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NEW DELHI: In a city where 19% murders take place for the most frivolous of reasons, here’s one that has left even the police aghast.A porter at New Delhi railway station was arrested for murdering a monkey handler in the early hours of Independence Day inside the station premises because, according to him, “monkeys have the right to drink wine”. The monkey handler, Irfan(26)—from Seemapuri in northeast Delhi, had asked Ram Babu(36) alias Gochu Pehelwan not to offer liquor to his animals and warned him “not to test his patience”.“On the night of August 14, Ram Babu was near the Ajmeri Gate area looking for alcohol. When Irfan arrived there with his two monkeys, the two decided to have drinks together. After a while, Ram Babu started serving liquor to Irfan’s monkeys. Irfan objected and a scuffle broke out during which Ram Babu hit him on the head with a brick, then panicked and ran away,” DCP (railways) Sanjay Bhatia said.Local sources told the cops that Irfan was seen in the area with two monkeys. Accordingly, all localities where monkey handlers reside were searched. “On August 15, at 5.50am, Irfan was found unconscious near the Ajmeri Gate entrance of New Delhi station. He was rushed to Lok Nayak Hospital where he succumbed to head injuries. Bricks stained with blood were found from the spot,” Bhatia added.According to Delhi Police, many murders in the past have happened due to frivolous reasons like failure to spot the route number of a DTC bus, not returning Rs 5, urinating in a neighbour’s toilet and refusing a minor a smoke. “An analysis of motives behind the murders this year reveals that 7% resulted from enmity and 10% driven by passion,” a senior police officer said.Six per cent of the murders were due to old enmity while 3% were due to property or monetary disputes. |
Rideau Hall is opening its grounds as the new Liberal government is sworn in on Wednesday — and Canadians are invited to attend.
The public can come watch in person as prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau and his incoming cabinet ministers arrive at the official residence of the Governor General for the 10:30 a.m. ET swearing-in ceremony.
Gates will open to the public at 9 a.m. ET, the Governor General's office said in a release Friday.
Trudeau will be sworn in as a member of the Privy Council before taking the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office and officially becoming Canada's 23rd prime minister.
Stephen Harper has already given notice to Gov. Gen. David Johnston he will resign, and will offer his formal resignation shortly before the incoming government is sworn in next week.
Stephen Harper will officially resign as Prime Minister before the incoming Liberal government is sworn in Wednesday. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
Under Harper's watch, the cabinet swearing-in was typically a low-key event, with only a handful of selected ministers taking questions after the ceremony. Trudeau has said he will preside over a more open and accessible government.
Rideau Hall spokeswoman Marie-Ève Létourneau said the grounds have been open to the public for past swearing-in events, including in 2006, 2008 and 2011, but it was not specifically mentioned that the public was invited to come and see the arrival of the new ministry
The public was also invited when Rachel Notley was sworn in as Alberta's 17th premier. Thousands of people packed the grounds of the legislature in May and enthusiastically chanted her name. Later, Notley circulated through the crowd, shaking hands and speaking with people.
Trudeau has promised gender balance in his new cabinet, which is expected to be smaller than Harper's.
Choosing a cabinet is just one of the priorities for the transition from Conservative to Liberal governments. Trudeau has so far not confirmed a date for when Parliament will be convened, but it is expected to open with a speech from the throne in early-to-mid December.
More details on the swearing-in ceremony will be announced early next week, Létourneau said.
(Graphic: Office of the Secretary to the Governor General) |
Energy development is the field of activities focused on obtaining sources of energy from natural resources. These activities include production of conventional, alternative and renewable sources of energy, and for the recovery and reuse of energy that would otherwise be wasted. Energy conservation and efficiency measures reduce the demand for energy development, and can have benefits to society with improvements to environmental issues.
Societies use energy for transportation, manufacturing, illumination, heating and air conditioning, and communication, for industrial, commercial, and domestic purposes. Energy resources may be classified as primary resources, where the resource can be used in substantially its original form, or as secondary resources, where the energy source must be converted into a more conveniently usable form. Non-renewable resources are significantly depleted by human use, whereas renewable resources are produced by ongoing processes that can sustain indefinite human exploitation.
Thousands of people are employed in the energy industry. The conventional industry comprises the petroleum industry, the natural gas industry, the electrical power industry, and the nuclear industry. New energy industries include the renewable energy industry, comprising alternative and sustainable manufacture, distribution, and sale of alternative fuels.
Classification of resources [ edit ]
Open System Model (basics)
Energy resources may be classified as primary resources, suitable for end use without conversion to another form, or secondary resources, where the usable form of energy required substantial conversion from a primary source. Examples of primary energy resources are wind power, solar power, wood fuel, fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, and uranium. Secondary resources are those such as electricity, hydrogen, or other synthetic fuels.
Another important classification is based on the time required to regenerate an energy resource. "Renewable" resources are those that recover their capacity in a time significant by human needs. Examples are hydroelectric power or wind power, when the natural phenomena that are the primary source of energy are ongoing and not depleted by human demands. Non-renewable resources are those that are significantly depleted by human usage and that will not recover their potential significantly during human lifetimes. An example of a non-renewable energy source is coal, which does not form naturally at a rate that would support human use.
Fossil fuels [ edit ]
Fossil fuel (primary non-renewable fossil) sources burn coal or hydrocarbon fuels, which are the remains of the decomposition of plants and animals. There are three main types of fossil fuels: coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Another fossil fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is principally derived from the production of natural gas. Heat from burning fossil fuel is used either directly for space heating and process heating, or converted to mechanical energy for vehicles, industrial processes, or electrical power generation. These fossil fuels are part of the carbon cycle and thus allow stored solar energy to be used today.
The use of fossil fuels in the 18th and 19th Century set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.
Fossil fuels make up the bulk of the world's current primary energy sources. In 2005, 81% of the world's energy needs was met from fossil sources.[4] The technology and infrastructure already exist for the use of fossil fuels. Liquid fuels derived from petroleum deliver a great deal of usable energy per unit of weight or volume, which is advantageous when compared with lower energy density sources such as a battery. Fossil fuels are currently economical for decentralised energy use.
Energy dependence on imported fossil fuels creates energy security risks for dependent countries.[5][6][7][8][9] Oil dependence in particular has led to war,[10] funding of radicals,[11] monopolization,[12] and socio-political instability.[13]
Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources, which will eventually decline in production [14] and become exhausted. While the processes that created fossil fuels are ongoing, fuels are consumed far more quickly than the natural rate of replenishment. Extracting fuels becomes increasingly costly as society consumes the most accessible fuel deposits.[15] Extraction of fossil fuels results in environmental degradation, such as the strip mining and mountaintop removal of coal.
Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or work. The fuel economy is the energy efficiency of a particular vehicle, is given as a ratio of distance travelled per unit of fuel consumed. Weight-specific efficiency (efficiency per unit weight) may be stated for freight, and passenger-specific efficiency (vehicle efficiency per passenger). The inefficient atmospheric combustion (burning) of fossil fuels in vehicles, buildings, and power plants contributes to urban heat islands.[16]
Conventional production of oil has peaked, conservatively, between 2007 and 2010. In 2010, it was estimated that an investment in non-renewable resources of $8 trillion would be required to maintain current levels of production for 25 years.[17] In 2010, governments subsidized fossil fuels by an estimated $500 billion a year.[18] Fossil fuels are also a source of greenhouse gas emissions, leading to concerns about global warming if consumption is not reduced.
The combustion of fossil fuels leads to the release of pollution into the atmosphere. The fossil fuels are mainly carbon compounds. During combustion, carbon dioxide is released, and also nitrogen oxides, soot and other fine particulates. Man-made carbon dioxide according to the IPCC contributes to global warming.[19] Other emissions from fossil fuel power station include sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOC), mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals including traces of uranium.[20][21]
A typical coal plant generates billions of kilowatt hours per year.[22]
Nuclear [ edit ]
Fission [ edit ]
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear fission to generate useful heat and electricity. Fission of uranium produces nearly all economically significant nuclear power. Radioisotope thermoelectric generators form a very small component of energy generation, mostly in specialized applications such as deep space vehicles.
Nuclear power plants, excluding naval reactors, provided about 5.7% of the world's energy and 13% of the world's electricity in 2012.[23]
In 2013, the IAEA report that there are 437 operational nuclear power reactors,[24] in 31 countries,[25] although not every reactor is producing electricity.[26] In addition, there are approximately 140 naval vessels using nuclear propulsion in operation, powered by some 180 reactors.[27][28][29] As of 2013, attaining a net energy gain from sustained nuclear fusion reactions, excluding natural fusion power sources such as the Sun, remains an ongoing area of international physics and engineering research. More than 60 years after the first attempts, commercial fusion power production remains unlikely before 2050.[30]
There is an ongoing debate about nuclear power.[31][32][33] Proponents, such as the World Nuclear Association, the IAEA and Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy contend that nuclear power is a safe, sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions.[34] Opponents, such as Greenpeace International and NIRS, contend that nuclear power poses many threats to people and the environment.[35][36][37]
Nuclear power plant accidents include the Chernobyl disaster (1986), Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (2011), and the Three Mile Island accident (1979).[38] There have also been some nuclear submarine accidents.[38][39][40] In terms of lives lost per unit of energy generated, analysis has determined that nuclear power has caused less fatalities per unit of energy generated than the other major sources of energy generation. Energy production from coal, petroleum, natural gas and hydropower has caused a greater number of fatalities per unit of energy generated due to air pollution and energy accident effects.[41][42][43][44][45] However, the economic costs of nuclear power accidents is high, and meltdowns can take decades to clean up. The human costs of evacuations of affected populations and lost livelihoods is also significant.[46][47]
Comparing Nuclear's latent cancer deaths, such as cancer with other energy sources immediate deaths per unit of energy generated(GWeyr). This study does not include fossil fuel related cancer and other indirect deaths created by the use of fossil fuel consumption in its "severe accident" classification, which would be an accident with more than 5 fatalities.
Nuclear power is a low carbon power generation method of producing electricity, with an analysis of the literature on its total life cycle emission intensity finding that it is similar to renewable sources in a comparison of greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions per unit of energy generated.[48] Since the 1970s, nuclear fuel has displaced about 64 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent(GtCO2-eq) greenhouse gases, that would have otherwise resulted from the burning of oil, coal or natural gas in fossil-fuel power stations.[49]
As of 2012, according to the IAEA, worldwide there were 68 civil nuclear power reactors under construction in 15 countries,[24] approximately 28 of which in the People's Republic of China (PRC), with the most recent nuclear power reactor, as of May 2013, to be connected to the electrical grid, occurring on February 17, 2013 in Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Plant in the PRC.[50] In the United States, two new Generation III reactors are under construction at Vogtle. U.S. nuclear industry officials expect five new reactors to enter service by 2020, all at existing plants.[51] In 2013, four aging, uncompetitive, reactors were permanently closed.[52][53]
Japan's 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, which occurred in a reactor design from the 1960s, prompted a rethink of nuclear safety and nuclear energy policy in many countries.[54] Germany decided to close all its reactors by 2022, and Italy has banned nuclear power.[54] Following Fukushima, in 2011 the International Energy Agency halved its estimate of additional nuclear generating capacity to be built by 2035.[55][56]
Recent experiments in extraction of uranium use polymer ropes that are coated with a substance that selectively absorbs uranium from seawater. This process could make the considerable volume of uranium dissolved in seawater exploitable for energy production. Since ongoing geologic processes carry uranium to the sea in amounts comparable to the amount that would be extracted by this process, in a sense the sea-borne uranium becomes a sustainable resource.[57][58]
Fission economics [ edit ]
[59] Low global public support for nuclear fission in the aftermath of Fukushima ( Ipsos -survey, 2011)
The economics of new nuclear power plants is a controversial subject, since there are diverging views on this topic, and multibillion-dollar investments ride on the choice of an energy source. Nuclear power plants typically have high capital costs for building the plant, but low direct fuel costs. In recent years there has been a slowdown of electricity demand growth and financing has become more difficult, which affects large projects such as nuclear reactors, with very large upfront costs and long project cycles which carry a large variety of risks.[60] In Eastern Europe, a number of long-established projects are struggling to find finance, notably Belene in Bulgaria and the additional reactors at Cernavoda in Romania, and some potential backers have pulled out.[60] Where cheap gas is available and its future supply relatively secure, this also poses a major problem for nuclear projects.[60]
Analysis of the economics of nuclear power must take into account who bears the risks of future uncertainties. To date all operating nuclear power plants were developed by state-owned or regulated utility monopolies[61][62] where many of the risks associated with construction costs, operating performance, fuel price, and other factors were borne by consumers rather than suppliers. Many countries have now liberalized the electricity market where these risks, and the risk of cheaper competitors emerging before capital costs are recovered, are borne by plant suppliers and operators rather than consumers, which leads to a significantly different evaluation of the economics of new nuclear power plants.[63]
Fukushima [ edit ]
Following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster – the second worst nuclear incident, that displaced 50,000 households after radioactive material leaked into the air, soil and sea,[64] and with subsequent radiation checks leading to bans on some shipments of vegetables and fish[65] – a global public support survey by Ipsos (2011) for energy sources was published and nuclear fission was found to be the least popular[59]
Costs [ edit ]
Costs are likely to go up for currently operating and new nuclear power plants, due to increased requirements for on-site spent fuel management and elevated design basis threats.[66] While first of their kind designs, such as the EPRs under construction are behind schedule and over-budget, of the seven South Korean APR-1400s presently under construction worldwide, two are in S.Korea at the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant and four are at the largest nuclear station construction project in the world as of 2016, in the United Arab Emirates at the planned Barakah nuclear power plant. The first reactor, Barakah-1 is 85% completed and on schedule for grid-connection during 2017.[67][68] Two of the four EPRs under construction (in Finland and France) are significantly behind schedule and substantially over cost.[69]
Renewable sources [ edit ]
Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that comes from resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat.[70] Renewable energy replaces conventional fuels in four distinct areas: electricity generation, hot water/space heating, motor fuels, and rural (off-grid) energy services.[71]
About 16% of global final energy consumption presently comes from renewable resources, with 10% [72] of all energy from traditional biomass, mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from hydroelectricity. New renewables (small hydro, modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels) account for another 3% and are growing rapidly.[73] At the national level, at least 30 nations around the world already have renewable energy contributing more than 20% of energy supply. National renewable energy markets are projected to continue to grow strongly in the coming decade and beyond.[74] Wind power, for example, is growing at the rate of 30% annually, with a worldwide installed capacity of 282,482 megawatts (MW) at the end of 2012.
Renewable energy resources exist over wide geographical areas, in contrast to other energy sources, which are concentrated in a limited number of countries. Rapid deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency is resulting in significant energy security, climate change mitigation, and economic benefits.[75] In international public opinion surveys there is strong support for promoting renewable sources such as solar power and wind power.[76]
While many renewable energy projects are large-scale, renewable technologies are also suited to rural and remote areas and developing countries, where energy is often crucial in human development.[77] United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that renewable energy has the ability to lift the poorest nations to new levels of prosperity.[78]
Hydroelectricity [ edit ]
Hydroelectricity is electric power generated by hydropower; the force of falling or flowing water. In 2015 hydropower generated 16.6% of the world's total electricity and 70% of all renewable electricity [79][page needed] and is expected to increase about 3.1% each year for the next 25 years.
Hydropower is produced in 150 countries, with the Asia-Pacific region generating 32 percent of global hydropower in 2010. China is the largest hydroelectricity producer, with 721 terawatt-hours of production in 2010, representing around 17 percent of domestic electricity use. There are now three hydroelectricity plants larger than 10 GW: the Three Gorges Dam in China, Itaipu Dam across the Brazil/Paraguay border, and Guri Dam in Venezuela.[80]
The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive source of renewable electricity. The average cost of electricity from a hydro plant larger than 10 megawatts is 3 to 5 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour.[80] Hydro is also a flexible source of electricity since plants can be ramped up and down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands. However, damming interrupts the flow of rivers and can harm local ecosystems, and building large dams and reservoirs often involves displacing people and wildlife.[80] Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct waste, and has a considerably lower output level of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide than fossil fuel powered energy plants.[81]
Wind [ edit ]
Wind power harnesses the power of the wind to propel the blades of wind turbines. These turbines cause the rotation of magnets, which creates electricity. Wind towers are usually built together on wind farms. There are offshore and onshore wind farms. Global wind power capacity has expanded rapidly to 336 GW in June 2014, and wind energy production was around 4% of total worldwide electricity usage, and growing rapidly.[82]
Wind power is widely used in Europe, Asia, and the United States.[83] Several countries have achieved relatively high levels of wind power penetration, such as 21% of stationary electricity production in Denmark,[84] 18% in Portugal,[84] 16% in Spain,[84] 14% in Ireland,[85] and 9% in Germany in 2010.[84][86]:11 By 2011, at times over 50% of electricity in Germany and Spain came from wind and solar power.[87][88] As of 2011, 83 countries around the world are using wind power on a commercial basis.[86]:11
Many of the world's largest onshore wind farms are located in the United States, China, and India. Most of the world's largest offshore wind farms are located in Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom. The two largest offshore wind farm are currently the 630 MW London Array and Gwynt y Môr.
Solar [ edit ]
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity, solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis.[96][97]
Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute solar energy. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.
In 2011, the International Energy Agency said that "the development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have huge longer-term benefits. It will increase countries’ energy security through reliance on an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly import-independent resource, enhance sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of mitigating climate change, and keep fossil fuel prices lower than otherwise. These advantages are global. Hence the additional costs of the incentives for early deployment should be considered learning investments; they must be wisely spent and need to be widely shared".[96] More than 100 countries use solar PV.
Photovoltaics (PV) is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material. Materials presently used for photovoltaics include monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium selenide/sulfide. Due to the increased demand for renewable energy sources, the manufacturing of solar cells and photovoltaic arrays has advanced considerably in recent years.
Solar photovoltaics is a sustainable energy source.[98] By the end of 2011, a total of 71.1 GW[99] had been installed, sufficient to generate 85 TWh/year.[100] And by end of 2012, the 100 GW installed capacity milestone was achieved.[101] Solar photovoltaics is now, after hydro and wind power, the third most important renewable energy source in terms of globally installed capacity. In 2016, after another year of rapid growth, solar generated 1.3% of global power.[102]
Driven by advances in technology and increases in manufacturing scale and sophistication, the cost of photovoltaics has declined steadily since the first solar cells were manufactured,[103] and the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) from PV is competitive with conventional electricity sources in an expanding list of geographic regions. Net metering and financial incentives, such as preferential feed-in tariffs for solar-generated electricity, have supported solar PV installations in many countries.[104] The Energy Payback Time (EPBT), also known as energy amortization, depends on the location's annual solar insolation and temperature profile, as well as on the used type of PV-technology. For conventional crystalline silicon photovoltaics, the EPBT is higher than for thin-film technologies such as CdTe-PV or CPV-systems. Moreover, the payback time decreased in the recent years due to a number of improvements such as solar cell efficiency and more economic manufacturing processes. As of 2014, photovoltaics recoup on average the energy needed to manufacture them in 0.7 to 2 years. This results in about 95% of net-clean energy produced by a solar rooftop PV system over a 30-year life-time.[105]:30 Installations may be ground-mounted (and sometimes integrated with farming and grazing) or built into the roof or walls of a building (either building-integrated photovoltaics or simply rooftop).
Biofuels [ edit ]
A biofuel is a fuel that contains energy from geologically recent carbon fixation. These fuels are produced from living organisms. Examples of this carbon fixation occur in plants and microalgae. These fuels are made by a biomass conversion (biomass refers to recently living organisms, most often referring to plants or plant-derived materials). This biomass can be converted to convenient energy containing substances in three different ways: thermal conversion, chemical conversion, and biochemical conversion. This biomass conversion can result in fuel in solid, liquid, or gas form. This new biomass can be used for biofuels. Biofuels have increased in popularity because of rising oil prices and the need for energy security.
Bioethanol is an alcohol made by fermentation, mostly from carbohydrates produced in sugar or starch crops such as corn or sugarcane. Cellulosic biomass, derived from non-food sources, such as trees and grasses, is also being developed as a feedstock for ethanol production. Ethanol can be used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form, but it is usually used as a gasoline additive to increase octane and improve vehicle emissions. Bioethanol is widely used in the USA and in Brazil. Current plant design does not provide for converting the lignin portion of plant raw materials to fuel components by fermentation.
Biodiesel is made from vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel can be used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form, but it is usually used as a diesel additive to reduce levels of particulates, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons from diesel-powered vehicles. Biodiesel is produced from oils or fats using transesterification and is the most common biofuel in Europe. However, research is underway on producing renewable fuels from decarboxylation[106]
In 2010, worldwide biofuel production reached 105 billion liters (28 billion gallons US), up 17% from 2009,[107] and biofuels provided 2.7% of the world's fuels for road transport, a contribution largely made up of ethanol and biodiesel.[citation needed] Global ethanol fuel production reached 86 billion liters (23 billion gallons US) in 2010, with the United States and Brazil as the world's top producers, accounting together for 90% of global production. The world's largest biodiesel producer is the European Union, accounting for 53% of all biodiesel production in 2010.[107] As of 2011, mandates for blending biofuels exist in 31 countries at the national level and in 29 states or provinces.[86]:13–14 The International Energy Agency has a goal for biofuels to meet more than a quarter of world demand for transportation fuels by 2050 to reduce dependence on petroleum and coal.[108]
Geothermal [ edit ]
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. The geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from the original formation of the planet (20%) and from radioactive decay of minerals (80%).[109] The geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface. The adjective geothermal originates from the Greek roots γη (ge), meaning earth, and θερμος (thermos), meaning hot.
Earth's internal heat is thermal energy generated from radioactive decay and continual heat loss from Earth's formation. Temperatures at the core-mantle boundary may reach over 4000 °C (7,200 °F).[110] The high temperature and pressure in Earth's interior cause some rock to melt and solid mantle to behave plastically, resulting in portions of mantle convecting upward since it is lighter than the surrounding rock. Rock and water is heated in the crust, sometimes up to 370 °C (700 °F).[111]
From hot springs, geothermal energy has been used for bathing since Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but it is now better known for electricity generation. Worldwide, 11,400 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power is online in 24 countries in 2012.[112] An additional 28 gigawatts of direct geothermal heating capacity is installed for district heating, space heating, spas, industrial processes, desalination and agricultural applications in 2010.[113]
Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly,[114] but has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation. Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissions are much lower per energy unit than those of fossil fuels. As a result, geothermal power has the potential to help mitigate global warming if widely deployed in place of fossil fuels.
The Earth's geothermal resources are theoretically more than adequate to supply humanity's energy needs, but only a very small fraction may be profitably exploited. Drilling and exploration for deep resources is very expensive. Forecasts for the future of geothermal power depend on assumptions about technology, energy prices, subsidies, and interest rates. Pilot programs like EWEB's customer opt in Green Power Program [115] show that customers would be willing to pay a little more for a renewable energy source like geothermal. But as a result of government assisted research and industry experience, the cost of generating geothermal power has decreased by 25% over the past two decades.[116] In 2001, geothermal energy cost between two and ten US cents per kWh.[117]
Oceanic [ edit ]
Marine energy or marine power (also sometimes referred to as ocean energy, ocean power, or marine and hydrokinetic energy) refers to the energy carried by ocean waves, tides, salinity, and ocean temperature differences. The movement of water in the world's oceans creates a vast store of kinetic energy, or energy in motion. This energy can be harnessed to generate electricity to power homes, transport and industries.
The term marine energy encompasses both wave power i.e. power from surface waves, and tidal power i.e. obtained from the kinetic energy of large bodies of moving water. Offshore wind power is not a form of marine energy, as wind power is derived from the wind, even if the wind turbines are placed over water. The oceans have a tremendous amount of energy and are close to many if not most concentrated populations. Ocean energy has the potential of providing a substantial amount of new renewable energy around the world.
100% renewable energy [ edit ]
The incentive to use 100% renewable energy, for electricity, transport, or even total primary energy supply globally, has been motivated by global warming and other ecological as well as economic concerns. Renewable energy use has grown much faster than anyone anticipated.[118] The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that there are few fundamental technological limits to integrating a portfolio of renewable energy technologies to meet most of total global energy demand.[119] At the national level, at least 30 nations around the world already have renewable energy contributing more than 20% of energy supply. Also, Professors S. Pacala and Robert H. Socolow have developed a series of "stabilization wedges" that can allow us to maintain our quality of life while avoiding catastrophic climate change, and "renewable energy sources," in aggregate, constitute the largest number of their "wedges." [120]
Mark Z. Jacobson says producing all new energy with wind power, solar power, and hydropower by 2030 is feasible and existing energy supply arrangements could be replaced by 2050. Barriers to implementing the renewable energy plan are seen to be "primarily social and political, not technological or economic". Jacobson says that energy costs with a wind, solar, water system should be similar to today's energy costs.[121]
Similarly, in the United States, the independent National Research Council has noted that "sufficient domestic renewable resources exist to allow renewable electricity to play a significant role in future electricity generation and thus help confront issues related to climate change, energy security, and the escalation of energy costs … Renewable energy is an attractive option because renewable resources available in the United States, taken collectively, can supply significantly greater amounts of electricity than the total current or projected domestic demand." .[122]
Critics of the "100% renewable energy" approach include Vaclav Smil and James E. Hansen. Smil and Hansen are concerned about the variable output of solar and wind power, but Amory Lovins argues that the electricity grid can cope, just as it routinely backs up nonworking coal-fired and nuclear plants with working ones.[123]
Google spent $30 million on their RE<C project to develop renewable energy and stave off catastrophic climate change. The project was cancelled after concluding that a best-case scenario for rapid advances in renewable energy could only result in emissions 55 percent below the fossil fuel projections for 2050.[124]
Increased energy efficiency [ edit ]
[125] A spiral-type integrated compact fluorescent lamp , which has been popular among North American consumers since its introduction in the mid-1990s
Although increasing the efficiency of energy use is not energy development per se, it may be considered under the topic of energy development since it makes existing energy sources available to do work.[126]:22
Efficient energy use reduces the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to maintain a comfortable temperature. Installing fluorescent lamps or natural skylights reduces the amount of energy required for illumination compared to incandescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescent lights use two-thirds less energy and may last 6 to 10 times longer than incandescent lights. Improvements in energy efficiency are most often achieved by adopting an efficient technology or production process.[127]
Reducing energy use may save consumers money, if the energy savings offsets the cost of an energy efficient technology. Reducing energy use reduces emissions. According to the International Energy Agency, improved energy efficiency in buildings, industrial processes and transportation could reduce the world's energy needs in 2050 by one third, and help control global emissions of greenhouse gases.[128]
Energy efficiency and renewable energy are said to be the twin pillars of sustainable energy policy.[129] In many countries energy efficiency is also seen to have a national security benefit because it can be used to reduce the level of energy imports from foreign countries and may slow down the rate at which domestic energy resources are depleted.
It's been discovered "that for OECD countries, wind, geothermal, hydro and nuclear have the lowest hazard rates among energy sources in production".[130]
Transmission [ edit ]
While new sources of energy are only rarely discovered or made possible by new technology, distribution technology continually evolves.[131] The use of fuel cells in cars, for example, is an anticipated delivery technology.[132] This section presents the various delivery technologies that have been important to historic energy development. They all rely in way on the energy sources listed in the previous section.
Shipping and pipelines [ edit ]
Coal, petroleum and their derivatives are delivered by boat, rail, or road. Petroleum and natural gas may also be delivered by pipeline, and coal via a Slurry pipeline. Fuels such as gasoline and LPG may also be delivered via aircraft. Natural gas pipelines must maintain a certain minimum pressure to function correctly. The higher costs of ethanol transportation and storage are often prohibitive.[133]
Wired energy transfer [ edit ]
Electricity grids are the networks used to transmit and distribute power from production source to end user, when the two may be hundreds of kilometres away. Sources include electrical generation plants such as a nuclear reactor, coal burning power plant, etc. A combination of sub-stations and transmission lines are used to maintain a constant flow of electricity. Grids may suffer from transient blackouts and brownouts, often due to weather damage. During certain extreme space weather events solar wind can interfere with transmissions. Grids also have a predefined carrying capacity or load that cannot safely be exceeded. When power requirements exceed what's available, failures are inevitable. To prevent problems, power is then rationed.
Industrialised countries such as Canada, the US, and Australia are among the highest per capita consumers of electricity in the world, which is possible thanks to a widespread electrical distribution network. The US grid is one of the most advanced, although infrastructure maintenance is becoming a problem. CurrentEnergy provides a realtime overview of the electricity supply and demand for California, Texas, and the Northeast of the US. African countries with small scale electrical grids have a correspondingly low annual per capita usage of electricity. One of the most powerful power grids in the world supplies power to the state of Queensland, Australia.
Wireless energy transfer [ edit ]
Wireless power transfer is a process whereby electrical energy is transmitted from a power source to an electrical load that does not have a built-in power source, without the use of interconnecting wires. Currently available technology is limited to short distances and relatively low power level.
Orbiting solar power collectors would require wireless transmission of power to Earth. The proposed method involves creating a large beam of microwave-frequency radio waves, which would be aimed at a collector antenna site on the Earth. Formidable technical challenges exist to ensure the safety and profitability of such a scheme.
Storage [ edit ]
Energy storage is accomplished by devices or physical media that store energy to perform useful operation at a later time. A device that stores energy is sometimes called an accumulator.
All forms of energy are either potential energy (e.g. Chemical, gravitational, electrical energy, temperature differential, latent heat, etc.) or kinetic energy (e.g. momentum). Some technologies provide only short-term energy storage, and others can be very long-term such as power to gas using hydrogen or methane and the storage of heat or cold between opposing seasons in deep aquifers or bedrock. A wind-up clock stores potential energy (in this case mechanical, in the spring tension), a battery stores readily convertible chemical energy to operate a mobile phone, and a hydroelectric dam stores energy in a reservoir as gravitational potential energy. Ice storage tanks store ice (thermal energy in the form of latent heat) at night to meet peak demand for cooling. Fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline store ancient energy derived from sunlight by organisms that later died, became buried and over time were then converted into these fuels. Even food (which is made by the same process as fossil fuels) is a form of energy stored in chemical form.
History [ edit ]
Since prehistory, when humanity discovered fire to warm up and roast food, through the Middle Ages in which populations built windmills to grind the wheat, until the modern era in which nations can get electricity splitting the atom. Man has sought endlessly for energy sources.
Except nuclear, geothermal and tidal, all other energy sources are from current solar isolation or from fossil remains of plant and animal life that relied upon sunlight. Ultimately, solar energy itself is the result of the Sun's nuclear fusion. Geothermal power from hot, hardened rock above the magma of the Earth's core is the result of the decay of radioactive materials present beneath the Earth's crust, and nuclear fission relies on man-made fission of heavy radioactive elements in the Earth's crust; in both cases these elements were produced in supernova explosions before the formation of the solar system.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the question of the future of energy supplies has been of interest. In 1865, William Stanley Jevons published The Coal Question in which he saw that the reserves of coal were being depleted and that oil was an ineffective replacement. In 1914, U.S. Bureau of Mines stated that the total production was 5.7 billion barrels (910,000,000 m3). In 1956, Geophysicist M. King Hubbert deduces that U.S. oil production would peak between 1965 and 1970 and that oil production will peak "within half a century" on the basis of 1956 data. In 1989, predicted peak by Colin Campbell[134] In 2004, OPEC estimated, with substantial investments, it would nearly double oil output by 2025[135]
Sustainability [ edit ]
Energy consumption from 1989 to 1999
The environmental movement has emphasized sustainability of energy use and development.[136] Renewable energy is sustainable in its production; the available supply will not be diminished for the foreseeable future - millions or billions of years. "Sustainability" also refers to the ability of the environment to cope with waste products, especially air pollution. Sources which have no direct waste products (such as wind, solar, and hydropower) are brought up on this point. With global demand for energy growing, the need to adopt various energy sources is growing. Energy conservation is an alternative or complementary process to energy development. It reduces the demand for energy by using it efficiently.
Resilience [ edit ]
per capita (2001). Red hues indicate increase, green hues decrease of consumption during the 1990s. Energy consumption(2001). Red hues indicate increase, green hues decrease of consumption during the 1990s.
Some observers contend that idea of "energy independence" is an unrealistic and opaque concept.[137] The alternative offer of "energy resilience" is a goal aligned with economic, security, and energy realities. The notion of resilience in energy was detailed in the 1982 book Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security.[138] The authors argued that simply switching to domestic energy would not be secure inherently because the true weakness is the interdependent and vulnerable energy infrastructure of the United States. Key aspects such as gas lines and the electrical power grid are centralized and easily susceptible to disruption. They conclude that a "resilient energy supply" is necessary for both national security and the environment. They recommend a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy that is decentralized.[139]
In 2008, former Intel Corporation Chairman and CEO Andrew Grove looked to energy resilience, arguing that complete independence is unfeasible given the global market for energy.[140] He describes energy resilience as the ability to adjust to interruptions in the supply of energy. To that end, he suggests the U.S. make greater use of electricity.[141] Electricity can be produced from a variety of sources. A diverse energy supply will be less affected by the disruption in supply of any one source. He reasons that another feature of electrification is that electricity is "sticky" – meaning the electricity produced in the U.S. is to stay there because it cannot be transported overseas. According to Grove, a key aspect of advancing electrification and energy resilience will be converting the U.S. automotive fleet from gasoline-powered to electric-powered. This, in turn, will require the modernization and expansion of the electrical power grid. As organizations such as The Reform Institute have pointed out, advancements associated with the developing smart grid would facilitate the ability of the grid to absorb vehicles en masse connecting to it to charge their batteries.[142]
Present and future [ edit ]
Extrapolations from current knowledge to the future offer a choice of energy futures.[145] Predictions parallel the Malthusian catastrophe hypothesis. Numerous are complex models based scenarios as pioneered by Limits to Growth. Modeling approaches offer ways to analyze diverse strategies, and hopefully find a road to rapid and sustainable development of humanity. Short term energy crises are also a concern of energy development. Extrapolations lack plausibility, particularly when they predict a continual increase in oil consumption.[citation needed]
Energy production usually requires an energy investment. Drilling for oil or building a wind power plant requires energy. The fossil fuel resources that are left are often increasingly difficult to extract and convert. They may thus require increasingly higher energy investments. If investment is greater than the value of the energy produced by the resource, it is no longer an effective energy source. These resources are no longer an energy source but may be exploited for value as raw materials. New technology may lower the energy investment required to extract and convert the resources, although ultimately basic physics sets limits that cannot be exceeded.
Between 1950 and 1984, as the Green Revolution transformed agriculture around the globe, world grain production increased by 250%. The energy for the Green Revolution was provided by fossil fuels in the form of fertilizers (natural gas), pesticides (oil), and hydrocarbon fueled irrigation.[146] The peaking of world hydrocarbon production (peak oil) may lead to significant changes, and require sustainable methods of production.[147] One vision of a sustainable energy future involves all human structures on the earth's surface (i.e., buildings, vehicles and roads) doing artificial photosynthesis (using sunlight to split water as a source of hydrogen and absorbing carbon dioxide to make fertilizer) efficiently than plants.[148]
With contemporary space industry's economic activity[149][150] and the related private spaceflight, with the manufacturing industries, that go into Earth's orbit or beyond, delivering them to those regions will require further energy development.[151][152] Researchers have contemplated space-based solar power for collecting solar power for use on Earth. Space-based solar power has been in research since the early 1970s. Space-based solar power would require construction of collector structures in space. The advantage over ground-based solar power is higher intensity of light, and no weather to interrupt power collection.
See also [ edit ]
References and citations [ edit ]
Notes
Citations
Sources [ edit ]
Armstrong, Robert C., Catherine Wolfram, Robert Gross, Nathan S. Lewis, and M.V. Ramana et al. The Frontiers of Energy, Nature Energy , Vol 1, 11 January 2016.
, Vol 1, 11 January 2016. Serra, J. "Alternative Fuel Resource Development", Clean and Green Fuels Fund, (2006).
Bilgen, S. and K. Kaygusuz, Renewable Energy for a Clean and Sustainable Future , Energy Sources 26, 1119 (2004).
, Energy Sources 26, 1119 (2004). Energy analysis of Power Systems , UIC Nuclear Issues Briefing Paper 57 (2004).
, UIC Nuclear Issues Briefing Paper 57 (2004). Silvestre, B. S., Dalcol, P. R. T. Geographical proximity and innovation: Evidences from the Campos Basin oil & gas industrial agglomeration — Brazil. Technovation (2009), doi:10.1016/j.technovation.2009.01.003 |
SURPRISE! Bernie Sanders’ Latino Spokeswoman IS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT (VIDEO)
Guest post by Aleister
Here’s something you probably haven’t heard about in any of the media coverage of the 2016 election.
The Latino press secretary and spokeswoman for Bernie Sanders is an “undocumented” immigrant.
Sanders hired illegal immigrant Erika Andiola to push his open borders policies.
Fusion reported back in October:
Bernie Sanders hires undocumented woman who had home raided by immigration officials The Bernie Sanders presidential campaign has hired a woman who is undocumented and intimately familiar with how U.S. immigration laws can separate families to assist with outreach to Latinos, a hugely important demographic in the 2016 election. A spokesperson for Sanders confirmed to Fusion on Saturday that Erika Andiola is joining the campaign as a “Latino Outreach Strategist for the Southwestern Region.” She starts Monday. “We are excited to have Erika Andiola on the team,” Arturo Carmona, the Latino outreach director for the Sanders campaign, said.
Erika Andiola was in the news this week because she said Bernie will stop the deportation of illegals.
MRCTV reported:
Sanders Will Stop Deportations, Says His ‘Proud Undocumented’ Press Secretary ERIKA ANDIOLA, HISPANIC PRESS SECRETARY, BERNIE 2016: Arriving to the presidency, he’s not only going to focus on immigration reform in Congress. He’s going to focus on stopping deportations, stopping the raids.
This video is in Spanish but has English subtitles:
So all the “free stuff” is going to be for illegal immigrants too, huh?
Of course it is.
(Image:Source) |
As a little boy Lou Ferrigno put on a hearing aid every morning. Other kids teased him, which led to schoolyard fights that Ferrigno lost. For comfort he would read “The Incredible Hulk” comic book, one of his favorites. “ I felt devastated and emotionally insecure. I would just read the comics and it would give me inspiration and hope,” Ferrigno said. Ferrigno didn’t stop there. He began to lift weights and body build to gain the super strength his comic book hero had. By the age of 22, Ferrigno had won the “Mr. Universe” title twice.
“The Incredible Hulk” series went in to production in 1977 and the producers needed a muscular type for the title role that played opposite the diminutive Dr. David Banner. At first they turned to Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he wasn’t tall enough, so, the producers signed on the seasoned actor Richard Kiel, who would become most recognizable for his part of “Jaws” in James Bond movies. But, as Ferrigno explained, “He (Kiel) was too big. He didn’t have the muscles and he didn’t have the look.” Even one of the director’s sons complained that Kiel didn’t look like the Hulk from the comic book.
Though shooting was well underway, the producers recast the part with the only person in Hollywood with the height and the build to play the Hulk: Lou Ferrigno. The most difficult challenges of playing the Hulk were putting on six layers of green makeup and the 16-hour work days. In one episode, a scene called for Ferrigno to flip a car with the aid of a steel cable lift, but it broke. Ferrigno, exhausted and annoyed from still being on the set at 4 a.m., was not going to wait for a new cable. Instead, he took matters in to his own hands–literally. “Do you think I am not going to turn that car over? I think I really became the Hulk,” Ferrigno said about his feat of tilting the car up off a road and pushing it down an embankment. Ferrigno was surely the right man for the part.
Living a Childhood Dream
Prior to being cast as The Hulk, Lou Ferrigno had no experience as an actor but he knew the character of the Hulk very well. “I got beat up a lot as a kid and I wanted to be so strong, so invincible so I could command the same power the Hulk does… and that’s how that connection began,” Ferrigno said. He thought of the Hulk as “the green Santa Claus,” because of his instinct to protect the good. “The Incredible Hulk” TV series lasted five seasons, but it didn’t mark the end for Ferrigno’s role as the Hulk. Ferrigno was called upon to provide the voice of the new Hulk in “The Avengers” (2012). |
BREAKING: Donald Trump Attorney Looking for Homeless Woman Beaten By Hillary Clinton Supporters in Hollywood
The attorney for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is looking for the homeless Black woman seen on video being attacked by a mob of Hillary Clinton supporters as she protected Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after it was sledgehammered by a Clinton supporter earlier this week.
Before:
After:
Michael Cohen, Trump Organization EVP and Special Counsel to Donald J. Trump, spoke out on Twitter Friday evening about Mr. Trump’s desire–before it was known to him that she was attacked by the Clinton mob–to present an unspecified gift to the woman. Cohen said he had a friend in Hollywood looking for her.
After learning she had been attacked, Cohen promised she would have “the last laugh on these thugs.”
Cohen told a supporter to not contact the Trump campaign about the woman but to DM him on Twitter with any information as to her whereabouts., indicating this is a personal matter for Trump.
.@DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump someone please help me locate this woman as Mr. Trump has a gift for her… — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 28, 2016
“[email protected] @realDonaldTrump someone please help me locate this woman as Mr. Trump has a gift for her…”
.@aGirlisN0one @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump Someone please help me find this woman. No person should ever be treated this way!!! — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 28, 2016
“[email protected] @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump Someone please help me find this woman. No person should ever be treated this way!!!”
.@can_texplain @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump I just had a friend who works close by look but she is not there. If someone sees her, DM me — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 28, 2016
“[email protected]_texplain @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump I just had a friend who works close by look but she is not there. If someone sees her, DM me”
Soon after Cohen responded to posters on Twitter who informed him the woman had been attacked and prayed for her to be found and helped. Cohen stayed engaged in conversation with the posters over the course of several hours Friday night.
“@MichaelCohen212 @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump they assaulted her!!”
“[email protected] @YouTube with everyone’s help, we will.”
.@IamBruceRussell @natashalarebel she will ultimately have the last laugh — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 28, 2016
“[email protected] @natashalarebel she will ultimately have the last laugh”
.@can_texplain @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump no one should be treated like this. God bless her — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 28, 2016
“[email protected]_texplain @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump no one should be treated like this. God bless her”
“[email protected] @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump @Cernovich @PizzaPartyBen we will!!!” (find her)
“[email protected] @aGirlisN0one @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump @Cernovich @PizzaPartyBen I have asked local friends to check daily.”
“[email protected] @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump No…please DM me.”
.@sandra48050139 with everyone's love and help, this woman will have the last laugh on these thugs — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 28, 2016
“[email protected] with everyone’s love and help, this woman will have the last laugh on these thugs”
“[email protected]_McLean @bocavista2016 @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump that’s for the police to do. Let’s hope”
“[email protected] @can_texplain @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump or be treated like this.”
.@Malthrax @CassandraRules I have a friend who went and she was gone. He will return daily until we find her. — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 28, 2016
“[email protected] @CassandraRules I have a friend who went and she was gone. He will return daily until we find her.”
“[email protected] @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump I sure will.”
“[email protected] @can_texplain @Poppy_Fields1 @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump as did everyone I know who saw it”
“[email protected] @aGirlisN0one @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump @Cernovich @PizzaPartyBen how do you know that and how do I find her?”
“[email protected] @CassandraRules @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump Thank you”
“[email protected] @taylorhamtakes No. still hoping”
“[email protected] @sarahmint @taylorhamtakes yes!”
.@russellwiley @ClydeStones @sarahmint @taylorhamtakes If anyone knows who the thugs are, call law enforcement immediately with their names. — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 29, 2016
“[email protected] @ClydeStones @sarahmint @taylorhamtakes If anyone knows who the thugs are, call law enforcement immediately with their names.”
“Michael Cohen @MichaelCohen212 39s39 seconds ago Manhattan, NY
[email protected] @Cernovich @HeavenPeaceLove @aGirlisN0one @DiamondandSilk @realDonaldTrump @PizzaPartyBen rest assured…I will” |
federal republic in North America
Coordinates:
The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.[f] At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km2), the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area[g] and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles (10.1 million km2). With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.[19]
Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century. The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies following the French and Indian War led to the American Revolution, which began in 1775, and the subsequent Declaration of Independence in 1776. The war ended in 1783 with the United States becoming the first country to gain independence from a European power.[21] The current constitution was adopted in 1788, with the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, being ratified in 1791 to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century, acquiring new territories,[22] displacing Native American tribes, and gradually admitting new states until it spanned the continent by 1848.[22]
During the second half of the 19th century, the Civil War led to the abolition of slavery.[23][24] By the end of the century, the United States had extended into the Pacific Ocean,[25] and its economy, driven in large part by the Industrial Revolution, began to soar.[26] The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a global military power. The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower, the first country to develop nuclear weapons, the only country to use them in warfare, and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in the Space Race, culminating with the 1969 U.S. Moon landing. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world's sole superpower.[27]
The United States is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a federal republic and a representative democracy. The United States is a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States (OAS), and other international organizations. The United States is a highly developed country, with the world's largest economy by nominal GDP and second-largest economy by PPP, accounting for approximately a quarter of global GDP.[28] The U.S. economy is largely post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge-based activities, although the manufacturing sector remains the second-largest in the world.[29] The United States is the world's largest importer and the second largest exporter of goods, by value.[30][31] Although its population is only 4.3% of the world total,[32] the U.S. holds 31% of the total wealth in the world, the largest share of global wealth concentrated in a single country.[33]
Despite wide income and wealth disparities, the United States continues to rank very high in measures of socioeconomic performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP, and worker productivity.[34][35] The United States is the foremost military power in the world, making up a third of global military spending,[36] and is a leading political, cultural, and scientific force internationally.[37]
Etymology
The Americas are believed to be named for the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci
In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America in honor of the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci (Latin: Americus Vespucius). The first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" is from a letter dated January 2, 1776, written by Stephen Moylan, Esq., to George Washington's aide-de-camp and Muster-Master General of the Continental Army, Lt. Col. Joseph Reed. Moylan expressed his wish to go "with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the revolutionary war effort.[40][41][42] The first known publication of the phrase "United States of America" was in an anonymous essay in The Virginia Gazette newspaper in Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 6, 1776.[43]
The second draft of the Articles of Confederation, prepared by John Dickinson and completed by June 17, 1776, at the latest, declared "The name of this Confederation shall be the 'United States of America'". The final version of the Articles sent to the states for ratification in late 1777 contains the sentence "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America'". In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the phrase "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in all capitalized letters in the headline of his "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence. This draft of the document did not surface until June 21, 1776, and it is unclear whether it was written before or after Dickinson used the term in his June 17 draft of the Articles of Confederation.
The short form "United States" is also standard. Other common forms are the "U.S.", the "USA", and "America". Colloquial names are the "U.S. of A." and, internationally, the "States". "Columbia", a name popular in poetry and songs of the late 18th century, derives its origin from Christopher Columbus; it appears in the name "District of Columbia".
The phrase "United States" was originally plural, a description of a collection of independent states—e.g., "the United States are"—including in the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1865. The singular form—e.g., "the United States is"—became popular after the end of the American Civil War. The singular form is now standard; the plural form is retained in the idiom "these United States". The difference is more significant than usage; it is a difference between a collection of states and a unit.[48]
A citizen of the United States is an "American". "United States", "American" and "U.S." refer to the country adjectivally ("American values", "U.S. forces"). In English, the word "American" rarely refers to topics or subjects not directly connected with the United States.[49]
History
Indigenous peoples and pre-Columbian history
It has been generally accepted that the first inhabitants of North America migrated from Siberia by way of the Bering land bridge and arrived at least 12,000 years ago however, increasing evidence suggests an even earlier arrival. After crossing the land bridge, the first Americans moved southward along the Pacific coast and through an interior ice-free corridor between the Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets. The Clovis culture appeared around 11,000 BC, and is considered to be an ancestor of most of the later indigenous cultures of the Americas. The Clovis culture was believed to represent the first human settlement of the Americas. Over the years, more and more evidence has advanced the idea of "pre-Clovis" cultures including tools dating back about 15,550 years ago. It is likely these represent the first of three major waves of migrations into North America.
Over time, indigenous cultures in North America grew increasingly complex, and some, such as the pre-Columbian Mississippian culture in the southeast, developed advanced agriculture, grand architecture, and state-level societies. The Mississippian culture flourished in the south from 800 to 1600 AD, extending from the Mexican border down through Florida. Its city state Cahokia is considered the largest, most complex pre-Columbian archaeological site in the modern-day United States. In the Four Corners region, Ancestral Puebloans culture developed as the culmination of centuries of agricultural experimentation which produced greater dependence on farming. Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States are credited to the Pueblos: Mesa Verde National Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and Taos Pueblo. The earthworks constructed by Native Americans of the Poverty Point culture in northeastern Louisiana have also been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the southern Great Lakes region, the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee) was established at some point between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries.[63]
The date of the first settlements of the Hawaiian Islands is a topic of continuing debate.[64] Archaeological evidence seems to indicate a settlement as early as 124 AD.[65]
Effects on and interaction with native populations
While estimating the original native population of North America at the time of European contact is difficult, an attempt was made in the early part of the twentieth century by James Mooney using historic records to estimate the indigenous population north of Mexico in 1600. In more recent years, Douglas H. Ubelaker of the Smithsonian Institution has updated these figures. While Ubelaker estimated that there was a population of 92,916 in the south Atlantic states and a population of 473,616 in the Gulf states, most academics regard the figure as too low. Anthropologist Henry F. Dobyns believed that the populations were much higher, suggestion 1,100,000 along the shores of the gulf of Mexico, 2,211,000 people living between Florida and Massachusetts, 5,250,000 in the Mississippi Valley and tributaries and 697,000 people in the Florida peninsula.
The first interaction between Europeans and Native Americans was made by the Norsemen. A number of surviving Norse sagas provide information regarding The Maritimes and its indigenous people. The Norse attempted to settle in North America about 500 years before Columbus.
