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Bizarre Final Dinner Requests of Death Row Prisoners Comments Added on Dec 13, 2010 / Category : Misc What would you choose for your last supper if you knew it would be your last? A British artist has recreated a series of bizarre meals chosen by genuine death row prisoners as their last food before execution. James Reynolds filled orange prison-issue trays with some of the most unusual items the murderers asked for - like a single black olive requested by Victor Feguer, who was put to death for murder in Iowa in 1963 ... ... or an onion and two bottles of Coke, requested by James Hudson before he was put to death for murder in Virginia, in 2004. James, from London, got the idea for his collection after reading a book that listed some American death row inmates final meal choices. He quickly set about finding out more about each prisoner including what crime they committed, where they were incarcerated and exactly what they asked for, "I was fascinated by why they were chosen and by whom", he says. He discovered they were allowed anything to eat as their last meal up to a 40 dollar limit. While none of these are my personal choices for a final dinner, it is interesting to see some crazy requests.

Germany’s auto industry expressed disappointment over the decision by the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, saying that Europe’s international competitive edge will now be harmed. “The regrettable announcement by the USA makes it inevitable that Europe must facilitate a cost efficient and economically feasible climate policy to remain internationally competitive,” Matthias Wissmann, president of the German auto industry lobby group VDA, said in a statement to Reuters Friday. “The preservation of our competitive position is the precondition for successful climate protection. This correlation is often underestimated,” Wissmann said, noting that the decision by the U.S. was discouraging. (Related: Scandal-Plagued VW Slashes Costs And Jobs As It Recovers From Dieselgate) Additionally, the VDA, which represents automakers BMW Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, said that Germany is already at a disadvantage to the U.S. as their electricity and energy costs are higher in their country. President Donald Trump announced Friday the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord prompting an international backlash from countries that signed on to the 2015 treaty, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. “This decision cannot and will not deter all of us who feel obliged to protect this earth,” Merkel said. Trump, in his announcement Friday to withdraw the U.S., stressed the economic disadvantage the treaty that President Obama signed the U.S. on to unilaterally placed the country in. “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,” the president said. He went on to say, “It is time to put Youngstown, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; and Pittsburgh, Pa., along with many, many other locations within our great country, before Paris, France,” he said. “It is time to make America great again.” Follow Kerry on Twitter

Times New Roman -- the font found in 12-point size on term papers everywhere -- has officially been snubbed. According to an article on Bloomberg Business, the typeface is a big no-no for résumé, along with the flowery Zaphino and the comically wonky Comic Sans. Instead, the author urges readers to opt for Helvetica, the font praised by hipsters and businessmen alike. But, according to Art Director and Letterer Kevin Cardell, Times New Roman isn't an inherently off-putting choice -- it's just become a hackneyed option because it's used so frequently. "The poor application of the font is to blame," he told The Huffington Post. "So in a sea of résumés, it definitely suffocates." To avoid a similar fate, we suggest picking a less common font. Sure, Helvetica is stalwart, but similar options may give your CV a boost. Here are 9 fonts designers recommend using on a résumé: 1. Source Sans Pro Adobe Designer Jack Harvatt says the narrow structure of Adobe's Source Sans Pro makes it perfect "for large bodies of text." Harvatt says Gotham Light is "a personal favorite," calling it "a clean and simple typeface which gives a smart and considered look to any work." 3. Tiempos by Klim Type Foundry Art Director and Letterer Kevin Cardell selected a few more ornate options, including Tiempos, which is actually a unique riff on Times New Roman. 4. Harriet by Okay Type Foundry Cardell says Harriet, which was inspired by the popular Baskerville font, is a great choice because it's available in Opentype, which is compatible with both Mac and PC. 5. Caponi by Commercial Type For a more conventional option, Cardell suggests this "contemporary and utilitarian" typeface. 6. Proxima Nova by Mark Simonson Designer Jillian Adel says Proxima Nova is "a friendlier font, that lives in between Gotham and Helvetica." The only potential drawback, she says, is that it is somewhat widely used. 7. Roboto by Christian Robertson Roboto is another font that's both clean, friendly and easy to read in large swaths. Adel says, "It isn't so wide as Proxima, so you'll naturally be able to fit more copy on a page." 8. Lora Cyreal For something less modern-looking, Adel suggests Lora, which is "really easy to read and way airier than Times New Roman." Okay, okay. A list of ideal clean-looking fonts wouldn't be complete without Helvetica -- even if it can be spotted on ads, logos, and everywhere in between. Harvatt calls it "the true foundry of modern type," and, in spite of its omnipresence, the top choice for a résumé. For more on typography, check out our roundups of unique fonts here, here, and here.

It’s not uncommon for players and even coaches who suffered a tough loss on the biggest stage to admit that they can’t bring themselves to re-watch the defeat and relive the worst moments of their sporting life. Matt Ryan apparently is not one of those people. Scroll to continue with content Ad [ STACK: New training footage of Marshawn shows he’s ready to bring ‘Beast Mode’ back ] The Atlanta Falcons quarterback and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player spoke to reporters on Monday at his charity golf tournament, his first round of interviews since his team’s loss in Super Bowl LI. Saying he felt “numb” after the Falcons blew a 28-3 third-quarter lead, the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history, Ryan didn’t wait long before he grabbed a video player – and put the game on repeat. “I watched it,” Ryan said. “I watched it a day after. I watched it two days after and I watched it three days after. For me, it was one of those things where you kind of want to be able to deal with it appropriately. “Maybe, that’s different for everybody. Some people bury it away. Some people (do) whatever. … For me it was ‘all right, let’s watch. Does it feel the same way it felt as we were going through it?’” When it comes to feelings, Ryan felt the Falcons had wrapped up the first championship in franchise history when Julio Jones made a sensational 27-yard catch with 4:40 to play in the fourth, a play that gave Atlanta first down at the New England 22, within striking distance of adding to its 28-20 lead. “When I let it go, I was just trying to put it high in a safe spot for him to make a play. I did that. I was fired up at that point. I thought that was going to be a play that was going to change the outcome of that game,” Ryan said. “Obviously, the next couple of plays unfolded, and we didn’t end up converting (it into) points. Story continues “At the time, I thought it was a huge play.” But a one-yard loss by running back Devonta Freeman and a 12-yard sack not only put Atlanta in a third-and-23 situation, it knocked the team out of field-goal range. Add in a holding penalty and the Falcons were punting the ball back to New England. As happens when teams lose in the playoffs, the Falcons’ coaching staff has been heavily scrutinized for how it handled the final minutes of the game, particularly head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan (now head coach in San Francisco) for not running the ball late, which likely would have locked things up. Ryan, however, is not among those criticizing the pair. “You have to believe in what you are doing,” he said. “That’s kind of the way we were all year. That’s not going to change. I love that approach. I love that they have confidence in me and that they have confidence in the guys that we have, and we are going to let it rip. Obviously, it didn’t work out.” Though Ryan is a veteran, he said he wasn’t able to change plays, either. “It just doesn’t operate like that in football. You have a personnel grouping that’s out on the field that could change or limit your number of plays,” he said. “So, if you want to change out of something and into something, you might not have the right guys out there … “Talk to 99 percent of the guys and they will tell you that what comes in is what we are going to run,” Ryan said. “As a player, it’s your job to make the plays work. I’ve always believed that whatever the play call is, it’s your responsibility to go out there and make it work. We didn’t get it done on those couple of plays.” As close as they were, Ryan expressed confidence that the Falcons are hungry and well-positioned to get back to the Super Bowl. “We have a young team, and we were ready to play,” he said. “We played well. We were right in the mix. … We fell a little bit short, but we should have every bit of confidence that we are going to be right back there next year getting a different outcome because we’re going to be more experienced.” More from Yahoo Sports: • Mavericks give TonyRomo a proper send-off • NBA Playoff Picture: Everything at stake on the season’s final day • Gonzaga star declares for NBA, makes school history • Browns reportedly torn on plans for top NFL draft pick

A French translation of this article can be found over at LibraZik. Thanks to Olivier for this. What is Drumgizmo? Drumgizmo is a drum sampler plugin available in the LV2 plugin format. It is also available as a standalone version. There are already drum samplers available for Linux, so what's so different about Drumgizmo? Drumgizmo's main aim is to simulate a real drum kit. It supports the following features - Multiple layer velocities Velocity groups Mic bleed simulation Multichannel output Velocity layers give each drum piece dynamics, from soft hits to harder hits. On top of that floating velocity groups allow randomization of velocity layers, giving it a more human feel. Both of these help avoid Drumgizmo sounding robotic or suffering from machine gun drum rolls. In addition, Drumgizmo also supports mic bleed simulation, just as you would have when micing up a real drum kit. If you trigger a snare sample in Drumgizmo, you will also hear the snare sound bleeding into Drumgizmo other output channels, mimicking how other mics would pick it up. Part of why miced up drum kits 'gel' together in a mix is due to mic bleed so having this simulation gives Drumgizmo an added layer of realism. In this tutorial I will show you how to - Load up Drumgizmo as a plugin in Ardour Load up a drum kit Correctly route Drumgizmo Test out Drumgizmo with a sample MIDI file What you will need For this tutorial, I will be using the following - Ardour Drumgizmo A Drumgizmo drum kit, in this case, the DRSkit (download it here) Picture of the DRSkit being sampled Drumgizmo's inputs and outputs Drumgizmo itself has a very minimalist interface. This is because it deals only with the playback of samples. Its audio outputs are then routed and processed elsewhere, in our case inside of Ardour. Drumgizmo has 1 MIDI input and 16 audio outputs. MIDI events from your DAW's MIDI editor or a MIDI instrument, such as an electronic drumkit, trigger samples in Drumgizmo. These are then routed out of its audio outputs and into channels in your DAW, where you can mix and process them individually. Note - Different drum kits use different output configurations, so refer to any documentation about the kit you are using to make sure you know what each output is. The set up First, load up Ardour and create your new session. Next we want to create a MIDI track with Drumgizmo loaded up on to it. Then we will route its outputs so that we can mix and process each individual drum piece as we would if it were a real drum kit. Let's get started - Go to Track > Add Track or Bus Choose 1 MIDI track and select Drumgizmo from the drop down instrument list Name your track and click add. I'll simply call this track 'Drumgizmo' Now that Drumgizmo is added to our session, let's load up a drum kit. Double click on Drumgizmo to open up its interface. Before we get any sound of of Drumgizmo, we need to load up two files from the drum kit that we downloaded. These are - Drumkit file (this file tells Drumgizmo where to find a drum kits samples) Midimap file (this tells Drumgizmo what MIDI note values will trigger which samples) I have extracted the DRSkit into a folder within my home directory called 'drumkits', so I will navigate to this folder within Drumgizmo's browser. If you need to move back a folder when navigating, double clicking '..' will do this for you. First browse for the drumkit file and select 'DRSKit_basic.xml'. Then browse for the Midimap file and select the drum kits corresponding file 'Midimap_basic.xml'. When you have both files loaded up, you will see a progress bar that will let you know when the kit is fully loaded. Wait for it to load up. Editing a MIDI map file (optional) The MIDI maps included with the drum kits found on the Drumgizmo website use notes values specified by the General MIDI standard. If you have a need to change these settings for any reason, eg. If your drum module has fixed MIDI output values not tied to General MIDI's drum mapping, you can easily edit any of the MIDI map files to suit your needs. One of the drum modules I have has fixed output values. For example, the snare is fixed to send out on note 31, while the General MIDI standard uses 38. I can easily open up the MIDI map file in a text editor and amend this, or any other values, in the MIDI map file and save it. Routing Once you have Drumgizmo loaded up, you can increase your MIDI tracks height to reveal the piano roll. Using ctrl + f on a selected track will resize it to fit in the editor window. If you press the notes on the piano roll (C2 to C4 for most drum kits MIDI mapping) you will now hear some drum hits. This means that Drumgizmo is playing the samples loaded up, but to take full advantage of Drumgizmo, we need to make sure we have its outputs routed correctly. Before going any futher, make sure the pan control on the Drumgizmo track is bypassed. You can do this by right clicking on the panner and selecting bypass. If you don't do this, Drumgizmo will not route audio out of its outputs as expected. It is important you do this for things to work correctly. There are two approaches to routing that I will show you. We can either route Drumgizmo's outputs to individual busses, or to individual audio tracks. Which way you choose to do this is down to personal workflow preferences. First we will look at routing Drumgizmo to bus tracks. Routing to bus tracks Routing Drumgizmo to busses is a common user case. How you route Drumgizmo's outputs depends on which drum kit you are using. You can find notes about which outputs are active, and what they are, on the drum kit section of the Drumgizmo website. For this tutorial we are using the DRSkit. On the websites documentation for this kit we can see that 13 of the outputs are active and that there are two stereo pairs for ambience and overhead. This means that we only need to create 11 bus tracks for Drumgizmo to be routed to. This is what our outputs should look like - Track Number Name Configuration Bus 1 Ambience Stereo Bus 2 Kick back Mono Bus 3 Kick front Mono Bus 4 Hihat Mono Bus 5 Overheads Stereo Bus 6 Ride cymbal Mono Bus 7 Snare bottom Mono Bus 8 Snare top Mono Bus 9 Tom 1 Mono Bus 10 Tom 2 Mono Bus 11 Tom 3 Mono So let's create our bus tracks. We will first add 9 mono buses, then 2 stereo buses. We can easily rearrange the position of our stereo buses by dragging their position in the 'tracks and busses' tab of the editor list window ( View > Show Editor List ). When we have our buses added and their orders arranged, name them as in the above table. Your mixer window should now look like in the image below (click for full sized image). We now have our bus tracks ready to be routed into. As already noted, when we play the piano roll, we can hear Drumgizmo. This is because by default, Ardour will connect Drumgizmo's outputs to the master bus but what we want is to route them through the bus tracks we have just created. So, let's first disconnect Drumgizmo from the master bus. At the bottom of Drumgizmo's MIDI channel, you will see the number '16' indicating that there are 16 output connections being made from that channel. If you hover over this button you will see a tooltop showing you that all of those connections are being made to the master bus. We could use the matrix connection window and manually disconnect each one, but a quicker way of disconnecting all connections is to left click (right click on versions of Ardour prior to Ardour 4) and select 'Disconnect' from the menu. Next we want to connect our drum kits 13 active outputs to our bus tracks that we created. When making multiple connections in one go, it's easiest to do this from the audio connections manager window. This can be found in Window > Audio Connections . From the tabs on the left hand side, click on 'Ardour Tracks' and you will see all of Drumgizmo's audio outputs. If you then click on the 'Ardour Busses' tab at the bottom, you will see all of our bus inputs. To connect Drumgizmo's output correctly, your window should now look like this - Now when you trigger Drumgizmo from the piano roll, you will see the meters responding on the bus tracks. Success! We now have Drumgizmo fully set up. Note – the reason why all meters respond upon triggering a single MIDI note is due to the simulated mic bleed. This is expected behaviour. Using bus tracks to route Drumgizmo into allows you to program/record MIDI, edit it at any stage, and mix/process each individual audio outputs from Drumgizmo. This is a flexible way of working but as Drumgizmo's drum kits are quite large and consume a considerable amount of RAM, it might not be best suited for everyone's workflow. Let's look at an alternative way of routing Drumgizmo. Routing to audio tracks Another way to route Drumgizmo is by using audio tracks. This set up is identical to the previous example with one exception, you create audio tracks and route Drumgizmo into these instead of bus tracks. One thing to note is that by default, any audio tracks that you add to Ardour will automatically connect themselves to your soundcard's inputs. Before routing Drumgizmo into your audio tracks, make sure to disconnect these connections in addition to disconnecting Drumgizmo from your master bus. Why use audio tracks? This method can be used if you intend to 'print' (record) the audio output of Drumgizmo to audio tracks. Some people prefer to 'print' audio to tracks when they have committed to a final sound/take. This can be helpful as it allows you to move forward with a mix and prevent the temptation to endlessly tweak your MIDI track. It can also free up system resources for mixing if you intend on deleting Drumgizmo from your session once you have the audio from your Drumgizmo tracks recorded. Note - If you are using this method, make sure to have the input monitor buttons engaged on each track that you have Drumgizmo being routed to. In this way you can monitor Drumgizmo the same as you did when you were using busses. When you have a final mix that you are happy to commit to, you can then arm these tracks and record Drumgizmo's outputs onto these audio tracks. At this point you can disable input monitoring to allow you to listen to the playback from your recorded tracks. Inputting MIDI to Drumgizmo Now you have Drumgizmo fully set up and ready for action. There are two ways you can work with Drumgizmo, either manually inputting notes into Ardour's MIDI editor window, or using a MIDI instrument to record in notes in realtime. If you want to manually draw notes into the MIDI editor window, you can get to work right away. Check out 'Recording audio and using MIDI in Ardour 3' if you are not familiar with MIDI concepts in Ardour. If you would like to use a MIDI instrument to play in notes, you will first need to make sure Drumgizmo's MIDI input is connected up to your MIDI instruments MIDI output port. My electronic drum kit is connected up to my soundcards MIDI input, so I can left click (right click on versions of Ardour prior to Ardour 4) on Drumgizmo's channel strip input and select that as my MIDI input. A note about latency If you are using a MIDI instrument to record using Drumgizmo, you will have to make sure that you have a suitable buffer size setting, or else there will be a noticeable delay in the samples being triggered. A setting between 64 and 256 for your buffer size should work best. It is recommended to use an audio orientated distro as this will allow you to get the best performance/stability when trying to achieve low latency monitoring. Sample MIDI file If you would like to experiment with Drumgizmo without having to worry about programming in or playing drums, I have prepared a MIDI file that you can import into your Drumgizmo track. It contains a basic drum beat but it should give you a feel for what Drumgizmo is capable of and how the DRSkit sounds. It can also be used as a starting point for experimenting. You can download the MIDI file here. Let's import the file to our MIDI track. First make sure that your Drumgizmo track is selected in Ardour's editor window. Then go to Session > Import and navigate to the MIDI file. From the 'Add files as' drop down menu choose, 'to selected tracks' and press 'OK'. The MIDI file should now be imported onto the Drumgizmo track. Tip - By default, Ardour MIDI tracks are displayed in 'sustained' note mode. When working with drums, it might be preferred to work using 'percussive' note mode. You can set your MIDI track to display notes this way by right clicking on your MIDI tracks header and navigating to Note Mode > Percussive . Templates It doesn't take too long to correctly set up Drumgizmo in an Ardour session, however, if you are using the same set up each time it makes sense to create a template. Once you have everything set up as you want it to be, go to Session > Save Template and give it a name. In this case I’ll call it 'Drumgizmo-template'. Press 'Save'. Whenever you start Ardour in future and click on 'New session', you will see the option to 'Use this template'. Give your new session a name, make sure the 'Use this template' box is ticked, select 'Drumgizmo-template' from the drop down menu, and you're ready to go. Create your own kits If you want to create your own drum kits, the Drumgizmo developers have also created Dgedit. This allows you to easily load up your recorded drum hits, intelligently split them up and organise them by velocity. The developers have done great work on this editor to make the work involved in sampling a real drum kit a lot less tedious. Dgedit was previously bundled with Drumgizmo but has since been moved into its own separate project. Using Dgedit is beyond the scope of this tutorial but for anyone interested you can check out the dgedit git repository. If you do create a drum kit for Drumgizmo, why not make it available to the community! Summary Drumgizmo is a great piece of software and is very capable of creating realistic drum recordings. There are various proprietary drum plugins out there on other platforms that have high quality sample kits. Where Drumgizmo really has the edge over these is that you can create your own drum kits. This is not something other comparable drum plugins allow you to do, as you are tied into only using their proprietary sample kits. This makes Drumgizmo open in more ways than one, allowing anyone to create and share drum kits. As well as the impressive results it yields, it is also this openness and expansiveness that really makes it an interesting piece of software. Written by Conor Mc Cormack

WASHINGTON, USA - APRIL 27: Police retreat from the hulks of burned out cars in the middle of an intersection during riots in Baltimore, USA on April 27, 2015. Protests following the death of Freddie Gray from injuries suffered while in police custody have turned violent with people throwing debris at police and media and burning cars and businesses. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, USA - APRIL 27: Police retreat from the hulks of burned out cars in the middle of an intersection during riots in Baltimore, USA on April 27, 2015. Protests following the death of Freddie Gray from injuries suffered while in police custody have turned violent with people throwing debris at police and media and burning cars and businesses. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) BALTIMORE (CBS BALTIMORE) — A Maryland sheriff who traveled to Baltimore to help law enforcement stop Monday’s riots told 105.7 The Fan that he was stunned when officers alerted him of the orders to stand down. Michael Lewis is the Sheriff in Wicomico County, and was also a Sergeant with the Maryland State Police. He joined Ed Norris and Steve Davis on Thursday to talk about the alleged controversial orders the police were given during the riots. Lewis said it wasn’t his intention to come to Baltimore, a drive of about two hours, but he felt it was his duty to help. “I hadn’t planned to go to Baltimore at all. I watched the events unfold Saturday night like we all did, and was very concerned about what I saw, and the the lack of response Saturday night,” he said. “I immediately rallied up the troops. We made sure our MRAP was prepared and ready. … We were assigned to assigned to protect Baltimore City Police headquarters, all of E. Fayette Street up to City Hall, to include City Hall. There wasn’t a whole lot of activity taking place at all. We could smell that putrid smell of burning tires and a city on fire when as we came into the city. Had lots of concerns like everyone else. We maintained our post all night long until we were relieved.” But what shocked him the most, he said, was when city police told him not to confront and accost the rioters. “I was sick to my stomach like everybody else. … This was urban warfare, no question about it. They were coming in absolutely beaten down. The [city officers] got out of their vehicles, thanked us profusely for being there, apologized to us for having to be there. They said we could have handled this, we were very capable of handling this, but we were told to stand down, repeatedly told to stand down,” he said. “I had never heard that order come from anyone — we went right out to our posts as soon as we got there, so I never heard the mayor say that. But repeatedly these guys, and there were many high-ranking officials from the Baltimore City Police Department … and these guys told me they were essentially neutered from the start. They were spayed from the start. They were told to stand down, you will not take any action, let them destroy property. I couldn’t believe it, I’m a 31-year veteran of law enforcement. … I had never heard anything like this before in my life and these guys obviously aren’t gonna speak out and the more I thought about this, … I had to say a few things. I apologize if I’ve upset people, but I believe in saying it like it is.” Lewis said though he didn’t hear the order to stand down come from the mayor, he did hear it from police officials. “I heard it myself over the Baltimore City police radio that I had tethered to my body-armor vest, I heard it repeatedly. ‘Stand down, stand down, stand down! Back up, back up, retreat, retreat!’ I couldn’t believe those words. Those are words I’ve never heard in my law enforcement vocabulary,” he said. “Baltimore City police, all law enforcement agencies are very capable of handling that city. They’re trained to handle that city. These guys were hearing words that had never been echoed in their lives, in their careers.” Lewis claims after the riots many officers told him they were done being cops in the city and how heartbroken they are that they were not allowed to defend their city and stop businesses from burning. Listen to even more in the entire controversial interview with Sheriff Lewis below:

Update (10:54am EST, 7/8/2013): Yesterday I posted a report that the new Emir of Qatar had apparently broken with Sheikh Qaradawi and the Muslim Brotherhood. My report was based on a broadcast from Al Nahar television in Lebanon and other blogs. "If true," I wrote, it could be a "devastating blow against radical Islam." I've since attempted to further substantiate the story. Though the rumor is still making the rounds of Mideast newsrooms, according to Mary Fitzgerald of the Irish Times, the report has been denied by "Qatari sources and sources closed to Qaradawi." ______ If true, what may be a far more devastating -- and under reported -- blow against radical Islam than the killing of Osama Bin Laden was delivered by the new the emir of Qatar. Its significance has been picked up by a few bloggers, like Joshuapundit, but, as far as major media is concerned, so far no one seems to be paying attention. According to Al Nahar, a major Lebanese station, on the evening of July 2nd, Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa, who has just recently taken over the throne of Qatar from his father, ordered Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi to leave the country. He also withdrew his Qatari nationality, and, at the same time, closed all the offices of the Muslim Brotherhood. It's a remarkable move. For years Qaradawi has been one of the most strident and widely listened to voices of radical Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood. Born in Egypt, with a reputation for Islamic scholarship, he is currently best known for his program "Shariah and Life" regularly broadcast Al Jazeera with an estimated audience of 60 million worldwide. He is also known as an apologist for the Holocaust. Since Qatar funds Al Jazeera, one would assume that Qaradawi will no longer be given that global podium. If indeed Qatar's new ruler has decided to change his country's policies, the impact of that move on radical Islamic groups like the Muslim Brotherhood could be enormous. Over the past few years, Qatar has poured huge sums into bankrolling the Brotherhood and even more extreme Islamic causes across the Islamic world. In the past two years in Egypt for example, they provided $8 billion to the Morsi government -- a sum many times greater than the $1.5 billion given each year by the U.S. to Egypt, primarily to the Egyptian military. Qatar was also one of the main financial backers behind the overthrow of Khadafi in Libya, and the new Muslim Brotherhood government in Tunisia. It's also been funding some of the most radical Sunni groups in Syria's incredibly bloody civil war. They've also become major supporters of the Palestinian group Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Indeed Hamas's leader, Khaled Meshal, had recently moved from Syria to Qatar. Ironically, all the while, they've also been home to a major U.S. air base. Unfortunately for Qatar, its huge bets on radical Islam have yet to pay off. Just the opposite. Libya remains a basket case. Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood are out in Egypt. The catastrophic civil war in Syria risks destroying the entire country. Qatar's candidate to lead the coalition of Syrian opposition groups lost out to the Saudi candidate. Mobs in Tunis recently took to the streets to protest Qatar's interference in their affairs. As the Al Nahar broadcast said, Qatar did everything in its power financially and diplomatically to encourage the Arab Spring, the revolutions and the Islamist revolts. "Now all the leaves have fallen, with no good results." In justifying his move against Qaradawi, the new emir of Qatar is reported to have said that "We are all Muslims, but not Muslim Brotherhood, and in dealing with matters of state and government, we are not allied with any political faction. Al Nahar also reported that the prince gave Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal 48 hours to leave the country. If all this is true, it's an enormous blow to radical Islam. Delivered not by U.S. Special Forces or CIA Predators -- but by an Arab leader himself. For more on this subject, go to http://barrymlando.com.

contributors Brainiac bloggeris a writer in Columbia, South Carolina. He can be reached here Leon Neyfakh is the staff writer for Ideas. Amanda Katz is the deputy Ideas editor. Stephen Heuser is the Ideas editor.Guest bloggeris Managing Editor of Boston Review and has written for WBUR, Alternet, McSweeney's, Jacobin, and others.Guest blogger Elizabeth Manus is a writer living in New York City. She has been a book review editor at the Boston Phoenix, and a columnist for The New York Observer and Metro.Guest bloggeris a freelance writer and editor in New York City. She edits Smithsonian's SmartNews blog and has contributed to Salon, Good, The American Prospect, Bloomberg News, and other publications.Guest bloggeris a Boston-based writer, publisher, and freelance semiotician. He was the original Brainiac blogger, and is currently editor of the blog HiLobrow, publisher of a series of Radium Age science fiction novels, and co-author/co-editor of several books, including the story collection "Significant Objects" and the kids' field guide to life "Unbored."Guest blogger Ruth Graham is a freelance journalist in New Hampshire, and a frequent Ideas contributor. She is a former features editor for the New York Sun, and has written for publications including Slate and the Wall Street Journal.is a graduate student and Teaching Fellow in the Harvard English department, and an Instructor in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He teaches novels and political writing.

I was 75 in March. I don't know how much longer I have but I hope to hang around for a while. The country is dying. The planet is dying. Our soul has died. What is left? When the best people you can hope for get elected and then turn to Jello every time the crazies scare them it seems surreal. Hope, change, yes we can... all hollow slogans that have broken our hearts and taken away the very hope we reached out for. When no one can stand up for what is right then we all are forsaken and used. It is hard to express the despair I feel when I think about the pain and suffering that is coming. Vote? For what? Let's use our energy and resources in a constructive way. Let us find ways to band together to do what a failed government clearly can not and will not do. Let us begin to stop spending except for things that are necessary and begin to make those things available in ways that help stave off the demise of the planet. Let us stop filling the pockets of the people who bought this government and turned it against us. We said it back then and I'll say it again: If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem The electoral theater and the political theater are the opiate of the masses today. You will not ever stop the decay through something so highly contaminated and integrated into an evil system. If you want to help then do not participate in any way because your participation will only make things worse. Why can the republicans get everything they want? Do you understand why? I think I do. They have nothing to loose. They hate government because it restricts their greedy accumulation of wealth. So if government fails so what? Use the democrats core beliefs to manipulate them into trying to save a government they despise. Who created the debt? Why did they do it? They stated it clearly those scoundrels Bush was surrounded by. They wanted to end any form of social program. Will they succeed? Of course and with all the help from the democrats they need. It doesn't take a weatherman to tell which way the wind is blowing. The stench is overpowering. The choice you have is to work for the good of the country or to perpetuate this evil sham that electoral politics has conned you into. You will only help them hurt us by using your energy in that parody on democracy. The illusion that voting gives choices is so hollow that it it is laughable. Who gets to be a candidate? Only those from the wealthiest or those proven to be willing to serve them. Open your eyes and see. Then you can choose. Which side are you on?

Kalli-Rae Lavin almost lost a leg after being knifed twice while kicking out in a bid to stop Dilraj Sihota from attacking her, a judge heard. She had just got into a Renault Clio outside the shop where she worked in Hawes Close, Walsall, when she saw the 22-year-old, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told. Dilraj Sihota "She screamed, 'He is coming, he has got a knife," revealed Mr Lal Amarasinghe, prosecuting. Sihota pulled open the car door and Miss Lavin later told police: "It was only because I kicked out that he got my leg and not my neck or body." "The defendant had been heard to repeatedly shout: "I am going to kill her," continued the prosecutor. Sihota ran away from the scene but was quickly found hiding in the front garden of his home in nearby West Bromwich Road, where Miss Lavin also lived. The two families had been involved in a long running feud before the allegedly 'chance' meeting after the victim finished work on the evening of April 14. The victim was in hospital for four-and-a-half weeks and has had five operations requiring more than 100 stitches after complications with the wounds that included a blood clot 'the size of a lemon' that led to warnings the leg might have to be amputated, concluded Mr Amarasinghe. Mr Timothy Raggatt QC, defending Sihota, said: "He grossly misused something that is perfectly legitimate for Sikh men to carry but this attack that lasted only moments. This was a chance meeting. Something prompted what happened but what he did was out of all proportion to whatever had been said or gestured. This was an episode of madness." Sihota pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article and was sent to prison by Recorder Benjamin Nicholls who also imposed a restraining order banning him from any contact with the victim.

Wait, what? Yep, you read it right. For Business Reasons, we’re changing the name of the game to Starsector. All I can say about it is this will not have any impact on how things proceed around here – these things happen to projects from time to time, and I hope that everyone will be on board with the change. (If you’re not, my apologies. If you are, thank you for your continued support!) Personally, I’m looking forward to moving ahead with the new name, and am very excited about the future. Onward to what’s new in 0.54.1a. It’s a bugfix and polish release, much like the other .1 releases that follow up a major one. Unlike those, though, it’s taken over a month to put out. That’s the case for two reasons. One, the name change took some extra doing. Two, the 0.54a release was stable enough that there was no urgency in putting this version out – so, we’ve been able to work on the campaign design and do some prototyping along the way, laying down some groundwork for the next major release. The major items in 0.54.1a are: Redesigned character screen (screenshot) New “emp arc” mechanic for the Tachyon Lance and the Ion Cannon, improvements to the High Energy Focus ship system Lots and lots of bug fixes and modability improvements You can find the full patch notes here. Please download the new version using the links below. Alternate download links: Windows Mac Linux Tags: 0.54.1a, alpha, release, starfarer, starsector

It seems that Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar weren't the only men in their camps fighting tonight. During the UFC 150 post-fight press conference, a bunch of yelling was heard outside of camera range and Dana White ran over to see what was going on. He said there was a bit of a disagreement outside, but it wasn't a big deal. Well, it turns out that it was the managers of both men, Malki Kawa and Ali Abdel-Aziz, that were going at it. MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani tweeted about the incident: If you're wondering what the brouhaha was during the presser, I'm told Frankie's mgr @alidominance and Bendo's mgr @malkikawa got into a scuffle. Not sure who won, but I'm told it was the opposite of the main event, if you catch my drift. For whatever it's worth, Ali and his team say he punched Malki in the face. It seems like they didn't like what he had to say after the main event, although, I'm not quite sure what was said. I'm not sure what else to say. It's clearly pretty unprofessional, but it's kind of funny too. UPDATE - Kawa responded to Ariel's tweet: @ arielhelwani so now you go off of one side and that's how you do???? That's not what happened but great job in being a d*ck head reporter — malki kawa (@malkikawa) August 12, 2012 SBN coverage of UFC 150: Henderson vs Edgar II

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., May 6 (UPI) -- The genes of marine microbes are giving clues on cancer and climate change alike, biologists say. Debashish Bhattacharya of Rutgers University and Ramunas Stepanauskas and Hwan Su Yoon of the Bigelow Laboratory of Ocean Sciences in Maine report in the journal Science they have sequenced the genomes of individual picobilophytes, sea creatures discovered in 2007. Less than 10 micrometers across, they are among the smallest marine animals known. "If we can peer inside the genome of a single cell and reconstruct its history, we can do that for many cells and figure out their interactions with other cells in the environment," Bhattacharya said. "Our results demonstrate how single cell genomics opens a window into the natural drama that constantly takes place in each drop of seawater -- a drama featuring predation, viral infections and the divergent fate of close relatives," Stepanauskas said. Bhattacharya and Rutgers marine scientist Oscar Schofield are using the same methods to study why some antarctic algae are surviving warming water and others are not. Bigelow's Single Cell Genomics Center has analyzed more than 150,000 microbial cells.

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portuguese researchers suspect that a dozen skeletons found in an ancient garbage dump were Jewish victims of the Inquisition more than 400 years ago. The excavation team found the remains at what was called the Jail Cleaning Yard of the Inquisition Court in Evora, 135 kilometers (84 miles) east of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. The dump was in use roughly between 1568 and 1634. The three male and nine female bodies "were discarded into the dump like household garbage," with no funeral structures nor grave goods, and the skeletons were lying skewed on the ground, the researchers said in the September edition of the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, provided to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The Portuguese Inquisition was established in 1536. Its most common accusation was maintaining outlawed Jewish practices in secret. Hundreds of Jews were burned at the stake, and living conditions in Inquisition jails often caused prisoners' deaths. A proper burial was denied to Jews. The researchers said it was impossible to know for certain if the skeletons were Jews. The excavations were carried out in 2007 and 2008 during the renovation of the former Inquisition court building. Only 12 percent of the yard was excavated, researchers from the Portuguese universities of Evora and Coimbra said.

What I like the most about the GX7 is the ergonomics. It seems everything is at the right place for me. The grip is very comfortable and the two dials for controlling aperture and shutter speed are at the perfect spot on the camera. The AE/AF Lock button is just under the end of my thumb when I hold the camera. The buttons at the rear of the camera are small but not to cramped together. There are dedicated buttons for ISO, White balance, AF Selection and Drive mode and there are 4 physicals Functions buttons (+ 5 more virtual buttons on the right side of your screen. All those buttons and dials are customizable. There is a switch to change from auto to manual focus and I use it a lot, especially in video. The screen is sharp, with good contrast and is easy to see even in full sunlight. It's not fully articulated like on the GH series but it's tiltable like the OM-D. The electronic viewfinder is better than the E-M5 but not as good as the Olympus VF4. The nice thing though is that viewfinder is also tiltable which makes it useful when shooting from a lower standpoint. I would like a bigger eyecup. It would make it more comfortable to shoot with glasses. There is also a tunnel effect when I look in it with my glasses so I have to be more careful when I frame my shots. The EVF is on the right side of the camera which is quite useful. If you are a right-eye shooter, your nose don't smear the screen. If you are a left-eye shooter, your nose don't get in the way of your right hand controlling the camera.

This was a roller coaster of an exchange! I saw that Santa had pulled my info early on and then I heard nothing until after the shipping deadline - I was starting to get worried! Last weekend the doorman buzzed up and said there was a delivery from Instacart / Whole Foods, but I wasn't expecting it, so everyone was very confused! The delivery man mentioned that he was here for a Reddit exchange, and it hit me that it must be from Simple Pleasures Santa. I was given a few bags that had flowers, drinks, and snacks, and were spot on - so well done that I was really freaked out and wanted to know more about the exchange haha. The bagged items include a cookie, coconut date rolls, and nutritional yeast, which will make some delicious "cheesy" popcorn. Santa messaged me to make sure everything was received, and everything went from confusion to concern to pure joy - thanks Santa!!

The buzz about honeybees lately has been about their vanishing from gardens and farm fields. New ranks of backyard beekeepers are trying to ease that scarcity, or at least have enough pollinators to produce a decent harvest. "Feral bees have pretty much died out, so if you don't have someone with bees nearby, your squash and tomatoes, orchards and nut crops won't get pollinated," says Edd Buchanan, a fourth-generation beekeeper from Black Mountain, N.C. Bees are the necessary link between blossoms and fruit. They pollinate one-third of the world's produce, a service worth some $70 billion a year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. Yet a combination of factors, including pesticides, habitat loss, pollution, disease and pests, have all but eliminated wild honeybees nationwide, along with about 30% of managed honeybee colonies, according to USDA estimates. Enter more than 211,000 bee hobbyists across the United States. Along with the entertainment value the insects provide, beekeepers also harvest honey, pollen and beeswax from their hives. "It does pay for itself over a period of time," Buchanan says. "With just one hive, you can produce all the honey you want to eat, give some to your neighbors at Christmas plus get your investment back." At least a pound of worker bees and a queen are needed to make a productive apiary, says Buchanan, who got his start 35 years ago by swapping an old lawnmower for an established hive. "There are about 3,500 bees to a pound," he said. "That'll cost you anywhere from $75 to $90." Another way to buy bees is with a "nuc," or nucleus hive. That includes a queen, worker bees and a starter brood shipped in a wooden box. Prices generally run $110 to $120. Most are available via mail order, the Internet or from fellow beekeepers. Italian bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) are the favorites, given their reputation for gentleness, cleanliness, disease resistance and energy. To succeed as a beekeeper, you'll also need: • Water nearby. "The closer you are to a water source, the less they'll have to fly and the longer they'll be able to live," Buchanan said. • Nectar and pollen-producing plants. "Locust, blackberry, tulip poplar, Devils walking stick and sourwood are the sources for some of the world's most expensive honeys," he said. Clover, milkweed, lemon balm and thistles also are abundant and supply flavorful nectars. • Adequate space. Bees need enough room to store honey for the winter and rear their young. "They dislike disorder or disruption, and will leave the premises if the accommodations are not right," said Charles Walton, who with partner Mike Welsh manages a beekeeping operation near Takoma Park, Md., a Washington suburb. • An accepting community. "Honeybees are defensive, not aggressive (except for the African variety), and so will not attack unless their hive is threatened," Walton said. Many beekeepers reduce the stinging threat by placing hives near fences or shrubs so the insects are forced to fly above where people usually gather. • Coaching. Novice beekeepers are advised to spend time at an apiary, join a beekeeping club or take a class. "Most states have county agents and Extension entomologists whose responsibilities include beekeeping," the USDA says. For more beekeeping basics, see this USDA/University of California Davis fact sheet: sfp.ucdavis.edu/pubs/brochures/bees.html . For local beekeeping association links, tap this Apiary Inspectors of Information directory: www.apiaryinspectors.org/links.html.

Unsplash, a photo sharing startup, has launched their own branded license and updated their terms to add new restrictions and remove CC0 from their platform. UPDATE: Unsplash has responded to CC’s concerns, and offered clarifications and additional information to address the issues. In particular, they have updated the license to make it explicitly irrevocable. We will update this post if there are further changes to the Unsplash license and terms. Unsplash, a photo sharing startup, has launched their own branded license and updated their terms to add new restrictions and remove CC0 from their platform. As a result of the changes, Unsplash images are no longer in the public domain. Unsplash now has the right to pursue infringement on behalf of their users. Also, in some cases, attribution is now required. The terms of the new Unsplash-branded copyright license may create issues for users who hope to re-use the images, and for those who shared using the service and wanted their works available under unrestricted terms. Background We feel it’s important to inform the CC community, as many have been supporters of Unsplash and we have been receiving questions from users in the open content and free software movements. We reached out to Unsplash and then also, with their consent, spoke to their legal counsel to understand the new license and terms. Our intention is to ensure that CC community members understand what has happened to a service they have been using that incorporated CC tools, and to protect the content that was dedicated to the public domain. We don’t want to oppose a startup’s business and marketing decisions, nor deny them the IP they might now want to claim to protect their business model. We understand from Unsplash that they felt that copycat services were detracting from their offering and upsetting their users. We are sympathetic to that challenge — the predominant players in photo sharing like Flickr, 500px, and Wikimedia Commons all use CC0 in their platforms, and have faced those issues with their users. But it’s also clear that Unsplash wanted to extend their brand to have their name incorporated into the license. That’s a perfectly valid business and marketing decision. We’ve outlined some issues for consideration in more detail below for the benefit of contributors to Unsplash, and those who wish to re-use their images: Revocability NOTE: Following the publishing of this post, Unsplash clarified and update their license to state that their new license is irrevocable. Irrevocability is designed to ensure that anyone who uses the image can do so with the confidence that the author can’t withdraw the permissions they’ve previously granted. Attribution CC0 does not require attribution, though we encourage users to do so because it gives gratitude to the creator, and can support further re-use by linking to the original work and its license. The new Unsplash-branded license doesn’t require attribution, but the Unsplash API guidelines do require attribution. So depending on how a user, a developer, or their app retrieves the image from the Unsplash service, they are subject to different terms. Copyright and sub-licensing The new Unsplash terms of service require users who share to grant a copyright license to Unsplash, which permits them to sub-license their work. Unsplash also requires users to grant them the authority to enforce copyright on their behalf. Beyond the compilation of photos in a competing service, it is not clear if there are other scenarios under which Unsplash would enforce copyright against reusers. CC0 Collection and Archive Following the switch to the new Unsplash-branded license, there is no marking of works that were previously shared in the public domain using CC0. The Unsplash API restricts/obscures the full CC0 collection, which we believe to be about 200,000 images, but it isn’t possible to access the complete archive. In order to ensure that the commons is maintained, we hope that Unsplash will either a) properly mark all the works shared using CC0 and/or b) make available a full archive of the CC0 works so they can be shared on a platform that supports open licensing and public domain tools. Previous platforms that have gone under or abandoned open license tools have shared their CC archives for this purpose. We hope Unsplash will follow the same path.

Tough Lessons from the Bible Tough Lessons from the Bible Is there a heaven and a hell? What does the bible say about gay marriage? What does the bible say about abortion? Should we Christians teach children to celebrate Christmas? Is Santa and Satan one in the same? Is suicide forgiven by God? Does evolution contradict the bible? In "Tough Lessons from the Bible," you will find out the answers to those questions and more. Mack uses bible scripture to discuss certain controversial topics within the Christian Church.Topic 1: SuicideTopic 2: AbortionTopic 3: Jesus Is the Son Of God (The Messiah)Topic 4: Heaven and HellTopic 5: God Is LoveTopic 6: Love Thy Neighbor (Brethren)Topic 7: ForgivenessTopic 8: God Forbids Oath-TakingTopic 9: Taking the Lord's Name In VainTopic 10: Speaking In TonguesTopic 11: Roles of Men and WomenTopic 12: Gay MarriageTopic 13: Don't Spare the RodTopic 14: Being Sober-MindedTopic 15: The Teaching on Lust (Fornication)Topic 16: Christians Should Not Read HoroscopesTopic 17: Some Music May Harm Us SpirituallyTopic 18: We Are Created In His ImageTopic 19: Animals Were Not Created In His ImageTopic 20: Self-Righteousness Is SinTopic 21: PrideTopic 22: What the Rainbow SymbolizesTopic 23: Righteous JudgmentTopic 24: Beware Of False ProphetsTopic 25: Prosperity PreachingTopic 26: The Truth about Santa (Satan) Claus and ChristmasPeople will have certain objections while reading this unusual book. Just read this book along with your bible to help gain spiritual growth. People have to let go of pride and humble themselves while reading this book. The goal of this book is to get believers of Christ to get a better focus on God's Word. This way Christians can be better equipped and have a deeper understanding of the bible. This book addresses pressing issues not only within the body of Christ, but in society as well. Mack is showing the world as a whole certain things that we Christians should not be supporting or engaging in. This book encourages Christians to study the bible more to gain wisdom in biblical teaching. This book is compelling, captivating, yet insightful, and mind-blowing!This book is available as a paperback and as an eBook online in many locations.(Amazon)(Kindle)(Barnes and Noble)(Nook)(Books-A-Million)(Smashwords)(ITunes)

In Mathematics and Reality, Mary Leng outlines and defends a version of mathematical fictionalism that proceeds by attacking indispensability arguments (from confirmation holism to mathematical realism). Leng is primarily concerned to show that our use of mathematics as applied in the physical sciences does not require us to believe in mathematical objects. The book treats of much that is of interest to contemporary philosophers of mathematics. Leng discusses philosophical views of John Burgess, Rudolf Carnap, Hartry Field, Paul Horwich, Penelope Maddy, Hilary Putnam, W.V.O. Quine, Bas van Fraassen, and Stephen Yablo, among others. The work is divided into ten chapters. The first is an introductory chapter where Leng discusses the indispensability argument for mathematical realism. Here Leng announces her strategy to undermine the argument by attacking the assumption of confirmation holism. Chapter two discusses Leng's naturalistic approach to ontology, which she applies in the rest of the book. Chapter three is a discussion of the prospects for Field's project. Leng argues that whether Field's program can be successfully carried out does not affect the form of fictionalism that she wishes to defend. Chapter four discusses naturalism and its relation to mathematics. It should be noted that this chapter contains a discussion of pure mathematics. Leng holds that pure mathematics poses no special problems for the naturalistic anti-realist, since it can be seen as the investigation of the consequences of certain propositions without regard to their truth. The book as a whole then, deals primarily with applied mathematics. Chapter five deals with idealizations in science and the problems these pose for the confirmation holist. Chapter six concerns the question of demarcating those sentences in natural science that we should see as expressing literal truths from those to be understood as mere analogies. Chapter seven discusses Kendall Walton's views on fiction as make-believe, and explains how they can be applied to the cases of idealizations in science and mathematical objects. In both cases Leng argues that they should be understood on the model of prop-oriented (as opposed to content-oriented) make-believe. That is, both are to be seen as metaphorical claims that nonetheless manage to tell us something about actual things. Chapter eight is a discussion of the relation between Leng's mathematical fictionalism and constructive empiricism. Chapter nine discusses the problem of how a fictionalist can account for the success of mathematics. Finally, chapter ten presents a brief conclusion. Leng's book, as mentioned, is a defense of mathematical fictionalism. Defense is used here in a more literal sense than is usual when describing a book. Often what is called a defense of position X will really be an argument that position X is the position that one ought to hold. This is not the case with Leng's book (with the exception of one paragraph towards the end of the final chapter). Leng's goal is to show that there is a coherent form of fictionalism (distinct from Field's) that can be defended against various objections. It is not an argument that this is the position that one ought to adopt. Leng, in fact, is explicit about this in the concluding chapter: But what I have not, so far, argued is that our reflective understanding of the role of mathematical hypotheses in our theories rules out taking a realist attitude to those hypotheses, and viewing them as assertions of truths about the relations between really existing mathematical and non-mathematical objects. And if mathematical platonism is not ruled out by our understanding of the role of mathematics in empirical science, then it seems that the most we can conclude is that adopting a broadly naturalist approach to ontology requires us to be agnostic about the question of whether there are mathematical objects. (p. 259) This point is made with fewer than three full pages of the book remaining. But Leng, surprisingly, is not ready to rest content with this as her conclusion. She decides to turn her argument, as made so far, into an argument against platonism. She does not, however, devote all of the remaining space to this. Actually, she devotes just one paragraph to establishing the untenability of platonism. The paragraph consists of an appeal to Ockham's razor and a quotation of Field's where he is talking of little green men who live on electrons. I can't see this argument convincing anyone who does not already reject platonism. Leng begins addressing the topic of ontology with a discussion of Carnap and Quine. At various points in the text she states that the ontological issues she is dealing with trace back to this famous debate. Given the emphasis she places on this debate, Leng could have been more careful in outlining the positions. She describes Carnap's position in 'Empiricism, Semantics and Ontology' as the view that, for instance, to use the framework of arithmetic is to speak as if there are numbers (see pp. 30, 32, 33, 134). This 'as if ' makes Carnap himself sound like a fictionalist. Quine interpreted Carnap as holding the view that talk of abstract entities was a mere manner of speaking, but this was not Carnap's view. Leng summarizes Carnap's position by saying "merely practical reasons to speak as if there are φs do not count as reasons to believe there are φs." (p. 134) Carnap does not think it is possible to believe there are, for instance, numbers, if this is meant in the sense of the external question concerning the existence of number. Nor would Carnap hold that using the framework of arithmetic is merely speaking as if there are numbers. Quine plays a more prominent role in Leng's book than Carnap does. However, beyond the points of explicitly acknowledged disagreement between Quine and Leng, there is another that deserves mention. Quine, like Carnap, thought the metaphysical question of the existence of a certain type of thing was meaningless (see Quine, 1976, p. 203). Quine replaces the traditional metaphysical question of what exists with the question of what entities are within the domain of discourse of our best scientific theories. Quine, of course, disagrees with Carnap in holding that the existential commitments of a theory are a matter of justification and not a mere practical consideration. But if we have evidence for a theory that quantifies over a certain type of entity, this is not in turn evidence that that type of entity exists in some absolute metaphysical sense. Quine has replaced the traditional metaphysical question of existence, which he sees as meaningless, with the question of what our best theories quantify over. Leng argues that in the case of idealizations in science, as well as with mathematical existence assumptions, we should not read our ontological assumptions off of the range of our quantifiers. In the case of some of the things in the range of our quantifiers, the best attitude we could take towards them is that they are fictional. So, on Leng's view we are committed to those elements in our domain of discourse that we have direct evidence for. You can't be an anti-realist about electrons because "you can't spray fictions!" (p. 149) But now it becomes important to distinguish those entities that we have direct evidence for from those that can be seen as mere fictions. Leng does this by appeal to inference to the best explanation. If we cannot explain the success of the theory on the assumption that a kind of entity does not exist, then we are committed to that kind of entity. But now notice that Leng, unlike Quine, can no longer be said to have given a new meaning to the question of ontology. For to engage in the project that Leng outlines we need to already know what it is for something to exist (as well as what types of things are explained by this). Whereas Quine's redefinition of the problem of ontology does not presuppose a prior understanding of existence, Leng's does. Many philosophers working today would not see this as a problem, but given the stressed Quinean/Carnapian roots of her project, and the claim to have forged an intermediary position, this difference between Leng and both Carnap and Quine seems worthy of mention. Let us move on, then, to the question of what, if any, ontological commitments a fictionalist need make with respect to elements of the fiction. One would expect a book devoted to the question of mathematical ontology, defending a fictionalist answer, to take very seriously the problem of the possible (unacknowledged) ontological commitments of fictions. After all, if fictions involve commitment to fictional objects, that is, abstract objects of sorts, then the recourse to fictionalism is obvious futility. Leng's position is that this problem has been given a completely satisfactory solution by Kendall Walton. Walton's view is that talk of fictional things occurs in the context of make-believe (or pretence) and that "insofar as statements appearing to be about fictional entities are uttered in pretence, they do not introduce metaphysical mysteries." (Walton, 1990, p. 396) Leng, in defending the view that we can avoid ontological commitments to both idealizations in science as well as indispensable mathematical objects, presents (rather than argues for) Walton's view and then says the following: For those who take idealizations to be significantly different from fictions, or who think that there is no hope for an anti-realist account of fictions and fictional characters, the remainder of the discussion will do little to move them to an anti-realist view of mathematics. My aim in what follows is, rather, to persuade those who do take it to be plausible that ordinary scientific modelling should be viewed as analogous to fiction-making, and that fiction-making does not introduce commitment to an ontology of fictional characters, that the use of mathematics in the empirical sciences should be understood along the same lines. (p. 171) Up to this point Leng's book has mainly sought to undermine Quine's argument from confirmation holism to realism concerning everything in our domain of quantification. This is done, primarily, by showing that idealizations in science introduce more problems than Quine thought, and they cannot all be dealt with as Quine proposed. But here we see, with most of the argumentative steps towards a defense of mathematical fictionalism left to be made, Leng asserts that the book will constitute no more than this for those who reject either of these claims: 1) idealizations are analogous to fictions, 2) fictions make no ontological demands. I for one, having serious doubts about the second of these claims, felt a little shortchanged by this argumentative move on Leng's part. Chapter eight of Leng's book closes with an interesting discussion of Horwich (1991), which poses a certain problem for any form of instrumentalism. The problem is that we can be mistaken in our beliefs about what we really believe. Following van Fraassen, one might hold that it is best to merely accept, rather than believe, our best scientific theories. But given that we can be wrong about what it is that we believe, it is up to the instrumentalist to show that there is some real difference between thinking one merely accepts a theory (while actually believing it) and genuinely only accepting it. In the case of fictionalism versus platonism, the problem is to specify the difference between really being a fictionalist versus actually being a platonist who is mistaken in taking oneself to be a fictionalist. Leng, however, holds that "adopting the attitude of fictionalism makes no difference to one's ability to immerse oneself in the practices of modern science." (p. 210) So other than how they understand their own position, there is no difference in the dispositions or practices of the fictionalist and platonist that would show that one merely acts as if there are numbers while the other really believes there are numbers. Such an attitude comes close to claiming, as Howard Stein put it, that "between a cogent and enlightened 'realism' and a sophisticated 'instrumentalism' there is no significant difference -- no difference that makes a difference." (Stein, 1989, p. 61) Of course, one can't accept Stein's conclusion and still maintain that one is, nonetheless, in some important respect, a fictionalist. The fictionalist seems, therefore, to be in a quite difficult position here. The position Leng announces at the end of this chapter is that there are two ways out for the fictionalist. On the one hand she states that it might simply be implausible, despite Horwich's claims, that diehard platonists or fictionalists are wrong in the self-descriptions of their attitudes. In this case, despite the problem posed by Horwich, fictionalism is defensible. Leng's argument here appears to have the form: the basic assumptions of my opponent's view might be mistaken, and since I want only to show that my view can be defended, nothing more needs to be shown. Fortunately, however, Leng sees another way out for the fictionalist that she develops in more detail. Her strategy is to turn Horwich's argument around. Horwich suggests that if his challenge cannot be met, the instrumentalist might actually, despite protests to the contrary, hold a realist position. Leng's strategy is to show that if there is no difference that makes a difference between the various dispositions and practices of realists and fictionalists, it might be the case that both are best viewed as fictionalists. She does this by pointing to respects in which mathematics is analogous to a game of make-believe. For instance, she claims, we can make further stipulations as we go along (e.g., we can define the natural numbers as the finite Zermelo ordinals). Also, mathematics permits a certain amount of indeterminacy (e.g., whether the natural numbers are identical to any particular ω-sequence is indeterminate). But even if we grant to Leng that mathematics is analogous to make-believe in these ways, it seems that such a move cannot be made in defense of fictionalism against Horwich's challenge. If, contra Horwich, it is the platonists who despite their protests are really fictionalists, then this is as much a problem for fictionalists as it is for platonists. This is because fictionalists require it to be possible to be both platonists and fictionalists. After all, the fictionalists act as though (or make-believe) platonism is true. If it were impossible to actually be a platonist, then there would be no possible belief for the fictionalist to treat as true. Globally, I think the book could have done more to convince people not already leaning towards fictionalism. Although I found that at some crucial points further argument was really needed, there is much of interest in this book. What I have commented on is what I thought stood out most, and of course there are many discussions in the book that I have not touched on at all. Mathematical fictionalism is now a very popular subject, and I am sure that this book will generate a considerable amount of interest. References Horwich, P. (1991). On the nature and norms of theoretical commitment. Philosophy of Science, 58 (1), 1-14. Quine, W. V. O. (1976). The Ways of Paradox and Other Essays. Harvard University Press, revised and enlarged edition. Stein, H. (1989). Yes but . . . some skeptical remarks on realism and anti-realism. Dialectica , 43 (1), 47-65. Walton, K. L. (1990). Mimesis as Make-Believe. Harvard University Press.

