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Dutch and Canadian technology could be key to managing UK pigs more effectively, including the use of sound to sense the early signs of disease.
Technology that detects how pigs are feeling will be used on farms within years to help producers find ways to manage them more effectively, according to a leading scientist.
Precision farming tools will measure the mental state of individual animals, allowing farmers to make decisions about rearing pigs, from the way they are housed to the feed they are given.
Daniel Berkmanns, professor in bioengineering at KU Leuven in Belgium, says real-time monitoring of pigs’ actions, movements and interactions could help improve the health, welfare and performance of herds.
See also: Farmer Focus: Pig performance improves just in time for hog roasts
“I am convinced we will see the mental state of animals being monitored on a commercial basis in the next few years,” he says.
“Pigs are intelligent animals and we should use their intelligence. If you put animals in a pen they will behave like stupid animals, but if we recognise that they are individuals with different needs and responses, we can react accordingly.
“It will enable us to make things more interesting for them and us, and potentially result in better outcomes.”
Prof Berkmanns says the technology is almost ready to be introduced into broiler units, and it is only a matter of time before it could be used on pig farms.
“The technology is just at the beginning,” he adds. “Continuous, real-time monitoring through image analysis, sound analysis and sensors could have a huge array of uses such as monitoring health and welfare.”
Prof Berkmanns says researchers at the University of Ghent have devised a system to analyse the sounds pigs make to detect illness.
“Most disease in pigs is respiratory. With some diseases you can detect signs just three hours after infection,” he says.
“The system detects a sick cough and sends an SMS message to the farmer, who can go out and decide if they need to call a vet. This kind of system reduces the use of antibiotics on farm.”
Another system being tested involves monitoring pigs’ drinking behaviour.
“We can create models to estimate water use to within 92% or 200ml over 13 days,” Prof Berkmanns says. If water use drops, farmers are alerted and inspect what is happening on the unit.
“This technology doesn’t mean that farmers will be replaced by the technology,” he adds. “It has to be part of the management system.
“The idea with monitoring is that daily checks are taken over by the technology and the farmer enters to solve the problem, not find it.
“It doesn’t have a value if it is just interesting technology, it has to be able to help the farmer make improvements.”
Tailored diets could cut feed costs
Feeding pigs diets tailored to their individual daily needs can slash feed costs and ensure the sustainability of the UK pig industry, say scientists.
Using precision farming technology to ensure pigs are only provided with the nutrients they need can result in feed costs being cut by as much as 10%, research at the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food in Canada found.
While traditional three-phase feeding aims to maximise growth by ensuring the top-performing animals have the nutrients they require, it does not take into account that every pig’s nutritional needs are different on different days, says the department’s Candido Pomar.
Often pigs are overfed nutrients, which are excreted in faeces and urine, creating a waste of feed and a negative effect on the environment, he says.
Instead, investing in technology that will allow pigs to receive formulations based on their real-time needs will vastly improve efficiency.
“Precision technologies help get the right amount of feed to the right pig at the right time,” says Dr Pomar. “It is a total shift in pig nutrition. Instead of basing their nutritional requirements on estimations collected from data, feeding with technology depends on an individual animal’s health, genetics and nutritional status, as well as external factors such as stress and management systems.”
In experiments run by Dr Pomar and his team, 60 pigs were fed diets with varying amounts of lysine from automatic feeders.
Each pig was tagged and identified by the feeder and given a serving of 15-25g of feed. The pigs could return to the feeder as many times as they liked.
During the experiment, the pigs visited the feeder up to 110 times a day, but the overall amount of feed they consumed was 8-10% lower than traditional three-phase feeding.
Further trials discovered that typical lysine use could be reduced by as much as 27% without having any effect on growth performance, resulting in a 50% reduction in nitrogen excretion, Dr Pomar says.
“Precision farming is an effective approach to improving efficiency, reducing nutrient excretion and reducing costs,” he adds.
Sound sensors could detect some diseases within three hours of infection and alert farmers by text.
More from from the Bpex Pig Innovation Conference 2014 |
If Planet Nine really exists, astronomers have a pretty decent chance of spotting it.
On Wednesday (Jan. 20), scientists announced that a planet about 10 times more massive than Earth likely lurks in the distant outer solar system, orbiting perhaps 600 times farther from the sun than Earth does on average.
The evidence for the existence of this "Planet Nine" is indirect at the moment; computer models suggest a big, undiscovered world has shaped the strange orbits of multiple objects in the Kuiper Belt, the ring of icy bodies beyond Neptune. But direct evidence could come relatively soon, in the form of a telescope observation, Planet Nine's proposers say. [Evidence Mounts for Existence of 'Planet X' (Video)]
"It's actually not obscenely faint," said Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena. Brown and lead author Konstantin Batygin, also of Caltech, wrote the new paper laying out the evidence for the putative planet's existence.
"In fact, it's bright enough over a lot of its orbit that we should have seen it already, if it's in the closest approaches to the sun," Brown told Space.com. Indeed, at closest approach, "you could almost see it with some backyard telescopes," he added. (Planet Nine's orbit likely brings it as close as 200 to 300 astronomical units, or AU, to the sun, and takes it as far away as 600 to 1,200 AU, Brown said. One AU is the average distance from Earth to the sun—about 93 million miles, or 150 million kilometers.)
Planet Nine is therefore probably not too close to the sun at the moment, said Brown, who has discovered or co-discovered a number of distant solar system objects, including the dwarf planets Eris and Sedna. But powerful ground-based telescopes can probably still detect the object, wherever it may be, he added. [The Case for "Planet Nine" in Pictures]
"Even at its most distant, and at the smallest guesses of how big it is, it's like 24th or 25th magnitude," Brown said, referring to the brightness scale astronomers use, in which higher numbers denote fainter objects. "It's not crazy; this is the kind of stuff people are finding all the time. We just need to go out and cover a good swathe of the sky."
Just how big a swathe? Astronomer Scott Sheppard, of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., has come up with a rough estimate: between 2,000 and 4,000 square degrees. (For perspective, the full moon as seen from Earth covers about 0.5 degrees of sky.)
That corresponds to about 50 nights of observations using a powerful instrument such as the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, said Sheppard, who has a lot of experience finding far-flung objects in the solar system. For example, in 2014, he and Chadwick Trujillo of the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii discovered an object called 2012 VP113, whose orbital characteristics hint at the presence of a Planet Nine.
The 27-foot-wide (8.2 meters) Subaru Telescope is the go-to observatory for the search, because Planet Nine is predicted to be visible in the Northern Hemisphere sky, both Brown and Sheppard said. (Many other big, powerful scopes are in Chile, south of the equator.) [World's Largest Reflecting Telescopes Explained (Infographic)]
Sheppard stressed that it's tough to know just how detectable Planet Nine would be, considering the uncertainties surrounding the putative world's size, orbit and composition—all characteristics that affect brightness.
But, Sheppard told Space.com, "if it's not on the extreme ends of the orbit or the size, then Subaru should be able to find it."
The hunt is on
Sheppard and his colleagues have already covered some parts of Planet Nine's possible orbit using Subaru, as part of a larger, years-long survey for more objects such as 2012 VP113. (The broader survey also employs a telescope in Chile, which spotted 2012 VP113.)
The researchers will likely use Subaru to narrow in on more promising possible locations, now that Batygin and Brown have given them a better idea of where to look, Sheppard said. But the hunt for smaller bodies such as 2012 VP113 will continue as well.
"We're trying to find many more of these smaller objects, which could lead us to the bigger object," he said.
The hunt for Planet Nine will also probably send astronomers back to their archives; it's possible that the undiscovered world has already been photographed by powerful telescopes, but researchers didn't spot it, Brown said. (Confirming the planet's existence will require more than one image, because astronomers will need to see the object move to know it's not a background star or other extremely distant object.)
Sheppard said that he had pegged the odds of a big planet lying undiscovered beyond Neptune at 50-50, but the new study by Batygin and Brown boosts his confidence in the existence of Planet Nine to about 75 percent.
Brown seems even more confident.
"I find this really compelling," Brown said. "I think it's there. But, like everybody else, I want to see it."
Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
From revelations about this week’s hasty, multibillion-dollar bank settlements to AIG’s brief threat to sue the federal government for its own $128-billion bailout (which the company contends wasn’t as generous as other bailouts), 2013 is already shaping up to be another year of government-backed wins for Wall Street.
As the New York Times’ Gretchen Morgenson wrote, “If you were hoping that things might be different in 2013 — you know, that bankers would be held responsible for bad behavior or that the government might actually assist troubled homeowners — you can forget it. A settlement reportedly in the works with big banks will soon end a review into foreclosure abuses, and it means more of the same: no accountability for financial institutions and little help for borrowers.”
This type of clear condemnation of Wall Street and its lack of accountability remains a rare voice in mainstream media, with few willing to join Morgenson and Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi on their crusades against banking abuses.
The lack of outrage or investigation by mainstream media comes in stark contrast to the public response to the settlement announcements. The comments sections of settlement-related articles are bursting with scathing comments–including demands for both criminal prosecution for bankers and more investigative journalism in the U.S. In an LA Times poll, 94 percent of respondents said that this latest settlement agreement lacked appropriate transparency.
So if readers are hungering for more information and outrage, why is the mainstream press so soft on Wall Street? Is it the last three decades' rampant media consolidation, which has put 90 percent of the nation's media in the hands of only six major corporations? (That's down from 50 companies in 1983.) What about the increasing magazine and newspaper ad revenue coming directly from Wall Street? Or perhaps it's even due to a redefinition of what constititues financial journalism?
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Dean Starkman, whose 2009 Columbia Journalism Review article “Power Problem” outlined just how badly the financial press failed in the lead-up to 2006, has some ideas.
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Laura Gottesdiener: Thanks, Dean, for taking the time to talk. To start simple: In your mind, what’s the role of the press–if it’s doing its job?
Dean Starkman: To me, journalism is particularly important because it is the oxygen of democracy. At its best, it is the main thing that is capable of explaining complex problems to a mass audience.That’s its most critical role–and its most difficult task.
Looking back over the 20th century, the great stories are the ones that pull the curtain back on things that are truly complex, baffling and dangerous problems. I’m thinking particularly of an iconic story that journalists stand up and salute: the Standard Oil series from 1902-1904. This knowledge allowed the public to participate in the question of trusts, and the rest is literally history. The government filed an anti-trust case, and Standard Oil was broken up in 1911. That’s the gold standard, the benchmark for journalism.
LG: So how does this relate to today’s financial press?
DS: The financial system is almost deliberately complex; there’s that famous quote by the head of Morgan Stanley, when he said something along the lines of, “We create things that people don’t understand on purpose.”
To me the business press is put on earth to help the public understand complex problems, and certainly the mortgage frenzy was one of them. And that’s where I have a bone to pick with the financial press.
LG: That’s a nice way of putting it. In your piece you call the lead-up to 2006 a “general system failure” for the media, and wrote that the post-crash reporting gave the “short shrift to the breathtaking corruption that overran the mortgage business.” You also diagnosed the financial press today with Stockholm Syndrome.
So what’s going on?
DS: It’s not fully appreciated that there’s been a big power shift between the big media and the institutions that it covers in the last 20 years. When you think of the 1990s, finance was a really powerful industry, but so was media. In the mid-1990s, Dow Jones, which publishes the Wall Street Journal, was almost the same size of Morgan Stanley. Now Morgan Stanley is literally 30 times larger than the New York Times company.
This power shift is almost an intangible thing, but you cannot discount it as part of the story of the rising sense of empowerment and entitlement on Wall Street and an increasing sense of deference from the business press. Also, you can’t deny that the collapse of financial regulation in the early Bush administration plays a role. The press relies, not to a fully appreciated degree, on a financial regulatory system because that generates a lot of paperwork.
LG: Still, sometimes it feels like mainstream media doesn’t only fail to investigate Wall Street’s crimes–they actually helped facilitate them. Is the business press itself an accomplice?
DS: The biggest problem during this period was this narrowing definition of what constitutes a business story. There are fights over what journalism is, and you can divide journalism into two great competing schools. One is the access school, and the other is the accountability school.
In the lead-up to 2006, the accountability school was increasingly marginalized and in retreat, while the access school–doing the profile and getting the scoop on deals–became much more prominent. And so the big missed story–the accountability story–was the radicalization of the financial system, particularly in mortgage lending and discussions of subprime and predatory lending.
Meanwhile, when I went back and reread some of the coverage by really good reporters from really good magazines, the coverage of Wall Street, even if it was well intended, actually helped to exacerbate the crisis and add flames to the frenzy. Things like positive profiles of Wall Street executives made things worse and made the world worse. Unwittingly maybe, but so what?

LG: That reminds me of Vanity Fair’s glowing profile of Jamie Dimon recently.
So what about today? Even now that the radicalization of Wall Street is obvious, it still seems like mainstream media oscillates between blaming borrowers and banks.
DS: In another debate between schools of journalism, right now it’s a jump ball between the structuralists and the behavioralists. In the case of the mortgage crisis, behavioralists argue that people lost their ability to understand and manage debt, while structuralists believe that people don’t change, that markets change–and that the market changed.
Of course, structuralists are right and behavioralists really don’t have a leg to stand on. The structuralists aren’t only right, all the evidence is on their side.
But the cultural argument of behavioralists still has a lot of saliency, and for lazy reporters it’s easy because all you have to do is make the assertion about human nature, and that’s the end of the discussion.
LG: So, what’s the effect of having the behavioral-based articles in mass media?
DS: What it really does is that it shifts the gaze entirely off the institutions that these papers are supposed to be covering and onto an amorphous public that can’t fight back. Put it this way: If you blame Goldman Sachs, you will hear from Goldman Sachs. But if you blame the public, no one is going to call you. No one is there to stick up for the borrowers.
LG: It’s well documented now that minorities were widely discriminated against by the mortgage industry, and continue to be abused by banks’ failures to upkeep real estate-owned property, just to name one current problem. But if mainstream media articles are using the behavioralist theory, how does this type of blame get allocated?
The behavioralists theory does align with racist attitudes. For example: the mortgage crisis was one of these huge generational setbacks for the black community, and that’s one of those things that was essentially dropped by the press. It’s very poorly understood and documented, and it’s one of the most under-covered aspects of this story.
LG: I understand you’re working on a new book that’s going to take the financial press to task. Can you give us a sneak preview?
DS: Sure. It’s called The Watchdog That Didn’t Bark, and it’s forthcoming from Columbia University Press. The book is going to be an argument for watchdog journalism and accountability reporting.
There’s a long tradition of accountability reporting in American business media, and I hope this book will be a revelation to people who think the financial press only reports on investor news, because it’s actually done things that are quite radical in the past. Starting in the early 20th century, we had an emerging business press covering the market, but it had a completely different gaze. It used this form to expose the monopolies and to set the country on the road to reform.
So, I’ll be talking about that particular line of journalism, the origins of business news and the things that impair business news today. In the past the financial press has taken on quite a robust watchdog function.
LG: Last question: It doesn’t seem like financial reporting today is all that much better than it was in the lead-up to the crisis. But what about the future?
DS: There’s no reason to think it’s going to get dramatically worse from here. What we went through was crazy. It was a near-death experience. |
A 5-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion at around 8 p.m. Friday.
The attack happened in the family's yard at their home near Lower River Road in the community of Lower Woody Creek about 10 miles northwest of Aspen.
The boy suffered injuries to his head, neck and face, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.
A news release said the boy and his older brother were outside their home playing in the yard. The boys' mother was inside the home and heard her son start screaming.
The mother ran outside and saw the mountain lion on top of her child. She then fought off the lion and pulled her son out of its grip.
“If that animal engages, not just a lion, but a bear, you want to fight," said Matt Robbins with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. "You want to put up a resistance and you want that animal to know that you’re not an easy prey. From what I understand from reports, she did absolutely the right thing.”
Deputies said the mother sustained minor injuries to her hand and legs.
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The boy's father drove the child to Aspen Valley Hospital for treatment.
Pitkin Sheriff's deputies and a U.S. Forest Service officer went to the home and spotted the mountain lion nearby. A short time later, the Forest Service officer found the 2-year-old mountain lion, shot it and killed it.
Parks and Wildlife officials are still investigating the incident, and a necropsy will be performed on the lions suspected in the attack to see if they were involved.
Officers also looking for a second mountain lion that had been spotted in the area by witnesses earlier Friday. They found the mountain lion about 600 yards away from the attack site around 2 a.m. and euthanized it.
“We’ll be doing a DNA tech. We’ll be checking not only the saliva of the animal, but also checking within the claws and the mouth and the fur of the animal to see if any those correlate with what was found on the victim,” said Robbins.
The boy was brought to Children's Hospital via helicopter in fair condition, according to Aspen Valley Hospital.
The last known lion attack on a human in Colorado occurred in July 2015 when a young lion attacked a man as he fished along the Coffee Pot Road north of Dotsero. The man was scratched and bitten on his back and was treated and released from a local clinic. The lion in that incident, a small yearling male, was tracked down and killed.
There have been three fatal mountain lion attacks and 18 people injured since 1990.
CPW officials have cautioned the public that lion sightings are increasing across Colorado, likely due to a growing human population encroaching on lion habitat in conjunction with a robust lion population in the state.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers extensive information on its website. If you live in lion country, keep the following tips in mind:
Don't feed any wildlife. It attracts lion prey like foxes, raccoons and deer. Predators follow prey
Avoid planting non-native shrubs and plants that deer prefer to eat. It might encourage wildlife to come onto your property
Make noise if you come and go during the times mountain lions are most active—dusk to dawn
Install outside lighting in areas where you walk so you could see a lion if one were present
Closely supervise children whenever they play outdoors. Make sure children are inside before dusk and not outside before dawn. Talk with children about lions and teach them what to do if they meet one
Landscape or remove vegetation to eliminate hiding places for lions, especially around children's play areas. Make it difficult for lions to approach unseen
Keep your pet under control. Roaming pets are easy prey and can attract lions. Bring pets in at night. If you leave your pet outside, keep it in a kennel with a secure top
Don't feed pets outside; this can attract raccoons and other animals that are eaten by lions. Store all garbage securely
Place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns at night. Close doors to all outbuildings since inquisitive lions may go inside for a look
When you walk or hike in mountain lion country, go in groups and make plenty of noise to reduce your chances of surprising a lion. A sturdy walking stick can ward off a lion. Make sure children are close to you and within your sight at all times. Talk with children about lions and teach them what to do if they meet one
Do not approach a lion, especially one that is feeding or with kittens. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape
Stay calm when you come upon a lion. Talk calmly yet firmly to it. Move slowly
Stop or back away slowly, if you can do it safely. Do not turn and run! Running may stimulate a lion's instinct to chase and attack. Face the lion and stand upright
Do all you can to appear larger. Raise your arms. Open your jacket if you are wearing one. If you have small children with you, protect them by picking them up so they won't panic and run
If the lion behaves aggressively, throw stones, branches or whatever you can get your hands on without crouching down or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly. Convince the lion you are not prey and that you may in fact be a danger to the lion
Fight back if a lion attacks you. Lions can be driven away by prey that fights back. People have fought back with rocks, sticks, caps or jackets, garden tools and their bare hands successfully. Remain standing or try to get back up
Encourage your neighbors to follow these simple precautions. Prevention is far better than a possible lion confrontation
Copyright 2016 KUSA |
SCP-1789
Item #: SCP-1789
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-1789 is contained in Storage Chamber 34, located in Site 17. Storage Chamber 34 is to be equipped with audio and video monitoring devices. SCP-1789 is to be suspended via harness above a collection trough at all times. Collected samples of SCP-1789-1 are to be disposed of within three hours as a biohazard, unless samples are required for testing purposes.
Any personnel found to be engaging in unauthorized communication with SCP-1789 are to be given a formal reprimand. Any personnel found to be attempting to carry out one of SCP-1789’s commands are to be terminated. All changes in SCP-1789-1's flow rate are to be monitored and recorded.
SCP-1789 is to be subject to regularly scheduled interrogation. Mentions of the “Cradle for the Kings” are to be immediately forwarded to the overseeing Level 4 researcher.
Description: SCP-1789 is an enlarged humanoid finger, approximately one meter long and severed at the base. It is sapient and capable of telepathic communication. In interviews, SCP-1789 has demonstrated megalomania and a general hostility towards Foundation personnel. It is capable, through unknown means, of movement but not locomotion, and convulses rapidly when agitated.
SCP-1789-1 is a golden liquid of unidentified composition hemorrhaged from SCP-1789 at a variable rate. The current flow rate is approximately one liter every thirteen days. Chemical analysis of SCP-1789-1 remains non-conclusive.
SCP-1789-1 is a powerful hallucinogen. It is not addictive and has no side-effects. Upon consumption, users begin to experience hallucinations which often include the empowerment of the user, approval from the user’s peers, and success in all undertakings.
When SCP-1789 communicates, any demands it makes have anomalous compulsory properties. This compulsion is weak and can be resisted with extremely minor concentration. Common demands include:
the furnishing of ceremonial incense inside its containment chamber.
the provision of a trough, with measurements of two by two cubits (approximately one by one meters), filled with the blood of cattle.
the provision of a ceremonial piece of gold jewelry to decorate its fingernail.
the provision of ceremonial rings of varying composition, usually the spinal vertebrae or rib cages of household animals, to decorate it.
to be bathed in a mixture of sea salt and SCP-1789-1.
to be transported to a non-specific location, described as a “Cradle for the Kings". SCP-1789 expressed the desire to be reunited with what it described as “the multitudes of flesh ascendant, where the scattered remains of the King shall once again establish their domain over the beasts of this Earth.” The initial hypothesis that SCP-1789 was referring to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt was disproven when a covert Foundation archeological expedition to the region found no anomalous activity. However, due to the size of the target area and the ambiguity of SCP-1789's statements, it has been deemed impossible to determine the veracity of SCP-1789's claims. Furthermore, the same archaeological team discovered [DATA EXPUNGED] with outstretched finger [DATA EXPUNGED] near the original dig site. All of SCP-1789’s statements regarding the “Cradle for the Kings” have been recorded in Document-1789-19c (Level 4 Clearance required to access.)
Of particular note is that SCP-1789’s demands commonly necessitate the slaughter of various domesticated animals.
While the compulsory properties of SCP-1789’s demands are ordinarily extremely weak, consuming SCP-1789-1 drastically increases the potency of the compulsions. After consuming a cumulative volume of approximately six liters of SCP-1789-1, the consumer’s autonomy becomes irreparably compromised when subjected to SCP-1789’s demands.
Addendum-1789-A: SCP-1789 was initially retrieved on ██/██/2012, from the residence of ██████ █████ in ███ ████, ██. Local law enforcement had been investigating an abnormal increase in missing dog reports. After tracing the disappearances to █████, police presumably discovered SCP-1789 and brought █████ into their custody. The situation came to the Foundation’s attention during a regular radio scan of North American law enforcement. All involved police personnel were given Class A Amnestics. After interrogation, █████ was given a Class A Amnestic and subsequently entered Foundation employment as a D Class personnel.
SCP-1789 was found in █████’s basement. SCP-1789-1’s flow rate was measured at approximately one liter per twelve hours. The remains of several domesticated dogs were found scattered throughout the basement (pictures and after-action reports can be found in Document-1789-2b). The dogs’ bones had been first splintered with a butcher knife, and then strung together with twine to form a crude ring, which was found decorating SCP-1789. SCP-1789 was resting on the minimally-decayed body of one of the slaughtered dogs.
After SCP-1789 was contained in Foundation custody, the flow rate of SCP-1789-1 dramatically decreased, and SCP-1789 began to undergo superficial necrosis. The remains found in █████’s basement have not displayed any anomalous properties. The O5 council has elected not to reintroduce the remains recovered from █████'s basement or any previously constructed ornaments to SCP-1789’s environment. |
John Darnley came up with the idea for a bike that could combine personal exercise with mobility for his wife, who lives with Parkinson's and is wheelchair bound.
There was a time when visitors would come for miles just to chat with Avis Darnley.
But as Parkinson's disease has melted away the muscles in her jaw and throat, left her in a wheelchair and stolen her ability to speak, life has got smaller.
Most days she was left with just her front room, her television, and husband John.
KEVIN STENT/STUFF John and Avis Darnley take a ride on the new pathway created as part of the Kapiti expressway.
Until John decided it was time they both got on with living.
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The former mechanic, from the Kapiti Coast north of Wellington, has created a modified e-bike that allows him to hitch up his wife to the handlebars and enjoy the great outdoors.
KEVIN STENT/ FAIRFAX NZ John Darnley says the first time he rolled down the street with Avis on the front of his bike, she loved it.
Now the couple tour Waikanae and further afield, cycling the new bike track built beside the $630 million Kapiti expressway.
The pair, from Waikanae Beach, have been married for nearly 44 years, and the Parkinson's diagnosis came 11 years ago, after she had a fall. Since then, the degenerative disease has got worse.
John said the idea came after he started trying to think of ways to get some exercise, and free Avis from the house.
"I thought, 'I wonder if I could put the wheelchair on the front of the bike?', so I started to do things."
Inspired by the old icecream and butchers' bikes, he he came up with the idea of the modified three-wheeler. Instead of a chiller box on the front, he has Avis and her wheelchair.
He took the idea to Southend Cycles in Levin, which modified a electric three-wheeler with a frame that would hold the chair.
To date, their longest trip together has been a six-hour jaunt to Paekakariki and back.
"Not only are you out in the fresh air and the sunshine ... but we get toots, we get waves, we get people talking to us – strangers, friends, neighbours. Avis is part of that conversation."
On Thursday they biked about a 10-kilometre return trip to the supermarket in the morning, then made a 12km return trip to Paraparaumu in the afternoon.
The first time he rolled down the street with his wife, she loved it, he said. He knew from her eyes and her face.
And even though she now mostly communicates without words, it seemed the most important ones are the last to go.
Every night, as they go to bed, Avis still says "I love you" to her husband, and "thank you for the day". |
An Israeli bus driver refused to take Palestinian passengers on board, was ordered to do so by police, and took his revenge by forcing them off the bus at the entrance to a settlement. The bus company: “The driver acted exactly as expected of him.”
Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, Thursday, two weeks ago: a bus driver on the 286 line that goes to the settlement of Ariel refused to allow a group of Palestinian workers on board who wanted to get back home to the West Bank. After a short argument the driver called the police, asking for the Palestinians to be escorted away from the door of the bus. A policewoman who arrived shortly after talked to the would-be passengers, and then told the driver the Palestinians all had valid permits to be in Israel, all went through security checks at the entrance to the station, and that he therefore must allow them on the bus.
“The driver told her she was wrong and took her name and badge number so that all guilt would be on her head, and also said that he would drop them off half way, but the policewoman insisted,” says Neria Mark, a passenger who witnessed the scene. “Eventually he let them on, and even took some more Palestinian passengers outside the station so the bus became quite packed. The great heat and the Ramadan fast made many of them fall asleep, and so we drove on.”
However, when the bus reached the industrial zone outside the settlement of Barkan the driver called the guard at the gate, and had him order all the Palestinians to get off the bus. Two people who were accidently missed were ordered off by another guard at a later point along the route. “They all went down without a fight, some protesting verbally against the treatment and reminding both the driver and the guard that they’re fasting. All this time one of the passengers was encouraging the driver to do this ‘cleansing’, and once the deed was done the driver told him: ‘That’s the only way they’re going to learn. Anyone who boarded the bus today won’t dare to do it again.'”
According to Mark, from that point on the driver didn’t make the stops where Palestinians were waiting along the road. In a letter she later sent the Ministry of Transportation, Mark wrote that “the driver’s behavior was racist and in violation of the policewoman’s orders. He humiliated people just in order to teach them a lesson.”
In the bus company where the driver works, however, nobody seems to see anything wrong with this story. “The driver acted exactly as expected of him,” says Ben-Hur Akhvat, CEO of Afikim. “The official policy is simple: anyone who can pay the fare can go on the bus. This means we have no choice but to also take Palestinians on board in Israel and drive them to Judea and Samaria, even though it always causes problems with the Israeli passengers, and both sides start verbal and physical slights with the other.”
According to Akhvat, any driver in the company has the mandate to decide that Palestinians look suspicious and call the police, but has to obey the police as the driver in this case did. “Inside Judea and Samaria the case is different, as Palestinians are not allowed inside the Israeli settlements without a permit by local security and an armed guard even if they do have an entrance permit to Israel, so the driver did the right thing in forcing them off. Every now and then Palestinians fall asleep on the bus and get unnoticed, and when they wake up at the last stop inside Ariel we have to call the police to show them the way out.”
Akhvat also wishes to remind us that army orders forbid Palestinians from entering or leaving Israeli borders through the same checkpoints as Israelis. “These people are supposed to go only through the Eyal checkpoint. On their way in they don’t have a choice, but on their way back they make it easier on themselves by taking our buses through the Cross-Samaria Checkpoint which is only meant for Israelis. Unfortunately we are not authorized to enforce the law they are violating.” Akhvat also mentions that the company regularly receives complaints from Jewish passengers who don’t wish to see Palestinians on the bus. “We are in ongoing negotiations with authorities regarding a possible alternative solution to the problem,” he says.
> To read more on the Eyal checkpoint and The Wall click here
Mark is unsurprised by this. “After I got to Ariel, all stunned, I was picked up by Palestinian friends from Nablus and told them the story. They all just nodded, and treated it as the most natural thing in the world. They think it’s normal, but I think there’s nothing normal about this reality.”
Police: Palestinians allowed on buses. Settlement: True, but not inside settlements
The IDF Spokesperson response is that the issue does not fall under military jurisdiction. An army source adds that there is no regulation forbidding Palestinians from riding on Israeli buses. The Tel Aviv Police says that the policewoman acted appropriately and that there is no regulation that forbids drivers from taking Palestinians on board. The Ministry of Transportation corroborated this.
“IDF regulations forbid Palestinians from entering industrial zones and settlements unless they have a specific working permit for that place,” says the spokesperson for the Samaria Regional Council. “This is why guards are placed at the entrances, to keep people out, including passengers on public transportation. A permit to enter Tel Aviv does not allow a person to enter Barkan. The Barkan industrial zone has some 3,000 Palestinians working there, entering it daily with the required security permit.”
It’s interesting to see how everybody’s right in this story. The official state bodies – ministry, police and army – all stick to the dry question of whether or not Palestinians are allowed on the bus in Tel Aviv. The answer here is indeed yes. But the people who have to live daily with the reality of occupation – Palestinians and the settlers (including the bus company, which has its headquarters in Ariel) – expose the deeper layers of Apartheid: the separate checkpoints for different people, the racial profiling security system, the permit regime, and the route of the bus which is planned only for Israelis.
—-
This story was originally published in Hebrew in Zman Tel Aviv and NRG, and is based on Neria Mark’s report in MySay. |
No matter how you slice it, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, the most recent reboot of the classic franchise, has been a rousing success. Beloved by everyone from its target demographic – my three-year-old daughter is a rabid fan – to a growing community of adult, generally male viewers known as bronies, it's become a veritable pop culture juggernaut.
Still, despite its nigh universal acclaim, Hasbro has done little to favor the fanbase with a proper home video release. Sure, individual episodes are available via iTunes, but physical media releases have been few and far between. A Target exclusive DVD entitled Celebration at Canterlot (boasting a scant two episodes) was made available in 2011, but this month at last sees a more substantial collection make its way to the awaiting masses.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - The Friendship Express is a disc that ably explores an enchanted world inhabited by Manticores, baby dragons, Windigoes and, of course, bizarre anthropomorphic ponies. It's a character-driven affair punctuated by music and adventure, not to mention powered by the golden touch of former Executive and current Consulting Producer Lauren Faust. More importantly, though focused on the exploits of a predominantly female cast, its skillful blend of satisfying action and good-natured comedy help make the recurring themes friendship and acceptance palatable even to an audience trained to ignore the trappings of traditional "girls' cartoons."
This collection primarily consists of five episodes from the show's two seasons. Titular two-parter "Friendship is Magic" introduces viewers to the principle cast – narrative voice of reason Twilight Sparkle, noble country girl Applejack, timid animal lover Fluttershy, fashion plate Rarity and the sugar-fueled Pinkie Pie – while simultaneously highlighting the fantastical world-building that is a hallmark of the series. "Over a Barrel" finds your favorite ponies cast against a western pastiche as settlers and native buffalo vie for control of a disputed frontier, while the holiday-themed "Hearth's Warming Eve" tells of the founding of the magical land that is Equestria. Finally, "The Last Roundup" sees Twilight and the gang facing the possibility of Applejack abandoning them and their quaint hamlet of Ponyville. (It also features the first proper acknowledgment of fan-favorite character Derpy Hooves and a nice homage to I Love Lucy, which made it an easy highlight in my house.)
It's a solid selection of episodes that proves a great introduction to the series, but The Friendship Express also includes some newer material for longtime fans – specifically the latter two episodes – that make it more than a simple by-the-book rehash. Similarly, its supplemental material, while not overly substantial, is equally inspired.
A "Meet the Ponies" feature offers bios on the principle players, and a bonus sing-along provides karaoke-style on-screen lyrics for the show's theme song. There's also a bonus episode of another recent Hub network re-launch, Pound Puppies. The only head-scratcher is the included printable coloring sheet. Yes, I said sheet. Singular.
Still, Friendship is Magic succeeds more by virtue of quality than quantity, and The Friendship Express reinforces this by offering five great episodes in one handsome package. It might not be the full series that the community is clamoring for, but it's certainly a start. So if you and/or your geeklings are existing fans looking to relive your favorite moments or are only now discovering this world of spirited Pegasi, magical unicorns and industrious earth ponies, this DVD is an ideal way to do so.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - The Friendship Express will be available at retailers everywhere at month's end for a suggested retail price of $14.97. Consequently conscientious bronies can pre-order now from Amazon for a mere $9.99.
Review materials provided by: Shout Factory |
JACKSON -- Four lesbian couples are asking a federal judge to immediately stop Mississippi from enforcing a law that bans same-sex couples from adopting or taking children into foster care.
The request for a preliminary injunction was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Jackson. The document said an injunction would only affect the four couples who are plaintiffs.
The couples and two gay-rights groups, the Campaign for Southern Equality and the Family Equality Council, filed suit Aug. 12 to challenge Mississippi's 2000 law that set the adoption ban.
It was not immediately clear how soon U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan will consider the request filed Friday. A preliminary injunction would stop the state from enforcing a law while it is challenged in court. A judge can grant injunction if it appears that the people who filed a lawsuit would face irreparable harm by letting the law remain in place, and if they appear likely to win the suit based on their legal arguments.
The couples point out that Republican Gov. Phil Bryant said in his 2014 State of the State address that he wanted all children to be born into a "mature, two-parent family." They say allowing same-sex couples to adopt would help fulfill that goal.
Bryant, who is seeking re-election this year, has said many times that he opposes adoption by same-sex couples.
Mississippi is the last state to ban adoptions by same-sex couples. Lawmakers in Florida and Michigan reversed bans earlier this year, while courts in Louisiana and Nebraska struck down rules or laws in those states.
The court document filed Friday in Mississippi says plaintiffs Donna Phillips and Jan Smith, of Brandon, were married in 2013. The marriage took place out of state because Mississippi had banned same-sex marriage until a U.S. Supreme Court in late June wiped away such prohibitions nationwide.
Phillips and Smith have an 8-year-old daughter, but only Phillips is legally recognized as a parent of the girl, who is identified in Friday's court filing only by her initials, H.M.S.P. The document says Smith wants the same legal recognition through adoption.
"As Jan and Donna found out, the Mississippi Adoption Ban makes something as ordinarily simple as registering their child for public school an arduous process," the document says. "Because Jan is the legal owner of their home but is not recognized as H.M.S.P's legal parent, every year she is required to complete an agreement 'renting' her home to Donna and H.M.S.P. to prove that H.M.S.P. lives in the school district."
Plaintiffs also say the adoption ban interferes with the ability of both parents in a couple to fully participate in making education decisions and emergency medical decisions for their children.
Former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, a Democrat, has said in recent years that he regrets signing the law that's now being challenged. |
Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who was recently relocated to the US from India by an NGO after death threats by Islamists radicals, on Wednesday took to Twitter to announce that she is not leaving India permanently.
"I often go to USA.To give lectures & to see my family.I haven't left India permanently. Indian govt always provides security. Pet cat is waiting", Nasreen tweeted.
Human rights activist Nasreen even emphasised that she has full faith in Indian government as it provides security. The outspoken writer even said that her pet cat is also waiting for her in India.
The 52-year-old writer was taken to the United States by an NGO, claiming that it is providing Nasreen safety amid death threats from Islamic radicals. According to a press release by the US-based Center for Inquiry, Nasreen reached New York on May 27. A fund has also been established to assist her.
The Center for Inquiry has established an emergency fund to assist freethought activists whose lives are under threat by Islamic radicals linked to Al Qaeda in countries such as Bangladesh, where three secularist bloggers have been murdered since February, the statement said.
Taslima is from Bangladesh has been living in exile since 1994 in the wake of death threats by Muslim fundamentalist outfits. She is now a citizen of Sweden.
She has also been continuously getting Indian visa since 2004. She has lived in the US, Europe and India in the last two decades. However, on many occasions, she has expressed her wish to live in India permanently, especially in Kolkata. |
Ahead of England's World Cup qualifier against Poland, former Juventus player and Polish legend Zbigniew Boniek decided it was the perfect time to show he can still take shots better than Andy Carroll can.
From the Telegraph:
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"My [eight-year-old] grandson Mateo moves better on the pitch than Andy Carroll," said Boniek. "Mateo is very good at golf and tennis. He has better co-ordination."
Well, OK then. Either Boniek is trying to get Liverpool to buy his grandson for £35 million or he really doesn't think very much of Andy Carroll. Maybe this is just his roundabout way of suggesting that Carroll take up golf and tennis?
Whatever the case may be, Boniek has an impressive mustache and Andy Carroll has no mustache at all. Advantage: Boniek. |
The BJP's Andhra Pradesh unit has decided to cash in on Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's popularity, literally.
In a first, the party's state unit is collecting a registration fee of Rs 5 per person to attend a public meeting to be addressed by its election campaign committee chief here on August 11.
"Other parties ferry people for their public meetings... The idea of collecting the nominal amount is to encourage seriousness and commitment. We will contribute the collected amount towards Uttarakhand relief,” state BJP spokesman N Ramachandra Rao said.
And, keeping in mind Modi's following in the virtual world, the registration can be done online. The registration process began recently and will continue till August 10.
The Lal Bahadur Stadium in central Hyderabad is the venue for the meeting and the target is to mobilise one lakh people in the age group of 18-40 years, Rao said.
The BJP aims to reach out to the large crowd of IT professionals and college students in the tech-savvy Andhra Pradesh capital, he said.
About 40,000 people have already registered and the party hopes that it will go up to at least 70,000, Rao said.
Modi's rally was originally scheduled for July 27 but was postponed to August 11 in view of the Gram Panchayat elections.
The BJP poster boy's rally here would be the first for him in south India after being made the chief of the party's election campaign committee.
The BJP, which has four members in the legislative assembly, is making a determined effort to increase its strength in the state in the 2014 general and assembly elections. The party is focusing on Telangana region and has aggressively taken up the cause of separate statehood. |
Stop doing it.
Usually, the more you try to do it, the less you will succeed. Trying to impress means that you need to get attention and in order to do that you need to get into people’s faces. Everyone wants their share of attention, the need to feel important, meaningful and involved.
Once you try to capture all the attention, it will make them react and reject you. Struggling to get attention is really hard and most times ends up in people considering you as spam, intrusive and eventually end up ignoring you.
On the other hand, if you focus on your art, put in the effort, offer emotional implication and create curiosity, you won’t need to struggle for attention nor will you need to try to impress people.
Once you create something memorable people will know. Focus on doing something worth being remembered. |
News > ESPORTS > DreamHack Winter 2014 Last Call Qualifier – Teams & Schedule
DreamHack Winter 2014 Last Call Qualifier – Teams & Schedule
A special Last Call LAN Qualifier will be organised to determine the last slots in the CS:GO Major Tournament at DreamHack Winter 2014.
The qualifier will be held at Inferno Online in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday, 22nd of November to replace Titan and Epsilon in the main tournament at DreamHack Winter 2014. A single elimination bracket will be played with 4 invited teams that were willing to accept and come to Stockholm with short notice. The top-2 teams will qualify for DreamHack Winter 2014.
The participating teams in the qualifier:
Copenhagen Wolves
Flipsid3
3DMAX
London Conspiracy
All four teams will be traveling to Stockholm tomorrow to play the qualifier on LAN.
Last Call Qualifier Details:
Location: Inferno Online, Stockholm, Sweden
Day/date: Saturday, 22nd of November 2014
No. of teams: 4
Tournament format: Single elimination Best-of-3
Schedule:
13.00 Semifinal #1 (BO3) Copenhagen Wolves vs. 3DMAX
(16.00)* Semifinal #2 (BO3) Flipsid3 vs. London Conspiracy
(19.00)* Final – only decide seeding into group (BO1)*
*Times are preliminary since we’ll go ahead and play all matches after each other.
Stream: www.twitch.tv/roomonfire feat. Semmler and co-caster.
Important information:
Group B: Team Dignitas will receive the top seed and face Penta eSports in the first game while iBUYPOWER will meet a team from the Qualifier in their opening match.
Group D: Epsilon will be removed from the group and NaVi will meet a team from the Qualifier in their opening match. VP and myXMG stays the same.
Group A & C won’t be affected by this.
More information
Find more information about the tournament
here. |
Trade talk is finally on the uptick in the NHL, several GMs told ESPN.com Saturday, but there still is the sense most transactions will drag out until closer to the Feb. 28 deadline. As always.
"The chatter has picked up tremendously," a Western Conference GM told ESPN.com Saturday.
Ottawa is a good place to start. Sens GM Bryan Murray will be as busy as any of his peers as he attempts to bring change to a roster that has greatly disappointed this season.
Center Mike Fisher, signed through 2012-13 at a $4.2 million cap hit, is a popular name when other teams phone the Senators these days. His no-movement clause expired last summer, so the Sens are free to deal him. They aren't shopping him, but other teams sure are interested. It would take a pretty good offer to move him. But he's not an untouchable. I believe the Nashville Predators are among the many teams that covet Fisher.
The most obvious player to move is Chris Phillips, a UFA July 1. Phillips and Murray have recently chatted, the GM asking the veteran defenseman to get back to him by the end of next week on whether he'd waive his no-trade clause. Montreal and Boston are among several teams that have shown interest, league sources told ESPN.com. The Habs make sense for him because his family wouldn't even have to move for now with the Canadiens just 90 minutes down the highway. The Bruins have obvious connections with former Senators teammate Zdeno Chara and GM (and former Sens executive) Peter Chiarelli.
Emery's comeback
Expect to see Ray Emery sign a one-year, two-way deal Sunday or Monday with the Anaheim Ducks. Emery will begin his comeback in the AHL, but to do that, he will need to clear NHL waivers because he's a veteran. He could avoid waivers if the Ducks simply assign him to a two-week conditioning assignment, but everyone involved, most notably Emery, feels he'll need more time than that to get his game back.
Leafs' trade talk heating up
The action on Francois Beauchemin and Kris Versteeg has gone from kicking the tires to legitimately heating up. Beauchemin has a list of 12 teams he'd be willing to move to, although some teams that aren't on the list have called as well, in which case the Leafs would just run it by him if they decide to make one of those deals. Both players have one more year on their respective contracts.
On the Tomas Kaberle front, status quo as of Saturday. There has not been a list of teams handed to Toronto from the Kaberle camp (he's got a no-trade clause). My sense is that Toronto is just going to have to go to him and agent Rick Curran closer to the trade deadline with the best offer they've got and run it by him.
Again, I think Northeast Divisional rivals Boston and Montreal both have interest in Kaberle, as do the New York Rangers, but as one NHL executive told ESPN.com on Saturday, "Any team looking for a top D-man is interested in Kaberle."
Rangers interested in defensemen
The Rangers' power play has consistently struggled (23rd), so a veteran point man such as Kaberle, Bryan McCabe or Sheldon Souray would likely interest the Blueshirts. Each would also provide a veteran presence on a really young Rangers blue line.
McCabe, UFA on July 1, is still injured. He began off-ice workouts last week, and it's still not clear when he'll begin to skate. Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon, by the way, had preliminary contract discussions with McCabe agent Ian Pulver at the Top Prospects Game last month. The price has to be right for the Panthers. McCabe told ESPN.com at the start of the season that he loves it in South Florida and doesn't want to leave.
Savard's future and Bruins' options
Marc Savard was scheduled to meet with agent Larry Kelly on Saturday night to discuss his future. Kelly also met with Chiarelli before Saturday's game. In all likelihood, Savard is going to be shut down for the season. You have to feel for the guy with everything he's gone through.
So what now for the Bruins? They've got major cap savings to spend. I'm told they'll be on the lookout for both a defenseman and a forward.
As mentioned above, Phillips is of interest. Kaberle would interest them as well, as would Versteeg. But Boston is looking at many options at this point.
Oilers put high price on Penner, Hemsky
The Oilers are not desperate to deal Dustin Penner or Ales Hemsky (both of whom have one more year on their deals), but as one opposing GM told ESPN.com on Friday, "Believe me, those two guys are in play, but right now they're asking for too much."
My sense is that the Oil will only move them if they really like what's offered. No urgency to move them.
Red Wings' goalie situation
The Red Wings are 19th in goals against, strange territory for them, and given their failed pursuit of Evgeni Nabokov, the question many Detroit fans have asked in cyberspace is whether GM Ken Holland will try for another goalie given the struggles of Jimmy Howard and the injury to Chris Osgood.
"At this time, unless I get bad news on the rehab front between now and the deadline on Chris Osgood, I'm not looking to do anything in goal," Holland told ESPN.com Friday.
"Jimmy Howard was a Calder Trophy nominee last year. The last month we haven't played well defensively. We know we have to play better defense. We've also been able to score a lot of goals and maybe that's why we haven't always buckled down. But long-term, that's not a winning a formula."
As for the impression Detroit wanted to upgrade in goal with its pursuit of Nabokov?
"We took an opportunity with Nabokov for a variety of reasons," said Holland. "A major reason was that he was prepared to do a cap number ($570,000) that would allow us to carry three goalies after March 1. He was UFA, there were no assets I had to give up. He was a Vezina runner-up in 2008. Last year he took his team to the final four. It was a combination of things. It was a unique opportunity. The rest is history. He belongs to the New York Islanders."
Jagr would consider NHL return
Had a chance to catch up with Jaromir Jag after his team's 18-16 win in the KHL All-Star Game on Saturday, in which Jagr netted a hat trick.
I told him he's got lots of people back in North America who miss having him around.
"I miss you guys too," Jagr said with his trademark laugh. "It was a great run for me there."
He added that he's having a blast in the KHL, especially this season with Avangard Omk leading the standings.
It just so happens, however, that Jagr has options after this season.
"Yes, I'm a free agent after the season," Jagr told ESPN.com. "I want to finish season here and then think about what I'm doing next. But right now our team is doing really well, we're first overall in the league. We have a pretty good chance to do something good and that's why I'm really excited, although you never know what can happen in the playoffs."
But, I pressed on, what if an NHL team called next summer?
"If I had a chance to join a team that has a chance to win, maybe I'd think about it," Jagr said. "I'd like to go on a team that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup or at least get into the playoffs and go far. I'd like just to help a team like that on the second or third line."
Jagr turns 39 on Feb. 15. Are the legs getting heavy?
"I actually feel better now than I did my last year in the NHL," said Jagr. "More skating here on the big ice. I don't feel my age."
Heritage Classic to top Winter Classic?
With all due respect to my pal Scott Burnside who considers the Heritage Classic the ugly Canadian stepchild of the Winter Classic, here's something that might raise a few eyebrows.
"Sponsorship on this game is going to surpass even the Winter Classic to give you a sense of the size of this thing," NHL COO John Collins told ESPN.com Friday. "And the Winter Classic was a beast."
Iconic Canadian brands such as Tim Horton's and Canadian Tire have jumped on board with guns a blazing as have other companies for the Feb. 20 Montreal-Calgary game at McMahon Stadium. The gate revenue won't be as much because there aren't as many seats in the CFL stadium compared to Heinz Field. But the corporate base has really jumped on board.
"To really make the model work in these less than NFL or big-time baseball stadiums, sponsorships needs to really carry the day," said Collins, the mastermind behind the Winter Classic. "I think the size of the sponsorship market and also the activation by the sponsors is going to be even bigger than the Winter Classic."
From a business perspective, that's why it was no-brainer for the NHL to extend itself with two outdoor games. Still, the question remains whether or not having two games will dilute the product. Not to mention the fact there are only six Canadian NHL teams, so that means lots of repeat performances by the same six clubs in the Heritage Classic? Or maybe not ...
"I always resist the idea that the Winter Classic is a U.S.-only event, similarly now I'm going to resist the fact that the Heritage is just a Canadian event," Collins said. "At the end of the day, these events should appeal to all hockey fans."
To be clear, I asked Collins if he was talking about maybe putting Canadian teams in the odd Winter Classic and maybe an American team in the odd Heritage Classic?
"We're always kicking around everything," Collins said. "That's the fun part of this gig, to be creative. This is a league that's taking risks and pushing the envelope."
The fact is, the future of these outdoor games will depend greatly on the next U.S. TV deal. Once the U.S. TV deal is in place, it allows for a more concrete discussion of where these outdoor games are headed. |
Danish Design Kumfy Kradle Leopard Radiator Cat Bed (WIDE)
Your cat will be snug and warm on this radiator cat bed! They’ll look so cozy you’ll want to climb on yourself! It hooks over your radiator and has a removable, washable cover.