In the early days of colonization, many European settlers were subject to food shortages, disease, and attacks from Native Americans. Native Americans were also often at war with neighboring tribes and allied with Europeans in their colonial wars. At the same time, however, many natives and settlers came to depend on each other. Settlers traded for food and animal pelts, natives for guns, ammunition and other European wares.[72] Natives taught many settlers where, when and how to cultivate corn, beans, and squash. European missionaries and others felt it was important to "civilize" the Native Americans and urged them to adopt European agricultural techniques and lifestyles.[73][74]
European settlements
With the advancement of European colonization in the territories of the contemporary United States, the Native Americans were often conquered and displaced. The first Europeans to arrive in the territory of the modern United States were Spanish conquistadors such as Juan Ponce de León, who made his first visit to Florida in 1513; however, if unincorporated territories are accounted for, then credit would go to Christopher Columbus who landed in Puerto Rico on his 1493 voyage. The Spanish set up the first settlements in Florida and New Mexico such as Saint Augustine[75] and Santa Fe. The French established their own as well along the Mississippi River. Successful English settlement on the eastern coast of North America began with the Virginia Colony in 1607 at Jamestown and the Pilgrims' Plymouth Colony in 1620. Many settlers were dissenting Christian groups who came seeking religious freedom. The continent's first elected legislative assembly, Virginia's House of Burgesses created in 1619, the Mayflower Compact, signed by the Pilgrims before disembarking, and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, established precedents for the pattern of representative self-government and constitutionalism that would develop throughout the American colonies.[77][78]
Most settlers in every colony were small farmers, but other industries developed within a few decades as varied as the settlements. Cash crops included tobacco, rice, and wheat. Extraction industries grew up in furs, fishing and lumber. Manufacturers produced rum and ships, and by the late colonial period, Americans were producing one-seventh of the world's iron supply.[79] Cities eventually dotted the coast to support local economies and serve as trade hubs. English colonists were supplemented by waves of Scotch-Irish and other groups. As coastal land grew more expensive, freed indentured servants pushed further west.[80]
A large-scale slave trade with English privateers was begun.[81] The life expectancy of slaves was much higher in North America than further south, because of less disease and better food and treatment, leading to a rapid increase in the numbers of slaves.[82][83] Colonial society was largely divided over the religious and moral implications of slavery, and colonies passed acts for and against the practice.[84][85] But by the turn of the 18th century, African slaves were replacing indentured servants for cash crop labor, especially in southern regions.[86]
With the British colonization of Georgia in 1732, the 13 colonies that would become the United States of America were established.[87] All had local governments with elections open to most free men, with a growing devotion to the ancient rights of Englishmen and a sense of self-government stimulating support for republicanism.[88] With extremely high birth rates, low death rates, and steady settlement, the colonial population grew rapidly. Relatively small Native American populations were eclipsed.[89] The Christian revivalist movement of the 1730s and 1740s known as the Great Awakening fueled interest in both religion and religious liberty.[90]
During the Seven Years' War (in the United States, known as the French and Indian War), British forces seized Canada from the French, but the francophone population remained politically isolated from the southern colonies. Excluding the Native Americans, who were being conquered and displaced, the 13 British colonies had a population of over 2.1 million in 1770, about one-third that of Britain. Despite continuing new arrivals, the rate of natural increase was such that by the 1770s only a small minority of Americans had been born overseas.[91] The colonies' distance from Britain had allowed the development of self-government, but their success motivated monarchs to periodically seek to reassert royal authority.[92]
In 1774, the Spanish Navy ship Santiago, under Juan Pérez, entered and anchored in an inlet of Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island, in present-day British Columbia. Although the Spanish did not land, natives paddled to the ship to trade furs for abalone shells from California.[93] At the time, the Spanish were able to monopolize the trade between Asia and North America, granting limited licenses to the Portuguese. When the Russians began establishing a growing fur trading system in Alaska, the Spanish began to challenge the Russians, with Pérez's voyage being the first of many to the Pacific Northwest.[94][h]
During his third and final voyage, Captain James Cook became the first European to begin formal contact with Hawaii.[96] After his initial landfall in January 1778 at Waimea harbor, Kauai, Cook named the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands" after the fourth Earl of Sandwich—the acting First Lord of the Admiralty of the British Royal Navy.[97] Captain James Cook's last voyage included sailing along the coast of North America and Alaska searching for a Northwest Passage for approximately nine months. After having arrived in the Hawaiian islands in 1778, Captain Cook sailed north and then northeast to explore the west coast of North America north of the Spanish settlements in Alta California. He made landfall on the Oregon coast at approximately 44°30′ north latitude, naming his landing point Cape Foulweather. Bad weather forced his ships south to about 43° north before they could begin their exploration of the coast northward.[98] In March 1778, Cook landed on Bligh Island and named the inlet "King George's Sound". He recorded that the native name was Nutka or Nootka, apparently misunderstanding his conversations at Friendly Cove/Yuquot; his informant may have been explaining that he was on an island (itchme nutka, a place you can "go around"). There may also have been confusion with Nuu-chah-nulth, the natives' autonym (a name for themselves). It may also have simply been based on Cook's mispronunciation of Yuquot, the native name of the place.[99] He returned to Hawaii to resupply, initially exploring the coasts of Maui and the big island, trading with locals and then making anchor at Kealakekua Bay in January 1779. When his ships and company left the islands, a ship's mast broke in bad weather, forcing them to return in mid-February. Cook would be killed days later.[100] [i][j]
Independence and expansion (1776–1865)
The American Revolutionary War was the first successful colonial war of independence against a European power. Americans had developed an ideology of "republicanism" asserting that government rested on the will of the people as expressed in their local legislatures. They demanded their rights as Englishmen and "no taxation without representation". The British insisted on administering the empire through Parliament, and the conflict escalated into war.[113]
The Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, which recognized, in a long preamble, that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights and that those rights were not being protected by Great Britain, and declared, in the words of the resolution, that the thirteen United Colonies formed an independent nation and had no further allegiance to the British crown. The fourth day of July is celebrated annually as Independence Day.[114] The Second Continental Congress declared on September 9 "where, heretofore, the words 'United Colonies' have been used, the stile be altered for the future to the 'United States' ". In 1777, the Articles of Confederation established a weak government that operated until 1789.[114]
Britain recognized the independence of the United States following its defeat at Yorktown in 1781.[116] In the peace treaty of 1783, American sovereignty was recognized from the Atlantic coast west to the Mississippi River. Nationalists led the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in writing the United States Constitution, ratified in state conventions in 1788. The federal government was reorganized into three branches, on the principle of creating salutary checks and balances, in 1789. George Washington, who had led the revolutionary army to victory, was the first president elected under the new constitution. The Bill of Rights, forbidding federal restriction of personal freedoms and guaranteeing a range of legal protections, was adopted in 1791.[117]
Although the federal government criminalized the international slave trade in 1808, after 1820, cultivation of the highly profitable cotton crop exploded in the Deep South, and along with it, the slave population.[118][119][120] The Second Great Awakening, especially 1800–1840, converted millions to evangelical Protestantism. In the North, it energized multiple social reform movements, including abolitionism;[121] in the South, Methodists and Baptists proselytized among slave populations.[122]
Map of the states and territories of the United States, c. 1834
Americans' eagerness to expand westward prompted a long series of American Indian Wars.[123] The Louisiana Purchase of French-claimed territory in 1803 almost doubled the nation's area.[124] The War of 1812, declared against Britain over various grievances and fought to a draw, strengthened U.S. nationalism.[125] A series of military incursions into Florida led Spain to cede it and other Gulf Coast territory in 1819.[126] The expansion was aided by steam power, when steamboats began traveling along America's large water systems, which were connected by new canals, such as the Erie and the I&M; then, even faster railroads began their stretch across the nation's land.[127]
From 1820 to 1850, Jacksonian democracy began a set of reforms which included wider white male suffrage; it led to the rise of the Second Party System of Democrats and Whigs as the dominant parties from 1828 to 1854. The Trail of Tears in the 1830s exemplified the Indian removal policy that resettled Indians into the west on Indian reservations. The U.S. annexed the Republic of Texas in 1845 during a period of expansionist Manifest destiny.[128] The 1846 Oregon Treaty with Britain led to U.S. control of the present-day American Northwest.[129] Victory in the Mexican–American War resulted in the 1848 Mexican Cession of California and much of the present-day American Southwest.[130]
The California Gold Rush of 1848–49 spurred western migration, the California Genocide[131][132][133][134] and the creation of additional western states.[135] After the American Civil War, new transcontinental railways made relocation easier for settlers, expanded internal trade and increased conflicts with Native Americans.[136] Over a half-century, the loss of the American bison (sometimes called "buffalo") was an existential blow to many Plains Indians culture.[137] In 1869, a new Peace Policy nominally promised to protect Native-Americans from abuses, avoid further war, and secure their eventual U.S. citizenship. Nonetheless, large-scale conflicts continued throughout the West into the 1900s.
Civil War and Reconstruction era
Differences of opinion regarding the slavery of Africans and African Americans ultimately led to the American Civil War.[138] Initially, states entering the Union had alternated between slave and free states, keeping a sectional balance in the Senate, while free states outstripped slave states in population and in the House of Representatives. But with additional western territory and more free-soil states, tensions between slave and free states mounted with arguments over federalism and disposition of the territories, whether and how to expand or restrict slavery.[139]
With the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln, the first president from the largely anti-slavery Republican Party, conventions in thirteen slave states ultimately declared secession and formed the Confederate States of America (the "South"), while the federal government (the "Union") maintained that secession was illegal.[139] In order to bring about this secession, military action was initiated by the secessionists, and the Union responded in kind. The ensuing war would become the deadliest military conflict in American history, resulting in the deaths of approximately 618,000 soldiers as well as many civilians.[140] The South fought for the freedom to own slaves, while the Union at first simply fought to maintain the country as one united whole. Nevertheless, as casualties mounted after 1863 and Lincoln delivered his Emancipation Proclamation, the main purpose of the war from the Union's viewpoint became the abolition of slavery. Indeed, when the Union ultimately won the war in April 1865, each of the states in the defeated South was required to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, which prohibited slavery.
Three amendments were added to the U.S. Constitution in the years after the war: the aforementioned Thirteenth as well as the Fourteenth Amendment providing citizenship to the nearly four million African Americans who had been slaves,[141] and the Fifteenth Amendment ensuring in theory that African Americans had the right to vote. The war and its resolution led to a substantial increase in federal power[142] aimed at reintegrating and rebuilding the South while guaranteeing the rights of the newly freed slaves.
Reconstruction began in earnest following the war. While President Lincoln attempted to foster friendship and forgiveness between the Union and the former Confederacy, an assassin's bullet on April 14, 1865, drove a wedge between North and South again. Republicans in the federal government made it their goal to oversee the rebuilding of the South and to ensure the rights of African Americans. They persisted until the Compromise of 1877 when the Republicans agreed to cease protecting the rights of African Americans in the South in order for Democrats to concede the presidential election of 1876.
Southern white Democrats, calling themselves "Redeemers", took control of the South after the end of Reconstruction. From 1890 to 1910, so-called Jim Crow laws disenfranchised most blacks and some poor whites throughout the region. Blacks faced racial segregation, especially in the South.[143] They also occasionally experienced vigilante violence, including lynching.[144]
Further immigration, expansion, and industrialization
In the North, urbanization and an unprecedented influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe supplied a surplus of labor for the country's industrialization and transformed its culture.[147] National infrastructure including telegraph and transcontinental railroads spurred economic growth and greater settlement and development of the American Old West. The later invention of electric light and the telephone would also affect communication and urban life.[148]
The United States fought Indian Wars west of the Mississippi River from 1810 to at least 1890.[149] Most of these conflicts ended with the cession of Native American territory and the confinement of the latter to Indian reservations. This further expanded acreage under mechanical cultivation, increasing surpluses for international markets.[150] Mainland expansion also included the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867.[151] In 1893, pro-American elements in Hawaii overthrew the monarchy and formed the Republic of Hawaii, which the U.S. annexed in 1898. Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines were ceded by Spain in the same year, following the Spanish–American War.[152] American Samoa was acquired by the United States in 1900 after the end of the Second Samoan Civil War.[153] The United States purchased the U.S. Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917.[154]
Rapid economic development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries fostered the rise of many prominent industrialists. Tycoons like Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie led the nation's progress in railroad, petroleum, and steel industries. Banking became a major part of the economy, with J. P. Morgan playing a notable role. Edison and Tesla undertook the widespread distribution of electricity to industry, homes, and for street lighting. Henry Ford revolutionized the automotive industry. The American economy boomed, becoming the world's largest, and the United States achieved great power status.[155] These dramatic changes were accompanied by social unrest and the rise of populist, socialist, and anarchist movements.[156] This period eventually ended with the advent of the Progressive Era, which saw significant reforms in many societal areas, including women's suffrage, alcohol prohibition, regulation of consumer goods, greater antitrust measures to ensure competition and attention to worker conditions.[157][158][159]
World War I, Great Depression, and World War II
The United States remained neutral from the outbreak of World War I, in 1914, until 1917 when it joined the war as an "associated power", alongside the formal Allies of World War I, helping to turn the tide against the Central Powers. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson took a leading diplomatic role at the Paris Peace Conference and advocated strongly for the U.S. to join the League of Nations. However, the Senate refused to approve this and did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles that established the League of Nations.[160]
In 1920, the women's rights movement won passage of a constitutional amendment granting women's suffrage.[161] The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise of radio for mass communication and the invention of early television.[162] The prosperity of the Roaring Twenties ended with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the onset of the Great Depression. After his election as president in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt responded with the New Deal, which included the establishment of the Social Security system.[163] The Great Migration of millions of African Americans out of the American South began before World War I and extended through the 1960s;[164] whereas the Dust Bowl of the mid-1930s impoverished many farming communities and spurred a new wave of western migration.[165]
At first effectively neutral during World War II while Germany conquered much of continental Europe, the United States began supplying material to the Allies in March 1941 through the Lend-Lease program. On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, prompting the United States to join the Allies against the Axis powers.[166] During the war, the United States was referred as one of the "Four Policemen"[167] of Allies power who met to plan the postwar world, along with Britain, the Soviet Union and China. Although the nation lost more than 400,000 soldiers,[170] it emerged relatively undamaged from the war with even greater economic and military influence.[171]
The United States played a leading role in the Bretton Woods and Yalta conferences with the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and other Allies, which signed agreements on new international financial institutions and Europe's postwar reorganization. As an Allied victory was won in Europe, a 1945 international conference held in San Francisco produced the United Nations Charter, which became active after the war.[172] The United States developed the first nuclear weapons and used them on Japan in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; causing the Japanese to surrender on September 2, ending World War II.[173][174] Parades and celebrations followed in what is known as Victory Day, or V-J Day.[175]
Cold War and civil rights era
After World War II the United States and the Soviet Union jockeyed for power during what became known as the Cold War, driven by an ideological divide between capitalism and communism[176] and, according to the school of geopolitics, a divide between the maritime Atlantic and the continental Eurasian camps. They dominated the military affairs of Europe, with the U.S. and its NATO allies on one side and the USSR and its Warsaw Pact allies on the other. The U.S. developed a policy of containment towards the expansion of communist influence. While the U.S. and Soviet Union engaged in proxy wars and developed powerful nuclear arsenals, the two countries avoided direct military conflict.
The United States often opposed Third World movements that it viewed as Soviet-sponsored, and occasionally pursued direct action for regime change against left-wing governments.[177] American troops fought communist Chinese and North Korean forces in the Korean War of 1950–53.[178] The Soviet Union's 1957 launch of the first artificial satellite and its 1961 launch of the first manned spaceflight initiated a "Space Race" in which the United States became the first nation to land a man on the moon in 1969.[178] A proxy war in Southeast Asia eventually evolved into full American participation, as the Vietnam War.
At home, the U.S. experienced sustained economic expansion and a rapid growth of its population and middle class. Construction of an Interstate Highway System transformed the nation's infrastructure over the following decades. Millions moved from farms and inner cities to large suburban housing developments.[179][180] In 1959 Hawaii became the 50th and last U.S. state added to the country.[181] The growing Civil Rights Movement used nonviolence to confront segregation and discrimination, with Martin Luther King Jr. becoming a prominent leader and figurehead. A combination of court decisions and legislation, culminating in the Civil Rights Act of 1968, sought to end racial discrimination.[182][183][184] Meanwhile, a counterculture movement grew which was fueled by opposition to the Vietnam war, black nationalism, and the sexual revolution.
The launch of a "War on Poverty" expanded entitlements and welfare spending, including the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, two programs that provide health coverage to the elderly and poor, respectively, and the means-tested Food Stamp Program and Aid to Families with Dependent Children.[185]
The 1970s and early 1980s saw the onset of stagflation. After his election in 1980, President Ronald Reagan responded to economic stagnation with free-market oriented reforms. Following the collapse of détente, he abandoned "containment" and initiated the more aggressive "rollback" strategy towards the USSR.[186][187][188][189][190] After a surge in female labor participation over the previous decade, by 1985 the majority of women aged 16 and over were employed.[191]
The late 1980s brought a "thaw" in relations with the USSR, and its collapse in 1991 finally ended the Cold War.[192][193][194][195] This brought about unipolarity[196] with the U.S. unchallenged as the world's dominant superpower. The concept of Pax Americana, which had appeared in the post-World War II period, gained wide popularity as a term for the post-Cold War new world order.
Contemporary history
After the Cold War, the conflict in the Middle East triggered a crisis in 1990, when Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded and attempted to annex Kuwait, an ally of the United States. Fearing that the instability would spread to other regions, President George H.W. Bush launched Operation Desert Shield, a defensive force buildup in Saudi Arabia, and Operation Desert Storm, in a staging titled the Gulf War; waged by coalition forces from 34 nations, led by the United States against Iraq ending in the successful expulsion of Iraqi forces from Kuwait, restoring the former monarchy.[197]
Originating in U.S. defense networks, the Internet spread to international academic networks, and then to the public in the 1990s, greatly affecting the global economy, society, and culture.[198]
Due to the dot-com boom, stable monetary policy under Alan Greenspan, and reduced social welfare spending, the 1990s saw the longest economic expansion in modern U.S. history, ending in 2001.[199] Beginning in 1994, the U.S. entered into the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), linking 450 million people producing $17 trillion worth of goods and services. The goal of the agreement was to eliminate trade and investment barriers among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico by January 1, 2008. Trade among the three partners has soared since NAFTA went into force.[200]
On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorists struck the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., killing nearly 3,000 people.[201] In response, the United States launched the War on Terror, which included war in Afghanistan and the 2003–11 Iraq War.[202][203] In 2007, the Bush administration ordered a major troop surge in the Iraq War,[204] which successfully reduced violence and led to greater stability in the region.[205][206]
Government policy designed to promote affordable housing,[207] widespread failures in corporate and regulatory governance,[208] and historically low interest rates set by the Federal Reserve[209] led to the mid-2000s housing bubble, which culminated with the 2008 financial crisis, the largest economic contraction in the nation's history since the Great Depression.[210] Barack Obama, the first African-American[211] and multiracial[212] president, was elected in 2008 amid the crisis,[213] and subsequently passed stimulus measures and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in an attempt to mitigate its negative effects and ensure there would not be a repeat of the crisis. The stimulus facilitated infrastructure improvements[214] and a relative decline in unemployment.[215] Dodd-Frank improved financial stability and consumer protection,[216] although there has been debate about its effects on the economy.[217]
In 2010, the Obama administration passed the Affordable Care Act, which made the most sweeping reforms to the nation's healthcare system in nearly five decades, including mandates, subsidies and insurance exchanges. The law caused a significant reduction in the number and percentage of people without health insurance, with 24 million covered during 2016,[218] but remains controversial due to its impact on healthcare costs, insurance premiums, and economic performance.[219] Although the recession reached its trough in June 2009, voters remained frustrated with the slow pace of the economic recovery. The Republicans, who stood in opposition to Obama's policies, won control of the House of Representatives with a landslide in 2010 and control of the Senate in 2014.[220]
American forces in Iraq were withdrawn in large numbers in 2009 and 2010, and the war in the region was declared formally over in December 2011.[221] The withdrawal caused an escalation of sectarian insurgency,[222] leading to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the successor of al-Qaeda in the region.[223] In 2014, Obama announced a restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time since 1961.[needs update][224] The next year, the United States as a member of the P5+1 countries signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement aimed to slow the development of Iran's nuclear program,[225] though the U.S. withdrew from the deal in May 2018.[226] In the United States presidential election of 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected as the 45th president of the United States. Trump is both the oldest and wealthiest person elected president in United States history.[227]
Geography, climate, and environment
A composite satellite image of the contiguous United States and surrounding areas
The land area of the entire United States is approximately 3,800,000 square miles (9,841,955 km2),[228] with the contiguous United States making up 2,959,064 square miles (7,663,940.6 km2) of that. Alaska, separated from the contiguous United States by Canada, is the largest state at 663,268 square miles (1,717,856.2 km2). Hawaii, occupying an archipelago in the central Pacific, southwest of North America, is 10,931 square miles (28,311 km2) in area. The populated territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands together cover 9,185 square miles (23,789 km2).[229] Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, just ahead of Canada.[230]
The United States is the world's third- or fourth-largest nation by total area (land and water), ranking behind Russia and Canada and just above or below China. The ranking varies depending on how two territories disputed by China and India are counted, and how the total size of the United States is measured.[g] The Encyclopædia Britannica, for instance, lists the size of the United States as 3,677,649 square miles (9,525,067 km2), as they do not count the country's coastal or territorial waters.[231] The World Factbook, which includes those waters, gives 3,796,742 square miles (9,833,517 km2).[232]
The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way further inland to deciduous forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont.[233] The Appalachian Mountains divide the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest.[234] The Mississippi–Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast.[234]
Highest peak in the country, Denali
The Rocky Mountains, at the western edge of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado.[235] Farther west are the rocky Great Basin and deserts such as the Chihuahua and Mojave.[236] The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast, both ranges reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m). The lowest and highest points in the contiguous United States are in the state of California,[237] and only about 84 miles (135 km) apart.[238] At an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali (Mount McKinley) is the highest peak in the country and North America.[239] Active volcanoes are common throughout Alaska's Alexander and Aleutian Islands, and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands. The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in the Rockies is the continent's largest volcanic feature.[240] The United States has the most ecoregions out of any country in the world.[241]
The United States, with its large size and geographic variety, includes most climate types. To the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south.[242] The Great Plains west of the 100th meridian are semi-arid. Much of the Western mountains have an alpine climate. The climate is arid in the Great Basin, desert in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and oceanic in coastal Oregon and Washington and southern Alaska. Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar. Hawaii and the southern tip of Florida are tropical, as are the populated territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific.[243] Extreme weather is not uncommon—the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes occur within the country, mainly in Tornado Alley areas in the Midwest and South.[244]
Wildlife
The U.S. ecology is megadiverse: about 17,000 species of vascular plants occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of flowering plants are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.[246] The United States is home to 428 mammal species, 784 bird species, 311 reptile species, and 295 amphibian species.[247] About 91,000 insect species have been described.[248] The bald eagle is both the national bird and national animal of the United States, and is an enduring symbol of the country itself.[249]
There are 59 national parks and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and wilderness areas.[250] Altogether, the government owns about 28% of the country's land area.[251] Most of this is protected, though some is leased for oil and gas drilling, mining, logging, or cattle ranching; about .86% is used for military purposes.[252][253]
Environmental issues have been on the national agenda since 1970. Environmental controversies include debates on oil and nuclear energy, dealing with air and water pollution, the economic costs of protecting wildlife, logging and deforestation,[254][255] and international responses to global warming.[256][257] Many federal and state agencies are involved. The most prominent is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), created by presidential order in 1970.[258] The idea of wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the Wilderness Act.[259] The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is intended to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats, which are monitored by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.[260]
Demographics
Population
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the country's population to be 327,167,434 as of July 1, 2018, and to be adding 1 person (net gain) every 13 seconds, or about 6,646 people per day.[32] The U.S. population almost quadrupled during the 20th century, from 76.2 million in 1900 to 281.4 million in 2000.[263] The third most populous nation in the world, after China and India, the United States is the only major industrialized nation in which large population increases are projected.[264] In the 1800s the average woman had 7.04 children; by the 1900s this number had decreased to 3.56.[265] Since the early 1970s the birth rate has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 with 1.76 children per woman in 2017.[266] Foreign-born immigration has caused the U.S. population to continue its rapid increase with the foreign-born population doubling from almost 20 million in 1990 to over 40 million in 2010, representing one-third of the population increase.[267] The foreign-born population reached 45 million in 2015.[268] The United States has a very diverse population; 37 ancestry groups have more than one million members.[269] German Americans are the largest ethnic group (more than 50 million) – followed by Irish Americans (circa 37 million), Mexican Americans (circa 31 million) and English Americans (circa 28 million).[270][271]
White Americans (mostly European ancestry group with 73.1% of total population) are the largest racial group; black Americans are the nation's largest racial minority (note that in the U.S. Census, Hispanic and Latino Americans are counted as an ethnic group, not a "racial" group), and third-largest ancestry group.[269] Asian Americans are the country's second-largest racial minority; the three largest Asian American ethnic groups are Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, and Indian Americans.[269] According to a 2015 survey, the largest American community with European ancestry is German Americans, which consists of more than 14% of the total population.[272] In 2010, the U.S. population included an estimated 5.2 million people with some American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry (2.9 million exclusively of such ancestry) and 1.2 million with some native Hawaiian or Pacific island ancestry (0.5 million exclusively).[273] The census counted more than 19 million people of "Some Other Race" who were "unable to identify with any" of its five official race categories in 2010, over 18.5 million (97%) of whom are of Hispanic ethnicity.[273]
The population growth of Hispanic and Latino Americans (the terms are officially interchangeable) is a major demographic trend. The 50.5 million Americans of Hispanic descent[273] are identified as sharing a distinct "ethnicity" by the Census Bureau; 64% of Hispanic Americans are of Mexican descent.[274] Between 2000 and 2010, the country's Hispanic population increased 43% while the non-Hispanic population rose just 4.9%.[275] Much of this growth is from immigration; in 2007, 12.6% of the U.S. population was foreign-born, with 54% of that figure born in Latin America.[276][k]
The drop in the U.S. fertility rate from 2.08 per woman in 2007 to 1.76 in 2017 was mostly due to the declining birth rate of Hispanics, teenagers, and young women, although the birth rate for older women rose.[283]
Minorities (as defined by the Census Bureau as all those beside non-Hispanic, non-multiracial whites) constituted 37.2% of the population in 2012[284] and over 50% of children under age one,[285][280] and are projected to constitute the majority by 2044.[285]
The United States has a birth rate of 13 per 1,000, which is 5 births below the world average.[286] Its population growth rate is positive at 0.7%, higher than that of many developed nations.[287] In fiscal year 2016, over one million immigrants (most of whom entered through family reunification) were granted legal residence.[288] Mexico has been the leading source of new residents since the 1965 Immigration Act. China, India, and the Philippines have been in the top four sending countries every year since the 1990s.[289] As of 2012 , approximately 11.4 million residents are illegal immigrants.[290] As of 2015 , 47% of all immigrants are Hispanic, 26% are Asian, 18% are white and 8% are black. The percentage of immigrants who are Asian is increasing while the percentage who are Hispanic is decreasing.[268] The estimated number of illegal immigrants dropped to 10.7 million in 2017, down from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007. In 2017, 33,000 refugees were resettled in the United States. This was fewer than were resettled in the rest of the world for the first time in decades.[291] A 2017 Gallup poll concluded that 4.5% of adult Americans identified as LGBT with 5.1% of women identifying as LGBT, compared with 3.9% of men.[292] The highest percentage came from the District of Columbia (10%), while the lowest state was North Dakota at 1.7%.[293]
About 82% of Americans live in urban areas (including suburbs);[232] about half of those reside in cities with populations over 50,000.[294] The U.S. has numerous clusters of cities known as megaregions, the largest being the Great Lakes Megalopolis followed by the Northeast Megalopolis and Southern California. In 2008, 273 incorporated municipalities had populations over 100,000, nine cities had more than one million residents, and four global cities had over two million (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston).[295] There are 52 metropolitan areas with populations greater than one million.[296] Of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas, 47 are in the West or South.[297] The metro areas of San Bernardino, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Phoenix all grew by more than a million people between 2000 and 2008.[296]
Language
English (American English) is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English. In 2010, about 230 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. Spanish, spoken by 12% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language.[300][301] Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in 32 states.[302]
Both Hawaiian and English are official languages in Hawaii, by state law.[303] Alaska recognizes twenty Native languages as well as English.[304] While neither has an official language, New Mexico has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as Louisiana does for English and French.[305] Other states, such as California, mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents including court forms.[306]
Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: Samoan[307] is officially recognized by American Samoa. Chamorro[308] is an official language of Guam. Both Carolinian and Chamorro have official recognition in the Northern Mariana Islands.[309] Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico and is more widely spoken than English there.[310]
The most widely taught foreign languages in the United States, in terms of enrollment numbers from kindergarten through university undergraduate education, are: Spanish (around 7.2 million students), French (1.5 million), and German (500,000). Other commonly taught languages (with 100,000 to 250,000 learners) include Latin, Japanese, ASL, Italian, and Chinese.[311][312] 18% of all Americans claim to speak at least one language in addition to English.[313]
Languages spoken at home by more than 1 million persons in the U.S. (2016)[314][315][l] Language Percent of
population Number of
speakers Number who
speak English
very well Number who
speak English
less than
very well English (only) ~80% 237,810,023 N/A N/A Spanish
(including Spanish Creole but excluding Puerto Rico) 13% 40,489,813 23,899,421 16,590,392 Chinese
(all varieties, including Mandarin and Cantonese) 1.0% 3,372,930 1,518,619 1,854,311 Tagalog
(including Filipino) 0.5% 1,701,960 1,159,211 542,749 Vietnamese 0.4% 1,509,993 634,273 875,720 Arabic
(all varieties) 0.3% 1,231,098 770,882 460,216 French
(including Patois and Cajun) 0.3% 1,216,668 965,584 251,087 Korean 0.2% 1,088,788 505,734 583,054
Religion
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion and forbids Congress from passing laws respecting its establishment.
In a 2013 survey, 56% of Americans said that religion played a "very important role in their lives", a far higher figure than that of any other wealthy nation.[317] In a 2009 Gallup poll, 42% of Americans said that they attended church weekly or almost weekly; the figures ranged from a low of 23% in Vermont to a high of 63% in Mississippi.[318]
As with other Western countries, the U.S. is becoming less religious. Irreligion is growing rapidly among Americans under 30.[319] Polls show that overall American confidence in organized religion has been declining since the mid to late 1980s,[320] and that younger Americans, in particular, are becoming increasingly irreligious.[316][321] According to a 2012 study, the Protestant share of the U.S. population had dropped to 48%, thus ending its status as religious category of the majority for the first time.[322][323] Americans with no religion have 1.7 children compared to 2.2 among Christians. The unaffiliated are less likely to get married with 37% marrying compared to 52% of Christians.[324]
According to a 2014 survey, 70.6% of adults in the United States identified themselves as Christians;[325] Protestants accounted for 46.5%, while Roman Catholics, at 20.8%, formed the largest single denomination.[326] In 2014, 5.9% of the U.S. adult population claimed a non-Christian religion.[316] These include Judaism (1.9%), Hinduism (1.2%), Buddhism (0.9%), and Islam (0.9%).[316] The survey also reported that 22.8% of Americans described themselves as agnostic, atheist or simply having no religion—up from 8.2% in 1990.[326][327][328] There are also Unitarian Universalist, Scientologist, Baha'i, Sikh, Jain, Shinto, Confucian, Taoist, Druid, Native American, Wiccan, humanist and deist communities.[329]
Protestantism is the largest Christian religious grouping in the United States, accounting for almost half of all Americans. Baptists collectively form the largest branch of Protestantism at 15.4%,[330] and the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest individual Protestant denomination at 5.3% of the U.S. population.[330] Apart from Baptists, other Protestant categories include nondenominational Protestants, Methodists, Pentecostals, unspecified Protestants, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, other Reformed, Episcopalians/Anglicans, Quakers, Adventists, Holiness, Christian fundamentalists, Anabaptists, Pietists, and multiple others.[330] Two-thirds of American Protestants consider themselves to be born again.[330] Roman Catholicism in the United States has its origin primarily in the Spanish and French colonization of the Americas, as well as in the English colony of Maryland.[331] It later grew because of Irish, Italian, Polish, German and Hispanic immigration. Rhode Island has the highest percentage of Catholics, with 40 percent of the total population.[332] Utah is the only state where Mormonism is the religion of the majority of the population.[333] The Mormon Corridor also extends to parts of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming.[334] Eastern Orthodoxy is claimed by 5% of people in Alaska,[335] a former Russian colony, and maintains a presence on the U.S. mainland due to recent immigration from Eastern Europe. Finally, a number of other Christian groups are active across the country, including the Oneness Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Restorationists, Churches of Christ, Christian Scientists, Unitarians and many others.
The Bible Belt is an informal term for a region in the Southern United States in which socially conservative evangelical Protestantism is a significant part of the culture and Christian church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's average. By contrast, religion plays the least important role in New England and in the Western United States.[318]
Family structure
As of 2007 , 58% of Americans age 18 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 25% had never been married.[336] Women now work mostly outside the home and receive a majority of bachelor's degrees.[337]
The U.S. teenage pregnancy rate is 26.5 per 1,000 women. The rate has declined by 57% since 1991.[338] In 2013, the highest teenage birth rate was in Alabama, and the lowest in Wyoming.[338][339] Abortion is legal throughout the U.S., owing to Roe v. Wade, a 1973 landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. While the abortion rate is falling, the abortion ratio of 241 per 1,000 live births and abortion rate of 15 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 remain higher than those of most Western nations.[340] In 2013, the average age at first birth was 26 and 40.6% of births were to unmarried women.[341]
The total fertility rate (TFR) in 2016 was 1.82 births per 1000 woman.[342] Adoption in the United States is common and relatively easy from a legal point of view (compared to other Western countries).[343] In 2001, with over 127,000 adoptions, the U.S. accounted for nearly half of the total number of adoptions worldwide.[344] Same-sex marriage is legal nationwide, owing to the Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, and it is legal for same-sex couples to adopt. Polygamy is illegal throughout the U.S.[345]
Health
The United States had a life expectancy of 78.6 years at birth in 2017, which was the third year of declines in life expectancy following decades of continuous increase. The recent decline is largely due to sharp increases in the drug overdose and suicide rates. Life expectancy was highest among Asians and Hispanics and lowest among blacks.[346][347]
Increasing obesity in the United States and health improvements elsewhere contributed to lowering the country's rank in life expectancy from 11th in the world in 1987, to 42nd in 2007.[348] Obesity rates have more than doubled in the last 30 years, are the highest in the industrialized world, and are among the highest anywhere.[349][350] Approximately one-third of the adult population is obese and an additional third is overweight.[351] Obesity-related type 2 diabetes is considered epidemic by health care professionals.[352]
In 2010, coronary artery disease, lung cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and traffic accidents caused the most years of life lost in the U.S. Low back pain, depression, musculoskeletal disorders, neck pain, and anxiety caused the most years lost to disability. The most deleterious risk factors were poor diet, tobacco smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, physical inactivity, and alcohol use. Alzheimer's disease, drug abuse, kidney disease, cancer, and falls caused the most additional years of life lost over their age-adjusted 1990 per-capita rates.[353] U.S. teenage pregnancy and abortion rates are substantially higher than in other Western nations, especially among blacks and Hispanics.[354] Suicide rates have increased in nearly every state from 1999 through 2016, and is a leading cause of death in the United States.[355] Drug overdoses, two-thirds of which are from opioids, are the leading cause of death for those under the age of 50.[356]
The U.S. is a global leader in medical innovation. America solely developed or contributed significantly to 9 of the top 10 most important medical innovations since 1975 as ranked by a 2001 poll of physicians, while the European Union and Switzerland together contributed to five.[357] Since 1966, more Americans have received the Nobel Prize in Medicine than the rest of the world combined. From 1989 to 2002, four times more money was invested in private biotechnology companies in America than in Europe.[358] The U.S. health-care system far outspends any other nation, measured in both per capita spending and percentage of GDP.[359]
Health-care coverage in the United States is a combination of public and private efforts and is not universal. In 2017, 12.2% of the population did not carry health insurance.[360] The subject of uninsured and underinsured Americans is a major political issue.[361][362] In 2006, Massachusetts became the first state to mandate universal health insurance.[363] Federal legislation passed in early 2010 would ostensibly create a near-universal health insurance system around the country by 2014,[needs update] though the bill and its ultimate effect are issues of controversy.[364][365]
Education
The University of Virginia , founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, is one of the many public universities in the United States. Universal government-funded education exists in the United States, while there are also many privately funded institutions.
American public education is operated by state and local governments, regulated by the United States Department of Education through restrictions on federal grants. In most states, children are required to attend school from the age of six or seven (generally, kindergarten or first grade) until they turn 18 (generally bringing them through twelfth grade, the end of high school); some states allow students to leave school at 16 or 17.[366]
About 12% of children are enrolled in parochial or nonsectarian private schools. Just over 2% of children are homeschooled.[367] The U.S. spends more on education per student than any nation in the world, spending more than $11,000 per elementary student in 2010 and more than $12,000 per high school student.[368] Some 80% of U.S. college students attend public universities.[369]
The United States has many competitive private and public institutions of higher education. The majority of the world's top universities listed by different ranking organizations are in the U.S.[370][371][372] There are also local community colleges with generally more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition. Of Americans 25 and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attended some college, 27.2% earned a bachelor's degree, and 9.6% earned graduate degrees.[373] The basic literacy rate is approximately 99%.[232][374] The United Nations assigns the United States an Education Index of 0.97, tying it for 12th in the world.[375]
As for public expenditures on higher education, the U.S. trails some other OECD nations but spends more per student than the OECD average, and more than all nations in combined public and private spending.[368][376] As of 2018 , student loan debt exceeded 1.5 trillion dollars, more than Americans owe on credit cards.[377][378]
Government and politics
The United States is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a representative democracy, "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law".[379] The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the U.S. Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document.[380] For 2018, the U.S. ranked 25th on the Democracy Index[381] and 22nd on the Corruption Perceptions Index.[382]
In the American federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government: federal, state, and local. The local government's duties are commonly split between county and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district. There is no proportional representation at the federal level, and it is rare at lower levels.[383]
The federal government is composed of three branches:
The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, each representing a congressional district for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population every tenth year. At the 2010 census, seven states had the minimum of one representative, while California, the most populous state, had 53.[388] The District of Columbia and the five major U.S. territories each have one member of Congress — these members are not allowed to vote.[389]
The Senate has 100 members with each state having two senators, elected at-large to six-year terms; one-third of Senate seats are up for election every other year. The District of Columbia and the five major U.S. territories do not have senators.[389] The President serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office no more than twice. The President is not elected by direct vote, but by an indirect electoral college system in which the determining votes are apportioned to the states and the District of Columbia.[390] The Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of the United States, has nine members, who serve for life.[391]
The state governments are structured in roughly similar fashion; Nebraska uniquely has a unicameral legislature.[392] The governor (chief executive) of each state is directly elected. Some state judges and cabinet officers are appointed by the governors of the respective states, while others are elected by popular vote.
The original text of the Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual states. Article One protects the right to the "great writ" of habeas corpus. The Constitution has been amended 27 times;[393] the first ten amendments, which make up the Bill of Rights, and the Fourteenth Amendment form the central basis of Americans' individual rights. All laws and governmental procedures are subject to judicial review and any law ruled by the courts to be in violation of the Constitution is voided. The principle of judicial review, not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, was established by the Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison (1803)[394] in a decision handed down by Chief Justice John Marshall.[395]
Political divisions
The United States is a federal republic of 50 states, a federal district, five territories and several uninhabited island possessions.[397] The states and territories are the principal administrative districts in the country. These are divided into subdivisions of counties and independent cities. The District of Columbia is a federal district that contains the capital of the United States, Washington DC.[400] The states and the District of Columbia choose the President of the United States. Each state has presidential electors equal to the number of their Representatives and Senators in Congress; the District of Columbia has three (because of the 23rd Amendment).[401] Territories of the United States such as Puerto Rico do not have presidential electors, and so people in those territories cannot vote for the president.[389]
Congressional Districts are reapportioned among the states following each decennial Census of Population. Each state then draws single-member districts to conform with the census apportionment. The total number of voting Representatives is 435. There are also 6 non-voting representatives who represent the District of Columbia and the five major U.S. territories.[402]
The United States also observes tribal sovereignty of the American Indian nations to a limited degree, as it does with the states' sovereignty. American Indians are U.S. citizens and tribal lands are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress and the federal courts. Like the states they have a great deal of autonomy, but also like the states, tribes are not allowed to make war, engage in their own foreign relations, or print and issue currency.[403]
Citizenship is granted at birth in all states, the District of Columbia, and all major U.S. territories except American Samoa.[404][405]
Parties and elections
[406] Congressional leadership meeting with President Obama in 2011.
The United States has operated under a two-party system for most of its history.[407] For elective offices at most levels, state-administered primary elections choose the major party nominees for subsequent general elections. Since the general election of 1856, the major parties have been the Democratic Party, founded in 1824, and the Republican Party, founded in 1854. Since the Civil War, only one third-party presidential candidate—former president Theodore Roosevelt, running as a Progressive in 1912—has won as much as 20% of the popular vote. The President and Vice-president are elected through the Electoral College system.[408]
Within American political culture, the center-right Republican Party is considered "conservative" and the center-left Democratic Party is considered "liberal".[409][410] The states of the Northeast and West Coast and some of the Great Lakes states, known as "blue states", are relatively liberal. The "red states" of the South and parts of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains are relatively conservative.
Republican Donald Trump, the winner of the 2016 presidential election, is serving as the 45th President of the United States.[411] Leadership in the Senate includes Republican Vice President Mike Pence, Republican President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.[412] Leadership in the House includes Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.[413]
In the 116th United States Congress, the House of Representatives is controlled by the Democratic Party and the Senate is controlled by the Republican Party, giving the U.S. a split Congress. The Senate consists of 53 Republicans, and 45 Democrats with 2 Independents who caucus with the Democrats; the House consists of 235 Democrats and 199 Republicans.[414] In state governorships, there are 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats.[415] Among the DC mayor and the 5 territorial governors, there are 2 Republicans, 1 Democrat, 1 New Progressive, and 2 Independents.[416][417]
Foreign relations
The United States has an established structure of foreign relations. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and New York City is home to the United Nations Headquarters. It is a member of the G7,[419] G20, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Almost all countries have embassies in Washington, D.C., and many have consulates around the country. Likewise, nearly all nations host American diplomatic missions. However, Iran, North Korea, Bhutan, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) do not have formal diplomatic relations with the United States (although the U.S. still maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan and supplies it with military equipment).[420]
The United States has a "Special Relationship" with the United Kingdom[421] and strong ties with Canada,[422] Australia,[423] New Zealand,[424] the Philippines,[425] Japan,[426] South Korea,[427] Israel,[428] and several European Union countries, including France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. It works closely with fellow NATO members on military and security issues and with its neighbors through the Organization of American States and free trade agreements such as the trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. In 2008, the United States spent a net $25.4 billion on official development assistance, the most in the world. As a share of America's large gross national income (GNI), however, the U.S. contribution of 0.18% ranked last among 22 donor states. By contrast, private overseas giving by Americans is relatively generous.[429]
The U.S. exercises full international defense authority and responsibility for three sovereign nations through Compact of Free Association with Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau. These are Pacific island nations, once part of the U.S.-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands after World War II, which gained independence in subsequent years.[430]
On October 25, 2017, Vice President Mike Pence announced at a In Defense of Christians annual dinner meeting in Washington that the United States would stop funding United Nations relief efforts, cases tackling the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, but insisted that the U.S. would instead help and aid Christians directly through the United States Agency for International Development.[431] Pence said that he will be visiting the Middle East in December and will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss peace agreements.[432][433]
Government finance
[434] U.S. federal debt held by the public as a percentage of GDP, from 1790 to 2013.
United States debt from 1940 to 2015.
Taxes in the United States are levied at the federal, state, and local government levels. These include taxes on income, payroll, property, sales, imports, estates and gifts, as well as various fees. Taxation in the United States is based on citizenship, not residency.[435] Both non-resident citizens and Green Card holders living abroad are taxed on their income irrespective of where they live or where their income is earned. It is the only country in the world, other than Eritrea, to do so.[436]
In 2010 taxes collected by federal, state and municipal governments amounted to 24.8% of GDP.[437] During FY2012, the federal government collected approximately $2.45 trillion in tax revenue, up $147 billion or 6% versus FY2011 revenues of $2.30 trillion. Primary receipt categories included individual income taxes ($1,132B or 47%), Social Security/Social Insurance taxes ($845B or 35%), and corporate taxes ($242B or 10%).[438] Based on CBO estimates,[439] under 2013 tax law the top 1% will be paying the highest average tax rates since 1979, while other income groups will remain at historic lows.[440]
U.S. taxation has historically been generally progressive, especially the federal income taxes, though by most measures it became noticeably less progressive after 1980.[441][442] It has sometimes been described as among the most progressive in the developed world, but this characterization is controversial.[443][444][445][446][442] The highest 10% of income earners pay a majority of federal taxes,[447] and about half of all taxes.[448] Payroll taxes for Social Security are a flat regressive tax, with no tax charged on income above $118,500 (for 2015 and 2016) and no tax at all paid on unearned income from things such as stocks and capital gains.[449][450] The historic reasoning for the regressive nature of the payroll tax is that entitlement programs have not been viewed as welfare transfers.[451][452] However, according to the Congressional Budget Office the net effect of Social Security is that the benefit to tax ratio ranges from roughly 70% for the top earnings quintile to about 170% for the lowest earning quintile, making the system progressive.[453]
The top 10% paid 51.8% of total federal taxes in 2009, and the top 1%, with 13.4% of pre-tax national income, paid 22.3% of federal taxes.[454] In 2013 the Tax Policy Center projected total federal effective tax rates of 35.5% for the top 1%, 27.2% for the top quintile, 13.8% for the middle quintile, and −2.7% for the bottom quintile.[455][456] The incidence of corporate income tax has been a matter of considerable ongoing controversy for decades.[446][457] State and local taxes vary widely, but are generally less progressive than federal taxes as they rely heavily on broadly borne regressive sales and property taxes that yield less volatile revenue streams, though their consideration does not eliminate the progressive nature of overall taxation.[446][458]
During FY 2012, the federal government spent $3.54 trillion on a budget or cash basis, down $60 billion or 1.7% vs. FY 2011 spending of $3.60 trillion. Major categories of FY 2012 spending included: Medicare & Medicaid ($802B or 23% of spending), Social Security ($768B or 22%), Defense Department ($670B or 19%), non-defense discretionary ($615B or 17%), other mandatory ($461B or 13%) and interest ($223B or 6%).[438]
The total national debt of the United States in the United States was $18.527 trillion (106% of the GDP) in 2014.[459][m] The United States has the largest external debt in the world and the 14th largest government debt as a % of GDP in the world.
Military
The President holds the title of commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces and appoints its leaders, the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The United States Department of Defense administers the armed forces, including the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. The Coast Guard is run by the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and by the Department of the Navy during times of war. In 2008, the armed forces had 1.4 million personnel on active duty. The Reserves and National Guard brought the total number of troops to 2.3 million. The Department of Defense also employed about 700,000 civilians, not including contractors.[464]
Military service is voluntary, though conscription may occur in wartime through the Selective Service System.[465] American forces can be rapidly deployed by the Air Force's large fleet of transport aircraft, the Navy's 11 active aircraft carriers, and Marine expeditionary units at sea with the Navy's Atlantic and Pacific fleets. The military operates 865 bases and facilities abroad,[466] and maintains deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel in 25 foreign countries.[467]
The military budget of the United States in 2011 was more than $700 billion, 41% of global military spending and equal to the next 14 largest national military expenditures combined. At 4.7% of GDP, the rate was the second-highest among the top 15 military spenders, after Saudi Arabia.[468] U.S. defense spending as a percentage of GDP ranked 23rd globally in 2012 according to the CIA.[469] Defense's share of U.S. spending has generally declined in recent decades, from Cold War peaks of 14.2% of GDP in 1953 and 69.5% of federal outlays in 1954 to 4.7% of GDP and 18.8% of federal outlays in 2011.[470]
US global military presence.
The proposed base Department of Defense budget for 2012, $553 billion, was a 4.2% increase over 2011; an additional $118 billion was proposed for the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.[471] The last American troops serving in Iraq departed in December 2011;[472] 4,484 service members were killed during the Iraq War.[473] Approximately 90,000 U.S. troops were serving in Afghanistan in April 2012;[474] by November 8, 2013 2,285 had been killed during the War in Afghanistan.[475]
Law enforcement and crime
Law enforcement in the U.S. is maintained primarily by local police departments. The New York Police Department (NYPD) is the largest in the country.
Law enforcement in the United States is primarily the responsibility of local police departments and sheriff's offices, with state police providing broader services. The New York Police Department (NYPD) is the largest in the country. Federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Marshals Service have specialized duties, including protecting civil rights, national security and enforcing U.S. federal courts' rulings and federal laws.[476] At the federal level and in almost every state, a legal system operates on a common law. State courts conduct most criminal trials; federal courts handle certain designated crimes as well as certain appeals from the state criminal courts. Plea bargaining is very common; the vast majority of criminal cases in the country are settled by plea bargain rather than jury trial.[477]
In 2015, there were 15,696 murders which was 1,532 more than in 2014, a 10.8% increase, the largest since 1971.[478] The murder rate in 2015 was 4.9 per 100,000 people.[479] In 2016 the murder rate increased by 8.6%, with 17,413 murders that year.[480] The national clearance rate for homicides in 2015 was 64.1%, compared to 90% in 1965.[481] In 2012 there were 4.7 murders per 100,000 persons in the United States, a 54% decline from the modern peak of 10.2 in 1980.[482] In 2001–2, the United States had above-average levels of violent crime and particularly high levels of gun violence compared to other developed nations.[483] A cross-sectional analysis of the World Health Organization Mortality Database from 2010 showed that United States "homicide rates were 7.0 times higher than in other high-income countries, driven by a gun homicide rate that was 25.2 times higher."[484] Gun ownership rights continue to be the subject of contentious political debate. In 2016, the US murder rate of 5.4 per 100,000 was similar to the estimated global average of 5.15 per 100,000.[485]
In 2017, there were 17,264 murders and the murder rate was 5.3 per 100,000. Regarding weapons, 73% of murders were committed by firearm, 10% by knife and 17% by other means.[486] The violent crime rose sharply in the 1960s until the early 1990s and declined in the late 1990s and 2000s.[486] In 2014, the murder rate fell to the lowest level (4.5) since 1957 (4.0).[487] The violent crime rate increased by 5.9% between 2014 and 2017 and the murder rate by 20.5%. Of those arrested for serious violent crimes in 2017, 58.5% were white, 37.5% were black, 2.1% were American Indian or Alaska Native and 1.5% Asian. Ethnically, 23.5% were Hispanic and 76.5% were non-Hispanic.[488] Gun violence peaked in 1993 with 17,125 gun murders before declining to 9,527 in 1999 and steadily rising since to 12,772. Non-gun murders reached a peak in 1980 of 8,340 and declined in most years until the early 2010s with 4,668 in 2017.[489] The rate of robberies declined 62% between 1990 and 2017.[486]
From 1980 through 2008 males represented 77% of homicide victims and 90% of offenders. Blacks committed 52.5% of all homicides during that span, at a rate almost eight times that of whites ("whites" includes most Hispanics), and were victimized at a rate six times that of whites. Most homicides were intraracial, with 93% of black victims killed by blacks and 84% of white victims killed by whites.[490] In 2012, Louisiana had the highest rate of murder and non-negligent manslaughter in the U.S., and New Hampshire the lowest.[491] The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports estimates that there were 3,246 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2012, for a total of over 9 million total crimes.[492]
Capital punishment is sanctioned in the United States for certain federal and military crimes, and also at the state level in 30 states.[493][494] No executions took place from 1967 to 1977, owing in part to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down arbitrary imposition of the death penalty. In 1976, that Court ruled that, under appropriate circumstances, capital punishment may constitutionally be imposed. Since the decision there have been more than 1,300 executions, a majority of these taking place in three states: Texas, Virginia, and Oklahoma.[495] Meanwhile, several states have either abolished or struck down death penalty laws. In 2015, the country had the fifth-highest number of executions in the world, following China, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.[496]
The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate and largest prison population in the world.[497] At the start of 2008, more than 2.3 million people were incarcerated, more than one in every 100 adults.[498] In December 2012, the combined U.S. adult correctional systems supervised about 6,937,600 offenders. About 1 in every 35 adult residents in the United States was under some form of correctional supervision in December 2012, the lowest rate observed since 1997.[499] The prison population has quadrupled since 1980,[500] and state and local spending on prisons and jails has grown three times as much as that spent on public education during the same period.[501] However, the imprisonment rate for all prisoners sentenced to more than a year in state or federal facilities is 478 per 100,000 in 2013[502] and the rate for pre-trial/remand prisoners is 153 per 100,000 residents in 2012.[503] The country's high rate of incarceration is largely due to changes in sentencing guidelines and drug policies.[504] According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the majority of inmates held in federal prisons are convicted of drug offenses.[505] The privatization of prisons and prison services which began in the 1980s has been a subject of debate.[506][507] In 2018, Oklahoma had the highest incarceration rate (1,079 per 100,000 people), and Massachusetts the lowest (324 per 100,000 people).[508][509] Among the U.S. territories, the highest incarceration rate was in the U.S. Virgin Islands (542 per 100,000 people) and the lowest was in Puerto Rico (313 per 100,000 people).[510][511]
Economy
The United States has a capitalist mixed economy[citation needed] which is fueled by abundant natural resources and high productivity.[519] According to the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. GDP of $16.8 trillion constitutes 24% of the gross world product at market exchange rates and over 19% of the gross world product at purchasing power parity (PPP).[520]
The nominal GDP of the U.S. is estimated to be $17.528 trillion as of 2014 .[521] From 1983 to 2008, U.S. real compounded annual GDP growth was 3.3%, compared to a 2.3% weighted average for the rest of the G7.[522] The country ranks ninth in the world in nominal GDP per capita according to the United Nations (first in the Americas)[523] and sixth in GDP per capita at PPP.[520] The U.S. dollar is the world's primary reserve currency.[524]
The United States is the largest importer of goods and second-largest exporter, though exports per capita are relatively low. In 2010, the total U.S. trade deficit was $635 billion.[525] Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its top trading partners.[526] In 2010, oil was the largest import commodity, while transportation equipment was the country's largest export.[525] Japan is the largest foreign holder of U.S. public debt.[527] The largest holder of the U.S. debt are American entities, including federal government accounts and the Federal Reserve, who hold the majority of the debt.[528][529][530][531][n]
In 2009, the private sector was estimated to constitute 86.4% of the economy, with federal government activity accounting for 4.3% and state and local government activity (including federal transfers) the remaining 9.3%.[537] The number of employees at all levels of government outnumber those in manufacturing by 1.7 to 1.[538] While its economy has reached a postindustrial level of development and its service sector constitutes 67.8% of GDP, the United States remains an industrial power.[539] The leading business field by gross business receipts is wholesale and retail trade; by net income it is manufacturing.[540] In the franchising business model, McDonald's and Subway are the two most recognized brands in the world. Coca-Cola is the most recognized soft drink company in the world.[541]
Chemical products are the leading manufacturing field.[542] The United States is the largest producer of oil in the world, as well as its second-largest importer.[543] It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, sulfur, phosphates, and salt. The National Mining Association provides data pertaining to coal and minerals that include beryllium, copper, lead, magnesium, zinc, titanium and others.[544][545]
Agriculture accounts for just under 1% of GDP,[539] yet the United States is the world's top producer of corn[546] and soybeans.[547] The National Agricultural Statistics Service maintains agricultural statistics for products that include peanuts, oats, rye, wheat, rice, cotton, corn, barley, hay, sunflowers, and oilseeds. In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides livestock statistics regarding beef, poultry, pork, and dairy products. The country is the primary developer and grower of genetically modified food, representing half of the world's biotech crops.[548]
Consumer spending comprises 68% of the U.S. economy in 2015.[549] In August 2010, the American labor force consisted of 154.1 million people. With 21.2 million people, government is the leading field of employment. The largest private employment sector is health care and social assistance, with 16.4 million people. About 12% of workers are unionized, compared to 30% in Western Europe.[550] The World Bank ranks the United States first in the ease of hiring and firing workers.[551] The United States is ranked among the top three in the Global Competitiveness Report as well. It has a smaller welfare state and redistributes less income through government action than European nations tend to.[552]
The United States is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation[553] and is one of just a few countries in the world without paid family leave as a legal right, with the others being Papua New Guinea, Suriname and Liberia.[554] While federal law does not require sick leave, it is a common benefit for government workers and full-time employees at corporations.[555] 74% of full-time American workers get paid sick leave, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, although only 24% of part-time workers get the same benefits.[555] In 2009, the United States had the third-highest workforce productivity per person in the world, behind Luxembourg and Norway. It was fourth in productivity per hour, behind those two countries and the Netherlands.[556]
The 2008–2012 global recession significantly affected the United States, with output still below potential according to the Congressional Budget Office.[557] It brought high unemployment (which has been decreasing but remains above pre-recession levels), along with low consumer confidence, the continuing decline in home values and increase in foreclosures and personal bankruptcies, an escalating federal debt crisis, inflation, and rising petroleum and food prices.