. The Theory of Positive Disintegration by Kazimierz Dąbrowski. Kazimierz Dąbrowski, a Polish psychiatrist and psychologist, developed the Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD) over his lifetime of clinical and academic work. The Theory of Positive Disintegration is a novel approach to personality development. The theory is a forerunner of what today is called post-traumatic growth. Dąbrowski described the psychological factors he believed to be related to positive (growth full) outcomes after crises. He called these factors developmental potential and they include a description of psychological sensitivity he called overexcitability (OE). Dąbrowski observed that individuals with strong OE experience crises in a stronger, deeper and more personal manner. The intense experience of crises creates an opportunity for the conscious and volitional rearrangement of the self including a reformulation and reprioritization of one's values and beliefs. The individual forms a new image of his or her ideal personality. With this ideal as a guide, the lower aspects of the self are inhibited and higher goals and aspirations emphasized. The theory is a testimony to Kazimierz Dąbrowski's deep insights into human character and development. Page created: October 26, 1995. Page presented by Bill Tillier. Original Works: Bibliography/Biography: Learning TPD: * By Zeke Degraw, used with permission. Congresses: Miscellaneous: TPD Discussions: Other Material: . ↩ Return to top NEWS! We are pleased to announce a major new publication: Personality development through positive disintegration: The work of Kazimierz Dąbrowski. By W. Tillier Until now, there has not been a secondary source on the theory of positive disintegration. This new publication presents a comprehensive overview of Kazimierz Dąbrowski's work and places it within a contemporary psychological context. This book will appeal to anyone interested in Dąbrowski's work. Click here for a preview. The book is available here: https://amzn.to/2OyJ84N Tillier, W. (2018). Personality development through positive disintegration: The work of Kazimierz Dąbrowski. Anna Maria, FL: Bassett. Heksis is back up! A truly amazing resource! https://heksis.dezintegracja.pl/en/ We are pleased to announce that Positive Disintegration, Dąbrowski's 1964 book has been republished and is available at the Amazon link below. Amazon link Positive Disintegration 2016 Preview Poradnia Psychologiczno-Pedagogiczna named after Professor Kazimierz Dąbrowski in Puławy . Kazimierz Dąbrowski MD, PhD. Born: 9/1/1902 Klarówme on Lubelszczyzna Poland Died: 11/26/1980 in Warsaw. Photo taken December 12, 1977. Photo Credit: Russ Hewitt, Edmonton. . ↩ Return to top . . ↩ Return to top Introduction. This site presents information about a psychological approach to personality development called the Theory of Positive Disintegration. The theory was developed by Kazimierz Dąbrowski (1902 - 1980), a Polish Psychologist and Psychiatrist. Both Dąbrowski and his work have faced many obstacles. Personally, he was severely affected by both World Wars. His work always went against the grain. Imagine a humanistic theory promoting personal growth in the political atmosphere of Poland in the 50s and 60s. Another problem has been language. Dąbrowski wrote in Polish and translated his works into French and Spanish. English was the last language he learned and likely the most difficult in terms of capturing the subtleties of his ideas. In spite of these problems, Dąbrowski persevered with his studies of human development, developed his theory and practised Psychiatry all his life. Dąbrowski passed away in 1980 and his students went on to explore careers of their own. Many of these students continue to study and speak on the theory, most advancing a deeply personal understanding of what the theory means to them. For many, the theory has become a lifelong friend. This web page was created in 1995 to help provide this information and to fulfill my commitment to Dr. Dąbrowski to try to keep his theory alive. Dąbrowski's writing began in 1929 with a thesis in Polish. His first work in English was done in 1937. Over the years, he has written many articles and books in Polish, English, Spanish and French. All of the materials published in English are available as are the majority of the Polish books. These can be obtained as PDF downloads - see Dąbrowski 301 under learning Dąbrowski, or click here: . ↩ Return to top Videos of Dąbrowski. There are two excellent video archives of Dąbrowski. When he first arrived at the University of Alberta in about 1968, Leo Mos was asked to interview him with a panel of students from the Centre for Theoretical Psychology leading to a six-hour interview. Second, one of his early students, P. J. Reese, made two half-hour movies of Dąbrowski. These have been digitalized and posted to YouTube. . ↩ Return to top Congress Videos. Thanks to James Duncan many of the sessions at the conferences were videotaped and are available on YouTube. . . ↩ Return to top Be Greeted Psychoneurotics.* Suffering, aloneness, self-doubt, sadness, inner conflict; these are our feelings that we have not learned to live with, that we have failed to appreciate, that we reject as destructive and completely negative, but in fact they are symptoms of an expanding consciousness. Dr. Kazimierz Dąbrowski has spent 45 years piecing together the complete picture of the growth of the human psyche from primitive integration at birth; the person with potential for development will experience growth as a loosening of the stable psychic structure accompanied by symptoms of psychoneuroses. Reality becomes multileveled, the choices between higher and lower realms of behavior occupy our thought and mark us as human. Dąbrowski called this process positive disintegration, he declares that psychoneurosis is not an illness and he insists that development does not come through psychotherapy but that psychotherapy is automatic when the person is conscious of his development. To Dąbrowski, real therapy is autopsychotherapy; it is the self being aware of the self through a long inner investigation; a mapping of the inner environment. There are no techniques to eliminate symptoms because the symptoms constitute the very psychic richness from which grow an increasing awareness of body, mind, humanity and cosmos. Dąbrowski gives birth to that process if he can. Without intense and painful introspection and reflection, development is unlikely. Psychoneurotic symptoms should be embraced and transformed into anxieties about human problems of an ever higher order. If psychoneuroses continue to be classified as mental illness, then perhaps it is a sickness better than health. “Without passing through very difficult experiences and even something like psychoneurosis and neurosis we cannot understand human beings and we cannot realize our multidimensional and multilevel development toward higher and higher levels.” Dąbrowski. * From the Filmwest movie, Be Greeted Psychoneurotics. Dąbrowski captured the essence of psychoneuroses and development in his poem: . ↩ Return to top A very brief sketch of Dąbrowski's theory. by W. Tillier Four seminal quotes set the stage: 1). "Personality: A self-aware, self-chosen, self-affirmed, and self-determined unity of essential individual psychic qualities. Personality as defined here appears at the level of secondary integration" (Dąbrowski, 1972, p. 301). 2). "The propensity for changing one's internal environment and the ability to influence positively the external environment indicate the capacity of the individual to develop. Almost as a rule, these factors are related to increased mental excitability, depressions, dissatisfaction with oneself, feelings of inferiority and guilt, states of anxiety, inhibitions, and ambivalences - all symptoms which the psychiatrist tends to label psychoneurotic. Given a definition of mental health as the development of the personality, we can say that all individuals who present active development in the direction of a higher level of personality (including most psychoneurotic patients) are mentally healthy" (Dąbrowski, 1964, p. 112). 3). "Intense psychoneurotic processes are especially characteristic of accelerated development in its course towards the formation of personality. According to our theory accelerated psychic development is actually impossible without transition through processes of nervousness and psychoneuroses, without external and internal conflicts, without maladjustment to actual conditions in order to achieve adjustment to a higher level of values (to what 'ought to be'), and without conflicts with lower level realities as a result of spontaneous or deliberate choice to strengthen the bond with reality of higher level" (Dąbrowski, 1972, p. 220). 4). "Psychoneuroses 'especially those of a higher level' provide an opportunity to 'take one's life in one's own hands'. They are expressive of a drive for psychic autonomy, especially moral autonomy, through transformation of a more or less primitively integrated structure. This is a process in which the individual himself becomes an active agent in his disintegration, and even breakdown. Thus the person finds a 'cure' for himself, not in the sense of a rehabilitation but rather in the sense of reaching a higher level than the one at which he was prior to disintegration. This occurs through a process of an education of oneself and of an inner psychic transformation. One of the main mechanisms of this process is a continual sense of looking into oneself as if from outside, followed by a conscious affirmation or negation of conditions and values in both the internal and external environments. Through the constant creation of himself, though the development of the inner psychic milieu and development of discriminating power with respect to both the inner and outer milieus - an individual goes through ever higher levels of 'neuroses' and at the same time through ever higher levels of universal development of his personality" (Dąbrowski, 1972, p. 4). These quotes capture the heart of Dąbrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration. The theory describes a process of personality development - the creation of a unique, individual personality. Most people become socialized in their early family and school experiences. They largely accept the values and mores of society with little question and have no internal conflict in abiding by the basic tenents of society. In some cases, a person begins to notice and to imagine 'higher possibilities' in life. These disparities are driven by overexcitability -- an intense reaction to, and experience of the day-to-day stimuli of life. Eventually, one's perception of reality becomes differentiated into a hierarchy and all aspects of both external and internal life come to be evaluated on a vertical continuum of 'lower versus higher.' This experience often creates a series of deep and painful conflicts between lower, 'habitual' perceptions and reactions based on one's heredity and environment (socialization) and higher, volitional 'possibilities.' In the developing individual, these conflicts may lead to disintegrations and psychoneuroses, for Dąbrowski, hallmarks of advanced growth. Eventually, through the processes of advanced development and positive disintegration, one is able to develop control over one's reactions and actions. Eventually, development culminates in the inhibition and extinction of lower levels of reality and behavior and their transcendence via the creation of a higher, autonomous and stable ideal self. The rote acceptance of social values yields to a critically examined and chosen hierarchy of values and aims that becomes a unique expression of the self -- becoming one's personality ideal. Dąbrowski acknowledged the strong and primitive influence of heredity (the first factor) and the robotic, dehumanizing (and de-individualizing) role of the social environment (the second factor). He also described a third factor of influence, a factor emerging from but surpassing heredity - "its activity is autonomous in relation to the first factor (hereditary) and the second (environmental) factor. It consists in a selective attitude with regard to the properties of one's own character and temperament, as well as, to environmental influences" (Dąbrowski, 1973, p. 80). The third factor is initially expressed when a person begins to resist their lower impulses and the habitual responses characteristic of socialization. Emerging autonomy is reflected in conscious and volitional choices toward what a person perceives as 'higher' in their internal and external milieus. Over time, this 'new' conscious shaping of the personality comes to reflect an individual 'personality ideal,' an integrated hierarchy of values describing the sense of whom one wants to be and how one wants to live life. With the new freedom and force of the third factor, a person can see and avoid the lower in life and transcend to higher levels. The 'ought to be' of life can replace 'the what is.' It is important to realize that this is not simply an actualization of oneself as is; it involves tremendous conscious work in differentiating the higher and lower in the self and in moving away from lower selfish and egocentric goals toward an idealized image of how 'you ought to be.' The idealized self is consciously constructed based on both emotional and cognitive foundations. Emotion and cognition become integrated and are reflected in a new approach to life -- feelings direct and shape ideas, goals and ideals, one's ideals work to express one's feelings. imagination is a critical component in this process -- we can literally imagine how it ought to be and how could be in this establishes ideals to try to attain. Initially, people who are acting on low impulses or who are simply robotically emulating society have little self conflict. Most conflicts are external. During development, the clash between one's actual behavior and environment and one's imagined ideals creates a great deal of internal conflict. This conflict literally motivates the individual to resolve the situation, ideally by inhibiting those aspects he or she considers lower and by accentuating those aspects he or she considers higher. At the highest levels, there is a new harmony of thought, emotion and action that eliminates internal conflict. The individual is behaving in accord with their own personality ideal and consciously derived value structure and therefore feels no internal conflict. Often a person's external focus shifts to 'making the world a better place.' In describing development, Dąbrowski elaborated two qualitatively different experiences of life — unilevel and multileveled — divided into five levels. These two main qualitatively different stages and types of life are the heteronomous, which is biologically and socially determined (unilevel), and the autonomous, which is determined by the multilevel forces of higher development. Level I is heteronomous, aka unilevel. Level III and above, autonomous (multilevel). Level II is transitional, a brief intense time of unilevel crisis — a test of character from which one normally will either regress or advance. . ↩ Return to top Dąbrowski bibliographies. 1). A of Dąbrowski's work and works related to Dąbrowski's Theory. 2). Synopsis of Dąbrowski's major English books: Dąbrowski, K. (1964). Positive disintegration. Boston: Little Brown & Co. Boston: Little Brown & Co. Dąbrowski, K. (1967). Personality-shaping through positive disintegration. Boston: Little Brown & Co. Boston: Little Brown & Co. Dąbrowski, K. (with Kawczak, A., & Piechowski, M. M.). (1970). Mental growth through positive disintegration. London: Gryf Publications. London: Gryf Publications. Dąbrowski, K. (1972). Psychoneurosis is not an illness. London: Gryf Publications. London: Gryf Publications. Dąbrowski, K. (with Kawczak, A., & Sochanska, J.). (1973). The dynamics of concepts. London: Gryf Publications. London: Gryf Publications. Dąbrowski, K. (1979, March). Nothing can be changed here. (E. Mazurkiewicz, Trans.), Peter Rolland (Ed.). (Privately Printed). (E. Mazurkiewicz, Trans.), Peter Rolland (Ed.). (Privately Printed). Dąbrowski, K. (1996). Multilevelness of emotional and instinctive functions. Part 1: Theory and description of levels of behavior. Lublin, Poland: Towarzystwo Naukowe Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego. [ Published in English with a new preface by Czeslaw Cekiera. 446 pages. ISBN # 83-86668-51-2. Published in one soft cover binding along with Part 2.] Lublin, Poland: Towarzystwo Naukowe Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego. [ Published in English with a new preface by Czeslaw Cekiera. 446 pages. ISBN # 83-86668-51-2. Published in one soft cover binding along with Part 2.] Dąbrowski, K. & Piechowski, M. M. (with Rankel, M., & Amend, D. R.). (1996). Multilevelness of emotional and instinctive functions. Part 2: Types and Levels of Development. Lublin, Poland: Towarzystwo Naukowe Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego. [Published in English with a new preface by Czeslaw Cekiera. 446 pages. ISBN # 83-86668-51-2. Published in one soft cover binding with Part 1.] . ↩ Return to top Yahoo Dąbrowski discussion group: A private Yahoo Dąbrowski discussion group. 1). You can join at: 2). You can see the previous posted messages at: . ↩ Return to top Contact: This site was developed by, and is maintained by Bill Tillier, e-mail: Website credits and copyrights: The material on this site is protected by the provisions of the by Canadian laws, policies, regulations and international agreements. Such provisions serve to identify the information source and, in specific instances, to prohibit reproduction of materials without written permission. THANK YOU.

President Trump’s first week in office has brought with it an abundance of changes in government. From hiring freezes to cutting off taxpayer funding for various projects, the President has stood by his word to advance the conservative agenda. These changes have caused much criticism and outcry from liberals across the country. The hosts of ABC’s “The View,” led by outspoken liberal Whoopi Goldberg, decided on Wednesday to share their opinions on the President’s actions. Co-host Joy Behar commented that she believed Donald Trump has signed so many executive orders so quickly because “he’s afraid he’s going to get impeached,” to which Co-Host Jedediah Bila chimed in, reminding the group that Obama had also signed his share of executive orders. Whoopi jumped to Obama’s defense saying: “The difference in what you’re saying in terms of executive action at least it took President Obama at least a couple of months in and this one has came in and he said, ‘we’re doing this and this, and this.’ I understand that. All presidents have these things they want to do. “He didn’t do executive orders- — he didn’t do it in the beginning. He did it second year. I’m just saying.” Whoopi seems to be a little fuzzy on the facts. Here’s what the Federal Registry has to say about executive orders signed by President Obama during 2009. On January 21, 2009, the day after his inauguration, Obama signed two executive orders. Before the end of the month, he would go on to sign 7 more and a total of 16 within his first full month in office. One of which pertained to the hotly disputed closure of Guantanamo Bay. OLD VIDEO: Then-President Barack Obama signs some of his first executive orders in the Oval Office, January 2009. https://t.co/s1J6MLV8G7 — Marshall Cohen (@Marshall_Cohen) January 25, 2017 All of this from a group that claims to hold themselves “to a higher standard” when it comes to reporting the facts. If you want accurate news, The View is not the show to watch. https://t.co/DEXaGUgZan — Lilia 🇨🇱 (@LiliaEP) January 25, 2017 While it’s understandable that those who’s candidate lost would be disappointed, maybe a little more research would be advisable before you go whining on national TV with incorrect facts. Do you think The View is a legitimate news source? Let us know in the comments. Source: Truthmonitor

The putative antidepressant captodiamine is a 5-HT2c receptor antagonist and agonist at sigma-1 and D3 dopamine receptors, exerts an anti-immobility action in the forced swim paradigm, and enhances dopamine turnover in the frontal cortex. Captodiamine has also been found to ameliorate stress-induced anhedonia, reduce the associated elevations of hypothalamic corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and restore the reductions in hypothalamic BDNF expression. Here we demonstrate chronic administration of captodiamine to have no significant effect on hypothalamic CRF expression through sigma-1 receptor agonism; however, both sigma-1 receptor agonism or 5-HT2c receptor antagonism were necessary to enhance BDNF expression. Regulation of BDNF expression by captodiamine was associated with increased phosphorylation of transcription factor CREB and mediated through sigma-1 receptor agonism but blocked by 5-HT2c receptor antagonism. The existence of two separate signalling pathways was confirmed by immunolocalisation of each receptor to distinct cell populations in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Increased BDNF induced by captodiamine was also associated with enhanced expression of synapsin, but not PSD-95, suggesting induction of long-term structural plasticity between hypothalamic synapses. These unique features of captodiamine may contribute to its ability to ameliorate stress-induced anhedonia as the hypothalamus plays a prominent role in regulating HPA axis activity.

Here are some of Pau Gasol's thoughts on Sunday's shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, which is approximately 30 miles southeast of San Antonio. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was in a somber mood during his pre-game availability, and a couple players in the locker room were concerned as they prepped to host the Phoenix Suns: "I think anyone and everyone has to be concerned about their own well-being. Any person in this country has to be concerned because things like this happen. Going to a concert, taking your kids to school, going to church, you name it. What can you do that you're safe? I don't know. Isn't a basketball game safe? I hope because nothing has happened yet. I think there are measures of security that prevent that from happening luckily. But what's next? That's what you have to wonder. It's too repetitive. It's not something that happens once every 20 years. It seems like it happens like once every week or every two weeks. At what point do we say, ‘Enough'? I don't know. I know it's a delicate subject. But I hate for innocent people to get killed and for families to pay that price and carry that burden for the rest of their lives, and the pain. It's just sad, just really sad."

Eyewitnesses to September's deadly terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya told a congressional committee Wednesday that State Department officials had blocked efforts to aid Americans under fire and later tried to conceal al Qaeda's involvement. Mark Thompson, acting deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism at the State Department, told the politically charged hearing that on the night of the attack he was stopped from mobilizing a foreign emergency support team that was specially equipped and trained to deal with emergencies like the one in Benghazi. Thompson said White House officials told him directly that the emergency team would not be deployed because "it was not the right time and it was not the team that needed to go right then." Thompson was among three State Department whistleblowers testifying before the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of lawmakers' ongoing effort to determine whether the U.S. government could have done more to save the lives of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans killed during the Sept. 11 attack. Republicans insist that the Obama administration misled the public about the nature of the Benghazi attack and then tried to cover up the deceit. They place particular blame on then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Gregory Hicks, the No. 2 diplomat in Libya who served directly under Stevens, said a second effort to send Special Forces to Benghazi that evening also was blocked. Those troops were told to stand down, he said. Despite U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice's repeated claims immediately after the attack that it was a spontaneous response to an anti-Muslim Internet video, Hicks said it was clear from the beginning that the assault was coordinated and deliberate. He recalled receiving a phone call from the ambassador when Stevens told him, "We're under attack." "The YouTube video was a nonevent in Libya," Hicks said. Moreover, Hicks said, Rice's comments angered the Libyan government and made it harder to bring the FBI to Benghazi to secure the crime scene. Hicks said he was told on Sept. 11 that fighter jets could arrive within three hours, contradicting the administration's claim that air support was eight hours away. Republicans have refused to end their inquiry into Benghazi, much to the irritation of Democrats who claim the GOP is politicizing the attacks. Committee Democrats, including Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, questioned the accuracy of the witnesses' testimony and defended the administration and Clinton. Clinton has been under fire for approving a reduction in security in Benghazi before the attack. But she has testified that she did not personally see the cables from Stevens requesting additional forces. Eric Nordstrom, the top security officer in Libya at the time, said the security in Benghazi was insufficient, with much of it left to Libyan forces that he believes were complicit in the attack. "I think, to put it succinctly, it was the best bad plan," Nordstrom said. "It was the only thing we had." Hicks said he was demoted after questioning Rice's claims about the attack in a series of Sunday talk shows, which he said left him "stunned" and "embarrassed." sferrechio@washingtonexaminer.com

The November/December issue of acmqueue is out now Subscribers and ACM Professional members login here PDF December 15, 2015 Volume 13, issue 9 Schema.org: Evolution of Structured Data on the Web Big data makes common schemas even more necessary. R.V. Guha, Google Dan Brickley, Google Steve Macbeth, Microsoft Separation between content and presentation has always been one of the important design aspects of the Web. Historically, however, even though most Web sites were driven off structured databases, they published their content purely in HTML. Services such as Web search, price comparison, reservation engines, etc. that operated on this content had access only to HTML. Applications requiring access to the structured data underlying these Web pages had to build custom extractors to convert plain HTML into structured data. These efforts were often laborious and the scrapers were fragile and error prone, breaking every time a site changed its layout. Recent proliferation of devices with widely varying form factors has dramatically increased the number of different presentation formats that Web sites have to target. At the same time, a number of new personal assistant applications such as Google App and Microsoft's Cortana have started providing sites with new channels for reaching their users. Further, mature Web applications such as Web search are increasingly seeking to use the structured content, if any, to power richer and more interactive experiences. These developments have finally made it vital for both Web and application developers to be able to exchange their structured data in an interoperable fashion. This article traces the history of efforts to enable Web-scale exchange of structured data and reports on Schema.org, a set of vocabularies based on existing standard syntax, in widespread use today by both publishers and consumers of structured data on the Web. Examples illustrate how easy it is to publish this data and some of the ways in which applications use this data to deliver value to both users and publishers of the data. Standards Early on it became clear that domain-independent standards for structured data would be very useful. One approach, XML, attempted to standardize the syntax. While XML was initially thought of as the future of browser-based HTML, it has found more utility for structured data, with more traditional data-interoperability scenarios. Another approach, MCF18 (Meta Content Framework), introduced ideas from knowledge representation (frames and semantic nets) to the Web and proposed going further by using a common data model—namely, a directed labeled graph. Its vision was to create a single graph (or knowledge base) about a wide range of entities, different parts of which would come from different sites. An early diagram of this vision is shown in figure 1, in which information about Tori Amos is pulled together from different sites of that era into a single coherent graph. The hope at that time was to enable many different applications to work easily with data from many different sites. Over time, the vision grew to cover all kinds of intelligent processing of data on the Web. A 2001 Scientific American article by Tim Berners-Lee et al. on the Semantic Web was probably the most ambitious and optimistic view of this program.5 Between 1997 and 2004 various standards (RDF, RDFS, and OWL) were developed for the syntax and data model. A number of vocabularies were proposed for specific verticals, some of which were widely adopted. One of these was RSS (Rich Site Summary), which allowed users to customize home pages such as Netscape's Netcenter and Yahoo's My Yahoo with their favorite news sources. Another was vCard/hCard (i.e., IMC's vCard standard, expressed in HTML using microformat via the CSS class attribute), which was used to exchange contact information between contact managers, e-mail programs, etc. These were later joined by hCalendar, a format for calendar exchange, again a microformats HTML re-expression of an existing IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) standard, iCalendar. FOAF (Friend of a Friend) predated these efforts but saw its usage for social-network data decline as that industry matured.11 It has found a niche in the RDF (Resource Description Framework) Linked Data community as a commonly reused schema.6 In each of these cases where structured data was being published, one class of widely used application consumed it. Since the goal was to create a graph with wide coverage, well beyond narrow verticals, the challenge was to find a widely used application that had broad coverage. This application turned out to be text search. The intense competition in Web search led companies to look beyond the ranking of results to improve search results. One technique used first by Yahoo and then Google was to augment the snippet associated with each search result with structured data from the results page. They focused on a small number of verticals (eventually around ten, such as recipes, events, etc.), each with a prescribed vocabulary, reusing existing vocabularies such as hCard and FOAF when appropriate. For each, they augmented the snippet with some structured data so as to optimize the user's and webmaster's experience. This approach led to much greater adoption, and soon a few hundred thousand sites were marking up their pages with structured data markup. The program had a substantial drawback, however. The vocabularies for the different verticals were completely independent, leading to substantial duplication and confusion. It was clear that extending this to hundreds or thousands of verticals/classes was impossible. To make things worse, different search engines recommended different vocabularies. Because of the resulting confusion, most webmasters simply did not add any markup, and the markup they did add was often incorrectly formatted. This abundance of incorrect formatting required consumers of markup to build complex parsers that were able to handle improperly formed syntax and vocabulary. These complex parsers turned out to be just as brittle as the original systems used to extract structured data from HTML and thus didn't result in the expected advances. Schema.org In 2011, the major search engines Bing, Google, and Yahoo (later joined by Yandex) created Schema.org to improve this situation. The goal was to provide a single schema across a wide range of topics that included people, places, events, products, offers, and so on. A single integrated schema covered these topics. The idea was to present webmasters with a single vocabulary. Different search engines might use the markup differently, but webmasters had to do the work only once and would reap the benefits across multiple consumers of the markup. Schema.org was launched with 297 classes and 187 relations, which over the past four years have grown to 638 classes and 965 relations. The classes are organized into a hierarchy, where each class may have one or more superclasses (though most have only one). Relations are polymorphic in the sense that they have one or more domains and one or more ranges. The class hierarchy is meant more as an organizational tool to help browse the vocabulary than as a representation of common sense, à la Cyc. The first application to use this markup was Google's Rich Snippets, which switched over to Schema.org vocabulary in 2011. Over the past four years, a number of different applications across many different companies have started using Schema.org vocabulary. Some of the more prominent among these include the following: * In addition to per-link Rich Snippets, annotations in Schema.org are used as a data source for the Knowledge Graph, providing background information about well-known entities (e.g., logo, contact, and social information). * Schema.org-based structured data markup is now being used in places such as e-mails. For example, e-mails confirming reservations (restaurant, hotel, airline, etc.), purchase receipts, etc. have embedded Schema.org markup with details of the transaction. This approach makes it possible for e-mail assistant tools to extract the structured data and make it available through mobile notifications, maps, calendars, etc. Google's Gmail and Search products use this data to provide notifications and reminders (figure 2). For example, a dinner booking made on Opentable.com will trigger a reminder for leaving for the restaurant, based on the location of the restaurant, the user, traffic conditions, etc. * Microsoft's Cortana (for Windows 10 and Windows phones) makes use of Schema.org from e-mail messages, as shown in figure 3. * Yandex uses many parts of Schema.org, including recipes, autos, reviews, organizations, services, and directories. Its earlier use of FOAF (corresponding to the popularity of the LiveJournal social network in Russia) demonstrated the need for pragmatic vocabulary extensions that support consumer-facing product features. * Pinterest uses Schema.org to provide rich pins for recipe, movie, article, product, or place items. * Apple's iOS 9 (Searchlight/Siri) uses Schema.org for search features including aggregate ratings, offers, products, prices, interaction counts, organizations, images, phone numbers, and potential website search actions. Apple also uses Schema.org within RSS for news markup. Adoption Statistics The key measure of success is, of course, the level of adoption by webmasters. A sample of 10 billion pages from a combination of the Google index and Web Data Commons provides some key metrics. In this sample 31.3 percent of pages have Schema.org markup, up from 22 percent one year ago. On average, each page containing this markup makes references to six entities, making 26 logical assertions among them. Figure 4a lists well-known sites within some of the major verticals covered by Schema.org, showing both the wide range of topics that are covered and the adoption by the most popular sites in each of these topics. Figures 4b and 4c list some of the most frequently used types and relations. Extrapolating from the numbers in this sample, we estimate that at least 12 million sites use Schema.org markup. The important point to note is that structured data markup is now of the same order of magnitude as the Web itself. Although this article does not present a full analysis and comparison, we should emphasize that various other formats are also widespread on the Web. In particular, OGP (Open Graph Protocol) and microformat approaches can be found on approximately as many sites as Schema.org, but given their much smaller vocabularies, they appear on fewer than half as many pages and contain fewer than a quarter as many logical assertions. At this point, Schema.org is the only broad vocabulary that is used by more than a quarter of the pages found in the major search indices. A key driver of this level of adoption is the extensive support from third-party tools such as Drupal and Wordpress extensions. In verticals (such as events), support from vertical-specific content-management systems (such as Bandsintown and Ticketmaster) has had a substantial impact. A similar phenomenon was observed with the adoption of RSS, where the number of RSS feeds increased dramatically as soon as tools such as Blogger started outputting RSS automatically. The success of Schema.org is attributable in large part to the search engines and tools rallying behind it. Not every standard pushed by big companies has succeeded, however. Some of the reason for Schema.org's success lies with the design decisions underlying it. Design Decisions The driving factor in the design of Schema.org was to make it easy for webmasters to publish their data. In general, the design decisions place more of the burden on consumers of the markup. This section addresses some of the more significant design decisions. Syntax From the beginning, Schema.org has tried to find a balance between pragmatically accepting several syntaxes versus making a clear and simple recommendation to webmasters. Over time it became clear that multiple syntaxes would be the best approach. Among these are RDFa (Resource Description Framework in Attributes) and JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data), and publishers have their own reasons for preferring one over another. In fact, in order to deal with the complexity of RDFa 1.0, Schema.org promoted a newer syntax, Microdata, that was developed as part of HTML5. Design choices for Microdata were made through rigorous usability testing on webmasters. Since then, prompted in part by Microdata, revisions to RDFa have made it less complex, particularly for publishers. Different syntaxes are appropriate for different tools and authoring models. For example, Schema.org recently endorsed JSON-LD, where the structured data is represented as a set of JavaScript-style objects. This works well for sites that are generated using client-side JavaScript as well as in personalized e-mail where the data structures can be significantly more verbose. There are a small number of content-management systems for events (such as concerts) that provide widgets that are embedded into other sites. JSON-LD allows these embedded widgets to carry structured data in Schema.org. In contrast, Microdata and RDFa often work better for sites generated using server-side templates. It can sometimes help to idealize this situation as a tradeoff between machine-friendly and human-friendly formats, although in practice the relationship is subtler. Formats such as RDF and XML were designed primarily with machine consumption in mind, whereas microformats have a stated bias toward humans first. Schema.org is exploring the middle ground, where some machine-consumption convenience is traded for publisher usability. Polymorphism Many frame-based KR (knowledge representation) systems, including RDF Schema, OWL (Web Ontology Language), etc., have a single domain and range for each relation. This, unfortunately, leads to many unintuitive classes whose only role is to be the domain or range of some relation. This also makes it much harder to reuse existing relations without significantly changing the class hierarchy. The decision to allow multiple domains and ranges seems to have significantly ameliorated the problem. For example, though there are various types (Events, Reservations, Offers) in Schema.org whose instance can take a startDate property, the polymorphism has allowed us to get away with not having a common supertype (such as Temporally Commencable Activity) in which to group these. Entity References Many models such as Linked Data have globally unique URIs for every entity as a core architectural principle.4 Unfortunately, coordinating entity references with other sites for the tens of thousands of entities about which a site may have information is much too difficult for most sites. Instead, Schema.org insists on unique URIs for only the very small number of terms provided by Schema.org. Publishers are encouraged to add as much extra description to each entity as possible so that consumers of the data can use this description to do entity reconciliation. While this puts a substantial additional burden on applications consuming data from multiple Web sites, it eases the burden on webmasters significantly. In the example shown in figure 1, instead of requiring common URIs for the entities (for example, Tori Amos; Newton, NC; and Crucify), of which there are many hundreds of millions (with any particular site using potentially hundreds of thousands), webmasters have to use standard vocabulary only for terms such as country, musician, date of birth, etc., of which there are only a few thousand (with any particular site using at most a few dozen). Schema.org does, however, also provide a sameAs property that can be used to associate entities with well-known pages (home pages, Wikipedia, etc.) to aid in reconciliation, but this has not found much adoption. Incremental Complexity Often, making the representation too simplistic would make it hard to build some of the more sophisticated applications. In such cases, we start with something simple, which is easy for webmasters to implement, but has enough data to build a motivating application. Typically, once the simple applications are built and the vocabulary gets a minimal level of adoption, the application builders and webmasters demand a more expressive vocabulary—one that might have been deemed too complex had we started off with it. At this point, it's possible to add the complexity of a more expressive vocabulary. Often this amounts to the relatively simple matter of adding a few more descriptive properties or subtypes. For example, adding new types of actions or events is a powerful way of extending Schema.org's expressivity. In many situations, however, closer examination reveals subtle differences in conceptualization. For example, creative works have many different frameworks for analyzing seemingly simple concepts, such as book, into typed, interrelated entities (e.g., in the library world, FRBR [functional requirements for bibliographic records]); or with e-commerce offers, some systems distinguish manufacturer warranties from vendor warranties. In such situations there is rarely a right answer. The Schema.org approach is to be led by practicalities—the data fields available in the wider Web and the information requirements of applications that can motivate large-scale publication. Schema.org definitions are never changed in pursuit of the perfect model, but rather in response to feedback from publishers and consumers. Schema.org's incremental complexity approach can be seen in the interplay among evolving areas of the schema. The project has tried to find a balance between two extremes: uncoordinated addition of schemas with overlapping scopes versus overly heavy coordination of all topics. As an example of an area where we have stepped back from forced coordination, both creative works (books, etc.) and e-commerce (product descriptions) wrestle with the challenge of describing versions and instances of various kinds of mass-produced items. In professional bibliographies, it is important to describe items at various levels (e.g., a particular author-signed copy of a particular paperback versus the work itself, or the characteristics of that edition such as publisher details). Surprisingly similar distinctions need to be made in e-commerce when describing nonbibliographic items such as laser printers. Although it was intellectually appealing to seek schemas that capture a "grand theory of mass produced items and their common properties," Schema.org instead took the pragmatic route and adopted different modeling idioms for bibliography12 and e-commerce.8 It was a pleasant surprise, by contrast, to find unexpected common ground between those same fields when it was pointed out that Schema.org's concept of an offer could be applied in not-for-profit fields beyond e-commerce, such as library lending. A few community-proposed pragmatic adjustments to our definitions were needed to clarify that offers are often made without expectation of payment. This is typical of our approach, which is to publish schemas early in the full knowledge that they will need improving, rather than to attempt to perfect everything prior to launch. As with many aspects of Schema.org, this is also a balancing act: given strong incentives from consumers, terms can go from nothing to being used on millions of sites within a matter of months. This provides a natural corrective force to the desire to continue tweaking definitions; it is impractical (and perhaps impolite) to change schema definitions too much once they have started to gain adoption. Cleanup Every once in a while, we have gotten carried away and have introduced vocabulary that never gets meaningful usage. While it is easy to let such terms lie around, it is better to clean them out. Thus far, this has happened only with large vocabularies that did not have a strong motivating application. Extensions Given the variety of structured data underlying the Web, Schema.org can at best hope to provide the core for the most common topics. Even for a relatively common topic such as automobiles, potentially hundreds of attributes are required to capture the details of a car's specifications as found on a manufacturer's Web site. Schema.org's strategy has been to have a small core vocabulary for each such topic and rely on extensions to cover the tail of the specification. From the beginning there have been two broad classes of extensions: those that are created by the Schema.org community with the goal of getting absorbed into the core, and those that are simply deployed "in the wild" without any central coordination. In 2015 the extension mechanism was enhanced to support both of these ideas better. First, the notion of hosted extensions was introduced; these are terms that are tightly integrated into Schema.org's core but treated as additional (in some sense optional) layers. Such terms still require coordination discussion with the broader community to ensure consistent naming and to identify appropriate integration points. The layering mechanism, however, is designed to allow greater decentralization to expert and specialist communities. Second came the notion of external extensions. These are independently managed vocabularies that have been designed with particular reference to Schema.org's core vocabulary with the expectation of building upon, rather than duplicating, that core. External extensions may range from tiny vocabularies that are product/service-specific (e.g., for a particular company's consumption), geographically specific (e.g., US-Healthcare), all the way to large schemas that are on a scale similar to Schema.org. We have benefited from Schema.org's cross-domain data model. It has allowed a form of loosely coupled collaboration in which topic experts can collaborate in dedicated fora (e.g., sports, health, bibliography), while doing so within a predictable framework for integrating their work with other areas of Schema.org. The more significant additions have come from external groups that have specific interests and expertise in an area. Initially, such collaborations were in a project-to-project style, but more recently they have been conducted through individual engagement via W3C's Community Group mechanism and the collaboration platform provided by GitHub. The earliest collaboration was with the IPTC's rNews initiative, whose contributions led to a number of term additions (e.g., NewsArticle) and improvements to support the description of news. Other early additions include healthcare-related schemas, e-commerce via the inclusion of the GoodRelations project, as well as LRMI (Learning Resources Metadata Initiative), a collaboration with Creative Commons and the Association of Educational Publishers. The case of TV and radio markup illustrates a typical flow, as well as the evolution of our collaborative tooling.9 Schema.org began with some rough terminology for describing television content. Discussions at W3C identified several ways in which it could be improved, bringing it more closely in line with industry conventions and international terminology, as well as adding the ability to describe radio content. As became increasingly common, experts from the wider community (BBC, EBU, and others) took the lead in developing these refinements (at the time via W3C's wikis and shared file systems), which in turn inspired efforts to improve our collaboration framework. The subsequent migration to open-source tooling hosted on GitHub in 2014 has made it possible to iterate more rapidly, as can be seen from the project's release log, which shows how the wider community's attention to detail is being reflected in fine-grained improvements to schema details.10 Schema.org does not mandate exactly how members of the wider community should share and debate ideas—beyond a general preference for public fora and civil discussion. Some groups prefer wikis and IRC (Internet Relay Chat); others prefer Office-style document collaborative authoring, telephones, and face-to-face meetings. Ultimately, all such efforts need to funnel into the project's public GitHub repository. A substantial number of contributors report problems or share proposals via the issue tracker. A smaller number of contributors, who wish to get involved with more of the technical details, contribute specific changes to schemas, examples, and documentation. Related Efforts Since 2006 the "Linked Data" slogan has served to redirect the W3C RDF community's emphasis from Semantic Web ontology and rule languages toward open-data activism and practical data sharing. Linked data began as an informal note from Tim Berners-Lee that critiqued the (MCF-inspired) FOAF approach of using reference by description instead of "URIs everywhere":3 "This linking system was very successful, forming a growing social network, and dominating, in 2006, the linked data available on the Web. However, the system has the snag that it does not give URIs to people, and so basic links to them cannot be made." Linked-data advocacy has successfully elicited significant amounts of RDF-expressed open data from a variety of public-sector and open-data sources (e.g., in libraries,14 the life sciences,16 and government.15 A strong emphasis on identifier reconciliation, complex best practice rules (including advanced use of HTTP), and use of an arbitrary number of partially overlapping schemas, however, have limited the growth of linked-data practices beyond fields employing professional information managers. Linked RDF data publication practices have not been adopted in the Web at large. Schema.org's approach shares a lot with the linked-data community: it uses the same underlying data model and schema language,17 and syntaxes (e.g., JSON-LD and RDFa), and shares many of the same goals. Schema.org also shares the linked-data community's skepticism toward the premature formalism (rule systems, description logics, etc.) found in much of the academic work that is carried out under the Semantic Web banner. While Schema.org also avoids assuming that such rule-based processing will be commonplace, it differs from typical linked-data guidelines in its assumption that various other kinds of cleanup, reconciliation, and post-processing will usually be needed before structured data from the Web can be exploited in applications. Linked data aims higher and has consequently brought to the Web a much smaller number of data sources whose quality is often nevertheless very high. This opens up many opportunities for combining the two approaches—for example, professionally published linked data can often authoritatively describe the entities mentioned in Schema.org descriptions from the wider mainstream Web. Using unconstrained combinations of identifying URIs and unconstrained combinations of independent schemas, linked data can be seen as occupying one design extreme. A trend toward Google Knowledge Graphs can be viewed at the other extreme. This terminology was introduced in 2012 by Google, which presented the idea of a Knowledge Graph as a unified graph data set that can be used in search and related applications. In popular commentary, Google's (initially Freebase-based) Knowledge Graph is often conflated with the specifics of its visual presentation in Google's search results—typically as a simple factual panel. The terminology is seeing some wider adoption. The general idea builds upon common elements shared with linked data and Schema.org: a graph data model of typed entities with named properties. The Knowledge Graph approach, at least in its Google manifestation, is distinguished in particular by a strong emphasis on up-front entity reconciliation, requiring curation discipline to ensure that new data is carefully integrated and linked to existing records. Schema.org's approach can be seen as less noisy and decentralized than linked data, but more so than Knowledge Graphs. Because of the shared underlying approach, structured data expressed as Schema.org is a natural source of information for integration into Knowledge Graphs. Google documents some ways of doing so.7 Lessons Here are some of the most important lessons we have learned thus far, some of which might be applicable to other standards efforts on the Web. Most are completely obvious but, interestingly, have been ignored on many occasions. 1. Make it easy for publishers/developers to participate. More generally, when there is an asymmetry in the number of publishers and the number of consumers, put the complexity with the smaller number. They have to be able to continue using their existing tools and workflows. 2. No one reads long specifications. Most developers tend to copy and edit examples. So, the documentation is more like a set of recipes and less like a specification. 3. Complexity has to be added incrementally, over time. Today, the average Web page is rather complex, with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. It started out being very simple, however, and the complexity was added mostly on an as-needed basis. Each layer of complexity in a platform/standard can be added only after adoption of more basic layers. Conclusion The idea of the Web infrastructure requiring structured data mechanisms to describe entities and relationships in the real world has been around for as long as the Web itself.1,2,13 The idea of describing the world using networks of typed relationships was well known even in the 1970s, and the use of logical statements about the world has a history predating computing. What is surprising is just how hard it was for such seemingly obvious ideas to find their way into the Web as an information platform. The history of Schema.org suggests that rather than seeking directly to create "languages for intelligent agents," addressing vastly simpler scenarios from Web search has turned out to be the best practical route toward structured data for artificial personal assistants. Over the past four years, Schema.org has evolved in many ways, both organizationally and in terms of the actual schemas. It started with a couple of individuals who created an informal consortium of the three initial sponsor companies. In the first year, these sponsor companies made most decisions behind closed doors. It incrementally opened up, first moving most discussions to W3C public forums, and then to a model where all discussions and decision making are done in the open, with a steering committee that includes members from the sponsor companies, academia, and the W3C. Four years after its launch, Schema.org is entering its next phase, with more of the vocabulary development taking place in a more distributed fashion. A number of extensions, for topics ranging from automobiles to product details, are already under way. In such a model, Schema.org itself is just the core, providing a unifying vocabulary and congregation forum as necessary. The increased interest in big data makes the need for common schemas even more relevant. As data scientists are exploring the value of data-driven analysis, the need to pull together data from different sources and hence the need for shared vocabularies is increasing. We are hopeful that Schema.org will contribute to this. Acknowledgments Schema.org is the work of a large collection of people from a wide range of organizations and backgrounds. It would not be what it is today without the collaborative efforts of the teams from Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Yandex who have chosen to work together when it would have been easier to work alone. It would also be unrecognizable without the contributions made by members of the wider community who have come together via W3C. References 1. Berners-Lee, T. 1989. Information management: a proposal; http://www.w3.org/History/1989/proposal.html. 2. Berners-Lee, T. 1994. W3 future directions; http://www.w3.org/Talks/WWW94Tim/. 3. Berners-Lee, T. 2006. Linked Data; http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.html. 4. Berners-Lee, T. 2010. Is your linked open data 5 star? http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData#fivestar. 5. Berners-Lee, T., Hendler, J., Lassila, O. 2001. The semantic web. Scientific American (May): 29-37; http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-semantic-web/. 6. Friend of a Friend vocabulary (foaf); http://lov.okfn.org/dataset/lov/vocabs/foaf. 7. Google Developers. 2015. Customizing your Knowledge Graph; https://developers.google.com/structured-data/customize/overview. 8. Guha, R.V. 2012. Good Relations and Schema.org. Schema Blog; http://blog.schema.org/2012/11/good-relations-and-schemaorg.html. 9. Raimond, Y. 2013. Schema.org for TV and radio markup. Schema Blog; http://blog.schema.org/2013/12/schemaorg-for-tv-and-radio-markup.html. 10. Schema.org. Release log; http://schema.org/docs/releases.html. 11. Schofield, J. 2004. Let's be Friendsters. The Guardian (February 19); http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2004/feb/19/newmedia.media. 12. Wallis, R., Scott, D. 2014. Schema.org support for bibliographic relationships and periodicals. Schema Blog; http://blog.schema.org/2014/09/schemaorg-support-for-bibliographic_2.html. 13. W3C. 1996. Describing and linking Web resources. Unpublished note; http://www.w3.org/Architecture/NOTE-link.html. 14. W3C. 2011. Library Linked Data Incubator Group Final Report; http://w3.org/2005/Incubator/lld/XGR-lld-20111025/. 15. W3C. 2011. Linked Data Cookbook; http://www.w3.org/2011/gld/wiki/Linked_Data_Cookbook. 16. W3C. 2012. Health Care and Life Science Linked Data Guide; http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/hcls/notes/hcls-rdf-guide/. 17. W3C. 2014. RDF Schema 1.1; http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-schema/ 18. W3C. 1997. MCF Using XML, R.V.Guha, T.Bray, http://w3.org/TR/NOTE-MCF-XML R.V. Guha is the creator of widely used Web standards such as RSS and Schema.org. He is also responsible for products such as Google Custom Search. He was a co-founder of Epinions.com and Alpiri. Earlier, he was co-leader of the Cyc project. He is currently a Google Fellow and a vice president in research at Google. He has a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University and a B.Tech in mechanical engineering from IIT Chennai. Dan Brickley is best known for his work on Web standards in the W3C community, where he helped create the Semantic Web project and many of its defining technologies. Brickley works at Google on the Schema.org initiative and structured-data standards. Previous work included metadata projects around TV, agriculture, digital libraries, and education. Steve Macbeth is partner architect in the application and service group at Microsoft, where he is responsible for designing and building solutions at the intersection of mobile, cloud, and intelligent systems. This work includes building platform technologies that will enable all applications, across all platforms, to understand users' behavior and preferences better, in order to behave more intelligently and learn over time. Prior to this role, Macbeth was a senior leader in the Bing Core Search, focused on overall search quality, relevance, and experimentation, and the general manager and co-founder of the Search Technology Center Asia, located in Beijing, China, where he lived and worked for three years. Prior to coming to Microsoft, he was the founder and CTO of Riptide Technologies and pcsupport.com, technology startups in Vancouver, Canada. Originally published in Queue vol. 13, no. 9— see this item in the ACM Digital Library Related: Pat Helland - Identity by Any Other Name The complex cacophony of intertwined systems Raymond Blum, Betsy Beyer - Achieving Digital Permanence The many challenges to maintaining stored information and ways to overcome them Graham Cormode - Data Sketching The approximate approach is often faster and more efficient. Heinrich Hartmann - Statistics for Engineers Applying statistical techniques to operations data Comments (newest first) Leave this field empty Post a Comment: Comment: (Required - 4,000 character limit - HTML syntax is not allowed and will be removed) © 2018 ACM, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A Nova Scotia university that captured national attention over a student-led chant that glorified sex with underage girls is not alone in grappling with sexual violence, says a new report that also concluded there was widespread confusion about consensual sex. Law professor Wayne MacKay, who led the three-month study, said one of the most distressing findings was that people at Saint Mary’s University and elsewhere don’t clearly understand what consent means when it comes to sexual relations. They may want to say no, they may mentally say no, but they may not at least clearly be verbalizing it “Students, in particular, talked about it a lot being a grey area and confusing … so there’s a real need for education there,” he said following the release of the 110-page report in Halifax on Thursday. “[There is] significant peer pressure for young women to be engaged in sex…. They may want to say no, they may mentally say no, but they may not at least clearly be verbalizing it, nor should they have to.” He said the research painted a grim picture of the position of women on campuses, where they are still not treated respectfully and sexual violence occurs but goes largely unreported. “Saint Mary’s is not alone — the problem of the treatment of women, equity and lack of respect is a much larger social problem, of which this is one manifestation,” he said. Mr. MacKay and the panel members came up with 20 recommendations aimed at fostering a “cultural change” at the school to prevent sexual violence and encourage respect after male and female student leaders led an orientation chant that was widely condemned as vulgar and sexist. A video on Instagram showed student leaders chanting about non-consensual sex to about 400 new students in September. The song spelled out the word “young” with the lyrics, “Y is for your sister … U is for underage, N is for no consent.” Mr. MacKay said a code of conduct should establish clear standards of behaviour that would apply to all members of the university community and there should be consequences for people who breach it. He said students should be educated about consent and that the administration should manage orientation events. The report also calls for a greater profile for women in leadership and faculty positions, and an annual anonymous survey on sexual violence. University president Colin Dodds accepted all of the recommendations and promised to report every six months on the school’s progress. He conceded that the incident sullied the school’s reputation but prompted it to try to become “a model for a safe, respectful learning environment.” “It has been a black eye,” he said. “I can’t apologize enough for what happened in the past, but we do have to move forward.” The report says the chant at Saint Mary’s, along with a similar one at an event at the University of British Columbia, highlighted broad societal challenges that need to be addressed. “Hypersexualized songs, photos, movies and advertisements are omnipresent. Alcohol and drug problems abound — even among public figures that are supposed to be role models,” says the report. Mr. MacKay added this isn’t a problem just among students, referring to Toronto’s infamous mayor by saying, “I don’t think Rob Ford is in the university category, but others have those issues as well as younger people.”