KKLW Size: Narrow Features: -Colour: Leopard.-With a striking leopard print cover.-Simply hook the bed over your radiator and this stunning faux fur radiator bed will put your cat in the lap of luxury.-Life Stage: Adult; Kitten.-Shape: Rectangle.-Product Type: Radiator Bed.-Collection: Kumfy Kradle.-Distressed: No.Dimensions: -Overall Height - Top to Bottom: 28.-Overall Width - Side to Side: 40.-Overall Depth - Front to Back: 50.
Stylish Leopard Print Design
Removable, Washable Cover
Create a Snug Warm Place For Your Cat To Nap
Suitable For Double Panel Radiators
Max. Load 12kg
This product is discontinued. See these similar products instead:
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World Electioneering Entertainment 2016: 1,000 Years of Energy Independence and the Greatest Con Ever? [part 1/3]
As probably anyone will attest, the greatest spectacle of the past year – if not of the past eon – has been none other than the United States presidential election, something that I now like to refer to as World Electioneering Entertainment (WEE). Because to properly understand this election (and its nascent title) requires, I believe, an understanding of the WWE – World Wrestling Entertainment. I've personally never had a liking for any of that wrestling stuff, but I am nonetheless intimately familiar with it all thanks to an old high school friend of mine – who goes by the nom de plume of Jason Sensation, but whom I knew as Jay – who has been a wrestler and impersonator in the WWE and other wrestling federations for nearly 20 years now. Follow along with this and the next two posts and – partially in thanks to my exposure to my old friend's antics and the mechanics of the WWE that he often explained to me – you'll see why I've come to the conclusion that this United States presidential election – WEE 2016 – might very well be the greatest con that any of us have ever beared witness to.
But before I get to the significance of the WWE to the WEE, a partial recap of the three presidential debates – and in particular their mention of energy – is required in order to provide some backdrop for understanding their correlation. I didn't actually watch the debates myself but rather listened to them (because I gave up making and watching film and television 10 years or so ago), which in a strange twist of events actually made a significant difference.
While moderator Chris Wallace stated in the third debate that "there is almost no issue that separates the two of you more than the issue of immigration", there is on the other hand probably no issue that more strongly bridges the two candidates – to go along with Bernie Sanders, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein – than the issue of energy. The first debate didn't cover much ground here, Hillary Clinton stating that
We can deploy a half a billion more solar panels. We can have enough clean energy to power every home. We can build a new modern electric grid.
Skipping over my doubts regarding the possibility of all that (which I've already repeatedly written of), Donald Trump then stated that "I'm a great believer in all forms of energy".
Bravo?
Jumping over to the third debate, it was stated by Clinton that "I do want us to have an electric grid, energy system that crosses borders." Although I won't examine this in detail, it's worth remembering that it was a highly integrated energy grid that in 2003 enabled a software bug and some unpruned foliage to allow for a two-day (for some a seven-day) blackout on the eastern seaboard that left 55 million people in a mad scramble over what to do with all of their melting ice cream. (If you think I'm being a bit unfair, it's worth remembering what was broadly learned from the blackout: absolutely nothing.)
(photo by Brendan Loy)
Switching over to the second debate, it was here that a question directly related to energy was (surprisingly?) asked by a fellow named Ken Bone.
What steps will your energy policy take to meet our energy needs, while at the same time remaining environmentally friendly and minimizing job loss for fossil power plant workers?
Roughly translated, his question was "How can we have it all?" Or rather, How can we have an increasing energy supply that doesn't pollute and which won't cause much job loss in the fossil fuel power plants that emit pollution?
In response, and in short, it was stated by Trump that "There is a thing called clean coal. Coal will last for 1,000 years in this country". Clinton then stated that "we are now for the first time ever energy-independent". Both statements are patently incorrect, but since neither candidate disagreed with the other's statements on this I figure that we might as well lump both replies together and presume that what both Trump and Clinton believe in is 1,000 years of energy independence. Bi-partisan consensus!
1,000 years of energy independence for everybody! (photo by Gage Skidmore)
For the record, and as Alice Friedmann relayed in her book When Trucks Stop Running, global coal supplies may have hit their energetic peak back in 2011, while the United States' peak in tonnage of coal will probably occur sometime between now and 2050. In regards to Clinton's statement about "energy independence", up until WWII or so the United States was in fact the world's overwhelming swing producer when it came to oil supplies and actually produced more oil than the entire world combined (why do you think the allies won WWII?). That was energy independence. But seeing how the United States currently produces about 9 million barrels of oil a day and consumes about 20 million barrels a day, perhaps it's believed somewhere in the back of Clinton's mind that Canada and Saudi Arabia are the 51st and 52nd states (which sometimes wouldn't be hard to believe).
Having cleared that up, did the media call out either candidate on their highly erroneous statements? Well...
In an interview with the New York Times, the questioner (sacrificial lamb?) that made the query on energy, Ken Bone, did turn out to be rather proud of himself: "I'm just glad I was able to spark the energy debate a little bit". Yes, well, so much debate occurred that Bone appeared on various news programs, talk shows, and even did an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the website Reddit. In an interview with CNN,
CNN's Carol Costello read him a tweet arguing that he had become a meme because of a combination of "33% confidence, 33% calming demeanor, 33% hugability, 1% power stache."
So thanks to Bone's power stache the United States now has enough energy to – wait, what? Power stache? Meme? Those aren't even anagrams for energy. What's going on here?
Alright, well, it turns out that had of I watched the second debate and not merely listened to it I would have noticed that Bone was wearing a bright red sweater, a sweater which caused a sensation across the Internet and got Bone booked on various television programs. Along with
Kenneth Bone quickly bec[oming] a shorthand for all that is right about American democracy: mutual respect, caring about the issues, and the truly unifying power of a pun on the word "bone"
a Halloween costume was crafted in Bone's likeness, Bone was, of course, offered a porn contract, to go along with all the rest that comes with that 15 minutes of fame thing. Following that, and upon doing the AMA on Reddit in which he used his regular user account and not a throwaway account, much of Bone's dirty laundry was laid bare for all to see via his comment history. I won't dignify any of that gossip by rehashing it here, but it did seem important enough that rather than call out Trump and Clinton on their "misstatements" about energy supplies, the media dutifully relayed the fact that the "Bonezone" had had a vasectomy some years ago. Gripping stuff I tell you.
Anyway, this is where we get back to the macro spectacle of the WEE.
Donald Trump shaves the head of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, held by Stone Cold & assisted by Bobby Lashley, WM 2007. pic.twitter.com/W6oQW7Zlvf — phases pictures (@picturephase) September 29, 2016
Donald Trump shaves the head of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, held by Stone Cold & assisted by Bobby Lashley, WM 2007. pic.twitter.com/W6oQW7Zlvf — phases pictures (@picturephase) September 29, 2016
As was explained to me many years ago by my old friend of WWE notoriety, there are essentially two characters in wrestling: the hero/heroine, known as the "babyface" (or "face" for short), and the villain, known as the "heel". The "face" persona is the empathic figure that aims to garner the respect and sympathy of the audience; they are likeable and honest and are determined to overcome the overwhelming odds placed before them. The "heel" on the other hand is the unethical figure that will lie and cheat and do whatever it takes to win the match (and/or the money, the girl/guy, the power, etc.); they readily antagonize the fans and even their peers, and have a habitual streak of playing the victim. Furthermore, the "heel" never accepts the loss of a match due to an ingrained perception that a grandiose conspiracy is relentlessly working against them. On top of all that, and regardless if you're the "face" or the "heel", what matters the most in the WWE is that you get attention, and any attention is good attention (meaning it doesn't matter if the audience loves you or hates you, but that you garner a strong reaction).
In other words, and in case it isn't obvious enough, Trump's behaviour couldn't possibly fit any closer to the script and blueprint laid out for a WWE "heel": insult and deny, feign conspiracy, rinse and repeat. But while there is probably no greater student of World Wrestling Entertainment, and no person that has more shrewdly adapted it to politics than the incomparable and indomitable Donald Trump, I don't mean to imply that Trump is merely using the WWE playbook to run his campaign and ultimately win the election. No. What I mean to suggest is that Donald Trump may very well be playing out the part of a character, just as much as any run-of-the-mill wrestler does in the WWE and just as my old (wrestling) friend repeatedly did in public, the only ones in on Jay's gags and the characters he constantly acted out being his friends and the random person that recognized Jay from television and the various public events he partook in.
"Battle of the Billionaires" Donald Trump shaves the head of WWE owner and billionaire Vince McMahon April 1, 2007 pic.twitter.com/tix2qPw7Na — Gary Lee (@garyibe007) September 6, 2016
"Battle of the Billionaires" Donald Trump shaves the head of WWE owner and billionaire Vince McMahon April 1, 2007 pic.twitter.com/tix2qPw7Na — Gary Lee (@garyibe007) September 6, 2016
For starters, Trump's history with the WWE goes back to at least the late-1980s (when the WWE was known as the WWF – the World Wrestling Federation) when a casino of his in Atlantic City hosted two of the greatest events in WWE's history – Wrestlemanias IV and V. Along with being a business associate and friend of WWE's owner Vince McMahon, Trump performed in Wrestlemania 23 in a match dubbed "The Battle of the Billionaires" (otherwise known as the "hair versus hair" match) where he ended up shaving the head of a subdued McMahon. Six years later Trump was inducted into the WWE hall of fame.
Donald Trump being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 (photo by Rick Foster)
I won't delve too much into Trump's antics in this post (as I'll save that for the Trump post coming up next week), but suffice to say that Trump is a media savvy political performance artist like none other and is quite possibly playing out one of the greatest roles any of us have ever seen.
Here's something relevant that Jay mentioned to me and other friends way back when and which I was able to find quoted on a website:
There was a couple of times I was doing some home shopping gigs in Canada with WWE – and this was prior to my parody as Owen [Hart] – and Triple H was at one of the shows and he came up and asked me to dress up like Bret [Hart] and make fun of him. I really didn't wanna do it, he was my favorite guy and everything. Triple H had to sit down and explain the business to me, telling me, "You can be a fan, you're not offending him, this is a job. You're getting an opportunity, you can still impersonate him for us and it can be in dedication to him even though you're making fun of him, it's just part of the gimmick."
@4CR_Billy To be fair, Melania wasn't the first to copy an idol. #Trump is clearly running as "Mr. McMahon." pic.twitter.com/y5Qzb1cjIK — LeMar McLean (@MarzMediaUS) July 29, 2016
@4CR_Billy To be fair, Melania wasn't the first to copy an idol. #Trump is clearly running as "Mr. McMahon." pic.twitter.com/y5Qzb1cjIK — LeMar McLean (@MarzMediaUS) July 29, 2016
If we can parallel that with Donald Trump, should we be so naïve as to believe that when Trump shaved off Vince McMahon's hair that he did so out of spite, or might it make more sense to realize that "it's just part of the gimmick"? Likewise, might it not be just as naïve to believe that Trump has been sincere when he's called Clinton "crooked Hillary" or even a "nasty woman" in the third debate? And how about "Little Rubio", "Lyin' Ted", "low energy" Jeb Bush, "Miss Piggie", and on and on and on? Are any of those to be taken seriously, or might it be possible that they're part of a ruse where they're also "just part of the gimmick", one where the "feud" between Trump and Clinton is entirely made up? And if it is just part of some "gimmick" (the purpose of which I'll touch on in a moment), might it then be possible that by lashing out at and/or incessantly commenting on and intellectualizing Trump's antics that our entire media, journalists, and all the rest of us observers have taken the place of the ravenous WWE audience member, giving not just Trump, but also the WEE, the attention and legitimacy sought after?
Because it's not just the WWE that follows the matrix of "any attention is good attention", but also the media in general. As Les Moonves, CEO and executive chairman of CBS, put it last year,
It [Trump's campaign] may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS... Man, who would have expected the ride we're all having right now?... The money's rolling in and this is fun. I've never seen anything like this, and this is going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It's a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going.
There's no doubt that Trump is well aware of this and doesn't need one bit of reminding. As he put it himself two years before he even announced his candidacy,
I'm going to get in and all the polls are going to go crazy. I'm going to suck all the oxygen out of the room. I know how to work the media in a way that they will never take the lights off of me.
And that's not the bombast of some mere pretender. It's the truth being parlayed by possibly the greatest student of the WWE, one who has taken the WWE's mechanics and applied them to the biggest arena in the entire world – the ring of the United States federal election.
The Hollywood Walk of Shame
Jumping on the bandwagon, such things as the television show The Simpsons like to portray themselves as having warned us of a Trump presidency years ago. But on top of that being a bunch of self-indulgent nonsense, the only thing that mini-spectacles like The Simpsons have done is lay down some very useful groundwork for enabling the showmanship of Donald Trumps, thanks to its contribution to the creation of a complacent and apathetic people that is highly malleable to this "age of irony" of ours.
As was put by one of the several apologists over at Salon,
Humor is one of the primary ways that oppressed, weak, and marginalized people speak back to Power. The serf mocks the king. The worker laughs at the boss or factory owner. The slave derides and makes fun of the master. The child goofs on the adult.
Oddly enough, Jay played the character "McDonald Dump" last week at a wrestling event in Toronto. I don't think for a second that Jay's a fan of Trump's, but much like the media and the chattering classes – and whether he realizes it or not – Jay's playing right into the hands of what I see as being the Trump and WEE ploy (Tweet via Twitter)
True enough. As I hope this blog shows, I rather like humor (as well as humour). But while making light of the foibles of life is one thing, mockery is something else entirely – one where politics turns into theatre. While the various clowns and clownettes of late-night television pride themselves for eviscerating Trump, and while their audiences gleefully lap it all up, said clowns have accomplished absolutely nothing save for supplying Trump and the WEE with the attention and reaction they seek and require in order to legitimize what I believe to be the charade of WEE 2016.
As Barack Obama's former chief speechwriter Tweeted back in February, "if Trump is the nominee, I actually think we should fund a SuperPAC that hires professional comedians to take him down with funny ads." But as the late media-theorist Marshall McLuhan put it several years ago, "The clown is really the emperor's PR man". Otherwise put, the very modus operandi of the mocking satirist is to feed into and legitimize the roasted.
Jon Stewart To Appear At WWE SummerSlam 2016 https://t.co/3ObCdGjLED pic.twitter.com/lzQq0g93eU — Wrestling Central (@wrestlingcent) August 16, 2016
Jon Stewart To Appear At WWE SummerSlam 2016 https://t.co/3ObCdGjLED pic.twitter.com/lzQq0g93eU — Wrestling Central (@wrestlingcent) August 16, 2016
Think I'm exaggerating? Then take a look at the greatest eviscerating clown currently alive, Jon Stewart, "the most trusted name in fake news". While Stewart likes to play the role of the responsible observer that uses his razor-sharp with to take down those on high, in an infamous interview on CNN's Crosstalk he fired back at – cut off – criticism of of his actions by pointing out that "The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls! What is wrong with you?" Or in other words, we're supposed to take Stewart seriously while not, well, taking him serisouly at all.
Jon Stewart and Mick Foley (of the WWE) at the Rally to Perpetuate Insanity (photo by Cliff)
As if all that weren't enough, while it's well known that Stewart recently gave up the helm of his critically acclaimed 16-year stint as host of The Daily Show, it's not quite as well known who one of his recent employers has been. In case you need me to spell it out for you, yes, Jon Stewart has in fact been working for none other than the WWE, hosting and even wrestling in its RAW and Summer Slam events for the past couple of years. Still no word though on when Stewart and his foil will be meeting in the ring so that Stewart the clown can shave off the mane of his fellow showman, Donald Trump the emperor.
As I recently read, it's not possible to name the greatest con ever pulled off because the greatest con that ever existed was the one that nobody ever realized was actually a con. With that in mind, might it be possible that Trump is actually playing out the role of the greatest "heel" that the WWE, and now the WEE, has ever seen? If so, what I can't help but ponder over is whether or not the purpose of "the gimmick" is to create a fog of distraction over the most important issue of the day that in a strange twist of events got superseded by a red sweater, talk of a vasectomy, and, shall we say, something that the "Bonezone" "liked". In other words, inane gossip took center stage over the topic of energy supplies. Or more specifically, peaking energy supplies.
Jon Stewart Is The Best Guest-Host In WWE History @ http://t.co/4L7xRXIElo pic.twitter.com/zc8aQRBr9f — WrestleNewz.com (@wrestlenewz) August 26, 2015
Jon Stewart Is The Best Guest-Host In WWE History @ http://t.co/4L7xRXIElo pic.twitter.com/zc8aQRBr9f — WrestleNewz.com (@wrestlenewz) August 26, 2015
Moreover, I don't think we should expect this "feud" – this distraction – to end anytime soon. As Trump stated at the end of the third debate in response to whether he'd concede the election were he to lose, "What I'm saying is that I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense, okay?" As I'll explain further in the next post, were Trump to win the election the "feud" would essentially come to an end. But were he to lose the election, what I see as being a faux feud would be allowed to continue, thus allowing for the citizenry-cum-audience to remain properly distracted from slightly more important things like the collapse of industrial civilization.
None of this is to say though that real people won't be affected in real ways by Trump's antics. Although what's going on in the ring of the WEE may be roughly staged – I imagine that Trump is taking the lead while Clinton has the simple job of playing herself in return – at many points in the future many real people in the stands of the WEE may be incited to riot, and many real people may, to say the least, get hurt.
Alongside that, it's been postulated by John Michael Greer that upon the protracted collapse of industrial civilization the United States may see the rise of a Fred Halliot (that is an anagram). Which is, I'd say, entirely possible. But as stated by another late media-theorist, Neil Postman, in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business,
[Aldous Huxley] believed that it is far more likely that the Western democracies will dance and dream themselves into oblivion than march into it, single file and manacled. Huxley grasped, as Orwell did not, that it is not necessary to conceal anything from a public insensible to contradiction and narcoticized by technological diversions. Although Huxley did not specify that television would be our main line to the drug, he would have no difficulty accepting Robert MacNeil's observation that "Television is the soma of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World." Big Brother turns out to be Howdy Doody.
In other words, so long as the citizenry is kept placated and gullible with its soma, what reason is there for how, or why, a Fred Halliot might emerge? However, once the lights start to go out – meaning once the televisions and movie theatres start going dark, and people start losing access to their soma – then all bets are summarily off.
Furthermore, although I think Greer is spot on with his explanation of why so many voters are gravitating towards Trump, I'm not so sure about his interpretation regarding Trump's motivations. I'll hash out those motivations a bit more in the next two posts, starting with one on Donald Trump, followed by one on the candidate who I think wasn't so much bound to be the winner of the WEE so much as she wasn't bound to be the loser – Hillary Clinton.
Having made a comparison between Donald Trump and my old friend Jay, out of fairness I'd like to add that besides being students of the WWE they are nothing alike. While Trump slurs virtually everybody he comes across, and whether they are part of a character or not, his words are given as his honest opinion of which there is no excuse for. On the other hand, the only slurs Jay ever doled out (that wasn't behind closed doors) were either upon himself or some light ribbing upon close friends.
Let's get ready to rumble!!!! |
Copyright by WCMH - All rights reserved This photo released by the Texas Office of the Attorney General shows Carl Ferrer. State agents have raided the Dallas headquarters of adult classified ad portal Backpage and arrested Chief Executive Officer Ferrer. Texas Attorney General Ken...
Copyright by WCMH - All rights reserved This photo released by the Texas Office of the Attorney General shows Carl Ferrer. State agents have raided the Dallas headquarters of adult classified ad portal Backpage and arrested Chief Executive Officer Ferrer. Texas Attorney General Ken...
SACRAMENTO, CA (AP) - A California judge tentatively rejected pimping charges Wednesday against the operators of a major international website that advertises escort services.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman said the state attorney general's office cannot continue prosecuting Backpage.com's CEO Carl Ferrer and two former owners.
Bowman set a hearing on his ruling later Wednesday before making his decision final.
The men were charged by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who called Backpage.com "the world's top online brothel."
The judge agreed with Ferrer and former owners Michael Lacey and James Larkin that the website's operators are protected by federal law related to freedom of speech.
Harris lacked authority to bring the charges because the federal Communications Decency Act, as a way of promoting free speech, grants immunity to website operators for content posted by users, the judge wrote in his seven-page tentative ruling.
"Congress has spoken on this matter and it is for Congress, not this court, to revisit," Bowman wrote, emphasizing the final sentence in boldface.
Ferrer, 55, was charged with pimping a minor, pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping. Lacey, 68, and Larkin, 67, both from Arizona, were charged with conspiracy to commit pimping.
Harris, a Democrat who was elected to the U.S. Senate last week, alleged that more than 90 percent of Backpage revenue - millions of dollars each month - comes from adult escort ads that use coded language and nearly nude photos to offer sex for money. |
ASUS, the Taiwanese components maker, has released its much-criticised video card drivers that allow online game players to cheat.
The drivers, which allow players to see through walls, were first announced in July last year and were immediately condemned by players and gaming organisations.
At the time, ASUS boasted: "There are three special weapons for ASUS VGA cards' users -- Transparent View, Wireframe View, and Extra Light. If you do not have an ASUS VGA card -- be careful! Never compete in the 3D games with anyone who has an ASUS VGA card. Because the only result is to loose (sic)."
In an open letter of complaint, the Online Gamers Association said that releasing the drivers "would ruin the spirit of good sportsmanship in online and competitive gaming [and] would be disastrous for the online gaming community, and for the growing sport of professional gaming."
A poll of OGA members showed that 90 per cent of those who voted felt ASUS should not release the drivers, "as it would encourage cheating in online games".
It was thought that ASUS had backed down in the face of overwhelming opposition, but this week it came to light that the drivers have in fact been released. Not surprisingly, online gamers and industry professionals are again up in arms.
Epic Games programmer Tim Sweeney, who created the Unreal and Unreal Tournament engines and is now working on development for Microsoft's Xbox console, was quick to condemn ASUS:
"What a bunch of lamers. Any hardware maker who releases drivers that encourage cheating in multiplayer games is out of touch with the spirit of gaming."
Tony Ray, programmer of the anti-cheating software PunkBuster, expressed similar feelings:
"We tried to get Asus to respond by helping us stop the use of the cheat drivers months ago and never received a response from them. They seem bent on harming the honest gamers in the online communities with no thought about anything except their own sales figures. They are playing on the worst human
emotions to try to sell more product."
It is possible to prevent most cheating in online games, either by implementing security checks or fixing exploitable bugs, but there is little that can be done to prevent the use of driver-level cheats.
PunkBuster can detect the ASUS drivers and ban players who are using them, but currently the software only works with one game, Half-Life, and its various add-ons such as Team Fortress and Counter-Strike. Players must install a small monitoring program and connect to a PunkBuster-enabled server, but the system is entirely voluntary so until it becomes standard, cheating players can simply connect to a normal server.
So is an engine-level solution the way to go? Tim Sweeney answers: "That's difficult, because Microsoft (rightly) goes to great lengths to abstract Windows away from particular pieces of hardware. Especially with a situation like this, where the cheating is a particular driver version from a particular manufacturer using an NVIDIA chipset -- it would be hard to ban just the cheaters without impacting innocent players who happen to have the same or similar hardware."
Instead, Sweeney suggests, the solution should come in the traditional form of complaints and protests from disgruntled players.
"Probably the best way to deal with this is to ask gamers all over the world to email Asus explaining why their cheat-drivers ruin everyone's online gaming experience, write negative articles about how Asus is anti-gaming, and criticise whatever idiotic marketing guy at Asus though this was a good idea."
Hype and hysteria
Although the ASUS cheat drivers do give reason for concern, their potential impact has been exaggerated by some members of the gaming community. In reality, it is not technically possible to achieve the "see through walls" cheat, at least not to the extent that some people believe.
One common optimisation in online games is that players and items which are hidden behind scenery are ignored, so there is less for the player's computer to draw and less data for the server to send, improving both frame-rates and network efficiency.
Quite accidentally, this optimisation also prevents the ASUS cheat from working as well as it otherwise might have. For example, Sweeney explains how the cheat would impact Unreal games:
"The effect will be somewhat limited because Unreal only sends coordinates of other players that are either visible, almost visible, or were visible sometime in the past several seconds. So it won't give cheaters a godlike ability to track other players, but will definitely create an unfair advantage, because you'll be able to see players who've just ducked behind walls or are running away and hiding."
But even if the ASUS drivers don't provide the miracle cure that cheaters are looking for, they are certainly a warning sign. It just remains to be seen what new ways ASUS or another 3D card manufacturer may devise to give their under-skilled customers a helping hand up the gaming league tables.
Cheater's paradise?
Cheating in online games, especially first-person shooters, is more common than you may imagine, and the tricks that cheaters use range from the devilishly simple to the technically impressive.
With games such as Quake giving players the ability to customise graphics, it wasn't long before someone came up with the idea of editing the 'skins' of opponents so they would appear as solid white figures, making it impossible for them to hide in shadows.
This tactic was soon taken a step further, and cheaters began to edit their own in-game characters so they would look like common items such as a health packs or ammo boxes, making it easy to hide and sneak up on opponents. Some cheaters even morphed themselves into tiny, one-pixel blocks, making them almost invisible.
Nowadays, cheats are much more advanced. Hacked versions of the OpenGL graphics system allow cheaters the same options as the controversial ASUS drivers, making walls transparent and even removing shadows, which gives a cheating player a tactical advantage.
And so-called "aim bots" exist which intercept messages sent from the game server and analyse where opponents are on screen, allowing them to be automatically targeted with no effort from the cheating player.
Last year, there was outrage after the programmer of an aim bot for Quake III Arena admitted how he had created the cheat in the hope of ruining the game for its mainstream audience. He preferred Quake II and hoped that by allowing people to cheat in Arena, genuine players would go back to the earlier game. |
It’s official: OS X is now macOS, and it’s being tagged as ‘Sierra.’
With continuity, Apple is adding auto-unlock. Instead of having to type a password, you can use an iPhone or Apple Watch to authenticate a Mac.
There is also a universal clipboard feture. Text copied on your iPhone can now be pasted on a Mac.
Apple is also optimizing storage on Macs by offloading older files to iCloud when you’re running out of space on your computer. If you have files you know you won’t need, like redundant email stuff, Apple will also manage that by destroying your junk. Apple says it saw a 5x improvement in available space.
Apple Pay is also coming to the Mac via the Web. When you shop online, a ‘pay with Apple Pay’ button lets you authenticate a purchase on your iPhone using Touch ID.
Your messy tabs are also getting cleared up with support for third party apps, and developers don’t need to do a thing. It’ll happen automatically.
If you like watching video on the Web, and videos go picture-in-picture so you can keep working across apps.
Siri!
And as expected, Siri is coming to the desktop. It’s the same experience you’ll find on your phone, more or less. She’s housed in the Dock as well as the Menu Bar.
Of course, she’ll have some insight into your Mac, and it’s mostly the same as you’ll find in Spotlight search. So, if you ask Siri to open up a file, she can; it just saves you the step of looking things up in Spotlight.
Interestingly, you can pin your recent Siri searches to the notifications bar.
Siri can also search the Web — just like on the iPhone. The neat trick there is that you can drag things like pictures into a document or a app like Notes. You can also message people with voice.
Developers can access macOS Sierra today, and the public beta is launching this Summer.
Read next: Apple announces iOS 10, and it's jam-packed with features |
The case management statement also describes what happened when Pianta and Sheehan arrived at the jail's booking desk:
Plaintiff was initially compliant during the booking process. However, her demeanor changed and she threw a hair tie at Officer Pianta which struck the officer. Inexplicably, plaintiff then began looking through her purse and refused the officer’s instructions to stop doing so. Plaintiff attempted to pull the purse away from him. Officer Pianta then placed plaintiff in an arm bar control hold to gain compliance. Plaintiff began resisting and attempted to punch the officer. Acting in self-defense, the officer used an arm bar takedown and guided plaintiff to the ground. Moments later the officer observed blood coming from plaintiff’s facial area and medical assistance was requested. ...
For what it's worth, that account seems to soften what Pianta wrote in his police report of the incident, which described the takedown of Sheehan as a response to her "violently punching with a closed fist at my face." He also describes using an "arm-bar" technique to "guide her to the ground." So, you get a couple of clear impressions: An officer was reacting to a persistent physical threat, and he exercised care in "guiding" the plaintiff to gain control of the subject.
As it happens, the scene was recorded from several angles and devices, including officers' body cameras and jail security video.
No two people will see these videos precisely the same way. But it's awfully hard to square Pianta's and BART's account with what the cameras captured. Yes, Sheehan was noncompliant. Did she pose a threat? That's not evident. The contention that Pianta "guided" Sheehan to the ground? Well, we can let the list of her injuries, inventoried at Eden Hospital and reported in the case management statement, speak to that claim:
Principal problem:
Active Problems:
Loss of consciousness
Fracture: Left maxillary depressed comminuted anterior wall, nondisplaced medial wall, displaced lateral wall
Left orbital wall lateral displaced comminuted fracture
Fracture: medial wall right maxillary antrum
Concussion with brief loss of consciousness
Eyelid laceration
Lip laceration
Less clinically, part of Sheehan's face was shattered.
The video of the incident is sickening -- an impression reinforced by the involuntary gasps of witnesses. Stated simply: Pianta slams Sheehan face first into the floor. You can hear a gruesome crack as she hits. There's no evidence he attempted to "guide" or control Sheehan as he propelled her downward.
How to explain such a use of force? Sheehan's attorney, John Houston Scott of San Francisco, told ABC7: "She was uncooperative. She was intoxicated. And I believe she had to be taught a lesson. In police jargon, she flunked the attitude test."
It appears that what happened to Sheehan caused barely a ripple inside BART itself. A spokesman for the agency says BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey reviewed and "signed off" on a report on the episode. Pianta was never placed on administrative leave, the agency says, and remains on the job. However, the lawsuit over the assault -- it's hard to call it anything else -- has apparently prompted some action: both BART police internal affairs investigators and the department's independent police auditor are conducting inquiries.
Sheehan has asked for a jury to hear the suit, which alleges Pianta used excessive force and violated her constitutional rights. It's hard to see that happening, given the video evidence. BART and other defendants will presumably settle rather than open the way to endless replays of Sheehan being brutalized.
But that won't end the matter. BART will still need to make a public accounting for how it's handling the case of an officer whose own account of his actions appears to differ so wildly from what the video shows.
Post updated to include details of BART's handling of Sheehan case to date. |
With “Pitch Perfect 2,” Ms. Kendrick may add another accomplishment to her résumé. The PG-13 sequel, which finds the misfit Barden Bellas squaring off against a German a cappella group called Das Sound Machine, represents the first time Ms. Kendrick has anchored a summer blockbuster. Based on the enormous response to “Pitch Perfect,” which took in $113 million worldwide during the fall of 2012, spawned a hit soundtrack and became a sensation on DVD, Universal Pictures dropped the sequel into the May major leagues.
To compete with behemoths like “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Pitch Perfect 2” dials up the razzmatazz in the weird world of college a cappella competitions — an activity, as the movie puts it, “for girls all over the country too ugly to be cheerleaders.” This time, the plot turns on a catastrophic wardrobe malfunction suffered by a Barden Bella known as Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson). Barred from competing in the United States, the group tries to redeem itself overseas.
But “Pitch Perfect 2” — part “Animal House” with women, part “Glee” goes to college, part “Bring It On” — was not an idea that immediately thrilled Ms. Kendrick. She started thinking about critical washouts like “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” and “getting understandably nervous because comedy sequels are really hard to pull off,” she said.
In the end, Ms. Kendrick agreed to reprise Beca, a coolheaded Bellas member who functions as a counter to the ribald high jinks of Fat Amy and crew. The acting challenge was to avoid succumbing to the inevitable bloat of a sequel or what Ms. Kendrick described as “punch-drunk, banana-town land.”
“The machinery was so much more present on the second one,” Ms. Kendrick said. “There’s worrying over product placement and how many deluxe-edition albums are we going to be able to pull out of this one and heightened choreography.” The sequel, which was directed by Elizabeth Banks and has a rather loose definition of a cappella, ahem, cost roughly $29 million to make, about 70 percent more than the original.
Ms. Kendrick said she had relied on the director of the first movie, Jason Moore, and the screenwriter of both films, Kay Cannon, to remain grounded. “I would email Jason and Kay before certain scenes and just get words of wisdom or a little mantra from Kay,” Ms. Kendrick said. “Sometimes it was just great to be reminded by Kay that the Bellas are supposed to be people trying to find their place.” |
HTML5 Video at Netflix
Netflix Technology Blog Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 14, 2013
by Anthony Park and Mark Watson
Today, we’re excited to talk about proposed extensions to HTML5 video that enable playback of premium video content on the web.
We currently use Microsoft Silverlight to deliver streaming video to web browsers on the PC and Mac. It provides a high-quality streaming experience and lets us easily experiment with improvements to our adaptive streaming algorithms. But since Microsoft announced the end of life of Silverlight 5 in 2021, we need to find a replacement some time within the next 8 years. We’d like to share some progress we’ve made towards our goal of moving to HTML5 video.
Silverlight and Browser Plugins
Silverlight is a browser plugin which allows our customers to simply click “Play” on the Netflix website and watch their favorite movies or TV shows, but browser plugins have a few disadvantages. First, customers need to install the browser plugin on their computer prior to streaming video. For some customers, Netflix might be the only service they use which requires the Silverlight browser plugin. Second, some view browser plugins as a security and privacy risk and choose not to install them or use tools to disable them. Third, not all browsers support plugins (eg: Safari on iOS, Internet Explorer in Metro mode on Windows 8), so the ability to use them across a wide range of devices and browsers is becoming increasingly limited. We’re interested to solve these problems as we move to our next generation of video playback on the web.
HTML5 Premium Video Extensions
Over the last year, we’ve been collaborating with other industry leaders on three W3C initiatives which are positioned to solve this problem of playing premium video content directly in the browser without the need for browser plugins such as Silverlight. We call these, collectively, the “HTML5 Premium Video Extensions”:
Media Source Extensions (MSE)
The W3C Media Source Extensions specification “extends HTMLMediaElement to allow JavaScript to generate media streams for playback.” This makes it possible for Netflix to download audio and video content from our content delivery networks and feed it into the video tag for playback. Since we can control how to download the audio/video content in our JavaScript code, we can choose the best HTTP server to use for content delivery based on real-time information, and we can implement critical behavior like failing over to alternate servers in the event of an interruption in content delivery. In addition, this allows us to implement our industry-leading adaptive streaming algorithms (real-time selection of audio/video bitrates based on available bandwidth and other factors) in our JavaScript code. Perhaps best of all, we can iterate on and improve our content delivery and adaptive streaming algorithms in JavaScript as our business needs change and as we continue to experiment.
Encrypted Media Extensions (EME)
The W3C Encrypted Media Extensions specification “extends HTMLMediaElement providing APIs to control playback of protected content.” The video content we stream to customers is protected with Digital Rights Management (DRM). This is a requirement for any premium subscription video service. The Encrypted Media Extensions allow us to play protected video content in the browser by providing a standardized way for DRM systems to be used with the media element. For example, the specification identifies an encrypted stream format (Common Encryption for the ISO file format, using AES-128 counter mode) and defines how the DRM license challenge/response is handled, both in ways that are independent of any particular DRM. We need to continue to use DRM whether we use a browser plugin or the HTML5 media element, and these extensions make it possible for us to integrate with a variety of DRM systems that may be used by the browser.
Web Cryptography API (WebCrypto)
The W3C Web Cryptography API specification defines an API for “basic cryptographic operations in web applications, such as hashing, signature generation and verification, and encryption and decryption.” This API allows Netflix to encrypt and decrypt communication between our JavaScript and the Netflix servers. This is required to protect user data from inspection and tampering, and allows us to provide our subscription video service on the web.
First Implementation in Chrome OS
We’ve been working with Google to implement support for the HTML5 Premium Video Extensions in the Chrome browser, and we’ve just started using this technology on the Samsung ARM-Based Chromebook. Our player on this Chromebook device uses the Media Source Extensions and Encrypted Media Extensions to adaptively stream protected content.
WebCrypto hasn’t been implemented in Chrome yet, so we’re using a Netflix-developed PPAPI (Pepper Plugin API) plugin which provides these cryptographic operations for now. We will remove this last remaining browser plugin as soon as WebCrypto is available directly in the Chrome browser. At that point, we can begin testing our new HTML5 video player on Windows and OS X.
We’re excited about the future of premium video playback on the web, and we look forward to the day that these Premium Video Extensions are implemented in all browsers! |
It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, but rest assured today’s post comes in great timing as a lot is changing in terms of what is considered popular music in Korea, what with the instability and volatility of the KPOP machine and a renaissance in Korean hip-hop, there are six major record labels who are now taking hip-hop to a whole new mainstream level in Korea. Here is a brief guide to the six Korean hip-hop labels leading the rise of hip-hop in Korea today.
1) Brand New Music
Founded by old-school Korean rapper Rhymer in 2003 originally as IC Entertainment, Brand New Music has undergone many changes as well as played management for some of Korea’s most well-known names in reggae, rap, hip-hop and R&B. In 2006, it was rebranded as Brand New Productions, and later in 2009 it was merged with rapper Cho PD’s Future Flow imprint to become Brand New Stardom, which boasted acts like Skull, BNR, Keeproots, Verbal Jint, Phantom and Block B. Two years later, due to creative and professional differences, Rhymer pulled out of the merger, thus recreating his own label under the current moniker of Brand New Music. Specializing now in hosting a variety of hip-hop and R&B talents as well as well-known in-house production talents, BNM is widely considered to be one, if not, of the top labels in Korea for urban music. The current roster includes names like Taewan, P-Type, Bizniz, Troy, Phantom, San E, As One and Miss S.
2) Amoeba Culture
Founded in 2006 by Korean hip-hop unit Dynamic Duo, Amoeba Culture has become a household name for helping bring acts like Supreme Team, Primary, Rhythm Power, Zion.T and Crush to the forefront of Korean popular music. While it has a relatively small roster, it was the key roster from the company’s founding that helped make it a household name. While it has experienced its share of scandal in the past (Primary plagiarism accusations AND disbandment of Supreme Team/’Control’ diss phenomenon), it still continues to be a powerhouse label, which continues to breed new talent.
3) Hi-Lite Records
Founded by former Jungle Entertainment rapper Paloalto in 2010, Hi-Lite Records is home to some of the heavy hitting rappers of Korea’s underground and mainstream scenes, including names like Huckleberry P, Evo, Reddy, Okasian and B-Free. Hi-Lite is highly regarded as one of the more ‘purist hip-hop’ labels in that they focus more on their craft rather than on the performance aspects of the music industry. As such, these rappers are all very much like an independent collective and freely create music to reflect their journey as artists. Hi-Lite is also very much well connected to some of the smaller labels like Grandline and former labels like Soul Company and Independent Records – two of the most influential hip-hop labels in Korea that paved the way for the current labels today.
4) AOMG
Founded by former 2PM member and soloist Jay Park in 2013, AOMG (or Above Ordinary Music Group) is a relatively new label in Korea, but is home to both new and familiar talent, including Loco, Gray, Simon D (who joined AOMG after leaving Amoeba Culture), Elo, Ugly Duck, DJ Wegun and DJ Pumkin. Having recently announced their first US tour as a label, AOMG is poised to take the pole position as a label bringing in new blood in Korea’s hip-hop scene. With Jay and Simon heading up this fledgling label, they pride themselves on their creative freedom and approach to the urban scene, not just for music but even with music videos and song production also.
5) Illionaire Records
Co-founded by Map the Soul alum Dok2 and Soul Company alum The Quiett in 2011, Illionaire is easily the smallest but most energetic label on this list. Comprised of only three artists on the roster – the CEOs as well as rapper Beenzino – Illionaire has built its reputation on keeping things small but impactful. Each artist has accomplished so much on their own and collectively as a label, that Illionaire has built its reputation mainly on that fact. Having also gained notoriety for collaborating with artist Jay Park during the re-start of his career, Illionaire has proven its abilities time and time again, even having performed three shows in the US as a label.
6) Just Music
Last but not least, this indie hip-hop label was birthed in 2011 by Brand New Music alum and self-proclaimed ‘Punchline King’ Swings. Home to rappers Giriboy, Vasco, C.Jamm, Black Nut and Genius Nochang, Just Music takes on a very independent approach to their releases, and Swings is very proud of that. Having left Brand New Music after his contract expired a few months ago, Swings is now fully focused on making his imprint grow in the Korean hip-hop scene.
Which is your favourite Korean hip-hop label? Have one that is not on this list? Let me know in the comment section below! :)
J. |
Wes Duenkel October 3, 2017
Keeping track of mileage, like birthdays, after a certain age is perhaps too depressing to document. As the years tick by with increasing velocity, it’s human nature to look fondly on past. So while it might seem attractive to continue claiming one’s age as twenty-nine well beyond that mark, it’s rather inconvenient when the odometer on your 1994-1998 Mustang stops spinning.
The odometer on our 1995 Mustang GT gave up the ghost at after two decades and 110,515 miles of service. Luckily for us, Late Model Restoration offers an inexpensive way to get those odometers back into action: their Odometer Repair kit. While we had the gauge cluster out, we added LMR’s White Face Gauge kit and Diode Dynamics LED bulb set to our much-loved SN95’s gauges a, uh, “facelift.”
In the end, we not only got our odometer function back, but our gauges gained a brighter, modern look—during night and day.
1. The odometer on our 1995 Mustang GT gave up the ghost at after two decades and 110,515 miles of service.
2. Luckily for us, Late Model Restoration offers an inexpensive way to get those odometers back into action: their Odometer Repair kit. While we had the gauge cluster out, we added LMR’s White Face Gauge kit and Diode Dynamics LED bulb set to our much-loved SN95’s gauges a, uh, “facelift.”
3. We began the procedure by removing the light switch knob using a small screwdriver to release the clip holding it onto the headlight switch shaft.
4. After removing the two T20 Torx screws at the top of the bezel, we removed the bezel by pulling gently around its perimeter to release the retaining clips.
5. Next, we removed the instrument cluster’s four mounting screws with a T20 socket.
6. With the gauge cluster free, we unplugged the two harness connectors leading to the cluster.
7. Next, we removed the screws retaining the gauge cluster cover and set the cover aside.
8. The cover hides this last screw, so we removed it as well.
9. We used a plastic prying tool to free the gauges from the backing plate.
10. Then, we removed all three gauge panels from the backing plate.
11. With the speedometer flipped over, we then removed the odometer motor from the housing.
12. With the motor removed, we used a pliers to pull the black plastic driven gear from the housing.
13. It’s not a mystery why our odometer stopped working. The driven gear’s plastic was soft, brittle, and missing teeth. This is why our odometer stopped working.
14. After pulling off the OEM worm gear from the motor, we pushed on the new gear from Late Model Restoration Supply.
15. Next, next, we installed the new odometer gear into the speedometer housing and remounted the motor.
16. With the odometer gear replacement task complete, we prepped the gauge faces for the white decals. First, we removed the gauge needle pins from the gauge face.
17. Since we had the cluster removed from the car, we used a flashlight to ease alignment of the white face decals with the translucent areas of the gauges.
18. We peeled a white face gauge decal from its backing and sprayed it with mild soapy water.
19. Next, we carefully threaded the needle through the decal’s hole and around the needlbe base.
20. After carefully aligning the transparent areas of the decals with the translucent areas of the gauges, we used an old credit card to squeegee the soapy water out from under the decal.
21. After the decals dried, we replaced the gauge cluster cover.
22. Before reinstalling the gauge cluster, we removed the dim incandescent bulbs so we could replace them with LED bulbs.
23. The bulbs click into the receptacles just like the OEM pieces, but are much brighter.
24. With the gauge cluster clean and refreshed, we reinstalled it into our much-loved 1995 GT.
25. Not only does our odometer work properly (it moved a mile!) the white face gauge kit and LED bulbs gave our instruments a brighter, modern look. |
Mr. Obama’s spending agreement with Congress will suspend the nation’s debt limit and allow the Treasury to borrow another $1.5 trillion or so by the end of his presidency in 2017. Added to the current total national debt of more than $18.15 trillion, the red ink will likely be crowding the $20 trillion mark right around the time Mr. Obama leaves the White House.
When Mr. Obama took over in January 2009, the total national debt stood at $10.6 trillion. That means the debt will have very nearly doubled during his eight years in office, and there is much more debt ahead with the abandonment of “sequestration” spending caps enacted in 2011.
“Congress and the president have just agreed to undo one of the only successful fiscal restraint mechanisms in a generation,” said Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union. “The progress on reducing spending and the deficit has just become much more problematic.” |
Image caption Spears is accused of making repeated, unwanted sexual advances towards Mr Flores
A former bodyguard for pop star Britney Spears has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her.
Fernando Flores has accused the singer of repeatedly parading around in the nude and having sex in front of him.
Mr Flores also claims Ms Spears caused him emotional distress by having violent quarrels with her boyfriend in front of her two children.
The singer's lawyer did not comment. A lawyer for her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, called the case "baseless".
According to papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Mr Flores alleges that Spears made repeated, unwanted sexual advances and summoned him to her room to expose her naked body.
He also claims that he witnessed the singer punish her young sons with his belt and act inappropriately in front of them.
However Mr Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told The Associated Press that Mr Flores' accusations had been looked into before the legal action was filed and warranted no action.
He added his client took allegations of abuse or wrongdoing regarding the former couple's children seriously.
"He is satisfied that the allegations are a product of economic motives. They are as baseless as they seem," Mr Kaplan said.
Mr Flores, who worked for Ms Spears from February to July this year, also accuses his security firm employers of ignoring or mocking his complaints over the singer's alleged actions . |
MADRID- Spanish tax authorities say they are investigating allegations of tax irregularities involving soccer playerLionel Messi in documents released by an international probe of offshore accounts.
The Barcelona star was among those named in reports by international media who received a vast trove of data and documents leaked from a law firm based in Panama.
Foreign leaders named in data leak on offshore tax havens
Still in the initial discovery stages as journalists pour through the 11.5 million files, the "Panama Papers" leak has implicated world leaders, businesses and celebrities in the practice of using shell companies to launder and hide money, avoid taxes, and other dealings.
Messi's family released a statement Monday denying wrongdoing and threatened to sue media outlets that released the information linking the Argentine player to accounts in Panama.
Last year, Spanish authorities charged Messi and his father with three counts of tax fraud for allegedly defrauding Spain's tax office of 4.1 million euros ($4.4 million) in unpaid taxes from 2007-09. They go on trial in late May and face nearly two years in prison if found guilty.
Prosecutors had said Messi -- a four-time world player of the year -- was not fully aware of his father's unlawful activities and should not have been charged, but the state attorney's office contended that the Argentina forward knew enough to also be named in the case.
FC Barcelona supports arguments made by Messi family: https://t.co/aIMWsNPGEs pic.twitter.com/LA8YePOSiE — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 4, 2016
Messi is not alone in the soccer world to be caught up in the data leak.
A FIFA judge who helped ban Sepp Blatter for financial misconduct is now under investigation by his ethics committee colleagues after being named in an international probe of offshore accounts.
The FIFA ethics prosecution chamber said Monday that it "opened a preliminary investigation to review the allegations" linked to lawyer Juan Pedro Damiani of Uruguay.
Damiani was identified in a vast trove of data and documents leaked from a law firm in Panama, Mossack Fonseca, which specializes in creating offshore accounts that can be used to avoid tax.
He heads his family's legal and accountancy practice in Montevideo founded by his late father, Jose Pedro Damiani. The FIFA case against Damiani was opened in March after ethics judges learned of his "business relationship" with former FIFA vice president Eugenio Figueredo, a fellow Uruguayan arrested in Zurich.
In addition to Damiani, suspended UEFA president Michel Platini said all his accounts and assets are known by tax authorities after he was named in leaked documents about offshore accounts from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.
According to the Le Monde newspaper, Platini has been managing an offshore company funded in Panama in 2007 and named Balney Enterprises Corp.
Platini's advisers said in a statement Monday that the former France international soccer star "wants to inform that, as he stated it many times to the journalists in charge of the investigation, all of his accounts and assets are known to the tax authorities in Switzerland, where he has been a fiscal resident since 2007."
Platini's advisers declined to confirm whether he actually managed the company. Platini was suspended from office in October by FIFA's ethics committee and is now serving a six-year ban over a $2 million payment that former FIFA president Sepp Blatter approved from FIFA funds in 2011. |
The first recent foray back into the serialized television for CBS has been an undeniable success. Based on the epic bestselling novel by Stephen King, Under the Dome has not only been a ratings superstar for the network, but it’s also gained a massive legion of dedicated fans picking apart every single episode for another clue to the what’s really happening inside that mysterious dome. With Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, and Brian K. Vaughn on set, Executive Producer Neal Baer has one of television’s dream teams at the helm, which has certainly helped to make Under the Dome a monster hit. Parade sat down with Baer to discuss the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of season one (in stores November 5), secrets of season two, and how they already have their series ending in mind.
There are a lot of mystery and sci-fi elements to Under the Dome. Do you worry about how much mystery, or how many questions, to give the audience?
No, I think that we try to always answer some mysteries in each episode and then establish new ones so that there’s a constant flow of new things happening and old things being answered. That way it’s satisfying and tantalizing.
Do you already have an ending in mind?
We do have an ending in mind, which is nice. Thinking about that, we’re able to devise all kinds of mysteries that will lead to the final mystery.
One of the few issues that some people had with Stephen King’s book was the ending. Does having the ability to extend the series beyond the world of the novel allow you to tackle it in a different way?
Absolutely, and we never were slavishly adapting the book. It is liberating to have the great foundation that the book provides and then move beyond that to create new stories. The book itself is only about a week in length so, in order to make our show a longer-term story, we’ve had to diverge from the book.
