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Jan. 22 will be here before agencies know it. So will Feb. 6. Here’s betting that even April 16 will be here seemingly tomorrow. Those are the 45-day, 60-day and 120-day deadlines folded into the Open Government Directive, issued by the White House last month. The first, which arrives soon, is when every federal agency must identify and publish online at least three high-value datasets it plans to make available to the public. Fifteen days after that, each agency must launch an open-government Web page that is ready to be updated in a timely fashion. By April 16, each agency must unveil an open-government plan that will describe how it will improve transparency and integrate public participation and collaboration into its activities. Those are tall orders in short times, to be sure. However, most agencies haven't devised an open-government plan, decided what data is high value or figured out how to share it with the public. The directive is a sweeping mandate designed to transform the way the federal government interacts with the public, yet even its White House authors say each agency is essentially moving through this territory on its own without a road map. Agencies have few choices for figuring out how to comply with the directive. They can go it alone and create a plan that they hope makes the grade. Perhaps some will join forces or find industry partners that might guide them to a successful outcome. Or, counting on the kindness of strangers in the White House, they can rely on promised support from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, where the authors of the directive live. But even though the vagueness of the directive is a challenge, most agencies agree that it could be worse. Flexibility is better than getting strict and possibly draconian requirements that don’t account for agencies' special needs and different missions. For example, the way NASA shares images of the surface of Mars needs to be different than the way the Bureau of Transportation Statistics shares airline flight delay data. The two men behind the directive are federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra and Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra. By the Feb. 6 deadline, they are supposed to establish a dashboard on WhiteHouse.gov that will aggregate statistics and visualizations so the public can see how various agencies are doing. The goal of the dashboard is not to highlight agencies’ failures, Chopra said. It’s not unreasonable to assume that new efforts in public engagement will be an evolution of older programs. For example, the General Services Administration published 12 years' worth of Federal Advisory Committee data onto Data.gov the day after the directive was announced. David McClure, associate administrator of GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Communications, suggests that agencies take a close look at whom they serve and then provide data that will be the most valuable to people. But with the directive’s deadlines fast approaching, it’s not clear if all, much less many, agencies will be able to demonstrate the early goals of openness and transparency. After all, the memo issued by President Barack Obama that got all this whole thing rolling called for the directive to be published by late May 2009. It ended up being released Dec. 8, which shows that creating a transparent government isn’t a see-through process.

Ljubljana, 24 March - Temperatures will stay below the freezing point even during the day on Monday, except in the coastal region. The feeling of cold will be intensified by the chill of winds and it will snow in most parts of the country. The news item consists of 411 characters (without spaces) or 98 words words.

Home » BC Network » Recent Updates » Heidi MacDonald To Sing Karaoke Again. World Trembles. Have these people learned nothing? Do they actually want to raise money for charity? I only ask because the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund appears to be running a Live Rock And Roll Karaoke night during the MoCCA festival in New York. And it’s being co-hosted by comics blogger, editor and PR maestro Heidi MacDonald. You don’t understand, I’ve been there, I experienced the horrors of Heidi’s karaoke for myself. I even tried to warn you all with the YouTube video featured below. But you wouldn’t listen. You’re giving her the mike again. And she’s going to start belting out Deep Purple like there’s no tomorrow. And maybe, after she’s finished with us, there won’t be one. Do whatever you can to stop this travesty. Go to M1-5 in Tribeca from 7pm this Saturday. Pay the suggested donation. Get close to Heidi. Wait till she gets close to the microphone.

This research paper explores innovative ways brands are rethinking what’s possible with new technologies and channels. From virtual real-time events to community building, the paper discusses best-in-class examples of how brands are leveraging technology to create cutting edge content and provide customers with more immersive and interactive experiences. In stores and physical pop-ups, brands create multi-layered sensory experiences that immerse shoppers in the brand’s storytelling. Augmented reality enhances the customer experience with immersive games, while voice activations boost engagement and interact with consumers in a more immersive and intuitive way, creating an overlay of entertainment for everyday life. Using virtual reality, brands create a more personalized and immersive experience for fans, while strengthening their relationship with the brand.

Two people were killed and two others injured Monday in what authorities are calling a possible murder-suicide at an elementary school in San Bernardino, Calif. According to USA Today, Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said that two adults were dead and that two students had been wounded and taken to the hospital. District spokesperson Maria Garcia described the shooting as a domestic dispute, according to the news site, and confirmed that at least two students had been airlifted to a hospital.

Michael Novak, writing for National Review, admits that he is taken aback by some of the harsh criticisms of Pope Francis coming from American conservatives. Novak—who for decades has been the leading Catholic defender of the free-enterprise system—offers his own gentle suggestions that the current Pontiff should recall the teachings of Blessed John Paul II, especially in Centesimus Annus. At the same time, Novak expresses delight with the overall thrust of Evangelii Gaudium, acknowledging that Americans can learn a great deal from our new Pontiff. The Financial Times provides some useful background on the struggle toward transparency at the Vatican bank-- a timely piece, in light of today’s news that European banking examiners have given a positive report on the Vatican’s financial reforms. And finally, immodestly, I point to my friend Robert Royal’s kind and insightful review of When Faith Goes Viral, a collection of reports on successful initiatives in evangelization, which I had the pleasure of editing.

AUSTIN, Texas — Awkward kisses, emoji and Topanga. That's what love is all about for the cast of Undateable. Chris D’Elia, Brent Morin, Ron Funches, Rick Glassman, Bridgit Mendler, Bianca Kajlich, David Fynn took a pause from the craziness of SXSW for a little romance. Or at least to talk about romance. And to kiss. Undateable airs Tuesdays on NBC.

Perhaps more than any other age group, 8- to 12-year-olds are investigators of sorts, discovering their strengths and weaknesses and how they fit into the world. Sylvie Weil reinforces this idea in My Guardian Angel (Arthur A. Levine), which tells the story of Elvina, an 11th century Jewish girl who secretly cares for a wounded Christian Crusader despite fears of what his compatriots might be planning for her community. The Shadows of Ghadames (Delacorte), by Joëlle Stolz, is set 800 years later in Libya, yet 12-year-old Malika finds herself in a similar situation. She longs to travel and study like her father and brother do, but as a Muslim female, she isn’t allowed. When an injured man in trouble is taken into her home, however, her world broadens a bit more. A retelling of Miguel de Cervantes’ Tales of Don Quixote (Tundra) packs the title character’s deeds into 200-odd pages, just one-fifth of the original work. Barbara Nichol’s treatment, however, captures the spirit of the aging knight-errant determined to right all the wrongs—some imagined, some not—that he comes across. The adventures of the orphaned Stephen Lansbury are, on the whole, less imaginary but just as bizarre. In The Valley of Secrets (Simon & Schuster), by Charmian Hussey, young Stephen unexpectedly inherits a strange estate after an unknown great-uncle dies, and he must use the uncle’s diary about a trip through the Amazon to unravel the supernatural goings-on. The 11-year-old in Joan Givner’s Ellen Fremedon (Groundwood) sometimes wishes she were an orphan because her bratty twin siblings always seem to be getting in the way. Ellen’s biggest worry, though, is that she won’t be able to put enough interesting tidbits into the novel she’s writing—until the twins go missing after looking into an environmental threat to their community. In Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen (Knopf), it’s the cats who are disappearing. Wendelin Van Draanen’s ninth Sammy Keyes mystery has the skateboard-riding girl detective contending with an increasingly vicious school enemy while figuring out why large numbers of neighborhood felines are unaccounted for. It’s no mystery where Indigo Casson has gone: He was taken out of school for a semester to recover from mono. Indigo’s Star (Margaret K. McElderry), Hilary McKay’s sequel about the Casson family, opens with the middle schooler dreading his return to a place where he’d been relentlessly bullied. Yet aided by a new student and his precocious youngest sister, Rose (the Casson kids are all named after paint colors), Indigo learns to stand up for himself. The title character of Becoming Naomi León (Scholastic), by Pam Muñoz Ryan, must do the same after her alcoholic mother shows up (following a seven-year absence) and disrupts Naomi’s happy life with her younger brother and great-grandmother. When Naomi discovers the courage hinted at by her name, she not only reclaims her family but also expands it, establishing a relationship with her father, who had been kept from her.

There’s now an even easier way to pay your Metro Vancouver transit fare. TransLink has just launched a wearable option and it’s proving to be very successful. Neetu Garcha reports.

The studio legal affairs veteran will serve as executive vp and deputy general counsel under Wayne Levin. Lionsgate has tapped former Sony Pictures Entertainment exec Audrey Lee to negotiate M&As under key studio dealmaker Wayne Levin. Lee, as executive vp and deputy general counsel, will also tackle legal issues for Lionsgate’s SVOD channels and digital initiatives, location-based entertainment and marketing and promotions. Her hire follows Lionsgate's recently partnering with Liberty Global and Discovery Communications after the two conglomerates aligned with John Malone each purchased a 3.4 percent stake in the studio. Lee oversaw legal affairs for distribution at Sony Pictures, most recently as senior vp legal affairs. "Audrey’s corporate legal experience at the major studio level and fluency with intellectual property matters and content distribution worldwide make her a tremendous asset to the Lionsgate team," Levin, chief strategic officer and general counsel, said Thursday in a statement. "As we continue to expand our global footprint, her relationships and expertise will help facilitate our growth and evolution," he added. Besides the Liberty Global and Discovery deals, Lionsgate also recently invested around $200 million in unscripted TV producer Pilgrim Studios and in expanding digital assets. The studio is also the subject of persistent speculation around a possible merger with Starz as Lionsgate gets deeper into business with Malone. Lee joined Sony in 2001 as an associate counsel and was promoted to assistant general counsel three years later. She worked at idealab! and the law firm of Latham & Watkins before joining Sony.

Efamol Neutraceuticals in Boston, a unit of Efamol Ltd. in Guildford, England, said yesterday that it had named Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners in New York as the first agency to introduce its nutritional supplement products in the United States. Billings were estimated at $10 million. The decision came after a two-month review that had been narrowed to Kirshenbaum Bond and one other finalist, Arnold Communications in Boston.

Question: What's one company culture characteristic that you have found makes your startup employees the happiest? How do you make sure you're implementing it? "Every six weeks, we have scheduled, highly structured bi-directional reviews with every employee. The predictability and structure of these meetings make it extremely easy for employees to deliver feedback, both good and bad. This level of transparency and communication keeps employees happy and motivated." "At RTC, we have a motto as a publisher: "Don't expect your reader to change through reading your book if you haven't changed through writing it." That motto defines our core belief that continual growth is necessary for the human spirit to regularly experience joy in the workplace. As a result, our executive team strives to help our staff remove aspects of their work that do not bring them joy so that they can focus on what they love doing. By intentionally making room for them to focus on what they enjoy, they are able to grow out aspects of the business that bring them deep personal satisfaction while also serving our clients. We've developed entire new lines of business this way, as well as new positions within the company. Support their dreams, and they will grow your business." Follow Rule #2: Have Fun! "When my co-founder and I started 'ZinePak, our business plan read simply, "Make money. Have fun." As the company has grown, we've made sure not to lose sight of this mission. At the end of each day, we ask our employees if they had fun that day. Almost without fail, the answer is always "yes." We try to always remember that we're an entertainment company. We aren't changing the world. We aren't curing cancer. No one's life is at risk, so there is no need for the doom-and-gloom culture that seems so prevalent in Corporate America. From half-day Fridays to candy jars to days off for charitable activities of the employee's choice, we try to mix "fun" into everything possible to ensure that work feels as much like play as possible." "We always take time to celebrate our wins. Whether it's a new project, new teammate or new launch, we take time to recognize team and individual successes. Taking small breaks to socialize and catch up at team happy hours reenergizes the team and ultimately leads to awesome workflow and collaboration. Our internal party planning committee makes consistent plans to pull us away from our desks and into fun environments where we can take our minds off work for a bit." "I think that people are generally happiest at work when they are engaged by the work that they do. Doing the same jobs, having the same responsibilities and facing the same tasks day in and day out can get tiresome. In my company, there is a variety of work to be done, and employees are encouraged to embrace the variety. This keeps work fresh. We also support telecommuting (to the degree that we don't even have a "home" office -- all work is done "off-site") and flexible schedules. We trust our team to do their work when they can and where they can. Work variety and flexible work results in employees who are happy and productive. " "When we started, we had been told to be careful of what we share with our employees and other stakeholders. We, however, are very open and transparent communicators and did not keep anything confidential and didn't hold back any information. This allowed our early employees to not only feel like they were playing an important trusted role in making an impact on growing the company, but also allowed them to dissent and suggest better ways of accomplishing objectives. They respected the founders because they saw not just what decisions we made, but how we made them, right or wrong. And for failed experiments, we had their support and morale to pivot quickly. Each and everyone felt individual ownership for each decision and worked that much harder to succeed, because they never felt separate." "Every other Friday, someone different leads our team workout. We've played tennis and basketball, done yoga and CrossFit and even learned (barely) various martial arts. Unintentionally, we've taken risks doing new things, discussed how we're improving our lives (not just our work) and laughed a lot. The benefits of exercise combined with the additional vulnerability, camaraderie and fun has increased the happiness quotient of Team Fig. " "When people hear the words "company culture," they often think about ping pong tables or beer taps. While those sorts of perks are cool, they really don't matter unless you've created the right work environment to embrace them. You create that environment by giving people a voice. When we built our new corporate office space, it was very important to solicit opinions and ideas from our employees. Before moving into our new facility in 2011, we hosted an internal version of Pinterest where employees could put ideas and pictures that they felt should be considered for the new space and workstation setups. In the end, when you're making a decision based on democratic feedback, you need transparency. People will be invested in the outcome as long as they feel like the process is fair. " "The characteristic that I swear by is living the mission every day. Oftentimes, people join your team/company as a startup because you are doing something different or you're doing something the way no one has done it before. You cannot afford to lose that, and you have to live that everyday. For us, that is our mission. Everyone who has joined our team is in it for the mission, and we push it and live it every day, which makes our team members happy. "

On Tuesday, August 20, a US army veteran named Mark Paslawsky was killed during a battle in Ilovyask, near Donetsk, which is currently held by anti-Kiev rebels. Fighting on the side of pro-government forces, the American had sprung to prominence because of his Twitter feed (@BruceSpringnote), often sharply critical of Ukrainian politicians, and a fawning video interview with Vice News’ Simon Ostrovsky shortly before his death. The 55-year-old West Point graduate, who was also a former investment banker, mainly focused on Moscow, Kharkov and Kiev, claimed he had changed his nationality to Ukrainian to enlist in the Donbass Battalion. Paslawsky fought under the pseudonym ‘Franko’ and served in the US army until at least 1991, when he was described as a captain in a New York Times op-ed. There was a very good reason for Paslawsky’s use of a nom-de-guerre like ‘Franko’ and the social media handle ‘Bruce Springnote’ and for the soft soap in the US media. Paslawsky was not an “ordinary Joe” from New Jersey with benign family connections to Ukraine who suddenly decided to help defend the motherland, he was the nephew of the notorious Nazi Mykola Lebed – who incredibly was employed by the CIA from 1949 to possibly as late as 1991. There is no insinuation that Paslawksy also harbored fascist or anti-Semitic beliefs, but family influences surely played a significant role in the formation of his world view. Lebed began his terrorist career in 1934 when he was sentenced to death for the murder of Polish Interior Minister Bronislaw Pieracki – later commuted to life imprisonment – but he escaped in 1939. He would go on to lead the genocidal ethnic cleansing of Poles in Eastern Galicia and Volhynia (the area around Lutsk and Rivne in modern-day Ukraine). Instead of facing trial for his vicious war crimes after his fellow fascists in Germany were defeated, Lebed was spirited to America where – based in New York – he gathered information on the Soviet Union for the CIA (a scheme known as Operation Aerodynamic). Of course, sheltering Nazis was a common US practice after the war, as bizarre as it seems today, with the primary reason being their potential usefulness in the fight against the Soviet Union. The best known example is Klaus Barbie who they helped to escape to Bolivia, and later Argentina, but according to a 2009 National Archives report “Hitler’s Shadow: Nazi War Criminals, US Intelligence and the Cold War” there were dozens of similar cases. Among them was Rudolf Mildner, who was “responsible for the execution of hundreds, if not thousands, of suspected Polish resisters” and was also involved in the deportation of 8,000 Danish Jews to Auschwitz. The Americans helped Mildner to settle in Argentina. Another was Hans Scholl, a member of Einsatzgruppe B in Belarus, which was blamed for the execution of more than 45,000 people, most of them Jewish. The report goes into great detail about the hideous crimes of Paslawsky’s uncle. One man extensively quoted is Moshe Maltz, a Jew living in Sokal, a town about 85 kilometers north of Lviv: “When the Bandera gangs (a name inspired by the chief Ukrainian Nazi leader, Stepan Bandera) seize a Jew, they consider it a prize catch. The ordinary Ukrainians feel the same way… they all want to participate in the heroic (sic) act of killing a Jew. They literally slash Jews to pieces with their machetes.” Lebed trained at a Gestapo center in Zakopane. Interestingly, in 1985 the US Government Accountability Office in Washington mentioned Lebed’s name in a public report on Nazis and collaborators who settled in the States with help from US intelligence agencies. The Office of Special Investigations (OSI) in the Department of Justice began investigating Lebed that year. The CIA shielded Lebed and, as late as 1991, it dissuaded the OSI from approaching the German, Polish, and Soviet governments for war-related records about Ukrainian fascists. Lebed, Bandera’s wartime chief in Ukraine, died in 1998. He is buried in New Jersey. Leded married Sophia Hunczak, the sister of Taras Hunczak, a professor emeritus of Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he lectures in Ukrainian, Russian and European History. He also teaches at the Taras Shevchecnko University in Kiev. Despite being a child during World War II, his Ukrainian language Wikipedia entry, judging by the links and tone, an official bio, lists his service as a courier for Bandera’s forces during the war. Hunczak has written articles for Ukrainian journals whitewashing Roman Shukhevych and his Nachtigall Battalion, including some heavy duty eulogies obviously intended for internal consumption in the Ukrainian language. The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles claims that between June 30 and July 3, 1941, the Nachtgall and their German comrades kidnapped and killed 4,000 Jews in Lviv. In 2007, the pro-NATO Ukrainian government of Viktor Yushchenko issued a postage stamp commemorating Shukhevych. So how we do know Paslawsky is the nephew of Lebed after his extensive efforts to hide his true identity? His Ukrainian-language Wikipedia entry refers to him as being the nephew of Hunczak and also mentions a brother, Nestor. In the September 13, 2009, edition of the US newspaper The Ukrainian Weekly, there is a death notice forSophia Lebed(this page has been removed from the PDF copy on their website as of August 28, but copies are in circulation, one pictured above) lists all her living relatives, including her brother, Taras Hunczak, and her nephews Nestor and Markian (Mark in English) Paslawsky. While it mentions Nestor’s family, it doesn’t for Mark – he told Ostrovsky in the Vice interview that he was a single man. A second death notice for Sophia, at the Union Funeral Home in New Jersey, describes her as the “beloved wife of the late Michael (the English form of Mykola) Lebed.” Interestingly, this page was removed on August 27 after Ukrainian violinist Valentina Lisitsa questioned the US government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty about it on Twitter – it now exists as a cached version only. Somebody has been trying to hide the true story of Mark Paslawskyin recent days and western media have shown no interest in telling it. The German language has a word for coming to terms with the past: Vergangenheitsbewältigung. English has many but the US press refuses, once again, to use them.

OKLAHOMA CITY- A metro family is looking for answers after their 21-year-old daughter was found dead. Police are saying the death of Sandra Stevens appears to be a suicide, but those closest to her think someone else might be responsible. Sandra’s mother says there’s no way her daughter took her own life. She says Sandra had just finished hair school and was working at a local restaurant. “She had the most beautiful smile and a twinkle in her eye,” Sylvia Stevens said. She says her daughter was always so full of life. “You can see most of her pictures, she was always happy, she had plans for her future,” Stevens said. That future was cut short after what happened inside a northwest Oklahoma City home. About a month ago, Sandy moved in with her boyfriend of two months. On Dec. 6, police rushed to Sandy's new place to investigate a shooting. When they arrived, officers found her dead inside the home. Her boyfriend told police she killed herself with a shotgun, but her family says she never would've done that. Sandy went to her parents’ home the night before her death. Her mother says Sandra and her boyfriend were fighting. Her parents say she wanted to move back home. “She was upset, and my husband told her she needed to finish the relationship,” Stevens said. That was the last time Sylvia saw her daughter alive. Allegedly, there were a couple of people other than her boyfriend at the scene when Sandy died. When NewsChannel 4 went to speak with those alleged witnesses, they were not happy to learn about the story. “I want the truth. I want the truth,” Stevens said. Sylvia says she’ll never give up on getting her questions answered. A Facebook page dedicated to her daughter, called “Justice for Sandra Stevens,” has more than 3,000 likes. “She loved life, and she knew she was loved. I have faith with all my heart that justice will be made. Justice is going to be for Sandy, justice for Sandy,” Stevens said. Police say this is still an active investigation, adding that they have interviewed Sandy's boyfriend. The family is holding out hope that they’ll be able to piece together what really happened. They requested an autopsy, but the medical examiner’s office says it has not finished the report yet.

Junior golfers in Sri Lanka are making vast strides and improving by leaps and bounds through the efforts of Sri Lanka Golf who are conducting tournaments to keep them abreast with the game. They are exposed to competitive games every month with the support of various sponsors. The latest tournament to be organized will be the Sri Lanka Junior Match-play golf championship for the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy that will be played over four days beginning April 8. The venue will be the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) where many leading golfers in Asia began their career. This tournament is sponsored by her family business, the famous Perera and Sons Bakers Limited, which is a fitting tribute to Rukmini. She was a lady of charismatic personality who played golf and tennis at national level. This tournament will follow the lines of match-play format that pitches one player against another to decide the winner. This allows a player to gauge his skills and ability to overcome his opponent one at a time. The players will compete in four Age Categories of Gold Division (15-18 years), Silver (12–14 years), Bronze (10-11 years) and Copper for those nine years and under. Vinod Weerasinghe who won the boys division will not be there to defend his title while Taniya Balasuriya will defend her title. However, the overall winner will carry away the Rukmini Kodagoda Challenge Trophy in the boys and girls categories.

A British father and his two young children died when their car crashed on a French motorway amid fears he may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The mother and their youngest child were in hospital on Sunday night having survived the horror smash, which happened during a family holiday. The dead man was named locally as John Crompton, 31, from Hartlepool and it is understood his son Morgan, believed to be nine, and daughter Evielily, four, also died at the scene. Mr Crompton’s partner Makayla and the couple’s third child, thought to be aged two, were critically injured and airlifted to a nearby hospital. French investigators said it was possible the driver may have fallen asleep behind the wheel or was distracted by something which caused him to veer off the road. Relatives in the close knit community in north Hartlepool were too devastated to talk yesterday but neighbours spoke of their shock at the tragedy. The accident happened around 7:15 am local time on Sunday morning as the family’s Nissan car was travelling south on the A39 motorway between Dijon and Bourg-en-Bresse in the east of France. The car is believed to have gone over a railing, smashed against a wall and then landed in a crumpled heap back on the road. The three children were thrown from the car as it turned over after smashing into the wall. The roof of the car was torn off by the impact and the vehicle was left on its side in the middle of the road, with the family's belongings strewn across the motorway. Police said it was not clear what caused the vehicle to veer off the road and smash into the concrete wall of a motorway bridge but no other vehicle was involved in the collision. “The crash may have been due to the driver falling asleep at the wheel or perhaps the driver was distracted by something and veered to the right,” said senior regional official Georges Bos at the crash site. Gendarme Captain Gilles Quintaine told the Telegraph that an inquiry had been launched to determine the cause of the accident. "We don't know how long the father had been driving for, whether he had been at the wheel all night or whether he had just got on the road this morning," he said. "We are hoping that family members will be able to help us with that. We don't know what the family was doing in France but it looks like they were on holiday because their car was packed with luggage," he said. In an interview with the France3 TV channel, a member of the emergency services said two of the children were dead when they arrived and the father was trapped. Two air amublances were called to ferry the injured mother and surviving son to hospital and police closed off the motorway for several hours. The scene was so devastating that a psychologist was brought in to counsel the two dozen rescue workers who worked at the crash site. In Hartlepool, one neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "John was a big lad, he was only young. He's very much like his mum. "It's absolutely awful. I'm just in shock." Another neighbour said: "I knew that they were going away on holiday. It's just such a shock to be honest." Another added: "All I heard was that they have lost a son and a daughter. I know John worked in Italy so he might have been on his way there. "I'm just shocked. I still can't believe that it has happened to somebody we actually know." A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are providing assistance following a road traffic accident in France, in which three British nationals have sadly died and two others have been hospitalised. "We are working closely with local authorities and supporting the families at this difficult time."

The St. Francis defense had a banner afternoon Saturday in Elmhurst, leading the way to an 18-0 Suburban Christian crossover win over Immaculate Conception. The Spartans (6-2) held the Knights to 101 yards of total offense, forced 15 negative plays from scrimmage, recovered two fumbles and added a safety for good measure. "It's a great team effort on both sides of the ball," linebacker Jeff Rutkowski said. "Our blitzes off the outside were getting there, and our coverage was right today." The Spartans got on the board on their second drive of the game when Dan Beck ran for an 8-yard score on fourth-and-goal to cap a seven-play, 61-yard drive. Jack Petrando added a 21-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He finished with 156 rushing yards. "I had huge holes to run behind, but what was more impressive was our defensive effort," Petrando said. The defense highlighted its superb performance with a fourth-quarter safety when a swarm of Spartans, led by Rutkowski, stopped Knights quarterback Demetrius Carr for a loss on a sneak from his own 1-yard line. Immaculate Conception (5-3) didn't reach the red zone until the fourth quarter, long after the game was well in hand. "There's no better time to peak," said Rutkowski, alluding to the state playoffs that begin in two weeks. "We're going to make a run." Player of the game: St. Francis defense, 15 negative plays forced, 6 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, safety. Key performers: St. Francis — Jack Petrando, 156 rushing yards, TD; Jeff Rutkowski, 2 sacks; 41 rushing yards; Immaculate Conception — Demetrius Carr, 7-for-13, 77 yards.