The OnGameNet Starleague (OSL for short) was a reoccurring StarCraft tournament broadcasted on the channel OnGameNet (OGN) in South Korea. OnGameNet is a cable gaming company in Korea that heavily focused on StarCraft. The Starleagues roots date back all the way back to 1999, but it wasn’t until 2001 that the tournament was considered a professional competition. As the oldest professional tournament in Korea, featuring some of the most lucrative prize purses in competitive StarCraft, many consider the Starleague to be the most prestigious tournament in the history of the game. OSL competitions were held, initially, once per year before expanding to as many as three times a year from 2001 through 2010. The OSL transitioned to StarCraft II briefly in 2012 before ceasing operations in 2013. Notables: What the OSL is Known For [ edit ] The Royal Road The term "Royal Roader" originated at OSL. It refers to a player who wins the OSL the first time they participate in the OSL. Any player who achieves this feat is said to have walked the "Royal Road". Currently the following players have walked the Royal Road: Grrrr..., Garimto, Boxer, NaDa, July, Anytime, sAviOr and Jaedong. The Legend of the Fall The term "Legend of the Fall" originated at OSL. It refers to a belief that a Protoss player will win the OSL in the Fall (Autumn). This Legend started in SKY 2001 where Garimto defeated Boxer in the fall, stopping Boxer from winning three back to back OSLs. This curse was perpetuated the following fall in 2002 SKY OSL where Reach defeated Boxer once again in the Fall. It continued through Anytime's miraculous run in the So1 OSL and was repeated in the Incruit OSL by Stork, defeating Fantasy in the fall. Most recently, JangBi kept the Legend of the Fall alive by defeating Fantasy himself in his second consecutive OSL Final appearance during the 2011 Jin Air OSL and then again in the 2012 Tving OSL. The Golden Mouse The term "Golden Mouse" originated at OSL. It refers to an award for any player who wins three OSLs. Currently there are four recipients of the award; NaDa, July, Jaedong, and Flash. The award was created in late 2005 before the finals of So1 OSL. The award is a solid gold mouse statue worth approximately $8000 USD. There is also a Platinum mouse awarded for a player who has won 5 OSLs and a Diamond mouse for a player who has won 7 OSLs. Curse of the OSL Champion This "Curse" refers to the belief that the champion of the previous Starleague would fail to advance out of the Round of 16, usually with a victory in their opening match and then two subsequent losses. Groundbreaking Map Pool The OMAT was created in 2005 and introduced its first radical map in Ride of Valkyries. Since then, the OMAT have released maps which have either been hits or misses. Notable favourites include Peaks of Baekdu, 815 and Fantasy, while notable failures include Pioneer Period, Tears of the Moon and Demon's Forest. Most watched individual league to date. From its inception in 1999, the OSL has been the most watched Individual e-Sports League in Korea. Statistics show that the MBCGame's MSL has always been behind in terms of ratings. Tournament Format [ edit ] The OSL is a 40-player tournament that goes takes about 4 months to finish. There are multiple stages, all of which will be explained. Usually after an OSL is finished, the season has ended and there is a short break. Afterwards, another OSL is started and the cycle continues. There are two levels to the OSL; OSL (the StarLeague) and the offline preliminaries. The OSL is the major tournament and the other rounds are preliminaries to qualify for the OSL. The OSL itself is divided into Round 1 and Round 2 - both of which will be explained. Of the 40 OSL players, those who finish in the top four of the previous OSL are rewarded with what is called a seed. Seeded players are guaranteed a spot in the second round of the next OSL. The offline preliminaries [ edit ] The offline preliminaries, or PSL, are the qualifiers for OSC. PSL stands for Pc-Bang Star League and is not the official name, just one that became popular with the Korean communities. The official name is OSC Round 1, but for simplicities sake we just call it the PSL. Any registered Progamer who is a member of a Progaming team can participate in the tournament, and as you can imagine, it is a very very large tournament. There are 24 groups in which only one person advances. The groups generally have around 7 to 8 people each, groups with 7 generally have one player having a bye round. This player is ranked highly on the KeSPA rankings and is given an advantage because of it. Each group is played out like an 8-man single-elimination tournament. Each match is best of 3, as to increase the chances the better player will advance. The 24 group winners then advanced to OSC. Typically the groups are played out over 2 days. Round 1 [ edit ] The 12 players who qualified for Round Two of the previous OSL but didn't receive seeds to Round 2, automatically get a place in the following seasons Round One and have a small advantage which will be explained soon. In each of the 12 groups there is 1 player who was in the previous OSL and didn’t get in the top 4. The other 2 spots in each group are taken by those who passed through the offline preliminaries. One person from each group advances. The two players who advanced from the offline preliminaries who were randomly assigned to the group play each other in a best of three match. The winner of this match plays the player in the group who played in last seasons OSL Round 2. The winner of this second Best of 3 advances to the OSL round 2. The advantage that the player who played in last seasons round two gets is that they only need to play one Bo3 to advance from the group whereas the other two gamers must play two. In the end, 12 players advance from Round One into Round Two. 4 Seeded players + 12 qualified players = 16 players. Round 2 [ edit ] There are two parts to Round Two of the OSL - the Group Stage and the Elimination Stage Group Stage [ edit ] Group Selection The 4 seeds are placed in separate groups so that Seed #1 is 1st in Group A, Seed #2 is 1st in Group B and so on. The seeds then get to choose their groups. Seeds #1->#4 get to pick one player each from the player pool which then joins the seed in their group as the 2nd player. After that the 2nd player in Group D picks a player, then the 2nd player in Group C, then Group B then Group A. Then the 3rd player in Group A picks, then group B, then Group C, then Group D. And Voilá! We have 4 groups of 4 players. Group Play Each of those groups plays in a round-robin style so that everyone plays everyone else. The top 2 qualifiers from the group enter into the Bracket Phase. Occasionally there are ties in the group, for example 3 players are on 2-1. In the event of such a tie another round robin takes place between the tied players until usable results are attained. For example, if there are three tied players and they each go 1-1, they play another round of tiebreakers until one player goes 2-0, 1-1 and 0-2. This way it allows the players to be ranked even in the event of a tie. If two players are tied first with 2-1, the player who defeated the other one takes the first spot. Elimination Stage [ edit ] The elimination stage is the final round of the OSL. It works in a classic 8 man single-elimination tournament. The quarterfinals (the first round of the bracket phase) are best of 3, whereas the Semifinals and Finals are best of 5. Originally, the OSL used a group round robin system similar to the Round of 16 with two groups instead of four to determine the semi-finalists. All players would play on the same day over three weeks, but it was announced by OnGameNet at the start of the Gillette OSL that they would switch to the more fan-friendly single-elimination system. Trivia [ edit ] Total: 33 Starleagues and one pre-Starleague tournament, the Progamer Korea Open (1999). Medals won per Race [ edit ] As of August, 2012, there have been: Race 1st 2nd Terran 14 12 Zerg 10 13 Protoss 10 9 Medals won per Player [ edit ] Gold [ edit ] Silver [ edit ] History [ edit ] Celebrating the First Ten Years of Starleague (OSL and MSL) Pre-Starleague Tournament: Starleagues: OSL Locations and Venues [ edit ] The OSL were held in largely indoor venues in Seoul, until expanding to sites across South Korea, starting in 2003. The 2010 Korean Air OSL Season 2 finals would expand beyond's South Korean borders for the first and only time in Shanghai, China.[1] OSL Locations and Venues OSL Locations and Venues (Korean) Freechal Star League 2000 Finals = Seoul, Yonsei University Centennial Hall 프리챌 스타리그 2000 결승=서울 연세대학교 백주년기념관 HanbitSoft Star League Final 2001 = Ocean Hall, Sejong University, Seoul 한빛소프트 스타리그 2001 결승=서울 세종대학교 대양홀 Coca-Star League 2001 Finals = Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul 코카콜라 스타리그 2001 결승=서울 장충체육관 Sky Star League 2001 Finals = Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul 스카이 스타리그 2001 결승=서울 장충체육관 Nate Star League 2002 Finals = Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul 네이트 스타리그 2002 결승=서울 장충체육관 Sky Star League Final = 2002 Seoul Olympic Park 스카이 스타리그 2002 결승=서울 올림픽공원 Panasonic Star League 2002 Finals = Jamsil Indoor Stadium 파나소닉 스타리그 2002 결승=서울 잠실 실내체육관 Olympus Star League 2003 Finals = Jamsil Indoor Stadium 올림푸스 스타리그 2003 결승=서울 잠실 실내체육관 My Cube Star League Quarterfinals = 2003 Busan hard University 마이큐브 스타리그 2003 8강=부산 경성대학교 (첫 8강 지방투어) My Cube Star League 2003 Finals = Jamsil Baseball Stadium 마이큐브 스타리그 2003 결승=서울 잠실야구장 Hangame Star League Quarterfinals 03-04 = Busan Sajik Gymnasium 한게임 스타리그 03-04 8강=부산 사직체육관 Hangame Star League finals 03-04 = Seoul Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium 한게임 스타리그 03-04 결승=서울 올림픽공원 체조경기장 Gillette Star League 2004 Quarterfinals = Jamsil Indoor Stadium 질레트 스타리그 2004 8강=서울 잠실 실내체육관 Gillette Star League Final = Daegu EXCO (the first provincial finals) 질레트 스타리그 결승=대구 EXCO (첫 지방결승) G- Boys Challenge League 6 Recurrence = City, Gimhae, Gyeongnam gym G-보이스 챌린지리그 6회차=경남시 김해체육관 EVER Star League 2004 Quarterfinals = Chonnam National University, Gwangju EVER 스타리그 2004 8강=광주 전남대학교 EVER Star League 2004 Finals = War Trade Exhibition EVER 스타리그 2004 결승=대전 무역전시관 IOPS Star League Quarterfinals 04-05 = Hongcheon Daemyung Vivaldi Park Ski Resort, Gangwon-do 아이옵스 스타리그 04-05 8강=강원도 홍천 대명비발디파크 스키장 04-05 IOPS Star League Final = Incheon College Gym 아이옵스 스타리그 04-05 결승=인천전문대 체육관 EVER Star League 2005 Quarterfinals = Pusan National University rigid EVER 스타리그 2005 8강=부산 경성대학교 EVER Star League 2005 Final Ilsan KINTEX, Goyang, Gyeonggi = EVER 스타리그 2005 결승=경기도 고양시 일산 KINTEX So1 Star League 2005 Round of 16 = Suwon Sports Complex Amphitheatre So1 스타리그 2005 16강=수원 종합운동장 야외무대 So1 Star League 2005 Final = Incheon City College gymnasium So1 스타리그 2005 결승=시립인천전문대 체육관 Shinhan Bank 2005 Star League Quarterfinals = Gyeonggi Province Gwangmyeong Velodrome 신한은행 스타리그 2005 8강=경기도 광명 스피돔 Shinhan Bank Star League Final 2005 KINTEX, Ilsan, Goyang, Gyeonggi = 신한은행 스타리그 2005 결승=경기도 고양시 일산 KINTEX Shinhan Bank Star League 2006 Season 1 Quarterfinals = Cheongju Seowon University 신한은행 스타리그 2006 시즌1 8강=청주 서원대학교 Shinhan Bank Star League 2006 Season 1 Finals = SNU grass playground 신한은행 스타리그 2006 시즌1 결승=서울대학교 잔디운동장 Shinhan Bank Star League 2006 Season 2 Quarterfinals = Ju Kim Dae-jung Convention Center 신한은행 스타리그 2006 시즌2 8강=광주 김대중 컨벤션센터 Shinhan Bank Star League 2006 Season 2 Finals = Jeju International Convention Center 신한은행 스타리그 2006 시즌2 결승=제주 국제컨벤션센터 Shinhan Bank Star League 2006 Season 3 Quarterfinals = Daegu EXCO 신한은행 스타리그 2006 시즌3 8강=대구 EXCO Shinhan Bank 2006 Star League Season 3 Finals = Seoul Olympic Park Stadium Weightlifting 신한은행 스타리그 2006 시즌3 결승=서울 올림픽공원 역도경기장 Next Star League 2007 Finals = Ulsan World Cup Stadium Hsiu Lakeside Square 다음 스타리그 2007 결승=울산 문수 월드컵경기장 호반광장 EVER Star League 2007 Quarterfinals = Indoor Stadium Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do EVER 스타리그 2007 8강=경기도 부천 실내체육관 EVER Star League 2007 Final Ilsan KINTEX, Goyang, Gyeonggi = EVER 스타리그 2007 결승=경기도 고양시 일산 KINTEX Bacchus Star League 2008 Finals = Ju beads gym 박카스 스타리그 2008 결승=광주 염주체육관 EVER Star League 2008 Quarterfinals = Daegu EXCO EVER 스타리그 2008 8강=대구 EXCO EVER Star League 2008 Finals = Incheon Samsan World Gym EVER 스타리그 2008 결승=인천 삼산월드체육관 Gumtree Star League 2008 Quarterfinals, Dankook University, Cheonan, Chungnam = gym 인크루트 스타리그 2008 8강=충남 천안 단국대학교 체육관 Gumtree Star League 2008 Finals = COEX Convention Hall 인크루트 스타리그 2008 결승=서울 코엑스 컨벤션 홀 Batu Star League finals 08-09 = Busan Sajik Arena 바투 스타리그 08-09 결승=부산 사직 실내체육관 Bacchus Star League 2009 Final = Seoul Olympic Park Fencing Stadium 박카스 스타리그 2009 결승=서울 올림픽공원 펜싱경기장 EVER Star League 2009 Final = Seoul Olympic Park Olympic Hall EVER 스타리그 2009 결승=서울 올림픽공원 올림픽홀 KAL Star League 2010 Season 1 Quarterfinals = Ulsan World Cup Stadium Lakeside Square 대한항공 스타리그 2010 시즌1 8강=울산 월드컵경기장 호반광장 KAL Star League 2010 Season 1 Finals = Gimpo Airport hangar for Air Headquarters Special Stage 대한항공 스타리그 2010 시즌1 결승=김포공항 대한항공 본사 격납고 특설무대 KAL Star League 2010 Season 2 Quarterfinals = Haeundae Beach 대한항공 스타리그 2010 시즌2 8강=부산 해운대 해수욕장 KAL Star League 2010 Season 2 Finals = Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai, China 대한항공 스타리그 2010 시즌2 결승=중국 상해 동방명주탑 Bacchus Star League 2010 Finals = Ju beads gym 박카스 스타리그 2010 결승=광주 염주체육관 Jin Air Star League 2011 Finals = Square War Memorial in Seoul Peace 진에어 스타리그 2011 결승=서울 전쟁기념관 평화의 광장 Tving Star League 2012 Finals = Jamsil Student Gymnasium 티빙 스타리그 2012 결승=서울 잠실 학생체육관 Gallery [ edit ]

0 0 Wait. What?So your hiney hole has been emitting a rather watery effluent with a bit more frequency than you are comfortable with. You are in a foreign country where dysentery is a fairly common malady, and you have read horror stories about death from this dreaded condition. What can you do? Why not just chow down on some poop! In Africa during World War II, German doctors were horrified to learn that in addition to losing troops to the army of Field Marshal Montgomery, men were dying in massive numbers from dysentery. The locals were not suffering from this malady, though, so the doctors focused their attention on the local population to see how they avoided it. The Germans, being fastidious people, were shocked when they learned that at the first signs of intestinal distress the Arabs followed a camel, and when it pooped they immediately picked up a steaming blob of dung and ate it. These poop eaters were then mysteriously cured, practically overnight. The Arabian population had no idea why this treatment worked, and when questioned simply stated that they and their ancestors had always done it. The German doctors were both disgusted and intrigued and decided to solve this riddle. A bit of research showed them that fresh camel, horse and sheep dung was rich in a bacteria called Bacillus subtilis . They soon discovered that this powerful bacterial microorganism is so strong that it practically cannibalizes all harmful microorganisms in the human body, particularly pathogenic bacteria like the virulent strain which was causing dysentery in the German troops. It was correctly discerned that the troops would probably rebel if steaming piles of camel crap were served up at mealtime, so with a little more research they learned to create the magic elixir by a means that didn't involve the intestinal tract and anus of a ruminant, or quasi-ruminants from the orders Equidae, or Tylopoda. This artificially produced bacteria is credited with saving many lives and is still used in many countries of the world as a means of fighting dysentery and diarrhea, diseases that still take the lives of more children each year than malaria and several other diseases combined. In Western Europe and the Middle East it is used frequently as an immunostimulatory agent to treat gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections. Antibiotics, the so-called wonder drugs, are more expensive to manufacture, slower to cure dysentery, and have the added danger of producing the super bugs we are starting to hear so much about; so the next time you have a case of the Hershey-squirts and your doctor reaches for his prescription pad, tell him to be sure and write the script for some "good shit." If you want to read more about this poopy topic, visit the following sites: The Bacillus Subtilis Story Bacillus subtillus

Ireland will have to reduce its carbon emissions by up to 30% compared to 2005 levels between now and 2030 in order to meet binding new targets set by the EU. The move is part of an overall commitment made by the union two years ago to reduce overall emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels by the end of the next decade. The EU today proposed new national targets, with the biggest onus on Sweden, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Britain, France and Austria. The Europe-wide industrial and power sectors, which are covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), will by 2030 have to reduce their emissions by 43% compared to 2005 levels. The binding target for the non-ETS sector across the union, which includes the transport, buildings, agriculture, waste, land-use and forestry areas of the European economy, is a reduction of 30% by 2030. According to the EU, the targets are based on the principles of fairness, solidarity, cost-effectiveness and environmental integrity. Ireland is already expected to miss its existing 2020 target to reduce carbon emissions by 20% compared to 2005 levels. According to the latest analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland could breach that target by 6-11%. That target was part of an overall commitment by the EU to reduce greenhouse gases by 20% compared to 1990 levels by the end of this decade. Agriculture is Ireland's largest carbon emitter, responsible for 47% of the total. The next largest emitting sector is transport, at 29%. Under the 2030 targets, published this morning, Ireland's overall reduction target is 30%. However, one-off flexibility allowed under the Emissions Trading System, and flexibility for the land use sector, could reduce that by up to 9.6%. Minister for Climate Action Denis Naughten said his department had been having extensive engagement with the European Commission and had presented them with a lot of data. Speaking to RTÉ News, he said his officials are now analysing the data published today to see what the impact would be for Ireland. It is important that the targets are achievable, implementable and practical, he said, as there was not much point in putting in place targets that cannot be achieved. He said while there is more work to be done in reducing emissions from the agriculture sector, it is important to recognise that agriculture has taken a lead. Ireland now has the lowest carbon footprint for milk production in the EU, and the fifth lowest for beef, he said. Last month was hottest June on record Last month was the hottest June in modern history, marking the 14th consecutive month that global heat records have been broken, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. "The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for June 2016 was the highest for the month of June in the NOAA global temperature dataset record, which dates back to 1880," the agency said in a statement. "This marks the 14th consecutive month the monthly global temperature record has been broken, the longest such streak in the 137-year record." The report, issued each month by NOAA, also said the global temperature for the first six months of 2016 was the hottest on record. The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for June was 0.9 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average of 15.5 Celsius. "June 2016 marks the 40th consecutive June with temperatures at least nominally above the 20th century average," NOAA said. NOAA also spoke about what it calls the "monthly temperature departure" or record spikes in heat. It said 14 of 15 of these spikes have occurred since February 2015, signaling that global warming is accelerating. The planet's average land temperature in June was 2.23 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the 20th century monthly average, tied at an all-time record for June that was struck last year. The land temperature also hit a record high for the first six months of the year. The average sea surface temperature was 1.39 degrees Fahrenheit above last century's monthly average. That marked the hottest June and the hottest January-June period on record. Experts say global warming is at least partially to blame for a number of environmental disasters around the world, from the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia to wildfires raging across Canada. Last year marked the hottest on record, beating 2014, which previously held the title. With 14 months in a row now setting records for heat, 2016 - now half over - is on track to be another scorching year.

I am not a student of Delhi University. I am a doctor, more specifically a medical graduate who has cleared NEET PG exam, but I write this as a relative of someone who sacrificed his life for this country. And I do that, because suddenly the mainstream media has found it worthy to tell you what relatives of martyrs have to say over ABVP vs the Leftists issue at the Delhi University. However, there is a problem. I have to say something they don’t want to hear. I am not the “right” kind of relative. But I must say it, because “free speech” exists in India. The same free speech, for which the media is supposedly fighting. The same free speech, which exists in India because the armed forces make sure that it is not overrun by Jihadists and Naxals. My cousin Dhiraj Singh attained martyrdom in Kangan area of Jammu & Kashmir on 6th May 2006. He was slated to go on leave from 7th May onward to attend the tilak of our brother. Pinku bhaiya, as we used to call him, had selected the bhabhi. He was the youngest son of my mama and six years elder to me. - Advertisement - - Article resumes - He was a Sowar (rider) in Armoured Corps/ 24 Rashtriya Rifles. On the fateful day, his seniors asked him to not join the operations as he had to leave the following day. But Pinku bhaiya said “khaali baith ke kya karunga” (what will I do sitting idle) and joined the anti-terrorist operations. Back home we had no idea what was to hit us. All I remember was me coming to home from school at around 2 PM and finding my mother crying. Pinku bhaiya had attained martyrdom in the operations. He killed two terrorists in combat, but was heavily injured. He killed another one, before he succumbed to his injuries. Sowar Dhiraj Singh was awarded Shaurya Chakra posthumously by President APJ Abdul Kalam in 2007. What had fallen upon us was a grave family tragedy, yet we were proud of what Pinku bhaiya could do for the nation. Coincidently, the last movie we watched together was “Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo”. That was a strange metaphor. As if he left this nation for us to protect the way he protected. I too wanted to join the army, but I have a flat foot. Still, I will try for Army Medical Corps later this year, even though people say that civilian candidates get second preference after those who have done MBBS from AFMC (Armed Forces Medical College). But I will try my best. I have to start from where my Pinku bhaiya left. I am writing this all not to flaunt whose cousin I am or how patriotic and nationalistic I am. Neither do I think that being a relative of a martyr entitles me to some privileges. My brother fought and died for his motherland, and I am not attempting to take any credits for his martyrdom. I am writing this because, as I said earlier, it is important to speak up as we still enjoy free speech in India. It is important to speak up before patriotism and nationalism are converted into some gaali by some people. I don’t know whether my bhaiya will have supported ABVP or not, but I support them over what happened in Ramjas College, and I support their right of self-defence. One thing I am sure is that my bhaiya would have never supported those who say “bharat ki barbaadi tak, jung rahegi, jung rahegi”. He laid down his life fighting that very jung (war). He was killed by those who wanted “bharat tere tukde honge”. I feel anguish and pain when the media paints those who fight against such slogans as villains. They ignore video evidences of such slogans being shouted and instead start smear campaigns against those who oppose such slogans. I am sorry, I don’t consider such slogans as “free speech”. I am not going into any intellectual debate here, even our constitution puts restrictions on speech and doesn’t allow anyone to say things that threatens the unity and integrity of India. “Bharat tere tukde honge” is not something that sounds like upholding the unity and integrity of India to me. As the truth of what happened at Ramjas started to come out – proof of how the leftists assaulted students and even molested girls – suddenly the media has taken refuge behind a martyr’s daughter. She spoke against the ABVP, and the media found the perfect alibi in her. They could now happily paint ABVP as villain and make her a hero, and shield the real villains who want to fight war till India is ruined (Bharat ki barbadi tak). I have no quarrel with that girl. She can choose to indulge in whatever activism she thinks is right. Let her be a hero, no problem. And I have absolutely nothing but just respect and gratitude for her father, who like my brother, sacrificed his own life so that we can live in a country that is safe and secure from enemies who want it ruined. But I have a quarrel with the media, which is so selective and biased and which creates these fault lines. When I first saw that campaign, I, as a relative of a martyr, thought maybe I should start a similar campaign in support of ABVP. But as I said, I have no quarrel with her. I did not want to make it her vs me. Furthermore, I feared that I will be branded a bhakt or a religious bigot. The media is still strong, very very strong. But then I remembered what Pinku bhaiya did. He could have also let practical fears overpower him. He even had the option of not joining the operations. But he didn’t fear what destiny awaited him. He did what he felt was right for the country. And I am doing the same. The least I can do is to speak up, before it’s too late. 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The Common Council has taken one giant step forward in protecting it’s community, mainly the children, as they adopted a resolution regarding Sex Offender Residency Restrictions at its meeting on Monday, Jan. 26. Prior to the adoption of the resolution, the Seymour Police Department followed State law which followed Probation and Parole according to State Law. “What we had in place was nothing,” said Seymour Police Chief Rick Buntrock. “Now we have established some guidelines.” He said the reason the Common Council did the resolution was to essentially adopt the statutes that will be followed. Mayor Judy Schuette said in her weekly column, “By adopting this, it gives the city more local control with the location of sex offenders in our city.” The policy states that the Seymour Police Department will participate as a member of a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement team in determining if agencies and organizations or the public shall be notified of the release. The intent of the team is to balance the community’s needs to be informed with the offender’s need to be successfully integrated into the community. Buntrock said prior to his administration, they followed requests that were received by way of Probation and Parole agents. “I worked with the probation agents,” he said. He added that the frequency of sex offender requests had increased so he felt it was appropriate to apply the policy. “In the event now we receive a request for someone who is not on probation and parole, but has the requirement to report to law enforcement, we have guidelines we can follow.” The Police Department’s residency restrictions are provided to serve as a guide for placement of sex offenders within their community. “Essentially what the policy does is give my staff the ability in my absence to follow the policy when we get these request and provides guidelines as prescribed,” Buntrock said. The policy refers to guidelines under Chapter 301.46 which provides immunity from civil liability for any good faith act or omission regarding the release of information authorized under this section. This immunity does not extend to a person whose act or omission constitutes gross negligence or involves reckless, wanton or intentional misconduct. Residency restriction, under Wisconsin Statute 9.34.30, says a sex offender shall not reside within 1,500 feet of real property that supports or upon exists any of the following uses: any facility for children; any park, parkway, parkland or park facility; a public swimming pool; a public library; a recreational trail; a public playground; a school for children; athletic fields used by children; a daycare center; any specialized school for children, including but not limited to a gymnastics academy, dance academy or music school; or aquatic facilities open to the public. Notification of a sex offender moving into the Seymour community will still follow through the Department of Corrections. Buntrock said the Department of Corrections, through Probation and Parole, contacts Outagamie County through their two law enforcement agencies, Appleton Police Department and Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department. “That tool has been in place,” Buntrock said. “Now when they get that community notification through the Department of Corrections, and if it’s in the City of Seymour, they would make notification to me. I have the protocol in place to following the guidelines under State Law to implement community notifications. “Again this all mirrors State law.” An example of a sex offender release notification was an advisory released by the Green Bay Police Department on Friday, Jan. 30. The notification issued to the Advertiser Community News & Times-Press reads, “The Green Bay Police Department is releasing the following information on a convicted sex offender who is being released into our community. This release of information will enhance public safety and raise community awareness. “Ray L. Stevenson was conviced of 2nd degree sexual assault of a child in 2006 and 4th degree sexual assault in 1999. Stevenson will be moving to 1761 Shawano Ave., Green Bay, on Feb. 10. Conditions of his release are: 1) No unsupervised contact with minors; no taverns/bars/liquors stores; no contact with victim; not to consume alcohol or drugs. 2) Comply with standard sex offender rules; cooperate with electronic monitoring. 3) Face-to-face contact with law enforcement required; comply with all requirements and lifetime registrant of Wisconsin Sex Offender Registration Program. Stevenson will be on supervision until November 15, 2019. Buntrock said No. 3 is now where the Seymour Police Department becomes involved. According to Statute 9.34.010, Purpose and Intent, the City finds and declares that sex offenders are a serious threat to public safety. The Statute reads, “When convicted sex offender reenter society, they are much more likely than other type of offender to be rearrested for a new rape or sexual assault. Given the high rate of recidivism for sex offenders and that reducing opportunity and temptation is important in minimizing the risk of reoffense, there is a need to protect children where they congregate or play in public places in addition to the protections afforded by state law near schools and daycare centers. The city finds and declares that, in addition to schools and centers children cognate or play in a number of places, including public parks and other facilities for children. Buntrock referred those interested in gathering more information about the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry, go to www.widocoffenders.org.

After 9 seasons, 4 All-Star appearances, 22972 minutes played, 12562 points scored, and nearly 400 wins contributed to, LaMarcus Aldridge is no longer a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. Adrian Wojnarowski of YahooSports has announced that Aldridge has come to an agreement with the San Antonio Spurs. Free agent LaMarcus Aldridge will sign with the San Antonio Spurs, league sources tell Yahoo Sports. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 4, 2015 Aldridge became a free agent this summer after failing to negotiate an extension with the Trail Blazers in 2014. At the time Aldridge indicated that the lack of an agreement was about making the best financial deal and that his loyalty to the Blazers remained undiminished. Aldridge said it makes most sense financially to wait because he can sign for more years (5) and make more money ($108 million) next year. Aldridge: "I'm happy to stay (in Portland), happy to be here, happy with the direction the team has gone the last year or 2. But I just want to get a 5-year deal. I feel like that's the best decision on my part." Aldridge said he wants to finish his career in Portland. One reason why: "I want to be the best Blazer. Ever." He would proceed to post one of the best seasons of his NBA career, averaging 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game with career-highs in scoring, three-point percentage, and PER. He appeared in 71 games during the 2014-15 regular season with an additional 5 in the post-season, famously playing through damaged thumb ligaments to lead his squad to the best record possible in a season he termed "special". The Blazers were humbled in their first-round playoff series with the Memphis Grizzlies, a team they faced 9 times in 5 months, winning but once. Aldridge proved almost completely ineffective in the matchup, shooting 33%, finding success on the glass but nowhere else. As the series wound to a close, Aldridge's body language became dispirited. Some speculated fatigue and lingering pain from injury as causes, others wondered if he knew his time in Portland was winding to a close. When the off-season commenced, Portland's lineup underwent a major change as the Blazers traded long-time forward Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets for shooting guard Gerald Henderson and power forward Noah Vonleh. It was an early announcement that sticking with the status quo was not in Portland's plans. Neither Vonleh nor Henderson projected as a good fit with a win-now, Aldridge-led lineup, Vonleh because of his tender age and Henderson because of his disposable, short-term contract. The Blazers made another trade on draft night, exchanging 23rd pick Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and veteran point guard Steve Blake with the Brooklyn Nets, bringing on center Mason Plumlee and second-round pick Pat Connaughton. The addition of Plumlee gave the Blazers more depth at center but his age (25) and inexperience (2 seasons) pegged him as a long-term plan rather than a short-term roster boost. If the Blazers were building around Aldridge in order to convince him to stay in free agency, they had a funny way of showing it. Two draft-day reports threw Aldridge's future in Portland into further doubt. ESPN writers Marc Stein and Chris Broussard cited sources claiming Aldridge was "99.9% certain to leave". Erik Gundersen of The Columbian reported that Aldridge had already informed the Blazers that he wouldn't return. In his post-draft press conference Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey fired back vociferously at these claims. Jason Quick of the Oregonian took to the airwaves that evening and the next day to defend Olshey, citing numerous sources that claimed Aldridge had not informed the Blazers of a decision. Portland fans took this as a sign of hope. That hope would be bolstered a couple days later when Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski gave a television interview saying that despite the long line of suitors at his door, Aldridge's choice boiled down to the front-running Spurs and the incumbent Trail Blazers. But even then, questions arose. Wojnarowski's claim referenced the 5th year of a max-level contract that the Trail Blazers could offer but nobody else could. It amounted to $27 million more on the table. But that $27 million required an extra year of service compared to the 4-year, $80 million max offer that other teams would make. With the NBA salary cap due to rise precipitously over the next two seasons due to increased broadcast revenue, any team that signed Aldridge would have the ability to equal Portland's financial inducement given a 5th year to do so. Hope survived through a first-minute-of-free-agency meeting between Aldridge and the Los Angeles Lakers, who sent Kobe Bryant to woo Aldridge to their cause. Aldridge also met with other teams. In the end, the Spurs proved too much to resist. Clearing cap room for an offer by trading Tiago Splitter and securing the roster around Aldridge by re-signing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green left San Antonio in advantageous position. Aldridge originally hailing from Texas--with family in San Antonio proper--helped seal the deal. LaMarcus Aldridge is now a Spur. The Trail Blazers will have plenty of questions to answer in the coming weeks: how they'll cope with losing their best player, how they let him get away without compensation, what the offensive attack will look like without its heart, how team chemistry will evolve without Aldridge's veteran voice providing stability. First, though, the Blazers and their fans will need to get used to the idea of life without one of the best players to ever put on a scarlet and black uniform. An era that began in 2006 when Portland drafted Aldridge and Brandon Roy in tandem has now come to a close. It bore none of the once-promised championship fruit; its winning legacy amounted to a single, miraculous playoff series victory over a 9-year stretch. But the quality of play from Portland's stars during this decade--and from Aldridge in particular--left a mark on the franchise that transcends wins and losses. Updates: Aldridge tweets: I'm happy to say I'm going home to Texas and will be a Spur!! I'm excited to join the team and be close to my family and friends. — Lamarcus Aldridge (@aldridge_12) July 4, 2015 More from Wojnarowski: Aldridge informed the Blazers on Friday night that he was down to the Spurs and Suns --- and chose the Spurs this morning. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 4, 2015 Contract details: Aldridge will sign a four-year, $80 million maximum contract with San Antonio, league source tells Yahoo. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 4, 2015 Deal for Aldridge with Spurs includes player option, per source — David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 4, 2015 (That option would come in the fourth year of the deal.) Trail Blazers spinning hypotheticals for their fans to latch onto: if vets were able to sign a max extension at ANY point during a current deal, Blazers believe Aldridge would signed to stay last summer — Jared Greenberg (@NBATVJared) July 4, 2015 One of Aldridge's new teammates weighs in: Uh oh! Lol — Danny Green (@DGreen_14) July 4, 2015 And now the Spurs are just being totally unfair: Spurs are aggressively pursuing free agent David West with a veteran minimum offer now, sources tell Yahoo Sports. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 4, 2015 On Pops: ESPN sources say that Gregg Popovich, as of now, is intent on coaching out his entire five-year contract that he signed last summer — Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 4, 2015 More on the process... Suns made it very close, but second meeting w/ Popovich was immense to closing deal. Aldridge pushed further w/ questions, got his answers. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 4, 2015 Former CSNNW correspondent Chris Haynes offers this view: Truth of matter is LaMarcus wanted out of Portland for a while and #Blazers knew it, no matter how they tried to spin it. It was inevitable. — Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 4, 2015 --Dave blazersub@gmail.com / @DaveDeckard / @Blazersedge

Hiroshima is still paying off debts from staging the 1994 Asian Games The Japanese city of Hiroshima has pulled out of the bidding to host the 2020 Olympic Games. Hiroshima had proposed a joint "peace bid" with Nagasaki but outstanding debts from staging the 1994 Asian Games prematurely ended their candidacy. Mayor Kazumi Matsui told the Japanese Olympic Committee: "The city is still continuing to repay loans from 1994." Japan may still bid for the 2020 Games with Tokyo, beaten to the 2016 Olympics by Rio de Janeiro, poised to run again. Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara reiterated his hopes that Japan's capital city could rebound from the disappointment of losing out in 2016 with a successful bid for 2020, 56 years on from first hosting the Games. "It's better not to extinguish the torch," he said. Hiroshima's bid with Nagasaki, the only other city to have suffered an atomic attack, was designed to be a move to promote nuclear disarmament. However, Nagasaki abandoned its 2020 Olympic ambitions last January, also citing financial difficulties. "It's a shame that [Hiroshima] has pulled out but it's unavoidable," said JOC president Tsunekazu Takeda. Candidate cities must submit bids to the International Olympic Committee by 1 September 2011 and the host city is scheduled to be selected in September 2013. Italian capital Rome, which beat off domestic competitor Venice, has been named as the first official bidder.

What we know as the astronomically expensive Toughbook laptops over here, the Japanese know as the wildly spendy Let's Note machines over there. Their nomenclature is today getting upgraded by one, as the F9, N9, and S9 Let's Notes make their debut housing a Core i5-520M processor. We like the F9's 14.1-inch display and 1440 x 900 resolution best -- those are pretty much ideal dimensions for a portable workhorse -- but the real new hotness is the R9, which crams a Core i7-620UM into essentially the size of a netbook. 2GB of DDR3 RAM and 250GB storage drives are standard across the range, and the Japanese release is scheduled for February 17. In other news, a 17-inch Dell Inspiron with Core i5-430M guts is now up for sale on Staples for a measly $649, while a similarly specced HP dv4 can also be found for a Benjamin more. Hit those source links for more.

Washington's Initiative 502 legalized pot across the state, but provided only a few guidelines for how to produce, process, and retail the drug. What regulations will lawmakers put in place—and will they convince black market users to switch to a new, regulated industry? (ILLUSTRATION: SEBASTIEN THIBAULT) If all goes according to plan, by the end of this year farmers across Washington State will begin large-scale cultivation of a commodity they’ve never been allowed to mass-produce before—marijuana. Washington won’t just have the kind of quasi-legal medical marijuana regime now operating in 18 states and the District of Columbia. We’re talking about a place where weed can be produced, sold, and consumed as openly and legally as milk. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website As a result, state officials are also getting down to the business of cultivating pot, but in a different sense. Now that the voters have spoken, the government’s task is to establish the regulatory furrows and field boundaries that will shape the growth of the legal marijuana industry itself. Governments invariably help shape markets through rules, subsidies, tariffs, and other interventions designed to promote some priorities at the expense of others. Do you want factories that produce as much as possible? Then make it easy for big manufacturers to buy up smaller ones. Do you want to preserve jobs? Then do the opposite. But when it comes to marijuana, the question of what kind of garden it’s best to grow is particularly complex. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website That’s why Washington has hired Mark Kleiman, a jovially argumentative professor of public policy at the University of California-Los Angeles. Kleiman is a burly, gray-bearded man whose office is cluttered with haphazardly shelved texts on drug policy and criminology, his own books on those topics, and a paperback edition of The Hobbit. He has assembled a team of some 40 researchers to analyze the key issues confronting the Washington State Liquor Control Board, the body overseeing the whole legal-marijuana endeavor, and sketch out the potential outcomes of various approaches the board might take. “This isn’t just about making marijuana use legal,” says Kleiman. “It’s about creating a legal industry. Very different proposition.” For the industry to succeed, prices need to settle at a just-right “Goldilocks point”—not so high that they drive people to the black market, but not so low that they promote overindulgence and an illegal export market. Initiative 502 (PDF), the ballot measure that legalized marijuana, spells out only a few guidelines. Producing, processing, and retailing weed will each require a license and will each be taxed at 25 percent. The product will be sold only to adults over 21, and only in government-licensed stores that carry nothing but pot products and related paraphernalia. “They can’t even sell the Doritos,” deadpans Kleiman. That leaves several key questions unanswered. How many licenses do you hand out? Who gets them? How big can a retailer, processor, or grower get? One route Washington could take would be to issue lots of grower licenses and limit farm size to end up with a large number of small producers. Call it the mom-and-pop, artisanal-weed option. That would generate competition, which keeps prices low, encourages innovation, and makes it much more difficult for the industry to accumulate the kind of political power wielded by, say, Big Tobacco—the three companies that control 85 percent of the national cigarette market. On the other hand, it’s more difficult to monitor and regulate hundreds of small businesses than a few big ones. “And,” points out Kleiman, “they’re not making as much, so each of them has a stronger incentive to push stuff out the back door”—into the black market. If the state instead allowed only a few big growers to operate, they might get rich enough to become powerful players in state politics. But their centralized operations would be much easier to keep tabs on, and they would have a powerful incentive to abide by the law. “Otherwise they could lose their oligopoly position, which is basically a license to print money,” says Kleiman. The first round of draft regulations, issued in May for public comment, seems to at least leave the door open for the mom-and-pop option. The rules don’t mention any cap on the number of producers’ licenses to be issued. But nor do they set a limit on how big grow operations can get. And the rules could well change before they are finalized in late summer. One major advantage of having a few big growers is it would likely keep prices high. That’s a plus not only for state tax revenues, but for public health as well, because of the way price influences the behavior of a particular group—serious potheads. “The daily and near-daily users are the ones who really drive the market,” says Beau Kilmer, the co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center, who is working with Kleiman. “They’re about 20 percent of total users, but they account for about 80 percent of total consumption.” The proportions are similar among alcohol drinkers. Studies have found that higher prices keep a lid on how much those hard-core boozehounds imbibe, says Kleiman. Which is a good reason to keep weed prices up too. Marijuana may be a relatively benign drug, but it’s not harmless. But here’s where the legal-pot industry runs into a unique and fiendish challenge: Washington can’t let the price drift too high because, of course, marijuana is not really a “new” industry. There is already a well-established system of marijuana producers, processors, and consumers—it’s just not a legal one. Coaxing the estimated half-million-plus Washington residents who currently get their ganja from either the black market or the grey medical market to switch to a new, regulated industry amounts to a social-engineering project something like trying to divert a wild river into an improvised canal. A certain amount of illegal trade is pretty much guaranteed to continue. About a quarter of total cannabis use is by people who are under 21, for whom marijuana won’t be legal even after legalization, Kleiman noted in a recent radio interview. “It means we’re only legalizing about three-quarters of the market,” he said. For adults, the legal market will have the huge advantages of being, well, legal, and of providing reliable, tested products. But prices are bound to be higher than in the medical and black markets. Producers in those systems don’t have to shoulder the costs of complying with regulations and paying taxes. The multimillion-dollar cigarette smuggling business attests to how many people are willing to run a little risk to get something cheap. Or think about digital music: iTunes has cut down on illegal file sharing by offering fans music that is easily procured, reasonably priced, and of guaranteed quality. But millions of songs are still illegally downloaded for free every year. And scoring a joint in Washington is almost as easy as pirating a song on your laptop. “Anyone who wants a medical card can get one,” says Kleiman. Which raises the question: Suppose they threw a legalized pot industry and nobody came? For the industry to actually succeed, prices need to settle at what Kleiman calls a just-right “Goldilocks point”—not so high that they drive people to the black market, but not so low that they promote overindulgence and an illegal export market. Regulations can’t set those prices; they can only try to influence them. All of which makes it exceedingly difficult to figure out how much tax revenue Washington will actually pull in from legal pot—a key point in selling the initiative. The state’s Office of Financial Management recently published its best guess on how Initiative 502 will impact Washington’s bottom line. Regulating the pot industry, the report points out, will certainly incur millions of dollars in administrative costs, as well as lots of other potential bills. (Don’t forget the teensy detail that the federal government still considers all marijuana flat-out illegal. That means it’s possible Washington will find itself having to pay for the legal defense of state employees targeted by federal prosecutors.) Best case, the report estimates, the state could gross nearly $2 billion over five years. Worst case? “The total amount of revenue generated to state and local government could be as low as zero.”

Watch the receiver at the bottom of the screen We’re going to be talking more often in the next few weeks about Run-Pass Option (RPO) plays, also known as packaged plays. Rutgers lives off them, Indiana loves them, Maryland is installing them, and Ohio State has made them a bigger part of their offense this year. The general concept is easy enough: the offense will isolate a defender who has both run and pass responsibilities. The quarterback reads what that guy decides to do, then either throws the pass if that guy attacks the run, or runs the running play if he stays back. But they’re not good for all seasons—RPOs take advantage of players with both run and pass responsibilities. If there are none, or at least there are super-clear priorities, it’s hard to find a defender to put in a bind. For example Cover 1—which is still Michigan’s base play—has pretty clear-cut jobs for their man-on-man defenders, the linebackers are given small zones they can defend while hanging in to plug their gaps, and one safety is given free reign to roam the deep middle and clean up any runs that get through. But even Michigan can’t stay in Cover 1 forever (cough cough Durkin), and against option-y, spread-to-run teams you’re almost forced to get your safeties involved in the run game, and then once again you’re susceptible to the offense putting that guy in a run-pass bind. So let’s see how they work. Solving Stacked Boxes While run options are an answer to the problem of how to involve your quarterback in the running game, run-pass options address a different age-old problem for offenses looking to run the ball successfully: defenders in the box. [After the jump: locking them in the box] For 60 years the holy grail of offensive coaching was to consistently win their six-on-six or seven-on-seven box battles, either by being so effective at passing that the defense has to underman the box, or so effective at running they have to underman the pass. The box is loosely defined as the space between the inline offensive formation (OL plus TEs) and about seven yards from the line of scrimmage. But defenders will move around, and hang out on the edges, and, like, what if a safety is 9 yards away but running toward the line of scrimmage at the snap? It’s probably more helpful to think of it as the area wherein a defender is near enough to read run and get to his gap quickly enough to make running through there a dead play. A defender out of the box is ceding yards that can be claimed by ballcarrier, and opening up space for the blockers to create lanes. But he’s also in better position to defend the pass and prevent long gains. The offense’s formation in the gif above has 7 gaps. If there are seven guys in the box against this formation, it’s gonna be hard to run, since there’s somebody able to jam up whatever spot you’re attacking, plus the next one, plus the backside cut, etc. If there are six, it’s still hard to find the one spot with all the other lanes jammed up. So, not counting the quarterback, standard box math would have one less defender than there are offensive players. Against the 3-wide formation above, that means six is playing things even. In the old two-backs formations we grew up with that would mean 7 box defenders for 8 offensive attackers—which is how “8 in the box” became a byword for overplaying the run. Stacking the box isn’t a guaranteed run stop; this got 10 yards for example, despite eight Colorado players in the box, because Michigan shifted the tight end and Colorado didn’t adjust, providing room for the running back to hit a B gap. However run-pass box optimization remains one of the major cat and mouse games at all levels of football. If my 3-wide formation is consistently getting 5 or 6 yards per carry against six box defenders, you’ll have to under-defend the pass to stop that. Particularly relevant for Michigan’s defense, run options have necessitated more guys in the box, even if they aren’t starting there by alignment. Remember Ohio State murderating the ‘15 defense with their inverted veer play? When I went over that I said the way to solve it is to get the safety involved in run coverage instead of just hanging out there. Michigan used up a safety as a deep guy while Ohio State bought back its quarterback as a run attacker by optioning Wormley. Well, if you do that, you’ve got no more safety help. Ohio State has a Pre-Snap Options But what if you have a run play called and they’re stacking the box? Line checks and quick passing routes were the answer. [clipped from Wolverine Historian] In this totally random historical example I picked, Baylor would catch Michigan with a safety blitz. Marcus Ray isn’t technically in the “box” but once he comes down a bit he’s basically in the box, i.e. in position to stop a run outside that tackle for no gain. They have an answer for that: a quick check to the bubble screen. This won them what should be a dominant matchup: a great offensive player with the ball, with a lead blocker vs a cornerback for all the yards. That cornerback would have to be the most outstanding player in college football in the United States to stop it for no gain. Bubble screens are one example of easy throws, but common checks can also be slants, quick seams, post routes, or whatever, based on which defender is creeping into the box. But you have to have that in the playbook, have practiced it, and accurately catch the defense doing something. Defenses obviously don’t want to just declare that they’re leaving a weakness so they will move guys around, have guys out of the box run into it at the snap, and hang out on the edges threatening either. Really you don’t really know until after the play’s begun. Post-Snap Reading Run-pass options attempt to win the box wars by throwing or running after the snap. By spreading offensive weapons across the formation, the defense is forced to have defenders either wholly out of the box, or hanging out at its edges where they can still get out and cover their guys. This is more like a “smash” or “high-low” concept in passing, except instead of reading between two receivers to either side of a zone, you’re stretching a run-pass defender’s zone (since that link is from 2010 I should probably make high-lows one of these segments). As with high-low’ing, to catch a guy in a quandary you have to find him with multiple responsibilities. A given RPO play won’t work all day long—they’re best as constraints when the defense has shown you what they’re going to do against your thing. Some examples are below; I’ve kept the same formation and used inside zone for the running play because it’s simple and common and the next opponent’s base running play, but you can do this with whatever your best run play is. This one is a classic. Rich Rodriguez half-invented RPOs by having his zone read quarterbacks read this slot defender against his three-wides and throw the bubble to his slot bugs when the SAM came too far in—Pat White realized defenses would have that guy line up outside then come inside to tackle him, so White when White saw the DE crashing and the SAM coming down too, he’d throw the bubble late. This is now a very common post-snap read, occasionally with a zone read element too. Here’s an example from Rutgers vs. Iowa this year. Rutgers will read the SAM linebacker at the snap and throw the bubble to Janarion Grant if that dude comes inside. On the snap he does, but that might be a feint. Wait until he gets too far in to do anything about it and… Bubble! The strong safety is now 10 yards away versus one of the most slippery dudes in the conference (or at least he was; Grant was injured in this game). That went for 20 yards by the way. You may also remember Borges running this successfully in 2013: By this point it’s on tape and Ohio State has adjusted like Iowa did by bringing the SAM to run blitz and checking Funchess with a safety. So for The Game Borges tweaked it a bit to have the safety blocked and put Funchess one on one with a cornerback/hurdle. Since then however RPOs expanded to attack in all sorts of places. The snag package was Urban Meyer’s addition, attacking the same dude but with a guy appearing behind him: But a lot of defenses are Cover 3 or Saban-style pattern-matchers, with the wide slot covered by a safety-like hybrid space player who’s taking away the slot receiver and has the speed to get back for the run. Of course, that guy is expecting some help inside from a linebacker in the middle or “hole” zone. In other words there’s another guy who can be put in a bind: These are all quick passes of course, and defenses these days are designed to take those away. In particular Quarters coverage managed to solve a lot of the spread and option offense stuff by having safeties reading inside receivers and coming down against the run if they’re not needed to stay on top. Except… In 2014 Ohio State also attacked Michigan State with a 4-verts/outside zone RPO: And then who can forget when Denard debuted the pop pass, where the quarterback starts to run outside with a lead blocker while reading the safety to that side, and if the guy freaks out because DENARD he threw it over the guy’s head. Why Does This Happen to Everyone Else? For one, Michigan doesn’t have to cheat to stop stuff. Like if Jabrill Peppers is your SAM, he’s so hard to block and so fast that screens to stretch his range merely end up proving it. What good is putting a defender in a run-pass option situation when he can routinely cover both? That’s not true however of the other linebackers, nor the safeties. The other reason is we run a lot of man. Michigan last year and to a lesser degree this year is a very Cover 1 (man-free) defense. Man coverage has its own faults but it’s hard to RPO a man defense since nobody’s confused as to his priorities. Cover 1 is the ultimate “my guys versus your guys” defense, and Michigan’s been getting away with it because against most opponents, we have the guys. However Michigan is playing more Cover 2 stuff these days, especially against spread teams. Even if they can shut down Rutgers while playing a man short in the box because of the talent disparity, the running game for the Scarlet Knights is good enough and the passing game is bad enough that Michigan should be doing some of what they’ll have to do against Ohio State, i.e. put some run-pass responsibilities on their cover guys. That means the safeties and linebackers will be exposed from time to time to RPO stuff. Just Not Fair The NFL’s rule is a blocker can’t go more than a yard downfield on a passing play; the NCAA’s rule is three yards. However in practice this is more like five yards, or doesn’t exist, no matter that NCAA officials keep saying they’re going to crack down. Sometimes you’ll even see a pass defender getting blocked by an offensive lineman downfield while the defender’s trying to defend the pass. You see a lot of this on RPOs, since the linemen are going to be acting like it’s a run regardless. Technically they’re supposed to not do that. Technically. More Video I had trouble making clips today but this video does a pretty good job of explaining the rock, paper, scissors involved in calling RPOs:

There are no limits to state Sen. JD Alexander's vendetta against the University of South Florida. It's not enough that the Senate Budget Committee chairman wants the Legislature to arbitrarily grant USF's Lakeland campus its immediate independence. Now his proposed state budget would starve to death the university, an unmistakable threat to anyone who dares to oppose his theft of the branch campus. This is how far Alexander will go to silence his critics and secure his legacy by creating Florida's 12th university at USF Polytechnic. The Senate's proposed budget would cut funding for USF's main campus in Tampa by 58 percent, or $104 million. By comparison, the University of Florida would be cut by 26 percent and Florida State University would be cut by 22 percent, according to a USF analysis. The bull's-eye on USF can be seen from all over Tampa Bay, and the university's board of trustees held an emergency meeting Monday night to sound the alarm and mobilize. Here's another way to look at this indignity. In the Senate's proposed budget, USF calculates the state would spend $4,741 per student at the University of Florida and $5,470 per student at Florida State. A USF student would be worth half as much, $2,401. That's a fine way to treat a top-tier research university with more than 40,000 students. Subtlety has never been part of Alexander's political repertoire. For two years, the Lake Wales Republican has used the state budget to try to steal USF's new College of Pharmacy from the main campus and build its home in Lakeland. First Gov. Charlie Crist and then Gov. Rick Scott vetoed it. That hasn't stopped Alexander. Now the Senate's proposed budget for 2012-13 would let the Tampa campus keep the pharmacy school but take away the $6 million it has now to operate it. And USF would hand over all of the Lakeland campus' property and foundation money but keep paying $18 million for its faculty and staff. Cute. This is the sort of political interference that gives Florida's universities a bad name. It makes it harder to recruit top-level faculty, and it makes it harder to recruit the best out-of-state students who pay higher tuition and add diversity. USF has made tremendous academic strides in recent years and is poised to leap even higher in health care and other areas. President Judy Genshaft and the university are major players in developing Tampa Bay's economy and creating jobs. Yet the Florida Senate would allow USF to be treated as a political pinata, absorbing 20 percent of the cuts for the entire state university system. The discussion in Tallahassee should be focusing on why legislators promote the importance of higher education in building the state's economy, yet plan to cut spending on universities by hundreds of millions of dollars. The debate should be about how much to invest in higher education and compete with North Carolina and other states that have made that financial commitment. Instead the focus is on one powerful senator's obsession to create a new university and how far he will go to get his way. The Senate Budget Committee meets Wednesday to consider the proposed budget. Who will speak up for USF and for fairness?

Square Enix’s Guardian Cross Is Led By The Director Of Final Fantasy VI By Ishaan . August 5, 2013 . 12:20pm Another of Square Enix’s recent smartphone games is being made available for Android devices, the publisher announced this morning. Guardian Cross, a card battle game originally released for iPhone, is available for Android now. Guardian Cross has you playing as Guardians that fight and capture various monsters, and then use them in battle against other players around the world. For the Android version of the game, Square Enix have added new Guardian cards with new artwork, and will update the game with new quests in the future as well. Guardian Cross has over 120 monsters. Interestingly, the game’s lead concept planner is Hiroyuki Ito, who designed Final Fantasy’s Active Time Battle system, and directed Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy XII.

Viz Media recently released Sailor Moon R Season 2 Part 1 on Blu-ray and DVD, with an all-new English voiceover dub, Japanese subtitled dialogue, restored footage that was cut from the original Western release, all-new extras, a beautiful 96-page art booklet, and an updated visual presentation. In this 22-episode set, Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon) and her friends are returning to their normal everyday lives, with their memories having been wiped after the epic battle against the Dark Kingdom. It’s not long, however, before evil is lurking on the horizon in the form of two aliens named Ail and Ann, and Luna has no choice but to restore Usagi’s memories and her ability to transform into Sailor Moon. The packaging for Sailor Moon R Season 2 Part 1 is simply gorgeous. The chipboard box is quite cool looking, with reflective moon and star designs accenting the artwork of Sailor Moon in her signature transformation pose. The included 96-page art book is something all fans of the show will truly enjoy, as it contains not only an episode guide for every episode on the set but also character posters, production artwork, character biographies, song lyrics, photos of the new voice cast, and more. The bonus features on the Blu-ray include interviews with the new voice cast, footage from the recording sessions, and clean opening and ending segments. The set also includes 3 DVDs with all of the content that is on the Blu-ray discs. It’s obvious that the people at Viz Media really care about this series and strived to bring fans the best possible release they could. And so it’s a shame that the main component to this Blu-ray re-release, the video quality, is rather poor. As Viz mentions in this blog post, they did the best they could with what materials they were given, as the original masters from 1992 no longer exist, apparently. So they had to do a bunch of post-production video processing, detailed in that blog post, to upscale the 2009 Japanese re-release to 1080p for Blu-ray. Since the source was a 480i standard definition DVD release, the results were of course never going to be as good as if Viz were able to re-scan the original film cells in HD, and so you need to lower your expectations here a bit. I had heard a lot about how bad the video quality on the previous Sailor Moon Blu-ray sets was, and I have to say watching Sailor Moon R Season 2 Part 1 it was not that big of an issue for me. Sure, there is a fair amount of pixelization if you look closely or pause the video, but when it’s in motion it looks pretty good. The colors are vibrant, the edges are relatively sharp, and I’m sure this release is a pretty substantial upgrade from the VHS tapes that most fans grew up watching. I think the majority of Sailor Moon fans will be happy with the content of this release, but those who are sticklers for video quality and want to show off their high-end HDTVs may want to reconsider purchasing this set. Those who hold Sailor Moon near and dear to their heart will absolutely want to pick up this set for the quality of the packaging and art book alone, as well as the new extras, uncut content and voice dub. Additionally, the packaging has a space for Sailor Moon R Season 2 Part 2, which will be releasing soon!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 Related

Most evangelical Christians aren’t too big on Catholicism, Anglicanism or Eastern Orthodoxy, which makes their embrace of C.S. Lewis a bit of a mystery, seeing as he was pretty enthusiastic about all three. Despite his Catholic leanings, virtually all of Lewis’ books have been put on the “approved reading list” for evangelicals, with Mere Christianity and the Chronicles of Narnia cited as favorites on Facebook pages everywhere. I find this a bit ironic seeing as fellow Brit and Christian J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books are still viewed with suspicion. Rowling writes about witches and is accused of seducing a generation with the occult. Lewis writes about witches and is lauded by the evangelical Sanhedrin for his brilliant allegory of the Christian faith. One Lewis book that almost failed to pass the evangelical smell test, however, is The Great Divorce. It’s about a group of people in hell who board a bus to heaven, where they get to decide whether or not they want to stay. One-by-one, most of the people find a reason to get back on the bus, finding they prefer to wallow in their petty jealousy, self-pity and bitterness rather than submit to the healing on offer in heaven. This is a difficult book for many evangelicals, because it seems to suggest that Lewis believed there might be an opportunity for postmortem salvation–a second chance to get things right after death. It also smacks of an Orthodox understanding of the afterlife, which sees heaven and hell not as separate places but as distinct psychological conditions. Most evangelicals turn this grit of sand into a pearl by saying, “It’s just a story.” Lewis didn’t actually mean to suggest there might be a second chance after death; he was merely seeking to demonstrate that wherever we wind up after we die, our destination will ultimately be a result of the choices we make here on earth. In fact, the road to heaven or hell doesn’t begin at death; it begins right now. Lewis sums up this view in an oft-quoted line from the book: There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened. I call this the “C. S. Lewis defense” of the traditional Western doctrine of hell. In a sense, hell is simply a ratification of the human will. In the end, God gives all of us what we want. He’s not going to override our will simply to get what he wants. He loves and respects us too much. While many people find this to be an airtight defense of hell, others aren’t so sure. Philosopher Thomas Talbott is one such dissenter. In his view, the C. S. Lewis defense falls under the category of “hard-hearted theism” a.k.a. “tough love. Many people content themselves with the idea that if people freely choose to reject God, too bad for them. They had their chance just like the rest of us. They just made the wrong choice. And far be it from God to intervene in the face of such poor decision-making. After all, we’re not a bunch of automatons. However, Talbott raises two objections to this line of thinking: i) it is incoherent to claim that someone could freely and irrevocably reject God, and (ii) in any case, God would not permit such a choice to be made because it would pain the saved. To help unpack this, many of us imagine someone who rejects God as exercising their free will. But if God is the all-loving, omniscient, omnipotent being Christians make him out to be–if he’s at all like Jesus–what free person would possibly reject him? Like the characters in The Great Divorce, rejection of God only makes sense if people are so bound up in anger, jealousy, pain and bitterness that they’re blinded to the glory all around them. Don’t we all know such people? Haven’t we all been that sort of person at one time or another? And in the face of such a psychological state, does eternal condemnation seem just? In response to this, Talbott argues that if God were to intervene in our lives by pulling back the veil of our pain, rather than impinging on our free will (which, it turns out, isn’t so free after all), such an intervention should be seen as an effort to free our will. And seeing as Christ defeated death, it’s no longer the end of our spiritual biography. God can continue to work on us essentially for eternity. According to Talbott, such an act is also more consistent with an all-loving, omniscient, omnipotent being “who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4) than the tough love that the C. S. Lewis defense suggests. If you reject Talbott’s argument, you’re put in a position where you have to argue that either God perpetuates our pain-fueled illusions for all eternity (rather than having mercy on us and removing the blinders) or else only irrational people wind up in hell, because those are the only kinds of people who would reject God and choose destruction despite encountering a revelation of his true nature. In fact, some have argued that sin is irrational by its very nature, so yes, it would be safe to say that hell is full of irrational people. But I fail to see how this isn’t a “turtles all the way down” argument, because no free person would make an irrational choice. So something in their biography must have made them irrational, and from that point onward, no choice they make could ever be considered “free.” Perhaps even more significant, the C. S. Lewis defense also puts us in the awkward position of having to argue that in the end, our will trumps God’s will. That even though God wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth, it won’t happen. And by the way, the Greek word thelo, translated as “wants” in the 1 Timothy passage cited above, is a much stronger verb than the typical English translation would suggest. It actually indicates not just willing something to happen but also pressing it into action. In other words, it seems to suggest that God gets what he wants. Not that we want to build a theology on the foundation of a single passage in Scripture, but it does give us something to think about. The second objection Talbott raises is part of a complicated argument about the definition of supreme happiness and whether or not this is the sort of happiness God wills for us. I won’t go into the argument here, but in a nutshell, Talbott argues that if love makes us more sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, and if heaven is the place where we finally get to experience perfect love, all of us would be in misery, because all we would want to do is be with our loved ones in hell–or to set them free from hell, if at all possible. And if God is the essence of love, well, he would be in the worst position of all. I’ll stop here, because this post is already about 1,000 words longer than I intended where I first Googled Lewis’ quote this morning, but I’d love to hear what the rest of you have to say about all of this.