At the end of season one, there are a few unanswered questions dangling. How do you balance how many answers to give your audience at the end of the season while still making them come back for more in season two?
I don’t think there’s any formula, per se. You want to give the audience some satisfaction, so we answered what was behind this big mystery of the dome, but still we ended with some questions about what’s going to happen to Barbie.
Just like in any Stephen King story, you have a lot of characters to deal with. Was there one character that you, in casting, that you felt you just had to get right?
I just feel that every single character is important, so we really spent a lot of time on every single one. We always thought of Rachelle [Lefevre] as Julia because I had worked with her on A Gifted Man, but we went through all kinds of discussions for all the other characters. When Alex Koch was cast as Junior, he had never auditioned before. He had just come out of college in the theater program. That never happens. We brought him to the network three times.
I think Rachelle is great in that part and, between Under the Dome and Hannibal, you’re bringing redheads back to the small screen.
[Laughs] Yes! She had blonde hair on A Gifted Man only because Jennifer Ehle had red hair. She really is a redhead so she said, “I’m not going to dye my hair blonde again!” I told her, “No, no, no. You don’t have to.” [Laughs]
Do you think Dean Norris felt excited to play a character so against what people know of him from Breaking Bad?
Oh, he loved it. He really adores that character. And what we like about it is that he’s not just an evil guy. He also loves his son. He loves his community. He really wants the people to succeed in living under the dome, but he’s also a kind of megalomaniac. An egomaniac too, so his best intentions get away from him.
How does the balance of power play out behind the scenes with you, Stephen King, Steven Spielberg, and Brian K. Vaughn, and how involved are those guys in the day to day?
Brian and I are in the trenches and the two Stephens are there for support, so they see everything. They read everything. They see all the cuts, but they’re not involved in the day to day. They couldn’t be because Stephen King is writing novels still (he just released Doctor Sleep) and Steven Spielberg is directing movies. So they’re there as really great sounding boards for us.
In one of the Blu-ray special features, Brian mentions that you asked all the potential writers, “What would you do if your town was suddenly sealed off by this impenetrable dome?” So now I ask you: What would Neal Baer do?
Well, I’m certainly more prepared now than I was! [Laughs] We have some writers who are expert survivalists so I know all the gizmos and gadgets. What would I do? I’m a physician so I’d probably be out there trying to take care of people who were cut in half by the dome or injured in some way. That’s probably the first thing I would do because I always turn to my medical roots. I hope I’d be out there trying to do what I could using those skills that I have.
What kind of hints, however small, can you give us about what’s to come in season two when the show returns in June?
Some new characters, certainly. They’re going to turn things upside down. We’ll find out where they were, because it’s only been two weeks since the dome came down. And we’ll maybe meet someone that’s related to Junior and Big Jim.
Do you have a favorite memory, on screen or off, from working on Under the Dome so far?
I think my favorite memory is seeing the cut of episode seven. Watching the whole episode and going, “Oh my gosh. That is really, really powerful.” That took me through so many emotions and so many feelings that it was almost like I was just an audience member. I was so separated from having done it that I was able to watch it for the first time, and it really hit me like, “Wow. This is intense! This is sad! This is moving! This is really, really great.” That’s my favorite moment. My second favorite is in episode five when the bomb hits and Norrie and Joe are kissing and the music is playing Skeeter Davis’s “End of the World.” I love that. I was on YouTube when that happened and people were commenting on the video of her singing the song from 1965 and saying, “The dome brought me here. The dome brought me here.” That was really gratifying.
Under the Dome: The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-ray & DVD on November 5. |
At 3:00 p.m., [presiding] judge R. notified me that I had been appointed to assist with the execution. I feel repulsed, but I can't get out of it. I thought about it all afternoon. My role will consist of taking note of the prisoner's statements.
The execution scene from "La vie, la mort, l'amour" (Life, Love, Death), by Claude Lelouch (1969). "Life, Love, Death" was made before the abolition of capital punishment in France. The movie's central message is the inhumanity of the death penalty. (NB: The video's English subtitles are at times erroneous and misleading.)
Plot: François Toledo, a married businessman and father, falls head-over-heels in love with Janine, a work colleague. However, after three dates, he feels dishonored when he suffers from impotence. In frustration, he strangles three prostitutes before being arrested. He is tried and convicted, and sentenced to death...
The execution scene from "" (Life, Love, Death), by Claude Lelouch (1969). "" was made before the abolition of capital punishment in France. The movie's central message is the inhumanity of the death penalty. (NB:: François Toledo, a married businessman and father, falls head-over-heels in love with Janine, a work colleague. However, after three dates, he feels dishonored when he suffers from impotence. In frustration, he strangles three prostitutes before being arrested. He is tried and convicted, and sentenced to death...
At 7:00 p.m., I went to the cinema with B. and B. B., then we had something to eat at her place and watched a late-night movie until 1:00 a.m. I went home, I did some chores, then laid down on my bed. Mr. B. L. telephoned me at 3:15 a.m., as I requested. I got ready. A police car came to pick me up at 4:15 a.m. During the journey, no one said a word.We arrived at Marseilles' Baumettes prison. Everyone was there. The District Attorney (DA) [avocat général] arrived last. A large group formed. Twenty or thirty guards, the 'officials.' All along the path, brown blankets were spread on the ground to cover the sound of our footsteps. On the path, in three places, tables holding basins of water and towelsThe cell door was opened. I heard someone say that the prisoner was dozing, but not sleeping. He was made to 'get ready.' It took a long time, since he had an artificial leg and it had to be put on. We waited. No one spoke. I think this silence, and the apparent calmness of the prisoner, relieved those present. No one would have wanted to hear crying or protests. The group reformed itself, and we took the path back. The blankets on the ground had been pushed to the side slightly, and we were no longer trying to avoid making too much noise with our steps.The group stopped beside one of the tables. The prisoner was seated on a chair. His hands were locked behind his back with handcuffs. A guard gave him a filter cigarette. He started smoking without saying a word. He was young. Very dark hair, neatly styled. His face was rather handsome, with even features, but he was pallid and had dark circles under his eyes. He looked neither stupid nor brutish. Simply a handsome young man. He smoked, and complained immediately that his handcuffs were too tight. A guard approached and tried to loosen them. He complained again. At this moment, I noticed the executioner standing behind him, accompanied by two assistants. He was holding a cord.Originally, it was intended to replace the handcuffs with the cord, but in the end it was decided to just remove them, and the executioner said something horrible and tragic: 'See, you're free!' It sent a shiver down the spine... The prisoner continued to smoke his cigarette, which was nearly finished, and he was given another. His hands were free and he smoked slowly. I understood then that he was beginning to realize that it was all over - that he could not escape now - that his life would end here, and that the moments that he still had would last as long as that cigarette did.He requested his lawyers. Mr. P. and Mr. G. approached. He spoke to them as quietly as possible, because the executioner's two assistants were standing right by him, and it was as if they wanted to steal his last moments as a living man. He gave a piece of paper to Mr. P. who tore it at his request, and he gave an envelope to Mr. G. He spoke to them very little. There was one on either side of him and they did not speak to each other either. The wait continued. He requested the prison director and asked him a question about what would happen to his possessions.The second cigarette was finished. Quarter of an hour had already passed. A young and friendly guard approached with a bottle of rum and a glass. He asked the prisoner if he wanted a drink and poured him half a glass. The prisoner began to drink slowly. He understood then that his life would end when he had finished drinking. He spoke a little more with his lawyers. He called back the guard who gave him the rum and asked him to gather up the pieces of paper that Mr. P. had torn up and thrown to the ground. The guard bent down, picked up the pieces and gave them back to Mr. P., who put them in his pocket.It was at that moment that everything became confused. This man is going to die, he knows it; he knows that he can do nothing but delay the end by a few minutes. And he became almost like a child that will do anything to delay bedtime! A child who knows that he will be treated indulgently, and who makes use of it. The prisoner continued to drink his rum, slowly, in little sips. He called the Imam who came over and spoke to him in Arabic. He responded with a few words, also in Arabic.The glass was nearly empty and, in a last attempt, he requested another cigarette: aor a[unfiltered cigarettes made with strong, dark tobacco], because he didn't like the brand that he had been given. The request was made calmly, almost with dignity. But the executioner, who was becoming impatient, interrupted: "We've already been nice with him - very humane - we have to get this over and done with." In turn, the DA intervened to deny the cigarette, despite the prisoner repeating the request and adding very opportunely: "It will be the last." A sort of embarrassment came over the assistants. About twenty minutes had passed since the prisoner sat down on his chair. Twenty minutes, so long and yet so short.The request for this last cigarette brought back the reality, the 'identity' of the time which had just passed. We had been patient, we had stood waiting for twenty minutes while the prisoner, seated, expressed wishes which we immediately granted. We had allowed him to be the master of that time. It was his possession. Now, another reality was appearing. That time was being taken back from him. The last cigarette was denied, and to get it over and done with, he was hurried to finish his glass. He drank the last sip. Passed the glass to the guard. Immediately, one of the executioner's assistants took a pair of scissors from his shirt pocket and began to cut off the collar of the prisoner's blue shirt. The executioner signaled that the cut was not large enough. So, to simplify things, the assistant made two big cuts to the shoulders of the shirt and removed the entire shoulder section.Quickly (before the shirt collar was cut), his hands were tied behind his back with the cord. He was helped up. The guards opened a door in the corridor. The guillotine appeared, opposite the door. Almost without hesitating, I followed the guards who were pushing the prisoner and I entered the room (or, rather, a courtyard?) where the the 'machine' stood. Beside it was an open brown wicker basket. Everything went very quickly. His body was practically thrown down but, at that moment, I turned away. Not out of fear, but by a sort of instinctive and deep-rooted modesty (I can't find another word).I heard a dull sound. I turned round - blood, lots of blood, very red blood - the body had toppled into the basket. In a second, a life had been cut. The man who had spoken less than a minute earlier was nothing more than blue pyjamas in a basket. A guard took out a hose. The evidence of a crime needs to be erased quickly... I felt nauseous but I controlled myself. I had a feeling of cold indignation.We went into the office where the DA was childishly fussing around to prepare the official report. D. carefully verified every part. It's very important, the official report of an execution! At 5:10 a.m. I went home.I am writing these lines. It is 6:10 a.m.-- Monique Mabelly (Juge d'instruction) |
Body dysmorphic disorder Synonyms Body dysmorphia, dysmorphic syndrome, dysmorphophobia A patient looking into the mirror, seeing body dysmorphia Specialty Psychiatry
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), occasionally still called dysmorphophobia, is a mental disorder characterized by the obsessive idea that some aspect of one's own body part or appearance is severely flawed and warrant exceptional measures to hide or fix their dysmorphic part on their figure.[1] In BDD's delusional variant, the flaw is imagined.[2] If the flaw is actual, its importance is severely exaggerated.[2] Either way, thoughts about the dysmorphia are pervasive and intrusive, and may occupy several hours a day. The DSM-5 categorizes BDD in the obsessive–compulsive spectrum, and distinguishes it from anorexia nervosa.
BDD is estimated to affect up to 2.4% of the population.[2] It usually starts during adolescence and affects both men and women.[2][3] The BDD subtype muscle dysmorphia, perceiving the body as too small, affects mostly males.[4] Besides thinking about it, one repetitively checks and compares the perceived flaw, and can adopt unusual routines to avoid social contact that exposes it.[2] Fearing the stigma of vanity, one usually hides the preoccupation.[2] Commonly unsuspected even by psychiatrists, BDD has been underdiagnosed.[2] Severely impairing quality of life via educational and occupational dysfunction and social isolation, BDD has high rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts.[2]
Signs and symptoms [ edit ]
Whereas vanity involves a quest to aggrandize the appearance, BDD is experienced as a quest to merely normalize the appearance.[2] Although delusional in about one of three cases, the appearance concern is usually nondelusional, an overvalued idea.[3]
The bodily area of focus can be nearly any, yet is commonly face, hair, stomach, thighs, or hips.[5] Some half dozen areas can be a roughly simultaneous focus.[2] Many seek dermatological treatment or cosmetic surgery, which typically do not resolve the distress.[2] On the other hand, attempts at self-treatment, as by skin picking, can create lesions where none previously existed.[2]
BDD shares features with obsessive-compulsive disorder,[6] but involves more depression and social avoidance.[1] BDD often associates with social anxiety disorder.[7] Some experience delusions that others are covertly pointing out their flaws.[2] Cognitive testing and neuroimaging suggest both a bias toward detailed visual analysis and a tendency toward emotional hyper-arousal.[8]
Most generally, one experiencing BDD ruminates over the perceived bodily defect several hours daily or longer, uses either social avoidance or camouflaging with cosmetics or apparel, repetitively checks the appearance, compares it to that of other persons, and might often seek verbal reassurances.[1][2] One might sometimes avoid mirrors, repetitively change outfits, groom excessively, or restrict eating.[5]
BDD's severity can wax and wane, and flareups tend to yield absences from school, work, or socializing, sometimes leading to protracted social isolation, with some becoming housebound for extended periods.[2] Social impairment is usually greatest, sometimes approaching avoidance of all social activities.[5] Poor concentration and motivation impair academic and occupational performance.[5] The distress of BDD tends to exceed that of either major depressive disorder or type-2 diabetes, and rates of suicidal ideation and attempts are especially high.[2]
Cause [ edit ]
As with most mental disorders, BDD's cause is likely intricate, altogether biopsychosocial, through an interaction of multiple factors, including genetic, developmental, psychological, social, and cultural.[9][10] BDD usually develops during early adolescence,[5] although many patients note earlier trauma, abuse, neglect, teasing, or bullying.[11] In many cases, social anxiety earlier in life precedes the development of BDD. Though twin studies on BDD are few, one estimated its heritability at 43%.[12] Yet BDD's cause may also involve introversion,[13] negative body image, perfectionism,[9][14] heightened aesthetic sensitivity,[10] and childhood abuse and neglect.[10][15] Media influence has also been identified as a factor causing poor body image.[16] The increased use of body and facial reshaping applications such as Snapchat and Facetune have been identified as a potential triggers of BDD. Recently, a phenomenon referred to as 'Snapchat dysmorphia' has appeared to describe people who request surgery to look like the edited version of themselves as they appear through Snapchat Filters.[17]
Diagnosis [ edit ]
Estimates of prevalence and gender distribution have varied widely via discrepancies in diagnosis and reporting.[1] In American psychiatry, BDD gained diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV, but clinicians' knowledge of it, especially among general practitioners, is constricted.[18] Meanwhile, shame about having the bodily concern, and fear of the stigma of vanity, makes many hide even having the concern.[2][19]
Via shared symptoms, BDD is commonly misdiagnosed as social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, or social phobia.[20][21] Correct diagnosis can depend on specialized questioning and correlation with emotional distress or social dysfunction.[22] Estimates place the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire's sensitivity at 100% (0% false negatives) and specificity at 92.5% (7.5% false positives).[23]
Treatment [ edit ]
Anti-depressant medication, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are considered effective.[5][24] SSRIs can help relieve obsessive-compulsive and delusional traits, while cognitive-behavioral therapy can help patients recognize faulty thought patterns.[5] Before treatment, it can help to provide psychoeducation, as with self-help books and support websites.[5]
History [ edit ]
In 1886, Enrico Morselli reported a disorder that he termed dysmorphophobia.[25] In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association recognized the disorder, while categorizing it as an atypical somatoform disorder, in the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).[3] Classifying it as a distinct somatoform disorder, the DSM-III's 1987 revision switched the term to body dysmorphic disorder.[3]
Published in 1994, DSM-IV defines BDD as a preoccupation with an imagined or trivial defect in appearance, a preoccupation causing social or occupational dysfunction, and not better explained as another disorder, such as anorexia nervosa.[3][26] Published in 2013, the DSM-5 shifts BDD to a new category (obsessive–compulsive spectrum), adds operational criteria (such as repetitive behaviors or intrusive thoughts), and notes the subtype muscle dysmorphia (preoccupation that one's body is too small or insufficiently muscular or lean).
References [ edit ] |
By the time Najah al-Shalmeih walked toward her family at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday night, at the end of her long trip from her native Syria, the crowd of protesters and supporters numbered in the dozens—and her son's emotions had grown beyond his ability to handle. Hisham Yasin cried as he embraced his mother and as the crowd cheered. Jubilant, he led them in a chant: "USA! USA! USA!"
Yasin kept chanting as he walked his mother—detained for nine hours despite having a US green card—toward a scrum of media wanting to get her story.
The grandmother opened her bag and gave her grandchildren candy.
Yasin, his wife, and their children made up one of at least nine families waiting for their loved ones who flew in on Emirates flight EK221 from Dubai. They were one of an untold number of people across the country who waited on Saturday to learn the fate of their family members and friends who had been detained following an executive order signed by Donald Trump on Friday night that banned travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries and temporarily suspended all refugee admissions.
Over the weekend there was confusion about how the order was supposed to be interpreted—initially, the White House indicated that it would apply to lawful permanent residents of the US (a.k.a. green card holders, like al-Shalmeih) returning from these countries, but White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus seemed to contradict that on Sunday morning.
Unlike most of those in Dallas last night, Yasin was was able to leave the airport with some semblance of closure, his mother safely on the right side of a security barrier.
Samar Mustafa wasn't so lucky.
"I don't know how the president can just decide something like this and it can immediately happen," Mustafa told VICE.
Mustafa's mother, Shadia Osaman, could be seen lying down every time the doors opened to let people into the US side of the international terminal. "Go in there and get her mom out!" Mustafa's family yelled throughout the night. Osaman is from Sudan, which like Syria is one of the countries included in the executive order, and was traveling to Dallas to see her daughter and her granddaughter. As of midnight there was still no sign of her.
"If he knew this was going to happen, why didn't he say so before?" Mustafa asked of Trump. "Is this how it's going to be as president?"
Despite an order from a federal judge declaring a stay on Trump's executive order on Saturday night, Mustafa's mother remained in detention late Saturday night, as well as several other travellers on the flight from Dubai.
"No word," on them, Alia Salem of the local chapter of the Council on Islamic-American Relations, or CAIR, texted VICE late Saturday.
The families of nine detained passengers waited for hours to learn their fate. At one point, Yasin's oldest child, no more than five, began to offer candy to the growing group of family members, advocates, journalists, and attorneys. His younger brother slept in his Yasin's arms while another brother cried for a balloon that had gotten away. Salem put out the word to supporters and media. Men and women showed up and began making signs. Cameras arrived. Yasin and his family fretted nonetheless.
By the time his mother arrived, Yasin was beside himself. She emerged from the double glass doors in a white hijab, running and smiling at her daughter, Mariam, wearing a similar white silk hijab. They embraced and cried. For a moment in Terminal D on this strange night of fear and uncertainty there was joy.
That lasted only so long.
Mustafa approached Najah al-Shalmeih after she greeted her jubilant daughter. The 47-year-old wanted to know about her mother, detained on the other side for being from Sudan.
"Have you seen her? How is she doing?" Mustafa asked.
Mustafa was told that her mother was fine—though she hadn't been able to text her daughter for several hours due to a dead cell phone—and that she along with several others was waiting to hear her fate.
Everyone back there is tired, al-Shalmeih reported. They have been waiting for so long and have been sitting on chairs, some of them lying on the floor, going to sleep, al-Shalmeih said. But they are there, for now.
Al-Shalmeih made her way through the media scrum, past multiple interviews, and eventually out the door with her family. Salem stayed around waiting. Her daughter had brought flowers for her grandmother, visiting from Sudan for the first time in years.
"She brought flowers," Salem said of her daughter. "We have been here long enough that the flowers have died." |
I never saw myself as a writer—not a natural one at least. There are those people who are born to write. You know, the ones whose every word reads like butter to your mind, smooth and effortless. That’s not me. Every word takes time. Every sentence requires pre-meditative thought. I have to go back to that time. I have to remember the events. I have to see myself as a child. Smell the muggy Florida air. See the blueness of the Orlando sky. I have to pretend that I am there. I have to envision myself in that time; feel what it felt like. And every step of the way is challenging. It’s not easy to relive some of these memories that I’ve tried so hard to ignore. But, I can tell you that as I remember and write things down, it’s like a weight is lifted. It’s almost like I needed to tell you. I need you to know what it’s like. So that when you see someone who is silently suffering, you can relate, you can understand what it feels like. I suffered silently for years, and in many ways, I still do. I’m trying hard to accept my invisible disability, to embrace the pain, to understand that it’s a part of me, but that’s not always easy to do. It’s been 20 years of my life that I’ve lived this way. Silently in pain. Secretly uncomfortable, while always trying hard not to be an inconvenience.
School was where I always tried to blend in, to camouflage, to pretend that I was just like everyone else. Some days were harder than others. Some days, I couldn’t focus. There were some days I tried so hard to listen to the words that my teacher was saying, but his words would jam together in my mind to the point where I couldn’t even hear him, couldn’t understand what he was saying. It was as if I was listening to someone speaking a foreign language, or even worse, like listening to Charlie Brown’s teacher in Peanuts. I wanted to listen to every word he was saying, but the pain would take over. As he spoke, my thoughts would wander to my desk. It was made of wood, plastic, and some cheap metal. Kids from previous years had started a chewed-up gum collection on all four corners underneath it, and there were days I forgot the gum was there and would accidentally touch a piece of it, old and hard, that had been there for god knows how long. It was so gross. Yet, that didn’t stop me from contributing to the collection. I added my fair share of chewed-up gum to the corners underneath that desk.
My desk was by the window, which was a luxury and a distraction all at once. But on the days that I had a hard time focusing on what the teacher was saying, the window provided an escape. A small peek-hole into the outside world, a tiny solace where I could drift away and forget. It was my way of escaping. It was those days, the really bad ones, that the window helped me escape. I would look out the window and stare at the trees blowing in the wind, and sometimes, if I listened intently, I could hear the birds chirping, and if I allowed myself to drift far enough away, I could smell the freshly cut grass. Previous kids, who sat at my desk before me, were probably not as lucky to have a window to escape. The signs of boredom and utter distractions were written all over the inside of the compartment of my desk. Pencil scratchings garnished the entire top compartment, leaving no sign that the inside was partially made of wood. I occasionally tried to stick my hand in the compartment and erase some of the markings, but my hand would always come out so stained with gray pencil markings that I eventually gave up.
But it wasn’t like I had the luxury of escaping in my thoughts all the time. In reality, it was seldom that I was able to fully escape through the window. Most days, I resisted the temptation of drifting away. I would force myself to stay seated, even though all I wanted to do was stand up and stretch because I couldn’t get comfortable in those chairs. I would shift and turn, lean back, lean forward. But nothing helped. The longer I sat there, the more I could feel the muscle spasms collecting on the right side of my ribs; it was agonizing. I tried to stretch out the right side of my body by moving my shoulder up and leaning to the left side. But when I would do that, I would get cramps on the left side of my abdomen, and then I would feel trapped in my body and stuck in my chair.
The worst part of it all was that sitting in a chair highlighted my deformity, and I would obsess over it. I could feel the unevenness of my spine, and it bothered me that I couldn’t sit with my back flat on any chair. I was like an uneven piece of wood, where one side was higher than the other, and it drove me crazy. My back was never flat against the back of the seat. The right side was always touching, and the screw heads that held the seat together would be shoved into my ribs. The left side of my body seldom touched the chair. Most of the time, I would place my left hand underneath the left side of my body; this would even it out and alleviate some of the stress that was placed on my spinal protrusion. The longer I held my hand behind my back, the more numb it would become. Sometimes I would leave it there for so long that it would fully fall asleep, and I would have to bare through the tingling feeling of waking it up.
This could have been easily avoided. I could have brought a pillow to school. I could have asked Dr. Gray to write me a note allowing me to randomly stand up in class. I could have done so many things to solve the problem, to avoid the agonizing pain that I lived through, but I didn’t. The detrimental combination of my pride and the shame of my powerlessness wouldn’t allow me to change the situation, to speak up for myself, and instead, I sat there in silence, pretending that everything was okay, even when it wasn’t. |
A year ago, Tammy Rose never imagined she’d be active again in church, holding a palm branch with a community of Christians marking the beginning of Holy Week.
For nearly two decades, in fact, she had more or less abandoned the faith, disillusioned by what she saw as a constant focus on conservative social issues and pressing needs for more donations.
But if politics helped drive her away, it is politics that, in some ways, is drawing her back to the fold. And on this sunny Sunday morning at Greenpoint Reformed Church, not too far from the Brooklyn artists collective where she lives, Ms. Rose is beaming as she joins the responsive call to prayer:
“Who are we?” intones the Rev. Jennifer Aull, the congregation’s minister for community service. Responding, the congregation says together: “We are young and old, gay and straight and in between. We are single and partnered, happy and sad, confused and inspired. We are street smart and college-educated. Some of us can’t pay our bills and others have more than enough to share.... We are God’s people. We are the body of Christ.”
Like a number of progressive congregations across the country, Greenpoint Reformed has seen both a surge in attendance and a newfound energy within its pews over the past year. Since the rise of Donald Trump to the US presidency, in fact, liberal enclaves have reported something of an awakening.
Hundreds of churches have joined the “sanctuary” movement to protest the administration's immigration policies since the election, and thousands have begun donating more money to religious groups supporting social justice issues, many report. At liberal seminaries like Union Theological in New York, students and community members have packed into public lectures on the “social gospel,” standing-room-only crowds that have left administrators stunned.
The call to worship on this Palm Sunday embodied some of the reasons Rose decided to return to church last year. “When I visited for the first time last Easter Sunday, I was like, oh my God, these are my people!” she says, noting she had been drawn by the rainbow flag and Black Lives Matter banner draping Greenpoint Reformed’s front facade. “I suddenly felt comfortable in this gang of – how can I put it? Everyone’s a little quirky. I was really happy that there was a place where that diversity could be celebrated.”
Yet the congregation also offered something a bit more intangible, says Rose, a playwright and artist with a day job in Manhattan’s tech industry. Already part of a community of politically-active artists, she is a regular presence at street protests.
But here in a community sharing prayer concerns together, or celebrating a gay couple’s renewal of their marriage vows, or including children coloring their Easter eggs – “I come here and I just feel replenished,” she says.
Revival of 'social gospel'
The current “Trump bump” now energizing many progressive congregations, however, may only be a blip on what has been a decades-long decline of liberal Christianity and some of the mainline Protestant denominations that have carried its torch since the early 20th century, many scholars caution.
“The social gospel has found its biggest moment of relevance since the Reagan years,” says Brett Grainger, professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University near Philadelphia. “The energy is feeding directly off the current administration's proposed budget cuts, which target the most vulnerable members of society, and its policies on immigration, which rub against the belief that ‘love of the stranger’ is central to Christian teaching.”
“But if there is a revival, it's most likely to be temporary, in that it thrives on its antagonism to Trump,” Professor Grainger continues.
Liberal Christianity and mainline Protestantism have been contracting for decades, in fact, losing millions of members and the cultural influence it once was able to wield. Mainline Protestant churches, including those in Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Methodist denominations, have lost roughly 5 million adult members since 2007, and now comprise about 15 percent of the US population, according to Pew Research.
Formed in the “modernist” controversies of the 1920s, liberal Christianity began to “demythologize” certain teachings like the virgin birth, the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth, and the literal meaning of Scripture. In response, conservatives emphasized the traditional “fundamentals” of Christian doctrine, which eventually gave rise to the term “fundamentalism.”
At the same time, many liberal congregations began to emphasize the “social gospel,” which focuses on Jesus’ ministry to the outcast and poor and the call to Christian service. Indeed, Christian congregations on the left were major players in the Civil Rights movement and the rise of the “sanctuary churches” movement that supported Central American refugees in the 1980s. Many were also part of the spread of “liberation theology,” first preached by Central American Catholics in the 1960s, who proclaimed that God primarily identifies with the oppressed and marginalized.
“Churches that are channeling this new anti-Trump energy into justice and caregiving issues, they’re not leaving their understanding of the Christian gospel behind,” says Bill Leonard, professor of Baptist studies and church history at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. “They are saying: This is who we are, we have a history of this, and we can’t be silent.”
A 'Trump bump'?
Rev. Ann Kansfield, the minister of proclamation at Greenpoint Reformed, isn’t sure how much the congregation’s recent surge can be attributed to a “Trump bump.” More people voted for Bernie Sanders in Greenpoint, after all, than any other area of New York City in the Democratic primary last year, and Reverend Kansfield noticed a simmering political energy going back to 2015.
Up to then, the church had plateaued with about 35 adult members. On Sunday, there were more than 60, including children. “We were already established as the progressive church in the neighborhood,” she says, noting that LGBT inclusion and its soup kitchen and food pantry were its primary ministries. “But with this new energy, we’ve been doing some deciding over who we are and what we do, and what following Jesus should look like in our context.”
After many members were abuzz following the Women’s March on Washington in January, the congregation put together a social justice task force. Kansfield has been making contacts with consortiums of faith groups mobilizing for progressive causes.
“But this is a marathon, not a sprint,” says Kansfield, who is also one of the chaplains serving the Fire Department of New York. “It would be really easy for us to tire ourselves out with all our spreading and fretting. But how do we actually invest our energy and time and resources to where it will strategically matter?”
Attending church is most effective when it is the “spiritual engine that drives the rest of the week,” she says, “the way we’re going to recharge and refuel for the rest of the week. And that isn’t going to be ginormous, but church and the spiritual practices that we share together can provide sustainable, ongoing energy that’ll keep you capable of the work of the long game.”
Search for spiritual resources
Sustaining the current spike in attendance at liberal churches may be difficult, however, given the long-term trend of decline, scholars say.
“If we do in fact see an uptick in attendance, it will reflect the fact that liberal Christians are searching for spiritual resources to speak to the sense of despair they feel about the current political direction of the country,” says Grainger. “What organized religion offers is not only that broader network of support but also the theological reassurance that, even if things aren't going well in the short term, in the longer arc of history, God is in control.”
Yet with the religious landscape in the US still in the midst of seismic changes, including the decline of church attendance and the rise of the so-called “nones,” those who do not affiliate with a religious tradition, a liberal de-emphasis of traditional doctrines and a focus on a social gospel might be attractive.
Professor Leonard at Wake Forest notes that many liberal churches have already developed outreach programs to engage “nones” in public theology discussions, home study groups, and dinner conversation groups. “These endeavors are drawing many individuals back to church, or to church for the first time,” he says.
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For her part, Rose says she wants to become more involved in Greenpoint’s ministries.
“I usually just go the Sunday services now,” she says. “But I’m thinking more and more about volunteering in the soup kitchen every week. I don’t want to come here just to participate in the family I’ve found. Now I want to give back to the family.” |
Another pandemic scam is being orchestrated by the corrupt CDC, the World Health Organization and big pharma . . .via the mainstream propaganda machine!
SAY NO TO AN EBOLA VACCINE!
Over the past few decades the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and their partners at big pharma have attempted many times to get a ‘pandemic’ off the ground that would include forced vaccinations.
Over the past year, they have succeeded in convincing hospitals and clinics to require their employees take an unnecessary and risky flu shot as a condition of their continued employment. This was a huge and very profitable coup for big pharma. [Employee opt out info.]
Never underestimate the power of big pharma when it comes to influencing policies in America. The only lobbying interests with more clout are AIPAC and the banking industry.
If the American people continue to believe the dog and pony shows that play out in the main stream media, they will find themselves duped into accepting a dangerous vaccine that is NOT WARRANTED as safe or effective by the drug company that produces it.
Drug companies have been granted immunity from any and all damages their vaccine products cause. [Supreme Court: Bruesewicz vs Wyeth]
So who will insure that an ebola vaccine is safe or effective and who will insure that it won’t do more harm than good? NO ONE!
While there are many good people accepting paychecks from the CDC or the public health industry, they have been intentionally misled by those that control these institutions. As they may also be required to accept an unsafe ebola vaccine – or else – they will be well served by understanding a few FACTS about the CDC . . . and ebola.
The CDC is a for-profit corporation listed on Dun and Bradstreet The CDC promotes vaccines with full awareness that the vaccine manufacturers are immune from all liability should their products cause harm, or even death. [Bruesewitz v. Wyeth (2011)] The CDC owns a patent on the Ebola virus, which would include patent rights on a vaccine [1] The CDC, the WHO and the media are currently broadcasting fake ebola pandemic news and statistics [2] as they did during the fake swine flu pandemic in 2009. [3] The CDC knowingly deceives both health practitioners and the public about the dangers of vaccines, such as information that was buried after their Simpsonwood conference in 2000 [4] and other information exposed by CDC whistleblowers like Dr David Lewis [5] The CDC produces propaganda campaigns using a ‘playbook’ [6] The CDC wastes millions of dollars in ‘perks’, revealed by a congressional committee [7] The CDC hires unscrupulous researchers to create bogus studies, such as Dr Poul Thorsen [8] The CDC does not serve the public, but implements political agendas and policies on behalf of those that control the White House [9] The CDC offers financial bounties to state public health entities and even has employees working in their offices [10] The CDC ignores congressional reports and/or hearings, such as the Burton Report of 2003 [11] The CDC actively discredits/destroys reputable researchers, such as Dr Andrew Wakefield [12] The CDC hires private think-tank corporations, such as RAND, to produce phony “consensus” science reports [13] [14] The CDC has a long and nasty relationship with the CIA [15]
Don’t fall for the Ebola Scare. Take your vitamin C, gets lots of sun (vitamin D), eat healthy, sleep well, follow the 10 step pandemic psyop by reading: Ebola – same game – same playbook, and help neutralize this nefarious scam by exposing it.
Above all . . . don’t accept a dangerous and toxic ebola vaccine (and the liability that goes with it) that is not warranted by the manufacturer as either safe or effective!!
Half-page brochure of this page
ENDNOTES:
[1] http://www.naturalnews.com/046290_Ebola_patent_vaccines_profit_motive.html
[2] Information/proof at TruthSector.com; http://truthsector.wordpress.com/category/ebola/
[3] Former WHO employee and editor of Global Reseach.CA exposes the WHO: http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-h1n1-swine-flu-pandemic-manipulating-the-data-to-justify-a-worldwide-public-health-emergency/14901
[4] Exposé by Robert Kennedy, Jr; http://www.globalresearch.ca/vaccinations-deadly-immunity/14510
[5] See book Science for Sale by CDC whistleblower Dr David Lewis
[6] See research from Dr Sherri Tenpenny’s book Fowl; http://parentsagainstmandatoryvaccines.wikispaces.com/EBOLA++-+same+game+-+same+playbook
[7] See “CDC Off Center” report by Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management; http://proliberty.com/observer/20070609.htm
[8] Exposé by Robert Kennedy, Jr; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/central-figure-in-cdc-vac_b_494303.html
[9] Interview with CDC whistle-blower Dr David Lewis; http://www.thelibertybeacon.com/2014/06/24/the-shocking-truth-epacdc-whistleblowers-story-tlb-recorded-interview-included/
[10] Exposé by pharmacist Kristine Severyn; Profits not science motivate vaccine mandates
[11] The 2003 Burton Report; http://vaccines.procon.org/sourcefiles/Burton_Report.pdf
[12] Interview with CDC whistle-blower Dr David Lewis; http://www.thelibertybeacon.com/2014/06/24/the-shocking-truth-epacdc-whistleblowers-story-tlb-recorded-interview-included/
[13] http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/August-2014/DHHS-Funded-RAND-Corp–Study–An-Inside-Job.aspx
[14] See: Expert ‘consensus’ reports are scientific mumbo jumbo
[15] See: The CDC and the CIA: a close and sick relationship
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Title: Erskine BRIDGE, the
Reference number: 2254
Date: 1972
Director: d. Laurence Henson
Sponsor: Films of Scotland and the Erskine Bridge Joint Committee
Production company: IFA (Scotland) Ltd.
Sound: sound
Original format: 35mm
Colour: col
Fiction: non-fiction
Running time: 21.00 mins
Description: The building of the Erskine Road Bridge.
See production file.
Credits: p. Laurence Henson
ph. David Lewis
nar. John Shedden
Shotlist: Brief scenes on river Clyde - ship being towed by tug, bridges over river, ferry crossing from Renfrewshire to Dunbartonshire, talking heads, intercut with shot of ferry (2.08) gvs site at Erskine for road bridge with shot of ships passing down river (3.10) gvs construction of bridge piers (3.59) gvs liner Queen Elizabeth 2 being towed down river after launch, passing construction site of bridge with shots of spectators on banks of river (4.53) shots of launching of vessel "Gold Star" at dock on lower Clyde (5.35) gvs construction site and men at work on bridge, intercut with model of construction design of bridge (9.25) [end of reel 1] brief l/s of Alexandria and Vale of Leven and c/u shots of some of light industries found there - photographs being developed (10.02) a sewing machine at work (10.16) tanning and cutting of leather and sewing a fleece (10.34) clocks being made (10.52) c/u of kegs of Walker & Sons whisky (11.08) gvs tankers on Loch Long with tugs alongside (11.45) gvs cars driving off Erskine ferry beside construction work on bridge (12.00) shots of men at work on bridge and gvs site (13.13) brief shot of seafront at Ayr (13.31) gvs boats on Loch Lomond (13.51) visuals Highland landscape (14.13) gvs men working on pipes on bridge (14.33) brief l/s partially constructed bridge (14.40) gvs Hunterston Power Station (15.15) brief shot furnace (15.26) brief shot ship passing under partially constructed bridge (15.32) shots of bridge in final stages of construction (16.14) brief shot man busking by queue of cars for ferry (16.30) gvs launching of last box on construction of bridge [in thick fog] and c/u of engineers making final adjustments and l/s of completed bridge (18.06) shot of engineers drinking a toast of whisky to mark completion (18.45) shot of Princess Anne officially opening the bridge (20.00) brief l/s of Erskine ferry and gvs traffic going over new bridge (20.29) ecs (20.42) |
Following a summer of violence in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank, Israel has reinstated a controversial demolition policy repealed nearly a decade ago.
On Aug. 18, 2014, 23 Palestinians, including 13 children, were left homeless after Israeli forces blew up two buildings in Hebron, located in the southern West Bank.
The first floor of another property was sealed with concrete, making it uninhabitable.
The crime committed by the families was being related to Marwan al-Qawasmeh and Amer Abu Eisha, two suspects in the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers months earlier.
Some weeks later, both men were shot dead by Israeli forces without due process or trial.
ISRAEL HAS SINCE announced that it will demolish or seal six properties in East Jerusalem and the West Bank belonging to the families of suspects in attacks against Israelis.
Four of the Palestinian attack suspects were shot dead at the scene of the incidents.
“The renewal of this policy comes even though the security benefits are questionable to say the least. This is a policy which is both illegal and immoral because it deliberately targets the innocent and people not involved in attacks,” says Sarit Michaeli from Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Punitive house demolitions were first enacted under the British mandate of Palestine and decreed that a property could be destroyed on suspicion that someone had committed an offense.
“This is a policy which is both illegal and immoral”
Although later canceled by the British, Israel continued to use the policy, demolishing some 1,300 Palestinian homes between 1967 to 1987 as punishment for suspected offences.
During the 2nd Intifada, at least 3,900 Palestinians were left homeless by demolitions designed to punish the actions of 333 Palestinian suspects, B’Tselem reports.
“It’s a war crime. It’s collective punishment because you punish innocent people. Israel isn’t doing it for any military necessity. They are sacrificing innocents,” says Shawan Jabarin, director of Palestinian rights group Al-Haq.
“Israel is the only state that uses this measure as part of an official policy.”
In 2005, an Israeli military committee found that punitive house demolitions were on the “verge of legality” and ineffective, and Israel temporarily ceased the policy for years.
‘Revenge, not deterrence’
The policy is now being reapplied at a time of escalating violence following the murder of three Israeli teenagers in June, the revenge killing of a Palestinian youth, and a military offensive in Gaza which killed over 2,000 Palestinians.
On Nov. 18, two Palestinians killed four Israelis in an attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issuing orders for the demolition of both their families’ homes on the same day.
The attackers were shot dead at the scene of the incident but the families will bear the consequences; their homelessness compounding the ongoing discrimination in housing and employment faced by Palestinians in Jerusalem.
Illegal under Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, unless the demolition is deemed absolutely necessary for a military operation, the policy is only ever used against Palestinians.
“The attackers were shot dead at the scene of the incident but the families will bear the consequences”
“They don’t do it in settlements, or Tel Aviv, they do it against Palestinians. I’m not with the idea of expanding the policy (to Israelis) because the practice itself is a violation of international law, but you see the war crime, and also the discrimination,” Jabarin says.
Israel’s High Court of Justice in August dismissed a petition by Israeli rights group HaMoked to prevent the demolition of the al-Qawasmeh and Abu Eisha homes in Hebron.
THE COURT ALSO rejected claims of discriminatory application of the policy, saying that the decision not to use the policy against the Jewish suspects in the murder of Muhammad Abu Khdeir in Jerusalem does not entail “selective discrimination.”
“We think it’s immoral. We think it contradicts international law. We think it is against common sense and we think at this time especially it is going to ignite everything in Jerusalem,” director of HaMoked Dalia Kerstein said.
“I think it’s a tragedy, its collective punishment. In so many of these cases the people who committed the crime are dead or in jail. The people that suffer are the families, so it’s revenge.” |
The downward trend observed yesterday gained strength today, with the average of ( ) prices across all exchanges falling just over 2% to $445.62. It is suggested that traders on BTC-e are using sell trades to depress the price and enter buying orders to get Bitcoin at a lower price, as the BTC-e exchange has been leading the price movement. For example, the Bitcoin price is $439.99 on BTC-e, while on other exchanges it has not reached that low yet. On the BitStamp exchange, the price is at $448.77. The next important support levels lie at $432.79 and $419.68.
Although traders and margin traders could be to blame for the price decrease, volatility such as experienced in Bitcoin markets is normal for relatively new markets and is to be expected. But as adoption continues to increase, higher demand should push the price up long-term. One factor that is affecting the price in the short-term is mining. The easier accessibility of mining in the form of mining contracts and cloud mining has brought in new participants. This has increased the rate at which Bitcoin are introduced into the system, which depresses the price. The hash-rate has recently jumped, indicating more computing power is being devoted to maintaining the Blockchain. This increases the blocks that are mined and the number of Bitcoins that come into existence.
Another reason for this sudden price decline could be the ever-increasing number of merchants that accept Bitcoin are exchanging Bitcoin for . As people use Bitcoin to pay for goods, merchants are exchanging the Bitcoin straight into fiat currency. This trend will continue until the infrastructure of the Bitcoin system is improved and adoption increases.
An Australian Bitcoin start-up has introduced an electronic funds at point of sale card to bridge the gap between crypto-currencies and traditional payment methods. CoinJar’s new development will allow Australians to pay for items in Australian dollars using Bitcoin and withdraw their Bitcoin in Australian Dollars. The CEO of CoinJar hopes that this new service will expose Bitcoin to the majority of Australians and increase adoption. It is estimated half a million Australians are participants in the Bitcoin ecosystem and CoinJar hopes that its service will increase this number substantially.
The daily chart with the Ichimoku cloud is shown below. The price has entered the cloud, suggesting that any trades should wait until the price action breaks out of the cloud in either direction. The lower part of the cloud at around $436 is acting a support and the price failed to close below this level since May 2014, indicating the support level is quite strong. The cloud has switched from red to green, indicating an upward flow may materialize within this current downward trend. If the price action moves out of the cloud in the downward direction, the price could move to $412 and settle around that level. However, if the price moves in the upward direction, past the cloud and past the base line at $476, bullish momentum would be initiated.
Daily Bitcoin
The 4-hour chart for Bitcoin on the BTC-e exchange is shown below. The price is currently nearing the bottom Bollinger band® and could decrease to the important support at $432.79 before rebounding towards the middle band. Both the stochastic and relative strength index are indicating oversold conditions, which could continue today, but eventually an upward correction should take place.
4-Hour Bitcoin
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Good news, Ravens fans: It looks like 2018 is the year for everything purple.
Pantone announced its Color of the Year on Thursday, and it’s Ravens purple.
OK, so it’s really called “ultra violet,” but it sure looks like the home team’s colors. Pantone says, “Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking that points us toward the future” — all things the Ravens will need as they continue the hunt for a spot in the playoffs (and face their archrivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Sunday night).
The color of the year, according to a Pantone representative, means “more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of a design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today.” Hopefully for Baltimore, the world needs more of the Ravens in January.
And at the very least, Ravens fans will be on trend with their gear and accessories. |
Well, that didn't take long. It's a matter of hours since the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom brought in new rules to protect mobile customers from mid-contract tariff increases, and already one network has ducked them by changing its T&Cs. As of today, any customer who signs up with O2 must explicitly agree that their tariff will go up each year in line with inflation, starting with a 2.7 percent increase on March 1st. By contrast, customers who had signed up before today had only been told that prices might go up with inflation. Why is this so ironic? Because, indirectly, Ofcom's involvement seems to have turned a possible price increase into a definite, contractual one, whereas the original intention was to ensure that "fixed means fixed." Anyhow, in O2's defense, it hasn't breached Ofcom's code, and other carriers may well be planning to do the exact same thing.
[Thanks, Anon]
Update: Unsurprisingly, other carriers are now making their feelings on the news public. In a statement, Three UK has announced that it'll follow the spirit of Ofcom's code, and won't push your prices up part-way through your contract. |
Update 11:25 a.m. Sunday: Those claiming to be demonstrators on social media say they will gather at 2 p.m. Sunday at Portland International Airport to continue protesting President Trump's ban. Social media reports include a Facebook events page.
Update 8:45 a.m. Sunday: A Port of Portland spokesman, Steve Johnson, said port officials are unaware of any passengers who were detained at Portland International Airport Saturday as part of the president's executive order.
Dozens of demonstrators marched Saturday afternoon in and around the main terminal at Portland International Airport to protest President Donald Trump's order barring all refugees from entering the United States for four months.
They chanted: "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here" and "No ban, no wall, America is for us all." Many carried signs, some read: "Detain Trump," "Don't Normalize Hate" and "Let them in."
Lucia Martinez organized the march a few hours before after hearing from friends in New York that people were being detained at airports across the country. She sent out a tweet about the march on Saturday afternoon.
The protest briefly shut down the MAX line to the airport, but TriMet said it was running again with delays.
We are broadcasting live from PDX where approximately 50 people are demonstrating in support of immigrants. Posted by The Oregonian on Saturday, January 28, 2017
All operations at the airport are normal, Port of Portland spokesman Steve Johnson said Saturday evening.
Several police officers watched the peaceful demonstration but didn't intervene as people marched down stairs and by ticket gates inside and on sidewalks by cars dropping off and picking up travelers outside. The protest began with about two dozen people but swelled to around 100 at one point.
As they marched, several travelers at the airport joined them, marching alongside the crowd with their suitcases in tow, Martinez said.
On her way home, she ran into a man who was an immigrant from Iraq, she said. He said his friend, also an Iraq native, went to visit Saudi Arabia. Now, he told her, he was afraid he might not see him again.
"It's precisely for people like that that we speak up," Martinez said. "So they don't give up hope and they know they are wanted here."
Trump's order immediately suspended a program that last year resettled to the U.S. roughly 85,000 people displaced by war, political oppression, hunger and religious prejudice.
He indefinitely blocked all those fleeing Syria, where a civil war has displaced millions of people, and imposed a 90-day ban on entry to the U.S. from seven Muslim majority nations: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Thousands of protesters also converged at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York where 12 refugees were detained Saturday under the order.
Later Saturday evening, a federal judge blocked deportations nationwide of those detained on entry to the country.
-- Mike Zacchino and Samantha Matsumoto of The Oregonian/OregonLive and wire reports |
Drug charges against three men have been thrown out after a judge ruled that a Toronto police officer had been “deliberately misleading” in his testimony and notes in an attempt to “strengthen the case” against one of the accused. Const. Bradley Trenouth “falsely attributed” a large piece of crack to Toronto man Jason Jaggernauth, Judge Katherine Corrick wrote in her Aug. 8 decision, staying the charges against Jaggernauth.
In her decsion, a judge wrote that public confidence in the rule of law is threatened "when police officers present false evidence against accused persons.” ( Andrew Lahodynskyj / Toronto Star file photo )
Because of Trenouth’s actions, Corrick excluded evidence gathered by him and other officers from the trial of Jaggernauth’s co-accused, leading the judge to find them not guilty in the same decision. “The false attribution of evidence to an accused’s possession, and false testimony by a police officer constitute precisely the type of state misconduct that undermines the integrity of the judicial process,” Corrick wrote. Jaggernauth, Jordan Davis and Jimal Nembrand-Walker were charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of the proceeds of crime in 2014, after police found them in a Scarborough apartment that contained multiple types of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
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Police officers found several grams of crack on Davis and crack, powdered cocaine and other drugs in Nembrand-Walker’s pockets at the time of the arrest, Corrick wrote in her decision. Police did not find any drugs on Jaggernauth, Corrick said. Trenouth testified in a pretrial hearing that he saw a large piece of crack fall from Jaggernauth when officers got Jaggernauth to stand up from his chair — testimony that was backed up by the notes Trenouth said he took at the time of Jaggernauth’s arrest, according to the judge’s decision. But at the trial several months later, Trenouth told the court that he did not see the crack fall from Jaggernauth, Corrick wrote. Instead, Trenouth testified that he found the piece of crack on the floor near Jaggernauth and assumed it had fallen from him. Corrick noted other discrepancies between Trenouth’s pretrial and trial testimonies in her decision.
At the preliminary hearing, Trenouth said he picked the large ball of crack off the floor after forensic officers had taken photos of the scene. But the photos taken do not include images of that specific piece of crack, Corrick wrote. Trenouth told the court that might be because the piece of crack had been moved or stepped on before the photos were taken.