Technological change has always posed a challenge for companies. But, as we saw once again in 2015, it has never occurred as rapidly, or on as large a scale, as today. As innovation sweeps across virtually every sector, from heavy industry to services, it is transforming the competitive landscape, with the most advanced companies—rather than the largest or most established players—coming out on top. For incumbents, the threat of displacement is very real. The average tenure of a company on the S&P 500 has fallen from 90 years in 1935 to less than 18 years today. Disruptive new players like Uber, which has upended the taxi industry, are tough competitors, often staking out market share by shifting more surplus to consumers. This is part of a broader trend of intensifying competition that, according to recent research from the McKinsey Global Institute, could reduce the global after-tax profit pool from almost 10% of global GDP today to its 1980 level of about 7.9% within a decade. The effect of technology on competition arises largely from the power of digital platforms and network effects. New digital platforms reduce marginal costs (the cost of producing additional units of a good or service) to nearly zero. Adding, say, a Google Maps user carries negligible costs, because the service relies on GPS location data that is already stored on a user’s phone. This allows Google to scale incredibly quickly, and then to leverage this scale (and the convenience of having a single platform) to move into adjacent sectors—such as music (Google Play), payment (Google Wallet), and word processing (Google Docs). In this manner, tech firms can quickly come to challenge incumbents in seemingly unrelated industries. Of course, tech firms are not the only ones innovating. A handful of leading firms in practically every industry are deploying digital technology in increasingly sophisticated ways—and seeing huge benefits. The use of sensors to monitor livestock, for example, has far-reaching implications for the food industry. But the most digitally advanced sectors show the greatest progress. Indeed, over the past 20 years, profit margins in these tech-infused sectors have grown two-three times faster, on average, than in the rest of the economy. Even within the most advanced sectors, there is a yawning gap between the top-performing companies and the rest of the pack. For example, the retail offerings of digitally advanced multinational banks far outstrip those of local credit unions. As technology transforms business models and processes, it is also changing the way employees work. Recent McKinsey research finds that already-proven technologies could automate as much as 45% of the tasks individuals are currently paid to perform. In the US alone, that is the equivalent of about $2 trillion in annual wages. The potential benefits of this transformation for companies extend far beyond cost savings, as workers gain time to pursue more valuable tasks involving critical thinking and creativity. Financial advisers can spend less time analysing financials and more time developing solutions that meet clients’ needs. Or interior decorators can shift their attention from taking measurements to devising design concepts, meeting with clients, or sourcing materials. Technology also allows companies to rethink conventional wisdom on organizational design and governance. New information-sharing technologies deliver greater transparency, making organizations more efficient and, in many cases, less hierarchical. For example, the CEOs of Apple, Inditex (a multinational clothing company) and Zappos (a large online retailer) have adopted broad spans of control (the number of subordinates directly reporting to a manager) that far exceed the traditional model of “one to four to eight". Haier, the Chinese white-goods manufacturer, reorganized its 80,000-person workforce into 2,000 independent units, each responsible for managing its own profits and losses. Since the move, its market capitalization has soared, tripling from 2011 to 2014. Moreover, digitization allows companies to operate as “platforms", not structures, and make greater use of resources outside their company. Insurance company Allstate used the crowdsourcing platform Kaggle to invite programmers to develop a new car accident injury algorithm; the eventual “winner" was 271% more accurate than its existing model. Likewise, China’s DJI became the world’s largest drone manufacturer by focusing on its products’ core technology, while giving away developer kits for free online so that others could build apps. This approach meant that DJI’s drones were equipped with attractive features far earlier than competitors’ products, which relied on in-house app development. Similar technology-driven innovations in thought processes and business models can be seen across the economy, reflected in changes in companies’ planning processes. Some have begun creating separate business plans with two-month and 20-year views, reallocating their resources more aggressively, and using new analytical techniques to identify, attract, develop and retain talent. Technological innovation enables—indeed, requires—companies to boost their agility and thus their competitiveness. That’s why CEOs’ top priorities in 2016 should be to digitize the core components of their business and rethink organizational design and governance processes. Catching this fast-moving—and rapidly growing—“digital wave" is the only way to avoid getting left behind. Dominic Barton is the global managing director of McKinsey & Company.

Residents and businessmen in the Washoe Valley, Pleasant Valley area generally see the Interstate 580 freeway extension as a mixed blessing. Once open, Nevada Department of Transportation officials say as much as 70 percent of the traffic on Highway 395 will move to the freeway, greatly reducing the traffic on the old road. Chris Jacobsen, who lives in what he described as a luxury home in Washoe Valley, agreed it will be a blessing for the residential areas along the current Highway 395 route. But Jacobsen, a consultant who advises businesses – primarily convenience stores – on where best to locate, said it will overall hurt the businesses in Washoe City. He said that applies especially to convenience stores, the gas station and businesses like the Chocolate Factory and Nevada Lynn Emporium which rely on impulse buyers seeing them and deciding to stop. He said Paul Marazzo, owner of Washoe Flats restaurant – formerly the Cattleman’s – may benefit because his is a destination rather than an impulse stop. Marazzo is counting on that. He said when the trucks and other through traffic move to the new freeway, it will also make it much easier and safer for drivers seeking a nice dinner at the restaurant he and his brother, Lynn, operate. And, as the valley develops, he said he’ll get more and more local business. At the same time, he said the freeway will make it easier for people to come to his restaurant because they’ll be able to take the freeway to Parker Ranch Road just south of the restaurant. And in the meantime, he said the freeway construction crews are excellent customers. She said traffic is the issue and she has been involved in efforts to get people to slow down through the valley. Tyson Petty, manager of Old Washoe Station, the gas station and mini-mart to the north, made similar comments. Couch and Petty both said their businesses may be hurt somewhat but neither thought the loss of traffic would put them out of business.

Harmelin Media was named media agency of record for Wawa. The agency will be responsible for various media channels including TV, radio, out-of-home, digital channels and sports sponsorships. External View Consulting Group assisted in managing the agency search process. "We are looking forward to working with Harmelin Media in continuing our growth and supporting the Wawa brand," said Lisa Wollan, head of consumer insights and brand strategy for Wawa. Wawa spent $32.2 million on measured media in 2015 and $7.9 million the first half of 2016, according to Kantar Media.

It's been three years since the filing of a suit against the FBI after agents put several Muslims on the No Fly list to retaliate against their refusal to be conscripted as a confidential informants spying on other Muslims; the FBI's illegal retaliation cost their victims their jobs, subjected them to harassment, and cut them off from visits to family overseas. The FBI and Department of Justice don't dispute the fundamentals in this case: that FBI officers placed Muslims on the No Fly list in retaliation for their refusal to cooperate (and not because they were believed to be a security risk), and that this was illegal. However, they do object to their victims ability to sue individual FBI officials for their illegal actions; the government's lawyers asked the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to find that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) immunizes corrupt officials from legal consequences of lawbreaking, limiting victims to suing agencies, rather than agents. The court disagreed. The FBI's victims' suit against the officers who wronged them can proceed to the next step. Having decided the lawsuit can continue, the Appeals Court decides it doesn't need to reach a finding on the agents' qualified immunity assertions. This will be handled on remand by the lower court, which will first have to make this decision before deciding what (if any) damages the plaintiffs are entitled to. This is far from a victory for the plaintiffs but it does open the door for similar lawsuits against federal officers for harassment and intimidation tactics deployed in hopes of turning lawful residents and visitors into government informants. Raising the possibility of a successful lawsuit above the previously-presumed zero percent should hopefully act as a minor deterrent against future abuses of power.

President, founder, and survivor Sue Weldon takes the wheel of Lily. Township officials, police officers and Unite for HER organizers pose with Lily. ENPD, members of the township and survivors met with organizers of Unite For HER, a nonprofit resource and support organization dedicated to helping women diagnosed with breast cancer. All throughout October, “Lily,” as dubbed by ENPD’s previous chief Karyl Kates, will cruise the neighborhoods and attend events collecting donations on behalf of Unite For HER. President, founder, and survivor Sue Weldon said they are ready to hit the road running with Lily and encouraged anyone who sees Lily to take a picture and give a shout out on social media.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has outlined the state's first deer management plan. The plan announced Tuesday seeks a target harvest of 200,000 whitetails. The plan is the result of a two-year effort that included meetings around Minnesota and input from a 19-member citizen advisory committee. DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr says the agency has listened, "and the plan reflects that." The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association had advocated for a yearly target harvest of 225,000 deer. The Star Tribune reports the plan calls for an annual harvest of 200,000 deer, after DNR deer biologists pushed for a target of 190,000 deer. The plan also calls for annual "deer management discussions" around Minnesota. The DNR says responding to chronic wasting disease in Minnesota's wild deer herd will be a top priority.

I previously wrote an article stating that the Texas Primary Elections will likely be split with one in March and the other in May. This is what the Texas Republican Party and the AG argued for. Not everyone likes that idea though, and there are many who want only one Primary election date, including both Democrats and a good number of Republican State Senators and Texas Congressmen. We will find out soon from the San Antonio Federal Court whether we will have two Texas Primaries (one in March and One in May) of whether ALL the Primary Elections in Texas will be pushed back to a later day, likely in May. I certainly understand some of the reasons for not wanting to have a split Primary, including the extra costs and confusion. I also completely respect the opinions of the State Senators and Congressmen who are for just one later primary date. I do have concerns that this later primary election will devastate the Texas Vote in the Presidential Primary Election. A HUGE drawback of pushing back all the primary Elections in Texas would be that it would hurt the ability of Texas to choose the next Republican Presidential Candidate in what would be the biggest election against the Democrats in the History of America. Right now, Texas is in position to have a major say in the Republican Presidential Primary election. A later primary Election would give Texas nearly no chance of having a major impact on who the Republican Presidential Candidate will be. The RNC made a rule that if certain states had their primary Elections before March 2012 and February 2012, then those state would lose HALF of their Presidential Primary Delegates. Well, most of the states that have primary elections before Texas have not complied with this rule and therefore those States will lose half of their Republican Presidential Primary Election Delegate Votes. A Candidate needs 1214 Delegates in order to have a majority of the Republican Presidential Primary Delegates and win the Republican Nomination. As it stands, at the end of February 2012, and going into the March Texas Primary Election, there will only have been 87 Republican Presidential Delegates Selected (after the penalties). Texas Has 155 Presidential Primary Delegates! With 155 Delegates, A Texas Presidential Primary Election in March could COMPLETELY alter the Republican Presidential Race with Texas getting to pick the leader. On the other hand, a Presidential Primary Election in May would give Texas very little say in the Republican Presidential Race because many more delegates will have been selected and the media will likely have already decided who the leader is by that point in time. We will find out soon from the San Antonio Federal Judges whether we will have two Texas Primaries (one in March and one in May) orwhether ALL the Primary Elections in Texas will be pushed back to a later day, likely May.

Dwight McNeil’s remarkable week got even better as he made his England Under 20 debut. After earning his first official England call up last Thursday, he scored his second senior goal last Saturday in the 2-1 defeat at home to Leicester City. The 19-year-old was then drafted in to train with the senior England squad on Tuesday, before making his Under 20 bow on Thursday. McNeil played the full 90 minutes are St George’s Park as England lost 3-1 to Poland. McNeil played the full 90 minutes of the game at St George’s Park, as the Under 20s lost 3-1 to Poland. McNeil will now due to fly out with the Under 20s to play in Portugal next Tuesday night.

VIENNA – A senior U.N. official announced progress Friday in long-stalled efforts to resume a probe of suspicions that Iran may have worked to develop nuclear arms, saying the investigation could be restarted by early next year. He acknowledged that a key IAEA request -- a visit to a site linked to suspected nuclear activity --was again denied. But he told reporters at Vienna airport that he expected IAEA experts to be allowed to go to Parchin and follow up on suspicions it might have been used as part of secret arms-related experiments once the probe is resumed. In Tehran, Iran's state TV made no mention of progress, reporting only that there was no agreement on visiting Parchin. But Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh also said a new meeting was set for Jan. 16. While Nackaerts' comments gave cause for some optimism, they were not the first instance of a senior IAEA official saying that the standoff was close to resolution. Returning from Tehran talks more than five months ago, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said the two sides had agreed on "an almost clean text", saying a breakthrough deal would be signed soon. Follow-up IAEA-Iran meetings did not yield significant results. Iran says it does not want atomic arms and has justified a nearly yearlong delay in cooperating with the IAEA's probe by saying that a framework regulating such an investigation must be agreed on first. But as talks on such an agreement have dragged on, agency officials have complained that they may be nothing more than a delaying tactic. They are particularly concerned that such delays can hurt their efforts to investigate Parchin. The IAEA suspects that Iran has conducted live tests of conventional explosives there that could be used to detonate a nuclear charge and cited satellite photos indicating a cleanup of the site, at a sprawling military base southeast of Tehran. Iran denies it is sanitizing the site, but Amano has warned that his agency's chances of a meaningful investigation there are diminishing. Nackaerts offered no details on the substance of his talks. But diplomats familiar with the negotiations have said previously that the agreement was stalled because the IAEA wanted repeated access to sites, officials or documents of interest. Instead, Tehran demanded that once such access was granted, the person, document or site be off limits to the IAEA for repeated visits, questioning of viewing. Amano's announcement of a nearly done deal in May came just days before the two sides met in Baghdad for a new round of negotiations meant to defuse tensions over Iran's nuclear program before leaving the negotiating table with little progress made. This time, Nackaerts spoke of movement on the probe as Iran and six world powers again prepare to meet. The six nations hope the talks will result in an agreement by the Islamic Republic to stop enriching uranium to a higher level that could be turned relatively quickly into the fissile core of nuclear arms. Iran denies such aspirations insisting it is enriching only to make reactor fuel and to make isotopes for medical purposes. By compromising on the IAEA probe, Iran could argue that the onus was now on the six powers to show some flexibility, temper their demands, and roll back U.S. and European sanctions that have hit Iran's critical oil exports and blacklisted the country from international banking networks. The IAEA has already visited Parchin twice -- the last time in 2005. But it did not have access then to satellite imagery then and visited buildings other than the one now pinpointed by the aerial photos.

Happy Sunday. FRONT PAGE EDITORIAL -- BIRMINGHAM NEWS, HUNTSVILLE TIMES, PRESS-REGISTER (MOBILE) -- “STAND FOR DECENCY, REJECT ROY MOORE”: “This election is a turning point for women in Alabama. A chance to make their voices heard in a state that has silenced them for too long. “During the phone call on Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Ryan, who had campaigned heavily for Mr. Johnson in 2016, posed an essential question, according to the senator: ‘What are you going to need?’ What Mr. Johnson needs … is for the bill to treat more favorably small businesses and other so-called pass-through entities -- businesses whose profits are distributed to their owners and taxed at rates for individuals. Such entities, including Mr. Johnson’s family-run plastics manufacturing business, account for more than half of the nation’s business income, and the senator says the tax bill would give an unfair advantage to larger corporations. -- IT’S WORTH NOTING: This is hardly the first time Johnson has clashed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his GOP leadership team. He also fought with them over how the Obamacare repeal process played out. He is just the first Senate Republican out of the gate opposing the bill. Just because the House GOP tax overhaul was on the fast track and didn’t face many hiccups, don’t expect the same to be true in the Senate. FOR EXAMPLE… JAKE TAPPER talks with SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-MAINE) on CNN’S “STATE OF THE UNION: TAPPER: “You said this week that Republicans made a big mistake when they changed the tax bill to include this repeal of the Affordable Care Act individual mandate because that -- removing that could raise taxes or payment -- health care payments, premiums, for millions of Americans. If that provision stays in the tax bill, will that mean a ‘no’ vote from you?” COLLINS: “Well, first of all, I think we need to distinguish between taking away insurance from people who already have it, which is what the health care bill said we considered earlier this year would have done, versus removing a fine on people who choose not to have insurance. And that’s … disproportionately 80 percent on those who make under $50,000. MORE TAX DRAMA IN THE STATES -- “In Democrat-led state capitals, GOP tax reform push could scramble fiscal plans,” by Laura Nahmias in New York, Katherine Landergan in New Jersey and Carla Marinucci in California: “The Republican tax reform push in Washington is setting off budgetary alarm bells in high-tax states like New York, California and New Jersey, in the latest political skirmish to pit national Republicans against Democratic state and big city leaders. “With Republicans intent on shrinking or repealing the state and local tax deduction, California officials are worried that the House-passed tax bill, and the emerging Senate measure, will force local governments to reduce taxes and make big cuts to schools and social services. In New York, where New York City and state revenues are heavily reliant on just a handful of wealthy tax filers, budget watchdogs fear federal tax changes could trigger the flight of those residents. And in New Jersey, plans for a new millionaire’s tax, one of incoming Gov. Phil Murphy’s biggest campaign promises, are already being reined in as the Democratic-led New Jersey Senate waits on the outcome of any federal tax plan. TROUBLE FOR FRANKEN -- A1 of the STAR TRIBUNE -- “Sidelined by scandal, Sen. Al Franken faces questions about ability to do his job,” by Jennifer Brooks and Erin Golden: “Suddenly a senator whose statewide approval rating stood at 58 percent in the last Star Tribune Minnesota Poll is facing calls to resign — even from prominent Minnesota DFLers and deeply disappointed supporters. -- TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN?: STAR LEDGER FRONT PAGE: “Why this N.J. Republican keeps voting for things that could hurt Jersey” (print headline: “MacArthur is showing affinity for risk-taking: Representative’s tax stance could hurt N.J., his future”): “In just his third term in office, Rep. Tom MacArthur is helping to shape legislation in a way lawmakers who've been here a long time can only dream of. BUT, BUT, BUT -- EMILY HOLDEN in Bonn, Germany: “The White House goaded activists at the international climate talks by pushing coal and other fossil fuels. But behind closed doors, U.S. negotiators stuck to their Obama-era principles on the 2015 Paris deal — despite President Donald Trump’s disavowal of the pact. State Department negotiators at the U.N. conference that ended Saturday hewed to the United States’ long-established positions on the details of how to carry out the Paris agreement. And that's the U.S. role that most foreign political leaders sought to highlight, despite the low expectations inspired by Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda and his dismissal of human-caused climate change as a hoax. -- TONIGHT ON “KASIE D.C.”: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, Katty Kay, Ashley Parker, Jonathan Swan, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Ken Dilanian, Paul Kane, Paul Singer, Gen. Barry McCaffrey and Azmat Khan. GREAT STORY -- SCOTT BROWN IN NEW ZEALAND -- “Scott Brown’s pay is $155,000 per year. The benefits are priceless,” by the Boston Globe’s Joshua Miller in Wellington, New Zealand: “Of the waves that followed from Donald Trump’s 2016 tsunami, Brown’s ascension from the everyman-with-a-pickup who lost two U.S. Senate races in two years in two states to US ambassador to New Zealand ranks among the most unlikely. And, for him, the most fortunate. “The island nation is a paradisiacal land of jade hills dotted with grazing sheep, golden-sand beaches surrounded by Jurassic Park-like jungles, snow-capped peaks that rise steeply from azure fjords, and pastoral villages serving gourmet meals and world-class wine. 2020 WATCH -- “Don’t trust politicians to solve our problems, U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse tells Iowa crowd,” by the Des Moines Register’s Jason Noble: “Don’t look to politics to solve the pressing problems in American culture or address looming technological and economic changes that will rearrange American society, U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse told an Iowa audience Saturday. Politicians, he said, simply aren’t up to the task. SPOTTED: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) at the Elton John concert in Bangor, Maine, last night. “She seemed to particularly enjoy his rendition of ‘Daniel,’” per our tipster. --SPOTTED: Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash cutting the challah, Spencer Garrett, David Chalian, Alex Moe and Derek Flowers, Joy Lin, Juana Summers, John Legittino, Lauren Pratapas, Polson Kanneth and Sandhya Kotha, Ben Kochman, Rob Yoon, Katie Hinman, Sean and Ashley Kennedy. OUT AND ABOUT -- SPOTTED at the So Others Might Eat Gala Saturday night at the National Building Museum: Tom Donohue, Suzanne Clark, Bill Conway, Jack Gerard, Matthew Say, Jim McCarthy, Wayne Berman and the winners of this year’s Humanitarians of the Year award, Jane and Steve Caldeira of the Consumer Specialty Products Association. -- SPOTTED at the “Wonder Woman”-themed birthday party for BBC’s Suzanne Kianpour at Lapis Saturday night: Andrew Rafferty, Neil Grace, Molly Weaver, Walt Cronkite Jr., Lauren French, Paul Kane, Lauren Culbertson, Anastasia Dellaccio, Nikki Schwab, Brendan Kownacki, Sophie Pyle, Chris Brown, Lindsay Walters, Sean Weppner and Richard Strauss. -- Bert Gomez threw a party celebrating wife Susie Santana’s birthday Saturday night on the W hotel rooftop where guests salsa danced till midnight and were treated to cupcakes and the “Susie Q” specialty cocktail, according to a tipster. SPOTTED: Estuardo Rodriguez, Lyndon Boozer, Maria Cardona, Angela Arboleda, Laurie Saroff, Cristina Antelo and Miguel Franco. ... Brad Bauman … Jason Dumont … John Axelrod, MSNBC alum now at BerlinRosen, is 26 ... Lauren McCulloch of “Meet the Press” ... Obama DOJ alum Dena Iverson DeBonis … Chris Harlow ... Eric Finkbeiner ... Mike Deutsch, FAA attorney … Matt Allen ... Beth Mickelberg … Lynne Walton ... Patrick K. O’Donnell ... Andrew Sollinger, EVP of subscriptions at Business Insider... Cait Graf, VP of comms at The Nation ... Ivan Levingston ... Alexander Heffner is 28 ... Ellen Silva of NPR ... Shelley Hearne (h/ts Jon Haber) … Charlie Siguler ... Geoff Sokolowski ... Neil Bjorkman, VP of legislative affairs at the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum … Hannah McLeod … Michael Reynold … Amber Manko … Bush 43 W.H. alum Ivvete Diaz ... Bush 43 HHS alum Mary Kay Mantho, now director at GSK ... Ivette Diaz ... Shannon Vilmain ... Barb Leach ... Julie Cassidy … David O’Boyle ... Ricky Wilson.

Under intense pressure to improve conditions in the jail complex on Rikers Island, the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio has developed a plan to move 16- and 17-year-olds to a dedicated jail for youths in the Bronx. The cost to carry out the plan is expected to be about $300 million, officials said. The plan calls for the city to reconfigure the Horizon Juvenile Center, which is currently used to hold 14- and 15-year olds, to house the 16- and 17-year olds who are typically sent to Rikers. A 2015 settlement with the Department of Justice on reform at Rikers called on the city to seek an alternative location to house inmates under 18, although it stopped short of requiring it. New York is the only state other than North Carolina that prosecutes all children 16 and older as adults if they are accused of a crime. In New York City, they are likely to wind up at Rikers, a notoriously brutal lockup. There are currently about 200 inmates who are 16 or 17 at Rikers, down from about 330 in 2013. The city and many advocates have urged state lawmakers to pass a law that would treat those under the age of 18 as juveniles, but the proposal has gone nowhere in Albany. The new plan to move 16- and 17-year-olds from Rikers must overcome several hurdles. It has to be approved through the city’s time-consuming land use process: The local community board and the Bronx borough president get to weigh in and it must be approved by the City Planning Commission and the City Council. But the change will not happen any time soon; officials said it could take four years or more to get approvals and to complete construction. The plan also calls for the city to remodel another juvenile detention site, the Crossroads Juvenile Center in Bushwick, Brooklyn, to hold all of the city’s 14- and 15-year-old detainees, including those who had previously gone to Horizon. The cost of refurbishing the Bronx center is budgeted at $170 million. The cost of remodeling the Brooklyn center is budgeted at $129 million. Advocates supported the move but lamented the long delay before the new center will be ready, assuming that it survives the land-use review process. “For us this is a marathon, not a sprint.” he said. More than 95 percent of the 16- and 17-year-olds at Rikers are awaiting trial. More than a third have been charged with robbery and about one in 10 have been charged with assault, according to data provided by the city. Increased attention was focused on the plight of younger teenagers at Rikers in 2014 after The New Yorker published an article about Kalief Browder, who was sent there at 16, accused of stealing a backpack. He never stood trial or was found guilty of any crime but he spent three years at Rikers, nearly two of them in solitary confinement. He told of being beaten repeatedly by guards and other inmates and trying several times to kill himself while in custody. After his release he remained deeply troubled by the experience and he committed suicide last year at age 22. The city ended solitary confinement for Rikers inmates under 18 in December 2014.

Unprecedented back-to-back annual coral bleaching events have affected two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef, with this year's event already leading to mortality of half the corals in some key tourist tracts, scientists say. Record-breaking warm waters along the Queensland coast has triggered widespread bleaching over 1500 kilometres of the World-Heritage-listed reef over the two summers, said Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. Professor Hughes and his team completed aerial surveys last Wednesday after scoring about 800 separate reefs. The 8000km journey closely followed the path of the 2016 survey that found the northern regions of the Great Barrier Reef most affected. "It's been a huge blow to the reef after last year the northern third was hit and now this year's it's the middle third," Professor Hughes said. Corals bleach when temperatures exceed tolerance levels for too long, prompting them to expel the algae that supply most of their energy and the brilliant colours. Not all bleached corals die but as much as two-thirds of north corals have succumbed. "The mortality in the central region will continue to unfold over coming months," Professor Hughes said. "We've already seen substantial mortality, up to 50 per cent on some central reefs in the past six weeks." Bleaching has returned even to some of the regions hard hit last year, such as Cape York's Princess Charlotte Bay. Some 30 reefs in the north had no score as they "effectively have ceased to exist at least in the shallow sections as coral reefs", said James Kerry, a marine biologist from James Cook University who also took part in the survey. While this year's event is not expected to result in as much coral mortality as in 2016, there are worrying signs corals bleached at lower temperatures than a year earlier. That result may point to more bleaching next summer if conditions are again relatively warm. "It seemed like the bleaching happened more quickly this year, which may suggest they are in a weakened, more stressed state following last year's event," Dr Kerry said. Mark Read, manager of operations support at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, said "2017 has shaped up to be a pretty nasty year when it comes to coral bleaching". "The corals didn't get any respite at all," Dr Read said. Bleaching, though, was patchy. The authority was already in talks with tour operators to redirect visitors to "refugia" where they can still enjoy "a high-quality experience", he said. Such areas are likely to be harder to find in the Whitsunday region near Mackay where Cyclone Debbie carved a swathe about 100km wide through the reefs. "The one area that was actually doing pretty good was the one that bore the brunt of the category 4 cyclone," Dr Read said. "A lot of those massive corals are now lying on the beach in those locations. They've simply been snapped and rolled up onto the beach." Temperatures are showing signs of easing back to more typical levels for this time of year, such as the Davies Reef off Townsville. But the area had been remarkably warm even in a non-El Nino year, such as during the previous 2015-16 summer. In March, for instance, large areas of Queensland reported their hottest mean temperatures on record. These included the coastal region of the state's north adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef. Professor Hughes said some corals may regain their colour in the next three to six months, but it would take longer to see if they recovered their reproductive health and began a fuller recovery. The faster growing branch corals and some other rapidly growing "weedy" species of corals could rebuild the reefs but the process would take years or even a decade. The loss of boulder corals would take much longer to recover from the bleaching. Rising temperatures from global warming means the corals are likely to enjoy ever shorter stints between mass bleaching events, the scientists said. "It's highly unlikely we'll have a period of calm for 10 or 20 years that will allow these reefs to re-establish to the point that they might be recognisable as they were," Dr Kerry said. Dr Kerry said he was surprised the severity of the bleaching had not provoked more of a public response: "I don't really know what else the reef needs to do to signify that it's in serious trouble."