Science and technology
The United States has been a leader in technological innovation since the late 19th century and scientific research since the mid-20th century. Methods for producing interchangeable parts were developed by the U.S. War Department by the Federal Armories during the first half of the 19th century. This technology, along with the establishment of a machine tool industry, enabled the U.S. to have large-scale manufacturing of sewing machines, bicycles and other items in the late 19th century and became known as the American system of manufacturing. Factory electrification in the early 20th century and introduction of the assembly line and other labor-saving techniques created the system called mass production.[558]
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone. Thomas Edison's research laboratory, one of the first of its kind, developed the phonograph, the first long-lasting light bulb, and the first viable movie camera.[559] The latter led to emergence of the worldwide entertainment industry. In the early 20th century, the automobile companies of Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford popularized the assembly line. The Wright brothers, in 1903, made the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight.[560]
The rise of fascism and Nazism in the 1920s and 1930s led many European scientists, including Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, and John von Neumann, to immigrate to the United States.[561] During World War II, the Manhattan Project developed nuclear weapons, ushering in the Atomic Age, while the Space Race produced rapid advances in rocketry, materials science, and aeronautics.[562][563]
The invention of the transistor in the 1950s, a key active component in practically all modern electronics, led to many technological developments and a significant expansion of the U.S. technology industry.[564][565][566] This, in turn, led to the establishment of many new technology companies and regions around the country such as Silicon Valley in California. Advancements by American microprocessor companies such as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Intel along with both computer software and hardware companies that include Adobe Systems, Apple Inc., IBM, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems created and popularized the personal computer. The ARPANET was developed in the 1960s to meet Defense Department requirements, and became the first of a series of networks which evolved into the Internet.[567]
These advancements then lead to greater personalization of technology for individual use.[568] As of 2013 , 83.8% of American households owned at least one computer, and 73.3% had high-speed Internet service.[569] 91% of Americans also own a mobile phone as of May 2013 .[570] The United States ranks highly with regard to freedom of use of the internet.[571]
In the 21st century, approximately two-thirds of research and development funding comes from the private sector.[572] The United States leads the world in scientific research papers and impact factor.[573]
Income, poverty and wealth
Accounting for 4.4% of the global population, Americans collectively possess 41.6% of the world's total wealth,[574] and Americans make up roughly half of the world's population of millionaires.[575] The Global Food Security Index ranked the U.S. number one for food affordability and overall food security in March 2013.[576] Americans on average have over twice as much living space per dwelling and per person as European Union residents, and more than every EU nation.[577] For 2017 the United Nations Development Programme ranked the United States 13th among 189 countries in its Human Development Index and 25th among 151 countries in its inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI).[578]
After years of stagnant growth, in 2016, according to the Census, median household income reached a record high after two consecutive years of record growth, although income inequality remains at record highs with top fifth of earners taking home more than half of all overall income.[579] There has been a widening gap between productivity and median incomes since the 1970s.[580] However, the gap between total compensation and productivity is not as wide because of increased employee benefits such as health insurance.[581] The rise in the share of total annual income received by the top 1 percent, which has more than doubled from 9 percent in 1976 to 20 percent in 2011, has significantly affected income inequality,[582] leaving the United States with one of the widest income distributions among OECD nations.[583] According to a 2018 study by the OECD, the United States has much higher income inequality and a larger percentage of low-income workers than almost any other developed nation. This is largely because at-risk workers get almost no government support and are further set back by a very weak collective bargaining system.[584] The top 1 percent of income-earners accounted for 52 percent of the income gains from 2009 to 2015, where income is defined as market income excluding government transfers.[585] The extent and relevance of income inequality is a matter of debate.[587][588]
United States' families median net worth Source: Fed Survey of Consumer Finances[589] in 2013 dollars 1998 2013 change All families $102,500 $81,200 -20.8% Bottom 20% of incomes $8,300 $6,100 -26.5% 2nd lowest 20% of incomes $47,400 $22,400 -52.7% Middle 20% of incomes $76,300 $61,700 -19.1% Top 10% $646,600 $1,130,700 +74.9%
Wealth, like income and taxes, is highly concentrated; the richest 10% of the adult population possess 72% of the country's household wealth, while the bottom half claim only 2%.[590] According to a September 2017 report by the Federal Reserve, the top 1% controlled 38.6% of the country's wealth in 2016.[591] Between June 2007 and November 2008 the global recession led to falling asset prices around the world. Assets owned by Americans lost about a quarter of their value.[592] Since peaking in the second quarter of 2007, household wealth was down $14 trillion, but has since increased $14 trillion over 2006 levels.[593][594] At the end of 2014, household debt amounted to $11.8 trillion,[595] down from $13.8 trillion at the end of 2008.[596]
There were about 578,424 sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons in the U.S. in January 2014, with almost two-thirds staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program.[597] In 2011 16.7 million children lived in food-insecure households, about 35% more than 2007 levels, though only 1.1% of U.S. children, or 845,000, saw reduced food intake or disrupted eating patterns at some point during the year, and most cases were not chronic.[598] According to a 2014 report by the Census Bureau, one in five young adults lives in poverty, up from one in seven in 1980.[599] As of September 2017 , 40 million people, roughly 12.7% of the U.S. population, were living in poverty, with 18.5 million of those living in deep poverty (a family income below one-half of the poverty threshold). In 2016, 13.3 million children were living in poverty, which made up 32.6% of the impoverished population.[600]
In 2017, the region with the lowest poverty rate was New Hampshire (7.3%), and the region with the highest poverty rate was American Samoa (65%).[601][602][603] Among the states, the highest poverty rate was in Mississippi (21.9%).[604] According to the UN, around five million people in the U.S. live in "third world" conditions.[605]
Infrastructure
Transportation
Personal transportation is dominated by automobiles, which operate on a network of 4 million miles (6.4 million kilometers) of public roads,[607] including one of the world's longest highway systems at 57,000 mi (91,700 km).[608] The world's second-largest automobile market,[609] the United States has the highest rate of per-capita vehicle ownership in the world, with 765 vehicles per 1,000 Americans (1996).[610] About 40% of personal vehicles are vans, SUVs, or light trucks.[611] The average American adult (accounting for all drivers and non-drivers) spends 55 minutes driving every day, traveling 29 miles (47 km).[612] In 2017, there were 255,009,283 motor vehicles—including cars, vans, buses, freight, and other trucks, but excluding motorcycles and other two-wheelers—or 910 vehicles per 1,000 people.[613]
Mass transit accounts for 9% of total U.S. work trips.[615][616] Transport of goods by rail is extensive, though relatively low numbers of passengers (approximately 31 million annually) use intercity rail to travel, partly because of the low population density throughout much of the U.S. interior.[617][618] However, ridership on Amtrak, the national intercity passenger rail system, grew by almost 37% between 2000 and 2010.[619] Also, light rail development has increased in recent years.[620] Bicycle usage for work commutes is minimal.[621]
The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned and has been largely deregulated since 1978, while most major airports are publicly owned.[622] The three largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are U.S.-based; American Airlines is number one after its 2013 acquisition by US Airways.[623] Of the world's 50 busiest passenger airports, 16 are in the United States, including the busiest, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and the fourth-busiest, O'Hare International Airport in Chica |
5-minute Very Berry Ice Cream {no machine needed}
Three ingredients and 5 minutes are all you need to whip up this easy sugar-free berry ice cream! No ice cream maker needed – this frozen treat can be made in a food processor or blender!
Happy Fourth of July to all my American friends! I reckon you are all set up for the celebrations but in case you forgot to make dessert or were too busy to even think about it, I have just what you need.
This luscious vegan and sugar-free Very Berry Ice Cream will be on your table in less than 5 minutes and requires only 3 ingredients! And don’t worry if you don’t own an ice cream maker (I don’t either!), there’s no need for it.
All you need to make this guilt-free berry ice cream are frozen berries (or any fruit you like), coconut milk (or your favorite milk) and stevia (or another sweetener). Put everything in your food processor, process until smooth and eat! See how easy it is?
I’ve been making this healthy berry ice cream for months, whenever I’m craving something sweet but don’t want to go heavy on the carbs or sugar. With only 13 grams of carbs per serving, this sugar-free ice cream recipe fits the bill perfectly!
You can either eat your berry ice cream straight out of the food processor or store it in the freezer until you’re ready to eat. Enjoy!
If you tried this Berry Ice Cream, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes! |
Samsung has taken the wraps off its 10-nanometre LPDDR4 6GB mobile DRAM at the 2016 Samsung Mobile Solution Forum recently held is Shenzhen, China. Could this be the same 6GB RAM module expected inside its new Galaxy-branded Note, which is likely to launch in August?
The new Note, dubbed Galaxy Note 6, could be Samsung's first consumer product to pack LPDDR4 6GB DRAM. The upcoming Galaxy line-up might also come with this component.
Based on a 10nm fabrication process, the 6GB RAM will consume less energy and deliver an extended battery life. The latest disclosure comes courtesy of Chinese site Tech Huanqiu quoted by Sammobile. Other rumoured features for the Note 6 include a 5.8in Slim RGB AMOLED display and Snapdragon 823 chip.
The phablet could also pack an iris scanner. Samsung appears to have already begun the software development for the device. The build number for the initial firmware spotted was N930FXXU0APE1, which would of course change with the retail unit. The firmware development suggests that the device's hardware has reached the final stage and it is highly unlikely that there would be any change.
The South Korean mobile manufacturer has apparently filed for registration of a couple of trademarks in the European Union. The registration has been filed for "Samsung Iris" and "Samsung Eyeprint", which indicate the new Note could feature an iris scanner. |
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Click Here for Sources and to Learn Why Crackers Have Holes
The name “cracker” comes from a fateful day in 1801 in Massachusetts when Josiah Bent accidentally burned a batch of what we now call crackers. As the crackers burned, they made a crackling noise, which inspired the name. Bent was also the one who pioneered the cracker as a snack food, not just for sailors rations as his competition were selling them as. To make them popular as a snack food, he knew he’d have to improve on the flavor. He experimented around until he eventually came up with soda crackers, which were precursors to saltine crackers. By 1810, Bent’s cracker business was incredibly successful and it eventually was acquired by the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco). However, you can still buy crackers made by the company Bent’s grandson founded, G.H. Bent Co. |
Abbas Momani / AFP / Getty Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas heads a meeting of Fatah's executive committee in the West Bank city of Ramallah
"It's time for you to find another donkey." With those words, according to Palestinian sources, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas told the Palestine Liberation Organziation (PLO) executive committee that he would not seek re-election in January. The 74-year-old leader, on whom U.S. peace efforts in the Middle East are heavily dependent, reiterated that message later on Thursday in a televised address from his home in Ramallah. "This decision does not at all amount to bargaining or political maneuvering. While I appreciate the views expressed by brothers [in the PLO, who rejected his move], I hope they will understand my wish." (See pictures of heartbreak in the Middle East.)
The prime audience for Abbas' statement, of course, was not the PLO leadership but the Obama Administration. According to Palestinian sources who attended the meeting, Abbas told his PLO comrades that the U.S. had "cheated" him by retreating from its insistence that Israel end settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. "We welcomed it, and were optimistic when President Obama announced the need for a complete halt to settlements, including natural growth," Abbas said. "We were surprised by his support for the Israeli position." (The U.S. has backed Israel's argument that negotiations should resume despite the disagreement over the settlements. Last weekend U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drew howls of protest across the region when she praised as "unprecedented" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer to only slow settlement activity, but not in Jerusalem.)
Abbas had been under pressure from the U.S. to open unconditional talks with the Israelis, but mindful of his deteriorating popularity at home, the leadership of his Fatah party had ruled out negotiations until Israel demonstrated its bona fides by halting settlement activity. Livid over what he sees as Obama backsliding, Abbas is drawing on the only leverage available to him by threatening to walk away.
The aging moderate's departure from the scene would certainly deal a body blow to the Administration's peace efforts because there's no obvious replacement who would represent continuity with his outlook. If Abbas were to resign, a strong contender for the Fatah nomination would be Marwan Barghouti, the movement's most popular leader, currently in an Israeli prison on a terrorism conviction (and who might be freed as part of a prisoner swap for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is being held captive by Hamas). Barghouti is far less inclined to compromise and accept U.S. tutelage than Abbas is. And all of the more moderate leaders closer to Abbas are politically far weaker than even the increasingly marginal PA President.
But despite his insistence that his move was no stunt, it's important to note that Abbas is not in fact threatening to leave the stage. "This is political theater," says Amman-based Palestinian analyst Mouin Rabani. "The Palestinian Central Election Committee is expected to conclude that the election Abbas called for in January can't be held, because Hamas won't allow them to go ahead in Gaza, and Israel won't allow them to go ahead in East Jerusalem ... So what he did today was announce that he won't be a candidate in an election he knows is not going to happen. It would be meaningful only if he announced his actual resignation from the positions he holds as head of the PA, Fatah and the PLO."
Abbas is deeply frustrated over how little help he's getting from the Americans and Israelis in making the case for negotiations to his people. Having been politically humiliated by years of fruitless open-ended talks at the Americans' behest, he has begun to say no to the U.S. pressure to return to the table, mindful of how much trouble he often finds himself in at home when following Washington's advice. His popularity has been in steep decline over the past month, after he initially bowed to U.S. pressure to shelve U.N. discussion of the Goldstone report into alleged war crimes in Gaza at the behest of the Administration he later reversed himself following a firestorm of criticism from within Fatah and the wider Palestinian public.
The Israelis and Administration officials suggest that the settlement-freeze issue shouldn't be allowed to get in the way of negotiations. However, in the eyes of the Palestinians, the Obama Administration's retreat on the issue signals that the U.S. is not going to pressure Israel for concessions it has been adamantly unwilling to make. Without such U.S. pressure on Israel, the Palestinian leadership believes there's nothing to be gained from talking to the hawkish Netanyahu government. From the perspective of Fatah, the almost two decades spent relying on U.S.-led diplomacy to deliver Palestinian national goals has delivered precious little. As Israel's encroachment in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has continued apace, Fatah's inability to reverse that situation via negotiations has played a major role in its eclipse by the more radical Hamas movement.
So even if Abbas' announcement was simply a shot across the bow of the Obama Administration, it carries within it a significant warning. The U.S. has operated as if the elements of a peace deal on the Palestinian side with a pliant leadership that is politically dependent on the U.S. and an administrative and security apparatus that is ready to suppress the more radical elements seeking to confront Israel would remain in place, passively waiting for a better day on the Israeli side. Now, however, Washington has moderated its demands on the Israelis, mindful that there's a line beyond which the Israeli government says it will not go. Abbas' statement on Thursday, stunt or not, is the most public warning thus far that the Palestinians have grown tired of waiting.
With reporting by Jamil Hamad / Bethlehem
See pictures of life under Hamas in Gaza. |
BOULDER, CO--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - The most successful business leaders in the nutrition industry for 2014 have been announced in Nutrition Business Journal's (NBJ) annual Business Achievement Awards issue. Recipients of the NBJ Business Achievement Awards will be honored during the 18th annual NBJ Summit, July 20-23, at the St. Regis Hotel Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California.
NBJ is the premier publication for the nutrition, natural, organic, dietary supplement and integrative medicine industries. Each year, the publication recognizes the industry's most notable business leaders in its annual Business Achievement Awards issue.
"We're honored to be calling attention to every single one of these companies, not only for their individual successes but also for the ways in which they support and inspire the entire industry," said John Bradley, NBJ's content director and editor-in-chief. "That goes for everyone from a Whole Foods Market down to the 15-year-old inventor of Define Bottle."
For Efforts on Behalf of the Industry, Omega-3 Coalition is honored for rallying consumer interest in omega-3s led by GOED and key industry players. Receiving an honorable mention is Pom for its win at the Supreme Court against Coca-Cola's misleading label claims on its pomegranate drink, setting a precedent for other natural product companies to defend themselves against established corporations.
Aker BioMarine receives an award in Sustainability for taking the lead in ensuring sustainable harvests in Antarctic krill grounds. Honorable mention goes to Big Cricket Farms for becoming the first 100 percent, food-grade cricket supplier in the expanding industry of cricket-based flours and foods.
The Organic Excellence award goes to Harmless Harvest for becoming America's first Fair for Life Social & Fair Trade certified coconut water and investing in the rural community of Thailand by building its facility there and creating more than 100 full-time jobs. Receiving an honorable mention is Orgenetics for continuing to champion certified organic supplements.
Robert Craven, CEO of FoodState, wins the Management Achievement award for orchestrating the sale of whole-food supplements innovator FoodState and its flagship brand, MegaFood, to supplement giant Pharmavite. Honorable mention is awarded to Twinlab for CEO Tom Tolworthy's leadership that formed Twinlab Consolidation Corp. (TCC) in a strategic, employee-led buyout with TCC's first acquisition being Twinlab Corp. that then completed a merger into Twinlab Consolidated Holdings Inc., allowing the company to become publicly traded on the stock market.
Receiving the Education award is Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods for its campaign to engage mainstream acceptance of hemp foods and its direct involvement in awareness initiatives like Hemp History Week and Non-GMO Month. Honorable mention is awarded to OmniActive Health Technologies for elevating awareness of vision health.
Metabrand Capital receives The Investment in the Future award for creating a new investment pillar that aims to be the financing opportunity for mission-oriented, natural product brands and retailers by aligning strategic partnerships that embody and embrace socially conscious business approaches. Honorable mention goes to BI Nutraceuticals for ongoing investment in its Identilok botanical identification-testing program, Protexx HP Green Steam species-specific organic steam sterilization method and worldwide vendor surveillance program.
Hampton Creek receives the Innovation award for challenging the food industry with its Silicon Valley-thinking and financing push for plant-based alternatives to eggs, which has gained attraction for its Just Mayo product in more than 15,000 stores worldwide. Define Bottle receives an honorable mention for its $15 million unique bottle concept that allows consumers to infuse water with whole foods on-the-go as a means to wean people off sugary drinks.
Whole Foods Market is honored with the Philanthropy award for demonstrating how to scale mission alongside business by allowing individual stores the ability to give back to their own local communities. NOW Foods receives an honorable mention for contributions in excess of $1 million to charities that support local and worldwide needs, disaster relief and environmental conservation.
Honored with Growth awards are six companies that have had increasing momentum within the industry including large companies The Honest Co. and Ortho Molecular (honorable mention), mid-size companies ChromaDex and Enjoy Life (honorable mention) and small companies Dang Foods and Cooksimple (honorable mention).
Teatulia receives the Triple Bottom Line award for earning shelf space in more than 1,400 Target stores and continued expansion in foreign markets including educational and health programs in Bangladesh and sustainable green packaging efforts, as well as the company's commitment to philanthropic causes. Receiving an honorable mention is Kuli Kuli for its innovative startup financing and focus on lifting women in East Africa out of poverty.
NBJ Business Achievement Awards recipients will be honored at the NBJ Summit, where the recipient of the 2014 Lifetime Achievement award will also be revealed. Advance registration is critical as NBJ Summit sells out each year (www.nbjsummit.com). View winners at: www.newhope360.com/nbj.
About Nutrition Business Journal
Through a portfolio of media products, including a monthly executive journal and in-depth research reports, Nutrition Business Journal, produced by New Hope Natural Media (a division of Penton Media), supplies authoritative data and analysis to leaders and decision makers in the nutrition business. NBJ also provides strategic consulting services to many of the top companies in the industry. To request a free issue or subscribe visit www.newhope360.com/nbj.
About Penton
Penton drives performance for more than 16 million professionals each and every day for insights, information and workflow tools to inform critical business decisions; networking and community to engage them with industry peers and partners; and data and marketing services to advance their business performance and deliver ROI. Penton is a growth company with a track record of strong performance and success and is backed by its co-owners, MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP. For additional information on the company and its businesses visit www.penton.com. |
The founder of the budget firearms company Hi-Point, Tom Deeb has recently passed away at his semi retirement home in Texas. He was 65 years old and died from cardiac arrest. Deeb founded the company in 1993 with a simple philosophy of creating a budget firearm for the firearms community. Despite much of the criticism that Hi-Point gets, to include myself poking fun at the company from time to time, you do have to give it credit for the niche that it occupies, in being low cost and reliable. Other companies have tried to bring low cost firearms to the market, and have failed because their guns were unreliable. Hi-Point on the other hand, not only produces budget guns, and for the most part, they can be very reliable. I’ve even heard some good things about their carbines as well. To date the company has produced over 2 million firearms.
Tom Deebs history is quite interesting as well, if you have time, I would highly recommend reading the American Rifleman Magazine’s interview with him on how he got the company started, and kept it going. He didn’t come from a designers background at all, rather from a mechanical working area, and envisioned brining reliable budget firearms to the market. |
Yesterday China announced that by 2017 the country will launch the world’s largest carbon trading market. This is huge news, and many outlets wrote about it, including Mother Jones: China Says It Will Start the World’s Biggest Carbon Market by 2017.
This is a well written article, and I’d suggest to anyone to read it, but there is a line in the article that made me stop and twist my head a bit.
From the article:
“And cap-and-trade will be just one part of a wide-ranging agreement announced between the two countries, building on a breakthrough deal forged by President Obama and President Xi last November in Beijing, in which China promised to finally start to taper its coal use.” [emphasis added]
Finally.
Collective action problems like decarbonization create the constant temptation to believe that others are being worse actors than ourselves. I don’t believe that the author of this piece was consciously attempting to promote such an idea. However I do think this shows how memes with weak foundations, but comforting implications, persist in our public discourse in subtle ways.
What is the actual state of China’s coal use, and how does it actually compare to other countries, particularly the US?
Take a look at the data:
Source: Wolfram Alpha [1]
China’s per capita coal consumption only reached parity with US levels for the first time in 2012.
And in case anybody is thinking that things may have changed substantially in the last couple years (beyond the range of Wolfram Alpha’s dataset), here’s the latest snapshot (2014) [2, 3]:
2014 per Capita Coal Consumption
China: 2.53 t / person year
US: 2.59 t / person year
China needs to reduce it’s coal consumption dramatically, as many countries do (see Addendum data below). Nonetheless, China’s level of consumption is not out of line with US or other countries’ levels - while undergoing the most rapid period of economic development of a country in human history [4]. In contrast, the US consumed at a rate of >3 metric tons per person year for the entire period of 1984–2008, a level that China has never reached (and hopefully will not).
Regarding China’s announcement, on its face it is a serious step forward — but as with any cap-and-trade system, much depends on the details. What level will the emissions cap be set at, and what will be the schedule for reduction of emissions permits over time?
More Country Comparisons
A few additional examples of heavy per capita coal consumers ca. 2012 [5]:
Australia: 5.81 t / person year
South Africa: 3.66 t / person year
Poland: 3.47 t / person year
Germany: 2.99 t / person year
China: 2.58 t / person year
South Korea: 2.55 t / person year
United States: 2.5 t / person year
Sources |
Despite all the bad press and the endless predictions of potential problems, the Denver Broncos will be fine if Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller ultimately is suspended for the first four games of this season.
They still have Peyton Manning playing quarterback. They still have a schedule that ranks as the easiest in the NFL. They also have that proverbial chip on their shoulders, the one that has been sitting there since they flopped in last year's playoffs.
As disheartening as the news of Miller's impending suspension had to be for the Broncos organization -- and he's currently appealing the punishment for allegedly violating the league's substance-abuse policy -- these are facts that can't be denied. The AFC remains so weak that a Denver team that is the clear-cut class of the conference could overcome even his absence.
There would've been more legitimate concern had Miller been lost to injury or during a more critical stretch of the season. But one glance at the Broncos' September lineup reveals that they will survive his possible loss without much concern.
For those who believe the Baltimore Ravens pose a substantial threat in the season opener because they are the defending Super Bowl champions, think again. That game will be played in Denver, and the Ravens won't be nearly as scary as they were at the end of last season. Baltimore is replacing several key leaders (Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Matt Birk and Anquan Boldin) and dependable playmakers (Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe and Bernard Pollard). This team, one that nobody was hyping when last year's postseason began, has 9-7 written all over it.
Von Miller is an impact player, but Denver has a lot of other things going for it in 2013. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
Broncos fans also shouldn't be quivering at the thought of Denver facing Philadelphia and Oakland in Weeks 3 and 4. Those teams combined for six wins last season, and it's hard to see them drastically improving this fall. The only real disappointment here could be Miller's lost opportunity to pad his stats. Between the uncertainty surrounding the Eagles' quarterback situation and the questions about new Raiders quarterback Matt Flynn, Miller could've set sack records in those contests.
That leaves only a Week 2 road trip to the New York Giants as the most imposing sight on Denver's early schedule, and this much we know right now: There is no way Peyton is going to drop a game to his younger brother, Giants quarterback Eli Manning, under any circumstances.
Miller's presence would be most vital in this contest, because the Giants allowed a league-low 20 sacks in 2012. But again, this will be a game decided by which Manning brother is at his best. The smart money is always on Peyton in those scenarios.
So the real question about Miller's suspension shouldn't focus on how Denver will fare without him. It should be a matter of how he will grow if he actually does sit for four games. The Broncos were counting on Miller to blossom into their undisputed defensive leader this season. As productive as he's been in his first two seasons -- he's amassed 30 sacks since entering the league in 2011 -- he'd never been asked to set the tone in the locker room until now.
Denver always had other strong personalities to be guiding influences. Safety Brian Dawkins was one such player during Miller's rookie season. Cornerback Champ Bailey has been a quiet, calming force for years, and former defensive end Elvis Dumervil (now in Baltimore) was a Pro Bowl performer despite being undersized.
All Miller had to do was compete during his first two seasons. If the stories about him are true (the Denver Post reported he had tested positive for marijuana and amphetamines earlier in his career), he didn't realize how much damage he could do to his career with bad decisions.
Those expectations will be critical to the player Miller becomes going forward. If anything, this issue could become a huge turning point in his career. If he really was being immature in the past, he's now about to grow up in a hurry. If he didn't know what it felt like to damage his reputation and have people question his character, he's now found ample reason to show critics what he's really about when adversity strikes.
In short, the leader Miller had been planning on becoming may actually emerge in the wake of this bad news. He already had been taking the necessary steps to set a positive example for his teammates, including gaining more muscle and returning to Denver early to train with the Broncos' strength and conditioning coaches. Miller also was setting the proper tone publicly. Though some laughed when he predicted on Twitter that Denver would win this year's Super Bowl, such confidence was noteworthy, particularly for a player who had watched his team implode against the Ravens in last year's AFC divisional playoff loss.
Don't think for a minute that Miller has forgotten those plans or that tweet. If anything, he's probably found more incentive to make good on his desire to help the Broncos win their first title since general manager John Elway was playing quarterback. Yes, Denver will have to ask more of other players, including newcomers such as outside linebacker Shaun Phillips, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and defensive tackle Terrance Knighton. But all championship-caliber teams must do that at some point if they hope to win it all.
The 2012 Ravens are the perfect example of that. They lost key players such as Lewis, Terrell Suggs and cornerback Lardarius Webb at various points last season, and somehow persevered to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February. All the Broncos have to do is find a way to take three winnable games at home without a player who is likely to be more hyped than ever to get back on the field, should he be suspended.
If that's as bad it gets in Denver, the Broncos will be right where they want to be by season's end. |
The Republican party in Iowa did a better job in voter turnout last night, both in terms of absolute number of voters and in comparison to previous benchmarks. In raw numbers, the totals were: 185K Republicans to 171K Democrats (which is even better than 2008’s results). The difference was starker when you look at relative vote totals: in 2012 (the last competitive Republican caucus) the GOP got 121K votes, while in 2008 (the last competitive Democratic caucus) the Democrats got 239K votes. In other words: Democrats in Iowa were simply not as engaged in the process as the Republicans were – and last night, it showed.
Then again, why should the Democrats be engaged? Their nominal (adjective chosen with malice aforethought) front-runner Hillary Clinton has essentially no arguments for picking her besides the fact that she’s a woman… and, much more importantly, that she feels utterly entitled to the job. Her major opponent Bernie Sanders is an equally-old Socialist who’d much rather be a Communist, only not even Vermont would elect a dirty, stinking Commie to federal office. And Martin O’Malley is now gone, if indeed he was ever really there to begin with.
But the funniest part of the joke? The Democrats went to some trouble to arrange this state of affairs. Seldom have I seen such a concerted effort by a party to deliberately dampen its own turnout. Well, they got their wish… and Bernie Sanders almost won the Iowa caucus anyway. So I’d have to say that things aren’t turning out the way the Democrats planned.
Moe Lane
PS: If you’re wondering how a political party will be able to manage the neat trick of turning off its voters for a primary, then turning them back on for the general election – that’s an interesting question! I can’t wait to see what the Democrats try to do to make that happen. …And note the use of the word ‘try.’ |
William Barret "Buck" Travis (August 1, 1809 – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American lawyer, soldier and freemason. At the age of 26, he was a lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army. He died at the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. Travis County and Travis Park were named after him for being the commander of the Republic of Texas at the Battle of the Alamo.
Early life
Ancestry, early years, and education
Travis's grandfather, Berwick (also known as Barrett) Travis, came to the British Colonies of North America at the age of 12, where he was placed in indentured servitude for more than a decade. Berwick's ancestors came to North America in the late 1600s, and Berwick's (Barrett's) grandfather was born in Perquimans, North Carolina but went back to the United Kingdom for his medical training. A descendant of the Travers of Tulketh Castle in Preston, England, Berwick had a life that hardly resembled his ancestor's glory and wealth. After working his period of servitude, he traveled south to the colony of South Carolina, where he received a grant of over 100 acres of land in what is now Saluda County, South Carolina.[3] A year later, he married Anne Smallwood, and they lived out their lives there. They had four daughters and three sons, including Mark Travis and the Baptist missionary Alexander Travis.
Mark Travis married Jemima Stallworth on June 1, 1808.[4] She gave birth to William Barret Travis on August 1, 1809. Records differ as to whether his date of birth was the first or ninth of August, but his youngest brother James C. Travis, who was in possession of the Travis family Bible at the time of his statement, indicated that William was born on the first. Mark and Jemima had nine other children over the next twenty years.
Travis's uncle Alexander migrated to the new territory of Alabama following the War of 1812, settling in modern-day Conecuh County. He urged his brother and family to come join him, where he said that the land was cheap and easy to acquire, so Mark took his family, including young William, then age 9, to Alabama. They settled in the newly forming town of Sparta, where Mark Travis purchased the very first certificate from the Sparta Land company.[5] Young Travis grew up in Sparta, and while his father tended to the farming, his uncle Alexander became prominent, organizing the Old Beulah Church (among other churches), preaching in neighboring counties and nearby Evergreen, Alabama, and leaving a strong influence on young Travis.[6]
During that same time, Alexander also founded the Sparta Academy and served as its superintendent. Travis received his first formal education at the Sparta Academy, studying subjects ranging from Greek and Latin to history and mathematics. After a few years, Travis moved to the academy of Professor William H. McCurdy in Claiborne, Alabama.
After completing his education at the age of 18, Travis gained a position as an assistant teacher in Monroe County, a position he held for less than a year.[7] He met a student, Rosanna Cato, whom he immediately felt attracted to and with whom he began a romantic relationship.[8]
Life in Claiborne, ensuing debt and troubles
Eager to get away from farm life, Travis made his move to Claiborne permanent where he began studying law. Famed lawyer James Dellet accepted Travis as his apprentice.[9] At that time, Claiborne was a major city in Alabama that was right next to the Alabama River, where trade and social life seemed to be miles ahead of the still-growing community of Sparta.
Mounting debt and failure
Travis and Cato married on October 26, 1828. Cato gave birth to their first son, Charlie, a year later, though there is evidence to support that Charlie was born out of wedlock or possibly even a year beforehand.[10]
While still studying law under Dellet, Travis was eager to resume his professional career and to join the high ranks of Claiborne society. Travis started a newspaper, the Claiborne Herald, which, like many other newspapers of the day, published stories ranging from activities in Congress to stories of adventures across the world, local notices, advertisements and more. Travis essentially operated the newspaper himself, and while it provided a modest income during the first few months of operation, it was hardly enough to support himself, Rosanna and young Charlie. The financial stress led to carelessness at the Herald: advertisements were accidentally printed upside down, the type was not set properly in the printing press, letting words fall out of line, and advertisements that had expired were still published. He struggled to continue the paper, and though he asked for help,[11] he received none.
The home of Travis and Rosanna, relocated to Perdue Hill, Alabama and restored in 1985
On February 27, 1829, Travis passed his law examination and received permission to legally practice, so he borrowed $55.37 to open a law office,[12] as well as $90 earlier in the year to help pay for the Herald.[13] Now in debt and with no practical income, he took in three boarding students, and to help Rosanna with the workload, he purchased two slaves. Maintaining the slaves increased his expenses, pushing Travis further into debt.
In 1829, the Herald's editions declined; only six issues were published in the fall when it was intended to be a weekly publication. It went from a newspaper to a two-sided sheet. Still, no one helped Travis with his newspaper, and by the end of that year, the Herald stopped being printed.
With hardly any law business coming in, the debts continued to mount. The earlier loans had never been paid, and more came - $192.40 in May 1829, $50.12 in June, and $50.00 in July.[14] His law practice failed to attract any significant clients because men like Dellet continued to be trusted more than Travis. By the end of his law practice in Claiborne, he had had only six cases, and had received less than a total of $4.00. By the spring of 1831, his debt was $834.[15]
Dellet, along with others to whom Travis owed money, had no choice but to file suit for Travis's debts to be repaid. At one point during the suit, Travis filed a plea that the case be dismissed on the grounds of infancy (he was still considered a minor in many parts of Alabama). Dellet responded by forcing Travis to stand, yelling at the courtroom "Gentlemen, I make 'proofest' of this infant!".[16] Travis stood humiliated in a courtroom filled with people who were roaring with laughter, and the Court's clerk issued orders for his arrest on March 31, 1831.[17]
At some point during his time in Claiborne, Travis heard stories of Texas, which was then an outlying state in the First Mexican Republic. In Texas, there was a massive amount of land speculation and immigration, with settlers coming in from the United States and Europe. There was also a strong demand for lawyers to deal with the influx of immigrants and land dealings, so he quickly made the decision to go to Texas. He promised Rosanna (now pregnant with a second child) that, while in Texas, he would earn enough money to pay back all of his debts. Rosanna trusted him to eventually return or send for her and his children. Travis avoided being arrested and left for Texas.
Texas and the Alamo command
In May 1831, upon his arrival in Mexican Texas, a part of northern Mexico at the time, Travis purchased land from Stephen F. Austin, who appointed him counsel from the United States.[18] He set up a law practice in Anahuac and helped start a militia to oppose Mexican rule.[19] He subsequently became a pivotal figure in the Anahuac Disturbances and was imprisoned for his involvement.[18]
Travis was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the Legion of Cavalry and became the chief recruiting officer for a new regular Texian army.[18] Governor Henry Smith ordered Travis to raise a company of professional soldiers to reinforce the Texians who were then under the command of James C. Neill at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio.[21] Travis considered disobeying his orders, writing to Smith: "I am willing, nay anxious, to go to the defense of Bexar, but sir, I am unwilling to risk my reputation ... by going off into the enemy's country with such little means, so few men, and with them so badly equipped." James Bowie arrived at the Alamo with 30 men on January 19, 1836.[21] On February 3, Travis arrived in San Antonio with eighteen regulars as reinforcements. A compromise was reached between Bowie and Travis for command of the Alamo, with Bowie in command of the volunteers and Travis in command of the regulars. When Bowie's health began to fail the compromise became irrelevant, and Travis became the official commander of the Alamo garrison.[21] On March 6, 1836, following a thirteen-day siege, Santa Anna ordered the assault on the Alamo during the predawn hours. Travis died fighting to the end, and his remains were burned along with all the other Alamo defenders.[21]
Travis's "Victory or Death" letter from the Alamo
On February 24, 1836, during Santa Anna's siege of the Alamo, Travis wrote a letter addressed "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World":
Plaque with the contents of the letter in front of the Alamo
Fellow citizens and compatriots; I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat . Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country. VICTORY or DEATH. William Barret Travis Lt. Col. Comdt. P.S. The Lord is on our side. When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn. We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves. Travis
He gave this letter to courier Albert Martin to deliver. The envelope that contained the letter was labeled "VICTORY or DEATH". The letter, while unable to bring aid to the garrison at the Alamo, did much to motivate the Texian army and helped to rally support in America for the cause of Texas independence. It also cemented Travis's status as a hero of the Texas Revolution.
Alleged burial
A year after the battle, acting upon orders from General Felix Huston, Colonel Juan Seguín oversaw the reclamation of the abandoned ashes of the Alamo defenders from three sites. On March 28, 1837, an official public ceremony was conducted to give a Christian burial to the ashes. It was believed they were buried in the vicinity of the Alamo, but their exact location was forgotten over time. When San Antonio's Cathedral of San Fernando was being renovated for a new altar during the Texas 1936 centennial, human remains believed to be those of the Alamo defenders were found. Because of discrepancies in various accounts in the ensuing century after the burial, public opinion was divided about whether or not these were the remains of the defenders. The recovered ashes were re-interred in a marble sarcophagus inside the cathedral, purportedly containing the bones of Travis, Crockett and Bowie, as well as others.[23] Calls for DNA testing have not been acted upon.[24]
Family
Travis married one of his former students, 16-year-old Rosanna Cato (1812–1848), on October 26, 1828. The couple stayed in Claiborne and had a son, Charles Edward, in 1829 and a daughter, Susan, in 1831. They were officially divorced by the Marion County courts on January 9, 1836, by Act no. 115. Rosanna married Samuel G. Cloud in Monroeville, Alabama, on February 14, 1836. They both died of yellow fever during an epidemic which afflicted the state in 1848.
Charles Edward Travis (1829–1860) was raised by his mother and her second husband. He won a seat in the Texas legislature in 1853. In 1855, he enlisted in the United States Army as a captain in a cavalry regiment (which was later renamed the 5th Cavalry Regiment (United States) commanded by Albert Sidney Johnston) but was discharged in May 1856 for "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman," following an allegation that he had cheated at cards.[26] He appealed the decision to no avail. He then turned to studying law, earning a degree from Baylor University in 1859. He died of consumption (tuberculosis) within a year and is buried in the Masonic Cemetery.[27][28]
Susan Isabella Travis (1831–1868) was born after Travis had departed for Texas. Although her paternity has been questioned,[29] Travis did name her as his daughter in his will. She married a planter from Chappell Hill, Texas.[30] Their son, who died young, was William Barret Grissett, and their daughter was Mary Jane Grissett Davidson DeCaussey.[31][32]
Gallery
Cenotaph of the Alamo defenders, Travis and Crockett
Birth/death dates plaque at Alamo
See also
References
Bibliography
Davis, Robert E. (1966). The Diary of William Barret Travis . Waco, Tx: Texian Press. OCLC 732686506.
Davis, William C. (1998). Three Roads to the Alamo . New York, NY: HarperCollins World. ISBN 978-0-06-017334-0.
Hardin, Stephen L. (1994). Texian Iliad. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-73086-1.
Further reading |
Hello,
I've applied libFuzzer (http://tutorial.libfuzzer.info) to regexp library and found 5 heap-buffer-overflows, stack overflow, assert failure, use of uninitialized data, SIGSEGV, infinite loop, undefined shift, invalid enum value and a bunch of memory leaks in just half an hour:
SUMMARY: AddressSanitizer?: heap-buffer-overflow boost/regex/v4/perl_matcher.hpp:132:10 in char const* boost::re_detail_106300::re_skip_past_null<char>(char const*)
SUMMARY: AddressSanitizer?: heap-buffer-overflow boost/regex/v4/perl_matcher.hpp:221:29 in gnu_cxx::normal_iterator<char const*, std::string> boost::re_detail_106300::re_is_set_member<gnu_cxx::normal_iterator<char const*, std::string>, char, boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> >, unsigned int>(gnu_cxx::normal_iterator<char const*, std::string>, gnu_cxx::normal_iterator<char const*, std::string>, boost::re_detail_106300::re_set_long<unsigned int> const*, boost::re_detail_106300::regex_data<char, boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> > > const&, bool)
SUMMARY: AddressSanitizer?: heap-buffer-overflow /sanitizer_common_interceptors.inc:278 in interceptor_strlen
SUMMARY: AddressSanitizer?: heap-buffer-overflow boost/regex/v4/perl_matcher.hpp:166:19 in gnu_cxx::normal_iterator<char const*, std::string> boost::re_detail_106300::re_is_set_member<gnu_cxx::normal_iterator<char const*, std::string>, char, boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> >, unsigned int>(gnu_cxx::normal_iterator<char const*, std::string>, gnu_cxx::normal_iterator<char const*, std::string>, boost::re_detail_106300::re_set_long<unsigned int> const*, boost::re_detail_106300::regex_data<char, boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> > > const&, bool)
a.out: boost/regex/v4/perl_matcher_common.hpp:606: bool boost::re_detail_106300::perl_matcher<gnu_cxx::normal_iterator<const char *, std::basic_string<char> >, std::allocator<boost::sub_match<__gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<const char *, std::basic_string<char> > > >, boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> > >::match_backref() = __gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<const char *, std::basic_string<char> >, Allocator = std::allocator<boost::sub_match<__gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<const char *, std::basic_string<char> > > >, traits = boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> >?: Assertion `r.first != r.second' failed.
SUMMARY: MemorySanitizer?: use-of-uninitialized-value boost/regex/v4/perl_matcher.hpp:166:13 in std::1::wrap_iter<char const*> boost::re_detail_106300::re_is_set_member<std::__1::__wrap_iter<char const*>, char, boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> >, unsigned int>(std::1::wrap_iter<char const*>, std::1::wrap_iter<char const*>, boost::re_detail_106300::re_set_long<unsigned int> const*, boost::re_detail_106300::regex_data<char, boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> > > const&, bool)
SUMMARY: AddressSanitizer?: heap-buffer-overflow ./boost/regex/v4/basic_regex_parser.hpp:2599:68 in boost::re_detail_106300::basic_regex_parser<char, boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> > >::parse_perl_extension()
boost/regex/v4/basic_regex_parser.hpp:2599:68: runtime error: load of value 56794092, which is not a valid value for type 'boost::re_detail_106300::syntax_element_type'
Direct leak of 4096 byte(s) in 1 object(s) allocated from:
SUMMARY: AddressSanitizer?: stack-overflow ./boost/regex/v4/basic_regex_creator.hpp:1054 in boost::re_detail_106300::basic_regex_creator<char, boost::regex_traits<char, boost::cpp_regex_traits<char> > >::create_startmap(boost::re_detail_106300::re_syntax_base*, unsigned char*, unsigned int*, unsigned char)
SUMMARY: AddressSanitizer?: SEGV
ALARM: working on the last Unit for 17 seconds
boost/regex/v4/basic_regex_parser.hpp:904:49: runtime error: shift exponent 325804978 is too large for 32-bit type 'unsigned int'
Full reports and triggering inputs for each bug are attached.
Test that I used is simply:
int LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput(const uint8_t *Data, size_t Size) {
try { std::string str((char*)Data, Size); boost::regex e(str); boost::match_results<std::string::const_iterator> what; boost::regex_match(str, what, e, boost::match_default | boost::match_partial); } catch (const std::exception&) {} return 0;
}
I would suggest to rerun the fuzzer after fixing these bugs as fuzzer was mostly choking on the existing bugs as they are easy to trigger.
Also it can make sense to set up continuous fuzzing using https://github.com/google/oss-fuzz which will automatically test latest code. |
Gregor Terjung is 87 and has been coming to his West Seattle junction store nearly every day since he bought the business in 1968.
Patrick Robinson
No website, no Facebook page, not even an email account. No advertising, no special sales, no marketing.
Yet ever since 1968 Gregor Terjung has made his Terjung's Studio of Gifts in the West Seattle Junction a success. Now 87, he says he's thinking about retirement noting that he has a son in law that retired at 65. But that day is a ways off, since for he and his daughter Gail, the shop is a labor of love.
Competing in a world seemingly dominated by digital sales would seem next to impossible, but the store relies on the power of immediacy (no waiting for delivery), sentiment (most of the items in the store are meant to be given from one person to another, not sent via truck), and relationships. Not just between his customers and their families and friends but with the community at large.
Terjung has such a long history, that the vast majority of his customers are people who have shopped with him for decades.
He's been in business for 48 years.
At Terjung's you will find a huge assortment of greeting cards from eight different vendors, small toys, items for baby showers, wedding showers, ribbon, candies, a good sized selection of small stuffed animals, an assortment of marmalades and tea accessories, and surprisingly, a selection of magic tricks and magic DVD's to train the budding magician.
The store also has some hand made aprons and tiny gift boxes that are unique to Terjung's because they are things he made himself.
It's a store primarily based on the heart to heart communication between family, friends and loved ones.
Somehow, clicking on a website to buy something and have it shipped lacks that personal touch. It's likely why Terjung's has not just survived but thrived.
He was in the Army, serving at Fort Lewis, joining in 1948 when he graduated High School and "missed everything" meaning the gap between the end of World War II and the Korean conflict was his service window. He met his wife of 67 years, Gloria in Seattle through a friend who had moved here. She does the bookwork for the store at home. His secret to a good marriage is to "just try to get along, She has a temper and I don't so when she gets mad I just walk away and the next day she's fine and we're ok."
"We just love what we do, and we love our customers," he said, "Now we see some new customers from the new apartments, and they become repeat customers."
The business actually began in a garage in the Fauntleroy neighborhood and was started by Mrs. Walbum, she later moved it to the Junction in the late 1950's. Gregor had worked for Safeway and then pursued his ambition to get into lithography and sold her some things. He bought the business from her in 1968. Gail joined him 37 years ago and now does all the buying. Sister Gina also comes in on Fridays to help out. |
“Congress has always been a mockery,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declared in an interview on “The Charlie Rose Show” Monday night.
Commenting on the public’s current low opinion of Congress, Pelosi said “Congress has always been a mockery since the beginning of our country”:
“Congress has always -- let`s put this in perspective -- Congress has always been a mockery since the beginning of our country and if you looked at the history of it, they`ve always been fighting over one thing or another. When Speaker Polk, one of the only speakers, I think, to become President of the United States…”
“He -- he -- he said "This place is so out of order then I`m not going to recognize anybody."
Pelosi then said that shunning “civility” in Congressional debate is “a tactic by obstructionists”:
“But, the fact is, is that if you can get civility back – and that’s why the public has to be part of the solution. They have to demand and insist on the stability because it’s a tactic by obstructionists. If you want to obstruct, you make it so unpleasant that no one wants to pay attention.”
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For six months, Hillary Clinton’s campaign has approached the nomination along two distinct, nearly opposite tracks: with an operation focused on the Democratic primary — and a message built to contrast almost exclusively with Republicans. At her town halls and rallies, Clinton only rarely mentions her Democratic opponents and compares her policies with theirs. Her focus remains on the other party.
But on the eve of the first Democratic debate, one of the candidate’s most trusted defenders, linked formally to the campaign through a coordinated super PAC, is set to sharply outline the case to progressives for Clinton — and against Sen. Bernie Sanders.
David Brock, the conservative-turned-liberal who has become a central player in the frontrunner’s campaign, will deliver a speech on Monday in San Francisco that casts Clinton as a lifelong progressive with the best platform, rooted in achievable proposals and decades of service to the Democratic Party at every level.
Brock’s speech does not mention Sanders by name, according to an advanced copy provided by his pro-Clinton research group, Correct the Record. But his point is clear enough. The pre-debate appeal is a kind of tour through Clinton’s strengths — undergirded throughout by allusions to Sanders, the Vermont socialist polling competitively with Clinton, and to his likely weaknesses as a nominee.
One by one, his speech runs through each implicit contrast.
There’s Clinton, the “strongest possible messenger for a progressive vision.” (And Sanders, the impractical nominee.) Clinton, the candidate with “real plans that work.” (And Sanders, with larger proposals that would likely fail in Congress.) Clinton, the Democrat who claims a “broad coalition” inside a party “she’s spent three decades building” — many, Brock adds, from the Senate seat occupied by Democratic icon Robert F. Kennedy. (And there's Sanders, the registered Independent who, until this summer, had never attended a party-wide meeting.)
“Hillary is the real progressive champion in this race,” Brock will tell the crowd on Monday afternoon at the Commonwealth Club of California, citing what he calls her “ambitious, specific, and realistic plans” to raise incomes and tackle problems like college affordability, mass incarceration, and immigration.
“Hillary isn’t moving in a progressive direction. She’s been there all along,” Brock will say. Clinton, too, has argued while campaigning this year that her "record of standing up and fighting for progressive values" takes a "backseat to no one." (Last month, however, Clinton said she pleaded "guilty" to being a "moderate.")
With the start of debate season on Tuesday, and the first caucuses and primary some 100 days away, Brock’s remarks reflect a wider attempt by Clinton and her supporters to move past the controversies that have weighed on her campaign since before it even began. Brock, whose research group has spent months responding to the developments of the controversy surrounding Clinton’s personal email account, does not plan to mention the controversy on Monday.
Instead, Brock attempts to present a forceful, forward-looking pitch — outlining Clinton's record all the way back to her "humble beginnings” as a child.
In the speech, Brock also makes special note of Clinton’s newly staked positions against the Keystone XL pipeline and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. For months, Clinton declined to comment on the pipeline. And as secretary of state, Clinton played a role in negotiating the TPP trade deal — and has praised it broadly in the past. Both projects are bitterly opposed by progressives. As Brock describes it, "Hillary sided with workers in opposing the Trans-Pacific-Partnership... And she sided with environmentalists in opposing the Keystone pipeline.”
And to Democrats who question Clinton’s commitment to or belief in the causes dear to progressives, Brock invokes the Republican Party: “If your hesitation in supporting Hillary isn’t about her message, but rather about her as a messenger, ask yourself if you’re falling into their trap.”
In the ’90s, conservatives, including Brock at the time, would attack Clinton as a lefty — a secret radical, a “Marxist” liberal” and disciple of the organizer Saul Alinsky. But in this campaign, Brock says in his speech, the Republican Party has sought to “undermine Hillary’s support among Democrats: raising doubts, dampening enthusiasm, driving a wedge.”
Brock also suggests that it’s Republicans, not Democrats, who are “salivating” most at the calls for alternative choice such as Vice President Biden, whose entry would weaken Clinton’s standing. “It would be silly to suggest that other candidates in the Democratic field are running as a favor to Republicans — even if that would be a political effect.” (His prepared remarks even include an apparent reference to the Draft Biden group, which was parodied on Twitter with a Dukakis 2016 account: “Hey," Brock asks, "anyone here have a phone number for Michael Dukakis?”)
But the thing Republicans fear most — more than losing the next election, more than Clinton in the White House? In Brock’s message to Democrats it’s the implementation of her progressive vision. “Some on the left may not yet believe that Hillary would be a truly transformative progressive president,” Brock acknowledges. “But make no mistake. Everyone on the right believes it."
"And it scares the hell out of them.” |
The number of multiracial Americans is growing nationwide, but in Hawaii, it’s nothing new. The Rainbow State – with its history of attracting immigrants from Asia and other parts of the world to work as farm laborers – stands far above the rest, with nearly one-in-four residents (24%) identifying as multiracial, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. The next most-multiracial states are far behind: Alaska (8%) and Oklahoma (7%).
Here’s another way to look at how much Hawaii stands out: In terms of total population, Hawaii is one of the smallest (1.4 million people), ranking 40th out of 50 states. But when ranking states with the highest total multiracial population, the state ranks sixth, with more than 330,000.
A new Pew Research survey found that the number of multiracial Americans may be higher than the estimates from Census, which has estimated that 3% of the overall U.S. population – and 2.1% of the adult population – is multiracial. But taking into account how adults describe their own race as well as the racial backgrounds of their parents and grandparents – which the census does not do – Pew Research estimates that 6.9% of the U.S. adult population could be considered multiracial.
For this state analysis, we used Census data because the Pew Research survey did not have an adequate sample size for state-level analysis. (Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming were not analyzed due to the small number of multiracial people interviewed in those states.)
In Hawaii, the vast majority (70%) of multiracial residents say they are some combination of white, Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. For example, the largest biracial groups in Hawaii are white and Asian (18%), Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (18%), and white and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (12%). Interestingly, Hawaii is the only state to have a tri-racial group as its largest multiracial group, one that includes white, Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (22%). There is also wide diversity within the Asian race subgroup, with people claiming roots in China, Japan and the Philippines – nations from which immigrants arrived with the growth of the sugar cane industry in the mid-1800s.
Hawaii’s abundance of multiracial people with Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander heritage differs from the makeup of the nation’s overall multiracial population (including adults and children). In the U.S., the multiracial population is more evenly spread among biracial white and black (22%), white and Asian (18%) and white and American Indian (16%).
There are other states that have multiracial concentrations that differ from the nation as a whole. In the western states of California and Washington, biracial white and Asian is the largest multiracial group. (California is home to the nation’s largest Hispanic population, but Hispanic origin is considered an ethnicity and not a race by the Census Bureau. Hispanics are not included in the analysis of racial groups.)
The states where biracial white and American Indian is the majority of a state’s multiracial population include Oklahoma (61%) and Maine (53%).
Under the Census Bureau’s narrower definition of multiracial, biracial white and black is the biggest group. Accordingly, biracial white and black is the biggest multiracial population in 29 states. The states with the highest share of biracial white and black include Ohio (47%), Kentucky (46%) and Indiana (42%).
Topics: Hispanic/Latino Demographics, U.S. Census, Demographics, Race and Ethnicity |
U.S. Army officials announced that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured and spent five years in captivity in Afghanistan after leaving his post, has been charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. (Department of Defense)
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier who slipped away from his patrol base in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held in captivity for five years, has been charged with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy, Army officials said Wednesday, setting the stage for emotionally charged court proceedings in coming months.
The charges were announced by the service at Fort Bragg, N.C., hours after the 28-year-old was handed a charge sheet, according to one of his attorneys. Bergdahl will next face a preliminary Article 32 hearing, which is frequently compared to a grand jury proceeding in civilian court.
[Checkpoint: For first time, Bowe Bergdahl describes publicly his harsh treatment in captivity]
If convicted, he faces the possibility of life in prison.
The Army’s decision comes after nearly 10 months of debate about whether Bergdahl should face charges and about the circumstances of his recovery. Critics — and an independent review by the Government Accountability Office — said President Obama broke the law in authorizing the release of five Taliban detainees held by the United States in exchange for Bergdahl without consulting Congress. Others have insisted that Washington had a responsibility to bring Bergdahl home by any means necessary.
Army officials declined Wednesday to elaborate on the decisions they made, citing the ongoing investigation. The charges were authorized by Gen. Mark A. Milley, the commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command.
[Anger from those who consider Bowe Bergdahl a deserter]
Members of Bergdahl’s defense team said Wednesday that they still have not been granted access to the contents of an Army investigation launched last year to look into his disappearance, and the lawyers disputed reports that they had been engaged in plea negotiations.
“We ask that all Americans continue to withhold judgment until the facts of the case emerge,” the lawyers said in a statement. “We also ask that government officials refrain from leaking information or engaging in other conduct that endangers our client’s right to a fair trial.”
