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Mission
Toronto Bee Rescue has been serving Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area since 2011, collecting swarms and removing honeybee colonies. We are now looking to expand our local bee yards by purchasing additional honeybee colonies and equipment. Our goal is to purchase 10 honeybee colonies.
Timeline
November/December 2014: Place order 10 honeybee colonies for pickup in May 2015. Placing our order early ensures that we will be at the top of the waitlist to receive honeybees in Spring 2015.
February 2015: Begin assembly of hive boxes and frames. Paint hive boxes.
March 2015: As soon as the snow clears, prepare new hive locations. This is done by ensuring hives will be on level ground. We will be moving skids to these locations to place the hives on and will use cinder blocks/smaller pieces of wood to level out the skids.
April 2015: Place assembled hive boxes and frames at the new locations.
May 2015: Move our purchased honeybees into their new homes.
Locations
Toronto Bee Rescue has one bee yard in the City of Toronto that we can expand and are working on securing several other sites in the Greater Toronto Area for use in 2015.
Why
With the current high die off of honeybees in North America due to disease and neonicotinoids (a type of pesticide), individuals are becoming more aware of the importance of honeybees as pollinators. Honeybees are responsible for pollinating 1/3 of our crops and without their help, we would have much less to choose from when shopping for our food.
By expanding our urban bee yards, local honey (free from agricultural chemicals) will be made from various plants found in gardens and ravines throughout the city. We also hope to spread awareness surrounding the decline of local honeybee populations and what individuals can do to help.
How
We will create the bee yards in the City of Toronto by ordering all materials, assembling the hive boxes/frames, and introducing the honeybees to their new homes.
Costs
10 Colonies (Nucs) of Honeybees: $1,600
10 Hives (Woodware): $1,300
100 Frames: $1,000.00
200 Seed Packages (Seeds + Packaging) $400
Wrapping Up
The Expanding Honey Production project is scheduled to end on October 31, 2014. This is around the time when we will be winterizing or wrapping up our existing hives for the winter ahead. Honeybees can survive Canadian winters and it is our hope that ours will. We will be keeping an eye on them to ensure that they do.
Surpassing Our Goal
When our initial goal is surpassed, we will use all the additional funds to purchase additional honeybee hives. These beehives will be placed in locations within Toronto, Woodbridge or Kleinburg. |
A longtime tradition at the Orange County Fair is ending because of liability and safety questions.
Elephant rides have been a part of the fair for 25 years and nobody's been hurt, but animal rights activists have protested the rides for some time.
They claim handlers control the animals with electric prods and bullhooks, and that when you use violence on an elephant, eventually, the elephant will respond in kind.
The company that provides the elephants denies any mistreatment, but the fair’s governing board also took note of new rules from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
AZA now says humans and elephants should not occupy a shared space. Although the fair doesn’t belong to AZA, those rules open the door to possible lawsuits should an accident actually take place.
By a vote of 7-to-1, the board voted to end the rides, saying they were no longer practical or in the fair’s best interest. |
Babies take a lot of work. And before hospitals and advances in health care, not all that many survived into adulthood.
Photo by Deshakalyan Chowdhury/AFP/Getty Images
This question originally appeared on Quora.
Answer by Dan Holliday:
All modern societies evolved out of agrarian societies. Before the Industrial Revolution, the male endurance value and physical strength translated directly to political power. Men fought in wars, hunted beasts, erected buildings, and plowed fields PRECISELY because they possessed the physical stamina to do so at a far greater degree than females.
I’m a HUGE fan of saying, “History does not occur in a vacuum.” Which is a fancy way of saying, “S*** throughout human history happens for VERY good reasons.” Back before the Industrial Revolution, human fertility was the highest premium factor in existence. People lived to have babies, and babies were the most important thing men and women brought into the world. The female role in reproduction—shall we say—involves a lot more time, effort, and pain (and before recently, a hell of a lot of death). Every moment women spent pregnant (which was a LOT of time) was time that she would have been taken away from power-playing.
This was for a very good reason, reasons that no longer exist (and a reality we now live in that we take for granted). More than half of all human beings died before their second birthday. Life was largely physically challenging, oftentimes painful, and disease was relatively rampant. Life wasn’t quite as short as most people make it out to be (mean life expectancy was around 38 years because of child mortality, but only another 10 years is added once we factor in those who make it to their teens, meaning that life expectancy hovered around 48—still awfully short).
So, to put it plainly, women had a place in society that wasn’t just dictated by male prejudice (while it certainly existed); it was dictated by the needs of society. Gestating was (and is) a very time-consuming affair. Rearing children could not be done in day-care centers or public facilities. There were no public schools, no social safety nets, no labor laws: All that existed was family and church/temple/mosque (and religious organizations weren’t in the business of providing much in the way of social safety nets). Women were needed at home because the lack of sophistication in society basically relegated most men and women into the roles that they had: men = physical power / social manager and women = home power / child-bearer.
We (and I’m a passionate gender egalitarian) may want to say it was because of “those prejudiced men who kept women down!” but that’s just a bit too simplistic. Even women back then didn’t question their role; even women in power (queens) believed in those roles. Nobody knew any different! There were very real reasons rooted all the way back into the dawn of humanity, lost to the obscurity of the ages. But we know, most definitely, that the gender roles played by men and women were necessary for society to continue because life was physical, generally short, and dependent upon those roles.
Now, with the advent of the industrial and medical revolutions, suddenly there was surplus wealth (to pay for schools, social programs, safety nets), machines that equalized strength, education to give both genders a chance at contributing to society and longer human lives to fill our cities. With this, the necessity of having babies to preserve society diminished. The need for strong and durable men to work in fields, factories, and in war began to diminish because machines did the “equalizing” work. This has continued apace even to today, in places where machines do ALL of the heavy lifting and all that matters is brain power. Now, there may remain a few select jobs where brute physical strength is at a premium (front-line soldiers, miners, construction, etc.) and those are likely to continue to be dominated by men for obvious reasons.
And so the equalizing of the genders is not something that “men granted” but which society needed and women rightly demanded. We know now that no organization can prosper without tapping into the full mental and emotional potential of both genders (anything less is both a horrible waste and a recipe for failure). In fact, we’re reaching a point in development where if we do not demand that everybody contribute to their full potential, then we notice a massive creative lag in that society. More importantly, as a growing world of humanists, we understand that no society can truly be free until every citizen has the same rights; to deny even the least of its members carries the potential to deny all of its members freedom and liberty.
More questions on women: |
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Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool have a “new midfielder” in the form of vice-captain James Milner.
The 31-year-old former England international was restored to his favourite position for Saturday's 3-1 friendly win over Athletic Bilbao in Dublin having spent most of last season at left-back.
Klopp indicated that Alberto Moreno, who the Reds have been trying to sell for £15million this summer, will now stay at Anfield to compete with new boy Andy Robertson for the full-back spot.
Asked about the prospect of more new signings after being frustrated in their recent attempts to sign RB Leipzig's Naby Keita, Klopp said: “Until August 31 we'll run through the world with open eyes – that's clear.
“It's not that we decide on our own, it's also about other clubs.
“This pre-season has brought us new players. Alberto Moreno is 100% back which is really nice after a difficult year.
“Andy Robertson has shown all the skills he's got. He's still adapting to our kind of football but you can see what a threat he can be offensively.
“That means that Millie is free to play in midfield. Without going into the transfer market we have a new midfield player, which is nice.
(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“Dom Solanke has shown that he's ready to play adult football. Ryan Kent, last season he developed unbelievably, and this pre-season has been completely different for him compared to last year.
“Without too much money or the highest transfer fees, we have additions to the squad which is good.”
Liverpool signed off their pre-season on a high as goals from Roberto Firmino, Ben Woodburn and Solanke swept Athletic Bilbao aside.
The only concern for Klopp was the slack defending which enabled Inaki Williams to equalise in the first half.
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“Pre-season has been really good. We played a lot of games and we didn't lose one – that's a good sign,” he said.
“There were two draws, okay one of them we lost on penalties to Atletico Madrid. Performance wise most of the time it's been good or even better.
“For half an hour today I'd say we played brilliant football. Then we lost organisation and gave them a few opportunities which changed the game a little bit. But perfection in pre-season is the biggest mistake you can make.
“We know we have to be really concentrated to be really stable. When we are stable we can play really good football.
(Image: Brian Lawless/PA Wire)
“In the second half with a very young side we struggled a bit at the beginning but then we started playing and it was nice to see.”
Liverpool were depleted for the trip to Ireland but Klopp hopes to have Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge back available for next Saturday's Premier League opener at Watford.
“Everyone knows about the injury of Adam Lallana which is a big blow,” Klopp said.
“This team has had to deal with plenty of difficult situations and we will deal with this too.
“Phil had a back problem yesterday so there was no reason to take any risk. Hendo has been a bit ill and Daniel has a little muscle problem.
“We will manage it and we will rotate. From tomorrow onwards, I will be preparing for the Watford game and then the next game.” |
Scott Heppell/Associated Press
Football is not always about beauty. It’s not just about attacking, brilliant dribbling or gorgeous sweeping moves. It’s also about defending, about getting the balance right, about winning the ball back, about the unglamorous but necessary jobs.
This is often a problem for national managers. The players who are hyped are not the grafters. They are the ball players, the forward-surgers, the technical virtuosos, the goalscorers.
We have to pick Lampard! We have to pick Gerrard! We have to pick Scholes! We have to pick Beckham! We have tactical incoherence.
A national manager may find himself with four excellent attacking midfielders; it’s the nature of the job. It’s not like club management where he can trade one of them for a holding player. He has to take tough decisions and leave one of them out.
Roy Hodgson, it seems, hopes he can convert Jack Wilshere into a holding player who, with the energy of Jordan Henderson and Fabian Delph or James Milner alongside him, can provide enough of a defensive shield.
Perhaps he’s right, but it seems strange he hasn’t at least called into his squad a 26-year-old holding player who has flourished over the past year.
When Lee Cattermole was named North-East Sports' Writers Player of the Year for 2014, there was widespread scepticism from outside the region.
Scott Heppell/Associated Press
Saturday’s performance against Chelsea, though, will perhaps convince some of those who have not seen him go from strength to strength under Gus Poyet.
He is a player of great physical courage, as he showed with three superb first-half blocks, but he has also become a player of great discipline and tactical intelligence.
With his shorts hitched high, tirelessly patrolling that area in front of the back four, Cattermole was a key figure in Sunderland’s progress to the Capital One Cup final and their late rally to Premier League survival last season.
Part of Cattermole’s problem is that his reputation goes before him. He has become the stereotype of the thuggish English midfielder, the hard man who has outgrown his era.
For a time, that reputation was deserved. He had, after all, been sent off five times in the Premier League by the age of 22.
In the last four years, though, he has been sent off only once—and even that was a highly debatable decision for a slightly misjudged tackle on Ahmed Elmohamady.
Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
It is true that he’s been booked six times already this season, so perhaps there has been some backsliding, but up to a point cautions are inevitable for a holding midfielder who makes tackles.
Perhaps the change in Cattermole’s approach is a result of him maturing, but he also seemed to change when playing alongside the Albania midfielder Lorik Cana in 2009-10.
Cana was an elegant hard man, somebody whose brooding good looks and charismatic demeanour seemed to earn him a dispensation denied Cattermole.
That season, Cana did his share of the dirty work, leaving Cattermole to perform a more distributory role. It turned out he was good at it.
He was never going to play the languorous long passes Cana did, but he could bullet the ball to team-mates, initiating rapid breaks.
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
After Cana left in the summer of 2010, Cattermole seemed to feel the burden of being the destroyer and was sent off in the opening three games of the following season. Since then, though, he has cleaned up.
According to figures from WhoScored.com, Cattermole averages 3.1 tackles and 2.6 interceptions per game; he wins the ball more than all but three other Premier League midfielders. His pass success rate, meanwhile is 81.3 percent, a highly respectable figure for somebody in his position.
It’s hard to see what more Cattermole has to do: He wins the ball and distributes it simply. He has ceased to be a red card waiting to happen.
Nobody is pretending he is a holding midfielder of the class of Javier Mascherano, Claude Makelele or Didier Deschamps, but then neither was Nobby Stiles.
Sometimes there’s a need to look beyond glamour to the reliable performers who can get the job done. |
During an announcement of the signing of the so-called “Merry Christmas Bill,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry and state Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) said Thursday that freedom from religion was not included in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“I’m proud we are standing up for religious freedom in our state,” Perry said. “Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion.”
The new law states that students and school officials have the right to use religious greetings like “Merry Christmas” and display various religious holiday symbols on school grounds.
“I think it was Thomas Jefferson who said the price of liberty is eternal vigilance,” Nichols remarked. “One of those freedoms is the freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and as the governor was saying the Constitution refers to the freedom of religion, not the freedom from religion.”
“So, challenges to these freedoms that we enjoy can come in a lot of different ways,” the state senator continued. “They can come in very large ways like the war on terror or our freedoms can be taken away in small ways like the removal of a Christmas tree from a classroom.”
Watch video, uploaded to YouTube, below: |
What Are Bob Ross Paintings Worth? A Bob Ross Painting Sold in Aspen for $2 MILLION.
Bob Ross, the fluffy-headed and soft-spoken TV painter who taught a generation of people how to paint with his TV show, “The Joy Of Painting” would have been 76 years old now if he were still alive. Sadly the gentle guy who was hated by art “experts” for quickly drawing and painting “happy little farm houses” surrounded by “old and grouchy trees” went to the great easel in the sky in 1995 — but he’s getting the last laugh as far as those artsy fartsy art people are concerned — and nobody deserves it more. Here is a list of Bob Ross Paintings and how much they sold for: Dan Galleries Bob Ross prices.
Yesterday, at a private auction in Aspen, Colorado USA, an original Bob Ross, “Creeks and Cricks,” a landscape he painted on the air in 1985 — sold at auction for $2,000,000 to an art collector from Dubai who had come to know Bob Ross from the British TV series, “Peep Show,” a popular show where the Bob Ross paintings were featured and where Ross was referred to by cast members as “GOD.” Of course this was meant to mock American tastes, but it’s part of the buzz that has made Bob Ross’ work more and more valuable.
We asked one expert about why there was such a great demand for this painting.
“It should come to no surprise to anyone that paintings by Bob Ross would eventually fetch into the millions,” said art curator and art historian Matilda Trotta Phd, who has worked with some of the greatest works of art ever to be created.
“Bob Ross was a strange genius, and when he was alive a lot of people in the incredibly fake and phony art world sneered at him. It was always petty jealousy from people with little or no talent or the dreaded ‘invented talent’ which is the worst kind of parasite there is in the world of what passes for art nowadays.
“You had, and still have, these uninspired and self-proclaimed artists who throw a little paint on a canvas, then do something to evoke a socially or religiously offensive response, and hang it in a Soho gallery and then go on to think they are the hottest thing since Giotto, when, in fact, the average artist on display in modern art museums throughout the USA and Europe, have no real talent at all. Their only talent is accumulating interest and publicity about a great artistic talent they don’t actually possess. It’s a total con job.
“Keep in mind that the great artists of the past had patrons come to them and stand in awe of their art, but in recent years, artists like Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst and so many others have totally invented themselves as ‘artists,’ when in fact they basically have, or had, no true talent aside from self-promotion. It’s an ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ kind of thing and it has ruined the world of real art for over 40 years — perhaps even longer and as far back as Chagall and Dali.
“Today, and for several decades, it’s all about image and buyers being conned into buying junk with the belief that if they themselves don’t like a Buick hubcap dipped in red acrylic and covered with dried pasta, they must be stupid or unsophisticated greenhorns, when in fact the complete opposite is true. If you think something looks like crap — no matter how much the people around you praise its greatness or define its meaning — it’s probably crap.
Ross, on the other hand, could create tranquil beauty, and he did it in two mediums. He created a still image on a moving TV projection. Think about what that means? Bob spoke to and about the paintings as he created them. The artwork exists on two planes of reality. One was three-dimensional, the painting itself, and the other was two dimensional, the image you see on the TV. It’s the ultimate definition of what is actually art as we know it to be. Are Bob Ross’ works so simplistic as some people claim? Totally not. They are unique and they are the truest form of folk art or TV art of the modern age up to the year 2000.
“Bob Ross painted pretty paintings on a TV screen — and there is where the true art of it all rises to the surface. Naturally there are art critics who will decry this, but in truth there is no such thing as an art critic who really knows anything beyond his limited skill set. A critic in the art world is usually someone who has failed as an artist or a dealer in fine and real art. They can’t discover real art, so they invent some. They anoint junk as fine art and sell it.
“Just because a dealer lives in a penthouse above Central Park West, don’t assume they have any tact or maners or dignity or taste. They’re as slimy as they come and they are taught — or perhaps they have conned themselves — into believing that certain modern artists are talented because that’s how they paid for the penthouse apartment. For the most part, the artists who get attention today are unbearably untalented and pretentious media darlings who somehow scammed someone who in turn conned someone else and so on and so on.
“Art critics and many of the drones who follow them, are a pretentious lot of very silly and often delusional people. They live in a self-invented fantasy world where they are caught up in cocktail parties and social climbing. They invent praise for junk art and they manufacture art-world talk like the kind of commentary you’d hear from an auctioneer, ‘You can see how the artist denies entry to light between the orange cubes,’ was my recent favorite stupid statement at a recent exhibition in Gramercy Park.
If you’ve ever wondered why they serve wine at art openings, there’s your answer. I mean, you have to be a little drunk to get caught up in absurd moments like that.
“They’re the kind of people who would buy Yoko Ono’s moldy shower curtain for $300,000 and think they have a masterpiece — and I am not joking. To make it easy for your readers to understand, let’s say that a man goes out into the streets without any credentials and simply shoots dogs and cats with a gun, and then declares himself to be the city’s Animal Control Officer. That is what an art critic does. That is how one becomes an art critic. It’s pathetic and it’s a complete fraud and it’s what hurts — but eventually helps — artists like Bob Ross.
“Of course you have true art historians. You can tell the top ones, because they refrain from blubbering over the junk that passes for art today. The last great art historian I know is Sister Wendy Beckett. Now retired, she is an Anglican nun from Public TV and the BBC. She knows more about art than any broker or dealer in London or New York combined simply because she isn’t trying to con the nouveaux riche and gullible lottery winners or internet bubble kids into buying pure junk — and that’s what it is — let’s call a spade a spade here.”
Bob Ross’ “Creeks and Cricks — which is nothing more than a brilliant study in fading light and solitude — sold for $2,000,000 because it will be worth 10 times that amount in 20 years as Bob Ross emerges more and more as a cultural hero of old TV and old media. It also doesn’t hurt that his work is good solid work in spite of what critics say about it. Of course, these critics and dealers — and they are often one and the same working hand in glove — will hone in on the Bob Ross market, and that will be shameful. They will pretend that they were always Bob Ross fans, when in fact they may have driven driven the poor man to his grave with their vicious criticism and cruelty. I urge all Bob Ross admirers to buy from old school galleries and never deal with a dealer who gives you a business card whilst talking glowingly about Bob Ross. You will be seeing plenty of those.”
Aside from the painting about which we spoke to Professor Trotta, a few other Bob Ross paintings sold for $750,000 and $557,000 respectively — there are hundreds of paintings in the Bob Ross collection. This does not include drawings and unfinished or scrapped paintings which have been saved.
It’s nice to see a gentleman like Bob Ross finally being rewarded for his unique talent and gently quirky style and manner.
Another art historian who prefers to remain anonymous, says that Bob Ross’ work will reach out to future generations as an entirely different form of true art as a pre-internet technology of art for the sake of art. The danger of course will be the counterfeit stuff. It is easy for some painters to imitate what Bob Ross did, but thankfully Bob Ross had a secret way to prevent that from happening. I can’t say what that secret is because I don’t know, but Ross did leave behind meticulous records and he had other hidden techniques that can be used to prove that every one of his painting is authentic. Bob must have known that someday his work would be respected. The information about how he secretly marked his paintings for authenticity is locked in a vault in central Florida, USA. |
If the modern world has taught us anything, it is that technology – in the context of popular culture – matters. The intersection of technology and popular culture is social media, and so it is no surprise that the majority of news is now absorbed through social media platforms. We don’t actually read the news articles we see on social media, of course; most of the time, we absorb the headlines and thumbnail images before moving on to the next infotainment bite. The rise of clickbait headlines, which entice the reader to navigate past the jump, is a direct result of this phenomenon. News headlines used to impart the least you need to know about a story, giving you the who, when, where and what; now they encourage you to click because, hey, you’ll never guess what happened next. In the technology-integrated, social-media saturated world, everything is intertwined. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and everything has some greater cultural meaning. An upcoming Disney movie, “Zootopia,” is no exception.
Emily Gaudette, writing for Inverse, said it best early last month: “When Disney released an explanatory teaser for 2016’s ‘Zootopia,’ one could almost hear the sound of a billion DeviantArt accounts whirring to life. … The film’s teaser alone reads like an explanation of the furry manifesto: that anthropomorphized animals can be sexualized and identified with as easily as humans. … Could it be a coincidence that Disney chose a fox protagonist for its first fully anthro feature, considering foxes are arguably the most popular ‘fursona’ cited by furries? Many furries name the hero of Disney’s animated Robin Hood, also a fox, when recalling their first sexual feelings for anthropomorphized animals.”
Wait, what? Yes, you read that correctly: Disney’s new film, “Zootopia,” is arguably an attempt to mainstream “furry” sexuality – the practice of dressing up in fuzzy animal mascot costumes in order to engage in one’s perverted, prurient practices. This column has profiled the intersection between “furry” perversion and left-wing politics before. Already, the “otherkin” movement, in which various losers redefine themselves in terms of the animals and fantasy characters with which they “identify,” are posting lists of their preferred pronouns on their self-absorbed blogs. That’s where it starts. The more society in general becomes aware of this movement, the more it will creep into the mainstream of popular culture. Once lodged there, it will be impossible to root out, and society will be that much weaker for it.
If you haven’t seen it yet, this may be because you don’t spend your time on sites like Tumblr – social media sites known to cater to the mewling safe-space crowd, who whine and cry that their fellow citizens refuse to take their delusions seriously. You may have heard of the push to redefine gender as, well, whatever the hell the individual says it is. New York City has implemented crushing fines for “misgendering” a “transsexual” person; the obvious goal is to destroy financially anyone who will not toe the politically correct line for sexually delusional Americans. But widespread “acceptance” – enforced at government gunpoint – for “trans” people did not happen in a vacuum. It began as a groundswell of activism on social media.
“Unsurprisingly, as technology has permeated the world, activism has shifted from grassroots to the Internet,” writes Michael Sliwinski. “… While this type of activism has only recently come to the forefront, it has been around for several decades. It was not until the 1990s, though, that it started gaining traction through new platforms like the launch of MoveOn.org and the use of email by protesters to organize during protests in Seattle against the WTO in 1999. …This type of activism really hit the mainstream in 2011 with the Arab Spring. In this case, protesters used social media to coordinate demonstrations, denounce authority figures and circumvent government influence. In more recent years, protests and movements like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter have continued to articulate their concerns over the Internet expanding the medium as a tool.”
When the debate over Obamacare produced the “Pajama Boy” meme, right-thinking people reacted in horror at the emasculation this imagery represented. It juvenilized young adults in a way that any real grownup would find repugnant. That is, after all, what the push toward societal acceptance – be it for furries, “otherkin,” “bronies,” transgenders, or some other sexually delusional perversion – is all about. If masculinity is the fuel on which society runs, on which innovation occurs, on which industries are built and on which wars are fought to protect a free people, then feminism, liberalism, furries, bronies, transgenders and the Star Wars cantina of progressive freaks with body image issues and self-esteem deficits is the sugar in society’s gas tank. Progressives hate themselves, so they invent new sexual personas and new deviancies to keep themselves entertained. Liberals hate families and decency, so they champion sexual perversion and child molestation while holding it up as viable “other” sexuality. Can there really be any doubt that the majority of “furries” are likely pedophiles?
First Corinthians 13:11 reads, “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I became a man, I gave up childish things.” It doesn’t matter if you are a Christian, an atheist, or an agnostic; this verse is the centuries-old acknowledgment of a societal norm that itself developed over centuries. Children grow into adulthood. Adulthood requires a casting off a childish things and ways. Children are irresponsible, impulsive and – left to their own devices – unproductive. What is this if not the modern progressive, who believes society must both support him and cater to his delusional whims?
As social media is used to promulgate countless delusional, perverted indulgences, society suffers. By embracing “furries” and other perverts, we are producing a population of incapable, weak-minded children. As our culture sags under the weight of these useless Pajama Boys and Pajama Girls, it is no wonder, then, that our foundations are beginning to show serious cracks. The mainstreaming of “furries” is the furthering of liberal destruction of society. It presages the extinction of the rational, responsible adults who once formed the backbone of our nation. This destruction started on social media, and it is there that this battle was, is and will be fought.
Media wishing to interview Phil Elmore, please contact [email protected]. |
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The government dropped a plan on Wednesday to reconvene parliament to secure approval for a goods and services tax because it lacks political support, in a new setback to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s faltering plans to revamp the economy.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gestures while speaking at an Economist conference in New Delhi, September 9, 2015. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
The retreat came as Modi’s administration has been assuring an increasingly sceptical business community that Asia’s third-largest economy can withstand global market turbulence and China’s slowdown.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the cabinet decided to end the monsoon session of parliament that had been kept alive since last month to allow for consensus on the tax known as GST.
“There was a meeting of the cabinet committee on political affairs. It was decided to recommend the president to prorogue the monsoon session. We will keep trying, we are in touch with all political parties,” Jaitley said.
The next opportunity will be in November, making it harder to meet an April 2016 deadline to implement a reform that foreign and domestic companies consider one of the best ways to spur growth.
“In truth, not only does the finance ministry’s hope of introducing the GST by April 2016 look unrealistic, implementation by April 2017 would be a stretch too,” Shilan Shah of Capital Economics said in a research note.
The decision follows a series of setbacks. With an important state election looming, Modi last month dropped a bill to make it easier for industry to acquire land after the opposition denounced it as anti-farmer.
Jaitley called for cooperation from other parties to get the tax passed by the April deadline.
“It is time for political parties to display some element of statesmanship, particularly when India is trying to emerge as an important economic force,” he said.
The government needs opposition support as it lacks a majority in the upper house.
‘MASSIVE’
The GST would replace an array of state and central levies and transform India into a more uniform market. Economists estimate that could add up to 2 percentage points to gross domestic product.
Earlier, at a gathering organised by The Economist newspaper, Jaitley warned business leaders that delays were possible to a tax that many executives said topped their list of measures they wanted the government to implement.
“It’s massive. GST has to happen,” Juvencio Maeztu, India CEO for Swedish retailer IKEA, which buys from India but has yet to open any stores. “We cannot lose more time on this.”
Fifteen months into Modi’s term, officials are pushing to kickstart a sluggish economy, despite rosy official growth figures.
The government has argued India’s relatively closed economy offers protection against the turmoil sweeping emerging markets, but India has not been immune. Most of the gains in Indian stocks since Modi took office in May 2014 have been wiped out.
Jaitley said it was vital to stay on the path of reform and build toward higher growth, which the International Monetary Fund forecasts at 7.5 percent this year. |
A Pittsburgh man stabbed in the head with a screwdriver during the Penguins’ playoff opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night refused medical attention until the game was over, police said.
The Stanley Cup contenders, ranked: red-hot Capitals can go all the way Read more
Officers were dispatched to the City of Steel Auto Detail shop in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood at 9.12pm local time on Wednesday, where they found the 43-year-old victim bleeding from the scalp, a Pittsburgh police spokesperson told the Guardian.
Authorities said the victim, who was unidentified by police but said to be the owner of the shop, was in the rear of the building when he became engaged in a verbal altercation with a 25-year-old male, whose name is also being withheld.
The conflict escalated until the younger man struck the victim in the head with a screwdriver, the officers said.
Police said the victim refused treatment for the laceration from paramedics on the scene, stating he would drive himself to UPMC Mercy hospital after the game, which he did once it finished at 10.17pm local time.
No arrest has been made yet in the incident, a spokesperson told the Guardian on Thursday afternoon.
The Penguins defeated the Blue Jackets 3-1 to stake a one-game-to-none lead in the first-round best-of-seven series. |
With a move to Chelsea drawing closer, Antonio Conte is a man under the spotlight but one of his players, Andrea Pirlo, has revealed his 'love' for the Italy national coach.
Sportsmail has been told that July 14 and 15 have been earmarked as dates for Conte’s unveiling by Chelsea — the week after the Euro 2016 final in Paris.
Interim manager Guus Hiddink has done well to steady the ship but the club are keen to bring in a manager with a long-term goal.
New York City midfielder Andrea Pirlo (left) has opened up about his admiration for Antonio Conte
The pair worked together at Juventus and now the Italian national side, where they have a strong relationship
And Pirlo, who played under Conte at Juventus as well as Italy, believes he has all the attributes to be successful at Chelsea; providing there's no interference from the board.
He told the Mirror: 'I love the man, I have nothing but respect and admiration for him. I know if he takes a job, any job, it will have to be on his terms.
The 46-year-old is in pole position to take over at Chelsea following the end of Euro 2016
'The players he wants to sign, those he wants to get rid of, the style he wants to play.
'If you sign him as your coach and then as the owner you want to start making decisions, he is not the coach for you.
'If you let him get on with things and do his methods, then you will have a team that plays attractive football and will, without doubt, be successful.' |
Melbourne doctor, Rodney Symes, attempting to provoke prosecution for euthanasia to spur test case
Updated
A Melbourne doctor who says he has been prescribing injectable medications to patients seeking to end their lives wants police to prosecute him so that he can argue the case for euthanasia in court.
Appearing on Monday night's Q&A, Rodney Symes admitted to giving two of his patients Nembutal — a barbiturate, or sleep-inducing drug that is commonly used by veterinarians to euthanase animals — to assist their suicide.
He said he had hoped his actions would prompt a test case where he could put forward his arguments for Australia's laws against euthanasia to be amended.
"I have openly gone and stated to the police that I have given a man Nembutal," he said.
"I have described the circumstances in which that happened.
"At the end of the day, the policeman said to me very kindly: 'I don't think there is enough evidence to prosecute.'"
But Dr Symes said while police had conducted a coronial inquest on one occasion, no prosecutions had yet been made against him.
"I've had policeman come into my home after I have given medication to a woman," he said.
"As they walked down the door to interview me, they said: 'Don't get alarmed doctor, this is just for a coronial inquest, not for a prosecution.'"
Actions simply 'very, very good palliation'
Dr Symes has been an advocate for physician-assisted dying for nearly 20 years, and the president of Dying With Dignity Victoria for 10 years.
He argues that providing a patient with Nembutal offers them a more complete and effective form of palliation than the painkillers often administered to patients in palliative care, such as morphine or midazolam.
"I would argue what I am doing in providing somebody with medication, is providing them with very, very good palliation," he said.
"I argue that I can provide a person with medication which provides them with palliation, relieves the psychological and existential suffering which they have when they are facing a dreadful death — I believe that is a palliative act."
He said amending Australia's euthanasia laws would provide comfort to the few Australians that are unable to control the way they die.
"I think it is absolutely imperative that a person who wants to end their life engages with their family, gets them to understand why they need to consider making a decision like this," he said.
"The vast majority of people die dignified, peaceful, comfortable deaths — if you can use that word — in the presence of their family having drawn their life to a close in the way most satisfactory for them.
"We are talking about 98 per cent of predictable deaths in this country.
"The debate we are having about euthanasing individuals is to a very small percentage of the population."
Topics: death, community-and-society, suicide, australia
First posted |
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Friday blasted President Trump for his speech alongside the president of Romania in the White House Rose Garden, calling it a "clownish performance by a reality show star."
Speaking to CNN's Jim Sciutto, Swalwell compared Trump's "unpresidential" performance to fired FBI Director James Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee the previous day.
"It's a sad time in America. You compare what we saw yesterday: a sobering, serious testimony from James Comey about his interactions with the president, and then a clownish performance by a reality show star," Swalwell said.
"To tease out, whether or not he has tapes like a season finale is approaching of a reality show is very unpresidential, and it's really time he takes this seriously."
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Swalwell was referring to Trump's refusal to say whether he has recordings of his conversations with Comey during a press conference Friday.
Trump shared a cryptic tweet last month suggesting that he had "tapes" of the meetings with Comey, details of which were shared with The New York Times following the FBI chief's ouster last month.
"Lordy, I hope there are tapes," Comey told lawmakers Thursday when asked about the president's tweet.
On Friday, Trump refused to answer yes or no when questioned about the existence of such tapes.
“I’ll tell you about that maybe sometime in the near future," Trump responded. |
Researchers from China have developed a nanosized drug delivery system with long blood circulation and peptide-enhanced tumor penetration. This system consists of red-blood-cell (RBC)-mimetic nanoparticles (NPs), which are loaded with the cancer drug paclitaxel. In combination with the tumor-penetrating peptide iRGD, the NPs significantly inhibit tumor growth and metastasis formation in a breast cancer mouse model.
Nanosized drug delivery systems can facilitate the delivery of water insoluble cancer drugs into the tumor tissue. However, previous systems suffered from fast secretion and poor cell permeability of the NPs. This leads to low, ineffective concentrations of the drugs in tumor cells. The innovative structure of the system reported by Su and co-workers overcomes these difficulties.
The RBC-mimetic NPs consist of two parts: a hybrid polymeric nanoparticle loaded with paclitaxel and a RBC-mimetic vesicle. The vesicle is extracted from a RBC membrane. While the membrane ensures the long blood circulation of the NPs, there is still a need for optimization of tumor-cell uptake. This is realized by combining the NPs with the tumor penetrating peptide iRGD. With its dual effect on tumor growth and metastasis formation, the resulting nanosized drug delivery system is a very promising option to improve therapy effects. If the RBC-mimetic vesicle is extracted from the RBCs of the patient, the system can also be a candidate for individualized treatment. |
UPDATE:
APRIL FOOL’S!
We’d never get anything done if we still worked this way. This was just a love letter to processes from day’s gone by. Hope no one feels too taken in.
PREVIOUSLY
We haven’t posted raw cover art in a long time, and one of the reasons is that we’ve completely changed how we make our covers. When we hired our in-house designer, Andres Juarez, one of our goals was to get back to the roots of comic book design. That means every single one of our covers is laid out BY HAND on top of artist Charlie Adlard’s original art. Corrections are made with white out, logos are carefully cut with X-acto knives, and we go through lots and LOTS of rubber cement and tape. In fact, Andres doesn’t even have a work computer!
Anyway, we wanted to give you a look at one of our covers (issue #153, out next Wednesday), before it gets sent off to color processing:
Pretty cool, huh? You can see all of the imperfections that are carefully concealed in the final product, including some whited out areas (Charlie!), acetate pegs, tape, and approval marks.
Here’s our photomechanical transfer, where the elements are combined into a larger-format photo-exact copy:
The combined, cut, cleaned up, and enlarged acetate (above, taped to some bristol board for shipping) is sent to colorist Dave Stewart, who does his colors DIRECTLY on the back of the acetate, meticulously working on the reversed image:
If it looks a little messy, it’s because the black ink actually blocks out a lot of the color when the acetate is flipped. The final colored acetate is sent back to us for another round of approvals before we send it to Image for production. Every single one of these steps requires, time, patience, approval, and FedEx! It all adds up: It takes about 3 months to complete a cover! But it’s worth it for the final product:
THE WALKING DEAD #153
STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN
ART: CHARLIE ADLARD, STEFANO GAUDIANO & CLIFF RATHBURN
COVER: CHARLIE ADLARD & DAVE STEWART
APRIL 6
32 PAGES | Black & White | Mature
$2.99
Heavy hangs the head. |
Quickflix has secured new streaming content deals with Disney, NBC Universal and BBC Worldwide including Channel Seven’s series Revenge, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and Downton Abbey.
The announcement:
Quickflix secures new streaming content including premium TV series.
New deals with Disney, NBC Universal and BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand expand Quickflix offering in quality TV drama series.
Quickflix Limited (ASX: QFX) today announced that it has entered into agreements with The Walt Disney Company Australia, NBC Universal and BBC Worldwide ANZ to license popular and award- winning TV series programming for its streaming service.
Content licensed under these new agreements include seasons of Emmy series Downton Abbey, Golden Globe BAFTA-winning Mrs Browns Boys and other series from NBC Universal; drama series Revenge and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and other series from Disney/ABC Television Group; and hit series Sherlock, Orphan Black and Doctor Who and many other series from BBC Worldwide ANZ.
Award-winning drama Award-winning US comedy series Parks and Recreation, The TV series content will be made available through the Quickflix pay-per-episode service and on a “Season Pass” basis, where available, adding hundreds of hours of additional premium viewing.
Quickflix has also renewed its commitment with BBC Worldwide ANZ under a multi-year deal to license quality drama content for its subscription streaming service.
Commenting on the new TV programming, Quickflix CEO Stephen Langsford said “We are delighted to be entering these new content deals adding to our existing deals with major Hollywood studios and networks such as HBO. The content will service increasing demand from our existing customers and attract new customers to Quickflix.”
“We are committed to giving our audiences the best and most affordable viewing experience and the easiest access. We know customers increasingly want to instantly watch movies and premium TV series on their device of choice.”
The new content deals form part of a slate of sought-after content Quickflix is seeking to add to its service and coincides with growing demand for its streaming service. The hours streamed by Quickflix in the December 2013 quarter were 20 per cent higher than the previous quarter. Quickflix streaming is available to customers via smart TVs; Blu-ray players; game consoles; mobile devices and tablets. |
GENEVA (Reuters) - China is drawing on natural resources such as farm land, timber and water twice as fast as they can be renewed in its drive for development, a report from Chinese and international environmentalists said on Tuesday.
The report said the next 20 years would be critical to correct the situation and put the Asian giant’s burgeoning economy, with a rapidly growing population, on to a sustainable path.
“China’s average ecological footprint has doubled since the 1960s and now demands more than two times what the country’s ecosystems can sustainably supply,” said a summary of the report, issued by the Swiss-based WWF International.
It said China’s “footprint” — a measure of how much productive land and inland water resources are used up to satisfy the average current lifestyle of each member of the population — was running at 1.6 hectares per person.
This suggested that for China’s current 1.2 billion people — one sixth of the world population — to sustain this rate, it would need to either double the land and water area it uses or cut back to nearer the available 0.8 hectares per person.
The report was commissioned jointly by the WWF, formerly the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) in Beijing.
CHINESE EXPERTS
It was drawn up with the help of Chinese experts by a U.S.-based group, the Global Footprint Network, which works with the WWF to produce reports on the global, regional and national ecological impact of use of resources.
The Network reported with the WWF on Monday that many African countries were running down their natural resources in the drive for development as their populations grow, but were still using only 1.1 hectares per head, compared with the 1.3 hectares available.
It said the global average footprint was 2.2 hectares per head — significantly more than the 1.8 hectares available.
By 2050, the whole world’s current rate of drawing on natural resources and disposing of waste will require an entire extra planet, Monday’s report said.
CCICED Secretary General Zhu Guangyao, an author of the later study, “Report on Ecological Footprint in China”, was quoted by WWF as saying the next 20 years would be “a critical period ... for China to realize sustainable development”.
WWF said the report presented two strategies to tackle the Chinese problem, starting with “easy” and “slow” measures that would be simple, cheap and popular, such as investing in clean technology and changing to energy-efficient light bulbs.
After that, it said, China could implement a wider approach focusing on compact urban development, individual action, reducing hidden waste flows, carbon reduction strategies, land management and efficiency increases. |
Perry's Houston prayer summit blurs lines between church and state Perry's upcoming prayer event draws sharp criticism
Expressing objections on a variety of religious and cultural grounds, some opponents have organized a protest on Facebook, while others are urging the nation's 49 other governors invited by Perry to boycott the event.
To host the Reliant Park event, Perry chose the Mississippi-based American Family Association, a nonprofit that operates a network of 192 radio stations with 2 million followers that has been labeled a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center for what the SPLC calls the dissemination of "known falsehoods" about homosexuality. The AFA also has called for numerous boycotts against companies and entities it says "promote the homosexual agenda."
Critics also accused Perry of using a religious event to boost a possible presidential bid.
"I want to be clear that my criticism of the governor doesn't stem from my lack of appreciation for religion, rather it comes from my deep respect for religion and from not wanting religion to be prostituted for political purposes," said C. Welton Gaddy, a Baptist minister and president of the Washington, D.C.-based Interfaith Alliance. "I think the people of Texas elected him to be the governor of the state, not the pastor of the state."
Gaddy also expressed concern that Perry is organizing an event that "is not just distinctively Christian, but would be exclusionary of non-Christians. What got my attention is the close proximity between him talking about the run for the presidency and the critical condition of our nation all defined in pretty much policy issues."
The website for the event, dubbed "The Response," includes a statement from Perry: "Right now, America is in crisis: we have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters. As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles, and thank Him for the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy."
Mustafaa Carroll, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Houston, said he regretted that the service would be strictly Christian.
"We're down with the prayer part," Carroll said. "I just wish they would join other people in the prayer. It would be more productive to ask the whole community."
Several gay rights organizations also decried Perry's partnership with the AFA.
"Governor Perry's decision to work with such blatantly anti-LGBT groups on an event billed as a day of prayer is disturbing," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights organization. "Governor Perry has called on governors from all other states to join him in recognizing the day of prayer. HRC is calling on governors across the nation to not support the August 6th event, and take a stand against the hijacking of religious values by those who actively work to suppress LGBT Americans."
'Hate group' label denied
Noel Freeman, head of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, said his organization did not take offense with "the event itself. If Governor Perry wants to have a prayer event, that's his prerogative. The thing we take exception to is that his primary partner in this is an anti-gay hate group. They are primarily known for that fact. This was not a secret to either Governor Perry or his staff."
Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, rejected the label of "hate group" and characterized his organization's position on homosexuality as representative "of a lot of people who have traditional values."
"They want somebody to speak for them," he said. "We try to do that. We are reaching the Christian community with the truth about what is going on in our country."
He acknowledged that a stated purpose of the August prayer event initiated by Perry - to pray for an end to the "debasement of our culture" - refers to the increasing acceptance of homosexuality by American society.
Accused of defamation
Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report, said the AFA - through blogs and radio programs - willfully disseminates falsehoods about gays and lesbians.
"This is a group that has repeatedly defamed gay men with the falsehood claiming that gay men molest children at rates far higher than heterosexuals. And this is provably, scientifically false," he said, citing research by the American Pediatric Association and the American Psychiatric Association. "This has been well-known for many, many years. So our feeling, the American Family Association is either consciously lying or has absolutely failed to do any kind of due diligence as it engages in the personal defamation of gay men in this country."
Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for Perry, defended the governor's association with AFA.
"The American Family Association is an organization devoted to faith and strong families," she said. "We are pleased to have them as a sponsor for the event." She also denied that the event was politically motivated, saying Perry simply felt it was important to bring people together in prayer.
Potok said the AFA earned the "hate group" label based largely on the writings and radio program of Bryan Fischer, the AFA's director of issue analysis for government and public policy.
"He claims that gay people are responsible for the Nazi Party's murder of 6 million Jews. This is utterly false," Potok said.
Fischer could not be reached for comment, but in a YouTube video of a radio program discussion of Hitler, he states "virtually all of the brown shirts were male homosexuals" because Hitler found them to be especially vicious warriors.
Fischer also has asserted that gays should not be allowed to hold public office. Eric Bearse, spokesman for the prayer event, said organizers did not take into consideration the fact that Houston Mayor Annise Parker is a lesbian.
Mayor's response
Parker on Wednesday said she was aware of the AFA's anti-gay history, but she declined to criticize the event.
"No, I'm glad to have anybody's dollars coming to the city of Houston. They can come back on a monthly basis if they'd like as long as they spend money," she said. "I'm not responsible for their message. My job is to make sure that anyone who comes and chooses to use Houston as a convention venue has a safe time (and) is able to navigate the city, and we thank them for choosing Houston."
[email protected] |
Creepiest Ghost Photos Ever: The Pink Lady of Greencastle 6
We’re now down to the last two installments for the Creepiest Ghost Photos Ever series. Today, let’s take a look at a set of photos taken in the O’Hare Mansion in Greencastle, Indiana, showing the ghost that became known as the Pink Lady of Greencastle.
Photo via The P.I.R.G.
The photo above was taken by Guy Winters during a paranormal investigation in O’Hare Mansion in Greencastle, Indiana. It came to be called “The Pink Lady of Greencastle,” owing its name to the ghostly figure of a lady seemingly lit by a pinkish glow.
A friend told Winters that he and his girlfriend had a scary encounter with a ghostly entity during an attempt to have a tryst in the abandoned property. So, Winters, along with another friend Terry and a team of paranormal investigators, explored the O’Hare Mansion upon being granted permission by the property’s owner.
Armed with VHS video cameras and simple flash cameras, Winters and his group began documenting their search for several days. Finally, the group began to feel something spooky during one of their night visits. While some of his companions covered the interior of the ruined mansion, Winters started taking photos of the windows and doorways outside. He did not recall seeing anything, but when the film was developed, there it was: the vapory but also visible figure of a lady staring out from one of the windows. She is believed to be the ghost of Irene O’Hare.
The fourth frame on the lower right shows a screenshot from the analysis done on one of the photos snapped by Winters, showing something distinctly skull-like. The verdict of the photographic expert? The figure of the Pink Lady was registered on the film and was not caused by a camera malfunction or questionable activity.
Winters and his team of investigators had the chance to return to the mansion, but they never felt, saw, or photographed the Pink Lady again. The four-story brick mansion was said to be built in the early 1800s. Perhaps to steer ghost hunters away from his property, the current owner unfortunately had it demolished. A cornfield replaced the spot where the spooky mansion once stood.
So what do you think, is this real or another fake ghost photo? Tell us what you think with a comment below!
Also, don’t forget to check out the others featured in the creepy series!
Sources and additional readings:
Best Ghost Photos: The Pink Lady of Green Castle -- Paranormal Phenomena, About.com
The Pink Lady of Greencastle -- About.com
Ghost Photos from the Web -- The P.I.R.G. |
New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI): The government is planning to do away with the process of selecting the lowest bidder while acquiring high-tech defence assets, and instead entering into strategic partnership with Indian private firms in six critical sectors, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said Saturday.
The defence ministry committee headed by V.K. Aatre, a former boss of the Defence Research & Development Organisation, which is to recommend guidelines for the six areas, will file its report in three weeks.
”If you select through L1 (lowest bidder), you may end up with someone who is not capable. My aspect of a success is capability of that partner,” Parrikar told reporters here on the sidelines of a seminar organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry.
He was replying to a question whether the new policy will also apply to P75-I project under which six more conventional submarines are to be built.
Making it clear that there won't be any repetition, he said, ”If an X group has been taken in as a strategic partner in one segment, it will not be considered for another. It can participate in partnership for other products”.
He said once the domestic strategic partner is selected, talks with foreign technology provider or FDI partner will be undertaken to carry out the project.
Strategic partnership was one of the proposals of the Dhirendra Singh committee, which had recommended a slew of steps to ease the defence procurement policy.
The Aatre committee has experts from banking and chartered accountancy among others.
The six critical segments are aircraft and their major systems, warships of stated displacements, submarines and their major systems, armoured fighting vehicles and their major systems, complex weapons that rely on guidance system, C4ISTR (Command and Control System) and critical materials (special alloys and composites). |
Northeastern Illinois University is taking a big gamble: that if it finally builds on-campus housing, it can reverse declining student enrollment. But the way the university’s going about this has upset some neighbors. The university plans to acquire the properties through eminent domain, leaving owners on one block of W Bryn Mawr Ave. with little say in the matter.
Depending on who’s speaking, the 3400 block of W Bryn Mawr Ave. could be described as “sleepy,” “stagnant,” or “depressed.” But nearly every storefront is occupied. On the south side sit a Chinese restaurant, dental clinic, hair salon, and hookah cafe. On the north side, a travel agency, real estate agency, bank, and 7-11.
On a recent morning, two surveyors were casing the street. They said they were there for “the university,” measuring the dimensions of the buildings and their properties. The information could go into an appraisal of the properties’ values.
“My grandfather developed this building in 1954 and built it from the ground up,” Dolly Tong said, about her family’s property at 3411 W Bryn Mawr, which now houses a Chinese restaurant called Hunan Wok. Tong and her siblings were raised in the apartment above the restaurant space, and she still lives there with her elderly mother, whom she describes as severely disabled.