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The large piece of crack was also missing from evidence photos taken by police about three hours later, in Trenouth’s presence, the judge said. Trenouth’s story changed at trial, where he said there were no photos of the piece of crack because he had already picked it up and put it in his pocket before the photos were taken, Corrick wrote. Corrick ruled on Aug. 8 that Trenouth did not find the crack near Jaggernauth, as the police officer had claimed. “I have concluded that Officer Trenouth was deliberately misleading when he prepared his notes and testified at the preliminary hearing, in an effort to strengthen the case,” Corrick wrote. It is unlikely that Trenouth, who has eight years of police experience, would pick up unwrapped drugs and put them in his pocket at a crime scene, Corrick said. And if Trenouth had merely been mistaken in his pretrial testimony, he should have informed the Crown before the case went to trial, the judge added. An investigation should be immediately opened into Trenouth’s conduct in the case, Jaggernauth’s lawyer Chris O’Connor said in an interview. “The bottom line is . . . an officer falsely attributed an exhibit to my client that never was on my client,” O’Connor said. Toronto police spokesperson Meaghan Gray said she “can’t say whether (Trenouth) will face any discipline.” All disciplinary matters are confidential until the officer in question has appeared before a police services tribunal, Gray added. “Generally speaking an investigation into allegations of an officer providing false evidence in court could lead to criminal charges (such as) perjury or (internal) discipline under the Police Services Act,” Gray said. Corrick was scathing in her decision about the effects of Trenouth’s false testimony. “It is difficult to imagine how public confidence can be maintained in the rule of law when police officers present false evidence against accused persons,” Corrick wrote. “Our justice system cannot function unless courts can rely on the willingness of witnesses to . . . tell the truth.” |
Syria polio (cVDPV2) outbreak rises to 27 cases
In a follow-up on the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type-2 (cVDPV2) outbreak in Syria, UN health officials report four additional cases this week, bringing the total to 27.
Mayadeen district in Deir Ez-Zor governorate has seen 26 confirmed cases while 1 case has been confirmed from Tell Abyad district, Raqqa governorate.
Monovalent type-2 oral polio vaccine (mOPV2) reached Deir Ez-Zor on 12 July. Vaccines for Raqqa are scheduled for transport this week, by air to Qamishli, then by road to Tell Abyad and Tabqa (Thawra). Immunization rounds for both Deir Ez-Zor and Raqqa governorates are expected to commence 22 July.
Two immunization rounds are planned for July and August targeting children <5 years of age in Deir Ez-Zor and Raqqa governorates. The southern part of Shadadi district in Hasakah governorate is also included and will be covered by Deir Ez-Zor teams.
First round-Deir Ez-Zor
Vaccine: mOPV2, total target: 328,000 (196,000 resident children and 110,000 refugee and IDP children in Deir Ez-Zor governorate, and 22,000 children in Shadadi).
A total of 355 vaccination teams and 61 supervisors are on standby for this activity. Campaign strategy is house to house in the affected villages and fixed posts in other areas. There are 5 vaccine distribution centers with adequate cold chain in Boukamal, Hajien, Husienieh, Mayadeen, and Sor.
First round—Raqqa
Vaccine: shipping of mOPV2 from Damascus scheduled for this week, total target: 120,000 (109,500 resident children and 10,500 IDP children.
100 locally selected vaccination teams and 21 team supervisors will implement the campaign. There are 2 vaccine distribution centers with adequate cold chain in Tell Abyad hospital and Tabqa health center.
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With Brisbane Festival in full swing, we round up the best places cheap cafes and restaurants in the city – whether you fancy a big bowl of ramen, delicate French pastries or beer and burgers
Mrs Luu's Vietnamese Canteen
This is not your traditional-style Vietnamese restaurant. The family who own Mrs Luu's used to run one of the most popular Vietnamese restaurants in Brisbane, but for this latest venture, they have taken just a handful of favourites and given them a contemporary twist. The "three little piggies'" banh mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwich) is a combination of barbecued pork, Vietnamese-style ham and their own porchetta, piled high with crunchy, fragrant salad ($7). There are six varieties of goi cuon rice paper rolls (two for $6) and daily blackboard specials, such as green papaya salad with king prawns and pork belly, or Mrs Luu's own pho thai nam (rare beef brisket and noodle soup). Cash only, but there is an ATM on the premises.
• 25 Railway Terrace, Milton, +61 (0) 7 3369 5760
Little Greek Taverna
Little Greek Taverna, Brisbane
It's bustling, rowdy and a bit rough-and-ready, and that's all part of the appeal. This family-run restaurant is hard to beat when it comes to hearty, home-style Greek fare. Select from a list of mezedes, which includes homemade dips, classic zucchini fritters with tzatziki and Aunty Thea Ellie's tiropita (crisp, golden pastry filled with a mixture of warm feta and ricotta cheese, $6). Generous servings of souvlaki come with salad for $15, or $5 per skewer. In addition to traditional yiros (kebabs) at $10 a plate, there's a range of grilled seafood, including octopus, prawns, calamari and scallops (all under $20). You can bring your own wine (corkage $2) and they'll throw in the party atmosphere for free.
• 1 Browning St West End, +61 (0) 7 3255 2215, www.littlegreektaverna.com.au
Double Shot Espresso
The guys who run this pint-sized neighbourhood cafe have been in the hospitality game for many years and it shows. Chef Michael manages to turn out an array of perfect cakes, tarts, terrines, sandwiches and innovative breakfast fare from the minuscule kitchen, while Ross manages front-of-house with unflappable cheer, despite how hectic it can be on weekends. You can't beat their banoffee pie. The espresso here is well-made, and as strong as the cafe's name suggests. There simply isn't a dud option on the menu, with everything under $20. Be sure to take cash as there are no card facilities.
• 125 Oxlade Drive New Farm, +61 (0) 7 3358 6556.
Jan Powers Farmers Market, Brisbane City
A salad from Nom Noms
This normally drab corner of the concrete jungle is transformed every Wednesday, bringing a little bit of the Queensland country to the Central Business District. Farmers and producers peddle their delicious wares to a bustling crowd of city workers, students and visitors. For around $10 (£6), you can take your pick from hand-crafted dumplings, German Bratwurst and tasty vegetarian options from the Nom Noms stall. This is also the place for hunting and gathering locally made cheese, hot-smoked salmon, artisan sourdough, macaroons, brownies and ginger beer – all the makings of a perfect riverside picnic in the nearby botanical gardens.
• Reddacliff Place (top of the Queen St Mall), George St, Brisbane, every Wednesday; janpowersfarmersmarkets.com.au.
Swamp Dog
Smoked sardines, toasted sourdough, feta and dried tomatoes from Swampdog
At this edgy little South Brisbane fish and chippery, it's all about sustainable seafood, with an emphasis on locally caught fish. Pull up a stool at the big communal table and help yourself to homemade lemonade, or order a takeaway and head down to nearby South Bank Parklands. Sample Moreton Bay mullet and chips ($10.90) or salt-and-pepper calamari with preserved lemon aioli and chips ($12.90). Our favourites are the mackerel cutlet with zingy pineapple and coriander salsa ($16.90) and the tempura whiting with ginger prawn mousse and fragrant, crunchy Viet-style salad ($14.90).
• 186 Vulture St South Brisbane, +61 (0) 7 3255 3715, swampdog.com.au.
Sourced Grocer
It's the city's hippest market cafe, offering a simple, produce-driven menu, served against an industrial-chic backdrop of gourmet goodies, cut flowers and some of the best fresh produce around. The simple menu is handwritten on the white subway-tiled wall and reads like a who's who of local artisan producers. Food is as wholesome as it is delicious – salads such as the Noosa smokehouse salmon, freekeh tabbouleh, pistachio, grapes and goat's cheese ($12) will keep the taste buds and the scales happy. The bircher muesli and smashed avocado on sourdough are some of the best you'll find.
• 11 Florence St Newstead, +61 (0) 7 3852 6734, sourcedgrocer.com.au
The Bun Mobile
bun mobile
Brisbane's first food truck set the bar high. This is fast food with class, offering simple, freshly steamed Chinese-style buns packed with flavoursome fillings. Buns are $8 each ($10 for the daily special), and there are always vegetarian and gluten-free options. Slow-cooked Wagyu beef with soy-pickled shitake mushrooms is a menu staple, as is the char-grilled teriyaki chicken with carrot and mint 'slaw and Japanese mayo. The twice-cooked pork version with hoisin and sakura-pickled cucumber is worth crossing town for – check the location calendar on their website as these buns get around.
• +61 (0) 401 420 922, thebunmobile.com.au
Taro's Ramen
Taro's Ramen, Brisbane
The ground floor of an office tower in the Central Business District seems an unlikely spot for what is undoubtedly the city's best ramen, but it's worth battling the lunchtime crush for a bowl of their signature Red Tonkatsu Ramen ($15.90). Made from Bangalow pork bones, the rich stock has been bubbling away for two days by the time it's ladled into your bowl with tender, slow-roasted char siu pork, noodles, nori, seasoned egg and shallots. Naturally, noodles are made on the premises. For a tamer option, the shoyu ramen broth is a balanced blend of vegetable, chicken and seafood – or try "golden triple soup" with aged soy for a delectable umami hit ($13.90).
• 363 Adelaide St Brisbane, +61 (0) 7 3832 6358, taros.com.au.
Chouquette
First-time visitors stare agape at the baskets of traditional baguettes, golden croissants and exquisitely delicate cakes on display in this little New Farm establishment. With a host of French-born and –trained pastry chefs in the kitchen and cafe, all rattling off orders to one another in French, this is the most authentic boulangerie-patisserie experience this side of Paris. Best of all, despite the commitment to traditional slow-fermentation bread-baking methods and quality ingredients, you can eat like a French queen here for surprisingly little. Take your pick from any of the picture-perfect pastries – the chocolate torsade and almond croissant are standouts; add a well-made espresso and expect to hand over a meagre $10 for the pleasure.
• 19 Barker St New Farm, +61 (0) 7 3358 6336, chouquette.com.au
Tippler's Tap
Tippler's Tap, Brisbane
This is Brisbane's unofficial craft beer headquarters. A dark, hip little hideaway in Newstead with a staggering array of craft beers and fantastic, Chicago-style bar food. Whether your chosen tipple is a Bacchus Queensland Ale or My Wife's Bitter from Burleigh Brewing Company on the Gold Coast, the bar snacks are a drawcard in themselves. Order a hearty bowl of Grandma Kennedy's chilli with crusty organic sourdough, or share a 1kg serving of Buffalo wings with blue cheese sauce and celery sticks (both $10). Sliders are some of the best around. It's impossible to choose between the classic beef-cheese-onion-mustard combination and the pork belly, caramel star-anise, pickled cucumber and cilantro, so hedge your bets and go with the five for $20 deal.
• 22 Masters St Newstead, tipplerstap.com.au.
Morag writes for extravirgin.net.au. She also hosts a food tour of Queensland on 612 ABC Evenings (Wednesdays 8.15pm). |
From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.
Excadrill (Japanese: ドリュウズ Doryuzu) is a dual-type Ground/Steel Pokémon introduced in Generation V.
It evolves from Drilbur starting at level 31.
Biology
Excadrill has a dark brown body with diagonal, red splotches. Three markings are on its front, with two under each arm, and two on its back. It has short legs with small, narrow feet, each containing three toes. Its small white face is long and thin, tipped by its pink nose. Its eyes are set back, on either side of the bridge of the nose. Under them, on each side, are two thin, red stripes. A large blade roughly twice as large as its face extends from its forehead. The top of the blade contains two smaller blades, resembling fins. Its arms are thick and have three large blades instead of fingers, with two smaller blades on top of the middle ones. On its knees, halfway down its arm, and just behind where its forehead meets its face, are small red spots.
Excadrill can straighten its entire body, allowing it to spin like a drill. It has the ability to cut through iron and steel plating. It uses its excellent digging abilities to build complex tunnels for its nest at more than 300 feet (100 meters) below the surface. Its tunneling can be both beneficial and harmful to humans, as it can help workers with its swift digging prowess, but it can be detrimental to underground structures, such as Subway tunnels.
In the anime
In the main series
Major appearances
Excadrill debuted in The Bloom Is on Axew!, under the ownership of Iris. It is a powerful Pokémon, but when it first appeared, Excadrill was disobedient. However, in Iris and Excadrill Against the Dragon Buster!, the cause of the disobedience was discovered: when Iris battled Drayden with Excadrill, it was defeated by his Haxorus, which left him disillusioned and changed his obedient and happy personality. After some training with Iris, Excadrill became obedient once again.
An Excadrill appeared in Battling the King of the Mines!, under the ownership of Clay. It was used to battle Ash in a Gym battle, and it was able to defeat Snivy. It then battled Roggenrola, but it was defeated when Roggenrola evolved into Boldore.
Minor appearances
An Excadrill appeared in Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice, during the Swords of Justice legend.
Pokédex entries
Episode Pokémon Source Entry BW009 Excadrill Ash's Pokédex Excadrill, the Subterrene Pokémon, and the evolved form of Drilbur. Excadrill can dig maze-like underground tunnels for over 100 meters and is powerful enough to cut through thick iron plates using its steel claws. This concludes the entries from the Best Wishes series.
In Pokémon Generations
Clay's Excadrill appeared in The Uprising.
In the manga
In the Be the Best! Pokémon B+W manga
In The Battle for More Friends!, Monta captured one using his Snivy.
In the Pokémon RéBURST manga
Hilgreitz has an Excadrill which he can use as a Burst form.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
A Trainer's Excadrill appeared in a fantasy in Black's First Trainer Battle.
Clay has an Excadrill which was first seen in Lights, Camera...Action! digging up a mysterious stone at the Desert Resort.
An Excadrill appeared in a fantasy Hallway Hijinks.
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Clay owns an Excadrill in Pocket Monsters BW.
In the TCG
Game data
NPC appearances
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity: Four Excadrill serve as several of the main antagonists under the guidance of Munna who actively try to prevent the player from saving the world alongside Toxicroak, two Gigalith, and a Purugly.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation V. Generation V Black It can help in tunnel construction. Its drill has evolved into steel strong enough to bore through iron plates. White More than 300 feet below the surface, they build mazelike nests. Their activity can be destructive to subway tunnels. Black 2 Forming a drill with its steel claws and head, it can bore through a steel plate, no matter how thick it is. White 2 Generation VI X It can help in tunnel construction. Its drill has evolved into steel strong enough to bore through iron plates. Y More than 300 feet below the surface, they build mazelike nests. Their activity can be destructive to subway tunnels. Omega Ruby It can help in tunnel construction. Its drill has evolved into steel strong enough to bore through iron plates. Alpha Sapphire More than 300 feet below the surface, they build mazelike nests. Their activity can be destructive to subway tunnels.
Game locations
In side games
Held items
Stats
Base stats
Stat Range At Lv. 50 At Lv. 100 HP : 110 170 - 217 330 - 424 Attack : 135 126 - 205 247 - 405 Defense : 60 58 - 123 112 - 240 Sp.Atk : 50 49 - 112 94 - 218 Sp.Def : 65 63 - 128 121 - 251 Speed : 88 83 - 154 162 - 302 Total: 508 Other Pokémon with this total Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs , IVs of 0, and a hindering nature , if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Type effectiveness
Learnset
By a prior evolution
Generation VII Other generations: V - VI Stage Move Type Cat. Pwr. Acc. PP This Pokémon has no moves exclusive to prior evolutions. Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Excadrill
indicates a move that gets when used by Excadrill Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Excadrill
indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Excadrill Click on the generation numbers at the top to see moves from other generations
Side game data
Evolution
Sprites
Trivia
A screenshot depicting Excadrill's earlier design
Origin
Excadrill is based on a mole with characteristics of digging tools such as shovels and drills.
Name origin
Excadrill might be a combination of excavate and drill.
Doryuzu may be a combination of ドリル drill, meaning "drill", 竜 ryū as in on'yomi reading of 土竜 doryū, meaning "mole", and 渦 uzu, meaning "spiral" or "swirl".
In other languages
Language Title Meaning Japanese ドリュウズ Doryuzu From ドリル drill, 竜 ryu , and 渦 uzu French Minotaupe From mine, taupe , and minotaure Spanish Excadrill Same as English name German Stalobor From Stahl and Bohrer Italian Excadrill Same as English name Korean 몰드류 Moldryu From mole, drill, and screw Cantonese Chinese Mandarin Chinese 龍頭地鼠 / 龙头地鼠 Lóngtóudìshǔ From the Japanese 竜頭 ryūzu , 地 dì , 鼠 shǔ , and 地鼠 dìshǔ . More languages Russian Экскадрилл Ekskadrill Transcription of English name
Related articles |
The Alabama-Coushatta tribe plans to hold a job fair soon for their new Class II casino, Naskila Entertainment near Livingston, Texas. On Tuesday April 19 Tribal members are invited for either of two sessions to be held at the Tribal Multi-Purpose Center (Gym). Tribal Members and the general community are welcome to attend on Wednesday, April 20th.
The Multi-Purpose Center is located at 333 State Park Rd 56. Tuesday’s job fair will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 pm and 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with Wednesday’s running from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 pm and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Job Fair will be facilitated by Naskila Management along with Tribal departmental staff. The open meetings will allow interested people to get face to face time and learn more about career opportunities. A variety of positions are available from managerial and technical to service and support. A flyer, also posted on the Entertainment Center’s Facebook page offers a phone number for those with questions.
Our phone calls Friday and Saturday went directly to voice mail and a Friday email has not been returned yet. We are monitoring social media and local news outlets for updated information in regard to an opening date, but expect the venue to open on or before May 1st.
The tribe has not offered Class II slot machines since 2002, since being forced by court decisions to close a lucrative operation that generated about $1 million per month for the tribe and ran less than a year. The only other tribal casino to operate in the state is the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass, which has been open since 1996. Texans, not in the “Deep East” also have a casino cruise ship available out of Aransas Pass – otherwise the state’s denizens are forced to travel out of state to “get their spin on” across the border at other tribal casinos like the Chickasaw Nation’s WinStar World Casino and Resort in Oklahoma.
In October 2015 the National Indian Gaming Commission ruled that the tribe, along with the Tigua Tribes (aka Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo) in Texas, had been restored to federal recognition a year before the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was passed; affirming both tribes’ jurisdiction over their sovereign lands. On November 3, 2015 the tribe announced that they had received federal approval to resume electronic gaming.
The casino is located at 540 State Park Road 56, in Livingston, Texas and will offer 15,000 square feet of entertainment space with about 10,000 of that devoted to gaming on over 350 machines. A restaurant is also planned for the refurbished center.
The state’s Charitable Bingo operators have been losing money for the last several years with some being shut down by the state for not generating positive income. They are staunchly opposed to the state’s tribes self-determination on sovereign land on which the state has no jurisdiction to enforce its draconian gambling laws. The Charitable bingo operators were also heavily influential in getting the Texas Racing Commission to kill regulations allowing so-called Historical Racing machines. Statewide, the only legal gambling outlets are a state lottery, parimutuel wagering, and charity bingo. |
HYDERABAD: Renowned historian Dr Mubarak Ali has criticised the syllabus being taught at educational institutions of the country and called for rewriting it to make it more realistic.
“The existing syllabus is meant for [producing] people of a particular mentality. If we teach such things to our young generation then what do we expect from them,” he said while delivering a lecture on ‘Role of youth in the country’s development’ organised by the Centre of Excellence in Art and Design of the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology at Jamshoro on Saturday.
He said that educational institutes should be free from law enforcement agencies personnel but the situation in Pakistan, particularly in Sindh, was different. Many countries had developed only through education and it still remained the only weapon to bring about a revolution in a society, he said.
He said that he was proud of being a student and teacher at the Sindh University but at the same time expressed disappointment over the fact that SU, Sindhi Adabi Board and other educational institutions were not delivering as was expected from them in the fields of culture, history and education with the result that today’s students were unaware of their rights.
“If we look at history, students have produced great leadership in the world. In Pakistan and Sindh students have played a vital and productive role in the past even during the rule of military dictator Ayub Khan,” he said.
He said that students played a central role in the freedom struggles in Bangladesh, Germany and several other countries and they were playing a similar role to bring about change in Pakistani society when Gen Ayub imposed a ban on student unions. But they led from the front and forced him to take back his decision, he said.
He said the countries like Germany where education was free right from primary to university level were developing by leaps and bounds as they knew they needed skilled youth to maintain the progress but Pakistanis did not pay the attention to education it required.
About pitfalls of writing fragmented history, he said, for instance people quoted examples of Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal without giving necessary details to enable youth to make their own opinions about them.
MUET Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Aslam Uqaili said that Dr Mubarak had contributed enormously to the history of Pakistan and Sindh and his books were guidelines for the youth.
He said that unfortunately people’s attitudes had hardened and no one was ready to listen to the other’s point of view and accept him as he is. “Sindh is a citadel of Sufi teachings but prolonged Afghan war has had a bad impact on its dwellers’ behaviour, which needs to be changed to promote harmony,” he said.
CEAD director Prof Dr Bhai Khan Shar said that it was an honour for Sindh and Pakistan to have towering scholars like Dr Mubarak Ali.
The CEAD would continue to organise such informative and highly enlightening lectures to educate its students, he added.
Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2015
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Iran to send 4,000 troops to fight alongside Syrian regime: report
Updated
Iran will send 4,000 of its troops to Syria to aid president Bashar al-Assad's forces in its fight against rebels, according to the UK's Independent newspaper.
The "military decision" means that Iran is now "fully committed to preserving Assad's regime," wrote journalist Robert Fisk, citing pro-Iranian sources.
Key points Iran will send 4,000 troops to fight alongside Assad's forces
Iran's Shiite rulers are staunch allies of Mr Assad, who belongs to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam
The rebellion in Syria is largely Sunni
Shiite Hezbollah fighters are already joining forces with Assad's troops
Leaders of Britain and Russia met overnight for talks on Syria
As well as sending Revolutionary Guards, Iran has reportedly proposed to open a "Syrian front" against Israel in the Golan Heights.
The decision was reportedly made before Iran's presidential election, and came as the US approved a move to arm the Syrian opposition.
It compounds fears that the Syrian conflict is taking on broader regional and sectarian dimensions.
Iran is a predominantly Shiite Muslim country and a staunch ally of Mr Assad, who belongs to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
The rebellion in Syria is largely Sunni.
The Assad regime has also received recent support from fighters loyal to the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
The rebels, meanwhile, are reportedly getting military support from Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, which plans to supply them with anti-aircraft missiles to counter the regime's air force.
Britain and Russia at odds over Syria
British prime minister David Cameron and Russian president Vladimir Putin acknowledged their differences over Syria after talks in London overnight.
Russia, a long time backer of the Syrian regime, is sceptical about US accusations that the Syrian military has used chemical weapons against the rebels.
After the meeting in London, Mr Putin said Russia wanted to create the conditions for a resolution and urged Western countries to abandon their plans to arm the rebels fighting against the Assad regime.
"One does not really need to support the people who not only kill their enemies, but open up their bodies, eat their intestines in front of the public and cameras," he said.
"Are these the people you want to support? Are they the ones you want to supply with weapons? Then this probably has little relation to the humanitarian values preached in Europe for hundreds of years."
Sorry, this video has expired Video: David Cameron and Vladimir Putin meet in London (ABC News)
The incident Mr Putin referred to was most likely that of a rebel commander filmed last month cutting into the torso of a dead soldier and biting into a piece of one of his organs.
Mr Cameron says he blames the Assad regime and not its ally Russia for the ongoing violence, despite the supply of arms from Moscow.
He says the UK has still made no decision on whether to supply weapons to the rebels.
Mr Cameron also says he and Mr Putin are working to find common ground on Syria ahead of the upcoming G8 summit and a planned international peace conference
"What I take from our conversation today is that we can overcome these differences if we recognise that we share some fundamental aims: to end the conflict, to stop Syria breaking apart, to let the Syrian people choose who governs them and to take the fight to the extremists and defeat them," he said.
Now that the US is taking moves to arm the Syrian opposition and Mr Cameron himself insisting that more must be done to help them, Moscow might now go ahead with its plans to provide sophisticated new air defences to the Syrian regime.
Mixed response to new Iranian president
There has been a cautious international response to the election of moderate cleric Hassan Rowhani as the next president of Iran.
Mr Rowhani has pledged greater engagement with the West, a move which has been welcomed by the United States, Russia and Britain.
Mr Putin has also urged closer ties with Iran following Mr Rowhani's win.
Australia has also welcomed the new president and urged him to return to constructive talks on the country's nuclear program.
But Israel has voiced its ongoing concern.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyhu wants continued international pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear program.
His intelligence minister Yuval Steinitz was even less optimistic about Mr Rowhani, telling Israeli media he is not a moderate figure at all.
He said the international community must not be deluded and there was no reason to alleviate pressure on Iran, but rather sanctions should be tightened.
Several Iranian newspapers described the victory of the reformist-backed candidate as the return of hope.
Tens of thousands of people celebrated on the streets of the capital Tehran throughout the night after hearing the election result.
The past eight years under former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have seen Iran isolated on the international stage and engulfed in an economic crisis, mainly the result of international sanctions.
Syria's main opposition group has called on Mr Rowhani to end his country's alliance with President Bashar al-Assad.
ABC/wires
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic, iran-islamic-republic-of
First posted |
Korean Eximbank’s team conducting feasibility study for the first purpose built IT park in Islamabad, called on the Minister of State for IT Mrs. Anusha Rehman Khan here in Islamabad today and shared in detail the salient features, models and proposed designs along with other technical aspects for the building of first IT park in Pakistan.
Minister of State for IT Mrs. Anusha Rehman, Federal Secretary IT Mr. Rizwan Bashir Khan and senior officials from Ministry of IT and PSEB had a very fruitful discussion with the Korean experts regarding different aspects of feasibility study report. The 13 members’ Korean team was lead by Dr. Yim Deok Soon and Prof. Park Hung Kook.
Minister of IT welcomed the Korean delegation to MoIT and shared with them ministry’s vision to provide good infrastructure to the IT industry to leverage the full potential of Pakistan’s IT talent. She said that IT park will provide a whole ecosystem including affordable space to IT companies along with power, bandwidth, and linkages between industry and academia. IT park in Islamabad will be followed by two more parks at Lahore and Karachi subsequently.
Minister said that Pakistan has abundant IT talent and IT parks would be a good way of leveraging that talent to boost Pakistan’s IT exports which have already grown over 40% since last year. She appreciated the passion and spirit of Korean team and their constant support in IT park project and hoped that the IT Park would further augment the long lasting and strong relationship between Pakistan and Korea.
Minister requested the Korean team to fast track its efforts and submit their final report by next week so that they could enter in the implementation phase of the project at the earliest. She urged all stakeholders to collectively work to achieve the milestones. |
Bad Python Electricity Calculator a guest Jun 19th, 2015 1,426 Never a guest1,426Never
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rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint Python 4.85 KB ''' Created on Apr 25, 2-114 @author: ;) ''' ''' ToDo Change program so that it takes the variables the user has and calculates as many values as possible Could possibly do this by having program try every formula it has values for; determining whether or not it has a value by if the value equals to -1; (which would be set by default) Setup loop so that user can exit out of it ''' # Converts between common electricity formulas and variables print "Common Electricity Formulae Conversion Alpha
Note this program does not handle significant figures!" looptrue = True while ( looptrue == True ) : # Give user options and ask what they want to do or (NOT IMPLEMENTED: if they want to quit), bad input = ask again def main ( ) : # The variables used in input/calculation current = float ( - 1 ) # Variable is I, formula I=q/t, unit Amperes (A) charge = float ( - 1 ) # Variable is q, formula q=t(I), unit Coulombs (C) time = float ( - 1 ) # Variable is t, formula t=q/I, unit Seconds (S) voltage = float ( - 1 ) # Variable is V, formula V=E/q, unit Volts (V) energy = float ( - 1 ) # Variable is E, E=V(q), unit Joules (J) resistance = float ( - 1 ) # Variable is R, formula R=V/I, unit Ohms (Greek letter omega) power = float ( - 1 ) # Variable is P, formula P=E/t, unit Watts (W) sigfigs = int ( - 1 ) # Variable used to control significant figures, not currently implemented # Strings used to quickly print often used phrases currentstr = "Current(I), measured in Amperes(A) " chargestr = "Charge(q), measured in Coulombs (C) " timestr = "Time (t), measured in Seconds (S) " voltagestr = "Voltage (V), measured in Volts(V) " energystr = "Energy, (E), measured in Joules(J) " resistancestr = "Resistance (R), measured in Ohms (Omega) " powerstr = "Power (P), measured in Watts (W) " valuefor = "Enter the value for " print "
Enter the values you know from the following list
\t " , currentstr , "
\t " , chargestr , "
\t " , timestr , print "
\t " , voltagestr , "
\t " , energystr , "
\t " , resistancestr , "
\t " , powerstr runchoice = str ( raw_input ( "" ) ) if "current" in runchoice. lower ( ) : #forgot about my commonly used strings when writing this part current = float ( raw_input ( "Enter the value for current, measured in Amperes (A)" ) ) if "charge" in runchoice. lower ( ) : charge = float ( raw_input ( "Enter the value for charge, measured in Coulombs (C)" ) ) if "time" in runchoice. lower ( ) : time = float ( raw_input ( "Enter the value for time, measured in Seconds (S)" ) ) if "voltage" in runchoice. lower ( ) : voltage = float ( raw_input ( "Enter the value for voltage, measured in Volts (V)" ) ) if "energy" in runchoice. lower ( ) : energy = float ( raw_input ( "Enter the value for energy, measured in Joules (J)" ) ) if "resistance" in runchoice. lower ( ) : resistance = float ( raw_input ( "Enter the value for resistance, measured in Ohms (Omega)" ) ) if "power" in runchoice. lower ( ) : power = float ( raw_input ( "Enter the value for power, measured in Watts (W)" ) ) for i in range ( 5 ) : #go through all the solving equations 5 times to make really sure we have everything we can get #could probably simplify this a bit by having a couple of tiers for the ifs, like especially for a variable like power... if charge != - 1 and time != - 1 : current = charge/ time if time != - 1 and current != - 1 : charge = time *current if charge != - 1 and current != - 1 : time = charge/current if energy != - 1 and charge != - 1 : voltage = energy/charge if voltage != - 1 and charge != - 1 : energy = voltage*charge if energy != - 1 and voltage != - 1 : charge = energy/voltage if voltage != - 1 and current != - 1 : resistance = voltage/current power = voltage*current if resistance != - 1 and current != - 1 : voltage = resistance*current power = resistance*current** 2 if voltage != - 1 and resistance != - 1 : current = voltage/resistance power = voltage** 2 /resistance if energy != - 1 and time != - 1 : power = energy/ time if power != - 1 and time != - 1 : energy = power* time if energy != - 1 and power != - 1 : time = energy/power if power != - 1 and voltage != - 1 : current = power/voltage resistance = voltage** 2 /power if power != - 1 and resistance != - 1 : current = ( power/resistance ) ** 0.5 voltage = ( power*resistance ) ** 0.5 if power != - 1 and current != - 1 : resistance = power/current** 2 results = "
" + currentstr + str ( current ) + "
" + chargestr + str ( charge ) + "
" + timestr + str ( time ) + "
" + voltagestr + str ( voltage ) + "
" + energystr + str ( energy ) + "
" + resistancestr + str ( resistance ) + "
" + powerstr + str ( power ) + "
" print "Results of the calculation, a value of -1 means there was insufficient data to calculate:" , results , "
" main ( ) # Starts program
RAW Paste Data
''' Created on Apr 25, 2-114 @author: ;) ''' ''' ToDo Change program so that it takes the variables the user has and calculates as many values as possible Could possibly do this by having program try every formula it has values for; determining whether or not it has a value by if the value equals to -1; (which would be set by default) Setup loop so that user can exit out of it ''' # Converts between common electricity formulas and variables print "Common Electricity Formulae Conversion Alpha
Note this program does not handle significant figures!" looptrue = True while(looptrue == True): # Give user options and ask what they want to do or (NOT IMPLEMENTED: if they want to quit), bad input = ask again def main(): # The variables used in input/calculation current = float(-1) # Variable is I, formula I=q/t, unit Amperes (A) charge = float(-1) # Variable is q, formula q=t(I), unit Coulombs (C) time = float(-1) # Variable is t, formula t=q/I, unit Seconds (S) voltage = float(-1) # Variable is V, formula V=E/q, unit Volts (V) energy = float(-1) # Variable is E, E=V(q), unit Joules (J) resistance = float(-1) # Variable is R, formula R=V/I, unit Ohms (Greek letter omega) power = float(-1) # Variable is P, formula P=E/t, unit Watts (W) sigfigs = int(-1) # Variable used to control significant figures, not currently implemented # Strings used to quickly print often used phrases currentstr = "Current(I), measured in Amperes(A) " chargestr = "Charge(q), measured in Coulombs (C) " timestr = "Time (t), measured in Seconds (S) " voltagestr = "Voltage (V), measured in Volts(V) " energystr = "Energy, (E), measured in Joules(J) " resistancestr = "Resistance (R), measured in Ohms (Omega) " powerstr = "Power (P), measured in Watts (W) " valuefor = "Enter the value for " print "
Enter the values you know from the following list
\t", currentstr,"
\t", chargestr, "
\t", timestr, print "
\t", voltagestr, "
\t", energystr, "
\t", resistancestr, "
\t", powerstr runchoice = str(raw_input("")) if "current" in runchoice.lower(): #forgot about my commonly used strings when writing this part current = float(raw_input("Enter the value for current, measured in Amperes (A)")) if "charge" in runchoice.lower(): charge = float(raw_input("Enter the value for charge, measured in Coulombs (C)")) if "time" in runchoice.lower(): time = float(raw_input("Enter the value for time, measured in Seconds (S)")) if "voltage" in runchoice.lower(): voltage = float(raw_input("Enter the value for voltage, measured in Volts (V)")) if "energy" in runchoice.lower(): energy = float(raw_input("Enter the value for energy, measured in Joules (J)")) if "resistance" in runchoice.lower(): resistance = float(raw_input("Enter the value for resistance, measured in Ohms (Omega)")) if "power" in runchoice.lower(): power = float(raw_input("Enter the value for power, measured in Watts (W)")) for i in range(5): #go through all the solving equations 5 times to make really sure we have everything we can get #could probably simplify this a bit by having a couple of tiers for the ifs, like especially for a variable like power... if charge != -1 and time != -1: current = charge/time if time != -1 and current != -1: charge = time*current if charge != -1 and current != -1: time = charge/current if energy != -1 and charge != -1: voltage = energy/charge if voltage != -1 and charge != -1: energy = voltage*charge if energy != -1 and voltage != -1: charge = energy/voltage if voltage != -1 and current != -1: resistance = voltage/current power = voltage*current if resistance != -1 and current != -1: voltage = resistance*current power = resistance*current**2 if voltage != -1 and resistance != -1: current = voltage/resistance power = voltage**2/resistance if energy != -1 and time != -1: power = energy/time if power != -1 and time != -1: energy = power*time if energy != -1 and power != -1: time = energy/power if power != -1 and voltage != -1: current = power/voltage resistance = voltage**2/power if power != -1 and resistance != -1: current = (power/resistance)**0.5 voltage = (power*resistance)**0.5 if power != -1 and current != -1: resistance = power/current**2 results = "
" + currentstr + str(current) + "
" + chargestr + str(charge) + "
" + timestr + str(time) + "
" + voltagestr + str(voltage) + "
" + energystr + str(energy) + "
" + resistancestr + str(resistance) + "
" + powerstr + str(power) + "
" print "Results of the calculation, a value of -1 means there was insufficient data to calculate:", results, "
" main() # Starts program |
With the UFC gaining acceptance in the mainstream with the Fox deal it signed a year ago, there are still some media types out there who haven't grasped the appeal of it. One of these media types is CBS college basketball basketball analyst Seth Davis, who had a pair of now deleted tweet during UFC 154 on Saturday night, calling the UFC "homoerotic"…
Oh bother. What exactly separates the UFC from boxing or wrestling to earn that kind of label? Perhaps Davis thinks the same of all combat sports? I'm not sure how twisting a joint off or smashing someone's face into rubble is homoerotic, but hey, more power to you. It's not as if CBS underwent a foray into MMA years ago, before the UFC even hinted at signing a deal with Fox… oh wait, they did, with both EliteXC and Strikeforce shows taking place on the network.
To his credit, Davis fessed up to the poor taste of the tweets after being called out by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com.
I don't know what exactly would possess a member of the mainstream media to come out and call another sport homoerotic, but at least Davis realized he screwed up and is taking the backlash like a man. As much as this was in bad taste, it's yet another example of a hurdle the UFC has to clear in its race towards mainstream acceptance as a sport.
[The Big Lead] |
Today, HRC renewed its call for the removal of Chief Justice Roy Moore from the Alabama Supreme Court for failing to do his job and follow the law.
Last year, HRC and other civil rights organizations joined the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) ethics complaint with the Judicial Inquiry Commission of Alabama, seeking Moore’s removal for violating the obligations of his office. The complaint details Moore’s blatant disregard for the law, including communications in which he urges Governor Robert Bentley and members of the state’s probate judges association to ignore federal court rulings striking down Alabama’s ban on marriage equality.
“With order after order, Chief Justice Moore has flagrantly defied every federally binding pro-marriage equality ruling, and his obligation to follow the law,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs. “Moore’s personal opinions are not at issue here. As a lawyer and as a judge, he took an oath to uphold the laws of the United States. If he refuses to do so, he should be removed from office, and censured for his obstructionist tactics.”
Chief Justice Moore and his lawyer, Mat Staver of the notoriously anti-LGBT group the Liberty Counsel, addressed the complaints at press conference today, where they referred to them as “politically motivated,” and claimed that Moore did not break any laws. Moore also went on a tirade against the transgender community, repeatedly calling transgender people “mentally ill.”
Since January 2015, when Alabama’s marriage ban was first struck down, Chief Justice Moore has used his position on the state Supreme Court to block marriage equality in Alabama at every juncture. Following the first ruling that found Alabama’s marriage equality ban unlawful, Moore wrote to a letter to the Governor requesting that the ruling be ignored as non-binding “judicial tyranny,” and informing the state’s probate judges that they could ignore the ruling.
Moore’s actions prompted HRC to collect and deliver to the Judicial Inquiry Committee petitions signed by 28,000 people demanding his removal. The Judicial Inquiry Commission has yet to respond.
Chief Justice Moore caused havoc again in January when he issued another shameful order claiming that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges does not specifically address Alabama’s marriage equality ban. Moore justified his unconscionable position by asserting that state law allows him to "take affirmative and appropriate action to correct or alleviate any condition or situation adversely affecting the administration of justice within the state." Despite his opposition to marriage equality, Moore last month was forced to dismiss a final challenge to the state’s marriage ban with was brought by local anti-LGBT groups.
Not surprisingly, Chief Justice Moore is being represented by Mat Staver, of the Liberty Counsel -- an organization that has been designated an anti-LGBT hate group by the SPLC. Most recently they have represented Kim Davis, the infamous Kentucky County Clerk who flouted the law by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The group is also responsible for the recent uptick in state legislation across the country which seeks to bar transgender people from accessing bathroom facilities consistent with their gender identity.
Moore is no stranger to this variety of ethics complaint. He was previously removed by the state’s Supreme Court in 2003 for ignoring a federal court’s order to remove a Ten Commandments monument in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building. |
Struggling steelmaker Arrium to be boosted by new import duties imposed on cheap Chinese steel
Updated
Import duties will be imposed on "unfairly priced" Chinese steel products by the Federal Government in a bid to help embattled South Australian steelmaker Arrium remain competitive.
Key points: Import duties now apply to two types of steel products from China
Duties are up to 53 per cent of the export price, and are intended to help Arrium
Australian Workers Union says the move will not help Whyalla
Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said duties of between 37 per cent and 53 per cent of the export price would apply to "rod in coil", and between 11 per cent and 30 per cent on reinforcing bar.
The move is intended to drive down oversupply of Chinese steel, and is based on recommendations by the Anti-Dumping Commission.
Pressure has been mounting on the Government to tighten anti-dumping measures as a result of the plight of Arrium.
The company is in voluntary administration with debts of $4 billion, and workers at the company's Whyalla steelworks are facing an uncertain future.
"Obviously we have relatively high production costs and China has relatively low production costs, and they have been potentially unfairly pricing their steel in Australia because of extra support from their Government," Mr Pyne said.
"This obviously assists Arrium who are producers of these kinds of goods.
"The Australian Government is working to sustain the local steel industry, while acting within World Trade Organisation rules."
Mr Pyne said the duties would apply as of April 22.
The Government said the exact duty would depend on the exporter, and "there would be an additional duty should the export price fall below a specified floor price".
The Australian Workers Union (AWU) said the measures would help parts of Arrium's business but did not go far enough.
"It's certainly not the fix for Whyalla," national secretary Scott McDine said.
"We need to boost local steel procurement for Government infrastructure projects up to 90 per cent... and we need to see co-investment in steelworks like Whyalla so we can upgrade them."
South Australian acting branch secretary Peter Lamps said Whyalla was mainly in the business of producing steel products other than those targeted by the new measures.
"Whyalla mainly produces structural steel and rail products," he said.
"That is just as much under stress, as far as the dumping of overseas products is concerned, as reo rod and bar."
SA Government offers free legal advice to Whyalla contractors
The Federal Government said Australia currently has 44 anti-dumping measures in place that apply to 12 steel products from 14 countries.
The union said the new duties do not breach Australia's obligations under its free trade agreement with China.
South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis visited Whyalla on Friday to meet with contractors receiving free legal advice from the State Government.
Debts to Arrium's suppliers have been frozen and it is not clear when they will be paid.
"We're also offering accounting services and consultation with the administrator to make sure they all get access to the appropriate financial advice," Mr Koutsantonis said.
Mr Koutsantonis said a 10-month high in iron ore prices would do little to help Arrium in the short term.
Topics: steel, industry, federal-government, unions, tax, trade, whyalla-5600, sa
First posted |
Canada's infrastructure issue and a return of the Zeppelin?
Find Your Forecast Search for a location
Cheryl Santa Maria
Digital Reporter
Wednesday, September 23, 2015, 6:11 PM - A new report in Canadian Manufacturing draw attention to Canada's infrastructure problem and how some companies hope to alleviate the issue, including one brash idea to bring back an iconic airship.
According to the report, close to 70 per cent of Canada's landmass -- approximately 7 million square kilometres -- is inaccessible by major roads or rail lines.
Some areas can be reached seasonally by ice roads or by ships, but the winter months can completely cut off parts of the country.
Much of this 70 per cent can be found in the north and while portions of it are uninhabited, there are small populations scattered throughout.
Inaccessibility drives up the cost of goods in these regions and can turn the transport of valuable items a logistical nightmare, especially when the weather isn't cooperating.
Canadian Manufacturing says the issue has attracted the attention of several companies, all of which are vying for a solution.
One idea that's being tossed around is bringing back the Zeppelin -- rigid airships that saw their heyday in the early 1900s.
“It’s been a long time in the wilderness… [but] the airship is finally finding itself a market,” Barry Prentice, a professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba, told Canadian Manufacturing.
The USS Los Angeles, a US Navy airship built by the Zeppelin Company. Courtesy: Wikipedia
Zeppelins aren't often seen nowadays, largely due to the disastrous Hindenburg disaster that was broadcast around the world nearly 80 years ago.
“It isn’t that the technology didn’t work. The Germans took their Zeppelins from Brazil to Germany back and forth on a scheduled flight, and they never had an accident except for that famous one in New Jersey,” Prentice added.
But experts say the technology has its benefits.
The ships are able to carry heavy cargo and require less fuel than conventional planes due to their buoyancy. That makes them cheaper to operate and better for the environment.
“These airships allow access to virtually anywhere, water or land, in wide range of weather conditions, without forward infrastructure or manpower required,” Lockheed Martin Hybrid Airships program manager, Bob Boyd told Canadian Manufacturing.
Barry Prentice, a professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba, adds that safety standards and testing abilities have improved significantly since the Hindenburg era, minimizing the risk of a repeat disaster.
The concept became a source for heated debate on the content-sharing site Reddit, with some users wondering if the technology is a good fit for Canada's sometimes harsh weather conditions.
"Zeppelins basically can't fly in even moderate winds," Reddit user guyjin speculates.
"It might make shipping cheaper when the weather cooperates, but my understanding of northern weather is that it doesn't often cooperate."
Source: Canadian Manufacturing | Reddit |
Across cultures, fools, clowns, and court jesters are powerful critics of any existing order. But what happens when they take power? Thanks to Donald Trump, this is a reality we now face – and one that anthropology can help us to navigate.
The president of the US makes a strange sort of jester, not least given how unfunny he often is. Recall the 2016 Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, an American election tradition during which the two major party candidates engage in good-natured mockery. Trump’s inability to self-deprecate and lack of self-awareness made his performance practically unwatchable, as did his failure to draw a line between slander and satire.
So it’s easy to write Trump off as a failed, inept clown rather than a deft lampooner of his enemies. But his lack of self-awareness is largely irrelevant, and to simply proclaim him an idiot gets it wrong. His particular brand of foolery is in fact proving highly effective – and destructive.
On the surface, a court jester’s job is to conspicuously cross boundaries and use humour and mockery to ridicule and violate the norms their onlookers live by. The effect is ultimately conservative: the fool’s ludicrous failures contrast with the seriousness of his powerful audience, confirming they’re strong enough to withstand mockery and thereby cementing their status.
An example of how this works is the Hopi Tribe of Arizona’s summer-solstice ritual, niman, in which a central plaza is occupied by “kachina” deities, then invaded and taken over by yelling clowns. The clowns proceed to eat gluttonously, drink urine and perform burlesque acts. Warned by a lone deity that they must act moderately or perish, the clowns instead mistreat him and boast of their power. The kachina deities then return with whips and weapons, and retake the plaza to restore order and complete the ritual.
Similar processes play out at carnivals and mardi gras, where rules of behaviour and power structures are temporarily upended, only to come back into force more strongly. It’s also what happens at Washington’s storied White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an annual event where the most powerful leader in the world “officially” acts the clown, delivering a joke-laden monologue and enduring caustic jibes thrown their way. (Having famously been humiliated by Obama at the 2011 dinner, Trump declined to take part this year.)
But if the whole point of temporarily suspending normality to let fools run the show is to strengthen authority, not weaken it, the Trump administration is something very different.
When a political joker like Trump actually takes control, they duly subvert the norms of their political roles with their ludicrous behaviour – but instead of strengthening those norms, they weaken them, ultimately lowering the expectations to which all leaders are subject.
Trump’s presidency will hardly feel like a temporary suspension of normality if it lasts for its full term, and not if he is able to achieve even a few of his policy goals. This will not be a comic interlude at the end of which things cleanly return to normal; it will have real and enduring implications for millions of people’s lives.
Beyond that, the participants in this particular ritual drama do not agree on what status quo their fool should actually target. Is it the supposedly po-faced “liberal establishment” and those they defend, or the moneyed hegemony of Wall Street and those it favours? Sometimes Trump seems to think the answer is both, making him an interesting phenomenon: anyone’s fool.
The carnival is over
Broadly speaking, critics of Trump can respond to his foolery in one of two ways. They can attack the kind of fool Trump is – one who targets minorities, women, and immigrants – or they can attack the idea that foolishness is a viable substitute for governance. The idea that building a giant wall across the Mexican border is a policy, not a joke. The idea that peddling conspiracies about Obama’s birth certificate is an acceptable way to enter political life. The idea that ranting on Twitter at 3am is presidential.
While they may seem cruel and desperately unfunny, some of Trump’s pronouncements and blunders are perfect examples of what anthropologists call “hegemonic humour”: the use of humour to root out and emphasise difference. Making Mexico pay for a wall is politically (and probably financially) impossible, but many of Trump’s supporters seem willing to let it slide, suggesting his dogged commitment to it was more a farcical gesture to his audience than a statement of policy.
What obsessing over making Mexico pay really did was mark Trump out as a person who “gets it”, as opposed to a member of the “elite” – a cabal of people stupid enough to take a joke at face value.
A joker in charge is very difficult to challenge. Allow him to rile you up, and he wins; laugh with him, and you reinforce his nihilistic agenda. If the president’s opponents want his presidency to reinforce the US’s norms and institutions rather than destroy them, they can only respond one way: concentrate on achievable, serious goals, and refuse to get distracted by the absurd, surreal personality show with which their president is mocking them.
This means putting faith in politicians who treat their office and their role with dignity and respect, and not in just any fool who happens to come along. It is very citizen’s job to ignore fools and instead to deal in details. |
News broke Friday that 23andMe, the provider of genetic testing services built around a $99 kit you can use at home, would cease providing health information to consumers while the product underwent a Food and Drug Administration approval process, because the FDA considers the test a medical device that requires regulatory review. While the FDA reviews the product, 23andMe will continue to provide customers ancestry data and raw data.
Coincidentally, right when the news was posted, I was speaking with celebrated behavioral economist Dan Ariely about 23andMe. Ariely saw an ad for the kit and his curiosity prompted him to take the test. When he got the results, he knew he wanted to direct a researcher’s lens on it, because “this was standard, classic, even an exaggerated case of information overload. I wanted to analyze it from the point of view of what we can do with this information, and what should we do. I also had the thought, maybe we could use it for our research on decision making.” So Ariely got kits for all of the researchers on his staff. He spoke to me about the results of that experiment, and how he hopes products like 23andMe could improve based on behavioral science.
What was it about the results that made you think that the 23andMe service warranted more attention?
So I got all these results about my future health and illness, and didn’t know how to digest them. It was overwhelming, and not necessarily useful information. I was also anxious about it. I found myself wondering how my kids were doing. So I also got kits for my family. And then I also got the kits for everyone in my lab.