Editor’s Note: A few weeks ago, we ran a provocative piece by Stephen Watts and Sean Mann in which they argued that in both its politics and in its development, Afghanistan is doing better than is commonly believed. Gary Owen, a civilian development worker who has spent the last several years working on the ground in Afghanistan, begs to differ. He paints a far gloomier picture of Afghanistan, arguing that the country and U.S. policy have a long way to go. Many Americans are surprisingly bullish on Afghanistan, and this perspective showed up in a July Lawfare post on “Afghanistan After the Drawdown” by RAND analysts Stephen Watts and Sean Mann. Although the two authors offer some valid points, they miss many of the country’s problems and, in so doing, are wrongly optimistic about where Afghanistan is going. After a decade and more of U.S. intervention, it can be difficult to pin down how things are going in Afghanistan. By some measures, things in Afghanistan are better: There are more children in school than there were under the Taliban, more Afghans have access to basic healthcare than before the 2001 invasion, and Internet access means more connections to the outside world than was ever possible during the time of the black turbans. Watts and Mann cite those cases as reasons to be optimistic about the country, and rightly so. Where they go wrong is in three key areas: relations with Pakistan, the current government as a symbol of Afghan unity, and the abilities of Afghan security forces. Pakistan’s got plenty to worry about when it comes to sanctuaries within its own borders, a grim point made by last year’s school shooting in Peshawar. And recent revelations that Mullah Omar died in Pakistan, and his whereabouts were known to the ISI for years, don’t paint a picture of Afghanistan being used as a base to launch operations against Pakistan. Instead it speaks to Pakistan’s harboring of the Taliban with the government’s knowledge, something Islamabad is scrambling to correct as they look ahead to peace talks with the Taliban. Or it’s just a case of Afghanistan following the American lead. In the fall of 2014, after another runoff election threatened to bring the country’s democratic future to a grinding halt, Secretary of State John Kerry addressed a group made up of Abdullah’s leadership team. According to an administration official, Kerry told the group, “I have to emphasize to you that if you do not have an agreement, if you do not move to a unity government, the United States will not be able to support Afghanistan.” Aimed squarely at those who supported Abdullah to the point that they might take up arms in his name, Kerry’s statement was an offer neither Ghani nor Abdullah could possibly refuse. The current government isn’t a triumph of consensus so much as it is a case study in diplomatic extortion, and its survival is doubtful if the Americans stick with the current timeline for complete withdrawal by the end of 2016. The current government isn’t a triumph of consensus so much as it is a case study in diplomatic extortion, and its survival is doubtful if the Americans stick with the current timeline for complete withdrawal by the end of 2016. Thanks to advances by the Taliban in Faryab and Kunduz, influential politicians like Rashid Dostum (currently Ghani’s vice president) and Atta Noor (the powerful governor of Balkh province) have been pretty vocal in their thinking that Afghan forces alone can’t get the job done; that to tip the balance means more troops from somewhere—either the Americans (not out of the question completely, but unlikely), or some kind of militia. Since today’s anti-Taliban militia could be tomorrow’s coup attempt, it lays some troubling groundwork for widening existing divides in the country that the United States had hoped the Ghani/Abdullah deal would help bridge. Unless they can manage to bring the security situation that’s deteriorating faster than Iggy Azalea’s career back under control, Afghan troops could have some new bosses very soon. Their current performance doesn’t inspire much hope. Actually, it’s pretty clear how those forces will perform. In a word? Badly. Since the Afghans assumed control of the country’s security in 2014, more civilians have been killed, more soldiers have died, more Afghan troops have deserted than ever before, and security forces are still torturing one-third of their detainees. This is the force Watts and Mann describe as “passably capable” and “resilient.” If by “passably capable” they mean “doesn’t torture too many people,” then sure, I suppose they are “passably capable,” but I think we might want to aim just a bit higher. According to the Americans, civilian casualties as a result of ground engagements between the Afghans and insurgents were up eight percent for the first three months of 2015 when compared to the same period in 2014. In June, Afghan Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qadam Shah Shaheem told his troops that using artillery and conducting night raids against the insurgents was just fine, and no one would be prosecuted as a result. Since most engagements occur among the population when one is countering an insurgency, this change in the rules of engagement means more innocent civilians are going to die as the result of actions by Afghan security forces. That’s borne out by the latest report on civilian casualties from UNAMA, which found that throughout the first half of 2015, Afghan forces caused more civilian casualties than the Taliban did. And when they’re not busy leveling villages, Afghan forces are dying in record numbers. Throughout the first five months of 2015, security forces casualties were up 70 percent from the same period in 2014. Some of that’s attributable to increasing activity by the insurgents, but a “capable” force doesn’t see that kind of casualty increase unless its capabilities are less than optimal. Even so, the biggest cause of attrition for Afghan troops isn’t being killed in action (KIA). According to a June report by the Americans to Congress, the largest source for attrition is “dropped from rolls” (wherein a soldier stops showing up for work for more than a month so he’s no longer counted), and KIA is the smallest source for Afghan force attrition. But when they do manage to not die and to show up for work, Afghan forces like to spend some quality time with their detainees. A February report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) found that while torture is on the decrease, around 35 percent of all detainees surveyed reported being tortured in detention. Much of that alleged torture was at the hands of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), which is similar to the FBI, except that the FBI has better windbreakers and isn’t prone to hooking people up to car batteries unnecessarily. That probably explains why the Americans made it clear in June that no U.S. funds were going to the NDS, even though nearly every other aspect of Afghan defense operations comes directly from American coffers and internal defense is vital for the success of the counterinsurgency. In an alternate-reality Afghanistan, civilians aren’t dying in greater numbers, the government isn’t on the verge of collapse, and the return on foreign investment is staggering. The Afghans would love it—because that’s the country the Americans promised them. An American solution to Afghanistan’s problems faces the struggles of a dwindling security force to keep the Taliban at bay as they strike from sanctuaries in Pakistan, a government on the verge of collapse, and large numbers of civilians being victimized by their own government. And that’s without the growing threat of the Islamic State. In an alternate-reality Afghanistan, civilians aren’t dying in greater numbers, the government isn’t on the verge of collapse, and the return on foreign investment is staggering. The Afghans would love it—because that’s the country the Americans promised them. The reality is that that Afghanistan’s future, while grim, is still better than it was. There is cause for cautious optimism. That does not mean that we shouldn’t be painfully honest about what’s happening in Afghanistan. Given the sacrifices made since 9/11, it’s tempting to do otherwise. But doing so means ignoring challenges the country faces, and the decisions about its future the Americans still need to make.

Wydad Casablanca of Morocco will begin the defence of their African Champions League title against either Mali's Stade Malien or newcomers Williamsville AC of Ivory Coast. As the reigning champions, Wydad are one of five teams to be given a bye into the second round of the tournament, which begins in March. Beaten finalists in 2017 Al Ahly of Egypt and DR Congo's Confederation Cup winners TP Mazembe are also straight into the second round. The other teams to skip the first round are the 2016 African champions Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa and Tunisia's Etoile du Sahel, who lifted the trophy in 2007. The 16 winners of the second round ties will advance to the group stage of the tournament. For the first time ever Zambia had two teams in the draw with Zanaco, who reached the group stage in 2017 drawn to play Gambia Armed Forces, while Zesco United will play Zanzibar's JKU SC. A change in the calendar for the Confederation of African Football means that the next Champions Leagues will begin in December 2018 and run through to May 2019. After the 2019 final the competition will be held from August or September through to May of the next year.

WASHINGTON -- With television lights glaring, 20 lawmakers will gather next week to revisit the fight that consumed Congress before Christmas over renewing a Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. Little real work will be done, but the meeting will mark the formal start of an effort to untangle a dispute that both parties want to resolve, though for different reasons. Following is a look at the path Round 2 could take, based on interviews with participants on both sides. Q: Can you remind me what's at stake? A: After a bitter clash and just a week before a New Year's Day deadline, President Barack Obama and Congress renewed a 2 percentage point payroll tax cut for 160 million workers and benefits for the long-term unemployed through February. They also temporarily forestalled a deep cut in doctors' Medicare fees that threatened to make it harder for the elderly to find physicians who would treat them. Now, the two sides need to figure out how to extend all three measures through 2012 and cover the roughly $160 billion cost. Q: Are they expected to succeed? A: Yes, though it will probably take until shortly before the current extensions expire Feb. 29. There are complicated decisions ahead, chiefly what programs to cut and what fees to increase to offset the price tag. Just as important, Democrats won't be in a hurry to finish. A: Republicans took a severe pounding in December when the House GOP resisted a bipartisan, Senate-approved, two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, which was designed to give lawmakers time to negotiate a longer version. With control of the White House and Congress at stake in the November elections, many Democrats think the GOP could incur further damage if these latest talks take time. Many Republicans doubt the economic benefit of a payroll tax cut, a foundation of Obama's plan to create jobs. But as December's battle unfolded, GOP leaders worried that they would suffer political damage from opposing the deeply popular tax cut, worth $1,000 annually to a family earning $50,000 a year. With the House's fractious conservative wing balking until the very end, the fight made the GOP look like it was opposing the tax reduction -- which Democrats contrasted with Republican support for tax breaks for the wealthy. Most Republicans want this year's fight to end quickly so they can change the subject to their own efforts to cut taxes, federal spending and Obama administration regulations. Q: How long can Democrats prolong the negotiations? A: If they're not careful they could overplay their hand. Democrats scored points last year by forcing Senate votes on their proposal to finance the payroll tax cut with a small surtax on people earning $1 million or more a year. They have a new incentive to do something similar this year with the GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, a wealthy venture capitalist, being cast by party rivals as callous and out of touch. As a result, many Democrats want to begin this year's talks on extending the Social Security tax cut by targeting the wealthy for a tax increase, perhaps with the millionaire surtax or by limiting their deductions. The millionaire surtax has no chance of passage in the GOP-run House, and Democrats could be accused of blatantly playing politics. Democrats and Obama have a reason to cut a deal: They believe extending the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits will goose the economy and reduce the risk of another economic downturn that could hurt their election prospects. Q; What will the 20 members of Congress do? A: House and Senate party leaders each have appointed bargainers to hash out differences over the bill, following Congress' tradition of naming conference committees to craft compromise legislation. But as usual when high-profile battles are being resolved, party leaders will have tight control over the ultimate deal. Still, conference committee members will play a role in writing details, and their endorsement of a package would let leaders argue that they didn't jam something down the throats of rank-and-file lawmakers. Q: Who are these 20 lawmakers? A: They range from formidable committee chairmen to lowly freshmen, but each has a stake in the fight. The chairmen of Congress' two tax-writing committees are included: Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., of the Senate Finance Committee. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., is the Senate's No. 2 Republican and a close ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, facing re-election this fall in the pivotal state of Pennsylvania, has repeatedly been given a visible role in the payroll tax fight by party leaders. Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., a party leader, should be a leading opponent of Republican proposals to help finance the plan by effectively denying the child tax credit to many illegal immigrants. Freshman GOP Rep. Nan Hayworth is from a closely contested district in New York's Hudson River Valley. Hayworth and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., are doctors, which could give them roles in the talks involving Medicare. A pair of Maryland Democrats, Sen. Ben Cardin and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, are sure to battle a Republican proposal to make federal employees contribute more to their pensions. Q: Do they bring other experience to the bargaining table? A: Seven have participated in recent, failed bipartisan efforts to contain mammoth budget deficits. Those were Congress' supercommittee, talks led by Vice President Joe Biden, the "Group of Six" senators, and a presidential commission headed by former Wyoming GOP Sen. Alan Simpson and former President Bill Clinton's White House chief of staff, Erskine Bowles. None of those groups succeeded, largely because party leaders could not agree to the controversial tax increases and cuts in entitlement programs like Medicare that would have been required for the trillions of dollars in savings needed. Far smaller savings are needed to resolve the payroll tax fight, and the consensus is that this time, the president and leaders in both parties want a package that can become law.

But why will this bailout work when an earlier one failed and has Greece now surrendered control of its own economy? After more than 14 hours of negotiations in Brussels an agreement has been reached on a rescue package to the tune of $170bn that will allow Greece to pay its debts, which are due in less than a month. The deal ensures that Greece will not be forced into defaulting on what it owes in the short term. "It was a bad deal, reached at gunpoint as far as the Greek government is concerned. The new government will have to work around this in order to enhance growth measures and reduce austerity levels because austerity on top of austerity will not do the trick. If you keep milking a cow without feeding it you are not going to end up with the desired results." Despite reservations over Greece's ability to deliver on austerity measures, eurozone finance ministers have given Athens billions of euros to rescue the country from its financial woes. Reacting to the second tranche of the bailout, Lucas Papademos, the Greek prime minister, described the day as a historic one for the Greek economy. "With today's decisions, we are given an opportunity to move towards more stable conditions, to reduce the uncertainty which has affected the economic activity and enhance confidence in the prospects of the Greek economy," he said. "In this way, the adjustment process of the economy can be facilitated and also better conditions for its recovery can be provided and new jobs can be created." But some financial experts argue that once again the can has been kicked down the road to be dealt with later. The conditions of the second bailout include $399m cutbacks in military spending, a $40m saving by reducing staff numbers in central government, and reducing the minimum wage, as well as slashing overtime pay for doctors in public hospitals by at least $66m. What this means is further budget cuts which are already deeply unpopular with the Greek people who have continuously opposed harsh austerity measures imposed following the first bailout in 2010. "The political system has very low credibility and in order to proceed with these tough measures you need to have credible political personnel, which we are lacking right now. Hopefully there will be an inflow of new people from the private sector. There is a huge debate as to whether the major parties will survive this economic crisis." As before, eurozone finance ministers say they want assurances Greece will stick to its promises. Their comments were backed by the contents of a leaked report from the European Commission, the Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. The report predicts that Greek debt could stay at a staggering 160 per cent of the country's GDP by 2020, unless drastic changes are made. Critics say the new measures to bail out struggling countries have to be matched by economic reforms. Jan Kees de Jager, the Dutch finance minister, said: "When you look at the derailments in Greece which have occurred several times now, it is probably necessary that there is some kind of permanent presence of the troika in Athens, not every three months, but more on a permanent basis. I am in favour of that." So why should this bailout work when a previous one has failed, and in accepting the stringent conditions attached, has Greece surrendered control of its own economy? To what extent will this second bailout rescue Greece's shattered economy, at what cost and how is this going to impact Greece's internal politics? Joining presenter Mike Hanna on Inside Story are guests: Fokion Zaimis, a small business owner and the CEO of Science Park; Vicky Pryce, a Greek-born economist and the former joint head of the UK government economic service; and Constantine Michalos, an economist and president of the Athens chamber of commerce and industry. "There is already an EU task force here and they are trying to make sure that the various ministries that are important to the economy do the right thing. But there is a concern that actually some of that money will never be spent, it won't be spent correctly, it won't be value for money and it won't benefit the economy." Finance ministers meeting in Brussels approve $170bn rescue package needed to avoid default by debt-ridden nation.

Review: This double disc is a complete overview of pianist Dharmawan's stunningly broad stylistic span. Not everything here is world-centric and it is not always pretty, but the gems are worth it, where he addresses the relationships between Indonesian music & modern jazz in unexpected and startlingly creative ways. Mark Wingfield adds some sonic guitar in places.

BEAVER — After every practice and every game, coach Greg Huston reminds his Beaver girls basketball team that everything they do on the basketball court is a learning experience. On Thursday night, the young and inexperienced Bobcats learned again that they can compete with any team in their section. But to consistently win games against the better teams in the section, they have to play a little bit better than they did in a 63-61 loss to Avonworth. The bright spot for Beaver, 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the section, was how it battled back after trailing by 11 points, 53-42, midway in the fourth quarter. From that point, the Bobcats went on a 19-8 run and tied the game, thanks to some clutch outside shooting. In the last 3 minutes, they knocked down five three-pointers. Sophomore guards Anna Blum and Natalie Priest each made two 3s down the stretch. Freshman forward Payton List added one. With 3 seconds left, Priest’s bomb from long distance tied the game, 61-61. But just when it seemed like the game was headed to overtime, Avonworth guard Harris Robinson was fouled just past the midcourt line with less than a second on the clock … 0.2 seconds to be exact. She calmly sank both free throws for a win that put Avonworth (6-3, 4-0) in sole possession of first place. Hayden Robinson, a 5-foot-10 senior forward who’s going to Quinnipiac University on a track scholarship, led Avonworth with a game-high 22 points. Kathryn Goetz, a 5-9 junior forward, added 16 for the Antelopes. Sophomore guard Emma Pavelek led Beaver with 20 points. Sophomore forward Maddi Weiland and Payton List scored 11 and 10, respectively. “Huge win,” said Avonworth coach Mark D’Alessandris, an Aliquippa native who used to coach the Quips’ girls team. “We’re both competing for first place, and now we’re in sole possession. We got a big game Monday when Neshannock comes to our gym. It was Beaver who handed Neshannock its only section loss, 47-46, on the Lancers’ home court on Dec. 13. “Avonworth is really good,” Huston said. “I had them and Neshannock as the top two teams in the section. So I feel pretty good that we’re playing right with them for as young as we are.

and the angels did sing. and the savior of our world. to where the Christ child was asleep. until the time that we grow old. will be filled with eternal delight.

A Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #5 Review – Where Is Walter Jones? PENCILLERS: Thony Silas, Corin Howell. Cover by Jamal Campbell. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #5 tells us that before Tommy became Rita Repulsa’s evil Green Ranger, she made a play for Zack, the Black Ranger. After being “upstaged” by Jason during a fight, Goldar and the putties abduct Zack so Rita can make her pitch. Obviously, Zack doesn’t accept. But how do the events of this issue impact Zack’s relationship to the team? And what happens when Zack tells Zordon? Rita tempting one of the Rangers toward the dark side is such a simple, classic tale. It’s perfect for this series. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have gone with Billy instead of Zack, especially considering the scene we saw in issue #2. He was comparing himself to the others, and he seemed to become self conscious and bitter. If Rita could have seen that, she might have exploited it. On the other hand, we’ve seen some curious behavior from Zack in this series. He’s been very suspicious and apprehensive about Tommy. This issue seems to explain why. This experience gives him a negative connection to the Green Ranger that we never knew about. The Zack we’ve seen in this series isn’t the one I expected. On the show, Walter Jones played a fun-loving dancer. Zack is in love with life, and he’s not afraid to show it. That’s not the character we’ve seen in this series. For the most part he’s been very straight faced. I understand he’s in a very tense storyline. But flashes of personality aren’t going to hurt anything, are they? In essence, what we need in this book is a little more Walter Jones. Fussy Fanboy Moment: After Zack is abducted, he wakes up in Rita’s Dark Dimension, which we saw in the show. But in one of the “Green Candle” episodes, which these events obviously predate, Jason says he and Tommy are the only Rangers that have been there. On the plus side, Higgins sneaks in what seems to be a hint at Zack going to the Peace Conference later in the series. He tells Zordon, “I need to do more … I don’t care about leading. It’s not like that.” I like that second line. It speaks to why Rita’s plan for Zack doesn’t work. He’s imperfect like anyone else, but in the end he’s selfless. It’s more about the good that’s being done, as opposed to the glory you get from it. The opening sequence, set in Italy, is a lot of fun. The Rangers face Rita’s monstrous take on The Vitruvian Man, who can apparently only speak in da Vinci quotes. Afterward, they receive some fanfare on the ground. We even have the prime minister in the middle of the action. This is yet another example of Higgins doing something that never could have happened on the show. Thony Silas tags in on pencils for this issue. His style isn’t dramatically different from Hendry Prasetya’s, though his characters are slightly better at emoting. His Rita is particularly sinister. Again, his Zack seems very reserved and stoic, which is not the character we’re used to. “The Ongoing Adventures of Bulk & Skull” still doesn’t do much for me. Though we do get a surprise in this issue: The BOOM! Studios debut of Lieutenant Stone, Bulk & Skull’s foil from seasons 3 and 4. I’d always been under the impression they’d never met before. Either way, I’m glad to see the putty patroller story is over. On to (hopefully) better things. Higgins pleasantly surprised me with this Zack story, by following up on a plot seed he’d planted as far back as issue #1. It makes you wonder what else he might come back to in future issues. Whether it’s how Billy sees his role on the team, Jason feeling threatened by Tommy, or something else fans may have wondered about. There’s so much fertile ground to cover, and I’m hopeful that we’ve only scratched the surface. This entry was posted in Comic Books/Graphic Novels and tagged Billy Cranston, Black Ranger, BOOM! Studios, Bulk & Skull, comic book reviews, comic books, Corin Howell, Green Ranger, Jamal Campbell, Kyle Higgins, Leonardo da Vinci, Megazord, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #5 (2016), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (BOOM! Studios), Pink Ranger, Power Rangers, Red Ranger, Rita Repulsa, Rob Siebert, single issue reviews, Steve Orlando, superhero comics, superheroes, The Vitruvian Man, Thony Silas, Tommy Oliver, Walter Emanuel Jones, Zack Taylor, Zordon on 07/21/2016 by primaryignition.

Another day, another feud for Wendy Williams. Aretha Franklin‘s estate was ripping into the talk show host for comments Williams made about the upcoming film “Amazing Grace,” which is about The Queen of Soul recording her iconic 1972 gospel album. Franklin’s estate quickly clapped back, according to the Detroit Free Press. “While Franklin had initially imposed an injunction on ‘Amazing Grace,’ her objections had nothing to do with its quality; negotiations were incomplete at the time of her death… Contrary to Williams’ derisive reference, there is no ‘Cousin Junebug’ making decisions for the Estate,” the statement said in part. In addition, the film’s director, Sydney Pollock, didn’t use one camera — there were five. Wendy also caught heat last week from Howard Stern after she said she is “of the people” while insisting the shock-jock went Hollywood. Stern unleashed a verbal assault on Wendy on his Sirius XM show on Friday morning. Listen below, the language is brutal. After a series of guest hosts during a brief hiatus, Williams returned to her talk show on March 4 and the drama has been non-stop ever since.