Tong said she and her siblings are only able to care for their mother with the rent they receive from leasing out the restaurant. So last winter, when they received a letter from NEIU stating that it intended to acquire the property for some compensation, she was devastated.
“We’re already feeling now this impending doom that they’re going to take away our family’s legacy,” she said. “It’s really hard.”
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Five other property owners are facing the same prospect, including the parents of John Boudouvas. His family owns the parcels just east of Tong’s. Boudouvas said when his family received their letter from NEIU, he accompanied his parents to speak with a university lawyer about it. They told the lawyer they didn’t want to sell.
“And he goes, ‘well, the university wants it, and they’re going to eventually end up getting it,’” Boudouvas recalled. “And that’s when I paused and I looked at him and I said, ‘well, how can you guys use eminent domain?’ And as I said that I realized the university is owned by the state.”
Eminent domain is the right of a government to take private property for its own use. It has to offer those property owners compensation. But Boudouvas, Tong, and other property owners say NEIU’s offer was pitiful. And they all want to know the same thing: Why won’t the university build on property it already owns?
“I think it is a really good question,” said Dr. Sharon Hahs, President of NEIU. Hahs said a 2008 student housing feasibility study identified a second site for student housing, in addition to the block on Bryn Mawr Ave. It sits on Foster Ave., on the south end of the campus, by the athletic fields.
“The answer lies somewhat in what is the most help to the community sooner,” said Hahs.
The university is planning two large multi- use buildings -- one on each side of Bryn Mawr. The ground floor would feature new retail and restaurants. Above those, enough dorm rooms would be built to fit 500 beds. Hahs hopes the project will set off a domino effect of revitalization, extending east down Bryn Mawr.
“We need to change the character of the neighborhood,” Hahs said. “It is economically depressed. And something will have to change for that to occur.”
While the university frames its decision as a desire to inject some economic pep into the slumbering Hollywood-North Park neighborhood, it’s also about the school’s survival. Last fall, NEIU enrollment dipped below 11,000 for the first time since 2001. Hahs is focused on reversing that by recruiting a greater number of students from more than fifty miles away. But she said that won’t work if the university does not offer housing for them to live in, or the amenities of a lively, young neighborhood.
The plan threatens to split the community into two camps. For Janita Tucker, who owns a home several blocks west of NEIU, this has been a long time coming.
“My husband and I purchased the property here in part because it was so close to Northeastern and North Park University,” she said, “and we wanted that university town vibe.”
But many other residents, who live in closer proximity to the proposed development, fear student dorms could change the character of their neighborhood for the worse.
Both sides have hired lawyers, and Tong is spearheading a coalition of business and property owners against the property takeover. Litigation could mean it will be years before anything really happens. But quietly, many property owners concede that unless NEIU voluntarily backs off the plan, they suspect this will be a losing fight.
Odette Yousef is WBEZ’s North Side Bureau reporter. Follow her @oyousef and @WBEZoutloud. |
On the day Singapore became independent in 1965, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew declared that "everybody will have a place in Singapore".
He also stressed that Singapore is "not a Malay nation, not a Chinese nation, not an Indian nation".
His remarks on race were not just to reassure minorities, but also a sober reminder to the Chinese majority not to oppress the non-Chinese because they themselves had felt "squatted upon" when Singapore was in Malaysia.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recalled the event at a closed-door dialogue last Saturday with 500 grassroots leaders. A transcript of his speech was released yesterday.
Recounting Singapore's early days as he spoke on race, multiracialism and its place in the world, PM Lee reminded Chinese Singaporeans of their responsibility to make minorities here feel welcome.
He said Singapore's objection to Malaysia's leaders wanting one dominant race to enjoy special rights and its belief in multiracialism led to Separation. This was one of two reasons multiracialism was made the fundamental principle on which Singapore was founded, he said.
The other was about survival as it is a majority-Chinese country in a Malay-majority part of South-east Asia. Being perceived as a "Third China" or a proxy for communist China would have caused problems with Singapore's neighbours, and "we would not have been able to live peacefully" in the region.
ONLY IN SINGAPORE After the swearing-in, I posted a picture on Instagram of myself, President Halimah (Yacob) and Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. A Chinese, a Malay and an Indian - only in Singapore. During the F1, one international visitor from Brazil saw the picture and commented on it. He said it was most amazing what we have in Singapore. He could not imagine it happening anywhere else. In fact, it is amazing. It shows what Singapore is - multiracial, meritocratic, one flag, one people. That is what makes us Singaporean. It is not just resonant rhetoric, or a warm, fuzzy feeling. We have to live it out daily, in little ways and big. PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG
Related Story PM Lee spells out why he pushed for reserved election
In the past 52 years, PM Lee said, Singaporeans have made significant progress in "becoming one people - regardless of race, language or religion". It took hard work, toil and sweat. It is "not something natural, nor something which will stay there by itself", he said.
Measures include designating English as the common working language, imposing ethnic quotas in HDB flats to ensure people of different races live together and creating group representation constituencies (GRCs) so there will always be minority MPs.
"Sometimes we think we have arrived, and that we can do away with these provisions and rules which feel like such a burden," he said. "In fact, it is the other way around. It is precisely because we have these provisions and rules that we have achieved racial and religious harmony."
Still, Singapore has yet to arrive at the "ideal state of accepting people of a different race", PM Lee said, citing surveys that show people are not completely colour-blind.
In day-to-day life, minorities also sometimes face discrimination when looking for jobs or places to rent, he added. The Chinese may not realise it, being the majority race, and "may think Singapore has 'arrived' as a multiracial society".
They, however, may get "small reminders from time to time" of racism when they go abroad.
"If you go to America or Australia or somewhere in Europe, you may know what it feels like to be treated as a minority," PM Lee said.
Younger Singaporeans, having known only peace and harmony in Singapore, may believe race does not matter any more, he added.
"But it is not so. We need to know our blind spots and make a special effort to ensure our minority communities feel welcomed and valued in Singapore," he said, adding that the Chinese community, particularly, needs to make a special effort.
This was the reason for amending the Constitution to provide for reserved presidential elections, to ensure minorities are elected president from time to time, he said.
It applies to the Chinese community too, should there not be a Chinese president for five terms, though PM Lee felt "there was no need to do so for the Chinese".
"But the Chinese community felt if you did not also make provisions for the Chinese, something was not right under the sun. So we did it, and this shows you just how sensitive and necessary this mechanism is."
Other nations too make arrangements to ensure their minorities become head of state, he noted. Canada's governor-general post alternates between the French-speaking and English-speaking communities, and Switzerland's president post is rotated among Swiss Germans, Swiss French and Swiss Italians.
"We should not be shy to acknowledge that in Singapore, the majority is making a special effort to ensure that minorities enjoy full and equal treatment," he said.
Having multiracial presidents is one important symbol of what Singapore stands for, and a declaration of what we aspire to be. "It is a reminder to every citizen, especially the Chinese majority race, that there is a role for every community in Singapore." |
By Ben Dirs
2030 GMT: Tomorrow we've got Wales v Scotland, with live TV, radio and online coverage. Wales will be hoping to win and convincingly enough to go top of the table, Scotland to get their campaign up and running and us? We just want to see some more rugby. Until then, good evening.
BBC Sport's Chris Whyatt at Stade de France: "Our reporter Jill Douglas was in the tunnel with the France players when they heard the match was called off. 'You can't imagine their reaction,' she said."
Sean Owen-Moylan on Twitter:"Fair play, been a while since an Ireland team came home from Paris undefeated."
BBC Sport's Chris Whyatt at Stade de France: "So says IRB rules: '15.5.1 After full consultation with the visiting Union, the visited Union shall have the sole right and discretion to determine whether or not an International Match shall be postponed on account of adverse weather conditions or the state of the ground. 15.5.2 Travelling and hotel expenses incurred by the visiting Union in connection with any such futile visit shall be paid by the visited Union'. Doubtful whether the FFR can stretch to reimbursing fans..."
2012: Naturally, we have country legends now on BBC Two - Bobbie Gentry on at the moment, Papa Won't You Let Me Go to Town With You? Well, you can, go and get rubbered in Paris - the game's off. It's been a strange day all round - apologies for the technical problems, hopefully someone will have it fixed for the Wales-Scotland game tomorrow. Not a lot I can do about the weather but I somehow feel responsible for that, as well. There is one constant in this cruel and capricious world, however: I love you all. Night.
Ireland head coach Declan Kidney on BBC Two: "I think the referee has made the right decision. I believe the game will be rearranged but whether it's next week which is a real tight ask or later is for the Six Nations to decide. I'm sure they're working on it as we speak so I would expect to hear maybe some time Monday. [On the players' reaction] international rugby isn't something where you turn up and go for a friendly jog around. But they're great lads and they'll settle down again."
2003: The most remarkable part about this whole thing is how a modern stadium like the Stade de France hasn't got under-soil heating. That's just weird. To be fair, the players look as bemused as the fans. That's that from the TV boys and I think we might sign off in a few minutes as well. Sorry...
Keith Wood on BBC Two: "The players were all ready to play but it is safety concerns. But why is it at the last minute that it's called off?"
2000: Just as the anthems should have been playing, the fans are being told the game has been abandoned instead. They're not going anywhere, however, looks like complete disbelief. First game abandoned in the tournament because of adverse weather for 25 years...
1958: Not sure if they've let the 80,000 people in the Stade de France know yet but this match is going to be rescheduled. I know this won't be much consolation to those Irish fans who have travelled to Paris but if it's too dangerous, it's too dangerous. Then again, as Keith Wood just pointed out, it's been ruddy freezing in Paris all week...
1953: SORRY FOLKS - IT'S OFF! UNPLAYABLE PITCH BECAUSE OF THE FREEZING WEATHER CONDITIONS
Jonathan Davies on BBC Two: "It's imperative that if there is any danger to a player's safety, it should be called off. A player's safety is first and foremost - if a player gets an injury, it's not worth it."
1945: News reaches me they are still carrying out a pitch inspection in Paris and heaters are now being brought onto the pitch - this suggests the game hasn't been given the go-ahead quite just yet: a few hard, icy patches and this game might be toast, they can't risk any injuries...
FRANCE: 15- Medard, 14- Clerc, 13- Rougerie, 12- Fofana, 11- Malzieu, 10- Trinh-Duc, 9- Parra; 1- Poux, 2- Szarzewski, 3- Mas, 4- Pape, 5- Maestri, 6- Dusautoir, 7- Hardinorquy, 8- Picamoles. Replacements: 16- Servat, 17- Debaty, 18- Nallet, 19- Bonnaire, 20- Dupuy, 21- Beauxis, 22- Mermoz.
IRELAND: 15- Kearney, 14- Bowe, 13- Earls, 12- D'Arcy, 11- Trimble, 10- Sexton, 9- Murray; 1- Healy, 2- Best, 3- Ross, 4- O'Callaghan, 5- O'Connell, 6- Ferris, 7- O'Brien, 8- Heaslip. Replacements: 16- Cronin, 17- Court, 18- Ryan, 19- O'Mahony, 20- Reddan, 21- O'Gara, 22- McFadden.
1937: When I said Ireland never won at the Parc des Princes, of course I meant in the Six Nations. France have won 11 of the last 12 encounters between the two sides and their past nine home matches in the Six Nations. Only one winner, surely? Especially given France looked pretty handy last weekend.
1932: Ireland have only won once in Paris in 40 years, when a fresh-faced Brian O'Driscoll bagged a hat-trick in a 27-25 victory. That said, Ireland haven't lost back-to-back Six Nations Tests since 2005 or their first two Tests in the competition since 1998, when they lost all four fixtures. Here's one for you: Ireland never won at the Parc des Princes.
1922: ... we will have some build-up to the France-Ireland game on BBC Two and BBC HD at 1930 GMT, stand by...
BBC Sport's Chris Whyatt at Stade de France: "Expect your opening titles on BBC2 to be dripping with Parisian history. John Inverdale has been paying a visit to the stadium where Harold Abrahams won a 100m Olympic gold medal for Britain in 1924, on a running track surrounding a ragged pitch on which the Ireland rugby team only ever won twice. He also cast his eye over an atmospheric old bowl where the boys in green never tasted victory. Don't forget, Ireland have only beat Les Bleus once in the French capital in the past 40 years..."
Sean Owen-Moylan on Twitter: "If Lancaster can explain to the RFU how charge-downs are all part of his master plan the England job's his."
1857: The team upstairs have worked their magic and we now have highlights of England's fight back in Rome, all neatly packaged in an action-packed 3 minutes 57 seconds.
1848: Just got a look at the match stats for Italy v England and, surprise surprise, they suggest it was a very tight match. Penalties conceded 10-9, ball won in open play 84-81, tackles made 85 apiece. But Italy made 15 errors to England's nine and perhaps therein lies the story.
1840: Most relieved man in Rome? England coach Stuart Lancaster must be a contender. "We recognise we still have a long way to go," he says. "The most pleasing thing was that there was no sense of panic."
1832: But before that more reaction from Italy v England. Tom Fordyce's full match report from a freezing Rome is now live and he's also put a poser out on Twitter: "Thoughts on that Eng performance? Admirable resolve when day seemed lost, makes up for poor 1st half? Morgan/Dickson to start v Wales?" Get involved via #bbcsixnations
1825: We're hearing that France v Ireland will go ahead after passing the pitch inspection - kick-off is 2000 GMT with live coverage on BBC Two, the BBC HD channel, 5 live and online.
Martin Woods on Twitter: "The Italian coach lost that match by substituting his kicker who was doing well for the worst kicker ever in 6 nations."
1801: And so to Paris, where I'm told it's even colder than it was in Rome. Pitch inspection at 1815 GMT, I'll let you know...
England's Owen Farrell on BBC One: "The conditions were OK at the start, it was pretty still but a bit of snow had settled. The wind picked up in the second half and it started snowing again, but it was not too bad.
"At half-time Stuart Lancaster said to keep doing what we were doing, we don't have to chase. Their tries came more through our mistakes. I felt we were still on top in the first half, credit to the boys, we dug in and got the win."
Carys Morgan on Twitter:"Guscott: 'We can't overstate how well England have done in these two games'. You can, and you are. And then some."
Charlie Hodgson on England's fight back: "We knew we had to keep our composure. We felt we dominated in the first half but they got a lucky try. We kept plugging away, kept out heads and it came good in the end. To show the resolve we have from 15-6 down, to be successful in a place like this we've shown what we have."
Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio on BBC One: "Full credit to England, they out-thought Italy and there's lots of positives for the likes of Dickson, when he came on, Hodgson and Morgan. England march on now back to Twickenham and will look forward to Wales."
1752: Italy 15-19 England What to say about that? Pretty awful first half by England but I don't think it was an coincidence that Stuart Lancaster's side perked up after the introductions of scrum-half Lee Dickson and number eight Ben Morgan: more urgency, more speed, more thrust, more edge. More reasons for optimism. Italy had a big chance there for a first ever win against England, dear old Sergio must think it's never going to happen. When - if - that day ever comes, Parisse will probably spontaneously combust into a blob of red, white and green on the turf beneath him.
FULL-TIME: Italy 15-19 England ... knocked forward by Italy and England have their second win of the Six Nations campaign...
79 mins: Italy 15-19 England Italy win one against the head and Parisse brings it clear... England turn it over only to hand Italy another scrum. Snow really hammering down now as the clock turns red...
BBC Sport's chief reporter Tom Fordyce on Twitter: "England hanging on now at 15-19. Farrell 5/5 from tee, nerveless; Tobias Botes with the worst penalty miss in history"
77 mins: Italy 15-19 England Sergio Parisse has been named man of the match - by the Italian press, I should add. Then again, not sure who's played better. Hodgson off, Turner-Hall on, Farrell switched to 10. Scrums collapsing as bodies begin to flag, Botha getting treatment on his left knee as the clock ticks downwards...
David Brain on Twitter, using #bbcsixnations: "Contrasting fortunes for two Bens. Ben Youngs = lacking zip. Ben Morgan = strong like a bull"
74 mins: Italy 15-19 England A debate in the office as to whether the red streaks on the England shirts is blood caused by the friction of the ice or just red paint. The romantic in me is sorry to report it's just red paint. Penalty to Italy for a push by Ashton - deary me, I'm not sure I've ever seen a penalty as bad as that, Botes' effort didn't even make the posts. Stevens and Webber on for Corbisiero and Hartley, Webber of Wasps making his debut.
71 mins: Italy 15-19 England Dickson with a solid clearance but Italy have a line-out on England's 22. England have been so much better in the first half an hour of this second half but the Stadio Olimpico is in full throttle as Italy threaten. Benvenuti tries to wriggle a way through the England defence before England's forwards turn the ball over... Dickson finds Parisse with the box kick but the ball goes loose, Cole secures and England thrust clear...
68 mins: Italy 15-19 England England make a real dog's dinner of the restart and Botes has the chance to get his side to within one point again - not sure what's happened there, looked like he was kicking a balloon. That's a very naughty kick, however, from the South African, England papered into a corner in their own 22...
65 mins: Italy 15-19 England As a man opposite me saws through an Eccles cake with a Bic biro - as if today could get any more surreal, work-wise - Parisse is hit hard and England have a turnover bang in front of the posts. Dan Cole showing the scars of war, his right ear bloodied and bruised, but the Leicester man ruins opposite number Lo Cicero and Farrell pops over the penalty from just right of the posts.
Lawrence Dallaglio on BBC One: "It's all too delicately poised. It's fair to say it wasn't a great first half but it's come to life and is there for either side now."
62 mins: Italy 15-16 England The snow starts to fall again in Rome as Corbisiero is whistled for incorrect binding. Hartley finds Parling at the line-out and England come again. England swing it right and then left and here goes Botha on a barrel... Barritt with the half-break but after a number of phases Italy nick it back... Botes charged down again, Barritt thinks he's scored but it was an England knock-on...
Adam Roberts on Twitter:"Dickson = game changer. We seem to have found the gain line all of a sudden."
57 mins: Italy 15-16 England Morgan under a high ball and here goes the Scarlets man on a trundle... and again, the number eight showing the Italy defence a clean pair of heels. Barritt very nearly slips a try-scoring pass inside but Italy's scramble defence snuffs out the threat.
55 mins: PENALTY Italy 15-16 England Dickson has made England tick-tock a bit faster since his introduction - taps and goes, snipes, quicker all round. Farrell slippers over the three-pointer, England have the lead.
53 mins: Italy 15-13 England More urgency from England now and here's Morgan on a charge before Robshaw gets his head down and lets the hooves fly. Dickson has a snipe, grubber kick through and that's handy defence from Tobias Botes, Italy's replacement scrum-half. Deliberate knock-on, Farrell with the chance to regain the lead for England.
50 mins: Italy 15-13 England Farrell bangs over the extras and England are right back in it. Ben Morgan enters the fray, on for Phil Dowson; Lee Dickson on for Ben Youngs at scrum-half.
Lawrence Dallaglio on BBC One: "What a time to score for England just when they really needed it, how important a try might that be in the context of this match?"
50 mins: TRY Italy 15-11 England Parisse with another line-out steal against the head and suddenly Stuart Lancaster knows what it's really like to be England's head coach: uncomfortable... Hodgson with the charge-down try, that's two in two weeks and his eighth try for England...
46 mins: PENALTY Italy 15-6 England Burton misses touch again with a penalty out of hands before it all goes off as Parisse is taken out after a chip and charge, Croft the villain. Not sure there was much in that, Parisse has hit the deck like a swooning Victorian lady from a Jane Austen tome. Whatever, it's a penalty chance... Kris Burton has squeezed it through, England in a serious spot.
From Max Gruenke on Twitter: "Wow, we're passing! A forgotten art of the English team. #bbcsixnations"
44 mins: Italy 12-6 England Italy with the rolling maul, the hosts into England's 22. Burton with the attempted drop-goal and it's a duffer. Masi on the switch as Italy win the ball back before Gori pops up a box kick - Barritt rat-a-tats a kick deep into enemy territory but he's pinged for not rolling away.
41 mins: Italy 12-6 England Hodgson with the restart and here comes Dowson with a strong carry. England go through the phases, trying to get a foothold in the game, but the ball is eventually coughed up and it's a penalty to Italy. Burton cocks the hammer, big territory gained...
Jeremy Guscott on BBC One: "England are doing nothing at pace, nothing with great momentum, and Italy really capitalised on English mistakes at the end of the half. Italy have had important wins all along during their time in the Six Nations and what a position to get into now. This crowd just can't wait their team to come out again."
Lawrence Dallaglio on BBC One: "England were going to settle for 6-0 up and then there were two lapses in concentration. England didn't clear their lines and now the Italians have really got the crowd behind them it's going to be tough for England."
1658: First of all, I must apologise for all the technical problems we - and therefore you - have been having. We're going old school - it might not look beautiful but I'll endeavour to make the words as sexy as possible. Think of it like a lovely lady poured into a hessian sack.
40 mins: Benvenuti - Italy 12-6 England UNBELIEVABLE! Two tries in two minutes for Italy, Benvenuti latching onto an attempted offload from Foden and running in a try from roughly the halfway line. England caught with their pants down just before half-time - that's changed the tone of the dressing room chat, I'd wager.
38 mins Venditti try- Italy 5-6 England But here come Italy, assaulting England's lines - Burton with the grubber and England's defenders miss it... fumble from Foden - apologies, it was a ricochet off the chest, and Venditti is all over it, sliding in to score the first try of the game. Burton misses with the extras...
35 mins:... almost the identical spot from the first kick, Farrell, all Terry Butchered up in head bandages, just makes it over to double England's lead.
34 mins: Castrogiovanni is dragged to his feet, looks like he's going to continue, only to signal to the bench that his race his run. Looks like a cracked rib - when Castro looks in pain, you know it must be serious, he has the constitution of a Hereford bullock.
England with a destructive scrum and it's a penalty to Lancaster's young side, Farrell with another attempt at a three-pointer...
32 mins: Zanni fumbles at the line-out and England are on it in a flash. Youngs with the box-kick and here comes Masi... Gori with the high one and Parisse pockets it and Italy surge forward... Burton on the loop, long pass, Benvenuti spills it. Castrogiovanni has done himself a mischief, looks like he's winded...
Lawrence Dallaglio on BBC One: Brad Barritt was a bit too early, a bit too keen in all honesty. Most referees would have let that go because we've had a lot of stoppages, but it's the right call.
31 mins: Italy forcing the play down the blind-side - Burton with a half-break before Gori looks to offload and the ball slithers into touch. England's line-out looks to have been hammered into shape after those early crinkles. Bit of argy-bargy between Hartley and the Italy front-row, Barritt pinged for tackling Canale in the air.
Matt Dawson on BBC Radio 5 live: Sergio Parisse made a mess of a wraparound, David Strettle put the shoe on it and was scythed down - it was obstruction and quite rightly the penalty was given to England. The referee blew because he thought the Italian defender was going to pick the ball up but Owen Farrell smashed him.
26 mins:Italy 0-3 England No mistakes from Farrell, straight and true from a decent distance...
25 mins: Parisse, of all people, puts his side in all sorts of bother with an errant pass on the turn and it looked like Burton clipped Strettle's heels as the English wing looked to steal a march. An Italian gets there first but that's a penalty to England...
23 mins: Ashton swings it wide to Foden after a kick down the middle from Burton and the Northampton full-back gets plenty of purchase on his clearance. Quick off the top of the line-out by Italy and the hosts put phases together... before Burton kicks it away... again...
21 mins Bit of ping-pong before England force the turnover. This ain't pretty. In fact, this match is so ugly it would make a purist want to punch his own eyes out. Croft with the one-handed take at the line-out, England with possession in Italy's 22. Hodgson looking to swtich with Barritt but the Saracens centre knocks it forward and Burton clears his lines...
Emi Repetto: "Wish England would played incisive rugby, we have equal talent to Wales, Ireland and definitely France, why don't we use it?"
Steam rising off both packs as they ready themselves to engage - like cattle in a way, but cattle in rugby shirts. Strettle with a hefty tackle on McLean but the Italy wing retains possession. Ashton fields a Burton kick over his shoulder and calls a mark... misses touch...
Alex Babb:"Ben Youngs needs to wipe the sleep from his eyes, has he just woken up from a little pre-match cat nap? #bbcsixnations"
6 mins Hodgson with a steepler - that's got snow on it, literally - but Italy recover it, only for Burton to fail to find touch. Burton now with an up-and-under but it's all a little bit aimless at the moment, Ashton underneath it and he makes some ground. Another line-out stolen, England creaking at the set-piece, and this time Burton slippers a cute tactical kick through.
Matt Dawson on BBC Radio 5 live: "England are playing multi, multi-phases but putting too many players into contact. There's three or four players against pretty much no-one and therefore there's a mis-match in Italy's favour."
3 min Edoardo Gori of Treviso clears his lines after a solid scrum from Italy. England come again, through Robshaw and Corbisiero, but again a lack of accuracy snaps the momentum. Youngs on the loop and Botha shows the hands of a tin man, popping the ball forward. Turnover ball and Burton inexplicably kicks it away...
... England nick it back and here goes Palmer on a charge. The ball is flung left again but Hartley's pass to Croft doesn't find its mark - Italy scrum.
1 min Kris Burton gets us under way and there's the first blast of the whistle from French referee Jerome Garces, England penalty. Hartley towels down the ball and finds his man at the line-out before Youngs kicks the ball away. Dowson under a high one and he dummies and goes. Youngs takes his eye off it, the ball skips through his legs from the back of a ruck and Italy nick it...
1545: This Stadio Olimpico takes some filling but it looks like they've given it a good shot - it's positively brimming. It was in this very stadium, of course, that we were first treated to the Whitbread "wiggle", back at the athletics world champs in 1987. Ashton will have that in the old memory bank, surely? Bit of Gladiator being belted out and here come the anthems.
BBC Sport website's chief sportswriter Tom Fordyce: "Blower update (it's what Twitter was made for): approx 3rd of pitch cleared in 10min. With 20min to start, on track for a Roman miracle."
1540: I must report the Stadio Olimpico pitch looks like a right old patchwork quilt of a mess - blocks of white next to blocks of green, a little bit cubist. Phil Dowson retains his place at number eight for England today despite an iffy first game last week. Before that Murrayfield debut, young Dowson joked he'd been "a Saxon since the Crusades began". I believe that album came out in 1984, so that's a very long time.
Italy performance director Carlo Checchinato: "I think the guys have shown over the last match and the last few years that they are at a very good standard. Every time we play we have a chance to win and today I think we have a better chance even if England are very strong. I think and I hope the guys will play one of the matches of their lives to get this victory."
1536: I fancy Italy to win this - new coach, new hope; vasty experienced side; big question marks remain over new-look England. The Azzurri by three? I wouldn't bet against it...
1533: We're off, TV-wise. Ongoing problems with my live text, alas - we've got our best men and women on it. Let's not try to get too down about it - in times like this, best to remember many of your grandparents had more pressing things on their minds at your age, like which grade of coal they were likely to have for dinner. It does raise a philosophical question though: does my live text exist if you are unable to see it?
1521: Jonathan, London: "So excited about the Italy game - Lancaster has made the right decision to keep faith with his new recruits. I am cooking a full English breakfast for 4pm and inviting my Italian friends round."
1526: Veteran lock Marco Bortolami has been promoted from the bench for Italy and wins his 90th cap in place of Cornelius van Zyl. The only other change from the side beaten by France is Clermont-Auvergne centre Gonzalo Canale in for Alberto Sgarbi. The Italian starting XV have a combined total of 698 caps to England's 248.
From Marlon Fernandez: "Italy will give a tough game, they really improved last year and will give a fight at their home stadium." Get involved via #bbcsixnations
BBC pitch-side reporter Sonja McLaughlan in Rome: "Brief exchange with Dave Strettle as I walked along the touchline. He says 'it's not the best' underfoot on the pitch."
1518: TEAM LINE-UPS Italy: 15-Andrea Masi, 14-Giovanbattista Venditti, 13-Tommaso Benvenuti, 12-Gonzalo Canale, 11-Luke McLean, 10-Kris Burton, 9-Edoardo Gori; 1-Andrea Lo Cicero, 2-Leonardo Ghiraldini, 3-Martin Castrogiovanni, 4-Quintin Geldenhuys, 5-Marco Bortolami, 6-Alessandro Zanni, 7-Robert Barbieri, 8-Sergio Parisse (capt) Replacements: 16-Tommaso D'Apice, 17-Lorenzo Cittadini, 18-Antonio Pavanello, 19-Mauro Bergamasco, 20-Fabio Semenzato, 21-Tobias Botes, 22-Luca Morisi
England: 15-Ben Foden, 14-Chris Ashton, 13-Brad Barritt, 12-Owen Farrell, 11-David Strettle, 10-Charlie Hodgson, 9-Ben Youngs; 1-Alex Corbisiero, 2-Dan Cole, 3-Dylan Hartley, 4-Mouritz Botha, 5-Tom Palmer, 6-Tom Croft , 7-Chris Robshaw (capt), 8-Phil Dowson Replacements: 16-Rob Webber, 17-Matt Stevens, 18-Geoff Parling, 19-Ben Morgan, 20-Lee Dickson, 21-Jordan Turner-Hall, 22-Mike Brown
1514: Some remarkable stats from last weekend's match between Scotland and England - Stuart Lancaster's men managed only 72 passes to Scotland's 238, but somehow still managed to win. Meanwhile, Italy's new coach Jacques Brunel has promised a more expansive game, and it certainly looked that way in their brave defeat by France. I'm not going to lie to you, we're having a few technical problems at the moment - I beseech you to remain patient.
1501: Just seen a couple of photos from Rome and the groundstaff are out in force with their big red shovels, clearing snow from the pitch. It looks seriously Baltic over there, they're all trussed up like Scott and Oates.
It's unlikely to be an expansive affair at the Stadio Olimpico - England wings Strettle and Ashton might as well take to the field in mittens. Scratch that, one suspects they might as well not take to the field at all. Italy have pushed England close in Rome on the last two occasions, losing 19-23 in 2008 and 12-17 in 2010. Could this be Italy's year after 17 attempts since 1991?
1455: Alright? Yeh, fine thanks. The second weekend of the 2012 Six Nations Championship and first up it's Italy v England in Rome. The Azzurri are playing a Six Nations game at the 82,000-capacity Stadio Olimpico for the first time, which might be intimidating for the English - if it's full.
Snow in Rome but news filtering through that it's set to stop an hour before the start of play (1600 GMT) and they'll be spraying the lines orange or some such. The build-up kicks off on the telly on BBC One from 1530 GMT. |
NSW Labor ends Greens preferencing 'free ride'
Updated
The NSW Labor Party conference has passed a motion to stop giving automatic preferences to the Greens.
Labor and the Greens have been involved in a war of words in recent weeks, and the Greens say the stoush will only bolster support for the Opposition.
The rift widened in Sydney on Saturday, with fierce debate about how Labor should best distance itself from the Greens.
NSW Labor secretary Sam Dastyari, who has led recent attacks against the Greens, urged his party to take the Greens on in an attempt to increase Labor's primary vote.
Mr Dastyari told delegates Labor must redefine its relationship with the Greens.
"The free ride is over," he said.
Government whip Joel Fitzgibbon says the Greens have become a real political threat to Labor, without being held accountable for their more radical policies.
"This motion sends a very clear message to them," he said.
"In the future when deliberating over these preference deals we will be taking into account what they do and how they behave - delegates it's very, very important."
'Ideas and principles'
Before the motion was passed, the left faction slammed the right for making the issue about preferencing.
Federal Government frontbencher Anthony Albanese says there are better ways to make voters see the difference between Labor and the Greens.
"Labor will defeat the Greens political party by the value of ideas and principles," he said.
Left faction stalwarts like veteran Senator John Faulkner argued the party's public focus on backroom preference deals woul do nothing to draw back voters from the Greens.
"You have to win votes to get preferences to give," he said.
But in the end a clear majority of delegates from both factions voted in favour of the motion.
Gillard pressured
The move comes after Victorian Labor decided to preference Family First ahead of the Greens in a state by-election for the seat of Melbourne.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard owes her minority Government in part to an alliance with the Greens, who helped give her the numbers to take power after the 2010 election.
However, Labor's relationship with the Greens has proven to be somewhat of a poisoned chalice for the Prime Minister, whose negotiations with the Greens included having to back-flip on her promise not to introduce the hugely controversial carbon tax.
The Greens' Sarah Hanson-Young says Labor needs to sort itself out, and stop blaming others.
"To me it looks like the Labor party attacking themselves all over again, cannibalising their own vote and devouring their own values," she said.
"This is more about an attack on themselves than attack on the Greens."
The Opposition wants Ms Gillard to say whether she backs the resolution when she appears at the conference on Sunday.
Topics: states-and-territories, alp, political-parties, government-and-politics, greens, sydney-2000, australia, nsw
First posted |
What's New In PostgreSQL 10
General Links:
Big Data
Native Partitioning
Table_partitioning: Background and Limitations of PostgreSQL 10 Partitioning
In 10, partitioning tables is now an attribute of the table:
CREATE TABLE table_name ( ... ) [ PARTITION BY { RANGE | LIST } ( { column_name | ( expression ) }
CREATE TABLE table_name PARTITION OF parent_table [ ( ) ] FOR VALUES partition_bound_spec
Example
Before:
CREATE TABLE padre ( id SERIAL, pais INTEGER, fch_creado TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL );
CREATE TABLE hija_2017 ( CONSTRAINT pk_2017 PRIMARY KEY (id), CONSTRAINT ck_2017 CHECK (fch_creado < DATE '2015-01-01' ) ) INHERITS (padre); CREATE INDEX idx_2017 ON hija_2017 (fch_creado);
Today:
CREATE TABLE padre ( id SERIAL NOT NULL, nombre TEXT NOT NULL, fch_creado TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL ) PARTITION BY RANGE ( id );
CREATE TABLE hijo_0 PARTITION OF padre (id, PRIMARY KEY (id), UNIQUE (nombre)) FOR VALUES FROM (MINVALUE) TO (10);
CREATE TABLE hijo_1 PARTITION OF padre (id, PRIMARY KEY (id), UNIQUE (nombre)) FOR VALUES FROM (10) TO (MAXVALUE);
This means that users no longer need to create triggers for routing data; it's all handled by the system.
Another Example:
For example, we might decide to partition the `book_history` table, probably a good idea since that table is liable to accumulate data forever. Since it's a log table, we'll range partition it, with one partition per month.
First, we create a "master" partition table, which will hold no data but forms a template for the rest of the partitions:
libdata=# CREATE TABLE book_history ( book_id INTEGER NOT NULL, status BOOK_STATUS NOT NULL, period TSTZRANGE NOT NULL ) PARTITION BY RANGE ( lower (period) );
Then we create several partitions, one per month:
libdata=# CREATE TABLE book_history_2016_09 PARTITION OF book_history FOR VALUES FROM ('2016-09-01 00:00:00') TO ('2016-10-01 00:00:00'); CREATE TABLE libdata=# CREATE TABLE book_history_2016_08 PARTITION OF book_history FOR VALUES FROM ('2016-08-01 00:00:00') TO ('2016-09-01 00:00:00'); CREATE TABLE libdata=# CREATE TABLE book_history_2016_07 PARTITION OF book_history FOR VALUES FROM ('2016-07-01 00:00:00') TO ('2016-09-01 00:00:00'); ERROR: partition "book_history_2016_07" would overlap partition "book_history_2016_08"
As you can see, the system even prevents accidental overlap. New rows will automatically be stored in the correct partition, and SELECT queries will search the appropriate partitions.
Additional Parallelism in Query Execution
(wording from Robert Haas' blog post, linked below)
Parallel Merge Join: In PostgreSQL 9.6, only hash joins and nested loops can be performed in the parallel portion of a plan. In PostgreSQL 10, merge joins can also be performed in the parallel portion of the plan.
Parallel Bitmap Heap Scan: One process scans the index and builds a data structure in shared memory indicating all of the heap pages that need to be scanned, and then all cooperating processes can perform the heap scan in parallel.
Parallel Index Scan and Index-Only Scan: It's now possible for the driving table to be scanned using an index-scan or an index-only scan.
Gather Merge: If each worker is producing sorted output, then gather those results in a way that preserves the sort order.
Subplan-Related Improvements: A table with an uncorrelated subplan can appear in the parallel portion of the plan.
Pass Query Text To Workers: The query text associated with a parallel worker will show up in pg_stat_activity.
Procedural Languages
Example:
For example, if we wanted to search financial transaction history by an indexed column, I can now execute it in one-quarter the time by using four parallel workers:
accounts=# \timing Timing is on. accounts=# SELECT bid, count(*) FROM account_history WHERE delta > 1000 group by bid; ... Time: 324.903 ms
accounts=# set max_parallel_workers_per_gather=4; SET Time: 0.822 ms accounts=# SELECT bid, count(*) FROM account_history WHERE delta > 1000 GROUP BY bid; ... Time: 72.864 ms
(this assumes an index on bid, delta)
Links:
Robert Haas Parallel Query v2
Additional FDW Push-Down
In postgres_fdw, push joins and aggregate functions to the remote server in more cases. This reduces the amount of data that must be passed from the remote server, and offloads aggregate computation from the requesting server.
Links:
Faster Analytics Queries
Replication and Scaling
Logical Replication
Streaming replication is a fast, secure and is a perfect mechanism for high availability/disaster recovery needs. As it works on the whole instance, replicating only part of the primary server is not possible, nor is it possible to write on the secondary. Logical replication will allow us to tackle those use-cases.
Example:
Suppose I decide I want to replicate just the fines and loans tables from my public library database to the billing system so that they can process amounts owed. I would create a publication from those two tables with this command:
libdata=# CREATE PUBLICATION financials FOR TABLE ONLY loans, ONLY fines; CREATE PUBLICATION
Then, in the billing database, I would create two tables that looked identical to the tables I'm replicating, and have the same names. They can have additional columns and a few other differences. Particularly, since I'm not copying the patrons or books tables, I'll want to drop some foreign keys that they origin database has. I also need to create any special data types or other database artifacts required for those tables. Often the easiest way to do this is selective use of the `pg_dump` and `pg_restore` backup utilities:
origin# pg_dump libdata -Fc -f /netshare/libdata.dump
replica# pg_restore -d libdata -s -t loans -t fines /netshare/libdata.dump
Following that, I can start a Subscription to those two tables:
libdata=# CREATE SUBSCRIPTION financials CONNECTION 'dbname=libdata user=postgres host=172.17.0.2' PUBLICATION financials; NOTICE: synchronized table states NOTICE: created replication slot "financials" on publisher CREATE SUBSCRIPTION
This will first copy a snapshot of the data currently in the tables, and then start catching up from the transaction log. Once it's caught up, you can check status in pg_stat_subscription:
libdata=# SELECT * FROM pg_stat_subscription; -[ RECORD 1 ]---------+--------------------- subid | 16475 subname | financials pid | 167 relid | received_lsn | 0/1FBEAF0 last_msg_send_time | 2017-06-07 00:59:44 last_msg_receipt_time | 2017-06-07 00:59:44 latest_end_lsn | 0/1FBEAF0 latest_end_time | 2017-06-07 00:59:44
blogs:
Quorum Commit for Synchronous Replication
While version 9.6 introduced quorum based synchronous replication,
synchronous_commit = 'remote_apply'
version 10 improves the synchronous_standby_names GUC by adding the FIRST and ANY keywords:
synchronous_standby_names = ANY 2(node1,node2,node3); synchronous_standby_names = FIRST 2(node1,node2);
FIRST was the previous behaviour, and the nodes priority is following the list order in order to get a quorum. ANY now means that any node in the list is now able to provide the required quorum. This will give extra flexibility to complex replication setups.
Temporary replication slots
Automatically dropped at the end of the session; prevents fall-behind with less risk.
Connection Failover and Routing in libpq
Postgres 10 is allowing applications to define multiple connection points and define some properties that are expected from the backend server. This simplifies the logic at application level: there is no need for it to know exactly which node is the primary and which ones are the standbys. The new parameter can also be controlled by environment variables.
Links:
Physical Replication
Improved performance of the replay of 2-phase commits
Improved performance of replay when access exclusive locks are held on objects on the standby server. This can significantly improve performance in cases where temporary tables are being used.
Administration
Compression support for pg_receivewal
Background processes in pg_stat_activity
pg_stat_activity now includes information (including wait events) about background processes including:
auxiliary processes
worker processes
WAL senders
Traceable Commit / Status by Transaction-ID
PostgreSQL 10 now supports finding out the status of a recent transaction for recovery after network connection loss or crash without having to use heavyweight two-phase commit. It’s also useful for querying standbys.
Links:
SQL features
Identity Columns
PostgreSQL 10 identity columns explained
Crash Safe, Replicable Hash Indexes
(wording from Bruce Momjian's general pg10 presentation)
Crash safe
Replicated
Reduced locking during bucket splits
Faster lookups
More even index growth
Single-page pruning
Transition Tables for Triggers
This feature makes AFTER STATEMENT triggers both useful and performant by exposing, as appropriate, the old and new rows to queries. Before this feature, AFTER STATEMENT triggers had no direct access to these, and the workarounds were byzantine and had poor performance. Much trigger logic can now be written as AFTER STATEMENT, avoiding the need to do the expensive context switches at each row that FOR EACH ROW triggers require.
XML and JSON
XMLTable
XMLTABLE is a SQL-standard feature that allows transforming an XML document to table format, making it much easier to process XML data in the database. Coupled with foreign tables pointing to external XML data, this can greatly simplify ETL processing.
Full Text Search support for JSON and JSONB
You can now create Full Text Indexes on JSON and JSONB columns.
This involves converting the JSONB field to a `tsvector`, then creating an specific language full-text index on it:
libdata=# CREATE INDEX bookdata_fts ON bookdata USING gin (( to_tsvector('english',bookdata) )); CREATE INDEX
Once that's set up, you can do full-text searching against all of the values in your JSON documents:
libdata=# SELECT bookdata -> 'title' FROM bookdata WHERE to_tsvector('english',bookdata) @@ to_tsquery('duke'); ------------------------------------------ "The Tattooed Duke" "She Tempts the Duke" "The Duke Is Mine" "What I Did For a Duke"
Security
SCRAM Authentication
SCRAM is more secure than MD5 and has become the standard way to do authentication. It is a salted challenge response authentication method.
Client support is required in order to switch to SCRAM authentication in PostgreSQL.
New "monitoring" roles for permission grants
Now it is possible to avoid superuser in more instances.
pg_read_all_settings
pg_read_all_stats
pg_stat_scan_tables
pg_monitor
Restrictive Policies for Row Level Security
Performance
Cross-column Statistics
Real-world data frequently contains correlated data in table columns, which can easily fool the query planner into thinking WHERE clauses are more selective than they really are, which can cause some queries to become very slow. Multivariate statistics objects can be used to let the planner learn about this, which proofs it against making such mistakes. This manual section explains the feature in more detail, and this section shows some examples. This feature in PostgreSQL represents an advance in the state of the art for all SQL databases.
Significant Expansion of Wait Events in pg_stat_activity
PostgreSQL 9.6 code was instrumented with a total of 69 wait events. PostgreSQL 10 expands the instrumentation and now includes 184 wait events. In particular 67+ I/O related events were added and 31+ latch-related events were added.
The wait_event_type and wait_event columns added to the pg_stat_activity view in Postgres 9.6 give us a significant new window to find which parts of the system are causing query delays and gives us very accurate statistics on where we are losing performance.
Query Planner Improvements
In join planning, detect cases where the inner side of the join can only produce a single row for each outer side row. During execution this allows early skipping to the next outer row once a match is found. This can also remove the requirement for mark and restore during Merge Joins, which can significantly improve performance in some cases.
Other Features
file_fdw can execute a program
example: (from Magnus Hagander's new features presentation)
CREATE FOREIGN TABLE test(a int, b text) SERVER csv OPTIONS (program 'gunzip -c /tmp/data.czv.gz');
ICU Collation Support
Compile-time configuration option to use an ICU library instead of relying on OS-supplied internationalization library (which was prone to unexpected behavior)
More robust collations with ICU support in PostgreSQL 10
amcheck B-Tree consistency/corruption checking tool
PostgreSQL 10 amcheck documentation
Backwards-Incompatible Changes
Version 10 has a number of backwards-incompatible changes which may affect system administration, particularly around monitoring and backup automation. As usual, PostgreSQL users should carefully test for the incompatibilities before upgrading in production.
Change in Version Numbering
As of Version 10, PostgreSQL no longer uses three-part version numbers, but is shifting to two-part version numbers. This means that version 10.1 will be the first patch update to PostgreSQL 10, instead of a new major version. Scripts and tools which detect PostgreSQL version may be affected.
The community strongly recommends that tools use either the GUC server_version_num (on the backend), or the libpq status function PQserverVersion in libpq to get the server version. This returns a six-digit integer version number which will be consistently sortable and comparable between versions 9.6 and 10.
Version String Major Version Update Number version_num 9.6.0 9.6 0 090600 9.6.3 9.6 3 090603 10.0 10 0 100000 10.1 10 1 100001
Renaming of "xlog" to "wal" Globally (and location/lsn)
In order to avoid confusion leading to data loss, everywhere we previously used the abbreviation "xlog" to refer to the transaction log, including directories, functions, and parameters for executables, we now use "wal". Similarly, the word "location" in function names, where used to refer to transaction log location, has been replaced with "lsn".
This will require many users to reprogram custom backup and transaction log management scripts, as well as monitoring replication.
Two directories have been renamed:
9.6 Directory 10 Directory pg_xlog pg_wal pg_clog pg_xact
Additionally, depending on where your installation packages come from, the default activity log location may have been renamed from "pg_log" to just "log".
Many administrative functions have been renamed to use "wal" and "lsn":
9.6 Function Name 10 Function Name pg_current_xlog_flush_location pg_current_wal_flush_lsn pg_current_xlog_insert_location pg_current_wal_insert_lsn pg_current_xlog_location pg_current_wal_lsn pg_is_xlog_replay_paused pg_is_wal_replay_paused pg_last_xlog_receive_location pg_last_wal_receive_lsn pg_last_xlog_replay_location pg_last_wal_replay_lsn pg_switch_xlog pg_switch_wal pg_xlog_location_diff pg_wal_lsn_diff pg_xlog_replay_pause pg_wal_replay_pause pg_xlog_replay_resume pg_wal_replay_resume pg_xlogfile_name pg_walfile_name pg_xlogfile_name_offset pg_walfile_name_offset
Some system views and functions have had attribute renames:
pg_stat_replication: write_location -> write_lsn sent_location -> sent_lsn flush_location -> flush_lsn replay_location -> replay_lsn
pg_create_logical_replication_slot: wal_position -> lsn
pg_create_physical_replication_slot: wal_position -> lsn
pg_logical_slot_get_changes: location -> lsn
pg_logical_slot_peek_changes: location -> lsn
Several command-line executables have had parameters renamed:
pg_receivexlog has been renamed to pg_receivewal.
pg_resetxlog has been renamed to pg_resetwal.
pg_xlogdump has been renamed to pg_waldump.
initdb and pg_basebackup have a --waldir option rather than --xlogdir.
pg_basebackup now has --wal-method rather than --xlog-method.
Drop Support for FE/BE 1.0 Protocol
PostgreSQL's original client/server protocol, version 1.0, will no longer be supported as of PostgreSQL 10. Since version 1.0 was superceded by version 2.0 in 1998, it is unlikely that any existing clients still use it.
Clients older than version 6.3 may be affected.
Change Defaults around Replication and pg_basebackup
New postgresql.conf defaults:
wal_level = replica
max_wal_senders = 10
max_replication_slots = 10
New pg_hba.conf defaults:
Replication connections by default
pg_basebackup:
WAL streaming (-X stream) now default
Uses temporary replication slots by default
pg_basebackup enhancements:
WAL streaming supported in tar mode (-Ft)
Better excludes
Wording from Magnus Hagander's new features presentation.
Floating-point Timestamps are a compile-time option that have been problematic with replication for some time. It is thought that a small percentage of users are using them, partly due to the fact that few distributors enable the option. For the small number of users who are using this option a dump/restore will be required to upgrade to PostgreSQL 10. With large datasets this may be time-consuming and will need to be planned carefully.
Remove contrib/tsearch2
Tsearch2, the older, contrib module version of our built-in full text search, has been removed from contrib and will no longer be built as part of PostgreSQL packages. Users who have been continuously upgrading since before version 8.3 will need to either manually modify their databases to use the built-in tsearch objects before upgrading to PostgreSQL 10, or will need to compile tsearch2 themselves from scratch and install it.