Reported Arsenal target Sergio Ramos has heaped fuel into the fire regarding his possible departure from Real Madrid to a premier league club. The 28 year old Spaniard was recently at the heart of what he considered to be a dubious refereeing decision and has spoken out about his preference for the Premier League. Ramos, a close friend of club record signing Mesut Özil’s, is considered to be on of the finest defensive talents in the world but is seemingly coming to the end of his tether with La Liga. Speaking to AS after his side’s loss to City rivals Athletico this week the Spaniard questioned the decision to award a penalty for his challenge in the box which ultimately settled the first leg tie. “I’m not going to talk about controversial issues and certainly not that incident,” “The only thing I will say is that with every passing day I prefer the English Premier League. He also cited the style of play and standard of refereeing to be another big draw, “What am I talking about? Obviously not the ball- boys. The style of play, the refereeing. People enjoy watching that competition. When you lose it’s easy to focus on the refereeing decisions.” If Arsenal were able to tempt the Spaniard away from Real Madrid it would be a massive coup and given his close relationship with Mesut Özil it is unlikely he would have any trouble settling in with his new team mates. A marquee signing such as Ramos would certainly suggest Arsenal mean business in the transfer market as well as significantly strengthening a currently shaky back line, however, it is currently unclear what sort of fee would be required to prise him from the Champions League winners and his heft salary, believed to be £135,000+ could be a potential stumbling block. It will be interesting to see how this one unfolds! Follow us on twitter @Arsenation and Like our Facebook page!

The collective agreement for CUPE 3902, Unit 1, which represents teaching assistants at the University of Toronto, expired on Apr. 30, 2014. Few meetings occurred during the first eight months between the university administration and union bargaining team, and no real advancement towards a deal was visible. In November, a strike vote took place, and the membership legally authorized the union to call a strike. The two parties reached a tentative deal on Feb. 27 at 3 a.m., the day of the strike deadline. In a general meeting on the same day, 90 per cent of CUPE 3902-01 members in attendance rejected the administration’s proposal, sending 6,000 TAs and other academic workers on strike. On Mar. 2, CUPE 3903 members at York University also voted against their administration’s offer and for a strike. Most labour disputes revolve around wage increases, as well as their ethical, financial and logistical constraints. But the struggle of teaching assistants at the University of Toronto differs from a typical labour dispute in an important way: all part-time TAs are also full-time graduate students. This double hat makes it difficult for TAs to negotiate their hourly wage without also negotiating their overall funding package, which in the end determines their real paycheque. The university administration persists in addressing TAs as employees only, with no concerns for their duality in identity. In a constant effort to discredit TAs and the union representing them, CUPE 3902, the vice-president and provost of U of T, Cheryl Regehr, boasts of the “generous” wage increase offered by the administration, even penning a piece in the Huffington Post about it. With a narrow focus on wages, she skillfully brands U of T as a model employer in the media. An illusory wage increase The proposed wage raise from $42.05 to $43.97 an hour seems sufficiently generous on the surface, leading many people to wonder what the uproar is about, especially after the university administration spread misleading images comparing this wage to those offered by the University of British Columbia and McGill University. Dr. Regehr hides an elephant in her office: an increase in hourly wage will not raise the yearly salary of most teaching assistants. Dr. Regehr hides an elephant in her office: an increase in hourly wage will not raise the yearly salary of most teaching assistants. First, a graduate student’s standard funding package remains fixed at $15,000 a year, as it has for the past seven years. The administration has, of course, omitted this fact in its public relations. The TAs’ basic demand for a funding package that reaches the Toronto poverty line of $19,307, a figure taken from Statistics Canada data for 2010, seems rather reasonable. Yet from day one the university administration has refused any concessions on this crucial issue. The administration has offered a disaggregated 4.5 per cent wage increase (0.5 per cent every six months for 2.5 years, then 0.75 per cent in January 2017 and 1.25 per cent in May 2017). This raise does not even account for the inflation rate of the past seven years as the TA funding package stagnated at $15,000. In other words, even if the salary portion of the package increases, the scholarship portion depreciates: a small wage increase changes nothing. The University of British Columbia offers a package deal of $20,000 to all incoming PhD students, plus a first year of doctoral studies free of teaching duties so students can dedicate themselves to their graduate studies. The University of Montreal offers a similar funding package of $20,000 to most PhD students, in a city where the costs of living are half those of Toronto. The unsustainable position held by U of T undermines a ranking and reputation that has taken the institution so long to build. On top of all this, included in U of T’s proposal is a change in the maximum number of paid work hours allowed for TAs, which would be reduced from 205 to 180, effective in September 2017. The math isn’t favourable for graduate students, who will earn less, not more. A strategy of deceit The university administration has consistently referred to the necessity of sending the proposed deal to the union membership. This claim is deceitful for two main reasons. First, while one may disagree with a union’s constitutional processes and mandates, the employer must respect its employees’ constitutional and decision-making mechanisms. The CUPE 3902 bylaws clearly stipulate that “before subjecting a Collective Agreement to a ratification vote . . . the decision to hold a ratification vote shall first be approved at a unit meeting by a majority of votes cast.” At 3 a.m. on Feb. 27, the day of the strike deadline, the bargaining team finally reached a deal with the university administration that they felt should be sent for approval to their colleagues. What this meant is that the team responsibly submitted the proposal to a general meeting. Approximately 90 per cent of the 1,000 registered members at the meeting voted not to send the agreement to a full ratification vote, so the bargaining team had to reject the deal and initiate the strike that was previously voted for via referendum with 90.3 per cent of ballots in favour. The second reason that the university administration’s call to send the proposed deal to the union membership is strategically deceitful is that, as stipulated in the 1995 Ontario Labour Relations Act, section 42.1, the employer has the right to call for a vote on their offer: Before or after the commencement of a strike or lockout, the employer of the employees in the affected bargaining unit may request that a vote of the employees be taken as to the acceptance or rejection of the offer of the employer. In other words, the recent call by Dr. Regehr for yet another referendum, in the media rather than at the negotiation table, shows great condescension — or ignorance — of the rules and bylaws governing relations between unionized employees and an employer. In the end, if it was the university administration’s right to send the agreement for a broad ratification vote, why didn’t it do so right after the deal was reached? Why wait for the beginning of the strike to write an op-ed in the Huffington Post, rather than call the bargaining team directly? Dr. Regehr’s absence at the negotiation table since the beginning of the strike and the delays this has caused are hard to ignore, to say the least.

Presidents, prime ministers, dictators, and potentates from 175 countries gathered at the United Nations in New York Friday to sign the UN’s Paris climate accord, which proponents say is aimed at slowing the (fictitious) crisis of global warming by reducing manmade greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2). Secretary of State John Kerry (shown), with his granddaughter on his lap, signed for President Obama, who was returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. President Obama declared last December, following the Paris summit, that the newly created pact "represents the best chance we have to save the one planet we've got." Moreover, he praised it as "the most ambitious climate change agreement in history." Ambitious, yes — extremely ambitious, but only as it applies to global social engineering and the global concentration/centralization of political power, not in the sense of solving any real-world problems that most concern our planet’s inhabitants. If the Paris accord is allowed to go into effects, trillions of dollars will be spent by governments and UN bureaucrats — allegedly to “save the planet.” But all of their schemes and programs will affect only a tiny fraction of a degree in global temperatures by 2100. And even that miniscule effect is only theoretical. However, the “complete transformation of the world” called for by the UN’s top climate officials (see here and here ) would be radically advanced by adoption of this treaty. In his Whitehouse e-mail today, President Obama stated: Today is Earth Day — the last one I'll celebrate as President. Looking back over the past seven years, I'm hopeful that the work we've done will allow my daughters and all of our children to inherit a cleaner, healthier, and safer planet. But I know there is still work to do. That's why, today, the United States will join about 170 other countries in signing the Paris Agreement, a historic deal to reduce carbon emissions across the globe.... Thanks to this agreement, we can be more confident that we'll leave our children a planet worthy of their promise. That's what this is all about. And that's why today, America is leading the fight against climate change. Weather Channel Founder: It’s all Politics, not Science Not surprisingly, the establishment corporate media have provided full-throated support for the Earth Day extravaganza at the UN. That’s par for the course; they have been marching in lock-step on this issue, as shills for the globalist agenda, for years now. The USA Today editorial board, for example, ran a ridiculous editorial screed today, entitled “The heat is on: Our view,” that recycles the usual myths, fabrications, exaggerations, and lies from the Al Gore grab-bag of scary (but imaginary) climate “threats.” “Friday is Earth Day, and the planet is running a fever,” they begin, flogging a shopworn metaphor that has been thoroughly discredited. Can the esteemed editors at USA Today be completely unaware that even many of the top global warming alarmists — such as James Hansen, Phil Jones, the U.K. Met Office, The Economist, Washington Post, New York Times, New Republic, and even the UN’s own Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) — have been forced to admit — by the global satellite date — that global surface temperatures have not risen measurably in 20 years? To their credit, the USA Today editors have provided space today for two dissenting experts to present contrarian views on the Paris climate accord and the political spectacle at the UN. Meteorologist John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel, penned a brief op-ed entitled “Get politics out of climate debate: Science has taken a back seat at the United Nations.” Coleman, who has spent more than 60 years as a meteorologist, is an outspoken critic of anthropogenic (manmade) global warming, or AGW, which he has famously called “the greatest scam in history.” Coleman points to UN climate chief Christiana Figueres' statements calling for a “centralized transformation” that is “going to make the life of everyone on the planet very different” to combat the alleged global warming threat. And Coleman asks, “How many Americans are looking forward to the U.N. transforming their lives?” He quotes another top UN IPCC official, Dr. Ottmar Edenhofer, who admits that it is the UN’s policy to “redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy.” And, as we have reported (here and here), Dr. Edenhofer has further admitted that all the panic over climate “has almost nothing to do with environmental policy”; it’s all about redistributing the world’s wealth. And guess who gets to do the redistributing in this scheme of things. Here’s what Edenhofer said: “One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with the environmental policy anymore, with problems such as deforestation or the ozone hole.” Coleman also notes that Dr. Rajendra Pauchauri, the disgraced former head of the IPCC, who now faces sex charges, said that fighting global warming “is my religion.” “When all the scare talk is pushed aside, it is the science that should be the basis for the debate,” says the Weather Channel founder.” And the hard cold truth is that the basic theory has failed.” “As a skeptic of man-made global warming, I love our environment as much as anyone,” said Coleman.” I share the deepest commitment to protecting our planet for our children and grandchildren. However, I desperately want to get politics out of the climate debate. The Paris climate agreement is all about empowering the U.N. and has nothing to do with the climate.” Lomborg Skewers Pact’s Horrific Costs for Mere 0.086 Degrees Fahrenheit Bjorn Lomborg, the Danish author, environmentalist, and professor of political science and philosophy, says “Politicians will vaunt U.N. treaty, but its costs far outweigh its meager benefits.” In an op-ed today for USA Today, entitled “Climate change is real, but Paris treaty won't fix it,” Dr. Lomborg writes: The Paris accord talks a big game. It doesn’t just commit to capping the global temperature increase at 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The text goes even further and says the world’s leaders commit to keeping the increase “well below 2 degrees Celsius” and will try to cap it at 1.5 degrees Celsius. But this is just rhetoric. My own research and the only peer-reviewed published assessment of the Paris agreement used the United Nation’s favorite climate model to measure the impact of every nation fulfilling every major carbon-cutting promise in the treaty between now and 2030. I found that the total temperature reduction will be just 0.086 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. Not 6 degrees. Not 4 degrees. Not 2 degrees. Not even 1 degree. Only 0.086 degrees. That’s 86 thousandths of a degree! That’s certainly worth the trillions of dollars the UN globalists want to spend, right? It is if you understand Figueres, Edenhofer, and others who have admitted their plan is to restructure, reconfigure, transform, and redistribute — it “has almost nothing to do with the environmental policy.” Lomborg, whose 2001 book The Skeptical Environmentalist is still causing waves, writes in his Earth Day op-ed: “Even if these promises were extended for 70 more years, then all the promises will reduce temperature rises by 0.3 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. This is similar to a finding by scientists at MIT. It’s feeble.” Worse than feeble — and mind-bogglingly costly to boot. “This is likely to be among most expensive treaties in the history of the world,” says Lomborg. “U.S. promises alone — to cut greenhouse gas emissions 26%-28% below 2005 levels by 2025 — would reduce gross domestic product more than $150 billion annually.” “Trying to cut carbon dioxide, even with an efficient carbon tax, will make cheap energy more expensive — and this will slow economic growth,” he notes. “Green technology is still very inefficient (which is why it still requires significant subsidies).” Neverthelerss, President Obama and the AGW alarm choir continue to insist that we must ignore the science and the economics in a mad rush to adopt one of the most far-reaching schemes ever contemplated to regiment and control all humanity. Photo of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry signing Paris climate-change agreement while holding his granddaughter: AP Images Related articles and videos: UN Boss Trusts Obama to Bypass Congress on “Climate” Agenda What's the Real Agenda Behind Climate Change Alarmism? (VIDEO) Climate Costs Estimated at More Than $12 Trillion for U.S. Taxpayers "Earth Day" — The Greatest Sham on Earth

Chris Robshaw's brilliant breakdown performance in England's 26-17 win over Australia should have finally silenced his remaining doubters. We pick out the highlights of his display. A trivia question to start, so no cheating if you do not know the answer. Here you go: who said this about whom last week? “He’s an absolute pest. Last year he had a really good performance against us around the ruck and made it a really tough night for us.” There is not much point in building suspense. This was Australia skipper Michael Hooper, arguably the best pilfering openside on the planet, speaking about Chris Robshaw, a figure many still do not rate as a ‘proper seven’ – whatever that vague, fluffy phrase even means. And the outstanding Wallaby should know. While he has caused total havoc consistently throughout his young but brilliant Test career, two of his least effective games have come against England. Twelve months ago, Hooper was crowded into anonymity as the hosts triumphed 20-13 at Twickenham. Robshaw won the official man-of-the-match gong. On Saturday, he latched on for an early penalty and charged around athletically. However, he was comprehensively outdone by the England back row. Tom Wood was relentless, Ben Morgan barged to a brace of tries and Robshaw seemed utterly inspired when the ball was on the ground. Here is a run-down of his awesome afternoon. England 0-0 Australia, 1 minute: Early set-back Even accounting for the fact that England survived on grisly scraps – just 34 per cent of possession over the 80 minutes – the fact that they only had 36 rucks is amazing. By comparison, Australia’s commitment to keeping ball in hand saw them get through 112. In any case, it is significant that Robshaw carries for this first turnover. Of course, that means he is not there to secure the ruck. Billy Twelvetrees does not identify the threat of Hooper and clears Rob Horne instead. By the time Dylan Hartley and David Wilson arrive, it is too late. Following this false start, England tightened up markedly at the breakdown with Robshaw driving the standards. England 0-3 Australia, 4 minutes: Linking attack Field position meant England could show some early spark and they went through the phases nicely. Robshaw’s slip pass to Wood here is a trademark piece of skill. This is his bread and butter. He is so good at transferring the point of contact to unbalance defenders. Watch how the excellent Matt Toomua must adjust and an overlap is created momentarily: A punchy carry to challenge the fringes from the next ruck demonstrates Robshaw’s appetite for work in attack. England moved the ball left from here and won a penalty to level the scores. They spent long, long periods soaking up pressure from there, but their skipper stood firm. England 6-3 Australia, 25 minutes: Toomua turned over During the summer he spent at home while the 2013 Lions were touring, Robshaw sought out Australian forwards guru Laurie Fisher – the mentor of turnover pioneer and legendary Wallaby centurion George Smith – for tips on how best to improve his defensive breakdown skills. Here, the Harlequin stalks before Wilson makes the tackle. He then strikes and stays strong over the ball despite the dual challenge of Rob Simmons and James Slipper, who stack up to a combined weight of 232 kilograms. It is a copybook piece of work. England 6-3 Australia, 28 minutes: Rapid ruck-clear for Morgan’s try The roles of Wood and Morgan are easily more eye-catching here. Certainly, Wood’s slip pass is gorgeous and Morgan’s finish muscular. That said, the try comes about because of the speed of the breakdown following Barritt’s carry. Guess who helps secure the ball: As Morgan and Wood snake around the corner, Robshaw helps Anthony Watson secure possession and Ben Youngs can whip his pass away before the Australian line is set. It is a subtle but essential job – a hallmark of a fine openside flanker. England 13-3 Australia, 34 minutes: Phipps disrupted Scrum-half Nick Phipps has personified the Wallabies’ admirable ambition this tour. Incredibly, he did not kick the ball once over five matches. His long, strong passing game is integral to the pacy, wide way Cheika wants to play. Here though, Robshaw is quick to fire through and forces the ball loose. It was nearly a try-scoring turnover too. Youngs hits a clever kick from the box and Watson and Brown win the chase, but neither can gather: England 13-3 Australia, 38 minutes: Another penalty earned The most effective proponents of the ‘jackal’ – the art of crouching over the ball and forcing the player on the floor to be penalised for holding on – generate a collective anxiety among the opposition. Rivals always have Hooper, Richie McCaw and Peter O’Mahony in the back of their minds on attack. Austin Healey has admitted that one England squad member wore a ‘Brian O’Driscoll bib’ for the training week leading up to Ireland matches and spent rucking drills purposely misbehaving. Here, the knock-on effect of Robshaw’s excellent first-half is evident as Sam Carter clears him out from the side illegally. Before that though, we see the England captain’s innate desire and work ethic as he leads the line: Andy Farrell is less fussed about dog legs and spacing than he is about putting pressure on carriers – he calls his defensive system a ‘messy’ one and it is focussed on disruption. Sean McMahon actually steps past Robshaw, but Wood makes a superb chop tackle. Robshaw wheels around to threaten the ruck and Carter, clearly fretting about the prospect of another turnover, rushes into an unlawful clear-out: England 13-3 Australia, 54 minutes: Rescue act Into the second half now and the midst of Australia’s strongest period. Here, they probe the wide channel and the Wood-Robshaw combination strikes with a tackle-turnover once more. However, most impressive is what happens a phase earlier. Breakdowns are about decision-making as much as anything else – not hitting the beach at every ruck but picking your moments. Watch Ben Alexander’s carry again. Robshaw thinks about committing, but bails out and evades McMahon’s clear-out so he can stay on his feet: It is a selfless option that pays dividends seconds later. England 20-10 Australia, 58 minutes: Reception committee Tackle counts are a big part of what makes Robshaw a special player. Put simply, his engine is astounding. On Saturday he felled 14 runners, but this one is about quality rather than quantity. Will Skelton, a 140-kilogram lock has just come on. Australia look to get him into the game right away but Robshaw leads by example and cuts off the Waratahs behemoth behind the gain-line. Skelton scored a few phases later, but the sentiment remains admirable. England 23-17 Australia, 68 minutes: Still spoiling Israel Folau and Hooper outstrip Robshaw comfortably in pursuit of Owen Farrell’s hack through. Even so, this clip epitomises industriousness, especially given everything that had gone on before. England 23-17 Australia, 74 minutes: Suffocating Australia This autumn, Graham Rowntree’s pack has reinforced its class. In fact, England probably possess the best tight-five options in the world right now. The lineout maul is definitely on a par with South Africa’s for consistent destruction. This one rumbled over the Wallaby 10-metre line and England then won the match-clinching penalty out wide. You can probably guess who spearheaded the charge: Maggie Alphonsi, another England openside, lives by the motto “be so good they can’t ignore you.” Since being left out of the 2011 World Cup party by Martin Johnson, Robshaw has embodied that. The development he has undergone over his 32 caps thus far has been pretty amazing to watch. This weekend was his most influential Test as a breakdown scavenger, something he has worked hard at improving on. Regardless of the considerable talents of contenders Steffon Armitage, Will Fraser and Matt Kvesic – plus the fact that England’s skipper could play at six as well– it is lunacy to slap the lazy ‘not a proper seven’ label on Robshaw. Hopefully those calls finally dry up with this fantastic performance.

One evening in December 1966, the great American writer and critic Edmund Wilson had Sir Isaiah Berlin over for dinner. And a good time they doubtless had of it, but later that night Wilson recorded in his diary that he found Berlin prone to ‘violent, sometimes irrational prejudice against people’. On the evening in question the object of Berlin’s ire was the philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt, whose book about the trial of the Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann, Eichmann in Jerusalem, he excoriated without, Wilson claimed, his ever having troubled to read it. On that last point at least, Wilson seems to have been wrong. Granted the evidence marshalled in David Caute’s Isaac & Isaiah: The Covert Punishment of a Cold War Heretic, it is fair to conclude that Berlin had not only read Arendt’s bestseller, but had also likely arranged for his close friend John Sparrow, then warden of All Souls College at Oxford, to give the book a kicking in the pages of the Times Literary Supplement. Since TLS reviews were printed without bylines back then, why didn’t Berlin write about the book himself? Because, Caute argues, he had for some reason ‘always avoided referring to Arendt in print’. Privately, though, he was happy to rubbish her work. A few years earlier, he had written Faber & Faber a report on Arendt’s The Human Condition. It opened by telling them he ‘could recommend no publisher to buy the UK rights of this book. There are two objections to it: it won’t sell, and it is no good.’ Fans of Berlin’s waspish wit will relish those last two clauses (invert them, as the logic of the sentence dictates, and the wit is gone), but did Arendt’s most considered work really merit such a stinging rebuke? Did Eichmann in Jerusalem, whose insights into what its subtitle calls ‘the banality of evil’ are still potent, really deserve that TLS hatchet job? To be sure, subsequent research has disproven many of the book’s claims about Eichmann himself. But half a century ago nobody save Eichmann was in a position to know that Arendt’s belief that he was no more than a stupid, anonymous cog in the Nazi machinery was quite wrong. Caute believes that the antipathy Berlin felt for Arendt was largely explicable by the fact of his fealty to Zionism and her belief that nationalism was past its sell-by-date. But even though history proved Arendt wrong on this count, oughtn’t the philosopher who made his name by arguing that incompatible values can all be valid have been less ready to take offence over the disagreement? Nationalists need not be nasty, but nor is everyone who longs for a better tomorrow willing to worsen the here and now in order to bring it on. But what of people who lie about yesterday in order to pretend that today is better than it is? Such was the gist of Berlin’s loathing of the historian and journalist Isaac Deutscher. Deutscher ‘worship[ped]’ Lenin, Berlin told Caute one day in March 1963 in the All Souls common room, and his three-volume biography of Trotsky was designed to make its subject look like ‘Jesus on the cross’, his story ‘the great modern tragedy’. Was Berlin, Caute asked, hostile to Deutscher because he remained loyal to Marxism? Not at all, said Berlin, saying that he had the greatest respect for the work of C Wright Mills and Eric Hobsbawm, and that a few years earlier he had supported EH Carr’s candidature at Trinity College. ‘To be a Marxist is a legitimate stance for an academic’, Berlin told Caute, ‘but Deutscher parades as a soothsayer… [Nobody] knows the whole truth – but Deutscher does.’ Just another day in the backstabbing groves of academe? To be sure, though the suspicion Caute harboured that Berlin’s harangue had been prompted by the prospect of Deutscher’s getting a lectureship was right on the money. A few months earlier, when Deutscher had applied for a job as a senior lecturer at the University of Sussex, Asa Briggs and his colleagues in the history department were thrilled, and proposed he be offered a professorship in Soviet Studies. Fine, said Sussex’s vice-chancellor, John Fulton, the job is Deutscher’s – just let me have a word with the board’s external adviser. Except that the board’s external adviser was Isaiah Berlin, and he blackballed Deutscher, telling Fulton that ‘the candidate of whom you speak is the only man whose presence in the same academic community as myself I should find intolerable’. Fair enough, though Caute’s book, while itself critical of Deutscher’s ideological blindspots, provides sufficient evidence to suggest that Berlin’s loathing of the historian was motivated by more than mere historiography. As with Arendt, only more so, Berlin was predisposed to dislike Deutscher because he was such a fierce critic of Israel and Zionism. What had really fanned fury’s flames, though, was Deutscher’s demolition job of Berlin’s Historical Inevitability in the Observer. Goading Berlin the most, Caute suspects, was the fact that Deutscher found Berlin’s anti-Hegelian tract quite as airless, abstracted and inhumane as anything Berlin had claimed to find in a thousand Marxian screeds. (Caute agrees: his book is worth reading just for its brief but deadly assault on Berlin’s overestimation of the effect ideas have on history.) Not that Deutscher was alone in dismissing Berlin’s book. Lewis Namier, a friend of Berlin, and one of his closest brothers-in-arms in the war against enlightenment rationalism, also found it rather too theoretical. ‘How intelligent you must be’, he joshed Berlin, ‘to understand all you write!’. Even more tellingly, EH Carr took issue with Berlin’s notion that people who find patterns and logic and order in history are halfway down the road to dictatorship. People who find patterns and logic and order in history, Carr argued, are simply historians – for the fact is that history does not exist independent of the interpretations that are placed on it. Historians are not mere narrators of events. They are explicators of the narrative they themselves create in the act of writing. Somehow, though, Berlin was able to overlook these other critics. It was Deutscher alone who got it in the throat. Berlin was so offended by his notice that the faithful Zionist took to calling the nationalistic doubter a ‘mangy Jew’. To be fair, Berlin was half aware there might be something irrational about his loathing of Deutscher. ‘I suffer from a profound, perhaps exaggerated antipathy to all his writings’, he wrote in 1959. ‘I think him specious, dishonest, and in any case possessed of some quality which causes some kind of nausea within me.’ There is more, a lot more, like that in the pages of the latest volume of Berlin’s letters, Building.

Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press OTTAWA -- The police need a search warrant to get information from Internet service providers about their subscribers' identities during investigations, the Supreme Court of Canada says in a landmark ruling affirming Canadians' right to online privacy. The high court's landmark 8-0 ruling on online privacy issues came in the appeal of a Saskatchewan man facing child pornography charges. The court affirmed that when Canadians surf the web, they should be guaranteed a degree of anonymity. The ruling also has political implications for the federal government's current cyber-bullying bill, setting the stage for another clash between the Harper government and the Supreme Court. The ruling deals with a 19-year-old Saskatchewan man who was charged with possessing and distributing child pornography after police used his Internet address to get further details from his online service provider, all without first obtaining a search warrant. Lawyers for the man argued that violated his constitutional right to be protected from unlawful search and seizure. But in this specific case, the Supreme Court ruled that the details gathered should not be excluded as evidence from the man's trial, saying the police acted in good faith. "A warrantless search, such as the one that occurred in this case, is presumptively unreasonable," Justice Thomas Cromwell wrote for the court. "The Crown bears the burden of rebutting this presumption." The ruling also addressed the broader constitutional issues raised by Section 8 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects Canadians' privacy rights from unlawful search and seizure. "In my view, in the totality of the circumstances of this case, there is a reasonable expectation of privacy in the subscriber information," Cromwell wrote. "The disclosure of this information will often amount to the identification of a user with intimate or sensitive activities being carried out online, usually on the understanding that these activities would be anonymous." Friday's ruling renders unconstitutional a portion of the Tories' cyber-bullying bill, C-13, which critics say will encourage companies to give police more information about customers' online activities without a warrant. It may also have implications for a separate digital privacy bill, also before Parliament. New Democrat MP Peter Julian called on the government to amend the bills in light of the Supreme Court ruling. "The Conservatives are streamrolling ahead with Bill C-13, which also allows unconstitutional spying on Canadians," Julian said in the House of Commons. "With yet another bill struck down by the Supreme Court, when will they finally take a balanced approach that keeps Canadians secure without infringing on constitutional rights?" Conservative MP Bob Dechert, the parliamentary secretary to Justice Minister Peter MacKay, replied that the government will review the decision. "We always respect the work of the court. We will continue to crack down on cyber bullies and online criminals to keep children and vulnerable communities safe in Canada," he said. Commons committee hearings on the bill wrapped Thursday, and it will now go to third reading and onto the Senate. It wasn't clear yet Friday what the government's next moves would be -- either amending the bill before it clears the Commons, or doing so later in the Senate. In a statement, Justice Minister Peter MacKay said the court's decision "has clarified the law in this area. We will review this decision and respect the ruling." His office provided no further clarification. OpenMedia.ca Executive Director Steve Anderson hailed Friday's ruling as historic and said it will force the government to cut "their extreme spying provisions" from C-13. "Tens of thousands of Canadians have worked tirelessly to raise the alarm over how this government has been conducting warrantless surveillance of law-abiding citizens on a massive scale," Anderson said in a statement. "All along we've said the government's online spying Bill C-13 is reckless and irresponsible and today's ruling vindicates those concerns." Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor who specializes in digital issues, said the ruling will force Internet service providers to change their practices on voluntary warrantless disclosure, saying the ruling "seems likely to define Internet privacy for many years to come." The road to Friday's ruling began in 2007 when Matthew David Spencer was charged with downloading child pornography using peer-to-peer file sharing software. The police found the files after Spencer stored them in a shared public folder. The police approached Shaw Communications without a search warrant, and asked for the information behind Spencer's Internet Protocol address. Shaw obliged, giving police information that pointed to Spencer's sister. Police then got a search warrant for the woman's residence and seized her brother's computer, leading to his arrest. The Supreme Court ruled that the information gathered on Spencer without a warrant was nonetheless admissible, but should not "be understood to be encouraging the police to act without warrants in 'grey areas."' "In short, the police were acting by what they reasonably thought were lawful means to pursue an important law enforcement purpose. There is no challenge to any other aspect of the information to obtain the search warrant," the court ruled. "The nature of the police conduct in this case would not tend to bring the administration of justice into disrepute." Privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien and the Canadian Bar Association have recommended that the cyber-bullying bill be split in two, with one bill covering cyber-bullying and another focusing on lawful-access provisions. Civil libertarians also argue that the cyber-bullying bill will undermine Internet privacy, by making it easier for government to snoop on the online activities of otherwise law-abiding Canadians. But the government contends a 21st century law is needed to help authorities catch pedophiles and other criminals who pose threats online.

The Great Divide is a series about inequality. In a working-class neighborhood in Lowell, Mass., in early 2009, I sat across the table from Diana, then 24, in the kitchen of her mother’s house. Diana had planned to graduate from college, marry, buy a home in the suburbs and have kids, a dog and a cat by the time she was 30. But she had recently dropped out of a nearby private university after two years of study and with nearly $80,000 in student loans. Now she worked at Dunkin’ Donuts. “With college,” she explained, “I would have had to wait five years to get a degree, and once I get that, who knows if I will be working and if I would find something I wanted to do. I don’t want to be a cop or anything. I don’t know what to do with it. My manager says some people are born to make coffee, and I guess I was born to make coffee.” Young working-class men and women like Diana are trying to figure out what it means to be an adult in a world of disappearing jobs, soaring education costs and shrinking social support networks. Today, only 20 percent of men and women between 18 and 29 are married. They live at home longer, spend more years in college, change jobs more frequently and start families later. For more affluent young adults, this may look a lot like freedom. But for the hundred-some working-class 20- and 30-somethings I interviewed between 2008 and 2010 in Lowell and Richmond, Va., at gas stations, fast-food chains, community colleges and temp agencies, the view is very different. Lowell and Richmond embody many of the structural forces, like deindustrialization and declining blue-collar jobs, that frame working-class young people’s attempts to come of age in America today. The economic hardships of these men and women, both white and black, have been well documented. But often overlooked are what the sociologists Richard Sennett and Jonathan Cobb in 1972 called their “hidden injuries” — the difficult-to-measure social costs borne by working-class youths as they struggle to forge stable and meaningful adult lives. Photo These are people bouncing from one temporary job to the next; dropping out of college because they can’t figure out financial aid forms or fulfill their major requirements; relying on credit cards for medical emergencies; and avoiding romantic commitments because they can take care of only themselves. Increasingly disconnected from institutions of work, family and community, they grow up by learning that counting on others will only hurt them in the end. Adulthood is not simply being delayed but dramatically reimagined along lines of trust, dignity and connection and obligation to others. Take Jay, for example. He was expelled from college for failing several classes after his mother suffered a severe mental breakdown. He worked for a year, then went before the college administration and petitioned to be reinstated. He described it as a humiliating experience: “It’s their jobs to hear all these sob stories, you know, I understand that, but they just had this attitude, like you know what I mean, ‘Oh, your mom had a breakdown and you couldn’t turn to anyone?’ ” Jay got back in and graduated (after a total of seven years of college). But when I talked to him, he was still working food-service and coffee-shop jobs at 28, baffled about how to turn his communications major into a professional job. He felt as if he was sold fake goods: “The world is at my fingertips, you can rule the world, be whatever you want, all this stuff. When I was 15, 16, I would not have envisioned the life I am living now. Whatever I imagined, I figured I would wear a suit every day, that I would own things. I don’t own anything.” I heard many people express feeling betrayed by the major institutions in their lives, whether colleges, the health care system, employers or the government. Christopher, who was 25, stated simply, “Well, I have this problem of being tricked.” He explained: “Like, I will get a phone call that says, you won a free supply of magazines. And they will start coming to my house. Then all of a sudden I am getting calls from bill collectors for the subscriptions to Maxim and ESPN. It’s a runaround: I can’t figure out who to call. Now I don’t even pick up the phone, like I almost didn’t pick up when you called me.” He described isolation as the only safe path; by depending on no one, Christopher protected himself from trickery and betrayal. These fears seep into the romantic sphere, where commitment becomes yet another risky venture. Kelly, a 28-year-old line cook, spent 10 years battling depression and living off and on in her car. She finally had a job and an apartment of her own. But now she was worried about risking that hard-earned sense of security by letting someone else into her life. “I like the idea of being with someone,” she said, “but I have a hard time imagining trusting anybody with all of my personal stuff.” She said she would “rather be alone and fierce than be in a relationship and be milquetoast.” “I know where all my shortcomings come from. From the things that I either did not do, or I did and I just happened to fail.” Men often face a different challenge: the impossibility of living up to the male provider role. Brandon, who worked the night shift at a clothing store, described what he thought it would be like to be in a relationship with him: “No woman wants to sit on the couch all the time and watch TV and eat at Burger King. I can only take care of myself.” It is not that these men and women don’t value family. Douglas, then 25, talked about loss: “Trust is gone. The way people used to love is gone.” Rather, the insecurities and uncertainties of their daily lives have rendered commitment a luxury they can’t afford. But these young men and women don’t want your pity — and they don’t expect a handout. They are quick to blame themselves for the milestones they have not achieved. Julian, an Army vet from Richmond who was unemployed, divorced and living with his mother at 28, dismissed the notion that his lack of success was anyone’s fault but his own: “At the end of the day looking in the mirror, I know where all my shortcomings come from. From the things that I either did not do or I did and I just happened to fail at them.” Kelly echoed that: “No one else is going to fix me but me.” This self-sufficiency, while highly prized in our culture, has a dark side: it leaves little empathy to spare for those who cannot survive on their own. Wanda, a young woman with big dreams of going to college, expressed virulent anger toward her parents, a tow-truck driver and a secretary, for not being able to pay her tuition: “I feel like it’s their fault that they don’t have nothing.” Rather than build connections with those who struggled alongside her, Wanda severed relationships and willed herself not to be “weak-minded” like her parents: “if my mentality were different, then most definitely I would just be stuck like them.” Working-class youths come to believe that if they have to make it on their own, then everyone else should, too. Powerless to achieve external markers of adulthood like marriage or a steady job, they instead measure their progress by cutting ties, turning inward and numbing themselves emotionally. We don’t want to go back to the 1950s, when economic stability and social solidarity came at the cost of exclusion for many Americans. But nor can we afford the social costs of going forward on our present path of isolation. The social and economic decline of the American working class will only be exacerbated as its youngest members make a virtue out of self-blame, distrust and disconnection. In order to tell a different kind of coming-of-age story, we need to provide these young men and women with the skills and support to navigate the road to adulthood. Our future depends on it. Jennifer M. Silva is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and the author of the forthcoming book “Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty.”

Live concert Topics Collection Maroon5 Intro Through With You > Tangled > Not Coming Home > The Sun > This Love Intro to.. Secret She Will Be Loved Harder To Breath Sunday Morning Wasted Years* Shiver audience Hello^ Must Get Out Sweetest Goodbye 1 - Intro 2 - Through With You > 3 - Tangled > 4 - Not Coming Home > 5 - The Sun > 6 - This Love 7 - Intro to.. 8 - Secret 9 - She Will Be Loved 10 - Harder To Breath 11 - Sunday Morning 12 - Wasted Years 13 - Shiver 14 - audience 15 - Hello (Oasis cover) 16 - Must Get Out 17 - Sweetest Goodbye Notes *w/Emotional Rescue and I Want You covers ^Oasis cover Discs 1 Format MovingImage Identifier maroon5-2004-10-21.flac16 Identifiers wintercoats2010-07-29.aud,mammal2009-04-17.aud,wintercoats2010-12-04.aud,DickDiver2010-11-10.aud,dickdiver2013-01-28.aud,seekae2010-08-12.ca14.flac,gybe2013-02-16.aud,DickDiver2012-09-22.aud,gybe2013-02-14.aud,wintercoats2012-08-05.aud,DickDiver2013-03-15.aud,gybe2013-02-15.aud,DickDiver2013-12-14.aud,Mammal2007-11-02.aud,Mammal2008-04-04.aud,mammal2008-12-26.aud,Mammal2009-07-31.aud,Mammal2009-05-05.aud,JohnButlerTrio2011-01-30.ca14.flac,seekae2010-10-01.ca14.flac,Mammal2009-07-03.aud,Mammal2008-11-07.aud,mammal2008-10-03.aud,mammal2009-10-17.aud,mammal2008-08-30.aud,fullscalerevolution2010-01-09.ca14.flac,eits2011-12-09.aud,DickDiver2009-12-04.aud,dickdiver2013-02-22.matrix,eits2012-07-27.aud,eits2012-04-18.aud,spoon2008-01-28.aud,gybe2012-04-21.aud,mogwai2009-03-07.ca-stc11.flac,laura2009-11-08.fm,mono2011-10-07.aud,acollective2009-12-15.ca14.flac,dickdiver2009-08-22.aud,themountaingoats2008-12-05.ca-stc11.flac,Mammal2009-07-11.aud,Mammal2008-06-21.aud,spoon2008-01-31.aud,tmg2012-05-09.aud,eits2012-04-20,eits2011-12-09.aud.neeso,trailofdead2009-05-30.ca-stc11.flac,mogwai2009-03-05.ca-stc11.flac,trailofdead2009-05-31.ca-stc11.flac, Lineage CD >EAC >CD Wave (tracking) > FLAC Location Berlin, Germany Shndiscs 1 Source OKM IIr > SONY D100 Taped by Unknown Transferred by Unknown Type sound Venue Columbiahalle Year 2004

As high schools across the country continue to reduce physical education, recess, and athletic programs, a new study shows that regular exercise significantly reduces both suicidal thoughts and attempts among students who are bullied. Using data from the CDC’s National Youth Risk Behavior Survey of 13,583 high school students, researchers at the University of Vermont found that being physically active four or more days per week resulted in a 23 percent reduction in suicidal ideation and attempts in bullied students. Nationwide nearly 20 percent of students reported being bullied on school property. Previous studies have shown that exercise has positive effects on various mental health measures. This is the first, however, to show a link between physical activity and a reduction in suicidal thoughts and attempts by bullied students, who are also at increased risk for poor academic performance, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, sadness and substance abuse. Overall, 30 percent of students in the study reported feeling sad for two or more weeks in the previous year while more than 22 percent reported suicidal ideation and 8.2 percent reported actual suicidal attempts during the same time period. Bullied students were twice as likely to report sadness, and three times as likely to report suicidal ideation or attempt when compared to peers who were not bullied. Exercise on four or more days per week was also associated with significant reductions in sadness. “I was surprised that it was that significant and that positive effects of exercise extended to kids actually trying to harm themselves,” said lead author Jeremy Sibold, associate professor and chair of the Department Rehabilitation and Movement Science. “Even if one kid is protected because we got them involved in an after-school activity or in a physical education program it’s worth it.” High schools cutting physical edcuation programs nationwide The release of Sibold’s study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry comes at a time when 44 percent of the nation’s school administrators have cut significant amounts of time from physical education, arts and recess so that more time could be devoted to reading and mathematics since the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001, according to a report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The same report showed that the percentage of schools offering physical education daily or at least three days a week has declined dramatically between 2001 and 2006. Overall, it is estimated that only about half of America’s youth meet the current evidence-based guideline of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department of at least 60 minutes of vigorous or moderate-intensity physical activity daily. In its biennial survey of high school students across the nation, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly half said they had no physical education classes in an average week. “It’s scary and frustrating that exercise isn’t more ubiquitous and that we don’t encourage it more in schools,” says Sibold. “Instead, some kids are put on medication and told ‘good luck.’ If exercise reduces sadness, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts, then why in the world are we cutting physical education programs and making it harder for students to make athletic teams at such a critical age?” Sibold and his co-authors, Erika Edwards, research assistant professor in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Dianna Murray-Close, associate professor in psychology, and psychiatry professor James J. Hudziak, who has published extensively on the positive effects of exercise on mental health outcomes, say they hope their paper increases the consideration of exercise programs as part of the public health approach to reduce suicidal behavior in all adolescents. “Considering the often catastrophic and long lasting consequences of bullying in school-aged children, novel, accessible interventions for victims of such conduct are sorely needed,” they conclude.

Ruby Installer on Windows Thu 25 Feb 2010 at 15:42 RubyInstaller has an RC2 version of Ruby 1.8.7-p249. Base installation is a snap. Click download, run, next, click accept, next, click “Add Ruby executables to your PATH”, install, finish. This currently comes with RubyGems 1.3.5. RubyGems 1.3.6 is out and contains a fix that makes it easier to install the Rails beta, so: gem update --system This will cause warnings later, which can be avoided by doing the following: gem uninstall rubygems-update Next, to install sqlite3, download and unzip both precompiled binaries for Windows for the command-line and DLL without the TCL bindings, exploded the zip files, and copy the results to you C:\ruby\bin directory. The result should look something like this: Directory of C:\Ruby\bin 01/05/2010 06:30 PM 3,744 sqlite3.def 01/05/2010 06:30 PM 511,383 sqlite3.dll 01/05/2010 06:31 PM 530,762 sqlite3.exe 3 File(s) 1,045,889 bytes Next install the ruby bindings to sqlite3: gem install sqlite3-ruby Finally, install the rails beta: gem install rails --pre The rails command provided with the first beta doesn’t work with Windows. You can try Torsten Maul’s fix, but I opted to fix the C:\ruby\bin\rails.bat file instead: @ECHO OFF IF NOT "%~f0" == "~f0" GOTO :WinNT @"ruby.exe" "script/rails" %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9 GOTO :EOF :WinNT @"ruby.exe" "script/rails" %* Once this was complete, the initial test results look pretty good. The only error reported in this test has to do with the automation of the execution of irb from my script, and not a failure with Ruby or Rails itself.

Please visit this GoFundMe campaign for expenses for surviving kids. There has been a lot of talk about a tragedy this weekend in Southern California. I wanted to say something about these ties: This is very sad for everyone. There might be unusual headlines about it, but the social connection could happen with a group of workers, students or anyone else. Killing is against everything our little fan group is for. Thanks are due to the OC Register for telling the purpose in the bottom line, with a quote from a local member: “People come to us to get away from the negative stuff in life.” This is a niche interest, so when something like this happens, it’s personal tragedy to us beyond just a news story to others. Many members have lost friends or have very close ties to those who did. Please send thoughts to them, and the surviving kids most of all. I felt a little responsible for saying something, because of the way things started to happen when news started coming out. At first, it was just a call to locate a Missing Person (a fur) who was soon located. I tweeted that and got a high amount of views. When more came out, I looked into it deeply to write a big story. I talked to people close to it, with personal knowledge that nobody else had. Some info came out that was directed to the police. Then I saw people local to the story asking for space. They asked for it to be kept as their story, given time to process, and handled by professionals and cops. That was when I decided this is beyond fan level. I removed all my tweets and passed on their message. I think it really is the worst thing that ever happened with ties to this community. It’s not that unusual compared to other crimes that happen in cities, but I think it’s disproportionately big to a niche group. It might have to do with 2016’s explosion of interest and positive activity as well – things are just growing. That wasn’t quite the end of it. The OC Register reporter had a lot of conversation with me due to my initial notice. They were puzzled about what furries are and what they do. Of course they already knew this was part of the story – that wouldn’t be overlooked. It made a dilemma – I thought that if tabloids were going to exploit this, maybe a real member should say something to real news. So I sent the best info I could about the definition of “Furry” and referred the reporter to the same local person who I saw asking for space and respect. I thought he was already doing a good job of handling it. So when you see Bandit speaking in the piece, it’s not for attention, it’s because he was asked. Remember that he lost friends, like everyone else close to this story, and that’s the real deal. There were a few missteps from the OC Register piece (nobody said anything about “sensitive” topics,) but Bandit seems to be getting many thank-you’s for doing a good job from local members. He mentioned turning down other interviews, and I think that’s a good idea. Say it once and let it go. I have been checking around to see what comes out. I expect tabloids to try riding this, but most of the few I have seen so far seem pretty negligible, and I hope they get little mileage. They can say there’s weird stuff with misfit people, but nobody did a crime while participating in one of our activities. In the end it’s just between regular humans. TL;DR: Was going to write a big report. Stopped to let locals and pros process. I think it’s beyond fan level. It’s awful and sad. There hasn’t been anything this bad in fandom before. Let it process and share good words to anyone who lost friends and family. UPDATE 9/29/16: Thank you to the OC Register and reporter Scott Schwebke for linking here. And thank you to Scott for being professional and sensitive, and doing good detective work. I believe that Scott’s reporting has helped to stop rumors and confusion. There was a screenshot of a supposed murder confession that was degraded enough that you could see it was shared hundreds or thousands of times, before it was posted out-of-context on some trashy tabloid blogs. Scott dug up the source and provided context that I think shows it could NOT have been a reasonable clue of real danger before the incident. Thank you to everyone in the community who stepped up to provide such info to aid police investigation. Everyone’s concern will help heal this incident to heal in time.

I received my mystery snack box full of goodies today. However, I am on vacation hanging out with wild animals in Yellowstone National Park. So, I let my Secret Santa know that I got the gift but I am unable to open it and unable to dive into its splendor just yet. But I am marking as received and will get an actual gallery posted next week! Thanks SS! Update! I am back from my trip and arrived home to find a battered looking box from Germany. Oh no, I feared that the customs officials had scavenged the box sampling the best and the most delicious of all my treats. Thankfully as I opened the box, I discovered this was not the case. It was probably the American postal workers who were jealous of my receiving a delicious care package from Germany who were jealous and not especially careful with the box. Up opening the box I was greeted with a package of kitten treats which my cat Annapurna will take to in a heartbeat, and a lovely hand written note. The note explains that my SS is from Bonn, home of Haribo, the best gummies in the world. It then goes on to detail all of the delicious looking gummy candy I can expect to rot my teeth. So many different types and flavors of gummy candies are about to embark on a one way trip to my gullet. In addition to the assorted sweet and sour Haribo treats, my SS included a package of Maoam, which are delicious! I totally agree with your assessment that the green alien appears to be having its way with the fruits, here is to hoping it is a mutual experience. Lastly in the package were a bar of Lindt chocolate, included because my SS has the correct assessment that American Chocolate sucks. And 2 Kinder eggs, lovingly packed in their own individual bags of packing peanuts to ensure a safe trip over the ocean. It worked and I cannot wait to open them up and see what goodies they contain! 20 years ago I was lucky enough to go to Germany and I have to say this package is a trip straight down memory lane. Thank you so much SS, I love all of the candies, the thought you put into the gift and the explanations in your note. I will let you know which color bear tastes best (My past experience says the Golden ones, but I will let you know for sure) You are amazing and I love the gift!

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Al-Jazeera's Heather Allen says the leaked accusations "don't hold water" Twenty journalists are facing charges in Egypt, prosecutors have said. Sixteen are Egyptians accused of belonging to a "terrorist organisation" and four are foreigners accused of assisting it, or spreading false news. The defendants include two Britons, a Dutch national and an Australian - believed to be the al-Jazeera correspondent Peter Greste. Earlier, international news networks, including the BBC, called for the release of five al-Jazeera journalists. The 16 Egyptian defendants face several allegations including belonging to a terrorist group, harming national unity and social peace, and using terrorism as a means to their goals. The four foreigners are accused of collaborating with the Egyptians and providing them with information, equipment, and money as well as broadcasting false information and rumours to convince the international community that Egypt was undergoing a civil war. Eight of the defendants are in detention, while 12 are on the run with arrest warrants issued against them, according to the prosecutor's statement. No names are mentioned. But it said the four foreigners were correspondents for the Qatari al-Jazeera news network. "We only know of five people in jail," said al-Jazeera's head of newsgathering Heather Allen. "We don't know about the full charge. Things are not clear at the moment. We are still waiting for clarity." Mr Greste's appeal against his detention without charge was denied on Wednesday by a Cairo court. 'Surprised' The staff members and journalists of al-Jazeera were arrested in late December following interior ministry accusations of illegally broadcasting from a hotel suite. Al-Jazeera has said the men were merely reporting the situation in Egypt. Of the three arrested a month ago, Mr Greste is accused of collaborating with "terrorists" by talking to members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been banned by the military-backed government. Al-Jazeera Cairo bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy, who is Egyptian-Canadian, and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed are accused of the more serious offence of membership of the Muslim Brotherhood. The al-Jazeera network says it was "surprised" when its reporters were arrested by Egyptian authorities. Two more of its staff - journalist Abdullah Elshamy and cameraman Mohammad Badr - were arrested in July and August. Other news organisations, including the BBC, Sky and the Daily Telegraph newspaper issued a joint call for the immediate release of all journalists held in Egypt at a news conference on Wednesday. One count puts the number at more than 40.

(NaturalNews) A Nigerian state judge has issued arrest warrants for three top Pfizer officials, saying that they failed to appear in court to face charges of illegally conducting drug trials that led to the deaths of 11 children.Judge Shehu Atiku, sitting in the city of Kano, said that Nigerian Pfizer head Ngozi Edozien and senior company officials Lare Baale and Segun Donguro failed to appear in court in compliance with a Nov. 6 court order.The state of Kano is seeking $2.6 billion from Pfizer, charging that the company illegally tested an experimental antibiotic, Trovan, on children in Kano during a meningitis outbreak in 1996. According to the government, the drug trials were carried out without the informed consent of the children's parents or the Nigerian government, and led to the deaths of 11 children. Dozens of other children were allegedly harmed by the drug.Pfizer insists that the trial was legal, and that the drug saved people's lives.In addition to the criminal and civil suits initiated by the state of Kano, the federal government has also filed suit and charges against the corporation. The Nigerian government seeks $7 billion in damages.United States-based Pfizer said that it would fight the arrest warrants and seek to block their implementation.This follows Pfizer's attempts in November to avoid federal prosecution by securing an injunction to prevent police from arraigning any company officials on federal charges."What Pfizer has done is what a former governor did to stop EFCC from prosecuting them," said government lawyer Babatunde Irukera. "They went to Lagos state, where there is no action pending, to procure an exparte order to stop the police from taking steps to serve criminal summons on its officials."That federal case has been adjourned until January 28, to give prosecutors time to convince the court in Lagos to withdraw the injunction and allow Pfizer officials to be arrested.

“Most of these homes come in kit form from Scandinavia and cost from £100,000 to £180,000,” or $160,000 to $300,000, said Nick Brett, an English architect working in Lerwick. “There is a strong culture of self-build in Shetland, even though building costs are about 25 percent higher than on the Scottish mainland.” Oil was discovered off Shetland in 1971; in 1975, work started on an oil terminal at Sullom Voe in the north of the biggest island in Shetland (which residents call the “mainland”). Thanks to an act of the British Parliament and a clever deal cut by the islanders, Shetland has received a cut of the value of each barrel of oil landed there. This money is controlled by the Shetland Charitable Trust, a body set up to administer, invest and spend royalties; there now is about £220 million in the fund, or about £9,800 for every resident. The oil dividend has produced many unusual changes in addition to new sports centers and comprehensive support for the aged. For example, schoolchildren from some outlying islands routinely travel to their swimming lessons in Lerwick by small plane. And several years ago, when a Royal Air Force base closed on the northernmost island of Unst, eliminating some local jobs, the council decided to stop charging for the car ferry to the next island. The colorful timber homes in Lerwick and in villages like Brae and Voe, near the oil terminal, may remind visitors not just of Norway, but also of Shetland’s history: These islands were occupied by the Vikings in the 9th century and didn’t become part of Scotland until the 15th century. Until the 19th century islanders spoke Norn, a now extinct Scandinavian language. “Nobody thought that oil would have such a lasting impact,” said Neil Henderson of the council’s Economic Development Service, which tries to attract new businesses and residents to the islands. “For Shetlanders, oil has gone far beyond its expected life. And now we have new opportunities to profit from gas and wind power, as well as decommissioning oil rigs that are no longer needed.” Mr. Henderson said that Shetland’s unemployment rate was only 1.5 percent, with fishing and fish processing also providing a lot of jobs. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Eric Peterson, a lawyer in Lerwick, describes the residential real estate market as “reasonably buoyant.” In Shetland, it is lawyers, rather than the real estate agents who operate in most of the rest of Britain, and in England in particular, who routinely act as brokers. “Most buyers are locals wanting to upgrade, oil sector workers or people finding work with the council,” Mr. Peterson said. “Apart from large laird’s houses, which tend to lend themselves to use as small hotels rather than single family homes, the top end of the market here for a house is around £400,000.” One of Mr. Peterson’s offerings is a building lot with ocean views close to the village of Sandwick, 14 miles south of Lerwick, and listed at £25,000. It comprises 1,200 square meters, or about 13,000 square feet, the maximum size for most parcels without topographical problems. In spite of the open space on much of Shetland, strict rules apply to newly built homes, partly because much of the land is still worked as crofts, the traditional landholding system used in the Highlands and islands of Scotland. “The cloak of crofting floats over the land,” Mr. Peterson said. “In many locations, if you want to build a home you need first to apply to the Crofting Commission in Inverness for the land to be ‘de-crofted.”’ Neil Risk, another lawyer, is representing the seller of a timber-frame house in East Burrafirth, some 22 miles from Lerwick. The property, offered at £142,000, has three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, and a separate garage. Despite its challenging weather conditions and relative isolation, Shetland does have an appeal to foreigners. As Silke Reeploeg, a German resident, said: “When you’re in Shetland, you always know you’re on an island. It feels remote, too.” Ms. Reeploeg and her Argentine husband spent several years between Shetland and Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost point of Argentina, before moving permanently to Shetland in 2000. They now live in a restored croft house on the island of Bressay, a short ferry ride from Lerwick. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “There are similarities between Tierra del Fuego and Shetland,” said Ms. Reeploeg, who is a researcher at the Shetland Center for Nordic Studies and a tourist guide. “There is a frontier mentality here. People are self-reliant but they are friendly to outsiders, too, and there’s a strong sense of place.” The council’s Web site includes 12 profiles, Ms. Reeploeg’s included, of residents who came from Thailand, New Zealand, elsewhere in Britain and beyond. Mr. Henderson says the stories are an imaginative way of explaining to potential home buyers what might lie ahead. “People can see that we have become a rich, cosmopolitan society,” he said. Or, as Ms. Reeploeg recalled: “It was strange when I learned to drive in Shetland. There I was, a German, being taught by an instructor from Iceland.”

