replaced her left forearm.This thing is a mix of Ogris and Vulkar - a hitscan Sniperrifle with explosive bullets wich smashes you eardrum with every shot.... i really want louder sniper rifles in this game :_CHer secondary is a Marelok (she also use this thing to execute her inferiors... and everyone who said her shots missed).For melee battle, she is armed with a Sheev.Other to Kela, she tries to avoid direct confrontations, and prefer to kill her targets on long range."Mad Hunter"-Version, if she cant be a boss on an specific planet (Since Eidolon Update i would prefer this):She could be somekind of bountyhunter, send by the twin Queens, wich can appear in open ranged Grineer missions (like on earth, phobos, ceres etc.) on some weird mix of a grineer-spaceshuttle and a zeppelin.In the Beginning she is nice, and ask you to stand still, or asks you what part of your body she should take as a trophy, but she gets more and more angry when her shots missed, or if you try to hide somewhere.While she gets more angry, she wants her pilot to get closer to you.After a while, her ship should be close enough, so you're able to shoot it down.If the zeppelin is damaged enough, they (she and her crew) have to make an emergency landing somewhere on the map.After that, she freaks out for the first time, and kills her pilot (we would be able to hear some curses and the shot).Now they try to hunt you down, like they're on a Fox Hunt... including some drahks wich tracks you.She is able to focus 2 targets at once - one with her Marelock in her right hand, while her left arm shoots on an other target.Maybe she is able to place her explosive shots right under her feet, to perform rocket jumps if you dealt some melee-dmg to her.If you hit her face (headshot) for the first time, she totally enrages, kills her own "incapable" crew, and put on her mask, to protect her head.Now headshots are less effective, and her fire-rate and movement is increased.Also, she tries to hit you with her Sheev now, if you're able to come close enough to her.She could drop the BP of her Sniper Rifle and/or the Sheev.Maybe I'll give her a name and a backgroundstory, when i finished the artworks.Reddit: redd.it/3kshe5 And sorry for bad english... i'm a bit drugged with painkillers atm -.-Google says it is planning to introduce Google+ for businesses before the year is out, allowing brands to create profiles on the site without using workarounds.
The company has asked businesses to hold off on creating consumer profiles for now, and will start doing tests with “non-user entities” soon, which will be available for any entity that is not an individual.
“It can be a team, an organization, a business, a brand, an NGO, a university, etc,” said Christian Oestlien, who made the announcement in the video below.
You can put your name down for these tests here, but Google has indicated the number of businesses involved will be very limited.
In the meantime, Google’s policy team will be shutting down the profiles of these non-user entities until the official feature becomes available. Unfortunately, this means The Next Web’s profile will soon disappear after amassing nearly 5,000 readers.
“They’ll be shut down whether they submit the form or not, assuming they’re not part of the experiment,” said Google’s Jim Prosser regarding existing businesses using consumer profiles.
“Some of the existing profiles might be included in our testing,” said Oestlien. “We’ll be reviewing everything on a case by case basis once we have a sense for user interest.”
Read next: TimeSpan for iPhone is a beautiful way to count down to milestonesRIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The doctor told the parents to say goodbye. With wet eyes, they held out their palms in prayer and bent over the hospital bed to kiss their daughters’ tiny foreheads.
The girls had spent the year since their birth facing each other like mirror images they could not escape. Identical twins joined at the belly, each had two arms and two legs, individual hearts and digestive tracts, but they shared a liver. Blood pumping through one also flowed through the other.
They could stand with their mother’s help, sometimes posing cheek-to-cheek, other times draping their arms around each other’s neck as if slow dancing. Now, shortly after their first birthday, they had traveled from their poor town in Pakistan to oil-rich Saudi Arabia for a rare and risky separation surgery that would radically change their lives.
“I still have doubts, and I am scared,” said their father, Nisar Ghani, 45, as the doctors wheeled the girls, Fatima and Mishal, toward the operating room. “In the end, it is all up to God.”Sobibór (or Sobibor ;[3] Polish: [sɔˈbʲibur]) was a Nazi German extermination camp built and operated by the SS during World War II near the railway station of Sobibór near Włodawa within the semi-colonial territory of General Government of the occupied Second Polish Republic.
The camp was part of the secretive Operation Reinhard, the deadliest phase of the Holocaust in German-occupied Poland. Its official German name was SS-Sonderkommando Sobibór.[4] Jews from Poland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union (including Jewish-Soviet POWs),[5][6][7] were transported to Sobibór by rail. Most were suffocated in gas chambers fed by the exhaust of a large petrol engine.[8]
At least 200,000 people were murdered at Sobibór[9]. At the postwar trial against the former SS personnel of Sobibór, held in Hagen two decades into the Cold War, Professor Wolfgang Scheffler estimated the number of murdered Jews to have been at least 250,000, while Gasmeister ("Gas Master") Erich Bauer estimated 350,000. [11] This number would make it the fourth most deadly extermination camp, after Bełżec, Treblinka, and Auschwitz.
During the revolt of 14 October 1943, about 600 prisoners tried to escape. About half succeeded in crossing the fence, of whom around 50 eluded re-capture, including Selma Wijnberg and her future husband Chaim Engel. They later married and lived to testify against Nazi war criminals. Shortly after the revolt, the Germans closed the camp, bulldozed the earth, and planted it over with pine trees to conceal its location. Today, the site is occupied by the Sobibór Museum. It displays a pyramid of ashes and crushed bones of the victims collected from the cremation pits.
In September 2014, a team of archaeologists unearthed remains of the gas chambers under the asphalt road. Also discovered in 2014 were a pendant inscribed with the words "Land of Israel (Eretz Israel)", in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, dating from 1927; earrings; a wedding band bearing a Hebrew inscription; and perfume bottles that belonged to Jewish victims.[12][13]
Background [ edit ]
Beginning in 1940, the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS) had established the so-called Lublin Reservation near Sobibór. It comprised sixteen forced labour camps, built as part of the new Nisko und Lublin Plan of Jewish resettlement. The district was intended to become an agricultural centre of the General Plan East, to be inhabited by the ethnic German "colonists" brought by Heim ins Reich into the Empire. About 95,000 Jews, expelled from as far away as Warsaw and Vienna, were brought to the area in order to build latifundia in exchange for a small monthly pay.[14] Most prisoners were housed in a network of sub-camps set up in pre-existing structures such as converted school buildings, factories, and farms. The Krychów camp was the main branch of the new complex. It was set up at a former Polish correctional centre and was the largest of the forced labour camps of the Nisko Plan.[15] During preparations for the Wehrmacht attack on the Soviet positions in eastern Poland, the Plan was discontinued.[16] Soon after that, the concentration of Jews in the area was discussed by the Nazi officials at the October 1941 meeting in occupied Lublin, attended by Hans Frank, Ernst Boepple, and Odilo Globocnik among others, who proposed the creation of a new order.[17]
Sobibór extermination camp was built in March and April 1942 as soon as the Final Solution was set in motion at the Wannsee Conference.[18] By this time the Chełmno and Bełżec extermination camps were already operating. Beginning on 17 March 1942, Sobibór was used for mass extermination of Jews deported from the Lublin Ghetto.[19] The new camp's location, near the Sobibór railway station, was selected due to its proximity to the Chełm – Włodawa railway line connecting General Government with Reichskommissariat Ukraine.[20]
Camp construction [ edit ]
Sobibor was located near the rural county's major town of Włodawa (called Wolzek by the Germans), 85 km south of the provincial capital, Brest-on-the-Bug (Brześć nad Bugiem in Polish). Camp construction was supervised by SS-Hauptsturmführer Richard Thomalla, a civil engineer by profession, who built the Bełżec camp (only three hours away). He applied the lessons learned there to the design of Sobibor.[19]
Construction began under SS direction on 1 March 1942.[21] The first workers summoned to build the railroad spur were local people from neighbouring villages and towns, but the camp was primarily built by a Sonderkommando of about eighty Jews from ghettos within the vicinity of the camp. A squad of Ukrainian Trawniki-Männer, trained at the Trawniki SS compound, guarded the prisoners. Upon completion of construction, all the Jews involved were killed.[22] In mid-April 1942, when the camp was nearly completed, several experimental gassings took place there.[23] Christian Wirth, the commander of Bełżec, and Inspector of Operation Reinhard arrived in Sobibór to witness one of the gassings, when thirty to forty Jewish women were brought from the Krychów camp for this purpose.[24] He reportedly complained about the fitting of the gas chambers doors.[23] Some 250 Jews from Krychów were killed during these trials.[20]
The first commandant of Sobibór, appointed by Heinrich Himmler, was SS-Obersturmführer Franz Stangl, the manager of the T-4 Euthanasia Program in Nazi Germany at both the Hartheim and Bernburg extermination hospitals. Stangl served as the Sobibór's commandant from 28 April to the end of August 1942.[2] According to Stangl, Odilo Globocnik initially stated that Sobibór was a supply camp for the army. Stangl learned the true nature of the camp only when Hermann Michel took him to see the gas chamber hidden in the woods: "The moment I saw it – I realised what Michel had had in mind – it looked exactly the same as the gas chamber in Schloss Hartheim."[23] Feeling overwhelmed by a new job, Stangl first studied the Bełżec camp operations and management, where the extermination operations had already started. He accelerated the completion of Sobibór.[25]
SS-Scharführer Erich Fuchs, who spent time installing the killing apparatus at the three Reinhard death camps of Sobibór, Treblinka, and Bełżec, explained how the gassing of victims at Sobibór was developed. On Wirth's orders, he acquired a heavy gasoline engine in Lemberg, disassembled from an armoured vehicle or a tractor: a 200 horsepower, V-shaped, 8 cylinder, water-cooled motor, identical to the one at Bełżec. Fuchs installed the engine on a cement base at Sobibór in the presence of Floss, Bauer, Stangl, and Barbl, and connected the engine exhaust manifold to pipes leading to the gas chamber.[26]
We put the engine on a concrete plinth and attached a pipe to the exhaust outlet. Then we tried out the engine. At first it did not work. I repaired the ignition and the valve and finally got the engine to start. The chemist whom I already knew from Bełżec went into the gas chamber with a measuring device in order to gauge the gas concentration. After that, a trial gassing was carried out. I seem to remember that thirty to forty women were gassed. The Jewesses had to undress in a clearing in the woods near the gas chamber. They were herded into the gas chamber by the above-mentioned SS members and Ukrainian volunteers. Once the women were locked inside, I attended to the engine together with Bauer. At first the engine was in neutral. We both stood next to the engine and switched it up to "release exhaust to chamber" so that the gases were channelled into the chamber. On the instigation of the chemist I revved up the engine to high RPM making further accelerating unnecessary. After about ten minutes the thirty to forty women were dead. The chemist and the SS gave the signal to turn off the engine. I packed up my tools and saw the bodies being taken away. A small Lorenbahn wagon on rails was used leading to an area farther away. Erich Fuchs[26]
Layout [ edit ]
Aerial photograph of the Sobibór perimeter, taken likely before 1942. Permanent structures are not there yet, including Camp II barracks (lower centre), Camp III, and Camp IV. The railway unloading platform (with visible prewar railway station) is marked with the red arrow; the location of gas chambers is marked with a cross. The undressing area, with adjacent "Road to Heaven" through the forest, is marked with a red square.
The camp was divided into three or four sections.[23] The administration and garrison area included the main entrance for road-bound traffic and living quarters for the staff. The second section included the railway platform, where the victims were sorted after disembarking from the Holocaust trains, as well as barracks where the Sonderkommando Jews performed camp labour. In the third section were the brick gas chambers with metal roofs and a small narrow-gauge rail. Workers pushed wagons by hand (the type used at sawmills), in order to trundle the gassed bodies from the chambers. Nearby were several mass graves.[23]
Unlike at Bełżec, at Sobibór the SS men lived within the camp's perimeter.[20] The Commander's lodge was located north of the guardhouse and close to the platform; the SS canteen, the living quarters for the SS staff, and an armoury, were next to it.[2] The Camp I prisoner barracks were built behind the garrison area, directly west of the main gate. The zone was made escape-proof by surrounding it with barbed wire fences and a moat constructed along the perimeter, outside of which were minefields.[27] The only opening was a gate leading to the work area. The camp zone included the living quarters for the Jewish prisoners as well as the prisoners' kitchen. Each labourer was given about 12 square feet (1.1 square metres) of sleeping space.[2]
The Camp II Vorlager was a larger section that included services for the killing process as well as the everyday operation of the camp. Some 400 Sonderkommando prisoners, including women, worked there. Lager II contained the warehouses used for storing the items taken from the victims, including clothes, food, hair, gold, and other valuables. This section also housed the main administration office. At Lager II the Jews were prepared for their death. Here they undressed, women's hair was shaved, clothing was searched and sorted, and documents were destroyed in the nearby furnace. The victims' final steps were taken on a path surrounded by barbed wire. It was called the "Road to Heaven", or der Schlauch(= "the hose"), and led directly to the gas chambers.[2]
At Camp III the victims were killed. It was in the northwestern part of the camp, where there were only two ways to enter the camp, from Lager II. The camp staff and personnel entered through a small plain gate. The entrance for the victims descended immediately into the gas chambers and was decorated with flowers and a Star of David above the entrance to the gas chambers.[2]
In the Sobibór gas chambers, 500 people were murdered at a time. Only recently, following an eight-year-long investigation, have Polish and Israeli researchers confirmed the exact location of the gas chambers at Sobibór. The discovery of the remains of the building's foundations, unearthed in 2014, was confirmed by Tomasz Kranz, the director of Poland's Majdanek State Museum at Lublin.[28] In May 2013, archaeologists conducting excavations near Camp III unearthed an escape tunnel, an open-air crematorium, human skeletal remains, as well as a substance that appeared to be blood, and the identification tag of a Jewish boy who was murdered at the camp.[29] Dr. Kranz also commented that "the whole former camp is one huge crime scene", with traceable evidence of the Holocaust present everywhere, although the SS leader, Heinrich Himmler, ordered the camp to be destroyed and the area planted with trees.[28]
Killing process [ edit ]
On either 16 or 18 May 1942, Sobibór became fully operational and began mass gassing operations. Trains entered the railway siding with the unloading platform, and the Jews on board were told they were in a transit camp. They were forced to hand over their valuables, separated by gender, and told to undress. The nude women and girls, recoiling in shame, were met by the Sonderkommando who chopped off their hair in a mere half a minute. Among the Friseur (barbers) were Thomas Blatt (age 15)[30] and Philip Bialowitz (age 13).[31] The condemned prisoners, formed into groups, were led along the 100-metre (330 ft) long "Road to Heaven" (Himmelstrasse) to the gas chambers, where they were killed using carbon monoxide released from the exhaust pipes of a tank engine.[8] During his trial, SS-Oberscharführer Kurt Bolender described the killing operations as follows.
Map of Sobibór. The "Road to Heaven": centre, vertical, with gas chambers at the end of it (top-right turn, horizontal slant). The burial, cremation and ash pits further right, at the edge of the woods
Before the Jews undressed, Oberscharführer Hermann Michel made a speech to them. On these occasions, he used to wear a white coat to give the impression he was a physician. Michel announced to the Jews that they would be sent to work. But before this they would have to take baths and undergo disinfection, so as to prevent the spread of diseases. After undressing, the Jews were taken through the "Tube", by an SS man leading the way, with five or six Ukrainians at the back hastening the Jews along. After the Jews entered the gas chambers, the Ukrainians closed the doors. The motor was switched on by the former Soviet soldier Emil Kostenko and by the German driver Erich Bauer from Berlin. After the gassing, the doors were opened, and the corpses were removed by a group of Jewish workers. Kurt Bolender[32]
Local Jews were delivered in absolute terror, amongst screaming and pounding. Foreign Jews, on the other hand were treated with deceitful politeness. Passengers from Westerbork, Netherlands had a comfortable journey. There were Jewish doctors and nurses attending them and no shortage of food or medical supplies on the train. Sobibór did not seem like a genuine threat.[33]
The non-Polish victims included 18-year-old Helga Deen from the Netherlands, whose diary was discovered in 2004; the writer Else Feldmann from Austria; Dutch Olympic gold medalist gymnasts Helena Nordheim, Ans Polak, and Jud Simons; gym coach Gerrit Kleerekoper; and magician Michel Velleman.[34] Selected female prisoners were sexually exploited at drunken orgies before being murdered. For instance, two women from Austria, who were film or theatre actresses, were gang raped by the SS-men before being shot. Gasmeister Erich Bauer testified about this:
I was blamed for being responsible for the death of the Jewish girls Ruth and Gisela, who lived in the so-called forester house. As it is known, these two girls lived in the forester house, and they were visited frequently by the SS men. Orgies were conducted there. They were attended by Bolender, Gomerski, Karl Ludwig, Franz Stangl, Gustav Wagner and Steubel. I lived in the room above them and due to these celebrations could not fall asleep after coming back from a journey. Erich Bauer [35]
After the killing in the gas chambers, the corpses were collected by Sonderkommando and taken to mass graves or cremated in the open air.[27] The burial pits were approx. 50-60m (160–200 ft) long, 10-15m (30–50 ft) wide, and 5-7m (15–20 ft) deep, with sloping sandy walls in order to facilitate the burying of corpses.[20]
Uprising [ edit ]
Rumours that the camp would be shut down started circulating among its inmates in spring of 1943, after a drop in the number of incoming prisoner transports. A secret note carried by the Sonderkommando prisoner from Bełżec, who had been transported to Sobibór only to be killed on the railway platform there, hinted at what would happen to the prisoners if the camp were dismantled. This then led Polish-Jewish prisoners to organise an underground committee aimed at escaping from the camp.[36] In September 1943, the Sobibór underground was unexpectedly reinforced by the addition of Soviet-Jewish POWs transported from the Minsk Ghetto (along with 2,000 victims of gassing).[37] Some who survived the selection[further explanation needed] joined the group and shared their military experience.[36]
Sobibór was the site of one of two successful uprisings by Jewish Sonderkommando prisoners during Operation Reinhard. The revolt at Treblinka extermination camp on 2 August 1943 resulted in up to 100 escapees. A similar revolt at Auschwitz-Birkenau on 7 October 1944 led to one of the crematoria being blown up, but nearly all the insurgents were killed.
Sobibór Nazi German extermination camp insurgents with the Soviet NKVD officer, postwar photo
On 14 October 1943, under the cover of night, members of the Sobibór underground, led by Soviet-Jewish POW Alexander Pechersky from Minsk,[37] covertly killed 11 German SS officers, overpowered the camp guards, and seized the armory.[39] Although the plan was to kill all the SS and walk out of the main gate of the camp, the killings were discovered, and the inmates ran for their lives under fire. About 300 out of the 600 Sonderkommando prisoners in the camp escaped into the forests.[2] Most of them were recaptured by the search squads.[37]
Dutch historian and Sobibor survivor Jules Schelvis estimates that 158 inmates perished in the Sobibór revolt, killed by the guards or in the minefield surrounding the camp. A further 107 were killed either by the SS, Wehrmacht, or Orpo police units pursuing the escapees. Some 53 insurgents died of other causes between the day of the revolt and 8 May 1945. There were 58 known survivors, 48 male and 10 female, from among the Arbeitshäftlinge prisoners performing slave-labour for the daily operation of Sobibór. Their time in the camp ranged from several weeks to almost two years. A handful of inmates managed to escape while assigned to the Waldkommando felling and preparing of trees for the body disposal pyres.[40]
After the revolt [ edit ]
Within days of the uprising, the SS chief Heinrich Himmler ordered the camp closed, dismantled, and planted with trees.[2] The gas chambers were demolished. Remnants of their foundations were covered with asphalt and made to look like a road.[41] The last prisoners still in the camp, who had been used to dismantle the buildings, were killed in late November, and the last guards left the site in December.[1] Four of the chambers were uncovered by archaeologists in 2014, using modern technology.[42]
Some Sobibór survivors were spared the gas chambers because they were transferred to slave-labour camps in the Lublin reservation, upon arriving at Sobibór. These people spent several hours at Sobibór and were transferred almost immediately to slave-labour projects including Majdanek and the Alter Flugplatz airfield in the city of Lublin, where materials looted from the gassed victims were prepared for shipment to Germany. Other forced labour camps included Krychów, Dorohucza, and Trawniki before the killing spree of Aktion Erntefest. Estimates for the number of people sent away from Sobibór range up to several thousand, of whom most perished before the end of the Nazi regime. The total number of people in this group include 16 known survivors (13 women and 3 men) from among the 34,313 Jews deported to Sobibór from the Netherlands.[40]
Operational structure [ edit ]
The chief commandant of Sobibór (April / August 1942), and later of Treblinka, was Hauptsturmführer Franz Stangl, who was responsible for overseeing the murders of at least 100,000 Jews from May 1942 to July 1942 at Sobibór, before his transfer.[43] He fled to Syria after Germany was defeated. Following problems with his employer taking too much interest in his adolescent daughter, Stangl moved with his family to Brazil in the 1950s. He worked in a Volkswagen car factory and was registered with the Austrian consulate under his own name. He was eventually caught, tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1971, he died in prison in Düsseldorf, a few hours after concluding a series of interviews with the British historian Gitta Sereny.[44][45]
The third-in-command at Sobibór, and the camp's Lager I zone commandant, was Oberscharführer Karl Frenzel. Over 20 years after the war ended, he was put on trial, convicted of war crimes in 1966, and sentenced to life. He was released after 16 years on appeal and because of his health.[44][46] Blatt interviewed him in 1983 and taped it. Present at the camp from its inception to its closure Frenzel (a hostile commentator) said the following about the prisoners killed at Sobibór: "Poles were not killed there. Gypsies were not killed there. Russians were not killed there... only Jews, Russian Jews, Polish Jews, Dutch Jews, French Jews."[47] Possibly due in part to Frenzel's testimony, followed by Blatt's inquiry, the Polish government from the Soviet era changed the memorial plaque at the site, which used to read: "Here the Nazis Killed 250,000 Russian Prisoners of War, Jews, Poles and Gypsies."[47] The new memorial plaque reads, "At This Site, Between the Years 1942 and 1943, There Existed a Nazi Death Camp Where 250,000 Jews and Approximately 1,000 Poles Were Murdered." The plaque also commemorates the revolt of 14 October 1943 and the escape of Jews from the camp.[48]
Gustav Wagner, the deputy Sobibór commander, was on leave on the day of uprising (survivors such as Thomas Blatt say that the revolt would not have succeeded had he been present). Wagner was arrested in 1978 in Brazil. He was identified by Stanislaw Szmajzner, a Sobibór escapee, who greeted him with the words, "Hallo Gustl." Wagner replied that he remembered Szmajzner and that he had saved him and his three brothers. The court of first instance agreed to his extradition to Germany, but on appeal this extradition was overturned. In 1980, Wagner committed suicide, though the circumstances are controversial.[49][50]
Erich Bauer,[51] commander of Camp III and gas chamber executioner, explained the perpetrators' sense of teamwork in order to reach an atrocious result:
We were a band of "fellow conspirators" ("verschworener Haufen") in a foreign land, surrounded by Ukrainian volunteers whom we could not trust... The bond between us was so strong that Frenzel, Stangl and Wagner had had a ring with SS runes made from five-mark pieces for every member of the permanent staff. These rings were distributed to the camp staff as a sign so that the "conspirators" could be identified. In addition the tasks in the camp were shared. Each of us had at some point carried out every camp duty in Sobibór (station squad, undressing, and gassing). — Erich Bauer, Gasmeister
I estimate that the number of Jews gassed at Sobibor was about 350,000. In the canteen at Sobibor I once overheard a conversation between Karl Frenzel, Franz Stangl and Gustav Wagner. They were discussing the number of victims in the extermination camps of Belzec, Treblinka and Sobibor and expressed their regret that Sobibor "came last" in the competition.[51]
Camp guards [ edit ]
While the camp officers were both German and Austrian SS members, the camp guards under their command were Volksdeutsche from Reichskommissariat Ukraine as well as non-Jewish Soviet POWs, primarily from Ukraine.[52]
Before they were sent as guards to the concentration camps, most of the Soviet POWs underwent special training at Trawniki. This was originally a holding centre for Soviet POWs following Operation Barbarossa, whom the Sipo security police and the SD had designated either as potential collaborators or as dangerous persons.[53] The Stroop Report listed the Trawnikis Sonder
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the Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
The Harbor Freeway Transitway, which carries the Metro Silver Line as well as carpool lanes, under construction in 1992. Courtesy of the Metro Transportation Library and Archive.
Santa Monica Freeway
Preparation for the construction of Interstate 10 through Santa Monica, circa 1965. B106. Courtesy of the Santa Monica Public Library.
The Santa Monica Freeway under construction, looking east from Hoover Street, in 1961. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Examiner Collection, USC Libraries
The Santa Monica Freeway under construction at La Cienega and Venice boulevards, 1964. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Miss Auto Show 1965 helps Governor Edmund G. 'Pat' Brown open a segment of the Santa Monica Freeway on October 23, 1964. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Opening of Interstate 10 in Santa Monica on January 6, 1966. B47. Courtesy of the Santa Monica Public Library.
San Diego Freeway
Construction work on the San Diego Freeway just south of Sepulveda Canyon. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Examiner Collection, USC Libraries.
Entire tracts of houses were sometimes razed to make way for new freeways. This 1957 photograph, taken between Wilshire and Venice Boulevards along the route of the future San Diego Freeway, shows a neighborhood split by the construction. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Examiner Collection, USC Libraries.
Work crews extend the San Diego Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass in 1961. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Foothill Freeway
A bulldozer doing earthwork for the construction of the Foothill Freeway through Arcadia, circa 1966. ID 953. Courtesy of the Arcadia Public Library.
The Foothill Freeway under construction at Devil's Gate Dam in August 1954. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Examiner Collection, USC Libraries.
Same view as above, 11 months later. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Examiner Collection, USC Libraries.
At the time this photo was taken circa May 1971, the Foothill Freeway ended at the Arcadia city limits. ID 1059. Courtesy of the Arcadia Public Library.
Dig Deeper
The collections of the Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority constitute an invaluable resource for understanding Southern California's transportation, from early cable cars to the Pacific Electric Railway and from superhighways to the "Subway to the Sea."
Those interested in learning more about how L.A.'s freeways system was conceived should consult the Metro Library's online list of major L.A. County transportation planning documents. Thanks to the library's active digitization efforts, many of the documents are publicly available in PDF format. Particularly relevant to the subject of freeway planning and construction is a 1946 report by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Parkway Engineering Committee, titled Interregional, Regional, Metropolitan Parkways in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. The report includes maps of proposed freeway routes and an analysis of the county's long-term highway needs.
Librarian Kenn Bicknell is currently digitizing another relevant collection that he describes as the "mother lode of information" about freeway construction. Published from the 1924 to 1967, California Highways and Public Works was the official journal of the California Highway Commission and, later, the California Division of Highways. Bicknell hopes to have the entire archive digitized and publicly accessible here on the library's website by the end of the year. He has already digitized the September/October 1956 issue, which contains a treasure trove of photographs, maps, and other information about freeway construction projects in Southern California.
Many of the archives who contributed the above images are members of L.A. as Subject, an association of more than 230 libraries, museums, official archives, personal collections, and other institutions. Hosted by the USC Libraries, L.A. as Subject is dedicated to preserving and telling the sometimes-hidden stories and histories of the Los Angeles region. Our posts here will provide a view into the archives of individuals and cultural institutions whose collections inform the great narrative—in all its complex facets—of Southern California.Mini USB LCD Desktop Lamp Light Fish Tank Aquarium LED Clock White
This is the ultimate house hold appliance featuring 3 different functions all in one! It's a fish tank, alarm clock and has a storage compartment! What more do you want? This fish tank clock is great for holding very small fish or great as a water feature!
Come with decorative pebbles, an artificial plant, and a USB connector. Adjustable overhead LED light and multicolor LED interior lights under water. 2 switches are used for turning on/off the LED light and switching the water pump on/off. 6 modes of tranquil nature sounds, like sounds of frogs, sounds of bird, sunds of water, etc. Backlighting LCD display is featured with alarm clock, calendar, time, date, temperature, and snooze. Dual compartment desk organizer or pen holder for setting pens, rulers, etc. A great unique and unusual gift for your friends. Note: the moving water is powered by USB power. It will be running after you connecting the USB cable to PC.
Mini fish tank with running water (recirculation).
The water stored in the fish tank can be running circularly that fresh air can be provided for the fishes living in the fish tank ; Hold about 1.5L of water
Creative design, multi-functions, and reliable quality.
Know More / Order
Show Similar ProductsDC drops from NA division, replaced by Team Freedom
North American team Digital Chaos has decided to drop out of DreamLeague season 7 due to an open slot invitation for a different tournament. They will therefore be replaced by Team Freedom in the NA Division.
Team Freedom
With Digital Chaos dropping out, we’re thrilled to welcome their replacements – the American warriors Team Freedom, who will fight for glory and fame with the following line-up:
Yawar “YawaR” Hassan
Quinn “CC&C” Callahan
Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu
Francis “FrancisLee” Lee
Stanley “Stan King” Yang
What happens now?
Team Freedom will be taking over Digital Chaos’s schedule slots, which means they’ll be playing SG e-sports May 30th, 21:00 CEST, and later compLexity Gaming at 23:30 CEST.
Kudos to Team Freedom for replacing Digital Chaos in DreamLeague season 7 with such short notice!
Follow the action
Want to see the playoffs live? Then you should get yourself a ticket for DreamHack Atlanta, which be the first time that DreamLeague will be played in America!
Continue to stalk our website, or follow @DreamHackDota on Twitter and Facebook.Twitter is famous for banning anyone they believe exhibits abusive behavior including direct or indirect violent threats, promoting terrorism, hateful conduct, and/or harassment. Obviously, it doesn’t matter what you do if you are directing the abuse to President Trump.
A user named John Silva from Chandler, Arizona created an account in January dedicated to assassinating Trump.
The picture used in his banner is of Trump on the floor with gun shot wounds to his chest and head. His first tweet was on February 27th read “#killTrump doing it tonight!!!” Another tweet followed just three days later with “Just kidding. Doing it soon though.”
Later on that day he continued to tweet pictures of high power guns posted on Calguns.net with the hashtag #KillTrump and #KillPence.
The photographs weren’t taken by “John Silva, ” and he may very likely not even own the weapons. Nonetheless, it speaks volumes that Twitter would ban people like Milo Yiannopoulos for making a joke about Leslie Jones, but not an unknown account who tweets about murdering the President of the United States.
Latest VideosAs Twitchy told you Tuesday, the House of Representatives will have to re-vote on the tax bill because the certain provisions violated Senate rules.
As that’s all happening, Rosie O’Donnell has gone off the rails:
WE CANNOT SIT AT HOME WHILE THEY ROB OUR NATION – YOUR NEIGHBORS HEALTH CARE – FOR THE FUCKING MERCERS AND KOCH BROTHERS – FUCK THEM – RISE UP — ROSIE (@Rosie) December 20, 2017
decency and honor we need to clean house i can't even — ROSIE (@Rosie) December 20, 2017
call 911 – crime in progress
US SENATE this is too much — ROSIE (@Rosie) December 20, 2017
O’Donnell’s meltdown includes a big time cash offer to select Republicans who stop the horror of tax cuts for many Americans:
so how about this
i promise to give
2 million dollars to senator susan collins
and 2 million to senator jeff flake if they vote NO
NO I WILL NOT KILL AMERICANS
FOR THE SUOER RICH DM me susan
DM me jeff no shit
2 million
cash
each — ROSIE (@Rosie) December 20, 2017
susan – 2 million dollars cash
call if u want to negotiate do u think your family is proud of u @sennatorcollins woman – mother – grandmother – sister – daughter
u have betrayed us all dear god
ask for forgiveness
redeem ur soul tomorrow #NOTSEXIST pic.twitter.com/wa0QcMXNk2 — ROSIE (@Rosie) December 20, 2017
Gee, imagine Rosie’s reaction if that same tweet came from the Koch brothers making an “offer” to Democrats!
This is actually illegal, but luckily for Rosie all of the people who could prosecute her for this were already killed when the FCC repealed Net Neutrality rules. https://t.co/yrxdW464U2 — (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) December 20, 2017
Pipe dream: Could Republicans call the bluff and give the money to a pro-life organization?
I'm reasonably sure bribery is still a criminal act as is attempted bribery. https://t.co/98QBi4eo8N — Nate Bell (@NateBell4AR) December 20, 2017
Wow, it's crazy how no on e thought of felony bribery before, the solution was just staring at us in the face! https://t.co/VPmmVzbhcz — Alex Mark (@agraybee) December 20, 2017
So a wealthy elitist named @Rosie will buy votes to prevent 80% of the country from getting a tax break.
1% privilege at its worst! https://t.co/OgRsDFQQhO — Brad Slager???? (@MartiniShark) December 20, 2017
4 million to stop 3/4 of America from getting a tax cut. https://t.co/SfpExp1Lt4 — eric (@eriContrarian) December 20, 2017
Some Dem supporters do have their priorities.
***
Related:
Rosie O’Donnell takes artistic swipe at ‘f*cking pie baking lying sack of sh*t’ Sarah Sanders [pic]
Rosie O’Donnell gets into the crayon box for her latest unhinged rant against Trump
‘Jail awaits u’ Trump! Rosie O’Donnell’s just a LITTLE excited by report of grand jury chargesIn just its second year of existence, the National Women’s Soccer League already attracts a who's who of top professional players from around the world. From world-class goal scorers like Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair to top-level goalkeepers like reigning FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Nadine Angerer and Hope Solo, the NWSL talent pool is quite rich.
The on-field product has never been the problem with women’s soccer in the United States, though. Structural and financial dynamics have been the downfall of past women's leagues, and the question remains whether NWSL, whose playoffs kick off this weekend, can avoid the same fate. The answer, naturally, is complex.
Free live streaming on YouTube allowed the NWSL to gain some attention and momentum in its 2013 inaugural season despite no national television broadcasts before July. As they did in the defunct Women’s Professional Soccer and the Women’s United Soccer Association, the players showed the quality a league in the U.S. could attract, even as it barely existed.
High attendance and great support for women’s sports in general compared to the rest of the world already put the American league toward the top of the list. The league's aspirations are at a crossroads with it's cost-cutting model, though.
WAHL: Anti-turf Women's World Cup movement builds momentum
Besides the 26 Americans, eight Mexicans and 16 Canadians allocated to the league, whose salaries are paid by their respective federations, most players’ wages still don’t offer year-round stability. Much like in Major League Soccer, the gap between the highest- and lowest-paid players is large.
“Some of the rookie players or some of the players that haven’t quite established themselves, whether it be internationally or at league level, are still on pretty low wages, but I think for the six months that they’re here, they’re livable,” Seattle Reign head coach and general manager Laura Harvey told SI.com. “We, as a club, are true believers that you’ll get the best performance out of players if they’re happy, and we try and do things off the field for them that help make their lives easier, from providing lunch at training to washing their kit for them — things that then they don’t have to think about it. They literally just turn up and train.”
These are steps in the right direction that some teams have taken, but there still exists a large philosophical chasm between keeping costs as low as possible and having a successful league of full-time professionals. After all, owning a club is only a profitable venture for the select few global superclubs, none of which are primarily women’s clubs.
“If they keep running scared over spending, it's just going to fizzle, especially if the U.S. doesn't do well at the World Cup,” said one former women’s soccer executive. “I really think the whole point of having a team is doing everything you can to win, and it’s that attitude that breeds success in everything. That should be the first goal: align a budget that you think makes that happen, then evaluate if you can afford it.”
NWSL facilities and infrastructure cover a wide spectrum from two MLS-owned teams with a full range of amenities to standalone owners scraping together their resources for their first attempts at owning a team.
Only the Portland Thorns and Houston Dash, whose owners also operate the Timbers and Dynamo, play in their own stadiums. FC Kansas City, Sky Blue FC, the Western New York Flash and Washington Spirit play in soccer-specific facilities that they rent. Seattle and the Chicago Red Stars are in multi-use facilities (the Red Stars play at Benedictine University, 30 miles from downtown Chicago).
“Being part of the MLS in some of its earlier years, I see a lot of similarities to the NWSL … as far as players’ pay and dealing with housing issues and travel and all that,” said Brian Ching, Houston’s managing director who played 12 years in MLS and at the 2006 World Cup for the U.S. “In the beginning, MLS was playing in high-school stadiums at times, and that’s kind of where some of these owners are with their teams.”
Most NCAA Division I colleges, which provide the majority of NWSL’s players through its annual College Draft, maintain better facilities than the professional clubs they feed. That’s also similar to early days in MLS.
“For 90 percent of my career, most college teams probably had better facilities than I had as a professional athlete in the MLS. Those things have changed, and those things take time,” he said. “I think that, given time, the NWSL can be an extremely successful league. Having said that, I definitely feel that more MLS teams or more really deep-pocket owners need to get involved and really try to help grow the game.”
Chris Hummer, Washington’s general manager in 2013 before leaving to focus on other soccer business ventures, said the league’s current trajectory elicits major questions about the NWSL’s future goals, even though improvements will likely continue each year.
“The standards just need to be higher,” Hummer said. “Is this really what it means to be a pro? Everyone wants a pro league for women, but if the only goal is sustainability, is that really worthwhile at these wages and these conditions? … Everyone wants to suck it up so the owners don’t lose too much money, but there has to be a limit. Will that lead to growth or will the frustration of constant compromise become too much?”
NWSL executive director Cheryl Bailey said she appreciates that every team runs at a different pace, from its infrastructural giants with MLS owners to the others just learning what it takes to survive as a professional organization.
“There are a lot of plusses that come with that, but there are also some challenges that come with that, no doubt, when you’re trying to have some consistency across the league in terms of standards,” she said. “For the first couple of years, we’ve allowed those teams to try to find the best that they have within their particular markets. … We’re at a point in time now where we have to take a look at the professionalism within the league itself and to continue to strive higher and higher for the standards of expectation we have.”
One executive close to U.S. Soccer’s oversight of the NWSL said the federation should enact tighter requirements to ensure owners are brought up to current professional standards.
“U.S. Soccer, if they want this thing to stick, has got to put harder-edged restrictions around parameters, facilities, what ownership groups need to maintain their team and how they're going to operate the team and the way the players are treated, the professionalism of the sports organization,” the executive said. “The league’s doing a good job of building the central revenue in a way that they haven't before. The cost basis is a lot lower than it has been with U.S. Soccer’s commitment. So there are certainly a lot of positives and a lot of reasons for optimism that we can sustain, build and grow this thing.”
NWSL expansion possibilities include bringing more MLS franchises into the fold. Sky Blue negotiated with the New York Red Bulls about a potential partnership in the last offseason, but those discussions ended without an agreement. Ching said Houston fields questions on an ongoing basis from others interested in branching into the NWSL. At the same time, unaffiliated ownership groups have also expressed interest.
Bailey said the current owners would meet following the 2014 season to talk about expansion and other concerns. With the data available from two years of NWSL play, they should be able to make rational decisions easier now, she said.
Ching said aligning the NWSL with MLS, whether completely or as further team-by-team partnerships, would make it easier to sustain the league.
“Obviously, the teams that are affiliated with the MLS teams have an easier time of it just because they are in the business of soccer already. For us, it wasn’t like we had to go out and find a place for the team to play and pay rent on that,” he said. “I’m not saying that [unaffiliated franchises] can’t be successful and they haven’t been successful, because some of the teams have done a good job with that, but it just makes the task that much more difficult.”
Boston Breakers and veteran U.S. women's national team star Heather O'Reilly challenges the Houston Dash's Stephanie Ochs in NWSL action last weekend. Fred Kfoury III/Icon SMI
That's not to say MLS involvement is the only way to succeed. The Seattle Reign won the regular-season title, and Washington made the playoffs and breaks even financially, although neither franchise owns its own stadium or partners with any existing men’s team. Clearly, success can be achieved without existing infrastructure, even if initial costs are higher.
Seattle also provides an example of how successful foreign talent can be when combined with some of the best homegrown players. Scottish playmaker Kim Little and Japanese World Cup winner Nahomi Kawasumi joined the team in the offseason, and Welsh captain Jess Fishlock already played alongside Solo and Megan Rapinoe, after the league made another international roster spot available to each team.
“The women’s national team players, I think, will always be our biggest products, but the international players that have come in … are taking the league onto another level,” Harvey said.
The Reign and Spirit both averaged around 3,500 fans per game during the 2014 regular season. They came third and fourth, respectively, in the attendance table behind — as expected — Houston (4,650) and Portland (an astounding 13,362).
Even if other MLS teams are interested in joining the fold, Sky Blue president and CEO Thomas Hofstetter said he doesn’t think the league should expand beyond a 10th team for the time being. His team also participated in WPS, along with Chicago, Boston and Western New York, and averaged just 1,668 fans in 11 home games, including a single-game league low of 582.
This will be one of the most delicate areas moving forward for a league controlled by the federation that also has investment from MLS. Those who were part of the failed women’s leagues have become wary of diving in without testing the waters first, and those franchises also seem to still be behind the learning curve.
BIRD: How can U.S. youth development be accelerated?
“We’re not in Year 2. For me, we’re in Season 5. That’s honestly how I look at it,” Hofstetter said. “You do have to look at new ownership groups versus the old ones. If you look at Boston, Chicago and us, we started differently, and we still carry some of our baggage from the past with us.”
That baggage includes an intimate knowledge of what happens when teams overstretch the bounds of reasonable spending.
“You can’t say on the one side — and this is what happened in WPS — you have to have a sustainable business model and economic status to make this league sustainable, and then on the other side enforce very rich, high-end requirements on standards as it relates to the fan experience or operationally,” Hofstetter said. “For [MLS teams], there’s very little incremental cost for a women’s professional soccer team. For them, they focus very much on the revenue generation. A team like us, everything is incremental cost. Every single dollar that we have to spend more matters.”
At least on the field, the NWSL has something MLS doesn’t: players making the jump to the U.S. in their prime. FIFA Ballon d’Or winner Nadine Angerer plays in Portland, as does up-and-coming Spanish star Verónica Boquete.
MLS has excellent infrastructure and is trying to improve the quality of its players; NWSL’s problem — and WPS and WUSA before it — is close to the exact opposite.
“The signings of Frank Lampard and David Villa [at New York City FC] and all that is showing where the league wants to go,” Harvey said. “The NWSL is already here — it already attracts the best players in the world.”
She said continuing to draw that top talent is the way forward, while also ensuring NWSL is a prime destination for U.S. national team players. The next wave of player and fan attention could come after the Women’s World Cup in 2015, hosted in a country that provides a large number of NWSL players in Canada, followed closely by the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. Favorable time difference to Brazil should provide multiple viewing opportunities, as it did for the 2014 World Cup.
After the 2011 World Cup, fans packed WPS stadiums to see those stars in their own backyards. Before the Olympics could provide a second surge, the league folded. As long as the NWSL remains sustainable for two more years, the support it receives following those two tournaments could be crucial, especially on the lower rungs of the attendance ladder.
“That’s something we’re definitely looking forward to,” Hofstetter said. “I think we’ll have two good years and two good chances.”Python is gaining a lot of traction in many Mozilla projects. From the SUMO and AMO websites, to Socorro and the next-gen Firefox Sync server. I can fairly say that it becomes a mainstream language for building server-side software in our eco-system. This is making me really happy, since I am involved in the Python project.
I won’t blog here about the pro’s and con’s of Python versus PHP or Java etc., there are already a lot of good articles out there about it. I’d be biased anyways ;). The least I can say is that it makes a lot of sense for us at all levels, to use Python and its great libs and frameworks. To name a few:
Django, used by AMO and SUMO
WebOb and Paste, used by Sync (next-gen) to build wsgi-based Web Services
SQLAlchemy, used by Sync (next-gen) to work with our databases.
When I joined Mozilla, one thing that I really wanted to do was to start a “Python in Mozilla” informal user group. A space where people working on the various Mozilla projects could share about Python.
I started a mailing list here : MoPy Mailing List.
We also had a small meeting at Mountain View HQ. The WebDev team was in town so it was a good opportunity to do it. We talked about our various approaches to handle configuration files in our projects and that was quite interesting to share. We had people from WebDev, Labs and Services.
I’d love to share ideas about Python with the whole Mozilla community, and maybe try to organise more meetings in the future.
If you are involved in a Mozilla project, and use Python — or simply curious about Python — please join the mailing list and don’t be shy to post.
Semi-related: I have submitted a talk for the next Pycon in Atlanta about Firefox Sync, and will try to organize a Mozilla BoF there as well.
AdvertisementsThe days of hoarding airline miles may be coming to an end. Increasingly, they can be frustrating to use, expire more quickly and devalue more sharply, sometimes without notice. Value seekers in recent years have gravitated toward points attached to credit cards as opposed to miles tied to a particular carrier: Points are more flexible and can be transferred to different airline partners, hotel groups, or even redeemed for cash. But what is the most efficient use of a stockpile of points? Here is a look at three of the more popular programs — Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards — and a breakdown of how to get the biggest bang for your point.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase has one of the best rewards programs out there thanks to its flexible Ultimate Rewards program. (It also recently ended a generous sign-up bonus campaign for its Sapphire Reserve credit card, leaving many cardholders with 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points.) Points can be redeemed for cash at a rate of one cent per point, or at a 50 percent bonus (for Sapphire Reserve cardholders) when redeemed for travel through Chase’s own travel portal. A $300 plane ticket, for example, would cost only 20,000 points — points that are “worth” $200. Points can also be redeemed at a 1:1 ratio with a number of airline and hotel programs, including British Airways Avios, United MileagePlus, Korean Air Skypass, Hyatt Gold Passport and Ritz-Carlton Rewards.
Redeeming points for cash technically provides the worst value of all of your options. Getting 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points for $1,000 is nothing to sneeze at, however, and may be the best option for those who don’t travel frequently or simply don’t feel like working out the minutiae of squeezing more value from the points.
If you do a reasonable amount of traveling, however, redeem the points through the travel portal (which functions like Kayak or Expedia and, from what I’ve seen, shows the same range of prices). That $1,000 worth of points instantly becomes good for $1,500 in flights, hotel rooms or rental cars.A dog owner has been forced to change the names of his pets Itler and Iva because they'make people think of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun'.
The man, from eastern France, gave in to the mayor's demand that the names be altered.
The owner of the American Staffordshire Terriers have been renamed Ilisa and Isio 4.
The French dog owner was forced to change the names of his American Staffordshire Terriers (file photo, right) because they would remind people of Adolf Hitler (left) and Eva Braun
In September last year, Luc Binsinger, the mayor of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, in the commune of Meurthe-et-Moselle, had refused to sign a license for the dogs because of the controversial nature of their names.
At the time, he had said: 'It's completely mad. Stupid even.'
He added: 'I don't want to sign this licence. Of course 'Itler' and 'Iva' make you think of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun, a dubious play on words.'
The owner had already secured an initial licence, which is required in France for dangerous dogs, but the names had not raised any concerns at the time.
Major Luc Binsinger said the names 'Itler' and 'Iva' were'stupid'. Hitler, pictured with Eva Braun, his long-time mistress and briefly, his wife
Mr Binsinger said: 'It's not a question of how dangerous the dogs are, it's a question of principle.
'I have written to the local prefect to ask him what I can do. In the meantime, I'm not signing,' he told AFP.One day. One race. One hundred miles.
In six months, I will lace up my shoes to run the Kettle Moraine 100. If I can train my body to conquer the distance, then I can train my head to better manage depression.
I used to believe my broken pieces or rough edges were my definition. The all-consuming nature of depression had me thinking the condition was all I was, not a part of who I am. Training for the Kettle 100 is a way of clawing out of the victim’s mentality and finding beauty in the struggle. A sign on my wall reads, “No one is coming. Now, get to work.” The message being you are your saving grace, if you’re willing to go the distance.
I’m not a professional athlete. I’m not an expert. I’m just a guy who wants to get better, push some limits and help people along the way. The workout load may be daunting but isn’t complicated: Get stronger every day in mind and body.
Join me on this journey — let’s create a life worth living. Let’s take ownership of our stories. A bit of progress each day makes the difference.
You can follow every step of the journey to 100 miles— yes, it’s a lot of steps. There will be good training days and bad training days, as is life. I’ll share both because real life isn’t always meant to make sense through a square photo with a filter.
Want to follow the journey? Sign up for the Hope in Sweat newsletter.
Along the way, I’ll highlight some of the most pressing social issues, which intersect with my life as a runner. Together, we will identify social problems, as well as solutions. More on that later, but first…
Why the Kettle Moraine 100?
Several months ago, I completed the Yonkers Marathon. The weeks after lacked a sense of direction. There was not the same kind of intention to my training and eating as before.
When I began searching for another race, the notion of going beyond a marathon kept returning. Go farther, said the little voice in my head.
Runner and writer Ed Ayres captures this feeling in his book,“The Longest Race”: “For a long-distance runner, the end of the race is when you pause for rest before beginning a long and patient preparation for the next race and that sense of rebirth it will bring.”
For me, running is freedom. While moving, I explore the world around me, as well as the world inside. These internal looks aren’t always pretty. I’m forced to accept shortcomings — the people I let down, the opportunities I failed to take and the love I refused to accept. Yet, physically moving from one place to another allows me to push beyond negative thoughts. Each step is a step toward accepting who I am and releasing who I’m not.
“There are clubs you can’t belong to, neighborhoods you can’t live in, schools you can’t get into, but the roads are always open.” — Nike
When I learned my native state of Wisconsin hosts an ultramarathon in June each year, I figured it was a sign. I read up on ultrarunning. The physical challenge of the race turned out to be less attractive than the mental aspect.
The battle in my brain would be the real challenge.
The real challenge of 100 miles
My running résumé includes too many 5Ks to count, a couple of halfs and a full marathon. A bit meager for 100 miles, right?
Running wisdom says anyone able to do a marathon can physically run 100 miles. The brain is the barrier. The mind signals the body to stop before muscles are actually exhausted.
Strengthening the brain to face self-doubt, to see the good in the surrounding world and reframe problems will help me push myself through the distance. The benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy — the intentional changing of thoughts or behaviors causing difficulties — will bleed into my daily life, too. In many ways, I need it. These past few months have been some of my most difficult in terms of depression.
In a letter to a friend, I wrote how moving to New York accentuates and quells my depression. A city packed with so many people can feel infinitely lonely. No matter what, your face is just another in a crowd. A long-time New Yorker joked to me that, if you feel like you’re one in a million, “in New York, there are seven other people just like you.”
Yet, this metropolis feels like home — not for its buildings stretching into the stars, or its decorated storefronts, but subtle moments colored by a sense of belonging. The moments when finding that elusive place — where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came — feels close.
In truth, these moments of meaning can be found every day, if we take the time to notice. I want to take the time to notice. Just as my running and strength plan will prepare my body for the Kettle 100, intentional training in mindfulness and gratitude will prepare my head.
Meditation and mindfulness training can help curb anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses. While I’m learning to better manage depression, I want to be more intentional with mental preparation. I will need a strong mind, as much as a strong body, to run 100 miles.
Author Jen A. Miller, in a New York Times article, describes how running helped her tackle one problem at a time. Running gave her life structure after her boyfriend left, she bought a house and her grandfather died.
“The hard work hurled me forward,” she writes. “Depression could follow me around like a sad little rain cloud, but it couldn’t rain on me if I kept moving.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five adults experiences a mental illness. A quarter of people without a home and a quarter of those in prison have a serious mental illness. Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world.
These numbers, and their impacts, are staggering. There is a desperate need to address how our society views mental illness, as well as how we help ourselves and others experiencing the problem. This project is not the solution, it’s a solution among many.
My goal is to add to the conversation, to be one resource in changing the social stigma around mental illness. I’m going to keep moving forward — to make relentless daily progress toward a life of better health and one filled with more happiness and gratitude.
Each step a message
Ancient runners in Greece were messengers. They carried truths from city to city, spreading their message along the way.
In his book, “The Road to Sparta: Reliving the Ancient Battle and Epic Run That Inspired the World’s Greatest Footrace,” runner and author Dean Karnazes retraces the path of Pheidippides, who ran ran 153 miles from Athens to Sparta in 490 BCE to appeal for Sparta’s help in defending Athens from the Persian Empire.
Ancient messengers, such as Pheidippides, were a kind of journalist. They were messengers of social action. They ran with a purpose.
I’m a journalist. I’m a runner. This project is a way of recognizing and extending the work of our ancient ancestors. Training for the Kettle 100 is as much about self-empowerment as it is for the empowerment for others. My running will raise awareness about social injustice.
In the coming months, I will investigate pressing social needs whose existence overlap with my life as a runner and mental health advocate.
Millions of people use running as a solution to health problems. The exercise helps people lose weight, feel better about their bodies and improve their overall health. In a similar way, I will look for solutions to social injustice. Identifying what’s wrong is no longer enough. This project will provide avenues to support sustainable change around topics such as food security, personal safety and accessibility to mental health care.
Everything is public! And you can follow
The entire Kettle 100 training project is public. That’s downright terrifying to a quiet guy who prefers books to bars and parks to parties. But growth comes from being uncomfortable, right?
I’ll be sharing my running plan and strength training. I’ll be documenting the journey, as well as sharing resources, on Instagram, Twitter, tumblr and here, on Medium.
This project is public because I need your support. I need help amplifying this message. Help in photo, video, design and distribution would be fantastic.
More important, though, I want to hear your stories — how you are pushing yourself, the struggles that shaped you, the fights for improvement you continue to wage.
You don’t have to be in marathon shape to get better. You don’t have to be a runner. Push yourself. All this takes is a daily commitment to get stronger — mentally and physically stronger.
I’m nervous for the Kettle 100. I’m excited. I’m ready. Will you follow along?
Like what you read? Consider hitting the recommend heart below and signing
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a Russian translator present.
“Meeting with someone like the Russian president in this environment right now,” Brennan said, “you want to make sure, in order to protect the U.S. and protect the president, you have someone there who has a record of the conversation, and you can go back and make sure it was understood what was said.”
Clapper said Trump meeting without his own translator “raises a red flag for me.” He added, it was “a very bothersome thing particularly when doing it entirely unscripted.”
Aspen moderator, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer raised a Russian news story that day which quoted a Putin special envoy, Andrey Krutskikh, saying talks have begun between Moscow and Washington about creating a joint cyber security working group.
In the wake of the first Trump-Putin, G20 Hamburg meeting, Russian Foreign Secretary Sergey Lavrov said Putin had proposed the cyber security group. In a briefing aboard Air Force One on the way home from the meeting, Thomas Bossert, Trump’s top counterterrorism adviser, told reporters it would be premature to suggest the United States would be talking to Russia about a possible cyber security “partnership.” He said, however, there could be dialogue started.
Trump initially tweeted after returning from the G20 meeting, “Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded.” But after a day of criticism from both Republican and Democratic legislators, the president tweeted that although he and Putin had talked about such a unit, “it cannot happen.”
At Aspen, Clapper was sharply critical of the idea. Referring to his experience with such exchanges with the Russians, which he first had in 1992 as director the National Security Agency, Clapper said, “We’ve all tried to have a dialogue with the Russians…Dialogue with them is a one-way street. Give us what you’ve got and they are not going to reciprocate…and they are not going to do anything in any way that compromises them or gives any insight into what they are doing. And they will use it as an opportunity to gain intelligence on us.”
Brennan was also skeptical, saying he found the Russians often say one thing and do another, but he supported the idea of a dialogue “when it comes to counterterrorism.”
The Times interview also illustrated a less dangerous Trump writing or speaking habit, one that shows either a faulty memory, a lack of knowledge, or a purposeful mix-up of facts. Trump’s critics smile and use them to demean the president.
One can only guess their effect abroad on foreigners with direct knowledge of what he is talking about.
There already has been commentary on his botching up history with his stories about Napoleon and Hitler when it came to their separate invasions of Russia.
No one has pointed out his repeated claim about going to the opera before his second G20 conversation with Putin on July 7.
Trump appeared to be portraying what a long opening day it had been. After hours of G20 meetings, he first described a photo session where “a picture of everybody, the wives and the leaders, and then the leaders, and, you know, numerous pictures outside on the river. Then everybody walked in to see the opera. Then the opera ended.”
He even added, “I think it even said on the list, at the request of the German chancellor and Germany, it’s going to be the opera.”
But there never was an opera.
What Trump attended was an hour-and-ten-minute performance, at Hamburg’s new concert hall, by the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra playing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which includes the famous “Ode to Joy.” There are pictures of Trump’s arrival with his wife Melania at the hall with the orchestra on stage.
Of course the Ninth has soloists and a chorus, so Trump may have mistakenly considered it an opera.
Apparently having it wrong does not bother Trump. But what if such mistakes are made on more serious things?
The Times interview had many of the traditional Trump falsehoods and floating of unproven stories.
Asked if he had sent people out of the Oval Office to speak alone with then-FBI Director James Comey about the investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, Trump first responded, “No. That was the other thing. I told people to get out of the room. Why would I do that?”
To the follow up question, “Did you actually have a one-on-one with Comey then?” Trump replied, “Not even that I remember. He was sitting, and I don’t remember even talking to him about any of this stuff. He said I asked people to go. Look, you look at his testimony. His testimony is loaded up with lies, O.K.?”
Not only did Comey testify last month under oath before the Senate Intelligence Committee about the meeting, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions also last month, during testimony before that same committee, confirmed Trump asked everyone to leave and “everyone else did depart.”
Trump claimed to the Times reporters that Hillary Clinton, while Secretary of State, “was totally opposed to any sanctions for Russia.”
When asked when that occurred, Trump replied, “I just saw it. I just saw it. She was opposed to sanctions, strongly opposed to sanctions on Russia”
It turns out that on July 13, 12 days ago, WikiLeaks reached back and published a hacked email, dated May 21, 2015 from a Clinton campaign staffer that was among the thousands that WikiLeaks initially disclosed last year. In the email, the Clinton staffer claimed he had helped kill a Bloomberg News story “trying to link HRC’s opposition to the Magnitsky bill to a $500,000 speech that WJC [Bill Clinton] gave in Moscow.“
That same day, July 13, a reference to it appeared on the New York Observer website, the publication once owned by Jared Kushner, Trump’s White House-based, son-in-law, and now turned over to the Kushner family.
On July 18, the day before the Times interview, Fox News had published a story headlined, “Hillary Clinton sided with Russia on sanctions as Bill made $500G on Moscow speech.”
It appears the same system the alt-news network used that worked in the 2016 campaign is still at work today.October 4, 2005 Conference to explore the social construction of ignorance Philosophers think a lot about epistemologyhow we know what we know. But questions about what we don't know are remarkably unstudied, said Robert N. Proctor, a professor of history in the Program in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. Proctor uses the term "agnotology"a word coined from agnosis, meaning "not knowing"to describe a new approach to looking at knowledge through the study of ignorance. A conference, "Agnotology: The Cultural Production of Ignorance," to be held Oct. 7-8 at the Humanities Center, will explore the perspective as applied to a variety of disciplines, including medicine, geography, biomedical ethics, archaeology and the history of science. Ignorance is created or maintaineddeliberately or notin multiple ways, said Proctor, a specialist on scientific controversy who has written about topics including the tobacco industry and cancer, Nazi medicine, and the manipulation of public perception by the diamond industry. A prime example of the deliberate production of ignorance is the tobacco industry's conspiracy to manufacture doubt about the cancer risks of tobacco use. Under the banner of science, the industry produced research about everything except tobacco hazards to exploit public uncertainty, he said. (Proctor has calculated that 8 trillion cigarettes would not have been smoked in America if the industry had come clean about what it knew when it knew it.) Agnotology also focuses on how and why diverse forms of knowledge do not "come to be," or are ignored or delayed, he said. Massive secrecy and censorship in military scientific research has resulted in a "shadow world" of secret theories and discoveries, he said. For example, knowledge about plate tectonics was delayed for at least a decade since much of the key evidence was classified military information related to underseas warfare, Proctor added. Other examples of the cultural production of ignorance are found in the nontransfer of indigenous knowledge to Europe from the Americas. Conference co-organizer Londa Schiebinger, director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender and a professor of the history of science, has written in her 2004 book, Plants and Empire: Colonial Bioprospecting in the Atlantic World, about how the knowledge of plants used by 18th-century Native American and slave women in the West Indies to induce abortions was lost when European naturalists chose not to collect specimens for transport back to Europe. At the conference, Adrienne Mayor, a visiting fellow in classics and human values at Princeton University, will present a paper that examines the suppression of Native American knowledge of paleontology and the fossil record, Proctor said. Other conference participants will present papers on global climate change, the political history of the bicycle, race ignorance, nuclear politics, genetically engineered plants and asbestos diseases in South Africa. "There are hidden worlds of knowledge that philosophers ignore, but are a reality," he said. Proctor and Schiebinger organized a conference by the same name at Pennsylvania State University, where both were faculty members before coming to Stanford. They are preparing a volume of collected papers, introducing agnotology as a new theoretical perspective. The conference will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 and 8. Information about conference presenters is available at http://HPST.stanford.edu/colloquia.html or by calling Rosemary Rogers at 725-0714. -30-Average: Select rating Poor Okay Good Great Awesome No votes yet
Various tools available in Geographical Area Measurement Tool is expalined below.
Search for a place using "place search tool"
For marking a region use the geographical marker toolbox on top of the map. There are tools like rectangle, circle, polyline, polygrid to mark suitably
Change color of a selected region by choosing one color from color bar below
Delete all marked locations by clicking "Clear all points" button
Delete a particular marked location by selecting its colored region and clicking "Delete Selected Shape" button
The calculated area is shown in the area above satellite map
Search in the search bar, depending on whatever typed, relevant places will be filled in the results list, select a suitable place from results to load its map. Here for our example, we search for Palm jumiera, famous man made islands located in United Arab Emirates
Select Polygrid shape tool on the right of the toolbox to mark and irregular region, but there are other tools like rectangle, circle, polyline to mark suitably
Mark around the left portion of circle around palm jumiera man made island map with shape tool from toolbox
The area of the marked region of the left circle region of Palm jumeira is displayed in the area calcualtor section
palm jumeira circle middle portion marked with shape tool from tool box
The area measurement of palm jumeira circle middle portion
palm jumeira circle right region marked for measurement
The area calculation of palm jumeira circle right region portion
The right logo portion of the palm jumeira man made island marked for area measurement
The Rightside logo portion of the palm jumeira man made island marked area's measurement calculated
The Left side logo portion of the palm jumeira man made island marked for measurement
The Left side logo portion of the palm jumeira man made island marked area's measurement calculated
palm jumeira man made island's trunk area marked for measurement of area
Final marked palm jumiera map object with various colored shapesHONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Tens of thousands of people converged Thursday on a park to mark the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square.
A man holds up a candle in honor of the Tiananmen victims at the Hong Kong candlelight vigil.
Organizers estimated that 150,000 people attended the candlelight vigil, while Hong Kong police put the number lower, saying there were 63,000.
The gathering, which marks the sole commemoration on Chinese soil of the protest, was organized by the Hong Kong Alliance.
The candlelight vigil was held as authorities in mainland China stepped up controls on media and Internet news and social networking sites.
They also hindered attempts by CNN reporters to film at Tiananmen Square on the eve of the anniversary. Watch as police block CNN with umbrellas »
Hong Kong is known for having a tolerant attitude to protests, and the vigil has been held in the southern Chinese enclave's Victoria Park for years.
Thomas Yau, a 75-year-old originally from Beijing, said this was the first time he had been to a vigil honoring lives lost in Tiananmen Square, despite moving to Hong Kong 30 years ago.
Asked why he was attending Yau told CNN: "To feel the whole atmosphere, to feel what it's like in Hong Kong about this whole Tiananmen incident and tell my friends who have spent their whole lives in China that actually we can do it and spread the idea that we should fight for democracy."
The Hong Kong Alliance, which put on the vigil, also held a march in the city over the weekend that included a former Tiananmen student leader making his first trip back to China after fleeing 17 years ago.
"It's just like a copy of 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstration. It's not only a copy, it's more, more than that... It reminded me of everything 20 years ago," Xiong Yan, now a U.S. Army chaplain in Alabama, said of the hours-long march last Saturday.
"If we take action, we can make change, we can do something.... We have power right now, I mean peaceful power."
Xiong Yan's presence was the first time a former Tiananmen student leader was able to come to Hong Kong to address a crowd, said Lee Cheuk Yan, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance.
Authorities in China are "almost systematically eliminating the memory of June 4th itself," he said.
"So by coming out, our generation as a witness is trying to tell our next generation it's important to pass the torch onward -- that China has not yet democratized and not yet vindicated June 4th. So, we need to struggle onward for democracy."
Yau King Chi, a 19-year-old university student of social work in Hong Kong, went with about 10 classmates to Victoria Park. They held handwritten signs calling for democracy in China and better education about the Tiananmen chapter in Hong Kong schools.
"The Chinese government still has not recognized that they have done the killing in June 4, 1989, so we hope that through this candlelight (vigil) we can urge the government to say that they have actually done this massacre and take up the responsibility," he said.
The organizers were aiming for a crowd of 100,000, many from mainland China. At the 15th anniversary commemoration, 82,000 people had turned out.
A little more than 20 years ago, students gathered in Tiananmen Square to memorialize the recently-deceased Hu Yaobang. He was fired as Communist Party chief in 1987 by Deng Xiaoping for pushing policies deemed too soft toward "bourgeois-liberal ideas" and tolerating student protests.
The April 15 memorial quickly turned into a pro-democracy movement, and students held talks with the government and later a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square to press their cause. On June 4, Chinese troops in armored personnel carriers and tanks rumbled toward Tiananmen Square.
Fact Box Annual June 4 survey of Hong Kongers
69 percent say the Chinese government did the wrong thing; 13 percent say they did the right thing
61 percent say there should be a reversion of the official stand on the incident; 22 percent say there should not
56 percent say the Beijing students did the right thing 19 percent say they did the wrong thing
* Survey of 1,011 locals conducted by the University of Hong Kong Public Opinion Program. * Survey of 1,011 locals conducted by the University of Hong Kong
The soldiers, on strict orders to clear the square of demonstrators, had forced their way through the city's main thoroughfare. Along the way, they met fierce resistance from students and city residents who barricaded the streets, so they fired at them. When the firing stopped, hundreds if not thousands of people lay maimed or dead.
Relatives of victims renew their hopes every year that Beijing's leaders will reverse the verdict that the protests were a counter-revolutionary rebellion that had to be put down.
"My son was innocent, he committed no crime, he didn't steal, he didn't kill anyone, he was just a child," said He Fengting, whose son Liang died during the 1989 protests. "How can they be so cruel?"
A University of Hong Kong survey found that more than 60 percent of Hong Kong residents support a revision of the official stance on the Tiananmen uprising.
But a change does not seem likely since that would require a political consensus. Conservatives would view such a move as undermining the party's legitimacy and tarnishing the legacy of Deng Xiaoping.
Others, like Xiong Yan, hope that one day China will move to democracy.
"We hope China have a big change, peacefully, and that the point is, that we hope in China people can enjoy freedom," he said.
CNN's Jaime FlorCruz in Beijing contributed to this report.
All About Tiananmen Square • China • BeijingAnxiety: We worry. A gallery of contributors count the ways.
This is the sixth installment of Going Off, a series of Anxiety posts chronicling the author’s attempt to wean off the medications she takes for depression, anxiety and insomnia.
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I joined Tinder. I did not plan to date while tapering off antidepressants, benzos and sleeping pills. But nor did I plan to go through a breakup.
I am going through a breakup. Now I’m in two kinds of withdrawal.
I know it’s too soon to start dating. At least, I know I’m not at my most datable (“Nice to meet you! I’m trying to get off my psych meds and over my ex!”). But Tinder feels good. Tinder, with its festive sound effects, floods my brain’s reward center, just like bupropion.
I swipe left on three men who share a name with my brother, on five who share a name with my ex-boyfriend. I swipe right on someone whose name is Okay.
On Tinder, men claim heights well over six feet. They scale mountains and cannonball into pools. They play hard and don’t take life seriously and want a partner in crime. In New York City, I never meet towering optimist-adventurers. They exist only on dating apps.
In another sense, Tinder simulates reality quite well: All that swiping is like standing in a crowd, scanning 50 people in a minute, thinking, that face could make me happy and that one might be able to and that one could if it didn’t remind me of a person I know who annoys me and that one — no. That one could not. Swiping right on someone’s profile means, “You could make me happy.” To swipe left is to say, “I don’t believe you could.”
I left-swipe a profile that reads, “Normal seeking normal.” In one profile picture, a guy in a tuxedo makes out with his bride. I swipe left. I swipe left on three men who share a name with my brother, on five who share a name with my ex-boyfriend. I swipe right on someone whose name is Okay. One man aims a pistol at the camera. I swipe left, afraid. Another man, back-dropped by palm trees, smiles with his eyes closed. I swipe right. He looks so peaceful.
Photo
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Years ago, I accidentally drove into the side of a house. Flustered, I backed up and drove into it again. Is that what I’m doing on Tinder? Backing up from one painful relationship, promptly accelerating into another? In 20-plus years, I’ve never been without a boyfriend for more than a couple of months. I’m the woman whose friends are always telling her, “Why don’t you try being single for a while?” Why don’t you try backing up from the wall, applying the brakes, assessing the damage?
There is shame in serial monogamy. I’m not supposed to need a man. I’m not supposed to chain-smoke relationships. There is shame in medication, too. They say there isn’t, but there is. I can feel people flinch when I mention my meds; I feel them pause and recalibrate. We’re not supposed to rely on outside sources. We’re not supposed to medicate our moods — with pills or romance or tequila or sex. We’re supposed to validate ourselves from the inside. We’re supposed to be enough for ourselves.
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I was planning to cut my benzo again, but I’ve decided to wait until I feel stronger. Right now, I want to cling to the little bits of medication I have left—150 milligrams of bupropion,.5 milligrams of Lorazepam, 25 milligrams of Trazodone. I want to circumvent my grief. I want every quick fix. I want to fix myself. I want to fix all broken things. I wanted to fix my relationship, but that proved unfixable. On Tinder, I want to fix strangers. I want to tell them, Ask someone you trust if you look good in a baseball cap. If you removed those mirrored sunglasses, you’d get more matches. May I correct the spelling in your profile description? I get a message from a guy I think my friend Sarah would like. I ask him if I can set him up with her and he agrees. I am thrilled.
Instead of ignoring one guy’s vulgar message, I tell him, “For future reference, when writing to a woman you’ve never met, if you use the word ‘horny,’ you’ll scare her off.”
“Thanks for the tip,” he responds.
I feel good about that exchange, about the honest communication, about the feeling that I contributed something to the world. Or at least to the women of Tinder.
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Depression and heartbreak are blood sisters; they bleed into each other, become each other. My skin aches. I sleep fitfully. My chest hurts. Midafternoon will come and I’ll remember that I haven’t yet eaten. The tapering was wretched enough without stirring a breakup into the mix.
My friend Suzie tells me to open my mouth. She squeezes two drops of something called gem essence onto my tongue. “So you’ll have more compassion for yourself,” she says. My friend Shelly tells me to talk to myself the way I talk to my 8-year-old niece.
Related More From Going Off Read previous contributions to this series.
If my 8-year-old niece were an adult, if she were trying to taper off her psych meds, if she were suffering a broken heart, I would tell her to come over and hang out on my couch. I would wrap her in a blanket. I would hug her and kiss her. I would say, “Enjoy Tinder if it makes you feel good, but the second it makes you feel bad, stop.” I would say, “You’re stronger than you think.” I would say, “I know you love him. He loves you, too.” I would say, “Forgive yourself.” I would say, “There’s nothing wrong with you.” I would tell her to get a good night’s sleep. I would help her find a therapist.
I call a therapist (not my psychiatrist) and make an appointment and feel some relief. I’ve been withdrawing from my meds without talk therapy, but I know how much I can handle alone; I cannot handle this.
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There are a lot of D.J.s on Tinder. A disproportionate number of men with puppies. A plethora of sleeve tattoos. A man inside a garbage can. Another standing naked by the sea, addressing the camera with his butt. Some pictures (a guy who appears to be traveling alone, another who appears to be dining alone, and one whose smile looks labored) make me feel so lonely, my tears drip onto my phone screen.
I swipe right on all the puppies.
I like Tinder. Is it O.K. to say I’m grateful for Tinder? But I’d rather have a Tinder party and invite every member, someplace dim and cozy where we can laugh about how we pretend and posture, how we use camera filters, how we hide our scars, how we’re all just trying to get through the day.
Read the entire Going Off series here.
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and on Twitter, and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter.
Diana Spechler is the author of the novels “Who by Fire” and “Skinny.” Twitter: @DianaSpechler.Cambodia’s modest navy is apparently a point of sensitivity for its commander, who on Wednesday said he would seek to acquire two warships from China to prevent neighboring countries from “looking down” on his fleet.
Two guided-missile frigates and a supply ship from China’s South Sea Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Yu Manjiang arrived in Sihanoukville on Monday for a weeklong visit and two days of search-and-rescue training with Cambodian sailors in the Gulf of Thailand.
On Wednesday, Rear Adm. Yu and a delegation of Chinese naval officers traveled to Phnom Penh for a meeting with Royal Cambodian Navy Commander Tea Vinh at the Navy Headquarters.
During the meeting, Admiral Vinh said Cambodia was in the market for two warships and hoped China would supply them.
“The Chinese Ministry of Defense would supply two warships in the future…. This is my vision,” he said, noting the size and firepower of the Chinese ships docked in Sihanoukville.
Adm. Vinh did not say what kind of ships the navy was interested in acquiring, nor whether it intended to purchase them outright. He said the vessels would bolster both maritime security and Cambodia’s reputation.
“We want to stop our neighboring countries from looking down on us,” he said. “I want these two big ships, not for making war, but just to show that they can’t look down on Cambodia.”
For his part, Rear Adm. Yu applauded the upkeep of Cambodia’s existing fleet at the Ream Naval Base, which he toured on Monday.
“Currently, Cambodia has small ships, but it has shown that it can use them and maintain them well,” he said through a translator.
Rear Adm. Yu also predicted an increase in shipping traffic off the coast of Cambodia if Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plan for a Maritime Silk Road comes to fruition.
“China has a lot of [cargo] ships that will need to cross through and they will partly need the Cambodian navy to protect them,” he said.
The Chinese commander did not respond to Adm. Vinh’s request for new warships during the meeting.
Phoak Kung, president of the Cambodian Institute for Strategic Studies in Phnom Penh, said Cambodia’s navy was underfunded compared to the army and air force, and that Adm. Vinh’s plan to acquire the vessels from China was not surprising, given recent purchases from the Asian superpower by Thailand and Indonesia.
“China offers a much better deal for military hardware than Europe or the U.S. given its local distribution networks,” he said. “It is much more cost effective for countries in the region.”
Carlyle Thayer, emeritus professor at the Australian Defense Force Academy, said in an email China donated 15 patrol boats to the Interior Ministry between 2005 and 2007.
He said the sale or donation of further vessels would at least in part be “a conduit for Chinese influence on Cambodia.”
[email protected], [email protected]
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the meeting between the two navy commanders was held behind closed doors. It also incorrectly identified Rear Admiral Yu Manjiang and Admiral Tea Vinh as generals.
© 2016, The Cambodia Daily. All rights reserved No part of this article may be reproduced in print, electronically, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without written permission.With the media blaring that his approval rating is at its lowest point since the August 2011 debt-ceiling debacle, President Obama is headed to Knox College for a fiery speech on the economy he hopes will revive his political fortunes the way his turn to populism did two years. We’ll see. But one thing is getting almost no attention in the most recent round of polls: the number of Americans identifying themselves as Republicans is in remarkable decline.
The National Memo’s Jason Settler broke it down Wednesday morning, with one of Huffington Post’s Poll Tracker charts: the percentage of voters calling themselves Republicans has dropped by more than 20 percent just since the 2012 election, from 29.2 percent to 23.4 percent last week. By contrast, Democratic voter ID dropped from 35.5 to 33.9 percent in the same period.
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It’s not hard to see why. Despite RNC chair Reince Priebus’s laughable “autopsy” and early efforts on the part of 2016 hopefuls like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to convince his fellow Republicans not to be “the stupid party,” the GOP has been stuck on stupid. Of course, neither Priebus or Jindal really wanted the party to change its policies: the spineless Priebus won’t even go as far as embracing the word “tolerance." “I don't know if I've used the word 'tolerance,'" Priebus told David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network Monday. "I don't really care for that word myself. I don't have a problem with it, I just think it has another meaning politically that can go the other direction."
Got it? What a coward.
Since Priebus released his autopsy, his party has escalated its war on women with new abortion restrictions in red states and in the House, and turned to increasingly racist anti-immigrant rhetoric, race-hustling that demonizes African Americans, and most recently, a threat to either shut down the government or refuse to lift the debt ceiling unless Congress repeals Obamacare.
And that last threat comes not only from the crazed House GOP, but from Sen. Marco Rubio, to make up for his apostasy on the issue of immigration reform. This is not only the nullification party, but the unhinged-from-reality party, and voters are recoiling at identifying themselves with it, understandably.
But while it’s comforting to look at those numbers as a fed-up nation rejecting the intransigent GOP, it’s scary to look at the polling on which party voters think ought to control Congress. In the latest NBC/Wall St. Journal poll there’s a 44-44 tie – but that breaks down to favor Democrats in blue districts and Republicans in red ones. Republican gerrymandering – a practice also indulged by Democrats but never as brazenly as by the GOP since 2010 – means that it will be hard for Democrats to take back the House.
Another scary number is the percent of people who think Congress has been too inflexible in dealing with the president: While that number ticked up a point since January 2011, the share of those who think Republicans have compromised too much with Obama more than doubled, moving from 8 to 18 percent.
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So Republicans’ numbers are declining, but the ones who are left are even crazier.
The president’s Knox College speech may be best understood as an effort to prepare the public for another debt-ceiling hostage crisis engineered by the GOP, against a backdrop of polling that shows that even as voters run from the Republican Party, too many blame Obama and the Democrats at least partially for gridlock. I certainly hope it works. The effect of Republican nullification is to turn off voters and, in particular, to discourage the Obama coalition from turning out in 2014. I’m happy to see Obama back in campaign mode, because Democrats can’t afford a rerun of 2010.'Real Housewives of Atlanta' You Fire Porsha... And We Walk!
'Real Housewives of Atlanta' -- If Porsha Williams is Fired... We Walk!
EXCLUSIVE
The entire cast of "" -- minus one -- is threatening to walk off the show ifis fired over her fight withThe one holdout -- Kenya Moore.Sources close to the show tell us the women hatched their plan this weekend at' wedding... telling the show's producers how much they despise Moore because of all the drama she stirs up.As we reported... Williams attacked Moore during taping of the reunion special... and producers may use the bitch fight as justification for giving Porsha the axe.We're told since the brawl, ALL housewives' contracts for next season have been put on hold -- until show honchos figure out what to do with Porsha.But sources tell us the women have made it clear... they'll walk if Porsha gets fired... and we're toldandare making a play to get Kenya fired instead.The first sighting of the UFO. The first sighting of the UFO.
Is it a plane? Is it a bird? No, apparently, it is a UFO which was spotted flying over Lucknow. Even though the astronomers are saying that it could be a UFO, there is no official confirmation as to what it was.
With astronomers from all over the world hinting that there could be other planets with life on them, the appearance of an unidentified flying object (UFO) over Lucknow has become a heated topic of discussion.
These photographs of the UFO were taken by Lucknow resident Amit Tripathi. Tripathi, who lives in Rajajipuram's E-block, sector 11, was sitting in his balcony and taking photographs of the sunset with his cellphone when he spotted a mysterious shiny object in the sky beside the sun.
Within moments, the shiny flying object began spinning and rising. Tripathi quickly took some photographs of the object with his phone. Tripathi says the object went straight up and within 40 seconds it disappeared.
Earlier too reports had come in of UFOs being spotted on July 11 in Guwahati, on July 12 from Shamli and on July 14 in Tundla.
Take a look at the photos that Amit Tripathi took. What do you think? Is the circled object a UFO?
It started spinning and began rising upwards. It started spinning and began rising upwards.
As it rose upwards, it moved back and forth horizontally as well. As it rose upwards, it moved back and forth horizontally as well.Who put Bella in the Wych Elm? is graffiti which first appeared in 1944 following the 1943 discovery of the skeletonised remains of a woman by four children inside a wych elm in Hagley Wood, Hagley (located in the estate of Hagley Hall), in Worcestershire, England. The victim—whose murder is approximated to have occurred in 1941—remains unidentified, and the current location of her skeleton and autopsy report is unknown.[1]
Discovery [ edit ]
On 18 April 1943, four local boys (Robert Hart, Thomas Willetts, Bob Farmer and Fred Payne) were poaching or bird–nesting[n 1] in Hagley Wood, part of the Hagley estate belonging to Lord Cobham[2][3] near to Wychbury Hill when they came across a large wych elm.[4][n 2] Thinking the location to be a particularly good place to hunt birds' nests, Farmer attempted to climb the tree to investigate. As he climbed, he glanced down into the hollow trunk and discovered a skull. At first he believed it to be that of an animal, but after seeing human hair and teeth, he realised that he had found a human skull. As they were on the land illegally, Farmer put the skull back and all four boys returned home without mentioning their discovery to anybody.[1] However, on returning home, the youngest of the boys, Willetts, felt uneasy about what he had witnessed and decided to report the find to his parents.
Investigation [ edit ]
The skull of "Wych Elm Bella," as retrieved 18 April 1943
When police checked the trunk of the tree they found an almost complete skeleton, with a shoe, a gold wedding ring, and some fragments of clothing. The skull was valuable evidence, in that it still had some tufts of hair and had a clear dental pattern, despite some missing teeth.[5] After further investigation, the remains of a hand were found some distance from the tree.[1]
The body was sent for forensic examination by Prof. James Webster. He quickly established that it was that of a female who had been dead for at least 18 months, placing time of death in or before October 1941; Webster also discovered a section of taffeta in her mouth, suggesting that she had died from suffocation. From the measurement of the trunk in which the body had been discovered, he also deduced that she must have been placed there "still warm" after the killing, as she could not have fitted once rigor mortis had taken hold.[1]
Police could tell from items found with the body what the woman had looked like, but with so many people reported missing during the war, records were too vast for a proper identification to take place.[citation needed] They cross-referenced the details they had with reports of missing persons throughout the region, but none of them seemed to match the evidence.[6] In addition, they contacted dentists all over the country since the dentistry was quite distinctive.[6]
In 1944 a graffiti message, related to the mystery, appeared on a wall in Upper Dean Street, Birmingham, reading Who put Bella down the Wych Elm - Hagley Wood.[7] This led investigators down several new leads tracing who Bella could have been. Other messages in the same hand appeared too. Since at least the 1970s, the graffiti has sporadically appeared on the Hagley Obelisk near to where the woman's body was discovered, which asks the slightly modified Who put Bella in the Witch Elm?.[2][3]
Facial reconstruction [ edit ]
An episode of the television programme "Nazi Murder Mysteries"[8] described a forensic facial reconstruction undertaken by the University of Liverpool's "Face Lab", from photographs of the skull.[9][10] It was commissioned by Andrew Sparke, for his books on the incident.[10]
Theories [ edit ]
The Lyttelton Arms, Hagley
In a Radio 4 programme first broadcast in August 2014, Steve Punt suggested two possible victims. One possible victim was reported to the police in 1944 by a Birmingham prostitute. In the report, she stated that another prostitute called Bella, who worked on the Hagley Road, had disappeared about three years previously.[1]
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closures, short sales or deeds in lieu of foreclosure, according to Moody’s Economy.com. Last year, more than two million homes were lost, and Economy.com expects that this year’s number will swell to 2.4 million.
“I don’t think there’s any way for Treasury to tweak their plan, or to cajole, pressure or entice servicers to do more to address the crisis,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com. “For some folks, it is doing more harm than good, because ultimately, at the end of the day, they are going back into the foreclosure morass.”
Mr. Zandi argues that the administration needs a new initiative that attacks a primary source of foreclosures: the roughly 15 million American homeowners who are underwater, meaning they owe the bank more than their home is worth.
Increasingly, such borrowers are inclined to walk away and accept foreclosure, rather than continuing to make payments on properties in which they own no equity. A paper by researchers at the Amherst Securities Group suggests that being underwater “is a far more important predictor of defaults than unemployment.”
From its inception, the Obama plan has drawn criticism for failing to compel banks to write down the size of outstanding mortgage balances, which would restore equity for underwater borrowers, giving them greater incentive to make payments. A vast majority of modifications merely decrease monthly payments by lowering the interest rate.
Mr. Zandi proposes that the Treasury Department push banks to write down some loan balances by reimbursing the companies for their losses. He pointedly rejects the notion that government ought to get out of the way and let foreclosures work their way through the market, saying that course risks a surge of foreclosures and declining house prices that could pull the economy back into recession.
“We want to overwhelm this problem,” he said. “If we do go back into recession, it will be very difficult to get out.”
Under the current program, the government provides cash incentives to mortgage companies that lower monthly payments for borrowers facing hardships. The Treasury Department set a goal of three to four million permanent loan modifications by 2012.
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“That’s overly optimistic at this stage,” said Richard H. Neiman, the superintendent of banks for New York State and an appointee to the Congressional Oversight Panel, a body created to keep tabs on taxpayer bailout funds. “There’s a great deal of frustration and disappointment.”
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As of mid-December, some 759,000 homeowners had received loan modifications on a trial basis typically lasting three to five months. But only about 31,000 had received permanent modifications — a step that requires borrowers to make timely trial payments and submit paperwork verifying their financial situation.
The government has pressured mortgage companies to move faster. Still, it argues that trial modifications are themselves a considerable help.
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“Almost three-quarters of a million Americans now are benefiting from modification programs that reduce their monthly payments dramatically, on average $550 a month,” Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said last month at a hearing before the Congressional Oversight Panel. “That is a meaningful amount of support.”
But mortgage experts and lawyers who represent borrowers facing foreclosure argue that recipients of trial loan modifications often wind up worse off.
In Lakeland, Fla., Jaimie S. Smith, 29, called her mortgage company, then Washington Mutual, in October 2008, when she realized she would get a smaller bonus from her employer, a furniture company, threatening her ability to continue the $1,250 monthly mortgage payments on her three-bedroom house.
In April, Chase, which had taken over Washington Mutual, lowered her payment to $1,033.62 in a trial that was supposed to last three months.
Ms. Smith made all three payments on time and submitted required documents, Chase confirms. She called the bank almost weekly to inquire about a permanent loan modification. Each time, she says, Chase told her to continue making trial payments and await word on a permanent modification.
Then, in October, a startling legal notice arrived in the mail: Chase had foreclosed on her house and sold it at auction for $100. (The purchaser? Chase.)
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“I cried,” she said. “I was hysterical. I bawled my eyes out.”
Later that week came another letter from Chase: “Congratulations on qualifying for a Making Home Affordable loan modification!”
When Ms. Smith frantically called the bank to try to overturn the sale, she was told that the house was no longer hers. Chase would not tell her how long she could remain there, she says. She feared the sheriff would show up at her door with eviction papers, or that she would return home to find her belongings piled on the curb. So Ms. Smith anxiously set about looking for a new place to live.
She had been planning to continue an online graduate school program in supply chain management, and she had about $4,000 in borrowed funds to pay tuition. She scrapped her studies and used the money to pay the security deposit and first month’s rent on an apartment.
Later, she hired a lawyer, who is seeking compensation from Chase. A judge later vacated the sale. Chase is still offering to make her loan modification permanent, but Ms. Smith has already moved out and is conflicted about what to do.
“I could have just walked away,” said Ms. Smith. “If they had said, ‘We can’t work with you,’ I’d have said: ‘What are my options? Short sale?’ None of this would have happened. God knows, I never would have wanted to go through this. I’d still be in grad school. I would not have paid all that money to them. I could have saved that money.”
A Chase spokeswoman, Christine Holevas, confirmed that the bank mistakenly foreclosed on Ms. Smith’s house and sold it at the same time it was extending the loan modification offer.
“There was a systems glitch,” Ms. Holevas said. “We are sorry that an error happened. We’re trying very hard to do what we can to keep folks in their homes. We are dealing with many, many individuals.”
Many borrowers complain they were told by mortgage companies their credit would not be damaged by accepting a loan modification, only to discover otherwise.
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In a telephone conference with reporters, Jack Schakett, Bank of America ’s credit loss mitigation executive, confirmed that even borrowers who were current before agreeing to loan modifications and who then made timely payments were reported to credit rating agencies as making only partial payments.
The biggest source of concern remains the growing numbers of underwater borrowers — now about one-third of all American homeowners with mortgages, according to Economy.com. The Obama administration clearly grasped the threat as it created its program, yet opted not to focus on writing down loan balances.
“This is a conscious choice we made, not to start with principal reduction,” Mr. Geithner told the Congressional Oversight Panel. “We thought it would be dramatically more expensive for the American taxpayer, harder to justify, create much greater risk of unfairness.”
Mr. Geithner’s explanation did not satisfy the panel’s chairwoman, Elizabeth Warren.
“Are we creating a program in which we’re talking about potentially spending $75 billion to try to modify people into mortgages that will reduce the number of foreclosures in the short term, but just kick the can down the road?” she asked, raising the prospect “that we’ll be looking at an economy with elevated mortgage foreclosures not just for a year or two, but for many years. How do you deal with that problem, Mr. Secretary?”
A good question, Mr. Geithner conceded.
“What to do about it,” he said. “That’s a hard thing.”How to Change the Way You Process Negative Memories
The way we think of past events in our lives is very flexible and subject to change.
Whenever we look back at our life story, it can change based on our perspective and what information about our lives we choose to pay attention to and find important.
We can take this flexible nature of our minds and use it to process negative memories in different ways that benefit us instead of holding us back.
Memories are flexible
Memories are never as picture perfect as we think they are. In fact, every time we recall an event it changes from the last time we remembered it.
A recent study published in The Journal of Neuroscience illustrates this phenomenon quite well. First researchers gave participants 2 hours to learn the positions of 180 objects on a computer grid. The following day, participants were presented with the same objects at a central location, and were then asked to move them to their original location. On the third and final day, they repeated the same recall test as before.
Interestingly, researchers found that on the third day, participants placed the object closer to the incorrect location they chose on the second day rather than the correct location.
This shows that our past retrieval of memories can influence how we think of memories in the future. We don’t remember the details of the actual event so much as we remember our most recent memory of that event.
As lead research Donna Bridge from Northwestern University says:
“Memories aren’t static. If you remember something in the context of a new environment and time, or if you are even in a different mood, your memories might integrate the new information.”
She goes on to compare our memories to the “telephone game” many of us have played as kids. In the game, someone whispers a message into someone’s ear, and then the next person whispers it to another person, until it reaches the last person who says the message out loud to the whole group.
Usually this results in a lot of laughs, because by the time the message has reached the last person it has radically changed from what was originally said.
Our minds work in a similar way. Every time we think about a memory it changes a bit, until over time it may become something completely different.
How we can change memories to make them more positive
So now that we know our memories are flexible and subject to change, how can we use this to change negative memories into something more positive?
Before we get started, I should make it clear that the goal of changing our memories isn’t to change the facts behind them. I don’t want you to pretend you got an A+ in Calculus if you really got an F. Instead, the point is to change how you interpret those facts and how you think and feel about the event.
So even if we’ve always remembered an event as being terrible and painful, it is never too late to change our perception to something healthy and constructive. Here are ways we can change how we think about negative memories:
Think about the negative event while in a really positive mood. This can make the memory seem less important and less influential over your life.
Discuss the negative event with a supportive friend. They can often give you a new perspective to your experience that you had not considered.
Try to find something to laugh about in the negative event. Adding a layer of humor is a great way to change the meaning of a particular memory.
Go to a new environment to think about the event, like at a beach or park. Giving yourself a comfortable space to reflect on the event can help bring closure and perspective.
Create a piece of art or music about the event. This is a very effective way to change how your mind thinks of the event. It’s also a great way to transform something “negative” into something “positive” and creative.
Zoom out and see the “bigger picture” behind the event. Remember that your life is filled with many different experiences, and no one single experience can define your life.
Move on. Don’t continue to ruminate about the event and beat yourself up over it. That will only make the event seem more and more negative.
Write about the event and affirm what you learned from it and why it made you a better person.
These can all be effective techniques to change the way you process negative memories. Try some of them out for yourself and see which ones work best for you.
Don’t miss any new articles and resources in psychology and self improvement:As of September 2, a new law that relaxes the penalty for some marijuana offenses has gone into effect in Arkansas. Under the new law, people caught in possession of up to four ounces may be sentenced to a year's probation without formal charge, at the judge's discretion.
Under the new law, existing penalties for pot possession still remain. Offenders can still be sentenced to up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. But now, judges can opt for the sentence of probation with no criminal record.Also, under the previous Arkansas law, possession of anything more than an ounce was punished by four to 10 days in jail and large fines. Now, someone possessing as much as four ounces will be eligible for probation.The new law also lessons the penalties for repeat possession offenders and makes possession with the intent to deliver small amounts of marijuana a misdemeanor instead of a felony.The law was passed last spring by the legislature and backed by Gov. Mike Beebe (R), who signed it into law in March.DESMADRE is a 4(sometimes 5)-piece band based in Santa Cruz, California. We are recording a full length album with Comprehensive Records in Santa Cruz, putting together a Press Kit, and developing more merchandise this fall.
DESMADRE is a progressive funk/rock band complete with a groovin' rhythm section that make even the squarest of stiffs wanna shake their rumps, dueling guitars that melt the frostiest of faces, and soulful harmonies that capture the hearts and souls of the writhing masses. The band is comprised of Erik Oatman (Guitar,Vocals), Mikey Whalen (Drums, Vocals), Shahya Khodadadio (Guitar, Vocals), and Zachary Scotton (Bass).
Below is our 3 track EP released on August 11th, 2013, available for free download on our Soundcloud. Please listen and share if you like it!
Deep in the Congo:
Grave Robbin':
Schizo Pacifico:
We have 9 other tasty tunes we are going to put into the album including the above 3. Once recorded, we plan to make 250 professional Desmadre Press Kits that we can send out to key interest points to help promote and get us more shows around first California, then the country.
Mikey Whalen and Erik Oatman and currently working on a new series of designs that will be featured hand-printed shirts and stickers that will be released with this album.
Desmadre sticker
Below is the previous t-shirt that funded our current demo design and printed by Erik Oatman.
"While these are no longer available, our next line of shirts will be of the same quality. I'm a man of my word." - Erik Oatman
Previous Desmadre t-shirt currently out of print
What your donations will be going towards:
Dozens of hours recording, mixing, and mastering in the studio.
Printing and packaging of albums and press kits.
Filming and producing live performances and music video.
Materials and manufacturing for merchandise including stickers, clothing, and posters.
If you want to keep up with us over the next few months as this Kickstarter progresses and we begin working on the new album and merchandise, check out our Facebook page from time to time.
If you've made it this far thank you for giving us your time and attention. Your contribution would mean a lot to us, but if not, just keep listening and sharing our music with your friends if you like it.
Cheers,
Shahya, Zach, Erik, and MikeyTake-Two Interactive gave financial results for its latest quarter to investors today, and despite reporting a loss the company seems optimistic enough about its future to raise its revenue projections for the fiscal year.
Notably, one of its top highlights for the quarter was a 66 percent year-over-year increase in net revenue from "recurrent consumer spending" -- that is, purchases of DLC, in-game currency, and other microtransactions.
Such transactions accounted for nearly half (48 percent) of Take-Two's net revenue for the quarter, led by microtransactions in games like NBA 2K17, Grand Theft Auto V and its online component Grand Theft Auto Online.
"Grand Theft Auto Online delivered its best quarter yet, Net Bookings from Grand Theft Auto V grew year-over-year," stated Take-Two chief Strauss Zelnick in the earnings release, which also noted that GTA V has "sold in" (that is, sold to retailers) over 85 million copies since its 2013 release.
In terms of numbers, Take-Two reported a (GAAP) loss of $2.7 million in net profits on $443.5 million in net revenues during the three months ending September 30th. That seems a bit less impressive than the same period last year, when the company reported profits of $36.4 million on $420.1 million in net revenues.
Nevertheless, Take-Two is raising its expectations for how much revenue it will pull in this fiscal year even as it lowers its predictions for how much profit it will generate on that revenue. The company now expects to earn a net income of $63 - $91 billion on net revenues of $1.74 - $1.84 billion durings its 2018 fiscal year, which ends next March.Cactus Music, Houston's favorite music store, turns 40
Facts about Cactus Music Houston's favorite record store, Cactus Music opened in 1975. Since then, it has weathered industry storms and literal storms over the decades but remains a Houston constant.
Click thru to learn a few facts about Cactus that regular shoppers might not even know about.... less Facts about Cactus Music Houston's favorite record store, Cactus Music opened in 1975. Since then, it has weathered industry storms and literal storms over the decades but remains a Houston constant.
Click thru... more Photo: Gary Coronado, Staff Photo: Gary Coronado, Staff Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Cactus Music, Houston's favorite music store, turns 40 1 / 38 Back to Gallery
This month Cactus Music celebrates 40 years of business in Houston, weathering the whims of the music industry to bring Houstonians stacks upon stacks of records, compact discs, and even cassette tapes.
The record store began life not too far from where it stands now at 2110 Portsmouth. Longtime Houstonians might remember visiting its previous location at the corner of West Alabama and South Shepherd. It was an A&P grocery store before it was a record store.
That location is currently a Whole Earth Provision Co. location, next to Trader Joe's. Camping supplies and hiking boots have replaced concert posters, box sets, and dusty vinyl.
But Cactus' roots go back decades to Harold “Pappy” Daily’s outpost in the Heights that opened in 1946.
RELATED: Houston businesses that have served generations
“Our original store in the Heights, Daily's Record Ranch, regularly presented in-store events with the performers of The Louisiana Hayride including Hank Williams Sr.,” notes Cactus head honcho and co-owner Quinn Bishop.
Pappy also ran record labels, including D Records, which over the years would be the home to acts like a pre-outlaw Willie Nelson and regional polka and Tex-Mex acts. Another label, Starday, was the home of Roger Miller and George Jones among others.
Daily’s kids Bud and Don opened up the Shepherd location in 1975.
The Shepherd location had a VHS and DVD rental area that film director and Houston native Wes Anderson haunted while he was working the script and casting 2001’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.” He also reportedly discovered the music for “Rushmore” (The Kinks, John Lennon, The Creation) on the record racks at Cactus years before.
RELATED: Houston's Cactus Music to close its doors (2006)
The old location shuttered in early 2006 and with it went decades of memories, like an all-too-brief Jeff Buckley in-store performance in 1994 that is still the stuff of local legend.
The Daily brothers decided to retire from the record store business, which at the time wasn’t exactly doing so hot.
Don Daily, who played a major role in George Strait’s early recording career, died in 2013. Bud Daily passed in 2010 and helped get ZZ Top its first major record deal.
At the time of the original store’s closing, record stores across the country were shutting down in droves as people began to download their music instead of visiting their local record store to explore. That store closing sale was a boon for fans of rare movies and records.
The store wouldn’t stay closed for long, reopening at its Portsmouth digs in late 2007 just in time for the holiday season. Bishop and a team of investors, including the Saint Arnold Brewing Company, would own and operate the shop. Bishop has been with Cactus since the mid-‘80s.
Bishop was excited to tell the Houston Press’ John Nova Lomax at the time that the new shop was even about the same square footage as the old place, minus the video rental area.
In 2015 vinyl record sales are up as people are rediscovering the warmer sounds of vinyl after years of MP3s and streams. Vinyl sales totaled 9.2 million in 2014, according to a recent Nielsen report.
RELATED: Hundreds support local shops on Record Store Day
Cactus has benefited from the vinyl explosion in a dramatic way. The store’s Record Ranch area features vinyl old and new and on the weekends it’s a hotbed of activity. Sometimes employees – some who are current Houston musicians in their own right like rapper Fat Tony – will play their favorite LPs while customers browse. On a rainy afternoon the Record Ranch is one of the coziest places in Houston, and music-themed artwork and photography lines the walls.
The annual Record Store Day event, held on the third Saturday in April, brings nearly a thousand people through the store’s doors to purchase limited edition 12-inches and 45s. Some people begin lining up outside Cactus a full 24 hours before the doors open for business.
“Record Store Day has been remarkably transformative for our business in that it has helped us reconnect with older vinyl fans who never lost their affection for the format as well as getting younger music fans excited about building their collections,” Bishop says.
An unsung feature of Cactus is the dollar LP section where collectors can fill out their burgeoning vinyl kingdoms with gently-used albums.
Cactus of course still sells compact discs for customers haven’t already reinvested in a turntable, and shoppers can still buy DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
In-store performances are the norm over the weekends on Cactus’ small stage, with complimentary Saint Arnold beer available for legal drinkers to imbibe in while seeing the likes of Steve Earle and the Wild Moccasins. Bishop has said that in-store shows usually increase sales by a sizable percentage.
The list of acts that have played the Cactus stage across the past 40 years – The Ramones, The Police, Patti Smith, Townes Van Zandt, The Chieftains, Alice Cooper, Phillip Glass, and Sleater-Kinney – is nothing to snort at.
Robert Earl Keen played inside the store around the time he released his “Gringo Honeymoon” album and the store has always supported Texas country artists.
This coming weekend on Saturday, October 17, the store will host a book signing by locally-bred, nationally-revered author Shea Serrano, an art exhibit opening by Carlos Hernandez, and take part in something called Cassette Store Day.'Fork' from main WebKit branch follows tensions with engineers at Apple over direction for core code used to render web pages
The browser wars are back – but this time on mobile as well as the desktop. After long-simmering disagreements with engineers at Apple, Google has split its development of the Chrome browser's rendering engine for both desktop and mobile from the main line of the open source WebKit project.
That creates a "fork" in the engine which will put it on an increasingly divergent path from other WebKit developers, including Apple, Nokia, and BlackBerry.
For users, growing differences in how the rendering engines work could mean that viewing the same site with different browsers will give different results – especially on mobile.
Google is calling its new rendering engine "Blink" – and admits in a blogpost that "we know that the introduction of a new rendering engine can have significant implications for the web."
But it adds that it thinks that having multiple rendering engines – the programs that decide how to lay out pages – "will spur innovation and over time improve the health of the entire open web ecosystem." The move means there are now four main rendering engines online: WebKit, Blink, Trident (used in Microsoft's Internet Explorer) and Gecko, used by Mozilla.
Rendering engines figure out how to interpret the HTML, CSS and Javascript that makes up a page, and decide how to lay out the page. They're the essential subsystem for a browser, onto which elements such as navigation, bookmarking, tabs and so on are overlaid to produce the finished app.
The move follows long-simmering disagreement between engineers at Apple and Google over the best way to develop the rendering engine underlying the browser – with one senior Apple engineer saying that Google refused to incorporate key technologies into the main branch of WebKit, keeping them instead for Chrome.
But Google argues that its move means innovation in its browsers can advance more quickly, and independently, without being held back by legacy code.
In the blogpost, it says it will remove seven "build systems" and 7,000 files comprising more than 4.5m lines of code. "Over the long term, a healthier codebase leads to more stability and fewer bugs," writes Adam Barth, Google's software engineer.
For web designers who will have to design pages that work with even more rendering engines, the divergence could mean growing problems. Similar troubles occurred early in the development of the commercial web, when Microsoft and Netscape produced their own non-standard adaptations – such as Netscape's addition of the "blink" tag, which was not adopted by Microsoft.
The stakes are high. Chrome is the one of the most-used browsers on the desktop according to NetMarketShare – or the most-used, according to Statcounter, which uses a slightly different methodology and sample. Netmarketshare counts unique visitors to sites, and provides weighting for internet population size in countries; Statcounter simply counts hits on sites.
At present, Apple's MobileSafari is the most-used on mobile, according to Net Applications' measurement of visits to sites – despite the greater number of Android phones in use. Statcounter puts the Android browser as the most-used, as 30% against MobileSafari's 24%.
Google is presently rolling out updates to Android which replace the Android "Browser" app with Chrome in newer versions of Android released in the past two years.
Apple is not the only company using WebKit. In February, Norway's Opera stopped trying to develop its own rendering engine and joined the WebKit group. This week, it said it will use Blink.
Forks in open source projects are generally irreversible, because the two paths introduce differences in coding and features which are irreconcilable. For that reason, those behind such projects usually make strenuous efforts to avoid them – unless those involved have seriously divergent aims for the project.
The split has come after tensions between engineers from Apple and Google, which have played out on the WebKit mailing lists following disagreements on how WebKit should develop to support "multi-process" functionality in a browser. Google's branch of WebKit, used for its Chrome browser, has supported multi-process for a long time – but the company has repeatedly refused to integrate that into the main branch of WebKit, which would have made it available to all the companies and organisations that use WebKit, including Apple, Nokia and BlackBerry.
That refusal seems to have persuaded Apple's team, which has been core to the development of WebKit since using it for the Safari browser, released in January 2003, to introduce WebKit2 earlier this year which did offer that capability. Crucially, though, none of Google's engineers was given "commit" powers to WebKit2 – meaning they could not incorporate changes into the main branch.
In effect, the fork creates a mobile version of the "browser wars" of the 1990s, when Microsoft's Internet Explorer took on the then-dominant Netscape Navigator, and won – though Microsoft was later fined under antitrust laws for the tactics that it used, where it used its dominance in Windows to strongarm PC makers not to install Navigator.
The tensions are clear in a Hacker News discussion between Maciej Stachowiak of Apple's Safari group, who has long been one of the WebKit team (using the handle othermaciej) and Justin Schuh (justinschuh) of Google's Chrome security team.
Stachowiak says:
The main reason we built a new multiprocess architecture is that Chromium's multiprocess support was never contributed to the WebKit project. It has always lived in the separate Chromium tree, making it pretty hard to use for non-Chrome purposes. Before we wrote a single line of what would become WebKit2, we directly asked Google folks if they would be willing to contribute their multiprocess support back to WebKit, so that we could build on it. They said no. At that point, our choices were to do a hostile fork of Chromium into the WebKit tree, write our own process model, or live with being single-process forever. (At the time, there wasn't really an API-stable layer of the Chromium stack that packaged the process support.) Writing our own seemed like the least bad approach. If Google had upstreamed (integrated into WebKit) their multiprocess support, we almost surely would have built on it. And history might have turned out differently.
He adds that "we talked privately with particular Chrome folks before we started [WebKit2], in the middle [of development], and shortly before landing to mention that we were landing soon. I don't know if the contents of these conversations were ever shared with the whole Chrome team as some Chrome people seemed super surprised at our announcement [of WebKit2]."
But Justin Schuh, who works for Google on its Chrome security team, argued that the multiprocess source was available to be integrated – but that the WebKit team didn't incorporate it.
Alex Russell, one of the Chrome team, insisted in a personal blogpost that the key intention of the move is to speed up the time it takes to compile and test new versions of the code. "To make a better platform faster, you must be able to iterate faster," Russell says. "Today's WebKit defeats that imperative in ways large and small. It's not anybody's fault, but it does need to change."
He says that the decision to split from the WebKit team was "wrenching" but that "in all honesty, we may have paid too high a price for too long because of this desire to stay close to WebKit."
Apple adopted WebKit2 in April 2010, announcing the move on the WebKit mailing list. "The major difference [from Google Chrome] being that we have built the process split model directly into the framework, allowing other [browser] clients to use it," wrote Apple's Anders Carlsson at the time. A split process system can use the multiple cores in modern processors, among other advantages.
At the time, some found it controversial – though Stachowiak said then that the naming "seems to make this project seem a bigger deal than it is." He called it a "proof of concept".Next Chapter >
Land of the rising Datsun
You often find the best things in the most unexpected places. Who would expect retro wide-body, GT2 style Porsches to emerge from Japan, or old Ur quattros to have such a following in Scandinavia? And then there’s the legendary 240Z. There currently seems to be a global resurgence of love for the S30, and naturally its domestic home of Japan and mass export market of the USA provide rich pickings. But would you expect to find one of the foremost Datsun specialists tucked away in a leafy Kent village in the south of England? There have been some wild S30s produced over the years, and some of the most interesting ones have actually come out of this workshop. This is Fourways Engineering.
Fourways’ love affair with Datsun’s prettiest product isn’t a recent thing – they’re no newcomers to the Z, with four decades of experience to fall back on.
Owner Geoff Jackson had started out tuning Ford Anglias around 1969, but bought his first 240Z back in ’72 – one of the first to be imported into the UK as a small trickle began to enter the country a couple of years after the original release of the car. It says something that the car Geoff sold to fund his new purchase was an E-Type Jaguar, such was the interest in this new Japanese coupé.
That was the start of an intense relationship with the Z. Geoff and his team saw the potential: the Datsun looked great, had excellent weight distribution and presented an ideal tuning platform.
The fact that there weren’t any tuning parts available in Europe seems to have been taken more as a positive than a negative: Fourways began to manufacturer their own cams, heads, exhausts and so on, and were soon out running customised Zs alongside more traditional British fare such as Escorts and Cortinas.
41 years later, Geoff reckons that the majority of tuned Zs in the UK have been through his hands at one stage or another, and a fair number were actually built up at Fourways. For instance, the legendary Big Sam Modsports Z was rebuilt at Fourways in the mid-1970s: it’s now cared for by JD Classics, where the spec remains pretty much as it left Fourways all those years ago.
The 240Z is a car that helped change European attitudes to Japanese cars. What Geoff loved about the car was how easy it was to transform from a relatively docile, perhaps even underpowered, but great handling car, into a snarling, low, wide-body racing machine that was happy on gravel or tarmac. Looking through some old pictures, Fourways street and competition history showed off some great cars – and even some of their other projects, which included converting Aston Martin DB4s to Zagato spec.
I’d first come across a Fourways 240Z at the Motorsport At The Palace sprint event a couple of years back, held at Crystal Palace near London; it had really stood out even amongst the other beautiful machinery on show.
I didn’t realise at the time, but Geoff was actually driving that day: this is his own competition car, which he’s been campaigning for quite some time now.
It just shows how the base of the Z just works: to put it simply, get a Z and lower it from the original narrow-wheel, slightly high ’70s ride height and you’re well on the way.
Add in improved suspension and a bored-out engine, and you’re gone over the horizon. People who drive Zs seem to have permanent smiles on their faces – it’s that kind of car.
Bred for competition
Fourways have a number of workshops surrounding an old courtyard: each one was like an Aladdin’s Cave – and not just of Datsuns, it has to be said.
Racing and rallying have been in the company’s DNA since the beginning, and this wide-body S30 shows that the spirit of competition is still well and truly burning. This car has a long history having raced since the late ’70s, and it’s been through several guises.
It’s now running with an all-aluminium lightweight body, and the extended arches struggle to contain the big racing slicks. The car is effectively used as a development testbed by Fourways: they fitted their own rose-jointed wishbone suspension in the ’90s – fully adjustable and lighter than standard – with new track control arms and compression struts up front.
Not only does it handle well, but it’s fast. Geoff describes it with typical British understatement as ‘quite exciting’. Competing in various historic racing series, it runs at about 930kg, and the engine has been enlarged to three litres – it’s recently had a rebuild. A close ratio box and limited slip diff have also been fitted. I hope to catch up with this machine in the near future.
By its side was a far less extreme example: the S30 in this bay had come in from Europe. It had been built in Denmark, from where it had been campaigned in FIA historic events around Europe – and even driven by current Corvette factory driver Jan Magnussen on occasion.
The car was relatively stock, with not a huge amount of changes made – again highlighting what an ideal platform for a race car the S30 makes.
The main changes are in the cockpit, with a full interior strip, roll cage and racing dash. Much as I’m a big fan of the wide-body look, this bare metal car looked no less racy.
Fourways cater for pretty much any aspect of restoration and maintenance, from servicing to full bare metal restorations. Bodywork, paint, trim, engines – you name it, they take care of it. It’s truly cradle to grave to cradle again.
In the opposite workshop was a quartet of cars: three road and one very obvious rally machine. And not from any old rally, but one of the Zs spiritual homes…
Bringing classic S30s back to life is still the obvious passion at Fourways: the smile on Geoff’s face talking about various project made that clear.
For this car, the interior was completely stripped and retrimmed in white leather and walnut, giving a far more luxurious feel than the rather spartan original.
Tucked away under the racking, this Z hid something special under the bonnet: it was one of the very few crossflow-engined cars. The head was currently off, as Fourways are looking into ways of recreating the concept, where the carbs and exhaust are moved to the other side, keeping heat away from the carbs, improving internal flow and increasing torque. These crossflow Zs are rare beasts, with only 20 or so known internationally.
Up on the lift was this rally-spec car, which at the time of my visit was being prepared for the year’s Safari rally. It’s as near to an execution as you can inflict on a car… At its last Safari, the car was rolled early in the event: it had to be re-roofed as a result.
Geoff tends to the poor car whilst it’s being tormented on the Safari: he’s now been out three times. The car uses meaty Proflex suspension, without which it likely wouldn’t make it through the first stage – the assemblies were off being refurbished.
Looking at the arms, it’s like they’ve been carved from a battleship
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Paris (3,625 miles) - 12 minutes New York to Tokyo (6,737 miles) - 22 minutes New York to Dubai (6,836 miles) - 22 minutes New York to Shanghai (7,364 miles) - 24 minutes New York to Hong Kong (8,040 miles) - 26 minutes New York to Sydney (9,929 miles) - 32 minutes
'I wanted to create an aircraft concept capable of reaching its antipode—or diametrical opposite—as fast as possible,' Bombardier told Forbes
The Canadian engineer from ImaginActiv captivated the world's imagination in October when he unveiled his Skreemr concept plane.
He envisaged the craft could be launched using a magnetic railgun system to catapult it into the sky at high speed reaching speeds of Mach 10.
Using such a launch system, the jet would be positioned on a pair of conductive parallel rails and accelerated along them using a powerful electromagnetic field.
Liquid-oxygen or kerosene rockets would be fired to enable the plane to rapidly climb higher in the sky and reach Mach 4
The designer said scramjet engines could then be used to propel it to speeds of over 10 times the speed of sound, which is around 7,673mph (12,349km/h).
'One foreseeable problem was the sonic boom noise it would generate over land and the massive amount of heat that would build up on its nose and wings,' he told DailyMail.com
He was contacted by engineer Joseph Hazeltine, who proposed using a novel aerodynamic phenomenon called 'long penetration mode (LPM).
As a result, the Montreal-based innovator to draft an entirely new hypersonic concept—'the Antipode.'
The acceleration boosters would then separate from the Antipod and fly back to the airbase like Blue Origin's boosters. At Mach 5, the aircraft's onboard computer would ignite its supersonic combustion ramjet engine and accelerate up to Mach 24 at 40,000 feet
The Antipod would channel some of the air, flowing at supersonic speed, through a nozzle located on the nose of the aircraft. This counterflowing jet of air would induce a phenomenon called 'LPM' or long penetration mode.
Dubbed the 'Antipode', it can carry 10 people up to 12,430 miles (20,000km) in under an hour, allowing it to travel from London to New York in just 11 minutes
Unlike the Skreemr, the Antipod would be able to take off directly from any airfield by using reusable rocket boosters.
These rockets would attach to the wings of the Antipod and provide enough thrust to lift off, climb to 40,000 feet, and reach Mach 5.
The acceleration boosters would then separate from the Antipod and fly back to the airbase like Blue Origin's boosters.
At Mach 5, the aircraft's onboard computer would ignite its supersonic combustion ramjet engine and accelerate up to Mach 24 at 40,000 feet.
The Antipod would channel some of the air, flowing at supersonic speed, through a nozzle located on the nose of the aircraft.
This counterflowing jet of air would induce a phenomenon called 'LPM' or long penetration mode.
Unlike the Skreemr, the Antipod would be able to take off directly from any airfield by using reusable rocket boosters. These rockets would attach to the wings of the Antipod and provide enough thrust to lift off, climb to 40,000 feet, and reach Mach 5
The leading edge of the wings of the aircraft could also be fitted with linear nozzles so that air could flow out of them too. In this way, all leading edge surfaces could also be cooled by LPM
Using LPM would lead to a drop in surface temperature due to aeroheating and a reduction of the shockwave and noise related to breaking the sound barrier.
The leading edge of the wings of the aircraft could also be fitted with linear nozzles so that air could flow out of them too. In this way, all leading edge surfaces could also be cooled by LPM.
The plane's wings would have enough lift to glide and land on a 6,000 foot runway.
Emergency compact rocket boosters similar to the EZ-Rocket from X-COR aerospace could be ignited in case the aircraft needed to make a second landing attempt and could also be used to slow down the aircraft.
'The Antipod could be used as business or military aircraft to transport two highly ranked officials across the globe (up to 20,000 km) in less than an hour,' Bombardier told DailyMail.com.
'I think the cost will be at least over $150 million per plane and it could become a reality if there is a demand. But first, further research needs to be conducted.'
The Canadian engineer captivated the world's imagination in October when he unveiled his Skreemr concept plane. He envisaged the craft could be launched using a magnetic railgun system to catapult it into the sky at high speed reaching speeds of Mach 10“One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” is an original bi-weekly column appearing every other Monday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OVP-only RSS feed available here.
War is clearly destructive. Even war fought totally in self-defense is destructive; destructive to life, liberty, and property. Murray Rothbard wrote an excellent analysis of war titled “War, Peace, and the State“. I highly recommend reading it. As a voluntaryist, I oppose war on philosophical, ethical, spiritual, and economic grounds. The question I’d like to examine here, however, is “when does war begin?” And I think the answer is “when you attempt to forcibly control someone else without their permission.” If so, what are the implications of that?
Among Society
The implication of attempting to forcibly control others in society is a permanent state of war within communities, cities, states, and nations. Forcible control happens when laws are legislated or decreed prohibiting certain activities. When these activities are peaceful, meaning that they are not aggressively invasive against other peaceful people, the violence created by their prohibition affects not only law enforcement and those engaging in the activity, but everyone else. The War on Drugs and laws against prostitution are but two examples. These wars are fought in our backyards. They produce real victims: victimless criminals and innocent third parties caught in the line of fire, literally in the case of gang and cop violence in the streets, or figuratively in the case of women and girls being kidnapped and sold as sex slaves.
But legal prohibitions are hardly the root of the war. When one group of people forcibly controls the rest of society through both the monopolization of judicial services and taxation, justice is denied to those who suffer at the hands of the monopoly. When justice is denied, violence often ensues. In other words, wherever coercive monopolies exist, for whatever good or service, those whose liberties have been violated are in a state of perpetual war with the monopolizers.
Among Family
The weakest members of society are prime recipients of control by the strongest. Children are no doubt the weakest members of any society. Parents have it within their power to exercise an incredible amount of control over their children. And most parents exercise quite a bit of control, much to the detriment of their children’s growth and development as human beings. Thus in the long run, society likewise suffers.
Controlling others is learned as proper behavior. Children learn that “might makes right” because control is usually accompanied by violence or the threat of violence. Sans violence, parents manipulate their children with threats of discomfort or promises of reward. Yes, the younger the child the more control a parents must have over him, but we shouldn’t confuse physical handling with forcible control. For example, picking up a toddler to hug and kiss who is protesting the action is forcible control; carrying a baby around is physical handling. I suppose it’s a spectrum, but usually children will display their dissent. Their dissent should be respected, just as dissent by an adult should be respected.
Final Thoughts
I don’t know what the above will mean to you. To me it means that I want to do everything in my power to avoid war by avoiding control. I don’t want to control my neighbors, nor do I want to control my children (on the contrary, I want to guide and mentor them). I value peace at home as much as I value it in my community, my nation, and the world. I adhere to the counsel that we should continually “renounce war and proclaim peace.” I believe this means that we should renounce control and proclaim cooperation. Life is too short to spend all of our time fighting wars. I want peace and love-filled moments with my family and friends, and I hope you want the same.So you thought you’ve seen it all in Chinese architectural achievements, did you not?
Here’s a new hit: AT Design Office just revealed their renderings of a future “Floating City” in China, as commissioned by the China Communications Construction Company.
The “Floating City” is built at sea (both above sea level and underwater), made up of prefabricated modular parts and includes a peri-urban farm house, a hatchery, a garbage recycling center, a hotel, an entertainment complex, two green belts for recreation (both upper and underwater), vertical gardens and a cruise dock. Of course, traffic is made exclusively by electric cars and…submarines!
In the designers’ words: “The floating city has a perfect internal and external traffic system, linking it within but also with the outside world. A cruise dock serves giant ships, a yacht dock serves private vessels and civilian submarine traffic. Submarines and electric vehicles are the main means of transport on the island – keeping the island free from air pollution and congestion caused by automobiles.”
The city is imagined as “a possible eco-friendly city expansion alternative to continuing on land. With the amount of pollution, deforestation, and other detrimental environmental impacts that are a part of our current city development system, the Floating City was created as an attempt to minimize our carbon footprint for a sustainable future.”
Although based on an existing technique that is already used to building a 31-mile bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai, set to open in 2015, the construction of the floating city still seems a bit far-fetched.
According to its creators, the proposal is now being reviewed by one of China’s largest property investors, and they hope to start working on the project next year. We shall see if this is the Atlantis of the future or not.
See more images on Dezeen.
With land space in China becoming scarce, everyone might move at sea after all.
By Andreea Dragut
[Images via Dezeen]
Follow @ShanghaiistLIFEThe recent study by Maureen Craig and Jennifer Richeson on the reactions of Whites to becoming a minority (discussed here) included a manipulation where experimental subjects (all Whites) read an “assuaging paragraph” intended to calm their fears about the impending minority status of Whites. The paragraph was a very authoritative sounding claim that “despite the shift in the demographic make-up, the relative societal status of different racial groups is likely to remain steady” and “White Americans are expected to continue to have higher average incomes and wealth compared to members of other racial groups.”
This was merely an experimental manipulation. The experimenters did not argue that the assuaging claim about White social status was true. But, given that they are proposing that fear of loss of social status is indeed the central mechanism underlying all their results, it is important to think about whether it is true or not. Again, the model they propose is that White people confronted with their impending status as a demographic minority fear a decline in their social status. This then motivates them to adopt a variety of positions associated with conservative politics in America, such as opposing a government role in healthcare, favoring more defense spending, and presumably opposing gay marriage, abortion, and restrictions on gun rights.
As the above chart shows, it’s not the case that Whites “have higher average incomes and wealth compared to members of other racial groups.” Asians have had a higher average income ever since they became a demographically significant group. Moreover, in states like California, Whites are losing out in competition with Asians and Latinos for valued resources, such as admission to the University of California (“California students feel UC admission squeeze“). Whites (26.8%) are now the third most common racial group in the UC system, following Asians (36.2%) and Latinos (28.8%) (the latter doubtless boosted by the rule that students in the top 9% of their high school graduating class are automatically admitted; Blacks are underrepresented because race cannot be used as a criterion and there are few all-Black high schools as Latinos have colonized many formerly Black areas. Immigration has huge costs for Blacks as well as Whites).
Another aspect of the future decline in the economic position of Whites is highlighted in a recent report by James G. Gimpel, a professor of government at the University of Maryland, posted by the always valuable Center for Immigration Studies (Immigration’s Impact on Republican Political Prospects, 1980 to 2012). Importing millions of poor, uneducated people will be an ever-increasing drain on society as a whole and will lead to political power for redistributionist policies that will hurt Whites.
Prof. Gimpel’s study is focused on showing that supporting immigration is a losing strategy for Republicans long term — no surprise given the racialization of American politics in which non-Whites are coalescing in the Democratic Party. Gimpel’s argument is that importing millions of uneducated people produces greater income inequality and a large mass of voters who will favor income redistribution:
Census Bureau data indicate that immigration has added significantly to the nation’s low-income population. Immigrants and their minor children account for one-fourth of those in poverty and one-third of those without health insurance (Camarota 2012; Rector 2006). McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal (2008) have described the connection between rising immigration, increasing economic inequality, and greater partisan polarization at the national level in some detail. Large numbers of immigrants arriving after 1965 have been unskilled, earning low wages, and exposing the native poor to wage competition. Moreover, it is from areas of higher income inequality that we find the most support for a robust government with an expansive regulatory and redistributive role in the economy, among all citizens, not just immigrants. Not only do the counties exhibiting high income inequality vote more Democratic in presidential elections, they also produce tides of local opinion supportive of government regulation and policies to tax and redistribute wealth. …
Gimpel shows that there is a correlation between the Gini Index of income inequality and support for liberal policies of wealth redistribution and government regulation.
In short, Craig and Richeson’s assuaging paragraph reassuring Whites ignores the future costs of immigration to Whites. As the U.S. continues to import the poor and uneducated, there will be increasing electoral power behind redistributionist policies fueled by tax increases that will fall disproportionately on Whites. And as the electoral power of Whites decreases, the demands for such policies will become politically unstoppable. The same can be said for American conservative traditions of limited government and individual freedom.
Prof. Gimpel’s conclusion suggests that the tide of low-skill immigrants cannot be reasonably expected to be upwardly mobile given the continued downward pressure on wages produced by immigration.
Republicans are right to want to attract Latino voters. They are indisputably a growing share of the population and the electorate. But expanding the flow of low-skilled immigrants into an economy ill-suited to promote their upward mobility will be counterproductive given the evidence presented here.
The logic here is that low-skill immigrants will suffer as the U.S. continues to import millions of low-skilled immigrants like themselves. Prof. Gimpel suggests that Republicans should phrase their message to basically say that restricting immigration is good for the immigrants we already have:
At the same time, Republican reservations about higher immigration levels can be too easily typecast as racist and xenophobic. This is because the party’s elites have failed to deliver a clear message that they want a pro-immigrant policy of reduced immigration and that these two goals are complementary. Such a policy will also prove to be the best means moving immigrants toward the middle and upper income status that will promote their geographic and political mobility.
Whatever works.
However, it’s worth pointing out that one of the well-known costs of multiculturalism is that people are less willing to contribute to public goods like health care and education when the recipients are members of ethnic/ethnic outgroups — a result that flows naturally from evolutionary thinking. If Prof. Gimpel is correct that immigration leads to an ever-expanding and permanent underclass unable to improve themselves economically, the results will be explosive. As Whites decline in political power they will be increasingly unable to prevent being taxed to support public goods for this underclass of poor and unskilled non-Whites.
And although Prof. Gimpel prefers to couch his argument in terms of the effects of immigration on wages and the upward mobility of immigrants, a realist perspective on racial/ethnic differences in IQ like that put forward by Jason Richwine implies the same thing.
In either case, the result will be increasing resentment by Whites that will have cataclysmic political implications. When it is impossible to redress legitimate grievances at the ballot box, Whites will consider other means to attain their goals. Craig and Richeson’s results imply that Whites view becoming a minority as a threat to their social status, and they note that increased racial polarization is a likely outcome. When these threats to White’s economic status are increasingly obvious (despite the current media blackout) in a context where democratic methods are ineffective, things could change dramatically. One can easily imagine that explicit talk of White identity and interests would fall on fertile ground and that political rhetoric emphasizing the loss of traditional America would appeal to disempowered Whites.
Immigration advocates are playing a very dangerous game. Racial polarization in the context where a formerly dominant majority is in the position of not only ceding political power but also funding social services for the ascendant majority is a political time bomb.Publisher Sega released its investor presentation today detailing its plans leading up to 2020 in the "Entertainment Content" business, which of course includes video games.
Seeing as how the company is aiming to reach at least 300 billion yen in yearly sales and 30 billion yen in operating income, Sega has decided to more carefully cultivate "big hits" as opposed to "middle hits", investing on those promising titles through promotion.
This means that its strategy is changing from device-centric to IP-centric, expanding the utilization of the company’s IP and the revival of dormant IP, the use of existing IP, the creation of new IP, and the use of external IP.
This strategy also suggests development of these IP over multiple platforms and the simultaneous release of them across Japan, North America, Europe, and Asia.
As far as digital games are concerned, Sega's guidelines are as follows:
Create titles that will become global hits
Establish digital marketing business
Expand overseas publishing business
Maintain profits through long-term operation of existing titles
Develop next-generation titles
Expand existing IPs and obtain new IPs for North American and European PC games
Build revenue base by being entrusted with outsourced development
Challenge for new IPs
Revival of major IPs
Effective utilization of development enginesRenters would need a salary of around €42,000 a year to afford a one-bed flat in Dublin - among the highest rates in Europe, according to a new survey.
Renters would need a salary of around €42,000 a year to afford a one-bed flat in Dublin - among the highest rates in Europe, according to a new survey.
Revealed: How much renters need to earn to afford one-bed flat in Dublin
The data, from a survey complied by global housing website Nestpick, bears out an earlier report from The Expat City Ranking 2017 which classed the capital as the second-worst major city in Europe in terms of quality of life - including high living costs.
The Expat City Ranking survey found nine out of 10 foreign workers in Dublin regard accommodation as unaffordable - double the global average.
In Dublin, the Nestpick survey found that the average monthly rent for a furnished apartment is €1,035, and that the monthly minimum salary required to rent a single-person furnished apartment was €3,568.
International comparisons are increasingly important to the city, where multinational firms now say they compete for talented recruits with rivals from across the EU, not just across Ireland.
The IDA has warned that quality-of-life concerns are becoming make or break issues in terms of winning and keeping foreign direct investment.
Top employers' groups including the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland, whose members employ 150,000 people here, recently warned about the lack of available housing for workers in Ireland - a crisis that is most acute in Dublin.
Despite those high-level interventions, junior housing minister Damien English this week blamed what he described as "a negative narrative" around the housing situation for potentially damaging Ireland's reputation as a place to do business.
"Some of this narrative has seeped into international coverage of our housing system and is damaging to Ireland's international reputation, that our social response to this issue is being portrayed as dysfunctional," he said in the Dáil on Tuesday.
While Ireland is expensive by European standards, US rents topped the ranking.
Nestpick found that four out of the five worst cities to rent a furnished apartment are in the US, with Hong Kong rounding out the group. High rents for workers are an issue for many businesses, but investors have been quick to cotton on to the trend.
The number of Irish Build-To-Rent (BRT) properties is growing rapidly. While BTR is a long-established sector of property markets internationally, it is a relatively new phenomenon here.
It is popular with institutional investors, such as pension funds targeting long-term rental incomes derived from letting residential units in large numbers. These provide steady returns over many years, and through the peaks and troughs of economic cycles.
A recent analysis by commercial property and real estate services adviser CBRE suggested that around €33.3bn of equity is targeting the UK's BTR sector currently.
In Dublin, developer Pat Crean's Marlet Property Group is seeking forward-funding for 1,170 apartments across four 'Dublin Living' schemes being marketed to investors at €425m, which promise to deliver annual rents of €20.5m.
US real estate giant Kennedy Wilson has 2,100 units either built or under construction here and plans to acquire more. In September, in a planning application, US real estate giant Hines signalled its intention to use BTR as a model to deliver homes in South Dublin, including plans for 1,269 apartments.
Irish IndependentThe heavy-hitters in the American Jewish community usually march in lockstep with the Israeli government. But many organizations that comprise the American Jewish establishment have gone silent over the Prawer Plan, the Israeli government’s initiative to uproot tens of thousands of Bedouin Arabs, relocate them to urban areas and build new Jewish areas on top of demolished villages.
The Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs have issued no statements on the Prawer Plan, in contrast to their numerous statements in support of Israel on the peace process and Iran. The major umbrella group representing American Jewish groups, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, has also not commented on the initiative. The silence has held even in the wake of major protests against the plan throughout Israel/Palestine, which thrust the issue into the mainstream and Jewish media in the U.S.
The Jewish Council on Public Affairs has had two phone briefings on the plan, though: one with Benny Begin, a government official responsible for pushing the plan forward, and another by members of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which opposes the plan. The Jewish Federations of North America has held events on the Negev, where the Bedouin villages slated to be demolished are located, and their partners have funded a variety of initiatives for the region, including efforts to promote Bedouin employment. The Anti-Defamation League has condemned racism against Bedouin Arabs.
But despite past statements on Bedouins in the Negev, requests for comment on the Prawer Plan were not returned by any of the main Jewish organizations. Many left-leaning Jewish groups, though, have publicly criticized the Prawer Plan, which has been called the largest land grab by Israel since at least 1967. In June, the legislation passed its first reading in the Knesset over the objections of Bedouin leaders and Palestinian citizens of Israel.
“The mainstream Jewish community’s silence around this is a cowardly response to an issue that gets to the core of what does it mean for Israel to claim to be both a Jewish state and a democracy,” said Rabbi Alissa Wise, a co-director of organizing at Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), which has come out strongly against the Prawer Plan. The group has called it an “appalling” plan for “transfer based on nothing more than ethnic identity is even under consideration.” Wise speculated that reason behind the non-response was that it’s “bad PR, and they don’t want to come out criticizing the Israeli government publicly–most of those organizations, that’s not something they’re comfortable doing.”
JVP has been at the forefront of efforts to encourage Jews to register their dissent on the Prawer Plan. They’ve mobilized their members to register their anti-Prawer protest with Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and have demonstrated in Boston. Most recently, they’ve encouraged members to pressure the Reform Jewish group Religious Action Center (RAC) to speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Prawer Plan when he addresses the Union of Reform Judaism conference next week. The RAC, which is the political activist arm of the Union of Reform Judaism, came out against the Prawer Plan in June, though they had little to say about JVP’s calls to “hold Netanyahu accountable.”
“We welcome the feedback. We hope that all who wish to engage on issues of social justice are able to make their voices heard, and we appreciate their comments,” RAC spokesman Sean Thibault wrote in an e-mail.
Groups like the liberal Zionist Ameinu have also spoken up. And in November, Truah and Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel organized a letter signed by hundreds of Rabbinical leaders against the plan to uproot Bedouin. The letter criticized the Prawer initiative for “demolishing villages and dispossessing people of their land,” and also said that “implementing this plan will be a disaster for Israel’s public image.”
The liberal Zionist lobby group J Street, though, has issued no statement on the plan. “J Street has no response to the Prawer Plan, because it falls outside the scope of our work,” Jessica Rosenblum, a spokeswoman for the group, told me in an e-mail. “That said, many J Street supporters are concerned about the Prawer Plan and its implications for Israel’s democracy and they are expressing those concerns through their work with other organizations.”
Despite some liberal Zionist dissent, the Israeli government is pressing ahead on the Prawer Plan. The bill is expected to be taken up by the Knesset this winter for 2nd and 3rd readings on the plan. Once it gets final Knesset approval, the plan could be implemented. In the wake of the November 30th “Day of Rage” protests by Bedouins and their supporters throughout Israel and the occupied territories, Netanyahu vowed that the Prawer Plan will be put in place.
“Attempts by a loud and violent minority to deny a better future to a large and broad population are grave,” the prime minister said. “We will continue to advance the law for a better future for all residents of the Negev.”Boards are available
ODrive v3.5 boards are available at the ODrive Shop.
Key specs:
2 motor channels, designed for >100A peak current.
1 DC-DC converter channel For powering the system with an arbitrary voltage power supply, or Use of a brake resistor
24V bus voltage
USB, CAN, UART, PWM, and step/dir interface (read more below)
Encoder feedback for arbitrarily precise movements
Supports power regeneration
Use of a high power density Li-Po battery means you can achieve >1kW peak power output with only a modest power supply.
It will feature various optimal control strategies and motion profiles.
Permissive licence on both hardware and software: You use this project in anything you like, even commercial products (as long as you attribute this project's contributors).
Demos
The design is based on two earlier prototypes.
Here are some very simple demos with v2. The peak power output in these tests were only about 60W. The new version (v3) will be able to deliver much more power.
Below is a demo with v1. The mass being moved is 3kg, and the peak power was about 200W. The noise is not from the motor, but from my poor mechanical design which means that the belt teeth rubs against the idler pulley edge.
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Motors
Check out the ODrive motor guide. You can also read this post about outrunner motors.
Interfaces
USB Serial port -- PC, BeagleBone, RaspberryPi, etc.
CAN -- CANOpen and CiA 402 is a possibility
UART -- Arduino, mBed, etc.
PWM -- RC Recievers, Arduino, etc.
Step/direction -- Existing motion controllers
Some general purpose digital and analogue pins
Protocols
G-code parser for interfacing with existing automation tools
Many types of command modes Goto (position control with trajectory planning) Position commands Velocity command Torque command
Architecture
The drive is designed to be able to deliver incredibly high peak power, more than 1kW per motor channel. However, power supplies that can deliver this kind of power are expensive. Also, when the actuator is being decelerated, there is energy absorbed. Most power supplies do not like having energy dumped back into them.
The solution: Put high-power energy-storage on the DC bus. A battery like this one can deliver around 3kW. These types of batteries also have a fairly high charge rating, and if the regeneration is only over a couple of 100 milliseconds, they can probably handle a fair bit more than specified. Thus, they should be able to handle the full range of regeneration power in most robotics applications.
This means we have a variable voltage DC bus, that fluctuates with the battery's state of charge. So the way we power the system is via a DC-DC converter. There is another upside to this as well: we can use any voltage power supply and just convert it to the bus voltage. I expect most people will use an inexpensive ATX power supply (specifically the 12V rails). In many robotics applications the motion consists of several discrete movements, only some of which are high power. In this case, we can have access to a very high peak power, but only require a very modest power supply.
Another thing that's nice about using a battery for stabilising the DC bus, is that if multiple of these drives reside on the same bus, there is no fighting over the regulation of the bus voltage: a single board can have the DC-DC connected to a PSU, and the rest of the boards in the system can just use the bus. If fact, you can even skip populating the DC-DC on the slave boards.
The system is also capable of using a brake resistor to dump the regenerated energy instead of a battery to absorb it. This is a simpler and possibly safer setup, and is also what the project will use in the first instance, until the battery storage feature is ready.
Applications
So this project is good for some things,...Why are we preaching about tolerance when it comes to the LGBT community? What exactly is wrong with them that we have to tolerate? I don’t know the last time a bunch of gay men blew up a federal building or decided to bomb abortion clinics. When is the last time we read about a band of lesbians running around beating up heterosexuals? How many transgender people have formed some sort of alliance demanding that anyone conform to what they believe is normal? Hmmm….
Using the word tolerance implies that entire relationships are based on sexual orientation. I hate that! Maybe because I have gay friends. Maybe because my kids have gay friends. They are real people with real emotions. At least to us. When i fight with one of my gay friends, which is often, it’s not because he is in a relationship with a man. It is usually because he did or said something I didn’t like. Sometimes, rarely, I do something that he doesn’t like. Him being gay is never a part of that. When I feel like I must have tolerance for him it’s not because he’s gay.
Believing that anyone should have to be tolerated because of their orientation is a completely arrogant belief. My kids have friends who are part of the LGBT youth community. Those kids are part of the same community that my kids belong to so why do we have to differentiate and talk about tolerance and acceptance? Why can’t we just let kids be kids and love and support them all? Why is that so scary to some?
My daughter never had to worry about coming out as heterosexual. She never had to worry about being accepted by her peers or even their parents because she is heterosexual. There was nobody who had to be told to learn to be tolerant of her for being a hetero girl. So why are we doing that to our LGBT youth? Why are we sending the message that there is something wrong with them?
We talk a good game when it comes to bullying. We see stories all over the news and in social media about kids who are bullied to the point of breaking followed by talk about doing more, doing better. The rate of teen suicide is alarming. Yet, we preach tolerance. Because there’s something wrong with those kids and maybe if we tolerate them the world will be a better place? If you break it down, that’s the message we’re sending.
Let’s stop sending the message that being part of the LGBT community is something that needs to be tolerated or accepted. Let’s stop sending the message that there’s something wrong with them. We don’t reduce heterosexual people down to their orientation. Why are we doing it to the LGBT community, especially our youth?
Change the conversation. Let’s stop teaching that we must accept and tolerate the LGBT community and instead stop tolerating ignorance and hate.
AdvertisementsA group of fundamentalist Christian private schools in England have been criticised by Ofsted inspectors and downgraded after it was found that they were failing to promote British values, including by failing to teach sufficiently about other religions and beliefs or to promote respect for LGBT people.
The ten schools visited by Ofsted are all affiliated with Christian Education Europe network, which oversees the Christian schools in the UK and across Europe that teach the controversial Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum. ACE, which originated in America but is now taught in over thirty schools in the UK as well by a large number of parents who home-school their children, has been accused by former pupils of espousing a fundamentalist, creationist, homophobic, and misogynistic Christian ideology.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) has met with the Department for Education (DfE) on numerous occasions to bring these issues to its attention, and earlier this year launched the blogging and whistleblowing website Faith Schoolers Anonymous which features testimony from a number of former ACE pupils. The latest blog on the site details the reaction of one former pupil, Jonny Scaramanga, to the news of these inspections.
Despite this, and the frequent appeals of former pupils for a crackdown on these schools, Ofsted has historically rated the schools as good or outstanding. However, following direction from the DfE to re-inspect those settings using the ACE curriculum, the schools’ latest Ofsted inspections found that nine were either inadequate or required improvement.
Inspectors variously found that ‘Pupils are not well prepared for life in modern Britain’, the ‘curriculum is too narrow’ and pupils have a ‘limited understanding’ of scientific concepts like evolution, and ‘Pupils understanding of different religions and beliefs is very limited’. Some of the schools were also criticised for failing to allow pupils to develop ‘a comprehensive and coherent understanding of some subjects to enable them to access a broad range of further and higher education courses’.
In line with evidence previously highlighted by the BHA of homophobic teaching within ACE schools, inspectors also found evidence of a failure to ‘actively promote respect for people within the protected characteristics groups’. One report reads:
‘The school’s policy statement on personal, social and health education states: ‘Whilst we understand that the government has redefined marriage we will actively promote exclusive heterosexual marriage and celibate singles, as God’s gift and design; and as such the best way toward human happiness and fulfilment, but will discourage intolerance.’ This statement describes an approach that is too far removed from the active promotion of respect for gay and lesbian men and women.’
BHA Faith Schools Campaigner Jay Harman commented, ‘We have been raising concerns about these schools in the media and with government for years, and we’re glad that the authorities are finally beginning to realise how badly the children within them are being failed. The line Ofsted has taken here is absolutely right, and it is frankly astonishing that any school could accuse inspectors of unfair treatment while providing children with a narrow, doctrinaire, and homophobic curriculum. It is essential that inspectors do not become discouraged by these disingenuous claims and we will continue to support both Ofsted and the Department for Education as they rightly toughen their stance against this kind of teaching’.
Notes
For further comment or information please contact the BHA’s Faith Schools Campaigner Jay Harman on [email protected] or 0207 324 2078.
Read more about Accelerated Christian Education on the Faith Schoolers Anonymous website, including testimonies from former pupils: https://faithschoolersanonymous.uk/category/accelerated-christian-education/
Read former ACE pupil Jonny Scaramanga’s reaction to the story: https://faithschoolersanonymous.uk/2016/12/fundamentalist-christian-private-schools-threaten-legal-challenge-to-ofsted-after-damning-inspection-reports/
Read the blog on Faith Schooler Anonymous, ‘Deliver use from evil: “Gay Deliverance” in an English Christian school’: https://faithschoolersanonymous.uk/2016/11/deliver-us-from-evil-gay-deliverance-in-an-english-christian-school/
Read more about the BHA’s work on:
Science, evolution and creationism: https://humanism.org.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/school-curriculum/science-evolution-and-creationism/
Faith schools: https://humanism.org.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/faith-schools/
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and
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is a central theme shared by the song, the movie and Clarkson's biography.[63] She also lauded the director of the video, Dave Meyers, for his ability to use Clarkson's evolution as an element to overshadow the distracting clips from The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement despite noticing that the use of visual metaphors in the music video was overwrought.[63]
Live performances [ edit ]
Clarkson first performed "Breakaway" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 2004.[67] In February 2005, she performed "Breakaway" as well as "Since U Been Gone" on Saturday Night Live.[68] On September 23, 2005, she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and performed "Breakaway" as well as "Because of You".[69] While touring at the Palace Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio during her Breakaway World Tour, Clarkson performed "Breakaway" while signing several autographs for her fans near the stage to purposely let the crowd belt out the chorus.[70] "Breakaway" was also included in the setlist of Clarkson's 2009 All I Ever Wanted Tour where she performed the song in Hammerstein Ballroom without any dancers, acrobatics, moving set pieces and no special effects. Caryn Ganz noted that Clarkson belted the ballad song effortlessly by walking back and forth across the stage with her right hand on the mic and her left resting on her chest.[71] Jim Cantiello of MTV opined that Clarkson's "low chest-voice cooed the verses of 'Breakaway'" and complimented the singer's vocal prowess throughout the concert.[72] On April 3, 2012, Clarkson performed "Breakaway" as an encore to her Stronger Tour at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, Los Angeles, where she told the audience that people started supporting her because of the song.[73]
Cover versions and use in media [ edit ]
"Breakaway" has also been covered by contestants from reality television singing competitions. Katie Stevens covered the song on the ninth season of American Idol. Despite listening to the judges' comments to sing a contemporary song, her rendition was criticized by the judges; Randy Jackson thought the note was too big for Stevens while Ellen DeGeneres felt Stevens did not sell the lyrics. Kara DioGuardi said, "I don't think you know who you are yet as an artist", an opinion agreed by Simon Cowell.[74] Jim Cantiello of MTV noted that Stevens' performance of the song was her weakest performance in the show, stating "Unfortunately, her uneven vocals on 'Breakaway' exposed her youthful inexperience."[75] The same opinion was echoed by Eric Ditzian of MTV who opined that Stevens failed to resonate her youthful energy favouring the song choice.[76] "Breakaway" was performed by Julie Zorrilla in the semi-finals of American Idol season 10. Samantha Stephens of The Republican felt Zorrilla's performance was mediocre.[77] Gil Kaufman of MTV remarked that Zorrilla's voice was shaky and it lacked personality.[78] After landing in the bottom two, Belle Amie, an English pop quartet contestant on the seventh season of The X Factor, decided to perform "Breakaway" as their survival song. Nevertheless, they were eliminated in the episode.[79][80] Swedish Idol contestant, Alice Hagenbrant covered the song which appeared in Det bästa från Idol, an album released from the musical competition.[81] The song was also performed by Megan Hilty on the episode titled "Understudy" of the American television series Smash, which aired on April 7, 2012.[82] Matt Tucker of KSiteTV.com thought the performance was "lovely", describing it as one of the things that stood out in the episode.[83] The song was covered by Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale and Darren Criss, on the 97th episode, "Frenemies", of the musical series Glee, which aired on February 25, 2014.[84] For the thirteenth season of American Idol, the song is used as the send off song when a contestant is voted off. The contestant who is voted off, their cover of the song is played during the goodbye montage video package. It was also used in the soundtrack of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants[85] and in the thirtieth season of Brazilian soap opera Malhação[86].
Track listing [ edit ]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Breakaway.[93]
Charts [ edit ]
Certifications [ edit ]
Region Certification Certified units/Sales Australia (ARIA)[130] Gold 35,000^ Canada (Music Canada)[131] Gold 40,000^ United Kingdom (BPI)[132] Silver 200,000^ United States (RIAA)[133] Gold 2,128,000[50] *sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
Release history [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]Following another Thanksgiving travel period with the Transportation Security Administration subjecting travelers to infuriating harassment, the House of Representatives leadership has scheduled for House floor consideration Tuesday three bills that will tinker with the TSA while allowing the harassment to continue. The three bills are the TSA Loose Change Act (HR 1095), the Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act (HR 2719), and the Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act (HR 1204)
All three bills are scheduled for consideration under suspension of the rules—a process generally reserved for noncontroversial legislation. Because bills considered under suspension of the rules are not subject to amendments on the House floor, the House Republican and Democrat leadership have enured there will be no debate or vote on amendments that would end or significantly restrict the TSA harassment.
Up first on the House's suspension schedule is HR 1095. The bill directs the TSA to start transferring money left behind at TSA checkpoints to nonprofit organizations that operate places for military members and their families to rest and recuperate at United States airports.
HR 1095 arguably provides an improvement over the current law that allows the TSA to use the money for its own operations. But, the bill does nothing to reduce the TSA's main source of money—US government allocations. Also, by throwing some "loose change"—about a half million dollars a year according the the House Homeland Security Committee report on the bill—to nonprofit organizations, the legislation risks creating a new special interest supporting maintaining and expanding the TSA harassment. The committee report notes that the bill's requirements have been written such that the United Service Organizations (USO) is the only nonprofit currently qualified to receive the money.
Next up, HR 2719 directs the TSA to take actions including developing and regularly updating a "strategic multiyear technology acquisition plan," making reports to House and Senate committees regarding certain technology acquisition intentions, creating "baseline requirements" for technology acquisitions, and using equipment in the TSA's inventory before acquiring more of the equipment.
HR 2719 does nothing to restrict the TSA's daily agenda of detaining, questioning, and searching people for no cause whatsoever, much less the probable cause required under the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution. Neither does the bill limit the TSA's regular seizures of people's property. Rather, HR 2719 attempts to ensure the TSA employs technology more efficiently while engaging in these constitutional violations.
Finally, HR 1204 offers a classic legislative solution: it creates a committee. In particular, the bill creates an Aviation Security Advisory Committee and at least four subcommittees that will consult with and deliver periodic reports to the TSA.
If the committee HR 1204 creates were charged with developing plans for reducing the activities of the TSA or increasing respect for individual rights, some good may come from the legislation. Unfortunately, the bill instead directs the committee to develop, at the TSA's request, recommendations for improvements in aviation security. Further, the TSA would appoint every member of the committee. The bill appears to advance the kind of bureaucracy-building exercise you typically see in growing government agencies.
Congress earns its low approval rating through legislative schedules like this. With many Americans having just experienced their Thanksgiving TSA harassment and dreading another round at Christmas, cheers would sound across America if the House passed legislation terminating or, at least, greatly restricting the TSA assaults on our rights. Instead, the House's bipartisan leadership is demonstrating its allegiance to the TSA and the agency's abusive activities.Whenever one of my college friends comes back into town, I love to call everyone from the old crew to go out and get some drinks. One of these friends, who we’ll call “Sergey” always responds enthusiastically by saying “yea man… I would love to meet up with you guys. I just have to do a few things and then I’ll give you a call!” Nine times out of ten, Sergey never shows up. On the times when he doesn’t show up, he doesn’t even send a text or call to let us know that he’s not coming. Admittedly, I feel a bit let down. I’ve told Sergey that it would be nice if he would just shoot me a text telling me that he can’t make it. I understand he’s busy and has obligations but I think it’s common courtesy to let someone know you can’t make it if you say you will.
Earlier today, I was reading my typical RSS articles. I read Seth Godin’s latest article A Hierarchy of Failure Worth Following. It’s small enough, I’m going to include the whole text:
Not all failures are the same. Here are five kinds, from frequency = good all the way to please-don’t! FAIL OFTEN: Ideas that challenge the status quo. Proposals. Brainstorms. Concepts that open doors. FAIL FREQUENTLY: Prototypes. Spreadsheets. Sample ads and copy. FAIL OCCASIONALLY: Working mockups. Playtesting sessions. Board meetings. FAIL RARELY: Interactions with small groups of actual users and customers. FAIL NEVER: Keeping promises to your constituents. The thing is, in their rush to play it safe and then their urgency to salvage everything in the face of an emergency, most organizations do precisely the opposite. They throw their customers or their people under the bus (“we had no choice”) but rarely take the pro-active steps necessary to fail quietly, and often, in private, in advance, when there’s still time to make things better. Better to have a difficult conversation now than a failed customer interaction later.
After the the “Fail Never” line, I started thinking about one of my clients. After the last line, I got some knots in my stomach. You see, I’ve been a software consultant/contractor for about four years. I’ve been working with a trucking company to develop software to manage/schedule their fleet since I started consulting. I “finished” the software about two years ago. They’ve called me from time to time to do some small updates. About three months ago I got a call from them asking me to do some other updates. I visited their office and discovered that they didn’t really use the software much, and when they tried, it didn’t work as expected. It would crash, the UI would lock up, and it was generally buggy. I made a ton of mistakes:
I made a custom ORM around PostgreSQL. At the time, I didn’t even know what an ORM was, I just thought it made sense to wrap up the database layer into nice pretty classes. I wasn’t too familiar with design patterns or unit testing. My strategy was basic drag & drop using Windows Forms and C#. I mixed business logic and UI programming. I even put blocking networking code in the UI thread!
My major strength was that I had a great grasp on simplicity and UI design. The app itself looked great. But, you can polish a turd and it’s still a turd. Regardless though, this wasn’t even my major weakness. As a developer (or as an optimist?), I frequently give clients optimistic time lines for completion of projects. This time was no exception. “Yea, we’ll come out at the end of a next week and show you the updates.” I said. When I opened up the code and looked at it again, I knew I was in trouble. What the fuck was I thinking years ago when I wrote this?
I worked diligently. The end of the next week came. I still wasn’t done. Not even close. Try making small changes to your data model on your crappy custom ORM. It sucks. I really wanted to rewrite everything, the whole entire app. But, I knew that would lessen my chance for success, as most of the functionality works. I knew that was a bad idea.
The week passed. I didn’t call them. It’s not like I blew them off, as we didn’t have a time scheduled, just a “end of next week” time. The following week passed without me contacting them. After reading that last line, I knew I had messed up.
Better to have a difficult conversation now, instead of a failed customer interaction later. -Seth Godin
Don’t forget this. Seriously. I called them almost immediately after I read that line. I knew I needed to tell them that I’m still working on making it work well and that I didn’t forget about them. They were very grateful that I had called and were willing to wait longer. When it comes down to it, they could have picked anyone else, but they picked me. I should not take that for granted.
Much like I was let down when my friend Sergey wouldn’t let me know that he wasn’t going to make it, I let my client down. That’s bad business. I won’t ever end my friendship with Sergey because I enjoy hanging out with him as we’ve been friends for about 15 years, but the truck company could’ve ended their relationship with me years ago.
But the real lesson is that business is about relationships. Each business interaction should be treated as such. If you can manage your business relationships in a uniquely positive manner, you’ll be successful. So many companies out their treat their customers like shit. Don’t be this company. Use the Golden Rule on this one and your customers will love you for it.
Follow me on Twitter: @jprichardson
-JP RichardsonTechland’s survival horror game Dying Light is receiving an expansion titled The Following. This DLC will feature a new story segment with vehicles and a map that is as large as all of the other Dying Light maps combined.
Tymon Smektala, the game’s producer, said, “For Dying Light: The Following we’re adding a number of bold game-changers to create one massive expansion. Something big that will give the game a brand-new flavor. The new map alone is the same size as all the previous maps from Dying Light combined, so there is a lot we’re packing in here.”
But Techland is also paying attention to what gamers think. Smektala stated, “We also kept a close eye on player feedback to help tailor what we’ve created here. Hopefully people will see that this new expansion is first and foremost, for the fans.”
Gamers with the Dying Light season pass will receive the expansion free of charge; those who do not have the pass will have to pay a price yet to be announced. More information on the expansion will be available at Gamescom.
Follow Rob Shimshock (@Xylyntial) on Twitter for video game news.A former Pennsylvania state trooper is accepting legal responsibility for the shooting deaths of his pregnant wife and their newborn daughter in their home when he said he was cleaning his gun.Joseph Miller pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of involuntary manslaughter for causing the March 2014 deaths of JoAnna Miller and the baby she was carrying. The baby was delivered but died soon after.A defense lawyer says Miller has resigned from the state police and maintains custody of the couple's two other children. The lawyer calls it an unspeakable tragedy and describes Miller as devastated.Prosecutors say tests showed Miller's gun was just inches from his wife's head.Miller remains out on bail. The 36-year-old Horsham resident faces up to five to 10 years in prison when he's sentenced in the coming months.----------Pioneer SP-BS21-LR 80-Watts RMS 2-Way Speakers
That's a pretty fancy lookin speaker, I especially like the big pioneer label off to the side, it's the thing you would see on the back of a car more than a speaker.
I've sat on these speakers for a while putting off the review for multitudes of reasons. I did the DSP correction for them back in September and put the word out that they were craptastic, but I still see these getting recommended so here we are with a full write up of my impressions.
Visuals:
Needing to resort to brute force methods of the dark art of paper clip folding to remove the grills I was wondering what could be hiding on the other side.
Looks come at a cost, and these grills are acoustically are unacceptable, if I was Andrew Jones I would have kicked the marketing guys in the face kung fu style for putting these grills on my speakers.
I'm not one to prioritize looks over sound in my gear, but man that's hideous. With the grills off it's on a whole new level of ugly speaker. We have a square frame driver in a circle and a plastic wave guide tweeter that just screams cheap. Now I can see why those marketing guys covered these up, I almost want to turn them around backwards to avoid looking at them. Sad part is the grills are just not gonna work, I get such bad sound with them on that it's deal with really ugly speakers or deal with really ugly sound.
Drivers:
Tweeter is a nice big 1 inch textile dome in a plastic wave guide that is suposed to match the directivity of the woofer, not something I place high value on, but making tweeters sound like they are inside of woofers is Andrew Jones' big thing, so yeah he did it here.
By my eye the Woofer is a suprisingly not a large enough of a cone to match the big waveguide on the tweeter, I guess it's a limitation of getting parts off the shelf. It also reminds me of a woofer from aura or something you would find in a large sound bar.
It's got an exceptionally large plastic ring housing that makes it look like it was an after thought more than a choice. Considerable sized magnet and a good quality spider, seems like it's a pretty good driver for this budget price.
Port in the rear, and nice gold looking binding posts are on the back, along with the big Andrew Jones signature.
Setup:
I'm on the desktop, and even with how big these are they still need stands to get the tweeter up to my ear level. Tossing some random non-vibrating stuff under the speakers works well enough.
Uncorrected impressions:
First impressions, boomy, and inefficient.
They do have their upsides, as long as you don't have content that has bass or you like listening at a moderately high volumes. So yeah, If you can hear it over the booming bass they have a pretty good imaging with that waveguide image sound, which I find sharp and focused, but detached.
The port bothers me, but stuffing won't fix the problems I'm hearing, neither does placement, I'm pulling them out to the middle of the room and still getting the same boomy sounds that sounds more like a 4 inch subwoofer from a cheap 2.1 system than a quality speaker.
Time for some measurements:
Here is a tightly windowed response to avoid reflections with no smoothing so you can see the problem... it's +-5dB over 1k.
Well, it looks like it's not boomy, it's just got muted treble. This also explains why they are so inefficient by ear, down almost 10db from the woofer at 5k is very noticable.
DSP Correction:
Corrections that I provide are all cut based corrections.. in other words I turn down everything that is above the lowest point to make it flat.. well in this case I had to cut everything a bunch to give it an actual treble response. Outside of that I also ended up boosting the bass response below the tuning frequency of the port to give it a little more extension. This is mostly done by ear as I can't accurately measure the bass response of the speaker with my current measureing setup. I think I've got it close and it's pretty balanced now but still needs to be pulled out from the wall at least a foot on a desktop rig.
Corrected impressions:
My JVC 1024vbk finally gave up the ghost, and then caught on fire. It got the Viking funeral it deserved for years of service as it floated to the trash can of Valhalla. What I'm using now on my desktop is a Muse M50 which puts out about 30wpc on a good day. I'll have a review of that soon. Needless to say, it's not as great of an amp as the big JVC, but is neutral enough to do some listening impressions.
The reason this amp stuff is important is because after the corrections the Pioneer BS21's are epicly inefficient. At this point you would need a truck of an amp to get these loud. The little Muse M50 amp I'm using now is pushing these to about 85dB on the desktop and I don't want to push it any more than as I can hear distortion creeping in from the little amp, and maybe even the tweeter complaining about having to do its' job. It's the kind of distortion that smears high frequency energy, and gives headaches. I have a feeling that a bigger amp may net some rewards, but you will probably end up smoking the speaker or crossover trying to get it to volume for spirited listening as these speakers are only rated for 80wpc.
Final thoughts:
Uncorrected BS-21's sound bad, not the usual cheap ringing bad that we get from something without a crossover, but tonally unbalanced and boomy like someone cut everything they didn't like from the drivers using passive crossover parts, leaving massive holes in the treble. If you plan on keeping your listening below 85db you might be able to live with these speakers using the correction. I can honestly say that I would not use these speakers, with correction or without. They sound frustratingly bad and fixes take so much away from the performance that I don't recommend you buy them.
If you are unlucky enough to have bought these speakers pull off your grills give the corrections a shot so you can hear what you are missing. If it bothers you I recommend that you sell the BS-21's and pick up a pair of either the Micca MB42x or the Pioneer BS-22s.
Other content you may like:Chinese scientists are on the verge of being first in the world to inject people with cells modified using the CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing technique.
A team led by Lu You, an oncologist at Sichuan University’s West China Hospital in Chengdu, plans to start testing such cells in people with lung cancer next month. The clinical trial received ethical approval from the hospital's review board on July 6.
“It’s an exciting step forward,” says Carl June, a clinical researcher in immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
There have been a number of human clinical trials using an alternative gene-editing technique, including one led by June, that have helped patients combat HIV. June is also a scientific adviser on a planned US trial that would also use CRISPR–Cas9-modified cells for the treatment of cancer.
Last month, an advisory panel of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) approved that project. But the trial also requires a green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a university review board. The US researchers have said they could start their clinical trial by the end of this year.
Ineffective chemo
The Chinese trial will enrol patients who have metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and for whom chemotherapy, radiation therapy and other treatments have failed. “Treatment options are very limited,” says Lu. “This technique is of great promise in bringing benefits to patients, especially the cancer patients whom we treat every day.”
Lu’s team will extract immune cells called T cells from the blood of the enrolled patients, and then use CRISPR–Cas9 technology — which pairs a molecular guide able to identify specific genetic sequences on a chromosome with an enzyme that can snip the chromosome at that spot — to knock out a gene in the cells. The gene encodes a protein called PD-1 that normally acts as a check on the cell’s capacity to launch an immune response, to prevent it from attacking healthy cells.
The gene-edited cells will then be multiplied in the lab and re-introduced into the patient’s bloodstream. The engineered cells will circulate and, the team hopes, home in on the cancer, says Lu. The planned US trial similarly intends to knock out the gene for PD-1, and it will also knock out a second gene and insert a third before the cells are re-introduced into the patient.
Last year, the FDA approved for use against lung cancer two antibody-based therapies that block PD-1. But it is difficult to predict for any given patient to what extent these antibodies will block PD-1 and activate the immune response.
By contrast, knocking out the gene blocks PD-1 with greater certainty, while multiplying the cells increases the chance of a response. “It will be much more powerful than the antibodies," says Timothy Chan, who does clinical research in immunotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Validated cells
It is well known that CRISPR can result in gene edits at the wrong placein the genome, with potentially harmful effects. Chengdu MedGenCell, a biotechnology company and a collaborator on the trial, will validate the cells to ensure that the correct genes are knocked out before the cells are re-introduced into the patients, says oncologist Lei Deng of West China Hospital, who is a member of Lu’s team.
Because the technique targets T cells, which are involved in various kinds of immune responses, in a non-specific way, Chan worries that the approach might induce an excessive autoimmune response in which the cells would start attacking the gut, or adrenaline glands or other normal tissue. “All the T cells — everything will be active. That will be a concern,” says Chan.
He suggests, instead, that the team take T cells from the site of the tumour, because they would already be specialized for attacking cancer. But Deng says that the lung-cancer tumours targeted by their trial are not easily accessible. He also says that the team is reassured by the FDA-approved antibody therapies, which did not show a high rate of autoimmune response.
The phase I trial is designed foremost to test whether the approach is safe. It will examine the effects of three different dosage regimens on ten people, and, Deng says, the team plans to proceed slowly, increasing the dosage gradually and starting with just one patient, who will be monitored closely for side effects. But the researchers will also closely watch markers in the blood that would indicate that the treatment is working.
Fast reputation
Lu says that the review process, which took half a year, required that the team invest a lot of time and human resources, including close communication with the hospital’s internal review board (IRB). “There was a lot of back and forth,” he says. The NIH’s approval of the other CRISPR trial “strengthened ours and our IRB’s confidence in this study”, he adds.
China has had a reputation for moving fast — sometimes too fast — with CRISPR, says Tetsuya Ishii, a bioethicist at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan.
According to Lu, his team was able to move fast because they are experienced with clinical trials of cancer treatments.
June is not surprised that a Chinese group would jump out in front on a trial such as this: “China places a high priority on biomedical research,” he says.
Ishii notes that if the clinical trial begins as planned, it would be the latest in a series of firsts for China in the field of CRISPR gene editing, including the first CRISPR-edited human embryos, and the first CRISPR-edited monkeys. “When it comes to gene editing, China goes first,” says Ishii.
“I hope we are the first," says Lu. "And more importantly, I hope we can get positive data from the trial.”
This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on July 21, 2016.With the legislature scheduled to start in a couple of weeks, new ideas are bubbling up for consideration.
One that’s expected to be introduced early is the creation of a new bank — run by the state.
It’s a controversial idea that has never-the-less gained some supporters because of the recent excesses on Wall Street.
And as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, there is already precedent.
The money you pay in state taxes every year currently goes to a short-term fund that the state treasurer invests around the world.
If Oregon had a state bank, the money would instead go to that bank and then be lent out locally — to help Oregon businesses.
Barbara Dudley: “We have a lot of money in this state. We have many billions of dollars in this state. But we’re sending it to China.”
Barbara Dudley is an attorney and one of several Oregonians working to set up a state bank.
Barbara Dudley: “If we’re going to buy local. We should also bank local. Convince individuals to take their money out of the Wall Street banks and put the money into local banks and credit unions.”
Kristian Foden-Vencil: “Some people may say this is a socialist idea and that they would want the private sector involved in this, rather than the government sector. What do you say to that argument?”
Barbara Dudley: “Ha. I say, what do we call a $700 billion bail-out of capitalism on Wall Street if it’s not socialism for the rich?”
Dudley says her nephew, Nic Gunn, is a good example of how a state bank could help Oregon businesses. He runs “Wandering Aengus Ciderworks” in Salem.
Over the last six years, he’s expanded into seven states and wants to move into more. But he says, when the economy tanked, he couldn’t get a loan from his bank for new bottling equipment.
Nic Gunn: “They weren’t interested, they were just too shell-shocked. And we went and talked with some even larger, you know Bank of America, and they didn’t want to touch us with a ten-foot pole.”
Both Gunn and Dudley say a state bank would be different for two reasons. First, it wouldn’t be allowed to take the kind of big risks that now plague national banks. And second, local bankers would know the businesses they’d be investing in.
North Dakota has had it’s own bank for 90 years now. It was originally created by farmers who were angry at bankers in New York.
To this day, the bank holds the state’s taxes and lends them out at competitive rates to local businesses.
Eric Hardmeyer: “The bank of North Dakota works with the private sector to augment their needs with a customer.”
Eric Hardmeyer is the bank president. He stresses that it’s not the kind of a bank you or I might drop into to make a deposit. It’s really a bankers bank, where smaller banks go to borrow money to lend.
Interestingly enough, Hardmeyer doesn’t advocate for each state to have its own state bank. He says that’s best left for each legislature to decide.
But he is adamant about one thing: If a state does choose to start its own bank, it must use professional bankers who know how to underwrite loans.
Eric Hardmeyer: “You have to staff it appropriately or you’re going to have a very short, expensive experiment. There’s a lot of heartbreak sometime when you have to back away from a deal and say, you know, we understand this is important to your community but we just don’t see, from a lending view point how this will work.”
He says a state bank also needs a clear mission — so it doesn’t compete with small local banks.
While the idea of an Oregon State Bank has some support in Salem, others are skeptical. For example, the man who currently invests the state’s tax money, State Treasurer, Ted Wheeler.
Ted Wheeler: “The question for me is whether or not you need to create a new bricks and mortar institution, a Bank of Oregon, in order to accomplish the goals of getting more capital out for small business establishment and growth. Or whether you could accomplish the same thing by re-tooling our current policies and some of the tools we have out there that do that. I’m leaning towards the latter.”
Supporters of the state bank idea, like Barbara Dudley, say they’re negotiating to find a broad-based bi-partisan group of legislative sponsors for a bill.ES News Email Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in or register with your social account
A three-year-old child is among hundreds of young Londoners who have been identified as potential future extremists or at risk of radicalisation.
The disturbing tally, revealed today by the Evening Standard, is contained in new statistics which paint the most detailed picture so far of the scale of the security challenge facing police and intelligence agencies in the capital.
They show that a total of 1,069 Londoners have been referred to the government’s “Channel” counter-extremism programme since the start of 2012.
That means that the capital accounts for about a quarter of the 4,000 referrals to the programme nationwide since then. The Standard, which obtained the figures from the London Assembly, can also reveal that:
Since September last year, 400 Channel referrals were made for teenagers and children under 18.
450 Londoners, including 300 under-18s, are part of the Met’s “Prevent Case Management” process, linked to Channel.
The three-year-old is from Tower Hamlets and was referred as “part of a wider family group” that had been displaying alarming behaviour.
Experts warned that the spike in young people being identified will continue and is being fuelled by an explosion of online Islamic State propaganda and the sight of British fighters taking part in the conflict in Syria.
A new statutory duty on public bodies, such as schools, hospitals and councils, to prevent people being drawn into extremism is also thought to have contributed to the surge in referrals.
Scotland Yard today welcomed the figures, saying it shows Londoners “understand the dangers of extremism and the need to speak out”. But MPs and campaigners called for more resources to face the surge.
London Assembly member Murad Qureshi, who obtained the figures from Mayor Boris Johnson, said the capital’s fight against extremism should be led by schools in a community, rather than police-led, approach.
He said: “The figures certainly show the extent of it and this now needs to move into the educational arena.
“It’s useful for the Met to be on top of the issue. But we need to see a community approach, with schools and education at the forefront of that.
“Simple history lessons about Islamic states which have failed in the past could be useful, as opposed to some of the propaganda from other sources.”
Hannah Stuart, a researcher on extremism from the Henry Jackson Society think tank, said: “These figures confirm the fact that London is, and has always been, the centre of Islamist inspired terrorism, radicalisation and extremism in this country. That pattern will remain.”
Channel involves social workers, police, medical staff and others working with adults and young people who are judged to be either vulnerable to or engaged in extremism.
The aim is to divert them away from potential violence through early intervention as part of the Government’s wider “Prevent” programme.
Commander Richard Walton, the head of Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “The earlier we can intervene to prevent radicalisation the better.
“It is good that we are receiving more referrals as it shows that the people of London understand the dangers of extremism and the need to speak out. Everyone can play a part in keeping London safe.”
Security minister John Hayes added: “As a country, we have a duty to challenge, at every turn, the twisted narrative that has corrupted some of our vulnerable young people.
“Referrals to Channel have increased since 2014 but we have dedicated sufficient resources to the programme to cope with demand. We will keep this position under close review.”
Although most counter-extremism schemes focus on older children and adults, primary or nursery age youngsters can also be referred under the Prevent scheme because of concerns about the conduct of their families. Police have used the family courts 30 times to bring care proceedings to protect young children. Measures include removing the children’s passports.
London has several “priority” boroughs which receive extra government funding for providing such counter-extremism programmes.
A planned initiative is set to see them “buddy-up” with non-priority ones to share information.
But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper claimed that support had been cut too far. She said: “The Government has substantially cut support for community-led action to counter extremists’ lies. The police can’t do this alone. Countering extremism is much more effective if it involves local community groups.
“We know young people are particularly at risk of radicalisation, yet the Channel programme is not sufficiently resourced or prepared to manage the referrals being made.”
Haras Rafiq, managing director of counter-extremism think tank Quilliam, said: “Generally, across London, Channel alone is already bursting at the seams. It is a particular London problem when we know that about half the people who have gone to Iraq and Syria are from London and there are parts of London where this ideology needs to be challenged.”
The programme’s effectiveness came under fire last week as it emerged Britain’s youngest terrorist, a 15-year-old schoolboy who admitted inciting Australian teenagers to carry out a beheading, was placed on Channel two years ago. He was the second convicted terrorist this year in which counter-extremism programmes failed.
Nearly half of the 4,000 Channel referrals across the country relate to under-18s and referrals had increased 58 per cent at the beginning of this year.On 31 January join a discussion about surging city populations and slums co-hosted by the Global Development Professionals Network and the London International Development Centre
The global population is projected to rise to 9.7bn people by 2050, and it is estimated that around 66% of that total will be living in cities, with the majority of urban growth expected to take place in developing regions in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
On the one hand, slums give people opportunities, allowing them to move to cities, driving economic growth and lifting societies out of extreme poverty; however, they can also lead to overcrowding and squalid conditions resulting in problems of inadequate sanitation, poor health and social unease.
In October 2016 a New Urban Agenda was adopted at the Habitat III Summit in Quito to provide global standards for the achievement of sustainable urban development; but how should developing countries effectively respond to the challenge of surging city populations and the growth of
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What might 'The Very End of Solitude' be?" Iroha: "Momoko didn't know that either." Yachiyo: "'Radio Girl' and 'The Very End of Solitude'..." "Now it's even more confusing." Iroha: "Maybe it's best not to think about it too much." girl b: "..." Iroha: (Huh? That girl...) flashback girl b: "Hey..." "Isn't that voice actually a girl from our school?" Back to present: Iroha: "Yachiyo-san, that girl!" "Yesterday, she said 'Is she a girl from our school?'!" Yachiyo: "Really? That was her?" Iroha: "Let's chase after her, she might know something!" Yachiyo: "Wait, something's off about her..." Iroha: "Huh?" girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "Oh no, that's a witch's kiss!" Iroha: "At the base of her neck!" girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "She's headed for the radio tower." Iroha: "We have to save her!" Yachiyo: "Yes, we can talk after that!" [They're in the radio tower, it resembles the Tokyo Skytree viewing deck.] Yachiyo: "That girl..." "Tch, missing the elevator might cost us..." [she appears] Iroha: "Yachiyo-san, there she is! She's moving slowly." Yachiyo: "Let's try to approach her so that other people don't get suspicious." Iroha: "Yes." Yachiyo: "I wonder what it planned, bringing her all the way here..." "...Oh no!" "Tamaki-san, hurry!" Iroha: "What's wrong?" Mini-Kyubey: "She's headed to the emergency exit!" (you're only given one choice) Iroha: "No way, that door..." Yachiyo: "Yes, it very well might!" girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "As I thought, she's trying to get outside!" Iroha: "Why isn't anyone stopping her?" guy a: "..." girl c: "..." Iroha: "Everyone has witch's kisses!?" Yachiyo: "This is no joke." "It'd be a nightmare if they all jumped en masse from here." *Please... Make it in time!* [we hear the sound of the wind, and we have an outside view] girl b: "..." Iroha is panting girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "Tch, we're not going to make it!" Iroha: "No... Please wait!" girl b: "..." [she jumps...?] Iroha: "Noooo!!" girl b: "..." Iroha: "She didn't... fall...?"???[It's Madoka!]: "Hahhh, I'm glad I made it in time..." Iroha: "A magical... girl...?" Madoka: "Huh?" 5.2.4 Iroha: "A magical girl?" Madoka: "Huh?" "Might you be...?" Yachiyo: "Yes, I'm also..." [she transforms] Iroha: "As am I." [she transforms too.] "Um, thanks." "I'm so glad, I thought we wouldn't make it in time..." Madoka: "I was also surprised, suddenly people started jumping out." Yachiyo: "Did you also come here because you felt the presence of a witch?" Madoka: "Yes! But actually, I was looking for someone." "But then I saw someone with a witch's kiss..." Yachiyo: "That's pretty much the same as for us." [in front of a witch's labyrinth] girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "I'd love to take her back down now, but..." "Luckily, it's fairly spacious up here, and there's no wind now..." "If we think about the possibility that other people jump too..." "Taking that risk into account, it's better for us to hurry." "We'll cooperate with you to take out this witch." Madoka: "Thank you so much!" "Ah, my name is Kaname Madoka." Yachiyo: "I'm Nanami Yachiyo." Iroha: "I'm Tamaki Iroha. Nice to meet you, Madoka-chan." Madoka: "Same here, Iroha-chan." Yachiyo: "Now we're done with greetings, let's go defeat this witch." Iroha: "Yes!" [in battle] familiar: ntyhougt.mogtpmhod!! [Madoka gets attacked, and Yachiyo saves her] Madoka: "Thank you!" "That popped up so suddenly..." Yachiyo: "We got in the way of a big meal for them." "I can understand why the witch is so angry." *vvvvt*... *vvvvt*... *"Please respond."* *"Please don't be suspicious, please save me."* 5.2.5 [in battle] familiar:,tdn.62nt3h! Iroha: "Now!" familiar:,nt.dynt!? Yachiyo: "Too slow!" familiar: y6tdn,nty.!? Madoka: "Wow, amazing..." "Are you both magical girls from this city?" Yachiyo: "Yes, we are. What about it?" Madoka: "I knew it, this city's magical girls are all strong." "This is the first time my senpai has brought me to Kamihama..." "I was surprised at how many witches there are." Yachiyo: "Ah, you're not from Kamihama, are you." "Were you able to defeat a witch by yourself?" Iroha: "Huh!?" "Yachiyo-san, you're not going to test Madoka-san too...?" Yachiyo: "If they come with somebody else, there's no need to test them." "Your situation was different, Tamaki-san." Iroha: "Oh..." Madoka: "If I try, I am at least able to defeat one." "But this city's witches are strong..." Yachiyo: "That's not bad, compared to a certain someone." Iroha: "Oh come on, Yachiyo-san..." Yachiyo: "Hehe" "Come, we're almost at the deepest part. Brace yourselves, you two!" Iroha: "Yes!" Madoka: "Yes!" [battle] Witch: "..." Yachiyo: "This one was sure planning some pretty nasty stuff." Iroha: "We have to hurry up or else those people might wake up! Yachiyo: "Yeah, I'd like to hurry..." "You two, can you pool your magical power to attack?" Iroha: "Is that because we both use arrows to attack?" Yachiyo: "Yes. Focus on one point on the enemy, and release your magical power simultaneously." "It's easy to say, but if we don't try we won't know if it works." Iroha: "Let's try this, Madoka-chan!" Madoka: "Yes, let's do it, Iroha-chan!" [back to the boss fight][the barrier dissolves] Madoka: "We did it... We did it!" Iroha: "We sure did, Madoka-chan!" Madoka: "Yeah, Iroha-chan!" Yachiyo: "Both of you timed that perfectly." "I kinda just threw that suggestion out there, so I didn't expect that it would work so well." "Maybe it's because the nature of your magic is so similar." Iroha: "Hehe" girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "Ah, the witch's kisses are disappearing. Let's sneak them all back down." [Back at street level] Iroha: "Thank you, Madoka-chan." "Thanks to you, you saved this person, and us too." Madoka: "You too?" Iroha: "Yeah, we wanted to ask her about a rumor." Madoka: "You mean a rumor in this city?" Iroha: "You know it too, Madoka-chan?" Madoka: "No, I don't know much about it." "But my senpai went to investigate a rumor, and hasn't come back..." Iroha: "Oh, so the person you were looking for was your senpai." Madoka: "Yeah..." "To tell the truth, she told me not to come here alone..." "But I couldn't just wait for her, so I came here with a friend." "But we got separated at some point..." Yachiyo: "So that's the situation, huh." "If that's the case, why don't we work together?" Madoka: "Are you sure?" Yachiyo: "Of course, I don't mind." Madoka: "Then, if you're fine with it..." "Actually, I was kinda worried about being alone.." Yachiyo: "Perhaps we'll run into your friend along the way." Madoka: "Yes!" girl b: "U...ugh..." Iroha: "Are you all right?" girl b: "Huh? What happened to me..." [black screen] girl b: "The... 'Radio Girl's voice?" Yachiyo: "Yeah, do you have any idea who it might be?" girl b: "...Yes." "Recently, I heard a rumor that she might be a student at my school..." "A girl who went missing..." Yachiyo: "A missing student?" girl b: "Well, I don't know her myself... I think." "But, it seems like she didn't fit in well in her class." "I heard that she wasn't friendly with the people around her, and she didn't have much presence." "So maybe I just ignored her unknowingly." "It pains my heart thinking that something might have happened to her." "So yesterday, I got worried and came here." Iroha: (A girl who didn't fit in and didn't get along in class...) [flashback to Iroha in class] guy b: "Let's all take a commemorative picture for our Cultural Festival Excellence Award!" Iroha: "Ah, where should I..." [black screen] girl d: "How should we group up for the class trip?" Iroha: "Has everyone decided already...?" [black screen] guy c: "Then, why not have Tamaki-san be the class president?" Iroha: "Huh, me? Sure... but is it alright?" *Why was I always so disconnected in class?* *Because I didn't share interests with everyone?* *Because of my personality?* *Why do I always feel left out...* Madoka: "What's wrong, Iroha-chan?" Iroha: "Huh?" Madoka: "You suddenly turned pale..." Iroha: "Don't mind that, I'm fine, don't worry." "Um..." girl b: "Yes?" Iroha: "Is that uniform from Mizuna Girls Academy?" "Was that... disconnected... student also a Mizuna Girls Academy student?" girl b: "That's what I heard." *vvvvt... vvvvt...* *"Please respond to this message."* *"Only you, a magical girl, can do it."*
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[An Unconnected Lead] 5.2.1 Kaede: "Wah, Iroha-chan, your bento is so colorful and pretty..." Momoko: "Did you make this yourself, Iroha-chan?" Iroha: "Yes, together with Yachiyo-san." Momoko: "She's always so skilled." Kaede: "Yeah, and compare Momoko-chan's all-brown bento." Momoko: "That's the best I can do." "I have to feed my hungry brothers' appetites, so it turns out like this." Rena: "For that matter, what's with the rice in your bento, Kaede?" "It's all red and yellow... is it spoiled?" Kaede: "It's *gokokumai*, you don't know what it is?" Rena: "Wha? Of course I know what it is." "*Gokokumai*, it shines with all the seven colors..." Kaede: "Five colors!" [https://www.google.com/search?q=%E4%BA%94%E7%A9%80%E7%B1%B3] Momoko: "Why're you getting all worked up over the color of rice?" "Well, I'm glad that you're getting along now, Iroha-chan." "I was really shocked when I heard that you moved." Iroha: "Sorry for surprising you like that." Momoko: "It's fine, and now we even get to go to the same school." "Anyway, Wings of Magius, was it? How are things going on that end?" Iroha: "We've got nothing... Today we're going to be investigating rumors again..." Kaede: "What sort of rumor?" Iroha: "Chuuei Ward's 'Radio Girl'. Have you heard of it?" Kaede: "No, I haven't heard of that one..." "How about Momoko and Rena?" Momoko: "I know about it, but... There's something bothering me about it." "Rena, have you heard of it?" Rena: "The `Radio Girl'?" "...Ah!" "Wasn't it on that idol's SNS you were looking at the other day?" Momoko: "...Yeah, that's it!" "Iroha-chan, we might know something about it." Iroha: "Really?" Momoko: "Yeah, I'll ask about it until the end of school, so can you wait until then?" Iroha: "Yes, of course!" "But, is this okay?" Momoko: "Don't worry, it'll be a piece of cake." 5.2.2 Momoko: "Sorry, Iroha-chan, it took longer than I expected..." Iroha: "Don't apologize, you're doing me a favor by asking around." "Anyway, did you find out anything?" Momoko: "Of course, I have results worth the wait." "After this morning's discussion, I talked to some people who knew about the 'Radio Girl'." "I tried to follow the rumor back to the source." Iroha: "And, where did it originate from?" Momoko: "Of course, I found it." "The source of the rumor seems to be a certain webpage." Iroha: "Web...page?" Momoko: "Yeah, that idol's that Rena and I were talking about before?" "She likes psychic phenomena and urban legends, and that became her selling point." "She also saw this webpage, and she went to check out the radio tower." Iroha: "Then, if I look at the webpage, I'll find out more about the 'Radio Girl'?" "Do you know what the webpage is, anyway?" Momoko: "Well, I asked her, but she wouldn't tell me what it was." "It's meaningless if you don't find it yourself, is what she told me." "On top of that, to get in you need to have certain qualifications, it seems." "It's almost as if those who love urban legends have a mysterious sense of aesthetics." Iroha: "Then they won't tell us so easily, I take it..." Momoko: "But in my research they did tell me an important point." Iroha: "An important point?" Momoko: "Yeah." "You'd best avoid going near 'The Very End of Solitude'." Iroha: "'The Very End of Solitude'?" Momoko: "I have no clue either." "Sorry I wasn't much help." Iroha: "No, you were a big help." "Oh yeah!" Momoko: "Hm?" Iroha: "If you'd like, would you like to investigate the rumor together?" Momoko: "Together, huh..." "Nah, I'll pass." "I'd love to help, but you're working with Yachiyo, right?" Iroha: "Are you still not getting along with her?" Momoko: "That's not it, I just haven't gotten my feelings sorted out." Iroha: "I see..." Momoko: "Sorry, again." 5.2.3 Yachiyo: "She's pretty late..." Iroha: "Um... I'm here..." Yachiyo: "I called you quite a few times!" Iroha: "I'm sorry..." Yachiyo: "Did you not have signal? Did you turn it off?" "What was wrong?" Iroha: "Well, the message from yesterday was so scary that I..." Yachiyo: "That you turned it off!?" Yachiyo: "Come on..." "You can ignore it if you want, but at least leave it on..." "I was worried about you..." Iroha: "All right, I'll turn it on..." "..." "Ah! It's here again..." *"Would you please save me?"* "What should I do?" Mini-Kyubey: "Let's answer it" or "You should ignore it." I'll pick the former. Iroha: "Maybe I should tell them to please stop..." Yachiyo: "I don't think you should." "It's okay not to reply." Iroha: "Yes..." Yachiyo: "Anyway, what took you?" Iroha: "Actually, I had Momoko help me investigate the 'Radio Girl'." Yachiyo: "Momoko?" Iroha: "Yeah, and we ran late..." Yachiyo: "Well, are we going to be investigating with her today?" Iroha: "No, I asked her that too..." Yachiyo: "I see." "Well, did you find anything?" Iroha: "Um, yes... She did some research for me, and it seems that people who know of the 'Radio Girl' saw it on a webpage." Yachiyo: "A webpage?" Iroha: "Yes." "But you can't access it without certain qualifications, they said..." "Also, they said not to get near 'The Very End of Solitude'..." Yachiyo: "What might 'The Very End of Solitude' be?" Iroha: "Momoko didn't know that either." Yachiyo: "'Radio Girl' and 'The Very End of Solitude'..." "Now it's even more confusing." Iroha: "Maybe it's best not to think about it too much." girl b: "..." Iroha: (Huh? That girl...) flashback girl b: "Hey..." "Isn't that voice actually a girl from our school?" Back to present: Iroha: "Yachiyo-san, that girl!" "Yesterday, she said 'Is she a girl from our school?'!" Yachiyo: "Really? That was her?" Iroha: "Let's chase after her, she might know something!" Yachiyo: "Wait, something's off about her..." Iroha: "Huh?" girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "Oh no, that's a witch's kiss!" Iroha: "At the base of her neck!" girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "She's headed for the radio tower." Iroha: "We have to save her!" Yachiyo: "Yes, we can talk after that!" [They're in the radio tower, it resembles the Tokyo Skytree viewing deck.] Yachiyo: "That girl..." "Tch, missing the elevator might cost us..." [she appears] Iroha: "Yachiyo-san, there she is! She's moving slowly." Yachiyo: "Let's try to approach her so that other people don't get suspicious." Iroha: "Yes." Yachiyo: "I wonder what it planned, bringing her all the way here..." "...Oh no!" "Tamaki-san, hurry!" Iroha: "What's wrong?" Mini-Kyubey: "She's headed to the emergency exit!" (you're only given one choice) Iroha: "No way, that door..." Yachiyo: "Yes, it very well might!" girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "As I thought, she's trying to get outside!" Iroha: "Why isn't anyone stopping her?" guy a: "..." girl c: "..." Iroha: "Everyone has witch's kisses!?" Yachiyo: "This is no joke." "It'd be a nightmare if they all jumped en masse from here." *Please... Make it in time!* [we hear the sound of the wind, and we have an outside view] girl b: "..." Iroha is panting girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "Tch, we're not going to make it!" Iroha: "No... Please wait!" girl b: "..." [she jumps...?] Iroha: "Noooo!!" girl b: "..." Iroha: "She didn't... fall...?"???[It's Madoka!]: "Hahhh, I'm glad I made it in time..." Iroha: "A magical... girl...?" Madoka: "Huh?" 5.2.4 Iroha: "A magical girl?" Madoka: "Huh?" "Might you be...?" Yachiyo: "Yes, I'm also..." [she transforms] Iroha: "As am I." [she transforms too.] "Um, thanks." "I'm so glad, I thought we wouldn't make it in time..." Madoka: "I was also surprised, suddenly people started jumping out." Yachiyo: "Did you also come here because you felt the presence of a witch?" Madoka: "Yes! But actually, I was looking for someone." "But then I saw someone with a witch's kiss..." Yachiyo: "That's pretty much the same as for us." [in front of a witch's labyrinth] girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "I'd love to take her back down now, but..." "Luckily, it's fairly spacious up here, and there's no wind now..." "If we think about the possibility that other people jump too..." "Taking that risk into account, it's better for us to hurry." "We'll cooperate with you to take out this witch." Madoka: "Thank you so much!" "Ah, my name is Kaname Madoka." Yachiyo: "I'm Nanami Yachiyo." Iroha: "I'm Tamaki Iroha. Nice to meet you, Madoka-chan." Madoka: "Same here, Iroha-chan." Yachiyo: "Now we're done with greetings, let's go defeat this witch." Iroha: "Yes!" [in battle] familiar: ntyhougt.mogtpmhod!! [Madoka gets attacked, and Yachiyo saves her] Madoka: "Thank you!" "That popped up so suddenly..." Yachiyo: "We got in the way of a big meal for them." "I can understand why the witch is so angry." *vvvvt*... *vvvvt*... *"Please respond."* *"Please don't be suspicious, please save me."* 5.2.5 [in battle] familiar:,tdn.62nt3h! Iroha: "Now!" familiar:,nt.dynt!? Yachiyo: "Too slow!" familiar: y6tdn,nty.!? Madoka: "Wow, amazing..." "Are you both magical girls from this city?" Yachiyo: "Yes, we are. What about it?" Madoka: "I knew it, this city's magical girls are all strong." "This is the first time my senpai has brought me to Kamihama..." "I was surprised at how many witches there are." Yachiyo: "Ah, you're not from Kamihama, are you." "Were you able to defeat a witch by yourself?" Iroha: "Huh!?" "Yachiyo-san, you're not going to test Madoka-san too...?" Yachiyo: "If they come with somebody else, there's no need to test them." "Your situation was different, Tamaki-san." Iroha: "Oh..." Madoka: "If I try, I am at least able to defeat one." "But this city's witches are strong..." Yachiyo: "That's not bad, compared to a certain someone." Iroha: "Oh come on, Yachiyo-san..." Yachiyo: "Hehe" "Come, we're almost at the deepest part. Brace yourselves, you two!" Iroha: "Yes!" Madoka: "Yes!" [battle] Witch: "..." Yachiyo: "This one was sure planning some pretty nasty stuff." Iroha: "We have to hurry up or else those people might wake up! Yachiyo: "Yeah, I'd like to hurry..." "You two, can you pool your magical power to attack?" Iroha: "Is that because we both use arrows to attack?" Yachiyo: "Yes. Focus on one point on the enemy, and release your magical power simultaneously." "It's easy to say, but if we don't try we won't know if it works." Iroha: "Let's try this, Madoka-chan!" Madoka: "Yes, let's do it, Iroha-chan!" [back to the boss fight][the barrier dissolves] Madoka: "We did it... We did it!" Iroha: "We sure did, Madoka-chan!" Madoka: "Yeah, Iroha-chan!" Yachiyo: "Both of you timed that perfectly." "I kinda just threw that suggestion out there, so I didn't expect that it would work so well." "Maybe it's because the nature of your magic is so similar." Iroha: "Hehe" girl b: "..." Yachiyo: "Ah, the witch's kisses are disappearing. Let's sneak them all back down." [Back at street level] Iroha: "Thank you, Madoka-chan." "Thanks to you, you saved this person, and us too." Madoka: "You too?" Iroha: "Yeah, we wanted to ask her about a rumor." Madoka: "You mean a rumor in this city?" Iroha: "You know it too, Madoka-chan?" Madoka: "No, I don't know much about it." "But my senpai went to investigate a rumor, and hasn't come back..." Iroha: "Oh, so the person you were looking for was your senpai." Madoka: "Yeah..." "To tell the truth, she told me not to come here alone..." "But I couldn't just wait for her, so I came here with a friend." "But we got separated at some point..." Yachiyo: "So that's the situation, huh." "If that's the case, why don't we work together?" Madoka: "Are you sure?" Yachiyo: "Of course, I don't mind." Madoka: "Then, if you're fine with it..." "Actually, I was kinda worried about being alone.." Yachiyo: "Perhaps we'll run into your friend along the way." Madoka: "Yes!" girl b: "U...ugh..." Iroha: "Are you all right?" girl b: "Huh? What happened to me..." [black screen] girl b: "The... 'Radio Girl's voice?" Yachiyo: "Yeah, do you have any idea who it might be?" girl b: "...Yes." "Recently, I heard a rumor that she might be a student at my school..." "A girl who went missing..." Yachiyo: "A missing student?" girl b: "Well, I don't know her myself... I think." "But, it seems like she didn't fit in well in her class." "I heard that she wasn't friendly with the people around her, and she didn't have much presence." "So maybe I just ignored her unknowingly." "It pains my heart thinking that something might have happened to her." "So yesterday, I got worried and came here." Iroha: (A girl who didn't fit in and didn't get along in class...) [flashback to Iroha in class] guy b: "Let's all take a commemorative picture for our Cultural Festival Excellence Award!" Iroha: "Ah, where should I..." [black screen] girl d: "How should we group up for the class trip?" Iroha: "Has everyone decided already...?" [black screen] guy c: "Then, why not have Tamaki-san be the class president?" Iroha: "Huh, me? Sure... but is it alright?" *Why was I always so disconnected in class?* *Because I didn't share interests with everyone?* *Because of my personality?* *Why do I always feel left out...* Madoka: "What's wrong, Iroha-chan?" Iroha: "Huh?" Madoka: "You suddenly turned pale..." Iroha: "Don't mind that, I'm fine, don't worry." "Um..." girl b: "Yes?" Iroha: "Is that uniform from Mizuna Girls Academy?" "Was that... disconnected... student also a Mizuna Girls Academy student?" girl b: "That's what I heard." *vvvvt... vvvvt...* *"Please respond to this message."* *"Only you, a magical girl, can do it."*Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo attend the KBS 2TV drama 'Descendants of the Sun' press conference at Imperial Palace on February 22, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea.
"Descendants of the Sun" is already a must-watch Korean drama series even before "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo' arrived on the small screen. The favorite drama about a doctor and a military man's love story bagged another award for the "Best Drama Series" from the 2016 Asian Television Awards.
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Considered as a very popular Korean series, "Descendants of the Sun" received the highest honor during the 2016 Asian Television Awards on Friday held at the Suntec Convention Center in Singapore. The awarding ceremony distinguishes high-quality television productions all over Asia, KBS reported.
The awards were bestowed over two successive evenings held in affiliation with the progressing Singapore Media Festival. The presenters came from different sectors including Alden Richards, Adrian Pang, Fiona Su, Stephanie Carrington, and Baki Zainal who hosted the event. Musical intermissions came from Charli XCX whose songs sold 33 million copies and Ivy Grace Parades, from the Philippines.
"Descendants of the Sun" is a 16-episode drama and was exquisitely famous not only in their home country, Korea but also in Asia, most especially in China. In fact, the viewership had reached 38.8 percent on its own domain. The TV series' popularity made the two main characters Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, the favorite actors of Asian fans and followers, according to The Korean Herald.
The drama series was a remarkable hit in South Korea and earned extreme admiration all across Asia. Starting on April 20 to April 22, "Descendants of the Sun" included the memorable part and the greatest scenes from the series. It also included the drama's production process, commentaries from the casts and last epilogue aside from behind-the-scenes footage.
The success of "Descendants of the Sun" gave every reason for the favorite series to have its second season. Fans cannot wait for the second season to be released and are already making their own speculations of what will happen in the "Descendants of the Sun 2".Welcome to our latest Bad Advice column! Stay tuned every Tuesday for more terrible guidance based on actual letters.
By The Bad Advisor
“I am engaged to a great guy with many wonderful qualities, and I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him.
But he is prejudiced against one specific race, which also happens to be the race of several of my ex-boyfriends. He works in law enforcement, so part of me wants to attribute the racism to the fact that he has seen this particular race do many horrible things that I haven’t. This seems like a pretty trivial thing — we all have some sort of bias or prejudice — but it’s getting to the point where I can’t even talk to a member of this race in a work meeting about a work-related project without my fiance turning it into a huge fight and accusing me of trying to be a liaison for all [race] people.
He doesn’t think he’s doing anything wrong, and I end up being the one to apologize and try to fix things — even though I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong either. The amount of time and energy we have spent arguing about this race is downright embarrassing.
I know you can’t change anyone, you can only change yourself, but short of moving to a commune in Massachusetts, I’m not sure what I can do. This seems like such a small thing to break up over, but it also seems like something I can’t argue about for the rest of my life.”
— From “Fiancee” via “Carolyn Hax,” Washington Post, 2 December 2017
Dear Fiancee,
Ugh, it is always such a drag when a little wholesale, virulent racism gets in the way of your dream wedding to a huge, obsessive racist! You’re just over here madly in love with an amazing man who believes that an entire race of people are fundamentally inferior to other humans, just trying to live your life like anybody who would rather not be mildly inconvenienced by the unabashed, rampant bigotry of their loved ones, and this piddly little matter of your dear fiance’s unchecked hatred rears its tiny, silly little head.
What an awful position you are in — imagine the potential outcome of staying together forever with this awesome dude who can’t abide the mention of an entire race of people without berating you at length for acknowledging their existence! You might have to discuss it further! Nothing on earth could possibly be worse than having to occasionally talk about racial prejudice with a police officer who lives to deride and attack those he has sworn to serve. Yep, that is 100% for sure the worst possible thing about a racist cop, is that people who affirmatively choose to bone him for eternity might have to listen to his bullshit, a terrible and unthinkable consequence that would be the most ghastly thing a human being on earth could ever go through.
Why Should You Become An Establishment Member For $5 A Month?
And really, why should you break up over something as inconsequential as the vile and repulsive beliefs that occupy your racist partner’s thoughts both at work and at home, making up a core aspect of his racist personality? We all have flaws! Some people chew with their mouths open, others tell the same stories over and over, and some of us, like the man you dream of spending the rest of your life with, are odious, repugnant racists who live to espouse and rehash their foul ideologies day in and day out. Your future husband probably puts up with your quirks — you probably leave your socks under the coffee table or forget to pick up kitty litter on occasion — so try to be a little more understanding when your fiance, who is regularly armed with a deadly weapon and encouraged to use it with almost indiscriminate power, repeatedly reiterates his deep and abiding hatred for people based on the color of their skin. You needn’t move to a commune in Massachusetts to give yourself the gift of ceasing to pretend like you care.
“I need your help. Over the past few weeks, I have been vacationing at my mother-in-law’s home. The other day I was browsing on her computer and accidentally opened her browsing history. It turns out that she regularly looks at and responds to Craigslist personals.
I was shocked when I read some of the perverted requests she has responded to. The language she used would make a sailor blush. Keep in mind, my mother-in-law is a married woman.
I don’t know how to react. Should I tell my wife? Keep it to myself? Make a fake Craigslist post and catch her in the act? “
— From “KINKS IN THE FAMILY” via “Dear Abby,” 12 November 2017
Dear Kinks in the Family,
What a trauma it must have been for you to make the agent and affirmative decision to go out of your way to intentionally and on purpose read many of your mother-in-law’s responses to personal ads. I’m so sorry for what you endured after you had the option not to dive into your mother-in-law’s browsing history and did it anyway. This whole situation that you absolutely could have avoided is really unfortunate for you.
The only solution is, as you say, to make a big public show of catching your mother-in-law in a perverted sex act, maybe even one with you, which is a real thing that is definitely a possibility and a favor your entire family will really appreciate the next time they accidentally read about it in the Penthouse letters section.
Bad Advice On Wedding Gifts And Other People’s Children
“I submit that even if my conduct is incorrect, I am entitled to a presumption that said conduct is an honest mistake, unless the conduct is truly heinous — which, in my case, it never is. Of course, others are likewise entitled to the same presumption from me. What do you think?”
— Via “Miss Manners,” Washington Post, 27 November 2017
Gentle Reader,
You’re great and everybody likes you and is dying to be around you all the time because you’re delightful and interesting and nobody on earth thinks you should just shut the fuck up already about the incident at the office holiday party, Kevin. It’s been eight years.
Looking For A Comments Section? We Don’t Have One.During Blizzcon 2016, our own interviewer dignitas Novalas met up with Jeremy Feasel, a senior designer for World of Warcraft over at Blizzard
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life back in order: taking control.
2. Analyze the Problem
Some problems are an easy fix. For example, if you are in the midst of a big move, feeling stressed is only normal. During a move or any major change, your mind and your body have to go through an adjustment period that naturally takes some time. Ask yourself: “Are there legitimate steps I can take to solve this problem?” Perhaps you’ve tried tackling this problem in the past without success, or you find that it’s a recurring problem. If this is the case, you may need to change your approach.
3. Make a List
Making a list of daily goals and planning out your week in advance can help motivate you and lead you in the direction of getting your life back on track. Talk to someone about what your goals are and what you are trying to accomplish. Have them check in on your progress regularly. Having someone accountable for you achieving your goals will increase your motivation and help keep you in check.
4. Put in the Work
You’ve found the root of your problem and figured out a list of steps that will help ease your stress, AKA, help you get your shit back in order. But then comes the hardest part: taking action. Don’t wait for someone to come solve the problem for you or for the problem to go away on it’s own, and don’t deny yourself of the problem. Take whatever steps are needed to de-clutter your life and get back on track.
5. Or Learn When to Walk Away
Although many of life’s challenges are inevitable and require solving, there are some difficulties that are unnecessarily toxic to your life. Learn to recognize when a situation is causing you more harm than good, and if solutions aren’t working, walk away. Walking away from a person or situation you are emotionally invested in is never easy. But ultimately, letting go of old, toxic habits and people is a sign of maturity and self-respect. And will lead you on the path to enlightenment and shit-togetherness.
6. Make time for the Things you Love
Getting your shit together requires time and devotion, but it’s important not to let organization get in the way of you pursuing your passions. While there are only a short 24 hours in the day, making a conscious effort to devote just a daily 30 minutes to an activity you truly enjoy can do wonders for your mental and emotional health. Whether that’s going on a quick jog, giving an old friend a phone call, or even blogging (hehe), if you devote time to things you enjoy, you will be a lot more productive at even your least favorite tasks.
7. Get Active
One word: endorphins. They’re real, and they make you happy. You get them from chocolate and from exercising, but for this point I’ll be focusing on the exercising part. Be conscious of how much time you spend sitting a day. If sitting is part of your job or your life as a student, buy a stand to put your laptop or notebook on and give your bottom a break. Even just walking your dog around the neighborhood will allow your body to release some endorphins, give you a moment to clear your head, and will allow you to tackle your daily stressors with an invigorated perspective.
8. Surround Yourself with Great People
Good company breeds good vibes, happiness and inspiration. If you’re feelin’ a little down in the dumps due to your shit not being together, call up a pal. Sometimes just having someone to brainstorm with and spend time with can cure your woes and help you get back on your feet.
9. Be Easy on Yourself
No one is perfect, and as much as we wish our lives would be in seamless order all the time, that is simply not reality. If you maintain a positive attitude and work every day at being a little better, you will get to the level of shit-togetherness you aspire and deserve to be at.Pregnancy And Baby Care Questions Asked Baby Growth
Breastfed Baby Growth Spurts
All babies have growth spurts. These usually occur when they are 10 days old, and again when they are 3 weeks and 6 weeks, and again at 3 months and 4 months, followed by 6 months and 9 months. During this time, they may feed more and feel fussy. Even a baby who has been feeding at regular hours and sleeping most of the time, may have an altered schedule. This can be very confusing for a mother who is breastfeeding her baby. She may feel that her baby is not getting enough milk, and is fussy because of hunger. However, this is not so.
What are baby growth spurts? Growth spurts, also sometimes called ‘frequency days’, are a normal and essential part of a baby’s growth. These are the periods when babies reach certain developmental milestones in their physical maturation and growth. They are a temporary phenomenon, lasting only a few days. The baby’s body is working very hard during this period, growing up in certain ways, and this is what makes her/him so hungry and tired and fussy.
Breastfeeding immediately after birth: While some babies latch on and begin to breastfeed immediately after birth, many just nuzzle or lick the breast or nipple. They may take some time to get really started. But even this nuzzling is important as it helps to stimulate the mother’s milk glands. Sometimes, a baby may take longer to start breastfeeding a baby because they are still groggy or tired after the delivery. Sometimes, in a medicated delivery, they may be sleepy because of the medication given to the mother. However the baby begins to breastfeed actively after 24 to 48 hours after birth. See also baby growth percentile
After 10 days and again after 3 weeks, many babies have a growth spurt and may do a non-stop or ‘marathon’ breastfeeding for a couple of days. This settles down and again repeats itself at 6 weeks.
During a growth spurt, some babies resort to ‘cluster feeding’, that is, during the day they nurse at 2 to 3 hour intervals, but in the evening, they may want to nurse at hourly intervals. This is quite normal, because the baby is stocking up for the long stretch of nighttime sleep.
Many mothers become confused and think that either their milk supply is low, or it has gone bad and is not satisfying baby. Sometimes, the baby may feed for only as little as five minutes, making the mother feel that she is being used as a pacifier. A breastfeeding mother may also feel exhausted.