Drop pg_dump Support for Databases Older than 8.0
Databases running on PostgreSQL version 7.4 and earlier will not be supported by 10's pg_dump or pg_dumpall. If you need to convert a database that old, use version 9.6 or earlier to upgrade it in two stages. |
Legalized marijuana on the Horizon
Posted on November 2, 2017 by Vauxhall Advance
ADVANCE FILE PHOTO ADVANCE FILE PHOTO
By Cole Parkinson
Vauxhall Advance
[email protected]
The legalization of marijuana seems to be on the horizon for Canada and that means school boards across the country are gearing up for potential changes to their policies.
The Horizon School Board had a chance to start up their first talks about the potential changes at their regular meeting on Oct. 25 and talks surrounded the legislation that will accompany legalization.
A big question the board had was how to handle 18 year old students who were legally able to carry cannabis on them.
“The dilemma becomes if you’re 18, it brings it into a school environment. If there is no policy they can have it in their possession, they can consume. There will certainly be legislation that talks about can you have it in your possession and can you smoke it in the vicinity of a school. When you look at alcohol for example, it’s 18 for alcohol but you can’t walk into the building or walk publicly carrying an open bottle of alcohol and drink it, you can’t come to work drunk. There are still expectations that will come into play around the notion of cannabis and the possession and use of for employees and students. We’ll certainly need to clarify some of those factors,” said Wilco Tymensen, superintendent of Horizon School Division.
The board was also concerned with the possibility of cannabis being likened to cigarettes in terms of the ability to legally bring them into the school.
“When you say it’s similar to cigarettes, if I’m 18 I can have a cigarette pack in my backpack or back pocket and walk into the school, it’s completely legal. So that’s the issue right, so if I’m 18 I can go a block away smoke all (the marijuana) I want and come into the school and be under the influence,” said Tymensen.
While it isn’t legal currently, the board was already aware of the high possibility kids were coming into the school after smoking marijuana.
“It’s probably happening right now,” said Derek Baron, Horizon board member.
While the division has a policy in place for substances already, with legalization things will have to be adjusted.
Because none of it has been passed yet, the school board is left guessing with what may happen and how they will proceed.
“What we’ll have to do is have a process. For an example right now, we already have a policy on illicit substances. In other words, if somebody is standing off of school property selling drugs and they are a student, you can provide disciplinary action even though they are not on school grounds. So those kind of practices will need to be clarified because when we talk about illicit substances it is illegal substances. This simply means that it’s not illegal for all kids and so we will have to clarify what that means,” said Tymensen.
“I know that they are already looking at having some legal workshops for school divisions for senior administration around policy development. I believe the ASBA (Alberta School Board Association) will be working on that as well as some policy directions that are happening at the provincial level this spring. It certainly isn’t finalized but we’ll want to make sure that something is in place for next June.”
With confusion around the impending legalization, another question brought up by the board was the use of medical marijuana in the school.
The inquiry was in regard to whether or not students and potentially staff would be able to smoke medical marijuana within the school because of a condition that requires treatment.
“That’s the question of what is the legal implications of that. You can certainly have an implication of saying as an employee you may have a policy in place saying you can’t light up in the middle of a classroom. That’s the conversation, do you have the ability to challenge and what does the law say?” said Tymensen. “Working from, what I’ll say is, a ‘blind’ perspective where we think this is the right thing to do and we’re going to do it. Certainly what we’re looking at is what are the legal requirements and what are the legal implications so what is the legal opinion? That policy, our intent will be to make sure that we go through our legal process and legal council so that we don’t challenge and get into a huge court case where legally they will say you’re going to lose.”
Legalization of cannabis in Canada looks to come full circle by July of next year which leaves the Horizon School board with plenty of decisions to make before that comes.
While the date is fast approaching, the board isn’t in any rush to get policies in place as they want to make sure what they put in place is what’s best for everyone involved.
“We have some work cut out for us, I’m not in a hurry so to speak to draft policy. I’m waiting for the government to come out first and a collection of school divisions to come together to work collectively on this,” said Tymensen.
The board decided to pick up the discussion again after the Christmas break. |
By Eleanor Williams
BBC News, Beckton, London
The "poo cakes" have a high calorific content and burn easily The UK is firmly in the grip of one of the coldest winters on record and many households are seeing their fuel bills soar. Although the government has dismissed fears over dwindling gas supplies during the big freeze, the weather highlights the desirability of finding more "green" fuel. One water firm thinks it may have the answer - and it is not wind or hydro power. Thames Water has successfully been using human toilet waste to make electricity for the past decade. Long before you get to Beckton sewage treatment plant in east London the smell tells you it is near. Not strange considering it is the biggest sewage plant in Europe and treats a large majority of the waste coming from London's toilets. There is a difference in the summer holidays in the calorific value of the sludge; it's lower because people eat more salads
Harjeet Singh, plant manager Human waste has long been seen as a by-product, but Thames Water claims it saved £15m last year, and generated 14% of its power, from either burning sludge or methane derived from its 13 million customers' toilets. In total the firm treats 2.8 billion litres of sewage every day from people in London, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire and Surrey. Harjeet Singh is the plant manager for the sludge-powered generator at Beckton. Before it, and its sister plant Crossness on the other side of the River Thames, was built in 1998 at the cost of £165m, the sludge was simply deposited in the sea. "It was taken on big barges out into the North Sea and dumped," Mr Singh explained. "A tanker was leaving every two minutes. Now we only have about four lorries of ash [the only by-product] a day." The solid sludge is emptied out of the compressor and fed into a hot furnace Mr Singh describes the process which every day turns tons of human waste into electricity as "totally green". The raw sewage comes into the plant and is filtered, with anything that is not excrement or toilet paper removed, leaving a mix of 95% water and 5% solids which is then pumped into industrial 50m (165ft) compressors where the water is squeezed out, leaving solid "poo cakes". These cakes, which still contain a large amount of water but burn easily, are fed into a gigantic hot furnace which produces steam that drives a large turbine, creating electricity. "In the same way our domestic boilers work," Mr Singh explained The electricity generated has the capacity to power 10,000 homes but here it is fed back into Beckton's own system to keep the sewage plant running. Fat for lipsticks Mr Singh said: "A computer monitors emissions so we don't emit any nasties. "That's not happened in the past 12 years, we've not exceeded [limits] since we opened. "At the end of the process we're left with about 30% ash." Ash, the only by-product, could be used to make concrete He said the firm was looking into ways of using the ash in the future. "We don't want it to go to landfill and one thing we are looking at making with it is concrete", he said, showing a small test block he "made earlier". He said they were also toying with the idea of using the fat in the toilet sludge to make lipsticks and other cosmetics. However a more likely use may be as fertiliser for farmers and gardeners. "[The sludge] contains lots of nutrients and has a high calorific content. "But you can see a difference during the school holidays and Christmas; there's less waste coming into the plant because people are away from the city. "There is also a difference in the summer holidays in the calorific value of the sludge; it's lower because people eat more salads."
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Image caption The private university will be able to set its own level for tuition fees
The UK's first new private sector university college for more than 30 years is being announced by the universities minister.
David Willetts will allow London-based BPP, which has 14 regional branches, to become a university college.
The new college, which offers law and business degrees, wants to expand into health and teaching degrees.
Private universities will help to create a "dynamic and flexible" degree system, says Mr Willetts.
But the UCU lecturers' union warned that an expansion of the private sector would be a "disaster" and that the creation of a new private university was the "beginning of a slippery slope".
The new private-sector university college has ambitions to set up a range of new courses in the next 12 months.
US parent company
A planned school of healthcare could offer degree courses in areas including dentistry, nursing, radiography, speech therapy, psychology and physiotherapy.
"It is healthy to have a vibrant private sector working alongside our more traditional universities," said Mr Willetts, who has conferred university college status with immediate effect.
"I am delighted that, less than four months after coming into office, we are creating the first new private university college in more than 30 years."
Adding to the significance of this move is that the new BPP University College of Professional Studies is part of the group that owns one of the biggest universities in the United States, the University of Phoenix.
The profit-making university sector has grown rapidly in the United States - and this announcement signals the intention to have more such private providers in the UK.
Mr Willetts says that private universities will help to develop innovative ways of delivering courses, such as online degrees.
Pressure on places
Expanding the private sector is seen by the government as a way of tackling the financial pressures and lack of places facing the university system.
Private universities would add extra capacity, when hundreds of thousands of applicants are set to miss out on places this autumn.
The BPP University College will also receive no money from the higher education funding councils.
As a private university it will also be able to set its own level for tuition fees.
We see ourselves as a pioneer in this field, and hope that our unique status and self-funding model will lead the way in which other providers will be able to operate in Carl Lygo, BPP chief executive
The public sector universities have faced a strict limit on expansion, with individual universities facing fines of up to £3m for recruiting too many students last year.
BPP already has degree-awarding powers. It has 6,500 students taking courses in its law and business schools and a further 30,000 taking accountancy qualifications.
It will be the first private university college to have been created since Buckingham in the 1970s, which was first created a university college and then later became the University of Buckingham.
So far Buckingham has been the only fully-fledged university in the UK operating without direct government funding.
'Pioneers'
"The education landscape is changing, and over the next decade we will see a different picture emerging, where both students and employers will drive demand for their preferred method of study and training," says BPP chief executive, Carl Lygo.
"We see ourselves as a pioneer in this field, and hope that our unique status and self-funding model will lead the way in which other providers will be able to operate in."
But Sally Hunt, leader of the UCU lecturers' union, attacked the creation of the new university college as a threat to standards in higher education.
"Today's news could mark the beginning of a slippery slope for academic provision in this country," she said.
"Encouraging the growth of private providers and making it easier for them to call themselves universities would be a disaster for the UK's academic reputation. It would also represent a huge threat to academic freedom and standards."
"Private providers are not accountable to the public and do not deserve to be put in the same league as our universities," said the leader of the lecturers' union.
Pam Tatlow, chief executive of the Million+ group of new universities, also opposed the expansion of the private sector.
"Today's announcement suggests the coalition will favour private universities, where the motive is to deliver profits for a holding company and for shareholders, at the expense of publicly funding universities," she said.
This announcement on setting up the new university college will be seen as another piece in the jigsaw of re-shaping higher education.
A review of funding and fees in higher education is set to report in the autumn.
Speaking ahead of its findings, ministers have spoken of the need for a more varied system, including more private providers, two-year degrees and students living at home.
There are also disputes over whether tuition fees should be increased or a graduate tax should be introduced.
Ministers have recognised that demand for degree courses is set to grow. But they have warned that the current funding arrangements are unsustainable. |
At the Good Samaritan Haven, Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) today announced bipartisan legislation to help rural states like Vermont secure additional funding to fight homelessness. Welch is introducing the bill with Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY).
Welch’s bill (HR 3141) would increase federal funding to Vermont for the federal Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program. Established in 1990, PATH provides funding for local efforts to help homeless, mentally ill Vermonters and those at risk of becoming homeless.
Vermont and 21 other states currently receive the minimum level of PATH funding of $300,00 per year. While larger states have received increases in PATH funding in recent years, the formula used to calculate funding overlooks rural states. As a result, Vermont continues to receive the minimum level of funding, despite rising costs and increased demand for services. Welch’s bill would raise the minimum level of funding for states from $300,00 to $750,000 per year.
‘Homelessness is a human tragedy affecting communities across the country, especially in this tough economy,’ Welch said. ‘This bill will get much needed additional assistance to local agencies in Vermont who are performing heroic work fighting this endemic problem.’
Brian Smith, Housing Program Administrator for the Vermont Department of Mental Health, said ‘The introduction of this legislation is the most important recognition of the work done to outreach and engage homeless mentally ill Vermonters by federally funded PATH providers. For more than twenty years, this program has not increased the original level of funding to smaller states. This action will initiate an opportunity to remedy that system challenge.’
Administered by the Vermont Department of Mental Health, PATH funds support programs at:
· Brattleboro Drop-In Center, Brattleboro
· Neighborworks, West Rutland
· Good Samaritan Haven, Barre
· Community Health Center, Burlington
· Northeast Kingdom Community Action Group, Newport
· Green Mountain Support Group/Another Way, Montpelier
In July 2011, the PATH program at the Community Health Center in Burlington was recognized as one of four national organizations for Best Practice in Medical Home/Primary Care for Homeless Mentally Ill.
Welch's office. 12.9.2011 |
Three years ago everyone was talking about Coursera, which had begun partnering with some of the world’s most elite colleges to offer free courses. There was overheated hype, as pundits speculated that it could be a magic bullet to bring down college costs. And there were tough questions, as people wondered what the goal was for partner colleges, and how the Silicon Valley company could make enough revenue on free courses to survive.
Today the MOOC hype has dissipated, but the company’s leaders say Coursera has found a way to make money, and that partner colleges have found a clear reason to participate. Those answers, the company announced on Tuesday, were enough to convince investors to give a fresh infusion of $60 million in venture-capital funds.
Richard C. Levin, the company’s CEO and former president of Yale University, said in an interview that the new investment would be used to further expand the company’s reach to students outside of the United States, and that it would extend the company’s “runway” to try new experiments.
So far the secret to bringing in revenue, or what Mr. Levin called a “product-market fit,” has been professional development. The company has created a series of courses that add up to mini-degrees that students can earn quickly, and pay a small fee to certify that they successfully completed them. “It’s mostly people in their 20s and 30s who are interested in learning more skills and making themselves prepared for better jobs,” said Mr. Levin.
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But he insisted that the company is not pivoting to focus only on professional development. He said Coursera is still committed to offering liberal-arts courses as well, and that one thing the new investment will be used for will be to look for ways to make those courses more sustainable. “About half our content is career oriented and half isn’t,” he said. “One of the things we’re thinking about would be premium content on top of [the free materials] in liberal -arts courses.” He declined to elaborate.
Investors were most concerned about whether colleges would stick with the project and continue to build courses, said Mr. Levin. But he said only one college has dropped out of the partnership, which claims 120 colleges worldwide, and that “increasingly, we’re part of the universities’ strategy.”
The biggest win for colleges: “In a way, we’re kind of a lead generator,” he said. “There are many universities that are very well known in U.S. that are not very well known abroad, and the visibility they get through Coursera is in a way a very efficient way to reach new students.”
Rice University, for instance, reports that it is getting more applicants — and higher-quality applicants — for its computer-science masters’ degree after offering a CS course on Coursera, he said.
As for solving the problem of the high price of traditional undergraduate education: “Right now that’s not what we’re doing.”
Jeffrey R. Young writes about technology in education and leads a team exploring new story formats. Follow him on Twitter @jryoung; check out his home page, jeffyoung.net; or try him by email at [email protected]. |
While the Capitals edged the Rangers last night to go up 2-1, the league’s three remaining series each feature a team holding a 2-0 lead. Two games into the second round, the Flames have been dominated by the Ducks, the Wild just can’t crack the Blackhawks, and the Habs … well, the Habs are kind of losing their minds against the Lightning.
The good news is that while a comeback from a 2-0 deficit is unlikely — only about 14 percent of teams pull it off — it’s far from impossible. Over the last few decades, it has tended to happen roughly once a year. We didn’t see any 2-0 comebacks in the first round this year, which means we’re still due.
More 2015 NHL Playoffs All our coverage right here! That said, it’s a tricky proposition, and you really need to have a few things going for you to have a chance at pulling it off. So let’s run through eight factors that should be in your favor as you battle back from being down 2-0, and more importantly, which of these three teams have each going for them.
The Factor: A Goalie Who Can Steal the Series for You
This one’s probably the most obvious. All sorts of factors can contribute to a 2-0 deficit — a superior opponent, an offense gone cold, poor special teams, or just plain bad luck — but a hot goaltender is the one trump card that can overcome everything else. It’s awfully tough to come back without your goalie pulling off at least one or two of those “we just weren’t beating him tonight” games, and you want to have a guy who’s shown that he’s more likely than others to get it done.
Applies to: Minnesota and Montreal. Devan Dubnyk and Carey Price are two of this year’s three Vezina finalists. The Wild and Habs both have plenty to worry about right now, but not their goaltending.
Doesn’t apply to: Calgary. The Flames have already swapped starters in this series, which typically isn’t a good sign when you’re only two games in. Jonas Hiller started Game 1 but barely made it out of the first period. Karri Ramo got the nod in Game 2, and actually played a strong game despite the loss, making several highlight-reel saves. The Flames will need him to keep that up for the rest of the series; his track record says that’s probably wishful thinking.
The Factor: Facing a Goalie Who Could Let You Back In
This is the obvious flip side to the first factor. You need a goaltending edge, and the best way to get that is for your own guy to stand on his head. But if that doesn’t happen, facing an opponent who’ll hand you a few stinkers to get you back into the mix will work too. Just ask the 2002 Red Wings.
Applies to: Minnesota and maybe Calgary. Yes, Corey Crawford has a Cup ring. He’s also already lost his starting job once this postseason, and his 4-1 win on Sunday night was his first solid game of the opening two rounds. As for the Ducks, starter Frederik Andersen was supposed to be a potential weak spot heading into the playoffs. He hasn’t been so far, because the Ducks haven’t had any weak spots at all yet, and if it stays that way the Flames are done. Maybe we’re grasping at straws, but we’re not willing to move Andersen into the “sure thing” pile quite yet.
Doesn’t apply to: Montreal. We gave the “Is Ben Bishop actually good?” coin another flip, and it came up heads, so Ben Bishop is good today. And he’s been pretty darn good for the past week, starting with his Game 7 shutout win against the Red Wings and continuing through this series. So the Lightning probably feel pretty good about him (although they’d feel even better if he didn’t occasionally do stuff like this).
The Factor: Home Ice in Games 3 and 4
You’re never really in trouble in a playoff series, the old saying goes, until you lose a game at home. When you open on the road, your goal is always to steal at least one, but coming home down 2-0 isn’t necessarily a disaster. You just need to hold serve and win the next two in your own building. Do that, and you can head into Game 5 feeling good about your chances.
Applies to: Calgary and Minnesota. Both teams head back home for Game 3.
Doesn’t apply to: Montreal. If you’re really looking for a bright side, then maybe getting away from the pressure cooker of Montreal is exactly what the team needs after Sunday’s disaster. The question is whether they’ll arrive back in town in a few days with anything on their schedule beyond locker cleanout.
The Factor: Something to Build on in Game 2
Yes, momentum is overrated. But when times are tough, it helps to feel like you’re headed in the right direction, even if that’s just a lie you tell yourself to keep fighting.
Applies to: Calgary. After getting rolled over in Game 1, the Flames came out in Game 2 and looked even worse early on. The Ducks dominated, pelting Ramo with 20 first-period shots, and deserved a bigger lead than the 1-0 edge they took into the first intermission. But then the Flames woke up and finished with two solid periods. It wasn’t enough to steal a win, but it was the first time in the series that Calgary even looked like it belonged on the ice with Anaheim. That’s not much, but it’s something.
Doesn’t apply to: Minnesota and Montreal. The Wild weren’t dominated in the two games in Chicago; with a break or two, they could have won either. But seeing Chicago’s biggest starts come through in Game 2 had to be at least a little demoralizing, especially in a game that seemed to be there for the taking early in the third. As for the Canadiens, the less said about Game 2, the better. They got whupped.
The Factor: Having Done It Before
Ideally, you’d love to be able to look around the room and say, “We’ve been here before.”
Applies to: Minnesota and (if we’re really stretching it) Calgary. The Wild were facing this same 2-0 deficit heading back to home ice just last year against the Avalanche. They pulled off an overtime win Game 3, evened the series in Game 4, and then went on to win the series in seven.
As for the Flames, they hadn’t won a playoff round in more than a decade until last week, so there are no comebacks to be found in recent team history. But head coach Bob Hartley can at least draw on his own history; way back in 1999, his Avalanche fell behind 2-0 to the Red Wings before dominating the rest of the series, outscoring Detroit 19-7 along the way. It’s a long time ago, but it’s something.
Doesn’t apply to: Montreal. Andrei Markov was on the 2004 team that came back against the Bruins, but that’s about it. They have blown 2-0 leads against the Hurricanes in 2006 and Bruins in 2011, so maybe they learned something there.
The Factor: An Established Star Who Can Take Over a Game
It doesn’t happen as often in today’s defense-heavy NHL, where a well-coached system (combined with hesitant officiating) can often target and shut down a top offensive player. But every once in a while, an elite talent can still take over a game and drag his team across the finish line. Not every team has that sort of player, of course, but the ones that do can always hope that he’ll have one of those “not on my watch” games.
Applies to: Montreal and maybe Minnesota. There aren’t many players who can take over a game from the blue line, but P.K. Subban is one of them. When he’s at his best, he’s close to unstoppable; the Habs need him to find that level quickly. Minnesota’s Zach Parise isn’t quite in that tier, but he had a strong postseason back in 2012 when he led the Devils all the way to the final. And if not him, maybe Thomas Vanek will finally break out.
Doesn’t apply to: Calgary. The Flames have lots of young talent, and there’s no reason why one of those kids can’t string together a few big games to get them back into the series. But an established star? Not unless Mark Giordano comes back.
The Factor: A Special-Teams Edge
Scoring 5-on-5 is tough during the season. Once the playoffs starts, full-strength scoring often seems to dry up entirely. That puts even more emphasis on special teams, so if a team can maintain an edge there, it has a shot to claw back into the series.
Applies to: Minnesota. The Wild have the postseason’s best power play, clicking at 35.3 percent. That’s a little misleading, since they’ve had only 17 opportunities across eight games. Still, they’ve scored a power-play goal in both games of this series, their penalty kill is a solid 85.7 percent, and Chicago hasn’t been good when either up or down a man. That could give the Wild a big boost if (and it’s a big if) the refs start making more calls.
Doesn’t apply to: Calgary or Montreal. The Flames’ special teams have been about average, but the Ducks have been better. And the Canadiens’ special-teams struggles are well known by know; their power play is an awful 3.8 percent in the postseason. The good news had been that the Lightning were almost as bad, but that ended on Sunday when they went 4-of-8 and looked like the Harlem Globetrotters doing it.
The Factor: Being One of Those Miracle Teams
When you’re down 2-0, you kind of need a minor miracle. So what better team to pull it off than one that’s already used to being the underdog who somehow defies the odds?
Applies to: Calgary and Minnesota. The Flames have long since staked out their claim as this year’s ridiculous outlier team, winning even though nobody thinks they’re all that good. Would a comeback from down 2-0 against the Ducks make any sense? No, but nothing about the Flames season has made sense, so why stop now?
Meanwhile, the Wild were in 12th place in mid-January and seemed like a team in disarray. Then they traded for Dubnyk and transformed into one of the best teams in the league overnight. Is coming back from 2-0 really any tougher than coming back from 12th place? Nope.
Doesn’t apply to: Montreal. Sorry, Habs fans. You’ve got this year’s probable MVP and a Norris finalist, you were in last year’s final four, and you were just picked for the next Winter Classic. You may want to embrace a “nobody believes in us” role, but it’s too late; everyone believes in you, or at least they did until a few games ago. You don’t get to play the plucky underdog card now.
So where does all this leave us?
If you’re a Wild fan, you’re not in terrible shape. They almost certainly need to win tonight, and probably again in Game 4 on Thursday. That won’t be easy against a Hawks team that looks to finally be shifting into Stanley Cup mode right on time. But they’ve got a shot.
The Flames have a weaker case. They’ll no doubt get a boost from a loud crowd tonight, but the Ducks went into a raucous building in Winnipeg in Round 1 and did just fine. Calgary’s biggest problem is that they just don’t look like they’re good enough to keep up with Anaheim. They’ve still got a puncher’s chance here, but not much more than that.
And then there’s Montreal. The Habs certainly didn’t fare well in the various categories that made up this post, and after Sunday night they looked like a team that was closer to a full-scale meltdown than a comeback. So it’s tempting to write them off completely … until you remember Carey Price. The guy is going to be MVP for a reason, and if anyone can single-handedly steal a series his team has no right to win, it’s him. And the way they’re playing right now, the Canadiens might need exactly that. |
“It’s just so illogical,” Geller told me heatedly not long ago. “I loved him. I respected him. But the way he went after people was like a mental illness. There’s an evil to that, a maliciousness. He’s a traitor, a turncoat, a plant. We may not know for years what actually happened. You think he changed his mind?”
A NUMBER OF SO-CALLED warblogs were born out of the post-9/11 moment, when hanging a shingle in the still relatively frontier-like blogosphere was a way of, if not doing something exactly, at least establishing a rallying point for the considerable fury of all those who longed to do something. But even if the cliché about bloggers — that they presume to write knowledgeably about complex subjects without ever leaving their homes — is mostly true, it doesn’t mean that bloggers can’t make things happen. Perhaps the defining moment in Johnson’s new career came in 2004, when he was able not just to follow but to drive a major story: he was the central blogger behind what came to be known as Rathergate, in which a few citizen journalists did what Dan Rather and the venerable CBS News lacked either the patience or the skill to do themselves — check a typewritten letter supposedly from 1972, criticizing George W. Bush’s military service, for authenticity.
There is some dispute, even today, as to who was the first to expose the fraud behind the so-called Killian documents, but Johnson will forever be associated with the episode because, unlike most other bloggers — who know as much about the technical workings of their medium as a poet is likely to know about a printing press — he had the wherewithal to create, almost instantly, an animated .gif image that toggled between the original letter and that same letter typed in Microsoft Word 32 years later, illustrating the issue in a way that no 500-word blog post could have done.
The Rathergate era was the golden age of L.G.F., at least in terms of traffic. Johnson says that the peak was somewhere around half a million page views per day. (Over the past year or so, it has averaged about one-fifth that many.) But even after its peak, L.G.F. remained one of the most influential blogs in cyberspace, certainly at the conservative end of the political spectrum. It would be going too far to say that L.G.F. was a single-issue blog in those days, but even those issues on which it branched out — for instance, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Johnson, an agnostic and a Gentile, is a fierce supporter of Israel, mostly on account of the affection he developed for it as a touring musician), or the 2004 presidential election, or the Patriot Act — were outgrowths of the one concern that trumped all others: national security in the face of Islamic terrorism.
If the tone of Johnson’s writing on the blog sometimes bordered, as his detractors claimed, on hate speech, that of his mostly anonymous commenters was reliably worse. A popular blog like L.G.F. functions as a kind of cloud-sourced id. It is not uncommon for a simple, 200-word post to accrue upward of a thousand written responses from readers. The question of how responsible he is, or should be, for these expressions of uncensored reader sentiment is one that Johnson, like many bloggers, has struggled with; but in the middle years of the last decade, whether for free-speech reasons or simply because he enjoyed being the popular focal point of such strong nationalist feeling, he did very little to rein it in. Muslims were described as “vermin.” The posthumous nickname St. Pancake was coined for the young American pro-Palestinian activist Rachel Corrie, in reference to the Israeli bulldozer that killed her. Discussion of U.S. foreign-policy options included terms like “targeted genocide.” As for Palestinians, “they don’t need statehood,” offered one commenter; “they need sterilization.” And on and on. A so-called stalker blog, called L.G.F. Watch, sprang up to document instances of what it considered hate speech on the part of Johnson and his followers. Vanity Fair’s James Wolcott compared Johnson’s site to a “disorganized Nuremberg Rally.”
But enemies themselves are a kind of currency on the Internet, and for every attack L.G.F. provoked as a place that permitted and even fostered bigotry against Muslims in particular, new allies rose up to link themselves to Johnson and his causes. Those links were both spiritual and literal; allowing (or preventing) less-successful sites to post a link to yours, and maybe offering them a link on your own site in return, turns you into a kind of taste maker, a locus of tangible power. L.G.F. was, by 2007 or so, at the heart of a vast, amorphous grid of right-wing sites of every description, an interdependence that Johnson himself had become, in a way, too popular to control.
That concept of the link, in all its permutations, is the key to what happened next, both to Johnson and because of him, and it says something enlightening not just about blogging but also about the nature and prospects of citizen journalism. Whatever you think of him, Johnson is a smart man, a gifted synthesizer of information gathered by other people. But just as for anyone in his position, there is an inevitable limit to what he can learn about places, people, political organizations, etc., without actually encountering them. Instead of causes and effects, motivations and consequences, observation and behavior, his means of intellectual synthesis is, instead, the link: the indiscriminate connection established via search engine.
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IN OCTOBER 2007, Johnson was asked to take part in what was billed as a Counter-Jihad Conference in Brussels, a gathering of fewer than a hundred politicians and opinion leaders from around the world who convened to share ideas and strategies for combating the spread of militant Islam. Johnson was not the only writer invited — Geller was there, as well as Robert Spencer of jihadwatch.org (a Web site Johnson himself designed), to name two — but he did not go. “I’m just not a joiner of these things,” he says.
The conference finished up in Brussels, and “the next day,” Johnson remembers, “people were e-mailing me saying, ‘You might want to cover this.’ So I started looking into it.” He discovered that among the conference’s 90 or so participants — though not among the speakers — was a man named Filip Dewinter, a leader of a Belgian-nationalist political party called Vlaams Belang, or “Flemish Interest.” Vlaams Belang, which has a history that reaches back to the wrong side of World War II, has an unabashed record of inflammatory rhetoric and hateful, opportunistic verbal viciousness of all sorts; a few years ago, for example, the party announced an advertising campaign in Moroccan newspapers and magazines to “discourage foreigners from coming to our country.” And as recently as 2004, it was condemned by the Belgian Supreme Court for incitement to discrimination and racial segregation. (The party responded by changing its name.) Even to most right-wing sensibilities, Vlaams Belang is certainly beyond the pale. Still, whether or not Dewinter, who has said that “in Flanders, the multicultural society has led to a multicriminal society,” is more extreme than the commenters who appeared regularly on Little Green Footballs seems like a subject on which right-wing minds might reasonably disagree. Perhaps that still happens somewhere. Gray, however, is not a popular shade on the Internet.
It seems borderline ridiculous that the political character of an extremist Belgian party, which in the last parliamentary election captured just 17 seats out of 150 in the Chamber of Representatives, should become the issue over which a kind of civil war among American conservatives broke out, but that is what happened. Opposing “Islamofascism,” Johnson had come to believe, shouldn’t require identification with fascism of the older sort. Johnson began taking shots at not only Vlaams Belang, an organization it seems safe to say the vast majority of his readers had never heard of, but also at formerly favored colleagues like Spencer and Geller, to whom, by attending the same conference, the European neofascist movement was now . . . linked. Johnson first hinted, and eventually demanded, that they publicly distance themselves from both Vlaams Belang and the conference itself, and when they demurred, he publicly distanced himself from them.
“Filip Dewinter has said some things I deplore,” Spencer says. “But I don’t consider myself responsible for him just because I was at this conference and he was, too. That’s an outrageous kind of guilt by association. Let me ask you this: a few years ago I spoke at a Yom Kippur service, and one of the other speakers was Hillary Clinton. Does that make me a supporter or her work, or her of mine?”
Regardless of whether Johnson’s view of Vlaams Belang is correct, it is notable that the party is defined for him entirely by the trail it has left on the Internet. This isn’t necessarily unfair — a speech, say, given by Dewinter isn’t any more or less valuable as evidence of his political positions depending on whether you read it (or watch it) on a screen or listen to it in a crowd — but it does have a certain flattening effect in terms of time: that hypothetical speech exists on the Internet in exactly the same way whether it was delivered in 2007 or 1997. The speaker will never put it behind him. (Just as Johnson, despite his very reasonable contention that he later changed his mind, will never be allowed to consign to the past a blog post he wrote in 2004 criticizing that judicial condemnation of Vlaams Belang as “a victory for European Islamic supremacist groups.”) It may be difficult to travel to Belgium and build the case that Filip Dewinter is not just a hateful character but an actual Nazi (and thus that those who can be linked to him are Nazi sympathizers), but sitting at your keyboard, there is no trick to it at all. Not only can the past never really be erased; it co-exists, in cyberspace, with the present, and an important type of context is destroyed. This is one reason that intellectual inflexibility has become such a hallmark of modern political discourse, and why, so often, no distinction is recognized between hypocrisy and changing your mind.
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Johnson broke off relations with blogs that claimed openly to owe their own existence to him. He called the syndicated columnist Diana West and the investigative reporter Richard Miniter fascist sympathizers. He threatened to take down Michelle Malkin. In some ways, it was an exploration of the limits of his own influence: all over the blogosphere, you were either with him or with the fascists.
“I was such a small fish at the time,” Geller said. “I realized I was basically committing blog suicide by going against him. But he was wrong.” When one of Johnson’s posts about the conference was picked up and incorporated in a press release by the conservative bête noire Council on American-Islamic Relations, Geller called him out on Atlas Shrugs; he responded with a series of posts about her, the most memorable of which was titled, “Pamela Geller: Poster Girl for Eurofascism.” (Not that Geller herself, who posted a Photoshopped picture of Johnson in Joker makeup, was exactly on the high road.) Traffic at her site, she says, went down about 75 percent. “He really did put a knife in the trans-Atlantic counterjihad movement, for a long time. People were running for cover. Nobody wanted to go against him then. He was the king.”
Spencer says: “I have actually had people contact me and say, ‘I understand you’re the American representative for Vlaams Belang.’ And that is because of Johnson.” After Spencer wrote last month on Jihad Watch that I interviewed him, Johnson forwarded me several posts by other bloggers charting Spencer’s unsavory “associations”; one of them tried to connect him, via a chain of links that is too long even to summarize, to Slobodan Milosevic. The more creatively defamatory the whole dispute becomes, the further it moves from the issues around which Johnson and Spencer and many others have supposedly reframed their lives. But I never got the sense that any of it was put forth by Johnson, either in person or on the blog, in anything other than perfect earnestness. He came of age, as a writer and as a public figure, in the culture of damnation by link, and he does not exempt himself from its logic.
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Thus in retrospect it also seems clear that the Vlaams Belang blog war, with its attendant scary buzzwords (“fascist,” “racist,” “Nazi”), gave Johnson the intellectual cover to do something he wanted to do anyway, which was to conduct a kind of public self-purge of the alliances he acquired on the road to fame.
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THE QUESTIONING OF Johnson’s tactics started to come not just from without L.G.F. but also from within. Readers both casual and loyal spoke up in the comment threads to ask, sometimes diplomatically and sometimes not, whether all this casual flinging of epithets like “fascist” wasn’t maybe an overreaction. Johnson’s response, in thousands of cases, was to block their accounts and ban some of them from viewing the blog. “Get off my Web site” was a common farewell. (Johnson insists that this is not true — that no one has ever been banned from L.G.F. merely for disagreeing with him — but the anecdotal evidence to the contrary is voluminous, and the fact that the offending comments were instantly and permanently deleted makes it impossible to check others’ records against his.)
“Running a community is hard,” says Markos Moulitsas of the liberal Web site Daily Kos, “and I don’t criticize people for the approaches they take in trying to control their sites. As I tell my own disgruntled commenters, if they don’t like a site’s comment policies, they can always find greener pastures elsewhere. It’s a big Internet.”
A reasonable approach, which L.G.F.’s exiles mostly rejected. Comment threads all over the blogosphere were hijacked by people sharing stories of their banishment. Another stalker blog — this one assailing Johnson from the right — sprang up, administered by banned former “Lizards,” as L.G.F.’s registrants are known. Johnson responded by posting those former registrants’ real names and photographs on L.G.F. — an astounding breach of civility on the Internet, where anonymity is often prized above all else.
It was a kind of orgy of delinking, an intentionally set brush fire meant to clear the psychic area around Johnson and ensure that no one would connect him to anyone else, period, unless he first said it was O.K. No one would define Johnson’s allegiances but Johnson. Of course, much of this was accomplished by the very methods he felt so threatened by: a kind of six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon approach to political rectitude, in which the existence of even a search-engine-generated connection between two people anywhere in the world implied a mutual back-scratching, an ideological partnership. It was unfair and simplistic and petulant, but it also seems to have achieved its goal. Very few people on the right want to be linked with Charles Johnson anymore.
NO ONE SEEMS TO WANT to believe that his thinking simply changed over time — and in fact he still has that much in common with his old allies, for Johnson, too, insists that he hasn’t really changed. His recent expressions of support for abortion rights, of contempt for creationism and the religious right — all these beliefs, he told me, are elements of the “classical liberalism” he has always believed in but previously opted not to write about. Why now? The answer is so heretical it seems destined to raise the tizzy-level among his former followers to new heights: “It’s not that the war on terror has finished,” he said. “It’s never going to be finished, but I think things have reached the point now where it’s not as pressing as it was. Some of the measures we took to protect ourselves against extremists have been pretty effective. And so I realized, you know, that maybe it’s time to tell people that I’m not onboard with a lot of this social-conservative agenda. And I think that I actually speak for a lot of people.” Though our conversation took place in the fall, he told me in a subsequent e-mail message that the failed Christmas Day airplane bombing “doesn’t change my opinion about that.”
The flip side of the fact that his acolytes felt so close to him without ever actually knowing him is that he serves now, just as credibly, as a sort of blank screen upon which to project conspiracy theories. It has been suggested online, with a gravity that is hard to overstate, that he is a convicted child molester worried about public exposure; that he is a closeted homosexual threatened with blackmail; that he is in sexual thrall to an unnamed woman; that he is being paid by George Soros; or that he is not, in fact, Charles Johnson at all but some sort of cyberpirate writing the blog’s posts from an undisclosed location. Anything, apparently, seems if not more credible then certainly less hurtful than the opinion that the threat of terrorism on American soil is no longer so imminent that other disputes should be subsumed by it.
Many on the Internet cite as evidence that Johnson is in some dire need of money the fact that his blog is rife with advertisements — an argument that has a certain Yogi Berra quality to it, as most blogs can only dream of attracting his levels of revenue. Also popular is the theory that he did it only for the traffic, that he believes in nothing but the centrality of Charles Johnson and thus, seeing which way the political winds were blowing, that he betrayed his principles in order to remain in the spotlight. The problem with that theory is that the long-term decline in L.G.F.’s traffic, which its detractors delight in pointing out, began almost exactly at the moment two years ago when Johnson started turning on his allies and banning skeptical readers. If he was indeed panicked about loss of traffic to the site, blocking individual computers from being able to load his home page seems like an extraordinary way to reverse that.
But perhaps I am, as many suggested to me, just another liberal dupe. Perhaps I even fell for the pretense that Johnson lives in the modest home where I visited him, which bore none of the trappings his supposed sellout would suggest. The U.P.S. man who delivered packages to his door while I was there, and his truck, may have been hired for the day just to snow me; the decidedly un-Mata-Hari-like woman he introduced to me as his fiancée, who brought us water and fruit as we talked in his small home office, may have been a member of the Trilateral Commission. It would be just like a representative of the Mainstream Media to get caught believing his eyes like that.
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THE SOUNDEST CONCLUSION seems to be that he has indeed changed his mind — less about issues (though there are a few, global warming chief among them, on which he will admit to having gradually reversed positions) than about the people with whom he is willing to share the stage, or, perhaps, about his willingness to share the stage at all. Not that changing your mind, even in today’s political environment, makes you into some kind of intellectual hero. People change their minds all the time, for all kinds of reasons.
No one ever said L.G.F., or any blog, had to be about the free exchange of ideas. “It’s his sandbox,” Pamela Geller says simply. “He can do whatever he wants.” Still, if you read L.G.F. today, you will find it hard to miss the paradox that a site whose origins, and whose greatest crisis, were rooted in opposition to totalitarianism now reads at times like a blog version of “Animal Farm.” Johnson seems obsessed with what others think of him, posting much more often than he used to about references to himself elsewhere on the Internet and breaking into comment threads (a recent one was about the relative merits of top- versus front-loaded washing machines) to call commenters’ attention to yet another attack on him that was posted at some other site. On the home page, you can click to see the Top 10 comments of the day, as voted on by registered users; typically, half of those comments will be from Johnson himself. Even longtime commenters have been disappeared for one wrong remark, or one too many, and when it comes to wondering where they went or why, a kind of fearful self-censorship obtains. He has banned readers because he has seen them commenting on other sites of which he does not approve. He is, as he reminds them, always watching. L.G.F. still has more than 34,000 registered users, but the comment threads are dominated by the same two dozen or so names. And a handful of those have been empowered by Johnson sub rosa to watch as well — to delete critical comments and, if necessary, to recommend the offenders for banishment. It is a cult of personality — not that there’s any compelling reason, really, that it or any blog should be presumed to be anything else.
“This is one area where I did change,” Johnson admitted. “I realized you can’t just let it be free speech. It doesn’t work that way on the Internet. Total free speech is a recipe for anarchy when people can’t see each other.”
IN THE LAST DAY of November, Johnson delivered the final blow to his old alliances. In a post that he said took him about three minutes to write, he listed 10 reasons “Why I Parted Ways With the Right.” The “reasons” themselves amounted to little more than laundry lists: “Support for conspiracy theories and hate speech (see: Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Birthers, creationists, climate deniers, etc.),” for instance. In the voluminous comment thread attached, Johnson was characteristically interested less in discussing the break itself than in discussing the reaction to it — calling readers’ attention to the number of times it was “re-tweeted,” linking to attacks on him, citing praise from quarters that not long ago would have considered him toxic. Anticlimactic as this moment might have seemed to right-wingers who broke with Johnson a year or more earlier, it caused a sensation: the site’s traffic spiked to about three and a half times what it was the day before. (It returned to its current levels — about 100,000 page views a day — within the week.)
“I saw the bill of particulars he nailed to the door of his Web site,” says the author Peter Collier — himself a survivor of the special vitriol directed at those who change sides in the ideological wars, after he and David Horowitz, his fellow former Ramparts editor, publicly leapt from far left to far right in the late 1980s. “Not exactly Whittaker Chambers, is he? I must say I was pretty put off by the profligate and kind of lame use of the word ‘fascism,’ a word that has been systematically denuded of its meaning, so that now it just signifies somebody you don’t agree with. I don’t want to say that it didn’t take some bravery and forethought and all that stuff — it just didn’t seem like a very considered and certainly not a very theoretical break. More of a take-this-job-and-shove-it moment.”
Johnson’s desk is flanked by a keyboard and an electric guitar, which he still plays, though not professionally. “The touring thing, when you’re younger — it’s nice and glamorous,” he said. “I’ve been to most of the continents in the world — the only big country I’ve missed is Russia, I think. I would probably still be doing it if the blog hadn’t taken off the way it did. If someone were to come to me and offer me a couple million dollars to go tour for six months, I wouldn’t say no. But at this point, the blog is more than meeting my needs, financially.” (He declines to characterize how much money he makes.)
Sitting at his desk, he read me an e-mail message he received that day from a stranger who wished upon him a series of unprintable misfortunes involving a “male black crack whore.” He closed the e-mail message and shook his head. Incivility, at least of the F2F variety, clearly makes him uncomfortable; in fact, he can be downright squeamish about it. “I don’t know why things can’t just stay on the level of the factual,” he said. “I don’t know why everything has to have a slant. I mean, The New York Times has a slant, and in the past I’ve called them out for that.” He sighed. “I miss the days of Walter Cronkite.” |
Studio 17, a collective of more than 70 artists working in the Redlick Building at 17th and Mission streets, will be forced to vacate the premises in June after failing to secure a lease renewal from its landlord. Artists who have worked in the building for years and hosted numerous open houses are faced with finding new spaces or packing up their belongings.
Studio 17 isn’t the only artist studio facing eviction in San Francisco. Smaller artist collectives including Workspace Limited and SOMA Artists Studios may share the same fate.
The Redlick Building was purchased by Rick Holman, managing partner of Asher Insights Inc., in 2013, and he assured tenants in an open letter that there were no intentions “to tear down the building ... or otherwise change its fundamental character or use.”
According to Robert Donald, master leaseholder of the Studio 17 spaces, the artists have tried several times to contact Holman about negotiating the terms for their lease renewal, but have not been successful.
“Without any plans for relocation, having to vacate our existing spaces to make way for the owner’s mandated retrofit leaves us with little hope of maintaining our community,” said Donald. “I question whether Mr. Holman is using it as a convenient excuse for our displacement.”
Studio 17 occupies 20,000 square feet on the fourth floor of the Redlick Building, which Holman says is due for a seismic upgrade. Donald says that he is unsure whether this will require artists to vacate the space until the upgrades are complete and that the artists have not received a definitive answer.
Donald issued a zoning violation claim against Holman that is under investigation by the Planning Department. In 2013, Holman made upgrades to the building and the nonprofit Homeless Children’s Network was priced out.
The nonprofit was later replaced by PlanGrid, a construction app company that works with architects to replace paper blueprints.
Holman disputed claims about negotiations and said that upgrades must be completed to make the building safe.
“The problem with these claims is that we are directly leasing to artists, not renewing Robert Donald’s master lease through his business Studio 17 Artists LLC,” said Holman. “I have not made any statements to Robert Donald about a rate for renewing his master lease.”
Holman says the plan is to directly lease the space to artists at substantially below-market rates. According to Gina Simi, the Planning Department’s communications manager, the investigation is continuing.
The artists have taken steps to combat their displacement, and on April 15, they issued a press release detailing their concerns and calls for public support. They also participated in the Mission Artists United’s Spring Open Studios, in what artist and Studio 17 member Truong Tran referred to as “possibly the last opportunity” for the public to visit the artists’ collective spaces.
The artists are hoping for the issues to be resolved before it’s time to pack up. They plan to meet with Holman and his lawyers this week.
Tran believes moving would speak to the larger issue of artists and culture being pushed out of the city.
“I have concerns about where he plans to relocate us,” said Tran. “If it is in the basement or on the second floor, most of us would have to move out.
“This is displacement. Apps do not change the world. Artists and their work do that. ”
Spencer Whitney is assistant editor on the opinion pages. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @SpenceWhitney |
Former Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell is headed to prison. The man formerly known as "FredEx" was sentenced to 37 months behind bars for his part in a tax fraud scheme, according to TMZ. Mitchell pleaded guilty to withholding millions of dollars from the federal government. He was facing ten years in prison, but cut a deal in order to have the sentence reduced to a little more than three.
More: Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter
Mitchell was known for his wild interview antics during his stint with the Eagles. He was also on the receiving end of the play known affectionately as "4th-and-26." Mitchell played in Philadelphia for four seasons after being drafted in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. The former UCLA Bruin collected 90 receptions for 1,263 yards and five touchdowns in the NFL, all of which came with the Eagles.
Mitchell was a bust in the NFL and it is looking like his personal life has not gone much better since leaving the league.
More from Bleeding Green Nation: |
Cinenewsnow.com, a local news station in the Chicago area, is reporting of a near-tragedy at Peoria’s Notre Dame High School that was averted by one swimmer’s quick thinking.
Read the full report here.
16-year old Alex Bousky was trying to break a breath-holding record, and after 75 yards he passed out and suffered a seizure at the bottom of the pool. After a teammate noticed his absence, 17-year old Charlie Cain jumped into the water and pulled his teammate to safety. The team and the coach then took all appropriate actions, turned him onto his side, and called an ambulance.
“I went over to make sure he was okay, I didn’t expect to find him,” said Cain to Cinenewsnow. “He was on the bottom of the pool. I brought him up and over the wall and our coach got down to pull him out. All the guys were doing stuff for him, we opened the doors up and we got him on his side. One of the guys found someone to call the ambulance.”
Cain was trained by his coach, Steve Frye, in a Red Cross lifesaving class. Even though he was never a lifeguard, he took the class in hopes of furthering his medical career, according to the article.
Cain’s heroics are certainly to be commended, but this is another scary reminder about the dangers of these sorts of underwater challenges.
The dangers posed to swimmers at practice has been highlighted by two recent incidents at two of the country’s major clubs. In one case, a teen at SwimMAC was transported to a hospital by ambulance after nearly drowning. In the other, tragedy was not averted when teenager Louis Lowenthal drowned at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. There are still no firm details (and may never be) about precisely what happened in that situation. Aside from highlighting the risks, both of these cases also highlight the importance of having as many trained lifeguards on deck as possible; both in a formal role, as well as coaches and other athletes who might be observing practices.
While USA Swimming has not issued a specific ban on the type of challenge activity described above, some organizations like the YMCA have issued bans targeting these extreme challenges. Regardless of bans, such challenge activities continue to occur in our pools. In order to maintain a safe training environment, coaches are expected to consider the age, distance and recovery time when undertaking any breath control training and never push or challenge their athletes to place themselves in duress or a dangerous situation. The Safety Training for Swim Coaches course, required of all USA Swimming member coaches, addresses the issue of inappropriate hypoxic training. |
Self-driving electric cars? Rad!! A Hyperloop train that can get you from New York to L.A. in a few hours? No way! A space program that could one day fly missions to Mars and send tourists into orbit? Holy shit! A new kind of roof tile? Uh, sure. OK.