Bob Arum says the plan is for Pacquiao to fight Jeff Horn in April, then fight in Russia in July, in Europe in September before a final bout against Terence Crawford at the of the year Published 6:02 PM, January 11, 2017 MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao could be looking at a busy year in 2017 as he winds down his career. The Top Rank promoter confirmed that Pacquiao will face Australian Jeff Horn on April 23 at a location to be determined, naming Australia and the United Arab Emirates as possible host countries for the fight. Arum told the Los Angeles Times that the fight will be part of a 4-fight farewell tour which would see him criss-cross the globe. "We have an offer in Russia in July, another offer in Europe for September and in the U.S. against [unbeaten two-belt junior-welterweight champion] Terence Crawford in November or December," with Crawford being "Manny’s last fight.” Pacquiao's camp had previously hoped that he would get a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr, whom he lost a decision to in May of 2015, but Arum has since made alternate plans. “As far as Mayweather, forget it, he’s retired. As far as Crawford is concerned, he could be the final opponent," said Arum. If the plan pushes through it'd be the first time Pacquiao has fought more than twice in a year since 2008, when he defeated Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz and Oscar de la Hoya. Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 knockouts) last fought in November, winning the WBO welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas. The fight was produced as an independent pay-per-view by Top Rank and reportedly sold an estimated 300,000 units. Arum had previously said he wanted Pacquiao-Horn to be off pay-per-view but kept options open for a pay-per-view similar to the Vargas fight, or take it to HBO, Showtime or broadcast television. Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz had previously said Pacquiao wanted a $20 million guarantee to fight Crawford, who is rated number 5 on The Ring magazine's pound for pound list and is the current WBO/WBC junior welterweight champion. – Rappler.com

A dungeon without end. After days of searching through woods and ruins, through caverns and canyons, you've finally found it. You stand in front of the stone steps leading into the dungeon and pause. Glancing into the gloom, you notice the corridor ahead is lined with flickering torches. But it doesn't seem to turn. It just goes on and on and on. Do you dare enter? This is what you think when you stare into the Infinite Dungeon Corridor. Taking the classic infinity mirror to a new (but old-looking) place, the Infinite Dungeon Corridor is a great additional to your home, office, gaming room, or anywhere you need a little wonder. It looks like the opening to a dungeon, complete with little flickering torches (with 3 levels of brightness), but the hallway never ends due to mirrors, science, magic, and the recursive nature of blending all three. Place it on a table or mount it on a wall, and the Infinite Dungeon Corridor will always lead you into the depths of your imagination.

Copyright by WCMH - All rights reserved Associated Press - COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Gov. John Kasich doesn't want Ohio or the United States to accept any more Syrian refugees. Spokesman Jim Lynch said Monday that the Republican governor and presidential candidate is writing to President Barack Obama to ask him to stop resettling refugees from Syria in the state because safety and security issues can't adequately be addressed. Kasich also is reviewing other steps Ohio might be able to take to stop resettlement. Kasich is among several governors who are moving to temporarily halt acceptance of Syrian refugees following Friday's deadly attacks in Paris. They're responding to heightened concerns that terrorists might use the refugees as cover to sneak across borders. Immigrant rights groups argue that states don't have legal authority to block refugees from being resettled.

This Lawsuit Stinks — RHOBH Stars WILL Be Deposed In The Brandi Glanville Vs. Joanna Krupa Case! Something smells funny about this. Way back in 2013 (feels like forever ago), Brandi Glanville made a comment about the scent of Joanna Krupa‘s, um, private parts and an adultery accusation that didn’t go over so well. [ Related: Brandi Glanville Defends Kim Richards! ] Krupa slapped a slander suit on the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills lightning rod, and things snowballed from there as lawyers jumped all over it from every angle. Now, things are about to get a lot more inneresting for us, because we’ve just learned that Lisa Vanderpump will be deposed in the case! Krupa’s Miami-based lawyer, Raymond Rafool, is heading out to Beverly Hills to talk (on camera!) to Glanville’s arch-enemy, as well as Kyle Richards, Mohamed Hadid, Yolanda Foster, and even show creator Alex Baskin. Rafool is going to find out exactly who knows what about Krupa’s naughty bits. Hoo boy — time to get your popcorn on this one! [Image via Brian To/WENN.]

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It is lethal.” Paulo Coelho When I first started following my bodyweight training routine, it felt very raw and empowering because it was mostly centered around building strength. And because it was new, it was very fun and exciting, too! As a result of many months of hard work, I am now the strongest (and most flexible) I’ve ever been in my life and am able to do many things I couldn’t do before. (Read: muscle ups, handstand push ups, one arm push ups, L-sits, back levers, [one-legged] front levers, etc.) And now, the time has come to strike a balance between strength-work and play. When I first discovered muscle beach, I used to ONLY have fun. I would arrive at the beach and immediately go into play mode. I didn’t do sets of anything. I didn’t time my holds. (What holds?!) I would do whatever I wanted willy-nilly. I would go pump on the flying rings, walk on the slackline, do yoga on the green, sprint to the ocean for a refreshing swim and swing on the traveling rings until my hands would rip. And there you have my first year at muscle beach. All fun and play! After about half a year, I had built up all the strength necessary to fly like crazy on the traveling rings. They are now a prime example of strength work that have become skill work. (Skill work is anything that requires a lot of practice to improve and doesn’t involve strength as the main component.) In any case, they are still to this day, the funnest apparatus to me. When I lost fat, I started following a proper strength routine I started to lose fat sometime around early 2013 and it turned out that I wasn’t as muscular as I thought. My arms, grip and core were very strong for the traveling rings which I had gotten really good at but not much else. And my legs were only strong for very specific things: cycling up mountains and slacklining. But now with my bodyweight routine in hand, instead of going straight to the traveling rings, I would put on my Casio watch to use its countdown timer and militaristically time everything from the bodyline drills to L-sits to support holds and so forth. I’d even time myself between sets of strength work to ensure that I was getting enough rest. (Otherwise I would only wait 20-30 seconds before getting fidgety.) This was quite the change for me and I liked it. It had structure. I had goals. I was increasing hold times. I was writing them down in a log and the weekly progress was very motivating. After about 6 months, something strange started to happen… I’d arrive on the green to warm up and in the distance I’d see my friends playing on the traveling rings. I would have this itch to just go play around instead of starting my routine. But I told myself “No, I’m not going to succumb to fuckarounditis. I’m gonna trudge through my WOD (workout of the day) and kick ass. I’ll play on the traveling rings after.” It helped that I usually had a workout buddy with me as we would motivate each other. But it wasn’t long before I started to realize that I wasn’t happy sticking to a routine so strictly all the time. So what is the point of all this strength if I wasn’t enjoying myself? So eventually there came a time when I was doing my exercises and I realized I wasn’t enjoying myself. Sure, handstands and front levers and even L-Pull ups are fun. All movement is fun! But I felt bottled up by my routine. It had become a chore. It had become much like going to a gym and just lifting for the sake of lifting. I had stuck on my regimen a little too strict and started to get bored. All work and no play makes Anto a dull boy. When I went on vacation, I took that time to reevaluate my goals. Just like how sometimes people need to take a break from their diet for a couple weeks to get a hold of themselves psychologically and physiologically, I took a break from working out methodically. I went out to Mexico for vacation and I only did my bodyweight exercises purely for maintenance. I took this time to ponder how to strike a balance between strength and fun. I reaffirmed that… I don’t exercise for aesthetic reasons. I have always liked the way I look and probably always will. The reason I want to lose fat and gain muscle is because being lean enables me to progress faster with bodyweight exercises. I like to workout to not have muscular imbalances and be a well rounded individual. I like to work on my flexibility because it makes me feel good in my own skin and undoes all that sitting. But more importantly, I workout because it’s god damned fun to MOVE and be able to express myself in anyway I want! Solution? It’s time to learn more skills. Now that I have a fairly good amount of strength, I want to use it and enjoy it for stuff that requires a little more finesse and coordination. This is what skill work is all about. Learning new skills are fun. So I decided that nowadays I will go through my strength routine but dedicate much more time toward new skill development, much like how a gymnast would. (They don’t spend 6 hours doing heavy lifting. They spend most of that time perfecting their skills.) For example: Since I had a very strong RTO support hold, I had the power to do the tuck press to shoulder stand. Since I had the power to do muscle ups, I started to nail the front kip up to support. Since I could walk on a slackline and I could also do some hooping, why not hoop on the slackline? Solution? Have a Play Day as needed! When I asked my friend Soop, a long time OMB resident, how often he works out, he told me: “I work out three times on the weekdays and then Sunday is all play.” That’s right. PLAY! He had a reserved play day. (He is the one in the red shirt in the middle next to me, by the way, haha!) I have to play. If I don’t play, what’s the point of all this strength training I’m doing? I need to let loose and just have fun once in a while to feel free again. And while play may seem aimless, there is pleasure in that aimlessness. So I believe playing around and having fun with my ever-increasing strength is conducive to staying content and happy and discovering new ways to move! It’s time to increase my skill repertoire… You may have noticed that in my bodyweight routine, I added many inversion-recommendations such as crow pose, elbow lever, tripod headstand and forearm stand. I had forgotten about many of these in lieu of improving the freestanding handstand and the funny thing is, these other inversions are doing nothing but helping my handstand! (I’m coming to get you handstand!) So anyway, here are some other skills I want to master (mostly A-level skills for now!)… Still Rings Want to master by Summer 2014 Want to master by the end of 2014 Tuck press to Kipping Handstand Straight Press to Shoulder Stand (achieved!) Kicking off the poles on the T-Rings Back Kip to Support Back Pull Over to Support (Felge Backward Roll) Kip up to L Bar Want to master by Summer 2014 Want to master by end of 2014 Parallel Bar Floor Want to master this year, 2014 Want to master by end of 2014 Back Handspring to Back Tuck Next Year ? Inspiration by Ido Portal Ido portal does nothing but talk about movement. In regards to this topic he says, “One has to patternize in order to de-patternize. From my experience, the best of the best, the biggest improvisers are those that were once sitting inside a cage of techniques and freed themselves up. That cage makes you stronger, sharper and appreciative so when you are freed into improvisation you have more to work with. The other side is that part of you might never get truly free, and that is a risk every practitioner must decide whether to take or not.” In the spirit of Ido, here is me playing around… You probably won’t be instructed to do the above in any yoga class because it’s just me playing around and being creative! This is what I’m urging YOU to do! Interestingly enough a lot of yoga “flows” in classes are not flows whatsoever, they are cookie-cutter routines and there’s nothing liberating about them usually! Inspiration by Ryan of Gold Medal Bodies When Ryan of GoldMedalBodies witnessed his kids growing up, he realized they move just for the sake of movement and fun. Inspired by his kids, he ended up creating this article on cool moves that will help get you moving in fun ways. He teaches how to somersault, frog jump, bear walk, cartwheel, and broad jump! He urges you to break out of your structured routine and just try these for fun either on the side or try them before/after your routine, but to not get overly serious about them, otherwise you’re missing the point. Sooo… why not cartwheel? Inspiration by Nicolas of Start Bodyweight In a recent article, Nicolas eloquently explains how “the bodyweight world is evolving through a mixture of heavy borrowing and cross-pollination from other disciplines: From circus and hand-balancing arts, to gymnastics, martials arts, dance, parkour, etc. A new embodied knowledge is emerging, which has more to do with the art of movement at large, and less with that of simple bodyweight exercises.” In the end, he calls on you to… Move in all planes of motion, even if they are uncomfortable or you suck at them. Practice balance and coordination. Devote sessions to play! Try to verbalize/teach/demonstrate what you’re doing to others Seek advanced coaches to help propel your practice further. In conclusion…

Dr. Gabriel G. Nahas, a controversial medical researcher who became a prominent crusader against marijuana after being shocked to hear, at a PTA meeting in 1969, about the drug’s widespread use, died on June 28 in Manhattan. He was 92. The cause was a respiratory infection, his family said. Dr. Nahas did research to find the physiological effects of smoking marijuana, wrote 10 books on the drug and became a leader of antidrug organizations. He was a visible ally of Nancy Reagan in her “just say no” to drugs campaign as the first lady in the 1980s. Dr. Nahas saw his antidrug campaign as nothing less than a continuation of the fight against totalitarianism, which for him began during World War II as a decorated leader of the French Resistance; like totalitarianism, he believed, drugs enslaved the mind. He was awarded the Legion of Honor by France, the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the United States and the Order of the British Empire for his wartime heroism. His research, which he did as a professor at Columbia University and reported in more than 700 articles in scientific journals, suggested that marijuana contributed to cancers of the head and neck, leukemia, infertility, brain damage and a weakening of the immune system. He also wrote two books on cocaine, which he contended could cause irreversible brain damage. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Dr. Nahas became known as much for his advocacy as for his science. He was the chairman of the scientific advisory committee of the National Federation of Parents for Drug-Free Youth, now the National Family Partnership. He was a consultant to the United Nations Commission on Narcotics in the 1980s and ’90s. In 1985, he appeared at an antidrug rally with Mrs. Reagan and the actor William Shatner, who was in costume as his best-known character, Captain Kirk of “Star Trek.” Dr. Nahas testified frequently at government hearings.

Probably the most disturbing aspect of the multifarious effects of Fox News' right-wing propaganda machine and its Tea Party offspring is the way it has utterly taken over the lives of so many senior citizens, who lap up every word as the gospel truth and have become increasingly radicalized by talking heads like Glenn Beck. Even as they project their own intentions onto the likes of the unions, the Fox acolytes and the Tea Partiers have effectively become a brownshirt corps of mean-spirited, vicious thugs. It's deeply disturbing to watch people in our parents' generation viciously attacking liberals with increasing venom and violence. The latest example took place last weekend in the quiet little retirement town of Roseburg, Oregon. It's a pretty little burg on the I-5 corridor in western Oregon that is mostly populated with senior citizens of various stripes. Via Carla at Blue Oregon, we happened upon this story in the local paper: A small political gathering of about 18 liberal thinkers at River Forks Park Sunday afternoon erupted in conflict when about 35 members of the conservative tea party intruded upon the meeting, waving flags and holding signs accusing the rival group of being communists, Marxists and socialists. The liberal group — organized by MoveOn.org — decided to leave the park and move its potluck to a nearby home. Members of the conservative group followed, parking at the entrance of a private lane leading to the home to continue their protest. Roseburg Democrats Dean and Sara Byers said Monday they told tea party members who followed that they were not welcome to drive down the lane to their home. The Byerses said they got out of their car to stop vehicles from entering the driveway and one tea party member almost ran them over. Sara Byers said she was so shaken she called 911. She said a Douglas County deputy called about an hour and a half later and said he had been unable to respond because of other incidents. Byers said she was still considering filing a criminal complaint against members of the tea party for harassment. A leader of the tea party group, Rich Raynor of Roseburg, disputed the liberal group's version of events. “They are liars,” said Raynor, director of Douglas County Americans for Prosperity. “That is what communists do.” The latter confrontations were not videotaped, but the Tea Partiers themselves proudly posted the video of their invasion of the MoveOn picnic. Moreover, it clearly documents how they effectively broke it up -- by threatening the attendees with intimidating speech and making it clear they wanted the group to clear out. What it doesn't show, of course, is that they followed these folks to someone's private home and tried to invade the gathering on private property as well. Here's the script the proud authors of the video provided: Self professed communist Van Jones teams up with MoveOn.org to promote the American Dream Project, aka I want what you have worked for. Promoted here by the Douglas County Democratic Central Committee members. Challenged by Americans who love freedom! I have an idea. Let's end class warfare. If you want more, get up earlier and work harder. It works wonders for your self-respect. We had to disable comments. They were vile, vulgar, threatening...typical Chicago thuggery stuff. One thing that's clear from both the script and from the video is that what has the Tea Partiers especially exercised about MoveOn is the fact that Van Jones is now working with them to promote his Rebuild the Dream project. The Tea Partiers kept repeating "Van Jones!" "Van Jones!" almost mantra-like, and then calling MoveOn a bunch of "communists." This is the New McCartyhyism at work, thanks in no small part to the effective work of Glenn Beck during his misbegotten tenure at Fox News -- the apotheosis of which was his successful attacks on Van Jones. We discussed this at length with Jones himself recently. And while he's right that we can't let these kinds of smears deflect or distract us from what we're trying to achieve, there's no doubt he also understands that they need to be knocked down fiercely and effectively. And the claim that Van Jones is a Communist is simply a baldfaced lie. Maybe every MoveOn member is now going to have to equip themselves with the words of Jones' attorneys, in their letter to Fox News, on this matter: Mr. Jones is not a member of any Communist Party or Marxist organization whatsoever, and has not expressed any support for any form of Communist or Marxist ideology for many years. In the same 2005 article in which he Mr. Jones discussed having had such notions as a young man, he also talked about his growth away from those views. Mr. Jones has repeatedly clarified that his economic views are firmly pro-market, in numerous speeches, televised interviews and in the Huffington Post. In fact, Mr. Jones is known as a leading champion of free-market solutions to current environmental problems. His best-selling book, The Green Collar Economy (2009), advocates government policies to promote private-sector innovation. The World Economic Forum itself has repeatedly honored Mr. Jones' work. He has been called the "Green" Jack Kemp, because he shares that GOP leader's commitment to entrepreneurship as a cure for poverty. The allegations that Mr. Jones is an "unrepentant Communist," "is a Communist," "is a Communist guy," and "is a revolutionary" are thus demonstrably and unequivocally false. Clearly these statements were calculated to, and do, injure Mr. Jones in his professional and community standing and lower him in the estimation of the American public. They are actionable as a matter of law. Liberal organizers have taken for granted far too long the toxic effects of these kinds of lies and smears -- because they are exactly the kinds of smears that have always provided the bedrock of right-wing extremism and xenophobic scapegoating. And it's especially remarkable that we're seeing it happen with so many supposedly "conservative" mainstream and often elderly people lapping up the lies. This was clear from the report on the confrontation: Roseburg resident Lillen Fifield, 70, called the group's actions an “act of domestic terrorism” and said she was appalled that a peaceful gathering — mostly of women older than 65 — was interrupted. “It is not OK to go around and intimidate and threaten people. That is not acceptable in a polite society,” Fifield said. Conservative organizers defended their actions and said they will continue to protest similar gatherings. “We were there to find out what they had to say and to bring a notice to the public that this kind of thing was going on. Quite honestly, if they have it again, then we are really going to make it well known,” Raynor said. Raynor said the group believes MoveOn.org is a communist front and said he would not stand for America becoming a fascist nation. It's unsurprising that these Tea Partiers thus replicate Jonah Goldberg's fraudulent scrambling of the meanings of "fascism" and "communism", something that was avidly promoted on Fox by Beck and others as well. Likewise, it's unsurprising that this obliteration-of-meaning-by-Newspeak would result in thuggish behavior remarkably like that deployed by brownshirts historically. The only strange thing was that it involved a bunch of senior citizens and middle-aged folks. It was obvious, for instance, that these people were hoping to provoke an angry response resulting in violence that they could then trot out as proof of liberal "thuggishness." (That's an old brownshirt tactic.) Fortunately, this particular gathering of progressives was smart enough to avoid that trap. As we see more of these attempts to provoke violence, though, I'm not so sure that's going to continue happening. It's all very disturbing. As Carla puts it:

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson is suing Minneapolis and two of its police officers, accusing them of violating his civil rights by using a chemical spray and stun gun on him during a 2014 incident at a downtown nightclub. The lawsuit was filed in federal court Friday. It alleges Johnson was the victim of excessive force and false arrest. When Johnson was arrested, authorities said he ignored commands to leave the Seven restaurant at closing. A jury acquitted him in 15 minutes in June. The city attorney's office says it's reviewing the lawsuit. Police union head Bob Kroll says the officers' actions were justified. The suit seeks unspecified damages in excess of $75,000 and an order for the police department to discipline the officers and change its stun-gun policies.

Singapore’s approach may be more subtle, but its new internet laws echo the strong-arm tactics used by regional governments to silence free speech By Chris Swanicke More than 160 of Singapore’s most popular news blogs went dark on June 8. The protest was a cry for help against regulatory changes that would effectively shut down independent online media in the city-state. The regulations are part of a quiet censorship that has become popular with Southeast Asian governments, which are increasingly wary of bloggers and social media activism. Bloggers worry that citizens aren’t aware of how effective this soft approach is, or of its far-reaching consequences. “Very few people in Singapore know what these regulations are about and why they are so dangerous,” said Choo Zheng Xi, co-founder of The Online Citizen blog, after a protest at Hong Lim Park on the day of the blackout. Xi is a member of the coalition of bloggers, #FreeMyInternet, that came together following a new bonding requirement handed down by Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA). The new rules require a nearly $40,000 bond be posted by online news sites in Singapore, to be forfeited if MDA-prohibited content is not removed within a 24-hour notice period. The MDA says the bond puts online news sites on the same regulatory ground as niche broadcasters. Yet the changes give the government de facto veto power over online news content. “It would effectively cripple us,” said Howard Lee, spokesman for #FreeMyInternet and also deputy editor of The Online Citizen, an online portal that covers stories that mainstream media cannot or refuse to tell. “A lot of socio-political blogs are run by individuals, who do not have the financial capacity to muster these funds.” The protests in June drew more than 2,000 people, according to #FreeMyInternet, and helped bring the issue to the attention of citizens. “These regulations were not passed with consultation… were not passed and run by the public,” Xi said, adding that the primary goal of the blogger coalition is to educate the public and pressure parliament to remove the new rule. “We intend to continue explaining how [regulations] could impact community websites.” The new regulations are only the latest set of obstacles facing bloggers in Singapore. Lee says the government often refuses to communicate with online news sites, inhibiting their reporting. “Public cases of legal action against bloggers also encourage self-censorship,” Lee continued. This creates an environment in which bloggers “err on the side of caution rather than risk shutting down”, Lee said. It’s a soft approach to censorship that is increasingly common amongst governments in Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, the National Election Committee (NEC) issued vague warnings to bloggers that they should behave in the run up to the Kingdom’s elections in late July. In May the NEC warned bloggers not to “provide wrong information about the election (especially the date of the election), create fear, confusion or a loss of confidence in the secrecy of the vote”. “When we have a complaint, we will take legal action,” NEC secretary-general Tep Nytha told The Cambodia Daily. Such legal action could include fines of about $6,250 for violations of speech laws. Kounila Keo, a Cambodian writer and the founder of Blue Lady Blog, was one of many journalists worried over the committee’s warnings. “When the NEC issued that statement, it was a sign that they are beginning to take what we say online seriously,” she said. “That statement won’t just stifle the speech of the bloggers, but also other online citizens and activists.” Keo says bloggers lack a “freedom of expression” in Cambodia that statements like those from the NEC only reinforce. “Not many people dare to go overboard about what they want to express,” she said, adding that most people self-censor by avoiding political topics, which can be deemed “highly sensitive”. To avoid legal consequences, political bloggers may adopt pseudonyms or post anonymously, creating a problem for censors. However, regional governments are finding ways to lift the internet’s cloak of anonymity. In 2012 the Cambodian government enacted a law requiring internet cafes to install surveillance cameras. In Vietnam, identification is required at public internet locations. Reporters Without Borders listed Vietnam among just five countries – including Bahrain, China, Iran and Syria – classed as “enemies of the internet” in a 2013 report based on an evaluation of internet regulations around the world. The Vietnamese cyber police have proven adept at outing anonymous bloggers, and the government’s approach to internet censorship has not been as gentle as some of its Asean neighbours. In 2011, popular pro-democracy blogger Lu Van Bay was sentenced to four years in prison after being found to be blogging under a false name. Bay is one of 35 bloggers currently serving prison time, and targeted campaigns are underway to identify writers behind the most popular rogue blogs. More than 74% of Vietnam’s internet service providers are run by the state, and the government uses a system similar to China’s notorious ‘great firewall’ to block sites deemed offensive or subversive. While workarounds exist, namely using virtual private networks (VPNs) to mask internet activity, they are unreliable, and it is a game of cat and mouse for those trying to bypass internet restrictions. A fear shared by bloggers across the region is self-censorship. Most blogs are run by individuals for little or no pay, and whether the threat is jail time or stiff financial penalties, many individuals may choose to play it safe rather than see the government wreak havoc on their blogs – or lives. “The government holding a gun to our heads… is a far-fetched concept in Singapore,” blogger Lee said. Still, he says online activists lack a “fundamental freedom to operate”, and face new regulations that would shut down the majority of blogs operating today. In effect, Singapore’s soft-handed censorship may result in similar outcomes to Vietnam’s more harshly criticised censorship regime. It’s a result bloggers like Lee, and #FreeMyInternet, hope to bring to the public’s attention. Also view: “School’s out” – An online movement sweeping the world has the power to change education as we know it “Battling big brother” – From professional journalists to bloggers and musicians, citizens are paying a high price for voicing unconformist opinions “Killing the radio star” – With this year’s national election on the horizon, the battle for the Kingdom’s airwaves is raging “Google gagging” – Thailand lodged a total of six requests with the company to block more than 370 YouTube videos

“If I die, I die friendless and abandoned. What choice did that leave him, but to live?” Synopsis: Theon “wins” the Siege of Winterfell. And loses at life. SPOILER WARNING: This chapter analysis, and all following, will contain spoilers for all Song of Ice and Fire novels and Game of Thrones episodes. Caveat lector. Political Analysis: One of George R.R Martin’s favorite tropes in ASOIAF is the meta-ironic revenge: he builds up a villain who you want to see punished for their misdeeds, and then makes their punishment so horrific that the audience recoils as GRRM advances on them wielding empathy like a cudgel. And here’s where it all starts, with a self-pitying teenage narcissist child murderer hitting rock bottom and then meeting one of the worst human beings ever committed to paper. And on a re-read, with full knowledge of what we’re going to learn in ADWD about what happened to Theon Greyjoy, the feelings of empathetic horror are intensified tenfold. Teenage Identity Crisis Theon VI begins in a sweaty, desperate, and sub-consciously suicidal scramble for any way out of the mess he’s got himself into that won’t involve acknowledging the huge mistake he made, despite Maester Luwin desperate attempts to get him to act like a reasonable and mature adult: “My lord prince,” he said, “you must yield…my orders serves…the realm…and Winterfell. Theon, once I taught you sums and letters, history and warcraft. And might have taught you more, had you wished to learn. I will not claim to bear you any great love, no, but I cannot hate you either. Even if I did, so long as you hold Winterfell I am bound by oath to give you counsel. So now I counsel you to yield.” “…You have no hope of holding here,” the maester went on. “If your lord father meant to send you aid, he would have done so by now. It is the Neck that concerns him. The battle for the north will be fought amidst the ruins of Moat Cailin.” The instrumental obstacle to clarity and self-realization here is, as it as been since the beginning of the book, Theon’s daddy issues. Taking Winterfell was meant to be a demonstration that A. he’s really a Greyjoy and has triumphed over his Stark upbringing, and B. that he should be Balon’s favorite child and not Asha. Abandoning Winterfell would mean acknowledging that Balon was right and he really is a failure, and his ironclad belief that Balon will send help is a desperate last-ditch attempt to prove that his daddy loves him. So when this stratagem fails, Theon looks to construct alternative identities as temporary props for the failure of his load-bearing sense of self-respect. The first attempt is “Theon, Ironborn Badass:” “They made a pitifully small assembly; the ironmen were few, the yard large. “The northmen will be on us before nightfall,” he told them. “Ser Rodrik Cassel and all the lords who have come to his call. I will not run from them. I took this castle and I mean to hold it, to live or die as Prince of Winterfell. But I will not command any man to die with me. If you leave now, before Ser Rodrik’s main force is upon us, there’s still a chance you may win free.” He unsheathed his longsword and drew a line in the dirt. “Those who would stay and fight, step forward.” “No one spoke. The men stood in their mail and fur and boiled leather, as still as if they were made of stone. A few exchanged looks. Urzen shuffled his feet. Dykk Harlaw hawked and spat. A finger of wind ruffled Endehar’s long fair hair.” “Theon felt as though he were drowning. Why am I surprised? he thought bleakly. His father had forsaken him, his uncles, his sister, even that wretched creature Reek. Why should his men prove any more loyal? There was nothing to say, nothing to do. He could only stand there beneath the great grey walls and the hard white sky, sword in hand, waiting, waiting…” “Wex was the first to cross the line. Three quick steps and he stood at Theon’s side, slouching. Shamed by the boy, Black Lorren followed, all scowls. “Who else?” he demanded. Red Rolfe came forward. Kromm. Werlag. Tymor and his brothers. Ulf the Ill. Harrag Sheepstealer. Four Harlaws and two Botleys. Kenned the Whale was the last. Seventeen in all.” To begin with, let’s note that Theon’s bid for heroic immortality is inherently suicidal – this isn’t a plan for victory, it’s a suicide-by-cop pact masquerading as a glorious last stand. The pitch is far more successful than it has any right to be, given the military situation outside the walls, although whether that’s due to Theon’s essential charisma or the Ironborn’s devotion to their superior race/death cult mentality, I leave up to you. Unfortunately for Theon, this momentary high doesn’t last before the reality that it’s seventeen men against an entirely army comes crashing down on him. And so Theon does what he so often does when confronted with evidence of his own failure: he creates a new alternate identity to soothe his ego: “I will not run.” “I do not speaking of running, take the black….Ser Rodrik has served House Stark all his life, and House Stark has always been a friend to the Watch. He will not deny you. Open your gates, lay down your arms, accept his terms, and he must let you take the black.” A brother of the Night’s Watch. It meant no crown, no sons, no wife…but it meant life, and life with honor. Ned Stark’s own brother had chosen the Watch, and Jon Snow as well. I have black garb aplenty, once I tear the krakens off. Even my horse is black. I could rise high in the Watch—chief of rangers, likely even Lord Commander. Let Asha keep the bloody islands, they’re as dreary as she is. If I served at Eastwatch, I could command my own ship, and there’s fine hunting beyond the Wall. As for women, what wildling woman wouldn’t want a prince in her bed? A slow smile crept across his face. A black cloak can’t be turned. I’d be as good as any man . . . The contrast between Luwin’s message of repentance and absolution, and indeed the far grimmer reality of life in the Night’s Watch, and Theon’s fantasies of power and pleasure is stark indeed. This is not a complete identity, in the sense of a fully-rounded and realized adult identity, it’s an adolescent power fantasy. All that he’s done is (literally, given his “tear the kraken off” thought) change costume from Theon Greyjoy, Ironborn Badass to Theon Greyjoy, Nineties Antihero. Theon Turncloak Unfortunately for the would-be prince of Winterfell, the borders of his fantasyland extend no further than the walls, because the moment he gets outside and has to talk to Ser Rodrik, the whole thing collapses into a mess of teenage emotional resentment: “Ser Rodrik.” Theon reined to a halt. “It grieves me that we must meet as foes.” “My own grief is that I must wait a while to hang you.” The old knight spat onto the muddy ground. “Theon Turncloak.” “I am a Greyjoy of Pyke,” Theon reminded him. “The cloak my father swaddled me in bore a kraken, not a direwolf.” “For ten years you have been a ward of Stark.” As I suggested above, the Winterfell plot is inextricable from Theon’s identity crisis, and we can see here with the way that a parlay about how to resolve a siege immediately gets derailed by a fight over whether Theon is a Greyjoy or a Stark. Theon’s insistence that he is too a Greyjoy is made rather ridiculous by the fact that, for all that Theon protests, he can’t make up his own mind about which side he belongs to. Even after this conversation, we see Theon “Theon…brooding on the injustice of it all. “I rode beside Robb Stark in the Whispering Wood,” he muttered.” That sense of injustice, linked to his nostalgic memories of military service with Robb Stark, speaks to his continued (if somewhat subconscious) Stark identity. Equally importantly to insisting that Theon is a Stark ward, Ser Rodrick provides Theon with a new identity, that of Theon Turncloak, the most despised man in the North, who has violated every custom that people hold dear. Theon Turncloak is the man who fought for Robb Stark at the Whispering Wood and then fought against him at the Stony Shore and Winterfell, despite being still in his service as envoy to Balon Greyjoy, the man who “murdered” his foster siblings and thus broke the taboos against kinslaying and the killing of children. Characteristically, Theon attempts to reject this label by pointing back to his Greyjoy identity almost like someone trying to claim the status of prisoner-of-war: “Hostage and prisoner, I call it.” “Then perhaps Lord Eddard should have kept you chained to a dungeon wall. Instead he raised you among his own sons, the sweet boys you have butchered, and to my undying shame I trained you in the arts of war. Would that I had thrust a sword through your belly instead of placing one in your hand…” “…This is craven,” Ser Rodrik said. “To use a child so…this is despicable.” “Oh, I know,” said Theon. “It’s a dish I tasted myself, or have you forgotten? I was ten when I was taken from my father’s house, to make certain he would raise no more rebellions.” “It is not the same!” “Theon’s face was impassive. “The noose I wore was not made of hempen rope, that’s true enough, but I felt it all the same. And it chafed, Ser Rodrik. It chafed me raw.” He had never quite realized that until now, but as the words came spilling out he saw the truth of them. “No harm was ever done you.” Theon gets the more cutting lines here, but I feel that Ser Rodrik is on the firmer ground here. Theon really has nothing to complain about when it comes to his treatment at Winterfell – yes, he occasionally got a few cutting remarks when he was acting like an entitled frat boy, but Jon Snow had a much colder reception and managed to refrain from rank betrayal. Theon, as Ser Rodrik points out repeatedly, was raised and educated exactly like Ned Stark’s own children, whereas he himself has treated his hostages with threatened and realized murder. His poor treatment is almost entirely a product of his own mind. And throughout this scene where Theon and Ser Rodrik are arguing about whether the Starks were actually mean to him, I think what Theon is trying to say but can’t articulate verbally is: “MY DADDY DOESN’T LOVE ME, NO ONE THINKS I’M COOL, AND I CAN’T DEAL WITH HOW BADLY I FUCKED UP.” Another thing I find fascinating about this exchange is that, as much as he protests, Theon actually starts leaning in to the Theon Turncloak identity as high emo, believing that “If I die, I die friendless and abandoned,” and complaining that “It was one thing to go into battle surrounded by friends, and another to perish alone and despised.” Since he’s believed to be a villain, he decides to act like one by threatening Beth Cassel’s life in pure Snidely Whiplash fashion, but he doesn’t have much conviction behind it as much as he has high levels of depression: As the sun moved, the shadow of the tower moved as well, gradually lengthening, a black arm reaching out for Theon Greyjoy. By the time the sun touched the wall, he was in its grasp. If I hang the girl, the northmen will attack at once, he thought as he loosed a shaft. If I do not hang her, they will know my threats are empty. He knocked another arrow to his bow. There is no way out, none. …They will attack, he thought gloomily, staring at the flames. Ser Rodrik loves his daughter, but he is still castellan, and most of all a knight… To me, this reads like Theon having hit a complete dead end in terms of having a psychologically satisfying place in the world and attempting suicide-by-cop. Unfortunately for Theon, he doesn’t get his wish. The Terms Speaking of my suicide-by-cop theory, one of the reasons why I like it, is that I think it adds a lot to the next scene where Theon and Ser Rodrik finally get down to actually talking about the terms of surrender rather than squabble like infants: “Say what you have to say, old man. What would you have of me?” “Two things,” the old man said. “Winterfell, and your life. Command your men to open the gates and lay down their arms. Those who murdered no children shall be free to walk away, but you shall be held for King Robb’s justice. May the gods take pity on you when he returns.” “Robb will never look on Winterfell again,” Theon promised. “He will break himself on Moat Cailin, as every southron army has done for ten thousand years. We hold the north now, ser.” “You hold three castles,” replied Ser Rodrik, “and this one I mean to take back, Turncloak.” Theon ignored that. “Here are my terms. You have until evenfall to disperse. Those who swear fealty to Balon Greyjoy as their king and to myself as Prince of Winterfell will be confirmed in their rights and properties and suffer no harm. Those who defy us will be destroyed…If this host is still in arms before my gate when the sun sets, Beth will hang,” said Theon. “Another hostage will follow her to the grave at first light, and another at sunset. Every dawn and every dusk will mean a death, until you are gone. I have no lack of hostages.” Theon’s bluster here, his sneering villainy in threatening the lives of civilian hostages, is so over the top (and yet so ineffectual) that it really makes me think that he’s trying to provoke Ser Rodrik into storming the castle and killing him rather than taking him prisoner. I say ineffectual, because everyone at that parlay knows that Balon Greyjoy isn’t coming to rescue Theon, and that the Ironborn invasion of the North is never going to be successful. As Ser Rodrik points out, three castles is not a kingdom, and thirty men cannot hold Winterfell. There’s also a horrible irony in the fact that Theon places so much of his faith in the security of Moat Cailin, which he will be responsible for taking from the Ironborn once he’s remade as Reek. At the same time, I do wonder to what extent Ser Rodrik might have had a better time of it had been less merciful and less honorable than he was here. After all, as we’ve talked about before, most sieges don’t end in assaults, they end with treachery or by surprise. Why not send 30 men over the walls in the middle of the night? Why not offer one of the gate guards a bag of gold and a fast horse? Because, at the end of the day, Rodrik Cassel is a good man who’s trying to win a battle without civilian casualties. The Battle That Never Was This is where we get to the most influential battle that never happened in the War of Five Kings. I say the most influential battle, because if this battle had actually happened, Robb Stark doesn’t have to march through the Twins back to the North, his political position is much restored among his own people because Winterfell has been retaken and his brothers are alive, and if word gets back to Catelyn soon enough it’s possible that Jaime Lannister isn’t let free. Even if the Red Wedding happens in this scenario, Roose Bolton will be fighting against a united North rallying behind another King in the North. But in order to make sure that never happens, GRRM has to pull off an audacious switcharoo, stacking the deck against Theon: “There will be no siege. Perhaps they will spend a day or two fashioning ladders and tying grapnels to the ends of ropes. But soon enough they will come over your walls in a hundred places at once. You may be able to hold the keep for a time, but the castle will fall within the hour…” Theon climbed the watchtower at the angle where the eastern and southern walls came together to have a look at his doom. The northmen were spreading out to encircle the castle. It was hard to judge their numbers. A thousand at least; perhaps twice that many. Against seventeen. They’d brought catapults and scorpions. He saw no siege towers rumbling up the kingsroad, but there was timber enough in the wolfswood to build as many as were required. Theon studied their banners through Maester Luwin’s Myrish lens tube. The Cerwyn battle-axe flapped bravely wherever he looked, and there were Tallhart trees as well, and mermen from White Harbor. Less common were the sigils of Flint and Karstark. Here and there he even saw the bull moose of the Hornwoods. But no Glovers, Asha saw to them, no Boltons from the Dreadfort, no Umbers come down from the shadow of the Wall. If anything, this battle is somewhat over-determined – two thousand men do not need catapults and scorpions to overwhelm seventeen. Honestly, they probably don’t even need grapnels and ladders – they could probably take the walls by building a couple of human pyramids. Most likely, going by what we’ve seen of him before, Ser Rodrik deliberately over-prepared for this battle, probably trying to over-awe the defenders and win a bloodless victory, when he might have just rushed them and won his victory before anyone had a chance to stop him. However, I think we can also see the legacy of the Hornwood crisis all over this battle that never happened. To begin with, the fact that there are no Glovers, no Boltons, no Umbers, few Karstarks or Flints, and no mountain clansmen point to the failure to mobilize that is Ser Rodrik’s ultimate downfall, as with a full mobilization, Winterfell wouldn’t have had to be rescued in the first place. In addition, while it’s still borderline possible that Ramsay could have sucker-punched the Northern army at 2,000 men, if the full 17,000 had been mobilized at Winterfell, there’s no way in hell that 600 men could have pulled that off. Deliverance Unto Evil Speaking of which, let’s talk about the moment where for five seconds, everything goes right for Theon Greyjoy. To begin with, note how GRRM has Theon hearing the news while waking from a dream, similar to how he’s been woken up by bad news in Theon IV and Theon V; he’s deliberately breaking the Rule of Three in order to off-foot the reader: “PRINCE THEON!” The sudden shout shattered his daydream. Kromm was loping across the ward. “The northmen—” He felt a sudden sick sense of dread. “Is it the attack?” Maester Luwin clutched his arm. “There’s still time. Raise a peace banner—” “They’re fighting,” Kromm said urgently. “More men came up, hundreds of them, and at first they made to join the others. But now they’ve fallen on them!…these are northmen, I tell you. With a bloody man on their banner…” “By the time they reached the battlements, dead men and dying horses were strewn about the market square outside the gates. He saw no battle lines, only a swirling chaos of banners and blades. Shouts and screams rang through the cold autumn air. Ser Rodrik seemed to have the numbers, but the Dreadfort men were better led, and had taken the others unawares. Theon watched them charge and wheel and charge again, chopping the larger force to bloody pieces every time they tried to form up between the houses. He could hear the crash of iron axeheads on oaken shields over the terrified trumpeting of a maimed horse. The inn was burning, he saw…” While this is without a doubt one of the bigger Deus Ex Machina moments in the entire series – Ramsay appears out of nowhere with a force of men who’ve barely been hinted to exist, like a heel coming out of the crowd to smack someone over the head with a folding chair – I’ve found that I don’t mind it as much on a re-read as I did the first time. For one thing, as I said above, 600 men vs. 2,000 is within the bounds of reason if we compare it to similar ambushes like the Whispering Wood, the Battle of the Camps, or Oxcross, and if you pay attention, you’ll note that Ramsay’s six hundred men are entirely cavalry, which gives them the advantage of speed and shock against a disorganized opponent. (Although the buildings should even up the odds somewhat, which is an odd detail to note) For another, on a re-read, I noticed that Ramsay’s sudden arrival to “save” Theon’s outnumbered defenders parallels the end of the Battle of Blackwater, with Tywin and the Tyrells coming in as the literal cavalry. It’s a technique that I’ll have to pay more attention to going forward, to see if GRRM does this battle-mirroring elsewhere. It is also a fantastic reveal for Ramsay Snow Bolton, especially that the first words he speaks are a response to the question: “Are you friend or foe?” Black Lorren bellowed… “Would a foe bring such fine gifts?” “”How many men did you lose?” Theon asked Red Helm as he dismounted. “Twenty or thirty.” The torchlight glittered off the chipped enamel of his visor. His helm and gorget were wrought in the shape of a man’s face and shoulders, skinless and bloody, mouth open in a silent howl of anguish. “Ser Rodrik had you five-to-one.” “Aye, but he thought us friends. A common mistake. When the old fool gave me his hand, I took half his arm instead. Then I let him see my face.” The man put both hands to his helm and lifted it off his head, holding it in the crook of his arm. Especially on a re-read, this couldn’t be more obvious. While he never lies, Ramsay never actually answers the question about whether he’s a friend or a foe and says straight-up to Theon’s face “he thought us friends. A common mistake. ” He’s all but carrying around a giant neon sign that says “I AM GOING TO BETRAY YOU.” Due to the fact that the Citadel has yet to isolate and electrify neon gas, Ramsay decides to make up for it by wearing some of the most cartoonishly evil armor this side of Sauron’s Spikes-of-Evil from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, not merely wearing the Bolton sigil of the flayed man but actually cosplaying as it. Reek, Reek, it Rhymes with FUBAR Here’s where we finally get the reveal of who Reek actually is, who has actually come to break the siege of Winterfell, and there is no explanation other than the overwhelming influence of Nemesis itself to explain why Theon doesn’t take one look at the man pictured above and realize exactly who he’s dealing with: “Reek,” Theon said, disquieted. How did a serving man get such fine armor? The man laughed. “The wretch is dead.” He stepped closer. “The girl’s fault. If she had not run so far, his horse would not have lamed, and we might have been able to flee. I gave him mine when I saw the riders from the ridge. I was done with her by then, and he liked to take his turn while they were still warm. I had to pull him off her and shove my clothes into his hands—calfskin boots and velvet doublet, silver-chased swordbelt, even my sable cloak. Ride for the Dreadfort, I told him, bring all the help you can. Take my horse, he’s swifter, and here, wear the ring my father gave me, so they’ll know you came from me. He’d learned better than to question me. By the time they put that arrow through his back, I’d smeared myself with the girl’s filth and dressed in his rags. They might have hanged me anyway, but it was the only chance I saw.” He rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth. “And now, my sweet prince, there was a woman promised me, if I brought two hundred men. Well, I brought three times as many, and no green boys nor fieldhands neither, but my father’s own garrison.” “…Ramsay.” There was a smile on his plump lips, but none in those pale pale eyes. “Snow, my wife called me before she ate her fingers, but I say Bolton…” A word on Ramsay. In part because of the way the show has, in my opinion, over-used Ramsay as a plot device, there’s a lot of debate in the fandom about Ramsay’s capability and intelligence. If we look at the way that Ramsay reveals how he faked his death, I think we get a pretty good picture of who he is – he’s someone who’s capable of pretty damn clever improvisation, but who is fundamentally an uncontrolled psychopath. Ramsay is captured in the first place because he’s incapable of overriding his appetites to the point of maintaining awareness of his surroundings. (Incidentally, while it’s a subject for another time, I do find the existence of Old Reek, and their shared fascination with sexual sadism, an interesting question of which one made the other. Probably a case of the chicken and the egg) And while he successfully carries out his disguise and tricks Reek into dying in his place, if it hadn’t been for the incredibly unlikely turn of events of Theon taking Winterfell, he probably would have died a captive at Winterfell. However, I’m also fascinated by how Ramsay is working here thematically. His last line there perfectly sets up his core motivation of being recognized as a Bolton, but it also fascinatingly parallels Theon’s own arc. Both men are the youngest sons of disapproving fathers, motivated to impetuous action by the need for acknowledgement and respect. The difference between them is that Ramsay authentically is the kind of person Theon think he needs to be to win his father’s love, an imposing figure who commands fear and obedience from everyone around him, and I shudder to think how far Ramsay would have risen had he been raised on the Iron Islands and validated by the Old Ways. However, Ramsay is also a more realistic perspective on that kind of 90’s villain protagonist, a figure straight out of nightmare. (And while I recognize that kinkshaming is not in fashion in fanfiction circles, I really hope that people who make him the starring role in BDSM fantasies actually understand that real-world BDSM involves carefully negotiated consent…) GRRM wastes very little time shining a spotlight on Ramsay’s villainy by showing us that, unlike Joffrey, here is a bully who is not a coward and who will respond to defiance with unrelenting violence. As I said in the introduction, this is also where GRRM punishes us for wanting Theon punished: The Bastard’s backhand caught him square, and his cheekbone shattered with a sickening crunch beneath the lobstered steel. The world vanished in a red roar of pain. Sometime later, Theon found himself on the ground. He rolled onto his stomach and swallowed a mouthful of blood. Close the gates! he tried to shout, but it was too late. The Dreadfort men had cut down Red Rolfe and Kenned, and more were pouring through, a river of mail and sharp swords. There was a ringing in his ears, and horror all around him. Black Lorren had his sword out, but there were already four of them pressing in on him. He saw Ulf go down with a crossbow bolt through the belly as he ran for the Great Hall. Maester Luwin was trying to reach him when a knight on a warhorse planted a spear between his shoulders, then swung back to ride over him. Another man whipped a torch round and round his head and then lofted it toward the thatched roof of the stables. “Save me the Freys,” the Bastard was shouting as the flames roared upward, “and burn the rest. Burn it, burn it all.” As someone who recently went through two molar root canals in one year, I really don’t react well to any mouth-related trauma, and the way that GRRM describes Ramsay breaking Theon’s face with a backhand is eye-watering. And it’s all over incredibly quickly, with Theon’s would-be Ironborn heroes hacked down ingloriously within a few seconds. Amidst the carnage, however, there are two very important political points. The first is that Ramsay says “save me the Freys.” As I argued back in Arya X, I think that the Freys and the Boltons agreed to betray Robb Stark before the news came back about the Crag, and this is an excellent point of evidence in my favor. There is no way that an uncontrolled psychopath like Ramsay would deliberately spare the life of any civilian child, much less adopt them as his squires, without being told to. And that requires Roose to have sent a message to the Dreadfort telling them to betray Rodrik’s force and prevent the retaking of Winterfell by loyalist forces, something he absolutely needed to have happened lest the North be held against him on his way home, and that message wouldn’t have included a strict instruction to preserve the lives of Walder Frey’s kin unless Frey had signed on the bottom line already. Moreover, without the Red Wedding, Roose is exposed to accusations of high treason – there were several hundred survivors of Ramsay’s attack who could have sent a raven down to the Riverlands, and Ramsay’s force attacked while wearing Bolton livery and carrying Bolton banners. It’s a sign of how Ramsay’s uncontrollable tendencies are something of a liability; hence needlessly burning Winterfell, the one place in the North that is a safe refuge in the long winter, in the middle of autumn. Historical Analysis: The extent to which nobles are able to fake their own deaths in ASOIAF is actually one of the most accurate parts of the series. With the absence of photography, artistic traditions of realism, and more importantly mass media, most people didn’t know what powerful people looked like (yet another reason why sigils and heraldry were so important). Thus, faking one’s death was an option open to noblemen in desperate situations. For example, in the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy faked his own death in order to provoke his men into a “method” feigned retreat that would lure the Saxon infantry off the high ground and out of their shield wall to where his cavalry could effectively destroy them. Similarly, in Shakespeare’s version of the Battle of Shrewsbury, King Henry IV sends several decoys dressed in royal heraldry to distract Harry “Hotspur” Percy. In non-pseudocide cases, Alfred the Great of Wessex was reputed to be a master of disguise – once disguising himself as a peasant when the Danes had routed his army, which is supposedly when the “try try try again” story with the burnt oatcakes (which also crops up in the legends of Robert the Bruce) happened, and another time disguising himself as a minstrel to spy on the Danish: “[Alfred] played and sang in the very tent of Guthrum, the Danish leader, and entertained the Danes as they caroused. While he seemed to think of nothing but his music, he was watchful of their tents, their arms, their discipline – everything that he desired to know.” (England Under The Good Saxon, Alfred, by Charles Dickens) The list goes on and on: the Swedish House of Vasa, including Kings Gustavus I, Gustavus II (known to history as Gustavus Adolphus), Gustavus VI, and Christian X, seems to have made it a tradition to go out in disguise, which makes me wonder whether the Swedes were just humoring them after a certain point. So at this point, I’m sort of surprised that so few people in ASOIAF are in disguise. What If? There’s are a ton of hypotheticals here, so I’m sure I’m going to miss a few. But here’s some that came to mind: Ser Rodrik isn’t sucker-punched? As I said above, it was overwhelmingly likely that Ser Rodrik would win the Siege of Winterfell. This in turn would reveal that Bran and Rickon are, in fact, not dead. For several reasons, this might butterfly away the Red Wedding – not only does it remove much of the immediate reason for the Wedding’s setup, it also disrupts the Wedding’s potential effect by leaving Stark heirs alive. Possibly Roose and Walder go for capturing Robb rather than killing him in order to try to compel Bran to surrender rather than fight on. Theon is captured by Rodrik? This one I find more interesting based on what happens later with Balon Greyjoy’s death. It’s quite possible that, in a scenario in which Robb doesn’t need to fight his way back home, the North might use Theon as a captured King of the Iron Islands to force an Ironborn withdrawal from the North, either through negotiation or through subterfuge as in OTL. It’s even possible, albeit highly unlikely, that Asha’s plan for the Iron Islands to switch sides after Balon’s death might be possible, with the North pushing for an Ironborn attack on Lannisport or the Shield Islands to force Tywin and the Tyrells to split their forces. Theon goes to the Watch? This one gets really weird. Theon’s left it way too late to go on the Great Ranging, but he’d be right on time for the Battle of Castle Black. It’s possible he could die here, but it’s also possible that Theon might survive and try to run for Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, given his overweening arrogance. Theon dies? This one is interesting. If Theon dies at Ramsay’s hands, this means that he’s not on hand at Moat Cailin. Now Roose will eventually push through, but not without taking a lot of casualties, which would definitely weaken him in the upcoming conflict with Stannis. He’ll have a bigger problem with legitimizing “Arya” at Ramsay’s wedding, but I don’t know how consequential that will be. The bigger issue to me is that it’s quite possible that “Arya” either never escapes (which is a horrible thought) or dies escaping, which is a huge problem for the Boltons. Book vs. Show: And so we come to the end of Theon’s Season 2 arc, which ended on a high note. Theon’s moment of despair with Maester Luwin, his frustration with the anonymous hornblower, and his defiant speech to the Ironborn are some of Alfie Allen’s best acting. I even don’t mind the way it left the mystery of who captured Theon and who destroyed Winterfell. However, I do think that the show wrote itself into a ditch with this particular plotline. With Theon not appearing in ASOS or AFFC, this really only left them with interpolations and his few ADWD chapters, and pretty much all of the rest of the cast nowhere near him for at least a season. But even then, I think there was more they could have done to build a psychologically interesting relationship between Theon and Ramsay that didn’t make so much of Season 4 repetitious compared to Season 3. Advertisements

Image caption Deputy director of the NSA John Inglis (left) is among the officials to be questioned by the Senate The Obama administration has released documents on its phone-snooping, as a Senate panel questions intelligence officials about the programme. The declassification was made in the "interest of increased transparency", intelligence officials said. But significant parts of the three released documents were redacted. Meanwhile the father of Edward Snowden, who leaked information about the surveillance, says the FBI has asked him to go to Moscow to see his son. Also on Wednesday, the UK's Guardian newspaper published slides leaked by Edward Snowden that detail a secret US surveillance system known as XKeyscore. It reportedly enables American intelligence to monitor "nearly everything a typical user does on the internet". The programme includes real-time data and suggests analysts could narrow searches through use of so-called metadata also stored by the National Security Agency (NSA), America's electronic intelligence organisation, the newspaper reports. Blacked out The official US documents released on Wednesday include a court order describing how the data from the phone-snooping programme would be stored and accessed. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Lon Snowden: "If it were me, I would stay in Russia, and that's what I hope my son will do" Two reports to US lawmakers on the telephone and email records were also declassified. But lines in the files, including details on "selection terms" used to search the massive data stores, were blacked out. Deputy Attorney General James Cole told a Senate judiciary committee hearing on Wednesday that the court order spells out how the government can use call data obtained from telecom giants such as Verizon. For the first time, the government acknowledged publicly that by using what it calls "hop analysis" it can scour the phone calls of millions of Americans in the hunt for just one suspect. NSA analysts could use the records of everyone a suspect calls, as well as everyone who contacts the contacts of contacts of the initial suspect. If the average person calls 40 unique people, such three-hop analysis could allow the government to mine the records of 2.5 million Americans when investigating one suspected terrorist. Senator Richard Durbin said: "What's being described as a very narrow programme is really a very broad programme." But the head of the NSA, General Keith Alexander, remained unapologetic about the agency's methods at a hacker conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, insisting the programme had prevented attacks on the US. 'Find a safe haven' Wednesday's was the first congressional session on the issue since the House narrowly rejected a proposal effectively to shut down the NSA's secret collection of hundreds of millions of Americans' phone records. How the US collects phone records The National Security Agency (NSA) began collecting Americans' phone records in 2001, as part of far-reaching surveillance programmes launched by then-President George W Bush in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. But the scope of the practice, continued under President Barack Obama, only became apparent in June when ex-CIA contractor Edward Snowden leaked classified US surveillance files. It emerged that a US secret court had ordered phone company Verizon to hand over to the NSA the phone records of tens of millions of American customers. This information, known as metadata, includes the numbers of the originating and receiving phone, the call's duration, time, date and location (for mobiles, determined by which mobile signal towers relayed the call or text). The contents of the conversation itself, however, are not covered, US intelligence officials say. The surveillance applies to calls placed within the US, and calls between the US and abroad. Q&A: Prism internet surveillance During the early parts of the hearing, NSA deputy director John Inglis said "no" when asked if anyone had been fired over the leak. "No-one has offered to resign," Mr Inglis said. "Everyone is working hard to understand what happened." Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the committee, also questioned the deputy director on the number of attacks the agency said had been disrupted by the programmes. "If this programme is not effective it has to end. So far, I'm not convinced by what I've seen," said Sen Leahy, who cited "massive privacy implications" of keeping phone call records. Gen Alexander has said phone and internet surveillance disrupted 54 schemes by militants. Sen Leahy said a list of the relevant plots provided to Congress did not reflect dozens, as he said, "let alone 54 as some have suggested". Mr Inglis said the phone surveillance helped disrupt or discover attacks 12 times, and the larger number were foiled thanks to both the phone-records snooping and a second programme collecting global internet users' data. Meanwhile, Edward Snowden's father, Lon, told Russian state TV he does not believe his son would get a fair trial in America and that the fugitive should stay in Russia. In the interview, the elder Snowden thanked the Russian authorities for keeping his son safe and advised the 29-year-old "to find a safe haven". Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, has been stuck in a transit area at a Moscow airport for more than a month after the US revoked his travel documents.