But all this is normal, growth spurts are normal, and if you are a breastfeeding mother, there is no need to worry. It will pass in a few days. Growth chart calculators for babies are important tools that help monitor the development and growth of babies and young children. Doctors, pediatricians, and parents find them to be useful when comparing an individual child’s growth with that of other children in the rest of the population. The Internet has several such calculators that are easily available, allowing parents to keep an eye on the progress made by their children. Baby growth spurt charts help to keep a track of the baby’s physical growth, measuring the length, the circumference of the head, and the weight of the baby from birth to three years of age. Plotted on a growth spurt chart for babies, it helps the attending pediatrician to compare the baby’s phases of growth with those of other babies or infants in the same age group. The percentile that the doctor quotes or the corresponding percentile you find when you plot your child’s weight and age on the chart, gives a clear idea of the growth of your child as compared to that of children of the same age. By studying the infant growth spurt chart over a period of time, you will be able to spot the periods in which there appears to be rapid growth. Similar charts plotting the child’s height at every age and a growth chart calculator including the baby’s BMI (body mass index) give an overall picture of the child’s development.
Maintaining and studying a baby growth spurts chart also aids the pediatrician as well as the parents to spot any deviation in the growth pattern. For instance, if a child who stayed in the sixtieth percentile all through the first year is suddenly found to be in the thirtieth percentile, it would mean that the child is lagging behind in growth and underscores the need to investigate the causes for the change. Doctors look for a consistent growth pattern, taking into account the mode of infant feeding and the size of the parents of each child. A baby born two weeks premature is compared to babies who are two weeks younger, to obtain the appropriate growth pattern. A baby growth spurt chart can pinpoint the milestones in the path of the growing baby. Periods of weight loss may correspond to an increase in the length of the baby and the appearance of baby teeth. Parents may be able to correlate the time when the baby started sleeping through the night without a feed with the increased intake of milk or formula with every feeding with a spike in the weight chart.
A breastfed baby growth chart calculator takes into account the fact that different babies have different growth patterns and that the development and growth of a breastfed infant may vary from that of a baby fed on formula. Breastfed babies may be heavier than bottle-fed babies in the first few months, but by the end of the first year, it has been observed that they are leaner than formula fed infants. The average breastfed baby doubles its birth weight by the sixth month, though for some infants, this may happen sooner or later. Ultimately, how lean or heavy a baby is depends also on the genes inherited, and there is no cause for worry if the baby is either lean or heavy, provided that the baby’s path of growth is steady and the baby is healthy.
Growth chart calculators serve as predictors by projecting the growth levels for the future months based on current data of the baby’s age, height, weight, and BMI. These can be used by parents to monitor their child’s progress and alert them to any deviations. Breastfed baby growth calculators are invaluable tools for parents whose babies receive only breast milk. Mothers are often unsure of how much milk the baby is able to suckle and worry if they get enough of it. During periods where there is spurt in the baby’s growth, the mother might notice that the baby suckles longer or demands to be fed more often. Other than that and the changes in weight, height, and head circumference that can be measured, there is no tangible evidence of an increase in food intake. After the age of six months, if need be, breast fed children may be weaned on baby foods to supplement breast milk. Mothers need to understand that breastfed children are capable of regulating their feed, they cannot be overfed. Even if the baby does drink a bit more than is needed, it is usually spit out when the baby is burped. By the age of one year, the typical breastfed baby weighs almost 3 times the weight at birth, is longer by at least 50%, and the circumference of the head is a third more.
Judging the growth and development of a baby should take a lot more factors into consideration apart from the data in baby growth chart calculators, since different races and ethnic groups with their own gene pools may influence the baby’s growth. In fact, food is another important factor that plays a vital role in a baby’s growth, and this may vary with each ethnic group. It is also true that earlier calculators were based on studies conducted on babies fed on formula milk or a combination of formula and breast milk, and hence may not be a reliable indicator of growth of children fed solely on breast milk. Infant growth rates are also largely influenced by the introduction of solid food, and earlier studies recommended that solid food be introduced by the age of four months against the current recommendation of six months. The CDC growth chart calculator’s reference population includes information on infants fed on formula as well as breast fed babies who also received formula, though it does not include babies fed exclusively on breast milk. It is important that parents do not get fixated on percentiles and worry about their child’s growth curve. What matters is that each child is an individual with its own unique set of genes that determine its body’s build and weight. The charts should be used as a general guide to check the consistent progress of the child’s growth curve.
Submitted by N on June 1, 2010 at 04:20WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin has won a $944 million contract to deliver Patriot Advanced Capability-3 and PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles to the United States and allies, according to a Dec. 21 company statement.
The Missile Segment Enhancement builds on PAC-3 capability by using a two-pulse solid rocket motor, which boosts the interceptor’s range and altitude.
The Lockheed statement specifically names Romania as one of the recipients of the missiles, but also includes the U.S. Army and other foreign military sales customers.
In late November, Romania sealed the deal to buy seven Patriot air-and-missile defense batteries to include 168 PAC-3 MSE interceptors. Romania is the 14th Patriot customer worldwide.
Poland is also expected to be a Patriot customer soon, with contract negotiations underway. The State Department in November cleared a potential sale to Poland that included 208 PAC-3 MSE missiles. However, a top defense official told Defense News that there is concern over the price of those weapons.Trump began his rambling diatribe by calling Graham a 'lightweight' and an 'idiot.' Donald Trump gives out Lindsey Graham's cellphone number Graham's reaction: "When it comes to the Donald, nothing surprises me anymore."
If Lindsey Graham has to change cellphone numbers, he has Donald Trump to thank.
On Tuesday, Trump ramped up his attacks on the South Carolina senator — who made headlines Monday for calling the Donald a “jackass” — and even gave out Graham’s private phone number.
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Trump began his rambling diatribe by calling Graham a “lightweight” and an “idiot.”
“He doesn’t seem like a very bright guy. He actually probably seems to me not as bright as Rick Perry. I think Rick Perry probably is smarter than Lindsey Graham,” Trump added, riffing on prior insults he had lobbed at the former Texas governor.
Then Trump transitioned to an embarrassing anecdote, which the billionaire real estate developer said was from a few years ago, in which Graham called Trump “begging” him for a good reference with Trump’s pals on the Fox News morning program “Fox & Friends.”
Trump said that he promised Graham he would put out a good word, and the South Carolina Republican then gave him his phone number to follow up.
Trump then read out what he said was Graham’s phone number, telling his supporters to “try it.”
“I wonder what caused that,” Graham told a POLITICO reporter who dialed the number, about the influx of calls.
“When it comes to the Donald, nothing surprises me anymore. It’s just too bad, really,” he said, adding that Trump is taking away from a discussion on the Iran deal and more substantive policy issues.
The biggest beneficiaries of Trump’s antics, Graham added, are President Barack Obama and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
The feud between Graham and Trump has escalated in recent days, especially as the South Carolina Republican has ripped into Trump for saying that Graham’s good friend, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), is not a war hero because he was captured.
On Monday evening, Graham told CNN that Trump was “becoming a jackass.”
By Tuesday, Graham was appearing on “CBS This Morning” and calling Trump “the world’s biggest jackass.” Even “the jackasses are offended” by Trump’s remarks, Graham added.
Asked whether he thinks Trump can sustain his place at the top of Republican presidential primary polls, Graham — who is also seeking the nomination — said no.
“I think the beginning of the end has come. The beginning of the end has arrived because he’s crossed a line with the American people that will not be tolerated.”
Later on the program, host Gayle King asked whether Graham had called Trump to ask him to cut it out.
“What good would that do, calling Donald Trump?” Graham said. “I’m more worried about the Iran nuclear deal than I am Donald Trump, and so is John McCain.”
McCain reacted with a laugh when asked about Trump’s latest action.
“I was wondering if Donald Trump has mine,” McCain told POLITICO. “Seems like it’s kind of a crazy time, doesn’t it?”
Later in the afternoon, Graham solicited his followers’ advice on whether he should get an Android or iPhone as his new phone.
Probably getting a new phone. iPhone or Android? — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 21, 2015
Jeremy Herb contributed reporting.It’s all just a little too … tidy to be satisfactory.
The University of British Columbia president, the felicitously named Santa Ono, on Tuesday issued an apology to John Furlong, the former head of the Vancouver Olympics whose speech to a university sports breakfast was abruptly cancelled last month when a nasty controversy that ought to have been well laid to rest was raised again.
In brief, six years ago Furlong was accused by a journalist of physical abuse, and later sexual abuse, through complaints of First Nation former students at schools in northern B.C. where Furlong taught as a young man.
The two stories Laura Robinson wrote, which appeared in 2012, spawned sexual-abuse lawsuits (all dismissed or dropped) and defamation lawsuits between Furlong and Robinson. Furlong dropped his. Robinson didn’t, and lost in the B.C. Supreme Court in September of 2015, when Judge Catherine Wedge tossed her lawsuit and deemed that her stories weren’t simple journalism, but rather that they constituted “an attack.”
Fast forward to December of this year, when a sexual-assault activist and UBC alumna named Glynnis Kirchmeier revived the allegations in a lengthy tweet in which she demanded Furlong’s speech be cancelled (and that he be banned from campus).
That was on Dec. 19.
In the days afterwards, Kirchmeier tweeted at least once directly to Ono (“@ubcprez Please cancel the @ubc fundraiser in February with John Furlong #silenceisviolence”) and to UBC generally (“Will @UBC cont this hypocrisy? Will it cancel Furlong keynote? Or will it stop promoting knowledge of residential schools?”), as did others, in response.
On Dec. 23, Ono tweeted “I’m very pleased to announce I will be keynote speaker at the 2017 ZLC Millennium Scholarship Breakfast on Feb. 28,” and on the same day, Kirchmeier again tweeted directly to him, “Thank you … for the keynote lineup changes. I hope the fundraiser is very successful for the deserving athletes!”
Ono is an active guy on Twitter; on Christmas Day, for instance, he tweeted nine times, mostly just holiday greetings, hellos and a picture of his dog.
But he’s engaged, it appears, and it would seem unlikely he missed the fact that Furlong’s appearance-cum-cancellation was controversial.
Ono didn’t reply to emails Tuesday, but I asked Susan Danard of UBC Public Affairs if he’d noticed Kirchmeier’s tweets and if so, why the delay in apologizing. She replied in an email that Ono “personally contacted Mr. Furlong on Dec. 30 to apologize. A public apology was issued today to ensure it received prominence and was not lost” in the holiday slowdown.
In the apology, Ono said UBC “made this decision in good faith, but without proper consideration of its potential impact on Mr. Furlong or his family.” He said the decision was made without his knowledge or that of the UBC board of governors, and that “I deeply regret this error …” Ono went on to say that “some take issue with Mr. Furlong,” but noted his record of public service and extraordinary contributions to amateur sport. “There is also no question that he deserved better in UBC’s handling of this matter.
“At root, the university’s decision making throughout this matter did not meet the standard I am eager to instil.
“While a modern university should neither court nor shy from controversy, our decision-making should be the result of a robust deliberative process.
“In this case, we have no one to blame but ourselves …”
That’s all very nice, and in a statement of his own Tuesday Furlong was gracious and accepted the apology, while calling it a “most disheartening, humiliating experience.”
For the record, the cancellation call to Furlong’s agent, Andrea Shaw, was made by Shantal Cashman, director of development and alumni engagement (athletics and recreation). According to Shaw, Cashman said she was just the messenger.
Cashman is on holiday, like much of the university, until next week, and didn’t respond to email. Barbara Miles, the vice-president of development and alumni engagement, didn’t return a voice message.
So who then made the decision? According to Danard, it was “the athletics department,” unnamed people in charge of organizing the event.
And, Danard said, it wasn’t just Kirchmeier who complained, though it certainly appears she kicked it all off and took credit for the decision, but rather that “a number of people” had called or emailed with “what you might call concerns or complaints … What’s important is that President Ono recognizes that the decision was poorly handled and he has apologized to Mr. Furlong.”
Actually, that’s not all that’s important. This decision was the furthest imaginable result from a robust process, and how it looks, still, is that UBC did indeed shy from controversy, and in the process created a larger one.
• Email: [email protected] | Twitter: blatchkikiKiwis coach David Kidwell has gone straight for his first-choice team for New Zealand's first World Cup match against Samoa on Saturday night in Auckland.
The team includes Brad Takairangi, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Isaac Liu and Danny Levi, who will make their first appearance for the Kiwis, but Kidwell insisted the Test rookies were picked on merit rather than the game being an opportunity to blood them for later in the tournament.
"At this stage it is, yeah definitely [it's my best team]," Kidwell said.
"I didn't have a team in mind at the start of the tournament to be honest because I wanted to see how everyone came together, that was the most important thing.
"I'm not looking beyond Samoa.
"Even though [there are players] making their debut, the boys have the trust that these guys are able to come in and do the job against Samoa on Saturday."
Our Kiwis to take on Samoa this weekend for the opener of the Rugby League World Cup in New Zealand#NZLvSAM #TeIwiKiwi 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/4wHGDNdfAp — NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) October 24, 2017
Despite Te Maire Martin helping guide the North Queensland Cowboys through to the NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final less than a month ago, Kidwell has opted to play Kodi Nikorima at five-eighth, while Takairangi gets the nod at centre ahead of Peta Hiku and Dean Whare.
"That was a really tough call, obviously Te Maire came off playing in the grand final, but Kodi wants it. I said to him that at times he is going to have to take ownership of the team, he wanted to step up and do it," Kidwell said.
Meanwhile hooker Thomas Leuluai said there were no concerns over a lack of experience in the squad, which includes there being just three Test caps across all four players named on the interchange.
"We have still got a lot of experience there too, it doesn't feel like we are missing experience and at training the talk is still there," Leuluai said.
"Guys are professional and have been playing for a long time… you have got young guys who [have been] playing three or four NRL seasons now, so they are already quiet professional in what they do and know their roles."
New Zealand side to face Samoa
1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
3. Gerard Beale
4. Brad Takairangi
5. Jordan Rapana
6. Kodi Nikorima
7. Shaun Johnson
8. Martin Taupau
9. Thomas Leuluai
10. Adam Blair (c)
11. Kenny Browmich
12. Joseph Tapine
13. Simon Mannering
Interchange:
14. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
15. Russell Packer
16. Isaac Liu
17. Danny Levi
Competition driving Kiwi rakes
No Kiwi guarantee for Taumalolo
The list that haunted Elijah Taylor
NZ pair diplomatic on Taumalolo snub
As the festivities wound down inside the Staples Center tonight, Academy president Neil Portnow made a late appearance in front of the press, and after being obviously frustrated that many were focused on what went wrong at the show, most prominently Adele's audio issues and Lauryn Hill leaving The Weeknd hanging at the last minute, he seemed genuinely excited when I asked him to talk about Kendrick Lamar's groundbreaking performance.
"What I said when I was asked what we're going to see from Kendrick, I said you're going to see something that's unbelievably powerful, and you're also going to see something that's a piece of art. To do what he did to put together, really that vignette, that works for a live audience and television, was really a masterpiece. From our standpoint, I'm very proud that happened on our stage, and I know that he is."
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Considering that the overwhelming sentiment expressed both on Twitter and those I spoke to at the event was that Kendrick's performance most likely terrified mainstream America, it was powerful to hear Portnow support Kendrick's freedom of expression without even the slightest hint of hesitation. However, it has to be said that while the GRAMMYs may have backed Kendrick's performance, when it came time to hand out the big awards they seemed particularly disinterested in inviting K. Dot into the major leagues.
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Unfortunately, Portnow's handler cut off the conversation before I could follow-up with a question regarding Kendrick's wins and losses - in fairness he had far more important things to do with his time than talk to me and I was lucky to get that one question in - so I'll just have to make sure I remember this tweet for next year's award ceremonies. I just can't shake the feeling that the GRAMMYs wants hip-hop's audience watching its telecast much more than it wants to hand out the big awards to hip-hop artists. TDE might just have to put a call in to the White House, if Obama's determined to push through some change on his way out maybe he can fix the GRAMMYs once and for all.
[By Nathan S, the managing editor of DJBooth and a hip-hop writer. His beard is awesome. This is his Twitter. Image via Instagram.]In the 1982 World Cup in Spain Algeria shone – before being sent home by one of the most cynical ploys ever to disfigure the competition
It was the best of times, it was one of the worst of footballing crimes. On their first appearance at the World Cup, Algeria made an impact that changed the tournament forever. They produced one of the most exhilarating performances to defeat one of the favourites, West Germany, but were then sabotaged by one of sport's most blatant cases of match-fixing.
The 1982 World Cup had opened with a surprise, the holders Argentina losing 1-0 to Belgium, but a far bigger shock was to follow. In the first match of Group 2, the mighty West Germany would surely crush the unknown novices from Algeria. That, at any rate, was the German attitude.
The reigning European champions had stomped imperiously into the finals, winning all eight qualifiers with a goals for-against record of 33-3. They had a constellation of stars in their squad – Paul Breitner, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Uli Stielike and so on – and were so certain of victory over Algeria that they entertained themselves in the pre-match press conferences by ridiculing their opponents. "We will dedicate our seventh goal to our wives, and the eighth to our dogs," quipped one player, while the manager, Jupp Derwall, promised that if his team contrived to lose he would "jump on the first train back to Munich".
"One player even said that he would play against us with a cigar in his mouth," recalls Algeria's full-back Chaabane Merzekane, who, as it transpired, was made man of the match. "Some of us wondered if this was just a psychological ploy, whether they were only saying these things to lull us into thinking that they weren't going to take us seriously – after all, who has ever heard of a German team that doesn't do its homework?"
The thing was, this German team really had not done their homework. Derwall confessed after the match that he had been provided with a video of Algeria in action but did not order the players to watch it because they would have laughed at him. Chances are that if they had bothered to view the tape, they would not have spent the build-up cracking jokes. Because they would have been forewarned about a team that had qualified by winning home and away against Nigeria, and prepared for the finals with impressive friendly wins over the Republic of Ireland, Real Madrid and Benfica. The Germans might also have noticed that, apart from their skill and speed, Algeria played with formidable fluency and a rare dynamism, the fruit both of the players' familiarity with each other – all had been playing together for years and most were based at home, Algerian law at the time prohibiting players from leaving the country before the age of 28 – and of an energising sense of historical duty.
These players, after all, were the heirs of those who in 1958 had given up professional careers in France to participate in Algeria's war of independence. The football team created by Algeria's resistance movement, the Front de Libération Nationale, travelled the world, showcasing Algerian spirit and skill and serving as a powerful propaganda tool in the fight for freedom. When the country finally attained independence in 1962 the FLN team composed the core of the new national side.
"Because of this history, the bond between the Algerian national team and our people is uniquely strong and we took the comments by the Germans before the game as a slur on our population," the striker Lakhdar Belloumi says, pointing out that several former FLN players were part of the coaching staff in 1982, including Abdelhamid Zouba and the co-manager Rachid Mekloufi.
"We had our parents at home, but we players also considered that we had our parents with us at pitch-side," Belloumi explains. "Those guys from the FLN were like our second fathers – in their day they abandoned fame and fortune to fight for their country and we were carrying on that fight. We were already a tight-knit group, but we were given extra motivation by the Germans, especially as we were very conscious that 1982 was the 20th anniversary of our independence. We were determined to uphold the dignity of our people."
Germany were about to be jolted. "We went out to attack them, to play with our style: Algerian vivacity," Merzekane says, who personified this style more than anyone, forcing Breitner on to the back foot with barnstorming breaks from deep. "We knew he liked to attack, that he was the best in the world at it, so we set out to exploit that – that was part of our tactical triumph. But we also dominated them technically and physically." Dominated is an exaggeration, but certainly Algeria were the better team in the first half and deserved their opening goal when it came in the 54th minute, Rabah Madjer finishing off a sweeping break.
Rummenigge equalised in the 67th minute, but if the Germans thought order had been restored, they were wrong. From the restart a nine-pass Algeria move ended with Belloumi arriving unmarked to slam the ball in from close range. "That was the finest moment of my career," says Belloumi, who after the tournament would receive permission from the Algerian government to accept a transfer to Italy, only for the move to fall through.
"It was the perfect goal, one of the best moves of the whole tournament," says Merzekane. "And after that we didn't hang on, we continued to attack and we could have won by three or four." It finished 2-1.
Merzekane's swashbuckling performance left ITV's commentator Hugh Johns almost breathless with admiration. "He's one of the discoveries of the World Cup!" gushed Johns, offering an accurate assessment even if it was only the third day of the tournament, and the full-back could have added a goal himself, when in the 88th minute he slalomed from his own box into the German area before being foiled by the goalkeeper Harald Schumacher. "It was a lung-bursting run and more proof that we were fitter and stronger than the European champions," says Merzekane. "But that wasn't a surprise to us – in those days there were no visa issues so as teens many of us had travelled and played against Europeans. We knew they were not better than us."
At the final whistle there were raucous celebrations in Gijón's El Molinón stadium and all over Algeria. West Germany was plunged into mourning. "This feels like the sinking of the Titanic," declared the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Algeria's players resisted the temptation to rub their noses in it. "We respected the German team and we respected their country, we were just delighted that we had also made them respect ours," says Belloumi.
The euphoria lasted for days and left them drained and, to their cost, a trifle complacent for their next game, against Austria. They lost 2-0.
"That's where we showed our inexperience," says Belloumi. "We should have kept a cool head before that game and probably changed a couple of players but, in fairness to the Austrians, they had studied our style and knew we could be vulnerable on the counterattack." In contrast to Derwall's wilful ignorance, Austria's manager, Georg Schmidt, had been monitoring Algeria since the Africa Cup of Nations in Libya earlier that year. Fabio Capello, whose England team take on Algeria in Cape Town on Friday, would never make the same mistake as Derwall.
Algeria recovered their vivacity for the final group game against Chile and quickly swept into a 3-0 lead. In a helter-skelter second half the South Americans struck back twice. "Again we showed our inexperience, we should have seen that match out and preserved our three‑goal lead," Belloumi says. Merzekane disagrees. "Some say we should have stopped attacking but we had come to the World Cup to show the Algerian style and we weren't about to start playing defensively."
The 3-2 victory still meant Algeria would become the first African team to reach the second round unless the group's final game, to be played the following day, ended in a one- or two-goal win for West Germany over Austria, in which case both the European teams would progress at Algeria's expense. In the 10th minute of that match Horst Hrubesch put the Germans in front. Then … nothing happened. Realising the scoreline suited both of them, Germany and Austria effectively stopped playing. In the ensuing 80 minutes there were no shots, and barely any tackles, crosses or sprints. The game was no longer a contest, it was a conspiracy. The teams' cynicism provoked universal scorn.
A smattering of Algerian fans in the Gijón crowd burned peseta notes to show their suspicions of corruption, while most of the Spaniards in attendance waved hankies throughout the second half in a traditional display of disdain. The next day newspapers in Spain denounced "El Anschluss" and there was outrage in Wst Germany and Austria too. Eberhard Stanjek, commentating for the German channel ARD, almost sobbed during the match as he lamented: "What is happening here is disgraceful and has nothing to do with football. You can say what you like, but not every end justifies the means." The Austrian commentator, meanwhile, told viewers to turn off their sets and refused to speak for the last half-hour. Former West German international Willi Schulz branded the German players "gangsters".
The gangsters, however, were unapologetic. When German fans gathered at the team hotel to protest, the players responded by throwing water bombs at them from their balconies.
Even less bothered was the head of the Austrian delegation, Hans Tschak, who made these extraordinary comments: "Naturally today's game was played tactically. But if 10,000'sons of the desert' here in the stadium want to trigger a scandal because of this it just goes to show that they have too few schools. Some sheikh comes out of an oasis, is allowed to get a sniff of World Cup air after 300 years and thinks he's entitled to open his gob."
Did the Algerian players take offence? Not at all, Merzekane says. "We weren't angry, we were cool," he says. "To see two big powers debasing themselves in order to eliminate us was a tribute to Algeria. They progressed with dishonour, we went out with our heads held high."
From all over the world came calls for Fifa to punish the Europeans or stage a replay, but in the end all the world's governing body did was rule that henceforth the last pair of games in every group must be played simultaneously. "Our performances forced Fifa to make that change, and that was even better than a victory," Belloumi says. "It meant that Algeria left an indelible mark on football history."It fell to Rob Nicholson, the minister of foreign affairs, to officially deliver the punchline into the official record.
“We have indicated the government of Iraq has the collective right to self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations,” he said. “It has officially requested international help and so we will comply with that. We will work on the same basis as our American allies are doing and report that to the United Nations.”
Perhaps that’s a bit high-brow, but I assure you it’s really quite hilarious once you understand the setup.
In his way, Thomas Mulcair has sought to pester the government on the details of this country’s war on ISIS. And the NDP leader’s specific concern yesterday was the legality of the government’s chosen intervention. What with Syria being a sovereign country that has not attacked this country, there is some reason
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interview with Britain’s ITV, Assange was asked if had any undisclosed e-mails. He responded:
We have upcoming leaks in relation to Hillary Clinton, which is great, WikiLeaks has a very big year ahead. We have e-mails related to Hillary Clinton which are pending publication, that is correct.
He then went on to predict — correctly — that Loretta Lynch would not indict Hillary over her breaches of national security:
Unfortunately, I think what’s going to happen is that the FBI is going to go “We have accumulated a lot of material about Hillary Clinton, we could proceed to an indictment.... [But] she’s not going to indict Hillary Clinton.
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Assange strongly hinted that other e-mail releases were coming, and sources close to him say they will go beyond the DNC e-mails. Assange himself says he wants to stop Hillary because she is, in his view, a liberal “war hawk” He claims that “a vote today for Hillary Clinton is a vote for endless, stupid war.” He then followed up by saying: “Hillary didn’t just vote for Iraq. She made her own Iraq. Libya is Hillary’s Iraq and if she becomes president, she will make more.”
‘It is strange that so few of her publicly released e-mails touch on the Clinton Foundation.’ — Peter Schweizer
Speculation in the Hillary camp about what could be in future releases from WikiLeaks center around her association with the Clinton Foundation. Peter Schweizer, the author of Clinton Cash, told me: The activities of Hillary Clinton during her time as secretary of state intersect with the favor-seeking of the Clinton Foundation. It is strange that so few of her publicly released e-mails touch on the Clinton Foundation. Maybe the private ones do.” The FBI recovered many of the deleted e-mails from Hillary’s server, and those are part of its ongoing probe into the Clinton Foundation.
#share#Democrats are responding to all this with their own attacks against Trump for refusing to release his tax returns. Tim Kaine, Hilary’s new running mate, used his first speech of the campaign to say:
And we’ll make sure that Wall Street, corporations, and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. And while we’re on the subject of taxes, where are Donald Trump’s tax returns? Raise your hands if you think those returns would show that he’s paid his fair share of taxes? I don’t see a lot of hands.
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Trump’s tax returns could prove troublesome for him. Fortune reporter Shawn Tully says that Trump’s 2014 financial-disclosure form (which has not been independently audited) claimed $362 million in income, but it was actually only revenue. Income equals revenue minus expenses.
Many people believe that Trump’s actual income is far lower than what he claims. Tully estimates that Trump probably earned just a third of the $362 million in 2014 income that he claimed. Trump declined to respond to questions about Tully’s article when it came out.
David Cay Johnston says that when he examined the few Trump tax returns that have been made public, he found many strange lapses. As part of an application for a casino license, Trump revealed his 1984 return, which showed that he had paid no income taxes at all that year. But a tax lawyer for Trump testified in court that the return was not prepared by his firm, even though the signature on the photocopy was his. The original return has never surfaced.
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#related#“With a crew of Lois Lerners running the IRS, those returns surely will leak right after the nomination is made formal,” Quin Hillyer wrote at NRO this spring. After all, someone in the IRS did precisely that in 2012, illegally leaking tax information about Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney had delayed releasing his returns until late in the campaign, and the Democrats gleefully used the leaked tax info against him. Trump himself criticized Romney for delaying release of his tax returns, saying he “was hurt very badly” by that. Will history repeat itself again in this campaign?
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No one knows for sure whether October surprises of leaked information are headed our way this fall. But clearly anything is possible in this cut-throat year of political surprises. That’s why polls are only of so much use – they may be dramatically overcome by events on the ground.Buy Photo The Swamy family, outside of their new home, under construction in suburban Mason. Such non-urban development is still incredibly popular in Greater Cincinnati – particularly in Warren County – for multiple reasons. (Photo: The Enquirer/Gary Landers )Buy Photo Story Highlights Since 1990, population growth has lagged in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, while the ever-expanding suburban rings in Warren, Butler and Clermont counties mark double-digit gains
More than half of Greater Cincinnati's jobs are at least 10 miles from the city's urban core.
Increasing numbers of corporate transfers from foreign business investment in Warren County among factors fueling growth there.
Residential demand for housing in Downtown Cincinnati outpacing supply.
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When Murali and Lakshmi Swamy went house-hunting, their homebuyer's wish list contained a few must-haves.
It had to be of newer construction and close to shops and retail and in a good school district, one with a gifted program to challenge daughter Shreya.
The couple evaluated several possibilities in Cincinnati and its inner suburbs before deciding on the new Alverta subdivision in Mason – a residential development so hot that builders held a lottery for potential homebuyers in December.
"It wasn't even a choice for me," said Murali. "I have always lived in suburbs. I like it here. It's quieter."
The Swamys represent a continued trend of people flocking to Cincinnati's suburbs – despite recent findings showing Americans are increasingly favoring cities over the 'burbs. Since 1990, population growth has lagged in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, while the ever-expanding suburban ring of Warren, Butler and Clermont counties have marked double-digit gains, according to the U.S. Census.
Undoubtedly, Cincinnati's urban core has undergone a resurgence, marked by a rejuvenated waterfront and the revitalization of neighborhoods like Over-the-Rhine and East End. But the numbers show that growth is still shifting toward suburban areas – a trend not likely to abate, urban planners say.
"Nobody knows what's going to happen in 15 years. You can't even predict five years," said Menelaos Triantafillou, an associate professor of planning and urban design at the University of Cincinnati.
But "I don't believe (suburban growth) can be reversed," he said.
Editorial: Lose cul-de-sacs, other suburban lessons
For generations, people have left cramped cities for newly built homes in the suburbs, especially following World War II when cheap loans and widespread adoption of the automobile made it easier to live further from jobs. Then the Great Recession hit, reversing the trend.
Buy Photo. (Photo: The Enquirer/Randy Mazolla)
Since 2011, many U.S. cities have grown faster than their suburbs, driven by millennials who are delaying marriage, kids and homebuying and retiring baby boomers looking to downsize and simplify, said Liz Blume, executive director of the Community Building Institute at Xavier University.
But in Greater Cincinnati, the numbers buck that national trend. Here, it seems, suburbs still reign supreme.
For 20 years, Cincinnati has seen its residents go: more than 67,000, or about 18 percent, have left since 1990. And Hamilton County's growth has declined more than 7 percent, from 866,228 residents in 1990 to 802,374 residents in 2010.
Meanwhile, the surrounding suburbs continue to see robust growth. The populations of Clermont and Butler counties have grown 31 and 26 percent, respectively, from 1990 to 2010.
But nowhere is growth more visible than in Warren County, where the population has exploded 86 percent, from 113,909 residents in 1990 to 212,693 in 2010, according to census figures.
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Since 2008, the once-rural county – now the third fastest-growing in the state – has led the region for new housing permits for single-family homes, condos and apartments, according to the Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati.
"Cincinnati hasn't had population growth because we haven't had employment growth. Population follows jobs," said Dan Dressman, the group's executive director.
"If businesses are looking for skilled workers and all the engineers are living in Mason or West Chester, where are you going to put your facility? Where your workforce is, in most cases."
A study released last year by the Brookings Institution indicated more than half of Greater Cincinnati's jobs are at least 10 miles from the city's urban core – a "job sprawl" greater than any other metropolitan area in Ohio.
Nearly 53 percent of the region's 858,000 jobs are located 10 to 35 miles from Cincinnati's business district, according to the report – from 49.5 percent in 2000 to 52.8 percent in 2010.
And situated at the center of what officials say is poised to become a booming Cincinnati-Dayton metroplex, Warren County's access to interstates 71 and 75, available acreage, skilled workforce and competitive tax structure make it an attractive place for businesses to invest, said Martin Russell, the county's economic director, who's also executive director of the Port Authority.
"In the Mason I-71 corridor, you have a lot of high-tech, innovative companies. In the Fields-Ertel area, you have a lot of back office and service industry. You go to Lebanon and you have a robust manufacturing base," he said.
"At (State Route) 63 (off I-75), you've got Park North, which is owned by Industrial Developments International," he added, referring to the planned 4.1 million square feet of logistics buildings on 300 acres. "Up the I-75 corridor, you have Middletown at OH-123, which has a significant investment with the Atrium Medical Center and is looking to highlight that with a medical campus."
"If you want to risk your capital, this is the place to risk it," he said.
Fueling the county's population gains are increasing numbers of corporate transfers from foreign business investment, Russell said.
While the county's racial composition remains largely white (90.5 percent), diversity is on the rise. Warren County has a higher percentage (5.3 percent) of foreign-born persons than its neighboring counties and the city of Cincinnati.
In Mason, the county's largest city, top-rated Mason Schools has become a magnet for Asian-Americans, with students of Asian or Pacific Islander descent making up 15 percent of the district's total enrollment of more than 11,000 students.
Part of the suburbs' allure, ironically, is in its embrace of urban design and amenities. New urbanism, while not a new model, is one that's been gaining in popularity in post-recession suburban planning.
Area developers are increasingly ditching McMansions and mega-malls for the old Main Street model: walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods oriented around a downtown retail area, schools and other amenities.
"Where you used to have just acres of housing and had to drive to the shopping center, (developers) are taking the idea of a town center and building it out in the boonies," said Triantafillou. "People say, 'Why do I have to go downtown? I have everything here.'"
"You're seeing commercial development follow the rooftops," added Keith Yearout, a CBRE real estate investment specialist in Cincinnati. "You no longer have to drive far away to get those amenities. The developers are bringing it to you."
That is not to say there doesn't exist a demand for urban living, but supply continues to outstrip demand, developers say.
"Residential growth is happening slowly because we can only do a handful of units at a time," said Yearout. "Everyone wants to buy a building in Dowtown Cincinnati and convert it for residential, but it's expensive and not an easy thing to do to acquire a building and empty out existing office tenants."
Urban residential projects can be expensive to get off the ground and can take several years to build out, he said.
That delay leads those interested in renovated or newer homes to seek out suburbia, said Triantafillou.
"Even though there will be a recycling (of older homes), somehow there have to be new houses built to accommodate population growth. If you don't have land, naturally you're going to go to places where land is available," he said.
Cincinnati has tried to recapture regional population growth by offering financial incentives, city support for projects and a tax abatement program Dressman says is "unrivaled."
"There's no other community in this region and throughout the state that has such an aggressive property tax abatement program," he said.
That, and other efforts to attract residents, seem to have had some impact.
From 2010 to 2013, Cincinnati saw its population grow a modest 0.19 percent, according to data estimated by the Census. Hamilton County is also projected to have halted its population slide, with an estimated population growth of 0.26 percent.
But those gains may not be enough to counter the suburban stampede: In the same period, Warren is expected to have grown another 3 percent, trailed by Clermont and Butler counties at 1.4 percent and 0.85 percent, respectively.
As Greater Cincinnati's regional economies continue to compete for residents and jobs, there are strong incentives for the metropolitan area to work together, urban planners say.
"One of the things that makes Cincinnati an interesting place is that there are a lot of different kind of environments," said Blume.
"There are great city neighborhoods and suburban locations. It's the diversity that makes the whole place so interesting."
Suburban sprawl holds larger implications for the Greater Cincinnati region beyond a shifting housing market. Among the concerns:
Concentrated poverty: Warren County is the most affluent county in Greater Cincinnati, with a median household income of $72,000, according to Census figures. That's more than double the median household income of Cincinnati ($33,700). Combined with the area's job sprawl, concerns arise about an urban core where many jobs lie beyond the reach of low-income residents who lack transportation options.
Higher taxes: Besides limiting economic opportunity for low-income residents, suburban sprawl often results in more inefficient public services, says Liz Blume, executive director of the Community Building Institute at Xavier University. "One of the central challenges is that infrastructure – roads, sewers, water lines and even schools and police and fire services – everything costs more when it's spread out," she said.
Increased carbon footprints: Sprawling suburbs, with their larger homes that require more energy to heat and cool and increased reliance on cars, contribute more to greenhouse gases than their urban counterparts, said Blume. "Denser urban models are potentially more sustainable," she said. "On a regional scale, that's something that we eventually need to care about."
Warren County has led the region in new home permits since 2008. Here's some of the projects underway:
Alverta, Mason
M/I Homes recently opened up 10 homes in the second phase of development in its popular Alverta community on the site of the former Western Row Golf Course at Mason-Montgomery and Western Row roads. The community will feature 125 single-family residences on about 52 acres with prices starting in the mid-$300,000s.
Willow Brook, Mason
After completing its 63-home first phase this spring, Ryan Homes expects to offer up to 55 new homes this fall in its Ridge of Willow Brook and Estates of Willow Brook communities off Mason-Morrow-Milgrove Road. Prices range from the $190,000s for the Ridge of Willow Brook and the mid-$300,000s for Estates of Willow Brook.
Mason Grand, Mason
Construction continues on the $45 million Mason Grand rental community on Kings Mills Road/State Route 741, which features 294 upscale townhomes and garden apartments. More four-, six- and 10-unit apartments buildings will be added as the 70-acre site is built out, according to Schottenstein Real Estate Group, the project's developer.
Lakeside Cove at Hunter's Green, Deerfeld Township
Gridiron Development broke ground this spring on its new Lakeside Cove at Hunter's Green development off Snider Road. The 21-unit "community within a community" in the Hunter's Green subdivision will offer lakefront condos starting in the $290,000s.
Roberts Park, Deerfield Township
M/I Homes will break ground this fall on an $80 million residential development on 140 acres at Butler-Warren and Princeton roads. The 189-home Roberts Park will offer lots of varying sizes starting in the mid-$300,000s and going up to more than $600,000. Eighty acres of the property will be dedicated to Deerfield Township for use as a "passive" public park.
Rivercrest, Hamilton Township
M/I Homes will also break ground this fall on its new 132-acre Rivercrest community off Montgomery Road. The 200-plus home community in the Kings School District will offer scenic views of the Little Miami River and amenities including a stocked pond, 50 acres of green space and clubhouse. Home prices start in the mid-$300,000s.
Otterbein, Turtlecreek Township
Otterbein retirement community is proposing a "new urbanism" community on 1,200 acres to be modeled after the village of Hamilton County's Mariemont. The development – to be built over about 40 years – would put about 4,500 apartments, condominiums, duplexes and single-family homes at Ohio 741 and Ohio 63.
Crooked Tree, Mason
Mason City Council last week rejected a rezoning change requested by owners of the former Crooked Tree Golf Course that would have ushered in a 230-home development ranging in price from $310,000 to more than $1 million. Developer Ct. Devco Inc. now has the option of battling council's decision in court or developing the 168-acre site at Mason-Montgomery and Bethany roads under current zoning, which would allow for condominiums, patio homes and office space.
Bow Tweh, Michael D. Clark and Dan Horn contributed to this story.
Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/1tPkGrFFrance’s tax authorities notified Microsoft that the company will be required to pay €52.5 million ($70 million) in tax adjustment, French media outlet BFMTV reports.
This is Microsoft France’s third tax redress in five years, and its most expensive so far. The procedure follows an audit that took place in 2010 with regard to transfer prices between the French subsidiary and its parent company between 2007 and 2009.
According to BFMTV, Microsoft’s French subsidiary operates as a commissioned agent of another subsidiary, which is based in Ireland. When a product is sold, the French entity only accounts for a small portion of the total price, corresponding to its commission on each deal that is closed by the Irish entity.
It is the size of these commissions that the French tax authorities have been disputing. In addition, they have also been questioning whether Microsoft France also has direct commercial activities in the country, an investigation that led it to raid the company’s offices near Paris in July 2012.
Talking to BFMTV, Microsoft minimized the importance of today’s redress, which it is still disputing, and pointed out that it is also set to receive a favorable tax adjustment following a reassessment of another fiscal year.
One thing is for sure, France’s tax authorities have decided to actively monitor the financial practices of large US tech companies operating on their territory. However, it remains to be seen whether these audits will have actual consequences, as a previous disputed redress with regard to fiscal years 1999 to 2001 ended up with France having to repay €20 million to Microsoft – plus €4 million interest (a total of $32 million).
Image credit: Eric Piermont / AFP / Getty Images
This post is part of our contributor series. The views expressed are the author's own and not necessarily shared by TNW.
Read next: BitTorrent launches SoShare, an 'unlimited' file delivery service that lets you send up to a terabyte for freeCai Irvin (Facebook)
A heartbroken militiaman announced that one of his buddies had walked off the Oregon nature preserve they had overtaken and had holed up in a local motel to drink away donation money.
Joe Oshaugnessy, an Arizona militiaman, has been actively seeking volunteers through social media to join the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
But his friends tearfully announced that Oshaugnessy, who is known as “Capt. O,” had left the refuge Wednesday and was instead staying at a motel nearby — as some others associated with the militants have apparently been doing, according to sources.
Some of the militants have reportedly been spotted eating at area restaurants during the standoff, as well.
The militants have been allowed to come and go freely from the nature preserve in the absence of a law enforcement presence, but at least one of them, Brian “Booda” Cavalier, failed to return after a newspaper report revealed he had lied about serving in the U.S. Marines.
Oshaugnessy had apparently argued with some of the participants about the presence of women and children at the wildlife refuge, where militants apparently hoped to draw federal agents into a gun battle.
Jon Ritzheimer, the Arizona militiaman known for organizing anti-Muslim rallies and fundraising through his “Rogue Infidel” site, went to see Oshaugnessy at the motel and found him drinking there, according to Maureen Peltier, a disabled National Guard woman who claims to be the group’s official spokeswoman.
Peltier said Ritzheimer had confirmed that Oshaugnessy had kept the money he had raised through social media for himself and had spent at least some of it on a drinking binge.
Another militant, Cai Irvin, tearfully announced Oshaungnessy’s departure in a Facebook video.
“Ritzheimer did call me — he’s f*cking pissed, he’s mad, he’s upset,” Irvin said. “He told me to tell all of you that Joe Oshaugnessy is a deserter and a coward.”
Irvin said the militants felt betrayed by Oshaugnessy, who had taken part like many of them in the 2014 standoff at the Bundy ranch — where various factions within the right-wing “patriot” movement also squabbled.
“It’s like finding out there is no such thing as Santa,” Irvin said. “Come on, man.”
Irvin later removed the Facebook video from his public profile page.
Oshaungnessy, meanwhile, wrote on Facebook that a “smear campaign” had been launched against him.
“Because I have been vocal about not supporting the actions taken by the individuals inside the compound apparently they have desired to launch a smear Campaign against me,” he wrote on his profile page. “Even though I am one of the only Patriots on the outside doing everything I can to try and prevent this from turning into another Wako [sic] And making sure to protect the safety of all involved. To what I say my reputation is sterling.”
(This story has been updated)Bobby Paul Edwards of Conway, S.C., on Sept. 22. (Horry County Sheriff’s Department)
A white restaurant manager accused of enslaving and abusing a mentally disabled black man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in South Carolina on a charge of forced labor.
Federal prosecutors say Bobby Paul Edwards used “force, threats of force, physical restraint, and coercion” to compel John Christopher Smith to work as a buffet cook at J&J Cafeteria in Conway, S.C., for more than five years.
Edwards, 52, was arrested this week and pleaded not guilty in open court on Wednesday, shortly after prosecutors announced the indictment, records show.
The full title of the charge is “attempt to establish peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude or human trafficking.” It carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. If convicted, Edwards will have to pay restitution to Smith.
Edwards’s attorney Scott Bellamy didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Though the indictment was unsealed, it remained inaccessible to the public as of Thursday morning. But details about Smith’s alleged enslavement were documented in a federal lawsuit civil attorneys filed on his behalf in late 2015.
Smith, a 39-year-old with a mild cognitive disability, had worked for more than two decades without issue at the J&J Cafeteria, washing dishes, busing tables and later cooking food at the folksy small town diner. But when Edwards took over as manager in 2010, Smith said, the job turned into a nightmare.
Edwards would force Smith to work from dawn until late into the night, seven days a week, with little or no pay, no benefits and no vacation time, Smith alleged. Some days he would leave so exhausted and weak he had to be carried home and “physically fed drink and food.”
Smith described Edwards like a slave driver. He said the manager would call him racial slurs, and threaten to “stomp” his throat and beat him “until people would not recognize him.”
Edwards also assaulted him regularly, sometimes taking Smith into the restaurant’s freezer or back office to keep others from noticing, the lawsuit said.
In one instance, Smith said, Edwards dipped a pair of tongs into hot frying grease and scalded the back of his neck. On another occasion, when Smith didn’t bring food out to the buffet fast enough, Edwards took Smith into the back of the restaurant and whipped him with a belt buckle, according to the complaint.
“Plaintiff was heard crying like a child and yelling, ‘No, Bobby, please!’ After this beating, Defendant Bobby forced Plaintiff to get back to work,” the complaint read.
The combination of threats and actual abuse made Smith so afraid, the lawsuit said, “that he felt coming forward would be fruitless” and bring about “more aggravated abuse or even death.”
All the while, Smith lived in squalor behind the restaurant in a roach-infested apartment owned by Edwards, according to the complaint. Smith’s attorneys described the conditions there as “sub-human,” “deplorable” and “harmful to human health.”
Edwards allegedly told Smith that he had a bank account with more than $30,000 of his earnings, but Smith said he was never paid any of that money or given access to the account. The restaurant reported that Smith earned less than $1,000 per quarter, even though he was regularly working 18-hour days, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit accused Edwards and his brother, Ernest J. Edwards, the owner of the restaurant, of slavery, discrimination and labor violations. Both have denied wrongdoing.
Like Smith, waitresses at the J&J Cafeteria were reluctant to come forward because they feared Bobby Paul Edwards, according to Geneane Caines, an advocate for Smith who said her daughter-in-law worked at the restaurant.
“Customers that were going in there would hear stuff and they didn’t know what was going on, and they would ask the waitresses, and the waitresses were so scared of Bobby they wouldn’t tell them then what it was,” Caines told WMBF last year.
In October 2014, Caines reported the alleged abuse of Smith to authorities. Local police, the South Carolina Department of Social Services and the NAACP got involved soon after. When social workers checked on Smith, they found scars on his back. He was immediately placed in the custody of Adult Protective Services.
Edwards was arrested and charged with second-degree assault. That case is pending in state court.
In February of last year, attorneys for Smith dismissed Edwards from their lawsuit “without prejudice,” indicating that they were considering amending their complaint or seeking remedies in criminal court. Edwards’s brother and the restaurant are still named as defendants, records show.
In Wednesday’s announcement, prosecutors alleged Edwards held Smith captive from September 2009 to October 2014, an even longer period than Smith’s attorneys outlined in their lawsuit.
“Our client is very appreciative of the efforts put forth by the U.S. government in its investigation,” David Aylor, an attorney for Smith, told the Post and Courier Wednesday. “And he believes that ultimately, justice will be served.”
Smith told WMBF he was 12 years old when he started working at J&J Cafeteria, a squat brick building on a sleepy thoroughfare in Conway that serves Southern comfort food and traditional diner fare. He liked the job until Edwards took over, he told the station.
“I want him to go to prison,” he said, “and I want to be there when he go.”
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What’s with world leaders giving Vladimir Putin puppies as gifts?
Ohio school: Beware of talking drone trying to lure kids off the playgroundThe United States expressed concern on Thursday that Syria’s government might be harboring undeclared chemical weapons, hidden from the internationally led operation to purge them over the past year, and that Islamist militant extremists now ensconced in that country could possibly seize control of them.
The assertions by Samantha Power, the United States ambassador to the United Nations and current president of the Security Council, were made after the Council received a private briefing on the Syria chemical weapons disarmament effort from Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations official appointed last year to coordinate it. Under Ms. Kaag, 96 percent of Syria’s declared chemical weapons stockpile, including all of the most lethal materials, have been destroyed.
But Ms. Kaag told reporters after the briefing that Syria had yet to address what she described as “some discrepancies or questions” about whether it had accounted for all of the chemical weapons in its arsenal. She also said Syria had yet to destroy seven hangars and five tunnels used for mixing and storing the weapons — which is required under the chemical weapons treaty that Syria has signed. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Hague-based group that collaborated with the United Nations in overseeing the Syrian chemical disarmament, is now responsible for ensuring that Syria honors its promise.
“It’s a discussion that’s continuing in Damascus as well as The Hague,” Ms. Kaag said.
She sounded more diplomatic than Ms. Power, who suggested in her remarks to reporters later that the Syrian government’s history regarding chemical weapons use raised skepticism about its commitment. She noted that Syria had repeatedly violated a timetable for the export and destruction of the chemicals, delaying the operation well past the June 30 target date.A Guantanamo Bay judge was correct “in law and in fact” to convict a Marine general who objected to government spying on a military tribunal defense team, the head of the military commissions ruled Tuesday.
An attorney for Brigadier General John Baker told The Daily Beast that Commissions Convening Authority Harvey Rishikof was “plainly wrong” and his team is exploring their next legal steps to vindicate Baker.
In what amounted to a face-saving climbdown for a military commissions process embarrassed by Baker’s conviction, Rishikof ruled that Baker will not have to pay a $1,000 fine ordered by the conviction judge, Air Force Colonel Vance Spath. Nor will Baker have to complete his 21-day confinement at his Guantanamo quarters.
That’s a moot point, however: today marks the final day of the sentence, and Baker has been freed since November 3, when Rishikof set him free pending his now-completed review.
Baker is out of confinement but not out of the woods. Rishikof has sent Baker’s defiance to Pentagon, Navy and Marine Corps’ legal-counsel offices for an administrative ethics review, the Commissions office said in a statement.
In other words, Baker may still face punishment for defying Spath on an issue central to the question – still unresolved after 16 years – of whether the military tribunals for accused terrorists can dispense justice.
The extraordinary episode arose after the defense team for the accused U.S.S. Cole bomber, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, quit the death-penalty case after discovering classified and still-undisclosed indications that the government was listening in on their communications. It was not the first time – nor even the second – that Guantanamo attorneys have learned their internal discussions were not exempt from surveillance, something long barred from civilian trials.
Those resignations meant a high-profile death-penalty case is without attorneys experienced (“learned counsel”) in death-penalty cases. Though Nashiri’s case has not reached the trial phase yet, to convict him without such attorneys would immediately cause the legitimacy of the government’s desired outcome to be thrown in doubt. Faced with a crisis, Spath ordered the attorneys, two of whom are Defense Department civilians, back to work. They refused.
Baker, the Marine general, is the chief defense counsel in the commissions process and backed the defense attorneys’ refusal to work. He traveled to Guantanamo for a dramatic October 31 showdown with Spath, whom he outranks. Spath refused to let Baker speak at the hearing and convicted him of contempt.
The process shocked observers and rattled Guantanamo defense attorneys. Lawyers for Baker immediately turned to the federal courts to free him. A reluctant Judge Royce Lamberth of the Washington, D.C. district court punted to Rishikof, though Lamberth left himself the option of subsequent intervention. Baker’s lawyers may go back to Lamberth if the Pentagon will not overturn Rishikof, one of them told The Daily Beast.
“While we are very pleased that the Convening Authority negated the remainder of the sentence of confinement and overturned the fine that had been imposed, we think the Convening Authority was plainly wrong in concluding that the military judge had the authority to hold General Baker in contempt in the first place,” said Barry Pollack, an attorney for Baker.
“The contempt finding should be reversed. We are reviewing whether there is a further avenue within the military that should be pursued to challenge the erroneous contempt finding or whether to return to Judge Lamberth to ask him to overturn the contempt finding.”
Late on Tuesday, Rishikof attempted to split the difference between Spath and Baker, both of whom remain part of the commissions process.
Rishikof has no power over the entirely separate military command that runs the detention facility at Guantanamo, where 41 men remained detained. But he will recommend what he called a “‘clean’ facility” be provided as a mechanism for “continued assurances and confidence that attorney-client meeting spaces are not subject to monitoring, as the commission proceeds.”
It’s the closest Rishikof has come in his nearly nine-month tenure to acknowledging the danger the government’s seeming inability to allow tribunal defense attorneys to communicate amongst themselves poses to the entire commissions enterprise.
It comes in contrast to Spath. As the commissions noted in its statement on Tuesday, the Air Force colonel had said in his hearing convicting Baker that “there wasn't any basis to find there had been an intrusion into attorney-client communications between this accused and this defense team.”
And in another sign that Rishikof isn’t letting Spath off the hook, Rishikof believes the “declassification of relevant documents concerning this matter needs to be expedited to ensure the now-classified analysis can be shared with the appropriate parties to reinforce the integrity of the process,” the commissions said in its statement.NEW DELHI: Press Council of India (PCI) chairperson Justice Markandey Katju has written to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking pardon for Devender Pal Singh Bhullar who has been awarded death sentence in connection with the 1993 Delhi bomb blast case.
Katju's letter comes close on the heels of a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court rejecting the plea of Bhullar, a Khalistani terrorist and death row convict Bhullar in a judgement that paves the way for his execution.Katju said that Bhullar has been in detention since his arrival in India in January 1995 i.e over 18 years and added that he had suffered prolonged mental agony and trauma for this long period in death row with a Damocles' sword hanging over his head.Assigning reasons behind his plea, Katju said Supreme Court had earlier rejected Bhullar's appeal against his death sentence by a 2-1 majority, not by a unanimous decision and added that the senior most judge on the bench Justice M B Shah had acquitted Bhullar.Katju said that he had perused the judgement of Justice Shah who had noticed that the only evidence against Bhullar is his alleged confessional statement to the investigating office.Justice Shah has observed that "when the rest of the accused who are named in the confessional statement are not convicted or tried, this was not a fit case for convicting the appellant solely on the basis of the so called confessional statement recorded by the police officer", Katju wrote.He added that Justice Shah noticed in his judgement that there was nothing on record to corroborate the aforesaid alleged confessional statement.Katju's letter said that when rest of the accused who are named in the confessional statement are not convicted or tried, this would not be a fit case for convicting the appellant solely on the basis of so-called confessional statement recorded by the police officer.Katju said that the majority view of the bench has to be accepted as the judgement of the court but added that the considerations under Article 72/161 of the Constitution were different from those in judicial proceeding.State and local officials confirm the public records have been moved to off-site storage, though they remain in the custody of County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus...
Brad Friedman Byon 8/13/2012, 9:26pm PT
The ballots cast in Waukesha County during the June 5th Gubernatorial recall in Wisconsin appear to be safe from destruction at the hands of one of the nation's most notorious election officials.
For now.
In our exclusive exposé earlier today, we detailed the threat made by the infamous Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus to "destroy" the county's ballots from the historic recall election between Gov. Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, as early as noon today, in apparent contravention of state law. The threat to destroy the ballots was made even as they (and the rest of the ballots cast in the election across the state) are still subjects of public records requests by a number of citizen groups attempting to verify the otherwise completely unverified results of the race by examining the ballots by hand for the first time.
Nickolaus had denied the request by the largest group attempting to oversee the results of the election, and
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never actually talked to my doctor through this whole thing.”
The total cost to her insurance company was about $7,000. “It did change how I think about interacting with the medical system,” Ms. Riehman said. “It made me much more of a questioning consumer.”
Jim Donohue, a Brooklyn bank examiner, had to intervene on behalf of his father, now 79, who had a stroke in March 2007. Doctors in Florida put him on several medications, including two antidepressants, and soon after the man began hallucinating and showing signs of dementia. Mr. Donohue began researching the drugs, and learned they were associated with cognitive problems. He persuaded his father’s doctors to change the medication, and his father quickly improved. He has since recovered, and has been living on his own for four years.
“All the medical professionals seeing him along the way, the hospital, two nursing homes and nobody thought of this,” said Mr. Donohue, who said his father never should have been given a diagnosis of depression in the first place. “I don’t know if we have too many specialists and every one is trying to practice their specialty, but it should not have happened.”
When Kathryn Gullo, a teacher in the Los Angeles area, gave birth to twins just 25 weeks into the pregnancy, she was thrust into the intense medical care of the neonatal ward that saved her children’s lives. But when her daughter, Grace, was 3 months old she was transferred to a different hospital, where the doctors insisted on subjecting her to a battery of tests for symptoms that other doctors had dismissed as normal for her condition. “We felt like we were being bullied,” Ms. Gullo said. “I had enough faith in her previous doctors that it was then easy to say no.”
The family switched hospitals and their daughter, now 5 and living with mild cerebral palsy and some vision and feeding issues, continues to require specialized care. But recently, when doctors suggested an M.R.I. that would require that their daughter be anesthetized, Ms. Gullo and her partner, Katie Ingram, said they asked two key questions: “What new information will this give us?” and “Will it change what we are doing?” After talking to the doctor, they declined the M.R.I.
“Not every mystery has to be solved, and not every problem has to be addressed,” Ms. Gullo said. “That’s hard to get your brain around.”
The series is part of a larger New York Times project called The Agenda, which focuses on critical issues facing the next president and Congress. Join the conversation at The Agenda.In recent years, the United States has been producing more of its own oil, thanks to new drilling in states like North Dakota and Texas. More domestic oil has meant fewer imports. Fewer imports has meant a nice little jolt for the U.S. economy — or at least it did in 2013.
But we shouldn't expect that dynamic to last, says Robert Lawrence, an economist at Harvard's Kennedy School. In a short new paper, he argues that the oil boom likely won't reduce the U.S. trade deficit all that much over the long run.
That's because, he says, the U.S. trade deficit is fundamentally driven by domestic savings and investment patterns. The oil boom, by itself, won't change that much. If we're buying more American oil instead of foreign oil, then we're simply likely to spend more on other imported goods.*
"Unless you can tell me how the oil boom will change that pattern of savings and investment," Lawrence says, "then it's not going to change the trade balance."
This sounds awfully counter-intuitive, so let's break it down.
-- First, the numbers: Between 2000 and 2012, the United States ran a $7.1 trade deficit. About 40 percent of that deficit, or $2.87 trillion, came from the fact that Americans were buying so much oil from overseas. On the surface, then, it seems obvious that the trade deficit would shrink if the United States produced more of its own oil and bought less from countries like Saudi Arabia. Right?
-- Except, says Lawrence, that's not the way many economists look at the trade deficit. The way they see it, Americans basically aren't saving enough to finance all the domestic investments that are happening inside the United States. And the oil boom, by itself, won't be enough to shift that dramatically. Here's the key part of his paper:
The trade balance in goods and services, or what I will also refer to loosely and interchangeably as “the current account balance,” is commonly defined as the difference between exports and imports of goods and services... But the current account is also, by definition, equal to the difference between U.S. national saving and investment, and the change in the net claims of a country on the rest of the world. This means that in order for a given shift toward oil self-sufficiency to induce an equivalent improvement in the overall trade balance in goods and services, it would have to boost U.S. national saving relative to investment by the same amount. For example, if U.S. national investment were unchanged following a drop in net oil imports, Americans would have to increase their national saving by the full value of the oil trade improvement.
--As U.S. oil production increases, more Americans will be getting their income from oil rather than from other sources. Lawrence argues that these Americans would have to have very different patterns of saving and investment to have a substantial effect on the trade deficit. Or, alternatively, the oil boom would have to produce substantial tax revenue and shrink the U.S. budget deficit dramatically.
-- But, according to his calculations, neither of these effects is likely to be huge — since the oil industry is only a small part of the U.S. economy.
--Here's another way to think about it: If the United States produces more of its own oil and buys less from abroad, that will could a dent in the trade deficit in the short term. (Indeed, this seems to have happened in the last quarter of 2013.) But over the medium term — without any other changes in saving or investment patterns — the oil boom could drive up the value of the U.S. dollar, driving down the price of other types of imports. The end result? Americans would spend less on foreign oil and more on other foreign products.
--True, other economists and modelers have concluded that the oil boom will shrink the U.S. trade deficit. But, Lawrence notes, a lot here depends on basic assumptions used, such as Americans' propensity to buy imports, or the multiplier effect of extra investment.
--There's some historical precedent for Lawrence's argument. Back in the 1980s, the global price of oil plummeted and Americans were spending much, much less on foreign oil. But the trade deficit in other goods surged. Indeed, as Lawrence notes, there's little correlation between what we spend on foreign oil and the broader U.S. trade deficit:
In any case, there are lots of caveats here, but Lawrence's paper is a nice short overview of different ways to think about the oil boom and the U.S. trade deficit. It's worth a browse.
* Update/clarification: One thing that's worth mentioning is that Lawrence's paper assumes a world with a) full employment and b) unchanged oil prices (most analyses or modeling exercises like these usually do the same). Changing those assumptions around could alter the conclusion.
Related: How the oil and gas boom will change America: An interview with Michael LeviThe use of Poultry manure fertilizer is becoming a common practice (especially Chicken manure as fertilizer) with many farmers throughout the world as this matter content has in store various nutritional elements for various fields or crops. These nutritional elements are very effective in increasing the productivity and rapid growth of farms e.g. farms that produce vegetables. What manure basically is, its significance and various other factors related to it can be thoroughly understood under the following headings.
1. What is poultry manure and what are some of its components?
Chicken manure is basically a waste material which is organic in nature and comprises of urine and feces of animals which are related to poultry e.g. chicken.Poultry manure is a mixture of certain types of bedding material such as sawdust or wood shavings.The manure is acquired by cleaning of the poultry houses on regular basis where thin bedding layers are removed along with such manure. So the manure which is basically the waste from chicken dropping and other mixtures,when used as fertilizer is called Chicken fertilizer. Now the components or constituents found in the manure are dependent on the types of birds, their feed ration and proportions of droppings to litter, the handling systems of the manure and the types of litter. However, the most common components are Potassium, Nitrogen and phosphorus.
2. Why fresh manure not to be used, timing of usage and precautions involved?
It is preferred to use manure after within 120 days of the harvesting of crops. Similarly it is preferable not to use fresh manure because it may contain certain bacteria which are harmful for human health and may cause diseases. It is therefore suggest that the manure should be used after it is composted because composting not only enhances the nutrients but also avoids the risks of your exposure to different diseases. The composting procedure may involve 3 to 4 weeks after which such manure can be used as fertilizer in gardens and for crops. Always wash your hands thoroughly after they come in contact with the manure or the compost and especially before eating so that no bacteria can enter your body.
3.advantages of poultry manure fertilizer in comparison with other fertilizers
Poultry manure fertilizer or a Chicken fertilizer has some of its distinct benefits in contrast to the synthetic or the inorganic fertilizers available in the market. The first benefit of their use is that they are more economical for the cause as compared to inorganic fertilizers. They have the tendency to condition the soil better then the inorganic ones. This better conditioning of the soil will result in an extra yield. Research has shown that the yields of crops like Cotton was significantly higher when a Chicken manure organic fertilizer was used. The use of Chicken manure for fertilizer not only brings ecomical benefits to farmers but is also less harmful to the environment in comparison to inorganic fertilizers. Not only can it be used for the fields but it can also be used as garden fertilizer. Poultry manure or a Poultry fertilizer or litter as fertilizer is basically a mix of droppings of chicken or birds like pigeon, ducks and turkey. They are generally hotter as compared to other organic fertilizers like those of cow and horse. They need to be composted first or else they have the tendency to burn plants. They are high in nutrients like Nitrogen and potassium. Horse manure is on the other hand not as rich in Nitrogen as chicken manure but is richer when compared with cow manure. So a Chicken litter fertilizer you can say is rich in some components in contrast to others but the usage of fertilizers can vary according to the crops.
4. Deep litter in commercial farms and backyard poultry
Deep litter is a housing system of animals which is based on repeated or continuous spreading of sawdust or straw material. The initial layer is made as bedding for animals and the other layers are added when the litter gets soiled. They are also known as backyard litter or domestic litter when used in domestic poultry.Chicken manure pellets which are used as fertilizers are obtained from the manure of the chicken in the cages or coop.Computers are only as fast as their components, and one key component is about to get a serious shot of adrenaline.
Solid-state drives marked a huge step forward in device memory, capable of reading and writing data at speeds far greater than any disc-based hard drive. SSD technology still uses electronic chips to move data though, which introduces a number of factors that limit the speeds at which data can be transferred. A revolutionary new type of memory chip being developed by researchers at Oxford University and Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has completely eliminated those speed-limiting issues, and it could lead to storage solutions that outperform SSD drives by a staggering margin.
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Photonic memory chips are not new. Researchers began working to create light-based storage chips decades ago, and some promising solutions have been developed over the years. The problem with all of these solutions, however, is that they have been volatile, requiring continuous electricity in order to function and store data. This obviously eliminates any possibility of using these solutions as a means of storing data permanently.
For the first time ever, a team of researchers claims to have developed a light-based memory chip that overcomes this substantial barrier.
The team, led by Oxford’s Harish Bhaskaran and Wolfram Pernice of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, used the same technology that enables rewritable CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs to create non-volatile photonic memory chips. The new solution uses waveguide technology to move light from lasers to and from a germanium, tellurium and antimony (GST) alloy nanocoating.
GST is the same material used in rewritable discs, and its structure is altered in predictable patterns when blasted by beams of light from a high-intensity laser. A second low-power laser can then read the patterns created by the GST and translate it as data. What’s more, this solution is far more efficient than binary electronic storage; researchers have been able to store 8 bits of data in a single location.
“Implementing on-chip non-volatile photonic memories has been a long-term, yet elusive goal,” the team said while discussing its paper that covers the new solution. “Photonic data storage would dramatically improve performance in existing computing architectures by reducing the latencies associated with electrical memories and potentially eliminating optoelectronic conversions. Furthermore, multi-level photonic memories with random access would allow for leveraging even greater computational capability. However, photonic memories have thus far been volatile. [Our solution demonstrates] a robust, non-volatile, all-photonic memory based on phase-change materials.”
There are still some hurdles that must be overcome before a solution based on the team’s technology reaches market. For one, their prototypes have thus far been hundreds of times larger than commercial memory chips. Bhaskaran and Pernice say the technology needed to commercialize their solution already exists though, and they also say that pairing their solution with photonic logic chips will lead to computers that are 100 times faster than currently available machines.At his height, there’s no way Isaiah Thomas should be able to score as well as he does. The odds are certainly stacked against him considering only two players in NBA history under 6-feet have ever averaged 25 or more points in a season: Calvin Murphy for the Rockets in 1977-78 (25.6 points) and Michael Adams for the Nuggets in 1990-91 (26.5 points). Thomas is currently averaging more points than both them (27.8 per game) on a much greater effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage.
Other than saying there isn’t much he can’t do on the court, it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly makes Thomas such a difficult matchup for defenders. He’s incredibly quick with the ball in his hands and he’s one of the craftiest finishers in the NBA. He’s also a knockdown shooter when it comes to both pull-ups and spot-ups. When you put those together, he’s someone teams can’t back off of or press up too closely because he’ll basically take whatever he’s given.
TRADE RUMORS: Will Celtics make Amir Johnson available?
Elevating Thomas to the next level is he knows how to use that dual threat to his advantage by making defenders think he’s going to do one thing before doing another with nifty changes in speed. His half-spin — or fake spin, as some prefer to call it — in particular might be the most underrated move in the NBA.
The move is what it sounds like: Thomas fools his defender into thinking he’s going to spin 180 degrees to attack in the opposite direction, only to stop halfway through and continue going in the direction he was initially heading. While simple, the possession below involving Wizards guard Tomas Satoransky is perhaps the clearest example of how effective it can be in a one-on-one situation.
Players rarely attack a set defense immediately following a dead ball because it’s hard to score against five stationary defenders who all have their eyes on the ball handler. That’s why the Celtics keep the Wizards engaged on the weak side — notice how Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter Jr. turn their backs to Thomas — by making it look like the play is for Avery Bradley to run off a pair of screens for a jump shot on the wing.
MORE: New Year's Resolutions for all 30 NBA teams
From there, Thomas uses the half-spin to freeze Satoransky by baiting him into shifting his momentum forward. With Thomas’ quickness, which he maximizes by not actually planting his left foot on the floor and instead using it as a springboard, there’s absolutely no way Satoransky will be able to recover in time to prevent a layup.
Sometimes it doesn’t look like the defender bites much on the move, but the slightest hesitation can be the difference between someone playing good defense on Thomas and getting absolutely burned. Just watch how Rondae Hollis-Jefferson barely slows down in the following clip. While he sticks with Thomas rather well afterward, Thomas is so good at keeping a defender on his hip and using his body to create separation at the rim that he makes it look easy.
There are plenty more examples of Thomas using the half-spin to shred defenders in half-court sets. Here, Thomas breaks it out in a pick-and-roll with Tyler Zeller to fool Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. Once again, pay attention to the timing of the move and how the defense reacts to it.
The problem for the defense is cutting Thomas off before he can get into the paint rarely works out well for them. The best pick-and-roll players know how to create space at the point of attack in order to put the big man in a better position to set a screen. It’s a skill which helped Kemba Walker, for example, become one of the best pick-and-roll scorers in the league. Therefore, defenders have to expend so much energy getting back in front of Thomas when he uses the half-spin that they’re more vulnerable to be screened if they’re "successful."
DEVENEY: Celtics will have to fight Jazz to acquire Gordon Hayward
Check out this video to better illustrate the point. When Thomas is cut off, he simply turns around to receive a down screen from Al Horford. Since Rodney Hood loses a significant amount of ground by trying to stay in front of Thomas, he can’t get out to Thomas at the 3-point line in time to disrupt his shot.
Thomas has a lot more tricks up his sleeve when he has an opportunity to break a defender down, but the half-spin is one of the most effective. For someone who is elite at scoring from underneath the basket, midrange and the perimeter, being able to change direction and speed at the drop of a dime means the defense can never get comfortable when he’s on the court.
That includes defenders who tower over him.Skopje, Macedonia - For more than two months, thousands of demonstrators have flooded the streets of the Macedonian capital, Skopje, almost daily.
In what has been referred to as the "Colourful Revolution", Macedonians are protesting against the government, corruption and a major wiretapping scandal in which the opposition accuses the government of surveilling more than 20,000 people.
The protests were sparked in early April, when President Gjorge Ivanov issued pardons to 56 politicians and businessmen, most of them connected to the ruling party, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation - Democratic Party for Macedonian Unity (VMRO-DPMNE).
Under pressure as the Colourful Revolution gained steam and European Union and NATO - both of which Macedonia aspires to join - voiced objections, Ivanov revoked the pardons earlier this month.
On Monday, more than 20,000 Macedonians came out for the largest protest since the movement was launched more than two months ago.
Colourful Revolution supporters have called for the government to resign and politicians, among them former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, to be put on trial for the crimes they accuse them of committing.By day, he’s a blind lawyer. By night, he’s a fearless crimefighter who sees with his ears. As Daredevil returns, the first Brit to play him talks about disliking superheroes, glorifying violence and rejecting Downton
“I get to stand on a roof looking heroic,” says Charlie Cox. “I get to put on a Spandex suit and run around punching people.” He’s talking about playing Daredevil, The Man With No Fear (or Eyesight, though that doesn’t seem much of a hindrance to his super-violent, super-gymnastic super-heroics). So he likes the part? “I love it,” he says.
Cox, 33, has taken a role once played by Ben Affleck and made it his own – despite being largely unknown and the first non-American to play Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer who moonlights in tights and fights.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Moonlighting in tights and fights... Charlie Cox.
In season two, which launches on Netflix on Friday, DD is back in his now-souped-up supergear: pec-hugging body armour and, even better, a helmet with horns. This is a much-needed upgrade of his seriously uncool old outfit, which was topped by what can only be described as a tea cosy. He also gets not one but two love interests, as well as a smattering of new baddies to throw through flimsy sets, not to mention several personal dilemmas.
Cox plays Daredevil as The Man With No Fear But With Plenty of Flaws and Scars. “He has this Catholic guilt,” says Cox, “which is unusual in a superhero.” Cox really gets Murdock’s angst, he says, having been brought up in the faith himself.
It may be an adaptation of a comic book, but Marvel’s Daredevil is especially gruesome and definitely not for the squeamish: one villain impales himself on a spike headfirst; another is bludgeoned to death with a bowling ball; while a crime boss removes a Russian flunkey’s head with a car door.
Is Cox happy about all this gore? “I don’t feel comfortable with the glorification of violence,” he says. “But, as an actor who has had long periods of unemployment, you have to be lenient with your convictions.”
Sitting in a suite at the Mandarin hotel in Paris, Cox certainly seems more comfortable centre-stage than he was back in 2007 when he said: “Fame terrifies me.” But he’s still not entirely at ease: “My reaction when I hear the word celebrity is, ‘Who, me?’ It doesn’t feel like I’m famous. I don’t get hounded in the street. I live in New York, where people don’t give a shit who you are. Thus far, touch wood, my life has changed very little.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest You can’t keep a good man down... Daredevil in a bind. Photograph: Patrick Harbron/Netflix
Cox discovered a passion for acting at Sherborne school in Dorset, though he was frustrated that all its productions were musicals (he can’t sing, he says). With his parents’ encouragement, he shunned university and went to Bristol Old Vic drama school. In 2007, he played Tristan Thorn in Stardust opposite Robert De Niro and Michele Pfeiffer.
He also played the Duke of Crowborough in the Downton Abbey pilot, but by the time the series was commissioned had signed up for the Martin Scorsese-produced show Boardwalk Empire. In that, he played Owen Sleater, a cheeky Irishman who works for (and falls for the wife of) Nucky, the corrupt politician brought so nastily to life by Steve Buscemi.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Praying for justice... ‘Daredevil’s religion makes him unique,’ says Cox.
Doesn’t this suggest drama is more his thing? Cox admits he is “not a fan of the superhero genre”, but he was drawn to the script because it felt “like a crime drama with superhero peppering on top”.
Blinded in an accident as a child, Murdock’s hearing becomes so acute that he can hear a watch tick across a crowded courtroom or identify a lying witness by their racing heart. As Daredevil, he confronts baddies – from car thieves to bikers, from wife-beaters to gangs of Irish, Mexican and Russian psychopaths – in the rundown NY district of Hell’s Kitchen, leaving them down but never dead, in the style of the original comics.
The new season cranks up DD’s capacity for angst as the lines between good and evil blur, leaving him agonising over whether he has the right to play god. “Daredevil’s religion makes him unique,” says Cox. “He’s a vigilante, but he’s also a lawyer – and all the while, he believes only God is capable of bringing people to justice.”
Can these three conflicting things be reconciled? The battle to do so is what drew Cox to the character whose own flaws are all too evident. “I was interested in Matt’s inner demons. He’s like an alcoholic – he can’t stop. He puts on the suit and all bets are off.” Does Cox have his own inner demons? “Doesn’t everyone? I’ve struggled for confidence and had great doubts about myself. But, personally, I’m not riddled with guilt.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest All to play for... can Murdock hit the jackpot with Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll)?
Although he is no longer afraid of the spotlight, Cox still suffers flashes of insecurity. “I didn’t read the critics last year. I was very, very nervous – when I was cast there was a lot of, ‘This guy doesn’t look right.’ But my mum finds those comments rather amusing and forwards them to me. Good for her. It makes me take it all less seriously.”
Cox says one of the biggest challenges has been acting blind and using a white cane. He was blindfolded and taken round New York by Joe Strechey, who works as a consultant to the series and is himself blind. “It was quite literally the blind leading the blind,” he says. “Crossing roads was an ordeal. It seems archaic, in this day and age, that people with vision loss are still using a white cane to get around.”
Cox has had to perfect his New York accent for the part, but it’s not the only language issue he has faced. “The other day,” he says, “we were discussing something with the director. He said: ‘How important is it to you?’ I said: ‘Look, I’m not going to throw my dummy out of the pram.’ The whole crew stared at me as if I was insane. I could see them all trying to translate it, so I had to stop, think, then repeat: ‘I’m not going to throw my pacifier out of the stroller.’”
Marvel’s Daredevil season two is on Netflix from 18 March.One of the reasons I think solar photovoltaic power is going to take over the world is that it is scalable in a way no other power source can be. It can be used to build multi-hundred-megawatt power plants, or it can be scaled down. Way down.
How far down? Try less than the width of a human hair.
Solar cells are getting ridonkulously small
South Korean scientists have created solar PV cells that are 1 micrometer thick, hundreds of times thinner than most PV and half again as thin as other kinds of thin-film PV. (The research is in a paper published in Applied Physics Letters last June.)
The cells are made with gallium arsenide as the semiconductor, "cold welded" directly onto a metal substrate, with no adhesive to make them thicker. Remarkably, they produce roughly as much power as thicker PV cells, though in testing, "the cells could wrap around a radius as small as 1.4 millimeters."
With cells this thin, solar PV can be integrated in all sorts of "wearables" — clothes, glasses, hats, or backpacks with solar cells integrated, continuously feeding power to our portable electronics. More to the point, PV could be integrated into just about anything.
This isn’t the thinnest solar cell ever, either. Back in February 2016, MIT researchers made solar cells so small and light they could sit atop a soap bubble without popping it. Here’s how they did it (from the press release):
[Vladimir] Bulović, MIT’s associate dean for innovation and the Fariborz Maseeh (1990) Professor of Emerging Technology, says the key to the new approach is to make the solar cell, the substrate that supports it, and a protective overcoating to shield it from the environment, all in one process. The substrate is made in place and never needs to be handled, cleaned, or removed from the vacuum during fabrication, thus minimizing exposure to dust or other contaminants that could degrade the cell’s performance.
The process takes place in a vacuum chamber at room temperature, without the solvents and high temperatures required to make conventional PV. Researchers say the same fabrication process could work with a number of different materials, including quantum dots or perovskites, yielding solar cells small and transparent enough to be embedded in windows or building materials.
Now, all these lab breakthroughs are just that: lab breakthroughs. It’s a long road from the lab to a commercial product. Plenty could go wrong in between.
But the trends in solar innovation are clear. Cells are getting smaller and smaller, and more and more flexible, using new fabrication techniques that are less and less resource-intensive.
It’s all super expensive now, and probably will be for a while. Eventually, though, these new methods will find their way into markets and start getting scaled up. With scale, costs come down.
Tiny solar PV will change the world
PV is different from any other energy technology. It can change the way we view power, from something we generate at a specific location to something we harvest, everywhere. Sufficiently cheap, small, and flexible solar cells could be integrated into our building materials, streets, bridges, parking lots, vehicles, clothes, even our skin.
These tiny solar cells won’t produce much power individually, but what they lack in energy density, they will make up for in ubiquity. They will be everywhere. And as solar diffuses into infrastructure, so too will energy storage and management.
Eventually, the entire built environment of human civilization will become one giant energy harvester and manager. The power system will not be something overlaid onto infrastructure but something that is part and parcel of infrastructure, something infrastructure just does, automatically. Most or all of the power urbanites need will simply exist in a seamless web, all around them.
It sounds like sci-fi. But I bet kids born today will live to see something like it.
A visual tour of the world's CO2 emissionsHillary Clinton faces a general election problem almost identical to the problem Ted Cruz faced in the 2016 republican primary: ‘the need to avoid personal exposure‘.
Any random visibility of Hillary Clinton leads to an increased acceptance that she is fundamentally inauthentic. More exposure leads to diminished support. In essence, ‘who‘ Hillary Clinton is becomes the greatest risk to her own candidacy. It’s a weird dynamic.
As a direct consequence the campaign staff, and those who are charged with retention of a false image, cannot allow Hillary Clinton to face situations where she (they) are not in full control of the optics and outcomes. Today, when faced with questions about Hillary’s lack of accessibility by the media the campaign manager laughed off any possibility:
(The Hill) […] Speaking at a luncheon hosted by The Wall Street Journal, campaign manager Robby Mook (above right) burst out laughing when asked if Clinton would hold court with members of the media before Election Day.
[…] According to a count by The Washington Post, it has been more than 230 days since Clinton last held one — Dec. 4, 2015. When Washington Post editorial board editor Ruth Marcus asked if the press conference blackout would continue into a Clinton administration, Mook again laughed it off. (more)
Think about how incredulous this is from a practical standpoint. Hillary Clinton has won the 2016 Democrat primary race without holding a single press conference all year – not one.
Obviously there are those who will critique such a reality by saying Clinton is a phony, a woman carefully scripted to deliver only poll-tested and focus-grouped presentations. Further, the only way to retain the inauthentic ruse is to keep the manufactured impression of her fundamental political viability alive through scheme and fraud. This is true to a certain extent, however, the basic issue is much larger.
There is nothing to indicate that Hillary Clinton is healthy enough to campaign with what political followers would call “full-throated intensity“.
Factually, the opposite is true.
Beyond the frequent coughing spouts noted by many, there are numerous indications that Clinton is physically incapable of handling the grueling and stressful customary approach toward campaigning; including the Clinton campaign’s position they refuse to release the former Secretary of State’s medical records.
Several people have noted how ‘light’ Clinton’s campaign schedule is/was throughout the 2016 primary. The campaign claimed the lack of large venue rallies and arena events was because Hillary preferred smaller, more intimate, gatherings. However, in hindsight there appears to be a more concerning reasoning that appears entirely related to her capability to retain the needed physical and mental energy needed to uphold traditional campaigning. Secretary Clinton just can’t do it.
Perhaps that explains why President Obama is enlisted to do what Hillary Clinton cannot do, campaign heavily in October:
[…] The president plans to campaign aggressively for Mrs. Clinton this fall. Aides have largely cleared his calendar in October, and barring new crises, the White House expects Mr. Obama to be on the campaign trail almost daily leading up to Election Day. (link)
What remains is a candidate who is not only hiding from the scrutiny and questioning of the media, but a candidate who is also hiding from the electorate she is trying to convince. Fortunately, Mrs. Clinton is protected by an ideological media enterprise, and entirely corrupted fourth estate, who are willing to go along with the scheme.
Stay tuned, this might get interesting if Donald Trump begins to call her out on these issues. In the face of the reality, there’s only so much the media can do before they must admit Trump’s right….
Donald Trump had a presser today, took over 30 Qs. Say what you want but he & other GOPers I've covered are way more accessible to press. — Candace Smith (@CandaceSmith_) July 28, 2016
AdvertisementsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are tied with the Arizona Coyotes for the most 5-on-5 goals allowed this season with 47. Some of that comes down to goaltending and bad luck — Matt Murray likely won’t have a.906 save percentage all season — but a lot of it has to do with how porous they’ve been defensively.
The Penguins are second only to the Coyotes in shot attempts against, giving up 859 shot attempts at 5-on-5 so far this season. Their high-powered offence nearly makes up for it, with 858 shot attempts for, but it’s still shocking to see the defending Stanley Cup Champions give up so much defensively.
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It’s not just shot quantity that troubles the Penguins, but shot quality as well. Their Expected Goals Against (which rates each unblocked shot attempt based on its likelihood to be a goal according to shot location, shot type, and other factors) is 36.76, the fourth highest in the NHL.
In their defence, they have had some bad luck with save percentages and their backup, Tristan Jarry, has struggled even more than Murray. That doesn’t excuse the sheer number of shots they give up, however, nor does it explain their high expected goals against. The Penguins defence corps simply hasn’t done enough to suppress shot quantity or quality.
That’s the lineup that Derrick Pouliot couldn’t crack out of camp.
For the Canucks, Pittsburgh’s loss has been Vancouver's gain. Pouliot has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the young 2017-18 season. The 23-year-old defenceman has gradually grown into a top-four role on the Canucks’ blue line and is poised to give head coach Travis Green a tough decision to make when Troy Stecher and Chris Tanev return from injury.
Pouliot’s role has gradually grown since Alex Edler’s knee injury forced him into the lineup. He played limited minutes early on, averaging under 12 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time in his first seven games. His ice time was already growing recently when Chris Tanev’s broken thumb gave him an even bigger opportunity on the right side.
In the Canucks’ most recent game against the San Jose Sharks, Pouliot lined up on the right side with Alex Edler and the pairing dominated in nearly every way. With Pouliot on the ice at 5-on-5, shot attempts were 30-12 for the Canucks; unblocked shot attempts were 23-7; shots on goal were 18-4; scoring chances were 17-5.
The only thing that went wrong is the puck didn’t go in the net.
Pouliot finished second on the Canucks in ice time, playing 22:52, including 18:10 at even-strength. He was on the ice for just one of the Sharks’ five goals, a shorthanded goal into the empty net for which Pouliot couldn’t be faulted.
So far this season, Pouliot leads all Canucks defencemen in corsi percentage (percentage of total shot attempts taken by the Canucks at 5-on-5) at 56.76%. Only Tanev has allowed a lower rate of shot attempts against. The biggest difference is that Pouliot generates shot attempts for at nearly nine more per hour than Tanev.
Well, that and Tanev has consistently played tough minutes against the best forwards the opposition has had to offer, while Pouliot has mainly played in more sheltered minutes on the third pairing.
But it looks like Pouliot can (and perhaps should) play a more significant role on the Canucks at even-strength. He’s already one of their better power play options, though with the power play struggling, that’s not saying much at the moment, but he seems to have more to give 5-on-5.
With Tanev out of the lineup, the Canucks are going to need to rely on Pouliot more and more. He's the defenceman that they trusted enough to play on his off-side and he has rewarded them so far. If he can continue his strong play in tougher minutes, it's going to be tough to take him out of the lineup.
Player TOI CF/60 CA/60 CF% SF/60 SA/60
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J3o64q — Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) August 28, 2017
Ramczyk left practice during the week with an undisclosed injury, and sat out the preseason game this week, but returned to practice Monday and is expected to be good to go.The women have been sent to 14 days’ judicial custody.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (Photo: PTI)
Lucknow: Four women, including anganwadi worker Neetu Singh, who had “married” a photograph of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath at a mock wedding in Sitapur last week, have been arrested for stopping the chief minister’s convoy.
The women have been charged with sedition for allegedly trying to block the chief minister’s convoy while he was on his way to a function in Naimisharanya shrine in the district.
The women have been sent to 14 days’ judicial custody.
Talking to reporters before being sent to jail, Neetu said that she simply wanted to talk to higher authorities and convey their problem but has been charged with sedition.
Last week, Neetu had organised a mock wedding along with other Anganwadi workers in which she had ‘married’ a photograph of the chief minister.
Neetu, who is the district president of Mahila Anganwadi Karmachari Sangh, said for them this was a novel way of attracting the attention of the state government. “Through this marriage we thought around four lakh sisters will benefit. I even wanted to go to the chief minister’s house on a horse to draw his attention to our plight”, she said.NFL star David Carter now champions a meat-free diet. (Photo: Paige Carter)
When defensive lineman David Carter gathers friends to watch Super Bowl 50 this weekend, the NFL star plans to put out a mouth-watering spread of classic game-day grub — loaded nachos, jalapeño poppers, grilled sliders, the works.
There’s just one thing: It’s all vegan.
Standing 6′5″ and weighing 300 pounds, the Chicago Bears recruit is a stark contrast to what many envision when they think of a plant-based diet. But since ditching animal products three years ago, Carter said his health, and his life, has never been better.
Trailblazing Vegan and Gluten-Free Bakery Celebrates a Decade in Business
“I’ve gone from an athlete to an educator, that’s been the biggest change,” Carter told Yahoo Food. “I went from being just a football player to giving speeches all across the country — and in other countries! — opening up people’s eyes to how good a vegan diet can be.”
Growing up with an grandfather who ran a BBQ restaurant in Los Angeles, Carter is the first person to say he never imagined someday trading ribs and wings for cashew cheese and beans. But after suffering several football injuries — including tendonitis, nerve damage and chronic muscle fatigue — the defensive end concluded that the protein-heavy diet prescribed by his trainers and coaches was a culprit.
How Ellen Degeneres Inspired This Carnivore Chef To Build a New Career as a Vegan
“The average life span of a professional football player is only 56,” wrote Carter on his personal website, The 300 Pound Vegan. “[This is] due to extreme consumption of animal products which leads to heart disease, stroke, cancers, and other chronic illnesses…”
View photos
Carter says his vegan lifestyle has boosted his energy. (Photo: Paige Carter)
Surprisingly, giving up grilled steaks hasn’t been as hard as one might expect, he said.
“People have no idea what vegan food is,” Carter told Yahoo Food. “They think it’s salad or equate it with something nasty.”
11 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Were Vegan
The funny thing is, the athlete added, many popular foods are already vegan or can be made meat- and dairy-free with simple switches. That’s exactly what he hopes his guests will discover when they come over to watch the Carolina Panthers take on the Denver Broncos during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
“You just have to be creative and manipulate the food,” he said. “So we’ll make a vegan slider. It will probably include some Gardein patties, coconut bacon, and Just Mayo has this great, spicy sriracha mayo — I’ll doctor up that recipe a little bit but it’s going to be good.”
For repeat snack attacks, the sportsman has another homemade power move ready.
“There will definitely be a large platter of Jackfruit Not-chos,” said Carter of his Super Bowl 50 menu. “The only thing you have to substitute is the cheese for vegan cheese. Everything else — beans, guac, olives, tomato—all that stuff is vegan.”
His recipe includes tortilla chips loaded with avocado, jalapeño slices, black beans, diced onions, cilantro, black olives, diced tomatoes and sliced jack fruit standing in for meat crumbles. The tower is then drizzled with melty, blended cashew “cheese.”
“Cashew cheese tastes just like regular queso,” promised Carter. “I’ve fed it to ex marines and even they were like, ‘I wouldn’t have known this was vegan!’”
Now that’s what you call a crafty play.
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David Carter’s Jack Fruit Not-chos. (Photo: Paige Carter)When we relaunched Pitchfork earlier this year, one of the aspects of our new website that we were most excited about was the new framework’s potential for additional flexibility. We promised to continue to improve the user experience in the months ahead. We are making one such improvement today.
Since 1998, Pitchfork has published five album reviews every weekday. While this format allows for comprehensive coverage of a broad range of records across many different genres, it is a lot of material for even our most dedicated readers to fully absorb in a single day. Starting today, we have switched to a new schedule that redistributes the same number of album reviews throughout the week, while also introducing Saturdays into the mix.
This shift follows a recent change to the music industry’s release calendar: Most records now come out on Fridays rather than Tuesdays. Publishing reviews on Saturdays will allow us more timely coverage of those releases, while enabling us to highlight one additional album per week in the featured position.
We hope you enjoy this new development.I noticed your posting of an SRA [Satanic ritual abuse] victim's testimony is from Minnesota (my home state and the home of Mayo Clinic. Billy Graham was treated at Mayo his entire career.) I just spent about 2 1/2 hours on the phone last week with my friend J who was a SRA victim by Oral Robert's, Ken Copeland, Mike Murdock and others. She also mentions Mengele in her story. I believe J is about 57 years old now. I have written close to 15 "professional Christians" with her story, and none of them will touch it, let alone write or post articles like you often do. I receive absolutely no response from these fake and unconcerned Christians. None of them have the guts to expose their own backyard. These professional Christians leave her (and others; most do not live to tell their stories) to suffer in silence along with the physical and emotional scars these victims have for life. Christianity is big business and Jesus is what they are selling, so J's story is just too close for comfort. She exposes their idols and the false religious system they are all slaves to....Christianity has simply rebuilt another version of the Jewish temple and religious system which came to a complete end in 70.A.D. Stephen was stoned to death for saying the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands and confronting their earthly money making religious enterprises. Other SRA victims have exposed the global political system, and that is BIG BUSINESS ON STEROIDS. The global political system feeds off of the blood and torture of innocents. The division of sheep and goats is not by what a person believes or what religion he belongs to, but on how you treated one of the least of these my brethren. (We are all connected). Matthew 25:31-46. The worst trauma of all is not to believe a victims story when they risk all to tell it.
Enter Dr. Joseph Mengele. I was handed over to him before I was to even old enough to go to school, probably even younger if the truth be known. Do a search on him... he is a wonderful man, if you like monsters! So you see people the holocaust did not end in Germany with the end of the war.... It was just moved. And the worst of it, it is still going on and almost no one believes, nor do they want to know about it. While everyone is waving their flags and praising this country as GOD fearing and great, this government is abusing and killing their own people, most of which are children and getting away with it!!!! The average American will not believe, so it continues! WAKE UP AMERICA!!! You think abortion is bad..... And it is, however it is nothing to what they are doing to live babies and children in human sacrifice and torture. I know, I was there, I have seen it, and I know many others who have as well. And we are all labeled as nuts, with false memories! Yeah, my memories are so false that I am willing to risk my life to get this information out. I am having a blast. I just love not having the biggest part of my family behind me, calling me nuts and living in pretty much isolation.
Well a new day and a new entry.... continuing with 'Roots'.
After being handed over to Mengele, aka Dr. Green, life on the bad lane ramped up. I was handed over, but still under the watchful eye of Mengele, to another handler. I do not know who he was at this time. I called him The Dark Man, I called Mengele, The Dark Man as well, and the next handler I was handed over to at age 11, I called The Dark Man. Even though I know who the third Dark Man is I am not at liberty to expose him at this time. I can say that he is in a well known, "BIG" ministry; however he may still have a chance to get out and repent. At being handed over to the third handler, I was taken to Oral Roberts University to be raped by none other then Oral Roberts himself in a horrible satanic ritual. I am at liberty to expose Oral Roberts because he is a tare through and through. My training and programming proceeded on at ORU. The university was a Monarch programming and mind control center. I assume it probably still is used for that today but I do not know for sure. All I can say it is a sham, a lie, and it is NOT an institution for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At the time I was transferred to the ORU programming center, my mom joined a local charismatic Pentecostal church in the Tulsa area. I have no doubt my mom is a multiple herself and did not know that "they" were using her when she joined this church. This church was full of pedophile and satanist's connected to and with ORU. A lot of the members were also Professors at ORU. So with this all in mind I will continue my story....
GRAPHIC......
After the farm frenzy....The Dark Man was pleased with me so he had sex with me. It was a good thing he was not displeased and so my mom did not die.One day before the vice presidential debate, the Republican National Committee released an ad attacking Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine for his time as a criminal defense attorney.
Today, the RNC tweeted a Roll Call story that compares the ad to the Willie Horton ad, which was widely viewed as an example of racist dog whistle politics when it aired in the 1988 presidential campaign. The RNC later deleted its tweet.
RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer also tweeted the article but later deleted it.
“Long before Tim Kaine was in office, he consistently protected the worst kinds of people,” the narrator intones ominously before describing several cases that Kaine worked on when he was a pro bono attorney for defendants in death penalty cases. “Tim Kaine—he has a passion for defending the wrong people,” the narrator says.
When Kaine ran for governor of Virginia in 2005, he faced similar attacks, and Hillary Clinton has also endured criticism for representing a man accused of rape when she worked as a defense attorney in Arkansas.
The fact that the RNC would tout its ad’s similarities with the racist Willie Horton ad is bad enough, but the attack also strikes at the heart of the Sixth Amendment guarantee that in “all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial” and “have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.”
It seems the RNC believes that people accused of crimes, or at least vicious ones, simply shouldn’t have legal representation and/or that defense attorneys should not zealously represent their clients.
The RNC probably would have put together a great ad attacking John Adams, the lawyer who represented the British soldiers implicated in the Boston Massacre.The video will start in 8 Cancel
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Sometimes emotions can get the better of people.
And that was certainly the case when Khalid Abdo went large with his celebration of Aston Villa under-21s' progression to the Division Two play-off final.
Following Villa's 2-1 win over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, the midfielder went over to the fans - the vast majority of which were home supporters - screaming with joy and kissing the badge on his jersey.
He was dragged away by a team-mate before Swansea's Dan James took exception to what he saw and went over to his opponent.
The players were dragged apart as some pushing and shoving ensued, with Abdo being ushered away down the tunnel.
Things soon calmed down as a frustrating night for the young Swans came to an unsavoury end.Originally Posted by AquaBuddha2010 Originally Posted by
Who cares if someone says they are "god-fearing". President Obama and every socialist in this country says they are "god-fearing". The issue is: which god are they fearing? It is clear that it is the idol of the State.
There is a clear philosophical difference between:
1. A marriage covenant where God is the head of the covenant in whose laws never change
And
2. A secular contract where the State is head and arbiter, in which laws change by whim
I don't care which statist comes along and says he is "God-fearing", yet promotes state sanctioning of marriage. There is a clear philosophical difference between the two. One is private and liberty-oriented, and the other is socialized and statist.
The 1920's was an era of the SOCIAL GOSPEL. The social gospel was a progressive movement that use state-moralism as a means to socialism. It was NOT a Christian movement. The Christians of the founding generation who fought and died for true Liberty would have been horrified at the way the government was used to strip personal liberties in the 20's.
The social gospel is completely opposite from the Liberty that the Christians of the founding fought for, but yet I see this misunderstanding posted all the time on this forum. Sad, but just another way in which Americans don't understand the history of theological and social movements in their own country.
And Christianity was the basis for gun-control laws?????????? Where on earth do you get something like that? Uh. Sam Adams and Patrick Henry would probably disagree.Jury selection begins in 2009 downtown Orlando shooting spree
Jason Rodriguez, 44, is expected to rely on an insanity defense.
Jurors expressed a range of knowledge of the Gateway Center shootings, and the manhunt for Rodriguez that shut down city streets, locked down businesses and closed Interstate 4, on Nov. 6, 2009.
Attorneys in Jason Rodriguez's murder trial spent much of Monday unraveling potential jurors' memories of the downtown Orlando shooting spree four years ago — and their feelings about the accused killer's insanity defense.
"There was a lone shooter. Several people were shot, one person was killed," one potential juror said. He was excused after telling Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry that he strongly believes Rodriguez is guilty.
That juror and several others recalled watching the aftermath of the shootings on local news. Others said they'd followed the case closely since. Some had seen news reports previewing the trial Monday morning. Juror prospects were also split in their opinion of insanity defenses.
"There's a lot of crazy people out there... I don't think that's a very good defense, in my opinion," one potential juror said.
Attorneys for Rodriguez, 44, filed notice that they plan to argue he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the shootings in the office of his former employer, Reynolds, Smith & Hills.
Monday morning, Chief Judge Belvin Perry confirmed that there will be a psychologist on standby throughout the trial, in case Rodriguez's mental state deteriorates.
During jury selection, Rodriguez seemed normal, if subdued. He sometimes leaned on his hand or fidgeted in his seat.
Rodriguez has been living in a Gainesville mental-health facility but will be housed in the Orange County Jail during his trial. Issues surrounding his mental competence have delayed the murder prosecution several times.
He is charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, accused of killing Otis Beckford, a computer-design technician, and wounding five others.
[email protected] many companies, Capcom will be attending PAX East this weekend to show off current and upcoming titles in their video game stable. And where there’s a convention, there’s a ton of merchandise for sale, but when’s the last time a t-shirt reveal was used to announce a release date?
In a roundup of the swag they will be offering to attendees over the next few days, Capcom-Unity may have inadvertently mentioned that Street Fighter V will arrive in spring 2016, confirming details we reported shortly after the game debuted.
Launching earlier in the year will likely give many key tournaments, including Evolution and Community Effort Orlando, the opportunity to include Street Fighter V in their competitive lineups. Whether they will utilize PlayStation 4 or PC remains to be seen, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Street Fighter V is currently in development by Capcom and Dimps. A beta is planned before its official launch, and will be accessible by those who pre-order.
Source: Capcom-Unity via Wario64The owner of the literary rights to author William Faulkner's work has filed suit against Sony Pictures Classics, claiming that the 2011 Woody Allen film "Midnight in Paris" unlawfully used a quote from one of Faulkner's books.
In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Mississippi on Thursday, Faulkner Literary Rights, LLC says that Gil Pender, the screenwriter character played by Owen Wilson in the film, quoted a line from the Faulkner book "Requiem For a Nun" without permission.
Also read: Woody Allen's First Stab at "Midnight in Paris": A 1971 Short Story
In the movie, Pender encounters personalities from the past such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Pablo Picasso while vacationing in Paris. In the passage cited in the suit, he says, "The past is not dead! Actually, it's not even past. You know who said that? Faulkner. And he was right. And I met him, too. I ran into him at a dinner party."
The passage from Faulkner's book reads, "The past is never dead. It's not even past."
Also read: "Midnight in Paris" Star: Woody Wouldn't Even Tell Us What the Movie Was About
Sony Pictures spokeswoman Ann Boyd told TheWrap that the suit is "frivolous" and "without merit."
“This is a frivolous lawsuit and we are confident we will prevail in defending it," Boyd told TheWrap in a statement. "There is no question this brief reference (10 words) to a quote from a public speech Faulkner gave constitutes fair use and any claim to the contrary is without merit.”
Claiming copyright infringement and commercial appropriation, Faulkner Literary Rights is seeking unspecified damages.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.It was a day like today two years ago that the Gamergate movement began as a reaction to bad gaming journalism, collusion and censorship. Looking in retrospective i don’t think it can be said it was just a consumer revolt about videogames. Gamergate were the first ones to rebel against a wave of political correctness and social justice insanity that was begining to consume everything it touched. We were the ones who identified the threat now known as the regressive left and served as spearhead for other people to join the cultural war. I think whatever success or lack of success one or another may argue we had in the gaming journalism scene pales in comparison to that. For me it was all worth it and succesful because now people has awakened to the insanity of the regressive left and is fighting back. Happy anniversary, Gamergate.
And if you like the drawing, there’s a T-shirt with it. Because i’m one of those sick artists who pretend to live of their trade.
Fue un día como hoy hace dos años que el movimiento Gamergate comenzó a raíz de malas practicas en el periodismo de videojuegos, colusión y censura. Mirando en retrospectiva, no creo que se pueda decir que fue solo una revuelta del consumidor sobre videojuegos. Gamergate fuimos los primeros en rebelarnos contra la oleada de corrección politica y locura de justicia social que estaba consumiendo todo lo que tocaba. Fuimos los primeros que identificamos la amenaza ahora conocida como izquierda regresiva y servimos de punta de lanza para que otra gente se uniese a la guerra cultural. Creo que cualquier exito o falta de éxito que se pueda decir que tuvimos en el ambito del periodismo de videojuegos palidece en comparación a eso. Para mi ha valido la pena y ha sido exitoso porque ahora la gente ha despertado a la locura de la izquierda regresiva y esta combatiendola. Feliz aniversario, gamergate.
Y si os gusta el diseño, hay una camiseta con ello.Surfer Blood guitarist Thomas Fekete has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and is currently undergoing treatment.
Earlier this year, a large tumor was removed from his abdomen, but the cancer subsequently spread to his lungs and spine. Fekete has launched a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of treatment, and wrote a note about his progress:
Hey all, A few months back I had a major surgery to remove a large tumor from my abdomen. I was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive cancer (a sarcoma), which unfortunately has moved. A few days ago, my doctors informed me that it had spread to my lungs and my spine. The lesion on my lower spine will be treated with radiation, and I’ll also start chemotherapy this week. Because my cancer is so rare, there is very little research on it (cancer treatment is a business after all), so going to a typical doctor and getting loaded with all types of drugs would probably kill me. However, I found a doctor who is on the cutting edge of cancer treatments, and we have assembled a team of brilliant doctors who all seem to be extremely confident in an alternative treatment plan, to complement the chemotherapy. Because these doctors are doing things a bit differently, insurance will only cover a portion of my treatment. I never in my life thought that I would be asking for money publicly, but the universe works in funny ways. Any bit of help would be massive for me, as I'm no longer able to tour and make a living, and my wonderful wife/best friend whom I just married in November will now be leaving work to help me throughout my treatment. If you can't help, no worries whatsoever, all I ask is that you spread the word. Any extra funds collected when this is all said and done will be donated to further my doctor's alternative cancer research. I not only feel great, but I am in great spirits, and I know this will soon be over like a bad dream. Please take care of yourselves, enjoy every single day. Life is beautiful. Love and light always. -Thom
The band also shared a statement on Facebook:
Thomas has been playing guitar in Surfer Blood for nearly 6 years, but since December has been sidelined by treatment for cancer. We miss him everyday on the road but we know he is incredibly strong and we have faith in him, and in his doctors. We hope you can help with a donation of any size, and help spread the word by sharing on social media. Thank you so much for the support!
Surfer Blood's new album, 1000 Palms, is out May 12. Their upcoming tour begins in May.In September, a federal judge dismissed a First Amendment lawsuit brought against Sony by a disgruntled gamer who had been banned from the PlayStation Network. Undeterred, that gamer appealed the decision last month, and this week filed a new suit against Microsoft and Nintendo; this one bypassing the Bill of Rights and instead citing the Declaration of Independence.
The only pursuit Mario is interested in is the pursuit of big air.
In the suit, the San Jose, California, gamer takes exception to a recent Nintendo Wii system update that disables access to unauthorized third-party programs like the Homebrew Channel. Specifically, the plaintiff is upset about losing the ability to use a program that would unlock the character Rosalina in Mario Kart Wii. Ordinarily, a player would need to have a Super Mario Galaxy save file on the system in order to unlock that character.
"In federal terms, the plaintiff who relies heavily on video games for happiness, would like the federal court to decide if Nintendo is interfering with certain player's pursuit of happiness, which is stated in the United States Declaration of Independence," the suit states, "where Benjamin Franklin was in agreement with Thomas Jefferson in downplaying the protection of 'property' as a goal of government, replacing the idea with 'happiness.'"
The suit then states the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, and quotes the portion dealing with the unalienable rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
As for the Microsoft portion of the suit, the gamer had an Xbox 360 system suffer the "red ring of death" failure, and he claims he can't afford the $100 fee Microsoft would charge him to fix it. The suit claims the plaintiff's 360 is "only one of two ways in which he relies on to socialize," as he suffers from depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and Crohn's disease.
The gamer is asking for $75,000 from Microsoft due to "the stress put on the plaintiff having to find a way to acquire a new Xbox 360 system and the sadness he will have in the meantime of finding one he can afford." As for Nintendo, the plaintiff wants $5,000 for interfering with his pursuit of happiness and an injunction preventing Nintendo from blocking access to the Homebrew Channel or the program he used to unlock Mario Kart Wii characters.The Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on Tuesday night, and Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson expects to hear his name called.
“I like my chances,” Richardson said this week. “I really do. I don’t feel like any guy is better than me and I feel like I’m on the same level as some of those guys you see on ESPN every day getting mentioned. That’s just me personally. Fans may think otherwise. Coaches may think otherwise. Players may think otherwise.”
Richardson does not lack confidence, but his numbers have backed up his boasting over the first two years of his career. The 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year has gotten even better this year. He leads the team with 6.5 sacks and has been a constant disruptive force in the opponent’s backfield.
“Other than winning, I did all right,” he said. “I improved on everything I wanted to improve on. I’ve still got some room for more [improvement].”
Richardson is not just a relentless player, he is a creative one. The next time a quarterback spikes the football to stop the clock against the Jets, watch Richardson. He dives between the center’s legs and tries to intercept the spike before it hits the ground. Richardson said he actually intercepted a pass in high school by doing that and he touched Charlie Whitehurst’s spike last week in Tennessee.
“I always feel like I have a chance when I dive and put my hands out,” he said.
When pointed out that the spike dive was really creative thinking, Richardson smiled and said, “I have my moments.”
He hopes he’ll be wearing a smile again Tuesday when the six interior defensive linemen are named to the Pro Bowl. He was sixth in fan voting, as of Friday. Teammate Muhammad Wilkerson was fourth.
“Hopefully I get it,” Richardson said. “I feel like I deserve to be there. If not, it wouldn’t be the first time a good D-lineman gets snubbed.”
The Jets will get a Patriots team not quite at full strength. WR Julian Edelman, RB LeGarrette Blount and CB Kyle Arrington have been ruled out of Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium.
Guard Willie Colon has been called for 14 penalties this season with two of them being declined. The 12 penalties against him are the second-most against any player in the league. Cornerback Brandon Browner of the Patriots has 13.
“Yeah, Big Willie’s a good player, man, a good player. I’ll tell you that,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. “He wants to do the thing the right way, there’s no question about that. It’s sort of been that way for his career, and so we’re certainly trying to get better at that and he’s trying to get better at that.”
Colon has seven false starts, five holding calls, one illegal use of the hands and one facemask.
With Washington’s upset of the Eagles on Saturday night, the Jets move up from the sixth to the fifth spot, past the Redskins, in the draft order.The TeamLiquid StarLeague 4: EU\NA Qualifier #2 (NA Server) is one of 15 qualifiers for the TeamLiquid StarLeague 4.
Tournament Information [ edit ]
Format [ edit ]
Single-elimination
Best-of-one until Round of 32
Best-of-three until Finals
Best-of-five Finals
Prize Pool [ edit ]
Players may choose to qualify via the ten North-American / European, or via the five Korean qualifiers. Each winner will get a direct seed into the main tournament. Every event, participants who finish between 32nd and 2nd gain points. The fourteen players (eight from NA/EU, six from KR) with the highest point totals after all qualifiers are complete will also qualify.
Notable Participants [ edit ]
Results [ edit ]
Top 32 Bracket [ edit ]
The shown bracket starts at the Round of 32. You can find the full bracket here.
Round of 32 (Bo3) SaSe 2 ReaL 0 Bly 0 Nerchio 2 elfi 2 TriMaster 0 NonY 1 MorroW 2 JonnyREcco 2 DeathAngel 1 ToD 1 YaTa 2 CatZ 2 Glon 0 Dragon 1 mycerion 2 WeAgree 2 tgun 0 Bischu 2 MaNa 0 Hellokitty 1 giX 2 Suppy 0 LaLuSh 2 binski 1 Drewbie 2 ClouD 2 DarKFoRcE 1 Protosser 1 Beastyqt 2 Agh 2 Rich 0 Round of 16 (Bo3) SaSe 0 Nerchio 2 elfi 0 MorroW 2 JonnyREcco 2 YaTa 1 CatZ 1 mycerion 2 WeAgree 0 Bischu 2 giX 1 LaLuSh 2 Drewbie 1 ClouD 2 Beastyqt 2 Agh 1 Quarterfinals (Bo3) Nerchio 2 MorroW 0 JonnyREcco 2 mycerion 1 Bischu 2 LaLuSh 0 ClouD 1 Beastyqt 2 Semifinals (Bo3) Nerchio 2 JonnyREcco 0 Bischu 2 Beastyqt 1 Finals (Bo5) Nerchio 3 Bischu 2
Racial Distribution [ edit ]
Protoss Terran Zerg Random Round of 32 13 6 13 Round of 16 7 3 6 Quarterfinals 2 2 4 Semifinals 1 1 2 Finals 1 1 Winner 1
View Games [ edit ]
Replays [ edit ]Twenty-five percent of very young children in America are living in poverty, according to an analysis of Census data released Thursday.
The number of children under six living in poverty rose to 5.9 million in 2010 from 5.7 million in 2009, researchers from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire found. The ranks of American children in poverty have swelled by 2.6 million since the recession began.
The dismal poverty rate among young children mirrors that of adults, who have been pushed into poverty in larger numbers by high joblessness and slow income growth. The Census Bureau announced last week that 46.2 million Americans were in poverty in 2010, the most since the agency started tracking poverty in the 1950s.
And as American parents struggle to land jobs amid a 9.1 percent unemployment rate, the jobs crisis has had an outsized effect on their children, according to the Economic Policy Institute. More than 18 percent of American children had at least one unemployed or underemployed parent, the organization found, compared with 9.1 percent in 2007, before the start of the recession.
Child poverty has been growing across the country over the last decade, the Annie E. Casey Foundation reported last month. Child poverty rate jumped in 38 states during the last 10 years, and about 43 percent of children live economically unstable households, according to the organization’s findings.
Children in the south have been hit the hardest by the economic downturn, according to the University of New Hampshire researchers. The South has the highest rate of child poverty at 24.2 percent. Mississippi had the highest rate of child poverty of all the states at 32.5 percent, the study found.
Very young children who grow up in poverty are likely to be affected later in life, according to the University of New Hampshire researchers.
"It is important to understand young child poverty specifically, as children who are poor before age 6 have been shown to experience educational deficits, and health problems, with effects that span the life course," the researchers said.
Elevated rates of child poverty could also have dire consequences for the country down the line. Child poverty is a “leading indicator” of the country’s future Patrick McCarthy, President and CEO of the Casey Foundation told The Huffington Post last month.by
Tuesday marks the four-year anniversary of the US-backed assassination of Libya’s former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, and the decline into chaos of one of Africa’s greatest nations.
In 1967 Colonel Gaddafi inherited one of the poorest nations in Africa; by the time he was assassinated, he had transformed Libya into Africa’s richest nation. Prior to the US-led bombing campaign in 2011, Libya had the highest Human Development Index, the lowest infant mortality and the highest life expectancy in all of Africa.
Today, Libya is a failed state. Western military intervention has caused all of the worst-scenarios: Western embassies have all left, the South of the country has become a haven for ISIS terrorists, and the Northern coast a center of migrant trafficking. Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia have all closed their borders with Libya. This all occurs amidst a backdrop of widespread rape, assassinations and torture that complete the picture of a state that is failed to the bone.
Libya currently has two competing governments, two parliaments, two sets of rivaling claims to control over the central bank and the national oil company, no functioning national police or army, and the United States now believes that ISIS is running training camps across large swathes of the country.
On one side, in the West of the nation, Islamist-allied militias took over control of the capital Tripoli and other key cities and set up their own government, chasing away a parliament that was previously elected.
On the other side, in the East of the nation, the “legitimate” government dominated by anti-Islamist politicians, exiled 1,200 kilometers away in Tobruk, no longer governs anything. The democracy which Libyans were promised by Western governments after the fall of Colonel Gaddafi has all but vanished.
Contrary to popular belief, Libya, which western media routinely described as “Gaddafi’s military dictatorship” was in actual fact one of the world’s most democratic States.
Under Gaddafi’s unique system of direct democracy, traditional institutions of government were disbanded and abolished, and power belonged to the people directly through various committees and congresses.
Far from control being in the hands of one man, Libya was highly decentralized and divided into several small communities that were essentially “mini-autonomous States” within a State. These autonomous States had control over their districts and could make a range of decisions including how to allocate oil revenue and budgetary funds. Within these mini autonomous States, the three main bodies of Libya’s democracy were Local Committees, Basic People’s Congresses and Executive Revolutionary Councils.
The Basic People’s Congress (BPC), or Mu’tamar shaʿbi asāsi was essentially Libya’s functional equivalent of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom or the House of Representatives in the United States. However, Libya’s People’s Congress was not comprised merely of elected representatives who discussed and proposed legislation on behalf of the people; rather, the Congress allowed all Libyans to directly participate in this process. Eight hundred People’s Congresses were set up across the country and all Libyans were free to attend and shape national policy and make decisions over all major issues including budgets, education, industry, and the economy.
In 2009, Mr. Gaddafi invited the New York Times to Libya to spend two weeks observing the nation’s direct democracy. The New York Times, that has traditionally been highly critical of Colonel Gaddafi’s democratic experiment, conceded that in Libya, the intention was that “everyone is involved in every decision…Tens of thousands of people take part in local committee meetings to discuss issues and vote on everything from foreign treaties to building schools.”
The fundamental
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public health authorities is that the Ebola virus, which killed at least 10,000 people in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, was a new phenomenon, not seen in West Africa before 2013. (The one exception was an anomalous case in Ivory Coast in 1994, when a Swiss primatologist was infected after performing an autopsy on a chimpanzee.)
Three other studies published in 1986 documented Ebola antibody prevalence rates of 10.6, 13.4 and 14 percent, respectively, in northwestern Liberia, not far from its borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea. These articles, along with other forgotten reports from the 1980s on antibody prevalence in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea, suggest the possibility of what some call “sanctuary sites,” or persistent, if latent, Ebola infection in humans.
Part of the problem is that none of these articles were co-written by a Liberian scientist. The investigators collected their samples, returned home and published the startling results in European medical journals. Few Liberians were then trained in laboratory or epidemiological methods. Even today, downloading one of the papers would cost a physician here $45, about half a week’s salary.
...it was months before Ebola was identified as the culprit pathogen. That made it impossible for the region’s few doctors and nurses to deliver effective care.
For years now, we've been talking up the importance of open access to scientific research. Big journals like Elsevier have generally fought against this at every point, arguing that its profits are more important that some hippy dippy idea around sharing knowledge. Except, as we've been trying to explain, it's that sharing of knowledge that leads to innovation and big health breakthroughs. Unfortunately, it's often pretty difficult to come up with a concrete example of whatbecause of locked up knowledge. And yet, it appears we have one new example that's rather stunning: it looks like the worst of the Ebola outbreak from the past few monthsif key research had been open access, rather than locked up.That, at least, appears to be the main takeaway of a recent NY Times article by the team in charge of drafting Liberia's Ebola recovery plan. What they found was that the original detection of Ebola in Liberia was held up by incorrect "conventional wisdom" that Ebola was not present in that part of Africa:But, as the team discovered, that "conventional wisdom" was wrong. In fact, they found a bunch of studies, buried behind research paywalls, that revealed that there was significant evidence of antibodies to the Ebola virus in Liberia and in other nearby nations. There was one from 1982 that noted: "medical personnel in Liberian health centers should be aware of the possibility that they may come across active cases and thus be prepared to avoid nosocomial epidemics." Then they found some more:So why did the conventional wisdom continue to insist that Ebola wasn't likely to be the issue when Liberians started getting sick and dying? Well, a big part of it may have been the fact that the research was locked up:Yes, it still would have required the knowledge to be passed along to Liberian doctors and health officials, and one can argue that that might not have happened. But it seems a lot more likely that the information would have been more easily accessible and the knowledge passed around if it didn't cost half a week's salary just to download decades old research warning of just such a threat. And, of course, the results were catastrophic. Even once people started dying, doctors had a tremendous amount of difficulty figuring out what the issue was:Open access isn't just some "free culture" refrain. Itand can save lives.
Filed Under: ebola, liberia, open access, paywall, researchHere is one of the captioned photos contained in an email sent by Robin Paul. The email appears to mock the mental health problems of returning veterans. (Photo: From an email obtained by The Indianapolis Star)
A manager at the Roudebush Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis appears to mock the mental health problems of returning combat veterans in an e-mail to her employees.
The e-mail obtained by The Indianapolis Star contains photographs of a toy Christmas elf posing as a patient in what appears to be the hospital's transitional clinic for returning veterans. In one photograph, the elf pleads for Xanax. In another, he hangs himself with an electrical cord.
The woman who sent the e-mail is Robin Paul, a licensed social worker who manages the hospital's Seamless Transition Integrated Care Clinic. The clinic provides returning veterans with transition assistance, including mental health and readjustment services.
When initially asked about the e-mail, Paul responded, "Oh my goodness." She then referred a reporter to the hospital's public affairs department, which e-mailed The Star a statement on her behalf.
"I would like to sincerely apologize for the e-mail message and I take full responsibility for this poor judgment," Paul said. "I have put my heart and soul into my work with Veterans for many years. I hold all Veterans and military personnel in the highest regard and am deeply remorseful for any hurt this may have caused."
Here is one of the captioned photos contained in an email sent by the manager of a transitional clinic at Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. The email appears to mock the mental health problems of returning veterans. (Photo: From an email obtained by The Indianapolis Star)
Julie Webb, a Roudebush spokeswoman, said administrators were made aware of the e-mail "a couple of months ago."
"The e-mail is totally inappropriate and does not convey our commitment to veterans," she said. "We apologize to our veterans and take suicide and mental health treatment seriously, striving to provide the highest quality."
Webb said the issue was "administratively addressed." She declined to provide specifics, citing employee confidentiality.
Paul remains employed at the hospital and continues to manage the clinic, earning an annual salary of $79,916. She received a $2,000 performance bonus in 2013, records show. More recent bonus information was not immediately available.
The Dec. 18 e-mail was sent to the "IND STICC Team" with the subject, "Naughty Elf in the STICC clinic."
"So, photos have appeared that indicate that the STICC clinic may have been invaded," the e-mail says. "Looks like this magical character made his way through a few areas."
One photo depicts the elf peering between the legs of a female doll. "Trying his skills as a primary care provider (doing a pap)," the e-mail says.
Another shows the elf next to a sticky note with the words, "Out of XANAX — please help!" A caption says, "Self-medicating for mental health issues when a CNS would not give him his requested script."
A third photograph shows the elf hanging from a strand of Christmas lights. "Caught in the act of suicidal behavior (trying to hang himself from an electrical cord)," the e-mail says.
It is unclear from the e-mail whether other VA employees were involved in the joke, but a note visible in one photo appears to include directions about passing the elf to others.
Here is one of the captioned photos contained in an email sent by the manager of a transitional clinic at Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. The email appears to mock the mental health problems of returning veterans. (Photo: From an email obtained by The Indianapolis Star)
Webb said she didn't know how many employees were involved.
The e-mail surfaces as the nation grapples with an epidemic of veteran suicides. An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide in the United States every day, according to the VA.
The e-mail immediately drew outrage from veterans groups.
"It is a slap in the face to our recent and past veterans suffering from mental health issues every single day," said Ken Hylton, commander of the Indiana Department of the American Legion. "These men and women went to war and do not deserve this type of ridicule. This is a disgusting display of mockery. This is supposedly someone who is caring for our veterans, and we in the Indiana American Legion are disgusted."
He called for an investigation and the "immediate dismissal of this government employee and all of those who received this correspondence and said nothing."
Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, has lobbied for federal legislation intended to help stem veteran suicides.
"We hope it's an isolated incident," he said. "We hope this person has been dealt with aggressively because we're in the middle of a suicide problem."
The suicide crisis has prompted action from Congress and President Barack Obama.
Just last month, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act was signed into law. The measure will help the VA study new strategies for suicide prevention and give student loan incentives to recruit psychiatrists to work with veterans. Two Indiana lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski and U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, attended the White House signing ceremony.
In December, the Sexton Act was signed into law as part of a national defense bill. It requires annual mental health assessments for all service members, maintains privacy protections and requires the Pentagon to evaluate existing military mental health practices. Authored by Donnelly, it is named after Jacob Sexton, a 21-year-old Indiana National Guardsmen from Farmland who shot himself in the head at a Muncie movie theater while home on a 15-day leave from Afghanistan.
The issue of veteran suicide is a personal one for Gregg Keesling of Indianapolis. His 25-year-old son, Chancellor, shot himself in Baghdad in 2009, two weeks into his second tour.
He called the e-mail "wrong," but stopped short of calling for terminations.
"It's very inappropriate, but I can understand it — making light of something awful because it's so awful," he said. "I think it's a way of coping with things."
Still, he said, "They are trying to be funny. It's not... Somebody should get in trouble. Maybe not fired, but taken out to the woodshed, as they say."
Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/1GnjbaeIn case you haven't been keeping tabs on NASA's new moonshot, "heavy lifting" means more than just delivering big payloads into orbit. The SLS is also meant to carry the new Orion capsule -- and up to four brave spacefarers -- on missions that could extend well beyond the influence of our blue marble's gravity. It'll still be a while before we get to that point, though; the configuration that just got approval from the brass is the weakest of the three, with the ability to lift a minimum of 70 metric tons with the help of two solid rocket boosters and four Space Shuttle engines on the launch vehicle's core. And even with this milestone behind them, the unflinching power of space bureaucracy means there a few more major steps to be undertaken before the SLS goes on its expected maiden flight before November 2018.
Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator of NASA's Exploration Systems Development Division, said that "all the major components for the first flight are now in production." Once those parts have been meticulously pieced together, there's going to be even more testing to make sure they work properly on their own and when all connected. After all that's done, we're looking at a design certification process, plus loads and loads of flight readiness tests. Oh 2018, you can't get here soon enough.WATCH: The official GOP website made a grand old gaffe ahead of the vice presidential debate Tuesday night -- declaring Republican candidate Mike Pence the winner before the event was scheduled to start.
WATCH: The official GOP website made a grand old gaffe ahead of the vice presidential debate Tuesday night -- declaring Republican candidate Mike Pence the winner before the event was scheduled to start.
Whoops!
The official GOP website made a grand old gaffe ahead of the vice presidential debate Tuesday night -- declaring Republican candidate Mike Pence the winner before the event was scheduled to start.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the GOP announced that Mike Pence was the "clear winner" of the debate, more than an hour ahead of the start time. The GOP went on to list Pence's top moments as discussing the economy and highlighting Hillary Clinton's scandals.
"Mike Pence made the most of his opportunity to debate Hillary's VP pick Tim Kaine," the GOP wrote. The page has since been taken down.
A screen grab made from the Republican National Committee website on Oct. 4, 2016 shows a page that was briefly posted to the site declaring that Mike Pence was the winner of the vice presidential debate.
The website announced that the "other clear winner" of the debate was someone who isn't expected to utter a word during the broadcast -- other than through his live-tweets -- Donald Trump.
As Trump's running mate, Pence "perfectly shared Trump's vision to make America great again" during the debate, according to the GOP.
Whether all of the above actually occurs during the debate, which begins at 9 p.m., is yet to be determined.The Flying Dutchman, Benelux Hondekop: Belgium May 2015
Early start in the morning while Proj3ct M4yh3m caught some much needed beauty sleep in the car. Behind Closed Doors, Kriegffe9 and myself checked out this abandoned train.
This is a Benelux Hondekop only 12 units were built and it is the only preserved one left in Belgium.
It was in use between 1957 and 1986 providing a service between Belgium and the Netherlands It was the first Electric train to be used between Brussels and Amsterdam. A total of three different classes of seating one class open plan and 2 luxury classes with seating in compartments to provide more peace and privacy.
It has now been taken on by the Hondekop foundation who plan to transport it back to the Netherlands and restore it to its former glory.
At some point in 2014 I also visited the Orient Express another abandoned train in Belgium.Deportes
Redacción SDPnoticias.com vie 19 ago 2016 14:00
Foto propiedad de: Notimex
México consiguió la primer medalla de plata en Río 2016 en la marcha de 20 km.
Cayó la primer medalla de Plata para México en los Juegos Olímpicos Río 2016, pues Lupita González fue segunda en la competencia de la marcha de 20 km.
La mexicana siempre fue seria contendiente y durante la mayor tiempo de la competencia estuvo dentro de los primeros puestos, sin embargo, en los últimos metros, la competidora china Liu le arrebató el primer sitio y se llevó el Oro.
González culminó la carrera con tiempo de 1:28:37, solo dos segundos abajo de la competidora china quien se llevó el Oro con tiempo de 1:28:35. Con esta presea, Lupita entra a la historia del deporte mexicano al conseguir la primer medalla para México en una justa olímpica en marcha de 20 km.The U.S. military launched an airstrike against al-Shabaab in Somalia early Tuesday morning and destroyed a vehicle filled with explosives, U.S. Africa Command said.
The airstrike was done in coordination with the Somali government and was against an al-Shabaab vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. The strike took place southwest of Mogadishu, according to AFRICOM.
No civilians were killed.
AFRICOM said U.S. forces are using “all authorized and appropriate measures” to keep U.S. citizens safe and “disable terrorist threats.” The U.S. is partnering with the African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM, and Somali National Security Forces to target terrorists in Somalia, as well as their training camps and safe havens. The partnership also includes combined counterterrorism operations.
“Our political and security goals are the same: a reconstituted Somali state at peace internally and able to address all threats within its territory,” according to AFRICOM.Last August, in southern Iceland, the flanks of the volcano Bardarbunga ripped open and fountains of lava spouted skyward. Molten rock oozed downhill making its way toward the sea. The eruption has now come to an end but the volcano continues to pump gases into the atmosphere. Scientists are still monitoring it closely.
“Bardarbunga has really, for the first time, seriously showed its power,” says Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland. But, for now, the eruption has followed what Einarsson describes as the “best case scenario.” Aside from the occasional air pollution affecting eastern Icelanders, its impacts have been minimal and it bears little resemblance the granddaddy of Icelandic volcanoes: Laki.
Laki’s eruption started in 1783 and, for eight long months, it spewed lava and noxious gases. The sulphur dioxide created acid rain that decimated Iceland’s vegetation, and fluorine gas settled on the grass eventually killing sixty percent of the livestock. More than a fifth of the Icelandic population, approximately 10,000 people, died from famine or disease.
But Laki’s devastation spread well beyond the ‘island of fire and ice.’ The sulphurous haze quickly reached Europe, damaging crops and blocking out the sun’s rays, leading to cooler temperatures. Even in Alaska, the summertime temperatures were 4 Celsius less than the norm and Russian traders noted a population decrease in the Inuit.
Although the ultimate death toll from Laki might be near impossible to estimate, the volcano definitely earns its place amongst the world’s deadliest. It’s a list that includes Indonesia’s Tambora volcano, which erupted in 1815, and Columbia’s Ruiz volcano, which claimed the lives of local Columbians as recently as 30 years ago.
None of these volcanoes wielded their force in quite the same way, and nearly all took their victims by surprise. Does that mean that, with the science of volcanology now being able to predict when a volcano erupts, that deadly volcanoes are a thing of the past?
Big billowing pillars, or columns, of ash and gas, hot gas, shoot up above such a volcano to huge heights, up to 30,000 feet or so
Economists at Saxo Bank don’t think so. Listed in their ‘Outrageous Predictions’ for 2015 was that an eruption of Bardarbunga would cloud the skies over Europe and call for a doubling of food prices. Although the bank’s predictions are typically for unlikely events, several previous predictions have unfortunately come true.
If Bardarbunga, which lies partly under a glacier, had erupted under the ice, it would have sent plumes of gritty ash into the sky and furious floods across the mainland. “But what happened was a very peaceful lava eruption on an ice-free part of the country, where it could not possibly do any harm,” Einarsson says.
But in the decades to come, will Iceland, and the world, remain so fortunate?
Forces of Fire and Flood
On April 5 1815, a some 4000 metre high volcano, Mount Tambora, on the island of Sumbuwa in Indonesia, burst into life so loudly that soldiers hundreds of miles away in Java thought they’d heard cannon fire and dispatched troops to repel invaders.
Then, five days later, the real fireworks began: Tambora propelled plumes of smoke and ash thousands of metres into the skies. “Big billowing pillars, or columns, of ash and gas, hot gas, shoot up above such a volcano to huge heights, up to 30,000 feet or so,” says Jon Davidson, an earth sciences professor at Durham University in the UK.
Tambora ejected about 150 cubic kilometres of ash, some of which settled as far as 1,300 km away. In central Java and Kalimantan, 900 km (550 miles) from the eruption, one centimetre of ash fell.
It was the most powerful volcano recorded in modern times - a 7 on the volcanic explosivity index (VEI-7).
The collapse of the eruption column produced numerous burning pyroclastic flows - high-density mixtures of burning rock fragments and hot gases - that descended downslope at great speed. “If those columns collapse, and we know they do continuously while the volcano is erupting, they are deadly because they are very, very quick,” Davidson says. “You can’t outrun them.”
Decimating all the villages in their path, the fiery flows plunged into the ocean where the hot-cold mix sent further explosions of ash soaring into the atmosphere. Ash smothered buildings and crops and contaminated the water. Whereas the pyroclastic flows and volcanic bombs killed almost 10,000 people, an estimated 82,000 more died indirectly from starvation and disease.
It was a potent mix of magma and seawater that made the eruption so explosive. And that blew the island to pieces
And Tambora’s deadly tendrils spread far afield. Its sulphurous emissions caused acid particles to spread around the globe, triggering a global cooling. The year was known as a “Year Without a Summer,” one that led to major food shortages across the Northern Hemisphere. Beyond the fatalities from hunger, the cold also claimed lives. In America, the year earned the nickname ‘eighteen hundred and froze to death,’ and frozen crops spurred many farmers to strike West in search of warmer temperatures.
Less than 60 years later, another Indonesian volcano shook the world, but this time its strike was sure and swift: within one day, more than 36,000 people died. On August 26, 1883, Krakatoa, which lay 1,400 km west of Tambora, jetted out a white cloud of ash and pumice. As the volcano hurled its innards into the air, its underground chamber emptied and, eventually, with nothing to support it, the cavity’s rock roof collapsed. Water then gushed onto the magma - a mixture of molten and semi-molten rock and dissolved gases - and such a cataclysmic eruption ensued that it was heard more than 7,000 kilometres away in Sri Lanka.
“It was a potent mix of magma and seawater that made the eruption so explosive,' says Davidson, “and that blew the island to pieces.”'
The volcano then collapsed to 250 metres beneath sea level, and two-thirds of the island followed it. Most of the casualties, however, were on neighbouring islands. Following the first eruption, tsunami after tsunami hit the shores of Sumatra, Java and the adjacent islands obliterating villages and coastal communities. And, in similar circumstances to the aftermath of Tambora, sun blocking gases caused global temperatures to fall by as much as 1.2 Celsius.
“Even though it wasn’t as big as an eruption as Tambora, I think Krakatoa had a bigger effect,” says Davidson. When it comes to being deadly, size isn’t everything, he points out.
Small but Deadly
A veritable monster of volcanoes, the ice-capped Nevado del Ruiz covers more than 200 square kilometres in central Columbia, stretching 65 kilometres from east to west. But when it came to life in 1985, it issued a mere murmur, an eruption that only registered a 3 on the Volcanic Explosivity index. Not enough to worry the residents of the town of Armero, 40 kilometres away.
“People live a long way from the summit because the volcano is so large,” says Don Swanson, a volcanologist at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. “So the threat doesn’t seem as immediate as it might be around a smaller, more conical shaped volcano.”
On eruption, the volcano’s heart ejected a molten mass of rocks and gas, which in itself didn’t impact the town. But the heated material melted the glacier and sent a mixture of ice and water careering down the hillsides at 50 kilometres an hour. These landslides picked up ash, rocks and volcanic material to form lahars - volcanically induced debris flows - which coursed into the major rivers at the base of the volcano.
“One river charged through the small town, and basically demolished it,” Davidson says. In Armero, the lahar killed more than 20,000 of its almost 29,000 inhabitants. Scientists had warned the government that mudslides could destroy the towns, but the inhabitants didn’t evacuate.
“And this is the real tragedy of the Ruiz situation. The lahar, of course, would have destroyed the town but people could have escaped with their lives,” Swanson says. “This was a small, manageable event - it was a very small eruption.”
Ruiz was the second deadliest volcanic disaster of the 20th century, surpassed only by the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée on the island of Martinique. But only one notch higher on the explosivity index than Ruiz, Mount Pelée claimed 28,000 lives shortly after erupting.
When the volcano blew its top, on the morning of May 8, its lava dome collapsed to send a fireball of gas, steam, dust and pumice shooting down the hillside. This pyroclastic flow, thanks to the incandescent gas, is also known as an nuée ardente - a glowing cloud. Travelling at more than 160 km/h (100 m/ph), it struck the town of St Pierre at 8:02am and immediately suffocated and burnt its inhabitants. Only three survived, including Auguste Ciparis, the sole occupant of the city's dungeon.
“It's just coincidence whether or not those pyroclastic density currents head towards an area of dense population,” Davidson says. “It could have gone down the north side, in which case nobody probably would have even heard about the eruption.”
What’s simmering?
For years after the Krakatoa volcano sank spectacularly into the ocean, peace reigned in the surrounding area. But then, in 1927, Javanense fishermen saw steam and debris bubbling away in the water. Soon after, Anak Karakatoa - 'Child of Krakatoa' - began to rise above the sea.
This ‘enfant horribilis’ has since erupted quite frequently to reach a height of about 300 metres, but Davidson doubts that another massive Krakatoa eruption will happen again soon. Currently, there is simply not enough magma in the volcano’s chamber to fuel such an explosion, he says.
Should another large volcanic eruption hit Indonesia, however, the casualties could be huge, as millions of people live in places prone to flooding. “The most dangerous volcanoes are, of course, those that are in the densely populated areas,” Swanson says.
If pressed to name the potential most deadly volcano of the future, both Davidson and Swanson concur: “Vesuvius is one that I think would probably be at, or very close to, the top of every volcanologist's list,” Swanson says.
Vesuvius, perhaps the most famed volcano worldwide, decimated the town of Pompeii and Herculaneum when it exploded in 79 A.D. Now more than 600,000 people live near its base in what is termed the “red zone” - the 12-kilometre radius where people would stand little chance of survival if the volcano explodes again.
But in the battle of man against the immortal, science is proving an invaluable weapon. Volcanologists at the Vesuvius Observatory now monitor the volcano constantly to anticipate future eruptions. “Then you'll have an opportunity to make decisions which can potentially move the population out of the way, “ Davidson says.
By mapping back through time to previous eruptions and analysing them, scientists can now begin to determine the nature and timing of future eruptions, Davidson says. “The more we study the volcanoes, the more familiar they become in the sense that they have, just like people, certain characteristics,” Davidson says.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that deadly volcanoes are simply a phenomenon of the past.
There are many volcanoes that haven’t erupted in living memory, and aren’t being monitored, Davidson says. “And because we've never seen it, we don't really know what we're looking for,” he adds.
When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, for example, few scientists had been monitoring it - its last eruption had been some 400-500 years earlier. Although many people fled the region after scientists’ warnings, 847 still perished.
And what of the Icelandic volcanoes? As Laki has already demonstrated, these volcanoes wield their own brand of deadliness, spreading noxious gases to the nearby densely populated European countries. Icelandic volcanoes will always give plenty of warning, however, and scientists can monitor air quality so that governments can take the necessary precautions, Davidson says.
Still, scientists will watch closely, should Bardabunga make another move. Einarsson remains cautiously optimistic. It was the biggest eruption for 200 years, he says, but still the damage was minimal.
So even though Bardarbunga certainly had the potential to create a catastrophe along the lines of the Laki disaster, “It would really be quite far-fetched to assume that now,” Einarsson says.
Let’s just hope it stays that way.Even though Cyle Larin is scoring goals, it hasn’t felt the same as last year’s incredible Rookie of the Year winning season, that saw him net 17 goals. So let’s take a look at the numbers.
In 2015, Larin scored 17 goals, in 27 games, and 24 starts. That means he scored in 63% of the games he played. He played a total of 1,906 minutes, which is good for one goal every 112 minutes.
Compare that to 2016, where so far he has nine goals in 18 games, and 16 starts. Which means he has scored in 50% of the games played. So far, he has played 1,329 minutes, which is good for one goal every 148 minutes.
With 16 games remaining, if he keeps his current pace, he would score eight more goals for a total of 17. That would match last year’s total goals, though certainly not as efficiently. If he were to match his 63% pace of 2015 in the final 16 games, he’d score 10 more goals, for a total of 19. There would certainly be nothing wrong with that.
So why isn’t he scoring at the same pace as last season?
Sophomore Slump?
Many players who have incredible rookie seasons will then have a less-than-stellar second season. Despite his numbers being down in comparison to 2015, I don’t think we can actually chalk it up to a sophomore slump. Larin has been scoring goals, and other teammates are contributing more.
Injury/Illness
Larin has dealt with a hamstring injury, a hand injury, and illness this season. No matter how young you are, these things will have a toll, and not just on a body, but on minutes played, and effectiveness once on the field. However, Larin is actually playing 73 minutes per game versus 71 per game last season. That means that the injuries aren’t affecting his total playing time.
The Competition
I don’t mean the teams that Orlando City is playing. This year, teams are well aware of what Cyle did in 2015, and as we saw on Saturday night, he has been marked whenever he is on the field, often by multiple defenders. That type of attention could certainly impact a striker's ability to score goals. I do think that this may be one of the reasons that Larin is not scoring at the same pace, but we should factor in his development as well. Larin isn’t the same player as a year ago. He has been working on his game, knowing that he would be the recipient of the added attention.
It’s that last point that is important. Despite all of the above, he is still potentially on pace to match or beat his goal total of last season. Whether he does or not remains to be seen, but it will have an impact on both his personal season, and Orlando City’s ability to make the playoffs.
Let me what know your impressions of Larin’s season have been so far in the comment section below.By ANI
NEW DELHI: Former union home secretary Anil Baijal will take oath as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi at Raj Niwas at 11 a.m. today.
President Pranab Mukherjee had on December 28 accepted Najeeb Jung's resignation and approved Baijal’s name as the next Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory.
Baijal, a 1969 batch India Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Union Territories cadre, was removed as union home secretary when the UPA government assumed power in May 2004.
The former bureaucrat has also been the vice-chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and had headed key public sector companies like Prasar Bharti and Indian Airlines.
Jung had submitted his resignation on December 22, ending a nearly three-and-half-year-long eventful tenure, mostly marked by bitter confrontation with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government.Freaks for sale features unique, interesting and bizarre vehicles for sale in Michigan.
What do you do after buying a 1985 Ford EXP?
"Slap your cassette tape in, play a little Flock of Seagulls, and have a nice day," said Tom McHenry, who runs Shamrock Auto Sales in Dearborn with his partner, Peder Blohm.
The colorful duo acquired the black 1985 EXP on a trade involving a Mustang and "a lot of cash," McHenry said, and then looked into what a good selling price would be. They had a difficult time finding comparable cars on the market, as the Ford EXP has become a freak.
What it is: 1985 Ford EXP
Why it's a freak: Not quite an Escort, and certainly not a Mustang, about 250,000 Ford EXPs were produced, but good luck finding one on the road today. There appear to be none on Autotrader.com and a national search of Craigslist turns up precious few.
Does that make this little car an essential rarity? Perhaps not, as some automotive publications have panned the quirky EXP.
The 1985 Ford EXP for sale in Dearborn is a sample from a time when automakers were developing small cars for the U.S. market in the wake of the OPEC oil embargo and high fuel prices.
The Ford EXP is said to get an impressive 46 miles per gallon on the highway. However, it is also apparently gutless.
Car and Diver called the EXP "one of history's most eminently forgettable cars" and poked fun at its weak performance, with a stock 1.9-liter SOHC 4-cylinder rated at just 108 horsepower and 114 l.b ft. of torque.
Brawn or no brawn, the modified exhaust on the '85 EXP for sale at Shamrock Auto Sales "sounds like a Ferrari," McHenry said.
The little two-seater, produced from 1981-88 and also made as the Mercury LN7, was billed as a ride for one- and two-person households. Not until the revived Ford Thunderbird debuted in 2002 would another mass-market two-seater be developed by Ford in North America.
It may not have gotten a lot of respect over the years, but the first-gen Ford EXP is exceedingly rare, and it's sure to turn some heads as you cruise down Michigan Avenue with your cassette player blasting "I Ran."
Asking price: $1,900
Listing: http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/5636546657.html
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at [email protected], follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 197 event took home UFC Athlete Outfitting pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok, totaling $222,500.
UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (24-2-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) took home the night’s largest check, earning $40,000 for his first-round TKO victory over previously undefeated challenger Henry Cejudo (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). As a title challenger, Cejudo took home $30,000, despite the loss.
UFC 197 took place Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
In the night’s main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones (22-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) took home $30,000 while claiming the promotion’s vacant interim light heavyweight title. Ovince Saint Preux (19-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) also took home $30,000 in a losing effort.
The full UFC 197 UFC Athlete Outfitting payouts included:
Jon Jones: $30,000
def. Ovince Saint Preux: $30,000
Demetrious Johnson: $40,000
def. Henry Cejudo: $30,000
Edson Barboza: $10,000
def. Anthony Pettis: $10,000
Robert Whittaker: $5,000
def. Rafael Natal: $10,000
Yair Rodriguez: $2,500
def. Andre Fili: $5,000
Sergio Pettis: $5,000
def. Chris Kelades: $2,500
Danny Roberts: $2,500
def. Dominique Steele: $2,500
Carla Esparza: $2,500
def. Juliana Lima: $2,500
James Vick: $2,500
def. Glaico Franca: $2,500
Walt Harris: $2,500
def. Cody East: $2,500
Marcos Rogerio de Lima: $2,500
def. Clint Hester: $5,000
Kevin Lee: $5,000
def. Efrain Escudero: $10,000
Under the UFC Athlete Outfitting program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights January 2007 and later and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts April 2011 and later. Fighters with 1-5 bouts receive $2,500 per appearance; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2016 UFC-Reebok sponsorship payouts:
Year-to-date total: $1,
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experiences of non-black communities of color more visible). But Huang’s response is indicative of the fact that his philosophy of manhood is grounded in sexism, and leverages anti-blackness as a tool for subverting anti-Asian stereotypes. The fact that the success of ABC’s family sitcom Fresh Off The Boat, based on Huang’s memoir of the same name, has rendered Huang one of Asian America’s most visible figures, only compounds my disgust at this recent Twitter exchange.
I understand the pain and frustration that stems from America’s racist emasculation of Asian men. But if, as in Huang’s practice, reclaiming Asian American masculinity means claiming all the ills of white American manhood – it’s patriarchy, entitlement, heterosexism, and racism – I want nothing to do with it.
To my fellow Asian American men: can we re-envision Asian American masculinity to be anti-racist, womanist, queer, and liberational beyond our own identities? Can we make space for the criticisms of our women of color peers, and confront the certain privileges and powers that come with being Asian men in America, rather than attempting to use those same privileges to silence and shame those who raise critical questions? Huang’s violent exchange with McKenzie is a reminder that if a movement towards reclaiming Asian masculinity has any place in radical – rather than reactionary – political spaces, we can and must do better.New Orleans police officers who lie while on the job or file a false police report can be immediately fired under new regulations that will go into effect next week.
Superintendent Ronal Serpas announced the changes, along with several other revisions to the rules governing officer behavior, at a news conference outlining his initial steps to remake the New Orleans Police Department.
"If you lie, you die," Serpas said, noting that the previous policy would allow lesser reprimands for officers who were untruthful a couple times. "If you tell this police department a lie about anything, you will be terminated. That has never happened here before."
In a week when the alleged wrongdoing five years ago of New Orleans police after Hurricane Katrina will be featured prominently in the news, both Serpas and Mayor Mitch Landrieu underscored that they are trying to make improvements that will restore citizen confidence in the officers they interact with every day. There are currently nine ongoing federal probes into the NOPD, many of them stemming from the post-Katrina period.
"In short order, we have made progress on the structure and the culture of the NOPD," said Landrieu at a news conference also attended by Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro and NOPD deputy chiefs Arlinda Westbrook and Marlon Defillo.
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Serpas said even an internal change like the revision to what is known in the NOPD as the "truthfulness" policy will end up being felt by New Orleanians. "When that resonates through our community, it will be easier for our community to accept the word of a police officer," he said.
The 65-point plan released by Serpas included many steps that had already been undertaken, such as his restructuring of the command staff in June and the implementation of an initiative with federal agencies and Orleans Parish DA's office targeting illegal guns on the streets.
But a good portion of the plan is labeled as "in progress," including numerous federal reviews of various NOPD departments. The involvement of federal experts in diagnosing any problems in the NOPD is not a surprise, as the U.S. Department of Justice, at Landrieu's invitation, is currently conducting a wide-ranging "pattern and practices" investigation of the department, trying to determine where systemic changes are needed.
The NOPD has already asked various components of the Justice Department for specific help, according to Serpas' document, including reviews of the homicide unit, as well as providing expert help with domestic violence and sexual assault investigations. Following news reports about the prevalence of sexual assault complaints that are not classified as crimes, the NOPD this month asked the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement to conduct an audit of the sex crimes division, according to the report.
Serpas said some of the changes are specifically targeted at violent crime, such as the creation of the "violent crime abatement team," a group of detectives who will target people the NOPD and other agencies identify as the most dangerous criminals in the city. Another group of officers in the special operations division work with state parole and probation officers to monitor parolees who were convicted of gun crimes, making sure they comply with their conditions of release.
Community policing will also be expanded, particularly by the new breed of sergeants put into each district in June. The "community coordinating" sergeant will work with neighborhood groups to identify and help fix problems, Serpas said. In many cases, the problems the sergeants confront will not be crime, but quality-of-life issues, he said.
"When you can solve people's problems, they believe in you and they call you more," said Serpas, who returned to the NOPD this spring after stints at the Washington State Police and at the helm of the Nashville Police Department.
Some of the problems identified by Serpas include rebuilding internal oversight mechanisms established during the era of former Superintendent Richard Pennington in the late 1990s, such as an "early warning system" to identify officers with repeat complaints. The new head of the Public Integrity Bureau, Westbrook, a civilian, will be looking at overhauling that system and other training programs through the end of the year, he said.
Along with the changes to the truthfulness policy, the department will also change the report writing rules, allowing the firing of any officer who files a "false or inaccurate oral or written report." At issue in three ongoing cases in federal court against NOPD officers is the accusation that police wrote false information in reports, which prosecutors assert was done to cover-up improper police actions.
Another change, which like the others announced by Serpas will be put into place Sept. 1, is the requirement that all officers report to a supervisor any misconduct they observe by any government employee. If they fail to do so, they can be subject to the same level of discipline as the person who committed the offense. Officers will also be required to cooperate with investigations and not withhold information.
Noting that this week marks the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Serpas made direct reference to some of the allegations against police after Katrina, especially the guilty pleas of five former officers in the Danziger Bridge case. Those officers have admitted to participating in a wide-ranging cover-up of a shooting near the bridge in which four people were seriously wounded and two men died.
These actions have overshadowed the great work that many officers performed during the storm, said Serpas.
"The self behavior of people's admitted comments has ripped from the history books the tremendous bravery of so many men and women in this department," he said. "Rightfully so, the insult committed on this community by so many officers is something we can never forget and will never forget."
Laura Maggi can be reached at [email protected] or 504.826.3316.Mussels are not only inexpensive and tasty, they're one of the most sustainable types of seafood—and can even help improve the environment. Here's how to make mussels your go-to choice for sustainable seafood.
Photo by bugmonkey
Buying seafood responsibly is essential for protecting our environment, but choosing the right seafood can be complicated because of all the variables involved with the "sustainable seafood" label. At a restaurant or market, you might not know where a fish was caught or how it was caught, for example. With mussels, though, "you'll almost always get responsibly farmed shellfish that actually clean the water they're grown in," writes Francis Lam at Salon.
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Mussels are also incredibly versatile and very easy to prepare. You can start with a standard garlic, white wine, butter, and herbs preparation and take off from there:
Basically, if you can imagine a bunch of flavors tasting good together, they will probably be good with mussels. Like a version with leeks or onions (aromatics), bacon (just because) and dark beer (liquid), and finished with a stir-in of crushed or ground nuts for more richness. (And maybe a final splash of malt vinegar or something if it wants a little brightness.)
If you've never made mussels, check out Salon's primer, which includes instructions on how to clean, store, and cook mussels (pay particular heed to the warning about tossing shells that aren't opening).
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See also simple rules for buying fish responsibly and feel free to comment on cooking mussels or other sustainable seafood topics.
Mussels: Your go-to sustainable seafood | SalonHUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Hartselle Medical Center in southern Morgan County went out of business Tuesday, but it might not stay closed for long.
During a meeting Tuesday evening, Huntsville Hospital's governing board voted to purchase the 150-bed facility and all its assets from Franklin, Tenn.-based Capella Healthcare.
The $1.5 million deal is expected to be completed in March.
Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers said Hartselle Medical Center is no longer viable as a full-service hospital but might be the right location for some outpatient services.
"Certainly, we will look at trying to keep the physicians in the community by providing access to the services needed for their practices, such as lab and imaging services, if at all possible," Spillers said.
Chief Operating Officer Jeff Samz said Huntsville Hospital will work with its sister hospitals in Morgan County, Decatur General and Parkway Medical Center, to devise a plan for the Hartselle facility.
Any plan for the building "would have to make financial sense," Spillers added.
On Jan. 10, Capella Healthcare announced plans to close Hartselle Medical Center due to declining patient numbers, a weak economy, Alabama's low Medicare reimbursement rates and other factors. It had been averaging fewer than eight medical-surgical patients and 13 to 15 psychiatric patients per day.
The 64-year-old hospital treated its last patient Tuesday. Employees then held a candlelight vigil in the parking lot.
A number of Hartselle's 136 full-time workers have already landed new jobs at Huntsville Hospital, Decatur General, Parkway Medical Center, Athens-Limestone Hospital and the new Madison Hospital opening later this month, Spillers said.
The pending purchase of Hartselle Medical Center gives Huntsville Hospital a stake in all three major medical facilities in Morgan County.
But Capella found it difficult to make money in Morgan County, which has the nation's lowest Medicare reimbursement rate for hospitals.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Feb. 25, 2014, 2:32 AM GMT / Source: Live Science
A newly discovered pink-nosed rodentlike marsupial gives its all for sex — really. Males of the species mate so intensely that they die before their young are born.
The creature's discoverers caught the little lothario in Australia's Springbrook National Park with traps baited with peanut butter and oats. In a report published Feb. 17 in the journal Zootaxa, they dubbed it the black-tailed antechinus.
Other members of the antechinus group have already been discovered, some by the same team that found the newest species. Mammalogist Andrew Baker of the Queensland University of Technology had previously found two new species of the genus Antechinus in southeastern Queensland.
The researchers first saw the black-tailed antechinus in May 2013. It looked unlike the dusky antechinus, a relative that lives in the region, so Baker and his colleagues suspected they had seen something new. The yellow-orange fur around its eyes and rump helps distinguish it from similar species.
Marsupials in this genus are promiscuous maters. Females give birth to large broods that include offspring from several fathers. To raise their chances of siring more offspring, males mate for hours at a time with many females. This sends the animals' stress hormone levels skyrocketing, which eventually results in death.
Females collect sperm from their doomed mates and then ovulate, allowing for the simultaneous fertilization of many half-siblings. Most females die after their first litter is weaned.
Baker and his colleagues are seeking endangered species protection for the newly discovered marsupial.
— Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience
This is a condensed version of a report from LiveScience. Read the full report. Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter and Google+. Follow LiveScience on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.Note: By submitting this form, you agree to Third Door Media's terms. We respect your privacy.
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Did watching elected representatives debate SOPA last week without understanding some fundamentals of the internet rattle your nerves? Welcome to my world of watching the same thing happen about Google and search.
In September, the US Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights held a hearing called “The Power of Google: Serving Consumers or Threatening Competition?”
Yesterday, the subcommittee released a letter out of that hearing, advising the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate further — something the FTC was already doing.
Reading though the letter made my jaw drop in several places. Despite the subcommittee saying it’s not out to get Google:
It is important to note that the concerns expressed in this letter are not an effort to protect any specific competitor
The conclusions come across pretty one-sided. But more important, it comes across as a pretty superficial examination of a really important topic.
In the spirit of the great piece last week, Dear Congress, It’s No Longer OK To Not Know How The Internet Works, here’s my take when it comes to the current look at Google & search.
Bing: A Microsoft & Yahoo Production?
What really set off my alarm bells was this:
Bing, a partnership of Microsoft and Yahoo
Despite substantial amounts of staff time and money spent to have the hearings, the committee mistakenly believes that Microsoft’s Bing search engine is a Yahoo and Microsoft production.
It’s not. Bing is a wholly-owned part of Microsoft. Yahoo has no ownership in Bing.
But wait. Isn’t there a partnership? Yes, but one that gives Yahoo a minor role handling Bing’s ad sales to “high volume” advertisers. The deal came after Bing was launched. It wasn’t an essential part of it, nor does it help with Bing building consumer market share against Google.
If the committee fully understood the competitive space, they’ve have said instead:
Yahoo Search, a partnership of Microsoft and Yahoo
That would be far more accurate. That’s because Yahoo no longer has its own core search technology, nor its own search ad serving technology. It gave all these up to partner with Microsoft (it would have kept them in a deal with Google. See our side-by-side comparison).
Heck, Yahoo’s former CEO Carol Bartz was quite specific that her goal was to use Bing’s technology as a way to somehow beat Bing at its own game. Bing wasn’t a partnership to her; it was the competition.
Bing & Yahoo Distant To Google?
Perhaps the committee thought that the “partnership” was the overall “search alliance” between Bing and Yahoo? If that was the case, then why did the letter go on to say
…which is a distant second in market share and is losing an estimated $2 billion annually…
Those stats only make sense if you’re talking about Bing itself, having a 15% share to Google’s 65% in the United States, as recently reported. If you’re talking about Bing and Yahoo combined, they come up to 30%, much healther competition.
Should that bigger figure have been mentioned, since the committee was talking about partnerships? Either the letter was one-sided or simply not comprehensive enough. In either case, I expect more out of the work that went into that hearing.
Google Favors Itself (Like Everyone Else)
This part was fun reading:
Rather than act as an honest broker of unbiased search results, Google’s search results appear to favor the company’s own web products and services
It’s difficult from the letter to understand if the committee is declaring this to be fact or simply saying that Google’s critics are alleging this. To me, it comes off as the former, since the attribution of this claim is tossed into the footnotes:
Google critics also argue that the very layout of the Google search results first page is biased in favor of its own products and services. They point to the amount of the “real estate” in the search result page devoted to Google content, including paid advertising at the top and on the right of the page, and the Google “places” or “onebox” results, which are not designated as Google results separate rom the algorithmic results. Consumers have no way of knowing that these one box results are not pat of the algorithmic results.
On its own, this sounds dramatic. But if you’re looking at how the search industry operates in general, Google’s doing exactly what its competitors Bing and Yahoo do. Consider this:
That’s a side-by-side comparison I did of how Google (on the left) and Bing (on the right) both “favor” themselves in various ways, as part of my Does The FairSearch White Paper On Google Being Anticompetitive Hold Up? article from October.
Pick your search, and you can find Bing or Yahoo “favoring” themselves in all the same ways that Google is accused of. If deemed to have a monopoly, potentially Google will be held to a higher standard. But the suggestion in the letter is that Google is already doing something that’s out of the ordinary. That’s not the case.
Does The Committee Know FTC Guidelines Already Exist?
You’d think the committee would know this. You’d think the committee, after all the research it did, would want to appraise the FTC that such an industry standard exists.
It doesn’t. Instead, the footnote goes on to say:
We believe, under the FTC’s mandate to protect consumers rom misleading and deceptive practices, the FTC should seriously consider requiring Google to label its “onebox” or “places” listing (or other similar listings), as Google products, just as it labels paid search results.
As it turns out, the FTC already pondered this, back in 2002. The FTC issued guidelines relating to paid placement and paid inclusion and deliberately refrained from dealing with one-box type units. As I wrote at the time:
The FTC did not address the issue of content promotion, where a portal site might list its own content over others in search results. For example, at Yahoo, a search usually brings up the “Inside Yahoo” matches at the top of the page. This is Yahoo’s own content, being promoted over others. Similarly, at MSN Search, the “Featured Listings” area may promote MSN’s own content, or content of advertisers or sponsors, or even content of good web sites for free, if they editorially deserve to be there. I asked Thomas and Forbes if there was any guidance on this issue, and the view that emerged seemed to be to err on the side of caution. Favoritism of any type should be disclosed, to avoid consumer confusion.
Expanding the guidelines might make sense. They’re nearly 10 years old now. But because the existing guidelines weren’t mentioned, I get the impression the committee was ignorant of them. That’s disturbing, because knowing those guidelines is basic homework that should have been done.
Ignores One FTC Guideline While Pushing For Another
Later in the letter, we have this:
Also at our Subcommittee hearing, Yelp! CEO Jeremy Stoppelman and Nextag CEO Jeffrey Katz testified that Google’s practice of favoring its own content harms them directly by depriving their sites of user traffic and advertising revenue. Mr. Stoppelman testified that 75 percent of Yelp!’s web traffic consists of consumers who find its website as a result of Google searches, and Mr. Katz testiied that 65 percent of Nextag’s traffic originates from Google searches. They testified that losing this trafic would threaten the continued viability of their companies, which would have to spend much more on advertising to make up for lost traffic coming from Google queries.
Let’s set aside the absurdity that Google has been so abusive to both companies that they “only” get 65 to 75% of all their traffic from Google for free. If that’s abuse, please sir, may I have another?
Seriously, no one on the committee questions how a company can claim they’ve been harmed by a competitor that sends them 2/3 to 3/4 of their traffic for free? That doesn’t get a mention, a metaphorical raised eyebrow, in this letter?
Let’s focus instead on the concern that NexTag might have to pay more in advertising if Google were to perhaps send more people into Google Shopping.
When people go into Google Shopping, they find listings from thousands of merchants all across the web, merchants that pay exactly $0 to be listed in the editorial listings.
If Google routed more people to NexTag, then NexTag might not have to advertise so much to get people to come to its own shopping search engine, where people find listings from thousands of merchants across the web — assuming those merchants pay to be listed.
That’s because, you see, while NexTag doesn’t want to pay more for traffic from Google, NexTag apparently has no problem requiring merchants to pay to be listed within its own listings.
As best I can tell, the only way you get listed in NexTag is through paid inclusion. It’s like buying a lottery ticket. There’s no guarantee you’ll win (rank well), but you only have a chance at all if you pay. Merchants who don’t pay don’t get listed.
That brings us back to the FTC, which has guidelines that search engines that run paid inclusion programs disclose this to consumers in specific ways. When I wrote my Does The FairSearch White Paper On Google Being Anticompetitive Hold Up? article, it seemed that NexTag wasn’t doing what’s required.
In short, the committee is holding up NexTag — which might be violating the FTC’s own guidelines — as a poster child for the FTC to potentially create more guidelines aimed specifically at Google.
The committee also oddly seems more motivated to ensure that NexTag pays less in advertising than the fact that regulating NexTag’s inclusion in Google might cause thousands of individual merchants to pay more.
This is another example of the basic fundamentals of search the committee doesn’t seem to grasp, and it’s frightening to witness.
Proof Of Google Favoring Its Own Sites!
Perhaps one of the most damning bits of evidence that Google is favoring itself to the degree might require regulation comes when the letter cites the now-famous words of Google’s Marissa Mayer speaking in 2007:
As discussed at our Subcommittee hearing, Marissa Mayer, Google’s Vice President of Local, Maps, and Location Services, admitted in a 2007 speech that Google did in fact preference its own websites. She acknowledged that, in the past, Google ranked links “based on popularity … but when we roll[ed] out Google Finance, we did put the Google link first. It seems only fair, right? We do all the work for the search page and all these other things, so we do put it first… That has actually been our policy, since then … So for Google Maps again, it’s the first link, so on and so forth. And later that it’s ranked usually by popularity.” In response to written follow-up questions asking whether her statement was an accurate statement of Google policy, Eric Schmidt stated that “it is my understanding that she was referring to the placement of links within a onebox … and her description was accurate.” While the basis for Mr. Schmidt’s “understanding” is not clear, even if her statement was in fact limited to the “onebox” result, this is a clear admission of preferencing Google results.
First, how about watching what she said herself:
(Sorry, the embed was supposed to play beginning at 44m 39s in, but that doesn’t work. This will jump you directly there).
Next, here’s what she actually said from my listening and transcribing:
based on various published metrics like comScore and Media Metrix, so we had the five top finance sites in their order of popularity listed there. So when we rolled out Google Finance, we did put the Google link first. It seems only fair, right? We do all the work for the search page and all these other things, so we do put it first, but and that’s actually been our policy and because of finance we actually implemented it in other places So for Google Maps again, it’s the first link, so on and so forth. And after that that it’s ranked usually by popularity
Everything in bold is different from what was quoted in the letter. In other words, the transcription of what she said in the letter isn’t correct.
The core meaning is the same, but when the transcription is different, it suggests that no one actually listened to what she said directly and wrote that down, much less listened to the full context of what was discussed, much less fully understood some of the issues involved.
For further context, I’d encourage anyone to watch only a few minutes earlier, when Mayer answers a question about dealing with bias and user trust:
(Sorry, the embed was supposed to play beginning at 42m 15s in, but that doesn’t work. This will jump you directly there).
Mayer talks about providing the best answer, not just the best answer you’re paid to give, how Google has hesitancy over being a content provider to avoid potential conflicts, how it has tried to be agnostic when blending content from its own sites into regular search results, speaking in particular how the company includes video beyond just YouTube.
There are serious issues about Google, or any search engine, hosting content. Google has certainly expanded in this area, but so have its competitors. But it’s clear from Mayer’s talk that it wasn’t just a case of Google deciding it should simply favor itself over all others, as her single quote gives the impression.
This Is Your Smoking Gun?
More important, the committee doesn’t seem to care whether Mayer was talking about a single link in a OneBox unit or a regular search listing. Favoring in any way is an “clear admission of preferencing,” and that seems to be it, case closed.
Let’s look at this in more context. Here’s what was being discussed in Mayer’s talk, which still works today, if a do a search for something like Apple’s stock price:
The link that Mayer was talking about is where the first row of arrows points to. Google Finance comes first in the list under the stock quote, followed by links to five competing finance sites. If it were really favoring itself, you wouldn’t expect Google to be showing any of the other links.
Similarly, below the stock quote, Google lists pages leading to various finance sites around the web. Here, in its “main” results, Google doesn’t list itself first and it does list plenty of competing sites.
Now let’s look at the situation with Google competitor Yahoo:
Yahoo has the same type of OneBox unit at the top of its page that Google does. Unlike Google, Yahoo doesn’t link to any competitors in it. Further down, in the main results, Yahoo does list competing sites, including Google.
Now here’s Bing:
It’s the same situation as with Yahoo. Bing’s own OneBox area only lists Bing, no competitors. Bing’s main results do list competitors. While Bing tops the main results in this search, that’s not always the case.
One of the things I’ve learned covering all these investigations is that if Google is deemed to have a dominant role in the search space, it might have to go above and beyond industry standards to ensure it’s being fair to competitors.
That’s what the screenshots above show. Mayer’s quote, rather than being damning about Google favoring itself, rather demonstrates a long-standing effort of Google going above-and-beyond to be fair.
The industry standard for these types of boxes is that you list your own service first and no others. Google, in contrast, follows the standard practice and then makes an extra effort to include its competitors, in a way they don’t reciprocate.
This is another fundamental that you really should understand, if you’re pushing to regulate search. And alarmingly, the committee clearly either doesn’t understand it or really doesn’t care.
Google Doesn’t Own Motorola Mobility
Further down in the letter, another alarm bell went off:
Additionally, Google owns the popular Android operating system for smart phones and in September 2011 announced its acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a leading mobile phone manufacturer.
That’s incorrect, about Motorola Mobility. Google has announced it wants to buy Motorola Mobility and said that in August 2011, not September 2011. But it won’t acquire the company until reviews are done by US Department of Justice and the European Union.
The letter does qualify that the Motorola Mobility purchase is being reviewed, but that’s in an unrelated footnote. It’s an important enough qualification that it should have happened in the main body, and the date of the announcement should have been correct.
These types of errors again give the impression that the committee failed to fully researched this letter or simply rushed it out, and the issues involved are too important for that. If you’re going to hold a hearing to investigate a cause, follow through properly, with care.
The One-Sided Setup
Near the end, just when I thought there wasn’t anything left to surprise me, I got this:
Google strongly denies the arguments of its critics. Google claims it has done nothing to harm competition and that it merely seeks to serve consumers with the best Internet search results.
Over and over, the letter focuses on accusations from Google’s critics, sometimes restating them as facts. Against that, only Google is cited. No one beyond Google is apparently finding any of the criticisms to be doubtful, even though there are some studies that could have been cited, even some of the same ones used by critics.
So when I get to this part at the end:
We are committed to ensuring that consumers benefit from robust competition in online search and that the Internet remains the source of much free-market innovation. We therefore urge the FTC to investigate the issues raised at our Subcommittee hearing to determine whether Google’s actions violate antitrust law or substantially harm consumers or competition in this vital industry.
I’m not convinced. I feel like we all witnessed a time-consuming and expensive hearing so a few senators could pretend that they actually did something related to curbing Google, assuming that this is somehow something people may want them to do (one survey says no).
Did the sudden disappearance of holiday shopping sites on Google-competitor Bing just before the busy shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday not register at all with the committee or its staffers, when they were compiling the letter? That raises some of the same concerns being aired about Google. Or does investigating “search neutrality” only depend on market share?
The hearing did deliver the spectacle of seeing Google Chairman Eric Schmidt admit to having a monopoly in search, only to try and recant that later in written follow-ups. That can and will be used against Google. But it’s not illegal to be a monopoly, only to abuse your power to harm consumers or competitors if so. That case has yet to be proven, and the letter from the hearing offers little to help.
It’s Not Fanboy To Want Fairness
Let me conclude with this. Occasionally, I get accused of being a Google fanboy when I write about these matters. I’m not. I was writing about real reasons why Google might be liable in an antitrust case years ago, before investigations were even near beginning.
I’m trying to provide some balance where balance is needed. I didn’t see a lot of that in these hearings, nor in the letter that came out of it.
Is it good to look into these issues, whether Google is potentially abusing its market position. Absolutely!
Is it good to look carefully at these issues, getting range of educated viewpoints, to ensure that consumers and the competitive market are well protected? It’s essential!
Is it good to stage political theater where US senators seem uncertain about how search works or unabashedly ask for Google handouts? No. That’s terrible!
But terrible is what we got, so far. Watching all this political discussion happen in September, around an area I know so well, I realized one chilling thing. It’s not that Washington doesn’t know search. It’s not that Washington doesn’t know the internet. It’s that Washington doesn’t know anything but what paid lobbyists are pushing on it.
Fortunately, I have much more faith in the FTC itself. I watched 10 years ago as it grappled with the challenge of how to deal with labeling search results, and it crafted guidelines that helped save consumers from a developing mess. I’ll hope once again it comes through to assess the situation of fairness within search and make appropriate guidelines as needed.
Related ReadingSam Johnstone is expected to be fit to face Hull City this weekend.
Johnstone sat out the Watford game after picking up a muscle injury in training that week.
But Steve Bruce confirmed today that Johnstone should be available against the Tigers.
Albert Adomah faces a race against time to make this weekend.
The winger has recovered from his shin injury but is still a bit short of match fitness.
Mile Jedinak and Jonathan Kodjia look set to miss out, however.
Jedinak is in light training but is still approximately two weeks away from being available.
Kodjia is on the way back and making progress after recovering from a broken ankle.
But our talismanic striker is still approximately one month away from a full return.
Jack Grealish could face at least a three-month spell on the sidelines after sustaining kidney damage in the weekend encounter with the Hornets.
Snap up MATCH TICKETS for Villa v Hull."I will demand an apology from Hillary. She should apologize," he told TODAY's Matt Lauer on Monday. "She lies about emails, she lies about Whitewater, she lies about everything. She will be a disaster about everything as president of the United States."
As Rick Moran noted yesterday, Hillary Clinton’s Saturday night debate claim that videos of Donald Trump are being used by ISIS as a recruiting tool is false. No such videos can be produced. This morning, speaking by phone with Matt Lauer on Today, Trump demanded an apology (video below):
Lauer did his best to play defense, leading with Trump’s own claim of videos showing tens of thousands of American Muslims celebrating 9/11. But Trump brushed past that, claiming it was true.
This puts Hillary in a very awkward place. Does she try to brazen through, the way Trump does? If so, will it work for her? My guess is that it will not, that a double standard will apply – the politician (Hillary) being held to a different standard than the outsider (Trump). This will knock her off balance, to say the least.
Trump has shown a masterful ability to get inside his opponents’ heads. I suspect that he is doing exactly that with Hillary. She is in a no win situation here. If she tries to Trump her way through this, she will come off badly. But if she apologizes (which is not in her nature, save for extra-long bathroom breaks), she looks weak. Especially when compared to Trump. In a context of world affairs where Americans are yearning for a strong leader to protect us.
The Clinton campaign is already rattled. Watch campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri display anxiety as she stumbles through an explanation for Hillary’s incorrect claim.The U.S. would oust the communist regime in North Korea if it uses its nuclear weapons or launches an all-out invasion on South Korea and the 28,500 American troops stationed there, national security sources say.
The Obama administration has not articulated such a far-reaching retaliation, even as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatens to attack both South Korea and the U.S. mainland.
But national security sources say it is a common assumption within the Pentagon and U.S. Pacific Command that a full-force attack by Pyongyang would put in place a contingency plan of massive retaliation against the North aimed at bringing down the Stalinist regime. President Obama would be faced with making the war decision.
“I have been told by a senior general that an attack by the North means regime change,” a senior congressional defense aide told The Washington Times. “I was told the same thing when I visited Pacific Command,” which is based in Hawaii.
The South Korean government would not allow the U.S. to launch a pre-emptive regime change of the North, as the George W. Bush administration executed in Iraq in 2003.
However, an all-out war by the North would change the reasoning.
SEE ALSO: North Korea preparing missile launch on its east coast
The Bush administration was more open about its retaliation plans. Then-Vice President Dick Cheney said an invasion of the South or the use of nuclear weapons would mean the end of the Kim dynasty.
The Pentagon, with new strategic guidance from Mr. Obama in hand, has been updating its war plans for all regions, including the Korean Peninsula.
A source familiar with the thinking has told The Times that the plans include scenarios for the regime imploding on its own and an allied invasion in response to North Korea launching a war on the South.
The plan calls for the South Korean government and its armed forces to take the lead in post-war stability operations to transform the North and achieve unification of the Koreas.
As part of a show of force, the Pentagon dispatched B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri last week to take part in joint exercises with the South Koreans.
The B-2 is an overt offensive weapon, and its use in a war would be to hit targets held dear by the North, such as headquarters, presidential sites and nuclear facilities.
“We would respond with massive air power and destroy their air force and air defenses within 50 hours, which means we could destroy their ground forces, with South Korean ground forces, in less than 60 days,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney. “Yes, there would be carnage, but North Korea would be defeated decisively and quickly.”
Gen. McInerney, who did war planning on the Korean Peninsula in the 1980s, said it is China’s responsibility to keep Mr. Kim from acting on his threats to attack the United States and invade South Korea.
“Don’t worry about China. If they let it happen it’s their problem,” he said. “They are not going to war. China is not going to throw in a hundred thousand troops. China has got to keep this guy on a short leash. China is making so much money. They don’t want ill will around the world, trade embargoes. It’s not in their interest.”
Asked Tuesday if the Pentagon has a plan to pre-emptively strike the North, George Little, spokesman for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, said: “Let me be very clear that the United States position is, we want peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. For over 60 years, we’ve had an alliance with South Korea, and top priority of that alliance is to ensure peace and stability on the peninsula and in the region.”
Mr. Little added: “We do have options at our disposal to respond effectively to any North Korean provocation. We have plans in place with our South Korean allies, and naturally we hope never have to put any of these plans into place. The goal —
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a warrant before obtaining electronic communications.
The tide is clearly turning. Along with the Digital Due Process Coalition, a coalition of which EFF is a member, we continue to advocate for updating ECPA. The same protections found in the physical world should apply equally to the virtual world.
Unfortunately, Senator Leahy's proposed language would also weaken privacy-protective measures in the Video Privacy and Protection Act (VPPA). Currently, the VPPA requires users' consent each time a video tape service provider wants to disclose a user’s request or purchase of any video and also specifies that this information may only be disclosed to law enforcement with a warrant, court order, or grand jury subpoena. It also stops companies from sharing the data for marketing purposes. When Netflix recently challenged whether or not the law applies to online video, a federal district court ruled: “Congress [intended to protect] the confidentiality of private information about viewing preferences regardless of the business model or media format involved.”
As a result, video and social media companies like Facebook and Netflix are lobbying hard for changes. The former has spent $1.6 million dollars in the first half of 2012, while the latter has spent close to $400,000. Both companies have been successful so far—changes to the VPPA have already passed the House. Senator Leahy's language significantly rewrites the VPPA and breaks down its core privacy protections. The proposed language allows for one-time advance consent—blanket sharing for any and all videos a user watches without any nuance as to who the user is sharing the information with or what exactly the user is giving up control over.
At a hearing in January on the VPPA, Senator Leahy warned about certain "dominant companies," which want to "simplify matters so they can more easily track Americans activity across the board—obviously for their own financial benefit." At the same hearing, Leahy also said: "We need to be faithful to our fundamental right to privacy." We agree. Requiring warrants for stored email is a huge step in protecting privacy; weakening VPPA should not be the price paid.With over 1500 responses, more than 60% of respondents reported some diagnosis for mental illness, with almost one in four respondents mentioning depression in particular. There is substantial co-morbidity between depression and the various anxiety disorders, as there are among the anxiety disorders, so, e.g., the 24% that report depression may also include some of the 5% that checked social anxiety disorder or the 4% that chose OCD. I assume in a poll like this, people are not so perverse as to vote "strategically" or otherwise try to muck up the results. So I think we can conclude from this that the majority of faculty and students in philosophy have confronted some kind of mental illness in their lives. I've opened comments if readers have other thoughts about these sobering results.
Philosophy faculty and students: which, if any, psychological disorders have you been diagnosed with? Check all that apply. Depression 24%370 Bi-polar disorder 3%43 Generalized Anxiety Disorder 11%166 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 4%70 Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Disorder 5%76 Panic Attacks 7%109 Other Anxiety Disorders 4%55 Post-traumatic stress disorder(s) 2%24 Schizophrenia 0%7 Other mental illness 4%56 I have never been diagnosed with any mental illness/psychological disorder 38%593PlayStation E3 2016 Press Conference (Photo : Rich Polk/Getty Images for Sony Interactive Entertainment America)
Sony has just confirmed that the PlayStation Neo and the PS4 Slim will be the last of the "upgrades" for the PlayStation 4, signaling the could be the end of the console's cycle.
There is no release date yet for the new PlayStation Neo and the PS4 Slim but they are expected to be released this year. The bad news is that Sony has denied that they are not releasing annual or bi-annual upgrades for the console as the two will be the last upgrades for their current PlayStation 4.
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Both Microsoft and Sony have confirmed their new consoles which they insist is not to be considered the next-generation ones but rather just upgrades for their current consoles. The PlayStation Neo and the Xbox Scorpio are expected to bring significant improvements in the form of 4K resolution with smooth framerates.
Sony Executive Andrew House told investors in a Tokyo meeting that the PlayStation Neo and the PS4 Slim could be the last upgrades for the current console cycle as it would still last the usual six years, Metro has learned. He added that there would not be any change in their hardware release pattern which could also mean that the PlayStation 5 could happen soon.
House did say that mid-generation upgrades are still possible. Microsoft seems to be following along as well with their Xbox Scorpio and their new Xbox One S upgraded console.
With all the talks and news regarding the upgraded consoles, all of them have not yet been revealed officially yet. Sony is expected to unveil the PlayStation Neo and the PlayStation 4 Slim at the upcoming Tokyo game Show in September, TechRadar reported.
The E3 2016 event was considered to be their stage for showcasing the new games for the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation VR such as the new God of War, Batman Arkham VR, Days Gone, Death Stranding, Detroit: Become Human, How We Soar and more. Sony is looking to launch their consoles separately as to not divide any attention and to compete with Microsoft's new Xbox Scorpio and Xbox One S.
PlayStation Neo and the PS4 Slim could be the last upgrades for the current PlayStation 4 cycle as Sony had confirmed. They are expected to be finally unveiled complete with specs and features in September during the Tokyo Game Show 2016.Britney Spears is a known ass-kicker. She kicked the pop industry’s ass, she kicked that Range Rover’s ass, and she’s kicked Christina Aguilera’s ass more times than we can count.
Soon enough, Britney Jean may be kicking the asses of Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Pikachu as a playable character in Nintendo’s “Super Smash Bros.”
Nintendo is searching for the next character to add to its growing lineup of fighters players can choose to take into battle. On the company’s website, anyone can suggest a character for the honor, so long as they’re from a video game.
And here’s the great news: Britney actually is a character from a video game. Don’t you remember playing the iconic “Britney’s Dance Beat” for Playstation 2 in 2001?
Thanks to one devoted Tumblr user, getting Britney in the game has become a movement. The master list of user-suggested characters isn’t public, but the Tumblr post advocating for Britney’s character has racked up thousands of reblogs.
Voting ends October 3. After that, Nintendo will most likely present a list of the most-voted characters for another round of public voting. We’re just assuming Britney will make it this far because, well, she’s Britney, bitch.
The biggest question now is, will Britney play the game as herself? Um, duh, of course she will. Didn’t you know she shows up to her concerts 3-4 hours early just to get in some game time?:Michael Dourson, president’s nominee for EPA position, founded consultancy in which he was paid to criticize studies questioning safety of clients’ products
Donald Trump’s nominee to oversee chemical safety at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) faces questions over his history as a close ally to the chemical industry and suitability to be its chief regulator.
Michael Dourson, the nominee, founded a consultation group in 1995, the Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment, a private evaluation nonprofit organization that tests chemicals and produces reports on which chemicals are hazardous in what quantities.
Through the consultancy he accepted payments for criticizing studies that raised concerns about the safety of his clients’ products, according to a review of financial records and his published work by the Associated Press.
10 national monuments at risk under Trump's administration Read more
His nomination as head of the EPA’s office of chemical safety and pollution prevention had been due to be considered by a Senate committee on Wednesday, but this was postponed when the Senate adjourned early for the week.
Past corporate clients of Dourson and of a research group he ran include Dow Chemical, Koch Industries and Chevron. His research has also been underwritten by industry trade and lobbying groups representing the makers of plastics, pesticides, processed foods and cigarettes.
Dourson’s views toward industry are consistent with others Trump has selected as top federal regulators. Among them is the EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, who in March overruled the findings of his agency’s own scientists to reverse an effort to ban chlorpyrifos, one of the nation’s most widely used pesticides.
Dourson did not immediately respond Tuesday to emails or phone messages from the Associated Press seeking comment.
Sheldon Krimsky, a Tufts University professor who studies ethics in science and medicine, said appointing Dourson to oversee EPA’s chemical safety programs was part of a broader effort to undermine federal regulations protecting public health.
“It is not even subtle,” said Krimsky, who reviewed Dourson’s recent published work. “He has chosen to be the voice of the chemical industry. His role as a scientist is simply the role of an industry-hired lawyer – only to give the best case for their client.”
The American Chemistry Council, however, said Dourson would make an excellent addition at EPA. “His knowledge, experience and leadership will strengthen EPA’s processes for evaluating and incorporating high-quality science into regulatory decision-making,” said Jon Corley, the group’s spokesman.Are Books Superior to TV?
How they affect our brains differently, according to science
Melissa Chu Blocked Unblock Follow Following May 10, 2017
There’s a perception that books are good, while TV is bad. Spend a day curled up with a book and you’re an intellectual, but spend a day watching your favorite show and you become a couch potato.
Similar to how candy gives you cavities and sun tanning is bad for our skin, it’s common knowledge that reading books is good for you. It increases your knowledge and makes you think. Watching television on the other hand kills off brain cells.
But why is that? Why can’t watching TV be just as educational as reading a book? For example, does watching the show Game of Thrones lower your intelligence, while reading the books does the exact opposite?
After all, there are all sorts of books. Some good, some poorly written. The same applies to shows as well. Is the situation as simple as categorizing books as good and TV as bad?
Image courtesy of Pixabay
What Science Says About Books and Television
In 2013, a study was performed at Tohoku University in Japan. A team led by Hiraku Takeuchi examined the effects of television on the brains of 276 children, along with amount of time spent watching TV and its long-term effects.
Researcher Takeuchi found that the more TV the kids watched, parts of their brain associated with higher arousal and aggression levels became thicker. The frontal lobe also thickened, which is known to lower verbal reasoning ability.
The more hours of television the kids watched, the lower their verbal test results became. These negative effects in the brain happened regardless of the child’s age, gender, and economic background.
In the same year, a study was done on how reading a novel affected the brain. Gregory Burns and his colleagues at Emory University wanted to see the before and after effects of reading based on fMRI readings.
College students were asked to read Pompeii by Robert Harriss, a thriller based on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy. The book was chosen due to its strong narration and a dramatic plot based on true events.
After reading the novel, the students had increased connectivity in parts of the brain that were related to language. There was also increased activity in the sensory motor region of the brain, suggesting that readers experienced similar sensations to the characters in the book.
There are also long-term effects from reading books. Reading keeps your mind alert and delays cognitive decline in elders. Research even found that Alzheimer’s is 2.5 times less likely to appear in elderly people who read regularly, while TV was presented as a risk factor.
Six minutes of reading can reduce stress levels by 68 percent, according to researchers at the University of Sussex. Reading beat out other relaxing activities, including listening to music (61 percent), drinking tea or coffee (54 percent), and taking a walk (42 percent).
Why These Activities Have Opposite Effects on Us
So far, reading’s looking pretty good compared to television. We can see that it calms the nerves, increases language and reasoning, and can even keep you mentally alert as you age. TV, on the other hand, has the opposite effect.
But we still haven’t gotten to why that’s the case.
Let’s look first at a study on how preschoolers and toddlers interact with their mothers during TV viewing versus reading a book.
The results found that watching TV resulted in lower amounts and quality of communication between the mother and child. During an educational TV program, mothers made few comments to their children, and if they did, it was unrelated to what their children said.
On the other hand, reading books together increased the amount and level of communication. Mothers were more likely to ask their child questions, respond to their child’s statements and questions, and explain concepts in greater detail.
Beyond mothers and their children, it’s not just an issue of the quality of the TV program or the book. It seems that the nature of the activities themselves is what’s causing the differences.
Television is designed to be passive. After switching to the show you like, you can just sit back and watch everything unfold without effort on your part. You’re less likely to pause to reflect on what’s happening.
TV also presents ideas and characters on a surface level. Shows don’t have the luxury of describing or explaining situations in great detail, since they need to keep viewers visually entertained. TV programs are fast-paced in order to keep people from switching.
Books, on the other hand, are a more proactive form of entertainment and learning. The reader has to concentrate on what’s being said and to think through concepts in the book. When we read, we’re forced to use our imaginations to fill in the gaps.
Books also have the advantage of being able to describe everything in greater depth. While television is mostly composed of dialogue between characters, books can walk readers through scenes, characters’ thoughts, and provide lengthier commentary.
So now that we’ve seen the benefits of reading, how can we fit more of it into our lives?
Break Away From Your Environment
If you’re glued to the television set constantly, it’s largely because of the environment that that you’re in. Surround yourself with people who talk about TV shows, and you’ll be more likely to watch them yourself. Place yourself within arm’s reach of a remote, and it becomes easier to watch TV. Flip on the switch as soon as you get home, then it becomes a habit.
So how can you go from watching TV to reading something that will help you grow as a person?
The first thing you can do to break the habit is to change your environment. Being in the same environment for a long time encourages you to keep doing the same things. But go to a completely new place, and you immediately drop your habits.
For instance, if you travel somewhere, you immediately have to adapt and create different habits. You’re exposed to a different way of life, and your everyday activities change drastically. Your TV watching habit can easily go from 5 hours a day to zero when you’re in a new environment.
While it might not be feasible to move somewhere new, you can take a brief vacation from your routine. Taking a break and traveling gives you a different perspective on everyday life, and it also forces you to develop new routines. When you return home, you can start fresh on your habits.
You can also break away from your environment by re-arranging your current space. Using the concept of environmental cues, I recommend setting up your office and entertainment space so that it’s easier to pick up productive activities.
Choose the Right Books
The next thing you can do is pick the books that will give you the most value out of your time. If you have a choice between an e-book and a paper book, choose the latter.
Here are a few reasons why paper books are better:
Readers who use paper books have an easier time remembering the content than tablet readers. Traditional books provide a sense of progress as readers flip through the pages, along with greater immersion (i.e. you can’t click away from your book), which is key to absorbing information. Light from e-readers interferes with sleeping patterns, while paper books actually help you sleep better. Using electronic devices such as e-readers is linked to higher stress and depression levels. Traditional books, on the other hand, help reduce stress.
If you’re not sure when to fit in some reading, try setting aside time in the morning or evenings.
For myself, I like to dedicate half an hour before bed to read a book. It’s not a big chunk of time, and it also helps me wind down before it’s time to sleep.
During the day, I often bring a book with me when I head out in case I need to wait or have a moment to spare.
If you’re stuck on what to read, you can try going through my book list and seeing what interests you. I have found that reading a good book helps me to de-stress and gives me new ideas for improving myself.
If books bring back dreary memories of mandatory reading in school, try picking a book on a topic that interests you. I think you’ll find that reading rewards your personal growth in ways that television can’t replace.
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Enjoy the “not this, then that” strategy to overcoming setbacks!HIS village may be parched, but Balachandra Ambaji Payar’s banana trees are a vivid green. In the shade cast by their fronds, a few chilli plants add more colour—and income—to a region left blanched by two consecutive years of disappointing rain. Mr Payar is an advertisement for “drought-proofing”: a simple irrigation system installed last year brings water onto his land in western India from a nearby well, to be drip-fed to his crops through a perforated hose. It is just the sort of investment that rural India needs to escape problems far greater than the weather.
Some 850m Indians live in rural areas, and nearly 60% of them depend on farming for survival. For many, it is not much of a living. India has more people living in poverty than any other country—260m by the World Bank’s count—and 80% of them live in the countryside.
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Farmers are poorer than urban folk the world over, but the difference in India is stark: the median annual wage for a farmer, at 19,250 rupees ($290) including the implied value of the food they consume, is barely two months’ minimum wage in Mumbai. Data from 2008 show the rural-urban wage gap at 45%, versus around 10% for China and Indonesia.
Much of that is down to low productivity: farmers in India grow 46% less rice per acre than their Chinese counterparts and 39% less wheat. Less than half of Indian farmland is irrigated. That leaves farmers at the mercy of the monsoon, which dumps the lion’s share of annual rainfall in just a few months over the summer. Normal rains this year (which early weather forecasts are predicting, albeit with a record befitting astrologists or economists) would bring respite. But a good drenching is no substitute for greater investment.
By the government’s own assessment, Indian farmers are “locked in” to low-value crops such as wheat and rice, even as increasingly affluent city types demand fruit, vegetables and meat. Making the switch to bananas and chillies is potentially lucrative: Mr Payar’s harvest will fetch 75,000 rupees, nearly four times the value of the rice and millet crop he could grow on unirrigated land, monsoon allowing. But the transition needs agricultural infrastructure such as cold storage as well as access to credit, which is not usually forthcoming for farmers like Mr Payar (the Swades Foundation, an NGO, paid most of the 36,000-rupee bill for his irrigation system).
Only a tenth of the money the government spends in rural areas goes on investments that might boost yields. Much more is squandered on subsidies that encourage farmers to grow staples while occasioning vast corruption. Other countries have embraced genetically modified seeds, but India allows them only for cotton—the sole crop to have seen yields grow rapidly in recent years. For a time high prices for agricultural commodities around the world disguised the effects of such daft policies, by boosting rural incomes, but not any more (see chart).
Non-farming income in rural areas has also suffered. A small guaranteed-employment scheme has helped relieve acute distress, but only goes so far. Other forms of employment available outside cities, notably in mining, are in the doldrums. Remittances from the Gulf are under pressure, too, as oil prices have slipped.
A quick way to enrich Indian farmers would be to turn them into city-dwellers. However hard India tries to boost rural wages, farming cannot compete with a service sector that is six times more productive. But policymakers with romantic ideas about the rural heartland have impeded the flow of migrants. In 1970 India’s urbanisation rate stood at 20%, higher than both China’s and Indonesia’s. Urbanisation has since trebled in those two countries, to around 55%; in India, it is just over 30%.
Moving to cities (or commuting on a seasonal basis) is easier than it once was thanks to improved roads and telecoms. But various government benefits that can be accessed only in their native district tie Indians to their place of origin, much as the hukou system pinions rural Chinese. Village-dwellers are also reluctant to abandon informal rural safety nets based on caste. And construction jobs, a well-trodden pathway to urbanisation, are currently hard to come by.
Another impediment is land: few owners have firm title to theirs, and so cannot sell it. Leasing it is risky, since it can be hard to reclaim from the tenant. As a result, farms in India have shrunk as the rural population has swelled: the average plot in 2010 measured just 1.16 hectares (roughly the size of a Manhattan city block), down from 1.84 hectares in 1980. Such fragmentation makes investment in machinery harder and dampens farmers’ selling power. Demography points to ever-smaller farms: much of India’s still rapid population growth comes from the countryside, points out Anirudha Dutta, an analyst.
Aware of rural distress—and facing elections in farm-heavy states—Narendra Modi, the prime minister, has pledged to help farmers. He wants agricultural incomes to double by 2022, an ambitious target as yet unsupported by detailed policies. Better crop-insurance schemes and improved ways for farmers to market their produce are evergreen ideas whose success depends on implementation. Some states are sensibly pushing ahead with land registries. Using biometric technology to ensure subsidies go to the right people should also help.
In the past, the failure of the monsoon was enough to prompt a nationwide recession. Not any more: now failed rains, even for two years running, cause only localised distress. That represents progress, but more is needed. Even doubling rural Indians’ wages would be just a start. For Indian farmers to escape poverty, there need to be fewer of them.Let’s take a minute to recognize some sock-related quotes from people ranging from Walt Whitman to Mufasa. I bet you didn’t know how many Socks Addicts are out there! Let’s scroll through some of our favorites.
“Not I – Not anyone, can travel that road for you. You must travel it for yourself – With comfy socks of course.” – Walt Whitman
“Life is not measured by the number of socks we own, but by the socks that take our breath away.” – Maya Angelou
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail – I recommend you wear Merino wool socks though.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A sock divided against itself cannot stand.” – Abraham Lincoln
“I have nothing to declare except my socks.” – Oscar Wilde
“They may take our shoes, but they’ll never take our socks!” – William Wallace (Braveheart)
“My Mama always said, ‘Life was like a sock drawer; you never know what you’re gonna get.'” – Forrest Gump
“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he wears a comfortable pair of socks.” – Bob Dylan
“Everything our socks touch is our kingdom” – Mufasa (The Lion King)
“All the lonely socks, where do they all come from? / All the lonely socks, where do they all belong?” – The Beatles
”Speak softly and carry extra socks; you will go far.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“ET phone home…forgot favorite socks.” – E.T.
“My precious…socks.” – Gollum (Lord of the Rings)
“Good friends, good books, good socks, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” – Mark Twain
“In those days he was wiser than he is now; he used to frequently take my sock advice” – Winston Churchill
Those are just a select few of our favorites. We’ll be sure to keep you updated with all our favorites. Let us know yours!
AdvertisementsAt the heart of Hanna Rosin’s much-discussed new book The End of Men are two archetypes: Plastic Woman and Cardboard Man. Plastic Woman is adaptable, malleable, actively striving to change. Cardboard Man, meanwhile, has barely recalibrated his lifestyle and ambitions. In her chapter on the economy, Rosin describes a middle-class woman who has built herself a “fortress of self-improvement” and whose boyfriend is “beloved maybe, but inert and frustratingly stuck in the past.”
When I read that line, I couldn’t help but think: Mitt Romney. Bland, inert Mitt Romney. Lagging in nearly every major poll. Falling apart from the inside out. And thinking he’s the only one who’s working hard and taking responsibility for his life. He’s well outside the income bracket of Rosin’s typical Cardboard Man, but he’s just as stuck in the past.
“Mitt Romney is totally a Cardboard Man,” Rosin told me by phone this morning. “At the Republican National Convention, they painted such an old-fashioned portrait of Mitt as ‘man to trust.’ Very much the old provider-protector mode, which is funny because most red-state voters aren’t living that life.” She continued, “As a personality type, there are some ways he keeps making the same mistakes over and over again.”
Is there anyone who looks less adaptable than a rich, old, stuffy white guy? And is there a more stereotypical rich, old, stuffy white guy than Mitt Romney? Even when he’s tried to switch things up, he comes across as an insincere panderer — someone who isn’t really updating his worldview so much as adjusting the talking points to avoid falling even further behind. His gaffes seem to tell the real story. In that campaign fund-raiser video published by Mother Jones on Monday — in which he says 47 percent of the electorate isn’t striving for a better life — he comes across like the stuffy, old rich guy from every Dickens book. “I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives,” he says, prompting an “As if!” heard ‘round the Internet. I’m willing to bet every person encompassed in that 47 percent sees herself as a striver, someone who takes utmost responsibility for her life and its direction. As Ezra Klein tweeted, “The thing about not having that much money is you have to take responsibility for things the rich take for granted.”
I don’t have much in common with Mitt Romney. One thing we do share, however, is that we were raised to believe we could be anything we wanted to be. The difference? I was also raised to believe I’d have to work hard for it. Really hard. (One of the highest compliments my mother has given me: “You have a great work ethic, honey.”) By virtue of being born into a society with decades of entrenched sexism, women intuitively grasp that we’ll have to hustle twice as hard as men if we want to have everything we want. Indeed, many of us don’t just feel disadvantaged — we really are starting further down the ladder than men are. While we may be pulling ahead of men by certain measures, American women of all races are still more likely to live in poverty than our male counterparts. So we’d have taken to heart that old adage about Ginger Rogers: She did everything Fred Astaire did, only she did it backwards and in heels.
This, says Rosin, is at the heart of Plastic Woman’s success. She starts with the assumption that she’s an underdog. “When I write about why it’s hard for men to adjust, it’s because they haven’t had to adjust,” she told me. “It’s harder to go from the top into a hustling mode, as opposed to working up from the bottom in hustling mode.” Historically, there have been some moments when American men as a whole were pushed to strive up from their underdog status — Rosin cites the postwar period as a prime example, when, aided by the G.I. Bill, men enrolled in college and set up businesses in droves.
Maybe in a different cultural, economic, and political moment, Romney, like other Cardboard Men, would have fared better. But as the years have passed since 9/11 and our economy has flagged, our elections have become less and less about masculine posturing. Remember Democrats worrying that John Kerry was too effete? Arnold Schwarzenegger calling his opponents “girly men”? Seems like ancient history. The 2008 presidential election was about comfort with change, and so, to some extent, is 2012’s: Which candidate is going to help America adapt? Whether or not you agree that Barack Obama has followed through on his promise to fundamentally change America, we can all agree that by the very nature of his identity and biography and personality, he has changed what it means to be president. “Obama is classicly not cardboard,” Rosin says. “He’s like a lot of women in the book, who started from a place so far beneath where he ended up.” He’s that rare thing: a Plastic Man.
So if we’re totally over Cardboard Men in politics, does that leave an opening for Plastic Women? Rosin and I think so. But the hurdles are higher. We’ve got a long-standing societal discomfort with powerful and aggressive women, which means that even highly accomplished politicians like Hillary Clinton are polarizing. (Not to mention it’s hard to brand yourself as a self-made hustler when you come to national prominence because your husband is president.) Then there are structural problems like America’s lack of paid maternity leave. If these obstacles can be transcended, there would be great electoral appeal in a Plastic Woman candidate, Rosin says. She summarizes the sales pitch this way: “You fought hard along the way. You don’t have to identify with the feminist movement, it can just be part of your personal biography.”
Perhaps the best example of a political Plastic Woman running in 2012 is Elizabeth Warren, who’s locked in a tight Senate race in Massachusetts. As someone who put herself through law school while raising two kids, she is, by all accounts, an adaptable hustler. Throughout her public career, she’s been a tireless advocate for other Americans who are hustling, too. If the backlash to the leaked Romney video is any indication, voters of all genders are looking for candidates who hustle as hard as they do.It was a scene as creepy as a Hannibal Lecter movie.
One man was shot to death by Miami police, and another man is fighting for his life after he was attacked, and his face allegedly half eaten, by a naked man on the MacArthur Causeway off ramp Saturday, police said.
The horror began about 2 p.m. when a series of gunshots were heard on the ramp, which is along NE 13th Street, just south of The Miami Herald building.
According to police sources, a road ranger saw a naked man chewing on another man’s face and shouted on his loud speaker for him to back away.Meanwhile, a woman also saw the incident and flagged down a police officer who was in the area.
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The officer, who has not been identified, approached and, seeing what was happening, also ordered the naked man to back away. When he continued the assault, the officer shot him, police sources said. The attacker failed to stop after being shot, forcing the officer to continue firing. Witnesses said they heard at least a half dozen shots.
Miami police were on the scene, which was just south of The Miami Herald building on Biscayne Boulevard. The naked man who was killed lay face down on the pedestrian walkway just below the newspaper’s two-story parking garage. Police have requested The Herald’s video surveillance tapes.
The other man was transported to the hospital with critical injuries, according to police. Their identities were not released.
The incident, which came as crowds descended upon South Beach for the annual Urban Beach Week hip-hop festival, snarled traffic on the causeway for several hours.
In a text message, Javier Ortiz, spokesman for Miami police’s Fraternal Order of Police, said the officer who fired the fatal shots was “a hero.”
“Based on the information provided, our Miami police officer is a hero and saved a life,’’ he said.
Sergeant Altarr Williams, supervisor of Miami police’s Homicide Unit, said a man doesn’t have to be armed to be dangerous.
“There are other ways to injure people,’’ Williams said. “Some people know martial arts, others are very strong and can kill you with their hands.’’
Investigators believe the victim may have been homeless and laying down when the crazed man pounced.
Police theorize the attacker might have been suffering from "cocaine psychosis," a drug-induced craze that bakes the body internally and often leads the affected to strip naked to try and cool off.
Miami Herald writers Alexandra Leon and Curtis Morgan contributed to this report.At the final all-candidates’ debate in my riding last month, the conservative candidate, Kirk Russell, didn’t show. Russell, “a former carpenter [who] currently owns a construction company,” had never represented the area before, and he had really no chance of getting to do so this time. The moderator placidly announced to the room that the candidate wasn’t going to be able to make it. “Shame!”, someone in the audience barked, and then someone else did, and then someone else, like three unwanted exclamation points at the end of a sentence. In public discourse today, “Shame!” is less a thing you feel than a thing you yell at someone or something: those cops over there, that bank you’re marching by, that politician, or whichever embodiment of power to whom you’re speaking your truth–Shame! (The subsequent “…on you,” once yelled to complete the sentence, is now usually implied.) Whenever there’s communal anger, or when a person believes that his or her anger is communal, there’s “Shame!” As with many things in crowds, it’s contagious. By my count, the small group of students in this short video yell “shame!” 221 times as University of Toronto police end that group’s “occupation” (the students’ word, not mine) of a campus building three years ago. Every police officer who was stationed on the margins of the protests that came after last year’s G20 summit must have had that word chanted at them at least as many times. “Shame!” can quickly devolve from reaction to reflex, and often does. On Occupy Toronto’s first day, a native activist and the crowd around him at St. James Park got into something like a call and response: “Why is it that we have to break the law in order to be heard today in our territories?” he asked them, and a handful replied “Shame!” And so on, again and again, until he was finished speaking. The pattern was well-established by the time a middle-aged woman took the megaphone. “I never needed money from the government until my son was diagnosed with autism,” she told the crowd. “Shame!” a few in the audience shouted, a few sentences too soon. Here’s the thing about yelling “Shame!”, though: it never really works, because it can’t. To understand why, it helps to understand “FAIL.” By “FAIL,” I mean the internet’s rejigged version of the word, a supposed-to-be-funny way to dismiss something wholesale by pointing to its perceived flaws. (This is pretty much always done from behind a computer screen.) Here’s a “Balancing Act FAIL,” and here’s a “Securing Your Armoire FAIL.” Some marathon runners lagging well behind others? FAIL. Airline’s website redesign not up to your standards? That’s a FAIL, too. What “shame!” has in common with “FAIL” isn’t the intent behind its expression, but the effect that expression has. As Anil Dash argued in a blog post back in 2009, people who deploy “FAIL” “choose a reflexive shorthand instead of a reasoned critique, and they bring out the worst in a community.” Later, he’d tell the New York Times that “‘FAIL’ isn’t advocacy; it’s the tool of those who don’t know how to be advocates, who don’t know how to persuade… It puts the ego of the complainers ahead of the cause they’re trying to advocate.” Replace “FAIL” with “Shame!” and that still sounds about right. While “fail” usually captions a photo of, say, someone falling down (balance FAIL!!!), the similarly dismissive “Shame!” is much worse precisely because the stakes are much higher. Poverty, globalization, aboriginal rights, education, health care, abuses of power in all its forms: these are all very important things, and each warrants some measure of attention, anger, and, most importantly, discussion. The moment you start shouting “Shame!” is the moment that the conversation ends. After all, it’s not a word you talk–it’s one you yell. It’s distinctly undemocratic. Even worse, “Shame!” doesn’t only drown out dissenting voices; it can turn off those who might otherwise agree. I have more in common with the majority of
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boys, reminding girls everywhere that they can kick butt with the best of them. Even Colin Trevorrow, director of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX, learned some huge lessons from the film.
When speaking with Fandango, Trevorrow explained how, considering he makes movies that he hopes will inspire his younger audiences, he looks to his own children for guidance on how to make movies.
Trevorrow revealed, "You know what really struck me? The most recent example of that is we took my daughter, who's four, so I don't talk to her as much about the movies just yet, but we took her to see Wonder Woman. My wife and I, and my son, we all loved it. It's a great movie, but something else happened with her. She walked out of that theater, and I even tweeted a picture of her the other day." He continued, "She had a very profound reaction to it. We thought it was a little long for her, and we weren't sure if she was going to be a part of this, but she came out and was like, "I'm going to want to watch that every day, and I am Wonder Woman now." It was pretty stunning to see it happen. It's important, that movie. It really is."
The experience clearly had a huge impact on the director and his goals for Episode IX. UP NEXT: Marvel Studios President Praises Wonder Woman's Female Representation
"Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia were all characters that we were able to identify with in various ways, and especially with the character of Rey and what she means to young girls right now, and the challenges that she's up against," Trevorrow detailed. "It is extremely crucial that I understand what actual children are feeling about these stories that we're telling them, and I think it's important that I have kids," said of the importance of a child's perspective. "If filmmakers don't have kids, they should go talk to them because they don't see things the same way that we did when we were kids. So, yes, I am very dialed in to that because I think it's a requisite of the job." MORE NEWS: How Wonder Woman Fixes Many DC Movie ProblemsA group of same-sex couples filed a federal lawsuit [complaint, PDF] Wednesday challenging [press release] a North Carolina law that permits magistrates to refuse to perform same-sex marriages on religious grounds. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of six plaintiffs who seek to overturn North Carolina SB 2 [text, PDF], which permits public officials to recuse themselves from duties associated with marriage based on sincerely held religious beliefs. The plaintiffs argue that SB 2 violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment and are asking the court to rule the law unconstitutional:
Senate Bill 2’s primary purpose is to endorse and establish the primacy of a specific religious belief about same sex marriage above the constitutional obligations of magistrates, by exempting any magistrate who opposes such marriages on religious grounds from that judicial obligation. Moreover, the law orders the expenditure of taxpayer funds to accomplish that religious
purpose in violation of the Establishment Clause.
The lawsuit seeks to enjoin the state from continuing to implement SB 2. Currently multiple magistrates have refused to perform same-sex marriages, causing the state to bus in magistrates from other districts and limit marriage opportunities for same-sex couples
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, as well as freedom of religious practice, remain controversial issues in the US. Nineteen states have enacted some variety of religious freedom laws, most modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act [text] signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993. Following the US Supreme Court [official website] ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges [JURIST report] in June, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis [JURIST report] refused to issue marriage licenses, arguing that her Christian faith should exempt her from issuing the licenses to same-sex couples. North Carolina lawmakers passed SB 2 in June, overriding a veto [JURIST reports] by Governor Pat McCrory.It is official. The American Bar Association says it is professional misconduct to discriminate against or harass opposing counsel, or anyone else for that matter, in the course of practicing law.