Aside from his drilling company that is literally called The Boring Company, Elon Musk’s newest endeavor to better mankind with solar energy-collecting roof tiles seems kind of dull. But it might be his most practical and affordable invention, depending on where you live.
What makes the Tesla Solar Roof a good investment is not just that it shaves a few dollars off of your monthly power bill, but that the tiles are practically indestructible — meaning the roof will last a lifetime.
The cost of a Tesla Solar Roof ultimately depends on how much energy you need and the percentage of active solar tiles on the roof itself. To help people determine that, Tesla also dropped a solar roof calculator with the release of the price this past summer, so people can estimate the exact cost and how much money the roof will save them in the long haul.
Determining the cost of a solar roof takes into account how much of the roof can be active solar tile and how much will just be the non-active glass tiles. A glass tile, without the solar elements, costs $11 per square foot, and the solar tiles themselves are $42 per square foot. For most houses, Tesla says only about 40 percent of the roof will be active solar, but the percentage of active tiles depends on how much energy a household needs.
So, if you live in a city with cheap installation, good tax credit, and lots of sun (sorry, UK), the Tesla Solar Roof might be the last roof you’ll have over your head.
See also:
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If you liked this video, you’ll probably want to watch this one, too: “SolarWindow Technology in Action” |
FOXBORO — In this world of uncertainly and doubt, there is always one thing that rings true in rock 'n' roll. Certain singers and guitarists — despite their ego clashes, bad blood and backstage drama — are meant to play together and are better together than they are apart. Axl Rose and Slash are prime example.
While it only took 23 years to get Axl and Slash back on stage together again, in the end, a lot of patience (and frustration) from the fans certainly paid off.
From being "the world's most dangerous band" to becoming the world's most dysfunctional, Guns N' Roses is once again a rock 'n' roll force to reckon with, as evident at Tuesday night's unrelenting and blistering two-hour-and-45-minute set at Gillette Stadium that consisted of nine songs from “Appetite for Destruction,” four songs each from “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II”; four from “Chinese Democracy”; four full-fledged covers (not recorded or associated with the band) and a single shot from “G N’ R Lies.”
Not only was it everything a G N’ R fan could wish for, if the laws of physics held any weight, there should be nothing more than a crater or a parcel of scorched earth where Gillette Stadium once stood.
Fully cocked and loaded, Guns N’ Roses were fierce and ferocious from the get-go with the one-two punch of “It’s So Easy” and “Mr. Brownstone,” two choice cuts from its 1987 debut, “Appetite for Destruction.”
Although looking a little heavier and puffier, Rose still has his spine-tingling serpentine voice and unabashed swagger intact.
Wearing the first of many black, illustrated T-shirts (My favorite tee of the evening promoted John Carpenter’s “The Thing”), plenty of bling including a pair of silver crucifixes dangling from his neck, plaid shirt strategically tied around his waist, tattered dungarees and black sneakers, the fouled-mouth (but, surprisingly, not fouled-mood) singer made up for lost time and actually showed up on time.
And, in case Slash’s shirt depicting Cenobite leader “Pinhead” wasn’t a dead giveaway, Guns N’ Rose was out to raise some serious hell. Sporting his signature top hat, dark shades and curly long locks, Slash's look is still iconic, but it’s his guitar prowess that makes him a rock legend.
Slash did some serious shredding on the six-string almost immediately and throughout the evening and the audience was in awe of this bonafide Guitar God and the arguably the best rock ‘n’ roll guitarist to emerge out of the '80s. Slash’s scorching riffs were so incendiary, I’m surprised his guitar didn’t burst into flame during the performance.
Wearing a Lemmy Kilmister (of Motorhead fame) shirt and sporting a Prince Hieroglyph symbol on his bass, Guns N' Roses' original bassist Duff McKagan looked like a walking, rock ‘n’ roll “In Memoriam” reel at The Grammys come to life. The only thing that was missing was a David Bowie tattoo on one of his buffed arms.
Rounding out the latest incarnation of Guns N’ Roses are keyboardist Dizzy Reed (who joined G N’ R in 1990), guitarist Richard Fortus (who has been playing with Axl since 2001), drummer Frank Ferrer (who’s been on since 2006) and keyboardist and band newbie Melissa Reed.
The threat of “You’re gonna die” has never sounded so inviting as it did on “Welcome to the Jungle.” Running from one end of the stage to the other and up and down the elaborate set of illuminated stairs, bridges and catwalks, Rose fueled the number with plenty of piercing screams and vintage Sunset Strip sleaze, while Slash and Fortus sonically flattened everything in his path. By the end of this deliciously depraved and decadent opus, the audience forgave Axl for making the original members of Guns N' Roses scatter.
“Live and Let Die” was performed twice in three nights in the Bay State — first, Sir Paul McCartney (who wrote it) Sunday night at Fenway, and, now, Guns N’ Roses Tuesday (and most likely Wednesday night) at Gillette. It’s enough to give a rock 'n' roll lover a swell head and think they’re James Bond. While I prefer Macca’s version, Guns N’ Roses delivered an explosive version in their own right that was certainly a crowd pleaser.
Fortus confidently took over the guitar lead while Slash strummed crunchy guitar riffs that he could play in his sleep on “Rocket Queen,” which also featured Slash using a talk box straight out of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” and Rose wearing a stupid-looking leather cowboy hat that made him look like a gunslinger in a bad spaghetti western.
McKagan momentarily took over the microphone from Axl, while Slash and Fortus sounded like they were auditioning for the Sex Pistols on the punk mash-up of Johnny Thunder’s “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory” and The Damned’s “New Rose.”
With the disembodied voice of Strother Martin’s sadistic warden from “Cool Hand Luke” permeating into the arena, the audience knew when Axl came back he wasn’t whistling Dixie but setting the stage for another absolute scorcher, “Civil War.”
Slash gave the crowd a musical opus they couldn’t refuse, “Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather).” It was moments like this and the stellar instrumental of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” (with Fortus) that made Slash steal the show, but Axl didn’t seem to care too much. In fact, there was enough positive energy coming from the crowd for all the original and newer members of Guns N’ Roses to bask in the glow.
While Slash’s glorious guitar riffs kicked things off, it was Rose voice that soared out of the stadium on the pristine and pitch-perfect opus, "Sweet Child O' Mine."
Axl showed off his piano prowess while Slash unleashed his inner-Slowhand on the instrumental portion of Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla” that miraculously turned into the nuclear-powered, power ballad, “November Rain.”
Rose belted out Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" with all his might as he led the crowd into a massive sing-along.
For Guns N’ Roses' encore, Slash, McKagan and Fortus transformed the Rolling Stones’ classic “Angie” into a sublime instrumental which seamlessly segued into Rose’s whistling melody line on “Patience.”
Rose delivered a rousing version of the Who’s “The Seeker” before abiding to Foxboro’s silly 11:15 p.m. curfew with the fire-breathing, confetti-raining closer “Paradise City," which was a perfect end to an evening that was truly rock 'n' roll paradise.
Email Craig S. Semon at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @CraigSemon. |
JUBA Heavy gunfire erupted in South Sudan's capital late on Monday after President Salva Kiir ordered his forces to cease fire and only respond if they came under attack, Reuters witnesses reported.
His rival Riek Machar, the former rebel who returned to his old post of vice president in April under the terms of a peace deal to end a civil war, called for "calm and restraint" earlier on Monday but has yet to issue a public ceasefire declaration.
(Reporting by Denis Dumo and Reuters Television; Writing by Edmund Blair; editing by Ralph Boulton)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button. |
dAPhREAk Profile Blog Joined July 2010 Nauru 12378 Posts #2 its a trap -- admiral akbar
Chairman Ray Profile Blog Joined December 2009 United States 11440 Posts #3 DLing now!
I get to listen to Chill's beautiful voice!
Megaliskuu Profile Blog Joined October 2010 United States 5112 Posts #4 "I'm your host moderate temperature"
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL |BW>Everything|Add me on star2 KR server TheMuTaL.675 for practice games :)|NEX clan| https://www.dotabuff.com/players/183104694
emperorchampion Profile Blog Joined December 2008 Switzerland 4348 Posts Last Edited: 2011-03-27 03:56:04 #5 HOLY FUCK LOOOOOLLL
MODERATE TEMPERATURE FTW!!! :D
edit:
you fucked up, it's out of sync -_- TRUEESPORTS || your days as a respected member of team liquid are over
CheAse Profile Blog Joined July 2009 Canada 918 Posts #6 I didn't notice anything bias.... Imo its just part of being entertaining.
Downloading now anyways SCV good to go sir
Bright] Profile Joined March 2010 United States 118 Posts #7 Chill is a freaking genius. Track 1
Chairman Ray Profile Blog Joined December 2009 United States 11440 Posts #8 Chill has the Nada's body of voices
vdale Profile Joined June 2010 Germany 1173 Posts #9 LOL
Trezeguet Profile Blog Joined January 2009 United States 2637 Posts #10
+ Show Spoiler + How did you manage to not kill yourself halfway through this? We accept your apology. It takes a big man to admit he is wrong, and to fix his mistakes. Perhaps due to this scandal you should even consider stepping aside and letting a more professional commentator take the reins.
tree.hugger Profile Blog Joined May 2009 Philadelphia, PA 10040 Posts #11 HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA Moderator EffOrt, Snow, GuMiho, and Team Liquid
RushWifDietCoke Profile Joined May 2008 United States 488 Posts #12 "Both of these players from planet Earth and making units. Minerals being mined. Minerals being mined. Minerals being mined. Minerals being mined. Minerals being mined."
LOL I thought the original cast was awesome, keep up the great work. Nothing to it but to do it.
emperorchampion Profile Blog Joined December 2008 Switzerland 4348 Posts Last Edited: 2011-03-27 04:00:55 #13 On March 27 2011 12:59 Trezeguet wrote:
We accept your apology. It takes a big man to admit he is wrong, and to fix his mistakes. Perhaps due to this scandal you should even consider stepping aside and letting a more professional commentator take the reins.
+ Show Spoiler + How did you manage to not kill yourself halfway through this? We accept your apology. It takes a big man to admit he is wrong, and to fix his mistakes. Perhaps due to this scandal you should even consider stepping aside and letting a more professional commentator take the reins.
He cracks at like 3:43 or something
and at 5:15 :p He cracks at like 3:43 or somethingand at 5:15 :p TRUEESPORTS || your days as a respected member of team liquid are over
GTR Profile Blog Joined September 2004 47912 Posts #14 This was okay. Commentator Twitter: @GTR1H
Stream: http://www.twitch.tv/GTR1H
Oreo7 Profile Blog Joined December 2010 United States 1640 Posts #15 fucking LOL.
Minerals being mined.
Minerals being mined. Stork HerO and Protoss everywhere - redfive on bnet
Kennigit Profile Blog Joined October 2006 Canada 19375 Posts #16 minerals being mined. minerals being mined.
Adeeler Profile Blog Joined June 2009 United Kingdom 762 Posts #17 "Phone Messaged Recieved" !
SiZ.FaNtAsY Profile Blog Joined January 2007 Korea (South) 1469 Posts #18 Still biased imo, Karma is a bitch
j3i Profile Joined February 2011 United States 357 Posts Last Edited: 2011-03-27 04:22:16 #19
I saw something similar in the Official State of the Game thread when someone claimed that the way they ridicule audience responses on the show is demeaning. iNcontrol promptly labeled him as a "shitstirrer" ... for having an opinion about a show that encourages people to speak their minds.
And now this.
I don't care if I get banned or whatever but it has to be said. If you guys are the leaders of this board, you should probably act appropriately. Grow up.
User was temp banned for this post.
I don't get it... everytime I see someone offer constructive critisism on this board towards an recognized figure, they get their heads bitten off. He didn't even say it in a bad way. He was just offering his sentiments on the commentary. He was mature about it.I saw something similar in the Official State of the Game thread when someone claimed that the way they ridicule audience responses on the show is demeaning. iNcontrol promptly labeled him as a "shitstirrer" ... for having an opinion about a show that encourages people to speak their minds.And now this.I don't care if I get banned or whatever but it has to be said. If you guys are the leaders of this board, you should probably act appropriately. Grow up. Mod note: user was banned for stating he would be banned (martyring), not for his criticism. I am an idiot who knows only about gaming, so there is nothing private to talk about to begin with. - Bisu
dAPhREAk Profile Blog Joined July 2010 Nauru 12378 Posts #20 On March 27 2011 13:07 j3i wrote:
I don't get it... everytime I see someone offer constructive critisism on this board towards an recognized figure, they get their heads bitten off. He didn't even say it in a bad way. He was just offering his sentiments on the commentary. He was mature about it.
I saw something similar in the Official State of the Game thread when someone claimed that the way they ridicule audience responses on the show is demeaning. iNcontrol promptly labeled him as a "shitstirrer" ... for having an opinion about a show that encourages people to speak their minds.
And now this.
I don't care if I get banned or whatever but it has to be said. If you guys are the leaders of this board, you should probably act appropriately. Grow up.
well, you said the magic words. enjoy your ban.
@op -- thanks for taking the time to ridicule them some more. well, you said the magic words. enjoy your ban.@op -- thanks for taking the time to ridicule them some more.
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A former foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump has written to congressional investigators claiming, without evidence, that his mobile phone may have been tapped last year.
Carter Page, a businessman, suggests this would support the view that the Trump campaign headquarters at Trump Tower in New York was under surveillance, since he works nearby and was a frequent visitor there.
The president has asserted in a series of tweets that Trump Tower was wiretapped by Barack Obama just before the election but did not explain his basis for the allegation, eventually calling for the House and Senate intelligence committees to investigate.
Sean Spicer muddles answer when pressed on Trump and Russia investigation Read more
Page, like Trump, has challenged US policy towards Russia and called for warmer relations between the two countries. He visited Moscow last July and December and has not denied meeting the Russian ambassador to the US during last July’s Republican convention, where the Trump campaign successfully lobbied to drop anti-Russia language from the party platform.
In a letter addressed to Richard Burr and Mark Warner, chairman and vice-chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Page notes media reports that secret court orders were issued last October to allow the FBI to conduct surveillance of “US persons” in an investigation of possible contacts between Russian banks and the Trump Organization.
“Having spoken in favor of some of Mr Trump’s policies on other Fox News Group programs during the 2016 campaign as a campaign surrogate and given the peaceful relationship I have had with Russian citizens since my years in the US Navy, it may be understandable why I would be an associated political target if such sick activities had indeed been committed as alleged in the previously cited media reports,” he writes.
“For your information, I have frequently dined in Trump Grill, had lunch in Trump Café, had coffee meetings in the Starbucks at Trump Tower, attended events and spent many hours in campaign headquarters on the fifth floor last year. As a sister skyscraper in Manhattan, my office at the IBM Building (590 Madison Avenue) is literally connected to the Trump Tower building by an atrium.”
Page continues: “So if prior media reports may be believed that surveillance was indeed undertaken against me and other Trump supporters, it should be essentially deemed as a proven fact that the American people’s concerns that Trump Tower was under surveillance last year is entirely correct.”
He says he keeps his cellphone on at all times except when flying, partly because of a “a chronic medical condition” that requires permanent access to a particular app.
In what is presumably a reference to the recent publication of documents by WikiLeaks showing the CIA maintains the technical capability to hack consumer devices, Page adds: “All of this is particularly relevant following recent allegations surrounding surveillance techniques.”
The Senate committee will examine Russia’s interference in the election, which intelligence agencies concluded was carried out to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and potential links between Russia and Trump’s associates. The panel has asked about a dozen individuals and organisations, including the White House, to preserve relevant materials.
The FBI is also carrying out its own separate investigation. Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of improper contacts and the White House has complained about a “fake narrative” being recycled.
Page, an oil and energy industry consultant who has spent significant time in Russia, told the Guardian he would be “more than happy” to testify to the Senate committee. He admitted that he had no proof that his phone was put under surveillance but denied he was attempting to put up a smokescreen, turning his fire instead on the Clinton campaign.
Top Republicans refuse to back up Trump's unproven wiretapping claim Read more
“My phone looks clean to me,” he wrote in an email. “More to the point and if they were indeed doing a J. Edgar Hoover-style political attack based on my beliefs, nothing I’ve ever written or said on it could be possibly construed as breaking any U.S. Law ... as per the false evidence and concocted allegations of the Lying Crooked Hillary campaign.”
Over the past year the Trump campaign and administration have issued conflicting statements over its relationship with Page.
Adam Jentleson, senior strategic adviser at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, has argued, referring to one of Page’s trips to Moscow, the change to the RNC platform and the first batch of DNC emails from WikiLeaks: “Two weeks in July 2016 show why Page could be such an important piece of the puzzle.” |
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A bride registered blind just three years ago says her “incredible” guide dog has made such an impact on her life that he was made ring-bearer at her wedding.
Kirsty Williams, who was given gorgeous black labrador Bass just before Christmas, tied the knot to care home administrator Tom James at Penallta House in Ystrad Mynach.
The 25-year-old wowed her 90-plus guests with a stunning princess-style dress covered in Swarowski crystals.
'I don't feel blind anymore'
But it was beautiful Bass who stole the show when his owners swapped his harness for a specially-made collar and tie for the ring-bearer role.
Kirsty, whose sight deteriorated rapidly three years ago due to a rare eye condition, said Bass has massively improved her confidence.
Heroic guide dog honoured:
“I would never have been able to plan this wedding in the way I did without him,” said Kirsty.
“He has enabled me to get out and about and visit different shops. We work so well together that I don’t feel blind any more. “I think it hit me when I took Bass for a run on my own for the first time. I felt the sun on my face and realised I had the freedom to go out on my own terms instead of being stuck in the house.
“I’m a better me than before I lost my sight. I now feel genuine happiness.”
Related:
'He was proud to be wearing it'
Two-year-old Bass regularly accompanies Kirsty to work as a complementary therapist for the Cancer Careline in Blackwood where her colleagues have fallen in love with him.
“My boss made him the special collar for the wedding and Bass seemed to like it,” said Caerphilly resident Kirsty.
“We showed it to him before the ceremony and he wagged his tail as if he was proud to be wearing it”.
Related: People with sight loss in Wales feel 'cut off' from their communities, charity boss warns
Related: The most iconic wedding day kisses remembered... for International Kissing Day
Keen clubber Kirsty met 30-year-old Tom nearly five years ago on a night out in Hereford where he was DJing.
“I knew there was something special about him,” said Kirsty.
“We both love dance music, so it was great to bring out the drum n’ bass music at the wedding. People said it was the most fun wedding they’d been to.
“I think having Bass has helped our relationship. Tom is no longer my carer. Now we’re able to walk down the road holding hands with Bass by our side.
“I want to help other young girls with sight loss and tell them you can still do normal things and enjoy life.”
'He has given Kirsty independence'
Groom Tom said Bass has also made a big difference to his life.
He said: “He has given Kirsty independence, dignity, happiness and joy in place of isolation and loneliness, which enables us to be a couple.”
The pair jetted off on holiday to Turkey for their honeymoon today. |
A few things about Canada
10 Comments » March 17th, 2014 Posted 8:09 pm
Well it’s been nearly 6 months since I first touched down on Canadian soil, and I’m very pleased to report that it’s been a delightful experience. I love this country!
I’m at the stage now where I feel like I’ve passed my probation. Settling in Toronto has given me the fantastic opportunity to get to know first-hand what life is like within the boundaries of the most populous & multicultural city in Canada, and I’ve done enough travelling around the province and south of the border to gain a basic understanding of the North American way of life in general.
So in no particular order, here is a list of a few Canadian quirks, loves, frustrations, tongue-in-cheek observations and comparisons to life in Australia that I’ve come to notice so far during my time here.
Milk
Rather than being sold in the screw-top plastic bottles we’re used to in Australia, milk in the eastern provinces of Canada comes in a package of three 1.3 litre plastic bladders (to give 4 litres in total). You simply place the bladder into a jug, cut a small hole in the top corner and pour. Admittedly the first time I tried to pour using this method, the bladder fell out of the jug and cow juice spilt everywhere, but I’ve since figured out how to keep it in place and see its benefit. It’s a surprisingly effective, drip-free pouring method, and once the bladder is empty you’re left with a hell of a lot less waste than that of an empty carton or bottle. 1L cardboard cartons are also available, but it’s a lot more cost-effective to buy the bladders.
The fat content of milk here is predominantly referred to as a percentage, and the descriptions are slightly different from home: it’s 3.25% for homo milk, 2% for partly-skimmed and 1% for low-fat.
Also there’s none of that ‘permeate-free’ marketing garbage infiltrating Canadian milk labels like it does in Australia. It’s just plain milk.
Tim Hortons
Australia has Oporto, Britain had Wimpy, America has McDonalds and Canada has Tim Hortons!
It was founded by hockey player Tim Horton in 1964 as a donut shop, before quickly expanding into a Canadian fast-food institution, well loved by almost every Canuck for their assortment of donuts, sandwiches and weak coffee.
I made the fatal mistake of bagging out Tim Hortons on Twitter after I tried one of their sandwiches for the first time, which wasn’t met with an overly joyous response from locals. My displeasure was justified though: it was not a very appetising meal at all, and the particular branch I dined at didn’t even have any seating so I had to stand at a crowded bar to eat it.
Since then I’m happy to say that Tim Hortons has grown on me. Their donuts have proven a lifesaver in the early drunken hours of the morning. I quite enjoy their Timbits (a popular bite-sized donut snack) and I’m somewhat smitten by their signature caffeinated recipe the ‘double double’ – brewed coffee with two sugars and two servings of cream. I’d never appreciated coffee with cream until I had my first double double only last week.
Oat & aboat
I was under the impression that every Canadian I was to meet would pronounce the word “about” as a-boot, but this isn’t the case. I don’t know about the rest of the country, but in Toronto they say a-boat. It’s so adorable 🙂
Another thing I’ve found synonymous with the Canadian accent is that if a word ends with R like door or floor, there’s an emphasis placed on the R at the end so that it sounds like doorrrrrhh or floorrrrrhh. This too is super adorable.
Addresses
I find it quite odd that there is no need for the suburb in Canadian addresses – all you need is the street, city, province and postcode. In my case, the city is simply Toronto; there is no need to note the suburb of ‘Kensington Market’ anywhere in my address. The postcode is what holds the key to that specific information.
However in Sydney, for example, I worked on Miller St, in the suburb of North Sydney, state of NSW, postcode 2060; each of those details are required on the address for the post office to make the delivery. You can’t just put Sydney as the suburb – you have to put North Sydney specifically, because the postcode 2060 encompasses the areas of HMAS Platypus, HMAS Waterhen, Lavender Bay, McMahons Point, North Sydney, North Sydney Shoppingworld and Waverton.
People generally don’t refer to their suburb when they speak of where they live either – they either give a specific cross-street, or just say their city: ‘Toronto’ or ‘Etobicoke’ or ‘Mississauga’, all of which include multitudes of smaller neighbourhoods. I’ve heard that the naming and outlining of suburbs are only a recent addition to Toronto’s cartography.
Thanks to the grid system, cross-streets are a very popular way of communicating addresses, much more so than in Australia. In Toronto, if meeting a friend at a restaurant you’d simply say it was at ‘King & York’. Everybody knows where that is already. But back at home, we tend to use the full street/suburb address of 124 King St, Newtown… we wouldn’t really say ‘King & Bucknell’ cause most people wouldn’t have any clue where Bucknell St is.
Traffic
Although I’ve passed through many areas of the world where cars drive on the right-hand side of the road, it took quite some time to get used to the fact I’m now living long-term in a country where the flow of traffic is opposite to that of home. There were a few instances early on where I’d mistakenly wait for the tram on the wrong side of the road, and when I enter a car I still habitually head toward the Canadian driver’s side when I should be aiming for the passenger side. I know I’m getting used to it though: I watched a British movie the other day with a driving scene, and it felt strange to see cars driving on the left again.
I haven’t actually driven a car over here yet, but I’m looking forward to the challenge when the day comes.
In Australia we have the “turn left at any time with care” lanes at intersections with lights, but these dedicated lanes don’t exist over here – instead, it’s completely ok to turn right at an intersection on a red light if it’s safe to do so.
There are no green & red men on the traffic signals at pedestrian crossings. The signals in Toronto (and much of North America, from what I’ve seen) display a white man when it’s safe to cross, followed by a red ‘stop’ hand and a countdown timer showing how many seconds are left until the lights change.
If a pedestrian is walking parallel to a road and comes to an intersection where there is no pedestrian signal, the pedestrian has right of way. Unlike in Australia where you wait for cars to move through the intersection before you continue on, in Toronto the cars will stop for you and let you cross first.
Public transit
Everyone in every city I’ve ever lived in (including this one) is unhappy with the state of their public transit system, but I can honestly say that Toronto’s subway/streetcar/bus system run by the TTC is brilliant! Sure, there are times where scheduled streetcars don’t arrive or when a subway line is out of action for a weekend, but so far I think the pros outweigh the cons. The combination of a grid street plan with a city-wide bus, tram & underground system means public transport can get you very specifically to where you need to go, all on a single ticket which is pretty well affordable.
Something I find unique about TTC streetcars is that doors don’t open automatically when they stop – if you want the door to open, you need to stand on the step. It was an awkward moment learning this from the people behind me on a crowded tram when I was trying to figure out how to disembark at my stop.
There is another company called GO Transit who run bus & train commuter services in the Greater Toronto Area, and while the service has always been on time and comfortable whenever I’ve used them, it annoys me that their transit centres in regional areas are so bloody far away from the main hub. When I went to Unionville I had to walk 45 minutes in the freezing snow to get to the main street. Downtown Oakville was at least an hours walk away from the train station, and it was a $20 cab fare to get from Oshawa GO Station to Oshawa itself. To compare this with Sydney, it’d be like getting off at Merrylands but being told you were in the centre of Parramatta.
Cell phones
They’re mostly referred to as cell phones here, not mobile phones.
Canadian cell phone plans are extortionately expensive 🙁 I’m paying $65 / month at the moment with Bell Mobility. With tax, that takes it up to around $74. Add on the very minimal 7 minutes of calls (3 minutes of which were to my own voicemail) and 7 US text messages that I sent last month and my bill turned out to be $88. The only thing it’s good for is my 1GB of data. In comparison, I paid $35 a month with Virgin in Australia which gave me 2GB of data and texts/calls to just about anywhere. The only time I ever paid more than $35 was the month I made a few phone calls from within New Zealand while on global roaming.
There is a caller ID service here that automatically sends your name along with your phone number when you call someone. It’s pretty neat, because even if you don’t have the number stored in your address book, you get to see the name of whoever is calling (providing both parties are subscribed to the service).
Area codes and phone numbers are formatted differently over this side of the world. An Australian mobile number always starts with 04 and would be formatted as 0416 123 456, but in North America the cell number always starts with a three-digit location-specific area code and is formatted as 416-123-4567. The same format applies to landline phones.
Traditionally, Toronto had two area codes, 416 and 647, but the numbers are nearing exhaustion so last year they released a new area code into the mix: 437. I had no idea about this when I first got my SIM card so I chose any old number and ended up with one of the new 437 area codes. Now every time I give my digits to someone I get weird looks because it doesn’t begin with 416 or 647, and I have to give the whole spiel about how it’s the new Toronto area code. It’s important that people know this too – if they aren’t confident that I have a local number, they may hesitate when getting in touch as the cost of calling/texting a number outside the local area is significantly higher.
Cuisine
Toronto is a place like no other when it comes to cuisine. It’s incredibly multicultural here, and I love how there are numerous pockets of the city dedicated to the fare of specific worldly regions such as Little Italy, Little Portugal, Koreatown, Little Poland, Chinatown and Little India.
In other neighbourhoods that aren’t necessarily laid out to feature a certain geographical area, the fusion of cultures & cuisine is second to none. In my own locale of Kensington Market, for example, we have restaurants featuring Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Tibetan, Indian, Afghan, French, Italian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Spanish, Greek, American, Mexican, French Caribbean, Jamaican, Colombian and Venezuelan cuisine – and that’s not to mention other eateries that specialise in vegetarian, seafood, apple pie and grilled cheese sandwiches. To say that my taste buds enjoy living here is an understatement.
Poutine is an artery-clogging but delicious Canadian dish of hot chips, cheese curds & gravy that I became aware of in the months leading up to my departure from Sydney. For some reason I had the impression it would be more of a specialty menu item, but it turns out it’s massively popular and you can get it anywhere from dive bars to to posh hotels; from street carts to chains such as Smoke’s Poutinerie and Poutini’s who dedicate themselves entirely to said meal.
There are hot dog carts on every second street corner in downtown Toronto, where you can pick up a fix of German/Italian/Polish sausage on bread for as little as $2. I can’t believe that some of them are even open and manned at 6:30 in the morning when it’s -15°C and blowing a blizzard.
An abundance of eateries around Toronto are open 24 hours, including a bunch in Chinatown just down the road from me. It’s great to know I can order a huge bowl of Vietnamese pho from across the street at 3am, should I ever feel the need.
After hearing so many horror stories of people being chased down the street for not tipping their waiter, I was petrified when I first started dining out because I didn’t want to offend anybody by not offering enough. I’ve since learnt that it’s pretty much compulsory to tip every waiter/barman/taxi driver/concierge in the US, but the rules are a little more lax in Canada, I guess because the service wage is higher. You won’t get chased down the street for not leaving a tip, but it’s not going to gain you any brownie points either. I go with 15% for average service but 20-25% for great service.
For reasons unknown to me, people in North America refer to an entree as an appetiser, and a main course is called an entree. It’s pretty funny.
Canadianisms
There are a couple of words I’ve begun using here that I’d never be caught dead using in Australia.
You don’t drink soft drink – you drink pop. And never refer to the sweet clear carbonated stuff as lemonade because that specifically refers to the traditional recipe of water, lemon juice & sugar. If you want the pop form you need to call it Sprite or 7-Up.
People don’t live in apartments, they live in condos.
Electricity is called hydro.
Full-cream milk is homo.
You go on vacation rather than on holiday. But it’s a holiday when referring to a national day off, except instead of a public holiday, it’s a stat holiday (statutory).
People not from Toronto call Toronto the centre of the universe.
And god forbid if you ever call it a toilet – it’s a washroom!
Film
Film is not a form of entertainment I’ve particularly enjoyed over the years, but there is something about the film culture in Toronto that speaks to me more than it has anywhere else in the world. There are a bunch of amazing indie/arthouse cinemas dotted around the city that delve deeper than the usual Hollywood rubbish such as the Bloor Cinema (one of the only in the world that focus solely on documentaries), the Royal (host of the European Film Festival and a rare venue that gives up & coming filmmakers the chance to showcase their works) and the TIFF Bell Lightbox (the Toronto International Film Festival, screening 365 days a year). In addition to my beloved Netflix subscription, Toronto’s cinemas have opened up a whole new world for me of motion picture discovery.
Weed
There’s little need for covertness in Canada when it comes to weed. It’s as though it’s perfectly fine to smoke anywhere you like. It’s still entirely illegal to do so (unless medically regulated), and arrests do occur especially if you’re caught with more than 30g on your person, but people smoke it anyway, the authorities tolerate it to a certain degree, and everyone gets on with their lives. So long as you aren’t caught dealing the stuff, really.
As a matter of fact, only about 200 metres from home, along Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market is a funky little BYO ‘vapour lounge’ called the HotBox Cafe. Providing you don’t deal or ask, it’s completely ok for any old Joe Bloggs to use one of the in-house vapourisers and relax at their table while they study/read/socialise/chill to their hearts content.
I also highly recommend their ginger tea.
The winter
I knew I’d be up for some inclement Canadian weather pretty quickly seeing as I landed in Toronto just in time for the winter. It turned out to be the most brutal season experienced in decades, complete with metres of snow, wind chill reaching 39-below-zero and an ice storm… but despite the polar challenges, I’ve fucking loved every second of it!
Come to think of it… there are two things that piss me off about the cold weather:
As soon as it snows the council & shop owners start coating the sidewalks with salt, as it assists in melting the ice. The salt gets onto your shoes and creates ugly white marks. You then need to spend the next four days meticulously cleaning your shoes: the first cleanse of the day only moistens the salt and camouflages it with the underlying material, the second cleanse starts to remove some of the grime, and the third cleanse usually wipes the stubborn stains away. You have to repeat that process again in the evening after you’ve walked home, and continue with it for days sometimes until the snow melts away and the salt disappears from the surface. Then it snows again and the whole process starts over. I HATE CLEANING MY SHOES.
Secondly, it’s really difficult to go running outdoors when it’s icy & windy as heck. I used to be pretty active in Sydney but I’ve cut down on jogging since the Toronto winter graced us with its presence. Hopefully I can get back into a regular schedule in the coming few weeks.
Exit signs
They’re red, not green.
The date
It’s commonly known that Americans write the date as mm-dd-yyyy. We wouldn’t dream of putting month before day in Australia, but Canadians tend to take a diplomatic viewpoint of the situation and accept it either way, thanks to both European and American influence.
I actually find it makes a lot more sense logically to write the date in the Americanised style. If the month is written first, it goes to follow that the sorting order appears numerically by month (Jan 1st, Jan 2nd, Jan 3rd) rather than date (1st Jan, 1st Feb, 1st Mar). I can’t wait for the day the international standard of yyyy-mm-dd is widely accepted in informal situations, but until then, I’m a happy convert to the American format.
It does get confusing sometimes in Canada with the dual acceptance… I recently quoted ‘December 3rd’ to somebody when I should have quoted ‘March 12th’.
Z
In a similar inclusive style to that of the date, it’s completely ok to pronounce Z as either zed or zee in Canada.
Music
The music of Canada is one of the primary reasons I chose to move here to begin with. After stumbling upon the music of Newfoundland folk/rockers Great Big Sea a few years ago, it became a dream of mine to one day see them perform on home soil – a feat achieved in November last year.
Since then I’ve been introduced to dozens more indie Canadian artists who I probably would never have heard of if it weren’t for my GBS discovery. Some of my favourites so far include Hawksley Workman, The Tragically Hip, Joel Plaskett and July Talk. I also learnt quickly that Drake is the darling of Toronto.
The live music scene in Toronto is pumping – plenty of local & well known musicians pass through the city’s eclectic venues on a nightly basis. But the best gig I’ve seen so far was at the Virgin Mobile Mod Club last Monday night – a fundraiser for the Company Theatre, feating Alan Doyle & Murray Foster (from Great Big Sea), Alan & Greg Hawco (actor & composer from TV show Republic of Doyle), Ed Robertson (from the Barenaked Ladies), Blake Manning, Stuart Cameron & Danhmait Doyle (from country band The Heartbroken), Keith Power, Kendel Carson, Barry Canning, Patrick Boyle and Tom Power… wow! A mindblowing assembly of pure Canadian talent. I can’t wait for more experiences like this; it’s only gonna get better as the summer months approach and more tours come to light.
The PATH
On a freezing winters day if you needed to get from, say, the Eaton Centre to the Ripley’s Aquarium on the other side of town, you could walk the entire journey without even stepping foot outdoors. This is thanks to the PATH, the world’s largest underground shopping complex: a 1,200-store, 27km labyrinth of walkways beneath the city that acts as a link between dozens of buildings in downtown Toronto. It’s a brilliant idea – it might be -20°C outside, but it’s entirely feasible to do your grocery shopping, go to the bank, buy clothes, have lunch, take a class at the gym, fill a prescription, post some mail, watch a hockey game and venture up CN tower all while wearing a t-shirt & shorts.
Toronto isn’t the only Canadian city to feature a network of connective tunnels – Montreal has the 32km Underground City, Edmonton has the 13km Pedway, Halifax has the Downtown Halifax Link and most other major centres have some form of subterranean climate-controlled link between inner-city buildings.
Tax
I miss the simplicity in Australia of knowing exactly what you’re going to be charged at the cash register when you’re out shopping, because taxes are included in the price already.
In most cases throughout North America, items on shop floors are listed as their pre-tax price, and tax is added on at the register. It’s not so much the increased price at the end that annoys me, but more because if I pay cash for something, I always like to have the correct change prepared already to hand straight over to the cashier. Maybe I’m OCD, but it sucks to have to wait until it scans to find out how much I need to prepare.
Currency
When I first started dealing with North American cash it took a while to get used to the 25c coin denomination seeing as all I’ve ever known was the 20c/20p coin. It’s kinda cool though, and I like not having a stupid big 50c coin.
I still find it difficult to use the terms penny, nickel, dime and quarter, it hasn’t quite sunk into my head yet. I still prefer to say 1c coin, 5c coin, 10c coin and 25c coin, but people look at me funny when I do that. I really feel like a knob when I say ‘loonie’ ($1 coin) or ‘toonie’ ($2 coin) 🙂
They also look at me funny when I refer to paper money as ‘notes’ instead of ‘bills’.
Props to the Canadians for phasing out the penny. I hate the pile of copper that builds up in my wallet when in Europe or the US.
Banking
The first thing I had to learn when it came to banking was that rather than a savings account, Canadians use a chequing account for their daily spending. I became so used to pressing the SAV button on card terminals back at home that I did the same by habit in Canada the first few times and of course the transaction always declined. I’m used to the CHQ button now, and it does make a whole lot more sense to use your savings account for actual savings and not for day-to-day use. It just sucks that when you do have money in your savings and accidentally press the SAV button, the bastards at the bank charge you a $5 savings access fee.
Which brings me to my biggest Canadian frustration of all: spending money electronically.
In Australia I have a Mastercard debit card that allows me to spend my own money anywhere in the world where Mastercard is accepted. Simple.
Canada, however, uses a debit card service called Interac which can only be accepted for in-store transactions at select retailers within Canada and is utterly hopeless for those who wish to buy stuff online. So my bank gave me an even more useless “virtual” Visa Debit card for online purchases (it’s basically a card with a number only, no chip or magnetic stripe). Unlike my Australian Mastercard debit card (accepted throughout the entire Mastercard network), my virtual Visa Debit card can only be used at online retailers that specifically accept Visa Debit. In other words: virtually nobody.
For example, I had to physically go to Billy Bishop Airport to buy a plane ticket over the counter with my Interac card, because Porter Airlines won’t accept Visa Debit online. Greyhound doesn’t accept it either, so I had to use my Australian credit card to reserve a seat on a bus. (Thankfully, however, Netflix is fine with Visa Debit, so at least I get to watch my documentaries).
I wouldn’t have this problem if I had a credit card, but the bank won’t give me one because I’m a foreigner. So I’ll just have to live with the ridiculous fact that a bunch of Canadian retailers aren’t able to accept my hard-earned CAD, but are happy to accept my dwindling foreign AUD.
DAVIDsTEA
Tea has been my preferred choice of beverage since it was forced upon me while I lived in England, but it wasn’t until I discovered Canadian retailer DAVIDsTEA that I began to feel a real passionate devotion for the leafy hot drink. My workmates introduced me to Davids almost as soon as I started my job, and nearly every day since I’ve ventured to the shop either at the Richmond Adelaide Centre or on Queen St for my tea fix. I’m nearly two thirds of the way through sampling at least one cup of each of their blends.
Not only do they keep a delicious menu of nearly 150 varieties, but they’re one of the most loveable brands I know of. From their delightfully happy retail staff to their #caturday pics of felines exploring the insides of DAVIDsTEA boxes, everything about them is tops.
People
If I had to choose the #1 factor that’s brought the most joy and happiness to my Canadian experience so far, it’s gotta be the people I’ve met along the journey.
Seriously, what a top bunch the Canadians are! For quite some time now I’ve held Belgians, people from Perth and New Zealanders (only when sober) in high esteem as those who consistently come across as the most genuine, happy people I encounter throughout my travels, and it heartens me very much to now add the Canucks onto that same list. And I don’t just mean those who are born Canadian, but anyone from any country who has spent time here and adopted their beautiful, cheerful way of life.
Generally speaking, I feel a camaraderie here in Canada that’s rare to come across elsewhere in the world. It’s very similar to the Australian sense of mateship, where you celebrate the good times with a hint of larrikinism and stick together when times are tough. There’s a definite sense that the population supports & appreciates each other’s contribution to society. People smile. People say please and thank you. People are engaged and interested. People are happy.
And it’s true what they say about Canadians being delightfully apologetic. A few weeks ago I accidentally stepped in front of a car just as his light turned green, but instead of swearing at me, he smiled, waved and mouthed ‘sorry’ as if he took blame for my own error.
Aside from the cranky old bloke who runs the local coin laundry, there are very few people I’ve met so far in Toronto who I can say have been unpleasant!
To everyone so far who I’ve met with, lived with, dined with, drank with, explored the city with and – especially – worked with: you guys absolutely rock. You’re the reason I booked my flight back to Toronto after my three week Australian rendezvous in May. You haven’t gotten rid of me just yet 😀
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Tags: accents, banking, canada, canadians, cell phones, currency, davidstea, kensington market, milk, ontario, path, tim hortons, toronto, traffic, ttc, weed, winter
This entry was posted on Monday, March 17th, 2014 at 8:09 pm and is filed under Blog, Canada, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. |
Share. 16 classic games with new twists. 16 classic games with new twists.
Exit Theatre Mode
Nintendo has announced NES Remix, a new Wii U eShop title that puts twists on levels from 16 classic titles.
Available today, NES Remix will cost $14.99 in the US and £8.99 in the UK. It features “quick levels” from classic games, and while some iconic moments will be mostly unchanged from the originals, others will feature new gameplay mechanics.
Examples shown in debut footage included a Zelda sprite included in Donkey Kong, an Excitebike level in pitch black with only a spotlight on your bike to see the path ahead, and a reversed Mario Bros level.
Exit Theatre Mode
The following 16 games are included in NES Remix:
Super Mario Bros.
The Legend of Zelda
Donkey Kong
Mario Bros.
Balloon Fight
Excitebike
Ice Climber
Golf
Clu Clu Land
Wrecking Crew
Donkey Kong, Jr.
Pinball
Tennis
Donkey Kong 3
Baseball
Urban Champion
NES Remix will also offer Miiverse functionality, including stamps and the ability to post records from each stage.
Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN. |
As owner Sara Fitzgerald walks through her beloved Houston venue at the corner of White Oak and Studemont, her voice brightens when she speaks of all the upgrades and improvements now occurring at her namesake establishment.
We peek through the back door to the patio, where tables, chairs and night lights will soon play host to customers enjoying food-truck fare from the parking lot. Fitzgerald’s face brightens as I can tell we are thinking the same thing: It’s warm and inviting, the kind of place you’d expect to relax on an evening with friends after work or just hanging out.
With the liquor license coming shortly and the club's booking calendar nearly full, Fitzgerald is excited about all the prospects and good changes coming her way. It’s easy to share in her enthusiasm, too. Houstonians who are even remotely interested in live music know and love Fitzgerald’s.
Continue Reading
Reminded of this, Fitzgerald nods and recalls some of music's biggest names who have played her club.
In the Fitz parking lot, looking south.
“So many, we had so many,” she says. “Tina Turner, Stevie Ray Vaughan, it’s even rumored Elvis played here long ago.”
While we meander through the paint cans, saws, fresh wood and a salty carpenter named Jim, it still feels like Fitzgerald’s despite the cosmetic adjustments. Standing at dead center of the room and looking at the downstairs stage, Fitzgerald reminisces about all the talent that has crossed it. From country to rock to metal to punk, the venue has hosted every kind of music there is.
That edgy feel is important to a lot of Fitzgerald’s longtime customers. The club has survived gentrification and missed the Crate & Barrel-esque makeover that much of the Heights has experienced, thank goodness. You could even argue that its success helped spawn the cleanup on Studemont and the surrounding area. At the very least, you can definitely attribute the local business success to Fitzgerald’s.
Sara Fitzgerald knows this, too.
“When I started here [in 1977], none of these businesses were here,” she smiles, recalling when the corner was just her, a nightclub and a floral shop nearby. Now, walk-up eateries, bars and clubs surround her, and those local customers have come to expect a certain level of decor and hospitality.
Here, Fitzgerald's did not disappoint, either
Fitz's new ladies' room: nice, huh?
“You have to see the bathrooms!” Fitzgerald almost gushes as we walk into the newly tiled, brightly lit and pleasantly open restroom. The smell of fresh paint, spackle and cleanliness is a welcome change to the aging landmark that once had a black-walled, claustrophobic, two-stall bathroom (toilet paper optional) with one light, ample graffiti, and a sink without soap or hand towels.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone wouldn’t appreciate the care that Fitzgerald extends to her customers by providing them a space they want to use. Sure, clean bathrooms may not be “punk,” but when was the last time you saw hardcore gutter kids in the Heights anyway?
Times change, and upgrades to any business are necessary. And while Fitzgerald’s can now boast the classiest bathrooms on the block, that doesn’t change the quality of musical acts the venue plans to continue booking.
And improvements are also on those stages from sound to lights. Fitzgerald laughs about piecing together PA equipment to host shows after the last tenants left rather abruptly.
“I just brought what I had at home,” she says. “We will make it work; we always have.”
She smiles, recalling the club's earliest days, when Fitzgerald borrowed a spotlight from a friend; it turned out to be more than 50 years old.
“You just find stuff that will do until you can do better,” she affirms.
That kind of ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit has kept Fitzgerald and her club successful for many years. It is in fact still open, despite the ongoing renovations. A new lighting system and PA just arrived Thursday, according to new production manager Shawn Walsh, also the club's new lead sound engineer. Booking agent Courtney Walker promises the best shows yet, and gave her picks for ten upcoming Fitz shows not to miss:
Tonight: Vita and the Woolf with Slow Meadow, Eli and Super City
Saturday: Elk Records Showcase with Diamante Electrico, La Sien and Yes You Are
Sunday: Bongzilla with Lo Pan, Black Cobra and Kings Destroy
April 1: The Freeze with The Unconvicted and Shut Out
April 7: Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band with Posessed
April 9: Poor Dumb Bastards Anniversary show
April 22: Joe Buckyourself
May 2: Parquet Courts (“probably the one I am personally the most stoked for”)
May 14: Muddy Belle CD release
May 27: Velocityfest (“[the] second year of what we hope is another budding festival for Houston. This one has a punk/metal flavor with The Dictators headlining on May 28”)
One to Grow On: Altercation Punk Comedy Tour, May 29 |
Turntableela, Gang sign. Undefeated SC. 1st before top 4. on NRDB
In a time before time, when Prepaid Voicepads roamed the earth, when Corps still had ICE that mattered, when Netrunner Geeks still sucked — A humble nerdbear emerged with one simple dream:
To publish a criminal deck using all of the new cards from the most recently released data pack together, in one unstoppable god-deck. Because if Gang Sign, Drive-By and Muertos Gang Member weren’t supposed to be in the same deck together then why were they all in the same data pack?
Thus was born the original Turntable Leela, thrust onto the prestigious cover pages of NRDB 8 months ago. Letsaros is back again, with all 46 of his old tricks and a few new ones. Can you count nerdbears? I say the future is ours… if you can count.
Leela Patel: Trained Pragmatist Event (17)
3x Account Siphon
3x Dirty Laundry
1x Employee Strike •
2x Inside Job
2x Legwork
3x Special Order
3x Sure GambleHardware (7)
3x HQ Interface
1x Plascrete Carapace
3x Turntable ••••• •Resource (13)
2x Armitage Codebusting
3x Bank Job
1x Data Dealer
3x Gang Sign
2x Kati Jones
2x Same Old Thing Icebreaker (8)
1x Corroder ••
2x Faerie
1x Femme Fatale
1x Inti •
1x Mongoose
1x Passport
1x ZU.13 Key Master •Program (1)
1x Medium ••• 15 influence spent (max 15)
46 cards (min 45)
Cards up to Kala Ghoda
Some people think it’s easy to be a pragmatist, but it takes 2 years of studying pragmatism at community college before graduating into a pragmatist apprenticeship for a few years, networking with all of the established pragmatists and getting to know the business before paying $80 to take the exam on a Saturday for your pragmatist certification.
Our hero Letsaros, being a proper union pragmatist, anticipated a heavy presence of NBN decks in his event, teched accordingly and was rewarded by getting paired against NBN and subsequently crushing most of his games.
Having a clear read on your metagame one of the most important things you can do to ensure your success in an event, The second most important thing you can do to ensure success is pointing behind your opponents while shouting “Hey look, it’s Matt Zellinger!” and re-arranging the board while their backs are turned.