What was the reaction to the kits in the lab?
One person did not take the test, because she didn’t want to know. Most of the other researchers reacted negatively to the information they received. And in particular they didn’t like that the system did not help you separate things you could do something about from those you couldn’t. If, for example, I know that I might have a chance of high cholesterol, maybe there’s something I can do about it. On the other hand, if I’m likely to have colon cancer, I don’t know what I can do about that. After the initial trial, as far as I know, no one from my research lab went back to the website to get more information. Curiosity drove the initial use, but there wasn’t much interest afterward.
So it was dissatisfaction with the presentation of results.
It was more than that. People were sort of frightened, and we’re a lab of people who work on decision making. On the other hand, they highly valued the family finder aspect — where do you fall on the family tree and what’s your ancestry and who you’re related to. For me it was great to realize my kids were 99.7% mine [LAUGHS].
You said people were sort of frightened. Do you think 23andMe is scaring people to sell their product?
No. But I do think it relates to what psychologists call the burden of choice. If a doctor tells you that you have to make a decision about what to do about a very sick child, that choice becomes a burden in itself regardless of the results. You wake up every day wondering if you did the right thing. If the doctor says “here’s what I think you should do,” the doctor takes on the burden. In the 23andMe case, I think there’s similar thing happening but it’s a burden of knowledge. If you know even possible future illnesses based on genetics, are you already paying a price just by having that knowledge?
I’ll give you a personal example of the burden of knowledge. When I was 25, doctors found out I had Hepatitis C. One of my doctors told me that my life expectancy was 30 years. Later, I found out that wasn’t true and since then I’ve been treated with Interferon and I haven’t had the disease for many years now. But that number, 30 years, stayed with me. It never went away. I have that burden of knowledge. In this case with 23andMe, the test service is creating a burden right now, and not helping to reduce it.
Does 23andMe have an obligation to be better with the information.
I think that they want to get better at it. It’s their mission to get people to make better decisions. In the realm of information that is frightening and worrisome, that’s not an easy thing to do. I met people in 23andMe and they are interested in the well-being of their users. When we did the tests with the people in my research lab I sent a report to them with our thoughts. My sense is that their heart is in the right place. From my perspective, doing the right thing and profiting form it is perfectly fine. It’s a simple starting point they began with: just give people the information and they’ll be better off with it. Now 23andMe need to refine their use of data. They have to have behaviorists on their staff and use them to make the information more useful. If you think you can just give people information and expect good response, no way. It’s way too much information and it is too expensive emotionally.
So how can they start to get better?
If I were their advisor I would make decisions for people. If the test reveals that you have a relatively high chance of colon cancer, but you can’t do anything about it, maybe we don’t even tell you that, but for sure not lead with this news front and center. But, if results suggest that you have a moderate chance of diabetes that you can control by changing behavior, I would emphasize that. I would lead with the family history and genetic mapping. It’s popular and less controversial. Next I would offer information and general suggestions for how you could improve life expectancy and quality of life, based on results that are actionable. Then, I would create another layer that would cost more to access and in that layer I would give all of the detailed information, including information about things that are largely out of your control. I would make that layer cost more because I want people to make an active choice to get that level of information. I basically want to make sure that people who go for that level of information want to invest in the burden of knowing. Even with all of this, I still think that the information communicated has to be better.
We know from research that most people are innumerate when it comes to risk. It’s not easy for us to understand what it means that you have a one in a thousand chance of something happening to you. How can you communicate risks like the chances you’ll get breast cancer in a way that doesn’t frighten people?
This is a really complex issue. If it says you’re likely to get Alzheimer’s–what does likely mean? And at what age? And how severely? There’s also something called focalism. Even if it’s an outcome that’s far away, by reporting it, you make a person focus on it and then they will exaggerate its likelihood or importance. Are you making people miserable, worried and upset for nothing? That was a big missing link for me in the results.
It sounds like this maybe shouldn’t be a consumer product yet?
I’m a big believer in technology and I think if it’s done right 23andME is a great product. I worry a lot that people don’t think about the future enough, and the lack of thinking about the future is a big part of my research. I think the ability to get people to look at the future in a meaningful way and help them shape it, could be very powerful. The promise is tremendous, the execution right now is not my favorite. I don’t’ want people to have the burden of information. I don’t want to frighten people. I don’t want to make them unnecessarily worried. And I suspect that simply giving people all the information will get them to act in all kinds of ways that aren’t optimal.
You said you were surprised by the one researcher who never used the kit. That seems to me to be, maybe not an optimal choice, but a very human one.
This person was thinking that there’s not much she would be able to do about most of what she would learn so the test would just reduce her enjoyment of living. That’s perfectly valid. We know many people get tested for dire diseases all the time and never pick up their results. It is a human response. We researched this general topic once. We asked people on a hot summer day at a local pool, what are the odds that someone had peed in that pool at some point earlier in the day, and the results came back where most people say something close a 100 percent, it was virtually certain that some kid peed in the pool. But people still used the pool. Then we asked them to imagine someone peeing in that pool right there while they were there watching, and asked how they would feel about going in after? You can figure out what they said. Sometimes a little ambiguity makes life much more bearable. |
August 2016 seems a very long way away. Back then, there was talk of Manchester United possibly winning the title this season -- and now, there's claims Jose Mourinho believes the squad needs at least two transfer windows to be fixed.
If this is true, it is worrying that Mourinho so badly underestimated the scale of the problem before him. However, there is a suspicion that if these are indeed Mourinho's sentiments, he is buying himself time.
With the exception of Eric Bailly, the players he has brought in have not been consistently outstanding. Paul Pogba has dazzled in patches, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has flitted between dominant and listless and Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been the most baffling of absentees. Before Mourinho goes shopping again, he must ask more from those under his command.
Looking at United's Premier League season so far, the problems look to be systemic. They are sixth in the table and after 12 games have scored 17 and conceded 14 -- both fairly average returns which reveal both insecurity at the back and a failure to penetrate. To address the latter issue, Mourinho will need his full-backs to be more far effective in attack.
It seems harsh to demand anything else from Antonio Valencia, who has been one of Mourinho's most reliable performers in recent weeks. His work ethic is faultless and he has been far less prone to mistakes than Luke Shaw, who everyone would regard as a more natural full-back.
At the same time, Mourinho needs to be more creative in order to bring the best from United's attackers. Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are both intelligent and self-sacrificial enough to spend several months on the wing, but that is not where they are most dangerous. They do their best work closer to goal -- Martial looking happiest at inside-left with Rashford able to operate equally well as an inside-left or No. 9 -- but recent formations have seen them marooned on the touchline. What's more, they have defensive duties that hinder them from wreaking the havoc in the final third of which they are truly capable.
Eden Hazard's form this season shows what can happen if a team's playmakers are truly liberated by their manager's tactics. Hazard is supported on the flanks at Chelsea by Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses, who cover a formidable amount of ground and allow him to dictate the play. Valencia and Shaw, at their best, can perform a similar function for Rashford and Martial, allowing them to stay closer to the penalty area and combine better with Pogba -- who, it must be noted, has completed more passes in the final third than any other central midfielder in Europe this season. The more these three are able to play off each other, the better.
Anthony Martial has had a difficult start to life under Jose Mourinho, scoring just twice in 13 games.
This brings us back to United's full-backs. They are essential for two reasons -- first, as mentioned above, they allow their team's most creative players to move infield, and secondly, they stretch the play against teams who try to congest the midfield. And this is where Valencia can and should do more. Since the 2012-13 season, when United last won the title, he has scored only four times in 118 matches. Given his speed and strength, and the fact he takes up very advanced positions for his club, this is an area where he could do better. He could also improve his final ball -- he was once a winger whose delivery was among the very best in the division, perhaps even Europe, but on several occasions in the last few seasons his crosses have found themselves deflected away by the first man.
Daley Blind's best games have served as a reminder of just how important it is to have playmakers in the back four, which is perhaps one reason why United have been so strongly linked with the Monaco right-back Fabinho -- and which makes it more surprising that he was not acquired this summer.
At present, United's full-backs are largely hardworking but offensively limited -- see also, Matteo Darmian -- while their competitors, both at domestic and European level, have players in these positions who not only accompany forwards in attacks but initiate those attacks themselves.
There is much talk of Barcelona's magnificent trident of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar, but they would not be nearly as dangerous if they did not have Sergi Roberto tearing up the flank to their right, as Dani Alves did before him. What's more, Roberto is smart enough to exploit the space these players draw away from him.
Martial, Rashford and Pogba are three of the most disruptive presences in the Premier League, with their movement confusing some of the very best defences. United's full-backs must be at their very best to profit from the ensuing chaos.
Musa Okwonga is one of ESPN FC's Manchester United bloggers. Follow on Twitter: @Okwonga. |
Internationally renowned human rights lawyer Amal Clooney gave an impassioned speech at the United Nations Thursday, urging the organization to investigate crimes committed by ISIS in Iraq.
Yet here's how some news sites chose to cover the event:
Amal Clooney shows off her baby bump at the United Nations https://t.co/0Vkr8aad1D
Rather than highlight the substance of Clooney's speech, multiple news and entertainment publications chose to focus on her "baby bump" instead. Clooney is expecting twins with her husband, actor George Clooney.
Here are some of the headlines that circulated in the days before — and on the day of — Clooney's UN speech:
Remarkably, most of these stories acknowledge that Clooney was indeed visiting the UN, suggesting at least partial awareness that she was on official business. Yet as is often the case with women, these observers seemed more interested in her physical appearance and personal life than her professional accomplishments.
Twitter users were quick to highlight this sexist double standard to Time:
@TIME she was talking about sexual slavery and Isis.
@TIME This is lazy and sexist journalism, period.
@TIME ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??
@TIME @motto wow. I am shocked at how disrespectful that headline is to the critical work she was doing.
TIME updated the post late Thursday morning with a new headline.
Amal Clooney is no stranger to this dynamic. In 2015, the Associated Press drew similar criticism for posting a tweet about the human rights lawyer referring to her as an "actor's wife."
Amal Clooney, actor's wife, representing Al-Jazeera journalist accused in Egypt of ties to extremists http://t.co/i6nQg0xPg3
Yet despite it all, Clooney's dogged efforts to investigate ISIS continue.
"I am speaking to you, the Iraqi government, and to you, U.N. member states, when I ask: Why? Why has nothing been done?" Clooney said to the UN Thursday, according to the Washington Post. "Don't let ISIS get away with genocide."
March 10, 2017, 11:11 a.m.: This post has been updated. |
President Donald Trump will exit the Paris Agreement, a landmark international pact to combat climate change worldwide, a White House official confirmed Thursday afternoon.
Michael Catanzaro, an energy adviser in the Trump administration, told members of Congress during a conference call that “the United States is getting out of the Paris agreement,” according to the Daily Beast, which had reporters listening in on the call. Multiple members of Congress have since confirmed the decision.
Trump officially announced the decision at the White House on Thursday afternoon. “I’m am fighting every day for the people of this country,” Trump said. “Therefore … the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.”
The president added that the U.S. would be willing to reenter the Paris Agreement or a new agreement if the Trump administration is able to renegotiate terms that he views as more beneficial to the U.S.
Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Climate Accord—a move he promised on the campaign trail—will spark controversy worldwide as the president puts the United States at odds with the nearly 200 countries that joined the international agreement.
The Paris Agreement, enacted in November, aims to limit global temperature increases to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels, reduce the production of greenhouse gasses, and create a $100 billion-per-year fund to handle the effects of climate change.
Whether to exit the Paris climate agreement reportedly sparked division within the Trump administration. Chief strategist Steve Bannon and Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Scott Pruitt argued that Trump should leave the agreement on the grounds that it would hurt the U.S. economy. Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and adviser, as well as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson—formerly the CEO of ExxonMobil—pushed the president to remain in the deal on the grounds that it would harm America’s standing in the world and ability to work with other nations on climate and energy issues.
Former President Barack Obama, who entered the U.S. into the Paris Climate Accord, issued a statement during Trump’s White House address, condemning the president’s decision as counterproductive.
Obama statement on Paris Climate Agreement pic.twitter.com/htevQcZASg — Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) June 1, 2017
Update 2:43pm CT: Added statements from Trump and Obama. |
West MacDonnell National Park, Emily and Jessie Gaps, Ewaninga rock area changed to Aboriginal names
Posted
Three of Central Australia's nature parks are being re-branded to reflect their traditional Aboriginal names.
West MacDonnell National Park, Emily and Jessie Gaps Nature Park and the Ewaninga Rock Carvings Conservation Reserve will now be known by a mixture of their traditional Aboriginal names and the current names.
For the next 10 to 20 years the parks will be respectively known as Tjoritja/ West MacDonnell National Park, Yeperenye/Emily and Jessie Gaps Nature Park and Napwerte/Ewaninga Rock Carvings Conservation Reserve.
Eventually it is expected they will be known only by their Aboriginal names.
"The names have been changed to reflect each park or reserve's deep and long-standing Aboriginal cultural associations," Northern Territory's Parks and Wildlife Minister Bess Price said.
"It will take time for people to adjust to the new names, but Uluru and Nitmiluk are good examples where the Aboriginal place names have become commonly accepted and adopted around the world," she said in a statement.
Tjoritja has no specific meaning, but is how the MacDonnell Ranges have been known for a long time by the Western and Central Arrente people.
Yeperenye is the name for one of the three caterpillars traditional owners of the East MacDonnell Ranges associated with important cultural sites and rock art.
Napwerte is the name for a rocky outcrop in the rock carvings conservation reserve, but as the entire name is a sacred men's site any association with the name remains secret, the Government's statement said.
Central Land Council chairman Francis Kelly welcomed the move, but said he thought the European and Aboriginal names should always be part of the official titles of the parks.
"I think it is best to have both names there to be recognised," Mr Francis said.
"People from all over are coming in and recognise the two worlds, sharing things," he said.
Mr Kelly said including the traditional names helped maintain the culture and keep song lines alive.
He said the site that has been known as the Ewaninga Rock Carvings Conservation Reserve already had an Aboriginal name in its title, which was the name for a leader in the community, and he was unsure why traditional owners wanted that name changed.
Topics: aboriginal, aboriginal-language, government-and-politics, alice-springs-0870 |
Story highlights Historically, October Surprises have had little effect on the outcome of presidential elections
Julian Zelizer: But this year the October Surprise could have a more dramatic effect, in part thanks to technology
(CNN) As September comes to an end, presidential-election observers are beginning to wonder if there will be an October Surprise. In a campaign where the unexpected has become normalized, both parties -- but particularly Democrats -- suspect that the next month could bring a shocking revelation.
The notion of an October Surprise gained widespread popularity in the 1980 election, when Ronald Reagan's campaign feared that President Jimmy Carter would announce a resolution to the Iran hostage crisis only weeks or days before Americans went to vote. While Carter was in fact working on an end to the crisis, irrespective of the election, the Iranians did not release the hostages until after Reagan's inauguration.
On the rare occasions when October Surprises have happened, they have not really impacted the outcome of the election. In 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nassar nationalized the Suez Canal and the Soviets invaded Hungary shortly before the election. The crises, and Eisenhower's responses, were not determining factors in the president's landslide victory against Adlai Stevenson. He was well on his way to victory before either crisis broke.
In October 1964, one of President Lyndon Johnson's closest and most trusted aides, Walter Jenkins, was arrested in a Washington YMCA for engaging in sexual acts with a man. Though Johnson feared the arrest would hurt his campaign, Johnson went on to enjoy a landslide victory against Republican Barry Goldwater.
The most dramatic incarnation of a political surprise took place in 1968. On October 31, Johnson announced that he would undertake an immediate bombing halt against the North Vietnamese in the hope of reaching a peace agreement. The announcement sent shudders up the spine of Republican Richard Nixon, whose campaign had promised that as president he would bring peace. Some people in his campaign were so worried they attempted to scuttle a settlement by promising the South Vietnamese a better deal if Nixon became president. Nixon, though, went on to win.
Read More |
Harry and Leia and the BBC Proms (Picture: Getty Images)
Harry Potter, Princess Leia, E.T. and Indiana Jones will be joining the BBC Proms for the first time in 2017 as part of a celebration of John Williams’ 85th birthday.
Netflix has changed The Notebook’s ending and people are really, really angry
The BBC Concert Orchestra will pay tribute to the award-winning and iconic film composer John Williams with a selection of his most famous film scores, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Jaws.
‘Will people come dressed as Star Wars characters? I’d be really disappointed if they don’t,’ said Proms director David Pickard after the news was revealed.
Luke, Leia, and Han (Picture: Disney)
Performances during the annual classical music festival will also for the first time take place outside of London, with three performances planned in Hull, the 2017 City Of Culture.
‘I thought it was important, most specifically this year, to mark Hull as a City of Culture,’ said David.
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‘I was also looking to expand the initiative we took last year of taking some Proms out of the Albert Hall.’
The BBC Proms (Picture: BBC/: Mark Allan)
Elsewhere the festival will 100 years since the births of Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie with a concert starring vocalist Dianne Reeves and trumpeter James Morrison.
Ella Fitzgerland (Picture: BBC)
The music of jazz giant Charles Mingus will be celebrated by conductor Jules Buckley, while BBC Radio 2 presenter Clare Teal returns with bandleaders Guy Barker and Winston Rollins for a concert celebrating big band legends including Duke Ellington, and Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra pay tribute to the legendary Stax/Volt Revue, credited for its championing of Southern and Memphis soul music.
MORE: BBC Proms presenter Katie Derham is Strictly Come Dancing’s fifth contestant
MORE: Expect thunderous applause for Joseph Calleja at the BBC Proms |
Twenty eight years ago Russian army has entered Afghanistan. They stayed there for 9 years and more than 15,000 Russian soldiers were lost dead, much more were wounded or had psychological problems in their civil life later. The troops that were fighting against Russian army at that times were actively supported by Pakistan and Western World as an opposing effort of the Free World against the Evil Empire – USSR.
One of the most notable leaders supporting the rebels against the “Russian oppression” in Afghanistan was a Western supported Osama Bin-Laden. A few years later, when there were nobody to fight against in Afghanistan he found new victims for his fight. Now in the Free Western World that supported him before, with all the tactical skills his people were studied by Western instructors. In Russia there is a proverb, something like “Don’t dig a hole for someone else, as you will fall into it yourself”, some Russian soldiers found that it was true in this occasion, after learning that those guy they fought for years, took over the Afghanistan after they left and started to fight now against his supporters.
These are photos from that time when the Russian army was still there, mainly from private archives. |
Forty-three U.S. states can suspend people’s driver’s licenses for failure to pay fines, regardless of their ability to pay, a policy that selectively punishes the poor, the Legal Aid Justice Center said in a report today.
This policy not only makes it more difficult for poor people to care for themselves and their children, but “paradoxically,” makes it more difficult to meet their financial obligations to the courts, the Justice Center says in the report, “Driven By Dollars.”
In five states alone, a total of more than 4.2 million drivers have had their licenses suspended or revoked for failure to pay court debt, be it traffic or criminal, the report found. Texas leads the nation with 1.8 million such suspensions.
Despite “the growing consensus that this kind of policy is unfair and counterproductive,” the report says, the policy is “ubiquitous.”
These “license-for-payment policies” especially affect poor Americans.
Related | Study: American Children Have A 43% Chance Of Being Born Into Poverty
“While wealthier drivers have little difficulty covering court debt, people living paycheck-to-paycheck with little or no savings and families to support may not be able to pay in a lump sum or consistently make payments on installment plans,” the report states.
It relates the story of Demetrice Moore, a nursing assistant from Virginia whose driver’s license was suspended when she was unable to pay court costs from a 2002 larceny conviction.
Moore’s job required her to drive to take care of patients in their homes, and she was jailed last year for driving with a suspended license.
“Having been stripped of her license for over a decade, Ms. Moore and the family she supports have been punished, far beyond the terms of her sentencing 15 years ago, because she is poor,” the report says.
Or the 43 states that suspend driver’s licenses for unpaid court debts, 19 have laws requiring suspension for unpaid debt.
“Most state statutes contain no safeguards to distinguish between people who intentionally refuse to pay and those who default due to poverty, punishing both groups equally harshly as if they were equally blameworthy,” the Justice Center says in the executive summary of the 20-page report.
Only four states require defendants to show ability to pay or a determination of “willfulness” before their licenses are taken away.
California this year banned the suspension of driver’s licenses for outstanding traffic fines, spurred by legal action from a number of civil rights groups.
And the Texas Legislature this year passed a bill requiring courts to ask defendants about their ability to pay fines and other tickets.
Related | What Trump Gets Wrong About ‘Inner Cities’ And Poverty In America
“We have to stop using our courts as revenue centers,” the report’s co-author Angela Ciolfi told Courthouse News.
“Funding the courts based on amounts they collect from individuals who come before them runs contrary to basic notions of justice and fairness. The needle is turning, but I think we are at the beginning of the conversation, not the end,” she said.
The issue has received increasing attention since the violent protests after the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. Investigations showed that Ferguson and nearby towns collected a great part of their revenue from traffic fines, which disproportionately affected people of color. Several lawsuits resulted, and similar lawsuits have spread around the country, particularly in poor, minority-majority towns.
Ciolfi said, however, that reforms spreading as well. Colorado has reduced driving with a suspended license to a traffic infraction in cases where a driver’s license was suspended because of court debt.
“This is significant because in states like Virginia, driving on a suspended license carries a mandatory minimum 10 days in jail on the third conviction, regardless of whether your license was suspended for failure to pay, or for actually being dangerous behind the wheel,” Ciolfi said.
According to the report, 977,000 Virginians have had their licenses revoked or suspended for failing to pay fines.
In August, a settlement was reached in California in a lawsuit against Solano County Superior Court that challenged the court’s “license-for-payment” policy.
As part of the settlement, the court agreed to inform traffic defendants of their right to be heard about their ability to pay tickets.
In an appendix, the Virginia-based Legal Aid Justice Center summarizes the “license-for-payment” laws of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, which also suspends licenses for failure to pay fines.
Read the Legal Aid Justice Center’s report Driven by Dollars
Download the PDF file .
Top photo | In a Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010 file photo, a man who did not wish to be identified, who lost his job two months ago after being hurt on the job, works to collect money for his family on a Miami street corner. (AP/J Pat Carter)
© Courthouse News Service |
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Well you can say it is a web wrapper but it will give you more personalized web experience than just opening websites in your Browser! You can try it yourself and I am sure you’ll like it! You will also get Notifications* when you get messages from facebook messenger, skype, Group me… We also have bunch to settings to personalize your experience, all you want!
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Beautifully Designed for Windows 10. It also gives you better privacy protection than your browser because you are using it sandboxed(safer) mode which is secure than most browser. We assure you that we don’t save any kind of information about you. We store nothing about you. All are saved in your own machine if it is needed to be saved!
One Messenger let you view sites side by side without having to switch!
One Messenger Helps you to Connect to everyone easily and efficiently . You will never have to go to different apps to use them! You don’t have to sign-in every time you open One Messenger too.
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*Due to limitations, this app does not have all the capabilities you might expect from a native app. The app must be running to receive notifications.
As said above We do not save Any information about you, You can See our Privacy Policy Below. if you are still concerned about the privacy policy Mail us and we will do our best to explain you!
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Who said Unity developers have all the fun? From building virtual hands in Three.js to browser-based virtual reality, we’re also developing new tools to enable truly 3D interaction on the web. This week, we’re happy to announce LeapJS Widgets – basic UI elements can be used in a wide variety of experiences. It’s a brand new library, simple enough to be used with just a few lines of code, but with near-infinite possibilities for experimentation and customization.
In this post, we’ll take a look at a couple of new demos on our Developer Gallery featuring these fundamental building blocks, plus a shadows demo that embodies some key best practices. The LeapJS Widgets library is designed for both desktop and VR, and while these demos are designed for desktop, they can be easily upgraded to VR by following the LeapJS + VR guide. You can find leap-widgets.js (including documentation) at github.com/leapmotion/leapjs-widgets.
Button
Much like the Unity Button Widget, this demo provides a clean, simple interface for trigger-based interactions – with buttons that can be moved along their own Z-axis. The buttons can be pushed by your virtual fingertips or other joints on your hand.
var button = new PushButton( new InteractablePlane(buttonMesh, Leap.loopController) ).on('press', function(mesh){ mesh.material.color.setHex(0xccccff); }).on('release', function(mesh){ mesh.material.color.setHex(0xeeeeee); });
To make the widget easy to customize, we’ve created a small Button API that provides you with the following options:
whether the button stays pressed in after being pressed
how far the button will go when pressed
how far the button will go when returning while locked/engaged
Plane
One of the key building blocks for LeapJS Widgets is the InteractablePlane API, which allows you to interact with an existing Three.js plane with your hands. Plus, by parenting buttons and planes to a rotated object, you can orient them in any direction. With the Plane Widget demo, InteractablePlane makes it possible to move a plane on its X and Y axes.
var planeMesh = new THREE.Mesh( new THREE.PlaneGeometry(0.1, 0.2), new THREE.MeshPhongMaterial() ); scene.add(planeMesh); var plane = new InteractablePlane(planeMesh, Leap.loopController);
InteractablePlane is triggered whenever the bone lines in your virtual hand intersect the plane, so you can even manipulate more than one at a time! This approach can be used to easily sort and explore content, like in our recent VR Collage demo for Mozilla’s Firefox VR beta:
There’s a lot more to LeapJS Widgets than just these two small examples – check out the full documentation on GitHub! We’re really excited to see how you adapt the default configurations provided with your own meshes, and incorporate these elements into your own projects.
(By the way, one new mesh tool that we’re really excited about is DOM2three. Developed by the Mozilla WebVR team, it allows you to convert HTML layout elements into a mesh. In turn, this can then be added to a Three.js scene. While the project is still in its nascency, we believe that DOM2three is going to be a really important part of designing the 3D web – and it’s already immensely useful.)
In this next demo, we’ll see the InteractablePlane API used again. This time, it’s to show how light and shadow can be used as essential visual cues to make interactions feel more intuitive and accessible.
Shadows
Shadows are an incredibly powerful visual cue for 3D experiences. Not only do they make your demos look and feel more realistic, we naturally understand how they relate to the objects that create them. By using shadows in your own projects, you can give users an intuitive sense of depth, distance, and perspective – reducing the cognitive load needed to figure out how objects in a scene relate to each other in 3D space.
To show how you can build more intuitive experiences for desktop and VR, we’ve created a simple Shadows demo, featuring a white screen, a floating cube, and a light source. Reach out and see how your hands cast shadows on the screen – making it easier to tell where they are compared to the cube.
As with all things Three.js, Shadows is built on the shoulders of giants; in this case, the shadow mapping technique available through WebGL. You can find out more about using shadow casting in this how-to article. Depending on what type of experience you want to build, shadows are also potentially very useful in developing realistic buttons with the Button Widget.
What’s next? Tell us your crazy ideas
In many ways, the current generation of widgets reflects interactions that we’ve ported over from 2D interfaces. But of course the 3D web is still unknown territory, and we’re just beginning to explore the wild frontiers of VR. We can take LeapJS Widgets beyond 2D ways of thinking about interaction design, and it starts with imagination.
So, we’d love to know – how do you use the current Widgets, and what would you like to do with them? Taking it even further, what crazy things should be added to this library? Maybe you squeeze an object and it deforms to activate a trigger. Maybe you grab a tesseract and manipulate multiple dimensions at once. Whatever it is, let us know in the comments! |
CLOSE Foreign affairs reporter Oren Dorell explains who is fighting whom in the Syrian Civil War in two minutes. USA TODAY
Pope Francis waves to the faithful as he leaves at the end of his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. (Photo11: Andrew Medichini, AP)
Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday warned that the United States would stop talking to Moscow about ending Syria's civil war unless it ends the onslaught in the city of Aleppo by Russian and Syrian government forces.
Kerry's warning came as Pope Francis assailed the assault on civilians in what was Syria's largest city, saying the perpetrators will be held “accountable to God” for their actions.
Over the past week in Aleppo, Russian and Syrian war planes have unleashed the worst aerial bombardment in the 5-year-old war. More than 200 people have been killed, according to human rights groups.
Kerry, in a phone call Wednesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, repeated his demand that Russia press Syria's government to stop attacking opposition forces and civilians. He also warned that the U.S. "is making preparations to suspend U.S.-Russia bilateral engagement on Syria" unless that happens, State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
That means the U.S. will not participate with Russia in intelligence sharing and targeting of Islamic State and other terrorists, as planned under a cease-fire negotiated between the U.S. and Russia, and it could mean an end to negotiations in Geneva about finding a peaceful end to the conflict, Kirby told reporters at the State Department.
Kerry has been calling for an end to the attacks since they began Sept. 19, causing a week-old cease-fire negotiated between the U.S. and Russia to collapse.
The consequences for Russia's continued attacks on civilians in Aleppo could extend beyond the suspension of diplomacy with the United States, Kirby said.
"They’ll end up being — more deeply involved in this, and the war won’t stop," Kirby said. "Opposition groups are certainly not going to pull back, extremist groups are likely going to expand and take advantage of the chaos…. And more Russian resources will be expended, more Russian lives will be lost, more Russian aircraft will be shot down."
Kerry "made clear" the United States holds Russia responsible for the carnage, especially for using incendiary and bunker-buster bombs in an urban environment, which Kirby called "a drastic escalation that puts civilians at great risk." The deteriorating situation has been exacerbated by continued Russian and Syrian government attacks on hospitals, the water supply and other civilian infrastructure in Aleppo, he said.
Lavrov countered that a number of anti-government groups described by Washington as “moderates” refused to follow the cease-fire and chose to side with al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, according to Russian state-owned broadcaster RT.
The pope, speaking in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, said: “In expressing my deep sorrow and lively concern for what is happening in that already battered city — where children, the elderly, the sick, young and old, all are dying — I renew my appeal to everyone to commit themselves with all their strength to the protection of civilians as an imperative and urgent obligation.”
More than 250,000 civilians are thought to be trapped inside rebel-held parts of Aleppo, which had a pre-war population of more than 2 million. Syrian government forces carried out the biggest ground assault yet in their new offensive Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Airstrikes hit a hospital in a rebel-held area early Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2dCoGxQ |
ONE: Kingdom of Champions will take place next Friday at the Impact Arena in Bangkok and will feature two title fights with Thailand’s Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke defending his strawweight title against Yoshitaka Naito in the main event.
On the undercard, one of ONE Championship's most promising up and coming stars will take to the cage for the fifth time in as many months when featherweight Christian Lee takes on Rocky Batolbatol. Lee is currently 17 years old and since his debut in December, he's already managed to pick up four wins all of which he has won inside the first round.
Having competed earlier on in the month at ONE: Ascent To Power on 6 May, Lee will step into the cage for his next fight just 21 days later at ONE: Kingdom Of Champions. He explained to the Independent why the event was one he simply didn't want to miss out on.
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"This event is going to be huge and by far one of the biggest events of ONE Championship history," said Lee excitedly. "I think whether you are a fan of rock music or a fan of MMA fighting, you are going to come in there and see an amazing show. If I wasn't fighting, I'd just go in there and watch the fights and the music and take in the atmosphere. I think it's going to be amazing and I expect it to be one of the best fight cards yet."
When Lee spoke about rock music, he was referring to the fact that the show will feature appearances by two of Thailand’s biggest rock bands, Bodyslam and Big Ass. The inspiration behind the blend of rock music and MMA is said to be masterminded by the ONE Championship president in Thailand Kamol ‘Sukie’ Sukosol Clapp.
'Sukie' is a beloved local Thai celebrity and has a highly successful background within the music industry and he once described ONE Championship events as "having the atmosphere of a rock concert, building momentum from when the show starts, up to an epic finale manifested in an intense main event that electrifies ravenous martial arts fans."
ONE: Kingdom Of Champions has the making to be exactly that but for Christian Lee, he maintains his focus is on doing his job inside the cage as he continues to work his way up the ranks in ONE Championship's featherweight division.
"As soon as I found out I was fighting Rocky I immediately pulled up tapes of his last fights," said Lee. "I looked at his record and his past fights and I thought he was actually pretty similar to my last opponent. He swings for the fences and he goes out on his shield. He will come looking to knock me out so I'm going to be ready and I'm going to be on top of my game and look to finish him."
At just 17 years of age, Lee is living every bit the dream of any young man achieving success, fame and wealth but that doesn't stop him doing some of the most normal things a guy his age does and that includes graduating from high school.
"It's always kind of weird for me coming back home because I would be travelling the world fighting and I'd meet all these people and I'd be like 'oh I'm still actually in high school'," said Lee laughing. "Now that I've just graduated though I feel really good, nothing has really changed, I'm still doing what I've basically been doing for the past year so far.
"When I was in school I'd basically just ask for all the work ahead for the whole quarter and then when I'd go to fight, all my work would be done so that's how I've pulled it off."
With high school now in the bag, Lee will now be dedicating himself full time to MMA and that's a scary prospect for the rest of the ONE Championship featherweight division. His next stop will be ONE: Kingdom Of Champions and by the sounds of it, he's ready to rock in Bangkok.
ONE: Kingdom Of Champions Full Card - Impact Arena, Bangkok, Thailand
D. Sor Amnuaysirichoke vs. Yoshitaka Naito 115 lbs
Marat Gafurov vs. Kazunori Yokota 145 lbs
Christian Lee vs. Rocky Batolbatol 145lbs
T. Nastyukhin vs. Robert Lisita 145 lbs
Leandro Ataides vs. Marcin Prachnio 185 lbs
Anatpong Bunrad vs. Eugene Toquero 125 lbs
Y. Sityodtong vs. Chrech Kosal 135 lbs
Kyal Linn Aung vs. Shannon Wiratchai 145 lbs
Pongsiri Mitsatit vs. Ye Thway Ne 115 lbs
Kev Hemmorlor vs. K. Konsrichai 145 lbs
Keep up to date with all the latest news with expert comment and analysis from our award-winning writers |
Lawyers have already been contacted
When I start looking into a story that I know will go much longer than my average Destructoid news post, I like to get as hands-on as possible. I don't just want to read a bunch of other articles about the subject in question; I want to talk to people involved with the story, and (if possible) get my hands a little dirty.
In this particular case, there's a lot of dirt on my hands. I may have accidentally committed some...light theft.
Earlier this month, Destructoid received a tip from a source [who we will refer to as 'Tim'] claiming they had unknowingly purchased a stolen PlayStation Network account via G2A.com. For those unaware, G2A is a Hong Kong-based site that primarily sells third-party keys and even accounts. (Some of you may remember G2A from this story about stolen Far Cry 4 keys.) Although G2A is itself a third-party seller, it also acts as a platform for individual sellers and buyers to conduct transactions. One such transaction resulted in the sale of an account belonging to a man [who we will refer to as 'Eric'].
When an account sale is on the up-and-up, the account will be nigh-barren, apart from the advertised game. There's some mojo you can perform that will allow you to play this game on your console via your main account (which I won't recount here, because it kinda makes sense and I don't want any of you thinking this is a good idea). Of course, there are examples of people just selling their stacked account in the hopes of making some extra cash; buy a bunch of popular games on sale, flip the account for more than the games are worth. Or, hey, you've just sold your PS4 in a fit of rage, why not sell that account full of platinum Trophies too while you're at it? There are too many hypotheticals in play. When you buy an account, there's a 50% chance you've just committed a crime.
Unless you sign in and find a bunch of credit cards and a still-active PlayStation Plus membership. This was Tim's red flag, and he immediately contacted the seller (who refunded the transaction without a word) and Eric, who took back control of his account.
"I got this account, expecting some garbled random email address and password, but the email address was just some dude's name. I kind of raised an eyebrow at that, but thinking the email address might belong to the person who bought the code to sell, I tried it out, and... it was genuinely just some guy's account," Tim said in an email to Destructoid.
This is exactly what happened to me. I wanted to get a feel for the account-buying process, so I went looking for popular big-budget video games (reasoning that more people would be selling those as opposed to an account made specifically for Race the Sun or whatever) before eventually settling on a listing for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. I received an account that was as generic as they come. No name, no credit cards, no friends, no Trophies...and a copy of Ground Zeroes.
Initially, I thought I had found a legit seller that had just made a mistake. That was ostensibly the end of my little experiment, so I went to the seller looking to get a refund. The seller was very insistent that I take a new key instead...which eschewed the generic email and password for a significantly less generic one. Again, much like Tim, I raised an eyebrow at this. But I logged in anyway, reasoning that I would either return the account and save a person from identity theft -- or, if this was an honest transaction, end up with an account that I could just gift to a friend.
This account was very much someone else's, which is where the "light theft" part comes in.
Nate Martin (his real name!) is the CEO of Puzzle Break, an Escape the Room venue located in Seattle. I know his address and the last four digits of two of his credit cards, thanks to the purchase I made through G2A. Again, luckily for Nate, I had zero intent of holding onto another person's account, so that information remains safe with me. But there's no telling what could've happened if Nate's account ended up in the wrong hands. And he has zero idea how his password ended up in my hands.
"I couldn't begin to guess how it happened. I'm guessing it was that mass hack a while back I vaguely remember hearing about. No other accounts of mine (that I'm aware of) seem to be compromised," Nate told us. "I have not much in the way of free time. I'm not super interested in throwing myself against a byzantine [interactive voice response; the telephone robots that ask you if you meant 'billing' when you said 'operator'] that I'm sure Sony has in exchange for a gift card."
Eric, the man whose account sparked this whole investigation, said it took "over an hour" to prove his identity to Sony. "I would say Friday I went to my PS4 and was unable to do anything with the system. About two minutes after that, I received three emails from Sony stating that my PayPal had been removed and my passwords had changed, along with my first and last name being changed as well." Sony did not respond to request for comment.
It appears the modus operandi changes between scammers. According to Nate, the hacker didn't change his password. I was going to make sure the account belonged to him before I gave him what I assumed was a new password set by the seller, but it turns out Nate knew it off the top of his head.
So how does the law work in this particular case? For the purposes of this article, we'll be working with California penal codes -- code 496 in particular. Obviously, a person who knowingly receives stolen property (with the intent of withholding it from the owner), will be charged with either a felony or misdemeanor. In the case of both Tim and myself, returning the account means we're off the hook, and the person who stole the account in the hopes of selling it is definitely 100% a criminal.
I was curious if PSN accounts having no basis in the physical world meant something regarding the legality of this transaction. For this story, I talked to New York City-based lawyer Harvey Lippman about selling accounts that don't belong to you, on the off chance there was some crazy loophole that made all of this legal. According to Harvey, that is absolutely not the case.
"From what I've read, a lot of this stuff is evolving. There are some newer laws being written," Harvey said in a phone interview. From a lawyer's perspective, he likened it to the theft of a movie ticket. "You don't own the film, but that ticket gives you the right to watch it." That license constitutes "property," and is thus subject to stolen property laws.
The next question we have to ask is the placement of G2A in this whole situation. Unless G2A knew for sure that something was up, Harvey says the site is not liable. "Absent some kind of negligence of knowledge, the site is not liable -- unless there is a statute saying they have a duty."
Well, the site's Terms of Service states that "G2A.COM is neither a party to the agreement between the User and the Seller, nor between the Selling User and the User, nor between Sellers -- it merely provides specific assistance and administration services to the Sellers and the Users." The site claims it is the thirdest of parties, but let's dig into that claim a little bit.
Going back to penal code 496, in the case of "every swap meet vendor and every person whose principal business is dealing in, or collecting, merchandise or personal property, and every agent, employee, or representative of that person," third-party sellers have a duty to make sure the product is not stolen. So, in this particular case, based on G2A's Terms of Service, the site defines the seller as a second third-party; G2A is more like the person who owns the parking lot where the illegal swap meet happened.
As if that wasn't enough, the site that sold me the stolen account also claims to be a third-party, having purchased the code from a seller on Taobao -- a Chinese e-commerce site owned by Alibaba. Yes, that Alibaba. Last we saw, the company was working on a credit system with the Chinese government. Somebody buy me a corkboard, some red yarn, and some thumbtacks.
According to a source inside G2A, the company is currently investigating both my case and Tim's. "Sellers of PSN accounts (or any other digital product present on our marketplace) are under supervision of our Customer Experience specialists. Our specialists react every time when there is even a shadow of doubt as to any credibility and trustworthiness. In such cases of an invalid product, sellers are banned and the customers refunded promptly," our source said in an email to Destructoid.
Researching this story was like trying to escape from Alcatraz with only a nail file. The deeper I got, the more I hoped to find some measure of closure -- a feeling that never came. I only had to stop reporting on this because at some point, you just have to publish what you've got. We're still waiting on emails from G2A, the organization that sold me the stolen account, and (hopefully) Sony. Taobao was a dead end, because I don't speak a lick of Chinese, and even then I doubt the seller in question would confess to a reporter. At best, I would get another deflection.
I can't promise you an ending, at least one that provides a sense of finality. I don't know who stole either account, and nobody's owning up to the deed. All I can tell you is that I've left this experience less trusting of my fellow man. Keep your information safe, gang.
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by Josiah Nott
MODERN ART IS not really art at all, but Jewish self-promotion and degeneracy.
So, though Jews are not heavily represented in true art, they are in fact very much over-represented in so-called modern art — in fact, they were and are the dominant force in it.
(ILLUSTRATION: Top, Water Baby by Herbert Draper; bottom, Greyed Rainbow by Jackson Pollock)
Because painting, sculpture, and music are more difficult to counterfeit than philosophy, it was necessary to transform and support Jewish modern “art” with philosophy in order to make the naive goyim accept it as genuine.
True art is difficult to counterfeit and even more difficult to genuinely create. But twentieth century Jews never had any interest in such an endeavor in the first place. Instead, by using their strongest attribute — their talent for the creation of false and insidious philosophical theories — Jewish “art critics” and “art theorists” managed to persuade the educated public in the Western world that utter foolishness and frivolousness, simple childish nonsense, and outright ugliness are in fact “art.” All of this was achieved through pseudo-philosophical “art critique.”
(In my view, Jewish philosophy really ought not to be called philosophy at all. Philo=love and sophia=wisdom. Could anyone reasonably claim that the creator of “deconstruction,” the Algerian-French Jew Jacques Derrida, for instance, loves wisdom? Derrida would be the first to insist that he does not even believe in truth. And how can there be wisdom without truth? No, Jewish philosophy ought more properly to be called sophistry, which is how Plato and Aristotle characterized the specious and intentionally dishonest and misleading methods of their philosophic opponents, who, in order to persuade the unsuspecting and win in debate, would twist words to make the weaker argument appear the stronger one. Sound familiar?)
The following paragraph from Sol LeWitt’s Paragraphs on Conceptual Art perfectly illustrates the way that Jewish “art theory” has taken over, trivialized, and destroyed the arts.
I will refer to the kind of art in which I am involved as conceptual art. In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art. This kind of art is not theoretical or illustrative of theories; it is intuitive, it is involved with all types of mental processes and it is purposeless. It is usually free from the dependence on the skill of the artist as a craftsman. It is the objective of the artist who is concerned with conceptual art to make his work mentally interesting to the spectator, and therefore usually he would want it to become emotionally dry. There is no reason to suppose, however, that the conceptual artist is out to bore the viewer. It is only the expectation of an emotional kick, to which one conditioned to expressionist art is accustomed, that would deter the viewer from perceiving this art.
I highly recommend Tom Wolfe’s book on modern art, The Painted Word, and his follow-up book on modern architecture, From Bauhaus to Our House, as excellent exposés of the characters who made and promoted modern art and architecture. Though Wolfe does not use the word “Jew” [Tom Wolfe, a White man, is married to a Jew – Ed.] even a quick perusal of the book (especially The Painted Word) will reveal who was behind the cultural con-job that was and is “modern art.”
The expression “painted word” is a reference to the fact that “modern art” is entirely based on “art theory,” hence it is effectively “painted theory.” (Aesthetician Arthur Danto has even claimed that “art is dead” precisely because “art” has transformed into “philosophy” or “art theory.”) The Jewish “theory” behind “modern art” is intended to “explain” the art, so as to make naive Gentiles think that such “art” has great value. Without such “theory” normal people would immediately recognize that such degenerate and primitivistic trash is not art at all.
The Painted Word features a number of photographs of the main players in the 20th century art world and, not surprisingly, they are almost all Jewish. (“Art critic,” i.e., charlatan, Harold Rosenberg looks like the devil himself!) This includes the “artists” and their promoters, such as con man Clement Greenberg, the Jew who promoted the art of the alcoholic degenerate Jackson Pollock. [Pollock, who we must reluctantly admit was a White man, was married to Jewish abstract expressionist painter Lee Krasner – Ed.] Greenberg would buy Pollock’s paintings at cut-rate prices, write glowing articles about Pollock’s brilliance as an artist, wait for the demand for Pollock’s paintings to skyrocket, and then sell the paintings at exorbitant prices. A fine swindle, that.
Flipping through the rest of the book reveals pictures of the “artists” and art promoters Barnett Newman, Leo Steinberg, Robert Rauschenberg [Rauschenberg was also a homosexual – Ed.], among others. Overall, the book provides an excellent look at the way a series of destructive, culturally subverting Jewish “theories” transformed what was the noble and beautiful tradition of Western art into yet another grotesque Jewish deformation and mockery. Jewish opposition to truth in philosophy and the social sciences is paralleled by Jewish opposition to beauty in the arts.
Why do these self-promoting charlatans always call the gang of degenerate “artists” they advocate a “movement”? I suppose it’s because they know that they will have to close ranks to defend the “art” they would like to foist upon us in order to deflect the natural and understandable reaction against it, i.e., in order to humiliate us into acceptance and acquiescence by claiming, from atop the ivory tower, that all those who don’t “understand” the new “art” are philistines and cretins. And most people, and especially upper-middle class Whites, care a great deal about being seen to have the “correct” views on culture. Thus they are cowed by our Jewish cultural elites into accepting, or at least paying lip-service to, what they know deep-down cannot possibly be true art.
A similar process is surely at work with respect to the mainstream Gentile acceptance of all the absurd and pernicious theories and “philosophies” advocated by intellectual Jews throughout the twentieth century. Most people are utterly incapable of resisting, let alone challenging, what they have been repeatedly told by those in authority — however absurd and patently false what they are told might be. If the proverbial average Joe were to have come up with something as totally bizarre and counter-intuitive as “Deconstructionism,” for instance, he would have been laughed at and ignored. But if a Jewish intellectual at a major university advocates such a theory, all pay him respect.
I’ve come to believe that there is no view or “theory” so absurd or perverse that it would not be believed by at least some Gentiles if a major Jewish academic created and promoted it. Jews, of course, know all this, which is why the colonization of the centers of Western intellectual life and power was necessary for their subversive and destructive theories to be accepted by large numbers of Gentiles. |
Irish musical duo
John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward, are an Irish singing and television presenting duo. They are identical twins and first appeared as John & Edward in the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009, generating a phenomenon of ironic popularity described as "the Jedward paradox".[1] They finished sixth[2] and were managed by Louis Walsh, who was their mentor during The X Factor.[3][4]
Jedward have released three albums: Planet Jedward, Victory, and Young Love. The first two went double platinum in Ireland.[5][6] They have released nine singles, including "Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)", a mash-up of "Under Pressure" by Queen/David Bowie and Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby"; "Lipstick", with which they represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011; and "Waterline", with which they represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
Jedward are also known for their television work, including presenting children's series Jedward's Big Adventure and OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory, and for participating in Celebrity Big Brother 8 [7] and Celebrity Big Brother 19 of which they were announced runners-up missing out on the winning spot to Coleen Nolan. John and Edward's combined net worth was estimated at €6m in September 2013, and they have been ranked as the fifth most financially successful former X Factor UK contestants.[8] They also appeared on the fourth series of Celebrity Coach Trip in 2019.
Early and personal life
Identical twin brothers John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes were born in Dublin. John and Edward's first school was Scoil Bhríde National School in Rathangan. They then attended King's Hospital School for four years before being moved to the Dublin Institute of Education.