The ethics rule now forbids comments or actions that single out someone on the basis of race, religion, sex, disability and other factors. Nearly two dozen state bars and the District of Columbia bar have similar rules. But there has been no national prohibition of such behavior, which, many female lawyers complain, results in too many “honeys,” “darlings” and other sexist remarks and gestures toward them while they are trying to practice their profession.
Without a flat prohibition, advocates of the rule said, using demeaning and misogynistic terms and actions to undermine opposing counsel and others too often does not have consequences.AAP’s focus on transparency, participatory approaches and action against corruption and the VIP culture is one thing, its economic policy is another. Yogendra Yadav, believed to be the driver behind AAP’s economic principles, has recently said that APP is “socialist”, but not “left-wing”. Both are imprecise expressions. Legally, any political party registered in India has to be “socialist”. That apart, I would interpret both socialism and left-wing as: (1) a belief in government-driven delivery; and (2) a belief in government intervention. For the three main items of electricity, water and education, as opposed to the other AAP planks of transparency, participation and anti-corruption, AAP is clearly left-wing. Take for instance the question of government schools. Today, there are around 1000 “government” schools in Delhi and their quality is palpably inferior to that in “private” schools. It isn’t so much a question of whether one can deliver 500 additional government schools or not, given land and teacher constraints. (The earlier government thought at an increment of 100 was at best possible.) Is the objective government schools, or is the objective better educational outcomes for children, including the poor? There are means of ensuring better educational outcomes, without necessarily setting up more government schools. This confusion between means and ends characterizes all experiments with socialism and AAP is no different.
The electricity and water issue is no different. Both power and water have economic costs of delivery. Many poor people in Delhi have access to neither, at least in the legal way. There is already privatized supply of both in “slums”, at prices at par, and sometimes considerably higher, than what richer people pay. Yes, there is an inclusive agenda of improving distribution and ensuring delivery. But it’s not fundamentally a price issue. While there are slabs (there is one for power and 50% cuts will be on that, water has been pegged at 700 litres per household), the broad intention is to reduce prices artificially. Incidentally, very few “rich” households get that 700 litres per day. Anything beyond improved distribution and curbing leakages is tantamount to forcing down prices artificially. This has three consequences. First, it leads to distortions in demand. Because of power subsidies, there are anecdotes about cattle being kept in air-conditioned sheds in Punjab. If I get 700 litres of free water per day, I am much more inclined towards wasting it on washing my car. Second, as experiences with socialism world-wide have shown, artificially low prices leads to shortages.
There was a time when Delhi suffered from both power and water shortages. Both have disappeared. This isn’t entirely because of higher tariffs alone, but higher tariffs have made supply more viable. Third, the only way to ensure low prices and avoid shortages is to subsidize through government budgets. As the petroleum example shows, such subsidies actually make the pricing and budgetary exercise less transparent. But more importantly, does Delhi government possess the resources to subsidize power and water delivery, even if those subsidies are unwarranted? That’s the wrong question to ask. There are always resources. The question is opportunity costs of those resources. Something spent in one sector can no longer be spent somewhere else. The problem is that the average voter, with perhaps a fondness for everything “free”, does not realize the inherent trade-offs. Most Delhi residents will probably argue that in addition to power and water, what’s improved in Delhi in the last 15 years is transport infrastructure. This didn’t descend like manna from heaven. If resources are now spent on subsidizing power and water, this means they won’t be spent on improving transport infrastructure.
There can be no quarrels with that, since AAP has obtained an electoral mandate to do that. However, if at some future date, some other government wishes to roll this back, there will be two problems as a legacy. First, any messing around with prices makes systems non-transparent and complicated. Second, once there are subsidies, freebies are difficult to reverse. One tends to forget, but there was considerable resistance to hiking power and water rates in Delhi. When seeds of socialism are sown, it is future generations that suffer the weeds.Many of the Republicans who have urged their party to tone down its sharp rhetoric against the construction of an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero or who don't oppose the project share a common trait: service as top advisers to then-President George W. Bush.
Although prominent Republican figures such as former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin have loudly condemned the proposed mosque, several top Bush aides have criticized President Obama's handling of the issue but urged a more nuanced debate among Republicans.
(Photos: The mosque near ground zero location)
They have not coordinated with one another, nor the former president, who has said nothing about the mosque or virtually any other issue since he left office in January 2009. But their comments illustrate what has emerged since Bush left office: a GOP that has not fully rejected or embraced the ex-president's legacy. Bush famously called Islam a "religion of peace" during his presidency, a phrase few in the party have invoked in discussing the current controversy.
"I think it's important even -- and perhaps especially -- for those who oppose the mosque being built near Ground Zero to make clear they are not conflating all of Islam, and certainly not all American Muslims, with wahhabism and bin Ladenism," Peter Wehner, who ran what was akin to an in-house think tank in the Bush White House, wrote in an e-mail message. "This debate -- because it touches on such sensitive issues -- needs to be done in a manner that is careful, precise, and that even includes a measure of grace. I think some of the comments by the former speaker [Gingrich] fall short of that."
(Interactive: Explore the area around the mosque near Ground Zero)
Michael Gerson, who was Bush's chief speechwriter, and Mark McKinnon, who produced ads for both of Bush's presidential campaigns, have defended the mosque being built and suggested Obama's initial statement emphasizing the right to have a mosque near Ground Zero was correct.
Ed Gillespie, who was a top counselor to Bush, emphasized the party should not overplay the controversy for political reasons. James K. Glassman, who was undersecretary of state for diplomacy under Bush and now heads the ex-president's think thank, the George W. Bush Institute, in recent days has emphasized the importance of the U.S. communicating a message of tolerance to most Muslims while highlighting opposition to figures such as Osama Bin Laden.
To be sure, many Republicans who were close to or allied with Bush oppose the mosque project and have sharply condemned it or Obama's comments. Karl Rove, perhaps Bush's closest adviser in the White House, said in an interview Wednesday on ABC News that Obama did "real damage to America's standing in the world by this inconsistent and incoherent answer that he gave Friday night with a different answer on Saturday morning."
And some who have also urged more careful rhetoric on the issue, such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, were not members of Bush's circle.
And Republicans might not have ample reason to heed the advice of the ex-Bush aides. Many in the GOP adamantly oppose building a mosque near Ground Zero no matter what signals it sends to Muslims, a feeling shared by the majority of Americans according to polls. And Bush's team's political blunders helped lead Republicans to devastating defeats in the elections of 2006 and 2008.
But the debate among Republicans in some ways mirrors that of another divisive issue: immigration. Although many in the party have either said little or backed the recently passed tough immigration law in Arizona and the efforts by some Republicans in Congress to change the 14th Amendment -- which guarantees anyone born in the U.S. citizenship, including the children of illegal immigrants -- several of the Bush aides have also opposed those ideas.
Bush pushed aggressively for immigration reform in his presidency and frequently touted Islam as a religion of peace while highlighting the danger of its more radical elements. But he seemed aware he had not convinced many in the Republican Party on the former issue; in one of his last interviews as president, he urged Republicans to be "open-minded" in an interview on FOX News.
"We should be open-minded about big issues like immigration reform, because if we're viewed as anti-somebody -- in other words, if the party is viewed as anti-immigrant -- then another fellow may say, 'Well, if they're against the immigrant, they may be against me," he said in January 2009.
McKinnon and Glassman declined to comment on the ex-president's views of the mosque or the fact that several of the Republicans who broke with the party on the issue served under him. Wehner, in an interview, said he suspected "there's a certain cast of mind of those who worked for Bush" on the mosque issue because of their work immediately after Sept. 11.
"Bush himself, if you look over at his rhetoric on these kinds of matters, his policies were divisive, but he was not personally divisive," Wehner said.(A/N: Moien! Inspired by Two Best Friends Play, I bring to you its' crossover with Yu-Gi-Oh!
These shots of sorts take place two years after the canon universe. For reasons I can't summarize without sounding ridiculous, Yugi is playing Matt and Kaiba is playing Pat. Yugi is still a bit tender about Yami leaving, and Kaiba exploits this once in a while. Sticking with the Two Best Friends Play script, so it contains massive OOC content and weirdness. Presented to you in a script form. If it makes more sense, it could be Abridged!Yugi and Abridged!Kaiba.
Puzzleshipping included for your amusement. This fic was written with my entertainment in mind, so don't feel obligated to read it if you don't like it.
Needless to say, this is a crackfic. Be prepared for anything. There's also a lot of censored swearing and/or omissions and/or replacing of words.)
CHAPTER 1: SKYRIM
Seto: You ready to play some Skyrim?
Yugi: Not really.
Seto: Come on, man! It's like a million hours long!
Yugi: I've never heard of this game.
Seto: It's the hypest game that's currently existing!
Yugi: Well they should've advertised it.
{CUT}
Yugi: Dragons are for nerds. Like Dragonlance.
Seto: You know what else- {Laughs} You were going to say ****'s for nerds and then you bring up Dragonlance?! You flipping nerd!
{CUT}
Guy on screen: You were trying to cross the border right?
Yugi: I sure was, Squizgar.
{CUT}
Seto: We got Orcs...
Yugi (Sarcastically): They sure look good.
Seto :Yeah, they look good.
{CUT}
Yugi: Why are all these elves ugly as shiz?
Seto: Because elves are ******.
Yugi: Elves are supposed to look like Tyrande Whisperwind.
Seto:...WHAT?!
{CUT}
Both: WHAT?!
Yugi: Oh, Thundercats Ho! Just turn this game off!
Seto: Okay, I've got a solution. {Selects Argonian} Pick this flipping dude.
Yugi: Why?
Seto: Because he's a lizard dude.
Yugi: So what are you going to name him?
Seto: What do you think I'm going to name him?!
{CUT}
Seto:...You know what? You know what's better than being invisible?
Yugi: What?
Seto: Being invisiblessed.
Yugi: Why?
Seto: BECAUSE YOU'RE SO INVISIBLE!
{CUT}
Yugi: (Imitating Imperial Guards) Couldn't he be the prince of a foreign land? I hope so, kill him anyway! This will look good on my resume when I go apply for Imperial ******* College.
[SFX: Seto laughing]
{CUT}
Yugi(Looking at an ice pick) So this is what dentists used in the land of Elder scrolls.
Seto: Yeah, those cavities are a *****, they're inhabited by the Daedra.
{CUT}
Seto: Alright, I'm gonna sneak up on this dude. I'm gonna shoot him because I'm invisible.
(Misses)
Seto: Okay, well, Maybe I'll shoot him this time.
(Hits)
Both: YEAH!
{CUT}
Seto: Sneakin' with my silent little lizard feet...
{CUT}
Yugi: The majestic Egyptian Yami, beautiful in his simplicity. He is a wonderful predator, that-
Seto: THAT'S NOT WHAT IT SAYS!
{CUT}
Seto: Hey, check this out. (Kills chicken) **** you chicken!
Yugi: What?
Seto: No, get it. (Uses zombie spell) Now the chicken is my thrall! It's a zombie chicken! (Kills chicken again) And it's dead!
{CUT}
[SFX: Seto laughing]
Seto: COME AT ME BRO!
{CUT}
Guy on screen: Are you ready to join your spirit with the beast world?
Seto: Can I be a lizard beast man?
Yugi: It's my animality.
(Guy pulls out sword)
Both: Woah!
Seto: Okay, what is the process of this?
(Guy cuts werewolf's arm, and poor animation fills the altar.)
[SFX: Yugi and Seto's laughter]
{CUT}
(Poor animation transition from werewolf to Argonian)
[SFX: Yugi and Seto's laughter]
Seto: Yeah, that's how werewolves change back!
{CUT}
Seto: Dude, thanks!
(Giant kills him)
Yugi: I saw that coming!
{CUT}
[Both are shocked by Grelod]
Seto: WHAT?!
Yugi: This is like a look into your childhood.
Seto: This is horrible. She's making the kids recite Facist pledges. She's going DOWN!
{CUT}
(Kids are celebrating Yugi and Seto)
Seto: WHAT THE *******?!
Yugi: CELEBRATE ME!
Seto: This is the creepiest ******!
(And this concludes my first shot. Sorry about that low jab at Kaiba's childhood, but I just couldn't pass that up.
NEXT GAME: PORTAL 2)Kickstarter just published a blog post offering its take on a controversial campaign to fund a book called Above the Game: A Guide To Getting Awesome With Women.
The title of the post, “We were wrong,” makes the company’s position pretty clear. What was so bad about the campaign? Well, comedian Casey Malone had a pretty damning blog post about it — Malone basically quoted the parts of the guide that have already been published on Reddit, with tips like:
Decide that you’re going to sit in a position where you can rub her leg and back. Physically pick her up and sit her on your lap. Don’t ask for permission. Be dominant. Force her to rebuff your advances. … Pull out your cock and put her hand on it. Remember, she is letting you do this because you have established yourself as a LEADER. Don’t ask for permission, GRAB HER HAND, and put it right on your dick.
(The author Ken Hoinsky has said the quotes were taken out of context, and that he was just saying, “Don’t wait for signs before you make your move,” not advocating for sexual assault.)
Kickstarter says it first saw Malone’s blog post, and the material that he was linking to, on Wednesday morning, and it found the content pretty offensive. But the company didn’t cancel the campaign, it says, because it only had two hours before it ended (“We’ve never acted to remove a project that quickly.”) and because Kickstarter has an obligation “to approach these investigations methodically as there is no margin for error in canceling a project.”
“These factors don’t excuse our decision but we hope they add clarity to how we arrived at it,” the post says. It goes on to say that material glorifying violence against women has always been prohibited, and that if Kickstarter had seen this material when the project was submitted (again, the offensive content was first posted on Reddit, not the actual Kickstarter page), it would never have been approved.
Despite the apology, Kickstarter says there’s no taking back the money after the campaign has been funded. However, it says it is banning any future “seduction guides” from the site, and it’s also donating $25,000 to the anti-sexual violence group RAINN.Facebook was recently granted a patent for software capable of building a dictionary of slang terms used on the social network. The software will scan for unique words used in Facebook posts and comments, and determine if these words have a particular meaning among a small group of people, Business Insider reports. In other words, the software will attempt to predict slang before it becomes popular.
Should I make a word up now?
The software will look for the repeated use of particular words among users who share certain attributes, like language and location. Once the software has determined that a neologism isn't yet largely associated with a particular definition, it will add the word to a glossary of terms. If a word starts shrinking in popularity, it would be removed. Words could also be added to the glossary based on user polls, according to the patent filing.
It's not clear how exactly the glossary could be used, but it seems like it could function similarly to Urban Dictionary. The patent filing mentions the possibility of an interface that would allow users to add, remove, and edit words in the glossary. For now, the glossary just a concept, and there's no guarantee Facebook will ever build it.“Be Realists,
Demand the Impossible!”
This slogan, developed in May by revolutionaries in France, flies in the face of common sense, especially the “common sense” of American corporate-military propaganda. What happened in May also flies in the face of official American “common sense.” In fact, in terms of American “common sense,” much of what happens in the world every day is impossible. It can’t happen. If it does happen, then the official “common sense” is nonsense: it is a set of myths and fantasies. But how can common sense be nonsense? That’s impossible.
To demonstrate that anything is possible, this essay will place some of the myths alongside some of the events. The essay will then try to find out why some of the myths are possible, in other words, it will explore the “scientific basis” of the myths. The essay, if successful, will thus show that anything is possible: it’s even possible for a population to take myths for common sense, and it’s possible for mythmakers to convince themselves of the reality of their myths in the face of reality itself.
AMERICAN “COMMON SENSE”
It’s impossible for people to run their own lives; that’s why they don’t have the power to do so. People are powerless because they have neither the ability nor the desire to control and decide about the social and material conditions in which they live.
People only want power and privileges over each other. It would be impossible, for example, for university students to fight against the institution which assures them a privileged position. Those students who study do so to get high grades, because with the high grades they can get high-paying jobs, which means the ability to manage and manipulate other people, and the ability to buy more consumer goods than other people. If learning were not rewarded with high grades, high pay, power over others and lots of goods, no one would learn; there’d be no motivation for learning.
It would be just as impossible for workers to want to run their factories, to want to decide about their production. All that workers are interested in is wages: they just want more wages than others have, so as to buy bigger houses, more cars and longer trips.
Even if students, workers, farmers wanted something different, they’re obviously satisfied with what they’re doing, otherwise they wouldn’t be doing it.
In any case, those who aren’t satisfied can freely express their dissatisfaction by buying and by voting: they don’t have to buy the things they don’t like, and they don’t have to vote for the candidates they don’t like. It’s impossible for them to change their situation any other way.
Even if some people tried to change the situation some other way, it would be impossible for them to get together; they’d only fight each other, because white workers are racists, black nationalists are anti-white, feminists are against all men, and students have their own specific problems.
Even if they did unite, it would obviously be impossible for them to destroy the State and the police and military potential of a powerful industrial society like the United States.
THE EVENTS
Millions of students all over the world--in Tokyo, Turin, Belgrade, Berkeley, Berlin, Rome, Rio, Warsaw, New York, Paris--are fighting for the power to control and decide about the social and material conditions in which they live. They are not stopped either by the lack of desire, or by the lack of ability; they are stopped by cops. Perhaps they’re inspired by other fighters who held on against cops: the Cubans, the Vietnamese...
Students in Turin and Paris, for example, occupied their universities and formed general assemblies in which all the students made all the decisions. In other words, the students started running their own universities. Not in order to get better grades: they did away with tests. Not in order to get higher paying jobs or more privileges: they started to discuss the abolition of privileges and high paying jobs; they started to discuss putting an end to the society in which they had to sell themselves. And at that point, sometimes for the first time in their lives, they started learning.
In Paris young workers, inspired by the example of the students, occupied an aircraft factory and locked up the director. The examples multiplied. Other workers began to occupy their factories. Despite the fact that all life long they had depended on someone to make their decisions for them, some workers set up committees to discuss running the strike on their own terms, letting all workers decide, and not just on the union’s terms-and some workers set up commissions to discuss running the factories themselves. An idea which it’s pointless to think about in normal times, because it’s absurd, it’s impossible, had suddenly become possible, and it became interesting, challenging, fascinating. Workers even began to talk about producing goods merely because people needed them. These workers knew that it was “false to think that the population is against free public services, that farmers are in favor of a commercial circuit stuffed with intermediaries, that poorly paid people are satisfied, that ‘managers’ are proud of their privileges.” Some electronics workers freely distributed equipment to demonstrators protecting themselves from the police; some farmers delivered free food to striking workers; and some armaments workers talked about distributing weapons to all workers, so that the workers could protect themselves from the national army and police.
In spite of a lifetime of business propaganda about how “satisfied” workers are with the cars, houses and other objects they receive in exchange for their living energy, workers expressed their “satisfaction” through a general strike which paralyzed all French industry for over a month. After being trained for a lifetime to “respect law and order,” workers broke all the laws by occupying factories which don’t “belong” to them because, they quickly learned, the cops are there to see to it that the factories continue to “belong” to capitalist owners. The workers learned that “law and order” is what keeps them from running their own productive activity, and that “law and order” is what they’d have to destroy in order to rule their own society. The cops came out as soon as workers acted on their dissatisfaction. Perhaps the workers had known all along about the cops in the background; perhaps that’s why the workers had seemed so “satisfied.” With a gun pointing at his back, almost any intelligent person would be “satisfied” to hold his hands up.
Workers in Paris and elsewhere began to accept the students’ invitation to come to the University of Paris auditoriums (at the Sorbonne, Censier, Halle-aux-vins, Beaux Arts, etc.) to talk about abolishing money relations and turning the factories into social services run by those who make and those who use the products. Workers began to express themselves. That’s when the owners and their administrators threatened civil war, and an enormous police and military machine was deployed to make the threat real. With this crass display of the “forces of law and order,” the king stood momentarily naked: the repressive dictatorship of the capitalist class was visible to all. Whatever illusions people might have had about their own “consumer sovereignty” or “voting power,” whatever fantasies they might have had about transforming capitalist society by buying or voting, they lost them. They knew that their “buying power” and “voting power” simply meant servility and acquiescence in the face of enormous violence. The student revolt and the general strike in France (like the Black Revolt in the U.S., like the anti-imperialist struggle on three continents) had merely forced the ever-present violence to expose itself: this made it possible for people to size up the enemy.
In the face of the violence of the capitalist state, students, French workers, foreign workers, peasants, the well paid and the poorly paid, learned whose interests they had served by policing each other, by fearing and hating each other. In the face of the naked violence of the common oppressor, the divisions among the oppressed disappeared: students ceased to fight for privileges over the workers, and joined the workers; French workers ceased to fight for privileges over the foreign workers, and joined together with the foreign workers; farmers ceased to fight for a special dispensation, and joined the struggle of the workers and the students. Together they began to fight against a single world system that oppresses and divides students from workers, qualified workers from unqualified, French workers from Spanish, black workers from white, “native” workers from “home” workers, colonized peasants from the whole “metropolitan” population.
The struggle in France did not destroy the political and military power of capitalist society. But the struggle did not show that this was impossible:
Students at a demonstration in Paris knew they could not defend themselves from a police charge, but some students didn’t run from the police; they started building a barricade. This was what the March 22 Movement called an “exemplary action”: a large number of students took courage, didn’t run from the cops, and began building barricades.
Students knew that they could not, by themselves, destroy the state and its repressive apparatus, yet they occupied and started running the universities, and in the streets they returned the cops’ volley of teargas with a volley of cobblestones. This too was an exemplary action: workers in a number of factories took courage, occupied their factories, and were ready to defend them from their “owners.”
The first workers who occupied their factories in order to take them over and start running them knew that they could not destroy the power of the capitalist class unless all workers took over their factories and defended them by destroying the state and its repressive power, yet they occupied the factories. This too was an exemplary action, but these workers did not succeed in communicating the example to the rest of the workers: the government, the press, and the unions told the rest of the population that the occupying workers were merely having a traditional strike to get higher wages and better working conditions from the state and the factory owners.
Impossible? All this happened in a two-week period at the end of May. The examples were extremely contagious. Is anyone really sure that those who produce weapons, namely workers, or even that cops and soldiers, who are also workers, are immune?
“SCIENTIFIC BASIS” OF THE “COMMON SENSE”
A “social scientist” is someone who is paid to defend this society’s myths. His defense mechanism, in its simplest formulation, runs approximately as follows: He begins by assuming that the society of his time and place is the only possible form of society; he then concludes that some other form of society is impossible. Unfortunately, the “social scientist” rarely admits his assumptions; he usually claims that he doesn’t make any assumptions. And it can’t be said that he’s lying outright: he usually takes his assumptions so much for granted that he doesn’t even know he’s making them.
The “social scientist” takes for granted a society in which there’s a highly developed “division of labor,” which includes both a separation of tasks and a separation (“specialization”) of people. The tasks include such socially useful things as producing food, clothing and houses, and also such socially useless things as brainwashing, manipulating and killing people. To begin with, the “scientist” defines all of these activities as useful, because his society could not run without them. Next, he assumes that these tasks can only be performed if a given person is attached to a given task for life, in other words if the specialized tasks are performed by specialized people. He does not assume this about everything. For example, eating and sleeping are necessary activities; society would break down if these things were not performed. Yet even the “social scientist” does not think that a handful of people should do all the eating while the rest don’t eat, or that a handful of people should do all the sleeping while the rest don’t sleep at all. He assumes the need for specialization only about those activities which are specialized in his particular society. In the corporate-military society, a few people have all the political power, the rest have none; a handful of people decide what to produce, and the rest consume it; a handful of people decide what kinds of houses to build, and the rest live in them; a handful of people decide what to teach in classrooms, and the rest swallow it; a handful of people create and the rest are passive; a handful of people perform and the rest are spectators. In short, a handful of people have all the power over a specific activity, and the rest of the people have no power over it even when they are directly affected by it. And obviously the people who have no power over a specific activity do not know what to do with such power: they won’t even start learning what to do with it until they have it. From this the “scientist” concludes that people have neither the ability nor the desire to have such power, namely to control and decide about the social and material conditions in which they live. More straightforwardly, the argument says: people do not have such power in this society, and this society is the only form of society; therefore it’s impossible for people to have such power. In still simpler terms: People can’t have such power because they don’t have it.
Logic is not taught much in American schools, and the argument looks impressive when it is accompanied by an enormous statistical apparatus and extremely complicated geometrical designs. If a critic insists on calling the argument simplistic and circular, he’s turned off as soon as the “scientist” pulls out figures calculated on computers inaccessible to the public, and he’s turned out as soon as the “scientist” starts “communicating” in a completely esoteric language which has all the logical fallacies built-in, but which is comprehensible only to “scientific colleagues.”
Mythological conclusions based on mythological assumptions are “proved” by means of the statistics and the charts; much of “applied social science” consists of teaching young people what kind of “data” to gather in order to make the conclusions come out, and much of “theory” consists of fitting this data to the pre-established formulas. By means of numerous techniques, for example, it can be “ proved” that workers would rather have high paying jobs than enjoyable or meaningful jobs, that people “like” what they hear on the radio or see on television, that people are “members” of one or another Judeo-Christian cult, that almost anyone votes either for Democrats or for Republicans. Students are taught one set of methods for gathering the data, a second set for arranging them, a third set for presenting them, and “theories” for interpreting them. The apologetic content of the “data” is covered up by its statistical sophistication. In a society where eating depends on getting paid, and thus where doing “meaningful work” may mean one doesn’t get paid, a worker’s preference for high paying over meaningful jobs merely means he’d rather eat than not eat. In a society where people do not create and control what they hear on the radio or see on television, they have no choice but to “like” what they hear and see, or else to turn the damn thing off. People who know their friends would look at them funny if they were atheists prefer to go to one or another Church, and almost anyone who knows he’s in a society where he’d lose all his friends as well as his job if he were a socialist or an anarchist obviously prefers to be a Democrat or a Republican. Yet such “data” serves as the basis for the “social scientist’s” conception of people’s possibilities and impossibilities, and even of their “human nature.”
The interviews, polls, and statistical demonstrations about people’s religious affiliations, electoral behavior, job preferences, reduce people to monotonous data. In the context of this “science,” people are things, they are objects with innumerable qualities-and surprisingly enough, each one of these qualities happens to be served by one or another institution of the corporate-military society. It just so happens that people’s “material tastes” are “satisfied” by corporations, that their “physical urges” are “satisfied” by the military, that their “spiritual tendencies” are “satisfied” by the cults, and that their “political preferences” are “satisfied” either by the Republican or by the Democratic party. In other words everything about American corporate-militarism fits people just perfectly.
Everything is tabulated except the fact that a working person serves as a tool, that he sells his living time and creative ability in exchange for objects, that he doesn’t decide what to make, nor for whom, nor why.
The “social scientist” claims to be empirical and objective;
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for 2015: Sport (162 hp, “full-on” throttle response, minimal traction-control intervention), Touring (162 hp, smoother power delivery, more TC intervention) and Urban (100 hp, easier power delivery, more active TC).
Two models will be available when the new 2015 Diavels arrive in May. The standard Diavel—if there is such a thing as a standard Diavel—is the Dark Stealth model, which retails for $17,995 and features a black body, a black trellis frame, black wheels, and black mufflers. Then there’s the $20,995 Diavel Carbon, which is outfitted with unpainted stainless-steel silencers and black Marchesini wheels that are machined just enough to reveal that they are made from forged, lightweight aluminum. Buyers have a choice of two Diavel Carbon colors: Ducati Red with Matte Carbon and a red frame, or Star White with Matte Carbon and a white frame. While we don’t know how the big Ducati will look in white, particularly with those black wheels, it’s easy for us to see the 2015 Diavel as a good mid-cycle update, thanks to its broadened power, better headlight, improved instruments and refreshed style. At the same time, it’s still very much a Diavel, a muscle cruiser of sorts that defies categorization but wins us over with its bold styling, killer motor, massive 240-section rear tire, slipper clutch, excellent Brembos and remarkably good handling manners. Are these changes enough to propel the Diavel to another Ten Best win? Only time in the saddle will tell.
Ducati Diavel Carbon (Ducati Red)
Ducati Diavel Carbon (Star White)
Ducati Diavel (Dark Stealth) SPECIFICATIONS |2015 Ducati Diavel ENGINE TYPE|Testastretta 11°, L-twin, 4 valves per cylinder, Dual Spark, Desmodromic, liquid-cooled DISPLACEMENT|1198.4cc BORE x STROKE|106 x 67.9mm COMPRESSION RATIO|12.5:1 POWER|162 hp at 9250 rpm TORQUE|96.2 lb-ft @ 8000 rpm FUEL INJECTION|Mitsubishi electronic fuel injection system. Mikuni elliptical throttle bodies with RbW. EXHAUST|Lightweight 2-1-2 system with catalytic converter and two lambda probes. Twin aluminum mufflers TRANSMISSION GEARBOX|six-speed RATIO|1=37/15 2=30/17 3=27/20 4=24/22 5=23/24 6=22/25 PRIMARY DRIVE|Straight-cut gears, ratio 1.84:1 FINAL DRIVE|Front sprocket 15; Rear sprocket 43 CLUTCH|Light action, wet, multiplate clutch with hydraulic control.Self-servo action on drive, slipper action on over-run. CHASSIS FRAME|Tubular steel Trellis frame WHEELBASE|62.6 in. RAKE|28° STEERING ANGLE (TOTAL)|70° FRONT SUSPENSION|Marzocchi DLC coated 50mm fully adjustable fork FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL|4.7 in. FRONT WHEEL|14-spoke in light alloy 3.50 x 17 FRONT TIRE|120/70 ZR 17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso II REAR SUSPENSION|Progressive linkage with fully adjustable Sachs monoshock. Aluminum single-sided swingarm REAR WHEEL TRAVEL|120mm (4.7in) REAR WHEEL|14-spoke in light alloy 8.00 x 17 REAR TIRE|240/45 ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso II FRONT BRAKE|2 x 320mm semi-floating discs, radially mounted Monobloc Brembo calipers, 4-piston with ABS REAR BRAKE|265mm disc, 2-piston floating caliper with ABS FUEL TANK CAPACITY|4.5 gal. DRY WEIGHT|463 lb. *WET WEIGHT (WITH ALL FLUIDS, 90 PERCENT FUEL)|527 lb. SEAT HEIGHT|30.3 in. HEIGHT|50.4 in. LENGTH|88.9 in.
84th Geneva International Motor Show photo #1 Marc Urbano
84th Geneva International Motor Show photo #2 Marc Urbano
84th Geneva International Motor Show photo #3 Marc Urbano
84th Geneva International Motor Show photo #4 Marc Urbano
84th Geneva International Motor Show photo #5 Marc Urbano
84th Geneva International Motor Show photo #6 Marc Urbano
Studio front 3/4 view. John Zamora
Studio left-side view. John Zamora
Studio right-side view. John Zamora
Studio front view. John Zamora
Studio rear 3/4 left-side view. John Zamora
Studio rear 3/4 right-side view. John Zamora
Studio rear view. John Zamora
Front wheel (left-side view). John Zamora
Front wheel (right-side view). John Zamora
Front fender close-up #1 John Zamora
Front fender close-up #2 John Zamora
Brembo brakes John Zamora
Headlight John Zamora
Instrument panel John Zamora
Fuel tank John Zamora
Ducati name badge. John Zamora
Diavel Carbon name badge. John Zamora
Tubular steel Trellis frame John Zamora
Exhaust pipes John Zamora
Engine badge John Zamora
Seat John Zamora
Taillights John Zamora
Tail section John Zamora
Rear close-up view. John Zamora
Rear wheel John Zamora
Ducati Diavel Carbon - studio right-side view (Star White) Provided by Ducati
Ducati Diavel Carbon - studio left-side view (Star White) Provided by Ducati
Ducati Diavel - studio rear 3/4 view (Dark Stealth) Provided by Ducati
Ducati Diavel Carbon - studio rear 3/4 view (Star White) Provided by Ducati
Ducati Diavel - studio front 3/4 view (Dark Stealth) Provided by Ducati
Ducati Diavel - studio right-side view (Dark Stealth) Provided by Ducati
Ducati Diavel - studio left-side view (Dark Stealth) Provided by DucatiThe idea of a smartwatch goes beyond it being used as a small wrist computer, health and fitness tracker, and a notifications device. The technology is new but it has been rapidly evolving, thanks to smartwatch developers especially those who believe that Android Wear is THE future of wearables.
For the past few years, we’ve seen numerous models from various manufacturers running different wearable OS. Each smartwatch available in the market today doesn’t offer much (yet) because each one is solely dependent on the available software. However, you can customize it by changing the watch face, watch strap, and choosing the color that you like.
To add more functionality to smartwatch, Deus Ex Technology came up with the Deus Ex Aria. It’s a small attachment that adds gesture control to any Android Wear smartwatch or a Pebble. With simple finger gestures, you can control your wearable device.
The Deus Ex Aria is brings a different kind of interaction to a wearable device. It allows hands-free control to your Pebble or any Android Wear smartwatch. It comes in two versions: a smartwatch trap for Pebble and a clip for Android Wear. The strap for Pebble connects via wired communication while the Android Wear version works via Bluetooth.
You can customize the gestures but some of the basic actions include Index finger tapping to Enter/Return, Ring tapping to Exit/Back/Menu, Flick down for Down/Right action, and Flick up for Up/Left action. You can do a lot of things with the Deus Ex Aria: check and read email, answer or refuse a call, play and listen to music, and control photo app in your phone.
Deus Ex Aria also works as an advanced smartphone control. You can connect the Pebble version to any Android and iPhone or use the Android wearable version to any Android device. Because you can use the Deus Ex Aria with your smartphone, it also means more features, opportunities, and connectivity can be utilized. You can even control that GoPro of yours with the Deus Ex Aria through the smartphone.
The mechanism of the Deus Ex Aria is a bit technical but the technology recognizes finger gestures from the wrist according to the developers. Sensors recognize those gestures and movements of the tendons through tendon analysis, an approach that is said to be more reliable and accurate, even working with tattoos, sweat, and water. Technology is still patent pending but it looks really promising.
More details about the Deus Ex Aria project are on Kickstarter. Fund goal is $100,000 and so far, almost $63K have been raised from more than 580 backers. That’s a good amount already since deadline is still 27 days from now.
SOURCE: Kickstarter
This is a crowdfunded project, and as such may not deliver what its creators initially promise. Most crowdfunding sites, like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, have policies about what happens to your money if the project fails to deliver on its goals, but choosing to back a project is inevitably a risk. Android Community’s reporting on crowdfunded projects should in no way be seen as an endorsement, unless specifically stated, and we recommend closely examining the terms and conditions to understand your individual rights as a backer before making a pledge.Because Mother Nature clearly has way too much time on her hands, this is a species of fruit fly that's evolved realistic looking pictures of jumping spiders on its wings. Impressive, but I'd still like to see a pair of those naked lady trucker mudflaps.
The idea of the ant design, as explained to The National by Dr Brigitte Howarth of Zayed University who first discovered G tridens in the UAE, is that these flies use their wings to ward off predators. The fly flashes it wings back and forth to make it seem as if the ants [or spiders] are moving around and that movement would confuse the predator.
Man, if I were a fruit fly you know what I'd want on my wings to ward off predators? GUNS. Not pictures of guns either, actual f***ing guns. Oh shit, you wanna eat me? *PEW PEW PEW!* I don't think so. Ideally I wouldn't want to be a fruit fly at all though.
Thanks to peacedove, who's often depicted with an olive branch in its beak even though it was really a marijuana leaf.This split release on the DIY-cassette label Danvers State Recordings is something of an exercise in extremes. Side A is heavily distorted power noise from Human Larvae, a side-project of sorts from Daniel Burfoot (Broken Diode). Side B contains two tracks from Mytrip, a dark ambient experimental project from Angel Simitchiev of Bulgaria. As you might expect, this makes for a jarring listen, but it’s also a showcase for the divergent talents of these two differing visions.
Now, Human Larvae: the very title of Burfoot’s alter-ego conjures up something that is obviously not entirely pleasant, and unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what you get. The lone track, “Anorexic Kiss” (also not exactly enticing) is actually split into two parts, with the second being unlisted on the liner notes. Trying to describe this track is like trying to describe a major industrial accident, in detail, to someone from the Middle Ages. It is a series of warped power noise that explodes and implodes like a linked sequence of a thousand malfunctioning nail-bombs, with uneven detonations going off in random patterns, spraying clumps of razored shrapnel in all directions. It’s like Converter‘s track “Red Crystal” remixed by a criminally insane scientist in love with beat poetry. There’s no rhyme here, and precious little reason, with the bursts and fits of non-music thrashing about like a runaway whip-armed robotic octopus suffering from a power-surge of suicidal proportions. It’s exhilarating in a very odd way, overflowing with misdirected energy in an orgy of purely manic expression. After a break of pure silence, the second phase arrives with a single piercing tone that wobbles uncertainly before the barrage erupts anew; the eruption of a cybernetic volcano that cuts off so suddenly that I thought the tape had broken (and I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had just given up under the strain). Friends, this is experimental noise at its most extreme; strap yourself in and prepare yourself for a cathartic session of wonderful ear-bleeding.
Mytrip’s efforts are a bit more focused. Described in the liner notes as “a funeral, a ceremony,” the two pieces—“White Leaves” and “Remain Unburied”—unfold slowly and carefully, with quiet drones accompanied by gentle pulses that loop with rhythmic grace. Listened to on its own merit, Mytrip’s drones can be quite unsettling, but when placed alongside Human Larvae, it’s downright serene and soothing—a near lullaby of calming white-noise drifting. It’s quite the polar opposite of Human Larvae’s A.D.D. flailing—quiet introspection on this side, extroverted howling on the other. “White Leaves” in particular has some creepy near-organic voices drifting through the haze of drones; while you never meet the source, it is most definitely near. “Remain Unburied” is noisier and harsher, but again, nothing on the level of a full-blown assault on your aural canals, even when a series of distorted groans and growls unfurl halfway through; the threat here is implied rather than direct. Like Human Larvae, Mytrip doesn’t push genre boundaries, but both projects operate within the established limits quite well.
This split considers two sides of the same coin. While both Human Larvae and Mytrip can be labeled as experimental dark electronic music, the execution couldn’t be more different. While I can’t say I enjoyed both of them in the same way, or on the same level, I think that was certainly part of the point. Dark and light, naughty and nice, sun and moon, sour and sweet—pick your favorite pair of opposing superlatives, and this experiment in duality will fit the bill.
_____________________________________________________
Track List:
A1) Human Larvae – Anorexic Kiss Pt. 1
A2) Human Larvae – Anorexic Kiss Pt. 2
B1) Mytrip – White Leaves
B2) Mytrip – Remain Unburied
Ranking: 6.5/10
Written by: Edward Rinderle
Label: Danvers State Recordings (United States) / DSR54 / Tape
Dark Ambient / Drone / Industrial / Noise / Power NoiseOn Feb. 22, 1918, a perfectly normal 8.7-pound boy was born to Harold and Addie Wadlow of Alton, Illinois.
By his first birthday, Robert Wadlow weighed 45 pounds and stood 3 feet, 3.5 inches.
He kept growing, towering over his father at age eight. At 13 years old and 7 feet, 4 inches, he was the world’s tallest Boy Scout.
Wadlow was a quiet and mild-mannered young man, which led to him be called a “gentle giant.” He enjoyed photography and playing guitar — until his hands grew too large to do either.
A hyperactive pituitary gland fueled his extraordinary growth.
Wadlow broke the record for world’s tallest man when he reached 8 feet, 4 inches in 1937.
After graduating high school, Robert went on tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus, and later crisscrossed the country to promote the International Shoe Company, which graciously provided Robert’s size 37AA footwear.
Wadlow suffered from weakness and lack of sensation in his legs and feet, and as he grew he required leg braces and a cane to walk.
In 1940, a faulty brace rubbing against his ankle caused a blister, which became badly infected. On July 15, 1940, Robert passed away at the age of 22. Eighteen days earlier, doctors had measured his height at 8 feet, 11.1 inches.
Robert's body was returned to his hometown and buried in a 1,000-pound casket which was carried by a dozen pallbearers and eight assistants. A life-sized bronze statue honoring him still stands in Alton.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
A North Korean defector whose father was a senior officer under despot Kim Jong-Un has revealed a terrifying insight from within his feared inner-circle.
Ex-regime insider Hee Yeon Lim, 26, is risking her own life by telling the world how paranoid Kim lives like an emperor whilst casually ordering executions of confidantes and even relatives.
The petite Pyongyang graduate offers a rare glimpse inside a nuclear-weapons obsessed leader who has imprisoned 25 million starving people in grinding poverty.
As Kim’s lunatic weapons programme hurtles towards all-out war she wants to expose the tyrant who is dangerously clashing with America’s President Trump.
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(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Just days after Kim tested a nuclear blast ten times the size of the Hiroshima bomb, Hee Yeon spoke to the Mirror at a secret location in Seoul, South Korea.
As world leaders await Kim’s next move against potentially explosive President Trump in their risky game of bluff and threat she revealed how he:
- Forces even Pyongyang’s upper class elite to watch horrific executions
- Brainwashes people with claims of invincibility and threats to the US.
- Hides in hundreds of secret luxury boltholes deep within his rogue state- making it virtually impossible for western spy agencies to know where he is at any one time.
- Has sex slaves, plucked as teenagers from school, despite his marriage to Ri Sol-ju, mum of his three children.
- Enjoys £1,000 a-time lunches whilst his subjects survive eating grass.
Hee Yeon fled North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, where she grew up, in 2015 and made it to Seoul last year.
She escaped with her mum and younger brother after her father Colonel Wui Yeon Lim, a heavy drinker, of the Korean People’s Army died at 51.
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
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She knew she was fleeing a life of privilege as one of a few thousand families allowed to live in Pyongyang, the capital.
Her family shared a detached state home in a quiet part of the city and were driven everywhere by her father’s aide - a uniformed soldier permanently on-call.
She was driven to and collected from school every day in the state provided brown-coloured Chinese-made SUV-style vehicle.
And she says: “I had friends like any other kids. But we knew from an early age what not to say - never to question the then leader Kim Jong- Il - Kim Jong-Un’s father even when I was young.
“Even when I grew up I thought I had a normal life, always with the restriction publicly of not having anything other than adoration for the regime.
“We ate Japanese-style food at home, bought from bribe money given to my father. It was Japanese because my family is Korean-Japanese originally.
“To be honest I even had a boyfriend, a relationship when I fled. It was possible, of course, but I could never tell him my plans to escape. I cannot go into his details as it would not be right. In my mind I just said: “Bye bye. I had to do it.”
But despite the apparent normality of her Pyongyang society life there was always terror around the corner.
Hee Yeon – her name has been changed for her security- says: “Despite our privilege we were scared. I saw terrible things in Pyongyang.”
She saw the public murder of 11 North Korean musicians accused of making a pornographic video.
Speaking in Seoul she says the executions came shortly after Swiss-educated Kim succeeded his late father Kim Jong-Il.
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
She recalls: “We were ordered to leave our classes by security men and made to travel to the Military Academy in Pyongyang. There is a sports ground there, a kind of stadium.
“The musicians were brought out, tied up, hooded and apparently gagged, so they could not make a noise, not beg for mercy or even scream.
“What I saw that day made me sick in my stomach. They were lashed to the end of anti-aircraft guns.
“There were around 10,000 people ordered to watch that day and I was standing 200 feet from these victims.
“A gun was fired, the noise was deafening, absolutely terrifying and the guns were fired one after the other.
“The musicians just disappeared each time the guns were fired into them. Their bodies were blown to bits, totally destroyed, blood and bits flying everywhere.
“And then after that military tanks moved in and they ran over the bits on the ground where the remains lay.
“The tracks of the tanks were run over the remains and blood repeatedly, over and over again and made to grind the remains, to smash them into the ground until there was nothing left.
“I felt desperately ill from witnessing this. It was so horrible and I could not eat for three days as it made my stomach churn.”
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Kim Jong-Un, 33, was educated in Switzerland apparently under the false name Pak Chol. Schoolmates believed he was the son of an embassy driver.
He returned to North Korea aged 15 and later took over leadership in his late 20’s after his father Kim Jong-Il died– but he is thought to be the cruellest the country has had and even Pyongyang’s high society is petrified of him.
Even as a relatively wealthy girl, untouched by North Korea’s dire poverty, Hee Yeon fled after witnessing the executions, classmates dragged into sex slavery and Kim’s astonishingly expensive gluttony.
Nobody is immune to Kim’s murderousness.
Earlier this year the ruthless leader assassinated his playboy half-brother Kim Jong Nam with a lethal nerve agent slapped on him in a Kuala Lumpur airport by female agents.
Kim apparently feared his half-brother was involved in a China-backed plot to overthrow him.
Others, including Kim’s uncle and many officials with China-links were killed.
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
The former Pyongyang society girl says: “Kim Jong-Un threatens war because he feels cornered and has no escape.
“He is frightened his regime will end and he has nowhere to go.
“I had to escape but he knows he cannot do that so he feels he has to look strong.
“Everybody in Pyongyang openly supports Kim Jong-Un because they would be killed if they didn’t. Even his inner-circle.
“You can be killed for the slightest thing like disloyalty.”
Kim’s despotic cruelty is matched by his gluttony and lust for young sex slave girls.
Sighing, she says: “I was brought up told he was like a god – that he was as a young boy an expert sailor, marksman before the age of seven, god-like.
“Then I met him at big events I found him terrifying, really scary, nothing god-like about him.
“Officials came to our schools and picked out teenage girls to work at one of his “hundreds” of homes around Pyongyang.
“They take the prettiest and ensure they have straight, good legs.
“They learn to serve him food like caviar and extremely rare delicacies. They are also taught how to massage him and they become sex slaves.
“Yes, they have to sleep with him and they cannot make a mistake or object because they could very easily simply disappear.
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Asked what happens if they get pregnant she says: “Maybe the same.”
When Kim, who has three children with his wife Ri Sol-ju, has finished with the girls they are discarded but they can marry a high-ranking official.
She described one of Kim’s exquisite bolt-holes as a “small palace” with swimming pools, beautiful gardens and fountains – a far cry from the shacks many of his subjects live in.
Her father Colonel Lim died five years ago from an alcohol-related illness but his rank had given them a privileged life, living in a three bedroom state home and having a military car and driver.
But such is the corruption and poverty in North Korea that it has seeped into Pyongyang as Colonel Lim earned a mere 30p a-month.
He supplemented his meagre wages with huge bribes.
Westerners allowed into Pyongyang see shopping malls full of copied iPhones, TVs and other luxuries, smiling people shopping and an apparently comfortable lifestyle.
Her testimony about her father’s shockingly low salary contradicts what western reporters are told about average earnings in North Korea being a “few dollars-a-month.”
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
It is a sham as the North Korean economy is dire and 50,000 slaves exported a-year to Russia, China and even Qatar, their wages fed into the fake DPRK communist system.
North Korea is even thought to be embedded in drugs making and trafficking, exporting amphetamines via China and throughout Asia and Eastern Europe- and weapons to Iran.
Hee Yeon says: “At times of high tension in North Korea, when a missile is fired or a test, every adult has to sleep in military uniform in case of a big battle.
“My father slept in his uniform every night, as required by law. He earned next to nothing but he received bribes all of the time because of his position.
“He never talked about military matters. Just one wrong word even to a member of his family and you could be killed. The military is everything there.”
Ironically she then reveals how even Kim’s female soldier parades are a sham – like so much of the regime’s insane posturing.
Aged 19 Hee Yeon, was ordered out of class to appear in one of the regime’s military parades- forced to stop studying for six months and put through gruelling drills for 12 hours a-day.
This was all for one event at the Pyongyang Stadium during the 2010 October 10 celebrations of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Party Foundation Day.
The female parades are acted out by girl students and she was one of the thousands who put on the impressive synchronised marching performance before a clapping regime.
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
She smiles as she says: “It was exhausting but I am glad we did so much training.
“We could not make the slightest mistake in the routine or we’d be severely punished.”
Asked about the abject poverty of North Korea she said: “I never saw it – not until I was leaving and did that journey to China. It was never discussed in Pyongyang.”
Matter-of factly she reveals the breath-taking indulgence of Kim’s greed as his people suffer from occasional famine but year-round food shortages, many forced to eat grass or bark.
She says one of Kim’s favourite foods is “Bird’s Nest Soup” - an extremely rare imported Chinese delicacy made from the saliva of Asian swiftlet birds that can cost £2,000 a-kilo.
The soup, first consumed during the Ming delicacy, is thought to help a healthier and longer life but needs to be consumed daily for consumers to benefit.
Hee Yeon adds: “One of my friends went to work at one of his hundreds of homes in Pyongyang and she told me this was what he liked.
“I heard he also enjoyed Caviar and other delicacies, all apparently imported.”
Kim and his regime also import luxury Whiskies and Champagne, whilst cheap imitations are on sale in shops in Pyongyang for ordinary middle classes.
After Colonel Lim died Hee Yeon’s grandmother, who lives in Japan, plotted the family’s escape.
Now she, her mother and younger brother are safely in Seoul, only recently being released from three month’s detention by South Korean authorities intelligence.
Ironically it is North Korea’s “bribe economy” that helped her escape as Kim’s soldiers are so poor they have to accept money from escapees.
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
After secretly contacting a “smuggler” the family plotted their escape, Hee Yeon travelling first in a van driven by one of North Korea’s many people traffickers.
From China she was smuggled into Laos and on to South Korea.
At a cost of almost £5,000 she was driven for 20 hours to China and recalls: “I was collected secretly. That drive through North Korea from Pyongyang was terrifying. I thought I could be stopped at any time.
“The driver was handing out bribes all of the way to China to security guards.
“I have never felt so happy as I felt when I got out.”
'South need nukes back to halt Jong-un attacks'
Military experts in South Korea want the US to return tactical nuclear weapons as a defence against Kim Jong-un and his missile programme.
Retired Major General Yong Suk Lee, a member of the Korean Veterans Association, told us: “This is the most serious situation between North and South Korea since the 1950 war, and that is because of the nuclear threat from North Korea.
“Previously we did not recognise North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons, but now we, the United Nations and all allied nations believe Pyongyang has nuclear weapons.”
Around 100 battlefield nuclear missiles were removed from South Korea in 1991 under the George W Bush administration.
But Lee said: “North Korea wants to make the entire Korea Peninsular unified under communist rule.
“To achieve it he needs nuclear weapons to gain leverage, to make Washington negotiate. We, the KVA, want the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea.”New York’s got one of the most extensive neighborhood park systems in the nation. With more than 5,000 individual properties comprising some 29,000 acres of land, the parks and playgrounds and community gardens under the domain of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation add up to a significant share of the city’s space. Yet the agency believes that those parks could still be better interwoven with the city’s urban fabric.
That’s why NYC Parks just launched Parks Without Borders, a new program focusing on the corners, borders, and other underused spaces within (and around) New York parks. “When you see the New York park edges, you'll see why people are pushing for this change,” says Parks and Recreation Commissioner Mitchell Silver.
Using design and landscaping strategies—and by subtracting as much as they’re adding—park designers mean to edit and revise a number of parks to better meet their neighborhoods. A park that looks like this today:
(New York City Department of Parks and Recreation)
...might look like this, after a Parks Without Borders intervention:
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
NYC Parks has two funds it is using to introduce the Parks Without Borders program. One is a $40 million purse that will go toward reconstructing five parks at $8 million each. The remainder is a $10 million fund to adapt projects already in the pipeline with a Parks Without Borders emphasis on enhancing sidewalks and landscapes. These grants are funded by the mayor’s OneNYC campaign.I'll try to go through the major points in your post as best I can:
"Getting to the point, all you need to do to nerf Ahri and achieve the effect you want is make her Q's movement speed scale off of either the level of her Q or her ult. Every argument you have made towards changing charm in the way you have has made me more and more frustrated."
- This is missing the point. I'm not just trying to nerf Ahri, I'm trying to strip away a strength that feels out of place given her mobility, damage, and range profile and make her CC feel more consistent with the most analogous CC (Fear and Taunt).
"You claim charm is too punishing for the person dashing, saying that "anyone who uses their dash to close has no control over engagements with Ahri, it's on her to mess up for them to suceed". This is not how the game works. All the control is in the hands of the player using the dash."
- Guess we have to agree to disagree. If you're a character who needs to close on Ahri and your main way of closing on opponents is via a dash, I firmly believe that Charm gives Ahri almost all agency over engagements, especially if your dash is targeted.
"Ahri cannot FORCE SOMEONE to use their dash."
- Right and some characters don't function if they don't get to dash at opponents. So she doesn't force them to dash, she just holds charm and fucks them if they ever do, so just by existing, she has robbed them of any ability to play.
"You have stated that Ahri should not get rewarded more for hitting someone, but why not?"
- Because she's a mobile, ranged, assassin, kite-mage carry. The character is overloaded on strengths. Being a jack of all trades means you don't get to be better than everyone else at the things you're doing.
"After all, every champion has their unique reward for CC...."
- Morgana doesn't. Brand doesn't. Annie doesn't. I don't wanna get into splitting hairs here, but this argument doesn't really hold any water for me. Just because other characters have other mechanics attached to their CC doesn't mean that Ahri needs some too. See above, when you're strength are incredibly diverse, they can't be particularly strong individually.
"Furthermore, if this change goes through, based on this logic Thresh and Blitz hook need to change. Sure they are displacements, but why should they get rewarded more for hitting a dashing target? It is just as hard to do it with Ahri as it is Blitz, though I will admit doing it on Thresh is harder as he has a windup for his hook that is significantly longer than either champion."
- Don't want to keep beating a dead horse, but again, no it doesn't, this is about what tools Ahri has aside from Charm, so stuff like, "based on this logic Thresh and Blitz need to change" is kinda missing the point of the nerf. Also once again, displacements are different mechanically, they actually basically need to work the way they do to make any sense visually, and because of this, we budget power differently on a knockup/knockback than we do on other types of CC.
"If, as you have pointed out, "Ahri's core character is about being a nimble assassin/mage", why are we forced to play like Xerath or Lux for the first 6 minutes of the game? If the focus is parity, why are you making her pre-6 so massively bad in comparison to similar champions like Zed and Leblanc?"
- Because her range profile is much more similar to Xertah and Lux than it is to Zed/LB. Again, this is the price a character pays for having so many strengths, she ends up paying for it in terms of early damage and ability to aggress. I'm not in love with the character's laning pattern, but it being boring makes perfect sense to me given what she's good at and until we start better defining what strengths she's supposed to have and which she isn't, this is just the way it has to be.
"My argument is that charm is its own unique thing, as it is the only CC in the game that makes a champion walk towards the caster without attacking."
- Fear makes a champion walk away from the caster without attacking. It doesn't stop their dashes.
"If you remove all the unique parts of every CC you have a very boring game."
- You're strawmanning pretty freaking hard here. This change isn't an attack on mechanical differences between CC, it's about the status effect behaving the way players expect and aligning this effect with Ahri's kit's strengths and weaknesses.
"You have not changed these things because they are interesting and bring about diversity in the skill pool. Charm causing people to stop dashing is part of Ahri's identity. It has not been removed for years because it is not overpowered and not, as it is presented, a bug (this is one of few cases where, if it was a bug at first, it actually has developed into a feature). It has remained in the game because it is part of Ahri's identity. It is part of what makes playing against her, as her, and with her so exciting. Removing its ability to stop dashes is one more step towards Ahri and all of League a little less interesting, a little less diverse, a little less fun."
- I don't get how Charm stopping dashes is part of Ahri's identity. I get that it's a mechanic that players have played around for years, but I still haven't heard any Ahri players tell me what else they're willing to give up in order to keep best in class CC and stopping power. Like, basically what I keep hearing is, Ahri's strengths are that she's super fast, super safe, and is awesome at catching people, and her weakness is damage. Yet she does a ton of damage practically and when people are throwing out what changes they think I should make, none of them are about reducing the damage she deals. So I'd rather chip away at her catch and safety being top notch and instead make those only really freaking good (even after this change, she's still really damn good at this) and accept her as a jack of all trades mage for the time being.
Reply · Report PostFox News contributor Tammy Bruce is sorry for calling a 10-year-old autistic boy a “snowflake” who needed a “safe space.”
During last Friday evening’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, Bill Hemmer—taking a break from his “straight-news man” daytime gig to sub-in for Carlson’s right-wing primetime show—showed viral video of a young boy demanding an apology from Vice President Mike Pence for bumping him in the face with his sleeve during a speech.
Dutifully channeling Fox’s obsession with turning minor viral incidents into hand-wringing segments about the decline of American culture at the hands of P.C. liberals, Hemmer remarked of the video: “Kids these days, they’re telling the parents what to do, they
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two sons and two daughters go to Roots Football Academy run by Chacko. “Football teaches our children so many valuable lessons, including the value of teamwork,” he says.
Foreign clubs are looking beyond PR and long-term revenue deals in India, says Premier Futsal’s Balasubramanian; according to him, their efforts are also about uncovering talent and signing them up before the competition does.
“With the amount of money and time being spent on football, we are not far off from producing our very own EPL, La Liga-calibre players. I can even go so far as to say, maybe one Ronaldo too.”
The writer is a Kolkata-based journalist covering the corporate sector and the business of sports.The Ultimate Y2K Glitch....
1632 In the year 1632 in northern Germany a reasonable person might conclude that things couldn't get much worse. There was no food. Disease was rampant. For over a decade religious war had ravaged the land and the people. Catholic and Protestant armies marched and countermarched across the northern plains, laying waste the cities and slaughtering everywhere. In many rural areas population plummeted toward zero. Only the aristocrats remained relatively unscathed; for the peasants, death was a mercy.
2000 Things are going OK in Grantville, West Virginia. The mines are working, the buck are plentiful (it's deer season) and everybody attending the wedding of Mike Stearn's sister (including the entire membership of the local chapter of the United Mine Workers of America, which Mike leads) is having a good time.
THEN, EVERYTHING CHANGED....
When the dust settles, Mike leads a small group of armed miners to find out what's going on. Out past the edge of town Grantville's asphalt road is cut, as with a sword. On the other side, a scene out of Hell; a man nailed to a farmhouse door, his wife and daughter Iying screaming in muck at the center of a ring of attentive men in steel vests. Faced with this, Mike and his friends don't have to ask who to shoot.
At that moment Freedom and Justice, American style, are introduced to the middle of The Thirty Years War.
Download the comprehensive Teacher’s Guide here.PALMDALE, Calif., July 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC, -0.17% demonstrated in recent test flights that the U.S. Air Force's Open Mission Systems (OMS) architecture standards can be successfully integrated across multiple systems and platforms. These flights have paved the way for new capabilities to be integrated rapidly and affordably across advanced manned and unmanned aircraft.
In June, at Edwards Air Force Base, multiple test flights demonstrated the ability to rapidly integrate subsystems onto the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and NASA's Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) using OMS-compliant computing architecture. The most recent demonstration included the B-2 Spirit, the company's fully OMS-compliant Gulfstream G550 test bed aircraft configured as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) asset, and an OMS-compliant battle management command and control (BMC2) ground node.
"This demonstration paves the way for the B-2 weapon system to provide new operational capability well into the future at an affordable cost," said Brig. Gen. Eric Fick, Program Executive Officer for Fighters and Bombers, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Force Materiel Command.
In the latest test scenario, the G550 ISR aircraft detected a new ground threat and broadcast the threat's location across an OMS-compliant line-of-sight (LOS) Link-16 data link. The BMC2 node received the threat information via this link and assigned a nearby B-2 to engage the target. The B-2 then used its onboard OMS-compliant auto-routing function to replan its mission to prosecute and destroy the target in a simulated attack.
"The team's ability to rapidly demonstrate OMS has been nothing short of amazing and shows the speed at which capabilities can be developed when the Air Force and industry partner together," said Col. Rob Strasser, U.S. Air Force B-2 System Program Manager. "The collaboration and innovation required by the team to rapidly plan, integrate and demonstrate OMS on the B-2 has illustrated the ability to reduce cost while significantly increasing mission effectiveness."
Northrop Grumman demonstrated how OMS-compliant architectures are feasible on legacy platforms and can enable the rapid integration of new mission capabilities, such as an onboard mission planning auto-router.
"Northrop Grumman is committed to OMS and modular open architectures," said Tom Vice, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "OMS provides us the ability to rapidly incorporate new innovative, affordable and adaptable capability into our products. Our recent OMS demonstrations on the Global Hawk UAS and the B-2 long-range strike bomber have proved to be very successful."
Developed through industry collaboration, OMS architectures use a common message interface for subsystems such as radar and communication systems, and services such as auto-routing and battle management. This standardized approach allows OMS-compliant mission systems and services to be reused across multiple aircraft. It also simplifies the development process for new mission capabilities, significantly shortens integration time with the platform and enables affordable insertion of new capabilities.
The entire OMS infrastructure for the B-2 was defined and integrated by Northrop Grumman in approximately six weeks. It took advantage of company capabilities and products at several locations across the country. Northrop Grumman funded the OMS development and integration, while the test activities were supported by both the company and the Air Force B-2 System Program Office.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
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To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/northrop-grumman-demonstrates-open-mission-systems-architecture-across-manned-and-unmanned-systems-300114895.html
SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation
Copyright (C) 2015 PR Newswire. All rights reservedSen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign has been accused of sending operatives posing as culinary union representatives to gain access to workers in Las Vegas hotels, according to Ralston Reports.
The Sanders campaign did not return Ralston’s request for comment, but union officials said they had received reports from four hotels: The Rio, Paris, The Mirage and Planet Hollywood
“It’s inappropriate for any campaign to attempt to mislead Culinary Union members, especially at their place of work,” Yvanna Cancela, the culinary union Local 226’s political director, told Ralston Reports. “As of yet, the union has not made an endorsement, but is focused on a major citizenship and voter registration campaign while preparing for contract negotiations.”
According to the report, the Sanders campaign staffers were wearing yellow Local 226 pins so they could enter employee dining halls and talk to workers.A new OECD report has revealed New Zealand's obesity rates are worsening.
New Zealand is fat and getting fatter – officially.
A new OECD "obesity update" shows that nearly one-in-three Kiwis is obese and the only fatter nations are the United States and Mexico.
New Zealand has been in third place since at least 2007, but then 26.5 per cent of adults were obese. Now, that rate has crept up to 30.7 per cent.
FILE Christchurch bariatric surgeon Steven Kelly says some of his patients have BMIs of 70 or 80.
While no predictions were made in the report of where New Zealand's waistlines were heading, it did show that all countries were predicted to see a "steady increase" in obesity until at least 2030.
READ MORE:
* 20 years of Government action on obesity
* 32 per cent of Kiwi children and teens will be overweight or obese by 2025
* Targeting childhood obesity
* Structure is the key to solving child obesity crisis - expert
The US, with a 38.2 per cent obesity rate, then Mexico, at 32.4 per cent, were the two most obese nations, while Japan then Korea – at 3.7 and 5.3 per cent respectively – were the least obese.
STUFF Katherine Rich, chief executive of the Food and Grocery Council, says the food industry is working hard to reformulate food to make it healthier.
"Social inequalities in overweight and obesity are strong, especially among women," the OECD report said.
"In about half of the eight countries for which data are available, less-educated women are two to three times more likely to be overweight than those with higher level of education."
Christchurch bariatric surgeon Steven Kelly said: "Basically, it's bad and it's getting worse."
"Obesity continues to increase at 0.5 per cent year on year, and it's certainly not slowing up."
Some of his patients had BMIs of between 70 to 80. BMI anywhere over 30 is considered obese, while 40 or above is morbidly obese.
"Every week now, I would see a patient who is over 200 kilograms. Ten years ago you would be lucky if you saw one 200kg person a year."
The Ministry of Health statistics - which are more recent than the OECD ones - state almost one in three people aged 15 or over were obese.
Why are we so fat?
The reasons for New Zealand's burgeoning waistlines were complex, but it was essentially a toxic combination of genetics and our environment, Kelly said.
For most of history, food scarcity and famines had kept civilisation lean, he said.
"Now, we live with the same genes but have energy-dense readily-available food anywhere. And everybody overeats."
The average Kiwi eats 350 more calories every day than they need, Kelly said.
"The genes load the gun and the environment pulls the trigger."
Auckland bariatric surgeon, Richard Barbor said we lived in a "toxic food environment".
"The biggest thing that keeps getting spun out in the media is this fallacy of choice – that somehow eating is everybody's individual responsibility.
"If you expose humans to unhealthy foods they get fat. The human body isn't designed to fend off all these corporate food outlets. Our population needs protection from toxic foods."
That was where actions such as banning junk food advertising to children, adopting sugar taxes and putting restraints on people selling refined carbohydrates should come in, he said.
Public health Professor Tony Blakely from Otago University believed excess energy intake was the biggest reason behind the epidemic.
"The food industry... creates foods that are tasty and enjoyable to us so we're left with excess energy intake.
"If we're going to turn this around we do need to change the environment."
That meant incentivising or "nudging" the food industry to change the way foods were prepared to reduce their salt and sugar content, he said.
What's the food industry doing?
Manufacturers had put huge, ongoing effort into reformulating popular products – both food and beverage - to remove sugar, fat or salt, Katherine Rich, chief executive of the Food and Grocery Council (FGC), said.
"There are now many hundreds more healthier options available to shoppers than there have ever been."
Some companies has spent years developing and trialling different recipes and ingredients with consumers to make sure the improved product suits their tastes.
"Blaming the environment is an academic theory that only takes you so far. There are many people who live in the same environment and aren't obese, which indicates that food selection, genetics and activity levels are key factors as well."
The industry was one of the drivers behind the Health Star Rating scheme - now displayed on more than 2500 products - which was designed to make it easier to identify healthier products, she said.
"FGC believes that to successfully beat obesity, every sector of society needs to adopt a culture of healthy eating, moderation, and activity."
The Government has repeatedly dismissed calls for a sugar tax, with Health Minister Jonathan Coleman stating "there is no evidence that a sugar tax decreases obesity rates".
Blakely said about 30 countries - including Ireland, Mexico, the UK, and France, had a sugar tax, and he believed it would be "an inevitability" for New Zealand.
Kelly said: "For every 20 per cent you tax sugary drinks, there's a 20 per cent reduction [in consumption]."
He was disheartened by Government efforts to curb obesity, but believed leaders would be forced to act eventually.
"Will it be in 2030 when it's predicted that 40-45 per cent of the population are going to be obese?
"A tsunami of diabetes is on it's way. If 30 per cent of the world's population has diabetes, that will make every health economy in the world bankrupt."
In the mid-2000s, obesity was estimated to cost New Zealand's health system about $600 million each year, Blakely said, but that figure would have increased. Kelly said: "You could probably double that."
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark labelled the New Zealand findings "shocking" via Twitter and said the Government needed to take action to "stop this epidemic".
Shocking 3rd placing of #NZ 🇳🇿 on #obesity league table. Whoever's in government needs to implement strong policy 2 stop this epidemic #NCDs https://t.co/NoFaD2DC95 — Helen Clark (@HelenClarkNZ) October 11, 2017
Comments have been closed.Yasser Lopez, 16, was in serious condition after a speargun accidentally fired into his head. Approximately one metre of the spear was protruding from his forehead. (University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital/Associated Press)
Doctors in Miami have successfully removed a spear accidentally shot through a teenager's skull during a spearfishing trip.
Yasser Lopez, 16, was in serious condition Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center.
The spear gun accidentally fired as it was being loaded. Lopez was hospitalized June 7 with approximately one metre of the spear protruding from his forehead.
Doctors say the spear entered the teen's head five centimetres above his right eye and came out the back of his skull. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue tools were used to cut the spear so the teen could be X-rayed.
The rest of the spear was removed in a three-hour surgery. Doctors told reporters Monday that the spear missed all the main blood vessels in the brain. They said Lopez doesn't remember the accident.Here are some of the best places to go in Crete. I've picked these highlights from a 2 week road trip around Crete I recently took, along with other visits. If you're going to take a road trip on this incredible Greek island, or are looking for the best things to do in Crete, start your Crete sightseeing itinerary planning here!
Crete – the perfect Greek island?
Ask somebody that doesn't live in Greece what their favourite Greek island is, and they might answer Santorini. Ask people who live in Greece though, and many will answer Crete.
There's many reasons for this. Perhaps it's a sense of admiration for the independent minded people of Crete, or the wild like feel the south of the island still has. Perhaps it's the weather, the beaches, or the food? Most likely, it's a combination of all these things.
Personally, I love it, and have visited several times now. Most recently, I took a road trip there, and whilst I did, I came up with this guide to the best things to do in Crete. Let's start with how to get to Crete from Athens on the ferry.
Taking The Ferry From Athens to Crete
Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, and the ferry takes about 8 hours to get there from Athens (Piraeus port). Only two companies make the route, and during the summer they offer day and night services.
We took the overnight ferry to Heraklion with Minoan Lines going out. On the way back, we used the day ferry with Anek Blue Star Ferries from Chania to Piraeus. The total price for this including the car, two passengers and numbered seating, was about 290 euros.
Photos from a 2 week road trip around Crete
The aim of our 2 week road trip around Crete, was to combine beach time with a little sight-seeing. Crete is too big to ‘do it all’ in 2 weeks, and even if it was possible, I wouldn’t want to. This was a vacation, after all!
Instead, we picked a route which took in some of the major places of interest in Crete, whilst leaving enough to see next time. Yes Crete, we will be back! Here then, are some of the highlights of our road trip featuring some of the best things to do in Crete.
Knossos and Archaeological Museum
Knossos is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Greece, and is one of the best places to visit in Crete for mythology buffs. It has long been connected with the myth of King Minos and the Minotaur. Some people even consider it to be the Labyrinth itself.
The site is interesting to spend some time at, and there is also an archaeological museum in Heraklion which helps make sense of it all. There's some great artefacts on display there, including the famous Phaistos Disc which still remains undecipherable until this very day.
I first visited here over 35 years ago as a kid with my parents. Maybe it was those early vacations which gave me the travel bug? You might find this article interesting if you want to find out more about the Palace of Knossos – Tips for visiting Knossos in Crete.
We stayed in Heraklion for a couple of days. Take a look here for hotels in Heraklion.
Dikteon Cave and Lasithi plateau
I have a thing for caves. There is something very other-worldly and timeless about them. According to the Mrs, I have too many Neanderthal genes! Anyway, legend has it that Zeus was either born or sheltered in the Dikteon cave. He then hid here as a child to escape his cannabalistic father Cronus who had already eaten his other siblings!
When visiting the Diteon cave in Crete, you certainly get the feeling that it was a fitting place for a Greek God to live. The cave can be found on the Lasithi Plateau, and it is one of the Crete points of interest I would recommend to anyone with their own transport.
Spinalonga Island Crete
Visiting a former leper colony might not immediately sound like one of the fun things to do in Crete, but it is an interesting experience. Another popular sight-seeing destination for people touring the north of Crete, it is reached by a day trip.
The island is complete with the remains of a castle, and has a sad recent history as a leper colony. Even if you don't get a chance to visit Spinalonga which is one of the Crete top attractions, I suggest you read The Island by Victoria Hislop. Very moving.
Milatos Cave in Crete
At the start of our 2 week road trip around Crete, it seemed that we visited more caves than beaches! Milatos cave was very special though. During the Ottoman occupation, it acted as a refuge for the local population which ended in tragedy in 1823. Now, there is a small chapel built inside the cave.
You can reach Milatos cave very easily, and explore inside. You will need to bring a torch with you to make the most of it. There is also a slightly eccentric ex-pat who sits outside in the mornings, and hires torches out for a euro a time. We picked him up hitch-hiking on the way back down to the town of Milatos!
Diskos Beach (Near Lentas)
This was our favourite part of Crete, and a place we could have spent much longer. Located in the more isolated south of the island, the beach was just amazing! I am not going to include photos here, because it was a part nudist beach. By the way, no I didn't! I burn easily at the best of times, and that is the LAST place I want to get sunburn!
If you are interested in staying in the area, you can free camp on the beach. There are also a couple of hotels on the beach area and in the wider area. Searching out quiet beaches is one of the fun things to do in Crete when you have a car!
Crete Historical Sites – Gortyna and Phaestos
These two Crete historical sites can be visited on the same day. My favourite was Gortyna for the scale, but Phaestos had the best views. In some respects, I found these sites to be more interesting than Knossos. They certainly hadn't been so badly reconstructed as Knossos is!
These two sites are best reached by you own vehicle. If you don't have access to a vehicle of your own, a tour could be booked from your hotel. They're certainly worth adding onto you list of things to see in Crete.
Matala Caves – Flintstone Caves in Crete!
Looking for a Yabba-Dabba-Doo time in Crete? The Matala Caves could be just for you! The caves date back thousands of years, and appear to have been used throughout all periods of antiquity. More recently in the sixties, a collection of hippies seeking the simple life moved in and made them home.
The hippies are long gone now, but the caves remain an interesting tourist attraction and one of the must see Crete sights. A small entrance fee must be paid to gain access as it is classed as an archaeological site.
Triopetra Beach in Crete
I have to say, I love the south of Crete! There are endless miles of isolated wild beaches, and it is the perfect place to relax. I have included Triopetra beach here, but could have included any of the other countless beaches we visited. If you are planning a road trip around Crete, make sure to check out as many beaches as you can!
Frangokastello
We more or less stumbled on this area by accident. It is a quiet bay area, backed by a castle. For us, the attraction was the location, and the great room we had. The room at Maria's Studios was the best we had for the trip, and we liked it so much, we stayed an extra day! A somewhat off the beaten track attraction, but only because there is so much to see and do in Crete it gets missed out!
The Pink Sands of Elafonisi
Elafonisi is perhaps the most famous beach in Crete. You will most likely have seen photographs of its pink sands. I'm not exactly sure where they get those photos from though, because it didn't look that pink to me! Also, it was a bit too crowded for my tastes. We had to walk a good 20 minutes to find a quiet spot, which you can find pictured above. Still, no trip to Crete is complete without visiting Elafonisi really!
Kedrodasos Beach in Crete
Right next to Elafonisi Beach is Kedrodasos Beach in Crete. You have to walk to get here, and directions are at times vague. Once there though, a beautiful beach complete with dunes and cedar trees reveals itself. This is a beach known for free camping and naturists, but not all that well visited.
The problem with this beach, is that the free campers have left a lot of rubbish to blow in the wind. Why spoil paradise? I don't get it. When we visited, we were fortunate to have it mostly to ourselves. Whilst one part of me wants to recommend this as a great place to visit in Crete, another part of me wants to keep too many people away from it!
Chania in Crete
Our 2 week road trip around Crete finished in Chania. This is a very pretty Venetian port town, with an interesting ‘old' section. We spent our time wandering around the streets, and also had a great meal at To Koutourouki. Chania was very busy with tourists when we visited in early September. I would suggest visiting it during the off-season periods to really soak up the ambience.
Planning your road trip around Crete
I hope that gives you enough inspiration to either plan your own road trip, or put together a Crete sightseeing itinerary. I also have a HUGE resource here about planning a road trip to include the best places to see in Greece. If you have any questions, would like any advice, or would like to share your experiences, please leave a comment below!
Looking for more travel inspiration about places to see in Crete? Take a look at this guide to Chrissi Island – A perfect Greek island paradise!What Could US Boots on the Ground Do in Iraq and Syria?
Boots on the ground in Iraq or Syria should be seen as a capability, not a strategy. By Brian Michael Jenkins
“These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.” Nancy Sinatra’s 1966 hit song, “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” became wildly popular with GIs during the Vietnam War, where the lyrics took on a more bellicose meaning.
In discussions of America’s current conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)—which, like the Vietnam conflict, Washington does not consider an official war—a phrase heard frequently is “boots on the ground.” It is a direct challenge to those who believe wars can be won by airpower alone. Critics of the current air campaign in Iraq and Syria argue that boots on the ground—the physical presence of soldiers on the battlefield—is a prerequisite to military success. But how many?
There are currently somewhere around 2,000 American military personnel deployed in Iraq, protecting the U.S. Embassy, helping the Iraqi forces coordinate military operations and assisting the air campaign. They have no direct combat role, although some may engage in special operations, such as attempting to rescue hostages. Strategists outside of government have suggested the need for 10,000 or 25,000 American combat troops.
Boots on the ground represent a capability, not a strategy.
Boots on the ground represent a capability, not a strategy. The question is, what would 25,000 American ground forces do that nearly 300,000 Iraqi soldiers cannot do?
They could bolster local defenses in critical areas, reinforcing Iraqi or Kurdish forces that are hard-pressed by ISIL fighters. This is not just a matter of added firepower. Their presence on the ground could also enhance the effectiveness of the air campaign. And with American combat units at their side, Iraqi units might fight harder—or they might fight less, leaving it to the Americans to do the bloody work.
American combat forces could also be used as a mobile strike force to follow up the bombings or destroy concentrations of enemy forces. In this kind of deployment, the combat units would be moved from place to place to exploit opportunities, rather than to hold terrain.
A more ambitious and costlier task for American forces would be to drive ISIL forces out of the cities and towns they now hold. Urban warfare, especially against dug-in defenders, chews up armies. As we have seen on numerous occasions, from the battle of Hue in 1968 to the second battle of Fallujah in 2004, urban engagements can become ferocious fights. More than 13,000 American, British, and Iraqi forces were engaged in Fallujah, and they suffered nearly a thousand casualties.
Controlling territory following the defeat of enemy forces would take far more than 25,000 troops, but clearing cities of ISIL forces, while leaving subsequent mopping up operations and occupation to Iraqi forces (or Shia militias), also risks associating the United States with the vengeance likely to be inflicted upon Sunni fighters and civilians, which the calculated brutality of ISIL has made almost inevitable.
Another possible mission for American combat forces might be to create protected enclaves for refugees.
Another possible mission for American combat forces might be to create protected enclaves for refugees. In 2012, John McCain, Joe Lieberman and four other senators called for the creation of “safe zones” inside Syria, where refugees could find safe havens and anti-Assad rebels could be trained and armed. The senators did call for American combat troops to perform this mission then, and it is not clear how many it would require to so do now.
All of these possible missions are fraught with risk—heavy casualties among U.S. troops and civilians, beheadings of American prisoners, the even greater probability of terrorist attacks abroad and in the United States, the loss of international support. While Americans currently support the bombing campaign, hard fighting on the ground could quickly reverse that support.
The United States initiated the bombing campaign to prevent the consolidation and further expansion of ISIL and preempt potential future terrorist attacks on the United States. The deployment of ground forces could accelerate the achievement of that mission, but could just as easily exacerbate the situation.
As we learned in Vietnam, boots on the ground, a phrase that was popular during the buildup of American forces there, is no guarantee of success. Before embracing boots on the ground as a strategy, it is essential to be clear about what they are going to do, what they may require and what risks may be entailed.On the day that the U.S. Supreme Court was poised to hear oral arguments about same-sex marriage April 28, Hillary Clinton changed her "H" logo to rainbow-colored and tweeted: "Every loving couple & family deserves to be recognized & treated equally under the law across our nation. #LoveMustWin #LoveCantWait."
Clinton came out in support of same-sex marriage in 2013 after more than a decade of opposing it. But her views are particularly in the spotlight now that she is a presidential candidate.
We decided to put Clinton’s statements about same-sex marriage on our Flip-O-Meter, which measures whether a candidate has changed their views without making a value judgment about such flips. We found that as public opinion shifted toward support for same-sex marriage, so did Clinton.
She has had plenty of company among members of her own party to change their stance on same-sex marriage. In 2012, we gave Obama a Full Flop when he announced his support for same-sex marriage.
Currently about three dozen states allow same-sex marriage. The outcome of the decision, expected in June, could mean either that same-sex marriage will become legal in all states or that some states will institute new bans on same-sex marriage. (A spokesman for Clinton’s campaign declined to comment for this Flip-O-Meter item.)
Clinton’s statements during her 2000 Senate race
In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, a law that defined federal marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
Hillary Clinton would face questions about same-sex marriage starting with her 2000 campaign for Senate. Let’s look at the highlights of her statements between 1999 and 2015 in a timeline:
December 1999: Clinton told a group of gay contributors at a fundraiser that she was against the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy signed by her husband.
The New York Times reported that Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said she supported the Defense of Marriage Act but added that "same-sex unions should be recognized and that same-sex unions should be entitled to all the rights and privileges that every other American gets."
January 2000: At a news conference in White Plains, Clinton said, "Marriage has got historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been, between a man and a woman. But I also believe that people in committed gay marriages, as they believe them to be, should be given rights under the law that recognize and respect their relationship."
April 2000: Clinton again expressed support for civil unions. "I have supported the kind of rights and responsibilities that are being extended to gay couples in Vermont," she said.
July 2004: Clinton spoke on the Senate floor against a proposed federal amendment to ban same-sex marriage. (The amendment ultimately failed.) Though she opposed it, she said that she believed that marriage was "a sacred bond between a man and a woman."
However, she said she took "umbrage at anyone who might suggest that those of us who worry about amending the Constitution are less committed to the sanctity of marriage, or to the fundamental bedrock principle that exists between a man and a woman."
October 2006: Clinton told a group of gay elected officials that she would support same-sex marriage in New York if a future governor and Legislature chose to enact such a law.
"I support states making the decision," she said.
As a 2008 presidential candidate
In 2007, all the presidential contenders except for longshot candidates -- both Democrats and GOP -- were against same-sex marriage, the New York Times reported. So were the majority of Americans, polls showed.
May 2007: In a questionnaire for the Human Rights Campaign in 2007, Clinton backed away from the Defense of Marriage Act:
"I support repealing the provision of DOMA that may prohibit the federal government from providing benefits to people in states that recognize same-sex marriage."
In response to a question about whether marriage should be made legally available to two committed adults of the same sex, Clinton marked that she was "opposed" though she stated she supported civil unions.
August 2007: In a Democratic primary debate sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and LOGO Network (a gay-oriented TV station) Clinton was asked "What is at the heart of your opposition to same-sex marriage?"
Clinton replied: "Well, I prefer to think of it as being very positive about civil unions. You know, it’s a personal position. How we get to full equality is the debate we’re having, and I am absolutely in favor of civil unions with full equality of benefits, rights, and privileges."
As a 2016 presidential candidate
As Clinton got ready for her second presidential bid, she again modified her position.
March 2013: After leaving her position as secretary of state, she announced her support for same-sex marriage in a video with the Human Rights Campaign on March 18, 2013.
"LGBT Americans are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones. And they are full and equal citizens, and they deserve the rights of citizenship. That includes marriage. That’s why I support marriage for lesbian and gay couples. I support it personally and as a matter of policy and law, embedded in a broader effort to advance equality and opportunity for LGBT Americans and all Americans."
The comments put her in line with other Democrats at the time who were mentioned as potential 2016 presidential contenders, including Vice President Joe Biden, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Obama had announced his support for same-sex marriage in May 2012.
June 2013: Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton issued a joint statement about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the Defense of Marriage Act. The congratulatory note didn’t mention that Bill Clinton had signed the law back in 1996: "the Court recognized that discrimination towards any group holds us all back in our efforts to form a more perfect union."
June 2014: NPR’s Terry Gross grilled Clinton about her past positions’ on gay marriage in what led to a testy exchange. Gross tried to get Clinton to explain if she had truly changed her stance or if the shifting political landscape made it possible for her to announce her support.
At one point Gross asked, "Would you say your view evolved since the '90s or that the American public evolved, allowing you to state your real view?"
Clinton replied: "I think I'm an American. (Laughing) And I think we have all evolved, and it's been one of the fastest, most sweeping transformations."
April 2015: On the day of the Supreme Court hearing oral arguments about same-sex marriage bans in a handful of states in April, Clinton changed her "H" logo to rainbow-colored and tweeted a message of support: "Every loving couple & family deserves to be recognized & treated equally under the law across our nation. #LoveMustWin #LoveCantWait."
Our conclusion
Clinton opposed same-sex marriage as a candidate for the Senate, while in office as a senator, and while running for president in 2008. She expressed her support for civil unions starting in 2000 and for the rights’ of states to set their own laws in favor of same-sex marriage in 2006.
As polls showed that a majority of Americans supported same-sex marriage, Clinton’s views changed, too. She announced her support for same-sex marriage in March 2013.
It’s up to voters to decide how they feel about her changed stance, but on same-sex marriage we give Clinton a Full Flop.This is a picture of A Voice for Men’s new commemorative coin. No, really, they have a commemorative coin. It was designed by Peter Vinczer, father of A Voice for Men’s Attila Vinczer, possibly — I suspect — with the help of Judy Chicago. The coins cost $58.88, and will be issued in a first edition of 10,000.
In the comments to AVFM’s announcement, six people have proudly announced that they’ve purchased a coin. So get yours quickly, because there are only 9,994 left before the first edition runs out!
The only real question is what exactly is being depicted on the coin:
Is it:
1) An otter in a manhole
2) A man levitating a carrot over a milkshake
3) A vagina
4) A vagina
5) Come on, it’s obviously a vagina
ANSWER: I have no fucking clue. Seriously, I’ve been staring at this for like ten minutes and I have no idea what on earth this could be. What is the round thing? Why is there a tiny hand? If that thing above the circle thing is a raindrop or a teardrop or whatever, why is it upside-down? Why would AVFM issue a goddamn commemorative coin in the first place.
I do know one thing, though: If you can afford to waste $$58.88 on this piece of crap, you are not oppressed in any way. And you should probably have your right to vote stripped from you.
Just kidding about that last bit. You should still be allowed to vote even if you buy vagina coins from a dude named Attila.
.What are some things that Christians should stop saying?
Well, I’m pretty sure that we all have that one friend that consistently says cheesy Christians clichés. I think most of us would agree that this is typically, well, very annoying. This is intensified when the sayings aren’t biblical
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feet, the restaurant will be larger than the old Starbucks; space was borrowed from the adjacent retail bay.
Buy Photo A string of wrestling-ring ropes near the counter may guide the line of customers at Jerry Lawler's Memphis BBQ Company. (Photo: Tom Bailey / The Commercial Appeal)
Buy Photo A barbecue shop branded with the famous Memphis wrestler is nearly ready to open in Cordova. (Photo: Tom Bailey/The Commercial Appeal)
Read or Share this story: http://memne.ws/2jRf6pWBack in March, Justin Case released a root tool called WeakSauce for HTC's flagship lineup on Verizon. Unfortunately, a steady procession of updates to each handset has patched the original exploit, leaving many without root. Now there's a new version of WeakSauce, and it can root just about every HTC phone on Verizon running Android 4.4.4 and below.
Named WeakSauce 2: The Habanero's Revenge, this tool works just like its predecessor, and it's completely free. Just install the apk from this thread on XDA and run it to attain root. Once it has finished, just install SuperSU from the Play Store and you're ready to go. Also like the previous version, this is a non-permanent root method, and it will re-root after each reboot. Just keep in mind that it can take up to a minute for root to take effect.
There are two known issues in the current release.
Right now, the superuser (su) binaries are out of date and it's not possible to replace them using any automated method. This shouldn't affect functionality, but it will show an occasion warning message. Justin says this will be fixed in the future.
The other issue is with ART, which doesn't play well with WeakSauce. Unfortunately, this probably won't be fixed, so rooters will want to switch back to the Dalvik runtime before running the app.
For now, the Sunshine bootloader unlocking tool is still not compatible with the latest firmwares on Verizon's HTC phones. A new version of Sunshine is scheduled for early 2015 that will support all versions of KitKat, and possibly through the current releases of Lollipop. In the meantime, WeakSauce 2 should be a suitable stand-in for many modders. Just remember that you'll lose root again if you update to Lollipop, so be careful not to jump the gun until you're ready.
Update: It turns out that rooting with WeakSauce 2 can allow Sunshine to unlock Verizon's HTC One M7, and possibly the Droid DNA (still unconfirmed). In some instances, the M8 can also be unlocked, but it's hit-and-miss. The best way to find out is to install the Sunshine tool and let it check for compatibility.
WeakSauce 2: The Habanero's RevengeThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has famously written on it's cover, "DON'T PANIC" in 'large and friendly letters'
But, we ask, what does that actually look like? In what actual font or design does "DON'T PANIC" closest match that criteria?
This site asks YOU that question. Just compare two fonts, and select the one that fits the criteria best to your taste. With enough votes in the hat, a best font should rise to the top. If neither candidate really meets the "large friendly letters" criteria, we encourage you to try and choose between them as a relative comparison anyway (ie, least worst), but there is a'skip' option as well :)
Ballots are generated automatically (and randomly, and endlessly), with rankings calculated from the votes via some clever maths. The more votes, the better.
Finally, for the sake of potential future voter demographic breakdowns, there is a (completely optional) survey too.What *bangs head on desk* was *bang* I *bang* thinking?
I tried KDE4 before, I didn’t like it. I downgraded back to KDE3 just to get something that worked. I know my new toy upgraded to Intrepid without problems, but that was running Xubuntu, not KDE, so why did I think that a quick apt-get dist-upgrade to Kubuntu 8.10 was going to work on the machine I have all my precious, precious data on?
Argh! This is becoming unacceptable. The whole point of an upgrade is to improve the functionality of the system. In my case, the Intel wifi driver was happily causing kernel panics and locking the machine solidly, with only a sadly flashing caps lock light to indicate that it wasn’t merely “thinking about it”, that it was really right off the deep end into la-la-land and wasn’t going to make it home for supper. Ubuntu forums indicated that the problem is fixed in Intrepid, and it’s been out for a good few months now, long enough to work out the kinks. Right?
Yeah, right.
Not only is the problem not fixed, it’s far far worse – kernel panics every five minutes or so in fact. That’s unbelievable. I had fewer panics than that while writing device drivers for 2.4 for crying out loud. Worse, nothing else works properly either. KDE4 design choices aside, things like menus and submenus render by blotting out a chunk of the screen and then filling it, so you get this distorted and torn section of the screen for a half-second or less before the menu appears. That’s just klunky. Bluetooth, it turns out, doesn’t work at all. It’s in the release notes. Along with a dozen other failings.
Look kubuntu folks, a little word here. A system as large as bluetooth – an entire networking stack – not working, that doesn’t go in the release notes. It is meant to stop you from releasing at all. You do not release something so fundamentally broken because then noone will ever trust your software in future. It’s like the first KDE4 release where proxy support wasn’t available in networking, so every machine behind a commercial or university firewall couldn’t work. It’s stupid and lazy and sloppy to release something that is so widely used in so fundamentally broken a state. This is why most of us abandoned windows at some point – unstable, buggy crap for software doesn’t allow you to just get on with doing work. For crying out loud people, stop playing with stupid eye candy and flashy crap until the basic infrastructure is working, would you? Yes, I like compiz, I like the spinny cube, I like the wobbly windows, it’s all wonderful. It’s just that I need to be able to actually do some work in the windows, not just wobble them about as I drag them around the spinning cube, y’know?
I’m starting to side with the linux hater blog these days because of things like this. I can’t even back out the change and go back to Hardy and KDE3 without hours of work. I’m sick to death of having to think of defensive stratagies to use against the people maintaining distributions these days. What, I have to partition off my /home from the rest of my disk so when I upgrade and it goes wrong I can reinstall without losing data? I could try virtualising my entire PC so that if the upgrade goes bad I can recover?
Would you *”£& off?!!! I’m not virtualising my entire PC because I’m not paying for a fast laptop to make it into a slow laptop in software, and I don’t know how much diskspace my data will use or my apps, so I’m not going to partition them apart in case it makes more work for me down the line. And I shouldn’t have to do it either, we invented directories and hierarchial filesystems in the 1970s for a reason and this is it dammit!
I’m so damn sick of stuff that looks cool but doesn’t just work. It sucks down the time I want to use to do my work. And as designs go, that’s just broken.
AdvertisementsOhio Gov. John Kasich said Sunday that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump faces an uphill climb in Ohio, a key battleground in the 2016 White House race.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Mr. Kasich — who has refused to endorse Mr. Trump and remains one of the real estate mogul’s toughest Republican critics — said the candidate’s rhetoric remains too divisive and inflammatory for the majority of voters in his state. Ohio is seen as key to Mr. Trump’s chances of beating Democrat Hillary Clinton in November.”
“Can Trump win Ohio? He’s going to win parts of Ohio where people are really hurting … But I still think it’s difficult if you are dividing to be able to win in Ohio. I think it’s really, really difficult,” Mr. Kasich said.
The Republican governor and former presidential candidate also defended his decision last month not to attend the party’s nominating convention in Cleveland, saying he’s taking a principled stand in not supporting Mr. Trump.
“My actions have spoken louder than any words. And think about this: I want to know when anybody had a convention in their state when they were the governor who didn’t go into the convention hall,” Mr. Kasich said.
The governor also confirmed that top Trump staffers reached out to his aides to offer Mr. Kasich the post as Mr. Trump’s vice-presidential nominee, though he said he never considered the offer and had no interest whatsoever in joining the ticket.
Moving forward, Mr. Kasich said he still isn’t sure who he’ll vote for in November, adding that it pains him he’s not able to support his party’s choice.
“I wish I could be fully enthusiastic. I can’t be,” he said.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.When a top prospect completes his ascension through the minor leagues and begins to carve out the early stages of a big-league career, a little war wages in all our heads, whether we know it or not. It’s the battle between our pre-debut perception of that player and our post-debut perception. Really, it’s just a variation of the age-old debate of scouts vs. stats.
When a player debuts, our knowledge of his skill set and abilities is limited almost entirely to the information found in public scouting reports. Sure, there’s minor-league numbers, too, but those can often be misleading or difficult to translate. Early on in a player’s career, the scouting report trumps all.
The more we see of the player in the majors, though, the more data we collect, and the balance of power regarding what informs our perception begins to shift from the scouting reports to the stats. The major-league stats become not only the more recent information but the more detailed. Sometimes, the data aligns with what the scouts reported. Other times, the two are at odds. It’s up to the individual to decide how much weight to give to either side, and why.
Twins rookie Max Kepler hit three homers against the Indians the other day, and has been among baseball’s best hitters since the All-Star Break. Digging through his scouting reports recently, something stuck out. Any emphasis that follows is mine.
From Baseball Prospectus’ preseason report:
His swing has some length, but because he recognizes pitches so well and has an advanced approach, he can make hard contact to every part of the field while drawing walks and limiting strikeouts.
From John Sickels’ offseason write-up:
Got stronger with physical maturity, drove ball more often while improving pitch recognition […] from decent to outstanding, dominated Double-A as a result.
From Baseball America’s most recent blurb:
He has some length to his swing but shows excellent pitch recognition and the ability to barrel the ball, no matter where it’s pitched.
But what is pitch recognition, anyway? Of course, we all understand what those words means literally, but the term “pitch recognition” is sort of an abstract concept, the kind of thing you read in a few scouting reports and forget about once the guy hits the majors. Can we put a number on it? Can we see it? Does Max Kepler really have it, and if so, how does it manifest itself in his game?
Can we put a number on it? Probably not just one, no, but there’s a proxy we can use to get an idea of this, statistically. Over on our leaderboards, we’ve got numbers derived from PITCHf/x data that help show how successful or unsuccessful each batter is against each type of pitch, per 100 pitches. To find balance, I simply did the following: set a minimum of 200 plate appearances for a pool of 278 batters, and filtered for only players who have been above-average this season against each of the four major pitch types: fastballs, sliders, changeups and curves. This left me with a list of 24 names, including guys like David Ortiz, Francisco Lindor, Edwin Encarnacion, Paul Goldschmidt. Balanced hitters.
Kepler was on the list, too, and his values in particular stand out: he’s been +3.2 runs above average per 100 fastballs, +2.8 against sliders, +3.5 against curves, and +4.0 against changes. So I filtered one more time, in this instance looking for players who’ve been at least +2.0 runs above average against all four pitch types.
Here is the entire list:
Max Kepler
In this one way, you could make a flimsy case that Kepler’s been the most balanced hitter in baseball, when it comes to pitch types. He certainly hasn’t played favorites. This is one step toward the data supporting the elite pitch recognition touted by the scouting reports.
Can we see it? Here’s a couple ways:
On the left is Kepler’s slugging-percentage heat map, broken into zones. On the right are the pitch locations and types of each of his 15 home runs. Both tell a similar story: he’s seemed to cover the zone well.
How does it manifest itself in Kepler’s game? Heat maps and pitch plots are great, but I wanted to see Kepler’s pitch recognition in action. So here’s what I did: I found video of what should be the closest thing to Kepler’s default swing we can find. It’s a 2-1 fastball with no outs and runners on first second, piped right down the middle and smoked into the right-center gap for a line-drive double. It looks like this:
That’s our baseline. Now, I want to compare. So I grabbed three Kepler homers — a fastball, high-and-inside; a curveball, low; and a changeup, up-and-away — and I compared each swing to our baseline in an attempt to gain a sense, visually, of Kepler’s pitch recognition on-the-fly.
We’ll start with the elevated fastball. The screen grabs are taken at the pitcher’s release point, 10 frames after release, 20 frames after release, and the point of contact. Click the image to enlarge:
First frame : No noticeable difference.
: No noticeable difference. Second frame : Nearly identical, but Kepler’s hands and front elbow are slightly higher and more tucked in relative to the default swing, our first indication that he’s recognized a high-and-tight fastball.
: Nearly identical, but Kepler’s hands and front elbow are slightly higher and more tucked in relative to the default swing, our first indication that he’s recognized a high-and-tight fastball. Third frame : Major differences. Front knee bent, body compact, hands and elbows still tucked in tight to turn on inside pitch. Bat has barely started forward movement.
: Major differences. Front knee bent, body compact, hands and elbows still tucked in tight to turn on inside pitch. Bat has barely started forward movement. Fourth frame: Legs back to having no noticeable difference. More upright. Front arm coming higher through the zone.
The swing:
The low curveball:
First frame : No noticeable difference.
: No noticeable difference. Second frame : Nearly identical, but Kepler’s body seems slightly compressed and the front elbow is subtly beginning to dip down toward the plate, our first indication he’s recognized a low curveball.
: Nearly identical, but Kepler’s body seems slightly compressed and the front elbow is subtly beginning to dip down toward the plate, our first indication he’s recognized a low curveball. Third frame : Couldn’t be more different. He’s fully crouched in an effort to go get the curve. The hands, essentially, haven’t moved. The front leg is completely bent, and the hips haven’t begun to turn. Kepler’s still in full track mode.
: Couldn’t be more different. He’s fully crouched in an effort to go get the curve. The hands, essentially, haven’t moved. The front leg is completely bent, and the hips haven’t begun to turn. Kepler’s still in full track mode. Fourth frame: Legs back to having little difference. Body far more bent. Hands lower, and kept far behind the hips.
The swing:
The outside changeup:
First frame : Kepler’s stride has actually been started a couple frames early, indicating that perhaps he was cheating on a fastball, which wouldn’t be surprising, given the situation (bases loaded, two outs, 1-0 count).
: Kepler’s stride has actually been started a couple frames early, indicating that perhaps he was cheating on a fastball, which wouldn’t be surprising, given the situation (bases loaded, two outs, 1-0 count). Second frame : If he was cheating, it’s hard to tell now. Back to being nearly identical. Perhaps this time that’s our indication that he’s recognized changeup?
: If he was cheating, it’s hard to tell now. Back to being nearly identical. Perhaps this time that’s our indication that he’s recognized changeup? Third frame : Again, front knee bent and front elbow tucked in to stay back. Back elbow dropping to extend the hands.
: Again, front knee bent and front elbow tucked in to stay back. Back elbow dropping to extend the hands. Fourth frame: Legs back to having little difference. Body more bent. Hands going out to cover the zone, rather than pulling in to turn on pitch.
The swing:
The praise was uniform: scouts love Kepler’s ability to recognize pitches and subsequently adjust his swing to cover the whole zone. It’s not like this is a trait unique to Kepler; this is just a fundamental part of hitting. But perhaps Kepler’s exceptional knack helps provides some insight as to how a kid from Germany who didn’t crack a top-100 prospect list until last year due to a lack of obvious tools could crush the high minors the way he did and fast-track his path to the big leagues, where he’s currently got 15 homers in 240 plate appearances and a 137 wRC+. Pitch recognition doesn’t have to be an abstract thought buried in a scouting report. In Max Kepler, we can see it.Losing State Support, Cincinnati’s Streetcar Project in Peril
» Wavering commitment to this — and similar infrastructure projects around the country — sends the wrong message about the seriousness of public investment in better transport.
Over the past few months, American transportation projects have been canceled at an accelerated rate: From New Jersey to Florida to Wisconsin, rail programs that have been in the making for years have been abandoned because of conservative opposition to expansion in transportation spending at all levels of the federal system.
This movement, which has been grounded in claims of fiscal responsibility, has sent a disappointing message about the commitment of the American public sector to projects it has previously endorsed.
Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) made his mark last year, eliminating state support for a new intercity rail line to connect Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland — despite the fact that the federal government had agreed to pay for all of the project’s construction costs. Now, he has set his sights on undermining the Cincinnati streetcar project, which was set to begin construction after municipal leaders such as Mayor Mark Mallory assembled adequate funding, including $51.8 million from the state, $5 million from regional governments, $66.6 million from the city, and $25 million from the federal government’s Urban Circulator program.
The project, whose first phase would cost $128 million to build and another $3 million a year to operate, would run about 2.5 miles from the banks of the Ohio River, through downtown and Over-the-Rhine, to Uptown and the University of Cincinnati. Though following a well thought-out route to the city’s major in-town destinations, the streetcar nonetheless has been the subject of intense controversy in Ohio’s third-largest city.
Mr. Kasich, who earlier this month announced that he wanted to cut state transit operations funding by 39% over two years, explained his logic by saying that “There’s a new sheriff in town,” according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The streetcar, the governor argued, was an inappropriate use of public resources and thus the state’s $51.8 million involvement should be cut. If this change is approved as expected by a state transportation board on April 12, this would leave a $30 million gap in the project’s initial construction budget. The same board, upon announcing the state commitment just four months ago, rated the project the highest-scoring transportation program in Ohio.
All this was enough to encourage one member of the city council to withdraw his support last week. The fate of the project is up in the air. Without state funds, the city would either have to find more local funding or give up.
Of the several dozen being proposed across the United States, the streetcar project in Cincinnati is one of the most promising because it connects what is one of the country’s most densely built center cities to a major university. It would run through the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, which saw major riots ten years ago but now is being rapidly transformed through building improvements and infill. At the south end of the route, the massive The Banks development is radically altering the connection between Cincinnati and its riverfront through the construction of new stadiums, a park, and hundreds of new apartment units. The streetcar is a great example of orienting transit investments towards communities that are working seriously to increase densities and encourage their inhabitants to choose not to get around by driving.
Mr. Kasich, however, says “We’re not living in Portland,” and for now, he is right.
But whereas Portland grew by 10.3% between 2000 and 2010, reaching a historic high, Cincinnati lost 10.4% of its population, which has declined from more than 500,000 in 1960 to less than 300,000 today. Portland now has a higher residential density than its Ohio counterpart.
Of course Portland’s successes can be attributed to a lot more than its transportation program, which has been enhanced thanks to billions of dollars invested in light rail and streetcar lines. Yet the Oregonian city surely has been aided by an active public sector that has made significant investments in its transportation offerings. Those projects have increased the appeal of that city, making it a better place to live and one that is more attractive to companies that may want to locate there. Can Cincinnati increase its livability while its state government pulls back in the name of austerity?
Whether or not this project is a good investment or not, though, is only half of the question: At this point, the funding for the project had been identified and people had begun making decisions based on the assumption that it would be completed. The same could be said for the intercity rail line planned for Wisconsin, for example, where train maker Talgo built a manufacturing plant and hired employees after getting a state commitment to buy rail cars — only to be told months later that the project had been de-funded.
What message does this send to potential investors in a city like Cincinnati? If a city’s plans for a transportation project, even when fully funded, can be shut down because of the decisions of a new governor, how can anybody make long-term assumptions about where and how to develop? Moreover, why should they invest in a place whose politicians think they can renege on previous commitments?
Update: The Ohio Department of Transportation’s budget request, approved by the State Senate Transportation Committee today, included an omnibus provision that “prohibits state or federal funds appropriated by the state from being used for the Cincinnati streetcar project,” according to All Aboard Ohio. If approved by the full State Senate and House, this would effectively make it impossible to spend state dollars on the program, even if the state transportation board, which approved the funding last year, pushes it forward.
Image above: Downtown Cincinnati, from Flickr user Jere Keys (cc)Article Tools Font size – + Share This
Barnes
WILKES-BARRE — A transgender woman awaiting trial on prostitution charges on Tuesday filed documents seeking a bail reduction, arguing she is not getting adequate medical care and is being subjected to “derisive comments” by inmates and guards.
Dakota Antar Barnes, 23, of 425 Main Road, Hanover Township, alleges officials at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility have failed to provide her prescribed hormone treatments, and that as a transgender woman she feels in danger in the jail.
“(Barnes) was assigned to male inmate housing at LCCF due to her male anatomy, with no consideration of her female identity,” says the application filed by attorney Wojciech Jankowski. “Defendant feels unsafe in the male inmate housing at LCCF due to derisive comments about her identity from both inmates and corrections officers.”
Luzerne County Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich said Barnes was placed in administrative segregation as a result of Tuesday’s filing and that she will meet today with a Prison Rape Elimination Act coordinator to discuss her situation.
“We’ll make a determination on housing at that time,” Rockovich said.
The housing issue could be further complicated because when Barnes was booked into the jail on July 29, she was lodged in administrative segregation, then subsequently requested to be put in the general population, he said.
“When she was originally seen, he was saying he identified as a male. Now obviously Dakota Barnes is identifying as a female,” Rockovich said.
Wilkes-Barre police busted Barnes near Carey Avenue and Academy Street during a prostitution sting in September 2015 after she allegedly agreed to perform oral sex on an undercover officer for $35. Court records show police again busted Barnes in a prostitution sting a month later at Carey and Susquehanna avenues. Charges in that incident are still pending.
Barnes failed to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in December, resulting in a bench warrant being issued for her arrest, according to Tuesday’s filing.
A judge lifted the warrant in January and released Barnes on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Barnes subsequently moved and changed her address with the public defender’s office, which failed to update its database, Jankowski wrote. Notice of Barnes’ trial date in June went to her old address as a result, and a judge issued another bench warrant when she failed to appear, the filing says.
When Barnes was arrested on July 27, a judge set her bail at $10,000 — an amount Jankowski argues is “excessive and contrary to the Constitution of Pennsylvania.”
The filing asserts that, if released, Barnes will appear as required and comply with any court orders.
BREAKOUT
The question of housing transgender inmates has been a thorny issue across the country. In March, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a memorandum holding that transgender inmates, who are at substantial risk of sexual violence, cannot be housed solely based on their “external genital anatomy.”
Decisions about housing such inmates should take into account the inmate’s safety concerns and be made on a case-by-case basis, according to the department.
Luzerne County Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich said Luzerne County Correctional Facility’s policy is to interview inmates as they come in and make a determination on housing based on their answers.
While it’s theoretically possible an anatomically male individual could end up in the female housing unit, jail officials — as well as other inmates — do have concerns about such an arrangement, he said.
“I’m not very much in favor of it,” Rockovich said. “We do have the issue that if they have functionable male parts, technically they could possibly impregnate an inmate, which is a concern for us. So we would have to take each (one on a) case-by-case basis.”Boeing has thrown open the hatch to its new commercial spacecraft, offering a first look inside the capsule it is building in a bid to fly NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
At its Houston Product Support Center — located near NASA's Johnson Space Center — Boeing revealed its first full-scale model of the CST-100, a gumdrop-shaped spacecraft that can seat up to seven crew members.
Today, two NASA astronauts were strapped into the capsule mockup to undergo flight suit evaluations aimed at validating the CST-100's interior design.
Astronauts Randy Bresnik and Serena Aunon donned the same type of pressure suits for the fit checks as were last used two years ago aboard the space shuttle.
"This is our second iteration, our 'Phase 2' iteration, of the interior of the vehicle," Tony Castilleja, a Boeing CST-100 mechanical engineer, told collectSPACE.com. "Basically to rapid prototype it and have the NASA customer give us feedback — the NASA customer being the end user, the NASA astronauts."
To design the CST-100 space capsule and the interior of its crew cabin, Boeing engineers drew from the company's experience as the lead space shuttle contractor, as well as its heritage building the command module for NASA's Apollo program and its rejected bid for the agency's Orion crew exploration vehicle.
The CST-100, however, is a new breed of spacecraft — a commercial vehicle that is owned, operated and partially-funded by the company, rather than by NASA. Boeing is one of three U.S. companies, including Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Sierra Nevada Corporation, competing for NASA's business to ferry astronauts to and from low Earth orbit.
To date, NASA has awarded Boeing $570 million to design and develop the CST-100.
Boeing 'Sky' in Space
Boeing turned to Bigelow Aerospace to construct the outer shell of the 14.8-foot-wide (4.5 meters) model but outfitted most of the interior itself.
"The interior of the vehicle brings out the best of Boeing. The floor and what we call the seat struts, the seat pallet where the seats sit, were built by our Boeing commercial airplanes folks," Castilleja explained, adding that while the mockup's console was sourced from Bigelow, its display panels were provided by Boeing's St. Louis division.
"So the entire company is bringing their best and brightest to help us," he added. "This is not only a Houston-centric project but [involves] the entire Boeing company."
The surprisingly-spacious module has room for two rows of crew seats and cargo storage, including a freezer used to transport science experiments to and from the station. In its current configuration, the capsule seats five, trading two additional seats for more cargo room.
The flight controls, which are mounted on a console that is suspended above the front row seats, employs shuttle-era switches and hand controllers, augmented by touch-panel digital displays.
A window located forward of the control console offers the pilots a view, with additional portal windows to either side. A side hatch allows entry and exit into the cabin, while an overhead hatch leads into the space station after docking.
Missing, at least for now, from the CST-100 mockup is the waste containment system, or toilet.
"We have a couple of options," Castilleja described. "It is all about reducing mass, so we do not have a true space toilet like shuttle did because we just don't have the room in this vehicle. But there are some design alternatives that we're looking at, from diapers to mechanical devices."
What the CST-100 mockup does have however, is lighting — specifically Boeing's "Sky" blue-tinted LED lighting, as currently found on its newer line of commercial airliners.
"The Boeing look is on purpose," Castilleja said. "You are going to get the same look and feel as you are flying on a 747 as you are flying on a spacecraft."
Countdown to launch
Boeing says its first piloted orbital flight of the CST-100 is planned for 2016.
NASA, based on funding availability, is expecting to begin buying seats on commercial-operated flights to the space station starting a year later.
The space agency is Boeing's core customer for the CST-100, although the aerospace company has also partnered with the space tourism company Space Adventures and Bigelow, which plans to deploy its own commercial space station built using inflatable modules.
Regardless of the destination or mission, Boeing plans to launch the CST-100 atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) provided Atlas V rocket. The reusable capsule is designed to return to Earth using parachutes and airbags for a soft touchdown on land.
If, in the unlikely scenario an emergency water landing is needed, the CST-100 can also float. Boeing, working with NASA and Department of Defense personnel tested water recovery techniques using a different mockup at Bigelow's Las Vegas facilities earlier this month.
Visit collectSPACE.com to see more photos from inside Boeing's CST-100 commercial space capsule.
Image: collectSPACE.com/Robert Z. Pearlman
This article originally published at Space.com hereStory highlights Guthrie once lived in a Brooklyn apartment owned by Donald Trump's father, Fred Trump
Guthrie came to hate the development and the neighborhood for what he viewed as a hostile environment toward people of color
Washington (CNN) Woody Guthrie, the iconic protest singer, once turned his pen toward Fred Trump, casting the current Republican front-runner's father as "Old Man Trump," according to a new dive into the Woody Guthrie Archives by University of Central Lancashire Professor Will Kaufman.
"I suppose Old Man Trump knows just how much racial hate he stirred up," Guthrie wrote in one of his notebooks.
Kaufman wrote Guthrie once lived in a Trump-owned Brooklyn apartment. Guthrie came to hate the development and the neighborhood for what he viewed as a hostile environment toward people of color -- and laid the blame on Trump.
Guthrie lived in Trump's Beach Haven low-cost public housing unit, an apartment complex backed in part by the Federal Housing Authority. Kaufman wrote the elder Trump embraced the FHA's guidelines promoting racial segregation, leading an unwitting Guthrie into the "lily-white neighborhood" he would come to loathe.
Read MoreIn the days following a presidential campaign which seemed to flout all understood norms of major western elections, conservative commentators supportive of Donald Trump have urged observers not to take the president-elect’s more extreme rhetoric on the stump too literally.
And indeed, the next leader of the free world spoke in more statesmanlike prose at his meeting with the outgoing President Obama in the days after his triumph.
So faced with the Realpolitik of the Oval Office and international diplomacy, what does a Trump foreign policy ‘doctrine’ look like?
Henry Kissinger, the controversial grandee of American foreign politics, has given his thoughts in recent days.
"Reality will impose certain requirements, as it does on every President … he is part of a continuum … he cannot reinvent history,” said President Nixon’s former Secretary of State.
As Barack Obama was elected on a promise to withdraw forces from Iraq – a war he inherited from predecessor George W. Bush – so Donald Trump has been on the back of dealing with problems left to him by Obama, which include NATO and the Iran nuclear deal.
Tim Sebastian discusses these issues with Conflict Zone’s guest this week David Petraeus, former director of the CIA and retired four-star general.
In these roles and as a former commander of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, Petraeus has played a significant part in shaping the recent part of Kissinger’s ‘continuum’.
Where does America go from here?
In this week’s Conflict Zone, former head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan David Petraeus tells Tim Sebastian what his advice would be for a Trump presidency, as well as discussing his actions as a commander in Iraq, and the classified information leaks to his biographer and mistress that led to his resignation from the CIA in 2012.
So, Tim Sebastian asked, what was the general’s advice for Donald Trump and isn’t it part of the problem that there was now a gap between America’s rhetoric and its actions abroad?
“What Trump is going to have to do … is to navigate between what we have seen from the U.S. over the course of the last 10, 15 years. And that is at times overextension and then at other times a reluctance to engage. Either of those has downsides as we have seen and President Trump is going to have to navigate something in this center,” he said.
NATO
The international community awaits reassurances that this ‘center’ is a priority for a Trump administration, particularly on NATO, which Petraeus calls in his interview a “cornerstone of the western world’s security policy.”
On Conflict Zone on 4 November – days before the conclusion of the presidential election in the United States – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Tim Sebastian that whoever won, he believed the incoming president would indeed recognize the importance of NATO to their nation’s interests.
Mr. Stoltenberg has reiterated the importance of this partnership in the past few days, while German defense ministerUrsula von der Leyen has also spoken out, saying Trump “needs to learn NATO that isn't just a business. It's not a company."
But Donald Trump has tapped concerns that, according to Patraeus, are “legitimate” in saying that member states were not paying their fair share. Even President Obama has referred to NATO “free riders”.
In 2006 NATO member states agreed to work towards spending 2% of their countries’ GDP on defense. However, only five countries do so: the US, the UK, Greece, Poland and Estonia.
US spending on defense is currently 70% of NATO’s total defense expenditure.
The Iran nuclear deal
Following 12 years of deadlock between the US and Iran and 17 months of negotiations, an agreement was signed in Vienna in July 2015 between the two countries effectively limiting Iran’s ability develop a nuclear weapon in return for easing economic sanctions.
President-elect Trump has called it "one of the worst deals ever made by any country in history."
Though as with NATO, he is not a lone voice in criticizing the deal, or at least elements of it.
On the Iran deal, former director of the CIA David Petraeus told presenter Tim Sebastian: “It has positive elements and it has negative elements and I don’t think that undoing the deal is as important as the White House and the Congress working together to have a statement of national policy.”
“We have one party in power right now. There is no excuse [not to do that] from the Republicans’ side”.
Meeting this week to discuss the repercussions of the Trump victory,EU foreign ministers restated their commitment to the agreement, saying the “upholding of commitments by all sides is a necessary condition to continue rebuilding trust and allow for continued, steady and gradual improvement in relations between the European Union, its member States and Iran.”
Donald Trump said during his campaign to be president that dismantling the “disastrous” nuclear deal with Iran would be his “number one priority”.Pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine were holding a group of European military observers in the city of Slavyansk on Friday night, claiming they had been travelling with a spy for the Kiev government
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the present. The simple reason is because there is less life in the sea.
Studies like that of the WWF/ZSL list climate change high among the threats that afflict ocean life. While this is certainly true now, and it will become increasingly problematic in future, the primary driver of decline to date is overfishing. To get a true picture of fishing’s impact, you have to take the long view. Ask an EU official for the latest stock estimate of common skate, and you would get a puzzled look. We no longer fish commercially for species such as common skate because there are hardly any left, so we no longer bother counting them and their disappearance goes unremarked. But fishing carried on long after the skates, halibut, wolf-fish, angel sharks, bluefin tuna, thresher sharks, porbeagle, sturgeon and wild salmon – the list is a long one – dwindled to irrelevance.
We no longer fish commercially for species such as common skate because there are hardly any left
What is not widely known among those outside the fishing industry is that managers deliberately aim to reduce stock sizes of the fish we eat. Cutting the amount of fish in a stock frees up resources for the others, so they grow faster. This theory, developed in the mid-20th century, says that maximum productivity is reached when you reduce a stock by half, a point called the maximum sustainable yield. Fishing at MSY was recently embedded in the reformed European fisheries policy, which should have been a good thing given that stocks have been so depleted. But behind the scenes, fisheries scientists have gradually eroded target stock levels, arguing that for many stocks MSY is reached when they have been reduced by 70% or 80%. At these low levels though, we are on dangerous ground.
When life is brought low, there are unwanted and unanticipated knock-on effects. Predators like tuna, sharks, porpoises and whales are not mere embellishments, nice to have but not critical if lost. They once regulated the abundance of their prey and weeded out diseased and parasite-laden creatures before populations became seriously affected. They were important in cycling nutrients through ocean ecosystems, shuttling them from the depths to the surface where sunshine and plants could turn them into the energy that feeds all life in the sea. Seabed life, those waving fields of invertebrates swept aside by trawls, – captured carbon and sequestered it into the sediments. They kept the water clean, boosting photosynthesis, and removed pathogens and pollutants we put in the sea.
So if you are wondering whether it matters that life in the sea has gone down, the answer is yes. In the long term, it is a matter of life and death to all of us. The oceans are vast. Once we thought they were too big to suffer anything other than minor damage at our hands. We know that is no longer true. Human influence reaches every part of the ocean, from the distant high seas to the deepest abyss. What we are just beginning to understand is that they are too big for us to let them fail. The oceans have colossal importance in keeping our planet habitable. If they fail, so do we.
Fortunately, there is still time to do something about it. The great majority of species that have declined are still present somewhere. With the right kind of protection, we could bring them back. Many marine protected areas are springing up around the UK. Scotland established 30 in 2014, and England has 27, with more on the way. Unfortunately, there is still little appetite to introduce the high level of protection our seas need. Experience from other parts of the world shows that life rebounds when we stop catching or killing it, and the best way to do this is to create protected areas closed to all fishing. The government created more than half a million sq km of such protection around the Chagos Islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean and has promised another around Pitcairn. But only 7.5 sq km of the 750,000 sq km around the UK receives the same treatment. If we want life to thrive again nearer home, we must learn to treasure our own waters as highly.
Callum Roberts is professor of marine conservation at the University of York, and author of Ocean of Life: How our Seas are Changing.Something's Not Right: German User Has To Use Chinese Proxy To See New Music Video
from the ah,-gema dept
We've been writing about German music collection society GEMA's bizarre fight against YouTube for a few years now, in which all major music videos are blocked from YouTube in Germany because GEMA is suing YouTube and refuses to even discuss a potential license until the lawsuit is over. As we noted recently, this is even frustrating the labels who feel that GEMA is costing them serious money in not just doing a deal to make videos available. While researching something else on Twitter, I came across this telling tweet, from an individual in Germany talking about how they had to use a Chinese web proxy just to watch a new Sting video, and properly notes just how screwed up the world is when people in Germany are relying on Chinese web proxies just to watch music videos. I'm still trying to figure out what good this does anyone... other than GEMA.
Filed Under: china, germany, licensing, music, proxy, sting, videos
Companies: gemaCore
Пользовательские настройки (видео, загрузка)
Новые режимы экрана (в том числе широкоформатные)
Относительные (в %) размеры и позиция в XML
Наследование размеров от родителей в XML
Исправлен фон цветом у panel в XML
Доработаны атрибуты align/valign в XML
Автоматическое позиционирование элементов UI в контейнерах
Вывод названия приложения и процесса загрузки на экране VMU
Обновлены и/или доработаны библиотеки: fatfs, png, jpeg, zlib, SDL, SDL_Image, SDL_gui, mxml
Другие оптимизации, доработки и исправление ошибок в разных частях системы
Ядро, модули и команды собраны на компиляторе GCC 5.2.0 с Newlib 2.2.0 и последней на сегодняшний день версией KallistiOS
Core (eng)
User settings (display, startup)
The new display modes (including widescreen)
The relative (in %) of size and position in the XML
Inheritance sizes from parents in XML
Fixed the background color for the panel in the XML
Refined attributes align/valign in XML
Automatic positioning of UI elements in containers
Display application name, and loading process on VMU LCD
Updated and improved libs: fatfs, png, jpeg, zlib, SDL, SDL_Image, SDL_gui, mxml
Some other optimizations and fixes
The code compiled on GCC 5.2.0 with Newlib 2.2.0 and latest version of KallistiOS
Applications
Поддержка широкого экрана
Поддержка иконок любых размеров
Улучшено позиционирование иконок
Вывод даты и времени
Прокрутка списка иконок вместо переключения страниц
Возможность не рисовать подпись для иконки у скриптов, если имя файла начинается с _
Добавлена поддержка PVR формата иконок для скриптов
Оптимизация и исправления UI в XML
Оптимизация и исправления UI в XML
Поддержка широкого экрана
Оптимизация и исправления UI в XML
Оптимизация и исправления UI в XML
Поддержка широкого экрана
Оптимизация и исправления UI в XML
Новое приложение для работы с сохранениями и дампами VMU
Поддержка широкого экрана
Оптимизация UI
Режим быстрого запуска (fast boot)
Автоматический выбор папки с GDI (не нужно заходить и выбирать.gdi файл)
Автоматическое включение true async DMA для ISO и оптимизированных GDI
Автоматическая смена рекомендуемого адреса для загрузчика при включении эмуляции CDDA
Добавлены дополнительные адреса для загрузчика
Вывод названия выбранной игры на экране VMU
Applications (eng)
Support for a widescreen
Support for icons of any sizes
Improved positioning of icons
Display the date and time
Scroll through the list of icons instead of switching pages
The ability to draw script icons without label, if the script file name begins with _
Added support PVR format of script icons
Improvements in UI XML
Improvements in UI XML
Improvements in UI XML
Support widescreen
Improvements in UI XML
Improvements in UI XML
Support widescreen
New application for your VMU
Improvements in UI XML
Support widescreen
Fast boot mode
Automatic selection of folders with GDI (no need to go and choose.gdi file)
Automatic select true async DMA for ISO, and optimized GDI
Automatic change the recommended addresses for the loader when the CDDA emulation is enabled
Added additional addresses for the loader
Display the selected game title on VMU LCD
Commands
gdiopt команда как в iso make pack
cso команда как в iso make pack
sip команда для записи с микрофона
Commands (eng)
gdiopt command as in iso make pack
cso command as in iso make pack
sip command for recording from microphone
Modules
Обновлено API в модуле luaKOS
Обновлено API в модуле luaSDL
Обновлено API в модуле luaGUI
Исправления и улучшения в модуле isofs. Перенесено формирование некоторых TOC из загрузчика в этот модуль. Исправления в поддержке CDI.
Исправления и улучшения в модуле isoldr. Добавлены новые параметры для загрузчика. Перенесено определение типа исполняемого файла из загрузчика в этот модуль.
Новый модуль dreameye вместо команды
Обновлен модуль minilzo
Modules (eng)
Updated API module lauKOS
Updated API module luaSDL
Updated API module luaGUI
Fixes and improvements in module isofs. Moved some TOC code from loader to this module. Corrections in support of the CDI.
Fixes and improvements in module isoldr. Added new options to the boot loader. Moved checking type of the executable file from the loader to this module.
A new module dreameye instead of command
Updated module minilzo
Firmware
Незначительные исправления и улучшения
Добавлены новые BIOS'ы c Boot loader и разблокированной шиной G1
Улучшена совместимость с играми
Улучшена эмуляция системных вызовов
Улучшена работа с прерываниями для G1-ATA(IDE)и GD
Улучшена поддержка DMA в играх для IDE и GD
Значительно увеличена скорость чтения при использовании true async DMA для IDE
Поддержка WinCE и других игр с MMU. В данный момент работает только для IDE и GD (SD пока не поддерживается). Так же необходимо включать true async DMA и использовать соответствующие этому режиму образы. Пока есть ошибки и тормоза в видео заставках. Поддерживается CDDA.
Улучшена поддержка CDDA
Оптимизировано чтение GDI образов с двумя Data треками
Убрана поддержка CSO у загрузчика с IDE для экономии памяти =(
Возможность патчинга до 2-х адресов в памяти (можно использовать для хаков под widescreen). Доступно пока только из консоли.
Firmware (eng)
Some improvements and fixes
Added BIOS'es with Boot loader and unlocked G1 Bus
Improved compatibility
Improved emulation of syscalls
Improved work with interruptions for G1-ATA (IDE) and GD
Improved DMA support in games for the IDE and GD
Increased reading speed when using true async DMA for IDE
Support WinCE and other games with MMU. Currently it works only for IDE and GD (SD is not supported yet). Also you need use true async DMA and ISO or optimized GDI images. There has some bugs and lags video, but very good supported CDDA =)
Improved CDDA support
Optimized reading GDI images with two data tracks
Removed support for CSO in IDE loader to save memory =(
Possibility of patching up to 2 addresses in memory (can be used to hack for widescreen). Available so far only from the console.
ISO Make Pack
Добавлена утилита для конвертирования CDI в ISO
Добавлена утилита для конвертирования NRG в ISO
ISO Make Pack (eng)
Added utility for convert CDI to ISO
Added utility for convert NRG to ISO
Рекомендации
Старайтесь использовать только ISO или оптимизированные GDI образы! Образы CDI и не оптимизированные GDI работают значительно хуже!
Некоторые игры без true async DMA работать не будут.
При форматировании вашего устройства в FAT32, выбирайте максимальный размер кластера.
Recommendations
Try to use only ISO and optimized GDI images! The CDI and unoptimized GDI images works significantly worse!
Some games without true async DMA will not work.
At formatting your device to FAT32, choose the maximum size of the cluster.
Благодарности
Thanks
Screenshots
Uploaded all source code to GitHub. Updated changelog.Долгожданное обновление DreamShell 4.0.Этот релиз должен был состояться еще пол года назад, но к сожалению все время откладывался либо из-за нехватки времени решить все проблемы.Но вот наконец-то я довел это до рабочего состояния. Основные проблемы были решены, но к сожалению остались еще всякие мелочи. Тестировался релиз очень мало, поэтому возможны баги, которые я просто не увидел. Прошу сообщать мне о них на форуме.Последнюю сборку вы можете скачать на странице DreamShell Пакет с SDK выкладываться больше не будет, так как теперь весь исходный код будет доступен на GitHub. Но появятся исходники немного позже релиза, мне еще нужно немного времени на подготовку.Так же сразу оговорюсь по поводу списка изменений. Он не полный, я как обычно уже забыл что делал, но основное я постарался кратко описать. Возможно я дополню этот список позже.Ну что-же, приступим. Как вам такой, широкий экран? =) Это режим 16:9:Огромное спасибо сторонним разработчикам —, за приложение VMU Manager и помощь в исследованиях WinCE, а так жеза доработку приложений Bios Flasher и ISO Loader для поддержки широкого экрана.Так же спасибо одному из авторов эмулятора Demul —за предоставлении некоторой полезной информации.Many thanks to third-party developers —, for VMU Manager application and WinCE research assistance, as well asfor the completion of applications Bios Flasher and ISO Loader to support a widescreen display modes.Also thanks to one of the authors of the emulator Demul —for providing some useful information.MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings have wasted little time taking advantage of the fact they're able to communicate with Adrian Peterson again.
Peterson, who was placed back on the commissioner's exempt list last Thursday after federal judge David Doty ordered the NFL to vacate his suspension, can once again talk directly with the Vikings.
The Vikings have several options with Adrian Peterson, including cutting him, restructuring his contract or trading him after March 10. Tom Dahlin/Getty Images
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said Monday that the team has had "open dialogue" with Peterson since Thursday.
Spielman would not elaborate on the Vikings' conversations with Peterson, but said again the team wants him back next season.
"We are able to have communication now with Adrian," Spielman said. "We'll keep all those communications internal. I think it's been very clearly stated we want Adrian Peterson back. He's a unique talent, and he's under contract with us."
Peterson told ESPN last month he was "uneasy" about returning to the Vikings, adding he knew the team would not force him to stay in Minnesota if he decided he did not want to play there. Spielman would not comment on whether there is a rift between the star running back and the organization.
Now that Peterson is again on the exempt list and his suspension is effectively over, the Vikings can cut him or approach him about restructuring his contract at any time, and can trade him after March 10.
Asked if the change in Peterson's status helps give the Vikings more roster flexibility, Spielman said, "I'll just say it's beneficial that we're able to talk to him."SALT LAKE CITY — “I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord” is no longer just a song title, but now contains the sentiment of thousands of Mormons in Utah as they prepare to make the hard winter trek back east to Jackson County, Missouri, in reaction to the federal judge’s ruling that gay marriage is now legal in Utah.
“The time has come. The apocalypse will happen any minute now. We have gone from hearing Brigham Young say, ‘This is the place’ to everyone screaming, ‘Gays took my place’. Oh how art thou fallen, Utah!” said church representative Nancy Pelosi Smith.
As deliberations continue on how to proceed with the newly conceived declaration, many members are already making the necessary preparations for the trek. Sales for RVs have increased over 300% overnight, yet some members plan to make the journey in handmade carts, following the pioneering spirit that has always characterized Mormons.
The gay marriage announcement coincided with the discovery of a mega volcano by BYU scientists. “We believe this is no coincidence. The discovery of this volcano can only mean that something terrible will happen here soon. Sodom and Gomorrah will be nothing compared to what will come,” said another church member.
Other members, known as Zionites, were worry-free about the church announcement and planned on staying in what they considered Zion. One member prophesied, “This whole ‘being gay’ thing is just a fad, kinda like the internet; no way will it last much longer.”My dad is Black and from the US. My mom is Scottish-Irish. I came out very light skinned. For most of my early childhood I was universally read as white. It wasn’t until I hit puberty and entered into a largely Puerto Rican middle school that I started being seen as Latino—a shock both because I am not, but also because I had rarely been identified by others as a person of color before.
Though I grew up in a somewhat racially and economically diverse neighborhood, my family is wealthy. My class status in addition to my light skin called my Blackness into constant question in class, in my after school program, and wherever else I met other Black people. Most of the slang and cultural cues I picked up to help me fit in were learned from friends, neighbors and Black popular culture, because they were not present in my household.
In Chicago where I currently live, other Black people usually do not acknowledge me. On my way to the train, passing folks on the sidewalk, there is usually no eye contact made, no attempt at a connection. Only when I am walking with my roommate, or another Black friend are the acknowledgements—head nods, handshakes, good afternoons—directed towards me through proximity. The racial context I inhabit changes quickly based on who I’m standing with, talking to, or whose arm is linked in mine.
In the youth work I do—both professionally and as an independent community member—I often reach out to other light-skinned, half-white and white-passing young people. I see them grappling with identity, self-acceptance, with where they fit into the larger Black community, and the struggles currently renting that community apart. I try my best to hold their pain, make room for their confusion, while also underlining the most important thing I can teach them: Being light skinned is a privilege, not a struggle.
I have always loved being Black. I have always loved other Black people. Having to fight for my place in the Black community, being called upon almost constantly to demonstrate my authenticity, prove my worthiness to self-identify, has at times left me exhausted, wounded, and enraged. Because I hold so much pain around not being seen as Black, it is easy for me to forget that there is a much greater amount of pain that comes with being seen as Black.
As a queer person, some of the ugliest anti-Blackness I’ve experienced has come from other queer people of color. At clubs and bars, in online chats, “I don’t like Black guys, but you’re cute,” or, “You’re lucky you don’t look Black,” are offered as actual pickup lines, not occasionally but frequently. Because these lines disgust me, it can be hard to remember that these moments, too, are a mark of my privilege. My body and my identity are being invested with value, and even when it comes from folks who won’t be coming anywhere near my bedroom, it still lends weight and power to my whiteness.
Across the board, we as light-skinned people have more power and access than is just. Economically, in education, opportunities for growth and prosperity are extended to us more regularly than dark-skinned Black people. When we accept those opportunities, we are more easily absorbed into the institutions that harm other Black people while providing us with benefits. We are at less risk of police and state violence, less likely to be seen as threatening or dangerous in ways that would drag us into the carceral system.
In movement and activist spaces, there are too many of us in leadership roles, too many of us called on to speak to issues we are undeniably less impacted by than darker-skinned members of our community. We need to step back from these positions of authority; other Black people have the right to question our authority when we don’t.
I am patient with the young, light-skinned, half-white and white-passing people I have these discussions with. It took me years—well into my adult life—to truly comprehend that the baggage I carried around my light skin had been given to me not by other Black people, but by the racist systems that invest my whiteness with power, shielding me from at least some of the violence rained down on so many others in my family, neighborhood and larger community. The tension between me and other Black people, which I still experience, is manufactured by the structures that give me power and value just for being a little closer to whiteness than they are.
Other Black people have every right to check me, distrust me, and even dislike me for this reality. While I claim as much part in creating it as they do, I am the one who benefits from it. I am the one who is charged with giving up my light-skin privilege, making myself dangerous to the structures that imbue me with a greater humanity just for being light. When I neglect to do this, I betray other Black people. I am the betrayer, not them.
What I try to teach young, light-skinned people is that the harm sometimes hurled at us from other Black people comes from a pain we don’t experience. It is the knowledge that our lives are made easier, our passage through the world a little safer, just for looking, being a little less Black. The injustice at the core of this tension is anti-Blackness, not anti-lightness. Every time we expect our experiences to be centered, that our stories of mistreatment as light-skinned people take the fore, we are contributing to this injustice. We are subtly refocusing Black struggle on ourselves, in a world that already gives us more focus, more attention and encouragement.
Centering ourselves means using our pain to erase the pain of others. It sends the message that light-skinned suffering—on offshoot of white fragility—is in greater need of addressing than actual anti-Blackness, and the white supremacy that generates it.
This is why “mixed” is an identifier I do not use. It is a term which privileges those of us who happen to know who some of our non-Black ancestors are, and which fails to acknowledge that most Black people on this planet are mixed—if not racially, then ethnically, culturally, geographically. In so doing, it actually erases histories of sexual violence and “mixing” that have occurred for centuries—long before it was ever spoken about in the open.
All our Black identities are layered, and the fact of my having a white parent does little to make my experience of Blackness more nuanced than anyone else’s. We can acknowledge the complexities of our varied roots, without imagining that separate categories of Blackness are needed—especially ones designated for those who are read as something other than Black, a position that always comes with privilege.
The most important lesson being light skinned has taught me, and what I try to pass on to other light-skinned Black people, is this: When other Black people distrust or dislike you for being light skinned, it isn’t actually about you. It’s about the pain we all experience as a mistreated people, and that you experience less of as a light-skinned person. Understanding the rage others in community feel as something they have a right to is about creating room for that rage, validating it and the deep trauma it is based in. Even when we feel it is misdirected at us, it is something we still must learn to make space for as Black people with light-skin, educational and economic privilege.
Understanding rage as something the more mistreated members of my community have a right to express has liberated me from the need to defend or prove myself. Recognizing that rage as something I did not create, but which I am responsible for minding and addressing, means I don’t have to take the shade or distrust I sometimes receive from other Black people as a personal challenge. It is just something for me to hold. It doesn’t belong to me, yet it is a reminder of the imbalances that exist within our own community, and that reflect the racial and economic imbalances of the world outside of it.
I don’t need to feel targeted, for in reality, I am not. I don’t need to feel aggressed, for in reality, it is dark-skinned Black people who are expected to absorb the aggressions of white supremacy—from employers and landlords, police and politicians, and from other Black people, usually Black people that look and act like me. The idea that folks who occasionally lash out as a result of their own oppression are oppressing me is a dangerous falsehood, and that attitude poses the real distraction from the ways racism is actually harming our communities.
Healing wounds within the Black community can only come from fighting white supremacy, the system which has generated them. Fighting together doesn’t mean fighting in the same way. The voices that have been ignored are the ones in need of centering. The identities with the least social value should be the ones imbued with the most by our movements, as we attempt to build up concrete alternatives to the xenophobia, patriarchy, transphobia and class stratification that mark the current order. No Black person should be silenced, but Black people who are men, cis, wealthy, skinny, abled-bodied, lighter, formally educated should see it as part of their work to step back, and hold up the voices of Black people who are women, femme, hood, fat, immigrant, disabled, queer, trans, and dark skinned.
Two weeks ago, the BTGNC Collective staged a vigil and shutdown in honor of TT Saffore, a Black trans woman killed last month on Chicago’s west side. As one of the participants, I spent a great deal of time interfacing with the police who were called to the scene, putting on my best smile, digging down to find my most warm, respecting voice. I do not relish engaging law enforcement, but know it is safer for me to do so. I know I will be read as nonthreatening, trustworthy, even before I smile and nod, before my tone conveys docile admiration. Stepping up to talk to police is a means of using my light skin to keep them away from my dark-skinned family–folks who will be seen as suspicious and threatening before they say or do anything. By making sure I dealt with law enforcement, other Black, trans and gnc participants were able to grab megaphones, hold banners and lead the procession, instead of worrying about defending themselves from the police.
Decentering light-skinned identity is decentering whiteness. Dismantling our privilege means stepping up in moments of danger to protect our comrades, and stepping back when it is time to speak, to rally, leaving visibility up to the folks whose voices go most unheard. Making room for the unbridled expression of Black rage means that those of us who are sheltered from the brunt of anti-Blackness should be quiet, should use our privilege to allow greater space for other Black people to vocalize their resentment, their pain and their needs.
It’s really that simple.DENAIR, Calif. -- A rare tornado struck a Central California town on Sunday, tearing roofing and walls, knocking down trees and power lines and damaging gas lines.
The National Weather Service said video and witness reports confirm a tornado touched down in Denair, about 13 miles southeast of Modesto, shortly before 2 p.m.
Meteorologists planned to survey the scene and rate the level of damage on Monday.
Half of this garage flattened by tornado in Denair...the other half is on other side of house @CBSSacramento pic.twitter.com/QHY9BRnYm7 — Kelly Ryan (@kellyinmedia) November 16, 2015
The Modesto Bee said the twister swept along nearly a mile of Zeering Road, toppling trees and fences and breaking windows.
CBS Sacramento reported a church roof was also damaged, deputies say. No one was inside the church at the time, the pastor says.
"This is absolutely rare for Stanislaus County," said Sgt. Anthony Bejaran with the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department to CBS Sacramento.
Sabina Woodard said she took refuge with her husband, Zane, under the hospital bed in their home as furnishings, including their television set, flew about.
"What I thought was a bunch of birds was a bunch of debris" being carried by the funnel cloud heading their way, she told the Bee.
"It looked like a remake of that Alfred Hitchcock movie 'The Birds.'"
The tornado came as another winter-like storm originating from the Gulf of Alaska swept across California. Hail and thunderstorms were reported in parts of Northern California and in the Sierra Nevada foothills; rain and strong wind hit parts of the San Francisco Bay area.
Forecasters said up to 8 inches of snow could fall at the 5000 feet level, with possibly a foot at the highest peaks.
CBS Sacramento reported power was cut to about 1,700 people in Denair due to the tornado. Most people had their power restored by Sunday evening.
The weather service warned of strong winds, possibly gusting up to 70 mph, throughout Southern California.Basic Info
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The following videos show the easiest routes possible to get diamond medals on the official Sprint and Challenge maps (Stunt in the future maybe). If these routes are too difficult for you, then you just need to practice more, as these are the easiest ways to get diamond medals. There are other routes on each and every one of these maps, and I'd be happy to record videos of alternatives if anyone requests something other than the routes shown, however, in general, most any alternative routes will likely be harder.I am also considering expanding this series out to community maps as well, so please comment with a community map you'd like to see. If I do community maps, they most likely won't be included in this guide (since this is mainly for official maps), and will only be available on my channel.Because this is used in some routes - If you're using a controller, you can hold grip while your wings are out in order to roll with wings; keyboard players can already do this without grip.Solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. We encounter these states of matter -- or the first three at least -- in our everyday lives, but there’s a slew of other states that only occur under extreme conditions. And now, researchers studying a family of unconventional superconductors say they’ve discovered an entirely new state of matter: a metallic phase called the Jahn-Teller metal. These could be the molecular buildings blocks that make it possible to conduct electricity at high temperatures -- an elusive, long-sought-after goal. The findings were published in Science Advances last month.
Metals are used to transmit electricity, but because of electrical resistance, energy ends up getting lost as heat. Superconductors, on the other hand, carry electricity without losing energy; electrons pair up and move throughout superconducting materials without resistance. But even then, these conventional superconducting materials require very, very cold temperatures nowhere near room temp.
Now, a large international team led by Kosmas Prassides of Tohoku University may have found a way for metal to conduct electricity at higher temperatures without losing heat. According to a news release, the team investigated a superconductor that consist of alkali metal ions and molecules with 60 carbon atoms arranged in the shape of hollow, spherical cages called fullerenes. The soccer-ball-shaped buckminsterfullerene, or buckyballs, is an archetypal member of the fullerene family.
The alkali metal rubidium (pictured as blue spheres, above) occupy the vacant holes in between the polygons -- changing the distance between neighboring buckyballs. This resulted in the highest achievable temperature for the onset of superconductivity: around 35 K or -238.15 degrees Celsius. That’s still very cold, yes, but it’s an improvement.
The material, Physics World explains, has a rich combination of insulating, magnetic, metallic, and superconducting phases. This includes the previously unknown intermediate phase, the Jahn-Teller metal state.The current situation in the global economy is similar to the situation on the eve of the crisis of 2008, billionaire trader Stanley Druckenmiller said.
According to the businessman, the main risks stem from actions of the US Federal Reserve and the People’s Bank of China.
He criticized the Federal Reserve for its "myopic policy" of low interest rates which has led to growing bullish sentiments in the market.
"The bull market is exhausting itself," he said at the Ira Sohn Investment Conference in New York.
The Fed’s easy monetary policy has resulted companies taking on massive debt loads which they then used to buy back shares, instead of increasing capital spending.
By keeping interest rates low, the Fed is ‘raising the odds of the economic tail risk they are trying to avoid, Druckenmiller pointed out. The same policy of the Chinese Central Bank is also harmful to the global economy.
The slowdown in China’s growth is a big concern, as well as the uncontrollable growth of US debt, the investor added. According to him, US corporations are "stuck in the mud, forlorn of growth, unwilling to invest, and addicted to share buybacks to gin up their stocks."
The Ira Sohn Conference is one of the most prestigious meetings of investors and hedge fund managers. At the 2005 event, Druckenmiller warned his colleagues that the policy of Alan Greenspan, who at the time was Chairman of the Federal Reserve, would result in a housing bubble. Finally, this happened and the global economy engulfed in a crisis in 2008. Druckenmiller believes that the bubble was further inflated by former chair Ben Bernanke and current chairwoman Janet Yellen.
"The Fed has borrowed from future consumption more than ever before. It is the least data dependent Fed in history. This is the longest deviation from historical norms in terms of Fed dovishness than I have ever seen in my career," Druckenmiller was quoted as saying by CNBC. "This kind of myopia causes reckless behavior."
© AP Photo / Andrew Harnik US Fed Eyes Rate Hike in June as Job Market Disappoints
According to media reports, Druckenmiller whose net worth is estimated at $4.4 billion is making long-term investments in gold while holding short positions on US companies’ shares.
At the same time, some economists believe that the current state of the global economy indicates that it may be facing structural adjustment and not only the downward part of the economic cycle.
In April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that the global economy was expected to grow at 3.2 percent in 2016, with a further growth of 3.5 percent in 2017.
"Maybe it is not just an economic cycle we are facing, but some kind of structural adjustment of the world economy that we do not understand yet, what the consequences are and how to deal with this," European Commission Europe-Aid head of unit Jose Correia Nunes told Sputnik.The Menzingers, photo by Rachel Del Sordo via XPN.
Philadelphia is an unrepentant shithole of a city where humanity goes to die, or at the very least, have its mother insulted.
I’m speaking in generalities, of course. In general, Philadelphia is America’s loud, obnoxious, red-pinstriped anus—a place where an entire population of high school dropouts unite in their worship of a fictional character from a boxing movie that came out 40 years ago. In general. Not every Philadelphian is a belligerent Swiss cheese-fucking dock worker in a XXXXXL Chase Utley shirt. But in general, yes.
Need proof? By all means, go to an Eagles game in a visiting team’s jersey and feel the famous "brotherly love" for which the city is known. Or do a YouTube search for “philadelphia + fight breaks out + [literally any word]” and be amazed at how many hours' worth of results come up.
But somewhere among the GED mouthbreathers who can’t pronounce the word “egg” to save their fucking lives is a thoroughly amazing city
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The answer to both is "unfortunately yes," but unlike my stint as TVD critic, expect Delena to last more than a week.
Eric: I desperately try to avoid Vampire Diaries spoilers, so I'm sure I'll come across as an idiot here when I say no. That kiss stemmed from sympathy (and raw attraction, have you seen Damon?!?) when she thought the man was dying. I saw no passion in that smooch. It was like the girl was kissing her brother. Our girl is loyal to Stefan.
Matt: It's all about a spin-off. Prepare yourselves for The Vampire Diaries: Ghost Hunters.
Steve: Because Jeremy clearly hasn't had it rough enough. Not only does everyone close to him die, some of them must now mess with his head as well.
Eric: They've come to haunt Jeremy with the scariest words a man could hear: we're pregnant. And dead. Figure that one out.
What relative of Klaus and Elijah's do you hope to meet next?
Matt: Their sister. Considering how handsome Klaus and Elijah are, the only proper casting here figures to be Megan Fox or Mila Kunis.
Steve: Their black sheep younger brother, Todd. You know, the sibling who for whatever reason just cannot get it done - unable to secure a job, make his own bed or clean up after himself when slaughtering unsuspecting humans. There's one in every family.
Eric: Their father. The original Original.
Make one bold prediction for the season.
Matt: Caroline will get knocked up with Tyler's baby.
Steve: N/A. How can you make a "bold" prediction about a show that makes up its own rules and changes the game on a routine basis? The Vampire Diaries redefines bold. It's why we watch.
Eric: I'm going crazy bold here and predicting the death of Matt this season. Unlike some other vampire shows (cough cough, True Blood...), this series actually likes keeping things fresh and killing off main characters. Who better to off than my least favorite and the least useful character, Matt? Now that Tyler is clearly stepping up to the plate as Caroline's love interest, the pretty blonde doesn't even have that going for him. So long, sucker.Exporting playlists from PLUG.DJ to Spotify and Grooveshark!
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My name is Koen Lemmen and I love plug.dj but I missed one feature. Which is exporting playlists. This site gives an opportunity to export playlists to Spotify and Grooveshark. Or play the playlist on youtube!
Plug.dj - I am going to miss you. Thanks for everything. Thanks for the awesome communities. Kind regards TheRealLemon.
Exporting a playlist is easy, here is how you do it step by step.
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3. Save the page by using ctrl+s or the menu in your browser. Save the file as Web Page, complete. Otherwise it will NOT work!
4. Now you can upload the *.htm file to this website and we convert it to a plain text file you can than convert to a Spotify or Grooveshark
5. Let's start!Wakefield Wildcats finished bottom of Super League before the Super 8s
The Qualifiers Wakefield (6) 24 Tries: Kirmond, Mullally, Washbrook, Moore Goals: Arundel, Tansey 3 Bradford (0) 16 Tries: Williams, Blythe, Purtell Goal: Addy 2
Wakefield ensured they will play in Super League again next season with a tight victory over Bradford in the Million Pound Game.
Captain Danny Kirmond powered over to give the hosts a 6-0 lead at the break.
Anthony Mullally extended the Wildcats' lead, but Danny Williams and Matty Blythe got Bulls to within two points.
Danny Washbrook and Adrian Purtell exchanged tries before Wakefield's Scott Moore crossed to condemn Bradford to a second year in the Championship.
Media playback is not supported on this device Mortgages were on the line - Wakefield's Moore
The Bulls were looking to return to Super League at the first time of asking after their relegation to the second tier along with London Broncos last year.
After centre Blythe's diving effort was ruled out, it took until the 15th minute for the first score to come when Kirmond capitalised on some neat interplay between Pita Godinet and Jacob Miller.
In the second half, Moore's quick dart from dummy half set up Mullally from short range before Purtell found Williams with a speculative flick pass to cross at the other end.
After an excellent Jake Mullaney break, Bradford worked it wide where Blythe was able to press down a loose ball.
Another smart line was found by Washbrook to extend the lead, only for the Bulls to respond when Purtell powered over.
Danny Addy missed a late penalty kick to level the game, and a superb break by on-loan Moore secured Wakefield's win.
The power of Super League All four teams that finished in the bottom four before the Super 8s split will be playing in Super League next season - Wakefield join Hull KR, Widnes and Salford in the top flight
Wakefield: Tansey; Lyne, Tupou, Arundel, Johnstone; Miller, Godinet; Scruton, Sio, Simon, Kirmond, Washbrook, Annakin.
Replacements: Lauitiiti, Mullally, Moore, Yates.
Bradford: Mullaney; Blythe, Nielsen, Purtell, Williams; Gaskell, Siejka; Clough, O'Brien, Sidlow, Olbison, Ferguson, Addy.
Replacements: Pitts, Baile, Lauaki, Crossley.
Referee: Joe Cobb (RFL)
Attendance: 7,236
Matty Blythe had this spectacular effort ruled out before Wakefield scoredThe All-Star break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Washington Wizards, who limp into the week off having dropped six of the last eight. But the good guys picked up some steam a little bit in the last week, breaking a five-game losing streak with two easy wins over the Nets and Magic.
The close road loss to Toronto was disappointing, but I can’t be too mad – winning up there without Bradley Beal and Kris Humphries, with Drew Gooden playing big 4th quarter minutes, is probably just about impossible. Rest, relax, regroup, and come out refreshed for the home stretch.
This week, I will give both a letter grade and how I think they’ll spend their All-Star break.
Let’s grade.
John Wall: 15.7 PPG (43.2 FG%), 5.3 RPG, 8.3 APG
Here’s a fun fact for ya: Johnathan Hildred Wall has put up at least six assists in FORTY-SEVEN straight games. That’s so far ahead of anyone else in the league that it’s not even worth contemplating the competition. That’s the fourth-longest streak since the 2009-10 season – Deron Williams had 53 in a row when he was a fresh-faced youth on the Utah Jazz.
It’s hard to imagine John Wall not passing that mark. There are zero humans currently living on this planet who can pass like John Wall. And, as ordained by the All-Star Weekend Gods, John Wall is more of a #GameChanger than Stephen Curry. What more could you possibly want? (Other than him hitting that game-winning three against Toronto…)
Grade: B+
How he will spend his break: Winning the All-Star Game MVP and making Kyrie Irving look impossibly inferior
Otto Porter: 6.0 PPG (46.7 FG%), 3.0 RPG, 1.0 APG
In a perfect world, Otto Porter is playing alongside Bradley Beal, rather than instead of him. Porter’s got a sweet jumper, but his range doesn’t extend beyond the three-point line yet – he shoots just 33.3% out there. And even in the two games he started this week, he didn’t play more than 21 minutes.
I love Otto and I think he’s already a very good player, but if we if the Washington Wizards can get someone like, say, Isaiah Thomas, the Wizards should jump at the chance even if it means giving last year’s #3 pick away.
Grade: C+
How he will spend his break: Fine-tuning his formula for the Perfect Hoagie
Paul Pierce: 8.3 PPG (34.5 FG%), 2.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.0 SPG
The Truth took it easy in Washington’s wins over Brooklyn and Orlando this week, but when the Washington Wizards needed him to step up against the Raptors, he answered. He always does.
Pierce had 17 points on 7-12 shooting – one of the only things that could have made his game better would have been if he had decked that corny bandwagoner Drake courtside for grabbing him on that inbounds play. GTFO Aubrey, the only thing worse than your music is your acting. Would Kendrick Lamar do that? Nah, because people actually respect Kendrick Lamar.
Grade: B-
How he will spend his break: Convincing Ray Allen to come to DC, wearing cool shades
Nene: 12.7 PPG (68.0 FG%), 4.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.7 SPG
At 32-years-old and with persistent foot problems, not many people are going to claim that Nene is incredibly athletic. Even so, he makes an excellent running mate for John Wall.
A spry Nene can turn on the jets when he needs to, and he times his run-outs extremely well. When it works, it looks like this, and it’s a beautiful thing. I guess you could call Nene “selectively athletic” – his vertical leap is often Scalabrine-like, but when Nene wants to jam, Nene does. Nene is too good to us.
Grade: A
How he will spend his break: Knocking a horse unconscious with a single blow
Marcin Gortat: 11.3 PPG (66.7 FG%), 10.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.0 BPG
After a really, really tough stretch of basketball, the Polish Machine finally found a little bit of a groove last week. He got involved early and often against the Nets, scoring 11 points in 17 minutes, and against the Magic he had his first double-double in almost a month.
Mind you, he probably would have had some in between, if Randy Wittman ever decided to actually play him in the fourth quarter. Marcin Gortat is not Carlos Boozer, Randy. He’s actually good at basketball. PLAY THE MAN, RANDY.
Grade: B+
How he will spend his break: Staring at #WhiteWallsFor people named James Baker, see James Baker (disambiguation)
20th and 21st-century American television evangelist
James Orsen Bakker (;[1] born January 2, 1940) is an American televangelist, former Assemblies of God minister and former host (with his former wife, Tammy Faye Bakker) of The PTL Club, an evangelical Christian television program. Bakker is also known for building Heritage USA in Fort Mill, South Carolina, a former Christian theme park which opened in 1978 and closed in 1989. He has written several books, including I Was Wrong and Time Has Come: How to Prepare Now for Epic Events Ahead.
A cover-up of hush money paid to a church secretary, Jessica Hahn, for alleged rape led to his resignation from the ministry. Subsequent revelations of accounting fraud brought about his conviction, imprisonment and divorce. Bakker later remarried and returned to televangelism, where he founded his new ministry Morningside Church in Blue Eye, Missouri and currently works on The Jim Bakker Show, which focuses on the end of days.
Personal life [ edit ]
James Orsen Bakker was born in Muskegon, Michigan, the son of Raleigh Bakker and Furnia Lynette "Furn" Irwin.[2] Bakker attended North Central University (a Bible college affiliated with the Assemblies of God in Minneapolis), where he met fellow student Tammy Faye LaValley in 1960.[3] He worked at a restaurant in the Young-Quinlan department store in Minneapolis; Tammy Faye worked at the Three Sisters, a nearby boutique.[4]
They married on April 1, 1961, and left college to become evangelists. The Bakkers have two children: Tammy Sue "Sissy" Bakker Chapman (born March 2, 1970) and Jamie Charles "Jay" Bakker (born December 18, 1975). They divorced on March 13, 1992.[5] On September 4, 1998, Bakker married Lori Beth Graham, a former televangelist, just fifty days after they met.[6] In 2002 they adopted five children.[7][8][9]
Career [ edit ]
Early career [ edit ]
In 1966 the Bakkers began working at Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, which had an audience in the low thousands at the time.[10] They contributed to the network's growth, and their success with a variety show format (including interviews and puppets) helped make The 700 Club a company staple.[11] The Jim and Tammy Show, aimed at young children, was broadcast for several years from their Portsmouth, Virginia studio. The Bakkers then hosted the first version of The 700 Club. In 1972 the Bakkers left Robertson's ministry and in 1973 joined with Paul and Jan Crouch to help co-found the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Jim and his wife then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1976 they first put The PTL Club on the air.
PTL [ edit ]
[12] Heritage USA sign in 2007; the site is now mostly demolished.
From 1974 to 1987, the Bakkers hosted The PTL Club, which functioned like a late-night talk show. Guests ranged from religious figures like Billy Graham and Oral Roberts to entertainers such as Mr. T and Mickey Rooney. Bakker founded the PTL Satellite Network in 1974, which aired The PTL Club and other religious television programs.[13]
Throughout the 1970s, Bakker built a headquarters for their ministry in the Carolinas called Heritage Villiage.[13] Over time, the Bakkers expanded the ministry to include the Heritage USA amusement park in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Heritage USA became the third-most-successful theme park in the U.S. at the time. Viewer contributions were estimated to exceed $1 million a week, with proceeds to expand the theme park and The PTL Club's mission.[1][14] Bakker responded to inquiries about his use of mass media by saying: "I believe that if Jesus were alive today, he would be on TV".[15]
The Bakkers had a lavish lifestyle.[11] In an April 23, 1990 New Yorker article, Frances FitzGerald quoted Dave Barry: "They personified the most characteristic excesses of the nineteen-eighties—the greed, the love of glitz, and the shamelessness—which in their case were so pure as to almost amount to a kind of innocence."[16] Two scandals brought down the ministry in 1987; Bakker was accused of sexual misconduct by church secretary Jessica Hahn, which led to his resignation, and illegal misuse of ministry funds eventually led to his imprisonment.[13] Bakker was dismissed as an Assemblies of God minister on May 6, 1987.[17] In 1990, the biographical TV movie, Fall from Grace starring Kevin Spacey and Bernadette Peters depicted his rise and fall within the religious televangelist arena.[18] On January 18, 2019, ABC's 20/20 aired a two-hour special entitled, "Unfaithfully Yours", about the rise and downfall of the Bakkers.[19]
Early investigations [ edit ]
In 1979, Bakker and his PTL ministry came under investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for allegedly misusing funds raised on the air. The FCC report was finalized in 1982 and found that Bakker had raised $350,000 that he told viewers would go towards funding overseas missions but were actually used to pay for part of Heritage USA. The report also found that Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker used PTL funds for personal expenses.[20] FCC commissioners voted four to three to drop the investigation, after which they allowed Bakker to sell the only TV station that he owned, therefore bypassing future FCC oversight.[21] The FCC forwarded their report to the Justice Department, who declined to press charges, citing insufficient evidence.[20] Bakker used the controversy to raise more funds from his audience, branding the investigation a "witch-hunt", and asking viewers to "give the Devil a black eye".[21]
A confidential 1985 Internal Revenue Service report found that $1.3 million in ministry funds were used for the Bakker's personal benefit from 1980 to 1983. The report recommended that PTL be stripped of its tax-exempt status but no action was taken until the Jessica Hahn scandal in 1987. Art Harris and Michael Isikoff wrote in The Washington Post that politics may have played a role in the three government agencies taking no action against PTL despite the evidence against them, as members of the Reagan administration were not eager to go after television ministers whose evangelical followers made up their base.[22]
Sexual misconduct and resignation [ edit ]
A $279,000 payoff for the silence of Jessica Hahn, who alleged that Bakker and former PTL Club co-host John Wesley Fletcher drugged and raped her, was paid with PTL's funds through Bakker's associate Roe Messner.[23][24] Bakker, who made the PTL organization's financial decisions, allegedly kept two sets of books to conceal accounting irregularities. The Charlotte Observer reporters, led by Charles Shepard, investigated the PTL organization's finances and published a series of articles.[25]
On March 19, 1987, after the disclosure of a payoff to Hahn, Bakker resigned from PTL.[23] Although he acknowledged that he had a sexual encounter with Hahn at a hotel room in Clearwater, Florida, he denied raping her.[26] Bakker was the subject of homosexual and bisexual allegations made by John Wesley Fletcher and PTL director Jay Babcock, which he denied under oath.[27][28] Rival televangelist John Ankerberg appeared on Larry King Live and made several allegations against Bakker, which both Bakkers denied.[29]
Bakker was succeeded as PTL head by Southern Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell.[26] He chose Falwell as his successor because he feared that fellow Pentecostal pastor Jimmy Swaggart was attempting to take over his ministry. Swaggart had initiated a church investigation into Bakker over allegations of Bakker's sexual misconduct.[30]
Bakker believed that Falwell would temporarily lead the ministry until the scandal died down,[31] but Falwell barred Bakker from returning to PTL on April 28, 1987.[32] Later that summer, as donations declined sharply in the wake of Bakker's resignation and the end of the Bakkers' PTL Club TV program, Falwell raised $20 million to keep PTL solvent and took a promised water slide ride at Heritage USA.[33] Falwell and the remaining members of the PTL board resigned in October 1987, stating that a ruling from a bankruptcy court judge made rebuilding the ministry impossible.[34]
In response to the scandal, Falwell called Bakker a liar, an embezzler, a sexual deviant, and "the greatest scab and cancer on the face of Christianity in 2,000 years of church history."[35] On CNN, Swaggart told Larry King that Bakker was a "cancer in the body of Christ".[31] In February 1988, Swaggart became involved in a sex scandal of his own after being caught visiting prostitutes in New Orleans.[36] The Bakker and Swaggart scandals had a profound effect on the world of televangelism, causing greater media scrutiny of televangelists and their finances.[37] Falwell said that the scandals had "strengthened broadcast evangelism and made Christianity stronger, more mature and more committed."[38][39] Joe Carter of The Gospel Coalition compared the PTL scandal to the 2017 Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations.[40]
Fraud conviction and imprisonment [ edit ]
The PTL Club's fundraising activities between 1984 and 1987 were reported by The Charlotte Observer, eventually leading to criminal charges against Bakker.[41] Bakker and his PTL associates sold $1,000 "lifetime memberships", entitling buyers to an annual three-night stay at a luxury hotel at Heritage USA, during that period.[42] According to the prosecution at Bakker's fraud trial, tens of thousands of memberships were sold but only one 500-room hotel was ever finished.[43] Bakker sold "exclusive partnerships" which exceeded capacity, raising more than twice the money needed to build the hotel. Much of the money paid Heritage USA's operating expenses, and Bakker kept $3.4 million.[44]
After a 16-month federal grand-jury probe, Bakker was indicted in 1988 on eight counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy.[23] In 1989, after a five-week trial which began on August 28 in Charlotte, North Carolina, a jury found him guilty on all 24 counts. Judge Robert Daniel Potter sentenced Bakker to 45 years in federal prison and imposed a $500,000 fine.[45][46] At the Federal Medical Center, Rochester in Rochester, Minnesota, he shared a cell with activist Lyndon LaRouche and skydiver Roger Nelson.[47]
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld Bakker's conviction on the fraud and conspiracy charges, voided Bakker's 45-year sentence and $500,000 fine, and ordered a new sentencing hearing in February 1991.[48] The court ruled that Potter's sentencing statement about Bakker, that "those of us who do have a religion are sick of being saps for money-grubbing preachers and priests",[49] was evidence that the judge had injected his religious beliefs into Bakker's sentence.[48]
A sentence-reduction hearing was held on November 16, 1992, and Bakker's sentence was reduced to eight years. In August 1993, he was transferred to a minimum-security federal prison in Jesup, Georgia. Bakker was paroled in July 1994, after serving almost five years of his sentence.[50] His son, Jay, spearheaded a letter-writing campaign to the parole board advocating leniency.[51] Celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz acted as his parole attorney. Bakker was released from Federal Bureau of Prisons custody on December 1, 1994.[52] Bakker owes $6 million to the Internal Revenue Service.[53]
Return to televangelism [ edit ]
In 2003, he began broadcasting the daily The Jim Bakker Show at Studio City Café in Branson, Missouri with his second wife, Lori;[54] it is carried on the AngelOne, CTN, Daystar, GEB America, Impact Network, WGN, WHT, TCT Network, The Word Network, Hope TV (Canada) networks.[55][56][57][58] Most of Bakker's audience receives his program on DirecTV and Dish Network.[59] Bakker condemned the prosperity theology that he took part in earlier in his career and has embraced apocalypticism.[13] His show has a millennial, survivalist focus and sells buckets of freeze-dried food to his audience in preparation for the end of days.[60] Elspeth Reeve wrote in The Atlantic that Bakker's doomsday food is overpriced.[61] A man named Jerry Crawford, who credits Bakker with having saved his marriage, invested $25 million dollars in a new ministry for Bakker in Blue Eye, Missouri, named Morningside. Production for The Jim Bakker Show moved to Morningside in 2008.[13] In 2013, Bakker wrote Time Has Come: How to Prepare Now for Epic Events Ahead about end-time events.[62]
Prophecies and statements [ edit ]
In an October 2017 video, Bakker said that "God will punish those" who ridicule him;[63] he has said that Hurricane Harvey was a judgement of God, and blamed Hurricane Matthew on then-President Barack Obama.[64][65] Bakker predicted that if current President Donald Trump is impeached, Christians would begin a Second American Civil War.[66] He compared the 2017 Washington train derailment to the sinking of the RMS Titanic and stated the Amtrak train derailment was a warning from God.[67] He also claimed that he predicted the September 11 attacks of 2001, stating that he "saw 9/11 in 1999 before New Year's Eve" and that there would "be terrorism" and bombings in New York City and Washington, D.C."[68] A few days after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, he stated that in a dream that "God came to him wearing a camouflage, a hunting vest, and a AR-15 rifle strapped to his back" and claimed that God supported Trump's plan to arm teachers.[69] Following the death of Billy Graham on February 21, 2018, Bakker attended Graham's funeral and paid his respects, stating that Graham was the greatest preacher since Jesus,[70] and also remarking that Graham had visited him in prison.[71]
Ed Brayton called Bakker a false prophet in an article on the Patheos website, and Geoffrey Grider called him a false teacher on the Now The End Begins website.[72][73] On the Stand in the Gap Today radio program, Pennsylvania Pastors Network president Sam Rohrer criticized Bakker's civil-war prediction.[74] His TV show received criticism as a "spiritual abuse", and critics stated that it has "no business" being on TV screens.[75]
Beliefs [ edit ]
Bakker also did teachings on prosperity theology.[76] In his 1980 book Eight Keys to Success, he stated:
God wants you to be happy, God wants you to be rich, God wants you to prosper.[77][78]
In his 1996 book, I Was Wrong, he admitted that the first time he actually read the Bible all the way through was in prison. He wrote that he realized that he had taken passages out of context and used them as prooftexts to support his prosperity theology:[79]
The more I studied the Bible, however, I had to admit that the prosperity message did not line up with the tenor of Scripture. My heart was crushed to think that I led so many people astray. I was appalled that I could have been so wrong, and I was deeply grateful that God had not struck me dead as a false prophet![80]
Bakker published Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse in 1998,[81][82] and The Refuge: The Joy of Christian Community in a Torn-Apart World in 2000.[83] His son Jay (a minister at Revolution Church in Minneapolis)[84] described the PTL years in his book, Son of a Preacher Man:[85]
The world at large has focused on my parents' preaching of prosperity, but... I heard a different message—one of forgiveness and the abundance of God's love. I remember my dad always seating a mentally handicapped man in the front row and hugging him. And when vandals burned an African American church down, Dad made sure its parishioners got the funds to rebuild. His goal was to make PTL a place where anyone with a need could walk in off the streets and have that need met.[86]
Bakker described himself as a supporter of President Donald Trump in an interview with Stephen E. Strang and in the book God and Donald Trump.[87]
Bibliography [ edit ]
Eight Keys to Success (1980)
(1980) I Was Wrong (1996)
(1996) Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse (1998)
(1998) The Refuge: The Joy of Christian Community in a Torn-Apart World (2000)
(2000) Time Has Come: How to Prepare Now for Epic Events Ahead (2014)(Adds details, background)
* Resumption of output follows accord with Sudan on fees
* First export cargo to reach Port Sudan at end May
* Shutdown threw economy into deeper crisis
Andrew Green
JUBA, April 6 (Reuters) - South Sudan has restarted oil production after agreeing with Sudan to resume cross-border flows last month, an oil official said, ending a row over transit fees which brought the African neighbours close to war.
Landlocked South Sudan shut down its oil production in January 2012 after failing to agree with Khartoum over oil fees, throwing both nations into turmoil. The new nation, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, needs to export its oil through Sudanese pipelines and the Red Sea port of Port Sudan.
“Yes it has started,” Paul Adong Bith Deng, managing director of state oil firm Nile Petroleum (Nilepet), told Reuters by phone from the Thar Jath oilfield in Unity state, South Sudan, when asked whether oil production had resumed.
After months of negotiations, Sudan and South Sudan agreed last month to resume oil production. South Sudan previously produced 350,000 barrels a day but will resume output of between 150,000 bpd and 200,000 barrels bpd initially, Sudan’s state news agency SUNA said late on Friday, quoting officials from both countries.
The first cargo would reach Port Sudan at the end of May, SUNA said, two weeks later than initially expected.
There was no immediate comment from South Sudan’s oil ministry. The oil minister said on March 14 that oil companies in the South had been ordered to restart production, which he said would take two to three weeks.
TURMOIL
The oil shutdown threw both countries into economic and political turmoil.
As tension over oil transit fees and territory escalated In April last year, the Sudan and South Sudan armies fought for weeks along their disputed border in the worst violence since South Sudan seceded in July 2011.
The shutdown has worsened economic crises in both countries as they depend heavily on crude exports for state revenues and use the foreign currency to import food and fuel.
This is especially true for South Sudan where oil used to make up 98 percent of state revenues in one of the world’s least developed countries.
Sudan has also badly felt the shutdown because transit fees are a major source of dollars after the country lost three-quarters of oil production when the South seceded.
Khartoum and other cities have witnessed anti-government protests after veteran President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was forced to launch austerity measures last summer.
Sudan hopes to collect up to $1.2 billion in transit fees in 2013, Finance Minister Ali Mahmoud told Reuters on Wednesday.
South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 under a 2005 peace deal which ended one of Africa’s longest civil wars but both countries remain at loggerheads over ownership of disputed territories and other issues. (Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Susan Fenton)If a genome is the blueprint for life, then the chief architects are tiny slices of genetic material that orchestrate how we are assembled and function, Yale School of Medicine researchers report Feb. 21 in the journal Developmental Cell.
The study pinpoints the molecular regulators of epigenetics - the process by which unchanging genes along our DNA are switched on and off at precisely right time and place.
"Our genome is like a landscape with lakes, mountains, and rivers, but it is not yet a community or a city full of buildings," said Haifan Lin, director of the Yale Stem Cell Center and senior author of the study. "What this system does is decide where and when to send out the masons, carpenters, and electricians to build a city or a community."
In the past 20 years, scientists have discovered that some proteins, called epigenetic factors, traverse the static genome and turn the genes on or off. The staggering number of potential combinations of active and inactive genes explains why a relatively small number of genes can carry out such a wide range of functions. But what guides these epigenetic factors to their target? The answer, the Yale team has found, is specialized RNAs called piRNAs.
In the latest study, the Yale team discovered that piRNAs guide epigenetic factors to numerous sites throughout the genome of the fruit fly Drosophila, where these switches work to turn genes on or off. The dramatic change in gene expression patterns found illustrated piRNAs key role in coordinating biological activity.
"This is the first major mechanism discovered that controls where epigenetic factors --the gene switches -- are to be placed in the genome," Lin said.
Several types of cancers appeared to be triggered when the wrong kinds of piRNAs guide epigenetic factors to activate the wrong genes. Blocking the action of these piRNAs should become a new opportunity to treat cancers, Lin said.
###
Xiao A. Huang and Hang Yin of Yale are co-lead authors of the paper.
The research was funded by a National Institutes of Health Pioneer Award to Haifan Lin and a grant from Connecticut Stem Cell Research Fund to Lin and former Yale professor and co-author Michael Snyder, now of Stanford University.Fear death from tree limbs, not terrorists
From:[email protected] To: [email protected] Date: 2016-02-23 00:04 Subject: Fear death from tree limbs, not terrorists
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S!!
I have seen newbies empty entire hoppers at a big rock because they thought they saw something (no-one there ). The rule about shooting only when you actually have a shot INCLUDES making sure that your aim is true!
Theres nothing more I hate than being shot by my own team behind enemy lines as I approach from behind the enemy for a tag If only they took the time to look and see my taped arm before firing!!!!
Now on to ACCURACY as a Paintball Hunter, the Venarius strives for stealth + sure tag not spray + pray so accuracy is a must. Ive been 25 feet away from someone (inch opening) and not fired as I knew it wouldve taken 3-5 shots to hit that inch opening and that wouldve given away my position Instead I got 10 ft from target and made it in one shot
Accuracy is partly about muscle memory. Take lots of time at the firing range (or play lots of games!) and spend lots of time with your weapon! It will be time well spent.
If you are in a firefight, its typically pop up- fire/duck, opponent pops up-fires/ducks. When you pop out, stay out and stay aimed at their spot. The second you see movement; FIRE!
Likewise, if you are under fire, pop out, take 1-2 quick shots (to make them duck) before immediately popping out to take position and aim at their spot.
Try to NEVER pop out of the same spot of your bunker twice if you can. Predictability will get you tagged. If youve been popping out the right side of the bunker for a few times, pop straight up over the bunker once to throw them off.
If you must lead a target (someone running sideways from you), don't try to constantly move your gun + fire at or ahead of him, instead, look where he is going, pick a spot 15-20 feet ahead, and put a straight line of shots in that area that he will have to run through. This is how you properly lead targets more successfully.
Next, a note of Safety;
Never rest your finger on the trigger, only put your finger on the trigger when you are expecting to fire. This keeps accidental shots from occurring.
Never point your gun at someone unless you intend to fire.
Always keep your barrel pointed at the ground unless raising to aim + fire.
Never EVER look down your barrel (even with mask on), its a horrible habit that I shouldnt even have to mention.
Attitude:
A true Paintball Hunter, the Venarius relies upon his skills and tactical advantages to play the game. This means that you will most likely be outnumbered + outgunned. This is not a style of play for those who would whine about cheap shots or for those who would dare wipe (the scourge of the sport!).
You are often willfully putting yourself initially into a dis-advantaged position to then gain the upper hand. If you get shot out during this phase; Take it like a man, and walk out with your honor intact. I always even complement my enemy on their shot. You will typically be on the front lines/flanks trying to break-through, and often this aggressiveness will get you shot this just comes from this style of play.
As it typically turns out, either I am one of the first out in the game (during my initial movements on the front) or I run through their back lines raking up 5-10 or more tags. But to cheat your way into those tags
A) Robs you of your supposed glory.
B) Keeps you from LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES!
If you wipe, you will never learn to improve your game. And people that find out will spread the word and your Rambo like tag-count will be worthless.
Becoming a Paintball Hunter, a Venarius, means acting with a code of Honor that includes never cheating. Also, it means never over-shooting an opponent. I shoot [when I have a clear shot] and until I see a break. When I do, I stop firing [even if they keep firing] and yell for them to check the spot (even if it gives my position away). People dont like to get over-shot, and we want people to have fun so they come back!
Once I encountered a wiper where I saw the ball burst, and saw the wipe. I called myself out of the game, walked up to him, pointed my gun at him point blank and said I saw the brake, I saw you wipe, I even called myself out of the game now youre walking out with me, or getting shot a bit more
True I had to leave the game, but I brought out a cheater who was duly embarrassed, hopefully enough to never do it again.
A good Paintball Hunter carries around a positive attitude. He does not boast or brag before the game, or make threats or accusations to the enemy. He lets his tag-count do the talking for him. Dont engage in verbal arguments. Never swear at people. If you tag someone and they start talking about how they will gun for you, say something like you gotta find me first or just smile
To be a true Paintball Venarius commands respect on and off field, and those that best command respect do so without ego.
And there you have it how to become a Paintball Predator, a Hunter, a Venarius. This project came out much more detailed and in-depth than I initially anticipated, and much more detailed than the original article even. I hope you enjoyed this read, and can put some of these strategies to good use. And to people that wonder why I give away all my secrets, its for the betterment of players everywhere. Add to that, if I make a few more people better, that means I have to up my own game that much more and that is the fun of paintball!
See you on the field! Recently, I went to provide a link to an old article by Dirty Dan (one of the premier Paintball info sites before the turn of the millennium) entitled Venarius The Dark Arts of the Paintball Predator" but unfortunately this article was no longer available from Dans archived site The article was so good, I ended up taking my User Handle from it way back in the day.There was another article that basically copied the gist of itBut I wanted to sit down and create a more extensive version written and updated by myself (with my own experiences) for the paintball community at large, as I believe this info should be passed down to the next generation of Paintballers.So, without further adieu, I give you my own article on the subjectFirst, it should be noted that although some of these tactics can be utilized in small fields, they are more for games in which you cannot see your opponent at the start Most now-a-days call this woods-ball.Paintball is like a mental chess game, the larger the field, the more variables; the more to the equation. A successful Venarius, or paintball Hunter utilizes these small variables to their advantage. Venarius is a conjugation of Hunter in Latin. To be a Paintball Venarius requires skill, cunning, stealth, and patience. Few choose to learn the art, but those who do can often turn the tide of a game.A Venarius is not a sniper, or one who waits for enemies to walk into their previously set lines of sight, no, a Venarius is actively on the hunt, always trying to stealthily move to gain the upper advantage in a firefight, always trying to inflict maximum damage to the other team with a minimal footprintThis article will be broken down into 4 basic sections:1) Camouflage2) Movement3) Firing4) AttitudeMany people introduced to the sport in the last decade consider Camouflage to be unneeded. They tend to spray and pray behind bunkers while wearing brightly colored attire, almost a tease to the other team who can so easily spot them. And while this works under those circumstances (if youre behind a bunker the whole game, people wont see that brightly colored jersey anyway), but when they move to another bunker, they will stick out like a sore thumb.If you are skilled enough, you can in-fact overcome this self-handicap. Back in my tourney days (~2002), I would wear my bright orange PB jersey to the woodsball field to represent and it was fun to tag someone and then have them kick themselves for not seeing the bright jersey guyBut wearing a bright jersey is, as I mentioned, a self-imposed handicap. Why? Because Camouflage works the caveat here being if you know how to use it. If you plan on running around the field, and shooting up a storm Camo will be pretty useless for you (or at least its benefits will be lessened a large amount).Camouflage works because the human eye notices contrasting/familiar shapes (like a human body), and contrasting colors to the background as it scans (the eyes scan in a sideways direction, more on this later). If you can help break-up that solid body shape and match the background colors, you will be harder to detect.To talk about camo, lets first break-down the two types of camouflage Active and Passive.(most types of military camouflage) is meant to simply break-up the human body-shape and usually involves different shaped/sized blobs of colors seen in the environment. This is the camo a Venarius would utilize, as it helps break up your body-shape when you are on the constant move. You want something that matches the colors of the environment, while allowing you to move more readily.acts to blend the person into their surroundings to a more complete degree than passive camo. Think Ghillie suit (or to a lesser extent - hunter camo that looks like a picture of needles + leafs + twigs). This type of camo is excellent for campers (the snipers out there) that stay very still and dont move. This is because this camo is designed to make you PART OF the background but ONLY if you are still. If you are moving around, Active camo patterns are easier to detect then passive camo patterns!And I must at least mention Ghillie Suits; traditionally sniper attire personally made to suit each environment using burlap strips dyed + whatever twigs + leafs the person could get Today on the paintball field you will see more production based net + light fabric versions. These better break-up the human silhouette when still, but if you do move, your giant dangling suit will draw more attention than a neon sign (Whys that bush running?!).Now back to [passive] camouflage and its applications Recently, there was a fiasco in the US regarding military Camouflage. Congress, in their infinite wisdom, thought they could make a universal camo to be useful in ALL terrains. Turns out, their creation, the pixilated ACU worked horribly, not functioning quite right in any environment. It was too gray for forest environments, and too green for urban environments. Add to that, pixilation draws attention (nature almost never uses right angles)The failed ACU camo patternThere are a plethora of options, I myself use Multi-cam (more shades of brown) in the Spring/FallMulti-camAnd then Woodland BDU camo (built for European woods, very similar to New England) in the SummerMy next set of Camo will be the new Air-force camo, which looks to be a somewhat revised Tiger-Stripe that was so successfully used by British commandos in Vietnam. This type of camo works extra well because the blobs of color are mostly on a left-to-right axis. The human eye scans in a left-right fashion, not up-down, so this type of camo works extra well to break-up your body shape.Here is the Air force ABUAnd the original tigerstripe patternVs the more common fake tigerstripe pattern that youre more likely to seeThe difference is subtle, but the original Tiger-stripe pattern is one of the holy grails of successful camouflage the knock off not so much the devil is in the details!Some newer cutting edge stuff is pretty sweet as well, check out the new organic-pixel Atacs!Use whatever camo works for you, and as long as it matches the environment relatively well, and you follow some guidelines for movement, you should be fine.We cannot talk about camouflage without also discussing movement. Here I should mention that movement is the first thing the eye notices. Thats why the guy running across the field grabs your attention more than the guy slowly stalking through. The thing to take-away here, is that fast movement often gets you caught.This can be counter-intuitive. You want to be a Paintball Hunter, and you have to get yourself into position of advantage, so faster should be better right? Not always.When at all possible, if you havent been spotted yet, you want to remain low + slow. Slow movement attracts less attention, and allows you to stalk your prey/target. When I am in a situation where I have not yet been seen, I will be crouch-walking slowly through the field.Lets also mention another counter-intuitive to go along with slow movement Freezing in place. As mentioned, human eye notices movement very well. And if you are relatively well camouflaged, you would be surprised how far freezing in place can get you. If I am sneaking up on someone (who doesnt know Im there) and the target turns their head and scans my area I will freeze in position. You would be astonished how often the other person (doing a quick scan, not intending to find a target) will look right past you.One recent (more embarrassing) moment, I was already 90 degrees to an opponent, but was flanking further/closer before I attacked. I choose my next bunker and started my move, tripping over a *$#! Branch and falling on my face along the way [even the author makes mistakes!]. Hearing a noise, the target turns and scans the area (me on the ground prone ~40 ft away). I lay perfectly still/silentHe actually scanned right over me and then turned his attention back to the front! Only then aiming my weapon, did I take him out. This approach will increase your odds as [typically] righties arent as good turning + aiming to their right as they are to their left Likewise, if all other variables are equal, you would want toOf course, if you think they detected you (they are staring/pointing/raising their weapon in your direction) assume you have been spotted and get to safety as quickly as possible!The stealth goes out the window when they know where you are!Speaking of, lets talk about that. If they know where you are means a lot. One of the keys to successful engagements when you are outnumbered/outgunned involves the. One must constantly shift positions if seen, to keep the targets unsure of your exact location. If hankered down in a firefight just keep moving to keep them guessing! Use a tactical retreat whereabouts you can clover your way around the opponents if possibleThe Cloverleaf maneuver is designed to consistently throw off your attackers if outgunned. Imagine running in the shape of a clover, and firing at each intersection before the next moveAnd heres how that might look on the fieldNot exactly art but you can see the rough three pronged Retreat / Reposition / Attack cycle.A Venarius is constantly on the move, and rarely hunkers down in a bunker for long. Once your position is known, the element of surprise goes out the window, and when you are outnumbered+outgunned (as the Paintball Hunter tends to be when behind enemy lines), movement is one of your greatest allysNow we will talk about lines of sight. When at all possible, you want to mask your movements until it is too late for your target to do anything about it. Once you acquire your target, do this by keeping something (bush, tree, bunker) in between you and your targets line of sight while you approach. This way, if they havent seen you, they wont until its too late! Most people would advance more or less straight at the enemy, instead of taking other avenues that keep their approach hidden.Most people would take a direct approach, but if you notice Xs line of sight hardly can see Os movement especially upon final approach. Most X players will assume O stayed behind initial bunker. The key is to keep other things in your targets line of sight to mask your approach until too late.Another part of movement to talk about is. The more surface area you present to your enemy, the more target area they have to shoot at. When at all possible, minimize your surface area facing your opponent. Most people know about tucking tight into a bunker and this is the same idea. Which target gives you more surface area (and a better chance) to shoot someone standing or prone?Here you see the reduced target area of differing positions[image from dslyecxi.com/]Staying low has other advantages as well, remember how we said the human eye is used to scanning in a sideways direction, and is not as good at scanning up-down? If you are crouching/prone, there is a chance they will scan right over you, not expecting someone to be so low.Likewise, new avenues of approach open to you when staying low. While you would have been seen running from one short bunker to another, those same bunkers may block your line of sight to your opponent when you remain low (crawling or prone). I cannot tell you how un-utilized the prone-crawl is on the paintball field. I have snuck up on people who thought it impossible to get that close, purely by using low objects to block my line of sight as I crawl up to the opponent. They would have seen me crouch-crawl, but that overturned barrel blocks their line of sight when I prone-crawl!Next,If you are taking fire, there are some things you can do to increase your odds. First, never take the direct approach running straight toward/away from enemy instead use angles. You want to run perpendicular to your opponent; forcing them to try to lead their shots to you giving them more chances to miss! If someone is running straight at you, its easy to aim and fire if they are running at an angle from you, it forces you to constantly adjust your aim/trajectory. Use this principle to your advantage, and always try to advance/retreat sideways angles if under fire!Next,If you fire on the move, you're slow + inaccurate. You either want to be fast, or accurate. If you're making a move just move like theres no tomorrow! If youre going to shoot, take your time and actually shoot.(grab the flag to bring back, or need to fall back to gain tactical advantage again), move back the same way you came, as you know it was just clear. Logically, this is your best course to withdrawal. Retreat + reposition is always preferred over getting pinned down.Always keep and eye for potential bunkers dont run to a perfect bunker if there is nothing near it to advance/retreat to. This keeps your options of movement open, and keeps the other team guessing as to your next move.A Venarius is typically behind enemy lines, or trying to get there through the fore-front of the battle-lines. As such, your mission should be to breach enemy lines/flank the opponent. The Paintball Hunter is uneasy being pinned down in a firefight for long on the front lines His native environment is the element of surprise + tactical advantage.To do this, you should plan to be very light/quick. I rarely bring more than hopper+ 1 pod with me onto field (although I do also carry a backup TPX + 6 clips when needed). You dont want to carry a full pack of pods onto the field The flip side of this is that a Paintball Hunter must have! The goal here is to take your opponent out with the fewest shots possible.Think you have a shot? Have they seen you yet [no.]? Then keep moving/flanking closer until youre SURE you have a clean shot!IF YOU HAVENT BEEN SEEN, KEEP MOVING before you hunker down and take aim. My goal is to be about 120 degrees to my target before I open fireThis way you will be completely behind their safety zone of 90 degrees, and they wont even know what to think / where it came from!EVERY SHOT GIVES AWAY YOUR POSITION. If you hope to use the element of surprise, you shall not give away your position until you are behind their lines and can do maximum damage (or you have a guaranteed tag). If you do otherwise you risk detection and inability to move past their front lines.One recent game behind enemy lines, I took out 5 people with 35 shots (using a one-handed Spyder pistol w/50 round hopper + 12g CO2) You dont want to give away your position unless youre ensured a tag.A quiet marker also helps but even a quiet shot will still give away your position.I have seen newbies empty entire hoppers at a big rock because they thought they saw something (no-one there ). The rule about shooting only when you actually have a shot INCLUDES making sure that your aim is true!Theres nothing more I hate than being shot by my own team behind enemy lines as I approach from behind the enemy for a tag If only they took the time to look and see my taped arm before firing!!!!Now on to as a Paintball Hunter, the Venarius strives for stealth + sure tag not spray + pray so accuracy is a must. Ive been 25 feet away from someone (inch opening) and not fired as I knew it wouldve taken 3-5 shots to hit that inch opening and that wouldve given away my position Instead I got 10 ft from target and made it in one shotAccuracy is partly about muscle memory. Take lots of time at the firing range (or play lots of games!) and spend lots of time with your weapon! It will be time well spent.If you are in a firefight, its typically pop up- fire/duck, opponent pops up-fires/ducks. When you pop out, stay out and stay aimed at their spot. The second you see movement; FIRE!Likewise, if you are under fire, pop out, take 1-2 quick shots (to make them duck) before immediately popping out to take position and aim at their spot.Try to NEVER pop out of the same spot of your bunker twice if you can. Predictability will get you tagged. If youve been popping out the right side of the bunker for a few times, pop straight up over the bunker once to throw them off.If you must(someone running sideways from you), don't try to constantly move your gun + fire at or ahead of him, instead, look where he is going, pick a spot 15-20 feet ahead, and put a straight line of shots in that area that he will have to run through. This is how you properly lead targets more successfully.Next, a note ofNever rest your finger on the trigger, only put your finger on the trigger when you are expecting to fire. This keeps accidental shots from occurring.Never point your gun at someone unless you intend to fire.Always keep your barrel pointed at the ground unless raising to aim + fire.Never EVER look down your barrel (even with mask on), its a horrible habit that I shouldnt even have to mention.A true Paintball Hunter, the Venarius relies upon his skills and tactical advantages to play the game. This means that you will most likely be outnumbered + outgunned. This is not a style of play for those who would whine about cheap shots or for those who would dare wipe (the scourge of the sport!).You are often willfully putting yourself initially into a dis-advantaged position to then gain the upper hand. If you get shot out during this phase; Take it like a man, and walk out with your honor intact. I always even complement my enemy on their shot. You will typically be on the front lines/flanks trying to break-through, and often this aggressiveness will get you shot this just comes from this style of play.As it typically turns out, either I am one of the first out in the game (during my initial movements on the front) or I run through their back lines raking up 5-10 or more tags. But to cheat your way into those tagsA) Robs you of your supposed glory.B) Keeps you from LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES!If you wipe, you will never learn to improve your game. And people that find out will spread the word and your Rambo like tag-count will be worthless.Also, it means never over-shooting an opponent. I shoot [when I have a clear shot] and until I see a break. When I do, I stop firing [even if they keep firing] and yell for them to check the spot (even if it gives my position away). People dont like to get over-shot, and we want people to have fun so they come back!Once I encountered a wiper where I saw the ball burst, and saw the wipe. I called myself out of the game, walked up to him, pointed my gun at him point blank and said I saw the brake, I saw you wipe, I even called myself out of the game now youre walking out with me, or getting shot a bit more True I had to leave the game, but I brought out a cheater who was duly embarrassed, hopefully enough to never do it again.And there you have it how to become a Paintball Predator, a Hunter, a Venarius. This project came out much more detailed and in-depth than I initially anticipated, and much more detailed than the original article even. I hope you enjoyed this read, and can put some of these strategies to good use. And to people that wonder why I give away all my secrets, its for the betterment of players everywhere. Add to that, if I make a few more people better, that means I have to up my own game that much more and that is the fun of paintball!See you on the field! __________________
2k1 Homebuilt Auto-Cocker
TiPX + Zetamags
TM7
Hammer7 Last edited by Venarius; 08-25-2013 at 07:11 PM.Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
(Matthew 26:57-68 ESV)
Over the past few days we’ve been studying the trial of Jesus. As we learned, this trial was illegal for many reasons and took place simply because the Jewish political and religious authorities didn’t like what Jesus had to say. Yesterday we saw that Jesus was found guilty of blasphemy – a crime He did not and logically could not commit. After finding Jesus guilty He is then abused, which was another illegality under both Jewish and Roman law.
It’s very important to note who the “they” are in this verse. The antecedent of “they” is the scribes and the elders, the chief priests and the whole council, and the high priest. These were the highest ranking religious and political leaders in all of Israel. And they spit in Jesus’ face and struck Him.
These men were spitting in the face of God. They were physically abusing God. They even mocked Him when they slapped Him and sarcastically asked Him to tell them who it was that struck Him (according to Luke, Jesus was blindfolded at this point [Luke 22:63-64]).
These leaders hated Jesus and all He stood for. They hated the truth He spoke and instead loved the lies they told themselves. And because they hated Him so much they wanted to eliminate Him from their lives. They had long been seeking to kill Him [Matthew 12:14, 26:4], thinking that would solve their problem.
But their problem was not Jesus’ words, their problem was their own hearts. But they refused to believe that, even though Jesus had repeatedly told them so. Eliminating Jesus seemingly gave them a victory. But it really was a monumental failure with irrevocable, eternal consequences.
People still spit in the face of Jesus. They deny His existence or His claims to be God. They reject His gospel message and call to repentance. They love their own sin and even celebrate it and call it a “right”. They mock Him and ridicule Him. And, of course, they eliminate Him.
People have been eliminating Jesus from their own lives for hundreds of years. But recently we’ve seen our religious and political leaders eliminating Jesus from society – just like the Jewish leaders did with Jesus 2,000 years ago. Like the Jewish authorities, they think they are doing something beneficial. But they are really doing something incredibly harmful.
God’s truth has always had one of two effects on people. It either humbles them or makes them angry. When it makes them angry they vent their hatred towards God as if He were the problem. But someday they will know the truth.
They will either come to realize it while still living on this earth and thereby be saved from the penalty of their sins. Or they will come to realize it after they die – when it is too late to be saved from the penalty of their sins.
But make no mistake, someday every tongue will confess that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be – Lord God of all [Philippians 2:10-11].
Comments? Questions? I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me about this post.
AdvertisementsSPIEGEL: Interior Minister de Maizière, the state of Bavaria has written to Chancellor Merkel demanding that she change her refugee policies, there is protest among German conservatives and now the deputy chair of her own Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has come up with her own plan to stymie the flow of refugees to Germany. Is it time to concede that the chancellor's Plan A has failed?
De Maizière: No. Coping with the refugee crisis is complex -- it has an international aspect, a European and a national one. We are addressing all three fields methodically and step by step. It is an illusion to believe that there is a Plan A, B, or C to solve the refugee crisis.
SPIEGEL: Isn't the real illusion the idea that Europe is going to help bail Germany out of the refugee crisis? Austria has announced a cap on the number of refugees it is willing to take, Denmark has tightened its asylum laws and Sweden is no longer allowing refugees without papers into the country.
De Maizière: On Monday, I sat together with my European counterparts in Amsterdam and the degree of responsibility they felt was indeed very divergent. However, it is a mistake if some partners believe they can avoid the problem. Should the Schengen system of open borders face additional pressure or its long-term viability continue to be questioned, they will realize that the refugee crisis than just a German issue, because all in Europe would be hurt.
SPIEGEL: In mid-December, the CDU agreed at its party convention that the number of refugees has to be significantly reduced. How much time do you have left?
De Maizière: We want clarity by spring. Compared to September and October, when on some days as many as 10,000 people entered Germany, the number has decreased significantly. In January, an average of 2,000 people came per day, which, projected over a year would still be very many -- too many. So no matter what, we need to prevent the influx from massively increasing again in the spring. Time is running out.
SPIEGEL: Is the drop in the number of refugees in recent weeks solely attributable to bad weather?
De Maizière: To a large degree, probably yes. Although there have been sporadic efforts by Turkey to stop illegal migration across the Aegean Sea, this is still not happening on the scale that is necessary.
SPIEGEL: What would happen if Turkey and Europe were to let the German government down? Would Germany then close its borders to refugees?
De Maizière: I don't take part in speculation over various scenarios. Instead, I work to ensure that our approach will be successful.
SPIEGEL: At the moment there is discussion over stopping refugees at the border between Slovenia and Croatia.
De Maizière: This is an idea that is being discussed especially by the southeastern European countries themselves. But you also have to consider the fact this would effectively shut Greece out of the Schengen area and could lead to a backup (of refugees), either in Greece, in Macedonia, where we already observed this effect this week, or elsewhere in the Balkans. You cannot simply ignore that.
SPIEGEL: What do you mean by that?
De Maizière: That we have to continue to work on other solutions in parallel. It is a matter of supporting countries, like Lebanon and Jordan, where large refugee camps are located. It is a matter of establishing a link between migration and development aid so that we can encourage the countries of North Africa, especially, to take back illegal migrants again. And we have to intensify our talks with Turkey.
SPIEGEL: If the situation is truly to be brought under control by March, then Turkey has to close its beaches to refugees and traffickers. Is it even logistically possible for the Turks to control a section of coast that is several hundred kilometers long?
De Maizière: It could at least be done much better than it is right now.
SPIEGEL: Turkey is already accommodating more than 2 million refugees. Viewed from that perspective, the government in Ankara is likely pleased when refugees leave the country and head for Europe.
De Maizière: Turkey and Europe have common interests. Europe is prepared to help with providing shelter for refugees in Turkey. Turkey is demanding relaxed visa requirements from the EU. There is also a connection between the issue of refugees and the battle against the so-called Islamic State. The perpetrators in Istanbul who killed 10 Germans at the beginning of January were registered as refugees according to Turkish investigators. It will surely not contribute to the stabilization of Turkey domestically if it remains a transit country for refugees in the long term.
SPIEGEL: At the moment, Turkey is constructing a massive border fortification along the Turkish-Syrian border. Is it not hypocritical for Germany to say it wants to help refugees on the one hand, but then, on the other, places pressure on Turkey, with the outcome being that an escape route from the Syrian civil war is blocked?
De Maizière: The only answer to that is that we need to do everything in our power to put an end to the horrendous conditions in Syria. Furthermore, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with border control. We have a fence on the land border between Turkey and Greece. We have a fence between Turkey and Bulgaria. We have a fence between Morocco and the Spanish exclave Melilla. We rightly expect every country in the Schengen zone to protect its external border. And I am sympathetic to the fact that Turkey is doing everything it can to prevent the civil war in Syria from spilling over into its own country.
SPIEGEL: But the consequence is that Syrians are no longer able to flee from Assad's barrel bombs.
De Maizière: That is why it is so important to combat the roots of the flight. I am a politician, but I am also a Christian and, as such, I worry about the situation people in the region are in -- and I am convinced that we in Germany and the international community need and can do considerably more on this issue. However, it is also true that it is impossible for Germany to take in all the refugees from the world's crisis regions. And this especially applies to those people not from Syria who are coming here for a better life or to look for a job in Germany.
SPIEGEL: In retrospect, was it a mistake that Chancellor Merkel didn't explicitly state at the start of the refugee crisis that Germany does not have unlimited capacity for taking in people?
De Maizière: We have done that several times. It was just that the people from the crisis areas were already on their way -- and they didn't just leave following the chancellor's decision at the beginning of September to take in refugees who had been stranded in Hungary.
SPIEGEL: The German government's central message was, "We can handle this" and "there is no upper limit for asylum." Do you honestly believe that this wasn't a trigger that led people to come to Germany?
De Maizière: I do not want to be a part of any debates about the
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(as well, of course, all healthcare systems). By ‘invisible injury’, I mean that there is often no overt sign that someone has this disorder, and many people with the illness suffer in silence, and feel like they are to blame for their symptoms and some of the problems that come with them. We wanted to show that the disorder has a physical, biological basis, much like any other physical illness we might think of. There has been a lot of work in this area over the past 10-15 years, and we wanted to contribute to that area of research.
What should the average person take away from your study?
That this disorder has an underlying basis in the brain, and that this is perhaps one of the reasons why PTSD can develop after suffering a traumatic event or being under constant stress in a hostile environment (in this case, a war zone). We hope to shine a light on the illness, and show that someone who suffers from PTSD isn’t responsible for the illness or their symptoms, but that a difference in brain structure is partly (along with other factors) to blame.
Are there any major caveats? What questions still need to be addressed?
Caveats that should be understood are related to ‘cause or consequence’ – with this type of study, we are unable to say whether these brain structure differences made it more likely for someone to develop PTSD after suffering a traumatic event, or whether the trauma induced the brain to change following the event. All we can say if that after the fact, there are observable differences in the physical structure of the brain that we can image using this type of technology.
In the future, we hope to run a pre-post study, and categorically say whether or not these markers exist before someone could potentially develop PTSD after trauma – thinking further ahead, this could hold promise in the diagnoses of the disorder, as well as predict the likely outcome of treatment, potentially expediting recovering and saving the healthcare system time and money.
In addition to Dunkley, the study “Neuroanatomical features in soldiers with post‑traumatic stress disorder” was co-authored by D. Sussman, E. W. Pang, R. Jetly and M. J. Taylor.The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) technical report has admitted that 75 percent of the newly repaired cement slabs in the Oroville Dam’s spillway already have cracks.
The DWR report for the California-owned dam was issued on Nov. 2 was in response to an Oct. 2 cautionary letter from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that noted that a majority of the rebuilt spillway had observable “cracking of the erosion resistant concrete.”
DWR’s December 7 public presentation to City of Oroville and downstream Feather River residents near America’s tallest dam deteriorated into a screaming match after the state’s dam experts tried to reassure the community that there was nothing to see in the string of what were described as only “hairline cracks” that developed just weeks after Kiewit Corporation finished its $275 million first phase contract to rebuild the 1,700-foot spillway.
The DWR stated at the presentation that it had inspected the cement top sheet that was poured and then roller-compacted and smoothed shortly before the November 1 contract deadline before certifying the first phase of the massive repair job as completed on time.
The DWR expert report to FERC was issued a day after the construction deadline revealed that over 157 of the 228 rebuilt cement slab panels, which measure 37-by-30-feet, had “random” surface observable cracks with an average length of 80 linear feet per panel. According to the report:
50 percent subject cracked panels have extremely thin cracks;
40 percent of the cracked panels have cracks that are hairline width; and
10 percent of the cracked panels have cracks of about an eighth of an inch.
DWR acknowledged: “Most of the edge cracking appears to arrest at the top mat of reinforcement with some progressing through the entire panel.”
DWR stated that “cracking was anticipated” due to the highly restrained nature of the spillway panels that are anchored to the dam foundation, and have “continuous bottom mat reinforcement and keyways between adjoining panels. DWR stated: “By design, location, spacing and amount of reinforcement was intended to distribute cracking and keep it at a hairline level,” according to the American Concrete Institute’s acceptable widths.
Some of the cracking was due to “thermal shrinkage” from large daily temperature swings in late summer, but the major reason for cracking appears to be from “plastic shrinkage” during the contractor’s water cure procedures that normally includes quickly laying wet fabric on the newly poured cement to prevent rapid surface moisture evaporation, compared to the drying of internal cement. According to DWR experts:
“Several instances occurred where the contractor did not immediately install water cure on the panel following the finishing efforts, as well as instances where the water cure was terminated or disrupted by other onsite operations.”
DWR experts acknowledged that Oroville Dam Spillway cracking could create a long-term safety risks, because “[p]lastic shrinkage cracks begin as shallow cracks but can become full-depth cracks later in the life of the concrete.”
Photo: fileAmong the Islamists and supporters of Sharia law, there is one individual in particular who has been capable of making money by misrepresenting himself and his credentials: the tireless self-promoter, Reza Aslan. After 9/11, Reza Aslan found the environment ripe in the United States to make profits by exaggerating and fabricating his qualifications.
First of all, Reza Aslan has continuously presented himself as a professor of religion. This is done in an attempt to sell his few books, which lack academic and credible references. In one of his recent interviews, Aslan claims, “I am a scholar of religions with four degrees including one in the New Testament... I am an expert with a Ph.D. in the history of religions... I am a professor of religions, including the New Testament – that’s what I do for a living, actually... To be clear, I want to emphasize one more time, I am a historian, I am a Ph.D. in the history of religions.” Aslan also recently said on Twitter, “I have a BA, MA and PhD in the history of Western Religions so yes, again, I am an ACTUAL expert in Judaism.”
In actuality, Reza Aslan is not a “professor of religion,” and what he claims he does “for a living” is an outrageous inaccuracy. Reza Aslan is an associate professor in the Creative Writing program at the University of California, Riverside. He teaches there based on his Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction from Iowa, his relevant academic credential.
In addition, Reza Aslan received his PhD in sociology – not “History of Religions” – from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2009.
I used to teach at the University of California at Santa Barbara and I am familiar with the prominent theologians, professors and academic scholars at the school. None of these individuals that I met considered Reza Aslan even remotely close to being a scholar in religion. After all, he received his PhD in sociology. At first, I did not know of Reza Aslan. But when his name was brought up, I asked a director of one the departments at the university – who prefers to remain anonymous – for more information. He stated simply that Reza Aslan is a hungry self-promoter who begs for media attention and appearances, and who repeatedly misrepresents his credentials. He added that it goes without saying that Reza Aslan is laughed at within scholarly circles, and that academics do not consider Reza Aslan even a minor religious scholar.
Secondly, the expertise – which Reza Aslan claims is based on his PhD – should be determined by the topic of the dissertation. Reza Aslan’s dissertation, titled “Global Jihadism as a Transnational Social Movement: A Theoretical Framework” reveals that if he is an expert based on his PhD, he should be an expert on social movements in early twentieth-century Islam, not on Christianity or even modern Islam.
Third, although Reza Aslan calls himself a “historian,” he has never attainted a degree or had professional training in history, and has never even taken an elementary course in historiography for that matter. His dissertation focuses on the events and movements of the twentieth century and does not apply any historical methods or archival research. In addition, his dissertation is also an abnormally short one – approximately 130 pages double-spaced – which seems to have been written for publicity purposes for his book, Beyond Fundamentalism. Reza Aslan has been exploiting the situation in the United States after 9/11 to self-promote and make profits through these exaggerations and fabrications.
Fourth, Reza Aslan is a self-proclaimed “scholar,” yet his background is inconsistent with academic scholarly standards. Reza Aslan has barely published any papers or articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals.
Fifth, Reza Aslan received his PhD in 2009. Yet, there are several interviews and events before 2009 where Reza Aslan sounds as if he is a professor with a PhD.
The work of “real” scholars of religions – not of creative writing – in the United States and across the world speaks for itself, without the need for the author to shamelessly self-promote, boast oneself as a “prominent thinker” and "scholar of religions," and to beg hungrily for media appearances with insatiable greed. Regardless of the inaccuracy of his self-descriptions, respectable scholars never flaunt their degrees so arrogantly. There are countless scholars and academics that have more prestigious PhD degrees in actual “religion,” which they obtained at a younger age and have had for decades (again, Aslan received his in 2009 at the age of 37). However, these intellectuals seldom boast or even mention their degrees. This shows that the aforementioned author only obtained his degree for flaunting purposes. Finally, the author has found the environment after 9/11 extremely advantageous for himself to exploit, self-promote, and to make profit.
Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: Click here.Heading into the season, the vast majority of writers, analysts, and pundits covering the St. Louis Rams, myself included, predicted that this young squad would likely finish the season with a record somewhere between a 7-9 and 9-7. With the win yesterday, they accomplished that goal, despite starting off the season ice-cold and losing their franchise quarterback to injury in the opening half of the year. Taking down Tampa Bay gives the Rams the opportunity to end the season with their best record since 2006 (8-8), when Scott Linehan was the head coach and Marc Bulger was still the starting quarterback. However, before we move on to the Seattle game, let’s take a minute to savor the victory.
1. There is no other suitable way to start this article off than by thanking Robert Quinn for an amazing performance, both yesterday and throughout the season. Quinn finished Sunday with six solo tackles, three sacks, and four hits on the quarterback. In the process, he passed Robert Mathis to take the lead in the race for the Deacon Jones award and broke the St. Louis Rams single-season sack record, which currently sits at 18 takedowns. Cheers to you, Mr. Quinn! Let’s hope that he can add Defensive Player of the Year to his laundry list of accolades at the end of this season.
2. Nate Latsch, of Fox Sports Midwest, posted a beautiful piece following the St. Louis Rams win on Sunday. The article, as the title implies, is obviously an attempt to make a case for Quinn as Defensive Player of the Year. However, instead of listing off statistics and rankings he goes another path…
“I really went into this game today thinking I was going to really have a dominant performance,” [Tampa Bay left tackle, Donald Penn] continued. “It started off great for three quarters. Then the end is just …” Penn shook his head again.
Penn isn’t the first offensive tackle that appears to need therapy in the aftermath of facing the best pass rusher in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals ended up trading Levi Brown shortly after he allowed three sacks and five total quarterback disruptions in the opening game of the season. Then, just last week, the New Orleans Saints benched Charles Brown in the second half after he allowed two sacks and five disruptions. Quinn doesn’t just dominate his opponent physically, he tears them down psychologically, draining every last ounce of confidence before moving on to his next victim. As William Hayes said after the game on Sunday, “He’s special. We don’t run across people like that. Not since I’ve been in the NFL. I haven’t seen nobody close to him.”
3. However, the effect that Robert Quinn has on the opposing offense doesn’t just show up on his stat line… or even in the defeated tone of his opponent’s following the game. The attention that he demands opens up the game for other players, which was made evident on Sunday. Four other players recorded at least 0.5 sacks on Sunday, including the first sack of T.J. McDonald’s career. His sack, which nearly resulted in a safety, showed just how much attention Tampa Bay focused on Quinn. Just watch as the entire offensive line shifts towards his side of the field, leaving only the tailback to attempt to block both Alec Ogletree and T.J. McDonald… unsurprisingly, Quinn still almost gets the sacks!
4. Speaking of T.J. McDonald, the rookie has had an impressive two weeks, in terms of milestones. Against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, McDonald recorded his first career interception. This week, against an impressive offensive line, he managed his first career sack; and nearly his first safety. If and when the St. Louis Rams draft Haha Clinton-Dix, this young secondary could be one of the better units in the league, bar none.
5. Alec Ogletree is also finishing out the year nicely, one that should have him as a legitimate candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Ogletree is currently ranked 3rd overall in forced fumbles, after causing two yesterday against the Bucs. His progress this season, much like that of Robert Quinn and Trumaine Johnson, has been amazing to watch. Credit Jeff Fisher and Les Snead for piecing together this impressive, young defensive roster.
6. Kellen Clemens is now 4-4 as a starter in St. Louis, with five touchdowns and zero interceptions in those winning bouts. Yesterday, the veteran backup completed 16 of 20 passing attempts, posting a 99.6 quarterback rating. His efficiency at quarterback has been nothing short of outstanding this season.
7. However, it doesn’t hurt that a majority of Clemen’s time in the backfield is spend handing the ball off to Zac Stacy. The “steal” of the 2013 NFL Draft topped 100 yards for the fourth time yesterday, becoming the first back this season to reach that feat against the highly-touted Tampa Bay run defense. Stacy is now only 42 yards short of passing the 1,000 yard mark this season, with one last game against the Seattle Seahawks to reach that milestone. From an outside perspective, that might seen like a daunting task, considering the respect that most give the ‘Hawks defense. However, last time the division rivals faced off, Stacy rumbled for 134 yards on 26 carries, his career-high…
8. Stedman Bailey may have “officially” earned a starting spot on the 2014 roster with his performance on Sunday. The other West Virginia rookie lead the team with three catches for 44 yards, averaging nearly 15 yards per reception. More impressively, he recorded his first NFL touchdown, taking a double-reverse for a 27-yard, diving score to help the Rams secure the lead in the second quarter of the game. There is a strong possibility that we could look back in a couple of years and find that the Rams three biggest offensive weapons all came from the 2013 NFL Draft class (Stacy, Austin, Bailey).
9. Greg ‘the Leg’ was finally released on Sunday, going 3 for 3 on field goal attempts, including a season-long 55-yarder to end the 3rd quarter. Hekker was also impressive, as usual, averaging 44.0 net yards per punt on his two attempts.
So, just to put everything into perspective:
The St. Louis Rams best defender, Robert Quinn, is only 23 years old Both starting cornerbacks, the “nickel” outside linebacker, and the best safety on the roster are all either rookies or sophomore players Both the starter kicker and punter are second-year players Three of the Rams’ top four offensive weapons are rookies; and even Jared Cook is only 26 years old
10. The lone dark spot on Sunday was the injury to Jake Long, which is feared to be another dreaded ACL tear. The St. Louis Rams prized free agent signing was ranked as the No.5 offensive tackle in the NFL headed in Sunday, and was undoubtedly a crucial part of the Rams success in 2013. Our thoughts are with Jake, his lovely wife Jackie, and the rest of the Long family as they work through this process together. Here’s to a quick recovery!A same-sex relationship option is coming to BioWare's The Old Republic in Spring. Executive producer Jeff Hickman revealed as much during his latest Stame of the Game report, stating that players will be able to romance NPCs on Makeb come the "Rise of the Hutt Cartel" expansion. More romancing options should be added "in the future."
Also coming along with the expansion are new gameplay systems and mechanics, five new levels, a new planet that comes complete with several new storylines, new skills for players to learn and new abilities for characters to use.
Ever since going free to play late last year, the game's numbers have reportedly increased. This will herald changes to "a special PvP area," which has yet to be named or detailed, but which is slated to recieve a few upgrades over the coming months.
Finally, new endgame content will be coming to the title, although the likes of this content have yet to be specified.
What do you think of the updates coming to The Old Republic with version 1.7? Will your character make use of the new same-sex relationships, or are you more excited for the new planet and skills?
"Rise of the Hutt Cartel" is currently slated for release in March.Today we are happy to reveal our next DLC drop called A Glitch in the Frontier, which we will be releasing on 4.25.2017!
Let’s take a look at the highlights of what’s coming. All content below is free for all Titanfall 2 players: Glitch Map A medium-sized map designed for objective modes and inspired by Captain Lastimosa’s home planet of Harmony. Vertical drops and long, twisting paths dominate the environment, perfect for chaining together long wall runs to seamlessly glide across the map
Deck Live Fire Map Tight interior spaces, exposed courtyards, and watchful drones circling overhead. You may see a M.R.V.N. or two puttering around in the background…
M.R.V.N. Faction
Marked for Death game mode. We’ll be introducing this as a featured mode around the launch of Glitch in the Frontier update.
Update to the Main Menu We spruced things up a bit with a new look and tiles for news and other cool stuff we want you to check out.
Max Gen increase for Pilots You will now be able to Gen to 100. New Gen icons for your callsign. You will receive a new one for each 10 gens you achieve.
Ability to choose between Prime and regular executions for Titans
New execution: Get to the Point [Pulse Blade]
Live Fire mode added to Private Match options COMMUNTIY CORNER
Those of you that know me know I love Northstar so this piece by Hydrothrax really speaks to me: https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/517/953/large/alice-bruderer-northstar-speedpaint-final-v2-1200.jpg?1484246542
Love this portrait of Ash by ToastieMan: http://toastieman.deviantart.com/art/Titanfall-2-Ash-646948256
Jack and B.T. BFF’s sketch by lackspeed-99 makes my heart happy: https://www.reddit.com/r/titanfall/comments/5xqpm9/fanart_jack_cooper_and_bt_by_brew_songer/Should U.S. Senator John McCain get an Arizona medical-marijuana card, now that he's been diagnosed with glioblastoma?
He qualifies for the right to possess and use cannabis under Arizona law, and cannabis is well-known for its effectiveness in helping patients cope with chemotherapy.
His support of the program and medical marijuana in general also could give a boost to research, some of which could lead to cannabis-based treatments for glioblastoma.
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"If I hung up and I had brain cancer, I would explore a list of treatments and products" related to cannabis, said Jahan Marcu, a researcher and activist who works as a science advisor and auditor for Americans for Safe Access, an advocacy group in New York City.
Jahan Marcu, cannabinoid researcher with Americans for Safe Access. Courtesy of Jahan Marcu
Marcu was the lead researcher in a 2010 study that revealed how cannabis held great promise for glioblastoma treatment.
According to an article about the study published in the Journal of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, the combinations of the cannabis compounds THC and cannabindiol (CBD) "may represent an improvement for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma and perhaps additional cancers. It is also possible that other constituents of C. sativa that are not structurally related to cannabinoids could improve antitumor activity when combined."
Later studies have claimed similar results.
"But this is not to say if you could smoke cannabis it will cure your brain cancer," Marcu said in an interview on Thursday. "What we know is that, in animal studies, for rats and mice, we can cure cancer with cannabis or cannabis combined with chemotherapy."
Marijuana Deals Near You
Experiments involving direct injections on living human brains haven't yet been tried, he said, adding that federal restrictions on cannabis studies at all levels hurt scientific progress.
However, that's not to say McCain can't benefit from cannabis right away. As a statement from his office revealed this week, he'll be entering chemotherapy treatment.
In February, GW Pharmaceuticals, a British company striving to mimic cannabinoids with synthetic medicines, announced that its research had shown that THC and CBD, in combination with a chemotherapy drug, had extended the lifespan of some glioblastoma patients.
"Moreover, the cannabinoid medicine was generally well-tolerated," according to a statement by Professor Susan Short, the study's lead investigator and a professor of cancer research at St James’s University Hospital. "These promising results are of particular interest as the pharmacology of the THC:CBD product appears to be distinct from existing oncology medications and may offer a unique and possibly synergistic option for future glioma treatment.”
Marcu does not advise smoking marijuana. But Marcu said he would consider inhaling a mist of concentrated-marijuana products, vaping it, or using a dissolvable oral product, to relieve chemo's negative side effects of pain and nausea.
He would begin with a 50-50 mix of THC and CBD, (the latter compound is known to temper negative psychoactive effects of THC), and then "graduate to more THC" as he could tolerate it.
Marcu said that even doctors at the Veteran's Administration, who are still prohibited from even recommending marijuana as a treatment for anything, could consider offering McCain the synthetic-THC drug Marinol, which was approved for use by the FDA in 1985.
McCain, given his grim diagnosis, could also simply try consuming as much marijuana as legally allowed in Arizona: As a state-authorized patient, he could buy up to 2.5 ounces every two weeks.
The late Craig Rodgers, a medical-marijuana advocate from Nevada who had glioblastoma, told New Times in 2012 that cannabis had kept him alive for years beyond the expectations of doctors. He consumed large quantities of raw marijuana, made his own edibles and pot tea, and smoked marijuana during the day, he said.
He recalled the first time he used marijuana while undergoing chemotherapy: "I took two puffs, and it was incredible.... It made me feel well."
He believed strongly that cannabis slowed the growth of his cancer, allowing him to survive more than five years after brain surgery. But the cancer came back, resulting in more surgery in 2011 and a life expectancy of three years.
Rodgers succumbed to the illness in June 2013.Cameron has been married five times and Hamilton, who played Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise, was wife number four.
The couple wed in 1997, the year that Cameron made Titanic. It went on to win 11 Oscars, but Hamilton said the film's success made their marriage even worse.
"It was terrible on every level. I wasn't ready, he wasn't ready. He was terribly insecure that I was going to ruin it for him somehow, which didn't make sense since I am an actress in my own right and had been in front of the camera. It was dreadful," she said.
"Jimbo gave me a big diamond but our marriage was all of nine months, the ring meant nothing to me and I gave it away."
Hamilton said she hated accompanying her husband to awards ceremonies because their relationship was falling apart behind the scenes.
In an interview with The Lady magazine, the actress claimed: "The parading around, the lunches, the stress of being with Jim during the Titanic days - for years I could barely get make-up on, I was shaking so hard, because every damn award show we had was terrible."
The marriage ended in 1999 and a year later Cameron married his fifth wife, actress Suzy Amis. Despite their problems, Hamilton, 53, insisted: "I've never loved anyone like that since and if I did it would be a different game."
Hamilton read an early Avatar script when she was with Cameron and was unimpressed, but changed her mind on seeing the finished product. She has watched it twice: "That's how much I liked it. And I paid both times. I was invited to the screenings [but] I was like, 'Thanks, Jim, I'll get this one on my own'."
In previous interviews, Hamilton has described Cameron as work-obsessed. "Titanic was the mistress he left me for. He was the kind of man who really would rather be at work with the mistress than at home with the wife. That was hard to come to terms with," she said recently.
Cameron's first marriage, to Sharon Williams, lasted from 1978-84. He was married to producer Gale Anne Hurd from 1985-89, then to director Kathryn Bigelow from 1989-1991, before Hamilton and Amis.
He and Bigelow will compete for the best director and best picture Oscars on Sunday. Avatar and Bigelow's The Hurt Locker have nine nominations each.
Hamilton said Cameron was a faithful husband despite his track record of divorces. "He's not a cheater, he's a serial monogamist," she explained.
:: The full interview is in the new issue of The Lady, out on Tuesday.France based Telecoms company Orange has been hacked second time this year, more than 1.3 Million customers are affected by this security breach.In the mid of April, hackers gained access to the a platform used by Orange to send email and SMS to its subscribers, according to Connexion report The company sent an email to affected customers which contains a link to "click to call back" button. Users who clicks the link will receive call from Orange.The personal data accessed by hackers includes names, email addresses, mobile and landline numbers, date of birth as well as names of mobile and internet operators.No payment information or credit card numbers and no passwords have been compromised in this breach.However, the main risk in this case is that the compromised data can be used by attackers to launch phishing attacks. Such attacks are claimed to be from the legitimate organizations and tricks users into provide their passwords and financial data.Back in February 2014, Orange sent letters to 800,000 customers that hackers accessed personal data including email ids, phone numbers, names, mailing addresses.Whenever I judge something to be the worst something I've ever seen, I always take into account how much respect I have for the person doing it in the first place. I am undoubtedly the worst pitching-wedge player in the world. But if, say, Phil Mickelson foozles one a foot in front of his feet, that's worse than any clumsy effort I've ever mustered, because he's Phil Mickelson and I'm not.
So, when I say that, on Tuesday afternoon, my man Chuck Todd conducted the worst political interview I've ever seen, I know that somewhere out there is a Steve Doocy interview that is objectively worse. But, whatever you may think of his oeuvre, my man Chuck Todd is worthy of substantial respect as an interviewer. So when he drops a dead raccoon on his audience the way he did on Tuesday's Meet The Press Daily, attention (and derision) must be paid.
On his afternoon Meet The Press, my man Chuck Todd hosted Tom DeLay, the former thug who once held considerable power in the House of Representatives and was present at the creation of the epidemic of gerrymandering and voter dilution that has spread across the nation. DeLay has a new book-like product to plug and, as appalling as it may be to anyone who was conscious during the 1990s, Chuck urged DeLay to reminisce about the golden era of legislative genius over which he presided.
(You remember. It was the time when DeLay and the Republicans in the House wanted to bring a brain-dead woman to Washington to testify, and then DeLay went on to threaten federal judges. Och, as Mr. Dooley said, thim was the days.)
My man Chuck Todd even let DeLay get away with saying that it was only the sneaky liberal press who called him The Hammer. This is arrant horseshit and it only got worse when they started talking about the failure of the Republican healthcare plan.
Todd: So your critique on this is the entire process from the beginning? That it was too rushed? How would you have set about trying to do this?
DeLay: Chuck, let me just put it in perspective. Before Obamacare, everybody got health care. But the Democrats wanted to control healthcare through health insurance and bring the federal government into this unconstitutionally. And they did it. But right after that, the American people, and certainly Republicans and Tea Partiers, were screened about Obamacare. They didn't ask for replacement. The Republicans did replacement in answer to the media and the Democrats who said, "If you repeal, what're you going to replace it with?" So they came up with a replacement.
Todd: So you think the problem was accepting the premise of a replacement?
DeLay: Exactly.
No, Chuck. No! Oh my sweet juggling Jesus, a thousand times no. Leave aside the fact you should have noted that the Supreme Court determined that the ACA was constitutional, no matter what the retired bug-squasher plugging his book thinks. In any case, the interview should have ended right here:
"Chuck, let me just put it in perspective. Before Obamacare, everybody got healthcare."
You can't just sit there like a cigar-store moderator and let him get away with something so egregiously untrue, much less let him base the rest of the argument on it. Before the ACA was passed, everybody didn't get healthcare. That was the reason that Harris Wofford ran for the Senate in Pennsylvania on the issue. That was the reason Bill and Hillary Clinton made a run at it in the early 1990s. That was why Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts did everything but mow the lawns of every Democrat in the Great and General Court to get his plan passed up here. And that's why Barack Obama broke as much rock as he did to pass the ACA. Hell, "everybody" doesn't get healthcare now, but more of them do than did before.
This is a master class in how not to conduct an interview, and that's not even to ask the question of why in the fck we should have a retired goon like Tom DeLay foisted on us in the first place. Let him plug his book to Doocy and the other two andirons on the couch there.
Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page.ALAMEDA — A proposal to build 292 apartments around a parking garage that would be more than three stories tall along the Oakland Estuary will come before the Planning Board on Monday.
A waterfront park, an extension of the San Francisco Bay Trail and a dock that would offer water taxi service to Oakland’s Jack London Square are also proposed for 1100-1250 Marina Village Parkway.
Currently, deteriorated decks and ramps and 50,000 square feet of office and warehouse space in four buildings are at the approximately eight-acre site near the Posey Tube and the Marina Village Shopping Center.
On Monday, the Planning Board will host a hearing so that people can comment on the scope of the project’s Environmental Impact Report, which city officials hope to have ready as a draft within about six months.
The Cavallari Group Inc. of San Clemente is behind the “Alameda Shipways” development and wants to build 142 one-bedroom units, 138 two-bedroom units and 12 three-bedroom units. Forty-units would be designated as affordable.
A 489-space parking garage would be located within the single four-story apartment building. The 3.5-story garage would have one underground level and be screened from public view by the apartments.
The housing project’s future residents would enter the garage from two driveways off Marina Village Parkway.
The approximately 2.5-acre public waterfront park would be adjacent to the apartment building, which would stretch about 450 feet long along Marina Village Parkway.
Along with a kayak launch and a water taxi dock, the park would have volleyball and bocce courts, a children’s play area, and trees and lawn areas, according to the plan that the developer submitted to the city on March 15.
The Planning Board is not expected to take any action on the project on Monday.
After city officials create a draft EIR for the project, the board will hold another hearing. Once the final EIR is completed the board may hold another public hearing to review it.
“Alameda Shipways” is one of several major housing developments under way along the Oakland Estuary.
The others in Alameda include Encinal Terminals, located between Alaska Basin and Fortman Marina, which calls for 589 housing units and up to 50,000 square feet of commercial space and waterfront public parks.
Also in Alameda, 380 apartments, lofts and townhouses and at least 30,000 square feet of commercial and retail space is planned for the site of the historic Del Monte warehouse on Buena Vista Avenue.
In Oakland, the Brooklyn Basin project calls for 3,100 apartments, condominiums, lofts and townhouses on 64 acres near Jack London Square.
The Planning Board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda.Some 600,000 jobs are expected to be lost in the public sector over the next six years, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has said.
The OBR has forecasted 490,000 job losses by 2015 and 610,000 by 2016.
During a Commons exchange, David Cameron said unemployment would fall during the coalition government's term.
Denying Labour's claims that more would be "pushed into abject misery", he said: "There are going to be more people in work."
Mr Cameron said the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had produced full tables for employment in the public and private sectors - "something that never happened under a Labour government".
During prime minister's questions, he said: "What's interesting from the tables is that you can see the effect of Labour's policy before the Budget and the effect of our policy after the Budget.
Job cut estimates 610,000 public sector jobs lost over the next six years
490,000 public sector jobs lost over the next five years
But 1.34m extra jobs overall in the public and private sector during the next six years Source: OBR
"What the figures show is that under Labour's plans next year there would be 70,000 fewer public sector jobs and the year after that there would be 150,000 fewer public sector jobs."
Earlier, the Guardian said leaked Treasury figures predicted that up to 120,000 public sector jobs and 140,000 private sector jobs could disappear annually for the next five years.
The newspaper said the figures came from a slide which was part of a Treasury presentation on the Budget.
It claimed the chancellor would have seen the presentation before delivering his Budget last week and said the leaked documents suggested that the Budget could result in a 1.3 million increase in unemployment.
During the question time, Labour's acting leader Harriet Harman told Mr Cameron: "We were very concerned this morning to read reports that, as a result of your Budget, 1.3 million jobs will be lost.
"Can you confirm this was an estimate produced by Treasury officials?"
But Mr Cameron said Ms Harman did not understand that unemployment was "going to fall" and said the government was no longer responsible for publishing the figures.
A lot of heat and very little light was generated by today's PMQs exchange about rival statistics Nick Robinson, BBC News Political Editor Read Nick's thoughts in full
Downing Street defended the OBR's decision to publish the details of its latest employment forecasts earlier than planned.
The prime minister's official spokesman said the OBR was an independent body and added: "It was due to publish these figures [on Thursday] but, given the article in The Guardian which was obviously misleading, they decided to bring that forward."
The Treasury elaborated and said The Guardian's figures were "wrong".
In a statement, it said: "They are draft figures from early June that do not show the impact of final Budget measures on employment.
"They do not reflect the OBR's judgement about the economy's response to the action announced in the Budget and they are annual, not cumulative.
"The OBR's Budget forecast was for employment to rise in every year of this parliament.
"The further figures they published today confirm this, with 1.3 million more people in employment by 2015-16, and show their view on public sector employment from their pre-Budget and Budget forecasts."
'Question mark'
The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development's chief economist John Philpott said the government needed to be careful.
He said: "The government thinks that just by...tackling the deficit, there will be a vent for
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than trying to just recirculate them within Google properties. That many businesses have gained, grown and thrived off Google traffic without ever paying for it. That for all the poster children of wrong-doing that get attention, there are many more that have benefited that you don’t hear about, because no one complains about things going well.
That doesn’t excuse Google for getting things wrong. That doesn’t mean it’s correct about whatever the case is with MetaFilter or other sites it has issues with. That doesn’t mean the company doesn’t have much more it could do to improve. But perspective is useful, because making such decisions as a search engine is hard. Really hard — and if you want to better understand, I recommend this article and video: Could You Walk In Google’s Shoes? Making Tough Calls With Search Listings.
And if you haven’t yet read enough, here’s a billion background articles with more:
Postscript: The “Then Again, MetaFilter Has Gotten Some Unmentioned Help From Google” section of this was added a few hours after the original post, when I saw Cutts make his tweet. I hadn’t seen that (and had looked) when writing the original piece.The Tri-City ValleyCats (Short Season A; NY-Penn League) are planning a unique tribute to Friends, as the club will become the SmellyCats for one game.
Scheduled for September 1 at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, the “The One with the Friends Theme” promotion will pay homage to the hit TV series Friends. For that game, the ValleyCats will become the Tri-City SmellyCats and take the field in specialty SmellyCats jerseys.
The jerseys will be auctioned during the game to benefit the Upstate New York MS Society, which hosted a walk at “The Joe” in May.
“The MS Society has had tremendous success in the Capital Region, thanks to the generous people who live here,” said Kyla Manny, an MS Society representative. “We are thankful for the opportunity to continue to work with the ValleyCats to raise money and defeat a terrible disease.”
The SmellyCats jersey is just one of several that the ValleyCats are planning for the 2017 season. Among the club’s other specialty jerseys include Christmas in July, Harry Potter Quidditch, and Make-a-Wish.
The ‘Christmas in July’ tops will benefit the Salvation Army with a jersey auction on July 12, when the ‘Cats take on the defending New York-Penn League champion State College Spikes.
When the ValleyCats host the Vermont Lake Monsters on Sunday, July 30, the team will don retro Houston Astros blue jerseys in celebration of Make-a-Wish Northeastern New York’s ‘30 Years of Wishes’ celebration. The jerseys, which feature a tile portrait of Capital Region wish kids, will be also be distributed via an auction during the game.
On Monday, August 7, the ‘Cats will wear Harry Potter-themed jerseys and host a raffle during the game to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities.Head back a few years ago and director Justin Lin wasn’t likely to top any Hollywood shortlists after delivering Annapolis and a lackluster pair of Fast and Furious films. But just the previous summer the helmer directed one of the most entertaining blockbusters of the season with Fast Five and while he’s currently shooting a sixth iteration, potential projects seem to be lining up in his favor.
Just a few days ago we heard of a possible sci-fi comedy he’d be directing and now The Hollywood Reporter updates on another project he’s signed on to. Titled Hibernation, the sci-fi thriller, which unfortunately has no plot details, comes from a script by newcomers Geneva Robertson and Will Frank and is described as a “dynamic futuristic thriller” with a story that’s “fresh, inventive and one [that’s] immensely compelling.”
Staying in the sci-fi genre we have a very brief update on a project that Justin Lin was thought to helm — the fifth iteration in the Terminator series. We heard over a year ago that he dropped the project due to his commitment with the Fast and Furious series. Considering rights holder and financier Megan Ellison was looking to head into production on this new film — which would see Arnold Schwarzenegger back as lead — right around this time, Lin passed due to his duty at Universal with Fast Six.
With that film finishing up production for a summer 2013 release, we’ve got a cryptic tweet from Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures that hints we are getting an update on the continuation of the Terminator series soon. This is a guessing game, but Lin previously hinted he could jump back in as long as his Fast work was done, so could we be seeing his name in an announcement soon? We’ll have to wait and see, but for now check out the tweet below.
“The whole thing goes: The future’s not set. There’s no fate but what we make for ourselves.” -John Connor, Terminator 2 (news is coming) — Annapurna Pictures (@AnnapurnaPics) October 30, 2012
Do you want to see Lin direct Terminator 5? What about Hibernation?Ever since we announced the partnership between Turn 10 Studios and Bethesda Game Studios back in November 2015, Forza and Fallout fans have been talking about the impending arrival of the Chryslus Rocket ’69, and now we have an exciting update. Built for cruising the highways and byways of the pre-apocalypse, the micro fusion-powered Chryslus Rocket ‘69 will soon be turning laps on the world-famous circuits of Forza Motorsport 6.
Beginning today, codes for the Chryslus Rocket '69 will be sent via Xbox Live messages to gamers who have played either Forza Motorsport 6 or Fallout 4 on Xbox One while connected to their Xbox Live profile (one code per Xbox Live account). Due to the millions of codes being sent, it can take up to seven days for codes to arrive. Players who purchase Forza Motorsport 6 and/or Fallout 4 between April 14 and the end of the month will receive their codes beginning in early May.
With its retro-futuristic lines and performance that will take you from zero to “whoa” in a handful of seconds, the Chryslus Rocket ‘69 is a unique addition to any car collection featuring a custom Forzavista experience that details its history and lets players check out its features in astonishing detail.
Stay tuned to ForzaMotorsport.net for more information on the Chryslus Rocket ’69, including a special interview discussing the creation of the car with the mad geniuses at Bethesda. We’ll also be hosting a special photo and livery contest starring the Rocket in the near future!Illustration by Meaghan Garvey
Slim Thug is pretty sure that he can be the next mayor of Houston. Nothing against Sylvester Turner, the Harvard Law-educated, ex-congressman and current incumbent, but he wouldn't stand a chance against the Boss of All Bosses, the legendary Swishahouse alumnus, whose popularity in the Lone Star state rivals the eternal devotion of Bruce Springsteen fans in New Jersey.
"If Donald Trump can be the president, I can be the mayor. The only thing I ever did was smoke weed," the 36-year old rapper says, nonchalantly assessing his political odds in the backseat of an Uber SUV. He's being shuttled to the Day for Night Festival, where he's set to rock an H-Town showcase alongside a handful of hometown icons (Devin the Dude, Bun B, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Lil Flip, Lil Keke, and Z-Ro).
"It don't matter what you've done anymore," the original Thugga continues, wearing green pants, a white Hogglife T-shirt, a black patent leather snapback, dark mirrored shades and a thick "don't mess with Texas" beard. "Trump's wife posed for naked photos and stole someone's speech and he still won!"
Since Calvin Coolidge claimed, "the chief business of the American people is business," there's been the misguided belief that everything would run smoothly if cities, states, and the nation itself were run like an efficient conglomerate. Factor in the 21st century obsession with celebrity and social media, and it's no surprise that Donald Trump won.
"I'm going to run on one issue. I'm going to fix the streets because I know we like our rims and don't want them to get fucked up."
For those same reasons, I would bet on the North Side's Slim Thug uniting the subtly diverse and far-flung quadrants of his hometown. He's a famously savvy entrepreneur who has owned record stores, run his own label, and created a BossLife brand of T-shirts and shoes. He's a real estate mogul who builds homes with his BossLife construction. The guy could teach a class on vertical integration at Rice. And unlike the President, you can trust Slum Thug with the nuclear codes; after all, he squashed beefs with Z-Ro, Rick Ross, and Lil Flip with nary a shot fired.
"I'm going to run on one issue," Thug smirks, filming this soliloquy for Instagram Live. "I'm going to fix the streets because I know we like our rims and don't want them to get fucked up."
Then he interrupts himself to point out a new Pappadeaux's that they just built downtown.
Houston is so sprawling that it might as well be its own country: one with its own slang, heroes, and social codes that simultaneously entice and are exoticized by outsiders. Hence, why it's lingo and customs from slabs to sauce have been constantly re-appropriated over the last decade. But that's partially why it celebrates its rap legends with the same evangelical fervor as a Joel Osteen disciple (Thug, in fact, sampled the Texas mega-church pastor on 2015's "Church.")
Maybe you only remember the rapper born Stayve Thomas for his verse on "Still Tippin" and Already Platinum, his full-length collaboration with the Neptunes. But for almost a decade before and after that major label debut, Slim Thug has operated as a de facto H-Town Sultan of Swang. In 2014, the city officially proclaimed February 25th "Slim Thug day." When Anthony Bourdain touched down in Screwston, Slim Thug took him to Burns BBQ and taught him the second meaning of candy-coated.
Over two dozen mixtapes and albums, Thug has instantiated his city's independent streak, unshakeable sense of self-reliance, and ten-gallon confidence. He talks shit with the glorious arrogance and double-barreled baritone of the man who introduced himself to the world as "that 6'6" long dick slim nigga sticking your chick." And his latest, February's Welcome 2 Houston, lays more groundwork for his future political fortunes.
Following his performance at Day for Night, we spoke at Houston's 8th Wonder Brewery, sipping glasses of his "Boss Beer." Interrupted constantly by admirers and fans, Thug simultaneously greeted them and answered my questions without missing a beat. Every vote counts.
Noisey: What was your childhood like growing up on the North Side?
Slim Thug: It was cool. I was from the hood. Raised by single mother with seven kids, and I'm the baby. We moved all over the Northside from the Homestead area to the Acres Homes area. There were a lot of evictions. I went to about 11 different schools growing up. so I don't really have a lot of the day one friends that I've I known all my life.
I feel like youngest children always get a little hand-me-down wisdom inherited from their older siblings.
Exactly, man. You see everything… brothers going to jail and we have to drive to go visit them, momma's struggling to put money on they books, shit like that. You just see a lot of your older brothers, and start hanging around older people so you understand shit more and mature faster.
Obviously, Rap-A-Lot must've been everywhere.
The GOATs and pioneers of Houston. That was the major label from Houston that made us look like, "Yo, that's the big time, Rap-A-Lot." We also had a huge independent scene. Every neighborhood had a record label in the 90s. Every neighborhood had successful stars: Fat Pat, DJ Screw, Lil Keke. So it's a beautiful thing man, and that was our mind frame because we had the plug in Houston. We had Southwest Wholesale, which was a distribution company. Us having access to that that gave us the boss mind frame like, "hey man. let's start our own record label."
You could go pick up your check right down the street from where I was living, and we was selling 100,000 albums at $8. That's a lick. That's almost a million bucks. You not thinking, "Oh let me go sell my boxes to a major label." You thinking, "Damn I can do all this right here."
Then there was the chopped and screwed. It was bigger than anything going on right now. Everybody was listening to it, not just black folks. It wasn't even albums though. It was mixtapes. We'd freestyle over other people's shit at home, go to compact center, purchase 1000 blanks, press 'em up at the crib, put the cover on 'em, and sell 'em wholesale for $8 in the stores.
That was a lot of money, so to go to New York and say, "man they wanna give me $250,000 for 4 albums?" It didn't make sense. It did if you really wanted to be famous. You had to pick. Do I want to get some money right now or do I want to be really famous? And that might not work because we on some chopped and screwed shit, and the world wasn't ready for it back then.
Did people come to Houston trying to throw money at you before the Star Trak/Interscope deal?
Every label, man. I talked to Lyor Cohen, all the different labels at that time, but I was young and I was just thinking get some money, and Interscope and Geffen was coming with that. I'd been independent since 17 and was 24 at the time. I was going to the same places over and over and felt that it was time to go to the next level.
A lot of motherfuckers can't even trace the real work I've put in because it was all chopped and screwed, but these motherfuckers out here know, because I was hand to hand and met them. That's the difference.
One of the things that always struck me about the Chopped and Screwed tapes was how broad DJ Screw's tastes were. He'd have a random Z-Ro verse next to Above The Law.
DJ Screw was a master at that. The difference between Michael Watts of Swishahouse and DJ Screw, was that he was more on some, live, you know, everything live. Michael Watts played what's out now, the new hot songs. He'll play it up to date like it was radio. You want to hear the new hot songs? It's on the new Swishahouse tape, and we got a freestyle with it.
It's hard to even explain it, you had to be here to really see it. Everybody was superstars. Lil Flip, Yungstar. Everybody had people running up to them everywhere they were.
"Everyone was a star. That's why it was so big. Everybody was into it because they might be getting a shout out. Or if not them, their neighborhood."
It holds up because it feels like it's rap in its purest form. Young kids first trying to impress their friends next to them, and then impress the neighborhood and the city at large.
Exactly—because that's what it was based on. DJ Screw and Swishahouse it was, "aye shout out to my boy Larry riding on vogues, the neighborhood dope dealer." We shouting him out, shouting out his car, and then we naming our neighborhoods and different people from our hood, so everyone was a star. That's why it was so big. Everybody was into it because they might be getting a shout out. Or if not them, their neighborhood.
Who were your favorite rappers as a kid?
I started really listening to rap at eight years old through Too $hort and Eazy-E. As I got older and grew up and got more into it, it was the Rap-A-Lot days—they woke us up on everything. The Geto Boys and Scarface led to the UGKs, and that UGK era was just, that was the world.
How do you feel like Houston itself on a cultural level has changed?
Houston used to be a big small town where everybody was on candy cars and chopped and screwed music, and that was what you would see all day, every day. But now, there are so many people from so many other places that it's turned into a real city.
Shit changes. It used to be that every song on the radio damn near was from a rapper from around here, and it's definitely not like that anymore. But we still get support out here from local radio stations.
Was your entrepreneurial streak innate or something honed growing up on the streets?
It's normal to me, man. More than being known as a rapper, I want to be a successful businessman. I feel like I need to have some legacy to hand down to my children and family.
I've always been a rapper, but never just a rapper. I wanted to be more like a J. Prince than Scarface.
When did the idea of calling yourself the boss start to gestate?
I had a dropped El Dorado, which was the car from the show, Dukes of Hazzard. And that show had Boss Hogg, so they used to call me Boss Hogg before I was even rapping. So I always had the Boss Hogg thing, and I did a mixtape called The Boss a long time ago, back in 2000 or 2001. That really made people start calling me that.
What has being an entrepreneur taught you about management and how to delegate authority?
It's just hard work. You expect that because you're a rapper and have some money that you just jump into whatever business you want and be successful. But you have to jump into each business knowing you're a beginner. You have to respect everybody and realize that you can't just dump a bunch of bread into something and think it's going to work out, and you're going to be the man. You have to start from the bottom like everybody else and build yourself up and get the knowledge and do the work, and understand it. That's the way to be successful in anything.
How old were you when you bought your first record store?
Nineteen or 20. One of the owners of a CD store had to go to jail, and he was going to shut the shop down, so we dropped 20 bands, and he let us take over. And we made that 20 bands back that same month. We went from wholeselling it to him for $8 dollars to selling a CD for $15, and we kept all the money. The flip was just amazing. We spent 50 cents on each one and kept $15.
I first learned the game from DJ Michael Watts in Swishahouse. When we hit the road, we hit all the stores and slanged them CDs and tapes in club parking lots, parks, the mall. I had a backpack in school full of them.
I understood what it was and that I couldn't go to jail for it. Everything that I knew before that, I had to go to jail for what I was selling. After I saw that, I started taking rapping more seriously and doing better flows and marketing. Show money started coming in and I just started building.
What first got you into real estate?
That's just the move. Boss Life Construction we build from the bottom up. We got a whole block in Acres Homes. Eight houses all together. We're trying to clean up the neighborhood and make affordable homes, so it's a good thing, a positive thing and good business.
Are the lessons you learned in rap applicable to real-estate development?
They're all life lessons to me. I don't really go into character, so I just really sit back and look at life the same way. Dealing with rap and dealing with the business side of it, definitely helps you in any other thing you do. If you don't have your eyes open, you can end up lost.
"When you own your masters, you get a check every month. I live off of that. Boss of All Bosses still probably pays all my bills."
So are you really going to run for mayor?
Shit, I was just joking. I don't know. I doubt it… but maybe. I'm gonna have to do some more amazing shit in Houston to where motherfuckers can see that and I can say, "Yeah, I used to rap and do this here, but look what I did for the community." So if I keep building that up, then who knows? Maybe I will run.
Looking back on that kid that first became known to the world in 2004, how do you think you've evolved as an artist since then?
Just bossed up. Everybody's catching up though. As that shit turns into iTunes and Apple streams, everybody's going to start being independent and caring about having their masters. It's crazy how in the rap game, people look forward to selling themselves. They're ready to sell themselves for a deal and don't even own their masters.
It sounds cool. It's a check, but that first check to do the album is probably the only check you're most likely going to receive. You're gonna be recouping forever. When you own your masters, you get a check every month. I live off of that. Boss of All Bosses still probably pays all my bills.
What do you think it is that has allowed Houston rap and the culture to sustain itself and thrive?
It's a transcending culture, man. What we was doing out here a long time ago, motherfuckers is just now doing it around the world. When we was going around talking about drank, New York mothafuckas was like "Y'all down there sipping cough syrup, B?"
It was like we were tripping, but now everybody on it. The chopped and screwed shit was trendsetting man, but I don't know, it's just something about the 1990s Houston movement that just was infectious. Everybody wanted to get on it, everybody wanted to be a part of it, and everybody loved it.
What are the most important things for people to understand about you as a man and an artist?
I don't think people understand how successful I am in Houston. I don't have a major deal, so the shit that I do doesn't reach everywhere. I'm not spending money to promote my shit. I don't spend no money on radio. I don't do none of that.
But because I don't do that I end up getting all my money. I never got off the radio out here. I've always had something going on here in Houston. When I go out of town to New York or something, people know me for "Still Tippin," but I have Houston hits that paid us for years and years. There's so much music that's been done, but only pushed through independent channels and a lot of people in the world don't know that. But if you go to Apple Music and look up Slim Thug, it's like a long-ass catalog.
If you wasn't around here in Houston, you couldn't even understand how these people out here still know me and my music.
What's most valuable to you in life?
Life is about building and taking your family to the next level. If you're in the hood, you need to take your family out the hood. You need to leave something for your family. It's about family for me. It's about living and leaving a good legacy.
Jeff Weiss is already platinum on Twitter.Scott Neville hopes to erase his A-League pain with strong AFC Champions League performances before he leaves Western Sydney to embark on a renaissance with the Glory.
His desire for a shot at a second successive grand final was scuppered last Friday night, when Brisbane Roar beat the Wanderers in a penalty shootout in their elimination final at Suncorp Stadium.
Now the 28-year-old wants nothing more than to go out on a high in the Wanderers' last two ACL group games, against Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan on Wednesday night and Shanghai SIPG in Campbelltown on May 10.
"I've signed with Perth for the next three years, that's why I was even more emotional after losing to Brisbane," Neville told AAP from Saitama.
"Not only did I want to play in another grand final, but go one better and finish my journey here with a victory.
"That's why I want to finish the last two games in the ACL as positively as possible."
The Wanderers must win big against the Reds and SIPG to even be in with a shot of progressing to the knockout stage as one of the top two in Group F.
Even then, other results must go their way to continue their continental campaign.
It's a task made more difficult after their sudden-death loss to the Roar that has left players mentally drained and physically exhausted.
In addition, J-League heavyweights Urawa are no easy opposition with Neville describing the team that beat the Wanderers 4-0 in February as the best team in Asia.
Yet Neville is confident this season's hectic schedule had the much-improved WSW squad conditioned to deal with the load and play for pride, if nothing else.
"We could easily come over here and say 'our season's over', but all the boys are motivated to put in a strong performance and finish off the season well," Neville said.
"We just need to try and pick up maximum points in the next two games, hopefully that can be enough."
If it is, Neville can extend his Wanderers career a little longer before he heads west and Glory right-back Josh Risdon heads in the opposite direction.
"I love the Wanderers, it's been a great club for me... I've grown not only as a player, but a person as well," Neville said.
"Popa is the best coach I've ever had, I've got such respect for him.
"I still hope the club does well even after I've moved on, it's definitely the best A-League club in my opinion."The unveiling of a new billboard in West Hollywood. Photo by the author
Bleach-blond women on stilts waving oversized fans motioned me up the stairs to the second-floor balcony above the burger joint so I could get a better view of the upcoming unveiling. I was at a nondescript West Hollywood strip mall where smartly dressed young people who resembled Aaron Sorkin's idea of political staffers milled about with local business types, eating hors d'oeuvres served on platters by young women in white T-shirts that said “ACE.”
“This is wonderful,” said Genevieve Morrill, president and CEO of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. “This is a great example of what we can do.”
A young man walked over with a pair of giant scissors. Words were spoken, and a ribbon was cut, while across the parking lot three men in hard hats dropped a tarp, revealing the reason we were all there: a billboard with an ad for a high-tech thermostat—or rather, the pole holding it up. In fact, nobody mentioned the ad at all.
“When you think of a magnificent outdoor advertising space—it really begins with the pole,” explained Brad Yacullo, managing partner of ACE Outdoor Advertising, in a press release handed out at the April 16 event.
More than just a pole, its design provided “an opportunity to rethink conventional urban infrastructure,” according to architect Lorcan O'Herlihy. “The structure is a fluid gesture inspired by the stream of traffic coursing below,” he said in a statement, sounding like someone’s idea of a museum curator. “The billboard enacts an abstraction of movement and motion captured in space,” its color—“cobalt blue”—a “link to the ever-present surrounding blue sky.”
“It's really beautiful,” said West Hollywood Mayor John D'Amico in an interview with public radio station KPCC. “It's exceptional, and I think it will reset the standard for new billboards and revised billboards on the Sunset Strip.” This is just the beginning, for the mayor believes “billboards are part of the Sunset Strip's cultural identity,” according to KPCC, and “he's ready to see more innovative billboards there: projected billboards, lit-up billboards, three-dimensional billboards.”
The dream of ACE and its ilk is to put billboards everywhere you rest your eyes—a full-on revival of what the mayor calls “billboard culture,” which once made the Sunset Strip “something that people would drive miles and miles to come and see.”
Perhaps some people will drive through Hollywood traffic to see a few ads, but the mayor himself was “running late,” according to an aide, and didn't get make it in time to see the dramatic unveiling. And why would he? It's just a pole that holds an ad. Those who did make it to the party acted as if they were all in on a joke, that perhaps with the push of a strong cocktail the flowery language about that wonderful pole would give way to a smirk and a confession: “Wasn't that some bullshit?”
As they likely knew, those assembled there weren't contributing to any real cultural achievement but erecting a cobalt blue gravestone to mark where one used to be. And that bugs that hell out of some of the people who used to practically live on the Strip.
Billboards on the Sunset Strip. Photo via Flickr user Michael Dorausch
“I detest nostalgia on principle—it always includes historical amnesia,” said Carol Wells, founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of Political Graphics, a nonprofit that collects, analyzes, and exhibits politically charged art. In the 60s, Wells and her husband would go to the Sunset Strip to hang out and be part of what was then a “burgeoning youth and countercultural scene.” Even in those days, the most iconic monument on the Strip was an advertisement, a 70-foot cowboy who used rugged masculinity to sell cancer. Still, Wells told me, back then Sunset Boulevard had a culture that wasn’t a result of crass advertising campaigns.
“I would walk along the Sunset Strip on a date,” she said, “people-watching, visiting a bookstore, occasionally being accosted by someone proselytizing for Scientology.” Young people flocked to a club called Pandora's Box to hear jazz and see the hottest rock bands. It wasn't a paradise, but it was nowhere near as obnoxious as it is today. Some billboards even stood for something back then.
In January 1966, for example, a “billboard-sized sign” was put up at a major intersection on Sunset Boulevard, as historian Jon Wiener recently recounted in the Los Angeles Times, announcing in three-foot tall letters: “Stop the War in Vietnam.” Vandals destroyed it, but the artists rebuilt, and a few weeks later they used that space to put up a “Peace Tower,” which featured 418 separate two-by-two-foot works of antiwar art. It didn't last for long.
“Night after night,” wrote Wiener, “would-be saboteurs came hoping to destroy the Tower of Protest, some of them active-duty soldiers and Marines from nearby military bases.” One evening, 300 “pro-war men” arrived at the structure and assaulted the 15 to 20 volunteers who stayed up all night defending it. When sheriff's deputies arrived, they sided with the saboteurs and got to beating some hippies. The owner of the lot where the tower was built had had enough and, just three months after it went up, the tower was gone. Today, next to where the tower once stood there is a tanning salon, a store selling hand-crafted cowboy boots, and a place to buy organic dog food. (In 2012, the tower itself was briefly commemorated with a similar structure on an empty lot down the street and off the Strip.)
What happened to the Sunset Strip is not that the kids just got old and sold out—the scene was intentionally destroyed by business leaders and city authorities, who in 1966 imposed a 10 PM curfew and forced the closure of several nightclubs. After a rally at Pandora's Box, one of the doomed clubs, LA County Supervisor Ernest Debs labeled the the young protesters “misguided hoodlums.” In the end, skulls were cracked, clubs associated with the counterculture were closed and torn down, the earth salted. The Strip was taken away from the rowdy kids, their culture stamped out and replaced with a lack thereof. Where once there was a lively spirit of rebellion, today there is a geriatric rock band on a reunion tour, a Hustler shop, and Dane Cook performing standup.
The average resident of LA might now go to the Strip for a concert once every other year, as a decent venue or two managed to escape the city's bulldozers, but unless soullessness is your scene, you’ll leave right after your show ends. These days, the only people really in their element on the Strip have black BMWs and an unjustified sense of entitlement. They wear the most expensive products advertised all around them—Diesel jeans, Prada glasses, bodily odors by Calvin Klein—and have a tab at the Standard, a luxury hotel so mindlessly hip it spells its name upside down and keeps a conventionally attractive young woman locked in a glass cube behind the check-in desk.
The modern Strip is also home to a den of pretentious insufferability called the Soho House, “a private members' club for those in film, media, and creative industries.” For $2,000 a year (or half that if the person is under 27), members are afforded the opportunity to avoid the riffraff by hanging out in a garden lined with olive trees on the top of a high-rise overlooking Sunset Boulevard. It's where Hollywood goes to network and the sort of place where you might see the back of P. Diddy's head as he chows down on some $18 quinoa or bump into that woman who used to be on the Daily Show but isn't anymore because she wasn't any good.
This is what the Sunset Strip is today: a quick stop for tourists looking to gawk at an eight-story ad for Game of Thrones and a hangout for the over-privileged refuse that falls from the Hollywood Hills. It's a juice bar next to a juice bar next to a boutique lingerie store, with Photoshopped bodies scantily clad in expensive clothes everywhere the eye can see. It's just fucking awful.
A billboard installation by the Guerrilla Girls art collective. Photo courtesy of the Guerrilla Girls
“John D’Amico’s justification for the proliferation of billboards on Sunset Strip because it is 'known' for its corporate culture is very cynical and self-serving,” Wells told me. He's doing it for the money—the city gets $10,000 a month from that cobalt-blue pole alone—which could be justified if it went to a good cause, but claiming that billboards somehow enrich neighborhoods is a slap in the face to those old enough to remember a time when the culture wasn't so obviously soulless. Even the mayor recognizes this idea as politically toxic: D'Amico took time out of an interview promoting the Strip's “billboard culture” to stress that he wouldn't allow it to spread any further than it has. “None of us want more billboards along Melrose or Fairfax or Santa Monica Boulevard,” he said. Only advertisers do.
Of course, it's not billboards themselves that are loathed, but the purposes for which they are used and the messages they carry—all those reminders that we are ugly and inadequate and in need of some new and improved idea of perfection. A billboard is but a canvas; that the canvas is so often used to create a roadside blemish is a commentary on those who can afford to use them.
“Capitalism has always attempted to define our cultural values,” Wells said. But while “the system is able to co-opt most forms of dissent”—Forever 21 selling shirts adorned with the logo of the Black Panthers—“fortunately, new forms keep developing.” Some artists adopt the corporate aesthetic to make an anti-capitalist point, like designing a police riot shield using the colors and logo of an oil company.
There’s even a history of socially conscious billboard installations. The Guerrilla Girls, the famous anonymous art collective, has purchased space on a number of billboards in West Hollywood protesting the film industry's treatment of women. In 2002, they put up one that featured a flabby, middle-aged white man with the words, “The Anatomically Correct Oscar.” A similar 2003 installation observed that “Even the US Senate is More Progressive Than Hollywood,” a claim based on the number of women each institution employs.
But few artists can afford to outbid a corporation for space on a billboard; even ones as popular as the Guerrilla Girls can only do it occasionally, and then only for a short time. And even when they do manage to put something up in a place where people will actually see it, their work can be taken down if a corporation doesn't like it. In 1990, Los Angeles artist Robbie Conal put up a piece on a West Hollywood billboard critical of far-right senator Jesse Helms, who at the time was trying to slash federal funding of the National Endowment for the Arts. The work, Artificial Art Official, featured the senator's face on an artist's palette covered in paint—with the thumb hole in the middle of his head—and though he had paid good money to put it up, it “was soon ordered removed by skittish billboard company executives,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Though it was put back up a day later after a public outcry, “The experience with that billboard taught me never to do anything legal ever again,” Conal was quoted as saying in sociologist Steven Dublin's book Arresting Images: Impolitic Art and Uncivil Actions. The point was made: If you want to display art in an American city through legitimate methods, that means opening yourself up to censorship from corporations and politicians, particularly if your work isn’t pretty and pleasantly apolitical.
By their nature, billboards exploit public space for private gain, something we take for granted in this age of austere capitalism; despite the democratic platitudes mouthed by politicians, few even think to apply democratic values to the commons. But billboards need not be platforms for brands alone. If anyone wants to build a true “billboard culture,” the community, not just corporations, should be offered a chance to contribute.
Joe Smoke, the director of grants administration for LA's Department of Cultural Affairs, pointed me to several organizations that have helped put art on billboards. And the Los Angeles Nomadic Division, a non-profit devoted to public
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time Miss Robertson travelled to the Grand Hyatt, a 20-minute drive from the city's international airport.
Staff at the hotel confirmed to the Daily Mail yesterday that the Qantas crew had been booked in as usual that night.
But Miss Robertson apparently did not use her room.
She has told friends that not long after arriving in Mumbai her mobile phone rang.
It was Fiennes. He wanted to see her again.
They met at a hotel and spent a passionate night together, this time practising safe sex.
"Lisa was completely smitten by him," said a friend. "She just hoped that the relationship could continue on from there but perhaps she was hoping for too much."
It is understood she has not heard from Fiennes since their encounter.
According to the actor's schedule, he had to set off the next morning for engagements in Indian villages, which included 'preaching' about the dangers of Aids and the need to engage in safe sex.
Days before the incident last month, Fiennes's girlfriend Sirin Lewenden is said to have ended their relationship because of his 'wandering eye' and constant demands for sex.
Yesterday it emerged that the liaison with Fiennes could prove rather profitable for Miss Robertson, who was declared bankrupt three years ago.
She is said to have spent this week negotiating media deals to tell the story of her fling on flight QF123 and has gone into hiding.
A former undercover drug-squad officer for New South Wales police, her marriage to a police officer ended in divorce apparently due to the demands of their jobs.
Police sources said yesterday that she had suffered 'burn out' due to the pressure of her job posing as a drug addict to catch criminals.
She left the force in 2003 after two years of long-term sick leave.
Police sources said her condition was serious enough to leave her with a pension of 80 per cent of her wages for the rest of her life.
However, she later fell heavily into debt.
Sydney newspapers reported that she went bankrupt three years ago with debts of £200,000, and still has several months to wait before she is discharged.
Since the story emerged at the weekend Fiennes has chosen not to comment.Image caption The woman was sent to Singapore from Delhi for further treatment
A female student gang-raped on a bus in India's capital Delhi has "taken a turn for the worse" at a Singapore hospital, doctors say.
The 23-year-old arrived in Singapore on Thursday after undergoing three operations in a Delhi hospital.
"Her vital signs are deteriorating with signs of severe organ failure," hospital official Kelvin Loh said.
The attack earlier this month triggered violent public protests in India that left one police officer dead.
Six men have been arrested and two police officers have been suspended following the 16 December attack.
Doctors had earlier described the woman as "fighting for her life".
Family informed
Mr Loh said in a statement that the hospital had put her on "maximum artificial ventilation support, optimal antibiotic doses as well as stimulants which maximise her body's capability to fight infections".
"Her family members have been informed that her condition has deteriorated and they are currently by her side to encourage and comfort her," he said.
"The High Commission of India is with her and her family at this critical time. Our medical team continues to provide all possible treatment and care," Mr Loh added.
On arrival at the hospital in Singapore, doctors said that as well as a "prior cardiac arrest, she also had infection of her lungs and abdomen, as well as significant brain injury".
Image caption The case has provoked protests across India in recent days
The government has tried to halt rising public anger by announcing a series of measures intended to make Delhi safer for women.
These include more police night patrols, checks on bus drivers and their assistants, and the banning of buses with tinted windows or curtains.
The government has also said that it will post the photos, names and addresses of convicted rapists on official websites to shame them.
The victim and her friend had been to see a film when they boarded the bus in the Munirka area, intending to travel to Dwarka in south-west Delhi.
Police said she was raped for nearly an hour, and both she and her companion were beaten with iron bars and thrown out of the moving bus into a Delhi street.
India's Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said in a statement on Thursday that the government had decided to send the victim overseas on the recommendation of her doctors.
"Despite the best efforts of our doctors, the victim continues to be critical and her fluctuating health remains a big cause of concern to all of us," he said.Image caption David Cameron has blamed "straightforward criminality" for the riots in England last month
Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has blamed the "broken penal system" for the riots that erupted across England last month.
Writing in the Guardian, he said the "hardcore" of those involved were known criminals whose behaviour had not been changed by previous punishments.
Almost three quarters of those aged over 18 who were charged over the riots had a prior conviction, he added.
Mr Clarke argued that this made his efforts to reform the penal system and cut reoffending even more important.
The government is piloting payment-by-results schemes for private firms who successfully rehabilitate offenders.
Mr Clarke has argued that prisons should be used for the most serious offenders, suggesting that tough community punishments would be more effective at reducing reoffending for other criminals. But his proposals have been criticised by Labour shadow ministers who say they are driven by a desire to save money.
The justice secretary's articlecame as his department published figures showing that 77 per cent of adults arrested for taking part in the disturbances have a caution or conviction for a previous criminal offence. Speaking to MPs on Tuesday about lessons learnt from the riots, London's mayor Boris Johnson said he broadly supported Mr Clarke's analysis.
'Criminal classes'
In an article for the Guardian, the justice secretary said it had "not yet been widely recognised" that the majority of those charged with rioting or looting were known criminals.
Analysis Kenneth Clarke sees the riots as an "outburst of outrageous behaviour" by criminals who haven't been changed by their previous punishments. So he underlines the need to pay those who have the task of rehabilitating offenders by results. But he goes further, arguing that it is the coalition's mission not just to tackle the financial deficit but the "social deficit" which the riots have highlighted. Using similar terms to the prime minister, he says "rocket boosters" need to be put under plans to reform the education and welfare systems. But unlike the prime minister, he doesn't put human rights legislation in the dock, failing to echo Number 10's belief that such legislation has undermined personal responsibility.
"That is the legacy of a broken penal system - one whose record in preventing reoffending has been straightforwardly dreadful," he wrote.
"In my view, the riots can be seen in part as an outburst of outrageous behaviour by the criminal classes - individuals and families familiar with the justice system who haven't been changed by their past punishments."
Mr Clarke praised the justice system for imposing swift, tough penalties on convicted rioters, but said punishment alone was "not enough".
He outlined his planned changes to the penal system - including making prisoners work harder while behind bars - but said there needed to be wider changes to address "the appalling social deficit that the riots have highlighted".
"It's about having a job, a strong family, a decent education and beneath it all, an attitude that shares in the values of mainstream society," he wrote.
"What is different now is that a growing minority of people in our nation lack all of those things and indeed, have substituted an inflated sense of expectations for a commitment to hard graft."
'Injustices'
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said Mr Clarke was "absolutely right" to highlight high reoffending rates, adding that the situation was "ludicrous".
It's self-evidence that there was a difficulty, a crisis, on the Sunday and Monday that caught everyone unawares Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, speaking to MPs London mayor defends riots police
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What we end up doing is arresting, re-arresting and re-re-arresting the same people for different crimes."
Mr Duncan Smith called for "strong punishment but sensible punishment", saying: "The idea the length of the sentence is going to solve the problem is simplistic nonsense."
An independent "communities and victims panel" has been set up to investigate the causes of the riots and to consider any lessons that can be learned.
Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted the events were the result of "straightforward criminality", and were not about poverty or protest.
He has pledged to put "rocket boosters" under plans to turn around the lives of the UK's 120,000 most troubled families by 2015 - a vow echoed by Mr Clarke in his Guardian article.
Recent figures released by the Ministry of Justice show more than 1,500 people have now appeared in court over the riots which erupted in several English cities last month.
There has been criticism from some penal charities who say the sentences given have been too harsh, but Mr Clarke said judges and magistrates should be trusted "to base decisions on individual circumstances".
He added: "Injustices can occur in any system: but that's precisely why we enjoy the services of the court of appeal."Coming Soon
Trash Truck
Six-year-old Hank and his best buddy -- a honking, snorting trash truck -- go on lots of fun adventures, from learning to fly to visiting the dentist.
Pachamama
Dreaming of becoming a shaman, an impish boy from the Andes journeys across uncharted lands to recover a stolen treasure in this animated adventure.
Love Alarm
A software developer creates an app that alerts users if anyone nearby harbors romantic feelings for them. Adapted from the popular web cartoon.
Tall Girl
Standing 6-foot-3, 16-year-old "tall girl" Jodi has never had a boyfriend. But that could change when a tall exchange student enrolls at her school.
Over the Moon
In this animated musical, a girl builds a rocket ship and blasts off, hoping to meet a mythical moon goddess. Legendary animator Glen Keane directs.
Losers
In a "winning is everything" society, how do we handle failure? This series profiles athletes who have turned the agony of defeat into human triumph.
Tales of the City
Middle-aged Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and the eccentric friends she left behind. Based on Armistead Maupin's books and starring Laura Linney.
Second City Television Special (Working Title)
Martin Scorsese directs this Netflix original comedy special exploring the enduring legacy of Emmy-winning sketch comedy show "SCTV."'The Economist' And 'Financial Times' Already Writing Off ACTA As Dead
from the let's-put-it-out-of-its-misery dept
In the last few days, we've seen an extraordinary wave of announcements by governments in Europe, particularly its eastern part, that they would not be ratifying ACTA immediately. That sequence of events, culminating in today's news that Germany, too, would be holding off, has suddenly made lots of people sit up and take notice.
But even against that tumultuous background, few of us would have expected that two of the most serious business publications in Europe, The Economist and Financial Times, would both go much further than simply noting the problems the treaty now faces, and declare that ACTA is pretty much dead.
Under the headline "ACTA up", The Economist says: "Protests across Europe may kill an anti-piracy treaty", and points out: "Internet activists used to be dismissed as a bunch of hairy mouse-clickers with little clout. Not any more."
The Financial Times' headline is "Latest pact on internet piracy set to be derailed", and the post makes an explicit connection with SOPA and PIPA: A controversial international trade agreement, which campaigners fear would restrict internet freedom looks likely to be delayed or scrapped, the latest in a string of measures planned to combat online piracy to falter in the face of co-ordinated protests. It also offers some interesting thoughts on why the ACTA revolt has been so strong in eastern Europe: The issue has stirred up deep passions there, where access to the internet is seen as one of the rewards of belonging to a democratic society. Illegal downloading is also popular, in part because those societies are poorer than those in western Europe, and in part because many content providers have made it difficult for central Europeans to buy music and films legally online. Finally, it has a fascinating comment from David Martin, the new European Parliament rapporteur on ACTA, who took over after Kader Arif resigned in protest at the way ACTA had been negotiated. Martin says he wants to "canvas views broadly", and to get an opinion from the European Court of Justice on whether ACTA is compatible with the European Union's current laws. As result of this approach, he says: "Realistically, if we go down this route we are looking at a vote in the spring of 2013," he warns. The FT quotes an unnamed diplomat who suggests that this delay may "give enough time for the post-SOPA venom to clear," so that governments can quietly ratify ACTA in their national parliaments and in Brussels next year. It sounds like a clever ploy -- let protesters tire themselves out, then push through ACTA -- but on the basis of the strength of feeling that's manifested itself in Europe recently, I wouldn't bet on it working.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: acta, europe, predictions, pressAaron Swartz is remembered most for his campaign to liberate articles from the academic database JSTOR. That effort led to his indictment on federal hacking charges, which his family blamed for his January suicide. But years earlier, in 2008, Swartz liberated millions of documents from PACER, the paywalled website for federal court records.
In 2009, a group of researchers at Princeton created a Firefox extension called RECAP to help users redistribute PACER documents. (Disclosure: I was a RECAP co-creator but am no longer actively involved in the project.) Swartz's document liberation efforts were crucial to the success of RECAP because the RECAP team seeded its databases with the 2.7 million documents Swartz had downloaded.
A few days after Swartz's death, the entrepreneur Aaron Greenspan announced the Aaron Swartz Memorial Grants, two $5000 grants to improve RECAP. On Tuesday, the RECAP project announced the winners of two grants. One recipient ported the RECAP extension from Firefox to Chrome. The other extended RECAP to capture documents from the appellate courts as well as those at the trial court level.
Tear down this paywall
When the PACER website was created in the 1990s, it was a big step forward for public access to judicial records. Previously, users could only access information through a clunky dial-up service, or by physically traveling to the courthouse. But over the last decade, the PACER website has fallen farther and farther behind. As storage and bandwidth costs plummeted, the courts actually raised PACER fees from seven to 10 cents per page.
RECAP was intended to save users money while also illustrating the absurdity of charging so much money for access to public documents. When a user browses PACER, RECAP automatically notifies the user if the document she wants is already available for free online. RECAP also automatically sends copies of documents the user purchases to an online archive so they can later be shared with other users. The archive is hosted free of charge by the Internet Archive, a non-profit organization based in California.
RECAP has become widely used by journalists, academics, and online activists. Ars reporters are heavy PACER users, as are the anti-troll activists who have dogged organizations like Prenda Law. One anti-troll activist told us he spends about $50 a month on PACER, a number that would presumably be even higher without RECAP.
Until Tuesday, RECAP was a Firefox-only project. Now a Chrome version has been developed by Ka-Ping Yee, an engineer at Google.org.
"Aaron was a friend, and I was powerfully affected by his passing," Yee said in a statement released by the RECAP team. "His life’s work embodied many of the ideals I have long supported. I was disappointed in myself that I hadn’t done much to further these causes, and the grants gave me the opportunity to turn a time of great sadness into a useful contribution."
Yee says he will give his $5000 award to GiveWell, a charity promoted by Aaron Swartz.
The extension of RECAP to the appellate courts was accomplished by a pair of Italians, high school student Filippo Valsorda and graduate student Alessio Palmero Aprosio.
"While working on the project, we got a feel of how the PACER system is unjust and broken," Valsorda said on the RECAP website. "We were fool enough to make a search for 'Smith' and got billed $25 without any warning."
Steve Schultze, the Princeton researcher who runs RECAP, says he's still looking for ideas to improve the project. Google has pledged two $5,000 prizes for proposals to improve the system. Schultze told us that the cash is still up for grabs.Senior BJP leader has filed a petition in the seeking quashing of Justice R M Lodha Committee order suspending (CSK) and from the Indian Premier League (IPL) in "public interest".
The bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam posted the matter for September 23, along with the petition of CSK which had earlier petitioned the court to quash the Justice R M Lodha Committee order.
In his petition, Swamy alleged that the entire proceedings before the Bombay High Court, the Supreme Court, the Justice Mudgal Committee and the Justice R M Lodha Committee were completely vitiated on account of the motivated and vested litigation by Cricket Association of Bihar with "unclean hands". Swamy goes on to argue suspension of the two star cricket teams should be set aside.
The Justice R M Lodha Committee, appointed on instructions of the Supreme Court, on July 14, 2015, has suspended the two teams for two years from along with other orders.
The petition, referring to various press reports, alleged that Lalit Modi, who was associated with earlier, has financed the litigation by secretary of Cricket Association of Bihar against former BCCI president N Srinivasan and others and has influenced the course of events, which has raised concerns regarding the legitimacy of the proceedings before the courts.
In the petition against Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Association of Bihar and chairman of Rajeev Shukla, Swamy alleges that there are e-mail communications between various people that "show the entire proceedings, beginning from a before the Bombay High Court which culminated in the suspension of CSK and Rajasthan Royals, was targeted and is tainted by unclean hands, and were proxy litigation at the behest of vested interest."
It added that the the email communications were made available to Swamy by parties who are privy to the same, and he seeks the direction of the court to file them in a sealed envelope or in a redacted form if the Court directs.
He also submitted that he apprehends that Justice Mudgal Committee was deluged with false material supplied by known associates of Lalit Modi with the ulterior and malicious motive of removing two star cricket teams from the IPL.
It also alleged that a former President of the BCCI allowed Lalit Modi to manage his blog and and the same person was made to implead himself in the Supreme Court with financial support of Modi.
In the Court, Swamy argued that he is strictly acting in the interest of the public. Speaking to reporters later, he said that CSK is a pride of Tamil Nadu and India and a top class team, which N Srinivasan has built up since 2008.
"There is no charge against them. Neither any charge has been made nor any charge was found," he said. "Why should the team be held responsible?", he asked.When I think about social anxiety, I often recall a college party with my snowboarding team.
This was during my second year of college – a definite low point for my self esteem. I can clearly remember sitting in a corner, sipping on a red cup full of bottom shelf liquor, and obsessing about what everyone else might be thinking about me.
The truth is they were all too busy getting drunk and having fun to notice how reserved I was being, let alone stop and actually judge me… But that’s social anxiety for you.
You know that feeling you get when you’re in an uncomfortable social situation, right?
Maybe you’re talking to that one coworker who rubs you the wrong way. Or maybe you at a party where you don’t really know anyone. Either way, you tense up and act like a robot.
It’s like the life drains out of you and you’re only functioning at 50%… almost like you’re no longer YOU. The scary thing is that if you fall into this trap too often, you risk suppressing your true nature and forgetting how to freely express yourself.
Bonus: and learn how to double your confidence and get over social anxiety… in just 30 days!
Why Do You Hide Your True Colors?
When it comes down to it, the reason you’re holding back from fully expressing yourself is because you’re afraid of being judged. You’re afraid of being judged for who you truly are.
It’s a form of shame, really. You’re not comfortable exposing your full identity because you’re ashamed of it, at least on some level. This is the reason why so many people are so deathly afraid of just being themselves and unapologetically expressing their thoughts, preferences, and emotions…
I secluded myself to the corner at that party because I was afraid that if I joined in on the fun, let loose, and exposed my true nature that I would be judged and shunned. So I sat there, paralyzed, and did nothing. Of course, this only fed my anxiety and made things worse.
I’m driving this point home because I want you to see how fucking stupid it is. Yes, I’m aware that you probably already understand it’s not ideal to tense up like this and stop being yourself. But I want you to consciously contemplate exactly why you’re doing this and just how unhealthy it is.
Not only are you entertaining this shame and making a habit of suppressing your true nature, but you’re also presenting an inferior image to the world around you. Rather than showing people how passionate, animated, and silly you can be, you present yourself as another ordinary self-conscious individual.
Break the Pattern (Before It’s Too Late)
The only good alternative you have in these situations is to catch yourself tensing up, ideally before you shut down, and make the decision to break the pattern. Instead of getting stuck in your head, worrying about what other people are thinking, and acting like a robot, you can stay open, stay loose, and stay 100% YOU.
An effective way to accomplish this is to focus on your breathing, something I’ve talked about many times before. Basically, as soon as you feel yourself getting tense or nervous, just focus on breathing deep ‘belly’ breaths. Focus on each inhalation and each exhalation. Relax your shoulders and open up your chest, too.
This effectively combats all of the physical symptoms of shutting down. It keeps you present, and keeps you out of your head.
And if you feel like you’re in an eternal state of self-repression, where you’re nearly ALWAYS stuck in your head, then try meditating every morning. This has the potential to ‘reset’ yourself to that blank canvas state of mind before leaving home and starting the day.
It’s really that simple… but simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy. This is something you get better at by practicing it repeatedly in your daily life. Every time you notice yourself shutting down, catch yourself, focus on your breathing, and bring yourself back to life.
Then Just Be Yourself… Unapologetically
Now that you’re loose and you’re in a good headspace, just act naturally. Express yourself without a filter.
Let people know what’s on your mind… Get out of your head and focus on the people around you… Do silly things that you find amusing, you know, the type of dumb shit you normally only do when you’re home alone or hanging with your best friend.
If being yourself and doing these types of things makes you uncomfortable, and starts to shut you down, then take a step back and focus on your breathing again. That’s your life support.
Normally, however, expressing yourself like this actually puts you in an amazing mood. It makes you feel at home. All of those previously intimidating faces are now smiling and laughing with you.
Think of that focused, happy mindset you get into when you’re doing something you love, whether it’s working out, hanging out with close friends, listening to music, or playing video games even. Now try and find more hobbies that naturally put you into this positive mindset. Make it feel like home… like it’s your default state of being.
No, life’s not going to be all fun and fellatio. You’re going to get angry, sad, and frustrated from time to time. But the more often you can bring yourself into this carefree state of effortless self-expression, the happier you’ll be and the better you’ll perform.President Donald Trump's new tax reform plan may be beneficial to some residents with higher incomes, but middle class homeowners on Long Island could be hurt by the removal of state and local tax deductions.
The Republican proposal would consolidate the number of tax brackets from seven to three, decrease the highest tax bracket rate to 35 percent, cut the corporate tax rate to 20 percent and slash the small business tax rate by nearly 14 percent.
Michael Solomon, of Greenport, is pleased with President Trump and his tax reform plan. He falls in the highest tax bracket and is a business owner. Accountant and financial planner Robert Eckhardt says that makes the president's proposal a win-win for him.
"His top bracket is 39.6 percent currently, and the tax proposal right now, we're looking at 35 percent. That's good news for Michael," says Eckhardt.
However, the same is not true for Christine Bressingham, of Holtsville, who works as a consultant in Eckhardt's office. He says Bressingham and other middle class homeowners on Long Island could be hurt by an aspect of the plan that calls for the removal of state and local tax deductions. That would be a big deal in Nassau and Suffolk, where residents pay some of the highest taxes in the nation.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Trump's tax plan "ludicrous." He says it amounts to an illegal double tax for many state residents.
The governor's office released a statistical analysis that found that without being able to deduct state and local taxes, nearly 1 million Long Island taxpayers would see an increase of $4,500 dollars in federal taxes.Alice Krige's Borg Queen oozes sensuality and creepiness in this new poster from Mondo, the Alamo Drafthouse's collectible art boutique. We're bringing you an exclusive first look at the Star Trek: First Contact poster before it goes on sale Thursday.
We brought you an exclusive look at one of Mondo's Star Wars posters before it went on sale a while back, and now here's a Star Trek counterpart.
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This First Contact poster is the work of artist Ken Taylor, and it's the first Mondo Star Trek poster to focus on one of the movies instead of an original series episode. Says Mondo creative director Justin Ishmael:
The first two releases in our STAR TREK series focused on episodes from the original series. SPACE SEED and THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES both featured iconic characters and creatures, so we decided to focus on one of the most recognized and loved of all STAR TREK characters...the Borg. Not only are the Borg incredibly interesting and visually stunning, but they function as a cohesive unit with the queen as their leader.
The most recent Mondo Trek posters, a pair of "Trouble With Tribbles" images focusing on Spock and Uhura, sold out in just 10 minutes.
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As we mentioned, the First Contact poster goes up for sale on Sept. 2 at MondoTees.com, and the best way to get the heads up is probably to follow @MondoNews on Twitter.
Check out an ultra high-res version of the First Contact poster below, plus the previous posters in Mondo's Star Trek series. (As always, you can right-click "full size" and select "save link as" to save the high-res version.)
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Star Trek: First Contact. Art by Ken Taylor.
Star Trek: The Trouble With Tribbles. Art by Olly Moss
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Star Trek: The Trouble With Tribbles. Art by Olly Moss
Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF
Star Trek: Space Seed. Art by Martin AnsinBy Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus, Kabir Khanna and Anthony Salvanto
The public is unhappy with the performance of both parties in Congress. And the midterms are a long way off, but the Democratic Party has not persuaded Americans that things in the country would be any better if they were in control, instead of the Republicans who hold the majority now.
Independents split on this idea, most Republicans (65 percent) not surprisingly think things would become worse, and even a third of Democrats don't think things would change.
CBS News Poll, June 15-18, Margin of error: 4 pts. CBS News Poll
Republicans are only a little more positive about how their party in Congress is doing than Democrats are about their members. Neither side gets high marks from independents, or Americans on the whole.
Some of Democrats' dissatisfaction with their own party is due to the feeling that congressional Democrats are not standing up to the president enough. Among Democrats overall, 45 percent disapprove of how Democrats in Congress are doing their job. But among Democrats who think Congressional Democrats aren't opposing Trump enough, 57 percent disapprove.
Across the aisle, six in ten Republicans want to see congressional Republicans do more to help President Trump, but one-third say they're already doing the right amount.
This poll was conducted by telephone June 15-18, 2017 among a random sample of 1,117 adults nationwide. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, PA. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones.
The poll employed a random digit dial methodology. For the landline sample, a respondent was randomly selected from all adults in the household. For the cell sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone.
Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish using live interviewers. The data have been weighted to reflect U.S. Census figures on demographic variables.
The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus four percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher and is available by request. The margin of error includes the effects of standard weighting procedures which enlarge sampling error slightly.
This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.The Left seems to think they own certain groups of people, like women, minorities and LGBT of course. It all stems from their belief in identity politics really, which is the bread and butter of their agenda. How can they best pander to THIS group or THAT group, always ignoring the individual.
Take this New York Times opinion piece for example:
21 percent of L.G.B.T. people are or lean Republican. What are they thinking? https://t.co/uFrw15deMB pic.twitter.com/ojq7sUwzW4 — NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) February 12, 2017
Somehow we think that percentage is even higher, but the NYT is so freaked out over one in five LGBT being Republican they wrote an opinion piece on it. Almost like they think they should be ashamed of not being Democrats?
It’s like they have a right to support a different party or something. https://t.co/gzQSLKiMXS — Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) February 13, 2017
How dare they wander off the Democrat’s LGBT plantation, right?
@nytopinion they're thinking independently and free from the constraints of the indentity politics into whch you want them to conform — GreggyBooBoo (@OrigCornPapi) February 12, 2017
Independent though!? The nerve!
And yes, they are figuring out the Left says a lot but doesn’t DO a whole lot.
That they can't be pandered to by fucking frauds on the Left like the PanderGranny™ @nytopinion https://t.co/PPfvXzEEHU — Screeching Minority (@EF517_V2) February 13, 2017
Something like that.
@nytopinion They were thinking for themselves. — JWF (@JammieWF) February 13, 2017
Oppression!
@nytopinion It means there's still hope for them. — High Altitudes (@highaltitudes) February 13, 2017
Amen.
@nytopinion So they're not so much into identity politics, but rather, what's good for the whole nation? Outrage!? — gab.ai/Feldjaeger (@ComingledThots) February 13, 2017
What are they thinking, right?
The smug, know-it-all attitude from the Left is killing their party … no one tell them.
@nytopinion I imagine they're thinking they prefer freedom of thought and opinion over the democrat hive-mind…maybe. — P Henry Martin (@PHenryMartin) February 13, 2017
Hive-mind, group think; it all gets super boring after awhile.
@nytopinion Why are some groups asked to be one-issue voters? — deepfriedlard?? (@deepfriedlard) February 13, 2017
Because otherwise the Democrats would have to admit they really don’t have any other agenda than pandering to groups of people and treating them like commodities.
Luckily people are figuring it out for themselves more and more.This week Sen. Elizabeth Warren and six colleagues introduced the Equal Employment for All Act, which would make it illegal for employers to disqualify job applicants based on their credit scores. It's an admirable and important bill which deserves our support. It also gives us an opportunity to have a broader discussion about the kind of society we hope to become.
Here are six reasons to support a bill which will help all of us in the end:
1. It aids the long-term unemployed.
Long-term unemployment is at historically high levels in this country, and policymakers have done far too little for this hard-hit group of Americans. They have experienced the ongoing loss of their way of life - often accompanied by the loss of their homes, their belongings, and their sense of self-worth.
Long-term unemployment is almost always accompanied by unpaid bills, which drastically lower a person's credit score. Today that lower credit score can render a person unemployable, leading to the kinds of heartbreaking stories described in a New York Times article on the subject earlier this year.
Instead of alleviating the problem of long-term unemployment, the use of credit scores in hiring makes it worse. On a societal level, that's indefensible. And on an individual level, it's inhumane.
2. It begins to right a terrible injustice.
One of the great injustices of the past five years is the way that Wall Street, whose fraud caused the current economic crisis, still holds enormous power over its victims.
We've seen that injustice played out in continued foreclosures, as banks evict families because their homes are worth less than the outstanding mortgage loan - thanks to the banks who created a housing bubble - and because many homeowners are unable to find adequate work as a result of the bank-created jobs recession.
We've seen that injustice reflected in credit card debt and other loans, whose costs have soared as the result of overly complicated contracts with hidden provisions.
And we see that injustice in the spectacle of Americans who are unable to find work as the result of foreclosures, soaring borrowing costs - and a credit-scoring system created for the banks.
This bill begins to end that pattern of injustice, by ending at least one of these practices. It's a start.
3. It also begins to level the playing field between Wall Street and ordinary Americans.
Financial institutions enjoy extraordinary, even unprecedented power over individual Americans. A consumer's relationship with a bank is no longer even the semblance of a contract between autonomous equals. It's an asymmetrical relationship in which one party - the bank - can unilaterally change the terms of the agreement, in many cases leaving the consumer with no recourse.
Sen. Warren's brainchild, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, goes a long way towards leveling this relationship. But financial institutions and other corporations still hold excessive power over individuals. One of their most powerful tools is the credit score.
The greatest tool consumers have against corporations and banks is, or should be, the ability to withhold payment when a contract isn't honored. But a bad credit score hurts consumers in a number of ways. It makes it harder for them to find housing, it makes borrowing more expensive, and many consumers understand that it will make it harder for them to find a job - whether they are searching for one now, or (like most Americans) consider it likely that they'll be looking for one at some point in the future.
Because of this leverage, many people are forced to passively accept injustices from misbehaving corporations. If they withhold payment, even in cases where a product was defective or services not rendered, they may find themselves unemployable.
This imbalance of power allows banks and other corporations to keep acting unjustly. That needs to change.
4. It reduces the ongoing encroachment of Big Data on our daily lives.
The computer crowd likes to say that "Information wants to be free." We've learned now that it actually wants to be very, very expensive - and it's not interested in whether you remain free. Big Data is a self-sustaining and self-expanding institution which seeks to maximize profits by finding new markets for the information it gathers.
The credit score industry is an excellent case in point. FICO and its competitors began gathering credit information for lending institutions. Once they created systems for collecting the data, their only remaining challenge was a sales challenge: who else will buy it?
That's how Big Data becomes big.
The employer market is enormous. Even in recessionary times like these, hundreds of thousands of hiring decisions are being made. Each involves multiple candidates. Cracking this market was a major "score" for the credit score industry. And if the social and human costs of entering this new market were enormous - well, that's not their problem, is it?
It may not be their problem. But it's ours. And in solving it, we can also send a signal to the corporate world and the body politic: Big Data doesn
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in direct competition with immigrants.
As for the politics, the issue of immigration is just sitting there for Republicans to use against Democrats. Republicans must do a better job of attracting working-class voters, a very large share of whom sat home in the last two presidential elections. Making the case for allowing in fewer foreign workers would appeal to these workers. Senator Jeff Sessions and David Brat, who defeated Eric Cantor on this very issue, are two Republicans who get it and have used the issue to great effect. Advocating for American workers by reducing immigration would be good politics and good policy.
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— Steven Camarota is director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies.A man casts his voting ballot at the polling station in the Spitalacker school in Bern November 29, 2014. Switzerland votes this weekend on three initiatives, the Ecopop-immigration, the Swiss National Bank gold initiative, and lump-sum taxation. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich
By Alice Baghdjian and Caroline Copley
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected proposals on Sunday to boost gold reserves and impose strict new curbs on immigration, averting a potential nightmare for policymakers struggling with a popular backlash against the country's open borders.
The referendums are part of a recent flurry of initiatives under Switzerland's model of direct democracy that have threatened to undermine the non-EU member's reputation for stability.
They reflect a growing public view that Switzerland is under siege from foreign workers eroding its Alpine culture and from trading partners who have insisted in recent years that the Swiss dismantle their business model based on banking secrecy.
"The result of both today's gold and immigration referenda show that the Swiss public want to pursue a coherent international economic policy and do not want to create new tensions with their EU neighbors," said Reto Foellmi, Professor of International Economics at the University of St. Gallen.
The "Save our Swiss gold" initiative, proposed by the right-wing Swiss People's Party out of concern the central bank has sold too much of its gold in the past, was rejected by 77 percent of voters, said Swiss broadcaster SRF.
The measure would have compelled the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to boost its gold reserves to 20 percent of its assets from around 8 percent currently, and banned it from ever selling the metal, threatening its ability to defend a 1.20 euro cap on the Swiss franc imposed at the height of the euro crisis.
The SNB welcomed the result with the refrain that it would continue to defend the cap, buying unlimited quantities of foreign currency and take further measures immediately, if necessary.
Spot gold was holding just below $1,167 an ounce on Sunday, down 3 percent this year.
"We anticipate a short-term sell off in gold, although a no vote was mostly priced in," said Peter Rosenstreich, an analyst at Swissquote.
A separate proposal to cut annual immigration by three-quarters from current levels, put forward by environmentalist group Ecopop, was rejected by 74 percent of voters, SRF said.
The Ecopop referendum, which proposed capping the number of immigrants at just 0.2 percent of the resident population, was been seen as a proxy vote on Switzerland's raft of treaties with the EU, its biggest trading partner.
The outcome allows the Swiss government to push ahead with its attempts to salvage these bilateral agreements after the approval of a previous proposal to introduce unspecified immigration quotas in February called into question its commitment to the free movement of people act - a key tenet of the treaties.
"The government has got more breathing space to negotiate with the EU," said Regula Rytz, co-president of the Green Party.
However, the Swiss government said the state of play between Switzerland and the EU, which maintains free movement of people is non-negotiable, was unchanged after Sunday's vote.
Switzerland's system of direct democracy gives the electorate the right to force popular votes if they can gather enough signatures of support. A third set of proposals to scrap one of Switzerland's biggest tax perks for expatriates was also defeated.
(This version of the story removes an extraneous word from the second paragraph.)
(Additional reporting by Jan Harvey in London; editing by Emma Thomasson, Rosalind Russell and Philippa Fletcher)The president's guiding principle mysteriously disappears when it is no longer politically expedient.
While its figurehead spent the short week finding innovative new ways to pick his favorite type of Twitter fight, the Trump administration announced a vote on a proposal that would functionally end net neutrality, as that concept is embodied in Obama-era rules that prohibit Internet service providers from blocking, throttling, or favoring the dissemination of certain types of content. Ajit Pai, who Trump appointed earlier this year as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, promised that his "light-touch regulatory approach" would bring a long-awaited end to what he called the federal government's "micromanaging" of the Internet. Of the FCC's five commissioners, three are Republicans, all but assuring that the proposal will pass on a party-line vote in December. That famed populist dream of restoring consumers' right to have private companies interfere with their access to information, it seems, has finally come to pass.
Like all proposed rules, the administration's proposal was subject to a mandatory public comment period. And as noted by TechCrunch, conspicuously omitted from Chairman Pai's statement was the fact that the FCC received more than 22 million comments on the subject, an unprecedented number that forced the agency to update its information systems and extend the comment submission deadline because of the sheer volume of feedback it received. And while most of those comments, according to the analytics firm Gravwell, expressed support for the proposed rule changes, only 17.4 percent of them appear to have been authored by real people. Those comments—the ones that do not appear to be the work of the diligent bots that have played such an outsized role in American politics of late—are vociferously and overwhelmingly opposed to the changes.
This alarming pattern did not go unnoticed by law enforcement. On Tuesday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman revealed that he had opened an investigation into what he called a "massive scheme to corrupt the FCC’s notice and comment process" that had attempted to negate the views of "the real people, businesses, and others who honestly commented on this important issue." Over the last five months, his office repeatedly reached out to the FCC requesting information and assistance. Chairman Pai, he says, ignored him every time. While Schneiderman admits that he supports net neutrality, he says, "this isn't about that."
It’s about the right to control one’s own identity and prevent the corruption of a process designed to solicit the opinion of real people and institutions. Misuse of identity online by the hundreds of thousands should concern everyone — for and against net neutrality, New Yorker or Texan, Democrat or Republican.
In sum, we have the impending enactment of what might charitably be referred to as a wildly controversial policy that could fundamentally change how hundreds of millions of Americans are able to access the Internet; a public comment period that appears to have been subject to rampant abuse; and a federal government that has elected to respond by shutting its eyes, covering its ears, and pretending that none of this information exists.
This probably isn't attributable to Trump himself, who does not seem to possess a nuanced understanding of the net neutrality debate. In 2014, he parroted the right-wing talking point that compared net neutrality unfavorably to the long-defunct Fairness Doctrine, but has otherwise said little on the subject. It seems far likelier that his opposition, such as it is, is based more on that pathological need to oppose whatever President Obama supports than on any sincerely-held belief.
The FCC's clumsy handling of this process demonstrates just how quickly Donald Trump's purported brand of independent populism, which improbably propelled him all the way to the White House, has been replaced by a standard right-wing platform that could not care less about the things ordinary Americans actually want. Donald Trump, who claimed at every turn to abhor partisan politics, was going to be the first president beholden only to voters, not to giant corporations, or to wealthy donors, or to the proverbial moneyed special interests.The recent CIA torture report revealed the agency’s inhumane practices of interrogation during the War on Terror. However, some people claim the information gathered through torture proved valuable and saved lives - but is that so? Is information gathered this way even reliable? Will the CIA stop its practices now the truth is out? And what about the inmates of Guantanamo Bay? What has been done to them? To find answers to these questions and many more, we speak to former FBI criminal profiler Jim Clemente on Sophie&Co today.
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Sophie Shevarnadze: Jim Clemente, former FBI criminal profiler, thank you for being with us today. Mr. Clemente, talking about the current CIA torture report, the agency chief John Brennan said he doesn’t know if the information used to save lives was actually obtained through what he calls “enhanced interrogation techniques”. So, if even the CIA chief himself isn’t sure if they are effective or not - what’s the point of them?
Jim Clemente: I don’t think they should have used them. I think it was a mistake, it was certainly something that called into question whether we had people breaking our own torture statute as well as international prohibitions against torture. I think it was a wrong thing to do because torture itself is unreliable, it does not provide accurate information and it’s basically ineffective.
SS: Alright, so let’s go into detail. You were stationed in one of the American high security prisons, Guantanamo Bay, to consult on interrogation methods. Did you know about the torture methods that were used before you were sent there?
JC: No, actually, I was one that discovered that they were using those methods. I found them in their interrogation plans, each of their plans was phased-up. It starts with sort-of low level actions against the people that they were interrogating, and then they would phase that up - they would get more and more extreme as they went from phase one to two to three to four. Basically, when I got there I was handed interrogation plan, I read it and I told them they can’t do this because it’s against our U.S. torture statute.
SS: So you had no idea that this was going on there before you were sent there?
JC: Absolutely not. The whole idea of enhanced interrogation was a secret at that point. It did not been out, it certainly was not out for the general public, and it wasn’t even out to agencies like the FBI.
SS: What kind of torture is used in Guantanamo Bay?
JC: Well, when you say “is used” - it didn’t witness it, because as soon as I’ve heard they were planning on employing it, I told them they had to stop doing it. I caused the commotion, I basically notified FBI headquarters, the Department of Justices, the White House - everybody I could think of, Department of Defense - to let them know what was going on in Guantanamo. What I did was that I told them they were not permitted to actually utilise these techniques against the detainees. So at that point it stopped.
SS: So what are the techniques that we’re talking about? Can you tell us the techniques?
JC: Sure. The technique started, as I said, with what they call “fear up” - they basically did demeaning, dehumanizing things to them, like shave them, keep them naked, chain them to the ceiling, make them stand in stress positions - things like that, and it all elevated all the way up to what they would call “waterboarding” now, but it used to be called “wet toweling” at the time. It’s basically the same thing as waterboarding: you put person on an incline, where their head is lower than their chest, their reflex breathing actually kicks in, they can’t fight it, and then they put towel over their face and pour water, spray water on it - and they breathe in droplets and they feel like they’re drowning, it makes them feel like they’re dying.
SS: How did that take place? A team of people works with each detainee? Or how did that actually happen? Do you know?
JC: They had interrogation teams, and they would pick a detainee, they would target a particular detainee with these interrogation plans, and they would say “in first phase we will try this, if that doesn’t work we’ll move it up to another phase” - more severe tactics, to another phase, more severe tactics, and then the final phase was initially just torture them or send them to another country to do that.
SS: But you’re saying this doesn’t take place anymore.
JC: No, it doesn’t take place anymore. This was in 2002, when I was down there, towards the end of 2002, and at that point, I raised the alarm, I brought in officials from the U.S. down to Cuba, to Guantanamo, and had them evaluate the program and that was the beginning of shutting down this enhanced interrogation techniques, at least in Guantanamo.
SS: You worked with one of the detainees that was tortured before, and refused to cooperate - and you were able to change that around. Did you manage that just by talking?
JC: Yes, absolutely. I went down there as a member of the Critical Incident Response Group in the FBI. I was in the Behavioral Analysis Unit that’s part of that, and we were part of the National Center for the Analysis of the Violent Crime. In that capacity we study, we do empirical research on how to best investigate crimes, prove crimes and so forth; and one of the things that we study is the best ways to interview and interrogate people. What we found is overwhelmingly, and it is proven by empirical studies, that rapport-based based interrogation techniques actually work, because what they do is they humanize you to the person that you’re actually interrogating. You can actually win them over to your side and what I did, was I took of their most recalcitrant detainee, the person that would not speak to them at all, he would only recite the crime from memory anytime anybody tried to interrogate him. I met him 11 times over the course of about 20-21 days, and by the end of that time period he was fully cooperative. He went from being completely silent and stoic to “Jim, my friend, what can I do for you” - because I built a human bridge with him. I showed him that we weren’t evil. If you torture person like that, who has grown up in the situation he has, and he’s being told the things he was told - what you do is reinforce that hatred of America. Instead I undermined those expectations by treating him with dignity and respect, and listening to him, and asking him questions about what he wanted to talk about first, and eventually he came around to understand that I wasn’t there to hurt him, so he cooperated.
SS: What did he want to talk about? Like, what?
JC: First, he wanted to talk about his religion and his culture, how he grew up, his family - things that he was familiar with, things that he figured he would never see again in his life. He wanted to share that with me. As a behavioral analyst, it’s the kind of thing I like to study about people - it’s the differences between people, the nuances in our cultures and religions and theology. I think those kinds of things, as we talked and discussed these things over a few weeks, actually got him to cooperate with us.
SS: You said he called you “Jim, my friend, what can I do for you” - what kind of friend can an interrogator be at the end of the day, right? He’s just going to be used after you warm him up?
JC: Well, used, or he’s being cooperative? We set up a system of rewards in the camp, so that people who were cooperative got to live a better life. I think it was clear, even at that early stage that it was probably never going to end - that Guantanamo was set up in a way that there’s very little way to sort of have an endgame. I think it has proven itself at least for these 13 years that they don’t know how to end it, so I think at that point what they wanted was a better life, better existence wherever they were. Also, to know that they instead of being held captive by people they hated, they could actually become sort of part of the team.
SS: You’ve said you’ve met with this particular detainee 11 times, you guys were close, he even called you his friend - but when you turned him back to the interrogating team, why did he cooperate with them? Were you sure he wouldn’t be tortured further?
JC: Yeah, I turned him over to FBI interrogators, not somebody from the other agency. I know that the FBI agents that were there, were there to get information, and if they interrogate, even coerce somebody, that information cannot be used in a court of law in the U.S.. So, we, as FBI agents, are trained not to do anything that’s unconstitutional and we’ve actually become very good at getting cooperation from the people as heinous, as serial killers or people who abduct and kill children. We’re able to get them to cooperate, why wouldn’t we be able to get somebody who’s in a religious cell to cooperate?
SS: Now, tell me something - when you talk to a criminal or a terrorist, surely talking about their religion and childhood doesn’t justify the things that they do, so how can you hope to understand their side, and why do they trust you?
JC: Well, here’s a thing: understanding their side is different from, say, approving of it. It is important - in fact, some criminals want us to help them understand why they are the way they are. One of the things that we do in behavioural analysis is an indirect personality assessment. We base our personality assessments not on self-reporting from the criminals, but based on the behavior that we see exhibited in the course of their prep for crimes, the crime scene itself, the crimes itself and post-criminal behaviour. All those things sort of leak out information about the offender. We use that information to try to help us to understand and sometimes help them understand why they do what they do. It’s a very tenuous relationship though: sometimes it lasts for short period of time, and sometimes they want to cooperate for the rest of their lives, because they know that I ask documenting them and their crimes and their history and their stories, that they basically will go down in history - and sometimes, that’s enough to get them to cooperate.
SS: Now, mr. Clemente, former vice-president Dick Cheney denied the accusations of torture, saying the techniques always stopped short of its definition. How is waterboarding and rectal feeding - not torture?
JC: Well, I would have to respectfully disagree with mr. Cheneybecause the torture statute specifically said: “putting people in fear of serious physical injury or death is torture”. Because waterboarding is meant to cause the fear of drowning, which will cause death, it is torture - and no matter how many times he tries to play with semantics, the people undergo that panic, because they feel like they’re drowning. So, it is actually engineered to do that. Here’s the fallacy: these techniques were designed based on reverse-engineering the SERE program which are basically techniques that we develop to try to harden our pilots against torture from other people. So, they are really based on hardening people against torture rather than actually getting quality interrogation information from them. I think that because of that, somebody justified it - but not only did it not work, it violated our own laws.
SS: So when president Obama has prohibited the use of enhanced interrogation techniques early in his presidency - did they just essentially stop calling it “torture” and carried it on? Or did the actual torture stop?
JC: Well, I can tell you this - the Army field manual that used to contain enhanced interrogation techniques has been changed. Whether people are secretly doing that in places - I don’t know if that happens anymore, I think they would be quite foolish to do it, now that the world has become aware of it, but certainly - in any organisation in any country around this world people will take advantage of situations at times; but, actually, officially - no, it is not done anymore, it is not authorised anymore, and in my opinion it never should have been authorised in the first place.
SS: The torture is illegal in the U.S., but we can see in this report, it was clearly committed by agents of the government. Why are they being granted legal immunity for their actions by the Justice Department?
JC: Okay, well, first of all I think we need to talk about what agents of the government. First of all, we’re talking about the CIA agents, and as everybody knows, the CIA works not in the U.S., but outside of our borders, and what they do in other countries is technically illegal in those other countries. I think they’re used to, quote, “breaking the law in the course of their job”, and they felt, I think, that because they were not in the U.S., they didn’t have to worry about what was going on with our legal system with respect of what they were doing. So, I think, first of all, it was not FBI agents doing it overseas, it was not FBI agents doing it in Guantanamo or anywhere else, but CIA - and it’s a very important distinction. What was the second part of your question, I’m sorry?
SS: You’ve actually answered the question - I was wondering why are they getting immunity, legal immunity for their actions by the Justice Department; but you’ve actually answered my question, it was a very convenient loophole for the CIA agents to be working outside of the U.S. so they don’t break the law within the country…
JC: That’s correct.
SS: So, one Guantanamo interrogator, Jennifer Bryson, said that a lot of what was done was immoral, and nothing like what they were taught. What kind of torture is not immoral?
JC: Well, I don’t think any torture is moral. All torture is immoral. I think what the interrogator was saying is a lot of what was done - a lot of interrogation techniques; not everything they did was torture, certainly not. In fact, the vast majority of the interrogation techniques that were employed, were valid, rapport-based techniques. When I got down there, I found that the people who were actually doing the interrogation for the most part, were young military sergeants, 20-21 years old. They were being run by a government contractor who I don’t think knew anything about actual interrogations or even interview techniques. So, what my unit went down there to do was to find out why they weren’t being effective. When I went down, I found out that one of the reasons why it was that they were being cruel and then that elevated all the way up to the torture. That is why they weren’t getting information in my opinion. So what we did, was that we started a program of teaching them how to do rapport-based interrogations, interview, and try to get them to win over these detainees as opposed to actually harden them against us.
SS: But, mr. Clemente, before you got there, were they taught some torture techniques during training?
JC: I think they may have been taught the enhanced interrogation techniques, the military members that were there.
SS: Which is, technically, torture.
JC: Well, if you get to waterboarding - that’s technically torture. There are some other enhanced interrogation techniques that aren’t torture. For example, stress positions can be painful, but there’s no threat of serious physical injury or death, so that’s actually not classified as torture, although that may be immoral. I think you have to be sadistic to hurt somebody who is helpless and enchained. I would never do that. I’ve never done it to any criminal here, yet I’ve got many-many criminals, very hardened criminals who cooperated with us in law enforcement.
SS: You’re saying these people are mostly young sergeants, and some former detainee said soldiers would apologise to them for their actions, saying they would be punished if they didn’t follow the torture tactics - so what did interrogation teams tell you about their work? What made it acceptable for them to engage in torture?
JC: When I said that they were young sergeants, that means that they were low-level officers in the military, and they have to do what they’re commanded to do. There’s a military chain of command and they were ordered to interrogate, they were encouraged to do mean and hurtful and degrading things to these detainees on a mass scale - and what did was the we came in, the FBI came in and said “No, this is the wrong way to do it, you’re actually making a huge mistake”. And, at first, the general there totally disregarded what we said, ignored it and after Abu-Ghraib happened, after it became public, what they were doing, then he started instituting the rapport-based techniques that we had told them about originally.
SS: So, one more time, before you got there, I’m sure there was medical staff at bases, right? Psychiatrist, psychologist, all of them working there…
JC: There were psychiatrist and psychologist.
SS: So why did they allow the torture to go ahead?
JC: Let me tell you this: the psychologists that were there on staff, were not there to authorise of participate in torture. They were very morally offended that the military was trying to push them to authorise that kind of behavior. They actually reached out to myself and my FBI colleagues and asked us if we could help them get out of that position - because they were being ordered militarily to do that. They could be court-martialed if they didn’t do it. Eventually, they told us, after we did raise the alarm, they told us: “please, keep us out of it” because they’re threatening to court-martial us if they joined us in the protest against the torture.
SS: But the American public seems to support CIA’s behaviour: polls show more than 50% think that the agency’s actions were justified. Why is the public immune to misgivings about torture?
JC: I think, poll numbers can be manipulated, and it depends on how and who asked the questions. I think the fact is that most people in the U.S. would be incapable of hurting somebody who was chained up and completely helpless. I think most people are not sadistic, and I think - yeah, they might say “somebody else could do it” or say “somebody else might be justified”, but I think in fact if they knew the law and they understood the best way to get reliable and accurate information - nobody would be supporting torture.
SS: We’ve heard how piece of evidence obtained through torture, led to the killing of Osama Bin Laden - do you know if torture always brings results like that? How effective it is in general?
JC: I don’t believe that is actually true. I do not believe that that piece of information was gotten while somebody was being tortured. I believe that that person was being interrogated by the FBI in rapport-based methodology, we got good and reliable information from them - he was then interrogated by CIA and others with torturous methods, they’ve got no information. When the FBI got him back - that’s when the reliable and accurate information that we used was actually obtained. I think people are playing around with the timeline, trying to justify what they did, and in fact, I don’t believe there’s any actual evidence that they got any reliable information through that methodology. It’s just simply - people want to stop the pain, so they will tell you whatever they think you want to know and make up things. There are plenty of examples of people who did that - they made up false stories to tell their torturers, so the torture would stop.
SS: Mr. Clemente, it was president Obama’s major campaign promise, years ago, to close down Guantanamo Bay. How come that hasn’t happened? Why is it so difficult?
JC: Well, I think the fact is that that campaign promise was made at the time when president Obama was just running for president. He did not know, he was not read-in on all the details of what’s going on there and what has been going on, and who they have there, and the difficulties involved with putting those people back out into the general population, the difficulties of trying them in a court of law - because, I think, his predecessor, the previous president, set up a situation where there could not possibly be endgame that is acceptable to anybody in the public. I think that many of these people that they have detained, are now more hardened against the U.S. - it would certainly present a clear danger to anybody in the world if they were let free. It’s really a conundrum, and I think that politically, the problem will never go away.
SS: Mr. Clemente, thank you very much for this interview. We were talking to Jim Clemente, former FBI criminal profiler who has worked at Guantanamo Bay. We were talking about CIA torture methods, and how they work and if they yield result. That’s it for this edition of Sophie&Co, we will see you next time.In a time where BitTorrent users are increasingly concerned about their privacy, BitComet has added a long-awaited feature to its BitTorrent client. Originally intended to speed up downloads of users with limited upload capacity, BitComet's VIP service now adds support for fully anonymous downloads to prevent outsiders from monitoring users' transfers.
Settled in China, the BitComet team has been steadily improving their BitTorrent client over the past several years. This work has resulted in some notable achievements in recent months.
In April of this year BitComet was the first of all major BitTorrent clients to offer a stable 64-bit version. The 64-bit version allows for larger disk caches, something that may benefit heavy-duty downloaders.
A few months before that, BitComet introduced another noteworthy feature called VIP-downloading, which enables users to download torrents that are accelerated by BitComet’s servers. The service is basically a private connection to a high-speed seedbox which accelerates the downloading process of healthy swarms.
Today, this VIP service is expanded with the option to download all torrents anonymously. Instead of only accelerating regular BitTorrent transfers through Bitcomet’s servers, the “anonymous” downloads will be handled by BitComet’s VIP servers exclusively, hiding the IP-address of the user.
“If VIP members enable anonymous downloads our remote servers will initiate all peer and tracker communications and download the data on behalf of the VIP member, so the member’s actual IP address isn’t shared with any of the peers or trackers,” BitComet’s spokesperson told TorrentFreak
“Our VIP servers are state of the art commercial servers on some of the worlds fastest connections. There are no imposed speed limits, the only account restrictions are on a flat-rate basis,” TorrentFreak was told.
BitComet Anon
The catch, and yes there’s always one with anonymous downloading, is that the service comes at a cost. Aside from the free trial, BitComet offers plans with 10GB and 100GB limits for $4.99 and $19.99 respectively. Depending on one’s download behavior this could be a good deal, but heavy downloaders who are only interested in anonymity (and not acceleration) may be better off with an unlimited BitTorrent proxy or a VPN account.
Starting today, anonymous downloads are supported by the latest Beta versions of BitComet. Thus far there’s plenty of interest for the VIP service. In fact, huge demand for the VIP free-trial accounts initially crippled BitComet’s servers which forced the developers to temporarily limit the offer to long-time BitComet users. We assume that the demand will only increase with the added anonymity feature.
If no significant issues arise in the coming weeks, anonymous downloads will be added to the upcoming 1.28 release of BitComet.Once Upon A Mass Grave In Bhagalpur
Photo Essay By Javed Iqbal
04 January, 2015
Moonchasing.com
In October and November of 2014, the 25 year anniversary of the communal violence in Bhagalpur went by like a whisper
In India, massacres aren’t forgotten, they’re nationally integrated into collective amnesia. In October 1989, Parbatti, a locality in Bhagalpur town in Bihar, saw a well full of bodies cut into pieces, which local reporters were quick to announce were the bodies of Hindu students murdered by Muslim mobs, when they were eventually identified as the family members of Mohammed Javed. All twelve of them. There were never any ‘200 students murdered’; that was a rumour, for which the 1995 Riots Inquiry Commission Report by Justices Ram Chandra Prasad Sinha and S Shamsul Hasan explicitly blamed the administration, the press and the police for disseminating false information in an already communalized situation.
What happened on the 24th of October 1989, one afternoon in Bhagalpur town, could be described as a riot but what followed for the next month was nothing but an organized massacre of one group.
For weeks in Bhagalpur, there were preparations made for the Ram Janmabhoomi. An active Vishwa Hindu Parishad was conducting collections of bricks, with eet poojas across the district. All were to converge on the 24th of October for a Ramshila procession in Bhagalpur town. The situation was already communalized, with police encounters of Muslim criminals, a murder of a Muslim autorickshawalla, skirmishes over Moharram and Dusehra, resentment against beef eating, and a brewing gang war between what were described as Muslim and Hindu gangs, politically patronized and vying for control over Bhagalpur, which had a strong aspirant Muslim middle class. And it was under this backdrop that the administration and the police allowed the Ramshila procession to march through Tartarpur, a Muslim locality, where they were screaming slogans like ‘Baccha baccha ram ka, baki sab haram ka.(We are all children of Ram, the rest are all illegitimate) and ‘Jai Ma Kali, karo Tartarpur Khali (Praise Kali, goddess of destruction, empty Taratpur).’
Around the Muslim English School at Tartarpur, there were bombs and brickbats allegedly thrown onto the procession, and then it was bedlam.
According to the Inquiry report of 1995:
“There could be miscreants who might be Muslims or Hindus or both. The total analysis of the evidence certainly creates an aura of doubt over the whole episode notwithstanding the real evidence. It may be some miscreants of doubtful communal hue may have thrown bombs, some stones, and crackers to create mayhem but nothing more can be said.’
‘In the ultimate analysis we feel that the first bombing from the Muslim school appears to be doubtful, except some miscreants may have thrown some missiles and crackers from somewhere in the vicinity to create mayhem as stated above.’
It didn’t matter then. The local press and parts of the national press spread the news even though there was also no clear evidence that bombs were thrown onto the ‘Ramshila’ procession of ‘bhajan singing peaceful marchers’. The Commission would point out the lack of injuries that could be caused by shrapnel or fire; as for the peaceful marchers, many witnesses such as Kapildev Mandal pointed out that the procession was led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the RSS, the Bajrang Dal, that was armed with swords, lathis, spears and pharsans. Kapildev sticks to his testimony even today, but like many others, refuses to name the people he saw in the procession.
Over the next few weeks, organized mobs of thousands would burn over 250 villages down, and mass killings would take place across the district, with the official dead around a thousand (with 90% Muslim), with some estimates that the number was higher. Two villages, Logain with around 118 dead and Chanderi with around 70 dead, would receive decent press coverage over the years, and with strong witnesses they would see prosecutions over a decade and more later. As per documents maintained by a businessman in Bhagalpur, there were also the killings at Bhatoriya, which had 85 dead, Rasalpur, with 30 dead, Padghari with 27 dead, Chajghora with 25 dead, and Silampur-Amanpur with 77 dead. All of these killings saw prosecutions, bails, and settled cases with killers roaming free.
There was also a pattern around Bhagalpur: the high death tolls were all indicative of people huddled together, en masse, in a house where they felt they would be secure, when the mob would descend upon them. Elsewhere the killings were random and unplanned – the murder of passengers thrown off trains coming into Bhagalpur, acts perpetrated by both Muslim and Hindu gangs according to Deepak Kumar Mandal, a member of the Socialist Unity Center of India. Others mention how the displaced Hindus settled into Ramnagar and the displaced Muslims settled into Islamnagar, yet no one seemed to know where those villages/localities are.
Everyone has a story of their own, one story about what happened, where they were, whether they ran, or whether they stood their ground, and when it comes to those who were responsible for the riots and pogroms, unanimously two names always feature in every conversation: Kameshwar Yadav who is now in prison and Mahadeo Singh who has passed away.
It is an open secret that Kameshwar Yadav, one of the main accused of multiple killings across the district, was not just patronized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on whose support he ran for the assembly seat for Nathnagar in 1990 on a Hindu Mahasabha ticket, but he was also protected by Lalu Prasad Yadav for more than a decade after the riots. It was only Nitish Kumar’s government that started to open these so-called cold cases, that had him prosecuted, that had Bhagalpur shut down with protests against his arrest, for four days. Yet many of the accused in other cases still roam free. It is also an open secret that many of the Muslims who faced violence in the riots voted for Shanawaz Hussain of the Bharatiya Janta Party, for two Lok Sabha terms in a row, but abandoned him on his third for he hadn’t fulfilled promises they hoped he would fulfill. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he lost by 9,485 votes to Rashtriya Janta Dal’s Bulu Mandal.
His fortunes were further scuttled by businessman Aman Khan, who has been leading, and organizing protests for proper compensation for the riot victims, both Hindu and Muslim, and claims it was his work that got Nitish Kumar’s government to release funds for the families of those killed. He boasts that his house has hosted the likes of Rabri Devi to Nitish Kumar, and that he got people to vote
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news channel is seen in Doha February 7, 2011. REUTERS/ Fadi Al-Assaad
DOHA (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities have revoked the operating licence of the pan-Arab satellite network Al Jazeera and closed its offices in Baghdad, accusing it of violating government guidelines issued in 2014 to regulate media “during the war on terror.”
Al Jazeera, based in Qatar, said it was dismayed by the action.
“We remain committed to broadcasting news on Iraq to Iraqi people, our viewers in the Arab world and across the world,” the channel said in an emailed statement.
Rights groups have criticized Iraq’s media guidelines, which restrict journalists from covering insurgent movements and require them to report in favorable terms on government forces.
In 2013, Iraq’s government accused Al Jazeera and nine other satellite television channels of fostering sectarian sentiment that was fuelling violence.
Founded by Qatar’s ruling family in 1996, Al Jazeera aggressively covered the Arab spring uprisings and has broadcast extensively on the civil war in Syria.
Qatar itself is a harsh critic of the Syrian regime and a leading backer of the rebels, and has been accused by many supporters of Iraq’s government of backing dissent in Iraq.Ajmal Masroor says US State Department is enacting policies of Donald Trump after he is barred from travelling to New York
A British imam whose business visa was revoked without explanation as he tried to board a flight to America has accused the US State Department of enacting the policies of Donald Trump “before he has received a single vote”.
Ajmal Masroor, 44, is the second British Muslim over the past week to report that he had been recently barred from flying to the US, saying he was stopped by US embassy staff from boarding a Virgin flight from Heathrow to New York last week despite having travelled to the US multiple times already this year.
The imam, who stood at the UK general election in 2010 as a Liberal Democrat candidate, had been due to lead Friday prayers at a mosque in Queens, New York, and says he had plans to meet friends and family. “I went through all the security barriers, showed my boarding pass on my phone, I had my security check, bag checked and went all the way to the gates when I was taken aside by an American embassy staff,” he told the Guardian.
The US is stopping British citizens going on holiday – we can’t look the other way | Stella Creasy Read more
In the past week it has also emerged that a British Muslim family heading for Disneyland was barred from boarding a flight to Los Angeles by US authorities at London’s Gatwick airport, prompting complaints from their MP, Stella Creasy.
UK ministers are to demand an explanation from the US authorities as to why the British Muslim family was refused permission to fly to Los Angeles to visit Disneyland. Home Office sources said that inquiries would be made to enable the prime minister to respond to a letter from the Creasy, who has publicised the case and said she is concerned this is happening to a growing number of British Muslims.
Mohammad Tariq Mahmood, one of the family members turned away from the flight, was travelling with his brother and nine of their children. He told the Guardian that his brother was once stopped and questioned at Tel Aviv airport about 10 years ago while trying to enter as part of a Middle East tour.
According to a Reuters report, an unnamed US official said only one male member of the family had been deemed to be prohibited from flying. But because all 11 passengers had booked their travel together, they were all denied boarding at the instruction of the Customs and Border Protection agency of the US Department of Homeland Security. A department spokesman approached by the Guardian for comment would not confirm that account.
In the latest case to emerge, Masroor said he was used to being profiled and receiving further questioning and bag searches when flying to the US. “Yet this time,” he said, “when I handed over my passport they took me aside.”
He said a man who said he was from the US embassy began to question him and asked him why he was travelling to the US. He described the official as “cold, calculated and very unhelpful”.
He was also asked about his itinerary and where he would be staying. “After some other frivolous questions, [the official] said: ‘I’m afraid your visa has been revoked’.”
Masroor added that when he asked further questions, the official said: “You must have done something wrong,” before walking away. He claims to know of other British Muslims who have also been turned away.
Masroor had withdrawn from the 2005 general election after being linked to a Muslim group accused of antisemitism.
However, Masroor has previously received death threats for speaking out publicly against extremism, most notably after the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in London, which he said all Muslims condemned as “inhumane and unacceptable”. In October 2013 Masroor was alerted by anti-terrorist police that he been threatened by al-Shabaab, the Islamist insurgency group in Somalia, for speaking out.
He said he saw the official interrogate others, and “every single person they took aside was visibly Muslim”. Masroor said he saw the official interrogate a young couple, the woman in hijab. “I saw him do that for a good 10 to 15 minutes, asking them all sorts of silly questions and giving them hell.” He said the couple were eventually able to board the plane.
Masroor first applied for an Esta, the electronic travel visa, in 2014 and was refused. After being contacted personally by staff from the embassy, he applied for a business and tourism B1/B2 visa that allows multiple entry to the US. Two interviews and further screening later, he said, he was given the visa and he has since then travelled to the US five times.
“In my mind, the refusal and revoking of my visa was calculated. For me it’s very callous.” He said he received a phone call from the US embassy who said they wanted to sort the matter out.
The US embassy in London said: “The embassy is aware of this matter. We are in contact with the individual and therefore have no further public comment at this time.”
Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency, prompted global condemnation this month when he pledged to ban Muslims from entering the US. But the US Customs and Border Patrol, which posts officers at foreign airports, said that “religion, faith or spiritual beliefs of an international traveller are not determining factors about his/her admissibility into the US”.
To demonstrate that they can enter the country, CBP said applicants must “overcome all grounds of inadmissibility”. There are more than 60 grounds of inadmissibility, divided into categories such as immigration violations, security reasons and health.
Mahmood, whose family spent £9,000 on tickets for the Disneyland flights, told the Guardian that they were not given an explanation when they were told they could not board their plane at Gatwick. But he said he thought it was “because of the attacks on America – they think every Muslim poses a threat.”
He told Sky News: “We had our visas. We had our Estas – maybe because we are Muslim and had a Muslim name … they have not given us any other explanation. We have not been in trouble with the police before.”
He also dismissed any suggestion his family had links to a Facebook page that talked about a connection with a radical Islamic group. “We are a normal family. We pay our taxes. We are normal people,” he said.
Creasy said she knew of other cases of families being denied access to the US. A wide variety of people were affected, she said, but what they all had in common was that they were Muslim.
She said she hoped Cameron would be able to assure her that “prejudice” was not becoming a factor in tacking national security.
“Nobody is suggesting that the Americans don’t have a right to monitor and manage who enters their country,” she told Sky News. “But as this is happening on UK soil, and does impact on UK citizens and how they feel, I think it is important that we have more scrutiny about what is going on.”
Michele Thoren Bond, the state department’s assistant secretary for consular affairs, testified in Congress last week about the state department’s screening process. Bond said the US has revoked more than 122,000 visas since 2001. Of those, 9,500 were pulled because of terrorism concerns.
“We face dangerous and adaptable foes,” Bond said. “We are dedicated to maintaining our vigilance and strengthening the measures we take to protect the American public and the lives of those travelling to the United States.”
She said all visa applicants’ data is reviewed through the State Department’s Consular Lookout and Support System, a database that has nearly 36m records of people found ineligible for visas “or against whom potentially derogatory information exists”. The information is drawn from US government records and sources.
She said the department also uses an “enhanced ‘pre-departure’ initiative” that relies on records to recommend that airlines not allow certain individuals to board US-bound flights.
“Almost every day, we receive requests to review and, if warranted, revoke any outstanding visas for aliens for whom new derogatory information has been discovered since the visa was issued,” Bond said.
“In those circumstances, the department can and does use its authority to revoke the visa immediately, and thus prevent boarding.”[oldembed src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0q2X4zR18dc?rel=0" width="425" height="319" resize="1" fid="21"]
Yeah, I think this vet choose exactly the right term: It's cheesy of Scott Brown to pretend his two weeks in Afghanistan are on a par with National Guard members who served a full tour of duty:
WASHINGTON -- The man who inspired Sen. Scott Brown to write a bill making it illegal to falsely claim military honors said he thinks the Massachusetts Republican is stretching the truth when he claims to have "served in Afghanistan."Brown made the Afghanistan declaration in his recent debate with his Democratic opponent for the Senate seat, Elizabeth Warren.
But Brown's service in Afghanistan was not combat. It was part of his annual two-week stint with the National Guard, in which he requested, in a highly unusual move, to serve in Afghanistan.
"It sounds to me like we just got another Blumenthal Connecticut, Mark Kirk type things there," said Vietnam veteran Doug Sterner, referring to exaggerated military claims two years ago by now-Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)"I thought it was seriously misleading," said Sterner, whose website outing heroes was the basis for Brown's "Stolen Valor" bill. Sterner's criticism echoes a Boston Globe editorial published Thursday morning.
"I think it does go to an issue of personal character and that concerns me," added Sterner, who earlier this year broke with Brown and has endorsed Warren.
Sterner said it wasn't that Brown's service was with the National Guard that's the problem. Scores of Guard members have been recipients of the Medal of Honor, he noted. Brown's mistake, he said, was implying that his service in Afghanistan was a real tour of duty.
"I would be the last person to denigrate anybody's National Guard service, but I thought the claim, putting himself on par with men and women who have done combat tours, often in excess of a year, 14 months, was a pretty cheesy thing to do," Sterner said.
He allowed that Brown can legitimately claim spending time in Afghanistan. But he said he also thought it broke the spirit of what Brown tried to with the Stolen Valor Act, which Brown himself said was aimed at stopping people from benefiting by swiping the real glory from others.Planet Earth (NASA)
In late 1992, 1,700 scientists from around the world issued a dire “warning to humanity.” They said humans had pushed Earth's ecosystems to their breaking point and were well on the way to ruining the planet. The letter listed environmental impacts like they were biblical plagues — stratospheric ozone depletion, air and water pollution, the collapse of fisheries and loss of soil productivity, deforestation, species loss and catastrophic global climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
“If not checked,” wrote the scientists, led by particle physicist and Union of Concerned Scientists co-founder Henry Kendall, “many of our current practices put at serious risk the future that we wish for human society and the plant and animal kingdoms, and may so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know.”
But things were only going to get worse.
To mark the letter's 25th anniversary, researchers have issued a bracing follow-up. In a communique published Monday in the journal BioScience, more than 15,000 scientists from 184 countries assess the world's latest responses to various environmental threats. Once again, they find us sorely wanting.
“Humanity has failed to make sufficient progress in generally solving these foreseen environmental challenges, and alarmingly, most of them are getting far worse,” they write.
This letter, spearheaded by Oregon State University ecologist William Ripple, serves as a “second notice,” the authors say: “Soon it will be too late to shift course away from our failing trajectory.”
Global climate change sits atop the new letter's list of planetary threats. Global average temperatures have risen by more than half a degree Celsius since 1992, and annual carbon dioxide emissions have increased by 62 percent.
But it's far from the only problem people face. Access to fresh water has declined, as has the amount of forestland and the number of wild-caught fish (a marker of the health of global fisheries). The number of ocean dead zones has increased. The human population grew by a whopping 2 billion, while the populations of all other mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined by nearly 30 percent.
The lone bright spot exists way up in the stratosphere, where the hole in the planet's protective ozone layer has shrunk to its smallest size since 1988. Scientists credit that progress to the phasing out of chlorofluorocarbons — chemicals once used in refrigerators, air conditioners and aerosol cans that trigger reactions in the atmosphere to break down ozone.
“The rapid global decline in ozone depleting substances shows that we can make positive change when we act decisively,” the letter says.
The authors offer 13 suggestions for reining in our impact on the planet, including establishing nature reserves, reducing food waste, developing green technologies and establishing economic incentives to shift patterns of consumption.
To this end, Ripple and his colleagues have formed a new organization, the Alliance of World Scientists, aimed at providing a science-based perspective on issues affecting the well-being of people and the planet.
“Scientists are in the business of analyzing data and looking at the long-term consequences,” Ripple said in a release. “Those who signed this second warning aren't just raising a false alarm. They are acknowledging the obvious signs that we are heading down an unsustainable path. We are hoping that our paper will ignite a widespread public debate about the global environment and climate.”
Read more:
The Earth's ozone hole is shrinking and is the smallest it has been since 1988
Fossil fuel emissions will reach an all-time high in 2017, scientists say — dashing hopes of progress
Trump's top environmental pick says she has'many questions' about climate changeCeres has been an interesting crash course in dwarf planet weirdness for a while now, with data on ice, salt, water, bright spots, and more slowly trickling out of the Dawn spacecraft. Now a study led by Georgia Institute of Technology and published in Nature Geoscience unveils more about water on Ceres.
The study led by Georgia Tech Assistant Professor and Dawn Science Team Associate Britney Schmidt provides more proof that Ceres, a dwarf planet residing in the asteroid belt, is a mix of rock and ice.
The team used data from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft to identify three different types of landslides on Ceres. Type I landslides are round, large, and occur at higher altitudes, which is where researchers assume most of Ceres’ ice is located. These types of landslides look like rock glaciers and icy landslides.
Type II is most common and occurs at mid-latitudes. These landslides look like deposits from avalanches on Earth and are thinner and longer than Type I landslides. The researchers fondly nicknamed this type “Bart” because its elongated appearance looks like Bart Simpson’s head from the TV show The Simpsons.Image caption The antique equipment's image was markedly more blurry than that from a modern machine
Scientists have dusted off X-ray equipment dating from shortly after the discovery of the rays in 1895, in order to put it through its paces.
Researchers from the same Dutch town where the system was originally built used it to produce striking images that belie its simplicity and age.
The team said the images required a radiation dose to the subject some 1,500 times higher than a modern X-ray.
Details of the research were published reported in the journal Radiology.
The original system was developed by high school director H J Hoffmans and local hospital director Lambertus Theodorus van Kleef from Maastricht in the Netherlands.
Following a publication by X-ray discoverer Wilhelm Roentgen just weeks before, the pair built their device from parts found at the high school and used it for anatomical imaging experiments.
The machine ended up in a warehouse in Maastricht and was unearthed last year for a history programme on television.
Then Gerrit Kemerink of Maastricht University Medical Center decided to put the equipment to the test against a modern system.
"To my knowledge, nobody had ever done systematic measurements on this equipment, since by the time one had the tools, these systems had been replaced by more sophisticated ones," said Dr Kemerink.
The team carefully recreated the experimental conditions that the machine's inventors would have used.
Image caption The device creates a spectacle of electrical breakdown in its "spark gap"
Given that a high radiation dose might be required to carry out the tests, the team obtained a hand from a cadaver as their imaging subject - rather than the "young lady's hand" listed in Hoffmans and van Kleef's notes.
Within a year of the rays' discovery they had become both a medical and theatrical showpiece, and the first indications arose that extensive exposure could be harmful. As a result, part of the race in X-ray science has been produce better images with less radiation exposure.
The team accordingly found that using a modern detector, a radiation dose 10 times higher was required from the antiquated system when compared to a modern one.
Using a photographic plate and the same imaging conditions Hoffmans and van Kleef used, a dose 1,500 times higher was required.
What is more, the X-rays exited the machine over a broad area, leading to blurry images.
But putting the equipment to the test was evidently reward enough for the authors.
"Our experience with this machine, which had a buzzing interruptor, crackling lightning within a spark gap, and a greenish light flashing in a tube, which spread the smell of ozone and which revealed internal structures in the human body was, even today, little less than magical," they wrote.Last week we saw early pre-orders for the Samsung Chromebook 2, followed by an image of the device with Samsung’s faux-leather trim. And this week more detailed specifications appeared online seemingly confirming that there will be two different models of the Chromebook 2. The larger one is expected to have a 1920 x 1080 resolution display; something that could make the Chromebook 2 stand out from the growing crowd of Chrome OS(s goog) laptops.
Here’s a leaked image of the Chromebook 2 courtesy of noted tipster @evleaks:
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The Samsung Chromebook 2. pic.twitter.com/3a28tLVgBm — Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 2, 2014
Chrome Story notes that UberGizmo shared the details on Sunday but by this morning the site’s page had been pulled. A little creative searching of Google’s cached pages, however, brings the information back to life.
According to UberGizmo, the two Chromebook 2 models will have 11.6- and 13.3-inch screens, with the larger model having a higher resolution display. That’s key as most Chromebooks have 1366 x 768 resolution and larger devices such as the Toshiba Chromebook 13 I’m currently reviewing could benefit from more pixels. The two laptops will also use a newer Samsung Exynos processor. I expected that on the smaller device but thought an Intel(s intc) Celeron would appear in the larger unit. Battery life is expected to be around 8.5 hours on a charge.
UberGizmo also suggests that the Samsung Chromebook 2 devices will arrive in April for $319 and $399 respectively. Both are said to come “preloaded with a software package that has a value of over $100” although I expect much of that value will be in the form of premium content. Samsung currently bundles such content in its tablets, offering subscriber content from the New York Times, BusinessWeek and others, for example.
Samsung officially announced the two products at 10am PT on Monday according to Wired, with all of the leaked information confirmed.
Updated at 11:15am PT to reflect Samsung officially announcing the two Chromebook 2 models.INDIANAPOLIS -- Chuck Pagano isn't naïve. The Colts coach still has three years remaining on his contract, but he also knows he can't afford to have another season that doesn't live up to expectations.
If he does, his job status with the franchise will be even murkier than it has been at the conclusion of the past two seasons.
Pagano survived the first round of firings by Jim Irsay when the owner decided to cut ties with general manager Ryan Grigson in January. There was no guarantee given to Pagano beyond next season, though. There's no more being tied to the hip of Grigson. This is essentially a prove-it season for Pagano.
"I think we all understand the expectations that come with this job. We're all on one-day contracts. That's how I look at it." Chuck Pagano
"I think we all understand the expectations that come with this job," Pagano said in his first interview session since Grigson was fired in late January. "We're all on one-day contracts. That's how I look at it. We're going to work hard, roll up our sleeves, like we always do. Every season is different; every team is different. Again, we have a lot of work to do, a ton to do. My focus is on that.
"Control the controllables. Throw it out there, start the new year with you guys [the media]. There are things that I can control and there are things that I can't control so I'm going to focus on the things that I can and go to work on that."
Pagano said on Jan. 2 that he expected to return as coach of the Colts. But Irsay remained quiet for 20 days after that before he finally, publicly said Pagano would be his coach in 2017. During that silent time, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Irsay reached out to Jon Gruden about potentially coaching the Colts.
Editor's Picks Colts GM: Timeline for Luck (shoulder) unclear Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard says there is no time frame for quarterback Andrew Luck's return from offseason shoulder surgery.
This could be looked at as a breath of fresh air for Pagano after the past two seasons were full of tension between him and Grigson. The lines of communication were so poor that it was basically impossible for the two to have a working relationship.
"I have all the respect in the world for Ryan," Pagano said. "Ryan and I shared a ton of great moments and a ton of great wins. He's a good man and obviously I wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward. I am grateful for the opportunity. I am grateful to be here. I am grateful to be the head football coach and have another opportunity to get this organization and get our franchise back to where it needs to be."
The Colts have had a chance to win the AFC South and make the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, only to end up losing to the Houston Texans at home in December each time. Finishing with an 8-8 record, after Pagano reached the playoffs in each of his first three seasons as coach, isn't the type of standard Irsay expects. That also includes a combined 0-8 record against New England and Pittsburgh, the two teams that played in the AFC Championship Game last season.
"We know how we are judged and it's by wins and losses -- 8-8 the past two years is not good enough," Pagano said. "The standard is the standard; the expectations are what they are. We are never going to be satisfied until we get back to where we need to be. We have a lot of work to do, but the objective always is to win."It's not news to regular C&L readers that militias are forming again in rural areas, a reality confirmed this summer by the SPLC.
It's deja vu all over again. And just as they did in the '90s, they're all insisting they really are just sincere patriots concerned about the looming tyranny of the federal government. And just as in the '90s, journalists are lapping it up.
The chief beneficiaries of this parachute-style journalism have been the reformed Michigan Militia, which was previously profiled by CNN in similarly heartwarming fashion.
Two reports this week on the Michigan Militia continued in this vein, though they at least contained some notes indicating that something darker is at work with militia organizing than the image the militiamen themselves want to cultivate -- that of ordinary citizens who are being civic-minded and patriotic.
Which is true. What's also true is that they're jacked up on large doses of paranoia about a "tyranny" that simply doesn't exist (particularly a fear that President Obama plans to take their guns away).
What's striking to me is how they sound just like the militiamen I met in the 1990s when they knew reporters were around (and, as we learned eventually, it was quite different from the way they talked among themselves in private). But even then, they sounded fairly extreme and marginal in their beliefs.
Now, they sound just like your average Tea Partier. Indeed, it's remarkable how much their rhetoric is echoes Glenn Beck.
One report, from Michigan NPR Radio, was reasonably careful in dealing with the subject:
It's a Wednesday night in February, and 22 men and one woman are gathered at Mayberry's Restaurant in Farmington Hills. They're all Caucasian. Some are middle-aged, out of shape; others are in their twenties, and fit. This is the militia's monthly business meeting. It's also recruitment night.
You also get the feeling that the militiamen are overhyping the success of their recruitment efforts:
Only one potential new member shows up at the meeting. Jeff is in his early thirties, he has a wife and a new baby. He's deeply distrustful of the government and he believes something is to about happen, probably the collapse of the American economy. "Well, I feel like I can't rely on our elected officials, I can't rely on our military who works for our government, so bottom line is we have to have somebody to rely on," he says.
This is fairly typical of the paranoia that was common to the '90s militias as well. Of course, if you watch Glenn Beck regularly and believe the garbage he peddles, then you're probably going to be in a similar state of mind.
They're also fearful about their guns, still:
Protecting the Second Amendment is the primary reason for the militia's existence. Jeff is 42. He's a rifle team leader. He believes the current administration is sneaking around the back door to take his guns away, and he wants the right to protect his family during an emergency "Okay, I've got this food, I've got this water," he says. "I need to be able to defend that from people that don't. In a time of need, a couple of weeks without food and water and gasoline, people are going to be hungry. And they're going to do desperate things to do whatever they can to feed their families."
Right. Sounds a lot like that scenario
Beck's guest offered just the other day.
The second piece on the Michiganders was from WWMT-TV, and it contained largely more of the same.
In it, militia leader Lee Miracle does offer a novel reason why it's unfair to connect the militias to Tim McVeigh:
“Let's say after the Oklahoma City bombing they said Timothy McVeigh, a known bread eater, blew up a building. Now when you go the store and buy some bread they're going to say, 'Oh he's eating bread just like Timothy McVeigh,'” said Miracle.
Well, if there were something in bread that made a person a person believe in conspiracy theories and various "facts" about incipient government tyranny that eventually will enslave all Americans, then this might be an accurate analogy. Because all that is true of the militias, and has a powerful causal connections to the motives of people like McVeigh when they set off bombs and commit terrorist acts. It is not, however, true of bread.
Which is why one can't help be darkly amused when the WWMT reporter asks Miracle if there's any chance he could suddenly become a violent terrorist with a gun. His answer:
“No, I'm a postal worker."
Somehow, that's less than assuring.We have seen our fair share of bad takes this election cycle—we’ve seen the personal essay (ie. “Why the Feminist Vote Is a Vote for Jeb”), the unexpected turn (ie. “You Might Think Hillary Is a Woman—Here’s Why She Isn’t”), the outrage-bait garbage (ie. “A Liberal Case for Donald Trump”) (that one’s real).
Late Wednesday evening, the Washington Post published something new. Written as advice to the Clinton campaign, the article, entitled “Hillary Clinton is walking into Donald Trump’s trap,” instructed the female candidate to stop making such a big deal of her gender. It was emasculating, the article argued—someone openly female could never win a national election.
The main problem Clinton faces now, argued Danielle Allen, a female political theorist at Harvard University and a contributing columnist at the paper, is Trump’s crusade to turn Clinton into the “women’s candidate.” If he succeeds, Allen argues, Clinton will lose.
“Let’s be honest. Polling shows that Trump has a problem with women, but it also shows that Clinton has a problem with men,” she said, linking to an article about exit polls in the Acela primary (primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island) which didn’t have data for Delaware or Rhode Island and found simply that more Democratic women voted in the remaining three states, and that more women voted for Hillary than did men. Why that constitutes a “problem with men” in itself is unclear.
Allen continued:
Consider her slogan, “Fighting for us.” For many men, this slogan would have to be experienced as emasculating. A woman fighting for them? Rightly or wrongly, the slogan rubs the wrong way in relation to traditional notions of masculinity. Her slogan itself reveals a limited conception of who she seeks to represent. This is a potentially fatal flaw in Clinton’s campaign. The more that Clinton takes Trump’s bait around the issue of his denigration of women, the more powerfully this flaw in her own campaign will show itself. Clinton needs to fix this problem, and fast. And she needs to avoid taking Trump’s bait.
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What is this hot garbage?
If I am understanding correctly through these stress flashes, Allen decried a completely neutral campaign slogan because some men might not like the idea of a woman fighting on their behalf. Let’s say that were true—it surely is for many bro-mericans. If so, the problem is not specifically with the slogan; it’s with her entire candidacy. Women, according to these men, should not be running for president. Women should not be fighting for men!
To both cater to and counter these apparently legitimate gripes that men have with Clinton’s candidacy, Allen suggested that she refrain from responding to Trump’s gender-based attacks (“she should meet his insults with a cheery silence, or a lighthearted deflectionary joke” because it is utterly unattractive for women to stand up for themselves), and she needs to make her campaign more like Trump’s with “weekly messages” and a campaign slogan more like his.
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Allen wrote:
Rather than simply fighting for women and children, Clinton needs to fight Trump for the votes of men. His slogan is, “Make America Great Again.” Hers should be, “Make America Fair Again.” Can we be great without being fair? No we cannot. Do women want fairness? Yes. Do men want fairness? Yes. Do African American, Latino and Muslim Americans want fairness? Yes. Do white Americans want fairness? Yes. Do religious Americans want fairness? Yes. Do gay, lesbian and transgender Americans want fairness? Yes. Is Trump ready to be fair? No. He’s a dirty fighter. That tells us all we need to know.
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As an aside, Clinton already tried a turn on “Make America Great Again,” with “Make America Whole Again,” which Allen fails to mention. It was a lame pandering slogan and the campaign, rightfully, dropped it.
But let’s get back to Allen instructing the Clinton campaign to pay more attention to the male vote.
The very crux of Allen’s asinine argument is that Clinton is too ostentatiously female, and that very female-ness is what will lose her the race. And the only solution, according to her, is to take on some 1950s inoffensive feminine platform? Sure it is, if we have decided that the quietly woman-hating dude in a shed is America’s most important base.
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Here’s my advice to the Clinton campaign: Go out onto that general election debate stage tits out and free-bleeding (probably not a thing for you anymore), and fucking win the election on the back of the woman’s vote. There are enough of us.Can the Dalai Lama’s Atlas of Emotions app help achieve inner peace and end war?
Tenzin Gyatso, the present Dalai Lama, is very serious about world peace. In fact, he is $750,000 serious about world peace. That is the amount he paid Dr. Paul Ekman, an American psychologist, to develop an online interactive system, that the 7 billion people in this world could use to achieve inner peace, and thus pave the way to achieve world peace.
The project titled Atlas of Emotions was launched last Friday. Upon visiting the interactive website, the system would present you with five continents, each representing one specific emotion, fear, anger, enjoyment, sadness, and disgust. You have the option to select one. Let's say you select fear. The system would then present you with information regarding fear. For example, the different states of fear. It includes terror, horror, panic, desperation, nervousness, and so on. The different actions that we succumb to as a result of fear. It includes worrying, screaming/yelling, hesitating, avoiding, freezing, and so on. The different triggers of fear. It includes thunder, sudden loss of gravity, snake-like shapes, and so on.
According to Dalai Lama, the more humans are able to get in touch with their emotions, the more inner peace they would be able to achieve. By nature or biologically, human beings have both constructive and destructive emotions. Paying close attention to one's innerness from a very young age itself, humans would not only be able to gain knowledge but also be able to achieve happiness. A happy human being provides for a happy family, happy community, and happy humanity.
In an interview given to The New York Times, Dalai Lama said that when humans become self-aware about their emotions, it could have a ripple effect on the society.
The Dalai Lama has teamed up with renowned psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman to build an “Atlas of Emotions” that aims to…https://t.co/BJS6vZrOFB — Adam Heaton (@InovateWithAdam) May 10, 2016
If the Atlas of Emotions reminds you of a certain Hollywood movie, then you’re are most definitely right. The five emotions projected in the Atlas of Emotions are the same five emotions that are anthropomorphized in the movie, Inside Out, a Disney-Pixar film. Dr. Paul Ekman has been one of the professional consultants that the producers of the movie contracted with.
Dr. Ekman settled on the five emotions after conducting a survey that included about 149 scientists. He contracted Stamen, a professional cartography and data visualization firm, to depict the emotions in such a way as to make it interesting and fun for the people using the system. According to Eric Rodenbeck, the founder of Stamen, Atlas of Emotions has been the most challenging project for the company, since it had to be developed around wisdom and knowledge, rather than data.
Dalai Lama is hoping that the Atlas of Emotions would be a tool for cultivating goodness in the world.
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Follow the Conversation on TwitterUPDATE: June 22, 2017, 8:32 a.m. EDT This story has been updated to add statements from Virgin Mobile's spokesperson and clarify some aspects of the new offer.
Virgin Mobile USA has taken iPhone fever to the next level.
Sir Richard Branson broke the news that Virgin Mobile will become the first iPhone-only mobile carrier. Virgin's services will be available for purchase in Apple Stores, and the carrier's online store will offer new and "pre-loved" iPhones at significantly lower prices than you'll find elsewhere.
The new iPhone-only network is hitting the market with a bold promotion: the new Inner Circle plan will offer those who buy an iPhone from Apple or Virgin six months of unlimited everything — talk, text, and data — for $1. Enrollees who pull the trigger between the plan's launch on June 27 and July 31 will get an entire year of unlimited service for the same price.
SEE ALSO: The new leaked iPhone 8 cases show off exactly what we hope to see
By making the shift to iPhone-only service, Virgin is clearly counting on Apple's popularity, abandoning Android devices entirely. Apple SVP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller called Virgin Mobile's deal "competitive and compelling," in the press release — but he definitely wasn't talking about how it might affect Apple.
Virgin Mobile USA Director, Communications Justin Scott told us in an email that over time, the carrier will begin to phase out all Android devices, but current Virgin customers will continue to receive support. Virgin's retailer-based Data Love plans will continue to sell Androids for a time, but they'll
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February 1996, the Corps used the tributary dams to manipulate flows and hold back water, which likely eased flooding by two feet in Portland and prevented an additional $1.1 billion in flood damage, Willingham said.
"It would have had a far more devastating effect on the economy," he said. "The city's bridges would have been in greater danger, too."
Twenty years later, however, climate change is changing the calculations of what goes into a 100-year flood, Willingham said. "We're in a very unpredictable age now," he said.
-- Joseph Rose
503-221-8029
[email protected]
@josephjroseHillary Clinton is an astute campaigner. In a Facebook Q&A the other day, she was asked about the Black Lives Matter protestors who interrupted Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley. The moderator asked her the same question those protestors had posed to her rivals: How would she “begin to dismantle structural racism in the United States"?
Her answer was deft:
Black lives matter. Everyone in this country should stand firmly behind that. We need to acknowledge some hard truths about race and justice in this country, and one of those hard truths is that that racial inequality is not merely a symptom of economic inequality. Black people across America still experience racism every day.
is merely a symptom of economic inequality? He's not going to say that. Nobody would. Like any good politician, Clinton knows what her audience wants to hear. She also knows how to put her opponent on the back foot. Because how could Bernie Sanders respond to that? What's he going to say -- racial inequalitymerely a symptom of economic inequality? He's not going to say that. Nobody would.
Well, get ready for a hot take, ladies and gentlemen, because that’s exactly what I’ll say here. Angry responses can be addressed to the comments box at the bottom.
***
Here’s my question to the angry commenters. If racial inequality isn’t merely a symptom of economic inequality, what is it a symptom of?
I already feel like I can hear the answer: it's a symptom of hundreds of years of slavery, colonialism, Jim Crow, and urban apartheid.
Yes. But what were slavery, colonialism, Jim Crow, and urban apartheid if not extreme forms of economic inequality?
What was the point of England’s colonization of Ireland if not to impose a lucrative “economic inequality” on its victims? Was the urban apartheid of Haussmann’s Paris not the “symptom” of nineteenth century economic inequality?
doing in the American South? And what exactly do you think all those African slaves werein the American South?
To quote Barbara Fields:
Probably a majority of American historians think of slavery in the United States as primarily a system of race relations—as though the chief business of slavery were the production of white supremacy rather than the production of cotton, sugar, rice and tobacco. One historian has gone so far as to call slavery ‘the ultimate segregator’. He does not ask why Europeans seeking the ‘ultimate’ method of segregating Africans would go to the trouble and expense of transporting them across the ocean for that purpose, when they could have achieved the same end so much more simply by leaving the Africans in Africa.
No one dreams of analyzing the struggle of the English against the Irish as a problem in race relations, even though the rationale that the English developed for suppressing the ‘barbarous’ Irish later served nearly word for word as a rationale for suppressing Africans and indigenous American Indians. Nor does anyone dream of analyzing serfdom in Russia as primarily a problem of race relations, even though the Russian nobility invented fictions of their innate, natural superiority over the serfs as preposterous as any devised by American racists.
It’s true, of course, that racial inequality is due to hundreds of years of slavery, colonialism, Jim Crow, and urban apartheid – to white supremacy. But to say so is merely to recount how one particular form of economic inequality came about. Just as the story of English imperialism is merely a history of how Ireland, even fifty years after winning independence, still found itself the poorest country in all of capitalist Europe.
***
racial animosity. I can’t think of what else she could mean. The new generation of radicals on Twitter like to talk about “structural” racism or “institutional” racism – but behind the verbal bravado, what they, too, are really referring to is racial animosity. What Hillary Clinton is really hinting at when she says that racism can’t be reduced to “economic inequality” is. I can’t think of what else she could mean. The new generation of radicals on Twitter like to talk about “structural” racism or “institutional” racism – but behind the verbal bravado, what they, too, are really referring to is racial animosity.
So let’s talk about interpersonal animosity, because it’s certainly not irrelevant here. That Texas trooper in the Sandra Bland video I still can’t bring myself to watch – I would be shocked to learn that he’s not a violent racist. Forget “structural” racism for a minute. Let’s talk about plain old-fashioned racism. Let’s stipulate the obvious: the archetypal “hick Texas bigot cop” really doesn’t like black people.
lot of people the archetypal hick Texas bigot cop doesn’t like. He hates the nose-pierced vegans in Austin. He hates the liberal Jewish foundation executives in New York. He hates the Harvard WASPs who write about structural racism. He hates Nancy Pelosi. But can that explain why Sandra Bland ended up dead? I doubt it, because there’s aof people the archetypal hick Texas bigot cop doesn’t like. He hates the nose-pierced vegans in Austin. He hates the liberal Jewish foundation executives in New York. He hates the Harvard WASPs who write about structural racism. He hates Nancy Pelosi.
But none of those groups is likely to turn up dead in his jail cell – not as likely as a black man or a black woman.
If freedom means anything, it means the freedom to go about your life without having to worry about all the people who hate you. Because let’s be honest: lots of people hate each other. Yankees fans hate Red Sox fans. Brocialists hate identitarians. Nancy Pelosi probably hates that Texas cop just as much he hates her. So do the nose-pierced vegan and the Harvard WASP.
But the Texas bigot doesn’t have to worry about ending up dead because some people hate him. Blacks in this country don't enjoy the same luxury. If that’s not due to “economic inequality,” what is it due to? What could possibly account for that difference?
just this year, cops in Oklahoma (population: 3.9 million) have killed 29 people, 18 of whom were white – more than the entire English police force (population: 53 million) has killed in the last decade? Is it just a coincidence that the rate of incarceration for blacks is six times the rate for whites – and that the rate for whites who didn’t graduate high school is, likewise, six times the rate for whites who did? Is that not due to economic inequality? Is it a coincidence that the white incarceration rate is almost four times greater in poor Idaho than in rich Connecticut? Or that so far, cops in Oklahoma (population: 3.9 million) have killed 29 people, 18 of whom were white – more than the entire English police force (population: 53 million) has killed in the last decade?
***
The connections between economic stratification and ascriptive hierarchy, between social structure and subjective affect – these issues are not new and, believe it or not, Twitter, they weren’t even born in the antebellum American South.
Here’s Karl Marx in 1870, advising an activist friend in America about the Irish question:
England now possesses a working class divided into two hostile camps, English proletarians and Irish proletarians. The ordinary English worker hates the Irish worker as a competitor who lowers his standard of life. In relation to the Irish worker he regards himself as a member of the ruling nation and consequently he becomes a tool of the English aristocrats and capitalists against Ireland, thus strengthening their domination over himself. He cherishes religious, social, and national prejudices against the Irish worker. His attitude towards him is much the same as that of the “poor whites” to the Negroes in the former slave states of the U.S.A.. The Irishman pays him back with interest in his own money. He sees in the English worker both the accomplice and the stupid tool of the English rulers in Ireland.
antagonism is the secret of the impotence of the English working class, despite its organization. It is the secret by which the capitalist class maintains its power. This antagonism is artificially kept alive and intensified by the press, the pulpit, the comic papers, in short, by all the means at the disposal of the ruling classes. Thisis the secret of the, despite its organization. It is the secret by which the capitalist class maintains its power.'Kung Fu Panda's' John Stevenson is directing the reimagining of the story of Noah’s Ark.
Miles Teller will be playing everyone's favorite nocturnal burrowing mammal in the upcoming animated feature The Ark and the Aardvark.
In the reimagining of the story of Noah’s Ark, Teller will voice the titular aardvark, named Gilbert, who leads a group of misfit animals though natural disasters and personal anxieties.
Ark is currently in production, with Kung Fu Panda director John Stevenson helming the feature for Unified Pictures.
“Gilbert is young, spirited, sarcastic, and we couldn’t have found a more perfect artist to bring Gilbert to life in Miles,” Stevenson said Monday in a statement.
Keith Kjarval and Kurt Rauer are producing Ark, with Cecil Kramer acting as executive producer.
Teller, who is repped by CAA and Stone Genow, was in theaters this summer with the combat dramedy War Dogs and will next be seen opposite Aaron Eckhart in the boxer biopic Bleed for This, which is set to open in November.Former US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chairperson Sheila Bair has recently commented that the Bitcoin policies created by governments should protect the investors rather than ‘feed the frenzy’ over the cryptocurrencies. The opinion comes from Bair’s op-ed article published on Yahoo Finance this Tuesday.
The former chair further explains that Bitcoin should not be prohibited just for the reason that it has “no readily-apparent intrinsic worth.”
In her article, Bair also said that governments should ensure that policies covering digital currencies shouldn’t feed the frenzy and should not make their own value judgments about Bitcoin.
“Instead of making its own value judgments about Bitcoin, what government should do is first make sure our policies don’t feed the frenzy.”
The fiat currencies in circulation today have also experienced the same predicament that Bitcoin is in at present, Bair claims. According to her, the fiat currencies were created by societies in order to meet the need by the people of a medium to trade and that relied ‘more on psychology than physical attributes.’
"Since the beginning of commerce, humans have assigned value to things of no readily-apparent intrinsic worth. Particularly in the case of mediums of exchange, a.k.a. currency, we assign value simply because those with whom we transact do so as well.”
Bair added that a government should focus on making sure that a fair and well-informed market is established. A market that is free from fraud, manipulation and outsized speculation.
The former FDIC chair’s show of support to Bitcoin is not surprising since she currently serves as an independent advisor and director of several Blockchain and virtual currency projects.
Her views, however, are still notable due to her stint at FDIC, an agency that was established by the US Congress to maintain financial confidence and stability.NEW YORK, April 25 (UPI) -- Large numbers of Americans face the prospect of energy shutoffs during the coming months because of rising energy prices and stagnant wages, officials said.
Millions of U.S. consumers are behind on paying their utility bills following a winter in which many struggled to cover the increasing cost of heating their homes, The New York Times reported Friday, citing energy and utilities officials.
The cost of heating oil, propane and kerosene is the biggest problem, officials told the newspaper, but natural gas and electricity prices are also a problem for workers at the lower end of the income scale, who are also struggling with higher prices for food and gasoline.
New Hampshire officials said the state will issue grants under the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to about 34,500 people this heating season -- a record number that is 5 percent higher than last year's total.
Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, told the newspaper the most immediate challenge is to help people who are significantly behind in paying their gas and electric bills.
"Based on discussions with major utility companies around the country, we will see record numbers of families facing shutoffs," said Wolfe.Ivano Spigariol: "Where's the rest of the video? When it touches the ground, what happens? There is an explosion or not? We want to see original video complete. Bring out the video!"
Bill Griffin: "Did you send a crew out to look in the area where it appeared to touch down or hit?"
Dave Grindley: "Looks like a bird or a bat, illuminated by the floodlights in the foreground."
Shady Brady: "It appears as if the object is traveling around 150 yards a second. It travels from one end of the highway to the other in less than 2. Those cars are easily traveling at around 40 mph. It that's a bird or a bat, it's got booster packs."
R Leveille: "It seems too fast for a plane, drone, Chinese lantern, balloon, swamp gas, and appears to go directly to the ground without any explosion. Whatever it is, it has mad landing/braking skills!"
Stanislav Marec: "That was only light on glass of camera."
Jude Stringfellow: "It makes sense to believe that aliens and demons would feel welcome in OKC."Tomorrow is the unveiling of the official Blue Plaque for Amelia Edwards - archeologist, author, suffragette and founder of the Egypt Exploration Fund (later Society).
We've written about Amelia Edwards a few times in the past, but she's been a huge inspiration to us, both generally and specifically to The Book of the Dead and Unearthed. The Egypt Exploration Society have also been generous supporters (and wonderful partners) to Jurassic London over the years.
To celebrate, we're giving away The Book of the Dead free on Amazon - all around the world, 19 March only.*
This is the first time we've ever done this with one of our anthologies, so please spread the word!
The Book of the Dead is the first - and only - anthology of all-original mummy stories, and explores how these fascinating monsters both became embedded in Western culture, but also remain relevant and fascinating to this day. It has been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Awards, and has had stories selected for several 'Best of' anthologies.
The Book of the Dead contains original stories from Gail Carriger, Paul Cornell, Adam Roberts, Roger Luckhurst, Jesse Bullington, David Thomas Moore, Lou Morgan, Molly Tanzer, Jenni Hill, Michael West, Sarah Newton, Den Patrick, Glen Mehn, Jonathan Green, Louis Greenberg, Will Hill, Maurice Broaddus and Maria Dahvana Headley. The illustrations are by Garen Ewing, and the introduction is courtesy of John J Johnston, of the Egypt Exploration Society.
Grab your copy now:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
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*All based on Amazon Standard Time, so probably running... 8 am - 8 am in the UK?Superstorm Sandy causes famous ship used in Hollywood films to sink in immense waves, as crew post updates on Facebook
When the Bounty set sail last week, the captain running the ship made famous in Hollywood adventure films believed he could navigate around hurricane Sandy and weather the storm. After two days in rough seas, he realised his journey would be far more difficult.
"I think we are going to be into this for several days," Robin Walbridge said in a message posted on Sunday on the vessel's Facebook site, which reads like a ship's log of its activities. "We are just going to keep trying to go fast."
By Monday morning, the vessel had started taking on water, its engines failed and the crew of the stately craft had to abandon ship as it went down in the immense waves. One crew member died and Walbridge was still missing.
Most of the sailors were plucked from life rafts shortly after the ship went down, but Claudene Christian is found hours later, unresponsive and floating in the water. She was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital, coastguard David Weydert said.
The rest of the crew was in good condition.
By the time the first rescue helicopter arrived, all that was visible of the replica 18th century sailing vessel was a strobe light atop the ship's submerged masts.
The final hours of HMS Bounty were as dramatic as the movies it starred in.
"When a crew decides it's safer in an inflatable than it is on deck, then you know she's [the ship's] in peril," said Bill Foster, the mayor of St Petersburg, Florida - a frequent winter port for the ship and where it had been expected to arrive in November.
The ship was originally built for the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando, and it was featured in several other films over the years, including one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Rochelle Smith, 44, met Christian this summer when they sailed on HMS Bounty in Nova Scotia.
"She loved the Bounty. She absolutely loved it. She was so happy to be on it and doing something that she found that she loved to do," said Smith, a medical transcriptionist who lives in Ontario, Canada.
The vessel left Connecticut on Thursday with a crew of 11 men and five women, ranging in age from 20 to 66. Everyone aboard knew the journey could be treacherous.
"This will be a tough voyage for Bounty," read a posting on the ship's Facebook page, which showed a map of its coordinates and satellite images of the storm. Photos showed the vessel plying deep blue waters and the crew working in the rigging or keeping watch on deck.
As Sandy's size became more apparent, a post on Saturday tried to soothe any worried supporters. "Rest assured that the Bounty is safe and in very capable hands. Bounty's current voyage is a calculated decision … NOT AT ALL … irresponsible or with a lack of foresight as some have suggested. The fact of the matter is … A SHIP IS SAFER AT SEA THAN IN PORT!"
As the storm gathered strength, the Facebook posts grew grimmer. By mid-morning Monday, the last update was short and ominous: "Please bear with us … There are so many conflicting stories going on now. We are waiting for some confirmation."
Tracie Simonin, director of the HMS Bounty organisation, said the ship tried to stay clear of Sandy's power.
"It was something that we and the captain of the ship were aware of," Simonin said.
Coastguard video of the rescue showed crew members being loaded one by one into a basket which was then hoisted into a helicopter.
"It's one of the biggest seas I've ever been in. It was huge out there," said coastguard rescue swimmer Randy Haba, who helped pluck four crew members off one of the canopied life rafts and a fifth who was in the water.
A helicopter pilot said the waves appeared to be 30ft (9m) high during the rescue. The US Coast Guard said in a news release that waves in many places topped out around 18ft (5.4m).
The survivors received medical attention and were to be interviewed for a coastguard investigation. Gary Farber was watching crewman Doug Faunt's house while his friend sailed. He hasn't heard from Faunt directly, but relayed his Facebook postings made as the ship went down, including: "The ship sank beneath us, but we swam free and mostly got into two rafts."
"Doug is a jack-of-all-trades, but I am surprised he was able to get his cellphone and send messages as the ship went down," Farber said.
The mother of another crew member, 20-year-old Anna Sprague, said her daughter had been aboard the Bounty since May.
Mary Ellen Sprague, of Savannah, Georgia, said she had spoken to her daughter twice but didn't know many details.
"She's very upset," Sprague said.
The crew was eager to return to St Petersburg and to calmer waters.
"I know they were very much looking forward to being here," said Carol Everson, general manager of the pier where the vessel docks. "They were very excited about coming down."
The Bounty's captain was from St Petersburg, she added.
Wallbridge learned to sail at the age of 10, according to his biography on the Bounty's website. Prior to the Bounty, he served as first mate on HMS Rose, the Bounty's sister ship.
"The ship was almost like his home," Smithsaid. "That's where he spent most of his time was aboard the ship. He was so full of history and so interesting to talk to. And he knew his sailing stuff."- Advertisement -
An attack on a student group sympathetic to the Palestinians occurred at the University of Western Ontario in 1982. The group was refused official recognition because of its support for the Palestinians and for sponsoring Palestinian and Arab speakers. After this refusal a complaint was made to the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
After a long battle, and with the support of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and its General Counsel Alan Borovoy, and a supportive editorial in The Globe and Mail, the Ontario Human Rights Commission compelled the University Students Council at the University of Western Ontario to issue a statement of regret and to ratify the student group. The refusal was deemed discriminatory against Palestinians and persons associated with them. (See "The Palestinian Question at the University: The Case of Western Ontario," American-Arab Affairs, Summer 1987.)
Over the last few years there has been a concerted attempt to suppress discussion of the Palestinian issue in North America, as well as campaign to punish those who have spoken out in support of the Palestinians by cutting funding and by denying them tenure and even getting them terminated from their positions of employment. Two well-known examples of firings are the campaigns that targeted Jewish professors Norman Finkelstein, author of many books on Israel and Zionism including Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestinian Conflict, and Joel Kovel, author of Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel/Palestine.
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Another tactic is to smear individuals supportive of the Palestinians with allegations of antiSemitism. One such individual was Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A few complaints from the mainstream Jewish community led to the Nobel Prize Laureate being banned from speaking on campus by the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Marv Davidov, an Adjunct Professor with the Justice and Peace Studies program at the University of St. Thomas said, "As a Jew who experienced real antiSemitism as a child, I'm deeply disturbed that a man like Tutu could be labeled antiSemitic and silenced like this ". I deeply resent the Israeli lobby trying to silence any criticism of its policy. It does a great disservice to Israel and to all Jews." As a result of the strong backlash against the decision, and a campaign led by Jewish Voice for Peace in support of the Archbishop which produced more than 6,000 letters of protest, the University rescinded the ban.
Professor Bill Robinson was a target of a similar campaign over alleged anti-Semitism which was waged to get him fired at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB). Ultimately the University administration defended Robinson's academic freedom and the right to express his opinions in his global politics class. Robinson, who is Jewish, had distributed an e-mail prepared by a pro-Palestinian Jewish activist that compared the Israeli attack on Gaza to the Nazi attack on the Warsaw Ghetto. In response to this attack on Professor Robinson, more than 100 UCSB faculty members signed a petition asking the university to dismiss the charges against him. In addition, 16 university department chairs wrote letters to the University authorities asking them to dismiss the case against Robinson.
The campaign to silence critics of Israel is a violation of free speech, academic freedom and of Palestinian human rights. When carried out by the government, it is also a violation of basic democratic rights. A recent example is the cutback to the Canadian Arab Federation's funding by Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. The punitive action taken by Minister Kenney is a denial of the rights of free speech and freedom of conscience guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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Documentation of Israeli human rights violations on the part of respected organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The International Red Cross, the United Nations, and even Israeli organizations such as B'Tselem, Rabbis for Human Rights and the Israeli Committee Against Torture and by many Israeli journalists, are attacked and buried under a barrage of criticism that they are biased, unfair for singling out the Jewish state, or even anti-Semitic.
My own record as a lawyer representing refugee claims for Palestinians from the OccupiedTerritories made against Israel, is 28 positives to one negative, or a 96.5% success rate. But in the eyes of the supporters of Israel, this does not mean that there are serious human rights problems in the OccupiedTerritories. It is the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada that is "anti-Semitic," and the Jewish members of the IRB who rendered positive decisions on Palestinian refugee claims are "self-hating Jews."
Israel's citizenship and immigration procedures are unique in the world. To qualify as a "Jew" in "the Jewish state" one must meet a racial or ethnic criterion or alternatively a religious criterion. The Law of Return grants almost immediate citizenship rights to Jews from anywhere in the world. Palestinians who were born in the country and forcibly expelled are, for the most part, forbidden to return. The ZionistState of Israel defines itself as "Jewish" and structures itself to advance the interests of Jews at the expense of non-Jews, and especially against the indigenous Christian and Muslim Palestinian population.
In March 1919, United States Congressman Julius Kahn presented an antiZionist petition to President Woodrow Wilson as he was departing for the Paris Peace Conference. The petition was signed by 31 prominent American Jews. The signatories included Henry Morgenthau, Sr., exambassador to Turkey; Simon W. Rosendale, exAttorney General of New York; Mayor L. H. Kampner of Galveston, Texas; E. M. Baker, from Cleveland and president of the Stock Exchange; R. H. Macy's Jesse I. Straus; New York Times publisher Adolph S. Ochs; and Judge M. C. Sloss of San Francisco. The petition read in part: "We protest against the political segregation of the Jews and the reestablishment in Palestine of a distinctively Jewish State as utterly opposed to the principles of democracy which it is the avowed purpose of the World's Peace Conference to establish. Whether the Jews be regarded as a "race' or as a "religion,' it is contrary to the democratic principles for which the world war was waged to found a nation on either or both of these bases."
The argument is often made that criticism of Israel, or rather the self-described "Jewish state," is antiSemitic. The fact that many Jews have criticized Israel and Zionism is deemed irrelevant. These Jewish critics are attacked as "selfhating Jews."
- Advertisement - There is no rational basis for the argument that criticism of the State of Israel and the political ideology of Zionism is antiSemitic. No state is above criticism. It makes no sense to accuse an individual who criticizes Apartheid South Africa's racist policies toward the blacks as evidence of racism toward whites. It would be equally absurd to argue that if one criticizes U.S. policy in Iraq, or the Jim Crow laws that institutionalized discrimination against African-Americans in the southern states, that one is racist against Americans. There is also much to criticize in the Arab world, but it would be absurd to say that one cannot criticize the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its treatment of women or its human rights record, because such criticism is racist toward Arabs or is anti-Muslim. No one would take seriously a person who made such an argument.
To quote one American Jewish academic on the comparison of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians to the racist Jim Crow laws in the United States: "I grew up as a white girl in the Jim Crow South and I have spent my adult life in the study of racism; what I see when I go to Palestine is Jim Crow on steroids"("A Jewish state--or Jewish values?," Tema Okun, Mondoweiss, 21 July, 2009).
It is a basic right to evaluate a political ideology or movement and review and even criticize a state's policies. The argument should be evaluated on the merits and truthfulness of the facts presented. It is also a right to present alternative facts and to have a debate. But when those on one side want to avoid debate, divert the discussion or suppress the topic, and launch personal attacks against their opponents, it is an almost certain proof that they are hiding some uncomfortable truths.
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EDWARD C. CORRIGAN SHORT BIO Edward C. Corrigan holds a B.A. in History and a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario. Ed also has a Law Degree from the University of Windsor and was called to the Bar of the (
EDWARD C. CORRIGAN SHORT BIO Edward C. Corrigan holds a B.A. in History and a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario. Ed also has a Law Degree from the University of Windsor and was called to the Bar of the ( more...
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The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help. If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.A number of rockets landed on Wednesday in the eastern region of the Bekaa as earlier a Syrian warplane raided the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal.
One rocket landed between al-Taybeh and Brital regions, reported LBCI television.
OTV meanwhile said that two rockets landed in a field in Brital near the farm of Qassem Mazloum, while Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said a fourth rocket landed in the Ain al-Jawzeh area, also in the Bekaa.
No one was injured in the incidents.
Conflicting reports had emerged over whether the shells were fired from the Syrian side of the border, but the so-called Free Sunnis of Baalbek Brigade later claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The extremist group has previously claimed many assaults against Shiite towns and the Lebanese army.
Earlier, a Syrian warplane raided the outskirts of of Arsal and several rockets landed on the villages of al-Labweh and al-Nabi Othman, the army said in a communique on Wednesday.
The military said the plane fired three rockets on Arsal's outskirts at 11:45 pm Tuesday.
At 12:20 am, the nearby towns of al-Labweh and al-Nabi Othman were attacked by three rockets from an area in the eastern mountain range, the communique said.
The two attacks did not cause any casualties, it said.
Following the assaults, the army carried out patrols in the targeted areas, the communique added.
The rocket attack on al-Labweh and al-Nabi Othman, two Shiite towns, seems to have come in retaliation to the air raid on Arsal.
The residents of the towns are supporters of Hizbullah, which is fighting alongside troops loyal to Syrian President Assad against the majority Sunni rebels.
Arsal hosts thousands of Syrian refugees. The Sunni town is sympathetic with the rebels.
G.K./M.T.
H.K.One of the main beneficiaries of Android's exponential growth in mobile devices has been Nvidia, whose third-quarter revenue reached a record high of $1.2 billion this year. Some 30 percent of the company's income is now derived from the provision of "non-PC" chips, primarily Tegra systems-on-chip, which have figured in some of 2012's highlight devices like HTC's One X and Google's Nexus 7. Nvidia has already secured a firm foothold for itself in the Windows RT tablet space as well, providing the processor for Microsoft's Surface RT and others, though growth in that segment has already been strong. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang notes that the company's "tablet business grew 100% year-over-year."
"The PC... is being eaten by tablets."
For a chip designer that until recently only concerned itself with things you could solder or plug into motherboards, Nvidia's transformation has been dramatic. Three years ago, only 7 percent of its revenue came from outside the PC enclosure, whereas today the company is among the leaders in driving the shift to mobile devices. In Huang's own words, the total addressable market (TAM) for PCs is "being eaten by tablets. And the reason for that is because a great tablet is surely better than a cheap PC."A few years back I got invited to a wedding in California. A very good friend of mine was marrying his love—who just so happened to be a pastor at a Christian Church.
I went to their wedding, which was small, touching, and beautiful. While I was there I met some of their friends and I learned a lot about their church—the First Christian Church of Orange.
One thing that struck me immediately was that Olivia, the bride, went out of her way to make sure that she respected and understood my Buddhist beliefs, and wanted to make sure that I was comfortable at her Christian wedding—something no Christian in my experience had ever done for me. I was quick to ensure my friend and his bride-to-be that there wouldn’t be any issues. I was totally awestruck at the fact that they even considered my feelings in the matter. It was very humbling and a striking turn of tables, as generally Buddhists in America have to make sure to explain or apologize to their Christian friends and ensure their comfort in awkward situations like weddings and funerals.
I tell you that anecdote to set the stage for the kind of church that Olivia presides over. Over the time I spent in Orange with the newlyweds, I came to have a great deal of respect for their church. They were openly tolerant of everyone, regardless of race, background, and (most strikingly) sexual orientation. They had many openly gay congregants.
The church doesn’t just pay lip service to being “open”, either. In getting to know my friend’s new wife, she used her convictions and biblical knowledge to explain exactly why her church believes that Jesus Christ was, above all else, a tolerant and loving man. Their mission was only to share Christ’s love of everyone.
One of the friends I met while in Orange was Michelle. She is also a member of the church. She writes a blog about being a single Christian mom and today’s post, on Valentine’s Day, really struck me as capturing the spirit of the church.
The post is called “Be Loud in Love“. Reading it brought me back to my trip to Orange and was a refreshing reminder, in a world that is filled with news of hatred, violence, and intolerance, there are indeed loving and kind Christians out there. This particular passage struck me:
There are some Christians who “love the sinner, hate the sin.” This seems to me like a backhanded insult, that the Christian does not love the whole person, but instead they love who they, the Christian, want the ”sinner” to be. You can’t only love someone’s potential, you have to love their reality, too. That’s like saying “I love the thin person inside of you.” This idea is not love, it is simply tolerance.
I know a lot of Buddhists have, if not outright hostility, a general distaste for Christianity—in a pushy Christian society like America, it’s not hard to see why. Just try to remember our own philosophy of loving kindness and let’s try to practice a little tolerance of our own.Shaun Bridges is the disgraced ex-Secret Service Agent who pleaded guilty to stealing bitcoin from online drug dealers while he was investigating the Silk Road; he’s serving a 71-month sentence and has just had two years added to it after he pleaded guilty to stealing more bitcoin after his guilty plea, while he was out on bail
Bridges admitted that, in 2015, he stole 1600 bitcoin that had been seized from Bitstamp, a Bitcoin exchange. After the theft, he attempted to change his name and Social Security number, which led the DoJ to take him into custody, fearing he was preparing to flee the country or go underground.
At his sentencing hearing this week, Bridges asked the judge for leniency, citing the poor conditions in the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he had been incarcerated. According to Bridges, he has “no educational opportunities, no recreational opportunities; I’m pretty much alone, 99 percent of the time. They talk about one hour per day; it’s more like one hour per three days. The six years I face in the case psychologically breaks you; you’re just alone all the time.”
The only observer to attend the hearing was Ars Technica reporter Cyrus Farivar.State Department says Jeffrey Fowle was home Tuesday after negotiators left Pyongyang, and that the US was working to free two others held by North Korea
North Korea unexpectedly and suddenly freed an American citizen, Jeffrey Fowle on Tuesday after holding him for nearly six months, the US State Department announced.
The State Department deputy spokeswoman, Marie Harf, said Fowle was on his way home on Tuesday after negotiators left Pyongyang. She said the US is still trying to free two other Americans, Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae.
Confirming the news, the White House welcomed Fowle’s release and thanked Sweden for helping arrange his departure from North Korea. There was no immediate explanation for the release of Fowle, who was quickly whisked to the US territory of Guam before beginning the journey back to his wife and three children in Miamisburg, Ohio.
Officials drew attention to two other Americans who continue to be held by authorities and declined to answer initial questions about the circumstances of his release and any possible negotiations.
“We remain focused on the continued detention on Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller,” said the press secretary, Josh Earnest.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The US plane carrying Jeffrey Fowle at Pyongyang airport. Photograph: Wong Maye-E/AP
Associated Press journalists in Pyongyang spotted the US government plane at the capital’s international
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Total Sales by Month", legend = None )
Looking at the chart, we can easily see that December is our peak month and April is the slowest.
Let’s say we really like this plot and want to save it somewhere for a presentation.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State University said Monday it's settling a lawsuit with a former student who said she was raped by former star quarterback Jameis Winston.
FSU will pay Erica Kinsman $250,000 and her attorneys $700,000, university President John Thrasher said in a press release. He said FSU is settling to avoid spending millions on the lawsuit.
Kinsman has said the university failed to respond to allegations that Winston sexually assaulted her and has a separate lawsuit pending against Winston. The former student has said she was drunk at a Tallahassee bar in December 2012 when Winston and others took her to an apartment, where she says the quarterback raped her.
Winston, who is now the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, denied Kinsman's allegation and was cleared of wrongdoing by FSU following a hearing late last year. He has said the two had consensual sex.
A Florida prosecutor chose not to press criminal charges in late 2013, saying that there were gaps in the accuser's story and that there wasn't enough evidence to win a conviction.
The Associated Press doesn't routinely identify people who say they're sexual assault victims. However, Kinsman told her story publicly in a documentary.The federal government on Monday proposed removing most humpback whale populations in the world from the endangered species list, saying the majestic animal’s numbers have dramatically recovered in the nearly 50 years since commercial whaling was banned.
Humpbacks, which can grow to 45 feet long and weigh 50 tons, are known for their complex songs and habit of breaching out of the water more than any other whale species. As their population has grown into the tens of thousands in recent years, they have regularly delighted photographers and whale-watching tours off the California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii coasts.
“We live in an age where all we hear is terrible news,” said Dan Costa, a professor of biology and humpback whale expert at UC Santa Cruz. “Climate change is scary as hell. We hear about species going extinct. And the fact that something as iconic and amazing as a humpback whale can be taken off the endangered list is a phenomenal thing.”
In the 19th and 20th centuries, humpbacks were heavily hunted, first for whale oil, and then for fertilizer, poultry meal and pet food, which sent their numbers plummeting.
Although most humpback hunting ended worldwide by 1966 with an international agreement, the U.S. government officially banned commercial hunting of all whales in 1971, forcing the closure of the nation’s last whaling station on the Richmond waterfront along the San Francisco Bay, where humpbacks, gray whales and other whales had been killed with harpoon cannons off the Golden Gate and their meat sold for Kal Kan dog food.
The humpback population had declined so significantly that they were among the first animals listed for protection when President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act in 1973.
“They have come back because we stopped killing them. It’s that simple,” said John Calambokidis, a biologist with Cascadia Research, a scientific organization specializing in whale research in Olympia, Washington.
“The fact that they have recovered is a hopeful message. We need to recognize and celebrate our success,” Calambokidis said.
In 1966, the population of humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean was estimated to be about 1,400. Today it is estimated to have grown to about 21,000.
Worldwide, population estimates are less clear. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, places it around 100,000.
Under Monday’s proposal by NOAA Fisheries, humpbacks were placed into 14 separate population groups around the world. Of those, 10 were proposed to be declared recovered and removed from the federal list of endangered species, while two groups were proposed to be changed from “endangered” to “threatened,” and two, in the Arabian Sea and off northwest Africa, to be left as “endangered.”
NOAA will take public comments for 90 days and is expected to finalize the change this summer.
Some environmental groups expressed reservations Monday.
“It’s heartening to see that some humpback whales are recovering, but it’s premature to remove protections when so many threats, like climate change and ocean noise, are increasing,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Since commercial whaling ended, humpbacks have enjoyed protection, but they’re still drowning in fishing gear and getting hit by ships.”
Even with the endangered status gone, hunting whales will still be prohibited, NOAA officials noted, under the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act, which also protects sea otters, sea lions and other species.
NOAA cited studies Monday that only a small number of whales on the West Coast have died from fishing gear and from being hit by ships — a few dozen in recent decades — not enough to slow their steady 7-percent-per-year population growth.
The recovery of the humpback follows comebacks of other landmark species in recent years, including the bald eagle, brown pelican and peregrine falcon — all of which saw big population increases after the pesticide DDT was banned — and the gray whale, which was removed from the endangered list in 1994.
“It’s a really important success for us as a nation. It’s quite a big deal,” said Donna Wieting, director of NOAA Fisheries’ office of protected resources.
Costa, of UC Santa Cruz, noted that not all whale species have recovered worldwide, despite most countries banning whale hunting decades ago.
The blue whale is on a slower trajectory back to healthy worldwide numbers, he said, and some species, such as northern right whales, exist only in the few hundreds. One reason why humpbacks have recovered more quickly than other whales is that they have a more widely varied diet, not only eating krill, but a range of different fish species, he said.
Other issues, however, could affect humpbacks in the future, such as occasional strikes by ships or climate change, which could reduce the numbers of prey they eat. But for now, he said, the public should celebrate the fact that sometimes environmental laws and public concern work well.
“People get so jazzed about these animals when they see them,” Costa said. “I do. I take my class out every year. In my lifetime, we have gone from ‘you might see a whale’ when you go out in a boat to almost always seeing them.”
Paul Rogers covers resources and environmental issues. Contact him at 408-920-5045. Follow him at Twitter.com/PaulRogersSJMN.Sega purchases Atlus parent company Index for $141 million Sega has reportedly purchased Index Corporation, parent company of publisher Atlus, for 14 billion yen ($141 million).
Sega has reportedly purchased Index Corporation, parent company of publisher Atlus. According to a report from Japan's Nikkei (via Kotaku), Sega will formally take managing control of Index for 14 billion yen ($141 million).
The news comes months after Index had filed for Civil Rehabilitation with a Tokyo District Court. The company's debt at that time hovered around $24.5 billion yen (approximately $249.7 million).
Atlus is known for publishing the Persona series, the Shin Megami Tensei series, Catherine, and dozens of other titles. They most recently announced that they would be publishing the crowdfunded Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure.
Sega's purchase of Index comes almost nine months after the publisher acquired Relic Entertainment from THQ.FDA Spied On Emails To Try To Silence Critics
from the and-it-may-have-just-made-new-critics dept
What began as a narrow investigation into the possible leaking of confidential agency information by five scientists quickly grew in mid-2010 into a much broader campaign to counter outside critics of the agency’s medical review process, according to the cache of more than 80,000 pages of computer documents generated by the surveillance effort.
Moving to quell what one memorandum called the “collaboration” of the F.D.A.’s opponents, the surveillance operation identified 21 agency employees, Congressional officials, outside medical researchers and journalists thought to be working together to put out negative and “defamatory” information about the agency.
We've discussed how the government often seems much more focused on silencing leaks of information, rather than recognizing that those leaks are often highlighting serious misconduct. The latest example involves the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who apparently started trying to find the source of a leak, but in the end started collecting thousands of emails to try to stifle all sorts of criticism of the FDA, as revealed by the NY Times over the weekend.The details show that the FDA installed key logger software on the computers of their own scientists, tracked the personal emails they wrote to others, and tracked documents they copied to key drives. Now, you can make a reasonable argument that since these were work laptops, the FDA has every right to track the usage, but it seems pretty clear that the FDA went really far here, and it wasn't just about stopping leaks, but about trying to stifle criticism and whistleblowing.In fact, much of the evidence suggests that this absolutely was an attempt to blow the whistle on faulty review procedures by the FDA, that resulted in the approval of medical imaging devices that weren't actually safe. And, apparently, the complaints by the whistleblowers were convincing enough that there's now a Congressional investigation into "a substantial and specific danger to public safety" from this activity.If the FDA were functioning as it was supposed to, it would have seen these complaints as a reason to investigate its own activities. Instead, in the supposed attempt to "stop leaks," the FDA used this info to try to squelch the attempt to have its own practices investigated.
Filed Under: fda, key logger, leak, whistleblowerSpaceX capped a historic year with yet another successful launch by a pre-flown rocket.
A two-stage Falcon 9 booster lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California tonight (Dec. 22) at 11:27 p.m. EST (8:27 p.m. local California time, 0427 on Dec. 23 GMT), lofting 10 communications satellites for the commercial Iridium Next constellation. The launch lit up the evening sky over Southern California, providing a spectacular sight shortly after sunset for observers.
The Falcon 9's first stage also launched 10 Iridium Next satellites back in June, making Iridium the first SpaceX customer ever to launch twice atop the same rocket. [Reusable Rocket Launch Systems: How They Work (Infographic)]
SpaceX's two-stage Falcon 9 booster lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California tonight (Dec. 22) at 11:27 p.m. EST (0427 on Dec. 23 GMT), carrying 10 communications satellites for the commercial Iridium Next constellation. (Image: © SpaceX)
SpaceX has now re-used Falcon 9 first stages on five separate missions, all of which launched this year. The company has also landed Falcon 9 boosters 20 times to date. But that tally did not increase tonight, because SpaceX did not attempt to land and recover this particular first stage for the second time, instead executing a landing burn and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, according to the launch webcast. (The company has offered few details about the reasoning behind this decision. A few days before liftoff, a SpaceX representative told SpaceNews, "These are case-by-case decisions and are based on mission requirements and the needs of our manifest.")
SpaceX also launched previously flown Dragon cargo capsules on robotic resupply runs to the International Space Station twice in 2017. The second such flight, which lifted off on Dec. 15, featured a used Falcon 9 first stage. SpaceX had never before mounted an orbital mission with a pre-flown rocket and a pre-flown spacecraft.
Such re-use is key to slashing the cost of spaceflight, which will open the heavens to exploration, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has stressed. Indeed, complete reusability is a central feature of the BFR rocket-spaceship combo that SpaceX is developing to help humanity settle Mars.
SpaceX has now lofted 40 Iridium Next satellites across four different launches, with all of them happening this year. The company will fly four more missions for Iridium in 2018 to put 35 additional spacecraft in orbit, filling out the $3 billion Iridium Next constellation.
"Iridium Next will replace the company's existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space," Iridium representatives said in a statement. "It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely upon to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster-relief efforts and more."
Tonight's launch was SpaceX's 18th and final mission of 2017. That's a record for the company, which had never previously pulled off more than eight successful orbital launches in a single year.
2018 looks to be busy as well, and the action should pick up again soon: SpaceX has several missions scheduled for January, including the maiden flight of the company's Falcon Heavy rocket and the launch of the supersecret Zuma payload for the U.S. government.
Editor's note: If you captured an amazing photo of video of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launch and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments in to: [email protected].
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.Statistics can only tell you so much, says Arsenal managerBrazilian goes straight in to squad for Aston Villa game
For Arsène Wenger, the eyes still have it. The Arsenal manager is convinced that the personal touch in player scouting remains decisive. But he also revealed how the football data analytics company that the club bought in December 2012 had helped with the £11.3m signing of the centre-half, Gabriel Paulista, from Villarreal this week, albeit very reluctantly.
“I cannot tell you all but he has good stats,” Wenger said, when asked whether Gabriel had been spotted via the numbers, which StatDNA, the US-based business that Arsenal purchased for £2.2m, supply. Was that a yes then, Arsène? “It is not a no,” he replied.
The exchange shone a light on Wenger’s scepticism about the primacy of StatDNA’s work, which involves detailed analysis of players around the world. The company’s acquisition was driven by Ivan Gazidis, the Arsenal chief executive, who had wanted to make the club’s scouting processes more robust. The StatDNA database can respond to search terms and bring up what it decrees to be the best options in various positions.
With Gabriel, the 24-year-old Brazilian who, according to Wenger, is likely to be a substitute against Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, there appeared to be contention over how he was identified.
Wenger was certainly keener to speak, in general terms, about how the observations of his scouts had to come first. The computer-generated statistics were merely a means of reinforcing judgment.
But Wenger did discuss how he had monitored Gabriel by his numbers and how StatDNA had mitigated the potential risks. “We look at interceptions, defensive errors, winning tackles – what we call tackles is committing to win the ball,” Wenger said. “Set piece receptions, these kind of things. The most important thing is through the eye.
“Does this system find players for us? That is what we look for, of course, because it is difficult to watch all the games. But what I mean is that if the numbers confirm the eye, it gives you more.
“If a guy [scout] comes home and says: ‘I’ve seen a good player,’ you can statistically observe this player for five, six, seven games. You send him again, he comes back and says he’s a good player‚ the numbers confirm it, you can say the risk is limited. Though there is always a risk.
“We have our own system [through StatDNA], with qualities we think are important. After that, you have the attitude of the player. Because you can have good stats for a while but if you go out every night until six o’clock in the morning, it won’t last.”
Wenger has no concerns over Gabriel’s commitment. He described him as a typically aggressive Brazilian defender, whose priority was to defend, rather than maraud forward, David Luiz-style. He feels that Gabriel is quick and, at 6ft 2in tall, blessed with the size and strength to succeed in English football. It is a bonus that he can also play at right-back and left-back.
“Gabriel is a different style to David Luiz,” Wenger said, with reference to the maverick former Chelsea player, who is now at Paris St-Germain. “David Luiz looked more like a defensive midfielder than a centre-back because of his level of concentration and his dynamism going forward.
“Gabriel is a more typical defender. He is a real defender, who wants to defend. He’s from São Paulo. He’s a Paulista. You have Rio players and you have São Paulo players. One is a beach area [Rio] and the other is more hard-working.”
Gabriel speaks no English and only a bit of Spanish, having been at Villarreal for just 18 months. Wenger speaks most languages but not Portuguese and there are few Portuguese speakers at the club. Wenger could think of only Dick Law, the transfer fixer and Joe, who works at the training ground. It was imperative, he said, that Gabriel worked hard at his English lessons.
“He does not speak a word of English and that can cost you goals,” Wenger said. “If you mix going forwards with backwards, it can cost you. It is a position where you need to know your partners and you need to communicate as well. We try to teach him the important words. Like ‘Offside.’ And ‘Look at the linesman’.”
Wenger has only previously signed one Brazilian centre-half and that was back in 1995, when he brought Alexandre Torres to Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan. Torres is the son of Carlos Alberto, the 1970 Brazil World Cup-winning captain, and Wenger has good memories of the deal.
“He was a very good centre-back,” Wenger said. “He still comes here [to the Emirates.] I’d gone to watch another centre-back and I had so many tapes that I watched them in the hotel, and I saw him. I asked: ‘Who is he? Bring this guy, I want to take him.’ The next day, he came with a guy and I looked at him and said: ’I know your face from somewhere.’ It was Carlos Alberto, who also worked as his agent.”Girl Chopping Onions, Gerrit Dou
ONE OF the relatively recent innovations in supermarkets, at least in my area, is pre-chopped and pre-peeled and pre-washed vegetables. Our supermarkets don’t have the room for produce from local farmers, but they do have the room for hundreds of packaged “fresh” vegetables and fruits that are all ready to cook or eat without any prep work. They even have pre-sliced onions and brussels sprouts. I realize these chopped vegetables are a great convenience for certain segments of the population, such as old people who live by themselves, but is it possible that so many people don’t have the time to wash their own carrots? This phenomenon, it seems, is related not just to materialism and the economic pressures on families that are inevitable in a materialistic society, which leaves no one with the time to chop, but to the general disdain for manual labor that consigns all household chores to useless drudgery. I once met a woman who said she does not chop any vegetables at all. That would be fine if she were wealthy and had servants to do it or could take her family to a decent restaurant every night or lived in a major city where she could order great take-out prepared by immigrants who do all the chopping. But she actually was a middle class mother in the suburbs. How can you raise a family and not chop onions? That’s like being a violinist and refusing to touch a bow.
A people that cannot chop is rootless and doomed. It’s like a country without farmers, deprived of all connection to the earth. As it is, most of the fruits and vegetables in the stores resemble plastic play food in doll houses. Vegetables come from dirt, not from factories!! Do people realize that? In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve probably enjoyed breaking open and sectioning the abundant fruits of the earth. It was play to them to revel in the splendiferous colors and shapes. Every onion is a masterpiece. In our fallen world, chopping is not always play. It truly is tedious, but it’s a tedium that becomes us and improves us.
Pre-handled vegetables are not as healthy. The outer layer of the carrot protects it from drying out and leaching nutrients. I have seen this process close up. When lettuce is broken up and put in a plastic bag, it also, I am convinced, loses nutritional value. I am not a scientist and can’t prove any of this, but it’s just so obvious from the plastic taste of these processed vegetables, which are so lacking in the personality of real food. Nutrition is connected to the spiritual needs of man, so much so that all the dietitians in the world can’t put their fingers on the key to health. It is to be found in the intimate and sacred relationship between the human and the material.
There is perhaps another reason for the decline of chopping. At the cutting board, one is sometimes alone with one’s own thoughts. Some people in our vain, heavily mediated and distracted world, perhaps through no fault of their own, have no thoughts at all. They only have sensations and emotions. Thus they discover at the cutting board that there’s no there there. For these people, much to be pitied, chopping would be therapeutic. Doctors should perhaps send some of the depressed home with prescriptions to chop so many onions and cabbages a day.
— Comments —
Edward Farrell writes:
You say: “a people that cannot chop is rootless and doomed. It’s like a country without farmers. As it is, most of the fruits and vegetables in the stores resembles plastic play food in doll houses.”
I’m with you in spirit here but this should really read “a people who WILL not chop…” Who cannot chop? Furthermore, who does not find chopping fun if the knife is sharp? So here’s an alternate theory: it’s not so much about vegetables as knives. Most people would rather eat rubbery roots scalped at the factory than learn to sharpen a knife. And as more and more succumb to this, who is left to teach this pathetically neglected skill?
Laura writes:
I agree, but I don’t know which came first: the dull knives or the processed food.
Stewart Woodruff writes:
Reading this entry on the decline of chopping, and in particular Mr. Farrell’s comment, I’m struck that the unwillingness to prepare food, including chopping vegetables and sharpening knives, is another stage of degeneracy that began with the decline of hunting and animal husbandry. So many people don’t want to know from where their food comes, they won’t butcher and process their meat, and now have even lost the skill to sharpen their knives so they can prepare and chop their vegetables.
I suppose the end stage will be when their “smart homes” dispense nutritious food pellets as a reward for good behavior.
Laura writes:
I’m glad you said that because sometimes when I go into the supermarket, I feel that I should be more “with it” and accept all this when truthfully I am revolted at this baby food for grown-ups.
But that’s basically what the food industry is about (that’s not to say that people who work in the food industry are bad or guilty.) It’s about fostering child-like dependency and mechanizing food.
Hurricane Betsy writes:
Edward Farrell noted that ” Most people would rather eat rubbery roots scalped at the factory than learn to sharpen a knife.”
Well, I am in that category (can’t sharpen a knife), not to mention cannot afford to buy knives that are even worth sharpening in the first place. I found a solution years ago: buy and use a serrated-edge knife. They work almost as well as an expensive knife and of course they don’t have to be sharpened. I found this kind of knife here
They have both large and paring knives.
Laura writes:
You’re better off using a good steak knife or a paring knife, rather than a serrated knife.
Paul writes:
I swear I chop, really, even onions. No problema.
Although true, I hope you take this as witty.
Mike writes:
I agree with the idea that people should be more self-reliant than they are, but I wonder about where the line should be drawn. Taken to the extreme, this line of argument implies that we should be growing, raising, preserving, and preparing all of the food we eat. Given that this extreme also presents challenges, there needs to be some notion of the ‘correct’ amount of food preparation to delegate to people outside a family. I think that amount can vary depending on circumstances.
Laura writes:
Every family should not only grow and raise its own food, it should make its own water from scratch. : – )
Seriously, the thing about chopping is that it does not take that much time and the more one does it, the easier it is. Nutritionally, it is probably much better. Again, I understand it is a necessary convenience for some and I understand that families are pushed against the wall by the impossible standards of two-income couples, but, judging from the quantity of pre-chopped food sold, at least where I live, many use it who could afford the time to cut their own produce.
Mike continues:
For the record, I rather enjoy chopping, particularly when the knives are in good shape. There’s nothing quite like getting a nice fine dice or mince out of some vegetables. We have some serrated knives (that we’re comfortable throwing in the dishwasher) for lighter chopping, and then a nicer set of conventional knives when there’s the time and need for something more.
Related to this, I’ve found that having children has helped my knife skills considerably.
Inga writes:
I love chopping vegetables and noted years ago that there was something therapeutic about doing so. Sharp knives scare me.
Like Hurricane Betsy, I use a serrated knife which has served me well for over 10 years now. I am a vegetarian, so I have no need for a sharp knife.
Last week I was in a supermarket (not my regular store) and remember being surprised at a huge floor freezer, perhaps 4×10 ft. full of all kinds of chopped, frozen veggies and fruits. Aside from the astute observations in your article and readers’ comments, all this prepared produce costs more as well.
Laura writes:
Yes, I didn’t mention the extra cost. I assumed that was obvious. It is more expensive to buy chopped vegetables.
The other issue is the potential for bacteria. I know that packaging techniques have advanced, but one wonders how they prevent damp cabbage in a sealed plastic bag from growing bacteria without adding chemicals. With a whole head of cabbage, there is less chance, it seems, of coming across harmful bacteria, especially if you remove the outer leaves.
As for knives, vegetarians have almost just as much use for a good knife, especially when it comes to chopping onions, which is much faster with a heavy, sharp knife, and cutting things like squash and watermelon. A decent chef’s should last a lifetime or at least a couple of decades. Here’s a 6″ chef’s knife for $49.95. Here’s an 8″ chef’s knife for $99.95. The important thing is a heavy handle which provides leverage. You do need to keep these knives sharpened. My hardware store sharpens knives for $4 each. I have never had much success in sharpening them myself.
Mark B. writes:
A good chef’s knife is fine (not cheap) but the problem I and many have with our knives is that they stainless steel so they won’t rust, but they don’t hold an edge as long or as easily as a carbon steel knife does. I have a lot of deices and stones for sharpening, but I use a Kyocera ceramic knife almost exclusively now. You can get one from Amazon at a good price. It is scary sharp and the edge can last for years with care. I sent mine back to the factory for resharpening as needed.
A carbon steel knife, though is easy to sharpen, holds its edge quite well with regular honing on a steel, but you got to keep it very dry. Can’t let it lie around in water or be moist at all.
Laura writes:
You’re right about stainless steel vs. carbon knives, which rust.
I have never tried one of the ceramic blades.
Mark E. writes:
I found this article linked from American Digest, and agreed totally, both with the article and the comments. So, I’d like to suggest something.
I’ve had a small garden out back, that has grown into a medium garden in the past couple of years. It really doesn’t take much space, although to get a good harvest does take a fair amount of time. No reason one must be a “farmer” to grow some produce. I find it very rewarding.
Also, I never have been able to sharpen a knife. The joke around here was that I could take the edge off any knife and make it dull as a popsicle stick with just about any of the knife sharpening devices out there—steel, Lansky Sharpener, whet stone—you name it. Until I ran across the 3-Stage Chef’s Choice, electric sharpener. Oh my goodness. I now have a whole kitchen full of really sharp knives. As I’m sure you know, it is soooooo much easier to work with a sharp knife.Koch industries and its subsidiaries are expansive—their holdings include everything from gas stations to pipelines, paper products for everyday use, greeting cards, chemicals used to make materials, and the fabric that makes your clothing. With an interest in almost everything and status as the number two privately held company in the country–behind Cargill—Koch industries is a behemoth that is hard to avoid. But knowledge is power and your dollar is your vote.
We can become informed purchasers and refuse to support their political agenda by refusing to purchase their wares. The internet is a wonderful place, full of handy resources. Start by memorizing and avoiding the brand logos listed, which are commonly found throughout our daily lives. Download the Buycott app on your phone and use it while you shop. Buycott has an interesting connection to the netroots you can read about here.
Do some research. Visit Koch industries, Invista, and Georgia-Pacific to see their broad range of products for home, business, construction, clothing manufacturing, farming materials, and chemical additives. They are into almost everything—including fiber optics! If you are in charge of ordering office supplies for your business, construction materials for your job site, or products for events, catering, or restaurants—avoid buying from Georgia-Pacific and its smaller subsidiaries. Use your purchasing power to stop adding to the Koch empire, avoid the following products as much as you can.
Please sign the pledge to not buy commonly available Koch products.
List of familiar Koch products and brands:
-American Greetings** (took heavy Koch investment, upwards of $200 million)***UPDATE: MARCH 2015: American Greetings has contacted us to let us know they are no longer traded on NYSE, nor do they have any investment from Koch Ind.
-Angel Soft
-Angel Soft Ultra
-Brawny paper towels
-Dixie products
-Insulair cups
-Mardis Gras napkins
-Perfect Touch cups, paper products
-Quilted Northern
-Sparkle paper towels
-Vanity Fair napkins & paper towels
-Zee Napkins
-Georgia-Pacific Office products
-Spectrum paper
-Georgia-Pacific's enMotion paper towel dispenser
-Georgia-Pacific's engineered lumber INVISTA Brands
-INVISTA’s PET polymer is used in oxygen-sensitive packaging for food and beverages.
-ADI-PURE® Adipic Acid
-ANTRON® Carpet Fiber
-C12™ Intermediates
-COMFOREL® Fiber
-COOLMAX® Fabric
-CORDURA® Fabric
-DACRON® Fiberfill
-DYTEK® Idea Intermediates
-FLEXISOLV® Solvent Solutions
-LYCRA® Fiber
-LYCRA HyFit® Fiber
-OXYCLEAR® Barrier Resin
-POLYCLEAR® PET
-POLYSHIELD® Resin
-SENZAA™ Additive
-STAINMASTER® Carpet
-SUPPLEX® Fabric
-SUPRIVA™ Fiber
-TACTEL® Fiber
-TECGEN® Garments
-TERATE® Polyols
-TERATHANE® Polyether Glycol
-TERRIN™ Polyols
-THERMOLITE® Fabric
-TORZEN® PA66 Resin
Koch Fertilizer Company's AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer fertilizer products are used around the world to improve nitrogen efficiency and enhance crop productions.
If you use building materials, be sure to check out the extensive list of Georgia-Pacific building products—including their product app.
**Disclaimer: The list is a work in progress, we are striving to keep it updated and accurate, please post corrections or additions with citations in the comments.**
**Disclaimer: Note that some of these products are made in union facilities by union members. We are working to determine which those are, so you can make your best informed decisions.
** Please sign the pledge to not buy commonly available Koch products.
H/T to users kathybbb, ATexican, PeteInTX, BDA in VA, Melanie in IA, TheNewDeal00, Truth Told Here, workinguy, and geebeebee who've all posted similar information.Sports and Hypercars have their own attraction. However, when it’s about being durable and reliable for generations to come, nothing beats an old Pickup Truck or SUV. Speaking of which, GMC has always been a favorite of people who enjoy riding in one of these bad boys. GMC, a tough competitor of Chevrolet and Ford, has maintained its own fan base for years.
The reason for that is this brand has introduced some of the best Trucks and SUVs since its introduction. Some of them are Sierra, Silverado, Acadia and Yukon. What’s more interesting, these names are not just been introduced. These have been ruling the streets for years and for years to come. Yes, the car line has been going on since 50`s and still running like perfection
Relation with Buick
There is nothing to buzz about here. GMC is a subsidiary of General Motors, just like Buick. GMC focusses on Pickup Trucks and SUVs while Buick works on high-end luxury cars. Both brands share their own fan base in the market and remains one of the highest sought after brands of General Motor today. Minding that, the following is a brief intro of both these brands with names of their bestselling nameplates.
Introduction to GMC
This is the automobile division of General Motors, a company that majorly works on Trucks and other utility vehicles. The Fact is, this brand sells Pickup and Commercial trucks while adding Military, vans, buses and sports utility vehicles to the equation. The major hub of this brand remains in American and Middle East.
William C Durant founded it in 1912. Apart from vehicle manufacturing, this brand has also made its mark on vehicle financing and insurance. GMC is not only limited to manufacturing civilian models. yes, it also deals with Light-Heavy Duty Trucks, Busses, Vans, SUVs, Motorhomes, Military vehicles and much more.
At first, it was nothing more than a holding company for Buick. The brand was resold once more and later on; it got three manufacturing units. This was followed by continuous expansion of the brand as it went on to become one of the most trusted brands all over. It’s accommodating the needs of a wide array of customers. All due to its wide range of automobiles that can serve under any harsh weather condition. It’s used in the private sector as well as the counterpart. This is on the few companies trying to get a Hybrid out of its recent dies.
Impression of GMC Auto Today
Do you know that GMC Yukon and GMC Terrain are named among the vehicles with least maintenance needs? This is yet another proof that GMC Auto are reliable. No doubt this long-standing SUV and Pickup truck maker are among the most reliable brands with an average of 188,580 before losing value. All of its customer bases praise the low repair and maintenance cost they get to enjoy with its models. The GMC Auto is made to last for long. Let’s do not forget that most of its parts and accessories can be easily changed with Chevrolet Models. the Pickups stay on the road for a long time, and it’s quite common to see people riding in decades-old GMC truck. Throw in the all wheel perfection drive and couple it with some beauty engines, this si what sums up all GMC Auto range, making it a solid choice.
Legacy of GMC Cars
GMC is one of handful American auto brands that gives their Asian counterpart a tough stance. It competes with the Asian Sharks for Reliability in Affordable price. Moreover, GMC Cars went on becoming one of the most trusted lines of vehicles. These cars are famous for their power and efficiency. Not only that, the GMC brand name has a knack for improving its products time to time, to keep up with the market. This is what makes the loyal customer attached to this brand after so many years. Yes, it steady power and acceleration remain one of the identical elements of its models apart from wide grills and company logo.
Not to mention, how harsh the weather is, the GMC Cars always get a quick start with silent operation and low emission. All while it doesn’t lose its power. If you need maximum efficiency along with stable power. This brand is your Savior.
The Image of GMC Truck in Market
GMC has a reputation for introducing some of the most reliable trucks on the market. Despite its brand new or several years old, the GMC Truck see you through to even roughest terrain for generations to come. This company is benefiting its users with a trusted range of Pickup Trucks and SUVs since the day it was founded. Today, most of its Pickup truck line makes up to the list of most reliable vehicles in the world. These models are Sierra, and C4500.
Yes, Reliability has become more of a label that auto brands attach with their models. GMC Truck Line is one of them because it makes sure every dollar spent on its product brings unmatched worth to the customer. Following are a few specs that act as the secret to their reliability
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48mm) (cutting/working area)
(234mm x 221mm x 48mm) (cutting/working area) 12in x 14in x 14in machine size (dimensions of the entire machine)
(dimensions of the entire machine).00005in (.001mm) minimum step size (the minimum amount the machine can be instructed to move)
(the minimum amount the machine can be instructed to move).1mm –.5mm repeatability depending on feed rate and material (the ability to return to the same spot after a process; accuracy)
depending on feed rate and material (the ability to return to the same spot after a process; accuracy) 5in/min (127mm/min) maximum feed rate (the rate it can move in any one direction). For those unfamiliar with feed rates, compared to more expensive CNC setups, this is very slow.
To learn more about what our CNC Router can cut, Click Here.
Kit Information:
The kit contains EVERYTHING you need to put together your own desktop CNC router except the dremel. You will receive a complete set of laser-cut parts to construct the frame and moving parts of the router, all the necessary metal hardware, an Arduino compatible microcontroller, three continuous rotation servos and three magnetic encoder boards, and all of the requisite bolts and wires.
To assemble your kit you will need a soldering iron (previous soldering experience is not necessary) and some glue. You should be able to put your kit together in just a few hours.
Before you purchase a kit, it is important to understand that you are purchasing a CNC router which was designed to minimize cost. To keep costs low we use standard threaded rods instead of lead screws which results in backlash (slop between the nut and threaded rod). This can be largely compensated for in the software. The movements of the machine are slow because the forces on the frame have to be kept small to keep accuracy high.
Software runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
To learn more about how our Software works, Click Here.
Power supply is included.
We will release an assembling video for contributors to follow.
A forum will be established for Makesmith CNC Router owners to collaborate and serve as a troubleshooting space.
CAD Model for our CNC Router
Production Plan:
Production Plan
Software - We will have the last of the software completed by the end of June, which is just before we expect to have our laser cutter arrive.
Laser Cutter - As soon as we see our Minimum Funding Goal met, we will make our Laser Cutter purchase. After speaking with the company we plan to purchase from, we estimate that it will take four to five weeks to receive it from the time we make the purchase.
Kit Parts - All of the components for the kits will be purchased immediately after the Kickstarter campaign ends. When the campaign ends, we will know exactly how many kits we need to produce. We have already sourced our components' supplier's.
Assembling - We will be assembling kits from a family garage in Santa Rosa, CA. We plan to ship kits out at the pace that the laser cutter allows us to move. We estimate that the required laser cutting time for a single kit will be between three and four hours. We plan to ship to our recipients in the order they contributed. The last of our recipients should be receiving their kits in October. Our shipping estimate for United States contributors is $18. Please add that onto your pledge amount. For international contributors: Please contact us for a shipping quote to add to your contribution.
About Us:
Bar Smith & Tom Beckett 04-13-2014
Bar Smith is from Mill Valley, CA and is currently an undergraduate student at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He will be graduating in June of 2014 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He is one of a small group of undergraduate students fortunate enough to work in the Baskin School of Engineering graduate students' lab. Bar is a tinkerer and hobbyist who is always coming up with something new and unique. His projects range from auto-dimming Christmas lights, to a treadmill walk-workstation, to quadrocopter drone applications development.
Bar decided to develop a CNC machine because he had access to a laser cutter and a board mill through his participation in lab. Having access to Computer Aided Machining was an incredible experience for him and he wanted to share his discoveries with more people.
Tom Beckett is from Santa Clarita, CA and graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz in June 2013 with a degree in History and a minor in Technology and Information Management. He has a devoted interest in all things start-up, business, and entrepreneurial. Launching a small business was a project he wished to undertake immediately after finishing his studies. He has participated in several group business projects through in-class and extracurricular programs.
Bar and Tom met in Fall 2009 and became close friends starting in Spring 2011 while working together at an on-campus burger joint. In Winter 2013 they decided they wanted to attempt to share the CNC router with the world. Since then, the two have spent their time fine-tuning the CNC machine, researching the CNC industry, and starting their small business, Makesmith CNC.
In 2012 Bar and Tom worked alongside two other students on an aerial drone imaging applications project called Skyography which won multiple awards.
The name Makesmith CNC is a play on several words and ideas. “Make” comes from the Maker Movement. Makesmith is a tangent on the idea that in the old days blacksmiths were “makers” of that time. Finally, Bar’s last name is Smith which conveniently made the name Makesmith the obvious selection.
Bar and Tom’s personal goals for the project include creating a product from start to finish for others to enjoy and to actually see something useful come to fruition. Additionally, they intend to further build their resumes with the entrepreneurial spirit, explore the growing realm of crowdfunding, and have fun.
Rewards Info:
Available Rewards Image - Artwork by Nicole Rusk
We have four pledge levels available:
Pledge $2 - You receive a Makesmith CNC 2x2in Sticker that will include our logo! Thank you very much for your support.