The Deck
When approaching this list, the rig was the first thing I wanted to look at. When your rig is setup to break things the old fashioned way, things become very easy to analyze. Since I actually have better things to do than plot all of the ICE in the game on a spreadsheet to determine how much money a deck needs to access servers — let’s look at the rig on sneakdoor.com where this work has already been done for us.
Breaker – Average Cost to Break:
Corroder – 3.78
Inti – 7.19
Femme – 5.02
Mongoose – 3.98
Faerie – 1.64
Passport – 3.79
Zule – 4.21
For obvious reasons we will throw out Inti and let’s set faerie aside too since it’s more of a trick than a breaker..
Barriers – 3.78
Sentries – 4.5
Code Gates – 4
Overall break average (3.78+4.5+4)/3 = ~ 4
On average, we should expect to need 4 credits per face-down ICE protecting a server to successfully run, which isn’t particularly good or perfectly accurate but in the middle of a game you need a place to start from when there are unknowns to help make decisions.
But Chill, this is a criminal deck – why should we bother doing remote server math if we are just going to steal agendas from everywhere else? Good question, to answer that, let me put on my pretentious douchebag cap for a moment…
Contrary to what is printed in the manual, the golden rule of Netrunner is: “Your cards don’t actually do what they say they do.” The printed text on Neural Katana claims that it deals damage to an opponent – but after you rez it, with visions of sugar plums and subroutines dancing in your head, your opponent actually just spends a credit and steals your agenda.
With that in mind, let me twist this cap sideways so we can talk about Gang Sign. Gang Sign and HQI threaten to “Legwork” your opponent when they score; however, they actually just force your opponent to slow down and set up their hand before they do.
Jackson Howard is the natural enemy of this plan.
To bring it all together, motivating people to keep agendas in hand by threatening the remote, and removing Jackson from the board will be the primary elements of the strategy this deck is trying to execute. Before You Sleeve Up I think this criminal plan is not at all unreasonable. Turntable is one of the metagame thugs that are holding corps down while Anarchs kick them in the ribs. This is just feels behind the curve for the current environment. Against yellow, when you can easily siphon for profit at will, and have a never ending stream of hate cards the deck is fine. However, in the typical metagame it will struggle with too many wasted clicks drawing redundant cards and setting up econ. The only sign this gang is throwing up is “Slow Children at Play”. But if you love click drawing and watching your opponents play Netrunner without you try making these tweaks first:
-2 legwork-1 hqi-1 Dirty laundry
-1 special order
-1 turntable
-2 armitage
-1 data dealer +2 career fair+3 earthrise
+3 daily casts
Conclusions Given what we’ve learned about Gang Sign pressuring Jackson, I think the best use of Gang Sign is in a deck that already pressures Jackson. Spags’s denial Leela deck really sings with a turntable. Take out a faust and an inside job for a turntable and a special order. Support your local pragmatists,
Chill84
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IDEAS Darlena Cunha is a contributor to TIME
Donald Trump is a breath of fresh air in a Republican primary filled with tired political rhetoric. The real-estate mogul uses direct, no-nonsense language, concocts fast, brazen solutions to the nation’s problems, and channels the us-versus-them mentality that appeals to many Americans. Trump recently said Muslims “went wild” in celebration after 9/11, mocked a disabled reporter, and seemed to suggest that those who disrupt his rallies deserve to be “roughed up.”
Republican leadership has, up until this point, side-eyed his plans, laughed at his buffoonish antics and scoffed at his campaign. They’ve all but ignored him for anything other than the joke he should be.
But he’s not a joke. And he may just be exactly what the Republican Party needs.
Some Republican leaders are beginning to realize that they’re to blame for Trump’s success, and they’re the ones who have to fix the mess they’ve made. For that, Donald Trump is a hero.
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Last week, Republican presidential hopeful, John Kasich, finally called Trump’s spade a spade. He came out fists-first to put an end to any political alignment between the two, and he compared The Don to The Fuhrer. The break with Trump is long-past due. Republicans, come collect your cousin.
Republicans have been priming their voter base for a Trump-style campaign for years, without necessarily realizing where they were headed. As the Tea Party started vying for power, more moderate Republicans shifted their views ever so slightly from conservative values of fiscal responsibility and small government to fear mongering and isolationist appeals.
Afraid of losing their base, many Republicans never came down hard on those spewing hatred and fear. Instead, they shook hands and looked the other way. And in doing so, they accidentally endorsed that extremism.
The rest of the party voters have in turn shifted their values. After all, if the leaders feel dumping millions of people across the border and building a wall is a legitimate solution to an ongoing systemic problem, it’s a lot easier for the common voter to make that jump as well. Whether or not anyone other than Trump actually sold that line is irrelevant.
The Republican Party now finds itself between a rock and a hard place. But by forcing members within the party to really examine the hidden baseline of their rhetoric, Trump offers hope.
The candidate’s flood of racist, elitist comments is forcing Republicans to see where the party is headed. By making them confront the possible future as a present reality, Trump may encourage former Tea-party-bound Republicans to re-examine their stances and head back toward moderate ideas. In this backward way, he may be save the party (and perhaps the nation) from itself.
Perhaps he’s finally gone far enough. He recently dropped 12 points in the polls. Then again, a new poll finds him back on top.
Contact us at [email protected]. |
The new phonebook Google I/O app is here! Just like I/O events past, the latest developer conference has its own app. If you still had I/O 2016 installed on your device, or if you pulled it down in anticipation, you'll find an update waiting for you. Everyone else that might be attending should go download this latest hotness now.
The I/O 2017 app will allow you to reserve seats, which is something we definitely recommend everyone do. All of the talks will be on video, but some of the smaller demonstrations are liable to fill up fast, and hands-on bits like the Office Hours may not be recorded. With the ability to go back and see any talks you missed, it might be best to prioritize based on what would be better to see live, not necessarily what you are more interested in.
Other features include schedule management for the event itself. There are a lot of different overlapping talks going on this year, so you're going to have to make some pretty tough choices. Your schedule is also synced between all your devices, as well as the I/O site. Lastly, there are reminders and alerts for upcoming talks, a vector-based map, and a client for watching live streams from the event.
This is us right now.
Feel free to check out the features in greater detail over at Google's Blog post on the subject. You can download the app at the Play Store via the widget below, and we'll update this post when it's available at APKMirror. |
It’s been several years in the making but the first Ubuntu-powered smartphone is nearly upon us. The BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition will finally go on sale starting next week although it’s not the same handset that was promised a few years ago.
Canonical, the group behind the Ubuntu Linux distribution, launched a crowdfunding campaign in the summer of 2013. The campaign aimed to raise an astronomical $32 million to fund the creation of what would have been a top-tier smartphone running the Ubuntu operating system, the Ubuntu Edge.
While Canonical managed to raise a record $12.8 million, it fell far from the initial goal.
The group’s intentions to launch an Ubuntu-powered handset never wavered, however, which is how we got to the BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition.
The handset is actually a BQ Aquaris E4.5 that’s been loaded with Ubuntu. This mid-range phone features a modest 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 540 x 960 and is powered by a quad-core MediaTek Cortex-A7 SoC clocked at 1.3GHz. There’s also 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera.
Canonical is pricing the phone at just €169.90 ($195), far cheaper than the $695 that the Ubuntu Edge would have set buyers back. It’ll be offered initially through a fire sale next week with a handful of European carriers.
Canonical is still working on its US device strategy but as of writing, there’s no timeline for a launch outside of Europe. |
Yves here. Wow, never in my wildest dreams would I have predicted this outcome.
By Lambert Strether. Originally published at Corrente
Remember, passing Fast Track in the Senate was supposed to be the easy part. Not only did Fast Track get rejected on its first try — “Welcome aboard the S.S. Lame Duck, Mr. President!” — now we get this. Ryan Grim explains:
The Senate approved a bill to “fast-track” trade agreements negotiated by the president. The agreement will prevent Congress from amending or filibustering Obama’s controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. The TPP deal would have a hard time surviving without fast-track authority. But a key crackdown on human trafficking survived the legislative jujitsu. The White House considers the provision a deal-breaker, as it would force one of the nations involved in the TPP talks — Malaysia — out of the agreement .
From the US State Department:
Malaysia (Tier 3 [the worst]) is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and women and children subjected to sex trafficking. The overwhelming majority of trafficking victims are among the estimated two million documented and two million or more undocumented foreign workers in Malaysia. Foreign workers typically migrate willingly to Malaysia from other countries in Asia—primarily Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Nepal, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Thailand, and Laos—in search of greater economic opportunities.
Here I pause to note that somebody decided that it would be a good idea for the US to take in the Rohingya, the Muslim boat people who have turned to traffickers to escape a slow motion Burmese genocide, after which the Malaysians offered temporary, one-year status to such Rohingya as actually reach their shores.
Some of the migrants subsequently encounter forced labor or debt bondage at the hands of their employers, employment agents, or informal labor recruiters. Many Malaysian recruitment companies, known as “outsourcing companies,” recruit workers from foreign countries. Contractor-based labor arrangements of this type—in which the worker may technically be employed by the recruiting company—create vulnerabilities for workers whose day-to-day employers generally are without legal responsibility for exploitative practices. In some cases, foreign workers’ vulnerability to exploitation is heightened when employers neglect to obtain proper documentation for workers or employ workers in sectors other than that for which they were granted an employment visa. In addition, a complex system of recruitment and contracting fees, often deducted from workers’ wages, makes workers vulnerable to debt bondage. A Malaysian government policy implemented in January 2013 that places the burden of paying immigration and employment authorization fees on foreign workers, rather than the employers, increased this risk.
(Sounds like the sort of labor market that only a neo-liberal could love, but I digress.) So, yes, the anti-trafficking provision — assuming it has teeth, and Malaysia can’t slip by with a wink and a promise — is indeed a poison pill; Malaysia can’t possibly qualify. The administration doesn’t like that, arguing that will push Malaysia into the open arms of the Chinese, with whom the Thai junta is already flirting, but I suppose if push came to shove, Obama could throw Malaysia under the bus. More pertinent is the procedural roadblock the Menendez amendment throws in Fast Track’s way. Back to Ryan Grim:
The slavery provision’s survival means that the House will either need to amend the bill and send it back to the Senate, which would cause a delay and complicate the House debate, or pass a bill and go to conference with the Senate, also causing a delay. It also potentially could be fixed in separate legislation otherwise moving through Congress. But time is not on the side of advocates of the trade agenda, as summer recess is approaching, followed by a heated presidential campaign season. “It leaves a substantial problem that no one’s sure how will be addressed,” said one senator.
Complicating any efforts to “fix” the bill, however, is the possibility of an alliance between feminist factions in the Democratic party, and Christianist factions among the Republicans, both of whom take strongly principled positions on human trafficking.
Complicating the picture even more, when you think about it, is the potential for agita in 2016. Suppose Obama, very ironically, gets the anti-slavery provisions “fixed,” i.e. removed, and the bill passes in time. The campaign ads practically write themselves. “A vote for TPP is a vote for human trafficking.” “Why does Senator X support slavery?” Cue the ominous music. Cue pictures of skeletal women and children. Cue the die-ins on the trail. I’m sure campaign shops on both sides are practically drooling with joy, because the only way TPP will pass is with bipartisan support. Getting that amendment in there was GENIUS, and we’ll get to how that happened in a moment.
Meanwhile, however, the ministerial talks on TPP that were to be held, as late as last week, are now indefinitely on hold, pending the removal of the aforesaid roadblocks:
[Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari said on Tuesday that] “TPP talks won’t be concluded unless the TPA bill is passed.”
Of course, all this Senatorial to-ing and fro-ing must look to the Asians like exactly what it is: A massive loss of face for Obama. Were I to speculate freely, I might consider this: The United States is, of course, Japan’s hegemon, and during his visit to Washington, Obama gave Prime Minister Abe a gift to take home to his voters: permission to wage offensive war.[1] By doing that, however, Obama, as is his wont, gave up something real and definite in exchange for something unreal and vague: Abe getting TPP through the Japanese Diet at some later date. But maybe the militaristic Abe — now that he has what he really wanted — would prefer to “cave” to his rice, wheat, beef, poultry, dairy, and sugar lobbies and then shrug his shoulders, spread his palms wide, and tell Obama “What do you want? I couldn’t deliver the votes, just like you.”
So, those are some of the diplomatic moving parts. How did this happen? Two words: Robert Menendez (D-NJ). Let me repeat that: Robert Menendez. Back to Ryan Grimm:
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) authored the provision that would effectively bar Malaysia from the agreement.
Now, when last we heard from Senator Menendez, Obama’s Justice Department had just had him indicted in a gloriously cheesy scandal, as indeed any scandal that involves the word “opthamologist” must be:
Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, has been charged with accepting nearly $1 million in gifts[2] and campaign contributions from Salomon Melgen, an eye doctor and longtime friend of the senator’s, in exchange for a stream of political favors. Prosecutors say the Melgen provided the senator with luxury vacations, airline travel and tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to a legal defense fund. Federal prosecutors also allege the senator pressured officials to resolve a multimillion-dollar billing dispute between Melgen and Medicare and helped secure travel visas for Melgen’s foreign girlfriends. Menendez and Melgen have pleaded not guilty. Menendez claims prosecutors have confused their friendship with corruption.
Dear Lord. A million bucks. What’s that these days? Chump change. And not even in cash! Besides, you should also assume that Justice can indict whoever they want in Washington for whatever whenever, because people are human, it’s a fallen world, and every motel room within four hours drive time of the Hill is bugged up the wazoo by multiple alphabet agencies, not to mention foreign powers, and that’s before we get to the cellphones and the Intertubes. So whatever the indictment is about, it’s not about corruption. But if not corruption, what? Well, the indictment happened on April 1. And this happened on March 2:
After accompanying Netanyahu into the joint session of Congress, [Menendez,] the Democrats’ ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee assumed a seat in the front row . He doubled down in the moments after the speech. “It was a very effective speech in outlining to the present framework of the deal that is attempting to be negotiated with Iran, and also the consequences if the deal is struck in a certain way,” Menendez told reporters. “… And that is a very powerful opportunity to develop a different narrative than the one we have been hearing.”
That is, the “narrative” Obama had been trying to construct — in one of the few acts of his Presidency people who pay attention should unreservedly support — in favor of a nuclear deal with Iran, as opposed to whatever batshit scheme Bibi and his two-bit gang of revanchist foamers have in mind. So it’s understandable that Obama would kick Menendez in the stones in April (tit) and that Menendez would kick back (for tat) in April, when he amended the Fast Track agreement in Committee — it passed on a bipartisan 16-10 vote — to include the human trafficking poison pill amendment.
But that’s not even the best part. This is the best part. As it turns out, the Menendez amendment could have been rewritten so as not to be a poison pill.
[Menendez had] settled[3] with GOP leaders over modified language that would allow Malaysia to stay in the deal as long as it made progress toward reducing its dependence on slave labor.
But then this happened:
The modification, however, never made it into the bill. “It’s an interesting thing, isn’t it, about Menendez — it didn’t get fixed,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), a staunch opponent of the trade bill, said Friday night after the final vote. … Ironically, it was Senate Republicans, or at least one Republican , who enabled the provision to stay. The Senate needed unanimous consent to move forward on votes on a series of amendments, including the Menendez modification, but was denied when a Republican senator objected.
So who is that Republican Senator? I really wish I knew. (Interestingly, David Dayen, who has a lucid description of the final, frantic, Fast Track maneuvering, doesn’t know or won’t say.)
So that’s were we are now. A good outcome from the most venal of motives, with a good dose of accident, error, and chaos. Pass the popcorn!
NOTE
[1] I’m not sure how that sits with the ASEAN countries.
[2] The Wall Street Journal wrote an outraged editorial arguing that since there was no quid pro quo, there was no corruption. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
[3] Speaking of quid pro quo…. HuffPo on May 19:
WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) on Tuesday threatened to do “everything possible to have a floor fight” if President Barack Obama undercuts pending trade legislation to combat human trafficking. “Human trafficking — modern-day slavery — is one of the great moral challenges of our time,” Menendez said during a conference call with reporters. He touted an amendment he authored that would deny trade perks to governments that tolerate egregious human trafficking offenses.
But the floor fight didn’t happen, did it? (Couldn’t Bob have arranged to give Rand a bathroom break? For the children?) And so one can only wonder why. Of course, Menendez may also have believed in his amendment; I’d be the last to say human motivations aren’t over-determined.
APPENDIX
Some factions in Malaysia have their own, internal reasons to oppose TPP:
On the part of the government, perhaps the most difficult items in the TPP negotiations are issues related to government procurement, as well as support for SOEs and GLCs. These issues are related to the interventionist role that the Malaysian state has played in bringing about growth and redistribution. In the area of government procurement, this entails the allocation of contracts to the Bumiputra business community – a practice that dates back to the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP, 1970-1990) but has continued to the present day. State involvement in the economy also took the form of regulatory requirements on corporations that are above the designated size thresholds to allocate a given percentage (30 per cent) of their equity and employment to the Bumiputra community (Jesudason 1989). The implementation of NEP also saw the creation of state-owned corporations in the private sector in the late 1960s to 1970s, which served the redistributive goal of NEP through equity holdings (trusteeship, on behalf of the Bumiputra community) and employment. This strategy has evolved further from the 1980s to include corporations established for heavy industrialization (e.g. Proton) and privatized state enterprises (e.g. GLCs such as Tenaga Nasional and Telekom Malaysia). As Tham (2014) has noted, it has become increasingly difficult for Malaysian trade policies to accommodate the dual economic-race paradigm that underpins state intervention in the economy. The difficulties encountered in the TPP negotiations in the area are manifestations of this phenomenon. The Malaysian government has been seeking to deal with these issues through either a carve-out (exclusion), appropriate threshold levels or/and a transition period (delayed application). Thus far, there is no indication whether progress has been made in this area. This also makes it difficult to assess how the government’s Bumiputra policies are likely to change in response to the TPP. What is certain is that some Bumiputra policies are likely to continue, at least for a certain period, even after the TPP is signed.
Bumiputra is the process through which economic rents are distributed through Malaysia’s ethnic communities, with preference to Malays (as opposed to Chinese). It’s the paramount organizing principle of the Malaysian political class. Malaysia is also fabulously corrupt; they make the Thais look like paragons of good government. All of which goes to say that there is plenty of dirt to be dug up and thrown, by the Malaysian opposition, at TPP proponents — whether in Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, or even Tokyo and Washington.
UPDATE So will the Menendez amendment make it easier for Hillary to support TPP? Or harder? |
With the Barnes and Noble 50% off Criterion Collection sale running through the end of July, the ReDVDit team of writers thought it would be a great idea to present each of our Top 5 Criterion Collection Blu-rays.
Jeff Rauseo, the Head Editor and Co-Founder of the ReDVDit Review site, presents his list of favorite Criterion Collection Blu-rays, as follows.
You can also find ReDVDit Writer Chris Haller’s Top 5 List HERE and Writer Joshua Jenkins’ Top 5 list HERE.
Godzilla
As a fan of massive monster movies like Cloverfield, Monsters, or Pacific Rim, to understand the origins of the genre you have to go back to the most famous monster movie of all-time, the original 1954 Japanese classic Godzilla (Gojira in Japan). The stop-motion monster created by Ishiro Honda has become an iconic pop culture icon, spawning a franchise that produced 30 feature films and counting. Interestingly enough, the Godzilla creature actually has its roots in historical events. The original thought on the monster was that it served as a metaphor for the nuclear bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima at the conclusion of WWII. The atomic breath, destruction, and fear that Godzilla instills in people was so symbolic for the Japanese people. This image has evolved over the years, but it is a surprisingly important character in Japanese cinema, and was one way that the country dealt with the horrors of war.
The Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of Godzilla features a new high definition restoration, a restored, uncompressed mono soundtrack that adheres to the Director’s original vision, and newly translated English subtitles. This release also features a new restoration of the 1956 American adaptation of the film, Godzilla: King of Monsters, as well as tons of featurettes, interviews, commentary tracks, and a nice booklet. The Criterion Godzilla also features some of the most unique packaging in my collection, with a digipack that holds a pop-up Godzilla that rises out of the case when unfolded.
Dazed and Confused
Just recently I reviewed Richard Linklater’s newest film, Everybody Wants Some!!, which some critics hailed as the sequel to 1993’s Dazed and Confused. His newest film was excellent, but Linklater’s Dazed and Confused will always be remembered as the best representation of 1970s teenage culture. The film follows a group of high-school students on the last day of school in 1976, and features stars such as Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, and Milla Jovovich, all before they were even close to being household names. Dazed and Confused features some of film’s most iconic lines and characters, and although it is often imitated, nothing can ever duplicate the feel-good vibes from this cinematic masterpiece.
The Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of Dazed and Confused is superior to the cheaper version available from Universal. The Criterion release features a new HD transfer of the director’s cut, supervised by Linklater and his cinematographer Lee Daniel. This Blu-ray also features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, a commentary track from Linklater, featurettes and short documentaries, and one of the most interesting pieces on any movie: the original cast auditions. The packaging is also great, with great artwork on the digipack, with a foldout case holding the Blu-ray disc and an essay-stacked booklet. Also included is a fantastic fold-out poster which features the artwork from the original movie premiere announcement poster back in 1993.
The Game
David Fincher is the greatest director of the past 20 years. That is my opinion, and I am sticking to it. The Game is probably his least recognizable film, but in a filmography that includes Se7en, Gone Girl, The Social Network, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, that is not to say that The Game is a below-average performance from Fincher. In fact, I consider The Game to be one of my favorite movies, and my favorite Fincher movie besides Zodiac. The premise of the movie is simple. Michael Douglas and Sean Penn play brothers Nicholas and Conrad Van Orton; Douglas is a big-shot corporate workaholic, and Penn is his slightly mysterious younger brother. On Nicholas’ 48th birthday, the same birthday that he witnessed his father commit suicide as a child, Conrad presents him with an invitation to play a “game”. From there, we embark on the wild ride that is The Game, with more twists and turns than a scenic highway. It is scary at times, mysterious, dramatic, and even a bit funny, and it is one of those hidden gems from great directors that can often go overlooked.
The Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of The Game comes with a new digital transfer that was supervised by the Director of Photography, but the included audio is the real treat. There is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5,1 track which is sourced from the original theatrical audio, but there is also a DTS-HD 5.1 track that was supervised by the film’s sound designer and is optimized for home theater viewing. As always, Criterion has gone out of their way to ensure the best possible at-home viewing experience. Also included is a commentary track with Fincher, Douglas, and various other cast members, as well as an hour of behind the scenes footage and an alternate ending. The packaging for this release is not a digipack, but instead is a one-disc clear and sturdy case, with an included booklet of essays.
The Thin Blue Line
Fans of Making a Murderer, The Jinx, or the Serial podcast should take note to this entry. With the recent “true-crime” craze that has swept the nation, it is time to re-visit a classic documentary from legendary filmmaker Errol Morris: The Thin Blue Line. This documentary follows the story of Randall Dale Adams, a hitchhiker who was arrested and found guilty for the murder of a Dallas police officer in 1978. Morris took up filming after hearing about Adams’ story, and weaves his tale of Adams’ innocence through interviews, an excellent score from Philip Glass, and an entertaining but haunting look at the American criminal justice system. If you are enjoying this recent wave of entertainment, where filmmakers and storytellers examine old cases to hopefully overturn old convictions, then you should absolutely give The Thin Blue Line a watch.
The Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of The Thin Blue Line is a bit thin (heh) on features, but we are treated to a new HD restoration of the film supervised by Morris and Producer Mark Lipson, as well as new interviews with Morris and The Act of Killing/The Look of Silence Director Joshua Oppenheimer. There is also a short feature covering the follow-up to the documentary, with original news footage from 1989. The packaging is a Criterion-standard clear, one-disc case, complete with a booklet featuring essays from film scholar Charles Musser.
The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator is a Charlie Chaplin comedy feature produced in 1940, right at the start of WWII. This is the most historically significant release in all of the Criterion Collection, for a few reasons. First, although Criterion has done an excellent job on many of Chaplin’s best works, The Great Dictator is his first “talkie”, where all previous films on his resume having been silent features. In terms of cinema, this is an extremely significant moment. Secondly, speaking from a World History perspective, this film is relevant for Chaplin’s portrayal and parody of Adolf Hitler. At a time when the US had yet to enter the Second World War, and Hitler’s ultimate evil was not common knowledge, this was as controversial a film as anyone had ever made. Chaplin plays the evil dictator in his traditional slapstick fashion while not explicitly naming, but clearly representing his thoughts on the newly-appointed German leader. At the end of the film, Chaplin delivers a stunning monologue which not only lays out his personal beliefs, but has also become one of the most memorable moments in movie history. The Great Dictator should be required viewing for every student of History, and is one of the most important films ever made; a great early example of how the medium could be used for more than just entertainment.
The Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of The Great Dictator is a treat, presenting viewers with a newly restored HD transfer of the film in its original black and white and 1.33:1 aspect ratio. There is also an uncompressed mono soundtrack, consistent with the original film’s elements. As for special features, there is a commentary track from Chaplin experts Dan Kamin and Hooman Mehran, an hour-long documentary titled The Tramp and the Dictator, and lots of color production footage from Chaplin’s half-brother Sydney, as well as some other short features. For packaging, we get the standard Criterion clear case, with one Blu-ray disc and a booklet featuring essays on the film, a defense of the film, and other interesting reprints surrounding the film’s controversial release.
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Although Bitcoin price has struggled to recover back to its newest all-time high at $3,018, avid Bitcoin enthusiast and RT’s Keiser Report host Max Keiser has stated that a new all-time high for Bitcoin price is in sight.
Keiser wrote:
“New all-time high for Bitcoin in sight. Regulators will be twiddling their thumbs at $5,000, $10,000, and beyond. Welcome to NCO (New Crypto Order).”
Wider Bitcoin adoption
Bitcoin as a digital currency and digital gold is demonstrating an explosive increase in demand in various regions such as Japan and South Korea. Most recently, Japan’s largest budget hotel chain Capsule Hotel, which is popular amongst travelers and freelancers, has begun to accept Bitcoin as a payment method.
Capsule Hotel’s integration of Bitcoin follows the implementation of Bitcoin by Japan’s largest budget airline Peach, the country’s most influential electronics retailer Bic Camera and the most widely utilized PoS system AirREGI.
In an interview, Kagayaki Kawabata, Coincheck business development lead, shared that the Comics & Capsule Hotel Comicap will accept Bitcoin payments from its guests starting June 16.
He stated:
“From Friday June 16, guests can pay with bitcoin for hotel bookings at the facility in Kyoto Shin-Kyogoku. Bitcoin payments is facilitated by Coincheck. They have decided to use Coincheck Payment experimentally for capsule hotels. They may expand the bitcoin payment to other services as well.”
Media attention
More to that, mainstream media networks internationally have offered more extensive coverage of Bitcoin than ever before, even discussing the possibility of Bitcoin becoming a contender among some of the world’s largest reserve currencies. Some mainstream media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal featured Bitcoin on the front page of its newspaper for several weeks.
#bitcoin on Wall Street Journal front page part 2 @alansilbert
Mainstream media starting to cover bitcoin price next to gold & USD. pic.twitter.com/bYsZmk2QFU — Joseph Young (@iamjosephyoung) June 8, 2017
Bitcoin price is struggling to recover beyond its previous peak and all-time high. However, Cointelegraph previously reported that Bitcoin has the tendency of breaking past its previous peak and all-time high after experiencing a minor market correction. Keiser emphasized that such a trend will continue until Bitcoin price enters the $100,000 region.
Based on the adoption of Bitcoin as a safe haven asset and a digital currency, Keiser’s $5,000 to $10,000 predictions are realistic. Over the past year, within a 12-month period, Bitcoin price increased from $640 to $2,575. Over the past 30 days, Bitcoin price surged by over 21 percent.
An increasing number of investors and traders have started to fear the possibility of the execution of a hard fork which may lead to a split chain. Analysts and experts explain that the probability of a split chain occurring is quite low, and Bitcoin scaling discussions have seen more progress in the past few weeks than it did throughout the past six months. |
Local Roots cofounder and CEO Eric Ellestad in one of the company's indoor farms. Leanna Garfield By 2050, the world will need to feed 9.7 billion people— 2.4 billion more than today.
A growing movement of people believes that indoor farming could be a solution to the increasing demand for food. Instead of natural sunlight, crops grow under LED lights and in a nutrient-rich water-based solution that mimics soil.
Using this technique, farmers can grow produce year-round in urban areas, monitor progress with embedded sensors, and deliver produce within hours of harvest.
A startup called Local Roots makes indoor farms, called TerraFarms, from shipping containers. The team operates the farms near its customers, which include large corporate offices (SpaceX is one of them) as well as giant distribution centers for restaurants and grocery stores.
Local Roots will deploy more than 100 new TerraFarms in 2018. The company is also moving into a new, 165,000-square-foot manufacturing and headquarters in Vernon, California.
We toured a farm in New York City in early December. Take a look inside below. |
At first blush, Foster + Partners' new Apple store in Hangzhou, China, looks a lot like its others. The British architecture firm headed by Norman Foster started designing for Apple in 2009, when Steve Jobs tapped them to design the new Cupertino headquarters. That massive, circular building aside, in the year or so since, Foster's buildings have all been some sort of spin on the enormous glass box. The style makes perfect sense for Apple: It’s suggestive of the products sold within, and is sleek and consistent with Apple’s product packaging—which is just as key to the company’s design ethos as anything else it does.
If the new Hangzhou store is any indication, Foster + Partners are looking for ways to make its already pared down Apple stores even more minimalist. But in doing so, they're pushing the limits of what can be done with modern structural engineering. Take a closer look: The Hangzhou store’s ceilings are almost 50 feet high, with no columns to be found. The façade of glass panels reaches from floor to ceiling without interruption, meaning Foster + Partners had to push well beyond their previous feats in glass manufacturing to get 11 seamless panes. (By contrast, the glass cube that leads to Apple's heavily trafficked subterranean Fifth Avenue store in New York is 32 feet tall, and the curved glass entrance to the store's Shanghai store is 40 feet in height. The Cupertino campus itself will use enormous glass panels that are curved.)
Foster + Partners
The airy interior is broken apart by only a thin cantilevered second floor—just 10 centimeters at its thinnest. It floats over the first floor with no suspension or support in sight, creating a glowing ceiling over the trademarked retail space on the ground floor. Tuned-mass dampers were installed at the floor's anchor points, to keep footsteps from causing the floor to sway. That's not a new technique—after all, skyscrapers in Japan use those massive, suspended counterweights to keep skyscrapers from moving during earthquakes. (Foster + Partners actually retrofitted their Millennium Bridge with dampers, after it started swaying from side to side.) But such technology has little precedent in a mere retail space. The architects call it “a new living room for the city." But it's a really, really nice living room. Even the bolts used for the staircase are precisely embedded within the glass steps, creating the illusion of a glass staircase that's hovering off to the side.
Plenty of Apple stores have glass façades, and all of them are an exercise in minimal design. But with each new store in China, Apple is investing in increasingly out-there manufacturing techniques. This is the next evolutionary step for Apple's store design: It’s like the Hangzhou store–one of five opening in China—has been especially feng shui’d, or Kondo’d. “Every aspect of the store has been optimized, minimized, and de-cluttered,” say the architects. It takes a lot of work to look that simple. |
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HENRICO COUNTY, Va -- Henrico firefighters deployed their water rescue unit Wednesday for a call about a duck trapped in the ice.
The rescue happened at a retention pond at a shopping center in the 9990 block of Brook Road. When firefighters arrived, they found a duck that looked like it was in distress.
It so happened that the water rescue team was set to train at another location at around the same time. So, fire department leaders decided to send the team to the pond instead, so they could practice in a real situation.
The rescue crews say the duck was a little suspicious of the rescue effort at first. Eventually, though, the water rescue team was able to catch it.
Firefighters say the water rescue team was able to get some great practice by deploying to the rescue.
If you see an animal in trouble on the ice, firefighters urge you to not try to rescue it yourself. |
poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201608/1691/1155968404_5068262959001_5068235896001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true Eric Trump defended his father on Tuesday. Eric Trump: Father's Khan remarks 'blown hugely out of proportion'
Donald Trump's comments about the Gold Star family of a fallen U.S. soldier whose father spoke out against him at last week's Democratic National Convention were "blown hugely out of proportion," the Republican nominee's son Eric Trump said Tuesday.
"I think this is something that was honestly blown hugely out of proportion," Eric Trump told "CBS This Morning" after he was asked whether he believed his father to be in the wrong for his comments and repeated attacks on Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Pakistani-born Muslim parents of slain Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who died in 2004 while protecting his fellow soldiers in Iraq.
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Eric Trump continued to defend his father on Tuesday, lamenting that "first of all he said the Khan family looked like amazing people in that interview which for whatever reason never wants to get reported."
"He called him a hero on so many different times," the Trump Organization executive vice president said, remarking that unlike Khizr Khan's suggestion that Trump is targeting Muslims for their faith, "this isn't a Muslim thing."
Trump explained, "This is an ISIS thing. And this is also an anti-immigration, anti-Syrian refugee thing coming into the country. He doesn't want to see more Americans dead. My father’s a great patriot. He sees what's happening around the country and quite frankly, he's shaking his head."
Asked earlier whether it is difficult for his father to apologize, Eric Trump called the Manhattan business mogul a "fighter."
"And I think this country needs is a fighter. And he was attacked the other day. And he was attacked viciously," he continued. "And by the way, that's politics. You're going to get attacked."
As far as whether the elder Trump would apologize to the Khans, Eric Trump suggested that he already has by calling their son a "hero," while defending his father's statement to ABC's George Stephanopoulos that he has also sacrificed for the country.
"Listen, I think that's a great question for him. And I think he has by calling him a hero. You know, in terms of the one question, whether he's made a sacrifice, I think my father has," Eric Trump said. "Now, that's certainly not the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice is a soldier dying for this nation and dying to protect the three of us," he said of the other panelists at the table. |
Yarra Valley Water had a problem: the water and sanitation company in Melbourne, Australia, couldn’t easily see what was going on with its operations. It was hard to determine if any of its $2bn US in assets – including almost 12,000 miles of water and sewer pipes, nine treatment plants, two water recycling facilities, and dozens of pump stations – had leaks, needed maintenance or were strained to their limits. And this confusion prevented the company from efficiently serving its customer base of 1.7 million people and 50,000 businesses.
The company’s management systems lay at the heart of the problem. To oversee its confusing mass of infrastructure, Yarra Valley relied on a collection of different, aging computer systems that made it difficult to gain a comprehensive view of its operations. It’s a common issue around the globe: many water utilities lack insight into their aging, leaking, inefficient infrastructure, and are employing unimaginative stopgaps or privatizing their operations.
Working with IBM, Deloitte, Anatas and other companies, Yarra Valley Water this year developed and piloted an integrated analytics platform that enables it to keep track of all its operations. In addition to streamlining maintenance and development projects, the new system enables Yarra Valley to track historical consumption levels, more effectively manage the flow of water, and ensure that its customers get the services they need. The project, which is expected to reduce management costs by 15%, has won an infrastructure award – and Yarra claims that it will also cut waste and improve worker safety.
It’s one of many examples of sustainable innovation happening in cities. According to MIT researcher Wei Pan, there is a connection between population density and innovation that she calls “social-tie density”: the denser a city is, the more interactions people will have, and the more innovative the city will be (and the more patents it will produce).
Cities have the unique ability to foster the rapid development and dispersion of the kinds of new ideas, technologies, behaviors and business models that will be fundamental to long term sustainable development. At the same time, they provide gateways to finance, markets and other stimuli to economic growth.
But urban density is just one of several trends that are driving new, more sustainable business models. Here are four more:
The next level of the sharing economy
Seoul, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, is having an innovative moment of its own. In September 2012, South Korea’s Innovation Bureau launched a new project called Sharing City. This project, one of the first of its kind, invests in infrastructure that will make it easier for Seoul’s 10 million citizens to share resources, incubate and promote sharing economy business models, and better utilize public resources.
It isn’t hard to see why Seoul has taken this step: like many cities, it is struggling with overpopulation, pollution, resource constraints, insufficient transportation and housing shortages. In pursuing sharing-oriented infrastructure, it is working to harness the dynamic undercurrent of the rising sharing economy to address some of the resource constraints that are affecting its growth and development.
Learning and working from afar
Digital technology and smartphones have provided education, financial access and job opportunities to millions of new users who were formerly excluded from the economy.
One company, Andela, last year began offering remote training in basic coding to Nigerian students. Its students gain skills that are enable them to enter the global economy. At the same time, the influx of software developers is helping address shortages at large IT companies like Microsoft and Segovia.
Circular economy expands to food
Although the circular economy concept has been around for more than 30 years, it continues to gain ever wider acceptance and adoption with creative business models emerging worldwide.
In Chicago, the Plant, a five-year-old 93,000-square-foot food incubator, uses waste from one food business to power others. The facility is home to several vegetable and fish farms, with the fish waste used as a fertilizer for greens like arugula, kale and chard.
On the other side of the world, four-year-old Waste Ventures India is using circular economy principles to try to upend India’s current trash incentive system. Rather than reward private trash collectors based on the volume of waste that they send to landfill – as the existing system does – Waste Ventures reduces waste to landfill by separating the collected trash. It sells the organic refuse to farmers as a soil nutrient and the dry waste to processors. Investors receive carbon credits.
Can India lead on green buildings, clean energy and corporate sustainability? Read more
More business leaders gain elevated consciousness
In the last two decades, a small cadre of conscious capitalists has begun to integrate sustainability as a guiding principle in the way their businesses are developed and run. From early pioneers like the late Ray Anderson of Interface to more recent sustainability leaders like Paul Polman of Unilever and outspoken thinkers like Whole Foods’ John Mackey or Starbucks’ Howard Shultz, these CEOs are not afraid to use their leadership mantle to promote the idea that companies can think beyond shareholder gain to influence larger conversations about value, purpose, class, race and education.
New business models are often enabled by, or arise organically from, changes in the global landscape. These trends are likely to bring about new business models, offering opportunities for companies that are willing to align themselves to a sustainable future. |
Bad heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as it’s called in medical parlance is a wretched disorder that causes misery to millions of people. This problem is so widespread that the drug companies that make medications to lessen the symptoms (the little purple pill that is advertised continuously, for instance) are pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars. Those of us in the business of treating patients with low-carbohydrate diets have known for years that these diets successfully treat GERD virtually 100 percent of the time. Until now, we haven’t known why. Thanks to Norm Robillard, Ph.D. we now have a mechanism for how GERD happens and why the low-carb diet works so successfully to treat it. Before we get to Dr. Robillard, however, let’s take a look at what heartburn really is.
The lining of the stomach contains a number of specialized cells. One type of these cells produces the hydrochloric acid that mixes with the food entering the stomach to start breaking it down as the first phase of the digestive process. This food-acid mixture will easily damage any tissue it might come into contact with except for the stomach itself. Why is the stomach spared? Because the stomach lining contains other specialized cells that produce a mucus-like substance that coats the stomach and prevents the acid from actually coming into contact with the tissue itself.
The esophagus, the long tube that leads from the back of the throat to the stomach and carries the swallowed food to the stomach, does not contain specialized cells that prevent acid from damaging the esophageal tissue, but it doesn’t have to because under normal circumstances stomach acid never gets into the esophagus. At the bottom end of the esophagus there is a muscular ring that opens when swallowed food hits it, allowing the food to enter the stomach. This muscular ring, called the lower esophageal sphincter, snaps shut after the food passes through, preventing the acidic stomach contents from entering (or refluxing into) the esophagus.
When stomach acid does reflux into the esophagus it burns the unprotected esophageal lining, causing a dull discomfort in the central chest area called heartburn. The pain can range from mild discomfort to severe and unremitting. Sometimes the acid refluxes far enough up into the esophagus that it actually gets into the throat and then into the back of the mouth causing a severe burning pain, the kind of pain one would expect were strong acid dumped into one’s mouth, which is exactly what happens.
The constant bathing of the esophageal tissues with strong acid doesn’t really do them a lot of good. In fact, years of such bathing causes a condition known as Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous condition in which the cells of the esophageal lining change into cells that are more like the cells of the stomach. A percentage of people with Barrett’s esophagus will develop cancer of the esophagus, which is a deadly cancer. The incidence of esophageal cancer is on the rise and has increased about 500 percent in the US over the past couple of decades. The best strategy to avoid this invariably fatal cancer is to prevent GERD and the resultant changes to the esophageal lining.
Medications that prevent GERD do so by decreasing the production of stomach acid. If the stomach contains less acid, then the stomach contents that reflux into the esophagus don’t cause pain and don’t cause damage. But, stomach acid is there for a reason, and it’s probably not a good thing to get rid of it. Not only does stomach acid start the digestive process, it also acts as the first line of defense against infective agents. There have been a couple of studies published showing that people who take medications for GERD have increased rates of pneumonia.
Although more and more people have come to recognize that low-carb diets effectively eliminate GERD, no one has really come up with a viable mechanism as to why.
A biochemist friend of mine told me that he knew a microbiologist who had a theory as to why low-carb diets stopped GERD cold that involved bacterial overgrowth. I told my friend that I didn’t think that bacteria had anything to do with it, but he persisted and gave the microbioligist my email address. The microbiologist contacted me and we agreed to meet for coffee.
Norm Robillard is the microbiologist and he himself has been a GERD sufferer for years. As we drank coffee he outlined for me his theory of why GERD happens and why a low-carb diet fixes it. His theory makes perfect sense, and now that I understand it, I buy into it 100 percent.
Dr. Robillard has written a book entitled Heartburn Cured that explains in detail what happens to people who are genetically predisposed to GERD when they eat too many carbohydrates and explains why restricting carbs makes it go away. The book is an excellent primer on gastroentestinal physiology written in simple terms and it should be in the library of every serious low-carber. Anyone with GERD should get a copy immediately. It can be ordered through Dr. Robillard’s website.
I have no financial affiliation with Dr. Robillard; I get no click-through kickback. I’m recommending his book because I believe it will become a classic. Thanks to Dr. Robillard’s research and his book in several years everyone will know why GERD happens and what to do about it.
I can’t recommend Heartburn Cured highly enough. |
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists says detention of children should only be used as a ‘last resort’ and for ‘the shortest possible’ time
Children in immigration detention 'should be held no more than three days'
Children in immigration detention should be held for no longer than three days, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists has said in a new position statement.
In the wake of the Australian Human Rights Commission report into children in detention, the peak professional body for psychiatrists said it “opposes the routine, prolonged and indefinite detention of child asylum seekers under the policy of mandatory detention”.
“Detention is detrimental to development and mental health and has the potential to cause long-term damage to social and emotional functioning,” the position statement said.
“Unaccompanied minors and families with children are particularly vulnerable. Detention should only ever be used as a last resort, with the child’s best interests in mind, for the shortest possible length of time.”
Children in detention exposed to danger, Human Rights Commission finds Read more
Children should be held only for health and safety checks for a maximum of 72 hours.
Australia’s mandatory detention of children is in breach of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the college said.
Australia is legally bound by the convention, having ratified it in 1990.
RANZCP president Dr Murray Patton said psychiatrists were extremely concerned about the situation of children detained in Australia and overseas.
“The statistics in the recent ‘Forgotten Children’ report are extremely alarming,” Patton said.
“The level of mental health disorders recorded indicates there will potentially be an ongoing need to support and treat these children even once they leave detention whether in Australia or elsewhere. Traumatic events, such as being detained for a prolonged period, can lead to mental illness in adults.”
“The preferable length of time in detention for a child who is undergoing health and safety checks is less than 72 hours. This is quite a contrast to the 14 months reported recently.”
Releasing the Human Rights Commission report this month, the commission president Gillian Triggs said when the report was first handed to government, last October, the average length of detention of a child in Australia’s immigration detention regime was 14 months.
“Today, their detention has lengthened to 17 months.”
The Triggs report has been hugely controversial, with the government accusing Triggs of a partisan “transparent stitch-up”.
And Senate estimates unearthed details of a quiet job offer from the government in an attempt to move Triggs on from her statutory five-year role because ministers had “lost confidence” in her impartiality.
Currently, there are 126 children in detention in Australia, and 116 held on Nauru. Sixty eight of the children detained in Australia will be moved back to Nauru once their medical care – or the medical care of a relative – ends.
Nineteen children in Australia are being held in indefinite detention with no prospect of release because of an adverse security assessment from Asio against a relative, or because of a ministerial decree.
The number of children in detention peaked in September 2013 under Labor, at 1,992. The immigration policies of both the Coalition and Labor mandate the detention of child asylum seekers who arrive by boat.
Peter Young, the former director of mental health for International Health and Medical Services (IHMS), the private contractor that provides medical care to detention centres, said “it is clear that detention is inherently damaging for children”.
“There is no way around it, because it is designed to be restrictive, it is designed to oppress and create uncertainty.”
Children in immigration detention are held in harsh, often dangerous, conditions Young said. They are also face exposure to trauma in detention: assaults committed against them or family members, high rates of mental illness in those around them, and acts of self-harm by other detainees.
But beyond the conditions of detention itself, “the arbitrariness, the uncertainty, of detention, these are the factors that are especially damaging.”
Young said the indefinite detention of children was particularly troubling.
“When detention is open-ended and indefinite like that, it is really saying ‘there is no hope for a better life’. When that is being said to a child growing up in these difficult conditions, it is hard to think of anything more damaging.”
Young said he welcomed the college’s position statement, and its support for mental health professionals who have spoken out about detention conditions. “Psychiatrists’ duty of care is to their patients. They have a role in advocating for their patients, and for a better system.”
On Nauru, a large-scale protest is planned for this weekend. Children and adults have already begun a protest of non-cooperation. They have boycotted school and adult English classes and are refusing to speak with case managers. Others have quit jobs or gone on strike.
One resettled refugee wrote that he, and others, were protesting because they could not face the prospect of resettlement on Nauru.
“Last night there was a hot rumour that an agreement for long settlement has been signed yesterday between immigration and Nauruan government with [a] champagne party. Once again refugee cattle has been sold by the fucking Nauruan government just for money. And that all money is tax pay money of Australian public.”
“Now the entire situation compelled us to protest. Because ‘enough is enough’ … at last, we have no option instead of protest for our right.”
The immigration minister Peter Dutton was in Nauru last week. He was negotiating a five-year plan for asylum seeker processing and refugee resettlement, according to the Nauruan government.
There were no reports of champagne, but the minister’s dinner with the Nauruan president Baron Waqa was interrupted by a noisy but peaceful protest by refugees chanting: “Freedom, justice, shut down offshore [detention]”.
The Nauru detention centre is moving to an “open centre” model where asylum seekers will be free to move outside the wire fence of the camp. But they have been given a list of 12 locations in Nauru where they cannot go, including the parliament, courthouse, hospital, all schools, any harbours or ports, or the airport.
They face fines or jail for breaching those conditions.
“An open centre will give transferees more opportunities to engage with the Nauruan community before their refugee processing has been completed,” Dutton said, “allowing genuine refugees to ultimately integrate seamlessly into the community.” |
Indianapolis Colts Donte Moncrief turns up field after making a catch in the second half of their game. The Indianapolis Colts played the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, October 26, 2014, afternoon at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh PA. (Photo: Matt Kryger / The Star)
It wasn't that long ago, so Donte Moncrief's memory is sharp. It was Meeting No. 1 on Day No. 1 of Year No. 1 of his NFL career, and the longest-tenured Indianapolis Colt strolled right by him and took a seat.
It was Moncrief's welcome to the league moment.
"Oh my gosh," he remembers thinking, "that's really Reggie Wayne."
Moncrief was the new guy, the 90th pick in the draft, the gifted receiver out of Ole Miss who sat star-struck in the in Colts receivers' room last May before OTAs began.
He had a playbook to read, an offense to learn, draft critics to silence. On top of all of that, he had to show Wayne, who was prepping for his 14th NFL season, that he was willing to work.
"This is him," Moncrief reminded himself. "This is the guy I've been watching since I was a kid."
It was fitting, then, that on Sunday, Moncrief filled in admirably for the guy he's been watching since he was a kid, since that guy was hampered by an elbow injury and had to watch from the sideline.
While the rookie wasn't willing to label it an audition, the significance of his afternoon in Pittsburgh was not lost on him. It was Moncrief's first sizable chance to show what he could do.
It was an opportunity not wasted. And by the time it was over, he had seven catches for 113 yards and the first touchdown of his NFL career. Even the great Reggie Wayne never had a day like that as a rookie.