Bergdahl’s attorneys released a lengthy March 2 letter they wrote to Milley urging leniency in light of his time in captivity. They also released a statement to Milley from Bergdahl in which he described being chained to a bed, spread-eagle and blindfolded while being held by the Haqqani network, an insurgent group allied with the Taliban. He said he tried to escape about 12 times over the course of his captivity.
“I was kept in constant isolation during the entire 5 years, with little to no understanding of time, through constant periods of constant darkness, periods of constant light, and periods of completely random flickering of light,” Bergdahl wrote at one point. He added that he had “absolutely no understanding of anything that was happening beyond the door I was held behind.”
[Bowe Bergdahl’s writings reveal a fragile young man]
Bergdahl’s defense team said in the letter to Milley that a trial would add to his stress and decried the politicization of his case.
“SGT Bergdahl has been vilified as a coward in the absence of a shred of evidence to support that description,” the lawyers said.
The court proceedings will be held at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in Texas, where Bergdahl has served since shortly after a U.S. Special Operations team whisked him away from his captors on a helicopter in Afghanistan on May 31 as part of the prisoner swap. Previously discharged from the Coast Guard for psychological reasons, he is widely believed to have struggled with his mission in Afghanistan and to have walked away under cover of darkness on June 30, 2009.
[World Views: Afghan villagers recall when Bergdahl stumbled into their midst]
The investigation of Bergdahl’s disappearance was launched last June, with Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl interviewing the sergeant in Texas in August. It is believed that Dahl’s findings, not yet released, will play a prominent role and serve as evidence in Bergdahl’s court case.
Thousands of U.S. service members are believed to have deserted their units during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Bergdahl’s case is uncommon because he allegedly did so while on the battlefield. Some have escaped while in the United States and remain beyond the reach of the military in Canada, parts of Europe and other locations.
U.S. troops and veterans have long expressed frustration about Bergdahl’s disappearance, accusing him of deserting his unit on the battlefield and prompting a search that put lives in danger.
This photo provided by lawyer Eugene R. Fidell shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl preparing to be interviewed by Army investigators in August 2014. (AP Photo/Eugene R. Fidell)
Many of those in his unit have been waiting years to see the Army acknowledge potential wrongdoing by Bergdahl, said Nathan B. Bethea, 30, a former Army captain in New York who was deployed with Bergdahl’s battalion when he went missing.
“I think they’re pleased because this comes as a surprise,” Bethea said of the overall reaction. “I think that, given how long this has taken, it comes as a shock. The Army never made a statement on what happened. There was always just obfuscation and smoke and mirrors.”
The desertion charge carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison, along with a possible reduction in rank and loss of pay and allowances. But the charge of misbehavior before the enemy carries a maximum punishment of confinement for life, a dishonorable discharge, a reduction to private and total forfeiture of pay and allowances since the time of his disappearance, Army officials said.
Critics of the exchange that freed the five Taliban officials in exchange for Bergdahl fear that the former Guantanamo detainees will return to hostilities.
In exchange for the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. agreed to free five Taliban commanders from the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They were among the Taliban's most influential commanders. (Tom LeGro and Natalie Jennings/The Washington Post)
In February, the new director of the military’s Defense Intelligence Agency left open the possibility that at least one of them could return to the battlefield, on the basis of recidivism statistics for former detainees.
“So if those numbers translate, of the five who were transferred, probably one in five could be expected to go back into the business,” said Marine Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, the agency director.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been critical of the Obama administration’s handling of the case. He said Wednesday that the Army’s decision is an important step in determining the accountability of Bergdahl.
“I am confident that the Department of the Army will continue to ensure this process is conducted with the utmost integrity under the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” said McCain, a former prisoner of war.
The Post's Dan Lamothe points out key moments in the video released by the Taliban showing Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's recovery. (Editor's note: This video was originally published June 4, 2014.) (Dan Lamothe and Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)
House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said that “we all wanted to bring” Bergdahl home but criticized Obama for not securing guarantees that the released Taliban officials will not return to the battlefield.
“I believe it made Americans less safe,” Boehner said. “Knowing that the United States does not negotiate with terrorists is one of our greatest protections, and now it is compromised.”
Bergdahl’s case has prompted questions over whether the Obama administration handled the prisoner swap legally. Susan Rice, Obama’s national security adviser, also provoked criticism when she said after Bergdahl’s recovery that he had served “with honor and distinction.” She later acknowledged the remark was controversial and said she was referring to the soldier’s decision to enlist in the first place.
“That, in and of itself, is a very honorable thing,” she said.
Related on Checkpoint:
War-zone deserter? If so, Bowe Bergdahl joins a fascinating and bizarre club.
Taliban official swapped for Bowe Bergdahl could return to the battlefield, general says
Why the ‘Black Hawk Down’ prisoner release is different than Bowe Bergdahl’s
Susan Rice compares Bowe Bergdahl furor to Benghazi uproar |
Donald Trump’s notoriously confrontational campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has left the campaign. “Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign,” spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement. “The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future.”
Lewandowski had openly feuded with longtime Republican operative Paul Manafort, who was given the title of campaign chairman. But the departure of Lewandowski, best known for an alleged scuffle with Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, comes at a time of unprecedented chaos in the Trump campaign.
In response to plummeting poll numbers, disorganization, and staffing shortfalls, the presumptive Republican nominee has been reaching out to donors for “emergency” contributions, according to The Washington Post. His support is currently lower than any candidate, Republican or Democrat, this point in the last three election cycles.
He’s also being outpaced in ad dollars spent in swing states—not difficult to accomplish, because Trump has spent precisely zero:
By this time in 2012, Mitt Romney’s campaign and his various super PACs had spent about $38 million on ads in battleground states.
Similarly, Trump’s on-the-ground campaign staff is only a fraction of the size of Clinton’s. “The campaign estimates it currently has about 30 paid staff on the ground across the country,” according to the Associated Press reads. Trump staffers have since insisted that the campaign has no plans to expand.
Trump has said before that he won’t spend heavily on advertising and organization, because the media essentially does it for him. In this way, the campaign has been largely experimental, and Lewandowski—with his unapologetically aggressive demeanor—was the embodiment of this new kind of presidential campaigning. Until today.
Lewandowski’s abrupt departure caught many Trump staffers by surprise:
But others could not conceal their glee at Lewandowki’s firing. Here’s Trump senior advisor and New York state campaign director Michael Caputo: |
Will Justin Herbert be able to beat back Terry Wilson and Travis Jonsen to remain the Oregon signal caller this fall?
There is no more visible player on a football team than the starting quarterback. They're typically the face and leader of the program. It's why teams with excellent defenses and supporting casts don't typically win titles with subpar signal callers. That brings us to the first of our position breakdown series for spring football: quarterback.
In these breakdowns we'll aim to explain what's at stake for each position, who the major players are and what do we hope to learn as spring football kicks off on April 5.
What we know: Justin Herbert can play football. That might be over-simplified, but the Sheldon product was fabulous last season in seven starts as a true frosh. He threw for 1936 yards, 19 touchdowns with just four interceptions. While the Ducks went just 2-5 with him behind center, that's not as much an indictment of the sophomore's abilities as it is on the previous staff's inability to lead a winning football team.
We also know that there's a new sheriff in town. While the arrival of Willie Taggart has rejuvenated what was a growingly apathetic fanbase, it also means that nothing is guaranteed for Herbert. Herbert was excellent in the vision of the previous regime, but does he fit what Taggart and company will want to do at Oregon? That's perhaps the most pressing question surrounding the program entering this spring.
Who returns: Justin Herbert, 6-6 225 pounds, sophomore; Terry Wilson, 6-3 205 pounds, freshman; Travis Jonsen, 6-3 215 points, sophomore; Taylor Alie, 6-0 185 pounds, senior.
Who's new: Braxton Burmeister, 6-1 195 pounds, freshman.
What's intriguing: We mentioned the mystery behind whether Herbert fits Taggart's vision or not. That's a reasonable inquiry given how South Florida operated the last two years. Both Taggart and Helfrich ran a spread offense, but the comparisons end there. Bulls quarterback Quinton Flowers ran for an astounding 1530 yards last season and 991 the year before. That's a ton. The last two years Flowers ran it 389 and threw it 607 times. Conversely, Herbert ran it 58 times and threw it 255 times last year. Basically Flowers threw it 1.5 times per every rush, while Herbert threw it 4.5 times per every rush. Are you sensing the difference?
None of this is to say that Taggart won't stick with Herbert, but it's worth mentioning that Oregon has a redshirt freshman who fits the Flowers role a whole lot more than Herbert. His name is Terry Wilson, and he was the ninth-rated dual-threat quarterback in the 2016 class. Much of this battle will depend upon how flexible Taggart wants to be. Will he make his personnel fit his offense? Or will he make his offense fit his personnel? It's important to note that Herbert doesn't take the field wearing cement cleats. The kid can move around and has above average top end speed for the position. But his running traits don't compare to Wilson, who reportedly runs a 4.53 40 yard dash as a high schooler.
We don't mean to leave Travis Jonsen or Braxton Burmeister out of the discussion. But it's hard to believe either will be well-equipped enough to beat out Herbert or Wilson.
What we hope to learn this spring: The answer to the two questions above. We expect plenty of questions to be asked of the new head man's vision for his offense. How transparent he'll be will be his choice. With practice expected to be open to some extent to fans and media alike, however, we'll get at least a glimpse of who's running with the ones. We may even get an indication as to what the offense will ultimately look like based upon what sort of drills they appear to be emphasizing.
DuckTerritory's pick: Ultimately, we don't expect Taggart to make an announcement by the end of spring. We might be totally off here and he may make it following the spring game or even before it, but that doesn't really fit Taggart's competition mantra. We think this will be true for all position battles. We'd expect him to keep them pretty hush until the fall, to ensure players don't become disenfranchised. In the end, we anticipate Herbert keeping his job. He's just too good not to. We know it shouldn't matter, but we also wonder what the public backlash would like if a budding star from a local high school is pushed aside after a fantastic opening season. We imagine it wouldn't be good. |
The Plot
Michael (Edward Furlong) is a disturbed teenager who runs the Horror Club at school, watching movies like Death Death Death Part II with his classmates during lunch. He’s also a repressed, weirdo voyeur, constantly taking video of his pretty next-door neighbor undressing through her window. Michael’s always looking for the next big scare, so when his friend Kyle (Jamie Marsh) points out an advertisement for a new video game called Brainscan in the latest issue of Fangoria, Michael calls and orders the game (from 1–800–555-FEAR, naturally).
That’s the cheapest looking disc label I’ve ever seen.
Soon, the CD-Rom arrives in the mail — this was 1994, remember— and he plugs it in. The game hypnotizes him, and he hallucinates having committed a brutal first-person murder, complete with stabbing, screaming, and sawed-off feet. When he wakes, he thinks he’s just had the most realistic gaming experience ever, until he hears about a murder on TV that matches his memory of the game exactly. Has he really killed someone?!
A creepy mohawked man emerges from his TV and introduces himself as Trickster. (Not the Trickster. Trickster). He explains that Michael has only played Brainscan Disc 1 of 4, and that he has to finish the game, or else he will die. “Finishing the game,” of course, involves more murders, more killing, more violence. Through it all, Trickster keeps appearing and disappearing at inopportune moments for Michael, reminding him that he brought this on himself by being such a twisted little pervert who likes horror movies and violent video games. Soon, Michael can’t tell the difference between reality and virtual reality. Where will the game end?!
PS. The screenwriter of this movie also wrote Se7en. |
Baby Boomers Approach 65 – Glumly
The iconic image of the Baby Boom generation is a 1960s-era snapshot of an exuberant, long-haired, rebellious young adult. That portrait wasn’t entirely accurate even then, but it’s hopelessly out of date now. This famously huge cohort of Americans finds itself in a funk as it approaches old age.
On January 1, 2011, the oldest Baby Boomers will turn 65. Every day for the next 19 years, about 10,000 more will cross that threshold. By 2030, when all Baby Boomers will have turned 65, fully 18% of the nation’s population will be at least that age, according to Pew Research Center population projections. Today, just 13% of Americans are ages 65 and older.
Perched on the front stoop of old age, Baby Boomers are more downbeat than other age groups about the trajectory of their own lives and about the direction of the nation as a whole.
Some of this pessimism is related to life cycle – for most people, middle age is the most demanding and stressful time of life. Some of the gloominess, however, appears to be particular to Boomers, who bounded onto the national stage in the 1960s with high hopes for remaking society, but who’ve spent most of their adulthood trailing other age cohorts in overall life satisfaction.
At the moment, the Baby Boomers are pretty glum. Fully 80% say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country today, compared with 60% of those ages 18 to 29 (Millennials); 69% of those ages 30 to 45 (Generation Xers) and 76% of those 65 and older (the Silent and Greatest Generations), according to a Pew Research Center survey taken earlier this month.
Boomers are also more downbeat than other adults about the long-term trajectory of their lives – and their children’s. Some 21% say their own standard of living is lower than their parents’ was at the age they are now; among all non-Boomer adults, just 14% feel this way, according to a May 2010 Pew Research survey. The same survey found that 34% of Boomers believe their own children will not enjoy as good a standard of living as they themselves have now; by contrast, just 21% of non-Boomers say the same.
The 79 million member Baby Boomer generation accounts for 26% of the total U.S. population. By force of numbers alone, they almost certainly will redefine old age in America, just as they’ve made their mark on teen culture, young adult life and middle age.
But don’t tell Boomers that old age starts at 65. The typical Boomer believes that old age doesn’t begin until age 72, according to a 2009 Pew Research survey. About half of all American adults say they feel younger than their actual age, but fully 61% of Boomers say this. In fact, the typical Boomer feels nine years younger than his or her chronological age.
On a range of social issues, Baby Boomers are more accepting of changes in American culture and mores than are adults ages 65 and older, though generally less tolerant than the young. On matters related to personal finances, economic security and retirement expectations, they feel more damaged by the Great Recession than do older adults.
Boomers are latecomers to the digital revolution, but are beginning to close their gadget and social media gap with younger generations. For example, among younger Boomers (ages 46-55), fully half now use social networks, compared with 20% in 2008. That rate of growth is more rapid than for younger generations. Also, more than half (55%) of older Boomers (ages 56-64) now watch online video, compared with 30% in 2008.
On the political front, Boomers—like the nation as a whole – have done some partisan switching in recent years. They narrowly favored Obama for president in 2008 (by 50%-49%), then supported Republican congressional candidates by 53%-45% in the 2010 midterm elections, according to election day exit polls. In their core political attitudes about the role of government, they’re more conservative than younger adults and more liberal than older adults, according to a comprehensive 2010 Pew Research report on long term trends in political values by generation.
In 1970, when the oldest of the Baby Boomers were in their early 20s, the total publicly held national debt was about $283 billion, or about 28% of the Gross Domestic Product. Now, as the oldest Boomers approach age 65, the federal debt is an estimated $9 trillion or 62% of GDP – creating IOUs that members of younger generations may be paying down for decades.
However, a new Pew Research survey finds little appetite among Boomers for deficit reduction proposals that would take a bite out of their own pocketbooks. For example, 68% of Boomers (compared with 56% of all adults) oppose eliminating the tax deduction for interest paid on home mortgages; 80% (compared with 72% of all adults) oppose taxing employer-provided health insurance benefits; and 63% (compared with 58% of all adults) oppose raising the age for qualifying for full Social Security benefits.
The Pew Research Center has a deep archive of work that analyzes the demographics, economics, religious beliefs and practices and social and political values of the Baby Boomer generation, and makes comparisons with younger and older U.S. age groups. Our survey work includes questions about family life, personal finances, technology use, aging and a range of other topics.
Views on Social Change
When asked about the array of changes transforming American family life, the Boomers’ views align more closely with younger generations than older ones. For example, Boomers, like younger adults, are far more likely to say the main purpose of marriage is mutual happiness and fulfillment rather than child-raising (70% of Baby Boomers and Millennial young adults say so, compared with 50% of adults ages 65 and older).
When asked whether children face “a lot more challenges” growing up with divorced parents, racially mixed parents or unmarried parents, Baby Boomers and younger adults are less likely to say yes than are adults ages 65 and older.
However, despite the reputation they gained as young adults for favoring alternative lifestyles, Baby Boomers today are less accepting than younger Americans of same-sex couples raising children, unmarried couples living together and other non-traditional arrangements—though they are more tolerant of them than are adults ages 65 and older.
When it comes to divorce, the Baby Boomers are less conservative than younger generations: 66% say divorce is preferable to staying in an unhappy marriage, compared with 54% of younger adults who say so.
Despite differences by generations on these and other matters, a plurality 43% of Baby Boomers say there is less generational conflict now than in the 1960s and 1970s, when they were coming of age.
Personal Finances and Economic Views
Economically, Boomers are the most likely among all age groups to say they lost money on investments since the Great Recession began. Baby Boomers also are the most likely (57%) to say their household finances have worsened. And a higher share of Boomers than older Americans (but not younger ones) say they have cut spending in the past year.
Among those Baby Boomers ages 50 to 61 who are approaching the end of their working years, six-in-ten say they may have to postpone retirement. According to employment statistics, the older workforce is growing more rapidly than the younger workforce.
Technology and News
In their use of technology, the youngest Baby Boomers (ages 45-55) are nearly as likely to be online (and to have a home broadband connection) as younger adults, and the oldest Boomers (ages 56-64) are notably more likely to be online than adults ages 65 and older.
Nearly two-thirds of Boomers say they follow the news most or all of the time, a higher share than among younger adults.
Religion
By standard measures such as the share who pray daily or frequency of attending religious services, Baby Boomers are less religious than adults ages 65 and older but more religious than adults in younger generations.
Among Baby Boomers, 43% say they are a “strong” member of their religion, a higher share than among younger adults and a lower share than among older ones. Four-in-ten say they attend religious services at least once a week. Conversely, 13% say they have no religious affiliation, less than younger adults but more than older adults.
Baby Boomers: Explore Pew Research Surveys and Reports
Below are hyperlinks to Pew Research Center publications from recent years that include data specifically about Baby Boomers. In some cases, they include data on adults ages 50 to 64, a range that includes most but not all Baby Boomers. In other cases, the research breaks the Baby Boomer generation into younger and older age groups.
Social Behaviors and Values
Economy and Personal Finances
Miscellaneous
Millennials: Comparison of attitudes by generation on a wide variety of topics, including personal values, technology use, media consumption, everyday life activities, religion, social and political values. A related interactive graphic compares the demographics of today’s Millennials (ages 18-28) with Boomers and two older generations when they were the same ages the Millennials are now.
Blacks Upbeat about Black Progress, Prospects: Views of black Americans (by age group) on satisfaction, racial progress and values. Views on intermarriage, race discrimination and trust in police by race/Hispanic groups and age.
Who Moves? Who Stays Put? Where’s Home? Ever-moved or always lived in hometown, years since last move, plans to move, where is your true home, contact with home town, why did you move to your current community or why do you stay in your home town.
Men or Women: Who’s the Better Leader? An exploration of public attitudes about gender and leadership; comparisons of ratings of genders on qualities such as honesty and hard work; reasons for scarcity of top female leaders, views on discrimination, equal rights and which gender has the better life.
Baby Boomers: The Gloomiest Generation: Views on quality of life, standard of living, getting ahead, optimism about the future, including long-term trends and comparisons of older and younger boomers.
The authors thank our Pew Research Center colleagues Daniel Dockterman, Carroll Doherty, Danielle Gewurz, Scott Keeter, Andrew Kohut, Lee Rainie and Wendy Wang for their assistance. |
Targeted/their houses were stormed /escaped arrest/ most are in hide (Updated 06 April 2011)
As compiled by Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and Bahrain Center for Human Rights
1 Sayed-Yousef Al-Mahafdha Active member of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), House was stormed early morning 20 March.
2 Nabeel Rajab President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and vice Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Arrested briefly and beaten on 20 March. Banned from travel to Geneva to attend a human rights meeting his communications is cut. He was harassed again on 30 March while interviewed by CNN crew at his house.
3 Mohammed Al-Masqati President of the Bahrain Youth Human Rights Society (BYHRS), His photo, address and phone number was published on the internet with a message that he should be killed.
4 Abdulhdi Alkhawaja Former president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), His photo, address and phone number was published on the internet with a message that he should be killed.
5 Naji Fateel Board member of the Bahrain Youth Human Rights Society (BYHRS), His photo, address and phone number was published on the internet with a message that he should be killed.
6 Salman Naji Member of the Committee for the Unemployed. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House stormed early morning 28 March. His brothers, Ali and Hussain were beaten.
7 Abdul Gani Khanjer Head of the Committee of the Victims of Torture. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed
8 Abdul Amir Al Aradi Activist. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed
09 Hisham AlSabbagh Active member of the Islamic Action Society (AMAL), House was stormed
10 Fahmi Bakalwa board member of Islamic Action Society (AMAL), House was stormed
11 Hussain Omran Activist. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed
12 Ali Abdul Imam Prominent blogger. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed
13 Dr. Mohammed Saeed Member of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR). Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed
14 Ahmed Jawad Al-Fardan Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed
15 Ali Jawad Al-Fardan Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed
16 Mohammed Ali Al-Mahfoudh Cleric. Secretary General, Islamic Action Society (AMAL) House stormed early morning 21 March.
17 Abdulla Alsaleh Cleric. Deputy Secretary General, AMAL House stormed early morning 21 March.
18 Habib Abdulla Hassan Cleric. Former board member of AMAL House stormed early morning 21 March. His younger brother Jaffer was arrested
19 Sayed Mahdi Al-Mousawi Cleric. Associated with AMAL, House in Bani Jamra was stormed early morning 21 March.
20 Mohammed Habib Al-Mugdad Prominent cleric. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed
21 Maryam Alkhawaja, Since February 14th she has been subjected to death threats, harassment and defamation. As one of the main people reporting on violations to the international community and institutions, this puts her life at great risk and she is currently unable to return to Bahrain in fear of arrest.
22 Suhail Mahdi Saleh Alshehabi, Member of the Committee for the Unemployed. Was detained from August 2010 to Feb 2011 during which reportedly subjected to torture, On 3 April, 1:30 am, his house was stormed. The doors were broken down. His two brothers were severely beaten and threatened to rape their wives if they did not reveal the place of their brother Suhail. All in the presence of elderly father and sick mother. |
• Arsène Wenger confident over transfer after productive talks • Alexis Sánchez says he has decided where he will play next season
Arsène Wenger is increasingly confident of completing what stands to be an Arsenal record transfer for the striker Alexandre Lacazette after productive talks with Lyon.
The manager is keen to strengthen in attacking areas, particularly as he fights to keep hold of Alexis Sánchez, who is wanted by Manchester City, among other clubs, and he has seen a €35m (£30.7m) bid turned down by Monaco for the left winger Thomas Lemar. Monaco are adamant Lemar will not be sold.
Arsenal emotions run high with talk of change not yet matched by actions Read more
But Arsenal are making progress on their move for Lacazette, whom Jean-Michel Aulas, the Lyon president, has said is worth €65m. Aulas has told Arsenal they must “be in those waters” as Atlético Madrid were ready to pay that before they were banned from registering players until January 2018.
Arsenal value Lacazette at €50m, which they have indicated they are willing to pay, but they are prepared to go higher, most likely with performance-related add-ons, to close the deal. They are hopeful that Aulas will compromise slightly. Lacazette, 26, whom Wenger has tried to sign in the past, has 11 France caps and is under contract to 2019. Arsenal’s transfer record is the £42.5m paid to Real Madrid for Mesut Özil in 2013.
Sánchez has made up his mind about where he will play next season but the striker would not say whether it would still be at Arsenal. Sánchez has one year to run on his contract and has given no indication he is ready to sign another one, despite the club’s desperation to tie him down.
Manchester City are confident of signing the 28-year-old for around £50m. They believe they have the means to beat Arsenal in terms of a salary package.
Sánchez is playing in the Confederations Cup in Russia where Chile will play Germany in the final on Sunday. He was presented for interview on Friday alongside his international team-mate Claudio Bravo, who plays at City.
Sánchez was asked whether he would be a club-mate of Bravo’s next season. “Good question,” he replied. “Right now, I am focused on the Confederations Cup. When this is finished, I will see if I stay or if I go. I don’t know.” He added: “It’s clear [in my mind] but I can’t tell you anything.”
Sánchez was later asked by Sky Sports about the chances of him staying at Arsenal. “I don’t know, my friend. I don’t know,” he said.
The nightmare for Arsenal would be to lose Sánchez, their leading scorer and undoubted star, to a Premier League rival but the City manager, Pep Guardiola, has some pull in this case. He brought Sánchez from Udinese to Barcelona in the summer of 2011 and worked with him there for one season. |
Have you ever noticed that whenever it comes time to stand on principle top Republican lawmakers always fold like a 20 dollar suit? This time it was John Boehner. It went down like this – the Democrats knew that if they played hardball and set up a government shutdown for the weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival that Boehner would cave. Boehner took negotiations up to the last minute to make it “look good” for the Tea Party, but the truth is that Boehner wanted nothing to do with a government shutdown and the Democrats knew that. The Democrats drew their lines in the sand on issue after issue and Boehner caved and caved and caved. So now it is time to fire John Boehner along with Barack Obama in 2012. Boehner must go. If the Tea Party is serious about cutting government spending then they must hold John Boehner accountable and go after his seat during the next primary season. The truth is that the “budget deal” is a complete and total joke. A one percent cut to the U.S. government budget is laughable. Is that why dozens of Tea Party activists were sent to Washington D.C.? If this is the “best” that can be done, the truth is that there is no hope of ever getting U.S. government debt under control.
38.5 billion dollars. Just think about that. The “whopping” 38.5 billion dollars in cuts represent about one percent of the federal budget.
Who in the world is dumb enough to call that a victory?
Wow – instead of the budget deficit being an all-time record $1.6 trillion this year it might only be an all-time record of $1.55 trillion.
Any Republican that votes for this deal is a sellout.
Of course we have known all along that most Republicans are complete and total sellouts.
We would have never gotten into this mess if we had stayed true to the principles of our founding fathers. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson wanted to add one more amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would have banned all government borrowing? Why aren’t any of our “representatives” in Washington D.C. today making a proposal like this….
I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment to our Constitution. I would be willing to depend on that alone for the reduction of the administration of our government to the genuine principles of its Constitution; I mean an additional article, taking from the federal government the power of borrowing.
The U.S. government never needed to go 14 trillion dollars into debt.
But it did.
Now the Democrats and the Republicans plan on taking us trillions more into debt.
It is being projected that by the year 2021, interest payments on the national debt will amount to $1.1 trillion dollars a year.
Not that we’ll ever get to that point. The whole system will probably collapse by then anyway.
But at least our “leaders” could do a better job of pretending to be concerned.
Anyone with half a brain could have seen that Boehner was going to cave. In fact, I called it in a previous article about the possibility of a government shutdown….
“I think it is going to be Boehner that is going to cave. If he can get the Democrats to agree to a budget cut figure in the neighborhood of 40 to 50 billion dollars I think he is going to grab it and try to “spin” it as a great victory for fiscal conservatives.”
Sadly, he caved at a figure of $38.5 billion. He didn’t even get a deal above $40 billion.
That is what you call highway robbery.
Did you see the news conference when Boehner announced the deal? He looked like a deer caught in the headlights and he got out of there as fast as he could.
Essentially, the Democrats took him out behind the woodshed and stole his lunch money.
So it is time to fire John Boehner.
No excuses, just results.
Boehner must go.
Fortunately, there are a few Republicans that are speaking the truth about what went down.
The following is what Rand Paul recently had to say about this horrible “deal”….
I voted against this short-term continuing resolution for the same reason I voted against the last one and the one before that – because it does not set us on a path to fixing the spending and debt problems our country is facing. As I have said before, there is not much of a difference between a $1.5 trillion deficit and a $1.6 trillion deficit – both will lead us to a debt crisis that we may not recover from.
Michelle Bachmann said that in this deal “we’ve been asked to settle for $39 billion in cuts, even as we continue to fund Planned Parenthood and the implementation of ObamaCare.”
U.S. Representative Tim Huelskamp of Kansas expressed his disgust with this deal on his Facebook page when he stated that this deal “ignores the fundamental reasons I and my fellow freshmen members of Congress were sent to Washington in November of last year.”
Yes, the Tea Party has been sold out. One of the core issues for the Tea Party is government spending, and the American people sent waves of Tea Party politicians to Washington back in November hoping for change.
Well, if $38.5 billion is the best that Boehner can do then he can keep the change.
The truth is that establishment Republicans have been talking about “fiscal responsibility” for decades but they never seem to do anything about it.
Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone recently noted that Republicans have a horrible record when it comes to deficit spending….
Never mind that each time the Republicans actually come into power, federal deficit spending explodes and these whippersnappers somehow never get around to touching Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.
What this “budget crisis” episode shows is that establishment Republicans like John Boehner have to go.
How pathetic is $38.5 billion?
As CNSNews.com recently noted, the federal debt actually increased by $54.1 billion in the 8 days leading up to the “historic deal”….
The federal debt increased $54.1 billion in the eight days preceding the deal made by President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R.-Ohio) to cut $38.5 billion in federal spending for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, which runs through September.
But establishment Republicans are busy running around touting how much of a “victory” this was.
For example, the following is what former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is saying about the “deal” that John Boehner made….
“Let me give you a dose of reality. … Republicans only control the House. Now you don’t have to be a math major to understand that Republicans won’t get all they want but they got far more than the president or Harry Reid wanted them to have.”
What a joke.
The Republicans control the House of Representatives – that means that not a single penny of government money gets spent without their approval.
That means that the Republicans could have essentially ended Obamacare right then and there by insisting that it be defunded.
But Boehner caved and the Republicans gave their stamp of approval to Obamacare.
That means that the Republicans could have ended all federal funding for the economy-killing “anti-global warming agenda” of the EPA.
But Boehner caved and so the EPA will continue to fight a war on carbon dioxide.
That means that the Republicans could have ended all federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
But the Democrats stood on principle and the Republicans did not. So Planned Parenthood will continue to receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government all with the blessing of John Boehner.
The list could go on and on and on and on.
The Democrats knew that John Boehner would give in on every point of principle and he did.
So did John Boehner extract incredibly deep budget cuts in return?
As we have already noted, no he did not.
So it is time to fire John Boehner.
Republicans – when your “leader” folds like a 20 dollar suit you replace him.
That is how it works.
Boehner must go.
In fact, after this disgraceful episode every conservative blog should be calling for him to immediately resign as the Speaker of the House.
Our federal government is destroying America’s future. If the Democrats were not willing to play ball, then Boehner should have let them shut it down.
The national debt is a crisis of historic proportions. As I have written about previously, our debt problem is going to completely and destroy our financial system if something radical is not done.
What we have done to our children and our grandchildren is inexcusable. It is probably already too late to fix the current system. The following short video contains some astounding statistics about our national debt problem….
We are running out of time. Because of America’s rapidly exploding debt, the rest of the world is starting to lose faith in the U.S. dollar and in U.S. Treasuries.
Over the past 10 months, the Dollar Index has declined about 14%. This is at a time when other global currencies are being rapidly depreciated as well.
Investors all over the globe are racing to get out of paper and into solid assets such as gold, silver, oil and agricultural commodities.
The price of gold is setting a new record high almost constantly now. The price of silver seems destined to soar into record territory shortly as well.
The price of oil is over $100 a barrel for the first time since 2008 and many analysts are convinced that it is going to shatter the all-time record at some point this year.
The entire global financial system is in a state of chaos right now. If the U.S. government does not get this debt problem under control we are going to have a financial meltdown at some point.
Unfortunately, it has become completely and totally obvious that John Boehner does not have the stomach for a fight. A record setting deficit for 2011 is apparently “A-OK” with him. The truth is that pretty much all Boehner seems to care about is getting elected.
If the Tea Party is going to have any legitimacy at all moving forward, then they need to fire John Boehner in 2012 and replace him with a candidate that actually believes in getting government spending under control.
Of course I don’t think that most Democrats will have much trouble getting on the “John Boehner must go” bandwagon either.
The truth is that this is just another example that shows how deeply corrupt and incompetent both political parties are.
Both political parties have been leading us down the road to disaster for decades. Both political parties have been responsible for stealing the future from our children and our grandchildren. Both political parties are packed with incompetents and charlatans.
The cold, hard reality of the matter is that the vast majority of the politicians in both political parties should resign.
But of course they are not going to resign. So all of you are going to have to vote them out.
So do you all think that there is any chance of that happening? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion below…. |
How does Nintendo's final Game Boy title hold up in 2012?
Wario Land II, originally released in 1998 on the Game Boy and remade in 1999 for the Game Boy Color (the latter is the version on Virtual Console), could be termed as the first Wario game as we know the character after his playable debuts in Super Mario Land 3 and Virtual Boy Wario Land. Fortunately, Wario Land II's changes and additions are for the better, and his return to platforming is one of the best games available on Game Boy.
In this game, Wario is invincible, using his large and malleable body to regain his treasure from his arch-rival Captain Syrup. If you are flattened, you don't die; instead, Wario becomes wider and smaller, allowing you to easily cross over gaps, among other things. Wario also can become fatter, on fire, a zombie, or drunk (or "crazy" as the game tries to tell you) in order to solve a variety of puzzles and collect as many coins as possible. The only issue that arises with all the abilities is that sometimes it is tough to find out what each one can do, and the game can be unclear with its hints.
Levels in Wario Land II are generally short, featuring simple goals that usually involve reaching the end of the stage, but they are all based around puzzles instead of action, making them more interesting and unique. Each chapter consists of a few levels that culminate in a boss fight, most of which are uniquely designed to be challenging even though Wario can't perish.
This is a pretty long game, complete with branching paths, multiple endings, and secret exits. Even today, Wario Land II is a fantastic title that is the cream of the Game Boy crop. It's as close to a must-buy as you can find on the 3DS Virtual Console. |
TuneCore Artist Jennifer Paige has been busy. Her new duo Paige & Palermo released their debut EP, Stay, to rave reviews. MTV.com‘s Buzzworthy says “the two croon, resembling a more electronica-tinged Lady Antebellum, or even shades of Fleetwood Mac.” Jennifer took the time to share some tips with us on how artists can get press without a publicist…
As an indie artist, when someone asks my budget, I wanna laugh. Umm…what can we do for zero dollars? Even fair and small expenses can add up quickly and derail the indie artist. It’s all money coming out of our pockets – no Daddy Warbucks, no major label Cash Cow paying our expenses. We put all of our hard-earned money into making a record, and there’s nothing left for promotion. But without promotion, no one will ever hear our music.
Thankfully, music is a force like no other – and it can spread like a wildfire. I know. My debut single, “Crush,” did just that – it blazed up the worldwide charts before the ink had dried on my first contract, before I had my first photo shoot – before I could even say “PR!” With the Internet and social media by our side, it’s possible now more than ever to be heard on the world’s stage, but we must learn to think like a publicist.
Here’s the cold hard truth...We’re on our own, kids! Time to get smart. Time to be resourceful.
We NEED blogs to feature us.
We NEED people to follow us and be engaged on social media.
We NEED radio to play our songs.
We NEED fans to come to our shows.
We NEED you, Ellen… and you too, Oprah!!!
But how? I promise you, if you take the time to do this stuff well, you WILL get press.
AND THAT WILL TRANSLATE TO MORE FANS AND MORE MONEY IN YOUR POCKET – WHICH MEANS YOU CAN KEEP DOING WHAT YOU LOVE.
7 Game-Changing Ways to Get Press Without a Publicist
1) Make it easy for them.
It’s your job to define your story and tell the world why it is that you need to make music. Laura Goldfarb at Red Boot Publicity explains, “Getting coverage is much more likely to happen if your story is compelling and your content is streamlined throughout all available social media outlets. So much of PR is about pushing your brand to the next level – and consistency is key.”
2) Become newsworthy.
When you have news to share, write an attention-grabbing press release. Do a little investigating and compile a media list for your style of music (or purchase one online). Make sure you only send news that is relevant to the editor’s interest. Remember: It’s better to write fewer, well thought out emails to appropriate contacts, than to SPAM a random list of industry contacts. For a detailed breakdown of how to best represent yourself, check out PR You! The essential do-it-yourself guide to public relations by Becky Vieria and Michele Smith.
3) Be quotable.
I was recently retweeted by a Billboard writer. When she followed me on Twitter, I asked if she’d consider listening to a new project of mine – that was Step 1. Step 2 was to send over new music for her review – that’s when my music had to speak for itself. She loved what she heard and offered to not only feature my music but to also do an interview. Mission accomplished! No publicist necessary. BOOM!
4) When the embers start to burn, blow.
The hardest part is getting those first few believers. After you’ve gotten those first bits of press buzz and you’ve started to create a name for yourself, keep that fire burning! When you approach new leads, reference the most credible publications who have featured you and your work. That’s usually all it takes for new contacts to see that you’re the real deal and jump on board. After all, they don’t want to get left behind. This is no time to rest. Go, go, go!
5) Write an informative blog.
We all have expertise in something. Perhaps you’ve toured a lot on a small budget. Or maybe you’ve created a successful Crowdfunding campaign. Shoot – maybe it was unsuccessful and you can share what NOT to do. Point is, we all have helpful information to share with one another. Include a link to your music or website in every blog post you create. As it circulates, readers will likely check out the link you’ve provided and stumble upon your music. Stay visible. Find opportunities to share your music outside of your current circle of friends.
6) Be more like Keaton.
While touring with indie-artist Keaton Simons, I was able to watch first-hand as he worked his magic. When I asked for his best advice on getting press without a massive PR budget, he didn’t hesitate to share his secret. “I think it’s about persistence and consistency, and valuing every member of your fan base. Nothing substitutes the direct contact you get from touring, and true fans are the best free publicity we could hope for! In today’s industry, we have the ability to write, record and release a song in ONE day, so releasing new material on a regular basis is a great way to stay connected to our fans.” I agree with Keaton. It always comes back to the music and ultimately the fans are King. You can see Keaton on The Ellen Degeneres Show, June 10th, which I think is evidence enough that building a loyal fan base is what it’s really all about.
7) The Best PR = Free Advertising
Beth Hood Fromm of OMG Publicity graciously offered up a few incredible resources available to the hungry artist, willing to think outside the box. Go sign up now!
HARO – Help a Reporter Out (and a few tips to get you started.)
Help a Reporter Out (and a few tips to get you started.) Although ProfNet isn’t free, the small investment might be worth it for someone who can’t afford a publicist on retainer.
I used to think that great art should be able speak for itself. I was dead wrong – if we don’t speak up for our art, no one will. Buzz, press, fans, etc. start and end with us.
The key is realizing that, as artists, we are selling more than music – we are putting life experiences into songs so that others can sing along and say to themselves, “That is so true.” Music can be life altering, and in some cases even life saving. What an honor we have been given to share the gift of music.
So go ahead – PROUDLY SHARE YOUR MUSIC and BOLDLY TELL YOUR STORY. Make sure you are putting your best foot forward, and you might just get that lucky break!
Your PR genius within will thank you because deep down it knows…we all make our own luck. |
While the Orioles brass is exploring options to improve the club through the trade market, executive vice president Dan Duquette has repeatedly said he likes some of the options he has down at the minor league level. So as the second-half of the season gets underway, we’re taking a look at the reinforcements down on the farm. Here are five players from Triple-A Norfolk you could see brought up to help the Orioles through the stretch run.
LHP Zach Britton: This one's automatic. The Orioles need a fifth starter to pitch Tuesday’s game against the Twins in Minnesota and all signs point to Britton being that guy. Britton is coming off his best minor league start of the season Thursday, when he threw seven shutout innings and allowed just four hits while striking out six. The Orioles have been able to go with a four-man rotation for the past few weeks because of a bevy of off days, but they open the second half with 30 games in 31 days, so they’ll need a fifth starter for the long haul. Britton (4-1, 4.15 ERA) figures to be that man. Still it’s amazing it’s mid-July and Britton has yet to make a big league start
OF Nate McLouth: The Orioles signed McClouth to a minor league deal June 5 after he was released by the Pirates. He hasn’t hit above .228 at the major league level since 2009 and he’s only hitting .250/.328/.500 in 28 games at Norfolk, but his bat is rapidly heading up. He is hitting .412 (14-for-34) with five homers and 14 RBIs in his past nine games. And the difference maker: He is a plus defender – he has a .991 career fielding percentage – and can play all three outfield positions.
RHP Miguel Socolovich: If the trusty Orioles bullpen needs some help, look for Socolovich to get the nod. He’s been great all season long in various roles, going 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA in 24 games. Over 45 2/3 innings, he’s allowed just 29 hits and has 50 strikeouts to go with 11 walks. At Norfolk, he’s shown the ability to go multiple innings – he can regularly go up to three innings. In his past 10 outings, opposing hitters are batting just .150 against him
OF Lew Ford: Since signing a minor league deal with the Orioles, he has dominated Triple-A pitching. Ford, who turns 36 next month, is hitting an impressive .339/.399/.563 line in 47 games for the Tides this season. On his past five games, he’s 7-for-21 with three homers and seven RBIs. He could conceivably play all three outfielder position. Here’s a stat the Orioles have to like about “Captain Lew”: He’s hitting .541 (20-for-37) with runners in scoring position at Norfolk.
RHP Steve Johnson: Johnson made a brief major league cameo on the team’s West Coast road trip out in Seattle, but the St. Paul’s alumnus didn’t get to pitch. He’s a solid long relief option if the Orioles need one. He’s been a little up and down as a starter, but really came into his own as a reliever of late. He is 2-0 with a 0.53 ERA in five relief appearances over 17 innings, allowing just eight hits with 24 strikeouts and 10 walks. |
Mysterious street artist
Banksy will premiere his debut film as a director at the Sundance Film Festival.
Street artist Banksy has never identified himself
Billed as “the world’s first street art disaster movie”, Exit Through The Gift Shop will have its world premiere at the festival on Sunday, reports the BBC.
It tells the story of how an eccentric French shop keeper tries to hunt down Banksy to make a documentary, only to have the artist start filming him.
The movie contains exclusive footage of Banksy and it will be the first time the secretive artist, who has never revealed his identity, has spoken on camera.
But it is not yet know whether he’ll finally show his face on film.
The inclusion of Exit Through The Gift Shop in the prestigious festival has, typically for Banksy, been shrouded in secrecy.
It wasn’t listed on the official programme, but speculation that it would be the festival’s Spotlight Surprise was sparked when four stencils, believed to be by Banksy, appeared on walls in Park City, where the festival is staged.
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John Cooper, director of the Sundance Festival, said the story was incredibly bizarre.
“Exit Through The Gift Shop is one of those films that comes along once in a great while, a warped hybrid of reality and self-induced fiction while at the same time a totally entertaining experience,” he added.
Exit Through The Gift Shop will be released in UK cinemas on March 5.
Watch the trailer below… |
Vallejo police shoot suspect, who flees
Stacy Hawthorne Stacy Hawthorne Photo: Vallejo Police Photo: Vallejo Police Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Vallejo police shoot suspect, who flees 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
A Vallejo police officer shot a man after the suspect tried to run the officer over with a car, authorities said.
The suspect, Stacy Hawthorne, 21, fled after the shooting and hasn’t been arrested. Police believe he was shot in the leg.
The incident began about 7:30 p.m. Saturday when officers responded to reports of two men fighting in the parking lot of the Motel 6 at 1455 Enterprise St., said Vallejo police Lt. Kenny Park. Officers were told that one of the men said he was going to get a gun and that he was seen going into a room on the second floor of the motel, Park said.
Officers arrived in the parking lot and saw Hawthorne leaving the room, police said. They called out to him, but he continued walking along the second-story walkway and then jumped to the ground, nearly landing on an officer, Park said.
The officer tried to detain Hawthorne, but he escaped and ran to a nearby Kia auto dealership on Sonoma Boulevard, where he “forcibly stole a vehicle from an unsuspecting victim, drove in a reckless manner and attempted to run over an officer with the car,” Park said.
The officer fired his weapon, but Hawthorne sped out of the parking lot, crashing through a locked security gate, police said.
The car was later found abandoned on Sacramento and Redwood streets, less than 2 miles away. A witness told police that a man with a gun was seen running from the area, Park said.
A search failed to turn up Hawthorne, who has ties to Vallejo and Contra Costa County, Park said.
Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @henryklee |
by BRIAN NADIG
The 41st Ward Zoning Advisory Board at its Aug. 5 meeting unanimously approved plans to build four homes on the site of Edison Park Community Church and two homes near Newcastle and Foster avenues, and it conditionally endorsed a proposed Starbucks coffee shop in Norwood Park.
The 20,000-square-foot church property at 6675 N. Oketo Ave. is for sale because the congregation is planning to move to a smaller facility. Plans call for the site to be rezoned from RS-2 to the less restrictive RS-3 because two of the lots would not meet the minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet under the existing zoning.
The two-story homes would have an asking price of about $800,000. "We are not going to have one elevation for four homes," project attorney Paul Kolpak said in response to concerns expressed at a previous meeting.
"People like the architecture in the neighborhood, but they just don’t want to see it four in a row," Alderman Anthony Napolitano (41st) said.
The same zoning change also is being sought for a 7,400-square-foot parcel at 5128-32 N. Newcastle Ave., where a 72-year-old house would be demolished. Plans call for the 60-foot lot to be subdivided for two two-story homes, each with a basement.
Two similar 2,500-square-foot homes were constructed at 5134-36 N. Newcastle Ave. after that site was rezoned in 2013, and a resident of the block told the board that those homes are out of character with the neighborhood because they are too large.
"Young people have been coming up here because of the schools," Kolpak said. "People want the bigger houses."
The board also approved the concept of building an 1,800-square-foot Starbuck’s with a drive-through facility at 6340 N. Northwest Hwy., but members said that they would like to see a traffic study for the project before giving their full endorsement of the proposal. A special use permit is required for the drive-through facility.
There is no driveway on the Harlem Avenue side of the 27,000-square-foot vacant parcel, and project developer Lee Wolfson has said that a curb cut on Harlem would be needed in order to attract a national tenant to the site, which is next to Metra railroad tracks. Concerns have been raised that the proximity of a railroad crossing on Harlem could cause traffic on northbound Harlem to back up over the tracks.
The city Department of Transportation conducted a preliminary review of the plans, and officials feel that the project may be feasible if access to a driveway on Harlem were restricted to right turns for both entering and exiting vehicles, Napolitano’s chief of staff Chris Vittorio said. The department also is considering a similar restriction for the driveway on Northwest Highway, Vittorio said.
A resident told the board that all vehicles should be required to exit the site onto Northwest Highway due to the limited amount of space for cars to stack up on Harlem between the tracks and Northwest Highway.
Some board members said that Starbucks would add to traffic congestion on Northwest Highway, where rush-hour backups make it difficult for motorists to make a left turn from the Norwood Park post office, 6300 N. Northwest Hwy.
The board, which makes recommendations to Napolitano on zoning issues, usually meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month at the Olympia Park fieldhouse, 6566 N. Avondale Ave. |
Tuesday's election results were pretty good for progressives. The retirement of that windbag chameleon Sen. Arlen Specter is long overdue, and pro-labor forces were able to push Sen. Blanche Lincoln into a runoff in Arkansas. Even the big tea party win in Kentucky has its bright side.
Count me as one lefty liberal who is not the least bit unhappy with the victory by Rand Paul in Kentucky's Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Not because it might make it easier for some Democratic Party hack to win in the general, but rather because he seems to be a principled libertarian in the mold of his father, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and we need more of that impulse in the Congress. What's wrong with cutting back big government that mostly exists to serve the interests of big corporations? Surely it would be better if that challenge came from populist progressives of the left, in the Bernie Sanders mold, but this is Kentucky we're talking about.
Rand Paul, like his dad, is worthy of praise for standing in opposition to the Wall Street bailout, which will come to be marked as the greatest swindle in U.S. history and which was, as he noted on his website, an unconstitutional redistribution of income in favor of the undeserving rich.
"Federal bailouts reward inefficient and corrupt management, rob taxpayers, hurt smaller and more responsible private firms, exacerbate our budget problems, explode national debt, and destroy our U.S. dollar. Even more importantly, any bailout of private industry is in direct violation of the Constitution. It is a transfer of wealth from those who have earned to those who have squandered."
Of course the joker in the deck is the word principled before libertarian, and, as many online commentators have noted, Rand Paul is a bit more inclined to waffle on an interventionist foreign policy than is his father. While he would have insisted on a declaration of war before the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan or Iraq, he argues that Afghanistan, where the 9/11 attack was planned, was a legitimate target but that Iraq was not. In either case, as he insists correctly, a congressional declaration of war was constitutionally required:
"If I had been in the U.S. senate I would have stopped them and said no more, we will have a vote. We will declare war with Afghanistan. We will declare war with Iraq. I would have voted for a declaration of war with Afghanistan but I would have voted against a declaration of war with Iraq. But I would have made them vote. And that's the problem, they no longer pay attention to the rules."
In any case, his Republican establishment opponent, Trey Grayson, attacked Paul for his opposition to an interventionist foreign policy as well as for favoring the legalization of marijuana, and on both counts it is a good sign that Kentucky voters rejected those lines of attack.
True, to wax warmly about a potential Republican libertarian senator is an act of desperation for a liberal who still hopes that the federal government might be moved by the embattled band of progressive Democrats in Congress to put the power of the federal government at the service of the needy. But when has that happened recently? With a commanding Democratic majority in Congress and a former community organizer as president, the focus of economic policy in this time of enormous economic pain has been on saving the bankers who created this mess.
With the Democrats trusting our well-being to the likes of Lawrence Summers and Timothy Geithner, who under President Bill Clinton did so much to enable Wall Street greed, would it not be good to have at least one Republican senator questioning the Washington spending spree? Yes, Rand Paul is bad on a lot of social issues I care about, and no, I don't embrace his faith in the social compassion of unfettered free markets. But the alternative we have experienced is not one of a progressive government properly restraining free-market greed but rather, as was amply demonstrated in the pretend regulation of the oil industry, of government as a partner in corporate crime. It is the power of the corporate lobbyists that is at issue, and it is refreshing that candidate Paul has labeled Washington lobbyists a "distinctly criminal class" and favors a ban on lobbying and campaign contributions by those who hold more than a million dollars in federal contracts. |
Bernie Sanders’ campaign ended months ago, but at least one Jewish participant in this reliably horrific presidential election still has the chance to make history on November 8th. According to an Emerson College poll published this week, Evan McMullin, the independent conservative candidate for president, holds a slim lead over Donald Trump in his home state of Utah, topping Trump 31% to 27%. If McMullin were to win The Beehive State, the ex-CIA agent and former director of the House Republican Conference would snag six entire electoral votes—as would his running mate, former Republican strategist (and, we should note, member of the Tribe) Mindy Finn. This would be the first time since a maverick elector cast a vote for Libertarian John Hospers in 1972 that a third-party candidate took home an electoral tally, something that such one-time household names as John Anderson, Ross Perot, and Ralph Nader couldn’t accomplish. (In an ironic reversal, the last third-party candidate to win a state was segregationist George Wallace in 1968.)
It’s fitting that this election season could end with such a rarity. Anderson, Perot, and Nader were nationally prominent figures when they launched their independent bids for the presidency. But Perot, who got 19% of the popular vote in 1992, was up against incumbent president George H.W. Bush and charismatic Arkansas governor Bill Clinton. Anderson ran against the Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter in 1980. Third-party options aside, both elections offered a compelling binary choice between fairly traditional candidates. If McMullin and Finn win Utah, it would underscore the widespread dissatisfaction at the Republican and Democratic candidates, who at one point were the two least-popular presidential nominees in history.
The unique dynamics of the 2016 race benefit McMullin in another respect: as Noah Feldman recently noted in Bloomberg View, solid-red Utah has seen through Donald Trump to a degree that few other places have, largely thanks to the state’s sizable Mormon population, a religious demographic that, Feldman notes, is “genuinely repulsed by Donald Trump.” Trump has exposed conservative ideology as being fluid and conditional for GOP voters and many of their elected leaders. Not so with Utah’s Mormons, who seem unwilling to lower their standards of moral behavior for the New York real estate developer’s benefit. Mormons are also sensitive to the scapegoating of other religious groups: As Feldman writes, the church came out forcefully against Trump’s proposed ban on all Muslim travel to the US, mindful, perhaps, of the Mormon community’s all-too-recent history of persecution here in the US.
McMullin, a Mormon who, by his own telling, once spoke at least some conversational Arabic, is an anti-Trumpian figure: someone who’s conservative without seeming vindictive, petty, or inward-facing. In an interview with Glamour, his running mate Finn struck an anti-Trumpian, cosmopolitan tone. “We believe that everybody is equal and valuable in this country,” Finn said, adding that “We welcome immigrants, we celebrate that we are a country of immigrants and a melting pot.” Jewish conservatives have been some of the most energetic opponents of Trump—and have absorbed a sustained campaign of harassment from his supporters.
In 2016, members of two fairly small religious minorities have given up careers in Republican politics to oppose Donald Trump, and it would be one of the election season’s more encouraging data-points if they somehow proved that their vision for the country was more appealing than The Donald’s in what is one of the most conservative and Republican-voting states in America.
Previous: Conservative Anti-Trump Candidate Evan McMullin Taps Jewish Republican Strategist as Running Mate
Meet Evan McMullin, the Ex-CIA Officer Who Just Launched a Conservative Challenge to Trump
Armin Rosen is a New York-based writer. He has written for The Atlantic, City Journal, and World Affairs Journal, and was recently a senior reporter for Business Insider. |
UPDATED: FX confirms that the teaser is fan made. No teasers from "Freak Show" have been released.
The first teaser for the fourth season of FX anthology American Horror Story has debuted and teases there's plenty of creepiness waiting behind the scenes at the Freak Show.
Freak Show will be set in Jupiter, Florida, in 1950 and will again star Jessica Lange. This time, the Emmy winner will portray a German expat managing one of the last remaining freak shows in the country.
PHOTOS THR Goes On Set With 'American Horror Story: Coven'
Returning cast members include Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Frances Conroy and Kathy Bates, each playing performers that Lange's character has rescued. Denis O'Hare and Emma Roberts will return for season four of the series, which reboots itself every season with a completely new story and often features largely the same cast of repertory players. The Shield alum Michael Chiklis will be making his AHS debut, playing the father to Peters' character and ex-husband to Bates' character.