Rome Returns This is an Age of empires 1 replica mod with AoC features. Technical informations Version log (huge thanks to CheeseOnToast_FE) (thanks to Jan dc and Tzontlimixtli) (thanks to todler) (thanks to todler) (most of the civ-tree is same) (full rework, thanks for the idea to UsacDynastic) (reported by Lloyd_Garcia & Ariota) (reported by Ariota) (counted and reported by Ariota) (no range changed) (reported by Ariota) (reported by Lloyd_Garcia & [ByT]Poxo) (not the best one, but no more holes on it) (still gives food, but needed some extra trick from SvsW2) (reported by Ariota) (reported by Lloyd_Garcia) (reported by Lloyd_Garcia) (no idea what causing this bug for certain people) (requested by several person) (with some new elements) (reported by Gestaltzerfall) (reported by Gestaltzerfall) (reported by CrimsonCaravan) (reported by Pak_Fortay) (reported by Tegla) (still not perfect, but can't really do much more without .exe editing) (reported by RazgrizOne) (reported by Shark_Slayer) (suggested by tegla) (suggested by tegla) (suggested by Shark_Slayer) (suggested by Shark_Slayer) (reported by Shark_Slayer) (reported by RazgrizOne) (reported by _Masada_) (reported by 2walls) (suggested by Shark_Slayer) Known bugs and missing features (hard-coded stuff for 3x3 area from aoe2 not 2x2) (reported by Shark_Slayer) not Compatibility Calculated downloading time Code: Connection type | Download speed | Download time Modem | 28,8 kbit/s | 02:25:38 Modem | 56,6 kbit/s | 01:14:53 ADSL | 256 kbit/s | 00:16:23 ADSL | 512 kbit/s | 00:08:11 ADSL | 1 Mbit/s | 00:04:11 ADSL | 2 Mbit/s | 00:02:05 3G | 7,2 Mbit/s | 00:00:34 ADSL | 8 Mbit/s | 00:00:31 LAN | 10 Mbit/s | 00:00:25 ADSL | 24 Mbit/s | 00:00:10 4G | 80 Mbit/s | 00:00:03 LAN | 100 Mbit/s | 00:00:02 About the Campaign About the Ai Offline version Special thanks Gameplay videos Screenshots 1.3.1 - Ai villagers no longer should get stucked while want to build.1.3 -1.3 - Aoe1-like interface skin!1.3 - New wonders!1.3 - Two new units: Elite Slinger and Heavy Camel Rider!1.3 - Trade cart replaced by Caravan1.3 - Added aoe1 Taunts.1.3 - Hun civilization renamed to Scythian1.3 - Korean civilization replaced by Mauryan1.3 -1.3 - Fisherman drops food to Granary instead Storage pit to prevent a bug.1.3 - Academy hotkey by default is S (blacksmith) and fixed the "CTRL go to" command.1.3 - Most of % bonuses/changers are reviewed and should do correct values.1.3 - Lot of units got a new LoS or Search radius to be equal.1.3 - Slinger no longer gets +1 unintended damage from Alchemy technology.1.3 - Logistic no longer should mess up the Slinger's upgrades.1.3 - Jihad shows correctly the extra damage for female villagers.1.3 - Several Campaign map has been fixed.1.3 - Wall graphics has been updated.1.3 - Lion while walking is no longer invisible.1.3 - Lion and Alligator behave like wolf in aoe21.3 - Special Ai villagers gets civ bonuses too1.3 - Jungle trees have correct density.1.3 - Ruins 2 appear correctly if owned by gaia.1.3 - Fixed Single Pole Flag's name in editor.1.3 - Stone Miners no longer should be named as Xerxes.1.3 - Siege projectiles landed on ground will make an exploding effect, instead of just disappear.1.3 - Stone projectiles for catapults appears at correct coordinates.1.3 - Farms on Fortress random map are 1 tile closer to TC.1.3 - Medusa's second death will be a Catapult not an Onager.1.3 - Several tooltip fixes.1.3 -1.3 - Scout +1 pierce armor.1.3 - Scout gets an additional 0.1 movement speed in Bronze and Iron age.1.3 - Slingers will be affected by infantry armor upgrades.1.3 - Axeman +2 damage vs chariots, chariot archer and camel riders.1.3 - All Chariots and Heavy Horse Archer -5% movement speed.1.3 - All towers and walls +1 pierce armor and +2 vs slingers.1.3 - Bronze, Iron and Tower shield gives bonus armor for Cavalry-line too.1.3 - Stone projectiles are 30% faster (catapults etc).1.3 - Heavy Catapult can destroy tress by targeting, not just ground attack.1.3 -1.3 - Babylonian: Walls and towers +75% hp instead of 2x1.3 - Choson: Granary and Storage pit cost 100 wood from 1201.3 - Egyptian: Chariot +25% hp instead of +33%1.3 - Greek: Villagers get +20% foraging, All ship move 20% faster and Academy units cost -20%1.3 - Hittite: Siege weapons +60% hp instead of 2x1.3 - Macedonians: Fixed the convert resistance and +2 line of sight not 1.3 also +2 search radius too1.3 - Mauryan: General rework from Korean (too long to list it)1.3 - Persian: Villagers get +20% hunting instead of +30% and the whole Trireme-line gets the bonus1.3 - Palmyran: Fixed the missing trade ships work rate increased by 25% bonus1.3 - Phoenician: Villagers get +20% wood cutting not +30%, Cat. Tri and Jug +30% fire rate not 50%1.3 - Scythian: Lost Chariot Archer and the projectile speed bonus, but scouts are trained 2x faster1.3 - Shang: Villagers cost 40 Food instead of 351.3 - Sumerian: Farms have +125 Food instead of +250 and Stone Throwers +30% fire rate not +50%1.3 - Yamato: Villagers gets +20% movement speed instead of +30%1.2 -1.2 - Added Ai for comp by Leto_kunyika ! Not just plays, but fair challenge even for good players! (more info) 1.2 - All AoE + RoR + Demo Campaigns with total 64 maps! (more info) 1.2 - Changed hotkeys to AoE2!1.2 - New background in game room, now black texts are eaiser to read.1.2 - Players starts with Scout in random maps.1.2 - After Wheel is researched, in Iron age Trade Cart is create-able!1.2 - Reaching Bronze Age allows to build TC (no need anymore Government Center for it)1.2 -1.2 - Regicide working again!1.2 - Nomad works too, also TC rebuilding is fixed.1.2 - Villager's size radius is 0.2 instead of 0.25 (won't get stucked that common).1.2 - Trade boat/Merchant ship's graphics and workrate fixed.1.2 - Trade boat/Merchant ship now can directly send to Dock.1.2 - Fishing Ship no longer turns back to the old texture after upgraded.1.2 - Fishing Ship fish searching is fixed.1.2 - Woodcutter no longer gather wood from Shore fish.1.2 - Large ships (Trireme and Catapult Trireme) now sink 20% faster when killed.1.2 - Fire Galley sinking graphics fixed. Had the sinking graphics of a small ship (same as Fishing Boat).1.2 - "Fortification" renamed to "Fortified Wall"1.2 - Walls no longer should be open in Arena maps.1.2 - Logistics tooltip fixed.1.2 - Technologies no longer counted twice in statistics.1.2 - Buildings no longer makes AoE2's foundation.1.2 - Rubble from destroyed walls now disappears after some time and don't have LoS.1.2 - Tree stumps from dead trees now disappear after a while.1.2 - Dock ruins no longer produce repeated burning fire sound, also fixed destruction graphics.1.2 - Elephant King attack graphics fixed (previously it had none).1.2 - Sentry Tower's flame position fixed.1.2 - The "how do you turn this on" cheat code will spawn the "bigdaddy" car instead of COBRA.1.2 -1.2 - Food in fish is proportional to size (Shore fish has less food, Whales have more).1.2 - Gazelles have 180 Food (had 150).1.2 - Hunters work 15% faster than before (were as slow as Foragers, which made them less useful).1.2 - Farm upgrades give you +75/+100/+125 Food (instead of +75/+75/+75).1.2 - Farmers workrate increased by 10%1.2 - Gold mines to 480 Gold in each piece (was 400) = 20% more gold.1.2 - Stone mines to 300 Stone in each piece (was 250) = 20% more stone.1.2 - Ballista/Stone Thrower (and their ups) no longer receive their Alchemy bonus twice.1.2 - War Elephant: fixed missing attack bonus vs. buildings.1.2 - Siegecraft: Bonus attack of villagers against walls and towers is now reduced.1.2 - Jihad: villager carry capacity penalty reduced, but bonus movement speed too.1.2 - Broad swordsmen have +10 HP, Long Swordsmen have +20 HP.1.2 - Heavy Cavalry +1 melee armor.1.2 - Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry and Cataphract cost -5 Gold: 70F, 75G (was 70F, 80G)1.2 - Camel Riders now have attack bonus (+4) vs. all elephants (same bonus as vs. chariots).1.2 - Cataphract now stronger (+20 HP, +1 melee armor/pierce armor); upgrade cost reduced.1.2 - Horse Archer and Heavy Horse Archer have only 1 pierce armor (had 2).1.2 - Slingers have higher bonus attack vs mounted archers (bonus vs foot archers unchanged).1.2 - Slinger and Elephant Archer LOS fixed (had too small LOS for their range).1.2 - Medicine: Priest heals 2x faster (was 3x).1.2 -1.2 - All civ able to research Wheel (for Trade Cart)1.2 - Assyrian: Elephant Archers are now affected by their archer bonus1.2 - Babylonians: Get Metallurgy1.2 - Hittite: Fixed Ship bonus range1.2 - Huns: Starts with -80 wood, lost Cataphract and horse mov. bonus reduced from 20% to 15%1.2 - Koreans: Get religion bonus (Monk +1/1 armor)1.2 - Minoan: Composite bowmen range bonus is fixed1.2 - Palmyrans: Start the game with +100 Food (villagers cost 75 F), also work 25% faster (not 20%)1.2 - Persians: Get Artisanship1.2 - Shang: Get Ballistics1.2 - Sumerians: Get Craftsmanship1.1 -1.1 - Fixed random crash at loading screen by adding 2 new civilization!1.1 - Techtree fully reworked!1.1 - Fixed some random map's script.1.1 - The mod is including Advanced Statistics too.1.1 - Free carto like the Allied Vision and EEA mod!1.1 - Added more aoe1 interface elements.1.1 - All civilization got new theme music.1.1 - Fixed new ambient sounds.1.1 - Building icons and graphics now shows correctly the used civilization.1.1 - Building icons are placed like in aoe1.1.1 - Villagers after built Storage Pit will automatic go for nearest resources.1.1 - Storage Pit now buildable on hills.1.1 - Villagers got bigger LoS and Search Radius.1.1 - Villagers can garrison into TC and towers1.1 - Houses and TC supports 5 pop instead of 41.1 - Small wall is available from Stone age instead of Tool age.1.1 - Range upgrades now shows correct numbers.1.1 - Catapults and Cat. Trireme+Jug. got back the ground attack button.1.1 - Fixed Villager's attack graphics.1.1 - Slinger can attack Lion.1.1 - Fishing ship can fish the shore fish.1.1 - Increased Fishing ship's Search Radius.1.1 - Units are no longer walking under Farm's graphics.1.1 - Mines now use all texture variation.1.0 - First public version with base data files.0.9 - Finished the translate back to English from Chinese and fixed missing lines.0.8 - First Voobly-compatible version!- The new game balance is still under testing- CTRL go to Storage pit is not working due to special id required for it- Ai still need some polishing specially with villager stucking- Campaigns may have bugs- Arena random map may not place the walls correctly- Villagers on farm can stuck if the left edge is blocked- Monk can't convert ships (intended bug?)- Few Heroes and aoe1 cheat units are missing- Normal AoK/AoC scenarios aresupported (missing and changed ids make game crash)- Lion dead body has wrong name- Lion click-ability need a check when it attacks- Some unit still can have wrong names for unknown reason- Medium wall tech info need a fix- Ai on easy difficult too hard compared to hard/hardest- Resource 87 check for boat convert- Balance recheck with new units and few civs- Aoe1 random maps (most important part is no scout start)- Allowing more building to build on elevations- Spanish translate as a visual mod- Gazelle should have less LoS, but this need more tests- aoe1-ish gates?- Adding new civilizations later?If you will use these Visual mods, you will see wrong icons and get theor wrong text lines.The mod itself ~30Mb big, if you have unzip error try again to download (slow internet can cause it)To play the Campaign start the game in Single Player mode and clickYou can choose fromcampaign with totalmaps, and can use 3+1 difficult settings.You can also download Campaign as Scenarios from here. You can choose from two Ai for the mod:and(both was made bySupports most of map and land types. You can also type "14" to give a middle difficult between Hard and Hardest, also Ai follows the "31" signal on minimap.This Ai is suggested for good players only. For the biggest challenge use the following settings- Teams: 1vs1- Civilization : Scythian- Location: GA- Size: Tiny (2-player)- Difficulty: Hardest- Resources: DM- Starting Age: Post Iron Age- Population: 200- Reveal Map: any- Victory: Conquest- All Techs: NoYou can download the mod's offline version from [You must login to view link] (make sure you follow the install instructions). Leto_kunyika for two custom Ai and CheeseOnToast_FE's help with it- Lloyd Kinsella for Campaign Manager- Jan dc and Tzontlimixtli for custom Wonders- todler for new slinger, camel rider and caravan graphics- AoE1 Wiki helped a lot in tooltip writing- Justin for AoE-RoR Music and Allied Vision- Every tester who helps to make this mod more awesome!

It looks like someone crashed the Marlins-Braves game at Fort Bragg on Sunday night, and it’s causing quite the uproar. Self-proclaimed baseball collector Zack Hample tweeted an image of a baseball he obtained during the special event, sparking a significant amount of criticism on Twitter. Fort Bragg commemorative baseballs? Oh yes! Martin Prado just tossed this to me after the 3rd inning. pic.twitter.com/OQoGJfExbR — Zack Hample (@zack_hample) July 4, 2016 Article continues below ... I just snagged a baseball at my 52nd MLB stadium. So excited to be here at Fort Bragg! pic.twitter.com/xT46d6jhIO — Zack Hample (@zack_hample) July 3, 2016 Hample, who claims to have been to 51 different MLB stadiums and caught A-Rod’s 3,000th hit, apparently was offering $1,000 to anyone on the U.S. Army post to bring him to the game as a guest. The game was closed to the general public, only to be attended by Department of Defense employees and their family. Once word spread of Hample’s tweet, the criticism came quickly. The 82nd Airborne Division’s Twitter account had some advice for the baseball collector. Delete your account. https://t.co/DHYwUuRHbL — 82nd Airborne Div (@82ndABNDiv) July 4, 2016 And this is the real issue. https://t.co/y5VajGoIyS — 82nd Airborne Div (@82ndABNDiv) July 4, 2016 Others in the baseball community took aim at Hample, even the notorious Marlins fan who has a penchant for showing up to sporting events in the hopes of being seen. @zack_hample Zack, that game CLOSED to NON department of Defense Employees and their family. Give any balls u have to kids and leave. NOW. — Marlins_Man (@Marlins_Man) July 4, 2016 Looks like @zack_hample could learn a thing or two here. https://t.co/rWPggxFrAq — keithlaw (@keithlaw) July 4, 2016 It looks like Hample had been planning to attend this game for a few weeks. My phone is blowing up. @MLB to play a regular season game at Fort Bragg?! Wow. You can bet your ass I'll be there — stadium No. 52 for me. — Zack Hample (@zack_hample) March 8, 2016 @bradrayborn363 I'm not making any plans that weekend in case I find a way to attend the game at Fort Bragg. — Zack Hample (@zack_hample) May 9, 2016 Hample tried to defuse the situation, claiming to have given away almost all the balls he collected at the game. I got 11 balls today and gave 10 away. As promised, I'll be writing an $1,100 check to https://t.co/B7S73jb999. Please everyone, calm down. — Zack Hample (@zack_hample) July 4, 2016 But that attempt appears to have done little for his reputation. Congrats on the @82ndABNDiv & Fort Bragg for hosting a great MLB game. Sorry @zack_hample showed up. @MLB ban Zack for life for his actions. — Cavalier Cards (@CavalierCards) July 4, 2016 There is no reason for @MLB not to ban @zack_hample for life. He manipulated people to get into the Fort Bragg game for his own profit. #BAN — Cavalier Cards (@CavalierCards) July 4, 2016 @MLB needs to ban @zack_hample from all ballparks. Off the charts arrogance (and stupidity) with this Fort Bragg game — Tim Ehrhardt (@PaysonRealtorAz) July 4, 2016 It's ridiculous that Zack Hample is allowed into the Fort Bragg game when these were the qualifications. pic.twitter.com/OMtmnFXwrY — Kyle (@KPagan34) July 4, 2016 @barryap1 Zack Hample finding a way inside an "all military" game at Fort Bragg for the sole purpose of ballhawking. Complete disgrace. — The Dazzler (@Nightmare835) July 3, 2016

President Obama told his Mexican counterpart in a phone call Thursday that immigrants crossing into the U.S. illegally won’t qualify for legalized status or deferred deportation, including children. The White House said Mr. Obama and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto discussed “a regional strategy” to address the surge of unaccompanied children coming from Central America, through Mexico, to the U.S. With thousands of children trying to enter the U.S. illegally in recent months, Vice President Joseph R. Biden will visit Guatemala on Friday. Mr. Biden will warn officials and parents that illegal immigration is dangerous and that youth won’t be allowed to stay in the U.S. The administration says the new influx of child immigrants is due to rampant poverty and violence in countries such as Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Critics of the administration, and people immigrating illegally, say the immigrants are drawn by the administration’s policies, including Mr. Obama’s program of “deferred action” on deporting youth. PHOTOS: Hand cannons: The world's most powerful handguns In the phone conversation, Mr. Obama “welcomed the opportunity to work in close cooperation with Mexico to develop concrete proposals to address the root causes of unlawful migration from Central America,” the White House said. He also discussed the two nations’ “shared responsibility for promoting security in both countries and in the region.” The White House said Mr. Obama encouraged the Mexican president to work with the U.S. to return illegal immigrant children safely to their families in Central America. Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A former Tory MP aims to be the first leader of UKIP's AMs in the Welsh Assembly. UKIP leader Nigel Farage has attacked the decision to elect ex-Tory MP Neil Hamilton as leader of the party's new group in the Welsh Assembly. Mr Farage called UKIP AMs' choice of Mr Hamilton over Nathan Gill on Tuesday an "unjust" act of "deep ingratitude". Mr Hamilton responded: "We in Wales will give appropriate weight to the opinion of the MEP for the South East of England." Mr Gill remains leader of UKIP Wales, a position appointed by Mr Farage. Mr Gill told BBC Wales the defeat was "slightly bizarre". He was backed by three UKIP AMs while four supported Mr Hamilton. Before the meeting both sides had claimed to have the numbers to win. 'Maximum impact' UKIP assembly group leader Neil Hamilton confirmed his victory at an impromptu news conference in an assembly corridor. "We've achieved an outcome by consensus," he said. "We decided to put all past differences behind us and forget the lead up to the election campaign, where there was a lot of personal animosity created. "I've been chosen to do a specific job to be leader of the UKIP AMs within the assembly. "I've got a great deal of parliamentary experience. I've been a government minister. "I'm going to make use of that experience within the group to give UKIP the maximum amount of impact during the course of the next five years." Mr Hamilton's salary will be £84,000 as leader of the UKIP assembly group. This consists of an AM's salary of £64,000, plus an additional payment for being leader of an opposition group. The additional payment is £13,000 plus £1,000 for every member - UKIP has seven AMs, giving a total of £20,000 in additional payments. Image caption Nathan Gill was sworn in as an AM on Saturday But Mr Farage said Mr Hamilton's victory made UKIP appear "too like the other parties that we have fought so hard against". "I have worked closely with Nathan Gill as leader of UKIP Wales," he said. "I have always found him to be hard-working, honest, and loyal. "His removal after a successful Welsh Assembly election campaign is unjust and an act of deep ingratitude. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Neil Hamilton says UKIP leader Nigel Farage is just 'throwing his toys out of the pram' after the former Tory MP was elected the party's leader in the assembly Mr Hamilton said Mr Farage was "throwing his toys out of the pram". Mr Gill told BBC Wales the day's events were "slightly bizarre". "I guess only UKIP can do this kind of thing, replace somebody whose taken us to our greatest victory in domestic politics and then the AMs that got there, over half of them, four of the seven, decided to replace me as leader." "Obviously it doesn't feel brilliantly. But let's face it, we've got a job to do. "As far I'm concerned that job is on the 23rd of June for us to vote to leave the EU. That will now become my focus." Mr Gill said Mr Hamilton's position as leader of the group of AMs did not "technically" make him leader of the party in Wales. "I wouldn't need to insist that. That is the reality of the position." Image caption All smiles: UKIP AMs Mark Reckless, Nathan Gill and Neil Hamilton at the Senedd on Saturday Mr Gill has previously said he would step down as an MEP if he was elected to the assembly, but BBC Wales understands he may now be reconsidering that decision. He told an election debate in April that he probably would not have chosen Mr Hamilton as a UKIP candidate. That led Mr Hamilton's wife, Christine, to call the UKIP Wales leader a "third-rate general". UKIP won its first ever AMs in the 5 May assembly election, claiming seven seats. Some of those involved in UKIP's election campaign had expected to get jobs in the assembly group after the party won its first ever AMs in the 5 May election. But their hopes were dashed after the election of Neil Hamilton. Two of those who believe they were "sacked" were Llyr Powell, a voluntary political advisor, and Sam Gould, campaign manager. Asked what happened at Tuesday's meeting, Llyr Powell called it "an upset" before adding that it was "a personality cult possibly towards Neil Hamilton". Labour AM Mark Drakeford, health minister in the previous assembly, said: "I've heard UKIP say that the assembly won't be the same - it certainly won't be. "Having to deal with them is not something I will look forward to." Analysis by Daniel Davies, BBC Wales political correspondent One party has a disappointing election result, losing three seats. Another has a breakthrough, winning seven seats. And yet it is the latter - UKIP - that has gone through the upheaval of a bitter leadership contest. Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies apparently enjoys the full support of the Tories. Meanwhile, UKIP's Welsh leader Nathan Gill - Nigel Farage's man in Wales - has been rejected by fellow AMs in favour of Neil Hamilton. Mr Hamilton says they have put their differences behind them. Judging by the mood of some in the party, I would say that is unlikely. Observers - from all parties and none - do not know quite what to make of the spectacle. Here is the verdict of one long-serving assembly employee: "They'll liven the place up."

For music fans, today is the big day. Apple Music will be available on Sonos systems worldwide starting today, Feb. 10. Music fans worldwide will have access to Apple Music features like For You, New, Radio, and My Music, and will also be able to stream the entire Apple Music catalog through Sonos smart speakers tuned for great sound in every room of their homes. Apple Music on Sonos was tested by hundreds of thousands of listeners through a successful beta program that started in early December. To stream Apple Music on Sonos, customers simply select 'Add Music Services' from any Sonos controller app, scroll down to the Apple Music icon, and login. Apple's Eddy Cue, senior VP of Internet Software and Services commented by saying that "The feedback from Apple Music members on Sonos during the beta period has been great. Sonos plus Apple Music provides an amazing listening experience at home – and we're excited to offer it to all Sonos customers starting" today. John MacFarlane, Sonos chief executive officer happily noted that "This partnership has been an excellent example of two companies that truly care about music coming together to deliver a great listening experience, Working with Apple gives us the opportunity to share Apple Music throughout people's homes in a way that's easy, intuitive, and sounds great." Apple Music is all the ways you love music, all in one place, with the expertise of world-class music experts who have programmed playlists for any moment. Curation is at the core of every element of Apple Music, from the handcrafted radio stations and Beats 1, to the suggestions in For You and top albums and songs in New. A Sonos station on Apple Music, curated by artists in collaboration with Sonos, is also launching today. New users can sign up for a free, three-month trail membership of Apple Music. While the announcement is great, The Verge smartly points out that there's some pretty important stuff that's missing on day one. For instance, you won't be able to edit playlists and search is limited to the first 100 results that come up. Here's a few other features to be aware of that won't be available today: Ability to enable Apple Music service on an Android running less than 5.0. Search is limited to the first 100 results and only pulls from Apple Music catalog — not your 'My Music' section Ability to listen to Beats 1 Radio shows on demand. Adding songs, playlists or albums to your library is not yet supported. Ability to edit playlists. Sorting within My Music is alphabetical and may look different than your Library on the Apple Music app. Newly added content within My Music may take up to 24 hrs to show up within the Sonos app. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 6pm PST and sporadically over the weekend.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs were named the recipients of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Award on Wednesday, the only Final Four team from the 2016-17 basketball season to receive the honor. The Gonzaga program tweeted out a 3.14 GPA, which is a few points higher than the 3.0 the NABC requires to receive the award. So congratulations to the Gonzaga Bulldogs men’s basketball program, and also time to climb up on this high horse a little bit. Because a lot of people talk about the “Gonzaga way,” and if there is any clear indicator of that methodology, this is it. It is hard to argue that the NCAA is anything but a garbage institution. It penalizes players for accepting petty cash, and penalizes coaches for things such as buying pizza after film practices. All the while, it touts the glory of the “student-athlete” while making absurd amounts of money off of the backs of these kids. We can engage in circular arguments forever about the value of a free college education and such, but at the end of the day, the institution of the NCAA is often hard to sympathize with. That said, it is the system that we have always lived in, and it is the system Gonzaga has grown up in. Student athlete might not mean much to some players (hello Ben Simmons), but it does mean something to the Gonzaga Bulldogs squad. Garnering a 3.14 GPA as a team, while traveling for half of your school year and dealing with the Final Four madness for the first time is no easy feat—these kids deserve the most hearty congratulations possible. It is easy to guffaw at the terminology of “student-athlete,” but at Gonzaga, that is really the deal. Bud Withers mentioned it in his excellent book Glory Hounds, but the Gonzaga coaching staff has always been most focused on not recruiting the best players out there, but the players that best fit into the culture—both of the athletic program, and of the school program. It is also something important to keep in mind with the pursuit of high-level recruits. Not specifically saying that all five-star kids who plan on being one-and-dones have the same mindset as Ben Simmons or Derrick Rose, but if you don’t want to attend class, and plan on being at school for only one year, there isn’t any reason to. But, if that is your approach, you are also scuttling your opportunity to be an actual part of the school. You are just a Bulldog, not a Gonzaga Bulldog. As a graduate from Gonzaga, one of the most lasting memories of the school for me is how tight-knit the community is. This extends to seeing Cory Violette sitting in your political science class. This includes Przemek Karnowski picking up your yoga mat when you drop it and half of your belongings in the quad. It may not matter much to a lot of programs, but academic excellence, and therefore a member of the university, reflects what it truly means to be a Gonzaga Bulldog: to be involved, and to be a member of the community. So congratulations you nerds. This is a fantastic achievement, and one you should relish in.

The IRS held a 2008 conference in Atlanta that included an open bar, elaborate hors d’oeuvres and a video of agency employees dressed as Olympic athletes with makeshift torches. Two people who attended the three-day event put on by IRS’s Office of Chief Counsel described it as “very lavish” and “over the top.” The agency said Tuesday it cost taxpayers about $2.4 million. The “grand finale” of the conference, held during President George W. Bush’s administration, was an awards dinner at the Georgia Aquarium catered by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, according to an IRS document provided to The Hill. ADVERTISEMENT Tickets for the aquarium were provided at a discount rate, as were tickets to attend a night baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves. IRS employees had to pay out of pocket for both social events. The two sources who spoke to The Hill did so on the condition of anonymity, saying they feared retribution if their names became public. One official still works for the IRS while the other has since left the agency. “I had not been to anything like that, certainly not put on by the federal government,” said one of the sources. “It was first rate, all the way.” The other source said, “It was very lavish … the training courses themselves were helpful and informative, but the culture of excess permeated this [conference], including the opening video, the opening-night cocktail and hors d’ouevres reception.” The source added that the 1,550 attorneys, paralegals and other attendees were given a leather portfolio as a keepsake. The tax agency is also facing criticism for its targeting of Tea Party groups and news earlier this month that it spent more than $4 million on a 2010 conference in Anaheim, Calif. IRS acting chief Danny Werfel has called the Anaheim event “an unfortunate vestige from a prior era.” In a statement to The Hill, the agency said, “The size and details of [the] 2008 conference reflect a different era at the IRS. While there were legitimate reasons for holding the meeting, a number of the expenses associated with it would not occur today under our tough new guidelines.” People who witnessed the short video in Atlanta say it featured IRS lawyers in different parts of the country holding Olympics-like torches and wearing athletic gear. The video footage was later culled and edited. IRS attorneys embraced the Olympics theme for the 2008 conference, which took place a dozen years after Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games. The video, titled, “One Office,” was an attempt to foster unity among IRS attorneys, according to a handful of people interviewed by The Hill. Some attendees strongly defended the gathering, which provided Continuing Legal Education (CLE) to IRS attorneys. David Canale of Ernst & Young said it allowed all of the IRS chief counsels across the nation to get together for the first time. It was “well organized” and “a typical government conference,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it was lavish by any means,” added Canale, who did not see the video. Many senior IRS officials spoke at the 2008 conference that spanned Aug. 12-14, including then-IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman and Sarah Ingram, who is now in charge of the agency’s office that is implementing ObamaCare. Donald Korb, who was the IRS chief counsel in 2008, said, “There is no mystery here. It’s really simple. We took the Chief Counsel CLE training budget for the entire year for all of the different Chief Counsel functions and took advantage of the cost savings [and] economy of scale of having one large CLE as opposed to several smaller ones by doing it all in one place at one time in Atlanta. “Who would hold a so-called ‘lavish’ event in Atlanta in the middle of August? In any event, the Congress itself had approved the spending of these funds for this purpose since the money for CLE training for our lawyers — required in many states in order for them to be able to maintain their licenses to practice law — was included as part of Chief Counsel’s annual budget.” Jerry Cohen, a partner at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan in Atlanta, said, “It was a great meeting,” adding that it was needed to build camaraderie among the government tax lawyers. He added, “Nowadays, you wouldn’t” hold such a conference “because [the IRS] got burned.” Like Canale, Cohen said he didn’t see the torch video. Many people who attended the conference, which took place at the Marriot Marquis, didn’t want to talk about it. More than a dozen people didn’t return phone calls seeking comment. While there was a difference of opinion on whether the government paid too much for the conference, everyone interviewed by The Hill praised the content of the topics discussed, which ranged from international financial reporting standards to discovery to the effective use of email. There was also a wonky Family-Feud-like game played that asked questions such as: “Name your favorite IRC code section” and “What is the average age of a Chief Counsel upon taking office?” The IRS pointed out Tuesday that the 2008 conference offered 126 hours of CLE-related instruction and more than 1,200 attorneys earned CLE credit, which is “a necessary step for their legal credentials.” The agency also stressed the conference in Atlanta would not occur today: “Sweeping new spending restrictions have been put in place at the IRS; travel and training expenses have dropped more than 80 percent since 2010; and similar large-scale meetings did not take place in 2011, 2012 or 2013.”

Lowell Cohn: No second chance for Jim Tomsula SANTA CLARA — This is about the big 49ers lie, the big Jim Tomsula lie. Almost every day, some 49ers apologist writes me about Jim Tomsula. I’m too hard on the poor guy. He got screwed with a bad roster. No one can fairly judge his performance. And then comes the lie. Bill Walsh went 2-14 in his first 49ers season (1979). Tomsula currently can win five games – a big maybe – so I shouldn’t judge Tomsula harshly. What a lie comparing Tomsula to Walsh. What an example of poor thinking. Jim Tomsula is no Bill Walsh. Never will be. Jim Tomsula is an inadequate coach. Jim Tomsula is nothing but Jim Tomsula. The 49ers shamed themselves by making him head coach. Are we clear? Compare Walsh and Tomsula, compare their first seasons as Niners coach. In Walsh’s first season, he began building something. That something became a five-time Super Bowl champion. In Tomsula’s first season, he broke down something. Ruined it. He lost his quarterback. He did not establish a successor quarterback. His defense fell apart. He went from an eight-win team under Jim Harbaugh to a possible four-win team The rebuilding process may begin next season if the Niners are lucky. If they fire Tomsula in the next few weeks and hire someone competent. I rarely ask you to look at numbers. Today is an exception. Please forgive me. This is where the current 49ers – Tomsula’s 49ers – rank. In total offense based on yards gained, they rank 31st. They rank 30th in passing yards. This in a 32-team league. Those rankings are so pitiful Tomsula should hide under his bed and refuse to come out. What about Walsh? First, a little background. The season before Walsh arrived, the 49ers had two coaches – Pete McCulley and Fred O’Connor. They combined for a 2-14 record. How did McCulley-O’Connor rank in key departments? They ranked 27th in offense based on yards gained and 25th in passing yards. This was in a 28-team league. Not so hot. The next season when Walsh also went 2-14, his 49ers ranked sixth in yards gained and third in passing yards. Amazing improvement. A sign of things to come. Walsh was burdened with a horrible defense, which he would fix over time. And his quarterback was Steve DeBerg not Joe Montana. It still was an excellent offense. Jerry Glanville, at the time the defensive backs coach for the Falcons, told me he was so impressed with Walsh’s offense he would study it. “I could see what he was doing,” Glanville said. “I could see it was special.” When did anyone ever study Tomsula’s offense or defense or say it or he are special? And please don’t say Tomsula has a worse roster – especially on offense – than Walsh had in 1978. Tomsula has a future Hall of Fame receiver, Anquan Boldin. And an elite wide receiever, Torrey Smith whom the Niners are paying $40 million over five years. Walsh had the smarts. His leading receiver in terms of receptions was Paul Hofer, a running back. Second was Freddie Solomon, a great receiver. Third was Wilbur Jackson, a fullback. Fourth was Mike Shumann, an excellent wideout and a friend of mine.

This week, the Northern Irish Assembly has collapsed in the midst of a corruption scandal, triggering an election. In the context of Brexit and deepening austerity, and with the sectarian wound as wide open as ever, this vote could barely be more important. What Northern Ireland needs is a strong, left wing, cross-community party which builds peace by standing up to austerity, fighting for civil rights, against forced pregnancy, homophobia and racism, and for a just, sustainable and democratic Northern Ireland, whose constitutional future remains in the hands of those who live there. That party is the Northern Irish Greens: whose two Assembly Members grew up in working class Loyalist and Republican communities respectively; whose councillors have faced death threats from Loyalist paramilitaries; and who have been battling in the Supreme Court in recent weeks to ensure Northern Ireland’s vote to Remain in the EU is respected. Those Assembly Members, Clare Bailey and Steven Agnew, are two of the most impressive Green politicians I’ve come across, and it’s absolutely vital that they keep their seats and bring new colleagues with them. But this election will see the Assembly reduced in size, and every member has a fight on their hands. The Northern Irish Greens deliver a huge amount for a small party: with a couple hundred members, and no permanent staff. And because of that, they’re excellent at making a very little money go a long way. So every extra fiver really does make a difference. I’ve just donated a little to help bolster their election campaign. I’d encourage you to do the same. You can do so here. Bright Green will be continuing to cover the Northern Ireland elections as they progress- if you’d like to contribute to this with news or opinion, drop us an email on front-desk@bright-green.org

Women’s day is coming and so, this time, I would like to tell you the story of a Roman woman, Cecilia Metella. Who was Cecilia? She likely lived and died around the half of the 1st century BC and soon after her death her family built for her the amazing mausoleum still preserved on the via Appia. The via Appia was the first road projected and built by the Romans in 312 BC, connecting Rome with Brindisi, the main harbor in South Italy to Greece. Because of its antiquity and importance this was known by the Romans as the Regina Viarum, the queen of the streets. Cecilia’s mausoleum was built in the first highest and most prominent spot of the via Appia outside the ancient city walls: hence it was the most visible and majestic tomb of the first and most important Roman road. Said this, a romantic soul could think that this could be considered a monument to Love, a kind of Roman Taj Mahal: a mausoleum built by an inconsolable husband for the loss of his only love. It would be nice, but, unfortunately, it’s not. Let’s see why. The tomb is decorated in the upper part with a low relief with wreaths and oxen skulls, both a reference to religious sacrifices (flowers and oxen were offered to the gods). But the most interesting part is the relief in the central part: here there is an helmet, shields and a prisoner…Quite strange for a woman’s tomb, isn’t it? But it’s not enough: on the front side there is a huge inscription: “Caeciliae Q. Cretici F(iliae) Maetellae Crassi” “Cecilia Metella, Quintus Creticus’ daughter, Crassus’ wife”. And that’s the point: we don’t know anything about her, nothing in the inscription, nothing in the Latin writers. She was two eminent men’s daughter and wife, and that’s all! Both men were famous Roman generals, but there’s not a word about the woman… neither a stupid and false adjective like loving, beloved … nothing at all! She was just men’s possession, and she is defined just by this. And that’s not enough: the inscription give us also the opportunity to talk a little bit about the Roman naming system, that says a lot about women position in Roman society. The Roman naming system She was Cecilia Metella. Nowadays Cecilia is quite common female name in Italy, and we are tempted to think that this was her first name, while Metella was the surname. No way! Roman naming system was called system of the tria nomina, or three names. Cecilia’s father, for example, was Quintus Caecilius Metellus…are you starting to understand? His first name was Quintus, then Caecilius was the name of the gens, the clan, last name we could say, and finally Metellus was the cognomen, the name of the family line, a kind of second last name. And that’s the point: Cecilia Metella has no first name! No, not because she was a bad girl, unworthy of a personal name: this was the system for all Roman women. ALL the women of the family had the SAME name: in this case all were Cecilia Metella! Well, now imagine a mother who has to call all the daughters: quite easy Yes, convenient but confusing, hence usually they had a kind of nicknames, like First, Second, and so on, or Elder, Younger etc. Are you starting to think that Romans were too lazy to name all the daughters? Sadly this was not only indolence, there was a clear idea behind this: for a Roman woman the glory consists in no one who pronounces her name! A Latin writer, Macrobius praises a woman saying that she was so prudish that no one knew her name. The message is clear: woman wasn’t and didn’t have to be a person, but only a passive and anonymous part of the family! So, why this huge tomb? Said all this, why build a so huge monument for a woman, if she wasn’t important? Because – sadly to say but that’s it! – her death was just a pretext to celebrate the greatness of the family, during an historical period when Rome was afflicted by the civil wars and there was need and will to show off the power of the most eminent families. Cecilia Metella’s tomb is simply a way to celebrate the glory of the family men, whose names are in the inscription. Another woman’s story: Annia Regilla This beautiful and pleasant place is connected also with another woman…sorry, not happier story, but I told you: no country for women! In the 2nd century this place became part of Herodes Atticus‘s property. He was a rich senator and a philosopher from a glorious and ancient Roman family. When he was 40 years old married the 14 (yes, 14!) years old Annia Regilla, from another rich and glorious family. Thanks to her dowry they bought the propriety on the via Appia. It happened that while she was pregnant of her sixth son, was killed, kicked to death to her abdomen, by an Herodes’ freedman. The husband was immediately accused to be responsible for the murder. He had a process and was acquitted. Anyway people didn’t believe to his innocence – corrupt judges was frequent and easy for rich people. The public opinion was so important for a Roman that he had to do something to change people’s opinion. Hence he started to show off is sorrow: painted his house in black and began to built monuments and temples dedicated to Annia. The property on the via Appia became a huge sanctuary sacred to Demeter and its boundaries were marked by two columns bearing this inscription: “To the memory of Annia Regilla, wife of Herodes, the light and soul of the house, to whom these lands once belonged”. Well, she was luckier than Cecilia and had at least some adjectives…anyway not so great reward for having been murdered by her own husband! If you liked the story, don’t forget to follow my updates on Twitter and Facebook! Pictures Credits:

Scant few games stand the test of time and retain a large active player base sixteen years after release. But not only has Age of Empires II endured, it has thrived. It’s gained new steam thanks in part to an official high-definition re-release but mostly due to the ragtag group of modders-turned-developers who made that release possible. Forgotten Empires filled the game with new stuff and rebalanced the multiplayer in one enormous mod and then two HD expansions: The Forgotten and the recently-released African Kingdoms. I spoke to the team to find out about the challenges of transitioning from mod team to professional development studio, and of continuing to expand a game within its ancient limits. The team came together through the AoE2 community in 2011 after lead designer Bert Beeckman and various others finally figured out how to add new civilisations to the game. A few dedicated modders gradually morphed into many, and Forgotten Empires took shape just like any other modding project — a loose collective that grew and contracted fluidly as people gained and lost interest or time, and which, through sheer force of will from its lead developers, eventually emerged as a somewhat coherent thing. This particular thing was just more ambitious than most projects that reach fruition; it added five new civilisations with accompanying campaigns and unique units and buildings and maps and sounds. It was basically an unofficial expansion. Beeckman tells me that it was fortuitous timing that got them in with Microsoft. “When we heard that the HD edition was going to be released on Steam, we’d kind of only just finished working on the Forgotten Empires mod,” he says. “We thought, okay, if you’re just gonna revitalise the game, why not go a step further and add new civs and features and new campaigns and all that new stuff we added [to the mod].” They reached out to Microsoft. And waited. “They receive like hundreds and hundreds of mails each month from people who want to do things with the franchise,” Beeckman says. “Like oh I want to sell mugs of Age of Empires or I want to sell towels with a trebuchet on it. Can I do that?” Some poor sap has the job of trawling through these messages doing his best old-school Lara Croft impression (“No.”). But this time things were different. Forgotten Empires was a massive hit. Beeckman expected maybe 50,000 lifetime downloads, at best. It got that many in an hour (and their website crashed under the traffic load). Today the figure stands at around a million downloads. Microsoft took notice and opened negotiations with the modders. They agreed to release an updated, more polished version of the mod as an official expansion. Thus the Forgotten Empires mod birthed the Forgotten Empires company, which in November 2013 released The Forgotten expansion — seven months after the HD remaster, 14 years after the original game, and 13 years after the previous expansion. Several months after The Forgotten’s release, they petitioned Microsoft for approval to do an expansion for the then-new Age of Mythology Extended Edition. The answer was initially no, but Forgotten Empires kept asking. “Finally they said, ‘What do you think about making another expansion for Age of Empires,’” Beeckman recalls. “Then we kind of came back with, ‘Why don’t we do both?’ And then apparently one guy at Microsoft agreed with that.” (Their Age of Mythology expansion is nearly finished.) It was a tough transition into professional development for many of the modders, and not just because of Microsoft’s fondness for firm deadlines. “When you are modding you can do awesome crazy stuff without caring if they will fit on the original game,” says lead artist Jorgito Ageitos. “You can put dragons in there and people will love it because it is a mod. But when when you are an official dev, a lot of things change. You have a lot of new restrictions that you didn’t face before and everything needs to make sense [and] fit in the game nicely with the rest of the stuff. And achieve that certain level of quality.” Modding is a purely creative pursuit. You can express yourself, experiment, and have fun without worrying about how something fits with the rest of the game or even how good it is. You can, as Ageitos jokes, make a golden cow that wields a banana-shooting shotgun. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the spirit or the tone of the game. “I used to work always alone, so everything that I made in the past was ‘alright’ for me,” Ageitos says. “It was bound only to my own taste.” But an official expansion needs to look, play, and sound like an extension of the original game. You have to cater to what the fans want, or at least what they’ll accept. Your taste becomes secondary to the original design principles and art style. Beeckman says that the other hard adjustment was in legal rights. With most of the work already done, they had to retroactively negotiate terms with each of the dozens of contributors for rights to use their portion of the work. Some had trouble putting a figure on their time and talents, while others asked for “absolutely unreasonable figures” way out of proportion to their small slice of work. And some just walked away, not willing to turn their hobby into work. For Beeckman, personally, it wasn’t much of a change. He already worked in the games industry at Nintendo Frankfurt (which does distribution and localisation rather than development), so he was familiar with how things worked. He’s now full-time at Forgotten Empires, as are the other “crucial” team members. He gives campaign designers as an example of people who aren’t yet needed on a full-time basis because there’s not enough work to give them. Regardless, he has his hands full coordinating a team of around 50 people plus 25 or so testers and localisers — all spread around the world in several different timezones as the studio has no central office. The good news is that everyone on his team is a longtime Age of Empires fan. They know the game. They’re engaged in the multiplayer scene. That motivates them to make it brilliant. To fix both its most glaring and lesser noticed flaws. Like warfare on water. “If you see the original Age of Kings, which came out 16 years ago, water battles were essentially, okay, I make one boat and I put it next to my dock,” says Beeckman. “If somebody wants to attack me I will attack him back. That was it.” In the Conquerors expansion, Ensemble Studios added formations to naval battles but only offered one naval unit that was worth building. “People would make huge, huge fleets of galleys and nothing else,” Beeckman continues. “And that of course is not really good for a strategy game — just using one unit is detrimental to any sort of creative gameplay.” For African Kingdoms, Forgotten Empires added new water units and designed them such that no one unit type is superior across all situations. Which fleet wins depends on a complex counter system that forces players to make combinations of boats and manoeuvre them around the map to get an advantage. This particular change seems to be going down well with the community, as has the addition of “special” multiplayer maps that use unusual geography to break the predictable circular(ish) team placement — like an island for each player or two islands that each have three versus one matchups. But any change to the status quo threatens to splinter the player base. Any change — however small — to the design or art may, as Ageitos puts it, “cause a huge riot with pitchforks, fire, and people screaming.” People get attached to certain strategies and play styles, and that’s usually because those strategies are strong. Tweak a few numbers under the hood and you might just make somebody’s favourite tactic unviable, which will piss them off — especially if said tactic took years to discover and years more to master (apparently the most dominant pre-Forgotten strategies were only discovered four or fives years ago). “At this point, especially with the African Kingdoms, we decided let’s ignore that,” says Beeckman. “If we can stick to the design principles like that every tactic needs to have a viable counter tactic, then we are in our right to change that.” Every design decision is a careful balancing act between keeping the peace with expert players, fixing old flaws, and improving the game’s strategic depth and balance. Despite the influx of new, younger players that came with the 2013 HD remake, their focus is on balancing for the expert players. “There is a massive difference in play styles from the competitive scene to the casual scene,” Beeckman says. “Casual players usually like to build up all the way, slowly, down from the Dark Age all the way to the Imperial Age, then they start fighting. Competitive players fight as soon as they can. They sometimes even use villagers to try to wall each other in.” It’s crucial to balance for expert play, because otherwise a few strategies will quickly become dominant, but Beeckman says “if you play on a lower level, the balance can always be beaten just by playing better. If you have a super overpowered unit or a very strong unit late game, like for example war elephants, then you just need to counter that by making sure that the opponent doesn’t get war elephants.” Other lessons only came through making mistakes. “Everyone remembers playing William Wallace and hearing a guy try to pull off a Scottish accent,” says Beeckman. “It was hilarious. It made Age of Empires II so fun in a way. It was wrong, but it was good wrong.” The Forgotten didn’t have voice acting, and that (plus a more RPG-like quest structure) made its campaigns feel out of place. So voice acting became a top priority in African Kingdoms. As did polish in other areas. The expansion adds new environments, so they came up with new ambient sounds to distinguish these more strongly. And they tried hard to differentiate the look of the architecture and armour. Ageitos pushes to make things look as close to the real thing as he can — because “history is fricken awesome.” While working on African Kingdoms, he looked at thousands of images to learn how and why they looked that way. Then wherever possible he remade them in-game. It wasn’t always possible, however, because even the HD version is essentially a 16 year old game made with the technological limitations of the time in mind. Both the original graphics and the prettified HD version of them hold up well enough, but they are nonetheless a relic of late-90s cutting edge 2D. Or as Ageitos puts it, “That new ‘historically-accurate interesting-looking art’ needs to fit with the rest of the artistic world created by this game, and that is when the nightmare begins. Every new building for example [has to] have a certain size, certain proportions, key shapes and locations that you can’t just change as you see fit even if it will look completely awesome.” The new art has to fit the existing art, and that, Ageitos notes, is much trickier to do well than creating said art in the first place. He ended up doing some African Kingdoms art by measuring different parts from each of the original AoE2 buildings and then essentially chiselling away at cubes that fit these dimensions (a process described in more detail in this dev blog). It’s hard to say how much further the creaking old AoE2 engine can be prodded and pulled and added to, and Beeckman isn’t sure if they’ll be asked to do a third expansion — or even if they’ll have enough new feature ideas and suitable civilisations to justify one. But even if this is it — no more new content, just patches to fix bugs and balance issues — Beeckman believes Age of Empires II will endure further. “I think the current generation of people who are playing it will kind of play it till they’re tired of playing games,” he says. “People who grew up with Age of Empires will kind of keep playing Age of Empires.” They’ve already played for 16 years, so why stop now? As for how it’s managed to endure this long, Beeckman pinpoints two reasons. One is that it aged well — most games from its time had ugly 3D graphics, but AoE2 had high-polygon 3D art rendered down to 2D sprites. The other is that the design encouraged players to make their own stories, to rewrite history or just have fun with the thousands of options and procedurally-generated maps. Whatever the reason, Age of Empires II is an enigma — a 16 year old game about historical warfare that refuses to take its rightful resting place in the annals of videogame history. And the Forgotten Empires team is its chaperone into old age.

Sarah Palin, who has been broadcasting her political views on her Facebook page, has just acquired a far more potent media megaphone. By joining Fox News in a deal announced Monday, the former Republican vice presidential nominee gains instant access to an audience that gives Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly the highest ratings in cable news -- and a clear boost if she attempts another run for national office. "This gives her a platform she can use to stay relevant, to stay in the public eye and to flush out some of her policy positions," said Republican strategist Todd Harris, who once worked for Palin's 2008 running mate, John McCain. "To the degree it gives her a direct line to the kinds of people who vote in Republican primaries, it does give her an advantage." Out-of-work politicians are increasingly using television and radio to stay on the political radar and keep their options open, which is one reason that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, an also-ran in the 2008 White House race and possible 2012 contender, is now hosting a weekend show, also on Fox. The former Alaska governor will appear as a pundit on various Fox shows, beginning Tuesday on "The O'Reilly Factor," and host an occasional series that was already in the works, "Real American Stories," which will examine inspirational tales involving ordinary citizens who have suffered setbacks. Palin has used similar language in speeches, and apologized during the presidential campaign for referring to small towns as "the real America" and the "pro-America areas of this great nation." Palin said in a statement that she is "thrilled" to be joining Fox, adding, "It's wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news." While the Fox deal instantly ignited speculation that she is weighing a presidential bid, Palin has given no such indication. But even if she never seeks political office again, Rupert Murdoch's cable channel will provide her with added visibility -- and income -- in the wake of her tour for her best-selling memoir, "Going Rogue." Dan Schnur, who directs the politics institute at the University of Southern California, said the impact may be muted. "Unless she gets her own show at some point, it might not be a huge direct benefit," said Schnur, who worked for McCain's 2000 presidential campaign. "If she just pops up from time to time without a set schedule for her supporters to plan for, she's just another talking head in a cast of thousands." In addition, Palin's appearances may largely be limited to when she is traveling, since satellite transmission is difficult from her Alaska home town of Wasilla. Some Democrats scoffed at the melding of the Palin and Fox brands. "Not since Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag has there been a couple so well suited for one another," said Hari Sevugan, the Democratic National Committee's press secretary. Bill Shine, Fox News senior vice president, called Palin "one of the most dynamic individuals in politics today. We want to know what she thinks." Shine did not dispute the perception that Fox, whose contributors include former Bush White House adviser Karl Rove and former House speaker Newt Gingrich, has become a comfortable home for Republicans no longer in office. But he noted that the only other female vice presidential candidate -- Democrat Geraldine Ferraro -- is also a Fox analyst, although her appearances have been limited in recent years. Michael Steele was a Fox commentator before becoming the Republican National Committee chairman. Fred Malek, a Republican donor and Palin loyalist, sees the arrangement as a strong match. "I do know that there was a lot of demand and opportunities" for Palin, he said. "It is a very good thing for her and a coup for Fox."

SAN DIEGO, California — Ahhh, the wonders of the Internet Age. When I was growing up, momma always said “never talk to strangers,” but here I was, behind the wheel of some stranger’s 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E, 3,000 miles away from home in a city I’d never been to before. Life found a decidedly unconventional way of getting me behind the wheel of a Mercedes that is not only one of my dream cars, but the secondary answer to the “what’s your favorite” question. How did this happen, you might ask? Was it a friend of a friend’s? Family? A referral? Nope, it all started with a good ‘ol Facebook discussion about the W124. I struck a conversation with an owner who had one sitting nicely on 18-inch AMG Monoblock IIs, exactly how I’d have mine. The connection was practically instant. Some time later, I found myself with a plane ticket to Southern California to attend the launch of the latest and greatest Hyundai Elantra. I put up an APB status to see if I had any friends in the San Diego area and the 500E owner replied. We ended up meeting on a cool, breezy, beautiful evening in Imperial Beach. That’s some classic car culture comradery right there. The car in question is equally as classic. Regarded as one of the greatest modern midsize luxury sedans, the W124 is a downright legend, both when new and in long-term perspective. Speak to any Mercedes enthusiast and the debate over what was the “last true Mercedes-Benz” will go back and forth between the W124 and the W140 S-Class. Their relatively simple construction makes both serviceable and designed to last, but the 500E is no ordinary E-Class. Like a proper sleeper, it looks like a normal early 1990s E-Class sedan from a distance. Even up-close, one needs a second glance to see the flared wheel arches, accommodating a wider track and larger tires. From the front or rear, it’s obvious the 500E is lower on its haunches with protruding hips, ready to devour miles of asphalt in a jiff. Because of its humdrum appearance, it’s nicknamed the “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” This specific 500E is a 1992 model year car, though it sports the post-facelift hood and headlights, which were sourced from a 1994. The cliché of feeling like a tank or vault might be over played, but there is no other way to adequately describe the feeling of opening and closing its doors. They solidly clack open and when closed normally, people in the next county will feel the thump. Build quality inside and out is so impeccable, it’s easy to see how Mercedes-Benz was the leader in attention to detail. For instance, the passenger side side-view mirror is squared for shorter viewing distances, while the driver’s side is rectangular for longer ones. (Before overtaking on the Autobahn, you needed to make sure a Porsche 911 wasn’t charging up the left lane at 150 mph.) Side indicators and rear taillights are rippled to prevent the buildup of dirt from inhibiting their luminescence. And the body was specifically designed to be aerodynamic, offering one of the lowest drag coefficients of its time. At cruising speeds on Interstate 5, even with around 210,000 miles on the odometer, the cabin was serene, rattle, and squeak free. The only audible signal was faint tire roar from the slightly stiffer suspension and larger wheels. The 500E’s 5.0-liter V-8 premiered a few years before the W124 in the R129 500SL. Mercedes shoehorned it into the confines of the W124’s engine bay with the same in-house four-speed auto and an open-differential. The result is the same effortless 325 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque to propel the two-ton sedan towards the horizon. As the 500E evolved with changes in the fuel injection system, figures saw a slight decline by the car’s facelift in 1994 and the end a year later. The electro-hydraulically controlled four-speed never interrupts delivery. The factory result is a 0-60 time of around six seconds and a top run electronically limited to 150 mph. Also taken from the 500SL are its larger brakes and tighter recirculating ball-type steering box. Compared to the E320 Coupe that was my first car, the 500E offers flatter body control, a stiffer ride, and more eager turn-in. However, this 1992 500E had its Citroen-esque hydropneumatics self-leveling rear suspension deleted in favor of a set of Bilstein B8s. With the addition of 18-inch wheels, versus the stock 16-inch eight-holes, this specific 500E certainly offered a more unique experience, but the ride remained firm and compliant. The real charm of the 500E, however comes from its conception. It was co-developed in close relation with Porsche. But not only that, each 500E endured trips back and forth between Mercedes’ plant in Sindelfingen and Porsche’s Rossle-Bau plant in Zuffenhausen just to complete assembly. Because of this tedious assembly process, each car took a total of 18 days to complete before shipping off to dealers. As such, not many were made. Of 10,479 said to have been produced, only 1,528 reached the United States between 1992 and 1994. Despite the small run, finding one of these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” isn’t too difficult, at least not yet. Though the 500E is a fairly high-maintenance vehicle with complex bits that will need servicing or replacing, such as the rear hydraulic self-leveling suspension, the W124 in general is regarded as sturdy car. Slack on maintenance and like any other second-hand European gem, it will begin to get costly. Nonetheless, the 500E’s comparatively solid reliability, durability, and ease of maintenance distinguish it from other premium classics, making it not just fun-to-drive, but friendly to own as well.