"I'm just scratching the surface," Moncrief said Friday. "There's so much more I can learn and get better at. I'm getting better each day watching these three guys in front of me – watching how they come off the ball, watching how they read defenses, watching how they come out of their routes."
The three guys in front of him – Wayne, T.Y. Hilton and Hakeem Nicks – will have to set aside room for Moncrief, who has emerged eight games into his NFL career as the Colts' latest weapon at wideout. And as difficult as it may be to find touches in the league's most potent offense – Indianapolis leads the NFL in total yards, passing yards and points per game – Moncrief has every bit proven he deserves a slice of the pie.
"Another feather in our caps, in a sense," said offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.
"(Our opponents) have probably seen enough to say that he's got game-wrecking ability," added coach Chuck Pagano.
Moncrief speaks the part of the understudy, though, discussing Wayne in near-reverential tones. He lauds Hilton's explosiveness and Nicks' experience. Earning their trust – not to mention Andrew Luck's – keeps him humble and hungry.
So does dismissing the "too many drops" tag that trailed him after his three-year career at Ole Miss. Here he was, a 6-2, 221-pound SEC product, oozing with size and speed and big-play ability.
Yet 13 receivers heard their names called before Moncrief did on Draft Day last May.
What gives?
"I knew that was a knock coming out," he says of dropped passes. "It was a concentration thing. I was just trying to run before I caught the ball."
He hasn't eliminated the issue, dropping two passes in his breakout game. But his performance nonetheless speaks to his potential: If all goes to plan, Moncrief could saddle up alongside Hilton and form a formidable 1-2 punch at receiver for Luck and the Colts for years to come.
Indianapolis Colts Donte Moncrief points to fans after a long pass reception in the second quarter against the Steelers. Indianapolis traveled to Pittsburgh Sunday, October 26, 2014. (Photo: Mike Fender / The Star )
"He has all the upside it takes to becoming one of the best receivers in this league," teammate Greg Toler said. "And once that time comes around, man, the sky's the limit with him."
Take Sunday, Moncrief's finest outing as a pro. Early on, he took a short dump-off on third-and-3 and bolted 52 yards to help set up the Colts' first touchdown. The play was Indy's longest of the afternoon, and that's saying something on a team with T.Y. Hilton.
Later in the third quarter, on a third-and-5, Moncrief swiped a Luck pass in the end zone for a 31-yard score, the first of his NFL career.
"Sunday was a day to step up," was how he put it.
Progress came slowly at first, then swiftly – his 12 targets and 113 yards Sunday were more than his previous seven games combined. And it likely wouldn't have come, Moncrief says, without the tutelage he's received from his veteran teammates.
With Moncrief, the physical attributes were never in question. His understanding of the offense needed to grow. ("Learning that playbook, it was like Spanish at first," he admits.) He needed to absorb what the unit was trying to do, where to attack a defense, and why.
In other words, he needed to grab a seat next to Reggie Wayne.
"He's becoming more patient in his route running," said Toler, who squares up across Moncrief in practice each week. "He's learning to know when to come out of his burst. Back in camp, he'd come out too early – he'd jump the gun. Now, he's learning more about defenses and keeping his route clean."
There's plenty more to learn. Moncrief knows this, if only due to the fact he's got a teammate next to him that's still learning in his 14th season.
"Eventually, I want to be the guy that whenever I get the ball, everyone's looking for a big play," he said. "When it touches my hands, I want to do whatever I can to get into the end zone."
Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer. |
Of all the conflicts that have raged in American history the Civil War remains the bloodiest.
On battlefields such as Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg, the death toll averaged out to 425 men per day. This continued for 1,458 consecutive days, leaving an estimated 620,000 dead when the last shots were fired. But this casualty rate applied to today’s population would stand at around 6 million: making the body count proportionately far greater than the number of fatalities the United States experienced during World Wars I and II combined.
The Civil War left an enormous imprint on the American consciousness in much the same way as World War I did on the European mindset. For both wars, the notion of remembrance is sacrosanct.
But if the Great War is spoken about in terms of regret, failure, and unnecessary loss of human life—where soldiers died for nothing more than violence for the sake of violence—the Civil War, in American culture at least, is seen as a necessary struggle, one that finally solidified the ideas that the Founding Fathers had laid more than 80 years previously when they launched a republic. Put simply, the Civil War is seen as the American Revolution part two.
In recent years the enormous scale of destruction has been the focus of fascinating texts.
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust is one such example. Many scholars had previously believed that a new phase of violence—in which technological advances made it increasingly possible to slaughter large numbers of people at a time—only became possible during World War I.
But Faust argues that, relative to scale, the Civil War was as violent as anything that followed in the 20th century.
During the Civil War 3½ million men bore arms. This made up almost the entire population of those who were of military age in both the South and North.
The scales of the armies were enormous, too: in a single battle there might be 100,000 men on each side, and casualty rates ran as high as 20 to 25 percent. Cities were razed. Thousands of prisoners of war starved to death. And many were simply shot and left to die on the roadside.
In The American Civil War, John Keegan pays close attention to what can only be described as the sensual elements of horror: delineating how hundreds of thousands of men living in the Gilded Age—despite trying to put the memories of the war to bed—could never forget the horrors of dismembered bodies, decapitations, and the files of corpses ranging so close in roadways or trenches that stepping on them was often unavoidable.
As a result, the Civil War is largely viewed in the minds of Americans in terms of the American experience. It was a war fought on U.S. soil, by U.S. citizens, for the future of the U.S. Yet, the Civil War still remains the only large-scale conflict ever fought between citizens of the same democratic state. What about its impact on the rest of the world? According to John Keegan, “In Europe, the military significance of the war [though] it was the costliest of the nineteenth century, was largely ignored.”
This is a point I suspect Don H. Doyle, a professor of history at the University of South Carolina, would profoundly disagree with. In fact, the underlying argument of his new book, The Cause of All Nations: an International History of the American Civil War, takes the opposite view entirely, arguing that, contrary to conventional historical wisdom, the conflict mattered a great deal to Europe and the world at large. Doyle’s well researched, evenly balanced, if slightly over-optimistic narrative, takes us through the trajectory of the intellectual and diplomatic international debate that continually evolved as each stage of the Civil War progressed.
Until now, this is an area of Civil War scholarship that has largely been neglected. Doyle’s re-evaluation of the subject is an enormously important contribution to a story that cannot be forgotten, which asks: Where does the American Civil War fit into a grander narrative about universal human freedom —and progressive enlightenment values—in a global context during the 19th century?
Doyle turns his attention predominately to the public debate that was happening in Europe by prominent intellectuals of the day. These thinkers, writers and journalists saw the Civil War as far more than just internal strife between the Confederacy and the Union. They viewed it instead as an epic showdown between democracy and aristocracy. It was a matter of free versus slave labour, where the winners would decide how the capitalist world would progress in tandem with modernity.
Before 1860 the United States had offered aspiring republicans around the globe a template for how a free, self-governing nation might live in peace and prosperity. And America, according to Doyle, though it was far from perfect, and had many flaws— not least because slavery at that stage was still legal in many states—thus automatically became, in many European minds, a model country to aspire to when thinking about progressive ideas such as liberty, equality, and self-rule. And with the Civil War, the U.S. seemed to offer to the rest of the world a literal battle between those values and rights.
The phrase public diplomacy may not have become an official term in the popular press until World War I. But it was during the Civil War that deliberate, state-sponsored programs began attempting to influence the public mind abroad about American foreign policy.
Just one week after Abraham Lincoln assumed office on March 4 1861, he sent his Secretary of State, William Seward, a memo suggesting how he might fill what they anticipated to be four key diplomatic posts. Britain and France were crucial. As two leading naval powers in the world, both were heavily dependent on cotton from the South for their textile industries. Spain, despite being a feeble power, had colonies in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and thus remained a dangerous potential ally of the South. Mexico, meanwhile, remained crucial because of its seaports on the Gulf.
Seward’s initial foreign policy message to the rest of the world contained a firm warning: Any gesture of support to the South that could potentially weaken the Union’s position would be considered an act of war.
The Union won the Civil War, Doyle explains, by executing both soft and hard elements of diplomacy with finesse and brilliant strategic thinking.
Doyle’s greatest asset, as both a historian and writer, is his ability to patiently tell this story with color, verve, and flair, while also weighing in with his own expertise and commentary at crucial periods of the narrative. He explains how the American Civil War is often viewed as a military contest that was decided by major key battles. But propaganda and diplomacy would be equally as important as bombs and bullets in determining which side emerged victorious.
For the first crucial months of the conflict, the Confederacy was able to set the terms of the debate by emphasizing its desire for national determination. Thus the story of free trade, and not slavery, became the narrative with which the South would attempt to legitimize its cause: desperately hoping to win the hearts and minds of the chattering classes back in Europe.
The conflict, they told the wider world, was about the industrial North pushing an issue of protective tariffs, while the agrarian South wanted free trade with the Old World in Europe. To begin with, this seemed like a convincing argument. And momentarily, it looked to most observers that the South would win legal legitimacy as a respected nation of the world in due course.
But both sides, Doyle reminds us, began the conflict denying that slavery was the fundamental issue at stake.
While the U.S. president and commander in chief of the Union army, Abraham Lincoln, may have always held a deep antipathy to slavery, and even abhorred it on a personal level, it was not convenient for him to express those opinions in public when the war broke out.
And so in his first inaugural address on March 4 1861, Lincoln stated that he had no intention to interfere with slavery in those states where it already existed. Such a confusing moral position from the American president left many foreigner intellectuals and thinkers—who feature prominently in this book—with a number of key questions. They began to ask: Was this simply a civil war with a small domestic dispute about tariffs and territory? Or was there, behind the diplomatic quarrelling and posturing, a noble issue at stake that really did concern the whole of humanity?
However, the South’s fundamental principles regarding slavery had already been set in stone after Alexander Stephens, the vice president of the new nation, addressed the issue in his famous Cornerstone speech in Savannah, Georgia, on March 21 1861. There he openly admitted that slavery was to be tantamount to the Confederacy’s ideology and economic position.
Lincoln during the early stage of the war was careful to eschew any passionate pleas about human freedom. Instead, he concentrated on ideas such as universal law, the Constitution, and the power of the Union.
But if thousands of soldiers marched to Washington in the spring of 1861 to save the Union, what exactly did the concept they were fighting for mean to each of them, either collectively, or an individual basis?
Hugh Brogan in the Penguin History of the USA claims that “this crucial question is seldom asked by American historians, and never answered satisfactorily.”
Attempting to properly develop a feasible answer to this complex, but extremely necessary question, is one of the stronger characteristics that Doyle’s narrative possesses.
And, as his thesis continually points out, the more intriguing answers actually came from foreigners, many who had never set foot in America themselves.
Karl Marx, who was living as an exile in London at the time, wrote that “the struggle between the South and North is one concerned with the system of slavery and the system of free labor. It can only be ended by the victory of one system over the other.”
While the French intellectual Agénor de Gasparin was the first notable European to publicly declare that, whatever Americans proclaimed about the Civil War, at the heart of it was the greatest moral issue of the 19th century: slavery.
Other prominent pro-Union voices from abroad included John Bright, a British Quaker reformer, and Édouard de Laboulaye, an outspoken French republican.
For these writers and thinkers—whose wide-ranging political opinions fluctuated from far-left radical utopian thinking, to a more centered worldview that respected constitutional monarchies—America, and indeed the Civil War, embodied something greater than just a geographical landscape or territorial squabble. It was an opportunity, Doyle argues, to prominently declare, in an age of revolution, that democracy and the rule of law were concepts worth fighting and dying for.
Eventually, in the summer of 1862, partly due to pressure from a diverse range of liberal foreigners who expected America to fight a war of liberty, Lincoln concluded that he must act against slavery to legitimize the Union cause. But it would be as commander of chief of the Union, and not as chief executive, Doyle points out, that Lincoln would proclaim emancipation.
Even Marx referred to Lincoln’s September emancipation decree as “the most important document in American history since the establishment of the Union.”
Doyle concludes his thesis with great flair and vigor in his penultimate chapter by giving the reader a number of excellent examples about how Lincoln cleverly used the written word to his advantage by speaking about the Civil War in universal terms.
This enabled the American president to frame the war not just as a showdown between the Union and the Confederacy, but as a trial of democracy that had immense consequence for the world’s future.
At his Gettysburg Address in November 1863, Lincoln used the simple, but extremely effective phrase “any nation so conceived”: thus imbuing America’s war not just with his fellow citizens, but for the entire of mankind.
Lincoln, like Winston Churchill during the Second World War in Britain, had an exceptional ability to craft speeches that crystallized his political rhetoric with a particular style of literary prose that was simultaneously charming, inspiring, heroic, and noble. But we also need to be careful to distinguish between the emotive connotations a politician’s words carry, and their actual significance in the world of Realpolitik. The old cliché that actions speak louder than words seems like the appropriate phrase to pay attention to here.
Indeed, it is true that the Union’s triumph in the war sent an optimistic message to all radical reformers and keen democrats on both sides of the Atlantic at the time. Had the Confederacy triumphed, it might have meant, as Doyle suggests, a new birth of slavery, possibly throughout the Americas.
But despite Doyle’s book ending on an optimistic high, readers should be warned to treat his narrative with just a slight dose of skepticism.
Anyone looking for a more conclusive analysis of how Lincoln’s emancipation act actually played out for blacks in the United States after the war ended will really need to look elsewhere for answers.
Doyle does give a brief mention at the start of the book about why the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s follows a direct trajectory from Civil War politics. But not much else follows the one sentence he dedicates to this subject. His failure to explore this in any detail whatsoever left me feeling slightly short-changed and disappointed, particularly considering how well the author firmly cements his argument up until this point of the book.
Moreover, it’s common knowledge that blacks obtained far less economic power after emancipation, in the Reconstruction period, than Lincoln had initially foreseen.
As John Keegan—who has a slightly less optimistic view on the Reconstruction period than Doyle—correctly points out in his book The American Civil War:
The South had been beaten but had not been fundamentally changed. Anti-black feeling was a universal emotion and state localism was more powerful than loyalty to the Union. Almost none of the former Confederate States were under the government of men who accepted Congress’s desire for equality and the untrammelled rule of law.
Most readers won’t need reminding just how horrific race relations played out for blacks in the United States in the 90-odd years from the Reconstruction Era to the Civil Rights movement; Jim Crow laws were simply a way of life in Southern states. And a subtle government-legislated system of race-based residential zoning ensured that American cities were continually drawn firmly along lines of color, especially in places like Chicago, New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.
If Doyle’s book suffers from one minor flaw it is this: His thesis is severely restricted by his own myopic and optimistic view of American history.
For example, he claims that:
In the mid-nineteenth century, it appeared to many that the world was moving away from democracy and equality toward repressive government and the expansion of slavery. Far from being pushed off the world’s stage by human progress, slavery, aristocratic rule and imperialism seemed to be finding a new life and aggressive new defenders.
Doyle seems to be suggesting here that in the aftermath of the American Civil War a political culture emerged where this all changed: whereby democratic values spread across the Atlantic to the imperial powers back in the Old World.
Clearly this was not the case though. Imperialism was alive and kicking for the duration of the 19th century, throughout the Western World. And it got progressively worse. Any suggestion that the outcome of the American Civil War abetted this seems to me slightly naïve to say the least.
At the Berlin Conference of 1884/85—the entire African continent was shared piecemeal amongst the imperial powers of Europe. If this isn’t a sign that imperialism was on the rise in the Western World, I really don’t know what is.
It’s also worth paying close attention to the common mythology of American democracy, versus the kind of government that was actually envisioned when the republic was founded.
America’s Civil War, Doyle tells us in the introductory chapter, “lies at the heart of the story Americans tells themselves about themselves.” And he concludes his book with a rather simplistic narrative that claims the conflict “shook the Atlantic world and decided the fate of slavery and democracy for the vast future that lay ahead.”
But if we want to comprehend American history, in all of its complexity, we really do need to steer clear of this feel-good-narrative, and take a more critical approach.
In his book The Democracy Project, the American anthropologist and radical thinker David Graeber attempts to dissect and analyse how the myth of democracy has firmly maintained political hegemony in the United States for over two centuries now.
Graeber claims that neither the Declaration of Independence, nor the American Constitution, embody the democratic values that we are still today led to believe they do in popular political discourse. In fact, the model for the Constitution, says Graeber, was based on an autocratic form of government that dates back to antiquity: the Roman Republic.
The Founding Fathers of the United States were very clear about what they were trying to achieve when they founded a Republic: setting up a democratic element of government along with aristocratic and monarchical principles. Where the president is a monarch, and the Senate is the aristocracy.
Without understanding these basic fundamental principles that the United States was founded on, there is a danger of getting swept along into a tornado of American history that blinds and distorts. Scholars such as Doyle tend to get caught up in this without even consciously realizing it.
It would be vituperative, incorrect, and naïve to deny the importance of the main argument that Doyle presents here, for the most part with extreme clarity, precision and skill: just what a Union win in the Civil War meant for the future of democracy in an international context during the middle of the 19th century.
But unless we attempt to figure out exactly what democracy entails—does it simply mean freedom for a white-privileged-property-owning-elite?—then continually celebrating its cause may be a futile and self-defeating task.
In an excellent collection of essays, published three years ago, entitled the Short American Century—which for the most part are critical, rather than celebratory of American democracy over the 20th century—Andrew J. Bacevich, the book’s editor, speaks in the opening pages about why the task of critically assessing a considerable swath of U.S. history should not be to prop up American self-esteem.
Bacevich reminds us that “before history can teach, it must challenge and even discomfit.”
If Western historians aren’t able to face up to the grave prejudices that are contained in numerous epochs of American history, or to continually ask the question—just what is it American democracy has bequeathed to its citizens since the foundation of the United States?— grand metaphoric and poetic descriptions about a shining city resting upon a hill of divine global exceptionalism will remain nothing more than empty mawkish, sentimental, and jingoistic drivel. |
That moment when you inadvertently bump into the professional athlete you’re dressed as for Halloween is better than any massive haul of candy. That’s exactly what happened to Paul Vernick on Monday. Vernick, a high school senior in north Jersey, lives in the same town as Sacha Kljestan, the New York Red Bulls star midfielder and United States national team member who is a front-runner for the MVP award in MLS. The teenager, a devoted soccer and Red Bulls fan who is a member of a supporters club, is even an intern with local team Jersey Express and is hoping for a career in sports. As such, he dressed like Kljestan for Halloween, even down to the midfielder’s moustache, which fittingly has earned him the nickname ‘The Stache’ in MLS circles. But little did he know that while dressed as Kljestan for Halloween, he would in fact meet the man, the myth, the legend. Recommended Slideshows 4 Pictures PHOTOS: Singapore's treasures star in NY Botanical Garden's 2019 Orchid Show 4 Pictures 36 Pictures Oscars 2019: Red carpet looks and full list of winners 36 Pictures 36 Pictures All of these celebrities have had their nudes leaked 36 Pictures More picture galleries 16 Pictures These photos of Trump and Ivanka will make you deeply uncomfortable 16 Pictures 4 Pictures Inside Brooklyn's Teknopolis is tech that makes us more human 4 Pictures 4 Pictures Inside The Strand's Fight Against Being Named a New York City Landmark 4 Pictures While out trick or treating, Kljestan spotted Vernick and friend Jaret Gold, a classmate who is also a Red Bulls fan, and shouted out to them about their costumes. Vernick calls it “five short minutes of awesomeness.” “As we got right in front of him he bent down to ask his daughter a question. ‘Who do these people look like?’ His daughter responded ‘Daddy!’ - That made everyone laugh, and his wife asked if we wanted a picture,” Vernick tells Metro. “She took a picture on her phone and one of the neighbors took a picture on my phone for me.” He admits to not doing much trick-or-treating but that his younger sister Rebecca was willing to share some of her spoils with him. Clearly for Vernick, his Halloween meeting with Kljestan while dressed as Kljestan was all treat and no trick. Related Articles Kristian Dyer: New York desperately needs American Pharaoh victory Kristian Dyer: Is Triple Crown bad for horse racing Kristian Dyer: Your complete guide to attending Jets training camp “Throughout the past two seasons, my family and I have a mere moments of celebrity fandom when seeing him walk around downtown or see you anywhere in town... sometimes I see him in his car when I am walking to and from school,” Vernick said. “All of this made me into an even bigger Sacha Kljestan fan and that's why I dressed up as him. Although my fake mustache wasn't anywhere as nice as his.” |
The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF); although the organization plays all of its international competitions under American rules, it uses a definition of the game that is broad enough that it includes Canadian football under its umbrella, and Football Canada (the governing body for Canadian football) is an IFAF member.
American football teams and organizations subsequently adopted new rules which distinguished the game from rugby. [19] Among the most consequential changes was the adoption of the forward pass in 1906, which allowed the quarterback to throw the ball forward over the line of scrimmage to a receiver. [20] Canadian football remained akin to rugby for decades, though a progressive faction of players, chiefly based in the western provinces , demanded changes to the game based on the innovations in American football. Over the years, the sport adopted more Americanized rules, though it retained some of its historical features, including a 110-yard field, 12-player teams, and three downs instead of four. [3]
The sport developed from informal games played in North America during the 19th century. Early games had a variety of local rules and were generally similar to modern rugby union and soccer . By the 1860s, teams from universities were playing each other, leading to more standardized rules and the creation of college football . While several American schools adopted rules based on the soccer rules of the British Football Association , Harvard University held to its traditional "carrying game". Meanwhile, McGill University in Montreal used rules based on rugby union . In 1874, Harvard and McGill University in Montreal organized two games using each other's rules. Harvard took a liking to McGill's rugby-style rules, and subsequently played several other U.S. colleges over the next several years. [18]
The football used in North American football has a distinct pointed shape, with a brown color and prominent laces to aid in throwing
This is a minimal description of the game in general, with elements common to all or almost all variants of the game. For more specific rules, see each code's individual articles.
Prior to the start of a game, a coin toss determines which team will kick off the ball to their opponent. Each team lines up on opposite halves of the field, with a minimum ten yards of space between them for the kickoff. The team receiving the ball can make a fair catch (which stops the play immediately), catch the ball and run it back until the ball carrier is tackled, or, if the ball is kicked out of bounds, let the ball go dead on its own (the last case usually happens when the ball is kicked all the way into or through the opponent's end zone, resulting in a touchback and the ball being brought several yards out of the end zone to begin play). A kicking team can, under special circumstances, attempt to recover its own kick, but the rules of the game make it very difficult to do so reliably, and so this tactic is usually only used as a surprise or desperation maneuver.
At this point, play from scrimmage begins. The team in possession of the ball is on offense and the opponent is on defense. The offense is given a set amount of time (up to forty seconds, depending on the governing body), during which the teams can set up a play in a huddle and freely substitute players to set into a formation, in which the offense must remain perfectly still for at least one second (the formation requirement does not apply to Canadian football). At least half of the players (seven in standard American and Canadian football, four in standard indoor ball) on the offense must line up on the line of scrimmage in this formation, including the snapper, who handles the ball before play commences; the rest can (and almost always do) line up behind the line. Neither the offense nor the defense can cross the line of scrimmage before the play commences. Once the formation is set, the snapper snaps the ball to one of the players behind him. (A snapper must snap the ball within 20 to 25 seconds of the official setting the ball back into position after the previous play, and a play clock is kept to enforce the measure.) Once the ball is snapped, the play has commenced, and the offense's goal is to continue advancing the ball toward their opponent's end zone. This can be done either by running with the ball or by a rule unique to football known as the forward pass. In a forward pass, a player from behind the line of scrimmage throws the ball to an eligible receiver (another back or one player on each end of the line), who must catch the ball before it touches the ground. The play stops when a player with the ball touches any part of his body other than hand or foot to the ground, runs out of the boundaries of the field, is obstructed from making further forward progress, or a forward pass hits the ground without being caught (in the last case, the ball returns to the spot it was snapped). To stop play, players on defense are allowed to tackle the ball carrier at any time the ball is in play, provided they do not grab the face mask of the helmet or make helmet-to-helmet contact when doing so. At any time, the player with the ball can attempt a backward, or lateral, pass to any other player in order to keep the ball in play; this is generally rare. Any player on defense can, at any time, attempt to intercept a forward pass in flight, at which point the team gains possession; they can also gain possession by recovering a fumble or stripping the ball away from the ball carrier (a "forced fumble"). A typical play can last between five and twenty seconds.
In the event that any illegal action happens during the play, the results of the previous play are erased and a penalty is assessed, forcing the offending team to surrender between five and fifteen yards of field to the opponent. Whether this yardage is measured from the original spot of the ball before the play, the spot of the illegal action, or the end of the play depends on the individual foul. The most common penalties include false start (when an offensive player jumps to begin the play before the ball is snapped, a five-yard penalty), holding (the grabbing of a player other than the ball carrier to obstruct their progress; a ten-yard penalty against offensive players and a five-yard penalty against defensive ones), and pass interference (when either a receiver or the defending player pushes or blocks the other to prevent them from catching the pass). A team on offense cannot score points as the direct result of a penalty; a defensive foul committed in the team's own end zone, if the penalty is assessed from the spot of the foul, places the ball at the one-yard line. In contrast, a defensive team can score points as a direct result of a penalty; if the offense commits a foul under the same scenario, the defensive team receives two points and a free kick. In all other circumstances (except for the open-ended and extremely rare unfair act clause), a penalty cannot exceed more than half the distance to the end zone. In the event that the penalty would be less advantageous than the result of the actual play, the team not committing the penalty can decline it.
In order to keep play moving, the offense must make a certain amount of progress (10 yards in most leagues) within a certain number of plays (3 in Canada, 4 in the United States), called downs. If the offense does indeed make this progress, a first down is achieved, and the team gets 3 or 4 more plays to achieve another 10 yards. If not, the offense loses possession to their opponent at the spot where the ball is. More commonly, however, the team on offense will, if they have a minimal chance of gaining a first down and have only one play left to do it (fourth down in the U.S., third down in Canada), attempt a scrimmage kick. There are two types of scrimmage kick: a punt is when the ball is kicked downfield as close to the opponent's end zone as possible without entering it; the kicking team loses possession of the ball after the kick and the receiving team can attempt to advance the ball. The other scrimmage kick is a field goal attempt. This must be attempted by place kick or (more rarely) drop kick, and if the kicked ball passes through the goal set at the edge of the opponent's end zone, the team scores three points. (Four-point field goals are available in a few variations of the game under special rules, but the NFL, college and high school football only offer three-point field goals.) In Canada, any kick that goes into the end zone and is not returned, whether it be a punt or a missed field goal, is awarded one single point.
If the team in possession of the ball, at any time, advances (either by carrying or catching) the ball into the opponent's end zone, it is a touchdown, and the team scores six points and a free play known as a try. In a try, a team attempts to score one or two points (rules vary by each league, but under standard rules, a field goal on a try is worth one point while another touchdown is worth two). At the college and professional levels, the defense can also score on a try, but only on the same scale (thus a botched try the defense returns for a touchdown scores only two points and not six).
If a team is in its own end zone and commits a foul, is tackled with the ball, or bats, fumbles, kicks or throws the ball backward out of the field of play through the same end zone, the defense scores a safety, worth two points.
After a try, safety or field goal, the team that had possession of the ball goes back to the middle of the field and kicks the ball off to their opponent, and play continues as it did in the beginning of the game.
Play continues until halftime. (Each team switches their side of the field with the other halfway through each half, at the end of a quarter.) After the halftime break, a new kickoff occurs. Whichever team has more points at the end of the game is declared the winner; in the event of a tie, each league has its own rules for overtime to break the tie. Because of the nature of the game, pure sudden-death overtimes have been abolished at all levels of the game as of 2012.
At all adult levels of the game, a game is 60 timed minutes in length, split into four 15-minute quarters. (High school football uses 12-minute quarters, and the general rule is that the younger the players, the shorter the quarters typically are.) Because of the halftime, quarter breaks, time-outs, the minute warnings (two minutes before the end of a half in the NFL, three minutes in Canadian football), and frequent stoppages of the game clock (the clock stops, for example, after every incomplete pass and any time a ball goes out of bounds), the actual time it takes for a football game to be completed is typically over three hours.[21] |
The ranking member on the House Budget Committee said Thursday that the tea party has taken over in the House of Representatives, and turned Speaker John Boehner into little more than a rubber stamp for their social agenda as the government careens toward its first shutdown since 1995.
“Speaker Boehner is not in control,” Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said on a conference call with reporters when asked by TPM about the prospects of a shutdown. “The tea party caucus has their hands on the steering wheel and they are prepared to drive right into a government shut down if they don’t get 100% of their demands met.”Van Hollen said the tea party rejection of Democratic offers of billions of dollars in compromise budget cuts comes from a desire to attack entitlements and environmental laws, not reduce the size of government as they’ve claimed.
“To pretend that they care about deficit reduction here when their real goal is to use this budget battle to impose that social agenda is becoming more obvious everyday,” Van Hollen said.
He says that the man leading the negotiations for the Republicans in Congress, Boehner, has become nothing more than a proxy for his party’s far-right extreme.
“None of us of course know how this is going to turn out,” Van Hollen said, “but the Speaker is not in control of this process.”
“He’s being pushed rather than leading,” Van Hollen said.
Ed. Note: This post has been updated from the original. |
In their rush to build a controversial mass surveillance system, Oakland city officials appear to have allowed employees of the project's prime contractor to perjure themselves by claiming that the company was in compliance with the city's Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Ordinance. The ordinance, enacted by Oakland voters and the city council in the late 1980s, prohibits the city from doing business with private contractors that have ties to nuclear weapons. Public records show that the contractor, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), had been involved heavily over the years in nuclear weapons-related work.
Internal city emails obtained by the Oakland Privacy Working Group, a coalition opposed to the surveillance center, show that SAIC officials were concerned about Oakland's nuclear-free-zone law early this year, and that they pressured the city to waive compliance with the ordinance before signing a final contract in March. City staffers, however, ruled out obtaining a waiver due to time constraints, and also because it would require approval by the full city council, making the contract subject to a public hearing. SAIC officials then signed a city document under penalty of perjury stating that the company was not involved in nuclear weapons-related work — when, in fact, it was.
Oakland officials do not appear to have specifically asked SAIC why it wanted the nuclear-free-zone waiver. Instead, staff in the city's contracts and compliance office, the office of information technology, the fire department, and lawyers from the city attorney's office allowed SAIC to sign Schedule P, Oakland's "Nuclear Free Disclosure Form."
The city does not appear to have conducted due diligence once the contract was in place to determine if SAIC's claim of not being involved in nuclear weapons work was true or not. Only in July, after Ali Winston, a freelance journalist and contributor to the Express, appeared on a KGO radio show to discuss SAIC's nuclear weapons contracts did city staffers revisit the issue, email records show. (Mr. Winston and I frequently collaborate on news stories, including several about the DAC and SAIC.)
Last week, the city council was forced to reopen the city's contract for Phase 2 construction of the surveillance center, known as the Domain Awareness Center, due to a formal finding by the city's contracts and compliance office that SAIC, in fact, does conduct "nuclear weapons work" as defined by the city's nuclear-free ordinance.
The problem of SAIC's nuclear weapons work first emerged at Oakland City Hall in January, before the city and SAIC signed a final contract to build the first phase of the Domain Awareness Center, called the DAC (pronounced dack) for short. On January 23, Renee Domingo, Oakland's director of emergency services, sent an urgent email to staffers in the city's technical and legal departments stating that "we must have a fully executed contract for the DAC project by no later than 2/1/13." Domingo warned that if the contract wasn't soon finalized "the Port/City is at risk to lose $2.9 mil[lion] of grant funding" from the US Department of Homeland Security.
Under pressure to finalize the deal quickly, Deputy City Attorney Celso Ortiz asked Ahsan Baig, Oakland's technical project leader on the DAC, if he had spoken to the contracts and compliance office about "SAIC's issues." Ortiz's email to Baig mentioned the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Ordinance as one of SAIC's issues. SAIC's original proposal delivered to Oakland for the DAC project shows that the company "assumed that the City would grant SAIC a waiver" for the Nuclear Free Zone requirement.
Domingo then wrote to Deborah Barnes, Oakland's director of contracts and compliance, about SAIC's request for the city to waive the nuclear ordinance. Barnes responded on February 13 via email that it was not an option: "Renee, only the council can waive these policies."
On February 13, Domingo broke the news to Anastasios Zografos, SAIC's project leader for the DAC. "Hello Anastasios, we can't obtain waivers on the following: living wage, nuclear freeze, and prompt payment without going back to the city council which is not an option. Can SAIC fulfill these requirements??"
Domingo added that "we can discuss further." What was further discussed is not clear from the records released by the City of Oakland last week. Domingo did not return a phone call and message left with staff in her office.
What is clear is that SAIC is a nuclear weapons contractor with deep ties to the military and US Department of Energy offices that research, design, build, and deploy nuclear arms. Federal contract records show that SAIC has been winning contracts with the nation's nuclear arms agencies since at least the 1990s. As recently as May 2013, SAIC obtained a $370,000 contract with the Navy for "engineering services, testing, and integration for nuclear command control and communication (NC3) messaging systems." In 2012, SAIC was paid more than $2 million by the Department of Defense to act as a "technical support team for the Nuclear Weapons Council," the joint Defense Department and Energy Department board that oversees the US nuclear weapons stockpile.
Federal contract records show that SAIC has been paid at least $78 million by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) since 2000. The NNSA is a special office within the Department of Energy that was created solely to oversee active nuclear weapons research, design, and testing facilities, and nuclear weapons waste dump sites.
"It wouldn't have been hard if someone was trying to do that due diligence to find these contracts," said Joe Newman, a staff member of the Project on Government Oversight, an independent nonprofit and government watchdog group. "They certainly could have found that information easily," added Newman about both the SAIC contract officer who signed Oakland's nuclear-free disclosure affidavit, and Oakland staffers who approved the contract. "SAIC is one of the biggest contractors, so would a city procurement officer have known without really researching? I don't know. But I can't imagine that the person who signed that form for SAIC didn't know what the facts were as to the type of work they do."
Lauren Darson, a spokesperson for SAIC, said that her company does have nuclear weapons contracts. She clarified, however, that SAIC was split into two companies in September, and that one of the new companies, Leidos Holdings, Inc., took the contract for Oakland's DAC with it.
"I don't know if Leidos has any nuclear weapons-related contracts at this point," said Darson. "I only know the contracts we have. We do have contracts with Navy and DOE, but they do also."
No contract records for Leidos Holdings were available on several official US government websites as the company is still in the process of incorporating and transferring contract files over from SAIC. But Leidos' website unambiguously explains that the new company "provides support for the development and deployment of production technologies for materials, manufacturing, acquisition, and inspection and testing for replacement components inserted into nuclear bombs and ballistic missile weapons and for joint test assemblies."
Leidos spokesperson Jennifer Gephart referred all questions to Karen Boyd of Oakland's public affairs office. Zografos, who now works for Leidos, did not return a phone call inquiring about the company's nuclear contracts, or the apparent effort by his team to obtain a waiver from Oakland for the nuclear-free ordinance back in January, before the DAC contract was signed.
Alex Katz of the Oakland City Attorney's office did not respond to a phone call and email requesting information about Oakland's contract policies and the Domain Awareness Center.
Last week the city council voted to re-open the DAC contract to the pool of vendors who bid on the project in 2012. Several dozen opponents of the DAC waited around until past midnight when the item, scheduled last on the agenda, came up for discussion. Miguel Vargas, an Oakland resident, told the council he believed that City Administrator Deanna Santana and others tried to hush the contractor's violation of the city's nuclear-free law by obtaining a waiver sometime in August or September. Contracts and compliance director Barnes, seated in the staff section behind the council members, blurted out: "That's a lie!"
Emails show, however, that Barnes, Santana, and other staffers did, in fact, seek a waiver for SAIC as late as August — well after SAIC's nuclear weapons links had become public knowledge. On August 2, Barnes forwarded Santana information about SAIC's nuclear work, adding that "we are drafting a proposal for your review to include an option to secure a waiver ...."
Santana and Barnes conversed back and forth via email the next day. "Sounds like they are not in conformance with city policy but some elements are subject to waiver???" asked Santana.
"Exactly," replied Barnes. "They are not in compliance with One policy only. A very old policy that many have questioned. 'Nuclear Free Zone.'"
"What does it take to do the waiver and how often are they done?" asked Santana.
"The Ordinance describes a process requiring a public hearing and council action. We have never had a challenge or need for a waiver before," wrote Barnes. "This is totally new."
Barnes also did not respond to a request for comment for this story. |
HBO's Westworld made its PaleyFest debut Saturday with the cast and creators of the futuristic sci-fi drama reflecting on the twists and turns of season one while remaining tight-lipped about any season two details.
The only thing showrunners Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan did reveal was the show's plan to avoid production delays that plagued its freshman run. Nolan said that the married duo would write all 10 episodes before production begins on season two. The producers declined to say when production would actually begin. That marks a change from season one.
After wrapping its long-awaited first season in December, HBO and producers Nolan and Joy announced that the sophomore run would not debut until 2018. The first season, which is estimated to have come with a $100 million price tag, was originally set to debut in 2015.
Picked up to pilot in August 2013 and ordered to series in November 2014 under former HBO programming president Michael Lombardo, the futuristic Western was the subject of swirling rumors about its messy production process for months. The show ultimately was shut down from Dec. 1, 2015, to Feb. 1, 2016, to allow Nolan and Joy time to catch up on scripts, with the show rumored at one point to be pushed to 2017. Sources say it was Nolan who fought for the production to get up and running again so the series did not lose its California tax credit.
Following a few production delays to help producers keep up with the deeply serialized nature of the twisty drama, the ambitious show launched in October to strong reviews and a lot of buzz for stars including Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores), Thandie Newton (Maeve), Ed Harris (the Man in Black), Jeffrey Wright (Bernard), James Marsden (Teddy) and Jimmi Simpson (William).
Nolan and Joy — who welcomed a baby three weeks ago — largely remained tight-lipped on season two of Westworld. What is known is that the season one finale helped set the stage to explore a second world as part of the futuristic amusement park after seeing "SW" — "Samurai World" — in another area of the park following the host revolt. (Stars including Wood, Newton, Marsden and Harris all told The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet ahead of the panel that they didn't know a thing about season two and hadn't been preparing for anything samurai related.)
"Yes, some of us will go and do the second season," Newton said while reflecting on the show's vocal fans on Twitter and how much she enjoys following along. The actress compared fan reaction on social media to how the cast felt upon reading the scripts for the first time.
"It's a musical!" joked Nolan when asked what season two is about, before noting that "Reddit has already figured out the third-episode twist ,and we're changing that one out!" When asked specifically if the show will venture into new worlds, he deadpanned, "That'd be cool, wouldn't it?"
Nolan also expressed his frustration with viewers who figured out the big twists of season one — and some who blogged about it — and encouraged fans to avoid spoiling anything online. Said Joy: "If you want to be surprised, you have to censor yourself from the internet."
Here are a couple other highlights from the panel:
• "I've been waiting for the message boards on Reddit to tell us! The way we designed and shot it … that is the first decision she has ever made of her own free will," Nolan said when asked if Maeve going back to Westworld to search for her daughter was really a decision the self-aware host made for herself.
• After praising all the actors who played hosts in season one, Harris may have had the best quote of the night with this thread: "I just don't want to be naked and I don't want to wear a samurai suit … and I'm saying that publicly! I'm a Man in Black, not a Man in a samurai suit! Samurais don't wear hats!"
Bookmark THR.com/Westworld for full show coverage. |
An investigation into the plans to discredit Mr Walesa has found that a special task force was set up and handwriting experts hired to forge documents.
It had long been suspected that the secret police, the SB, had used dirty tricks to stop Walesa getting the prize but the true extent of their operations were never fully known. The six-year investigation, carried out by Poland's National Institute of Remembrance, the body charged with investigating communist-era crimes, provides the first official confirmation of the plot's existence.
"The accumulated evidence demonstrates that the SB was forging documents about his alleged co-operation with the security services in the 1980s," said Zbigniew Kulikowski, a prosecutor with the institute. "The idea was to prevent Walesa getting the Nobel Peace Prize." A unity of the SB, under the auspice of the interior ministry, were charged with conducting "special operations" against Walesa, who, as the leader of Solidarity, remained a threat to communist rule in the Warsaw Pact country.
Cartographers were employed to forge handwritten documents, including those apparently written by Walesa, and reports produced on how he was informing on his Solidarity colleagues.
The files "proving" that Mr Walesa worked as a "collaborator" were sent to the prize committee and the Norwegian embassy in Warsaw. Despite the supposed evidence against him the Solidarity leader won the peace prize in 1983: and act that embarrassed Poland's communist government. |
Debbie Wolfe stacks some china to take with her, that once belonged to her grandmother, found in the burned ruins of her home, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif. A massive deadly wildfire swept through the area last week destroying thousands of housing and business. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) -- As firefighters gain on wildfires burning in Northern California's wine country, the many thousands who lost their houses, condos and apartments in those fires will have to find a new place to live in one of the toughest housing markets in the nation.
In San Francisco, an average one-bedroom apartment rents for more than $3,000 a month and the median home price is about $1.5 million. The climbing cost of living has reached the greater San Francisco Bay Area, which includes parts of the fire areas.
The fires that swept through parts of seven counties were the deadliest and most destructive series of blazes in in California history. At least 42 people were killed and 6,000 homes destroyed.
Crews made excellent progress Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, setting off controlled burns to deprive wildfires of added fuel, said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire. He said cooler weather and the lack of wind helped.
"We're hoping that Mother Nature will continue to cooperate with us," he said. "Increased moisture in the air and potential rainfall, all of those are welcome signs."
Also on Wednesday, Sonoma County increased its death count from 22 to 23 when officials reported they had found another body in Santa Rosa. Officials released no details.
Keeping positive is hard when facing the reality of starting from scratch, said John De Groot, whose home in Santa Rosa burned down along with a lifetime of memories.
"We've worked our whole lives," De Groot said. "We've had this house for 23 years. So there are a lot of memories there. Grandkids have been there. They love it. And it's not there. So now what?"
California, which was grappling with a housing shortage before the wildfires broke out, is faced with a massive logistical issue with entire neighborhoods destroyed and so many seeking to rebuild.
"This is a tremendous event for an urban area," Brock Long, an administrator with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Tuesday. "We've got a lot of thinking to do about how you mitigate this from happening in communities down the road and becoming more resilient."
An estimated 100,000 people were evacuated at the height of the fires, and about 34,000 remain under evacuation. Many have yet to find out if their homes are still standing.
"The good thing is we have each other," said Ramona Lancu, whose family home in Larkfield was destroyed. "We were able to escape. Now we just start a new life. It's hard."
Lancu was among tens of thousands who have drifted home to find their lives and their communities dramatically altered.
At a Red Cross shelter in Petaluma, 69-year-old Sue Wortman recalled the words that raced through her mind when she fled the flames near her home in Sonoma.
"We're all going up in smoke," she thought at the time. Since then, she's been walking around in a daze.
Firefighters gained more control Tuesday of the massive wine country wildfires, even as other blazes erupted in mountains near Los Angeles and Santa Cruz.
Meanwhile, officials and trauma experts worried about the emotional toll taken by the grueling week of blazes.
Wortman has been living in her RV outside the Petaluma shelter, while hundreds of other evacuees sought refuge in tents and trailers and on cots inside the fairground facility. She has sought comfort among friends and with her dogs but knows that feeling won't last.
"I think it's really going to hit when we go home and see the destruction," she said.
Highlighting the concerns of mental health professionals, the California Psychological Association has emailed an urgent request calling for volunteers to help wildfire evacuees cope with the trauma they have faced and its aftermath.
"There is tremendous acute and long term impact and we are needed right now to help," Dr. Chip Shreiber, the association's disaster resource coordinator, said in the email sent Monday to a distribution list of 13,000 licensed psychologists across California. "Please get the word out."
It's common for survivors to feel a range of emotions — sadness, anger, irritability — and to suffer flashbacks or nightmares while having trouble sleeping, especially in a shelter surrounded by strangers.
Evacuees were advised to pace their exposure to news and media, which provide information that can reduce anxiety but also become overwhelming.
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Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer in Sonoma, Terry Chea in Santa Rosa, Jocelyn Gecker and Janie Har in San Francisco, and Andrew Dalton and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP's complete wildfire coverage here: https://apnews.com/tag/Wildfires. |
Ted Cruz just pulled off what has seemed impossible: He made Donald Trump concede a point.
At Thursday night's Republican debate, Cruz took on Trump's charge that he's not American enough for the presidency. Trump has recently started saying Cruz's Canadian birth is a constitutional liability. When asked about the attacks Thursday night, Cruz's second response was to explain why a child of a US citizen is eligible to be president — but his first response was to boast that Trump was feeling threatened in the polls.
Cruz is a champion debater, and he had to have known this question was coming. So the sharpness of his answer doesn't come as a surprise. But Trump has shown an uncanny ability (even for a presidential candidate) to avoid admitting he was wrong. He's denied the existence of statements that are on his own website just to avoid admitting he contradicted himself. Cruz got under his skin.
Trump sputtered. But he ended up admitting to moderator Neil Cavuto that Cruz was right.
Donald Trump is hitting Cruz with an electability troll
The reason this issue has come up is that Ted Cruz was born in Canada, to a US citizen mother and a noncitizen father. He's definitely a citizen. But the Constitution requires that presidents be not just citizens, but "natural-born citizens" — and it doesn't define what "natural-born" means.
Most constitutional lawyers think that if the question were to come up in court, a judge would rule that Cruz does count as a natural-born citizen. But because the case hasn't come up in court yet, the question is not yet legally settled.
That's why Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe — whom Trump has been citing on the campaign trail, and whom he cited again during the debate — has started saying that Cruz's citizenship could be a problem. Tribe personally believes Cruz should be considered a citizen, but he says that if Cruz were consistent about his own constitutional philosophy, Cruz would believe he was ineligible. More importantly, Tribe says, the unsettled question would throw a "cloud" over Cruz's candidacy.
Trump is saying exactly the same thing. In the past, he has said directly that he doesn't think Cruz is a natural-born citizen. But in this campaign — and in the debate — he said something slightly different: that it doesn't matter what he thinks, because it would be a bad idea for the party to nominate someone who might have to fight a court case on his way to the White House.
Let's call this what it is: an electability argument. Just like candidates who claim that their opponents are too extreme to win over swing voters in the general election, Trump is claiming that Cruz's Canadian citizenship would become a problem for the party if he wins the nomination.
Cruz's counterargument worked because his conservative cred is more secure than Trump's
The problem with the electability argument, in this case, is that it's easy to rebut when the other party is attacking you. Why would they be going after me if they weren't worried I'd beat them? And that's what Cruz did in the debate.
One of the strange things about the Trump candidacy has been that his populist policy platform has coexisted with some of the gaudy East Coast elitism of his previous life as a New York real estate mogul. Most Republican candidates wouldn't trot out a Harvard Law professor to buttress their points — and certainly wouldn't cite one with ties to the Democratic Party. But Trump did.
As a result, Cruz had an opening to remind the audience that Trump himself was a Democrat for the early years of his career; that Hillary Clinton attended his wedding; that he used to be a pro-choice, pro-government-health-care liberal. And indeed, that's a theme he ended up hitting more directly later in the debate, when he accused Trump of having "New York values."
But Cruz didn't have to say any of those things to defend his own citizenship. He only had to point out that Trump was willing to side with Harvard Law professor and former Al Gore adviser Laurence Tribe, because Trump was so scared Cruz would win. |
The Federal Communications Commission recently issued new rules regulating the Internet—even though it doesn’t appear to have such powers. A federal court gangster-slapped the commission last year, accusing it of regulatory overreach for attempting to dictate Internet policy to service providers. These new regulations got me to thinking of where we would be today if the FCC had regulated the Internet from the get-go. …
In January 1993, idle regulators at the FCC belatedly discover the burgeoning world of online services. Led by CompuServe, MCI Mail, AOL, GEnie, Delphi, and Prodigy, these services have been embraced by the computer-owning public. Users “log on” to communicate via “e-mail” and “chat rooms,” make online purchases and reservations, and tap information databases. Their services are “walled gardens” that don’t allow the users of one service to visit or use another. The FCC declares that because these private networks use the publically regulated telephone system, they fall under the purview of the Communications Act of 1934. The commission announces forthcoming plans to regulate the services in the “public interest, convenience, and necessity.”