Pledge $25 - You receive (2) Personalized "Thank You" Coasters - cut by a Makesmith CNC Router! Share a drink with your best pal and tell them about your philanthropic deeds.
Pledge $175 - EARLY BIRD SPECIAL! You receive the full Makesmith CNC Router Kit. (If you are in the United States, please add $18 to your contribution for shipping. For international contributors: Contact us for a shipping quote to add to your contribution.) Thank you for helping us get started with our campaign.
Pledge $195 - You receive the full Makesmith CNC Router Kit. (If you are in the United States, please add $18 to your contribution for shipping. For international contributors: Contact us for a shipping quote to add to your contribution.)
The $175 kits and $195 kits only differ in price; the kits themselves are the same.
Plans for the future:
We have set a limit on the number of kits we plan to offer during this campaign. We chose to do this because we want to make sure we can put the necessary time and care into each kit. Too often hardware projects overestimate what and by when they can deliver. Our firm limit on kits is an amount we are certain we can produce ourselves and in the timely manner we have stated. We fully plan to offer more kits soon after the campaign.
Thank You!
Thank you for your interest in our Desktop CNC Router. Our objective is to get CNC technology into the hands of more people and we hope that you can help us do so. We can’t wait to see all the wonderful things that you will make. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask us. Either email us directly at [email protected] or contact us through the Kickstarter page.
- Bar & Tom
Credits
Video Production by Thomas Palmer - Bubba Photography at bubbaphoto.com
Project Artwork by Nicole Rusk - www.nicolerusk.com
Music "Feelin Good" by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com
Special Thank-Yous To:
Suzannah Barbour for the countless draft reviews, endless grammar fixes, relevant feedback, and unyielding encouragement.
Thomas Palmer for the many middle-of-the-night video edits. It looks great!
The many friends, family, and family friends who took the time to take a look at our project early-on and gave us the feedback that allowed our project to develop into something we are very proud of.ROAD FC 040 XX: Ham Seo-Hee in Atomweight title match
ROAD FC 040 XX: Ham Seo-Hee in Atomweight title match
Xiaomi ROAD FC 040 XX: Ham Seo-Hee returns to Korea for the ROAD FC Women's Atomweight Championship
ROAD Fighting Championship announces that the second all-female MMA card Xiaomi ROAD FC 040 XX will take place on June 11, 2017 in the Grand Hilton Convention Centre in Seoul, South Korea. The Main Event will be the return of Ham Seo-Hee to her home of Korea to fight for the inaugural ROAD FC Women's Atomweight Championship.
Ham Seo-Hee (17-8, Team MAD) is the pioneer for women's MMA in South Korea. She made her professional MMA debut 10 years ago in Deep 28 Impact against Hisae Watanabe, won by decision, and became a new force in women's MMA.
Over the next 7 years, Ham racked up an impressive record of 12-5 fighting at 48 and 52 kgs, and earned wins over the likes of Mei Yamaguchi, Emi Fujino, and Naho Sugiyama. Ham has only been finished twice in 10 years: by the legendary Megumi Fujii and Invicta Atomweight champ Ayaka Hamasaki.
Ham debuted in ROAD FC in 2014 and won back to back matches against Alyona Rassohyna and Shino VanHoose. Next she claimed Deep Jewels Featherweight title from Saori Ishioka. Then Ham was picked up by the UFC and made history as the first female fighter from South Korea in the promotion. She made her debut in one of the greatest strawweight fights of all time against Joanne Calderwood. Ham went 1-3 with the promotion with her last back to back losses being widely proclaimed as massive robberies by the judges.
Now Ham will once again be fighting live in her home of Korea, and will again make history by competing in the first ROAD FC Women's Atomweight Championship match.
Event: Xiaomi ROAD Fighting Championship 040 XX
Date: Sunday, June 11, 2017
Place: Grand Hilton Convention Centre, Seoul, South Korea
ROAD FC XX Main Card
Women's Atomweight Championship
Ham Seo-Hee vs TBAFor the love of God, would a real reporter please just ask Hillary under what possible scenario she gets more delegates, more states, or more votes than Obama? You all keep playing this game of following her around like she’s news. The only reason she’s news is that she’s an election zombie, roaming the primaries like she’s still viable, when she’s not. And you know it. And you’ve written it. But you don’t ask her about it. Far more important than even Hillary’s bizarre and ever-changing views on nuclear weapons policy is the fact that it doesn’t matter any more what Hillary thinks about anything. She lost the nomination. She can’t win. And short of an asteroid falling on Obama’s head, he’s going to get the nomination. We’re all focused like a laser beam on the Pennsylvania results as if they matter. They don’t. She lost. She can’t catch up. We all know it. So why are we still playing this game? Because it would be mean to tell her the truth? Mean to ask her to explain how she possibly wins enough delegates, or even votes, when the math says she can’t? What is she, 12? George Stephanopoulos said he couldn’t think of a harder question to ask Hillary than as to why people don’t trust her. Well, here’s one, George: “Under what possible scenario could you catch up to Obama in either delegates or votes?” And don’t accept her platitudes about “counting every vote.” She can’t mathematically overtake Obama, so what is she doing, other than wasting all of our time (and destroying her family’s reputation)? (That’s another “hard” question, George.)Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
India is extremely famous for its traditional food. Today, I am going to share a south Indian recipe of the well known healthy Dosa. Dosa is a recipe which is not only enjoyed in India but also in countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. Dosas are extremely popular in Indian restaurants.
A typical south Indian dosa is a crepe made out of fermented rice and lentils. In India you will get a variety of Dosas like the Mysore masala Dosa, paper Dosa, Rava Dosa and many more. Different regions have different styles of Dosas with minor changes in the ingredients depending on the locality or the specialty. You can customize it by adding ingredients of your own choice. I am going to use ingredients which are used for the typical delicious south Indian Dosa. With this quantity of ingredients one can prepare at least 10 dosas in one go. So let’s begin with this delicious recipe of vegan Indian Dosa.
INGREDIENTS:
• 4 cups rice
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 cup urad dal [ black gram ]
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Water
• Oil to cook
METHOD TO PREPARE THE DOSA:
STEP 1: Take the rice as well as dal and wash them in a large bowl.
STEP 2: Now soak the washed rice and dal in water for at least 6 hours. Let the rice and dal get fermented.
STEP 3: After the rice and dal are fermented properly grind them in a grinder or blender and add the cooked rice in the mixture whilst grinding the batter.
STEP 4: Now the batter is ready. So start preparing the dosas.
STEP 5: Heat a flat pan. And sprinkle some water on the pan.
STEP 6: Pour about ½ cup of batter with a spoon. And start spreading the batter on the pan in a circular pattern. So that your dosa gets a round shape.
STEP 7: Now sprinkle some oil on the edges of the dosa.
STEP 8: Let the dosa cook until it turns golden brown. Once the color turns to golden brown turn the dosa fold it into half and remove it from the pan.
Serve it with hot sambar or chutney. You can also preserve the batter for 4-5 days and prepare hot dosas whenever needed. The batter doesn't get spoilt at least for 4- 5 days if it is refrigerated properly. Make yourself an amazing breakfast of healthy evening snack!
Photograph Courtesy:Flickr.Summer and fall 2017 saw an unusual string of record-breaking hurricanes pummel the U.S. Gulf Coast, eastern seaboard, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Hurricane Harvey brought unbelievable floods to Houston. Irma, one of the two strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the northern Atlantic, wreaked havoc on Florida and many Caribbean islands. Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The destruction begs the question: Has climate change influenced these extreme events? Hurricanes can be difficult to decipher, but experts are gaining a sense of what our warming world might mean for monster storms in the U.S. and worldwide.
Storm Intensity
Many experts are confident that a warmer world will create stronger storms—and already is doing so. Since 1981 the maximum wind speed of the most powerful hurricanes has risen, according to research (pdf) by Jim Elsner, a climatologist at The Florida State University. That’s because higher ocean heat provides more energy for storms, fueling their intensity. Hurricane Patricia, in 2015, set the record at the time for top wind speed—215 miles per hour—in the north Atlantic. The next year Winston shattered records as the most intense cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere.
The dynamic between storms and warming oceans occurs in part because of the role hurricanes play in our climate system: they rebalance Earth’s heat. The storms remove heat from tropical oceans in the form of moisture and pump the heat up into the atmosphere, where heat is redistributed and radiated out into space. “In some sense, hurricanes are a relief valve,” explains Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist in the Climate Analysis Section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. “From the climate standpoint, you need to have some hurricanes to come along and cool the ocean, to keep them at reasonable temperatures. No other phenomenon can play this role.”
Frequency
How climate change will influence the frequency of hurricanes is less well understood. Some experts predict a potential drop in overall numbers. In rebalancing Earth’s heat, Trenberth says, “one big hurricane can play the role of four smaller hurricanes.” Tom Knutson, a climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, says nearly all models predict this effect—they show a decrease in the total number of hurricanes in a warmer climate. Elsner notes, however, “There’s still a lot of uncertainty on this point.”
Both Trenberth and Knutson think the number of very intense storms may actually grow. Some studies show that globally, “we end up with more storms at the high end—at category 4 and 5,” Trenberth says. The north Atlantic, in particular, may experience this trend. Elsner is more hesitant; he says the frequency of the strongest hurricanes is also controlled by the occurrence of ideal conditions—no wind shear high in the atmosphere to tear storms apart from above, no land in their path to break them up from below and no dry air to absorb some of their moisture. “It is unknown how or if these conditions will change,” he says.
Size and Duration
Scientists are still unsure about how climate change will influence the physical breadth and duration of hurricanes. In their modeling Knutson and his team have found that the number of category 4 and 5 storm days could potentially increase slightly by the late 21st century. Trenberth thinks higher ocean temperatures may mean storms will become both bigger in size and last longer. He does note, though, that these traits depend on how storm details are defined: For a storm’s breadth across the ocean, for example, where are the boundaries drawn? Does “duration” apply to its time as a specific hurricane category (4, 5) or as an overall tropical storm?
Storm Surge
Scientists do agree climate change means higher storm surges are hitting coastlines. This would happen even if hurricanes do not become stronger. “Once you have a higher baseline sea level,” Knutson says, “that's going to add to the water level experienced during storm surges.” If sea level is a half-meter higher, for example, then a storm surge will be a half-meter higher than it would have been otherwise.
Rainfall
Experts also expect that climate change may increase the intensity of hurricane rainfall. The unprecedented, deep flooding in the Houston area certainly bears witness to that idea. Warmer air holds more water vapor. For hurricanes, “that can lead to more efficiency; the rate at which rain falls out of the clouds increases,” Elsner says. “We’re seeing that in some of these storms.” Knutson gives a number for this phenomenon: Hurricane rainfall rate is projected to rise 7 percent for every degree Celsius rise in tropical sea surface temperatures.
Expanding Reach
Regions of the world that have not experienced hurricanes may in the future. As oceans heat up, the cyclonic storms’ territory could enlarge. “If a storm remains over warm water, it can maintain a high intensity,” Elsner says. “If those warm waters are expanding, then you can find these strong storms in [new] places.” Trenberth agrees: “Witness Ophelia,” which surprised Ireland and the U.K. in October.
Even though scientists are investigating these potentially changing factors, they caution that uncertainty remains for many of them. Hurricanes are particularly challenging because they are such complex and relatively rare events. “Not only is there large variability but the reliable record is short—satellite [tracking] began about 1970,” Trenberth says. Plus, many other forces (pdf)—such as weak wind shear and low pressure at the sea surface—influence this type of storm.
Knutson is less certain than others that it is possible to already see global warming’s influence on any of these factors in the record (except for higher storm surge due to sea level rise). It is too early “to say that we can detect this change already in the data, and it’s clearly distinct from natural variability,” Knutson says. “That limits our confidence in future projections.”
But Elsner says the growing intensity of hurricanes is already evident in the record. “It has already been shown that the strongest hurricanes are getting stronger worldwide,” Elsner wrote in an e-mail to Scientific American. Trenberth goes further. “The environment in which all such storms occur is warmer and moister, and we know that this has effects,” he notes. “The evidence is that climate change is already with us.”Vice President Pence on Thursday called new allegations that Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore had sexual encounters with teenage girls "disturbing," adding that if they are true, it would be grounds to disqualify Moore from the race.
Pence's press secretary Alyssa Farah told reporters Thursday that Pence, "found the allegations in the story disturbing and believes, if true, this would disqualify anyone from serving in office."
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Moore initiated a sexual encounter with a teenager he met outside a courtroom in Alabama in 1979 when he was a 32-year-old assistant district attorney in the state.
Moore has denied the allegations, saying they are "completely false and are a desperate political attack by the National Democrat Party and the Washington Post on this campaign.”
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A number of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have condemned the actions detailed in the reports. Many Republicans, however, have said Moore should only be called upon to step aside "if [the allegations] are true."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), were among those who called for Moore to step aside if the allegations are true.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) went the furthest of Senate Republicans on Thursday, calling on Moore to immediately step down.
“The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying,” McCain said in a statement. “He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of.”In his major address explaining America’s new war against ISIS, President Obama pledged that there would be no U.S. combat troops. On Tuesday, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he may recommend ground forces in the future.
The White House is seeking to gloss over the rift between the president and his top general, but it is clear that just below the waterline Obama is not on the same page as the commanders who will be leading the new fight. U.S. military officials and members of Congress have complained privately for weeks that Obama appears unwilling to commit the resources necessary to achieve his aim of defeating ISIS.
The Washington Post reported this week that Gen. Lloyd Austin, the general in charge of the military command that includes Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, recommended a war strategy with a small contingent of special operations forces fighting alongside Iraqi and Kurdish security forces. But Obama rejected that advice. Obama traveled to Tampa Wednesday to meet with Austin about the ISIS strategy on his own turf.
Then there was the Dempsey episode. After Dempsey acknowledged that he may recommend some ground forces in the future, the Pentagon issued a rare correction. In an email forwarded to reporters from the National Security Council as well as the Pentagon’s press office, a spokesman said Dempsey “believes the current strategy to counter ISIL is appropriate,” using the administration’s preferred acronym for ISIS. The statement added, “The context of this discussion was focused on how our forces best and most appropriately advise the Iraqis and was not a broader discussion of employing US ground combat units in Iraq.”
The internal dissent is likely to intensify with Obama’s choice of John Allen to lead the international campaign to persuade U.S. allies to pony up troops, money, and arms for his new war. Allen, a retired general beloved by Washington’s neoconservatives, has called for a robust U.S. war against ISIS since June. Obama and Allen sat down together Tuesday at the White House.
Soon after he retired in 2013, Allen took a veiled shot at his old and now new boss, observing that in the wake of Obama’s withdrawal from Iraq, “the body count is going up, the bloodletting is going up.”
As the details of the president’s new war plan leak out this week, many of Allen’s former colleagues and lawmakers wonder whether the president’s new special envoy will be able to convince Arab and European states to get behind a strategy they see as amounting to a half-measure.
Obama “has said ‘degrade and destroy,’ which makes it seem like he is more on the same page as Gen. Allen,” said Sen. John Cornyn, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “But I wish he would listen more to his generals and less to his political advisers, because he seems to be trying to figure out how to triangulate. You can’t triangulate this. You have to destroy ISIS by all means necessary, and I hope the president comes around to that point of view.”Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee who has offered a resolution to authorize airstrikes in Syria, said Obama and Allen have the same goal even if Obama is prioritizing attacking ISIS in Iraq before attacking the group in Syria. But when asked if Obama’s Syria strategy would be enough to destroy ISIS, Nelson said, “We’ll find out.”Allen came out for destroying ISIS long before Obama. On June 12, following the president’s decision to send some military advisers to Iraq after ISIS took over the country’s second-largest city, Allen praised Obama’s decision to engage the ISIS threat in Iraq to Defense One, but he also said, “I vote for sooner and we must strike them with a hard blow.” At the time, Obama ruled out airstrikes and instead sent military advisers to assess the state of Iraq’s military.In an August 20 op-ed for the same publication, Allen wrote that ISIS “must be destroyed and we must move quickly to pressure its entire ‘nervous system,’ break it up, and destroy its pieces.”Ray Kimball, an Army strategist who worked on Allen’s staff in Afghanistan and stressed he was speaking only for himself, said, “You could certainly read his op-ed as being more expansive than what the president has authorized, but the fact that he has signed on to do this job I think speaks to what he believes can be done within the parameters of the current policy.”But others who have worked with Allen said they thought Obama’s vision for the war did not meet the objectives Allen laid out in his op-ed.Gen. Jack Keane, a retired four-star general who worked closely on the Iraq surge in the last administration, when Allen was in charge of western Iraq, said he was concerned about Obama’s pledge not to send any combat troops.“If you are serious about the ground counteroffensive, an attack up the Tigris River valley and also a counteroffensive to the west in the Euphrates River valley, if we are serious about that being successful, then you have to put the elements in there to help the ground forces to succeed,” Keane said.The general said he was also concerned that there have been no clear plans to date for the United States to reengage some of the Sunni tribal leaders who once fought against the predecessor organization to ISIS when it was al Qaeda’s franchise in Iraq.Allen worked closely with those tribal leaders during the counterinsurgency in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. But today his role would be largely limited to working with other nation-states in the coalition, according to administration officials.Keane also said found it worrisome that he did not know whether the U.S. military had contingency plans to send a more robust force into ISIS-controlled cities if initial missions led by Iraqi and Kurdish forces failed.“What happens if the ground offensive is stalled and they are not able to retake Fallujah or Tikrit?” Keane asked. “What are the contingency plans to regain the initiative? We would never go into something like this without such a plan. This would normally be U.S. and coalition brigades retaking the initiatives if the Iraqis failed.”Kimberly Kagan, the president of the Institute for the Study of War and a former adviser to Allen when he commanded coalition forces in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012, also called the scope of Obama’s plan into question. “The administration’s strategy to me seems to be putting the United States on a path to disrupt or degrade ISIS, not to defeat or destroy it,” said Kagan, who has co-authored her own war plan against ISIS with her husband, Fred, that calls for as many as 25,000 ground forces.Several senators emerged from Tuesday’s hearing confused about Obama’s war strategy. Some Republicans saw a clear rift between the White House and the military leadership over several issues, including whether there would be a need to put boots on the ground and whether the U.S. commitment to arming the Syrian rebels was serious.“We have yet to hear a coherent strategy for victory. Having said that, people are going to support the president’s request,” Cornyn said. “If you start looking at the numbers and the difficulty we’ve had training people in Afghanistan and Iraq, it doesn’t give you a lot of confidence that that’s the solution to the problem. So we’re still waiting to hear what’s the president’s plan for victory.”At the hearing Tuesday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon aimed to train up 5,000 Syrian opposition fighters in the next year. But the CIA’s latest estimate says ISIS has as many as 30,000 fighters under its command. Hagel acknowledged, “5,000 alone is not going to be able to turn the tide,” suggesting the war in Syria would take longer than a year.
Other lawmakers said they thought it was unrealistic to expect Syrian opposition fighters to fight only ISIS and not also turn their guns on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
“Why haven’t we struck a target in Syria yet? I can show the president Raqqa on the map. We can strike in Raqqa immediately,” Sen. John McCain told The Daily Beast. “We’re going to recruit people to go and fight people in Syria, but we’re not going to protect them against Bashar Assad’s airpower? That doesn’t make any sense.”In modern discussions of queer and trans politics, an oft-repeated narrative is “Look how far we’ve come!” But in the grand sweep of history, queer and trans people have long been welcomed at the least, if not revered. Only recently (for the last 500 years or less) have we been scorned and discarded. To help answer the question — what the hell happened?! — Gein Wong, co-curator of Insatiable Sisters, says that her new stage show means to explore, first and foremost, “When did my ancestors lose their magic, and how can I get it all back?”
Formerly titled Strange Sisters, Insatiable Sisters has been given a new life by Wong and her co-curator, Kim Katrin Milan. They have kept the women-and-trans-people focus of the evening and its home at Buddies and focused the night on work that Milan describes as “inviting artists to look at themselves like they are made of magic and see what kind of stories would get told.” The evening will feature a wide slate of up-and-coming Toronto artists, including many emboldened to present work in new forms.
Both Milan and Wong bring a strong politic of putting black, indigenous and of-colour theatre artists at centre stage, and both are multitalented artistic visionaries whose combined tonnage of accolades could fill an entire page. Even still, their commitment to transforming the artistic landscape leads them ever into new paradigm shifts. This year’s Insatiable Sisters will not only include interpretation into American Sign Language for deaf audience members, but (through the support of the Toronto Arts Council and Community One) has had ASL-integrated rehearsals and will feature deaf artist Sage Willow performing in ASL with interpretation into English, a rarity on mainstream stages.
Milan says that they encouraged creators to “take big risks and reap big rewards,” and Wong — imagining the audience — likens Insatiable Sisters to “that concert you went to that changed your life.”Thanks for coming by! I know it's already Tuesday, but hopefully you all had a great weekend! On Saturday I finally brought out my brew kettle, glass carboy and ale pails and made a homebrew. An American IPA extract recipe from Keystone Homebrew Supply in Montgomeryville, PA jumped out at me, so I picked it up! Some other items I bought while at the homebrew supply was more StarSan (a great, no rinse sanitizer), a big funnel to easily pour my wort from the brew kettle into my glass carboy, and some 1 step no rinse cleanser to clean all of my equipment. The brewday went really smooth, and I can't wait to see how it comes out!
Tonight I am drinking Midnight Madness Smoked Porter, another beer from Rock Art Brewery in Morrisville, VT. I haven't had too many smoked porters. One I can remember having is Stone Smoked Porter, which I definitely enjoyed! Let's see how this one stacks up!
Midnight Madness Smoked Porter
Smoked Beer
No ABV given, I estimate it to be between 5-6%
Pours a very dark red, just about black. There is a small, off-white head which recedes pretty quickly, and doesn't leave much lacing. The biggest aromas I can find in this beer are roasted malt, coffee and smoke (of course). The flavors in Midnight Madness are very similar to the aromas. Smoke, coffee, chocolate and roasted malt dominate the palate. The beer is a bit thin, which aids in it's drinkability. I also found that this beer had a higher than average carbonation.
Overall : This was a pretty tasty brew. Not going to blow you away (unless you don't like smokey beers), but a good beer to relax and sit back with.
What do you think of this beer? How about smoked porters in general? Let me know in the comments!Even as gas prices have fallen to the lowest point in years under President Trump, Senate Minority Leader is claiming the price of petrol has only gone up.
The nationwide price for gas closed the week of July 17th at $2:39/gallon, down from $2.47/gallon when Trump took office.
Over the July 4th holiday weekend, gas prices were at their lowest point since 2005, according to the AAA.
"At $2.23, today’s average national gas price is the cheapest the country has seen all year," AAA reported. "On the week, gas prices fell in 46 states. Only Illinois, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C. saw prices increase, albeit by one cent each, while Hawaii and Maine remained flat. South Carolina continues to carry the cheapest gas in the country at $1.90. Today, consumers can find gas for $2.00 or less at one out of every four gas stations in the country."
Chuck Schumer, appearing on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, claimed Sunday the prices are only rising, thanks to "huge companies buying up other big companies."
"Gas prices are sticky -- you know, when the domestic price goes, uh, when the, uh, price for oil goes up on the markets, it goes right up but it never goes down.," Schumer said. "How the heck did we let Exxon and Mobil merge?"
Schumer also appeared confused over the "sticky prices" economic theory, as gasoline is cited by the Federal Reserve as an example of prices that aren't "sticky."
"The old Adam Smith idea of competition is gone? It's gone," Schumer said. "People hate it when their cable bills, airline fees go up."
Schumer was addressing a question about what Democrats can offer President Trump in ways of bipartisan legislation. He said Democrats plan to roll out a series of legislative ideas, including rules that make it more difficult for companies to merge, and "a special, special office" to target prescription drug companies.
"We have proposed already a $15 minimum wage," Schumer said, before conceding, "Trump won’t go for that."
"We have proposed a family leave proposal that works well," he added.
Here's an excerpt from Schumer's interview:
STEPHANOPOULOS: “What are you going propose that Donald Trump can sign on to, without his support, this isn't going anywhere?”
SCHUMER: “Well we are going to propose tomorrow -- we have already proposed a few things. A trillion dollar infrastructure plan. Trump, I don't know where he is on infrastructure, but we're willing to work with him on that. We have proposed already a $15 minimum wage. Trump won’t go for that. We have proposed a child-care, family leave proposal that works well.
"Here’s what we’ll propose tomorrow. Number one, We’re going the go after the drug companies. We’ll create a special, special office that will just go after these drug companies when they raise prices so egregiously and people can’t afford these drugs. We’re going to change the way companies can merge. We have these huge companies buying up other big companies. It hurts workers and it hurts prices. The old Adam Smith idea of competition? It's gone. People hate it when their cable bills go up, their airline fees.
"They know that gas prices are sticky -- you know, when the domestic price goes, uh, when the, uh, price for oil goes up on the markets, it goes right up but it never goes down. How the heck did we let Exxon and Mobil merge? And that was Democrats. We’ll go after that. That will help the average person lower their costs.
"And finally, we're going to have tomorrow a very novel idea of how the create 10 million jobs. There are 10 million Americans looking for good-paying jobs. We’re going to show them how to find them. And that’s the beginning. Week after week. Month after month, we’re going to roll out specific pieces here, that are quite different than the Democratic Party you heard of the past. We were too cautious. We were too mamby-pamby. This is sharp, bold, and will appeal to the old Obama coalition. Let's say the young lady who's just getting out of college, and the Democratic voters who deserted us for Trump,
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the largest, with a body that can be more than 2.5 cm (1 in) long. It is sometimes confused with H. helluo, which is somewhat smaller and different in coloration. The underside of H. carolinensis is solid black, but the underside of H. helluo is variegated and has reds, oranges, and yellows with shades of black.
Some members of the Lycosidae, such as H. carolinensis, make deep, tubular burrows in which they lurk much of the time. Others, such as H. helluo, seek shelter under rocks and other shelters as nature may provide. They may wander from place to place, so are likely to be attracted into human habitation when the weather starts to turn colder in autumn. As with spiders in general, males of almost any species can sometimes be found inside homes and buildings as they wander in search for females during the autumn.
Many smaller genera of wolf spiders are found in the United Kingdom. They live in pastures and fields and feed on smaller prey, playing an important role in natural population control that keeps insect numbers in the wolf spiders' vicinity within acceptable levels.Continue Reading
On July 22, 2010, at the direction of your Affiant, CI-01 met with Walter Edmund BOND at the Ramada Inn hotel located at 1150 E. Colfax Ave, Denver Colorado 80218. The meeting was consensually monitored and audio and video tape recorded by ATF. Your affiant and other investigators monitored the conversation and heard BOND state that he burned the Sheepskin Factory in Denver as well as a leather factory and a foie gras restaurant in Utah. BOND stated that he used the nickname "Lone Wolf" and these businesses all represented animals wolves typically hunt. BOND stated that at one time he lived near the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale and that it angered him that the business profited from animals. BOND further stated that the structure was "a box of matches" and he felt that it would easily burn. BOND stated that after he set the fire he watched it burn and saw fire trucks responding. BOND further stated that he intends to "torch" the Sheepskin Factory "in a couple of years" again since it is now reopened at another location.
Given his current legal situation, it'll take a lot of luck for him to make good on this last alleged goal. Look below to read a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, which details the potential sentence Bond could receive if convicted.
ATF, FBI AND GLENDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARREST WALTER BOND FOR SHEEPSKIN FACTORY ARSON IN GLENDALE
DENVER -- Walter Bond, age 34, was arrested last night by Special Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for the April 30, 2010 arson of the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale, Colorado, United States Attorney David Gaouette, ATF Special Agent in Charge Marvin Richardson, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Davis, and Glendale Police Chief Victor Ross announced. Bond, who is charged with one count of arson of property affecting interstate commerce, is scheduled to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Denver at 2:00 p.m. July 23, where he will be advised of the charges pending against him, and the related penalties for that crime.
According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, on April 30, 2010, a fire occurred at the Sheepskin Factory located at 510 South Colorado Boulevard, in Glendale, Colorado. The business sells a variety of sheepskin products, including seat covers, shoes, rugs and blankets via their store and internet, meaning the products travel within interstate commerce. The fire destroyed the building and its contents, resulting in approximately $500,000 in damages.
Bond stated that he used the nickname "Lone Wolf" and that he burned the Sheepskin Factory in Denver as well as a leather factory and restaurant in Utah. The defendant further noted that these businesses all represented animals wolves typically hunt. He said that at one time he lived near the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale, and that it angered him that the business profited from animals. Bond then said that the structure was a "box of matches" and he felt that it would easily burn. He allegedly watched the business burn and saw fire trucks responding. He also said he intended to "torch" the Sheepskin Factory "in a couple of years" again since it is now reopened at another location.
The affidavit noted that someone using the nickname "ALF Lone Wolf" posted on an internet site the following text: "the arson at the Sheepskin Factory in Denver was done in defense and retaliation for all the innocent animals that have died cruelly at the hands of human oppressors. Be warned that making a living from the use and abuse of animals will not be tolerated. Also be warned that leather is every bit as evil as fur. As demonstrated in my recent arson against the Leather Factory in Salt Lake City. Go vegan!"
"Thanks to the hard work of the ATF and FBI, a serial arsonist has been arrested," said U.S. Attorney David Gaouette.
"Arson is a serious and potentially deadly crime that impacts an entire community," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Marvin Richardson. "ATF is committed to pursuing arsonists that endanger firefighters and communities by their senseless acts of violence."
"Terrorism in the name of animal rights is every bit as dangerous and destructive as the other threats facing our country today," said FBI Special Agent in Charge James Davis. "The actions of Mr. Bond resulted in significant property damage and worse, could have resulted in the loss of life. The FBI, along with the ATF and our other Joint Terrorism Task Force partners are committed to working together to ensure that citizens of this country are safe from terrorist threats of all kinds."
If convicted of arson of property affecting interstate commerce, Bond faces not less than 5 years, and not more than 20 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the ATF, FBI, Denver Fire Department, and the Glendale Police Department.
Bond is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Holloway.
A criminal complaint is a probable cause charging document. Anyone accused of a federal felony crime has a Constitutional right to be indicted by a federal grand jury.
The charges contained in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.In a presidential election, almost nothing is off limits--including a romantic photo you took for your wife over 40 years ago.
On Saturday, protesters gathered in La Jolla, Calif. in front of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's beach house to re-enact a photo that Romney had taken of himself in 1968 on a beach in France. In the original photo (see above), Romney is lying in a heart drawn in the sand that reads, "I LOVE ANN."
In the protesters' recreation of the photo (see below), a 10-foot-tall Romney puppet is lying next to a heart drawn in the sand that reads, "I LOVE TAX DODGING."
The demonstrators, organized by labor group Good Jobs LA, say that Romney is not paying his fair share of taxes. In 2010, Mitt and Ann Romney paid a 13.9 percent tax rate, lower than that of a person earning $50,000. In 2011, the couple paid a tax rate of 15.4%.
The labor group also criticized Romney's tax plan. "Mitt Romney’s proposed tax plan would give multi-millionaires an average tax cut of $250,000. To pay for it, middle class families with children will see an average tax increase of $2,000 a year," Good Jobs LA wrote in a press release.
According to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank, the tax plan that Romney unofficially presented during the second presidential debate Tuesday helps the rich most.
"When the very rich, like Mitt Romney, do not pay their fair share in taxes, local communities cannot afford teachers, firefighters, police officers, health care and other essential public services," Good Jobs LA wrote.
The protesters also pointed to the $109,000 worth of taxes that Romney dodged on his La Jolla beach house using lobbying and multiple appeals, as reported by the Los Angeles Times in Aug.
The La Jolla beach house became a sore subject for the Romneys in March when Politico detailed the extravagant plans that the two had for doubling their already 3,000-square-foot, $12-million beach-front home. The renovation plans include adding a car elevator, 3,000-foot basement and outdoor shower.
The Romneys were also late in paying city fees for the mega-million retrofit, according to the San Diego Reader.Update, June 21: Repairs have been completed and the McLennan doors are now open again. Please use the main entrance of McLennan to enter the Humanities and Social Sciences Library. (Please note: the temporary access via the Redpath doors is no longer available and the alarm will sound if the emergency exits there are opened.)
The main entrance to the Humanities and Social Sciences Library (i.e. the McLennan Library Building doors off of the terrace) will be closed from Monday, June 19 through Thursday, June 22 inclusively in order to repair the grills and flooring at the front entrance. During this time period, temporary access to the Humanities & Social Sciences Library will be provided through the Redpath Library Building doors. The McLennan doors and the interior stairwell from University Services on the street level will be cordoned off and signage will be used to direct user to the Redpath doors.
We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and cooperation.Story highlights Arianne Cohen sleeps in the guest room two to three nights a week
Sleeping separately improved her sleep -- and her sex life
"Sleep disturbances are highly individual," one physician says
Your relationship might have all the sexual chemistry and shared interests in the world, but what happens when the lights go out? Are you two compatible under the covers?
Ask yourself these four questions:
1. Are you awakened more than once each night by snoring, bathroom trips, accidental jabs or night talking?
2. Do you two go to sleep and wake up at different times?
3. Would you describe your overall sleep habits -- length of sleep, nap habits, comfort needs -- as different from your partner's?
4. During the night, do you yell something like, "Please for the love of...!" on a regular basis?
If you answered yes to two or more questions, read on.
In my case, I answered all four questions with a maniacal YES. My husband and I are now happy newlyweds, but I discovered two months after shacking up with him that I was dreading the nightly wake-ups when he slid into bed two hours after me. I awoke for his every bathroom trip, and when he tossed, I turned. I pleaded defeat to his habit of leaving his phone on overnight -- we're recent West Coast transplants, which means that East Coast friends regularly call at 6:15 a.m. (Typical voice mail: "Oh shoot man, it's really early there, isn't it. I forgot. But anyway...")
Before our marriage, I had considered my sleep habits to be unremarkable: I prefer a dark quiet room where no one moves or makes noise for eight hours. This is not my husband's M.O. He opens doors and turns on lights (albeit quietly). His morning motto is, "Why hit snooze once when you could hit it five times?" He eventually developed a term for my anger: "sleep hostility."
And so I moved out. Out of the room, that is, and into the guest bedroom. I painted it a decidedly feminine shade of purple, and went there to get some sleep. Real sleep, especially on nights I really need it, like before career-changing presentations or early-morning meetings. Done. I sleep there two or three nights a week.
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I can't say enough positive things about the two-bedroom solution. First off, our sex life has only improved; since we miss each other, sleeping in my husband's room now truly feels like a date. Now that I enjoy eight hours of uninterrupted sleep at least twice a week, my mood is better -- and so is our quality of life. The separate room also allows me a place to talk full volume on the phone, or bite my nails over late-night deadlines. In short: It's my woman cave.
My husband and I are far from the only sufferers of dysfunctional couples' sleep. William Dement, a physician and professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Stanford University who holds doctorates in physiology and sleep medicine, suggests that the first step to addressing your sleep woes is to identify what, specifically, is waking you up.
"Sleep disturbances are highly individual," he says. "The same things that don't bother some people really do bother others." Keep a pad and paper next to your bed and write down what jolts you awake. Kicking? Snoring? Bathroom trips? Talking? Cold? Overheating? Cuddling gone wrong?
If your awakenings come from physical jostling, consider a larger bed. "We've done studies with couples, and if the bed is big enough, there really is no disturbance at all," says Dr. Dement. "But if they're not able to afford a king or even a queen-size bed, when someone rolls over, it disturbs the other person."
If the culprit is noise, consider an age-old solution. "Really good ear plugs handle many problems," says Dement. Temperature issues can be solved with his-and-her comforters.
And if all else fails, head to your own room -- preferably along with a white noise machine like those frequently seen in therapists' offices, which also happens to muffle toilet flushes, all manner of canine tomfoolery and husbands sticking their heads into your cave to see if you want to have a little late-night date...From Friday (January 1st) it seems a bug got into the Siemens train automatic announcements, probably associated with the timetable changes which took effect on that date.
Since then, the trains (unless the driver turns off all of the auto announcements) will remind you to “Mind the gap between the train and the platform” with quite staggering regularity.
Here it is in all its glory, when approaching North Melbourne — twice within 20 seconds:
Doesn’t seem so bad? Imagine a train trip through 20 stations. It might get a bit grating after the 40th or 50th time.
The warning appears to go off when departing a station, and then again before announcing the next station approaching, and yet again if the next station is a junction station.
The consequences should be obvious. On a short trip from Footscray to Flinders Street (five stops) we heard the announcement some twelve times. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to tell Metro about it as soon as it appeared on Friday morning.
"Mind the gap between the train and the platform" auto announcement 12 times between Footscray-Flinders St. 2549T. @metrotrains #TooMuch — Daniel Bowen (@danielbowen) January 1, 2016
It’s not that the “Mind the gap” message is a bad one. Safety is important, and greater awareness can help people prevent accidents, such as the death of Mitchell Callaghan in 2014.
“Effective frequency” of messages seems to be an inexact science, no doubt highly dependent on context, but there comes a point whereby repeated exposure to the message is wasteful, and in this case, simply irritating.
I suspect it also undermines confidence that the automatic announcements are doing their job, and are accurate — just like when they persistently announce the wrong stations, which is a common occurrence on Siemens trains.
Ultimately, it doesn’t make Metro look very good.
On Friday I overheard two drivers discussing the problem, remarking that it was “driving people crazy”.
And it appears some drivers have taken to turning off the announcements altogether, which fixes the problem but means those (such as the visually-impaired, or those who have difficulty seeing through window advertising) who might rely on audible station announcements are disadvantaged.
After numerous complaints on Twitter (and no doubt elsewhere), on Monday Metro finally publicly acknowledged the problem, and said it would be fixed in each of the 36 trains, while they are not in service over coming days.
By Tuesday evening, a third of the affected trains had been fixed.
We've fixed 12 of the 36 trains with excessive'mind the gap' announcements. Our apologies for any annoyance that this may have caused. 1/2 — Metro Trains (@metrotrains) January 5, 2016
We're currently working on fixing the remainder of the trains with this issue. Thank you for your patience. 2/2 — Metro Trains (@metrotrains) January 5, 2016
For those of us travelling regularly on the lines served by these trains, removal of the repetitive warnings will be very welcome.
I suppose on the bright side, at least those who have had to put up with it (or heard about it via the media) have been exposed to the safety message.Be honest. Have there been days when you’ve wanted to invest in a gas mask when you walk outside? Days where the outlines of the mountains fade into a blur, and the fog is a tinged a murky brown?
That’s the reality of the inversion days in our state’s metropolitan areas. And while inversion is a meteorological phenomenon, it doesn’t change the fact that on the days that phenomenon occurs—on average 18 days a year—we’re all stuck breathing a dusty soup of pollutants.
The issue is top of mind for the citizens affected by winter inversion and our poor summer air days, says Bryce Bird, Air Quality Division director at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Bird says that in a recent survey, respondents replied “air quality was one of the highest concerns on [their] mind—and the one that people thought we were doing the least about.”
What is the answer to Utah’s air quality problem? Is it that the state’s growth is outpacing our state’s efforts to lower pollution? That technology hasn’t caught up with the problem? That laziness leads the population to shun habits that would lower emissions on our worst air quality days? Or that here, as with seemingly everything, money still talks? The answer is a complicated blend of all of these—and more.
How bad is bad?
We know the air quality in Utah can be quite bad. In fact, it’s bad enough the American Lung Association ranked Salt Lake City as having the sixth-worst air quality in the nation, with a whopping F-grade in both ozone and particle pollution. Utah has failed to reach EPA’s 2006 guidelines, and was unable to reach the EPA’s “moderate” classification by its 2015 due date—now, the Beehive state will try again to demonstrate attainment by 2019.
A study from the New England Journal of Medicine, released in July 2017, alarmed Utah physicians, showing that high levels of particulate pollution and ozone are strongly associated with stillbirths and increased rates of mortality.
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE) Board President Dr. Brian Moench stated in a press release: “UPHE has always advocated that there is no safe level of air pollution and EPA standards are inadequate. We have estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 people Utah die annually because of our air pollution. These studies firmly establish the scientific validity of those estimations.”
Pinpointing sources
Figures from Gov. Gary Herbert’s 2017 Energy Summit showed that emissions and pollution sources in the Wasatch Front came mainly from three sources: area pollutants, like gas stations, dry cleaners, and residential or commercial buildings; mobile pollutants such as cars, trucks and buses; and point pollutants, such as refineries. It’s the breakdown of that pie chart that might surprise people: 39 percent of Wasatch Front pollution comes from area pollutants, 48 percent from mobile, and 13 percent from point pollutants.
To truly solve the air quality problem, the best solution is to attack all the sources, rather than simply focus on one. After all, although nearly half of the pollutants in our air come from the cars we drive, how many people do you know that have volunteered to simply toss out their keys and start walking everywhere? It’s a multi-pronged problem, and needs a multi-pronged solution.
Refining the refineries
The oil and gas industry isn’t going anywhere, despite the horrible PR that’s rained down on it for years.
“Petroleum products are really everywhere in our lives,” says Lee Peacock, president of the Utah Petroleum Association. “When you stop and look at the building blocks of everything we use in our lives, petrochemicals, which come from the oil and gas industry, are in virtually everything we use every day. You think about plastics or simple household items like cosmetics, sports equipment or rubber for tires—oil and gas is a huge part of all of that.”
Because the industry is vital to virtually everything people use, Peacock says the idea that oil and gas companies are resistant to alternative fuels for our transportation systems is overblown. He says the industry has put lots of research and development dollars into alternatives, but that oil and gas is always going to be necessary. “As an industry, we’re working hard to deliver those resources we all need in as an environmentally responsible way as we all can,” he says.
Peacock also says the long-touted idea that simply “turning off” the refineries on bad air days is not just incorrect—it’s irresponsible. Shutting down and firing up a refinery creates more pollution than simply allowing it to run continuously, thereby completely defeating the purpose, he says. It’s better to let the refineries run—but have them create cleaner fuel.
The EPA’s fuel standards have long regulated the amount of sulfur in fuel. Currently, companies have to demonstrate attainment with the EPA’s third tier of sulfur fuel standards—which, Peacock says, is good for everyone. “Sulfur actually inhibits your car’s emission control system to work optimally,” he says. “The less sulfur in gas, the lower the emissions for vehicles.”
However, oil and gas companies only have to demonstrate attainment across all of their refineries, not each one on an individual basis. Utah’s refineries are considered small refineries, and it’s less cost-effective for a large company to fit the smaller refineries than the larger ones with the equipment and technology necessary for Tier 3 attainment. Furthermore, smaller refineries have a longer window to demonstrate attainment.
“[The EPA] recognizes that this is a fairly complicated and expensive rule to implement, especially for small refineries. So they built into the rule provisions for small refineries… It gives a little more time for the small refiners to comply with the rule, versus larger refiners from around the country,” says Peacock. “All five of your refineries here in Utah qualify under EPA’s small refiner exemption.”
Still, says Peacock, one of Utah’s refineries, Silver Eagle—incidentally, the smallest of the five—is already making fuel cleaner than Tier 3 standards and will not have to do anything further.
In an op-ed published last autumn in The Salt Lake Tribune, Herbert vowed to do what he could to make refineries produce Tier 3 fuel, and in the final week of the 2017 legislative session, lawmakers voted to provide a $1.8 million tax break to incentivize refineries to produce the cleaner gasoline. Since then, Chevron committed to its refinery in Utah producing Tier 3 gasoline by the end of 2019. Tesoro, owner of the state’s largest refinery, has also said it will cut the amount of sulfur in its gasoline by two-thirds over the next three to four years. The process, Tesoro reports, will cost its refinery around $100 million.
“It’s hard for refiners to pass on those costs, because the biggest market is the transportation fuels market, which is exceptionally competitive,” explains Peacock. “It’s such a competitive marketplace and everything depends on supply and demand. It’s hard for them to always recoup those costs from environmental and benefit projects.”
Innovating combustion
The death of coal has also long been greatly exaggerated. And while we’ve all heard the term “clean coal” for a while now, what does—or would—that really entail?
Andrew Fry, associate professor of chemical engineering at Brigham Young University, has long been “drawn to power systems and combustion systems and making them better.” He’s worked on emission issues related to both sulfur and nitrogen oxides related to coal-fire power generation. Clean coal would be coal that doesn’t pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere—and Fry says that, regardless of political argument, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and their effect on our atmosphere have significantly changed the outlook of what coal-fire power generation should look like.
“We are talking about technologies that are essentially pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere … and then saying that we have to limit the CO2 that goes into the atmosphere,” he says. “The majority of coal is carbon and that becomes CO2. It’s mixed with nitrogen that comes in with the air, and it’s difficult to remove.”
To keep that carbon dioxide from streaming into the air, Fry says coal can be burned with pure oxygen instead. “There’s a few things that happen that are favorable when we do this. We can boost the efficiency of the system, and what’s emitted is pure CO2. And it’s pure CO2. We don’t have to separate it [from nitrogen],” he says. “Geologists say we can take that pure CO2, compress it until it becomes into a supercritical fluid, like a liquid, and we can inject it into geologic structures underground. So we’re talking about a zero-emission coal.”
While some believe that zero-emission coal is far-fetched, Fry says the technology not only exists, but has been demonstrated in Germany and Australia in large scales. China, too, is showing great interest in its development. A program in the United States was meant to build a plant around the technology, but the government decided not to pursue that pathway.
“The drawback is that we don’t ever get anything for free,” continues Fry. “There’s no driver right now on the books that says that power companies have to be zero emission. So they’ll do what makes best economic sense for their company.”
And what makes the best economic sense for the company is probably building natural gas combined cycle units, says Fry. Natural gas’s extremely low prices, although historically volatile, have driven many companies to look toward that gas instead of coal, touting it as cleaner and better, instead of investing in costly new installations for zero-emission coal.
“The tech is available, but the bulky economic and regulatory drivers aren’t in place to make that flourish,” he says. Instead, the future lies in finding ways to make the clean coal technology more economically favorable and efficient.
“What I’m working on is a solution. When you’re going to invest money, people tell you, you should have a broad portfolio because that’s safe. I believe that’s true in the way that we create energy, too,” he says. “I’m fully supportive of nuclear. I’m fully supportive of renewables, even though they have limitations. And advanced technologies for coal should be developed and available. I think it’ll be needed in the future.”
An electrifying option
Don’t forget: nearly 48 percent of Utah’s pollution comes from motor vehicles. That 48 percent is comprised of individual decisions to get into a car and drive, every single day.
“First, it’s important to emphasize that air quality does have a significant dependence on transportation,” says Dr. Regan Zane, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Utah State University, as well as director for the Center for Sustainable Electrified Transportation (SELECT). “Then, looking at that, what are the different options for us in reducing that particulate matter from transportation and point sources and localized emission? The idea of transportation electrification would be significant improvement—the possibility of zero tailpipe emissions.”
Electric vehicles are the darlings of many who want to see fewer pollutants in our atmosphere. The idea of nearly 50 percent reduction in pollution, simply by switching cars, is bewitching. But there are drawbacks: the need to produce more electricity to power electric cars, for instance.
Still, for Zane, that caveat is worth it. Power plants can’t get permits in the primary airshed of a city, which would still mean we’re all breathing cleaner air (and if we could get some of that zero-emission coal …)
Some of the other roadblocks to a widespread embrace of electric vehicles (which currently make up a staggering 1 percent of the market share in Utah) are the lack of infrastructure and the cost of batteries. Current battery cost, for instance, makes electric vehicle adoption in large vehicles like freight trucks cost-prohibitive. Even for basic or small-sized sedans, Zane says the price of electric cars and their maintenance and charging isn’t quite “mass market”—instead, he calls it “the realm of almost-reality.”
Zane says the general infrastructure for electric vehicles doesn’t exist yet, but creating that infrastructure would incentivize the average person to invest in buying an electric car. If you could charge your car at work or at home, that would certainly help. But something that might help even more is if you could charge your car as you drive, something like the existing hybrid system but with a little extra oomph.
That’s the technology Zane is working on: embedding wireless power-transfer coils down inside the roadway. It would look like any other standard road, only any electric vehicle driving on it would have a receiving coil that would be configured for operation on that road—and as the car drove over the electrified segments, it would receive a charge. The next coil would further that charge, and the next, and the next. The road’s electricity would come from a roadside utility connection perhaps every fourth of a mile or so. And your car would be continuously charged.
Currently, this technology is in pilot studies. Zane says, eventually, the entire interstate system could be so charged, allowing your electric car to drive long distances and allowing freight trucks the capability to go all-electric. He talks about the cost in a way he calls “back of the envelope calculations,” which he says are optimistic. Electrifying a road would be something like $2.5-3 million per mile, but that’s a drop in the ocean of current national transportation costs.
He explains it this way: Let’s say you’re a corporation that owns the whole of the United States, with all its vehicles. “You look at it, we’re in the trillion-dollar range overall for transportation annual spend in the U.S. A significant portion of that is the fuel cost,” he says. “Let’s say electrifying the roadways is enough to convince everyone to buy electric cars. The cost of electrifying the interstate highways (for 100,000 miles and we consider $3 million per mile), that’s about $300 billion. If we go back to understanding that we’re burning close to a trillion dollars, but almost $500 billion in fuel per year, as this entity that owns the U.S., this system would pay for itself in a heartbeat.”
Of course, there’s no way to do this project overnight, and it’s difficult to convince everyone on our roadways to go electric—which, in turn, makes it difficult to convince anyone that we need to electrify our roadways. But Zane is optimistic that the pilot program of electrified roadways, which is being done in conjunction with Colorado’s Department of Transportation, will start convincing people to convert to electric cars.
“I think that could really be done. But first we need to further develop and demonstrate it on a public roadway,” he says. “It should be traded off with other options. We’re at the cusp of needing a major infrastructure upgrade in the U.S., anyway.”
Planning for the future
It doesn’t sit well with the Division of Air Quality’s Bryce Bird that so many people believe nothing is being done regarding the air quality in Utah. He says his department is constantly going through processes, doing cost-benefit analyses on whatever is controllable, and trying to tackle the problem.
“We go through the cost in dollars per ton of emissions reduced. Once we have that cost-benefit currency, the dollars per ton, we can compare strategies and determine which ones to put into place depending on the cost-benefit,” Bird says. This past June, the department’s board opened for public comment 12 changes to paints and solvents to limit the amount of emissions for those.
Furthermore, he says that our per-capita emissions are going down, and that from 2002-2014, the Salt Lake valley had a 46 percent reduction in per-capita emissions. But with Utah’s current and projected population growth, that number has to continue falling.
“You can’t build any further up the mountain or into the lake. All the new growth will occur in the same areas where we have air pollution challenges now,” he says. “But we’ve been monitoring since the late ‘50s. Each decade, air quality has improved in the Salt Lake valley, despite our growth.”
And while air quality is a real and pressing problem in the state, Bird says there’s no reason to be unnecessarily gloomy about the future.
“Public perception is out there and the perception is that it’s worse than it is. People focus on those bad air quality days and forget about all the good ones,” says Bird. “Companies said the No. 1 reason people leave the state, and a big detractor, is the air quality situation. [We] have to focus on the fact that we have some challenges and help people to understand we’re not that different from other metro areas of our size, and that we’re putting plans in place to address it. It will improve in the future. It is a challenge for us, but that is something that we are trying to address.”Rams rout Colts in McVay’s head-coaching debut
The Rams, who ranked last in the NFL in scoring in 2016, opened their 2017 season with a shocking 46–9 victory over the Colts. Los Angeles scored an average of 14.0 points per game last season, the lowest mark in the NFL since 2013. Only one team in NFL history scored more points in a season-opening game immediately following a season in which they had the lowest scoring average in the league. San Francisco averaged only 16.9 points per game in 1964, but opened the 1965 season with a 52–24 win over the Bears.
Sunday’s game marked the NFL head-coaching debut of 31-year-old Sean McVay. During the NFL’s modern era, dating back to 1933, only two other teams scored as many points in their head coach’s debut as the Rams scored for McVay. In 1947, the Rams defeated the Steelers, 48–7, in Bob Snyder’s first game as an NFL head coach; and in 1989, Bud Carson’s Browns routed the Steelers, 51–0.
Beast Mode is back
Marshawn Lynch gained 76 yards on 18 carries in the Raiders’ 26–16 victory at Tennessee. That was a positive first step for the 30-year-old running back in his return following a one-year “retirement.” Only two players in their 30s gained 1000 rushing yards in a season after missing the previous year: Garrison Hearst with the 49ers in 2001 (1206 yards), and Mike Anderson with the Broncos in 2005 (1014).
As for that first step, the only other players in their 30s to carry the ball at least 15 times, or to gain at least 70 rushing yards, in their return after missing an entire season were Doug Wycoff with the Boston Redskins in 1934 (20 carries for 91 yards) and Bronco Nagurski for the Bears in 1943 (16 for 84).
Stafford bounces back from worst possible start
Matthew Stafford, whose first pass of the season was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, rebounded by throwing four TD passes in the Lions’ 35–23 victory over the Cardinals. Stafford was the first player since 1970 to throw four touchdowns after suffering a pick-6 on his first pass of a game. The last player to do so was Bobby Douglass of the Bears in a 31–13 win over Buffalo.
Bethel picks up where he left off
It was Justin Bethel who picked off Matthew Stafford’s first pass of the game and returned it 82 yards for a Cardinals touchdown. Last season, Bethel scored Arizona’s final TD with a 66-yard INT return against Sean Mannion and the Rams. The only other player in NFL history to score on a pick-6 in his team’s final game of one season and opener of the next season was Darren Sharper, who did it for two different teams. Sharper scored INT-TDs in Green Bay’s finale of the 2004 season and in Minnesota’s 2005 opening game, eight months later.
Bethel, who also scored on a pick-6 in 2015, is the fourth Cardinals player to score on INT returns in three straight seasons. The others were Larry Wilson (1964–66), Aeneas Williams (1995–97), and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (2008–10).
What’s new? A new Watt dominates on defense
T.J. Watt made an auspicious NFL debut, sacking his fellow rookie DeShone Kizer twice and intercepting him once in the Steelers’ 21–18 victory at Cleveland. During the 36 seasons in which the NFL has officially compiled sacks for individuals, only two other players had at least two sacks and an interception in their first game in the league, and both did so during the players’ strike in 1987: Charles Glaze with Seattle and Tommy Haynes with Dallas. (Neither of them played an NFL game after the strike was settled.)
Cowboys 1–0, Giants 0–1... seems like old times
The Cowboys opened their season with a convincing 19–3 victory over the Giants. It was the 10th time that Dallas played its opening game of a season against the G-men. The Cowboys have a 9–1 record in those games, losing only in 2016 by the narrowest of margins (20–19).
The Giants have failed to score a touchdown in only three of their last 60 season-opening games, all of them against the Cowboys, previously losing 31–2 in 1965 and 35–0 in 1995
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85] Some of these involved electronic media. In October 2012, for example, neighbors filed a police complaint against a 16-year-old Christian boy in Karachi for allegedly sending them a blasphemous text message.[86] Reflecting the difficulty of proving intent in such cases, media reports published conflicting accounts of the message, some reporting that the unnamed boy acknowledged forwarding a message but denied creating it, and others saying the message was sent when his mobile phone was commandeered by friends. His family fled the area and neighbors ransacked their house. A second text message resulted in the arrest of the sender, even though he claimed to have circulated the blasphemous content to resolve a dispute with a customer.[87]
Accusing someone of blasphemy leaves them vulnerable to attack, regardless of whether it has foundation, while attempts to reform the punitive laws leave even politicians vulnerable. In January 2013, the Supreme Court ordered an investigation into Ambassador Sherry Rehman after a businessman accused her of blaspheming the Prophet during an October 2010 television talk show appearance to defend proposed changes to the blasphemy laws; police and lower courts had refused to consider the case.[88] Three months after that TV appearance, Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, was murdered by his own bodyguard for criticizing the same laws.
The 2004 Defamation Act allows for imprisonment of up to five years, and observers fear a chilling effect if it is used to launch court cases for online expression, particularly since internet users are already seeking to prosecute their rivals. In January 2013, a Twitter feud escalated into a defamation suit when Tahir Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council of Muslim clerics and scholars, announced that he would initiate civil proceedings against Let Us Build Pakistan, a political website, for allegedly inciting sectarian violence.[89] A writer on the site—which critics censure for spreading hate speech—had accused Ashrafi of forming alliances with banned extremist groups.
Government surveillance is a concern for activists, bloggers, and media representatives in Balochistan, as well as ordinary internet users wishing to comment openly on the state or religion, notably atheist groups. Pakistani authorities, particularly intelligence agencies, appear to have been expanding their monitoring activities in recent years, while provincial officials have been exerting pressure on the central government to grant local police forces greater surveillance powers and location tracking abilities, ostensibly to curb terrorism and violent crimes.[90] ISPs, telecommunications companies, and SIM card vendors are required to authenticate the National Identity Card details of prospective customers with the National Database Registration Authority before providing service.[91] Furthermore, under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance—a 2007 bill that required ISPs to retain traffic data for a minimum of 90 days, among other regulations[92]—telecommunications companies were required to keep logs of customer communications and pass them to security agencies when directed by the PTA. While the bill officially expired in 2009, the practice is reportedly still active.
In February 2013, the upper house of parliament passed the Fair Trial Act 2012, which had been approved by the National Assembly in December.[93] The legislation allows security agencies to seek a judicial warrant to monitor private communications “to neutralize and prevent [a] threat or any attempt to carry out scheduled offenses;” and covers information sent from or received in Pakistan or between Pakistani citizens whether they are resident in the country or not.[94] The bill was proposed by Law Minister Farooq Hamid Naek to thwart terrorism, but its critics counter that the act’s wording leaves it open to abuse, and that it grants powers to a broad range of agencies.[95] Under the law, service providers face a one-year jail term or a fine of up to PKR 10 million ($103,000) for failing to cooperate with the warrant.
In 2013, a report by Citizen Lab indicated that Pakistani citizens may be vulnerable to oversight through a software tool present in the country. The “Governmental IT Intrusion and Remote Monitoring Solutions” known as FinFisher Suite described in the report includes the FinSpy tool, which attacks the victim’s machine with malware to collect data including Skype audio, key logs, and screenshots.[96] The analysis found FinFisher’s command and control servers in 36 countries globally, including Pakistan, on the PTCL network. This does not confirm that actors in Pakistan are knowingly taking advantage of its capabilities. Nevertheless, civil society organizations called on PTCL to investigate and disable FinFisher tools.[97]
Pakistan is also reported to be a long-time customer of Narus,[98] a U.S.-based firm known for designing technology that allows for monitoring of traffic flows and deep-packet inspection of internet communications, and some media reports say Pakistani authorities have also acquired surveillance technology from China. In 2013, when news reports described the possible introduction of new filtering software to address the YouTube crisis, some said the information ministry objected to its additional capacities for monitoring communications. PTA chief Farooq Ahmed Khan denied any intent to use it for surveillance.[99]
Pakistan is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for traditional journalists, with seven killed in 2012 alone, either on the job or in reprisal for published reports.[100] Violence has yet to affect online journalists in the same way, though they are equally vulnerable to some attacks, such as double-bombings that target first responders at the scene of one blast with a second, delayed detonation. In January 2013, twin blasts hit a Shia Muslim community in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, killing over 100 people, including three media professionals and Irfan Ali, a blogger and human rights activist who was helping survivors at the scene.[101]
In a particularly high-profile case, an unknown gunman shot 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai in the head while she was traveling in a school van in the Taliban-controlled Swat region of Pakistan in October 2012; she had received threats for writing an online diary for the BBC in 2009.[102] Though she used a pseudonym, the diary included personal details about her family; she also appeared in an online video series for The New York Times,[103] among other local media appearances, and became an informal spokesperson promoting education for women, which the Taliban had recently banned. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying she had “divulged secrets of the mujahideen and Taliban through BBC [sic].”[104] Yousufzai survived the shooting and was flown to the United Kingdom where she was treated for a severe head wound.
Pakistan was shocked by the attack, and social media played a significant role in driving public debate over the case,[105] which criticized military and intelligence leaders for failing to check the Taliban,[106] and prompted a retaliatory online smear campaign accusing Yousufzai of being a U.S. spy.[107] Local journalists reported Taliban spokesmen contacting them by e-mail and text to defend the action and warn against negative coverage.[108]
Several other free expression activists and bloggers have also reported receiving death threats. Many publicize them—and sometimes attract more—on Twitter. Most are sent via text message from untraceable, unregistered mobile phone connections, often originating from the tribal areas of the country, and several include specific details from the recipient’s social media profiles or other online activity. In addition, some militant Islamic groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA attack cybercafés, which they consider sites of moral degradation. In January 2012, an explosion outside an internet cafe in Peshawar, provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killed two people;[109] at least three more attacks on cybercafés or mobile phone stores were reported in different areas of the country in the first half of 2013.[110]
Technical attacks against the websites of NGO’s, opposition groups, and activists are common in Pakistan but typically go unreported due to self-censorship. Minority organizations such as the Catholic-run human rights advocacy group National Commission for Justice and Peace have also been subject to technical attacks. The websites of government agencies are also commonly attacked, often by ideological hackers attempting to make a political statement. In March 2013, an unidentified hacker defaced the electoral commission’s website in advance of elections.[111] Hackers defaced websites belonging to the Supreme Court and the PTA in October 2011 demanding stricter controls for online pornography.[112] Hackers have also infiltrated Pakistan’s internet registry PKNIC, which manages the country’s top level domains, including major news websites and Microsoft and Google regional homepages. The first attack came on November 24, 2012 and resulted in several sites being defaced, including Google’s search engine, which was replaced with an image of penguins and a Turkish-language message reading “Pakistan Downed.”[113] The PKNIC failed to adjust its security and was infiltrated again on February 4, 2013, apparently to highlight ongoing vulnerabilities.[114]Sisters, I can’t tell you how happy I will be this evening when all this election stuff is over. I know it’s been a frustrating time for everyone, especially on Facebook where brothers and sisters are de-friending each other left and right, calling names, and generally acting without the spirit.
I know it’s a confusing time for all of us. Making sure that we are voting the right is HARD, especially when there is more than one candidate. If only the US government was as forward-thinking as our inspired Church leadership. I had a revelation that by the end of the day we will have elected to the office of the President someone who can change that. Someone who will realign in this last dispensation the Church and the State, the way God intended. I feel so blessed that soon we will have a government run the way it should: from the top down with our Heavenly Father dictating the way.
Everywhere you go you hear the champions of Democracy tooting their horns about civil responsibility and giving the government to its people. They speak impassioned about having leaders who can advocate for the needs of the disenfranchised members of society, who can ensure equality for the homosexuals, the women, the poor, those with the mark of Cain on their skin…the list goes on. They try to convince us that allowing everyone’s voice to be heard and changing the government rules to make life more fair and easy for these groups is the right thing to do. One of our most inspired leaders, Boyd K. Packer once warned:
When members are hurting, it is so easy to convince ourselves that we are justified, even duty bound, to use the influence of our appointment or our calling to somehow represent them. We then become their advocates — sympathize with their complaints against the Church, and perhaps even soften the commandments to comfort them. Unwittingly we may turn about and face the wrong way. Then the channels of revelation are reversed. Let me say that again. Then the channels of revelation are reversed.
He was speaking about the Church and the US Government could take a note or two from our divinely inspired leadership. The rules are the rules. They have come from God and we can’t just make exceptions because a few people don’t fit into the box. God has made these rules for a reason, who are we to go about changing them? I fear the latter-days really are upon us when the possibility of marriage equality for all is looming so heavily.
Because of the dire consequences of this election, I sincerely hope you will choose your candidate carefully. If you still are unsure who to vote for, be assured that prayer is the best way to find out which candidate God wants us to elect. Don’t waste your time looking at plans, policies, track records, or other useless information. The right candidate will be
revealed through the Spirit to prophets, not through the intellect to scholars.
Pray. Get down on your knees and pray as hard as you can. God will answer you. Once you have your answer, just to make sure, it is always prudent to check your choice of candidate with your husband, father, brother, or local priesthood holder (even if he is younger and less politically inclined than you!). The line of revelation goes from God -> President Monson -> The Priesthood. If you find yourself at odds with the priesthood, most likely you misunderstood what God was telling you. Priesthood aside, we sisters have only had the right to vote since 1920 and thus have much less experience in these matters, so it’s just not a good idea to vote without guidance.
Vote the Right!
I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
AdvertisementsWhen will the Globe give Bernie Sanders a fair shake? I was one of the more than 20,000 people who attended Sanders’ rally at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center Oct. 3. The Globe reported on the rally the next day in the Metro section (“Sanders draws a big Boston crowd”). If Hillary Clinton, or any other presidential candidate, had drawn a crowd that size in Boston, would it have been covered in the Metro section?
Apparently, the Globe feels that other candidates are worthy of front-page coverage (for example, “Low-key campaign is just fine with Rubio,” Oct. 6), even though attendance at their public events, not to mention their showing in the polls, is dwarfed by Sanders. And in the Page One story about Hillary Clinton’s flip-flop on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“Clinton opposes Obama on trade pact,” Oct. 8), your reporter managed not to mention Sanders, “who has surpassed Clinton in some polls in the early-voting states of New Hampshire and Iowa,” until the 12th paragraph. Even then it was to comment that Sanders “took advantage of the issue [the same] week, currying favor with the liberal base” through a fund-raising appeal. The reader would never know from the story that Sanders for decades has been a consistent opponent of these pro-corporate free-trade deals.
Sanders has drawn huge crowds, received donations from more than 650,000 individuals, and is inspiring thousands, especially young people, to believe in the possibility that participating in the political process might actually result in meaningful changes in their lives, in society, and for the planet. Regardless of the argument over Sanders’ so-called electability, his campaign is not only the most surprising phenomenon of the 2016 race; it is also a serious contributor to the national conversation about the most serious issues we face. The Globe’s coverage should reflect that.
Peter Snoad, Jamaica PlainAT least two A-League supporters have successfully challenged Football Federation bans, it has emerged, after the governing body conceded it is prepared to review certain cases.
Amid mounting supporter anger over the banning process, which seen almost 200 individuals given bans from all football events from a few months to 20 years, FFA revealed that it would consider new evidence presented via A-League clubs in cases where supporters felt they had been wrongly blamed.
As the furore continued over the publication of the banned list in the Sunday Telegraph, FFA said on Thursday that it had “always been the case” that bans could be overturned, even though there is no formal - or independent - appeals process.
“Since the inception of the Banning Process, it has always been the case that if a banned person can prove that they did not engage in the relevant behaviour the ban will not apply,” the FFA statement said. “If a banned person can bring the evidence that proves this to FFA through their club, the ban will be lifted.”
It’s understood that at least two supporters, one from Sydney FC, have been successful in producing evidence to challenge their ban, even though the majority of clubs in the competition appeared to be unaware that they could mount a case on behalf of a supporter.
In letters sent last year to subjects of banning orders, FFA had said that as it is not a government agency, “the obligation to adhere to the rules of procedural fairness and natural justice does not apply to our organisation. FFA will not consider any appeal”.
It comes after Western Sydney became the first club to say it would back supporters who could prove their ban was unjust, and would make their case to FFA. “Within the parameters of the system that is in place at FFA, if you feel you have been wrongly banned and have compelling evidence to support your claim please contact our office,” CEO John Tsatsimas said to the club’s members in a letter on Wednesday.
He also implored fans not to target individuals, after it emerged that death threats had been made against a journalist over the publication of the banned list.
FFA also issued more detail about its banning process on Thursday, insistent that each penalty was backed by hard evidence.
“FFA does not ban spectators lightly but, like any host venue including sporting stadiums and hotels, will refuse entry to persons where we are not satisfied that they will respect the safety and enjoyment of other patrons,” its statement said.
“Before issuing a “banned notice”, an FFA security committee reviews credible information provided by law enforcement, stadium security, FFA’s security consultants and clubs. This information includes CCTV, photos and other forms of evidence.
“The length of each ban reflects the seriousness of the conduct and the risk that it poses to the safety and welfare of our fans, and reinforces our message that we don’t tolerate anti-social behaviour.”
Originally published as Fans successfully challenge FFA bansIn the Myers-Briggs family of personality types, INFJs and INFPs are like siblings. Both personalities are highly emotionally intelligent, and it seems they were put on this planet for the same purpose: to help everyone else understand the human condition in a profound way. These two rare types are so similar that it can be hard to tell the difference between them. Many INFJs mistype as INFPs, and vice versa.
At first glance, it looks like the INFJ and INFP have everything in common except the last letter of their four-letter type name. But really, these types are like opposite sides of the same coin. One of their biggest differences is how they make decisions.
Similar letters, but opposite functions.
These two personalities don’t share any of the same functions, explains INFJ blogger Megan Malone in her post, Type Analysis: INFJ or INFP?
“Functions,” in Myers-Briggs speak, are the preferred ways of thinking a given personality type uses to gather information from the outside world and make decisions.
The INFJ’s functions, in order of most dominant to least dominant, are:
INFPs use:
These two types are similar in many ways because they’re both introverts who use feeling and intuition as their top two functions.
Their differences come down to the order and the direction of their functions — the INFJ’s intuition is introverted and feeling is extroverted, while the INFP’s intuition is extroverted and feeling is introverted.
Both types look inward to make decisions.
Because they’re both introverts, INFJs and INFPs look inward to make decisions, but they look at different things.
INFJs make decisions by waiting for introverted intuition to make things clear by providing them with sudden “aha!” moments, explains personality profiler Antonia Dodge, co-owner of Personality Hacker, in her post INFP vs INFJ: 5 Surprising Differences to Tell Them Apart.
INFPs make decisions by checking their “emotional temperature.”
They use different functions in the decision-making process.
Introverted intuition, the INFJ’s dominant function, is a learning process that works by watching one’s own mind form patterns.
After years of use, introverted intuition sees the “pattern of patterns,” so to speak, and INFJs understand that what is happening inside them cognitively is also happening for other people.
The INFP’s go-to function is introverted feeling, which works by being deeply in touch with how events emotionally impact the INFP.
Both can struggle to make decisions, but for different reasons.
The INFJ’s introverted intuition is a perceiving process, which means it’s a function that gathers information. Decisions are made using a judging process — either a feeling or thinking function.
So, INFJs must use their second function, extroverted feeling, to make decisions. Using a secondary function is not as easy as using a dominant function, so INFJs may struggle with indecisiveness if they haven’t developed extroverted feeling well enough.
INFPs want every decision they make to align with their personal values and identity. A decision as simple as what to order at a restaurant can become a frustration if, say, their relationship with food has become a part of how they define themselves, explains Dodge.
It can be grueling for INFPs to be pressured to make a quick decision, because they haven’t had time to evaluate how the situation fits with their values.
It’s only through checking their own visceral emotional reaction that INFPs know how a decision aligns with them, so usually they don’t know if a decision is right for them or not until after they’ve made it.
However, each decision and its emotional impact is catalogued in the INFP’s mind, and little by little, decisions get easier and faster.
Because INFJs are more removed from their decision-making process, they don’t struggle as much with day-to-day decisions, because not every decision is a reflection of their identity.
Thanks to introverted intuition, INFJs can see problems from many different perspectives. Being able to see too many sides of an issue, however, can make it difficult for INFJs to make a final call.
Further complicating the INFJ’s decision-making process are the feelings of other people involved in the situation. INFJs take other people’s emotions into account just as much as — and sometimes more than — their own emotions. INFJs strive to make decisions that are win-win not only for themselves, but also for any other people involved (although this isn’t always realistically possible).
As always with personality psychology, keep in mind that your own experiences, circumstances, and willpower shape who you are, and no two INFJs or INFPs will be exactly alike.
Image credit: Deviant Art (la-child)
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Read this: 21 Undeniable Signs That You’re an IntrovertCOLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — A University of Maryland student has been charged with making up a story about being robbed at gunpoint because she owed money to a relative.
Prince George’s County police say 18-year-old Teshauna Jones has been charged with making a false statement.
Police have investigated several recent robberies on and around the College Park campus. Jones told police that she was robbed around midnight Monday as she walked home from the College Park Metro station. Numerous officers and police dogs responded to the scene to search for a suspect.
Police say they reviewed surveillance footage and discovered that the events described by Jones did not occur. She was re-interviewed, and police say she admitted fabricating the robbery.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)The ongoing transfer speculation surrounding DeAndre Yedlin has officially come to a close, with the Seattle Sounders announcing Wednesday that terms have been finalized for Yedlin to make a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
In a teleconference with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Seattle general manager Adrian Hanauer explained a few specifics regarding the transaction and the club’s thinking as the rumors surrounding Yedlin stacked up following his coming out party on the international stage at the 2014 World Cup.
“This transaction provides, first, a great opportunity for us to win a championship in 2014 with DeAndre remaining with the team,” Hanauer said. “Second, it provides us with allocation money that is paramount to maintaining a competitive squad going forward.”
“We’re in a sport where this happens,” added Hanauer. “Every club in the world sells players. It’s just a question of weighing the benefits and the drawbacks and we ultimately decided that this was a good decision for us.”
The reported $4 million transfer fee for Yedlin would be the most ever for a Homegrown player. While the Sounders did not confirm that number on Wednesday, MLS teams transferring homegrown players keep 75 percent of the transfer fee.
Hanauer confirmed that Yedlin’s move to Tottenham would not overlap with this MLS season, although when the transfer will take place is yet to be determined. Hanauer left open the possibility that Yedlin could stay in Seattle longer, potentially until June 2015, depending on a variety of factors including Tottenham’s needs at the end of the MLS schedule, and whether Yedlin can secure an overseas work permit.
Hanauer said his impression is that Tottenham would like to evaluate the situation at the end of the MLS season and make the decision on when Yedlin will join the squad at that time.
“We’ve had conversations about it and [the transfer will happen] certainly no earlier than the transfer window at the end of our season,” Hanauer said. “The intent was that they would like to assess where things are at with their club at that time and potential work permit issues with DeAndre and assess how he’s been doing with us and whether it’s the right time to fit him into their squad.”
The difficulty in securing work permits has been an obstacle for MLS players attempting overseas transfers in the past, but Hanauer said the deal is sealed despite the potential complications that may arise from the issue.
Check out more Seattle news at SoundersFC.com
“It’s a done deal,” Hanauer said. “I can’t speculate as to what potentially could happen with a work permit challenge. … But it’s a done deal.”
Hanauer also said that Yedlin’s own desire to try himself on the English Premier League stage played into the decision-making process.
“DeAndre clearly wanted this transaction to occur as well because he certainly has a say in it,” Hanauer said. “We want to do right by our players in addition to doing right by our club…
"Ultimately all the credit has to go to DeAndre, who has been humble and honest, hard-working, a great teammate and dedicated to improving day in and day out on the field.”Reeling from the loss of key opposition strongholds in the cities of Homs, Deraa and Idlib to government troops, the rebels have been left with no alternative but to recalibrate their strategy by waging a fragmented guerilla offensive.
The first acknowledgment of the extent of the setbacks opposition fighters have experienced over the past six weeks came as Kofi Annan, the UN and Arab League special envoy, announced that the Syrian government had promised to begin implementing his peace plan next Tuesday.
Appealing for Western and Arab patience, Mr Annan told the United Nations Security Council that, although he had made no progress yet in halting the bloodshed in violence, a breakthrough could be imminent.
President Bashar al-Assad, he reported, had agreed to abide by a timetable to begin the withdrawal of government troops and tanks from population centres on April 10th, with a full ceasefire following 48 hours later.
But many in Syria's opposition, as well as in the West, have openly questioned Mr Assad's sincerity, particularly after saying last week that he expected the rebels to take the first step by stopping fighting and disarming – a demand that runs counter to the Annan plan.
Since then, however, he has come under pressure from Russia, Syria's most powerful ally, to reverse course.
"The Syrian government must take the first step and start withdrawal in line with Kofi Annan's plan," Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said on Monday.
Yet with both his domestic and international adversaries in disarray, Mr Assad may be hoping that he can translate recent military successes into total victory.
The opposition's ability to hold territory was seen as crucial if they were to succeed in their hopes of overthrowing Mr Assad, but the rebels have wilted under the government's superior firepower, demonstrated in a string of remorseless artillery offensives since the beginning of February.
The Free Syrian Army, as Syria's loosely affiliated rebel militias call themselves, concede they have no choice now but to resort to guerilla warfare.
"After what happened in Deraa, in Homs, in Idlib, the Free Syrian Army is not focusing on holding cities anymore," said the commander of one rebel brigade, speaking from a safe house in northern Lebanon.
"We are now adopting guerilla tactics; we have watchers who spy on checkpoints and attack." The shift in tactics is also an acknowledgment that public support for the armed opposition's cause had been eroded by the government's policy of indiscriminately shelling villages where rebel fighters had taken refuge.
The rebel commander, who identified himself as Abu Suleiman, said that civilians in one border village where he and his men had conducted frequent operations had begged them to leave, fearing that government forces would destroy the town if they did not.
Despite being a tactic forced on the rebels by necessity, Abu Suleiman claimed that the guerilla campaign would still be extremely effective because it would make the Syrian capital its chief target.
"The plan is hit-and-run attacks against the military in Damascus," he said. "We have to cut off the head of the snake.
"The FSA is tightening the noose to reach al-Abbasyeen Square in the centre of Damascus. The best fighters from across the country are moving to the capital to join the resistance there." A loud explosion was heard in Damascus yesterday. Although its cause was unknown, there have been a series of bombings against military targets in the capital since the Free Syrian Army promised last month to co-ordinate attacks in and around the city.
There have also been a number of suicide bombings that have killed scores of civilians since last December, which the Syrian government and some Western officials have blamed on al Qaeda affiliates.CoinDesk spoke to Alan Safahi, CEO of cash-to-bitcoins service ZipZap, about its big entry into the Latin American market, bitcoin as a ‘leapfrog technology’ in the world’s more volatile economies, and whether the company’s recent issues with payment processor PayPoint would have any impact in future.
Alan Safahi has just come back from San Francisco’s CoinSummit where he says he spent far too much time fending off questions about whether his company would continue operations, after recent media articles.
“Rumors of our death were exaggerated,” he laughs, paraphrasing Mark Twain. “I was surprised at the power of the press.”
On the contrary, ZipZap is looking to expand in many new areas, while maintaining existing ones. Last month’s issue was simply one of a payment processor who expected a slow trickle of bitcoin-related business, but instead got a tsunami – too much of a good thing, if you will.
ZipZap is still working with PayPoint to address the processor’s concerns about bitcoin’s exact legal status in the UK, while at the same time diversifying its options both commercially and geographically.
Into Brazil
ZipZap already operates in five countries, and has just quietly slipped into a sixth and major one: Brazil. Having run first a closed, and then open, beta there for a few weeks, the service went live last week, with a Portuguese language site inviting locals to try it out.
The company has also worked as a payment option supporting exchange partners in the country for about two years, including the now-defunct BitInstant.
All without doing much marketing to promote it – yet.
ZipZap decided to move out of the background and promote its services under its own name, doing its own KYC (know your customer) procedures and allowing consumers to buy bitcoin directly. Exchanges often just aren’t in the business of new customer acquisition, Safahi indicates.
“We talked to exchanges and a lot of them really didn’t want to go after Latin America,” he said. “Everybody’s focused on Europe and Asia.”
“We have a very aggressive plan to educate and acquire new customers. We thought Brazil would be a good market for that, it’s a huge powerhouse in Latin America,” he added.
“Brazil has a bitcoin-friendly environment, with banking and so forth,” Safahi continued. “And we think there’s a lot of good potential use cases with remittances for Latin America that Brazil could help us get into.”
As is often the case with bitcoin, much of the promise lies in weaknesses with current financial and economic structures: instability, poverty, and lack of access to banking services – including credit cards, even for large sections of the middle class.
“I see a lot more potential in Latin America,” he said. “Eighty-five per cent in some countries are unbanked. In these unbanked economies, people will just jump over the existing payment options, like Visa and MasterCard, and just go to the next generation: digital currency.”
Said Safahi:
“It’s just like in Kenya and other places where they don’t have landline phones. But they have a lot of mobile phones; it’s easier for them to just leapfrog one technology, go to the next one. So I think that’s what’s going to happen in Latin America.”
What volatility?
There’s no point talking about the risks of bitcoin’s volatility to the people of Latin America, as most of them have experienced far worse with their own national currencies.
“We see a lot of pent-up demand for bitcoin in Argentina.” said Safahi. “I was there a couple of months ago – people in the streets come up to you and try to convert your dollars into bitcoin. They say ‘cambio, cambio’; they know how to do currency conversion with bitcoin.”
“Taxi drivers there know about bitcoin,” he added. “I’ve never seen a country where people are so in tune with financial services as they are in Argentina.”
Then there are countries like Venezuela and Nicaragua, with their closed economies and strict financial controls that do nothing to encourage real commerce or small businesses.
“Those are the markets where bitcoin volatility actually looks really good!” said Safahi. “At the conference, people kept asking ‘What can we do to manage the volatility of bitcoin?’ and I said, ‘just take bitcoin to markets where volatility doesn’t look bad’.”
He added:
“There are probably about 60-70% of countries in the world you could go to right now, where bitcoin actually looks stable.”
First-world problems
The problem with developed countries is that there often doesn’t seem to be any urgent need for a new payment system. The average consumer doesn’t understand the economic case for sound, non-government controlled money and local fiat currencies have been stable enough to provide a sense of security.
It’s difficult to get consumers in the developed world to switch to bitcoin, Safahi said, because they’re not particularly inconvenienced now. People may complain sometimes, but they’re generally satisfied with credit cards, both in-store and online.
Even merchants, who may gripe about chargeback fraud and processing fees, seem more comfortable in the current system and aren’t rushing en masse to adopt or encourage bitcoin use. Few offer discounts for digital currency, treating it almost as a favor to enthusiasts or a gimmick to attract a bit more business and attention.
Safahi said:
“Libertarians, die-hard fans, will flock to a store that accepts bitcoin. But that novelty wears off. So what are you going to do, two months later, when another competitor comes in?”
Remittances and micropayments
Safahi sees remittances and micropayments as being far more significant bitcoin use cases to consider than regular e-commerce in developed countries.
“While everyone here is into e-commerce and they get all excited about Overstock.com,” he said, “we’re looking at building railways that can get rid of Moneygram and Western Union.”
Explained Safahi:
“Globally there’s $540bn in remittances, and $70bn in fees. If we could get rid of that, and just do it through bitcoin, […] then we’d add about $70bn in cash to those countries.”
Even though affordable remittances is one of the more obvious applications for digital currencies, and one that could help humanity, it too is riddled with regulatory pitfalls that have prevented several efforts so far, thanks to money laundering and terrorism financing concerns.
Then there is regular e-commerce on a smaller, yet international, scale. Bitcoin allows small amounts of money to be sent anywhere at almost no cost, which could be a boon for anyone in the developing world with something to sell – whether it’s a manufactured product, creative work or service that can be arranged or delivered online. Even a few more dollars here and there could lift a lot of people out of poverty.
ZipZap’s role
For payments like those above to work, especially remittances, there needs to be reliable on and off ramps at each end. ZipZap aims to be the facilitator for this, working not just with bitcoin, but also Ripple and other digital currencies.
“ZipZap is currently focused only on the on-ramp,” said Safahi, “but in the next few months we have plans to offer cash-out options, in 90-plus countries.”
There’s also a need for education. Money-changers and taxi drivers on the streets of Buenos Aires might love bitcoin, but there’s still a lot of curious people who need to be guided gently into what sometimes looks like a daunting new system.
“When I got into the Internet in the early ’90s,” Safahi said, “there was a saying that everyone needs a brother-in-law in the Internet business, someone you could go to, to ask all those kinds of beginner questions.”
“Now everyone needs a brother-in-law in the bitcoin business, he continued. “We want to be that person, to educate and teach them. So we’re not going after high-frequency traders, we’re going after noobs, first-time buyers, making it really easy for them to buy their first $15-$20 worth of bitcoin.”
Added Safahi:
“At the [CoinSummit] conference, Andreas Antonopoulos told me he bought his first bitcoins through ZipZap […] Imagine how many more Andreases we could be cultivating if we were bringing more people into the ecosystem.”
Familiar systems
ZipZap has tapped into an existing payment option that’s very popular in Brazil known as Boleto Bancário or just Boleto – a payment ticket system allowing customers to print receipts and pay with cash at over 3000 convenient outlets like post offices, banks, even some stores. You can also transfer funds online from a bank account.
“Familiarity breeds trust, so if we tap into a system they’re already used to, it’s much easier to gain trust,” Safahi said.
“Brazil’s just our first stop in Latin America, in the next few weeks we’re adding about eight more countries including Peru, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and others,” he went on. “Our goal is to really go deep and go heavy into Latin America.
“Our goal is to build a network and encourage people to use it for remittances. Even if we don’t go after the remittance market directly, we want other people to build solutions for it on top of our railway.”
Rest of the world
ZipZap is also active in other regions, and is talking to people in places like India and Southeast Asia, to name a few. Safahi says he doesn’t subscribe to the notion that you should find one physical location and focus on it. Bitcoin’s ever-changing regulatory environment makes it unwise for a company to put all its resources in one place.
“That’s what you have to do to build this kind of thing,” said Safahi
|
ath11 on Frankl's union-closed conjecture.
Updates (Before January 2018) : Timothy Chow launched polymath12 on Rota's basis conjecture (February 24, 2017). (It was proposed as an answer to this question here.) (May 14, 2017) Tim Gowers is running a polymath-like project polymath13 on "Intransitive dices". (Dec 24 2017) A spontaneous polymath project, polymath14, over Tao's blog: A problem was posed by Apoorva Khare was presented and discussed and openly and collectively solved. (And the paper arxived.)
Update (January 25,2018) A new polymath project is emerging on Tao's blog: Polymath proposal: upper bounding the de Bruijn-Newman constant. Update: This is polymath15 which seems very active and quite successful. (wikipage)
Update (April 14, 2018, updated) Dustin Mixon and Aubrey de Grey have launched Polymath16 over at Dustin’s blog. The project is devoted to the chromatic number of the plane (Wikipage) following Aubrey de Grey's example showing that the chromatic number of the plane is at least 5. See also a proposal post and discussion thread over the polymath blog, and a proposal over here.
Former proposals for future projects
There were also 10-20 additional serious proposals. A few proposals of various nature (from which polymath5 was selected) are gathered in this post on Gowers's blog, and several that appeared on various places are summarized on the polymath Wiki and also on the polymath blog. The polymath projects so far consisted of an attempt to solve a specific open problem but some of the proposals were of different nature.
More background
So far, polymath projects, while getting considerable attention and drawing enthusiasm, (and some controversy,) were limited in scope within mathematics and among mathematicians.
In most cases a small team of participants were the devoted contributed and in some cases those devoted participants were experts in the relevant area. Thus projects may apply primarily to experts in a specific field of mathematics. In all existing examples the project itself had some general appeal.
For a polymath project, in addition to the main task of trying to reach or at least greatly advance the goals of the specific project there are secondary goals of trying to understand the advantages and limitation of the polymath concept itself, and of trying to openly record the thought process of different participants towards the specific goal.
The question
The question is simple:
Make additional proposals for polymath projects.
Summary of proposals (updated: September 24, 2017)
1) The LogRank conjecture. Proposed by Arul.
2) The circulant Hadamard matrix conjecture. Proposed by Richard Stanley.
3) Finding combinatorial models for the Kronecker coefficients. Proposed by Per Alexandersson.
4) Eight lonely runners. Proposed by Mark Lewko.
5) A problem by Ruzsa: Finding the slowest possible exponential growth rate of a mapping $f:N→Z$ that is not a polynomial and yet shares with (integer) polynomials the congruence-preserving property $n−m∣f(n)−f(m)$. Proposed by Vesselin Dimitrov.
6) Finding the Matrix Multiplication Exponent ω. (Running time of best algorithm for matrix multiplication.) Proposed by Ryan O'Donnell.
7) The Moser Worm problem and Bellman's Lost in a forest problem. Proposed by Philip Gibbs.
8) Rational Simplex Conjecture ( by Cheeger and Simons). Proposed by Sasha Kolpakov.
9) Proving that for every integer $m$ with $|m| \le c(\sqrt{n}/2)^n$ there is an $n \times n$ 0-1 matrix matrix whose determinant equals $m$. Proposed by Gerhard Paseman.
10) Proving or disproving that the Euler's constant is irrational. Proposed by Sylvain JULIEN.
11) The Greedy Superstring Conjecture. Proposed by Laszlo Kozma.
12) Understanding the behavior and structure of covering arrays. Proposed by Ryan.
13) The group isomorphism problem, proposed by Arul based on an early proposal by Lipton.
14) Frankl's union closed set conjecture (Proposed by Dominic van der Zypen; Also one of the proposals by Gowers in this post). (Launched)
15) Komlos's conjecture in Discrepancy Theory. Proposed by Arul.
16) Rota's Basis Conjecture. Proposed by Timothy Chow. Launched on the polymath blog.
17) To show that $2^n+5$ composite for almost all positive integers $n$. (Might be too hard.) Proposed by me.
18) To prove a remarkable combinatorial identity on certain Permanents. Proposed by me. Update, Aug 6, 2016: settled!
19) Real world applications of large cardinals Proposed by Joseph van Name. There were a few more proposals in comments.
20) A project around a cluster of tiling problems. In particular: Is the Heech number bounded for polygonal monotiles? Is it decidable to determine if a single given polygonal tile can tile the plane monohedrally? Even for a single polyomino? Proposed by Joseph O'Rourke
21) To prove that $\sum \frac{\sin (2^n)}{n}$ is a convergent series. Proposed by JAck D'aurizio
22) The Nakayama conjecture and the finitistic dimension conjecture (major problems from the intersection of representation theory of finite dimensional algebras) and homological algebra. Proposed by Mare.
23) Major questions in the field of stereotype spaces and their applications, proposed by Sergei Akbarov.
24) The Erdos-Straus conjecture, proposed by Amit Maurya
25) The Collatz conjecture, proposed by Amit Maurya.
26) (New) Indecomposability of image transformations, proposed by Włodzimierz Holsztyński
27) (New) Is there a degree seven polynomial with integer coefficients such that (1) all of its roots are distinct integers, and (2) all of its derivative's roots are integers?, Proposed by Benjamin Dickman.
28) (New) The Cartan determinant conjecture for quiver algebras, proposed by Mare.
29) (New) The number of limit cycles of a polynomial vector field, Proposed by Ali Taghavi.
30) (New) Small unit-distance graphs with chromatic number 5, proposed by Noam Elkies.
Proposed rules (shortened):
All areas of mathematics including applied mathematics are welcome. Please do explain what the project is explicitly and in some details (not just link to a paper/wilipedea). Even if the project appeals to experts try to give a few sentences for a wide audience. Please offer projects that you genuinely think to be potentially suitable for a polymath project.
(Added) Criteria that were proposed for a polymath project.
Joel David Hamkins asked for some criteria that have been proposed for what kind of problem would make a good polymath project?
I don't think we have a clear picture on criteria for good polymath projects and there could be good projects of various kind. But the criteria for the first project are described by Gowers (I modified the wording to make them not specific in one sentence), and they seem like good criteria for a first project in a new field be it algebraic geometry, algebraic topology, group theory, logic, or set theory (to mention a few popular MO tags).Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Local authorities said airport expansion was "even more important" during uncertain economic times.
More than 30 councils from around Britain have signed a letter urging the government to back Heathrow expansion.
The missive to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said that creating a third runway at Heathrow would create jobs and economic growth.
Opponents claim it would be cheaper and less disruptive to enlarge Gatwick.
The decision on airport expansion has been put on hold until "at least October" following the UK's Brexit vote and David Cameron's resignation.
The Airports Commission recommended to the government last July there should be a third runway at Heathrow rather than a second at Gatwick.
In December the Department for Transport announced that further investigation into noise, pollution and compensation would be carried out before a decision was made.
'Future proofing'
The leaders of 34 local authorities said that investment in infrastructure was "even more important" during uncertain economic times and the UK should build on the success of the aviation industry by "future-proofing it".
Councils such as Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Aberdeen and Neath Port Talbot were among those signing the letter.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: "Councils from across the country recognise expansion at Heathrow will benefit their local economies by creating skilled jobs and connecting exporters to growing markets overseas.
"Their support is further evidence that the next prime minister has the opportunity to make the right choice in the whole of Britain's interest by expanding Heathrow."
Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said his airport was the only one that could "deliver the expansion we need and do so by 2025".Share. Rumours of a Hobbit 3 announcement at Comic-Con have been greatly exaggerated. Rumours of a Hobbit 3 announcement at Comic-Con have been greatly exaggerated.
Contrary to rumours circulating San Diego Comic-Com, director Peter Jackson is not planning a third Hobbit movie.
Variety reports that Peter Jackson shot more footage than expected during the making of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, making a third film feasible.
And the word at this year’s Con is that Jackson will announce the trilogy at the Warner Bros. panel on Saturday.
But a studio spokesperson has apparently told Variety that “there are no planned or surprise announcements” involving a third film, as “the plan was always for two.”
So there you have it – a rumour quashed before it even has time to leave the convention floor. The first Hobbit flick is set to hit screens worldwide on December 10th, while its sequel will be released on December 13th, 2013.
Exit Theatre Mode
And for all the news from Saturday’s Hobbit panel, check back to the IGN Comic-Con hub.
Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and can't bloody wait for the new Hobbit movies. His nonsense can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.A JUDGE HAS declared ‘God help Ireland’ after hearing that the Department of Justice has not made any moves to deport a Brazilian teenager who has been living here illegally.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan made his comment before jailing 18-year-old Joao Victor Da Silva Mota of The Grove, Gort for four months.
The judge also fined him €2,250 and banned him from driving for four years for a spate of road offences on 9 March at Main Street, Corofin, Co Clare.
The offences concerned related to De Silva Mota having a false driving licence, no driving licence, no insurance, showing a false date of birth and failing to produce a valid passport.
In his comments in court, Judge Durcan referred to a terrorist shooting dead a policeman in Paris on Thursday night and he said:
The day is gone where people think they can float around the country with false documents.
Garda Seamus Gleeson told the court that after being found with a false Portuguese driver’s licence, De Silva Mota’s case had been referred by local Garda immigration to the Department of Justice but there was no move by the Department to deport the man.
Gleeson said that at the time of his arrest, Da Silva Mota was here illegally.
After hearing that the Department of Justice has made no move to deport the man, Judge Durcan said:
God help Ireland.
Someone who comes here from outside and obtains a false driving licence should be deported but the people who run the Deptartment of Justice disagree.
Judge Durcan added:
I just don’t understand the attitude of the Department of Justice in relation to people who come in here on the basis of false ID documents; who parade around the country on the basis of false documents – that is a false driving licence; fly around without insurance as it is based on falsehoods – that such persons are not deported.
Appeal
Solicitor for De Silva Mota, Daragh Hassett said that his client has made moves to regularise this status here and asked that Judge Durcan not jail him.
Hassett said that his client purchased the false driving licence from a friend and did pay for insurance.
Hassett said that Da Silva Mota pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and co-operated fully once he saw the whites of Garda Gleeson’s eyes. Hassett said that his client took bad advice at the time.
Da Silva Mota was later freed on bail after entering meeting bond conditions to appeal the jail term, fines and driving ban to the circuit court.
Comments have been disabled as the case is ongoingWeb-based therapy for insomnia is an effective option that could reach “previously unimaginable numbers of people,” researchers suggest.
Although cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment for adults with chronic insomnia, there aren’t enough trained clinicians to deliver the treatment, according to Dr. Lee Ritterband of the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and colleagues.
To investigate whether web-based CBT-I is effective over the long term and might enable more people to benefit, the team randomly assigned 303 adults with chronic insomnia to a six-week automated, interactive and tailored web-based program (Sleep Healthy Using the Internet, or SHUTi, at www.myshuti.com) or an online, nontailored patient education program about insomnia.
To be included in the study, participants had to take more than half an hour to fall asleep at the beginning of the night or be awake for more than half an hour after initially falling asleep at least three nights per week for at least six months; average 6.5 hours or less sleep time nightly; and experience significant stress or impaired functioning due to sleep disturbances. About half of participants also had at least one medical or psychiatric condition.
Most of the participants - 77 in the SHUTi group (51 percent) and 69 in the patient education group (46 percent) - had taken a sleep aid at least once.
The research team reports in JAMA Psychiatry that SHUTi was significantly more effective than the patient education program with respect to insomnia severity, delay until sleep onset and time awake after sleep onset. By one year, insomnia was no longer a problem for 57 percent of SHUTi participants versus 27 percent of those receiving education.
In addition, 70 percent of SHUTi participants had seen at least some improvement, compared to 43 percent of participants who received education.
Ritterband told Reuters Health that the online intervention is not intended to replace face-to-face CBT-I, “but rather to expand the availability and access (to CBT-I) to meet the needs of the millions of people.”
“Internet interventions are not for everyone... Those who prefer face-to-face therapy can still have that as a possibility if available, but those who are interested in a web-based program, or who do not otherwise have access to a CBT-I specialist in their region, could now have an option,” he said by email.
“Given the high prevalence of insomnia and its costly impact, from both a personal and economic perspective, it is critical that we continue to develop and evaluate methods of care that can make a meaningful public health impact,” he concluded.
Dr. Aric Prather of the University of California, San Francisco, coauthor of an accompanying editorial, told Reuters Health, “This study provides the strongest evidence to date that web-based CBT-I is efficacious for treating patients with insomnia, including those with some psychiatric and medical comorbidities. These findings further highlight how technology can help scale the disseminations of needed interventions.”
“There is often a misplaced concern that the Internet will replace the skilled clinician,” he said by email. “While web-based therapies, including SHUTi, will certainly increase the swath of individuals who receive treatment, there will likely always be a need for skilled therapists to meet the needs of patients who prefer face-to-face encounters or present with complex cases that require personalized care.”
Dr. Shelby Harris, director, Behavioral Sleep Medicine at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Hospital in New York City, pointed out that the authors of the study made sure in advance that participants did not have any untreated sleep disorders.
“Given that sleep apnea is extremely common,” she told Reuters Health by email, “it is important that patients make sure that any other sleep disorders are thoroughly evaluated (and treated if necessary) by a sleep physician.”
Harris concluded, “Early treatment is best, so this is a great resource for patients initially struggling with insomnia who may first present to a primary care office.”
Ritterband and three coauthors have equity ownership in BeHealth Solutions, which licensed the SHUTi program and platform from the University of Virginia.
SOURCE: bit.ly/2h3y6Uu and bit.ly/2gzJSSV JAMA Psychiatry, online November 30, 2016.What’s the sunny equivalent of “when it rains, it pours”? Because that’s what’s happening in Southern California, as yet another massive solar plant cleared the permitting process Monday.
This time, it’s the Blythe Solar Power Plant, backed by German company Solar Millennium and planned for more than 7,000 acres in Riverside County. The project would be the largest solar installation in the world, doubling the amount of solar electricity the U.S. can produce.
The Blythe installation is the sixth in recent months to be approved for public land. Several proposed solar plants have been fast-tracked through the permitting process as they race to meet the December deadline for federal stimulus funds. One of those, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, is breaking ground Wednesday near Primm, Nev.
Winning final clearance to start construction from the Bureau of Land Management on Monday, after getting the go-ahead from California authorities last month, makes Blythe the first proposal of its kind to be approved for federal public land.
The installation will deliver 1 gigawatt of power using parabolic trough technology. The process involves curved mirrors that gather the sun’s rays, heating liquid that creates steam to run generators.
The multibillion-dollar Blythe project will consist of four separate, 250-megawatt sections that together would be able to power more than 300,000 average homes -– even up to 750,000 residences by some estimates.
The groundbreaking should happen by the end of the year, Solar Millennium said. But first, the company is in “advanced discussions” with the Department of Energy as it attempts to land $1.9 billion in government debt financing for the first two portions of the project, as several other solar projects have done.
Construction is expected to create more than 1,000 direct jobs, as well as thousands more throughout the supply chain, the company said. Once built, the plant will support nearly 300 permanent jobs.
The project, however, will have its share of impact on the environment. So, to mitigate any potential damage, regulators are requiring that Solar Millenium cough up funding to support more than 8,000 acres of habitat for native species such as the desert tortoise, the Western burrowing owl, the bighorn sheep and the Mojave fringe-toed lizard.
--Tiffany HsuToronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry will play Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Lowry had his right elbow drained after Monday's loss to the Thunder. The 29-year-old has been battling the injury since January, according to TSN's Josh Lewenberg.
The Villanova product is averaging 21.6 points, 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in 71 games this season. Lowry has been integral to the Raptors' success, with Toronto performing more than nine points per 100 possessions better with him on the court.
Lowry ranks second in the NBA in minutes per game (37.2) and is likely to see some rest in the coming weeks, with the Raptors locking up a playoff spot earlier this month.
Terrence Ross is set to return after a three-game absence. Jason Thompson will move to the starting lineup as Luis Scola sits with a sore left knee.Happy new year and happy postseason football! After just 17 short weeks, last year's Super Bowl champion is already out of contention, opening up this year's playoffs for a new team to claim the crown. There will be no Eli Manning, no Drew Brees, no Big Ben, no Tony Romo and no Tim Tebow. Peyton Manning leads the Broncos as the No. 1 AFC seed with Tom Brady close on his heels. Matt Ryan and the Falcons head into the NFC playoffs with home-field advantage as they try to avoid yet another postseason collapse. Will this year be any different?
Like Nate Silver did for the 2012 election, we do for the 2012 NFL playoffs. Using the mystical powers of math, we let you know first who will be hoisting the Lombardi trophy.
Please note that all rankings refer to the opponent-adjusted efficiency as calculated by numberFire, not the gross yardage.Cargo containers wait to be transported at a port in Qingdao, in China’s Shandong province on Oct. 13, 2016. (Getty Images)
What happens if the United States decides to bypass the World Trade Organization dispute settlement system — and crack down unilaterally when it thinks other countries are trading unfairly? Here’s the immediate problem: History shows that the U.S. has had more success getting trade concessions through multilateral channels.
The Trump administration’s March 1 trade report to Congress suggested a major shift in U.S. trade policy. This National Trade Policy Agenda for 2017, the Trump administration’s first written statement on trade, lists “defend U.S. national sovereignty over trade policy” as a first priority.
[Is the WTO one of Trump’s ‘big quagmire deals’? Here’s what’s at stake.]
Trump is following up on campaign promises to get tough on China and other trade partners that he claims hurt U.S. interests. But here’s a surprising fact: Unilateralism just doesn’t work very well, even with all of U.S. market power behind it. And the main U.S. unilateral trade tool, Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, has serious drawbacks.
The Trump administration sees Section 301 as “a powerful lever.” It’s not.
Section 301 was created in a political setting that sounds familiar. At the end of the Nixon era, an overvalued dollar contributed to a growing U.S. trade deficit. Many Americans saw the rise of Japan’s industrial power as a threat to U.S. economic power.
Congress grew disenchanted with the GATT multilateral trade system — which the United States itself helped usher in after World War II. So it pushed for an aggressive mechanism to go after perceived foreign trade violations, without the procedural burden associated with the multilateral trade regime. The U.S. would decide on its own whether a foreign measure was a trade violation, in which case it would promptly retaliate.
U.S. trade partners quickly condemned Section 301
Alarmed trade officials around the world decried Section 301 as an “an irreparable act of folly” and a “war against all.” As the trade representative of India described it, Section 301 appointed the U.S. “judge, jury, and executioner.” The European representative called it a “commercial nuclear bomb,” warning that the U.S. itself “would not be spared.”
Yet the U.S. persisted in using Section 301 for more than two decades, challenging foreign policies from Korean barriers on auto imports to Japanese measures on satellites — until the WTO system came into effect. The U.S. retaliated by cutting off trade partners from its large market in one-sixth of these challenges. By comparison, retaliation never occurred under the multilateral system during the same period. Section 301 was finally “defanged” when a WTO panel ruled on its legality in 1999, following a challenge by European countries.
The reactions at the time offer a sense of how U.S. trade partners might respond to a return to unilateralism today. The Trump administration may well turn a deaf ear to such international condemnation, but there are clear lessons of history: Unilateralism in trade generates overwhelming resistance in targeted countries, and this resistance makes any concessions unlikely.
In a study published in the journal International Organization, I examined the success rate of U.S. Section 301 actions and compared it to that of analogous actions brought under the multilateral system. I reviewed a total of 189 trade actions from 1975 to 2000.
So which path led to better results for the United States? Here’s the big surprise — despite a far more potent threat of retaliation, the U.S. was 34 percent less likely to secure concessions in the targeted countries when it opted for the unilateral route.
[What will Trump change about trade relations with China?]
Countries resisted unilateral trade sanctions
Digging deeper, the reason for this ineffectiveness seems to be that the targeted countries, particularly Japan, saw resisting unilateralism as an investment in the future. They reasoned that conceding to a unilateral threat would bring on similar threats — much like how negotiating with hostage-takers can precipitate further hostage takings.
U.S. trade partners feared that concessions would further embolden the United States, and lead others to follow suit. In contrast, conceding to legitimate multilateral challenges showed countries to be good global citizens. That’s why trade challenges conducted via multilateral channels proved more effective.
China is heavily invested in the WTO
Considering how China’s relative power today is greater than Japan’s even at its peak in the 1980s, there is every reason to be skeptical of the U.S. ability to push the Chinese unilaterally to amend their policies. Lately, China has even emerged as the unsuspected champion of the WTO. Beijing has systematically complied with adverse WTO rulings.
[The U.S. filed a WTO dispute to save jobs — by increasing imports from China]
If the Trump administration were to opt for the unilateral option, it would be jeopardizing this significant achievement of assimilating China into global trade rules. The Trump administration should be especially wary of doing so now, since the Obama administration launched multiple WTO disputes in recent months, including several against China.
A major U.S. dispute challenges China’s export restrictions on nine key raw materials (antimony, cobalt, copper, graphite, lead, magnesia, talc, tantalum and tin) that U.S. companies rely on to produce high-end electronics, for instance. The U.S. has every chance of winning the case, having won a similar WTO case on rare earths in 2014.
That’s another clear advantage the multilateral system has over unilateral threats. WTO rulings progressively clarify the law, and the predictability of the system increases in tandem.
If the Trump administration follows a unilateral path, it will be throwing away the fruits of a half-century of institution-building on global trade, with little chance of opening markets for U.S. companies. The history of the trade regime suggests that unilateralism breeds disproportionate resistance, even when threats are backed up with considerable retaliatory power from a large market.
As social scientists since Max Weber have pointed out, getting one’s way through coercion alone is costlier than through consent, and it leads to less stable world orders. The Trump administration seems intent on relying on U.S. clout to get its way. It is likely to discover what a slog that will prove to be.
Krzysztof J. Pelc is a William Dawson Scholar and associate professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, and the author of “Making and Bending International Rules” (Cambridge Press 2016).One of the questions I get asked most about Sir Walter Ralegh, somewhat to my surprise, is the correct spelling of his name. The reason is that ‘Raleigh’, the spelling in widest circulation – and not only on the internet – is rarely used by anyone who has ever written about him in any depth. Nevertheless, ‘Raleigh’ is the spelling in popular usage, and there seems to be a marked resistance to the suggestion that it might be wrong.
Perhaps that is simply due to familiarity and repetition. After all, he is a well-known figure and most of us will have come across him at some point in our schooling. I think my first encounter with him was through the Ladybird title pictured left, which may cause the odd ripple of nostalgia in readers of a certain age. Arguably, however, our attachment to the spelling and its associations help cement in our minds a stale, old-fashioned and, I believe, deeply misleading image of Ralegh as a national hero and prophet of empire very much in the Victorian mode.
In fact, at least as far back as William Oldys, Ralegh’s first biographer in 1736, students of Ralegh have written it as I do, without the ‘i’. (The exception that springs to mind is Raleigh Trevalyan’s life, for which the author’s familial relationship with Ralegh, as evidenced in his forename, led him to a more personal choice.) True, the ‘Raleigh’ spelling does crop up fairly regularly in contemporary transcripts and endorsements of his correspondence, but there is nothing particularly to suggest why it should have taken such firm root.
It isn’t as if either spelling comes close to capturing the contemporary pronunciation of his name, which would have been ‘Raw-ley’. James I’s drily threatening words to Ralegh when they first met after the death of Elizabeth I – “On my soul, I have heard rawly of thee” – are evidence enough of that.
William Stebbing, one of Ralegh’s two great Victorian biographers, has gone into the question of Ralegh’s name in exhaustive – and no doubt exhausting detail – and I can do no better than to quote his words on the subject, written in 1891.
The spelling of his name for the first thirty-two years of his life was as vague and unsettled as his acts. There was no standard of orthography for surnames till the latter part of the seventeenth century. Neither the owners, nor others, were slaves to uniformity… For Ralegh’s name his contemporaries never had a fixed rule to the end of him. Transcribers with the signature clear before them would not copy it; they could not keep to one form of their own. His correspondents and friends followed the idea of the moment. Lord Burleigh wrote Rawly. Robert Cecil wrote to him as Rawley, Raleigh, and Ralegh. A secretary of Cecil wrote Raweley and Rawlegh. King James, for whom in Scotland he had been Raulie, wrote once at any rate, and Carew Ralegh commonly, Raleigh. Carew’s son Philip spelt his name both Raleigh and Ralegh. Lady Ralegh signed one letter Raleigh, but all others which have been preserved, Ralegh. The only known signature of young Walter is Ralegh. The Privy Council wrote the name Raleghe, Rawleighe, and Rawleigh. George Villiers spelt it Raughleigh, and Cobham, Rawlye. In Irish State Papers he is Rawleie. Lord Henry Howard wrote Rawlegh and Rawlie. The Lord Admiral called him Rawlighe. For some he was Raileigh, Raughlie, and Rauleigh. In a warrant he was Raleighe, and in the register of Stepney Church, Raylie. Naunton wrote Rawleigh and Raghley, and Milton, in a manuscript commonplace book, Raugleigh. Sir Edward Peyton in his book spelt the name Rawliegh. Stukely in his Apology spelt it Raligh. The name to his verses printed in Gascoigne’s volume is Rawely, and in a manuscript poem it is Wrawly. In another manuscript poem it is Raghlie. Puttenham printed it Rawleygh. In the wonderful mass of manuscripts at Lambeth, collected by Sir George Carew, who kept every paper sent him, though his correspondents might beg him to burn their letters, the name, beside forms already given, appears spelt as Ralighe, Raule, Rawlee, Rauley, Rawleye, Raulyghe, Rawlyghe, and Ralleigh. In a letter from Sir Thomas Norreys in the equally wonderful, but less admirable, pile of Lismore papers, he is Raulighe. In the books of the Stationers’ Company he is Rawleighe, and Rauleighe in the copy in the Harleian MSS. of the discourse of 1602 on a War with Spain. In Drummond’s Conversations with Ben Jonson he is Raughlie. References occur to him in Mr. Andrew Clark’s Oxford Register, as Rallegh, Rawlei, Rauly, Raughley, Raughly, Raughleigh, Raylye, and Rolye. Foreigners referred to him as Ralle, Rallé, Raleghus, Raleich, Raleik, Raulaeus, Rale, Real, Reali, Ralego, and Rhalegh. In addition, I have found in lists compiled by Dr. Brushfield the name spelt Raley, Raleye, Raleagh, Raleygh, Raleyghe, Ralli, Raughleye, Rauleghe, Raulghe, Raweleigh, Raylygh, Reigley, Rhaleigh, Rhaley, Rhaly, and Wrawley. Ralegh himself had not kept the same spelling throughout his life. Down to 1583 his more usual signature had been the phonetic Rauley. But in 1578 he signed as Rawleyghe a deed which his father signed as Ralegh, and his brother Carew as Rawlygh. A letter of March 17, 1583, is the first he is known to have signed as Ralegh; and in the following April and May he reverted to the signature Rauley. From June 9, 1584, he used till his death no other signature than Ralegh. It appears in his books when the name is mentioned. It is used in a pedigree drawn up for him in 1601. Of the hundred and sixty-nine letters collected by Mr. Edward Edwards, a hundred and thirty-five are thus signed. Six signed Rauley, one Raleghe, and one Rauleigh, belong to an earlier date. The rest are either unsigned or initialled. The reason of his adoption of the spelling Ralegh from 1584, unless that it was his dead father’s, is unknown. Of the fact there is no doubt. The spelling Raleigh, which posterity has preferred, happens to be one he is not known to have ever employed.
Nothing that has been discovered in the intervening 120 years or so has materially affected Stebbing’s judgement.
NOTE: If you are interested in my other posts on Ralegh, they are here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
AdvertisementsSadaam Maake is looking forward to meeting international fans at the World Cup
By Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Tembisa
Sadaam Maake's home would be a fitting shrine to the football gods. It is filled with football memorabilia such as tickets, trophy replicas and jerseys. More than 200 "makarapa" plastic helmets and vuvuzelas (long trumpets) - both essential garb for any South African soccer fan - adorn Mr Maake's tiny lounge. If you don't hear a vuvuzela playing at a game you are not in South Africa. This is our thing, international fans need to embrace it
Sadaam Maake Before our interview, he insists on "kitting up first"- he changes into a tracksuit in the colours of the national team Bafana Bafana and completes the look with oversized glasses. "I am ready to talk about football now," he says, smiling. At 55 years old, he says he has lost count of how many times he has been to a stadium. "I'm a soccer slave. I drink football, I eat football, I talk football. Everything in my life revolves around soccer. It is my passion," says Mr Maake. Mr Maake has been dubbed South Africa's "number one football fan" by local media and Kaizer Chiefs, one of South Africa's oldest and biggest clubs, which he has supported for 40 years. 'Bitten by dogs' An animated man, he speaks with great passion about the atmosphere in local football stadia. "There are 80,000 people at a stadium at a go, all cheering and excited about the game. Here I make new friends. This is a hell of a joint, it is the first - and perhaps the last - time we ever host the World Cup in Africa. We must do ourselves proud
Sadaam Maake "For 90 minutes, a brotherhood prevails here, strangers become instant friends," he says. One of the unifiers at South Africa's football matches is the sound of the vuvuzela. Mr Maake is the man who made the vuvuzela famous here. "If you don't hear a vuvuzela playing at a game you are not in South Africa. This is our thing, international fans need to embrace it." The trumpets will be blaring loudly at the World Cup, despite a number of attempts by some international clubs and commentators to have them banned because of the noise. "I've been arrested three times over the years and charged with public disturbance because of this vuvuzela. I've even been bitten by police dogs, but I will continue to play it," he said. But he warns fans to be careful when blowing the instrument near children or people with sensitive hearing. Local ambassador Mr Maake says he cannot wait to see the national team play the world on home soil. "This is a hell of a joint, it is the first - and perhaps the last - time we ever host the World Cup in Africa. We must do ourselves proud," he beams. No woman can put up with a man who travels every day of the week just for football
Sadaam Maake The avid fan adds that this is Africa's time to shine. "Africa's'six-pack' - Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Algeria, SA and Ghana - must be in the final." "The cup must stay in Africa." Mr Maake is a local ambassador for the tournament - in the past year he has been touring the country educating people about the ticketing process. He speaks candidly about the World Cup tickets, which still have not sold out. "If the
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was removed by order of the King City Council after one veteran who saw duty in Afghanistan filed a complaint with the ACLU.
In today’s usual cryptic fashion, the name of the offended party has not been released to the public, a withholding that reflects a degree of secrecy that could lead some to believe that the offended soldier is a Muslim, an atheist, or a figment of the ACLU’s imagination. Whatever the case may be, the complaint from this ghostlike citizen in King has proven sufficient to have a flag removed that had been proudly flying over the memorial for more than six years.
And in Oxford, Mississippi, where the Ole Miss Rebels have enjoyed the rich tradition of having a mascot named “Colonel Reb” roaming the football sidelines since 1979, politically correct tendencies led them to do away with the southern icon this season and to replace him with a black bear. That’s right: the new mascot is a black bear in a southern gentlemen’s suit, and his name is the “Rebel Black Bear.”
How out of whack do things have to get before we finally say enough is enough?
The majority are losing freedom after freedom and tradition after tradition to a wimpy, nameless, minority that hides behind groups like the ACLU and dumps shame on its opposition through words like ‘diversity’ and ‘fairness.’ But there is nothing diverse about a politically correct landscape, and the methods used to try to create one are clearly anything but fair.
Our Founders were wise enough to know that a tendency toward unchecked factions would devastate the country they sought to leave to posterity. Surely we must be brave enough to take their fears into account and fight against the one person here or the two people there who are actively using the court system to rip us away from our moorings.
The tyranny of the minority is tyrannical indeed.Championship
• The Championship play-off final is – financially speaking – the biggest game in British sport. While Leicester are now just three wins away form promotion after a 2-0 win over second place Burnley (who are nine points off the chasing pack behind them) the four teams that'll be contesting the £120 million game at Wembley on 24 May are far from decided.
• The injury to Charlie Austin took the wind out of the QPR sails at the turn of the year and the West London club continue to puff their cheeks in third, a late Junior Hoilett strike earned the R's a 1-1 draw at Blackpool. After a disappointing set of recent results, a Patrick Bamford inspired Derby won for just the second time in seven: the Rams beat struggling Charlton 3-0. Wigan have impressed since Uwe Rosler took charge but the Latics played their 51st game of the season today and required an 88th minute goal from Nick Powell to earn a point at Bolton. Gallingly for Rosler's team, Jordi Gómez then missed an injury-time penalty that would have snatched victory.
• Nigel Adkins' Reading are the side with most to fear, however. The sixth placed side went in to today's match against Huddersfield having failed to win any of their last six home games. Nahki Wells put the visitors ahead only for a Pavel Pogrebnyak penalty to earn the home side a point.
• The division's form team are Bournemouth who beat a very much out-of-form Birmingham 4-2 at St Andrews. Two goals from the excellent Lewis Grabban helped put the Cherries four up, Federico Macheda scored twice in the second half to give the score a more respectable polish. Bournemouth's late surge – they are now five points behind Reading – was helped by Brighton's 2-0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough and Ipswich's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.
• Noteworthy results elsewhere at the bottom saw Barnsley beat fellow relegation strugglers Yeovil 4-1 at Huish Park, Doncaster beat troubled Leeds at Elland Road, and Millwall grabbed one point from the jaws of three by conceding a late Blackburn Rovers equaliser in their 2-2 draw.
• Watford tore apart Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 at Hillsborough. Wednesday, now safely lodged in mid-table, have – you feel – got the beach towels out.
League One
• Kenny Jacket's Wolves have one hand on the League One title after Liam McAlinden's 81st minute goal gave them a 1-0 victory over MK Dons. Wolves are now six points clear of second place Brentford, held 0-0 at Oldham, and early season pace setters Leyton Orient who lost 1-0 at home to Bradford. With both London sides wobbling, Rotherham, who beat Bristol City 2-1, and Preston North End, who beat Crawley 1-0, are far from out of the automatic promotion running.
• For the past few seasons League One has been every bit as polarised as the Premier League and this year is no different. While 20 points separate fifth from ninth, just two points separate the bottom six in League One, and just eight points split the entire bottom half of the table. Notts County were the only team to win in the bottom six today – the Magpies beat Colchester 2-0. Ronan Murray and Haydn Hollis scored the goals. The U's are now just three points clear of the drop after a poor run of results in March.
League Two
• Congratulations to Ross Willcox. The Scunthorpe manager become the Football League's first manager to claim a 24-game unbeaten start. Second placed Iron drew 0-0 with Wycombe at home and remain two points behind leaders Rochdale who were held 0-0 at fourth place Fleetwood. The previous holder of Willcox's record was Preston's William Suddell in 1889, pub quiz fans.
• Portsmouth's new manager Andy Awford, their third manager this season, made a winning start to life in the Fratton Park very hot seat. Pompey won 2-1 at Newport County who had two men sent off. The result lifted Portsmouth five points clear of relegation from the Football League.
• Basement club Torquay are in danger of being cut adrift after losing 1-0 at Southend, while Northampton slipped a further point behind Wycombe after Bury dished out a 0-3 thrashing at Sixfields.Editor's Choice
America is often described as a society without the Old World’s aristocracy. Yet we still have people who feel entitled to boss the rest of us around. The “elite” media, the political class, Hollywood and university professors think their opinions are obviously correct, so they must educate us peasants.
OK, so they don’t call us “peasants” anymore. Now we are “deplorables” — conservatives or libertarians. Or Trump supporters.
The elite have a lot of influence over how we see things.
I don’t like Donald Trump. I used to. I once found him refreshing and honest. Now I think he’s a mean bully. I think that partly because he mocked a disabled person. I saw it on TV. He waved his arms around to mimic a New York Times reporter with a disability — but wait!
It turns out that Trump used the same gestures and tone of speech to mock Ted Cruz and a general he didn’t’ like. It’s not nice, but it doesn’t appear directed at a disability.
I only discovered this when researching the media elite. Even though I’m a media junkie, I hadn’t seen the other side of the story. The elite spoon-fed me their version of events.
Another reason I don’t like Trump is that he supported the Iraq war — and then lied about that. Media pooh-bahs told me Trump pushed for the war years ago on The Howard Stern Show.
But then I listened to what Trump actually said.
“Are you for invading Iraq?” Stern asked.
Trump replied, “Yeah, I guess … so.” Later, on Neil Cavuto’s show, Trump said, “Perhaps (Bush) shouldn’t be doing it yet, and perhaps we should be waiting for the United Nations.” I wouldn’t call that “support” — the way NBC’s debate moderator and many others have.
I was stunned by how thoroughly the media have distorted Trump’s position. That’s a privilege you get when you’re part of the media elite: You get to steer the masses’ thinking.
At the second debate, we all know that Trump walked over to Hillary Clinton’s podium, as if he was “stalking Ms. Clinton like prey,” said The New York Times. CNN said, “Trump looms behind Hillary Clinton at the debate.”
Afterward, Clinton went on Ellen DeGeneres’ show and said Trump would “literally stalk me around the stage, and I would just feel this presence behind me. I thought, ‘Whoa, this is really weird.'”
But it was a lie. Watch the video. Clinton walked over to Trump’s podium. Did the mainstream media tell you that? No.
The ruling class has its themes, and it sticks to them.
When Clinton wore white to a debate, the Times called the color an “emblem of hope” and a Philadelphia Inquirer writer used words like “soft and strong … a dream come true.” But when Melania Trump wore white, that same writer called it a “scary statement,” as if Melania Trump’s white symbolized white supremacy, “another reminder that in the G.O.P. white is always right.”
Give me a break.
The ruling class decide which ideas are acceptable, which scientific theories to believe, what speech is permitted.
In the book “Primetime Propaganda,” Ben Shapiro writes that the Hollywood ruling class calls conservatives “moral scum.”
He says, “If you’re entering the industry, you have to keep (your beliefs) under wraps because nobody will hire you … they just assume you’re a bad person.”
They won’t tell you why you weren’t hired. They just tell you, “You weren’t right for the part,” explains Shapiro. “Talent is subjective, which means that it’s pretty easy to find an excuse not to call back the guy who voted for George W. Bush.”
Years ago, the ruling class was the Church. Priests said the universe revolved around Earth. Galileo was arrested because he disagreed.
Today, college lefties, mainstream media, Hollywood and the Washington establishment have replaced the Church, but they are closed-minded dogmatists, too.
We are lucky that now we have a lot of information at our fingertips. We don’t need to rely on the ruling class telling us what to believe. We can make up our own minds.Donald Trump made the mistake of sitting down for an interview with Hugh Hewitt. His grasp on relevant foreign policy details was not very good:
Donald J. Trump revealed gaps in his mastery of international affairs during a radio interview on Thursday, appearing to mistake the Quds Force, an Iranian military group, for the Kurds, a Middle Eastern people, and growing testy over questions about foreign leaders. “You’re asking me names that — I think it’s somewhat ridiculous,” Mr. Trump told Hugh Hewitt, a popular conservative radio show host. “As far as the individual players, of course I don’t know them. I’ve never met them. I haven’t been, you know, in a position to meet them.”
Each time that he was pressed to demonstrate some relevant knowledge about a particular part of the world, Trump either evaded the question or complained about “gotcha” questions that he refused to answer. As bad as the interview seemed to be for Trump, the striking thing was how often Hewitt was willing to indulge the candidate’s nonsensical answers. For instance, Trump repeated the obvious lie that the nuclear deal would require the U.S. to defend Iran against an attacker. Instead of correcting or challenging him on this plainly absurd and untrue statement, Hewitt approved of Trump’s ridiculous position. Hewitt said:
It’s remarkable, and I’m glad you know about it. And I’m glad you’ll stand with Israel.
Trump was repeating a complete falsehood, but Hewitt praised him because the talk radio host is just as committed to unfounded arguments against the nuclear deal as the candidate was. Later on, when Trump was asked what he would do in the event of a conflict between China and U.S. allies in East Asia, Trump dodged by saying, “You don’t want the other side to know. I don’t want to give you an answer to that.” In other words, Trump had no answer one way or the other, and so he hid behind the pretense that he was concealing a cunning plan that he didn’t want to reveal. Instead of pressing him for an answer, Hewitt nodded along and replied, “Fair response. Good response.” In fact, it was an awful, completely useless response, but Hewitt allowed it to pass without criticism.
As annoyed with Hewitt as Trump might have been by the end, the important thing to remember is that Hewitt indulged and played along with Trump’s ridiculous answers on foreign policy most of the time. In some cases, he endorsed and affirmed those answers despite the fact that they were nonsense. Far from being the “gotcha” interview that Trump whined about, it allowed Trump to dominate the conversation. The fact that Trump still came across sounding ignorant and unqualified is that much more damning.The fact checkers in the press have spoken on a key Republican Party claim: that President Obama has gone around the world “apologizing for America.” Here are the speeches in question. And here are the checks:
Politifact.com: Obama’s remarks never a true ‘apology’. The claim is rated false.
Washington Post fact checker: Obama’s ‘Apology Tour.’ Four Pinocchios, which means a whopping lie.
Factcheck.org: Romney’s Sorry ‘Apology’ Dig. “We’ve read through the speeches as well. We’ve come to the same conclusion: Nowhere did we see that the president ‘apologized’ for America.”
Yesterday, Republican Congressman Peter King was on CNN with Soledad O’Brien. He mentioned “the apology tour.” O’Brien, well aware of the fact checkers’ verdict, decided to challenge him. First you watch, then we talk:
Several things happened during this exchange that I want to point out to you.
* Soledad O’Brien mentions the factcheck.org verdict. King said he doesn’t care what factcheck.org says. If King really doesn’t care at all about a clear cut fact-checking verdict, honest journalism must in a sense do battle with Peter King, or abandon the fact check as a defensible form.
* King says that “any logical reading of that speech” leads to the conclusion that Obama was apologizing for America’s sins in the Middle East. If he really means that, then this isn’t a case of competing arguments but of logic vs. its natural opposites.
* King says that by “any common sense interpretation of those speeches, the President is apologizing…” Again, we’re not in the realm of clashing interpretations but of sense vs. the crazy. The fact checkers are the crazy. The polarization temperature at this point: max.
* King asks O’Brien: “How else could it be interpreted?” (Which is a great, table-shifting question.) And she answers: “A nuanced approach to diplomacy is how some people are interpreting it.”
Here the drama turns a little, and we have to pay closer attention. So far, this. (I paraphrase):
Soledad O’Brien Could you tell me where you found that apology because I’ve read this stuff [holds up her papers] and I don’t see it.
Peter King: Cairo and other speeches.
O’Brien: Well, fact checkers in the establishment press say it isn’t true.
King: I don’t care. On any logical, common sense, plain reading of the words, it’s apologizing for America.
O’Brien: That’s why I asked you: where do you see that? The apology part. [holds up papers again]
King: (turning tables) How else could it be interpreted?
O’Brien: It could be interpreted as nuanced diplomacy. That’s a logical reading to lots of people.
King: “I don’t interpret it that way and I think more importantly our enemies don’t interpret it that way.”
O’Brien: “Well, I don’t know that that’s necessarily the case. I think that’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
King: “I think it is and that’s where we have an honest difference of opinion.”
Notice how King switches from… the fact checkers are out of their minds, any logical reading of Obama’s words shows that “apology tour” is correct, it’s just common sense!… to…
“Well, we have an honest difference of opinion.”
And this gets to one of the most important sub-themes of the 2012 campaign. What does a wise press do when confronted with public actors who feel entitled to their own facts? I think Soledad O’Brien of CNN is starting to answer that.
The clip shows these elements in her style: If you interview people on television for a living, you and your team over-prepare. You anticipate points where a Peter King may feel entitled to his own facts. You know your material (and his) cold, so you aren’t worried about the interview spinning out of control. You smile more as the struggle heightens. You interrupt when a dubious claim is first introduced, and each time it is re-asserted. The tone you maintain is a plea for evidence. You have your mark-up of the documents with you. You have your pen. You wave them, which is theatrical. But you also read from them, and send through the lens an evidentiary calm.
If you do all this well, the clash of absolutes may cool into conflicting interpretations right on your show, a more livable zone for sources, journalists and citizens. Soledad O’Brien makes political television slightly realer-er when she comes ready to fight on air for a documented fact. Peter King didn’t back down or change his mind. But he shifted modes. From: what planet are you and your so-called fact checkers on? It’s obvious to anyone who can read that Obama apologized for America. To a point closer to…
Okay, he didn’t apologize or say I’m sorry. There was no apology in the diplomatic sense. But I read those speeches differently; to me and to my party they sound like an apology.
Not there, but closer is what he came. I agree it’s not much. But it’s not make culture war on the press when you get fact-checked, either. The difference was made by O’Brien’s tough and graceful intervention.
Bring that difference forward into an operating style and maybe CNN can re-build its franchise in news.The longest regular-season winning streak in the NCAA has ended.
Division III Mount Union watched its NCAA-record 112-game winning run end Saturday in a 31-28 home loss to John Carroll in Alliance, Ohio.
The matchup was the final one of the regular season for both Ohio-based schools. With the victory, John Carroll claimed the Ohio Athletic Conference title for the first time since 1994. The Blue Streaks (9-1, 9-0 OAC) also snagged an automatic bid into the 32-team D-III playoffs.
"This is something that you dream about," John Carroll coach Tom Arth told reporters, according to cleveland.com. "This is a win for John Carroll University and everyone that supports us."
Mount Union, meanwhile, saw an amazing run of domination end.
The Purple Raiders were 222-1 in their last 223 games dating back to 1994. They won 110 games from 1994 to 2005, and after an Oct. 22, 2005, loss to Ohio Northern, they rattled off 112 straight wins entering Saturday.
The top-ranked team in D-III, Mount Union (9-1, 8-1) also had won 98 games in a row at home before Saturday's defeat. And this marks the first time in 24 years that it hasn't won the OAC title.
How did No. 16 John Carroll do it?
In a back-and-forth contest, the Blue Streaks went ahead for good when QB Anthony Moeglin hit William Woods with a 24-yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds to play. Minutes earlier, Mount Union had taken a 28-25 lead when QB Dom Davis hit Braeden Friss with a 37-yard scoring pass, but that advantage proved short-lived.
Moeglin finished the day with 239 yards passing and three TDs.
"It's safe to say that he's become a legend on the John Carroll campus," John Carroll wide receiver William Woods said of Moeglin. "He helped snap a 20-plus [losing] streak against Mount Union. Anthony's a legend for sure."
John Carroll was effective defensively, sacking Davis, a freshman, seven times. It also held running back Bradley Mitchell, who entered Saturday fourth all time at Mount Union with 53 TDs, to just 53 yards on 18 carries.
Mount Union has won two of the last four D-III championships. Despite Saturday's loss, it is likely to receive an at-large bid into the playoffs.And I take it from the Wall Street Journal piece you wrote last week... well, the piece is just specifically about measuring multipliers, but I take it that you are fairly skeptical in general that fiscal policy will boost aggregate demand.
Right. There's a big difference between tax rate changes and things that look just like throwing money at people. Tax rate changes have actual incentive effects. And we have some experience with those actually working.
What would you say is the best empirical evidence there?
Well, you know, it worked to expand GDP for example in '63 and '64 with the Kennedy/Johnson cuts. And then Reagan twice in '81 and '83 and then in '86. And then the Bush 2003 tax-cutting program. Those all worked in the sense of promoting economic growth in a short time frame.
I'm the middle of a study where I am trying to estimate this overall, going back to 1913 -- sort of constructing some measure of the overall effect of the tax rate at the margin, at the moment. I'm just looking at that now, actually...
You're talking about the multiplier on a dollar of...
Well both things, but here I'm talking about the tax rate stuff. Get some measure of the effect of marginal tax rate that comes from the government -- federal, state, local. And then you can see what it looks like going down or going up and how the economy responds. And then, in addition to that, the government might be spending more or less money on either military stuff or not on military stuff. And we can estimate that at the same time. With the government spending stuff, the clearest evidence is in wartime. It's not that it's the most pertinent, but it's the clearest in terms of evidence because it's the dominating evidence at those times, especially during the world wars.
Do you read Paul Krugman's blog?
Just when he writes nasty individual comments that people forward.
Oh, well he wrote a series of posts saying he thought the World War II spending evidence was not good, for a variety of reasons, but I guess...
He said elsewhere that it was good and that it was what got us out of the depression. He just says whatever is convenient for his political argument. He doesn't behave like an economist. And the guy has never done any work in Keynesian macroeconomics, which I actually did. He has never even done any work on that. His work is in trade stuff. He did excellent work, but it has nothing to do with what he's writing about.
I'm not in a position to...
No, of course not.
I'm not in a position to know things like the degree to which Paul Krugman counts as a relevant expert on new Keynesian economics.
He hasn't done any work on that. Greg Mankiw has worked in that area.
And Greg Mankiw is, I guess, skeptical of spending for the same reasons that you are: he says that there's some empirical evidence -- I think he cites the Christina Romer study from 15 years ago -- that a dollar of tax cutting has a larger impact than...
The Romer evidence is very recent actually. It's an ongoing project.Before J.J. Abrams: Read About The Star Trek Reboot That Almost Was By Eric Eisenberg Random Article Blend
Our sci-fi sister site, Star Trek: The Beginning, one of the scripts that was in development at Paramount Pictures prior to Abrams' big reboot. As you might imagine the the screenplay is quite different from the direction that the franchise ultimately took, but it's interesting to look at what could have been.
Star Trek: The Beginning would have taken audiences back to an earlier time in the Star Trek universe, namely the year 2159 - placing it somewhere between the events of the television series Enterprise and the original series. The main protagonist of the film would have been Tiberius Chase, a "top-gun starfighter pilot in the United Earth Stellar Navy," who - as you might be able to tell from the first name - is an ancestor of Captain James T. Kirk. He was raised by a family with a xenophobic "Earth first" attitude, which ultimately hurts his status among his UESN brethern, but he doesn't let it stop him from rising in the ranks, even if it means showing disregard for the higher ups.
Like Abrams' film, the script also had crucial parts played by both the Vulcans and the Romulans. The plot of The Beginning is kickstarted when there is a surprise Romulan attack on Earth and it is demanded that all Vulcan citizens give themselves over. This is all part of a campaign on the part of the Romulans to destroy the Vulcan race, deciding "that the galaxy ain’t big enough for the both of them." The attacks only escalate as things progress, and the futures of both the human and Vulcan races look dire.
GFR's script review is filled with all kinds of interesting details, from which previously established characters would appear in the film to some particular traits that Kirk would ultimately gain from his ancestor. It's a fascinating read for Star Trek fans and I would recommend checking it out. The question is: would you have preferred to see this version of the Star Trek reboot, or are you glad that Paramount ultimately went with
Back in 2009 director J.J. Abrams did his part to change the Star Trek universe forever. With a touch of time travel he rebooted the entire franchise with an alternate timeline, creating new, younger versions of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew, and reinvigorated a franchise that had spent the previous seven years in limbo trying to figure out a next step. But while Abrams' vision was the one that was ultimately selected to move the sci-fi world forward, it wasn't the only option that was pursued.Our sci-fi sister site, Giant Freakin Robot, has gotten its hands on a copy of, one of the scripts that was in development at Paramount Pictures prior to Abrams' big reboot. As you might imagine the the screenplay is quite different from the direction that the franchise ultimately took, but it's interesting to look at what could have been.Star Trek: The Beginning would have taken audiences back to an earlier time in the Star Trek universe, namely the year 2159 - placing it somewhere between the events of the television series Enterprise and the original series. The main protagonist of the film would have been Tiberius Chase, a "top-gun starfighter pilot in the United Earth Stellar Navy," who - as you might be able to tell from the first name - is an ancestor of Captain James T. Kirk. He was raised by a family with a xenophobic "Earth first" attitude, which ultimately hurts his status among his UESN brethern, but he doesn't let it stop him from rising in the ranks, even if it means showing disregard for the higher ups.Like Abrams' film, the script also had crucial parts played by both the Vulcans and the Romulans. The plot ofis kickstarted when there is a surprise Romulan attack on Earth and it is demanded that all Vulcan citizens give themselves over. This is all part of a campaign on the part of the Romulans to destroy the Vulcan race, deciding "that the galaxy ain’t big enough for the both of them." The attacks only escalate as things progress, and the futures of both the human and Vulcan races look dire.GFR's script review is filled with all kinds of interesting details, from which previously established characters would appear in the film to some particular traits that Kirk would ultimately gain from his ancestor. It's a fascinating read for Star Trek fans and I would recommend checking it out. The question is: would you have preferred to see this version of the Star Trek reboot, or are you glad that Paramount ultimately went with Abrams' vision How Star Trek 4 Went From Hyped To Not Happening Blended From Around The Web Facebook
Back to topSupporters of Egypt's army chief, Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is expected to run for the presidency in the upcoming elections, hold military boots on their heads in a sign of support for military rule at a demonstration outside the Police Academy in Cairo, Jan. 28, 2014. 2014 AFP
Egypt's interim prime minister announced Monday the resignation of his cabinet, a surprise move that could be designed in part to pave the way for the nation's military chief to leave his defense minister's post to run for president.
Hazem el-Beblawi's military-backed government was sworn in on July 16, less than two weeks after Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the defense minister, ousted President Mohamed Morsi after a year in office.
The government's resignation, announced by Beblawi in a live TV broadcast, came amid a host of strikes, including one by public transport workers and garbage collectors. An acute shortage of cooking gas has also been making front page news the past few days.
It was not immediately clear whether Beblawi will stay at the helm of a new government or will step aside for a new prime minister.
Beblawi has often been derided in the media for his perceived indecisiveness and inability to introduce effective remedies to the country's economic woes. He has also been criticized for the security forces' inability to prevent high-profile terror attacks blamed on militants sympathetic with Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood.
The outgoing prime minister acknowledged the difficult conditions in which his cabinet functioned, but suggested that Egypt was in a better place now that it was when he first took office.
"The cabinet has over the past six or seven months shouldered a very difficult responsibility... in most cases the results were good," Beblawi said. The goal, he added, was to take Egypt out of a "narrow tunnel" brought about by security, political and economic pressures.
A presidential bid by the popular Sisi has been widely anticipated and leaving him out of the next cabinet will most likely be accompanied by an announcement by the 59-year-old soldier that he is running.
Beblawi's resignation followed the adoption last month of a new constitution drafted by a mostly liberal and secular panel, and two months ahead of a presidential election, now expected to be held in April. The charter gives the military the exclusive right to pick the defense minister for the next two, four-year presidential terms.
Al Jazeera and The Associated PressJihadists who overran Mosul last month have demolished ancient shrines and mosques in and around the historic northern Iraqi city, residents and social media posts said Saturday.
At least four shrines to Sunni Arab or Sufi figures have been demolished, while six Shiite mosques, or husseiniyahs, have also been destroyed, across militant-held parts of northern Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital.
Pictures posted on the Internet by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group showed the Sunni and Sufi shrines were demolished by bulldozers, while the Shiite mosques and shrines were all destroyed by explosives.
The photographs were part of an online statement titled "Demolishing shrines and idols in the state of Nineveh."
Local residents confirmed that the buildings had been destroyed and that militants had occupied two cathedrals as well.
"We feel very sad for the demolition of these shrines, which we inherited from our fathers and grandfathers," said Ahmed, a 51-year-old resident of Mosul.
"They are landmarks in the city."
An employee at Mosul's Chaldean cathedral said militants had occupied both it and the Syrian Orthodox cathedral in the city after finding them empty.
They removed the crosses at the front of the buildings and replaced them with the Islamic State's black flag, the employee said.
IS-led militants overran Mosul last month and swiftly took control of much of the rest of Nineveh, as well as parts of four other provinces north and west of Baghdad, in an offensive that has displaced hundreds of thousands and alarmed the international community.
The city, home to two million residents before the offensive, was a Middle East trading hub for centuries, its name translating loosely as "the junction."
Though more recently populated mostly by Sunni Arabs, Mosul and Nineveh were also home to many Shiite Arabs as well as ethnic and religious minorities such as Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis and other sects.The Marvel Universe has been to unique and strange places under Al Ewing’s pen. He’s shown the grounded Heroes being Mighty Avengers, made the premiere Marvel Superhero Team with The Ultimates, and made Sunspot a super spy inside the pages of New Avengers and evolved his adventures into U.S. Avengers.
Suffice it to say, Ewing has traveled far and wide and even outside of the known Marvel Universe, so I thought it best to interview the man behind U.S. Avengers, Royals, The Ultimates2, and the newly released Rocket comic for information on the titles are going and what’s coming next for these cast of characters big and small.
Terrence Sage: Your work at Marvel usually leads into a sequel or spiritual successor series, what’s fun about reinventing Marvel characters into something different?
Al Ewing: I’m of the opinion that there’s no such thing as a “D-list” character. Every character in a shared universe has something about them that’s cool, or interesting, or worthy of re-examination, which is why my team books so far have tended to feature the less-hyped heroes. So it’s not so much that I want to turn them into something different – the idea is to find something about them that makes me want to tell stories about them, and bring it out. And every character has that something – there’s really no such thing as a bad character in a superhero universe.
The spiritual successor thing is separate, but related. I’ll often get into a place with a character where I enjoy writing them so much that I’m not done yet. To be brutally honest, I’m never fully done, but there comes a point where you have to set a character down and hope you’ve got them in a place where other writers will want to use them. And if they don’t, you can always come back eventually.
TS: How do you handle writing large teams with clashing personalities and characters that could headline their own book if they aren’t already?
AE: It’s difficult! In some ways, I prefer solo series – there’s a difference between a book like Loki or Rocket, where you’ve got a main character with a supporting cast as you’ve got all the room in the world to really get in deep, and a team book, where space is more limited. I try and give each character something relatively meaty to do or have happen to them every so often, but if the cast gets too big, there are going to be people who lose out. It’s actually a relief when characters have their own solo books – it means I don’t feel so bad if I give them a couple of issues out of the spotlight, because I know they have their own adventures out every month for their fans. The “clashing personalities” thing helps too – being able to put any two characters in a room together and knowing they’ll spark off each other is a very useful thing. If anything, my big regret is that I don’t give myself more room for that – I don’t think I’ve ever done a “bottle episode” story in a team book, now I think about it…
TS: You’re writing Ultimates2, U.S.Avengers, Royals and the new Rocket series, how do you keep the distinction between the four together?
AE: Well, they’re all at different points of the compass in terms of things I like to do. U.S.Avengers is straight-ahead superhero action-adventure – there’s some commentary in there, but it’s the most “normal” of the four, and the one most connected to the current happenings in the Marvel superhero world.
Ultimates2 and Royals are two sides of the same coin – two kinds of “deep cosmic” book – with one dealing very heavily with the kind of giant cosmic archetypes of Marvel, and one based much more in physical space and sci-fi adventure, but still speaking in metaphors and trying to mine out some gigantic new concepts from “out there” and bring them back “in here”. Part of it is working out where my head is at the moment – there are various themes that come up again and again, if you look – but part of it is wanting to grow this fictional space I’ve found myself working in, to grow some of the ideas further, remix a couple, and carve out a few entirely new ones, and then hopefully some writer in the future will remember this stuff, and build on top of it. It’s not the only goal, but it’d be nice.
And Rocket is action-adventure again, but much more sci-fi, with a lot of formalism. It’s me pretty much forgetting superheroes entirely – aside from weird alien superheroes, and Deadpool – and going back to my roots, doing sci-fi crime and weirdness stories with a lot of playfulness and some deadpan jokes. The thing it’s closest to is probably Zombo – whereas, if I ever do Zombo again, the think that’ll be closest to will be the Ultimates…
TS: Since the start of Ultimates it’s proven itself as one of the most important Marvel Titles out, what’s it like rewriting and telling a story of the Cosmic Marvel Hierarchy?
AE: It’s “important” in certain ways. I feel like it’s been interesting playing a little with the definitions of what’s “important”, what “matters”, etc – on the one hand, Ultimates is about literally everything that has ever been in the Marvel Universe, but at the same time it’s not about Iron Man. And I’m allowed to wander off and grow this cosmic garden and make wonderful things out of it because I can do that without stepping on too many toes. We’re operating on such a big scale that it’s almost like when particle physicists reveal that actually the universe is a hologram and all the information of our lives is encoded on the outer walls of spacetime, or whatever it is this week. It’s great, and
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IMATE DENIERS 00:25:11:15 --:--:--:-- OF THE RIGHT. 00:25:13:04 --:--:--:-- HENNER: OH. [scoffs] 00:25:14:03 --:--:--:-- PLEASE, DO NOT 00:25:15:10 --:--:--:-- SAY THAT ABOUT ME. 00:25:17:10 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: IN FACE OF ALL THE 00:25:18:13 --:--:--:-- SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE, THEY SAY, 00:25:19:20 --:--:--:-- "NO, THE CLIMATE ISN'T CHANGING. 00:25:21:08 --:--:--:-- THE CLIMATE ISN'T CHANGING." 00:25:22:08 --:--:--:-- HENNER: THE CLIMATE'S 00:25:23:04 --:--:--:-- TOTALLY CHANGING. 00:25:24:00 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: SO, IN FACE OF ALL THE 00:25:24:21 --:--:--:-- SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE, CURTIS AND 00:25:25:21 --:--:--:-- MARILU ARE SAYING, "NO, 00:25:26:20 --:--:--:-- THEY'RE HARMFUL. 00:25:27:21 --:--:--:-- THERE MAY BE PROBLEMS AND 00:25:28:23 --:--:--:-- STUFF," AND SO THEREFORE, 00:25:30:11 --:--:--:-- EVERY SCIENCE AND EVERY 00:25:31:15 --:--:--:-- SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY IS WRONG. 00:25:33:12 --:--:--:-- SALLEY: ONE AT A TIME. 00:25:34:08 --:--:--:-- ONE AT A TIME. 00:25:35:05 --:--:--:-- HENNER: EXCUSE ME, ARROGANT. 00:25:36:02 --:--:--:-- KING: HE SAYS THE SCIENTIFIC 00:25:37:13 --:--:--:-- EFFORT SUPPORTS HIS POSITION. 00:25:39:09 --:--:--:-- SALLEY: AND IT SUPPORTS THAT 00:25:40:09 --:--:--:-- OBESITY HAS RISEN, AND IT-- 00:25:41:21 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: BUT IT'S NOT 00:25:42:17 --:--:--:-- DUE TO G.M.O.s. 00:25:43:22 --:--:--:-- SALLEY: IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, 00:25:45:00 --:--:--:-- 15 YEARS, LIKE HE SAID. 00:25:45:20 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: AND THAT HAS NOTHING 00:25:46:16 --:--:--:-- TO DO WITH G.M.O.s. 00:25:47:12 --:--:--:-- SALLEY: IT DOES, 'CAUSE IF 90% 00:25:48:08 --:--:--:-- OF THE FOODS ARE G.M.O.s-- 00:25:49:04 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: BUT IT CAN'T! 00:25:50:00 --:--:--:-- IT CAN'T! 00:25:50:20 --:--:--:-- SALLEY: THEN IT HAS TO COME 00:25:51:16 --:--:--:-- FROM THE FOOD. 00:25:52:12 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: OKAY, AS I EXPLAINED, 00:25:53:08 --:--:--:-- AND I'M NOT GONNA GET TOO 00:25:54:04 --:--:--:-- PEDANTIC OR TOO PROFESSORIAL-- 00:25:55:04 --:--:--:-- SALLEY: GREAT WORD. 00:25:56:00 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: OKAY? 00:25:56:22 --:--:--:-- HENNER: TOO LATE. 00:25:57:21 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: THE GENETICALLY 00:25:59:00 --:--:--:-- ENGINEERED, LET'S SAY, SOYBEAN 00:26:01:07 --:--:--:-- HAS A GENE IN IT THAT, IN 00:26:04:11 --:--:--:-- MANY CASES, IS A PLANT GENE, 00:26:06:13 --:--:--:-- WHICH MAKES A PROTEIN THAT YOU 00:26:09:01 --:--:--:-- EAT EVERY SINGLE DAY IN EITHER 00:26:11:06 --:--:--:-- ORGANIC OR NON-GENETICALLY 00:26:13:15 --:--:--:-- ENGINEERED VEGETABLES. 00:26:14:18 --:--:--:-- IT'S INDISTINGUISHABLE 00:26:16:20 --:--:--:-- IN CHEMICAL STRUCTURE, AND 00:26:18:20 --:--:--:-- THEREFORE, IT'S NOT GONNA HAVE 00:26:20:10 --:--:--:-- ANY OF THESE EFFECTS THAT YOU 00:26:21:17 --:--:--:-- HAVE BECAUSE YOU'RE EATING IT 00:26:22:22 --:--:--:-- AS IT IS. 00:26:23:23 --:--:--:-- SECONDLY, THE INSECT-RESISTANT 00:26:26:13 --:--:--:-- CROPS THAT ARE MADE, WHICH 00:26:27:19 --:--:--:-- REDUCE TREMENDOUSLY MILLIONS 00:26:30:07 --:--:--:-- AND MILLIONS AND MILLIONS AND 00:26:31:09 --:--:--:-- MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF PESTICIDES 00:26:32:22 --:--:--:-- IN THE ENVIRONMENT, THIS IS 00:26:34:04 --:--:--:-- SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN 00:26:35:20 --:--:--:-- USED IN ORGANIC FARMING 00:26:37:22 --:--:--:-- FOR OVER 75 YEARS. 00:26:38:23 --:--:--:-- SALLEY: AREN'T YOU SCARED 00:26:40:01 --:--:--:-- THAT A INSECT WON'T EAT IT? 00:26:41:17 --:--:--:-- IF AN INSECT WON'T EAT IT, 00:26:43:09 --:--:--:-- AND A BIRD WON'T EAT IT, 00:26:44:14 --:--:--:-- YOU SHOULD BE AFRAID! 00:26:45:22 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: AND IT HAS BEEN USED 00:26:47:01 --:--:--:-- IN ORGANIC FARMING... 00:26:48:00 --:--:--:-- HENNER: AND OUR CHILDREN! 00:26:49:00 --:--:--:-- IT'S SO UNFAIR. 00:26:50:00 --:--:--:-- THEIR LITTLE 40-TO-80 00:26:50:20 --:--:--:-- POUND BODIES. 00:26:51:19 --:--:--:-- GOLDBERG: YOU KNOW, THIS-- 00:26:52:16 --:--:--:-- WHEN I LISTEN TO THIS 00:26:53:17 --:--:--:-- CONVERSATION--AND I MEAN THIS 00:26:57:15 --:--:--:-- SINCERELY--I FIND IT 00:26:59:08 --:--:--:-- VERY, VERY DEPRESSING. 00:27:00:13 --:--:--:-- HENNER: IT IS DEPRESSING. 00:27:01:16 --:--:--:-- KING: WE'LL PICK UP ON THAT. 00:27:02:13 --:--:--:-- THE TOPIC IS G.M.O.s. 00:27:03:18 --:--:--:-- THANKS, DR. FRALEY. 00:27:05:09 --:--:--:-- AND THAT ENDS PART ONE OF A 00:27:07:08 00:27:09:17 TWO-PARTER OF "LARRY KING NOW."Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro meet for the first time since 2013 in a blockbuster third round clash at the Miami Open on Monday.
The words ‘del Potro’ and ‘blockbuster’ have been used side by side quite a lot in recent times, as the Argentine’s battles with injuries have dragged him down the world rankings, meaning he has to face the very best players in the world relatively earlier than either he, or those other players, would have liked. No one wants to play the Tower of Tandil this early in a draw.
Unfortunately, that has been the case in virtually every big tournament since his return from another round of wrist surgery early last year. Just this year alone, he has already run into Novak Djokovic in the third round of both Acapulco and Indian Wells. Now, the luckless former US Open champion gets ready for another third round clash against the most in-form player in the world.
Del Potro has acquitted himself pretty well against the sports’ other elites. He lost a few times, but he also got some very big wins. He took out Stan Wawrinka in the second round at Wimbledon last year, got past Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Olympics, the same tournament where he stopped Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. He scored a magnificent victory over Andy Murray in the Davis Cup semi-finals, gaining revenge for an earlier loss to Murray in an equally gripping Olympic final.
Del Potro would go on to inspire Argentina to a first ever Davis Cup title, famously recovering from a two-sets deficit to defeat Marin Cilic in a vital fourth rubber in Zagreb. The lanky Argentine took another break from the sport after his Davis Cup exertions, and would not re-appear until Delray Beach, where he lost to Milos Raonic in the semi-finals. That was followed by back-to-back defeats to world number two, Djokovic in Acapulco and Indian Wells. Del Potro stretched Djokovic to three sets on both occasions.
Always popular in Miami, the Argentine opened his campaign in very impressive fashion, taking out Dutchman, Robin Haase 6-2 6-4. It will get decidedly tougher against the red-hot Roger Federer, who is in the midst of a quite remarkable comeback from a long hiatus.
After sitting out the final six months of 2016 to rehabilitate a lingering knee problem, Federer has looked refreshed, re-energized and is playing the best tennis he has managed in recent memory. In his first official tournament back from his lengthy break, the great Swiss stormed to an improbable Australian Open glory, taking out four top-ten opposition, including great rival Rafael Nadal in the final, on his way to an eighteenth Grand Slam title, his first major since Wimbledon 2012.
He suffered a minor blip in Dubai, falling to Russian qualifier, Evgeny Donskoy in the second round after throwing away several winning positions, but he rebounded brilliantly at Indian Wells, romping to the title without dropping a set. He was housed in the much-hyped quarter for death, but Federer made light work of the supposedly difficult draw, sauntering to a record-equalling fifth Indian Wells title.
The Miami Open hasn’t always been Federer’s favourite tournament, in terms of success anyway. He won his two titles at the peak of his powers in 2005 and 2006, but he has not made the final since then, and missed the last two editions of the tournament. The great Swiss made a winning return in 2017, taking out young American hope Frances Tiafoe in the second round. Tiafoe gave as good as he got in a tight opening set, dragging his celebrated adversary to a tie break, but Federer stepped it up when it mattered most, running away with the breaker, and recovering from an early break in the second set to close out his brave opponent 7-6 6-3.
Now it gets really interesting as Federer confronts del Potro in Round 3.
'I'm happy for him with his comeback, winning at Davis Cup. I should have played him here last year but I was sick. That was a pity. It's better to play him maybe this time around when we're both better,” said Federer. “We've had some epic matches against each other. I'm sure the crowd would love to see it."
Federer leads the head-to-head 15-5, but the rivalry has got tougher and closer as the years have gone by, and as del Potro has got better. Their last seven matches have gone the distance. Federer won the first five meetings in straight sets, but del Potro made his first real move at Roland Garros 2009, when he led by two sets to one, only for Federer to hit back and take that semi-final in five sets. Federer went on to win his first and only French Open title till date. That was an appetizer to what was to come later that year, as the 20-year-old del Potro blasted his way past Federer to win the US Open title.
Both men have served up some memorable clashes since then; with the 2012 Olympic semi-final, which Federer won 19-17 in the third readily coming to mind. Federer has won their last two meetings, but del Potro won the previous three before that.
This one is tough to call. Federer’s form gives him the edge, but del Potro is a scary opposition, particularly with his huge forehand. He will flash a fair few past Federer. However, Federer has got a clear advantage with his backhand, which has been absolutely sublime in recent weeks, compared to del Potro, who has had to remodel that shot into a slice rather than a top spin double-hander to protect his problematic wrist.
Del Potro has managed that shot remarkably well since his return, but if there is anyone equipped to expose the Argentine, it’s the in-form Federer. He is feeling every part of his game right now, and he should just about come through another entertaining del Potro blockbuster.The Black Angels' music is hardly the stuff of stripped-down acoustic confessionals: It's the sound of a distant rumble, possibly beamed from a garage in the early '70s. So when we got word that the Austin-based psych-rock band would go acoustic for this Tiny Desk Concert in the NPR Music offices, a mystery was born: namely, "Huh?"
Amazingly, what we got came largely without amplification or electricity, with one notable exception: Singer Alex Maas got his own vocal mic so he could be properly filtered for full, dreamy, otherworldly effect. The resulting four songs, three of which appear on 2010's Phosphene Dream, showcase a bold and surprising mix of sensibilities — at once icy and rustic, cavernous and confined.
Set List
"Bad Vibrations"
"Haunting At 1300 McKinley"
"Entrance Song"
"Too Much Hate"
Credits
Filmed and edited by Michael Katzif; audio by Kevin Wait; photo by Adele HamptonAn artist’s rendering of the planned passenger terminal at Paine Field in Everett. (Propeller Airports)
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EVERETT — Alaska Airlines plans to fly passengers out of Paine Field starting next year.
The Seattle-based carrier made the announcement Wednesday. That makes Alaska the first airline to commit to using a two-gate passenger terminal working its way through Snohomish County’s approval process.
Executives at Alaska painted the move as a response to rapid economic growth that made Seattle-Tacoma International Airport increasingly busy and I-5 more congested. There’s been demand from businesses as well.
“We’ve thought about Paine Field for a number of years,” said Joe Sprague, Alaska’s vice president of external relations. “Sea-Tac Airport is now sort of bursting at the seams.”
Alaska said that Snohomish County residents, by flying from the Everett-area airfield compared to Sea-Tac, stand to shave 80 minutes off their travel time during peak traffic congestion.
The company plans nine departures a day from Paine Field, starting in the fall of 2018. That would account for roughly half of the capacity at the proposed terminal.
No specific routes are expected to be unveiled until early next year.
“It will be a mix of leisure and business destinations,” Sprague said. “They will be popular destinations, they will be destinations that will be in high demand for people living around Everett … It’s a safe bet, that if we have another winter like the one we just had, there will be one or two destinations in the mix that will be appealing for folks in Snohomish County to escape to.”
In other words, a quick path to sunnier climes.
For at least one expected business route, Sprague said, “driving from Everett to Sea-Tac might take longer than the flight itself.”
The announcement marks another significant step in a decades-long effort to bring regular commercial passenger flights to the county airport.
Propeller Airports hopes to build a two-gate terminal adjacent to the airport’s control tower. Plans show a 29,000-square-foot building. The county issued a grading permit for the project in April. Groundbreaking is expected by summer.
“We’re really happy to have Alaska as our launch carrier,” Propeller CEO Brett Smith said.
Alaska expects to use a combination of Boeing 737 and Embraer 175 jets. Boeing 737-800’s and similar models are regularly used to fly as far as the East Coast. Embraer 175’s are typically used for short- or medium-range trips.
Propeller, based in New York City, entered into an option-to-lease agreement with the county two years ago. Once the lease takes effect, the county would receive about $429,000 per year in rent. In addition to the lease, the agreement will pay the county 2.5 percent of the facility’s gross revenue during its first four years of operation. After that, the county would receive 5 percent of revenue for the remainder of the lease. That includes money from air service as well as parking.
Many people in Mukilteo have spent years fighting the idea, raising concerns about noise, traffic and other aspects of their quality of life. They lost key court battles during the past couple of years.
On Wednesday, Mayor Jennifer Gregerson led a press conference in front of City Hall.
Gregerson called Alaska’s announcement premature. The city continues to challenge the proposed terminal in court. Mukilteo is awaiting a state Supreme Court decision on whether to accept its appeal of the county’s 2015 lease agreement. Mukilteo alleges the agreement should be scrapped because the county failed to perform a full environmental study of likely impacts in terms of noise, traffic and other areas.
“I want to reassure my community that we will continue to press for important protections for our quality of life, no matter how our appeal goes,” Gregerson said.
The Mukilteo mayor said her city already has helped to limit the hours of operations and flight paths from the airport. The city also is demanding that the county and Propeller compensate for any traffic impacts, if the terminal moves ahead.
But many local officials were elated.
“Businesses will have easier access to major markets and leisure travelers can skip the commute down south, saving time and fuel,” County Executive Dave Somers said. “For decades, Alaska Airlines has been a responsible neighbor in our region, and we welcome them even closer to home at Paine Field.”
Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson has been among the strongest supporters of bringing regularly scheduled commercial flights to his city’s doorstep.
“Alaska understands the local market, so having our Seattle-based airline be the first to provide scheduled passenger service from Everett just confirms the value commercial flights will bring to the local economy,” Stephanson said.
Alaska’s new operations aren’t expected to displace any of its existing business from Bellingham International Airport — or anywhere else, Sprague said. Some routes are likely to overlap with 83 locales Alaska already serves nonstop from Sea-Tac.
“It’s tough to compare to anything else in our network,” he said.
The new Paine Field terminal could handle up to two dozen takeoffs and landings per day. Paine Field already averages more than 300 daily takeoffs and landings, mostly from general aviation and aerospace companies.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; [email protected]. Twitter: @NWhaglund.The Sneaky Growth Tactic Microsoft Used to Skyrocket its User Base in 1992
Benjamin Brandall Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 1, 2017
What happens if you make software too difficult to use? Probably the same thing that happens if you never made it at all — no one uses it.
It’s easy to get users to adapt to familiar concepts like drag-and-drop, but what if you made something totally new? You need a creative user onboarding process, like the one Microsoft used back in 1992 and the others I’m going to look at in this post.
The Software User Onboarding Process
I already talked about concierge onboarding, so this time I’m going to look at the total opposite — a style known as low-touch user onboarding. It’s not always possible to work with every customer, especially if you’re distributing software on a massive scale like Microsoft Windows, so writing onboarding into your product is a necessity.
James Hunt‘s excellent article on Mental Floss reveals the true purpose of Minesweeper, Microsoft Solitaire, FreeCell and Hearts: a gamified way to teach users concepts vital to success using Windows 3.1.
Let’s take a look at exactly how they did it.
Minesweeper
What better way to tempt interaction than a gray 8×8 grid, a smiley face, and implied explosions?
Before the internet, Minesweeper was surely the biggest office time-suck and responsible for more wasted hours than any other single factor. Users did, however, learn a valuable lesson.
You see, Minesweeper wasn’t created to be fun. It was designed to help users transition from the command line to the mouse and ease into the new graphical user interface offered by Windows 3.1.
If you’ve spent hours of your life playing Minesweeper, there’s no need to feel bad about it. Chances are, it helped you learn to right-click.
Microsoft Solitaire
With Solitaire dating back to the 1700s, Microsoft used it as a familiar setting to teach users something that it’s hard to imagine not doing now — drag-and-drop.
Microsoft knew perfectly well that teaching mouse skill as an obvious tutorial would not go down well with users. Especially command-line snobs, ready to roll their eyes at the graphical excesses of anything other than the terminal.
This is why they rolled it into an addictively simple game most people already knew how to play.
Why are modern apps so easy to use? Probably because we learned the mechanics from games like Solitaire (see Hearthstone for an example of a modern game with a virtual deck of cards). The same goes for Trello which uses the same drag-and-drop system and has an added bonus of being similar to a wall full of sticky notes (something I’m actually too young to know about, but might have been popular at some point).
Hearts
Hearts was introduced with Windows for Workgroups 3.1 in 1992 — the first network-ready version of Windows. It’s no coincidence that Hearts could be played against players on other computers through the magic of LAN, and introducing it in the first networked Windows was the perfect way to secretly prepare users for office Counter Strike LAN parties (just kidding, I think).
What Microsoft was really doing was showing users that it is possible for their computers to send and receive data, and getting them used to the idea of setting up networks. When it finally came down to doing some serious work, the lessons learned in Hearts would be put to good use.
Within two years of Microsoft rolling out its onboarding process in Windows 3.1 to win the wallets of casual users, its revenues had doubled (from $1.8b to $3.7b).
Enough about genius games; how have companies applied these digitally-archaic ideas to modern apps? Has Microsoft tricked them, too? To find out, I signed up for a bunch of apps and tried to see where they were tricking me into doing the worst thing of all — actually learning something!
Slack: A Modern Low-Touch Success Story
Microsoft really got creative with its user onboarding process because it didn’t have much choice; the limited capabilities of Windows 3.1 forced creativity.
Today apps aren’t forced to be creative because of limited options, but because of market saturation. The total amount of apps on the Apple store alone totals over 1.5 million. While not all of them need onboarding of any kind, it’s the ones which combine great functionality with ease-of-use that succeed.
A remarkable example of low-touch onboarding is Slack’s robotic greeter and orientation specialist, Slackbot.
While we’ve still got Microsoft on the brain, a good comparison with Slackbot would be Clippy, the overly enthusiastic paperclip/help document and something I would have really paid more attention to if I knew I’d be writing this article 18 years later.
Anyway, since Samuel Hulick has already outdone anyone in the field of Slack onboarding analysis, I thought I’d talk a little more about Slackbot since he seemed to be lost for words.
This is the first conversation you have on Slack. Certainly more fun than profile setup pages (which are the biggest bores since confirmation emails), and has filled our Slack directory up with information — a great help when I joined the company.
Slackbot’s assistance doesn’t end there. And, like most software now, the only limit is the amount of thought you want to put into getting it set up. For example, when new employees are looking for resources, Slackbot could be programmed to fetch them:
Slackbot is a fine example of a placeholder on an otherwise blank slate. For users starting up Slack for the first time, it demonstrates:
Notifications
How to read direct messages
How to send direct messages
How to add details to your profile
And all the while it’s just letting us think we’re chatting to a nice, friendly robot when we’re actually learning things. Nice try, Slack. You won’t get me that easily.
Gamification of the User Onboarding Process: One Step Past Microsoft
While Microsoft used real games as components of their secret user onboarding scheme, for the rest of us without an operating system to call our own, gamification will have to do.
And it’s not a bad option either — eLearningIndustry cites an increase by 9% in retention when software has elements of gamification. This could be because users learn 14% more skills and 11% more facts in the process.
Yu-Kai Chou has written an awesome article about gamification in onboarding, and is one of the authorities on the topic. As someone who has played more than enough video games for one lifetime, gamification is fascinating to me.
Here are some elements to consider when gamifying your software’s onboarding experience.
Step-by-step tutorials
Remember when software used to come with a Biblical user manual so densely written you were scared to touch the software?
Thankfully, that’s changed. Software companies usually offer the user guide as a when-needed reference instead of the only way to learn. This is basic stuff, and even apps without gamified onboarding do this. An example of a great step-by-step tutorial is Duolingo, a language learning app that doesn’t limit gamification to the onboarding process.
The owl helper here is another thing that conjured up memories of Clippy. Narrative is an important part of gamification, as is meeting goals. The blue progress bar will be familiar to anyone who has played games where you level up, commonly RPGs like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy or Skyrim.
What happens when we get to the end of it?
Just look at that enthusiastic title, sharply-increasing graph, and pleasingly-perfect circle. Duolingo has already made you feel successful using its product, all while teaching you how to use it in a fun way.
Early win-states
Remember how easy the first level of games used to be? To use World of Warcraft as an example, you go from level 1 to level 2 within the first 5 minutes of playing the game. This instant gratification makes users feel good, and encourages them to stick around and keep paying that subscription money even when it might take a whole day (or 5) to level up later on down the line.
What kinds of early win-states can software designers build into their onboarding process?
When we talk about early win-states from the perspective of software, we usually call it an ‘Aha! moment‘. The interesting thing about Aha! moments is that they are often decided upon by the designer, not the user. (We decide when you say Aha!). Software uses early win-states to train you to use it and condition you into repeating what makes you feel good and what ensures you get the best use out of their product.
When you do something fundamental to the idea behind an app or proven to be a driving factor behind retention, you’ll be rewarded. It’s simple positive reinforcement.
A subtle way of doing this is with a checklist. At Process Street, we know checklists are brilliant at motivating people to act. Evernote uses a 5-point checklist to ‘help you remember everything’:
I don’t know about you, but a list with a few items left unchecked makes me nervous. The thought of having that checklist sticking around and bugging me to complete it is enough for me to succumb to the 5 things Evernote thinks I need to do to become a successful user. Well done, Evernote.
Identity creation
When you start playing a video game for the first time, one of the first steps is usually character creation. At the most basic level, it’s naming the save file, at the most complex you’ll get to customize every aspect of your character’s appearance, voice and even history.
The same goes for software, especially those with social aspects. The whole point of Slackbot was profile creation, which is a tactic to increase retention by getting you personally involved with it before you do anything else.
To make you feel more at home, some apps or sites like GrowthHackers pre-populate your profile by bringing in your details from Twitter, Facebook or wherever you signed up through — Sean Ellis knows what’s up.
According to Yu-kai Chou, “just like how IKEA makes people attached to their furnitures by having customers build the furnitures themselves”. So that’s why they do it…
When Was the Last Time It Was Fun to Learn Software?
Even though business software is used for ‘serious’ tasks, that doesn’t mean it has to be a drag.
According to Susanna Halonen writing for Happyologist:
“When you’re having fun, you boost your positive emotions which activate the learning centres in your brain. That means you are connecting with more of the brain power you have and hence you’ll be more alert in noticing new things and learning through them”.
If that doesn’t sound like an effective way to program users into becoming successful with your product, I don’t know what does.
Does your product engage users with gamification? What kinds of effect has this had on your retention?
Let me know in the comments. +10xp to you if you do 😄
💛 Enjoy this post? Head over to Process Street to read more on software, design, productivity, and workflows.
Benjamin Brandall is a content creator at Process Street and writes at Secret Cave in his spare time. Find him on Twitter here.It is an image few women will forget in a hurry – Colin Firth and his wet shirt as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.
But the actor, 53, has admitted his wife was left cold by the sight of him in his ‘sodden shirt’ and breeches.
Giving an interview Firth claimed neither he nor and Livia, 44, whom he married in 1997, understood what all the fuss was about the famous ‘wet shirt’ scene.
Dampened the mood? Colin Firth claims his wife Livia did not go wild for his famous scene in Pride & Prejudice
Their adolescent sons Luca, 13, and Matteo, 11, will likely be equally unimpressed to see their father emerge from the pond, his white shirt clinging to his chest.
Reacting to the hype, Firth, said: ‘I’ve spent years trying to figure out why Mr Darcy’s fully clothed swim in his breeches and shirt caused such a sensation.
'My wife certainly wouldn’t go weak at the knees if I came home in a sodden shirt.’
It would seem plenty of others would, however. The appearance as Mr Darcy has led to the actor featuring on several ‘sexiest man’ lists in recent years.
And People Magazine named him the ‘sexiest man alive’ in 2007.
But Firth said he doesn’t think of himself as a sex symbol. He told the Sun on Sunday’s Notebook magazine: ‘All I can say is that I’m glad people feel that way, but I don’t feel it when I look in the mirror. I don’t get chased down the street, nor has anyone ever thrown their underwear at me.
'I’ve certainly never seen myself as a sex symbol.’
Baffled: The couple, who married in 1997 and have two sons, cannot work out what all the fuss is about
Last year BBC bosses admitted Firth almost missed out on the Pride and Prejudice part because they didn’t think he was handsome enough to be Mr Darcy.
Fortunately for him, they overcame their misgivings and he was cast in what became a career-shaping role.
Admitting the semi-naked scene has helped keep him in demand as an actor, Firth said: ‘There was a time when the [heart throb] image seemed tiresome, but the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. It made it much easier for me to find work and it changes your entire stature in the business.’
Since Pride and Prejudice Firth has gone on to star in several films including Bridget Jones, Love Actually and The King’s Speech, for which he won BAFTA and Oscar awards.Africa is at the center of this global LGBT recap, thanks to last week’s African Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., efforts in Uganda to resurrect the Anti-Homosexuality Law thrown out by the Constitutional Court, and the introduction of a new kill-the-gays bill in Kenya.
The Obama administration’s summit brought together leaders from 50 African countries, including some who have denounced LGBT people and overseen their persecution. LGBT rights took a back seat at the summit, writes the Washington Blade’s Michael Lavers, but were not completely absent. President Obama referenced “respect for the universal human rights of all people” in his opening for the summit and used similar language in its closing press conference. Jessica Stern, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, had called for a more robust promotion of equality by the U.S. government and corporations doing business in Africa. Obama did specifically call for fair and equal treatment of “people of different races and faiths and sexual orientations” during a business forum. And Secretary of State John Kerry praised Frank Mugisha, director of Sexual Minorities Uganda during an event at the National Academy of Sciences.
After the summit, Rep. Karen Bass met with LGBT African American activists to discuss the best ways that African American LGBTs can support LGBT people in Africa. According to Frontiers LA’s Karen Ocamb, the question that dominated the discussion was asked by Pastor Kevin Sauls: “How do we as activists—as people of faith—respond to this so it’s in the long-term interests of our brothers and sisters on the continent, so they are empowered and protected?”
Uganda: Religious, Political Leaders Call For Return of Anti Homosexuality Act
Uganda’s Constitutional Court ruled on August 1 that the infamous Anti Homosexuality Act is null and void. The ruling was based on procedural issues – specifically the lack of a quorum when the bill was pushed through Parliament – rather than on its substance. Milton Allimadi of Black Star News suggests that the timing of the Court’s ruling was designed to take the heat of President Museveni in time for the summit in Washington.
Almost immediately, religious and political leaders began pushing for re-passage of the law. The ruling was denounced by anti-gay pastor Martin Ssempa, who said, ‘‘This ruling has got nothing to do with the will of the people. Unfortunately, it has everything to do with pressure from Barack Obama and the homosexuals of Europe.’’
Archbishop Stanley Ntagali of the Church of Uganda also called for quick re-passage of the law.
“We also hope that Parliament will take this opportunity to make clear the parts of the Bill that were ambiguous and difficult to enforce. “I appeal to all God-fearing people and all Ugandans to remain committed to the support against
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trying to raise capital, because we weren’t the natural leader of a market or technology trend that everyone was paying attention to, we didn’t have substantial organic growth, and we had no revenue. Advice Investors see a lot of pitches. In a single year, the classic general partner in a venture firm is exposed to around 5,000 pitches; decides to look more closely at 600 to 800 of them; and ends up doing between 0 and 2 deals. The goal of an entrepreneur is to be one of those deals. First, understand your audience. Research prospective investors thoroughly. What kinds of businesses are they looking at? What model/criteria/triggers do they use to judge whether a project will be successful or not? If you don’t have some sense of their points of view, your likelihood of making the pitch go well is more random. You may happen to emphasize the right points that pique an investor’s interest, but you shouldn’t leave your financing up to chance. Second, understand the broader financing climate. In 2004, investors regained interest in the consumer internet again. Friendster raised a big round in 2003; MySpace started gaining traction. But with so many investors still licking their wounds from the dot-com bust, many focused on proven business models, such as advertising or e-commerce. As a result, we knew that our pitch would need to steer into investors’ biggest concern: the lack of revenue.
Context In our first slide, we answer three questions: What is LinkedIn? The graphic we chose emphasizes that it is a network of people.
The graphic we chose emphasizes that it is a network of people. Why is it valuable? Because you can find and contact people you need.
Because you can find and contact people you need. How is this different? Because unlike Google search or other means, it involves people you already trust. Although we knew that the recruiting space would be our initial business opportunity, we believed then — and know now — that LinkedIn is more than just a recruiting business. Thus, our pitch framed LinkedIn as a platform for finding the people you need, which we called “professional people search 2.0″, making the parallel to Google because investors understood that Google was valuable. (On slide 5, I begin explaining the importance of pitching by analogy.) If we framed LinkedIn as only a “jobs/classifieds” website, most smart venture capitalists would not have invested because that seemed to lack the potential to be a broad platform that could sustain a large business. Ultimately, Greylock’s investment thesis was that LinkedIn would be a great recruiting business with an option for more. Advice Open with your investment thesis, what prospective investors must believe in order to want to be shareholders of your company. Your first slide should articulate the investment thesis in generally 3 to 8 bullet points. Then, spend the rest of the pitch backing up those claims and increasing investors’ confidence in your investment thesis. For example, if I were pitching LinkedIn’s Series B today with what I now know about successful pitches, the investment thesis would be: Massively valuable properties will be built off networks. There will be different networks for different domains. The professional domain will be one massively valuable network. We are the leader in the professional domain with viral growth. Great businesses can be built off this network, starting with matching talent and opportunity. It’s a network effects business, which means it has inherent defensibility with a network. Clearly articulate your investment thesis so investors can offer feedback that helps you refine it, eventually getting to a place where you both agree on it. Any disagreement will likely cause serious problems down the road.
Context Normally, you’d expect us to explain our product — i.e., what “professional people search 2.0” is. Instead, our strategy was to steer immediately into the revenue question because that was the top concern of investors in 2004. And remember, LinkedIn was a consumer internet play with moderate consumer traction and without a dime of revenue. To show potential revenue streams, we listed three products: ads, listings, and subscriptions. The blue boxes identify the corresponding markets for those products. Although the blue boxes are equally sized, we knew that the largest portion of our revenue would come from the recruiting space (the 2nd blue box labeled “Jobs”). What we didn’t know was which product — specifically, listings or subscriptions — would have the higher dollar volume. Over the long term, we anticipated that the answer would be subscriptions, but we didn’t know how long it would take to get there. In 2005, we launched all three products — in the order of listings, subscriptions, then ads — eventually discovering two surprising insights: The principal market for our listings and subscriptions products became the recruiting space, instead of business development and networking. Subscriptions became the product with the highest dollar volume faster than expected. Today in 2013, the majority of LinkedIn’s revenue comes from an enterprise version of our subscriptions product. Advice The general rule is one business model drives the business. It’s tempting to list multiple revenue streams because you’re trying to prove that you will be big. Yet when consumer internet companies do this, investors generally see a red flag. The charitable interpretation, which was true in our case, is that the company’s team doesn’t know which one model will work. The bad interpretation is that the team lacks focus and doesn’t understand that they generally need to drive to one business model to succeed. We made the mistake of listing three different revenue streams. As it happened, we did end up pursuing all three lines of business. And LinkedIn proved to be an exception to the rule of thumb: our diverse business lines have been a strong plus. General rules sometimes have important exceptions which can be tremendously valuable. That’s true in business strategy, entrepreneurship, and even pitch advice.
Context With the revenue question out of the way, we were ready to explain our product. We had two questions to answer: What is the product? And why is it new? We argued that the way professional people search was done at the time (“1.0”) was inadequate. To make this argument, we listed three important professional business problems (finding service providers, finding job candidates, and reaching professionals) that were time-consuming and difficult to accomplish with existing technologies. The key problem with existing technologies was adverse selection, specifically concerning the incentives of participants and the reputation systems: In the yellow pages, people wanted to be found but the way they represented themselves had nothing to do with how good they were.
In old-school resume databases, most talented professionals didn’t want or need to participate.
In directories, professionals only wanted to participate if other talented professionals did, too. So, how do you create a platform where talented professionals can participate, be found, and be contactable? Our answer: a network. A network solves this problem because all of their friends and contacts would be on it — and friends of their friends. Creating the right incentives and reputation system would lead to a directory people would be a part of. Advice Steer into your investors’ objections. There will be one to three issues that are potentially problematic for your financing — address them head on. You have the most attention from investors in the first couple slides. Most investors arrive with questions, and if you proactively show you understand their principal concerns, you earn their attention for the rest of your pitch. For consumer internet properties in 2004, because we had just gone through the dot-com winter, investors’ principal concern was whether or not you could make money. As you recall, we began our pitch by steering into the revenue question because we didn’t have tens of millions of users or a growth curve off the chart; otherwise, we would’ve started with one of those. In 2013, it’s whether you can break through the noise. Today, there are probably a thousand consumer internet startups founded every quarter — how do you become one of the 1 to 3 that matter in a 7-year timeframe? Those are the kinds of objections you need to steer into at the beginning of your pitch.
Context Most technology revolutions are founded on one or two simple concepts. Our simple concept was: The network provides the platform for a new kind of people search, which can be a platform to many other businesses. In order to believe that LinkedIn was a good investment, our investors would need to believe that there was a broad trend of moving from directories to networks (1.0 to 2.0), that networks could become hugely valuable, and that a LinkedIn people search application on a network would be a valuable asset. We may have been the first folks talking about “the internet 2.0” back in the summer of 2004, though Tim O’Reilly later popularized and deepened the meaning of the phrase. Advice Show, don’t tell. Again, your pitching goals are to increase investors’ confidence in your investment thesis and lead them to a shared view of your company’s problems. To accomplish this, you should show rather than tell whenever possible. The winning moment for an entrepreneur is when an investor concludes on their own volition that an investment thesis is worthwhile, rather than having the entrepreneur tell them what to conclude. For early stage companies, it’s important to show that you’re on path, that you have prospects, and that you can get to your vision.
Context Once investors believed that professional people search was valuable, the next question was whether internet 2.0 (the move to networks) amplified that value considerably. To demonstrate this, we showed how the 2.0 transformation created value in other markets. First, we looked at goods listings. 1.0 is businesses like online classifieds for newspapers, which were unsuccessful. eBay, on the other hand, was really valuable. What’s the difference with eBay? eBay has a network. It has reputation. It has transactional histories. Adding a network to online classifieds made it valuable. (Just think of how valuable Craigslist would be if it had identity and reputation.) Advice Pitch by analogy. Every great consumer internet company grows up to be a unique organization. But in the early days, you want to use analogies to successful outcomes to describe what your company is and what its potential could be. Time is short — it helps to refer to what those investors already understand. The best pitch I know was in Hollywood for a film called Man’s Best Friend. The pitch was “Jaws with Paws”. Investors thought that if the movie Jaws was a huge success, maybe a similar premise on land with a dog could be a huge success. The movie turned out to be terrible, but the pitch was excellent.
Context Next, we looked at online payments. Although online payment transfer already existed with banks, PayPal’s model of a network of payments is what made it unique. The problem we chose for this example was fraud. It is difficult for banks to detect fraud because they don’t have access to the whole payments network; they only have access to individual nodes in that network. Another reason we used PayPal as an example was to remind investors that I was part of PayPal’s founding team — a minor example of showing, not telling. Advice Understand where analogies apply and where they do not. Pitch by analogy but don’t necessarily reason by analogy. Reasoning by analogy, when you’re developing your business strategy, is dangerous. In startup land, you’re running across a minefield, so the details matter and you have to be careful with your analogies as you conceive strategy. In fact, when I’m the investor listening to a pitch, one detail I consider is whether the entrepreneur is being too deluded by their analogies and not thinking hard enough about exception cases.
Context In our third example, we contrasted Altavista and its search algorithm versus Google and its search algorithm PageRank. PageRank is one more use of networks: search results that leverage an overall network of pages rather than just rely on the occurrences of terms. Advice When pitching by analogy, anchor your business to other valuable businesses to signal that your business will be valuable, too. Our underlying argument was that the network enables revenue. To make this point, we showed how networks enabled revenue for eBay, PayPal and Google — three companies that anyone would’ve wanted to invest in.
Context Finally, we contrasted LinkedIn against both Monster and LexisNexis because we wanted to show that LinkedIn would add value to all valuable applications related to professional people search — e.g., recruiting (represented by Monster) and service directories (represented by LexisNexis). How valuable could LinkedIn be? Well, we point to Monster, LexisNexis, and other information service providers and say, “Whatever multiplier you applied to the last 3 slides — about how networks amplify the value of companies like eBay and PayPal — apply that now to LinkedIn.” LinkedIn would create a networked resume document — a resume 2.0 — instead of traditional job listings with private resumes. When you’re finding people on LinkedIn, you’re finding them through a network as opposed to a resume database. We also knew that networks would improve information reputation systems, allowing people to find the best possible information. Today, networks underlie the information reputation systems of many consumer internet companies, including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Advice Avoid debating the validity of your analogies. If someone pushes back and tries to challenge elements of an analogy, don’t let yourself get drawn into a back and forth. Analogies are a conceptual framework, so they’re not going to be 100% accurate. However, so many entrepreneurs try to pitch by analogy that some investors have fatigue when they see it. If you have a good analogy, use it. But if you don’t have a good one, don’t include one just to have one. It’s better to have no analogy than a bad one.
Context Here, we remind investors that this investment decision comes down to whether or not they believe that a network creates huge value. Even though we knew we would monetize, we argue that investors shouldn’t be thinking about our current revenue numbers. Instead, they should think about the network we established because that’s what ultimately wins. We spent our Series A capital building the network, so we needed investors to agree that the network was more important than revenue. Because our investment thesis was ultimately unprovable, the argument we made in slides 5 through 9 is one of the strongest parts of the presentation. Advice Any good idea has legitimate reasons why it won’t work. In order to achieve real success, you need to be contrarian and right. During LinkedIn’s Series A, when we pitched the importance of building the network, the classic objection was that the network wouldn’t be valuable to the first members, so why would it grow? For the first 500,000 or so members, the value of the network is zero. What I knew that many didn’t was that a combination of curiosity and a viral game mechanic would slowly get to a million people, at which point the network becomes valuable. During LinkedIn’s Series B, Greylock’s bet was that LinkedIn had good prospects to transform the recruiting industry, and that if we built up a broad professional platform, we could potentially do much more. Greylock invested in LinkedIn at roughly $0.60 per share. When you compare that to our current public market prices, you see an example of “contrarian and right” venture investing. (To learn more about Greylock’s side of this story, read David Sze’s post at the Greylock blog.)
Context In slides 10 and 11, we compared what we promised in our Series A pitch with what we actually did. Our overdelivery against our Series A predictions provided strong evidence to new investors that we could execute against our plan. LinkedIn’s Series B was a concept pitch because our data at that point wasn’t impressive. At the time, Friendster had about 10.5 MM users and MySpace had 2.5 MM users. LinkedIn, at the time, was still approaching its first million users and did not have a dime in revenue. Advice Your investment thesis is either concept-driven or data-driven. Which kind you are pitching? In a data pitch, you lead with the data because you are emphasizing how good the data already is. Investors therefore evaluate your company based on the data. When LinkedIn went public, it was a data pitch to public market investors. We showed investors a multi-year track record of data. If it’s a concept pitch, on the other hand, there may be data, but the data supports a yet undeveloped concept. A concept pitch shows your vision for how the future will be and how you will get to that future, so investors will want to buy a piece of it. Thus, concept pitches depend more on promised future data rather than present data. When you’re doing a concept pitch, it’s especially important to consider pitching by analogy.
Context In slides 12 and 13, we asserted three things: The professional space is valuable, even if you think it’s less valuable than other spaces.
LinkedIn can provide the best product and be the strong market leader in this space.
We have evidence that we’re en route to market leadership. Back in 2004, each of these companies had a counter-pitch to LinkedIn: Ryze had a lot more active, engaged users. OpenBC had higher activity rates and revenue per user. And Spoke had more comprehensive data because they were uploading entire address books. In contrast, we argued that the growth of the network was the key variable, which turned out to be right. As LinkedIn grew, so did our competitive edge, as more and more members invested activity and data into our network. Today, LinkedIn has a substantial amount of user trust with its members, who give us permission to use their data because they have the right control over their data and because they voluntarily participate in our network. Advice One ingredient this pitch lacks, which I now think is essential to modern pitches, is our risk factors. Experienced investors know there are always risks. If they ask you about your risk factors and you can’t answer, you’ve lost all credibility because they assume you are either dishonest or dumb. Dishonest if you’ve thought about the risk factors but choose not to share them, which is a bad way to build trust and a partnership. Dumb if you aren’t smart enough to understand that all projects have risk factors — including yours. Explicitly identify the risks that could thwart your success and how you will mitigate them. And instead of waiting until investors ask about your risks, share them proactively so you build trust.
Context Our investors didn’t need to worry about the top-left quadrant of competition (Friendster, Myspace, Orkut, and Tribe.net) because those focused on the social side, which we asserted was an entirely different space from LinkedIn’s professional space. Our investors didn’t need to worry about BranchIT, Visible Path, etc., because those mostly focused on enterprises instead of individual professionals. Instead, what investors should have paid attention to was the companies in the blue box — Ryze, OpenBC, ZeroDegrees, and Spoke. If investors agreed, their next question was usually “What’s your competitive strategy in each case?” We thought we had a viable competitive strategy in each of these cases. Advice Entrepreneurs often say they have no competition, assuming that’s an impressive claim. But if you claim that you don’t have competition, you either believe the market is completely inefficient or no one else thinks your space is valuable. Both are folly. The market is efficient, eventually — if a valuable opportunity emerges, others will discover it. To build credibility with investors, you want to show that you understand the competitive risks and show why you’re going to win. Express your competitive advantage. Why are you going to break out of the pack? What is your advantage? An understanding of product-market fit? Is it a technology advantage? What’s your differential business strategy? Your differential growth strategy? Your differential product? If you aren’t clear and decisive, investors won’t believe you have an edge that can lead to success.
Context This slide is a testimony to our nervousness about our organic growth compared to Friendster and MySpace. Again, because this pitch is a concept pitch, we wanted to convince investors to bet on our future. Thus, we wanted to show successful organizations that were committed to our success. Advice This is mostly a mistake slide because customer slides are more appropriate for enterprise pitches. Great customers are predictive of future customers for enterprise businesses. On the consumer internet, however, this is a sign of trouble because it indicates that the entrepreneur may not understand how the consumer internet works. Generally speaking, consumer internet businesses need grassroots and individual adoption rather than organizations promoting it. Although we knew this at the time, we violated it because we were nervous about our adoption and because we thought we might be a unique exception.
Context To bring home the argument that investors should believe in us in the future, we show what we accomplished after spending the majority of our Series A $4.7MM financing. Advice As I said earlier, you want to show focus in your decks by emphasizing what you’re really betting on. However, show some maneuverability. Don’t just say that you have five different options. Instead, say that you’re doing one, but you also have some fall-back or maneuvering options. For example, if we were doing the Series B pitch in 2004 with my knowledge of today, we would emphasize that LinkedIn would start by transforming one business — the recruiting industry, by shifting it from a posting model to a searching model. Then, in our talking points, we would highlight some of the other businesses we can transform with our platform. “Invest in A, but here’s B to show that we could contain that risk.” Investors would appreciate this because you’re identifying a reasonable risk and demonstrating that you have actually thought about what you would do if the primary plan doesn’t play out as you expect.
Context One purpose of this slide was to hedge our bet on getting growth. If an investor thought none of the numbers in the prior slide were good enough, we added business development as an additional factor. The other purpose of this slide was to demonstrate market leadership by showing that important organizations were coming to talk to us. Ultimately, neither of the two deals shown above ended up delivering substantive value. Advice It’s always better to have less slides, but it’s much more important to have a great deck. A great deck needs to address all important concerns and tell your story effectively. Sometimes, that means setting up a narrative over several slides. Don’t stress about the exact number of slides. Entrepreneurs often hear advice that their decks should be a particular length. I, for example, recommend a length of 20 to 25 slides. But these are only rules of thumb, which means you can violate them if you have a good reason. LinkedIn’s Series B deck contained a couple slides that we spent little to no time talking about, but we included them because they had information that showed investors we had thought about all the important details. Even though we glossed over those slides, investors knew they could come back to those slides later and dig into them if necessary.
Context By this point in the presentation, our goal was to lead investors to believe: A network-empowered people search application could be really valuable. We are the market leader in establishing the network. We have a viable plan for establishing revenue off the network. Here, we argue that we have a viral product that creates a network that possesses network effects. We didn’t try to establish the viral dynamic; we just asserted it. I explained more of the strategy in person, but we also didn’t want to cover it much in writing because virality was a pretty deep secret in the industry at the time. Today, given that virality has achieved buzzword status, you usually have to show evidence that you know what virality is and how it works. Surprisingly, there are still few people who understand virality. Advice When pitching VCs, think about the individual partner in the context of their partnership.
Make sure the individual partner has strong cohesion and trust with the partnership and is responsible for your type of business.In the financing process, the individual venture partner performs the due diligence on the substance behind a company’s pitch — e.g., the investment thesis, the competition, the people, etc. The partner then asserts the investment thesis and why they believe it to the partnership. Ultimately, you’re selling the partnership, so give the individual partner the talking points to be successful. What will that partner tell their partners? Put yourself in their shoes.
Context Earlier in the pitch, we argued that establishing the network was our first priority with our Series A. Our Series B, however, was about getting to revenue, so how were we going to do that? Before we detail our revenue plans, we remind investors why the value of the network created good businesses across eBay, PayPal, and Google — our previous examples of network-enabled 2.0 businesses. Each example generates considerable revenue out of the network despite not charging people to be in the network. Each example has a network powering its revenue-generating applications. You don’t pay for the eBay reputation system; you pay for the transaction. You don’t pay for PayPal’s fraud system, but the fraud system enables those transactions to go through or not and to be profitable. You pay for AdWords, not the regular search results. Advice People frequently think the most fundamental strategy of a startup is its product strategy. In fact, the most fundamental strategy is the financing strategy. If your company runs out of gas (finance), your company will die no matter how good your product strategy is. Frequently, the product/service strategy is harder to develop, but the financing strategy should be there first. LinkedIn’s financing played out as follows: The Series A was a concept pitch for building the network. The Series B was a concept pitch for getting to revenue. The Series C had to be a data pitch that showed either how we could get to profitability or that we were profitable. (In fact, our Series C showed profitability and so we focused on growth.) And Series D ended up being “We can scale to a big opportunity.”
Context To this point, our conceptual argument for getting to revenue was this: Just as networks enabled revenue across eBay, PayPal, and Google in the previous slide, the network will enable revenue for LinkedIn, too. But we also had a concrete plan, which we began detailing in this slide. Advice Always think about the next round. The usual tempo for raising money from venture capital is at a minimum of a year between financings. Every time you raise a round, you should be thinking about the next round. Who will be the next investors you pitch? What will their concerns be? What will you need to solve next? How will you raise money later? Expect that future investors will look at today’s deck. When I created our Series A deck, I presented a growth curve that would be good enough to get an investment, but I also had confidence that I could beat it. I wanted to be able to go into my Series B presentation and say, “Here’s what I said before, and here’s how I did.” Because we beat our Series A expectations for network growth, investors could comfortably trust our promise to build revenue with our Series B financing.
Context Above is another version of saying that we built a network and it’s time to build the revenue. To some degree, this is somewhat an empty placeholder slide, but as the last slide in the “network enables revenue” sequence, it provides a clear visual for understanding the concept. I’m not sure I would keep this slide in retrospect; however, I remember that we talked to it well. Advice Reinforce key concepts when delivering a concept pitch. Diagrams are one way to accomplish this, helping investors visualize key concepts. In our pitch, we wanted to make sure investors understood that you build the network first and then you can build a platform of businesses on top. It’s helpful (but not mandatory) to put your thesis in each of the titles. If an investor sequenced through the titles, they’d be able to get a sense of the flow of the argument. This is especially helpful when investors are sharing the decks with their investment partners.
Context Investors frequently ask, “What’s an existing business that’s like your business that you could occupy?” This is why many entrepreneurs include a slide about their Total Addressable Market (TAM), the underlying revenue opportunity for a product or service. Smart venture capitalists saw that we had interesting comparables, but didn’t spend much time on this slide. The more important question was whether they believed we could build out these products. As a historical note, we spent some time thinking about search ads, but realized we couldn’t really make it work. The first product we launched was job listings, then subscriptions which was called Network Plus. Network Plus ended up being targeted at networkers and outbound professionals, who were then willing to pay more money per person. It wasn’t for every professional; it was for professionals with outbound needs. Advice Show a focus on bottom-up tactics for your strategy. And show that you’re focused on the metrics that matter: revenue numbers, engagement traction, etc. Frequently, young entrepreneurs put in slides that show their business’ total addressable market (TAM) to establish some credibility. Problem is, most investors don’t trust the sources of that information, so entrepreneurs aren’t establishing huge credibility by saying they’ve claimed a market with a huge TAM. TAM slides quote people who have incentives for artificial inflation, so entrepreneurs risk demonstrating that they have no real sense of how to take dominance of the market. If you do choose to include a TAM slide, don’t linger on it because lingering says that you don’t really understand that the game is played bottom-up, not TAM-down.
Context Above is a mockup of how InLeads, a product that wasn’t built yet, could work. The point was to demonstrate why people would pay for a listing on LinkedIn as opposed to just buying Adwords. We only used inLeads as a brand in this deck. By the time we got around to building our Marketing Solutions business, we had a different concept of advertising than InLeads. Advice Show your product rather than saying you intend to build a best-of-breed product. Ideally, you want to have the product built. Otherwise, you should show what you have in mind with a mockup. A mockup is better than nothing because it increases investors’ confidence by showing that you’re thinking concretely about the product and allows them to evaluate your plan.
Context We included this slide because of the analogy to Google’s Adwords, which was and is the most amazing of the internet businesses thus far. Obviously, there are many ideas that are conceptually possible at LinkedIn, but we didn’t build InLeads because the search traffic wasn’t high enough to get the ecosystem going at the time. Advice When in doubt, lead with what will make the most sense to investors. We never launched InLeads, but we led with it because in 2004 everyone understood that AdWords was a golden goose. Since we weren’t decided on the exact sequencing of our revenue plan, we led in the pitch with the one whose value proposition could easily be understood by investors.
Context The above mockup reinforces the idea that a network overlay improves job postings and reference checking. For example, the network enables job seekers to get introductions to people in the group they’re being hired into, or to people who could talk to that hiring group, or to the hiring manager themself. The network enables job seekers to reference check whether a company is a good place to work, or find someone to perform an informational interview with. Fast forward to 2013 and most people recognize that LinkedIn has a pool of professional identities/CVs/profiles, but they don’t fully recognize how deep the reference checking capabilities of our product is. You can use the information on LinkedIn to identify referential information, allowing you to prioritize whom you’re reaching out to. You can reference check a wide variety of professionals — including domain experts and service providers — both before and after you meet them. Plus, it goes in both directions — employees can reference check prospective managers, and managers can reference check prospective employees. The difference between a great, a good, a mediocre and a bad hire are enormously disastrous in term of potential impact on your business. Improving the quality of hires or increasing the speed of the hiring process saves professionals time and money. That’s a worthy value proposition. Advice In concept pitches, you’re selling a story, so naturally there will be people who don’t believe that story. That’s okay because you don’t need everyone to believe it; you only need the right people to believe it. Naturally, you want everyone to think your business is amazing, but don’t get deluded by that. Startup financing is not a popularity contest; everyone saying yes is irrelevant to you. It’s more important to have the right person say yes than it is to have everyone say yes. The best outcome is an investor who can help you build the company and realize a market opportunity. Put another way, the ideal financing partner is a financing cofounder. This is why already-wealthy entrepreneurs raise money from experienced investors for their next startup: they know partnering with angels and venture capitalists is about more than just the money. Sadly, many investors actually add negative value, so an investor who adds no value (“dumb money”) but who doesn’t interfere with the operational process can sometimes be a decent outcome. But ideally you find an investor who can proactively add value (“smart money”). How do you know if an investor will add value? Pay attention to whether they are being constructive during the financing process. Do they understand your market? Are their questions the same questions that keep you up at night? Are you learning from their feedback? Are they passionate about the problem you’re trying to solve?
Context This slide is overkill, and in hindsight I would delete it. We were trying to show rather than tell investors that our job listings product would have customers by displaying customer feedback. We used quotes as evidence of product-market fit, showing that there were people who would actually use the value propositions of our network-based listings. But this was a weak effort. If investors didn’t already believe this, this slide did not help. And if they do believe, this slide did not increment their belief. Advice Internal data is preferable over anecdotal third party data. Since we didn’t have data to back up various assertions about our product-market fit, we had to rely on quotes from customers and press sources, which weakened our pitch. Although using quotes wasn’t particularly helpful in our pitch, it is important to always be talking with smart people to solicit their feedback. Talk to your network to evaluate your ideas and evaluate your pitch. Half the time, the feedback is irrelevant — even smart investors may not understand your idea — but you should still be listening carefully because you may learn valuable insights. If you are speaking with a bunch of smart people and a similar thread emerges, there’s something to that thread and you should pay attention to it. Be wary of confirmation bias. It’s only natural that an entrepreneur wants to hear that their idea is great, but you don’t want people telling you that because it doesn’t help you. The questions you should always ask are: What’s wrong? What’s broken? Why won’t it work? What do you think the risks are? People by default will want to give you good feedback rather than bad, so you have to ask negative questions.
Context As a platform for changing the world of work and enabling individuals, jobs is one important application built upon LinkedIn’s professional network — but it’s not the only one. We believed the general discovery of people would be really valuable, which is why we say “LinkedIn is not only about jobs” in the slide above. The purpose of this slide was to show that we were focused on the recruiting industry as a key market, but we were nervous about being pigeonholed as a job listings site. Among Silicon Valley investors, Monster and HotJobs were not considered great, investable businesses — even though Monster had a $4B market cap — because of the constant amount of churn for jobs listings. What’s more, the sales and marketing costs of acquiring listings are expensive. Advice Take competition against your potential revenue streams seriously. Being detailed about your competition, especially listing the specific companies, helps increase investor confidence. Identify the right metrics for success. Focus on revenue and activity rather than market cap or Total Addressable Market numbers. Although we had some real growth in a month, we had no revenue, so our numbers were not yet impressive. However, by highlighting revenue and growth as the most important success metrics in the recruiting space, we proved that we were serious and thoughtful about the space and showed that we understood the metrics that matter.
Context Above is the mockup for the subscriptions product, then called Network Plus. Rather than just saying we would have a product that does X, we wanted to show a specific product idea, backed by market research, that was tangible in detail. Again we used quotes to show folks who were already finding this value proposition useful. What we also showed in this slide was that even though every LinkedIn member had the ability to search, there was a difference between free and paid accounts. We were underpromising and overdelivered, ultimately giving paid accounts visibility of the entire network. Today, LinkedIn Premium subscriptions provide more powerful tools — such as contacting anyone with InMail Messages and the full list of who’s viewed your profile — to easily find, contact, and manage the right people for their professional needs. Designing the subscription product this way created more value for our members, which made the network itself more valuable. The number one value for the entire history of LinkedIn has been “Members first.” Even while building the subscription product, it was important to have a product that worked for subscribers and members. Advice Underpromise and overdeliver. Internally, our team expected that paid members would potentially get access to the whole network, but we had to make sure that the network would be comfortable with this. So we showed four degrees to our investors, to be sure. Show that you’re paying attention to the market. Instead of merely saying that we knew product-market fit is key, we wanted to show that we did the work. We used quotes to show that we were talking to credible individuals struggling to solve our problem who were giving us feedback on our products. There are other methods, of course, such as graphs and data. But if we’d simply said, “We’re focused on product-market fit,” that doesn’t show, that tells.
Context Because Network Plus was going to be a subscription service, we were worried that an investor might point out that this was not how Monster’s job listings worked at the time. As a comparable, we point to the market for personal dating — which has a similar value proposition to professional networking — because it uses subscription services and has large dollar spend. Subscriptions was one of the major business models we pitched, but in 2004, few investors believed subscriptions would work. Most investors saw the internet as an advertising medium, even today. LinkedIn is one of the companies that has proven that subscriptions can work for consumer internet products. Advice One of the virtues that entrepreneurs get from talking to many investors during the financing process is a wisdom of crowds that helps you figure out what the real risks are. When I was pitching SocialNet (my first startup company which was a dating service similar to Match.com), what I heard from numerous investors was this concern: “If someone uses SocialNet to find a partner and succeeds, then they’re no longer a customer, which means you intrinsically have a massive churn problem.” As it turns out, that signal was absolutely right. Listing businesses have to solve this churn problem by figuring out how to have lifelong customers, which is always a target for great businesses.
Context Again, we address revenue to build confidence that a business will come. We did listings first because it shows all
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Oct 28: Adelaide, Wheatsheaf Hotel, (with Sen. Nick Xenophon)
Oct 30: Perth, Collins Street Centre, Collins St and Shaftesbury St, South Perth, 7 pm
Past dates: Santa Barbara (5/16), Hollywood (5/17), Orange County (5/17), San Diego (5/20), San Francisco (5/22), New York (6/11), Chicago (6/20), Toronto (6/22), Clearwater (6/28), Washington DC (7/12), Hartford (7/14), Denver (7/17), Dallas (7/20), Houston (7/22), San Antonio (7/24), Austin (7/25), Paris (7/29), London (8/4), Boston (8/24), Phoenix (9/15), Cleveland (9/23), Minneapolis (9/24), Portland (9/27), Seattle (9/28), Vancouver BC (9/29)
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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 15, 2015 at 02:00
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Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana WhitfieldWhat is the most popular programming language used by open source developers?
The answer depends on how you define popularity.
According to a new study from Black Duck, a software-license code analysis vendor, C represents more than 40 percent of all code written for open source software.
Black Duck made its determination by counting the actual lines of code. While C is the leader by that measure, PHP and JavaScript are on the rise when you look at the broader picture of how open source projects use programming languages.
"Most open source projects use more than one language," Peter Vescuso, Black Duck's executive vice president of marketing and business development told InternetNews.com. "We found that 36 percent of all the projects, with a release in the last year, had some JavaScript."
Looking at all open source releases over the past 12 months, JavaScript accounted for 7.6 percent of all lines of code. According to Black Duck, JavaScript usage has risen by 2.1 percent in terms of lines of code over the last 12 months.
So why is there a big difference in measurement?
"The total number of lines of code is one measure of usage," Vescuso said. "You are absolutely right that this would favor more verbose languages. To balance that, we also ran an analysis in which we counted the number of times that a project used a given language allowing for projects to use multiple languages."
Using the same metric, Black Duck found that 32 percent of all open source software projects had used C in the last 12 months, placing it second behind JavaScript's 36 percent.
C++ was found in 26 percent of open source projects, and represented 13 percent of all code when counted on a line-by-line basis of releases in the last 12 months.
PHP turned up in 17 percent of open source projects, accounting for 5.2 percent of all code in the past year. PHP's 12 month code tally represents a 0.3 percent gain, according to Black Duck.