Showrunner Ryan Murphy revealed at PaleyFest that most of the season three cast would return in "some capacity," including Gabourey Sidibe and Jamie Brewer.
Watch the first teaser, below.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Snoodit |
So the Fed’s decision to permit high unemployment for an extended period rests on his shoulders.
As he has explained many times, the Fed has alternatives. It could announce that it would keep its benchmark rate at zero for a few years, which would probably hold down long-term rates. It could say that it was comfortable with higher inflation for a limited period of time, given how low inflation has been since 2007 and how high unemployment is. Above all, Mr. Bernanke could make clear that he considers years of widespread unemployment to be unacceptable.
He has not done so, and he has yet to offer a satisfying rationale.
Instead, he has said that more aggressive action brings risks. And it does. Low interest rates have the potential to spark inflation, by enticing millions of households and businesses to borrow money and causing the economy to overheat. Higher inflation could, among other things, increase borrowing rates for the United States government and worsen the deficit.
But it’s worth keeping in mind that just about every decision involves some risk. Simply stating that more aggressive action brings risks is not a good argument against that option.
Photo
Economists sometimes like to describe choices in terms of a concept known as expected value. The expected value of a decision is the odds of each possible outcome multiplied by the benefit (or cost) of that outcome. If you make an investment that has a 90 percent of breaking even and a 10 percent chance of earning you $5,000, the expected value is $500.
Now extend this concept to the Fed’s decision. The consequences of being too aggressive and creating an inflationary spiral are undeniably serious. But the odds still appear quite low. Put the two together, and you get an expected cost that is not high enough to be dictating Fed policy.
One of the best guides to future inflation is recent core inflation — that is, inflation excluding food and energy prices, which bounce around a lot and often do not translate into big changes in other prices. Despite the uptick in core inflation, it has still risen at an annual pace of only 2 percent over the last three months. On only a few other occasions over the last 40 years has it been so low.
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This shouldn’t be surprising. After all, does the economy feel as if it’s on the verge of overheating?
The expected cost of high unemployment, on the other hand, is steep. For one thing, the chances that unemployment will remain a problem are close to 100 percent. The debate is whether the country will return to full employment in four years or 10 years.
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For another, the consequences of high unemployment are also awful. With fewer jobs, states and cities are short of tax revenue. Families lose their life savings. People’s health can deteriorate. For the long-term unemployed, the financial damage can be permanent. “If things go on and they simply sit at home or work very irregularly,” Mr. Bernanke himself said last year, “when the economy gets back to a more normal state, they’re not going to be able to find good work.”
Unemployment creates political problems, too. Historically, it has tended to make voters less willing to help their fellow citizens, as the economist Benjamin Friedman has written. It’s hard to imagine any grand political compromise — on the deficit, for instance — in an angry country.
Mr. Bernanke is an admirable public official in many ways. He was calmly heroic during the worst days of the financial crisis. By making the Fed more open, he has taken the rarest of steps for a political figure: voluntarily giving up some of his power.
Nonetheless, his job performance over the last year or so has been flawed. The Fed badly overestimated the economy’s strength in 2010 and took too long to correct its mistake. Despite his core belief in letting facts guide decisions, Mr. Bernanke has let himself be overly influenced by a group of colleagues who see inflation always and everywhere as a threat and unemployment as a mere nuisance. |
In March of 2013, the script was flipped on the history of the chronograph. The previous belief of the chronograph’s origins was with Nicolas Rieussec, who developed the concept of a device known as a tape chronograph, which recorded time intervals with ink. Some 20 years later, in 1844, Adolphe Nicole developed the “zeroing” function, which is sort of the key to a modern chronograph. And thus, the chronograph took shape; or so everyone thought.
It turns out, Louis Moinet (who’s name is still carried on by a modern day watchmaker) may have created the first chronograph in 1816, a full five years ahead of Rieussec. What’s more, Moinet’s example had a zeroing function, and could measure time down to the 1/60th of a second – quite impressive, considering no one would touch that degree of accuracy until Heuer got it to 1/100th nearly a century later.
The last 200 years have brought many iterations and advancements for the chronograph. Today, the two most common types of chronographs can be grouped into cam actuated, and column wheel – the names describe the type of mechanism that controls the chronograph’s function. Generally speaking, we don’t feel that one type is necessarily better than the other, but there are distinct differences, which we break down below.
Column Wheel Chronograph
The column wheel chronograph is widely thought of as the higher-end mechanism compared to alternatives. Reason being, it’s a bit more labor intensive to produce. Taking one look at the column wheel, you’ll notice the very tiny teeth (these are the columns) on one side of the wheel, making it look like the top part of a castle turret. These columns, when produced with a CNC machine, will likely end up with burring in various spots. While burrs are normal in just about any fresh CNC part, they must be smoothed out to ensure normal operation of the mechanism. Needless to say, removing burrs from in between the teeth is a tedious task.
Despite the manufacturing difficulties, the column wheel has one obvious positive attribute for the wearer. The pusher action is often very smooth (this, of course, assumes we’re talking about a quality watch to begin with). Another potential positive is actually not directly related to the fact that it’s a column wheel. When a column wheel chronograph features a vertical clutch (instead of a horizontally coupled chronograph), you will notice is how smooth the chronograph seconds hand jumps off from a stopped position – there is almost no noticeable ‘jerk’. The smooth action of the hand is achieved because the gearing is lifted in and out of place vertically, and the hand can stop and start precisely where it lays. Note that without the vertical clutch, a column wheel chronograph will likely still display a jump in movement, and not all are outfitted with this clutch system. In fact, horizontal clutches are often thought of as more aesthetically pleasing and are used in some high-end movements, despite any minor performance differences.
With the positives come the negatives. The labor-intensive nature of column wheel production unsurprisingly affects the bottom line price of watches powered by such movements. Although there are undoubtedly some excellent aspects of this type of chronograph, watchmakers have branded them as high-end to justify the price tags. Another issue is the delicate nature of the column wheel. It’s not unheard of for one of the teeth to break off – you probably don’t need an explanation for why that’s bad. And as far as servicing, watchmakers shouldn’t have much more trouble with a column wheel, except it might just be more time consuming.
As stated, column wheel chronographs are often used in higher-end movements. Rolex’s caliber 4130 and the Zenith El Primero are probably the most widely known of their kind, along with Omega’s caliber 321 used in the original Speedmaster. With that said, you can find column wheel’s in less expensive movements from Longines, and even more cost-efficient in Seagull’s caliber ST19.
Cam Actuated Chronograph
Coming to the rescue of the budget conscious watch lovers is the cam-actuated chronograph. In place of the column wheel mechanism, you’ll find a series of levers and arms meshed together and driven by a cam. The nature of its construction allows for more “play” in the parts, versus the highly precise construction of a column wheel. The levers and arms are much simpler to produce, cutting down overall costs tremendously.
As far as performance, a cam-actuated chronograph stacks up just fine against the column wheel. Hell, if NASA was willing to approve a cam-actuated chronograph for space flight, how bad can it be? The simple construction, production, and lower cost lend to more robust situations, like military use. The performance will be accurate and reliable enough for just about anything, and, if it breaks, the cost of replacing it is a much easier pill to swallow. But not going as far as breaking, servicing a cam-actuated chronograph is rather simple. The nice flat surfaces and lack of tight angles on the arms and levers makes for quicker cleaning and lubricating.
Part of the “high end column wheel” marketing strategy is to say cam-actuated chronographs aren’t haute horlogerie. Technically, this is true, because creating something simpler and less elegant is counter to the haute horlogerie mantra. However, this shouldn’t matter to most folks, as long as they know they’re getting a quality product regardless.
When it comes to actual negative characteristics, well, there isn’t much to complain about. If we’re getting nit-picky, cam-actuated chronographs tend to have a tougher pusher feel. Thinking about it mechanically, when the pusher is depressed, it turns the cam on its axis, and therefore requires more force. Hence, the stickier feel.
One of the biggest flaws blamed on the cam-actuated chronograph is misattributed. They are often described as having a jumpy chronograph seconds hand upon engaging the function. This is actually due to the fact that cam-actuated chronographs typically feature horizontally coupled drive gears – it has nothing to do with the cam, levers, and arms. On a horizontal clutch, the driving gears are meshed together upon engaging the chronograph, which can make the seconds hand appear to skip a bit depending on how the gears are positioned during the coupling. The confusion likely comes from the fact that there aren’t any cam-actuated chronographs with a vertical clutch (well, at least none that we can find).
Since cam-actuated chronographs are less expensive, you probably won’t be surprised to find out that the most ubiquitous chronograph movement in the world features it: the ETA 7750. That also means that just about every single variation of the 7750 will work off of the same mechanism (with some exceptions from Longines and La-Joux Perret). The other most notable example of a cam-actuated chronograph is the current Moonwatch. When Omega switched over to the caliber 861 (and now 1861), they opted for a cam instead of the caliber 321’s column wheel. If anything shows the lack of quality difference between the two systems, space flight certification is probably it.
We hope the content here is helpful for many of you, as the detailed mechanics of chronographs can get pretty perplexing. This was a great opportunity for us to really get into the weeds and we plan on doing more of it in the future. Finally, we’d like to thank Al Archer for providing pictures and lots of technical information for the article – this would have been really tough to do without him, or, at least tough to do accurately.
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The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that Daesh terrorists shot down a helicopter near Syria's Palmyra, killing two Russian military instructor pilots.
On July 8, Russian military instructor pilots conducted a test flight of a Syrian Mi-25 helicopter (export version of the Mi-24 helicopter), when it received a request from the Syrian authorities to carry out airstrikes against a large group of Daesh terrorists advancing to the east of Palmyra, the ministry said.
The Russian crew of the helicopter repelled the attack of a large Daesh group of fighters on the Syrian government forces.
"The crew received a request from the Syrian unit's command to strike the advancing fighters. The captain, Ryafagat Khabibulin, made a decision to attack the terrorists. The skillful actions of the Russian crew thwarted the terrorists' advance. When the helicopter's ammunition was spent and it changed its course to the opposite direction, it was shot down by terrorists from the ground and crashed in an area controlled by the Syrian government army. The helicopter's crew was killed."
The killed Russian pilots, Ryafagat Khabibulin and Yevgeny Dolgin, will be posthumously awarded, the ministry said. |
Photo of the VW Buses and trailer provided by the Manteca Police Department.
MANTECA (CBS13) – Police say that the whole Tillamook Cheese Tour truck caravan was stolen from the parking lot of a Manteca hotel Saturday morning.
The trailer was parked at the Hampton Inn along Bass Pro Drive in Manteca, Manteca Police say. At some point between 12:30 and 6:30 a.m., police say, thieves took off with the whole caravan of vehicles – which not only includes a pickup truck and a trailer, but three classic Volkswagen Mini Buses.
The VW Mini Buses were in the trailer, which was attached to a Ford F-350, when the theft happened, police say.
Police say that the VW Mini Buses alone are worth about $100,000 each. The buses are used as a part of Tillamook’s promotional tour, each one highlighting the company’s different cheese, yogurt and ice cream products.
It shouldn’t be too hard to spot the vehicles, as all of them are custom-painted orange with the “Tillamook” logo emblazoned on the sides.
Anyone who knows where the vehicles might be is asked to call the Manteca Police Department at (209) 456-8101.
The following is the vehicle’s description, along with their license plate numbers:
-2008 Ford F350, Oregon License plate number Y116821
-Wells Cargo Trailer, Oregon License plate number TF1144
-1964 VW Mini Bus, Oregon License plate number YUM4
-1966 VW Mini Bus, Oregon License plate number YUM5
-1959 VW Mini Bus, Oregon License plate number YUM6 |
The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive as well as the emotional demands of black humour processing. The results of the current study show three distinctive groups with respect to comprehension as well as preference of black humour. The most surprising result is that subjects who show the highest values with respect to black humour preference and comprehension show high values with respect to intelligence, have higher education levels and show lowest values regarding mood disturbance and aggression. On the other hand, subjects who show average verbal and nonverbal intelligence scores as well as high mood disturbance and high aggressiveness show the lowest values with respect to comprehension and preference of black humour. These findings support the notion that humour processing depends on cognitive as well as emotional aspects (e.g. Ruch and Ekman 2001; Vrticka et al. 2013) and suggest that this also accounts for black humour processing which seems to be a complex information-processing task.
Previous studies suggested that aggressive mood leads to the preference of aggressive humour (e.g. Bowker and Etkin 2014; McCauley et al. 1983; Prerost 1983). Therefore, it would not have been a surprise for this study to show that subjects who enjoy reading cartoons dealing with nasty or morbid contents also show high levels of aggression. Quite surprisingly, it could be shown that subjects who present high levels of aggressiveness (i.e. aggressiveness directed against others) are most likely to dislike black humour and show lower values with respect to black humour comprehension than subjects with low aggression values. It can be hypothesized that higher levels of aggressiveness and associated levels of arousal lead to decreased levels of pleasure when reading black humour wits, an assumption which contradicts the results of Prerost (1983). Furthermore, it could be shown that subjects who are in a bad mood are most likely to dislike black humour and show lower values with respect to black humour comprehension than subjects who show low mood disturbance. These results support studies which show that subjective humour response is influenced by pre-existing mood (Neumann et al. 2001) as well as the notion that bad mood impairs the involvement in humour rather than facilitating the appreciation of aggressive humour (Ruch and Köhler 1998). According to Mindess and colleagues (1985), preference for sick humour is related to the ability to treat nasty contents as playful fiction. Seemingly, only those subjects who have no aggressive feelings towards others as well as no mood disturbance such as dysphoric or depressive mood can afford or get away with the playful exposure in the course of black humour processing. Another hypothesis would be that aggressiveness as well as bad mood could lead to a reduced information-processing capacity with respect to cognitively demanding humorous contents.
In this study, a strong association between black humour processing and verbal as well as nonverbal intellectual capacities can be shown. Subjects who show higher verbal and nonverbal intelligence scores show highest values with respect to black humour preference and comprehension. These results are in line with other studies which show a strong association between intelligence scores and humour processing (e.g. Greengross and Miller 2011) and indicate that such associations can also be seen for black humour processing. The role of intelligence in humour processing was recently investigated by Vrticka and colleagues (2013) in the light of the incongruity-resolution model (Suls 1972). They could show that in childhood and adolescence higher intelligence supports the detection of incongruities in a verbal utterance as well as the successful reinterpretation of these incongruities so as to get the joke. Furthermore, they could show that higher intelligence in this age-span is associated with stronger activity in brain areas involved in humour processing. Given the results of the current study, it can be hypothesized that in adulthood intelligence still strongly influences this two-stage problem-solving process with respect to humour processing. In this study, it could also be shown that the subjects who were most likely to comprehend and prefer black humour also have higher education levels. This result would be in line with another Freudian theory (1905) which states that subjects with high socio-economic status are more appreciative of aggressive humour (as long as it is thought to be within the bounds of good taste). This theory was not supported by McCauley and colleagues (1983), whilst the results of the current study showed that subjects with higher education show higher values with respect to black humour preference which is surprising considering the sinister, aggressive and tragic contents of black humour.
In the current study, a strong association between black humour comprehension and preference for black humour is shown. This result supports the findings of previous studies (Herzog and Bush 1994; Herzog and Karafa 1998) and indicates that higher comprehension of black humour wits leads to higher pleasure when reading it. Vrticka and colleagues (2013) indicate that intelligence not only influences the cognitive aspects of humour processing but also the affective components. In this context, the results of the current study as well as previous results (Coulson 2001) indicate that cognitive abilities like verbal and nonverbal intelligence as well as processing speed but also emotional aspects influence the mental operations underlying humour processing. On the one hand, it can be hypothesized that in the course of humour processing intelligence as well as mood and aggression directly influence the capacity to semantically reanalyse and reorganize categories and structures of thought (‘frame-shifting model’ by Coulson 2000), to combine these aspects into a meaningful humorous hybrid situation (‘frame blends model’ by Hofstadter and Gabora 1989; ‘blending model’ by Coulson 2001) and to adequately reinterpret the product of the previous mental operations (‘incongruity-resolution model’ by Suls 1972) so as to get the joke. It can be assumed that the extent to which each of these operations is needed for the comprehension of a joke varies depending on the content and structure of the joke. In this context, it can be hypothesized that intelligence, processing speed, aggression and mood not only influence the execution of the mental operations themselves but also facilitate the adapting of humour processing strategies in a quick and flexible way. The results in the current study support this hypothesis. On the other hand, it is likely that in the course of humour processing individual values with respect to intelligence, aggression and mood are likely to interact with the content of a joke. In the light of the previously mentioned models of humour processing, future studies could investigate whether mainly cognitive, mainly emotional or mixed contents require more mental effort. |
A new national poll find that a majority of Americans support shifting funding away from Planned Parenthood to community health centers that don’t do abortions.
Robert Morris University (RMU) conducted an extensive poll to discover the pro-life climate in the nation, gender and class differences in pro-life views, attitudes on supporting Planned Parenthood funding, and amount of awareness of the existence of the undercover videos.
All respondents were asked which of three positions on abortion best reflected their own personal view: • 21.1 percent responded as “pro-life” and opposed to all abortions. • 32.4 percent responded as opposed to abortions except for the exceptions of rape, incest and the mother’s health • 38.9 percent identified themselves as pro-choice.
Age differences abounded: “44.6% of seniors identified as pro-choice, but only 29.2% of those under 45.” And these views seem to be reflected across socioeconomic lines too. The analysis reports:
“Rich people are pro-choice; it’s a clear division”: Of those in a household which earns over $100,000 a year, 54/98 identify as “pro-choice,” or 55.1% Of those in a household which earns under $100,000 per year, 315/853 identify as “pro-choice,” or 36.92% Of those in households earning over $100,000 a year, 33/98 or 33.6% of respondents wanted to give Planned Parenthood funds to perform abortions Of those in households earning under $100,000 a year, only 253/853 or 29.66% of respondents wanted to give Planned Parenthood funds to perform abortions
A strong contingent of Democrats want tax dollars to fund abortions specifically:
• 17.4% of Republicans
• 43.4% of Democrats
• 30.8% of Independents
The poll authors conclude:
So about half of Democrat respondents venturing an opinion want taxpayer-funded abortions This is “pro-choice” in the sense of “abortion is a good thing” and therefore should be government funded (30.5% of all respondents think this)
The results of this poll are more accurate than some polls reported by the media. According to a news release: Previous polling on the issue of funding Planned Parenthood has shown majority support for government funding of Planned Parenthood. But the RMU poll, conducted before a gunman killed three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, has a very different result: 53.3 percent support defunding Planned Parenthood, while 31.5 percent oppose it. The poll asked respondents if they would support or oppose a plan by U.S. Congressional Republicans to shift Planned Parenthood funds to community clinics that perform the same services but do not perform abortions. Just over half, 53.3 percent, strongly or somewhat support the plan while 31.5 percent are strongly or somewhat opposed. Philip Harold, RMU professor of political science, said RMU’s polls shows different results than other national polls because the question is worded more clearly. Instead of simply asking, “Do you think all federal funding for Planned Parenthood should be cut off?,” the RMU poll asked instead: “Congressional Republicans favor shifting Planned Parenthood federal funds to community clinics that perform the same services, but do not perform abortions. Would you say you support or oppose this plan?” Other results from the poll include information on the public’s knowledge of the undercover Planned Parenthood videos. Awareness is rising, the poll revealed:
Respondents in the RMU poll were asked how aware they were of undercover videos of top Planned Parenthood officials describing the harvesting of organs of fetuses and selling them for a profit. Nearly two-thirds, 63.3 percent, suggested they were very or somewhat aware… this is higher than other polls done in the early fall, suggesting that more and more people have heard about the videos in the intervening months.
This awareness then appears to correlate with the budget plan by Congressional Republicans:
As awareness of the videos goes up, so does support for the Congressional Republicans’ plan. Those who indicate they are very aware (60 percent) were more likely to support the plan than those who said they were somewhat aware (54.3 percent) and somewhat unaware (41.7 percent).
RMU Professor of Political Science Philip Harold said, “This means that Republicans in Congress might have an incentive to make this a bigger issue,” said Harold. |
Lea Heitfeld and Ben Stern. (Courtesy of Lea Heitfeld)
When the Nazis ripped his family from their home in Poland, Ben Stern survived the ghettos and the concentration camps by never losing faith in human kindness.
So now, at the end of his life, the 95-year-old has found an almost perfect antidote to how he was treated by the Nazis: Opening his California home to one of their descendants.
His roommate, Lea Heitfeld, is a 31-year-old German student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, whose grandparents were active and unrepentant members of the Nazi Party. Rather than shy away from her family’s history, it has inspired her to learn about Jewish people and educate others about their religion and what they endured during the Holocaust. She’s even getting her master’s degree in Jewish studies.
Welcoming Heitfeld, the kin of the very people who brutally forced him from his childhood home, to live as his roommate while she finishes her degree feels like “an act of justice,” Stern said in an interview. “It was the right thing to do. I’m doing the opposite of what they did.”
There is much about their living situation that defies norms: the sizable generation gap, the gender divide and, of course, the fact that they’re a Holocaust survivor and the granddaughter of Nazis. And yet they’ve both found they have so much to give each other.
A photo clipped from a newspaper from Helen and Ben Stern’s arrival in America in May 1946. (Courtesy: Charlene Stern)
Heitfeld provides companionship to Stern, whose wife of more than 70 years recently went into a nursing home because of her worsening dementia.
In the evenings, the unlikely pair watch TV together, usually the news. They have dinner together almost every night, and snack on herring salad and crackers before their meal — a mutual favorite. They have long conversations about history and current events and he tells her stories of his life in Poland before the war. Last semester, Stern, who never went to high school or college, audited a graduate class with her, and they walked together to campus every Thursday night.
For Heitfeld, Stern’s friendship is the rarest of gifts — an insight into human resiliency and compassion.
“This act of his opening his home, I don’t know how to describe it, how forgiving or how big your heart must be to do that, and what that teaches me to be in the presence of someone who has been through that and is able to have me there and to love me,” she said. “That he was able to open the door for someone who would remind him of all his pain.”
‘I was reborn’
Stern was a teenager when Nazis took over his small Polish town. He survived life in the Warsaw Ghetto, nine concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the death march from Buchenwald. When Americans liberated them, he went searching for his family and found no one.
He met his wife, Helen, in a displaced prisoners camp after the war and the young couple made their way to America with nothing more than a dream for a new life. He had no education, no trade, no money and could not speak English. But he had his life.
“I was reborn. I did not forget what happened to me, but I was determined to rebuild the family that I lost and speak out on the pain and losses that so many people gave their lives for no reason only because they were hated because of their particular religion,” Stern said. “We found a mixture of religions being accepted and that was opening the door for a free life, that was a gift that until today I am thankful for the opportunity to enjoy the freedom to build the beautiful family that I have.”
His daughter, Charlene, has preserved her father’s story in a 28-minute documentary called the “Near Normal Man,” which is what he calls himself. No one could spend a day in Auschwitz and call themselves normal, he’d tell her. In the film, Stern recalls in his own words and with moving detail what he endured and how it shaped his worldview afterward.
“When the Nazis came, his only weapon was his insistence upon living and remaining human,” Charlene Stern said. “I asked him, ‘How did you change? How did you change after the Holocaust?’ He said, ‘Char, I became more compassionate.’ That’s the father I inherited.”
Ben Stern, 95, is a Holocaust survivor who made it through nine concentration camps, including Auschwitz. Stern's daughter preserved her father's story in a documentary called the "Near Normal Man." (Vimeo/Charlene Stern)
Charlene’s voice caught as she recalled showing the film to Heitfeld’s parents when they came to visit. After watching, Heitfeld’s father, whose parents were Nazis, asked whether he could help her get the movie shown in Germany. He said they would travel around the country together — the daughter of a Jewish Holocaust survivor and the son of a Nazi solider.
Charlene and Lea Heitfeld are both, in a way, students of their past who feel compelled to use their family history to educate. Heitfeld grew up in a small town in northern Germany and, until she moved to the United States five years ago to work as an au pair, she’d never met a Jewish person, she said. On her way to dropping off the children she took care of at school, she’d pass a Jewish retirement home. With several hours in the morning to herself, she decided to volunteer there. It was one thing to be meeting Jewish people her own age, but she said she wanted to spend time with the generation directly affected by what her ancestors did.
“I’ve reflected so much about my own identity. If I want to identify with my country, it’s about confronting the things that hurt and put me in an uncomfortable position,” she said. “I feel responsibility for the memory of the Holocaust.”
Not staying silent
The rise of anti-Semitic-fueled acts in the United States — bomb threats at Jewish community centers and the desecration of Jewish cemeteries — has been weighing heavily on Stern and Heitfeld.
The vitriol directed at minority groups, not just Jews, is all too reminiscent. “I walk with a fresh injection of pain and hurt,” Stern said.
Heitfeld feels it, too. “I’ve been in more pain that I’m living with a man who went through this and now has to be confronted with this on the news,” she said.
[‘Stand together against this bigotry’: Another Jewish cemetery vandalized and again Muslims reach out to help]
But this is not the first time Stern has been faced with this painful reminder of his past. In 1977, he and his family lived in Skokie, a suburb of Chicago, which at that time was majority Jewish. A neo-Nazi group requested a permit to demonstrate in the streets in their town. It was a haunting proposition, the idea that a group bearing swastikas would once again converge on his town. Stern refused to sit idly by and let this happen, so he organized an effort to block them from coming. Because of First Amendment rights, Stern didn’t succeed in banning them, so instead he encouraged other Jewish people to not hide away afraid, but instead to stage a counter-demonstration if the Nazis came.
Ira Glasser, the former director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which advocated for the neo-Nazis’ right to march, wrote in the Huffington Post that it was “a brilliant response and a perfect remedy for a country with strong First Amendment rights.”
Living with a millennial. Making the film. It’s all in service to Stern’s lifelong mission to ensure young people are informed to stand up to hate once there are no more survivors left to tell their stories. For Stern, this new wave of hate is yet another moment that he cannot stay silent.
“I feel like it’s important for the reason I survived to tell the world, to tell the next generation what to look out for to have a better, secure, free life,” he said. “It’s important for them to learn how to behave with other people, with other nations, religions. We’re different, but we’re all human and there is room for each and every one of us in this world. It should be in harmony instead of hatred, racism. … We are all born; we’re all going to go. While we’re here, we should try to improve the world.”
Read more Inspired Life:
To counter Trump’s travel ban, this Jewish filmmaker wants to give American Muslims a voice
These researchers used Holocaust survivors’ memories to track how our brains process gratitude
Two brothers were separated by the Holocaust. After 77 years, their families just reunited. |
As wine editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jon Bonné is the leading voice in a general-interest publication covering the heart of the California wine industry. He’s also controversial, for he has been one of California wine’s harshest critics.
In “The New California Wine: A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind a Revolution in Taste,” published in November by Ten Speed Press, Bonné argues that California’s wine industry has been on the wrong path for more than two decades, pursuing bigger, riper wines and higher point scores from critics at the expense of the character that made California wines great in the first place.
“Again and again I was disappointed by what I found to be the shortfalls of California wine: a ubiquity of oaky, uninspired bottles and a presumption that bigger was indeed better,” he writes.
Bonné is not the only prominent writer to criticize the prevalent style of California wine. Eric Asimov of the New York Times champions winemakers who strive for a more elegant, lower-alcohol style of wine, and I have sounded similar themes in this column. Bonné, however, is harder to ignore because of his base in San Francisco. Many in the wine industry regard him as a pest.
Bonné writes of the suspicion that greeted him, a New Yorker, when he arrived in San Francisco in 2006. Resentment still echoes today. “He’s anti-California,” one prominent Napa winery executive sniffed to me recently, explaining why he refused to read Bonné’s book.
Critics of the prominent California style are often accused of being effete Euro-snobs intent on finding “nuance” in their wines. (There is a depressing amount of jingoism in the debate over wine styles.) But Bonné doesn’t argue that California should make European-style wines. Rather, he wants California to return to the style of the 1970s, when the Golden State’s wines first triumphed over the best of France in the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting.
That was 30 years before Bonné joined the Chronicle. “How fast things changed — from just being happy to be in the conversation to winning the Judgment of Paris, then wave after wave of investment by the wealthy and bored eager to prove their egos in a new field,” Bonné told me recently during a visit to Washington to promote his book. “After 30 years of being told how awesome it was, California had drunk the Kool-Aid.”
Bonné’s book should be mandatory reading for all fans of American wine. He details how California became divided between Big Wine: the three companies (E&J Gallo, Constellation and the Wine Group) that produce nearly two-thirds of the state’s wines; and Big Flavor, the exorbitantly priced cult wines that favor extraction, oak, high point scores and exclusivity. From boring to . . . well, expensive and boring. Bonné searched for something between the innocuous supermarket wines and the cult cabs.
He found a few familiar holdouts for the old California style in Paul Draper at Ridge, Ted Lemon at Littorai and Josh Jensen at Calera. Over time, as Bonné explored California’s wine regions, he met others. Most, such as Steve Matthiasson with his eponymous label or Sashi Moorman of Sandhi, are consultants with high-profile wineries who are staking claims to new California wine with their own labels. They typically cannot afford their own vineyards but negotiate agreements with growers to allow them maximum say in how the grapes are farmed. Bonné celebrates winemakers who get out of the winery and into the vineyard.
There’s a weakness to his argument. Big Flavor has been successful as a paradigm for California wine not simply because a few wine writers have championed it but because consumers have welcomed it. The style pendulum may be swinging back toward restraint over hedonism, but the wineries Bonné favors are the fringe.
Producers such as Scholium Project, Anthill Farms and Hirsch make small amounts of wine available primarily through direct-to-consumer sales or allocated in small amounts to restaurants. And they are not cheap. These producers are not about to become the new face of California wine, except to a dedicated minority of wine drinkers.
Right now, consumers like things as they are. As James Laube, California editor of Wine Spectator and a champion of the California style Bonné disdains, wrote in November: “If he wants to make the case that wines of restraint are the future for California, he must explain why it’s for their own good to wean people away from what they like.”
Bonné’s response to that criticism is unprintable here. He is content to be at the tip of a movement, like an art critic challenging his readers to question their perspectives and prejudices when viewing a painting.
“What I think is troubling is that there are still folks talking as though taste, which is what wine criticism is really about, is objective,” he says. “The evidence points dramatically to the contrary.”
McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. On Twitter: @dmwine. |
Scott Brown of ESPN reported from the Steelers locker room that even after the game Cameron Heyward was none-too-pleased with the “dirty play” of the Browns on Sunday.
Defensive end Cameron Heyward didn’t hide his anger in the visiting locker room at FirstEnergy Field, and not just because the Steelers had been embarrassed by one of their archrivals. Heyward was still fuming at getting chop-blocked several times. Late in the fourth quarter, Heyward hurt his ankle and angrily pointed at Browns left tackle Joe Thomas several times as he walked off the field. Heyward did not sustain a significant injury, but that’s beside the point, the fourth-year veteran said. “It’s a dirty play,” Heyward said of chop-blocking. “We talk so much about safety. We don’t do a good job of keeping it safe for everybody. I think it’s cowardly thing, but if [the Browns are] going to coach it like that, that’s their call.”
Our friends over at Steelers Depot have the GIFs.
Steelers Depot also points out that this is not a new complaint for the Steelers. Nose tackle Steve McLendon accused the Browns of chop blocking illegally three times during Week 1.
There’s no doubt that it’s dangerous for an offensive lineman to go low in a blocking scheme. Anytime you are purposely making contact with a guy’s knees or lower leg, bad things can happen. It seems like Joe Thomas probably violated the rule in one form or another, if I’m being perfectly honest. If Heyward was engaged with another lineman, it would be illegal according to the rules.
CHOP BLOCK ON RUN (BY A LINEMAN)
(6) On a running play, A1, an offensive lineman, chops a defensive player after the defensive player has
been engaged by A2 (high or low), and the initial alignment of A2 is more than one position away from
A1. This rule applies only when the block occurs at a time when the flow of the play is clearly away
from A1.
And even if Heyward wasn’t engaged, Joe Thomas might have violated the new version of the rule because he blocked Heyward from a blind position. In order for it to be a legal “cut block” Thomas would have to square up the defender so he can see him coming.
Ed Bouchette from the Post Gazette…
It’s only legal if the “chop” comes from a lineman playing next to the one doing the initial blocking and not two men over. But the rule changed this year. Now, the “chop” blocker, to be legal, must get his head in front of the man he is blocking so the defender can see him and has a chance to defend himself.
We’ll see if the league has anything to say about it later this week. Even thought Thomas wasn’t penalized on the play, I am guessing the NFL has mechanism to fine him if they find his actions egregious. |
The low-profile but vital signing of Lodeiro changed Seattle’s season. (The Canadian Press via AP)
Major League Soccer will look very different in 2017. Because it will be joined by the respective Uniteds from Atlanta and Minnesota, to be sure. But mostly because it will likely sport less star power than it has in several years. That is to say, it will employ far fewer aging European household names, tempted stateside for a last hurrah, payday and curtain call.
This is a good thing.
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And this is the legacy of the league’s 2016 season.
Because this past season, the Designated Player Rule came full circle. The sorts of players the rule was designed to attract – David Beckham and all the rest, whose magnetism and fame would bring new attention to a league going nowhere fast – now no longer represent the best use of the three dispensation players each team is allowed without counting towards their salary cap.
In 2016, Steven Gerrard quietly piled up 11 assists for the Los Angeles Galaxy but missed almost half the regular season with injuries and was never the most important player on his team. Frank Lampard scored 12 goals for New York City FC but was hardly the primary reason the club was so much improved. Robbie Keane no longer carried the Galaxy on his shoulders after being its linchpin for four years. Didier Drogba was actually benched by the Montreal Impact in favor of journeyman nobody Matteo Mancosu. Andrea Pirlo remained a very expensive piece of bling for NYCFC.
Next year, all but Pirlo will be gone, as their expiring contracts were not renewed. Had Pirlo’s deal been up, he may have suffered the same fate. Because in the grand scheme of this sort of signing, he’s now more a relic of a flashier and less practical time than a value-for-money asset.
Story continues
The DPs that made the difference this season were of the 2.0 incarnation, the more recent interpretation of the rule by teams favoring lesser-knowns who will help them win trophies, rather than jersey-sale standings. They were Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. Mauro Diaz of FC Dallas. The New York Red Bulls’ Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips – both MVP finalists. They were the Galaxy’s Giovani Dos Santos. Nicolas Lodeiro of the title-winning Seattle Sounders. Ignacio Piatto of the Impact. Diego Valeri in Portland. Shkelzen Gashi in Colorado.
They were mostly men only an aficionado would have heard of before they came stateside – save for the American and Mexican national teamers. And they came while they were at their best, or even earlier.
Indeed, the only traditional DPs to decide games this year were MVP David Villa for NYCFC and Orlando City’s Kaka, who scored nine goals and assisted on 10. But this year, they were the exception to the rule.
There once was value in being a retirement league – and for a long while, MLS certainly was that. There are only so many ways of gathering traction in an impossibly crowded domestic sporting landscape. Or to gain attention from a global soccer community that very much rates leagues by reputation.
Do these things matter? Absolutely. Players decide where they’ll go by cachet and cash. You need both. Signing big names, no matter how far over the hill they are, injects that cachet instantly. Things snowball from there. Viewers, in turn, choose what foreign leagues they’ll watch by which has the most players they like, or have heard of. If you’re going to be a globally respected and marketable and monetizeable league, you need those big names to get you started.
So after a decade of treading water and trying not to go under, MLS signed David Beckham. And then Thierry Henry. And then Cuauhtemoc Blanco. And then things started to happen very quickly. The rapid expansion, the soaring expansion fees, the soccer-specific stadiums, the climbing attendance, the arrival of non-minuscule television money, growing ratings. They are all post-Beckham landmarks. Certainly, the league had done yeoman’s work of its own to solidify and stabilize, but a lot of things don’t happen, or don’t happen as quickly, without the famous men putting on the right jerseys.
Yet we come to a point where all of that isn’t necessary anymore. The shiny stars have carried the league past the point of their own usefulness, making themselves obsolete. The soccer is markedly better from even a half decade ago. Salaries are rising. Teams are developing real prospects and signing respected pros from abroad in their primes, and not just as DPs. People watch for the action now – not the names they’ve been told to watch for.
Garber is a big fan of the younger, more impactful DP. (The Canadian Press via AP)
In his annual State of the League address, MLS Commissioner Don Garber pointed this out eagerly. The new wave of younger stars, Garber said, “are representing a very important trend that began a few years ago.”
“These are players who came to our league in their 20s, the prime of their career,” Garber continued. “When you look at the average age of players who were signed in 2016, it was 25 years old. It’s the lowest age of all the newcomers we’ve had in the last five years.”
The receding need to sign players as glorified marketing stunts underscores the progress of a league that once gave expansion teams away for $5 million and now charges close to $200 million for them. Garber envisions the next expansion round to swell the numbers to 28 teams even though the current round isn’t yet completed. With 20 teams already playing, Atlanta and Minnesota join next year. Then LAFC the year after. Miami is supposed to be the 24th team, with an ownership group led by Beckham himself. But persistent issues getting a stadium deal done have slowed that team’s joining to a crawl, and they might yet run up to a deadline of unspecified duration.
There is a line out the door for the next four franchises. Even though the league claims it’s still losing money – most loudly, of course, when there’s a collective bargaining agreement to be hashed out with the Players’ Union. Because MLS argues that it could well be profitable if it so chose, but that it opts to keep investing instead. Which is both plausible and reasonable, if also a convenient decoy for a financial structure that remains largely opaque. What, you might wonder, will happen to more than a billion dollars coming in through expansion fees over the course of just a few years? (Technically, the money is destined for the existing “owner-operators” in MLS’s unique single-entity share-holder system to compensate them for the dilution of their stake in the league as a whole.)
And in support of this narrative of stratospheric growth – there’s hardly any telling if MLS threatens to overheat anytime soon as the second-tier North American Soccer League appears to be kicking the bucket – it does MLS no good at all to say to club soccer’s European elite that it’ll gladly take on the care of its aging stars once their historic clubs are ready to put them in a home.
That doesn’t say “world-class league.” It says “league hoping to someday maybe become world class.”
MLS is past that point.
Because plenty of numbers suggest the 20-year-old outfit is already among the upper crust of soccer leagues. Average attendance rose to almost 21,700 in 2016 – a third record-setting year in a row and now ahead of Italy’s fabled Serie A and France’s appreciated Ligue 1. That’s a 40-percent increase over 2006, the year before Beckham arrived, when MLS was a 13-team league.
MLS also had twice as many players earning a gross salary of 100,000 euros a week as Serie A did in 2016 – Kaka, Giovinco, Bradley, Lampard, Gerrard and Pirlo.
Still, that apparently isn’t enough to convince the current or previous manager of Italy’s national team, who have refused to call up Giovinco or Pirlo at times on account of, as Giampiero Ventura has put it, them playing “in a league that doesn’t matter much.”
The national team manager of the country whose once-proud but decaying league can no longer draw or pay like MLS acting dismissive of it. Go figure.
But there remain skeptics aplenty. This is understandable when you’re a mere two decades old in a sport where any club or league with any kind of name has a century of history. When it’s only been 15 years since people – not to mention the league itself – wondered if it would survive another year.
MLS continues to trend steeply upwards, though. And it no longer needs to rent the credibility of others to make this apparent.
Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet. |
President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May have pushed back his official state visit to the United Kingdom to allow the real estate mogul to dodge protests over his administration's right-wing policies, new reporting reveals.
Originally set for June, the visit had sparked uproar because of Trump's now-halted Muslim ban, and a petition to stop the state visit referencing Trump's "well documented misogyny and vulgarity" has gathered the signatures of over 1.8 million Britons.
The U.K.'s Sun, which first reported on the delay, writes:
A senior [U.K.] government source said: "Trump still really wants to come this year, but he wants the heat to die down a bit first.
The two made the decision after Trump told May about his worries in a phone call two weeks ago, the news outlet writes.
The U.K.'s Independent adds:
Trump's election and resulting policies have received widespread criticism from politicians, who have threatened to try and ban him from parliament entirely. The decision to invite the President to the U.K. has also been greeted by some of the largest street protests in recent years, and activists have promised to protest any trip that Mr. Trump does eventually make.
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The Sun reports that the visit has now been provisionally scheduled for October 5 to 8, a time when the Parliament will be in recess. Trump would therefore not have to face any Members of Parliament protesting the visit.
For the Stop Trump Coalition, the delay indicates the two leaders "are running scared"—and that the protests work.
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"Trump's visit will be delayed until at least October to 'let the heat die down.' But we promise that it's only going to get hotter," the coalition said in a statement Wednesday. "The opposition to this state visit, and to Trump's policies, is growing every day. Whether he comes in Spring or Autumn, or to London, Birmingham, or Scotland, we will meet him in huge numbers to say that the politics of hate and prejudice are not welcome here."
On top that, the coalition says, the prime minister must herself stop pushing policies that echo those of the Trump.
"Theresa May has badly miscalculated. The British people don't want this racist, misogynist billionaire anywhere near them. At the same time as showing our support to all the people in the U.S. battling this dangerous president, we will also show our own Prime Minister that she has no mandate to draw us closer to Trump or the other extreme right-wing leaders she is currently courting," the group continued.
"This was never just about the state visit," the statement reads. "Every day the British government gets closer to Trump in its policies—from refusing to guarantee the basic rights of EU migrants, to ending the Dubs Amendment scheme for child refugees. We urge people to join a growing movement that fights for the rights of migrants and minorities—for an inclusive and democratic society." |
Making videos as a full time job is one hell of a lot of fun. It is actually a lot of work but it is the sort of work I just love doing. However at the end of the day as a job it also has to allow me to make a living for me and my family and that is where Patreon comes in.
YouTube is not the best way to make a living unless you are a super star and worst of all it is very unreliable. Some months are good, some are not so good. So in the end a content creator like myself needs to find alternative ways to keep going. Now there are many such ways and I will be trying them all out, but one way is for my content to be supported directly by you guys. That is where Patreon comes in.
You can now support me with a small donation each month if you have the means to do so. But please only do so if you are comfortable with it. You guys support me in many other ways already and this should not be seen as a requirement. |
At last things are starting to get exciting around the new GH5! As reported yesterday the camera will be sort of “pre-announced” at Photokina and ship in very early 2017 (probably January).
And now we got a first spec info from a trusted source:
1) The camera has no crop for 4K
2) 4:2:2 10 bits internal recording!!!!
That’s a HUGE news for filmmakers! Take that new Canon 5DmarkIV ;)
Panasonic has a press conference on September 19 where they will announce the new G80 (or G85 or whatever the final name will be), a new LX100 successor and show the GH5 prototype.
We have plenty of great stuff coming from both Olympus and Panasonic. To not miss any news you really HAVE TO subscribe our RSS feed, join our group on Facebook and follow our Tweets. This is not an invitation to follow 43rumors …it’s a threat ;)
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For readers: Don’t miss any news. Subscribe our RSS feed, join our group on Facebook and follow our Tweets. Subscribe our newsletter at [wysija_form id=”2″]
Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct |
Patch it now and don't wait: Cisco has announced that a bunch of its Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) products are vulnerable to a remote code execution bug.
The problem is in how the ASA products reassemble fragmented Internet Key Exchange (IKE) payloads. Cisco's implementation of the fragmentation protocol has a bounds-checking flaw.
As this post at Exodus Intel (with a hat-tip to @SwiftOnSecurity) explains, the bug "allows a heap buffer to be overflowed with attacker-controlled data," and that's what opens the remote code execution vulnerability.
Cisco lists the ASA 5500, ASA 5500-X, ASA Services Module for Catalyst 6500 switches and 7600 Series routers, the ASA 1000V Cloud Firewall, the Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance, the Firepower 9300 ASA module, and the ISA (industrial security appliance) 3000.
Either IPv4 or IPv6 traffic can be used to trigger the vulnerability.
As Exodus Intelligence explains, the problem in the code is that while the fragment length is 16 bits, Cisco limits its queues to 8 bits.
"The most basic way to attack this code is to create a reassembly queue where one of the fragments has a length less than the default fragment header size of 8 bytes, which underflows the copy length during reassembly," the post states.
That only gets you as far as forcing a reload of the target system, but Exodus Intel outlines how this can be exploited to get attacker code into a "known location in writable memory," giving the attacker control of the device.
Cisco has released a patch for affected software versions. ® |
NEW YORK (MainStreet) - The amount of pot purchased annually by Americans is an estimated $50 billion, but and only $2 to $2.5 billion of it is purchased legally, according to a Wall Street report. That's because although legalization of marijuana is sweeping the nation, sales of the plant-based drug will continue to be sold on the black market for some time.
"There are conservative states that are not putting this on the ballot in the near future," said Scott Greiper, founder and president of Viridian Capital & Research. "They are far away from legalizing despite the allure of revenues of marijuana sales."
Some $10 to $15 billion is expected to comprise legal sales in the next three to five years.
"States that are currently legalizing are slow rolling it in order to regulate the use and ensure a chain of custody, compliance and tracking," Greiper told MainStreet. The Viridian Cannabis Industry Report and Stock Index revealed that publicly traded marijuana stocks increased 848% in the first quarter of 2014 when Colorado legalized recreational use, but the sector has since dropped, ending the first nine months of 2014 with a 147% gain.
"We see a shake-out coming as lofty valuations come down to reality, questionable operators are forced from the industry and the real winners in the sector become apparent," Greiper said. "This will accelerate the movement of more traditional capital sources into cannabis stocks."
About 60 marijuana related companies have gone public since 2012 when only 13 were listed on the exchange compared to 70 currently listed on the pink sheets.
"There's a lot of disbelief in the prospect of the management capability of public companies," said Michael Swartz, analyst with Viridian Capital & Research. "To bridge the gap and bring credibility, we've issued this research report that landscapes the industry so that institutional investors have an understanding of how marijuana companies are being valued to access the capital markets."
The top performing sectors of the Viridian Cannabis Stock Index include consulting services with returns of 665.5%, biotech at 339% and 135% for infused products.
"With broker, banker and analyst licenses with the SEC and FINRA, we transact all of our investment banking transactions through Pickwick Capital Partners, which allows us to act as an investment banker to these public companies," said Greiper.
Leading publicly traded consulting companies include Medbox (MDBX) and United Cannabis Corp. (CNAB).
"Entrepreneurs wanting to launch a marijuana business need consulting services to apply for a license and once they get a license, they need help identifying real estate buildings that are compliant with zoning requirements and state regulation," Swartz told MainStreet.
The highest performing biotech publicly traded marijuana companies include Abattis (ATTBF) and Cannabix Pharmaceutical (CNBX).
"There are biotech companies and scientists who are creating formulations of different strains of cannabis that are relevant to medical marijuana patients that investors find interesting," said Swartz.
Among the top performing infused products and extracts companies are Cannabis Sativa (CBDS) and Green Cures and Botanicals (GRCU).
"We expect that as more recreational states open up, this sector will grow more," Swartz said. "In Colorado, we're seeing a lot of tourism. People are coming from out of town to try legal marijuana but they don't want to smoke. They use vaporizers, edibles or candy and there's a lot of demand for that."
Although Viridian itself doesn't invest principally, the company engages with smaller private equity firms, sector focused funds, hedge funds and family offices.
"They are our base of investors that we have been raising money from to invest in marijuana publicly traded companies," said Greiper.
--Written by Juliette Fairley for MainStreet |
Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
Every season, at least one NFL team makes an improbable leap from the NFL's basement to its penthouse.
Maybe it's a top-five draft pick or a new coach who makes a huge impact. Maybe an underachieving team finally finds a catalyst, like a new formation or alignment. Maybe Lady Luck just smiles on a team that's been on long odds for too long.
This year, that team will be the Cleveland Browns.
Not a Typo
Wait, what? The Browns?
The team with a second-year quarterback who posted a 72.6 NFL passer rating in his rookie season and turns 30 in October? The team built around the running of a second-year tailback who averaged 3.6 yards per carry in his debut campaign?
The Browns, whose new head coach's claim to fame is mentoring one of the most talented quarterback prospects ever to two maddeningly inconsistent seasons? The Browns, whose new owner's company is under federal investigation for defrauding customers out of millions of dollars?
Yes, those Browns.
What the Browns Were in 2012
The Cleveland Browns finished last season at 5-11, last in the AFC North. They scored an average of 18.9 points per game, which ranked 24th in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference. They allowed 23 points per game, 19th best in the NFL.
The Browns had an unremarkable plus-three turnover ratio, so they weren't helped or hurt by turnover margin.
Overall in 2012, the Browns performed on the low end of the NFL's giant "mediocre" tier—or maybe the high end of the "subpar" tier.
Let's look a little deeper.
One of the strongest predictive stats in football is the Simple Ranking System. Pro Football Reference explained SRS in depth, but the upshot is SRS adjusts margin of victory by strength of schedule. It's not a great way of explaining what happened, but it's fantastic at projecting what's about to happen.
Here's how the AFC stacked up, per SRS, at the end of the 2012 regular season. Think of this table as a statistical "power ranking" going into imaginary Week 18:
We see Cleveland's SRS number is minus-5.3. That sounds poor—and in terms of the rest of the NFL, it is.
With that minus-4.1 average margin of victory, the Pythagorean Wins formula says the Browns "should have" won 6.2 games in 2012. This means their win-loss results could be primed for a bounce back in 2013, as their "luck" regresses toward the mean.
Further, the Browns were 2-5 in 2012 games decided by a touchdown or less. Similarly poor records in close games by the 2011 Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts caused Grantland's Bill Barnwell to (correctly) predict big things for both teams in 2012.
In 2012, though, the AFC was significantly weaker than the NFC. Note the massive gap between the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and everyone else. At the bottom of the table, the Tennessee Titans, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs were far weaker than everyone else in the AFC.
In fact, the difference in strength between the second-ranked Patriots and third-ranked Texans (6.6) was nearly as big as the spread between the Texans and the Browns (8.8). At the end of the season, the Browns weren't much stronger than the New York Jets or Buffalo Bills, but they weren't much weaker than the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins or San Diego Chargers.
Unlike those other teams, though, the Browns were a team in limbo.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the sale of the Browns to Jimmy Haslam on Aug. 2, 2012; the Browns were already on their sixth day of training camp.
New Browns CEO Joe Banner was introduced Wednesday, Oct. 17, beginning an awkward lame-duck period for president Mike Holmgren. General manager Tom Heckert and head coach Pat Shurmur—along with the rest of the front office and coaching staff—knew last season that they were auditioning for their next jobs.
With a shaky rookie quarterback drafted by leaders on their way out, and a rookie tailback slow to get up to speed, the entire Browns organization was turned over in the middle of the season. By the end of the season, they were in the middle of the AFC pack.
How did that happen?
For starters, the Browns have one of the best offensive lines in football. Anchored by left tackle Joe Thomas, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded the Browns at plus-41.9 in pass-blocking, fifth best in the NFL. In run-blocking, PFF graded the Browns at plus-10, 14th best in the league.
None of the four teams the Browns finished below in pass-blocking (Broncos, Bengals, Lions, Bills) were anywhere near as good as the Browns in the run game. Only the Patriots (ninth-best pass-blocking, second-best run-blocking) and San Francisco 49ers (seventh-best pass-blocking, best run-blocking) boasted better two-way offensive lines.
On the other side of the ball, the Browns were an average unit that got better as the season wore on. Football Outsiders ranked the Browns 22nd with a DVOA of plus-4.5 percent; offenses facing the Browns thus produced 4.5 percent better than average.
FO also generates a weighted average that emphasizes end-of-season performance. In this metric, the Browns defensive DVOA improved to 0.9 percent, and a 19th-best rank.
Pro Football Focus was even kinder to the Browns; they graded Cleveland's defense at plus-25.6, 13th best in the NFL. PFF graded Cleveland's run-stuffing at plus-26.3, 14th best. Cleveland's back seven stood out in pass coverage; PFF graded them sixth best in the NFL at plus-30.9.
The weak link in the Browns defense, according to PFF, was the pass rush. The minus-28.2 rank was fourth from the bottom.
House: Cleaned
Banner completed the housecleaning at the end of the season.
Former top Oakland Raiders executive Mike Lombardi was brought in to serve as general manager. Lombardi had spent five seasons as a media observer, with stints at Sports Illustrated and NFL.com sandwiched around the launch of his brainchild, the National Football Post.
Lombardi has fans and detractors in the media, but he knows the Browns. He was a high-ranking personnel man in Cleveland from 1987 until the franchise's relocation in 1996. He was promoted to director of player personnel while Bill Belichick was the coach in Cleveland, and he remains close to Belichick.
Banner identified seven head coaching candidates, according to the Associated Press (via Sports Illustrated), but ultimately hired another one of Cleveland's own. Rob Chudzinski, nicknamed "Chud," grew up as an ardent Browns fan in Toledo, Ohio, and had served as a Browns assistant two separate times.
In his last stint with the Browns, Chudzinski engineered a high-flying offense. Powered by the big arm of quarterback Derek Anderson, Chudzinksi's 2007 Browns finished eighth in the NFL in scoring—the Browns' only top-10 offense since 1987, per Pro Football Reference.
In 2008, Anderson's injuries and poor performance caused a quarterback implosion of rarely-before-seen magnitude. Four different Browns started at least one game under center in 2008, and Chud's offense scored fewer points than all but one other team. After the 2008 season, the coaching staff (along with general manager Phil Savage) was broomed.
Chud landed in San Diego, where he'd worked in between Browns stints, this time under head coach Norv Turner. Incredibly, in the four years Chudzinski coached the Chargers offense (2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010), they never finished lower than fifth in the NFL in scoring.
Chudzinski resumed coordinator duties in 2011, when he took the reins for Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Just how much of Newton's success Chudzinski can take credit for is debatable; whether Newton has been truly successful isn't an open-and-shut case either.
Besides raw passing yards and completion percentage, though, Newton showed progress or held steady in every major stat from his rookie year to his second:
These are great signs.
Newton's interception percentage dropped from 3.3 percent to 2.5 percent while average yards per attempt and completion each increased. In fact, Newton's 13.8 average yards per completion led the NFL in 2012. Nobody was chucking it further downfield than the big No. 1, yet he was still more effective and more efficient than during his rookie season.