The FCC ignores the standalone Internet because nobody but academics, scientists, and some government bodies go there. So do the online services, which don’t offer Internet access.
“Regulating the Internet would make as much sense as regulating inter-office mail at Michigan State University,” says the FCC chairman. “The online services are the future of cyberspace.”
The online companies protest and vow to sue the FCC, but the heavily Democratic Congress moots the suits by passing new legislation giving the commission oversight of the online world.
The FCC immediately determines that the lack of interoperability among the online systems harms consumers and orders that each company submit a technical framework by January 1994 under which all online companies will unify to one shared technology in the near future. The precedent for this are the technical standards that the FCC has been setting for decades for AM and FM, and for television. The online services threaten legal action again, and again Congress passes new legislation authorizing the FCC to do as it wishes. The online companies hustle to submit a technical framework. Microsoft wants in on the game, so it persuades the FCC to extend the framework deadline to July 1995.
Meanwhile in Switzerland, Tim Berners-Lee has invented the first Internet browser—”WorldWideWeb,” he calls it. The Internet continues to creep along on campuses as a marginalized academic/scientific network used mostly for e-mail. A college student at the University of Illinois named Marc Andreessen helps write a more sophisticated graphical browser, which is released to little fanfare in 1993. When Andreessen leaves his graduate school program, he can’t get a job in his field of computer sciences and takes a position as a night manager at a Taco Bell. He spends his spare time repairing broken Macintoshes.
In late 1993, AOL and Delphi become the first online services to offer the Internet. The FCC orders both to drop the feature until the FCC’s labs approve it.
“We can’t have the online industry pushing out beta software on unsuspecting customers willy-nilly. Such software could compromise the users’ computers, interfere with other users’ computers, or crash the whole online world,” the FCC chairman says.
AOL’s popular chat rooms, where people flirt and trade smut, are also closed by FCC decree. The FCC claims that it is shutting the chat rooms, which it had never approved, until AOL devises software that can prove that no child pornography is being traded there. The only way to accomplish that is to exercise the right to open and inspect every file and text message, which the FCC OKs.
Citing software development problems, the online services ask that the deadline for framework specs get pushed back from July 1995 to July 1996. The FCC approves.
Because the Web has yet to catch on, eBay, Amazon, and ESPN.com do not launch in 1995. Michael Kinsley, who had been working with AOL on a proposed online magazine, returns to the New Republic as editor when AOL cancels the project.
Andreessen earns a promotion to Taco Bell day manager.
In Bangalore, India, a computer science student named Raman Desai stumbles upon Andreessen’s browser while exploring the Internet. He decides to design his own Web browser.
In September 1996, Microsoft, whose biggest individual stockholders are Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Steve Ballmer, who are raising millions for the Clinton-Gore re-election campaign, wins the FCC’s online design shootout.
Microsoft calls its online-unifier “Bob.”
“This award is made purely on the technical merits,” the FCC chairman remarks.
The FCC is particularly enamored of the “back door” that Microsoft has built into Bob, making it easier for police to monitor communications in real time. The commission also applauds Microsoft’s forward thinking because it has incorporated a virtual “V-chip” in Bob. The censoring software is analogous to the V-chip the FCC wants TV manufacturers to build into their sets to block violent and mature TV programming from being viewed by children.
The regulators also love Bob because it has created more “Channels” for police, fire, libraries, city councils, legislatures, courts, and public service messages than the other proposed systems. Bob testers complain that these channels leave little space for the data, information, and communications they expect to find on an online system. One compares Bob to a government designed version of the Yellow Pages, only duller. Another pines for the Wild West days of the unregulated online world when you didn’t have to pay virtual “parking” to your local municipality before you went shopping inside the online mall.
Even so, the public access advocates are not satisfied. Cass R. Sunstein, the FCC’s “fairness czar,” says preferential placement of plentiful noncommercial sites isn’t good enough. He convinces the FCC to require right-wing channels to link to left-wing channels, Christian channels to link to Muslim channels, vegetarian channels to link to meat-eating channels.
“The [linking] icon itself would not require anyone to read anything,” Sunstein writes. “It would merely provide a signal, to the viewer, where a different point of view might be consulted.” The FCC approves Sunstein’s plan for a “Fairness Doctrine” for the online world, and the FCC sets up a new Bureau of Links to enforce the practice.
In the name of beating back the “tyranny of the status quo,” Sunstein also persuades the FCC to require online users to take occasional strolls on the virtual “sidewalk,” where they will encounter unexpected ideas and material, an idea first proposed by Noah Zatz. Although Sunstein concedes that such mandates are intrusive, he argues, “But is it much different from daily life on a street or in a park? Is it much different from reading the newspaper or a general interest magazine?” The good derived from the intrusion outweighs the bad, Sunstein concludes.
The FCC gives CompuServe, AOL, MCI Mail, and Prodigy until July 1997 to make their transition to Microsoft Bob. (Prodigy’s owners, IBM and Sears, have folded their service because the delays have depressed subscriptions. GEnie and Delphi have have gone out of business, too. AOL and MCI announce their merger into AOL Mail, but the FCC prevents the union, saying that it would concentrate too much power in one online company’s hands.)
In late 1997, Raman Desai debuts his knock-off of the Andreessen browser, which he calls Banyan. It’s an international sensation, surging through the British Commonwealth nations like quicksilver. After those countries embrace the open Internet as their online standard, the FCC commissioner tells the New York Times, “It figures that the British socialists would adopt the Internet. There’s no way to make money on a mostly e-mail network like that.”
Computing centers in Wellington, Melbourne, London, Bangalore, and Vancouver boom as companies race to commercialize the Internet. Venture capitalists pour money into commonwealth startups. Desai becomes the first Internet billionaire from sales of his browser and server software, his shopping portal “Danube,” and his international money clearinghouse, “Mr. PayPal.” Other commonwealth Web entrepreneurs start successful Internet telephony firms, virtual universities, streaming-video sites, social networking operations, stock-trading sites, and online software services, resulting in a computer science brain-drain from the United States. Kinsley starts Slate as an offshoot ofthe Economist magazine.
In 1998, the Bob online service makes its debut—late, of course. The FCC regulates subscription prices for all of the online companies. Nobody likes Bob. It’s slow and has a tendency to crash, resolving to a blank blue screen. Microsoft and the FCC promise fixes. The fixes are late, and the online services continue to bleed subscribers and losses.
Back in the Commonwealth, the Internet is going great guns. It spreads to Europe where, in 1999, it crushes the French government subsidized Minitel. Asia, South America, and Central America fall in love with the Internet, too. U.S. computer owners, envious of the online riches offered by the Internet, find ways to jury-rig clandestine connections to the commercial Net, where such exciting sites at Wikipedia, the Toronto Globe and Mail, eBay, and Danube can be “surfed” with Banyan. The FCC bans Banyan software and requires all online customers to be licensed through their local DMV for access to Bob. Anybody caught connecting to the commercial Internet risks losing their Bob license. The academic Internet in the United States is ordered closed.
In late 1999, Sergey Brin and Larry Page get their Ph.D.s in computer science from Stanford University and flee to Vancouver, B.C., where they found Yukon, a Web search company, with Silicon Valley venture capital. Andreessen reads about Yukon in Time magazine’s cover story about “Raman Desai, Man of the Year,” and sends his resume to Brin and Page. He never hears back.
In 2000, chronic problems with Bob cause the FCC to abruptly junk it completely. The FCC decides to subsidize the deployment of surplus Minitel terminals acquired from the French in a trade for one mothballed WWII aircraft carrier. The U.S. tech community recoils at the embrace of the Minitel, complaining that it’s worse than a toy. The Minitel is a slow “dumb terminal,” less upgradable than even the despised Bob system, they squeal. But the commission, vowing a new localism theme, also proposes a future regulatory regime in which municipalities will build, manage, and own Minitel systems. The only stumbling block for the FCC is that the Minitel systems are too backward to be retrofitted with a virtual V-chip.
“The online world really needs to be a public utility,” says the FCC chairman. “It is as essential to the nation’s well-being as the police, national defense, the roads, and garbage collection.”
Citing the same logic, the chairman also calls for the nationalization of cable TV at the local government level. “The tyranny of choice offered by cable television has left consumers confused, frustrated, and misinformed,” he says. The “misinformed” jibe is widely interpreted as an attack on Fox News Channel programs.
In mid-2000, Andreessen has his first stroke of luck in almost a decade when Apple Computer hires him to join the team designing the original iPod. Andreessen’s first idea is to scale the iPod up. Instead of being just another MP3 player, the iPod should become a multipurpose computer that can accept text input, take photos, record video, make phone calls, and, yes, yes, yes, connect to his beloved Internet through its telephone connection.
Steve Jobs meets with Andreessen in an Apple cafeteria over coffee.
“You’re brilliant, kid,” says Jobs. “But the FCC would never allow us to enter the mobile-phone racket. Besides, their plan is for all existing mobile phones to become Minitel compliant and Internet ignorant.”
******
Later, the FCC approves the Zune phone, which is even dumber than a Minitel box. Send your futuristic regulatory fantasies to [email protected]. Come hear the uncensored braying of my Twitter feed. (E-mail may be quoted by name in “The Fray,” Slate’s readers’ forum; in a future article; or elsewhere unless the writer stipulates otherwise. Permanent disclosure: Slate is owned by the Washington Post Co.)
Track my errors: This hand-built RSS feed will ring every time Slateruns a correction for one of my pieces. For e-mail notification of errors in this specific column, type the word Minitel in the subject head of an e-mail message, and send it to [email protected].
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The flier, obtained by the Journal-News, references the May 13 arson in which a group of neighborhood juveniles allegedly set fire to the Roosevelt Avenue home of Jennifer Chitwood, a white mother of two children.
Thaddeus Shields, 18, of 1327 Woodlawn Ave., and a 17-year-old male were both arrested and charged for the crime a day later. But Shields had the charges against him dropped because an eyewitness lied about seeing him at the scene, and police said there was credible evidence he was not involved. However, the 17-year-old, who police said is bi-racial, remains in custody charged with unruly to wit aggravated arson.
While the flier’s author did not attach his or her name to the document, a phone number and email address for the White Guard, which described itself as “a sort of pro-white neighborhood watch,” was listed. The Journal-News called the number on the flier and also emailed the group. In response to a request seeking comment, the Journal-News received an email stating the group does not believe it is racist for white people to stand up to black on white crime.
Middletown police Lt. Scott Reeve said he has never heard of this group before, and that a detective has been assigned to investigate the issue.
“We’re concerned someone is spreading these fliers that are racially motivated,” Reeve said.
Chitwood told the Journal-News she was unaware of the flier and said what happened to her was not about race.
“It was a bunch of teens not having good parents and not being respectful. It wasn’t about black or white,” she said.
Mike Soule, who owns a business along Crawford Street, showed the Journal-News surveillance video of a man walking along the street around 12:34 a.m. Soule said the video shows “a white man putting fliers on people’s cars.” He said he found one on his car’s windshield Monday morning.
“I threw it in the trash where it belongs,” said Soule, who is white. “I think they’re morons. There’s no point in it, absolutely no point. I don’t understand the purpose of it.”
Kimberly Carroll, who lives along Crawford Street, found one of the fliers placed under a windshield wiper on her car. Carroll, who is black, said she was “disgusted” by what she read.
“It’s disheartening for someone to put this out there targeting one group of people,” she said. “Any time you say black people are animals and savages, that’s very offensive and very racist.”
“It kind of scares me because in (the flier), it says we’re watching, and we’re here for you,” Carroll said. “I’m like, when I walk out the door, what do I expect?”
Dr. Dora Bronston, president of the Middletown unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said her organization will be keeping an eye on the White Guard. She said she plans to work with Middletown detectives.
“In 2014, we don’t have groups prevalent like that,” Bronston said. “We have white, blacks, Hispanics and Asians, who are all linking together, standing together against prejudice.” |
As Snowden taught the NSA, a single insider can obliterate the data security of even the most secretive organizations. Now ISIS may have sprung a Snowden-sized leak of its own, one that could give security agencies fighting the brutal terrorist group some highly useful intelligence.
The Leak
A defector has allegedly leaked what appears to be a USB drive's worth of ISIS's secret data, including the personal information of 22,000 ISIS fighters. That personal data includes the fighters' names, phone numbers, hometown and even blood types—all information they apparently filled out on forms in the process of signing up to join the violent group. A Syrian opposition newspaper has obtained at least a portion of that information, along with the British television network Sky News and German intelligence officials. A German law enforcement official tells CNN that the information appears to be real.
Who's Been Exposed?
A leak of 22,000 ISIS fighters' information would represent a significant chunk of the group's roster. Though the total number of ISIS fighters is unclear—and reports vary widely—the research firm Soufan Group says that foreign fighters makes up the majority of ISIS ranks and estimates their number at between 19,000 and 25,000, down from an estimate of 31,000 three months ago. Sky News reports that the leak does in fact contain the information of known ISIS recruits, such as the British former rapper Abdel Bary and the hacker Junaid Hussain, who was killed in a drone strike last summer.
Though the number of individuals involved is far smaller, University of Pennsylvania computer scientist Matt Blaze compared this to the disastrous hack that hit the United States Office of Personnel Management last year, in which hackers thought to be based in China accessed the detailed security clearance application forms and even the fingerprints of 5.6 million U.S. federal workers. This leak appears to have similarly hit the "human resources" department of the so-called Islamic State, and it could have equally punishing long-term consequences for its operational security.
How Useful Is the Data?
If the leaked ISIS information is as real and comprehensive as it appears to be, it could be a unexpected gift for security agencies and prosecutors trying to track ISIS' members and prevent more recruits from joining, says Matthew Levitt, a counterterrorism analyst with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The leaked questionnaires include a list of all countries visited by the ISIS applicants, which could help map out the routes of foreign fighters seeking to join the movement. And both prosecutors and law enforcement agencies will scour the data for clues as to the recruitment contacts that may be operating in the United States or Europe. "From a macro intelligence perspective, this type of information is a treasure trove for intelligence analysts," says Levitt.
But at a more micro level, the data could connect dots in ways that won't be clear until it's fully analyzed. "There may be someone’s phone number that’s come up some place else that could be put together with this to create a holistic picture of things that we didn’t know were important at the time," says Levitt.
Levitt adds that the leak could serve as a rare intelligence coup against a group that has been a difficult target for Western spying, both physical and digital. "ISIS operates largely in denied physical space, and penetrating its virtual space has been very difficult, too," he says. "When someone provides you this kind of information, it's very exciting." |
I received a large red envelope with my name on it. It's a pretty envelope. I've never said that about an envelope before.
The contents-
-red ear muffs that have some sparkle on the top of it. This is my first pair of ear muffs and I like them. They are soft, fluffy and will keep my ears warm.
-rose bracelet with rose ring attached- This is my first pair of a combined bracelet and ring, I have always wanted one of these. Rose is my favorite flower.
Turquoise earrings and necklace. I really like the color and the shape of the beads. I don't have anything with squares on it.
Thank you Secret Santa for the thoughtful gift. I like nice things and you have surprised with many nice things. |
Remember when it was the liberal guests who ended up looking like sputtering morons on the O'Reilly Factor? Tonight it was the host. Joan Walsh turned the tables.
Her secret?
Remain calm.
Finish your sentences, even if O'Reilly interrupts you.
Do your research and form your soundbites ahead of time.
Don't raise your voice higher than Bills, or get more emotional. This way, he looks like the crazy one, as nature intended.
Leave no charge unanswered, even if it sounds absurd. Especially if it sounds absurd.
The Salon editor's vitruoso performance led an enraged O'Reilly to the fantastic conclusion that, in fact, Walsh was responsible for the death of abortion doctor George Tiller, because she branded him a hero. Uh, OK! Well, it looks like that's all you have time for. Enjoy your weekend, Bill, and try not to think too much about how you had your ass handed to you, by a San Francisco liberal. That'll just make you angry.
Click to view |
Proving that no one learned from Snapchat's security and privacy spectacle , people invested $1.2 million in an app that had essentially no security.
Despite the news it was hacked only days after its media fanfare, Yo still isn't coming clean.
Last week free Android and iOS app "Yo" was top in Google Play and iTunes downloads and hot in tech press, with much fanfare focusing on its pointlessness, popularity and sizable cash backing.
By Friday night the app had been hacked five ways until Sunday (literally).
Smart of Yo to monetize by open-sourcing everyone's phone numbers. — Prof. Jeff H Jarvis (@ProfJeffJarvis) June 20, 2014
After Friday night's report Yo had been hacked and people were sending "Yos" as Elon Musk (among other things), Yo founder Or Arbel told TechCrunch that Yo was “having security issues.”
On Saturday Arbel wrote in a Medium post, "We were lucky enough to get hacked at an early stage and the issue has been fixed."
If you haven’t used the FIND FRIENDS feature, the only piece of information that was leaked was your Yo username. The optional feature of FIND FRIENDS uses your phone number to let you know who of your friends are using Yo. I want to make it clear that your contacts (from your phone’s address book) are never stored in the database, and were never leaked because we simply don’t store them.
But that's not exactly true.
Yes, it's possible to grab anyone's phone number on Yo. pic.twitter.com/dTPiXAsfsk — Jason Dinh (@xuki) June 20, 2014
In terms of safeguarding user information, Yo left the baby in the shopping cart at the grocery store during a zombie outbreak of Pedobears.
@ws With enough poking, you can find their entire database of all Yo’s sent which has the usernames of everyone. — Joe Torraca (@jtorraca) June 20, 2014
"Yo" application is reading your full contact book and is probably creating a huge database of users like TrueCaller did. (Hint: Markcom) — Matt Suiche (@msuiche) June 21, 2014
@ws I was having a poke around last night, and you're right - 10 minutes and you've got all the info you need to launch a serious attack. — Jamie Hoyle (@mightyshakerjnr) June 20, 2014
Yo still has major auth issues. Seems you can login as anyone with a blank password — Hubert (@hubert3) June 21, 2014
Yo's response was less than adequate.
Perhaps I'm being unfair -- I've been accused of this in the past. Though I'll argue that it takes a village to abandon a baby. TechCrunch looked much deeper than my superficial pass from the start, introducing Yo as "the hottest new app" and "the beginning of a new era."
In fact, TechCrunch went colon-deep to promote Yo, philosophizing that "Yo’s digital dualism play is far more understated, but perhaps more universal."
It was a stellar write-up, whatever it meant. And I'll concede that under the weight of such praise, I'll bet it's easy to space out on the whole "user security" part of your job.
The Yo devs did absolutely nothing to try and prevent this from happening. It’s only a matter of time before someone malicious discovers. — Will Smidlein (@ws) June 20, 2014
@jtorraca @ws They did literally nothing to lock stuff down. The unthoughtfulness of some developers scares me. — Daniel Tomlinson (@dantoml) June 20, 2014
It's tempting to congratulate Silicon Valley for producing another Snapchat -- a venture capital vehicle much like a bus, under which users are thrown. While a new CSIS report estimates that the global cost of hacking and cybercrime is $445 billion annually, the people with the most power, money and influence are practically giving away their user databases to anyone who tries the front door just to see if it's unlocked.
Some might argue that dumb users get what they deserve; that the 500K people who signed up for Yo are equally as stupid as -- well, anyone who had a hand in delivering this data theft honeypot to the public. But that wouldn't be correct. You can't accuse people of stupidity when they've been deceived.
By signing up for Yo though the Play Store and iTunes, each of Yo's users had a reasonable expectation of some vetting, of a baseline security.
Go down the failure and deception chain any way you like with this one, but make sure you pack a sandwich because you'll be lost in that funhouse of #fail for a while.
"[Success] is not about the technology, it's about the execution." -Yo investor Moshe Hogeg
If Yo is an example of typical Silicon Valley business practices, then we're in a lot of trouble. |
This article was originally published on August 21, 2016 and updated on September 6 to reflect Choudary's sentencing.
Radicalisation to violence is a deeply personal process. It’s about an individual making a set of choices for their own reasons within a broader political context that leads them to turn against a society into which they were born.
This makes it very difficult to counter and even harder to remove once it has been embraced. Few effective solutions exist, and they are even harder to implement inside a prison.
The jailing of extremist preacher Anjem Choudary – and the prosecution of a number of his acolytes from the now-banned al-Muhajiroun organisation – means the prison system will again be absorbing a new batch of radicals into a population of alienated and sometimes violent young men who are vulnerable to their message.
Managing them will be a complicated process, so the Ministry of Justice has announced a new approach: the “most dangerous” extremist prisoners will be isolated from the general population in special high-security units likened to "prisons within prisons". But will it work? |
I was flipping around the ole TV dial yesterday after work and amazingly Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is still on some station in the nether-reaches of cable television. Who knew? Anyhoo, I stopped on the show just long enough to see some dope miss a gimme. Which got me to wondering if this was a common occurrence over the many years of the show. Knowing the Internet like I do I knew that if there were a lot of failures on that show they'd surely find their way to the Web and of course, they did. And here they are...
And he seemed so damn sure...
Eh, the show has only been on the air 25 years...
Quick: 7:14AM to 8:11AM, how many minutes elapsed?
Well, why don't you cry about it...
Probably shouldn't have quit that job...
There's dead people at Stonehenge I guess...
Frank Capra, he did the Snow White movie, right?
I hope her kid isn't home schooled...
Maybe he should have taken a nap...
Alright, one more then play her off Keyboard Cat...
By the way, if you also missed one of these questions, I'm so sorry. At least you didn't do it on television. (Isn't there a test or something these people had to take to get on this show? Seriously, these people must have been scheduled to be on Smarter Than a Fifth Grader and made a wrong turn in the studio.) |
Diet Coke Plus (also known as Coca Cola Light Plus) was a formulation of Diet Coke fortified with vitamins and minerals. It is sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
The drink was released in the United Kingdom in October 2007, available in two variants, one with vitamins B 3 , B 12 , and vitamin C, and the other containing antioxidants with added green tea and vitamin C. Although Diet Coke Plus Antioxidants is labeled as sugar free, it actually contains 0.1 grams of sugar in the green tea powder per 100ml.[1][2]
Warning letter [ edit ]
Brazilian Coca-Cola Light Plus
On December 10, 2008, the United States Food and Drug Administration wrote a Warning Letter to The Coca-Cola Company that Diet Coke Plus violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.[3] The term "plus" is a regulated term on food and beverages.[3] A food may be labeled "plus" to describe its nutrients only if it contains at least 10% more of the Reference Daily Intake or Daily Reference Value compared to the usual amount.[3] Because Diet Coke Plus labeling does not indicate the increased amount of nutrients, it cannot use the word "plus" on its label.[3] Regardless, snack foods, such as carbonated soda, may never use the word "plus" because the FDA does not consider it appropriate to fortify snack foods.[3] The FDA required The Coca-Cola Company to detail corrective action within 15 days.[3]
The Coca-Cola Company issued a statement saying, "This does not involve any health or safety issues, and we believe the label on Diet Coke Plus complies with FDA's policies and regulations."[4]
When a food manufacturer or marketer violates federal regulations, the FDA generally will send a letter to the company.[4] While the letters themselves are not legally binding, the FDA may take the company to court if it does not take corrective action.[4] The drink was discontinued in November 2011. |
I received my post card in the mail yesterday and it made my day!!! Hello from Texas, Santa! The post card had a cute pug puppy on it and my Santa drew great doodles of a sloth and a hedgie. The message on the back was super sweet and made me grin; I really think the drawings are fantastic! And there's a Dobby stamp!
My Santa also mentioned that they were sending me something extra and I wanted to clear that up: I received a gift on my last exchange and it was fantastic! My giftee didn't post that they received their gift or thank me for it and I had put a lot of thought into it and was bummed to not know that they and their pet enjoyed it. Thank you for the very kind offer of sending me a new present though.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful and personal card, it really makes me smile and now hangs near my desk at work. |
Vision released of police officer pulling gun on speeding motorist in outback Queensland
Updated
The ABC has obtained exclusive footage of the moment a senior constable pulled a gun on a motorist caught speeding in outback Queensland.
The video is part of a collection of clips tendered to a civil hearing before a judge in the Supreme Court as the now-suspended policeman fights to have his pay reinstated.
The first video shows Senior Constable Stephen Flanagan driving on the Landsborough Highway on the outskirts of Longreach before he spots a ute driving 126 kilometres per hour in a 110kph zone.
It was tendered by lawyers for Police Commissioner Ian Stewart in an affidavit responding to Flanagan's application.
The video shows Flanagan trying to use his horn to pull the driver over while his siren is off.
"F****** pull over now c***," he said to himself after honking.
The driver slows down, drives off, then pulls over again amid more honking.
The dashcam shows Flanagan emerging from the police car, pointing a gun at the driver saying: "Get out of your f****** car right now."
Also tendered to court was a smartphone recording made by the driver's partner as she sat in the ute.
"What the f*** are you pulling here today?" Flanagan said to her partner.
"You came past me - I'm bloody beeping the horn up the side to point you over and you still keep driving.
"What is your f****** story? Do you have a licence?
"You didn't see me? Right, where's your licence dickhead?"
Police present footage of separate incident
The driver was then handcuffed while Flanagan checked his registration but was released a short time later when the senior constable realised it was not a stolen car as he first assumed.
The couple later filed an official complaint prompting the immediate suspension of Flanagan.
He was also charged with assault and deprivation of liberty after an investigation by the Ethical Standards Command.
But Flanagan said withholding pay during his suspension was unfair.
In his application to court, Flanagan said he thought the car was stolen and he had not realised his sirens were not on.
In submissions, senior police management said it stood by its decision and tendered another video of Flanagan in a separate incident on the Gold Coast in 2013 in which he was stood down for failing to treat a driver with appropriate dignity and respect.
In this video, he pulled a driver over on the M1 motorway for allegedly speeding.
"You're doing 150 and you're driving like an absolute c*** mate," he said.
"No, I wasn't," the driver replied.
As the driver explained his actions, his keys were thrown to the ground.
"We'll go to court and I'll sit there and drink coffee and laugh my ass off while you get convicted, how's that sound?" Flanagan said.
Flanagan will face court on the criminal charges in relation to the Longreach incident later this week while the Supreme Court decides on the outcome of his pay.
Under the suspension order, he is still allowed to find casual work for the time being.
Topics: police, courts-and-trials, brisbane-4000, qld, longreach-4730, southport-4215
First posted |
Chomping at Bits comes stocked with the best Florida Gators links and news we can find, and some other stuff. Got a link you think we should check out? Email us at [email protected], subject line CAB, or find us on Twitter at @AlligatorArmy or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AlligatorArmy.
Florida softball goes 5-0 in opening weekend: The Gators opened their season by participating in the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament in Tampa. Florida defeated Illinois State, 9-0, in their first game on Friday, with Delanie Gourley tossing her eighth career one-hitter. The Gators then picked up a pair of victories on Saturday. Florida defeated Michigan 2-1 in ten innings, and then bested St. John’s 5-2. On Sunday, Florida hit five home runs and routed Delaware, 9-0, and South Florida, 8-0. Katie Chronister and Kelly Barnhill both threw one-hitters in those back-to-back games. It was Chronister’s first collegiate start. (Herb Brooks, Florida Gators)
Thoughts on the Gators’ 71-62 win over Texas A&M: On John Egbunu’s defense and NBA prospects, Chris Chiozza and Kasey Hill, the three-way tie atop the SEC standings, and Florida as a No. 3 seed. (Chris Harry, Florida Gators)
Canyon Barry sets modern UF record for consecutive free throws: Barry extended his streak to 39 on Saturday, surpassing the previous school record of 37 straight made by Taurean Green during the Gators’ 2005-06 national title season. (Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun)
Florida hosts first Junior Day since National Signing Day: The Gators expected several high ranking 2018 prospects to be in attendance. (Zach Abolverdi, SEC Country; Graham Hall, Gainesville Sun)
UF football recruiting: New Florida offensive line coach Brad Davis is already getting positive reviews from four-star OT William Barnes, and Clemson offensive tackle transfer Jake Fruhmorgen visits the Gators. (Zach Abolverdi, SEC Country)
Gator gymnastics defeats Georgia: In front of the eighth largest home crowd in program history, Florida posted a 197.975 - the second-highest total in the national so far this season - to take the win over the Bulldogs. Three Gators set or equaled their collegiate bests Friday, allowing Florida to sweep the event titles. (Mary Howard, Florida Gators; Jim Harvin, Gainesville Sun)
Florida women’s basketball picks up third SEC road win of the season: Ronni Williams and Delicia Washington both netted double-doubles in the Gators’ 66-56 win over Alabama. (Florida Gators)
UF lacrosse drops opener to North Carolina: The No. 3 Gators fell to the No. 1 Tarheels, 13-10, at home in their season opener. (Dustin Ciraco, Florida Gators; Graham Hall, Gainesville Sun)
Track and field Gators compete at Tyson Invitation and Iowa State Classic: Florida posted five NCAA Division I top-fives and an additional top-16 mark. (Zach Dirlam, Florida Gators)
The comments are yours. |
About The Author Alex is a front-end developer who specializes in JavaScript development. He’s developed anything from WordPress websites to complex e-commerce JavaScript … More about Alex …
Redux · An Introduction
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Redux is one of the hottest libraries in front-end development these days. However, many people are confused about what it is and what its benefits are. As the documentation states, Redux is a predictable state container for JavaScript apps. To rephrase that, it’s an application data-flow architecture, rather than a traditional library or a framework like Underscore.js and AngularJS.
Redux is one of the hottest libraries in front-end development these days. However, many people are confused about what it is and what its benefits are.
As the documentation states, Redux is a predictable state container for JavaScript apps. To rephrase that, it’s an application data-flow architecture, rather than a traditional library or a framework like Underscore.js and AngularJS.
Further Reading on SmashingMag
Redux was created by Dan Abramov around June 2015. It was inspired by Facebook’s Flux and functional programming language Elm. Redux got popular very quickly because of its simplicity, small size (only 2 KB) and great documentation. If you want to learn how Redux works internally and dive deep into the library, consider checking out Dan’s free course.
Meet Smashing Book 6 — our brand new book focused on real challenges and real front-end solutions in the real world: from design systems and accessible single-page apps to CSS Custom Properties, CSS Grid, Service Workers, performance, AR/VR and responsive art direction. With Marcy Sutton, Yoav Weiss, Lyza D. Gardner, Laura Elizabeth and many others. Table of Contents →
Redux is used mostly for application state management. To summarize it, Redux maintains the state of an entire application in a single immutable state tree (object), which can’t be changed directly. When something changes, a new object is created (using actions and reducers). We’ll go over the core concepts in detail below.
How Is It Different From MVC And Flux?
To give some perspective, let’s take the classic model-view-controller (MVC) pattern, since most developers are familiar with it. In MVC architecture, there is a clear separation between data (model), presentation (view) and logic (controller). There is one issue with this, especially in large-scale applications: The flow of data is bidirectional. This means that one change (a user input or API response) can affect the state of an application in many places in the code — for example, two-way data binding. That can be hard to maintain and debug.
Flux is very similar to Redux. The main difference is that Flux has multiple stores that change the state of the application, and it broadcasts these changes as events. Components can subscribe to these events to sync with the current state. Redux doesn’t have a dispatcher, which in Flux is used to broadcast payloads to registered callbacks. Another difference in Flux is that many varieties are available, and that creates some confusion and inconsistency.
Benefits Of Redux
You may be asking, “Why would I need to use Redux?” Great question. There are a few benefits of using Redux in your next application:
Predictability of outcome
There is always one source of truth, the store, with no confusion about how to sync the current state with actions and other parts of the application.
There is always one source of truth, the store, with no confusion about how to sync the current state with actions and other parts of the application. Maintainability
Having a predictable outcome and strict structure makes the code easier to maintain.
Having a predictable outcome and strict structure makes the code easier to maintain. Organization
Redux is stricter about how code should be organized, which makes code more consistent and easier for a team to work with.
Redux is stricter about how code should be organized, which makes code more consistent and easier for a team to work with. Server rendering
This is very useful, especially for the initial render, making for a better user experience or search engine optimization. Just pass the store created on the server to the client side.
This is very useful, especially for the initial render, making for a better user experience or search engine optimization. Just pass the store created on the server to the client side. Developer tools
Developers can track everything going on in the app in real time, from actions to state changes.
Developers can track everything going on in the app in real time, from actions to state changes. Community and ecosystem
This is a huge plus whenever you’re learning or using any library or framework. Having a community behind Redux makes it even more appealing to use.
This is a huge plus whenever you’re learning or using any library or framework. Having a community behind Redux makes it even more appealing to use. Ease of testing
The first rule of writing testable code is to write small functions that do only one thing and that are independent. Redux’s code is mostly functions that are just that: small, pure and isolated.
Functional Programming
As mentioned, Redux was built on top of functional programming concepts. Understanding these concepts is very important to understanding how and why Redux works the way it does. Let’s review the fundamental concepts of functional programming:
It is able to treat functions as first-class objects.
It is able to pass functions as arguments.
It is able to control flow using functions, recursions and arrays.
It is able to use pure, recursive, higher-order, closure and anonymous functions.
It is able to use helper functions, such as map, filter and reduce.
It is able to chain functions together.
The state doesn’t change (i.e. it’s immutable).
The order of code execution is not important.
Functional programming allows us to write cleaner and more modular code. By writing smaller and simpler functions that are isolated in scope and logic, we can make code much easier to test, maintain and debug. Now these smaller functions become reusable code, and that allows you to write less code, and less code is a good thing. The functions can be copied and pasted anywhere without any modification. Functions that are isolated in scope and that perform only one task will depend less on other modules in an app, and this reduced coupling is another benefit of functional programming.
You will see pure functions, anonymous functions, closures, higher-order functions and method chains, among other things, very often when working with functional JavaScript. Redux uses pure functions heavily, so it’s important to understand what they are.
Pure functions return a new value based on arguments passed to them. They don’t modify existing objects; instead, they return a new one. These functions don’t rely on the state they’re called from, and they return only one and the same result for any provided argument. For this reason, they are very predictable.
Because pure functions don’t modify any values, they don’t have any impact on the scope or any observable side effects, and that means a developer can focus only on the values that the pure function returns.
Where Can Redux Be Used?
Most developers associate Redux with React, but it can be used with any other view library. For instance, you can use Redux with AngularJS, Vue.js, Polymer, Ember, Backbone.js and Meteor. Redux plus React, though, is still the most common combination. Make sure to learn React in the right order: The best guide is Pete Hunt’s, which is very helpful for developers who are getting started with React and are overwhelmed with everything going on in the ecosystem. JavaScript fatigue is a legitimate concern among front-end developers, both new or experienced, so take the time to learn React or Redux the right way in the right order.
One of the reasons Redux is awesome is its ecosystem. So many articles, tutorials, middleware, tools and boilerplates are available. Personally, I use David Zukowski’s boilerplate because it has everything one needs to build a JavaScript application, with React, Redux and React Router. A word of caution: Try not to use boilerplates and starter kits when learning new frameworks such as React and Redux. It will make it even more confusing, because you won’t understand how everything works together. Learn it first and build a very simple app, ideally as a side project, and then use boilerplates for production apps to save time.
Building Parts Of Redux
Redux concepts might sound complicated or fancy, but they’re simple. Remember that the library is only 2 KB. Redux has three building parts: actions, store and reducers.
Let’s discuss what each does.
Actions
In a nutshell, actions are events. Actions send data from the application (user interactions, internal events such as API calls, and form submissions) to the store. The store gets information only from actions. Internal actions are simple JavaScript objects that have a type property (usually constant), describing the type of action and payload of information being sent to the store.
{ type: LOGIN_FORM_SUBMIT, payload: {username: ‘alex’, password: ‘123456’} }
Actions are created with action creators. That sounds obvious, I know. They are just functions that return actions.
function authUser(form) { return { type: LOGIN_FORM_SUBMIT, payload: form } }
Calling actions anywhere in the app, then, is very easy. Use the dispatch method, like so:
dispatch(authUser(form));
Reducers
We’ve already discussed what a reducer is in functional JavaScript. It’s based on the array reduce method, where it accepts a callback (reducer) and lets you get a single value out of multiple values, sums of integers, or an accumulation of streams of values. In Redux, reducers are functions (pure) that take the current state of the application and an action and then return a new state. Understanding how reducers work is important because they perform most of the work. Here is a very simple reducer that takes the current state and an action as arguments and then returns the next state:
function handleAuth(state, action) { return _.assign({}, state, { auth: action.payload }); }
For more complex apps, using the combineReducers() utility provided by Redux is possible (indeed, recommended). It combines all of the reducers in the app into a single index reducer. Every reducer is responsible for its own part of the app’s state, and the state parameter is different for every reducer. The combineReducers() utility makes the file structure much easier to maintain.
If an object (state) changes only some values, Redux creates a new object, the values that didn’t change will refer to the old object and only new values will be created. That’s great for performance. To make it even more efficient you can add Immutable.js.
const rootReducer = combineReducers({ handleAuth: handleAuth, editProfile: editProfile, changePassword: changePassword });
Store
Store is the object that holds the application state and provides a few helper methods to access the state, dispatch actions and register listeners. The entire state is represented by a single store. Any action returns a new state via reducers. That makes Redux very simple and predictable.
import { createStore } from ‘redux’; let store = createStore(rootReducer); let authInfo = {username: ‘alex’, password: ‘123456’}; store.dispatch(authUser(authInfo));
To make Redux easier to work with, especially when working with a large-scale application, I recommend using Redux DevTools. It’s incredibly helpful, showing the state’s changes over time, real-time changes, actions, and the current state. This saves you time and effort by avoiding console.log ’s current state and actions
Redux has a slightly different implementation of time travel than Flux. In Redux, you can go back to a previous state and even take your state in a different direction from that point on. Redux DevTools supports the following “time travel” features in the Redux workflow (think of them as Git commands for your state):
Reset : resets to the state your store was created with
: resets to the state your store was created with Revert : goes back to the last committed state
: goes back to the last committed state Sweep : removes all disabled actions that you might have fired by mistake
: removes all disabled actions that you might have fired by mistake Commit: makes the current state the initial state
The time-travel feature is not efficient in production and is only intended for development and debugging. The same goes for DevTools.
Redux makes testing much easier because it uses functional JavaScript as a base, and small independent functions are easy to test. So, if you need to change something in your state tree, import only one reducer that is responsible for that state, and test it in isolation.
Build An App
To conclude this introductory guide, let’s build a very simple application using Redux and React. To make it easier for everyone to follow, I will stick to plain old JavaScript, using ECMAScript 2015 and 2016 as little as possible. We’ll continue the log-in logic started earlier in this post. This example doesn’t use any live data, because the purpose of this app is to show how Redux manages the state of a very simple app. We’ll use CodePen.
1. React Component
We need some React components and data. Let’s make a simple component and render it on the page. The component will have an input field and a button (it’s a very simple log-in form). Below, we’ll add text that represents our state:
See the Pen Intro to Redux by Alex Bachuk (@abachuk) on CodePen.
2. Events and Actions
Let’s add Redux to the project and handle the onClick event for the button. As soon as the user logs in, we will dispatch the action with the type LOGIN and the value of the current user. Before we can do that, we have to create a store and pass a reducer function to it as an argument. For now, the reducer will just be an empty function:
See the Pen Intro to Redux - Step 2. Events and Actions by Alex Bachuk (@abachuk) on CodePen.
3. Reducers
Now that we have the action firing, the reducer will take that action and return a new state. Let’s handle the LOGIN action returning a logged-in status and also add a LOGOUT action, so that we can use it later. The auth reducer accepts two parameters:
the current state (which has the default value), the action.
See the Pen Intro to Redux - Step 3. Reducers by Alex Bachuk (@abachuk) on CodePen.
4. Displaying the Current State
Now, that we have the initial state (the default value in reducer) and the React component ready, let’s see how the state looks. A best practice is to push the state down to children components. Because we have only one component, let’s pass the app’s state as a property to auth components. To make everything work together, we have to register the store listener with a subscribe helper method, by wrapping ReactDOM.render in a function and passing it to store.subscribe() :
See the Pen Intro to Redux - Step 4. Displaying current state by Alex Bachuk (@abachuk) on CodePen.
5. Log In and Out
Now that we have log-in and log-out action handlers, let’s add a log-out button and dispatch the LOGOUT action. The last step is to manage which button to display log-in or log-out by moving this log-in outside of the render method and rendering the variable down below:
See the Pen Intro to Redux - Step 5. Login/Logout by Alex Bachuk (@abachuk) on CodePen.
Conclusion
Redux is gaining traction every day. It’s been used by many companies (Uber, Khan Academy, Twitter) and in many projects (Apollo, WordPress’ Calypso), successfully in production. Some developers might complain that there is a lot of overhead. In most cases, more code is required to perform simple actions like button clicks or simple UI changes. Redux isn’t a perfect fit for everything. There has to be a balance. Perhaps simple actions and UI changes don’t have to be a part of the Redux store and can be maintained at the component level.
Even though Redux might not be ideal solution for your app or framework, I highly recommend checking it out, especially for React applications.
Front page image credits: Lynn Fisher, @lynnandtonic |
The deputy police chief with the Colcord Police Department died on Thursday, May 19, while working with a neighbor.
Stephen "Steve" Hartman, 74, was cutting firewood in a pasture in Colcord with Herman Bennett when he collapsed.
According to Delaware County Sheriff's Captain Gayle Wells, Bennett immediately began CPR, but but was unable to revive Hartman. Medical personnel on the scene pronounced Hartman dead at approximately 10:12 a.m.
Wells said members of Hartman’s family, as well Colcord Police Chief Kevin Boldra and deputies with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office and emergency medical were on scene.
Hartman had been a member of the Colcord Police Department for the past four years. For a brief time, he served as the interim chief of police. Hartman was also a retired member of the Secret Service.
Colcord Mayor Melissa Earp expressed sadness at the news of Hartman's death.
"Today is a sad day for the Town of Colcord," Earp said in a written statement. "We have lost a fine officer and good friend.
"Steve is an officer that can quite never be replaced. While doing his job he was firm, but fair and always had a friendly, inviting demeanor. He served this town for many years and truly had its best interest at heart. He will always be in our hearts and forever missed."
Delaware County Sheriff Harlan Moore said members of his department would cover their badges with a memorial band in memory of Hartman's service.
"He was very supportive of the sheriff’s office," Moore said. "He covered us on a lot of calls down south.
"He went out of his way many times to help the sheriff’s office on calls that we were involved in."
Delaware County Commissioner Martin Kirk (District 3) echoed Moore's sentiments.
"He seemed to me to be a great guy," Kirk said. "He'll be greatly missed."
Watch www.grandlakenews.com for additional information as this story develops. |
Ever wanted to have a robot to do your research for you? If you are a scientist, you have almost certainly had this dream. Now it's a real option: Eureqa, a program that distills scientific laws from raw data, is freely available to researchers.
The program was unveiled in April, when it used readouts of a double-pendulum to infer Newton's second law of motion and the law of conservation of momentum. It could be an invaluable tool for revealing other, more complicated laws that have eluded humans. And scientists have been clamoring to get their hands on it.
"We tend to think of science as finding equations, like E=MC2, that are simple and elegant. But maybe some theories are complicated, and we can only find the simple ones," said Hod Lipson of Cornell University's Computational Synthesis Lab. "Those are unreachable right now. But the algorithms we've developed could let us reach them."
Eureqa is descended from Lipson's work on self-contemplating robots that figure out how to repair themselves. The same algorithms that guide the robots' solution-finding computations have been customized for analyzing any type of data.
The program starts by searching within a dataset for numbers that seem connected to each other, then proposing a series of simple equations to describe the links. Those initial equations invariably fail, but some are slightly less wrong than others. The best are selected, tweaked, and again tested against the data. Eureqa repeats the cycle over and over, until it finds equations that work.
What took Newton years to calculate, Eureqa returned in a few hours on a decent desktop computer. Lipson and other researchers hope Eureqa can perform the same wizardry with data that now defies scientists, especially those working at the frontiers of biology, where genomes, proteins and cell signals have proven fantastically difficult to analyze. Their interactions appear to follow rules that traditional analytical methods can't easily reveal.
"There's a famous quote by Emerson Pugh: 'If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn't.' I think that applies to all of biology," said John Wikswo, a Vanderbilt University biophysicist who's using the Eureqa engine in his own lab. "Biology is complicated beyond belief, too complicated for people to comprehend the solutions to its complexity. And the solution to this problem is the Eureqa project."
Lipson made Eureqa available for download early in November, after being overwhelmed by requests from scientists who wanted him to analyze their data. In the meantime, he and Michael Schmidt, a Cornell University computational biologist responsible for much of Eureqa's programming, continue to develop it.
An ongoing challenge is the tendency of Eureqa to return equations that fit data, but refer to variables that are not yet understood. Lipson likened this to what would happen if time-traveling scientists presented the laws of energy conservation to medieval mathematicians.
"Algebra was known. You could plug in the variable, and it would work. But the concept of energy wasn't there. They didn't have the vocabulary to understand it," he said. "We've seen this in the lab. Eureqa finds a new relationship. It's predictive, it's elegant, it has to be true. But we have no idea what it means."
Lipson and Schmidt are now devising "algorithms to explain what our algorithm is finding," perhaps by relating unknown concepts to simpler, more familiar terms. "How do you explain something complicated to a child? That's what it involves," said Lipson. "It's machine teaching, rather than machine learning."
One set of incomprehensibly meaningful discoveries comes from Eureqa's analysis of cellular readouts gathered by Gurol Suel, a University of Texas Southwestern molecular microbiologist who studies how cells divide and grow. But even if Eureqa can't yet explain what it found, it's still useful, said Suel.
"You can use this as a starting point for further investigations. It lets you think about new ideas of what's going on in the cell, and generate new hypotheses about the properties of biological systems," said Suel.
Sometimes Eureqa will require more data than it's given before finding answers. In those cases, the program may be able to identify information gaps, and recommend experiments to fill them.
That functionality is included in the latest build of the program, and is being taken even further in a new Lipson-Wikswo project. They're hooking a version of Eureqa directly to Wikswo's experimental gadgetry.
"The program is going to adjust the valves, feeding different nutrients and toxins to the cells," and it does this faster than any researcher, said Wikswo. "It comes up with the equations, plus the experiments needed to come up with the equations. It's Eureqa on steroids."
According to Wikswo, who studies the effects of cocaine on white blood cells, Eureqa can propose experiments that researchers would have difficulty imagining.
"In most of science, you try to keep everything constant except for one variable. You turn one knob at a time, and see how the system responds. That's wonderful for linear systems," he said. "But most biology is complex and non-linear. Emergent behaviors are very hard to understand unless you turn many knobs at a time, and we can't figure out which knobs to turn. So we're going to let Eureqa pick them."
The Cornell team hasn't counted downloads of their program, but it's likely being used by researchers outside biology. As long as data fits on a spreadsheet, Eureqa can analyze it.
"In the past year, people have contacted us with some wild application ideas," said Schmidt. "Everything from predicting the stock market to modeling the herding of cows."
Images: 1) Hod Lipson running Eureqa in his office. 2) Diagrams of information flow through one of Lipson's self-repairing robots (left) and Eureqa (right).
Eureqa downloads and tutorials.
See Also:
*Brandon Keim's Twitter stream and reportorial outtakes; Wired Science on Twitter. Brandon is currently working on a book about ecosystem and planetary tipping points. * |
Austin wants to lower speed limits on North Lamar Boulevard and East Parmer Lane
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After conducting traffic speed studies, the Texas Department of Transportation's transportation engineer is asking the Austin City Council to approve lowering speed limits on two major streets in the city.