Lampard. Ronaldinho. Kaka. These are the names Galaxy fans have heard may be on their way to Los Angeles to occupy the 3rd Designated Player (DP) spot on the Galaxy roster. The expectation is the team wants a 'name' player to make a splash in this celebrity-hungry market. But there is no guarantee that a 'name' player will bring on-field success. Just ask the Red Bulls (Rafa Marquez) or Whitecaps (Kenny Miller). Another factor to consider is what type of player do the Galaxy want? A winger, defensive midfielder, defender? For this analysis the attempt is to find another Beckham, insofar as that is even possible. As such, the ideal player should be a great passer and distributor who will allow Keane, Donovan, Zardes, Villarreal, McBean, etc. to thrive. Because of the scarcity of available statistics in other leagues, the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 were the only leagues assessed. A player's estimated value is via transfermarkt.com. While most of the statistics presented are intuitive, Key Passes are defined as "the final pass or pass-cum-shot leading to the recipient of the ball having an attempt at goal without scoring" (OPTA). Here are our 'moneyball' candidates, interspersed among more familiar names to provide context: The Candidates Roberto Trashorras Age: 32 Club: Rayo Vallecano Est. Value: 1.8M Euros Key Stat: 9.9 Successful Long Balls Per Game In "Moneyball" Kevin Youkilis is described as the "Greek god of walks." For this analysis Trashorras may well be described as the "Spanish god of passing." A terrific distributor of the ball, Trashorras completes an astonishing 9.9 successful long balls per game, near the top of all European players. But he is also accurate, completing over 85% of his passes. With better finishers, you would expect his assist total to be higher than the four he recorded during the La Liga campaign. Jerome Rothen Age: 35 Club: Bastia Est. Value: 800,000 Euros Key Stat: 60 Successful Crosses The former Monaco man has experienced a renaissance at Bastia. He helped the French club win the second division in 2012 and finish mid-table in 2013. Rothen is a natural winger, but spent half of Bastia's games patrolling a more central role as he does not possess the same pace he once had. An exceptional crosser, Rothen was 15th in all of Europe in completed crosses per game. Marco Estrada Age: 30 Club: Montpellier Est. Value: 3.5M Euros Key Stat: 2.5 interceptions per game This Chilean defensive midfielder possesses a really solid all around game. Despite doing a fair bit of defensive work (Liverpool's Lucas Leiva averages the same number of interceptions per game), Estrada has demonstrated the ability to pick out attackers and play the long ball effectively (over 7 a game). Luca Cigarini Age: 26 Club: Atalanta Est. Value: 6.5M Euros Key Stat: Everything If the Galaxy are serious about being the best club on the continent and a global brand, this is the type of player the team needs to be interested in. Cigarini, also known as "The Professor", can do everything you want out of a central midfielder. And he is only 26 years old. Yes, the club may have to pay a fairly hefty transfer fee, but they also may be acquiring a linchpin in their midfield for years to come; a Pirlo for a fraction of the price. What do you think? Still want a 'name' player or do any of these 'moneyball' candidates sound like a winner? What about Omar Gonzalez?

Danny Rand is in for a surprise when he returns. Netflix The final defender has finally arrived in New York City, and he's a fine addition to the Marvel Universe. But fine is all "Iron Fist" is. Finn Jones ("Game of Thrones") plays an earnest Danny Rand returned to NYC after years of being presumed dead. Danny is the son of millionaire parents and founders of Rand Enterprise. While on a flight with his parents, the plane crashes in the Himalayas and a 10-year-old Danny witnesses the deaths of his parents. Before he succumbs to the cold, two monks find him and take him to K'un-Lun, a monastery in heaven and basically a different dimension. While there, Danny trains to become the Iron Fist, a powerful fighter whose mission is to defeat the Hand. Fans of the Marvel TV universe will recognize that enemy from "Daredevil." The connection between K'un-Lun and Earth only opens every 15 years, so once given the opportunity, Danny heads back home, only to discover that the people he knew are not the same. Danny must prove himself fit to be the Iron Fist while also trying to regain control of his father's company and of his own life. Along the way he meets up with some familiar faces like Claire (Rosario Dawson) and "Jessica Jones'"Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss), but it's Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) who stands out. Colleen and Danny are an unlikely team. David Giesbrecht/Netflix Wing is undoubtedly the best part of the entire series and Henwick ("Game of Thrones") masterfully portrays the dojo sensei and utter badass in every scene she is in. When Colleen first meets Danny, he's a disheveled, barefooted man wandering in a New York park. She gives him money as she staples posters up about her dojo and the classes she offers. He asks if he can teach a class, and she sends him on his way. This is her thing. She starts realizing there is something happening beyond her understanding when people contact her about Danny, but she doesn't blindly trust anyone. She's wary enough of this stranger coming into her life and the troubles that he brings, and it feels real. And in the meantime, she shows off her skills in the fighting ring to earn money, even though she tells her students they shouldn't fight for money. Danny realizes that he needs Colleen and enlists her help in his missions, and it's the best decision Danny makes. Colleen is a fighter and she's trustworthy and she's amazing in every way. Colleen shows off her skills, and I am here for it. David Giesbrecht/Netflix But there's one interaction between Colleen and Danny that sticks in my mind and highlights the biggest problem with the series — casting a white lead. Danny makes his way into Colleen's dojo and starts blasting music. She takes his interference as a disrespectful annoyance — which it is — and tells him to leave. He ends up convincing her that he should stay and tries to explain to her the way she should practice martial arts, and that is problematic. Watching a white man explain to an Asian woman how she should run her own dojo is uncomfortable. Watching a white man be the "chosen one" and be better than his Asian teachers is wrong. Sure, the comics might have also featured a white lead, and sure, the "Iron Fist" cast is filled with diverse and talented stars, but there was a chance to take the story further, and Marvel failed to do so when choosing to stick with the white guy as the lead. "Iron Fist" struggles the same way "Doctor Strange" does. Both stories are fine and have their bright moments — they have enjoyable moments — but both projects were given the chance for growth and change amongst the typical Marvel heroes of yore and didn't. Danny kicks some butt as Iron Fist. David Giesbrecht/Netflix The incredible martial arts team behind the choreography bring Danny, Colleen, and the rest of the cast to life with their fight sequences. But through the first six episodes, the tension Danny feels is more for returning his life to a semblance of normalcy and navigating the corporate world, which isn't thrilling to watch. The show does a good job of introducing Danny to the Marvel TV universe and paves the way for its "Avengers" like get together, "The Defenders," but ultimately, it's hard to be all in for Danny and his adventures. Here's to hoping that Colleen and Misty Knight ("Luke Cage") will get their own Daughters of the Dragon show, because I would pay to see those ladies kick ass any day. All 13 one-hour episodes of "Iron Fist" will be available to watch on Netflix March 17. Check out a trailer below:

About Lufty She was a Pegasus from thunderhead gone dashite She later joined the flash fillies and even later then that the Hoofington reapers (a gang that was a hoofball team) her jacket belonged to soarin years ago who was a big fan of the hoofball team When asked what happened to her back legs she will always give a false answer more ridiculous then the last each time until eventually she claims she lost them in a fight against a mecha daring do on the moon She's brash and a bit of a bitch bit she tries to be fair Before branded her cutie mark was a red balloon and her weapon of choice is an electrical charged emerald staff Her reaper number is 88 This oc is a collaboration between me and Suigin

Venezuela's Vice-President Nicolas Maduro (C) speaks during the funeral service for late President Hugo Chavez at the Military Academy in Caracas March 8, 2013, in this picture provided by the Miraflores Palace. REUTERS/Miraflores Palace/Handout CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela’s government said on Wednesday it may not be possible to embalm the remains of late leader Hugo Chavez as planned because the process should have been started earlier. Chavez died last week aged 58 after a two-year battle with cancer. His body has been on display in a glass-topped coffin at a grandiose military academy in the capital Caracas, where millions of people have filed past to pay homage. The government had said it planned to embalm Chavez’s remains “for eternity” in much the same way as was done with the remains of Soviet leaders Lenin and Stalin and communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong after they died. “Russian and German scientists have arrived to embalm Chavez and they tell us it’s very difficult because the process should have started earlier ... Maybe we can’t do it,” acting President Nicolas Maduro said in televised comments on Wednesday. “We are in the middle of the process. It’s complicated, it’s my duty to inform you.” Government sources said they expected a formal announcement to be made later this week that, despite the efforts of the team involved, it had not been possible to embalm Chavez. World leaders and celebrities paid a last tribute to the flamboyant late Venezuelan leader at his funeral last week. On Friday, his body is due to be transferred from the military academy to a museum on a hilltop overlooking the Miraflores presidential palace. Chavez’s death has brought an outpouring of emotion in Venezuela, especially among his millions of mostly poor supporters, many of whom viewed him almost as a religious figure even before his death. Detractors say the adoration of Chavez is over-the-top and ignores his confrontational style and bullying of opponents. They accuse the government of manipulating emotions around his death to help Maduro win an election scheduled for April 14.

25 January 2016, 10:20 According to actress Liya Akhedzhakova, she has received an offer from an agent of the "Apostle" Company to sign a letter in support of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov for 10,000 US dollars. The "Apostle" Company has denied the information about the collection of signatures. Members of the Human Rights Council of Chechnya have promised to find the persons who contacted the actress. The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 15, the Congress of intellectuals "Against war, against self-isolation of Russia, against restoration of totalitarianism", which includes well-known cultural figures, with Liya Akhedzhakova among them, organized the collection of signatures under the demand for the immediate resignation of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov for his statements concerning the non-systemic opposition. The message describing how Liya Akhedzhakova was allegedly called from the "Apostle" PR-Company and offered to sign a letter in support of Ramzan Kadyrov was written on Facebook by Irina Petrovskaya, a journalist and a TV critic. According to the actress, she declined the offer. Kheda Saratova, a member of the Council on Civil Society Development and Human Rights under the Chechen leader, has announced her willingness to investigate the situation. Kheda Saratova has expressed her confidence that Liya Akhedzhakova was contacted not on behalf of Ramzan Kadyrov. It should be noted that on January 22, Grozny hosted the rally "Our Strength is in Unity" in support of Ramzan Kadyrov. According to the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the rally was attended by not less than 800,000 people. Residents of Chechnya claimed that public employees and school children were obliged to attend the rally. According to the people who attended the rally, the official number of the rally participants was overstated. Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Chance The Rapper performing in London. Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP Chance the Rapper is the most talented rapper of his generation and a pioneer in the music industry. His latest album, "Coloring Book," released in May, is one of the the year's best-reviewed albums. It's the first streaming-only album to chart on Billboard's ranking. This year, the Grammys made streaming-only albums available for awards consideration for the first time. Chance, whose real name is Chancelor Bennett, made history again as "Coloring Book" received several nominations, including one for best rap album. It's the first streaming-only album to be nominated in any category. Miraculously, Chance has done all of this without a label supporting him. He has turned down record deals from numerous labels, depending on word-of-mouth and his Soundcloud account for distribution. Meet the most successful fully independent musician of his era:

As approximately 2,000 students of Kolkata's Jadavpur University and their supporters marched on Saturday to protest against political violence on their campus the previous evening, many expressed a common fear: that the Bharatiya Janata Party's student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, was attempting to replicate the stategy of polarisation it has already tried to impose on other educational instutitions. “Jadavpur University is being repeatedly targeted by the Hindutva forces in the wake of protests and repression at Hyderabad University and JNU,” said Suchetana Chattopadhyay, a faculty member of Jadavpur University. Like many other marchers, she connected the fracas over a film screening on Friday to the tumult at Hyderabad University, where a Dalit scholar committed suicide in January, and Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, where students were charged with sedition in February. The ABVP played a role in precipitating both crises. Said Chattopadhyay, “This goes to show that they are feeling deeply threatened by progressive education and are intent in erasing democratic counter currents.” Friday night chaos Saturday's march was a response to the chaos at Jadavpur University on Friday evening as an unauthorised screening on the campus of a movie by BJP-leaning filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri led to violence. Buddha in a Traffic Jam, which Mumbai-based Agnihotri describes as an exploration of the “NGO-Naxal-academia nexus”, was to have been screened on Friday in a hall controlled by the Jadavpur University Alumni Association. However, the association revoked the permission, citing the model code of conduct in place for the Assembly elections. Despite this, Agnihotri decided to go ahead with the plan, showing the film university playground. The trouble started early on Friday evening as Agnihotri tried to enter the campus without authorisation. The filmmaker tweeted out this message to describe the reception he received. Massive protest against me and the film. They are breaking the car apart. Help needed. pic.twitter.com/Q6lwWRvZG9 — Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 6, 2016 However, videos of the events as well as eyewitness accounts clarify that Agnihotri was exaggerating: Jadavpur University students waved black flags and shouted slogans but there was no attack on his vehicle. Agnihotri’s car entered the campus and he even made a speech. Though the filmmaker blamed the university administration for cancelling the screening, Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das denied this. “The permission for the event was given by alumni association and that has nothing to do with university administration,” he told Scroll. Das went on to blame Agnihotri for going ahead with the screening despite the lack of authorisation. “They are not from Jadavpur University, they are an outside organisation so they have to take permission," he said. "Additionally, they did this after office hours when I wasn’t even present and nor was the university registrar.” Successful film screening After this eventful entry and a short speech, Agnihotri managed with the help of some ABVP activists and BJP workers to show the film on a makeshift screen. Since the ABVP has almost no presence at Jadavpur University, most of Agnihotri’s supporters were people bought in from outside. In response, a group of Jadavpur students decided to screen the documentary film Muzzafarnagar Baaqi Hai centered around the anti-Muslim violence in western Uttar Pradesh in 2013. Shounak Mukhopadhyay, a master’s student at Jadavpur pointed out that allegations that Agnihotri’s right to freedom of speech had been stifled were completely misplaced. “In spite of the fact that he didn’t have permission, he was allowed to enter campus and screen his film," Mukheree said. “How can anyone say this is a violation of freedom of expression, then?” Assault on students The real trouble however started after the screening finished. Students allege that after Agnihotri left, his supporters, mostly middle-aged BJP workers, started to heckle them. Titir Chakraborty, a student and associate general secretary of the Arts Faculty Student’s Union, described how the situation then turned very ugly. “Already there had been communal slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” from Agnihotri’s supporters," said Chakraborty. “Now those people, middle-aged men from outside the campus, began to question why women were here, why the women were talking so much. They then started to become violent." She alleged: "Male students were shoved around while women were sexually assaulted. They grabbed our breasts, pushed us, shoved us, manhandled us.” At the end of the scuffle, the Jadavpur students managed to catch four of the alleged assailants and confine them to the guard room even as attempts were made to hand them over to the police. Hearing about the outsiders on campus and the violence, the vice chancellor rushed to the university in a taxi. Enter the BJP Even as this happened, the Roopa Ganguly, a BJP candidate in the Assembly elections, rushed to the university and, with around a hundred supporters, demanded the release of the four BJP party workers detained for alleged sexually assault. As matters got heated, the BJP supporters attempted to force their way in through the university gate, which students had closed. A potentially explosive situation was defused as the Kolkata Police arrived and took custody of the four party workers. After Friday night’s events, Chakraborty and nine other women lodged a first information report with the Kolkata Police against four “RSS and ABVP goons”. On his part, Vivek Agnihotri insinuated that the complainants were lying about the sexual assault. Girls molested during screening. But wait 2 hrs to report after media left. — Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 7, 2016 This BJP animus against Jadavpur has a history. In February, the party’s state chief Dilip Ghosh had warned students that if they supported Kanhaiya Kumar, the JNU student leader arrested for sedition, the BJP would wait for them to step out of campus and then “thrash them so hard that they’ll forget their ancestors’ names”. In response to the events on Friday, the BJP has called Jadavpur University a “hub of anti-nationals”.

On February 20th, 2013, Milwaukee County Deputy Joseph Quiles, with the airport division of the Sheriff’s Office, was working night shift by General Mitchell International Aiport. After making his rounds patrolling, he blew through a stop sign on to Howell Avenue, and t-boned a Camry, sending it spinning and crashing into a tree. The driver, 25-year-old Tanya Weyker wound up with a broken neck in four places, nearly paralyzing her, and was placed under five separate charges including drunk driving . She wasn’t drunk. “It was a miracle I wasn’t paralyzed.” Weyker told a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputy. Weyker was injured so badly in the accident that she couldn’t even blow into a breathalyzer or perform sobriety tests. For over a year, the DWI charges lingered over Weyker, despite blood tests proving she was sober. As the ambulance was treating her neck injuries, she was questioned by officers. “One asked if I had anything to drink that night,” Weyker told WITI, “And I told them a few sips from a friend’s drink.” In his official police report, Quilles wrote that he had stopped at the stop sign and checked both ways before proceeding, mentioning to a Milwaukee police officer that he didn’t see any coming headlights, despite Wekyer’s Camry having automatic lights. The report is contradictory to the video via a nearby surveillance camera: Quilles’s squad car turned before making a complete stop. While at the hospital, blood samples were taken from Weyker by doctors; tests later proved that there was no alcohol in her system. Yet despite this, months passed before the charges against Wyeker were dropped by the district attorney. Wekyer has filed a complaint against the deputy, which could lead to a lawsuit against the county; she is still waiting for the state to pay her medical bills since the crash. Quilles is waiting on a permanent duty disability claim. Images via YouTube

When I started this, I was going to do a point by point readthrough of the new edition of 7th Sea in excruciating detail, and I got about 120 pages in before I realized that there were so many little things that raised my eyebrow that the whole tone was feeling more negative than I would have liked. It’s not that those concerns weren’t valid, but a lot of them were different reflections of the same underlying issues, and it was harsh for it to keep getting dinged for those. As a result, I’m zooming out a bit. This still won’t be short, but it won’t all be bullet points either. I come into this game with a lot of baggage. I loved the first edition of 7th Sea, warts and all, and I’ve been watching development, even going out of my way to avoid spoilers. I am going into this with some hopes which I took a moment to write down before I started reading: Setting changes that makes pirates make sense. I’d also be happy if the archaeology angle made more sense too, but I’m equally ok with that falling down a hole. PCs being awesome, not just in the shadow of badass NPCs Less dumb metaplot Things that make secret societies cool out of the box rather than leaving them to be surprises, whether good (Die Kreutzritter) or terrible (Daughters of Sophia) No character build options predicated on “Suck now to be ok in 25 sessions or so!” (that is to say, the way swordsman schools were handled) No forcing players to spend XP Of those 6 things, we have 3 solid hits, and 3 TBDs based on the splat strategy, so that could be worse. The main thing I discovered is that familiarity is the most dangerous thing in this book. For me, it made it hard to read the setting without my knowledge of the previous edition. In many games that would not be a problem, but first edition 7th Sea was rife with secrets whose explanations were deferred until the splatbooks came out. In some cases those splatbooks upended previous understandings of things (this is not a great practice in my mind, but it sells books). As a result, when faced with a high level information, I tend not to trust it, wondering if it’s just a facade waiting for the reveal. But I do not know if that’s fair or not. The splats haven’t come yet. It’s entirely possible that they’ve discarded the deep and abiding metaplot, and I am worrying about nothing. I hope that’s the case. This new edition gives players some wonderful new tools for shaping the world, and big metaplot would be all the worse for it. So I am trying to set aside my wariness, but even with the most generous read, it is hard not not notice what was done differently, and ponder what priorities that represents (not necessarily in a bad way). Such changes are a flag of creator’s intent, so I cannot help but be curious about it. Ok, enough meta-analysis: How about the book itself? The Book It’s nice! Solid, full color glossy paged hardcover. Cover image is striking. I’m not sure it’s my imagination that the dude (in secondary position behind the lady swashbuckler, a lovely touch) looks a little like the cinematic version of John Wick and I’m good with that. Page design is functional – very straightforward colophon, minimal page decoration. Layout mostly gets out of the way – a little bland, but that’s better than the alternative. Lots of browns, though, which makes it feel a little d20ish. The art is quite good throughout. I won’t call out favorite pieces, but I want to give especial notice for the chapter separators. Each chapter opens with a full color two page spread, and they’re lovely and striking. It’s also diverse and interesting – there’s a nice analysis of the art available if you’re interested. That said, the index is terrible. It’s maybe a page and a quarter long, which is dreadfully short for a book of this size. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that a lot of terms and ideas are used before they’re explained, so if the reader decided to check the index to figure out what’s being talked about, they will probably come up dry. As I was reading, this was kind of maddening (and lead to a lot of “Nope, not in the index” bullet points.) What’s Changed There is no equivalent of the nation pages from the original edition. This would not normally merit mention, but they were so striking and so essential to the sense of the original game that their absence is noteworthy. However,the art throughout the book is in color and of good quality, so the absence is not a problem if you aren’t looking for it. The Map It’s lovely. Looks like an actual map, with actual stuff on it. It’s in the frontspiece but not the back, which seems odd, but not a big deal. There’s also a less accurate map in the main body of the book, so there’s a more handout-suitable version. However, one downside of such remarkable mapwork is that it makes the absences stand out. There are numerous references to more distant nations (ones which are getting their own books) but they’re outside of the scope of the map presented, so I’m left quite confused as to where they’re supposed to be, which becomes an issue when they talk about how they interact with the nation of Theah. What’s Changed At first glance, the map seems vaguely similar to 1e, but that’s mostly because the 1e map was a lot of blobs squished together. There have actually been some substantial changes to geography since 1e, most notably with Montaigne & Castille put in less proximity to one another, and Eisen placed in such a way that it makes a lot of sense that all the armies of Theah have battled across it. Vesten is no longer islands, but rather a scandanavian-style peninsula. The addition of the Sarmatian Commonwealth east of Vodacce pushes the Crescent Empire a little further west and does a better job of isolating it from Theah than CRPG style impassable mountains. Cathay now appears to be the steppes rather than magic China, but there’s some inference in that conclusion. Introduction The opening fiction is about twice as long as it needs to be, and suffers from a flash-forward opening without payoff. It’s not bad, certainly, but the bar for the very first story is high. The game text opens with a list of the things the Game is about: “Swashbuckling and Sorcery”, “Piracy and Adventure”, “Diplomacy and Intrigue”, “Archaeology and Exploration” and “Romance and Revenge”. I could probably quibble with the various descriptions of these things, but I can’t fault the game for laying them out there. The “What is an RPG” stuff which is pretty boilerplate. Interestingly, the “Rulings vs. Rules” sidebar (which I agree with) reads like “This is where we would mention rule zero, but we cannot actually say rule zero”. There’s also some advance notice that the GM section is full of tips and tricks, which is no surprise to anyone who digs John Wick’s stuff. I’m certainly enthused to get to it. It rounds out with the super-high-level review of the setting – list of nations, and the single paragraph on key concepts like the church, secret societies. This is where some places outside of Theah get mentioned, but they use colorful terms rather than the actual names used elsewhere in the book, which introduces some undue confusion. What’s Changed The addition of a new nation (The Sarmatian Commonwealth) was fairly loudly previewed, so it’s inclusion on the nation list is no great shock. What is surprising is that rather than one Avalon entry, we have 3, one for each of the isles (Avalon, Inismore and the Highland Marches). They remain similarly privileged for the whole of the game. When I mention trying to suss out intent from changes? This one here is a big one. Setting Very first point in the chapter is about diversity – men and women as explicitly on much more equal footing. More vaguely, race is kind of less of a thing, with nationality being more important than skin tone. It’s a little awkward, but it’s faux-europe, so it’d kind of have to be. Full props for putting it front and center. What follows is an entry for each nation: Avalon, Castille, Eisen, The Highland Marches, Inismore, Montaigne, Sarmatian Commonwealth, Ussura, Vestenmennavenjar and Vodacce. The entries span from 5 to 10 pages in length, and follow a general pattern of loose history, current events and culture (covering topics from Names to religion to etiquette to Food). Some entries also cover politics and geography, some do not. It ends with a page of their opinion of other nations. Notably, the Pirate Nations get referenced here, though the game is officially treating them as a secret society. These are, frankly, a little uneven. There is a trick to writing setting material in such a way that it conveys information but also gives you immediate hooks to play. Miss that mark too much to one side and you get an almanac entry. Miss too much to the other, and you have style without substance. Threading that needle is tricky, and the various entries do it to varying degrees. 7th Sea has an extra challenge in this regard, because it is modeled on a simplified version of history that largely works because it resonates with stereotypical images in our minds. That is a great trick, but it needs to be taken into account. Re-explaining the stereotype is a good way to waste words. Ok, with that said, let’s dive in. Avalon is faux-England, with an Elizabeth analog (Elaine) having taken the throne by virtue of holding the Holy Grail equivalent, something that also brought Glamour Magic back to the isles. Elaine rules Avalon, Inismore (Ireland) and The Highland Marches (Scotland) and it’s largely all going pretty well with only a few tensions beneath the surface. She also runs the Church of Avalon, but that doesn’t seem to be too much of a big deal when contrasted with the Objectionists (protestants) on the continent. In splitting Avalon into 3 nations, they ended up removing some of what would have made the Avalon entry interesting, and it reveals that by itself, Avalon is a little dull, though they do fund a lot of pirates. Castille (Faux spain) is nicely set up. It should be an awesome place. They have great infrastructure, big friendly families, plenty of resources and all the other things that could make for a pretty good life. Except it’s taken a triple blow – it just fought off an invasion from Montaigne, so that took a toll. The Vaticine Church, which has its seat in Castille, is currently leaderless, and the Inquisition runs amok. And the young king is weak, and is being (metaphorically) shackled by the Cardinals who are supposed to advise him. As a result of these problems, decay has set in at every level. It’s a good setup. Lots of wrongs to right, all of which are firmly grounded in very human experience. Castille is the kind of place where heroes can make a difference, and also illustrates that you don’t need Deep Cosmic Mysteries to drive play. That said, my one niggle is that the whole nation reads as very rural. I am enough of a Captain Alatriste fan to really want to get a bit of Madrid into my play, and there’s not much there. Eisen (Faux Germany) is Ravenloft, or as close as you’re going to get on Theah. A 30 year religious civil war has utterly wrecked the place (population was 24 million at the start of the war. By the end, 6 million had emigrated, and the new population was 10 million. That’s some wicked arithmetic.) Now it’s something of a blasted shell of itself. There are still places that are largely intact – cities and strongholds especially – but outside of those, there is a lot of monster haunted wasteland. One curious thing about the death rate: The fighting was largely done by mercenaries. As such, it’s worth explicitly noting that battle can only account for a fraction of that kind of death rate. Disease and starvation are likelier candidates, but this is the kind of place where “Monsters” may also be a big contender. On a personal note, I recently finished playing The Witcher 3 (awesome game) and tonally, if would fit in Eisen very well. The Highland Marches (Faux Scotland) is exactly what you’d expect. I read this section 3 times and it just slid off my brain each time. They’re temperamental but honorable clans with kilts, claymores and boiled food. Everything kind of expands that. And lest I sound unkind, I went in eyes open – it struck me that this was a great avenue for Outlander fans, so I was hopeful. Innismore (Faux Ireland) is supremely romanticized. I knew this would be tricky, and it was. My family is Irish, so this is the part I theoretically identify with, but it is so romanticized that I very nearly injure myself rolling my eyes. Which is unfair. It bugs me, but this one is totally my bias, so it gets a pass. Montaigne (Faux France) gets bigger page count than anything else, which reflects its importance in the setting pretty well. Technically, this is a good write up – we actually get some geography and a solid sense of how the nation works, as well as its driving conflict (nobility vs Peasants). There are some oddities (the rigid, simple class structure ends up sounding like “robust middle class), but it’s all there. Yet for all that, it’s a disappointing section for tonal reasons. it feels like it was written by someone who really doesn’t like Montaigne. The nobility are cartoonishly bad, and the subtext of “La Revolution is coming” is such a loud drumbeat as to overwhelm all other things. And I totally get it if that’s the story someone wants to tell, but I’m in this for Dumas, not Hugo. Setting aside tone, it means that almost nothing worth swashing a buckle over gets any real emphasis in this section. The section on Musketeers is shorter than than the section on clothing. I would really want each of these sections to be “reasons I’d be excited to play someone from here” and this one is more “Well, I guess, if you want.” T Sarmatian Commonwealth – So, this one’s interesting because I have no clear analog for it. The Commonwealth pulls from many sources including Poland, Austria-Hungary and a bit of “European” Russia. Someone with more of a grasp of Eastern European history may see something as much clearer, but I’m viewing it as something of a goulash. The Commonwealth is really nicely set up. It has a geographic and cultural divide between the two nations that compose it, and it’s just had a flashpoint moment that has converted the country to a sort of democracy by fiat, and there is a lot of questions regarding whether or not it’s sustainable. Oh, also there are devils in the woods who offer deals to the unwary. Plus Cossacks. These are good things. All in all, a fun section. Also, notably, it’s entirely unhindered by past knowledge (since this is a new addition to the setting), I could enjoy it without hesitation. Ussura (faux Russia) is backwards and magical. It’s a little weird. The land is alive and protects her people. Historically, it has driven off all attackers. They don’t even need to keep up an army, I am not sure how I feel about that – it is kind of hard to spin a narrative of how hardy the people are when it’s magic that lets them thrive. It ends up feeling less like a nation and more like a fairytale land. That’s fine – just as Eisen is the place for one type of story, Ussura is the place for another. As presented, the political conflict (over succession of the Czar) feels badly matched to the nation, but thankfully it’s also not given a lot of spotlight. Vestenmennavenjar (faux Skyrim) – used to be vikings but then realized there was more money in trade, so they’ve gone after that, but there’s still some viking-ness afoot. The Vesten are nicely set up as an influence in the world, but unless you’re interested in the viking stuff, they seem best set up to exist somewhere else. That’s not a bad thing. It improves the world, but it kind fo does so at tis own expense. Vodacce (Faux Italy) – this section is a profound contrast to the Montaigne section. Both of them begin with the premise that their nobility are a bunch of jerks, but where Montaigne just sighs and looks sad about it, Vodacce is all “Isn’t it AWESOME?”. I fully admit, the latter is more of what I’m looking for in a setting. And in this case, it’s italianate city states with constantly infighting nobility and profound, deeply rooted sexism. Given the material, the content is a little dry, but it is more than carried by the clear enthusiasm for it. It’s fairly obvious that this is a big dollop of fun being added to the stew of Thea What’s Changed Aside from the addition of the Commonwealth, a few interesting things popped out: Generally, everything feels more magical. We’ve now got 4 nations (Avalon, Vesten, Usurra & the Commonwealth) where it is expected that there are magical being walking around doing stuff. “Magic is bad” is still present, but it seems greatly downplayed. No mention of the White Plague. Curious. Giving the Inish and Highlanders places of prominence but otherwise ignoring the idea of smaller nationalities seems weird. Only passing mention of Los Vagos (Now Los Vagabundos) in the Castille section. Seemed odd, but apparently they’ve gone global. Eisen was always grim, but it seems like it’s really made the full jump to horror. Which is kind of cool. Ussura seems explicitly more magical in terms of the land protecting her people. This had been nodded to previously, but it now seems pretty much front and center. Ussura also seems a lot smaller. It also seems like the setting for a handful of Disney movies. The Vesten feel a lot less dutch, for good and ill. They seem to be wearing less black, which makes me sad. More Setting After the nations, we get into other elements of the world. We get an overview of what the Seven Seas are, what the courts of Theah are like, and what the Duelist’s Guild is (and implicitly, how duels work). There is also discussion of honor and “gentles”, which is effectively gentlemanly conduct for a world where the “man” part is not required for the “gentle” part (I love the concept, but it’s a weird word). We get a breakdown of the Vaticine Church (Faux Catholics) and some tenets of faith, very loosely sketched. We also get a sense of the Church’s power structure, how it’s broken, and why that means the Inquisition is running amok. We also get a brief overview of the Objectionists (Faux Protestants) The next section is on Knowledge and it’s a 2 page summary of where science and technology are in Theah. Nice compact, and useful stuff. After that, we finally get to hear about the frequently mentioned Pirates (and Privateers). We get a run down of the major pirate groups and where they do their business. After that, Secret Societies get a single page list and summary, then we’re onto Syrneth Ruins and Monsters. The monsters are…well, they’re monsters. Not a lot to unpack there. The Ruins section explains that the world is full of hidden ruins of a mysterious lost race with potentially magically steampunky artifacts. We get a writeup of some big ruins (under Vodacce and the capitol of Montaigne) but there’s a lot of handwavium here. What’s Changed Reis is still around, though no sign of Kheired-Din One new secret society – Močiutės Skara – lots of good works and disaster recovery. In the big mapping of things, maybe hospitallar-ish I honestly do not know if the Syrneth have changed or if the metaplot is the same. They still seem to have a place of prominence in the game, but the level of detail is sketchy at best. Chargen Step -1: Read More About Nations – We get another summary of the nations. No contradictions, but some different emphasis. More emphasis on playability, since this is nominally the “heroes from this nation are…” section, but it also feels a bit duplicative. Step 0: Pick a Concept – Pretty much guidance on thinking about your character. Practically, it includes 20 questions to help you think. They have no mechanical impact, and you’re not obliged to answer all of them, but the exercise of thinking through answers to a few of them seems like it could be quite valuable. Step 1: Traits – 5 Stats (Brawn, Wits, Resolve, Finesse, Panache). Start with a 2 in each of them, spend 2 more points as you see fit. Step 2: Pick a Nation – Each nation has two favored stats. You may take an additional +1 to one of those stats (so you can get one stat to 5 if you want, but that’s about it). Your nationality also has some impact on the cost of certain advantages. Sidebar: That puts your total ranks of traits at 13. The highest it can ever be is 15. There’s going to be a lot of advancement in other places, but traits are ultimately pretty strongly capped. Step 3: Backgrounds – Backgrounds are packages like “Cavalryman” or “Assassin”. Mechanically, they’re composed of 3 things: A Quirk that allows the player to gain Hero Points (in game currency). For the Aristocrat, for example, “Earn a Hero Point when you prove there is more to nobility than expensive clothes and attending court.” 5 skills which you get +1 apiece to (For the Aristocrat: Aim, Convince, Empathy, Ride & Scholarship). 5 points of Advantages pre-selected for you. (For the Aristocrat: Rich and Disarming Smile) You get to pick 2 backgrounds. If a skill shows up twice, you have it at a 2. Nothing is explicitly said of what happens if you have a duplicate advantage, but personally I’d offer a same-value trade in (edit: apparently that is the correct rule, I just failed to read it. thanks Longstrider!) . Notably, there are a number of nation-specific backgrounds, which work the same way, but take the nationality discounts into account. More on that when we get to advantages. The backgrounds are interesting because they are mostly critical for the Quirks. The skill & advantage component of them is trivial enough to hardly need a template. Even the nationality-specific backgrounds are a bit of sleight of hand to help privilege national gimmicks. But despite the fact that they could be disposed of, they seem like friendly guideposts, and provide copious opportunities for people to hack up their own. Always valuable to make sure that such hooks exist. Also, cynically, it’s the only way some advantages are ever going to be bought. Step 4: Skills – So at this point, you have 10 points of skillsfrom backgrounds, and now you have another 10 points to spend. The catch is that at this point, no skill can get higher than 3. That feels kind of like a screwjob, but it’s balanced by the fact that skill ranks are not a straight progression. Yes, you roll a die for each rank, but you also get special tricks (which are cumulative) at 3, 4 and 5 ranks. At 3, you can reroll one die. At 4, you build sets more efficiently (more later), and at 5 your 10s explode. The skill list itself is super straightforward. Aim, Athletics, Brawl, Convince, Empathy, Hide, Intimidate, Notice, Perform, Ride, Sailing, Scholarship, Tempt, Theft, Warfare and Weaponry. With 20 points to spend, it’s possible to cover all of them, and with a 3 point cap, you’ll probably have a decent spread. It’s worth noting that the penalty for acting unskilled is quite harsh, so there’s some value in skills at 1, but at the same time, it is more time consuming to pick up higher skill ranks in play, so decide where you want to trade off. Step 5: Advantages – Advantages cost from 1 to 5 points, with their effect scaling appropriately. In addition to the 10 points of advantages you got from your backgrounds, you have 5 more points to spend as you see fit. This is an interesting arrangement because it means that you can afford any one thing, no matter what your backgrounds. It also introduces some rough math around the 3 point mark, because it’s hard to say that a 3 pointer and a 2 pointer are really worth a 5 pointer. But such are the dangers of point buy. The advantages themselves are pretty straightforward, ranging from “Able Drinker” for one point to “Duellist Academy” for five points. There are a handful of advantages which require a particular nationality, or offer a discount for a particular nationality. Of note, each nationality has what appears to be a signature Advantage. Most of the 5 point advantages can be bought for 3 points if you are the correct nationality. “I Won’t Die Here” is normally 5 points, but is only 3 if you’re an Eisen. (This is also why in the Eisen-Only background “ Monster Hunter”, you get I Won’t Die Here and Indomitable Will, a combination which would cost 7 points for anyone else.) It’s a colorful list, but by its nature, it can only grow with time. One curiosity: There’s a “Foreign Born” background for one point, which lets you buy advantages as if you’re from the second nation. For a lot of mid-tier stuff, this is breakeven – the 1 point discount is offset by this one point cost – but it does allow for a character to have 2 signature advantages if they want or open up “locked” advantages, like Alchemist (4 points, Castillian only). What’s Changed The whole mechanical system is new enough that I’m not going to call out much, but I figured I’d answer a few questions that might be in people’s minds. Swordsman School costs 5 points. That is very expensive, but the payoff is huge. Swordsmen profoundly outclass non-swordsmen in any fight. You can buy it again for multiple schools, but the returns are drastically diminishing, and don’t stack. It tends to give just one more option. Sorcery costs 2 points, and it’s expected it will be bought multiple times. What that means depends on the specific Sorcery. No amount of points will let you start with Dracheneisen. It is now insanely rare and jealously guarded. Castillian education is no longer really a thing. Their national advantage is Spark of Genius, but it doesn’t come close. Castillians do get unique access to Alchemy, though, presumably to offset their lack of sorcery. Step 6: Arcana – The Sorte Deck is a tarot-like deck of cards with a number of Major Arcana (The Fool, The Magician and so on). Each card has a Virtue and a Hubris, and each character will also have a Virtue and a Hubris. The Virtue is some unique ability you can trigger once per session (often with a cost). The Hubris is some circumstance under which you gain Hero Points (not unlike a quirk) which you can only trigger once per session, but which the GM can offer you the opportunity to trigger as much as you both like. Curiously, you do not pick a card, but can instead cherry pick a Virtue and a Hubris. So I can choose my virtue from, say, The Fool (Wily: Activate your Virtue to escape danger from the current Scene. You cannot rescue anyone but yourself. – John Rogers and my Wife understand why) and my hubris from the Wheel (Unfortunate: You receive 2 Hero Points when you choose to fail an important Risk before rolling.). It surprised me when I realized I could cherry pick rather than be bound to a card, and that seems to complicate some Sorte (fate magic) stuff a little, but all in all I kind of like it for promoting more combinations. Step 7: Stories – The first time you make up a character, just to test out the system, there is going to be a HUGE temptation to skip this section. At first glance, it seems similar to the 20 questions early on – helpful, but not essential. Don’t Do That. Skipping this is skipping over one of the most interesting pieces of game technology in 7th Sea. Stories work like this: The player starts with a concept for their story, then writes down some goal they want their character to accomplish. The player is acting very much as the author of their story in this way, so they write down this ending as they would if they were drafting the novel. Then, from there, they reverse-engineer an outline of story beats that get to that point. It might be as short as one or two steps, or it might be a grand, epic arc, but at the end, it’s effectively a checklist of things to do. This is pretty potent stuff. The player is effectively writing the sketch of the adventure she wants and handing it to the GM. That’s pretty huge, and it’s worth noting that there’s some sweet bribery attached to this. Stories are the currency of advancement. Want a 4 points advantage? Then you need a 4 step story that culminates in a way that would make sense for you to get that advantage. To steal an example from the book: John Doe has amnesia, but is actually a prince, so his story ends with him rediscovering his identify. The steps of the story are: Return to the town where he was found, amnesiatic and lost, and investigate. Meet princess Mary and see if she recognizes me. Return to court and plead my case before the Queen Once all three steps are done, the story completes, and the character now has picked up a 3 point advantage (in this case, Rich). Now, there are qualifiers and tricks and ways to deal with things going off the rails, but its important to note that there’s a HUGE amount of player authority in this. Princess Mary may well be an NPC the player created, and the player is more or less saying all these things are true. I love this. It won’t be everyone’s bag, and that’s cool, but I LOVE it. However, there are two things that kind of go unsaid in the text that I want to call out. First, this only works well when the GM respects it. The GM has her own stories to tell too (literally – the GM has a similar tool) and there’s a lot of trust extended here. Second, this is an amazing collaborative opportunity. I cannot imagine the players creating their stories in isolation when they could create them together, borrowing elements and inspiration from each other. Honestly, I look at the folks I would play 7th Sea with, and were I to let them sit down and sketch out their own stories together, they’d build a campaign that would put anything I can think of to shame. I am SOOOOOOO excited by that prospect. More than any other thing in this game, that makes me want to sit down and play as soon as possible. Step 8: Details – At first glance this looks like it’s just bookkeeping stuff – your reputation starts at 0 unless there’s some reason it doesn’t, you speak a number of languages equal to your wits and OH BY THE WAY, this is how you join a secret society, spend money, and don’t die. Which is to say, this is a bit of a catchall bucket. They made a wonderful choice with Secret Societies that can be boiled down to this: joining a secret society is free. There is literally no reason not to be a member of some group, and the individual benefits are pretty worthwhile. The only downside is there’s no particular guidance for doing secret society-centric games (where everyone is a member of the same society). That is an obvious mode of play, but the benefits of membership scale somewhat sloppily. Wealth is handled in an abstract fashion – heroes always have enough money for the basics but spend “Wealth Points” for extras. Notably, there are skills for earning money (and later on, buying and selling cargo) so if that’s your itch, it can be scratched. We wrap up with the handling of wounds, which work the same way for anyone who has not bought specific advantages that change it. You have a wound track that’s 20 boxes long. Each wound fills in a box. Every 5th box (#5, 10, 15 & 20) represents a “dramatic wound”. Wounds clear quickly, but dramatic wounds take a little bit of extra effort, but they’re not a huge deal. As you accrue dramatic wounds, there is a curious see-saw effect. If you have 1 dramatic wound, you get a bonus die on all actions. if you have 2 dramatic wounds, villains get 2 bonus dice against you. If you have 3 dramatic wounds, your 10s explode. If you have 4 Dramatic Wounds, you’re helpless. Importantly, helpless is not dead. To make you dead requires very specific action on the GMs part that requires spending currency and acting through the hands of a Villain. Which is to say, death is not much of a threat in the game – and that’s a good thing, because that allows so many better threats. The Actual Freaking Rules Ok, the core mechanic is super simple. First, only roll when it matters. This is a rule in all games, but really they mean it here. When the dice his the table, shit happens. Be prepared. For most actions (called “risks” in the 7S lexicon), you roll a pool of d10s based on your Trait plus Skill. Simple enough. After you’ve rolled, you build sets that total up to 10 or more. Each set constitutes a “raise”, which are the currency of action. Any action you want to take requires spending a raise. For Example: I need to chase a guy through a market square. That’s probably Finesse + Athletics. I have a 2 finesse and a 3 Athletics, so I start off with 5 dice. I roll and get 8, 6, 5, 3, 1. Because I have a 3 Athletics, I can reroll one die, and I reroll that 1 and get a 5. I build my sets (8,3 and 6,5) and the other 5 is wasted. I have 2 raises to spend. Now, interestingly, there’s no “difficulty” to speak of. If I want to do a thing, and I have a raise to spend, then I do the thing. Which seems potent,because it is. But the GM also has some too use instead of difficulty: Consequences and Opportunities. Consequences are bad things that are going to happen if the hero doesn’t stop them. The simplest consequence is damage done to the character, but really they could be almost anything. It’s a bit of sleight of hand, since practically, this ends up serving as a stand in for difficulty, especially if the consequences are particularly severe. You generally need to spend raises to cancel out consequences. Opportunities are bonuses available in the scene that can be grabbed during action if there are raises available to do them. They are not required, but they offer a way for GM’s to tease the player with temptation. Sort of “You can afford to succeed free and clear, or you can take some consequences and also get the shiny thing!”. The player can also get extra dice from Flair. These rules are akin to Exalted’s stunting rules, and are bonuses you get for being cool. The first time you use a skill in a scene, you get a bonus die. If you describe your action colorfully, that’s also worth a bonus die. The bar for getting both of these is pretty low, so it should use pretty hard. For Example: Gaston has sworn to drink a bottle of wine at the top of the church in the middle of the battlefield. This is dangerous and foolish, but absolutely appropriate. Opposing enemies are shooting back and forth across the battlefield. Plus, it’s a VERY nice bottle of wine, so it would be a shame if anything were to happen to it. This sounds like Athletics plus Panache, (3 + 3), plus two for Flair. Gaston’s player rolls 10, 8,7, 5, 5, 3, 2, 2, rerolls a 2 and gets a 4. That’s 4 raises (10, 8+2, 7+3, 5+5). The potential consequences of this action are injury (4 wounds) and the loss of the wine bottle. However, there is also an opportunity – another musketeer is willing to bet on the outcome, so there’s some cash payout as well as bragging rights. So Gaston’s player can spend raises as follows: 1 raise gets Gaston to the spire of the church 1 raise keeps the bottle from being broken 1 raise prevents 1 wound. This can be spent 4 times. 1 raise allows there to be a bet on this effort, and upon return, Gaston will gain a point of wealth. Gaston opts to spend one raise to succeed, one to prevent the bottle form breaking, one to make the bet, and has only one to spend to avoid getting hurt. He’s cut by concrete shards from a near miss, but successfully drinks a toast to L’Empereur from the heart of the battlefield. This could be complicated further by Hero Points, metacurrency (like Fate Points) that players can use for all kinds of fun things like activating abilities or granting myself a d10. My favorite element about them is that if I spend one to help someone else, it grants 3d10, so there’s always big benefits in teamwork. But be warned, the GM also has a pool of Danger Points, which can be used for all kinds of dastardly things. The GM tends to start with a fixed pool of DPs, and the only way to gain them is to buy off unused raises from players, giving them hero points to gain the same number of Danger Points. It’s a clever mechanic because it theoretically lets players throttle it, but I’m not sure how it actually shakes out. Ok, so that was a simple action (or “Risk”, in the vernacular) involving one person rolling one die. There can also be group scenes where everyone throws their raises at the problem at hand, and they work roughly the same way. Where it gets interesting is when there is actual opposition, in the form of Villains and Brutes, or other complications (like monsters) that actively work against the players. Brutes are interesting because they’re ultimately a passive threat with a given rating. By default, they don’t do anything, but at the end of a round, they inflict damage on heroes equal to their rating, so there is strong incentive for heroes to whittle them down while doing other things. Villains, on the other hand, generate raises and use them to do things like damage the players or complicate the situation. Practically, this means everyone declares the kind of action they’re taking and rolls their dice at the start of the round, then starting with the person with the most raises (villains win ties, players decide amongst themselves) spend one or more raises to take an action. Once the action is taken, the new person with the most raises goes first. This is an interesting system, but one with some gotchas. The first and most critical is to notice a small rule: If you take an action that it outside the auspices of what you originally rolled, then you need to spend an extra raise. That is, suppose you started the scene by saying you are using Wits + Convince to distract the bad guy, but then when the ceiling starts to collapse, you need to dodge out of the way. Normally that would take only one raise, but since Convince is not super helpful for dodging, it will cost one extra, or two raises. There is a very well articulated example scene in the book that goes for three and a half pages and highlights both the highs and lows of the system. It’s very dynamic, but it also illustrates how far afield a scene can go to go over the course of things, especially because the fiat ability implicit in a raise spent on changing details is very broad (in fact, the GM uses it in the example to kind of crappily negate a player’s success, then drastically change the situation). Ultimately, the strength of this kind of system is that it’s very freeform and dynamic, but the downside is that it can end up feeling like an accounting exercise. There are some decent checks to keep play moving (most specifically that there is no hold action or equivalent, which would KILL THIS GAME DEAD) but it also is very clearly a situation where a particularly crappy roll could ruin a scene for a player. Ultimately, I really want to see it at the table. These concerns double down for Dramatic Sequences, which contrast action sequences because they’re spread out over time rather than beat by beat. These make sense intellectually, but I worry about sequencing all the more in that sort of environment. Game Master Rules The next section lays out the tools for the GM. First, it gives the rules for creating Brute Squads. These are super simple, mechanically, with the option of giving them one gimmick (like “assassins”, who strike first, or “Thieves” who may run off with stuff.) The Villain building system is pretty interesting. Villains have 2 stats: Strength and Influence. When they roll dice, they use a pool equal to the total of those two, and that pool can be as big as 20 for HUGE, WORLD CLASS VILLAINS. Strength is pretty constant, since it’s just a measure of badassery, but influence gets fun. It can be invested (in schemes, or in minions) in hopes of a big return, unless it is quashed by Heroes. Of especial note, villains can invest in smaller villains who can invest in smaller villains, which is to say it’s pretty much a minigame designed to create a progression of villains, which is pretty cool. Monsters might be built as Brutes or Villains, but they have an additional pool of monstrous abilities to draw upon. This section also outlines how to create GM stories, which are structurally very similar to character stories, but with rather more guidance in how they’re created. I admit, I’m less excited about these than the player ones, and I kind of wish these tools were in the earlier section, but so be it. Lastly, we have Corruption, which effectively serve as Dark Side points. Gain them by acting in a villainous fashion, and every time you gain one, there’s a risk of your character becoming an NPC. It’s kind of brute force for genre enforcement, but it seems like a solid threat. Sorcery There are several types of Sorcery, one for each nation (except Castille). You are limited to buying the sorcery of your nation. Hexenwerk is the ability to create potions and concoctions out of gross things. It pretty much confirms that I was not the only person thinking that Theah is a good match for the Witcher, since this sorcery works perfectly for monster hunters using secret knowledge to kill beasts. However, it also works well for twisted madmen looking to do terrible things, so it’s a bit double edged. One rank of sorcery teaches one major potion and two minor ones. This is the Eisen sorcery, though there doesn’t seem to be anything that mandates that it would be so. Knights of Avalon adopt (or more aptly, embody) the virtues of semi-arthurian knights, who given them access to magical tricks called Glamours based on the nature of the knight. Mechanically, Glamours are tied to traits or to Luck, and a given knight has access to 2 traits and Luck. One rank of sorcery gets one major glamour and 2 minor ones. Mother’s Touch (Dar Matushki) is Ussuran folk magic, gifts from Matushki, the personification of the land. For each rank you get one gift and one restriction. Gifts include turning into animals, commanding animals, purification, regeneration (for you would-be Rasputins) and so on, while restrictions are things like Honesty or Moderation. Fun and straighforward. Porte is the ability to rip bloody holes in the universe to pull things through, or travel. It’s gross, but stylish. One very nice touch is that heroes hurt themselves (inflict Dramatic wounds) to do powerful effects, but villains just damage the world a lot more. Very nice and playable. Sanderis is something akin to having a Nuclear Djinn in your pocket. You have made a deal with a powerful and wicked but honest being called a dievai. By the terms of the arrangement, it grants you minor powers (“favors”) at small costs which might be annoying, but are no big deal. However, it can also grant major favors, and those are serious. Like, destroy a city kind of serious. You can ask for this any time, but it will always have a cost, and the cost will be pretty terrible (and cost a point of corruption). But even more fun – the relationship between sorcerer and Dievai is a quiet war. The Sorcerer’s goal is to learn enough of the creature’s name to destroy it (each rank brings you one step closer and also grants more power), while the Dievai is working to corrupt the caster. Super fun. If anything, I’m a little sad that I’ll have to wait for the inevitable splat for support on how to run it. Sorte always seems cooler on paper than it is in practice. In theory, it’s studying the threads of fate and manipulating them to particular ends. As presented, they can mess with people’s arcana, bless and curse, and pull things. Seems a little blah. What Has Changed Hexenwerk and Sanderis are totally new (and are pretty cool). No sign or mention of the bargainers or other bargainer forms of magic Ussuran Magic has expanded too include a lot of general folk magic in addition to shapeshifting into animals. It also is now explicitly sources from Matushki. Dueling Oh, yeah, swordsman schools! This is the stuff. Most swordsmen school offer roughly the same set of benefits – the swordsman learns 6 maneuvers which he can spend a raise to use in a fight. The most basic one is Slash – normally, if you want to hurt someone, you spend one raise and inflict one wound. If you slash, you spend one raise, and inflict damage equal to your ranks in the weapon skill. All the maneuvers are similarly overwhelming, and a swordsman is going to eradicate a similarly skilled non-swordsman, simple as that. The only real limiter on the maneuvers is that you can’t use the same maneuver twice in a row, so you can’t just slash everyone to death all the time – you need to mix it up a little. Each school then offers one special move which can be used when fighting in the correct way (which is to say, using the right weapons) which either supplements the list, or upgrades one of the existing moves. For example, in the Aldana style, if fighting with a fencing blade in one hand, and the other hand empty, you can perform an additional maneuver, the Aldana Ruse, which adds you panache to the next amount of damage the target takes. The school-specific moves are fun, but not so overwhelming that you MUST pick a school based on efficacy – it is still perfectly badass if you just go with the cool one. What Has Changed As noted previously, the bulk of the value of the advantage comes from the base package. If you learn a new school (which requires a 5 step story or another 5 points) then all you get is a new special move. You can only use one school’s move per action, so even that is not a huge advantage. Because they’re shorter, there are many more schools, most of which will be a familiar from the splats. Sailing Sailing ends up feeling like a small collection of fun mini games. There’s the crew minigame, the trading minigame, the ship-battle minigame (which works like any other sequence, with just a few special options) and the ship-making minigame. For a non-pirate game, it’s largely overkill, but for a buccaneer, game, it actually seems kind of awesome. I think my favorite bit is that your ship can accrue CRPG style achievements for doing things like being captured by pirates or visiting a port in every major nation. These achievements become part of your ship’s “story” and grant concrete benefits. Silly, but fun! Secret Societies So, as noted earlier, you can join a secret society for free. This is pretty cool, and this section is where you’re going to find out a little bit more about the various societies. The general mechanic for secret societies uses a rating called “favor”. You gain favor by do things for the society, and can spend it to get resources or information from the society. There’s a default list of things that any society wants (Useful information, Helping an agent, useful secret) and things they can provide (useful information, aid, useful secrets) and the amount of favor it earns of costs. In each societies description, they add additional things this society wants or can do. Very elegant. In another clever move, you tend to earn more favor for a given thing than it would cost to get it, which encourages players to use these societies because they’re getting a bargain. As to the societies themselves: The Brotherhood of the Coast – well, they’re pirates. they’ve got a charter and some democracy, and they can do piratey things. – well, they’re pirates. they’ve got a charter and some democracy, and they can do piratey things. Die Kreutzritter – An order of knights betrayed by the church, sent on crusades to die, and know hiding in the shadows using arcane knowledge to battle monsters. Did I mention that some of them have special Dracheneisen (Dragon Iron) swords that kill the hell out of monsters? Seriously, someone besides me is trying to squeeze The Witcher into this game. – An order of knights betrayed by the church, sent on crusades to die, and know hiding in the shadows using arcane knowledge to battle monsters. Did I mention that some of them have special Dracheneisen (Dragon Iron) swords that kill the hell out of monsters? Seriously, someone besides me is trying to squeeze The Witcher into this game. Explorer’s Society – Are archaeologists in the Indiana Jones style, looking for ruins (Syrneth & otherwise). – Are archaeologists in the Indiana Jones style, looking for ruins (Syrneth & otherwise). The Invisible College – The church used to be a huge booster of science until the inquisition took over and declared it the end of history. As such, science has largely gone underground. – The church used to be a huge booster of science until the inquisition took over and declared it the end of history. As such, science has largely gone underground. Knights of the Rose & Cross – not secret at all, they’re a very public order of heroic do-gooders. Because this is swashbuckling, I am actually saying this with no irony whatsoever. – not secret at all, they’re a very public order of heroic do-gooders. Because this is swashbuckling, I am actually saying this with no irony whatsoever. Las Vagabundos – The Original El Vagabundo was a masked hero who saved the king of Castille from assassins and did the Zorro thing across Castille. Over time, the masked hero has shown up to save many heroic leaders across Theah, shading some Scarlet Pimpernel into the Zorro mix. There is more than one El Vagabundo, but how many and who they are (and who helps them) remains a well kept secret. Notably, there are 5 “real” Vagabundo masks, which are artifacts of badassery, and for 10 favor, you may don the mask. – The Original El Vagabundo was a masked hero who saved the king of Castille from assassins and did the Zorro thing across Castille. Over time, the masked hero has shown up to save many heroic leaders across Theah, shading some Scarlet Pimpernel into the Zorro mix. There is more than one El Vagabundo, but how many and who they are (and who helps them) remains a well kept secret. Notably, there are 5 “real” Vagabundo masks, which are artifacts of badassery, and for 10 favor, you may don the mask. Močiutės Skara – Which I will just call Skara because I’m a dumb American, is for all intents and purposes The Red Cross. They are, in fact, so good and reasonable they I assume their splat will reveal that they’re actually plague spreading supervillains. – Which I will just call Skara because I’m a dumb American, is for all intents and purposes The Red Cross. They are, in fact, so good and reasonable they I assume their splat will reveal that they’re actually plague spreading supervillains. Rilliscaire are Anarchists crossbred with hipster Malkavians. If Neal Stephenson wrote a 7th Sea book, his protagonist would fall in with these guys so they could explain “mimeme warfare” to him. are Anarchists crossbred with hipster Malkavians. If Neal Stephenson wrote a 7th Sea book, his protagonist would fall in with these guys so they could explain “mimeme warfare” to him. Sophia’s Daughters are a Rilliscare branch with the much more practical goal of “teach women to read, and smuggle fate witches out of Vodacce, where they’re effectively property.” They’re pretty awesome. What Has Changed Die Kreutzritter and The Daughters of Sophia both look like their original form, not their super-secret-everything-is-a-lie form, so I am hopeful. DK in particular seem cool without needing any extras now. Los Vagos, now Los Vagabundos, have gone international with an agenda of protecting heroic rulers. I must add that I am very pleased that mask is in play from the outset. Game Master So, this is the advice section. I’m feeling cautious about how to approach this because the last thing I want to do it get into a point-counterpoint with some very sincere GM advice. If you’re familiar with Wick’s other work (especially Play Dirty), then this will, if anything, feel kind of toned down. But it’s a useful read. There’s a little rule Zero/rulings not rules stuff and a brief explanation of spotlight, but the real meat starts when it offers GMs advice under the auspices of their three different roles – Author, Referee and Storyteller. The Author need to have agendas and voice, to have a sense of genres (with a nice genre breakdown that is curiously missing Romance). It also provides a dozen “dramatic situations” as plot seeds and talks about act structure, building a story and the importance of improvisation. Were I to summarize, I would say it encourages doing all the work necessary to support an entire railway network, but then remove the tracks – prepare, but do not expect. The Referee hat is where we get the big ruling, not rules rant, so there’s that. It boils the rules down to: You create a Scene. Players create Raises. Players use Raises to change the Scene. Which is accurate, for good and ill. There is then a discussion of consequences which is well worth the read. In essence, because death is not much of a threat in this game, players should feel more liberated to take risks, but GMs need to learn to create consequences without the threat of Zero HP, and it talks about how to do it. Super good stuff, and useful in any game. Similarly, a discussion of pacing is very welcome. It’s a critical topic that tends to not get enough coverage. The Storyeteller role is about techniques. The 5 questions (who, what etc,), 5 senses and the 5 voices (action, description, dialogue, exposition, thought) offers a nice trifecta of practical advice. There’s also some guidance on playing memorable NPCs After that is a nicely structured section for what to do after the game, with guidance for how to do a solid retrospective, including the familiar “What did you like most? What would you have changed?”. This is good practice, and it’s nice to see it explicitly laid out. Last is four pages on creating compelling villains, and it’s a delight. And with that, we get to the end, and the terrible, terrible index. Really, it hurts my heart. Also, there’s a chart with all the advantages and their costs, followed by a character sheet which is pretty bland, except for having a very lovely death spiral. Thoughts that did not fit anywhere else It is jarring when the book calls out something as “nope, this is explicitly not allowed”, especially when that something is awesome-but-in-conflict-with-the-setting-as-written. For example, the only way to get a Dracheneisen weapon is through Die Kreutzritter, and my response to that is a rude, wet noise. The basic math here is that two dice roughly equal one raise. One hero point, by itself, is worth one die, so most abilities that let you spend HP to generate extra raises are pretty sweet. Guns have a gimmick – if someone shoots you, in addition to whatever it does, it also inflicts a dramatic wound. That’s fairly nasty, though mostly only useful against heroes and villains. This is a John Wick joint, and it shows. A huge amount of the game could be summed up as “This will be awesome. Yes, your GM could totally screw you over, but just trust her, she won’t” and you are either comfortable with that or you’re not. Super trivial thing, but one piece of advice in the game is that if players get a cash reward, give it to them at the beginning of the next session, not the end of this one. Very good idea. Zero mention of the Bargainers, or even any vague references to them. Genuinely wondering if that element has just been removed or transformed. I was SO HAPPY there was no pistol school among the swordsman schools. That damn near destroyed 1e for me. I am a little worried about the efficacy of swordsmen over everyone else. I’m willing to see some other builds in action, but at first glance, swordsmen seem nearly overwhelmingly badass. Of course, if that does turn out to be the case, then I will shrug, and make the first one free for everyone. It utterly kills me that there is no timeline anywhere in the book. A lot of stuff has happened that gets referenced, but I have zero context for when it was or how long it lasted. There’s a weird mechanic of using the current number of raises as a countdown. It feels a little awkward and I am already thinking of situations where it’s going to be a problem. Similarly, there are a few abilities that tweak initiative order (letting you act as if you had more or fewer raises) and they make me nervous – if I was going to break the system, that looks like an excellent point to exploit. There are a number of advantages that are effectively “Spend a hero point to make something happen”. They’re VERY powerful, so it’s important to note they only work on other heroes if the other hero agrees (and also receives the hero point). There are still things to be careful about, but that removes the most obvious abuse. As a table, it will be important to decide what it means for somethign to be a story. I might say, for example, that if it could be handled offscreen, or with a single roll, that probably doesn’t qualify, but there’s an implicit statement of taste in there. Another table might allow coffee shop stories (character-centric stories with no real conflict, just conversation that explores and highlights the character). Worth making sure everyone is on the same page. So, the pacing difference between a task and a sequence really boils down to this: in a Task, you distribute your raises and move to an outcome; in a Sequence, you spend your raises one at a time because the situation may change each “round”. This makes sequences more dynamic, but it’s reliant on there being a source of competing raises (a villain). I need to test this as the table, but I feel like I want some tool to find a middle ground, so there can be dynamic scenes without a villain present. This is a very generic system at its heart (albeit a strongly opinionated one). It is tied to Theah primarily by sorcery and the specific advantages. It’s tied to swashbuckling mostly by strong authorial intent and a few rules synergies. It would not be hard to tweak this to a wide variety of games. Whether that’s a bug or a feature is probably a matter of taste. I lean towards feature – 7th Sea embraces a very broad view of swashbuckling, so it’s necessary to have a system with a lot of stretch. generic system at its heart (albeit a strongly opinionated one). It is tied to Theah primarily by sorcery and the specific advantages. It’s tied to swashbuckling mostly by strong authorial intent and a few rules synergies. It would not be hard to tweak this to a wide variety of games. Whether that’s a bug or a feature is probably a matter of taste. I lean towards feature – 7th Sea embraces a very broad view of swashbuckling, so it’s necessary to have a system with a lot of stretch. edit: I forgot to explain how rank 4 in a skill helps you build better sets. In a nutshell, you get the option of building 2 raises out of a 15 (in addition to 1 raise from a 10), which is pretty cool. And in Conclusion I am leery. I am leery of a new generation of splatbooks with crappy twists. I am leery of the too-open system of raises turning into a mechanical exercise. I am leery of Metaplot. But I am also excited. I am excited about character stories. I am excited to take the risks system for a spin. I am excited by the new map and the slightly more logical world. I am excited to kill monsters with a goddamned dracheneisen sword. Even if it all crashes and burns, I’m glad I got this game and backed the kickstarter. Like its predecessor, it’s full of great parts which I will steal liberally (the original 7th Sea provided the major inspiration for Aspects). But hopefully it won’t crash and burn. I intend to play, hopefully soon, and see what this puppy can do.