The City collects garbage weekly from 600,000 households along 350 daily routes. The City has long organized garbage collection services on a ward-by-ward basis. The City assigns the laborers and motor truck drivers who collect garbage in individual wards, where they work on truck routes that do not cross ward boundaries. However, the City’s recycling pickup is organized based on a regional routing system that does not take into account ward boundaries. Under this option, the City would shift its garbage collection to a regional, grid-based system. By comparing the efficiency of recycling collection with garbage collection, we can estimate what efficiencies might be achieved through a regional, grid-based system of garbage collection. According to the City’s Mobile Asset Tracking system (CMAT), the City currently has 43 recycling trucks. Assuming that these trucks are all continually operational, the City is providing recycling services to 241,000 households every other week using 43 daily routes.36 The table below compares the difference in annual pickups per daily route of garbage collection and recycling. The table shows that recycling collection, which uses regional routing, averages significantly more pickups per route than garbage collection, which uses the ward system. This is despite the fact that recycling trucks only have one laborer assigned, while some garbage trucks have two. However, garbage collection averages nearly 11 tons collected per daily route per day, while recycling collection averages only 4.65 tons per daily route per day. Because garbage collection is collecting significantly more tonnage per route, workers spend less time collecting because the trucks must make more frequent trips to dump their loads. In 2008, the average load dumped at City-owned dumpsites was 6.65 tons. Based on the average tons collected per route per day, garbage collection averages 1.65 loads per day and recycling averages 0.7 loads per day. For simplicity, assume that garbage collection dumps two loads per day and recycling dumps one load per day, and one load in each program is dumped after the 8-hour collection shift is over through the City’s night shuttle program. Under these assumptions, garbage collection is interrupted by one dump during the 8-hour collection shift, while recycling collection is not. Assuming an average dump takes 1.5 hours, garbage is collected an average of 6.5 hours per route per day, while recycling is collected for the full 8-hour collection shift. The table below compares the estimated pickups per hour for garbage and recycling collection and shows that recycling collection using regional routing is more efficient in terms of pickups per hour than garbage collection based on the ward system. If garbage collection averaged the same number of pickups per hour as recycling collection, the number of daily routes could be reduced to 264, or a 24.6% reduction. Assuming that a 24.6% reduction in routes would yield a 24.6% reduction in staffing devoted to garbage collection, the table below details the reduction in personnel and associated personnel costs that would be realized. The table shows that if the City were to move to a grid-based routing system for garbage collection and achieve the same efficiency that the regional routing of recycling is currently achieving, the City might reduce its 2010 personnel costs by up to $24.1 million through the elimination of up to 297 positions. Because of contractual increases in personnel costs, the savings from implementing this option would grow in future years. The 2011 and 2012 salaries of Laborers and Motor Truck Drivers will be higher due to collective bargaining agreements, which call for salary increases of 3.25% in 2011 and 3.5% in 2012. Assuming that there are no increases in salaries for the other positions and that the furloughs are continued in their current form, the table below shows the increase in compensation costs over the next two years for the 297 eliminated positions. In addition to the savings from a reduction in the number of daily routes, additional savings could be generated by reducing the number of laborers on the remaining routes to one laborer per truck. With 264 daily routes, operating approximately 250 days a year, there are approximately 66,000 annual routes. Assuming that the average sanitation worker works 200 days per year (after holidays, vacation days, and sick and disability leave) to ensure that there would be a sufficient reserve to avoid un-staffed routes, 330 sanitation laborers would be needed to fully staff the 66,000 routes. This would mean an additional reduction in the number of laborers by 122. At an average compensation of $75,579, their total compensation in 2010 would equal $9.2 million. The 2011 and 2012 compensation will be higher due to the Laborers collective bargaining agreement, which calls for a salary increase of 3.25% in 2011 and 3.5% in 2012. Assuming that the furloughs remain in place, the compensation for these 122 positions will cost $9.5 million in 2011 and $9.8 million in 2012. These savings will be slightly reduced because under the current collective bargaining agreement with the Laborers Union, sanitation laborers working on one-laborer garbage trucks are to be paid 9 percent more than their regular hourly rate. Thus, the reduction in 122 laborers would on average result in 122 additional laborers working on a one-laborer garbage truck, resulting in a 9 percent increase in their salaries. This would cost an additional $856,000 in 2011 and $885,000 in 2012. Additionally, under the agreement between the City and Coalition of Union Public Employees (COUPE) to impose furlough days from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011, if the City chooses to lay off employees during this period, all laid off employees will be paid for any unpaid holidays or furlough days taken since July 1, 2009. Thus, if the City were to lay off the 269 total sanitation laborers and 110 motor truck drivers, the affected employees would have to be paid approximately 13.5 percent of their salaries to compensate for unpaid days they have taken over the last year and a half, since the furlough agreement has been in place. This would reduce the savings in 2011 by an additional $3.8 million. Therefore, the total estimated savings from switching to regional routing system of garbage collection and reducing the number of laborers on the remaining routes to 1 would be $29.6 million in 2011 and $34.5 million in 2012. Of course, there would be additional savings from reducing the City’s fleet of garbage trucks such as savings in future truck purchases, maintenance costs, gas, oil, etc. Proponents might argue that organizing garbage collection on a ward-by-ward basis is inefficient and wasteful. They would argue that organizing collection by regional grid would reduce the time it takes for workers to get from the ward yard to the routes and routes could be organized to reduce the distance from route to dumpsite. They may also cite an IGO investigation in 2008 that found that garbage collection crews worked, on average, only 75 percent of the work day, indicating that there was not enough work for the collection crews to perform. Additionally, they might cite the fact that Streets and Sanitation decided to organize recycling collection on a regional, grid-based system in order to deliver the service more cheaply. Opponents might argue that ward-based system provides better customer service than a more centralized grid system. With ward-by-ward service, City residents have a more direct relationship with the City workers who coordinate garbage collection in their neighborhoods. Some might also argue that garbage collection has long been a primary responsibility of the City’s aldermen and that this has resulted in cleaner streets, timelier pickups, and satisfied residents. Reduce the Number of Laborers on a Garbage Truck to 1 Savings: $10.3 million in 2011, $12 million in 2012. On some of the City’s garbage trucks, the City assigns two laborers and one motor truck driver.... These employees are responsible for the weekly collection of garbage from 600,000 households along 350 daily routes. Until the last couple of years, the City generally assigned two laborers to each garbage truck. However, due to budget cuts, the City has reduced the number of budgeted sanitation laborers from 816 in 2008 to 599 in 2010. This reduction in laborers means that a significant portion of the 350 daily routes are manned by one laborer. Under this option, the City would further reduce the number of laborers devoted to garbage collection, so that on average one laborer is assigned to each garbage truck. With 350 daily routes, operating approximately 250 days a year, there are approximately 87,500 annual routes. Assuming that the average sanitation worker works 200 days per year (after holidays, vacation days, and sick and disability leave) to ensure that there would be a sufficient reserve to avoid un-staffed routes, 438 sanitation laborers would be needed to fully staff the 87,500 routes. This means that the number of laborers could be reduced by approximately 161.50 At an average compensation of $75,579 their total compensation in 2010 would equal $12.2 million. The 2011 and 2012 compensation will be higher due to the Laborers collective bargaining agreement, which calls for a salary increase of 3.25% in 2011 and 3.5% in 2012. Assuming that the furloughs remain in place, the compensation for these 161 positions will cost $12.6 million in 2011 and $13 million in 2012. These savings will be reduced because under the current collective bargaining agreement with the Laborers Union, sanitation laborers working on one-laborer garbage trucks are to be paid 9 percent more than their regular hourly rate. Thus, the reduction in 161 laborers would on average result in 161 additional laborers working on a one-laborer garbage truck, resulting in a 9 percent increase in their salaries. This would cost an additional $934,000 in 2011 and $967,000 in 2012. Finally, under the agreement between the City and Coalition of Union Public Employees (COUPE) to impose furlough days from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011, if the City chooses to lay off employees during this period, all laid off employees will be paid for any unpaid holidays or furlough days taken since July 1, 2009. Thus, if the City were to lay off 161 laborers, the affected laborers would have to be paid approximately 13.5 percent of their salaries to compensate for unpaid days they have taken over the last year and a half, since the furlough agreement has been in place. This would reduce the savings in 2011 by an additional $1.36 million. After subtracting the reduced savings due to the increased pay for 1-person garbage trucks and the furlough payback provision, the savings from implementing this option would be approximately $10.3 million in 2011 and $12 million in 2012. Proponents might argue that the City no longer needs two laborers on a garbage truck because the trucks are now semi-automated, meaning garbage carts are lifted and dumped by a mechanism on the back of the trucks. They may also cite an IGO investigation in 2008 that found that garbage collection crews worked, on average, only 75 percent of the work day, indicating that there was not enough work for the collection crews to perform. Others might argue that few cities have three staff assigned to each garbage truck. According to 2008 data from the International City/County Management Association’s (ICMA), among the six jurisdictions with over 500,000 people which submitted data only one (San Antonio) had 3 staff per garbage vehicle, and this is likely because collection is done manually. The other five jurisdictions (Phoenix, Miami-Dade County, Dallas, Austin, and Oklahoma City) all had 1 person per vehicle and automated or semi-automated collection. Opponents might argue that reducing the number of laborers to one on all garbage trucks would reduce the quality of collection service in the City. They would argue that reducing the number of laborers could result in less frequent service as it takes trucks longer to perform their routes. Additionally, others might argue that in addition to their collection responsibilities, laborers sweep alleys, pick up trash, or remove street-sweeping signs. Reducing the number of laborers would mean a reduction in these services. Simple. Organize the wards on a grid system, rather than gerrymandered as they are now. Makes the garbage collection more efficient, while keeping it in the hands of the aldermen. The trucks on the Far North Side are picking up less garbage than a year ago. I know this because while they're leaving the garage on Ravenswood Ave. at the same time every morning, they're coming back for the day way before they used to. Now they return as early as 2 PM, while a year ago it was at 3 PM. All the workers cars are gone by 3 PM now, it used to take until 4 PM last year. The only explanation for the ward by ward system appears to be the very least paragraph which to me seems pretty flimsy. How are the residents' or aldermen's relationships with the city workers stronger if they don't cross ward boundaries on any given day? They still have to pick up their garbage every week? I don't get that at all. ---I also found it interesting that the city apparently picks up about twice the tonnage of trash than it does recycling. In the superboonies where I live, the ratio is more than twice the opposite. We have two wheeled containers for each house; one for recycling, and a somewhat larger one for trash. We fill the recycling container each week, and the trash container has a few things in the bottom of it; some garbage, contaminated paper not suitable for recycling, used facial tissues, the occasional diaper when the grandchildren come visiting. The city's ratio is possibly a residuum of the blue bag program; people just aren't used to a serious recycling program yet. And oh yes: the collection trucks have a claw on the side that picks up the container, upends it and dumps it. One man per truck, and he never has to get out. Cut down on high absenteeism while you're at it. I lived in Chicago until 1975 and knew that if you wanted to guarantee that the old loveseat or refrigerator that you hauled out to your alley were to be picked up it was a good idea to meet the garbage truck with maybe a cold six pack in a brown bag or possibly a $5 bill discreetly passed to the driver. Actually, you could give it to any one of the three or four 'workers' who either drove, rode on the back of, or walked along behind, the truck. Since then I've lived in the suburbs (Alsip, Justice, Worth, Lockport) and have enjoyed simple, cost effective trash collection by various private refuse companies. I have never, in more than 35 years, had to call to complain about the service I've received. This includes picking up couchs, freezers, construction waste or trees. If there's a holiday, flood, blizzard or any other form of delay they're there the day after the normal pick-up day, never later. The most amazing part is, all of this is done by one worker, and has been for the last 20 years. So, until somebody in city government grows a pair and finally decides to attack the real problem, this totally wasteful practice will continue.

Az Zallaqa, JNIM’s media branch, branded with other official al Qaeda media wings. In a recently released video, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) – a jihadist group primarily based in West Africa and the Sahel – went to great lengths to portray its fight against Mali and France as conjoined with al Qaeda’s global jihad. Speeches and footage from several al Qaeda leaders from around the world were shown interlaced with combat footage from the African jihadist group. At the very beginning of the video, JNIM showed its media division, Az Zallaqa, as being in the same family as other al Qaeda media wings. This includes As Sahab (al Qaeda central’s media division), Al Malahem (al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula), Al Kata’ib (Shabaab), and al Andalus (al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb). By putting its media wing alongside other media branches of the global jihadist organization, JNIM is portraying Az Zallaqa as another official al Qaeda media organization. This is important as some have categorized JNIM as merely being “linked” or “affiliated” with al Qaeda. However, JNIM clearly sees itself on equal footing with al Qaeda’s official branches around the world. As the video progresses, JNIM depicts its conflict in Mali as being the same conflict seen in various places around the world, such as Nigeria, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Kenya, Afghanistan, and Chechnya. Various killed al Qaeda leaders, such as Osama bin Laden, Nasir al Wuyashi, Anwar al Awlaki, Ibn Khattab, Mukhtar Abu Zubayr, Abu al Hasan al Rashid al Bulaydi, Abdelhamid Abu Zeid, Abu Firas al Suri, and Muhammad al Zahawi, are shown in a eulogy segment. A speech from Sulayman Abu al Ghaith, a former al Qaeda spokesman who is now serving a life sentence in the US, can be heard over footage of combat from JNIM. “God ordered us to protect the vulnerable, so we protect the vulnerable. God ordered us to terrorize the apostates, so we terrorize the apostates. God ordered us to kill the leaders of disbelief, so we kill the leaders of disbelief,” al Ghaith said as he linked al Qaeda’s jihad to “protecting the vulnerable” around the world. The message then shifted to lambasting both Mali and France for their efforts to combat the jihadist group in the West African country. JNIM used English-speaking political commentators to suggest France’s involvement in Mali is a large conspiracy as part of a wider war against Islam. A JNIM official identified as Abdul Hakim al Muhajir [implying he is a foreign fighter] reiterated in this point in a long-winded tirade against France. “France’s war on Muslims in the region is not a economic war … it is between faith and apostasy, and Islam and idolatry,” al Muhajir stated in his speech. That theme was common for JNIM and its predecessor groups in Mali, as it painted France as an occupying force oppressing Muslims in a war against Islam. Speeches and statements from various JNIM leaders, including Iyad Ag Ghaly and Yahya Abu al Hammam – its emir and deputy emir respectively – have focused on this exact trope in the last three years. Yahya Abu al Hammam continued that trend by also making a short speech against France and the G5 Sahel forces operating in Mali. This was immediately before showing suicide bombers and an assault team training for the April 14 suicide assault on the joint UN-French base in Timbuktu. One actual UN peacekeeper was killed in that attack, while at least 10 others were wounded during the assault. France confirmed seven of its soldiers were also wounded. Additionally, the French military reported at least 15 jihadists were killed. Despite a French counter-terrorism operation, UN troops, and troops from the G5 Sahel, JNIM remain a potent threat within Mali. Its violence has also been continuously shifting further south within Mali, as well as pouring into neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso and Niger.

Inter Milan's lead at the top of Serie A was cut when they lost 2-1 at home to Lazio on Sunday while AS Roma beat Genoa 2-0 to record their first win in eight games and ease the pressure on under-fire coach Rudi Garcia. The title race remains congested as second-placed Fiorentina defeated Chievo 2-0 and Napoli, in third, beat Atalanta 3-1. Juventus' winning streak continued when they came from behind to beat Carpi 3-2. Napoli and Fiorentina have 35 points, one behind Inter who were sunk by two-goal Antonio Candreva. Roberto Mancini's side fell behind when Candreva struck a fifth-minute thunderbolt but they levelled as captain Mauro Icardi slotted the ball beneath Etrit Berisha in the 61st. Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo then gave away a penalty in the 87th minute after fouling Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Candreva beat Samir Handanovic on the rebound after his initial effort was blocked. Melo lost his composure and was dismissed in stoppage time after aiming a kung-fu kick at Lucas Biglia and Milinkovic-Savic received a second yellow card moments later. "Unfortunately Melo did two stupid things," coach Mancini told Sky Sport Italia. "We did the damage ourselves, we threw it away." Mario Mandzukic scored twice as Juve extended their Serie A winning streak to seven matches to head into the winter break in fourth on 33 points, a point clear of Roma in fifth. Former Juve striker Marco Borriello gave second from bottom Carpi the lead but Mandzukic equalised in spectacular fashion when he swivelled to fire a volley past Vid Belec. Mandzukic netted again with a header in the 41st minute. Paul Pogba added a third before Leonardo Bonucci's late own goal set up a tense finale. Roma's Alessandro Florenzi and Sadiq Umar scored, while Edin Dzeko was sent off for swearing at the referee, as Garcia's side ended a run of seven games without a win in all competitions by beating Genoa. Garcia was close to the exit door, according to media reports, following their midweek Italian Cup elimination by Serie B Spezia but may have bought himself some time. "We can see the light at the end of the tunnel," said Frenchman Garcia. "We remain close to second place and it's all open for 2016." Napoli saw off Atalanta with two second-half goals from Gonzalo Higuain although both sides had a player sent off during an ill-tempered match. Fiorentina downed Chievo with goals from Nikola Kalinic and Josip Ilicic while AC Milan's fine form under Sinisa Mihajlovic continued as they came from behind to win 4-2 at struggling Frosinone to extend their unbeaten run to eight in all competitions. Verona and Sassuolo drew 1-1, Sampdoria beat Palermo 2-0 and Udinese won 1-0 at Torino.

Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) visited the University of Rochester Medical Center on Friday, October 7 as part of the University’s annual reunion weekend. NIH is the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world and over the last five years URMC has received approximately $789 million in research funding from the organization. Collins traveled to Rochester to deliver a positive message: it is an extremely exciting time for biomedical research. In a keynote address to faculty members, staff, students, trainees and alumni, he detailed several new NIH initiatives like the Cancer Moonshot and the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program. He highlighted the work of David C. Linehan, M.D., director of clinical operations at UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute and Chair of Surgery at URMC who is studying new immune therapies for pancreatic cancer, as well as Thomas O’Connor, Ph.D., professor of Psychiatry and director of the Wynne Center for Family Research at URMC who is among a group of scientists studying prenatal inflammation and child health as part of ECHO. “We are in a time of such amazing diversity of opportunity, with people working in fields that maybe weren’t even invented 20 years ago, making advances in basic, translational and clinical science and everything in between,” said Collins, a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the international Human Genome Project. Turning scientific discoveries into new treatments for patients is priority for the NIH and Collins applauded URMC on its new $19 million grant to continue the “bench-to-bedside” research taking place at the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Collins cited translational research conducted by cardiologist Arthur J. Moss, M.D., which has led to new treatments for patients with Long QT syndrome (LQTS), and infectious disease expert John J. Treanor, M.D., which is helping scientists in pursuit of a universal flu vaccine. After many lean years, Collins reported that the NIH budget is increasing and outlined several new funding initiatives, such as the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award, which is helping Elaine L. Hill, Ph.D.,assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences study the impact of fracking on infant and child health. Collins’ trip to the Medical Center included an intimate discussion with graduate students and junior researchers about the importance of communicating science to the public and policymakers, increasing diversity in biomedical research and mechanisms to support young scientists at the start of their careers. Members of the Center for RNA Biology highlighted their most promising work for Collins and Center director Lynne E. Maquat, Ph.D. gave Collins a tour of her lab, where he met more trainees and junior researchers (admittedly, Collins’ favorite part of visits like these). Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter helped bring Collins to Rochester and introduced him ahead of his keynote address.

eMagin Corporation (NYSE MKT: EMAN) will release fourth quarter 2016 earnings and host a conference call that will be webcast on Tuesday, March 28, 2017. eMagin Corporation (NYSE MKT: EMAN) will release fourth quarter 2016 earnings and host a conference call that will be webcast on Tuesday, March 28, 2017. The Company's management will discuss financial results for the fourth quarter of 2016, ended December 31, 2016, and provide a corporate update. The conference call and live webcast will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET. An archive of the webcast will be available one hour after the live call through April 27, 2017. To access the live Webcast or archive, please visit the Company's website at ir.emagin.com. A leader in OLED microdisplay technology, OLED microdisplay manufacturing know-how and mobile display systems, eMagin manufactures high-resolution OLED microdisplays and integrates them with magnifying optics to deliver virtual images comparable to large-screen computer and television displays in portable, low power consumption, lightweight personal displays. eMagin microdisplays provide near-eye imagery in a variety of products from military, industrial, medical and consumer OEMs. More information about eMagin is available at www.emagin.com.

I get the point; this is an M-rated Kinect game. Can you please stop throwing blood all over me, Sega? Oh god, it's in my mouth. Sega's Rise of Nightmares is the gamer that finally realizes the joy of air-chainsawing the undead into tiny little pieces, even if it still has a way to go towards capturing the joy of simple movement and navigation. Frankly I feel Sega is trying too hard. All we really need is a guy standing still in a dark room while hordes of bizarre creatures charging us and tons of dismemberment-friendly devices within arm's reach. Don't sweat the moving about. All I crave are clockwork zombies, undead maids, and a scythe to disembowel them by.

The Hurriyat said although the NIA has an office in Srinagar, it has deliberately asked the Masjid and school officials to come to Delhi to “further harass and trouble them”. The NIA has sent notices to Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid and the Islamia School, both old Valley institutions of religion and education and both linked to the family of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The notices have been sent days after separatist leaders were questioned on alleged terror funding from Pakistan. The Mirwaiz presides over the Friday prayers at the mosque in Srinagar and the Islamia School was founded by his family over a century ago. The NIA’s notices, asking for an appearance at its office in New Delhi, have been sent to Mohammad Hussain Khan, who manages the accounts of the Auqaf of Jamia Masjid, and Mohammad Ibraheem Shah, the general secretary of the Anjuman Nusrat-ul-Islam that runs the institution. The Mirwaiz has said the move was a sign of persecution by the state. “Now the NIA sends notice to #IslamiaSchool & JamaMasjid, exposes level of persecution State can go to against those it can’t defeat politically!” he tweeted. “Both, the Anjuman Nusratul Islam and Auqaf Jamia Masjid, are apolitical educational and social organisations which have a great history of serving the people of the state selflessly for decades,” a Hurriyat statement said. “Subjecting its members to harassment and intimidation for the sole reason of being part of institutions headed by the Mirwaiz, to put pressure on the Mirwaiz is deplorable,” it added. The Hurriyat said although the NIA has an office in Srinagar, it has deliberately asked the Masjid and school officials to come to Delhi to “further harass and trouble them”.

A clinical-stage biotechnology company, engaged in the research and development of cancer therapeutics. Its mission is to research, develop and commercialize targeted cancer drugs with reduced toxicities compared to conventional cancer chemotherapeutics. How do you think NASDAQ:ARQL will perform against the market? Read the most recent pitches from players about ARQL. I'm having a hard time reconciling a decent reason not to risk this stock with real money. In my opinion, at $2/share the company is poised to repeat miraculous gains in a relatively near future. Only twice in the past eleven years has this stock been this low. Its price has climbed up to as high as $10 in times past! With the company's current pipeline, a plausible economic crisis (something this sector can be relatively immune to and could therefore draw investors), and add in the fact that ArQule is presenting at the RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference coming this Tuesday... it seems likely that something positive, no matter how minute, will likely send this stock up quick. Dilution, or other bad things could happen, but I'm having a difficult time seeing it happen with this company. The fundamentals on this stock are shaky, though. This is not without risk. Find the members with the highest scoring picks in ARQL. The Score Leader is the player with the highest score across all their picks in ARQL.

Police in Northern Ireland say two police officers narrowly escaped being killed in a landmine attack in Co Fermanagh at the weekend. Details of the incident, which happened on Saturday, were only released by the PSNI this afternoon. A landmine containing a substantial amount of home-made explosives was planted under a bridge near the village of Rosslea. Police say the two officers sustained minor injuries because only part of the device exploded. The landmine was later defused by British Army bomb experts. The attack is being blamed on dissident republicans. The PSNI have condemned those who planted the bomb, saying their depraved actions have nothing to offer anyone in the community. The PSNI says a number of police officers narrowly escaped being murdered in a landmine attack in Co Fermanagh at the weekend.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Colin Powell (search) has been evasive about his future, skirting questions about the timing of his widely expected departure after four rough-and-tumble years as America's chief diplomat. In dozens of interviews, Powell has dismissed questions about his plans by saying with a smile, "I serve at the pleasure of the president." Powell has long been considered to be a one-term secretary of state, irrespective of whether Bush was re-elected. Speculation has been rife for months about possible successors in a second Bush term. Among those mentioned are national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (search) and U.N. Ambassador John Danforth (search). Last July, Bush suggested during an appearance in Philadelphia that he would be happy if Powell were to remain on. The remark went virtually unnoticed by the media but caught the attention of Powell aides. During a September interview with The Associated Press, Powell was asked whether he considered Bush's comment to be an invitation for him to stay on. "Time will tell. We will see," Powell replied. When asked Wednesday about Powell's plans, his spokesman, Richard Boucher, reverted to the usual language about "serving at the pleasure of the president." One possibility would be for Powell to stay on for a brief period until after the national elections in Iraq, which are supposed to be held before the end of January 2005. As analysts see it, a post-Iraq election departure for Powell would make more sense than one that could occur just days before the balloting in Iraq but after Bush's second term begins. At a minimum, Bush's re-election means a series of foreign trips Powell plans will take on a more serious cast than they would have if Sen. John Kerry had prevailed Tuesday. And the Bush victory means that his own trip to an Asia-Pacific summit meeting in Chile before Thanksgiving will involve substantive exchanges rather than farewell handshakes and polite banter. The 20 or so Asia-Pacific leaders invited there will be eager to hear what Bush has in mind for the region in his second term. For his part, Powell will travel to Mexico on Monday for an overnight visit. The following week, he plans to spend four days in Chile as part of the U.S. summit entourage. He then will fly to Egypt for a major international conference on Iraq's future, a meeting Powell hopes to use to expand international cooperation for Iraq. He also will attend a NATO meeting in Brussels in December and possibly meetings of other trans-Atlantic groups in Europe. In addition, Powell will attend a meeting in Morocco next month to push the Bush administration's pro-democracy agenda for Arab countries. In the coming days, Powell will be boning up on issues involving Mexico ahead of his Monday visit. Mexican officials will be eager to hear more about Bush's proposal to provide legal status — at least on a temporary basis — for millions of undocumented aliens in the United States. Mexico is the principal source of such migrants. Renewable three-year work permits would be available for them if they can prove that they have a job and meet other criteria. Mexico strongly supports the initiative. Bush proposed it last January but little has been heard about it since. If Congress approves, officials say the new rules will make America safer by helping for the first time to document migrants who have no legal standing in the United States.

Former Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey has claimed that Sinn Fein’s demand for an Irish language act is “less about recognition and more about trying to impose an ideology that decades of brutal terror could not”. The House of Lords peer made the remarks yesterday in the wake of an article penned by Sinn Fein MLA Declan Kearney. In the piece, which was published on EamonnMallie.com on Monday, Mr Kearney said implementation of an Irish language act “is central to parity of esteem, and proper, official acceptance of the Irish national identity in the North of Ireland”. However, Lord Empey claimed Sinn Fein is using the issue of an Irish language act as a way to divide the people of Northern Ireland, rather than unite them. He added: “Sinn Fein clearly need reminding that they are not the gatekeepers of equality and human rights. We must never forget that Sinn Fein were willing and enthusiastic apologists for decades of human rights abuses perpetrated by the IRA. “It is hard to escape the conclusion that this is less about recognition and more about trying to impose an ideology that decades of brutal terror could not. Lord Empey also accused the republican party of “desperately trying to pursue De Valera’s ideal of recreating a mythical nation of true bred gaels, fluent in their ancient tongue – a tongue precious few of them can speak”. He added: “The sub-text is clear. Those who do not speak Irish or who do not regard it as part of their identity and heritage are not truly Irish. In his article, Mr Kearney also wrote: “An Ireland of equals will only come about once partition has been ended and a national democracy is achieved. TUV leader Jim Allister said Mr Kearney’s comments should demonstrate to unionists that “Stormont for Sinn Fein is a waiting room for Irish unity”.

Have you ever muttered the words 'my precious' in a sinister tone? Mistaken an elderly gentleman with a giant white beard as Gandalf? Or bellowed 'you shall not pass!' to someone standing in your way? The chances are that you've heard or done one of these things. And they all have one thing in common - apart from being somewhat anti-social, they are all references to author J.R.R Tolkien's universe. Let's be honest - the books that distinguish Tolkien over the rest is his Lord of the Rings series. There's no better way to celebrate his work than to read his most recognised pieces. Let's say the average person in Cambridge reads at least 300 words per minute. According to a few sources, it takes approximately six hours and seven minutes to read the Fellowship of the Ring, four hours and 59 minutes to read The Two Towers, and six hours and seven minutes to read the Return of the King. An estimation of around 17 hours proves it's possible. If you start now. Tolkien Day wouldn't really be a true celebration without a bunch of lunatics dressing up as goblins. There are a number of characters that you could dress up as - Gandalf, Galadriel, Aragorn, Legolas, Gollum, or the forgotten Tom Bombadil, who didn't quite make the film. Even better yet, reading at a local book shop while dressed as Saruman. There's an idea. Why not peruse the works of Tolkien's less known books or poetry? Such works include The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, The Farmer Giles of Ham, The Battle of the Eastern Field, or Effantry. Wherever someone lives and breathes, there is a Tolkien Society somewhere. In this case, there's one in Cambridge. With just over 200 members on its Facebook group, the members enjoy various events in and around the city. And I'm sure there will be members who would gladly join you in your adventures with one and two. There's an easy one. Just have a party. Include the first three, and maybe invite the fourth. And you can't invite people to a party without turning your house into Minas Tirith.

creator Jeff Miller, Rodman is unhappy with the negative way the video game portrays him and has asked Miller to remove his character from the game. The motion comes after North Korea has been accused of hacking into Sony Entertainment's computers and leaking hundreds of confidential — and extremely embarrassing — emails. The cyber-terrorist attack was the first of its kind and resulted in Sony canceling the release of The Interview, which portrays James Franco and Seth Rogan killing Kim Jong-un.