Black Duck also did an analysis to see which language would come out on top, if they only counted one language choice (the most used language) per project. In that analysis, Perl ranked first with 15 percent of all projects in the last 12 months. Java and C# tied for second place at 11 percent, and JavaScript was third at 10 percent.
"Notice how Java and Perl top this list, meaning that slightly more open source projects use these as the predominant languages," Vescuso said.
Black Duck's data does not provide any visibility into how the use of open source developer language varies from that of proprietary data, but Vescuso has some ideas.
"We only have data on open source and other downloadable code, but everyone we talk to believes that languages like COBOL, C# and Visual Basic are widely used in proprietary applications and underrepresented in the open source world," Vescuso said.Gizmowned said:
I've done it and it's not only crushing blacks and brightening whites but it seems to apply some anti-aliasing or some type of thing.
So these pictures were captured from 1080p source at 24 bits per pixel at TV (RGB Limited). I have done no editing to them just opening the original files then re-saving as PNG.
The pictures on the left are the screens from when we play in-game with the 1080p scaler in effect. The pictures on the right are exactly the same frame but when going back to or from the dash so no scaler is being used.
When you hit the dash button before it returns you home a few duplicate frames are displayed and some of there remove the "1080p upscaler filter" leaving you what I imagine the game would look like without the scaler.
If you look at the Sabrewulf opening shot at the background in the level you can see quite a lot of smoothness on the wooden beams but its crushed black.
But on the exact shot without the scaler working we can see quite alot of aliasing yet we can see a better color and detail.The country's copyright law is to get its first overhaul in a decade.
Photo: 123 RF
The government confirmed on Friday it would carry on with the previous government's plan for a review, and it would start in April next year.
It is likely to look at the issues of fair use, safe harbours and illegal downloading.
In a high-profile case recently, the National government was found guilty of using music that sounded too similar to American rapper Eminem's song "Lose Yourself".
New Zealand Screen Association managing director Matthew Cheetham said the rights and revenue of rights holders were "gradually being whittled away". The association represents film and television content and distribution companies in New Zealand, including major Hollywood companies.
"In New Zealand piracy is almost an accepted thing, because no one's really doing anything about it, because no one actually can do anything about it." Mr Cheetham said.
"As new technologies have evolved, the law has struggled to keep pace with those new technologies and to make sure that the law is fit for purpose in the digital age."
He said the law should allow for websites responsible for illegal file-sharing to be blocked, as is the law in Australia, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
"If the site is infringing [a court] can order internet service providers to block access to that site. Forty-two countries around the world have recognised that blocking access when it's carefully defined is a perfectly legitimate avenue for rights holders to protect their rights."
That would not solve piracy issues, but would be a start, said Mr Cheetham.
He said Pirate Bay was the 22nd most popular website in New Zealand, as listed last week. "It's an indication that piracy continues to be a major problem here. The easiest thing would be to block access to that site."
Three strikes law little used - INZ
The Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act 2011 - also known as the "three strikes law"- came into force in September 2011. Internet account holders can be fined for illegally downloading and uploading copyright material, after being warned three times.
Mr Cheetham said the amendment had been too expensive to use and hadn't done anything to stop piracy
"It's $25 a notice, and when you've got tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people infringing per month, the cost of $25 a notice quickly becomes prohibitive."
The handful of fines under the law, the biggest of which was around $1000, weren't going to act as any kind of deterrent, he said.
Internet New Zealand deputy chief executive Andrew Cushen had "no doubts" piracy would be up for debate, but it was not as rampant as it used to be.
"We've seen a huge explosion in paid-for content models. I'm pretty sure that if you look at the stats around music piracy, thanks to services like Spotify and their compatriots, the amount of music that is actually being stolen is far less than before."
He said the three-strikes law had sought to give content-owners the legal means to protect their rights, but was hardly being used.
"We have an entire regime that allows copyright holders to seek and send notices to users that are committing piracy and actually have a process in a court-based system that allows remedies to be pursued. None of them are using it. Why would we now look at a wholly different solution that none of them are going to use as well."
He said site-blocking was not reasonable. "It's just against the way the internet works. Site-blocks are actually a really poor solution because they can be evaded by pretty simple technological tools."
'iPod law in a smartphone world'
Mr Cushen said New Zealand should also consider its fair use which was not in current New Zealand copyright law.
"We think New Zealand is out of step with the rest of the world. When I look around the majority of OECD countries there is some form of fair use provision and it, frankly, makes the law far clearer and far easier to implement.
"We're seeing the ramifications of not having a fair use provision play out in New Zealand right now with various parties taking each other to court over whether or not they can use footage from things like the Olympics, and that seems a bit silly to us."
Mr Cushen said technology had outpaced the law and it needed to be principles-based instead of too specific about certain technologies.
"The current law is not a good match for the current world that we live in now - it's an iPod law in a smartphone world."PC Users
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Here are three reasons why the Lions will be a force to be reckoned with down the stretch:
1) Teryl Austin is building a championship-caliber defense.
Austin hasn't received national attention for his outstanding work with the Lions' defense, but insiders certainly respect how he has transformed the unit into a juggernaut in his first season at the helm. Detroit ranks first in total defense (283.4 yards per game) and scoring defense (15.8 points per game), while ranking second in the NFL in both rushing yards allowed (71.3 per game) and third-down conversions (32.5 percent). Although all defensive statistics aren't valued equally, the fact that the Lions excel at keeping opponents out of the end zone and winning on the "money" down (third-down defense) shows they have the components of a championship defense.
Of course, it helps that Austin inherited a unit with arguably the most talented defensive line in football. The front features three former first-round draft picks (Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah) and a host of blue-collar players (C.J. Mosley, George Johnson, Jason Jones, Caraun Reid and Darryl Tapp) with relentless motors at the point of attack. The collective size, strength and athleticism of the group overwhelms most opponents; Austin taps into the group's dynamic versatility by utilizing a variety of fronts, stunts and games that allow them to exploit one-on-one battles. Each player's ability to win with speed, quickness or strength tilts the scales in the Lions' favor nearly every week, resulting in sacks or pressures in critical moments.
From a schematic standpoint, the Lions are a base 4-3 team, but Austin's experience with the 3-4 (he spent the last three seasons as the secondary coach for the Baltimore Ravens) allows him to mix in some exotic blitz looks in favorable situations. Additionally, his time as a secondary coach with Ray Rhodes in Seattle, who served as the Seahawks' defensive coordinator from 2003 to '07, taught Austin how to create a hybrid defense that could feature an "Elephant," or traditional defensive end, on the line of scrimmage. Finally, Austin's experience as a defensive coordinator on the collegiate level provided him with the opportunity to learn how to defend the zone-read concepts that have trickled into the NFL. By combining all of this knowledge, Austin has helped mold the Lions into a multiple defense capable of clogging running lanes and creating pressure on the passer.
Let's take a look at the defense at work...
The Dolphins entered Week 10 riding a streak of five games with 100-plus rushing yards, largely due to the influence of the zone-read. The Lions were well-prepared to defend the concept Sunday, holding Miami to just 50 yards on the ground in a 20-16 win.
In the play depicted below, the defense is aligned in a four-man front with one-on-one coverage in the back end. Defensive end Jason Jones is assigned to blow up Ryan Tannehill on any zone-read plays, which neutralizes the quarterback running game. With the second-level defenders locked in man-to-man, the Lions still have six defenders near the box to take care of the halfback dive. The big hit on Tannehill prevents him from carrying out the fake and discourages him from running the ball. It also allows the Lions' second-level defenders to focus on running back Daniel Thomas (since the quarterback run-and-pitch is no longer an option). After pushing forward for a 2-yard gain, Thomas fumbles in the pile and Detroit recovers (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):
In this next play, the Lions are aligned in a double A-gap blitz look against the Dolphins' empty formation. Most defensive coordinators prefer to send six defenders against an empty formation to force the quarterback to throw the ball quickly or risk taking a big hit in the pocket. However, the Lions bluff a blitz and fall back into a three-deep zone, with safety James Ihedigbo rolling down to cover the curl/flat zone. Tannehill anticipates pressure (though no blitz comes) and releases the ball quickly, but he fails to realize Ihedigbo is reading his eyes and making a quick break to the flat. Austin's clever bluff results in a poor decision by Tannehill and an interception for the Lions (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):
Now, I can't discuss the Lions' rapid defensive improvement without mentioning the job Austin has done with the secondary. The defensive backfield was considered a huge liability heading into the season based on its previous struggles under Jim Schwartz, but the unit has played well in Austin's more aggressive scheme. Cornerbacks Rashean Mathis and Darius Slay have not allowed the ball to fly over their heads, while safeties Glover Quin and Ihedigbo have essentially shut down the open windows between the hashes. Thus, opponents have been forced to "dink and dunk" the ball to tight ends and running backs instead of taking deep shots down the field. Given the challenge of moving the ball the length of the field on short passes, the Lions have been able to employ a bend-but-don't-break strategy in critical moments. This approach allows them to preserve leads at the end of games and frustrate big-armed quarterbacks (see: Aaron Rodgers) looking for home runs in the passing game.
2) A stellar receiving duo's allowing Matthew Stafford to reach his potential.
The Lions have featured one of the league's most explosive passing games since Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson joined forces in 2009. Without a credible complementary pass-catcher playing opposite the All-Pro receiver, though, defenses doubled and even triple-covered Megatron. Still, the QB-WR duo has relentlessly picked apart opponents with a barrage of short, intermediate and deep balls.
Although the one-dimensional approach has produced impressive statistical results, the lack of a credible threat on the opposite side prevented Stafford from fully utilizing the entire field in the passing game and stunted his growth as a franchise quarterback. Instead of taking what was available based on coverage, Stafford would force the ball to Johnson in traffic, leading to interceptions off tips and overthrows. The overemphasis on Johnson in the passing game, and the costly turnovers that followed, kept Stafford from developing the management skills needed to win consistently in the NFL.
Golden Tate's arrival in free agency has helped Stafford become a more complete player at the position. The fifth-year receiver is a dynamic playmaker on the perimeter, with running skills that enable him to turn short passes into big gains. It certainly helps that Tate also is one of the best jump-ball specialists in the league. He has an uncanny knack for coming down with contested throws in a crowd despite being listed at 5-foot-10. As a result, Stafford has grown increasingly comfortable throwing the ball to Tate in key situations, particularly during the three games Johnson missed this season with an ankle injury.
Tate carried the passing game during Megatron's absence, posting consecutive 150-yard games and making a number of clutch catches. The momentum didn't wane when Johnson returned to the lineup in Week 10, as Tate snagged 11 balls for 109 yards against Miami. Although most of his damage was done on an assortment of quick screens designed to get him the ball quickly on the edge, Tate also made a handful of grabs on intermediate routes between the numbers. This forced the Dolphins to divert some of their attention away from Johnson, which freed him up to make an impact down the field.
In the play below, the Lions are aligned in an I-formation with Johnson and Tate deployed in a stacked alignment. The Lions will run a quick screen to Tate to take advantage of the soft coverage on the outside. Tate receives the quick toss and runs behind Johnson's block to get to the second level of the defense. With Tate adept at working through traffic as a result of his experience as a punt returner, the Lions are able to pick up 14 yards on a simple pass to the perimeter (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):
After studying Johnson's performance against the Dolphins, I still see him as a premier receiver in the game. Despite an assortment of injuries that have started to take a toll on his speed and athleticism, Megatron remains an unstoppable playmaker in space. The 6-5, 236-pound veteran has mastered the art of boxing out defenders on jump balls, and his massive pass-catching radius makes him nearly impossible to miss on in-breaking routes. Consequently, he wears out defenders on slants and digs, but still possesses the burst to win on post routes.
Against the Dolphins, he displayed his entire repertoire of skills while tallying 113 yards on seven receptions. From his terrific "cop" (post-corner-post) route on his 49-yard TD reception, to an assortment of catches on slants and digs, Johnson worked free from double coverage to get open between the numbers and used his size to come down with contested balls in traffic.
Let's take a closer look at that deep touchdown grab. As you can see just below, Detroit breaks the huddle aligned in an I-formation, with Johnson positioned on the right. He is running the cop route to take advantage of the soft coverage on the perimeter. Johnson fails to separate from Grimes, but his significant size advantage encourages Stafford to still make the throw. Despite Grimes' perfect positioning and gritty effort, Megatron comes down with the ball, highlighting the challenge of defending him down field (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):
With the Lions also featuring backs and tight ends capable of producing explosive plays in the passing game (Reggie Bush, Theo Riddick and Eric Ebron), Stafford simply needs to distribute the ball to the open receiver and allow him to make it happen on the perimeter. When Stafford plays within himself and avoids the big miscues that have plagued his NFL career, he is as good as any quarterback in the league and gives the Lions a chance to win against any opponent.
3) Jim Caldwell has quickly taught the Lions how to win.
The Lions enjoyed a bit of success under the previous regime, but the team grossly underachieved with one of the most talented rosters in football. The team frequently faded down the stretch and inexplicably lost a number of winnable games due to self-inflicted wounds (turnovers and penalties) in key moments.
Caldwell has quickly eradicated some of these by leaning on the tenets that helped him guide the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl appearance and a 24-8 record during his first two seasons on the job. Although he certainly benefited from the spectacular play of one of the best quarterbacks (Peyton Manning) in NFL history, Caldwell's Colts teams played a winning brand of football that typically leads to long-term success.
In Detroit, Caldwell has his players buying into a detailed approach that has resulted in fewer mistakes across the board. He assembled a veteran coaching staff full of communicative teachers who stress the importance of paying attention to the specifics. From challenging the veteran players to hold their young teammates accountable for their actions on the field and in meeting rooms, to encouraging his players to have an open dialogue with their coaches, the Lions have a professional approach that produces positive results when everyone is on the same page.
Speaking to Quin after the Lions' win over the Saints a few weeks ago, the safety stressed how the coaches were willing to accept players' input on the game plan and how those actions have built a trust that allows the team to adapt during games. Quin said the open communication between players and coaches has put more responsibility on each player to know his role and assignment, while also creating a stronger, more together locker room. Championship-caliber teams in the NFL tend to have locker rooms full of players who hold each other to a higher standard; this is exactly what's forming in Detroit, based on the feedback from players and coaches whom I've spoken with in recent weeks.
On the field, I see Caldwell's imprint on the team in the way this group performs under pressure. The head coach exhibits a composed demeanor on the sidelines and rarely appears flustered by various game circumstances. With teams taking on the personality of their coach, Detroit has performed better in challenging situations this season. The Lions are the first team since the 1994 New York Giants to score game-winning points inside two minutes to win in regulation in three straight games, which is a testament to their precise execution in the clutch. Moreover, it is the reflection of a team that is learning how to close out games and become a legitimate contender.
Follow Bucky Brooks on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.Yesterday, we went over several Carolina Panthers players whose stock is on the rise at training camp at Wofford.
Today we will go over four players whose stock is falling.
1. CB Zack Sanchez
Sanchez is being beat out by everyone at his position and at this rate he will not make the roster for the second year in a row. With veteran starter Captain Munnerlyn out and rookie corner Corn Elder dealing with a patella injury for the next month, Sanchez should be taking advantage of this fantastic opportunity.
Instead, undrafted rookies Cole Luke and Jeff Richards are taking the spotlight and eventually, one of them may take his roster spot. Here is Sanchez trying to cover Damiere Byrd. Notice the separation on Sanchez.
Byrd with a nice catch and an almost score pic.twitter.com/NeBnfnO5aC — lucas (@PanthersLucas) July 30, 2017
Not good enough. Plain and simple.
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Britain took a major step towards leaving the EU tonight as MPs backed triggering Brexit by a landslide.
The House of Commons voted 498-114 for a Bill giving Theresa May authority to invoke Article 50, which begins Britain's two-year EU exit.
MPs also defeated an SNP bid to block Article 50 by 336 votes to 100.
But Jeremy Corbyn was rocked by last-minute resignations from his shadow cabinet as Labour remained desperately divided.
A total of 47 Labour MPs, about a quarter of those who voted, opted to try and block Brexit. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott abstained, but initial reports suggested she was ill.
Shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler and shadow environment secretary Rachael Maskell both quit so they could vote against triggering Article 50.
Ms Butler said to back the "poor excuse of a Bill" would "let down future generations" while Ms Maskell warned Theresa May's Brexit "goes far beyond just leaving the European Union".
(Image: Rex / Reuters)
(Image: Daily Mirror)
The Labour leader subjected his MPs to a top-level 'three-line' whip and said shadow cabinet rebels must resign.
But a source had said he would "decide later" if junior frontbenchers who rebelled must do the same.
The landmark vote came after two days of long and emotional debate which saw MPs make passionate arguments for and against leaving Europe.
It was the first of two votes on the so-called "Article 50 Bill", a two-sentence law that will let Theresa May pull the trigger for Britain's two-year journey to leave the EU.
She was forced to allow the debate by the Supreme Court and the final vote, after a committee stage, will be next Wednesday.
Brexit Secretary David Davis opened the debate by warning it's a "very simple question: do we trust the people or not?”
(Image: Getty)
But the Bill's short length and timetable prompted fury among MPs who wanted longer to scrutinise it before March 31, Mrs May's deadline to invoke Article 50.
So too did the delay over a Brexit White Paper detailing the government's plans, which will now be published tomorrow.
In one barnstorming speech, Tory veteran Ken Clarke compared the PM's trade fantasies to Alice in Wonderland.
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Furious SNP MP Angus MacNeil said: "The UK is boldly going where even North Korea fears to go."
Labour MP Rupa Huq warned: "There may be a crock of something at the end of the rainbow - it just may not be gold."
(Image: Getty)
Labour MP Neil Coyle was forced to apologise by the Speaker after he said the government was "full of b*stards" - a reference to awkward Tory eurosceptics.
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer admitted the Bill was "difficult for Labour" but said Article 50 must go ahead, adding: “The result was not technical. It was deeply political.”
Closing the debate, Shadow Brexit minister Jenny Chapman warned it would be to "hide from the truth" to pretend there weren't dangers ahead.
"Xenophobia, fear and isolationism are downing out our values of inclusion, hope and tolerance," she declared.
"It is more important than ever to stand beside those values."
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She vowed to fight "not for the 48%, not for the 52%, but for the 100% of people in Britain."
Former Chancellor George Osborne told MPs the referendum had cost him his job but said he would now be voting in favour of leaving the EU.
Not to do so, he added, would trigger a "deep constitutional crisis" and pit "Parliament against the people".
In a speech which was also critical of Theresa May, Mr Osborne said the PM has chosen "not to make the economy the priority".
He warned the looming Brexit talks will be "bitter" and said ministers must "be well-briefed and pack a pack of Pro Plus - because there are going to be many long nights ahead."
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Other pro-Remain MPs spoke of their fears for Britain's future direction.
Jo Stevens, one of the Labour frontbenchers who quit, said the child of a German constituent had been "spat at and told to go home" in primary school and condemned ex-PM David Cameron for abandoning his responsiiblities.
Former SNP leader Alex Salmond said politicians had been gripped by "mad MP disease" over Brexit and were now taking "the entire country into the hole".
Tory MP Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary, added: "Never in my adult life have I felt so concerned about the stability and the state of the world in which we live. I have to say with the Brexit vote we have added to that instability."
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband said he would vote for Article 50 but accused Mrs May of driving Brexit Britain into the arms of Donald Trump.
"I can go along with the Prime Minister that Brexit means Brexit but I cannot go along with the idea that Brexit means Trump," he said.
Yet Tory Remainer Anna Soubry condemned Labour for "turning their backs on their long-standing belief in the free movement of people".
She added: “For the party opposite to go against everything it ever believed in is really quite shameful."
Walking out to vote on the SNP amendment, Theresa May chatted with Sir Nicholas Soames.
(Image: PA)
Many Labour MPs including Jeremy Corbyn sat on the green benches abstaining.
When it came to the main vote, Tory MP Chloe Smith carried her baby through the chamber, encouraged by Speaker John Bercow.
Former Cabinet Minister and leading Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith asked: "Does that count as two votes?"
The bill will now pass to the Lords as Theresa May looks to get it through Parliament in time to trigger Article 50 before her deadline of March 31.
Use our widget to find out how your MP votedThe simple fact remains that there are a lot of great movies out there. For one reason or another a lot of them haven’t been released on Blu-ray, either at all or in the states. Some because they don’t have suitable materials to create an HD transfer, some because they don’t have the marketability, and some due to rights issues. Fortunately for fans, a good chunk of these happen to be available elsewhere and just need to be imported. Some of these will require a multi-region capable player and some will play in any region. I’ve done my best to call attention to those that are region locked to help those interested in the movies, but be warned that occasionally new pressings change region coding. Some of these are movies originally from the US and some of these are movies from other countries, while some of these movies have been available stateside, but now they are out of print and some of these have never had a US Blu-ray release. These are all imports worth looking at in no particular ranking.
1) Fright Night (1985)
We start our list with an 80s fan favorite. It was popular enough to spawn a sequel and a remake starring the talented Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrell (not to mention the 10th Doctor!). This film while not especially scary it is loved by many fans of 80s horror. It is a shame that it hasn’t been widely available in HD in the US after having several releases both by itself and in multipacks on DVD. Fright Night has been released twice by one of my least favorite distributors, Twilight Time. Once with scant extras and once with plenty of extras that I would love to see. Both of these editions have sold out to fans lucky enough to get in and tons of scalpers thanks to TT’s inane limited edition scheme. There is however something out there for fans late to the party. Both Germany and Australia have multi-region capable versions of the movie on Blu-ray. While some prefer the image on this release over TT’s, it is unfortunately a barebones release. Until Sony pulls a “Christine” and releases nearly the same disc as Twilight Time as a wide release, this will have to do for many fans.
2) Fright Night Part II (1988)
Not to be confused with the near universally hated Fright Night 2(2013), this is the sequel to the original Fright Night above. Some people love it, some people hate it, but many seem to enjoy it as a decent sequel to a movie they love. Much like the original movie, fans have been crying out for this release for years. And it seems like the time might finally be coming from ’84 Entertainment. Information is still limited, but it looks to be built around the original HD Master supplied by Paramount. Should this come to fruition, it will be a release sought by many simply because of how hard it has been to attain on home video. There was a poor to mediocre improperly framed DVD release that was shortly available several years ago. Other than that, many fans have resorted to recording a copy of an HD viewing off of cable. Whether it be supplement-laden or barebone, I will surely be one of the first looking to pick this up when it hits the market.
3) Waxwork (1988)
Starring Zach Galligan of Gremlins fame, Waxwork is a fantastically enjoyable horror comedy centered on a group of friends attending a wax museum that is more than meets the eye. With a wonderfully chaotic fight at the end, Waxwork may be no masterpiece, but it is a great time with overflowing with 80s cheesy love for the classic horror creatures and a middle aged Gimli. Despite both Waxwork and the sequel Waxwork II: Lost in Time are available in a double feature DVD, we have been out of luck in regards to an HD home video option. That is until the near future. Waxwork is expected to come out later this year in Germany and I for one can not wait to add it to my regular October rotation. Hopefully the sequel will be soon to follow in the original’s HD footsteps!
4) Payback (1999)
I know, I know, this is easily available on Blu-ray in the US. That said, I would personally advocate importing it so that you can see both cuts of the movie. The US blu-ray release includes only the “Straight Up” director’s cut of the film. For those who don’t know the story, the movie was filmed and the studio (and some believe Gibson) were not happy with the way it turned out. The film had a quick
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that they had been discharged with from the hospital. It was quite disturbing.
"Many of them told me over and over again, 'I need a place to stay, a simple, decent, affordable place of my own like I had before I became homeless'.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Many homelessness projects demand that people stop taking drugs before receiving help
"People had to participate in psychiatric treatment or be clean and sober in order to get housing. That was a precondition. And curing addiction or curing mental illness is still something we don't know how to do, and that was exactly what was being asked of people. It was an impossible hurdle to jump over.
"We began to do something that no-one had really done before, which was to take people on the street and offer them a place to live, no conditions other than sign the lease and pay your rent.
"The other breakthrough was to offer normal housing. We rented housing from community landlords on the open market, and people lived in apartments with families, older people, younger people, students, people of all types, including some people who had just the day before been homeless, but were homeless no longer.
"In that first year we had 50 people. The rule-of-thumb in most treatment programmes is a third do better, a third do worse and a third stay the same.
"At the end of the first year 84% were still housed: 84% of people who had been on the street for years. We knew we were onto something very important.
"At first it was misunderstood, and I think people were very uncomfortable because they thought of it as enabling something that should be earned, but if you back up from moral judgments, homeless people are already suffering and providing them with a house actually gets us much closer to the goal that we all want.
"We all want people off the streets and living a productive, meaningful life. This is just a much quicker, more effective and cost-saving way of getting to exactly that goal."
Philip Mangano: The conversion
Former music executive Philip Mangano was inspired to start helping homeless people after watching a film about St Francis of Assisi. He left his job to volunteer at his local church. Twenty years later he was appointed President George W Bush's homelessness czar, where he came across Sam Tsemberis' work.
"We had some very good research that indicated that a certain portion [20%] of homeless people were experiencing what was termed 'chronic' homelessness; they were homeless for a year or more and had a disability or concurring disabilities. So as a policy decision in Washington, we decided that we would focus specifically on that population of homeless people.
"I heard about a guy in New York who was placing people directly into housing off the streets and frankly, I was completely agnostic that that could be done, but I thought if that works, we better know about it.
"He took me to a number of people that had been housed, and it looked as though Sam had uncovered something that was in a blind spot for the entire issue for a quarter of a century. So I was interested in the tangible aspects of it, but I really wanted to look at the data. Was there confirming data and research that indicated that this approach worked? Yes there was. So I was a convert to Housing First.
"One of the key questions became how can we possibly afford housing for all these people?
Image copyright Getty Images
"How much did homeless people cost when they were randomly ricocheting through very expensive health and law enforcement systems, the emergency room of the hospital, police interventions, court costs, and incarceration costs? How much did that cost, versus how much did it cost for people when they were placed in housing?
"Every single study we did revealed that it was less costly to provide the housing and the services than it was to have those people randomly ricocheting in expensive health and law enforcement systems.
"So you could spend up to $150,000 (£103,000) enabling a person to be homeless because you're not providing them with the solution. Or you could invest up to $25,000 (£17,000) and people would be in housing, stable, secure and safe [with] hardly any police interventions or utilisation of emergency rooms. You didn't need to be Warren Buffet to figure out which of those was the better investment.
"More than 1,000 communities got involved from around the United States, and we set the goal that we could end chronic homelessness - the homelessness of the most vulnerable, the most disabled, the most likely to die on the street. We could end that form of homelessness in our country in 10 years.
"We saw in the first five years about a 40% decrease in chronic homelessness around the country. Some cities achieved 67-70% decreases.
"But at this point, right now, I can think of only a couple of cities in the country that have actually ended chronic homelessness. The recession hit; administrations changed. Some of the attention got dissipated. That led to resources being dissipated. You didn't have that same concentration and so you didn't have the same outcomes and results.
Dr Josh Bamberger: Trouble in the Tenderloin
Dr Josh Bamberger is the former medical director of housing, San Francisco, and implemented Housing First in the city, providing homes to more than 10,000 homeless people, mainly in an area called the Tenderloin.
"Like every other city in the United States, we had a ten-year plan to end homelessness and, as I'm sure you're aware, homelessness still exists in San Francisco.
"It's disappointing that it doesn't really feel like there's been much shift in the number of people who are lying on the streets in the Tenderloin, which is the inner-city portion of San Francisco, in 15 years.
"The Tenderloin is a densely-populated area. They're small apartments, 300 square feet, sometimes the bathrooms are down the hall. There are probably 1,000 or 1,500 of these buildings with 150 small apartments in them. It's loud, there's a lot of activity going on and there's a lot of drug dealing that goes on in the streets,
"I think if you're struggling with sobriety and people are offering you drugs and alcohol on a regular basis, it's harder to make progress.
Image copyright Getty Images
"In San Francisco, we are in this very challenging conundrum where the cost to rent an apartment is beyond the means of low-income people. The average cost of a studio apartment in San Francisco is something like $2,500 a month (£1,700) and if you're getting benefits from the government, the most you can make is about $950 (£650) a month, so that's a huge gap that is never going to be overcome.
"We housed the wrong people. When you have such great demand for limited resources, then you need to be very exact and very courageous in only offering housing to the people who need it the most. We used our very limited local resources for people who are just low-income. We didn't focus on the highest users of the healthcare system first.
"What we should have done from the beginning is only offered housing to the 20% of people who are chronically homeless, and then used that opportunity to disclose that the government isn't investing in expanding the affordable housing sector adequately."
Jamie Rogers: Miracle in Medicine Hat
Jamie Rogers ran the Housing First programme in the Canadian city of Medicine Hat, which has eradicated all homelessness, defined as meaning no-one will have to sleep rough for more than 10 days before they have access to stable housing.
"Medicine Hat is in South Eastern Alberta, a community of about 63,000 people. It's a very family-focused community.
"I first heard about Housing First from a trip that I took to Toronto. I have to be really honest: I was probably one of the biggest sceptics that it would actually work.
"Since April 2009, this community has collectively housed 1,013 individuals; 705 adults and 308 children.
Image copyright iStock Image caption Medicine Hat's experience of Housing First is being closely followed by other cities across the world
"We take an extremely targeted approach to look at those that are in greatest need or closest to death, which typically are those who are chronically homeless, and are living in places that are unfit for human habitation.
"We did not have to build housing per se. We have a very limited number of units strictly for housing the homeless. What we do very well is build relationships with landlords and property management and communities, and use market housing.
"[Initially] landlords were extremely sceptical. They were worried about bed bugs, increased violence and drug dealing, so we worked really hard to present factual information about who we actually serve. And we've seen progress. We have 175 different landlord and property management companies on board with us and we now have landlords calling us.
"If you ended up on the streets of Medicine Hat tonight, you could spend one night in the shelter and be speaking to a worker within three days. And you could be on a wait list for a house as quick as tomorrow.
"Rather than just introducing programmes like Housing First, we have restructured our entire system approach to ending homelessness.
"We take the stance that people are worthy of a home and it is a fundamental human right to have shelter and a roof over one's head. Of course it is recovery-oriented, and we help and support people in making different choices in their life, but we don't withhold housing because of who they choose to be.
"Housing First works. I cannot say it enough: it absolutely works."
The Inquiry is broadcast on the BBC World Service on Tuesdays from 12:05 GMT. Listen online or download the podcast.A woman was killed in a stabbing attack that occurred after she and a friend took pictures of panhandling men at the busy intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue on Tuesday night, police said.
The victim was identified Wednesday afternoon as Christine Calderon, 27, of Lynwood, by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. She died during surgery at a local hospital, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Three men have been arrested in the stabbing, which occurred near an American Eagle Outfitters store on Hollywood Boulevard, along the Walk of Fame. Monta Cobbin, a store employee, said several people had tried to help the victim.
"The girl was just laying on the ground with blood everywhere," said Cobbin. "Everyone was trying to help her stop the blood."
Calderon was walking with a friend in the tourist-centered area of Hollywood (map) when they took cell-phone photos of three men holding signs and panhandling, the LAPD said in a news release Wednesday morning.
"A dispute ensued and ultimately the victim was stabbed in the torso," LAPD said.
The incident occurred about 8:30 p.m., LAPD said. Hollywood Area patrol officers responded. Police believe this was an isolated, random attack.
The suspects, described as three white males in the late twenties and early thirties, were arrested nearby and are now in the custody of LAPD West Bureau homicide detectives, police said.
Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter said Calderon was pronounced dead at 11:42 p.m., Winter said.
More Southern California Stories:January is the month of broken resolutions. The gyms are packed for a week, Jenny Craig is full of new recruits and houses are cleaned for the first time in ages. We pledge to finally become the person we want to be: svelte, neat and punctual.
Alas, it doesn't take long before the stairmasters are once again sitting empty and those same dirty T-shirts are piling up at the back of the closet. We start binging on pizza and beer – sorry, Jenny – and forget about that pledge to become a kinder, gentler person. Human habits, in other words, are stubborn things, which helps explain why 88 percent of all resolutions end in failure, according to a 2007 survey of over 3,000 people conducted by the British psychologist Richard Wiseman.
The reason our resolutions end in such dismal fashion returns us to the single most important fact about human willpower – it's incredibly feeble. Consider this experiment, led by Baba Shiv, a behavioral economist at Stanford University. He recruited several dozen undergraduates and divided them into two groups. One group was given a two-digit number to remember, while the second group was given a seven-digit number. Then, they were told to walk down the hall, where they were presented with two different snack options: a slice of chocolate cake or a bowl of fruit salad.
Here's where the results get weird. The students with seven digits to remember were nearly twice as likely to choose the cake as students given two digits. The reason, according to Shiv, is that all those extra numbers took up valuable space in the brain – they were a "cognitive load" – making it that much harder to resist a decadent dessert. In other words, willpower is so weak, and the conscious mind is so overtaxed, that all it takes is five extra bits of information before it becomes impossible for the brain to resist a piece of cake.
This helps explain why, after a long day at the office, we're more likely to indulge in a pint of Häagen-Dazs. (In fact, one study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that just walking down a crowded city street was enough to reduce measures of self-control.) A tired brain, preoccupied with its problems and run down by the world, is going to struggle to resist what it wants, even when what it wants isn't what we need.
The problem is only compounded by studies showing that the very act of dieting can make it even harder to resist temptation. In a 2007 experiment, Roy Baumeister – the influential psychologist behind the ego-depletion model of willpower and co-author of the interesting Willpower – gave students an arduous attention task, in which they had to watch a boring video while ignoring words at the bottom of the screen. Then, the students drank a glass of lemonade. Half of the students got lemonade with real sugar, while the other half got a drink made with Splenda. On a series of subsequent tests of self-control, the group given fake sugar performed consistently worse. The literal lack of sugar in their prefrontal cortex, that neural "muscle" behind willpower, made it even harder to not give in.
Is there a way out of this willpower trap? Are there secret exercises that can make it easier to stick with our new year resolutions? Not really. Baumeister has found that getting people to focus on incremental improvements, such as the posture of the back, can build up levels of self-control, just as doing bicep curls can strength the upper arm. Nevertheless, it's not clear that most people even have the discipline to focus on their posture for an extended period, or that these willpower gains will last over the long term.
But there is a neat way to circumvent the intrinsic weakness of the will, which helps explain why some people have a much easier time sticking to their diet and getting to the gym. A fascinating new paper, led by an all-star team of willpower researchers including Wilhelm Hofmann, Baumeister and Kathleen Vohs, gave 205 participants in Würzburg, Germany a specially designed smartphone. For seven days, the subjects were pinged seven times a day and asked to report whether they were experiencing a strong desire. The participants were asked to describe their nature of their desire, how strongly it was felt, and whether it caused an "internal conflict," suggesting that this was a desire they were attempting to resist. If a conflict existed, the subjects were asked to describe their ensuing success: Did they manage to not eat the ice cream? The researchers suggest that this is the first time experience-sampling methods have been used to "map the course of desire and self-control in everyday life."
Christian Jarrett, at the excellent BPS Research Digest, summarizes the results:
The participants were experiencing a desire on about half the times they were beeped. Most often (28 per cent) this was hunger. Other common urges were related to: sleep (10 per cent), thirst (9 per cent), media use (8 per cent), social contact (7 per cent), sex (5 per cent), and coffee (3 per cent). About half of these desires were described as causing internal conflict, and an attempt was made to actively resist about 40 per cent of them. Desires that caused conflict were more likely to prompt an attempt at active self-constraint. Such resistance was often effective. In the absence of resistance, 70 per cent of desires were consummated; with resistance this fell to 17 per cent.
But not everyone was equally successful at resisting the psychological conflict triggered by unwanted wants. According to the survey data, people with higher levels of self-control had just as many desires, but they were less likely to feel that their desires were dangerous. Their desires also tended to be less intense, and thus required less inner strength to resist.
These findings are incredibly revealing, as they document the banal secret of willpower. It's not that these people have immaculate wills, able to stare down tempting calories. Instead, they are able to intelligently steer clear of situations that trigger problematic desires. They don't resist temptation – they avoid it entirely. While unsuccessful dieters try to not eat the ice cream in their freezer, thus quickly exhausting their limited willpower resources, those high in self-control refuse to even walk down the ice cream aisle in the supermarket.
This experience-sampling study neatly confirms the influential work of Walter Mischel, which I wrote about in the New Yorker. In the late 1960s, the Mischel began a simple experiment with four-year-old children. He invited the kids into a tiny room, containing a desk and a chair, and asked them to pick a treat from a tray of marshmallows, cookies, and pretzel sticks. Mischel then made the four-year-olds an offer: They could either eat one treat right away or, if they were willing to wait while he stepped out for a few minutes, they could have two treats when he returned. Not surprisingly, nearly every kid chose to wait.
At the time, psychologists assumed that the ability to delay gratification — to get that second marshmallow or cookie — depended on willpower. Some people simply had more willpower than others, which allowed them to resist tempting sweets and save money for retirement.
However, after watching hundreds of kids participate in the marshmallow experiment, Mischel concluded that this standard model was wrong. He came to realize that willpower was inherently weak, and that children that tried to outlast the treat — gritting their teeth in the face of temptation — soon lost the battle, often within 30 seconds.
Instead, Mischel discovered something interesting when he studied the tiny percentage of kids who could successfully wait for the second treat. Without exception, these "high delayers" all relied on the same mental strategy: they found a way to keep themselves from thinking about the treat, directing their gaze away from the yummy marshmallow. Some covered their eyes or played hide-and-seek underneath the desk. Others sang songs, or repeatedly tied their shoelaces, or pretended to take a nap. Their desire wasn't defeated — it was merely forgotten.
Mischel refers to this skill as the "strategic allocation of attention," and he argues that it's the skill underlying self-control. Too often, we assume that willpower is about having strong moral fiber or gritting our teeth and staring down the treat. But that's wrong — willpower is really about properly directing the spotlight of attention, learning how to control that short list of thoughts in working memory. It's about realizing that if we're thinking about the marshmallow we're going to eat it, which is why we need to look away.
The same lesson applies to adults. Although we might not be able to resist the delicious temptations of the world – they are simply too tempting – we can outsmart them, finding ways to avoid that internal conflict in the first place. The only way to boost willpower is to recognize the inherent weakness of the will.
Image: lucidtech/Flickr/CC-licensedWood Group Will Soon Be Working On Statoil Offshore Grane Platform
Wood Group Win $400 Million Statoil Work Creating 250 Jobs
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Wood Group have won Statoil work worth US$400 million, creating 250 jobs, according to the global oil and gas services giant.
The UK based firm announced the news Wednesday (16th), the day after Statoil put out a press release detailing its contract awards worth around US$2.8 billion (NOK24 bn). All contracts are for Statoil’s facilities located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
Offshore Work
The contract will see Wood Group supply both maintenance and modification services to four Statoil offshore platforms, the Snorre A & B; Grane and Visund.
The work will be carried out through the company’s Wood Group Mustang arm and will last for an initial six years. An additional four year optional extension has been written into the contract.
Wood Group Mustang has also been awarded a further completion agreement. The deal allows the group to submit tenders for smaller Statoil projects over a duration of 10 years.
The move is inline with Statoil’s aim to streamline its contract tendering process in order to achieve better value.
Both contracts start in the first quarter of 2016 and are expected to create around 250 Wood Group jobs.
Commenting on the contract award, President of Wood Group Mustang, Otto Søberg, said: “This is a breakthrough for Wood Group on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and we look forward to building on our existing relationship with Statoil.”
“The work secured will call for a considerable build-up of the offices in Bergen and Stavanger and we will undergo a recruitment campaign to enhance our key talent and bring the best expertise to the projects.”An anti-nuclear weapons campaign group accepted the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize during the elaborate awards ceremony on Sunday in Oslo. The Norwegian Nobel Committee had picked the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for its work on addressing the gap in international law regarding the restriction of nuclear weapons.
In her acceptance speech, Beatrice Fihn, executive director of ICAN, warned that mankind's total destruction at the hands of nuclear weapons was just one "impulsive tantrum away."
"Will it be the end of nuclear weapons, or will it be the end of us?" Fihn asked, referring to the ongoing exchange of threats between United States President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
"The only rational course of action is to cease living under the conditions where our mutual destruction is only one impulsive tantrum away," she added.
"A moment of panic or carelessness, a misconstrued comment or bruised ego could easily lead us unavoidably to the destruction of entire cities."
Fihn described nuclear weapons as a "madman's gun held permanently to our temple."
Watch video 12:02 Share 'A world without nuclear weapons is not a dream' Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2lpu8 'A world without nuclear weapons is not a dream'
Hiroshima survivor at ceremony
ICAN, which comprises of a coalition of 468 non-governmental organizations from 101 different countries, has its headquarters in Geneva.
Fihn was accompanied at the ceremony in Oslo City Hall by Setsuko Thurlow of Japan — a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Thurlow was 13 at the time of the bombing and has campaigned on behalf of ICAN.
Thurlow described the "procession of ghosts" she witnessed on the morning of August 6, 1945.
"The hair was standing up and they were all burned on the skin and their flesh was hanging from their bones," she said.
"Some were carrying their eyeballs. It just was like hell on earth," added the 85-year-old, who now lives in Canada.
Award ceremony in Stockholm
Meanwhile, the recipients of the Nobel Prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and economics received their awards in Stockholm.
Americans Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne received the Nobel Prize for Physics for the first direct observation of universal gravitational waves while the award for Chemistry was given to Jacques Dubochet of Switzerland, American Joachim Frank, and Briton Richard Henderson for discoveries in cryo-electron microscopy that provide detailed imagery of biomolecules invisible to the human eye.
American scientists Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael Young received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their research into how the internal biological clocks of organisms align themselves with natural cycles of night and day.
Richard H. Thaler of the US was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in behavioral economics focused on "understanding the psychology of economics," while Japanese-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro, best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel "The Remains of the Day," received the Nobel Prize for Literature for works that uncover "the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world."
The event was attended by Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and his family.
ss,es/rc (AP/AFP,epd)A Mean Green Bean said...
FerFal,
This topic is timely as we are having a discussion on the Life After the Oil Crash Forum about starting micro businesses based on the top items needed after a crash. Can you give us an idea of what items / services people want the most post crash. Here's a link to the discussion. http://www.doomers.us/forum2/index.php/topic,40122.0.html.
Thanks in advance!
Of course you have the basics: food, water, shelter and medicine. (Renting real estate will become a good business, by the way)
Problem with the food market is, it’s as old as mankind itself, you can hardly compete with the big firms.
The smaller producer will find himself out of his league unless he has a couple hundred acres.
It’s better to try to exploit the “small mom and pop” thing, find the marketing niche, organic food.
But this is very tricky. I mean most people I know that grow food small scale know well enough its for them and not profitable as a business idea.
This is a common mistake among the survivalist community if you ask me. What I started calling the “Little house on the Prairie “ syndrome.
Guys, the only way you’ll go back to 1800 is if you build a time machine.
Serious. Barrel maker, carriage builder, carriage wheel repairer, making horse shoes for a living… making a fortune selling candles. Even trapper was suggested somewhere.
What can I tell you? I don’t see that here. I’ve researched and talked to others on eastern Europe and Africa and nope, not the kind of thing that will get you serious money.
Some of the lists going around the various forums are simply lists of skills used a couple hundred years ago, very wild west like. But again, it’s wishful thinking, and not something I see reflected here or in other places where SHTF.
Even gun smithing. Gunsmithing is something that will certainly go DOWN, not up.
People will have guns for defense but spend as little money as possible. No more tacticool 2000 USD 1911 for many. Those are “nice to have”, and “nice to have” doens’t cut it for SHTF market. They wont spend what little money they have on something like that, at least MOST people wont.
This is the kind of subject that could go on forever. Serious, the dynamics of the post SHTF market could fill libraries.
My friend in USA asked for bit of advice regarding business ideas the other day.
He told me a bit about what he had in mind, and at some point he said he had a buddy that offered him a percentage on a car sound system installation shop, also doing tainted glasses and car alarm.
He said that he didn’t think people would want to spend money on an fancy sound system during the depression.
We talked about how car alarms and security film for windows would go up in demand. Also tainted for security reasons.
When we got to the sound system part, he asked what I thought about that.
I told him “well… there’s a few things people want when SHTF: “Booze, religion, drugs, prostitutes and gambling.. and a loud car”
I told him that its common here to see total rust buckets from the 70’s with maybe 1000 bucks worth of sound system. Maybe more expensive than the car itself.
Of course any business can fail, but if his friend does things right and is a smart business man, he has a fair success chance.
My friend say “Man, peoples are stupid”
I told him “YES, dude, they are”
But why, why would a poor guy spend his hard earned money, the little he has, on something like that?
Because that’s the way people are! Maybe the guy hasn’t got a week worth of food and water OR cash, but he’s gladly going to spend it on drugs, or a fancy sound system, simply because it makes him feel less miserable.
That’s valuable folks, ESPECIALLY when SHTF and getting depressed and feeling miserable is so easy.
It’s what I like to call “affordable luxuries”.
I see it here all the time, and you see it in other poor nations.
They can’t afford the fancy car anymore, but they can afford the expensive tires or sound system.
A loud sound system can be turned up the volume.. wake up everyone… everyone sees you have the fancy gadget … ego boost for our poor guy. See the mentality I’m talking about?
Something similar happens with cell phones. Selling cell phones is a pretty nice gig during depression. It’s an “affordable luxury”.
I don’t have a home of my own, or a car, “but take a look at my nice (toy) phone”. The guy/girl already feels better about himself.
Same happens for jewelry. Most women can’t afford the gold anymore, and it’s too dangerous even if they can. But there’s still silver, and “quirurgic steel” jewelry is becoming more and more popular.
Affordable, looks good, shiny, wont get stolen in 10 minutes. Research the market and promote it well and you have a winning combination.
Forget the old days, at least as business ideas. Recognize the new needs and the new society you are dealing with and what they want/need.
There’s how you start a real post SHTF business.
FerFALHow can a song all about struggling with the afterglow of fame, thrust someone into fame? How can a lyric like, “I’m just a singer who already blew his shot,” give a singer another shot? I don’t know …but it’s funny.
And that’s exactly what’s happening with my song, “I Took a Pill in Ibiza.” To add to the irony, the talented Norwegian duo Seeb remixed and re-appropriated the song into an Ibiza-worthy club anthem. How can a song with depressing lyrics like “I took a pill in Ibiza to show Avicii I was cool, and when I finally got sober felt ten years older,” be the soundtrack to partygoer’s tequila shots and sparkler-draped champagne bottle delivery?
I don’t know …but it’s funny.
As the remix’s popularity increases, I read more messages online of people saying things like:
A typical listener (myself included), does not hear the lyrics of a song on the first listen. It’s only if they like the overall feeling of the song enough to warrant a second or third listen that they might start to pick up on lyrics. It was Dr. Luke who first explained this to me.
When I produced the original version of ‘Ibiza’, I was familiar with the human brain’s tendency to recognize rhythm and texture before lyric. Thus, I used as few of instruments possible without the music getting boring. I wanted the lyrics to directly be in your face. That’s why in the verses of the original there is only a guitar and my vocal…that’s it. I kept up my crusade for comprehensive lyrics in the mixing process. When Tony Maserati mixed my album I had him turn all of the lead vocals 2–3 decibels louder than he normally would. I wanted the lyrics on TOP of the music. I wanted to see if I could make people hear the lyrics on the first listen instead of the second or third. Did I do a good job?
Take a listen to the original and you be the judge:
In an effort to make the lyrics even more obvious, I did some remixing of my own. Jon Jon Augustavo and I flew to London to shoot this re-interpretation of Dylan’s Subterannean Homesick Blues Video, from the documentary, Dont Look Back. Why have I waited so long to release this video for the original when I’ve already shot a video for the remix? I’m not really sure. But I want you to see it now:
Let’s be honest, I’m not the first artist to be misunderstood. Bruce Springsteen’s social commentary on culture in the US, “Born in the USA,” was famously misappropriated as a patriotic anthem by Ronald Reagan, whose policies the song denounced.
And let’s also be clear that I am not complaining. I approved the release of the remix myself, and many people DO make it to the elusive second listen and hear the true meaning of the lyrics, or follow it back to the original.A unanimous panel of federal judges in Chicago ruled Thursday that laws banning same-sex marriage in Indiana and Wisconsin are unconstitutional, becoming the third appeals court to rule that gay couples must be allowed to marry.
The lengthy, often sarcastic ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit said the states could not justify denying marriage to homosexuals, who it said are “among the most stigmatized, misunderstood and discriminated-against minorities in the history of the world.”
“The grounds advanced by Indiana and Wisconsin for their discriminatory policies are not only conjectural; they are totally implausible,” wrote Circuit Judge Richard Posner, an influential jurist chosen for the bench by President Ronald Reagan.
He was joined in the opinion by judges Ann Claire Williams, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, and David Hamilton, chosen by President Obama.
Two other regional appeals courts — the level of review just below the Supreme Court — have ruled that state bans are unconstitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver struck down bans in Utah and Oklahoma, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond overturned the ban in Virginia.
The winners and losers in all of those cases have asked the Supreme Court for a definitive ruling on whether the fundamental right to marry must be extended to same-sex couples or whether states may define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
The Supreme Court could consider whether to accept the question as early as this month.
The 7th Circuit’s decision was not unexpected. During oral arguments, Posner had been a relentless interrogator of the states’ lawyers, asking whether the laws were motivated by “hate” and “savage” discrimination.
But the speed of the 40-page ruling was surprising. It came only nine days after oral arguments.
The panel said the laws deprived same-sex couples of the equal protection guaranteed by the Constitution. Such discriminatory laws, the judges said, required government to present a compelling case as to why they are necessary.
“The only rationale that the states put forth with any conviction — that same-sex couples and their children don’t need marriage because same-sex couples can’t produce children, intended or unintended — is so full of holes that it cannot be taken seriously,” Posner wrote.
He ridiculed the notion that because only heterosexual couples can biologically produce children, it made sense for the states to limit marriage to straight couples.
“Heterosexuals get drunk and pregnant, producing unwanted children; their reward is to be allowed to marry,” Posner wrote. “Homosexual couples do not produce unwanted children; their reward is to be denied the right to marry. Go figure.”
In both states, Posner noted, homosexuals are allowed to adopt children, and in Indiana, unmarried gay couples are allowed to jointly adopt.
He added: “The state should want homosexual couples who adopt children — as, to repeat, they are permitted to do — to be married, if it is serious in arguing that the only governmental interest in marriage derives from the problem of accidental births. (We doubt that it is serious.)”
The panel also made short work of the states’ argument that it was constrained from ruling on the merits of the case. Their argument was based on the fact that the Supreme Court once chose not to hear a case about same-sex marriage because it said there was lack of a “federal question.”
The case, Posner wrote, “was decided in 1972 — 42 years ago and the dark ages so far as litigation over discrimination against homosexuals is concerned.”
The ruling does not immediately go into effect. The Supreme Court has stepped in to forbid marriages in the other states while the appeals proceed.
The decision came a day after a federal judge in Louisiana upheld that state’s ban on same-sex marriage. It was the first such decision by a district judge, whereas more than 20 challenges have gone the other way.
They are the result of the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in U.S. v. Windsor, which struck down the part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as only between a man and a woman. But that ruling did not settle the question of whether states may impose such definitions.I've been here over a week and have hardly had time to even think about blogging. It turns out that getting my class, "Confucianism in America," up and running has been a lot more time-consuming than I realized. The central challenge is adapting my methods and expectations to this particular context.
My students, all Chinese, are bright and hard working. Their English is good. But almost all of them are undergraduates; only one graduate student. Indeed, 26 of the 30 students have just finished their first year in college. Some of the readings I had originally selected would be difficult for junior and senior American students operating in their first language. So, I had to scramble to cut back on some readings and find some new ones so as not to overwhelm them.
Another challenge is the time intensity. I teach double sessions, 8:00-9:30, 10:00-11:30 on Monday and Wednesday mornings. I've never done such schedule and I did not really think it through. I've had to rethink readings and topics and class room time in light of this. I think I have it worked out now.
This week we read English translations of The Analects and Mencius. The students are obviously familiar with these thinkers. They have read selections from these texts. But most of them have not read the texts in their entirety, have not worked with the ideas in English, nor thought systematically about how ideas from these texts might relate to other philosophic or political concepts (universality, deontolgy, consequentialism, legitimate authority, etc.). We spent three hours on each text
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openhauer concludes his comments on the Jews by again emphasizing their ethnically alien status with Europe and by using an anecdote to reiterate his position that the Jews (as a group whose intense loyalty to its own people and hostility to outsiders is so profound) should absolutely never be given the right to exercise power over other people.
They are and remain a foreign oriental race, and so must be regarded merely as domiciled foreigners. When some twenty-five years ago the emancipation of the Jews was debated in the English Parliament, a speaker put forward the following hypothetical case. An English Jew comes to Lisbon where he meets two men in extreme want and distress; yet it is only in his power to save one of them. Personally to him they are both strangers. Yet if one of them is an Englishman but a Christian, and the other a Portuguese but a Jew, whom will he save? I do not think that any sensible Christian and any sincere Jew would be in doubt as to the answer. But it gives us some indication of the rights to be conceded to the Jews.[xi]
Schopenhauer’s observations on the Jews influenced a range of notable figures, most famously including Adolf Hitler who (according to an inventory of the books he borrowed between 1919 and 1921 at the National Socialist Institute in Munich) read a volume entitled Schopenhauer and the Jews alongside such works as Houston Stewart Chamberlain’s Foundations of the Nineteenth Century and the German translation of Henry Ford’s The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem.[xii] Schopenhauer is mentioned by name twice in Mein Kampf. One of these references relates to Schopenhauer’s observation in his Parerga and Paralipomena that “the Jews were at all times and by all nations loathed and despised. This may be due partly to the fact that they were the only people on earth who did not credit man with any existence beyond this life and were, therefore, regarded as cattle, as the dregs of humanity, but as past masters in telling lies.”[xiii]
Conclusion
Schopenhauer is universally recognized as an intellectual giant and for good reason. His thinking was often decades, and sometimes centuries, ahead his contemporaries. Nevertheless, the philosophy of Nietzsche (despite its contradictions) has enjoyed far wider acceptance among those on the racialist right. That is largely because of the marked anti-egalitarianism of Nietzsche, and the fact that Schopenhauer’s pessimism and advocacy of life-renunciation is profoundly dysfunctional from a group evolutionary standpoint. As MacDonald has pointed out, we are all free to decide to not play the evolutionary game. We Westerners are particularly prone to moral idealisms that compromise their legitimate ethnic/racial interests. However, if we (or our racial or ethnic kindred) decide to not play the evolutionary game, we automatically lose. We are destined for ultimate extinction.
This is why, while recognizing the genius of Schopenhauer’s thought, we must, in the end, eschew his pessimistic conclusions and side with Nietzsche’s doctrine of life-assertion. The White race did not become the dominant force on the planet through renouncing life and avoiding conflict in the manner of Buddhists monks. Our European ancestors, who built Western civilization and spread it around the globe, lived life to the full, affirmed life, and did not shirk from conflict. They behaved as all healthy living creatures behave spontaneously in nature. Asserting our racial interests will inevitably bring us into conflict with others doing the same (especially Jewish interests) but this is inevitable and natural and is simply the price we must pay to secure our existence. We have to embrace the fight for the survival of our race, and to strive to enlist others in this fight, because, in the end, there is no acceptable alternative.
[i] Arthur Schopenhauer, Parega and Paralipomena — Volume 2, Trans. By E.F.J. Payne (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1974), 158-59.
[ii] Arthur Schopenhauer, Parega and Paralipomena — Volume 1, Trans. By E.F.J. Payne (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1974), 331.
[iii] Norman Cantor, The Sacred Chain — The History of the Jews (New York, HarperCollins, 1994), 336.
[iv] J. Philippe Rushton J.P. (2000) Race, Evolution, and Behavior: A Life History Perspective, Third Edition (Port Huron, Charles Darwin Research Institute, 2000) 228-29.
[v] Schopenhauer, Parega and Paralipomena — Volume 1, op cit., 317.
[vi] Ibid., 318.
[vii] Ibid., 321.
[viii] Ibid., 338.
[ix] Atzmon, G.; Hao, L.; Pe’er, I.; Velez, C.; Pearlman, A.; Palamara, P. F.; Morrow, B.; Friedman, (2010) “Abraham’s Children in the Genome Era: Major Jewish Diaspora Populations Comprise Distinct Genetic Clusters with Shared Middle Eastern Ancestry,” American Journal of Human Genetics 2010, 86 (6), 850—859. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3032072/?tool=pmcentrez
[x] Robert Weltsch, (1913) “Concerning Racial Theory,” In: Jews and Race: Writings on Identity and Difference 1880-1940, Ed. Mitchell B. Hart, (Massachusetts, Brandeis University Press, Waltham, 2011). 311-16, 312.
[xi] Schopenhauer, Parega and Paralipomena — Volume 2, op cit., 261-64.
[xii] Timothy Ryback, Hitler’s Private Library: The Books That Shaped His Life (New York: Vintage, 2010), 50.
[xiii] Schopenhauer, Parega and Paralipomena — Volume 2, op cit., 357.ES News Email Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in or register with your social account
Hundreds of commuters were forced to escape from a rush-hour train today amid a fire scare.
Around 400 people made an emergency exit from a Southeastern train near Hither Green at about 8am when thick smoke started billowing out from underneath a carriage. There were chaotic scenes as passengers banged on the sides of the train yelling at others on board to “get out” after an alarm was activated.
The Charing Cross-bound train ground to a halt as it was pulling into Hither Green station. Commuters used emergency buttons to open doors moments after the driver tried to assure them nothing was wrong.
Several passengers tweeted photographs of the evacuation and wrote how a wave of “panic” spread through the carriages.
Michelle Carpenter, 31, a personal assistant from Greenwich, said: “We smelled electrical smoke and the train stopped very suddenly outside Hither Green.
“All of the lights went off. People were walking along the side of the train saying it was on fire.
“Then more people started running past shouting: ‘Get out! Get out! The train is on fire.’
“Someone used the emergency button to unlock the door and the gentlemen were very chivalrous helping us all down the five feet jump from the carriage on to the track.”
Accountant Jonathan Lewis, 27, said: “It started looking like it was foggy outside, then there was the sound of all the windows shutting in the carriage in front of ours.
“Then passengers poured into our carriage to escape the smoke.
“The announcement was ‘we hope to be moving shortly’, but by this point the doors were already open and people were helping each other down on to the track.
“It was close to Hither Green station but there were a few people panicking. The smoke was still billowing out from when we reached Hither Green.”
Southeastern blamed the smoke on a shoe gear - an electrical component that skims the live electricity rail to conduct power to the engine - and said there was smoke but no flames.
A spokesman for the operator said all passengers were “evacuated safely to the station” and engineers were trying to establish the cause of the fault.
The incident led to serious delays on services from Dartford into London. Replacement buses were being used on the suspended part of the line as engineers removed the train and checked the line for faults.In this Malay name, the nameis a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name. The Arabic word "bin" ("b.") or "binti"/"binte" ("bt."/"bte."), if used, means "son of" or "daughter of" respectively.
Prince Jefri has had a number of legal issues with the state of Brunei, which have amounted to the most costly legal battle in the world.[16]
Brunei is a gas and oil rich state ruled by the Sultan in a constitutional sultanate;[17] the Sultan has control over every aspect of life in Brunei.[18] The Sultan was, at one time, the richest man in the world.[19] From 20 October 1986 to 23 February 1997 Prince Jefri was the Minister of Finance for Brunei,[3] responsible for dealing with revenue from oil and gas through the state body Brunei Investment Agency (BIA),[20] of which Prince Jefri was chairman.[10]
Prince Jefri also owned a network of companies and investment vehicles under the name Amadeo run by his son Hakim,[10] which was used to buy the luxury goods company Asprey and build an amusement park and other projects in Brunei.[19] In July 1998 the Amadeo group collapsed under US$10 billion in debt.[21] Between 1983 and mid-1998 some US$40 billion of what were called "special transfers" were made from the accounts of the BIA.[3]
An independent investigation was undertaken into the circumstances of these special transfers, concluding that in round figures, US$14.8 billion were paid to the accounts of Prince Jefri, US$8 billion to accounts of the Sultan and US$3.8 billion for Government purposes; the destination, purpose and recipients of the remaining transfers were not established.[3] Due to the secretive nature of the state and the blurred lines as to where the royal family’s finances and the state finances began and ended, establishing the true course of events is very difficult.[19]
Prince Jefri was accused of misappropriating state funds to pay for his own personal investments, bought through BIA and Amedeo companies and removed from his position as head of BIA.[22][23]
In February 2000, the Bruneian government attempted to obtain a freezing order on Prince Jefri’s overseas assets, which led to him countersuing in New York.[22] Following protracted negotiations a settlement agreement was signed by the Prince in May 2000,[3] the terms of which were never made public.[21] However, Prince Jefri claimed assurances were made to him by the Sultan with regards to keeping certain properties to maintain his lifestyle, which BIA denied.[3][21]
In accordance with the settlement agreement signed in 2000, the prince began to return his assets to the state, including more than 500 properties, both in Brunei and abroad, more than 2,000 cars, 100 paintings, five boats, and nine aircraft.[21] In 2001, ten thousand lots of Prince Jefri’s possessions went to auction.[24]
However, the BIA alleged that the Prince failed to uphold the agreement by failing to disclose all his accounts, and allowing money to be taken from frozen accounts,[16] and restarted legal proceedings to gain full control of the Prince’s assets. After a number of appeals,[18] this finally reached the Privy Council in London, which can serve as Brunei's highest court of appeal as a result of Brunei's former protectorate status.[25]
The Privy Council rejected Prince Jefri's evidence, describing his contention that the agreement allowed for him to retain a number of properties as "simply incredible",[26] and ruled in favour of the Government of Brunei and the BIA; consequently the Prince's appeal was dismissed and he was ordered to return the rest of his assets to Brunei.[3]
The decision of the Privy Council did not end the litigation between Prince Jefri and the BIA. The BIA re-opened proceedings in Malaysia and the Cayman Islands, resulting in the BIA gaining control over the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles and The New York Palace Hotel in Manhattan.[27]
The BIA also re-opened collateral litigation in the British High Court. After winning before the Privy Council, the BIA asked the court to determine whether Prince Jefri should be held in contempt of court for allegedly making misstatements in his listing of assets. The contempt proceeding was scheduled for a hearing in June 2008, but the Prince did not attend, instead going to Paris.[16][28] Judge Peter Smith did not rule on whether Prince Jefri was in contempt, but did issue a warrant for his arrest.[29] As of November 2010, the warrant still appears to be in place, meaning the Prince will be arrested if he enters the UK.[30]
As of October 2009, Prince Jefri is rumoured to have been allowed back to Brunei.[7]OmiseGo has moved to stamp out rumors about the company possibly being impacted by China’s crackdown on ICOs. Through a Reddit post OmiseGo reassured everyone that China’s ban on ICOs will not necessarily harm the OMG network.
On the post, OMG said China’s prohibition only refers to decentralized currencies, meaning it doesn’t necessarily affect the OMG network:
“The OMG network is currency-agnostic and the open-source, white-label digital wallet framework we provide will allow financial service companies to select what services they provide their end-users, in compliance with the regulations they must follow”.
OmiseGoing
With such transparency and constant updates from OMG admins, many investors were assured of the company’s long term resilience. Many praised OMG for its transparency and for assuring the public that they can still keep ‘OmiseGoing’.
Redditor koocer says:
“Good news and great time to stock up on more OMG :)”
Benkeele on the other hand says:
“This is why I'm strong in OMG. We believe”.
And soar-x says:
“great communication, this makes me proud as an investor”
PBOC regulation
The Chinese ICO market is in freefall after China’s Central Bank declared Initial Coin Offerings illegal.
The People’s Bank of China announced its stance on ICOs in the country and that it has completed its investigations on ICOs.
It has found out that the tokens used in ICOs are not issued by the monetary authorities, don’t have legal and monetary properties such as indemnity and coercion, don’t have legal status equivalent to money, and thus cannot and should not be circulated as a currency in the market.
With that determination, it is sure that any future activities involving ICOs will be punished, while those that have already completed its offerings will be penalized. Regulators also said that those who have already raised money must issue refunds back to their investors.
Jehan Chu, Managing Partner at Kenetic Capital Ltd. in Hong Kong says:These words, from Section One of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution rank along with the Constitution's Bill of Rights as — in these precincts — the most important in world and American history:
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
ADVERTISEMENT
The following words do not rank well in American history, jurisprudence or in truth: "(Illegal aliens) do not have legal rights." Glenn Beck declared this on CNN in February 2007.
He is not alone; popular radio talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity agree with Beck to one degree or another. For example, Ingraham — a lawyer — says that Supreme Court Justice William Brennan in Plyler v. Doe (1982) offhandedly commented that illegals had rights because they were "persons," so no one should take Brennan seriously or his official declaration of legal rights of illegal aliens.
The critics all claim that undocumented workers or immigrants or migrants — whichever label is the flavor of the day — don't have legal rights because they are lawbreakers by entering the country illegally and owe no loyalty to the United States. They claim that only U.S. citizens (natural born or naturalized) are protected by the Constitution. The critics are not only wrong — they are really, truly and sincerely wrong.
The U.S. Supreme Court settled the issue well over a century ago. But even before the court laid the issue to rest, a principal author of the Constitution, James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, wrote: "that as they [aliens], owe, on the one hand, a temporary obedience, they are entitled, in return, to their [constitutional] protection and advantage."
More recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Zadvydas v. Davis (2001) that "due process" of the 14th Amendment applies to all aliens in the United States whose presence maybe or is "unlawful, involuntary or transitory."
Twenty years before Zadvydas, the Supreme Court ruled that the state of Texas could not enforce a state law that prohibited illegally present children from attending grade schools, as all other Texas children were required to attend.
The court ruled in Plyler that:
The illegal aliens who are... challenging the state may claim the benefit of the Equal Protection clause which provides that no state shall 'deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.' Whatever his status under immigration laws, an alien is a 'person' in any ordinary sense of the term... the undocumented status of these children does not establish a sufficient rational basis for denying benefits that the state affords other residents.
A decade before Plyler, the court ruled in Almeida-Sanchez v. United States (1973) that all criminal charge-related elements of the Constitution's amendments (the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and the 14th) such as search and seizure, self-incrimination, trial by jury and due process, protect non-citizens, legally or illegally present.
Three key Supreme Court decisions in 1886, 1896 and 1903 laid the 14th Amendment basis for the consistent ruling of the court that aliens, legal and illegal, have constitutional protection in criminal and certain civil affairs in the justice system.
In Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886), the court ruled that:
Though the law itself be fair on its face, and impartial in appearance, yet, if it is applied and administered by public authority with an evil eye and unequal hand, so as practically to make unjust and illegal discriminations between persons of similar circumstances, material to their rights, the denial of equal justice is still within the prohibition of the Constitution [the 14th Amendment].
In Wong Win v. United States (1896), the court ruled that:
It must be concluded that all persons within the territory of the United States are entitled to the protection by those amendments [Fifth and Sixth] and that even aliens shall not be held to answer for a capital or other infamous crime, unless on presentment or indictment of a grand jury, nor deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.
In summary, the entire case of illegal aliens being covered by and protected by the Constitution has been settled law for 129 years and rests on one word: "person." It is the word "person" that connects the dots of "due process" and "equal protection" in the 14th Amendment to the U.S Constitution and it is those five words that make the Constitution of the United States and its 14th amendment the most important political document since the Magna Carta in all world history.
"Aliens," legal and illegal, have the full panoply of constitutional protections American citizens have with three exceptions: voting, some government jobs and gun ownership (and that is now in doubt) — Glenn Beck and others notwithstanding.
Contreras has written several books on immigration and immigration reform, available at Amazon.com.By Dan Weil at Newsmax
Mania in financial markets has raged so far out of control as to place them outside the realm of rationality, says former White House budget director David Stockman.
"There are no markets left in any meaningful sense of the word, just a raging casino infected with the madness of the crowds and the central bank pied pipers who mesmerize them," he writes on his blog.
That madness is illustrated in the months-long rise of Chinese stocks and the rebound of McDonald's shares last week, Stockman says.
As for China, the Shanghai Composite Index has soared 121 percent in the last year. "And what has transpired in the land of red capitalism during that parabolic move?" Stockman asks.
"Why everything has gone virtually straight south because the most fantastic credit bubble in recorded history is beginning to burst."
When it comes to McDonald's, the stock has jumped nearly 4 percent since Tuesday, despite a weak earnings report Wednesday.
That move can't hide the fact that McDonald's business model "is visibly failing (because people are tired of getting fat on its products), and has been for several years," Stockman contends.
Bottom line: "this is a mania — an outbreak of herd irrationality that would make Graham & Dodd and any other true value analyst as welcome as a skunk at a garden party," he says.
Meanwhile, as the Nasdaq Composite Index advances to a record high for the first time since 2000, it pays to look back at the dot.com bubble which burst that year.
The lesson: "investors weren’t wrong," writes Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Zweig. "They just paid too much to be right."
So, before you lose your lunchbox over the current Nasdaq rally, "make sure you aren’t repeating the mistakes of the past," he says.
The problem 15 years ago, of course, was that "investors were so infatuated with how technology would transform the world that they were willing to pay any price to buy stocks connected with the Internet and telecommunications," Zweig explains.
That focus now is on social media and other stocks connected to the "sharing economy."
But, this sharing economy "is no different than the new economy of early 2000," Zweig notes. "It will almost certainly turn out to be a huge boon for businesses and consumers. But it will wipe out investors who think no price is too high to participate."
It’s A Mania—–Behold The Red Chips And The Big Macs | David Stockman's Contra Corner.What does it mean to be a leftist?
Let me start by saying that this is a pretty wankertastic question. Who cares, right? I think a discussion of the merits of various Ray Price albums would lead us closer to a more just society. It’d also be more fun. Also the answer is of course Night Life.
Anyway, you’ll have to indulge me here in a question with which I hate to engage. Nothing has served the left less than cleaving off those who weren’t “left” enough to increasingly ideologically pure and small organizations. I guess the Weather Underground was pretty left all right. And they were 50 people whose major accomplishment was blowing a few of themselves up making a bomb. Great.
But if we were going to define the left, at least in this country, I guess I’d say that it would revolve around something like people who were committed to the eradication of social, political, economic, gender, sexual, and environmental inequality both in the United States and around the world through the use of a variety of means, ranging from an activist government to revolutionary cadres. I don’t know, maybe you’d have a different definition. By all means feel free to argue the point.
Anyway, I would certainly include myself in this definition of the left. I don’t really identify with liberalism per se. Liberals can most definitely be leftists although many are most certainly not. Now, my first rule of life is that no one’s description of themselves should be taken seriously. I think that’s a very good rule to live by. So your opinion about whether I am left or liberal or whatever is a lot more important than my own.
That said, I believe in pretty much the entire range of left-liberal ideas. That includes the entirety of the socialist welfare system of Europe, gay marriage, stringent environmental regulations, access to abortion, etc. I’d argue that I am far to the left of most self-described leftists on organized labor, largely because I think many of them just don’t care or see it is an anachronism. I am opposed to much of U.S. foreign policy. And yes, like most self-identified leftists, I am disgusted by the so-called war on terror, torture, the treatment of Bradley Manning, etc.
Now none of this is particularly notable. But I have other positions as well that would certainly be more controversial and pretty “left” I think. Here’s a list of 10.
1. Make recognition of the state of Israel dependent on moving the boundaries back to the 1967 lines and destroying the settlements.
2. Repeal the 2nd Amendment
3. A constitutional amendment to guarantee employment
4. A constitutional amendment to guarantee collective bargaining
5. Extend the most vigorous provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to the entire nation
6. A government ban on the harvesting of most fish with vigorous regulations and punishment provisions for violators
7. An 100% estate tax. You die, the government takes it all.
8. Pricing based upon percentage of income. You go to the gas pump–the price of gas is based upon last year’s income that would be encoded on a card you have to show.
9. U.S. companies can move overseas if they want–but the U.S. minimum wage applies to those workers. Also to contracted suppliers.
10. A constitutional guarantee to terminate a pregnancy, no questions asked.
I don’t really talk about these things much. Why? They are irrelevant. They are so far out of what is possible that why bother. Do they make me more of a leftist? Who cares.
The one area I am less convinced of the so-called leftist position is drones. Or DRONES!!!!!, to paraphrase those who are outraged by them. The only difference I can see between drones and the rest of the immorality of American militarism is that drones kill less people than human-piloted aircraft. I’ve yet to see anyone present a convincing case that drones are MORE immoral than other forms of warfare. They are immoral without a doubt. But the closest thing I’ve seen to a real argument about drones’ special immorality comes down to being like a video game and the fact that the opposition doesn’t have a chance to fight back against American soldiers. The first is a reality of our technological fetishism pervading our entire society, the latter grotesque. Please convince me why I am wrong.
That brings me to the real point here: Freddie deBoer.
de Boer’s comment to Scott’s post caused me to choke up my morning ice water (I don’t drink coffee, it’s gross):
6. This blog once attacked publications like Slate and TNR for being reflexively antileft, and pressured Democrats from the left on issues like foreign policy and espionage. It is now reflexively antileft itself, and pressures liberals from the right on issues like foreign policy and espionage. It’s to the point where you’re concern trolling Bradley Manning’s torture, despite the fact that the UN torture chief found that Manning had been tortured.
Freddie defines the left as holding his own precise position on the issue that he has chosen as the moral issue of the day. Moreover, he defines the left as supporting what he wants in precisely the same method he chooses–namely not voting for Democrats in elections if they don’t follow his line of policy. Freddie has decided that torture and drones–not labor rights, not abortion rights, not the climate–is the single moral issue of our time. If you agree with him and his tactics for dealing with it, you are on the left. If you don’t, if you see nuance, if you see other issues as of equal or greater moral weight, you are excluded from his left. Therefore, because some of us here at LGM fall into the latter category and defend our position against third party flirtations and Obamaney foolishness, we are “antileft.”
Now, Corey Robin is right enough that de Boer provided some evidence for Scott’s question. It’s extremely weak evidence–Alan Dershowitz? Bill Clinton? Really? That’s as good as you can do? But he absolutely did not provide any evidence for his claim that “No, I think liberals want to be forced to support torture. What liberals want is ultimately to do what conservative hawks want to do, but only after experts and leaders assure them that they have no choice. They want extreme events to make the choice for them.” Do I count as one of these liberals? Do I want to be forced to support torture? Does Farley? Lemieux? Who precisely are these people, at least among the liberal writers on the blogosphere? Have any of us ever provided the slightest bit of evidence to this point?
I ask because Freddie is basically saying these things about LGM, the anti-left blog. He holds LGM up as everything that is wrong with the Democratic Party and liberal blogosphere. This is a blog that evidently thinks of Obama (or Bill Clinton) as a “liberal crush object.” And of course:
This is the most elementary, most important point of all: there is no internal pressure for Democrats to reform, precisely because of people like Tbogg and the crew at LGM. Defenders of Obama lay down lines you can’t cross in every direction, shrinking the bounds of the responsible or the fair or the mature or the realistic or the pragmatic or the strategic… And then you look up and there is nothing for you to do. You become Paul Begala or you are a traitor. What would Tbogg tell me to do, if he actually stopped building a monument to his own sarcasm and cleverness, if he stepped outside of his meticulously curated temple of snark and flippancy, and if he actually considered the question of what to do if you want America to stop killing children? He’d say to grow up. He has no other arrow in his quiver.
By the way, I still haven’t received my check from the Democratic National Committee for all the power I used to keep the left in line during the election. Do you people have my address? Tbogg, have you heard anything?
Back in November, Freddie said that I was going to have an interesting 2013 since I was just a pro-drone Obot Democratic Party hack who would never demand anything for my vote. What this obviously showed is that Freddie had never read a single word I had written before the post he was responding to, which was me saying essentially that Matt Stoller was a self-promoting posturing idiot, a point to which I assume we can all agree. But notice what Freddie was doing here in defining the left as precisely what he cared about to the exclusion of all else:
There are a few people out there who both associate themselves with liberalism (or progressivism, if you prefer the weasel term) and who assert the actual legitimacy and morality of the drone program. To them, well, vaya con dios. We aren’t likely to be able to talk about much of value. But most people on the broad left are defending Obama in spite of the drone program, insisting that you must (and almost all of them say we must) vote for Obama even though they disagree with this drone program. Yes, the drone program is a terrible mistake. But still, you must vote for Obama. Before the election is not the time. The years to come will be the right time. Congressional elections will be the right time. Not now, but later. Wait. Bide your time.
Well Freddie, I actually am going to have an interesting 2013. That’s because we are going to see higher taxes on the rich. We are going to see some kind of filibuster reform. We are almost certainly going to see substantive immigration reform. We might see a move toward voting standards. We might see the end of Republican hostage-taking over the debt limit. We might see a few other things as well.
That’s not leftist policy. Obama naming Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense is stupid. His labor policy is tepid. His public lands policy is non-existent. His agricultural policy is terrible. His drone policy is awful. His education policy is abysmal. But on all but the last, he’s still better than the alternative in American political life in 2012. This plus the real positive changes that do happen make people’s lives better. And it’s certainly going to be better than Freddie’s preferred alternative. 10% of Americans voting for Jill Stein would have moved the agenda to the left precisely how? How has this strategy worked through American history? How has change actually happened in American history? What is the relationship between the left and change in American history? What tactics have worked and what have not worked? As my readers know, studying these issues is the point of most of my academic and non-academic writing.
So this discussion of what’s left or antileft or whatnot is pretty pointless except that it’s insulting to be accused of such a thing in such an absurd manner. As Scott said to Freddie,
This assumes that you are to my left; I believe there is no actual basis for this assumption, since I don’t believe that a willingness to endorse transparently counterproductive tactics is a litmus test for one’s leftist commitment. It is precisely your belief that you are the Last True Lefist bravely pointing out heretics that seems to be the source of the silly generalizations under discussion here.
If the definition of left is being exclusionary of issues outside of the one you choose to emphasize, then I guess de Boer is to Scott’s left. In the real world, I don’t see any evidence of it at all. I certainly don’t question Freddie’s qualifications as being a person on the left. But then, what difference does it really make if he is or not? Or if I am or not? Nada. Not to real people’s lives.
I will tell you one thing though–no left I am a part of uses the kind of sexist language de Boer throws around. Not to mention his, uh, rather questionable writings about himself as a feminist in the past. See here for awesomeness. “Man up?” Christ Freddie, is left politics a contest about penis size? If so, count me out. For any number of reasons.I’ve recently been preparing some new courses which have given me the opportunity to browse through the literature from the dawn of molecular biology. And in the process I came across a 43 year old paper entitled “Studies of Polynucleotides XCVI. Repair replication of short synthetic DNA’s as catalyzed by DNA polymerase.” by Kleppe and Khorana in the Journal of Molecular Biology. Its an elegant manuscript that describes how DNA polymerase can replicate a DNA strand but only if there is a section of duplex DNA, known a as primer, from which it can start.
So Klepper et.al. started off with a bit of DNA that looked like this:
and after incubating with DNA polymerase ended up with a DNA sequence with the gaps filled in, like so.
Well isn’t that nice?
But the really intriguing bit is the last paragraph of the discussion.
.. the DNA duplex would be denatured to form single strands. This denaturation step would be carried out in the presence of a sufficiently large excess of the two appropriate primers. Upon cooling, one would hope to obtain two structures, each containing the full length of the template strand appropriately complexed with the primer. DNA polymerase will be added to complete the process of repair replication. Two molecules of the original duplex should result. The whole cycle could be repeated, there being added every time a fresh dose of the enzyme. … After every cycle of repair replication, the process of strand separation would have to be repeated. Experiments based on these lines of thought are in progress.
Wow, what a cliff hanger. Kleppe has just described polymerase chain reactions (PCR), the now ubiquitous method for amplifying DNA. But this was 14 years before Kary Mullis (with Saikia as first authur) published the first application of PCR in Science.
But despite the tantalising ending to Kleppe’s paper, nothing else emerges from Khorana’s group to that effect. He never published those experiments. And indeed no one else picked up on the idea until Kary Mullis ran with it.
Its an interesting story that’s been brought up plenty of times before, but having stumbled across the original paper describing the ‘invention’ of PCR and given the big DNA anniversary next week, I thought I’d put it out there again.Look, no bearskin! Pictured in his uniform for the first time, the Sikh Guardsman allowed to wear turban at the Palace
This is the first picture of Buckingham Palace Guardsman Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar wearing his ceremonial uniform – minus a traditional bearskin.
Scots Guardsman Bhullar will this week break centuries of tradition when he wears a turban adorned with a regimental cap badge on parade outside the Palace.
Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed how Guardsman Bhullar had suffered abuse over his Sikh religion and turban from comrades, and now a Facebook tribute page has been set up in his honour.
Scots Guardsman Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar, pictured, will wear a turban with a regimental cap badge on parade at Buckingham Palace this week
Titled ‘Guardsman Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar: A credit to the nation’, it features pictures of Jatinderpal, along with tributes from friends, relatives and members of the public who support him.
An entry from Guardsman Bhullar himself reads: ‘I am very grateful for whoever set up this page, and may God be with u and every1 else who is liking this page and supporting me.’
Our picture of Bhullar in his turban, red tunic and white buff belt was taken at Wellington Barracks in London’s Birdcage Walk, where he is based with colleagues from his regiment’s ceremonial company, known as F Company.
The buttons on Bhullar’s tunic are positioned in threes to represent the Scots Guards’ status as the third regiment in the Guards Division’s order of senior
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weird that the 44 million Americans on Medicare, including us, do not receive a quarterly or annual statement telling us how much cost we imposed on the healthcare system, how much we paid in premiums, and what the balance of those payments might be.
Going a bit further, why not have a record for all the years we have been covered by Medicare? We can say the same for secondary providers that supplement Medicare.
The 71.8 million citizens on Medicaid and Children Health Insurance Plan also operate in the dark. They have no straightforward way of knowing how much any of us are spending.
The more Dot and I talked about this, the crazier it seemed that one of our largest annual expenditures (we guess) would be unaccounted for. We couldn't help but wonder how our behavior might be affected if we knew how much healthcare costs we are imposing each year.
Nor could we imagine how the elected officials struggling mightily to improve our healthcare system might benefit from this kind of straightforward information.
Maybe, just maybe, Trump needs to add another section to his healthcare executive orders. The section could instruct the Department of Health and Human Services to provide quarterly statements to all those covered by healthcare insurance, reporting the cost each individual has imposed on the healthcare system, the payments made by the individual, and the balance, all on one page.
A more informed consumer is always a better consumer — even if someone else is picking up the check.
Bruce Yandle is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. He is a distinguished adjunct fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and dean emeritus of the Clemson University College of Business & Behavioral Science. He developed the "Bootleggers and Baptists" political model.
If you would like to write an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, please read our guidelines on submissions here.A gyroscope is a type of sensor that can sense twisting and turning motions. Often paired with an accelerometer, you can use these to do 3D motion capture and inertial measurement (that is - you can tell how an object is moving!) As these sensors become more popular and easier to manufacture, the prices for them have dropped to the point where you can easily afford a triple-axis gyro! Only a decade ago, this space-tech sensor would have been hundreds of dollars.
This breakout board is based around the latest gyro technology, the L3GD20H from STMicro. It's the upgrade to the L3G4200 (see this app note on what to look for if upgrading an existing design to the L3GD20) with three full axes of sensing. The chip can be set to ±250, ±500, or ±2000 degree-per-second scale for a large range of sensitivity. There's also built in high and low pass sensing to make data processing easier. The chip supports both I2C and SPI so you can interface with any microcontroller easily.
Since this chip is a 3.3V max device, but many of our customers want to use it with an Arduino, we soldered it to a breakout board with level shifting circuitry so you can use the I2C or SPI interface safely using a 5V interface device. We also place a 3.3V regulator on there so you can power it from 5V.
Since we expect people will want to attach it firmly to their project, the PCB comes with four 2.1mm mounting holes. Use #2-56 imperial or M2 screws screws.
Getting started is easy - simply connect SDA to your Arduino I2C data pin (On the UNO this is A4), SCL to I2C clock (Uno: A5), GND to ground, and Vin to 3 or 5VDC. Then install and run our easy to use Arduino library, which will print out the XYZ sensor data to the serial terminal. Our library also supports SPI on any 4 digital I/O pins, see the example for wiring.National Broadband Network customers are five times more likely to complain about their service than a non-NBN user, as frustrations continue to surround the nation's biggest infrastructure project.
More than 13,406 complaints were made to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman about NBN services in the last financial year, which accounted for 11.9 per cent of all complaints received by the TIO, an increase from 5.4 per cent the year before.
Complaints made to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman about NBN services increased by 5.4 per cent compared to the previous financial year. Credit:Adam Turner
Consumer advocacy groups believe a lot of the disappointment around the NBN could be mitigated with more transparency.
Teresa Corbin, CEO of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) said clearer information was needed to differentiate between theoretical speeds and what could actually be achieved.Share:
ISLAMABAD - US President Barack Obama yesterday rang up Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and extended condolences on behalf of the people of United States on the Lahore tragedy.
Asking the prime minister to convey his feelings to the affected families of the gory incident, the US president said, “People of United States are with the government and the people of Pakistan in this tragic moment and we will extend every help to Pakistan to eliminate terror from its soil.”
President Obama further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Pakistan had shown great progress in this war against terrorism. “We acknowledge and appreciate your leadership in the anti-terror efforts and believe that Pakistan will succeed in this war.”
The prime minister said that the invisible enemy was killing innocent people who were soft targets for them due to their broken infrastructure.
“Our resolve is getting stronger day by day. The Pakistani nation will win this war against this invisible enemy and extremist ideology,” he added.
President Obama appreciated PM’s decision to stay back with his nation in this testing time by not attending nuclear security summit.
President Obama told the prime minister that he would be looking forward to meet in near future and he was eagerly waiting for this meeting.
In Washington, the White House in a statement said "President Obama expressed his understanding of Prime Minister Sharif's decision to cancel his visit to the United States and remain in Pakistan following this terrorist attack."
Meanwhile, President of Maldives Abdullah Yameen also phoned Prime Minister Sharif and conveyed his deepest condolences on the loss of precious human lives in the Lahore terror attack.
PM Sharif said the terrorists were on the run and therefore hitting soft targets including children and women.
"Terrorism has become a serious global threat. We are determined to wipe out terrorism from our soil," added the prime minister.
CHINA REASSURES SUPPORT AGAINST TERRORISM
INP adds: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang expressed shock over killing of innocent people in terrorist attack in Lahore and assured their support in combating terrorism.
In their condolence messages to their Pakistani counterparts, they appreciated the resolve of the leadership and law-enforcing agencies taking the terrorists to task.
President Xi in his message to President Mamnoon Hussain extended, on behalf of the Chinese govt and the people and in his personal name a heartfelt condolence to the victims and their families.
China opposes terrorism in any forms and condemns in "the strongest possible terms" the terrorist attack that has caused heavy casualties, Xi said, adding, Pakistan has the staunch support from China in its efforts to combat terrorism, safeguard its stability and ensure the safety of its people.
In a similar message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Premier Li Keqiang said he was shocked by the news of the terrorist attack that had caused heavy casualties. Li, on behalf of the Chinese govt, extended profound condolences to the victims while expressing deep sympathy with their relatives and the injured.
China firmly opposes terrorism in all forms and will continue to firmly support the Pakistani govt and people in their efforts to maintain national security and stability and to crack down on terrorism, he said.Splint is this great tool to statically analyze C code. Splint is an evolution of Lint. Lint makes analysis of C code and verifies unused declarations, type inconsistencies, use before definitions, unreachable code, ignored return values, execution path with no return and infinite loops. However, Lint was not a sufficiently powerful tool. Splint was created as a descendant of Lint allowing annotations in C code, so, it do more checks than its predecessor. In this post I will present some verifications that Splint does, and show the philosophy and how to use it. Splint allows annotations on functions, variables, parameters and types.
Undefined Variables
Splint detects instances where the value of a variable is used before it is defined. Anyway, many static analyzers can also do this, it is a very basic check. However, thanks to the splint annotations supports, they can be used to describe what storage must be defined and what storage must be undefined at interface points, this means that all storage reachable from a global variable, parameter to a function, or function return value is defined before and after the function call.
A special case of undefined variables is undefined function parameters. Sometimes we do a certain C function that return values, or change parameters values. The out annotation denotes a pointer to storage that may be undefined. Splint have a great storage model, so does not report an error when a pointer to allocated but undefined storage is passed as an out parameter. If in the body of a function an outparameter is allocated but not bounded to a value Splint reports an error. You can see out as an parameter that will be defined inside a function. The opposite happens to the in annotation, this can be used to denote a parameter that must be completely defined.
Here is a small example of it:
extern void setVal (/*@out@*/ int *x); extern int getVal (/*@in@*/ int *x); extern int mysteryVal(int *x); int dumbfunc(/*@out@*/ int *x, int i) { if (i > 3) 11 return *x; else if (i > 1) 13 return getVal (x); else if (i == 0) 15 return mysteryVal (x); else { 18 setVal (x); 19 return *x; } }
And here it is the output of Splint:
> splint usedef.c usedef.c:11: Value *x used before definition usedef.c:13: Passed storage x not completely defined (*x is undefined): getVal (x) usedef.c:15: Passed storage x not completely defined (*x is undefined): mysteryVal (x) Finished checking --- 3 code warnings
As you can see, no error is reported for line 18, because the incomplete defined storage x is passed to a function that will define it, so we can return *x with no problems.
Types
Strong type checking often reveals programming errors. Splint can check primitive C types more strictly and flexibly than typical compilers.
C, does not make types verification. Because for C all basic non numerical types are just int’s (Enum, Pointer, Char). Splint supports stricter checking of built-in C types. The char and enum types can be checked as distinct types, and the different numeric types can be type-checked strictly. Also the primitive char type can be type-checked as a distinct type. If char is used as a distinct type, common errors involving assigning ints to chars are detected.
In Splint, you can always turn off some default verifications, and Splint will assume the C compiler strategy to verify the code. If you run Splint with +charint is on, char types are indistinguishable from ints. So you can make cast’s from int to char or from cahr to int. But never forgot that this can lead to errors, as you can imagine if you do (char) 1000 you will not get an expected result because the characters only go up to 256.
Splint reports errors in the use of Enums, if a value that is not an enumerator member is assigned to the enum type or if an enum type is used as an operand to an arithmetic operator. Anyway you can turn this off, activating the enumint flag and then you can use enums and ints types interchangeably.
Memory Management
About half the bugs in typical C programs can be attributed to memory management problems.
Any C programmer who has already made a reasonable size program, has been confronted with unexpected errors related with memory management problems. This happens basically because C is a low level language so, does not have any system like Java’s garbage collector. All the memory management have to be done by the programmer, so errors may append. Some only appear sporadically, and some may only be apparent when compiled on a different platform. Splint is able to detect many memory management errors at compile time, like: using storage that may have been deallocated, memory leaks or returning a pointer to stack-allocated storage. This is possible because Splint makes a memory model when is working on the code, anyway I will not talk about this subject.
Splint can see and report deallocating storage when there are other live references to the same storage and failing to deallocate storage before the last reference to it is lost. The solution here is simple, Splint makes an obligation to release storage and attach this obligation to the reference to which the storage is assigned.
For references not shared Splint uses the only annotation to indicate that a reference is the only pointer to the object it points to, here we also use the null annotation to say that the output of malloc could be NULL:
/* @only@ */ /* @null@ */ void * malloc ( size_t size );
Here is a simple example of C annotated code with memory leaks and use after free variables:
1 extern /*@only@*/ int *glob; /*@only@*/ int *f (/*@only@*/ int *x, int *y, int *z) /*@globals glob;@*/ { 8 int *m = (int *) 9 malloc (sizeof (int)); 11 glob = y; //Memory leak 12 free (x); 13 *m = *x; //Use after free 14 return z; //Memory leak detected }
Here is the Splint output for the file above:
> splint only.c only.c:11: Only storage glob (type int *) not released before assignment: glob = y only.c:1: Storage glob becomes only only.c:11: Implicitly temp storage y assigned to only: glob = y only.c:13: Dereference of possibly null pointer m: *m only.c:8: Storage m may become null only.c:13: Variable x used after being released only.c:12: Storage x released only.c:14: Implicitly temp storage z returned as only: z only.c:14: Fresh storage m not released before return only.c:9: Fresh storage m allocated
Splint errors and warnings are very human readable, so you just have to read them to understand.
The first warning says that variable glob was not released (we say, in line 1, that it is only) before the assignment. In line 13 we have a dereference of possibly null pointer, because in line 12 we have done free to x variable, an now we want to use it’s value. As you can see, is very easy to understand the output of Splint.
Splint can also make verifications in stack based references. A memory error occurs if a pointer into stack is live after the function returns. Splint detects errors involving stack references exported from a function through return values or assignments to references reachable from global variables or actual parameters.
No annotations are needed to detect stack reference errors. It is clear from declarations if storage is allocated on the function stack.
Here is an example of stack-allocated storage:
int *glob; int *f (int **x) { int sa[2] = { 0, 1 }; int loc = 3; 9 glob = &loc; 10 *x = &sa[0]; 12 return &loc; }
And here is the Splint output:
> splint stack.c stack.c:12: Stack-allocated storage &loc reachable from return value: &loc stack.c:12: Stack-allocated storage *x reachable from parameter x stack.c:10: Storage *x becomes stack stack.c:12: Stack-allocated storage glob reachable from global glob stack.c:9: Storage glob becomes stack
Control Flow
In order to avoid certain errors, Splint have to understand the control flow of the program, so Splint do some checks related to control flow. Many of these checks are possible because of the extra information that is known in annotations. Without this additional information Splint assumes that all functions return and execution continues normally.
noreturn annotation is used to denote a function that never returns.
extern /* @noreturn@ */ void fatalerror ( char *s);
We also have maynoreturn and alwaysreturns annotations, but Splint must assume that a function returns normally when checking the code and doesn’t verify if a function really returns.
To describe non-returning functions the noreturnwhentrue and noreturnwhenfalse mean that a function never returns if the first argument is true or false.
/* @noreturnwhenfalse@ */ void assert (/* @sef@ */ bool /* @alt int@ */ pred );
The sef annotation denotes a parameter as side effect free, and the alt int indicate that it may be either a Boolean or an integer.
Undefined Behavior
The order which side effect take place in C is not entirely defined by the code.
A sequence point is some point in the C code where it is guaranteed that all side effects of previous evaluations have been performed.
An example of sequence points is:
a function call (after the arguments have been evaluated)
at the end of a if, while, for or do statement
a &&, || and?
Here is a simple C program that have undefined behavior.
extern int glob; extern int mystery (void); extern int modglob (void) /*@globals glob@*/ /*@modifies glob@*/; int f (int x, int y[]) { 11 int i = x++ * x; 13 y[i] = i++; 14 i += modglob() * glob; 15 i += mystery() * glob; 16 return i; }
And here is the Splint output:
> splint order.c order.c:11: Expression has undefined behavior (value of right operand modified by left operand): x++ * x order.c:13: Expression has undefined behavior (left operand uses i, modified by right operand): y[i] = i++ order.c:14: Expression has undefined behavior (value of right operand modified by left operand): modglob() * glob order.c:15: Expression has undefined behavior (unconstrained function mystery used in left operand may set global variable glob used in right operand): mystery() * glob
Regard control flow, Splint has more options to check C code. I will not talk about all of them here.
Buffer Sizes
Buffer overflow errors are a particularly dangerous type of bug in C, they are responsible for half of all security attacks. This is happens because C does not perform runtime bound checking (for performance reasons), and so attackers can exploit program bugs to, for example, gain full access to a machine.
Splint models blocks of memory using two properties:
maxSet, maxSet(b) denotes the highest address beyond b that can be safely used as lvalue, for instance:
char buffer[MAXSIZE] we have maxSet(buffer) = MAXSIZE - 1
and maxRead, maxRead(b) denotes the highest index of a buffer that can be safely used as rvalue.
When a buffer is accessed as an lvalue, Splint generates a precondition constraint involving the maxSet property and when a buffer is accessed as an rvalue, Splint generates a precondition constraint involving the maxRead property.
We can use this two properties in buffer sizes annotations, this annotations uses the clause requires and ensures just like JML, VDM and Frama-C. When a function with requires clause is called, the call site must be checked to satisfy the constraints implied by requires.
Here is an example of its use:
void /* @alt char * @*/ strcpy (/* @out@ */ /* @returned@ */ char *s1, char *s2) /* @modifies * s1@ */ /* @requires maxSet (s1) >= maxRead (s2) @*/ /* @ensures maxRead (s1) == maxRead (s2) @*/;
This is a possible annotation for strcpy standard library C function. We say that s1 is the return value of the function (returned), and that the pointer to s1 is the only one (only). We also say that this function modifies s1 and we specify the pre and post conditions.
Splint can also do bound checking. This is more complex than other checks done by Splint, so, memory bound warnings contain extensive information about the unresolved constraint as you can see in this example:
int buf [10]; buf [10] = 3;
setChar.c :5:4: Likely out -of - bounds store : buf [10] Unable to resolve constraint : requires 9 >= 10 needed to satisfy precondition : requires maxSet ( buf @ setChar.c :5:4) >= 10
The ultimate test: wu-ftpd
wu-ftpd version 2.5.0 was about 20.000 lines of code and took less than four seconds to check all of wu-ftpd on a 1.2-GHz Athlon machine. Splint detected the known flaws as well as finding some previously unknown flaws (!)
One of the problems of these automatic static analysis tools is that it can produce false problems.
Running Splint on wu-ftpd without adding annotations produced 166 warnings for potential out-of-bounds writes. After adding 66 annotations, it produced 101 warnings: 25 of these indicated real problems and 76 were false.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Lightweight static analysis detects software vulnerabilities
Splint definitely improves code quality
Suitable for real programs…
Cons:
…although it produces more warning messages that lead to confusion
It won’t eliminate all security risks
Hasn’t been developed since 2007, they need new volunteers
Conclusions
No tool will eliminate all security risks, lightweight static analysis tools (Splint) play an important role in identifying security vulnerabilities.
Here is the presentation about that subject:
Outroduction
All the examples provide here is from the Splint manual.
AdvertisementsGuitarist Serge Pizzorno's three-year-old son has named a song on the upcoming new Kasabian album, a track entitled Bumblebee.
The musician's son Ennio has apparently got quite a strong opinion when it comes to music with Serge telling Q magazine, "He's got a really strong opinion. If any cheesy **** comes on he's instantly like, 'This is rubbish, turn it off'. He's massively into our stuff.
"He's named a song on the new album, Bumblebee."
Serge explained the title choice, "There's this buzzing sound on it and he was asking me about it all day long, 'Put busy bee on it, put busy bee on it'. I thought, 'I'll have that'. I changed it a bit; Busy Bee's not quite as cool as Bumblebee."
The upcoming album will be Kasabian's fifth studio offering.Basiliscus is a genus of large corytophanid lizards, commonly known as basilisks, which are endemic to southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. The genus contains four species, which are commonly known as the Jesus Christ lizard, or simply the Jesus lizard, due to their ability to run across water for significant distances before sinking.
Basilisks on average measure 70 to 75 cm (28 to 30 in) in total length (including tail). Their growth is perpetual, fast when they are young and nonlinear for mature basilisks. [ citation needed ] Their long crest-like sails, reinforced in three distinct points (head, back, and tail), [ citation needed ] confer the impression of creatures such as Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus. Their skin is shed in pieces. [ citation needed ]
Basilisks sometimes run bipedally. Basilisks have the ability to "run" on water, and because of this, they have been dubbed the "Jesus Christ lizard" in reference to the biblical passage of Matthew 14:22-34.[2] On water, basilisks can run at a velocity of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) per second for approximately 4.5 meters (15 feet) before sinking on all fours and swimming.[citation needed] Flaps between their toes help support basilisks, creating a larger surface and pockets of air, giving them the buoyancy needed to run across water.[citation needed] They can also sustain themselves on all fours while "water-walking" to increase the distance travelled above the surface by about 1.3 meters (4.3 feet).[citation needed]
A similar behavior, running bipedally across water, is known from the sailfin lizards and a few species of anole lizards.[3][4] Basilisks and sailfin lizards share the specialized toe fringes, which however are lacking in the anoles.[4]Three times a week Intissar Younes Issa walks over to the Sulaiman Baruni primary school, near her house on the hill above town, and gives lessons that until three years ago would have landed her in jail. One recent morning she taught her pupils a song:
“Nanna a Nanna, sekker asif n zalla, asif n zalla yeshur s yimtekan d wzemmur,” it begins.
The words are Tamazight, an ancient language banned by Libya’s former dictator, Muammar Qaddafi. In English they mean, “My grandmother, my grandmother, you wake the valley of Zalla, the valley of Zalla filled with figs and olives.”
The song describes the region of Yefren, home to Libya’s Amazigh, or Berber, minority, which includes both Ms. Younes Issa and her pupils. Mr. Qaddafi’s ouster has allowed them to bring their language into the open and launched a debate over minority rights as Libya struggles to remake itself.
Rich history repressed
Amazighs have inhabited North Africa since before recorded history; the earliest known reference to them may be 1st millennium BC rock engravings of chariots in the Sahara. Romans, Vandals, and Byzantines all conquered the region, followed by Arabs, who brought Islam and their language. But Tamazight, a group of dialects distantly related to Arabic, has survived in places like Libya's Nafusa Mountains, a towering arc of red-brown escarpments that swing southwest from Tripoli to the Tunisian border.
Libya’s several hundred thousand Amazighs consider this their cultural heartland, although some towns are Arab. According to Alberto Denti di Pirajno, an Italian colonial doctor posted to Libya in the 1920s, the two populations “cordially disdained” one another.
"The Berbers find the Arabs obtuse, thieving, and treacherous,” he wrote in his memoir, "Un Medico in Africa," "while the Arabs say that the Berbers have ‘the greed of the Jews, the venom of the asp, and the honesty of a prostitute’.”
Upon seizing power in 1969, Qaddafi declared Libya purely Arab. Tamazight was suppressed, Amazigh names were forbidden, and Amazighs’ role in Libya’s history was downplayed in textbooks. For Amazighs, Libya’s 2011 uprising was a chance to reassert their culture.
Amazigh town elders backed revolt in online video statements, including one in both Arabic and Tamazight. As Qaddafi’s shells rained on the mountains, the Tamazight letter “z” – two semicircles bisected by a vertical line, used by Berbers throughout the region – appeared in graffiti as an emblem of identity. Finally it appeared on Tripoli walls as Amazigh rebels helped topple Qaddafi’s regime.
Revival
Amazighs immediately began bringing Tamazight into the public sphere. While most Amazighs continued speaking the language in private during Qaddafi’s rule, not all know how to read and write it. Mrs. Younes Issa was among volunteers who began teaching children Tamazight. In 2102, Amazigh town councils began funding teacher training, salaries, and textbooks.
Last year, Libya’s interim parliament declared Tamazight and other minority languages components of Libyan society and authorized schools to teach them as optional subjects. The education ministry has even begun funding Tamazight instruction.
With liberty has come enthusiasm for perfecting one’s Tamazight, Younes Issa says, chatting with The Christian Science Monitor and fellow teachers in the school director’s office.
“For example, before we would say ‘hammam’ (bathroom), from Arabic, but now people are saying ‘abdus.’ Even ‘cugina’ (kitchen), which comes from Italian (“cucina”); now we say ‘anwal’.”
“We here are the roots,” chimes in Souad Shneb, a large, forthright lady who also teaches at Sulaiman Baruni school. “The roots of Libya.”
Language is only the beginning
For many Amazighs, basic freedom of expression isn’t enough. They also want Libya’s future constitution to enshrine Tamazight as an official language and guarantee its protection.
Last November Amazigh protesters shut down an oil port near Tripoli to press those demands. And last month the High Amazigh Council, an activist umbrella group, called on Amazighs to boycott constitutional drafting committee elections, arguing that the two seats reserved for Amazighs from a planned 60 were insufficient.
“There’s an Arab nationalist thinking that rejects us,” says council member Nuri Ali Sherwi, who was among 45 Amazigh activists he says were jailed in the 1980s after they organized to promote their culture. “We won’t recognize a constitution that doesn’t recognize us.”
But others worry that identity politics risk inflaming tensions at a time when Libya’s government is weak and militias proliferate. Magazine editor Salah Ngab makes a point of running content in Tamazight, Arabic, English, and the Taduga language of minority Tebus in his monthly magazine, “Aramat” (“Equinox”).
“The aim is to send a message to our people that it’s possible to be different and live in peace,” Mr. Ngab says.
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Back in Yefren, Amazighs such as local radio director Ashraf Amroushi are relishing new freedoms. During the 2011 war, Mr. Amroushi found himself holding a gun with other rebels. Now he oversees the broadcast of Tamazight news bulletins, live discussions, and especially, music.
“I feel that now I’m offering something that’s even better than what I offered in the revolution,” Mr. Amroushi says.Sometimes, it's OK to be both really, really lucky -- and also good.
Meet your 2013 San Diego Chargers, who earned a trip to the playoffs with a little -- who am I kidding, a lot -- of help from a variety of friends.
After getting by with said help to nab the AFC's No. 6 seed, the Bolts could be dangerous, landing a solid matchup (and maybe match-ups) this January. And they'll know exactly where to send their thank-you cards.
Yes, the Chargers needed to win. But they also needed the Dolphins to lose -- so Rex Ryan and the Jets will get a gift basket for knocking off the Fins in Miami. San Diego needed the Ravens to fall -- and the defending champs were bounced in Cincy.
Then, as if the football gods were smiling on sunny San Diego, Kansas City coach Andy Reid, knowing that his team had its playoff spot locked down despite getting beaten up in Week 16 by the Colts, oddly decided to rest his starters vs. the Bolts. No Jamaal Charles. No Alex Smith. No key defenders suiting up for "the Chiefs." All Mike McCoy's squad had to do was beat Chase Daniel at home.
If only it had been that easy.
Truth be told, K.C.'s backups inexplicably outplayed the Chargers in the game that allowed San Diego to join the playoff party. It was relatively stunning -- and, frankly, unacceptable. Still, Chargers fans -- kicked around, tormented and Norved throughout the years -- don't care about the aesthetic quality. They've been on the other side. They know they got a win, plain and simple.
Kansas City's kicker, the normally reliable Ryan Succop, missed a game-winning field-goal attempt from 41 yards out with eight seconds to go. Of course he did. That moment defined the zaniness of the game, of Week 17, and of the amazing 2013 NFL season.
And the wackiness had just begun. In overtime, Eric Weddle audibled for a fake punt from the Chargers' 28-yard line, a stunning decision. Weddle appeared to lose the ball and Kansas City subsequently returned it for what seemed like a game-ending touchdown -- only to have the turnover wiped away by referee Bill Leavy, who ruled that Weddle had gained the first down before his forward progress had stopped. I thought it was forward progress, but it was never fully explained by Leavy. Regardless, the Chargers were still alive -- and they went on to take the lead for good on the drive.
That play and the missed field-goal attempt will be talked about in Pittsburgh for a long time, as the Steelers, who trounced the Browns, would have made it to the playoffs with a Chargers loss. Steelers fans will not take heart in Monday morning's admission by the NFL that San Diego should have incurred an illegal-formation penalty on the kick, meaning Kansas City should have been given a chance to boot it again from 36 yards out.
Confusing? Controversial? Convoluted? You bet. The Chargers will take it. Send thank-you cards to Succop and Leavy.
Yes, the ride in Week 17 was wild. But for the good of the playoffs, the right team made it to the dance. San Diego earned it.
Philip Rivers regained his elite status this year. Ryan Mathews eradicated the label of "bust" along with the accompanying stench, joining Rivers as part of a combo that the Chargers -- the flawed Chargers -- might be able to ride to another win or two.
Overshadowed in the AFC West by the genius of Peyton Manning, Rivers' outstanding 2013 campaign flew under the radar. Coming off a dreadful, interception-filled two-year stretch, Rivers threw for 4,478 yards and 32 touchdowns -- fifth- and fourth-best in the NFL, respectively -- against just 11 picks, completing 69.5 percent of his passes. That was a tremendous season and turnaround, for which Rivers deserves credit -- and McCoy and offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt deserve praise.
Speaking of credit, Mathews should get some for providing needed balance, rumbling for 1,255 yards after limping to just 707 in 2012. Remember, this is the combination that protected the ball, controlled the clock and shocked the Broncos in Denver on NFL Network a few weeks ago. And this duo should cause problems for the Bengals when Cincinnati faces the Chargers in the wild-card round this weekend, despite a Cincy defense that is superbly coached by coordinator Mike Zimmer.
Yes, I know the Bengals are dominant and unblemished at home. I also know San Diego won in Denver.
And I know, as I have written before, that, a strong regular season aside, I won't trust Bengals QB Andy Dalton or coach Marvin Lewis in the playoffs or pick them to win a game until I actually see it happen.
Let's be honest. Which quarterback would you put your faith in: Dalton or Rivers?
Through two career playoff games, Dalton has zero touchdowns against four picks. Remember, if Dalton had hit A.J. Green in Houston last year, Green would still be running and Cincy would have won.
If (when) the Chargers top the Bengals, the Bolts will face Denver in the divisional round. McCoy, a former Broncos offensive coordinator, knows Manning and the Broncos very well, as evidenced by the upset special earlier this season. All the pressure in such a matchup would be on Manning.
Sunday's heart-stopping insanity made it a quintessential day for Chargers fans, right? This team has looked brilliant this year -- and it's also had mind-numbing losses to the Raiders and Titans. Nothing was worse than the excruciating overtime defeat to the lowly Redskins in early November, a game that featured play-calling and execution from the 1-yard line in the dwindling moments of regulation that was straight out of the Norv Turner playbook.
Ultimately, though, San Diego was better than Baltimore, Miami and Pittsburgh.
The Chargers have more upside. And McCoy, who has been fantastic overall in his first year as an NFL head coach, has the matchup he needs.
The Bolts should beat the Bengals -- and I think they will. Again, ask yourself, which quarterback do you trust? And ask yourself, do the Broncos want to see the Chargers in two weeks?
Follow Adam Schein on Twitter @AdamSchein.While the Bengals introduced linebacker A.J. Hawk and announced that Clint Boling and Eric Winston have re-signed with the team, former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley spent most of the day visiting Cincinnati. By mid-afternoon, Fairley was seen hanging near the lockerroom while the chaos of re-signed contracts and homecomings took place.
Things appeared to be going well.
Then another disruption took place and everything stalled. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced they released defensive end Michael Johnson.
As a result, the pursuit of Fairley has slowed while the Bengals assess whether they're able to re-sign Johnson. Bengals.com beat writer Geoff Hobson writes that "it looks like the brakes are on until they can figure out if they can re-sign Johnson." There's a strong possibility that mutual interest between the Bengals and Johnson translates into a reunion. However, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Minnesota Vikings are expected to pursue Johnson with head coach Mike Zimmer leading that charge.
In the meantime, Fairley has other teams that have expressed interested in him. Mark Daniels with the Providence Journal reported on Wednesday afternoon that the New England Patriots had began showing interest in Fairley. Jim Thomas with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Rams were also interested, but no visit has been scheduled.
The Detroit Lions, the team that selected him in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft, decided to end their pursuit of maintaining Fairley. Dave Birkett with the Detroit Free Press adds that the Lions "have told multiple people that they are no longer interested in re-signing Fairley, whose injury and weight issues have been a concern for years." The Lions, who lost defensive tackle Ndamokong Suh to the Miami Dolphins, attempted to
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Christmas, is the third in a series by the pontiff. The previous two volumes dealt with Jesus' adult life and his public ministry.
Alessandro Speciale, Vatican correspondent for the Religion News Service, told CNN the pope was not so much aiming to debunk myths as trying to show that the Jesus depicted in the Gospels is a real historical figure, who walked on earth and talked to people like anyone else.
The pope also looks at scholarly studies of the Bible, some of which have indicated for decades that the traditionally accepted birth date for Jesus is wrong, Speciale said.
But while the book points out that the Gospels do not support the presence of animals at Jesus' birth -- a detail apparently added in later centuries -- the pope does not suggest they should be thrown out of the Nativity scene, Speciale said.
"The pope is a traditional man and he doesn't want people at all to change their traditions," Speciale said.
The 176-page volume, which comprises a brief foreword, four chapters and an epilogue, traces Jesus' life up to the age of 12, when, according to the Gospels, he was presented by his parents in the Temple in Jerusalem, the Vatican said.
The initial worldwide print run is more than a million copies, it said, with the book released this week across 50 countries in Italian, German, Croatian, French, English, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish.
In the coming months, the book will be translated into 12 more languages for publication in 72 countries in total, the Vatican added.
The Vatican quotes Anthony Valle, a professor of theology, as saying the pope has been open to scientific inquiry in his own study of Jesus' life.
"The pope is not against the historical critical method at all, in fact, he uses it, he appreciates it," Valle said.
He sees the pope as using "both faith and reason" in his efforts to bring the life of Jesus closer.
Monsignor Philip Whitmore, who translated the book into English, said the pontiff used his writing to explore "the inner meaning of the infancy narratives, showing how they pick up on Old Testament themes and develop them in new and unexpected ways."
"The pope helps us to understand the world where Jesus was born. Caesar brought peace to the Roman Empire, but this tiny child brought something much more wonderful: God's peace, eternal life, an end to sin and death," Whitmore added.
"Anyone who's wondering why Christmas came to be such a great celebration in the West can find the answer right here. The pope explains how the birth of Jesus changed history forever."CAIRO (AP) — Sudan on Wednesday announced it was freezing negotiations with the United States in retaliation for the Trump administration’s move to postpone permanently lifting U.S. sanctions on the African country.
Earlier, Washington said it wanted more time to determine whether the government of President Omar al-Bashir had made enough progress after decades of isolation, war and abuses.
Following the U.S. announcement, al-Bashir decided “to suspend the work of the negotiating committee with the U.S. until Oct. 12,” according to a brief announcement carried by the official SUNA news agency. Al-Bashir and his government had previously said they met all requirements and expected sanctions to be lifted, although activists and opposition disagreed.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said on Tuesday that he saw the easing of the sanctions as “a right” and that Sudan would reject any other decision.
Just before leaving office in January, former President Barack Obama issued an executive order lifting decades-old Sudan sanctions on a probationary basis. Temporary sanctions relief took effect immediately, and was to become permanent on Wednesday unless the Trump administration acted to stop it.
President Donald Trump, in a new executive order issued later Tuesday, moved that deadline back by three months, while keeping the temporary sanctions relief in place in the meantime.
That now means that the Sudan sanctions will permanently expire on Oct. 13, unless the administration acts to snap them back into place.
The Obama administration justified lifting the sanctions by citing improved counterterrorism efforts and other progress in Sudan. But human rights activists and opposition have said the sanctions should stay in place.
“Today, victims, human rights defenders, displaced persons and those who are denied their right to humanitarian access among others will receive with joy President Trump’s decision,” Yasir Arman, secretary general of rebel group SPLM-N said in a statement.
“It is our conviction that lifting sanctions on Sudan should be organically linked to a program of realizing a just peace and democratic transformation in Sudan,” Arman added.
Several dozen U.S. lawmakers had urged Trump to delay a final decision by a full year, arguing that the new U.S. administration does not yet have sufficient staff in place to fully evaluate whether the sanctions merited being removed.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert credited Sudan with making progress in improving humanitarian access, cooperating with the U.S. on counter-terrorism and preserving a cease-fire in conflict areas. But she said the administration needed more time to review the situation and determine whether it was appropriate to lift the sanctions.
“We remain deeply committed to engagement with the GOS and working toward further progress,” Nauert said, using an acronym for the Government of Sudan.
Sudan has been under U.S. financial sanctions since the 1990s, when it was briefly home to Osama Bin Laden and accused of sponsoring terrorism.
Rights advocates and opposition groups have said lifting the sanctions would strengthen al-Bashir, who is wanted by the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court for genocide charges linked to the Darfur conflict, and that lifting the measures would help bring his government back into the international fold, despite its past abuses.
Human Rights Watch welcomed the U.S. postponement.
“We think the decision to postpone makes a lot of sense, given the situation on the ground,” said Jehanne Henry of New York-based Human Rights Watch. “We also urge the U.S. government to assess Sudan’s performance on human rights issues using more specific benchmarks than were included in Obama’s executive order.”
The U.S. has worked to isolate Sudan since the military coup that brought al-Bashir to power in 1989, and even if Trump lets the sanctions expire in October, other sanctions targeting the Sudanese leader and some of his inner circle will remain in place regardless.
A senior Trump administration official declined to comment on the Sudan president’s reaction, other than to say that the U.S. was still holding “senior-level engagements” on Wednesday with Sudan’s government and planned to keep doing so going forward.
The official wasn’t authorized to be identified by name and briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
In Washington, the Treasury Department released updated guidance Wednesday, explaining that all transactions that were barred under the sanctions but have been permitted since Obama’s move in January will remain permitted. Other, specific sanctions that were never suspended — such as those related to Darfur — remain in place.
___Microsoft is planning to support extensions in the successor to its Internet Explorer browser. Currently codenamed Spartan, the new browser will be included as part of Windows 10 across PCs, phones, and tablets. Spartan’s extension support isn’t clear, but Microsoft’s browser development team confirmed the feature on Twitter by noting that "we're working on a plan for extensions for a future update to Project Spartan."
Spartan's extensions could look a lot like Chrome's
Internet Explorer 11 currently supports add-ons, but they’re not similar to the popular extensions found in Chrome and Firefox. The Verge understands Microsoft is currently testing ways to allow Chrome extension developers to easily port their work across to Spartan. While the extension support might not be identical to that of Chrome, the results could be close. Internet Explorer has lacked fully functional extensions for years now, and Microsoft has relied on its ageing ActiveX technology to extend the functionality of its browser.
The new extensions support is likely linked to Microsoft’s plans to separate out Spartan from Internet Explorer. While some versions of Windows 10 will ship with Internet Explorer and Spartan for compatibility reasons, the new Spartan browser will use a new rendering engine named Edge. It’s similar to Microsoft’s existing Trident engine that powers Internet Explorer 11, but it’s clear the company is moving away from having to support legacy document modes. We’re still waiting to hear a lot more about Spartan, but Microsoft did reveal that the new browser also includes an inking mode to annotate web pages, Cortana digital assistant integration, and reading mode features. Microsoft will ship Spartan as part of Windows 10, but the company has not yet revealed whether it will also become available to Windows 7 or Windows 8 users.H1 Unlimited hydroplanes are the fastest racing boats in the world and their races are sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association, doing business as H1 Unlimited. The majority of the H1 boats are powered by turbine-engines that produce 3,000 horsepower, allowing the H1 Unlimited hydroplanes to reach speeds of nearly 200 mph, producing a massive 60-foot tall, 300-foot long wall of water called a “roostertail” behind them. With very few restrictions, these majestic hydroplanes race in front of shorelines packed with fans on bodies of water throughout the United States.
Follow the 2018 H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Series as the season kicks-off in Guntersville, Alabama, home of the inaugural Guntersville Lake Hydrofest and the Race for the Southern Cup.
From there, the boats head to Madison, Indiana, home of the only community-owned hydroplane on the circuit for the Indiana Governor’s Cup Madison Regatta on the Ohio River.
The next stop is the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington for the HAPO Columbia Cup and a sun-baked weekend on one of the super speedways of the series – look for speeds topping 200 mph.
Seattle, Washington hosts the fourth race, the Albert Lee Appliance Cup at Seafair on the historic Lake Washington hydroplane course. The Seafair event always results in great racing as a majority of the teams have home bases and sponsors in the greater Seattle area, and a win in their hometown is tops on every participant’s list.
At the fifth race of the year, the Spirit of Detroit Hydrofest in Detroit, Michigan you will see some outstanding racing on one of the most spectacular courses on the circuit –the Roostertail Turn. It is the closest racecourse to the shore and should be experienced at least once in your life.
The season finishes on beautiful Mission Bay in San Diego, California at the HomeStreet Bank Bayfair Cup. The finale is sure to include a battle for the season high points championship, guaranteeing deck-to-deck battles until the final checkered flag!
If you haven’t experienced H1Unlimited hydroplane racing in person, choose an event, get down to the shore and see what makes this “the most spectacular sport on the water.”Fox News "Worst Host" Sean Hannity (Screencap)
Personnel at the Fox News Channel put on a great show of being outraged Friday that President Barack Obama called them out by name in a speech about lies and distortions about the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — which goes into effect Oct. 1.
Former CNN anchor turned Fox personality Bill Hemmer protested on Friday, “What have we reported that is inaccurate about this? What has been reported through the Fox News Channel that is not accurate?”
In the video embedded below, the media watchdog group Media Matters highlighted just a few of them, including Sarah Palin’s “death panels,” euthanasia for the elderly, assertions that the ACA is “unconstitutional,” that it’s going to result in “rationing” of health care and more.
Watch the video clip, embedded below via Media Matters:One of the things that I've noticed over the last (nearly) nine years blogging about pseudocience, quackery, and conspiracy theories is that a person who believes in one form of woo has a tendency to believe in other forms of woo. You've probably noticed it too. I've lost count of the examples that I've seen of antivaccinationists who are into other forms of quackery, of quacks who are 9/11 Truthers, of HIV/AIDS denialists who are anthropogenic global warming denialists, and nearly every combination of these and many other forms of pseudoscience, pseudohistory, and denialism. Several years ago, a blog bud of mine, Mark Hoofnagle, coined a very descriptive term for this phenomenon, crank magnetism. It's stuck, and has entered widespread use in the skeptical world.
Of course, there's crank magnetism, and then there's crank magnetism. Some cranks, for instance, only attract a handful of different forms of woo, while remaining (seemingly, at least) rational with respect to almost everything else. A very "special" few people, though, take crank magnetism to a whole new level, a level undreamed of before the establishment of the Internet allowed them to spread their crankitude to the entire world at the click of a mouse. One such person always comes to mind right away when thinking of crank magnitude, and that's Mike Adams. Adams is the founder of one of the largest repository of woo in the entire world, NaturalNews.com. Over the years, I've pointed out examples of Adams' support of cancer quackery, antivaccinationism (particularly anti-flu vaccinationism), genetics denialism, anti-GMO (genetically modified organisms, for those not familiar with the lingo) anti-psychiatry every bit as virulent as that of Scientology (which shouldn't be surprising, given that Adams apparently used to be a Scientologist), and New World Order conspiracy theories (Adams does, after all, frequently appear on Alex Jones' show and his various online video and podcast networks). Lately, he's been indulging in some of the scariest fringe political views, in which the government is coming to take his guns; it wouldn't surprise me if he's a survivalist. It all goes way back, too. After all, Adams got his start scamming people to subscribe to his website and service to protect them from the feared Y2K bug and has been known for running a software company that designs, well, spam software. Most recently, Adams has developed a website in which he claims to be able, in essence, replace PubMed, at least for those attracted to quackery.
So just when Adams has embraced every form of pseudoscience known to humankind (seemingly), producing virulently anti-science rants and videos blaming science for everything evil in the world, how much lower could he possibly go? Easy.
Now Adams is denying evolution. Well, not exactly. He's intentionally confusing abiogenesis with evolution in order to attack atheism. I kid you not:
Ask any scientist where life on our planet came from, and they'll usually give you a one-word answer: "Evolution." Immediately thereafter, they will usually give you a condescending look that also implies you're an idiot for not knowing this "scientific fact" that everyone else has accepted as true. It turns out, however, that the scientist is suffering from a delusion. Evolution doesn't even encompass origins of life. Rather, evolution (i.e. "natural selection") explains a process by which species undergo a process of adaptation, fitness and reproduction in response to environmental, behavioral and sexual influences. No rational person can deny that natural selection is ever-present and happening right now across bacteria, plants, animals and even humans, yet natural selection can only function on pre-existing life forms. It does not give rise to non-existent life.
This is about as big a "Well, duh!" observation as I've ever seen from Adams, and he's a master of the "Well, duh!" observation ladled with a generous helping of pure burning stupid designed to take that observation and build a straw man so massive that when the stupid burns it, the fire can be seen from space. No scientist who knows anything about evolutionary biology would so stupidly confuse evolution with abiogenesis (the development of life from non-life). Even someone as scientifically ignorant as Adams appears to know the difference between the two. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop him from ascribing scientifically ignorant views to evolutionary biologists and other scientists who recognize that evolution is the best current explanation for how the diversity of life came about and then ranting about how evolution can't explain the ORIGIN OF LIFE! (Yes, there are many caps in the rant.) He even goes so far as to accuse scientists of believing in magic, an accusation so rich in irony that I have a hard time believing it, given some of Adams' previous "pearls."
Then, of course, to Adams scientists are all hopeless atheists who believe...well, what Adams thinks atheists believe is so bizarre that I think I will let his own words speak for themselves:
Conventional scientists, of course, will go through tremendous contortions to try to remove any idea of a designer, engineer or Creator from their worldview. That's because nearly all of them are devout atheists who also disavow any belief in consciousness, free will, the soul, God or spirituality. According to their own explanations, they themselves are mindless biological robots suffering from the mere delusion of mind created as a kind of artificial projection of mechanistic biological brain function. See my mini-documentary "The God Within" for a more detailed exploration of this: The twisted philosophy of many scientists also raises bizarre ethical lapses, such as their belief that killing a lab rat, or a dog, or even another human being is of no ethical consequence since all those creatures are not actually "alive" in any real way. This is why drug companies, vaccine manufacturers and science in general feels no remorse for conducting deadly experiments on children, blacks, prisoners or minorities.
I reviewed "The God Within," which, let's face it, should really have been titled "Science Is Evil," because that was the relentless message of the YouTube video. In that movie, Adams managed to paint science as the reason why Hitler and the Nazis did what they did—shades of Ben Stein!—as well as an ideology that demands that humans must be mindless biological robots who have no morals, scruples, or concern for their fellow beings because if there is no God then there's no reason to behave ethically, no morals, no goodness.
As amusing as all this is, there is something even more amusing still, a one-two punch squashed my irony meter flat as though it were stomped on by Godzilla or run over by a steamroller. First, Adams accuses scientists of being "arrogant." I kid you not. A man who believes himself to be a "scientist" while being amazed that objects look very different and even alien under the microscope thinks that scientists who have actually dedicated their lives to studying science are "arrogant" for telling pissants like Adams that they are clueless and don't know what they are talking about. Truly, Adams is the man with no self-awareness. I wonder if that could be a Saturday Night Live sketch. If it ever is, I want royalties.
Now here comes the second punch in the one-two punch:
Their faith-based beliefs are always described as "facts" while they proclaim other people's beliefs are "delusions." You cannot argue with any group of people who are wholly convinced their beliefs are facts because any critical thinking you might invoke is automatically and routinely rejected as a matter of irrational defense.
Yes, Adams actually wrote that, amazingly enough. He even wrote what comes next, in which he trods over ground that cranks and quacks, particularly fundamentalist religion-inspired quacks and cranks, have trod over so many times before. Not surprisingly, the example Adams chooses is vaccines:
As an example of this, ask any doctor or pharmacist this question: "Is there such thing as an unsafe vaccine?" The answer you will be told is a condescending "No!" In the faith-based beliefs of the scientific status quo, no vaccine can ever be harmful by definition. Vaccines are beyond questioning in their belief system, and so the very question of asking if a vaccine could possibly be anything less than 100% safe doesn't compute. It contradicts their faith, in other words. It's like asking a devout Christian whether there might be no God. The question is so contradictory to their belief system that it cannot be processed.
This is, of course, a very silly, very disingenuous example. Any vaccine that makes it to the point of being sold by a pharmacist is indeed very safe. Moreover, no one denies that there are vaccines whose safety isn't what we would like. (The anthrax vaccine comes to mind.) However, those vaccines are generally not sold in pharmacies and not distributed widely among the population. So it's unlikely that a pharmacist would ever have encountered an unsafe vaccine.
Now the next part is even more hilarious. The reason it's so hilarious is that it's an example of Adams thinking that he can actually trap physicians, pharmacists, and scientists in their own "logical fallacies" and contradictions. Of course, Adams wouldn't know what a real logical fallacy is if it bit him on the proverbial posterior, which is why he can type something like this with a straight face and a smug air of condescension:
You can test this further by asking a vaccine-pushing doctor, "Is there anything that could be added to a vaccine that would make it unsafe?" After careful thought, an honest doctor might answer, "Well, sure, there are all sorts of toxins that could be added to a vaccine that would make it unsafe." Ask them to name some examples. Sooner or later, they should stumble onto the self-evident answer of "mercury," a deadly neurotoxin which remains present in many modern vaccines. Ask the doctor, "Has any safe level of mercury ever been established for injection into a child?" The answer, of course, is no. Logically, no vaccine containing mercury can be considered "safe" regardless of the level of mercury it contains. Thus, by merely asking a few direct questions, you can easily get an honest doctor to shatter their own false belief about vaccines -- a belief based on the faith-driven delusion that there is no such thing as an unsafe vaccine (no matter what it contains).
So much misinformation in such a compact form. Truly, Adams is talented when it comes to obfuscating and lying. The reason, of course, is that the answer to his question is not "no." It is yes, and the tiny amount of mercury that remains in a few vaccines (and virtually no childhood vaccines any more) is too small to cause harm. (It doesn't cause autism, either.) Doctors' belief that vaccines are safe is not based on faith, quite unlike Adams' fanatical belief that they are dangerous. It's based on facts and scientific and clinical studies.
Adams goes on to rant about "scientism" without actually knowing what the word means, peppering his continued rant with more examples of just how little he understands science. He even throws in a contradiction of his own. After having pointed out that natural selection works to cause the evolution of living organisms in the beginning of his screed, Adams now claims that natural selection is not enough to explain the evolution of the diversity of life, and he does so using arguments so stupid that only the most brain dead fundamentalist creationist could use them without blushing. But, then, this is Mike Adams we are talking about:
Even the theory of natural selection based on purely mechanistic genetic inheritance contains enormous gaps in logic and is therefore a matter of faith. For starters, there isn't enough data storage in the human genome to fully describe the physical and behavioral inheritance of a human being. The massive failure of the Human Genome Project also comes to mind: Here's a project that promised to solve the riddle of the origins of nearly all disease. Once the human genome was fully decoded, disease would be eliminated from humankind, we were all promised.
No, we were not promised any such thing. While it's true that the Human Genome Project was a bit oversold with respect to the rapid, concrete results that it would produce, not even its wildest boosters claimed that the HGP would eliminate disease from humankind.Be that as it may, I just addressed Adams' claim that there is not enough data storage in the human genome to produce a human being. It's pure misinformation based on a misunderstanding of genetics, as is this statement about human consciousness:
And there's another huge contradiction in the scientific community. Most conventional scientists claim that consciousness is an illusion which somehow arose out of natural selection so that individual members of a species could operate under the illusion of free will. Yet, at the same time, they claim this false "mind" has no actual impact on the real world because it is, by definition, an illusion. So how can an illusory phenomenon drive natural selection and evolution if it has no impact on the real world?
I'd really love to know what scientists Adams is reading and speaking to, because I've never seen a legitimate scientist claim that consciousness is an illusion that arose out of natural selection to produce the illusion of free will. That's yet another straw man version of evolution for Adams to immolate with burning stupid. I'd also love to know who ever said that this "mind" has no impact on the real world. Trying to keep track of Adams' misrepresentations of science is really getting exhausting.
The bottom line is that Adams is as antiscience as they come, but he has his own contradiction going on. As he castigates science as being anti-God, anti-spirituality, its own dogmatic form of religion, and the root of all evil, including the Holocaust, at the same time he desperately craves the imprimatur of science. Indeed, he even tries desperately (and wildly entertainingly fails) to claim the mantle of The Real Scientist. He just can't figure out that the reason he is viewed with such low regard by scientists is because he is not a scientist. He is a crank, and even as a crank he is a joke.A new Army crackdown on bullying, harassment and “conduct that offends others” must not be allowed to outlaw military banter and mickey-taking, a former commander has said.
The Army’s fighting spirit and effectiveness will be undermined if it is turned into a “sterile and humourless place”, it was claimed.
The Chief of the General Staff, Gen Sir Nick Carter, has unveiled a new leadership code trying to make the Army more “inclusive” and a “modern employer” and as it tries to recruit more women and ethnic minorities.
The new code, launched this week at Sandhurst, says: “When building tightly knit teams it is important to acknowledge the need for mutual respect and the requirement to avoid conduct that offends others.
“Unacceptable behaviour undermines trust and cohesion, directly impacting operational effectiveness.”
Soldier’s spend most of their time taking the p*** out of each other and that’s got to continue. Col Richard Kemp
But the new code has prompted concerns the Army could become too concerned with political correctness.
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, said he welcomed any attempt to crack down on bullying, but said “it will be very dangerous to take it too far”.
“The very nature of Army work is high pressure and dangerous, either on operations or training. One of the most important qualities is a sense of humour. There’s got to be banter, there’s got to be jousting between the soldiers.
“Soldier’s spend most of their time taking the p*** out of each other and that’s got to continue.
“There’s a real risk of undermining the cohesion, the effectiveness, the team spirit and the fighting spirit of the Armed Forces trying to turn it into a sterile and humourless place. Other places can be like that, but not the Army.”
Gen Carter said a new code was being introduced to ensure all staff are accepted "in an inclusive way".
It is also designed to boost leadership now most troops are now not on operations in Afghanistan, but largely back in barracks where it can be more difficult to keep soldiers motivated and disciplined.
Gen Carter has said it was “unacceptable” an internal survey found almost 40 per cent of servicewomen had received unwanted comments about their looks or sexuality in the past year.
The survey from earlier this year found that more than one in ten (13 per cent) of women had suffered a “particularly upsetting experience”.
He said: "I'm not arguing for political correctness. What I'm arguing for is to live by our values and standards and to accept everyone in an inclusive way.
"I think there is a risk we will lose sight of our ultimate goal, which is to close with and kill the Queen's enemies, and we have to have that at the forefront of our mind, but equally we cannot accept unacceptable behaviour."
WO1 Glenn Haughton, the Army’s top sergeant major, said: “The problem with the Army is we do have a laddish culture, we are British and we have a lot of people from working class backgrounds. A young soldier that joins the Army only knows what he’s been taught by his family and the people who have brought him up.
“I think we are who we are and what we are. The world has moved on, society changes and the Army has got to move with it. That’s why the Chief of the General staff wants us to become a modern employer and move with everybody else.”Note: Charlie Shrem is a bitcoin advocate who co-founded a bitcoin exchange start-up Bitinstant in 2011. The company charged a fee for users to purchase and make purchases with bitcoins at over 700,000 locations. On January 27, 2014, Charlie Shrem was arrested at New York’s JFK airport and charged with “conspiring to commit money laundering by selling more than $1 million in bitcoins to users of the black market website Silk Road”. BitInstant website has been blank since then. Charlie was sentenced to two years behind bars, serving his time at Lewisburg Federal Prison Camp in Pennsylvania. He has now been released from imprisonment and is serving three years of supervised release.
Charlie Shrem started a webcast on a Chinese livestream platform on Feb.27th, saying he was very excited to move forward onto new projects. The show started at 10:30 a.m. and lasted for 30 minutes with over 1000 audience.
“I am about to introduce a crowdfunded investment fund called Mainstreet to Chinese investors. The fund is built on top of the Ethereum blockchain based on real world assets like real estate, as well as bitcoin and blockchain businesses.”
Gong Ming, a researcher of blockchain tech and founder of ChainB. com, (a blockchain website) noted that Charlie Shrem will focus its invest in U.S. middle-market operating companies and the first one is a sanitary waste business. Any dividends will be payed to investors over the Ethereum blockchain to create an unchangeable record of payments.
Mainstreet held a crowdsale of 50 million tokens on Jan. 15, 2017 with an initial token offering of $25 million.
When being questioned why the fund is only open to Chinese investors, Charlie explained that.
“I love Chinese culture and I hope to work with Chinese investors for win-win outcomes.”
Some industrial players doubt that the truth is he doesn’t want to get involved with the US government or any legal matters in that regard.
Liu Xinyu, a senior partner of Dacheng Law Offices, warns that Chinese investors should consider it as carrying a “high degree of risk”. He suggests that no investment should be made without detailed info about the following questions.
Is there a maximum amount of token holders? How to be a accredited investor for Chinese investors? Who is the owner of all those digital assets? How to verify project info? How to protect the interest of token holders? How to sell tokens? To whom?
PS: Many Chinese netizens made negative comments about Charlie’s new projects.
“This guy is a conman. Do not believe him.”
“Only open to Chinese investors? Are we really that gullible?”Dortmund's Adrian Ramos, center, celebrates his side's opening goal during a German Bundesliga soccer match between SV Darmstadt 98 and Borussia Dortmund in Darmstadt, Germany, Wednesday, March 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) (Photo: The Associated Press)
BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich's first Bundesliga loss at home has provided a timely injection of excitement to the title race ahead of Saturday's match against Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern's 2-1 loss to Mainz on Wednesday, coupled with Dortmund's 2-0 win at Darmstadt, leaves five points between the rivals ahead of their showdown in Dortmund.
A second straight loss would leave Dortmund, the best second-place team after 24 rounds in the Bundesliga, two points behind Bayern with 10 games to play.
"If we had an eight-point lead going to Dortmund we would have been a bit more relaxed with a view to the table," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. "Now, of course, it's a game we certainly cannot lose. I hope we can be better on Saturday."
Also Saturday, Wolfsburg hosts Borussia Moenchengladbach, Schalke visits Cologne, and slumping Bayer Leverkusen visits Augsburg.
Here are some things to know ahead of this weekend's matches:
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ENCOURAGEMENT
Jhon Cordoba's 86th-minute winner for Mainz ended Bayern's run of 11 straight home wins this season and spoiled former Bayern president Uli Hoeness' return to the stadium after his prison release following a sentence for tax evasion.
It also gives Dortmund a chance to breathe new life into the championship race.
"Now we're looking forward to the duel a tick more," Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel said. "We're in a position we would have wanted and the chance to get real close. The ball is in our court. We'll do all we can to reduce the gap further."
Tuchel managed to rest Marco Reus, Shinji Kagawa and Lukasz Piszczek against Darmstadt on Wednesday. Henrikh Mkhitaryan made only a substitute appearance.
"We deliberately gave fresh players a chance," Tuchel said. "I'm happy it worked out. It gives us a huge boost."
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HEART
Dortmund's 57 points from 24 games would normally be enough to lead the table. But Bayern has been even more clinical and has only dropped points four times all season.
"It was quite hard all along to be just the best second-place team, especially when you win every game but the gap on Bayern just doesn't get smaller," Dortmund captain Mats Hummels said.
Dortmund's refusal to give up is testament to the character and quality of the team, competing in the Bundesliga, Europa League and German Cup, where a semifinal match against Hertha Berlin awaits.
"The Munich players know what's coming their way on Saturday. But we also know what to expect. We simply want to win," Hummels said. "It will be an awesome game. It's going to be on fire."
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TITLES
Bayern coach Pep Guardiola is bidding to lead the club to an unprecedented fourth straight Bundesliga title in his last season in charge but the task is proving harder than expected in the face of Dortmund's stubborn resistance.
"Dortmund this year is a completely different side to the side of the last three years," Guardiola said. "In November people said, Bayern are already champions. I always said we'd have to fight to the last second."
Bayern has league top-scorer Robert Lewandowski on its side following his switch between the clubs in 2014. The striker already has 23 goals and has formed a formidable partnership with Thomas Mueller (17 goals) this season.
"I know that we'll play much, much better on Saturday," Lewandowski said after Wednesday's loss. "We still have more points but it's an important game for the future."
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PRESSURE
Leverkusen's 4-1 loss at home against relegation-threatened Werder Bremen was the side's third consecutive league loss and it piles the pressure on coach Roger Schmidt.
Schmidt had to watch Wednesday's loss from the stands because of his ban for refusing to leave the field when he was sent off in the loss to Dortmund.
Leverkusen slipped to seventh, three points off a Europa League-qualification place.
"It hurts. It's a difficult situation for the whole club," said Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voeller, who pointed to a host of injuries and too many mistakes as factors in the downfall.
"We have to lower our sights, but shouldn't fall into self-pity," Voeller said. "That would be the worst."
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Image copyright Other Image caption Both the women claimed ownership of the cow, which was even produced in court
A woman in the southern Indian state of Kerala is set to win a court battle to keep a cow after DNA tests proved it belongs to her, her lawyer says.
The woman, TS Sashilekha, had been accused by her neighbour Geetha of stealing the animal.
The acrimonious dispute even saw the cow in question appear in court.
It is thought to be the first time an ownership battle over an animal has been decided by DNA tests in India, where Hindus consider cows to be holy.
The legal battle between the two women began last year when Geetha claimed that a cow in her herd was the mother of the disputed animal.
But DNA tests ordered by the court did not match, meaning that Sashilekha will get to keep the cow.
"The one-year-long dispute over the ownership of the cow is now settled. The DNA report arrived earlier this month. Now the court will pass a final order, allowing Sashilekha to retain possession of her cow," N Chandra Babu, lawyer for Sashilekha, told the BBC.
"It is a rare case and possibly the first of its kind in history. Perhaps this is the first time a DNA test was held on a cow to find out its real owner."
Mr Babu said he was "planning to seek compensation from the complainant and file a defamation case against her for undue mental agony inflicted on my client".
In the complaint she filed in 2013, Geetha said that she had "about 15 cows and one of these, Karthika, had given birth to the missing cow".
After the disputed cow was produced in court, Sashilekha was allowed to keep it in her possession - but only after paying 45,000 rupees ($745; £448) in securities.
Correspondents say many families in Kerala are farmers who make a living through cattle-breeding.In his first interview at the White House on Jan. 25, President Trump discussed his past issues with the media, his executive actions this week and debunked claims of voter fraud and inaugural crowd size with ABC's David Muir. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
The way President Trump tells it, the meandering, falsehood-filled, self-involved speech that he gave at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters was one of the greatest addresses ever given.
“That speech was a home run,” Trump told ABC News just a few minutes into his first major television interview since moving into the White House. “See what Fox said
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Times, thought their mission of promoting a pro-business agenda at the White House was too important for them to quit. He was in a minority. The group was dissolved.
All along, Boeing was unusually belligerent in its bid to block the sale of the Bombardier jets to Delta. Their case was based on price dumping. They said that Bombardier had given Delta a price of under $20 million per airplane when the actual list price was $79.5 million (analysts believe the cost price is $33.2 million).
To seasoned observers of Boeing this smacks of blatant hypocrisy. In 2011 the World Trade Organization ruled that over the years Boeing had received between $3 billion and $4 billion in local, state, and federal support for each of its commercial jet programs. And analysts have calculated that more than 300 Boeing 787 Dreamliners were sold for at least $25 million below cost when the program’s huge cost overruns are accounted for. More recently, Boeing gave United Airlines a 70 percent discount on an order for the smallest of the 737 family of jets—specifically to persuade United not to order the Bombardier C Series.
“ Boeing is trying to kill off an airplane that passengers love in order to protect one that no passenger could love. ” — Clive Irving
Most airlines are not happy with either Boeing’s action or the punitive tariff imposed by the Trump Commerce Department. They want the freedom to choose whatever jet best suits their needs—wherever it is made.
On the face of it, Bombardier’s C Series jets are not competing in size with any Boeing model. Indeed, Delta pointed out that no U.S. manufacturer offers a similar model carrying between 100 and 140 passengers. Boeing canceled their only model in the category, the 717, 10 years ago. Boeing’s closest current model is the smallest version of its ubiquitous 737.
But these comparisons of size miss an important point. The C Series cabin introduces a suite of passenger comforts—wider coach class seats, larger windows, vastly improved air quality—that makes the 737’s cabin seem archaic by comparison—which, in fact, it is, since it is essentially a 50-year-old design.
Passengers notice this stuff. In essence, Boeing is trying to kill off an airplane that passengers love in order to protect one that no passenger could love—Boeing is still selling so many 737s that passengers have no choice but to fly in them for decades to come.
The backlash to the 220 percent tariff has been fierce. It is true that the Bombardier program has been kept alive only by an injection of at least $3.5 billion of state funds. But the company’s survival is vital both in Canada and Northern Ireland, where the C Series wings are built and where they are the largest employer.
What nobody in the White House seemed to realize—or, perhaps, to care about—was that British Prime Minister Theresa May depends for her majority in the British parliament on a block of 10 lawmakers from the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland. May had personally appealed to Trump to block action against Bombardier. Trump’s indifference has rendered her impotent in the eyes of the Irish politicians—and many others.
The Commerce Department action cannot take effect until it has been reviewed and either approved, changed, or dropped by the government’s International Trade Commission. That has to happen by Feb. 1. But serious damage has already been done by introducing uncertainty about whether Bombardier can survive.
Canada has threatened to cancel a $5 billion order of Super Hornets from Boeing and the British government has similarly threatened to review all of its future military business with Boeing. Amid this festering mess of collateral damage one thing, at least, seems clear: Boeing has a friend in the White House and Britain and Canada do not.Banking group, which has £8.5m slice of CSC, is under pressure along with other City investors from human rights charity
Lloyds Banking Group has become embroiled in a row over its investment in a company accused of involvement in the rendition of terror suspects on behalf of the CIA.
Lloyds, which is just under 40% owned by the taxpayer, is one of a number of leading City institutions under fire for investing in US giant Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), which is accused of helping to organise covert US government flights of terror suspects to Guantánamo Bay and other clandestine "black sites" around the world.
Reprieve, the legal human rights charity run by the British lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, alleges that during the flights, suspects – some of whom were later proved innocent – were "stripped, dressed in a diaper and tracksuit, goggles and earphones, and had their hands and feet shackled". Once delivered to the clandestine locations, they were subjected to beatings and sleep deprivation and forced into stress positions, a report from the International Committee of the Red Cross says.
CSC, which is facing a backlash for allegedly botching its handling of a £3bn contract to upgrade the NHS IT system, has refused to comment on claims it was involved in rendition. It has also refused to sign a Reprieve pledge to "never knowingly facilitate torture" in the future. The claims about its involvement in rendition flights have not been confirmed.
Reprieve has written to CSC investors to ask them to put pressure on the company to take a public stand against torture.
Some of the City's biggest institutions, including Lloyds and insurer Aviva, have demanded that CSC immediately address allegations that it played a part in arranging extraordinary rendition flights.
Aviva, which holds a small stake in CSC via US tracker funds, said it had written to CSC's executives to demand an investigation. The insurer said it would take further action if it was confirmed that CSC was linked to torture. "Aviva is of course concerned by the allegations made against CSC," said a spokesman. "We are a signatory to the United Nations global compact, and support human rights principles, as outlined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is not yet clear that CSC is directly complicit in the activities outlined and we have written to the company seeking clarification. We will investigate these allegations further and take action as appropriate."
Lloyds said it was taking the allegations seriously and had launched its own investigation. A spokesman said: "Our policy is clear, we will not support companies whose ongoing business activities are illegal in the UK and breach the requirements of international conventions as ratified by the UK government. We are not aware of evidence that CSC is currently committed to activities inconsistent with our policy."
Lloyds holds an £8.5m stake in CSC via its Scottish Widows funds that track the S&P 500 index of America's biggest companies.
HSBC, another investor, said that it was not aware of evidence that CSC was breaching its ethical investment code.
CSC's alleged involvement with rendition came about after it purchased DynCorp, which was involved in hundreds of prisoner transfer flights, in 2003. While CSC went on to sell DynCorp in 2005, Reprieve alleges that CSC continued to be involved in the supervision of rendition flights until the end of 2006.
None of CSC's top 10 shareholders, including fund managers Dodge & Cox, Fidelity, Blackrock and Guggenheim Capital, a fund manager founded by a grandson of philanthropist Solomon Guggenheim, responded to the allegations made in a letter from Reprieve. Norway's sovereign wealth fund is also an investor.
One of the biggest investors, which declined to be identified due to its policy of refusing to comment on investment decisions, said its executives were "extremely concerned" about CSC's alleged links to torture, and managers raised their concerns with CSC as soon as it was made aware of the allegations by the Guardian.
Reprieve's legal director, Cori Crider, said: "CSC evidently thinks it's fine to profit from kidnap and torture as long as their shareholders are happy. It is now up to those shareholders, including British banks, pension funds and UK government [via Lloyds], to show this isn't the case. These institutions must insist that CSC take their ethical concerns seriously. Alternatively, they can vote with their feet."
Crider told investors that Reprieve had obtained an invoice indicating CSC organised a flight that took Khaled al-Masri, a German citizen mistakenly imprisoned by the CIA, from a secret detention centre in Afghanistan to Albania in May 2004. The charity said in its letter: "Having belatedly concluded after months of torture and interrogation that they had imprisoned the wrong man, the CIA, acting through CSC, arranged for Richmor Aviation jet N982RK to transfer Mr al-Masri from an Afghan 'black site' to a remote roadside in Albania."
In a letter to Reprieve, Helaine Elderkin, CSC's vice-president and senior deputy general counsel, said: "CSC's board of directors … have a corporate responsibility programme that fosters CSC's growth by promoting and increasing the value of the company to its shareholders, clients, communities and employees."
Lisa Nandy, the Labour MP who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on international corporate responsibility, also called on CSC's biggest investors to hold the company to account. "Investors have a unique responsibility to hold businesses accountable for their ethical conduct, particularly in relation to human rights. Corporates should conduct due diligence down their supply chains to protect human rights, working under the assumption that business should do no harm. Those that refuse to do so should have investment withdrawn," she said.
"The UK must take the lead in this area and ensure its institutional investors, many of which are using pension funds to allow grievous abuse, are asking tough questions at board level, demanding changes in behaviour and a corporate policy to uphold human rights."
CSC is being sued by some of its investors in relation to its £3bn contract to upgrade NHS computer systems.Bacteria and other tiny cells merely divide in two to reproduce, but more complex creatures need more complex means of reproduction. Animals use eggs in one form or other; however, most are not very similar to the familiar breakfast food many of us enjoy. Animal eggs are as different and varied in their structure as the animals who made them.
10 Shark Eggs
Most sharks and skates lay strangely shaped eggs sometimes called a ‘mermaid’s purse.’ These consist of an egg case in a thin capsule made of collagen. They often are square or rectangular with stringy or pointy corner horns, but can come in a variety of odd shapes. A few sharks, such as the Port Jackson shark, have helical egg cases which are secured into the sand like drill bits. Shark eggs can wash up on the beach and are often hand-sized, although the largest recorded was over 2m long. Female sharks lay fertilized eggs onto the sea floor where they stay until they hatch, not needing any more attention from their mother. Some shark eggs contain several baby sharks which cannibalize each other before hatching to ensure that only the strongest baby survives.
9 Octopus Eggs
Octopuses string their soft, translucent eggs up on overhangs of rock or coral. The females lay hundreds of thousands of eggs at a time and will stay to guard them against hungry predators until they hatch. This often takes so long that she begins to starve and some octopuses will eat their own arms to survive. Once her thousands of tiny offspring are hatched, they feed on microscopic organisms like plankton until they grow large enough to live on the sea floor as adults. The mother, often disabled, will generally be eaten by a predator once she leaves her lair because she has grown too weak to defend herself.
8 Fish Eggs
Unlike sharks and octopuses, most fish do not have sex. The female lays or releases unfertilized eggs and the male injects them with sperm. In some species, the male and female might never even meet each other. Although some fish, like the octopus, will stay to protect the eggs, most have nothing more to do with them and leave them to develop on their own. Millions of soft eggs are laid at once, so even hungry predators will not destroy all of them before they hatch. Some eggs are laid on secure surfaces like rocks whereas others drift freely in the water, sometimes for up to hundreds of kilometers. Free-floating eggs are called ichthyoplankton and some are able to swim even before they hatch.
7 Bird Eggs
Female birds and most reptiles lay internally fertilized eggs and most will protect them until they hatch, often in a specially-constructed nest. Even after hatching, the offspring are often helpless and require still more care. Bird egg shells are made from calcium carbonate, which is also the major component of sea shells and pearls. For camouflage, some egg shells are colored or patterned with various other chemicals. Eggs often are slightly pinched at one end due to compression they experience inside their mother. This is useful for many birds as it makes the eggs roll around in a circle rather than irretrievably away. Many birds keep their eggs warm by sitting on them. A few birds sneakily lay their eggs in other birds’ nests so that the egg’s unwitting foster parents will put in the work instead. Some birds, such as hens, will lay unfertilized eggs which are a large food source for humans.
6 Dinosaur Eggs
Dinosaur eggs sometimes contain fossilized baby dinosaurs inside, and offer a fantastic look into the past. Dinosaur eggs have many shapes. Some are elongated spheres, similar to many modern medical tablets. Others are teardrops, and still more are spherical. Some dinosaurs laid many eggs in a nest and protected them while others laid eggs indiscriminately before abandoning them. There are many types of dinosaur eggs, and only some have a similar shell to modern bird or reptile eggs. They can be much larger than the eggs of any extant animal, with the largest being over 60cm long and 20cm wide. Even this is much smaller than the full adult size of many dinosaurs, due to the nature of eggs limiting their size. Eggshells contain tiny pores to allow gases into the embryo inside. An egg that is too large needs a thicker shell to support its own weight, which prevents the pores from allowing the embryo to breathe.
5 Sponge and Jelly Eggs
Sponges, jellies, and corals produce eggs in a similar way to most fish. They do not have males and females. Instead, simple male and female organs both occur on a single creature, which release eggs and sperm into the water. Some reproduce asexually, without even the male and female organs, by simply releasing some of their cells to grow directly into new individuals without needing to be fertilized. Some sponges and jellies can reproduce if they are broken up into pieces, where each piece broken off them grows into a new individual. In some species of sponges, if you were to slice one up finely and spread out the fragments, they would merge back together and reform. If you spread them out far enough, each fragment would simply grow into a new sponge.
4 Insect Eggs
Female insects often store sperm from a single mating to use for every subsequent fertilization, so many males die after their only mating. Insects will lay many eggs at once, and sometimes construct extravagant nests or nurseries for them. The eggs themselves can be stunningly shaped or camouflaged. Some eggs are laid in water and the newborn insects are adapted to spending the first portion of their life aquatically before emerging into the air. Many insects will care for their eggs after they are laid, with some ants and termites even controlling the humidity and pH for them.
3 Amphibian Eggs
Most amphibians begin the first parts of their lives in water but as adults live on land. Their eggs are therefore often laid in water, surrounded by a gel to keep them all together. When they hatch, the offspring are called ‘tadpoles’ and have gills but no legs. They swim around like fish, although initially they also lack a mouth and live directly off the yolk left over from their egg by absorbing it through their skin. Eventually, tadpoles grow mouths, legs, lungs, lose their tail, and become fully adult. Some frogs carry their eggs about to protect them or if there is not enough water around. A small number of amphibians become tadpoles and grow into tiny adults before they even hatch, so they do not need to live in the water at all.
2 Monotreme Eggs
Monotremes are thought to have evolved from reptiles and were the ancestors of modern mammals. The only living monotremes today are platypuses and echidnas. They are warm-blooded, have hair, and produce milk, so they are mammals. However, not like other mammals, they lay eggs. Unlike most birds and reptiles, while the egg is still inside a mother monotreme, she supplies it with a small amount of nutrition from her own body, similar to other mammals. Monotreme eggs are small, white, and spherical. They are laid in small numbers and are fastidiously cared for by their mother in her burrow until 4 to 6 months after hatching. Platypuses keep their eggs warm by curling their tail over them whereas echidnas warm them by tucking them in a small fold of skin across their stomachs. Monotremes do not have nipples to produce milk from, so instead they sweat milk which their newly-hatched young drink.
1 Vivipary
Vivipary is giving birth to live young. Sometimes, true eggs are still created but are kept inside the mother’s body until they hatch and the infants emerge. This occurs in relatively few species of snakes, fish, cockroaches, scorpions, and various other animals. In seahorses, the eggs are transferred from the female to the male, and he carries them until they hatch. In mammals, the egg shells do not form at all, and the embryo is developed directly inside the mother, who provides it with nutrients from her body via a placenta except in marsupials, where the infant is born while still an embryo and nursed in a pouch. Vivipary requires much more energy from the mother than oviparity (egg-laying), but it allows longer and finer development which is restricted by eggs and so more complex offspring are possible. Vivipary leads naturally to parental involvement by teaching their offspring, allowing still more complex and specifically-adapted behavior to be learned. Oviparous animals are mostly born with all the knowledge and skills they need genetically wired into them, but a mammal can be taught. To varying extents, a mammal can therefore learn to live in a much greater range of environments than can a single species of oviparous animal.I never thought the San Francisco 49ers would reach out to what can only be described as my Head Coaching crush. But Curt Popejoy, a Bleacher Report draft writer, made my heart go aflutter with just one tweet.
I'm not a sources guy but I did get an interesting text from a college buddy who claims the 49ers have reached out to Malzahn. — Curt Popejoy (@NFLdraftboard) January 5, 2015
Quite frankly I think that Gus Malzahn is a perfect head coaching candidate for the San Francisco 49ers.
Jed York said he wanted a teacher, and I would agree; any successful head coach must also be a successful teacher. On the Better Rivals Podcast I outlined a few other key criteria for the Head Coach. You can listen to the detailed explanation (start at 58:55), but it boils down to one thing: the new head coach should be able to leverage scheme to maximize a team's talent.
The ability to scheme to your team's talents is one of the key differences between great head coaches and middling head coaches.
Does Malzahn fit this mold?
Offensive Philosophy
A casual football fan might call Malzahn's offense a spread offense, say something like "that offense won't work in the pros" and leave it at that. Calling Malzahn's offense a simple "spread offense" is akin to calling Christopher Nolan just a guy who makes some movies.
Malzahn's offense is flexible and powerful due to a blend of power running and spread concepts. Malzahn's first coaching gig was at Hughes High School in 1992. Malzahn promptly installed the Delaware Wing-T, an offense from the 1950's premised on misdirection, angles, and fakes. Tubby Raymond, the man primarily responsible for the Delaware version of the Wing-T, described the offense as "designed to create defensive player reacts [sic] to stop a particular play, placing himself in jeopardy for a related play."
In 1997 Malzahn, now at Shiloh Christian, was trying to find a way to get a 6-6 team to the State Championship. With the help of his offensive coordinator, Chris Wood, Malzahn decided to take a risk, shelve the Wing-T, and go all in with a no-huddle, hurry-up, spread offense.
On the back of a no-huddle, hurry-up offense (different from Peyton Manning's no-huddle that still uses most of the play clock) Shiloh Christian became an offensive power house. His 1996 team averaged 15.5 points a game and had a total of 3,027 yards. After installing the new offense those numbers jumped up to 30 points per game and 6,713 total yards.
Fast forward to Auburn in 2008. After getting a rep as a pass-happy coach for his high school and collegiate exploits, Malzahn's blending of the Wing-T with his hurry-up, no-huddle offense took college football by storm.
(a tip of the hat to @WarRoomEagle for the graphic)
Malzahn's Buck Sweep shows off his philosophy perfectly. The Buck Sweep is staple of the Wing-T. But Malzahn marries the Buck sweep with a shotgun formation and a speed sweep action to hold the backside defender. The beauty of Malzahn's calls are that the base plays set up counters. Just like Seattle's zone run will set up Russell Wilson on the waggle or the zone read, Malzahn has several counters up his sleeve based on one concept.
Malzahn the Teacher
For Jed York, though, being an offensive innovator isn't enough. Jed wants a teacher - someone who can take complex concepts and find a way to communicate these items in a way the student can understand.
In 2003 Gus Malzahn wrote The Hurry-Up, No-Huddle: An Offensive Philosophy, a book detailing the philosophy that he developed in 1997 while at Shiloh. In the book he details his play calling structure. While it's evolved a little since Shiloh, there is a component where he develops a theme for calling certain concepts. How did he come up with the conceptual theme?
"[Shiloh is] a Christian school and we decided to use Bible verses as our theme. After all, all our kids were already familiar with the Bible and the stories that went with the characters."
Malzahn not only connects items to a player's previous experience (a la Chip Kelly's play calling boards), but he also simplifies play calls for passing concepts.
One of the many reasons Bill Belichick's Patriots have excelled on the offensive side of the ball is his utilization of the Erhardt-Perkins nomenclature. In short, the terminology is premised on the idea that a play call need only let the quarterback and the receivers know what concept to run, regardless of formation.
Prior to the draft, Cam Newton came under fire for not having complicated play calls under his belt. I would argue, though, that taking a passing concept like "Drive" or "Shallow" and calling it "36" means your teams can play fast, efficient, football. It also means you can get production out of rookies, something the 49ers have problems with.
Perhaps the best way to convey Malzahn's skills as a teacher is to listen to the man himself. Here is Coach Malzahn breaking down Nick Saban's Alabama defense. Note that Vic Fangio uses a similar pattern-match scheme with the 49ers.
The San Francisco Fit
The 49ers really are one of the few teams that are in a retool, not reboot mode entering this offseason. They have talent, they have a QB, and they have a championship caliber defense. They just can't get in their own way.
What can sink this team is getting dumb false start penalties at key moments. Malzahn's play calling structure can fix that.
What can sink this team is not fitting an offense to your franchise quarterback's skill set. Malzahn has a proven track record with athletic quarterbacks and can put Colin Kaepernick in a position to succeed.
What can sink this team is trying to take offensive players steeped in power run concepts and throw all of those successful concepts out the window. Malzahn's marriage of the Wing-T with Spread concepts is a perfect fit for the 49ers in an increasingly pass-happy NFL.
While I still think hiring Gus Malzahn is unlikely to happen, I firmly believe he's the perfect candidate for the San Francisco 49ers.Mammal launches out of water 10 times off Newport Beach, each time opening its mouth in rare, inexplicable behavior; it could be purely for fun
A minke whale seen breaching multiple times on Sunday with its mouth open, revealing the baleen plates it uses to filter plankton, has been a widely-discussed topic on social media.
Mostly because this type of behavior is so rare, but also because it was captured in a photo sequence.
Slater Moore was working on the Ocean Explorer out of Newport Beach in Southern California. The captain was headed toward a blue whale in the distance, but as a photographer Moore knew to keep his camera ready.
Suddenly, off to the right, the minke whale launched almost completely out of the water.
Moore missed the initial breach, but the small whale then breached nine more times, each time a little farther from the boat.
There were nearly 100 passengers on board, and all seemed to be in awe.
"Everybody was freaking out; it was insane," Moore recalled. "Nobody had ever seen anything like that."
Minke whales, which average about 26 feet in length, occasionally breach but are not known for this type of behavior, as humpback whales are.
They’ve been seen lunge-feeding in a behavior sometimes referred to as "breach-feeding," which involves thrust upward while intaking surface krill or schooling fish.
But this minke was not feeding—it's throat pleats are not distended—and it was fully breaching, with mouth agape. It closed its mouth just before re-entry.
Someone on Facebook joked that it might have been feeding on low-flying pelicans.
Experts chimed in, too, but could not explain the behavior, except to guess it might have been purely for enjoyment.
"They breach because they can," stated Jonathan Stern, a minke whale researcher.
Ursula Tscherter, a minke whale researcher with the Ocean Research and Education Society, commented that she finds the behavior "amazing and very peculiar."
"I am intrigued by the final little splash of water coming out of the closing mouth … lovely … and she closed it before landing," Tscherter continued. "I don't think it's related to feeding."
The researcher said this could be a type of "display" or "play" behavior, but said that would have been more likely if there had been other minke whales in the area, and there were not.
"Finally, all I can come up with is that it is a specific behavior of this individual … for whatever reason … so it might give it extra fun to open the mouth."
For Moore and the passengers aboard the Ocean Explorer, it doesn't matter why the minke made like a missile over and over again, only that it happened—because it was a phenomenon they probably will never witness again.
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Follow GrindTV on Google+Transition To A Green Economy In Africa
March 9th, 2015 by Sandy Dechert
Responding to a strong perceived demand from governments for current information about a green economy Africa, the United Nations Environment Program reported Thursday from Nairobi on the power of green investments in the nations of Africa. Says one international expert in green economics, “The list of successful examples of green investments in Africa is far greater than what is generally imagined. The potential is enormous.”
UNEP undertook the new Green Economy Africa Synthesis Report to help policymakers better understand the opportunities for, challenges to, and wide and powerful consequences of making green economy transitions. The study collates the results of a look at green development in about 20% of the continent’s 50-some countries. UNEP has just presented the report at the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, which is now taking place in Nairobi, Kenya.
Africa is a continent of contradictions. Incredibly wealthy in sustainable, renewable, and unexploited mineral and fuel resources, it also harbors some of the least habitable conditions for people. Real gross domestic product has increased across Africa at just over 5%/year during the past decade—yet half of sub-Saharan Africans live in extreme poverty. About three-quarters of households have no access to improved sanitation and the same number are not connected to an electric power grid.
The official French foreign policy website, France Diplomatie, looks at the African dilemma from a poignant overall historical perspective.
“Africa is the continent that has contributed least to greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s also one of the continents that are suffering most from the consequences, notably in terms of desertification, rising sea levels, and deforestation.”
Less developed regions like this seek both sustainable and equitable growth. They have seen rapid industrialization compromise the natural environment in most areas that are highly developed. Many African countries have thus begun to expand their investments in renewable energy. In many cases, its use is a real no-brainer: the sun shines 325 days per year; the continent possesses huge hydroelectric potential and is using less than 7% of it; and less than 2% of its geothermal capacity is being captured.
Measuring progress to date in agriculture, energy, water, fisheries, buildings, manufacturing, transport, and tourism, the UNEP finds that greening economies are boosting both GDP and life expectancy, creating more and better jobs, and rapidly reducing the poverty gap. Speaking at the ongoing AMCEN, UNEP Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner has made clear his belief that the transition to a green economy Africa has begun and is already reaping sustainable dividends across the continent.
“This report makes clear that green investments can not only drive economic growth faster than business as usual investments, but represent a valuable opportunity for Africa to conserve the natural wealth on which economies, lives, and livelihoods depend. Many African countries are beginning to tap into this potential.”
And innovations that change the game in developing countries do not have to be expensive, the report says. For example, one small solar light-emitting diode can save a family more than US $1 per week on kerosene, an expensive and nonrenewable fuel. That small LED also enables families to use evening time constructively without incurring the negative effects of burning kerosene on their health.
Across Africa, governments have initiated green economic growth and are beginning to incorporate it into national development planning. Steiner cites renewable energy development in Burkina Faso, which is expected to increase electricity generation from renewables 180% more than business as usual investments, and the new Green Economy Accord in South Africa, which will create 300,000 green jobs by 2020.
Some other examples of the report’s conclusions:
Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso has also pioneered a National Investment Plan for Environment and Sustainable Development to increase funding in environmental sustainability.
– Burkina Faso has also pioneered a National Investment Plan for Environment and Sustainable Development to increase funding in environmental sustainability. Egypt – Energy efficiency measures in Egypt could cut energy consumption by a third (33 billion kW). Egypt’s Electricity Transmission Company has already installed 225 MW of wind energy capacity.
– Energy efficiency measures in Egypt could cut energy consumption by a third (33 billion kW). Egypt’s Electricity Transmission Company has already installed 225 MW of wind energy capacity. Kenya – GDP in Kenya is projected to grow 12% higher by 2030 under the green economy scenario. A shift in investment to green sectors would lift an additional 3.1 million people in Kenya out of poverty by that date, compared to investments in business as usual.
– GDP in Kenya is projected to grow 12% higher by 2030 under the green economy scenario. A shift in investment to green sectors would lift an additional 3.1 million people in Kenya out of poverty by that date, compared to investments in business as usual. Senegal – In Senegal, green investments in sustainable agriculture technologies and techniques can facilitate an increase in arable land. Total available agricultural land is projected to decrease there without green investments.
– In Senegal, green investments in sustainable agriculture technologies and techniques can facilitate an increase in arable land. Total available agricultural land is projected to decrease there without green investments. South Africa – As well as increasing green jobs through the new Green Economy Accord, South African investments in natural resource management—particularly in land restoration—are projected to save billions of tons of water.
– As well as increasing green jobs through the new Green Economy Accord, South African investments in natural resource management—particularly in land restoration—are projected to save billions of tons of water. Also Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Ghana are all developing strategies through intergovernmental processes. Macroeconomic studies support each of these as well.
Steiner looks to the AMCEN conference to identify the right mix of policy, incentives, capacity development, and informational tools to scale up renewable investments, identify the best means of achieving the mix, and bring “the enormous potential of these green investments to scale.”With the camera set up complete, we'll need to install a few libraries before we can run our scripts.
For Windows: Here are links to windows installation tutorials, or pages where you can find the windows installer.
For Ubuntu: setup can be done via this command: sudo apt-get install python python-opencv python-pyaudio python-pygame
For OSX: First install OpenCV and Homebrew - I had to additionally install eigen ( brew install eigen ) to prevent compiler errors.
Then run the following:
brew install python
brew install gcc
brew install homebrew/python/pygame
brew install portaudio
Then download the pyaudio wrapper for OSX and install that as well.
The Repo:
Now that we've got the dependencies out of the way, head over to the git repository where this project is hosted, download it, and extract the files. Open up a command window or terminal in the directory with the extracted files, and run each script with the following commands, replacing 192.168.1.19 with the IP address of your camera:
python KaicongAudio.py 192.168.1.19
This script pulls audio from the mic and plays it on your speakers.
python KaicongVideo.py 192.168.1.19
This script displays video from the camera and displays it in an OpenCV window.
python KaicongMotor.py 192.168.1.19
This script opens up a black Pygame window. Click it with the mouse so it can capture your keyboard, then use the WASD keys to pan and tilt the camera!
At this point, we've successfully hooked up the camera and can intercept audio, video, and motor control from it via programming. But how did we do this? Read on to find out...Colleges and universities collectively owe $240 billion, the Moody’s bond-rating service reports. That debt rose 18 percent, to $145 billion, in the last five years at public universities, Moody’s says. At privates, it went up 3 percent, to $95 billion.
Last year alone, colleges and universities borrowed a record $41.3 billion through municipal bonds, their principal source of debt funding, the financial information firm Thomson Reuters reports. That’s up from $28.7 billion a decade ago.
The annual cost of servicing this accumulated debt more than doubled, from $21 billion in 2003 to $48 billion in 2012, the most recent year for which it has been calculated by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
This means 9 percent of college and university budgets, on average, now goes to servicing debt, a cost that has been rising faster than enrollments.
Just the interest payments come to the equivalent of $750 per student per year at public universities, the Berkeley researchers found, and $1,289 at private colleges.
It’s reasonable to assume that this is driving increases in tuition, experts say.
“When you spend more on X, you have to bring in more money from Y, and that Y is usually student tuition,” said Aman Banerji, the program manager at the Roosevelt Institute, which among other things studies what it calls the financialization of higher education.
At Hawaii Pacific, for example, federal data show that since 2013-14 tuition and fees paid by the shrinking number of students have increased more than twice as fast as the national average. (The university’s chief financial officer, Bruce Edwards, said in a written statement that its enrollment and financial challenges are “a familiar trend” in higher education, its borrowing was “to ensure that HPU becomes an even stronger university,” and enrollment is beginning to rebound.)
One reason for this borrowing is that money is comparatively cheap while interest rates remain low.
But much of it is happening because—despite budget cuts at public universities, sluggish endowment growth at private ones, and falling enrollments everywhere—colleges and universities have continued to build new facilities at record-setting rates.
Colleges and universities collectively spent $8.4 billion on new construction and renovations from January through August of this year, up nearly 10 percent over the same period the year before, according to Dodge Data & Analytics, a private company that tracks this. That’s after laying out about $12 billion in each of the last three years.
But the idea that these expenditures will pay for themselves by attracting new students may be wishful thinking, observers caution.
“Sometimes that doesn’t pan out—the ‘if you build it, they will come’ approach,” said Susan Menditto, the director of accounting policy at the National Association of College and University Business Officers.The collaboration project between the Kemono Friends anime and the Tobu Zoo in Saitama proved wildly successful as it boosted attendance to the zoo by 23.6% from last year during the nine-day Golden Week period. 91,754 people visited the zoo last year from April 29 to May 7, compared to this year's attendance of 113,404 people.
However, the zoo saw an even bigger spike in attendance in 2013: about 140,000 people visited over Golden Week while the zoo was celebrating the birth of baby white tigers and holding a Momoiro Clover Z event.
For the Kemono Friends collaboration,
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on the executive branch’s need for discretion in the immigration context. “A principal feature of the removal system is the broad discretion exercised by immigration officials,” the Court wrote, adding that “[t]he dynamic nature of relations with other countries requires the Executive Branch to ensure that enforcement policies are consistent with this Nation’s foreign policy with respect to these and other realities.” In a similar 1941 case, Hines v. Davidowitz, the Supreme Court voided a Pennsylvania system of alien registration because “experience has shown that international controversies of the gravest moment, sometimes even leading to war, may arise from real or imagined wrongs to another’s subjects inflicted, or permitted, by a government.”When it comes to sex on the starship Voyager, the captain had a strict rule.
Speaking at Denver Comic Con, Star Trek: Voyager star Kate Mulgrew revealed that she had pretty strong ideas about not sexualizing Captain Janeway, the first female lead character in Star Trek franchise history. She even believes her stance eventually led to the introduction of Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine.
“That moment stands out for me when Jeri Ryan arrived. That was an interesting moment because – there’s been a lot of controversy about it generated by me – again unfortunate,” Mulgrew explained during her panel. “When you’re the first female captain you hope against hope that that’s going to be sufficient until the day it wasn’t. Because men like – as they should, as all of you should and I love and adore every one of you – they love sex. And they need it. And I said ‘No’ to all of that going in. “I said, ‘I’m not going to sleep with Chakotay, it’s not going to happen,’” she recalled. “I said you’re just going to have to go somewhere else for it, so they got this very beautiful girl to come in. She played a wonderful character. And yes, I was unsettled by it because I had hoped – as I’m sure Hillary Clinton hoped. We all hope. Hope springs eternal that we can do it by ourselves but we still need sex. So that one stands out.”Former President Barack Obama stayed in Washington to run a “shadow government” that will undermine President Trump, a congressman claimed Friday.
“President Obama himself said he was gonna stay in Washington until his daughter graduated,” Pennsylvania Republican Mike Kelly said at an annual Lincoln Day dinner. “I think we ought to pitch in to let him go somewhere else, because he’s only there for one purpose and one purpose only and that is to run a shadow government that is gonna totally upset the new agenda. It just doesn’t make sense.”
A spokesperson for Kelly later defended the congressman’s assertions, saying he was “sharing the frustration of everyone in the room over how they believe certain Obama administration holdovers” to sabotage Trump’s presidency, according to the Associated Press.
Kelly’s remarks reflect concerns among Trump supporters that the former president will attempt to derail the new administration’s policies.
A February article from the New York Post, entitled, “How Obama is scheming to sabotage Trump’s Presidency,” delineated the worries behind Obama’s leftist nonprofit Organizing for Action, which was set up after Obama’s re-election win to garner support for Democrat policies.
“Normally you’d expect an organization set up to support a politician and his agenda to close up shop after that candidate leaves office, but not Obama’s OFA,” writes NY Post’s Paul Sperry. “Rather, it’s gearing up for battle, with a growing war chest and more than 250 offices across the country.”
Boasting more than 30,000 volunteers, OFA will reportedly work against the new president at every turn, and receive orders directly from Obama.
From the New York Post:SAN ANTONIO — As the sun sets every summer night at Bracken Cave in the Hill Country, a vortex of Mexican free-tailed bats rushes forth. For as long as four hours a night, a stream of bats leaves the cave to dart south, over the tree line, to hunt. The scene at the cave is repeated in reverse at dawn, when the bats return.
Making up the largest colony of flying mammals in the world, the bats can number as many as 20 million. But a plan to build a subdivision near the cave has conservationists worried about the colony’s fate.
“There’s nothing else like this in the world,” Fran Hutchins, Bat Conservation International’s coordinator for the cave, said of the colony. “And we don’t really know what will happen if they build here.”
The cave’s size draws the bats to migrate from smaller caves to congregate and give birth. From March to October, every bat eats its weight in insects each night.Law
If a survivor wants to complain after a long gap since the incident, it has to be well thought out and not an emotional decision says an expert.
On September 7 this year, Purnima Govindarajalu, a researcher from Canada began a petition on Change.org, asking the government of India to allow adult survivors of sexual abuse to report the harassment to the police. Her demand to remove time limitations for such complaints, has has now found the support of a member of Parliament, namely DMK's Kanimozhi.
The petition addressed to Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Women and Child Development minister Maneka Gandhi outlines Purnima's harrowing experience as a child in India. She alleges that her cousin's husband molested her by putting his hands and mouth on her private parts. The abuse continued till she was 13 and Purnima says that she was too ashamed and confused to talk to anyone about it. But as an adult, when she realised what had happened she chose to file a complaint against her alleged abuser.
But the law in its current form does not allow for that. First because the POCSO Act, which came into force in 2012, cannot be applied retrospectively. And second, at the time of the alleged abuse, penetration by finger or tongue did not fall under the definition of rape under IPC 376. What Purnima was subjected to, therefore, would only be termed molestation - for which the maximum punishment is less than three years.
This would mean that, under section 468 of CrPC, the crime can no longer be tried in court. The code says that any offence which is punishable by imprisonment between one and three years, cannot be taken cognizance of more than three years after the crime.
MP Kanimozhi who tweeted in support of the survivor on Sunday argues that such restriction must be done away with. "When a crime of this nature occurs, children don't understand what is happening and a lot of them tend to blame themselves," the DMK leader told TNM. "When they finally understand what happened and are ready to speak, we should take their complaint and ensure action follows," she adds.
When asked if she is ready to take up the matter in Parliament, Kanimozhi replies in the affirmative.
"Yes, I will definitely take this up in the Parliament when I can because the scars that this kind of abuse creates run too deep to be ignored. Pedophiles are usually repeat offenders," she says. "An amendment has to be brought in the existing laws."
Lawyers that TNM spoke to however pointed out that the POCSO act which came into force in 2012 ensures that adult survivors can complain now. "The punishment under POCSO for such a crime is from three to five years. So hereafter, such an issue will not arise," says Akhila, a lawyer at the Madras High Court. "But question in this case is if the Statue of Limitations can be overcome in anyway," she adds.
Sudha Ramalingam, a human rights lawyer however argues in favour of some form of time limitation. "Every case must be handled as per the law. You cannot indefinitely keep quiet for practical reasons as well. If you come complain after 20 years there will be no evidence to prove your allegations and it will just be he said-she said in court. How will it result in any form of conviction?" she asks.
Experts further opine that complaints which come this late, can lead to more harm than good for the survivor.
"If a survivor wants to complain after a long gap since the incident, it has to be well thought out and not an emotional decision," says Vidya Reddy, of Tulir, Centre for Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse. "Are they ready to face any outcome that the case could have? Can they answer all the question in court? These are questions they must consider before taking this course of action," she adds.Pedestrian traffic along State Street on Wednesday March 23, 2016 in Albany, N.Y. (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union) Pedestrian traffic along State Street on Wednesday March 23, 2016 in Albany, N.Y. (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union) Photo: Michael P. Farrell Buy photo Photo: Michael P. Farrell Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Capital Region attracts more newcomers 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
Albany
Immigrants helped make the Capital Region the only upstate metropolitan area to see population growth in the past year, according to 2015 estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The population increase between July 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015 in Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties was a bright spot beyond downstate New York.
"Its growth is due to job opportunities," said Rocco Ferraro, executive director of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission. GlobalFoundries and other technology firms are boosting the Capital Region.
The Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Area grew in the past year to 881,830 residents. The other five upstate metro regions had population declines.
"We've not had the same conditions in employment that other areas in the state have," Ferraro said, comparing those regions' shrinking job base to the Capital Region.
Since the 2010 Census, the Albany-Schenectady-Troy population has increased by 11,117. The next largest increase is the Rochester metro area at 2,259. Buffalo declined by 321 residents, Syracuse by 2,131 and Utica dropped by 3,776. Binghamton had the largest drop, a loss of 5,703.
Albany County's population grew to 309,381 from 308,729; Rensselaer County increased to 160,266 from 160,083; and Saratoga County went to 226,249 from 224,704.
More Information Upstate uptick The Capital Region has outpaced the rest of upstate New York in population growth since 2010. It has attracted more newcomers than any other upstate metropolitan area and is the only region to gain residents. Metropolitan area population change and net migration, 2010-2015: Albany-Schenectady-Troy: 11,117 (population change), 4,462 (net migration) Binghamton: -5,703, -5,876 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls: -321, 962 Rochester: 2,259, -9,207 Syracuse: -2,131, -9,891 Utica-Rome: -3,776, -4.315 Metropolitan area population change and net migration, 2014-2015: Albany-Schenectady-Troy: 1,739 (population change), 712 (net migration) Binghamton: -1,426, -1,556 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls: -1,412, -1,542 Rochester: -1,724, -4,111 Syracuse: -1,293, -2,697 Utica-Rome: -1,387, -1.523 Metropolitan area 2015 population: Albany-Schenectady-Troy: 881,830 Binghamton: 246,020 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls: 1,135,230 Rochester: 1,081,954 Syracuse: 660,458 Utica-Rome: 295,600 Source: U.S. Census Bureau
As in the case of Schenectady County, most of the population lost across upstate was due to people relocating, according to the findings released by the Census Bureau.
Schenectady County's population dropped to 154,604 from 154,919 between 2014 and 2015. Every other upstate county lost population except Hamilton and Tompkins counties, which had small increases.
The largest population growth nationwide continues to be in southern and western states.
Ferraro said the Capital Region's job base is the key to averting declines.
"State government is a stable employer. Now the manufacturing sector is growing with the technology sector's research and development growing," Ferraro said.
The tech sector has attracted newcomers, both domestic and foreign-born, while providing a reason for people not to move away from the Capital Region, Ferraro said.
As baby boomers age, new residents will be drawn by employment opportunities and quality of life, he said.
From 2010 to 2015, the Capital Region's newcomers increased the population by 4,462. From 2014 to 2015, the region had 712 more people arrive than depart.
The other upstate metro areas had more people leave than arrive from 2014 to 2015. Since 2010, Rochester and Syracuse each lost nearly 10,000 people. The Buffalo area had a slight increase of 962.
The line of metros across upstate lives up to the observation noted in the Census Bureau blog, "Growth or Decline: Understanding How Populations Change": "Counties with shrinking populations are also clustered geographically. For many of these shrinking counties, net migration is the primary cause."
The Capital Region shows a population growth resulting from a mix of new arrivals and births.
Saratoga County's population is driven by increases in international and domestic migration, which totaled 1,119. International migration was 474 with 645 domestic relocations.
Albany County's rate of increase is fed equally by births and migration. The county attracted 1,580 international arrivals but saw a net decrease of 1,173 people relocating elsewhere in the country. There was a net of 421 people due to births outstripping deaths.
In Rensselaer County, births surpassed migration to add 266 people. More people left the county — 506 — than arrived — 399 — from overseas.
Schenectady County's population decline is due to more people leaving as 896 moved on and there were just 409 new international arrivals.
[email protected] • 518-454-5084 • @KennethCroweJews saved by Oskar Schindler during the Holocaust
Oskar Schindler (second from the right) poses with a group of Jews he rescued during the Holocaust. The picture was taken in 1946, one year after the war ended.
The Schindlerjuden, literally translated from German as "Schindler's Jews", were a group of roughly 1,200 Jews who were saved by Oskar Schindler during the Holocaust. They survived the years of the Nazi regime primarily through the intervention of Schindler, who found them protected status as industrial workers at his enamelware factory in Kraków and, after 1944, in an armaments factory in occupied Czechoslovakia. There, they avoided being sent to death camps and survived the war. Schindler expended his personal fortune as an industrialist to save the Schindlerjuden.
Their story has been depicted in the book Schindler's Ark, by Thomas Keneally, and Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the novel, Schindler's List. Poldek Pfefferberg, one of the survivors, persuaded Thomas Keneally to write the novel and Steven Spielberg to produce the film.
In 2012, there were estimated to be over 8,500 descendants of Schindlerjuden living across the United States, Europe, and Israel.[1]
The List [ edit ]
The original list of Schindlerjuden who were transported to Schindler's Brünnlitz factory in Brněnec, occupied Czechoslovakia, was prepared by Mietek Pemper, Itzhak Stern and Oskar Schindler during September and October of 1944.[2][3][4] That list likely no longer exists.
Another list with 1,000 names, compiled by Pemper upon the prisoners' arrival 21 October 1944 at Schindler's Brünnlitz factory, was presented by him to the International Tracing Service in 1958.[5]
Two lists of 1,098 prisoners made by camp administration in Brünnlitz on 18 April 1945 are extant, and are preserved in Yad Vashem Memorial, where Oskar and Emilie Schindler are recognized among the Righteous.[6][7] The first list contains 297 female prisoners while the second list contains 801 male prisoners. There are several preserved copies and carbon copies of the list from April 1945, with some in museums while others are in private hands, mostly of families of former prisoners. In April 2009, a carbon copy of the original list, documenting 801 names, was discovered among the documentation Schindler's Ark author Thomas Keneally had donated to the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney.[8]
Notable Schindlerjuden [ edit ]
Biographies and related material [ edit ]
Bau, Joseph. Dear God, Have You Ever Gone Hungry? Arcade Publishing, 1998. - A memoir by Schindler survivor Joseph Bau about some of his experiences during the Holocaust, being rescued by Schindler, and the impact of these experiences after the war.
Arcade Publishing, 1998. A memoir by Schindler survivor Joseph Bau about some of his experiences during the Holocaust, being rescued by Schindler, and the impact of these experiences after the war. Brecher, Elinor J. Schindler's Legacy: True Stories of the List Survivors. New York: Dutton, 1994. (D 811.A2 B74 1994) - A compilation of interviews with many of those saved by Schindler. Includes reports of their experiences in the concentration camps and with Schindler, and their stories of life after the war. Includes over one hundred personal photographs.
New York: Dutton, 1994. (D 811.A2 B74 1994) - A compilation of interviews with many of those saved by Schindler. Includes reports of their experiences in the concentration camps and with Schindler, and their stories of life after the war. Includes over one hundred personal photographs. Byers, Ann. Oskar Schindler: Saving Jews from the Holocaust. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2005. (D 804.66.S38 B94 2005) - Biography of Schindler, with emphasis on his rescue activities during the war. Part of the "Holocaust Heroes and Nazi Criminals" series for young adult readers. Includes glossary and index.
Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2005. (D 804.66.S38 B94 2005) - Biography of Schindler, with emphasis on his rescue activities during the war. Part of the "Holocaust Heroes and Nazi Criminals" series for young adult readers. Includes glossary and index. Crowe, David M. Oskar Schindler: The Untold Account of His Life, Wartime Activities, and the True Story Behind the List. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2004. (D 804.66.S38 C76 2004) - A comprehensive account of Schindler's early life, business career, rescue attempts, and postwar experiences in Germany and Argentina. Based on personal interviews and archival sources, including Schindler's personal papers discovered in 1997. Includes extensive bibliography and index.
Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2004. (D 804.66.S38 C76 2004) - A comprehensive account of Schindler's early life, business career, rescue attempts, and postwar experiences in Germany and Argentina. Based on personal interviews and archival sources, including Schindler's personal papers discovered in 1997. Includes extensive bibliography and index. Fensch, Thomas, editor. Oskar Schindler and His List: The Man, the Book, the Film, the Holocaust and its Survivors. Forest Dale, VT: Paul S. Eriksson, 1995. - A collection of essays, articles, and interviews which illuminate Schindler and the international effect of his story. Includes a reprint of an article written about Schindler in 1949 and sections about Thomas Keneally's book Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the story, and issues and implications of the Holocaust.
Forest Dale, VT: Paul S. Eriksson, 1995. - A collection of essays, articles, and interviews which illuminate Schindler and the international effect of his story. Includes a reprint of an article written about Schindler in 1949 and sections about Thomas Keneally's book Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the story, and issues and implications of the Holocaust. Fogelman, Eva. Conscience & Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust. New York: Doubleday, 1994. (D 810.R4 F64 1994) - Relates stories about Schindler and his efforts to save Jews in the context of other rescue efforts and courageous acts during the Holocaust. Examines the motivation of Schindler and other rescuers, including personal, psychological, and historical factors.
New York: Doubleday, 1994. (D 810.R4 F64 1994) - Relates stories about Schindler and his efforts to save Jews in the context of other rescue efforts and courageous acts during the Holocaust. Examines the motivation of Schindler and other rescuers, including personal, psychological, and historical factors. Gruntová, Jitka: Legendy a fakta o Oskaru Schindlerovi. Praha, 2002. - Comprehensive account of Schindler's life, creation of the famous list and the daily reality of the life in the Brünnlitz factory. Based on interviews, books and archival sources.
Praha, 2002. - Comprehensive account of Schindler's life, creation of the famous list and the daily reality of the life in the Brünnlitz factory. Based on interviews, books and archival sources. Hillman, Laura. i will plant you a lilac tree – a memoir of a Schindler's list survivor. Simon and Schuster, 2006. The story of a Schindler's List survivor, her family, and her relationship with fellow inmate Dick Hillman in various concentration and labor camps during the Holocaust.
Simon and Schuster, 2006. The story of a Schindler's List survivor, her family, and her relationship with fellow inmate Dick Hillman in various concentration and labor camps during the Holocaust. Keneally, Thomas. Schindler's Ark. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982. (PR 9619.3.K46 S3 1982) - A fictional recreation of the story of Oskar Schindler, an industrialist who saved 1,100 Jews from death by employing them in his factory in Kraków. Drawn from authentic records, the testimony of many of those saved by Schindler, and the author's extensive research. Published under the title Schindler's List in the United States.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982. (PR 9619.3.K46 S3 1982) - A fictional recreation of the story of Oskar Schindler, an industrialist who saved 1,100 Jews from death by employing them in his factory in Kraków. Drawn from authentic records, the testimony of many of those saved by Schindler, and the author's extensive research. Published under the title in the United States. Keneally, Thomas. Searching for Schindler: A memoir. 2008 - A memoir by the author of Schindler's Ark about the process of writing the novel, and the movie based on the novel that followed. Includes the stories of Schindler survivors, especially focusing on Leopold "Poldek" Pfefferberg.
2008 - A memoir by the author of about the process of writing the novel, and the movie based on the novel that followed. Includes the stories of Schindler survivors, especially focusing on Leopold "Poldek" Pfefferberg. Leyson, Leon. The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible... on Schindler's List. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015. - A memoir by one of the youngest Schindler survivors, who had to stand on a wooden box to operate factory machinery. Intended for young readers.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015. - A memoir by one of the youngest Schindler survivors, who had to stand on a wooden box to operate factory machinery. Intended for young readers. Meltzer, Milton. "Schindler's Jews." In Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust, 55-67. New York: Harper & Row, 1988. (D 810.R4 M247 1988) - A brief, personal account of Schindler's life and heroism. Written for young adults.
, 55-67. New York: Harper & Row, 1988. (D 810.R4 M247 1988) - A brief, personal account of Schindler's life and heroism. Written for young adults. Müller-Madej, Stella. A Girl From Schindler's List. - A autobiography by a young Schindler survivor and her family, from Kraków to Brünnlitz.
. - A autobiography by a young Schindler survivor and her family, from Kraków to Brünnlitz. Roberts, Jack L. Oskar Schindler. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1996. (D 804.66.S38 R628 1996) - Interweaves the biography of Oskar Schindler with the larger events of the Holocaust, including the rise of anti-Semitism and the implementation of the "Final Solution." Briefly discusses Schindler's life after the war. Includes photographs. Written for young adults.
1996. (D 804.66.S38 R628 1996) - Interweaves the biography of Oskar Schindler with the larger events of the Holocaust, including the rise of anti-Semitism and the implementation of the "Final Solution." Briefly discusses Schindler's life after the war. Includes photographs. Written for young adults. O'Neil, Robin. Oskar Schindler: Stepping Stone to Life, Susaneking.com, 2010 - A biography focusing on Oskar Schindler's rescue activity during the Holocaust, based on published and unpublished materials and eyewitness interviews conducted on and off by the author since 1987.
, Susaneking.com, 2010 - A biography focusing on Oskar Schindler's rescue activity during the Holocaust, based on published and unpublished materials and eyewitness interviews conducted on and off by the author since 1987. Pemper, Mieczysław. The Road to Rescue: The Untold Story of Schindler's List. Other Press, 2011. - A Schindler survivor's personal account of his activities during the Holocaust, including his forced employment by Amon Göth, including the assistance he provided to Schindler in his rescue operations, and his testifying against Göth in his war crime trial after the end of the war.
. Other Press, 2011. - A Schindler survivor's personal account of his activities during the Holocaust, including his forced employment by Amon Göth, including the assistance he provided to Schindler in his rescue operations, and his testifying against Göth in his war crime trial after the end of the war. Schindler, Emilie. Where Light and Shadow Meet: A Memoir. New York: Norton, 1997. (D 811.5.S31513 1997) - An autobiography by Oskar Schindler's wife, written with the help of Erika Rosenberg. Tells her story from childhood to after the war. Presents a detailed, behind-the-scenes account of the list's development and the steps taken to save Jews. Includes numerous photos and two maps.
New York: Norton, 1997. (D 811.5.S31513 1997) - An autobiography by Oskar Schindler's wife, written with the help of Erika Rosenberg. Tells her story from childhood to after the war. Presents a detailed, behind-the-scenes account of the list's development and the steps taken to save Jews. Includes numerous photos and two maps. Silver, Eric. "The Few Who Disobeyed." In The Book of the Just: The Unsung Heroes Who Rescued Jews from Hitler, 147-154. New York: Grove Press, 1994. (D 804.65.S55 1992) - Uses personal testimony and historical documents to construct a more personal picture of Schindler and to describe the great lengths he took to save Jews by employing them in his factory and bargaining for their lives.
147-154. New York: Grove Press, 1994. (D 804.65.S55 1992) - Uses personal testimony and historical documents to construct a more personal picture of Schindler and to describe the great lengths he took to save Jews by employing them in his factory and bargaining for their lives. Skotnicki, Aleksander B. Oskar Schindler in the Eyes of Cracovian Jews Rescued by Him. Kraków: Wydawn. AA, 2008. (D 804.66.S38 S5813 2008) - Examines Schindler's legacy through testimony gathered from the Polish Jews saved by his efforts. Contains articles discussing Schindler, the list, and Płaszów concentration camp and the enamelware factory. A short list of films, press reports, and books is also presented, along with numerous photos from a variety of sources.
Kraków: Wydawn. AA, 2008. (D 804.66.S38 S5813 2008) - Examines Schindler's legacy through testimony gathered from the Polish Jews saved by his efforts. Contains articles discussing Schindler, the list, and Płaszów concentration camp and the enamelware factory. A short list of films, press reports, and books is also presented, along with numerous photos from a variety of sources. Zuckerman, Abraham. A Voice in the Chorus: Memories of a Teenager Saved by Schindler. Stamford, CT: Longmeadow Press, 1994. (D 804.3.Z84 1994) - A survivor's personal narrative describing his life in Kraków before the war, his imprisonment in concentration camps, and his rescue by Oskar Schindler. Also tells of his life after the war. Includes personal photographs. Previously published as A Voice in the Chorus: Life as a Teenager in the Holocaust.Romelu Lukaku has revealed José Mourinho was the first person to wish him luck when he signed permanently for Everton and denied the former Chelsea manager was responsible for his Stamford Bridge exit.
The Belgium international described Mourinho’s sacking by Chelsea as “mad” in an interview with the Guardian and denied claims his £28m transfer to Goodison Park followed an acrimonious fall-out with the Portuguese coach. Chelsea’s decision to sell the striker and Kevin De Bruyne in 2014 has rebounded spectacularly this season, with their former players flourishing at Everton and Manchester City respectively.
But Lukaku insists he pushed for the move to Everton, where he enjoyed a successful season on loan in 2013-14, and has only respect for the way Mourinho handled the situation.
“Choices were made by me. By me. Not by them,” said the 16-goal forward when asked if he regretted not staying at Chelsea given their need for fresh quality. “Everyone says it is Mourinho’s fault but it is not his fault because I made the decision. I went to his office to ask if I could go. He was the first one to say: ‘Good luck.’
“I signed the deal with Everton at 11 o’clock and the first text message I got on my old BlackBerry was from Mourinho saying: ‘Good luck, do your best and I will see you next season.’ He was the first. Nobody knows that and that is why for me he gets immense respect. It is really sad he has to go. He is a great character and a great man. Even though there were words said in the media, I never looked at it because I know what he did and not a lot of managers would do that.”
Lukaku admitted he was stunned Mourinho had left Chelsea having won the Premier League title last season. The Everton striker added: “It’s hard, it’s tough. Seven months ago, they won the Premier League by playing some wonderful football. It’s mad, mad. When I heard the news I thought: ‘Wow.’ That was the only thing I could say.”Story highlights "We deeply regret what took place," Rupert Murdoch says
British media regulators are studying the findings "with interest"
Lawmakers: Murdoch not fit "to exercise the stewardship of a major international company"
News International "wished to buy silence" over phone hacking, the report says
Global media tycoon Rupert Murdoch is "not a fit person" to run a major international company, British lawmakers investigating phone hacking at his tabloid News of the World reported Tuesday.
The ruling could prompt British regulators to force him to sell his controlling stake in British Sky Broadcasting, a significant part of his media empire.
The damning report accused Murdoch and his son James of showing "willful blindness" to phone hacking at News of the World, and said the newspaper "deliberately tried to thwart the police investigation" into the illegal activity.
The paper's publisher, News Corp. subsidiary News International, "wished to buy silence in this affair and pay to make the problem go away," the Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee found.
Ofcom, the British media regulator that could force Murdoch out of BSkyB, said it was "reading with interest" the report from Parliament.
JUST WATCHED Rupert Murdoch: 'I was not aware' Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Rupert Murdoch: 'I was not aware' 03:18
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The agency noted that it "has a duty under the Broadcasting Acts of 1990 and 1996 to be satisfied that any person holding a broadcasting license is, and remains, fit and proper to do so."
News Corp., which Rupert Murdoch leads as chairman and chief executive, accepted responsibility for some failings Tuesday but pushed back against some of the more critical remarks made by lawmakers.
"Hard truths have emerged from the Select Committee Report: that there was serious wrongdoing at the News of the World; that our response to the wrongdoing was too slow and too defensive; and that some of our employees misled the Select Committee in 2009," it said in a statement.
However, remarks made by some lawmakers after the report was issued on Tuesday were "unjustified and highly partisan," it said.
News Corp. said it had already acted on many of the failings highlighted in the report, had brought in new internal controls and is supporting police investigations into alleged wrongdoing.
Allegations of widespread illegal eavesdropping by Murdoch journalists in search of stories have shaken the media baron's News Corp. empire and the British political establishment, up to and including Prime Minister David Cameron.
Police have arrested dozens of people as part of investigations into phone hacking, e-mail hacking and police bribery, while two parliamentary committees and an independent inquiry led by Lord Justice Brian Leveson are probing the scandal.
Testifying last week before the Leveson Inquiry, Rupert Murdoch admitted that there had been a "cover-up" of phone hacking at News of the World, which ceased publication last July.
But Murdoch, who owns the Sun and the Times in London, as well as controlling The Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Fox News, said his News Corp. had been a victim of the cover-up, not the perpetrator.
"Someone took charge of a cover-up, which we were victim to and I regret," he said Thursday at the Leveson Inquiry.
He apologized for not having paid more attention to the scandal, which he called "a serious blot on my reputation."
Tuesday's report by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee is based, in part, on earlier testimony by Rupert and James Murdoch.
John Whittingdale, the chairman of the committee, said Tuesday that, while there is "no definitive evidence to prove whether or not James Murdoch was aware of... evidence which indicated that phone hacking was widespread, the committee was nevertheless astonished that he did not seek to see the evidence."
JUST WATCHED James Murdoch blames staff for failures Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH James Murdoch blames staff for failures 03:13
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Tom Watson, the Labour lawmaker who has long been one of the fiercest critics of Murdoch, was blistering in a news conference announcing the parliamentary findings.
"These people corrupted our country," he said. "They have brought shame on our police force and our Parliament. They lied and cheated -- blackmailed and bullied and we should all be ashamed when we think how we cowered before them for so long."
But Louise Mensch, a Conservative member of Parliament who is on the committee with Whittingdale and Watson, said the report had gone too far.
She was one of the four Conservative MPs who dissented from the amendment to the report finding that Murdoch was not a fit person to run a company.
She called the amendment "
|
company for the first time.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) disclosed the investigation in a brief statement, without commenting on the nature of the probe nor any potential antitrust violations. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters last month the KFTC inspected Google‘s Seoul headquarters in July.
The antitrust body’s statement came after a local media report said the KFTC had decided to clear Google of anti-competition charges involving the pre-loading of the company’s apps on smartphones running on the Android operating system.
See also: Bill Maris Steps Down as CEO of Google Ventures
Google, whose corporate parent is Alphabet, declined to comment.
While it wasn’t clear whether the probe would lead to any formal charges, the investigation opens another regulatory front for Google. The firm was fined $6.8 million in Russia on Thursday and faces multiple European Union antitrust charges.
The KFTC has investigated Google before. In 2013, the regulator cleared Google of wrongdoing following a probe into whether the company hurt competition by forcing smartphone makers using Android to pre-load its search engine on the handsets.Republican candidate Karen Handel and Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff shake hands after Georgia’s 6th Congressional District special election debate in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. June 6, 2017. Christopher Aluka Berry/Reuters
Days out from the general election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, with Democrat Jon Ossoff leading in the polls, Republican candidate Karen Handel has re-affirmed perhaps her most controversial stance: a staunch opposition to same-sex adoption.
On Thursday, Handel told a reporter that in her view, allowing same-sex couples to adopt is not in “the best interest of the child.” A mother then approached Handel and explained to her that, as the mother of a gay daughter, she was “torn”: She has a “conservative nature,” but she wants her daughter to be “able to adopt a kid.” Handel responded bluntly: “I have to be honest, my faith calls me to a different place on that issue.”
Handel notoriously favored outlawing same-sex adoption during her unsuccessful run for Georgia governor in 2010. She also opposed marriage, civil unions, and even domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. At the time, Handel boasted that she had “voted no on domestic partner benefits” as the chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
Following April’s primary, some observers expected Handel to moderate her anti-LGBTQ positions to appeal to centrist voters in a district not known for hardline social conservatism. But Handel has instead clung to her old platform, allowing Ossoff to draw a stark contrast with his opponent. The Democrat has presented himself as a staunch ally of the LGBTQ community; at the Atlanta Equality March, he told supporters:
You will be able to count on me to stand up for you every day. I will never shy away from standing with the LGBT community publicly, forcefully, with everything I’ve got. … There can be no compromise on civil rights; there can be no compromise on human rights.
Throughout her campaign, Handel has sought to portray the issue of same-sex adoption as settled law. The Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision did protect other “rights and responsibilities intertwined with marriage” for same-sex couples, including adoption. But states have sought to avoid this constitutional command by allowing adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples. In fact, on the same day that Handel expressed her continued opposition to same-sex adoption, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill allowing taxpayer-funded agencies to turn away LGBTQ adopters.
Dozens of studies have confirmed that the children of same-sex couples fare no worse than other children.Joe Robbins/Getty Images
The Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans have all been faced with the same question over the past two years, and each team has answered it differently.
What's the best way to handle a rookie first-round pick at quarterback?
The Colts have decided to name Andrew Luck the starter from day one.
The Jaguars didn't have Blaine Gabbert start opening day, but went to him quickly.
The Titans still don't know when Jake Locker will take over a starting job.
There are arguments on both sides of the issue. Proponents of starting a rookie insist there is no substitute for playing. Peyton Manning believes it helped him.
Others argue in favor of a "sit and learn" theory. The idea is that if a quarterback sits for most of his rookie year, he'll be better for it in the long run. Aaron Rodgers has become a poster boy for this model.
Who is right? History says everyone is.
Since 1980, there have been 76 quarterbacks taken in the first round. Of those, 14 started Week 1, and 29 started at least half the games their rookie year. We'll call this the "Peyton Manning School."
While it's too soon to judge the careers of Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Sam Bradford and Cam Newton, it's clear that many teams are choosing to put their rookie quarterback in the starting lineup sooner than ever. Six of the 14 Week 1 starters began their career after 2008.
On the other extreme of the spectrum is the "Carson Palmer School." Palmer was the most extreme case of sitting the rookie quarterback in history. He didn't throw a pass his rookie year.
You could also put Jim Kelly and Steve Young into this group, but as they played in the USFL before the NFL. That's obviously different than sitting on the bench. 15 quarterbacks of the 76 didn't start their rookie years. Eighteen played in fewer than four games.
The following lessons should be learned from the past:
1. There is no inherent value in sitting year one.
Players who sat largely sat because they weren't good enough to play. The top of the list isn't any more littered with busts than the bottom of the list. A player who isn't ready to start should sit, but a quarterback who is capable of winning a starting job should be allowed to have it.
If sitting a rookie was better, you'd expect to see way more evidence in favor of it than you do.
2. The "David Carr Scenario" is unique to David Carr.
Some people love to bring up David Carr as a cautionary tale of the dangers of starting a rookie quarterback. After all, he took 76 sacks and never developed. The problem is that there really has never been another instance of that.
You can point to a couple of rookie headcases that burned out (Jeff George and Ryan Leaf), but there's not a lot of evidence that starting immediately does any damage.
Whether or not Carr could have become a viable quarterback had he not taken that beating, we'll never know. I believe he lacked the tools to be an elite quarterback, however, and wouldn't have been a star no matter how he was handled.
3. There is success to be had in all three courses.
The "Peyton Manning School" has some illustrious names in it. The "Eli Manning School" (sit at first, but start later in the year) does too. Phil Rivers and Rodgers went to the "Carson Palmer School." Of course, it's a lot easier to sit when you are behind a future Hall of Famer.
There is no one way to build a quarterback. The best strategy is to hold an open competition. If the rookie can win the job, he should be allowed to play. If he can't win the job, let him grow into it. Based on the evidence, there's no reason to be dogmatic about refusing to let a rookie start Week 1.