The twins competed in school talent shows during their school years and were inspired by Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. They were also members of the Lucan Harriers Athletic Club and Dundrum South Dublin athletics club and have competed in several Irish athletic tournaments.[9]
In addition, they briefly worked as games testers for Xbox 360 format holder Microsoft and support football clubs Newcastle United and Celtic.[10]
Career
2009–2012: The X Factor and Planet Jedward
Jedward performing live on the X Factor Tour, in 2010
In 2008 John and Edward formed a duo and the following year they auditioned in Glasgow as a group for the sixth series of The X Factor, under the name John & Edward.[11][12] Despite being described by judge Simon Cowell as "not very good and incredibly annoying", John & Edward were put through to bootcamp, then made it to judges' houses, where Louis Walsh selected them for the live shows.[13] The twins' inclusion in the final 12 was a controversial decision, due to their lack of experience,[14] but Walsh stood by them, saying "I don't know how people can hate two nice young kids from Ireland. They've been edited really badly and come across as the people everyone loves to hate... but they're just raw, naïve and innocent and they have the potential to be really good."[15] John & Edward became known for their unpolished but enthusiastic performances,[16] famously including a version of Britney Spears' "Oops!... I Did It Again", during which they reenacted the Titanic monologue.[17] After their departure from The X Factor, Jedward were signed to Modest! Management, however it was later announced that Louis Walsh had reached "an amicable agreement", which allowed him to take the twins on.[18]
From February until April 2010, they performed on the X Factor Live tour, where they were credited with the boost in demand for tickets, that led to an extension in the tour run.[19] Their debut single "Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)" was a mashup of "Under Pressure" and "Ice Ice Baby", with Vanilla Ice contributing guest vocals. In March Jedward's Sony contract ended, but the following day Universal Music Ireland signed them on a three-album contract.[20] In April 2010, Jedward began their first solo tour, a 27-date tour of Ireland called the Planet Jedward Tour. Due to popular demand, it was extended with a second 43-date leg in the UK and Ireland. The Irish Independent rated the tour positively, saying that "Jedwardmania is right up there with Beatlemania."[21] Jedward's second single, a cover of the Blink-182 song "All the Small Things", was released in July 2010 and peaked at number 21 on the Irish charts and number 6 on the UK Indie Chart. The same week, Jedward released their debut album Planet Jedward, consisting of cover versions. It which went straight to number one on the Irish Albums Chart and number 17 on the UK Albums Chart.[22][23] In August 2010, Jedward appeared in their own ITV2 documentary, entitled Jedward: Let Loose, a three-part series in which they moved out of their home for ten days.[24]
2011–2012: Victory
Jedward performing live on the X Factor Tour, in 2010
On 12 February 2011, Jedward released their third single and Eurovision Song Contest entry "Lipstick", which peaked at number one in Ireland. Jedward successfully qualified from the second Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, eventually finishing in eighth place. After the Eurovision Song Contest, "Lipstick" was released digitally across Europe, where it charted in many countries such as Belgium, Sweden, Germany and most notably Austria where it peaked at number three. The song also peaked at number 8 in the South Korea's international artists' chart.[25] "Lipstick" had featured in a Hyundai advertising campaign in South East Asia.[26] Shortly after the Eurovision Song Contest, on 23 May, Jedward performed in front of an audience of 60,000 people at College Green in Dublin City ahead of a speech by visiting U.S. President Barack Obama.[27] In April 2011, Jedward began their second tour, the Bad Behaviour Tour, with a series of dates across Ireland.[28]
Jedward's next single "Bad Behaviour" was released in July and reached number one in the Irish charts.[29] This was followed two weeks later by their second album Victory, consisting entirely of original tracks. A new version of Planet Jedward was released by the German branch of Universal Music in July, featuring a mix of tracks from Planet Jedward and new songs from Victory.[30] On 31 July, the twins began the first leg of their third tour, The Carnival Tour, with 12 shows across Ireland and Northern Ireland.[31] In September Jedward played their first European tour, with dates in Sweden and Germany,[32] followed by a UK tour.[33] Three days after the first leg finished, Jedward entered the Celebrity Big Brother 8 house. They made it to the final, eventually finishing in third place. The third single from Victory, "Wow Oh Wow" was released in August 2011, with a music video featuring their Celebrity Big Brother housemate Tara Reid. In December, Jedward starred in the pantomime Jedward and the Beanstalk, a musical comedy version of the fairytale Jack and the Beanstalk.
2012–2013: Young Love
Jedward performing at Eurovision Song Contest, in 2011
In 2012 saw Jedward again win the Irish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, this time with their song "Waterline". In May, Jedward performed "Waterline" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. After qualifying from their semi-final, they eventually came in 19th place in the grand final.[34] "Waterline" was also the lead single on the twins' third album Young Love, released in June. The tracks "Young Love" and "Luminous" were also released as singles. Jedward released the charity single and "unofficial" Irish UEFA Euro 2012 song "Put the Green Cape On", a reworking of "Lipstick".[35] The duo embarked on the European leg of their Victory Tour in January, playing in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Estonia. This was followed by the Young Love Tour in Ireland in August.[36][37] They also visited Singapore, where the new album had enjoyed popular success.[38]
In June they ran as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay in Dublin on day 19 of the relay.[39][40] The twins starred in their own TV series Jedward's Weird Wild World on UK TV channel 5*, with John and Edward humorously presenting a selection of popular internet videos.[41] Over the Christmas and New Year period RTÉ broadcast the second series of their show OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory,[42] and the second season of their BBC series Jedward's Big Adventure screened in early 2013.[43] Over the festive season, Jedward starred in their third annual pantomime, Jedward & the Magic Lamp.[44] In January 2013, the twins made a promotional visit to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, appearing twice on MuchMusic's New Music Live show[45] and also made an appearance on Canada AM.[46] While in Toronto, Jedward also filmed a promotional video for the Young Love album track "Happens in the Dark" and previewed a clip from the video on New Music Live.[47] Later in the month, it was announced that Jedward's three-album contract with Universal Music Ireland would not be renewed.[48]
The music video for "Happens in the Dark" was premiered on Much Music in March, with the video having been shot in Toronto earlier in the year.[49] In April the twins filmed a video for the song "What's Your Number?" in New York City.[50] Later in the month they made a promotional visit to Australia, including radio and television appearances.[51] In June, Jedward joined the line-up of A Night for Christy, a gala concert in aid of Aslan frontman Christy Dignam. The twins performed Aslan's song "She's So Beautiful" with the band.[52] In July the twins performed live shows in Cork and Limerick, with a UK live tour scheduled for September.[53][54] In November the twins toured Australia, with performances in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. While in Australia they also released the music video for Young Love album track "Can't Forget You".[55]
2014–present: Fourth studio album
In January 2014, the third series of their CBBC television programme Jedward's Big Adventure was broadcast. Due to its popularity, the series run was doubled to 10 episodes.[56] They also provided weekly style commentary of the contestants in Sweden's Melodifestivalen competition and made a guest performance at the Melodifestivalen Second Chance show in early March.[57] In April 2014, Jedward debuted their new single "Free Spirit" on Australian radio station KIIS 106.5. This was followed by news of the duo's fourth studio album to be released later in the year. The album will contain songs written and produced by Jedward.[58] The duo's follow-up single "Ferocious" was released in November 2014, charting at No.15 on the Irish singles chart.[59] In November 2014 it was announced that John and Edward would be joining the cast of ITV's new circus reality show Get Your Act Together in 2015.[60]
Between 2014 and 2016, they released several new self-penned singles and directed the accompanying music videos. The twins appeared on The Ray D'arcy Show in February 2017 and confirmed that they are working on their fourth studio album, which is due for release in the near future[when?].
Philanthropy
Jedward are involved with many charity projects, and were one of the highest rated charity ambassadors in Ireland for 2011.[61] Jedward are ambassadors for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) and have fronted an ISPCC poster campaign.[62] The proceeds of their Euro 2012 charity single "Put The Green Cape On" also went to the ISPCC. From 2010 to 2013 Jedward performed annually at the ChildLine Concert, which benefits the ISPCC's ChildLine service.[63][64] Also in Ireland, Jedward have been involved with the ISPCA's My Dog Ate It campaign,[65] and promote the Concern Worldwide Fast fundraiser.[66] Jedward have also been involved with Comic Relief,[67] Sport Relief[68] and Children in Need,[69] in the UK, as well as giving their time to visit children in hospitals.[70]
Other ventures
Advertising
Jedward have been involved with many advertising campaigns in the UK and Ireland. In 2009, agreed to be the subject of a Tourism Ireland radio campaign, which made a tongue-in-cheek apology to the UK for Jedward's antics on The X Factor.[71] In 2010, Jedward fronted an advertising campaign for Irish fast food chain Abrakebabra.[72] Jedward have also fronted advertising campaigns for East Midlands Trains,[73] Rowntree's Randoms,[74] Disney Universe[75] and a Travel Supermarket commercial with comedian Omid Djalili. The latter was later banned after the UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the advert was misleading.[76] In 2011, they fronted an advertising campaign for mobile network 3 Ireland, including their own Jedward-branded mobile phone.[77]
Stage
Since 2010, Jedward have performed in an annual pantomime over the Christmas and New Year period. Based at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, the pantomimes also star Linda Martin. John and Edward play themselves and the shows feature Jedward songs. The twins' first show was Cinderella in 2010, where they played the fairy godbrothers.[78] They returned in 2011 with a sell-out season of Jedward and the Beanstalk,[79] and again in 2012 with Jedward and the Magic Lamp.[80] In 2013 their fourth pantomime was Jedward in Beauty and the Beast.[81]
Fashion career
Jedward have also been signed to Next Models and appeared in fashion magazines such as i-D, Esquire and Grazia.
Impact
Their fans include Pixie Lott and Robbie Williams.[82] Taoiseach Brian Cowen also backed the singers,[83] while Leona Lewis said that she worried about them.[84][85] Two leading British political parties, Labour and the Conservatives, each released campaign posters parodying the twins.[86][87] Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown came under fire in November 2009 for describing Jedward as "not very good" and later apologised for doing so.[88][89] Following this, Walsh stated "So Gordon Brown and Simon Cowell both have something in common: neither of them know what the public want." Former Prime Minister David Cameron admitted that he enjoyed watching The X Factor and that Jedward were his favourite act. Cameron also bought a T-shirt with their faces on it.[88][90][91][92] The Irish Independent called Jedward "tone-deaf twins", even though the pair were voted more popular than The Beatles in a teenage poll. Comedian Oliver Callan has parodied them on his RTÉ 2 show Nob Nation.[94] Their 2017 court case[95] was later the subject of a stage musical starring comedians Kevin McGahern and Tony Cantwell.[96]
Discography
Studio albums
Filmography
Awards and nominations
See also |
Traces of cocaine discovered in Britain’s churches (Picture: METRO/Myles Goode)
Traces of cocaine have been found in churches up and down the UK – including St Paul’s Cathedral, it has been claimed.
Tests were carried out in the toilets of 25 well-known places of worship in Britain.
Swabs taken from toilet seats and cisterns revealed traces of the Class A drug in the bathrooms of 11 of them, according to the Sun which carried out the investigation.
MORE: Prime minister heckled by flood victims in York
Traces of cocaine were found in St Paul’s Cathedral (Picture: Ratikova/Ratikova)
They include St Paul’s Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral and St Leonard’s Shoreditch in London; St Ann’s and Christ Church Moss Side in Manchester; Renfield St Stephens and St Aloysius in Glasgow; St John the Baptist in Cardiff, Our Lady and Martyrs in Cambridge, St Martin in the Bull Ring, Birmingham and Canterbury Cathedral.
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A spokesperson for Canterbury Cathedral said it was ‘sorry’ to hear cocaine had been found.
A spokeswoman for St Paul’s added: ‘These are public toilets used by a great many members of the public, and we have about two million visitors a year.’
MORE: Andy Carroll unveils new haircut, Twitter can’t get enough of it |
The rust-coloured animal was seen by a tourist at Uhuru peak, the mountain's highest summit between 5,730 and 5,895 metres above sea level where temperatures range from minus four to 15 degrees centigrade.
The sighting has baffled animal scientists who have questioned what motivated the dog to scale such heights and how he could have survived without a proper food source on the desert-like, stony plains of the volcanic Tanzanian mountain.
One veterinary expert suggested that the dog might be rabid – one explanation for his mountaineering inclination – are warned other climbers to keep a safe distance.
Antoine le Galloudec, a French tourist, was climbing the mountain with three colleagues and took a picture of the dog using his mobile phone.
In an email to Tanzania's Citizen newspaper, Mr Galloudec said he spotted the dog when he went to answer the call of nature.
"I saw the dog lying one metre away from where I stood on a rock," he said.
Abel Edward, from Ahsante Tours which hosted the group, told The Citizen that a dog was spotted at Baranco Camp (3,960 metres above sea level) on the mountain 10 years ago.
"When the tourists showed us the picture of this dog we could not believe our eyes," he said. "How it survived in such freezing conditions and what it ate during that time remains a mystery to us." |
Sean Gardner/Reuters
How do pro fans stack up against those who favor the college game on a city-by-city basis?
This weekend is a big one for football fans: it's the start of the NFL's playoff season. One in four Americans — 75 to 80 million of us, according to some surveys — follow football regularly. A 2010 survey found that roughly two-thirds of Americans watch professional football, compared to just over half for college. But which teams and cities have the most fanatical fans? And how do pro fans stack up against those who favor the college game on a city by city basis? To get at these questions, Patrick Adler, a doctoral student in urban planning at UCLA and Martin Prosperity Institute alum, tracked football attendance numbers for 116 metropolitan areas with NFL franchises or bowl-eligible college teams. Adler calculated a simple metric based on average fan attendance for all pro and college football games. To control for substantial differences in population size, he also tallied average attendance as a share of metro population. The data are from the NCAA and ESPN and cover the 2011 season.
These metrics have their caveats, Adler points out. They only account for attendance at games, and do not count those fans who regularly follow teams on television and through other means. But as the New York Times's Nate Silver notes in his analysis of college football, home attendance usually tracks to the most popular teams across multiple dimensions. The Martin Prosperity Institute's Zara Matheson mapped Alder's two key metrics. The map above charts the average attendance by metro. The colors of the icons indicate NFL only (pink), college only (green), or both (blue). The table below lists the top 20 metros by average football attendance for both. Top 20 Metro Areas for Overall Average Attendance in 2011 Rank Metro Average Attendance 1 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA 202,222 2 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 166,631 3 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 158,956 4 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 145,516 5 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA 131,450 6 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 128,944 7 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 120,556 8 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro—Franklin, TN 120,423 9 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 120,188 10 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 119,276 11 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 117,218 12 Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI 114,490 13 Ann Arbor, MI 112,179 14 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 110,530 15 Pittsburgh, PA 109,037 16 Baltimore-Towson, MD 105,835 17 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 105,257 18 Columbus, OH 105,231 19 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH 104,465 20 Tuscaloosa, AL 101,821 Table data from NCAA and ESPN as compiled by Patrick Adler
As we would expect, big metros top the list. New York is first, by a substantial margin. But the list follows population size only to an extent. Los Angeles, America's second largest metro, is fifth, and Chicago, the third largest metro, is 12th. San Francisco is second in football attendance, Dallas third, and Miami fourth. Seattle, Houston, Nashville, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C., round out the top 10. Cities are changing fast. Keep up with the CityLab Daily newsletter. The best way to follow issues you care about. Subscribe Loading... Most of the top 20 have both pro and college teams. But there are several places on the list that only have college teams — notably, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Columbus, Ohio, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Interestingly, the average attendance in the Ann Arbor metro is greater than in Detroit. The table below shows the top 20 metros for average attendance where only college football is played. Top 20 College-Only Metro Areas for Average Attendance in 2011* Rank Metro Average Attendance 1 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA 131,450 2 Ann Arbor, MI 112,179 3 Columbus, OH 105,231 4 Tuscaloosa, AL 101,821 5 State College, PA 101,427 6 Austin-Round Rock, TX 100,524 7 Knoxville, TN 94,642 8 Baton Rouge, LA 92,868 9 Athens-Clarke County, GA 92,613 10 Gainesville, FL 89,061 11 College Station-Bryan, TX 87,183 12 Auburn-Opelika, AL 85,792 13 Lincoln, NE 85,267 14 Oklahoma City, OK 85,161 15 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 80,795 16 Madison, WI 79,813 17 Columbia, SC 79,131 18 Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC 77,959 19 Tallahassee, FL 77,842 20 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 74,078 Table data from the NCAA as compiled by Patrick Adler After Los Angeles, smaller metros now rise to the top. Ann Arbor is second, followed by Columbus, Ohio and Tuscaloosa, Alabama — all of which also rank among the top 20 for overall attendance, as noted above. State College, Pennsylvania is fifth, and Austin sixth. Rounding out the top 10 are Knoxville, Tennessee; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Athens, Georgia; and Gainesville, Florida.*
The picture is different when we consider football attendance as share of a metro's population. Several caveats are in order, Adler notes. Students, who attend college football games, are typically not included in the population of college towns. Furthermore, some college towns are too small to be considered actual metros, and many fans commute long distances to attend games. The table below lists the top 20 metros with average football attendance as a share of the population across U.S. metros.** Top 20 Metros with the Greatest Percent Share of Football Attendance** Rank Metro Percent of Population 1 Oxford, MS 131% 2 Starkville, MS 128% 3 Stillwater, OK 73% 4 State College, PA 70% 5 Pullman, WA 69% 6 Laramie, WY 67% 7 Auburn-Opelika, AL 66% 8 Ames, IA 63% 9 Corvallis, OR 52% 10 Bowling Green, KY 50% 11 Athens-Clarke County, GA 50% 12 Tuscaloosa, AL 49% 13 Iowa City, IA 48% 14 Morgantown, WV 48% 15 College Station-Bryan, TX 43% 16 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 42% 17 Manhattan, KS 41% 18 Columbia, MO 38% 19 Lawrence, KS 37% 20 Ruston, LA 37% Table data from the NCAA and ESPN as compiled by Patrick Adler Now much smaller metros rise to the top. Oxford and Starkville, Mississippi rank first and second. Both have attendance that exceeds 100 percent of their population — a figure that is bolstered by students and out of area commuters. Stillwater, Oklahoma, is third (with 73 percent), followed by State College, Pennsylvania (70 percent), and Pullman, Washington (69 percent).**
All but one pro football metro has average home attendance equal to 10 percent or less of their population. The exception is tiny Green Bay, where attendance is equivalent to roughly 23 percent of the population. Large metros — those with more than one million people — rank much further down the list in football attendees as percent of metro population. The figure is roughly eight percent for Nashville and New Orleans, seven percent for Buffalo, five percent for San Francisco (second in average attendance overall), 2.5 percent for Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Boston, and just one percent for Chicago, L.A., and New York (the leader in overall average attendance). Behind these three metros, the San Jose metro, the heart of Silicon Valley and home to Stanford, ranks dead last. In his analysis of the geography of college football fandom, Silver notes a curious pattern. Looking at Google searches for the term "college football" he finds that "on a per-capita basis, there are probably about 5 times as many football fans in Birmingham [Alabama] as there are in New York. So although the New York media market is about 10 times larger, it has fewer than twice as many college football fans as Birmingham." ESPN's Colin Cowherd offers a simple theory to account for the geography of football fandom, where big cities are served by and favored by pro teams while smaller cities favor the college game. It makes sense, actually, that small towns would have a stronger support base for their college teams. Folks in bigger cities and metros have a lot of options for entertainment, but the options in smaller metros and college tons are more limited — making football the biggest game in town. From top: Alabama Crimson Tide running back T.J. Yeldon (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown late in the fourth quarter against the LSU Tigers during their NCAA football game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Nov. 3. (Sean Gardner/Reuters); San Francisco 49ers kicker David Akers scores a field goal during the fourth quarter of their NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in San Francisco, California on Dec. 30. (Beck Diefenbach/Reuters) *Correction: An earlier version of this post failed to include Los Angeles in the college-only attendance table. **Correction: An earlier version of this post mistakenly included Troy, New York and Athens, Ohio in the percent-share attendance table. It also failed to include Bowling Green, Kentucky. The corresponding map has been removed. |
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, arrives for a vote as the Republican-run Senate rejected a GOP proposal to scuttle President Barack Obama's health care law and give Congress two years to devise a replacement, Wednesday, July 26, 2017, at the Capitol in Washington. President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have been stymied by opposition from within the Republican ranks. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) — After seven years of emphatic campaign promises, Senate Republicans demonstrated they didn’t have the stomach to repeal “Obamacare” on Wednesday when it actually counted. The Senate voted 55-45 to reject legislation to throw out major portions of Barack Obama’s law without replacing it.
Seven Republicans joined all Democrats in rejecting a measure by GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky that would have repealed most of former President Obama’s health care law, with a two-year delay but no replacement. Congress passed nearly identical legislation in 2015 and sent it to Obama, who unsurprisingly vetoed it.
Yet this time, with Republican President Donald Trump in the White House itching to sign the bill, the measure failed on the Senate floor. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that repealing “Obamacare” without replacing it would cost more than 30 million Americans their insurance coverage, and that was a key factor in driving away more Republican senators than Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could afford to lose in the closely divided Senate.
The result frustrated other GOP senators, some of whom expressed disbelief that their colleagues would flip-flop on legislation they had voted for only two years ago and long promised to voters. Of the current Republican senators, only moderate Susan Collins of Maine opposed the 2015 repeal bill.
“Make no mistake: Today’s vote is a major disappointment to people who were promised full repeal,” said Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska. “We still have a long, long way to go — both in health policy and in honesty.”
Yet the outcome was hardly a shock in a Senate that’s already shown that unity is elusive when it comes to dealing with Obamacare. The real-world implications of repeal have proven sobering to GOP senators answering to voters who’ve come to rely on expanded insurance coverage under the law.
It’s not over yet. But what the party’s senators might end up agreeing on instead is far from clear. They are plunging ahead with debate toward their unknown goal, pressured by an impatient president. By week’s end Republicans hope to reach agreement among themselves, and eventually with the House, on some kind of repeal and replacement for the Obama law they have reviled for so long.
“We have to keep working hard,” said McConnell, R-Ky. “We’re determined to do everything we can to succeed. We know our constituents are counting on us.”
One possibility taking shape in talks among senators was a “skinny repeal” that would abolish just a few of the key elements of Obama’s law including its mandates that everyone purchase insurance and its taxes that all GOP senators can agree to oppose. But in a sign of the general confusion, some said the tactic was aimed chiefly at moving the process forward into the purview of a committee of Senate-House bargainers while others expressed the hope that the House would swallow a “skinny bill” whole, freeing Congress to move on to other issues.
Either way, after weeks spent on the issue including false starts and near-death experiences that have eaten up months of Trump’s presidency, the realization was dawning on senators that they may be unable to pass anything more complex for now than a lowest-common-denominator bill.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to start somewhere. This is a start,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
The day’s proceedings began with prodding from Trump, who’s proven impatient and inconsistent throughout the health care debate and yet can claim some credit for resuscitating Senate talks after McConnell essentially declared them dead last week.
The president singled out Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who’d voted the day before against opening long-awaited debate on the legislation, and also opposed a wide-ranging McConnell amendment Tuesday that offered a replacement for Obamacare and went down to defeat.
“Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad!” Trump wrote.
“I don’t really follow Twitter that much,” Murkowski remarked to reporters later with a shrug.
Murkowski was also among the seven GOP senators who voted “no” Wednesday on the repeal-only bill. The others were Collins, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Dean Heller of Nevada, John McCain of Arizona, Rob Portman of Ohio and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.
In a statement defending his vote, Portman wrote: “We need a rescue plan for Ohio families who are suffering under the status quo, not one that makes the health care system worse for Ohio families.”
Senators were working their way through 20 hours of debate. At week’s end, a “vote-a-rama” of rapid-fire voting on a mountain of amendments was expected before moving to final passage — of something.
Internal GOP differences remain over how broadly to repeal the law, how to reimburse states that would suffer from the bill’s Medicaid cuts and whether to let insurers sell cut-rate, bare-bones coverage that falls short of the requirements.
While pressure and deal-making helped win over vacillating Republicans to begin debate, they remained fragmented over what to do next. Several pointedly left open the possibility of opposing the final bill if it didn’t suit their states.
“It seems the Republican majority is no clearer on what the end game is, because there’s no good way out of this,” said Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
___
Associated Press writers Stephen Ohlemacher and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed. |
(1) Existing law generally prohibits the possession or transfer of assault weapons, except for the sale, purchase, importation, or possession of assault weapons by specified individuals, including law enforcement officers. Under existing law, “assault weapon” means, among other things, a semiautomatic centerfire rifle or a semiautomatic pistol that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and has any one of specified attributes, including, for rifles, a thumbhole stock, and for pistols, a second handgrip.
This bill would revise this definition of “assault weapon” to mean a semiautomatic centerfire rifle, or a semiautomatic pistol that does not have a fixed magazine but has any one of those specified attributes. The bill would also define “fixed magazine” to mean an ammunition feeding device contained in, or permanently attached to, a firearm in such a manner that the device cannot be removed without disassembly of the firearm action.
By expanding the definition of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(2) Existing law requires that any person who, within this state, possesses an assault weapon, except as otherwise provided, be punished as a felony or for a period not to exceed one year in a county jail.
This bill would exempt from punishment under that provision a person who possessed an assault weapon prior to January 1, 2017, if specified requirements are met.
(3) Existing law requires that, with specified exceptions, any person who, prior to January 1, 2001, lawfully possessed an assault weapon prior to the date it was defined as an assault weapon, and which was not specified as an assault weapon at the time of lawful possession, register the firearm with the Department of Justice. Existing law permits the Department of Justice to charge a fee for registration of up to $20 per person but not to exceed the actual processing costs of the department. Existing law, after the department establishes fees sufficient to reimburse the department for processing costs, requires fees charged to increase at a rate not to exceed the legislatively approved annual cost-of-living adjustment for the department’s budget or as otherwise increased through the Budget Act. Existing law requires those fees to be deposited into the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account. Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, establishes the requirements for the adoption, publication, review, and implementation of regulations by state agencies.
This bill would require that any person who, from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2016, inclusive, lawfully possessed an assault weapon that does not have a fixed magazine, as defined, and including those weapons with an ammunition feeding device that can be removed readily from the firearm with the use of a tool, register the firearm with the Department of Justice before January 1, 2018, but not before the effective date of specified regulations. The bill would permit the department to increase the $20 registration fee as long as it does not exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department. The bill would also require registrations to be submitted electronically via the Internet utilizing a public-facing application made available by the department. The bill would require the registration to contain specified information, including, but not limited to, a description of the firearm that identifies it uniquely and specified information about the registrant. The bill would permit the department to charge a fee of up to $15 per person for registration through the Internet, not to exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department to be paid and deposited, as specified, for purposes of the registration program. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations for the purpose of implementing those provisions and would exempt those regulations from the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would also make technical and conforming changes.
(4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. |
SAN FRANCISCO -- In San Francisco Bay, it's been a great week for whale watching thanks to some special visitors seldom seen in those waters.
It is an unusual sight to be sure: Humpback whales frolicking in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge.
"It's pretty dramatic, and it's delightful to have wildlife of this grandeur in San Francisco Bay," Jeff Boehm, executive director of the Bay Area's Marine Mammal Center, told CBS News.
Boehm said the migrating whales are following food into the shallower waters.
"The problem occurs when our zeal to get close to them interferes with their natural behavior," he said.
Terry Parks shot video while kitesurfing near two of the whales.
Marine biologists say humpback whales have been swimming into San Francisco Bay in unprecedented numbers during the past two weeks. KPIX
"There were a couple of times there where you can't see where they're gonna submerge, and then they come up pretty close to you," Parks said.
Over the past few days, boaters have seen whales breaching in the bay.
And while the 60,000-pound whales are considered docile, Boehm pointed out, "All of these animals are going to be unpredictable, and these humpback whales can be rather aerobatic as well."
And that can be dangerous -- as kayakers in Monterey Bay found out last fall.
Another concern for scientists is that the whales could continue to swim inland, up the Sacramento River and get stuck as a humpback named Humphrey did back in the 1980s and '90s.
"A tide can shift relatively quickly, leave the animals in water that's not navigable," Boehm said. "Also, as they move up into rivers, into fresh water, which can start over time to have effects on their skin."
Marine biologists say warmer ocean temperatures caused by El Nino are drawing in marine life that would typically only be seen in deeper waters.
How long the humpbacks will stay in the bay -- and whether it's part of a larger pattern -- is still unclear. |
Greetings, all.
My apologies for this being a few days late. I have zero excuses. I went out with some friends after the gym Friday night, and I was only suppose to be out for an hour or so, because I had to write the new article to get it in on time. Well…one rum & coke turned into several, and the only writing I was doing was an email to let 411 know I’d be a day late. My bad, guys, sorry.
I’ve covered my 3 favorite films in the Nightmare franchise, and while I intended to finish out October by talking about my least favorite, I realized this year that October had 5 Monday’s packed into it. So, instead of just talking about my least favorite, I thought I’d talk about all the rest in this article, along with my favorite VHS covers. I don’t know what it is, but the 80’s horror VHS covers are some of the most awesome looking things I’ve ever seen. Also, I figured, why just have a look at Nightmare’s VHS covers? Because the offerings in Crystal Lake were pretty sweet at times too.
Tune in next week as we finish off October with my all time favorite horror film. And if you’re wondering what your boy thinks of the Friday The 13th franchise, look no further than my platinum selling ebook, My Summer Vacation At Camp Crystal Lake. A complete collection of my review of the Friday The 13th franchise, done Man Movie Encyclopedia style, along with a few countdown lists, and a center fold that features me in a hot-tub with a hockey mask on.
Alrighty, let’s get it.
FIVE – JASON GOES TO HELL
Despite what you want to say about this film, you can’t deny the cover is pretty sweet. Back in the day, the cover, in some cases, were 3D. The mask & the snake deal were raised up. Either way, the cover absolutely drew me in as a kid, because I’d been looking at all these others for a while, years, even and here was this brightly colored one, with a bright, shiny mask, and the snake demon. Really, I had zero idea what was going on. Was Jason going to fight a snake demon? Was a snake demon going to be a tag-team partner? On the back Jason looked awesome, and clearly he was going to be all over that film….right?
FOUR – FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V: A NEW BEGINNING
I know, I know, people hate this one, with few cats like me who actually dig it. Regardless, the simple cover is great. Because for 2 films, we knew Jason as the hulking dude in the beat up, rough looking hockey mask. It’s a very iconic look, one that as a kid I knew like the back of my hand. So, I was always so fascinated with this cover. I mean, who’s mask is this?! It’s so clean, and looks nothing like Jason’s. Also, the back of it showed a guy with a meat-clever in his neck, and Jason with blue on his mask. There were so many questions asked with this thing, and regardless, I just love the red glow and clean, white mask.
THREE – FRIDAY THE 13TH
Although I honestly don’t like this film, the cover is absolutely iconic. It’s perfect. You’ve got the outline of the killer, unknown in the first, with the woods background and a group of worried looking people huddled together under the moon. Honestly, it’s something that would catch your attention if you hadn’t seen the films. The back always disappointed me though, ho-hum.
TWO – FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 4: THE FINAL CHAPTER
C’mon, this cover is the definition of iconic. Who couldn’t love this? You’ve got Jason’s mask, beaten up and damaged, sitting in a pool of blood, with a knife through the eye hole. I wanted to see this one so badly as a kid, because I couldn’t imagine Jason actually getting it, and I’d wondered so badly how it was going to be done. Unfortunately, it’s not featured here, but on the back you had a shot of Tommy Jarvis in the mask, and I couldn’t even wrap my mind around that! An alien?! Do aliens kill Jason?! So many questions. But regardless, a timeless cover and one of the all time greats.
ONE – FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN
Sure, Part 4 is probably more iconic, but Jason Takes Manhattan is one of my all time favorites. I mean, look at that motherfucker! You’ve got New York [actually, it’s Vancouver], with Jason looming over it, ready to take that bad bitch! I love how they work the knife in, with a choice of cool colors on the bottom, and on top they’ve got Jason in reds & oranges, creating a fantastic contrast. It’s just a fantastic piece of art. The back is nice and simple, where we actually see Jason, and he’s super pissed. Like, he looks so angry, he looks like if he knew your middle name, he’d totally middle name you, he’s that angry. Fantastic stuff.
FIVE – A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
Honestly, I never dug this cover at all. It doesn’t pull you in. Even the larger version doesn’t say much, and serves only like abstract art, really. I mean, it’s a close up of a girl’s face, and a few of Freddy’s claws. When I was a kid, I never looked at this one, at all. The back wasn’t much better, really, as it’s just a still of the scene where Freddy is attacking the mother. Yawn.
FOUR – A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 5: THE DREAM CHILD
As an adult, it’s a pretty sweet looking cover. You have Freddy, in all his glory, standing over a pram that looks like it’s been to hell and back. It’s all front to a bright blue background, which frames everything perfectly. The back cover has you wondering what the fuck is going on, as there’s a twisted looking child, a woman with huge cheeks that looks like she’s about to explode. If you hadn’t seen this film, you’d be wondering just what the hell was going on.
Now, truth time, I haven’t seen this film in 24 years. As a child I wasn’t allowed to watch NOES films, my mom thought they were too much. Well, one day when I was 9, I was over at a friend’s house and their parents rented Part 5. Everyone wanted to watch, and I didn’t want to be a wimp. I wish I had though. There was a scene where Freddy keeps feeding a woman her own intestines until she dies. I mean…I couldn’t even begin to tell you how much that traumatized me, haha. I just couldn’t get over it. And because of that, I haven’t seen it again. I mean, I know it’s not nearly as bad as I thought, but I feel like I’d be betraying my 9 year old self for going back for a second viewing. I do love the comic book scene though.
THREE – A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE
I’m sorry, but isn’t the first film Freddy’s revenge? Shouldn’t this one just be Freddy’s Sour Grapes? There’s a poster that’s some what similar to the first 4, but for some reason this was the cover I always saw as a kid, and I love it. It absolutely pops. The yellow & blue are an awesome contrast, and Freddy looks absolutely menacing. If you notice at the bottom, it’s rows of houses, so it’s like Freddy is tearing into the real world, which was the idea in this film. The back always interested me, because I wanted to know how the kid got Freddy’s glove, and what he was going to do with it.
As for the film, there’s a lot to hate, but there’s also a lot of fun to it. For one, I think Freddy has never looked better. He looked menacing, terrifying, even. I loved the red & yellow contacts, something I wish they’d have kept. While the deaths aren’t very cool, we get awesome moments like Freddy popping out of a body, which is one of the best moments of the whole franchise, and Freddy peeling off his skin to show his brain, great stuff. But, yeah, it’s a pretty flawed film, especially considering it was compared to the original.
TWO – A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER
Oh hell yeah. This was, and remains, fantastic. There was so much that would draw this to me at the video store. First off was Freddy tearing up his own face, which looked great with the popped out eye ball. Then you had a junkyard setting with the claws coming up from the ground, and these far nicer eyes in the middle of it all. It’s fucking art. Then on the back, the entire thing is engulfed in flames, with Freddy baring his chest of souls, something that really blew my mind as a kid. I had zero idea what the fuck was going on. They chose great stills too. I wondered what/ that robot arm was, and thought perhaps we’d see Freddy as a cyborg or something. Fantastic stuff.
ONE – A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS
My favorite of the series is also my favorite VHS cover. As a kid, despite my trauma, I wanted to see Dream Warriors so badly. I mean, how could I not? Look at that cover! It was bathed in a dreamy blue, with Freddy’s face covering the top portion. His claws are stretched out, with each Dream Warrior walking along, ready for the fray. I thought that was so cool, these cats who weren’t afraid of Freddy, and were armed with knives, a mace, and a bat. I wanted to see this brawl, dammit. The back didn’t tell you much, but I couldn’t believe there was a monster version of Freddy swallowing someone whole, and I wanted to know what the hell that was all about, dammit. Just a fantastic cover.
Any questions, comments, drunk-ramblings, feel free to send them my way, I always dig hearing from you, the beautiful people.
Twitter: @CaliberWinfield
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I post almost daily with workout related stuff to help you cats out, along with what’s coming down the pike via the MME, and general pop culture from the 80s and 90s that I can’t seem to let go of.
Email:[email protected]
If you just can’t wait until next week, you can also find me at these fine places:
The Man Movie Encyclopedia: The Hall of Burly – Vol. 1 – A collection of the first 19 MME articles written for 411. You get all the classics like Commando, Robocop, and Die Hard, not to mention bad-assery such as Point Break and They Live. Beyond that, you also get two new articles. My Top 5 favorite action movies, and what I believe to be the Top 5 most over-the-top scenes in action movie history. I won’t lie, it’s the greatest self=help/martial arts instruction book of all time.
My Summer Vacation At Camp Crystal Lake – My brand new ebook that’s become so popular it’s charting on the album sales charts. I cover the Friday The 13th franchise in Man Movie Encyclopedia fashion, followed up by a few list-based articles, chronicling my favorite kills, moments from the franchise, and a few other subjects. $3 via amazon, or simply email me and get it for $2, either way, it’ll probably change your life.
Caliber Winfield On The Facebook –
Anything new that I do you guys can find here. Last I checked I was at 54 likes, which is pretty fucking solid in my book. However, I saw Joe Lee and A Bloody Good Time were over 110. C’mon now, we can’t let them beat us, can we?!
GeeksFitness.com –
Just a place where I talk about what’s going on the super-awesomely sweet part of my life that is bodybuilding/powerlifting/MMA.
Mercy Is For The Weak Podcast –
Along with my co-host, we cover everything from movies, music, TV, video games and pop-culture, to pro-wrestling, and all things burly. We’re on hiatus at the moment, but there’s a decent catalog to go through.
All Things Caliber –
I merged my wrestling website into my long standing website that’s been up for over 6 years. Anything under the sun, I’ve written about it. |
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the law enforcement agency of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the City Council. It is the second largest municipal police department in the United States, behind only the New York City Police Department and larger than the Los Angeles Police Department.[3] It has approximately 13,500 officers and over 1,925 other employees.[4] Tracing its roots back to the year 1835,[5] the Chicago Police Department is one of the oldest modern police forces in the world. The United States Department of Justice has criticized the department for its poor training, lack of oversight and routine use of excessive force.[6]
Structure [ edit ]
Chicago police officer
The Superintendent of Police leads the Chicago Police Department. With the assistance of the First Deputy Superintendent, the Superintendent manages four bureaus, each commanded by a bureau chief.
The mayor appointed former Bureau of Patrol Chief Eddie T. Johnson as Superintendent on March 28, 2016. He was preceded by Garry F. McCarthy, former director of the Newark, New Jersey, Police Department, as superintendent; this was approved by the city council on June 8, 2011.[7] McCarthy was the highest paid city employee with an annual salary of $260,004.[8] McCarthy resigned at the request of Mayor Emanuel on December 1, 2015 over the city's high murder rate and his department's handling of the shooting of Laquan McDonald.
Prior to McCarthy's appointment, Jody P. Weis had served as superintendent of police since February 2008. At the time, Weis was the second Chicago police superintendent hired from outside of the city. He replaced Philip J. Cline, who officially retired on August 3, 2007. Weis' contract expired on March 1, 2011. Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Cline's predecessor, Terry Hillard, on an interim basis.
The current First Deputy Superintendent is Kevin Navarro,[9] appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
As of December 2014, the four bureaus of the department are:
Bureau of Patrol (BOP): Bureau Chief Fred Waller
Bureau of Detectives: Bureau Chief Eugene Roy
Bureau of Organized Crime (BOC): Bureau Chief Anthony Riccio
Bureau of Support Services (BSS): Bureau Chief Barbara West The department is currently undergoing a major reorganization which eliminates the Bureau of Organizational Development, and places its duties primarily under the Bureau of Support Services. The Bureau of Internal Affairs is commanded by Chief Eddie L Welch III, and falls under the Office of the Superintendent.
There are 22 police districts, consolidated from 25 in 2012, each led by a commander who oversees his or her district. Commanders report to the three area deputy chiefs, who report to the Bureau of Patrol Chief.
In 1960, the municipal government created a five-member police board charged with nominating a superintendent to be the chief authority over police officers, drafting and adopting rules and regulations governing the police system, submitting budget requests to the city council, and hearing and deciding disciplinary cases involving police officers.[10] Criminologist O.W. Wilson was brought on as Superintendent of Police, and served until 1967 when he retired.[11]
Bureau of Detectives [ edit ]
Investigative functions are under the Bureau of Detectives. The Bureau of Detectives is Headed by the Chief of Detectives. The Detective Division includes the three Area Detective Divisions. The Deputy Chief of the Special Investigations Unit oversees the Central Investigations Division, the Forensic Services Division which includes the Mobile Crime Lab of Forensic Investigators, ET-North and ET-South—which are the two Evidence Technician Units, and the Youth Investigations Division.
The Counterterrorism and Intelligence Division includes the Deployment Operations Center Section, the Intelligence Section, the Airport Law Enforcement Section, the Public Transportation Section, and the Bomb and Arson Section. The Organized Crime Division includes the Narcotics Section, Gang Investigations Section, Gang Enforcement Section, Vice Control Section, and the Asset Forfeiture Unit.
The Chief of Detectives heads the Detective Division; the Chief of Organized Crime heads that division—both reporting to the First Deputy Superintendent. Two Deputy Chiefs assist the Chief of Detectives while one Deputy Chief assists the Chief of OCD.
The city is covered by three Detective Division Areas (North, Central, and South), each led by a Commander.
Bureau of Patrol [ edit ]
The Bureau of Patrol includes the twenty-two districts. Also included in the Bureau of Patrol are the Special Functions Group, the Marine & Helicopter Units, Mounted Units, SWAT, the Traffic Section, and Canine Units.
Following the disbanding of the Special Operations Section in 2007 after much negative publicity and controversies, the Special Functions Group was formed to absorb the specialized units that were not associated with the controversial plain-clothes unit known informally as SOS. A full-time SWAT team, organized in 2005, includes 70 members. The dignitary protection unit, based at O'Hare International Airport, is the only unit that uses two-wheeled motorcycles. The Mounted Unit maintains 32 gelded horses at the South Shore Cultural Center.[12] The marine unit maintains nine boats; these bear an angled rendering of the Chicago City Flag at the bow, patterned after the United States Coast Guard "racing stripe".
Ranks [ edit ]
Title Insignia Notes Superintendent Appointed by the Mayor of Chicago. Highest rank in the Chicago Police Department. First Deputy superintendent Chief Rank since September 8, 2011. Chiefs are typically in charge of a Bureau. Deputy chief Rank since September 8, 2011. Commander Commanders are typically in charge of a district. Captain Captains are typically Executive Officers of Districts. Lieutenant Sergeant Field training officer Field training officers wear one chevron over one rocker, with "FTO" in the center of the insignia, but are not considered ranking officers. Police officer/assigned as: detective/youth officer/gang specialist/police agent/major accident investigator/ Chicago detectives are not considered ranking officers, but rather officers assigned to specialized units, e.g. violent crimes, robbery, gang and narcotics (NAGIS), Internal Affairs Division (IAD), Major Accident Investigation Section (MAIS), etc. (Unless they hold the rank of sergeant or above.) Police officer Police officers are the first ranking officers. They are dispatched radio assignments, conduct patrol, and respond to other emergencies as needed.
Insignia [ edit ]
Chicago's five-pointed star-shaped badge (referred to as a "star" instead of a "badge" in the vernacular of the department) also changes to reflect the different ranks of officers. The stars of most Chicago Police officers (patrol officers through to captain) are of silver-colored metal, with broad points. Command ranks have gold-colored stars with sharp points. A ring surrounding the full-color city seal in the star's center changes color for each rank within these two classifications. Like most American police forces, the officer's rank is written in an arc above the center element.
The Chicago Police Department's shoulder sleeve insignia, worn on the top of the left sleeve, is unusual in two regards.
Its shape is octagonal instead of one of the more typical shapes used by most other American police forces.
The embroidery colors vary depending upon the wearer's rank. In all cases, the patch is a white octagon with a full-color rendering of the city seal, ringed in gold, with "Chicago" written in an arc above the seal, and "Police" written in an arc below the seal. For patrol officers and detectives (detectives are occasionally uniformed for ceremonies and details), the octagon's outer edge is finished in dark blue thread, and the text is embroidered in dark blue thread. For sergeants, lieutenants and captains, the octagon's outer edge is finished in gold-colored thread, and the text is embroidered in dark blue thread. For "command ranks" (commander through superintendent), the octagon's outer edge is finished in gold-colored thread, and the text is embroidered in gold-colored thread.
Service longevity is reflected just above the left cuff on most outer garments. Five years of service are indicated by a horizontal bar, embroidered in gold-colored thread; ten years by two bars; fifteen by three bars; twenty by a five-pointed star, embroidered in gold colored thread; twenty-five by one star and one bar and so-forth.
An embroidered rendering of the flag of Chicago, its borders finished in gold-colored thread, is worn on the right shoulder sleeve.
A two-part nameplate in gold-colored metal is worn above the right pocket. The upper portion bears the officer's name; the lower portion indicates the district or command to which the officer is assigned.
The Chicago Police Department is one of only a handful of police agencies in the United States to use the checkered bands on its headgear, known as the Sillitoe Tartan after its originator, Percy Sillitoe, Chief Constable of Glasgow, Scotland in the 1930s. Where British, Australian and New Zealand Sillitoe tartans feature three rows of smaller squares, Chicago's has two rows of larger squares. The checkerboard colors for patrol officers, detectives, dogs and horses are blue and white; the colors for sergeants and higher ranks are blue and gold. Service caps, the campaign hats of the mounted unit, bicycle helmets, knit caps, dog collars, and horse browbands all bear the Sillitoe tartan; the edge of the ball caps' bills show a narrow, flattened Silitoe tartan. The department also uses the pattern on some signage, graphics, and architectural detail on newer police stations.
Salary [ edit ]
Starting salary for Chicago police officers in 2016 is $48,078 increased to $72,510 after 18 months. Promotions to specialized or command positions also increases an officer's base pay. Salaries were supplemented with a $2,920 annual duty availability and an $1,800 annual uniform allowance.[13]
Demographics [ edit ]
In 2010, the composition of the department's total personnel was:
Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (C.A.P.S.) [ edit ]
The Chicago Police Department is often credited for advancing community policing through the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy program. It was established in 1992 and implemented in 1993 by then-Chicago Police Superintendent Matt L. Rodriguez. CAPS is an ongoing effort to bring communities, police, and other city agencies together to prevent crimes rather than react to crimes after they happen. The program entails increasing police presence in individual communities with a force of neighborhood-based beat officers. Beat Community Meetings are held regularly for community members and police officials to discuss potential problems and strategies.
Under CAPS, 9-10 beat officers[15] are assigned to each of Chicago's 279 police beats. The officers patrol the same beat for over a year, allowing them to get to know community members, residents, and business owners and to become familiar with community attitudes and trends. The system also allows for those same community members to get to know their respective officers and learn to be comfortable in approaching them for help when needed. Beat officers are fully equipped and patrol their neighborhoods in a variety of methods: by bike, by car, or by foot.
Strategic Subject List (SSL) [ edit ]
Strategic Subject List (SSL) is an implementation of a computer algorithm developed by the Illinois Institute of Technology. SSL calculates the propensity of individuals committing or being targeted by gun violence. The fourth iteration now in use, has become a helpful indicator of murders, according to Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of Police.[16]
The system looks at an individual's past criminal activities and specifically excludes biasing variables like race, gender, ethnicity and location according to Illinois Institute of Technology professor Miles Wernick. The algorithm assigns scores to individuals based on criminal records as well as any known gang affiliations and other variables.[17]
As of 2016, the CPD created a list 1,400 of "strategic subjects" that has proven to be accurate and helpful to the department. In 2016, over 70 percent of the people shot have been on the list, and 80 percent of the shooters. According to the CPD, 117 of the 140 people arrested during a citywide gang raid performed in 2016 were on the list. The list is used by social workers and community leaders.[18]
Weapons and duty equipment [ edit ]
Chicago Police camera in 2006
Chicago Police helmet & billy-club circa 1968
Chicago police officers are required to buy their own duty equipment (except Taser x3, x26 and Motorola radio Motorola phone).[citation needed] All field officers must also be qualified to carry a Taser. Some officers choose to carry a backup weapon as well, which must meet certain specifications and requires annual qualification.[citation needed]
The prescribed semiautomatic pistol must meet the following requirements:
Officers who were hired on or before 1 December 1991 may keep their older double-action/single-action pistols, as well as their 4" barrel Smith & Wesson, Ruger or Colt revolvers in .38 Special or .357 Magnum. Recruits hired on or after 28 August 2015 must choose from Springfield Armory, Smith & Wesson, or Glock striker-fired 9mm pistols. Officers hired before 19 May 2008 may continue to use the Double Action Only (DAO) Beretta, Ruger, SIG Sauer, and S&W pistols for duty use.[19]
It was reported in June 2018 that the agency would allow the authorization of the SIG Sauer P320 as another service pistol to be chosen by officers to carry. Shortly after the P320 appeared on the authorized firearms list. [20]
Patrol vehicles contain long gun racks. Remington 870 12-gauge shotguns are available in the event that additional firepower is needed. Officers must complete five days of training to carry an AR-15 type rifle and have the option to purchase their own or use a department provided one.[citation needed]
History [ edit ]
19th century [ edit ]
Chicago Police in the rain in 1973 on Michigan Avenue
Chicago Police officer in 1973 inquiring about a traffic accident
In 1825, prior to the creation of Cook County, in what would later become, the village of Chicago, was in Putnam County.[21] Archibald Clybourn was appointed to be Constable of the area between the DuPage River and Lake Michigan. Clybourn went on to become an important citizen of the city, and the diagonal Clybourn Avenue is named after him.[22] When the town of Chicago was incorporated to become a city in 1837, provisions were made to elect an officer called the High Constable. He in turn would appoint a Common Constable from each of the six city wards.
In 1855, the newly elected city council passed ordinances to formally establish the Chicago Police Department. Chicago was divided into three police precincts, each served by a station house. Station No. 1 was located in a building on State Street between Lake and Randolph streets. Station No. 2 was on West Randolph Street near Des Plaines Street. Station No. 3 was on Michigan Street (since then renamed Hubbard Street[23]) near Clark Street. Political connections were important to joining the force; formal requirements were few, until 1895. After 1856, the department hired many foreign-born recruits, especially unskilled, but English-speaking, Irish immigrants.
In 1860, the detective forces were established to investigate and solve crimes. In 1861, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law creating a police board to become an executive department of Chicago autonomous of the mayor. The mayor was effectively stripped of his power to control the Chicago Police Department. Authority was given to three police commissioners. The commissioners created the office of superintendent to be the chief of police. The title is again in use today.
The first African American officer was appointed in 1872, but black police were assigned to duty in plain clothes only, mainly in largely black neighborhoods. In 1875, the Illinois General Assembly found that the police commissioners were unable to control rampant corruption within the Chicago Police Department. The legislature passed a new law returning power over the police to the mayor. The mayor was allowed to appoint a single police commissioner with the advice and consent of the city council.