As royal newlyweds, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have to walk a careful line: while they’ve often proved themselves to be affectionate partners, royal protocol dictates that sometimes they have to scale back their public displays of affection. But at a reception this week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex proved they’re still able to find small ways to share their love in public, even if it’s in the slightest of gestures. Cameras captured Markle and Prince Harry holding hands as they walked into an event celebrating the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Youth Leadership Workshop in London on July 5 at Marlborough House. At the event, Prince Harry gave a brief speech while Markle looked on, dressed to stand out in a sunshine-yellow dress. She was snapped enjoying the day’s activities, as Harry — a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador — extolled their joint interest in getting to know the leaders being recognized. So why is holding hands so noteworthy? Hand holding can be a fraught practice in the world of royal etiquette. While there is no official rule outlawing the clasp, there are situations — depending on the formality of the event — in which it can be perceived as a no-no, as former royal butler Grant Harrold previously explained to TIME. But while Harry’s older brother Prince William and Kate Middleton tend to go “by the book” when it comes to their behavior with each other, Prince Harry has some leeway to go about “re-writing the etiquette rules” for a younger generation. Not that there aren’t instances where the pair hasn’t held hands. Just last week, for instance, a video at a formal event with the Queen stirred conversation about public displays of affection for the royal family.

As the crow flies Denniff’s Cottage on Ringarogey island in Roaring Water Bay is just a few minutes’ boat ride to Baltimore, Co Cork. In contrast, the scenic route is by car, a journey time around the winding roads, of about 20 minutes. The island, which is joined to the mainland by a stone bridge, part of famine relief work in the mid-19th century, is one of many in an archipelago that includes the better-known isles of Sherkin and Hare. One of its owners, Pat McKnight, then Denniff, hence the name, bought it in 1974 when west Cork was beginning to flourish as an alternative location. Her parents had had a place in the cove in Baltimore since the 1950s. After a drink with estate agent Charles McCarthy in the Algiers Inn in Baltimore, her husband Tim McKnight recalls that locals couldn’t believe that she paid IR£14,500 for a farmhouse on a sprawling parcel of about 16 acres looking out across the estuary of the Ilen river to the islands of Sherkin and, on a clear day, Cape Clear. The property, which dates back to the mid-19th century, is charming in every way. The back door, the one in daily use by its owners, is an old half-door and leads straight into the living room, one of the rooms in the original part of the house. Here the beamed ceiling height is low, about 7.5ft. It has an inglenook fireplace set into a bare stone wall, where a wood-burning stove has been installed. Underfoot is a slate floor which was damp-proofed in 2010 as part of extensive works carried out by the owners. The works included rebuilding the kitchen and interconnecting dining room, a gorgeous space with windows on three sides and leading out to a south-facing patio. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, accessed via a waxed timber balustrade staircase leading up from the sitting room. The main house extends to about 185sq m/2,000sq ft, and is seeking €830,000 through Charles McCarthy. The lands extend down to the sea where there is a small pontoon and mooring, includes several outhouses, one a potter’s studio which, subject to planning, could become a smart self-contained holiday rental. A second building is used as a boathouse. Coincidentally. the Algiers Inn is also for sale, seeking around €350,000 through agent Cohalan Downing.

Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman, entered a lobby elevator at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York on Saturday. President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday said he would deport 2 million to 3 million undocumented immigrants when he takes office, but he also appeared to soften some of his campaign pledges and took a major step toward the GOP establishment by naming Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus as his future chief of staff. In Trump’s first television interview since Election Day, the billionaire businessman told “60 Minutes” that he will deport or incarcerate “the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers,’’ but at the same time he appeared to leave open the possibility that other undocumented immigrants would be allowed to stay in the United States. “After the border is secure and after everything gets normalized, we’re going to make a determination on the people that they’re talking about who are terrific people, they’re terrific people but we are going to make a determination at that,” Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday night. By choosing Priebus as his chief of staff, Trump went with a mainstream, traditional choice, preferred by Washington insiders. A Wisconsin native, Priebus, 44, is known to have close ties to House Speaker Paul Ryan, who would be a key ally in getting Trump’s agenda through Congress. Priebus remained largely loyal to Trump during his unorthodox campaign, although he sometimes struggled to defend the nominee’s many statements about treatment of women and minorities. A Globe analysis of the state’s election results showed a reddening of the state’s western counties. Priebus, supporters suggest, is a Republican Party loyalist who will bring D.C. experience and political acumen to a White House lacking both. He was chosen over a much more controversial, and less-well known, candidate: Stephen Bannon, executive chairman of the conservative Breitbart News and the chief strategist of the Trump campaign. Bannon has a history of using his prominence to support anti-Semitic, xenophobic, and racist messages, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a watchdog group. In the Trump administration, Bannon will serve as a chief strategist and senior counselor to the president. “Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory,” Trump said in the announcement. The developments come at an extraordinarily divisive period in American politics. President-elect Trump with Reince Priebus on election night. Priebus will serve as chief of staff in Trump’s White House. In urban centers, protesters are speaking out against the presidential election, decrying the bombastic — and sometimes offensive — rhetoric that Trump used during the election season. Republicans, though giddy at the prospect of a conservative White House, Congress, and Supreme Court, are also unclear on just how much of Trump’s lofty campaign promises he will attempt to fulfill. Indeed, in the “60 Minutes” interview, Trump signaled that part of his promised wall at the Mexico border — a signature pledge during his campaign — might actually be a fence. Elsewhere on Sunday, Republican leaders also seemed to back away from some of Trump’s policy promises, including jailing Clinton, building the border wall, and implementing a deportation force. Speaking on Fox News, the House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy, said he does not expect Congress to push any further investigations of Clinton, despite the often-repeated rallying cry of “Lock her up!” at Trump’s rallies. McCarthy also expressed skepticism at the idea of mass deportations. ‘‘First thing you have to do is secure the border and then we’ll have discussions,” McCarthy said. Ryan, the House speaker who has rallied behind Trump after months of carefully putting distance between himself and the nominee, was more direct than McCarthy. “I think we should put people’s minds at ease. That is not what our focus is,” said Ryan, of Wisconsin. Ryan’s words and the seemingly moderated tone of the president-elect might not calm the fears of Democrats, protesters nationwide, and historically marginalized communities, many of which felt demonized throughout the Trump campaign. Some left-leaning activists have reacted to Trump’s election by rushing to social media to claim Trump is #NotMyPresident, despite the looming truth of Inauguration Day. Others, such as US Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, accepted the election results but pledged to hold Trump accountable for the divisive rhetoric he at times deployed. This sentiment, coupled with a recent flare of incidents in which self-described Trump voters were harassing people of different cultures, has received a mixed reaction from Trump’s closest advisers — and the president-elect himself. Trump has made clear that he intends to use Twitter to get his message out, and he continued to snipe at the media over the weekend. Stephen Bannon, whom Donald Trump named his senior counselor and chief West Wing strategist, at Trump Tower Saturday. “Wow, the @nytimes is losing thousands of subscribers because of their very poor and highly inaccurate coverage of the ‘Trump phenomena,’” Trump wrote in a tweet posted at 3 a.m. Sunday. In the “60 Minutes” interview, Trump explained that he uses Twitter to “get the word out’’ and go around traditional media outlets. “When you give me a bad story, or when you give me an inaccurate story,” Trump said, “I have a method of fighting back.” He vowed to be “very restrained” in his Twitter posts. On the Sunday morning political talk shows, Trump’s surrogates and advisers downplayed the nationwide anger that continued to surface since his surprising win. Instead, each attempted to recast Trump as a political unifier, a humbled leader capable of compromise and willing to govern for all Americans. There is one area in which Democrats and Republicans agree: the need for Trump to sign a robust law investing in the country’s infrastructure. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump adviser, mentioned public works projects on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” Sunday, and on CBS News, Senator Bernie Sanders highlighted infrastructure as one area of possible common ground. “Let’s see the details. But, in general, rebuilding our infrastructure is absolutely imperative for this country,” said Sanders, an independent of Vermont. Sanders cautioned Trump against claiming any electoral mandate from Tuesday’s results, since Clinton received more votes nationally than Trump. “We are the majority,” Sanders said. Astead W. Herndon can be reached at astead.herndon@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter@AsteadWH.

A broken speed camera in Leeds is flashing drivers who pass through it travelling at BELOW the speed limit. The speed camera on York Road in Killinbeck Leeds has a 40mph speed limit. But the camera has malfunctioned and drivers have contacted the Yorkshire Evening Post to tell us that they have been flashed by the camera even when travelling below the speed limit this morning. A concerned motorist contacted us to say: "There is a bit of worry about it. It's a busy stretch of road (as is all of York Road) so it's a wonder as to how many people have been flashed by it. "There must be thousands of cars driving along there on a daily basis. People are asking if they will get a letter/fine that they then have the annoyance of appealing? "Although you know you haven't exceeded the 40mph limit, if you see a flash you automatically start questioning yourself!" A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police has confirmed that the camera has malfunctioned. The camera is not currently being enforced, say police, meaning that those flashed by the broken camera will not get a ticket for travelling lower than 40mph through the camera, even if they see a flash. Someone has been dispatched to fix the camera.

What are neutrophils and what do they do? Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that helps heal damaged tissues and resolve infections. Neutrophil blood levels increase naturally in response to infections, injuries, and other types of stress. They may decrease in response to severe or chronic infections, drug treatments, and genetic conditions. Neutrophils help prevent infections by blocking, disabling, digesting, or warding off invading particles and microorganisms. They also communicate with other cells to help them repair cells and mount a proper immune response. The body produces neutrophils in the bone marrow, and they account for 55–70 percent of all white blood cells in the bloodstream. A normal overall white blood cell level in the bloodstream for an adult is somewhere between 4,500 and 11,000 per millimeters cubed (mm3). When there is an infection or another source of inflammation in the body, special chemicals alert mature neutrophils, which then leave the bone marrow and travel through the bloodstream to the site in need. Unlike some other cells or blood components, neutrophils can travel through junctions in the cells that line blood vessel walls and enter into tissues directly. In this article, we look at the reasons for high or low neutrophil levels, how doctors can test these levels, and what normal neutrophil levels are for different groups. There are many different reasons why a person may have higher or lower than normal levels of neutrophils in their blood. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell. Having an abnormally high level of neutrophils in the blood is known as neutrophilic leukocytosis, also known as neutrophilia. Some inflammatory conditions can increase neutrophil levels, including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatitis, and vasculitis. An abnormally low blood level of neutrophils is a condition called neutropenia. A drop in neutrophil blood levels typically occurs when the body uses immune cells faster than it produces them or the bone marrow is not producing them correctly. An enlarged spleen may also cause a decrease in neutrophil levels because the spleen traps and destroys neutrophils and other blood cells. A laboratory specialist can evaluate a blood sample for white blood cell levels. Doctors can identify changes in neutrophil levels from a blood test called a complete blood count (CBC) with differential, which identifies specific groups of white blood cells. A doctor may order a CBC test when someone is experiencing a range of symptoms related to infection, chronic illness, and injury, such as fever, pain, and exhaustion. A nurse or technician will draw a small amount of blood from the arm and send it off for evaluation. If the initial test shows a higher or lower number of white blood cells than normal, the doctor will likely repeat the test to confirm the results. If the initial results are confirmed, a doctor will perform a physical exam, ask questions about the person's lifestyle, and review their medical history. If there is no apparent reason for changes in white blood cell levels, the doctor will order a more specific test. Laboratory specialists will look for specific white blood cells, such as immature neutrophils called myeloblasts. During an infection or chronic illness, these cells emerge from the bone marrow and mature in the blood instead of the bone marrow. If myeloblasts or other white blood cells appear in significant levels in the blood, the doctor will request a bone marrow sample. Bone marrow collection involves inserting a long needle into part of the pelvis near the back of your hip. The procedure can be very painful, and a doctor will typically take the sample in a hospital setting with at least a local anesthetic. Experts will examine the bone marrow sample to see if neutrophils and other blood cells are developing correctly and are in regular supply. Leukopenia is a condition where a person has a reduced white blood cell levels in their bloodstream. Learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatments here. Changes in neutrophil levels are often a sign of more significant changes in white blood cell levels. In non-pregnant adults, a white blood cell blood count over 11,000 per mm3 is known as leukocytosis, which is an elevated white blood cell count. Neutrophilic leukocytosis occurs when a person has over 7,000 per mm3 mature neutrophils in their bloodstream. Minor changes in neutrophil or white blood cell levels are typically nothing to worry about as long as they are temporary. A raised white blood cell count often means the body is responding to infection, injury, or stress. Some people have naturally lower levels of white blood cells and neutrophils than other people due to a range of factors, including congenital conditions. If neutrophil or white blood cell levels are significantly altered for no apparent reason or remain raised or lowered, a doctor will order more tests to determine the cause. Severely high or low levels of white blood cells often require emergency care and monitoring. People with severe neutropenia will have an inadequate defense against infection. People with severe neutrophilia typically have a life-threatening type of infection or other inflammatory illness that requires treatment, such as cancer. Nutritional yeast is a plant-based source of vitamin B-12. The best way to correct abnormal neutrophil levels is to address and treat the underlying cause. Antibiotics can treat bacterial infections, while antifungal medicine treats fungal infections. People can treat certain viral infections with medications that slow viral activity. Otherwise, supportive therapies, such as fluids and rest, may be part of the treatment plan. People with altered neutrophil levels caused by medications or procedures may need to stop or adjust treatments. People with severely low levels of neutrophils often require monitoring, antibiotic therapy, and hospitalization to reduce the risk of severe infection. This period of intensive care helps keep people with weakened immune systems away from potentially harmful microorganisms. It also supports the body, giving it time to produce more white blood cells. Try not to over-exercise or exercise beyond comfort levels. Reduce stress levels and treat chronic or severe stress. Seek medical attention for signs of infection, such as fever, weakness, fatigue, or pain, and treat infections exactly as prescribed. Follow a healthful, balanced diet. Treat chronic conditions, such as genetic or inflammatory conditions, exactly as prescribed. However, people with only minor or mild changes in their neutrophil blood levels often show no symptoms and do not require any treatment. Having a healthy number of neutrophils in the blood and bone marrow is crucial to the correct working of the immune system. When neutrophil levels are higher or lower than usual for more than a short period, a doctor will order several tests to work out the underlying cause. People with significantly altered neutrophil levels may also require hospitalization to prevent infection and treat life-threatening conditions. It is a good idea to have regular wellness checks at a doctor's office to stay on top of health. Anyone with concerns about their neutrophil count or any medical condition should talk to their doctor who will be able to answer questions they may have. Huizen, Jennifer. "What are neutrophils and what do they do?." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 13 Dec. 2018. Web.

How refreshing! Republicans in Pennsylvania are looking at the impacs of the Marcellus Shale play and trying to come up with honest solutions for dealing with possible problems. One solution: a natural gas tax. This might help take care of the roads once the trucks are gone, the schools once they're over-croweded, and maybe the water once it's polluted. Talk to some of the officials around here, like Sens. Johnson and Gilbert at the UCA Shale Summit, and you'll get a totally different view on how natural gas companies should be taxed. Local officials worry about damage to local roads ill-suited for heavy truck traffic and equipment. School districts could be strained by families of gas company employees moving into town. And some residents are concerned about gas wells disrupting or polluting the water tables from which they draw drinking water. Legislators must find the fairest way for companies to share those costs, whether by levying a tax or through some other means, said Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, the GOP’s policy chairman. Get the full article here.

CAE, based in Montreal, announced a contract amendment with Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA) to provide a CAE 7000 Series Embraer 170/190 full-flight simulator (FFS). The change order amends a contract signed in June 2009 by GAA's parent company, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, and reflects their decision to switch an A330/340 simulator to an Embraer 170/190 FFS. The CAE 7000 Series Embraer 170/190 FFS will be delivered later this year to Gulf Aviation Academy's new training centre, which currently includes a CAE 5000 Series A320 FFS with another CAE 5000 Series A320 FFS to be delivered soon. The Embraer 170/190 simulator will feature the CAE Tropos-6000 visual system and CAE True electric motion system.

Two suspects in a weekend stabbing near the Boise airport made their initial court appearances in Ada County Monday. Police say Jacob Gibson and Kyle Meyer are responsible for a stabbing in a hotel room near the Boise airport around 4:15 a.m. Saturday morning. 21-year-old Jacob Gibson is charged with a felony for accessory to aggravated battery and two felony probation violations. 21-year-old Kyle Meyer is charged with felony aggravated battery and a felony probation violation. In court Monday, the prosecuting attorney argued Gibson held a person down while Meyer stabbed the victim, adding the stabbing stemmed from an alleged drug deal. A no-contact order was issued, prohibiting the suspects from communicating with the alleged victim and cannot be within 300 feet of the individual. Both individuals are being held without bail on probation violations and previous cases. Gibson was issued a $250,000 bail on the accessory to aggravated battery charge, and Meyer was issued a $300,000 bail for aggravated battery.

The victim has been identified as Antonio Marquez-Melgar, 37, of Plainfield. PLAINFIELD – A fatal pedestrian hit-and-run in the city is under investigation. The Union County Prosecutor's Office and Plainfield Police Department are investigating an incident in which a pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle in the city Thursday night, authorities said. Shortly before 7:30 p.m., members of the Union County Homicide Task Force and Plainfield Police Division responded to the area of Madison Avenue and West Eighth Street on a report of a motor vehicle accident, according to a preliminary investigation. The investigation revealed a white Kia sedan with two occupants collided with a Lexus in the intersection, knocking the Kia into Marquez-Melgar and killing him. The two occupants of the Kia then fled the area on foot and remain at large. The Union County Sheriff’s Office’s Crime Scene Unit and Union County Police Department Fatal Accident Reconstruction Team are also assisting in this investigation. Anyone with information about this matter is being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Nicholas Falcicchio at 908-721-8186 or the Plainfield Police Division Traffic Unit at 908-753-3360. March 22, 2019, 3:38 p.m. March 22, 2019, 2:05 p.m. March 22, 2019, 5 a.m. March 21, 2019, 5:24 p.m. March 21, 2019, 3:59 p.m. March 21, 2019, 2:13 p.m.

Forget bingo and shuffleboard. Use of computers and cellphones is linked to higher levels of mental and physical well-being among those over age 80, according to new Stanford research. And these elders — dubbed “the oldest old,” a generation typically ignored by the youth-obsessed tech industry — are motivated for the same reasons as digital-savvy millennials: to stay connected. “Using tech to connect with loved ones was related to higher life satisfaction, lower loneliness and general attainment of meaningful goals — being happy, independent,” said researcher Tamara Sims of the Stanford Center on Longevity. Those who used technology to learn new information were in better physical health, her study also found. Expansion of elder-focused tech education and support could help those born in an era of Greta Garbo, Model T cars and vacuum tube radio, said Sims. Americans are living longer than previous generations, and many want to stay at home. With digital tools, they can stay socially engaged — and reach out for help, if they need it. Every morning, after his second cup of coffee, he answers emails about the war and his organization. Then he does research, which helps him stay abreast of any newly published academic studies. He also uses his PC to plan upcoming seminars — honoring the centennial of America’s engagement in the war — seeking conference venues, speakers and nearby hotels. He searches the web to find images for his World War I lectures to civic groups and schools, and then puts his presentation on a thumb drive for travel. Ham radio operator Rudy Bahr, 93, of Mountain View uses a computer program that, in an earthquake or other crisis, can communicate radio messages directly to emergency operation centers, hospitals and other critical facilities. Created by the volunteer-run Southern Peninsula Emergency Communications System, it offers a direct connection that is more reliable than traditional email or cell services. Saratoga’s Tsing Bardin, 78, and her husband, 85, use FaceTime with their children and grandchildren in Italy and in New York. “It is free and you can see them as you speak,” she said. Google Calendar is the tool used by 91-year-old Lois Hall, of Palo Alto, to book appointments for one-on-one tech tutoring of other elders at a Computer Learning Center, sponsored by Palo Alto’s senior center Avenidas. She also uses computers to create informational fliers. She cherishes newsy or humorous emails from her son in San Jose and daughter in Cupertino. She also uses email to plan monthly dinners with friends. She uses Netflix to watch new episodes of the Canadian drama “Heartland.” With the holidays approaching, she’ll use it for shopping. Sims didn’t expect to find much of a correlation between technology and well-being in adults older than 80 because these elders were considered to be the most unfamiliar with these technologies and the least likely to use them. Conventional wisdom holds that as people age, they perceive time as more limited — and prioritize meaningful interactions with their loved ones rather than learning new information or meeting new people. “I was going into it a little bit skeptical,” according to Sims, whose research is published in the current issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. She conducted the study with Andrew Reed, a former Stanford postdoctoral fellow, and Dawn Carr, an assistant professor of sociology at Florida State University. The research team surveyed 445 people between the ages of 80 and 93, online and over the phone. Elders were asked about their motivation for using cellphones, personal computers, video streaming services and other digital tools. Contrary to stereotypes, most of the adults over 80 said they used at least one technological device regularly, and doing so was related to higher levels of self-reported physical and mental well-being, reported Sims. “The key here is that if you get them using these technologies, we could probably see some real benefits to quality of life in very old age,” she said, in a prepared statement. Interviewed elders said that tech tools could be improved to ease their use. Another common frustration, said Hall, is navigation — for instance, learning how to move photos from iPads and iPhones to the computer. When she sets up tutoring sessions, she matches elders with specific questions to volunteers with that type of expertise. She, too, was initially stumped — but with time, patience and training, improved.

Apple's new Music Memos app captures musical inspiration, while GarageBand adds a new AI drummer and loop arranger. When a bolt of musical inspiration hits, many musicians will reach for their smart phones, pop open the built-in voice-recorder app, and make a quick recording of some combination of guitar, voice or piano, hoping to capture the essence of the idea before it fades. But a voice memo is a blunt tool for capturing a song idea, and the artist is left on their own to figure out how to translate a rough recording into something more substantial -- or even to remember what chords were played. Press this big button to record. Enter Music Memos, a new iOS app from Apple. This simple app is a new type of voice-memo recorder, built around capturing musical ideas, giving them a slight polish, and sending the best ones on to a more powerful music tool, such as Apple's own GarageBand or Logic Pro. It's completely free, and should be available on the App Store later today. Music Memos starts with a simple record button in the middle of the screen. Tap it and the app starts recording -- it's optimized for guitar or piano, but you could really record anything: voice, ukulele, klezmer, whatever, although other instruments may miss out on some of the advanced features. Trim and loop the recording and edit the chord information here. It's what happens next that makes Music Memos stand out from a standard memo-recording app. If you recorded some acoustic guitar or piano, Music Memos analyses the audio input and attempts to chop your song demo into bars, in the appropriate time signature, and then adds chord labels. You can tweak the recording a good deal, trimming the start and end to form a loop, and overwriting the chord information with your own notations. In practice, I found it worked best with strummy, coffee-shop open chords in 4/4 time. Trying to get a little more complex, such as throwing in jazzy major-7th chords, forced me to manually enter the appropriate chords for each bar. Songs can be exported to GarageBand or shared via services including SoundCloud and email. But once that's all set, you can turn on the surprisingly satisfying auto-accompaniment tools, and a simple bass line and drum track will follow along with the rhythm and chords, like a bare-bones backing band. It offers just a few basic beats, and again seems targeted at the strummy, coffee-shop singer-songwriter crowd, but it's also very satisfying to hear a fleshed-out version of a song idea almost instantly. Song ideas can also be labeled with tags, and you can add comments or even song lyrics to a notes section for each recording. Music Memo recordings can be synced to iCloud, or you can export the actual files to GarageBand or Logic Pro in order to work on them further in a more full-featured music app. The next step up from Music Memos is GarageBand, Apple's consumer-friendly music recording and editing program. Included on most iOS and OS X devices, it takes an iMovie-like approach to recording, throwing out some of the traditional user interfaces found in programs such as ProTools or Apple's own Logic Pro (which were, in turn, copied from actual real-world recording studios), and instead creating a new, hopefully more intuitive, way to record music. Having used old-school music DAWs (shorthand for "digital audio workstations," a term used to describe computer-based recording programs) such as ProTools and Logic extensively over the years, I've always found the GarageBand approach hard to wrap my head around. But, this new 2.1 update adds some interesting new features that make it easier than ever to get started crafting or arranging music, even if you have little or no experience. The Live Loops interface in GarageBand. The most notable is an entirely new (and entirely optional) interface called Live Loops. It's a performance-friendly sequencer for arranging samples and loops, which can be lined up to play in order, or simply triggered on the fly by tapping on the appropriate square-shaped loop. Apple includes several preloaded templates in different music genres, or you can start with a blank field and import various loops and samples, or original recordings made in GarageBand. With the right tempo and note information (routinely included with commercial samples and loops) the Live Loops interface keeps all the parts in sync and flowing together naturally. The idea reminds me of performance-friendly music programs such as Ableton Live, but this version is much more pick-up-and-play, and my four-year-old was having a great time with it, triggering samples and creating on-the-fly arrangements in under a minute. Live Loops is fun to play with, but probably more useful for live improvisation from the DJ booth or creating EDM arrangements than traditional songwriting and recording. Outside of Live Loops, there's also the standard music recording and editing tools in GarageBand, augmented by some new automation features and EQ tools for tweaking the overall sound. You can still record audio via an external mic or your device's built-in mic (although the latter is not really recommended) or play virtual guitars and keyboards on-screen, which is fun but involves a lot of trial and error to get a feel for. "Smart" versions of these instruments will play preset patterns based on chord information you provide. That can give you an instant backing band for ideas, but again, there's a robotic sameness to the performances and the styles are on the dry side, so it's not going to replace calling your musically talented friends up and asking them to play on your album. New for GarageBand 2.1 is the addition of Drummer, a high-concept AI drum tool previously found only in the $200 Logic Pro software. Drummer starts with several fictional drummer profiles, each with his or her own music genres and drum kits, and builds a drum track for your song that can be adjusted on the fly to be louder, softer, more or less complex, using different cymbal or kick/snare variations, and with more or fewer fills. The end result is pretty good, and much more human-feeling than basic drum loops or samples. Although, again, the genre choices tend to run towards EDM, straightforward rock, and commercial-sounding hip-hop/R&B. I'm still waiting for a specialized bossa nova drummer, or a virtual version of Bernard Purdie. The Drummer app inside GarageBand. Music Memos is for free for iOS users and will work on iPhone 4s and later, and iPad 2 and later. GarageBand 2.1 for iOS will be included on new iOS devices with 32GB or more of storage, and owners of previous versions can upgrade for free if they have iOS 9.

A 38-year-old man suspected of vehicle theft is under arrest in Abbotsford, but police say he actually captured himself. A tweet from the department says officers responded to calls early Wednesday about a parked van that was "shaking violently." Police quickly determined the van was stolen. They opened the back doors of the vehicle to find the suspect had locked himself into the rear of the van and had no access to the front because a metal wall separated the cab from the back section of the vehicle. The man was taken into more conventional custody and remains behind bars. Abbotsford police say charges of possession of stolen property are being considered.