4. Teams are trending toward the Manning School.
More and more rookies are playing from Week 1. This list doesn't include later-round picks like Andy Dalton, who started early. There are many reasons for this, but the primary one is that quarterbacks coming out of college are more ready to play in pro-style offenses.
As the passing game takes over the college ranks, players are entering the league ready to play.
So who was right? Did the Titans err by letting Locker season? Did the Jaguars screw up with Gabbert? Should Indy have let Luck sit for a year?
The answer is probably "no" to all three questions. The best course in the NFL is "let the best man win." Any player who is ready to play should play. Any player who isn't, shouldn't.
If Gabbert, Luck and Locker become stars or busts, it will be because of the skills they have and coaching the receive. When they played and how soon they started won't have anything to do with it.In computer data storage, drive letter assignment is the process of assigning alphabetical identifiers to volumes. Unlike the concept of UNIX mount points, where volumes are named and located arbitrarily in a single hierarchical namespace, drive letter assignment allows multiple highest-level namespaces. Drive letter assignment is thus a process of using letters to name the roots of the "forest" representing the file system; each volume holds an independent "tree" (or, for non-hierarchical file systems, an independent list of files).
Origin [ edit ]
The concept of drive letters, as used today, presumably[citation needed] owes its origins to IBM's VM family of operating systems, dating back to CP/CMS in 1967 (and its research predecessor CP-40), by way of Digital Research's (DRI) CP/M. The concept evolved through several steps:
The important capability of hierarchical directories within each drive letter was initially absent from these systems. This was a major feature of UNIX and other similar operating systems, where hard disk drives held thousands (rather than tens or hundreds) of files. Increasing microcomputer storage capacities led to their introduction, eventually followed by long filenames. In file systems lacking such naming mechanisms, drive letter assignment proved a useful, simple organizing principle.
Operating systems that use drive letter assignment [ edit ]
Order of assignment [ edit ]
MS-DOS/PC DOS since version 5.0, and later operating systems, assigns drive letters according to the following algorithm:
Assign the drive letter A: to the first floppy disk drive (drive 0), and B: to the second floppy disk drive (drive 1). If only one physical floppy is present, drive B: will be assigned to a phantom floppy drive mapped to the same physical drive and dynamically assigned to either A: or B: for easier floppy file operations. If no physical floppy drive is present, DOS 4.0 will assign both A: and B: to the non-existent drive, whereas DOS 5.0 and higher will invalidate these drive letters. If more than two physical floppy drives are present, DOS versions prior to 5.0 will assign subsequent drive letters, whereas DOS 5.0 and higher will remap these drives to higher drive letters at a later stage; see below. Assign a drive letter to the first active primary partition recognized upon the first physical hard disk. DOS 5.0 and higher will ensure that it will become drive C:, so that the boot drive will either have drive A: or C:. Assign subsequent drive letters to the first primary partition upon each successive physical hard disk drive (DOS versions prior to 5.0 will probe for only two physical harddisks, whereas DOS 5.0 and higher support eight physical harddisks). Assign subsequent drive letters to every recognized logical partition present in the first extended partition, beginning with the first hard drive and proceeding through successive physical hard disk drives. DOS 5.0 and higher: Assign drive letters to all remaining primary partitions, beginning with the first hard drive and proceeding through successive physical hard disk drives. DOS 5.0 and higher: Assign drive letters to all physical floppy drives beyond the second physical floppy drive. Assign subsequent drive letters to any block device drivers loaded in CONFIG.SYS via DEVICE statements, e.g. RAM disks. Assign subsequent drive letters to any dynamically loaded drives via CONFIG.SYS INSTALL statements, in AUTOEXEC.BAT or later, i.e. additional optical disc drives (MSCDEX etc.), PCMCIA / PC Card drives, USB or Firewire drives, or network drives.
Only partitions of recognized partition types are assigned letters. In particular, "hidden partitions" (those with their type ID changed to an unrecognized value, usually by adding 10h ) are not.
MS-DOS/PC DOS versions 4.0 and earlier assign letters to all of the floppy drives before considering hard drives, so a system with four floppy drives would call the first hard drive E:. Starting with DOS 5.0, the system ensures that drive C: is always a hard disk, even if the system has more than two physical floppy drives.
While without deliberate remapping, the drive letter assignments are typically fixed until the next reboot, however, Zenith MS-DOS 3.21 will update the drive letter assignments when resetting a drive. This may cause drive letters to change without reboot if the partitioning of the harddisk was changed.
MS-DOS on the Apricot PC assigns letters to hard drives, starting with A:, before considering floppy drives. A system with two of each drive would call the hard drives A: and B:, and the floppies C: and D:.
Some versions of DOS do not assign the drive letter, beginning with C:, to the first active primary partition recognized upon the first physical hard disk, but on the first primary partition recognized of the first hard disk, even if it is not set active.
If there is more than one extended partition in a partition table, only the logical drives in the first recognized extended partition type are processed.
Some late versions of the DR-DOS IBMBIO.COM provide a preboot config structure, holding bit flags to select (beside others) between various drive letter assignment strategies. These strategies can be preselected by a user or OEM or be changed by a boot loader on the fly when launching DR-DOS. Under these issues, the boot drive can be different from A: or C: as well.
The drive letter order can depend on whether a given disk is managed by a boot-time driver or by a dynamically loaded driver. For example, if the second or third hard disk is of SCSI type and, on DOS, requires drivers loaded through the CONFIG.SYS file (e.g. the controller card does not offer on-board BIOS or using this BIOS is not practical), then the first SCSI primary partition will appear after all the IDE partitions on DOS. Therefore, DOS and for example OS/2 could have different drive letters, as OS/2 loads the SCSI driver earlier. A solution was not to use primary partitions on such hard disks.
In Windows NT and OS/2, the operating system uses the aforementioned algorithm to automatically assign letters to floppy disk drives, optical disc drives, the boot disk, and other recognized volumes that are not otherwise created by an administrator within the operating system. Volumes that are created within the operating system are manually specified, and some of the automatic drive letters can be changed. Unrecognized volumes are not assigned letters, and are usually left untouched by the operating system.
A common problem that occurs with the drive letter assignment is that the letter assigned to a network drive can interfere with the letter of a local volume (like a newly installed CD/DVD drive or a USB stick). For example, if the last local drive is drive D: and a network drive would have been assigned as E:, then a newly attached USB mass storage device would also be assigned drive E: causing loss of connectivity with either the network share or the USB device. Users with administrative privileges can assign drive letters manually to overcome this problem.[5] Another condition that can cause problems on Windows XP is when there are network drives defined, but in an error condition (as they would be on a laptop operating outside the network). Even when the unconnected network drive is not the next available drive letter, Windows XP may be unable to map a drive and this error may also prevent the mounting of the USB device.[citation needed]
Common assignments [ edit ]
Applying the scheme discussed above on a fairly modern Windows-based system typically results in the following drive letter assignments:
A: — Floppy disk drives, 3 1 ⁄ 2 ″ or 5 1 ⁄ 4 ″, and possibly other types of disk drives, if present.
— Floppy disk drives, ″ or ″, and possibly other types of disk drives, if present. B: — Reserved for a second floppy drive, if present.
— Reserved for a second floppy drive, if present. C: — First hard disk partition.
— First hard disk partition. D: to Z: — Other disk partitions get labeled here. Windows assigns the next free drive letter to the next drive it encounters while enumerating the disk drives on the system. Drives can be partitioned, thereby creating more drive letters. This applies to MS-DOS, as well as all Windows operating systems. Windows offers other ways to change the drive letters, either through the Disk Management snap-in or diskpart. MS-DOS typically uses parameters on the line loading device drivers inside the CONFIG.SYS file.
Case-specific drive letters:
When there is no second physical floppy drive, drive B: can be used as a "virtual" floppy drive mapped onto the physical drive A:, whereby the user would be prompted to switch floppies every time a read or write was required to whichever was the least recently used of A: or B:. This allows for much of the functionality of two floppy drives on a computer that has only one. This concept of multiple drive letters sharing a single physical device (optionally with different "views" of it) is not limited to the first floppy drive, but can be utilized for other drives as well by setting up additional block devices for them with the standard DOS DRIVER.SYS in CONFIG.SYS.
Network drives are often assigned letters towards the end of the alphabet. This is often done to differentiate them from local drives: by using letters towards the end, it reduces the risk of an assignment conflict. It is especially true when the assignment is done automatically across a network (usually by a logon script).
In most DOS systems, it is not possible to have more than 26 mounted drives. Atari GEMDOS supports 16 drive letters A: to P: only. The PalmDOS PCMCIA driver stack supports drive letters 0:, 1:, 2:,... to address PCMCIA drive slots.
Some Novell network drivers for DOS support up to 32 drive letters under compatible DOS versions. In addition, Novell DOS 7, OpenDOS 7.01, and DR-DOS 7.02 genuinely support a CONFIG.SYS LASTDRIVE=32 directive in order to allocate up to 32 drive letters, named A: to Z:, [:, \:, ]:, ^:, _: and `:. (DR-DOS 7.02-7.07 also supports HILASTDRIVE and LASTDRIVEHIGH directives in order to relocate drive structures into upper memory.) Some DOS application programs do not expect drive letters beyond Z: and will not work with them, therefore it is recommended to use them for special purposes or search drives.
JP Software's 4DOS command line processor supports drive letters beyond Z: in general, but since some of the letters clash with syntactical extensions of this command line processor, they need to be escaped in order to use them as drive letters.
Windows 9x (MS-DOS 7.0/MS-DOS 7.1) added support for LASTDRIVE=32 and LASTDRIVEHIGH=32 as well.
If access to more filesystems than Z: is required under Windows NT, Volume Mount Points must be used.[11] However, it is possible to mount non-letter drives, such as 1:, 2:, or!: using the command line SUBST utility in Windows XP or later (i.e. SUBST 1: C:\TEMP ), but it is not officially supported and may break programs that assume that all drives are letters A: to Z:.
ASSIGN, JOIN and SUBST in DOS and Windows [ edit ]
Drive letters are not the only way of accessing different volumes. DOS offers a JOIN command that allows access to an assigned volume through an arbitrary directory, similar to the Unix mount command. It also offers a SUBST command which allows the assignment of a drive letter to a directory. One or both of these commands were removed in later systems like OS/2 or Windows NT, but starting with Windows 2000, both are again supported: The SUBST command exists as before, while JOIN's functionality is subsumed in LINKD (part of the Windows Resource Kit). In Windows Vista, the new command MKLINK can be used for this purpose. Also, Windows 2000 and later support mount points, accessible from the Control Panel.
Many operating systems originating from Digital Research provide means to implicitly assign substitute drives, called floating drives in DRI terminology, by using the CD/CHDIR command in the following syntax:
CD N:=C:\SUBDIR
DOS Plus supports this for drive letters N:, O:, and P:. This feature is also present in Concurrent DOS, Multiuser DOS, System Manager 7, and REAL/32, however, these systems extend the concept to all unused drive letters from A: to Z:, except for the reserved drive letter L:.[7] DR DOS 3.31 - 6.0 (up to the 1992-11 updates with BDOS 6.7 only) also supports this including drive letter L:. This feature is not available under DR DOS 6.0 (1992 upgrade), PalmDOS 1.0, Novell DOS 7, OpenDOS 7.01, DR-DOS 7.02 and higher. Floating drives are implemented in the BDOS kernel, not in the command line shell, thus they can be used and assigned also from within applications when they use the "change directory" system call. However, most DOS applications are not aware of this extension and will consequently discard such directory paths as invalid. JP Software's command line interpreter 4DOS supports floating drives on operating systems also supporting it.
In a similar feature, Concurrent DOS, Multiuser DOS, System Manager and REAL/32 will dynamically assign a drive letter L: to the load path of a loaded application, thereby allowing applications to refer to files residing in their load directory under a standardized drive letter instead of under an absolute path.[7] This load drive feature makes it easier to move software installations on and across disks without having to adapt paths to overlays, configuration files or user data stored in the load directory or subsequent directories. (For similar reasons, the appendage to the environment block associated with loaded applications under DOS 3.0 (and higher) contains a reference to the load path of the executable as well, however, this consumes more resident memory, and to take advantage of it, support for it must be coded into the executable, whereas DRI's solution works with any kind of applications and is fully transparent to users as well.) In some versions of DR-DOS, the load path contained in the appendage to the environment passed to drivers can be shortened to that of a temporary substitute drive (e.g. SUBST B: C:\DIR ) through the INSTALL[HIGH] / LOADHIGH option /D[:loaddrive] (for B:TSR.COM instead of, say, C:\DIR\TSR.COM ). This can be used to minimize a driver's effective memory footprint, if the executable is located in a deep subdirectory and the resident driver happens to not need its load path after installation any more.[12][13][14][15]
See also [ edit ]
Drive mapping
Filename
net use (A command in Microsoft Windows for viewing/controlling drive-letter assignments for network drives)MOTTO Samantha Cooney is the content strategy editor at TIME.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has concerns about how Donald Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, Sen. Jeff Sessions, will handle sexual assault.
Gillibrand, who has fought for changes in how universities and the military handle sexual assault, told WNYC in an interview that she has “grave concerns” about Sessions heading up the Department of Justice. Her key concern is the Alabama Senator’s stance on sexual assault. If the Senate confirms Sessions as Attorney General, he’d be in charge of federal efforts to combat sexual assault and violence against women.
“I will of course pay attention to his hearings, and I will of course give him the opportunity to speak out about what kind of a head of the department he’s going to be. But I have to say, those comments are so offensive, and so dangerous. And if he doesn’t understand the basics of what sexual assault is, I don’t know how he can be Attorney General,” Gillibrand told WNYC. “Because, honestly, that’s one of the Attorney General’s jobs.”
After the Washington Post released a 2005 tape of Trump boasting about how he could do anything he wanted to women, Sessions reportedly told the Weekly Standard that he wouldn’t characterize Trump’s comments as describing sexual assault. Sessions later released a statement, calling the Standard‘s characterization of his comments “inaccurate.” “My hesitation was based solely on confusion of the contents of the 2005 tape and the hypothetical posed by the reporter, which was asked in a chaotic post-debate environment. I regret that it resulted in an inaccurate article that misrepresented my views. Of course it is crystal clear that assault is unacceptable. I would never intentionally suggest otherwise,” Sessions said in the statement, according to the Washington Post.
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In the Senate, as Quartz noted, Sessions was one of 22 Republican Senators who voted against the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which made it easier to prosecute sexual assault and domestic violence against women. Sessions told the New York Times in 2013 that he supported the act, but “there are matters put on that bill that almost seem to invite opposition.” (The key point of contention of the expanded bill, which ultimately passed, was a section of the bill that allowed more battered undocumented immigrants to get temporary visas, the Times reported.)
Gillibrand isn’t the only person to oppose Sessions’ nomination for Attorney General. Civil rights groups have condemned his nomination and women who protested outside Trump’s golf club in New Jersey this week cited Trump’s pick of Sessions as a concern.
[H/T The Cut]
Write to Samantha Cooney at [email protected] has always been a popular printer craft. It gives children incentives as well as fun in making DIY projects and scrapbooking. Making sticker is easy enough to do. It also has many variations – photo stickers, vinyl stickers, label stickers, custom stickers and scrapbooking stickers are some examples. You can make original designs or use ready-made templates.Whichever you prefer, all it takes is a sheet of sticker paper and a color printer.
Below is a step by step basic printing guide on how to print stickers:
Things you will need:
Sticker paper
Color printer
Scissors
Image editor/software (editor)
Steps:
Select and save your images to be used as your sticker. You can use your own photos if you want. You can also use ready-made templates. Search online and download the images. Some templates can also be customized. Edit and make changes if you want. Open Word program or your favorite publishing software. Open or drag your saved images. Edit and adjust the images to fit the paper. You can also add text to give it a personal touch. Copy and group images if you want to create similar stickers. Save the images. Make sure to choose the “sticker” option if you are using a graphic software. Change the settings and page setup of your Word Document. Adjust paper size to make sure that all stickers fit on the page. Load your sticker paper in the printer then hit PRINT. Cut out your stickers using a scissor or cutter; whichever you prefer.
Additional Tips:Women who give birth by C-section are more likely to encounter long-term health risks later in life, a new study has found.
According to researchers at Aalborg University in Denmark and at Ariadne Labs in Boston, women who undergo caesarean section births have a higher chance of needing a hysterectomy which is likely to result in more surgical complications resulting from the procedure.
READ MORE: Why researchers are encouraging women to eat and drink during labour
(A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of a woman’s uterus. It is often done because of pain and/or bleeding, researchers explain.)
“While mothers in many parts of the world do not have safe and timely access to C-sections, most countries that have the capacity to do C-sections seem to err on the side of doing too many,” obstetrician and co-author Dr. Neel Shah says in a statement. “In the United States, about half the C-sections we do appear to be avoidable. This study is the first to estimate the potential population-wide harms of this trend to mothers over the long term.”
Researchers looked at a nationwide database of women who gave birth over a 20-year stretch of time in Denmark. Included in the study were the records of 7,685 women who had a median age of 40.
“Because women often have more than one baby, we are the only surgeons that routinely cut on the same scar over and over again and that makes surgery technically harder each time,” Shah explains. “The internal tissue starts to fuse together and can look like a melted box of crayons. C-sections and hysterectomies are two of the most common surgeries performed on women, and those who require both are at a significantly higher risk of complications.”
From their research, the team found that women who had at least one birth and a hysterectomy were 50 per cent more likely to have delivered their baby through C-section compared to the general population. This, researchers say, suggests that getting a C-section is likely to put women at a higher risk of needing a hysterectomy later in life.
Women who have had a C-section and later needed a hysterectomy were more than 16 per cent more likely to also experience post-operative complications – like bleeding and infection – than their counterparts who gave birth vaginally, as well as 30 per cent more likely to need re-operation.
Women who have two or more C-sections, however, were 96 per cent more likely to need blood transfusions during a hysterectomy.
READ MORE: Mom shares powerful message for anyone who thinks C-sections are ‘easy’
Shah says the results of the study support current policies and clinical efforts to prevent C-section births that are not “medically necessary.” Shah and his team are also working to identify the drivers of high C-section rates and are hoping to develop a solution to the problem.
According to the team, more than 23 million women around the world give birth through C-sections every year.
The study was published this week in JAMA Surgery.
Latest numbers show Canada’s C-section rate at 27.5 per cent in 2014 – that is up from 18.7 in 1997, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reports.
Hysterectomies are also one of the most frequently performed surgeries among Canadian women, the Public Health Agency of Canada says.
Women between the ages of 50 to 59 had the highest prevalence of hysterectomy surgery with 35 per cent having undergone the procedure in 2008, latest number show.By Meg Kinnard
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A deputy who flipped a disruptive student out of her desk and tossed her across her math class floor was fired on Wednesday.
The sheriff called his actions "unacceptable," and said videos recorded by her classmates show the girl posed no danger to anyone.
"What he should not have done is throw the student," Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. "Police officers make mistakes too. They're human and they need to be held accountable, and that's what we've done with Deputy Ben Fields."
Civil rights groups praised the swift action against Fields, a veteran school resource officer and football coach at Spring Valley High School. Outrage spread quickly after videos of the white officer arresting the black teenager on Monday appeared on the Internet.
Scott Hayes, an attorney for the deputy, said in a statement released to local media that the officer's actions were justified and lawful. He said Fields wouldn't have any comment because of the federal investigation.
Lott thanked the FBI for investigating whether civil rights were violated, and school officials for promising to review how police are used for discipline.
"They need to understand that when they call us, we're going to take a law enforcement action," Lott said. "Maybe that ought to have been something handled by the school without ever calling the deputy."
The sheriff also had stern words for the student who started the confrontation by refusing to hand over her cellphone after her math teacher saw her texting in class — a violation of school policy.
Both she and another student who verbally challenged the officer's actions during the arrest still face misdemeanor charges of disturbing schools, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or 90 days in jail, Lott said, although in most cases, judges impose alternative sentences that keep students out of jail.
"The student was not allowing the teacher to teach and not allowing the students to learn. She was very disrespectful and she started this whole incident," Lott said. "It doesn't justify his actions. But again, she needs to be held responsible for what she did."
Lott also praised the students whose videos put such an intense spotlight on his deputy's actions.
"I can't fix problems if I don't know about it," Lott said. "I would say that every citizen with a camera, if they see something that's going on that disturbs them, they should film it. Our citizens should police us."
Lott said he wouldn't describe Fields as remorseful, but rather sorry it all happened.
The agency's training unit determined from the videos that Fields did not follow proper training and procedure, the sheriff said.
"When you make an arrest of someone who does not have a weapon, you never let go of the subject. When he threw her across the room, he let go of her. That's what violates our policy," Lott said.
"She wasn't a danger at that point; she was just being non-compliant and disrespectful. You try to de-escalate a situation. And when you do have to put your hands on someone, there are other techniques we use."
Lott declined to release Fields' personnel file, but said none of the complaints filed against him came from the school district. He did say that he and other deputies were trained not to throw or push subjects away unless they are in danger.
An expelled student has claimed Fields targeted blacks and falsely accused him of being a gang member in 2013, court records show. That case goes to trial in January.
The girl in the videos remains unidentified, but she has obtained a prominent attorney — Todd Rutherford, who also serves as House minority leader in South Carolina's legislature.
Rutherford contradicted the sheriff's claim Tuesday that the girl "may have had a rug burn" but was otherwise uninjured. The 16-year-old has a hard cast on her arm extending to her thumb after going to the hospital Monday night, he said. She also is complaining of neck and back injuries, and psychological injuries.
"I'm positive what he did to her should not be done to any human being," Rutherford said Wednesday. "It should not be done to any animal. If he was on video and a dog bit him, and he threw a dog across the room, he'd still go to jail."
Asked about the discrepancy, Lott said officers at the scene and school administrators hadn't told him about any injuries, and "what she had once she obtained an attorney is a different matter."
Email, phone and text messages for Fields have not been returned.
More than a dozen parents and community members vented their anger at Tuesday night's school board meeting. Some, black and white alike, said the issue wasn't racial — and that schools and parents need better ways of handling defiant teens.
Rebekah Woodford, a white mother of three, said removing the deputy from the schools sends the wrong message to students.
Others strongly disagreed.
"We are sick and tired of black women being abused. You can say it's not racist all you want to," said Craig Conwell, who is black. "If that was my daughter... that officer being fired would be the least of his worries."
Copyright 2015 The Associated PressRelocating workers, while expensive, makes sense as record revenues are flowing in from places other than Wall Street. For a number of bankers, though, the moves are less voluntary.
“Some are being told, ‘I don’t care if your wife has to stay here, this is what you have to do,’ ” Mr. Dolfino said.
Banks release only global redundancy figures, so it is difficult to quantify how many Wall Street positions have moved elsewhere, and New York City figures on finance employment lag behind the companies’ announcements.
Yet as options narrow, even some laid-off workers who were not offered a transfer are beginning to take calls from financial companies with operations abroad, recruiters say. “I’ve spoken to people who three or four years ago literally refused to relocate. Now they’re open to moving,” said Jeanne Branthover, head of the global financial services practice at Boyden Worldwide, a recruiting firm. “They do not see growth or change in this market in the near future.”
Recent activity at Ms. Branthover’s company is telling. Boyden’s revenue from placing people in finance jobs was about flat, globally, in the first quarter. But its placement revenue in Russia was up 73 percent, and in China and Dubai, they were each up more than 300 percent. In New York, where the market is nearly frozen, revenue from finance job placements was down 24 percent.
JPMorgan Chase, which acquired Bear Stearns when it nearly collapsed in March, is continuing to hire overseas even as it whittles its New York base. For example, the commodities trading group has hired 126 people in the last year, of which 85 are based abroad in markets like Singapore and Hong Kong.
“In the past everything was done out of New York, and that was the place to be,” said Nicolas Aguzin, head of investment banking for JPMorgan in Latin America, which has added bankers in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia over the last year. “But now everyone has decided to go local and to go quite aggressively.”
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The acceleration can be seen among senior employees at Morgan Stanley. In the first six months of 2007, only 10 of Morgan Stanley’s managing directors were transferred to countries other than the United States.
That figure has more than tripled — to 33 — this year, as executives like Stephen Roach relocated to Hong Kong to become chairman of the bank’s Asia operations, along with Owen Thomas, who moved there from New York as chief executive. In addition, five senior Morgan executives were sent to Dubai from London.
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sort of redundant. Also.
Amendment No. 153
Sponsor: Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.)
In its own words: “Would limit the amount spent on military musical units to $200,000,000 in fiscal year 2012.”
What that means: Great Sousa’s ghost! We’re spending $200 million on military bands? Actually, the DOD told McCollum that it currently spends $320 million on its marching parade regalia; the Washington Post says it might be closer to half a billion bucks. “It’s time to ask the Pentagon to make a small sacrifice in their own musical budget,” McCollum argues. Perhaps this will be more successful than her recent effort to reduce the Army’s NASCAR advertising budget.
Amendment No. 66
Sponsor: Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.)
In its own words: “Would designate Taps as the National Song of Remembrance and prescribes procedures during the sounding of Taps.”
What that means: “I am unaware of any anti-Taps lobby pushing for some other song to be named in its place,” says a Reed aide. What about Betty “No Bands” McCollum?
Amendment No. 2
Sponsor: Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.)
In its own words: “Would direct the Secretaries of the military departments to conduct a review of military service records to determine whether certain Jewish American war veterans, including those previously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force Cross, should be awarded the Medal of Honor.”
What that means: “Thousands of Jewish soldiers served bravely in defense of our nation during World War I but unfortunately discrimination at the time denied many of them certain military honors,” Luetkemeyer says. What a mensch.
Plus: Freshman Republican Justin Amash (Mich.) failed in his attempt to strike section 1034 of the defense bill, a force-use provision that authorizes “worldwide war without end, and without clear enemies,” according to the ACLU. Alex Jones-listening patriots fear section 1034 could “make Obama the US king“; one asserts that “this clause was inserted after the staged ‘killing’ of Osama bin Laden in an effort to ensure the Global War on Terror continued after his alleged demise.”A transient man has died on Sacramento City Hall grounds for the second time in a week, increasing pressure for city leaders to find quick solutions for a vexing issue that has grown more visible as heavy rains displace homeless campers from hideaways along the rivers.
A man identified by a friend as “Binny” was found dead early Wednesday morning lying on the concrete just east of the steps of the old City Hall building on I Street. The man, who had unruly white hair and wore athletic shoes, was lying on his right side facing the building. He was partially covered by a small red blanket and wore a blue-and-black flannel shirt, but had no shelter.
Sacramento temperatures dipped to a low of 34 degrees overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
Hearing the news shortly after finishing his first State of the Downtown address Wednesday, Mayor Darrell Steinberg said homelessness in the city was a “crisis” and called for immediate emergency shelters.
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“I’m done with this. We are going to open more shelter,” he said.
Last week, Steinberg said the city was conducting an inventory of buildings, such as unused schools, that could be converted to shelters. That list is expected to be completed within a few days. In December, Steinberg worked to open the pool house at Southside Park as a “weather refuge” for homeless during rain and when temperatures drop below 40 degrees at night.
The city and county will hold a joint meeting Tuesday to discuss improvement of homeless services coordination. On Wednesday night, volunteers were scheduled to fan out across Sacramento County to conduct the biennial count of the homeless population.
On Tuesday, Steinberg unveiled a plan he hopes the county will adopt to potentially bring permanent housing to 1,600 homeless people over the next two years. He’s proposing allowing the homeless to have priority for about 800 federal housing vouchers currently at the county’s disposal each year. The plan would allow people living on the street to quickly bump to the top of a long line that currently prioritizes disabled, elderly and veteran applicants.
The plan met with concern from some advocates who fear it would push those on the list into homelessness, and present challenges for delivering vital mental health and other services to those who receive the vouchers.
But Steinberg on Tuesday cited a psychological theory known as Maslow’s hierachy of needs to bolster his contention that quick housing for homeless could facilitate better outcomes. The theory argues that when basic needs such as food and shelter are met, people are more able to turn their attention to matters beyond survival.
On Jan. 18, another homeless man, Michael Nunez, died under the H Street overhang of the new City Hall building. Like “Binny,” a friend said that Nunez went to sleep and never awoke.
SHARE COPY LINK A man was found lying dead in front of Sacramento's old City Hall early Wednesday morning -- the second such death in a week that has figured rain, wind and low nighttime temperatures.
Nunez’s sister-in-law, Soledad Nunez, described him as funny and kind.
“He was the life of the party,” she said. She said that Nunez was one of five brothers from Porterville, and had worked for a time in construction building homes in Sea Ranch. Her family was not aware that he was homeless. They had lost contact with him and she had last seen him about four years ago in Healdsburg.
“We didn’t know where he was,” she said. “If we had known he was homeless, we would have looked for him.”
In the Wednesday death, police received a call about a person blocking the ramp of the building around 7:45 a.m. Responding officers arrived on the scene and determined the man was deceased, said police spokesman Matt McPhail.
“Binny” was known to sleep at City Hall and often attended free dinners that homeless activists stage there, according to William Mercer, the friend who provided identification.
Mercer said “Binny” was between 50 and 60. McPhail said the death appeared to be of natural causes, but a final determination will be made by the coroner in coming days.
Mercer said that he had brought soup and cocoa to “Binny” about 11 p.m. the night before in the spot where he was later found dead. Mercer said his friend was fine at that time, but lacked blankets. Mercer brought him two, including the red throw that covered him when he was found.
“He sat up, he was eating and everything,” Mercer said. “Next thing you know, he was dead.”PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Jacob deGrom tossed five scoreless innings and retired the final 14 batters he faced and the New York Mets rallied with five runs in the eighth to beat a Miami Marlins split squad 6-4 Tuesday at Tradition Field.
Catchers Kevin Plawecki and Johnny Monell, who both are ticketed for Triple-A Las Vegas, contributed homers.
Jacob deGrom looked sharp again Tuesday, retiring the final 14 batters he faced in the Mets' win. AP Photo/John Bazemore
Monell capped an eighth-inning outburst with a three-run homer on the first pitch of Marlins right-hander Preston Claiborne's appearance. Against left-hander Mike Dunn earlier in that frame, John Mayberry Jr. scored on a wild pitch and Brandon Allen contributed a sacrifice fly.
Plawecki had been charged with a passed ball on Monday in Fort Myers that led to a Boston Red Sox walk-off win. A day later he launched a solo homer against A.J. Ramos in the fifth for the game’s opening run.
DeGrom allowed only one hit -- a leadoff single in the first by ex-Met Jordany Valdespin, whom he promptly erased with a double play. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year faced the minimum while striking out six. DeGrom has now walked only one batter and has a 2.45 ERA in 11 Grapefruit League innings.
“I’m just going out there trying to repeat my delivery and pound the strike zone and locate, and try to eliminate those walks -- because every time I walk somebody, they seem to score,” deGrom said.
DeGrom described himself as “very pleased” by Tuesday’s outing. He put an emphasis on throwing fastballs at the upper end of the strike zone.
“This week I worked on my delivery a little,” he said. “The last time I got a little herky-jerky in the third inning, maybe trying to overthrow.”
Steven Matz, who is not considered a candidate for relief and it ticketed for the Triple-A rotation to open the season, tossed a scoreless inning after deGrom departed. Matz only worked an inning because he is scheduled to be used Saturday in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers, in a game Noah Syndergaard will start.
“I feel good,” Matz said. “I think I only have one walk. Early in the spring, that’s really what I focus on -- just getting a feel for all the pitches, throwing strikes. And I’m pretty happy with that.”
Erik Goeddel surrendered a tiebreaking two-run homer to Michael Morse in a three-run seventh. An inning later, Jeurys Familia surrendered a run as the Marlins took a 4-1 lead.
What’s next: The Mets enjoy their lone day off of camp on Wednesday. They then regroup Thursday for split-squad games. Dillon Gee begins ramping up for starting duty in place of Zack Wheeler in the home game against the Houston Astros. He will start opposite ex-Met Collin McHugh. Jonathon Niese heads to Jupiter to face left-hander Jaime Garcia and the St. Louis Cardinals.St. Louis CardinalsLast Wednesday Magic Online implemented the Play Point prize system. I will not use this space to opine about this shift. Instead I want to recount my first jaunt into the new 2-Person Queues. Play Points gave me the incentive to actually play sanctioned matches of heads up Pauper. I always want to play with something on the line and I lack the four hours for the old Daily Events.
Regardless, I knew I was going to have some time to grind matches on the 36 Play Points in my account. I wanted to play something I knew was good before trying out some more roguish choices. After I had built up a bank I would switch things up every five matches.
Instead I picked a deck and stuck with it for twelve battles. Why? Because I ended up falling in love with how the games were won. The deck stirred something Spikey deep in the recesses of my soul and brought out a player who didn’t just want to win, he wanted to crush the enemy.
Izzet Tron came about in discussion after my recent work on various forms of Tron. Jason Sirichoke knows how to tune decks and he took the marble of my proposed decks and found the statue underneath. My goal was to operate exclusively at instant speed. As is often the case in my rough drafts I push too far in one direction. Jason managed to find exactly the right balance for Izzet Tron’s action. Adding a few copies of Mulldrifter and Flame Slash did wonders for the overall strength of the sixty. Jason also shaved down to the bare minimum of win conditions. Instead the deck leans hard on Capsize and Mnemonic Wall in the late game.
Capsize is one of the best things you can do in Pauper. The only thing keep the card down is its high mana cost. The Tempest instant lets you either Boomerang an adversary’s board OR regrow important spells in conjunction with Wall OR draw cards with Mulldrifter or Prophetic Prism. Most games end with you holding a grip of seven and the villain discarding to hand size and nothing on the table.
Two newer cards have impressed in Izzet Tron. The first is Twin Bolt, which provides some maindeck defense against tiny hordes. Arc Lightning was always close to playable but cost too much and ate up an entire turn when it mattered. Twin Bolt solves this problem by being an instant.
The other card is (Artificer’s Epiphany). Often Jason and I have gone back and forth searching for a solid instant speed draw two. We usually settled on Think Twice but always noted that Catalog was incredibly close. Thanks to the presence of Prophetic Prism and Pristine Talisman the Epiphany acts as a pure draw two.
The deck is held together by three cards: Mystical Teachings, Impulse, and Condescend. Mystical Teachings is extra copies of high impact spells. Exclude, Twin Bolt, Capsize, and even Epiphany in a pinch - Mystical Teachings goes and gets what is needed for a given situation.
Impulse is simply fantastic. Previously Tron decks relied on Expedition Map and Ancient Stirrings to find key pieces. The problem with these cards is their narrow application. In old Temur Tron lists Ancient Stirrings was the driving force in finding lands, threats ((Ulamog’s Crusher)), and cogs. Chromatic Star and Chromatic Sphere took up slots that could have been occupied by threats or answers. Instead, cogs. Impulse may not see as many cards but it does have the advantage of being able to be cast at the end of an opponent’s turn. It also can get any card it sees - not just a colorless one. The ability to dig four deep and pull out a Lightning Bolt is something that Ancient Stirrings can only aspire to accomplish.
Finally, Condescend. In a world where Brainstorm, Preordain, and Ponder exist, Condescend is the choice here. Why? It is card selection stapled to an answer. Izzet Tron has ten lands that produce blue mana, six of which come into play tapped. Playing any one of these on turn one and following it up with one of 16 untapped lands on turn two opens up a world of potential plays. Condescend is going to stop almost everything cast on turn two unless the other side of the table is casting one mana spells - in that case it will probably catch their second spell. And then it smooths out your draw. Need land? Condescend digs. Want gas? It does that too. While it does not draw you a card, the ability to counter anything and then Scry for two puts you up an appreciable amount, if not a full card. Condescend may become harder to use as the game goes on but it is never useless.
I have seen players use a Counterspell to stop a Condescend for two. Just to stop the Scry.
Izzet Tron plays like a Draw-Go deck. It wants to accumulate resources and then use a mana advantage to strangle an opponent out of the game. The Tron matters during the victory formation. Until that point the goal should be to simply play lands every turn. Using Condescends to stop early threats to sculpt draws. Impulse should only be cast with a specific card in mind including lands. Until Tron is assembled the goal is to not let anything on the other side of the table matter.
Of course this begets the question of what actually matters? “Focus only on what matters” is an axiom attributed to Jon Finkel. Like most great sayings there are fathoms in its simplicity. Determining which spells and threats are going to have the greatest impact on a game is key to piloting Izzet Tron. Wasting a Condescend or Lightning Bolt on something incidental can be fatal. Almost always assuming the control role, the deck is wholly focused on staying alive until it can choke an opponent out of the game. Therefore stop things that will kill you quickly. Creatures with two power are only scary in multiples thanks to Pristine Talisman so save counters and removal for larger monsters.
The queues themselves were interesting. My previous experiences with the heads up queues were mixed at best. I would get a mix of new players trying out their perception of Pauper and other players grinding for packs and points. I was unsure if the field had shifted given the move to Play Points.
I was surprised. In my 12 matches (as of the writing of this article) I only faced one deck that I would not consider to be in the top tiers of the Pauper metagame and even that one - Presence of Gond combo - has a following.
First up was Affinity. The combo-aggro deck can be lightning quick and drop an army while Tron is setting up defenses. My opponent was on the slightly slower Perilous Research version, which eschewed more threats for cards like Prophetic Prism and Ichor Wellspring to fuel Atog and Disciple of the Vault. Game one came down to a misplaced Condescend. Early in the game I burned the counter on a Thoughtcast to try and set up my draws. Later I ended up having to expend a Rolling Thunder for 12 on an Atog to prevent a lethal attack. I ended up succumbing to a squad of 4/4 creatures. Holding on to the Condescend to handle a threat instead of a draw spell may not have changed the outcome but it would have vastly improved my chances.
Games two and three were rather rote. I resolved a turn two Gorilla Shaman in the second game and proceeded to eat all the lands. Game three the Shaman waited until I had full access to Tron and my opponent scooped them up after I cast a one sided Obliterate thanks to Capsize.
I am going to group matches two, eleven, and twelve together because they all came against Mono-Black Control. Izzet Tron absolutely destroys MBC due in no small part to the black deck having cards that simply do not matter. The common inclusions that must be stopped include Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Corrupt.
That’s it.
Everything else is ancillary. I’ve often let Chittering Rats resolve, put a dead card on top, then Impulse it away. The goal is to not let a Gray Merchant resolve for anything more than four. Protecting Capsize in games two and three is also important but it can be retrieved with Mnemonic Wall. Sometimes you will randomly lose a Mystical Teachings to a Bojuka Bog but it hardly matters. Eventually a Capsize will force MBC to start discarding and Rolling Thunder can be found for the final blow. Unless there are no Swamps in play do not cast Capsize on a creature. MBC can use one of their otherwise dead kill spells to counter the buyback.
The third match was against Simic Combo. Considering my options, I was comparatively happy to face Simic over Esper Combo. I recognized the user name - Cruentum_Dei - as a skilled Esper Combo pilot so I steeled myself for the fight.
I got too wrapped up in my perception of the matchup and let multiple chances to Condescend a Mulldrifter pass in game one. I was closer to stabilizing but eventually died to a (Kaervek’s Torch) for four. Game two was not a contest. I kept a Tron heavy six card hand but was never able to muster anything. Between Utopia Sprawl, Archaeomancer, and Snap, I had Thermokarst cast against me eight different times.
If I had played tighter in game one perhaps I could have made a match out of it. As it stands I do not hate Izzet Tron for the combo matchup but it requires more focus than I had at the time.
Next up I played against Delver. Here I always felt that I was in the game until it got away. It also seemed that I was one or two cards away from establishing control. Those cards never materialized and Delver took on the aspect of a rolling boulder.
In the fifth I faced off against the updated version of Green-White Saprolings. In the past this deck spat out tokens and used Pallid Mycoderm to generate an Overrun Now the deck also has access to Midnight Guard and Presence of Gond as an automatic win. Midnight Guard is highly susceptible to Lightning Bolt and the games were not competitive.
Matches six and nine were both against Izzet Blitz. Seeing Swiftwater Cliffs on the screen elicits a rather unpleasant feeling. Izzet Tron wants a long game while Izzet Blitz excels at finding an open window and smashing right through it. If a Kiln Fiend or Nivix Cyclops sticks it becomes difficult to remove thanks to Dispel and (Apostle’s Blessing). The dance therefore becomes about finding the right mix of counters and burn to make sure nothing stays on the board. While I won both matches neither opponent seemed to be fully armed with Hydroblast and Pyroblast. I do not know if these cards would have been enough to turn the tide in their favor. The games I won I was able to either counter their threats or kill them once they were on the board - something these pricey cards would have hindered. Dispel does not stop Flame Slash. Gut check: an Izzet Blitz deck with a proper sideboard should have a far easier time defeating Izzet Tron.
In the eight match I defeated Hexproof. The first game my opponent managed to build a monster before I could contain the damage and I was stomped. In the second and third games I managed to counter the force multiplying auras and left myself with plenty of life and a sideboard Bottle Gnomes. If Hexproof adopts a build that comes with a way to recoup card advantage - Snake Umbra or (Heliod’s Pilgrim) don’t boggle the mind - then this matchup becomes far harder.
The seventh and tenth matches of my set came against Dimir Delver. I won the first and lost the second. Dimir Delver has lots of velocity focused cards that help to enable its overpowering tempo plays of Delver of Secrets and Gurmag Angler. In this way the games were similar to Izzet Blitz in that containing their threats was the best path to victory.
The difference, however, comes down Flame Slash. Against Izzet Blitz I had opportunities before and after resolution to deal with their creatures. If the game had dragged on I was up on resources and could thwart their defensive measures. Flame Slash, if resolved, handled everything. Not so against Gurmag Angler. If multiple Anglers hit the board the game became all but unwinnable. Dealing with one is a challenge but doable thanks to Capsize. The second Angler applies too much pressure. In match ten that is exactly what happened. Game one I was under pressure from two copies of Insectile Aberration on turn three and game two it was a pair of fish. The pairing feels draw dependent and comes down to whether or not Tron can assemble the correct defensive pieces before Dimir Delver can find its threats.
My dirty dozen taught me quite a bit. First, Izzet Tron is absolutely a real deck. The deck has some unlosable matchups. The archetypes I would deem a “bad” pairing are still close. The volume of universally interactive elements gives the deck play against the field. It may be that Electrickery is better out of the sideboard than the third Twin Bolt. I also want to find space for Echoing Truth somewhere to deal with situations like two Gurmag Anglers. Repeal seems like a logical choice except that card deals with an Insectile Aberration for one mana AND replaces itself.
Second the 2 Person Queues are a fun way to play with something on the line. Winning three out of every five matches will let you break even on entry. I won nine of twelve and added 45 Play Points to my account - the rough equivalent of 4.5 tickets. Being able to see the gain is nice and it has definitely incentivized me to jump back in to win more. The fact that losing one of these queues still results in five Points awarded is nice. Increasing the prize for the winner would add to the experience but the absence was not apparent until I started tracking my results.
Finally, I learned that some of my opinions about the modern state of Pauper are based in reality. Pauper is a format defined by Tempo. Time was a heavily manipulated resource in the games I played. The best decks - Delver and Cloud of Faeries Combo - want to cheat the clock by advancing their board state beyond what can be reasonably expected on a given turn. Other decks, like MBC, incrementally gain an advantage that can only be exploited through a key card (Gray Merchant or Corrupt) but when it does hit the number of seconds shifted is massive.
Izzet Tron wants to keep the pace of the game even until it can exploit its mana engine for a temporal boost. Dimir Delver is willing to run cards that do nothing to affect the board for a chance to cheat on turns. Izzet Blitz is a rubber band stretched to the limit until it snaps back in a flurry of spells that leave the unprepared down an eye.
I am excited to further exploring the idea of time being more valuable than card advantage in Pauper as I continue to try these new play offerings.
Keep slingin’ commons-
-Alex
SpikeBoyM on Magic Online
@nerdtothecore
My Facebook Page
Discuss Pauper on twitter using #mtgpauperIn Part 2 of Connect Four in Elixir we updated the board for the players’ moves. Now let’s see how to prevent errors like the same player moving twice in a row, or attempting to move in a column that is full. After that, we’ll consider how to detect a win.
Column is Full
To check whether the column is full, we only need to look at the space in the ‘last’ (topmost) row and see if it is not empty.
In lib/connect_four/board.ex:
def place_token ( player, col ) do if is_full? ( col ) do :column_full else first_empty ( col ) |> agent_name ( col ) |> Process. whereis |> Agent. update ( fn _state -> player end ) :move_accepted end end def is_full? ( col ) do agent_name ( @last_row, col ) |> Process. whereis |> Agent. get ( & ( &1 ) ) |> ( & ( &1!= Empty )).() # See Appendix A below end
And handle the new possibility in game.ex:
diff --git a/lib/connect_four/game.ex b/lib/connect_four/game.ex index bd5820f..281cef5 100644 --- a/lib/connect_four/game.ex +++ b/lib/connect_four/game.ex @@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ defmodule ConnectFour.Game do def move(player,column) do case GenServer.call(@registered_name, {:move, player, column}) do :ok -> "Successful move for #{player} player in column #{column}" + :full -> "Column #{column} is full. Please choose another." end end @@ -38,6 +39,8 @@ defmodule ConnectFour.Game do :move_accepted -> newstate = Map.put(state, :last_moved, player) {:reply, :ok, newstate} + :column_full -> + {:reply, :full, state} end end
And try it out in IEx:
$ iex -S mix > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "Successful move for red player in column 3" > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "Successful move for red player in column 3" [...repeat... ] > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "Column 3 is full. Please choose another." > ConnectFour.Game.print_board..R......R......R......R......R......R.... [ :ok, :ok, :ok, :ok, :ok, :ok ] >
And commit these changes.
$ git add. && git commit -m "Detect when a column is full"
Now we can detect when the column is full, but we’re allowing the same player to move over and over. They need to alternate.
Alternate Player Moves
Recall that we’re updating the state in the Game GenServer with the player who moved last. In a two-player game, it’s sufficient to check that that player who moved last isn’t trying to move again.
(If there were more players, we might want to keep track of who is expected to move next instead. Or we might want to remove the player from the incoming message altogether, and just assume that the move is intended for player who should go next.)
Initially I started trying to add another condition to the existing handle_call function, but then I realized… PATTERN MATCHING! We can match on the state being passed into handle_call, like this:
def handle_call ({ :move, player, _column }, _from, %{ last_moved : player } = state ) do { :reply, :wrong_player, state } end
If the Game’s state (recall it was initialized as an empty map and then updated for each successful move) contains a key of :last_moved and the value is the same as the player attempting to move now, then there is a problem. It’s not their turn; the other player needs to move first.
Note that this needs to go above the original handle_call, otherwise that one will always match. (Try it below and see the compiler warning.)
We also need to handle the new case:
@@ -29,11 +29,16 @@ defmodule ConnectFour.Game do case GenServer.call(@registered_name, {:move, player, column}) do :ok -> "Successful move for #{player} player in column #{column}" :full -> "Column #{column} is full. Please choose another." + :wrong_player -> "It's not your turn!" end end
Now in IEx we get:
> ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "Successful move for red player in column 3" > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "It's not your turn!"
There is more error handling we could do, such as restricting the players to a defined list of :red and :black, but we’ll commit this change and move on to detecting a win.
$ git add. && git commit -m "Prevent same player from moving again"
Detect a Win
A winning move is one that connects four pieces of the same color in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line. Starting from the most recently updated space, we need to look at most three spaces in all directions in order to check all the possible winning patterns.
We’ll start by detecting a vertical win in the current column, because that’s the easiest. There can’t be any pieces above the last one, so we only need to look down and see if there are three more of the same color.
Here’s what placing a token looks like now in lib/connect_four/game.ex/ :
def place_token ( player, col ) do if is_full? ( col ) do :column_full else row = first_empty ( col ) place_token ( player, row, col ) end end def place_token ( player, row, col ) do agent_name ( row, col ) |> Process. whereis |> Agent. update ( fn _state -> player end ) if winner? ( row, col ) do :winner else :move_accepted end end def winner? ( row, col ) do agent_name ( row, col ) |> Process. whereis |> Agent. get ( & ( &1 ) ) |> column_winner? ( row, col, 1 ) end def column_winner? ( player, row, col, 4 ) do #2 true end def column_winner? ( player, row, col, count ) when row > 1 and row <= @last_row do neighbor = agent_name ( row - 1, col ) |> Process. whereis |> Agent. get ( & ( &1 ) ) if player == neighbor do column_winner? ( player, row - 1, col, count + 1 ) else false #3 end end def column_winner? ( player, row, col, count ) when row == 1 do #1 false end
#1 : there is no neighbor below row 1, so if we’ve gotten here without finding four adjacent pieces, it’s not going to happen.
#2 : the base case – we’ve found four adjacent pieces and this player wins
#3 : the neighbor is not the same, and we haven’t yet found 4, so it’s not a win.
I still don’t like all the conditional logic in this. If you see a better way to do it, add a comment!
Let’s see this work in IEx:
$ iex -S mix iex ( 1 ) > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "Successful move for red player in column 3" iex ( 2 ) > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :black,3 ) "Successful move for black player in column 3" iex ( 3 ) > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "Successful move for red player in column 3" iex ( 4 ) > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :black,4 ) "Successful move for black player in column 4" iex ( 5 ) > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "Successful move for red player in column 3" iex ( 6 ) > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :black,4 ) "Successful move for black player in column 4" iex ( 7 ) > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "Successful move for red player in column 3" iex ( 8 ) > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :black,4 ) "Successful move for black player in column 4" iex ( 9 ) > ConnectFour.Game.move ( :red,3 ) "Player red wins!" iex ( 10 ) > ConnectFour.Game.print_board..R......R......R......RB.....BB.....RB... [ :ok, :ok, :ok, :ok, :ok, :ok ] iex ( 11 ) >
Detecting a win on the row is more complicated because you have to look both left and right along the row. This is left as an exercise for the reader. :)
One final commit:
$ git add. && git commit -m "Detect a winner in the column of the last move"
Conclusion
We’ve added some error handling and seen how to detect the simplest winning pattern, a vertical win in a column.
The code for this example is available at https://github.com/wsmoak/connect_four/tree/20151026 and is Apache licensed.
Copyright 2015 Wendy Smoak - This post first appeared on http://wsmoak.net and is CC BY-NC licensed.
References
Appendix A: Anonymous Functions in the Pipeline
In the is_full? function I originally had |> &(&1!= Empty) as the last line of pipeline. This is the shortcut function capture syntax for fn x -> x!= Empty end. But if you try to use this in a pipeline, you get:
== Compilation error on file lib/connect_four/board.ex == ** ( ArgumentError ) cannot pipe Agent.get ( Process.whereis ( agent_name ( @last_row, col )), && 1 ) into && 1! = Empty. (), can only pipe into local calls foo (), remote calls Foo.bar () or anonymous functions calls foo. () ( elixir ) lib/macro.ex:113: Macro.bad_pipe/2 ( stdlib ) lists.erl:1262: :lists.foldl/3 ( elixir ) expanding macro: Kernel. | >/2 lib/connect_four/board.ex:85: ConnectFour.Board.is_full?/1
Misreading the error, I tried |> &(&1!= Empty).() but that didn’t make it happy either. Stack Overflow to the Rescue! and the answer is |> (&(&1!= Empty)).().
I opened PR 3916 to see about improving the error message – José replied that this syntax shouldn’t be encouraged, and a private method ought to be used instead. So, don’t do this! :)CAIRO | Egyptians are horrified by the brutal slaying of a pregnant Muslim woman stabbed repeatedly inside a German courtroom, calling what they see as a lack of outrage in Germany evidence of racism and anti-Islamic sentiment.
On Monday, thousands of mourners marched behind the coffin of Marwa al-Sherbini, 32, in her Mediterranean hometown, Alexandria, where her body was buried after being flown back from Germany.
“There is no god but God, and the Germans are the enemies of God,” chanted the mourners, while others carried banners condemning racism.
“We will avenge her killing,” her brother Tarek el-Sherbini told the Associated Press by telephone from the mosque where prayers were being recited in front of his sister’s coffin. “In the West, they don’t recognize us. There is racism.”
Mrs. al-Sherbini, who was about four months pregnant and wore the Islamic head scarf, was involved in a court case against her neighbor, who was accused of calling her a terrorist, and was set to testify against him when he stabbed her 18 times inside the courtroom in front of her 3-year-old son.
Her husband, Elwi Ali Okaz, who was in Germany on a research fellowship, came to her aid and was also stabbed by the neighbor and shot in the leg by a security guard who initially mistook him for the attacker, German prosecutors said. He is now in critical condition in a German hospital, said Mrs. al-Sherbini’s brother.
“The guards thought that as long as he wasn’t blond, he must be the attacker, so they shot him,” Mr. al-Sherbini told an Egyptian television station.
The neighbor, who has only been identified as 28-year-old Alex W., remains in detention, and prosecutors have opened an investigation on suspicion of murder.
Christian Avenarius, the prosecutor in Dresden, where the incident took place, described the killer as driven by a deep hatred of Muslims.
“It was very clearly a xenophobic attack of a fanatical lone wolf,” he said.
He added that the attacker was a Russian of German descent who had immigrated to Germany in 2003 and had expressed his contempt for Muslims at the start of the trial.
At its regular news conference on Monday, German government spokesman Thomas Steg said that if the attack was racist, the government “naturally condemns this in the strongest terms.”
The killing has dominated Egyptian media for days but has received comparatively little coverage in German and Western media.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.(Adds details, background)
By Nishant Kumar
LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Fortress Investment Group LLC’s macro hedge fund lost 7.64 percent last week, the latest in a series of funds to suffer after the Swiss National Bank (SNB) removed a cap on the franc, sending
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of a gramophone record, and we’ve got the actual label to paste in, with the record’s serial number on it. I think we briefly see somebody reading a New York Times in the first issue, and it actually is the New York Times for June the 19th, 1919. I’m even – I’ve not actually done this yet, but I’m even trying to check out what the weather was like, which is difficult to establish other than in broad generalities, but I can at least sort out what the sky looked like, and what the phases of the moon were – which is something that Lovecraft used to take pains to do, so I feel that I should as well.
PÓM: Find out if the moon was gibbous, or something like that?
AM: Yes, that was it, he used to – yeah, gibbous, the gibbous moon, which is nearly, what, three-quarters full, waxing or waning?
PÓM: Yeah, three-quarters full. It’s a wonderfully Lovecraftian word.
AM: In one of his stories he changed all the dates in it because he found out that a gibbous moon hadn’t happened on the day that he said it had. He said, ‘this is a lesson for all aspiring writers of fiction.’ And I’ve taken that to heart.
PÓM: OK.
AM: Yeah, it’s a very different proposition to Heart of Ice, but – yeah, it’s very much like Swamp Thing, it’s very very much like From Hell, in the creation of a authentically realised historical period. It’s actually a little bit like Watchmen in that it – the basic premise of Watchmen was, if these ridiculous characters, superheroes, actually existed in a real world, then what kind of characters would they be, and what kind of real world would it be to accommodate them. And it was also commenting upon superhero fiction and various other things while it was doing that.
Very similar things are happening with Providence. It’s obviously a completely different animal to anything like Watchmen, but there is that point of similarity. It’s starting from – if Lovecraft’s characters, if Lovecraft’s monsters, if Lovecraft’s locales actually existed in A Real World, then what would they really be like, and what would the world be like? So it’s the same premise, but it’s taken me into some very interesting new directions. So, yeah, Providence is taking up a lot of me time at the moment, as is – when I’ve finished typing – I think I’ll probably do up to page sixteen tonight – that’s very close now. And then, when I’ve had a bit of tea later on, I’ll probably be fed up of typing ‘cause I’ve been doing it since nine o’clock this morning, so I shall probably do a few more stanzas of the latest chapter of Jerusalem, which I’m doing, for some unknown reason, I’m doing it entirely in verse. It’s going to be ninety stanzas of six lines each in totality, and I’ve just finished stanza fifty the other night, so I’ll probably do another couple of them, just to keep that ticking over while I’m doing Providence.
PÓM: Actually, no, I’ll come back to Jerusalem in a minute – no, I’ll tell you what, tell me now! How is Jerusalem getting on? Howe close are we… How close am I to getting a copy in my hands?
AM: Well, it’s really really close. I’m on chapter 33 out of 35. I am more than halfway through chapter 33. I’ll tell you what, man, I deliberated and dithered for a long time on chapter 33. I have this final third of Jerusalem – it’s divided roughly into three sections – well, it’s divided precisely into three sections – but this final third, when I started it, I thought, I am already completely exhausted with this book. I’ve been doing it for years, I am exhausted. The most terrible thing that could happen is that that exhaustion shows in the finished book, because then it’s there for all time, marring the work, so I thought that the best way to avoid that would be to make this third section of the book really really really difficult for meself, by adopting a different style, a different voice, a whole different form, for each chapter, if necessary. So, I’ve been doing my, I’ve done me Lucia Joyce chapter, I’ve done me… I mean, that was years ago I did that. I’ve done my…
PÓM: Samuel Beckett?
AM: Yeah, the Samuel Beckett play. I’ve done a chapter that’s like a mid-sixties New Wave, New Worlds Michael Moorcock-era science fiction story. There’s one that’s like a piece of noir fiction. It’s all these different styles, so I was getting to chapter 33, I know what I’m going to be doing in chapter 34 and chapter 35, but chapter 33, I thought, how shall I handle this? And I was thinking of all these different ways that I could do it, and none of them really worked. People were suggesting things – they were saying ‘well, could you do it in an epistolatory form?’, you know, as letters. I was saying, nah, that for one thing this third book is all in the present tense, and it wouldn’t really work with the plot that I’ve got for this chapter, and then finally, when I was talking to Steve, I said – when I first thought about this chapter, and was wondering what kind of approach to take to it, the first thing that I thought, and immediately dismissed, was I could do it in verse. And I said, I think the reason I said that I immediately dismissed is because it would far too fucking difficult.
So, as I was talking to Steve I said, ‘Ah shit, I said, that’s what I’ve got to do, isn’t it?’ And Steve said ‘Yes, I fear so.’ That’s the most difficult thing to do, so that’s what I’ve got to do. So, yeah, like I say, I’m over halfway through with that, and it’s coming along nicely. I chose an unusual verse form, ABCCBA, which I don’t think anybody’s used before, and I’m starting to understand why, you know? But it has its charms, it has its charms. So, once I’ve got this out of the way, then I shall be getting on with chapter 34, which is actually the final chapter of the book. Chapter 35 is a epilogue that mirrors the prologue, but it’s coming together – the plot is actually all starting to come together in these final chapters, which is what I’d planned, but it’s still quite satisfying to see all the little threads starting to pay off. I’ve still got no idea how long it’ll be, Pádraig, I know I keep saying ‘Next year,’ although those words taste like ashes in my mouth, but when it’s done it will be quite a little barnstormer, I think. [Actually, he always said it was two years away from being finished, every time I asked him – PÓM]
PÓM: I’m looking forward to the day I have an actual copy in my actual hand, you know?
AM: I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of it. You’ll be probably one of the few people who actually gets all the way through it. I was thinking of having a blurb on the back saying ‘If you only read one book in your life, make it this one, and if you make it this one, you will only read one book in your life.’ No, that’s coming along very very well. I’m really pleased with the way that it’s turning out. Once I’d decided, once I made the tough decision to do it in verse, and decided that was the way to do it, and started to apply myself, I found that it was actually a lot of fun. Kind of brain-twisting fun, but fun none the less.
PÓM: Seeing as we’re talking about that, and you were talking about Providence – when you’re writing, when you start something, do you know basically what’s going to happen all the way through, and how it’s all going to end, or what?
AM: Well, with Providence the answer is, yeah, I kind of know, I know how it’s all going to end, down to some very very fine tiny details. I know the order of the stories that I’m going to be approaching in the course of this twelve issue series. I know roughly the themes that I’m going to be exploring in those issues, like for example in issue three it deals with stories that have got a kind of – it’s a storyline that has got a relationship to Lovecraft’s Shadow over Innsmouth, and I knew that one of the themes of that story would be the fear of miscegenation, fear of interbreeding, the fear of American culture being swamped by the massive wave of immigrants that America had had between 1890 and 1910, bigger than any before or since, and so a lot of the white middle class – well, certainly the New Englanders – were very uneasy about all that. They were frightened of, that instead of being assimilated into American culture, these new immigrant groups would instead assimilate American culture into their cultures, their mongrel cultures, as HP Lovecraft used to charmingly refer to them. So, I knew that that was going to be a big part of the story.
I hadn’t really got the substance of the story in place because, if I’d got everything in place, there’d be no point in writing it – well, there’d be no fun in writing it. So, with all of these stories, yes, I knew this fourth one was going to related to The Dunwich Horror, but I haven’t got more than the vaguest idea of what the plot details will be like. I know what kind of information I had to impart in this story, and I thought it’d be fun to mess around with Wilbur Whateley, or something like that. But, no, I haven’t got the shape in place until I actually started writing the story. I’ve got an overall pattern very well worked out, but I like to leave room for the spontaneous ideas and some space to let them play out properly. So it’s a mixture of the two, Pádraig.
PÓM: Actually, I’m going to go back to the League, because I still have notes here about the League. What did you think about the reception for Century 2009, there was a lot of hoo-hah about it allegedly being about Harry Potter, for instance, all of that? What did you make of that?
AM: Well, [laughs], there wasn’t really much I could make out of that. It was certainly nothing that bothered anybody outside of a couple of writers for The Independent. We never heard any problems from our end. I think it was a quite legitimate storyline, and it said everything that we wanted it to say. The things that I did hear in a couple of the reviews that I got sent of the League 2009, were a couple of people who were talking about, specifically about the line where I’ve got Mina saying, ‘how did culture fall apart in a hundred years?’ and they were saying, ‘This is easily the most reactionary line Alan Moore has ever written.’ This is the equivalent of saying, ‘It were all fields around here when I were a lad.’ They may have understood me too quickly.
I would say, that if you’re talking about a line of progress, if it can be called progress, that runs from Berthold Brecht’s Threepenny Opera, to Donald Cammell’s Performance, to Harry Potter, I don’t think you can really see that as anything but a decline. I will also point out that if you’ve got, I believe twenty percent of young people polled said that they would be embarrassed if their mates caught them reading. That would seem to me to be a decline, and also I would say that if you’ve got the Avengers movie as one of the most eagerly attended recent movies, and if most of those attendees were adults, which I believe they were, then if you’ve got a huge number of contemporary adults going to watch a film containing characters and storylines that were meant for the entertainment of eleven year old boys fifty years ago, then I’ve got to say, there’s something badly wrong there, isn’t there? This is not actually cultural progress. Anyway, that was my feelings. Yes, I’d stand by the sentiments expressed in League 2009. I think that it was something that possibly needed saying. Me and Kevin were very pleased with it, and like I say, we’ve got an absolutely humongous book four.
PÓM: Yes, I was going to ask you – what are you going to tell me about Volume Four?
AM: I’m not going to tell you much about it. I would say that it would probably continue where volume three left off, time-wise, so it would probably start in 2009, perhaps 2010.
PÓM: 2009, let’s see, what have we got, the Nautilus… am I right in thinking the Nautilus is about to head off into space?
AM: Well, I can’t comment upon that. There’s a nuclear Nautilus mentioned at the end of 2009, and he talks about building a new Nautilus, but the details of that, that’s something that I shall leave for volume four.
PÓM: Fair enough, fair enough. I just kinda thought, it seemed to me that the possibility existed that they might be about to go off into space, but, as you say…
AM: There’s all sorts of possibilities for the League, you know what I mean? We could really take this anywhere.
PÓM: Yeah, of course, of course.
AM: Probably after book four, we would be leaving the present day and the future alone for a little while. We might wanna go back and explore some of the previous eras of the League. Again, we might change our minds.
PÓM: Are we going to see the League travelling in time, for instance?
AM: Probably not. Probably not, because that does raise continuity problems. I know everybody would love to see, oh, I don’t know, the current league meeting the 1890s league, just like the Avengers did once…
PÓM: All the JLAs and JSAs…
AM: It’s a comic book thing, but, nah, it’s not really going to happen. That’s not really where our interests in the League lie. I remember a review of the Black Dossier which was saying ‘oh, this is all so – there’s all this writing in it, and what’s worse is they’ve even written about the French and German groups as a text story, the foreign counterparts of the League, when Alan Moore must have known that all of his fans, they’d much rather see that as a comic strip than read about it in a text piece,’ which is rather missing the point. We included – there’s no point in doing – we’ve done Les Hommes Mystérieux, we know the details of the story as a text piece. Yes, you could have the League against their evil counterparts, which has been done in every superhero team book since Sgt Fury, included. The thing is the League actually isn’t a superhero team book. I know that for some people, old conventions die hard, and it’s difficult for them to see anything beyond that, but that’s not what we’re doing. It’s a much more literary thing than that, a much more cultural thing, and we’ll continue to tell it in the way that we feel that it should be told.
Les Hommes Mystérieux
: I’ve been – I keep going back and reading, and the text pieces. I mean, in the, the bit about Nemo himself going across the Antarctic, it’s almost exactly mirrored by what Janni does.
AM: I was using the Almanac as a source for that story. When I came across that bit in the Almanac, and I thought, oh, this is interesting, this failed journey to Antarctica by Janni’s dad, it would be something that she might feel that she needs to do, and it all came from there. I was particularly pleased – yeah, it’s nice to get in some of those places that are only referred to in the Almanac, like Megapatagonia – did you notice Dogtanian?
PÓM: I did of course, yes!
AM: I thought, if you’re going to have dog-headed humanoids talking backwards French, then Dogtanian probably ought to be in there.
PÓM: Yes, I was – you know, people like Jess Nevins, we all play this annotation game, he compiles them on the Internet and we all do our best to send him in everything we can spot, which is good fun. Jess says hello, by the way.
AM: Do say hello to Jess when you speak to him next. Tell him that book four is coming out I think early next year. That’s what Tony told me last time I spoke to him.
PÓM: Book four of the League?
AM: Oh, sorry, Volume Three, the collection.
PÓM: Oh, yeah. The collection of…
AM: I was getting a bit ahead of meself there! I think that’s out early next year, so I shall look forward to seeing Jess’s next volume of his annotations then.
PÓM: Yeah, the other thing I was going to say to you was, I’ve been actually using the League as a reading list, I’ve been reading my way through all the stuff, which is… there’s a lot of those Victoria-era adventure novels which are crackingly good.
AM: Oh yeah, absolutely.
PÓM: Anyway, OK, I’m leaving all of that behind…
In part two, we talk about Jimmy’s End, Comedians and Scientists, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic, Margaret Thatcher, and the impact of the Fibonacci Sequence on Grandfatherhood. Here. Soon.
Outside Mind image by Gary Spencer Millidge
Like this: Like Loading...The 11th track in the Original Sound Version (OSV) of Chrono Trigger is “Secret of the Forest” and is the subject of this Deconstructing article, where we’ll take a look in detail at a work of music and break it down into its disparate parts, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the reader’s experience with the music. As a composer/producer myself, I also find deconstructing songs very helpful for inspiring ideas in my own work.
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Background
Chrono Trigger is one of those games you’ll always find on a list of Best Games of All Time. One of the many cited reasons is the strength of the soundtrack—which, especially for the time, contains a wealth of memorable melodies and specific sounds and timbres that were new for an SNES game.
“Secret of the Forest” is the 11th track in the OSV and is first heard in Guardia Forest (and later on in many of the forest areas). It’s one of the most popular tracks from the game, with countless covers on YouTube, and sample credit on tracks by musicians like rapper Wiz Khalifa and electronic music producer Giraffage.
But enough talk about it—let’s actually listen:
Secret of the Forest Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version - 111 - Secret of the Forest
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A full cycle of the track (that is, how long it is before the musical material repeats) is 2:13—the track above plays 2 cycles. We’ll look at a single cycle and look at the structure of the track within that cycle—so any time references I make will be between 0:00 and 2:13.
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Macro-level Analysis: Musical Structure
0:00 – 0:25: Intro – 8 Bars
0:26 – 0:50: Theme 1 – 8 Bars
0:51 – 1:15: Theme 2 – 8 Bars
1:16 – 1:41: Theme 1 Recap – 8 Bars
1:42 – 2:13: Bridge – 8 Bars + 2 Bars
It’s important when thinking about musical structure to remember that music, generally, has a narrative. There is a natural progression of musical content in well-written music that makes sense, that keeps the listener’s interest, and so when we think about musical structure, we want to consider how the structure of a song helps tell a story.
So while I have, in pretty boring terms above, laid out what the structure of this track is, let’s now look at it using more narrative-like terminology.
The main character in this musical narrative (and this is true of most music) is the main melody. This is the hum-able “takeaway” from a song—in a pop song, this would be the chorus. In this track, and most others, one can think about every other aspect of the song being constructed “around” the main melody. So going back to our original structure:
0:00 – 0:25: Intro – 8 Bars — this sets up the harmonic backdrop for our melody to come in
0:26 – 0:50: Theme 1 – 8 Bars — first iteration of our main melody
0:51 – 1:15: Theme 2 – 8 Bars — a “foil” to our main melody—often contrasting in both shape and tone.
1:16 – 1:41: Theme 1 Recap – 8 Bars — main melody comes back, “transformed” and “heightened”
1:42 – 2:13: Bridge – 8 Bars + 2 Bars — outro
Now let’s look more closely at each section.
—
Intro
Secret of the Forest Intro Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version - 111 - Secret of the Forest
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The introduction for this track lays out the harmonic backdrop for this track. There are just 2 instruments here—a harp-like instrument that creates most of the harmonies, and a bass that supports the harmony, as well as providing some melodic and rhythmic interest.
First, let’s look at what the harp is doing. It’s playing 2 specific note patterns, on repeat—each ascending arpeggios of 4 notes, for 4 measures:
Though harmony is often strictly used to refer to the way simultaneous pitches sound when played together, in practice, harmony is often achieved through arpeggio patterns like the one above—where the notes of the harmony are spaced out (though not very far apart temporally). It’s a way to give the music a feeling of motion, even though harmonically, it’s moving quite slowly—at a pace of 1 chord per 2 measures:
But that’s not all there is! Let’s see what the bass is doing…
When you combine the two lines, what you really get are these two chords:
It’s these two chords, alternating every 2 measures, that make up the harmony of the entire track, excluding the recapitulation and bridge.
Which means the chords themselves have to be pretty cool sounding, to be the basis of essentially the entire track!
Before we talk about chords—note that it rarely makes sense just to talk about chords by name alone. For example, I could tell you that the 2 chords above are Ebmin9 and Fmin9, but that doesn’t really give us any insight into why these chords work together so well. We have to define what these chords are in the context of the piece—which is in Bb Minor.
In the key of Bb minor, Ebmin9 and Fmin9 translate into the predominant (iv9) and dominant (v9). What does this mean?
Well, normally, a standard chord progression looks like this:
A TONIC chord goes to a PREDOMINANT chord, which goes to a DOMINANT chord, which goes back to the TONIC chord.
The TONIC chord is home. This is where you start, and this is where you end.
The DOMINANT chord is the “diving board” back to the TONIC. When you hear the DOMINANT chord, the ear expects resolution toward the TONIC.
The PREDOMINANT chord is just setup for the DOMINANT, or a way for the TONIC to get to the DOMINANT—it’s not always necessary. Many songs spend sections just going back and forth between TONIC and DOMINANT and skip over the PREDOMINANT entirely.
Almost all music essentially follows this chord progression template. Let’s take another track from Chrono Trigger as an example:
Peaceful Days Chrono Trigger OST - 04 Peaceful Days
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After a brief intro, we get our main melody at 0:08. The chord progression from 0:08 to 0:14 is actually a perfect example of what Tonic (0:08) -> Predominant (0:10) -> Dominant (0:11) -> Tonic (0:14) sounds like. Then, from 0:14 to 0:38, we actually get a lot of Predominant -> Dominant back and forth action until the final payoff at 0:39, when we return back to the Tonic. Note how this sounds, how the ear anchors the tonic as “home”, and how that final chord resolution at 0:39 feels like a satisfying arrival at Home.
Now, knowing all that, what’s weird about our chord progression here?
Secret of the Forest Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version - 111 - Secret of the Forest
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That’s right—there’s no tonic chord at all! We’re just constantly moving back and forth between predominant and dominant chords. The effect this achieves is that our ears are never really anchored. Think about the way the piece starts. Doesn’t it feel mysterious, like you know it’s going to go somewhere, though you don’t quite know where? Compare that feeling to the way Peaceful Days sounds, especially the finality of the moment at 0:39. It’s very different, isn’t it?
On top of that, there’s something else very interesting about these two chords. Check out the notes highlighted in blue:
In the first chord, the blue note is G-flat, in the bass. In the second chord, the blue note is G-natural, in the treble.
This is called a “cross-relation,” and it’s very weird.
In the key of Bb Minor, G-flat is in the key. Which is to say, it “belongs” to the key of Bb Minor. On the other hand, G-natural is an accidental in the key of Bb Minor, which is to say it is NOT native to the key and is a modification of an existing note in the key, G-flat.
A cross-relation is what happens when both the original “correct” note and its modified version are juxtaposed. Often, the result is a dissonant clash that the ear will naturally notice.
Now, without looking at the score, listen to the intro again:
Secret of the Forest Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version - 111 - Secret of the Forest
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At 0:06, when we move into the 2nd chord, which note of the ascending 4-note pattern is the cross relation? Which one sounds off?
If you guessed the 3rd note, you’re right! Take a look:
It’s little things like this that add a subtle layer of interest and intrigue to a work of music. When everything falls too neatly into place, the ear quickly learns to predict everything that happens, which is how music becomes boring.
That’s enough about the harmony—now let’s get to the main melody, which comes in at 0:26.
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Theme 1
Secret of the Forest Theme 1 Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version - 111 - Secret of the Forest
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The entrance of the melody is not marked only by the melody itself, in the form of the Japanese flute, but also the percussion, which is a combination of taiko drum and tambourine, and a strings line that sings above the flute melody to fill in the harmony and create a more full sound.
I find the main melody of Secret of the Forest quite sad—or at least wistful. This, I think, is a result of the falling chromatic figure that ends every phrase, as well as the macro-level falling of the phrase as a whole:
Note the falling chromatic figures in red, as well as generally how the 2nd half of the phrase is just a re-phrase of the 1st half, at a lower register. This macro movement is mirrored by the harmony, which also moves downwards with the bass line.
The phrase above gets repeated again, but this time with a different ending:
(Note the end of the phrase on the G-natural–we highlighted it once before, and we’re highlighting it again here in the melody, making it stand out even more against the G-flat in the bass.)
If we now combine these two lines into one and look at the whole melody, you can really see the contour of the phrase and where the climax is…right near the end, at the peak of the melody (0:44).
What is so cool about this climax is the way the supporting instrumentals here deliver that musical moment. Here’s the strings (black) and choral (green) line that’s moving in parallel with the above melody:
The strings melody is very hard to pick out because it’s quite close in pitch to the main melody line. However, if you listen at 0:51, you can hear this strings line quite clearly. Now, if you go back to 0:25 and search for that same sound, you should be able to hear it, tucked away behind the flute melody. Note that when the flute melody is hitting that climax at 0:44, this is the moment that low choral line (in green) comes in. That sudden addition of the choral line is what gives the climax here that extra “oomph.” Although the instruments here are not very noticeable on their own, their effect on the feeling of the track overall is unmistakable.
Let’s not forget about the 2nd instrument that comes in at 0:26, which is the drums. Generally speaking, percussion is used to add rhythmic energy to a track—thus, when a drum track enters a track for the first time, it’s generally the point where the track really “takes off.” Note that the drum pattern doesn’t change at all—the melody and harmony are already doing so much to create tension and release that to have the drums play a fill pattern at the end of the phrase would sound redundant and overdramatic. I love that the “Moose Call” technique for the drums is incorporated here (example at 0:27, done by sliding the fingers across the top of the drum—though in the context of the game it sounds much more like an owl than a moose!).
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Theme 2
Secret of the Forest Theme 2 Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version - 111 - Secret of the Forest
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At 0:51, we move into the secondary Theme of the song, played by the piano. This second theme usually contrasts in some sort of way from the first theme, and here, the contrast lies mainly in the rhythm. What I find really nice about this second section, is that for all the differences from the first, there’s actually two big parallels between the two themes.
One is the contour and macro-level phrasing of this 2nd theme. Note how this second theme also “falls”–how the 2nd half of the phrase is just the 1st half, but at a lower register (highlighted in red):
The second parallel is the strings-choral accompaniment pattern. Again, the strings line remains the same, wavering between F and G-natural, with the choral line making an appearance in the last 2 measures of the phrase (highlighted in green). Note that in the Theme 2 section, the choral line is not only doing more melodically, it’s also appearing at twice the rate—from appearing once at the end of one 8-bar phrase in Theme 1, to appearing twice at the end of two 4-bar phrases in Theme 2. That increased frequency of appearance contributes to the overall building of energy and tension to its ultimate resolution at 1:16:
—
Theme 1 Recapitulation
Secret of the Forest Recapitulation Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version - 111 - Secret of the Forest
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This is the climax of the track—something, as a listener, we don’t really need to be told. The musical elements make this very obvious—the return of the main melody (albeit in a different key!), the most instruments and most “filled out” sound yet, the raised pitch of the main melody, and the buildup before it all signal to us that this is the “point” of tension resolution in the music.
Until now, the strings have sat in the background adding texture to the harmony. At the Theme 1 Recapitulation, we finally get them center stage carrying the main melody:
2 main differences stand out between the first iteration of this Theme and its recapitulation. One is that while the first iteration of the Theme was in the Dominant key (F minor), the recap is back in the original Tonic key (Bb minor). The key change (and the resulting raised pitch) of this recap melody gives it its “heightened” status over its first iteration, which is accentuated by its grander, fuller-sounding strings treatment. The second difference is the ending of the phrase—while the first iteration ends on an a high note, suggesting further progression, the recap slows and winds down at the end, setting up for the Bridge and ending of the cycle.
For the first time in the track, we get a different harmony from the back and forth of Ebmin9 and Fmin9. By taking the same melody and laying it over a new harmony, the differences in harmonic color really come out. Because it’s the recap and climax of the track, the harmony we get here is far more complex and dynamic than we’ve had it so far. To see this, we need to examine the harp and bass lines (which have been playing the same repeating pattern up until now):
Note how here, the harp is playing up-and-down arpeggios, rather than just upwards—just another minor difference in treatment that tells us this iteration of the theme is “different.” More importantly, the harmony here moves faster than before. If we were to condense all the notes in the 8 bars above into chords, it would look like this:
For the entire track so far, we’ve had 2 chords, switching off every 2 bars—whereas here we have a new harmony almost every bar.
For the first 4 bars above, we still have the 2 chords from before, Ebmin9 and Fmin9. The difference now is that we’ve stuck an extra dissonant chord in the middle, which is really a “passing chord” that bridges the two, instead of just jumping from one to the other like before. The result is an added richness in harmony, which again, gives this recapitulation moment its heightened status. In the last 4 bars, we are expecting the same progression as before, but instead of going to Fmin9, we go to Cmin7 and then to F7, which sets up the transition into the Bridge. There is a sense of progression this time around, which contrasts with the very unanchored, unmoving progression we’ve had before.
Notice, also, that the macro-level movement of the bass line is no longer back and forth between 2 notes, but rather downwards (in red), which matches the “falling” nature of the main melody line. The effect is that you feel as if this new harmonization is a better fit for the main melody than the more static harmony before, and as a result, the experience is more emotional and climactic, which is exactly the point!
—
Bridge
Secret of the Forest Bridge Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version - 111 - Secret of the Forest
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Finally, the bridge at 1:42 closes out the cycle, winding down the track and preparing us for the next cycle. It gives a lot of the instruments that have been in play the whole time (percussion, harp, strings) a rest to really highlight the bass line, which has an awesome solo here, with piano providing the harmony:
If we condense this down into chords, we get Bbmin7, Gmin7, Ebmin7, and Fmin7. What’s surprising and interesting about this progression is that it’s the first time in the entire track we’ve heard the Tonic chord, Bb minor (if you remember from above, the “home” chord). The chord right after, the Gm7, is also interesting because it marks the return of the G-natural cross relation we talked about before. This chord in particular, out of the 4 chords here, should stand out to the ear because again, it doesn’t belong to the key of Bb minor. The last two chords are the two chords we’ve heard through the song all along (Ebmin7 and Fmin7), but because now they’re anchored by the introduction of our Tonic chord at the beginning of the phrase, they have context and a sense of movement and resolution that they didn’t before.
—
As a composer, some of the takeaways I had from looking at this piece in detail are:
Your chord progressions don’t have to be that complicated. This piece uses two chords for most of the track, adds a passing chord between those two chords for the climax, and then saves an actual normal Tonic -> Subdominant -> Dominant chord progression for the bridge at the end.
Larger, structural ideas are supported throughout the song by different instruments, in different sections. The Main Melody of this track featured a “falling” melody. That “falling” idea becomes a structural theme that appears in not only the Main Melody, but the Secondary Melody, the bass line of the Recapitulation, and the harmony in the Bridge. Similarly, the cross-relation established early on in the harmony (the G-natural) has an important role in both the main melody as well as the harmony in the bridge.
Hope you enjoyed this article! Let me know if you want to see more stuff like this (and which songs you’d like to see it for), or if there are other topics in music theory you’d like
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gives another. An actor in a toga can work, too, and of course it has. But often it feels like an actor reciting famous lines with no context and no life.
An added benefit of a production in a contemporary setting is that an audience can then use the events of Shakespeare’s play to reflect on current times. I would argue, however, that this is the secondary benefit. Interpretations that try too hard to make Shakespeare come down on a specific side wind up doing damage to the play.
The Nature of Theater
Bjorn DuPaty as Caesar and Kaliswa Brewster as Calpurnia Photo Credit Heidi Bohnenkamp
The wonderful thing about theater is that each character has a specific point of view. Each argues their side, and the playwright, or director, never has to reveal their own opinion. A production can provoke questions without giving definitive answers. It is in many ways an antidote to cable news culture. Spending two hours hearing multiple viewpoints engaged in dialogue rather than a shouting match is a far more useful way of forming a political opinion than by watching two opposing pundits for three minutes.
A play has the added benefit of exploring the emotional and physical aspects of a situation, not just the intellectual ones. And plays can explore issues from many points of view. Just because something happens in a play doesn’t mean that the playwright is advocating for it. When the title character in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is assassinated, some characters think it is a good idea, some characters think it is a bad idea. What did Shakespeare himself think? We will never know.
Directing Julius Caesar
Will Sturdivant as Brutus and Sid Solomon as Cassius Photo Credit Heidi Bohnenkamp
What we do know is that Shakespeare was a man of the theater, an actor as well as a playwright. He knew the spectacle of Caesar’s assassination would be gory, chaotic, and horrible. The conspirators dip their arms into his blood up to their elbows while senators flee screaming. This stage picture is in direct contrast to the cool, intellectual soliloquy that comes earlier, in which Brutus carefully considers the pros and cons of this dreadful act.
This is why it is important to see plays rather than only reading them.
The assassination is a transgressive, bloody act. And in case the audience at this moment still thinks that Brutus’s line of thought was correct, Antony delivers a powerful expression of outrage and emotional trauma. Brutus and Antony then have funeral orations giving opposing points of view. Whomever you agree with, one thing is clear, things do not go well for the conspirators. Brutus and Cassius wind up dead, and Rome is pushed farther down the path of tyranny toward the next Caesar: Augustus.
It is hard to imagine a production of Julius Caesar advocating the idea of assassination as a political tool.
Whenever a director starts work on a production of Caesar, whether in modern dress or not, he or she will inevitably think about the current political climate. In 2012, I thought, “Can I imagine a circumstance in which a small group of people would be so passionate about their beliefs and find the current situation so dire that they would resort to assassinating the president?” The Tea Party was in full effect, the birther movement well underway, and Mitch McConnell had stated that his main goal was to deny Obama a second term. It wasn’t hard to imagine one of these groups pushed to the point where they would consider violence.
I had recently read The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People’s History of Rome, in which Michael Parenti argues that Caesar was a man of the people who wanted to give land to the poor, while the conspirators were a group of wealthy elites who were threatened by this plan. The fact that Cato opposed Caesar during Roman times, and today we have the conservative think tank called the Cato Institute was another connection too good to pass up.
In our production both Caesar and Brutus were played by African-American actors. As Caesar, I cast the tall, charismatic, and confident Bjorn DuPaty. He conveyed an ease and a grace that made him an effective leader of the people. Will Sturdivant played Brutus and is, in my opinion, one of the best speakers of Shakespeare’s verse on the planet. His voice is a combination of Sir John Gielgud and James Earl Jones. My inspiration was drawn from any number of smart, serious African-American conservatives — Clarence Thomas being but one example — who at times can find themselves in a conflicted alliance with their fellow conservatives.
The difference in these two characters was a beautiful contrast and their similarities made the “Et tu Brute?” moment of the assassination absolutely devastating. It is precisely this kind of specificity (whether the audience knows the decisions behind it or not) that brings fresh salience to a 400-year-old play.
In the current production, Oskar Eustis imagines what would happen if a group from the left also felt that they were justified in resorting to violence. It not hard to envision a group of “Bernie or Busters” or despondent Hillary voters reaching a point of desperation where violence seems like the only answer.
Regardless of the politics of the director, actors, or audience, the moment of this latest Caesar’s assassination is shocking and horrific. Elizabeth Marvel gives the performance of a lifetime mourning over the body of someone who looks like Donald Trump. It is moving, poignant, and heart-rending: a beautiful execution of the play Shakespeare wrote.
Why Defund One Caesar and not The Other?
Kevin Orton, Ray Chapman, Caleb Carlson, and Ernest Bentley in the Guthrie Theater / Acting Company Production Photo Credit Heidi Bohnenkamp
I think one key difference in the corporate response to the two productions is simply that most people who wrote about and talked about our production — the one with an Obama-inspired Caesar — actually saw the show, where it is clear that most of those outraged by The Public Theater’s Trumpian emperor either didn’t see the play or didn’t stay to the end.
The Breitbart article that started the controversy is — I kid you not — a review by someone who talked to someone who saw the show. This second-order correspondent also thinks the play ends with the death of Caesar, as if they are killing the bad guy at the end of a superhero movie. In fact, the assassination takes place in the middle of the play, the rest of which deals with the terrible consequences of this action. Shakespeare built the outrage into the text. Mark Antony is so outraged — for himself, and on our behalf — that outrage suffuses the play’s entire second half. If you see a production, you get outraged with the play, not against it.
Our Obama-inspired production also didn’t have any gestures that tipped our hand to say “this is definitely Obama.” We wanted to make sure audiences could make the Obama connection if they wanted to — or could ignore the connections if they only wanted to live inside in the circumstances of Shakespeare’s play. In Eustis’s production, the Trump connections are more overt : Caesar wears an overly long red tie, Calpurnia speaks with a Slovenian accent (or “Slavic” if you are writing for Breitbart). There is also much more humor and satire in the Public Theater production. Caesar usually is not a very funny play, and I tip my hat to Oskar Eustis for finding so many genuinely funny moments. That may have bristled some people as well, but Eustis is hardly the first person to make fun of the president.
In 2012, the producer of The Acting Company, was very concerned that this production was going to get us into trouble, and she really didn’t want us talking too much to the press about the concept. The reaction by Delta and Bank of America to the current production suggests that her fears then were well founded. I was content not to talk a lot to the press, because directors like the production itself, not interviews or reviews, to be the final word. So I was happy for the audience enter the world of our production without pre-knowledge of the interpretation — experiencing it for themselves in the moment.
And because I trusted in the work we were doing and in Shakespeare’s play, I was not worried that people would leave the theater thinking that we were advocating for the assassination of President Obama or being disrespectful to him in any way.
Non-Profits, Politics, and the Role of Theater in Civic Life
Noah Putterman, Sid Solomon, Bjorn DuPaty, and Zack Fine in the Guthrie Theater / Acting Company Production Photo Credit Heidi Bohnenkamp
In the 2008 presidential campaign, Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin said that people criticizing her were trampling her First Amendment rights. This was a low point in people’s understanding of our Constitution, and really hasn’t been properly corrected (the First Amendment, of course, protects people’s ability to speak freely about their governor — it doesn’t allow the governor to say things without being criticized).
Something similar is happening today with our understanding of theater and its ability to explore political themes. Now is a golden opportunity for us to correct this understanding, reminding theater boards, audiences, and funders about the important role the theater plays in the civic life of our nation. These waters are all the more fraught for non-profit productions that often depend on the good graces of image-sensitive benefactors.
Moreover, while non-profit organizations are legally barred from advocating in favor of a particular candidate or campaign in any way, that does not mean non-profit theaters must be devoid of any political discourse. To the contrary, theater was invented in Ancient Greece for the very purpose of exploring the aspects of life that can’t be expressed in a simple debate. All voting citizens went to the theater and it was an important part of being an informed person. I think the theater is a much better place to explore the nuance and the consequences of our politics than a TV show every issue is reduced to black and white, left side or right side.
In many countries, government is the primary funder of the arts. Germany, for example, spends forty times on the arts per capita than the U.S. In the U.S., individuals, foundations, and corporations do their best to pick up where the government falls short. For the most part, that puts the arts in America in a constant state of scarcity.
Ironically, the advantage we have is that in the event an arts-unfriendly regime comes to power, we are not dependent on government alone. European countries don’t have the same kind of individual, foundation, or corporate philanthropy.
For arts to serve their true civic function, all of our funders need to respect and understand the power of theater and its role in our political lives. They need to embrace that role and defend it, it even when it brings up issues that are unpopular and uncomfortable.NBC News correspondent Kier Simmons landed a rare interview with a North Korean military official on Thursday and learned that officials in the communist country watch "Morning Joe" specifically for reports and discussions about their country.
Simmons appeared on the MSNBC show Thursday from the border of North and South Korea to share his recent conversation with a North Korean lieutenant colonel that included his belief that President 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 is "mentally ill" and that his country could prevail over the U.S. in war.
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“He quite plainly said he believes President Trump is mentally ill,” Simmons told "Morning Joe" co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough. “And he was unequivocal in saying he believes North Korea could win a war with America.”
“Be it no doubt that the senior officials here pay attention to what is being said in the U.S.,” Simmons added. “One telling me that he watches 'Morning Joe' every day specifically for the segments about North Korea.”
After Simmons wrapped up his report, Brzezinski added that "They [North Korean officials] are saying what a lot of people are thinking, that the president is mentally ill. It's considered inappropriate to say."
"I was going to say, Mika, you've got a mind-meld with some people in North Korea," said Scarborough.
Scarborough warned last week that the U.S. is closer to nuclear war than any time since the Cuban missile crisis of 1963.
"Foreign policy people yesterday told me off the record that the media is getting it wrong on North Korea, and the media is getting it wrong on Donald Trump, that actually we are far closer to a cataclysmic event," the former GOP congressman-turned-independent-pundit said.
"We had the nuclear clock when we were all growing up. It's probably closer to midnight... than any time it's been since the Cuban missile crisis," Scarborough said.
North Korea warned Thursday that the U.S. will face an "unimaginable" nuclear strike for continuing to conduct joint naval drills with South Korea on the Korean peninsula.
“The U.S. is running amok by introducing under our nose the targets we have set as primary ones," the state-controlled news agency KCNA warned Thursday via a Newsweek report. "The U.S. should expect that it would face unimaginable strike at an unimaginable time."Get the latest news and videos for this game daily, no spam, no fuss.
Over the weekend, Scott Cawthon, creator of the Five Nights at Freddy's series, donated $249,999 to a St. Jude Children's Hospital fundraising marathon by Twitch streamer Dawko.
The stream was part of a partnership between the video streaming service Twitch and St. Jude Children's Hospital called Play Live. According to the program's website, participants can promote St. Jude on their streams to earn rewards like community service hours for money that they raise. St. Jude provides free medical care for children affected by cancer, operating almost exclusively on donations from these kinds of charity drives.
The donation is a unusual as it marks one of the few times Cawthon has done anything publicly. Despite Five Nights at Freddy's runaway success, the developer has been extremely reclusive. It's impossible to tell how well his games have sold given that Steam doesn't publish their sales data and NPD doesn't monitor digital games at all, but according to estimates from app tracking websites like Think Gaming, Five Nights at Freddy's pulls in more than $20,000 every day on the iPhone alone. Cawthon did not provide a reason for the very generous, non-anonymous donation.
Five Nights at Freddy's 3 launched earlier this month on Steam for $7.99.Casey: Sigh, Pat. It seems like there is nowhere in this culture we can escape the pernicious influence of religion.
Pat: What are you thinking of in particular?
Casey: I’m thinking of the way that even some of the most “sex-positive”, taboo-breaking, kink-celebrating, sexually liberated people I know still cannot enjoy the pure physicality of sex without needing to justify it to the little Christian puritan deep inside their skull who tells them that unless sex is “spiritual” it cannot be any good. These people ostensibly look as though they’ve escaped religion and are back in touch with their uninhibited sexuality in all its gloriously gory unchristian carnivorous indiscriminate fluid soaked messiness—and yet even they, sometimes more than anyone else, feel the need to describe what they’re doing in tedious, vacuously sentimental, bullshit abstractions about “spirituality”. It’s Christianity all over again at its core. The message is still there that the body is bad, that nothing done purely for the sake of bodily pleasure and with no other justifications can possibly be any good. So, in the most base and animalistic of contexts, people deny their animal natures and go so far as to perform silly rituals and incantations and give all the credit and attention which belongs to their throbbing genitals to their wholly non-existent “spirits”. It’s all such backward, repressed absurdity. Why can’t we be done with this word “spiritual” once and for all. All there is is the physical. Enough with the hocus pocus and superstition, people! Enjoy your bodies as they are, the pleasures they offer are good enough! It’s time to take off the final fig leafs of “spirituality” and just embrace sex in its total nakedness with no further pseudo-mystical justifications.
Pat: Well, I fully appreciate your concerns that people embrace the fact that there is nothing inherently bad or shameful about physical pleasures. And I too find it off putting if people are talking about sex being “spiritual” because of such embarrassment. That would be definitely be an unfortunate holdover from repressive religious hegemony. And of course, I don’t believe we have anything like an immaterial spirit and I would readily disabuse anyone of that misconception. But, all that said, it’s not necessary that all people when talking about sex as spiritual mean to imply they believe in a dualistic metaphysics whereby there is a spirit which is totally distinct from the body.
Casey: Oh but they do. In many cases this is even explicitly tied up with entire religious frameworks. They may not be your familiar Western Abrahamic religious frameworks, but they’re no less matters of mush-headed gobbledygook that gets in the way of fully and shamelessly understanding, embracing, and exploiting the actual physiology of sex. Instead gunky layers of mythology are slathered all over things. It’d be practically obscene if it weren’t so often so laughable.
Pat: But, look, even if they are making an unfortunate metaphysical error and believing in a spirit that is somehow different than their bodies, a large part of the issue may be that they’re hemmed in by language. We unfortunately don’t have any proper words for the complex phenomena that people truly do experience but confusedly and confusingly call “spiritual”—
Casey: No! We have a word for what people call “spiritual”—it’s “bodily“. Every shiver and tingle and ache and twitch and moan and gasp and spasm and rush of euphoria is ecstatically physical. All of the dizzying whirlwinds of pleasures that accompany what people call “spiritual” sex are physiological. And yet because of the influence of Christianity, people refuse to acknowledge the truth that is coursing through their very bodies—that it is their bodies that are on fire and that it is chemicals showering down from their brain that create all those gooey mystical feelings in their bodies, from the flush in their cheeks to their exhaustedly exhaling lungs.
Pat: Yes, all of that is deeply and wonderfully physical. There is no denying that. But I don’t think that people who use the word “spiritual” here necessarily deny any of that. The word spiritual has other connotations going on. You’re focusing here on the question of “what is the locus of pleasure?” and thinking that people must think of it as either in a “spirit” or a “body”. Whereas I don’t think that’s an either/or they’re worried about. I don’t think they’re trying to deny the (rather unavoidable) reality that sex is primarily felt in physical pleasures. I don’t think they think the physical pleasures are shameful or bad.
Casey: No, but they’re saying that the physical pleasures are not what gives sex its “meaning”. And they’re saying that sex needs meaning. They’re afraid to just fuck and to enjoy a fuck for a fuck’s sake. It cannot be anything so profane as that. It’s got to be lathered up in meanings. It’s the same old sex-suspicious logic as “you can’t have sex unless you’re intending to have a baby” or “you can’t have sex unless you’re making love”—where that grotesque phrase is taken to mean “expressing absolute committed love in a gentle worshipful loving lovingness of loveful lovers overflowing their love”. It’s all these caveats on sex that are the problem. No one can just have pleasure. It’s like Foucault talked about in The History of Sexuality —the Victorians were sexually repressive in famous ways but actually weren’t really obliterating sexuality at all but sublimating it into obsessive chatter about it. Instead of having any actual physical pleasure, they just got off on intricately conceptualizing it, regulating it, gossiping about it. It was so much energy spent pouring intellectually over who does it and when and why and how. Can we please be done with all this intellectualizing? Why are we even still talking and why are people even still reading this and not just getting on with having some actual physical sex already? I mean, dear non-existent-god, here I am, roped into philosophizing about why I hate all philosophizing about sex. Would somebody please just fuck me already and end my misery?
Pat: Are you done yet?
Casey: If you have to ask that, you’re doing it wrong.
Pat: Look, I get it, sex can be over-intellectualized and over-scrutinized and many people can’t escape their neuroses. But that does not mean that the other extreme is any more appetizing in fact. If you literally were to strip sex of all its mental/symbolic/relational content and make it about the most simply physical sensations then a whole lot of the charge of it goes away. You can have waves of pleasure from many other experiences—even from a long overdue urination or from, um, defecating or farting. And sexual pleasure at its most meaningless and most disconnected from human imagination can be as rote, stupid, and incidental as those pleasures. It can be just a little biological payoff to reward and entice basic bodily functioning. But we rightfully want sex to be more “meaningful” for the same reason that we infuse all other manner of things in our lives with meaning and with complex associations with higher purposes and deeper life projects whenever we can. It’s because it intensifies and multiplies our pleasures to connect them up to things which matter to us mentally and emotionally and socially, etc. Whole other kinds of pleasures come in then. The barest physical pleasures of sex can pretty much be stimulated with the most minimal work necessary in many cases. Making sex into something exciting and satisfying on multiple deeper levels makes it a more and more fully human activity by infusing it with all the other parts of our fully human selves. We are mental, emotional, social, creative, ritualistic, symbol-loving creatures. I mean, you don’t object to fetishes or role playing or even *gasp* good old fashioned “totally putting the love in ‘love-making’ sex”, do you?
Casey: Of course that stuff is fine (but for that god awful “making love” phrase). But all of that stuff is connected to real things, not to hokey spirits. We have emotions and we have minds. But we don’t have spiritual sides.
Pat: But I think that the phenomenon that probably all people at some time experience and which they mean to refer to when they use the word “spiritual” is a kind of experience which fuses and integrates their mental, emotional, social, and even metaphysical grasp of the world into a physically shuddering experience. Don’t we all know these moments of wonder and awe? Of course they are mistaken to leap from that feeling of deep integration of these various deeply embodied and fully natural experiences to an unfortunate literal belief in a “spirit” that is capable of being disembodied. Of course they are mistaken if they buy into theologies that denigrate the physical, rather than celebrate its utterly irreplaceable contribution to those experiences. Those metaphysical inferences are counter-productive. But I don’t think they’re important to people’s use of the word “spiritual” in every case. I think people can be rightly identifying that they are having a fully integrative human experience that is, as simply a matter of standard conventions, called “spiritual”, independent of whatever other metaphysical inferences they might make from that experience. From the most to the least woo-minded person who refers to that kind of experience, I can feel comfortable saying they have the kind of experience that our language only has the word “spiritual” to describe. I don’t think that commits me to endorsing every erroneous philosophical belief with which they surround or interpret that experience. It’s like with “morality”. If someone says “murder is bad”, it does not matter to me if their whole philosophy of morality, or even if only their account of why exactly murder is bad, is off base. All that matters, in a limited sense, is that they get it right where it counts—murder is bad! Same here. And the people you complain about are minimally right—sex is “spiritual” in the sense of a fully integrated human experience which incorporates mind, emotions, sociability, metaphysical sense of place in the universe, and intense physical delight.
Casey: But if you validate the use of the word “spiritual” then you’re allowing them the stepping stone to superstitious, non-scientific, anti-physical metaphysics.
Pat: Well, until we can replace the word “spiritual” in the language with another word that people are so attached to, we risk being heard and dismissed out of hand as emotionally and intellectually impoverished when we say there are no such things as “spiritual experiences”. People mean by that phrase a certain raw datum of qualitative experience. We can say, “Yes! Those exist! And they’re no less real for being fully physiologically based!” I fear it’s a losing battle to fight to expunge a word like that from the language. I think our only hope is to coax people to step by step interpret what they mean by it in increasingly rational ways a little at a time.
Casey: But they will take the validation of the word “spiritual” as all the opening they need to go off a woo deep end. We can talk about “experiences which integrate the mental, emotional, social, physical, etc.” I don’t know what you meant by the jibberish about the metaphysical, so I won’t go along with that.
Pat: Wait—you’ll keep the word “mental”?
Casey: Yes.
Pat: Well you do know that that word is interpreted in dualistic ways too. Are you sure it’s not too tainted, not too impure, for your cleansed language? I mean, you’re essentially complaining about Cartesian dualism and yet it was specifically the mind that Descartes argued was disconnected from the body.
Casey: Well, mind has plenty of secular and rational connotations. It’s not as intimately and inextricably bound up with religious ones. The people mystifying sex are claiming to get out of the reach of mind and into the realm of “spirit”. That’s the trouble, it’s the overlay with religious concepts.
Pat: But what if the religious symbology and the language of “spirituality” can be just reinterpreted in ways that reflect truths. Like it is in some sense a metaphysical truth that we are all deeply connected as physical beings and the sex act makes some people feel that truth. And there is something extraordinarily special about sex, as the act which makes our being alive at all possible, as the act which has linked millions of years of our ancestors (of so many species!!) to us, creating each and every one of them and us. It makes us feel so intensely and it drives so much of our behavior so maddeningly and consumes us so importantly precisely because it is truly a matter of importance of the highest order and truly something worth taking the greatest possible joy in. In other words it is a correct and eminently rational value assessment of sex to treat it with some solemn appreciation on some occasions. It’s a matter of aligning our feelings to a thing which makes rarely paralleled contributions to life itself. Maybe a little ritual which focuses the mind on that deep truth about sex’s value, or which even just helps us to meditate on its powers to unify and to please, etc. is a good thing for helping us to emotionally connect to sex’s objective goodness. It’s not just a matter of hedonistic indulgence and nothing more. It’s something of truly enormous significance we could never get our minds around or appreciate enough. While others are worshiping and devoting rituals to non-existent supernatural beings, I can hardly fault people who redirect their revering energies to something real and in fact supremely valuable like the true giver of life: sex itself.
But they do worship mythical beings! Some sex spiritualists involve gods and goddesses. It’s maddeningly, unnecessarily, and misleadingly mythological.
Pat: Well, hopefully they’ll keep it on the level of mythology and their mythologies will correspond closely to rational truths about values.
Casey: See, this is a double standard, Pat. You’d never give Christians a pass like this. You’d never say, “Just as long as their false theology can be given a morally edifying reinterpretation, who cares if they believe in literal nonsense?”
Pat: That’s true, I wouldn’t say that. I guess, as far as I’m concerned, nice as it would be if all humans were superstition free, in the meantime, I will be at least somewhat happy if the myths and symbols which the overwhelming number of people are still attached to employing become progressively correlated more and more to actual, real world metaphysical truths and rationally defensible value judgments. The more that people’s mythologies (even Christian ones) really turn into just literary and symbolic and ritualistically participatory ways to express things which are capable of true philosophical defenses, the far more acceptable they are. Such myths, even if unfortunately literally believed by some, at least could be a halfway house to full rationalistic embrace of those values and of literal truths. In the meantime, if overnight the great number of people are not going to become rationalistic atheists who feel no craving for rituals, I would rather encourage their movements away from myths which express literal falsehoods and heinous value judgments. And if that means not fighting tooth and nail over myths which at least correlate to true values, then sobeit. And, honestly, if someone had a fully rational account (like the kinds I gave earlier) of what they meant when they said sex was spiritual or of what they intended their rituals to focus the mind on, etc., then such a “religious” expression would be fine with me. I don’t see any inherent harm in integrating the rational, emotional, ritual, and social in ways that focus on truths about value like that. It clearly enrichens experience for countless people to have their experience have that “religious” character. It’s only the falsehoods, bad values, and authoritarian institutions that trouble me—not the use of ritual and symbol themselves.
Casey: But I dispute your praise of their “spiritual” value judgments. When I’m feeling sexual pleasure I’m not celebrating “the great contribution of sex to the world”. In fact most people aren’t. It just feels good. All by itself. No cosmic significance needs to be heaped on top or made a mandatory part of it. And this matters because there are serious dangers if we adopt your idealization and over-reverence of the life-creating powers of sex. It puts us down the road towards never interfering with those oh so “sacred” bestowals of life from Mother Sex. It’s a short “hop, skip, and a jump” to creating fertility cults like the Catholic Church which would irrationally ban contraception and meaningless sex and anything else that threatens to thwart sex’s supposedly “true” and “holy” and “ultimate” purpose. Nothing should be treated as so unpragmatically constrained in its importance. Sex is a tool for humans. It shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than that.
Pat: No, I don’t mean that you or I or most other people automatically consciously have sexual pleasure only because we are consciously thinking about sex’s role of passing on life for millions of years. I’m saying that the experience of orgasms and related sexual intensities are so strong because natural selection has (obviously) “found” sex so indispensable and something worth impressing on our minds as powerfully important. I’m saying were we to train ourselves to dwell on the connection between how important and objectively good it is for these purposes, it would only add to our appreciation and delight when we feel it. I’m not saying we automatically do this already but it would be a way to connect our pleasures to a truth about value which is actually, through natural selection, the main influence on those very pleasures, to create that association in our minds between the intense pleasure and the amazing truth. And rituals for that would be a promising tool to help us get that truth through our pleasures. But none of that is to say we would have to have only procreative sex or to have procreative sex at all. That’s absurd! Its life-giving role can be celebrated in theory in our pleasures as one thing that makes it worth celebrating, even as we also conscientiously choose not to create life ourselves. We can be grateful to the way it has millions of times over successfully led to our individual existences without that leading to any logically necessary obligation to let it create another life which we are not ourselves in the right personal place to take care of!
Casey: But you’re unleashing that same dangerous power of reverence of something “sacred” that can then swamp all pragmatic considerations. But the more it gets to be about the “sacred” the less it can be about the brute physical pleasures of sex. The emphasis on “sacredness” alienates us from the sex. Whatever gets called “sacred” winds up getting “set apart” and put on an unapproachable pedestal.
Pat: Well, I agree to the extent that I worry about the language of the “sacred” since it encourages people to wind up taking dangerous attitudes about protecting certain things from due criticism or other potentially valuable irreverent treatment. And I certainly wouldn’t want the celebration of the truth of why it so overwhelms us—because its great importance to life makes it so urgent for our bodies to be so drawn to it and satisfied by it—to be simplistically confused for an ethical basis to let it run our lives and lead to babies people are not in a place to raise. But does the sacred really need to be antithetical to the physical, as you also put it? I don’t see why. That seems to be your hang up on dualistic Christian categories when you assume that dichotomy. I don’t get the impression the non-Abrahamic pagans feel that way at all or mean to imply that at all. In fact, there are strong strands even of Christianity that emphasize “incarnational” theology whereby all of physical reality is essentially good, as evidenced by God calling it good in Genesis and by God himself taking on human flesh. The gnostics were rejected by the early church in part because of their dualistic, anti-material world Platonic doctrines.
Casey: I don’t know. I still think that sometimes sex is just physical pleasure and that’s nothing to be ashamed of and all the talk of sacredness is neurosis that gets in the way of genuinely free and unencumbered fucking.
Pat: Well, I don’t know. I see room for treating any valuable part of life with special attention to its specialness on some occasions and with less self-conscious engagement on others. I don’t understand why you have to be so either/or about this.
Your Thoughts?
This dialogue was inspired and influenced (but does not exhaust) the thought provoking remarks here, here, and here (and all throughout that stimulating and diverse and well-informed comments section). And special thanks to Greta Christina for tip.
More such fictional debates about sex on Camels With Hammers:
A Debate About The Value of Permanent Promiscuity
Moral Perfectionism, Moral Pragmatism, Free Love Ethics, and Adultery
On The Ethics of “Sugar Daddies” and “Sugar Babies”
More debates with Pat on Camels With Hammers:
Immoralism?
Is Emotivistic Moral Nihilism Rationally Consistent
Your Thoughts?
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A group of robbers made off with a truck containing electronic goods worth Rs 25 crore in Delhi after midnight on April 1. The police say this is the biggest such heist in the city.
The truck, carrying electronic goods and machine parts from Samsung, was on its way from Indira Gandhi airport to Noida.
As it reached Sarita Vihar in South Delhi, it was intercepted and stopped by a car, said police sources.
Armed men got out of the car and beat up the driver and the helper. Then they disabled the GPS locator of the truck and drove it off.
The truck is yet to be found although several police teams are on the lookout for it. Four men have been detained in the case.
Raids are being carried out in Mathura and other parts of western and central Uttar Pradesh. Samsung was transporting components imported from Korea that included integrated circuit and motherboard of high-end mobile phones.First Amendment Under Fire: Minneapolis Government To Set Up “Hate Speech” Hotline
A city in Minnesota has just taken a large step in the direction of regulated speech on par with much of Europe. The city of Minneapolis has just set up a hotline for residents to phone in what they perceive to be either “hate crimes” or “hate speech”. This service is being tax-funded through its pre-existing 3-1-1 hotline. In their recently published press release, the city website states that they consider “hate crimes” to be any “harassing behaviors motivated by prejudice”.
This new hotline and “crackdown” is rationalized by the City Council as a direct result of “recent surge of such incidents affecting Muslims and Jews across the country.” What they fail to mention is all the largest “hate crimes” that have gotten media attention have proven to be hoaxes:
-Remember the Texas family whose property was burnt and “n–er lover” was spray-painted on his garage? Well, the husband did that.
-Remember when there was an arsonist burning down black churches before spray-painting “Vote Trump!” on them? Well, that was a black guy.
-Remember when Linda
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shooting killed 2 blue horrors with the warp hunter, and massed jetbike shots and hornet shots brought down a daemon prince!
In turn 3 Magnus moved into position and took out the immobilized warp hunter that could not jink, and combined fire from 2 princes killed one jetbike unit and dropped one to just a single model. I tried to run off of the board with the 2 princes, and one made it off, but one was stuck on the board! Thomas circled the wagons around the lone Prince, and brought the wraithknight to bear against the small brimstone unit. Miraculously, both brimstones and the prince survived!!!! In turn 4 my severely wounded daemon prince flew off, the other daemon prince flew back on, and Magnus moved up the board toward a string of enemy units and near a table edge. However, between vector strikes and all the psychic shooting, I was only able to take out 1 unit of jetbikes and bring 2 others down to 1 model. Magnus flew off, and in assault the wraithknight took out the brimstone. In Thomas’ four, he closed in on the one daemon prince on the table and poured everything he had into it, even the wraithknight, but somehow the daemon prince survived with 1 wound!
In my turn 5 Magnus and the other prince arrived on the opposite flank, and the daemon prince Thomas failed to kill then vector struck a lone bike, taking him out. Magnus and the Prince threw their mind bullets and laid low 3 more units, a D-battery, a single hiding jetbike, and another unit of 3 jetbikes. Thomas responded swiftly and my luck had run out. He destroyed each of the daemon princes using the unit he first shot them with, but while guiding his wraithknight he lost his Farseer to Perils of the Warp!
The rest of his army poured into Magnus in an attempt to ground him and stomp him out with the wraithknight, but Magnus stayed airborne. At this point I had a minor win over Thomas in the primary, and would lose the secondary heavily if the game ended, as Thomas spread out his remaining units to control every table quarter.
However, the game kept going! In turn 6, Magnus flew toward Thomas’ backfield and dedicated his dice to taking out another jetbike unit. Thomas repositioned to maintain control of every table quarter and hoped for the game to end, but it kept going! In turn 7, Magnus landed in Thomas’s home table quarter, killed his Autarch, and claimed Linebreaker. At that point all Thomas could do was score his secondary points. It was a closely fought and epic battle! We found it funny that our game ended at exactly Tzeench O’clock: 3:33PM.
21/33 battle points
MVP: Magnus. He stayed alive when he needed to, and destroyed exactly what he needed to destroy, when he needed to destroy it.
All of my games at Scarab were fantastic. I had 5 great games vs 5 great opponents and had an absolute blast playing my army. Magnus proved to be the most versatile unit I have ever seen in my nearly 10-year 40k career. He had a way to deal with everything I encountered over the weekend.
At the end of the tournament, I was the only person to go undefeated. I ended the day with the second most battle points, but when combined with the other scores for the event I took the prize for Best Overall. Thomas Byrd had the most battle points, and won Best General! It was a great ending to a spectacular event.
I sincerely thank the staff of the Scarab 40k GT for all of their hard work to make such an incredible event. It was awesome, and I can’t wait for next year!
UPDATE: Here is Horton’s List. Also please note that he mentions summoning pink horrors from blue in the above battle report, Obviously his brain is on paradox mode, and that is not what he did. A lot of veteran players interchange the two terms from previous play in older editions.
Rehati War Sect Magnus
Tzeench daemon prince, wings, armor, familiar, level 3, staff of arcane compulsion
Tzeench daemon prince, wings, armor, familiar, level 3
Tzeench daemon prince, wings, armor, familiar, level 3 Daemon CAD Herald of Tzeentch, level 1, paradox
11 Blue horrors
11 Blue horrors Aegis line, comms relay
Spikey Bits LatestStory highlights For years, American Andrew Stein regularly traveled to Latin America for work
He began performing magic shows for children at orphanages
Stein set up the Orphaned Starfish Foundation to teach IT skills at orphanages
Medellin, Colombia (CNN) Andy Stein shifts on the balls of his feet, leans against a wooden railing, and fidgets.
In front of him, a CNN camera-man readjusts the light stand. Behind him, a group of children calls out from a distance, "Tio Mago."
Stein turns. "They're calling me 'Uncle Magician,'" he says with a gleam. "We really do need to hurry. I have to do the magic show before we leave. I promised them."
The interview ends a few minutes later, and Stein, 52, bounds up the brick steps of the Senderos de Paz, a home for Colombian children ranging from ages 3 to 10, with the same youthful energy as the dozens of tiny audience members, awaiting the show.
Read More
Stein's magic tricks are rudimentary and well-worn. Nevertheless, they still delight. The children crowd to the front, eager to see how they're done. "Magic is a tool," says Stein. "It's a way to make the children feel like they have the ability to do anything in the world."
A long way from Manhattan
For Stein, it was a long trip to reach Senderos. And not just in terms of airline miles.
Perched above a little village, with picturesque views overlooking downtown Medellin, this is about as far away as you can get from the hustle surrounding the midtown Manhattan office where Stein once worked.
"I'm a recovering banker," he confides. "But my wife says you never fully recover."
Photos: Former Wall Street banker Andy Stein set up the Orphaned Starfish Foundation, which teaches IT skills to kids in orphanages around the world. Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: For years, Stein regularly traveled from the US to Latin America for work. He began performing magic shows for children at orphanages. "That was going to be my salvation for these trips," he recalls. Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: He set up the Foundation in 2001. Pictured, children learn about computers at Senderos de Paz, a home for Colombian children outside Medellin. Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: The Foundation also provides a life-skills program and helps with job placements. Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: Monica Morales is a 21-year-old university student who was orphaned aged four. She received a scholarship from Orphaned Starfish Foundation to study fashion design. "My dream is to be a great fashion designer, a great dancer, a great person and help to build more dreams for others," she says. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: Today, the Orphaned Starfish Foundation has 50 computer centers in 25 countries around the world, helping more than 10,000 children. Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: "Magic is a tool," says Stein. "It's a way to make the children feel like they have the ability to do anything in the world." Hide Caption 7 of 7
For 25 years, Stein plied his trade in the banking industry, helping finance scores of infrastructure projects across Latin America and Asia.
"I was one of the top fliers in the United States on Continental Airlines," he says. "I was traveling incessantly. So I decided to go to every country manager and say that if you wanted me to come and pitch business, you had to find me an orphanage, two hours in the schedule, and let me play with some kids. That was going to be my salvation for these trips."
But it was a conversation he had with a Catholic nun, at an orphanage in Chile, that changed everything.
"She said 'I'm not sure if you know what happens here, but at the age of 18, by law, these girls are considered adults. And they have to leave our little home. And 100% of these girls become prostitutes or live on the streets."
JUST WATCHED Sex trafficking in Colombia Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Sex trafficking in Colombia 03:22
Stein says he and the nuns sat down and determined education and job training would be the pathways to helping provide opportunities to children, once they aged-out of the system. He then returned home to New York and convinced one of his top clients, a law firm, to file the paperwork necessary to create a charity. He then went to family and friends and raised about $40,000 to build a state-of-the-art computer center in the orphanage.
"Six months later I went back, and it was magic," says Stein. "The younger kids became top of their class. The older kids learned how to use Microsoft Office, so they learned how to use the keyboard. They had a skill."
'Life always gives you second chances'
Today, the Orphaned Starfish Foundation has 50 computer centers in 25 countries around the world, helping over 10,000 children who are victims of abuse, trafficking or poverty.
Monica Morales is one of them. Now 21, her parents had both been murdered by guerrilla fighters in Northern Colombia, before her fifth birthday. By the time Morales turned 11, she says she'd been abused by several people entrusted with her care, including a family friend, who repeatedly sold her off to other families that wanted children.
"The husbands would abuse me sexually and I was mistreated physically and verbally," says Morales.
Eventually, Morales was brought to Casa de la China, a home for abused girls in Medellin, which works with the Orphaned Starfish Foundation. There things finally began to change.
"I started to study and to dance and do things I never thought I would be able to do," says Morales.
Recently, the foundation provided Morales with a scholarship to study fashion design at a local university. And her designs are being featured on the catwalks in Medellin.
"My dream is to be a great fashion designer, a great dancer, a great person and help to build more dreams for others," she says.
Morales is quick to offer her appreciation to the man who started the Orphaned Starfish Foundation.
"He's like a father," says Morales. "Life always gives you second chances and that's what this is."
A father to some. A magician to others. But Stein says there's no secret or sleight of hand in the work he does. It just comes down to caring.
"When I go back and I talked to my old friends in banking, people ask if I miss the toys, if I miss the big houses," says Stein.
"I live in a 600 square-foot apartment in Astoria, Queens. And I tell them I don't miss it really at all. I have the very incredible feeling of knowing what I was put here to do, and the ability to do it. There is magic in the world. You can, with just a little bit, make more of a difference than you can possibly imagine."On 17 April 2016, Benjamin Netanyahu teases the international community by organizing a Council of Ministers on the plateau of Golan and declaring that he would never return it to Syria.
The Security Council should soon adopt a resolution co-drafted by the United States and the Russian Federation on the United Nations Force mandated with observing disengagement (UNDOF), namely, the Blue Helmets charged with controlling the buffer zone between Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic on the plateau of Golan.
Al-Qaeda imprisoned 45 Fijians Blue Helmets and then set them free after receiving a ransom via bank transfer.
On 28 August 2014, the Al Nusra Front (al-Qaeda) gained entry to the buffer zone and takes 45 Fijian Blue Helmets hostage. Violating UN orders, Philippine Blue Helmets tried to save them. Finally, some Irish Blue Helmets accompanied by Israeli solders managed to establish contact with the jihadists. The result of lengthy negotiations: the UN refused to withdraw al-Nusra from the list of terrorist organizations but agreed to pay a ransom by bank transfer(!). It was not the UN that announced that the hostages had been released, but the Syrian Observatory on Human Rights, an NGO based in London serving as a cover for the MI6. The United Nations never had reasoned their order to release the Fijians, nor have they launched an investigation into al-Qaeda’s bank account.
Here the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is congratulating the jihadists of al-Qaeda treated in Israel.
Since then, there are no more Blue Helmets to ensure that Resolution 338 is enforced; this role has been delegated to al-Qaeda. When jihadists are attacked and wounded by the Syrian Arab Army, they withdraw onto Israeli territory and are cared for at the Ziv Medical Centre. Then they are led out by the Israeli army to the border to resume fighting.
On 17 April 2016, Israel committed an act of provocation by organizing a Council of Ministers in Golan. There Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country would never enforce resolution 338 and would never return Golan.
On 14 June 2016, the former Prime Minister Ehud Barak had denounced the irresponsible policy of Mr Netanyahu and called upon Israeli leaders to depose him using all possible means.
Israeli soldiers entrusted the buffer zone to al-Qaida rather than to UNDOF.
Notably, the draft resolution declares:
“the Security Council emphasizes that there should not be any military activities of opposition armed groups in the buffer zone and urgently implores the Member States to clearly indicate to armed Syrian opposition groups present in the zones where UNFOD is operating that they must cease all activity that risk endangering peace-keeping soldiers and grant UN personnel the freedom they need to discharge their mandate in safety;
ask all other groups that are not the UNFOD to abandon all positions of the Force as well as point of passage of Quneïtra and to return vehicles, weapons and all other material belonging to the Blue Helmets.”
For sixty years, Israel has been denouncing the danger of Arab and Muslim terrorism, whereas in Golan, it has helped to drive out UNDOF and has entrusted the buffer zone to al-Qaeda.
Therefore, after two years of violating international law, the Security Council should redeploy the UNDOF and order Israel to stop supporting a terrorist organization.
To date, the State of Israel hardly ever respected a single Security Council Resolution that applied to it.You stick your right leg out! Angelina Jolie's attention-seeking Oscar pose goes viral
It was the star of the Oscars, stealing the show with its attention-seeking antics.
But Angelina's lithe leg was kept covered up yesterday as the actress snapped right back to motherly duties.
But while the 36-year-old actress may be keen to move on from her overexposed limb, the rest of the world isn't quite as ready to forget.
Seeing double: A mirror-image mock-up was one of the first parodies to hit the net poking fun at Angelina's leggy pose, while partner Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire was given the photoshop treatment
As Angelina was busy shopping with her twins Vivienne and Knox in Beverly Hills, hilarious spoof images of the star were going viral across the net.
Bloggers and artists were having some fun with photoshop last night, circulating pictures of Jolie's now-infamous right leg slotted into well known photographs and artwork and onto unlikely candidates.
Just 24 hours after the ceremony Angelina 'legbombing' was a viral term with that very skinny leg appearing next to Darth Vadar, on the Statue of Liberty and countless others... with side-splitting results.
Makeover: Whistler's Mother from the 1971 artwork by James McNeill Whistler has been given a saucy new look Keeping THAT leg covered: Angelina put THAT very slim pin into a pair of trousers and a knee-high boot today after it's attention-seeking turn on the red-carpet at the Oscars last night
Look again: Even the famous Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli is treated to an extra leg
Even her other-half Brad Pitt was given the photoshop treatment. His character from Interview with the Vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac, getting a leggy makeover.
The limb also makes a stealth appearance on the cover art of The Beatles Abbey Road album.
Angelina is yet to comment on the attention her awkward red carpet pose has attracted, instead keeping her head down during her shopping trip with the twins and Brad's mother Jane.
But countless other A-listers have chucked in their two pennies worth on Angelina's now famous pose.
Iconic: Darth Maul from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (left) and the Statue Of Liberty mimic Ange's awkward pose
Peekaboo! The leg makes a stealth appearance in The Beatles Abbey Road cover art
Bet they wish they had thought of this! Bloggers have given Melissa McCarthy and Meryl Streep a bit more leg on the Oscars red carpet
The Creation of Adam: Michelangelo's masterpiece may adorn the Sistine Chapel but it isn't sacred to internet legbombers
A-lister Joan Rivers branded her a 'fool' while others remarked on the scrawniness of her leg.
Comedian Adam Pally seethed: 'Angelina Jolie has become of the children she adopts.'
'Angelina Jolie looked like a fool the way she posed,' Rivers told RadarOnline. 'She took herself right out of that super star category because you now realise she stands in front of a mirror to figure out [what she looks like].'
Rivers' daughter Melissa, who is executive producer of the E! fashion show also agreed.
'She was demystified!' Melissa said. 'She demystified herself and it's unfortunate because it always looks so effortless, and you think how can one person be so glamorous? It's because she practices!'
Leg's off my Oscar! Angelina's leg is after Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie while another suited celebrity looks suitably disgusted
Leg of the rings: By Tuesday hundreds of images had flooded the internet featuring that right leg Showing off: Hitler gets an Angelina leg as bloggers continue to legbomb Jolie's most famous asset all over photos
Kung Fu shoe: Never has Bruce Lee's leg been so scrawny
Yet the day after that pose The Land Of Blood And Honey director kept her slim pin undercover in a pair of fitted black trousers, which she paired with a matching blazer and a white blouse.
She also had her limbs firmly tucked into a pair of knee-high leather boots - which her skinny pins did not event fill - and she carried a matching leather bowling bag.
The actress lifted fair-haired Vivienne, who looked girly in a white dress, pink sandals and beige trenchcoat, out of the family's SUV.
I want a Pisa the action: Ange kicks over the tower as her pin also becomes part of the Vitruvian Man
Gender confused: Darth Vadar may need to rethink his famous quote Toe to tip: Adam and the finger of God in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is given a side splitting make-over Getting his leg over: Poor Mr Bean has also been given the leggy treatment
Do the can-can: Jolie's leg has taken on a life of its own
It's everywhere: Christ the Redeemer in Brazil gets an extra leg and the pin also appears on the famous moon landing shot
Meanwhile Knox was the splitting image of his father Brad, dressed in a little black leather motorcycle jacket and black denim jeans.
The night before, most of the Oscars headlines had been dominated not by the winners, but by Angelina's leg-baring antics.
It's her divine right: Bloggers get creative, even given the most religious of public figures an added leg
Even international relations are not immune to the Jolie 'legbombing' treatment with German Chancellor Angela Merkel being given a Hollywood asset
Winging it: From Turkey's to royalty, nothing is escaping Ange's scrawny right leg
Legs akimbo: Perhaps Angelina Jolie might be slightly embarrassed to find out one of her pins is kicking President Barack Obama
While she sashayed down the red carpet before the ceremony, stealing the spotlight from Best Actor nominee Pitt with her leg-baring antics, social networking sites were quickly heating up with thousands of comments about 'Angie's right leg'.
As she posed at different points along the red carpet the actress was captured continuously adjusting her Atelier Versace gown to ensure the cameras caught the leg from every angle.
Back to mother duties: Angelina took her adorable twins Vivienne and Knox to Auntie Barbara's children's boutique in Beverly Hills today along with Brad's mother Jane
The limb in question quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, with users debating over her enviably trim thigh, the slightly awkward and over-enthusiastic pose, and joking about the emphasis on her right leg in particular.
Rainman would have no problem counting Angelia Jolie's leg,' one Twitter user joked, while another added: 'Fun fact: Angelina Jolie only shaved her right leg tonight.'
It wasn't long before a parody Twitter account called 'Angie's Right Leg' had been set up, declaring, 'I'm a leg, get a load of me!' and 'You have to admit I'm one hell of a leg!'
So far the account has attracted over 28,000 followers.
The original: Angelina's overexposed leg on Oscars night has been the cause of much ridicule
Mocking: The fun started early, with screenwriter Jim Rash copying the hilarious pose shortly after the actress presented him with an award onstage
And if fans thought they had seen the last of the limb when the awards ceremony commenced, they were certainly wrong.
Perhaps already informed of the hoopla by her people, or simply enjoying the attention, the actress continued to pose up a storm when she took to the stage to present an award.
Walking onstage to present the gong for Best Adapted Screenplay, Angelina stopped at the microphone for several seconds with her hand on her hip and THAT leg on full display again.
With wolf whistles and cheering from the audience, Jolie giggled at the reaction before continuing with the presentation.
But not everybody was as taken with Angelina. The screenwriters for The Descendants, who won the award, were quick to mock her as they accepted the award.Women in the Houston area are pole dancing once a month... for Jesus. Yes, the dance moves once reserved for strip clubs are being embraced by devout, church-going women.
In the quaint turn-of-the-century community called Old Town Spring, where Victorian style shops line the streets, one business stands out -- pole fitness for Jesus. There's no preaching, just teaching.
Set to Christian music, church-going women spin and slither around poles. But the instructor and the students say it's not about sex.
"This is my second class," student Tiffany Booth said.
For them, this is about getting closer to God.
"God gives us these bodies and they are suppose to be our temples and we are suppose to take care of them and that's what we are doing," instructor Crystal Dean said.
Booth was raised in church. Now, the pole is her temple.
"I do feel a spiritual connection whenever you have the music on and it's singing about lifting you up and being closer to God. You do feel that," she said.
Getting classes off the ground hasn't been easy for Dean.
"Some guy came up with his Bible and we were in class and he thumped on the door and was waving his Bible," Dean said. "People who want to sit there and judge it, you know, like well that is sacrilegious or you know. That doesn't make you a good Christian when you judge other people."
There are those who just can't get past the stigma.
"In Gods eyes, it wouldn't be attractive," said 19-year-old Eric Purgason.
Purgason's family runs Lord and Nature, a Christian gift shop neighboring the Christian pole dancers.
"We have to watch those boundaries that we cross over and not allow the enemy to take it in another direction," said Dee Bovati with Lord and Nature.
We found women who said the classes clear their moral compass.
"If someone wants to swing on a pole on Sundays then that's their preference," class supporter Penny Primeaux said.
And there are those who straddle the subject.
"Are you doing it in front of men? Are you doing it as for sex in exchange for money? What are you doing it for?" said Allison Hogan, who's skeptical of the classes.
But for these women, there is room for both the Bible and a little body roll in the town that touts its old fashioned ways.
"They're going to church and worshiping God and it was just a way for them to continue that," Dean said.
Best Shape of your Life holds Pole Fitness for Jesus classes on the second Sunday of each month, for ladies who take in their church pamphlets. The classes are free. The instructor's reason? She doesn't want to make a profit on God's day.This 1939 Plymouth pickup houses a 12.4 liter Jacobs R 755 radial engine!
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Putting a 12.4 liter Jacobs R 755 radial engine in 1939 Plymouth pickup truck, it’s the same as building a spaceship for Mars. This trick is a work of the Corns family, are based in Colorado where they run a salvage yard which is about 40 acres, and has hundreds of vehicles and thousands of parts.
Each Wednesday evening, the Corns family has a tradition of inviting their friends to work on a project car, and the rules for joining are simple ”Love cars, bring beer, and have a sense of humor. Sounds like a place I would love to be. The project for the Plymouth started years ago, when Gary Corns actually bought the car from a regular costumer.
The old Plymouth sat in the yard for more than 30 year until one day, Corns senior found an old seaplane engine a Jacobs R 755 engine. The first thing was to see if the old rad would start, as it was and amazingly it did, with a lot of smoke and noise but it started. The Corns family started looking for a single-barrel updraft carburetor on e-bay, and then they fabricated the parts they needed to fit it to the Jacobs R 755.Once it was fitted, the ignition system could be tuned and the valve clearances were adjusted within specifications, most likely for the first time. The Plymouth truck’s original chassis was beyond saving, so a new tube was welded up and this allowed them to extend the front a bit, to allow proper fitment for the new engine. The body was heavily modified as it was fitted to the new chassis; rivets were used as a hat tip to the aeronautical past of the 7 cylinder radial engine. We has to say that the attention to detail are remarkable. Furthermore watch the video below and enjoy.
You might also like: Starting Up a Homemade Radial Engine from Old VW Parts
radial engine truckPhoto via UCSD, Credit: Julian Schroeder Lab
Researchers at University of California San Diego have discovered particular plant enzymes that can make a big difference in food safety as the planet copes with two major problems: higher and higher levels of carbon dioxide and lower and lower water resources. The enzyme causes the plants to react to CO2 and change how they use their pores, and by manipulating the enzyme, researchers believe new, more CO2- and drought-tolerant crops could be created.
Plants use tiny breathing pores that bring in CO2 and emit H2O. Until now, scientists knew that the pores can tighten to save water when there is enough CO2 in the atmosphere, but they didn't know how...until now. Protein sensors control the response, and scientists believe that by controling those protein sensors, new versions of plants can be created that take full advantage of elevated CO2 levels all while conserving water, which means more CO2 being absorbed from the atmosphere by crops that require less watering.
A team led by Julian Schroeder, professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego, made the discovery.
"A lot of plants have a very weak response to CO2. So even though atmospheric CO2 is much higher than it was before the industrial age and is continuing to increase, there are plants that are not capitalizing on that. They're not narrowing their pores, which would allow them to take in CO2, while losing less water," he said. "It could be that with these enzymes, you can improve how efficiently plants use water, while taking in CO2 for photosynthesis. Our data in the lab suggest that the CO2 response can be cranked up."
Here is how the enzymes work:
Schroeder's team identified a pair of proteins that are required for the CO2 response in Arabidopsis, a plant commonly used for genetic analysis. The proteins, enzymes called carbonic anhydrases, split CO2 into bicarbonate and protons. Plants with disabled genes for the enzymes fail to respond to increased CO2 concentrations in the air, losing out on the opportunity to conserve water... By adding normal carbonic anhydrase genes designed to work only in guard cells [the research team was] able to restore the CO2-triggered pore-tightening response in mutant plants. Adding extra copies of the genes to the guard cells actually improved water efficiency, the researchers found. "The guard cells respond to CO2 more vigorously," said Honghong Hu, a post doctoral researcher in Schroeder's lab and co-first author of the report. "For every molecule of CO2 they take in, they lose 44 percent less water."
While many people disagree with some types of engineering for crops, this could be one modification that we have to make on some plant species simply to be able to eat in a world that has changing atmospheric conditions. As the UCSD article points out, modifying the crops to be more responsive to CO2 could help farmers in places like California where agriculture is a major industry and competition for water resources is fierce - and incredibly damaging to rivers and streams.
More on Crops and CO2
USDA Study: Climate Change Could Benefit Super Weeds More Than Crops
Climate Change-Induced Drought Causing Crop Failure, Livestock Problems in Indian Himalayas
US Corn, Cotton & Soybean Yields Could Decline Up To 82% Due to Climate Change
Oh No! Global Warming Is Affecting Beer ProductionThe primary outcome is the Mini Mental State Examination which is not sensitive to detect small changes in cognitive function. However, a low sensitivity would decrease the possibility to find differences between the groups.
This is an observational study and we can therefore not exclude the possibility that the results are influenced by confounding by indication, and we cannot exclude a selection bias so that individuals with incipient cognitive decline are less likely to take ASA.
Among the strengths of this study are the population-based sample, the comprehensive examinations and the longitudinal design. In addition, we were able to create homogenous groups regarding high cardiovascular risk.
Introduction
Life expectancy, and thus the number of elderly people, increases worldwide. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cognitive decline are among the most important causes for disability and illness in this age group.
Inflammation might be important in the pathogenesis of cognitive decline1 as well as CVD.2,3 There is a large literature on the possible preventive effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) on dementia.4–8 Population-based observational studies generally report that the use of NSAIDs decreases the risk of Alzheimer's disease,4,6,8,9 while randomised controlled trials have most often given negative results.7,10 Despite the large literature on NSAIDs, few studies have examined the effect of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on dementia.5,6,11,12
Daily low-dose ASA is established in the secondary prevention of CVD and in some countries also for primary prevention in individuals at sufficiently high CVD risk.13 However, the use of low-dose ASA for primary prevention is debated.14 For example, in Sweden and many other countries, low-dose ASA is mainly prescribed to prevent CVD in individuals with already manifest vascular disease, for example, myocardial infarction or stroke. For this purpose, it is given in doses sufficient to inhibit coagulation. The anti-inflammatory effect seems to come at higher doses than the doses generally used in Scandinavia.15
Studies on the effect of ASA on dementia and cognitive change are contradictive. Most studies on ASA in relation to Alzheimer's disease have given negative results5,6 with some exceptions.11,12 In the Rotterdam Study, low-dose ASA use was even related to an increased incidence of vascular dementia.6 Few studies have examined the role of ASA on cognitive change, which is the earliest sign of dementia.8,16,17 The Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging, with a mean participant age of 51 years, reported conflicting results using mixed effects regression models.18 Thus, ASA use was related to better concurrent result on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and some other tests, and had an interaction effect with age on memory tests, interpreted as more prospective decline in these tests. A large double-blind placebo-controlled trial showed no effect of ASA on global cognitive function during 4 years of follow-up in mainly healthy women (mean age 66 years).19 Secondary analyses suggested, however, that ASA might have an effect in individuals with cardiovascular risk (current smokers and hyperlipidaemia). No studies have been done in elderly women at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Swedish populations may be especially suited for these kinds of studies, as ASA is not widely recommended for use in individuals at high cardiovascular risk.
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of low-dose ASA on cognitive function in an elderly population, taking into account the cardiovascular risk profile based on the primary care formula from Framingham Heart Study for Use in Primary Care.20It's New Zealand, but not as you know it.
During the Cold War, Soviet Russia secretly mapped hundreds of cities across the globe, drawing up millions of highly detailed maps of eastern Europe, Africa and Europe.
The Soviet Empire's secret mission to map the globe reached Christchurch and Wellington in 1978. The resulting maps are so detailed they could only have been made using spies on the ground in New Zealand, one expert believes.
The maps show the two cities as you have never seen them before. Familiar place names are rendered in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, strategic buildings like police stations and airports are marked in different colours and they include some details not featured on New Zealand maps from the time.
Every fire and police station in the city is marked, along with electricity substations, court buildings, telephone exchanges, railway yards and customs buildings.
The maps also include blocks of Russian text that go into incredible detail about the landscape, infrastructure and features of the two cities.
The Christchurch map includes a detailed description of the city, including the exact gradient of the Port Hills, the depth and flow rate of the Avon, Heathcote and Waimakariri rivers, the average height of trees in the Port Hills – along with the thickness of their trunks – the exact length of the airport's main runway and detail about the capacity of Lyttelton port.
The Russians even made notes on the character of some suburbs.
"To the west of Hagley Park is located the Fendalton aristocratic district with mansions and district schools," the text states.
Central Christchurch as it appears in a 1978 Soviet Union map of the city.
One site on the Russian maps is not marked on New Zealand ones from the 1970s. A facility just west of Christchurch Airport is marked as a US military radio facility on the Russian map. Aerial photography on Google Maps shows a couple of buildings on the site behind tall wire fencing. But the facility was demolished to make way for the Pound Rd bypass in 2015, leaving only a concrete foundation.
The map describes a building on Victoria St in central Christchurch as a "nuclear research laboratory". It is in fact the former National Radiation Laboratory which operated on the site from the 1950s until 2011, conducting medical research, calibrating geiger counters and acting as the country's radiation regulatory body.
There are some errors on the Russian maps. The Press building in Cathedral Sq, Christchurch is marked as City Hall.
Central Wellington as it appears in a map made by the Soviet Union in 1978.
The detailed text on the Wellington map notes the very steep slopes of the hills around the city, the height of grass on the slopes, that the best place for off-road vehicles in the hills "are the crests of the ridges and the bottom of valleys", the rocky shoreline that "hinders navigation" and the large buildings in the city centre that "due to frequent earthquakes have strong, deep foundations".
The maps also include notes on what is made in each factory, including carpets, tyres, rubber, chemicals, glass, meat processing, wool spinning, and, in one case, "unknown rod manufacture".
A New Zealand cartographer, who did not want to be named, believed that level of detail would only have been possible with local spies.
The port town of Lyttelton in Canterbury was mapped in great detail because of its strategic importance.
"It is speculation, but I would not be surprised if they had people on the ground to check these things in New Zealand," he said.
It was likely the Russians used details from maps produced by the New Zealand Government in the 1940s, 50s and 70s.
The Russian map of Christchurch is very similar to a Kiwi one from 1947, combined with modern details from 1970s Kiwi street maps. While the Russian map of Wellington is similar to a Kiwi one from 1952.
Wellington Airport was marked as a strategic asset on the 1978 Russian map of the city.
The reason why the Soviet Empire created so many detailed maps is still a mystery. Researchers told Wired magazine that the level of detail in the maps indicated they were more than military blueprints and may have been created on the assumption that the USSR would one day have to run these cities.
Some estimate the USSR compiled millions of maps over decades, many of which were smuggled out and sold when the Soviet Union crumbled in 1989.
The 1978 map of Wellington by the Soviet Union, left, is similar to a 1952 map of the city made in New Zealand, right.Image copyright Sothebys Image caption Alice Gibson-Watt gave birth to her first child in 2012
An Antiques Roadshow expert who died after suffering suspected post-partum psychosis had to be
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Chris Andersen, to the emergence of Paul George and Lance Stephenson. Notably, it was after the Heat lost to the Pacers that they compiled a 27-game winning streak; the last time the Heat lost two in a row in the year were the games against Indiana and Portland. During the waning minutes of Game 6 in the Semifinals between the Pacers and the New York Knicks, the Pacers' fans were chanting "Beat The Heat" as their team beat their old New York rivals. True to form, the Heat and the Pacers met in the Conference Finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs on May 22, 2013. Several instances of physicality became prominent in the series: Shane Battier received an offensive foul for throwing his knee at Hibbert's midsection; Hibbert claimed that it was intentional dirty play on the part of Battier. Andersen suffered a bloodied nose after colliding with David West. Ian Mahinmi received a retroactive flagrant foul for a grab of James' arm. Norris Cole latched a hand on West's groin area as he tried to slip through West. Wade received a retroactive flagrant foul for hitting Stephenson in the head, another incident that the Pacers, notably Paul George, felt was a dirty play. The Heat survived Game 1 on a James game-winning layup, while the Pacers came back to tie the series at 1–1 after forcing James into two late fourth-quarter turnovers for Game 2. In Game 3, the Heat set a team record for points in a postseason half with 70. It was the first time the Pacers had given up 70 points since 1992. Allen's single turnover was the least ever suffered by the Heat in a first half. Their five total turnovers is tied for the fewest in franchise history. The Game 3 victory marked the first time that an NBA team had won five straight road games by double digits. The Heat won the series 4–3, with a 99–76 win in game 7.[27] In the 2014 NBA Playoffs, after beating the Brooklyn Nets in five games, and the Pacers beating the Washington Wizards in six games, the Heat and the first-seeded Pacers would meet up in the Eastern Conference Finals in a much-anticipated rematch. The Heat would go on to eliminate the Pacers 4–2 games, advancing to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals in the Big Three-era. The Heat stumbled during Game 1 in Indianapolis, falling 96–107. They would win Games 2–4. During Game 5 (which Miami lost 90–93), James struggled, suffering heavy foul trouble and scoring only 7 points, his lowest playoff record. During Game 6 in Miami, the Heat would blow out the Pacers 117–92.
Dallas Mavericks
The Heat–Mavericks rivalry began in the 2006 NBA Finals, where the two teams met and both entering their first NBA Finals appearance. A year prior, the Heat had acquired Shaquille O'Neal. The Mavericks were led by Dirk Nowitzki, and the Heat were led by Dwyane Wade. Dallas had home-court advantage in the series due to a better regular season record (60-22) than Miami's (52–30) and took the first two games in the series, entering Game 3 with a commanding 2–0 lead. They looked set to win Game 3 until a rally by the Heat, including many free throws from Wade, resulted in the Mavericks losing the third game. The Heat won all of its home games, as the Mavericks dropped games 3, 4 and 5. In a highly controversial Game 5, a 101–100 victory for the Heat, Wade shot more free throws than the entire Mavericks team. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban as well as Nowitzki were both fined for acts of misconduct. During Game 6, the series returned to Dallas, where the Mavericks fell 92–95. Jason Terry airballed a three-point attempt that could have tied the game. Wade picked up the ball, throwing it in the air in celebration as the Heat won the NBA Championship, and its first one as well. Wade was named the Finals MVP.
In the 2010 off-season, Miami acquired LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chris Bosh from the Toronto Raptors to team up with Wade and form their own "big three" (to rival the Celtics' big three) that was expected to win the championship. The Heat finished 58–24, acquiring the southeast division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. During the regular season, the Mavericks swept the Heat 2–0. The Heat cruised through the Playoffs without much competition, eliminating every team – the Philadelphia 76ers, defending Eastern Conference champions Boston Celtics and the top-seeded Chicago Bulls all five games. Meanwhile, the Mavericks had tallied 57–25 for the third seed, leaving them to face the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. The Mavericks had been defeated in the first round all but one time since the 2006 finals, including a defeat from the seventh-seeded San Antonio Spurs just the previous season. Because of this, the Mavericks were underdogs throughout the playoffs, but they were able to dispatch Portland in six games. They faced the defending NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers and pulled off the impossible by sweeping them, ending their bid for a three-peat. In the conference finals, they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, resulting a rematch between the two teams. After taking a 2–1 lead however, the Heat stumbled in the next three games. They were eliminated on their own home floor after losing 95–105 during Game 6 in Miami – extending LeBron's quest for a ring. The loss had also brought further public humiliation for LeBron James, who had been scrutinized and negatively criticized for leaving the Cavaliers to join the Heat. LeBron was criticized for only averaging 17.8 points. Cavaliers fans rejoiced in the Heat's loss due the anger that was caused by LeBron's decision to join the Heat, which they felt was unfair and a betrayal.
After that, the Mavericks would never win another game against the Heat. Dallas hosted the Heat for the season opener on December 25, 2011 of the 2011–2012 NBA lockout season that was shortened to 66 games. The Heat spoiled the Mavericks' championship banner-raising night, giving them a 105–94 blowout loss.
Although the Heat and the Mavericks have not met in the postseason ever since, the rivalry continued as Mark Cuban publicly discussed his extreme personal dislike for the Heat. He described "hate" was not being strong-enough of a word to describe his dislike for the Heat.[28] He also had a personal dislike for Wade.
Season-by-season records
Home arenas
Duration Arena November 5, 1988 – December 28, 1999 Miami Arena January 2, 2000 –present American Airlines Arena
Radio and television
The Heat's flagship radio stations are WAXY (790 AM) in English,[29] with Mike Inglis and John Crotty calling games, and WQBA (1140 AM) in Spanish, with Jose Pañeda and Joe Pujala on the call.
The Heat games are televised primarily by Fox Sports Sun with Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino. Reid has been part of the Heat's broadcasting team since the beginning of the franchise, first serving as a color analyst, and later becoming the lead play-by-play voice starting in the 1991–92 season. For the first four years of the franchise, there were radio-television simulcasts of locally-broadcast games before the franchise eventually created separate broadcast teams.
WBFS-TV (channel 33) was the original over-the-air flagship station for Heat games, with its first stint concluding at the end of the 1998–99 season, after 11 seasons. WAMI-TV (channel 69) took over the following season; however, WBFS (along with now-sister station WFOR channel 4) returned as the Heat's primary over-the-air home in 2000–01, this time lasting until the 2003–04 season. On the cable side, Heat games were televised on then-SportsChannel Florida (now Fox Sports Florida), before moving to then-Sunshine Network (now Sun Sports) starting in the 1992–93 season. Since 2004–05, Sun Sports have served as the exclusive regional carrier of Heat games throughout the team's designated broadcast territory, which includes the metropolitan areas of Miami–Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach–Fort Pierce–Port St. Lucie, and Fort Myers–Naples.
On a national scale, games are occasionally televised by TNT, ESPN, or ABC.
From 1988–1993, the Heat were on WQAM. WINZ previously aired games from 1993–1996 and WIOD did from 1996–2008.
Players
For the complete list of Miami Heat players, see: Miami Heat all-time roster
For the players drafted by the Miami Heat, see: Miami Heat draft history
Current roster
Retained draft rights
The Heat hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends.[30] This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.
Draft Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Current team Note(s) Ref
Basketball Hall of Famers
FIBA Hall of Famers
Miami Heat Hall of Famers Players No. Name Position Tenure Inducted 32 Shaquille O'Neal C 2004–2008 2017
Retired numbers
The Heat have retired four numbers, although only three of the players played for the franchise. Michael Jordan was the first player to be honored despite not having played for the Heat. Pat Riley retired Jordan's signature No. 23 before his final game in Miami during the 2002–03 season as a tribute to his career.[31] The Heat have also announced plans to retire the no. 1 number worn by Chris Bosh from 2010 to 2016, it will be retired on March 26, 2019.[32][33]
During the 2005–06 season the organization honored Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino's No. 13 in respect of his contributions to the National Football League (NFL)'s Miami Dolphins.[34] However, the No. 13 jersey is not retired and is still available for use by the Heat players.
Head coaches
There have been six head coaches for the Miami Heat. Ron Rothstein was the franchise's first head coach, serving from 1988 through 1991; he remains as assistant coach. Kevin Loughery was his successor from 1991 to 1995, guiding the Heat to their first two playoff berths in 1992 and 1994. Loughery was fired 46 games into the 1994–1995 season, posting a 17–29 record. Alvin Gentry, an assistant coach who joined in 1991, was brought in to replace Loughery on an interim basis. Miami went 15–21 for the final 36 games, and Gentry moved to the Detroit Pistons the following season.
In the summer of 1995, owner Micky Arison hired Pat Riley as the head coach and team president. At eleven years, Riley is the longest tenured head coach in the franchise's history, as well its all-time leader in total wins and games coached. Upon suffering a 25–57 record in the 2002–2003 season, Riley abruptly announced his retirement, but remained as team president. He elevated assistant coach Stan Van Gundy as his replacement. Van Gundy is Miami's all-time leader for the highest winning percentage in the regular season (.605), having led Miami to a 42–40 record in his first season and a 59–23 record in his second year. He spearheaded Miami's 2005 campaign, where they held the top seed in the east, swept their first two playoff opponents and made it to the Conference Finals.
An 11–10 record early into the 2005–2006 season prompted Riley to come out of retirement and replace Van Gundy. Shortly thereafter, Riley would win his fifth and final championship as a head coach, as well as Miami's first championship in 2006. Riley would retire permanently following the 15-win 2007–2008 season, but once again remained as team president. His hand-picked replacement, longtime assistant Erik Spoelstra, is the current Heat head coach, a position he has held since 2008. At 38, he was the youngest head coach in the league at the time, as well as the first Filipino-American head coach in league history. Throughout his brief tenure, Spoelstra has not missed the playoffs, even taking the team to four consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, culminating in back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
Franchise accomplishments and awards
Franchise leaders
Bold denotes still active with team.
Italic denotes still active but not with team. Points scored (regular season) (as of the end of the 2017–18 season)[39]
Other statistics (regular season) (as of July 20, 2018)[39]
Individual awards
NBA All-Star WeekendThe movie version of Ender's Game doesn't hit theaters until November, but a boycott of the film, due to book author Orson Scott Card's anti-gay views, is already in the works.
Gay organization Geeks Out wants people to skip the Summit film.
"Do not buy a ticket at the theater, do not purchase the DVD, do not watch it on-demand. Ignore all merchandise and toys. However much you may have admired his books, keep your money out of Orson Scott Card’s pockets," the organization writes on its "Skip Ender's Game" website.
STORY: Comic-Con: New 'Ender's Game' Footage to Debut
Arguing that supporting the movie will add to the fortune of Card, who has a long record of opposition to same-sex marriage and gay rights, the organization is urging fans to avoid the film, spread the word about Card's views and support gay rights organizations.
"By pledging to Skip Ender’s Game, we can send a clear and serious message to Card and those that do business with his brand of anti-gay activism — whatever he’s selling, we’re not buying," the organization adds. "The queer geek community will not subsidize his fear-mongering and religious bullying. We will not pay him to demean, insult, and oppress us."
STORY: New 'Ender's Game' Propaganda Posters Warn of 'Imminent' Invasion
Summit plans to show new footage from the highly anticipated sci-fi film at this year's Comic-Con, and castmembers Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin are set to attend the presentation.
Ender's Game follows a young boy (Butterfield) who is selected to protect the human race from invaders.
Movie insiders have already begun distancing themselves from Card. “Orson's politics are not reflective of the moviemakers,” one person involved with the film told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year. “We’re adapting a work, not a person. The work will stand on its own.”
THR has reached out to Summit for comment on the planned boycott.
Card himself released a statement to Entertainment Weekly late Monday suggesting that the Supreme Court's recent same-sex marriage decisions make his views moot.
"Ender’s Game is set more than a century in the future and has nothing to do with political issues that did not exist when the book was written in 1984," Card wrote. "With the recent Supreme Court ruling, the gay marriage issue becomes moot. The Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution will, sooner or later, give legal force in every state to any marriage contract recognized by any other state. Now it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute."Casey E. Meyering, who allegedly ran the revenge porn extortion operation WinByState has been arrested in Oklahoma.
Like other revenge porn sites, WinByState specialized in posting sexually explicit photographs, often submitted by jilted ex-lovers, without the subject’s permission. It encouraged users to “trade your ex-girlfriend, your current girlfriend, or any other girl that you might know.” But Meyering, 28, allegedly added another twist to the business model: He demanded that victims cough up as much as $250 to get their photos removed.
Meyering was arrested in Tulsa on Thursday. He’s now awaiting an extradition hearing to send him to California, where he’s charged with five felony extortion counts, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced in a press release Friday.
“This behavior is the very definition of predatory and this website made a game out of humiliating victims for profit,” Harris said. “These actions at their core are about one individual exploiting the privacy and trust of others for financial gain.”
Police began investigating WinByState after an unidentified woman in California discovered photos of herself on the site and notified authorities. Meyering’s site turned revenge porn into something of a game, where users were encouraged to upload proof of their “wins”—sleeping with women and taking nude photos of them—on a state-by-state basis. When victims asked Meyering to take down the photos, he’d direct them to a Google Wallet account (called “the TakeDownHammer”) and demand a $250 payment.
After paying for one victim’s “takedown,” police traced the funds to Meyering’s account in a Tulsa bank. Surveillance footage from the bank showed Meyering withdrawing money from the account, though his identity had been outed long before police traced money from his victims. In June 2013, James McGibney, the owner of anti-bullying site Bullyville, and legal blogger Adam Steinbaugh, published a litany of evidence that identified Meyering as WinByState’s owner.
California is making revenge porn a dangerous business. In October 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown outlawed revenge porn outright, making it a misdemeanor to post identifiable nude pictures of another person without their permission. Perpetrators face a $1,000 fine and up to six months in prison. Last December, Attorney General Harris charged Kevin Bollaert, 27, with 31 felony counts for his role in operating the revenge porn site ugotposted.com.
And last month, FBI agents arrested Hunter Moore, probably the most infamous proprietor of revenge porn, in Sacramento. At one point, Moore’s site, Is Anyone Up, was seeing more than 300,000 visitors a day. As stories of the site’s victims spread, Moore seemed to revel in the controversy, causing Rolling Stone to name him “most hated man on the Internet”—a nickname that stuck. The 15 count federal indictment against Moore alleges that he and an accomplice hacked into victims’ computers and stole their nude photos, then uploaded them to the site.
Before his arrest, Moore had also tussled with McGibney, the Bullyville owner—a legal battle he lost. In March 2013, Moore was forced to pay $250,000 in compensation for defamatory statements. McGibney is also pursuing a class action lawsuit against Moore.
H/T BoingBoing | Photo via KTVUPresident of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani is also the commander-in-chief of the peshmerga. Because he considers the war with the Islamic State (IS) an existential battle, Barzani spends most of his time on the front line, meeting with leaders of various units and making surprise visits to stations.
In the operations room near the long border with the area IS controls, Barzani met with Al-Hayat. We asked him to tell the story of this war, which he acknowledges is tougher than the previous confrontation with Saddam Hussein’s army. Here is the first part of the interview:
Al-Hayat: On June 13, 2014, you cut short a trip abroad and returned to Erbil. How did you find the Kurdistan Region three days after IS had entered Mosul?
Barzani: I found the Kurdistan Region in a new and sensitive situation. The region now had a 1,050-kilometer [652-mile] border with a new neighbor, IS. Unfortunately, when IS entered Mosul the army of [former Prime Minister Nouri] al-Maliki collapsed. In the span of 24 hours, IS reached the outskirts of Baghdad and headed east to near the Iranian border. It's a new and dangerous situation.
When IS targeted the Kurdistan Region, taking advantage of the weapons they plundered from the Iraqi and Syrian armies, they made some breakthroughs and progress. We adopted a two-stage strategy: first resisting IS attacks, and second going on the offensive against them. In less than two weeks we were able to contain IS attacks and stop the group. We then transitioned to the attack stage, and the first thing we did was recover the Mosul Dam, which constitutes a strategic goal. Subsequently there was a succession of battles and victories, bringing us to where we are now. I can say that the peshmerga forces managed to break the “thorn” of IS and achieve great victories.
Al-Hayat: How many victims were there from the peshmerga?
Barzani: About 800 martyrs, including 300 commissioned and noncommissioned officers. This is in addition to 4,000 wounded.
Al-Hayat: Were a large number of senior leaders martyred?
Barzani: Our leaders are at the front of the forces. Two major generals and 10 brigadier generals were martyred, in addition to colonels, lieutenant colonels, staff sergeants and others.
Al-Hayat: How do you feel when you hear that a major general, brigadier general or lieutenant has been killed?
Barzani: These are the dearest to my heart. In a number of instances, I had met with one in the morning and then learned of his martyrdom that evening. I know a large number of them. Some of them are themselves the son or grandson of a martyr. Even a drop of blood spilt is painful.
Al-Hayat: What have been the most important battles fought by the peshmerga so far?
Barzani: The battle to recover the Mosul Dam, the battle of Makhmour, the battle for the Rabia border crossing, the battle to liberate Zammar, the battle to liberate Mount Sinjar, the battle south of the Mosul Dam, the battle of the Kasak Junction between Mosul and Tel Afar, the battle to liberate Jalawla and Saadia, and the battle of Tel Warad southwest of Kirkuk. These were intense battles.
Al-Hayat: Did the peshmerga fight by itself?
Barzani: Yes, but with air support from the coalition forces. The airstrikes were effective and very precise.
Al-Hayat: How much has this war cost financially?
Barzani: The war is very expensive, exceeding the capacity of the [Kurdistan] Regional Government (KRG). But the Kurdish people did their duty and bear the burden of the crime committed by Maliki when he cut off the KRG’s budget. [The people] are bearing the burden of this malicious plot, and both the wealthy and the poor have taken the initiative to provide support, each according to his or her ability. Some wealthy individuals took it upon themselves to provide food for military units at their own expense.
Al-Hayat: How many peshmerga members are involved in the confrontation with IS?
Barzani: The border with [the region controlled by] IS stretches 1,050 kilometers [652 miles] from Sinjar to Khanaqin. The forces involved in the fighting from our side number about 70,000. This is a long border, and thus sometimes there are unannounced operations, especially given the absence of quick and advanced capabilities to transport troops.
Al-Hayat: Did those who provided weapons have an impact on the course of the battles?
Barzani: I must thank all the countries that have provided assistance. Indeed, US air support was significant. French President [Francois] Hollande called [me] immediately and expressed France’s readiness [to provide support]. The German chancellor contacted [us], as did Britain’s prime minister and foreign ministers from a large number of countries.
I must point out that there has been air support from the French, British, Canadians, Dutch and Belgians. The French provided excellent machine guns. The Germans provided MILAN missiles, as well as another less anti-armor type. German arms contributed to thwarting a number of car bomb attacks. The MILAN missiles have proven to be very effective. We also received assistance in the form of ammunition manufactured in Eastern Europe. Many states supported us, such as Canada, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia and Albania. Indeed there has been support, and the most prominent was the French machine guns, the German missiles and other less sophisticated missiles.
Al-Hayat: Did you receive heavy weapons?
Barzani: We have yet to receive heavy weapons, which would allow us to resolve the entire battle. The peshmerga forces are confident, and if they had received the weapons they needed they wouldn’t have hesitated. IS has not resisted any large-scale attack by the peshmerga, but the group has resorted to surprise operations, car bombs and suicide attacks. Seventy percent of our losses were the result of car bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Al-Hayat: Is IS skilled in these forms of attack?
Barzani: Yes.
Al-Hayat: Where did they get this experience?
Barzani: They have experts from various countries of the world. They have attracted retired officers from the former Soviet Union army from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Chechnya, as well as Tartars. They have members from Pakistan, in addition to a large number of officers from the Iraqi army. There are officers from Arab armies who joined IS. They have experts on using sniper rifles as well.
Al-Hayat: What is IS’ strong point?
Barzani: Car bombs driven by suicide bombers, IEDs and snipers. They are also proficient in the use of artillery due to the presence of professional officers in the group.
Al-Hayat: A rush of those eager to “go to paradise”?
Barzani: This is how they think and behave. IS has a so-called “caliphate army” comprising foreign immigrants, and they fight with viciousness. I think the majority of them are from Chechnya, as well as other [places]. The bodies they leave [in the wake of battles] show the presence of multiple nationalities [among their ranks]. I also saw bodies of Africans. Their members are from Asia, Europe and Africa. They have another fighting entity comprising those who were members of al-Qaeda. After [IS] took control of various areas, those who wanted to protect themselves from IS’ evils joined the group.
Al-Hayat: How many people are estimated to be fighting under the IS flag?
Barzani: About 50,000 in Iraq and Syria combined.
Al-Hayat: Is this a large army?
Barzani: Of course.
Al-Hayat: What about their military arsenal?
Barzani: They have looted weapons from the Iraqi and Syrian armies. They seized the strategic storehouses in Beiji, and it could take them two years to complete the transfer of their contents. They also obtained Syrian army weapons in Raqqa and elsewhere. IS captured about 1,700 armored US-made Humvees, which are resistant to gunfire from Kalashnikovs and PKC [machine guns]. These are armored vehicles that protect occupants. But they are not in a state of retreat.
Al-Hayat: Was the Iraqi Kurdistan Region facing an existential threat?
Barzani: Certainly. It was a very serious threat.
Al-Hayat: Iran was the first to send you ammunition. Who did you meet with from the Iranian side?
Barzani: I received the foreign minister and a delegation from the Iranian parliament.
Al-Hayat: Was Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the first person you received?
Barzani: He confirmed Iran’s readiness to provide support, which arrived via two planes at Erbil.
Al-Hayat: Is [Iran] continuing to send ammunition?
Barzani: From time to time.
Al-Hayat: What other parties have supported you? The Americans?
Barzani: Yes. Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and Commander of United States Central Command Gen. Lloyd Austin contacted me. They expressed US readiness to provide air support, which they did and it had a big impact.
Al-Hayat: Has the air support caused you human casualties, or did it allow you to avoid losing the battle?
Barzani: There is no doubt that, without the air support, the battle would have been more difficult and the losses greater.
Al-Hayat: If the peshmerga forces stopped in their current positions, would you considered yourselves to have won the war?
Barzani: We do not place limits on where we strike IS. If we can strike them in any location, we will do so. They are criminals and monsters who have committed unforgivable crimes. Our troops have now reached the borders of the Kurdistan Region. The next steps depend on the readiness of the Iraqi army and residents of these regions to cooperate with us — and we are ready. For our forces to advance from their current positions requires study and thought.
Al-Hayat: Has Russia provided you any assistance?
Barzani: I think they have just sent a plane of humanitarian aid. I met with [Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail] Bogdanov about a week ago and he expressed his sympathy and willingness to cooperate, but he didn’t offer anything specific.
Al-Hayat: There is talk about complications in the Russian arms deal with Baghdad.
Barzani: Yes, because of Western sanctions on Russia.
Al-Hayat: If I asked you, "What is IS," how would you respond?
Barzani: IS is an extremist organization that brings together religious and nationalist fanaticism. It is a combination of extremist jihadist thought and the chauvinism of some Arabs. The coming together of these two elements produced this organization, with its backwards, violent and dangerous ideology and its cruel and offensive practices. Here I’m talking about the essence of IS. As for penetrating the organization, or using or impacting its practices, these are other issues.
Al-Hayat: Could the [Kurdistan] Region coexist with a permanent IS presence on its borders?
Barzani: This would be very difficult, even impossible. No one could coexist with these people, who can be considered monsters. This is not to mention that they don’t even believe in the idea of coexisting with others.
Al-Hayat: What is the role of the Baathists in IS’ mission?
Barzani: In the beginning, those who stood against the political process in Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein [supported] IS. Now, I think that IS is dominant in Sunni areas and the role of Baathists and their ilk has receded.
Al-Hayat: Are there a large number of former Iraqi officers in IS?
Barzani: Yes, a very large number. They are currently in charge of leading IS military units.
Al-Hayat: Is this the reason that IS is able to enter into simultaneous battles in regions separated by hundreds of kilometers?
Barzani: IS is strong and dangerous. It has limitless fanaticism, experience, money and violence. It also has a number of people who are willing to commit suicide. It is a great honor for the Kurds that IS has been militarily shattered at their hands.
Al-Hayat: Can you say it has been shattered?
Barzani: I can almost say "yes." It is about to shatter.
Al-Hayat: What is the level of coordination between you and the Iraqi army?
Barzani: Now, after Haider al-Abadi became prime minister, there is more room for coordination. And this exists currently.
Al-Hayat: Do Iraqi warplanes support the peshmerga?
Barzani: In fact, [support] is still weak, but there is coordination between us. We know the situation of the Iraqi army, and if it improves the coordination will produce good results. We are ready to cooperate.
Al-Hayat: There are those who say that the war against IS will take years.
Barzani: This is difficult to predict. Also, confronting IS is not limited to the military part. The confrontation should take place on several fronts: militarily, economically, socially, politically and ideologically. Moreover, IS is not only present in Iraq, it also has a presence in Syria, Egypt, Libya and Lebanon. IS has almost taken the place of al-Qaeda.
Al-Hayat: How does IS attract youths from Mosul, for example?
Barzani: I think there are several factors. They deceive the youth and promise them paradise and virgins. Then there are also the effects of the sectarian conflict, which pushes some youths to consider IS as a source of strength and a savior. There are a lot of [Arab] chauvinists who feel empowered by IS against the Kurds and are under the delusion that the organization has dominated the Kurds and is forcing them to return to the mountains, thereby ending the issue of Article 140 [of the Iraqi Constitution] that talks about a mechanism for resolving the problem of the “disputed areas,” as they are commonly called. Perhaps in Syria, Egypt and Libya there are other factors relating to the political situation and the composition of these countries.
Al-Hayat: Do you have prisoners from IS?
Barzani: Yes.
Al-Hayat: Did you obtain information about the organization from them?
Barzani: Of course. Some cooperate, while others won’t utter a word.
Al-Hayat: Some are cooperating?
Barzani: Yes, some are providing good information.
Al-Hayat: Have you uncovered sleeper cells in Kurdistan?
Barzani: I can’t say that IS does not exist at all, but it is certain that the existing cells are small and limited. Establishing fixed and permanent bases is very difficult. There may be some infiltration, but this has become more difficult with the changing fronts. There are certainly sleeper cells in Kirkuk, which was the site of forced Arabization operations. Unfortunately, there are those who initially rejoiced at IS’ victories, forgetting that they came to the Kurdistan Region as guests and enjoy security and services.
Al-Hayat: Do you rely on a Kurdish consensus on the fight against IS?
Barzani: Yes, there is a consensus on this matter. There is an unprecedented national unity. Kurds are united against this danger.
Al-Hayat: Is the fight against IS harder than the fight against Saddam Hussein’s forces?
Barzani: Yes, it is. We are now an organized force confronting unorganized groups. Also, the battle [against IS] involves different methods. We held courses for young engineering specialists in order to be able to confront car bombings and mines. We have made clear progress in this context. I repeat: IS is not a "legend" that is unbeatable. The peshmerga have struck down this image, which was prevalent.
Post Sykes-Picot
Al-Hayat: We frequently hear that the Sykes-Picot borders are a thing of the past. What is your opinion?
Barzani: The fact is the Sykes-Picot borders were always artificial.
Al-Hayat: The Baathists were saying this, too.
Barzani: Each side speaks based on its rationale and interests. But these borders are truly artificial and not natural. Any forced division cannot last indefinitely. The new borders in the region are those drawn in blood, rather than the Sykes-Picot borders.
Al-Hayat: Do you mean there is no going back to the former Iraq?
Barzani: A new Iraq must be formulated. The former Iraq failed. Kurdistan has transformed into a safe haven for other components of society, including Christians, Turkmens and Arabs who reject the policies of IS and its cohorts. If a referendum were held, perhaps some residents living outside of the [Kurdistan] Region would request to be part of it. The Kurdistan Region today is hosting 1.5 million displaced Iraqis. This is in addition to 250,000 displaced Syrians.
Al-Hayat: How would you describe relations between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq?
Barzani: Unfortunately [they are not good]. We wish that they were good, and if we could help improve them we would not hesitate. If you want the truth, relations between the Shiite and Sunni components are bad.
Al-Hayat: What does the US want from Iraq?
Barzani: I wish I had an answer to this question, and I hope to find the person who has the answer.
Al-Hayat: What does Iran want?
Barzani: Iran wants to have the greatest influence in Iraq, and I think that’s what is happening now.
Al-Hayat: What does Turkey want?
Barzani: Turkey also wants to have influence in Iraq. Yet Iran has acted more accurately and faster.
Al-Hayat: Have any Arab countries provided you with assistance?
Barzani: Yes, some have, and I would like to thank these countries. I won’t specify names, because perhaps they don’t want that.
Al-Hayat: Was what happened in Mosul truly a surprise?
Barzani: Sometime before IS entered Mosul, we received information that extremists were establishing bases in al-Khudr, a region southwest of Mosul near the Syrian border. I sent messages to Maliki via Ammar al-Hakim, [current Deputy Prime Minister] Rowsch Shaways, and the US ambassador at the time, Stephen Beecroft. I told them: “Tell [Maliki] that he is preoccupied with Anbar and uninterested in Mosul, which has become an open arena.” I suggested that we carry out a joint operation to prevent extremists from gaining control of Mosul and its environs.
Al-Hayat: When was this?
Barzani: In December 2013, seven months before Mosul fell into the hands of IS. Maliki was unconcerned. I contacted him by telephone, I think in early 2014, and said: “My brother, the situation is very dangerous in Mosul, let’s carry out a joint operation. I can’t send the peshmerga alone, because this would raise sensitivities between the Kurds and the Arabs. Also, the government forces are present in the area
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an essential component of biological processes. One way to track intracellular calcium concentrations in is to insert a type of photoprotein known as aequorininto cells. Like GFP, aequorin is derived from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. Aequorin reacts with calcium, emitting light when it does so, which signals the element's concentration.
The next time you notice glowing animals, remember there is still much to learn about why and how their wondrous lights evolved, and how research about them may benefit society in many and varied ways.
Explore further: Researchers shine light on origin of bioluminescenceIn the last couple of articles we have talked about using strace to help examine the IO profile of applications (including MPI applications; think HPC). But strace output can contain hundreds of thousands of lines. In this article we talk about the using a tool called strace_analyzer to help sift through the strace output.
Strace is a very useful tool for examining the IO profile of applications, as it comes standard on every Linux distro. However, as we’ll see in this article, strace can produce hundreds of thousands of lines of output. Trying to develop statistics and trends from a files of this size is virtually impossible to do by hand.
In this article, we will take a look at a tool to do a statistical analysis on strace output: strace_analyzer. This tool can take an individual strace file that has been created with the “-T -ttt” options and produce a statistical analysis of the IO portion of the strace. It also produces data files and.csv (comma delimited files for spreadsheets) files that can be used for plotting.
Using the strace_analyzer
strace_analyzer is a Perl app that parses through the strace file looking for specific IO functions. When run, it looks for the following IO functions,
open
read
write
close
lseek
llseek
lseek64
stat
stat64
fstat
chmod
access
rename
mkdir
getdents
fcntl
unlink
fseek
rewind
ftell
fgetpos
fsetpos
fclose
fsync
creat
readdir
rewinddir
scandir
telldir
flock
lockf
Obviously this list does not include all IO functions but it is a work in progress.
The first step in using strace_analyzer is to create an strace output file using the “-T -ttt” options. I also used the “-o” option to send the data to a file. Then you can run the strace_analyzer to process the file with the following command:
./strace_analyzer_ng_0.08.pl -dat -short < strace.out > summary.out
There are several command line options with “-dat” and “-short” being used in the previous example. You can always type “./strace_analyzer_ng_0.08.pl -help” to get a listing of the options. For this example, “-dat” produces data files for plotting tools such grace or simple python codes that use matplotlib. The “-short” option produces a shorter summary output file that doesn’t contain all the details of a particular IO function.
When you run the strace_analyzer it also produces a file called “strace_analyzer.log” that some additional information information about the run, primarily for open() syscalls (more on that later). The code also produces a subdirectory called “RESULTS_DAT” where the.dat and.csv files are contained. Depending upon the application there can be a large number of files and some of them can be fairly large. For applications that have a large number of IO functions sometimes the.csv files cannot be loaded into a spreadsheet because there are too many rows. In addition, trying to plot the data in a spreadsheet can also be impossible because many spreadsheet programs have a limit on the number of data points that can be plotted.
The output from the strace_analyzer is divided into a few main groups.
Time statistics (e.g. how much wall clock time was spent doing IO, etc.)
IO syscall Count
Write Statistics
Read Statistics
Close Statistics
Open Statistics
lseek activity statistics
IOPS Statistics
File Statistics (on a per file basis)
Without the “-short” option you get a great more detail in each group. With the “-short” flag you get more of a summary.
Rather than walk through the strace_analyzer step by step and open myself to ridicule of my coding style, my choice of languages, my lack of using regular expressions for parsing, and other assorted programming criticisms, let’s apply the strace_analyzer to an example so we can see how the tool is used and what we can possibly learn by using it. By the way – I’m open to patches and criticism, but they should be constructive. if you don’t like my coding style that’s fine, but help me understand why a different coding style is better. Otherwise, talk to the hand, because the ears aren’t listening (and the eyes aren’t reading and the fingers are moving the file to the trash).
Examining Abaqus/Explicit
The application I will be examining is called Abaqus/Explicit and is developed, supported, and marketed by Simulia. It is what is called a finite element program that is used for examining dynamic events. For example, it can be used to examine how a container of laundry detergent behaves when it’s dropped from a grocery shelf onto the floor, or what happens to a cell phone when it’s dropped onto a floor, or when a bullet penetrates the wing of an aircraft, or, an even more fun analysis, how a diaper behaves when it is “loaded” to capacity. Abaqus/Explicit is one of the leading applications for dynamic analysis and it a common HPC application.
For this example, the e5 data set will be used. e5 is a simple benchmark where a stiffened steel plate is subjected to a high intensity blast load. The application with the e5 benchmark was run under the auspices of the HPC Advisory Council. It was run on the Osiris cluster that the HPC Advisory Council uses. It is a cluster of Dell SC 1435 servers with two Quad-Core AMD OpteronTM 2382 SE processors and a Mellanox ConnectX DDR InfiniBand fabric. The storage for the problem is fairly simple – the master node of the cluster had a simple SCSI hard drive that was exported via NFS over a GigE network to all of the compute nodes.
Abaqus/Explicit uses MPI so the application can run in parallel on multiple processors. For this example, it was run on two nodes with 8-cores each for a total of 16 processes. Each MPI process created a simple strace output file. strace_analyzer was then run on each process. The tables and plots below are from the output from strace_analyzer.
As mentioned previously, the first output group from the strace output is a timing summary. Table 1 below contains the Total Run Time in seconds of each of the 16 processes as well as the total time in seconds spent performing IO using the list of IO functions previously mentioned. The last column of data is the percentage of time the application spent doing IO relative to the total run time.
Table 1 – Time Statistics for the 16 Processes
Process Total Run
Time (secs) IO Times
(secs) % Time for
IO 12419 424.719 0.7889 0.185% 12420 425.292 0.0991 0.023% 12421 425.373 0.1222 0.028% 12422 425.433 0.1155 0.027% 12423 424.517 0.1023 0.024% 12424 425.291 0.1250 0.029% 12425 425.331 0.1293 0.030% 12427 425.291 0.1355 0.532% 14297 418.912 2.2275 0.532% 14298 418.827 2.3856 0.570% 14299 425.785 2.6418 0.620% 14300 425.112 2.3226 0.546% 14301 418.706 2.1369 0.510% 14302 424.769 2.1317 0.502% 14303 419.200 2.0271 0.486% 14304 418.868 1.8862 0.450%
Notice that the amount of time spent doing IO is very small compared to the total wall clock time. The large amount of time is 2.65 seconds or 0.62% of the total run time. It’s probably safe to say that this particular application is not IO bound.
The next output group is an IO syscall count. The output is a list of the IO commands the application is capable of recognizing and how many times these syscalls were used during the run of the application. Table 2 below contains the IO syscalls for all 16 processes.
Table 2 – IO syscall Count
Process access lseek fcntl stat unlink open close fstat read mkdir getdents write 12419 14 19,689 31 136 1 287 297 148 6,349 69 8 74,328 12420 5 3,150 5 78 0 241 243 103 1,584 0 8 1,870 12421 5 3,159 5 78 0 241 243 104 1,581 0 8 1,882 12422 5 3,155 5 78 0 241 243 104 1,579 0 8 1,880 12423 5 3,159 5 78 0 241 243 104 1,581 0 8 1,882 12424 5 3,149 5 78 0 241 243 104 1,577 0 8 1,876 12425 5 3,147 5 78 0 241 243 104 1,581 0 8 1,870 12427 5 3,149 5 78 0 241 243 104 1,583 0 8 1,870 14297 5 3,149 5 78 0 246 248 104 1,588 0 8 1,870 14298 5 3,147 5 78 0 246 248 104 1,586 0 8 1,870 14299 5 3,517 5 78 0 246 248 104 1,586 0 8 1,880 14300 5 3,160 5 78 0 246 248 104 1,587 0 8 1,882 14301 5 3,156 5 78 0 246 248 104 1,585 0 8 1,880 14302 5 3,163 5 78 0 246 248 104 1,588 0 8 1,884 14303 5 3,149 5 78 0 246 248 104 1,588 0 8 1,870 14304 5 3,147 5 78 0 246 248 104 1,586 0 8 1,870
This table gives us some interesting information. For example, the first process (12149) has 6 times more lseek() syscalls than any other process. It also has about 4 times the read() syscalls than other process. Perhaps more importantly, it has 40 times the number of write() syscalls than any other process.
In the world of MPI and parallel programs there are many ways to perform IO. One of the most classic methods is to have the first MPI process, called the rank-0 process since it is the first MPI process, do all of the reading and writing for the application. The other MPI processes receive/send their data from/to the rank-0. This approach ensures that the other MPI processes don’t overwrite the data from any other process.
From the results in Table 2 it appears that the first process (12419) is the rank-0 MPI process and it is doing the vast majority of the IO for the application. There is other output from strace_analyzer to help support this supposition as we’ll see later. But at this point it’s pretty obvious that process 12419 is the rank-0 process and is doing the vast majority of the reading and writing for the application.
If indeed process 12419 is the rank-0 process then why are the other processes doing so many read() and write() system calls? We’ll see more of that later and discover that read() and write() are very common system calls and are used in a variety of ways.
Another interesting observation is that for every 3.77 write syscalls there is an lseek() syscall. An lseek moves the file pointer within the file to a new location. Depending upon how far the file pointer is repositioned this means that any data stored in the drive cache or the VFS cache, or in the IO scheduler cache or any other cache is no longer useful. Basically it hurts throughput (sometimes even kills it).
The next output group contains the write syscall statistics. Below is a sample of the summary for process 12419:
---------------------- -- Write Statistics -- ---------------------- -- File sizes for write() syscall -- IO Size Range Number of syscalls ======================================================= ( 1) 0KB < < 1KB 12999 ( 2) 1KB < < 8KB 61049 ( 3) 8KB < < 32KB 268 ( 4) 32KB < < 128KB 0 ( 5) 128KB < < 256KB 0 ( 6) 256KB < < 512KB 0 ( 7) 512KB < < 1000KB 0 ( 8) 1000KB < < 10MB 0 ( 9) 10MB < < 100MB 0 ( 10) 100MB < < 1GB 0 ( 11) 1GB < < 10GB 0 ( 12) 10GB < < 100GB 0 ( 13) 100GB < < 1TB 0 ( 14) 1TB < < 10TB 0 -- WRITE SUMMARY -- Total number of Bytes written = 134,122,801 (134.122801 MB) Number of Write syscalls = 74,328 Average (mean) Bytes per syscall = 1,804.76345605253 (bytes) (0.00180476345605253 MB) Standard Deviation: 1,137.06808888182 (bytes) (0.00113706808888182 MB) Mean Absolute Deviation: 1,016.65380745704 (bytes) (0.00101665380745704 MB) Median Bytes per syscall = 2,048 (bytes) (0.002048 MB) Median Absolute Deviation: 473.416424457721 (bytes) (0.000473416424457721 MB) Time for slowest write syscall (secs) = 0.050185 Line location in file: 749638 Smallest write syscall size: 1 (Bytes) Largest write syscall size: 14336 (Bytes)Literature
Can We Both Be Ugly?
She's a diamond, while I am coal.
I am the coal, black and boring.
Set me on fire while I am alive.
Watch me burn,
Watch me die.
She is the diamond, shiny and attention-grabbing.
Lay your greedy hands on the whore.
She's there for the looks and money,
No real work,
She receives the perks.
We both wanted him,
But I bit my tongue.
What a fool I would be to ask for his heart.
He sees me as a footrest,
Only here for support and only when he needs it,
The demand for me is limited.
He lusts for her seductive nature,
Her glare blinding his eyes,
She's tearing him apart with her sharp edges,
It kills me to witness.
"I can't hurt you.
I glimmer,
she burns."
"But she is my support,
my joy,
she cares."
"She is but a coal,
weak and pitiful.
You want that?
The spineless coward?
The killer?
She's thirsty for your heartbreak,
but my fingers are gentle,
let me hold you."
His situation is himself.
I love him more than I could scream,
But I maintain my silence,
I suffer in the dark.
I see his sorrow andBlog
The final Sun News/Abacus Data poll of the 2013 Nova Scotia election finds that the Liberal Party well positioned to win on Tuesday October 8 while the NDP and Progressive Conservative Party are in a fight for second place.
Overall, 29% of eligible voters said they plan or have voted for the Liberal Party (down 2), followed by the PC Party at 18% (up 2), the NDP at 15% (down 4), and the Green Party at 1%. Twenty-five percent of eligible voters say they are still undecided (down 1) while 11% of respondents have already voted but refused to identify who they voted for. All observed changes are inside the margin of error for the survey.
Among committed and leaning voters, the Liberals lead with 46% (unchanged), followed by the PC Party at 28% (up 3) and the NDP at 24% (down 4). The Green Party received 1% of the vote. Compared with yesterday’s poll, the observed change is marginal and inside the margin of error for the survey.
Among likely voters, the Liberal Party continues to lead with 46% among committed likely voters followed by the PCs at 27% and the NDP at 26%.
20% of eligible voters surveyed said they had already voted in the election.
Nova Scotia Election Outlook
Our final tracking poll finds that Liberal Party has a comfortable lead among committed and likely voters and is likely going to win the Nova Scotia election if voter preferences do not change dramatically over the next 24 hours.
The real fight in the election is for second place. Our latest numbers have the PC Party with a marginal lead over the NDP for second (28% vs. 24%) but tied among those most likely to vote. Keeping in mind the margin of error for the survey, we are unable to forecast which party will the second most number of voters.
As always, the final results will depend on turnout and our polling cannot anticipate whether the NDP, PC Party, or Liberal Party will have a better Get Out The Vote operation.
Provincial Vote Intention
Overall, 29% of eligible voters said they plan or have voted for the Liberal Party (down 2), followed by the PC Party at 18% (up 2), the NDP at 15% (down 4), and the Green Party at 1%. Twenty-five percent of eligible voters say they are still undecided (down 1) while 11% of respondents have already voted but refused to identify who they voted for. All observed changes are inside the margin of error for the survey.
Among committed and leaning voters, the Liberals lead with 46% (unchanged), followed by the PC Party at 28% (up 3) and the NDP at 24% (down 4). The Green Party received 1% of the vote. Compared with yesterday’s poll, the observed change is marginal and inside the margin of error for the survey.
Among likely voters, the Liberal Party continues to lead with 46% among committed likely voters followed by the PCs at 27% and the NDP at 26%.
Subgroup Analysis
Regionally, the NS Liberal continue to be strongest in the North and South Shore/Annapolis Valley while running neck and neck with the Tories on Cape Breton. In Halifax, the Liberals have a 12-point lead over the NDP.
The Liberal Party continues to lead among all demographic groups but the race has tightened somewhat among those aged 60 and over.
Among committed voters who voted NDP in 2009, 49% say they will vote NDP while 35% plan to vote Liberal. Among all previous NDP voters, 10% are still undecided.
Does Dexter Deserve Re-Election?
A considerable majority of eligible voters in Nova Scotia continue to believe it is time for a change in the province while less the one in four eligible voters (22%) believe Darrell Dexter and the NDP deserve to be re-elected.
We have seen very little change in these numbers over the last five days of polling.
Top Issue and Best Party to Manage Issue
Jobs and the economy, health care, education and taxes remain the most important issues facing Nova Scotia according to eligible voters in Nova Scotia. These numbers have not changed much throughout the final week of the campaign except for health care which has increased by five points since the start of our tracking.
None of the three main parties have a clear advantage on the top two issues that voters care the most about. Among those who identified either the economy or health care as their top issue, none of the parties have a substantial advantage when respondents are asked which party is best at dealing with the issue.But, you don’t be so indecisive when it comes to choosing the best way that could improve your economy! Yes, as the universally favored Forex trading procedure using the sophisticated Tesler App platform is readily available now, to boost your financial position, which is undoubtedly the best way for you and everyone!
When we look at all respondents and at all issues identified, we find that the Liberal Party has a slight advantage on issue position with 22% of all eligible voters saying the Liberal Party is best to handle the issue they care most about followed by the NDP 18% and the PC Party 16%. A full 43% of respondents did not know which party could best handle the issue they cared most about.
Most Trusted on the Economy
While the Liberal Party has lost its advantage among those who believe jobs and the economy are the top issues facing the province, the party still has a substantial lead among all eligible voters when they are asked which party they believe would be best able to handle the economic situation in Nova Scotia best. Thirty-two percent of eligible voters selected the Liberal Party, followed by 18% who selected the NDP and 17% who selected the PC Party. Twenty-three percent of respondents were unsure.
Best Premier
There was little change in perceptions about which party leader would make the best premier.
When respondents were asked which party leader they believed would make the best Premier, the results again mirrored the vote intention question. Thirty-one percent of respondents selected Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil while 19% selected incumbent Premier and NDP Leader Darrell Dexter. PC Leader Jamie Baillie was third at 18% among all eligible voters while 31% were unsure.
Overall Party Leader Impressions
When it comes to overall impressions of the main party leaders in Nova Scotia, our tracking finds that Stephen McNeil’s personal numbers have not changed at all and he remains the most popular leader in the province.. A slight majority still have a positive impression of the Liberal Leader.
PC Leader Jamie Baillie’s personal numbers have not changed over the weekend with 41% of eligible voters having a favourable impression of the PC Leader while 33% have a negative impression.
Darrell Dexter remains a polarizing figure with 37% of eligible voters having a positive impression of the NDP leader while 47% have a negative impression.
Likely Election Winner
Finally, respondents were asked which political party they believed would ultimately win the Nova Scotia provincial election. A majority of voters continue to believe (59%) that the Liberal Party will win the election, up four points since Friday’s release, while only 12% felt the NDP will win.
Methodology
The analysis in this report is based on telephone interviews conducted October 3 to October 6, 2013 among a provincial sample of 600 eligible voters in Nova Scotia. Interviews were conducted in English and 5,380 telephone numbers were dialed. The results of the poll will be released on Battleground with David Akin on the Sun News Network each evening at 7pm AT / 6pm ET.
Likely voters were identified by creating a six-point scale based on seven questions about a respondents interest in politics, their intention to vote, whether they have voted already, and the attention they have paid to the election campaign.
The data was statistically weighted according to the 2011 Census according to age, region, gender, and education. The margin of error for this survey is + 4.1%, 19 times out of 20. Note, the margin of error in subgroups with small sample sizes is much larger.
The survey was commissioned by the Sun News Network. For more information about the poll’s methodology or the results, please contact David Coletto, CEO at [email protected] or at 613-232-2806.UPDATE: Noboru Murakami, head of INTERNET Co.,Ltd, has tweeted confirmation of an upcoming English Gumi voicebank! (More information coming up!) [Thanks Virtual>Real!]
Today marks the third anniversary of INTERNET Co.,Ltd’s second Vocaloid, Gumi! Gumi’s voice is provided by Megumi Nakajima, most famous for her voice acting roles in various anime series. The official name of the software itself is Megpoid, while the avatar we know as Gumi is illustrated by Masami Yuuki. Let’s take a look at what’s happened over the past year!
Early last year, INTERNET Co.,Ltd confirmed additional voicebanks for Gumi, known as Gumi Extend. The new voicebanks consisted of Megpoid Adult, Power, Sweet and Whisper. They were later released on the 21st of October, 2011. Gumi also received a revamp of her VOCALOID 2 voicebank, Megpoid Native, which runs on the newer VOCALOID 3 software. Megpoid Native was released on the 16th of March this year. Physical copies of Megpoid are no longer available for purchase, although she is still available for purchase from INTERNET Co.,Ltd’s online store.
Good Smile Company has released previews of an upcoming Gumi Nendoroid. She also made a guest appearence in SEGA’s Project Mirai.
KarenT has a special release of albums for Gumi’s birthday this year. Check it out here! [Thanks for the tip, Samuel!]
Let’s have a listen to some of Gumi’s most popular songs over the last year!
Nankairenai – TakanonP
【ニコニコ動画】【GUMI】ナンカイレンアイ【オリジナル曲PV付き】
Ikasama Life Game – Kemu
【ニコニコ動画】【GUMI】 イカサマライフゲイム 【オリジナル・PV付】
Kuwagata ni Chop Shitara Time Slip-shita – IenourademanbougashinderuP (manbouP)
【ニコニコ動画】【GUMI】クワガタにチョップしたらタイムスリップした【オリジナル曲】
Setsuna Trip – Last Note.
【ニコニコ動画】【GUMI】セツナトリップ【オリジナル】
Finally, here are some images in celebration of Gumi’s birthday!
Thanks for celebrating Gumi’s birthday with us, lets see what she’s got in store for us in the future!
A big thanks to Pengy for his help on this article!Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Men dressed as Nintendo characters Mario and Luigi are alleged to have viciously assaulted two people in Newport.
Three men in total are being sought by police in connection with the alleged assault, where the victims lost consciousness.
The men police want to speak to are described as being in their twenties and were wearing fancy dress.
Two of the men were dressed as Super Mario and Luigi. The costume worn by the third man is not known.
A 19-year-old man was allegedly punched, hit with a milk crate and the men allegedly stamped on his face.
A 19-year-old woman was also injured, and it is believed both victims lost consciousness.
The incident happened at around 2.20am on Sunday, July 23, on High Street in Newport.
A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: “We are appealing for information to identify three men who we believe can help us with our enquiries. If anyone knows these men please call us on 101 quoting 84 23/7/17.”In a brief and oddly biblical rant on Tuesday’s Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough cast Donald Trump as the Antichrist. Apparently, Joe did this because he was still very upset by the positive reception that both the President and Steve Bannon got at the Values Voter Summit.
Scarborough started off the quick segment by lamenting Trump’s victory in the Republican primaries last year: "People will look back and wonder what the hell happened, what fever gripped conservatives, what fever gripped the Republican Party, and I will say it, what fever gripped my own people, the people I grew up with, the people who helped me get elected, the evangelicals that go to Value Voter Summits [sic], or whatever they call it, and give Steve Bannon a standing ovation, welcome Donald Trump as a conquering hero?"
<<< Please support MRC's NewsBusters team with a tax-deductible contribution today. >>>
Scarborough, apparently trying to appeal to conservative Christians, then tried to make his best case for dumping Trump from the perspective of the Gospels:
And I'm using the word objectively a lot because we are so drowned in information that, that, you, you, just, some things cannot be debated. And you look in Matthew and go through the Beatitudes, every single Beatitude. You go through Jesus’s teaching, what he says he wants in people to be. Donald Trump is the antithesis of just about every single thing that Jesus Christ said on the Sermon on the Mount. Go read it. None of us are perfect, but he goes out of his way, it seems, to thumb his nose at all conventions, including the basics of the Beatitudes.
While few would contend that Trump has been an exemplar of moral conduct throughout his life, to say that the President is “the antithesis” of almost everything that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount goes way beyond the bounds of reasonable criticism. Taking Joe’s words literally, he described Trump as the personification of evil, someone who is violently sadistic, devilishly impure, and actively seeking to inflict horrible injustices upon innocent people. That is pretty hyperbolic, even by the standards of your typical sufferer of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
How can Joe cover the President rationally and objectively when everything Trump says or does is filtered through the lens of him being a personification of hell on Earth?New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is ditching the iconic M logo it has been using since 1971 in favour of a font-based one that looks a lot like the title of a 70s lifestyle magazine.
The logo is part of a rebrand the museum is undergoing and has been described as “a graphic misfire” and “a disaster”.
It was given a particularly savage thrashing by Pulitzer Prize-winning music and architecture critic Justin Davidson, who wrote in Vulture: “In its logo, the Met is now THE MET, the two short words printed in scarlet letters, stacked and squashed together.
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 whole ensemble looks like a red double-decker bus that has stopped short, shoving the passengers into each other’s backs.
“Worse, the entire top half of the new logo consists of the word the.”
The museum responded to the widespread criticism on Thursday evening, saying that it chose the font “because it represents something simple, bold, and indisputable: The Met is here for everyone.”
“We think it’s great that people are talking about the work. At Wolff Olins [London-based branding firm], we always aim to create work that people feel strongly about,” said Amy Lee, the strategy director, and Lisa Smith, creative director and head of design at Wolff Olins, New York. “The project is about far more than just a logo—it is about expanding the reach and relevance of the Met.”IMPORTANT: If you're outside of the USA please add $15 to cover international shipping charges. Thank you.
UPDATE (8/15): Only 23hrs to go! Thank you again to everyone that has backed the film and helped to spread the word! It's been awesome watching people from all over the WORLD become part of this film. Casting has already begun and will wrapped up in the next two weeks. I'll be posting a new video update very shortly and continue to keep everyone in the loop about the making of this film.
UPDATE (7/23):..........FUNDED!!!! Thank you SO much to everyone who has backed the film so far. You're amazing. I've set a new goal of $900 (won't show on the side, just this note here) to help cover the costs of renting better lenses and other equipment for the shoot. Again, THANK YOU!!
UPDATE (7/21): INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING: Great news! I am now able to offer International Shipping! Please add $15 for shipping outside of the USA. So if you select the $20 DVD package, make sure to adjust your pledge to $35. The rewards on the side will still say US only because I'm not able to change the wording. Thank you!
UPDATE (7/17): Scroll on down to see a picture of the film t-shirts!!
What if zombies were the norm and humans were the infected monsters that run rampant in the streets, turning our beautiful zombie families into these creatures?
There are hundreds of zombie feature films, short films, TV shows, comic books, video games, and more out there. But where none of them really go is turning everything we know upside down and making the humans the evil things that the plague has created.
As a short film, Zombie comedy, The Humans Are Coming will let us take a peak into the world of the Williams family. Mom and Dad Williams along with their three children, Kyle, Dustin, and Jenny, are having breakfast when an old neighbor shows up that isn't quite himself anymore....he's human.
All funds raised will go straight into the film. If the project is fully funded by the end of the 45 days, The Humans are Coming will be released at midnight on Wednesday, October 31, 2012.
Thank you for your support!
Join the official The Humans Are Coming facebook page!
The following is a makeup session to create the zombie for the Kickstarter promo video. A big thank you to Desmond who went through the process! Watch two hours of makeup in two minutes. Zombies for the film will feature more detail and special effects contact lenses. Enjoy!This week, Jessica Ahlquist and the ACLU won their court case against Cranston High School West in Rhode Island. The school was ordered to immediately remove a banner containing an official school prayer addressed to “Our Heavenly Father” and ending in “Amen”, which hung over the school gymnasium as an unambiguous endorsement of the Christian religion by the school, in clear and flagrant violation of the Establishment Clause for nearly 50 years. You can read the ruling for yourself.
The Westerly Sun tracked down the man behind the banner to tell the story of its origins and give his reaction to U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux’s ruling that it is unconstitutional.
David Bradley was a seventh-grade student at a brand new high school, Cranston High School West, in 1960. The school had no identity then, so student leaders like Bradley were tasked with determining the school colors, the mascot, and in Bradley’s case, the school prayer.
The banner using Bradley’s prayer was a gift from the class of 1963. Bradley responded to the ruling against the banner:
“I am absolutely incensed, disenfranchised and outraged,” Bradley said.
No, Mr. Bradley, you have not been disenfranchised, your religion has been disestablished as the de facto religion of the school. That’s the way it is supposed to be. State governments and the federal government in the United States of America are neither to establish any religion nor religion itself nor irreligiousness itself. All governments in the United States are to remain neutral, neither judging nor endorsing nor condemning either religiousness nor the rejection of religiousness. This does not disenfranchise religious individuals. Quite the contrary, this allows each person, religious or irreligious to follow his or her own conscience and feel fully enfranchised. When the government promulgates a religious viewpoint contrary to anyone’s own, this threatens to disenfranchise that person. When a school prescribes a prayer for all its students, that school gives a religious dictate to a student irrespective of her own conscience. This forces her to either be true to her conscience and risk feelings of alienation from her fellow students and citizens, or to violate her conscience under the social and political pressure coming from both the government itself and from the citizens whose behavior and attitudes are influenced by its example.
“It’s just one more example of secularism eroding the fabric of America.”
The fabric of America is secularism. Democracy, egalitarianism, civil rights, equal protection, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, tolerance, multiculturalism, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly—these are the special revolutionary ideals that made America (and other countries born of the Enlightenment) special and distinctive. Not one of these values is distinctively Christian. Not one is clearly advocated anywhere in the Bible. And using governmental means to train students to adopt your religious practices violates numerous of these distinctively Enlightenment-derived American values which, when we are at our best, separate us (and other secular Enlightenment influenced nations) from theocracies and other repressive regimes throughout history. Scrupulous activist watchdog secularism firms up the fabric of America; it does not unravel it. In short, American values are directly opposed
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poor becomes more stark, a small plutocracy of wealthy elites derives a larger and larger share of total consumer spending."
The marketers see this as calling for a "massive reset" in thinking, recommending a disproportionate focus on luxury brands. A study by Digitas concludes that the threshold for being considered affluent is now $200,000 a year.
So, even as many rail at the way big money is taking over politics, it seems to be a logical outgrowth of structural shifts that have been years in the making and reflect a "new America" where the rich rule.
In that sense, Mitt Romney is a perfect representative of a rising oligarchy that puts Russia to shame.
The haves want to keep their economic and political power, whatever rhetoric they may use to disguise their interests; the have-nots are ignored.
Moreover, in age of globalisation, as Chrystia Freeland explains in the Atlantic, a new super elite of "hard working, highly educated, jet setting, meritocrats have more in common with one another than their countryman back home".
So say goodbye to democracy, as an ideal, political process and culture. This avaricious and self-absorbed elite has little use for it.
In this world, acquisitions matter more than issues. It sad to think that whoever "wins" our next elections, we can all expect to lose because economics (and inequality) guides and trumps politics.
If you can afford it, keep those acquisitions high. If you can't, keep your expectations low. While you shop, they will drop.
News Dissector Danny Schechter blogs at NewsDissector.net. His new book is Occupy: Dissecting Occupy Wall Street (Cosimo Books) and his latest film is Plunder, about financial crime. He hosts a radio show on Progressive Radio Network. Comments to [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @dissectorevents"1000 likes or I will drop him", a man pictured holding a baby out of a 15th-floor window in Algeria proclaimed.
An Algerian man has been sentenced to two years in prison for dangling a baby out of a high-rise window to get Facebook "likes".
The man posted a picture of himself holding the baby out of the window on the 15th-floor of the building with the caption: "1,000 likes or I will drop him," news website Al-Arabiya reported.
He was charged with endangering the baby's safety following his arrest on Monday (NZ time), police said.
The picture, taken in the capital Algiers, caused a social media uproar with many demanding he be convicted of child abuse.
READ MORE:
* Michael Jackson's kids recall pop star dad
* US woman charged US$39.95 for holding her baby in hospital
* You can never hold your baby too much, says study
The man, a relative of the baby, denied the child's life was put at risk.
He claimed the images had been altered by social media users, Algeria's Ennahar TV reported.
"The picture was taken in a balcony with protective barriers," the man said. "These were removed."
The child's father also testified at court, saying he did not want the man to be sent to jail.
The man had just been playing a game, the father said.
However, the judge said the man needed to be imprisoned.