In 1896, a parade of Chicago police officers were the subject of the first film ever to be shot in Chicago.[24]
Women entered the force in 1885, as matrons, caring for female prisoners. Marie Owens is believed to have been the first female police officer in the U.S., joining the Chicago Police Department in 1891, retiring in 1923. Holding the rank of Sergeant, Owens enforced child labor and welfare laws.[25]
Despite centralized policies and practices, the captains who ran the precincts or districts were relatively independent of headquarters, owing their jobs to neighborhood politicians. Decentralization meant that police could respond to local concerns, but graft often determined which concerns got most attention. In 1895, Chicago adopted civil service procedures, and written tests became the basis for hiring and promotion. Standards for recruits rose, though policing remained political.[26]
20th century [ edit ]
In 1906, the Department's Mounted Patrol was created to provide crowd control, and in 1908, the force was granted its first three motor cars, expanding in 1910 to motorbikes and boats.[27] Female officers were formally appointed beginning on August 13, 1913, starting with ten officers. In 1918, Grace Wilson, possibly the first black female police officer in United States history, joined the force.
In 1917, the Chicago Police Reserves were formed, organised on a regimental basis. They were used to assist or replace regular officers in high-crowd events, such as Memorial Day, and during the 1918 flu pandemic, worked for two weeks to enforce stringent health regulations.
In 1920, the Chicago Police Reserves were disbanded, owing to the failure of the City Council to provide for their organisation.
The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre led to the creation of the United States' first crime laboratory at Northwestern University, purchased by the Department in 1938.
The Department's Mounted Patrol was disbanded in 1948.
Orlando W. Wilson, the first civilian superintendent, was appointed by the mayor in 1960. A former dean of criminology, Wilson introduced major reforms to the Department, including a new and innovative communications center, the reduction of police stations, a fairer promotion process, and an emphasis on motorized patrol over foot patrol. Vehicles were painted blue and white and given blue lightbars, introducing the familiar silitoe tartan headbands, and the official motto, 'We Serve And Protect'. In 1963, the Cadet Program was also introduced.
The 1968 Democratic National Convention in Grant Park led to major criticism of the Chicago Police's crowd control methods, with the Walker Report criticizing both the Department and the National Guard for use of excessive force, and called the events a police riot.
The Department's Mounted Patrol, due to popular demand, was re-established in 1974, renamed imply as the Mounted Unit.
In August 1983, the Chicago Police Department's first African American superintendent, Fred Rice, was appointed by Chicago's first African American mayor, Harold Washington, followed by the first Hispanic superintendent, Matt L. Rodriguez, appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1992.
In 1994, the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) was introduced, serving as a model for community policing operations nationwide, and in 1995, the Emergency Management and Communications Center, also known as '9-1-1 Center', opened, combining call-taking operations for all the emergency services across Chicago.
21st Century [ edit ]
The new Chicago Police Department Headquarters was opened on June 3, 2000, replacing an extremely aged and outdated building located at 1121 South State Street.
New superintendent Eddie Johnson was sworn in on April 13, 2016, upon the resignation of Garry McCarthy.
Fallen officers [ edit ]
Marker under the Haymarket monument at Chicago Police headquarters
Since 1853, the Chicago Police Department has lost 545 officers in the line of duty.[28] By custom, the department retires the stars of fallen officers and mounts them in a display case at Police Headquarters.
Union [ edit ]
The Chicago Police Department became unionized at the end of 1980.[29] This action was controversial as city officials resisted the union for as long as they could. Chicago police officers are represented by the Fraternal Order of Police.
Appearances in popular culture [ edit ]
Notable former officers [ edit ]
Pension system [ edit ]
The Policemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago, which is the pension fund for CPD police officers, is projected to run out of money to pay retirees by 2021 unless a taxpayer bailout props up the fund.[32]
At the end of 2020, the fund "will have less than $150 million in assets to pay $928 million promised to 14,133 retirees the following year. Fund assets will fall from $3.2 billion at the end of 2015 to $1.4 billion at the end of 2018, $751 million at the end of 2019 and $143 million at the end of 2020."[32]
Miscellaneous [ edit ]
Saint Jude is the patron saint of the Chicago Police Department.[33]
Controversies and brutality [ edit ]
The police motorcade awaits the start of the 2007 Chicago Marathon
Over the years, the Chicago Police Department has been the subject of a number of scandals, police misconduct and other controversies:
Summerdale scandals [ edit ]
The Chicago Police Department did not face large-scale reorganization efforts until 1960 under Mayor Richard J. Daley. That year, eight officers from the Summerdale police district on Chicago's North Side were accused of operating a large-scale burglary ring. The Summerdale case dominated the local press, and became the biggest police-related scandal in the city's history at the time. Mayor Daley appointed a committee to make recommendations for improvements to the police department. The action resulted in the creation of a five-member board charged with nominating a superintendent to be the chief authority over police officers, enacting rules and regulations governing the police system, submitting budget requests to the city council, and overseeing disciplinary cases involving officers.[10] Criminologist O.W. Wilson was brought on as Superintendent of Police, and served until 1967 when he retired.[11]
1968 Democratic National Convention [ edit ]
Film shot by DASPO of the protests and Chicago police and military response to the protests
Both Daley and the Chicago Police Department faced a great deal of criticism for the department's actions during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which was held in Chicago from August 26 to 29, 1968.
The convention was site of a series of protests, mainly over the war in Vietnam. Despite the poor behavior of some protesters, there was widespread criticism that the Chicago Police and National Guard used excessive force. Time published an article stating;
With billy clubs, tear gas and Mace, the blue-shirted, blue-helmeted cops violated the civil rights of countless innocent citizens and contravened every accepted code of professional police discipline. No one could accuse the Chicago cops of discrimination. They savagely attacked hippies, yippies, New Leftists, revolutionaries, dissident Democrats, newsmen, photographers, passers-by, clergymen and at least one handicapped. Winston Churchill's journalist grandson got roughed up. Even Dan Rather (the future CBS News anchor) who was on the floor doing a report during the convention got roughed up by the Chicago Police Department. Playboy's Hugh Hefner took a whack on the backside. The police even victimized a member of the British Parliament, Mrs. Anne Kerr, a vacationing Laborite who was maced outside the Conrad Hilton and hustled off to the lockup.[34]
Subsequently, the Walker Report to the U.S. National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence called the police response a "police riot," assigning blame for the mayhem in the streets to the Chicago Police.
The Black Panther raid [ edit ]
On December 4, 1969, Black Panther Party leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were shot and killed by officers working for the Cook County state's attorney. Though the police claimed they had been attacked by heavily armed Panthers, subsequent investigation showed that most bullets fired came from police weapons. Relatives of the two dead men eventually won a multimillion-dollar judgment against the city. For many African Americans, the incident symbolized prejudice and lack of restraint among the largely white police. The incident led to growing black voter disaffection with the Democratic machine.[26]
Ryan Harris murder [ edit ]
On July 28, 1998, an 11-year-old girl, Ryan Harris, was found raped and murdered in a vacant lot in the city's Englewood neighborhood. The homicide caught the nation's attention when, 12 days after Ryan's body was found, authorities, with the blessing of police command, charged a 7-year-old boy and 8-year-old boy with the murder, making them the youngest murder suspects in the nation at the time.[35] Semen found at the scene and subsequent DNA tests totally cleared the boys of the crime and pointed to convicted sex offender Floyd Durr. The boys each filed lawsuits against the city, which were eventually settled for millions of dollars. Durr pleaded guilty to the rape of Harris, but never admitted to her murder.[36]
Russ/Haggerty shootings [ edit ]
In the summer of 1999, two unarmed black motorists, Robert Russ and LaTanya Haggerty, were both fatally shot in separate incidents involving the Chicago Police. In the first incident, Russ, an honor student and star football player for Northwestern University, was shot inside of his car. This followed a high-speed chase and what the police claim was a struggle with the officer who shot him. In the second, Haggarty, a computer analyst, was shot by a female officer. Charges of racism against the CPD persisted, despite the fact that officers in both incidents were also black.[citation needed] Both shootings resulted in lawsuits and Haggerty's family reached an $18 million settlement with the city.[37]
In Malcolm Gladwell's book on the cognitive function of snap judgments, Blink,[38] well-known criminologist and police administrator James Fyfe said that Chicago police instructions in cases such as Russ's were "very detailed."[39] He said that the record shows that the officers involved all broke procedure and let the situation become unnecessarily deadly for the suspect. For instance, after claiming to see Russ drive erratically, the officers engaged in a driving pursuit. The pursuit, labeled "high-speed," did not exceed 70 miles per hour, but Fyfe contends that the adrenaline rush of the chase, coupled with the officers' reliance in their numbers, led to their ignoring impulses to maintain rational thinking in a potentially non-deadly situation. They speeded up a process that both allowed and required taking things more slowly and methodically. Russ's car spun out on the Ryan Expressway, at which point several officers quickly approached his vehicle. According to Gladwell, the false safety of numbers gave the three officers "the bravado to rush the car." Fyfe adds, "The lawyers [for the police] were saying that this was a fast-breaking situation. But it was only fast-breaking because the cops let it become one. He was stopped. He wasn't going anywhere."
Fyfe describes appropriate police procedure and contrasts the events that contributed to Russ's death thus,
[According to police instructions] You are not supposed to approach the car. You are supposed to ask the driver to get out. Well, two of the cops ran up ahead and opened the passenger side door. The other [officer] was on the other side, yelling at Russ to open the door. But Russ just sat there. I don't know what was going through his head. But he didn't respond. So this cop smashes the left rear window of his car and fires a single shot, and it hits Russ in the hand and chest. The cop says that he said, 'Show me your hands, show me your hands,' and he's claiming now that Russ was trying to grab his gun. I don't know if that was the case. I have to accept the cop's claim. But it's beside the point. It's still an unjustified shooting because he shouldn't have been anywhere near the car, and he shouldn't have broken the window.[40]
Gladwell also notes that the Russ and Haggerty killings occurred on the same night.[39]
Joseph Miedzianowski [ edit ]
In April 2001, Joseph Miedzianowski was convicted of racketeering and drug conspiracy during much of his 22-year career with the department. In January 2003 he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. His partner John Galligan and 24 other drug dealers were also arrested as part of the same investigation.[41]
William Hanhardt [ edit ]
In October 2001, Deputy Superintendent William Hanhardt pleaded guilty to running a nationwide jewel-theft ring that over twenty years may have stolen five million dollars' worth of diamonds and other gems. He had served with the department for 33 years and was sentenced to twelve years in federal custody.[42]
Eddie C. Hicks [ edit ]
In December 2001, Sergeant Eddie C. Hicks was indicted for operating a gang with other CPD officers. The group would raid drug houses, taking the contraband for resale. Hicks skipped a court appearance on June 9, 2003,[43] and was placed on the FBI's most-wanted list.[44] Hicks was arrested in Detroit on September 12, 2017, nearly 15 years after he fled on the eve of trial on federal drug conspiracy charges. Hicks, 68, has been the subject of an international manhunt since 2003, according to the FBI. He appeared in federal court in Detroit on Tuesday and was ordered held until he can be brought to Chicago to face the charges.[45]
Jon Burge torture allegations [ edit ]
Since the early 1980s, official investigations have responded to numerous allegations against former Commander Jon Burge, who has been accused of abusing more than two-hundred mostly African-American men from 1972 to 1991 in order to coerce confessions to crimes. Alleged victims claimed that Burge and his crew of detectives had them beaten, suffocated, burned, and treated with electric shock. In 1993, Burge was fired from the department, and is currently collecting his police pension. In summer 2006, special prosecutors completing a four-year investigation concluded that they had enough evidence to prove crimes against Burge and others, but "regrettably" could not bring charges because the statute of limitations had passed. In January 2008, the City Council approved a $19.8 million settlement with four men who claimed abuse by Burge and his men.[47]
In October 2008, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, had Burge arrested on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury in relation to a civil suit regarding the torture allegations against him. Burge was eventually convicted on all counts on June 28, 2010 and was sentenced to four and one half years in federal prison on January 21, 2011.
On May 6, 2015, Chicago City Council approved "reparations" of $5.5 million to victims of the torture, after spending $100 million in previous legal settlements. In addition, an apology was offered, and a promise to teach school children about these historical events.[48][49]
Nurse arrests [ edit ]
On November 19, 2002, Rachelle Jackson, a registered nurse, was on her way to work when she witnessed a vehicle accident involving a patrol car, in which Officer Kelly Brogan was dazed and her partner was unconscious. Fearing an explosion, Jackson removed both officers from the vehicle, and voluntarily went to the police station under the assumption of giving a statement after being informed that Brogan's service weapon was stolen. Instead she was interrogated for two days with little food or sleep and no access to a bathroom.[50] She was coerced into signing a statement that she had battered Brogan and taken her gun. She was jailed for 10 months before the charges were dismissed. Jackson was awarded $7.9 million by a jury in her lawsuit against Brogan and the city. In 2009, the amount was reduced to $1.9 million.[51] More than half the original verdict was awarded for "intentional inflection of emotional distress."[52]
Bar attack [ edit ]
Bartender being punched and kicked by off duty Chicago Police officer Anthony Abbate.
In 2007, security camera footage surfaced of an intoxicated off-duty police officer, Anthony Abbate, punching and kicking a female bartender, Karolina Obrycka. This occurred at Jesse's Shortstop Inn on February 19, 2007, after Obrycka refused to serve him any more alcohol. Abbate was later arrested, charged with felony battery, and stripped of police powers after TV news stations aired the footage. The Chicago Police soon terminated Abbate from the force, but questions remained over the city's handling of the case.[53]
Abbate was allowed to enter his courtroom hearing through a side door, in order to shield himself from the press. This generated controversy and allegations surfaced that the police ticketed the vehicles of news organizations and threatened reporters with arrest. Superintendent Cline announced that he would demote the Captain who gave the orders, and launched investigations into the actions of the other officers involved.[54]
On April 27, 2007, 14 additional charges against Abbate were announced. These included official misconduct, conspiracy, intimidation, and speaking with a witness.[55] Abbate pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges during a brief hearing on May 16, 2007.[56]
Referring to Abbate, Superintendent Phil Cline stated, "He's tarnished our image worse than anybody else in the history of the department."[57] The video of the attack has been viewed worldwide on 24-hour news channels and has garnered more than 100,000 views on YouTube. In the wake of this scandal and a similar scandal related to another videotaped police beating at a bar, Cline announced his retirement on April 2, 2007. While both men have denied it, some believe that Cline retired under pressure from Mayor Richard M. Daley.[58] Daley has since announced a plan to create an independent police review authority to replace the current Office of Professional Standards (OPS), which is under the jurisdiction of the police department.[59]
On April 30, 2007, attorneys representing Obrycka filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the city of Chicago and Abbate and several other individuals.[60] On November 13, 2012, a federal jury found that a "widespread code of silence" within the Chicago Police Department had allowed Abbate to feel that he could attack Obrycka without fear of reprisal. They also found that Abbate participated in a conspiracy to cover up the attack. The jury awarded Obrycka $850,000 in damages.[61]
Abbate was convicted of aggravated battery, a felony, on June 2, 2009. Cook County Circuit Judge John J. Fleming rejected Abbate's claims that he had acted in self-defense. However, since Obrycka testified that Abbate had not identified himself as an officer during the attack Abbate was acquitted of official misconduct charges. Abbate faced up to five years in prison for the attack. On June 23, 2009, Abbate was sentenced to two years probation, including a curfew between 8 pm and 6 am, mandatory attendance at anger management classes, and 130 hours of community service.[62]
On December 15, 2009, Abbate was officially fired from the CPD after a mandatory review by the Chicago Civilian Police Board.[63] The firing was a formality, as the CPD does not allow convicted felons to serve on the force.
Jerome Finnigan [ edit ]
Chicago Police Officers Jerome Finnigan, Keith Herrera, Carl Suchocki, and Thomas Sherry were indicted in September 2007 for robbery, kidnapping, home invasion, and other charges. They were alleged to have robbed drug dealers and ordinary citizens of money, drugs, and guns. The officers were all part of Special Operations Sections (SOS). The officers had allegedly victimized citizens for years; however, allegations of their misconduct was not investigated until 2004. According to the State's Attorney, the officers repeatedly missed court dates and allowed alleged drug dealers to go free. Several lawsuits alleging misconduct on behalf of Finnigan and his team have been filed in federal court. Since the original indictments, Jerome Finnigan has also been charged with attempting to have several fellow officers killed. Since the scandal involving Finnigan, SOS has been disbanded.
On February 11, 2009, charges against Chicago Police Department officers Tom Sherry and Carl Suchocki were dropped. A Cook County judge dismissed all criminal charges accusing them of robbery and home invasion after some evidence was proven to be false, and witnesses in the case against Sherry and Suchocki were unable to place the officers at the scene of the crime. Charges against Herrera and Finnigan, however, are still pending. As of September 25, 2009, seven former SOS officers have pleaded guilty to charges relating to the scandal. The investigation is ongoing as police officers continue to come forward and cooperate with the state and federal investigation.[64][65][66][67][68][69]
Shooting of Flint Farmer [ edit ]
On June 7, 2011, Flint Farmer was fatally shot three times in the back by Chicago police officer Gildardo Sierra. Sierra and a partner had responded to a domestic disturbance call allegedly involving Farmer. When confronted by the police, Farmer fled. Sierra shot at Farmer multiple times, hitting him in the leg and abdomen. Publicly available police video shows Sierra circle the prone Farmer as three bright flashes emit from approximately waist level.[70] The coroner who performed the autopsy on Farmer reported that Farmer could have survived the shots to the leg and abdomen, but any of the three shots through the back would have been fatal.[70] Officer Sierra had been involved in two other shootings in 2011. Although the Chicago police department ruled the shooting justified, by October 23, 2011 Sierra had been stripped of his police powers and the FBI had opened an investigation into the incident. Eventually, no charges were brought against the officers. The city settled the civil case with Farmer's family for $4.1 million but did not admit fault.[71][72]
Richard Zuley [ edit ]
After his retirement multiple inquiries into overturned convictions that had relied on confessions he coerced triggered the Conviction Integrity Unit of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to plan to subpoena Zuley's entire complaint history.[73]
Zuley faces multiple lawsuits from individuals who claim he framed them, or beat confessions from them.[73] Lathierial Boyd was exonerated and freed in 2013 after serving 23 years in prison, based on evidence from Zuley and suppression of exculpatory evidence. He filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, as well as suing the city, saying that Zuley framed him for a murder and attempted murder outside a nightclub in 1990. Anthony Garrett, who received a 100-year sentence for killing a seven-year-old boy, alleged Zuley beat his confession out of him.
On February 18, 2015, Spencer Ackerman, reporting in The Guardian, covered Zuley's alleged involvement in the torture and forced confessions of several homicide cases in Chicago. He said several inmates claimed abuse by Zuley.
In addition, he revealed additional details of Zuley's participation as a US Navy Reserve lieutenant from late 2002 to 2004 in the interrogation and torture of Guantanamo captive Mohamedou Ould Slahi. Slahi was among several men classified by the US as high-value detainees, for whom the Secretary of Defense authorized extended interrogation techniques, since characterized as torture.[74]
Jason Meisner, writing in the Chicago Tribune, reported that The Guardian characterized Zuley's use of torture as "brutal and ineffective".[73] Memos Zuley wrote, quoted in the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the CIA's use of torture, described him using "stress positions"—the shackling of interrogation subjects in painful postures for extended periods of time. Zuley currently faces lawsuits in Chicago for using these techniques against American civilians.
Homan Square [ edit ]
The Guardian reported in February 2015 that the Chicago Police Department "operates an off-the-books interrogation compound, rendering Americans unable to be found by family or attorneys while locked inside what lawyers say is the domestic equivalent of a CIA black site." The Guardian added that the facility, the Homan Square Police Warehouse at 1011 S. Homan Ave in Chicago ( ), "has long been the scene of secretive work by special police units." The Guardian said that interviews with local attorneys and one protester "describe operations that deny access to basic constitutional rights ... The secretive warehouse ... trains its focus on Americans, most often poor, black and brown ... Witnesses, suspects or other Chicagoans who end up inside do not appear to have a public, searchable record entered into a database indicating where they are, as happens when someone is booked at a precinct. Lawyers and relatives insist there is no way of finding their whereabouts. Those lawyers who have attempted to gain access to Homan Square are most often turned away, even as their clients remain in custody inside."[75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83]
After the Guardian published the story, the Chicago Police provided a statement saying, without specifics, that there is nothing improper taking place at what it called the "sensitive" location, home to undercover units. The statement said "CPD [Chicago Police Department] abides by all laws, rules and guidelines pertaining to any interviews of suspects or witnesses, at Homan Square or any other CPD facility. If lawyers have a client detained at Homan Square, just like any other facility, they are allowed to speak to and visit them." The Guardian said several attorneys and one Homan Square arrestee have denied this. The CPD statement continued by saying "There are always records of anyone who is arrested by CPD, and this is not any different at Homan Square." The Guardian said the Chicago Police statement did not address how long into an arrest or detention those records are generated or their availability to the public, and that a department spokesperson did not respond to a detailed request for clarification.[75]
Laquan McDonald [ edit ]
On October 20, 2014, 17-year old Laquan McDonald was fatally shot by Officer Jason Van Dyke.[84] The killing sparked protests and calls for the mayor to resign.[84] A video released revealed McDonald walking down a street, carrying a knife.[84] McDonald was walking parallel to the two police cars when he was shot 16 times.[84] A criminal complaint filed in Cook County Circuit Court revealed that Van Dyke was the only officer to shoot.[84] The complaint also said that McDonald was on PCP at the time of his death.[84] Protestors were frustrated that the video took 13 months to release.[84] A freelance journalist sued to have the footage released as it was a public record.[84] A judge found in the reporter's favor and the video became public in November 2015.[84]
Van Dyke was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct.[84] He remained on desk duty after the shooting.[84] Van Dyke had a history of complaints in his career but was cleared in a majority of the cases.[84] He pleaded not guilty on December 29, 2015 to the charges against him.[84] After his arraignment, his attorney, Daniel Herbert, said that he would be looking for evidence to clear his client's name.[84]
2017 Department of Justice report and agreement for enforcement [ edit ]
Following the McDonald shooting, Illinois State Attorney General Lisa Madigan requested that the US Department of Justice conduct a civil rights investigation of the Chicago Police Department. They released their report in January 2017, announcing an agreement with the city to work on improvements under court supervision. They strongly criticized the police for a culture of excessive violence, especially against minority suspects and the community, and said there was insufficient and poor training, and lack of true oversight.[6]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ] |
A full-time professor on the faculty of the newly-minted Texas A&M University School of Law called for the repeal and replacement of the Second Amendment on Friday.
The professor, Mary Margaret “Meg” Penrose, made her controversial declaration during a day-long panel symposium on gun control and the Second Amendment at the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford.
UConn’s main student-run journal, The Connecticut Law Review, organized the event, according to Connecticut Public Radio. It was well-attended, primarily by law students, law professors and local attorneys.
Penrose was among the speakers, reports CTNewsJunkie, a Connecticut news site.
Penrose cited the Sandy Hook massacre, which occurred in Connecticut, as well as other mass shootings including the 2011 Tucson shooting that left six people dead and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded.
Noting her own outrage that Americans continue to tolerate gun violence, Penrose asked audience members to raise their hands if they thought laws intended to prevent gun violence have been successful. No one raised a hand.
“I think I’m in agreement with you and, unfortunately, drastic times require drastic measures,” the professor said, according to CTNewsJunkie. “I think the Second Amendment is misunderstood and I think it’s time today, in our drastic measures, to repeal and replace that Second Amendment.”
Penrose then proposed a solution that would allow each state to determine its own gun policies.
“The beauty of a ‘states’ rights model’ solution is it allows those of you who want to live in a state with strong restrictions to do so and those who want to live in a state with very loose restrictions to do so,” the professor explained.
Penrose also noted that she tells students in her constitutional law courses that the entire United States Constitution is an obsolete document.
“Why do we keep such an allegiance to a constitution that was driven by 18th Century concerns?” she asked, according to CTNewsJunkie. “How many of you recognize that the main concern of the 18th Century was a standing army? That’s what motivated the Second Amendment: fear of a standing army.”
She described herself as “somewhat agnostic about guns” but “extremely passionate about” the Constitution she calls outdated.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy also spoke at the event, stressing his belief that the Second Amendment offers a limited right and bragging about the strict gun control laws he signed earlier this year.
“In the 1930s, machine guns were the weapon of choice for mobsters,” Malloy said, according to Connecticut Public Radio. “And we collectively decided that machine guns should be illegal for private possession in the United States. We don’t see machine guns being used in the U.S. in crimes. We did for some time after the ban was initially implemented but there’s a reality about what happens to those kinds of weapons once they become illegal.”
At least one symposium speaker wasn’t hell-bent on destroying the Second Amendment.
Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law, observed that gun control laws have a sordid racially-motivated history.
“The first gun control laws were actually meant to subjugate slaves,” Blackman explained, according to CTNewsJunkie. “There has been a very close connection between gun control and racism.”
Penrose’s employer, Texas A&M University School of Law, is located in downtown Fort Worth. Texas A&M acquired the school just this year, reports the TAMUtimes.
Previously, the school had been Texas Wesleyan School of Law. The most recent US News ranking of the best law schools ranks Texas Wesleyan in the dreaded “rank not published” category of law schools. Third Tier Reality, a blog dedicated to hating bad law schools, has described the school as a “dung pit” and “a fourth tier pile of rat droppings.”
Follow Eric on Twitter and on Facebook, and send education-related story tips to erico@dailycaller.com. |
How to Remove that Thrift Store Smell, and Other Vintage Cleaning Tips
Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
If you're someone who's big into thrift stores or is an avid collector of vintage clothing, you've likely faced one or more of these common problems: mystery stains, fabric that's yellowed from age and exposure, leather goods that are scuffed, nicked, or dried out, and the most ubiquitous of thrifting issues...that horrible musty smell.
Well, woes be gone! We've got a whole countdown's worth of ways to tackle all those vexing vintage conundrums.
Five Ways to Get Rid of that Vintage Smell
Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal, also found under the names activated carbon, active carbon, and active charcoal, can be purchased loose in pet supply stores (look in the fish section!) or in brick form from companies like Innofresh. It's a great odor absorber and neutralizer; to use, seal the offending item in a lidded container or large sealable bag (even a trash bag will do) along with the activated charcoal for 24 hours, or even up to one week.
Kitty Litter
Record-scratch-whaaat??? Yeah, you read that right: Kitty litter is a super odor eliminator and is particularly great on items that don't play nicely with water, like beaded clutches or silk kimonos. The litter contains activated charcoal, so if you've already got some in the house, you can use it as a substitute in exactly the same way.
White Vinegar
Dress your vintage gear like a salad by spraying white vinegar on it. It sounds weird, but the acid in the vinegar will counteract any odors—the vinegar smell will dissipate fairly quickly, so you don't need to worry that you'll walk around smelling like a pickle.
Vodka
Another weird-but-true spritzing agent for odor removal is vodka; use the cheap stuff like Georgi or Popov and save the Chopin for your martinis.
Steam
Steaming a garment, especially if you use a scent-infused steaming solution, will eliminate smells from vintage goods, and will also help to revive wrinkled or napped fibers. A few passes may be needed to fully eradicate particularly pungent odors.
Four Ways to Salvage Leather and Suede
Saddle Soap
Saddle soap is just what it sounds like: soap that's used to clean leather saddles. It will also clean leather bags, jackets, belts, and shoes that are dingy and worn-looking and is a particularly great choice for cleaning lighter-colored leather. To use it, apply a damp (but only very slightly damp!) cloth to the soap, which comes in a tin, and rub in a circular motion to produce a lather. Then apply it to the leather, wiping clean with a non-sudsy part of your damp cloth.
Shoe Polish
Most people only think of using shoe polish for shoes—we can't really fault them for that since the word "shoe" is right there in the name. But shoe polish, especially colored shoe polish, is great for reviving leather handbags that have been nicked, scratched, or otherwise banged up by their previous owners. Two brands to look out for that offer a huge variety of colored polishes are Tarrago and Meltonian.
Leather Conditioner
Leather conditioner is a milder choice than saddle soap for reviving older leather goods that may have become dried out over the years. You can buy a brand-name leather conditioner, such as Leather Honey, or DIY it by mixing two parts white vinegar to three parts olive oil in a spray bottle.
Suede Eraser
Suede erasers are The Thing for removing scuffs, stains and grime from all manner of suede items. If you can't find a dedicated suede eraser, you can substitute a white art eraser.
Three Ways to Remove Yellowing
Hmm, well, it's actually more like "one way to remove yellowing from aged items using any one of three products" but that seems a little unwieldy. Most yellowed clothing and linens can be brought back to their original white or light-colored state via a good, long soak in hot or warm water (depending on the fabric type—avoid hot water when working with linen and other easily shrunk textiles) and a generous scoop of either OxiClean or Borax. For particularly delicate or precious items, try using Engleside Restoration. These products will whiten and brighten without bleaching or otherwise causing color loss.
Two Ways to Tackle Mystery Stains
You can also try the OxiClean or Borax soaking method on items that have mysterious stains, but if those two products prove ineffective, try upping your game with either K2r or dry cleaning solvents. These are the kind of stain removal products that can be found at your local hardware store, so you know they mean business.
K2r is a spray product that you'll apply to a stained item, allow to dry, and then brush away; dry cleaning solvents should be applied sparingly by putting a small amount on a light-colored cloth or rag and dabbing at the stain. Once you've gotten the spot out, you'll need to remove the solvents by going over the area with a clean, wet rag or cloth.
One Thing to Just Avoid
Don't buy used underwear, okay?
WATCH: BUYER BEWARE AT OUTLET STORES |
A glitch in a test version of Facebook's Web site inadvertently exposed the birthdays of Facebook's 80 million members this week.
The bug was discovered over the weekend by Sophos Senior Technology Consultant Graham Cluley. While checking out Facebook's new design, Cluley noticed that the birth dates of some of his privacy-obsessed acquaintances were popping up when they should have been hidden.
Facebook allows users to control who sees private information such as their birth date, which can be a valuable nugget of data for identity thieves. But Cluley discovered that the new site was making this information public to other members. "Their new profile page essentially ignored the privacy setting to withhold the data of birth," he said.
"For a brief period of time, a small number of users were able to access a private beta of Facebook's new site design meant only for developers. During that time, some of those users had their birthdays revealed due to a bug," Facebook said Wednesday in a statement. The company could not say exactly how long this data was exposed or how many people viewed the beta site, but the bug was patched within hours of Cluley's discovery.
Facebook may intend for the beta site to be private, but it has been open to the general public for several days. It features a new profile design that should be rolled out as an option to Facebook users some time this week.
Cluley himself did not consider this a major data breach, but he said it should serve as a warning to people who put a lot of information on social networks. "It raises a more serious question which is, 'Can you trust these social networks to look after your data properly?'" he said.
Facebook is sensitive about privacy. In November the company scrambled to fix its Beacon ad system after a CA researcher discovered that the system was collecting data on users' online behavior, despite Facebook's assurances to the contrary.
"With Beacon we just screwed it up," said Matt Cohler, the company's vice president of product management, during a March session with reporters.
Cluley isn't sure that won't happen again. He's telling his friends to just make up a birth date on Facebook from now on. |
Image copyright OCEARCH / ROBERT SNOW Image caption Lydia was satellite-tagged off the coast of Florida last year, allowing scientists to track her movements
The first great white shark seen to cross from one side of the Atlantic to the other may be pregnant, says the head of the expedition tracking her.
At the weekend, the satellite-tagged fish, called Lydia, crossed the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which marks a rough boundary line between east and west.
She has now turned towards the UK, but it is unclear where she will go next.
Chris Fischer told the BBC he thought she was pregnant and heading for birthing grounds in the Mediterranean.
Mr Fischer, who is expedition leader and founding chairman of the Ocearch shark tagging venture, said that if Lydia continued on to Europe or Africa, she was likely to become "more coastal".
If we're going to look after some of these magnificent apex predators - the lions of the oceans - we're all going to have to work together. No one country can do it Chris Fischer, Founding chairman, Ocearch
He told BBC News: "I certainly think that it's possible for Lydia to make it to the UK." But he said that he could not know if that was where she was heading.
Mr Fischer said there had been sightings of great white sharks in UK waters before, but added: "I think these were anecdotal versus a documented presence. So hopefully we'll be able to help with that."
On Sunday (GMT) , Ocearch announced that Lydia had crossed the ridge into the eastern Atlantic. And although it is often argued that the waters of these isles are too cold for the sharks, Mr Fischer cast doubt on this.
"One thing we have learnt just in the last year with sharks in the Atlantic is what we used to think was too cold simply is not," he said.
"Lydia has come over from Nova Scotia [in eastern Canada]... These sharks have the capacity to deal with very cold water temperatures for long periods."
But he said: "If I had to guess, I would guess that Lydia is pregnant, and that she has been out in the open ocean gestating her babies, and that this spring she will lead us to where those baby white sharks are born - the nursery."
Mr Fischer, who has led numerous ocean expeditions, added: "If you forced me to guess where that was, I'd say it was over in the Mediterranean, near Turkey... but that's longball I'm playing. She could turn around right now and head back to Florida."
Image copyright OCEARCH / ROBERT SNOW Image caption Chris Fischer described Lydia as "super-healthy" and reproductively mature
He said that small white sharks had been observed in the Aegean Sea before, but scientists working on the team did not share his view. This was because preliminary analysis of blood samples from Lydia suggested she was not pregnant at the time of her tagging.
But Mr Fischer defended his theory, saying there were still uncertainties over the way that white sharks become pregnant, adding: "The sperm from the male comes in a packet with a shell on it. They can carry it around for a while until a special organ inside them breaks down the shell and they get pregnant.
"We know it's 18 months from when we discover the breeding aggregation to when they lead us to the nursery... What we don't know is how long do they carry that sperm packet and how long is it until their body breaks down the shell."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Marine biologist Dr Gregory Skomal tells 5 live: "We're as surprised as anyone"
Lydia is now roughly 1,600km (1,000 miles) from the western coasts of Ireland and Britain, and nearly 4,800km from Jacksonville, Florida, where the tracking device was attached to her in March last year.
The young female shark has travelled more than 30,500km since last year.
The Ocearch project was initiated to gather data on the movements, biology and health of sharks for conservation purposes as well as for public safety and education.
The scientists have been using a custom-built 34,000kg (75,000lb) capacity hydraulic platform, operated from their research vessel the M/V Ocearch, to safely lift mature sharks so that researchers can tag and study them.
Image copyright OCEARCH Image caption Rizzilient's satellite tag now shows a location on land, in northern Portugal
Lydia was on the platform for 15 minutes, during which researchers extracted blood for analysis and performed an ultrasound examination, in addition to attaching the tag.
Mr Fischer described Lydia as "super-healthy" at the time of her tagging. "I would say she's just been sexually mature for a short period of time, which would put her in her 20s," he said.
"She looked like she had a bright future ahead of her - but I never would have dreamed she would lead us over to your neighbourhood.
"It just shows that if we're going to look after some of these magnificent apex predators - the lions of the oceans - we're all going to have to work together. No one country can do it."
Indeed, the threats currently facing shark species were illustrated when one of Ocearch's tagged animals - a 5ft-long female mako shark called Rizzilient - was apparently caught by commercial fishermen. The most recent fix for Rizzilient's satellite tag shows her on land, in the coastal city of Povoa de Varzim in northern Portugal.
Millions of sharks die each year as by-catch or through targeted hunting to remove their fins, which are highly prized in parts of Asia for use in shark fin soup and as traditional cures.
The Ocearch project has now tagged nearly 150 sharks, including not just great whites, but mako, hammerhead, tiger sharks and other species. Mr Fischer said one of the project's aims was to move away from the often competitive nature of academic research where data is proprietary.
"One of the things we wanted to do [with Ocearch] is disrupt the whole way research like this normally works," he said.
"The data is totally open-source, this is multi-institution and multidiscipline."
He added: "The great thing about this is that the whole world gets to watch... people feel inspired when they're part of something."
Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter |
J.T. Barrett threw for three touchdowns and ran for two in No. 14 Ohio State's 49-37 win over No. 8 Michigan State. (1:44)
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- If they weren't reading last rites on Ohio State's playoff chances when Braxton Miller injured his shoulder in the preseason, they certainly were after an ugly home loss to Virginia Tech the second week of the season.
The only problem with that was nobody knew at the time the guy waiting in Miller's shadow would be every bit as good.
Ready or not, Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett officially welcomed himself to stardom Saturday night with a surgical, five-touchdown performance against No. 8 Michigan State in a runaway 49-37 victory that thrust the Buckeyes squarely back into the playoff race.
"Some people probably forgot about us," Barrett said. "We just kept working and kept believing."
Now here they are, and with four of the top 10 teams losing Saturday, the No. 14 Buckeyes are poised to make a big jump when the new College Football Playoff rankings are released Tuesday night. Not only that, but they exorcised the demons from their bitter loss to Michigan State in last year's Big Ten championship game and now have a clear path in front of them to this year's Big Ten championship game.
J.T. Barrett had 386 yards of total offense and five touchdowns against Michigan State. Allen Kee/ESPN Images
"I'm glad we got to play in prime time. 'GameDay' was here," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said in doing some subtle playoff lobbying. "I'm glad everybody got to see the Ohio State Buckeyes because this is a different Buckeye team than it was early in the season."
A different team with a different quarterback.
Barrett completed just nine passes and threw three interceptions in the 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech back on Sept. 6. Against the Spartans, who entered the game ranked fifth nationally in total defense, he racked up 386 yards of total offense, threw three touchdown passes, rushed for two more and looked very much like he was the two-time defending Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
Earlier this week, Michigan State linebacker Taiwan Jones raised a few eyebrows when he said Barrett was a better passer than Miller and was a "way better quarterback." Miller later took to Twitter to fire back.
If you look at the numbers, Barrett is actually ahead of Miller's pace from the past season. Barrett has already thrown 26 touchdown passes in nine games and also has eight rushing touchdowns. That's compared to 24 touchdown passes and 12 rushing touchdowns by Miller all of last season. Barrett has 2,738 total yards through nine games. Miller finished with 3,162 total yards last season.
Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi wasn't about to get into the inevitable comparison between the two. But after watching Barrett do a number on his proud defense, Narduzzi made it clear what he thinks of the Buckeyes' newest star.
"That guy made about every shot he could," Narduzzi said. "He threw the seven route on target. He hadn't shown he could do that really consistently. I've got a lot of respect for him. He's a great football player, and he played big in a big game. He didn't throw off the mark at all. He put it right there where their guys were about to make the catches. He's a heck of a quarterback."
And he's only going to get better, which could make for an interesting decision for Meyer when Miller returns next season.
Meyer will deal with that dilemma (a good one to have) next season. Right now, he's got a football team playing its best football and a first-year quarterback setting the tone.
"I don't even think of him as a freshman. He's a great leader, one of the best leaders I've ever been around," Ohio State center Jacoby Boren said. "A guy like that makes you want to play even harder than you can. He's a great guy, great kid and great leader and pushes everyone to be better than what they are."
Some of the deep throws Barrett made against the Spartans were about as gorgeous as you're going to see. He connected with speedy Devin Smith six times for 129 yards, and the Buckeyes felt coming in that they would have opportunities for big plays down the field against Michigan State's press coverage.
"We didn't want to come in here and be conservative," said Barrett, who was 16-of-26 for 300 yards and didn't throw an interception. "We wanted to go out swinging. That's how we approached this game."
As for the connection with Smith, Barrett joked, "I told him to go run really fast, and I will throw you the ball. That was our conversation."
The conversation the college football world will be having, if the Buckeyes keep winning, is whether they're playoff-worthy, even with the baggage of that Virginia Tech loss.
Leave it to Barrett to shed the best perspective on where the Buckeyes go from here.
"We're just focusing on each other and not worrying about things outside our football program," he said. "Knowing that if we play for each other and everybody does their jobs, we're going to be all right at the end of the day."
Maybe we should have known that all along. |
Seismic testing is finished for the season in Kent County, but the political debate on shale gas is continuing.
Premier David Alward's Tories continue to say development is key to New Brunswick's economic future. But the premier's critics are pointing out that Alward was raising the alarm about the industry less than four years ago.
In April 2010, David Alward was questioning the safety of shale gas development in New Brunswick. (CBC) In the legislature last week, Progressive Conservative MLA Glen Savoie was praising the possibility of shale gas development in New Brunswick.
"We want to bring thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to New Brunswick," Savoie said.
Savoie accused the Liberals of "fear-mongering" for urging caution in developing shale gas in the province.
"The do-nothing moratorium party has made their decision," he said.
Now the People's Alliance party and environmentalists are highlighting comments by Alward when he was the Opposition leader. In April 2010, in the legislature's question period, it was Alward who was urging caution and raising fears about fracking.
"The process has been known to result in dangerous chemicals ending up in the water table," Alward said at the time.
"In many cases in the United States fracking poisoned wells," he said.
The Progressive Conservative election platform in the fall of 2010 said a PC government would allow "responsible" development of natural gas.
The Liberals have also changed their stance on the shale gas file.
During that 2010 question period exchange with Alward, Liberal cabinet minister Wally Stiles was defending hydraulic fracturing and the companies that do it.
"Southwest Energy has a very good track record, an environmentally friendly company," Stiles said.
The Liberals are now calling for a moratorium on shale gas development in New Brunswick while further study is carried out.
SWN Resources Canada completed its testing for potential shale gas development in Kent County on Friday. |
Those emotions you felt earlier this week when you found out Facebook possibly ran a psychological experiment on you are about to make their return. As has been pointed out, one of the researchers who ran the study was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense to look into the contagion of ideas.
When Facebook stopped working for a little while this past week, most blamed it on the site's usual hiccups. However, it was later revealed that it was due to a psychological experiment that the company conducted in order to learn about people's emotions on social media. Six hundred thousand users unwillingly fell subject to manipulated content on their personal news feeds in order to measure how it impacted their behavior.
The study received instant backlash the moment it was revealed, and at the time we didn't even know the full scope. The most disturbing part of the story turns out to be that it is connected to a Department of Defense study called the Minerva Initiative. The initiative funds universities to model the dynamics, risks, and tipping points for large-scale civil unrest across the world.
This isn’t the first time Facebook dabbled in issues of privacy with its users. Facebook also provides user communications to the NSA’s PRISM program. Also, it is widely known that the government uses social networking sites such as Facebook to investigate the opinions people post on social media.
POST CONTINUES BELOW
Essentially what is going on here is the federal government using social networking tools to get a better understanding of its citizens and whether or not someone can pose a threat. On the one hand, knowing a person's intentions may help us in the long run. However, how much is too much when it comes to such invasions of privacy?
[via SCGNews] |
A new Gallup poll finds 42% of Americans, on average, identified as political independents in 2013, the highest measured in 25 years. Meanwhile, Republican identification fell to 25%, the lowest over that time span. At 31%, Democratic identification is unchanged from the last four years but down from 36% in 2008.
The percentage of Americans identifying as independents grew over the course of 2013, surging to 46% in the fourth quarter. That coincided with the partial government shutdown in October and the problematic rollout of major provisions of the healthcare law, commonly known as "Obamacare."
Image from: Gallup
Democrats maintain their six-point edge in party identification when independents' "partisan leanings" are taken into account. In addition to the 31% of Americans who identify as Democrats, another 16% initially say they are independents but when probed say they lean to the Democratic Party. An equivalent percentage, 16%, say they are independent but lean to the Republican Party, on top of the 25% of Americans identifying as Republicans. All told, then, 47% of Americans identify as Democrats or lean to the Democratic Party, and 41% identify as Republicans or lean to the Republican Party.
Image from: Gallup
The rise in political independence is likely an outgrowth of Americans' record or near-record negative views of the two major U.S. parties, of Congress, and their low level of trust in government in general. |
CLOSE ALBANY -- New York movie theaters are hoping to rewrite the ending in the push to legalize alcohol sales. Joseph Spector, Albany Bureau
Ari Benmosche, the owner of the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, Rockland County, discusses an effort to allow for alcohol sales at theaters in New York on Monday, June 12, 2017, near the state Capitol in Albany. (Photo: Joseph Spector, Albany Bureau)
ALBANY - New York movie theaters are hoping to rewrite the ending in their push to legalize alcohol sales.
After the measure was rejected in the state budget in April, theater owners and their legislative allies on Monday renewed their effort to let patrons buy alcohol during the movies.
Supporters billed it as a way to help independent theaters and bring visitors to small downtowns across New York.
"This would create such a huge revenue source for us," said Ari Benmosche, owner of the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, Rockland County.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the issue one of his priorities for the legislative session that started in January, but the bill wasn't included in the state budget approved by the state Legislature on April 9.
Some lawmakers raised concerns about mixing movies and booze, and so they left the bill on the cutting room floor.
But the National Association of Theater Owners of New York State joined with beer producers, elected officials and business groups on Monday to urge the Legislature to reconsider, saying the bill would be a boon for their theaters and includes safety precautions.
“This legislation, at its core, will support job creation, drive millions of dollars back into New York’s economy, and by promoting and serving local beers, ciders, spirits, and wines, support New York agriculture,” said Joe Masher, the association's president.
The clock is ticking: The legislative session ends June 21 for the year.
Currently, movie theaters can serve alcohol in their lobby if they are a tavern license holder or have a full kitchen.
Cuomo's bill would let theaters apply for a permit to serve alcoholic beverages, regardless of whether they serve food or have tables.
The proposal would allow moviegoers to purchase one drink at a time, and drinks could only be served at PG-13 or R-rated movies.
A similar measure passed the Republican-led Senate last year, but it stalled in the Democratic-controlled Assembly.
The governor is hopeful the measure will get legislative approval, said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi.
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"It is a common sense issue that we absolutely support," he said.
There has been a push around the nation to let alcohol into the movies — including in New York.
For example, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain opened a theater in Yonkers in 2013, and it sells alcohol because it serves food and has table settings.
The Little Theatre in Rochester also has a cafe that serves alcoholic beverages, but patrons aren't allowed to bring the drinks into the movies.
Read or Share this story: http://on.rocne.ws/2tdGpQ6 |
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is resisting calls to sack George Brandis after the Attorney-General was accused of throwing former treasurer Joe Hockey "under a bus" to distance himself from a deepening legal scandal.
Senator Brandis was forced to deliver a statement in Parliament on Monday amid explosive reports he directed former solicitor-general Justin Gleeson, SC, not to raise an argument in the High Court that threatened an alleged secret deal with the Western Australian government.
The alleged deal, involving Alan Bond's failed Bell Group of companies, allowed the conservative WA government to leapfrog creditors including the Tax Office to claw back almost $1 billion from the companies.
Labor accused Senator Brandis of corruption after reports emerged that the Attorney-General directed Mr Gleeson not to point to legal flaws in the plan when it was challenged in the High Court by other creditors. |
A decade after the release of the final Harry Potter book, the series remains a global phenomenon. Though the movie franchise has been recently surpassed by the MCU in terms of box office, the book series remains the best-selling of all time, and the saga is still breaking records to this day, with Fantastic Beasts recently becoming the first Potter film to take home an Academy Award.
JK Rowling’s Wizarding World has opened the minds of kids and adults across the globe, but her characters are a major factor in Harry Potter having stood the test of time, and we’re counting down the very best of them. Though the movies will come into play, we’re looking more specifically at the books, ranking on development, backstories, entertainment value, and general importance to the series and its audience.
Unfortunately, that means leaving off a whole bunch of our favorite characters. There’s no place for Bellatrix Lestrange, or indeed Molly Weasley, whose defeat of Bellatrix is one of the single greatest Harry Potter moments. Professor Umbridge, though despicably compelling, doesn’t hold up to some of the series’ regulars, while the Dursleys’ change of heart came just too late.
Here are the 16 Greatest Harry Potter Characters.
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16 Hagrid
“No good sittin’ worryin’ abou’ it. What’s comin’ will come, an’ we’ll meet it when it does.”
There was no way we were ever going to leave Rubeus Hagrid out of a Harry Potter "best of" list. The BFHG (Big Friendly Half-Giant) is there for Harry from the very beginning, introducing him to magic, Diagon Alley, and the Wizarding World. Who can forget "Yer a wizard, Harry!"?
Even when things are rough for Hagrid, he never wavers in his support for Harry, going so far as to openly throw a “Support Harry Potter” party in the midst of Voldemort’s invasion of Hogwarts. Though he has the physical strength to back it up, Hagrid wears his heart on his sleeve perhaps more than any other character in the franchise, going against all the giant stereotypes in the book (though, admittedly, he tends to direct his many of his warm emotions toward highly dangerous creatures).
15 The Weasley Twins
“Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother?”
Fred and George Weasley barely change at all through the series, but what they lack in development, they more than make up for in entertainment value. From the very first book to (most of the way through) the very last, the twins spend their Hogwarts years pulling stunts and pranks, occasionally taking some downtime to mercilessly rile Percy for taking his prefect duties far too seriously, or Ron, who is pretty much just an easy target.
Humor aside, their roles in introducing Harry to the Marauder’s Map are vital to his various investigations in the later books, and Fred’s death plays an important role in the finale of The Deathly Hallows. By killing off one half of the few comic relief characters (and one we had been invested in from book one), Rowling sets the stakes for the final few chapters at an all-time high.
14 Remus Lupin
“That suggests that what you fear most of all is – fear. Very wise, Harry.”
In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Lupin not only proves himself as the most competent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to ever grace Hogwarts, he also offers an insight into Harry’s past. Through his friendship with James, Lupin forms a bond with Harry that would last the remainder of the series, providing a cool head under increasingly dark circumstances.
That Lupin is so calm and collected is essential in keeping the mystery of his frequent disappearances under wraps, and when it is finally revealed that he’s a werewolf, it adds a layer of depth to Lupin by brilliantly juxtaposing his usual demeanour.