Capital abundance, low interest rates, and high volatility are creating new challenges and opportunities in equity markets. To succeed in this crowded and complex global landscape, you must take your investment expertise to a new level. Private Equity and Venture Capital, an Executive Education program at Harvard Business School, explores cutting-edge industry models and related issues—from venture capital, growth equity, and buyouts to industry infrastructure, portfolio strategies, and decision-making processes. Designed to improve your effectiveness at all stages of a deal, this program examines innovative approaches to asset management, financial strategy, organizational structure, and portfolio management. You’ll learn how to improve your negotiation approach, identify solid investment opportunities, manage asset inflation and bubble risks, and generate long-term returns to secure a competitive advantage for your company.

President Barack Obama shakes hands with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office last Thursday, after the two met to discuss the presidential transition. Donald Trump's victory in the race for the White House leaves widespread uncertainty about what's in store for public schools under the first Republican administration in eight years. Aside from school choice, Trump, a New York-based real estate developer who has never before held public office, spent little time talking about K-12 education during his campaign. And he has no record to speak of on the issue for insights into what he may propose. "We're all engaging in a lot of speculation because there hasn't been a lot of serious discussion about this, especially in the Trump campaign," Martin R. West, an associate professor of education at Harvard University, said in the run-up to the Nov. 8 presidential election. West has advised Republicans, including 2012 nominee Mitt Romney and Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, on education. Trump did propose a $20 billion plan to dramatically expand school choice for low-income students. It would use federal money to help them attend private, charter, magnet, and regular public schools of their choice. It's also designed to leverage additional state investments in school choice of up to $100 billion nationwide. In the campaign, the president-elect also embraced merit pay for teachers, without offering details beyond saying he found it unfair that "bad" teachers sometimes earned "more than the good ones." And, on the early-childhood front, he's pitched offering six weeks of maternity leave to women who do not get it through their employers, expanding the availability of dependent-care savings accounts, and offering tax incentives for employers to provide on-site day care. But otherwise, the Trump campaign mostly dealt in sound bites with such controversial issues as the Common Core State Standards, the possibility of getting rid of the U.S. Department of Education, and gun-free school zones. "I could really see him trying to minimize any role [of the federal government in education]," Nat Malkus, a research fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said in contemplating the implications of a Trump presidency ahead of the vote. While education is not a high-profile issue politically at the moment, it's not as if the Trump administration won't have anything to do on school policy. At or near the top of the K-12 to-do list is how the new administration handles the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, the latest version of the flagship federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act that was first passed in 1965. The Education Department under President Barack Obama is relatively close to finalizing ESSA regulations governing how states hold schools accountable and how districts must show they are using federal money to supplement their state and local school budgets. Republicans in Congress have been critical of both sets of proposals from the department, particularly the one governing the supplemental-money rule. In fact, 25 GOP lawmakers recently asked the department to rescind its proposal for ensuring federal funds are supplemental, not a replacement for state and local money, on the grounds that the proposal would give the department too much power over state and local budget decisions. The incoming administration may be on the same page as those lawmakers, said Gerard Robinson, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former state schools chief in Virginia and Florida. "I think [Trump's] secretary of education will handle it differently than what we've seen from [current Secretary] John King," regarding the so-called supplement-not-supplant rules, Robinson said. Robinson is serving as a member of the Trump transition team, but spoke only on his own behalf. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton focused more on early education and college affordability than K-12 in her losing bid for the White House. However, when it comes to ESSA in general, Robinson said he believes that Trump views the law as a result of a "bipartisan coalition" and that the president-elect won't get too heavily involved in ESSA's rollout. And Robinson expects states to have a great deal of flexibility in the ESSA accountability plans that they submit to the Trump administration starting next year—significantly more than they enjoyed under Obama-era waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act, the predecessor to ESSA. "This is a great time to be a state chief," Robinson said, adding at the same time that "I don't want state chiefs to think that when they turn those [plans] in that, 'Oh, well, these will just get approved.' " What's more, a lot of policies under the No Child Left Behind Act were part of the law but the George W. Bush or Obama administration didn't do much to enforce them. A couple of examples: the requirement that highly qualified teachers be distributed fairly between poor and less-poor schools, and that districts offer free tutoring to students in schools that weren't making progress under the law. There could be similar examples of provisions that are on the books in ESSA, or in the Obama administration's regulations for the law, said Vic Klatt, a one-time aide to House Republicans who is now a principal at the Penn Hill Group. And since the Trump administration will be the first to enforce ESSA, it could be "easier and less disruptive" for it to simply ignore parts of the law than it would be for another administration down the line, Klatt said. Trump could also discard another key piece of the Obama education legacy: The president-elect could significantly curb the role of the department's office for civil rights when it comes to state and local policies, according to Robinson, and thereby return the OCR's role more to how it operated under Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. That could have a big impact on everything from action on racial disparities in school discipline to transgender students' rights. Robinson also said that he expects the OCR to ensure that students' rights are not "trampled on." Some civil rights advocates though, are already concerned, given some of Trump's campaign-trail rhetoric on Muslims and Latinos, that the office won't flex its enforcement muscles. "We're worried," said Liz King, the director of education policy for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "We're hearing what everyone else is hearing from teachers and families that kids don't feel safe." Much depends on whom Trump picks to lead his Education Department—assuming that he decides not to seek elimination or drastic cutbacks to the agency, which he has sometimes said he would like to do. In October, Carl Palladino, a school board member in Buffalo, N.Y., and a Trump campaign surrogate, said he believed that if elected, Trump would pick someone from outside the education policy world to lead the department. Another critical decision will be on who reviews states' proposed accountability plans for ESSA next year. "Who are going to be his people? If he brings in a traditional right-of-center group, you can take it from there," said Maria Ferguson, the executive director of the Center on Education Policy, who worked in the Education Department under President Bill Clinton. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at his victory rally on Nov. 9 in New York City. The Republican real estate developer made school choice a key theme when talking about public education on the campaign trail. Ferguson suggested a traditional conservative policy agenda of expanded charter schools and other initiatives would probably get traction under Trump. "All these familiar themes that the right-of-center groups have talked about will become a version of his agenda," Ferguson predicted. She mentioned school choice and groups like the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which was founded by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, one of Trump's rivals for the GOP nomination. "But I don't think it's going to come from him." Earlier this year, Trump tapped Rob Goad, a staffer for Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., to be his education adviser, not long before the Trump campaign released its $20 billion school choice plan. There are some basic similarities between Trump's plan and a push last year to make federal Title I aid "portable" for disadvantaged students to use at both public and private schools. And Trump's transition team for education includes Robinson, the former Florida and Virginia state chief, and Williamson M. Evers, a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, who worked at the Education Department under President George W. Bush. Much also depends on Trump's relationship with Congress and to what extent he empowers key GOP lawmakers on education policy. Besides ESSA, Congress has been fairly active in moving education-related legislation. In recent months, for example, the House of Representatives approved reauthorizations of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Some, but less, progress has also been made on renewing the Child Nutrition Act. And the Higher Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Head Start federal preschool program are up for reauthorization in the near future. Trump has outlined a general plan on college affordability, including capping student-loan repayments at 12.5 percent of income and instituting loan forgiveness after 15 years for certain borrowers. College affordability is a more prominent issue thanks to the 2016 presidential campaign. And since Congress remains sharply divided along partisan lines, Trump and the Republicans likely won't be able to simply roll ahead with all their preferences on higher education. "You're not doing anything legislatively without bipartisan support," said West, of Harvard. "It's not obvious to me that there is a clear Republican agenda in Congress right now with respect to K-12 education, except for trying to ensure that ESSA is implemented in a way consistent with the intent of the law of empowering states to design accountability systems as they see fit." But uncertainty prevails, both over what the new president will take an interest in and how much he will push to get education bills and initiatives over the finish line.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Monday announced the names of shortlisted candidates to be interviewed in April for a number of judicial positions in various superior courts, including two vacancies at the Constitutional Court. The announcement follows the commission’s call in October last year for nominations to fill the vacancies. The 22 shortlisted candidates will be notified of the date, time and venue of their interviews. The commission also announced on Monday that it will interview justice Xola Mlungisi Petse following his nomination by President Cyril Ramaphosa for the vacant position of deputy president of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). Ramaphosa nominated Petse on February 2, in accordance with section 174(3) of the constitution, which states that the president, after consulting the JSC, appoints the president and deputy president of the SCA. “The president thus seeks the views of the JSC on the suitability or otherwise of justice Petse for the position of deputy president of the SCA,” the JSC said in a statement. There are six candidates for two vacancies at the Constitutional Court who will be interviewed by the JSC at its April sitting. The constitution states that JSC must prepare a list of nominees with three names more than the number of appointments to be made and then submit that list to the president. Candidates to be interviewed for the Constitutional Court vacancies are high court judges Annali Basson, Patricia Goliath, Jody Kollapen and Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane and SCA judges Stevan Majiedt and Zukisa Tshiqi. The JSC will also interview nine judges for five vacancies at the SCA. They are Daniel Dlodlo, Trevor Gorven, Caroline Nicholls, Yvonne Mbatga, Pieter Meyer, Fikile Mokgohloa, Selewe Mothle, Clive Plasket and Owen Rogers. The JSC will also interview Feziwe Renqe and Onica van Papendorp for a single vacancy at the Grahamstown high court. Labour court judges Edwin Molahlehi and André van Niekerk will be interviewed for the vacant position of deputy judge president of the labour and labour appeal courts. Judges Bulelwa Pakati and Mmathebe Phatsoane will be interviewed for the vacant deputy judge president position at the Northern Cape division of the high court. No candidates were shortlisted for a vacancy at the electoral court.

The departing “SNL” star made Joe Biden aggressive, Mitt Romney benignly out-of-touch and always maintained he was “just friends” with Andy Samberg. Sorry Saturday Night Live fans, but it’s time to say goodbye to Jason Sudeikis, who has officially announced he won’t be returning to the NBC show this fall. That means it’s time for us to remember the star’s best characters -- from the jolly (but borderline senile) Vice President Joe Biden to the inexplicably Southern-sounding judge on "Maine Justice." Sudeikis’ aggressive turn as the vice president reached a fever pitch during the 2012 vice presidential debate, when Biden threatened poor Rep. Paul Ryan (Taran Killam) with physical harm. With “Maine Justice,” first Jamie Foxx and then Justin Timberlake played bailiff to Sudeikis’ backwoods judge, presiding over a Bangor, Maine, court with folksy wisdom and fiery words. Yep, it was weird. But it worked, and Sudeikis considered getting it on air a high point for him on the show. Sudeikis’ Gov. Mitt Romney was tall, handsome and comically out of touch. During campaign season, he attempted to show he was a regular guy by eating McDonalds, but immediately spat it out, not used to eating such cheap food (“I’d complain to the chef, but let me guess: No hablas ingles, am I right?”). After the real-life Romney lost to President Barack Obama, Sudeikis made his final appearance as Romney, where the wholesome candidate drowned his sorrows in milk instead of beer. Andy Samberg and Sudeikis have always been “just friends.” Seriously, the shorts prove it. As a bonus, below find the final sketch of season 38, which acted as a sendoff to Sudeikis and fellow departing castmembers Bill Hader and Fred Armisen. What were your favorite Sudeikis sketches? Sound off in the comments.

By the time Ohio State’s slow-arriving student section filled up, the Buckeyes had already taken a 7-0 lead against UNLV as speedy H-back Parris Campbell raced 69 yards for the opening touchdown on the offense’s second play. The Scarlet and Gray extended the early lead, continued to build upon it and never allowed the Rebels to even feign a threat as Ohio State dominated, winning 54-21 Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium. Redshirt senior quarterback J.T. Barrett marched his team down the field at will against an overmatched, less-talented UNLV defense, completing 12-of-17 passes for 209 yards and five touchdowns and subbed out before halftime. Seven players — wideouts Terry McLaurin, Johnnie Dixon, K.J. Hill, Binjimen Victor, Campbell and walk-on C.J. Saunders and tight end Rashod Berry — caught touchdowns for the Buckeyes, the most in a single game in Ohio State history. Barrett overthrew sophomore wideout K.J Hill on one of his first passes of the game, but settled in as the Buckeyes scored on all but one of his drives. Campbell led Ohio State with three catches for 105 yards, but fumbled near the goal line on his team’s third drive of the game. The Rebels offense stood no chance facing off against the Buckeyes’ stout defense. An aggressive, blitz-heavy defensive front pressured redshirt freshman quarterback Armani Rogers the entire game. Late in the first quarter, backed up at the 2-yard line, defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones stuffed a run and forced Ohio State’s first safety of the season. The Buckeyes racked up four sacks and a season-high 13 tackles for loss. Sophomore defensive end Nick Bosa led the Buckeyes with three tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Rogers competed 11-of-19 passes for 88 yards. The Rebels, buoyed by junior running back Lexington Thomas’ 55-yard touchdown, rushed for 41 yards on 176 carries. With 3:32 left in the second quarter while leading 37-7, redshirt freshman quarterback Dwayne Haskins replaced Barrett, and first-team All-American center Billy Price subbed out of the blowout. Haskins threaded the needle to Saunders for his first touchdown of the game, a 28-yard strike across the middle. The strong-armed quarterback went 15-for-23 and 228 yards and tossed two touchdowns. He hit Berry late in the third quarter who rumbled for a 38-yard touchdown, the first of the defensive end-turned-tight end’s career. Haskins later threw an interception to linebacker/defensive back Javin White, who took it 65 yards for a touchdown, the first pick-six thrown by an Ohio State quarterback this year. Freshman running back J.K. Dobbins took 14 carries 95 yards. Once again, redshirt sophomore running back Mike Weber did not play. He has dealt with a hamstring injury since the beginning of fall camp and missed the first game of the season. Defensive tackle Robert Landers, offensive guard Matt Burrell, linebacker Chris Worley and cornerback Shaun Wade also did not play for Ohio State due to injuries. Ohio State will look for its third consecutive victory when the Buckeyes head to Piscataway, New Jersey, next Saturday to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-2) at 7:30 p.m. Rewarded with another drop in the polls. Nothing will change until they beat a good team. Penn State will be a challenge. They had a great comeback against Iowa.

“We’re too close not to share resources and promote each other,” Keyserling said. Plans are still being made by city event staff and its cultural district board for the expanded Taste of Beaufort, which will be held at various venues downtown May 3-4. Keyserling said the collaboration would pull from the Piccolo Spoleto festival, a companion event run by the city of Charleston to the better-known, 17-day international Spoleto festival held in the city each year. Plans come as Beaufort and the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce spar in federal court over control of the city’s popular festivals, including Taste of Beaufort. The nonprofit business group sued the city last year over ownership and operation of the Beaufort Shrimp Festival and Taste of Beaufort, saying its constitutional rights were violated when it was denied a permit in July to operate the shrimp event and objecting to the city registering the names of both festivals with the state. City officials have said chamber leadership has been unwilling to reach a solution. Beaufort employed downtown events staff to organize a promote what the city billed as a bigger and better Beaufort Shrimp Festival in October. Keyserling’s announcement of the Spoleto partnership in his weekly newsletter told visitors to prepare for “a better than ever” Taste of Beaufort. Tecklenburg and Keyserling have been allies on several recent issues affecting both coastal areas, including opposing offshore oil drilling and exploration and planning for rising sea levels. Beaufort has also patterned its technology incubator, the Beaufort Digital Corridor, after a successful initiative in Charleston.

DENMARK - UK – ASIA - EUROPE – In a bold move designed to out manoeuvre their rivals Maersk, the largest container shipping line in the world, today announced what they consider to be the first major step forward in box transportation for well over a decade. ‘Daily Maersk’ will offer guaranteed delivery times from four Asian ports to three major European hubs for any FCL freight deliveries every day of the week. Speaking at the London launch Eivind Kolding, CEO Maersk Line said that from the company's inception in 1928 very little changed from the monthly schedules offered until in the late 1940’s when twice monthly services appeared. Even with the introduction of containerisation weekly schedules failed to appear until the 1990’s since when little if anything had changed. He said it was Maersk’s intention to offer shippers a ‘conveyor belt’ service with Maersk becoming a natural extension of a supplier’s production line. The service schedules were arrived at after Maersk embarked on a protracted dialogue with their major customers and indeed the product is principally aimed at the heavy hitters, the regular clients with extensive contract commitments to shipping large quantities, which is not to say that spot purchase clients will not necessarily benefit from the reduced delivery times Maersk feel are attainable. The discussion with stakeholders produced three clear requirements including reliability, all shippers were keen to know exactly when their goods would arrive at the destination port as currently around 50% of TEU’s fail to meet the original estimated times of arrival. Complicated systems were another bugbear, consignors wanted a one stop, one touch system rather than the nineteen or so inputs required to send a box on its way which currently exists. The third request was to ensure that wherever possible the customer could claim to maintain their green credentials by utilising a system that was as clean as could reasonably be expected. ‘Daily Maersk’ is the product of these discussions and Maersk are so confident of its success they are to pay compensation for every container that fails to meet the deadline they have underwritten. The company will pay customers who sign up to the system compensation of $100 for a delay between one and three days. Should the freight arrive 4 days late they will hand over $300. Needless to say Maersk have written in get out clauses for bad weather, port strikes etc. Of course there is a downside, at present up to 50% of booked boxes fail to arrive at the port in time to meet the cut off times, or indeed at all, and to the container companies this simply means lost revenue. Containers booked under the new system which fail to arrive will be subject to a penalty which presumably will be negotiated with individual shippers (those which deign to agree to it). Maersk see this system as a way to directly influence the current overbooking problem. The new schedules, from Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian and Tanjung Pelepas to Bremerhaven, Felixstowe and Rotterdam, will occupy 70 vessels of the company’s fleet, around 25% of Maersk Line’s TEU carrying capacity. Despite the mention of the intent to make the service as green as possible it simply may not be feasible with traffic levels as they are. Only by running the newer, larger yet more efficient vessels closer to their full capacity can reduced emissions of CO2 per tonne be achieved. To ensure vessels make their guaranteed time targets it may even be sometimes necessary to abandon the current slow steaming policy, designed to conserve expensive fuel and reduce pollution levels, simply to stick to schedules. “This is the first time compensation will be paid by a shipping company and this is to underscore our confidence in this product. We have been in discussion with a number of customers, including Sony, and they have expressed approval. ‘Daily Maersk’ responds to some key concerns by ensuring on time delivery in Northern Europe. How can we do this? By upping capacity and spreading port calls and having a back up plan for every vessel. All the customer needs is total transport. We see larger customers with sophisticated management systems taking advantage of this and reducing their warehousing needs. No partnerships with other lines will be involved in the provision of this service and, before anyone believes this will be rolled out globally, even Maersk admit that the daily cut off system is currently only feasible on the busy Asia to Europe run. Cynics will note that Maersk are due to collect a lot more of the bigger container vessels they have on order within the next year or two and they need cargo to fill them but there is no doubt that other box carriers will feel a chill down their spines at what is a very inventive and bold move to completely dominate the Asian European freight trade. The first daily cut off will be on the 24th October, the guaranteed transportation times to the three European ports (Bremerhaven, Felixstowe and Rotterdam) are as follows. Ex Ningbo – 36 days, ex Shanghai – 34 days, ex Yantian – 30 days and for Tanjung Pelepas – 26 days. Transportation time is defined as from the cut off date issued for the departure port and the availability of the cargo at the port of destination. If cargo arrives early there will be no demurrage charges until the agreed cargo availability date has passed. Around seven million forty foot equivalent units pass from Asia to Northern Europe annually and Maersk currently shift over one million of them. With this set of schedules it is obvious that the Danish giants intend to take up as much of the market as possible by concentrating more than ever on the companies responsible for the bulk of this traffic. The end result remains to be seen but as this scheme takes shape at least two of Maersk’s main rivals will be looked at very closely by industry analysts should it result in an upswing of tonnage for ‘Daily Maersk’. Photo:- The giant Emma Maersk in port.

Posted on Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 8:40 a.m. A Manchester woman’s selfless gift could help extend the life of a co-worker’s husband, WXYZ reports. Lisa Moutinho, an administrator at the Washtenaw County District Court in Ypsilanti, is giving one of her kidneys to Michael Brunson, who’s been on dialysis for five years, the station reported. The surgeries are scheduled for Wednesday at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 3:28 p.m. My daughter has lived 37 years with one kidney. No problems all these years. Not even a kidney infecion. Congratulations to Lisa for her generosity and good future health to Michael!!! Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 6:03 p.m. I've known Lisa for many years and this doesn't surprise me in the least. Yeah Lisa! Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 3:15 p.m. This is certainly an amazing gift. Usually it is a relative who does this. But, if something happens to her one-good kidney, then what? She also has 3 children. Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 1:41 a.m. The fear you express in this question is one many people have. Part of the reason that I hear people asking this question is that folks are really unaware of basic biology. It's really uncommon for something to happen to "one" kidney. The most likely thing to have happen to one kidney, is to be born without it. Donating doesn't have a mathematically significant impact upon the donor. Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 5:20 p.m. Harry, I am an organ donor but maybe some people have religious objections? I just hope that people will consider doing it. Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 3:51 p.m. Hopefully there are people who are as generous as she is. One thing I will never understand. Why isn't every person in america an organ donor. Your dead why would you want to be buried with your organs? Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 2:29 p.m. Now here is a hero. Its not her job. She's not getting paid. We seem to throw around that word a lot these days. Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 2:27 p.m.

Kathleen, Marchioness of Hartington. Public Domain/U.S. Govt. photo. On this day in 1948, Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington, the second daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., sister of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and widow of the heir to the Devonshire dukedom, died in a plane crash en route to secure her father's blessings on her second marriage. She was born on February 20, 1920, and was only 28 at the time of her death. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed JFK's father Joseph Kennedy ambassador to the Court of St. James, his daughter Kathleen spent a year and a half living in London. She was educated in London at Queen's College. Beautiful and spirited, she was named the "most exciting debutante of 1938." In 1943 she returned to England to work in a center for servicemen set up by the Red Cross. Despite the opposition of her intensely Catholic mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy, known to friends as "Kick", married William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, a Protestant and the eldest son and heir of the 10th Duke of Devonshire on May 6, 1944. Other than her eldest brother Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. who died in a plane crash three months after the wedding, no one from the Kennedy family attended the marriage ceremony. Her husband was killed in action only four months later in World War II, and his younger brother Andrew Cavendish, married to Deborah Mitford, became the heir to the dukedom. See the newspaper report of her death on right. Popular on the London social circuit and admired by many for her high spirits - though more traditional members of British society found fault with her boisterousness - the dashing young widow eventually became the mistress of Peter Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 8th Earl FitzWilliam. The couple planned to wed after Fitzwilliam's planned divorce. Instead, while on a trip to visit Joseph Kennedy Sr. and gain his blessing for their relationship, Lord Fitzwilliam and Lady Hartington died in an airplane crash in Saint-Bauzile, Ardèche, France. Only her father represented the Kennedy family at her funeral. Her mother, Rose, declined to attend supposedly because of Kathleen's intention to marry outside the Catholic Church a second time. It is also said that Rose Kennedy also discouraged Kathleen's siblings from attending for the same reason. Rose apparently forgave Kathleen not long thereafter, and in 1951, she was reportedly delighted that her first grandchild, Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, Kathleen Hartington Kennedy, was named after her late daughter. However, the family requested that the child not be nicknamed Kick. The Marchioness of Hartington is buried in the Cavendish family plot at Saint Peter's Church, Edensor, near Chatsworth in Derbyshire, England. Among the wreaths that covered her coffin was one with a handwritten note from Sir Winston Churchill. The gymnasium at Manhattanville College is named in her honor. On this day in 2005 the U.S. Department of Defense changed its mind about base closings, and that was the end of Otis NG as an air base. The largest New England facilities saved by the Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) were the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, in Maine, and the Naval Submarine Base New London, in Connecticut -- each with thousands of jobs. Then, on its last day of deliberations, the BRAC unexpectedly reversed the Defense Department's proposed expansion of Hanscom Air Force Base, outside Boston, and voted to close Otis Air National Guard Base, on Cape Cod, with plans to send its fighter jets to Barnes Air National Guard Base, in Greater Springfield. Otis was later removed from the list on August 26, 2005, although the jets were still transferred to Barnes.

Wildlife rehabilitators said 88 more pigeons were found at an I-65 rest stop where police found 57 others dumped in December. WOLCOTT, Ind. (WLFI) — Wildlife rehibilators said 88 more pigeons were found at an I-65 rest stop where 57 others were dumped in December. "It's a crazy situation," said Kim Hoover with Hoots to Howls Wildlife Rehabilitation. Hoover was notified of the dumping on Feb. 28. An attendant at the White County rest stop on northbound I-65 called her. Hoover said nine boxes, identical to those found in December, were filled with pigeons in a dumpster. Four of the 88 pigeons were found dead, Hoover said. The discovery now makes 145 pigeons found dumped in the same dumpster. Indiana State Police recovered 57 pigeons on Dec. 10. Hoover never thought she would see another situation like this again. "I thought it was a rare act, never happen again, once in a lifetime as heart wrenching as it was then it happens two months later and you're like really?" she said. Unlike the December discovery where the birds were buried in the dumpster, this flock was found on top of trash. Hoover said likely, they were dumped overnight between Feb. 27 and Feb. 28. "They're gorgeous birds," said Hoover. "These are some of the prettiest pigeons I've ever seen. It just stinks." She said pigeon enthusiasts reached out to her and helped fill in some of the blanks. The pigeons found in the dumpster are Parlor Roller pigeons. They are bred for their ability to somersault on the ground. People roll them on the ground in competitions to see how far they can go. Click here and go to the 3:03 minute mark to see these rolling birds in action. There are pigeon clubs who compete with these birds humanely, but Hoover believes these dumpster pigeons were part of an illegal gambling ring and were abused. She said both times she came to resuce the birds, they had parasites on them and the boxes they were in did not have breathing holes. "There's a lot of money being made and I am told that this fellow could care less about fines because he knows they won't get in trouble," she said. Hoover said the birds found recently had the same tags on them as the ones found in December. The tags had the name and phone number of a Dublin, Ohio man. News 18 attempted to make calls to the number provided and it has been disconnected. The fact that the man is located out of state is causing problems for who is responsible to help. "The animal control of Dublin Ohio which is where they come from say they were dumped in Indiana and Indiana is like well they came from Ohio," said Hoover. Hoover said she is worried that this has happened at this rest stop other times but unfortunately, those birds were not found in time. She suggested the rest stop get security cameras, but found out that the state won't fund it. Wildlife centers in Valparaiso and Illinois took a majority of the birds from Hoover. She has 11 left in her care. She said she has received offers of help from other people as well, which she is thankful for. So what's next for the birds? "They have got to get their health up and hopefully then adopted out," she said. "They are trying to find people who understand the birds and you don't want them to go back into the same situation they came from."