That's exactly the kind of progress the Browns want to see from Brandon Weeden.
Chudzinski's deep-drop, deep-route downfield offense is a perfect fit for Weeden, unlike the modern West Coast offense favored by Shurmur (an Andy Reid protege). Unlike many first-time head coaches, though, Chudzinski's smart enough to know he needs strong veteran coordinators to rely on.
To run the offense, Chudzinski hired his last boss in San Diego: Norv Turner.
Turner has long been considered one of the top offensive minds in football, but as a head coach, Turner's teams have underachieved. Now Turner can focus on getting the best out of Weeden (as he did with Troy Aikman, Brad Johnson and Philip Rivers, among others). Fortunately, Turner also likes his quarterbacks to set up and throw downfield.
On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Ray Horton is switching the defense from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 base. Normally, this spells disaster for a season while the starters adjust to new roles, and most of the backups are let go and replaced over a two-season period.
The Browns, though, have been in a 4-3 for just two seasons; quite a few key players are holdovers from Crennel's 3-4. Further, Horton doesn't run a strict two-gap 3-4 all the time.
This outstanding piece from Brendan Leister of DraftBrowns.com explains Horton's hybridized multiple-gap 3-4 fronts, as well as his 2-4-5 nickel and 2-3-6 dime packages.
Horton should also put the bite back in the Dawgs' pass rush. According to ESPN, Horton's 2012 Arizona Cardinals blitzed with five or more pass-rushers 42.3 percent of the time, second most in the NFL. The Browns, meanwhile, sent five or more at the quarterback just 26.5 percent of the time.
Talent: Added
The Browns were aggressive in free agency. The centerpiece of their acquisitions was outside linebacker Paul Kruger, whose standout performances in the playoffs helped his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, get to (and win) the Super Bowl.
Even during the regular season, though, Kruger stood out. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Kruger was the sixth-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL in 2012. Most of that came from his plus-15.1 pass-rush rating, better than everyone other than Aldon Smith, Clay Matthews and DeMarcus Ware.
Jamison Hensley of ESPN reports Kruger looked "even better" during Hensley's camp visit than Kruger did in 2012. Those are strong words.
Though he got more offseason attention for his stunning criminal mugshot than his play or first-day free-agent deal, new Browns defensive end Desmond Bryant was secretly one of the most effective interior pass-rushers in 2012.
Pro Football Focus charted Bryant with four sacks, 11 quarterback hits and 20 hurries on 352 passing downs. That's a Pass Rush Productivity figure of 7.8, better than every defensive tackle in the NFL save Geno Atkins, Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Williams.
Bryant, playing in Oakland's 4-3, will have a transition to make to play right defensive end in Horton's 3-4, but there's no question he has the talent to make an instant impact up front.
The Browns couldn't add a lot of rookie talent due to a lack of picks. They'd already spent those picks acquiring receivers Josh Gordon (in last year's supplemental draft) and Davone Bess (in a draft-day trade).
With the one Browns pick that truly mattered, the No. 6 overall pick, Banner, Chudzinski and Horton got their man: Barkevious Mingo.
As Chuck Klosterman of Grantland explained after being embedded in the war room, almost all of Cleveland's draft strategy revolved around whether or not Mingo would be there at No. 6. When he was, Banner told the world it was "the outcome [they] were hoping for."
Mingo's standout performance in the first preseason game left no doubt as to why.
Talent: Developed
It's not just the players the Browns have added that make them such a candidate for breakout success, but the young players ready to take the next step.
Mingo is a huge part of Cleveland's present and future plans. Even so, Horton told Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer that underrated incumbent defensive end Jabaal Sheard has been "fantastic" in his transition to 3-4 outside linebacker.
Kruger and Sheard could be a fearsome pair of edge-rushers added to a defense that was already solid without much rush. With Mingo rotating in, that much pass-rushing depth and talent plugged into such an aggressive system could make the defense's biggest weakness its biggest strength.
Though Gordon combined well with fellow receiver Greg Little last season, his two-game drug suspension forced Banner to put Gordon on notice, according to Cabot. Whether Gordon gets it together or not, the developing Little and veteran Bess should be able to stretch defenses.
In the secondary, Hensley reported top cornerback Joe Haden's play and attitude appear to be on the rebound after a disappointing 2012 season that included a four-game suspension for use of a banned substance.
When a former No. 7 overall pick who's played as well as Haden has gets described as a "man on a mission," that's scary.
Stud tailback Trent Richardson? Well, flashes of his talent showed clearly last season, but his performance fell well short of "stud" level. Richardson fought through bumps and bruises last season; a shin knock is keeping him out of the preseason this year.
If, as Richardson claimed per Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal, Richardson is 100 percent healthy, he should run better behind that offensive line. It'll be even easier for Richardson to take another step forward if the defense respects the passing game.
The Brandon Weeden Project
It all comes back to Weeden, the much-maligned quarterback. Can Turner and Chudzinski really coax the upside out of Weeden's talent while eliminating the mistakes?
In Week 1 of last season, I broke down a Weeden interception as part of my weekly film review:
Weeden made two critical mistakes: He stared down the open receiver, and he airmailed the throw. Still, he got the really hard part right—that's breaking down the defense before the snap and identifying the correct receiver to throw to.
"Looking off the defense can be taught," I wrote at the time," and Weeden is a gifted enough thrower that his accuracy can improve. The part you either have or don't—the ability to read a defense and make a good decision quickly—Weeden's got."
Whether the Browns make a Colts- or Vikings-like jump to double-digit wins or just surprise some people comes entirely down to how much progress Weeden can make this offseason.
If the first preseason game is any indicator—and it's preseason, it might not be—Weeden's made a big leap.
After completing just 57.4 percent of his passes last regular season, and throwing touchdowns at the fourth-slowest rate of any starting quarterback, Weeden went 10-of-13 for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Again, it's just preseason, but watching Weeden find open receivers downfield, make the reads and throw great balls was intoxicating. If Weeden puts up a similarly outstanding performance against the Detroit Lions and Cleveland's other preseason opponents, the Browns will be in a great position to make the biggest leap of any NFL team. |
Hillary Clinton attends an Adele concert in Miami after she and Donald Trump held rallies in South Florida earlier in the day. (Published Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016)
Hillary Clinton took a break from campaigning in South Florida Tuesday night to check out the Adele concert at American Airlines Arena in Miami.
Clinton, who turns 69 Wednesday, even got an endorsement from the British singer, who discussed the presidential election and Clinton's Republican rival Donald Trump in between songs.
"I am English but what happens in America affects me too," Adele told the crowd. "Don't vote for him. I can't vote but I am 100 percent for Hillary Clinton, I love her, she's amazing."
Earlier Tuesday, Clinton and Trump both held rallies in Florida as they work to lockup votes ahead of the Nov. 8 election.
Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager, referenced Clinton's appearance at the concert while defending the GOP nominee's decision to appear at the opening of his new hotel in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
"Respectfully, Hillary Clinton has time to go to an Adele concert and everyone thinks that's really cool," she told NBC's "Today" show Wednesday. "Donald Trump stops off to unveil just an incredible, stunning piece of architecture, a new first class hotel and everyone's hair is on fire. I think you see today tangible accomplishments of Donald Trump." |
Unpacking the Ninth Circuit’s travel-ban ruling — and a rejoinder to Rich Lowry in our ongoing discussion of nationalism.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is Jonah Goldberg’s weekly “news”letter, the G-File. Subscribe here to get the G-File delivered to your inbox on Fridays.
Dear Reader (including the manufacturers of the Bernie Sanders action figure, now with the seize-the-means-of-production Marxist grip),
One of my favorite scenes of any comedy — and it’s very un-PC — is in Tropic Thunder when Robert Downey Jr. (in blackface!) explains to Ben Stiller that you “never go full retard.” The conversation is about film roles. Well, if you haven’t seen it, watch:
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Now, I don’t like the term “retard” — and I really don’t like it in political debates. We aim for something loftier here.
Still, the scene came to mind because there should be a similar rule in legal circles: “Never Go Full Ninth Circuit.” Personally, I think it sounds better in Latin: Nolite umquam ire plenus nona circuit (and if any of you Latin pedants send me an e-mail correcting my translation, I will come to your house and scatter your Dungeons and Dragons figurines off the kitchen table).
The other day I noted on Special Report that Antonin Scalia had a rubber stamp on his desk with one of his favorite phrases: “Stupid but Constitutional.” I hope that one day, a Supreme Court justice will have a stamp on his desk that says, Numquam Plenus Nona Circuit.
Anyway, I understand that the case against the Ninth Circuit can be exaggerated. Yes, the West Coast’s federal appellate court has the highest rate of cases that have been oveturned by the Supreme Court, but the vast majority of its cases don’t get appealed to the Supreme Court. Hence the qualifier “Full Ninth Circuit.” Going Full Ninth Circuit is when you claim that that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. That’s a Simple Jack move, not a Rain Man or even a Forrest Gump move.
It’s not that any single one of their findings in the travel-ban case violates the principle of Nolite umquam ire plenus nona circuit, it’s the totality of the thing. For starters, here is what the relevant statute says:
Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.
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As Ben Wittes notes:
Remarkably, in the entire opinion, the panel did not bother even to cite this statute, which forms the principal statutory basis for the executive order (see Sections 3(c), 5(c), and 5(d) of the order). That’s a pretty big omission over 29 pages, including several pages devoted to determining the government’s likelihood of success on the merits of the case.
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This is like the pope changing a major part of Church doctrine without referencing the Bible or a film critic writing a book about mob movies without mentioning The Godfather.
Then there’s the claim that states have standing to challenge this executive order because they have state schools where students or faculty may be affected, thus depriving them of the ability to provide an enriching educational experience. How does this new standard work? Universities would be affected by a draft or a war, can they challenge those policies because it would affect their students? The president, I gather, can order a naval blockade around the United States. That might interrupt some U-Dub student’s planned semester at sea. Shall the commander-in-chief call to make sure he’s not interfering with anyone’s plan to take a few easy courses by day and smoke a lot of hash by night?
The fancy lawyer guys I’ve talked to think the most egregious thing in the ruling is that the judges are concerned about the “potential due process rights” of illegal aliens. This calls to mind Socrates’ famous query: “Huh?”
The executive order is only aimed at people trying to enter the country. If you are an illegal immigrant already here, it has no bearing on you. If you are an illegal immigrant trying to enter or re-enter the United States — illegally! — what are these due-process rights you’re talking about?
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But I think the craziest part of the ruling is the idea that a president’s campaign statements have legal weight and could violate the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. This is battier than Bruce Wayne’s home office. Every cliché-spewing poli-sci major and pundit for the last 17,000 years (give or take) has noted that politicians say one thing when campaigning and another thing when in office. Even Mario Cuomo — that savant at casting banal observations as seemingly brilliant insights — said that we campaign in poetry and govern in prose (Donald Trump changed that to we campaign in limericks and govern in tweets).
Whatever you think of Trump’s original call for a Muslim ban (I think it was ludicrous) the whole point is that Trump did the right thing. He talked to his advisors and they said, “You can’t do that.” So he said, “Okay, what can we do?” And they came up with this executive order. It was shoddily done and on the merits isn’t nearly as vital to American national security as he claims. But that’s my point. He did something vastly less ambitious because the demands of governing required it. The judges responded, in effect, “We don’t care. We’re still going to punish you for it.”
David French is exactly right when he says this ruling is a Pandora’s Box. Where does this retromingent line of legal reasoning end? Barack Obama insisted he would fundamentally transform America and suggested he’d make the oceans recede. Could some judge reviewing an EPA regulation have said, “But the president said . . . ” about that? This is taking the rigorous rules of Twitter logic and putting them into law.
David French is exactly right when he says this ruling is a Pandora’s Box. Where does this retromingent line of legal reasoning end?
I firmly believe the Trump White House screwed the pooch on this thing from the get-go. By doing so, the president set in motion events that have made things even worse. The Ninth Circuit loves to preen under normal circumstances. The judges took a sloppily rolled out — but ultimately legal — executive order and used it to set potential precedents that, if left standing, will have calamitous repercussions.
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If one thinks of the courts as a political institution with collective interests, the smartest thing the Ninth Circuit could have done is say something along the lines of “this is stupid but constitutional.” If they really think Trump is the monster the “resistance” Left thinks he is, they’ll need more, not less, credibility in the days to come. But, much like the mainstream media, they’ve decided that crying wolf from Day One is the preferable way to go. And that’s why they went Plenus nona circuit.
Nationalism, Again
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For those who haven’t been reading NR this week, what the Hell is wrong with you?
But if you have a good excuse — e.g., the hooker handcuffed you to a towel rack in a motel, you had heart-transplant surgery, a bear ate your face, etc. — you missed a lengthy and civil badinage about the question of nationalism and its role in American life. (See, here, here, here, here, and here). I’m already running long so a lengthy recap is not in the cards. But, in brief: Rich Lowry and Ramesh Ponnuru penned an eloquent defense of nationalism qua nationalism in a cover story for the magazine. I modestly dissented, arguing that in America, nationalism is different from patriotism. I’m going to pick up where we left off below on the assumption you’re pretty much up to speed. If it’s not your cup of tea, that’s fine. I’ll see you next week (when I pretend to be the cable guy).
As Rich Lowry is my boss — or at least one of them (the perils of wearing many hats) — let me start off by saying that not only is he a powerful man, but a handsome one, too.
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I should also say that I love these debates at NR, and it speaks well of him and the magazine that Rich encourages them.
And now that I’ve blown enough sunshine up his nethers to earn a solar tax credit from the Obama administration, let’s get on with it.
In their cover story Rich and Ramesh wrote:
Indeed, the vast majority of expressions of American patriotism — the flag, the national anthem, statues, shrines and coinage honoring national heroes, military parades, ceremonies for those fallen in the nation’s wars — are replicated in every other country of the world. This is all the stuff of nationalism, both abroad and here at home.
To which I responded, in part:
This is at the same time both entirely right and fundamentally misleading. It leaves out what the flag represents. It glides over the fact that the national anthem sanctifies the “land of the free.” Our shrines are to patriots who upheld very specific American ideals. Our statues of soldiers commemorate heroes who died for something very different from what other warriors have fought and died for millennia. Every one of them — immigrants included — took an oath to defend not just some soil but our Constitution and by extension the ideals of the Founding. Walk around any European hamlet or capital and you will find statues of men who fell in battle to protect their tribe from another tribe. That doesn’t necessarily diminish the nobility of their deaths or the glory of their valor, but it is quite simply a very different thing they were fighting for.
Rich responds to this by writing like an angel on a cloud (okay, now I’m really done with the up-sucking):
It is a charming characteristic of American nationalism to believe it isn’t and can’t possibly be nationalism — that is for other countries, not us. So Jonah seems to imply that other countries can’t have true patriotism because they don’t have the Declaration and our founding ideals. Their heroes honored with statues — I guess that means you, William of Orange, and you, Admiral Nelson, and you, Tadeusz Kosciuszko — were combatants in grubby wars of tribe versus tribe, as Jonah puts it. This is the equivalent of the New Yorker “View of the World from 9th Avenue” for world history, with the ideals and struggles for independence and self-government of others reduced to utter inconsequence.
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Like a mail-order Ikea entertainment center, this is going to require some unpacking before we can even get started.
When Rich says, “Jonah seems to imply that other countries can’t have true patriotism because they don’t have the Declaration and our founding ideals . . . ” you should translate that as, “Rich seems to be inferring.” I have no problem conceding that patriotism exists in other countries. Americans didn’t invent the word, after all.
Let’s stipulate that patriotism means “love of country.” People all over the world love their countries. Even people who live under oppressive dictators and hate their governments will say that they love their country. Indeed, many of the greatest patriots swim against the nationalist tides in their homelands.
Love is a quadrupedal, five-toed mammal with a prehensile trunk formed of the nose and upper lip. Oh wait, sorry that’s an elephant. Love is like a movie about randy underwear models locked up in a prison run by a buxom bisexual warden. No wait that’s not it either.
I guess the point is that love, much like pornography and elephants, is hard to define, but most of us know it when we see it. But I think we can all agree that love is contextual. Love requires an object, and the nature of that object defines the nature of our love. I love my wife, my daughter, my dogs, and eating cold fried chicken over the kitchen sink — but I love all of these things in very distinct ways.
I guess the point is that love, much like pornography and elephants, is hard to define, but most of us know it when we see it.
Let me try it a different way. I have always believed that American conservatism is inseparable from American patriotism. I said “inseparable from” not “identical to.”
Since everyone’s quoting Samuel Huntington these days, I’ll do it too. Huntington observed that conservatism is a “positional ideology.” By that he meant that there are many conservatisms because conservatives in different societies seek to conserve different things. A conservative in France in, say, 1788 seeks to conserve that rich bouillabaisse of altar and throne. A conservative in England seeks to conserve the monarchy, among other things.
“Men are driven to conservatism by the shock of events,” Huntington wrote, “by the horrible feeling that a society or institution which they have approved or taken for granted and with which they have been intimately connected may suddenly cease to exist.” This is why I share Yuval Levin’s contention that, at its core, conservatism is gratitude.
To my mind, conservatism is gratitude. Conservatives tend to begin from gratitude for what is good and what works in our society and then strive to build on it, while liberals tend to begin from outrage at what is bad and broken and seek to uproot it.
This is why I had no problem saying that Barack Obama’s talk of “fundamentally transforming” America was literally unpatriotic. If patriotism is love, then wanting to fundamentally transform what you love isn’t really love. In speeches I used to tell married men, “Go home tonight and tell your wives, ‘Honey, you know I love you. I just want to fundamentally transform you.’ See how that works out for ya.” Love requires loving something as it is, not for what it might be at your hands.
Patriotism is also a positional orientation (I’m a little reluctant to call it an ideology). A patriot in England, never mind Russia or Botswana, loves different things than a patriot in the United States. It’s something of a paradox: All patriotisms are equal in that they are all subjective, but not all patriotisms are equal when measured against certain ideals.
And that makes all the difference in the world. Lowry asserts that I think other countries can’t have patriotism because they don’t love the Founding and our principles of liberty. Not at all; rather, I think American patriotism is different because America — the object of our love — is different. As Hayek noted, America is the one place where you can be a lover of liberty and a conservative because in America conservatives seek to defend the liberal principles of the Founding.
This creates another paradox. The American colonists considered themselves English subjects and inheritors of an English tradition. But they were, quite obviously, not English nationalists. Indeed, they rebelled against the crown precisely because the inherent logic of nationalism — obey the crown, do as you’re told, abide by tradition — was in their eyes a violation of more important English principles that stretched back to the Magna Carta and beyond. The Founders took the arguments of Locke, Burke et al and followed them to their logical and glorious conclusion that ended up leaving the monarchy in the dustbin of (American) history.
In the nations of the Old World, nationalism is a tribal passion or sentiment that relies (in theory) on mystic and ancient myths of a shared ancestral past. Most of the foundational writers on nationalism, like Johann Herder, argued that nation and volk were literally like an ancient family. There’s no room to go into it here in any detail (though I do at great length in my forthcoming book), but the idea that the nation is a family is a very pernicious one, conceptually ceding all manner of authorities to the state that it does not and must not have.
In America there is nationalist sentiment, to be sure, but the ‘doctrines’ of nationalism find no easy purchase here.
In America there is nationalist sentiment, to be sure, but the “doctrines” of nationalism find no easy purchase here. Werner Sombart’s famous question, “Why is there no socialism in America?” has elicited many answers, but the most agreed-upon one is that America has no feudal past. America represented a sharp break with the ancient notion that polities — nations, empires, city-states, tribes, etc. — were no different than families with an unimpeachable pater familias at the helm. We celebrated and enshrined very different notions in our national DNA, which is why Alexis de Tocqueville could observe that the American was the Englishman left alone. What makes America exceptional, what makes American patriotism and conservatism different, is that the object of our love and gratitude is different. If Rich wants to define nationalism as love of country and nothing more, that’s his right. But he would be wrong.
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So when Rich tries to insinuate that I don’t think William of Orange was a patriot, he’s wrong. But his patriotism was fundamentally, philosophically, and morally different than American patriotism. And, by the way, it most certainly was tribal, if one is allowed some leeway when using the term. As he knows, England — and Europe — was cleaved in a vicious “Cold War” (historian J. P. Kenyon’s phrase) between protestants and Catholics. The Earl of Essex told the Privy Council in 1679: “The apprehension of popery makes me imagine that I see my children frying in Smithfield.” To this day you can still find Irishmen who’ll say, “I don’t care if I swing by a rope, down with King Billy and Up with the Pope!”
If you don’t want to call that tribalism, fine. But I think my point stands just fine. In America, we said goodbye to all that, and that’s made all the difference in the world.
Et Tu, Abe?
Rich is a greater student of Abraham Lincoln than I’ll ever be (“Lowry, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!”). But I’ll risk his wrath by reminding him that Lincoln understood the exceptional nature of America as much as anyone. He was dismayed by the nationalist passions that trampled upon the patriot’s commitment to law and liberty. As he said in his Lyceum address:
‐ “I mean the increasing disregard for law which pervades the country; the growing disposition to substitute the wild and furious passions, in lieu of the sober judgment of Courts; and the worse than savage mobs, for the executive ministers of justice.”
‐ “Thus, then, by the operation of this mobocractic spirit, which all must admit, is now abroad in the land, the strongest bulwark of any Government, and particularly of those constituted like ours, may effectually be broken down and destroyed — I mean the attachment of the People. Whenever this effect shall be produced among us; whenever the vicious portion of population shall be permitted to gather in bands of hundreds and thousands, and burn churches, ravage and rob provision-stores, throw printing presses into rivers, shoot editors, and hang and burn obnoxious persons at pleasure, and with impunity; depend on it, this Government cannot last.”
Lincoln recognized that the lust of nationalism was unhealthy and destructive unless it be channeled into the proper orientation of American patriotism.
‐ “As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and Laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor; — let every man remember that to violate the law, is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the character of his own, and his children’s liberty.”
Lincoln recognized that the lust of nationalism was unhealthy and destructive unless it be channeled into the proper orientation of American patriotism.
I should say that I agree entirely with Rich when he writes, echoing Huntington, “When you lose our nation and common culture, you’re going to lose our creed, as well.” Which is why I said that in a normal time our differences would be largely academic. My purely academic disagreement here is that talking about the burning need for more “nationalism” is not the best way to spark a recommitment to our nation and culture.
The Whitewash
And that brings me to our final disagreement. Rich is understandably perturbed by my closing paragraph:
In a normal time, I would still have the above disagreements (and a few others I left out) with Rich and Ramesh, but they would be entirely academic. But this is not a normal time, and the decision to slap a coat of paint over the term nationalism becomes difficult not to interpret as a whitewash. If the intent is to educate the president about what nationalism, rightly understood is, I wish them luck, but I won’t get my hopes up.
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Rich fairly notes that his nationalism-rightly-understood project predates the current moment and his own tenure in the captain’s chair at NR. That is all fair. And if I had the chance to do it over I would rephrase that penultimate sentence to read: “But this is not a normal time, and the decision to slap a coat of paint over the term nationalism makes it somewhat more difficult to defend it against the accusation that it is a whitewash.”
Politics is about moments. We put “under God” in the Pledge in order to kick dirt on the shoes of Communists. Trent Lott said many times that America would have been better off if Strom Thurmond had been president and no one noticed or cared. And then they did. Choosing to rush to the defense of nationalism — no matter how rationally or defensibly — at a moment when mobocratic nationalism-improperly-understood is on the rise opens you up to the charge of being on the other side of the question. As I suggested in my initial response, I think that’s unfair and misguided. But it should also be expected.
Various & Sundry
First off, if you haven’t signed up for the National Review Institute Ideas Summit (March 16–17), I really think you should. It looks like it will be the best one in a very long time even though — or perhaps because! — I won’t be there. I have a family commitment I can’t get out of. I am quite dismayed about it. But if you’re interested in the prospects or plight of the conservative movement and you can make it, I don’t know why you wouldn’t go.
Canine Update: The beasts are the beasts doing their strange beastlike and beastly things. I’d fill you in on all the details, but I’m very late for an important date. We’re taking the kid to Chicago to see the road show of Hamilton for her birthday (we couldn’t afford or get tickets in NYC). So instead I will leave you with some important video of their strange goings-ons.
ICYMI . . .
My first response to Lowry-Ponnuru on nationalism.
My take on Trump’s latest defense of Putin.
My latest take on Trump’s . . . Trumpiness.
Who’s afraid of Kellyanne Conway?
My NPR appearance Friday morning.
And now, the weird stuff.
Debby’s Friday links
Can corn turn hamsters into cannibals?
The first underwater image of a diver
Your CDs may be decaying into worthlessness
The Dark Knight’s debt to Michael Mann
John Hurt recites “Jabberwocky”
An upper Midwest UFO?
Kayaker descends waterfall wearing LED lights
How many exclamation points do great writers use?
Is SMOD just a little late?
John Wick: Chapter III — Dog Wick
Polar bears want to eat your face
How to go on a quest for the Holy Grail
“The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” feat. Janky Washing Machine
Dance moves scientifically proven to be sexy
Hemingway the spy?
Are today’s Americans weaker than their predecessors?
1967 in photos
Why is the passenger seat of a car called “shotgun”?
Cows like accordions |
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HIV Testing Ad Causes Controversy
'It feeds HIV criminalization laws, and insists that gay men should always be afraid of sex,' writes Peter Staley.
An ad for FreeHIVTest.net that appeared earlier this spring has caused controversy in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other areas where it has appeared on billboards and on public transportation kiosks. In the "white" version, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's ad features a gay couple in bed, covered only by a sheet and looking ashamed of what they’ve just done. A blond man clutches his pillow and looks suspiciously over the shoulder of the other man who appears to be almost catatonic. Above them, writtern in big letters is, “Trust Him?”
The website features numerous versions of the same ad with couples of various genders and ethnicities.
After the campaign launched this spring in Los Angeles, it's been slated to appear in Oakland, California; Washington, D.C.; Columbus, Ohio; and Broward County, Florida. In a press release, AHF president Michael Weinstein explained:
“In today’s tabloid culture when it can seem that the game called ‘Life’ should be more appropriately tiled ‘Lies,’ the old adage holds true now more than ever, ‘It’s better to be safe than sorry.’ While infidelity is nothing new, the level of risk in contracting STDS from bed-hopping partners is at an all-time high. We want to remind couples that STDs linger around much longer than a wandering eye and that secret sexual experiences can often produce much more than what one bargained for.”
For some, it’s just a cautionary PSA about the realities of HIV and the importance of getting tested. For others, it’s been seen as a scare tactic to shame people out of having sex and demonize people with HIV — and many have spoofed the ads.
Legendary AIDS activist, Peter Staley took to Facebook to skewer the ad:
“It feeds HIV criminalization laws, and insists that gay men should always be afraid of sex… They don't need to distrust each other, or live in constant fear — just wear a condom, or use PrEP, or both.”
Although society has come a long way since approaching HIV as an untreatable plague, there’s still a stigma toward those living with a positive status. Regardless of the context, the ad demands attention to an important issue. |
USA Today
After calling the Detroit Lions his team's little brother, Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall received some pretty insulting comments from a Twitter troll but wasn't afraid to call the man out.
Things started when the Lions fan posted a picture of insulting comments he left on Instagram about Marshall and his mother (warning: NSFW language).
Instagram
Marshall responded with a tweet offering the man $5,000 to fight him in the ring. He also said that if he won, the fan would have to serve 100 hours in an orphanage.
The fan tried to get Marshall to raise the price, and the receiver didn't hesitate to respond, adding that the fan would have to apologize to his mother.
Never insult a man's mother, especially if he's a professional athlete who wants to fight you.
[Twitter, h/t Sports Illustrated] |
New weekly report from Ben. Just came out. Full one to be released on Thursday.
The only part I’m waiting to see confirmation is that of the arrests (Podestas, et al.). We shall see.
“There can be no doubt whatsoever that the worldwide purge of the Khazarian mafia now has reached a tipping point of no return, with arrests and purges in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. “In the Middle East, Iran-linked Hezbollah now effectively rules Lebanon after Saudi puppet Prime Minister Saad Hariri was forced to resign. His resignation was followed by the purge of hundreds of princes, generals, religious leaders, and others by de facto Saudi King Muhammad bin Salman. This purge was especially important because it cut off one of the last major remaining sources of Bush/Clinton mafia money and power… Pentagon sources…: “The Saudi purge of the Bush-Clinton pedo terror faction…is timed to the Paradise Papers leak, “The ramifications of these leaks, arrests, and purges reach out in many directions… Trump Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (child) has been implicated. So has Canadian magnate Stephen Bronfman… These names are just the tip of the iceberg.”
—————————————————————————
Purge of Khazarian mobsters intensifies as Trump is kept safe in Asia
By Benjamin Fulford, White Dragon Society, November 6, 2017
There can be no doubt whatsoever that the worldwide purge of the Khazarian mafia now has reached a tipping point of no return, with arrests and purges in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
In the Middle East, Iran-linked Hezbollah now effectively rules Lebanon after Saudi puppet Prime Minister Saad Hariri was forced to resign. His resignation was followed by the purge of hundreds of princes, generals, religious leaders, and others by de facto Saudi King Muhammad bin Salman.
This purge was especially important because it cut off one of the last major remaining sources of Bush/Clinton mafia money and power. Many of the princes purged were homosexually bonded with members of the Bush family and their top lieutenants when they studied in the United States, according to confessions of Kay Griggs, wife of a Skull and Bones Society member, and others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp_i1F-1lcA
This is how Pentagon sources described the unfolding crackdown: “The Saudi purge of the Bush-Clinton pedo terror faction—including [Osama Bin Laden’s brother] Bakr bin Laden and anti-Trumper [Prince] Al-Waleed bin Talal—is timed to the Paradise Papers leak,
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/05/paradise-papers-leak-reveals-secrets-of-world-elites-hidden-wealth?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_New_Post
…the arrest of Tony Podesta, and the surrender of Hillary Clinton and John Podesta.” Tony Podesta is a powerful Washington lobbyist whose brother John was campaign manager for Hillary Clinton (Rockefeller) and chief of staff for Bill Clinton (Rockefeller). Al-Waleed bought large shareholdings of Rockefeller’s Citibank.
The ramifications of these leaks, arrests, and purges reach out in many directions. Aftershocks, further arrests, and further purges are sure to be felt and seen in the Middle East, Japan, Europe, and the U.S. over the coming days.
Already, Trump Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (child) has been implicated. So has Canadian magnate Stephen Bronfman, whose family made its fortune selling booze to Al Capone. These names are just the tip of the iceberg.
The start of the purge was timed to coincide with Trump’s visit to Asia so as to be able to more easily protect Trump and his family from retaliatory action, say Pentagon and CIA sources.
However, in a sign that the battle is far from over, two separate warnings were conveyed to this writer last week concerning Trump. One was a “source close to North Korea,” and the other a veteran CIA officer stationed in Asia. The North Korean-linked source said that if Trump…
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SAN DIEGO -- Shannon Eastin broke the NFL's on-field gender barrier Thursday night, serving as the line judge for a seven-person crew working a preseason game between the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers.
Wearing No. 27 on the back of her official's uniform, Eastin was dwarfed by the players as she lined up in front of San Diego's sideline and had a camera following nearly every move before the game.
Shannon Eastin became the first woman to officiate an NFL game on Thursday. (Denis Poroy/Associated Press)
The 42-year-old from Tempe, Ariz., seemed at ease in the spotlight, though, and had at least two players shake her hand before the opening kickoff.
Though she wasn't involved in many calls until late, Eastin stayed steady among the giants and the national spotlight, earning her stripes by receiving the ultimate officials' compliment: It was almost as if she wasn't there.
It's no surprise.
She's a referee in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, college football's second-highest level, and a 16-year veteran of officiating. Eastin got her NFL shot as a replacement official, among a group taking the place of the regular refs, who are locked out.
And now, she'll have a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Well, at least her cap will; the one she wore Thursday night is headed to Canton.
Eastin spent most of the first half straddling the line markers and keeping track of the time, without much action on her side of the field.
Things picked up in the second half, when she had to break up a small skirmish between players on a punt and whipped her flag to the middle of the field for a holding call late in the third quarter.
The coaches of the NFL weigh in on a number of hot-button topics in the league, including Andrew Luck vs. RG3, Tim Tebow, challenge flag etiquette, the Packers' QB tree and the 2012 Hall of Fame class.
Eastin heard a few boos early in the fourth quarter from the hometown fans for a pass interference call on San Diego's Corey Lynch -- a call she appeared to get right -- and later signaled touchdown when Green Bay's Marc Tyler dived in from 1 yard out.
Eastin joins a small group of women to crack the officiating ranks at the highest levels of sports.
Violet Palmer, one of Eastin's inspirations, began officiating NBA games in 1997 and is still in the league.
Pam Postema umpired major league spring training games in 1989 and, thanks to a push by commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, made it up to Triple-A for six seasons. She was fired a few months after Giamatti's death, filed a sex discrimination suit against baseball and settled out of court 5 1/2 years later.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press |
Next Chapter >
In terms of car-related shops, I’ve yet to experience anything quite like Canepa. Then again, the word ‘shop’ doesn’t even begin to describe this enormous facility tucked away in scenic Scotts Valley, California. It’s part restoration garage, part race car maintenance facility, part showroom and part museum. In terms of privately owned temples of motoring, it’s surely one of the greatest in the world.
I’m not sure if there’s any other single place with as much general ‘car guy’ appeal as Canepa. Touring the facility is an exercise in getting up and close with some of the world’s absolute greatest (and rarest) cars. If you can’t find at least a few cars to lust over at this place, there just may be something wrong with you.
But what’s just as important is that you don’t need some sort of exclusive access to see all of this stuff. While the shop houses some of the world’s most sought-after and historic cars, Canepa welcomes automobile lovers of all types to come out and be inspired.
In fact, not long ago it started an event called Canepa Cars & Coffee – a monthly gathering where car enthusiasts gather on a Saturday morning for a relaxed car meet, just as you find in cities all across the USA.
But what really sets Canepa’s version of Cars & Coffee apart is that in addition to the parking lot gathering, the entire facility is also opened up for viewing.
Last month I was actually spending some time in nearby Santa Cruz, when I found out I’d be around for Canepa Cars & Coffee. It was no-brainer to take the short ride up Highway 17 to see what was going on.
First off I was interested to see what sort of cars would show up to the meet, and second – well you don’t really need any reason to visit Canepa. The place is just that good.
When I arrived I wasn’t surprised to find that the turnout was much smaller than what you find at Irvine’s ‘original’ Cars & Coffee event. After all, Canepa is located in a quieter, and much more isolated part of California.
But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some great cars to check out in the parking lot. Just as you find at the larger C&C gatherings, there was a wide variety of machinery that turned out. From classic Triumphs…
… to Shelby Mustangs like this immaculate GT350.
In addition to the Mustang, the lot was also heavy on Cobras and other replicas of Shelby vehicles.
Another car that put a smile on my face was ‘Mr. Bento’s’ C3 Corvette, which looked like the sort of thing a badass character from a 1980s action movie would drive.
But perhaps my favorite of the Cars & Coffee participants was this Plymouth Cuda and Dodge Challenger duo. There’s just something about nicely stanced Mopar E-Bodies that I can’t resist.
Another great thing about Canepa Cars & Coffee is that it’s a great meet-up spot before a drive on some of the scenic coastal and mountain roads found in the area.
Now, if you look at these photos you might notice there aren’t many people standing around in the background…
… and that would be because most of them were inside being overwhelmed by the selection of cars on show.
For me it had been about a year and a half since my last visit, so I was well overdue another.
Needless to say, I was excited to see what sort of new cars were hanging around and what kind progress had been made on Canepa’s ongoing restoration projects.
One recent addition to the shop was the installation of these giant photos above one of the maintenance areas. They’re a cool touch to a place that already has no shortage of vintage motorsport credentials.
This is, after all, the place where you’ll find George Follmer’s Can Am-winning ’72 Porsche 917-10 nonchalantly parked…
… just a few feet away from a legit ’70 Camaro SCCA Trans Am racer.
It’s also the kind of place where you can twist your head in one direction and see an original vintage stock car, then twist in another and see the unmistakeable shape of the ’76 Tyrrell P34 F1 machine.
One car that struck my eye on my last visit was the Brad Frisselle IMSA GTU-winning Datsun 240Z from 1976. The car has since gone into the hands of a new owner but was back in the shop having some work done. Like most of the race cars Canepa sells, this one still sees plenty of action at vintage race events.
Going back even further on the timeline of historic race cars, we have a beautiful 1959 Lister Costin Chevrolet found in the showroom. The car has a rich history of competition, beginning in England during the 1960s and then continuing on through the hands of racers and then vintage racers from around the world.
But of course Canepa is about much more than just competition cars. The place is filled with an equally impressive number of highly desirable production cars.
Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, Shelby – they all live within the habitat that Bruce Canepa and his team have created.
When was the last time you saw a BMW M1 prowling the roads of California? Just one more of the countless treasures found within the wonderful world of Canepa.
Then there’s also the company’s well known efforts with the Porsche 959. On any given day you’d flip out just seeing one of these cars in person, but around here you’ll see around 10 of them.
Again, it’s really hard for me to think of any one place that can compare when it comes to pure car porn. If I had a dollar for every time I thought “wow” while visiting Canepa, I just might be able to afford one of these cars for myself.
Stay tuned, as there’s plenty more to share from my visit to Canepa in my next post.
Mike Garrett
Instagram : speedhunters_mike
Email: [email protected]
More Canepa Design stories on Speedhunters |
Saying Texas Republican leaders are threatening jobs and the economy, more than 200 small-business owners issued an open letter Tuesday urging legislators to abandon plans for a state law targeting transgender bathrooms.
The letter described "a growing sense of dread" that Texas will follow the path set by North Carolina, where a backlash to a similar law enacted in March will cost its economy several hundred million dollars in canceled sporting events, conventions, concerts and corporate investments.
"That’s why we oppose any Texas legislation — broad or narrow — that would legalize discrimination against any group," the letter said. "That kind of legislation doesn’t just go against our values to be welcoming to everyone, it jeopardizes the businesses we’ve worked so hard to create, and it threatens the jobs and livelihoods of everyday Texans."
Read the full story here. |
Inside a 21st century election campaign: how big data and social media are being used to target your vote
Updated
Behind an ordinary shop front, far from the chatter of Canberra's Parliament House, the real election campaign is already underway.
In fact, it has been going full steam for weeks.
In an outer suburban Melbourne swing seat Labor is running its 'listening post'.
From desks covered with phones and computers, thousands of conversations between volunteers and the voting public take place.
It is just one of the phone banks the major parties are utilising around the country.
"Hello, is that Jillian?" the volunteer operator asked the person at the other end of the phone.
"My name is Jacob and I'm a friend of Tony Clarke's, he's your local Labor candidate. Do you mind telling me what issues matter to you Jillian?"
Speaking to voters the most effective interaction: campaign guru
Stephen Donnelly is the Victorian ALP assistant state secretary.
He campaigned for Barack Obama in 2012 and used the technique in 2014 to help Daniel Andrews become the first leader in 60 years to topple a Victorian government after just one term.
We are going to try and talk to them one-on-one and understand what their needs are, and they can feed back to us what the community is looking for. ALP candidate for Deakin, Tony Clarke
"There's no more effective conversation or interaction with a voter than actually speaking with them," he told 7.30.
Tony Clarke is the local ALP candidate for Deakin.
"We are going to try and talk to them one-on-one and understand what their needs are, and they can feed back to us what the community is looking for," he told 7.30.
It is a simple premise with a 21st century edge — target a swing seat, get residents talking with other residents, log the data and send it to campaign headquarters.
It is a time-consuming process, but just one of the weapons in the campaign arsenal.
Canada PM Trudeau's campaign set social media benchmarks
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's successful campaign this year reached 40 per cent Canada's population through Facebook and Instagram alone.
It has prompted some to say that in this 2016 Australian election politicians will not need to get your vote though TV soundbites anymore.
Dr Andrea Carson is a political scientist who has studied how politicians engage their audiences in election campaigns on social media.
"Modern campaigns are highly professionalised, they are about public opinion, about polling, marketing and about having a very targeted message," Dr Carson told 7.30.
"Social media is a very seductive means for candidates because they are not going through a gatekeeper, and not having their message mediated."
Kevin 07 selfies were sign of things to come
"Most people might remember in 2007 Kevin Rudd really took some of the lessons being learned in the US and made it a campaign about himself, Kevin 07," Dr Carson said.
"He was the first politician to have a million Twitter followers, and he'd take selfies and put them up online."
"Since 2007, to 2013, there's been a 240 per cent increase in politicians using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter."
Professor Axel Bruns, from Queensland University of Technology, says you can tell a lot about the different parties' campaign structures through their digital campaigns.
"I think on the Coalition side we are already seeing the beginnings of a small target strategy," he told 7.30.
"I think the Coalition will pursue that kind of agenda on social media, not make any mistakes, and run a carefully managed campaign."
"[Labor] fights from underdog position and therefore it needs to be more inventive and aggressive in its strategy."
But Professor Bruns says that social media can sometimes be an echo chamber of ideas you already agree with.
"What can happen is Twitter, and social media more broadly, will reinforce people's perceptions of pollies, parties and policies."
Turnbull tops Shorten in social media battle
Dr Carson has assessed the Facebook pages of the leaders of each major party.
Malcolm Turnbull has 282,000 'likes'.
"(Malcolm Turnbull's) is a really good example because you can see a personal message but you can see (he is) talking about plans for jobs and growth," she said.
Bill Shorten's page has fewer than half the 'likes' of Malcolm Turnbull — 118,000.
"He's using the medium here to put out negative messages about Turnbull and this is quite a clever way of doing it because it's cheap, it's quick and it bypasses traditional media," Dr Carson said.
"But with a bit of luck for the political party it will also be picked up by mainstream media, and this is important because it saves them big dollars and it reaches maximum viewers by traditional and social media platforms."
Topics: federal-elections, federal-government, elections, government-and-politics, federal-parliament, alp, social-media, australia
First posted |
A couple having sex metamorphoses into a crocodile. Fish eyes from some weird creature float on the surface of the sea, staring at me. A man is riding his own coffin. Text accompanies these surreal images, handwritten, seemingly ancient but totally unintelligible. I’ve just stepped into the bizarre universe of Codex Seraphinianus, the weirdest encyclopedia in the world.
Like a guide to an alien world, Codex Seraphinianus is 300 pages of descriptions and explanations for an imaginary existence, all in its own unique (and unreadable) alphabet, complete with thousands of drawings and graphs. Issued for the first time in 1981 by publisher Franco Maria Ricci, it has been a collector’s favorite for years, before witnessing a sudden rise in popularity thanks to a growing fandom on the Internet. Now a new-and-improved edition from Italian publisher Rizzoli is about to hit bookshelves on Oct. 29, with 3,000 pre-ordered copies already sold out. The Codex attracts a new generation of fans, people who grew up surfing the net and eager to explore the exciting and relentless world outside, as bizarre as it is depicted in the book.
The author, Luigi Serafini, born in Rome in 1949, is an Italian architect-turned-artist who also worked in industrial design, painting, illustration and sculpture, collaborating with some of the most prominent figures in contemporary European culture. Roland Barthes gladly accepted to write the prologue to the book, but after his sudden death the choice fell to Italo Calvino, who mentioned it in his collection of essays Collezione di sabbia. Another admirer was Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini, to whom Serafini offered a series of drawings for his very last movie La voce della Luna.
Serafini’s amazing studio, a few steps from the Pantheon in the center of Rome, reveals everything about his fantasy world. Wandering around the place is like having a journey through a lysergic version of a Kubrick movie set, or a pyrotechnical staging of Alice in Wonderland. The imaginary space of the Codex spreads across the real world, a virtual-reality short-circuit even more powerful than the one created by technology itself. We sit down for an (electric) fireside chat, facing the statue of a deer that won’t stop staring at us, trying to interpret the recent online success of his bizarre work.
Luigi Serafini: I see many similarities between WIRED and the Codex; they both are the product of a generation that chose to connect and create a network, rather than kill each other in wars like their fathers did. Sometimes you need time to realize things, and I’ve just realized that I was simply rejecting the utter destruction of World War II and I was keen to discover the world and to know things. Right before writing the Codex I managed to cross the whole United States thanks to the help of a network of friends, young folks like me that were part of the so-called counter-culture movement. We were all supporting each other. They helped me make my way across the country, from one friend to another.
WIRED: You said that the Codex is a sort of proto-blog. Why?
Serafini: I was trying to reach out to my fellow people, just like bloggers do. There is a connection between Codex Seraphinianus and digital culture. I was somehow anticipating the net by sharing my work with as many people as possible. I wanted the Codex to be published as a book because I wanted to step out of the closed circle of art galleries.
>'What I want my alphabet to convey to the reader is the sensation that children feel in front of books they cannot yet understand.' Luigi Serafini
WIRED: Your work has been often linked to psychedelia. I can’t help but ask: Did drugs influence the Codex?
Serafini: I did mescaline, a drug that was used to expand the boundaries of your mind. I’m talking about a real mind-transforming tool, it had nothing to do with today’s recreational use. At the time in the U.S. Native Americans were allowed to use it for religious purposes. But it didn’t help me in the creative process: Under the influence of mescaline you lose any sense of criticism. You think you are creating a masterpiece, but when you get sober you realize it’s very modest. To produce a body of creative work is a practice based on small details, like word puns. You have to be focused, and there are no shortcuts.
WIRED: What about the Codex? How long did it take to complete it?
Serafini: About 3 or 4 years. I started to work on it in my studio in Via Sant’Andrea delle Fratte in Rome. At the same time I was doing some architectural drawings for a living. Basically, I finished the project because my editor was running out of patience.
WIRED: Your intention was to go on forever?
Serafini: That’s what I am actually doing. I added a chapter to the new edition, the first one. It could have been an extension, but it’s the prologue instead. The forthcoming edition is very rich and also pricey, I know, but it’s just like psychoanalysis: Money matters and the fee is part of the process of healing. At the end of the day, the Codex is similar to the Rorschach inkblot test. You see what you want to see. You might think it’s speaking to you, but it’s just your imagination.
WIRED: Many people on the internet freaked out trying to decipher the text, a blogger claimed to have cracked the Codex and posted a transliterator online...
Serafini: A guy even put a copyright on a system that translates arbitrarily the signs of the Codex into a meaningful text, written with the Latin alphabet. It doesn’t matter much to me, it’s an obsession related to the persistent fascination with mystery. I always said that there is no meaning behind the script; it’s just a game.
WIRED: A lady claims to have hallucinated herself into the world of the Codex even prior to having heard of it. You’re the source for great speculations from a vast community online, but it’s not difficult to get in touch with you and verify that you are very much alive and real.
Serafini: It’s way too easy. I don’t hide myself and I don’t put up a barrier. I won’t confirm nor deny, like in "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe. And I’m not flattered at all, it’s just weird: The book took over his author, I ended up being just a go-between.
WIRED: The Codex has been often compared to the Voynich manuscript, another codex in an unknown language.
Serafini: After reading it I came to the conclusion that it is a fake. The Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II loved ancient manuscripts; somebody swindled him and spread the rumor that it was original. The idea of made-up languages is not new at all, think about Alessandro Bausani and the Markusko language he documented in his booklet Le lingue inventate or Giuseppe Tucci, Fosco Maraini and the many investigations of ISMEO (Italian Institute for Middle and Far East). They explored remote regions of Asia, discovered archeological sites and shed new light on cultures and languages. What I want my alphabet to convey to the reader is the sensation that children feel in front of books they cannot yet understand. I used it to describe analytically an imaginary world and give a coherent framework. The images originate from the clash between this fantasy vocabulary and the real world. It’s every artist’s dream to shape his own imagery. The Codex became so popular because it makes you feel more comfortable with your fantasies. Another world is not possible, but a fantasy one maybe is.
WIRED: What makes the Codex so relevant today?
Serafini: Its popularity rose steadily for many years and fell as it went out of print, now the new edition revived it. It’s a book that speaks about crisis and about communication and it’s quite apocalyptical, suited for the present times. Anything can happen inside the Codex, just like in the Internet. A lot of people discovered it online, you did it on Tumblr, but there are many websites like Stumbleupon and other random web page generators.
WIRED: Images are getting more and more important in online communication strategies
Serafini: The future is definitely made of icons. It’s quicker and easier. You can do without words when you have images. Nadja, the second novel by surrealist writer Andrè Breton, anticipated it: The author describes a journey through Paris using drawings instead of words. Writing is not necessarily correlated with images, most of the time it is a set-up.
WIRED: Making sense out of narrative distance is what made TV series like Lost extremely successful.
Serafini: Maybe it’s contemporary, but it’s not innovative. The artist’s goal should be to discover remote and unexplored territories.
WIRED: Sounds difficult in the Google Era, where any kind of information is available to anyone, anytime.
Serafini: We should overcome Google. The real challenge is to offer something completely new and different, like I did with the Codex.
WIRED: How do you deal with technology?
Serafini: I remember my first encounter with a tablet. I was working on the opening titles of two Italian television broadcasts, Onda Verde and Enzo Biagi’s La Lunga Marcia about his journey through China. It was a new tool, wired to a giant-size computer – quite fascinating at the time. I used it recently to illustrate Nature Stories by Jules Renard, but I realized my hand is much quicker.
WIRED: Another encyclopedia of nature. Are you somehow obsessed with that kind of book?
Serafini: I am obsessed with knowledge. It’s the same type of research you do on the Internet with Wikipedia. Books like the Codex or Nature Stories are meant to collect and share things, places, stories and personal experiences. Just like a social network.
This article was originally published on WIRED Italy |
As this cartoon suggests, the Weather Underground's bombing of the U.S. Capitol on March 1, 1971 ushered in a new era in the minds of many Washingtonians. (Source: The Washington Post)
In the wee hours of the morning on March 1, 1971, a disturbing phone call came in to the Senate telephone switchboard. A man “with a hard low voice” told the operator that the U.S. Capitol would blow up in 30 minutes.
In the past, operators had fielded similar threatening calls from time to time, but all of them had turned out to be false alarms or pranks. This one, however, would be different.
True to the caller’s warning an explosion rocked the Senate side of the building at 1:32am. It was – as the Washington Post put it – the Capitol’s “sternest test since the British set torches to it in 1814.”
Fortunately the bomb went off in the middle of the night, so there were few people inside the building at the time and no one was injured. However, the device, which had been hidden behind a false wall in a ground floor bathroom, caused significant physical damage and was pretty unnerving to native Washingtonians and federal officials, alike.
In the days following the bombing, a radical leftist group called “Weather Underground” claimed responsibility for the bombing and promised more acts of violence to come: “We have attacked the Capitol because it is… a monument to U.S. domination over the planet. All over the country, revolutionaries are getting ready for the Spring. Our plans can be as creative and indigenous as the bamboo booby traps of the Vietnamese.”
Pretty scary stuff, to say the least. Anyone remember being in Washington when this happened? |
Hong Kong
You’ll have no problem finding a cafe, bar, or restaurant in Hong Kong. The city has a food and beverage outlet for every 300 people, one of the highest such ratios in the world.
But the sense of abundance is deceiving. In truth, land-scarce Hong Kong is among the world’s most “food-vulnerable” places, importing nearly everything it eats and drinks. About 90% of its food supply is imported, according to the food and health bureau, and most of it comes from mainland China, including all the fresh beef, 94% of the fresh pork, and 92% of the vegetables. Brazil supplies frozen beef and pork, Norway salmon, and the US, the Philippines, and Thailand much of the fruit.
“Hong Kong’s over-reliance on imports exposes the city to global commodity disruptions and price fluctuations,” food researcher Daisy Tam, an assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, said during a recent TEDx talk in Hong Kong. Japanese bank Nomura’s latest “food vulnerability index” ranked Hong Kong as the world’s 17th most vulnerable place, not far behind such countries as Bangladesh, Syria, and Algeria.
The dependency on food imports goes largely unnoticed in day-to-day life, but once in a while shoppers are rudely reminded of it. Earlier this year vegetable prices spiked about 30% (link in Chinese) because mainland China had an unusually cold winter.
It wasn’t always thus. Sixty-five years ago, Hong Kong produced about two-thirds of the vegetables it consumed. Today, it produces about 2%. |
The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American revisionist Western DeLuxe Color and Panavision film set during and after the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood (as the eponymous Josey Wales), with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams.[3] The film tells the story of Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer whose family is murdered by Union militants during the Civil War. Driven to revenge, Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla band and fights in the Civil War. After the war, all the fighters in Wales' group except for Wales surrender to Union officers, but they end up being massacred. Wales becomes an outlaw and is pursued by bounty hunters and Union soldiers.
The film was adapted by Sonia Chernus and Philip Kaufman from author Forrest Carter's 1972 novel The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales (republished, as shown in the movie's opening credits, as Gone to Texas).[4] The film was a commercial success, earning $31.8 million against a $3.7 million budget. In 1996, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Josey Wales was portrayed by Michael Parks in the film's 1986 sequel, The Return of Josey Wales.[5]
Plot [ edit ]
Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer, is driven to revenge by the murder of his wife and young son by a band of pro-Union Jayhawker militants. The murderers were from Senator James H. Lane's Kansas Brigade, led by Captain Terrill.
After grieving and burying his wife and son, Wales joins a group of pro-Confederate Missouri Bushwhackers led by William T. Anderson and fights in the Civil War. At the conclusion of the war, Captain Fletcher persuades the guerrillas to surrender, saying they have been granted amnesty. Wales refuses to surrender. As a result, he and one young man are the only survivors when Captain Terrill's Redlegs massacre the surrendering men. Wales intervenes and wipes out most of the Redlegs with a Gatling gun.
Senator Lane forces Fletcher to work with Terrill in tracking Josey down and puts a $5,000 bounty on Wales, who is now on the run from Union militia and bounty hunters. Along the way, despite wishing to be left alone, he accumulates a diverse group of companions. They include an old Cherokee named Lone Watie; Little Moonlight, a young Navajo woman; Sarah Travers, an elderly woman from Kansas; and her granddaughter Laura Lee, whom Wales rescues from Comancheros. At Santo Rio two men, Travis and Chato, who had worked for Grandma Sarah's son Tom, join the group.