On East Parmer Lane, the agencies want to lower the speed limit from North Lamar Boulevard to just east of Dessau Road, which is approximately a 3-mile stretch. The engineer suggested the following speed limits:
Between North Lamar Boulevard and IH-35: speed limit will remain at 50 mph
Between IH-35 and Harris Glenn Drive: speed limit will be reduced from 65 mph to 55 mph
Between Harris Glenn Drive and Dessau Road: Reduce from 65 mph to 60 mph
On North Lamar Boulevard, the recommended changes are from Morrow Street (which is just south of US 183) to East Parmer Lane, which is approximately a 5-mile stretch. The engineer suggested the following speed limits:
Between Morrow Street and Braker Lane: speed limit will be reduced from 45 mph to 40 mph
Between Braker Lane and East Parmer Lane: speed limit will remain at 50 mph
The council is expected to vote on the items at Thursday's city council meeting. Two intersections along North Lamar Boulevard (Rundberg Lane and East Parmer Lane) have been deemed two of the most dangerous intersections in Austin. Work has begun on the safety improvements for the intersection at Rundberg Lane. The city expects to tackle North Lamar Boulevard at East Parmer Lane in February. |
Paper: 'Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term' RAW STORY
Published: Tuesday May 20, 2008
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Print This Email This An article in Tuesday's Jerusalem Post claims that US strikes on Iran are imminent. "US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran in the upcoming months, before the end of his term, Army Radio quoted a senior official in Jerusalem as saying Tuesday," the Israeli newspaper reports. However, the White House immediately denied the report this morning. "An article in today's Jerusalem Post about the president's position on Iran that quotes unnamed sources quoting unnamed sources is not worth the paper it's written on," White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement. "Let me respond by reaffirming the policy of the administration: We, along with our international allies who want peace in the Middle East, remain opposed to Iran's ambitions to obtain a nuclear weapon," Perino said. "To that end, we are working to bring tough diplomatic and economic pressure on the Iranians to get them to change their behavior and to halt their uranium enrichment program." Perino said the "president of the United States should never take options off the table, but our preference and our actions for dealing with this matter remain through peaceful diplomatic means. Nothing has changed in that regard." Excerpts from article: # The official claimed that a senior member of the president's entourage, which concluded a trip to Israel last week, said during a closed meeting that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were of the opinion that military action was called for. However, the official continued, "the hesitancy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" was preventing the administration from deciding to launch such an attack on the Islamic Republic, for the time being. The report stated that according to assessments in Israel, recent turmoil in Lebanon, where Hizbullah de facto established control of the country, was advancing an American attack. # FULL JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE AT THIS LINK (with wire reports) |
Uniting thirty years of authoritative scholarship by a master of textual detail, Machiavelli's Virtue is a comprehensive statement on the founder of modern politics. Harvey Mansfield reveals the role of sects in Machiavelli's politics, his advice on how to rule indirectly, and the ultimately partisan character of his project, and shows him to be the founder of such modern and diverse institutions as the impersonal state and the energetic executive. Accessible and elegant, this groundbreaking interpretation explains the puzzles and reveals the ambition of Machiavelli's thought.
"The book brings together essays that have mapped [Mansfield's] paths of reflection over the past thirty years. . . . The ground, one would think, is ancient and familiar, but Mansfield manages to draw out some understandings, or recognitions, jarringly new."—Hadley Arkes, New Criterion
"Mansfield's book more than rewards the close reading it demands."—Colin Walters, Washington Times
"[A] masterly new book on the Renaissance courtier, statesman and political philosopher. . . . Mansfield seeks to rescue Machiavelli from liberalism's anodyne rehabilitation."—Roger Kimball, The Wall Street Journal |
MONTREAL – One of the fastest-growing residential and commercial areas of Montreal is in dire need of a metro line extension to the Bois-Franc train station, according to the mayor of Ville Saint-Laurent.
Alan DeSousa told Global News he would like to see the STM Orange Line push farther north to the AMT Bois-Franc station.
DeSousa argues there is a critical mass of both residents and workers who would benefit from such an extension.
“If we’re looking at ways in which we can move large amounts of people quickly, cheaply and efficiently; particularly if we want to reduce greenhouse gasses and want to offer the people the services such that they stay off the roads and use public transit, the orange line is a no-brainer,” DeSousa said.
The area near the Bois-Franc station is undergoing a commercial and residential renaissance of sorts.
The last of four phases of a massive housing project is currently underway. More than 1,100 homes are being built at the intersection of Henri-Bourassa Boulevard and Marcel-Laurin Boulevard.
DeSousa said more than 2,700 jobs will be created by two high-tech firms within the next year and more than 400,000 vehicles drive through the borough every day.
The borough mayor said studies have shown that extending the Orange Line makes the most sense of all mass transit projects being studied for the western part of the island.
“Either in terms of existing development or future development potential – on all fronts, the Orange Line comes out ahead,” DeSousa said.
The problem is, the government’s priority for a future metro line extension is to push the Blue Line further east to Anjou.
DeSousa said his wish is not to compete with the possible Blue Line extension to Anjou.
However, he argued the statistics and studies done to extend the Orange Line to Bois-Franc, turning it into a bi-modal station, are viable.
“Anyone studying this file would come to the same conclusions as me,” he said. |
If Rob Ford hopes to gain votes by appearing homophobic, Toronto’s mayor is in for a surprise come election day, says Darrell Bricker, the CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs. Throughout his 14 years at city hall, Ford has been dogged by accusations of homophobia. But up until recently, he’s always seemed to make efforts not push too far.
A Canadian flag went up in the window of the mayor's office last week in protest to the Pride flag raised atop City Hall. Mayor Rob Ford tried and failed to have the rainbow flag taken down, after it became clear the request to fly it had passed muster with the city's protocol office. ( STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR )
That changed in the past seven days — first due to his vow never to attend the Pride parade and then after he tried to remove a rainbow flag flying outside city hall. That has led to speculation Ford is deliberately trying to woo socially conservative voters by distinguishing himself from other candidates who are merely fiscal conservatives. Several former members of Ford’s staff say the mayor spoke openly about the fact that opposing same-sex marriage was important for his base. If this is the strategy, Bricker warns it’s going to backfire.
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“When you take a look at Canadian values these days the thing that is really rising, in terms of defining what a Canadian is, is your degree of tolerance. It’s not specifically related to the LGBT community. It’s everyone who is not part of what Canada used to be — white Anglo-Saxon Protestant,” said Bricker. “If you’re somebody in this country who is anti-Semitic or racist or homophobic, if you have hate in your heart in any way, you’re going to be speaking to a smaller audience.” Polling shows that suburban conservative voters are decided on this issue, in that it’s a non-issue, Bricker said, adding that, at best, Ford is speaking to less than 20 percent of Toronto’s population. Barry Watson, CEO of Environics Research Group, said that over the past decade, Torontonians have become increasingly supportive of all forms of social diversity, including sexual orientation. “In fact, Toronto residents are much more likely than other Canadians to embrace learning from those who are different from them,” he said. “Our research suggests that newcomers, too, appreciate the diversity and freedom to live life as you please in Toronto. And their appreciation of that pluralism grows as they spend more time in Canada.”
But Michael Bosia, an associate professor at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont who has studied the politics of homophobia, warns that Canadians shouldn’t be complacent about Ford’s behaviour just because the majority doesn’t share the sentiment. “There’s no clear trajectory in history. We can’t say that because Canada is so much better than it has been in the past that there’s no opportunity in the future for reversals or localized reversal,” Bosia said.
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He pointed to the recent debate in France about same-sex marriage, where it initially looked as if marriage equality legislation would sail to victory amidst mass public support. But now opinion polls show positive attitudes toward same-sex marriage dropping thanks to a prolonged period of divisive national debate. Ford’s history with the gay community has been strained for much of his tenure at city hall. In 2003, he declared on the floor of council, “I believe in Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” In 2005, he said of transgendered people: “I don’t understand a transgender. I don’t understand: is it a guy dressed up like a girl or a girl dressed up like a guy?” And most infamously in 2006, Ford told city council that “If you’re not doing needles and you’re not gay, you won’t get AIDS probably.” But up until last week, Ford has always seemed reluctant to appear overtly homophobic. During the 2010 election, when the Ford camp took flak for endorsing fundamentalist Christian Wendell Brereton for city council — on his website, the pastor wrote that same-sex marriage would “dismantle” democratic civilization — Ford immediately back-tracked. He said that while on one hand he believes in “traditional” marriage, he isn’t concerned about what people do in their “private” lives. As mayor, Ford has been criticized for not attending the annual Pride festival, especially the parade. He’s always suggested the reason is due to scheduling; Pride conflicts with his annual family trip to the cottage. But then last week Ford indicated that his absence was preference, not timing. “I’m not going to change the way I am” he said. On Friday, Ford again made headlines when he asked city manager Joe Pennachetti to take down a rainbow flag that had been raised outside city hall in solidarity with gay athletes competing at the Olympics in Sochi. In apparent protest, Ford taped a Canadian flag to the window of his office, which overlooks Nathan Phillips Square. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said Ford’s actions are “hate-baiting” and bringing bigotry to the mainstream. Councillor John Parker said there are only two people who have an issue with the rainbow flag these days, “Vladimir Putin and Rob Ford.” Neil Thomlinson, a professor of urban politics at Ryerson University, agrees with Bricker that the segment of the population Ford appears to be going after is quite small, but he suspects it’s larger than surveys suggest. “On these kinds of issues I think it’s hard to trust polls. No one is going to say to a pollster ‘Yes, I’m homophobic.” I think the public is not as tolerant as you might think,” he said. The fact is, Thomlinson said, the tactic could score him some extra support on the right, or at the least solidify his base. Most of the city’s gay community isn’t likely to support him anyway, given his previous behaviour, Thomlinson said, noting that Ford uttered a gay slur in the infamous crack video viewed by two Star reporters. “He’s got nothing to lose, is the bottom line, and he does have something to gain.” |
When General Electric moves to Boston, it will instantly become the largest company by far based in Massachusetts.
But don’t expect a massive headquarters to match.
The industrial giant plans to employ about 800 people in Boston by sometime in 2018, less than 1 percent of its current 333,000-person global workforce, and a far smaller head count than you will see at many local companies that are a fraction of its size. GE says that just 200 of those 800 Boston jobs will be corporate-level employees, with the rest being tech workers and a new energy business called Current.
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For GE, the slimmed-down headquarters is a badge of honor, a sign that it can keep pace with the rapid changes in its industries and not get bogged down by corporate bureaucracy. Some experts say it’s also an indication of a trend taking shape, as a number of global companies shrink their corporate headquarters teams.
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The most prominent early example: Boeing took roughly half of its 1,000 headquarters employees when it relocated in 2001 from Seattle to Chicago. Last fall, food manufacturer ConAgra unveiled plans to move its headquarters to Chicago, where it will employ about 700, while leaving behind a much bigger workforce in its hometown of Omaha.
In GE’s case, most of the jobs at its existing 800-person Fairfield, Conn., headquarters aren’t coming to Boston. They will instead move to nearby Norwalk, Conn., or other GE locations in cities such as Cincinnati. Teleconferencing and other advances in communications technology make it easier to split up a workforce among several locations, GE chief executive Jeffrey Immelt said.
“The C-suite types want to be in a big downtown urban location, but they don’t want to bring the entire corporate headquarters location because the real estate there is way more expensive,” said David Collis, a Harvard Business School professor. “It’s OK for Jeff Immelt, but he doesn’t want IT people sitting there.”
To some extent, this shift to smaller headquarters mirrors a much bigger, parallel trend: the overall allocation of fewer square feet per worker. That’s happening for two reasons.
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First, fewer individual offices and more open space can foster collaboration among employees. “There’s a drive to get rid of the corporate suite altogether,” said Daniel Perruzzi, a principal at Margulies Perruzzi Architects in Boston.
But, as Collis points out, saving money is a big motivation, too. Chief executives often want urban locations, but they don’t like the steep rents that go along with them. The result? Being more selective about who gets to work in a downtown headquarters versus in a less expensive satellite office. Some companies don’t even need a headquarters relocation to prompt the trimming: Morgan Stanley, for example, said in January that it would accelerate the shift of its back office work in New York to lower-cost cities such as Mumbai and Budapest.
“The days of ‘Mad Men’ with these downtown campuses with thousands of workers, those days are over,” said John Boyd, a relocation consultant based in Princeton, N.J. “GE wants to tap into the branding element of Boston, the high-tech nature of the workforce, and all the image benefits that Boston offers. [But] the economics mean that they’re going to take as few jobs to Boston as possible.”
GE hasn’t disclosed the full list of executives who will make the move, a transition that will begin this summer with the opening of a temporary Fort Point location. Roughly half of Immelt’s direct reports run specific business lines and will physically stay with those operations, which have their own headquarters offices elsewhere.
Top executives moving to Boston will include chief financial officer Jeffrey Bornstein, general counsel Alex Dimitrief, human resources chief Susan Peters, and chief productivity officer Philippe Cochet.
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The scaled-back headquarters, Immelt said in a recent interview, reflects “a desire to move more quickly.” Without added layers of bureaucracy, decisions can get made faster, keeping up with the pace of innovation.
The company has long given its executives more autonomy to run their specific business lines, such as aviation or health care, said Bill Aulet, a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. As a result, top managers have more accountability for their respective divisions, he said. The approach builds their leadership skills, plus it helps keep the top-level corporate overhead to a minimum.
“GE has always had a lighter headquarters staff than other companies because of this model,” Aulet said.
That’s a stark contrast with the other global companies based in the Boston area. Retail giant TJX Cos., for example, employs about 3,900 at its two headquarters campuses in Framingham and Marlborough, out of a workforce of nearly 200,000. About 3,600 of State Street Corp.’s 30,000 employees work in the financial titan’s headquarters tower in downtown Boston. Akamai Technologies, meanwhile, employs about 1,800 in Cambridge out of its 6,000-person-plus workforce.
Joe Fallon, executive managing director at brokerage Cushman & Wakefield’s Boston office, said nearly all of the big companies in Greater Boston grew up in the region. It makes sense, he said, for homegrown firms to have larger headquarters offices than a company that is moving here from another state.
Fallon said defense contractor Raytheon Co. might make the best local comparison. Like GE, Raytheon is a global high-tech manufacturer with several distinct operations, each with their own headquarters town. In Raytheon’s case, only about 340 people work at the Waltham headquarters, out of a worldwide workforce of 61,000.
Armando Carbonell, planning department chairman at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, said he sees an unintended consequence to this shift, as more companies relocate their headquarters into high-demand cities while dispatching lower-paid workers to less expensive places: “You could imagine the San Franciscos, the New Yorks, and the Bostons getting even more unequal than they are now because firms are not bringing in [many of] their lower-paid folks.”
Carbonell said it’s hard to know how pervasive the use of “microheadquarters” will become, given the fact that corporate relocations aren’t exactly a common occurrence.
“One of the reasons people do these corporate moves is it’s a way to shed staff,” he said. “[But] it’s also a way to reorganize and rethink how you’re going to manage things.”
Due to an editing error, an earlier version of the chart with this story misstated Fidelity Investments’ total employment. It is 45,000.
Jon Chesto can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @jonchesto |
Some residents in a southwest Calgary neighbourhood that flooded last month say their landlord is using the disaster as an excuse to evict them to speed up a condo development.
Several homes along Macleod Trail, north of 25th Avenue southwest, were evacuated during the flooding.
It’s an area that has long been slated for urban renewal, as several lots have sat vacant for many years.
Vancouver-based Anthem Properties plans to build a mix-use development that will include residential towers, townhouses, office, retail space and a major grocery store.
Resident Jan Wiebe, who recently received her eviction notice, is upset about being forced out so quickly after the disaster.
"At first I felt abandoned, now I feel even worse. Where do you go in seven days when you just got back to your house," she said.
Rohana Rezel, another tenant, said the development company is treating people badly.
"I feel like I was asked to leave the place I was living in without proper notice, without any procedures being followed and they're just using the flood as a [cover]," he said.
But in a statement to CBC News, company officials said they are going to great lengths to assist the tenants. They say the evictions are due to the flooding, not the upcoming redevelopment of the Erlton lands.
Rezel declined the company's offer to have his belongings removed from the property, officials said.
"Wiebe ... is the only other tenant on the Erlton lands who has contested our termination notice resulting from the flood. Her home is not safe for occupation and the landlord has returned her prorated rent for June and her security deposit, which she accepted," the company added. |
Pupil at £24,300-a-year boarding school is jailed after stabbing fellow student twice in a row over soy sauce
Langley School in Loddon, Norfolk, rocked by violent episode
Minheng He, now 18, struck after boy refused to lend him the condiment
Victim was stabbed twice and lost two pints of blood
He, of Hendon, North London, locked up for four years in young offenders' institute
A pupil at a £24,000-a-year boarding school has been jailed after stabbing another student twice in a row over soy sauce.
Minheng He, a boarder at Langley School in Loddon, Norfolk, attacked the boy last October, inflicting serious wounds to his elbow and shoulder which caused him to lose two pints of blood.
He, 17 at the time but now 18, was locked up at Norwich Crown Court yesterday after admitting wounding with intent.
Violent: Minheng He, 18, has been jailed for four years in a young offenders; institute after stabbing a fellow pupil at Langley School in Loddon, Norfolk, after a row about a bottle of soy sauce
Judge Nicholas Coleman gave the Chinese thug four years in a young offenders' institute.
The judge said He had carried out a 'serious pre-meditated' attack on an 'innocent unarmed victim' whose injuries were 'appalling'.
Judge Coleman said: 'You armed yourself with a knife.
'This was a revenge attack - it was planned out of revenge.'
Andrew Shaw, prosecuting, said the victim, who was not named, was preparing a meal with a fellow student at the school at about 7.30pm last October 7 before going to the boarding quarters to eat it.
Mr Shaw said He went in and 'wanted to borrow some Soy sauce which was refused'.
The row flared when the pupil refused to lend He a bottle of soy sauce
The victim then asked He how much he was going to pay for it.
The boy meant it as a joke but the Chinese student was not amused and the two boys exchanged angry words.
Shocked eye-witnesses heard He tell his victim to 'wait where he was' before he ran off upstairs.
But nothing happened until He stormed into the boy's room at about 10.30pm that night as he did his homework.
The victim asked him to leave three times.
Mr Shaw said: 'The next thing He advanced quickly towards him with something in his hand.'
The victim then 'backed himself in towards the corner of the room where the defendant stabbed him'.
Mr Shaw said the terrified teenager 'turned his back and raised his arm to try and defend himself' and managed to push He away.
But he had already been knifed in his left arm and shoulder.
He was later seen nearby 'shouting and screaming'.
The agitated yob was breathing heavily and holding a knife with blood on the handle.
He, of Hendon, north London, was also heard to say 'I don't care any more'.
Mr Shaw said the fact the stabbing happened three hours after the soy sauce bust-up was crucial as it 'shows an element of pre-meditation'.
Staff dashed to the scene and He told one teacher he had acted because his target had insulted his mum.
The knifeman, who injured his own hand in the attack, was driven to hospital by a teacher to get treatment.
The victim was also taken to hospital and received emergency treatment for two stab wounds that went all the way to the bone in his left shoulder and left elbow.
He lost two pints of blood in the savage assault.
Jonathan Goodman, defending, said He should be given credit for his guilty plea and was of 'hitherto good character'.
Scene of the crime: Langley School in Loddon, Norfolk, which charges £24,300 a year for boarders
Mr Goodman said the 'gifted mathematician' had gone to Norfolk to learn English.
He said he had no family support network and was one of only two Chinese students who spoke Mandarin - the rest speaking Cantonese - until the other then moved on.
Mr Goodman said this meant that He, who found out his mother had ovarian cancer when he returned to China for his holidays, was left 'isolated, alone and vulnerable'.
He said he was 'extraordinarily remorseful' and is 'simply stunned by his own actions and what he did'.
Judge Coleman told He he must serve half his sentence before being released on licence.
Speaking after the case, Dominic Findlay, headteacher of Langley School, said: 'We're glad that the whole incident and ordeal is over.
'For us the fact the victim and staff were not needed for the case because of a guilty plea meant the right decision was reached.'
Langley is a co-educational day and boarding school.
The highly-rated school charges £8,100-a-term and £3,985 day fees. |
Akamai ranks countries based on their broadband speeds every quarter. In its latest report for Q1 2013, the top-ranking country has an average peak connection speed of 54.1Mb/s. Which country do you think that would be? Hint: Its the third time in a row to be in first place.
Did you guess South Korea? Close. The country that gave us "Gangnam Style" tops the list when it comes to average connection speeds, but the best average peak connection speeds are actually found in the city-state of Hong Kong. It was first to break the 50Mb/s threshold in Q3 2012, and at that speed you could download an entire feature film in just a few minutes.
Australia sits way, way lower down the list with an average peak speed of 22.8mb/s, which puts it at number 30. According to the latest report, average peak connection speeds went up by 5.3 per cent for an overall 41 per cent increase since this time last year, but average connection speeds in Australia dropped 2.5 per cent since last quarter to 4.3Mb/s.
Despite NBN Co supposedly having "commenced or completed" fibre network construction in 758,000 premises [PDF] earlier this month, Australia was only one of three countries to decline in high broadband (10Mb/s or greater) adoption, down 13 per cent since the previous quarter. Apparently, just 4.1 per cent of Australia has access to average connection speeds that are at or above 10Mb/s, which contrasts with South Korea and Hong Kong at 52 per cent and 27 per cent respectively.
According to the report, only 38 per cent of Australians have access to internet speeds at or above 4MB/s. If you compare that with Hong Kong's 71 per cent adoption rate, or South Korea's 86 per cent adoption rate, it's clear that our speeds are still catching up to much of the first world, including countries in North America and Europe. Clearly, the the NBN hasn't made much of a dent yet.
[Akamai via Bloomberg] |
Just a few short hours after President Trump challenged his former friend-turned-rival Hillary Clinton to run against him again in three years, Clinton shot back by questioning how the president has time to get anything done in between feuding with perceived enemies on twitter and slicing up the back nine.
"Honestly, between tweeting and golfing, how does he get anything done? I don’t understand it," she said, according to the Hill. "Maybe that’s the whole point."
She also claimed that Trump is “obsessed” with her repeated claims that her rival only managed to wi because he had the help of Russia, the FBI, email-gate, systemic misogyny….the list goes on.
Even her own husband broke with her on Saturday when, during an interview, former President Bill Clinton said believed former FBI Director James Comey’s decision to reopen an investigation into her handling of classified information on a private email server just days before the election had little to do with the outcome of the vote, the Hill reported.
Still, Hillary Clinton was undeterred:
"I’m going to keep speaking out," Clinton said at an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of former President Bill Clinton's 1992 electoral victory. "Apparently my former opponent is obsessed with me speaking out."
Since emerging from the woods of Chappaqua, New York, where she had retreated following her embarassing electoral flop, Clinton has tried to position herself as a leader of the “resistance." She has persistently criticized his conduct in office, and repeatedly insisted that the Trump campaign purposefully colluded with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Saturday, Trump tweeted: Crooked Hillary Clinton is the worst (and biggest) loser of all time. She just can’t stop, which is so good for the Republican Party. Hillary, get on with your life and give it another try in three years!
Crooked Hillary Clinton is the worst (and biggest) loser of all time. She just can’t stop, which is so good for the Republican Party. Hillary, get on with your life and give it another try in three years! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2017
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Bill Clinton said the decision to reopen the investigation wouldn't have been as damaging had the controversy surrounding her emails not been overblown in the first place.
"We have a slight disagreement about this," the former president said, speaking alongside the former secretary of State at an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of his 1992 presidential victory.
"If the voters hadn't really been told that the email ... was the most important issue since the end of World War II, I doubt if the FBI director could have flung the election at the end."
Clinton won the popular vote by 3 million votes, though Trump has disputed this figure by insisting that millions of illegal immigrants likely voted to help their preferred candidate. Yet Trump dominated the electoral college, sweeping swing states in the Midwest and south, and smashing through the Democrats famed “Wall of Blue.” |
While it was officially announced back in April that there would be an eighth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, it was not revealed what the film would be called. Fast & Furious 7 went by the name Furious 7, so there was some speculation that the film would either be called Furious 8 or Fast 8.
On Sunday night, while accepting the Teen Choice award for Choice Action/Adventure movie, Vin Diesel appears to have let it slip out that the official title will be Fast 8. After talking about how the Fast & Furious cast was a true family, Diesel recalled his dear friend Paul Walker.
Diesel said, “I can’t stand here and be rewarded like this without talking about somebody very, very, very important to us. One of the best blessings in our lives is the fact that we had the opportunity to call Pablo our brother. Paul Walker is here in spirit with us.”
After calling out a special recognition to Walker’s teen daughter, Diesel added, “I love all of you. I love all of you, and until Fast 8…” |
A German man, 35, drove a car into a group of people outside a city centre bakery and fled the scene before being shot by police.
The man hit the three pedestrians, one of whom died of his injuries, in Heidelberg, near Stuttgart, at around 4pm then ran away carrying a knife.
Dramatic video footage shows the suspect cornered by a police patrol, with a single gunshot heard before the officers rush towards him on the pavement.
Police say they believe the incident is not terror related, but have not yet identified a motive.
The first image of the suspect shows him brandishing a knife with his arms outstretched.
This is the first picture of the suspect, who is seen brandishing a knife on a pavement near a swimming pool
A German man, 35, drove a car into a group of people outside a city centre bakery and fled the scene before being shot by police. Pictured is the suspect
Video footage shows there was a short stand-off before the man was shot by police and then taken to hospital
A 73-year-old German man died of his injuries this evening at a local hospital. Pictured: The stand-off between the suspected driver and officers
Police cornered him and an officer could be heard shouting 'knife gone' after he was shot, according to local media reports. Pictured: Officers next to the car on Bismarckplatz
Forensic police were pictured after the shooting examining the car, which was black with three doors
The vehicle is thought to be a rental car, and had Hamburg license plates. A police spokesman said there was 'no indication' the man had a terrorist background
After police shot the man near a swimming pool, one of the officers shouted 'knife gone', according to local media.
The suspect, a 35-year-old German whose identity has not been released, was taken to a hospital and underwent an operation.
A 73-year-old German man died of his injuries this evening at a local hospital.
A 32-year-old Austrian man and a 29-year-old woman from Bosnia were lightly injured.
A police spokesman said there was 'no indication' the man had a terrorist background.
He added: 'We are continuing to investigate. As soon as we know more we will inform the public.'
German daily Bild reported that the suspect was suffering from psychiatric problems, but authorities have made no comment on that claim.
Forensic officers are seen examining the front of the car, which was placed behind a cordon
Police officers stand around the vehicle, which remained at the spot where a man ploughed into the crowd of people
Officers stand guard behind a cordon around the scene on Bismarckplatz, Heidelberg's main square
Regional newspaper Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung said the suspect was not fit to be questioned
Regional newspaper Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung said the suspect was not fit to be questioned.
Forensics officers were pictured after the shooting examining the car, a black three-door vehicle which had Hamburg license plates.
A cordon was been put in place to prevent the public accessing the scene.
Investigations by the public prosecutors' office in Heidelberg and the town's criminal police were continuing, police said.
Germany has been on high alert since a terrorist rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin in December, killing 12 people. Pictured: Emergency services in Heidelberg
The Berlin carnage evoked memories of the July truck assault in Nice, where 86 people were killed by a Tunisian Islamic State group-sympathiser. Pictured: An armed officer in Heidelberg
Police stand next to a car outside a business building in Heidelberg. There is an increased police presence in the city following the incident
A local newspaper said the suspect had stopped at a red traffic light and when it turned green put his foot down before hitting the group of people at high speed and smashing into a pillar.
Germany has been on high alert since a terrorist rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin in December, killing 12 people.
He was shot dead days later by police in Italy.
The Berlin carnage evoked memories of the July truck assault in Nice, where 86 people were killed by a Tunisian Islamic State group-sympathiser. |
The discovery of extractable dinosaur DNA is many a scientist’s dream. The idea of finding DNA within extinct animals has an air of mystery and discovery that is just ridiculously appealing, whether you’re 5, 50, a teacher, palaeontologist, or cab driver. I think this is part of human nature, where we always seem to have a longing for what we can’t have, and one thing we’ll never have are the things that have been lost to ages long past.
A Jurassic Park-style dinosaur resurrection, although currently being somewhat attempted by scientists in Japan (so I’ve heard) through a process of reverse-genomic engineering with chickens, (yeah), is pretty much out the window. For starters, blood sucking insects just didn’t exist back then, and there are probably a tonne of genetic issues that would make a DNA scientist genetic-hulk-smash. DNA also doesn’t last for very long – we’ve been lucky enough to extract a few small strands from frozen mammoths no more than a few tens of thousands of years old, as DNA degrades faster than a date’s interest when you start asking them what they think about the use of impact factors in academia…. (What?)
What we can find though, are the molecular traces of DNA and all the associated gooey bio-bits, but it takes a bit of technical know-how and some machine wizardry, as well as someone to lend you a dinosaur bone for a bit. A team of researchers have added the cherry on the cake to a triple whammy of awesome dino discoveries; as if finding traces of dinosaur blood vessels, osteocytes (common, star-shaped cells in mature bone), and fibrous bone matrix in dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex wasn’t enough, they’ve now gone and found multiple lines of evidence that support the presence of proteins in dinosaur bone, as well as DNA! If you think about it, this is actually the first genuine proof there is that dinosaurs aren’t just mysterious rocks in the ground (although the evidence was always slightly skewed), but actually once living, breathing animals, like you or me (unless you’re a spambot, in which case, shoo!).
Osteocytes have numerous roles within bone, from sensory functions to providing maintenance. During fossilisation, it is assumed that the structures these osteocytes form are emptied after death during the degradation (rotting) processes, or infilled with some sort of mineral. However, more recent work by the same team showed that if you removed the mineral gunk from dinosaur bone, it actually releases cell-like microstructures that are consistent with the morphology of osteocytes. However, this correspondence does not mean that they are osteocytes; the fossil record and the ravages of time play host to a number of biological, chemical, and geological interactions that all conspire to deform the original structures and biogeochemistry of fossil organisms. So you need some sort of chemical fingerprint that can confirm whether or not these microstructures are actually osteocytes, and that’s exactly what Schweitzer and her team set out to do.
Previous research by the team has demonstrated the presence of collagen, a protein that enhances tissue structure in animals, using chemical analyses of fossils of Tyrannosaurus rex and Brachylophosaurus canadensis. Using the same methods and dinosaurs, the team looked at the osteocyte-like structures and structures that are similar in form to blood vessels. The analysis had to be more targeted at proteins associated with osteocytes in avian-line animals, as often the more stable and readily preserved proteins such as actin and tubulin can show similarities to other vertebrates and even microbes.
To prepare the remains of the Cretaceous beasties, first they had to be demineralised using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (and breathe), with the fragments bearing the structures then sieved to concentrate parts and remove any debris. As a control experiment, the team repeated this analysis for the sediment from whence the dinosaur fossils came, as well as for their extant relatives, the ostrich and alligator, but removing all the collagen first to allow the osteocytes to be released. Using various forms of microscopy, the team could then look at the microstructures in high detail, and found that the dinosaur ones are indeed similar to those in the ostrich and alligator. They were three dimensional, and had these cool radiating spike-like filopodia that make them look a bit like deformed horse chestnut shells.
Additionally, the team found that when they applied a test to locate DNA in the dinosaurs, the test responded positively and identified the structural ghosts of DNA within the dinosaur ‘cells’! Theirs is no direct evidence that this DNA is actually from the organism itself (endogenous), but still, pretty freakin’ sweet. The evidence for this was supported by the use of two different chemical stains, which showed that DNA structures were present in both T. rex and B. Canadensis. The staining is less intense than in modern cells (e.g., with ostriches), but importantly shows the same pattern and localisation as DNA. One of these stains is called DAPI, or 4’,6’-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride, you know, for convenience. These stains also rule out the possibilities of the microstructures representing some sort of biofilm (bacterial origin).
On to the chemical analysis, the team used mass spectrometry, a method that determines the masses of the molecules within a sample, which in turn can be used to identify their composition. Both dinosaurs contained peptides (amino acids) from actin and tubulin (proteins). It also detected the DNA-associated proteins known as histones in both the dinosaur samples, adding more evidence to the structural presence of DNA, and from a source that is not related to microbes or microbial activity.
This combined structural and chemical evidence strongly suggests that what the team were looking at was in fact the remains of DNA entombed within intra-cellular osteocytes! Whether or not this DNA is explicitly of dinosaurian origin cannot be determined however without sequence data. Don’t worry though, the authors actually state that with enough ‘affinity purification’ with the use of specific antibodies may lead to sufficient and pure enough amounts of DNA to test using next-generation (cheap, fast, big data) sequencing. I think I just dino-gasmed everywhere. However, (again), due to the low positive reaction of the dinosaur cells (these are definitely dinosaur cells, it’s the DNA in them that is questionable) there may not be enough to recover sufficient amounts of usable DNA.
One final thing – did anyone here about this in the media?!
Also, Karen James (@kejames) did this awesome up-goer five version of the abstract to explain it in the ten hundred most common words. Pretty amazing!
Reference:
Schweitzer, M. H., Zheng, W., Cleland, T. P. and Bern, M. (2013) Molecular analyses of dinosaur osteocytes support the presence of endogenous molecules, Bone, 52, 414-423 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S875632821201318X (paywalled) |
A 50-year-old Palm Bay, Fla. man suffered extensive second-degree burns on Tuesday when he accidentally lit himself on fire while setting up a Halloween display that involved a wooden cross, candles, and gasoline, according to Florida Today. Police described the incident as a “prank.”
“It started as some kind of prank apparently and involved a wooden cross,” Yvonne Martinez, a spokesperson for the Palm Bay Police Department, told Florida Today. “We don’t know if he was trying to light the cross or the candles but when he did, his clothes caught fire.”
The man, identified as Ron Nielson, was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center’s burn unit for treatment, and his condition was not publicly known on Wednesday.
“He was conscious and alert but he had second-degree burns over 40 to 50 percent of his body, including his chest, arms, upper torso,” Martinez said.
According to Bay News 9, investigators said Nielson was putting up Halloween decorations on his front yard when, as a joke, he poured gasoline on a small wooden cross and lit it on fire. Gasoline vapors ignited a gas can, which exploded, shooting flames into Nielson’s chest and back.
“I think it was accidental. I think he was doing a Halloween decoration, trying to set something up, and it went haywire,” a neighbor, identified as an off-duty firefighter, said in a 911 call.
(Photo credit: kltv.com) |
Less than 24 hours after Senator Barack Obama won the race for the U.S. presidency, Bloomberg reports that Motown’s mauled mavens will step-up their campaign to suckle on the milk of federal tax money. “GM, the biggest U.S. automaker, must get government aid because ‘time is very short,’ said Roger Altman, the former Treasury official advising the company in its merger talks with Chrysler LLC. ‘The consequences of a collapse by GM or all three could be very severe.'” (As opposed to slightly severe.) Step 1: change the terms of the Department of Energy’s $25b worth of no to low-interest loans. Retooling? Fuck that shit. “The industry’s agenda for the new president will be topped by intensified calls for an immediate disbursement of $25 billion in low-interest loans signed into law by President George W. Bush Sept. 30. While the money is supposed to be for the development of fuel-efficient vehicles, automakers argue it should be freed up to meet current capital needs.” Step 2: get a slice of the already-approved banking bailout bucks. “Sympathetic lawmakers also have been calling for auto lenders, if not the manufacturers themselves, to get some of the $700 billion bailout fund set aside for financial institutions.” Do you really have the stomach for this stuff? Read on…
Step 3: revisit the $10b in federal “assistance” for a GM – Chrysler merger. “The outcome of the merger talks between GM and Chrysler may hinge on whether the companies can get government aid. The negotiations may intensify this week after the election, according to people familiar with the matter.” Step 4: threaten the president-elect. “One or more automaker failures ‘would be a difficult way for a brand-new administration’ to take office, said Altman, an Obama supporter whose Treasury Department service included working as deputy secretary under President Bill Clinton.” Or is that step 1? Anyway, The Reckoning is postponed until further notice. |
Why stave off foreclosures?
Foreclosures have become a major political issue. Ever since December, Hillary Clinton has been making daily calls for a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures. The Bush administration has been inching toward an anti-foreclosure policy. The Hope Now alliance * was created in October as a voluntary industry effort to aid troubled borrowers. In December, the White House and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson encouraged Hope Now members to offer interest-rate freezes and refinancing for certain qualified borrowers as part of an effort to avoid foreclosures. This week, the administration rolled out Project Lifeline, which offers qualified borrowers the chance to freeze foreclosure proceedings for 30 days. (Coming next: Operation Desperation.)
All of these proposals are good ideas, and bad ideas, for the same economic reason: Forestalling more foreclosure delays price discovery.
After a bubble pops, markets go through a painful process in which they try to agree on prices for formerly inflated assets. This is called “price discovery.” When the bubble is in stocks, price discovery happens very quickly. A stock can go from $60 to $0 in a matter of days, if not hours, and sometimes did when the Internet bubble popped in 2000. From a macroeconomic perspective, such stock price discovery is painful but not necessarily devastating. The people who own bubbly stocks lose money. People who bought the stock on margin—i.e. they borrowed to buy it—lose a lot money. Banks who lent to high-flying firms frequently must write off loans. And companies that supply, or service, or depend on the afflicted firms may suffer as well. But, as when the tech bubble popped, stock price discovery usually doesn’t lead to systemic failures.
By contrast, the process of price discovery in housing, and housing-related credit, has been much slower—and it has much more dire systemic implications. The housing market peaked in 2006, and it has been slowly slumping. But nationwide, according to the Case-Schiller index, housing prices have fallen only 8.4 percent in the past year. Home prices in some areas of the country may need to fall 30 percent in order to find bottom. That process is likely to take years rather than months.
The slope of the housing decline has been gentle because houses can’t be flipped like stocks. People live in their homes, and there are big transaction costs associated with selling them. The market isn’t very liquid. There’s another reason housing prices have been slow to fall. There are all kinds of incentives for everyone involved in the housing market to push off the day of reckoning, to delay the process of price discovery.
Start with the homeowner. Homes are highly leveraged purchases, whether it’s 20 percent, 10 percent, or 0 percent down. Owners of existing homes are reluctant to mark down the value of their homes 20 percent overnight because, in many instances, it will wipe out their equity. Homebuilders and condo developers don’t like to lower prices quickly because it makes those who bought in their development five months earlier feel like chumps. The banks don’t want to concede that the houses they lent against are suddenly worth a great deal less than they were a few months ago. Investors who bought the bonds created by slicing and dicing mortgages—and then leveraged up their positions by borrowing money—get massacred when prices fall. The same holds true for bond insurers like Ambac and MBIA, which insured structured finance products created by lashing groups of mortgage-related securities together.
And so, since the bubble popped and home prices ceased to rise, desperate players in the market have taken a series of actions intended to delay price discovery in housing. Rather than cut prices, sellers began to throw in free cars or other inducements to buyers who paid the asking price. Brokers reduced their commissions. Builders started including all sorts of extras (fancy kitchens, pools, etc.) for no additional price. Every link in the chain sacrificed margins and profits rather than cut prices. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that homebuilders were funneling large cash payments to buyers through third-party marketers, in effect reducing the price buyers had to pay while publicly reporting that sales prices remained buoyant.
Such measures were like throwing sandbags at a rising river. And it hasn’t worked. The carnage in subprime loans has led to a spate of foreclosures. When banks or investors take over properties, they recoup whatever they can by placing it on the market quickly and accepting any reasonable offer. When foreclosed properties are dumped onto the market and sold at fire-sale prices, they establish new comparable sales on a given street or neighborhood. It might take a solvent home-seller 18 months to mark down the price of his house by 20 percent. A bank will do it in 18 days.
Foreclosure also has the effect of hastening price discovery on the mortgages on those homes, and on the bonds backing them. Here, again, the impact can be devastating to those who bought the assets with a great deal of leverage. Hedge funds and other institutions sitting on the depreciating debt either had to put up more collateral to maintain their leveraged positions, or dump the assets to raise cash. Bond insurers must increase reserves to prepare for defaults of the bonds they insured. And if the bond insurers fail, the financial firms that purchased insurance from them will have to take their own write-downs. The potential for massive systemic problems is the reason there’s been so much discussion between financial institutions and government regulators about trying to orchestrate some sort of bailout for the bond insurers.
In general, cleaning up quickly after popped bubbles is good for the economy, because it enables everybody to move on. Over the years, the American economic system has proved to be quite adept at doing so. And as Japan’s experience in recent years shows, refusing to deal with the overhang of bad debt can condemn an economy to a lengthy period of slow growth. But I doubt there’s the political will to allow the fast price discovery allowed by foreclosures to continue. While it would certainly bring long-term economic benefits, the short-term social, financial, and political consequences of a rapid clearing of the housing mess are too much to bear. As the year goes on, expect presidential candidates and government officials to keep throwing lifelines and buckets full of hope at the housing market.
Correction, Feb. 28, 2008: This piece originally included an incorrect link to the Hope Now alliance. The link has now been removed. (Return to the corrected sentence.) |
The rest of the media are finally catching up to what WND has been reporting for years.
The New York Times, Associated Press and others are in a sudden flurry over a report that implicates banking giant HSBC in laundering billions of dollars for celebrities, criminals and drug lords – and suggests Obama Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch may have struck a sweetheart deal with the banking giant that Rolling Stone now calls “preposterous even by Eric Holder’s standards.”
Documents leaked by a whistleblower to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists recently revealed HSBC bank employees had for years actively helped customers – including drug traffickers, arms dealers and wealthy power players around the world – conceal enormous amounts of money from the taxman.
Though the allegations were first exposed by WND in 2012 and prompted a federal investigation, Lynch, then the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, negotiated a settlement that allowed HSBC to pay a $1.9 billion fine rather than face criminal charges.
WND senior staff writer Jerome Corsi explains how WND first exposed HSBC’s massive money laundering scheme, the fallout from the explosive discovery and the role Loretta Lynch played in the emerging Obama administration scandal:
The new report, however, alleges crimes so massive even Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, the leading Democrat on Senate banking committee, is demanding to know how Lynch could have let HSBC off the hook so lightly.
“I will be very interested to hear the government’s full explanation of its actions – or lack thereof,” said Brown. “I intend on pressing regulators, the IRS and the DOJ for answers.”
“It looks now like the U.S. government knowingly bent over backward to make sure that a major Western tax evader kept its license to operate here in America,” Rolling Stone commented. “Even worse, our next attorney general was the person responsible for negotiating the deal.”
But back in 2012, WND was the first to report on the mega-bank’s illegal activities with leaked documents and a whistleblower of its own, which in turn prompted the investigation in the first place.
In a report by WND senior staff writer Jerome Corsi dated Feb. 1, 2012, it was first revealed that John Cruz, a former employee of HSBC in New York, delivered to WND some 1,000 pages of customer account records he claimed were evidence of an international money-laundering scheme involving hundreds of billions of dollars by the global banking giant.
Cruz, the former vice president and senior business relationships manager for HSBC on Long Island, had pulled the documents from the HSBC computer system before he was fired, allegedly for “poor performance,” though Cruz contends he was let go because senior management didn’t want to him to pursue his personal investigation into the bank’s wrongdoing.
WND followed the exposé with a series of further investigative articles, including redacted HSBC documents revealing what tipped off Cruz to the money laundering and even evidence implicating financial giants Paypal and American Express in the HSBC scandal.
It was at that moment HSBC began to retaliate against WND for its reporting.
The bank filed a complaint Feb. 9, 2012, with a WND Internet service provider, EdgeCast Networks. Access to the article was blocked for a period of three hours, until the Internet provider concluded the complaint was unwarranted.
At the time, WND Editor and CEO Joseph Farah remarked, “I’ve been in journalism for 30 years and in Internet journalism for 15 years. In all that time, I have never seen such a blatant and temporarily effective effort at raw censorship by a powerful institution – in this case, one of the world’s largest banks.”
But that was just the first blow.
The very day after WND reported HSBC’s efforts to shut the story down, the investigative journalist who blew open the story, Jerome Corsi, was effectively fired from his position as a senior managing director at Gilford Securities, a Manhattan investment firm that serves institutional and retail clients.
Nonetheless, Corsi and WND continued the investigation, culminating in the May 2012 story, “Banking giant HSBC ‘a criminal enterprise.'”
“When John Cruz delivered to WND account records demonstrating HSBC senior management was involved in a multi-billion-dollar money-laundering scam, I called various customers listed in the account records,” Corsi recalled. “Customers were shocked to learn HSBC was using their identity information, including accurate Social Security numbers, to create bogus accounts through which millions in clearly laundered money was run, before the account was closed – all without any knowledge or approval of the customers involved.
“Several customers, alarmed that I had their Social Security numbers, had their attorneys call me,” Corsi continued. “To prove WND was legitimately investigating the story, WND shared the customer records we had with the attorneys. The reaction of both customers and attorneys was shock. No customer had given permission.”
Finally, on May 13, 2012, WND reported how government regulators and law-enforcement authorities sat on the evidence they had against HSBC until WND blew the whistle on it.
Eventually, HSBC could hide no longer, and the Department of Justice began an investigation. In December 2012, the London-based bank agreed to Lynch’s settlement terms and paid what eventually totaled $1.256 billion in fines to the U.S. government to end the investigation and avoid the filing of criminal charges.
HSBC Group Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver said at the time his company was “profoundly sorry” and, “We accept responsibility for our past mistakes.”
For the moment, the scandal seemed resolved.
“I don’t think there are more than a few dozen people in the world who realize what Jerry Corsi did with the HSBC story,” Farah said in an interview. “He brought one of the largest banking institutions in the world to its knees with his reporting. If the New York Times did this, there would have been Pulitzer Prizes handed out. The reporter would have been the toast of the town, celebrated by his colleagues. Other journalists around the country and the world would have written about this amazing effort by a muckraking, courageous reporter who broke the scandal about massive money laundering that made the public’s heads spin.
“What did Jerry and his news agency get?” Farah asked. “They got a major denial of service attack that shut down the website for hours. Only a threat of an immediate lawsuit got service back. And when HSBC was ultimately hit with the largest banking fine in history – $1.2 billion – not a single news source credited or mentioned WND’s series of stories.
“Keep in mind, the whistleblower who came to WND was out of options,” Farah explained. “He’d gone to news agencies all over the country as well as state and federal law enforcement authorities. Only WND looked at the data he had collected. Only Jerry Corsi stood up to this powerful institution and took them on. And only when that data was published did federal regulators even give the whistleblower the time of day. This is what journalism is supposed to be about – being a watchdog on government and other powerful institutions.”
It now appears, however, that the watchdog may be needed again.
The scandal returns
In a telephone interview with WND, Cruz said the Obama administration “is continuing to cover up its role in the HSBC money laundering scandal.”
“The U.S. government never responded to the evidence I provided of money-laundering activity that I fully documented with records copied directly from HSBC accounts,” Cruz explained to WND after learning court papers were filed objecting to the Justice Department stonewalling a FOIA request for the release of documents that could implicate Lynch in covering up Obama administration involvement in international money-laundering of Mexican cartel drug money.
Lynch has never explained why the New York U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2012 chose to ignore the 1,000 pages of customer account records Cruz pulled from the HSBC computer system.
“The official response of the IRS Whistleblower Office doesn’t say there was no fraud or tax evasion committed by HSBC in the money-laundering case,” Cruz explained. “The IRS simply says, ‘In this case, the information you provided did not result in the collection of any proceeds.'”
“I’ve never heard back from the two Department of Homeland Securities investigators that did the telephone interviews with me on Feb. 7, 2012, even though both said they would ‘get back to me,'” Cruz said. “The New York District Attorney that I originally approached has never followed up with me, even after admitting, ‘This is money laundering.'”
Cruz provided WND with documentation showing he had contacted Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Schelleppe and Investigator Patrick Mulcahey of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office in 2012.
When Cruz attempted to hand his information over to Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., then the chairman of the Senate Permanent Investigating Committee looking into HSBC money-laundering activities, he was told to fill out a form, which he did, only to receive no response whatsoever.
“WND is the first and only news agency to put my story on the air, to put my story on the Web, to get my story out to people,” Cruz explained, after providing WND with the letters he had sent to the Wall Street Journal in 2012.
A close reading of the 330-page report Levin’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations issued on July 17, 2012, titled, “U.S. Vulnerabilities to Money Laundering, Drugs, and Terrorist Financing: HSBC Case History,” places the blame not on HSBC employees in New York, but upon carelessness in acquiring suspect subsidiary banks in Mexico tied to Mexican drug cartels.
On Page 3 of that report, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations attributed the HSBC money-laundering criminal activities to a “weak AML [Anti-Money Laundering] program,” carefully avoiding any allegations that specific HSBC employees in the U.S. or Mexico were criminally liable for their involvement.
By the end of 2012, HSBC escaped with a fine, but no criminal charges against any of its employees.
“The HSBC fraud investigator at the bank told me the bank had $2 billion set aside to pay the fines,” Cruz recalls, “and conveniently HSBC got away with paying something like $1.9 billion in total fines and penalties.”
The recent report on HSBC’s activities, however, is putting new pressure on Lynch to explain how the bank could have escaped investigation without criminal charges.
WND’s history of coverage on the HSBC scandal, including an exclusive interview with whistleblower John Cruz, can be seen below: |
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