Hacienda HealthCare announced it is closing its facility, where a patient was raped. Nathan Sutherland was arrested and charged with sexual assault. Hacienda HealthCare announced Thursday that it is closing its 60-bed intermediate care facility, where a patient was raped and recently gave birth. The non-profit company said the board of directors, "after a great deal of consideration, has come to understand that it is simply not sustainable to continue to operate" the facility, which is at 1402 E. South Mountain Drive. Gov. Doug Ducey was quick to criticize the decision, calling the announcement, "concerning" because state agencies have been actively working to increase oversight at the facility to ensure patient safety. "For some patients at the facility, this is the only home they know or remember," Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak said. "Forcing this medically fragile community to move should be a last resort. Everyone's first priority should be protecting their health and safety." Officials with the Arizona Department of Economic Security were similarly upset by the announcement, calling it "very disturbing news" and imploring Hacienda HealthCare to work with the state moving forward. "We want to find a path forward that is in the best interests of the patients — and this approach is not it," an emailed statement from spokeswoman Tasya Peterson says. "State agencies are exhausting all efforts to bring this to a conclusion that is beneficial to the patients, some of whom have been at this facility nearly their entire lives," she said. "They are the ones who should come first, without question. This approach simply does not meet that test." Hacienda HealthCare says the board voted on the closure last Friday, which is also when the third party manager the company had brought on board as ordered by the state left Hacienda for good. Indiana-based Benchmark Human Services was on site at Hacienda last week but company officials said that at the end of last week they, "reluctantly stopped this very important effort." Ducey's office said it was aware of the board's vote because Hacienda met with state agencies on Monday morning. Though the board's vote was acknowledged, Hacienda did not provide a notice to terminate, nor did it provide a transition plan, Ptak said. "In fact, through today discussions continued around developing an ongoing plan to ensure the care of patients at the facility," he wrote in a message Thursday evening. Hacienda HealthCare officials on Thursday said they will begin to transition clients and eventually will cease to operate the facility. In its most recent federal survey, Hacienda's intermediate care facility had 39 patients ranging in age from 16 to 68. Most were described as "non-ambulatory." Hacienda officials on Thursday say their patient count is now at 37. "Given what happened recently it's not surprising and I don't think it's going to break too many people's hearts that a facility that did such a poor job of taking care of vulnerable adults is no longer in business," said Jon Meyers, executive director of The Arc of Arizona, a non-profit advocacy organization that represents Arizonans with intellectual disabilities. But the problem is that families have no other private alternative in Arizona, which is yet another disservice to the individuals with intellectual disabilities who rely on them for care, Meyers added. All the other intermediate care facilities for people with intellectual disabilities are operated by the state, and most don't have the capacity to handle individuals who live at Hacienda, he said. The patient who gave birth is a 29-year-old non-verbal, incapacitated member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe described in court records as needing a, "maximum level of care." One of the woman's Hacienda HealthCare providers, licensed practical nurse Nathan Sutherland, was arrested on Jan. 23 and charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of vulnerable-adult abuse. He surrendered his state-licensed practical nurse license on Jan. 24. Hacienda HealthCare also operates a 74-bed skilled nursing facility for infants, children, teens and young adults on the 1402 E. South Mountain Ave. campus. When the patient gave birth on Dec. 29, an employee who called 911 indicated that the staff did not know the woman was pregnant. An option for further testing for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, syphilis and HIV. On Jan. 16, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and the Arizona Department of Economic Security sent a letter directing Hacienda HealthCare to have a third-party manager in place to operate its skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities by Jan. 30. The company agreed, but when the deal fell through, the state told Hacienda they needed to submit a plan by the end of this week. Two state lawmakers have introduced legislation this session that would require all intermediate care facilities to be licensed by the state, in addition to being certified by the federal government. Facilities like Hacienda have been exempt from state licensing since 1997. Many of those patients are non-ambulatory, have seizure disorders, behavior problems, mental illness, visual or hearing impairments, or a combination, and all must qualify financially for Medicaid assistance.

Ah, to be young again. Today’s NY Sun runs an article about the new show Gossip Girls, a fictitious depiction of life at an all-girls private high school on the Upper East Side. Created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the masterminds behind The O.C., it’s loosely based on the books of the same name. We’re not surprised. It’s only a matter of time before the kids are playing beer pong with the I-banking set at Brother Jimmy’s, assuming, of course, they weren’t already.

Somewhere in a distant time I saw George Washington in blue Jell-O, his wobbly head free-standing outside its mould. Although I think it was art, it might have been a party favor. Matthew Barney’s barbell made of petroleum jelly is art for sure, and yet I tend to link them, the limp muscle-builder and the fragile father of our country, especially now, when there’s a lot of art whose point is the material used to make it. It ranges from the cute and clever…. but can also rise beyond any category to dominate global art consciousness, as do El Anatsui’s quilts made from liquor bottle tops and flattened food tins. El Anatsui, “Cloth of Gold” from “Africa Remix: Contemporary Art of a Continent” at the Hayward Gallery, the largest show of African art ever seen in Europe. Jason Wood’s self-portrait in pencils functions as a warning: don’t touch me. Everybody making unexpected material choices owes 16th-century Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo. He stuck to oils but opened worlds of unthinkable X’s equaling improbable Y’s.

Comedian Jon Stewart headed back to Capitol Hill Thursday to blast Congress' "stupid and embarrassing" failure to renew the Zadroga Act. The former "Daily Show" host, first responders, and Congressional reps made a last ditch push to get the healthcare bill for Sept. 11 responders passed by the end of the year. "This is insane," Stewart told the crowd. "We have a bunch of first responders outside freezing their asses off," he said. "Our country's last responders, our country's worst responders, are inside nice and comfy and cozy, and probably having soup." He pointed the finger at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who many Zadroga backers have also blamed for blocking the bill after it was left out of a massive highway bill they hoped to include it in. "Sen. Mitch McConnell can rectify this immediately," Stewart said, noting that the Kentucky pol sponsored a health care bill for nuclear energy workers that has cost $11 billion. "How in good conscience can you deny them the very thing that you have proudly brought to the people of your state? Please, personally ask him that," Stewart said. McConnell ignored questions about his role in blocking the legislation after a press conference Tuesday. His spokesman denied he was the roadblock. Sept. 11 advocate John Feal said the group met with McConnell Wednesday and he promised to include Zadroga in an omnibus budget bill, but said money must still be found to pay for it. Congress let the World Trade Center Health Program expire in September. The program has enough money to continue treatment for responders suffering from cancer and respiratory disease caused by Ground Zero toxins for now, but it will run out if the feds don't renew it. Backers want a permanent reauthorization. "Men and women who answered the call of duty after the gravest terrorist attack in our nation's history stood there on the pile looking for survivors, finding remains, doing the horrible work of cleaning up after such a loss — all the while breathing in so many deadly toxins that are now killing them," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). "They came because they are patriots. They came before they are heroes. So what is Congress doing today? Nothing. The answer is nothing." Still, she vowed to get the bill over the finish line before Congress leaves town for the holidays. "We are moving this bill," she said. "What we need from our Senate and House leadership is exactly that — leadership."

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- U.S. Army Alaska and the Indian Army celebrated the end of Yudh Abhyas 2010 during a ceremony Nov. 14 at Buckner Physical Fitness Center, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Yudh Abhyas 2010 established and enhanced relationships between the two militaries. The 14-day combined training exercise expanded operational and cultural knowledge between U.S. and Indian Soldiers and increased knowledge of peacekeeping operations. "This two-week exercise brought these Soldiers together for this increasingly complex exercise. What we've done here through Yudh Abhyas is important. It's important to this relationship between our two countries," said Brig. Gen. Raymond Palumbo, commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska. Approximately 750 Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (National Guard) and Indian Army soldiers from the 62nd Infantry and 5th parachute Regiment Brigade participated in Yudh Abhyas 2010 and filled the formation during the ceremony. "I thought the outcome of this exercise was great. As far as our training objectives, we met all of them," said Maj. Edward Berg, brigade judge advocate, 4th ABCT, 25th ID. "The thing that will last for me, that I will remember most, is just the time getting to know my counterpart and creating that friendship." The ceremony marked the end of many other events centralized on joint cohesion on and off the field of training. "We had a great time getting to know each other on a personal level as well as a professional level," Berg added. "I think it's important not only personally to make friends with people from different nations, but also professionally as we go more towards joint operating environments." Yudh Abhyas 2010 included a command post exercise that focused on combined peacekeeping operations, a field training exercise that included several combined missions, marksmanship and tactical training highlighted by a Javelin live-fire, a combined U.S. and India airborne jump, as well as various cultural activities and social exchanges. The exercise was significant within all levels involved, Palumbo said. It strengthened national bonds between India and the United States, it brought two allied militaries together on the same field, and gave each individual participant a chance to experience an unfamiliar culture and establish new friendships. "It's great that we brought two professional armies together for something like this. I think we've created great friendships for the future," Berg said. Soldiers and leaders from both armies presented gifts to commemorate the bonds established through the training event, and bid farewell to each other to conclude the ceremony and Yudh Abhyas 2010. Yudh Abhyas is a regularly-scheduled bilateral, conventional-forces training exercise, sponsored by U.S. Army, Pacific and the Indian army. The exercise is designed to promote cooperation between the two militaries to develop U.S. Army Pacific and USARAK relationships with India and promote interoperability through combined military decision making process, battle tracking and maneuvering forces, and exchange of tactics, techniques and procedures.

Wonderful building lot it Clarksville's Premier subdivision, Merifield Acres. 0.71 Acres with a three bedroom Certification Letter for a septic system. Almost touches the CORPS of Engineers lake front property. Quite hidden property prefect for a retirement home of a lake country getaway. Five Acres in the popular Ivy Hill area at Buggs Island Kerr Lake. Near the amenities of Island Creek Dam with boat launch and lake access. Zoned R2 so your options for a dwelling near the Lake are wide open. A wooded lot that borders COE Land to the Lake. The added buffer behind offers additional privacy and room to roam. So near the amenities of Island Creek Park with boat launch in the community. Wooded and secluded with Buggs Island Kerr Lake only a walk away.

LONDON – Now on Facebook: Your garbage. Five households have signed up for a Newcastle University program announced Wednesday that puts photographs of every item placed in a garbage can on Facebook in a bid to raise consciousness about recycling efforts. It uses a sensor and a camera phone to record the image each time the garbage can lid is shut. The person who does that is not photographed. Households that participate will be rated on how efficiently they recycle. "Normally when you throw something away and the lid goes down you forget about it -- out of sight out of mind -- and that's the end of it," said Anja Thieme, one of the postgraduate students in charge of the project. "But the reality could not be further from the truth. Waste has a massive environmental impact." She said the program is not designed to humiliate people who recycle poorly but to make people reflect on how they dispose of waste. Early results are encouraging, researchers said, as the amount of garbage thrown away and not recycled has diminished in the weeks since the program began. But the privacy advocacy group Big Brother Watch is raising concerns about the pilot project. "This sounds like an elaborate joke -- except it isn't," said director Daniel Hamilton. "Encouraging recycling is fine but publicly humiliating those who choose not to is outrageous." He said he would not be surprised if some local councils in England start similar programs. The project is aimed at young people whose attitudes about sustainability are still being formed.

As a big travel weekend approaches, many drivers are planning when they should hit the road to best avoid seeing a sea of red brake lights. Here's what you should know. WASHINGTON — If you are planning to hit the road for the Memorial Day weekend, be forewarned: Friday is no longer the busiest day for your road trip. “Thursday is the new Friday, and Thursday is every bit as bad as Friday on holiday weekends,” said Bob Immler in the WTOP Traffic Center. Transportation planner Ben Hampton, with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, analyzed five years of travel speed information collected from GPS software to help drivers avoid a sea of red. Hampton adds that the following year, there was less traffic on Thursday. “Every year, people try to time-shift to avoid what they encountered the last year,” said Dave Dildine in the WTOP Traffic Center. If you’re leaving on Thursday, you should leave before noon. Otherwise, leave on Saturday or after midnight, Dildine said. Weather will likely not be a factor, which should help drivers headed toward the beaches on U.S. 50. “It’s probably not going to rain. That means eastbounders get three total lanes to work with. There will be delays and it’ll be congested, but it wont be as bad as if it were a soggy start to the Memorial Day weekend,” Dildine said.

While granting bail, the court said it had dismissed the first plea as the matter was “at the stage of investigation” then but the circumstances had since changed. A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to Gautam Khaitan, who is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate in a black money and money laundering case. Special judge Arvind Kumar granted him bail on a personal bond of ~25 lakh. The criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was filed by the ED on the basis of a case lodged by the Income Tax Department under provisions of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. ED contested Khaitan’s bail plea, arguing that he may hamper the investigation. Khaitan’s counsel Pramod Kumar Dubey and senior advocate Sidharth Luthra said that the investigation in the case was over and ED had already filed a charge sheet on March 25. This is the second bail plea moved by Khaitan, which was dismissed by the court. Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper scam, moved a Delhi court Tuesday seeking 7-day interim bail to celebrate Easter with his family. Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed the CBI and the ED to respond to his application by April 18, when the court will hear the mater.

Just a couple of questions in regard to a planned upgrade. Currently I have a POS GF2MX400 and am in search of a card for about 100-150 Aussie Dollars. I've done a bit of research and have found a few cards drawn to my attention the likes being Radeon 9550, Radeon 9550 Extreme and a few from the 9600 series. I'm steering clear of nVidia for that end of the market as they seem to get blasted by ATI. My current frame of mind is : Get the 9550 for <$100 as it will be 100% better than my current card and have no regrets, spend the rest of the money on something else. But looking at some reviews the 9550 Extreme seems to be pretty sweet aswell. it has a clockspeed of 400/500 up from the 9550 clock speed of 250/400. It has got a few FPS on the stock 9600 in some benches. But it costs an extra $50. Are the internals the same on these cards, would I be able to get the same figures from a stock 9550 with an aftermarket cooler? Haven't read much about the 9550, but looking at the specs on the card, it's clearly worse than a 9600, but doesn't cost much less. I can't say anything about the 9550 Extreme, though. In any case, they all support Direct X 9.0 adn have similar speeds, so I don't think you'll be too dissapointed with whatever you choose. On the other hand, it would be worth it to get some more money for something from the Radeon 9700/9800 series. The 9800 Pro is probably the best bang-for-buck card in there, but any of them will be much better than a 9600 or 9550 because they are all 256-bit. The 9600 is basically the top of the low-end range of cards, so "upgrading" to one isn't really much of an upgrade. Most of those R9550's that are less than $100aus will likely only have 64-bit memory access so stay clear of them and get one that has a full 128-bit memory access. Sorry but I can't really help you on that subject. Yawgm0th believe my I would absolutely love to go out and buy a 9800 Pro but I simply can't/won't. I don't have the cash, and even If I did I'd prefer to spend it elsewhere. One more question, how well do nonpro 9600 overclock? If I remember correctly, my Sapphire 9600 non-pro got somewhere around 400/560 in an OEM desktop with no case fans... But again, I might not remember that right. But I wouldn't get too worked up over it. All the overclocking in the world isn't going to make a 9600 play any modern game well. It's okay if you're still into some of the older Quake-3 based games, I guess. It appears to be the same as this, which is 128-bit.

F-35 Lightning. "They are tearing down old hangars and building new ones to house the jet." "It's really University City where they are in after-burner mode." There may be a shift in the military aircraft noise from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, this week and in the long term, base commander Col. Jason Woodworth told the Mira Mesa Planning Group Monday night. "Folks along Genessee and around the 805 will get more noise than Mira Mesa." "I assure you - and the general does too - the aircraft that are flying are still meeting the exacting standards before military use," Woodworth said. According to the base community plans and liaison officer, there will be increased flight operation at the air station due to troop deployments. "Those living and working near MCAS Miramar may notice large, heavy aircraft (contracted 777, 747s and 767s) departing," the announcement says. The base gets a half dozen noise complaints a day, a duty officer said. Miramar is an air base open every day all day, Woodworth said, but the Marines tend to fly between 8 am and 12:30 am, with the last two hours part of the 'modified quiet' approach. "Our pilots need night training as much if not more than day training," Woodworth said. The command is preparing for the arrival of the F-35 — Lightnings, in the trade language. They are tearing down old hangars and building new ones to house the jet, which ultimately will replace the FA-18. For now, the Marine air base at Yuma has several of the F-35s. Miramar is home to the 3rd Marine Air Wing, pilots and crews who fly FA-18 Hornets, KC-130s, the MV-22 Osprey, and the KC-130 Hercules. "The current pattern for decibel levels will stay about the same," Woodworth said. "The sound is different — It's a different craft with a different sound." Much of the noise occurs in University City, he said, and base complaint counts show that's where most of the complaints come from. "It's really University City where they are in after-burner mode," he said. "Folks along Genessee and around the 805 will get more noise than Mira Mesa." The transition to the F-35s is expected to take 11 years, starting in 2020 and going to 2031, he said.

PARIS, May 10 (Reuters) - Artists at one of the most-visited hubs of contemporary art in Paris are in a battle with city hall to preserve the status quo at their “aftersquat”, where visitors can freely view 30 painters and sculptors in the throes of the creative process. The artists, who have travelled from as far away as Japan and the United States to set up in the former illegal squat, say a plan to reduce the number of permanent workshops in order to have more artists move through will kill the family spirit of the site, now leased and legal for several years. Six floors of rooms showcasing the eclectic creators and their work are accessible from a spiral central staircase, spattered with paint in psychedelic colours that stands out from the building’s nondescript Haussmanian exterior.

We have some great news for those of you on Xbox now, as Activision and Microsoft have decided to offer something of a great treat for this weekend. For this weekend only, you’ll be able to play COD Ghosts multiplayer online for free, no questions asked. In an interesting move, this will actually mark the first occasion where a free Call of Duty demo has been offered on console. Unsurprisingly, this is Xbox only on either Xbox 360 or Xbox One with no information whatsoever on the same deal taking place for PS3 and PS4 users. COD Ghosts will be free on Friday March 7 at 1pm Eastern Time and will run through until Monday at the same time, that’s 10am for those on Pacific Time. The maps that will be offered will be Strikezone, Warhawk and Prison Break, while players will also be able to get a taster of COD Ghosts Extinction as well – a lovely gesture you have to say. Some players are already questioning the timing of this incentive though. As we all know, Titanfall is launching on March 11. Is this an attempt by Activision to remind everyone that COD Ghosts is still the number one shooter on Xbox One, regardless of the arrival of Titanfall? Let us know your thoughts on this and whether you intend to take advantage of the free weekend. Do you think the COD Ghosts popularity is starting to slow down with those more interested in Titanfall?

Paleo diets avoid foods that came with modern agriculture. 1 What is the Paleo Diet? 4 Does the Paleo Diet Eliminate Healthy Foods Like Brown Rice? You might not be a caveman, but proponents claim it's advantageous to eat like one. This means sticking to foods that were available to your Paleolithic ancestors during a prehistoric era that ended about 15,000 years ago. While Loren Cordain, author of "The Paleo Diet," is perhaps one of the most well-known proponents of this way of eating, you can find slightly different types of paleo diets. Loren Cordain recommends avoiding dairy, eggs, grains and legumes and focusing on lean meat, fruits, nonstarchy vegetables, nuts and seeds. Cordain claims the paleo people ate a relatively low-carbohydrate diet, so his approach places emphasis on lean meats above all. On the other hand, Arthur De Vany, author of "The New Evolution Diet," claims that your paleo ancestors mainly foraged for plants and hunted meat when they could. His paleo-style diet places emphasis on vegetables and fruit, not meat. He does not exclude starchy vegetables, and he recommends eating at least 25 percent of your vegetables raw. If you cringe at the thought of avoiding dairy and eggs, perhaps Mark Sisson, author of "The Primal Blueprint," has the diet for you. Although he claims your paleo ancestors thrived on a plant-based diet, he doesn't exclude dairy and eggs. Sisson recommends choosing raw, grass-fed or fermented dairy products, but he recommends having fruits and vegetables make up the bulk of your diet. In addition, Sisson recommends wild-caught fish and grass-fed meat. He, too, recommends avoiding grains, legumes, processed oils and table sugar. Robb Wolf, author of "The Paleo Solution," has similar recommendations to Loren Cordain. However, he takes a slightly different approach when it comes to meat. Wolf doesn't seem to think animal fat is a major problem and recommends meat such as pork chops, bacon and fatty cuts of steak that you'd normally avoid on other paleo-style diets. Wolf emphasizes grass-fed meat and wild game meat, which he says is naturally leaner than commercial meat. Wolf also recommends starchy vegetables, which Cordain places on the no-no list. There's no one way to apply paleo principles to your eating habits. However, all approaches seem to agree that it's better to eat as naturally as possible and avoid junk food, processed food and table sugar. Researchers are finding that paleo diets may offer potential benefits. A small randomized study found that adhering to a paleo diet for three months improved blood sugar control and cardiovascular risk factors in participants with Type 2 diabetes. The results were published in the journal "Cardiovascular Diabetology" in July 2009. Froek, Barbara. "Alternatives to Cordain's Paleo Diet." Healthy Eating | SF Gate, http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/alternatives-cordains-paleo-diet-11384.html. Accessed 22 April 2019.

The Rotary Club of Chambersburg has recognized two outstanding students from Chambersburg Area Senior High School. CHAMBERSBURG -- Chambersburg Rotary has recognized Emily Nozzi and Tedra Ulrich as “Students of the Month” for November. Dr. Stephen Overcash, chairman of the club's scholarship and Students of the Month program, said the two Chambersburg Area Senior High School seniors "are outstanding, and have contributed a lot to our town, school, and community." Emily Nozzi was recognized as an exceptional student across all subject areas, challenging herself academically at CASHS with college prep, honors and advanced placement courses, leading to a remarkable 2.51 grade point average. Apart from excelling academically, Nozzi displays her leadership skills through her position as an associate editor of "CASHS collections," a student-run literary magazine that is published annually. Her other extracurricular activities include being an active member of the Writer’s Workshop, Interact Club and the Gay-Straight Alliance. Outside of a busy schedule at school, she also works at The Shoe Dept and explores her creative interests: painting, reading and writing pieces for "CASHS collections." She also volunteers with her youth group, helping with children’s activities. Nozzi's plans for the future include a career in the psychology field relating to research or clinical psychology, as she is following a passion fostered during her advanced placement psychology class; and becoming a published author. Tedra Ulrich, also a senior, was being recognized as a remarkable student across all subject areas, challenging herself academically at CASHS with college prep, honors, and advanced placement classes, resulting in an outstanding 4.38 grade point average. Aside from her superb academic record, Ulrich displays her leadership as Leo Club treasurer, German club president, and senior vice president of the National Honor Society. She is also involved with the rugby team and Mu Alpha Theta. Her academic and service accolades include the Leo Club Dedication to Service Award, first place in both the AuthorSHIP poetry contest and essay contest in 2014, first place in the Shippensburg Language contest in 2013, and Lenfest Scholarship recipient. Ulrich still finds time to work at Rutter’s Farm Store, play both the guitar and drums and read anything politically stimulating, including George Orwell and feminist literature. She plans to attend Dickinson College and is looking into the fields of German, philosophy and English, and then further her study with a secondary degree in law or education at any top institution in New York City.

Tucked away in the huge East Texas trees is where you will find this meticulously maintained home sitting on 2.76 acres. The private 2nd entrance with driveway on FM-2339, large elevated decks off of the living area and master bedroom, Callender Lake and acreage are just a few of the unique qualities of this property. Callender Lake is a private 365 acre spring fed lake with so much to love. Make precious memories with the family while fishing, boating and wildlife watching as the deer frequently visit. Homeowners have full access to all the recreational facilities including the clubhouse, children's park with playground, picnic area, swim park and boat launch ramp. Don't miss out, make it yours!

The new head of the Boston FBI Field Office sat down with NBC10 Boston to talk about his new role. He's the FBI's new man in charge in Boston: Joseph Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the Boston field office, sat down with NBC10 Boston Monday to talk about the current threats the bureau is tackling. "What keeps me up at night would simply be, 'What is it we don't know or what we aren't aware of,'" said Bonavolonta. He said the biggest threats are violent crime, gang violence, terrorism and cyber attacks. "We have nation states that are also backing or sponsoring criminal actor to engage in a wide variety of cyber-crimes," said Bonavolonta. The FBI veteran took over the field office in Chelsea in January. He now oversees several high profile cases, including "Operation Varsity Blues." In March, federal investigators announced the arrest of 50 parents, coaches and high profile celebrities in what's been called the biggest college admissions scandal in history. "We believe all of them parents, coaches and facilitators lied, cheated and covered up their crimes at the expense of hardworking students and taxpayers everywhere," said Bonavolonta at the March 12 press conference. It's a case that remains active. "As you know, that is an ongoing and active investigation, so I'm not going to comment any further than what we've already stated based on the press conference subsequent to the arrests in that case," said Bonavolonta. Asked if was still an ongoing and evolving case, he said, "Yes." Bonavolonta took over the post from Hank Shaw, but he's no stranger to this field office. He served as assistant special agent in charge from 2013 to 2017. His father was also in the bureau for 24 years and worked on organized crime investigations in New York. "You could say the FBI is in my DNA. It's in my blood," said Bonavolonta. The threats are always changing. Right now, the Boston field office is heavily involved in security preparations for the upcoming Boston Marathon. "We are incredibly focused on determining if there is any type of intelligence that could lend itself toward a credible threat," he said. "As we sit here right now, we have not determined any." Six years after the attack at the finish line, terrorism, both foreign and homegrown, remains a top threat. "I think now, when you look at what one of our primary focuses is within counter-terrorism program, it's home-grown violent extremists," said Bonavolonta. He added that the bureau continues to work around the clock on marathon security.