Wales and his companions find the abandoned ranch owned by Tom Travers, Laura's father, and settle in after Wales parleys and makes peace with the neighboring Comanche tribe leader, Ten Bears. Meanwhile, a bounty hunter whose partner was gunned down by Wales at Santo Rio guides Captain Terrill and his men to the town. The following morning, the ranch is attacked by the Redlegs. Wales' companions take cover in the fortified ranch house and open fire, gunning down all of Terrill's men. A wounded Wales, despite being out of ammunition, pursues the fleeing Terrill back to Santa Rio. When he corners him, Wales dry fires his four pistols through all the empty chambers before stabbing and killing Terrill with his own cavalry sabre.
In the bar in Santa Rio, Wales finds Fletcher with two Texas Rangers. The locals at the bar, who refer to Wales as "Mr. Wilson," tell the Rangers that Wales was killed in a shoot-out in Monterrey, Mexico. The Rangers accept this story and move on. Fletcher does not believe the story, but pretends to not recognize Wales. He says that he will go to Mexico to look for Wales himself and try to tell him that the war is over. Wales says, "I reckon so. I guess we all died a little in that damned war," before riding off.
Cast [ edit ]
Production [ edit ]
Pahreah site in Utah, filming location of the film.
The Outlaw Josey Wales was inspired by a 1972 novel by Forrest Carter, and was originally titled The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales and later retitled Gone to Texas. The script was worked on by Sonia Chernus and producer Bob Daley at Malpaso, and Eastwood himself paid some of the money to obtain the screen rights.[6] Michael Cimino and Philip Kaufman later oversaw the writing of the script, aiding Chernus. Kaufman wanted the film to stay as close to the novel as possible in style and retained many of the mannerisms in Wales's character which Eastwood would display on screen, such as his distinctive lingo with words like "reckon", "hoss" (instead of "horse"), and "ye" (instead of "you") and spitting tobacco juice on animals and victims.[6] The characters of Wales, the Cherokee chief, Navajo woman, and the old settler woman and her daughter all appeared in the novel.[7] On the other hand, Kaufman was less happy with the novel's political stance; he felt that it had been "written by a crude fascist" and that "the man's hatred of government was insane".[4] He also felt that that element of the script needed to be severely toned down, but, he later said, "Clint didn't, and it was his film".[4] Kaufman was later fired by Eastwood, who took over the film's direction himself.
Cinematographer Bruce Surtees, James Fargo, and Fritz Manes scouted for locations and eventually found sites in Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, and Oroville, California even before they saw the final script.[7] Kaufman cast Chief Dan George, who had been nominated for an Academy Award for Supporting Actor in Little Big Man, as the old Cherokee Lone Watie. Sondra Locke, also a previous Academy Award nominee, was cast by Eastwood against Kaufman's wishes[8] as Laura Lee, the granddaughter of the old settler woman. This marked the beginning of a close relationship between Eastwood and Locke that would last six films and the beginning of a romance that would last into the late 1980s. Ferris Webster was hired as the film's editor and Jerry Fielding as composer.
Principal photography began on October 6, 1975 in Lake Powell.[9][8] A rift between Eastwood and Kaufman developed during the filming. Kaufman insisted on filming with a meticulous attention to detail, which caused disagreements with Eastwood, not to mention the attraction the two shared towards Locke and apparent jealousy on Kaufman's part in regard to their emerging relationship.[10] One evening, Kaufman insisted on finding a beer can as a prop to be used in a scene, but while he was absent, Eastwood ordered Surtees to quickly shoot the scene as light was fading and then drove away, leaving before Kaufman had returned.[11] Soon after, filming moved to Kanab, Utah. On October 24, 1975, Kaufman was fired at Eastwood's command by producer Bob Daley.[12] The sacking caused an outrage amongst the Directors Guild of America and other important Hollywood executives, since the director had already worked hard on the film, including completing all of the pre-production.[12] Pressure mounted on Warner Bros. and Eastwood to back down, but their refusal to do so resulted in a fine, reported to be around $60,000 for the violation.[12] This resulted in the Director's Guild passing new legislation, known as 'the Eastwood Rule', which prohibits an actor or producer from firing the director and then becoming the director himself.[12] From then on, the film was directed by Eastwood himself with Daley second-in-command; with Kaufman's planning already in place, the team were able to finish making the film efficiently.
Reception [ edit ]
"Eastwood is such a taciturn and action-oriented performer that it's easy to overlook the fact that he directs many of his movies—and many of the best, most intelligent ones. Here, with the moody, gloomily beautiful, photography of Bruce Surtees, he creates a magnificent Western feeling" Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, January 1, 1976[13]
Upon release in August 1976, The Outlaw Josey Wales was widely acclaimed by critics, many of whom saw Eastwood's role as an iconic one, relating it with much of America's ancestral past and the destiny of the nation after the American Civil War.[14] The film was pre-screened at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities in Idaho in a six-day conference entitled Western Movies: Myths and Images. Academics such as Bruce Jackson, critics such as Jay Cocks and Arthur Knight and directors such as King Vidor, Henry King, William Wyler and Howard Hawks were invited to the screening.[14] The film would later appear in Time magazine's Top 10 films of the year.[15] Roger Ebert compared the nature and vulnerability of Eastwood's portrayal of Josey Wales with his "Man with No Name" character in the Dollars Trilogy and praised the atmosphere of the film. On The Merv Griffin Show, Orson Welles lauded the film, calling Eastwood "one of America's finest directors."
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes retrospectively gave the film a 95% rating based on reviews from 38 critics.[16]
Awards [ edit ]
The Outlaw Josey Wales was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Music Score. In 1996, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It was also one of the few Western films to receive critical and commercial success in the 1970s at a time when the Western was thought to be dying as a major genre in Hollywood.
Clint Eastwood says on the 1999 DVD release that the movie is "certainly one of the high points of my career... in the Western genre of filmmaking."[citation needed]
Meaning [ edit ]
Eastwood has called The Outlaw Josey Wales an anti-war film.[17] In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he said:
As for Josey Wales, I saw the parallels to the modern day at that time. Everybody gets tired of it, but it never ends. A war is a horrible thing, but it's also a unifier of countries... Man becomes his most creative during war. Look at the amount of weaponry that was made in four short years of World War II—the amount of ships and guns and tanks and inventions and planes and P-38s and P-51s, and just the urgency and the camaraderie, and the unifying. But that's kind of a sad statement on mankind, if that's what it takes.[17]
References [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ] |
Trump and Christie campaign in Bentonville, Ark., February 27, 2016. (Benjamin Krain/Getty)
The arch-villain in Donald Trump’s storybook account of American politics is the Republican party. The malign forces of progressivism may have been on the march for the past several years. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have been hovering like Nazgûls over the bucolic expanses of middle America. Barack Obama has wielded vengefully the One Pen to Rule Them All. But it’s Republicans who are the real problem. The Grand Old Party has aided and abetted the country’s leftward lurch, proving themselves quislings and cowards all the way down, from John Boehner to John McCain. Breitbart.com hath surveyed the nation, and, lo, there was not a conservative to be found among them!
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It turns out that Trump fans were right all along — just not in the way they thought.
On Friday, New Jersey governor Chris Christie endorsed Donald Trump in what was surely the most transparent display of affection since Judas Iscariot’s Gethsemane smooch. Not only had Christie spent the last several months blasting his tri-state opponent on the campaign trail — for, among other things, his absurd promise to make Mexico pay for a wall on the United States’ southern border, his proposed ban on Muslims entering the country, and his refusal to address entitlement reform — he reportedly told the New Hampshire Union Leader’s publisher, Joe McQuaid, that he would “never” endorse Trump. Christie says McQuaid is misremembering.
RELATED: Nothing Will Redeem the Ruined Reputations of Trump’s Republican Collaborators
Presumably, Christie thinks an endorsement will increase the likelihood of his securing a position in a Trump administration (and given Trump’s financial history, that is a likelier prospect than his receiving 30 pieces of silver). But he has agreed to be, for the next several months, willingly at the end of Trump’s leash, evidence of which was Trump and Christie’s brief exchange after Christie’s speech in Arkansas: “Get on the plane and go home,” Trump said, caught on a hot mic. “It’s over. Go home.” There are pimps and prostitutes with more equitable relationships.
The Republican party is full of people who care more about power than about conservatism.
Speaking of prostitutes: On Sunday, Alabama senator Jeff Sessions offered Trump his own endorsement. Sessions is, of course, the Republican party’s famous immigration hawk — a fierce, and fiercely intelligent, opponent of unchecked immigration, of amnesty, and of the various abuses of visa programs that large businesses use to undermine American labor. So, naturally, he endorsed the candidate who has proposed a de facto amnesty in which the federal government would first expend astronomical quantities of money and labor to round up 11 million illegal immigrants residing in the country, escort them to their home countries — and then let them back in (provided, of course, that they’re sufficiently “terrific”); he endorsed the candidate who has abused the H-2B visa system to import foreign workers to do “jobs Americans won’t do” — like model fashion; and he endorsed the candidate who has employed illegal immigrants on his building projects as recently as July of last year. Perhaps the senator thinks that Donald Trump, having touted his promises so publicly, will be made to go through with them. If so, he should consult with Trump’s business associates, employees, and two ex-wives about the reliability of Mr. Trump’s promises.
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One must add to this list Maine governor Paul LePage — apparently now taking his political advice from Smoothie and D-Money — congressmen Duncan Hunter (Calif.) and Chris Collins (N.Y.), former Arizona governor Jan Brewer, and Sarah Palin. And, of course, if Trump wins resoundingly on Super Tuesday, many more endorsements will follow.
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#share#So, the Trump fans are right. The Republican party is full of people who care more about power than about conservatism. How do we know? Because many of them are choosing to support Donald J. Trump.
After all, there’s nothing conservative about Donald Trump. He’s a Dorito-tinted proto-fascist who admires Vladimir Putin and Saddam Hussein, a conspiracy theorist who accuses George W. Bush of deceiving the nation into war, and a cad who brags about bedding “top women.” He’s advocated relaxing libel laws so that, when he’s president, he can more easily sue his critics. He’s touted “the good parts” of Planned Parenthood. He’s praised single-payer health care.
RELATED: Trump, the Would-be Tyrant
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Dispense with the fantasy that Donald Trump would, at least, spare us the progressive radicalism of Hillary Clinton. He would be every bit as bad, and in many of the same ways.
Republicans should be able to say that. But it is apparent that members of the party are currently struggling to decide whether the party, or the things the party has historically stood for, are more important.
The virtue of the Republican party, recall, is that it has been the country’s conservative party — a counterweight to the liberalism of Democrats. And a vibrant conservatism has been a salubrious force in American politics. But a Republican party that backs Donald Trump would not be a conservative party any longer. It would be merely a second left-leaning party that from time to time makes adulatory noises about Ronald Reagan. What would be the raison d’être of such an organization?
#related#There are points of light in the Republican party, of course. Nebraska senator Ben Sasse has said that he will never vote for Donald Trump, and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley’s endorsement of Marco Rubio was accompanied by a vigorous rejection of Trump. The Republican party has members committed to conservative principles, not just party survival.
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But the next weeks — and, if Donald Trump is the nominee, the next several months — portend a crisis of conscience. Are we defending the permanent things? Or are we defending the Republican party? Because without the former, the latter is utterly pointless. |
Meditation and the Self Within
Can meditation solve our everyday problems? Is there life after death? Can drugs help us achieve self-realization? During a recent visit to South Africa, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada discussed these questions with Bill Faill, a reporter for the Durban Natal Mercury.
Srila Prabhupada: “Krishna” is a name for God which means all-attractive. Unless one is all-attractive he cannot be God. So this Krishna consciousness means God consciousness. All of us are small particles of God, equal in quality with Him. Our position as living entities is like that of a small particle of gold in relation to a large quantity of gold.
Bill Faill: Are we something like sparks in a fire?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Both the fire and the spark are fire, but one is big, and the other is very small. Unlike the relationship between the spark and the fire, however, our relationship with God is eternal, although at the present moment we have forgotten that relationship due to contact with the material energy. We are facing so many problems only because of this forgetfulness. If we can revive our original God consciousness, then we shall become happy. This is the sum and substance of Krishna consciousness. It is the best process to revive our original God consciousness. There are different processes of self-realization, but in the present age of Kali, people are very fallen, and they require the simple process of Krishna consciousness. Now they are thinking that so-called material advancement is the solution to their problems, but this is not a fact. The real solution is to get out of the material condition entirely by becoming Krishna conscious. Because God is eternal, we are also eternal, but in the material condition we are thinking, “I am this body,” and therefore we must repeatedly change from body to body. This is due to ignorance. Actually we are not our bodies but spiritual sparks, parts and parcels of God.
Bill Faill: Then the body is just like a vehicle for the soul?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. It is just like a motorcar. Just as you go from one place to another in a car, similarly, due to mental concoction in the material condition of life, we are going from one position to another trying to become happy. But nothing will make us happy unless we come to our real position, which is that we are all parts and parcels of God and that our real business is to associate with God and help all living entities by cooperating with Him. Civilized human life is attained only after a long evolution through 8,400,000 species of life. So if we don’t take advantage of this civilized human life to understand who God is, who we are, and what our relationship is, but instead simply waste our life like cats and dogs, going here and there looking for sense gratification, then we will have missed a great opportunity. The Krishna consciousness movement is meant to teach people how to take full advantage of the human form of life by trying to understand God and our relationship with Him.
Bill Faill: If we don’t make the most of this life, do we get a second chance in another life?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. According to your desires at the time of death, you get another body. That body is not guaranteed to be a human body, however. As I’ve already explained, there are 8,400,000 different forms of life. You can enter any of them, according to your mental condition at death. What we think of at the time of death depends on how we act during our life. As long as we are in material consciousness, our actions are under the control of the material nature, which is being conducted in three modes: goodness, passion, and ignorance. These modes are like the three basic colors—yellow, red, and blue. Just as one can mix red, yellow, and blue to produce millions of colors, similarly, the modes of nature are being mixed to produce many varieties of life. To stop the repetition of birth and death in different forms of life, we must transcend the covering of material nature and come to the platform of pure consciousness. But if we do not learn the transcendental science of Krishna consciousness, then at death we must transfer to another body, either better or worse than our present one. If we cultivate the mode of goodness, then we are promoted to the higher planetary system, where there is a better standard of life. If we cultivate the mode of passion, then we will remain at the present stage. But if out of ignorance we commit sinful activities and violate nature’s laws, then we will be degraded to animal or plant life. Then again we must evolve to the human form, a process that may take millions of years. Therefore a human being must be responsible. He must take advantage of the rare opportunity of human life by understanding his relationship with God and acting accordingly. Then he can get out of the cycle of birth and death in different forms of life and go back to home, back to Godhead.
Bill Faill: Do you think transcendental meditation is helping people?
Srila Prabhupada: They do not know what real meditation is. Their meditation is simply a farce—another cheating process by the so-called svamis and yogis. You’re asking me if meditation is helping people, but do you know what meditation is?
Bill Faill: A stilling of the mind—trying to sit in the center without swinging either way.
Srila Prabhupada: And what is the center?
Bill Faill: I don’t know.
Srila Prabhupada: So everyone is talking very much about meditation, but no one knows what meditation actually is. These bluffers use the word “meditation,” but they do not know the proper subject for meditation. They’re simply talking bogus propaganda.
Bill Faill: Isn’t meditation valuable just to get people thinking right?
Srila Prabhupada: No. Real meditation means to achieve a state in which the mind is saturated with God consciousness. But if you do not know what God is, how can you meditate? Besides, in this age people’s minds are so agitated that they cannot concentrate. I have seen this so-called meditation; they are simply sleeping and snoring. Unfortunately, in the name of God consciousness or “self-realization,” many bluffers are presenting non-standard methods of meditation without referring to the authorized books of Vedic knowledge. They are simply practicing another type of exploitation.
Bill Faill: What about some of the other teachers, like Ouspensky and Gurdjieff? In the past they brought to the West a message similar to yours.
Srila Prabhupada: We would have to study the particulars of their teachings to know whether they meet the Vedic standard. God consciousness is a science, just like medical science or any other science. It cannot be different because it is spoken by different men. Two plus two equals four everywhere, never five or three. That is science.
Bill Faill: Do you feel that others may have possibly taught the genuine method of God consciousness?
Srila Prabhupada: Unless I study their teachings in detail, it would be very difficult to say. There are so many bluffers.
Bill Faill: Just doing it for money.
Srila Prabhupada: That’s all. They have no standard method. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is, without any personal interpretation. This is standard.
Bill Faill: Yes, if you begin dressing things up, you inevitably change them.
Srila Prabhupada: Krishna consciousness is not a new process. It is very, very old—and standard. It cannot be changed. As soon as you try to change it, then the potency is lost. This potency is just like electricity. If you want to generate electricity, you must follow the standard regulations, arranging all the negative and positive poles properly. You cannot construct the generator whimsically and still produce electricity. Similarly, there is a standard method of understanding Krishna conscious philosophy from proper authorities. If we follow their instructions, then the process will act. Unfortunately, one of the dangerous diseases of modern man is that everyone wants to do things according to his own whims. No one wants to follow the standard way. Therefore everyone is failing, both spiritually and materially.
Bill Faill: Is the Krishna consciousness movement growing?
Srila Prabhupada: Oh yes, very much. You may be surprised to know that we are selling books in the tens of thousands. We have about fifty books, and many librarians and college professors are very appreciative of them because until their publication there was no such literature in existence. It is a new contribution to the world.
Bill Faill: Krishna consciousness seems to involve shaving the head and wearing saffron robes. How can an ordinary man caught up in family life practice Krishna consciousness?
Srila Prabhupada: The saffron robes and the shaven head are not essential, although they create a good mental situation, just as when a military man is dressed properly, he gets energy—he feels like a military man. Does that mean that unless he is in uniform he cannot fight? No. In the same way, God consciousness cannot be checked—it can be revived in any circumstances—but certain conditions are helpful.
Therefore we prescribe that you live in a certain way, dress in a certain way, eat in a certain way, and so on. These things are helpful for practicing Krishna consciousness, but they are not essential.
Bill Faill: Then one can be a student of Krishna consciousness while going about normal daily life?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.
Bill Faill: How about drugs? Can they help in the process of God realization?
Srila Prabhupada: If drugs could help God realization, then drugs would be more powerful than God. How can we accept that? Drugs are chemical substances, which are material. How can something material help one realize God, who is all-spiritual? It is impossible. What one experiences from taking drugs is simply a kind of intoxication or hallucination; it is not God realization.
Bill Faill: Do you think the great mystics down through the ages have actually seen the spiritual spark you mentioned earlier?
Srila Prabhupada: What do you mean by mystic?
Bill Faill: It’s just a name given to people who have had an experience of another level of reality.
Srila Prabhupada: We don’t use the word “mystic.” Our reality is God realization, which occurs when we come to the spiritual platform. As long as we have a bodily concept of life, our understanding is sense gratification because the body is made of senses. When we progress from the bodily platform and we see the mind as the center of sense activity, we take the mind as the final stage of realization. That is the mental platform. From the mental platform we may come to the intellectual platform, and from the intellectual platform we can rise to the transcendental platform. Finally we can rise above even the transcendental platform and come to the spiritual platform. These are the stages of God realization. However, in this age, because people are so fallen, the sastras [scriptures] give the special recommendation that people come directly to the spiritual platform by chanting the holy names of God: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. If we cultivate this practice on the spiritual platform, then immediately we can realize our spiritual identity. Then the process of God realization becomes successful very quickly.
Bill Faill: Today a lot of people are saying that we must look inward for the truth rather than outward into the world of the senses.
Srila Prabhupada: Looking inward means knowing that you are a spirit soul. Unless you understand that you are not the body but rather you are a soul, there is no question of looking inward.
First we have to study, “Am I this body, or am I something within this body?” Unfortunately, this subject is not taught in any school, college, or university. Everyone is thinking, “I am this body.” For example, in this country people everywhere are thinking, “I am South African, they are Indian, they are Greek,” and so on. Actually, everyone in the whole world is in the bodily conception of life. Krishna consciousness starts when one is above this bodily conception.
Bill Faill: So the recognition of the spiritual spark comes first?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Recognizing the existence of the spirit soul within the body is the first step. Unless one understands this simple fact, there is no question of spiritual advancement.
Bill Faill: Is it a question of just understanding it intellectually?
Srila Prabhupada: In the beginning, yes. There are two departments of knowledge: theoretical and practical. First one must learn spiritual science theoretically; then, by working on that spiritual platform, one comes to the point of practical realization.
Unfortunately, today almost everyone is in the darkness of the bodily conception of life. Therefore this movement is very important because it can lift civilized men out of that darkness. As long as they are in the bodily conception of life, they are no better than animals. “I am a dog,” “I am a cat,” “I am a cow.” Animals think like this. As soon as someone passes, a dog will bark, thinking, “I am a dog. I have been appointed here as watchdog.” Similarly, if I adopt the dog’s mentality and challenge foreigners—”Why have you come to this country? Why have you come to my jurisdiction?”—then what is the difference between the dog and me?
Bill Faill: There is none. To change the subject a little, is it necessary to follow certain eating habits to practice spiritual life?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, the whole process is meant to purify us, and eating is part of that purification. I think you have a saying, “You are what you eat,” and that’s a fact. Our bodily constitution and mental atmosphere are determined according to how and what we eat. Therefore the sastras [scriptures] recommend that to become Krishna conscious, you should eat remnants of food left by Krishna. If a tuberculosis patient eats something and you eat the remnants, you will be infected with tuberculosis. Similarly, if you eat Krishna-prasada, then you will be infected with Krishna consciousness. Thus our process is that we don’t eat anything directly. First we offer the food to Krishna, then we eat it. This helps us advance in Krishna consciousness.
Bill Faill: You are all vegetarians?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, because Krishna is a vegetarian. Krishna can eat anything because He is God, but in the Bhagavad-gita He says, “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it.” [Bg. 9.26] He never says, “Give Me meat and wine.”
Bill Faill: How about the tobacco question?
Srila Prabhupada: Tobacco is also an intoxicant. We are already intoxicated by being in the bodily conception of life, and if we increase the intoxication, then we are lost.
Bill Faill: You mean things like meat, alcohol, and tobacco just reinforce bodily consciousness?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Suppose you have a disease and you want to be cured. You have to follow the instructions of a physician. If he says, “Don’t eat this; eat only this,” you have to follow his prescription. Similarly, we also have a prescription for being cured of the bodily conception of life: chanting Hare Krishna, hearing about Krishna’s activities, and eating Krishna-prasada. This treatment is the process of Krishna consciousness. |
In the first of a series of regular videos, Time+Tide founder Andrew McUtchen meets world-renowned pastry chef Pierrick Boyer in his patisserie bright and early one Melbourne morning.
THE BACKSTORY
We knew a little bit about Pierrick Boyer when we asked him to be in the first ever Time+Tide video. We knew he liked Panerai. We knew he liked Instagram. We knew he liked posting shots of Panerai watches on Instagram. And, we had a hunch he had something to do with desserts. Because precisely 85% of his photos have curly bits of chocolate in them.
In other words, we knew about as much about him as you do if you’re one of his 45k fans. So, there was plenty of room for surprises when we asked him to have us over – plus a film crew, how intimate – and show us through his watch collection, tell a few watch stories and let us in on his other great loves. We talked geeky off camera about the rare pieces, the prices and the details (like the engraving on the rotor of the Bronzo, the superb domed glass of the Fiddy) but we spared you that. For another day.
The thing is, we wanted to keep this short and, to put it gently, it all got a little bit crazy. And we couldn’t leave any of the craziness out. What happened? You’ll have to watch for yourself. But let’s just say it was sweet and scary. Like that psychedelic boat-ride bit in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Like a cocktail that’s on fire. Enough talk, read these, then watch the video. NB: It all gets very real at about 5:40 if you’re time poor. Special thanks to Pierrick Boyer, Le Petit Gateaux and the smooth operators at Nice Bike who produced the video. |
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When The Nation endorsed Hillary Clinton for president last month, we argued that “a substantial victory by her in November is essential to advance the progressive issues we have long championed.”
Here in the magazine’s home state of New York, we have a special opportunity to cast our votes not just for a presidential candidate, but for a party. I speak, of course, of the Working Families Party.
When New Yorkers vote for Secretary Clinton on the Working Families Party line (Row E), it counts the same as a vote on the Democratic line. But it also carries a little extra punch. It says that you want to elect Clinton and defeat Trump, and it also says that you support the state’s most important progressive political organization: the WFP.
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Like The Nation, the Working Families Party was an early and enthusiastic supporter of Bernie Sanders’s remarkable run for the nomination. He didn’t get it, but he revealed an enormous appetite for a fundamentally different and better society. Sanders has publicly called for New Yorkers to vote for Hillary on the Working Families Party ballot line as the best way to carry forward the “political revolution” we so desperately need.
I think of the WFP as progressive, principled and practical. They like to win. They choose their battles wisely and build power from the ground up, through local electoral and issue campaigns. This year in New York, they have been hard at work to elect Zephyr Teachout—the subject of the Nation cover story last week—who would be a strong ally of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and a powerful new voice against big-money politics.
Less noticed but no less important, the WFP is pushing hard to flip the State Senate from a Republican-Conservative to a Democratic–Working Families majority. That would open the door to all manner of important legislation that the right has bottled up.
So why is this a satisfying editorial to write? Because The Nation was a partner in the party’s birth, helping the WFP over the electoral threshold in the 1998 election that qualified the party’s legal ballot status. It’s personally and politically satisfying to see all that it has accomplished over the years, in New York and across the country.
Your vote on the Working Families Party line will hand Trump and his hateful campaign an embarrassing defeat in his home state. It will send a clear message that you want the WFP to push forward on the issues of the day in Albany. The work the party does day in and day out is not sexy, but it is essential. I urge you to join me in casting a vote for decency and progress by voting for Hillary Clinton on the Working Families Party line. |
5th episode of the fourteenth season of South Park
"200" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 200th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010. In the episode, Tom Cruise and all other celebrities who have been mocked by residents of South Park in the past plan to file a class action lawsuit against the town, but Cruise promises to end the lawsuit if the town can get the Muslim prophet Muhammad to meet him.
The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. To celebrate their landmark episode, Parker and fellow series co-creator Matt Stone combined many of South Park's past storylines and controversies. The Muhammad subplot, similar to the one previously featured in the season 10 episode "Cartoon Wars", refers to Comedy Central's past refusal to allow images of Muhammad to be shown on the network in response to the riots and threats generated from controversial cartoons in 2005 and 2007 of Muhammad in European newspapers.
"200" includes many celebrities that have been mocked in previous episodes, including Cruise, Rob Reiner, Steven Spielberg, Kanye West, Paris Hilton, George Lucas, Mel Gibson and Barbra Streisand. An additional subplot includes Cartman learning he may not know the true identity of his father. The 1998 season 2 episode "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut" claimed that Cartman's hermaphrodite mother is his father, but the events of "200" and the subsequent episode reveal that this is not the case.
"200" received mostly positive reviews. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by 3.33 million viewers, making it the most watched cable television program of the night. Both "200" and the sequel episode "201" were nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 2010.[1] Within a week of the episode's original broadcast date, the website for the radical Muslim organization Revolution Muslim posted an entry warning Parker and Stone that they risked being murdered for airing the episode, which several media outlets and observers interpreted as a threat. As a result, Comedy Central heavily censored portions of "201" by removing references to Muhammad and the episode's closing speech.
Plot [ edit ]
While on a school field trip to a candy factory, Butters spots actor Tom Cruise working there, packing fudge into boxes. Stan, who previously told Cruise that his acting is not as good as others' in "Trapped in the Closet", accidentally insults him again by calling him a "fudge packer", as Cruise claims to be fly fishing. Cruise then recruits 200 other celebrities who have been ridiculed by the town of South Park to bring a class action lawsuit against the town. Stan returns to the factory with his father Randy to try to apologize and convince Cruise to drop the suit, but also finds it difficult not to call him a fudge packer as well since he was literally packing fudge while they spoke. An angry Cruise agrees to do so, but only if they can help Cruise meet Muhammad. This causes an uproar because depictions of Muhammad are forbidden, and the townsfolk fear that forcing Muhammad to appear in public will drive Muslim radicals to bomb the town. Stan and Kyle go to the Super Best Friends, a squad of superhero-like religious figures (Jesus Christ, Gautama Buddha, Moses, Krishna, Laozi, Joseph Smith) of which Muhammad is a member, to request he return with them to South Park. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Cruise and the other celebrities only want Muhammad for his "goo", as Rob Reiner, previously shown to be filled with "goo" in "Butt Out", has invented a machine to transfer Muhammad's "goo" to the celebrities, which they believe will make them immune to ridicule, just like Muhammad.
By this time, Cartman arrives with "Mitch Conner", a face painted on his hand as one-half of a ventriloquist act. Previously, Connor had successfully impersonated actress Jennifer Lopez in "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", and now Cartman and Connor return to the Lopez imitation in order to get involved in the lawsuit along with the other celebrities. Connor soon secretly convinces Cartman that they should steal Muhammad's goo for themselves to sell on the black market for more than the lawsuit could offer. Meanwhile, Kyle and Stan convince the Super Best Friends to let Muhammad come to town, but only if he stays in the back of a U-Haul truck and is not seen. When the townspeople realize they must bring Muhammad to Cruise's limo, they allegedly put him inside a bear mascot outfit. South Park is about to give Muhammad to the celebrities when the exchange is interrupted by a bomb planted by the Ginger Kids, a group of fair-skinned, red-haired children who are tired of being made fun of for their physical appearance. The Gingers want Muhammad for themselves, hoping to use his goo for their own means. They threaten to blow up the town if Muhammad is not turned over to them.
The people of South Park decide to turn Muhammad over to the Gingers, fearing the violence that will befall their town if they do not. The celebrities are angered by this change in events, but refuse to resort to violence for fear of ruining their careers. Instead, the celebrities decide to awaken the rebuilt Mecha-Streisand, a giant mechanical monster form of Barbra Streisand, who previously terrorized the town of South Park before being destroyed. The celebrities hope to use Mecha-Streisand to force South Park to accept their demands. Meanwhile, due to the chain of events, Cartman decides Connor's scheme has become too complicated and tries to quit, but Connor convinces him to stay involved by revealing that the townspeople of South Park have lied to Cartman about his true father. Although they previously claimed his hermaphroditic mother was also his father, Connor insists this is a lie. Cartman confronts his school teacher Mr. Garrison and Garrison's old hand puppet Mr. Hat, who admits to Cartman there was indeed a cover-up. Mecha-Streisand roars threateningly and continues her reign of destruction as the episode ends.
Production [ edit ]
We kind of came up with the idea of, like, let's take our sort of most popular moments in the show and then put them all together and write them into a new show. So basically, revisit a bunch of stuff but give the show all its own plot. Which at first sounded like quite a head-fucker. Trey Parker
South Park co-creator[2]
Written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, "200" was rated TV-MA L in the United States. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010. It was the 200th episode of the series.[3] Parker and fellow co-creator Matt Stone conceive, write and produce most South Park episodes within a week of their broadcast date in order to maintain a sense of energy and timeliness.[4] The idea for "200", however, was conceived before the fourteenth season began in March 2010, and before any of the season fourteen episodes that preceded it were conceived.[5] While trying to decide how to celebrate the 200th episode, Parker and Stone started reviewing the plots and controversies of previous episodes, many of which had a common thread of mocking a particular celebrity. This led to the idea of the having all the celebrities band together in a class action lawsuit against the town. Parker said their reactions mirrored the real-life reactions some of the celebrities had to their portrayals, adding, "If they could join forces, they probably would."[2]
Stone said in writing the episode, they were determined not to produce a clip show, but to merge all of the old ideas into a new, original script. The process proved challenging for the duo because it involved incorporating many ideas, subplots and characters into a single episode.[2] Parker and Stone included a joke about this process at the start of the episode, when Cartman and Kyle are fighting with each other, and Stan accuses them of just "rehashing a bunch of old stuff".[6][7] In honor of the 200th episode, the website SouthPark200.com was launched, offering a forum to fans to post their congratulations to South Park and view those posted by others. Various people have contributed to the site, including the creators of the animated series The Simpsons (who used the opportunity to revisit another previous South Park theme, the episode "Simpsons Already Did It", saying "We already [produced 200 episodes]. Twice."[8]), members of the rock band Rush and Denver Nuggets basketball player Chauncey Billups. The site also includes congratulations from All in the Family creator Norman Lear, who guest-starred in the 100th episode "I'm a Little Bit Country", and figure skater Brian Boitano, who was featured in the song "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" in the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.[9]
Theme [ edit ]
Muhammad subplot [ edit ]
An image of the Muslim prophet Muhammad was shown in the 2001 episode " Super Best Friends ", but was later banned from the 2006 episode " Cartoon Wars " due to controversies regarding Muhammad cartoons in European newspapers. This contradiction is mocked in "200". In 2010, the episode which relates to this picture was removed by South Park Studios and is no longer available for viewing.
"200" features jokes and references to past South Park episodes, storylines, characters and controversies.[2][6][10] The episode revolves heavily around efforts to bring Muhammad into public view. This is based on two past controversies in 2005 (Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy) and 2007 (Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy), when European newspapers published cartoons of Muhammad, which was responded to with reactions of violent riots, global protests and death threats toward the artists. As a result of those incidents, many publications and television studios have refused to broadcast images of Muhammad whatsoever, which was the inspiration behind Tom Cruise's efforts to harvest Muhammad's apparent immunity to satire and ridicule.[11][12][13] Parker and Stone addressed the Muhammad issue in their two-part tenth season episode "Cartoon Wars", during which they attempt to show an image of the prophet, only to reveal that Comedy Central has forbidden any such image from being broadcast on their network. However, Muhammad had already been featured on-screen in the fifth season episode "Super Best Friends", in which he is among a band of religious figures modeled after the superheroes in the Super Friends cartoons from the 1970s and 1980s. (The Super Best Friends are featured once again in "200".) The episode "Super Best Friends" aired in 2001, before the Jyllands-Posten and Vilks controversies. Stan makes reference to that past use of Muhammad's image in "200" by saying of Muhammad, "I saw him once...a while ago..."[6][14] This reference was purposely included to reflect the irony that an image that was previously not a problem had suddenly become an issue due to new circumstances. Stone said, "Something that was OK is now not OK, and that's just fucked up."[2] The "Super Best Friends" episode continues to be run uncensored by Comedy Central in repeats, even though new images of Muhammad remained prohibited.[2]
Additionally, Muhammad has long been featured as one of the many characters shown in an image of dozens of South Park residents during the show's opening credits. That image, however, has gone largely unnoticed, and thus has not drawn much controversy.[14] When asked whether they feared retribution for mocking Muhammad, Parker said, "We'd be so hypocritical against our own thoughts, if we said, 'Okay, well let's not make fun of them because they might hurt us. Okay, we'll rip on the Catholics because they won't hurt us, but we won't rip on [Muslims] because they might hurt us.'"[2][14] The Muhammad subplot in "200", like the "Cartoon Wars" episodes, advocates for free speech and speaks out against censorship, both of Muhammad's image and any subject considered taboo.[6][15] "200" also demonstrates the double standard in the handling of offensive images of Muhammad and other religious figures, particularly in the scene in which Muhammad is censored altogether, but Buddhism founder Gautama Buddha is shown snorting cocaine in front of the South Park children.[6][15] The extreme measures the South Park boys go to in order to conceal Muhammad, like hiding him in a window-less truck and dressing him as a mascot, demonstrate the absurdity of the fear in showing the prophet, as does the fear of retaliation that the South Park residents show after Randy draws a stick figure-like drawing of him, which is not censored.[15]
Celebrities [ edit ]
(pictured), who was previously parodied in the South Park episode " Actor Tom Cruise , who was previously parodied in theepisode " Trapped in the Closet ", is mocked more than most of the other celebrities in "200".
"200" includes many celebrities that have been mocked in previous episodes.[12] One of the most prominently parodied is Tom Cruise, who was the center of the ninth season episode "Trapped in the Closet". Cruise spent much of that episode hiding in a closet, a reference to rumors about his sexuality. In "200", he is found working in a fudge factory as a "fudge packer", a reference to alleged homosexuality.[16][17] The episode also reveals Cruise's house consists mostly of closets, a reference to both homosexuality and the original episode in which Cruise was mocked. [7] Since Saddam Hussein is a dangerous celebrity, he does not appear in this episode. Other celebrities mocked in "200" include:
Near the end of "200", the celebrities seek assistance from singer and actress Barbra Streisand, who resembles a giant two-legged mechanical monster. This is a reference to Streisand's appearance in the first-season episode "Mecha-Streisand", in which she transforms into a monster in the style of Mechagodzilla from the Godzilla franchise.[11] The Mecha-Streisand featured in "200" is designed with more sophisticated computer imagery than the original, which was a simple cut-out style cartoon like the rest of South Park.[6][10] Although Parker and Stone have maintained that most of the celebrities they mock in South Park are chosen at random, with no personal animosity behind it, Barbra Streisand is one of the few they actively and vehemently dislike.[59] Streisand, in turn, has been critical of South Park and her portrayal in it, and has accused the show of adding "to the cynicism and negativity in our culture, especially in children".[60]
Cartman's father [ edit ]
The episode ends with a cliffhanger involving Cartman's father.[10][17] The identity of Cartman's father made up a major plot point at the end of the first season, culminating in the second season episode "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut", in which it is revealed Cartman's mother, Liane Cartman, is a hermaphrodite and, in fact, is Cartman's father. "200" is the first episode to return to the matter and suggest this was not the actual truth.[12] Throughout the episode, Cartman uses a hand-puppet con-artist named Mitch Conner, who had, presumably, just been made up by Cartman in trying to fool Kyle in the seventh-season episode "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", resuming his role in pretending to be Jennifer Lopez and utilizing many offensive Hispanic stereotypes in his portrayal of her.[6][10] The hand puppet portrayal is very similar to the work of Spanish ventriloquist Señor Wences.[12]
Several other references to previous South Park episodes are featured throughout "200". It marks the reappearance of Mr. Hat, a hand puppet that had been frequently used by Mr. Garrison during the early South Park seasons, but had long been abandoned in later episodes.[10][12] During the second half of "200", an army of red-haired "ginger kids" attempt to capture Muhammad themselves. Several South Park episodes, most prominently the ninth-season episode "Ginger Kids", have featured the ginger kids, which are children with fair skin, freckles and red hair. In most cases, they have been made the subject of ridicule by Cartman, who views them in an offensively stereotypical way.[12][61]
Cultural references [ edit ]
During one scene, a frustrated Tom Cruise angrily jumps up and down on a couch while Oprah Winfrey sits next to him. This is a reference to an incident on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, in which Cruise repeatedly jumped on the couch next to Oprah, fell to one knee and loudly professed his love for actress Katie Holmes. Cruise has been repeatedly mocked for his behavior.[11] In another scene, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are shown to have actor Harrison Ford leashed, chained and ball-gagged, as the actor wears the fedora he wore in the Indiana Jones films. This is a reference to the twelfth season episode "The China Probrem", in which Lucas and Spielberg literally rape Indiana Jones repeatedly, which served as a commentary by Parker and Stone for the poor quality of the 2008 Spielberg/Lucas film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.[12] A cartoon image of film director Tim Burton is featured in the episode, despite having not been previously ridiculed by the show. In the episode, Burton is mocked for not having an original idea since the 1988 comedy horror film Beetlejuice, and for his tendency to feature film actor Johnny Depp in so many of his films that he should "just have sex with him [Johnny Depp] already".[6] Cartman's Jennifer Lopez hand-puppet repeatedly demands food from the American restaurant chain Taco Bell, particularly enchiritos, which is one of the many Hispanic stereotypes utilized by the character.[6] Also, when the celebrities are discussing who to bring in to help capture Mohammed, Barbra Streisand is referenced as "her," to which the discussion goes "her who?" "her" "oh...her." This is slightly reminiscent of the movie Little Shop of Horrors when Rick Moranis and Steve Martin are talking about Audrey, who the dentist had physically abused, where Steve asks "what did I ever do to you" and Rick answers "it wasn't what you did to me, it was what you did to her" Steve: "her? oh...her"[citation needed][62]
Reception [ edit ]
Ratings [ edit ]
In its original American broadcast on April 14, 2010, "200" was watched by 3.33 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the most watched cable television show of the night.[63] It outperformed the previous week's episode, "You Have 0 Friends", which was seen by 3.07 million viewers,[64] and it was seen by roughly 177,000 more viewers than its closest competitor on April 14, USA Network's In Plain Sight. The episode received an overall 2.0 rating/3 share, meaning that it was seen by 2% of the population, and 3% of people watching television at the time of the broadcast. Among viewers between ages 18 and 49, it received a 1.9 rating/5 share, and among male viewers between 18 and 34, it received a 3.7 rating/13 share.[63]
Reviews [ edit ]
This was South Park distilled to its essence: Cartman and his friends caught up in the stupidity all around them, created by absurd, neurotic, fearful, repressed adults. Parker and Stone set themselves apart from all this by insisting on remaining juvenile — something like genius juveniles. Ken Tucker
Entertainment Weekly[12]
The episode received mostly positive reviews. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly said he was surprised by the complexity of "200" and the amount of South Park references and subplots it encompassed, especially the questions over Cartman's father. Tucker praised the episode, and said, "With jokes raining down like hell-fire, the 200th episode spared no one except the South Park kids themselves."[12] Ramsey Isler of IGN said it was fun to identify all the references to past South Park moments, but felt "200" itself didn't stand out as a great episode. Isler said the new material wasn't very funny, and that the rehashed material was not as funny as the first time they were shown, which was disappointing due to the hype surrounding the episode.[10] The A.V. Club writer Sean O'Neal said the episode was funny, but that the original material was far outnumbered by rehashed jokes. O'Neal said the use of all the celebrities demonstrated how South Park had been more original in early episodes, but now had "morph[ed] into something whose default mode is mocking famous people in the news".[6]
Douglas Murray of The Daily Telegraph said of the episode, "I can't recommend it enough",[15] and particularly complimented the episode scenes with Buddha snorting cocaine and the South Park townspeople hiding Muhammad. Murray said, "They make the point about the absurd self-censorship and thuggish intimidation surrounding the Islamic faith better than anything else I've seen."[15] Amy Duncan of Metro said it "certainly was an episode to remember". Duncan praised the story, which she said "develops with [South Park's] usual rude inferences and below-the-belt remarks".[65] Ryan Broderick of The Hofstra Chronicle said the episode "came together so simply, so smoothly, and so hilariously that it forgives the last couple lame duck episodes of the season". Broderick said it avoided the pitfalls of most landmark episodes by providing an original story in addition to the throwback references.[66] Nick Zaino of TV Squad said the episode did not offer much new, but also offer good throwbacks and celebrity spoofs, and didn't "pull any punches". Zaino said the episode has "a wonderful sense of the absurd", particularly through the use of Mecha-Streisand and Cartman's hand-puppet.[7]
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights and advocacy group, said they were aware of the depiction of Muhammad in "200", but declined to put out a formal statement about it because they did not want to draw any more attention to the show. The group's spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, said, "People are pretty tired of this whole 'Let's insult the prophet Muhammad thing.'"[67]
Revolution Muslim entry [ edit ]
We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them. Abu Talhah al Amrikee[12]
The website for the organization Revolution Muslim, a New York-based organization, posted an entry that included a warning to creators Parker and Stone that they risk retribution for their depictions of Muhammad. It said that they "will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show." Filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered by an Islamist in 2004 for making a short documentary on the violence against women in some Islamic societies. The posting provided the addresses to Comedy Central in New York and the production company in Los Angeles. The author of the post, Zachary Adam Chesser (who prefers to be called Abu Talhah al Amrikee),[68] said it was meant to serve as a warning to Parker and Stone, not a threat, and that providing the addresses was meant to give people the opportunity to protest.
The entry included audio clips of a sermon by al-Qaeda imam Anwar al-Awlaki, calling for the assassination of anyone who has defamed Muhammad, saying, "Harming Allah and his messenger is a reason to encourage Muslims to kill whoever does that."[69][70] It also included a link to a 2009 Huffington Post article that gave details of Stone and Parker's mansion in Colorado,[70] and images of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an activist writer and critic of Islam, who lives in permanent security protection because of threats.[71] Comedy Central declined to comment on the post.[70] Before writing the Revolution Muslim post, Chesser wrote an April 15 entry on his Twitter page: "May Allah kill Matt Stone and Trey Parker and burn them in Hell for all eternity. They insult our prophets Muhammad, Jesus, and Moses."[67] Chesser was subsequently sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment for this and other offenses.
Despite Chesser's statements that the website entry was a warning, several media outlets and observers interpreted it as a threat.[72][73][74] Ayaan Hirsi Ali dismissed claims that the website entry was just a warning, calling it "an assault on the freedom of expression" that should not be marginalized or overlooked. She said of the episode, "The 'South Park' episode of last weekend was not just funny, and it wasn't just witty. [It] addressed an essential piece in the times that we are living. There is one group of people, one religion[,] that is claiming to be above criticism."[72] New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said he was aware of the website posting, but said, "We don't think that this threat, as [it] is currently assessed, rises to a crime right now."[75]
CNN journalist Anderson Cooper said of the episode, "You might not like South Park the cartoon. You might think it's offensive. [But] the notion that some radical Islamic group in America would make a threat, even a veiled one, against two men's lives because of it is chilling."[72] Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly said he would have advised Parker and Stone not to do the episode out of fear of retaliation: "On the one hand you do have to admire their courage. But I don't know whether the risk–reward [ratio] is worth it."[73] The Daily Telegraph writer Douglas Murray said the entry only gave "200" more legitimacy, writing, "[It] of course just confirms the point that the South Park boys were making. [...] I'd have said that was point proved. South Park 1: Islamists 0."[71] On the April 22, 2010, episode of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart went into a ten-minute tirade about the alleged death threats, expressing disgust at the alleged hypocrisy of Revolution Muslim's speech while its members enjoy the American lifestyle and freedom of speech.[76][77]
In response to the Revolution Muslim post, the South Park episode "201", which aired the following week and concluded the unresolved storylines from "200", was heavily censored by Comedy Central. The channel inserted audio bleeps over all references to Muhammad's name and other portions of dialogue, including the entirety of the ending speech by the show's main characters.[78][79]
The Dutch version of Comedy Central began airing commercials for "200" during the week of April 26, with the show scheduled to air on April 30. However, "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" was shown instead. When asked about this, a spokesperson for Comedy Central Netherlands said they had reluctantly decided the episode to be pulled,[80] along with the episode "201".[81] Neither episode is available on the Dutch South Park Studios website; the same applies to the German website as of May 9, 2010.[82][83] The Swedish affiliate of Comedy Central also refused to broadcast "200" and "201" in Sweden:[84]
Comedy Central has decided not to air these two episodes of South Park. It is a decision we've made with great reluctance. Comedy Central believes strongly in creative freedom of expression; when unique and deeply insightful creative talents like those behind South Park are able to express themselves freely, we all benefit. However, the safety of our employees is our unquestioned number[-]one priority, and therefore we have decided to take these precautionary measures.
Possible link to Times Square car bomb attempt [ edit ]
On May 1, 18 days after the episode's original airdate, a failed car bomb attempt was discovered by the New York City Police Department near the eastern corner of 1 Astor Plaza in New York City, on West 45 Street, on a side street near the location of the world headquarters of Viacom, Comedy Central's parent company. Some news outlets reported that police are looking into a possible link between the attempted bombing and the warnings of violence against Trey Parker and Matt Stone, although no such link has yet been established.[85][86] Such speculation was also fueled by statements from U.S. Congressman Peter T. King, who described as one possible motive "the whole issue with 'South Park,' which Islamic terrorists were threatening to have retribution for." However, King stressed the theory was "one possibility out of a hundred".[87] Revolution Muslim has denied any involvement with the incident. Younus Abdullah Muhammed, who runs the group's website, was in Times Square at the time speaking out against President Barack Obama with a loudspeaker. But he said of the failed car bomb, "What do you think, I commanded somebody to blow up a building in the middle of Times Square? [...] It had nothing to do with the 'South Park' controversy. It was not an attack targeting Viacom."[88] NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said of the theory, "We certainly wouldn't rule that out."[89] However, media reports indicated Faisal Shahzad, the suspect arrested in connection with the attempted bombing, had trained for months prior to the first broadcast of "200."[90]
Sri Lanka ban [ edit ]
The depiction of Buddha snorting cocaine in "200" and "201", prompted the government of Sri Lanka to ban the entire series outright.[91]
Digital censorship [ edit ]
The day after the episode aired, the episode was available for streaming on the site. After a week, like the other Muhammad episodes, it was taken off due. The message presented to the user for this episode is "We apologize that South Park Studios cannot stream this episode."[92] The sequel episode, "201", also has not been made available for streaming, but a different message describes an intent to potentially post that episode. Similarly the episode and its sequel are not available to stream or buy on services Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, or Amazon on Demand. Furthermore, digital copies of these episodes that were purchased prior to their ban from digital distribution are no longer available for streaming or download.
Home release [ edit ]
Although "200" was not currently available on the internet legally, and had not re-aired since April 2010, it was confirmed on February 11, 2011 that "200" will be released on DVD.[93] "200" along with the thirteen other episodes from South Park's fourteenth season, was released on a three-disc DVD set and two-disc Blu-ray set in the United States on April 26, 2011.[94]
The version presented on the DVD and Blu-ray is the uncensored version, with Muhammad's name unbleeped,[95] unlike the episode that follows, "201", which is presented on disc in its original network censored version. During the commentary in both "200" and "201" Parker and Stone never mention Muhammad directly, referring to him only as "the prophet of the Muslim faith".[96] Despite the package claiming otherwise, both "200" and "201" were completely omitted from the Region 4 [97] and Region 2 releases.[98]
References [ edit ] |
The Somali-born Minnesota police officer alleged to have shot and killed an unarmed Australian woman on Saturday had been lauded by Minneapolis’ mayor and feted by the local community when he joined the force in 2015.
“I want to take a moment to recognize Officer Mohamed Noor, the newest Somali officer in the Minneapolis Police Department,” Mayor Betsy Hodges wrote in a Facebook post when Noor began serving the city. “Officer Noor has been assigned to the 5th Precinct, where his arrival has been highly celebrated, particularly by the Somali community in and around Karmel Mall.”
In fact, The Washington Post reported that community threw a party for Noor – the first Somali-American officer to serve in the precinct. Minneapolis is home to one of the nation's largest Somali communities.
“He came to the United States at a young age and is thankful to have had so many opportunities,” Thomas Plunkett, Noor’s attorney, said Monday. “…For him, being a police officer is a calling.”
Abdikadir Hassan, a local community leader, told The Minneapolis Star Tribune that Noor was a role model.
“He is inspiring to young people in the community,” Hassan said. “He is very supportive and good with the kids. He is such a lovely guy.”
Noor, 31, attended Augsburg College in Minneapolis and earned a degree in business administration, management and economics, The Star Tribune reported.
But despite reportedly viewing the police force as his “calling,” Noor took a winding road to the department’s door. He first had jobs in residential property management and as the general manager of a hotel, according to The Star Tribune.
In his short time with the Minneapolis Police, Noor has had three complaints filed against him – two that are still open. The other was closed and Noor wasn’t disciplined.
On May 25, a woman accused Noor of assault and battery because he “grabbed her right wrist and upper arm” and inflamed a pre-existing shoulder injury while officers were forcibly removing her from her home and bringing her to a hospital.
Noor, who spoke Somali at home, divorced his wife in December, but documents obtained by The Star Tribune also suggest he was a workaholic.
An evaluator was reportedly sent to observe Noor and his son together for an unspecified reason and concluded Noor had an “even keel and calm demeanor.”
But questions continue to surround Noor’s alleged actions on Saturday night.
Justine Damond called police to report a possible crime occurring near her house. Officers arrived, and Noor, at some point, and for an as yet unknown reason, allegedly fired his gun, striking Damond in the abdomen and ultimately killing her.
When she was shot, Damond was standing, in her pajamas, talking to an officer on the driver's side of the squad car. Noor, in the passenger's seat, allegedly fired, shooting Damond through the driver's side door, three sources with knowledge of the incident told The Star Tribune.
Noor did not activate his body camera – as required by the department in all use-of-force scenarios – and his patrol car’s dashcam did not capture the pivotal moments, either. |
Nick Friedell looks at each player on the Chicago Bulls roster and how they fit in for the future.
Jimmy Butler played 221 out of a possible 240 minutes in the Heat series. Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports
2012-13 salary: $1,066,920 | Age: 23 | Season stats: 8.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Season recap: After struggling to find a consistent place in Tom Thibodeau's rotation for the first couple months of his second season, Butler flourished toward the middle of January when Luol Deng went down with a hamstring injury. By the end of the season, Butler was being counted on to play 48 minutes a night and be a defensive presence for a Bulls team that advanced to the second round of the playoffs. In a short span, Butler has become revered in Chicago for his work ethic and has quickly become an integral part of the organization's future. He has worked hard on his jump shot over the past year and has become much more consistent from beyond the arc. He is also one of the most solid defenders on the team and is routinely counted on to slow down the other team's best player, especially when Deng is on the mend.
Season highlight: Butler had 21 points and 14 rebounds and played solid defense on LeBron James for 48 minutes in a surprising Game 1 win over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Butler played 221 out of a possible 240 minutes in the Heat series.
Season lowlight: Butler scored just four points and missed two crucial free throws in the waning seconds in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on March 31. He was just 1-for-8 from the field in 44 minutes.
Final grades: Regular Season: B Postseason: B+
Notes: The Bulls don't want to move Butler, especially given that he has a couple more years on his rookie deal before an extension is likely hammered out, but he has become one of the team's most valuable assets. The Bulls don't want to move him but they would if it was part of a package that brought another star to Chicago.
Quotes: "It brings a smile to my face, obviously," Butler said in April of being a possible two-guard of the future. "But I try not to get too caught up in the future because it's not promised. You never know what could happen. Right now I live for the moment and I praise every moment that I'm given because it's a blessing. But knowing that they want me to be here alongside Derrick (Rose), (Deng) and all these other guys, that makes me smile."