The picture was clear - the child's life was in danger, the judge said.From time to time the topic arises on this board about the secret transfer of administrative power from my debilitated grandfather, then-president of the Mormon Church Ezra Taft Benson, to his First Presidency counselors, Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson--a move that was done in clear violation of established LDS Church procedure on succession.In a previous thread (currently up on this site), RfM poster “theoutlander” notes positive proof of that fact (as discovered in and publicly reported from the incorporation documents for the Mormon Church)--documents which prove conclusively that the Mormon Church is in the business of deliberately deceiving its members:“I was just reading an interesting article titled 'Drawing the Line on Religion' and it made me wonder at what point do you think leadership in the Church is made aware of the scam they are perpetrating? Does that make sense? I mean at some point along the way (maybe when you get as high up as being a GA) the truth has got to come out.“Maybe this will help you understand what I'm talking about. The article, as I understood it, was about Steve Benson's disenchantment with the Church and how that all came about. About half way through the writer states the following:“'A reporter at the paper [the 'Salt Lake Tribune'] sifted some eye-popping information from Utah's corporation records. The published report said the corporation that manages the Church effected in 1989 a transfer of power from Ezra Taft Benson to his two counselors, Gordon Hinckley and Thomas Monson. That was done the same year that his grandfather last was seen in public, Benson said."'This is what's so ironic,' he said. 'The church leaders and members are saying, “Steve, where's your faith? Don't you have faith God could raise Ezra Taft Benson to speak and lead the church?” But in secret the leaders of the church had amended the faith that God would do that.... They put their faith not in God but in the lawyers who transacted the papers and who actually assured the transfer of power to them.'“I have to think that there were more involved in the cover up than just Hinckley and Monson, so that's what made me wonder, "How many people really know the truth, and how far along do they get before they know?“I think most people in the forum can agree that we've figured out this scam for ourselves, but I think it would be interesting to know how many in Church Leadership know and help to perpetuate the lie. Make sense?”(“Church Leadership & The Truth," posted by:”theoutlander,” on “Recovery from Mormonism” bulletin board, 14 April 2012, at: http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,474354,474354#msg-474354 Similarly, in an earlier thread, RfM poster "orlovna" wrote of the media-reported Mormon Church's use of then-LDS Church president ETB's signature machine/autopen to facilitate a backroom transfer of governing authority from ETB to his two First Presidency counselors, Hinckley and Monson:"... Steve Benson ha[s] posted, here at RfM, about his incapacitated grandfather, at a time when Messrs. Hinckley and Monson took full (and undue) advantage of it (viz., that situation)."I [meaning poster 'olovna'] 'alleged' (for that is what it is) [to the 'Salt Lake Tribune'] that Hinckley and Benson [*editing note: this should read "Hinckley and Monson" not "Hinckley and Benson"] crafted and drafted a backroom-deal type of document: one for each of them (requiring ETB's'signature' on both)."I told the ['Salt Lake Tribune'] readers that, in essence, they could check it out, through the freedom of information act (This was implied, more than factually stated)."Perhaps ETB's grandson can affirm that the facsimile of Prez. Benson's signature that many, here, were able to view, was indeed the selfsame one that was 'affixed to' those two identical documents that Hinckley and Monson had submitted to the Utah Corporation Commission, back in the mid-90s [*editing note: the signature machine transfer of authority actually took place in 1989], before Pro$it Benson died."_____Below is more detailed background information on that secret power transfer, via ETB's signature machine, of LDS Church operating authority:By 1993, my grandfather was on his last mental and physical legs, being in full decline on both counts.He exhibited only brief moments of awareness of his surroundings and was unable to carry on meaningful conversations, including with members of his own family.I personally witnessed his condition deteriorate to this state over the course of several years.By 1993, he had had a suffered from series of significant health setbacks, including blood clots on the brain, a stroke and a heart attack, all of which had been downplayed to one degree or another by the Church.My grandfather eventually died in May 1994, barely a year after the conference to which you refer.By September 1993, even Apostles Dallin H. Oaks and Neal A. Maxwell were personally (but only privately) confirming the reality of ETB's increasingly debilitated state.In a visit that month with my then-spouse and I in Maxwell's Church Administration Building office, Oaks admitted that my grandfather's health was declining steadily (a fact that we both, as well as our children, already knew from personal visits with him in the confines of his apartment overlooking Temple Square).Oaks said the Quorum of the Twelve rotated in pairs each week to visit my grandfather at the apartment, with the purpose of only to check in on how he was doing, not to engage in administrative action or to discuss major issues, since my grandfather was incapable of doing any such thing.Maxwell said that when Church members asked him how the prophet was doing, he would reply only that "he is not in pain."They said that major administrative decisions were not being made, given the inability of my grandfather to be involved in the process.I asked Oaks why he didn't come out and set the record straight on my grandfather's health, especially since the Church Public Relations Department, headed by Don LeFevre at the time, was issuing press releases significantly misrepresenting my grandfather's actual mental and physical condition.Oaks responded by waving dismissively in the direction of the the Church Office Building (which we could see through the windows of Maxwell's office) and saying, "I don't know what goes on over there in the high rise."I then asked Maxwell why he didn't speak up on the actual state of my grandfather's health.Maxwell replied by saying he already had several responsibilities and "didn't need any more."Oaks then urged me to deal with the issue of my grandfather's health through "back channels," rather than in the public square (a sure-fire remedy for deep-sixing the whole thing).I chose not to follow that advice.A few weeks later, during 1993 October Conference, I encountered Don LeFevre of the Church PR Department and asked him why he was releasing statements about the health of my grandfather that were clearly not true.LeFevre told me, "All my statements have been approved by my superiors."I responded, "Don, that doesn't make them true."LeFevre simply replied, "Steve, this is a difficult job."It is a matter of public record (thanks to the reporting of the Salt Lake Tribune) that--in direct contravention of established protocol for the transfer of power in the event that the Church president should die OR become incapacitated--Hinckely and Monson had the power of attorney over LDS corporate affairs shifted to them in the Church's incorporation documents a few years before my grandfather's death (see Mormon apostle James E. Talmadge's treatment of Church governance procedures in his book, "Articles of Faith").Instead of having the First Presidency dissolved and an acting president installed to administer the affairs of the Church in a situation when the sitting president was unable to perform his duties, Hinckely and Monson had legal authority to run the Mormon empire transferred directly to them by the highly unusual method of employing my grandfather's autopen signature machine on Church incorporation documents (see an account of this episode in historian D. Michael Quinn's book, "Extensions of Power")._____Here's a breakdown of the details that, in and of themselves, should be enough for any honest Mormon to leave the lying LDS Church:--I informed Quinn of this surreptitious power grab and he found it significant enough to write that Monson and Hinckley secretly conspired to angle himself into the position of de facto Church president, in clear violation of official Mormon Church governance protocol:"By May 1989... counselors [Hinckley and Monson] felt it necessary to execute legal documents giving them Ezra Taft Benson's 'power of attorney [which] shall not be affected by his "disability" or "incompetence.'""However, Benson was already affected by that 'disability.'"Despite a notarized statement by the First Presidency's secretary, President Benson did not sign those documents himself. A signature machine produced Benson's identical signatures on these legal documents."Without public acknowledgment, this machine-signed document formally ended an official provision for dissolving the First Presidency that had been in print for ninety years. Since 1899 the book 'Articles of Faith,' 'Written By Appointment; and Published By the Church,' had specified that the 'First Presidency is disorganized through the death or disability of the President.'"However, this 1989 document specified that the counselors would not dissolve the First Presidency or surrender their powers despite the fact of the church president's 'disability' or 'incompetence.'"The current apostles have supported this policy, even though the officially published 'Articles of Faith' continues to specify that when there is 'disability of the President, the directing authority in [church] government reverts at once to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles." (D. Michael Quinn, "The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power" [Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books], pp. 58-59,; fn 243-245, p. 432)_____--The “Salt Lake Tribune” affirmed the story through its own investigative reporting efforts:"In the years before his death President Benson suffered from poor health, suffering from blood clots in the brain, strokes, and heart attacks. During this time, Benson almost never appeared in public, and First Counselor Gordon B. Hinckley took on many of Benson's official duties, as he had done as Second Counselor in Kimball's last years."Joining Hinckley in this task was Thomas S. Monson, and the two of them received legal power of attorney to act in Benson's behalf in LDS corporate affairs. Important ecclesiastical and family documents continued to be signed in Benson's name, with the aid of a signature machine."There was some controversy as to whether Benson's actual mental health during this time was accurately portrayed by the Church. According to Church spokesman Don LeFevre, Hinckley and Monson reviewed major church decisions with Benson in his home, where he was attended by a staff of nurses."However, according to Benson's grandson Steve Benson, who later became a vocal, anti-Mormon critic of the church that he quit, the elder Benson by about 1993 was living in a sweatsuit, fed by others, and incapable of recognizing others or speaking coherently."Steve Benson stated that in a private meeting with apostle Dallin H. Oaks, Oaks explained to the younger Benson that the apostles rotated in pairs each week to visit the elder Benson at the apartment socially, but that Benson was incapable of conducting official business...."The fact that President Benson's counselors did not have a great deal of confidence in his ability to function became evident when documents filed with the state of Utah were examined by the 'Salt Lake Tribune':"'Documents on file with the state of Utah are strong evidence that the parent corporation of the Mormon Church no longer is being directed by its president, Ezra Taft Benson."'It is the first time since the corporation was founded 70 years ago that anyone other than the church president has obtained total authority over Utah's most powerful corporation."'The documents, at the Utah Department of Commerce, were signed with a machine that duplicates the signature of 94 year-old President Benson. They were filed six months before President Benson... made his last public speech."'Church leaders said this week the filings and the use of a signature machine were routine, and done with President Benson's approval.... Today, the corporation owns all church assets--including a multi-billion dollar portfolio of financial and property holdings...."'Entitled "Certificates of Authority' and dated May 23, 1989, the documents say Presidents Hinckley and Monson can keep those complete powers--even if President Benson becomes disabled or is determined by a court to be incompetent.... the church made no announcement of the change. It has continued to portray President Benson as the ultimate power behind church affairs...."'Fran Fish, notary public administrator for the state Department of Commerce, said signatures written by machine are legal...."'Still, Ms. Fish... said use of a signature machine on state corporate filings 'is certainly out of the norm.'... Steve Benson... has said that his aging grandfather no longer possesses the mental faculties to handle church affairs."'"The church has misrepresented the condition of President Benson and stated flatly that his role as prophet has in no way been impeded," Steve Benson said this week. "My grandfather has become a storefront mannequin while the business of the store is conducted behind closed doors.""'He said a signature machine has replaced his grandfather's hand on all personal and family correspondence.”Evidently," Steve Benson said, "the signature machine had not been programmed to sign, 'Grandpa.'"'"('Salt Lake Tribune,' August 15, 1993)"(To view the actual signature machine-created signature of Ezra Taft Benson on the incorporation documents mentioned above, see "Hinckley Monson and Ezra Taft Benson's Signature Machine," by "cricket" [Steven Clark], 30 December 2006, at: http://www.salamandersociety.com/legal/ ; see also, Jerald and Sandra Tanner, "Mormon Inquisition?: LDS Leaders Move to Repress Rebellion," under "Non-Functional Prophets," in "Salt Lake City Messenger," No. 85, November 1993, at: http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no85.htm _____--The journalism trade magazine, “Editor & Publisher” also reported on the backroom power transfer:"[Steve] Benson's views seemingly were verified by an article in the Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City. A reporter at the paper sifted some eye-popping information from Utah's corporation records. The published report said the corporation that manages the church effected in 1989 a transfer of power from Ezra Taft Benson to his two counselors, Gordon Hinckley and Thomas Monson. That was done the same year that his grandfather last was seen in public, Benson said."'This is what's so ironic,' he said.’The church leaders and members are saying, 'Steve, where's your faith? Don't you have faith God could raise Ezra Taft Benson to speak and lead the church?' But in secret the leaders of the church had amended the faith that God would do that.... They put their faith not in God but in the lawyers who transacted the papers and who actually assured the transfer of power to them.'" (Walt Jayroe, "Drawing the Line on Religion," in "Editor & Publisher," 1994, at: http://www.lds-mormon.com/benson1.shtml _____--Further reporting:"[Mormon] Church leaders acknowledge[d] that during the past four years Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson have held absolute control, legally, of the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though a signature machine was used to append Benson's signature to documents transferring control from Benson to Hinckley and Monson, the two certificates of authority filed in May, 1989, were declared legal (in 'Salt Lake Tribune,' 15 August 1993, p. C 1)." (Timothy Oliver, Rick Branch, and James Walker, "Historical Events, Notable Doctrines: Mormonism Overview," in "Watchman Expositor," vol. 13, #4, 1996, at: http://www.watchman.org/lds/ldshst96.htm _____--Hinckley, plain and simple, lied to Mormon Church members in General Conference about the extent and severity of ETB's rapidly failing health.Notice how, in this Mormon Church account of a Hinckley October 1992 General Conference talk, he mentioned nothing about ETB's deteriorating and debilitating mental condition indeed, he spoke only of his weak physical state, thereby misleadingly implying that ETB was still mentally functional--which was not the case at all. (If ETB had, in fact, been regarded as being mentally functional enough to make adminstraive decisions as Mormon Church president, there would have been no need for a surreptious power hand-over by signature machine to Hinckley and Monson):“President Gordon B. Hinckley's account of a dramatic experience aboard a jetliner as it approached the airport set the tone for his Sunday morning address.“President Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, was returning from a regional conference when the captain announced that there was an emergency and asked passengers to obey crew members' instructions. An off-duty pilot, recognizing President Hinckley, told him, 'The primary control system has failed, but I think we are going to be all right. They have managed to get the landing gear down and the flaps down.'"'Strangely, I felt no fear,' President Hinckley recalled. 'I knew that a redundancy system had been built into the plane to handle just such an emergency, and that the crew had been well-trained.'“The congregation laughed when he said, 'I also knew that the effectiveness of that redundancy system would be known in a minute or two when the rubber hit the runway.'“The aircraft landed without mishap. 'The crew were appropriately applauded, and some of us expressed to the Lord our gratitude,' President Hinckley related."'I have reflected on this experience in terms of the Church of which we are members.'“Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, but the earthly head is the prophet, he explained, adding that while President Ezra Taft Benson holds all the keys of the priesthood, he has reached an age that places limitations on his PHYSICAL activities [emphasis added], as have prophets in the past."'Some people, evidently not knowing the system, worry that because of the president's age, the Church faces a crisis. They seem not to realize that there is a backup system. In the very nature of this system, there is always on board a trained crew, if I may so speak of them. They have been thoroughly schooled in Church procedures. More importantly, they also hold the keys of the eternal priesthood of God.'“Each of the 15 men ordained as apostles holds the keys of the priesthood, but only the president has the right to exercise them in their fullness, President Hinckley explained.“'We who serve as counselors recognize and know the parameters of our authority and our responsibility. Our only desire is to assist and help our leader with the tremendous burdens of his office. The Church is growing large, with more than 8 million members now.... The responsibilities are many and varied."'But I can say that regardless of the circumstances, the work goes forward in an orderly and wonderful way. As it was during the time when President Kimball was ill, we have moved without hesitation where there is well-established policy. Where there is no firmly established policy, we have talked with the president and received his approval before taking action. Let it never be said that there has been any disposition to assume authority or to do anything or say anything or teach anything which might be at variance with the wishes of him who has been put in his place by the Lord.'“Quoting D&C 107:23-24, President Hinckley said the Council of the Twelve Apostles form a quorum equal in power and authority to the First Presidency, but they are always under the direction of the First Presidency.“President Hinckley contrasted the work of the Lord with the process of electing government officials: 'No member of the Church in his right mind would think of applying for ecclesiastical office.' Rather, he said, Church officers are called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority.“He expressed confidence that all General Authorities confess to the Lord their weaknesses and plead for strength and wisdom.“He said the Brethren pray together and periodically partake of the sacrament together, and from various backgrounds and experiences, discuss problems and ways to improve and strengthen the work."'At the outset of these discussions, there may be various points of view. But before the discussion is ended, there is total unanimity, else no action is taken. The Lord Himself has declared that such unity is an absolute necessity.'“He affirmed that the General Authorities would never lead the Church astray because the Lord Jesus Christ has the power to remove any found remiss in his duty or teaching that which is not in harmony with His divine will."'I say for each and all of us that we have no personal agenda. We have only the Lord's agenda. There are those who criticize when we issue a statement of counsel or warning. Please know that our pleadings are not motivated by any selfish desire. Please know that our warnings are not without substance and reason. Please know that the decisions to speak out on various matters are not reached without deliberation, discussion and prayer. Please know that our only ambition is to help each of you with your problems, your struggles, your families, your lives.'"(“Built-in 'Backup' System Keeps Church on Course,” Gordon B. Hinckley, sermon at LDS General Conference,” published in “Church News,” 10 October 1992, at: http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/21783/Built-in-backup-system-keeps-Church-on-course.html Hinckley continued the same deceptive theme throughout the same Conference, having kicked of the Saturday session with the same misdirect:“My brethren and sisters, President Benson ordinarily would speak to us in the opening session of the conference and extend his warm welcome. We regret that he is not with us. He would wish to be here, and we wish that he were here. It is becoming increasingly hard for him to get out. His age makes public appearances difficult. He is now in his ninety-fourth year. It is not easy for him to do what he once did with such vigor and enthusiasm. His strong and vibrant voice has stirred all of us in times past. His eloquence in expounding the gospel and his tremendous testimony of this work, persuasive in its tone and cogency, have lifted all who have heard him. We miss him and pray that the Lord will comfort him and bless him that he may enjoy much of happiness for the remainder of his life.“His burdens became much heavier when his beloved companion, Sister Flora Amussen Benson, passed away on August 14. They had been married for nearly sixty-six years. They have been an example to the entire Church. He now feels the terrible loneliness that comes to a man with the death of a gifted and beautiful wife, the mother of his children, his great support and comfort.“Our hearts reach out to him in sympathy and love. We pray that the Lord will comfort him and sustain him and bring gladness into his heart while he yet remains with us as the prophet of God.“He has asked that we go forward with the conference. We do so with his encouragement and with a prayer in our hearts that we will be blessed of the Lord—all who speak—that there may be a great spiritual outpouring among the Saints who will meet in many places and under a great variety of circumstances.”(“Sin Will Not Prevail,” Gordon B. Hinckley, October 1992 General Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, reprinted in “Ensign,” November 1992, at: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/print/1992/10/sin-will-not-prevail?lang=eng **************Ezra Taft Benson was not meaningfully leading and/or directing the Mormon Church as its president--either physically or mentally--in his final years.LDS apostles Oaks and Maxwell privately admitted that fact to me, in direct contradiction of Hinckley's public lies.Furthermore, if, as Hinckley claimed, he (Hinckley) had no “personal agenda,” then why did Hinckley and Monson choose not to inform the general Mormon Church membership that they had, as far back as 1989, secretly transferred authority to run LDS, Inc. from ETB to them, via ETB's personal signature machine, without ETB being present for the transfer?The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Subterfuge.The LDS Church is rotten to the core but, alas, listen to the true-believing LDS snore. Never let the facts get in the way of a good Mormon myth.Edited 10 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2012 10:45PM by steve benson.President Trump (Photo11: Alex Brandon, AP)
President Trump said Saturday he is imposing a lifetime ban on administration officials lobbying foreign governments, and a five-year ban on other types of lobbying.
"Most of the people standing behind me will not be able to go to work," Trump joked to aides as he signed the document, noting that the five-year ban will replace the two-year ban put in place by the Obama administration.
"You have one last chance to get out," he added to his aides.
Norman Eisen, President Obama's "ethics czar" and the principal author of that administration's executive order on lobbying, said Trump kept the Obama limits on the "revolving door" coming into government but eliminated Obama's revolving door protections for non-lobbyists leaving government.
While there are some things to like in the Trump order, there are also loopholes said Eisen, now chairman of Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington.
"It gives non-lobbyists too much leeway when they leave," he said. "That is where the biggest problem in the system is: unregistered, shadow lobbyists. They should be getting more regulation, not less."
Eisen also said that, under the Trump order, "lobbyists can now work for agencies they lobbied," and "that is another weakening element."
The ethics order signed by Obama after he became president in 2009 barred appointees from accepting gifts from registered lobbyists or lobbying organizations. It also banned any of his officials from participation in a decision that affected lobbying clients from the previous two years, or working with any executive agency that person had lobbied over the previous two years.
Appointees leaving government during the Obama administration are banned from communicating with workers in their agency for two years and cannot lobby “covered executive branch official or non-career Senior Executive Service appointee for the remainder of the Administration.”
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2jCliogStar Trek debuted on September 8th, 1966, making this week the 47th anniversary of the series. We'll be bringing you some Star Trek-related content all week long to celebrate.
Every fan of the original Star Trek knows that the show was made by Desilu - the big production logo is a familiar part of the end credits of the show, displayed over the head of the alien (puppet) Balok. What few fans know is that Lucille Ball herself, half of the Desilu titular team, pulled the trigger on making the show happen - even though she at first thought it was about a USO tour.
Desilu is a mash up of the names of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, the husband and wife comedy team. They formed the production company when they were trying to sell their radio show, My Favorite Husband, to TV. It eventually became I Love Lucy, one of the all-time greatest shows in the history of the medium, and the source of the money that would later allow Desilu to make Star Trek.
Arnaz was an instinctual businessman without much actual training, but he was brilliant. He wanted to shoot I Love Lucy on film using multiple cameras, a huge change from how TV was produced at the time. Shows would be broadcast live from New York, and other time zones would show kinescopes of the broadcast - they would literally film a TV set that was playing the episode and rebroadcast that diminished image. Desi wanted his show to be shown high quality in every market, but this was expensive. CBS network executive thought the expense was wasteful, but Arnaz convinced them to allow Desilu to cover the costs - with the condition that the production company would own the film, and thus the ability to rerun the show. The idea of doing reruns was unheard of at the time, but Arnaz had seen the future. The deal was incredibly profitable.
If Desi was making the business choices, Lucy was making the artistic ones. She would personally take pitches for shows that Desilu might produce and then sell to networks. The desire to show I Love Lucy in high quality across the country was reflected in Ball's tastes in production - she wanted to make unique shows that had high production value. With the two working in tandem Desilu kept getting bigger and more profitable, and in 1954 the company bought a studio lot in Hollywood. In 1958 they produced their first movie.
But the good times didn't last; Desi and Lucy divorced but stayed together as business partners until 1962, when Lucy bought out her ex-husband. She had become the most powerful woman in Hollywood, and split her time between running the company and starring on The Lucy Show. That same year Desilu's big show, The Untouchables, was canceled. Two new series had failed. The studio had only The Lucy Show on the air, and the only other income came from renting out stages on their lot. Lucy commanded her team to get new shows, and to make them unique.
In 1964 she was brought two concepts by two men. Bruce Geller had an idea called Mission: Impossible, a spy show influenced by Topkapi. It was an expensive concept, but one that Lucy understood. The other man was Gene Roddenberry, who had a show called Star Trek. When the initial contract was signed, Lucy thought the program would be about Hollywood celebrities going abroad to play USO shows - she had no idea the concept was more UFO that USO.
By the time the pilot script, The Cage, came in, Lucy's top men advised her against it. The show was expensive - so expensive they would lose thousands per episode if they managed to sell it to a studio. And that's if they managed to sell it; Roddenberry's script was full of weird jargon and missing the sort of light-hearted escapism that had passed for science fiction on TV before. This was a show that took the scifi seriously, and that expected the audience to do the same. Talking to Marc Cushman for his exhaustive Star Trek history book, These Are The Voyages, Desilu executive Ed Holly said, 'I told Lucy, 'If we do these [Star Trek and Mission: Impossible] and are unfortunate enough to sell them as series, we're going to have to sell the company and go bankrupt.'
Despite not really being into science fiction, Lucy understood that Star Trek, if it worked, could be big. There had never been anything like it on TV, and if it hit, it would bring in money from merchandising and reruns. It was a gamble, but Desilu had been built on gambles. She made the call. In November of 1964 production began on the first Star Trek pilot. On September 8th, 1966 the first episode of the show, The Man Trap, aired on NBC. And 47 years later the franchise continues, for better or worse.
Lucy's gamble paid off in the long run, but it was not soon enough for Desilu. Ed Holly was right, and in 1967 - before Star Trek was even canceled - Desilu was sold to Paramount.You should go and spit in his face, rather than reciting Holy Quran infront of him! I assume the situation is hypothetical so you don't have to worry for your life!
Islam prohibits any forced conversion at personal level so the guy who is forcing you for no fault of your own is going against Quran. Allah almighty says in Qura'an :-
Al-Baqarah 2:256
لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَاۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
There shall be *no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion*. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut(False deity other than Allah) and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
Islam believes in preaching the truth for its widespread acceptance rather than killing someone and making them convert at the sword tip..Afterall one must understand that faith is matter of belief in hearts,how could they be altered or forced to change against one's own will?
Allah says:-
Ya Sin 36:5
تَنزِيلَ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
[This is] a revelation of the Exalted in Might, the Merciful,
Ya Sin 36:6
لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّآ أُنذِرَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ فَهُمْ غَٰفِلُونَ
That you may warn the people whose forefathers were not warned, so they are unaware.
Allah further says:-
Ar-Ra'd 13:1
الٓمٓرۚ تِلْكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِۗ وَٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Alif, Lam, Meem, Ra. These are the verses of the Book; and what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, but most of the people do not believe.
Ar-Ra'd 13:2
ٱللَّ
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360 and PC, input response was not a problem. We're glad to report that aiming and shooting on PS4 is just as fluid - with latency only limited by the 30fps cap.
Endurance co-op, Croft Manor - and yes, a 'nightmare' zombie mode. John and Rich discuss Rise of the Tomb Raider on PlayStation 4, backed by a big bunch of gameplay footage.
The primary mode we played this time was the cooperative endurance mode. This was originally released as DLC for existing versions of the game with a focus on survival - keeping warm and fed while surviving in the wilderness. It's a lot of fun but in this new release of the game, it's now possible to play with a friend. For those that purchased the DLC on other platforms already, co-op will be made available for free.
We also enjoyed a demonstration of the Croft Manor content that is included with this version of the game. Playing out like a large tomb in and of itself, this portion of the game sees players solving puzzles and discovering secrets around the stately home. Played conventionally, this mode presents exactly like the rest of the game, using third person camera at 1080p30. The twist here is that it's possible to play through this content entirely in virtual reality thanks to PlayStation VR support.
We've spent time with PSVR before, but most experiences have been seated. With Rise of the Tomb Raider, we were asked to stand up and walk about. When playing in VR, the game switches to a first person perspective. Two movement options are available - dual analog movement, similar to the main game, and teleportation. In our demo, the developers opted to stick with the teleportation mode as they admitted that free control was more likely to result in motion sickness - something we can definitely attest to, based on experiences playing other titles that utilise this technique.
Our original deep dive tech analysis for Rise of the Tomb Raider. It's based on Xbox One code but performance apart, it's just as applicable to the upcoming PS4 version.
The teleportation mode actually makes use of the motion sensing capabilities. By pulling the L2 trigger, a teleportation arc is displayed and fully adjustable by moving the Dual Shock 4 around - it tracks just like a PS Move. Simply tap R2 from there, and you're whisked away to the next point from which you can begin to explore by physically walking around. Interestingly, as you approach the limits of the headset tracking, the game displays a border similar to the Vive's chaperone system. It works quite well.
Beyond that, VR mode naturally demands a higher frame-rate and in this case, we're looking at 60 frames per second with asynchronous time-warp enhancing fluidity. It looked and felt natural and definitely made for an immersive experience. While it may seem disappointing that VR support is available only in Croft Manor, it's clear that the complexity of the main game would make PSVR support almost impossible due to the frame-rate requirements. Even if it were supported, it would likely result in severe motion sickness for most players without a substantial revamp of the core gameplay.
Overall, this title is shaping up nicely. Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes have come together once again to deliver what is turning out to be an excellent port. When you couple the same excellent visuals as we saw on Xbox One with the potential for even more consistent performance, plus some new content, it seems like a great deal. We'll have a deep dive analysis closer to the game's release in October.Jose Mourinho: Denies talking about a potential return to Real Madrid
Jose Mourinho has denied being contacted by Real Madrid about the potential vacant managerial position at the Bernabeu, according to Spanish paper MARCA.
Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague claimed on Monday that Chelsea manager Mourinho had rejected a potential return to Real to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who is not expected to survive the summer after a fruitless campaign.
"The idea is that Real now look for another coach - that is what normally happens when Real Madrid do not win," Balague told Revista de La Liga.
"Real have spoken to Julen Lopetegui at Porto, to Jurgen Klopp, to Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho.
"They have already spoken to those four to see if they would be interested in coaching Real Madrid. They have spoken to Jose Mourinho - he said no to them, of course."
However, MARCA claim the Chelsea boss contacted Real president Florentino Perez to congratulate him on Real Madrid's ninth Euroleague basketball title.
"I called and it is not true that he offered me the coaching job," he is quoted as saying. "The reality is that I called the president to congratulate him on the basketball title. I know what this success means for him.
"What will I do in the future? I have my contract with Chelsea for two years and plan to continue here."The Nexus Two is real. It's made by Samsung, and a friend of ours got to play with it. It's not going rock your face like the Nexus One did. But it will record it with a front-facing camera.
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"When I first saw it from 10 feet away, I thought it was the Galaxy S," says our source, who got to handle one. "I was a little surprised it was the Nexus Two," because it's so different from the Nexus One.
It's black and shiny, built with glossy plastic. Up close, though, it's "got this curve to it." While the screen, which our source thinks is the same 4-inch AMOLED affair from the Galaxy series, is flat, the front is "sort of concave" with hard edges. And the back is curved. The tapering makes it feel thinner than Galaxy S, though it might be about the same thickness. "It feels really similar to the Galaxy S in a lot ways." (Note: Our mockup is very approximate.)
Externally, the main difference from all of the current Galaxy S variants in the US is that it's got a front-facing camera, and it's running a stock build of Android that was still "really buggy." (Update: Forgot about the Epic 4G, which has a front camera.) Our source wasn't sure if the internals were any different. Google's supposedly trying to build video chat into Gingerbread, using the same protocol as Google Talk. So it makes sense that the flagship phone for the next year—the one that most Googlers will probably be developing on—comes with a front-facing camera, even if video chat doesn't quite make it into Gingerbread.
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At first blush, it's a little disappointing that Google possibly isn't pushing things forward in the same way they did with the Nexus One, since it seems like the Nexus Two is a refreshed Galaxy phone. On the other hand, it says a lot that the Android ecosystem is so stocked with high-powered phones, from the Evo to the Droid X, that even Google won't radically jump ahead of its partners with a new flagship. Hopefully their plan for selling it is a little better.former General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
Hu Jintao (; Chinese: 胡锦涛; pinyin: Hú Jǐntāo; Mandarin: [xǔ tɕìn.tʰáu]; born 21 December 1942)[1] is a retired Chinese politician who was the paramount leader of China from 2002 to 2012.[note 1] He held the offices of General Secretary of the Communist Party from 2002 to 2012, President of the People's Republic from 2003 to 2013 and Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 2004 to 2012. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's de facto top decision-making body, from 1992 to 2012.
Hu participated in the Communist Party for most of his career, notably as Party Committee Secretary for Guizhou province and the Tibet Autonomous Region, and then later First Secretary of the Central Secretariat and Vice-President under former leader Jiang Zemin. Hu is the first leader of the Communist Party without any significant revolutionary credentials.
During his term in office, Hu reintroduced state control in some sectors of the economy that were relaxed by the previous administration, and was conservative with political reforms.[2] Along with his colleague Premier Wen Jiabao, Hu presided over nearly a decade of consistent economic growth and development that cemented China as a major world power. He sought to improve socio-economic equality domestically through the Scientific Outlook on Development, which aimed to build a "Harmonious Socialist Society" that was prosperous and free of social conflict.[3] Under his leadership, the authorities also cracked down on social disturbances, ethnic minority protests, and dissident figures. In foreign policy, Hu advocated for "China's peaceful development", pursuing soft power in international relations and a corporate approach to diplomacy. Throughout Hu's tenure, China's influence in Africa, Latin America, and other developing regions increased.[4]
Hu possessed a low-key and reserved leadership style. His tenure was characterized by collective leadership and consensus-based rule.[5] These traits made Hu a rather enigmatic figure in the public eye. His administration was known for its focus more on technocratic competence than persona.[6] At the end of his tenure, Hu won praise for retiring voluntarily from all positions. He was succeeded by Xi Jinping.
Early life [ edit ]
Hu Jintao was born on 21 December 1942 in Taizhou, Jiangsu province. His branch of the family migrated from Jixi County, Anhui to Taizhou during his grandfather's generation. Though his father owned a small tea trading business in Taizhou, the family was relatively poor. His mother was a teacher and died when he was 7, and he was raised by an aunt. Hu's father was denounced during the Cultural Revolution, an event that (together with his relatively humble origins) apparently had a deep effect upon Hu, who diligently tried to clear his father's name.[7]
He joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in April 1964 and began to work as an engineer in July 1965 after he graduated from the Water Conservancy Engineering Department at Tsinghua University, where he majored in the study of hub hydropower stations.[8]
During his time at Tsinghua, he met his wife Liu Yongqing.
In 1968, Hu volunteered for his service in Gansu and worked on the construction of Liujiaxia Hydroelectric Station[9] while also managing CPC affairs for the local branch of the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power. From 1969 to 1974, he worked for Sinohydro Engineering Bureau as an engineer.[10]
Early political career [ edit ]
In 1973, Hu was transferred to the Construction Department of Gansu as a secretary. The next year he was promoted to vice senior chief. In 1980, Deng Xiaoping implemented the "Four Transformations" program, which aimed to produce communist leaders who were "more revolutionary, younger, more knowledgeable, and more specialized." In response to this nationwide search for young party members, Song Ping, the first secretary of CPC Gansu Committee (Gansu's governor) discovered Hu Jintao and promoted him several ranks to the position of deputy head of the commission.[11] Another protégé of Song, Wen Jiabao, also became prominent at the same time.
In 1982, Hu was promoted to the position of Communist Youth League Gansu Branch Secretary and was appointed as the director of the All-China Youth Federation.[12][13] His mentor Song Ping was transferred to Beijing as Minister of Organization of the Communist Party of China, and was in charge of senior cadres' recommendation, candidacy and promotion. With the support of Hu Yaobang and Deng Xiaoping, Hu was assured of a bright future in the party. At Song Ping's suggestion, in 1982 central CPC authorities invited Hu to Beijing to study at the Central Party School.[14] Soon after, he was transferred to Beijing and appointed as secretariat of the Communist Youth League Central Committee ("CY Central"). Two years later Hu was promoted to First Secretary of CY Central, thus its actual leader. During his term in the Youth League, Hu escorted Hu Yaobang, who was CPC General Secretary then, in visits around the country. Hu Yaobang, himself a veteran coming from the Youth League, could reminiscence his youth through Hu's company.
Leading the party in Guizhou [ edit ]
In 1985, Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang (no relation) pushed for Hu Jintao to be transferred to Guizhou as the provincial Committee Secretary of Communist Party of China.[15] Hu attempted to improve the economy of the backwater province, and reputedly visited all of its eighty-six counties.[16] While in Guizhou, Hu was careful to follow Beijing's directives and had a reputation of being "airtight"; he rarely would offer his views on policy matters in public.[16] While Hu was generally seen as an official with integrity and honesty, some locals preferred his predecessor Zhu Houze. In 1987, Hu Jintao handled the local students protest parallel to the Democracy Wall carefully, whereas in Beijing similar protests resulted in Hu Yaobang's forced resignation.
Tenure in Tibet [ edit ]
Hu Yaobang was purged in the late 1980s, due to his 'liberal' tendencies, by Deng Xiaoping, and his departure from the political scene was initially seen as unfavourable towards Hu Jintao, who drew criticism from party elders for failing to criticize the ousted reformer.[17] In 1988, Hu Jintao was transferred to become Party Regional Committee Secretary of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, while also taking on the role of Political Commissar of the local People's Liberation Army units. This made Hu effectively the number-one figure in the vast, restive region. A number of Tibetans have long been opposed to government policy in the region. Unrest and ethnic conflict were brewing, particularly anti-Han sentiments among segments of ethnic Tibetan society. Minor clashes had been occurring since 1987, and when the scale of unrest grew, Hu responded with the deployment of some 1,700 People's Armed Police into Lhasa in February 1989 in an attempt to warn against further disturbance.[18] Increased clashes culminated in serious rioting in Lhasa's core on 5 March 1989, five days before the 30th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising.[19] What occurred after is a matter of dispute. Rioters accused the police of shooting them arbitrarily, and the police claimed that they had acted in self-defense. In addition, there was speculation that Hu delayed his orders to clamp down on the protesters until late into the evening, when the police chief was forced to act because the situation was spiraling out of control. The protesters were suppressed early into the next day, and Hu asked Beijing to declare martial law on 8 March.[20]
Hu's role in the demonstrations and rioting on 5 March was never made clear. While it is general protocol that Hu must have at least implicitly approved the use of force against protesters, whether he actually gave orders throughout 5 March is a matter of debate.[21] In addition, John Tkacik cites that Hu had been coordinating with the Chengdu Military Region for troops to be on full alert as the situation progressed.[18] Some diplomatic analysts linked what they saw as Hu's brutal use of force to the suppression of activists and students in Tiananmen Square, which took place three months later. Whether Hu provided "inspiration" for the PLA on 4 June is a matter of debate, but it was clear that Hu's actions in Lhasa earned him unprecedented attention in the upper echelons of party power, including by "paramount leader" Deng Xiaoping. When tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square, Hu was one of the first regional leaders to publicly declare his support for the central authorities.[18] Hu experienced high-altitude sickness in June 1990, and returned to Beijing, but remained in his position for another two years, during which Hu achieved little. But his departure to Beijing was seen as a merely means to return to the centerfold of Chinese politics, which led to some doubts as to whether or not he was as ill as he had claimed.[18] Martin Seiff of United Press International commented on Putin and Hu, "Both are tough and able authoritarians who had extensive experience of repressing dissent on their rise to the top."[22]
Candidacy [ edit ]
Before the opening of the 14th National Congress of the CPC in 1992, senior party leaders, including Deng and Chen Yun, were to select candidates for the Politburo Standing Committee to ensure a smooth transition of power from the so-called second-generation leaders (Deng, Chen, Li Xiannian, Wang Zhen, etc.) to third-generation leaders (Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Qiao Shi etc.). Deng also proposed considering another candidate for a further future transition, preferably someone under fifty to represent the next generation of leaders.[23] Song Ping, as the organization chief, recommended Hu as an ideal candidate for the prospect of a future leader. As a result, shortly before his 50th birthday, Hu Jintao became the youngest member of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, and one of the youngest PSC members since the Communist Party assumed power in 1949.
In 1992, Hu took charge of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China, which oversaw day-to-day operations of the Central Committee, and the Central Party School, which was convenient for him to bring up his own supporters among senior CPC cadres. Hu was also put in charge of the ideological work of the CPC. Although Hu was considered heir apparent to Jiang, he always took great care to ensure that Jiang be at the center of the spotlight. In late 1998, Hu promoted Jiang's unpopular movement of the "Three Stresses" – "stress study, stress politics, and stress healthy trends" – giving speeches to promote it. In 2001, he publicized Jiang's Three Represents theory, which Jiang hoped to place himself on the same level as other Marxist theoreticians.[24] In 1998, Hu became Vice President of China, and Jiang wanted Hu to play a more active role in foreign affairs. Hu became China's leading voice during the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999.[25]
Leadership [ edit ]
Medvedev, Hu Jintao with Leaders of the BRICS countries, from left, Singh Rousseff and Zuma
Since taking over as General Secretary of the Central Committee at the Sixteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Hu and his premier, Wen Jiabao, proposed to set up a Harmonious Socialist Society which aims at lessening the inequality and changing the style of the "GDP first and Welfare Second" policies. They focused on sectors of the Chinese population that have been left behind by the economic reform, and have taken a number of high-profile trips to the poorer areas of China with the stated goal of understanding these areas better. Hu and Wen Jiabao have also attempted to move China away from a policy of favouring economic growth at all costs and toward a more balanced view of growth that includes factors in social inequality and environmental damage, including the use of the green gross domestic product in personnel decisions. Jiang's clique, however, maintained control in most developing areas, therefore Hu and Wen's measures of macroeconomic regulation faced great resistance.[citation needed]
SARS crisis [ edit ]
The first crisis of Hu's leadership happened during the outbreak of SARS in 2003. Following strong criticism of China for initially covering up and responding slowly to the crisis, he dismissed several party and government officials, including the health minister, who supported Jiang, and the Mayor of Beijing, Meng Xuenong, widely perceived as Hu's protégé.[citation needed]
Succession of Jiang Zemin [ edit ]
On 15 November 2002, a new Hu Jintao-led Politburo nominally succeeded Jiang. Although Jiang, then 76, stepped down from the powerful General Secretary and the Politburo Standing Committee to make way for a younger "fourth generation" of leadership, there was speculation that Jiang would retain significant influence because Hu was not associated with Jiang's influential Shanghai clique, to which six out of the nine members of the all-powerful Standing Committee were believed to be linked. However, later developments show that many of its members have shifted their positions. Zeng Qinghong, for example, moved from a disciple of Jiang to serving as an intermediary between the two factions.[26] In 2003, Jiang was also re-elected to the post of Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC, a post from which Deng Xiaoping was able to wield power from behind the scenes as "paramount leader", thus retaining military power.
Western observers[who?] attribute a sense of caution to Hu's philosophies, citing China's recent history of fallen heirs.[citation needed] Deng Xiaoping appointed three party General Secretaries, all designed to be successors, and was instrumental in the ousting of two of them, Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang. His third and final selection, Jiang Zemin, won Deng's continued, although ambiguous, backing and was the only General Secretary in Communist Chinese history to voluntarily leave his post when his term ended.
Although many[who?] believe Hu was originally hand-picked by Deng as the youngest member of China's top leadership and a leading candidate to succeed Jiang, he had exercised a great deal of political skills between 1992 and 2002 to consolidate his position, and eventually emerged as Jiang's heir apparent in his own right.[citation needed] Hu also benefited from the slow but progressive institutionalization of power succession within the CPC, something his predecessors lacked entirely. Since the early 1980s, the People's Republic of China has been marked by progressive institutionalization and rule by consensus, and moved away from the Maoist authoritarian model. Although a western-style legal institution and rule of law remain to be put in place, Hu's power succession was conducted in a fairly orderly and civil manner, which was unprecedented in Communist China's history. This trend is expected[by whom?] to continue and an institutionalized mechanism of power transition is expected to emerge, first perhaps within the CPC.[citation needed] In fact, it has been one of the CPC's stated major goals to create an orderly system of succession and mechanism to prevent informal rule and a cult of personality.
Hu talks with U.S. President Barack Obama at the 2009 Pittsburgh G-20 Summit
The rivalry between Jiang and Hu after Jiang stepped down from his posts was, arguably, an inevitable product of China's tradition of succession. Some analysts argue that although Jiang consolidated power by the time he retired, his ideological stature within the Communist Party remains shaky at best, thus Jiang had to buy time to ensure that his ideological legacy such as the Three Represents, is enshrined in China's socialism doctrine.[citation needed] Jiang resigned as Chairman of the Central Military Commission in September 2004, his last official post. Following Jiang's stepping-down, Hu had officially taken on the three institutions in the People's Republic of China where power lie, the party, the state, as well as the military, thus informally, had become the paramount leader.
Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao inherited a China wrought with internal social, political and environmental problems. One of the biggest challenges Hu faced was the large wealth disparity between the Chinese rich and poor, for which discontent and anger mounted to a degree which wreaked havoc on the Communist Party's rule. Furthermore, the cronyism and corruption plaguing China's civil service, military, educational, judicial and medical systems sought to destroy the country bit by bit. In the beginning of 2006, however, Hu launched the "8 Honours and 8 Shames" movement in a bid to promote a more selfless and moral outlook amongst the population. At the 17th CPC National Congress, Hu was re-elected as General Secretary of the Central Committee and Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission on 22 October 2007. At the 11th National People's Congress, Hu was re-elected as President on 15 March 2008. He was also re-elected as Chairman of the PRC Central Military Commission.[27]
Newsweek named Hu the second most powerful person in the world, referring to him as "the man behind the wheel of the world's most supercharged economy."[28] Forbes also named him the second most powerful person in the world.[29] Hu was named the 2010 World's Most Powerful Person by Forbes Magazine.[30] Hu was listed four times (2008, 2007, 2005 and 2004) on the Time 100 annual list of most influential people.
Political positions [ edit ]
Scientific outlook on development [ edit ]
Political observers indicate that Hu distinguished himself from his predecessor in both domestic and foreign policy. Hu's political philosophy during his leadership is summarized by three slogans — a "Harmonious Socialist Society" domestically and "Peaceful Development" internationally, the former aided by the Scientific Development Concept, which seeks integrated sets of solutions to arrays of economic, environmental and social problems, and recognizes, in inner circles, a need for cautious and gradual political reforms.[3] The Scientific Development doctrine has been written into the Communist Party and State Constitutions in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The role of the Party has changed, as formulated by Deng Xiaoping and implemented by Jiang Zemin, from a revolutionary party to a ruling party. Hu continues the Party’s modernization, calling for both "Advancement" of the Party and its increasing transparency in governance.
What emerges from these philosophies, in the view of Hu, is a country with systematic approach to national structure and development that combines dynamic economic growth, a free market energized by a vigorous "nonpublic" (i.e., private) sector, heavy-handed political and media control, personal but not political freedoms, concern for the welfare of all citizens, cultural enlightenment, and a synergistic approach to diverse social issues (the Scientific Development Perspective) that lead, in Hu’s vision, to a "Harmonious Socialist Society". In the view of the Chinese government, these philosophies, which have created a new "China Model" of governance, serve as a legitimate alternative to the West's "Democracy Model", particularly for developing countries. In Hu’s words, "A Harmonious Socialist Society should feature democracy, the rule of law, equity, justice, sincerity, amity and vitality."[3] Such a society, he says, will give full scope to people's talent and creativity, enable all the people to share the social wealth brought by reform and development, and forge an ever-closer relationship between the people and government. Hu even emphasized the potential of religious communities to contribute to economic and social development under the banner of "Building a Harmonious Socialist Society."[31]
Western criticism of Hu, particularly regarding human rights, exposes his hypersensitivity to social stability but does not lay as much emphasis on his fresh commitment to address China’s multi-faceted social problems.[3] Hu’s pragmatic, non-ideological agenda had two core values—maintaining social stability to further economic development and sustaining Chinese culture to enrich national sovereignty. In domestic policy, he seems to want more openness to the public on governmental functions and meetings. Recently, China's news agency published many Politburo Standing Committee meeting details. He also cancelled many events that are traditionally practiced, such as the lavish send-off and welcoming-back ceremonies of Chinese leaders when visiting foreign lands. Furthermore, the Chinese leadership under Hu also focused on such problems as the gap between rich and poor and uneven development between the interior and coastal regions. Both party and state seem to have moved away from a definition of development that focuses solely on GDP growth and toward a definition which includes social equality and environment effects.
In 2004, Hu gave an unprecedented showing and ordered all cadres from the five major power functions to stop the tradition of going to the Beidaihe seaside retreat for their annual summer meeting, which, before, was commonly seen as a gathering of ruling elites from both current and elder cadres to decide China's destiny, and also an unnecessary waste of public funds. The move was seen by the Chinese public as symbolic of Hu's attitude towards corruption.
In June 2007, Hu gave an important speech at the Central Party School that was indicative of his position of power and his guiding philosophies. In the speech Hu used a very populist tone to appeal to ordinary Chinese, making serious note of the recent challenges China was facing, especially with regards to income disparity. In addition, Hu noted the need for "increased democracy" in the country.[32]
Taiwan [ edit ]
Early in his presidency, Hu faced an independence-supporting counterpart in then ROC president Chen Shui-bian. Chen called for talks without any preconditions, repudiating the 1992 consensus. Chen Shui-bian and his party had continued to express an ultimate goal of de jure Taiwanese independence, and made statements on the political status of Taiwan that the PRC considers provocative. Hu's initial response was a combination of "soft" and "hard" approaches. On the one hand, Hu expressed a flexibility to negotiate on many issues of concern to Taiwan. On the other hand, he continued to refuse talks without preconditions and remained committed to Chinese reunification as an ultimate goal. While Hu gave some signs of being more flexible with regard to political relationships with Taiwan as in his 17 May Statement, where he offered to address the issue of "international living space" for Taiwan, Hu's government remained firm in its position that the PRC would not tolerate any attempt by the Taiwanese government to declare de jure independence from China.
After Chen's re-election in 2004, Hu's government changed tactics, conducting a no-contact policy with Taiwan due to Chen and the DPP's independence leanings and repudiation of the 1992 consensus. The government maintained its military build-up against Taiwan, and pursued a vigorous policy of isolating Taiwan diplomatically. In March 2005, the Anti-Secession Law was passed by the National People's Congress, formalizing "non-peaceful means" as an option of response to a declaration of independence in Taiwan.
Hu's government increased contacts with the Kuomintang (KMT), its erstwhile foe in the Chinese Civil War, and still a major party in Taiwan. The increased contacts culminated in the 2005 Pan-Blue visits to mainland China, including a historic meeting between Hu and then-KMT chairman Lien Chan in April 2005. This was the first meeting between the leaders of the two parties since the conclusion of World War II.[33][34]
On 20 March 2008, the Kuomintang under Ma Ying-jeou won the presidency in Taiwan, and a majority in the Legislative Yuan. Thereafter Hu immediately turned to a more'soft' diplomatic approach and opened the way to a thaw in relations between the two sides.[35] A series of historic meetings between the CPC and KMT have followed. On 12 April 2008, Hu Jintao met with Taiwan's Vice President-elect Vincent Siew in the latter's role as chairman of the Cross-strait Common Market Foundation during the Boao Forum for Asia. On 28 May 2008, Hu met with KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung, the first meeting between the heads of the CPC and the KMT as ruling parties. During this meeting, Hu and Wu agreed that both sides should re-commence official dialogue under the 1992 consensus – that "both sides recognize there is only one China, but agree to differ on its definition.". Wu committed the new government in Taiwan against Taiwanese independence; Hu committed his government to addressing the concerns of the Taiwanese people in regard to security, dignity, and "international living space", with a priority given to allowing Taiwan to participate in the World Health Organization.
In addition to the party-to-party dialogue, de facto governmental dialogue took place via the Straits Exchange Foundation and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits in June 2008 on the basis of the 1992 Consensus, with the first meeting held in Beijing. Both Hu and his new counterpart Ma Ying-jeou agreed that the 1992 Consensus is the basis for negotiations between the two sides of the Taiwan strait. On 26 March 2008, Hu Jintao held a telephone talk with then US President George W. Bush, in which he became the first Chinese leader to officially recognize the 1992 Consensus.[36] After several months of negotiations, in December 2008, the two sides agreed on the resumption of the Three Links, i.e., a re-opening of mail, trade, and direct air links between the two sides. Relations have been cordial since between the two sides, and trade increased immensely, culminating in the signing of the preferential trade agreement ECFA in 2010.
Moral guidance [ edit ]
In response to the great number of social problems in China, in March 2006, Hu Jintao released the "Eight Honors and Eight Shames" as a set of moral codes to be followed by the Chinese people, and emphasized the need to spread the message to youth.[37] Alternatively known as the "Eight Honors and Disgraces", it contained eight poetic lines which summarized what a good citizen should regard as an honor and what to regard as a shame. It has been widely regarded as one of Hu Jintao's ideological solutions to the perceived increasing lack of morality in China after Chinese economic reforms brought in a generation of Chinese predominantly concerned with earning money and power in an increasingly frail social fabric.[citation needed]
It has become a norm for Chinese communist leaders to make their own contributions to Marxist theory.[citation needed] Whether this is Hu's contribution to Marxist theory is debatable, but its general reception with the Chinese public has been moderate.[citation needed] Its promotion, however, is visible almost everywhere: in classroom posters, banners on the street, and electronic display boards for the preparation of the 2008 Olympics, and World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The codes differ from the ideologies of his predecessors, namely, Jiang's Three Represents, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and Mao Zedong Thought in that the focus, for the first time, has been shifted to codifying moral standards as opposed to setting social or economic goals.
Legacy [ edit ]
Most external observers agree that Hu presided over a decade of consistent economic growth, led China through the storm of the global financial crisis relatively unscathed, and increased China's international stature immensely.[38] Hu's tenure is also credited with modernizing China's infrastructure, the launch of China's first manned spaceprobe, and the success of two international events: the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo.[38] In addition, Hu's "soft approach" to Taiwan, coinciding with the election of a Kuomintang government in Taipei, was credited for having improved relationship between mainland China and Taiwan. Trade and contact between the two sides increased significantly during Hu's tenure. In addition, Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao's populist policies have resulted in the elimination of agricultural taxes for farmers, more flexible policies towards migrant workers living in cities, more balanced development between the coastal regions and the hinterlands, enforcing minimum wage in cities and the promotion of sustainable and affordable housing developments. The response to the SARS public health crisis and the massive expansion of health insurance coverage for middle- to low-income citizens earned Hu accolades domestically. Generally speaking, these policies have been well received by the Chinese public.[39]
In foreign policy, Hu's critics say that his government was overly aggressive in asserting its new power, overestimated its reach, and raised the ire and apprehension of various neighbours, including Southeast Asian countries, India, and Japan. Such policies are also said to be provocative towards the United States.[40] Domestic critics, including the country's elites, intellectuals, and particularly dissidents, point to various shortcomings of the Hu administration and his failure in implementing his signature "Socialist Harmonious Society" policy. They cite, for example, that China's internal security budget exceeded its military budget during Hu's tenure as protests and other'mass incidents' continued to increase across the country.[41] China's Gini coefficient climbed to 0.47 by 2010, indicating a potentially unsustainable gap between the rich and the poor.[38] The Hu administration's inability to rein in the wealth gap and its renewed emphasis on the role of state-owned enterprises in the economy led some economists to believe that Hu missed a critical opportunity for reform and structural adjustment.[42]
Hu's tough-on-corruption policies have seen mixed results. While there have been some attempts to increase transparency in the expenditures of official organs and bureaucrats, deeply entrenched systemic issues that were contributing to the growth of corruption remained unresolved. In addition, the massive corruption scandal that ensnared the military shortly after Hu's departure from office showed that Hu was unable to tackle entrenched interests in the military. In his own departing speech at the 18th Party Congress, Hu emphasized the potentially devastating effects that unchecked corruption would have on the party and the country. Moreover, the Hu administration's insistence on censorship and the curtailing of freedom of speech drew extensive criticism from human rights organizations and Western governments,[38] while artists and writers inside the country chided increased restrictions on cultural expressions during Hu's term. Although in the early years of his tenure Hu attempted to pioneer a form of "intraparty democracy" that called for greater participation from lower-ranked members to determine policy and select the leadership, there was little evidence of meaningful changes to the party's governing structure and decision-making process.[41]
Consensus-based decision-making became a hallmark of the Hu era. Hu was never a strongman, did not rule by fiat, and was often seen as first-among-equals with his Politburo Standing Committee colleagues. Some called China's political landscape during Hu's era one of "nine dragons taming the water" (九龙治水), that is, nine PSC members each ruling over their own fief. In addition, Hu not only faced a profusion of special interest groups and political factions within the party, his ability to implement a cohesive program was also constrained by the influence of former leader Jiang Zemin.[43] Consequently, there is debate on how much power Hu held personally to effect change. Nevertheless, within the context of the system he was placed in, Hu was credited for being an effective mediator and consensus-builder.[38] Hu also won praise for stepping down as military chief in favour of his successor Xi Jinping at the same time relinquishing his position as General Secretary. This was seen as a message to the establishment and Jiang Zemin that elders should retire according to protocol and avoid meddling in the affairs of their successors.[44]
Personal life [ edit ]
Hu is married to Liu Yongqing, whom he met at Tsinghua University when they were studying there. They have two children together, Hu Haifeng and Hu Haiqing. Unlike Wen Jiabao, the Premier, he never granted a public one-on-one interview with the media.[45][46] He has been noted for his liking for table tennis and ballroom dancing.[47][48] Hu is also said to possess a photographic memory that became evident in his high school days.[49
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920) of whom were killed by the Assad regime. Similarly, 24,799 child deaths have been documented throughout the conflict, and 85.2 percent (21,123) of them were killed by Assad regime weapons.
Those realities, and many more besides them, are the real drivers of extremism. Whatever form ISIS takes next will undoubtedly benefit from and seek to exploit continued instability in Syria, but it is al Qaeda that stands to benefit the most. Through its presence in Syria, al Qaeda has embedded itself deeply within the anti-Assad movement, attaching its fate to that of the indigenous revolution. By that standard, a U.S. admission of Assad’s survival, and thus of Russia and Iran’s victory, would likely embolden nobody more than al Qaeda.
Second, the U.S. does not look set to invest in long-term stabilization efforts in territories captured from ISIS. Instead, local decision-making is being devolved to our Syrian partners: the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and its lead force, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). The SDF and YPG maintain an ambiguous relationship with the Assad regime, sharing power in some areas, coordinating militarily elsewhere, and abiding by mutual détente in others.
Senior U.S. administration officials have suggested— publicly and behind the scenes— that we expect the Assad regime to eventually re-establish influence in SDF areas and that this would not be an issue for U.S. policy. Looking beyond the YPG’s documented human rights abuses and refusal to allow party political diversity, the eventual return of the Assad regime to towns and cities we liberated from ISIS contradicts every moral and ethical value that the U.S. should uphold and will do nothing but embolden the very reason for groups like ISIS in the first place.
Third, beyond the fight against the Islamic State, the U.S. looks set to lend its support—publicly or not—to Russia’s de-escalation zone initiative in Syria. This suggests we have some faith in Russia’s intentions and trust in its ability to deliver calm, and that we have forgotten that Russia has failed to secure a single neutral, meaningful and durable ceasefire since it intervened in Syria two years ago.
Russia may genuinely want to achieve calm in certain areas, but it does so only to strengthen Assad’s hand. Moreover, there remains no evidence that Moscow has the necessary leverage to control the behavior of Assad, and more importantly, of Iran. Repeatedly entrusting this responsibility to Russia, while repeatedly watching its failure, means the U.S. is pursuing a strategy of insanity—doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
It is highly unlikely that Russia’s de-escalation zones will prove durable mechanisms for stability. Moreover, by placing trust in their chance of success, the U.S. is emboldening a regime whose survival precludes the likelihood of more than 6 million refugees returning to Syria and instead sustains the drivers of conflict, radicalism, and divisions that have existed since 2011.
Fourth, a limited counterterrorism strategy paired with a tacit admission of Assad’s victory means Iran has won a huge strategic victory. Over the past several years, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have exploited instability in order to establish a large and intricate network of Shia militias across the Middle East. Today in 2017, Iran may exert overwhelming influence, if not de facto control over more than 230,000 militiamen in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon combined. That number includes 150,000 in Syria alone.
This is the realization of a long-time Iranian strategic ambition: to undermine American influence in the Middle East and to pose an acute threat to Israel. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah pointed to this victory on June 23, when he proclaimed that the next war with Israel would be strengthened by “thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of fighters” from across the region. Though the latest de-escalation agreement for southwestern Syria includes a clause requiring the withdrawal of Iran-linked militias from territory bordering Israel, Tehran has a history of extracting its assets from the area due to external pressure, before again re-infiltrating them when conditions allow. There is no reason to believe this time will be any different.
It is true that the U.S. does not have an interest in forceful regime change in Syria, but it does have an interest in stability. The U.S. has intervened in parts of Syria and has acquired a stake in its fate—we should own that stake and protect progress made in those areas. Holding and stabilizing territory, protecting it and its inhabitants from extremism or other forms of aggression, and fostering an environment in which interim reconstruction and localized governance can take shape would serve to create an alternative reality to that of the Assad regime.
The U.S. must urgently assume a more long-term view when it comes to Syria, based on a continued and genuine commitment to the idea of a negotiated settlement that includes as much of the opposition as possible. By sticking to the short-term vision pursued today, we risk having to intervene again in Syria further down the line, when the consequences of our limited approach come back to haunt us. By then, our options will be even more limited and risk-laden than they are today.Taslima Nasreen is an atheist who holds little back in her public criticism of religion, especially Islam. The Bangladeshi-born author left the country more than two decades ago, now lives in India, and has been threatened multiple times since then. Yet she continues to speak out in defense of women and freethought.
For a while now, a group called the “All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front” has been trying to deport her and revoke her visa so she can never return.
… ‘All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front’ [was] seeking cancellation of Nasreen’s visa alleging that she has been violating the Foreigners Order of 1948 and the Foreigners Act of 1946 by airing her views on every issue without prior permission. Nafis Ahmad Siddiqui, lawyer and President of the NGO, said Nasreen, who is living in exile since 1994, has been making controversial statements, besides doing professional work here.
Because how dare a woman speak her mind?!
These aren’t just idiots complaining on the Internet, though. They took this case to India’s Supreme Court.
But in a devastating blow to the pro-censorship crowd, the Supreme Court not only threw out the case, they also rebuked the group that brought this case to their attention:
“Do you think that we do not have any other work to do”, a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit said while dismissing an appeal filed by an NGO against a Delhi High Court order on the case.
So the Supreme Court justices basically said, “Are you shitting me? We have real cases to tackle. Get the hell out of here.”
That’s the perfect response to this sort of argument. Nasreen hasn’t done anything wrong. Disagree with her all you want, but she has every right to say whatever the hell she wants in her life-long battle against injustice.
(via The Morning Heresy)DOVER, England, July 24 (UPI) -- A British inventor constructed a giant butt that he plans to use to launch an explosive fart at France on July 24.
Colin Furze plans to launch the fart with a propulsion device called a valveless pulse jet around 6 p.m. British time from a beach in Dover. He hopes that the gigantic buttocks will release a noise that "can be heard in another country across 21 miles of water."
"This is the construction of the 16-foot-tall metal ass that does look like an ass which surprised me as my sculpture skills in the past have been terrible," Furze wrote with a YouTube video showing the building of the butt.
Furze already has more than 530,000 YouTube subscribers and this noisy stunt will likely net him a few more.
"If the wind is blowing from England to France they stand a very good chance of hearing it," he said.
The fart machine, which runs on gas, has been recorded at more than 140 decibels.
"I don't have anything against French people. This is not an attack at France at all, it's just that they're our closest neighbors. If Norway was a bit closer then we'd be farting at them," Furze said, according to the CBC.Democrat Organizer: Potential Ossoff Voters Are Hard to Reach Because They Still Live at Home With Parents
A Democrat precinct captain working for Jon Ossoff’s congressional campaign opined recently that a lot of constituents are “hard to reach” because they still live at home with their parents.
Jessica Ziegler whined to Slate that Republican parents were angry at the deliberate targeting of their children as political weapons for Ossoff:
Last month Jessica Zeigler, a precinct captain for Jon Ossoff’s congressional campaign, realized that reaching millennial voters was almost impossible. Young voters are often registered at their parents’ address, and many of those parents are enraged when Democratic canvassers show up at their door. “[The Republican parents] were the angriest people... When you are targeting their child, or heaven forbid their child might not think the same way as them, it becomes ugly.”
Based on these comments, it appears Ziegler is all about dividing families for petty political reasons. Take a look at Ossoff’s campaign and you can easily tell it’s a smokescreen created to simply piss off President Trump. It’s more petty “muh #Resist”-ing.
The Georgia special congressional election is a notable and important one in that folks on both sides of the aisle “view it as a litmus test for how the electorate will respond to the first months of the Trump presidency”, The Daily Caller’s Jack Crowe states.PURCHASE, N.Y. – There was no ambiguity for Jason Hernandez on his first introduction to Patrick Vieira.
The new New York City FC manager made his intentions crystal clear from the first day of the preseason.
The message was short and concise – there is the team, and nothing else matters.
“Everybody in every way was going to do everything they had for the club,” Hernandez said. “Whether that comes from the office and the business side of things or on the field from our leaders being held to the same standard as the last guy on the bench, I think it creates an environment where everyone really feels part of something and they feel they’re pushing this thing in the right direction.”
That direction is a steep uphill trajectory from last year, when NYCFC finished eighth in the Eastern Conference to end a disappointing inaugural season in Major League Soccer.
A year later, the club can finish second in the East with a win against Columbus Crew SC (or a draw if Toronto FC do not win in their game vs. Chicago) in their Decision Day showdown Sunday at Yankee Stadium (4 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
A distant hope a year ago, the MLS postseason is now a reality and the MLS Cup itself isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
While there have been a few key additions on the roster, including Ronald Matarrita, Maxime Chanot and Jack Harrison, players and staff say it is the change of culture that is the biggest difference and that comes directly from Vieira’s inclusive message.
According to those same players, Vieira’s tactics differ a bit from other MLS coaches and he brings a more European approach. That includes two-a-days during the season, at least once a week, and an attention to detail about everything, from the opposition to what to wear on a road trip.
For example, on a recent road trip to play D.C. United, the players, technical staff and support staff received an email detailing the travel attire for the players (white polo, blue pants, blue and orange half zip sweatshirt) and the staff (blue and orange polo, blue pants, full zip track jacket) and what team gear to pack for both.
The team regularly has breakfast and lunch at the training complex at Purchase College and on road trips always eats as a group, usually at the team hotel and occasionally at a local restaurant.
Hernandez believes the camaraderie is a big reason why NYCFC have an MLS-best seven wins on the road this season.
“He made a huge emphasis on us, from Day One in preseason, that our meals and our activities were going to be together as a group,” Hernandez said. “Over the course of the season when you have ups and downs with these guys, it becomes like a family and it becomes like a brotherhood.”
That doesn’t just include the players on the roster and the technical staff. On a recent day after training, the entire team, communication staff included, had lunch together at a White Plains Italian restaurant.
And then there’s the preparation for each match, which for the team begins at the very start of the week.
“We dissect everything,” midfielder Mikey Lopez said. “We dissect our own play and dissect the opposing team’s play. It’s been fantastic training under them, being coached by them in games and in training.”
That attention to detail is something Hernandez said he hasn’t seen in his 12 years in the league.
“I haven’t been with a staff that I feel goes through with a fine-tooth comb every detail leading up to a match,” Hernandez said. “Halfway through the week, I already feel prepared for the match and the last couple of days are fine-tuning what we’re doing.”
Throughout Vieira’s sterling playing career, he said he’s picked up different attributes from the various managers he’s played under and those he’s studied, including Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wegner, Roberto Mancini and Pep Guardiola.
“He’s close to Guardiola in the areas of the plan to play, the studying of the rivals during the week, the different work in the week, thinking about the different rivals you play,” NYCFC captain David Villa, who played for Guardiola at Barcelona, said. “I like that.”
Vieira has also been steadfast about how the team was going to play, the formation, building from the back. He remained dedicated even through struggles when NYCFC opened the season with just one win in their first eight games.
Critics said playing that way in the tight confines of Yankee Stadium was a recipe for disaster. But the team rebounded from its early struggles at home and head into the regular season finale unbeaten in their last seven in the Bronx.
All the while, Vieira never wavered, never relented in his first season in charge of a senior professional team.
“It’s really important believing in what we do. We believe in that. The first time he arrived here he said he had a clear idea, he has a system, he plays sometimes thinking about the other rivals, but always with our ideas,” Villa said. “Of course, it’s difficult because in soccer you’re not only playing you, you play against a team and if you lose, the people don’t see what happened before the loss and if you win, it’s the opposite.”
Although he’s demanding, Vieira’s calming presence has also been a key factor in NYCFC’s turnaround. In press conferences and in the locker room, he’s often reacted the same way after a win as a loss.
That could be one reason NYCFC has been able to bounce back after difficult losses. They’ve only lost back-to-back games once this season, in that early-season funk.
“He instilled the idea in us that of course over the marathon of a season you’re going to have days in a season where your performance isn’t great or the results aren’t what you want,” Hernandez said. “But the reality is that good clubs don’t go on losing streaks, and good clubs find a way to bounce back and respond, and send a message with their response.”
It’s a message that has been delivered by Vieira, loud and clear.A former UW student facing multiple sexual assault charges was released from jail on Friday after a judge reduced his bail to $100,000.
Alec Cook, a 20-year-old Edina, Minnesota, man faces 20 felony charges and one misdemeanor in a criminal complaint that accuses him of sexually assaulting 10 women.
In court Friday, Cook's attorneys requested that his cash bail to be dropped, arguing that a high bail was not appropriate because they said Cook isn't a flight risk.
In a campus-wide email at noon, university officials said Cook posted bail and will be released from jail. At the time, an electronic jail notification system Friday afternoon indicated Cook hadn't been released, but it was later confirmed that he was released.
"My client is still a student at UW how does this give him a safe place. He has rights as a student," Chris Van Wagner, one of Cook's attorneys, said in a statement. "They have essentially given people the information they need to give people vigilante violence. As the judge says he is still an innocent man."
"The university is bound and determined to make sure our client can never get a fair trial," he said. "They should speak carefully to UW counsel before they issue garbage like this."
The state argued that Cook is facing up to 343 years in prison if convicted on all counts, and the allegations against him in the criminal complaint show he is a serial rapist and stalker. The prosecution also argued that Cook's alleged crimes escalated over time.
Cook had originally faced 14 charges in connection with claims that he sexually assaulted several women, and six new charges were added in an amended criminal complaint Wednesday.
In addition to the cash bail lowered from $200,000 to $100,000 Friday, the judge also ordered Cook to stay out of Dane County, aside from meetings with his attorney, court and UW officials. Cook was also ordered to stay off social media.
Cook was arrested after a 20-year-old woman said he attacked her in his apartment on Oct. 12. Since then, more women have come forward saying Cook assaulted them.If your vehicle weighs less than 22,000 pounds, you can drive the frozen river out to Reindeer Station. Bitterly cold and 194 kilometers (120 miles) long, the ice road runs between the remote outposts of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk.
The top image, acquired on November 7, 2016, by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8, shows a portion of the Mackenzie River Delta—including this frozen highway along the river’s East Channel. White, snow-and-ice covered waterways stand out amid green, pine-covered land. The low angle of the sunlight bathes the higher elevations in golden light.
The Mackenzie River system is Canada’s largest watershed, and the tenth largest water basin in the world. The river runs 4,200 kilometers (2,600 miles) from the Columbia Icefield in the Canadian Rockies to the Arctic Ocean.
Every so often, flooding from the Mackenzie River replenishes the surrounding lakes. A 1950s-era map of the area indicates that its landforms have not changed much since then. However, parts of the watershed sit atop permafrost, which makes the area vulnerable to climate change.
The pond- and lake-covered lands around the river are home to caribou, waterfowl, and a number of fish species. Several thousand reindeer travel through this area each year on the way to their calving grounds.
A wider view (below) shows the town of Inuvik, home to more than 3,000 people. An all-weather road (as opposed to the frozen river) should connect the towns once it is completed in late 2017.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Caption by Pola Lem.Oliver Teves, The Associated Press
MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and tourism officials said Wednesday images of the Philippine capital and the country's main tourist spots on Google's Street View could help attract more visitors to the country.
Google country marketing manager Ryan Morales said the Philippines became the 69th country included in Google's Street View with its Wednesday launching in Manila.
The images captured over six months last year include panoramic views of street scenes in 37 cities and 35 historic and heritage sites, including Pacquiao's southern hometown where he began his career as one of the world's most popular boxers.
Rocked by insurgencies and poor infrastructure, the Philippines struggles to bolster tourism, lagging neighbouring Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
Pacquiao said the images include his old neighbourhood in Sarangani province, which he represents as a congressman, General Santos City, the country's tuna capital, and the city hall where he used to sell bread to earn money when he was a young boy from a dirt-poor family.
He said the Google project will support "our goal of making the Philippines a top tourist destination in Asia."
In jest, he said that he may "need a rematch with (Floyd) Mayweather" to raise money to bring more visitors to Sarangani but that the images will do that for him. Pacquiao lost to Mayweather in May in boxing's richest fight.
"I do not need to give away plane tickets and spend a lot of money to showcase the beauty of our province," he said with a broad smile. Pacquiao is known to spend large amounts to bring along a huge entourage to watch his fights.
Domingo Ramon Enerio III, the chief operating officer of the Tourism Promotions Board, said tourism is a "feel good industry" which contributed $6 billion to the Philippine economy last year.
The government statistics agency has reported that tourism contributed 7.8 per cent to the economy last year.
Enerio said the government is confident the Philippines will surpass 5 million visitors for the first time this year.The Tranq Arrow (or Tranquilizer Arrow) is used for rendering creatures unconscious. It does less damage than a Stone Arrow, but increases the target's Torpor. Tranq Arrows can be used as ammo for the Bow, Crossbow and Compound Bow.
Upon hit, they instantly increase the target's torpor by an amount equal to 200% of the weapon damage and give an additional amount of torpor equal to 250% of the weapon damage over the course of the next 4 seconds. (ex. A standard quality Bow would Cause 40 Torpor damage immediately, with a timed release of 50 torpor over 4 seconds.)
They can usually be recovered by walking up to the area of impact, but will be recovered as Stone Arrows, the Narcotic being expended.
A second arrow hitting the target will not override the torpor-over-time effect of the first arrow, the effects of multiple arrows will instead stack. That means it's not necessary to wait in between shots to gain the maximum torpor. On the other hand, the torpor increase takes 5 seconds. So if the creature is near unconsciousness, it's better to wait after each shot as to not harm the creature unnecessarily.
A Tranq Arrow fired from a Crossbow is more effective in terms of both damage and torpor when compared to either a normal Bow or Compound Bow.
Flying creatures take 1.5x damage from non-bullet ranged weapons. This bonus stacks with the 2.5x bonus from head shots. A single Tranq Arrow striking the head of an Argentavis can do a lot of torpor over 5 seconds.
In Survival of the Fittest, Tranq Arrows become available at level 10 (along with Bow), and can be crafted by using 5 Narcoberries instead of Narcotic (to prevent the need for a foundation, mortar & pestle, and spoiled meat).
Tranq Arrows are the preferred method for knocking out Giganotosaurus due to the higher reload speed of the crossbow, the outrageous torpor-drop of the Giganotosaurus, and the non-existent risk of it dying during torpor-delivery.
You can collect tranq arrows from killing higher level dinos.
On ARK: Mobile, there is a variant of Tranq Arrow known as Toxicant Arrows
Video Tutorial [ edit | edit source ]A man in Colorado by the name of Samuel Adams has been ordered by his apartment complex to take down the American flag placed prominently on his balcony, per a Fox 59 report.
According to Adams, his grandfather was in the Army during World War I, and his father served in the Navy so he decided to hang the flag on his balcony to honor his family members and the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.
Not too long after hanging the flag, Adams was sent a letter from management at Sterling Heights saying not to “clutter with personal belongings. Balconies and patios must be maintained in a neat, clean and attractive condition.”
An astounded Adams then recorded a video of himself discussing what transpired.
“I have never done anything like this before,” he told The Greeley Tribune. “But it was the right time and it was the right moment. I wanted to be a patriotic American and give tribute to our founding fathers and our veterans, and to have (management) say the flag is inappropriate or comparable to trash is reprehensible to me.”
Management at the apartment complex said they do not oppose residents flying the American flag, but residents are not allowed to use their balconies to display decorations, signs or flags.
Adams, who said he has received a lot of support from veterans and military families, intends to continue flying his flag, even if it leads to eviction.
The apartment’s full letter:
Dear Samuel, Please be advised that it has come to management’s attention that you have an American flag on the balcony/patio area. Your signed Community Policies states, ‘The use of balconies and patios for the purpose of storage and/or laundry drying is prohibited. Breezeways are not to be used as a patio or storage. Please do not clutter with personal belongings. Balconies and patios must be maintained in a neat, clean and attractive condition. Outdoor and/or patio furniture is welcomed on your patio or balcony only. Gasoline and other hazardous materials are not to be stored in your apartment or storage area. (Refrain) from having dead plants, boxes or garbage on balcony/patios at any time.’ We appreciate your prompt attention and cooperation in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact myself or the office. Thank you.
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent© Gaia Interactive, Inc
The creators of the popular online community Gaia Online have decided to grow up along with their audience. The result is Tentacl, "an uncensored, avatar-based community site for adults".
Where Gaia was a largely anime-focussed portal with an emphasis on teen-appropriate material and character driven role-playing, Tentacl has taken the filters off and describes itself as "a site for anonymously socialising with others who share your interests".
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Users must be 18+ to register (though a birthdate and checkbox are the only confirmations), and the site makes no illusions that people won't be using it for sexual or adult content, right down to its name being an allusion to the tentacle porn stereotypically associated with anime.
Gaia Online launched in 2003, building from a community of anime fans sharing links to become a bulletin board, then forum, and eventually incorporating social gaming. At its peak in 2007, it had over a million posts made daily, more than seven million regular users, and over 27 million registered accounts. Yet as younger web users have migrated to Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram for their social media, forum use across the internet as a whole has declined, making the creation of Tentacl seem more of an avenue to hold onto the people who used Gaia as kids, but now have more adult interests.
The starter guide even tells you to "keep your nibbly bits in your pants, unless you take it over to NSFW... you can take it out there". Unsurprisingly, Tentacl's NSFW forum is already the most populated, where people have taken to posting numerous pictures of their junk.
Tentacl functions similarly to Gaia, with users creating a customisable avatar to navigate the site with. The art direction is a bit more mature but retains the anime and gaming visual influence. Once you've crafted your character -- with minimal options to begin with -- you choose hashtags of interest to you, from #DoctorWho to #Film or anything you #EnterYourself. Relevant posts then show up on your homescreen, based on the category tags and from people you follow, a la Tumblr. Alternatively, you can directly post to Communities, which cover everything from music and food to storytelling and science discussions. Then there are the weird board, such as the unfortunately named "Bitch, plz".
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Virtual currency is earned when posting or when others react to your posts, which can then be used to buy accessories for your avatar. The more posts you make, the more you level up and earn flair, another form of virtual peacockery. The system is set up to incentivise engagement, with daily rewards of the currency and bigger drops for recruiting other users. Unsurprisingly, additional coins and the rarer gems can be bought for real money.
Additionally, a social game called Unravel lets people guess who you are by answering quiz questions you set up. Site operators Gaia Interactive are pushing this as a core part of Tentacl, and one of the main attractions it highlights in the sign-up emails it has sent to (presumably) over-18 members of Gaia Online. Unravel is entirely opt-in, and users choose what photos or information to upload, but is perhaps contrary to the "anonymous socialising" concept, and seems open to abuse without oversight.
Overall, it's hard to get a feel for Tentacl's purpose. It seems more of a hybrid of other social networks, wrapped in a monetised core for the avatar customisation, with a slightly creepy air of trying to appeal to Gaia Online kids who've grown up enough to have sex drives. There's no shame in consenting adults talking openly about sex alongside science or art but is this particular format going to be something the internet is crying out for? We're undecided; let us know what you think in the comments below.TIRANA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Albanians protested on Saturday against tax hikes in next year’s budget, accusing the Socialist-led government of impoverishing Albanians and falling short on its promises.
Albanians take part in a protest against the government in front of Prime Minister Edi Rama's office in Tirana November 22, 2014. REUTERS/Arben Celi
Filling Tirana’s main street, they carried banners protesting against lack of jobs, tax rises and what would amount to a rise of electricity prices next year.
Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government has launched sweeping reforms since coming to power 14 months ago. The European Union granted Albania candidate status in June.
Facing a high public debt and budget deficit, the government signed a 330.9 million euro ($409.92 million) deal with the International Monetary Fund, passed tax hikes and started an anti-crime drive.
“I am here against unemployment, higher taxes and the rise of power prices. It’s too much. All over the world, it took a long time to achieve the standards they want to secure in two years,” Elton Lika, a young unemployed lawyer, told Reuters.
Lulzim Basha, head of the opposition Democratic Party, accused Rama of arrogance in a speech to the crowd from a rostrum outside the prime minister’s office.
He joked that Rama, who was inaugurating a communist-era nuclear shelter turned into a museum as the protesters filed past his office, had gone to the bunker to avoid facing them.
“I ask you not to make the lives of Albanians harder,” Basha urged Rama, his voice hoarse from speaking. “Why aren’t Albanians living better when they pay more?”
Rama wrote on Facebook that Albanians should not think the country could develop without hard work. Electricity theft and illegal building should stop, he said.
The Democrats have boycotted parliament since June after one of their lawmakers was punched twice by a fellow Socialist lawmaker, adding to the polarization and lack of dialogue.President Obama, speaking at the NATO Summit in Chicago on Monday, questioned whether Mitt Romney's business experience at Bain Capital made him fit to be president in some of the most stark terms to date.
The president answered a reporter's question about Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker's comments, which he has since walked-back, that attacks on Bain Capital were "nauseating." The comment by the high-profile Democrat has dominated the news cycle since Sunday.
"First of all, I think Cory Booker is an outstanding mayor. He's doing a great job in Newark and helping to turn that city around." Turning to Bain, he said, "I think it's important to recognize that this issue is not a, quote, distraction -- this is part of the debate that we're going to be having in this election campaign about how do we create an economy that everybody, top to bottom, folks on Wall Street and folks on Main Street, have a chance at success."
Obama then took on Romney directly. "You know, he's not going out there touting his experience in Massachusetts. He's saying, I'm a business guy and I know how to fix it, and this is his business," he said. "When you're president, as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, your job is not simply to maximize profits," he said.Coming to a town near you: The body of a Bigfoot, aka Sasquatch, killed by hunter Rick Dyer in Texas back in 2012. Dyer will also release the results of DNA testing on the large, hairy body that confirms the reality of Bigfoot.
OK, hold on, back up, take a deep breath here. We realize the words "alleged" and "allegedly" don't appear anywhere in that first paragraph, and well they should.
Part of the problem of reporting stories dealing with Bigfoot or other large, unexplained creatures (like lake monsters), or UFOs, or alien visitation to Earth is the credibility underpinning these tales, combined with how mainstream media presents them to the public.
In early January, The Huffington Post published the story about Dyer's claim of having shot and killed an alleged Bigfoot on the outskirts of San Antonio.
At the time HuffPost offered that story, so did other media outlets, including the New York Daily News, describing how Dyer had baited the creature with $200 worth of ribs before he shot and killed it.
PHOTO GALLERY Bigfoot 'Hank': From Clay To Display
Fast forward to the present, where Dyer has just released more images of his Bigfoot, with plans to take the body on a national tour along with the promised release of DNA evidence that supposedly proves this creature is a previously unknown species.
But the Daily News version has changed a bit over the past few weeks. Part of its new secondary headline (as well as the story text) declares that "Dyer said he killed an adult and adolescent Bigfoot." Really? The Daily News story has now morphed to include two dead creatures.
But that's not what happened, and not even claimed by Dyer in his own website account of the creature shooting.
So, where did the Daily News get its new information about Dyer killing two creatures instead of one?
It looks like the writer of both those stories mixed up the "facts." In between the first Dyer story and the newer one, another Bigfoot-related item appeared in the news. Spike TV's "10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty" series premiered on Jan. 10, and wouldn't you know -- one of that show's 18 Bigfoot hunters, Justin Smeja, claimed that he killed an adult and young Bigfoot (or Bigfeet?) in 2010.
Sound familiar?
All that we know for sure is that someone claimed to kill two of the legendary animals, and it probably wasn't Dyer, who already has a dubious background from his involvement in 2008 with a Bigfoot hoax that turned out to be a rubber ape costume.
"Yes, I played a hoax, and I take full responsibility for it," Dyer told Esquire.com. "I did the hoax and ever since then, I have been a Bigfoot tracker."
Dyer claims that, on Feb. 9, he'll finally reveal the medical results of testing by scientists from a university. But he's not saying which university at this point.
"They dissected the body. The heart and lungs will be on display at the medical press conference. I love the controversy because people think, 'Oh, this is just another dumb country boy hoax,' but what they're looking at is a real Bigfoot. On Feb. 9, we're going to unveil the medical results. And then on the 28th, we're going to do an international press conference."It was game two of the 1977 World Series, a chilly, blustery October night in the South Bronx. The Yanks were already down 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning when ABC’s aerial camera panned a few blocks over from Yankee Stadium to give the world its first live glimpse of a real Bronx Cookout. “There it is, ladies and gentlemen,” Howard Cosell intoned. “The Bronx is burning.”
The scene quickly became a defining image of New York in the 1970s, a fitting summation of the decade perfect in every way but one: It never happened. Cosell, tapes of the game show, never said, “The Bronx is burning.”
“It’s a great quote, if it had been a real one,” says Gordon Greisman, who co-wrote and produced ESPN’s “The Bronx is Burning” mini-series based on the Jonathan Mahler book. “But we got all of this footage from Major League Baseball, including the entire broadcast of that game, and we went through all of it and it’s not there, because God knows if it was there we would have used it.”
More likely, the phrase was invented by New Yorkers — what the broadcaster should have said — and spun by credulous journalists.
But Cosell’s “Play It Again, Sam” moment is hardly the only myth that has sprung out of one of the darkest chapters of New York City history.
The South Bronx (along with Brooklyn’s Brownsville, Bushwick, and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods, and Manhattan’s Harlem and Lower East Side) was indeed burning. Seven different census tracts in The Bronx lost more than 97% of their buildings to fire and abandonment between 1970 and 1980; 44 tracts (out of 289 in the borough) lost more than 50%. “The smell is one thing I remember,” says retired Bronx firefighter Tom Henderson. “That smell of burning — it was always there, through the whole borough almost.”
But many of these fires were not — as was suggested then and is popular opinion now — caused by a rash of arsons. In fact, there’s a good chance that not even the World Series blaze was intentional. That fire was in an abandoned schoolhouse, there was no insurance policy for anyone to cash in on.
Hoodlums did not burn The Bronx. The bureaucrats did.
IN 1971, Mayor John Lindsay asked the FDNY’s chief of department
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smoke from fires and in a state of great disrepair. Soldiers stationed on the hill are still patrolling the area, as is occurring throughout Burundi. The dispensary is refurbished and operating (although they have no doctor and would like one for a three-month or longer tour). What are these Friends doing about the devastation in the area and to try to ensure that it will not happen again? Each Saturday the Quakers organize a soccer game between the soldiers and the villagers. The Quakers started a Peace Committee consisting of all three groupsTutsi, Twa, and Hutuwhich meets whenever there are any conflicts and disagreements that threaten the peace. The Peace Committee meets in the Amahoro Restaurantamahoro means peace in Kirundiestablished as a neutral place where everyone, including the soldiers, can come for a soda or a bite to eat. Samson Gahungu, the former Clerk of Burundi Yearly Meeting, who was accused (as a scapegoat) of instigating the massacre in 1994 and who spent twenty and a half months in jail before being declared innocent, is now stationed in Kibimba as the Director of the Public Relations Committee of Burundi Yearly Meeting. He told us that the jail term gave him a lot of time to think and he is now distributing throughout Burundi a pamphlet he authored entitled Should We Have Reconciliation or Revenge? We happened upon a literacy class of twenty-two women and three teachers, from young to quite old. The teacher told us that the studentsTutsi, Hutu, and Twawere initially suspicious of each other, but since their work includes reconciliation, the women are learning to trust each other. They also sing songs, pray, and discuss womens issues. The integration of the peacemaking message with the literacy work (a common approach in the peace work we saw in Burundi) is an indication of the maturity of the peace work in the midst of war. We found a group of about ten Quaker women weeding the grass in the courtyard of the damaged Kibimba Secondary School. The government gave permission to reopen the school as a Quaker institution less than a month before, on December 18, 1998. This is the first small step in rehabilitating the secondary school for its hoped-for opening in September. This is only a sample of peace work from one Quaker location in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Although but a small body in the total Burundi population, the Burundi Quakers are leaders and teachers of reconciliation, peacemaking, and trauma healing. Is this surprising? Quaker women weeding at Kibimba School. Photo: David Zarembka. David Zarembka is clerk of Seneca Valley Preparatory Meeting. He worked in Tanzania and Kenya as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960's and organized and led the AGLI delegation there in January, 1999. He is a Baltimore Yearly Meeting representative to the FPTP Coordinating Committee and its Treasurer. Copies of the January 1999 African Great Lakes Initiative Donor Report and the complete Delegation Report are available from African Great Lakes Initiative, FPTP, c/o David Zarembka, 17734 Larchmont Terrace, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. For related earlier articles see:
Report on African Great Lakes Initiative, PTNv3i2
Peacemaking in the African Great Lakes Region, PTNv3i3 In this issue:
Knocking Horns: Peace and Conflict in Burundi TOP CURRENT Issue Index PTN Index HOMESpecialists who work in geography examine how different places and the people who live in them relate to the rest of the world. They think spatially and focus on location. Their tasks can cover translating the physical world into digital form to helping solve crises such as the topography that supports a wildfire. Careers, education and salaries differ by job title.
Geographer Career
Geographers study the Earth, its physical features and its political and cultural boundaries and how they affect people. They use field observations and maps of terrain, statistical analysis, surveys and interviews of populations. They write reports and advise decision makers about their findings. Though some with bachelor’s degrees may work for some entry-level jobs, most geographers need at least a master’s degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment will grow by 7 percent from 2016 to 2026, which is the same as the average anticipated job growth across all occupations. It also shows average wages of geographers at $36.92 per hour or $76,790 per year as of May 2017. Most geographers worked for the federal government, which offered the highest average salary of $40.88 per hour or $85,030 per year.
Surveyor Career
Surveyors measure the Earth’s surface to establish land, water and air boundaries. They use specialized instruments such as transits and global positioning systems to prepare plots and maps and present their findings to mapping professionals, clients and government agencies. They need a minimum bachelor’s degree as well as a license before they can certify documents showing property lines. Their employment will grow by 11 percent between 2016 and 2026, which is faster than average. In 2017, surveyors earned an average $31.40 per hour or $65,300 per year. Their biggest employers were architectural and engineering services, with the highest pay in natural gas distribution at an average $43.76 per hour or $91,020 per year.
Cartographer Career
Cartographers collect geographic information about such topics as population density and wind patterns to create maps and charts for educational, cultural and political uses. They can use survey information, geographic reports and satellite information to prepare thematic maps. A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement, though some states require licensing as surveyors. Jobs will increase by 19 percent in the decade that ends in 2026, which is much faster than average. Cartographers averaged $32.40 per hour or $67,390 per year in 2017. Most worked in local government and architectural and engineering services, though the highest salaries were in the federal government at an average of $43.20 per hour or $89,850 per year.
Postsecondary Geography Teacher Career
Postsecondary geography teachers instruct college students in geography and perform research on the subject. They prepare and deliver lectures, evaluate and grade student efforts and write grant proposals to obtain external research funding. ONET OnLine states that most had a doctoral degree. It also shows average job increases for postsecondary teachers to be a fast 15 percent between 2016 and 2026. In 2017, postsecondary geography teachers made $87,810 per year on average. The BLS did not compile hourly wages because these professionals did not work full-time year-round jobs. The biggest employers were colleges, universities and professional schools that offered an average of $87,080 annually, while junior colleges offered the best pay at an average $90,340 per year.Records log
14 hours ago
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2 days ago
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2 days ago
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2 days ago
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2 days ago
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3 days ago
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3 days ago
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3 days ago
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3 days ago
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•SD• Atomic has got 155262 points and has improved previous record set by player 〖•••〗#колапро by 3329 points!
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5 days ago
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5 days ago
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6 days ago
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pause has got 1577732 points and has improved previous record set by player 〖•••〗#колапро by 83992 points!
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Clan Tigers has got 291339 points and has improved previous record set by player #loveclanktt by 23028 points!
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Лысый из 【BZZ】 has got 338567 points and has improved previous record set by player лысый из 【bzz】 by 24029 points!
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Clan Tigers has got 284062 points and has improved previous record set by player clan win by 30026 points!
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ℬℛ. has got 289505 points and has improved previous record set by player kаpriz by 32666 points!
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neznakomets has got 104238 points and has improved previous record set by player kto ecjiu he 9i by 4993 points!
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|...| #КолаПро has got 284682 points and has improved previous record set by clan ~ℬℛ~ by 11253 points!
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medical weed. Jonathan Alcorn/Reuters Legal weed is big business.
The North American marijuana market posted $6.7 billion in revenue in 2016, up 30% from the year before, according to a new report from Arcview Market Research, a leading publisher of cannabis market research.
The so-called green rush shows no sign of slowing down.
Arcview projects sales will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25% through 2021, when the North American market is expected to top $20.2 billion.
"The only consumer industry categories I've seen reach $5 billion in annual spending and then post anything like 25% compound annual growth in the next five years are cable television (19%) in the 1990s and the broadband internet (29%) in the 2000s," Tom Adams, editor in chief of Arcview Market Research, said in a statement.
Adams, who recently joined Arcview after a long stint as a market researcher, says the booming cannabis industry reminds him of a time when dial-up internet gave way to broadband, which delivered faster, "always on" internet access.
The number of Americans with broadband internet access jumped from 3% in 2000— when about half of US adults were online — to 70% in 2013, according to the Pew Research Center.
"What broadband changed for the internet was a kind of remarkable parallel to legalization for cannabis," Adams told Business Insider. "We saw what had been a $5 billion industry — like this one — in North America take off at that point on new growth spurts."
In the case of the cannabis boom, Arcview CEO Troy Dayton credits legalization with reeling in the stigma against the plant and bringing new users to the market.
Skye Gould/Business Insider
In Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, where recreational use was legal before 2016, consumer spending on cannabis was up 62% between 2015 and September 2016, according to Arcview.
2016 was a big year for legalizing weed. Seven US states legalized cannabis in some form on Election Day. California, the sixth-largest economy in the world, became the biggest domino to fall with the passage of Proposition 64. Much of the West Coast is now a legal enclave for recreational pot.
Dayton says the sudden popularity of alternative ingestion methods — such as weed-laced topicals, sprays, and edibles — also fueled growth. Consumers who would never smoke a joint are finding relief in other products, which offer a wide array of tastes, strengths, and experiences.
"It's one of the major reasons that people are going to leave the underground market to go to the aboveground market. It's about variety," Dayton told Business Insider. "You just can't get these products on the underground market."
While the green business could achieve 25% growth year-over-year through 2021 as new recreational markets come online, Adams says legal weed is never going to be as big as the multibillion-dollar internet access market. But their sustained growth rates are comparable.
Adams and Dayton predict a great number of countries will legalize pot in the next 10 to 15 years.
"So when you look at the global market, the world has never seen something that will have such consistent growth over such a long period of time as the cannabis industry," Dayton said.Service members pick through the rubble following the bombing of the USMC barracks in Beirut, Lebanon on Oct. 23, 1983. The terror attack resulted in the deaths of 220 Marines. File Photo by USMC/UPI
Service members pick through the rubble following the bombing of the USMC barracks in Beirut, Lebanon on Oct. 23, 1983. The terror attack resulted in the deaths of 220 Marines. File Photo by USMC/UPI
Service members pick through the rubble following the bombing of the USMC barracks in Beirut, Lebanon on Oct. 23, 1983. The terror attack resulted in the deaths of 220 Marines. File Photo by USMC/UPI
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 28, 1983 (UPI) - One week after the bombing that took the lives of more than 200 American servicemen, the Marine bastion at Beirut airport is getting the kind of defenses that might have prevented the suicide attack.
Buses and trucks are close-parked at the entrance, and mounds of earth have been thrown up at vulnerable points.
The Marines are being a lot more secretive about their dispositions, and a number of other unspecified precautions have been taken, according to the Marine commander, Col. Timothy Geraghty.
Why couldn't such precautions have been taken earlier?
The answer lies in the nature of the mission of the four-nation peace-keeping force.
''We are not here on a combat mission,'' said Geraghty. ''Our deployments are not tactical. The information the killer had about us was readily available simply because of our location.''
As peacekeepers, do the Marines have to be visible to be effective?
''That's correct,'' said Geraghty. ''Along with other members of the Multinational Force we have been quite visible here during the past year.
''We have run literally thousands of patrols on a routine basis seven days a week. The acceptance by the people of our role to provide stability for the government of Lebanon is well known.'
French commander Gen. Francois Cann, who mourned the loss of 56 of his men after a parallel attack, conceded that security outside his headquarters had not been ironclad.
There was a roadblock, but otherwise traffic could circulate along the street running beside the destroyed French headquarters.
''Our mission here is to help the civilian population and protect peace,'' Cann said. ''If we had cut the road, then we would have cut off the life of the community, cut off the population and undermined our whole reason for being here.''
The Italian and British peacekeeping contingents also are mingled with the population. Their security was not noticeably better. Perhaps they were spared only because the hands that guided the bombers had no particular political quarrel with their governments' policies.
If there is truth to the theory that the bombing was the work of Shiite Moslem fundamentalists inspired by Syria or Iran, it might explain why only the Marines and the French were the targets on that black Sunday.
The Shiites oppose and mistrust America's Middle East policies. France had given offense by supplying Super Etendard bombers and Exocet missiles to Iraq, the enemy of Iran and thus of the Shiites who look to the Ayatollah Khomeini for spiritual guidance.
In hindsight, the Marines ignored or discounted a number of warning factors that might have led them to intensify security at their base, but apparently did not.
Following the bombing of the U.S. Embassy with the loss of 63 lives April 18, the Americans had evidence that they had enemies in Lebanon who were ruthless, efficient, fanatical and shady.
Having been in Lebanon without major incident for a whole year, the Marines themselves started coming under fire two months ago -- from Druze and Shiite militiamen, and perhaps also from outside provocateurs.
Earlier this month, the Marines started taking fire from surrounding Shiite neighborhoods, and Geraghty said he had ''clear indication that there were new elements in town that were specifically targeting Marines.''
Finally, the Americans had received ''a lot'' of warnings about car bomb attacks, Geraghty said, and four Marines were injured by a booby-trapped car only four days before the attack on their headquarters.
Despite the embassy bombing, the Marine headquarters at Beirut airport was not protected against a similar kamikaze attack.
There were no ditches, tank traps or other heavy objects that would have stopped a big truck coming through at speed. When the disaster occurred, a sentry at the perimeter fence had no ammunition in his rifle.
Sentries had become so used to seeing airport trucks and other civilian vehicles on the parking lot that they perhaps paid little attention when the yellow Mercedes, packed with a ton of explosives, started to pick up speed.
''It was a very well-planned, well-coordinated operation,'' Geraghty said. ''Obviously they had made a reconnaissance of our area.''He is preparing to unveil a new commitment expected to exceed $100 million, aimed at raising awareness, forcing the issue into the open, and forcing the violent men at its heart to confront their own weakness. Kerry Stokes with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Andrew Meares Australia has a rate of almost two domestic violence deaths a week, and police across the nation respond to an average of 657 domestic violence calls every day. The new money will constitute Mr Turnbull's first major funding and policy announcement since becoming Prime Minister a week ago. He will be joined for the Melbourne-based announcement on Thursday by Australian of the Year Rosie Batty and former Victorian police commissioner Ken Lay.
Included will be measures designed to improve services, extend refuges and bolster support for women subjected to, or at grave risk of, domestic violence. The Watson man has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges linked the alleged domestic abuse. There will also be money for items such as personal duress alarms and watches with similar features. Also included will be preventative program funding aimed at schools, and domestic violence training for frontline emergency staff and social workers. Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, whose son was killed by his father, will join Mr Turnbull for the funding announcement. Credit:Daniel Munoz
Fairfax Media has been told the announcement will exceed $100 million in value but will not affect the budget bottom line because almost all of it had been allocated in the last budget under its "contingency reserve". While Mr Turnbull was unavailable for comment on Wednesday, he made his personal views about the scourge known on Tuesday in an interview with Lisa Wilkinson. "The issue of family violence, or domestic violence as it's often called – which is just violence against women, which is the way I would prefer to describe it – is an enormous one," he said. "It has been overlooked, to some extent ignored, for far too long. We have to have, we must have, zero tolerance for it. I think the growing level of awareness is vital. Real men don't hit women. We have got to be very determined to eradicate it. Now, will we have new measures to announce? Watch this space. That's what I would say." Undertaking a series of broadcast interviews as he builds momentum, Mr Turnbull has repeatedly said policies will be reviewed because nothing should remain set in stone.
This, he revealed on Wednesday to Sky News, might include changes to Australia's mandatory offshore detention rules, under which about 1600 people are currently detained in Papua New Guinea and on Nauru. But if refugee advocates hope to see a softening of offshore detention policy under Mr Turnbull's leadership allowing those detained to be resettled in Australia, those hopes were quickly dashed when he told Radio National that people held on Manus Island and Nauru, "will never come to Australia". Also up for consideration are areas of taxation policy previously ruled out by former treasurer Joe Hockey or former prime minister Tony Abbott, including generous superannuation tax concessions for the well-off, and capital gains tax concessions. And the government is also flagging a rethink of its stymied and deeply unpopular higher education deregulation reforms. Among the details to be announced on Thursday are $14 million over three years for expanded domestic violence-alert training for police and other emergency workers as well as social workers.
The government will also pump $15 million over the same period into what it is calling "innovative wrap-around support in domestic violence hot spots". Emerging personal security technology is also to be included. This takes in duress alarms that enable people under attack or under threat of violence to press a button alerting police to an unfolding emergency 24 hours a day. Follow us on TwitterA protest rally to demand the resignation of Midland School Board member Clint McCance met with resistance from anti-gay counter protesters on Thursday, the Arkansas Times reported.
Holding out signs that read “All Kids Matter” and “RESIGN,” the 35 people protesting McCance's anti-gay rant on Facebook faced about 10 counter protesters with shirts that read “Pro-Bible” and a sign that read “Get away from our kids.”
The protest was helmed by the Little Rock-based gay rights group Center for Artistic Revolution.
Protesters are demanding the ouster of McCance over comments he made on his Facebook profile.
In responding to Spirit Day, a day that encourages people to wear purple to remember gay teens bullied to death, McCance cheers the suicides, says he “enjoys the fact that [gay people] they often give each other aids and die,” and declares he would disown his children if they were gay.
Counter protester arrived in a Ford pickup truck bearing an American flag.
“All these people here, the way I see it, they need to take their signs and go back to the city,” Matt Martin told the paper. “Around here we believe in what the Bible says and the Bible says marriage is between a man and woman.”
“We don't need the gay rights people to come in and support our homosexuals because there is none,” he added. “If there is, they're in the closet.
Gay glossy The Advocate is reporting that McCance, who was elected to the school board in 2007, is up for re-election on November 2, but is running unopposed.
Max Brantley, editor of the Arkansas Times, wrote in a blog post Wednesday that he had spoken to McCance about the incident. McCance only said that he had received hundreds of calls on the matter and wasn't speaking because, “I have a family to consider.” The 30-something father-of-two did disclose that he was consulting with an attorney.
Dr. Tom Kimbrell, the director of the Arkansas Department of Education, issued a strongly-worded statement against McCance on Wednesday, but stopped short of endorsing calls for his resignation.
“I strongly condemn the statements that appeared on Mr. Clint McCance's Facebook page,” Kimbrell wrote in a statement. “These comments in no way represent the viewpoints of the thousands of dedicated public school board members, administrators, faculty, staff and students in Arkansas.”
A Facebook group calling for McCance's ouster has swelled to over 50,000 members in just two days.Gamergate: when outsiders become the oppressors
Updated
How do we explain the hostility displayed by so many gamers towards fairly mild comments about the depiction of women in some obviously backward video games? Jeff Sparrow writes.
If "gamergate" - the anger and controversy engulfing the gaming community about game reviewing and the role of women in the industry - seems incomprehensible to outsiders, that's less because the details are convoluted (though they are) and more because the visceral male rage on display is so strangely unfocused.
Except that, in the end, it all comes back to two women: game developer Zoe Quinn and game critic Anita Sarkeesian.
Part of it involves a blog written by an aggrieved ex-boyfriend of Quinn who wrote about his relationship with her, accusing her of affairs with other men, including some who worked in games journalism. Some gamers then said she once received a favourable review from a lover. She and her supporters became the target of vicious harassment, with hackers publishing the personal information of one of her friends, including his address, bank account and balance, and private passwords.
Meanwhile, a parallel campaign of abuse began against feminist activist Anita Sarkeesian, who had produced a video (part of a series) in which she documented how a casual violence against women, including rape and murder, served as a narrative background in many popular games.
Subsequent threats against Sarkeesian escalated so much that she temporarily moved out of her home (warning: the tweets below contain graphic language):
Since then, the anger has grown and mutated, on the social media website Reddit (nearly six million people subscribe to the gaming forum or subreddit), on Twitter (#gamergate), on YouTube and elsewhere. Gaming is now bigger than either Hollywood or the music industry, and so the debate went huge, very quickly.
A campaign to crowd fund a documentary entitled The Sarkeesian Effect provides a striking illustration of the diffuse male rage.
This is a project spearheaded by two YouTubers, Jordan Owen and Davis Aurini. Their film will, they explain, explore:
how gaming and tech culture have been hijacked by Social Justice Warriors as well as look into the background, ethics, and methodology of some the movement's most prominent voices. The title is a reference to Anita Sarkeesian, the primary figure in this new shift in gaming culture. Ms Sarkeesian's controversial videos and Kickstarter campaign laid the groundwork for the current atmosphere of politically correct fear, manipulation, and intimidation.
Their extraordinarily self-important YouTube clip is, as David Foster Wallace might say, so stupid it practically drools:
Clearly, they're very angry at something - but it's far from clear what.
The gamergate hashtag leads down a rabbit hole of various sub-controversies generated by the ongoing flame wars.
"Moderators on Reddit shut down discussion."
"Sarkeesian misrepresented the game Hitman."
"She raised more money on Kickstarter than she actually needed."
"She's not actually a real gamer."
And so on.
Ian Steadman at the New Statesman does a good job of rebutting most of this. But even if the claims were true, what follows? If, for instance, Sarkeesian doesn't love games as much as someone else does, how does that invalidate her arguments or make her someone whose life can be legitimately ruined?
Clearly, some of the leaders of the fight against those they call "Social Justice Warriors" (Imagine: fighting for social justice! The horror!) have their own agendas.
Davis Aurini, for example, thinks men should, as he puts it, "restore the virtue of women". He has a history on the far Right and on his Twitter bio calls himself a "reactionary monarchist", a label that irresistibly (and probably inadvertently) recalls Ignatius Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces ("When my brain begins to reel from my labors on YouTube, I make an occasional cheese dip.")
But how to explain the almost elemental hostility displayed by so many Twitter users to Sarkeesian's fairly mild comments about some obviously backward games? Research has shown that percentage of female characters in video games remains at around 15 per cent, unchanged since the mid-nineties. When someone points this out, why does so much of the response exude a bile that's both sexist and sexualised?
No doubt the disinhibition of anonymity plays a part. Naturally, a debate about games will take place predominantly online, in forums where there's no particular penalty for over-the-top abuse. TS Eliot once quipped about "the braggadocio of the mild-mannered man safely entrenched behind his typewriter" - and that braggadocio becomes much worse when the keyboards are millions of miles apart and shielded by a proxy. The everyday sexism of the workplace tearoom can more easily mutate into nightmarish misogyny when the target appears exclusively as pixels on a screen. Couple that with the hacking skills that some gamers possess, and you've got a recipe for particularly vicious bullying.
There's an intense and unfocused belligerence here, a sense of being "got at" by unspecified plotters.
But there's more than that going on.
There's an intense and unfocused belligerence here, a sense of being "got at" by unspecified plotters; there are calls for radical resistance to a peril that's never really made clear. It reminds me of the way US Tea Partiers responded to proposals to reform health insurance. The demographics are different (gamers skew young; the Tea Party, not so much) but the behaviour seems distinctly familiar.
Crikey's Bernard Keane notes how in both the American Tea Party and the Australian Convoy of No Confidence, social change has undermined the once-dominant status of older white heterosexual people, and males in particular, and, in the Australian context, economic changes have squeezed them.
This resentment of change and sense of persecution perhaps explains another commonality of such groups here and in the US: a conviction that they are being repressed and censored.
These are mobilisations of the privileged - but those involved don't think of themselves in that way. On the contrary, they feel distinctly oppressed, though in ways that they can't quite articulate.
The comparison to #gamergate isn't exact but it's interesting.
For many young men, gaming - or the geek world more generally - once provided a haven from a jock-ish and intolerant school culture. They might have been male but they didn't necessarily fit the narrow mould of traditional masculinity, and in gaming they found an identity more accepting of bright but socially awkward kids.
But as gaming conquered the mainstream (the latest iteration of Grand Theft Auto reached $US1 billion in sales after just three days), the gamer identity has come under challenge, just like other aspects of nerd culture.
If you're someone for whom gaming offered an escape from a world into which you didn't fit, the suggestion of complicity with male privilege in your own subculture no doubt seems confronting - especially since you've usually felt yourself the butt of jock-ish males rather than their ally. It's easier to lash out - to embrace the male victimhood narrative offered by Men's Rights Activists - than to listen to what you're being told.
Fairly obviously, the culture will change, if only because so many women play games now - and they're not going to put up with the misogyny Sarkeesian documents. But that doesn't mean that there won't be resistance from those we might call the sexist dead-enders. And lots of people can get hurt along the way.
Jeff Sparrow is the editor of Overland literary journal and the author of Killing: Misadventures in Violence. On Twitter, he is @Jeff_Sparrow. View his full profile here.
Topics: games, arts-and-entertainment, community-and-society, feminism
First postedIn mid-November, while Americans were preoccupied with election returns, China sent some of its clearest signals yet that it will continue to pursue an international leadership role on issues including climate. At an international climate change summit in Marrakech, the Chinese government reasserted its commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The government announced that its aggregate emissions will peak by 2030 or earlier, and that its emissions per dollar of economic output will decline sharply.
For 25 years I have taught my economics students that climate change represents the ultimate “free rider problem.” To slow global climate change, we need to reduce aggregate global emissions. Yet each individual nation’s efforts are too small to “solve” the problem, so it has only weak incentives to take costly mitigation actions, and strong incentives to “free ride” on the benefits of emission reductions by other countries.
From this perspective, President-elect Trump’s pledges to “cancel” the Paris Agreement and dismantle President Obama’s carbon mitigation initiatives follow standard economic logic. If the United States backs out of commitments to reduce national emissions, it still benefits from other countries’ efforts.
Why, then, is China is pressing ahead with low-carbon initiatives? My research suggests several motives. Chinese leaders want to improve the quality of life in their nation’s cities by reducing air pollution; win large shares of promising export markets for green technologies; and increase China’s “soft power” in international relations. Taking aggressive action to cut carbon emissions helps China in all three areas.
Reducing coal’s cruel impacts
Much of the staggering rise in China’s carbon dioxide emissions in recent decades came from burning coal to produce electricity for the nation’s industrial sector. While this growth has created millions of jobs and wealth for the nation, coal-fired power plants are major sources of greenhouse gases and conventional air pollutants that affect millions of people.
A large body of research, including joint work by U.S. and Chinese scholars, has demonstrated that air pollution in China causes thousands of premature deaths yearly. Coal also provides winter heating in China’s colder cities. Recent epidemiology research has found that coal use for heating greatly increases fine particulate air pollution, which has raised morbidity and mortality rates.
Using data from around the world, economists have found that when countries develop economically they move up an “energy ladder.” The richer a country grows, the more likely it is to swap out cheap polluting fuels in favor of cleaner, more expensive fuels. A natural experiment that occurred in Turkey as natural gas pipelines were built throughout the nation between 2001 and 2014 showed as people gained access to natural gas, air quality improved and mortality rates declined.
China has more coal than natural gas resources, but as its citizens grow wealthier, their willingness to pay to avoid pollution increases. This trend will encourage substitution toward cleaner fuels. As such, China’s political leaders will likely prioritize policies that substitute natural gas for coal, which should reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
Pursuing green and profitable export markets
China’s economic growth has been fueled by manufacturing for export. Now it faces rising competition from other lower-cost manufacturers that produce cheap goods such as sneakers and clothes. In response, China is seeking new export markets. Electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines represent promising markets in a world with ample demand for lower-carbon transportation products and power-generating capacity.
Trade economists have posited that there is a home market effect that drives certain large industries to concentrate in countries with large domestic markets. Firms in these industries gain experience in producing low-cost, high-quality products by selling to home markets. After they go through this process of learning by doing, they turn to exporting.
China’s Communist Party (CCP) has offered special incentives, including free land and low interest rate loans, to businesses in the green energy sector. By providing these cost advantages, the CCP hopes to give Chinese manufacturers a first mover advantage. And with the rise of China’s universities, China is now home to a huge number of engineers with the training and expertise to compete with Japan and South Korea in developing new technologies.
Over 21 million new cars were sold in China in 2015. China uses more oil than any other country except for the United States, and is projected to become the world’s top oil consumer by 2034. This outlook gives Chinese leaders a major incentive to develop green transportation.
China’s central government is offering direct subsidies to people who purchase electric cars, and many major cities are offering tax incentives for local automakers to produce and market electric and hybrid vehicles. Such policies have helped Chinese electric car and bus maker BYD become the largest electric vehicle producer in the world.
China is also seeking market dominance in clean energy technology. The nation’s ambient air pollution and its greenhouse gas emissions would both decline if China could produce more electricity using clean renewables rather than relying on coal. It has been the largest producer of solar photovoltaic cells in the world since 2007, and overtook Germany as the nation with the largest installed photovoltaic capacity in 2015.
U.S industrial regulators have accused China of engaging in predation and dumping low-cost solar panels that compete with U.S products. But environmentalists should cheer that potential buyers in importing nations now face lower prices – especially global companies like Wal-Mart which are pledging to shrink their carbon footprints. As the price of renewable power equipment declines, the law of demand predicts that more U.S. companies will go green.
There is a key synergy between electric vehicles and green power generation. As studies have shown, driving an electric vehicle that runs on electricity generated from coal can produce more greenhouse gas emissions than operating a conventional gasoline vehicle. If Chinese exports of electric vehicles and renewable generating technologies lead to their joint adoption by suburbanites, greenhouse gas emissions from both transportation and power generation will fall.
Investing in soft power
For decades, the world’s media have portrayed China as a bully and trade cheat abroad and a repressive power at home. In cutting carbon emissions, the Communist Party seeks to boost its own political legitimacy in the international arena as well as with the Chinese people.
By committing to pursue ambitious environmental goals, Chinese leaders hope to signal to both domestic constituents and international actors that China is an international leader and cares about its own people. A “leading nation” plays an active role in international relations, helps to keep the peace and promotes global public goods. At a time when the United States appears to be stepping back from its leadership role, the CCP may see a chance to fill the vacuum, and make money in the process.(CNN) -- Last month, Google unveiled its latest innovation, an app for phones that can near-simultaneously translate speech from one language to another.
"Google Conversation," so far only available to translate between Spanish and English, generated excited headlines speculating that a true universal translator -- an idea popularized by "Star Trek" -- might be just around the corner.
It's easy to get swept up by the buzz. Google's current text-based "Translate" online software is as good as it's ever been, allowing users to get reasonably faithful translations between scores of languages.
The company is also adapting its "Google Goggles" picture recognition software to allow phone users to translate signs. Recently it said it was looking at taking the quantum leap into translating poetry.
Google Product Manager Awaneesh Verma admitted when launching "Translate" that the device was "still in its earliest stages," and early demos have shown it to be a little shaky at performing its task.
Nevertheless, the potential is obvious. If the technology improves we could all soon be roaming the world as polyglots, freely conversing in any language and dialect.
Sadly, say experts in the field, we could be waiting some time -- a fact that becomes painfully clear when looking at the history of computerized translation.
Ever since the birth of modern computing, programmers have wanted to turn their machines into language processors. In 1954, IBM announced its breakthrough 701 "electronic brain" had successfully translated Russian into English.
The announcement led to bold claims about the imminence of computer-aided translation.
Leon Dostert, a professor involved in the experiment, predicted seamless translation between several languages would be an "accomplished fact" within "five, perhaps three years."
But as linguists pumped translation rules into databases, computers struggled, repeatedly stumbling over the quirks of individual tongues to produced mangled sentences.
According to Phil Blunsom, a computational linguistics expert at Oxford University, the great leap forward came 40 years later when programmers realized linguistics were holding them back.
"From about 1990, a group in the U.S. came up with the idea of just treating it as a statistical problem -- more of a machine learning problem where you essentially ignore linguistics and just look for patterns in data," he said.
The Rosetta Stone for these programmers was initially provided by Canada's parliament, which published proceedings online in French and English, allowing computers to compare identical texts in two different languages.
As web content has expanded, computers have drawn on other bilingual sources, including the European Parliament and news sites publishing in multiple languages. However, while they now translate news and political documents well, they struggle with more nuanced texts.
Says Blunsom, the technology currently available online is the result of research 10 years ago, a tantalizing revelation that hints faster, more intelligent translators are on their way.
Google, to which Blunsom's work is closely connected, is internally testing a new statistical system that is refined to near-perfection by linguistic rules, he says. But there's a catch.
"The main problem is they're slow and computationally intensive, which is why we're not seeing them on the web," Blunsom said. "If you went to Google and said 'translate this page' and they got back to you a couple of hours later, you wouldn't be happy."
And far from representing a bold step forward, "Google Conversation," says Blunsom, is largely a gimmick that represents Google trying to get maximum use out of its existing kit.
"They have their speech recognition system, and they have their Android O.S. [operating system] and they're trying every combination to get value for their product.
"All these things are simply plugging together the products they've developed. The problem is, every one of these systems has errors, so you get a cascade. If you think one translation is not very good quality, when you put a speech system at either end, it gets worse."
Blunsom says that rather than focusing on apps like "Conversation," current research is aimed at speeding up and improving text-based translators and bringing lesser-used languages up to the same speed.
"There's still a long way to go," he said.
This admission is no surprise to linguists, who see myriad stumbling blocks on the road to a computerized universal translator.
"The main difficulties are coping with the speed of natural speech; coping with regional accent variation; coping with low-frequency words, especially proper names; and eliminating interference from background noise," said David Crystal Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor.
"No system can do this at present."
Likewise, professional translators view Google's work with considerable skepticism.
"Computer translation is getting better all the time but it is still hit and miss," said Rory Mulholland, a Paris correspondent for Agence France-Presse and translator of several novels from French into English.
"Sometimes it will produce astonishingly good results and sometimes stuff that just makes you cringe. I think it will never replace humans."
Mulholland cites an abortive attempt by a French newspaper to let machines loose on creating English versions of its pages, replete with mangled headlines.
"Any companies looking to cut costs by dispensing with human translators should look, for example, at the French paper La Tribune. It decided to have its articles automatically translated and ended up very red-faced."Homicide rates in 2010 dropped to the lowest level in several decades, according to Statistics Canada. ((Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press))
Canada's homicide rate last year fell to the lowest level since the mid-1960s, according to Statistics Canada, a decrease the agency says was driven largely by fewer incidents in major cities and the western provinces.
In 2010, police reported 554 homicides in Canada, 56 fewer than the year before, the agency reported Wednesday, following a decade of relative stability. The homicide rate fell to 1.62 for every 100,000 population, its lowest level since 1966, the agency says.
The data was released a day after the Conservative government launched its third attempt in the House of Commons to abolish the federal long-gun registry and destroy its records, arguing the program is wasteful and ineffective in preventing gun crime.
The national rate of gang-related slayings also decreased for the second year in a row, with police considering 94 killings to be connected with gangs in 2010, down from 124 in the previous year.
Police in several of the nation's largest cities reported substantially fewer homicides in 2010. The homicide rate in Metro Vancouver, with 25 fewer killings, fell 42 per cent to its lowest level since data in metropolitan areas became available in 1981.
With 35 fewer homicides in 2010 than in 2009, the rate in British Columbia, which has witnessed several high-profile gang-related slayings in recent months, fell to its lowest point since the mid-1960s.
The decrease in British Columbia is particularly significant, considering it has been home to a bloody and highly public turf war between rival drug gangs in recent years, said Ronald Melchers, a professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa who serves on Statistics Canada's academic advisory board.
"Vancouver has seen a bit of a crisis over the first few years," Melchers told CBC News on Wednesday.
Melchers suggested the Vancouver area's dramatic decrease could be similar to the drop in Montreal's homicide rates in the early 2000s following a spike in gang-related slayings in the city.
But Vancouver Police Department spokesman Const. Lindsey Houghton noted the city of Vancouver had fewer than half the number of homicides last year than it had in 2009 — and that the nine killings in the city limits represent the lowest number in the city's history.
Houghton also stressed that recent high-profile shootings occurred in other jurisdictions such as Surrey and Abbotsford, while also crediting their police forces with working on a "massive scope" with Vancouver police and other agencies to target "the most violent offenders in our communities."
"We've targeted them, arrested them and put them in jail, and it's made our streets safer," Houghton told CBC News.
Thunder Bay recorded the highest homicide rate for the second year in a row, with five slayings — a rate of 4.2 per 100,000 population. The next highest rates were in Saskatoon and Regina, Statistics Canada says.
Meanwhile, police in Alberta reported 18 fewer homicides, while those in Manitoba reported 12 fewer.
Political hot button
The national decrease in the homicide rate follows a downward trend in Canada's overall recorded crime rate over the past three decades.
Canada's crime rates have become the subject of a fierce debate in Ottawa, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's majority government moves forward with its tough-on-crime agenda, despite opposition parties pointing to declining crime rates and questioning the price tag of the measures such as mandatory minimum penalties and sentences at a time of a record federal deficit.
Some government members, including Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, have maintained the number of crimes that go unreported is on the rise, which they say suggests Canadians have little faith in the justice system and underscores the need for tough measures.
But Melchers said homicide figures tend to be the most reliable indicators of overall crime rates because "not many homicides are invisible."
"Crime is really going down," Melchers said. "What it does is confirm that what is happening is actually happening, despite what some ministers say — and will say again."
When contacted by CBC News on Wednesday, Toews's office issued a statement saying the minister is pleased to see the numbers of homicides down, while adding the latest information "does not change our approach."
"Canadians gave our government a strong mandate to crack down on crime and keep our communities safe," Toews's press secretary, said in an email.
"This government’s tough on crime measures, additional investments in more officers on our streets, and tools to fight crime are working. However, one homicide is one too many. That is why we will continue to take action to toughen the laws, stand up for victims and hold criminals responsible."
Gun killings down
Police reported 170 homicides with a firearm last year, down from 180 the year before, which Statistics Canada said is consistent with a general decline in gun-related homicides seen over the past three decades.
Rates of homicide involving rifles or shotguns in 2010 were about one-fifth of those seen 30 years ago.
Stabbings, accounting for 31 per cent of homicides, were nearly as common in 2010 as shootings, at 32 per cent. Another 22 per cent of homicides involved beatings, while eight per cent were by strangulation or suffocation. The remaining homicides used other means such as motor vehicles, fire and poisoning.Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a 2 part series by Tyler Tervooren of Advanced Riskology.
If a man with limited time, money, and energy decides to start his own micro-business—his own side hustle—he has to be smart about it.
First, he has to find creative ways around all of the barriers
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understands how to use URLs, email addresses, files/directories, money values, tuples, hash tables, sounds, and other common values in expected ways, simply by the way the data is formatted. You don't need to declare, define, or otherwise prepare such types of data as in other languages - just use them. To determine the type of any value, use the "type?" function: some-text: "This is a string of text" ; strings of text go between type? some-text ; "quotes" or {curly braces} an-integer: 3874904 ; integer values are just pos- type? an-integer ; itive/negative whole numbers a-decimal: 7348.39 ; decimal numbers are recognized type? a-decimal ; by the decimal point web-site: http://musiclessonz.com ; URLs are recognized by the type? web-site ; http://, ftp://, etc. email-address: [email protected] ; email values are in the type? email-address ; format [email protected] the-file: %/c/myfile.txt ; files are preceded by the % type? the-file ; character bill-amount: $343.56 ; money is preceded by the $ type? bill-amount ; symbol html-tag: <br> ; tags are places between <> type? html-tag ; characters binary-info: #{ddeedd} ; binary data is put between type? binary-info ; curly braces and preceded by ; the pound symbol image: load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg ; REBOL can even automatically type? image ; recognize the data type of ; most common image formats. a-sound: load %/c/windows/media/tada.wav ; And sounds too! a-sound/type Data types can be specifically "cast" (created, or assigned to different types) using "to-(type)" functions: numbr: 4729 ; The label 'numbr now represents the integer ; 4729. strng: to-string numbr ; The label'strng now represents a piece of ; quoted text made up of the characters ; "4729". Try adding strng + numbr, and ; you'll get an error. ; This example creates and adds two coordinate pairs. The pairs are ; created from individual integer values, using the "to-pair" function: x: 12 y: 33 q: 18 p: 7 pair1: to-pair rejoin [x "x" y] ; 12x33 pair2: to-pair rejoin [q "x" p] ; 18x7 print pair1 + pair2 ; 12x33 + 18x7 = 30x40 ; This example builds and manipulates a time value using the "to-time" ; function: hour: 3 minute: 45 second: 00 the-time: to-time rejoin [hour ":" minute ":" second] ; 3:45am later-time: the-time + 3:00:15 print rejoin ["3 hours and 15 seconds after 3:45 is " later-time] ; This converts REBOL color values (tuples) to HTML colors and visa versa: to-binary request-color to-tuple #{00CD00} REBOL has many built-in helper functions for dealing with common data types. Another way to create pair values is with the "as-pair" function. You'll see this sort of pair creation commonly in games which plot graphics at coordinate points on the screen: x: 12 y: 33 q: 18 p: 7 print (as-pair x y) + (as-pair q p) ; much simpler! Built-in network protocols, native data types, and consistent language syntax for reading, writing, and manipulating data allow you to perform common coding chores easily and intuitively in REBOL. Remember to type or paste every example into the REBOL interpreter to see how each function and language construct operates.
6.3 GUIs (Program Windows)
Graphic user interfaces ("GUI"s) are easier to create in REBOL than in any other language. The functions "view" and "layout" are used together to display GUIs. The parameters passed to the layout function are enclosed in brackets. Those brackets can include identifiers for all types of GUI elements ("widgets"): view layout [btn] ; creates a GUI with a button view layout [field] ; creates a GUI with a text input field view layout [text "REBOL is really pretty easy to program"] view layout [text-list] ; a selection list view layout [ button field text "REBOL is really pretty easy to program." text-list check ] In REBOL, widgets are called "styles", and the entire GUI dialect is called "VID". You can adjust the visual characteristics of any style in VID by following it with appropriate modifiers: view layout [ button red "Click Me" field "Enter some text here" text font-size 16 "REBOL is really pretty easy to program." purple text-list 400x300 "line 1" "line 2" "another line" check yellow ] The size of your program window can be specified by either of these two formats: view layout [size 400x300] view layout/size [] 400x300 ; both these lines do exactly the same thing A variety of functions are available to control the alignment, spacing, and size of elements in a GUI layout: view layout [ size 500x350 across btn "side" btn "by" btn "side" return btn "on the next line" tab btn "over a bit" tab btn "over more" below btn 160 "underneath" btn 160 "one" btn 160 "another" at 359x256 btn "at 359x256" ] VERY IMPORTANT: You can have widgets perform functions when clicked, or when otherwise activated. Just put the functions inside another set of brackets after the widget. This is how you get your GUIs to 'do something' (using the fundamentals introduced in the previous section): view layout [button "click me" [alert "You clicked the button."]] view layout [btn "Display Rebol.com HTML" [editor read http://rebol.com]] view layout [btn "Write current time to HD" [write %time.txt now/time]] ; The word "value" refers to data contained in a currently activated ; widget: view layout [ text "Some action examples. Try using each widget:" button red "Click Me" [alert "You clicked the red button."] field 400 "Type some text here, then press [Enter] on your keyboard" [ alert value ] text-list 400x300 "Select this line" "Then this line" "Now this one" [ alert value ] check yellow [alert "You clicked the yellow check box."] button "Quit" [quit] ] To react to right-button mouse clicks on a widget, put the functions to be performed inside a second set of brackets after the widget: view layout [ btn "Right Click Me" [alert "left click"][alert "right click"] ] You can assign keyboard shortcuts (keystrokes) to any widget, so that pressing the key reacts the same way as activating the GUI widget: view layout [ btn "Click me or press the 'A' key on your keyboard" #"a" [ alert "You just clicked the button OR pressed the 'A' key" ] ] You can assign a word label to any widget, and refer to data and properties of that widget by its label. The "text" property is especially useful: view layout [ page-to-read: field "http://rebol.com" ; page-to-read/text now refers to the text contained in that field btn "Display HTML" [editor read (to-url page-to-read/text)] ] You can also set various properties of a widget using its assigned label. When the "Edit HTML Page" button is clicked below, the text of the multi-line area widget is set to contain the text read from the given URL. The "show" function in the example below is very important. It must be used to update the GUI display any time a widget property is changed (if you ever create a GUI that doesn't seem to respond properly, the first thing to check is that you've used a "show" function to properly update any changes on screen): view layout [ page-to-read: field "http://rebol.com" the-html: area 600x440 btn "Download HTML Page" [ the-html/text: read (to-url page-to-read/text) ; try commenting out the following line to see what happens: show the-html ] ] Below are two more examples of the above code pattern (getting and setting a widget's text property) - it's a very important idiom in REBOL GUIs. In the first example, the variable "f" is assigned to the field widget, then the variable "t" is assigned to the text contained in that field. In the second example, "t" is assigned the text contained in the f1 field, then the text in f2 is set to "t" - again, all using the colon symbol. Note the use of the "show" function to update the display: view layout [ f: field btn "Display Variable" [ ; When the button is pressed, set the variable ; "t" to hold the text currently in the field ; above, then alert the contents of that variable: t: f/text alert t ] ] view layout [ f1: field btn "Display Variable" [ ; Set the variable "t" to the text contained ; in the f1 field above: t: f1/text ; Now CHANGE the text in the f2 below to ; to equal the text stored in variable "t": f2/text: t show f2 ] f2: field ] ; You GET the text from a widget by assigning a VALUE to equal the ; widget's text property. You SET/CHANGE the text of a widget by ; assigning THE TEXT PROPERTY of that widget to equal a value. The "offset" of a widget holds its coordinate position. It's another useful property, especially for GUIs which involve movement: view layout [ size 600x440 jumper: button "click me" [ jumper/offset: random 580x420 ; The "random" function creates a random value within ; a specified range. In this example, it creates a ; random coordinate pair within the range 580x420, ; every time the button is clicked. That random value ; is assigned to the position of the button. ] ] The "style" function is very powerful. It allows you to assign a specific widget definition, including all its properties and actions, to any word label you choose. Any instance of that word label is thereafter treated as a replication of the entire widget definition: view layout [ size 600x440 style my-btn btn green "click me" [ face/offset: random 580x420 ] ; "my-btn" now refers to all the above code at 254x84 my-btn at 19x273 my-btn at 85x348 my-btn at 498x12 my-btn at 341x385 my-btn ] REBOL is great at dealing with all types of common data - not just text. You can easily display photos and other graphics in your GUIs, play sounds, display web pages, etc. Here's some code that downloads an image from a web server and displays it in a GUI - notice the "view layout" functions again: view layout [image (load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg)] The "image" widget inside the brackets displays a picture (.bmp,.jpg,.gif.,.png) in the GUI. The "load" function downloads the image to be displayed. REBOL can apply many built-in effects to images: view layout [image (load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg) effect [Emboss]] view layout [image (load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg) effect [Flip 1x1]] ; The parentheses are not required: view layout [image load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg effect [Grayscale]] ; There are MANY more built-in effects. You can impose images onto most types of widgets: view layout [area load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg] ; Use the "fit" effect to stretch or shrink the size of the image to that ; of the widget: view layout [area load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg effect [Fit]] view layout [button load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg effect [Fit]] view layout [field load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg effect [Fit Emboss]] ; You can still type into the field and area widgets, as usual. You can apply colors directly to images, just like any other widget. Notice that you can perform calculations directly on color values: view layout [image load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg yellow] view layout [image load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg (yellow / 2)] view layout [image load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg (yellow + 0.0.132)] Color gradients (fades from one color to another) are also simple to apply to any widget: view layout [area effect [gradient red blue]] view layout [ size 500x400 backdrop effect [gradient 1x1 tan brown] box effect [gradient 123.23.56 254.0.12] box effect [gradient blue gold/2] ] You can assign a word label to any layout of GUI widgets, and then display those widgets simply by using the assigned word: gui-layout1: [button field text-list] view layout gui-layout1 You can save any GUI layout as an image, using the "to-image" function. This enables a built in screen shot mechanism, and also allows you to easily create/save/manipulate new images using any of the graphic capabilities in REBOL: ; assign the label "picture" to an image of a layout: picture: to-image layout [ page-to-read: field "http://rebol.com" btn "Display HTML" ] ; save it to the hard drive as a.png file: save/png %/c/layout.png picture Here are some other GUI elements used in REBOL's "VID" layout language: view layout [ backcolor white h1 "More GUI Examples:" box red 500x2 bar: progress slider 200x16 [bar/data: value show bar] area "Type here" drop-down across toggle "Click" "Here" [print value] rotary "Click" "Again" "And Again" [print value] choice "Choose" "Item 1" "Item 2" "Item 3" [print value] radio radio radio led arrow return text "Normal" text "Bold" bold text "Italic" italic text "Underline" underline text "Bold italic underline" bold italic underline text "Serif style text" font-name font-serif text "Spaced text" font [space: 5x0] return h1 "Heading 1" h2 "Heading 2" h3 "Heading 3" h4 "Heading 4" tt "Typewriter text" code "Code text" below text "Big" font-size 32 title "Centered title" 200 across vtext "Normal" vtext "Bold" bold vtext "Italic" italic vtext "Underline" underline vtext "Bold italic underline" bold italic underline vtext "Serif style text" font-name font-serif vtext "Spaced text" font [space: 5x0] return vh1 "Video Heading 1" vh2 "Video Heading 2" vh3 "Video Heading 3" vh4 "Video Heading 3" label "Label" below vtext "Big" font-size 32 banner "Banner" 200 ] Here's a list of all the built in widgets (remember, in REBOL's VID language, widgets are called "styles"): probe extract svv/vid-styles 2 Here's a list of the changeable attributes ("facets") available to all widgets: probe remove-each i copy svv/facet-words [function? :i] And here's a list of available layout words: probe svv/vid-words NOTE: By default, all REBOL GUIs contain the text "REBOL - " in the window title bar. In Windows, you can eliminate that text with the following code. Just set the "tt" variable to hold the title text you want displayed: tt: "Your Title" user32.dll: load/library %user32.dll gf: make routine![return:[int]]user32.dll"GetFocus" sc: make routine![hw[int]a[string!]return:[int]]user32.dll"SetWindowTextA" so: :show show: func[face][so[face]hw: gf sc hw tt] That's just the tip of the iceberg. With REBOL, even absolute beginners can create nice looking, powerful graphic interfaces in minutes. See http://rebol.com/docs/easy-vid.html and http://rebol.com/docs/view-guide.html for more information. Here's a little game that demonstrates common GUI techniques (this whole program was presented earlier in the demo app, in a more compact format without any comments. It's tiny.): REBOL [] ; Here's the code presented above, to alter the Windows title bar: tt: "Tile Game" user32.dll: load/library %user32.dll gf: make routine![return:[int]]user32.dll"GetFocus" sc: make routine![hw[int]a[string!]return:[int]]user32.dll"SetWindowTextA" so: :show show: func[face][so[face]hw: gf sc hw tt] ; Create a GUI that's centered on the user's screen: view center-face layout [ ; Define some basic layout parameters. "origin 0x0" ; starts the layout in the upper left corner of the ; GUI window. "space 0x0" dictates that there's no ; space between adjacent widgets, and "across" lays ; out consecutive widgets next to each other: origin 0x0 space 0x0 across ; The section below creates a newly defined button ; style called "piece", with an action block that ; swaps the current button's position with that of ; the adjacent empty space. That action is run ; whenever one of the buttons is clicked: style piece button 60x60 [ ; The line below checks to see if the clicked button ; is adjacent to the empty space. The "offset" ; refinement contains the position of the given ; widget. The word "face" is used to refer to the ; currently clicked widget. The "empty" button is ; defined later (at the end of the GUI layout). ; It's ok that the empty button is not yet defined, ; because this code is not evaluated until the ; the entire layout is built and "view"ed: if not find [0x60 60x0 0x-60 -60x0 ] (face/offset - empty/offset) [exit] ; In English, that reads'subtract the position of ; the empty space from the position of the clicked ; button (the positions are in the form of ; Horizontal x Vertical coordinate pairs). If that ; difference isn't 60 pixels on one of the 4 sides, ; then don't do anything.' (60 pixels is the size of ; the "piece" button defined above.) ; The next three lines swap the positions of the ; clicked button with the empty button. ; First, create a variable to hold the current ; position of the clicked button: temp: face/offset ; Next, move the button's position to that of the ; current empty space: face/offset: empty/offset ; Last, move the empty space (button), to the old ; position occupied by the clicked button: empty/offset: temp ] ; The lines below draw the "piece" style buttons onto ; the GUI display. Each of these buttons contains all ; of the action code defined for the piece style above: piece "1" piece "2" piece "3" piece "4" return piece "5" piece "6" piece "7" piece "8" return piece "9" piece "10" piece "11" piece "12" return piece "13" piece "14" piece "15" ; Here's the empty space. Its beveled edge is removed ; to make it look less like a movable piece, and more ; like an empty space: empty: piece 200.200.200 edge [size: 0] ] Advanced users may be interested in understanding why the two words "view" and "layout" are used to create GUIs. Those functions represent two complete and separate language dialects in REBOL. The "view" function is a front end to the lower level graphic compositing engine and user interface system built into REBOL. "Layout" is a higher level function that simply assembles view functions required to draw and manipulate common GUI elements. Understanding how the two operate under the hood is helpful in understanding just how deep, compact, and powerful the REBOL language and dialecting design is. For more information, see http://rebol.com/docs/view-system.html.
6.4 Blocks, Series, and Strings
In REBOL, all multiple pieces of grouped data items are stored in "blocks". Blocks are delineated by starting and ending brackets: [ ] Data items in blocks are separated by white space. Here's a block of text items: ["John" "Bill" "Tom" "Mike"] Blocks were snuck in earlier as multiple text arguments passed to the "rejoin" function, and as brackets used to delineate GUI code passed to the 'view layout' functions: rejoin ["Hello " "there!"] view layout [button "Click Me" [alert "Hello there!"]] Blocks are actually the fundamental structure used to organize REBOL code. You'll find brackets throughout the language syntax to delineate functions, parameters, and other items. In the next section of this tutorial, you'll see more about functions and control structures that use brackets to separate grouped items of code. This section will cover how data can be grouped into blocks. The key concept to understand with blocks is that they are used to hold multiple pieces of data. Like any other variable data, blocks can be assigned word labels: some-names: ["John" "Bill" "Tom" "Mike"] ; "some-names" now refers to all 4 of those text items print some-names Blocks of text data (lists) can be displayed in GUIs, using the "text-list" widget: view layout [text-list data (some-names)] The "append" function is used to add items to a block: append some-names "Lee" print some-names append gui-layout1 [text "This text was appended to the GUI block."] view layout gui-layout1 The "foreach" function is used to do something to/with each item in a block: foreach item some-names [alert item] The "remove-each" function can be used to remove items from a block that match a certain criteria: remove-each name some-names [find name "i"] ; removes all names containing the letter "i" - returns ["John" "Tom"] Empty data blocks are created with the "copy" function. "Copy" assures that blocks are erased and defined without any previous content. You'll use "copy" whenever you need to create an empty block: ; Create a new empty block like this: empty-block: copy [] ; NOT like this: empty-block: [] Here's a very typical example that uses a block to save text entered into the fields of a GUI. When the "Save" button is pressed, the text in each of the fields is appended to a new empty block, then that whole block is saved to a text file. To later retrieve the saved values, the block is loaded from the text file, and its items assigned back to the appropriate fields in the GUI: view gui: layout [ ; label some text fields: field1: field field2: field field3: field ; add a button: btn "Save" [ ; when the button is clicked, create a new empty block: save-block: copy [] ; add the text contained in each field to the block: append save-block field1/text append save-block field2/text append save-block field3/text ; save the block to a file: save %save.txt save-block alert {SAVED -- Now try running this script again, and load the data back into the fields.} ] ; another button: btn "Load" [ ; load the saved block: save-block: load %save.txt ; set the text in each field to the contents of the block: field1/text: save-block/1 field2/text: save-block/2 field3/text: save-block/3 ; update the GUI display: show gui ] ] After running the script above, open the save.txt file with a text editor, and you'll see it contains the text from the fields in the GUI. You can edit the save.txt file with your text editor, then click the "Load" button, and the edited values will appear back in the GUI. You'll use blocks regularly to store and retrieve multiple pieces of data in this way, using text files. 6.4.1 Series Functions In REBOL, blocks can be automatically treated as lists of data, called "series", and manipulated using built-in functions that enable searching, sorting, and otherwise organizing the blocked data: some-names: ["John" "Bill" "Tom" "Mike"] sortednames: sort some-names ; sort alphabetically/ordinally print first sortednames ; displays the first item ("Bill") print sortednames/1 ; ALSO displays the first item ("Bill") ; (just an alternate syntax) print pick sortednames 1 ; ALSO displays the first item ("Bill") ; (another alternate syntax) find some-names "John" ; SEARCH for "John" in the block, ; set a position marker after that ; item - a very important function find/last some-names "John" ; search for "John" backwards from ; the end of the block select some-names "John" ; search for "John" in the block ; and return the Next item. reverse sortednames ; reverse the order of items in the ; block length? sortednames ; COUNT items in the block - important head sortednames ; set a position marker at the ; beginning of the block next sortednames ; set a position marker at the next ; item in the block back sortednames ; set a position marker at the ; previous item in the block last sortednames ; set a position marker at the last ; item in the block tail sortednames ; set a position marker after the ; last item in the block at sortednames x ; set a position marker at the x ; numbered item in the block skip sortednames x ; set a position marker x items ; forward or backward in the block extract sortednames 3 ; collect every third item from the ; block index? sortednames ; retrieves position number of the ; currently marked item in the block insert sortednames "Lee" ; add the name "Lee" at the current ; position in the block append sortednames "George" ; add "George" to the tail of the block ; and set position marker to the head remove sortednames ; remove the item at the currently ; marked position in the block remove find sortednames "Mike" ;... find the "Mike" item in the ; block and remove it change sortednames "Phil" ; change the item at the currently ; marked position to "Phil" change third sortednames "Phil" ; change the third item to "Phil" poke sortednames 3 "Phil" ; another way to change the third item ; to "Phil" copy/part sortednames 2 ; get the first 2 items in the block clear sortednames ; remove all items in the block after ; the currently marked position replace/all sortednames "Lee" "Al" ; replace all occurrences of "Lee" in ; the block with "Al" both: join some-names sortednames ; concatenate both blocks together intersect sortednames some-names ; returns the items found in both ; blocks difference sortednames some-names ; returns the items that are NOT ; found in BOTH blocks exclude sortednames some-names ; returns the items in sortednames that ; are NOT also in some-names union sortednames some-names ; returns the items found in both ; blocks, ignoring duplicates unique sortednames ; returns all items in the block, ; with duplicates removed empty? sortednames ; returns true if the block is empty write %/c/names.txt some-names ; write the block to the hard drive ; as raw text data save %/c/namess.txt some-names ; write the block to the hard drive ; as native REBOL formatted code Learning to use series functions is absolutely fundamental to using REBOL. They will be covered by example throughout this text. See http://www.rebol.com/docs/dictionary.html for a list of additional series functions. For more information and examples, be sure to read sections 6 and 7 from the REBOL/Core Users Guide by Carl Sassenrath. 6.4.2 REBOL Strings In REBOL, a "string" is simply a series of characters. If you have experience with other programming languages, this can be one of the sticking points in learning REBOL. REBOL's solution is actually a very powerful, easy to learn and consistent with the way other operations work in the language. Proper string management simply requires a good understanding of series. Take a look at the following examples to see how to do a few common operations: the-string: "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz" ; Left String: (get the left 7 characters of the string): copy/part the-string 7 ; Right String: (Get the right 7 characters of the string): copy at tail the-string -7 ; Mid String 1: (get 7 characters from the middle of the string, ; starting with the 12th character): copy/part (at the-string 12) 7 ; Mid String 2: (get 7 characters from the middle of the string, ; starting 7 characters back from the letter "m"): copy/part (find the-string "m") -7 ; Mid String 3: (get 7 characters from the middle of the string, ; starting 12 characters back from the letter "t"): copy/part (skip (find the-string "t") -12) 7 ; 3 different ways to get just the 7th character: the-string/7 pick the-string 7 seventh the-string ; Change "cde" to "123" replace the-string "cde" "123" ; Several ways to change the 7th character to "7" change (at the-string 7) "7" poke the-string 7 #"7" ; the pound symbol refers to a single character poke the-string 7 (to-char "7") ; another way to use single characters print the-string ; Remove 15 characters, starting at the 3rd position: remove/part (at the-string 3) 15 print the-string ; Insert 15 characters, starting at the 3rd position: insert (at the-string 3) "cdefghijklmnopq" print the-string ; Insert 3 instances of "-+" at the beginning of the string: insert/dup head the-string "-+ " 3 print the-string ; Replace every instance of "-+ " with " ": replace/all the-string "-+ " " " print the-string ; Remove spaces from a string (type "? trim" to see all its refinements!): trim the-string print the-string ; Get every third character from the string: extract the-string 3 ; Get the ASCII value for "c" (ASCII 99): to-integer third the-string ; Get the character for ASCII 99 ("c"): to-char 99 ; Convert the above character value to a string value: to-string to-char 99 ; Convert any value to a string: to-string now to-string $2344.44 to-string to-char 99 to-string system/locale/months ; An even better way to convert values to strings: form now form $2344.44 form to-char 99 form system/locale/months ; convert blocks to nicely formed strings ; Covert strings to a block of characters: the-block: copy [] foreach item the-string [append the-block item] probe the-block REBOL's series functions are very versatile. Often, you can devise several ways to do the same thing: ; Remove the last part of a URL: the-url: "http://website.com/path" clear at the-url (index? find/last the-url "/") print the-url ; Another way to do it: the-url: "http://website.com/path" print copy/part the-url (length? the-url)-(length? find/last the-url "/") (Of course, REBOL has a built-in helper function to accomplish the above goal, directly with URLs): the-url: http://website.com/path print first split-path the-url There are a number of additional functions that can be used to work specifically with string series. Run the following script for an introduction: string-funcs: [ build-tag checksum clean-path compress debase decode-cgi decompress dehex detab dirize enbase entab import-email lowercase mold parse-xml reform rejoin remold split-path suffix? uppercase ] echo %string-help.txt ; "echo" saves console activity to a file foreach word string-funcs [ print "___________________________________________________________^/" print rejoin ["word: " uppercase to-string word] print "" do compose [help (to-word word)] ] echo off editor at read %string-help.txt 4 See http://www.rebol.com/docs/dictionary.html and http://rebol.com/docs/core23/rebolcore-8.html for more information about the above functions. 6.4.3 Indentation Blocks often contain other blocks. Such compound blocks are typically indented with consecutive tab stops. Starting and ending brackets are normally placed at the same indentation level. This is conventional in most programming languages, because it makes complex code easier to read, by grouping things visually. For example, the compound block below: big-block: [[may june july] [[1 2 3] [[yes no] [monday tuesday friday]]]] can be written as follows to show the beginnings and endings of blocks more clearly: big-block: [ [may june july] [ [1 2 3] [ [yes no] [monday tuesday friday] ] ] ] probe first big-block probe second big-block probe first second big-block probe second second big-block probe first second second big-block probe second second second big-block Indentation is not required, but it's very helpful. 6.4.4 More About Why/How Blocks are Useful IMPORTANT: In REBOL, blocks can contain mixed data of ANY type (text and binary items, embedded lists of items (other blocks), variables, etc.): some-items: ["item1" "item2" "item3" "item4"] an-image: load http://rebol.com/view/bay.jpg append some-items an-image ; "some-items" now contains 4 text strings, and an image! ; You can save that entire block of data, INCUDING THE BINARY ; IMAGE data, to your hard drive as a SIMPLE TEXT FILE: save/all %some-items.txt some-items ; to load it back and use it later: some-items: load %some-items.txt view layout [image fifth some-items] Take a moment to examine the example above. REBOL's block structure works in a way that is dramatically easy to use compared to other languages and data management solutions (much more simply than most database systems). It's is a very flexible, simple, and powerful way to store data in code! The fact that blocks can hold all types of data using one simple syntactic structure is a fundamental reason it's easier to use than other programming languages and computing tools. You can save/load block code to the hard drive as a simple text file, send it in an email, display it in a GUI, compress it and transfer it to a web server to be downloaded by others, transfer it directly over a point-to-point network connection, or even convert it to XML, encrypt, and store parts of it in a secure multiuser database to be accessed by other programming languages, etc... Remember, all programming, and computing in general, is essentially about storing, organizing, manipulating, and transferring data of some sort. REBOL makes working with all types of data very easy - just put any number of pieces of data, of any type, in between two brackets, and that data is automatically searchable, sortable, storable, transferable, and otherwise usable in your programs. 6.4.5 Evaluating Variables in Blocks: Compose, Reduce, Pick and More You will often find that you want to refer to an item in a block by its index (position number), as in the earlier'some-items' example: view layout [image some-items/5] You may not, however, always know the specific index number of the data item you want to access. For example, as you insert data items into a block, the index position of the last item changes (it increases). You can obtain the index number of the last item in a block simply by determining the number of items in the block (the position number of the last item in a block is always the same as the total number of items in the block). In the example below, that index number is assigned the variable word "last-item": last-item: length? some-items Now you can use that variable to pick out the last item: view layout [image (pick some-items last-item)] ; In our earlier example, with 5 items in the block, the ; line above evaluates the same as: view layout [image (pick some-items 5)] You can refer to other items by adding and subtracting index numbers: alert pick some-items (last-item - 4) There are several other ways to do the exact same thing in REBOL. The "compose" function allows variables in parentheses to be evaluated and inserted as if they'd been typed explicitly into a code block: view layout compose [image some-items/(last-item)] ; The line above appears to the interpreter as if the following ; had been typed: view layout [image some-items/5] The "compose" function is very useful whenever you want to refer to data at variable index positions within a block. The "reduce" function can also be used to produce the same type of evaluation. Function words in a reduced block should begin with the tick (') symbol: view layout reduce ['image some-items/(last-item)] Another way to use variable values explicitly is with the ":" format below. This code evaluates the same as the previous two examples: view layout [image some-items/:last-item] Think of the colon format above as the opposite of setting a variable. As you've seen, the colon symbol placed after a variable word sets the word to equal some value. A colon symbol placed before a variable word gets the value assigned to the
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They say doctors have defied a court order suspending the strike until the end of this month to allow for more talks.
But the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists' Union (KMPDU) said it had run out of patience after government commitments failed to materialise.
"We have had lots and lots of diplomacy, and lots and lots of dialogue. Dialogue has to come to an end," union chairman Samuel Oroko said.
About 5,000 medical staff in more than 2,000 public hospitals stopped working at midnight on Sunday.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Doctors also want more medical staff to be hired
Hospitals would not offer even emergency services during the action, the union said.
A BBC correspondent says this puts thousands of lives at risk because many Kenyans cannot afford private medical care.
At one hospital in western Kenya, a reporter with the Daily Nation newspaper heard a nurse tell a crying woman in labour to go and see the county governor. Under the Kenyan system, counties are responsible for paying some medical staff.
Meanwhile, at least 50 mental health patients at the Mathare mental hospital in Nairobi were reported to have left the facility amid the chaos of the strike.
Video posted on the website of the Standard newspaper appeared to show patients climbing over hospital walls and walking away.
Image caption The doctors' hashtag "LipaKamaTender" refers to alleged government corruption
What is the strike about?
Medical staff want a deal signed between the Kenya Medical Practitioners' Union and the Kenya government in 2013 to be implemented.
The agreement included a 300% pay rise for doctors.
The doctors' union also says it wants more medics hired to reduce the doctor-patient ratio, currently one doctor for more than 16,000 Kenyans.
"We have a big shortage of doctors yet our counties are sending doctors away, saying they cannot hire more doctors," union representative Gitau Kagona told the Daily Nation. "We cannot have good service delivery in hospitals because of this challenge."
Why are doctors talking about corruption?
Some medical staff brought empty sacks to an event marking the beginning of the strike, a reference to money paid under a controversial government tender to a businesswoman, who reportedly carried it off in a sack.
They also launched a social media hashtag - #LipaKamaTender - which roughly translates as "pay like the tenders", implying the state should pay their salaries as efficiently as it pays government tenders.
How common are such strikes in Kenya?
There have been protests and isolated strikes from various medical practitioners in parts of the country over the delay in raising salaries.
However this is the first nationwide strike on the issue.
The doctors' decision not to offer emergency care follows a similar approach taken by medical staff during a week-long strike in Burkina Faso last month, when medical students and army health workers were brought in to offer treatment.Hello everyone!
I just wanted to quickly update you that there will be a small change for our Your Django Story interview series. Instead of twice a week, every Monday and Friday, we will only publish one Django Story a week, every Monday, from now on. But don’t be sad! :) This way you can be excited all week and a new Django Story will be waiting for you after the weekend and will hopefully brighten up your Monday :). And if you can’t get enough this is a great opportunity to catch up on all the wonderful Django Stories we published so far or to just read them again. :)
We are always looking for new Django Stories. If you would like to share your story or know of an awesome lady who woks with Django whose story we should feature please ping us at [email protected]. If you feel a little insecure or don’t know if you should contact us please read this post.
Stay tuned for the next Django Story on Monday and have fun reading all the previous ones!
Thank you for your ongoing support! We really appreciate it!
Anna <3Back
May 14, 2015
ROAR is introducing a rules change with immediate effect that results in 2 different wheel configurations being available as options for manufacturers and competitors:
- the existing 2.2" nominal wheels
- the newer 2.4" or 61mm nominal wheels
The new rules do not include dimensions compatible with vintage style wheels as they are generally not used in ROAR sanctioned competition.
Dimensions for the traditional 2.2" wheel will be:
- Mounting Bead Diameter - 2.20 inch (55.88mm) +/-.013 inch (.30mm)
- Maximum Overall Diameter - 2.42 inch (61.468 mm)
- Width - 1.513 inch (38.43mm) maximum
Dimensions for the newer wheel style will be:
- Mounting Bead Diameter - 2.380 - 2.427 inch (60.45 - 61.65 mm)
- Maximum Overall Diameter - 2.571 inch (65.3 mm)
- Width - 1.513 inch (38.43mm) maximum1. You’ve realized you’re powerful
“Feeling sexy is about power,” says J. Maria Bermudez, PhD, a family therapist and associate professor at The University of Georgia. People in power tend to have infectious, wildly appealing charisma. And don’t you feel strong just having gone through the birth process? Heck, you created a whole (pretty amazing) human. If you can do that, you can do almost anything.
2. You’re in charge
Ever heard of mama-bear syndrome? Having a defenseless little baby you’re responsible for can make you more assertive and confident. “Motherhood tends to make women less fearful and more open to all sorts of things,” says Danielle Cavallucci, coauthor of Your Orgasmic Pregnancy. You’re not shy about speaking up when the doctor’s office wait is too long, or saying “hands off” when a stranger tries to touch baby in the supermarket. Can we all agree that confidence makes someone more alluring? And there’s really no reason to be shy in the bedroom either.
3. Breastfeeding = nature’s boob job
For as long as you’re breastfeeding, your normally B cups may be well in D-cup territory, and anything fitted with a V-neck looks ah-mazing. Being big busted feels healthy, takes the focus off any baby weight you still want to lose and makes you feel hot in your favorite slinky slip. Not to mention the fact that your partner can’t take his eyes off your new, more voluptuous figure.
4. You’re in touch with your body
“Something about letting go of the muscles surrounding a woman’s vaginal floor during childbirth allows a greater release of what is, for some, a pent-up area of their sexuality,” Cavallucci says. Translation: You may feel like you’re better at working things, um, down there.
5. You’re less self-conscious
When you give birth, you pretty much have to leave all your humility at the door. You were practically naked (or maybe completely naked) in front of virtual strangers in the delivery room. Why have any inhibitions about your body now?
6. The big “o” gets better
Heard rumors of a horrible sex life after baby? That’s not always true. While science hasn’t proven it, Cavallucci says many women she’s interviewed have better, more intense orgasms during pregnancy, and that translates to great postbaby ones too. “Anything that opens you up to a more full sexual expression is going to increase your capacity for sensory pleasure,” she says.
7. You feel closer to your partner
“Sometimes becoming a mother can reinvigorate a woman’s sex life by adding dimension and depth to her relationship with herself as well as her partner,” Cavallucci says. You two got through the terrifying, beautiful, emotionally draining birth together, and now that you’ve made the big leap into parent status, you’re working as a team in ways you never did before. This new bond rejuvenates your relationship and can inspire that can’t-keep-your-hands-off-each-other feeling.
Plus, More from The Bump:
10 Things Only Parents Think Are Sexy
Date Night Ideas for New Parents
How to Rev Up Your Sex Life
PHOTO: iStockWhether you have E-ZPass or not, you won't be stopping at a toll booth on the Thruway in the very near future.
The NY State Thruway Authority's plan to dismantle tool booths in Harriman and Yonkers is on schedule, according to the Times Herald Record. Bids will be taken during the first quarter of the year for companies to begin demolition on the existing toll booths.
The plan is to move the Thruway to an entirely electronic system. Overhead sensors will pick up on motorists with E-ZPass and automatically deduct their tolls from their accounts. The rest will have their cars scanned by high-speed cameras and motorists will be identified by their license plates and sent bills in the mail.
Similar technology is being installed on the two new spans of the Tappan Zee bridge and will be operational when they open next year and in 2018.
What are your thoughts on the new system? Will you be happy to maintain your speed through toll areas or do you think it's another invasion of privacy to scan every car?EA
Against all odds, the new "Star Wars" game is a major hit. It was the second best-selling game in November, according to market research company The NPD Group, just behind the latest "Call of Duty" game.
Take a look:
The NPD Group/Business Insider
That's a major surprise given the game's tumultuous debut.
"Star Wars Battlefront 2" launched on November 19 to a storm of controversy. Major changes were made before the game even launched — a response to backlash from fans who played the game ahead of its official release. Those changes continued in the week following launch, arriving against the backdrop of largely negative reviews of the game.
In short, "Star Wars Battlefront 2" is underwhelming. It's graphically beautiful and rife with "Star Wars" fan favorites like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, but the game's single-player campaign is shallow and its multiplayer is bland.
Worse: The game's multiplayer section seemingly encourages players to pay additional money for in-game "loot boxes." Much of the controversy around "Battlefront 2" directly concerns the loot-box system — a Hawaii lawmaker is even pursuing potential legislation based on the backlash.
This is a loot crate in "Battlefront 2." EA DICE
Regardless of this backlash, and regardless of largely negative reviews (including our own), "Star Wars Battlefront 2" was a sales hit in its debut month.
According to The NPD Group, "Battlefront 2" topped sales of "Assassin's Creed Origins" and "Super Mario Odyssey" — two of the biggest launches of the year. It also topped so-called "evergreen" blockbusters like "FIFA 18" and "Madden 18." It's not clear how many copies of "Battlefront 2" were sold; the game is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The last game in the series, 2015's "Star Wars Battlefront," sold over 10 million copies.
Whether "Battlefront 2" can sustain its initial sales momentum is another question, but it assuredly won't hurt that a major "Star Wars" film just launched.A report from the City Council Office of the Legislative Inspector General concludes that 29 aldermen took in a total of $282,000 in illegal campaign donations in 2013. The donations, ranging anywhere from $500 to in excess of $50,000, were found to have violated the city’s ethics ordinance, according to Legislative Inspector General Faisal Khan.
The ordinance limits aldermen from receiving campaign contributions in excess of $1,500 from “persons who have done business with the City or its sister agencies within the previous four years, persons who are seeking to do business with the city or its sister agencies, and lobbyists. “
“Council isn’t upset about needing a new L.I.G. They’re just not going to find one.”
–Faisal Khan
The ordinance defines “doing business,” as receiving more than $10,000 in a calendar year from the city. The L.I.G.’s office would not say who the aldermen were, but assistant Legislative Inspector General Michael Graham told "Chicago Tonight" that the office found “four aldermen that had $50,000 or more in questionable contributions.”
The money overwhelmingly came from developers and real estate companies, according to Graham.
Alderman Nicholas Sposato (38th Ward) told "Chicago Tonight" that he was one of the 29 aldermen that violated the rules. He received a letter from Khan demanding that he return $1,500 in contributions from his landlord, Dave Cwik. Sposato accepted $3,000 in campaign money from Cwik in 2013 ($1,500 over the limit). Cwik is technically doing business with the city because Sposato is leasing taxpayer-funded office space from him. Sposato says Cwik is a friend, and that he wasn’t aware of any violation.
“I didn’t know that, by law, he was considered a contractor with the city,” Sposato said. “I returned the money as soon as I got the letter.”
Graham says most aldermen had similarly small violations.
“A lot of aldermen aren’t watching their books very closely because they’ve never had this scrutinized very closely,” Graham said. “But others—the bigger violators— seem like they are willfully violating the law.”
Aldermen Joe Moreno (1st Ward) and Joe Moore (49th Ward) confirmed they also received letters from Khan.
“It was so vague. I couldn’t tell you what he was accusing me of,” Moore said. “He said there were contributors on the vendor list, but I couldn’t find any of them. Could one or two have slipped through the cracks? Perhaps.”
The Chicago Board of Ethics filed the initial campaign finance complaint and sent it to Khan’s office for further review and verification. Khan says the office has started to look at questionable campaign contributions from 2014 and estimates that the number will be “far higher than 2013.” But he says his review of the numbers will end on Monday, when his controversial four-year term as the city’s first legislative inspector general ends.
Khan says he believes the City Council is purposely dragging its feet on a replacement because it doesn’t actually want oversight.
“They’ve had months and months to make sure there’s a replacement up and running so this office could move over smoothly to a different operation,” Khan said. “That’s really the true motivation here. Council isn’t upset about needing a new L.I.G. They’re just not going to find one.”
In the video below, Khan talks about the search for his replacement.
Aldermen have universally acknowledged that the office was largely feckless in its ability to investigate and oversee them. The rules prohibited the office from starting any of its own investigations and required whistleblowers to sign their name to a complaint.
Other aldermen said that Khan himself was an inept investigator. Moore, whom Khan accused of running a ghost pay-rolling scheme, mockingly referred to him as “Inspector Clouseau.”
An ordinance to empower the City’s better resourced executive Inspector General Joe Ferguson to keep watch over aldermen has been sitting in the City Council’s Rules Committee since it was reintroduced in April. That committee’s chairperson, Alderman Michelle Harris (8th Ward), says the votes aren’t there to pass the ordinance, despite more than half of City Council signing on as co-sponsors.
Sources have repeatedly told "Chicago Tonight" that longtime aldermen Ed Burke (14th Ward) and Carrie Austin (34th Ward) are holding that legislation up. Austin has publicly opposed oversight from Ferguson’s office.
During a recent question and answer session, "Chicago Tonight" asked Burke what he felt should happen to the office now that Khan’s term has expired. Burke abruptly ended the proceedings and said “Thank you ladies and gentlemen,” and walked off without answering the question. (Watch the exchange below.)
Moreno penned a letter to Harris on Friday asking her to call the ordinance for a vote, saying that Ferguson was the “most qualified” inspector general to handle the job of overseeing aldermen.
Khan himself says he believes Ferguson should take over his duties.
Harris has said a panel would be convened to select a new legislative inspector general to take over for Khan.
“I would be vigorously opposed to that,” Moore said. “We’re going down the same rabbit hole. To have a bifurcated system like this is ridiculous. We’ll find another bozo like the one we’ve had.”
Alderman Ameya Pawar (47th Ward) says he will introduce an ordinance on Wednesday that would give the Legislative Inspector General’s office the same investigative powers that Ferguson’s office has.
But Susan Garrett, head of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, says the lack of action on a replacement is “disconcerting.”
“It’s very dangerous,” she said. “It’s almost as if they are operating on their own without any oversight. They’ve been talking about this for years. It’s not as if this is a surprise event. There’s been absolutely no effort to put in place a system that’s transparent.”
Alderman Sposato says he agrees.
“We’re embarrassing ourselves,” he said. “I mean, we don’t have a track record for honesty.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel remains non-committal on a solution, saying only that “City Council cannot go back to the days of no oversight.”
But those days are set to return after Monday.Canadians, you must chafe under the yoke of a Gingerbread-free existence no longer, for the Nexus S is coming to the Great White North sometime in March. According to Mobilicity CEO Dave Dobbin, the handset will be available on the company's AWS band, but he also said that Bell, Telus, and Rogers will carry the Nexus S as well. If true, that means Samsung will be providing another model of the phone with support for WCDMA 850 / 1900 for it to work with Canada's big three wireless providers. We can only hope that's the case, as said model would be usable on AT&T's network -- making an awful lot of us living south of Canada quite happy. Peep the video after the break to hear the good news for yourself.Share. "To animals in the real world, humans are the real Creepers." "To animals in the real world, humans are the real Creepers."
Animal rights organisation PETA has unveiled its own Minecraft server - a "digital utopia" in which no in-game animals can be harmed.
According to a PETA blog post, gamers will be able to explore a world in which Minecraft's animals don't have to worry about being turned into pork chops. Instead, you'll be able to visit vegetable and flower gardens, walk through a recreation of PETA's headquarters, and even explore an abandoned and decaying slaughterhouse (no, really). Check out the scenery in our slideshow below.
PETA Does Minecraft 8 IMAGES Fullscreen Image Artboard 3 Copy Artboard 3 ESC 01 OF 08 01 OF 08 PETA Does Minecraft Download Image Captions ESC
To celebrate the launch of this virtual animal paradise, PETA is holding a series of in-game "build-off" competitions as well as a pro-animal rally on Saturday. The server and its corresponding log-in details will become available on PETA's blog this Saturday November 15 at 10am.
"True to PETA's mission—and unlike on other Minecraft servers—PETA's server caters directly to the animal-friendly gamer," says PETA's director of marketing Joel Bartlett. "To animals in the real world, humans are the real Creepers, but our server gives young people—and all Minecraft fans—a glimpse of a world in which slaughterhouses are forgotten relics and all animals are free to live without being harmed."
This isn't PETA's first video game protest; the organisation has previously hit out at Ubisoft for its portrayal of whaling in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and has claimed that Super Mario 3D Land encouraged the wearing of fur by outfitting Mario in the "skin of a raccoon dog."
Katie Williams is a freelance writer and games journalist. She tweets at @desensitisation and hopes that one day, a bird will tweet back.Charges dismissed against Knoxville officer arrested for DUI Copyright by WATE - All rights reserved Woody Binham (SOURCE: Knox County Sheriff's Office) [ + - ] Video
WATE 6 On Your Side Staff - KNOXVILLE (WATE) - Charges against a Knoxville police officer were dismissed due to failure to prosecute.
According to court documents, Woody Bingham, 36, was charged with driving under the influence and possession of a handgun while under the influence. Officers were called to the scene after a report of a hit-and-run.
Previous story: Knoxville police officer arrested for DUI
Officers said they found Bingham's car parked over a curb near the Waffle House on Lovell Road. He admitted to drinking at Cotton Eye Joe, did not recall hitting anything, but remembered driving.
A field sobriety test indicated Bingham was intoxicated and he was taken into custody. Officers found two loaded handguns in his side door and under the center seat.
Bingham was assigned to an administrative position. Darrell DeBusk with the Knoxville Police Department said he has no police powers and will remain in that position until the internal affairs investigation has been completed.The deaths of Mr. Roy and Mr. Rhaman this month have sent a chilling message to the country’s secular bloggers, who say they are competing for the hearts and minds of young people exposed to oceans of material promoting conservative Islam.
Image A relative of Oyasiqur Rhaman in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Monday. Mr. Rhaman had been attacked on his way to work. Credit Munir Uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Mr. Haider, Mr. Roy and Mr. Rhaman were all swept up in the 2013 Shahbag movement, which called for the death penalty for Islamist political leaders who were implicated in atrocities committed during the 1971 war for independence from Pakistan. The movement was met with a passionate response from young Islamist activists, deepening a divide among members of the same generation over whether Bangladesh is, or should be, a Muslim state.
Omi Rahman Pial, another prominent blogger from the same group, said he heard from five activists on Monday who said they were considering seeking asylum outside Bangladesh. Arif Jebtik, another activist, said that more “have begun shutting their blogs down” under pressure from their families.
It has always been risky for Bangladeshi intellectuals to criticize Islam, but when they fled the country, it used to be to avoid prosecution, not extremist violence, said Sara Hossain, a Bangladeshi supreme court lawyer.
“People who have lived in conflict zones will describe how you move from being a society where you attack people verbally and try to invoke the law against them,” she said. “Now our society is increasingly going toward one where you murder your enemies.”
Many people here had a mixed reaction to Mr. Roy’s death, condemning the violence but also taking issue with his views.
“Look, 93.2 percent of Bangladeshis are Muslim, and 80 percent of those are against what he wrote,” said Abdullah Fahim, 22, a business student at North South University, a private institution here. “I don’t know why our government gave him the liberty to write against Islam.”
Monirul Islam, a police official who is overseeing the investigation into Mr. Roy’s death, said the police have seen a pattern of attacks on writers and intellectuals. Those involved are often well-off, Internet-savvy young people, he said, and not the impoverished men who typically committed such crimes in the past. Mr. Islam said the attackers operate in small groups and have been active so far in eight to 10 of the country’s 64 districts.Several hours after the Patriots selected Dominique Easley in the first round of the NFL draft May 8, the hulking defensive tackle set his mind to accomplish just one thing. He returned the next day to Curtis High in Staten Island, N.Y., where his football career began, and asked administrators for the chance to share some time with the student body.
A menacing presence once described by his University of Florida defensive coordinator as someone who plays to physically hurt his opponents, Easley showed the fiercely loyal side of his character. So there he was, a few minutes before 10 on a Friday morning, strolling through the door and helping to coordinate an assembly with 600 students in Curtis’ packed auditorium.
Easley passionately pleaded for the kids to stay in school, use every resource at their disposal, surround themselves with those who root for their success and befriend authority figures. It was the same way Easley lived as he became the No. 2 football recruit in the country while keeping up a stellar transcript and reputation, which all made him a low-maintenance prospect.
He may have gotten the crowd a little misty that morning, too, when he said the goal wasn’t the NFL as much as it was to be successful enough to support his mother.
“I was proud. I was very happy,” Easley’s mother, Carine, said after hearing about the speech. “It brought tears to my eyes when they told me that.”
Support system
Carine Easley, who works for United Airlines, understood the root of her son’s message. She always demanded classroom excellence and maintained that playing sports was a privilege. Although his mother and father — David Easley, an Army Reserve staff sergeant who served in Iraq and Afghanistan — got divorced when he was a child, the youngster always heard the same message from his parents and his uncle, Juan Easley.
The support helped turn Easley into the bright, friendly character coveted by the Patriots. From every stage of his life, Easley has supporters who vouch for a jovial guy who lights up the room and faithfully stands by his family, friends and teammates. The Pats did their homework.
Carine was the head of the household, and she trotted Easley around to each of his sporting events, or at least the ones in which he was allowed to participate. Because Easley was, according to his mother, 5-foot-4 and 130 pounds as an 8-year-old, she carried his birth certificate everywhere to quell protesting parents.
The certificate didn’t help Easley on the football field, though, as he was banned from youth leagues due to his massive presence.
“It’s heartbreaking when a child wants to play football, and they keep telling him he’s too big,” Carine said.
Easley bided his time with baseball and basketball until Curtis High football coach Peter Gambardella uncovered the most prized recruit in the history of a program with a solid tradition. Easley’s work ethic spread throughout the locker room, as did his high self-expectations. For instance, if Easley was chop blocked, he would get ticked for allowing himself to be in the position to be taken out of a play.
Easley had become a national sensation by his junior season, when recruiters swarmed as never before in the area. Staten Island has also produced former Pats Steve Gregory (a fellow Curtis alum) and Joe Andruzzi (Tottenville High), but Gambardella said Easley’s rise changed the way major college programs view the New York City borough.
Yet, Easley was never distracted by it.
“When that spring hit,” Gambardella said, “he would go, ‘Coach, this is all nice for me, but I’m not leaving until we have a championship together.’ That really defined who he was. He was more interested in pushing and making the team better.”
The team goals hit an early snag during Easley’s senior season in 2009, though. They were blown out by local rival Fort Hamilton High in Week 2, and Easley was working through some injuries while playing every snap of every game on both sides of the line. Gambardella made the unpopular decision to rest Easley the following week, which led to two weeks of silent treatment, but the star made it pay off in the long run.
Easley returned to score touchdowns in three consecutive games — a strip-sack and interceptions off screen and swing passes — and got revenge by blocking an extra point in a 1-point victory against Fort Hamilton in the Public School Athletic League semifinals. Curtis won the coveted city championship a week later after Easley made a key third-down sack and helped push through the line to give a teammate an alley to block a punt.
Easley has kept a close relationship with Gambardella, too. During a winter break at Florida, Easley returned to Staten Island because his father was up from South Carolina. Easley stopped by Gambardella’s house for a couple hours to spend time with his family. But Easley disappeared just as quickly, hopping back on a plane that day in order to make it back to Florida for two workouts the following day. Gestures like that are why Gambardella’s 6-year-old child demanded a Patriots jersey in time for school Monday morning.
Gaining in Gainesville
The Florida Gators got the same guy. Easley arrived in Gainesville, Fla., in 2010 with fellow blue-chip recruit Sharrif Floyd, a defensive tackle who was the Vikings’ first-round pick in 2013. They were so eager to begin working out that they bought a couple beaters to bike around Gainesville, trekking through hills without any gears. One day, about four miles from home, Easley wrecked the bike whipping around a corner and had to ride home on a crooked wheel while Floyd provided a heckling soundtrack.
“It was the funniest night of my life,” Floyd said. “I made him pedal all the way back.”
They were inseparable off the field (they are godfathers to each other’s sons, Dominique II and Trygg) and forged the SEC’s most dominant interior tandem on it. But Easley’s savage playing style was derailed in the 2011 finale when he tore his left ACL. Still, after rehabbing like a maniac, Easley returned for the 2012 season and played even better, according to all accounts, despite having to spend six days a week getting treatment to gear up for gameday. Floyd knew the drill after tearing his own ACL in high school, and he was shocked to see how quickly Easley regained his explosion.
But it happened again during practice last September, ruining what had been a wildly disruptive three-game stretch against opposing offenses to open his senior season. This time, it was Easley’s right knee, but he was relatively fortunate it was a non-contact injury.
Ivan Candelaria, owner of Raritan Physical Therapy and Radical Athletic Development in Edison, N.J., has been Easley’s rehab guru since high school and knows the dynamics of his client’s body better than anyone. Candelaria set up Easley with renowned Dr. James Andrews for both surgeries, which repaired the ACLs by using grafts from the patellar tendon.
No knee’d to worry
Easley has again progressed well from the October surgery and participated in practice drills last week on a limited basis, according to a source. The Patriots haven’t set a definitive timetable for his offseason rehab, but there’s no doubt Easley will be ready by Week 1.
“He’ll definitely be on the field this season,” Candelaria said. “There’s no reason why he wouldn’t be able to start right away. It depends how they want to bring him along. The Patriots do things the right way.
“He’s functional to the point where if he had to play a football game today, he can. He’s definitely ready to go.”
Since Easley has a proven track record of overcoming a torn ACL, his supporters had no worries about his draft stock. Easley told his mother not to worry because he tested well enough in the offseason to be a Day 1 pick. Floyd said he didn’t even watch the draft because there was no doubt.
Now, the Patriots are getting a tenacious team-first competitor who plays with a harnessed violence that will benefit the entire defense.
Said Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin: “One of the great things about Dominique (is) when he lines up across from someone, it’s the same. He’s trying to physically hurt them. Seriously, that’s the guy’s approach. It’s an amazing thing.”
The Patriots are also adding a potential star — and one who told friends he is overjoyed to learn from veteran five-time Pro Bowler Vince Wilfork. They’ve acquired a joker who will crack up the room by dancing to the music in his own head. Many coaches and teammates will gain a friend for life, and team owner Robert Kraft — by all accounts — is landing a role model who will be a pillar in the community.
That’s Dominique Easley, the first-round pick who values his past as much as his present and future, the pride of Curtis High and the prize of the Patriots.“So I can sleep. I sleep good down there,” said 54-year-old Al Ditty just before noon.
He’d slept for an hour that night, if at all. The last time he ate a regular meal, God only knew.
This unsettled life had been Al’s lot going on three months now. It began when his bosses at the Minneapolis Public Works Department suspended him and refused to tell him why.
Al’s insomnia meant seesawing between bedrooms. He’d start upstairs in the room with the framed Homer Hankie and the Jesse Ventura bobblehead. When his frustration got too thick, Al headed for the mattress in the basement. Foiled again, he’d hike back upstairs. So the cycle churned.
He needed rest. He wanted peace. He’d been denied both. His malfunctioning had grown more pronounced in the past week, ever since the city fired Al after 32 years on the job.
Sister Sheila (left) and mom Dorleen Ditty holding a picture of Al Ditty Galen Fletcher
Dorleen recused herself from another rerun of her game show. She walked down the hall to her bedroom, where she used her cane to rap on the floor.
“Al? Al? Are you okay?”
She worried about the welfare of her boy, with his pudgy six-foot frame and a quick-draw smile that in a span of 10 weeks had become a concave shell below PTSD eyes.
Fetching the laundry from the dryer provided Dorleen an excuse.
She pressed an ear against the basement bedroom door.
“Al? Are you okay?”
No answer.
She bought time emptying the dryer. Then she gently turned the knob, nudging open the door. The bed was empty. Al’s feet were sticking out from the closet.
They call me the working man
Suburban dreams carried Jim and Dorleen Ditty from northeast Minneapolis to Brooklyn Center. Jim was a union pipefitter, Dorleen a stay-at-home mom. They moved into their new home on Logan Avenue with two young daughters, Sheila and Debbie. Gender equity would arrive with the births of sons Allan and Richard.
In the 1960s, Brooklyn Center resembled present-day Ramsey. It was prime terrain for making forts and riding dirt bikes, which helped frame Al into a lumberjack of a young man who always seemed to roll with whatever, his wants amounting to KISS tickets and a Vikings Super Bowl win.
He’d inherit a blue-collar work ethic. After graduating from Anoka High, he worked as a laborer for a sign company, swiftly rising to foreman and overseeing 25 employees.
It was a decent job. But Al fancied a profession.
A hit-and-run accident in 1985 claimed sister Debbie. The 25-year-old single mom left behind a daughter, whom Dorleen, by then a divorcee, would adopt. Debbie’s premature goodbye would teach Al that you can’t wait around for life to happen.
Al was his niece’s father figure, homework consultant, field trip chaperone, snack fixer, and suppertime cook. He relished the role.
Al’s wants were few: a Vikings Super Bowl win during his lifetime and retirement with a good pension after faithfully working decades for Minneapolis Public Works.
“When I went through a divorce... he’s whom I turned to,” sister Sheila says. “After the split... Al was my on-call handyman. He was there when my son would have to write reports or interview somebody for school. He was there on the sidelines for his Orono High School soccer games and tennis matches.”
Al applied to be a sanitation worker for the city of Minneapolis. Legions of others pined for the same gig. A lottery decided which names advanced to the next step in the hiring process. Al scored. He started as a garbage man in 1986.
“He was all smiling and so excited,” says Sheila. “By working for the city, he talked about how he would earn a good living, a pension. How he was looking forward to the future. How he was going to be able to have a career.”
Commendations came regularly, official and otherwise. He was recognized for excellence in 1994. A decade later, a representative from a 60-unit townhouse complex in Marcy Holmes wrote then-Minneapolis City Council Member Diane Hofstede to specifically call out Al for going out of his way to visit with the condo association and provide “answers to all our questions” concerning “garbage and recycling bins.”
He called in sick just four days over three decades, and served as the president of his laborers union local. In 2015, he was promoted to foreman.
According to three fellow employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of talking to a reporter without city approval, Al’s gentleness filtered into his professional life.
“Al cared about us people. He cared about us workers,” says one. “He loved the city he worked for. He loved the people he worked with, and he always looked out for our safety.”
No way out
September 2015 brought reasons for celebration. First came Al’s 32nd anniversary with the city. Two days later, he turned 54 years old, meaning he was a year removed from early retirement eligibility.
“He’d mentioned moving to Las Vegas, living in one of those age-55 and older places,” says Dorleen. “But I never thought he was serious about it. Work was everything to Al. When he wasn’t working, he went up north to the cabins of co-workers and to sporting events” with Dave Herberholz, Minneapolis’ director of Solid Waste and Recycling.
He read the Bible daily.
On November 15, two Minneapolis police officers shot and killed Jamar Clark. Turmoil invaded the city.
Protesters squatted outside the Minneapolis Police Fourth Precinct on Plymouth Avenue North. Molotov cocktails and rocks were hurled at officers. A dozen people appeared at the front door of Mayor Betsy Hodges’ home, demanding she release video footage that might show whether Clark was handc
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visiting Starbucks executive that people with disabilities could do more than they were given credit for. His duties were subsequently expanded, and he was given a crack at making drinks, Starbucks said.
The video’s background music is more than just a soundtrack. It gives Sam, who also has a movement disorder, more control, said Starbucks store manager Chris Ali.
Getty Images Autistic programmer Melanie Altrock, then 27, at work in 2013 at Auticon in Berlin.
In recent years, there have seen advances in hiring autistic people, especially in technology companies, said Susanne Bruyere, Ph.D., director of Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute. For technology companies, which are often proactive about trying new and different approaches, “adding the element of disability, or neurodiversity, is not a big stretch,” she said.
But, by and large, “we still see people with disabilities being hired for jobs much under their skill level,” Badesch said.
One reason may be an issue on the front end. In a job interview, candidates are expected to be outgoing, to look the interviewer in the eye and adapt immediately to unfamiliar spaces — all things that people with autism can find challenging.
Modifications to alleviate those factors, like lowering harsh lights in a room, are easy to make, but are something an employer “may not realize … may not have anything to do with a person’s job,” Badesch said.
So what does Badesch see when he watches the video that has been viewed more than 51 million times? “It shows a guy wanting to work and wanting to make the job enjoyable,” he said. “And a company that’s willing to let him do it.”Kyle Petrocine, renewable energy manager for Wallowa Resources, said field tests in other regions have shown soil improvement when biochar is used as a soil amendment (Katy Nesbitt) 6067821
Kyle Petrocine, renewable energy manager for Wallowa Resources, said field tests in other regions have shown soil improvement when biochar is used as a soil amendment (Katy Nesbitt) - grande observer
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ENTERPRISE — Funding from the federal farm bill is being put to innovative use in Wallowa County, allowing a local group to continue experimenting with biochar as a soil amendment.
A portion of nearly $6.5 million dollars of federal and private money earmarked for on-farm improvements and conservation easements will provide funding for Wallowa Resources, a local natural resource group, to take their trials from the land to the field. The group hopes to determine how much and how often adding charcoal to Wallowa Valley and Zumwalt Prairie soil will boost the its health and productivity.
The trials are part of the modernization of irrigation systems included in the Regional Conservation Partnership Program secured this winter by Wallowa Resources, Wallowa Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy. Kyle Petrocine, renewable energy manager for Wallowa Resources, said field tests in other regions have shown soil improvement with biochar used as a soil amendment.
“More and more studies showing biochar has multiple benefits for soil both in forest application and in agriculture,” Petrocine said.
There have been several studies pointing to biochar’s benefits for soil, but not of its economic benefit.
“We want to get more biochar in the ground to determine its efficacy and whether or not it’s economical to use as a soil amendment,” Petrocine said.
None of the studies could answer whether or not there was an economic benefit, Petrocine said, and the staff at Wallowa Resources was curious about answering that question locally. So far the work they’ve done has been in a lab partnering with Oregon State University.
“The lab study at OSU had positive results and matched up well with previously published literature,” Petrocine said.
The next phase is getting biochar in the ground this spring during the planting season,
literature,” Petrocine said.
The next phase is getting biochar in the ground this spring during the planting season, Petrocine said, while he continues to look for funding to match the federal money distributed through the Natural Resource Conservation Service If supplementing the soil makes economic sense, Petrocine said the next step is looking into the feasibility of making biochar in Wallowa County.
See full story in Wednesday's Observer
16472765Los Angeles County's newest record has prompted a warning from health officials: beware of rabid bats.
So far this year, 45 cases have been confirmed, according to the Department of Public Health. The previous record of 38 rabid bats was set in 2011.
Typically, there are only 10 cases a year, according to the DPH.
"The reason for the increase in rabid bats is unclear. Regardless, it is important that everyone understand the potential dangers posed to themselves and their pets as most of these rabid bats have been found in and around homes," DPH Director Jonathan E. Fielding said in a statement.
If exposed to a bat, health officials recommend seeking immediate medical attention.
It's been more than 50 years since a locally acquired case of human rabies has been confirmed in Los Angeles County.
DPH's Tips for Reducing the Risk of Rabies:Dear backers, first we'd like to thank you all for your incredible efforts so far. We know that a lot of you have already increased their pledge, this is awesome!
Right now we only have one week left and still $63K to go.
From our side we will keep up the communication efforts. We keep getting new interview requests, some coming from major gaming websites. We also decided to distribute a press specific version of our current prototype 3 days ago.
On your side please continue to spread the word about Planets³.
Our voxel approach
A lot of people have asked us about our engine and how we manage to display all these blocks. So here are a few details about the implementation.
In Planets³ we wanted to be able to interact with the entire environment so we decided to use voxels. Moreover we had this amazing gameplay constraint : to be able to see the entire solar system at all time wherever you are. The development of our custom voxel engine required hundreds of hours of work.
To make it possible to see everything, we had to implement a sub-resolution system so that landscape elements that are far away are drawn with less precision (thus reducing required resources a lot). In our game, changing the view distance, only changes the boundary where the first resolution switches to the next.
View distance = 12m on the left and 40m on the right
However sub-resolutions alone weren’t enough to make the game playable, because of the massive lighting and generation computation. Multithreading was the solution but also the most difficult task to implement.
Today’s result is that we have a multithreaded voxel engine that enables us to have an “infinite” view distance in real time.
Additionally, our engine enables us to travel long distances and even to go from planets to planets without any loading time. If you want to explore the planet you are seeing in the sky, you just have to fly over there and land on it.
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Shout Out (Cross Promotion)
DEAD SYNCHRONICITY
A dark point and click adventure game.
Hero Trap
A dynamic roguelike dungeon-crawler with heros.
Red Solstice
A strategy / RPG and coop game set on planet Mars.Posted April 23, 2015 at 1:01 am
- Ellen's troubles with researching the cloaked figure
Whenever I announce a new comic on social media these days, I use an image from the comic as a preview. Knowing that elaboration of Ashley's statement was highly anticipated by many, I chose this as the preview image for this comic:
I am, quite obviously, pure evil.
Way back in 2006, I made a couple of choices regarding the word bisexual that were basically based in ignorance, and the main issue on my end was actually one of the reasons Ashley takes issue with labels: I was treating "bisexual" as though it had one very specific definition, and that any deviation from that definition meant technically not counting as bisexual. This resulted in Grace claiming she wasn't.
And, depending on who you ask, she isn't. There are those who would say she's demisexual. There are also those who would say that she can be attracted to men and women, and regardless of the specifics, that makes her bi. There are other arguments to be had, but whatever anyone might consider the correct answer, my point is that there is a lack of consensus on what the right word to use is.
Another point is, regardless of what words you choose, Grace is Grace. She's attracted to who and what she's attracted to regardless of what word one chooses to assign. "Grace is Grace" became my most common answer when people would ask about what word I would use to describe her sexuality.
As for the other choice, that with Ellen, I probably would have made use of the terms used in today's comic if doing that scene again. Or maybe I would simply imply them more deliberately, as I would have to elaborate anyway to make sure everyone was on the same page, and that would be true even if "homoromantic" wasn't so new that it got squiggly red lines under it when I typed it into the script.
In any case, panel two is how Ellen would describe herself at this point.
And hey, Wednesday's EGS:NP! There will also be a Friday EGS:NP, though the next story comic will be Monday thanks mostly to the amount of time I spent on this comic's script (this is NOT an easy subject to explain clearly; it's basically using words to explain the failings of words), and my mentally and physically feeling like garbage yesterday.Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
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From FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi …
The St. Louis Cardinals say they like their starting rotation. But that is not preventing them from pursuing a major upgrade. The team is exploring trades for left-handers Cole Hamels and David Price and the possibility of signing free-agent right-hander Max Scherzer, according to major-league sources.
St. Louis has five excellent starters in Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Lance Lynn, John Lackey, and Carlos Martinez. Young left-hander Marco Gonzales is another rotation option and Jaime Garcia is expected to be recovered from his latest shoulder surgery by the beginning of the 2015 season.
But there are serious question marks surrounding Wainwright, who needed a cleanup procedure on his right elbow in late October, and Wacha, who logged only 107 innings in 2014 due to right shoulder troubles.
Hamels is due $94 million over the next four seasons and carries a $24 million vesting option (or $20 million team option with a $6 million buyout) for 2019. Price is set to become a free agent next offseason.
Scherzer, a native of St. Louis, is thought to be seeking a contract worth close to $200 million.
Follow @drewsilvSaosin - Along The Shadow Vinyl LP Hot Topic Exclusive is rated 5.0 out of 5 by 3.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Ohitsjustjohnny_ from Love this album. I’m hella bummed Hot Topic doesn’t advertise their vinyl exclusives because I love this variant so much. I’ve bought this record three times now, just collecting all the different pressings, but I probably would have only bought it once if someone told me the HT Exclusive was a gorgeous purple & clear smash. They could really kill the vinyl game if HT advertised it better. Nerds like me eat these limited exclusives up.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Sims88 from Great album Anything with Anthony green is gold and getting back with Saosin to drop a full length album amazing hope they release more in the futureMeasurements of the electrical resistance and thermal conductivity of iron at extreme pressures and temperatures cast fresh light on controversial numerical simulations of the properties of Earth's outer core. See Letters p.95 & 99
Earth's core acts like a storage heater, with heat released during crystallization of the inner core that buffers the slow cooling of the planet as it radiates its heat to space. The most obvious expression of this heat transfer is Earth's magnetic field, which is generated by convection in the liquid outer core. But the magnitude of the transfer is controlled by thermal conduction across the boundary between the core and mantle.
In 2012, first-principles numerical simulations1,2 indicated that the thermal conductivity of liquid iron in the outer core is so high that this region might act as a pump that pushes heat towards the core–mantle boundary faster than convection can. If, as these controversial studies suggest, the core is losing heat at such a high rate, it means that the magnetic field must work in previously unimagined ways3, and that the solid inner core must be less than a billion years old4 — a mere babe in planetary terms. In this issue, Ohta et al.5 (page 95) and Konôpková et al.6 (page 99) report studies that experimentally tested the simulations' results using complementary, but distinct, approaches and come to different conclusions.
Both groups use laser-heated diamond-anvil cells to generate the extreme temperatures and pressures of the core–mantle boundary, but that is where the similarity ends. Ohta et al. measured the electrical resistance of iron wires, which is closely related to the wires' thermal conductivity (Fig. 1a). To convert the resistivity measurements to a measure of the thermal conductivity of liquid iron in the outer core, the authors fitted their data to a model of resistivity that assumes that resistance approaches a limit at high temperature (a phenomenon called resistivity saturation). This then allowed them to use the Wiedemann–Franz relationship between resistance and thermal conduction in metals to calculate the thermal conductivity. Both of these procedures have good theoretical bases and are well established for low-pressure observations. The observed high electrical conductivities resulted in a predicted outer-core thermal conductivity of around 90 watts per metre per kelvin, which is in reasonable agreement with the 2012 simulations1,2.
Figure 1: Measuring the thermal conductivity of iron at Earth's core conditions. In diamond anvil cells, the pressure generated between the tips of diamonds can exceed millions of atmospheres. Lasers can be fired through the diamonds to directly heat a sample of a material to 4,000 kelvin or more. a, Ohta et al.5 connected electrodes to a sample of solid iron and measured its electrical resistance (which is inversely proportional to thermal conductivity in metals) at high temperatures and pressures. b, In separate experiments, Konôpková et al.6 pulsed the laser, and measured the time taken for heat pulses to diffuse through a solid iron sample on the basis of changes in the brightness and wavelength of the light emitted from the sample. This allowed them to measure the thermal rate of diffusion, which is closely related to thermal conductivity. Full size image
By contrast, Konôpková et al. directly measured thermal conduction by watching a heat pulse propagate through a solid iron sample after heating with a nanosecond laser pulse (Fig. 1b). The time taken for the pulse to pass from the heated side of the sample to the other side, and the amplitude difference of the pulse between the two sides, are functions of the thermal conductivity of the sample, as well as of the surrounding solid medium that transmits pressure from the diamonds to the sample and thermally insulates the sample from the diamonds. After some careful mathematical modelling of the temperature field in the diamond cell, the authors extracted the thermal conductivity of iron from time-resolved changes in the brightness and wavelength of the glow from the white-hot sample. They obtained a thermal conductivity of about 30 W m−1 K−1, similar to early predictions of outer-core conductivity7.
But this leaves us with a conundrum: how to reconcile the high thermal conductivity reported by Ohta and colleagues on the basis of resistance measurements with the low thermal conductivity measured by Konôpková and co-workers. Maybe there were unknown complications with the experiments? For example, the extremely short laser pulses used by Konôpková et al. might have caused the sample to partially melt for a short period, which could have gone unnoticed during the experiment. If so, then the melting phase transition would have acted as a thermal buffer (much as the crystallization of the inner core buffers Earth's temperature) and caused an apparent decrease in thermal conductivity. This might explain why the measured thermal conductivities decrease so strongly with temperature, particularly at temperatures approaching the melting temperature.
Or maybe Ohta et al. underestimated the heat loss through the electrodes in their experiments, which would mean that the average sample temperature was less than the measured value. This could have made it look as though resistivity was saturating, even if it wasn't. Alternatively, the proportionality constant between electrical resistance and thermal conduction (the Lorenz number) might become strongly temperature dependent at the extreme pressures and temperatures of the experiment — this would point to previously unobserved fundamental physics.
Despite the discrepancy, these two studies are experimental feats, measuring complex physical properties of samples smaller than a pinhead at pressures greater than 1 million atmospheres, and at temperatures above 4,000 K. The fact that the results agree within a factor of three is a remarkable success, but the devil is in the detail. The discrepancy makes a big difference to estimates of when the inner core formed, and hence when Earth generated a stable magnetic field — the inner core could be as little as 700 million years old, about the same age as complex life; or as much as 3 billion years old, about three-quarters of Earth's age. More experimental and theoretical work is needed to resolve the discrepancy and hence to constrain the age of the inner core and the workings of Earth's magnetic field.
References 1. Pozzo, M., Davies, C., Gubbins, D. & Alfè, D. Nature 485, 355–358 (2012). 2. deKoker, N., Steinle-Neumann, G. & Vlček V. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 109, 4070–4073 (2012). 3. Buffett, B. Nature 485, 319–320 (2012). 4. Labrosse, S. Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 247, 36–55 (2015). 5. Ohta, K., Kuwayama, Y., Hirose, K., Shimizu, K. & Ohishi, Y. Nature 534, 95–98 (2016). 6. Konôpková, Z., McWilliams, R. S., Gómez-Pérez, N. & Goncharov, A. F. Nature 534, 99–101 (2016). 7. Stacey, F. D. & Anderson, O. L. Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 124, 153–162 (2001). Download references
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About this article Publication history Published 01 June 2016 DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/534045aNew York regulators today approved Charter Communications' acquisition of Time Warner Cable. As a condition of the approval, Charter will be required to upgrade broadband speeds and to expand the availability of high-speed internet service for low-income consumers.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the deal moments ago.
Among other requirements, Charter will be obligated to provide internet service to low-income customers at a price of no more than $14.99 per month, with download speeds of at least 30 megabits per second, said Peter McGowan, chief policy advisor. Time Warner Cable currently has a $14.99 internet option, which is available to all customers without restriction, but the download speed is only 2 Mbps, according to the company's website.
The service for low-income customers would be available to households that qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches, or for seniors who qualify for Supplemental Security Income benefits, McGowan said. All told, PSC officials estimate that 700,000 customers across the state should qualify for the service.
Charter also will be required to provide free broadband access at 50 community centers in underserved areas throughout the state.
Another condition of today's order will require Charter to upgrade its network to offer broadband speeds of at least 300 Mbps by 2019, McGowan said. Time Warner Cable offers that speed in New York City, but not Upstate.
If the merger goes forward, Charter will acquire roughly 5 million customers currently served by Time Warner Cable, more than 60 percent of the cable customers in New York state. Charter currently serves about 40,000 customers in the Chatham area.
Under the order approved today, Charter will have financial incentives to improve customer service, said McGowan, who outlined the order before the commissioners voted. The PSC set a goal of reducing customer complaints by 35 percent over five years, he said. Full details will be available after the PSC issues its written order.
Charter's $56 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable still faces a review by the Federal Communications Commission and other regulators. Charter will have to accept the PSC's conditions in order to proceed with the merger in New York state.
PSC officials estimated that the merger will produce total customer savings of $435 million over five years. In addition, Charter will invest an estimated $655 million in its network, bringing the total benefit of the transaction to more than $1 billion, McGowan told the commissioners.
Contact Tim Knauss anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3023The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.
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Liberal Journalists have had a tough couple of months. Liberal Jewish journalists? Even tougher. Nothing seemed to work this year. Trump was the worst person ever to run for President, they said. The mainstream media and Hollywood pulled out all the stops. Celebrity videos, polemics by noted thinkers like George Takei and Lena Dunham, CNN panelists; they all tried to tell us Trump hates women, Jews, Black people, and the Constitution.
To no avail.
Perhaps nothing stings so much as “defections” from trusted minority groups. Some in the Jewish community are engaged in furious reprisals against fellow Jews who dared support the “Orange Fuhrer”. Ivanka Trump was harassed on an airplane, Jared Kushner’s Judaism was questioned. I knew my turn was coming, and indeed, enter Jamie Kirchick (not really a “liberal”, but very anti-Trump) and his recent Daily Beast piece, “The Jews Begging to Join the Alt-Right”, targeting myself and fellow contributors to our website “The Jewish Alternative”.
Despite Kirchick’s title, the “alt right” doesn’t constitute something one can “join”. There’s no organized alt-right political party, no organization that can lay complete claim to the title. There’s just people, who have come to their political conclusions in the same manner that Kirchick has. Some of them hate Jews. My fellow contributors and I are Jewish, and therefore, they hate us. It’s really that simple. We may share some political positions with these anti-Semites, we may agree on some issues, but we are not the same thing, not in the same “group”, and never will be. Kirchick’s semantic games, repeated so many times by the media (all alt-right are Nazis, alt-right supports Trump, therefore Trump = Nazi) failed to influence the election or shut yours truly up.
In his piece, Kirchick did manage to make a halfway decent point:
Jews should know that their well-being is best assured in societies that respect religious and ethnic diversity, pluralism, democratic values and the rule of law.
While we would quibble over what’s meant by “religious and ethnic diversity”, there’s no doubt that rule of law, stable public institutions, and a responsible government benefit the Jewish people. We don’t do well in unstable, polarized environments. We don’t do well when the “public truth” erodes and we’re all in our own epistemological bunkers. Kirchick and I agree on this, but what he doesn’t see is that engagement with alt-right ideas is the only way to reverse this situation and restore us to a country where Jews (and Democracy) will be secure.
The political left is the real threat. No Twitter trolls or nasty memes will change this. No esoteric White Nationalist gatherings even come close. On the left, race is every bit the issue as it is on the right, with concern for rule of law on the back burner. The political left controls universities, media companies, and has inroads to the Democratic Party. What multinational alt-right media company can put out an openly racist video like this one from MTV?
Where are the tenured alt-right college professors, calling for genocide of an entire race? Which political orientation is actively working to reduce legal protections for people accused of a crime?
American Democracy, like it or not, was conceived and implemented entirely by White, Christian, land-owning men. A political left obsessed with attacking “whiteness” hates everything about our founders. Their skin color, their gender, their ideology… and the country they started. The alt-right can talk a mean game on Twitter, but they don’t attack our Democracy at the fundamental level the left does, and furthermore, unlike the left, they have no power.
You cannot fight the left without affirming the value of the “whiteness” they attack, because what they are really attacking are the foundations of Western Civilization. As Jews, we must raise our voices against this. Let the Nazis whine.
Kirchick (and other liberal Jews), we’re on the same side here. We both want a strong Israel and an American Constitutional Republic. We just can’t get there from here. Stop yelling “Nazi” at everything to the right of Barbra Streisand, and join me in the trenches. The alt-right will seem like an afterthought, once the identity warriors who are motivating them are brought to heel.
This story "Jews Should Be Fighting the Far Left, Not the ‘Alt-Right’" was written by Joshua Seidel.matrix - computer & neue medien
1. Windows 10
Ein neues Microsoft-Universum entsteht
Gestaltung: Sarah Kriesche
2. Bitcoins - die rätselhafte Währung
Gestaltung: Sylvia Sammer
3. Ja und Amen
Kolumne über Algorithmen und mögliche unerwünschte Nebenwirkungen
Gestaltung: Franz Zeller
1. Am 29. Juli hat Windows sein neuestes Betriebssystem Windows 10 veröffentlicht. Wer mit den Vorgängerversionen Windows 7 oder 8 arbeitet, kann das neue Betriebssystem zumindest ein Jahr lang gratis downloaden.
Immerhin sind laut Microsoft derzeit rund 1,5 Milliarden Geräte mit Windows in Betrieb, vom Smartphone bis zum PC. Microsoft unternimmt mit Windows 10 den Versuch, alle Windows-Nutzer unter einem Betriebssystem zu vereinen. Windows 10 soll auch auf Tablets, am Windows Phone, auf der xBox und sogar auf Nischenprodukten wie dem Raspberry Pi laufen, Anwendungen und Programme liefert ein "Universal App Store". So entsteht ein niederschwelliges Microsoft-Universum, in dem auch unterschiedliche Geräteklassen miteinander kommunizieren und sich austauschen können, wie es Apple zum Teil bereits vormacht. Was Windows 10 für die Nutzer bringt und bedeutet, hat Sarah Kriesche recherchiert.
2. Seit knapp sieben Jahren steht die virtuelle Währung Bitcoin für Online-Einkäufe verschiedenster Art zur Verfügung und wandert vereinzelt auch in hippen Läden und Lokalen als kreatives Zahlungsmittel über die digitale Theke. Ein wesentlicher Punkt ist Anonymität. Der Bitcoin-Nutzer braucht weder Namen noch Adresse zu nennen, um eine elektronische Geldbörse für sein digitales Guthaben einzurichten. Dieser Eigenschaft verdankt die virtuelle Währung auch einiges an schlechtem Ruf: soll sie doch auch als Zahlungsmittel in den finsteren Ecken des World Wide Web beliebt sein, wo Kunden die Spuren ihrer Einkäufe nicht gern nachverfolgt wissen wollen. Geheimnisumwoben bleibt auch der Name des Erfinders der digitalen Währung, deren Herstellung allein mit hochkomplizierter Rechenarbeit auf leistungsstarken Computern erfolgt. Trotz mancher Zweifel und Kritik sind Bitcoins bei ihren Nutzern hoch im Kurs. Warum das so ist, und ob wir die Kunst-Währung als Zahlungsmittel der Zukunft für bare Münze nehmen müssen - darüber spricht Sylvia Sammer mit Vertretern der österreichischen Bitcoin-Szene.
3. Vor kurzem hat Google seinen Such-Algorithmus umgestellt. Nun werden bevorzugt Webseiten als Ergebnisse angezeigt, die sich auch auf mobilen Geräten gut betrachten lassen. Das ist plausibel. Schließlich suchen die meisten Menschen nicht mehr via Desktop-Computer, sondern vom Handy oder Tablet aus. Algorithmen: das sind Rechenmodelle, an die wir, weil es so bequem ist, glauben. Aber das ist nicht viel naturwissenschaftlicher als der Glaube an eine Religion. Meint zumindest Franz Zeller in seiner Juli-Kolumne für die Ö1-Zeitschrift GEHÖRT.
Service
Bitcoin-Links:
Bitcoin Austria
Coinfinity Graz
Bitcoin-Automaten in Österreich
Zusätzlicher Bitcoin-Automat im 2. Wiener Bezirk
Peter Surda auf Twitter
Deutsche Bitcoin-Börse
Sendereihe‘Nightwing’ Director Offers Casting Update
Nightwing director Chris McKay has offered an update on the casting of Dick Grayson in the upcoming standalone film.
Not much is known about the film as plot details are still under wraps but its expected to follow Dick Grayson who became the first Robin in the Batman mythology after Bruce Wayne took him in following the death of his parents, The Flying Graysons who were murdered at the circus. McKay has previously expressed that whoever is going to play the role of Dick Grayson is going to have to share that same level of passion he has in order to achieve the necessary performance to bring the character to life.
When a fan inquired for an update on the film on Twitter today, McKay confirmed that an actor still has yet to be cast in the role and that the script has yet to be completed:
…because we need to find the perfect person. We need to get the script right. We need this to movie to blow your mind. — Chris McKay (@buddboetticher) September 26, 2017
McKay is directing the Nightwing film from a script written by Bill Dubuque (The Accountant). The director has teased the film as a badass action movie featuring stunts and practical effects. He has also confirmed the film will feature many nods to Dick Grayson’s past as a circus performer in Haly’s Circus.
As of now, Nightwing does not have a release date. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on Nightwing and the future of the DC Extended Universe as we learn it.
Source: Chris McKayNew Options for Locating Fast Radio Bursts
Our catalog of distant, highly energetic events continues to grow. On the Fast Radio Burst (FRB) front, we have the welcome news that the Molonglo radio telescope some 40 kilometers from Canberra, Australia has undergone extensive re-engineering, a project that is paying off with the detection of three new FRBs. The telescope’s collecting area of 18,000 square meters and an eight square degree field of view make it ideal for such work.
Image: Artist’s impression shows three bright red flashes depicting Fast Radio Bursts far beyond the Milky Way, appearing in the constellations Puppis and Hydra. Credit: James Josephides/Mike Dalley.
You’ll recall that Fast Radio Bursts are millisecond long, intense pulses that can appear out of nowhere with a luminosity a billion times greater than anything we have observed in the Milky Way. The phenomenon was noted for the first time a decade ago at the Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales. The sources remain enigmatic, but Manisha Caleb, a PhD candidate at Australian National University, has been developing software to examine the 1000 TB of data that is being produced daily at the Molonglo site. The new FRBs are the result.
“Conventional single dish radio telescopes have difficulty establishing that transmissions originate beyond the Earth’s atmosphere,” says Swinburne University’s Dr Chris Flynn.
But Molonglo (the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope, to give its full name, usually shortened to MOST) is a parabolic, cylindrical antenna consisting of 88 bays, each of these made up of four identical modules, to produce 352 independent antennae. The upgrade to the Molonglo instrument is known as UTMOST. The researchers used the array in a 180-day survey of the Southern sky, carrying out up to 100 hours of follow-up for each FRB, though no repeating bursts were seen. A repeating burst at UTMOST, or an FRB simultaneously detected at Parkes and UTMOST, would allow a localization of a few arcseconds.
From the paper (note that “ is the symbol for arcseconds):
In this paper we present the first interferometric detections of FRBs, found during 180 days on sky at UTMOST. The events are beyond the ≈ 104 km near-field limit of the telescope, ruling out local (terrestrial) sources of interference as a possible origin. We demonstrate with pulsars that a repeating FRB seen at UTMOST has the potential to be localised to ≈ 15” diameter error circle, an exciting prospect for identifying the host.
Image: View of the MOST at the end of the East arm looking West. Two arms, each 800 meters long, together have a collecting area of circa 18,000 square meters. MOST is the largest radio telescope in the Southern hemisphere. Credit: Swinburne University/UTMOST.
The recent discoveries point to a new ability to locate FRBs in the sky, allowing us to link them to specific galaxies, a feat that has been accomplished only once so far (see Pinpointing a Fast Radio Burst). The paper is Caleb et al., “The first interferometric detections of Fast Radio Bursts,” accepted at Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (preprint). For more, see this UTMOST news release.THE green campaign to stop the Adani Carmichael coalmine has been dealt a major blow losing two Federal Court decisions on Friday.
In the space of 10 minutes the full court of the Federal Court in Brisbane dismissed challenges from the Australian Conservation Foundation and native title objections from central Queensland man Adrian Burragubba.
But the ACF has vowed to do everything it can "within Australian law" to stop the mine.
It has been a bad week for anti-Adani activists having lost three legal challenges in court. On Tuesday the Queensland Court of Appeal dismissed a separate challenge to the mine from Mr Burragubba.
The ACF appealed Federal Environment minister Josh Frydenberg's approval of the mine, claiming it did not take into account the damage to the Great Barrier Reef burning coal from Carmichael would cause.
But the Federal Court on Friday ruled it was "not possible to draw robust conclusions" about the extent to which coal from Carmichael would increase global temperatures.
"It is therefore difficult to identify a relationship between (Carmichael) and any impacts on relevant matters of national environmental significance which may occur as the result of any increase in global temperature," the court said.
"The minister was not satisfied that the overseas emissions would contribute to increased levels of greenhouse gases and, therefore, further rises in temperature.
"There may be good reason for disagreeing with the minister's decision, but that is not our concern in an appeal limited to the lawfulness of that decision.
"In our view the minister's reasons reflect a proper discharge of his statutory duty."
But ACF campaign director Paul Sinclair said the decision would not stop their campaign against Carmichael.
"Our lawyers will be looking at legal options to continue to fight the Adani coalmine," he said.
"The ACF may have lost this case in the courts today but we intend to win the court of public opinion.
"The ACF will do everything it takes within Australian law to stop this mine."
The court on Friday also dismissed Mr Burragubba's appeal for a judicial review of the Native Title Tribunal's decision to allow the mine to proceed.
The court ruled Mr Burragubba's claim Adani had acted in a way "analogous to fraud" in order for the mine to be approved was "difficult to understand".
"The expression, 'conduct analogous to fraud', has no precise meaning," the court ruled.
"(Mr Burragubba) seems to assume that Adani should necessarily have abandoned the (environmental impact statement) in face of … criticisms.
"If (Mr Burragubba) wished to prove misleading effect, he could do so only be showing that the material in the EIS was misleading in a material respect. He could not do so simply by demonstrating the existence of conflicting opinions."
Mr Burragubba and the ACF will have to argue to the court why they should not pay Adani and the government's legal bills.When I was growing up we used to make fun of countries in Central and South America for the flimsy governments that were run by two-bit dictators who made up the script as they went along. In fact, we made so much fun of these operations that Woody Allen made a movie in 1971 called Bananas which parodied the governments and their haphazard operations. It is probably considered insensitive today to even refer to our southern friends in such terms. More importantly, the question is: How much are we becoming a similar operation?
This is not to state that the root cause of this problem
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