MESUT OZIL, Roy Hodgson and Gareth Bale all feature in today's paper review. THE SUN: Gary Lineker was painted in vegetables yesterday as Roy Hodgson warned him - You're sprout of order. Also: Mesut Ozil is in line for a shock start for Arsenal at Sunderland on Saturday. DAILY MAIL: Gareth Bale turned up for his first day at the office and was warmly welcomed by the man he has replaced as the world's most expensive footballer. Also: Gary Lineker is willing to sit on FA chairman Greg Dyke's crisis commission into the state of English football after smoothing over relations with England manager Roy Hodgson. DAILY MIRROR: Gary Lineker last night backtracked over his England criticism and insisted Roy Hodgson was doing "a good job". Also: Gareth Bale got to grips with the superstar he calls The Boss when he turned up for his first day with Real Madrid yesterday. DAILY EXPRESS: Roy Hodgson's fractious relationship with Gary Lineker threatens to become further strained after he accused the former England striker of having a selective memory. Also: It was almost manbags at 20 paces yesterday as new signing Gareth Bale was greeted at Real Madrid by the man he replaced as the world's most expensive player. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Roy Hodgson has returned from Kiev with a point and a grievance. Also: Manchester United defender Phil Jones is demanding a written apology from Stuart Pearce after being left furious following claims that he lacked the commitment to play in the European Under-21 Championship this summer. THE TIMES: Bradley Wiggins offered to walk out on Team Sky in the middle of his Tour de France victory last year. Also: Even now, Roy Hodgson seems surprised that his delight at a solid, if uninspiring England performance away from home might not be shared universally. THE GUARDIAN: Roy Hodgson has admitted he deliberately set out his England team to play long-ball football in the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine that has led to prolonged criticism of the team's methods under his management. Also: On a tiny sofa in a private members' club in London's Soho, Clarke Carlisle draws up his long limbs and buries his face in his hands. THE INDEPENDENT: Roy Hodgson has hit back at Gary Lineker's criticism of the England team's "awful" 0-0 draw with Ukraine, claiming that the England sides the former striker played in were not always a "total success" either. Also: What should not be forgotten about Roy Hodgson is that he is the coach called in from the cold.

It is possible more people who came in contact with a man who died from the Ebola virus in Dallas, Texas, could test positive for the virus in the coming days, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday. Tom Frieden offered this possibility a day after a preliminary diagnosis showed that a health care worker who had “extensive contact” with Thomas Eric Duncan tested positive for Ebola. If the test is confirmed, this would be the first known case of Ebola being contracted or transmitted in the United States. The level of the virus in the woman’s system was “low,” Frieden said, adding that another test to confirm whether she has the virus will be conducted later Sunday. Frieden said at least 48 people who came in contact with Duncan before he was admitted to the hospital in Dallas are at risk of contracting the virus. “Unfortunately, it is possible in the coming days we will see additional cases of Ebola,” Frieden said. “The risk is in the 48 people who are being monitored, all of whom have been tested daily, none of whom so far have developed symptoms or fever,” Frieden said. An “intensive investigation” is also being conducted to determine others who may have come in contact with Duncan while he was being treated, because they may have been exposed as well, Frieden added. Some of these workers could have had a breach in contamination control similar to the one that led to the nurse being infected, he said. When the nurse became feverish on Friday, she reported it and was given a preliminary test for the virus, which turned up positive Saturday night, Frieden said. The CDC and Texas health officials are investigating how many people the nurse came in contact with after coming down with symptoms of the disease. Frieden said the CDC has sent additional staff to Dallas to assist with the response. The agency will also enhance training of health care workers who may have to treat patients with the virus. The key to stopping the spread of the disease is to “break the chains of transmission,” he said. This involves promptly diagnosing anyone who has symptoms of the disease, isolating that individual, identifying everyone this person came in contact with and actively monitor those people over a 21-day period. If any of these contacts comes down with Ebola symptoms, then the same process starts over again. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, who also participated in the news briefing, agreed. “I firmly believe we will stop it,” Lakey said.

In previous seasons, K-State developed an effective scouting routine leading up to its NCAA Tournament opener. Video and other information on an opponent began flowing. But the Wildcats will prepare differently this time. On top of adjusting to the approach of a new coaching staff, they will have to spend the next two days planning for multiple opponents before locking in on either La Salle or Boise State on Thursday in Kansas City. Scouting for two teams instead of one will be a challenge. Coaches will come up with two game plans, and the staff will provide players with twice as much video. To help ease the process, Bruce Weber said four coaches will help gather information instead of the usual three. Some will argue preparing for multiple opponents puts K-State at a disadvantage compared to other highly seeded teams. Three other teams in the field of 68 have to deal with the same time crunch and challenge of facing a team that has already won a game in the tournament. Boise State averages more than 73 points behind Anthony Drmic (17.3 points) and Derrick Marks (16.3). The Broncos won nine games in the Mountain West Conference — which this season has college basketball’s top conference RPI — and beat Creighton on the road. They are not easy to prepare for. Neither is La Salle, which won 11 games in the Atlantic 10 behind dynamic guards Ramon Galloway and Tyreek Duren. The Explorers beat Butler and VCU this season. Of course, others will say it is an advantage. Sure, K-State doesn’t know who it will play on Friday, but La Salle and Boise State aren’t even thinking about the Wildcats yet. A live game, especially in the NCAA Tournament, can often reveal more about a team than what can be found from replays of regular-season games. Kansas State’s basketball game against current No. 1 Gonzaga next season at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita will be Dec. 21, the schools announced Monday. It’s a return trip to Kansas after Gonzaga’s victory in a neutral-court game in Seattle this season. K-State season-ticket holders and Ahearn Fund members will have first opportunities to purchase tickets, with a public sale beginning at 10 a.m. Sept. 13 through selectaseat.com or by calling 855-755-7328. Tickets will range between $12 and $200, and K-State students can purchase $10 student tickets in the fall.

APATZINGAN, Mexico — Federal forces struggled to bring order to western Mexico Wednesday as vigilantes battled a vicious drug cartel that apparently tried to reassert its authority by burning a downtown pharmacy to enforce its orders that no businesses should open. The fire attack came just two blocks from the Apatzingan city center where, the day before, dozens of federal police had paraded in an impressive display of force meant to re-impose order in a region where heavily armed vigilantes have taken up a freelance fight against the drug gang. An employee of the pharmacy said two men pulled up with jerry cans of gasoline and began dousing the store and its merchandise. “They just told us to get out, because they were going to burn the place,” she said. The employee, part of whose hair was burned off in the attack, refused to give her name for fear of reprisals. Owners of other stores have said that cartel gunmen have ordered them to close or risk being burned down. Another pharmacy employee, who gave her name only as Norma, said the increased federal security that arrived this week appeared to have done little to discourage the Knights Templar cartel, which has subjected local residents to systematic extortion for years. But federal forces have other challenges, as well. The local police in Apatzingan were considered so untrustworthy that the entire 300-man force was relieved of duty and sent out of town for background checks. Officials from the federal and Michoacan state governments met until late Tuesday with leaders of “self-defense” groups. While refusing to give up their weapons, vigilante leaders appeared to be seeking a cooling of tensions. “We have to be discreet with our weapons and not move up and down the highways with them,” said Hipolito Mora, a lime grower who leads the self-defense group in the town of La Ruana, after the meeting. Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong confirmed the talks had taken place, and said the government was offering jobs as police to qualified members of the self-defense forces. The spokesman for the vigilante movement, Estanislao Beltran, previously said the vigilantes weren’t interested in such offers. “We don’t want jobs as policemen. We’re fighting for the freedom of our families,” he said. The talks came after soldiers clashed with townspeople in Antunez, where at least two men were reportedly killed during the confrontation that began late Monday. Video of the clash aired by Milenio Television showed a chaotic scene in which angry townspeople scuffled with soldiers and apparently tried to grab the gun and equipment of at least one soldier. The unrest is in a region of Michoacan known as Tierra Caliente, a farming area rich in limes, avocados and mangos where vigilante groups have been trying to drive out the Knights Templar drug cartel. After a weekend of firefights, the government announced Monday that it would take on security duties in the area. Throughout Tuesday, federal police officers and soldiers set up roadside checkpoints just yards from roadblocks manned by vigilantes on routes into towns controlled by self-defense groups, but there were no attempts to take weapons from the civilians. One federal officer who was not authorized to speak to the press said they had no orders to disarm anyone, or to try to take towns held by vigilantes, who have surrounded Apatzingan, which is said to be a Knights Templar stronghold. Hundreds of federal police officers poured into Apatzingan, the region’s main city, in pickup trucks mounted with machines guns, armored vehicles and buses. They massed in the city’s main square. Critics have suggested that some self-defense groups have been infiltrated by the rival New Generation cartel, which the vigilantes vehemently deny. After initially arresting vigilantes months ago, the federal government has appeared to be working with them recently. The army and federal police have provided helicopter cover and road patrols while self-defense groups attacked the cartel, but never intervened in the battles. Self-defense group leaders said they were coordinating the highway blockades in the 17 municipalities they control to keep out soldiers and federal police. Felipe Diaz, a leader of vigilantes in Coalcoman, said close to 1,000 men, women and children helped block the main highway until soldiers and dozens of federal police in four buses and 15 pickup trucks left the area. Associated Press writers Olga R. Rodriguez, E. Eduardo Castillo and Katherine Corcoran in Mexico City contributed to this report.

LAURA'S is just what Oyster Bay needs and its residents know it. They have taken this newly opened American restaurant to their hearts and made it an instant hit. Even midweek evenings find nearly every table filled; on Saturdays there are crowds waiting in the bar. Part of the draw is James Paskins, the restaurant's chef and owner, who acquired a following during his years at the Coach Grill, also in Oyster Bay. His wife and other family members efficiently handle the front of the house. Another crowd pleaser is the reasonable prices. Entrees start at $11 and top out at $18. Laura's, named for Mr. Paskins's late mother, looks much as it did last year, when 68 West Main was at this location. It is spacious and comfortable. The dining room is defined by white columns, carved molding, smoky mirrors and crystal chandeliers. In a town filled with casual cafes, Laura's smart good looks make it stand out. One new feature is the entrance through the bar. This, no doubt, eliminates drafts in the dining room but the crowded, smoky bar does not make a positive first impression. The dining room, however, is a place of charm and serenity. Other salad sensations are a just-right Caesar and a plate of grilled vegetables served atop baby greens with a balsamic vinaigrette as a dipping sauce. The seafood salad carries a price tag ($12) that is higher than some entrees, but this abundant assembly could be a main course. It stars jumbo shrimp, sea scallops, calamari, scungilli, chopped peppers, red onions, celery and black olives in a lemon-basil vinaigrette. Other openers I would order again are tender clams oreganata with a refreshingly spare use of bread crumbs, New Zealand mussels in a sherry pink sauce enlivened by spicy, smoky andouille sausage, a huge crab cake made lighter by the inclusion of shredded vegetables and two big portobellos served on a bed of grilled tomatoes and baby spinach. One creation that does not work, though, is the smoked-salmon-crusted-oysters. The delicate bivalves never had a chance. The assertive bready topping was too much for them. Every day a different homemade ravioli ($13) is featured. On my visit, they were filled with sun-dried tomatoes and black olives and tossed with big chunks of succulent chicken, chopped tomatoes, broccoli and an abundance of garlic. A winner! Another tasty pasta pick was fettuccine hidden under a mountain of sliced shell steak, three types of mushrooms and a chunky tomato sauce. Fish were all cooked with precision. The herb-crusted tuna was rare as ordered and a special of striped bass in a tomato-basil sauce was moist and flaky as was sauteed tilapia in a mushroom-lemon-wine sauce. Good meat selections include chicken medallions in a brown sauce spiked with bourbon and touched with cream, a juicy grilled rib eye, a tasty shell steak marinated in teriyaki sauce and a memorable rack of lamb special, served pink as ordered, atop a bed of barely wilted baby spinach. That spinach aside, the same vegetables show up with every entree. But, it should be said, the creamy mashed potatoes are terrific. Desserts are not homemade but high-quality bakery fare. The ganache-like chocolate mousse cake and the creamy New York-style cheesecake are the most noteworthy. Prices here are gentle, with 15 of 21 table wines in the $14 to $20 range. A glass of flinty Fetzer Sundial chardonnay costs $5 and a bottle of 1995 Tessera zinfandel, displaying a velvety texture and accessible fruit flavors, is $20. 68 West Main Street, Oyster Bay, 624-7100. Recommended dishes Clams oreganata, crab cake, portobello mushrooms, mussels, all salads, bourbon chicken, rib eye, marinated shell steak, rack of lamb, ravioli, shell steak fettuccine, tuna, tilapia, striped bass, chocolate mousse cake, cheesecake. Price range Lunch, entrees $5 to $11. At dinner, appetizers $4 to $12; entrees $11 to $18. Hours Lunch, 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. Tuesday through Saturday; Sunday brunch 11:30 A.M. to 3 P.M.; Dinner 5 to 10 P.M. Tuesday and Wednesday, till 11 P.M. Thursday through Saturday, 4 to 10 P.M. Sunday.

There are no indications missing teenager Scott Redman is still alive, according to South Australian police investigating his disappearance following a high-speed chase earlier this year. Police have now declared Mr Redman's disappearance a major crime and have launched a fresh search for the 19-year-old, who has not been seen since April. Investigators are focusing their search efforts on a 12-square-kilometre area west of Kimba on Eyre Peninsula. Police believe Mr Redman and an associate travelled to the area after abandoning an SUV which was involved in a brief police chase. The black Kia Sorento was being pursued on the Eyre Highway near Kimba about 3:50pm on Saturday, April 21. Police terminated the chase a short time later, and said the SUV then turned onto a dirt road. The other alleged occupant was arrested two days later after hitch-hiking from Middleback Range, and the SUV was found abandoned at Secret Rocks about 40 kilometres east of Kimba on April 25. But police have been unable to find any trace of Mr Redman, despite several searches. "Investigators have not been able to find any indication that he is still alive," police said in a statement. Mounted police will today be assisted by officers from the Major Crime Investigation Branch, STAR Group and the State Tactical Response Group, as well as local police. "Police are determined to do everything possible to locate Scott and return him to his family, and are committing significant resources to this search in the hope of finding him," Detective Superintendent Des Bray said. In May, police said they held "grave fears" for Mr Redman's wellbeing, after monitoring his social media accounts and speaking to friends and family. But at that time it was thought he could have travelled interstate, with police stating that "Scott doesn't want to necessarily be found". "It is possible that Mr Redman has also caught a lift with someone, but we have no evidence of that at this time," Inspector Mark Hubbard said in May. Police have not provided detail on why Mr Redman was being pursued in the first place. Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, roast yourself a nice pig, pour yourself a bottle of wine (I suggest a fruity grenache with the pork), cork the bottle extremely tightly and watch last night’s Lost. We can spend all day talking about the mythology and background revealed on “Ab Aeterno,” an intense episode of Lost–and I’m sure we will–but let’s say this first: fancy story aside, last night showed us a fine hour of acting, plain and simple. I’ve seen Nestor Carbonell in a variety of roles on TV (from Bat Manuel in The Tick to the CBS soap Cane), and it’s not like he’s been a slouch as Richard on Lost. But until this season, he’s had to play Richard on a single, subdued, sustained note of enigmatic cool. In “Ab Aeterno,” he almost literally made Richard into another character, showing us the decent, desperate, heartbroken man who would be transformed over 140 years as Jacob’s ambassador on the Island. It may have seemed like a lot of time spent to some viewers, but clearly Cuse and Lindelof thought they needed to show, not just tell, the circumstances that brought Richard to his current pass. And Carbonell sold it, embodied Ricardo’s horror as he lived through a Victorian-horror melodrama. Which is important, because they had to place us in the mindset of someone who believes, literally not figuratively, that he is actually in hell. So are they in hell? (That, and Purgatory, were among the first theories fans spun about Lost.) Are they actually in danger, as Ghost Isabella says, of going to hell? No, but Ricardo has come to what he thinks of as hell, and to a place that someone of his era and mindset will naturally interpret as hell. Unlike, say, Hurley, a religious, penitent man living on the Canary Islands in 1867 has not read sci-fi or seen a monster movie in his life. If he ends up in a place where he sees horrors, where the dead come to life (and are seemingly killed again), and a thing made of smoke snatches men up to their death—well, that’s hell, case closed. Someone of another era will give it a different name. It’s not hell–right?–but it is, “Ab Aeterno” told us more explicitly than ever, a metaphysical playing ground, where two forces are battling it out through human subjects, not unlike gods in Greek mythology. So what game are Jacob and Smokey/The Man in Black playing? We got the rough outline at the end of season 5–and fans have inferred or theorized most of the rest–but it was still a bit stunning to hear Jacob say it to Ricardo directly. To wit: Smokey is imprisoned on the Island. He is a malevolent force–call him evil, call him hatred, call him the devil if you want–who, if released, would spread over the world like, well, black smoke. (Or wine. I like the idea of a Wine Monster.) Jacob brings people to the Island, where–whatever they have done in the past–they have a chance to choose good over evil. (He is, metaphorically, the producer of Lost.) Jacob believes people can choose good. Smokey believes (as he said in the season 5 finale) that they always go bad in the end. Smokey tries to manipulate and tempt them toward that end; Jacob believes they must choose of their own free will. So far, so God-and-Devily. But what is “right and wrong” in the endgame of Lost, anyway? I’m glad, if this is the case, that the arc of the series is the characters’ redemption, and that they have agency to choose for themselves. Still, is their goodness going to be defined by which side they pick in this Island-god showdown? Why exactly, is it “good” to pick the jackass deity who strands innocent people in an Island hellhole over the jackass deity who deceives and or kills them once they get there? It’s better, maybe, but I’m not sure Jacob’s role in all this seems so holy. You crashed me on this terrifying rock so you could “prove [Smokey] wrong?” Have a freaking debate society and leave me out of it! In any event, from “Ab Aeterno,” the notion of the Losties finally saying pox-on-both-your-houses and rejecting the whole cosmic game seems less likely. Though I still see signs that Smokey and Jacob may be more alike than they let on: it was certainly interesting to see that, when Smokey tried to enlist Ricardo to kill Jacob, he gave him the knife and the same speech that Dogen (not Jacob, but his servant) gave Sayid to get him to kill Smokey. As all this unfolds, I hope that the other conflicts over the Island built over the last five seasons–the “science-based” story, if you will–aren’t wholly subsumed in the Paradise Lost scenario. How does Hanso, and his descendants in the Hanso foundation, figure into all this? Why did they come to see the Island as significant, and what exactly did Dharma want to achieve on the Island? How did Widmore get there in the first place, and what did he want–and what investment, if any, do Smokey and Jacob have in his war with Ben, and vice versa? The closer I get to the center of the onion, the more I want to revisit the layers. Those are all big-picture questions that (I will be a broken record here) are impossible to judge until the season and series are over. As an episode, “Ab Aeterno” again proved Lost’s ability to find the humanity in, and build a connection with, its most seemingly enigmatic characters. Hell of a job. * Is it just me, or did Titus Welliver get direction to deliver his lines like Terry O’Quinn—or, specifically, as O’Quinn-as-Smokey-as-Locke? Whether intentional or coincidental, Welliver’s phrasing and manner made clear he and O’Quinn were playing the same character in different bodies. Nice work. * So if Smokey gets off The Island, the world will become plagued with evil, hatred and malevolence. As opposed to…? * And about Jacob: did he strike anyone else in the 1867 part of this story as more tough and hard-assed than we’ve seen him in the Island’s present? A bit of an Old Testament Jacob? * I’ve been reading elsewhere about the parallels between the plot on the Island and Stephen King’s novels, especially The Stand, which at this point I am glad I haven’t read. But when the Man in Black took out the magic weapon and told Ricardo to kill his enemy, was I the only one reminded of HBO’s Carnivàle, and the murderous eternal war among the avatars? * When Ricardo saw Isabella in the hold of The Black Rock, the inference was that this was actually Smokey appearing as Isabella to manipulate him. Presumably Smokey had access to Ricardo’s memories after examining and flash-photographing him, yes? I could look this up but I’m not going to: is this the first time we’ve seen Smokey manifest as a person who (unlike Locke, Yemi or Christian) had not physically been on the Island, even as a corpse? * That CGI butterfly that fluttered into the Black Rock’s hold–I assume it’s significant, and I have no explanation for it. (My one theory, that the Island is actually Pandora from Avatar, is probably not too likely.) Speaking of CGI, credit to Lost for showing some scenes set on the ocean that did not look like a low-budget video game. * OK, this may be immature, but was anyone else wondering if Hurley and Richard were going to share a kiss, a la Ghost, when Ricardo was visited by the shade of Isabella? It would have blown the moment, I suppose, but still. * More seriously, when Isabella told Richard he’d suffered enough, were you thinking he was going to die? More to the point, were you, like me, hoping he would die, as a mercy to him? It’s a tribute to the show that it can cause a reaction like this to a character we’ve long known as one of the bad guys–or so, at least, we thought.

Texas Tech has announced four finalists for the open position of provost and senior vice president. Each finalist will participate in an open forum where participants can learn about them and ask questions. � Lawrence Schovanec, interim provost and senior vice president at Tech. Schovanec's open forum is set for 4 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, in Room 169 of the Human Sciences building. � Michael O'Brien, dean of the College of Arts & Science at the University of Missouri. O'Brien's open forum will be 2:30 to 4 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5, in Room 169 of the Human Sciences building. � Diane Chase, executive vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Central Florida. Chase's open forum will be announced next week. � Kimberly Andrews Espy, vice president for research & innovation and dean of the graduate school at the University of Oregon. Espy's open forum will be announced next week.

So now Stephen Harper needs the Indians. It seems everybody does these days — for all the wrong reasons. According to sources who have seen Harper consultant Doug Eyford’s confidential report, Stephen Harper’s bureaucrats have not done him any favours in moving the Northern Gateway file forward. Eyford told the PM that genuine engagement with First Nations is the only path left. For a variety of reasons, selling the pipeline to First Nations leaders is now an unofficial panic situation. As things now stand, the odds are against a deal with West Coast bands on the pipeline that is supposed to carry Alberta bitumen through British Columbia and out to Asian markets. From industry and government’s perspective, time is of the essence. They want a delivery system for Alberta raw oil before other countries with energy for sale put a long-term lock on the markets that are up for grabs, particularly China. By contrast, First Nations leaders will not be hustled into a quick or unsatisfactory deal. Northern Gateway is a multiple sore spot for them. They feel as though they have been ignored, marginalized and, to a degree, vilified. There was even a pitiful attempt to buy them off — with a 10-per-cent equity position in Northern Gateway. If it were only a matter of numbers, a deal-winning arrangement would be a stake at least three times as large. But it’s not just dollars. It is a matter of reasonable fears by First Nations leaders about protection of the land and water in the wake of the Harper government’s gutting of environmental regulations in its anti-democratic and notorious omnibus legislation. It is also a matter of trust: The Harper government doesn’t enjoy much of that in the native community these days. Normally, that wouldn’t bother a government that deals with opposition by taking out a baseball bat and going head-hunting. But this time bullying and bulldozing can’t bring the First Nations into line. They have the Constitution and scores of court decisions in their favour. This time around, it is the Harper government that will have to compromise — if the First Nations decide to give it the chance. The truth is, they might not bother. This time around, it is the Harper government that will have to compromise — if the First Nations decide to give it the chance. The truth is, they might not bother. Stephen Harper’s trust account is badly overdrawn. Native leaders will not soon forget how the Conservatives blithely walked away from the work-in-progress that was the Kelowna Accord. Although former prime minister Paul Martin wasn’t around long enough to implement a program that aimed at ending native poverty in a decade, his plan enjoyed wide support and created something even more seductive: a sense of optimism. Then-Opposition leader Stephen Harper claimed that he supported the plan to end native poverty and the principles of the Kelowna Accord, though he differed on how that should be accomplished. Put that in the same category with Harper’s promises not to mess with income trusts or the Old Age Supplement. Canada’s First Nations leaders have had their bags packed for that meeting for going on seven years but the invitation, apparently, is still in the mail. That statement covers more than one million people. But when Federal Court Judge Michael Phelan ruled in 2013 that Metis and non-status Indians were in fact “Indians” under section of 91/24 of the Constitution, the Prime Minister did not adopt the advice he once gave with such alacrity to the provinces and the territories to discharge their responsibilities. He decided instead to appeal the decision and dispute the ruling that said 600,000 “new” aboriginals came under federal jurisdiction. It’s the same story on reserves after seven years of Stephen Harper — the water is still poor, the housing Third World and the health outcomes a national scandal. The best Harper could manage during the Idle No More protests aimed at holding Ottawa to its responsibilities was to mock Chief Theresa Spence. The last blow to the PM’s credibility on the aboriginal street may well be the government’s vaunted native education legislation — a plan AFN Chief Shawn Atleo has already panned because it was conceived, as most of this government’s legislation is, unilaterally. It is not, in the end, that Stephen Harper has done nothing for Canada’s First Nations. There has been good work on human rights, for example, and real progress on the thorny issue of matrimonial reserve property. There has also been some progress on First Nation’s governance. But there has been no consistent record of striking the new relationship once promised, and which looked so promising in the lustre surrounding the government’s apology to Canada’s aboriginals for the cultural atrocities of the residential schools. There are things the federal government could do to help win First Nations’ support for pipeline plans. One is to make the bands in B.C. true stakeholders by recognizing the order of wealth transfer that must take place. Brian Crowley and Ken Coates of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute came up with some excellent ideas: developing an advanced, evidence-based pipeline and shipping system with input from First Nations and environmental groups; designating the corridor land for pipelines as reserves under the Indian Act, thereby creating another revenue stream for First Nations which could collect taxes; and creating an endowment to cover the cost of oil spills and their clean-up — though no one believes after Exxon Valdez or Deepwater Horizon that any fund could ever hold enough money. Even under those circumstances, Northern Gateway is still a very tough sell, and not just to First Nations leaders. The majority of people in British Columbia oppose the project. They know that one major spill could wipe out the B.C. coast, because every salmon, halibut, sea lion, gray whale and sea bird goes past the mouth of the Douglas Channel, where hundreds of tankers would be navigating. But the Conservatives’ push needs to start somewhere and it would probably be a good thing if Stephen Harper opts to meet with Canada’s aboriginals in some place other than court. There will never be progress on this file as long as Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada owns the dubious record of having the biggest legal bills in the federal government. Trust is earned — not litigated.

I was hoping to share some of the final bits of the Twitter Flight conference with you from my front row seat live and in beautiful mobile color, but was unable to. Seems like Periscope is having a bit of an issue right now that’s not letting anyone stream. Sucky timing, for sure. We’re seeing unusually heavy service loads and working on stabilizing the service. Apologies for the inconvenience! Twitter was using Periscope to show backstage footage before CEO Jack Dorsey took the stage and perhaps that rocked the house so much it went down. To be fair, it was a 2 hour keynote (that might have gone a bit long, not sure) and if anyone was trying to stream all of it they should learn what livestreaming is all about. It’s been down for well over 50 minutes and we’ll update you when we hear more. Luckily there’s a lot of developers around today at the conference, so I’m sure they’ll get everything going again. Just picture my Periscope from the end of the keynote being ridiculously awesome. I mean, it would’ve been wobbly but hey, gimme a break.