SPOKANE, Wash. - An investigation by former federal prosecutor Kris Cappel has found that Spokane Mayor David Condon, with the knowledge and counsel of City Attorney Nancy Isserlis, attempted to deliberately conceal sexual harassment claims against former Police Chief Frank Straub until after Condon's re-election. Cappel, a principal with the Seattle-based Seabold Group, was selected by Condon and City Council President Ben Stuckart last December to investigate concerns raised about the handling of sexual harassment claims made against Straub. The first version of the Seabold Group report given to KXLY Wednesday morning shows that Cappel found that Condon, along with Isserlis, city spokesperson Brian Coddington and city administrator Theresa Sanders, deliberately concealed from the City Clerk certain documents related to the sexual harassment claims leveled by former Spokane Police spokesperson Monique Cotton against Straub "with the intent and purpose of delaying the production of those records until after the Mayor's election." The reaction from City Hall leadership was mixed, ranging from disagreement by key city leaders with the report's findings to concern from the city council over interference with the preparation of the report. Condon said Wednesday he disagreed with the findings of the report, saying there was no intent to cover up Straub's troubled leadership before the election last November and that there was no evidence linking either him or Coddington to withholding from releasing files in relation to a series of public records requests. In fact, while the first copy of the report linked Condon and Coddington, along with Sanders and Isserlis, to the withholding of documents, a second version of the report removed their names from a key paragraph linking them to the documents being withheld. Sanders, meanwhile, blasted the report's conclusion she withheld information. "I am angered and troubled by the reviewer's statement that I intentionally withheld information," Sanders said in a statement Wednesday morning. "She has reached a predetermined conclusion that is inconsistent with the statements and documentation utilized in preparing her report. Throughout this process, I have been an advocate for the release of documents as quickly as possible. Any statement that I intentionally withheld documents from the public records process is absolutely false, irresponsible and contradicted by fact." City Council President Ben Stuckart responded to the release of two drafts of the report, the first identifying Condon and Coddington, along with Isserlis and Sanders, as having "violated the State of Washington's Public Records Act for political purposes," and the second which removed Condon and Coddington's names from that paragraph. "I am deeply concerned that there appears to have been interference with the report," Council President Ben Stuckart said in a written statement Wednesday morning. "From day one we've always wanted the people to know what happened, to correct systemic problems, and move forward as a city." Stuckart, during a media briefing, said the report should lead to immediate resignations with the Condon administration, including Sanders and assistant city attorney Pat Dalton, who Cappel found had also deliberately delayed the release text messages from Spokane Police Captain Dan Torok until after the election. "The Mayor and his Administration's obstruction of the release of information to the public is a clear example of why integrity matters in elections," Shar Lichty, who ran for mayor against Condon last November, said. "Voters have a right to complete and accurate information regarding candidates when deciding who to cast their vote for. This type of manipulation tears at the very fabric of our Democracy." The report also found that while Condon knew about the sexual harassment allegations raised by Cotton in the spring of 2015 that he lied to reporters during a September 22 press conference where he announced Straub's departure. During that media briefing Condon read a short statement and fielded questions from reporters, including one from an Inlander reporter who asked if there were any sexual harassment complaints made against Straub to which Condon replied "No" even though, according to the investigation, he knew that Cotton had made just such a claim in April. When he was interviewed for the investigation, however, Condon, when asked if he felt that Cotton was leveling a sexual harassment complaint against Straub, said, "She was complaining about something, yes." The claims Cotton made against Straub didn't come to light until after the election, when the city, in response to a public records request from August 2015, finally responded to that records request. The records released after the election also brought to light Straub's abusive management style, which was colored by "fear and intimidation" and punctuated with "cruel and demeaning verbal abuse [and] unpredictable emotional outbursts" against subordinates was actually well known by the city administration months before it was reported. Cappel also found that Condon misrepresented the circumstances surrounding Cotton's transfer from the police department to the Parks and Recreation Department and he did so with Isserlis' knowledge and that the city's delay in producing the documents related to the sexual harassment claims made by Cotton triggered Cappel's investigation. The investigation found that based on the information it did receive from witnesses and documents, that Cotton's sexual harassment allegations against Straub were not substantiated by the evidence and that Straub, again based on the evidence available, never engaged in conduct that was prohibited by Spokane's sexual harassment policies. The report, while coming in at more than 100 pages, was not thorough due to the limitations placed by a handful of key witnesses who refused to be interviewed and the city's unwillingness to present documents in a timely fashion. While they were requested to participate as witnesses in Cappel's investigation, Straub, Cotton, Isserlis, former Assistant City Attorney Erin Jacobson and retired Assistant Police Chief Selby Smith declined to be interviewed. Cappel conceded the decision by those witnesses who chose not to participate could have had an impact on the findings of her investigation. Additionally, a number of documents that were requested as part of the investigation were either withheld or redacted. When Condon was asked about limiting the waiver for attorney-client privilege, Condon declined those requests on the advice of his legal counsel. Furthermore, some documents requested by the investigators between March and May of this year were not received until within the last six weeks.

Syrians search for survivors amid the rubble following an airstrike in the Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo on Dec. 17, 2013. (Photo: Mohammed Al-Khatieb, AFP/Getty Images) ALEPPO, Syria — The Syrian military's dropping of "barrel explosives" on neighborhoods of Aleppo is the latest assault on rebels opposed to dictator Bashar Assad that is reducing this once thriving city to ruin and forcing some to turn to dog meat for food. Assad's air forces have been dumping barrels packed with explosives on areas where rebels refuse to give up, the fourth day in a row of airstrikes on one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and a former economic hub of Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one of the bombs exploded near the Ahmad al-Qassar school and another landed by a student dormitory. The group says more than 100 people have died in the bombardment, including children. The attacks come ahead of a U.S.-backed international peace conference scheduled for late January in Switzerland. But whether this city, settled as far back as 5,000 years ago, will survive is in doubt, say people who have remained throughout a nearly three-year civil war. A rare firsthand glimpse of Aleppo showed streets filled with concrete chunks, shattered glass, husks of cars, twisted metal, lined with buildings sliced in half by missiles. In a sign of some normalcy, a cat is curled up on asleep a chair asleep in a barber shop. But it's dead, as is the shop. Small glass bottles still line shelves, one smells of jasmine when unscrewed. Barefoot children in tattered clothes pick through the rubble between bombings. Many are disfigured with skin scores from Leishmaniasis, a disease caused by a parasite from sand fly bites. There is treatment for it, but not here. Their mothers, also barefoot and bony and suffering from diseases like typhus, walk with bowls in hand seeking water or bread from the nearby mosque or other charities. "The only option is begging for help in a mosque," says Abu Mohammed, a charity worker. When all is quiet, hawkers come out to peddle teapots, TVs, phones, light switches — activity that is far from where Aleppo has seen itself. Seated at the crossroads of two major trade routes from India and Iraq, Aleppo has always been Syria's most developed commercial and industrial city. The largest covered souq, or market, in the world is here at about 8 miles long in total. Industry was big, dominated by textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics and even alcohol. More than half of all workers in the country's manufacturing sector worked here. Aleppo was the hub of Syria's precious metals industry, producing nearly half of all manufactured gold in the country. Today, very little is being produced. Half of its 2 million people have vanished to escape the violence which not only comes from Assad but from the competing militias and Muslim jihadists who are fighting Assad's military and sometimes each other. Although rarely expressly Islamist in the past, Aleppo is now filled with foreign men who impose harsh Islamic law on neighborhoods and provinces they control. The bodies of those who have crossed them can be seen floating in the Aleppo River. The foreigners live in abandoned homes and steal from shops and warehouses to survive. Others sell copper and various materials stripped from apartment buildings and factories to buy food. Abu Mohammed used to like to wear a hoodie printed with the name of the rock band Metallica when he was working for a Western charitable group in the spring. Since then, he's grown a beard because he works for a charity linked to al-Qaeda. "We have no choice," he said. Last month, he said, al-Qaeda fighters who belong to the Sunni sect of Islam burst into al-Zarzous hospital in Aleppo and beheaded a patient who had been whispering the names of Shia clerics while under anesthesia. Later they realized it had been a mistake, and that man was actually a Sunni rebel fighting on their side. "We haven't lost only the revolution, we've lost Syria," said a prominent local activist who asked that his name not be used out of fear for his life from jihadists. Ahrar al-Sham, whose members had been jailed for years in Syria, were the first jihadists to arrive here and fight. Then came Jabhat al-Nusra, a U.S.-designated terror group with allegiance to al-Qaeda that has members from Arab nations. Also here is ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the al-Qaeda group that sent its killers to the hospital. Liwa al-Tawhid, once the largest rebel group in the city, was crushed by Syria's military as it was trying to push out competing rebel groups. All want to overthrow Assad but not for the same reasons. Native Syrian rebels want the regime deposed and democratic reforms installed. The foreign fighters seek to create a Sunni jihadist regime with Islamic law and a base for further attacks in the Arab world. Assad has taken advantage of the infighting, as in the case of the now debilitated Liwa al-Tawhid. Getting here and chronicling the conditions is dangerous. Around 30 journalists have disappeared in Aleppo since the war started in 2011, say journalism groups. Red Cross workers have been kidnapped by fighters on all sides for aiding wounded fighters on the other side. The radical Islamists here have come from Afghanistan, Chechnya and Libya as well as London and even Marseille, France. The most widely spoken language among the foreign fighters is English, not Arabic. The Islamists always decline interview requests and demand that journalists say they are not opposed to democracy. One fighter who said he was from Saudi Arabia referred journalists to his group's Facebook page for answers. In these areas, women must cover their faces in black niqabs, or veils, which was never mandatory before the war.The jihadists have established an Islamic court system to replace the secular ones that once prevailed and enforce their versions of Muslim law. While some here say the courts maintain some order, they judges are accused of going too far. This past summer a 14-year-old boy was executed for misusing the name of the Muslim prophet Mohammed, according to AFP and other media. When people are asked why they stay, most say they don't have the money to get out. A taxi ride to the nearby Turkish border is $150, an immense amount of money for people scavenging for a living in what is now a barter economy. United Nations relief funds, channeled through the Damascus government, don't reach Aleppo. And relief workers have been prevented by Syrian forces from delivering medical and food aid to the city. In October, the city's imams gave Aleppo's hungry citizens permission to eat dogs, which is normally deemed haram, or sinful. The latest air assault has overwhelmed Aleppo's medical facilities, the international aid group Doctors Without Borders warned. It said hospitals are running out of drugs and medical supplies. "Repeated attacks often lead to chaos and make it more difficult to treat the wounded, thereby increasing the number of fatalities," said Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, the group's coordinator in Syria. He blamed all sides for making life intolerable, pleading that they all comply with international humanitarian law. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/JJ09Ew

The NSWRL and Queensland Rugby League have named their Under 20s State of Origin teams to be played as the curtain-raiser at Suncorp Stadium. Queensland Under-20s (alphabetical order) Corey Allan (Brisbane Broncos) Alexander Brimson (Gold Coast Titans) Gerome Burns (Brisbane Broncos) Patrick Carrigan (Brisbane Broncos) Brodie Croft (Melbourne Storm) Mitch Dunn (NQ Cowboys) Harry Grant (Melbourne Storm) Keegan Hipgrave (Gold Coast Titans) Corey Horsburgh (NQ Cowboys) Bernard Lewis (Sydney Roosters) Keenan Palasia (Brisbane Broncos) Hiale Roycroft (NQ Cowboys) Tristan Sailor (St George Illawarra Dragons) Phillip Sami (Gold Coast Titans) Gehamat Shibasaki (Brisbane Broncos) Tom Skinner (Penrith Panthers) Jaydn Su'A (Brisbane Broncos) Apiata Noema-Matenga (Gold Coast Titans) NSW Under-20 1 Nick Meaney (Newcastle Knights) 2 Isaac Lumelume (Cronulla Sharks) 3 Jesse Ramien (Cronulla Sharks) 4 Curtis Scott (Melbourne Storm) 5 Reuben Garrick (St George Illawarra Dragons) 6 Jai Field (St George Illawarra Dragons) 7 Troy Dargan (Parramatta Eels) 8 Emre Guler (Canberra Raiders) 9 Reece Robson (St George Illawarra Dragons) 10 Blake Lawrie (St George Illawarra Dragons) 11 Cameron Murray (South Sydney Rabbitohs) 12 Jack Murchie (Canberra Raiders) 13 Nat Butcher (Sydney Roosters) 14 Victor Radley (Sydney Roosters) 15 Ray Stone (Parramatta Eels) 16 Stefano Hala (Penrith Panthers) 17 Billy Magoulias (Cronulla Sharks) 18 Jai Whitbread (Brisbane Broncos)

MONTREAL – In the campaign leading to their first election victory in 2006, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives went to great lengths to win over Quebecers. Harper answered Quebec demands by promising more money for the provinces, a greater role for Quebec on the international stage and a new era of open federalism to replace the “paternalistic” ways of previous federal governments. For their efforts, the Conservatives were rewarded with 10 Quebec seats, a breakthrough for the party but one they have never been able to build upon. This campaign, the Conservatives have dangled hardly any Quebec-specific goodies, and yet thanks to their relentless hammering on the niqab issue, they are surging in the polls here — one poll had them doubling their support in a month — and are on track to surpass their 2006 result. Back in August, Quebec’s 78 ridings were not expected to offer many surprises. The province’s 2011 flirt with the NDP appeared to have solidified into something serious, and the party enjoyed a 20-point lead in the polls. Now as the orange NDP wave recedes, both Harper and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau are trying to prove wrong the conventional wisdom that they are unloved in Quebec. With his Reform roots, Harper has been seen in Quebec as something of a Western redneck. The party has tried in the past to make the case that its small-c conservative values are in line with those of a lot of Quebecers, particularly outside greater Montreal. But this year it is a different appeal to values that has resonated. Having seen Quebec consumed in recent years by a debate over secularism — and in particular religious garments worn by Muslim women — the Conservatives knew a strong stand against the face-covering niqab would strike a chord. Party spokeswoman Catherine Loubier said the decision to oppose Zunera Ishaq’s bid to wear the niqab at a citizenship ceremony was not calculated to sway Quebec voters. “We did this because we believe that it’s at the core of Canadian values, and Canadians happen to agree with us,” she said. But after the Federal Court of Appeal ruled in the Toronto woman’s favour last month, it was Harper’s Quebec lieutenant, Denis Lebel, who announced an appeal and promised new legislation forbidding niqabs at citizenship ceremonies would be introduced during the first 100 days of a Conservative government. The steep slide in NDP support in the province coincided with the arrival of the niqab issue on the campaign trail. NDP leader Tom Mulcair’s position — he understands why many people dislike the niqab but said the courts must be respected — has done nothing to reverse the trend. Some NDP candidates broke with the party position on the niqab, while others, according to media reports, stopped going door-to-door because they were tired of having to defend the party’s niqab stance. Some polls show the NDP still ahead in Quebec. But with NDP support dropping and the party in third place nationally, Mulcair has been robbed of his clinching argument in Quebec: that his party is the one that can get rid of Harper. It is now Trudeau who can make that claim, and it is no coincidence that this week the Conservatives turned their guns on him. In a French-language Internet ad launched Wednesday, the Conservatives take aim at Trudeau’s support for a woman’s right to wear a niqab at the citizenship ceremony and say he is “totally disconnected from Quebec values.” Trudeau entered his first campaign as leader with the grudging respect in his home province for having managed to win and hold the onetime Bloc Québécois stronghold of Papineau in Montreal. But Quebecers with long memories blame his father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, for suppressing freedoms during the 1970 October crisis and for repatriating the Constitution without the approval of the Quebec government. In their eyes, the Trudeau name was a handicap. A pivotal moment for Trudeau came during the September debate on foreign policy, in which Mulcair snuck in a reference to Pierre Trudeau’s actions during the October Crisis. “Let me say this very clearly. I am incredibly proud to be Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s son,” Trudeau shot back. Many saw Mulcair’s ploy as a cheap shot at the Liberal leader, and his emotional response to the “attack” on his father won him sympathy among Quebecers. Polls show Liberal support climbing in Quebec, although it is still heavily concentrated among non-francophone voters. But a sign of how far Trudeau has come in raising his stature came Wednesday with a strong endorsement from Montreal’s La Presse. The newspaper is staunchly federalist, but it has not endorsed the Liberals since 2000. The unsigned editorial called for an end to Harper’s “destructive” and “mean” government, and said Trudeau’s leadership style makes the Liberals the best alternative. “Instead of exploiting division and prejudice, he believes in dialogue and seeks compromise,” it said. “He avoids personal attacks. He likes people and they like him back.” In conclusion, the newspaper invoked a previous Liberal leader, one more universally admired in Quebec than Trudeau’s father: “He has a bit of Laurier in him.” National Post • Email: ghamilton@nationalpost.com | Twitter: grayhamilton

Bayh's lead evaporates in Indiana Senate race Democrat Evan Bayh faces off on Oct. 18, 2016, in a debate with Republican Rep. Todd Young and Libertarian Lucy Brenton who are competing to fill Indiana's open U.S. Senate seat. (Photo: Michael Conroy, AP) Former senator Evan Bayh’s once-healthy lead in the race for his old Senate seat in Indiana has evaporated, according to a Monmouth University poll released Monday showing Bayh in a dead heat with GOP Rep. Todd Young. While the poll also showed GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump regaining strength since mid-October in Indiana, Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg has maintained his lead over Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, despite a tightening of that race. But the 5-point margin of error still leaves a lot of uncertainty about the eventual outcomes. The Senate race is closest, with 45% of respondents choosing Bayh and 45% choosing Young to replace retiring Sen. Dan Coats. Libertarian Lucy Brenton was the choice of 4%. Bayh had a 6- to 7-point lead in prior Monmouth polls taken in mid-October and August. Since Bayh's late entry into the race in July, he’s been hit by a steady stream of articles and ads critical of his post-Senate work for a Washington law and lobbying firm and for a private equity fund, including stories about the amount of time he spent job-hunting his last year in office. The super PAC helping Senate Republicans released two new ads against Bayh on Monday, the same day the campaign arm of Senate Democrats reported spending another $800,000 on ads against Young. Democrats have attacked Young for improperly taking a homestead deduction in the past and for mistakes made when accepting and reporting contributions to his 2010 House campaign, which resulted in fines by the Federal Election Commission. Negative views of both Bayh and Young have crept up in the past two weeks, with Bayh affected more than Young. The share of respondents with an unfavorable view of Bayh increased from 19% in August and 26% in mid-October to 32% in the past week. His favorability rating has dropped from 46% in August to 38% recently. Young is still not as well-known as Bayh, with 45% having no general impression of him. Among those who do, Young’s unfavorability rating has increased from 15% in August to 24% in recent days. The share of respondents who view him favorably remains at about 30%. Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute in New Jersey, said Trump’s improved showing in Indiana has contributed to the tightening of the Senate race. “Attacks on Bayh’s out-of-state activities have certainly led to this shift, but renewed strength at the top of the ticket is providing a crucial assist for Young,” Murray said. Trump’s 11-point lead over Hillary Clinton is larger than the 4-point lead he had in mid-October and matches his standing in Monmouth’s August survey. Trump improved his performance among women and college graduates in Indiana. He’s now leading among both men and women, as well as among both college graduates and Hoosiers without a four-year college degree. The poll was conducted Thursday through Sunday, amid the breaking news that the FBI discovered new emails which the agency planned to review in case they were relevant to a prior investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of State. Among respondents called after the news broke Friday, 85% said the development had no impact on their vote. “Earlier this month it looked like Clinton could potentially make a play for Indiana, but that opportunity has faded,” Murray said. “While the email news does not play a decisive role in the presidential contest, a couple of points on the margins could be having a critical impact on tight down-ballot races.” In the gubernatorial contest, Gregg’s lead over Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb narrowed since the 12-point margin in the last Monmouth poll. But Gregg still leads Holcomb 48% to 42%. Libertarian Rex Bell has 4%. The poll was conducted by telephone with 402 Indiana residents who are likely to cast ballots Nov. 8 or who have already voted. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. Here are the full results: Presidential race: Republican Donald Trump: 50% Democrat Hillary Clinton: 39% Libertarian Gary Johnson: 4% Undecided/other: 7% Senate race: Republican Todd Young: 45% Democrat Evan Bayh: 45% Libertarian Lucy Brenton: 4% Undecided/other: 5% Gubernatorial race: Republican Eric Holcomb: 42% Democrat John Gregg: 48% Libertarian Rex Bell: 4% Undecided/other: 5% Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2f5dKXQ

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. As a kid, I started making video games on the Apple II, when pixel art was called "art" and you could ctrl-c out of Odyssey to look at the code. In the '80s, spending too much time at the computer was considered bad — as brain rotting as TV and as evil as heavy metal. So in 1998 it was with great delight that I snagged a job making a launch title for the then-next-gen Dreamcast. I spent a decade making games like NBA 2K and Panzer Dragoon Orta for consoles from Dreamcast through PlayStation 3. Then I went indie and have made things like Quickhit NFL Football and Jungle Rumble, What: Tapittytap the screen to control a tribe of monkeys I love rhythm games. I have always wanted to make one. I love slapping on bongos in Donkey Konga, tapping the DS screen in Rhythm Heaven, and playing the plastic in Guitar Hero. But the follow-the-script thing irks me. They grade along a single axis of accuracy. As a designer, I like games where the player makes meaningful decisions. I like games where the player ponders tradeoffs between something quick yet weak and something slow yet strong. Why does playing with rhythm have to be one-dimensional? Why: Rhythm Control My design goal was a way to control a game with rhythm. Parroting the prewritten has been done with great style. I wanted the player to dum-ditty-dum to make something happen, and zum-zum-zum to make something else happen. I wanted every move to add a layer of craziness to the world in sync with the beat. I just had no idea what that meant. What I really wanted was an interactive music video with the player fighting like Michael Jackson in Smooth Criminal through waves of grooving enemies. I made a prototype with a constantly-running ninja jumping off platforms and walls. The platforms and walls entered jump distance in time with the beat. Jumping to the rhythm! This was frenetic. But those platforms and walls were a script by another name. I made another one where playing melodies causes things to happen. Just as in Ocarina of Time, the timing was completely forgiving. Playtesters ended up rushing through the quickest possible sequence of notes and the joy of playing a melody became impatience, due to a convoluted button-press. The prototype veered towards specific notes triggering specific actions. A sustained note which loaded energy, then a few quick notes that fired shots, then a medium note which fired thrusters long enough to turn around. It sounded somewhat musical. However, melody fought against gameplay. As I struggled to figure out game rules that would produce vaguely musical input, it became either a crappy synthesizer, stopping you from playing what you wanted, or a crappy game, hamstrung by arbitrary rules. Effortlessly wailing on a guitar takes a lot of effort. The fundamental problem persists: Music is hard. I was at a wedding when I had an inspiration. As the dance floor was packed, the DJ stopped. While everyone wondered what was happening, a band slowly walked onto the dance floor. They struck up banging hand drums, blowing horns, and freestyling on a mic. The horns would turn towards the maid of honor, who would get crazy. The drums would turn towards the mother of the groom, who would get frenzied. Then the band slowly wound their way through the crowd as people followed. I wanted to make a game like that band. The sensation of the band hyping up the crowd seemed really interesting. It brought to mind those moonwalking gangsters joining Michael Jackson's side as he fought his way through Smooth Criminal. But what would this be like? It seemed ridiculously complicated to have the player control multiple horns, bang multiple drums, all while weaving this contraption around. But maybe there was a way to radically simplify it? Maybe the rhythm could be as simple as tapping on the dashboard while listening to the radio. Just like the band turned to face somebody to make them go a little nuts, maybe the player could tap a simple rhythm to control something in the game. Just like the band built a following one hyped person at a time, perhaps the player could build a following as they controlled different characters in the game. What: Rhythmic Grammar The idea was tap a simple rhythm to control something. Okay. My first stab at this was the player tapping the arrow keys to swim dolphins around. Each dolphin had two cardinal directions floating above him, as a sort of name. The player tapped the arrow keys in a dolphin's name, then twice tapped a direction to move in, like a snippet of DDR. Four taps total, to move. A little drum machine pumped out a beat. The dolphin with up-down above it could be moved right by tapping up-down-right-right to the rhythm. This was a pleasant thing. It was satisfying to dum-ditty-dum-dum and shoot the dolphin around the sea. Maintaining the consistent beat was almost hypnotic. However it was pretty basic — just a way to move with no mechanics or anything else to think about. There was no reason to move anywhere. There were no rewards. There was no way to "win." I had made Michael Jackson's strut. But there was no moonwalk. There were no choreographed fights with kung-fu dance moves. There was no crowd of allies joining the player's side. Time to build those. Next attempt: Monkeys. The player moved monkeys from limb to limb up tall trees in the jungle. Moving successfully built "mojo." With mojo a monkey would team up with nearby monkeys and move together. It was like momentum that rewarded the player for staying on beat. Each successful movement sent an orb of mojo swirling into the world, letting the player know that they were building some sort of energy. A mistake cost mojo and broke up the team. This seemed to be an elegant way to penalize mistakes because it was both intuitive and fairly minor. So up-left monkey could move towards up-right monkey. The next move they would team up. If they moved over right-down monkey they would team up with him, and a big group of monkeys could swing through the jungle. With a team, the two-arrows-as-name thing got cumbersome. When teamed together, there was no reason to move Mr. Up-Left instead of Mr. Up-Right. Displaying multiple monkey names over a team was chaotic UI. All that mattered was the branch they were on. But what if the player could tap on the branch to move monkeys from there? What if the player could then tap on another branch to direct monkeys to there? The game really wanted to be on a touch screen. On a touch screen the player could drum on whatever they wanted to control. As a bonus, not aligning branches in cardinal directions allowed for much more organic levels. Considering the touchscreen game was drumming, I figured rewarding the player for perfect timing would be interesting. Rather than assign a grade for accuracy, the moves could be more effective with better timing. Swing further? Attack stronger? This seemed like an elegant way to reward good timing. Now the prototype was monkey music mayhem. But it lacked... the mayhem. The evil monkeys were simplistic and trivial to defeat. The timing was really lame, because it was essentially the follow-the-script mechanic but with a repetitive script. And I was pretty bummed that this tantalizing vision in my head became so mundane in execution. Maybe the problem wasn't the execution, but the goal? Music videos are amazing moments tightly choreographed together: the ultimate script. When Michael Jackson walked towards the pool table, caught the cue ball, and crushed it with his hand, it was a tightly scripted event. It didn't flow from the rules of the world. The linguistics nerd in me realized that these drumming patterns had become a sort of grammar. The rhythm is the verb. The first branch drummed on is the subject. The other branch drummed on is the object. It was a rhythmic grammar. This game had become a system that could be "talked" to with rhythm. The early prototype had been sort of hypnotizing to play. Maybe the goal shouldn't be one crazy crescendo after another, but something the player can explore and get lost in? An early monkey prototype had several enemies moving in a big circle between the player and coconut ammo. The player had to figure out to slide between moving enemies in order to maneuver through the circle to grab coconuts and take out the baddies. When playtesting, this level resonated strongly with people who liked the game. I realized we needed more of this. I built levels around intricately moving enemy patterns. There were circles to maneuver through. There were sliding rows of baddies that opened up a hole for a brief moment. There were enemies on a path guarding coconuts and enemies that seek out the player seeping through. The whole "better timing for stronger moves" wasn't working out. This isn't the grade-the-player-on-timing game. And a mistap can pull the player out of the groove. I got rid of any semblance of timing requirement. Whenever the player taps, that tap is registered on the closest beat. It still took four beats to issue a command. This feels intuitive to someone raised on Western music, and I didn't want the game to require music theory. By having things in the world move every four beats, it kept the tempo slow enough to think about how the world was swirling, but gave an intuitive time pressure to the player to provide tension. It turned one measure of game music into the equivalent of a game space in a platformer. With the new level designs, the player's instantaneous attention was occupied by drumming while their higher level reasoning was occupied by figuring out the enemies. The drumming needed to be continuously engaging so the player was compelled to keep tapping. The enemies needed to be non-trivial enough to require thought, but not so hard as to require stopping to think. When both the instant thinking and executive processing parts of the brain are consumed, the player trances out and gets sucked into the game. The Result: Jamming Jungle Jaunt We made a game controlled with rhythm. Mission accomplished? There are some flaws I'm keenly aware of that we never worked out. The first is that the player has to start drumming his verb on the first beat of the measure. Despite having the timing displayed in UI and giving every monkey a shrinking circle that closes in on their branch exactly when the time to start drumming is, this can be frustrating to people who don't intuitively get the downbeat in a 4-4 rhythm. It can also amplify the punishment of making a mistap when the player has to wait for the first beat to come around. We could start out with a straight metronome and determine the first beat by when the player taps. This would cause some trouble in the game, such as the subtle timing of when enemies move relative to the player. However the problems could be fixed and it would result in a more intuitive game. The second is that the levels boil down to a puzzle game with an optimal solution. I would have loved some randomness in the levels. Or if rhythmic skill could have influenced the score to some degree. But it would not have fit elegantly into what the game became. But problems, schmoblems. Jungle Rumble ended up being pretty engaging. We realized this at PAX East last year when, despite being in a loud, blinky con with a thousand other games, people would put headphones on, sit in the Disco Pixel booth, and play our single player rhythm game for up to an hour. The player really does drum to control a tribe of monkeys. It's a game that teaches the player a rhythmic control scheme, then throws challenges out that require that scheme. That's pretty cool. We like to think of our great art as not finished, but merely abandoned. Jungle Rumble is a weird, funky game that we are proud of making.

Mission Reports For 14 years, Spaceflight Now has been providing unrivaled coverage of U.S. space launches. Comprehensive reports and voluminous amounts of video are available in our archives. Space Shuttle Atlas | Delta | Pegasus Minotaur | Taurus | Falcon Titan NewsAlert Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest space news e-mailed direct to your desktop. Enter your e-mail address: Privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. Advertisement Space Books Russia eyes Soyuz upgrades for mission around the moon BY STEPHEN CLARK SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: June 15, 2014 Space tourism firm Space Adventures says two customers have paid deposits for a flight around the moon on a Soyuz spacecraft, but the trip requires major changes to the Russian crew capsule, a vehicle that has seen only incremental upgrades in recent decades. Photo of the moon from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA While the Virginia-based company works with Russian engineers to make the venerable Soyuz ferry craft ready for a lunar voyage, Space Adventures president Tom Shelley said last week he expects prices for tourist trips to the International Space Station to fall once U.S.-built capsules begin flying astronauts into low Earth orbit. The flight around the moon goes for $150 million per person, and a seat on a Soyuz mission to the space station is priced at $52 million, according to Shelley. Seven space tourists have flown to the space station on flights arranged by Space Adventures. British opera singer Sarah Brightman has reserved a 10-day spaceflight to the space station for late 2015 and is set to begin training in early 2015. The lunar mission would carry a crew commanded by a professional Russian cosmonaut. Two paying passengers would make for a $300 million mission. "When you put in perspective of the Apollo program and the cost of access to space in general, it's actually very affordable," Shelley said. "Well, it's good value. Let's put it that way. Maybe affordable is the wrong choice of word." Speaking to the National Space Club Florida Committee on June 10, Shelley said Soyuz contractor Energia plans to modify the spacecraft for the moon mission by changing the ship's communications and navigation systems. "We are going to have to change the heat shield because you're re-entering at a significantly higher speed" on a lunar mission, Shelley said, adding engineers are considering whether to guide the Soyuz landing capsule to a "skip re-entry" in which the spacecraft would dip into the atmosphere to dissipate speed before plunging to the surface to a parachute-assisted touchdown. The Soviet-era Zond robotic circumlunar missions, intended to pave the way for future human voyages, pioneered the skip re-entry technique in the 1960s. The Soyuz also needs a new habitation module to give the crew more living space during the week-long trip from Earth to the moon and back. File photo of a Soyuz spacecraft approaching the International Space Station. Credit: NASA "We're basically taking the same Soyuz that flies to the space station, making a few modifications to allow it go around the far aside of the moon, and adding an extra habitation module to make it more comfortable for the passengers," Shelley said. The probable flight plan calls for the moon-bound crew to fly to the space station on a Soyuz rocket and spacecraft for a few days, then undock and rendezvous with a habitation module and Block DM propulsion stage launched separately atop a Proton booster. The Block DM engine would propel the Soyuz capsule on a trajectory once around the far side of the moon and back to Earth. If the flight includes a visit to the space station, the mission's total duration will be about 17 days, according to Shelley. An unmanned lunar flight is planned before Russia launches a piloted mission, Shelley said, and the earliest opportunity for a tourist trip is late 2017. "We are exploring all possible avenues of cooperation with them, and we can do this -- circle the moon in 2017 to 2018 on Soyuz. Technically it is possible," said Vitaly Lopota, CEO of Energia, in a report by Russia's Interfax news agency. Early concepts for the Soyuz spacecraft from the 1960s included variants designed for lunar missions, but Russia never sent cosmonauts to the moon. "That would be a very aggressive schedule," Shelley told reporters June 13. "I think late 2017 or 2018 is feasible, but that's what we're figuring out at the moment -- going through all the various different design changes to meet our customer requirements and technical requirements to actually complete the mission. That's what we're doing with the Russians at the moment, and that will dicate the timeframe." Shelley said he plans to visit Moscow before the end of June for another round of meetings on the lunar mission. If there is sufficient demand, Space Adventures and Energia plan a series of lunar expeditions. Shelley described the two depositors as "independent customers" who booked their flights separately. He did not disclose the identities of the clients. File photo of a Soyuz launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls The moon mission requires technical upgrades to the Soyuz, and Shelley would not say if the passengers' payments would cover all the engineering work, or if the project needed additional financial investments from Russia. Space Adventures' captive market is in tourist flights to low Earth orbit a few hundred miles above Earth, and Shelley said the supply of seats to the International Space Station is poised to go up in the next few years. Even with the $52 million price tag per seat, tourists are paying less than NASA astronauts to get to the space station. Shelley said that is because NASA buys more training and other services than a civilian passenger needs. "As far as when it's going to get cheaper, I really don't know," Shelley said. "We've just got to focus on trying to get enough supply into the market to meet the demand that right now is out there." Space Adventures has a partnership with Boeing Co. to put tourists in its CST-100 crew capsule if NASA gives it the green light to fly to the space station. Boeing is competing against SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. for government funding under NASA's commercial crew program, an initiative aimed at developing privately-owned space taxis, and the space agency plans to decide which companies will continue to receive federal money later this summer. Since the end of the space shuttle program, NASA astronauts can only get to the space station on Russian Soyuz vehicles, taking up seats that Space Adventures once sold to tourists. With the possibility of tourist flights on Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft and future openings aboard Soyuz capsules, Shelley says the price of a tourist trip to low Earth orbit could decrease after 2017. He expects a round-trip flight on Boeing CST-100 capsule will sell for less than the $52 million quote Space Adventures has publicized for Soyuz seats. "Hopefully, if NASA can get its own astronauts up to the space station, some seats on Russian vehicles will free up, and I think then you'll start to see some movement on price," Shelley said. "But I don't want to focus on price as the limiter on the marketplace because I don't think it is at the moment." Sarah Brightman will take an empty Soyuz seat next year freed up by a planned one-year expedition on the space station by astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. Russia will still launch Soyuz spacecraft to the space sation four times during the year-long expedition to ensure the crew has lifeboats for return to Earth in case of an emergency, making a seat open for Brightman. Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

I grew up a Montreal Expos fan. It was a completely different experience following a team from a city outside of your own at that point. No MLB.tv. No MLB Extra Innings or MLB Network. Just newspaper reports the next day, box scores and a few games a year when they played in or against New York. Living in New Jersey, surrounded by Phillies fans on one side and Yankees and Mets fans on the other, with no team to call our own, there was no way I was cheering for any teams from Philadelphia or New York. Up in Montreal, however, there was a team with tri-colored caps, powder blue uniforms when they played the local teams, sharp white ones at home and stars like Tim Raines, Gary Carter and Andre Dawson. "I'm just overwhelmed. To now be recognized with Andre Dawson and all the great Washington Senators' players, I'm speechless basically..." -Gary Carter on being added to Nats Park's Ring of Honor Years later, somehow, I ended up talking to two of the three players I grew up following and idolizing. The Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals. I started writing about the relocated franchise in 2005-2006, first as a way to get myself to sit down and write every day and later more obsessively when a daily hobby turned into a sort-of profession. By the time the Nats decided to recognize the history of the franchise by adding Carter and Dawson's names to the so-called "Ring of Honor" in Nationals Park, placing their names and the Expos' logo alongside the great names from D.C.'s baseball history, I'd somehow ended up with media credentials, so I was on the field before the pregame ceremony in which their names were revealed. In the Nationals' dugout, I found myself standing, iPhone in hand, as part of a media scrum that was interviewing both Carter and Dawson. (Photo © and courtesy I. Koski) "I'm just overwhelmed," Carter said of the unexpected honor. "To now be recognized with Andre Dawson and all the great Washington Senators' players, I'm speechless basically, and that's tough for me to do, you know." "There will always be a remembrance here at Nationals Park, and I'm very honored and very proud." "For me, any time someone extends that effort and pays homage to my career, it's very gratifying...I never played here [in D.C.], but I understand the history and connection." -Andre Dawson upon being added to Nats Park's Ring of Honor It was clear that it meant something to Carter, who passed away two years later after a battle with brain cancer. "I just don't have enough words to express my feelings," he said that night, "because I'm just overwhelmed. I really had no idea that this was transpiring. I thought they were just going to honor Andre and I was going to catch the first pitch, that's all I knew, so, now that the name will be up there on that ring it's something that I'm really proud of." "The Kid" was touched by the Nationals' gesture, by their willingness to acknowledge that the franchise those like me grew up watching might be gone, but there was still a connection worth recognizing. "For me," Dawson told reporters, "any time someone extends that effort and pays homage to my career, it's very gratifying...I never played here [in D.C.], but I understand the history and connection, and I'm most grateful." (Photo © and courtesy I. Koski) "I went in [the Hall of Fame] as an Expo...and I understand what tonight is about and just want to say that I'm very grateful." Five years later, during the last homestand, the Nationals added another name with ties to the franchise's Montreal past to the Ring of Honor. Frank Robinson, who had a more direct connection to Washington, having managed the Nationals in 2005-2006 after managing the Expos from 2002-2004, had his name placed on the facade below the second deck as well, a permanent reminder of his role in the Nats' history. Robinson too was touched by the gesture, as he explained to reporters. "It's important to me because it makes me feel ...wanted a little bit," Robinson said. "Appreciated." "I'll always have a special place in my heart [for this team]," the Hall of Famer continued. Frank Robinson talks Washington Nationals Photo © Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Robinson talked about the excitement of relocating with the franchise, leaving Montreal for Washington, D.C. and helping reintroduce the national pastime to fans in the nation's capital. "I take a lot of pride in it," he said of team he led before and after the move. "The players were great...we were excited about it. It was a good situation for us coming away from Montreal although it was kind of bittersweet leaving those fans up there because those 5,000 die hard fans were great. But it was good to be coming to an exciting team and fans that were ready to support their team coming to this [city]." Many of those 5,000 die hard fans still follow the franchise today. One of them was lucky enough to meet three of his Expos idols, just by sticking with the team and writing about his love of the game. Photo © Tom Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. NERMEEN SHAIKH: Today, President-elect Donald Trump is heading to the White House to meet with President Obama, two days after his shocking victory. On Wednesday, Obama vowed to work with Trump to ensure a smooth handover of power. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy. And over the next few months, we are going to show that to the world. AMY GOODMAN: Meanwhile, Trump’s transition team has assembled a shortlist of who would make up Trump’s Cabinet. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are among those in consideration for attorney general. Christie is also being considered for homeland security secretary, as is Milwaukee Sheriff Dave Clarke. Secretary of the interior might go to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin or oil executive Forrest Lucas. Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are in the running for secretary of state. Donald Trump is also expected to quickly nominate a conservative Supreme Court justice to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Antonin Scalia. To talk more about the election of Donald Trump, we’re joined by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald, one of the founding editors of The Intercept. His most recent piece, “Democrats, Trump, and the Ongoing, Dangerous Refusal to Learn the Lesson of Brexit.” Glenn, it’s great to have you with us. Why don’t you start off by just sharing your response to what took place this week here in the United States, the election of Donald Trump and the defeat of Hillary Clinton? GLENN GREENWALD: It’s obviously a shocking outcome, in particular because the not just polling data, but all of the self-proclaimed experts in data journalism, this new field of journalism that has arisen that claims to only view politics through an empirical lens rather than through the dirty ideologies or partisan biases that everybody else is burdened with, assured everybody that it was overwhelmingly likely that Clinton would win. Every model had her at 85 to 90 percent, and yet she lost and lost pretty resoundingly, at least on the level of the Electoral College. She obviously won the popular vote, but that’s not what matters. So, there’s a shock about the fact that all of our empirical models, all of the ways that we try and predict the future, have failed. But then there’s an even greater shock over the fact that somebody who stands so far outside of the norms of our political traditions and ideologies is now the president-elect of the United States and in two months will be sitting behind that large desk in the Oval Office commanding a massive military—in fact, the most powerful and destructive military ever created in human history—as well as a gigantic nuclear arsenal that can destroy the world many times over, a vast spying machine that exists both on foreign soil but also domestically. And this huge apparatus of power that has been built up by both parties over the last 15 years is now in the hands of somebody who, by pretty much all metrics, is clearly an authoritarian without much regard for the constraints of Constitution or law. And I think what we’re seeing, in the aftermath of this, is an attempt by Democrats, who nominated a candidate, Hillary Clinton, despite knowing how weak and how vulnerable and how deeply unpopular she was across many sectors in the country, who nonetheless insisted on nominating her in the face of all sorts of empirical evidence that she would not only lose but could literally lose to anyone, that those very same people who insisted on marching behind her are now attempting to blame everyone they can find—except, of course, themselves—for this debacle. And I think that if we’re going to have any kind of constructive discussion in the aftermath of Trump’s victory, it has to include, first and foremost, a discussion about why the Democratic Party has become such a small minority party, a minority in the House, a minority in the Senate, lost control of the White House to someone like Donald Trump, is obliterated on the state and local levels. What is it about the Democratic Party that has caused huge portions of the American voting population to turn their back to it and to reject it? And I think we’re seeing Democrats scrambling around, trying to avoid that discussion by casting the blame on everybody else. And I think that will only ensure that this kind of event will continue to replicate itself in the future.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 21, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Pride Center is initiating a Survivor of Suicide Attempts support group following a reported increase of gay suicides. An increase in youth suicides was reported in the weeks that followed LDS Church’s November announcement regarding policies toward gay members and their children. “There have been reports in the LGBTQ community that people did experience crisis and more thoughts following the announcement,” said Jillian Hill, coordinator of the Utah Pride Center’s Survivor of Suicide Attempts (SOSA) support group. The policy statement released by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint late last year reaffirmed its beliefs that homosexuality is a sin, and added that: • Legal gay marriages are not recognized by the church. • Gay people in sexual relationships are considered apostates. • And children living in LGBT households will be banned from LDS Church rites such as blessings and baptism until they reach age 18, leave their parents’ homes, and renounce homosexuality. The LDS Church announcement sparked protests including a mass resignation that reportedly took more than a thousand names off the church rolls. In addition, counselor Chrysteil Hunter Bird ─ aka “a Mama Dragon” ─ reported on Facebook that she personally knew of 32 youth suicides in the first 81 days following the church announcement. Of those, 28 reportedly were in Utah, which averages 37 youth suicides annually, according to L.T. Downing, a blogger who writes on LDS issues. Hill said accurate suicide numbers are hard confirm due to family secrecy and the absence of required diagnoses by coroners, many of whom lack medical training anyway. The Utah Utah Pride Center ─ formed to empower, celebrate and provide a safe place for Utah’s gay, bisexual, transexual and queer population ─ on Monday released information on its planned adult support group with the statement below: “Following the announcement of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ policies regarding members in same-sex relationships and their children, there has been increased public concern regarding suicide rates of members of the LGBTQIA+ community,” the statement said. “The Utah Pride Center is currently recruiting participants for a new group for Survivors of Suicide Attempts. The mission of this group is to offer LGBTQIA+ suicide attempt survivors a safe, welcoming, and non-judgmental place to share their common experience of having survived a suicide attempt.” Hill said the 8-week course will cover topics including giving and receiving support, coping with thoughts of suicide, accessing resources, and creating hope. Hill said many people with suicidal thoughts fear reaching out for help since authorities may immediately hospitalized against their will. This will be the first group of its kind, she added, because it will use a curriculum just recently released by Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, and because this is the first time these materials have been used for a group exclusive to LGBTQ participants. The group will be for LGBTQ participants 18 and older who have attempted suicide either recently or in the more distant past. The support group, funded in part by the Johnson Family Foundation, will be free to participants, and will be overseen by a licensed clinical social worker, Hill said. Those interested in learning more about the group may contact Hill by calling 385-831-0872 or emailing her at [email protected] The Utah Pride Center is at 255 E. 400 South.