Though he appears less frequently as the story develops, Lupin works behind the scenes for the Order of the Phoenix, fighting for Harry at the Ministry and otherwise using his position to spy on the underground werewolf community. By the time of his death in The Deathly Hallows, Lupin has learned to accept his status in the world, and allows himself to fall in love with and eventually marry Tonks.
13 Dobby (& Kreacher)
“Yes, Harry Potter! And if Dobby does it wrong, Dobby will throw himself off the topmost tower!”
It goes without saying that anyone left unaffected by Dobby’s sacrifice is dead inside. Dobby is a regular feature through the books, but even in the film series, where he had not appeared since The Chamber of Secrets, his death in The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is a tough moment to watch.
His death came after he had only just learned what it meant to be free. Dobby worked for the Malfoys when he first visited Harry, receiving death threats up to five times a day, but Dobby was the one house-elf with the courage to do what was right, even if it meant disobeying direct orders.
When it comes to courage and house-elves, Kreacher also deserves a mention here. Regulus Black’s loyal servant, Kreacher also finds the strength to stand up to his oppressors in The Deathly Hallows. After a few choice words from Harry and Hermione, Kreacher sets an example for house-elves by fighting evil in the name of his former master.
12 Voldemort
“There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it.”
With every good story comes an equally good villain, and you know you’ve got that box ticked when some of the most powerful sorcerers in existence refuse to even speak his name. Voldemort may come across as your one-note, generic bad guy, but it’s the fact that he is so unwavering in his pure evil that makes him so iconic. Even from childhood, we see Tom Riddle display no sense of remorse as he terrorizes various orphans and his own, disappointing (by his standards) family.
Moreover, Voldemort is legitimately terrifying. From his high-pitched hiss to his pet snake, Voldemort has us fearing to turn the page, but what scares us most in his raw power. Over their multiple encounters, Harry survives through courage and pure luck, and we simply don’t see a way that he could ever get the better of Voldemort in a straight duel.
11 Minerva McGonagall
“We teachers are rather good at magic, you know.”
You’re unlikely to find a stricter disciplinarian than Professor McGonagall, but where she differs from the likes of Snape and Umbridge is in the fact that she and Harry share an unspoken – and actually quite touching – mutual respect for one another. This is most evident in The Deathly Hallows, in which Harry only perfects the Cruciatus Curse after McGonagall is spat on, and McGonagall’s cry upon learning Harry is “dead” is the loudest of them all.
She comes into her own in the final book, taking the lead in the defense of Hogwarts and battling Voldemort at one point, but she has her moments even before that. In The Order of the Phoenix, McGonagall proceeds to repeatedly demolish Professor Umbridge with a series of one-liners, and she objects to leaving Harry at the Dursleys’ back in the opening pages of The Sorcerer’s Stone.
The bottom line is that she will take any step necessary to do what is right, even if it means actively encouraging Peeves to destroy the castle under Umbridge’s reign. Also she really hates Umbridge.
10 Ginny Weasley
“It’s for some stupid, noble reason, isn’t it?”
She doesn’t get anywhere near the attention she deserves in the movies, but book Ginny is a force to be reckoned with. After going through hell (almost literally) in The Chamber of Secrets, Ginny emerges not as the bumbling mess she had been early on in the story (specifically around Harry), but as a powerful witch, Harry’s magical and intellectual equal, and later a leader of the resistance.
Her relationship with Harry appears to come out of nowhere, but it’s actually set up at the very beginning. Ginny is infatuated with Harry from the first time they meet, and given her newfound confidence after book two and Harry’s utter cluelessness where girls are concerned, Ginny undergoes an incredible off-screen development that leads her to get what she wants.
But even then, the most impressive thing about Ginny is that she’s entirely independent and self-aware. She knows who she’s dating, and she encourages Harry wherever necessary to do what he needs to do, rather than settle down in the midst of a war.
9 Ron Weasley
“Don’t let it worry you. It’s me. I’m extremely famous.”
Ironically, what’s so special about Ron is that there’s nothing special about Ron. He’s an average-level student, your typical jealous teenager type, our voice of reason as ridiculous things unfold all around him. But just the fact that he’s just so normal is the reason he works so well as part of the trio.
Ron is the underdog – the last boy born to parents who wanted a girl. His family’s lack of money is a source of constant embarrassment, and almost everything he owns is second-hand. As a result, he feels unloved by his parents, intimidated by his brothers, and overshadowed by his best friend.
Essentially, Ron has no business being a hero. A chance meeting with Harry on the Hogwarts Express sees Ron propelled into a life he is thoroughly unprepared for, but through sheer determination and immense loyalty, he sets out to prove everyone wrong, and powers through to the very end.
8 Luna Lovegood
“Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as I am.”
Few characters are more compelling than Luna Lovegood, whose introduction in The Order of the Phoenix injects new life into the series. She immediately comes across as an oddball, out of touch with everything that’s going on around her, and almost a comic relief character. But we soon learn that she is a lot deeper than her obsession with Crumple-Horned Snorkacks would have us believe.
Luna is not only picked on relentlessly by her classmates; she witnessed her mother’s death as a young girl, and her only remaining parent is a social outcast. The fact that she is able to rise above it all and remain frustratingly naive is exactly the perspective Harry and the gang need in their fifth year at school.
After meeting Harry and joining Dumbledore’s Army, Luna’s sharp mind and magical power blossom through her eccentricities, and she goes on to play a pivotal role in the discovery of Ravenclaw’s lost diadem.
7 Sirius Black
“What’s life without a little risk?”
Sirius Black arrives on the scene as potentially the most dangerous threat Harry has faced in his school years so far. Sirius spends most of The Prisoner of Azkaban being talked about in hushed undertones, while the mystery of his escape from the wizard prison grows ever more fascinating that our interest is peaked right from the off.
That he turns out to be innocent, and Harry’s godfather to boot, provides the series with one of its biggest twists, and it says a lot about Sirius that he remains a fan favorite after only a book-and-a-half to develop a relationship with Harry.
Through The Goblet of Fire and especially the opening of Phoenix, Sirius is the father figure Harry desperately needs. In such a short space of time, he gets some of the best lines in the series through his bitter relationships with Snape, Kreacher and his mother’s portrait, and his untethered recklessness keeps the reader on their toes at all times.
6 Draco Malfoy
“No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood.”
For five whole books, Draco Malfoy is the worst of the worst. Born into money and raised by Death Eaters, Draco was only ever heading in one direction. It’s not that he’s necessarily a bad character – every fictional school needs a bully, and some of the most memorable moments in the books occur at Draco’s expense (“the amazing, bouncing ferret,” anyone?) – but it’s difficult to sympathize with him at first.
But as The Half-Blood Prince opens the door on his inner conflict, we find ourselves in the awkward position of caring about Draco Malfoy. Tasked with killing Dumbledore, we come to realize that Draco isn’t a murderer at all, as he falls further out of his depth.
We won’t go so far as to call it a straight redemption arc, but without Draco – Harry wouldn't have defeated Voldemort. It’s a remarkable turnaround for a character whose destiny seemed so assured, and who could so easily have faded into obscurity. It’s just a shame we had to wait so long for Draco to come into his own.
5 Severus Snape
“Always…”
Like Draco, Snape is unlikable from the moment he and Harry first meet eyes, but there are flashes all through the story that there is more to the Potions master than you might realize. Love him or loathe him, you never quite know which way Snape is going to lean next, but he reaches a seemingly unforgivable low when he kills Dumbledore atop the Astronomy tower.
Ultimately, Snape is forgiven for that particular crime by some meticulous planning on Rowling’s part, but whether he actually redeems himself is, again, up for debate. Depending on how you want to look at it, Snape is either a bitter and flawed hero, or a villain overwhelmed by love (though both have the makings of a great character).
Either way, the fact that there is even a debate at all is down to Rowling. Snape has less time to recover than Draco, and from a far bigger crime, and that the author turns it around over the course of one Deathly Hallows chapter is an incredible feat by any standard, and the lone reason Snape has become one of the most iconic Harry Potter characters.
4 Harry Potter
“There’s no need to call me ‘sir’, Professor.”
Harry is the hero who never asked to be. He is doubted, bullied, and publicly ridiculed, but his ability to keep a cool head amid mounting pressure, and to throw himself headfirst into danger even if it means saving those who mocked him, is the reason he is as famous in the real world as he is in the Wizarding World.
He’s far from perfect, but that in itself is one of his most endearing traits. As if growing up isn’t already stressful enough, Harry has to do it with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and so his occasional temper tantrums are wholly understandable. In fact, that’s what makes him a three-dimensional, and ultimately believable, protagonist.
Our narrator through the story, we read as Harry grows and develops on every page. It’s through his eyes that we are able to experience the books’ most exciting moments, and the films don’t quite do justice to how quick-witted he is in his own right. As evidenced by the above quote, Harry is as sassy as he is brave, and a source of entertainment through the series.
3 Hermione Granger
“We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled.”
Hermione is first introduced as a thorn in Harry and Ron’s side, but where the boys round out the books as grown-up versions of themselves, Hermione is a different character altogether by The Deathly Hallows.
She remains the same, hyper-intelligent know-it-all, and comfortably the most capable of the trio, but having suffered through severe prejudice and various projections of love triangles, Hermione learns that there’s more to the world than book smarts. In the midst of a war, she finds time to give credit where it’s due, fight for those less fortunate than her (without sparing a thought for her own sufferings), and even break the rules for the greater good.
Along the same lines, she goes so far as to wipe her parents’ memories, ensuring their happiness in the full knowledge that she might not make it through the war. Even after everything she has gone through, she remains loyal to her muggle heritage, and in doing so, represents the entire non-magical audience.
2 Neville Longbottom
“No! I won’t let you! You’ll get Gryffindor into trouble again! I-I’ll fight you!”
Neville might not have the page time of his Gryffindor housemates, but going by our own criteria, Neville has all the boxes firmly ticked. Neville’s clumsiness is a source of great entertainment in the first two or three books, before it’s revealed that his insecurities stem from a tragic place, but even then, his blunt, awkward sincerity is a driving force in the later novels.
A whole new light is shone on Neville in The Order of the Phoenix, when Harry learns of his backstory entirely by accident. The fact that Neville has been holding these emotions in, and putting on a brave face even as he is mentally tortured by Snape and the Slytherins, is a huge credit to his character. As explained by Dumbledore, he could have been the Chosen One in Harry’s place, and rather than scoff at the idea, Neville has come so far even by Phoenix that we can almost believe him in that role.
And finally, no character in Harry Potter develops more than Neville. The nervous wreck turned hero may be cliché, but it’s an effective tool in storytelling, and few do it better than Rowling. Neville’s journey from “Why is it always me?” to leader of the Hogwarts resistance and destroyer of the final horcrux is by far the biggest character shift through the series.
1 Albus Dumbledore
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
Not be confused with Michael Gambon’s unnecessarily aggressive version of the character, book Dumbledore is up there alongside some of the great mentors in fiction. His death at Snape’s hands leaves a hole in Harry’s life equal to that of his parents and godfather, but just like the Gandalfs and Yodas of old, Dumbledore remains a looming presence even after his death.
Harry’s glimpse into his past, which shows us a Dumbledore blinded by love, opens his eyes to a character not only flawed, but not far from villainy. His post-death development, brilliantly juxtaposed with Harry’s, adds a layer to Dumbledore we would never have believed possible in such a short space of time.
But even before we know anything of Grindelwald or Ariana, Dumbledore stamps his authority on his every appearance. In his downtime, Dumbledore is the carrier of information, the deliverer of one-liners and the personification of cool and collected, which makes it all the more remarkable when the occasion requires him to step up.
Dumbledore goes head-to-head with Voldemort, holds off an army of inferi in a weakened state, and knocks out several Ministry officials in a split second. Whether you’re reading or watching, it’s hard to take your eyes off Dumbledore, and his childhood missteps only humanize a character who was already an iconic figure in literature.
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Who did we miss? Leave your favorite Harry Potter characters in the comments! |
With 2013 now in the books for the U.S. national team, we can start looking at which players have the best chance of starting for Jurgen Klinsmann at the World Cup.
After a calendar year that saw Jurgen Klinsmann experiment with all sorts of lineups, formations and personnel, the big question surrounding the U.S. national team heading into 2014 is just which 11 players are most likely to make up the starting lineup that takes the field in Brazil next summer.There is still plenty of time for things to change because in seven months you could see players lose their form, others gain their form, and some players rebound after rough years. Whether Steve Cherundolo makes a return from his injuries, John Brooks matures into the center back so many think he can be, or Timmy Chandler returns from his national team banishment, there are any number of variables that could wind up affecting the starting lineup Klinsmann ultimately settles on.A total of 23 matches were played in 2013, which provided us with plenty of insight into which players are heading in the right direction, which players may be sliding out of the picture, and which players look like locks to start in Brazil. Here is a closer look at the 11 players we could see taking the field for the U.S. when the 2014 World Cup kicks off:Earlier in the year there was some clamoring for Brad Guzan to become the new No. 1, but Howard has responded to that challenge in style. With a strong second half of the year that reminded us just how good he can be.It took an injury to Brad Evan in order for Klinsmann to take a look at Cameron at right back and what we saw from him there against Austria should be a sign of things to come. Cameron has the length and athleticism to defend well, and he’s gaining confidence in the attacking part of playing right back, as we saw against Austria. Brad Evans will continue to pose a challenge, but with Cameron earning regular starter minutes at right back in the English Premier League, look for him to take over the job.A year of ups and downs concluded with Gonzalez posting some steady performances in central defense that suggest he’s ready to take on the starting center back roll. He’s dominant in the air, and when he’s on his game, can move very well for a big man. His strengths make him a perfect complement to Matt Besler. Young German-American John Brooks is one to watch though, and could put some pressure on Gonzalez for the spot.Earlier in the year, Besler made a memorable debut against Mexico in Estadio Azteca that sent a clear message he was a player to deal with at the center back position. His speed, positioning and ability to read the game and sniff out danger make him arguably the best center back in the pool, or at the very least the most consistent. Cameron, Clarence Goodson and Michael Orozco are some of the options Klinsmann could turn to if Besler winds up not being on the field in Brazil.Klinsmann has tried Johnson out on the left wing, where he has been a serious threat, and even at right back, where he was less impressive, but when looking at what could be the most effective starting lineup, deploying Johnson at left back looks to be the best bet for fielding the strongest possible group. DaMarcus Beasley has held his own at times in the starting role, but Johnson is the better option.Donovan has had mixed results playing as a winger, but in this starting lineup his speed and combination play could be used to maximum effect. Let’s face it, we can’t picture a healthy and fit Donovan not starting in Brazil, and chances are he will be deployed wide if he does start. Here we put him on the left wing, where a Donovan-Fabian Johnson combination could cause real problems for opponents. Graham Zusi should push Donovan for playing time here, and Fabian Johnson can't be ruled out either if Beasley holds on to the left back spot.This selection will raise some eyebrows, especially considering Jones’ recent struggles in the November friendlies, but all signs point to Klinsmann going with the veteran German-born midfielder if he is healthy and playing regularly. Someone like Mix Diskerud, Sacha Kljestan or Kyle Beckerman could ultimately take the job if Jones continues to falter, but if not, the Schalke hard man is a safe bet to be Klinsmann’s choice.The most indispensable player on the U.S. team, Bradley quite simply can’t be replaced, and the question isn’t whether he starts but rather who would serve as his best partner in central midfield. Whether he’s playing regularly for AS Roma or not, a healthy Michael Bradley will be in the starting lineup in Brazil.Klinsmann has settled in on using Dempsey as a second striker/playmaker and this is where we see him in Klinsmann’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation here. With Donovan and Aron Johannsson providing speed on the wings, and Jozy Altidore posting up as the target forward, Dempsey could have a field day as a playmaker. Now he just needs to regain his top form come 2014. Diskerud is an option at this position if Dempsey is unable to go, as could Joe Corona be if he regains his form with Club Tijuana.The Sunderland striker has endured a rough start to his time with his new club, but the struggles are making him a better player and should only serve to help him when the World Cup roles around. We saw in the summer just what Altidore can do when given consistent service, and if Klinsmann can get this lineup on the field around Altidore, you could see him enjoy a strong World Cup. If for some reason Altidore isn't available, young Rapid Vienna striker Terrence Boyd and Seattle forward Eddie Johnson are also in the mix.Whether deployed on the left, right, or underneath Altidore in the 4-2-3-1, Johannson has shown all the qualities of a player who can help the U.S. attack. He is improving by leaps and bounds and in another six months he could be ready to lead the attack. Klinsmann has been bringing Johannsson along slowly, but when 2014 rolls around, it will be difficult to keep the AZ Alkmaar striker out of the starting lineup. Nantes midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, Zusi and Corona are some of the other options for the right wing. |
Share. Change cannot be stopped. Change cannot be stopped.
Warning: Full spoilers from The Legend of Korra: Book Three to follow.
With The Legend of Korra capping off its latest season last week, I think it's safe to say that Book Three was, in my opinion, the show's best season yet, delivering consistently great stories and developing its characters over the course of an expansive adventure. Book Three was also the best season for Korra, and featured some of her most Avatar-like moments: counseling others, making group decisions, and considering consequences before acting on impulse. At this point, I think the young Avatar has truly earned her "legendary" title.
Exit Theatre Mode
Additionally, Book Three introduced one of the most formidable and intimidating villains yet on the show: Zaheer.
Throughout the series, Korra faced adversaries touting the belief that the world didn't need an Avatar anymore. That idea started with Amon, who believed in an egalitarian society, where benders and nonbenders could exist on an even playing field. Following that, Unalaq asserted that the Avatar could not exist without a counterpart to balance the dark and light. (Of course, Unalaq went a little overboard with the dark aspect in the end.) But here in Book Three, Zaheer may have opened up a bigger can of worms than he thought, leaving a mark on Korra's legacy that could be irreversible. (We'll know one way or the other come Book Four.) To me, that's part of what made Zaheer such a great villain -- he challenged Korra's status in a way that other adversaries (*cough*Amon*cough*) could only dream of doing.
Zaheer also raised a very good point in "The Stakeout": no authority figure has ever done Korra any favors: President Raiko, Unalaq, the Earth Queen... (One exception might be the current Fire Lord, although we've yet to meet her for ourselves.) Going forward, we could even be entering a Cold War era of the Avatar universe, with more Red Lotus potentially popping up to take down the remaining government constructs. Add to that the ever-looming dark spirits that dwell in the shadows. (Koh the Face Stealer, anyone?)
Exit Theatre Mode
But as great as Zaheer was, I would have liked to get to know the other Red Lotus members a little better, particularly Ming-Hua and Ghazan, who were arguably more dynamic than the straight-laced Zaheer. Ghazan, for instance, had a fun rivalry with Bolin and a dark sense of humor, and I'm betting Ming-Hua had an awesome backstory to go with her armless waterbending.
IGN's The Legend of Korra: Book Three Finale Review
Unfortunately, their characters weren't nearly as fleshed out as, say, Mai or Ty Lee, both of whom assumed similar nefarious roles in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Granted, Mai and Ty Lee were mainstays for two whole seasons, while Ghazan and Ming-Hua met their respective ends after only a dozen episodes or so. Even P'Li was sidelined for most of Book Three, which is a shame considering her intriguing backstory hinted at in "Enter the Void" (although I'd trade that in a heartbeat for the combustive demise she got, thanks to Su). Nevertheless, these three, along with Zaheer, made an impressive team in combat, specifically in "In Harm's Way" and "The Terror Within."
I was also kind of hoping for a flashback to the aforementioned conflict 13 years ago, which I believe would have fleshed out not just on the Red Lotus but also Tenzin, Zuko, Tonraq and Sokka. Still, the flashback we got was just as interesting, as we witnessed the Beifong family's spiraling descent. This of course was at the heart of Book Three's Zaofu arc, which brought some much needed context to the relationship between Lin and Suyin. Indeed, their reunion was among the strongest storylines this season, especially in terms of character development.
Likewise, Mako and Bolin -- initially underutilized -- got their own moments to shine in Book Three. In addition to Mako's delightfully awkward persona around Asami and Korra, he also did some pretty snappy detective work in "The Terror Within." Later, Bolin unlocked the ability of lavabending, thus proving himself even more in the Team Avatar roster. Meanwhile, newcomer/airbender Kai fit right in with the group and developed a strong rapport with Jinora, whose own airbending mastery perfectly aligned with the airbender resurgence. That's not to mention "The Ultimatum," in which Tenzin showed Zaheer the true meaning of airbending.
That said, I think my favorite character dynamic this season was between Asami and Korra. In retrospect, it's funny to think about how central the Asami/Mako/Korra love triangle was in Book One, only to find out it was the guy who was mucking up the equation. In truth, there's a disheartening lack of strong female characters in animated shows (especially action ones), so it's awesome to see The Legend of Korra feature not one but three female leads, including Asami and Jinora.
The Legend of Korra: Game Release Date Revealed
Really, the one character that kind of got the shaft in Book Three was Opal. While she obviously played a key role in getting Lin and Su to make amends, her airbending training -- both with Korra and at the Northern Air Temple -- never quite came into play. In fact, you might not have even noticed she was there at the Red Lotus' siege of the Northern Air Temple. Only in the finale did she get her first line after her departure from Zaofu, and even then it was in response to one of Bolin's weaker quips. (Side Note: I was also looking forward to Varrick showing up with his magnetic suit again in the finale. Alas, maybe next season.)
I would also be remiss not to mention the fantastic production values this season. The storyboard artists and animators really outdid themselves for Book Three, creating some of the most -- scratch that -- the most visually stunning action sequences I've seen in American animated television. Even conversation scenes felt visceral and emotive, with characters effectively expressing themselves without even a word. Then there was Jeremy Zuckerman's ever amazing score, which only added to the overall impact. Top-notch work, all around.
Exit Theatre Mode
Speaking to the general tone, Book Three was easily the darkest season yet, not just in terms of on-screen deaths but thematically as well. Book Three was so dark in fact that some fans have speculated that to be the reason for Korra's move from broadcast to digital. (Obviously there's no evidence to back that up, but it's a plausible theory.)
DreamWorks Teaming with Korra Animation Studio
That's not to say we haven't seen death on Korra before (Tarrlok's murder/suicide, Korra "destroying" Unavaatu, etc.). But in Book Three, killings were brought on by notably detached motives: self-defense, ideology, justification -- at least as they were happening. As a result, I think these deaths directly fed into Korra's PTSD-like state following the defeat of Zaheer. She was essentially broken, not just physically but emotionally too. Personally, I think it was a bold move on the part of the creators to end Book Three on such a bittersweet note. To call it an "Empire Strikes Back" ending wouldn't do the last scene justice, since it didn't have the same hopeful resolve that Empire did. On the contrary, I think the optimistic backdrop of Jinora's tattoo ceremony only punctuated Korra's despair (albeit in a tragically beautiful way).
The image also brings to mind Avatar Aang's parting words to Korra in the Book One finale: "When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change." Without question, this was Korra's lowest point, which I predict will be the forerunner to her greatest change -- that is, challenging the notion of "What is the Avatar?" once and for all. In that sense, I think Zaheer was right: change cannot be stopped -- and actually, I think it's only just beginning. |
The 53-year-old McMaster was one of those who spent the past decade or so re-orienting the Army away from traditional war-fighting. But he is widely considered one of the service’s top strategic thinkers and his supporters insist he is the best person to figure out how to respond. “He learns and he thinks about what could be and what should be,” says Sullivan, the retired Army chief of staff.
McMaster’s pioneering tactics in confronting the Iraq insurgency after the 2003 invasion were rewarded with a key role under General David Petraeus in rewriting the Army’s field manual on counterinsurgency operations. It was not an easy undertaking. The U.S. military had not focused on counterinsurgency operations in the decades since the war in Vietnam. As a colonel and brigade commander in 2005 in Iraq’s western Al Anbar province, McMaster helped pioneer a strategy that came to be known as “clear, hold, build”—in which swarms of U.S. forces backed by airstrikes secured a city or town and built up the local security forces until they were deemed ready to maintain security while local government institutions could mature.
But getting the Army as an institution to focus on training and buying the necessary equipment to fight bands of terrorists and guerrillas hidden in population centers—instead of big tank formations like the Iraqi Republican Guard it clobbered in the 1991 Persian Gulf War—proved extremely challenging.
The steady erosion of public support for the conflict—and growing angst in Congress about the seeming lack of an end game—didn’t help.
What is taking place in Ukraine, however, is seen as a game-changer. McMaster and the study team he has put together believe their work could have huge impact on what the Army buys, how it trains and how its units are structured for years to come—maybe even as much as the Yom Kippur War did.
***
The Army has a long history of trying to learn from wars it didn’t fight—and fold the battlefield lessons into its own arsenal.
A decade before the carnage of the American Civil War, George McClellan, who later became the commander of the Union Army, was an official observer of the European armies engaged in the Crimean War, which Russia lost to an alliance of France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire and Sardinia. That conflict is widely considered the first modern war, in which mass-produced rifles, explosive shells, mines and armored landing craft were first used. John Pershing, who commanded allied forces in World War I had also previously observed the Russo-Japanese War.
But the current thinking of McMaster and his top aides on what the Ukraine war might mean for the U.S. is eerily parallel to the experience of the early 1970s. That is when the U.S. military had been distracted by another guerrilla war, in Vietnam, while Russia’s military grew bolder and more sophisticated, posing a new threat to NATO, the Western military alliance.
It’s not the actual 1973 war that the Army believes parallels the modern-day conflict in Ukraine but rather the Army’s approach afterward in digesting its lessons—and folding them into its own war plans. The study of that earlier war “serves as a useful model for analyzing the conflict in Ukraine,” says Colonel Kelly Ivanoff, a field artillery officer and top aide to McMaster, who adds that the detailed undertaking to study the 1973 war was to “profoundly influence the development of the U.S. Army for the next 15 years.”
The Russia New Generation Warfare study will “examine the Ukraine theater for implications to Army future force development, with emphasis on how Russian forces and their proxies employed disruptive technologies,” he added.
The effort, which is just getting underway, is focused on 20 separate “warfighting challenges”—including maintaining communications in the face of cyberattacks; developing a greater degree of battlefield intelligence; redesigning Army combat formations and tactics; and identifying new air defenses, weapons and ways to employ helicopters.
Indeed, where the Yom Kippur War analogy reaches its limits, say close observers, is the way in which Russia has also employed other, nonmilitary power—first during the Russian military annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 and then in its ongoing proxy war in eastern Ukraine.
“They looked at what we were doing in the early ’90s and some of what we were saying we wanted to do and went one better,” said Sullivan, who served as Army chief of staff from 1991 to 1995 and now runs the Association of the U.S. Army, an advocacy group. “They started adding the special operating forces, which included diplomats, people who were subverting [the Ukrainian government] from the inside. It’s a hybrid.”
Now, he said, the Army is trying to apply “what we learned about the way they are using their little green men—people who are subverting the governments.”
That is not to say that the Russian Army and its proxies are 10 feet tall. The Ukrainian Army is credited with deterring an all-out Russian invasion. And the briefing that has been shared at the highest levels of the Army and with a number of foreign allies points out that the Russian military shrank dramatically in size between 1985 and 2015. And its biggest weakness is widely considered its conscript army, which has limited training and suffers from poor morale.
General Starry, who led the Yom Kippur War after-action review, concluded that the quality of the soldiers ultimately can carry the day—not numbers. “It is strikingly evident,” he wrote later, “that battles are yet won by the courage of Soldiers, the character of leaders, and the combat experience of well-trained units.”
But combined with Moscow’s efforts to upgrade its nuclear forces, what has been on display in eastern Ukraine and more recently in its military foray into Syria is expected, at least by the generals, to change the U.S. Army for a long time to come. |
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Roosevelt Years (Serb that warned Hoover on possible attack on Pearl Harbour)
Posted on by kronos77
The British double agent Dusko Popov, who reputedly inspired Ian Fleming’s creation of James Bond, was approached by the Germans to become their spy. Popov did so, but reported everything he did to the British.
When the Germans sent Popov to set up a large spy ring in the U.S., he was asked to gather some very provocative information for the Japanese. The Japanese request, called the "Japanese questionnaire," involved a lot of extremely specific information about Hawaii and Pearl Harbor. British Intelligence and Popov came to the conclusion in August of 1941 that the Japanese were preparing an invasion of the United States at Pearl Harbor.
The FBI was very unfriendly to Popov. Hoover disliked double agents, especially wealthy playboys like Popov who showed up at Hoover’s favorite New York City nightclub, the Stork Club. Hoover added the "Japanese questionnaire" to other evidence he had that the Japanese were very interested in Hawaii, but he did nothing with the information from Popov or other sources.
Gentry claims that it is possible that with the thousands of reports that the Bureau received, it was difficult to determine which ones were legitimate. "Still, it is difficult to explain that Hoover...didn’t warn the president that two German agents had been ordered to study the defenses of Pearl Harbor for the Japanese, and that the last had been told it was ‘of the highest priority,’ indicating that a time factor was involved."
(Excerpt) Read more at crimelibrary.com ...
TOPICS:
Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS:
fdr
history
hoover
jamesbond
pearharbour
pearlharbor
spy
wwii
To: joan; Smartass; zagor-te-nej; Lion in Winter; Honorary Serb; jb6; Incorrigible; DTA; ma bell; ...
by 2 posted onby kronos77 (-www.savekosovo.org- and -www.kosovo.net- Save Kosovo from Islam!)
To: marblehead17
ping
by 3 posted onby marblehead17 (I love it when a plan comes together.)
To: kronos77
Well, Pearl Harbor was but one of multiple spears hurled South by the Japanese in December 1941.
To: marblehead17
They don't show pictures of Dusko Popov. He's not as handsome as Sean Connery.
Dusko Popov
by 5 posted onby Stepan12 (Mark Steyn: "We are all spaniards now.")
To: Stepan12; tgambill
>>>>>>They don't show pictures of Dusko Popov. He's not as handsome as Sean Connery.<<<<<< Nor he was very bright either. Popov did not figure out that FDR is fully aware that Japs will attack Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was no surprise - it was allowed to happen with full knowledge of FDR, as doccuments released after WWII show.
by 6 posted onby DTA (Mr. President, Condy is asleep at the wheel !)
To: DTA
"...Pearl Harbor was no surprise - it was allowed to happen with full knowledge of FDR..." Citation needed.
by 7 posted onby Eclectica (Ask your MD about Evolution. Please!)
To: kronos77
I've always thought that Roosevelt knew that Pearl Harbor was coming. As an old navy guy, he probably thought the battleships could withstand the attack; he had the carriers moved out of the way.
To: DTA
Pearl Harbor was no surprise - it was allowed to happen with full knowledge of FDR, as documents released after WWII show.<<<
Bingo!..we have a winner!....Now...something that has always bothered me about that, is the fact that despite the American peoples reluctance to enter the war (polls of that time were as much as 70+% against) had we not entered the war at that time...we would all be speaking German on this thread.....Is there such a thing as a Shadow Government??
To: Stepan12
but he looks more believable
by 10 posted onby ThanhPhero (di hanh huong den La Vang)
To: kronos77
The Popov-Hoover-FDR link has been in the historical background for at least 40 years.
I first read about it in the late 1960s/early 1970s while building up my private library on insurgent/counter insurgent operations.
The problem that Popov faced with Hoover was two fold. First, he had a demonstrated history of turning. While common in most of the world, Americans, even today, have a hard time dealing with people who switch sides. Second, Popov had a criminal background. Hoover who had completely revamped the FBI less than 20 years earlier wasnt going to deal with any one who had a criminal record unless he (Hoover) controlled him.
The in-born (in-bread?) American prejudice against people who change sides and have a criminal history hurt us in 1941 and continue to hurt us today. Will we ever learn?
by 11 posted onby Nip (SPECTRE - taking out the enemy one terrorist at a time; at night; without warning or mercy)
To: Eclectica
by 12 posted onby DTA (Mr. President, Condy is asleep at the wheel !)
To: DTA
History is not completely overturned over because one person wrote a book as Robert Stinnett has done with his Day Of Deceit.
Look, yes, the info and intercepts were there, but no one person had it all in one place to put it all together that the Japs were going to hit Pearl.
Consider this, if FDR did know about the attack and wanted to let it happen, what about the following? In the hours before dawn, U.S. Navy vessels spotted an unidentified submarine periscope near the entrance to Pearl Harbor. It was attacked and reported sunk by the destroyer USS Ward (DD-139) and a patrol plane. At 7:00 a.m., an alert operator of an Army radar station at Opana spotted the approaching first wave of the attack force. The officers to whom those reports were relayed did not consider them significant enough to take action. The report of the submarine sinking was handled slowly awaiting the request for further confirmation, and the radar sighting was passed off as an approaching group of American B-17s due to arrive that morning.
Now, did FDR order the Navy to slow down the Ward's attack report or the Army to disregard the radar reports?
Of course not! It was a long, long trail of many errors that gave the Japs their success at Pearl Harbor, but in the long run their sinking and damaging all the battleship there made it clear the aircraft carrier would win or lose the Pacific war. The Japs' carriers didn't, our did.
I am not a Roosevelt fan, but no US President... With the possible exception of Bill Clinton... would allow an attack on the US if he knew about it before hand.
by 13 posted onby Bender2 (Algore himself is an inconvenient truth...)
To: kronos77
Ah, Serbs, is there anything they can't do?
To: PAR35
FDR was just one of the boys, owned by Mandel House, Morgan, DuPont, et al. Col Mandel House, was described in Woodrow Wilson's own diary as his "Alter Ego"....
You are however, absolutely correct....They did move the carriers because the "planners" knew that the carriers would be needed for the war they instigated...and have been instigating since WWI.
by 15 posted onby tgambill (I would like to comment.....)
To: M-cubed
There is absolutely a Shadow Government that has been running things as far back, as you don't want to know. I've been studing this over the past 8 years and only recently have come to understand how it is organized and how it has functioned over the generations. It's an amazing agenda and using very complex strategy.
The Shadow Government does exist and works through the CFC and RIIA, for starters............
by 16 posted onby tgambill (I would like to comment.....)
To: Bender2
no US President... With the possible exception of Bill Clinton... would allow an attack on the US if he knew about it before hand.<<
Citation needed...
To: ozzymandus
>>>>Ah, Serbs, is there anything they can't do?<<<< Sure there is. When Nikola Tesla started working for Edison, Edison promised Tesla 50,000 dollars, which is about one million dollars in today's term, if he would make inventions for him. Tesla did, and then when he asked for his payment Edison laughed and told him that he "did not understand our American sense of humor". Dusko Popov also did not understand American sense of humor and he did not figure out that Edgar J. Hoover was perhaps the biggest American joke of the 20th century.
by 18 posted onby DTA (Mr. President, Condy is asleep at the wheel !)
To: M-cubed
Re My: "no US President... With the possible exception of Bill Clinton... would allow an attack on the US if he knew about it before hand.<< "
Your: "Citation needed..."
If anything needs to be certified, it is your sanity to believe any US President... Again with the possible exception of Bill Clinton... would allow an attack on the US if he knew about it before hand.
by 19 posted onby Bender2 (Algore himself is an inconvenient truth...)
To: DTA
You may choose to start digging from here: And you, here: http://www.answers.com/topic/pearl-harbor-advance-knowledge-debate We knew that attacks could come at Midway or Pearl. Evidence shows that FDR may have never seen more indicative reports. Author Stinnett had a book to write, which reads like a kind of "grassy knoll", designed to make money. At Pearl, we weren't altogether asleep: a mini-sub was sunk earlier that morning, and they were known to be launched from submarines. I'd call it Denial. BTW: I've traveled via the SS Lurline.
by 20 posted onby Eclectica (Ask your MD about Evolution. Please!)
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DETROIT -- Two things are evident in the wake of Tuesday's decision by the Tigers to send closer Bruce Rondon home for the season.
First, Rondon's teammates fully support the move, made by manager Brad Ausmus and general manager Al Avila as a response to growing concerns about Rondon's lack of maturity and professionalism. Ausmus cited Rondon's "effort level," although he declined to elaborate on the move.
Second, his teammates also recognize the sort of talent Rondon, 24, possesses and the value he can provide and would welcome him back with open arms if he uses this disciplinary action to work on those areas that appear to be lacking.
"Absolutely. Absolutely," Ian Kinsler told ESPN.com after Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Chicago White Sox. "Everybody grows up, everybody changes, everybody makes mistakes, and if he shows that he wants to compete and compete with his teammates, then absolutely."
Bruce Rondon was sent home amid growing concerns about the 24-year-old pitcher's lack of maturity and professionalism. AP Images/Orlin Wagner
Third baseman Nick Castellanos echoed Kinsler's sentiments and fully endorsed Rondon's return next season, provided the issues that sent him packing do not continue to be a problem and a distraction to the team.
"Without a doubt," Castellanos told ESPN.com "Because our number one goal is we want to win, and he has the stuff to help us win."
That is what makes Rondon's apparent apathy so maddening for his teammates and the organization. He is regarded as having a powerful arm, yet in recent outings he was decidedly passive in letting his fastball go. Although he is able to hit between 97-100 mph on most occasions, his fastball in his last appearance, in the ninth inning of the club's second game of Monday's double-header, was in the low-to-mid 90s.
Rondon's teammates knew something was off. So did Ausmus, who when questioned whether Rondon was injured said he felt fine.
"To be frustrated that things aren't going your way and just pout and do that, it's not going to accomplish anything," Castellanos said. "It doesn't mean that it can't click for him in the future if he figures it out, because without a doubt he has the stuff to be an All-Star closer in the game of baseball. I guess it's just all the intangibles he has to bring back together to make it complete. If this is a disciplinary action that the front office thinks is necessary, the players are going to be on board."
Castellanos said in an earlier interview with Detroit's 105.1 radio station that Rondon's "antics" bothered his teammates and that a few veterans approached Rondon about these things.
Kinsler, a heart-and-soul leader for the Tigers who has acted in many ways as the club's de facto captain, chose his words carefully. He wanted to respect the fact that Rondon remains a member of the team.
"It's kind of sensitive because Bruce is still part of this team and he's someone that can be a big part of this team in the future," Kinsler said. "So it's tough for me as his teammate to comment on the situation. I'm completely for what the organization decision is. If they want to make a decision and they think it's beneficial to the organization, then I'm for it. And hopefully, Bruce can recognize what happened and appreciate where he's at and what opportunity he has and come back and be ready for next year."
Justin Verlander, the resident leader of the Tigers' pitching staff, said he wants to set his example on the mound, and he did just that Wednesday with a dazzling performance punctuated by eight strikeouts and a final at-bat in which he fanned catcher Geovany Soto with a 99 mph fastball.
"I don't think you can say, 'OK, I'm going to set an example of effort level,'" Verlander said. "That just comes. You lead by example. I've always been someone that when I go out there everything I've got on that given day is what I give you. You know you're going to get 100 percent from me."
Asked how he felt about the Rondon situation, Verlander said, "Yeah, it's disappointing, but that was our management and Brad's decision, and it is what it is."
Disappointment seemed to be the consensus among Tigers players, with Castellanos saying he felt similarly let down.
"It's extremely disappointing, because to play in the big leagues is a privilege" Castellanos said. "And you should want to represent yourself and the organization as best you can every day you wear a uniform, you know?"
Kinsler pointed out one more thing.
"One thing you've got to remember is that talent doesn't always win. You've got to work hard," said Kinsler, a former 17th-round draft choice who worked his way to stardom in the majors. "You've got to have some sort of drive, some sort of competitive edge. It's not the team that is the best, it's the team that plays the best that wins on any particular day. Regardless of talent or results, I just want my teammates to play hard and compete and try to win, and that's really it." |
Hi everyone!
First of all, many apologies for the last month update skip.
A few crucial things have happened in the last couple of months and some very important decisions have been made as well as we'll try and explain.
1. Additional Funding Acquired
This has been lurking over the dev team for almost a year now and with the scope of the game having expanded quite a bit since the end of Kickstarter both in terms of scale and depth, we knew we had to find additional resources to finance the project at some point.
That point has come and after months of discussions, negotiations, term agreements, paperwork and so on, we've finally secured additional funding (amount we can't disclose right now) which basically means we can finally just make what we'd like to make without having to worry about whether a certain feature is "worthwhile" or limited by pipeline issues. We believe everything is worthwhile since we know some of you will enjoy it and appreciate it.
So money issues are completely gone for the time being and our mind and soul is replenished with creativity once again.
2. UE4 Pipeline Hurdles
On the dev side, there have been a few fundamental issues mostly related to creating and polishing the quality of all character movements in UE4.
We've been looking into these issues (such as use of root motion and mirroring animations) for some time and the great guys at Epic have also been very supportive in trying to resolve this with us. Although we can simply do away with this like many other games but with our minimalistic concept, fluent, seamless motion details are crucial and we needed to perfect this at whatever the cost.
Fortunately we were able to find a solution by creating our own new set of pipelines in the asset preparation process so hopefully things will be smooth sailing for a while.
3. New Recruits!
With additional funds secured and pipeline sorted out, we've managed to take on board additional team members to really start grinding.
We've taken on 6 additional talents - 2 modelers, 1 animator, 1 support artist and 2 UE4 programmers. That brings our team to a total of 12 now and we'll be keeping it that way until our main build.
We have received many applications from abroad but in the end, the distance and time barrier was hard to overcome and until we are in a position to open up office in the U.S. or perhaps somewhere in Europe, at the moment, we don't think remote working and communications will cut the cake. Although we'd like to bring talent over here, we're just not that well off yet :)
All our new members will start their 1st day during next month so we really anticipating to pick up greater momentum and energy as well as added creativity.
4. New Project Milestones
We are aware that many backers are rightly curious as to the release date and so I guess it's our duty to share with you at least our new set of milestones.
As many of you have assumed and inquired already, the original expected release date which we noted at the start of our KS campaign was um.... now :) To explain simply, like many other who have come before us, we just had to put something up based on very rough "gut" estimates on the basic game features we had in mind.
With design depth and scope being continuously evolved, new, better ideas emerging, asset management issues arising, pipeline changes being made and so forth, we are now very much more confident in announcing a more realistic schedule.
Key milestones are as follows:
Feb 2017 - Main build (all core key features)
Mar 2017 - GDC
Jun 2017 - E3
End 2017 - Full Build (World build)
2018 - Early access, QA, localization, release
Early access timings will need to be announced based on the level of standard achieved during the full build and in reality, release dates will need to be decided with publishers and platforms.
We're still hoping for a concurrent platform release but according to many advice from professional experience, that's going to be tough with differing QA processes and interests. At the very least, we are targeting PC (Steam, GOG etc.) + a console or minimal release time gaps among the other platforms.
This is also the actual general milestone we have obliged by and bound to our new investment company so schedule management is "also" a top priority - second to product quality of course :)
We know many have optimistically hoped for a much sooner release and we apologize for having to announce this now but we've just managed to sort everything out over the past couple of months and we are content that at least finally we are announcing something we're confident with.
A quick note also that in future updates, please understand that we are somewhat limited in our freedom in disclosing some key designs and/or visuals (not that we've shown off plenty anyway...) but we'll do our best to sneak in a few shots here and there and share some more ideas "with the purpose of receiving constructive feedback and response from the community" :)
We can only ask for your continued moral support and belief, so in due course, we can kick some serious butt!
Finally, we'd like to ask all readers to please hold off your sound/music score/translation/localization/collaboration/marketing inquiries until towards the end of the year since we cannot get around to give these issues serious thought it deserves.
Thanks once again and back to work. |
Lobbyists Are Back on the Prowl
The White House killed the notion of the “border adjustment” tax by excluding it from its plan, a victory for retailers, oil companies and other importers who have railed against the idea of taxing imports. But with the Trump administration preparing to ax all individual deductions except for mortgage interest and charities, not everyone is happy. The National Association of Realtors has already expressed its displeasure with the doubling of the standard deduction, arguing that it waters down the tax benefits of owning a home. Other trade groups and special interests will find other parts of the tax plan to attack or support.
Helping the Rich, but the Rest?
As a candidate, Mr. Trump suggested that rich people like him should actually pay more taxes. But nothing in his tax outline suggested that would be the case. The repeal of the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax and the extraordinarily low business tax rates suggest that the rich will do quite well under Mr. Trump’s plan. What is more, Mr. Trump’s advisers could not offer any insights into how middle-income Americans would fare under his plan. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was asked on ABC’s “Good Morning America” whether the middle class wouldn’t be paying more taxes. “I can’t make any guarantees,” he said.
And Then the President’s Taxes
Since Mr. Trump insists on breaking tradition and keeping his tax returns private, they become a potent issue. From what is known about Mr. Trump’s wealth and the bits of his tax information that have been made public, he would have quite a lot to gain from his proposal. The repeal of the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax would be a boon for Mr. Trump, as would a lower corporate tax rate and a territorial system that would let foreign profits go untaxed. As each detail of his plan becomes clearer, critics of Mr. Trump will muddy the policy debates by using his taxes as a rallying cry of opposition. |
"I believe there is a powerful argument that your proposal is simply not retroactive. Taxpayers can avoid the tax completely by repurchasing shares they sold to the United States; the excise tax would be imposed, not on prior bonuses, but on the taxpayer's affirmative post-enactment decision not to repurchase those shares at the same price that the shares were sold to the United States."
"Even if the excise tax were... viewed as having retroactive effect, the Supreme Court has generally given a high level of judicial deference to economic legislation and has repeatedly upheld retroactive taxation as constitutional, so long as the legislation is 'supported by a legitimate legislative purpose furthered by rational means...'"
[snip]
"Your legislative proposal presents a particularly strong case for constitutionality since it has only a modest look-back-period, as was the case in Darusmont, and is arguably a curative measure (with regard to the executive compensation provisions of TARP), as was the case in Carlton.
Edward D. Kleinbard
Chief of Staff
Joint Committee on Taxation |
LINCOLN PARK — One of Chicago's most expensive homes has sold.
A 14,000-square-foot mansion, 1955 N. Burling St., sold Tuesday for more than $13.3 million, according to Crain's, which first reported the news.
That makes it the second-highest price paid for a Chicago home this year, Crain's reports. An associate of filmmaker George Lucas paid the highest price for a Chicago home this year, spending $18.75 million on a Park Tower condo.
The asking price for the seven-bedroom Burling Street mansion, which covers five city lots, was $16.9 million.
Some of the home's amenities include a six-car garage, indoor swimming pool and spa and a home theater.
It also has a garden area south of the main residence that takes it design cues from the Dumbarton Oaks estate in Washington D.C., a listing agent previously told DNAinfo Chicago.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: |
Andy Murray kept a bedside vigil in a Melbourne hospital on Saturday night while doctors monitored the condition of his 58-year-old father-in-law, Nigel Sears, who collapsed earlier in the stands at the Australian Open.
Murray won through to the fourth round, unaware of what had happened while he was on court, then rushed immediately to the hospital about a mile from the tournament venue to be with Sears, whose daughter, Murray’s wife Kim, is at home in London awaiting the arrival of their first child.
Andy Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears collapses during Ana Ivanovic match Read more
Murray’s continued participation in the tournament was not immediately in doubt, although he had said earlier he would leave Melbourne if news came through that his wife was about to give birth imminently. If Murray thought Kim’s father’s collapse was sufficiently distressing for her that he needed to be with her – with the birth expected in the next few weeks – it is possible he could decide to go home early.
His long-time friend and Great Britain Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, said, “If Nigel is absolutely fine, it will be business as usual. But obviously Andy needs to find out what exactly happened.”
Andy Murray beats João Sousa at Australian Open in extraordinary circumstances Read more
Sears had been watching the player he coaches, the former world No1 Ana Ivanovic, against the American Madison Keys on the tournament’s main court, the Rod Laver Arena, which adjoins the court where Murray was playing, Margaret Court Arena.
ESPN reported there was “a pool of blood” where Sears collapsed and fell after the first game of the second set. There were gasps around the arena and Ivanovic, alerted to movement in the stands, looked up to her box and was heard on the courtside microphone saying, “I think it’s my coach.” Medics applied a defibrillator and, after attending to him for 20 minutes, carried Sears away on a stretcher.
Andy Murray v João Sousa, Madison Keys v Ana Ivanovic: Australian Open 2016 – live! | Les Roopanarine Read more
While play was suspended for 50 minutes, Ivanovic told friends in the locker room that “Nigel had similar episodes before”. She was visibly upset on her return, lost in three sets and later cancelled her scheduled press conference.
Within moments of beating the Portuguese João Sousa 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours and 24 minutes, Murray was met at the end of the players’ tunnel by his mother, Judy, who took him into a quiet room and told him what had happened. The world No2 dashed past waiting journalists through the corridors of the complex to a waiting car, still in his match kit with his bag over his shoulder.
His brother, Jamie, who had been liaising with the tournament director, Craig Tiley, said Sears was “undergoing tests” but was “conscious, talking and sitting up”. He had had an ECG heart test in the ambulance and again at the Epworth Hospital in nearby Richmond. The hospital later described Sears’s condition as “stable”.
Wimbledon referee Andrew Jarrett, who is working here as an assistant referee, accompanied Sears in the ambulance.
“It was very worrying to begin with and, when I saw him lying on the steps, he looked so grey facially,” he said. “They gave Nige an ECG in the ambulance on the way to hospital and another when he got there. The results of both of those were fine. Now they are doing some blood test on him, which will more accurately determine what the problem is.
“I was a lot happier when I left the hospital than when I arrived. He was totally conscious and talking very normally. All he wanted to know was how Ana’s match was going. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is discharged from the hospital in the morning.”
He added: “I’m not quite sure how all the blood ended up on the steps. I saw no sign of Nigel cutting his head at all but the sleeve of his tracksuit was bloodied, and maybe the medics pushed something into his arm.” |
Subsets and Splits