What's next?: Butler has to continue to work on his jump shot and become more consistent from the outside. His teammates and coaches love him because of his work ethic. If he wants to improve his game he'll have to live in the gym again this summer and try to make the next step in his progression. |
A luxury hotel in Austria recently had to pay hackers a ransom after they managed to access its electronic key system and lock all the hotel guests in their rooms. The cyber lock-in happened on the first day of the winter season at the Romantik Seehotel Jaegerwirt , a 111-year-old, four-...
A luxury hotel in Austria recently had to pay hackers a ransom after they managed to access its electronic key system and lock all the hotel guests in their rooms.
The cyber lock-in happened on the first day of the winter season at the Romantik Seehotel Jaegerwirt, a 111-year-old, four-star luxury hotel that has a pool, lake views, and a state-of-the-art electronic key system that turned out to be something hackers could exploit, according to The Local.
When the hackers accessed the hotel’s IT system and shut everything down, approximately 180 people were staying at the hotel on that day. Many were locked in their rooms, while others were locked out of theirs.
The hackers demanded €1,500, about $1,600, paid via Bitcoin. The hotel decided to pay.
"We had no other choice,” said managing director Christoph Brandstaetter. “Neither police nor insurance help you in this case.”
After the hackers were paid, the system went back online. Brandstaetter said the hotel planned to downgrade back to old-fashioned keys. |
Whenever people discuss the greatest bad guys of all time, they usually go by evil deeds, or powers, or how many spikes are on their outfits. But what about their voices? Would anyone be scared of Voldemort if he sounded like Gilbert Gottfried? Of course not! So let's celebrate the people who make bad sound so good.
1) Mark Hamill as The Joker, Batman: The Animated Series
Back in 1992, who would have thought Luke Skywalker possessed the greatest villain voice of all time? Mark Hamill's Joker managed to be insane, funny, and terrifying at all once — able to shift from bad jokes to murderous rage in a heartbeat, and back again. The Joker's laugh was evil, but still genuine, and it's no wonder Hamill was asked to do the role for more than two full decades. Simply put, this is the Joker's voice — and everyone else hired to perform the role will be compared to Hamill forever.
2) Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor, Superman: The Animated Series
Clancy Brown may not have owned Superman's archenemy quite as much as Hamill mastered the Joker, but that doesn't make Brown's low growl any less perfect for the part. Brown helped turn Lex Luthor from the sillier version of the movies into the supervillain we know today — brilliant, cold, and calculating, but prone to fits of rage, especially when Superman is concerned. No bad jokes, no goofing around — but was always a force to be reckoned with, and never trusted. Let's put it this way; only a few villains had the gravitas to believably get other supervillains to work together and take orders, and Brown's Luthor was always in charge.
3) Jeremy Irons as Scar, The Lion King
It's almost a shame that Disney didn't manage to use Jeremy Irons before or even after the Lion King; they used the greatest villain voice they've ever found on a lion. (Can you imagine if he'd been able to voice a more considerable Disney bad guy, like Jafar or Hades? Man.) Yet Irons' sinister tones, practically dripping with evil, almost singlehandedly gives The Lion King its emotional heft because you want Simba to defeat him so damn bad. There's a reason Scar is considered Disney's most evil villain, and it's entirely because of Irons' voice. Even Cruella de Vil doesn't come close, and her entire goal was to kill and skin puppies.
4) Douglas Rain as Hal 9000, 2001
Whereas most of the actors on this list tried to sound evil, as the artificial intelligence in Stanley Kubrick's scifi masterpiece, Rain instead removed all emotion from his voice. His HAL was perfectly calm, even as he was trying to murder his spacecraft's human occupants, and the result was chilling. In fact, just by keeping his voice soft and even, Rain was able to exude such menace as HAL that he was terrifying even when he wasn't talking, as per the lip-reading scene. No small feat!
5) Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix LeStrange, Harry Potter
You don't have to be voicing an animated character to have a fantastic voice. Nor do you have to be a guy. Case in point: Helena Bonham Carter, perfectly cast as the dangerous lunatic Bellatrix in the Harry Potter series. Of course, HBC is able to perform the character with more than just her voice, but that doesn't mean her voice is any less fantastic — a mix of sadism, insanity, childish meanspiritedness and a motherly affection somehow devoid of any true warmth whatsoever.
6) Chris Latta as Cobra Commander, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Chris Latta was one of the most prolific voice actors in animation, and yet for an entire generation of kids raised on '80s cartoons, he is the voice of evil. His high-pitched, screaming rasp was the voice of not only G.I. Joe's eternal foe, but Megatron's devious, scheming second-in-command Starscream on Transformers. There was nothing natural about the voice Latta adopted for the roles, and if he had suddenly started doing it nowadays, it might have sounded ridiculous. But somehow it was the right voice at the right time, making Latta one of the most iconic voice actors of all time.
7) James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, Star Wars
What is there to say? James Earl Jones' deep bass makes Darth Vader as much as his helmet does, but while his helmet represents the Dark Lord of the Sith's inhumanity, Jones manages to let the tortured soul of Anakin Skywalker eke out just enough emotion in his voice to remind Luke — and the audience — that the person in Vader was human once. And yet, Vader was even more terrifying when he was calmly using the Force to choke an Imperial officer he didn't like than when he was angrily barking orders.
8) Ron Perlman as Deathstroke, Teen Titans
Perlman has played many heroes and villains over his lengthy career, but if one voice performance stands above the rest, it has to be as the Teen Titans' long-time foe Slade Wilson, the character better known in the comics as Deathstroke. His monotone baritone seems as emotionless as HAL 9000, but without any pretense of warmth. His coldness makes him the perfect antithesis to the Titans, especially Robin — he's practically like Batman's dark doppleganger, one who treats Robin as a sort of son, even if he sometimes tries to kill him. His voice may be even, but the hate hidden inside it in anything but.
9) John Hurt as The Horned King, The Black Cauldron
Among today's pop culture fans, Hurt might be best known as Doctor Who's "War doctor," be he's won acclaim in countless roles for everything from The Elephant Man to Alien to The Naked Civil Servant. He's a phenomenal actor, that goes without saying. And as the incredibly spooky villain of The Black Cauldron, sounds like the voice of an undead lich from a deep, disturbed crypt. He doesn't even sound human any more — just an ancient being of pure evil. Even 30 years later, he makes all the bad guys' voices of the Lord of the Rings movies sound as intimidating as girl scouts in comparison.
10) Powers Boothe as Gorilla Grodd, Justice League
It's extremely likely that venerable character actor Powers Boothe is a really, really nice guy. I've certainly never heard anything bad said about him. But his voice sounds like the voice of a self-absorbed jerk — albeit one with the confidence and power to back it up It's served well in many roles, such as Deadwood, 24 and more, but never was it better utilized than as the hyperintelligent ape Gorilla Grodd. What should have been a character too ridiculous for modern audiences, Powers turned into a formidable foe, projecting just the right amount of power, superiority and conceitedness to make an evil, giant ape seem like a credible threat to the entire Justice League.
11) Eleanor Audley as Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty
Perfect. In a word, perfect. That's about the only way to describe Eleanor Audley as Maleficent. Her performance was almost jaw-dropping in its subtlety, but I cant imagine the talent needed to make the evil witch sound both human and mythic, whether she's sweetly offering a baby princess a gift or screaming with pure hate as she transforms into a terrifying dragon — she's the Platonic Ideal of villainess. Look, Sleeping Beauty is not one of Disney's greatest movies, and certainly not its most memorable, and yet Maleficent has somehow become the greatest Disney villain of all time. And we have Eleanor Audley to thank for that.
12) Frank Welker as Dr. Claw, Inspector Gadget
Along with Chris Latta, Frank Welker was one of the '80s great voice actors — if you needed a villain, they were your guys. Welker voiced Megatron in the Transformers cartoon among countless others, but the evil leader of the Decepticons doesn't hold a candle to the archenemy of bumbling detective Inspector Gadget. In a show that was designed to be goofy and completely lighthearted, Welker's Dr. Claw sounded like he'd crawled out of hell that morning and was ready to start burning people alive. His voice is insane. If Gadget wasn't totally silly in all other respects, this voice might still be giving us nightmares. |
Photo via GoFundMe Photo via GoFundMe
FOX 32 NEWS - The last time the Cubs were in the World Series, the Internet did not exist and there were no such things as GoFundMe campaigns to raise money.
Now, an Elgin man who attended the 1945 World Series is hoping a GoFundMe campaign can get him to another one.
“Phil Cavaretta was on first, Don Johnson was on second, Lem Murilla was short, Stan Hack was at third,” said Jim Schlegel.
The words don't come as easily as they did 71 years ago, but 97-year-old Jim Schlegel can still rattle off the Cubs starting lineup from the last Cubs World Series, in 1945. Schlegel was there for games six and seven. He'd been in the Army and was at Pearl Harbor in 1941. He came home to Chicago a few days before the 1945 World Series began, and he hopped a streetcar to Wrigley Field on the morning of game six, looking for tickets.
”I got there seven o clock in the morning, I went on Waveland Avenue, there was a short line already, so I just stood there in line, a policeman come by, and he says, soldier, what the hell are you doing here, and I said, I want to get in the game, he says, come here, you don't have to pay for a game, you're a soldier,” Schlegel said.
Lots of returning Servicemen got free tickets to the World Series that year. Schlegel's family is hoping he can make it to a game this time around. They're asking donors to contribute to a GoFundMe page. Their goal? Come up with ten thousand dollars, which is enough for one or two tickets. As for predictions, Schlegel doesn't see the Cubs losing the series, like they did 71 years ago.
“The Cubs will win it in seven. Or earlier. Alright?” Schlegel said.
Schlegel's family says the pledges have been coming in all day. One donor even offered them a ticket to one of the games in Cleveland. He said, no thanks, he wants to go back to Wrigley Field, just like he did in 1945.
Schlegel says his favorite players are Addison Russell, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. But he says Wilson Contreras might earn the series MVP.
By the way, the GoFundMe page, titled "Get my Grandpa to the World Series" has raised more than $3,700 so far.
The Cubs played the Detroit Tigers in 1945 for the World Series and ended up losing in seven games.
GoFundMe |
Former Rooster Teeth and Achievement Hunter contributor, David "Knuckles Dawson" Dreger has been found dead at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver. His body was noticed yesterday, according to a post by Dreger's family on the Facebook page that was setup to help find him. David's sister Danielle wrote on the page:
We are thankful that the prayers for discovery made by everyone during this time have been answered. It is with deep sadness that we must let you all know that David's body was discovered on June 20 near Ambleside Park. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers, support and compassion. David was an exceptional, bright, caring and loving young man. We consider ourselves blessed to have had him in our lives, and are comforted knowing that he is now embraced in the arms of our Lord.
Dreger, 28, was reported missing in late May after last being seen on May 26 in his hometown of Vancouver. His bike and helmet were found the day after in Stanley Park, and he left his wallet, computer and phone at home, as well as closing his Twitter and Xbox Live accounts. The cause of his death hasn't been released yet. |
Microsoft’s decision to wage a new war against Macs with premium Windows PCs is paying off, the company says. Thanks to high-end devices like the Surface Book and Surface Studio, Microsoft managed to steal market share from Apple last quarter.
For years, Windows desktops and notebooks have been seen primarily as a more affordable alternative to pricey Macs. PC manufacturers were mainly focused on delivering cheaper machines that opted for plastic over aluminum, and design was mostly an afterthought.
But that’s no longer the case. Microsoft now offers the Surface Pro and Surface Book — two devices that prioritize design, functionality, and specifications over low prices. HP, Dell, Asus, and others have also been rolling out laptops and 2-in-1s that take the same approach.
It’s now possible to buy Windows devices that are just as lightweight and pretty as the latest MacBook or MacBook Pro, and in many cases, they’re even more powerful. They also boast features like touchscreens and the ability to be used as tablets.
Just last year, Microsoft also unveiled the Surface Studio, an iMac-like all-in-one that looks just as good. It’s expensive at $2,999, but it has been an incredibly strong seller so far, thanks to its unique design that lets users fold down its display when they want to use touch input.
Microsoft says these machines are now successfully stealing market share from Apple.
Microsofts licensing business, which sells Windows to third-party PC makers, was up 5 percent last quarter, confirmed CFO Amy Hood during an earnings call on Thursday. The “non-pro” (consumer) market grew 5 percent, beating the overall decline of the PC industry.
“Our partner ecosystem continued to see growth and share gains in the Windows premium device category,” Hood continued. Those gains would have eaten into Apple’s share of that market, which has been dominated by Macs until recently.
There are other things that could have contributed to this, of course. Many long-time Mac users have been somewhat disappointed with Apple’s most recent releases, which come with big changes that not everyone is willing to embrace.
The lack of traditional USB ports and SD card slots in favor of USB-C has disgruntled some, while others have been put off by the new MacBook Pro’s 16GB RAM limit and its even steeper price tag.
Via: Business Insider |
The Stories You Missed in 2011
India’s Military Buildup
China’s new aircraft carrier — actually just a refitted Gorbachev-era Soviet model purchased for $20 million from the Russians — made international headlines when it began sea trials this year, signaling Beijing’s growing military ambitions in East Asia. But it isn’t the only Asian giant investing heavily in new military hardware. India has kept pace with its neighbor to the north and, in some areas, is actually exceeding it — a development that, though much less noted, is a sign of the growing militarization of the region as a new generation of emerging powers with global ambitions jockeys for regional supremacy.
India is now the world’s largest weapons importer, according to a 2011 report by arms watchdog SIPRI, accounting for 9 percent of the world’s international arms transfers — most from Russia — between 2006 and 2010. India will spend an estimated $80 billion on military modernization programs by 2015, according to an estimate from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
In particular, India is focusing on sea power, a crucial new area of competition. The country is planning to spend almost $45 billion over the next 20 years on 103 new warships, including destroyers and nuclear submarines. By comparison, China’s investment over the same period is projected to be around $25 billion for 135 vessels, according to data on both countries from maritime analysis firm AMI International.
On top of long-running tensions with Pakistan and festering insurgencies by Kashmiri separatists and Maoist rebels, India’s military planners are increasingly concerned about the prospect of military hostilities with China — hence the new focus on naval power. For now, the United States seems much more comfortable with India’s military ambitions than China’s. The Pentagon’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review welcomed “a more influential role in global affairs” for India, including in the Indian Ocean region. But there are some troubling signs that the area might not be big enough for two rising superpowers.
In August, an unidentified Chinese warship confronted an Indian amphibious assault ship near the coast of Vietnam and demanded that it explain its presence in Chinese waters (the encounter took place in a disputed part of the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam). Thankfully, the situation resulted in nothing more than some testy public statements from officials in all three countries, but it was yet another sign of an increasingly militarized Asian seascape.
SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images
‘New Europe’ Falls Out of Love with the Euro
For all the talk of Greeks and Italians seriously entertaining the thought of dumping Europe’s common currency in exchange for good old drachmas and lira, the more troubling indicator for the decade-old euro may be all the Eastern European countries that have pushed for years to be part of the monetary union but are now having second thoughts.
On Jan. 1, Estonia became the 17th country to adopt the euro, but it might be a while before it has company. Poland was due to join the eurozone in 2012, but that goal has been indefinitely postponed. (“If you base a monetary union on aspirations and being pro-European, you may have problems in 10 years,” Jan Filip Stanilko, a Polish analyst, told cnbc.com.) In April, Bulgaria’s center-right government pushed back a plan to join in 2013, citing the need for more preparation. Romania’s president also suggested its 2015 target date could be pushed back by “one or two years.” Latvia and Lithuania had been keen to follow Estonia into the eurozone as well, but both now say their current target dates are unrealistic, and Lithuania’s central bank chief has cautioned that membership is “not a must-have-or-die thing.”
Only two years ago, eurozone membership was being touted as a solution to Eastern Europe’s debt worries. A leaked IMF report even recommended that the process be accelerated, arguing that “euroisation” would not only help with the debt problem but also mean “removing uncertainty and restoring confidence.”
But these countries now worry about the straitjacket that being in a currency union has put on troubled European economies as they push to recover.
The shift in opinion in what U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld once defined as new Europe, where countries have long yearned for European integration, has been as rapid as it’s surprising. Membership in the EU club isn’t what it used to be.
KAY NIETFELD/AFP/Getty Images
Mexico’s Drug War Moves South
While the drug violence near Mexico’s northern border has become a major political issue in the United States, less noticed has been the disastrous effect the conflict is having on countries to the south. Drug mafias such as the Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, in search of new territory and looking to escape the Mexican government’s crackdown, are increasingly setting up shop in the politically fragile states of Central America.
With the addition of Belize and El Salvador this year, all seven countries in Central America are now on the White House’s list of major drug-trafficking states. Sixty percent of the cocaine that enters the United States through Mexico first travels through Central America, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Homicide rates in four of the seven countries have increased significantly in the last five years — in Honduras, they’ve more than doubled.
In May, Guatemala saw its worst massacre since the 1996 end of its civil war, when 27 people were decapitated by drug gangs in the country’s north. Entire regions are now effectively under the control of the Zetas, Mexico’s second-largest drug cartel, which has access to machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades and has even built its own airstrips in the jungle. The Guatemalan government launched a major military offensive against the Mexican cartels in the first few months of this year, but failed to expel them. There are widespread reports that a number of Guatemalan politicians are receiving kickbacks from the gangs or otherwise tied up in cartel activity.
Until now, the cocaine itself has been processed almost exclusively where coca is grown in the Andean region of South America. But in March, the first cocaine-processing lab ever discovered in Central America was found in Honduras. In El Salvador, which has also seen its crime rate skyrocket, Sinaloa and the Zetas are believed to have established alliances with local gangs such as the infamous Mara Salvatrucha.
This isn’t just Mexico’s drug war anymore.
JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images
Peak Camel?
Shortly before his death in 1960, English explorer and Arabist St. John Philby predicted that the camel would disappear from Arabia within 30 years. At the time, he was laughed at, but today, ultramodern Saudi Arabia is increasingly relying on camel imports, a shift that has had the largely overlooked effect of putting a strain on herds around the world.
The stock of meat-producing camels in the kingdom decreased from a high of 426,000 in 1997 to just 260,000 today, a drop of 39 percent, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Thousands of camels are slaughtered every year during the hajj pilgrimage — hence the need for imports.
But where to get them? The animals were once as common as squirrels in Pakistan, but the country’s camel population is now down to about 700,000 thanks largely to demand from the camel-racing industry in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. Overall, the Asian camel population decreased nearly 20 percent between 1994 and 2004.
The biggest winner has been Australia, which boasts the world’s largest remaining population of wild camels — descendants of the animals brought by British settlers from India in the 19th century — and has profited from the demand by shipping the animals to Saudi Arabia to be slaughtered for food.
In famine-plagued Somalia, there has been a reported mass die-off of camels — a source of transportation, livelihood, and sustenance for many families. Some tribesmen report losing more than half of their herds. In previous famines in Africa, camels have been considered an early warning system for human deaths. “Camels are the last animals to die, and once they start dying, it is only a matter of time before people start dying,” a Somali elder told the U.N.’s IRIN news service in 2009. Sadly, his observation has proved prophetic.
MICHAEL WITTE FOR FP
The U.S. Immigration Crackdown
As the 2012 Republican presidential candidates fight it out over who would best secure the U.S.-Mexico border and blast states for providing services to illegal immigrants, the White House has been quietly waging the toughest-ever campaign on undocumented immigrants. Despite U.S. President Barack Obama’s pledge to pass comprehensive immigration reform — a goal repeatedly stymied in Congress — deportations have reached all-time highs.
A record 392,000 undocumented aliens were deported in fiscal 2010, and this past fiscal year that number was nearly 400,000. As of October, almost 1.2 million people had been deported under the Obama administration, compared with about 1.5 million over the eight years of George W. Bush’s presidency. The administration has also been cracking down on the employers of illegal immigrants. Twice as many businesses were investigated in the first year of the Obama administration as in the last year of Bush’s term.
In August, under pressure from Hispanic groups, the administration announced new guidelines under which pending deportations will be reviewed and those who pose no threat to public safety and haven’t flagrantly violated laws will have their cases deferred. (These constitute about 50 percent of recent deportations, according to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.) The guidelines, however, still allow significant “prosecutorial discretion” to immigration officials to determine which immigrants are dangerous.
The administration’s strategy may have been to shore up Obama’s right flank before undertaking a sweeping overhaul of immigration law. As Napolitano put it, “Smart, resolute enforcement by the department can keep Americans safe, foster legal immigration to America, protect legitimate commerce, and lay the groundwork for a more comprehensive reform.” But with progress on an immigration bill in Congress looking unlikely anytime soon, for now it’s more stick than carrot.
Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images
Pakistan’s Other War
Baluchistan may be Pakistan’s largest province, covering nearly half the country’s land area, but the raging separatist violence in the region — sometimes called Pakistan’s secret war — gets only a fraction of the attention that the country’s other crises receive. Separatist groups, the largest of which is the Baluchistan Liberation Army, have been waging an insurgency since 2007 in the resource-rich province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan. It’s the fifth Baluchi uprising since Pakistan’s independence in 1947, and even by the country’s standards, the province appears increasingly out of control.
Baluchistan saw the highest number of militant attacks of any Pakistani province in 2010, and the trend has continued in 2011, with multiple bombings of key gas pipelines, the murder of Punjab settlers who have moved to the region, and the assassinations of several prominent politicians and oil-company employees.
The Pakistani state’s response has also been brutal. A Human Rights Watch report documented the killings of 150 people between January and June — mostly young men active in Baluchi separatist politics — in “kill and dump” operations that were likely carried out by Pakistani security forces. Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch’s Asia director, described the crackdown as an “abusive free-for-all” that calls into question the Pakistani government’s “willingness or ability to control the military and intelligence agencies.”
Baluchistan’s instability has international consequences. The Taliban, headquartered in the provincial capital of Quetta, use Baluchistan’s 800-mile-long border to slip in and out of Afghanistan. The sparsely populated region also provides safe haven for drug smugglers and Iranian rebel groups. The CIA is believed to launch drone strikes from bases in Baluchistan. And then, of course, there’s India, which Pakistan has repeatedly accused of funding the rebels, a charge India vehemently denies. The mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is an ethnic Baluchi, as is his nephew Ramzi Yousef, who plotted the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
For now, the Pakistani government is benefiting from the scant media attention given to the region and its problems. But it can’t be swept under the rug forever.
BANARAS KHAN/AFP/Getty Images
Piracy Goes Global
Somalia’s pirates are on pace for another record year in 2011, with 199 attacks as of October versus 126 over the same period in 2010. And unfortunately, modern piracy, thought to have been successfully contained elsewhere in recent years, is not a phenomenon confined to Somali privateers in the Gulf of Aden. Global piracy is back in a big way.
The hottest new zone for pirates is West Africa, whose oil-rich Gulf of Guinea has seen a spike in attacks this year. Nineteen attacks were reported off the coast of Benin in 2011, after none in 2010. There were also six off the Nigerian coast and three off the coast of Ghana. Many more likely go unreported. In October, the presidents of Nigeria and Benin held the region’s first ever head-of-state summit devoted to piracy.
West African pirates are a bit more traditional than their Somali counterparts — they tend to go after a ship’s cargo rather than kidnapping for ransom money. Sailors have been tied up, beaten with rifle butts, and whipped with electrical cables. In some cases, entire crews have been shot. Whereas Somalia’s piracy is often seen as a function of the country’s on-land instability, the same can hardly be said of Ghana, one of Africa’s most stable and peaceful democracies, with a projected growth rate of 13.5 percent in 2011. It’s thought that the region’s oil boom is proving a draw for modern-day pirates.
And it’s not just Africa. Indonesia’s International Chamber of Commerce reported this year that pirate attacks are at their highest level since 2007. Even Peru, where piracy is virtually unheard of, saw an attack this year on a Japanese fishing trawler by a gang of criminals calling itself the “pirates of the sea.” Overall, the first nine months of this year saw 352 attacks — a record level. In the past two years, the United States, Europe, and even China have launched military initiatives to battle piracy. But as the numbers show, the potential riches of high-seas crime make it very hard to stop the rise of new-age buccaneers.
Asia’s New DMZ
While the world was transfixed by events in the Middle East this February, a century-old territorial conflict in Southeast Asia briefly became a shooting war when Cambodia and Thailand came to blows over a long-disputed religious site, a clash that may foreshadow growing instability in an increasingly volatile region.
The two neighbors have long argued over ownership of the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in a quarrel dating back to the drawing of the border between Siam and then-French Cambodia in the early 20th century. In 1962, the U.N.’s International Court of Justice awarded ownership of the temple — originally Hindu, now Buddhist — to Cambodia, but Thailand has never completely accepted the judgment. In recent years, Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was prime minister from 2008 until last August, upped his aggressive rhetoric under pressure from the Thai nationalist “Yellow Shirt” movement and sent troops into the region.
From Feb. 4 to 16, the two sides continually exchanged artillery fire in the disputed area — each country claims the other started it — with as many as 28 people killed and thousands of civilians displaced. “This is a real war. It is not a clash,” proclaimed Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Thankfully, if it was a war, it was a very short and limited one. In July, the United Nations imposed a demilitarized zone around the temple and ordered both countries to withdraw their forces. The truce is being monitored by Indonesian observers, but the dispute has led some to argue that Southeast Asia’s regional body — ASEAN — needs its own peacekeeping force. Tensions have eased somewhat since Abhisit was voted out of office in favor of “Red Shirt” — backed Yingluck Shinawatra.
Although the crisis seems to have abated for now, it’s just one episode of a period of intense political turmoil for Thailand, a key U.S. ally in counterterrorism and counternarcotics campaigns. The country has seen large-scale and often violent demonstrations by the largely rural Red Shirts and the royalist Yellow Shirts, and is facing an insurgency in the south by Islamist militants who were accused by Amnesty International this year of perpetrating war crimes against civilians. The possible return of Yingluck’s brother Thaksin, the exiled former prime minister and business tycoon who is still wanted on corruption charges in his home country, is another potential flashpoint.
MAK REMISSA/EPA
The War on Nukes Stalls
Speaking in Prague near the beginning of his presidency, Barack Obama promised a renewed U.S. “commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.” At the end of last year, the administration achieved two of the planned steps toward that goal with the ratification of the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia and the hosting of a 47-nation conference on nuclear security. But progress on Obama’s other major pledge, a “new international effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world within four years,” has been much slower going.
The United States can’t account for 5,900 pounds of “weapon-usable” nuclear material that it once shipped overseas to help other countries’ civilian nuclear programs, according to a Government Accountability Office report issued in September. “Theoretically, we know [where the nuclear material is kept]. But we don’t have a good accounting of where it all is,” one source familiar with the report told Wired.
Budget-cutting in Congress may also be hampering the U.S. effort to secure dangerous nuclear materials, according to analysis by the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. A House bill this year would have slashed the White House funding request for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI), a program to secure nuclear facilities in the former Soviet Union, by $85 million. The GTRI funding was preserved in the Senate version of the bill, but Congress already cut $123 million from GTRI in 2011.
The threats in question are quite real. In June, six men were arrested in Moldova for trying to sell a kilogram of stolen uranium worth at least $20 million. There have been 500 cases of attempted cross-border smuggling of nuclear materials in the last 15 years, according to U.N. data. Many more likely go undetected. Meanwhile, a bill introduced in both the House and Senate in 2009 that would strengthen penalties for nuclear smuggling is still stuck in committee. Congress also shows no sign of endorsing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), an agreement signed 15 years ago by President Bill Clinton but never ratified. The administration has promised a renewed push to get CTBT passed but hasn’t set a date for bringing it before the closely divided Senate.
New START may have been progress, but the finish line of a world without nuclear weapons is still a long way off.
Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images
Rwanda’s Wrong Turn
In September, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bilateral investment treaty with Rwanda, the first such agreement with a sub-Saharan African country since 1998. The State Department praised the deal, calling it a demonstration of “Rwanda’s commitment to the economic reforms that will help enable sustainable economic development and opportunity.” Foggy Bottom hopes the agreement can be a model for similar treaties with other countries in the future.
Rwanda’s economic reforms have been widely touted as a rare African success story, with growth around 7 percent per year over the last five years. President Paul Kagame has also earned plaudits for his environmental initiatives and efforts to include women in government (they now make up more than 50 percent of the lower house of parliament). He visits the United States frequently and has become a fixture on the tony-conference circuit.
But disturbing signs have emerged about Kagame’s commitment to democracy. During the lead-up to last year’s presidential election — which the former Tutsi rebel leader won with 93 percent — the vice president of a major opposition party and the acting editor of a critical newspaper were murdered, prompting the United Nations to demand an investigation.
Over the last two years, Kagame’s regime has shut down critical newspapers, arrested key army officers, and jailed a prominent opposition politician on charges of genocide denial. A former Rwandan army chief living in exile in South Africa survived a second assassination attempt this year, and British police have warned Rwandan dissidents in London that they might be at risk.
The White House “expressed our concerns” about the election, but the U.S. administration has continued to stand up for Kagame, even pushing for the dismissal of a federal lawsuit against him. Washington has evidently chosen to throw in its lot with Kagame, who, for better or worse, has brought stability and steady economic growth to his country. But if political trends in Rwanda continue, that friendship could soon become a liability.
IAN LANGSDON/EPA |
You can now pay money to buy a smart salt shaker that you can control with your smartphone or an Amazon Echo. That’s probably because we’re going to turn everything we can get our hands on into a smart device, even if it seems super gratuitous.
Called the Smalt, the smart salt shaker can also play music through a bluetooth speaker, offers multi-colored mood lighting, and lastly, but perhaps most importantly, can dispense salt in any amount you choose via a connected app. It’s currently raising funds on Indiegogo, and so far 51 brave souls have backed it. The Smalt usually costs $199, but is currently available for an early-bird price of $99.
To use the Smalt app you can shake your phone or pinch the screen to dispense salt, which the shaker dumps into a removable tray at the base of the device. The shaker runs on rechargeable batteries that last for up to four hours. It can be used with or without a smartphone, though advanced functions like the shake, pinch, and pour options; mood lighting, and salt tracking are only available through the app. It has an LCD screen on the top of the shaker which you turn like a dial to access features. But one feature that’s sorely missing? It doesn’t grind salt. |
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage has fired a Des Moines worker over a 1963 incident at a Laundromat involving a fake dime in the wake of new employment guidelines.
Richard Eggers, 68, was fired in July from his job as a customer service representative for putting a cardboard cutout of a dime in a washing machine nearly 50 years ago in Carlisle, the Des Moines Register reported Monday.
Warren County court records show Eggers was convicted of operating a coin-changing machine by false means. Eggers called it a "stupid stunt," but questions his firing.
Big banks have been firing low-level employees like Eggers since new federal banking employment guidelines were enacted in May 2011 and new mortgage employment guidelines took hold in February, the newspaper said. The tougher standards are meant to clear out executives and mid-level bank employees guilty of transactional crimes — such as identity theft and money laundering — but are being applied across the board because of possible fines for noncompliance.
Banks have fired thousands of workers nationally, said Natasha Buchanan, an attorney in Santa Ana, Calif., who has helped some of the workers regain their eligibility to be employed.
"Banks are afraid of the FDIC and the penalties they could face," Buchanan said.
The regulatory rules forbid the employment of anyone convicted of a crime involving dishonesty, breach of trust or money laundering. Before the guidelines were changed, banks widely interpreted the rules to exclude minor traffic offenses and misdemeanors.
Wells Fargo confirmed Eggers' termination.
"The expectations that have been placed on us and all financial institutions have never been higher," said Wells Fargo spokeswoman Angela Kaipust.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. provides a waiver process employees can follow to show they're still fit to work at a bank despite a past criminal conviction, but it usually takes six months to a year to be approved. There is also a process for automatic waiver that works more quickly but is limited to people who were sentenced to less than year of jail time and never spent a day locked up.
Eggers, who was jailed two days, doesn't qualify.
American Bankers Association spokeswoman Carol Kaplan said the public clamor for tighter regulation also is responsible for the stricter interpretation of the rules. The safest route is to fire the employee and let them pursue an FDIC waiver.
"There's no question that there was an appetite for tighter bank regulation as a result of the global financial crisis," Kaplan said.
There is no government or industry data on the number of bank firings due to criminal background checks. The FDIC is on pace to grant 74 waivers, up from 21 waivers approved in 2009. The agency was not able to provide any information on annual waiver application data.
Des Moines attorney Leonard Bates is helping Eggers navigate the FDIC waiver application process.
"These guidelines are really meant for executives and people who can perpetuate widespread fraud," Bates said. |
South Alabama defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer is expected to be announced as a new member of Georgia's defensive staff, 247Sports' Josh Newberg first reported through sources.
(Photo by Scott Donaldson/University of South Alabama)
Dawgs247 has confirmed that Sherrer was called on Tuesday to meet with Mark Richt and the hire is a done deal, though not yet officially announced.
Sherrer (VIEW BIO HERE) has ties with new Bulldogs defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt dating back to time together on the staff at Hoover (Ala.) High School. Sherrer was hired at USA prior to this past season after serving on Alabama's support staff as director of player development from 2010-12.
He also served as a graduate assistant from 1998-2000 at Alabama before stints at high schools in the Birmingham, Ala., area. Nick Saban hired Sherrer from Hoover prior to the 2010 season to the director of player development role being vacated by Pruitt, who moved at the time to an on-field coaching role with the Crimson Tide.
Sherrer's specialty at USA was defensive backs, but that was more what was required by the makeup of that staff. He has not been assigned a title yet by Pruitt while the Bulldogs wait for the remainder of the defensive staff to be assembled, though it's likely that he will serve as a linebackers coach.
UGA is thought to still be in the market for a DL coach and a LB coach with one of the spots likely to focus on special teams as well.
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MORE ON SHERRER HIRE & UGA SEARCH (1:31 p.m.)
CLICK HERE FOR A FREE TRIAL TO Dawgs247 |
Cars The Shelby Daytona
One of my favorite cars of all time is the Shelby Daytona Coupe, it is not only an amazing car but one that is so great simply because it was built out of the drive and passion of competition. Shelby Daytona Coupes were entered in a number of races in 1964-65 through the British Alan Mann Racing Ford factory team, as well as a temporarily selling or leasing to other racing teams such as “Tri-Colore” of France and Scuderia Filipinetti of Switzerland. The cars were built with one purpose... to take on Ferrari and its 250 GTO in the GT classShelby Daytona Coupes raced in GT Division III, for engine displacements over 2000 cc. The Shelby Daytona Coupes, in their first year of competition, finished second (by 6 points) in GT III class for the 1964 World Sportscar Championship season. The Shelby Daytona Coupes won the GT III class (by 19 points) for the 1965 World Sportscar Championship season.A list of the Daytona's most important victories:1964 12 Hours of Sebring (GT class win, Dave MacDonald/Bob Holbert)1964 24 Hours of Le Mans (GT class win, fourth overall, Dan Gurney/Bob Bondurant)1964 RAC Tourist Trophy (GT class win)1964 Tour de France Automobile (GT class win)1965 24 Hours of Daytona (GT class win)1965 12 Hours of Sebring (GT class win)1965 Italian Grand Prix at Monza (GT class win)1965 Nürburgring 1000 km (GT class win)1965 12 Hours of Reims (GT class win, clinched 1965 World Sportscar Championship)1965 Enna-Pergusa (GT class win)1965 25 land speed records at BonnevilleAfter 1965 Ford focused on the GT40 program and the Daytona Coupes were retired, sold off, and some even became street cars for a time.Below are some of my favorite photos of the Daytona Coupes I have been able to photograph, many are replicas of course, but they are still incredibly special cars and always a rarity at car shows. |
For much of the Western world, physical pain ends with a simple pill. Yet more than half the world's countries have little to no access to morphine, the gold standard for treating medical pain.Freedom from Pain shines a light on this under-reported story. "For a victim of police torture, they will usually sign a confession and the torture stops," says Diederik Lohman of Human Rights Watch in the film. "For someone who has cancer pain, that torturous experience continues for weeks, and sometimes months on end."Unlike so many global health problems, pain treatment is not about money or a lack of drugs, since morphine costs pennies per dose and is easily made. The treatment of pain is complicated by many factors, including drug laws, bureaucratic rigidity and commercial disincentives.In India, the first stop in the film and the world's largest grower of medicinal poppy for developed countries, there are severe restrictions to the use of morphine domestically. In 27 out of 28 states in India, narcotics laws are so strict that doctors fear prescribing it, and patients literally scream for relief. Drug companies have little incentive to manufacture morphine for the domestic market because of reporting requirements and small profit margins.In the Ukraine, the film reveals that access to pain medication is halted by outdated, Soviet-style bureaucracy, arbitrary limits on doses, and a lack of oral morphine. As a result, many patients experience prolonged bouts of untreated pain, particularly in rural areas. In the Ukraine, we learn that Artur, a former decorated KGB colonel suffering from prostate cancer, sleeps with a gun under his pillow - his only way out, should he decide his pain is too great.Nadia, a single mother living in Kiev, tells of the anguish of living with a son in constant pain. Vlad, her son, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and sent home from the hospital with nothing but the meagre government dose of pain killers. Nadia recounts how his agony grew to the point where he once attempted suicide, nearly throwing himself from a fourth story window. It would be another three long years of mother and son battling with severe pain until Vlad died.Until the Ukrainian leadership acts to remove the barriers to palliative care, it falls to defiant individuals like Sergey Psiurnyk, a modern-day Robin Hood, to ensure that suffering people get the morphine they need. Riding with Psiurnyk as he makes his rounds, he says he risks years in jail to collect morphine from sick people who do not need it and deliver it to people who do.Overall, Freedom from Pain reveals that bureaucratic hurdles, and the chilling effect of the global war on drugs, are the main impediments to a pain free world. Patients will continue to suffer until global bodies actively work with countries to exclude medical morphine from the war on drugs, and change the blunt drug laws that curtail access to legitimate medical opiates worldwide. Uri Fedotov, the executive director of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, admits in the film that the war on drugs is cutting people off from pain medication, but offers little in the way of concrete proposals for changing the status quo.Lohman points out that inertia may be the greatest obstacle to improving access to morphine, and that pressure brought by doctors and human rights activists is critical to getting pain medication to the people who need it. That is what happened in Uganda, the final stop in the film. Dr Jack Jagwe, who served in that war-torn country's health ministry in the 1990s, worked closely with foreign doctors and the international community to put into writing that every citizen there should have the right to palliative care - a first in Africa.Uganda also changed its laws to allow nurses in rural areas to prescribe morphine - another first. Today, they visit people in pain and administer liquid morphine without any doctor's involvement. Uganda is seen as a potential model for pain treatment, but most improvements around the world have been small and localised, resulting from the efforts of "enterprising entrepreneurs" like Dr M. R. Rajagopal, a pioneer of palliative care. In India, medical morphine is readily accessible only in the small state of Kerala because of his unceasing efforts.With the help of his colleagues and the cooperation of the state drug controller, Rajagopal led the push to create a streamlined operating procedure for morphine licensing in Kerala. Now patients in desperate need of pain drugs have access and doctors do not fear strict penalties. Rajagopal, who has helped create a model for the rest of India, says what is desperately needed is "systematic evaluation of the problem ... in the developing world, and an action plan aimed at overcoming it".
Freedom from Pain was shot and produced by a team of students and teachers from the University of British Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism International Reporting Program (IRP). Peter W. Klein, an award-winning producer who is the director of the UBC School of Journalism and the IRP, led the project.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.
Watch more groundbreaking investigative documentaries Watch on Al Jazeera English at the following times:
Wednesday, March 21: 1730 DC, 0630 KL, 0130 Doha, 2230 GMT
Thursday, March 22: 0430 DC, 1730 KL, 1230 Doha, 0930 GMT
Friday, March 23: 2230 DC, 1130 KL, 0630 Doha, 0330 GMT
Saturday, March 24: 1130 DC, 0030 KL, 1930 Doha, 1630 GMT
Sunday, March 25: 1730 DC, 0630 KL, 0130 Doha, 2230 GMT
Monday, March 26: 0430 DC, 1730 KL, 1230 Doha, 0930 GMT
Tuesday, March 27: 2230 DC, 1130 KL, 0630 Doha, 0330 GMT
Wednesday, March 28: 1130 DC, 0030 KL, 1930 Doha, 1630 GMT
Source: Al Jazeera |
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The American Hockey League announced today that Jake Allen of the Chicago Wolves has been voted the winner of the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender for the 2013-14 season.
The award is voted on by coaches, players and members of the media in each of the league’s 30 cities.
Entering the final weekend of the regular season, Allen has a record of 32-16-3 in 51 appearances for the Wolves, helping them to a berth in the upcoming Calder Cup Playoffs.
Allen ranks first in the AHL in victories, goals-against average (2.07) and save percentage (.927) as he bids to become just the second goaltender since 1984-85 to lead the league in all three categories. Allen is also pacing all goalies in minutes played (3,078) and is tied for first with six shutouts on the season, while ranking second in both shots faced (1,447) and saves (1,341).
A 23-year-old native of Fredericton, N.B., Allen represented the Wolves at the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic in St. John’s in February, and was named a First Team AHL All-Star last week. Selected by St. Louis in the second round (34th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Allen was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team last season after a successful 15-game stint with the Blues. Allen has played 171 career AHL games with Chicago and Peoria over his four pro seasons, compiling a record of 83-74-10 with a 2.55 GAA, a .917 save percentage and 15 shutouts.
The Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award, which was first presented in 1984, honors former Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Baz Bastien, who played four seasons in goal with the AHL’s Pittsburgh Hornets (1945-49) before suffering a career-ending eye injury. Bastien would go on to serve as head coach and general manager of the Hornets, leading them to the 1967 Calder Cup championship. Previous winners of the award include Jon Casey (1985), Sam St. Laurent (1986), Mark Laforest (1987, 1991), Felix Potvin (1992), Corey Hirsch (1993), Manny Legace (1996), Martin Biron (1999), Dwayne Roloson (2001), Jason LaBarbera (2004, 2007), Ryan Miller (2005), Dany Sabourin (2006), Michael Leighton (2008), Cory Schneider (2009), Jonathan Bernier (2010), Brad Thiessen (2011), Yann Danis (2012) and Niklas Svedberg (2013).
In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of all players competing in the NHL are AHL graduates, and through the years the American Hockey League has been home to more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The 2013-14 regular season ends on Saturday, and then 16 clubs will continue to vie for the league’s coveted championship trophy when the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs get underway next week. |
The Fest is almost upon us and we couldn't be more excited over here at Punktastic. Celebrating its 15 year anniversary (woah), the seminal punk festival held annually in Gainesville, FL comes around each Halloween weekend and brings with it sunshine, beers, friends, hugs, smiles and some of the best music the punk/emo/hardcore scenes have to offer. There are hundreds of bands playing all weekend with something for everyone, but we've picked ten bands that we think you simply can't miss this year. Ready? Here we go:
Alaska
When: Sunday, 6:30pm – 7:00pm
Where: Palomino
Hailing from Henderson, Nevada, this four-piece plays a unique blend of math and post-hardcore that sets Alaska apart from a lot of their contemporaries. Since the release of their sophomore album ‘Shrine’ in October 2015, the band has relentlessly toured over the US and recently completed an EU/UK jaunt with the wonderful Gulfer from Montreal. With an incredibly intense live show, and one of the tightest drummers in the scene in Nick Strader (seriously, just peep this guy when you watch them), Alaska should be one of the first bands on your schedule. You won’t be disappointed.
Arms Aloft
When: Friday, 9:50pm – 10:30pm
Where: The Wooly
Fest veterans Arms Aloft return once more and bring with them a new record, the impeccable ‘What A Time To Be Barely Alive’. Released through a plethora of DIY labels all over the world, plus a US release with Red Scare Industries, the record sees Arms Aloft perfect the sound they’ve been crafting over the past nine (yup, nine) years. Each year, the show at Fest feels more and more like a homecoming party for these four scamps from the Midwest. You’re all invited, and you’ll have the best time. Come down, the bar isn’t gonna drink itself dry.
Cayetana
When: Sunday, 12:30pm – 1:10pm
Where: Bo Diddley Plaza
Philadelphia trio Cayetana were a breath of fresh air in the punk scene when they dropped their debut LP ‘Nervous Like Me’ back in September 2014. Fast forward two years and they’re opening the biggest stage on the final day of The Fest. Cayetana are clearly three best friends who are just having a blast playing music together and the fact this music is so goddamn good makes watching this band an unbelievably fun time. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face and help get you ready for the final day, there’s really no better way to start your Sunday than with Cayetana.
Frameworks
When: Sunday, 2:20pm – 3:00pm
Where: The Wooly
Another bunch of Gainesville natives, Frameworks will tear The Wooly down bright and early on Sunday morning. With their explosive blend of screamo, Frameworks are an unbelievably fun band to watch. Surrounded by a group of their friends and family in Gainesville, what better chance do you have of clearing that hungover than having your ears pummelled and body shaken by one of the best screamo bands around?
Free Throw
When: Saturday, 3:40pm – 4:20pm
Where: Cowboys
Last year at High Dive, Free Throw played one of the sets of Fest 14. There were kids crowdsurfing on top of each other, hands in the air and, for some weird reason, tons of Jello shots being launched at the stage (weird, huh…) This year at Cowboys is sure to see more of the same and Free Throw absolutely deserve your time. Always a heart-warming and collaborative show, Free Throw form a connection with the audience in a way that most bands can only strive for. A real and immediate bond is formed and, I promise you, you wanna be part of this. This band is doing something special.
Gouge Away
When: Friday, 7:10pm – 7:40pm
Where: The Atlantic
Gouge Away are one of the most important hardcore bands in the world right now. Yup, I know, I know, bold claim, but go watch them at Fest this year and you’ll understand why. Their debut album ‘, Dies’ (released in February this year) is a brutal, ferocious debut and announced Gouge Away to the world, kicking and screaming. Their live show lives up to the energy of their recorded material and if you only feel like watching one hardcore band this year, I beg you to make it Gouge Away.
Kamikaze Girls
When: Sunday, 5:50pm – 6:20pm
Where: Loosey’s
Kamikaze Girls have had a wild year. Releasing their debut EP ‘Sad’ to critical acclaim, the band went on tour all over the UK and Europe and are currently on a North American tour on their way down to Fest. Their emotional and honest take on mental health has won them fans across the globe, and rightly so. With an emotional, personal and evocative live show, Kamikaze Girls are confirming their place at the front of UK DIY punk scene and, if you’ve never had the chance to catch them before, rectify that mistake at Fest this year. They’ll make it worth your time.
Ratboys
When: Sunday, 3:10pm – 3:40pm
Where: Palomino
Chicago’s Ratboys just completed a two-month tour of Europe and the UK and are back on home soil, touring their way to and from Fest. Signed to the prolific Topshelf Records, the band play a wonderful mix of country-tinged indie and (despite how much of a mouthful that goddamn genre description is) absolutely delight every time they play. With a confidence and assuredness that can only come from months on the road, Ratboys will subtly but completely blow you away. Forging their own path in this alternative music scene we call home, Ratboys are making things happening and we’d all be wise to pay attention.
Vasudeva
When: Sunday, 3:50pm – 4:20pm
Where: Durty Nelly’s
Allegedly the only instrumental band playing at Fest this year, Vasudeva are more than worthy of your attention. The three-piece from New Jersey play a relentlessly groove-filled take on math-rock, with more than a handful of electronic and dance influences thrown in. Having previously toured with bands like Gulfer and Totorro and with a new album on the way, take your chance to see them now and get to be all smug and like “I saw them at Fest 15!” when your friend asks if you’ve heard this sick new album from that band Vasudeva.
The Winter Passing
When: Sunday, 5:00pm – 5:30pm
Where: Loosey’s
The Winter Passing are back at Fest once more and, man, aren’t we all just the luckiest? Currently writing a new record, the Dublin based band never fail to impress with their unique brand of indie-punk. Playing at the awesome Loosey’s on the Sunday, they’ll be sure to inject you with that final burst of energy to get you through the night. This band are real, real cool. You should listen to them.
Fest takes place at various venues around Gainesville, Florida between October 28th – 30th. Further information can be found at the official Fest website. |
UPDATE: Middletown superintendent William George III told the Asbury Park Press on Friday that the teacher has withdrawn his resignation , but offered no other details.
MIDDLETOWN — A popular Middletown South High School teacher was reportedly forced to resign after showing his class a viral HBO anti-Trump skit.
Joe Ventre was pushed out following complaints from some parents, the New York Post reported Friday , after he had his class watch the clip from John Oliver’s show, which lampooned the GOP presidential frontrunner and urged viewers to “Make Donald Drumpf Again.”
The move has sparked a backlash from Ventre’s student and parent supporters.
A online petition to #SaveMrVentre had gotten more than 2,362 signatures Friday morning.
“As a student in Mr. Ventre's history class I have learned more about life and history than ever before,” the petition, which was started by a student, says. “He has an extremely positive effect on the lives of students in and out of his classes."
Beth Titus, who signed the petition, said the “video was a fun teaching tool and it's a shame it's being seen as pushing a political agenda.”
“Nobody should be fired presenting a student a different opinion than they may receive at home,” Jacob Dean added.
Parents and students protested the move at a school board meeting earlier this week. School officials declined to comment on a personnel matter and Ventre did not immediately return a call for comment Friday morning.
Records show that Ventre is a registered Republican in Monmouth County.
Reaction on Twitter:
Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-438-1015 or email [email protected] . |
A unique synthesis of the latest findings in the quantum physics and chemistry of water that tells you why water is the “means, medium, and message of life” - more
Glyphosate/Roundup, falsely claimed by Monsanto to be safe and harmless, has become the world’s most widely and pervasively used herbicide; it has brought rising tides of birth defects, cancers, fatal kidney disease, sterility, and dozens of other illnesses - more
GM Microbes Invade North America
While the attention of the world is focused on genetically modified (GM) crops, GM microbes have been released for at least six years with little or no public awareness or debate. Prof. Joe Cummins reports.
A number of GM microbes are being widely deployed since their first release six years ago.
Sinorhizobium meliloti is a bacterium added to soil or inoculated into seeds to enhance nodule formation and nitrogen fixation in the roots of legumes. It was released for commercial production in 1997.
The other commercial GM microbes are designated as bio-pesticides. These include GM Agrobacterium radiobacter k1026, used to prevent crown gall disease in fruit and vegetable plants, and Pseudomonas fluorescens modified with a number of different Cry delta-endotoxin genes from different subspecies of Bacillus thruingiensis (Bt). The modified P. fluorescens cultures are killed by heat pasteurization and provides a persistent biopesticide preparation that degrades much slower in sunlight than Bt.
Neither the people selling nor those using the preparations are necessarily aware that the microbes are genetically modified, however. Even organic farmers may be using them inadvertently.
The legume symbiont, Sinorhizobium meliloti, is tremendously important for fixing nitrogen from the air into plant roots and the soil. Legumes signal to the bacterium by exuding flavonoids from their roots, activating the expression of nodulation genes in the bacterium, resulting in the production of Nod factors that regulate the formation of nitrogen fixing root nodules [1]. The S. meliloti genome has been fully sequenced. It is unusual in containing three chromosomes (or a chromosome and two very large plasmids), all of them contributing to the symbiosis with the plant roots [2]. The genetically modified commercial strain (RMBPC-2) has genes added that regulate nitrogenase enzyme (for nitrogen fixation) along with genes that increase the organic acid delivered from the plant to the nodule bacterium. It also has the antibiotic resistance marker genes for streptomycin and spectinomycin [3]. The commercial release was permitted in spite of concerns about the impact of the GM microbe on the environment.
Evidence supporting the initial concerns has accumulated but that has not dampened the use of the GM microbe. For example, a recent review reports that GM S. meliloti strains persisted in the soil for six years, even in the absence of the legume hosts. Horizontal gene transfer to other soil bacteria and microevolution of plasmids was observed [4]. Other studies showed that a soil micro arthropod ingested GM S. meliloti, and a GM E. coli in the arthropod gut facilitated gene transfer to a range of bacteria [5].
There is little doubt that the antibiotic resistance markers for streptomycin and spectinomycin will be transferred to soil bacteria and to a range of animal pathogens. For example, the resistance genes for streptomycin could be observed to transfer from their insertion as transgenes in plant chloroplast to infecting bacterium Actinobacter sp. [6] when homologous gene sequences were present.
The antibiotics spectinomycin and streptomycin are used extensively in human and animal medicine. Spectinomycin is used to treat human gonorrhea [7] and bovine pneumonia [8]. Streptomycin is used to treat human tuberculosis [9] and Menieres disease [10] and as a pesticide on fruits and vegetables [11]. Thus, the commercial release of GM Sinorhizobium meliloti has resulted in the establishment of the GM microbe in the soil in millions of acres of cropland, where it can spread antibiotic resistance genes for antibiotics that are extensively in use in medicine and agriculture.
Agrobacterium radiobacter k1026 [12] is a bio-pesticide derived from A. radiobacter k84, a natural bacterium used to control the crown gall disease of fruits and ornamental trees and shrubs. Crown gall disease is due to the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens that causes tumors to form on the plant stems, and is the most common vector employed in plant genetic engineering.
GM Agrobacterium radiobacter releases a chemical warfare agent bacteriocin (agrocin) against A. tumefaciens. Bacteriocin is a novel nucleic acid derivative that prevents the crown gall tumors from forming in the infected plants. The GM A. radiobacter has an engineered deletion in the genes controlling plasmid transfer so that the male bacterium cannot transfer its plasmid, but it can act as a female to receive a plasmid transfer. However, recent research suggests that retrotransfer of genetic material can occur from female recipient to male donor bacterium [13].
Pseudomonas flourescens strains modified with Cry delta endotoxin genes from Bacillus thuringiensis are killed before being marketed [14]. The killed GM bacteria are more persistent than are the conventionall B. thuringiensis sprays. The main fallacy in the approval of these biopesticides is to suppose that bacteria cannot enjoy sex (conjugation) after death, they do.
Soil bacteria are also easily transformed with cell lysates (squashed dead cells) and function in their genetically modified form in soil microcosms [15]. P. fluorescens and A. tumefacians are both transformed in soil [16]. Soil Pseudomonas and Actinobacter can also take up genes from transgenic plants [17]. So, the combination of transgenic crops and GM biopesticides can create genetic combinations capable of devastating the soil microflora and microfauna.
In conclusion, GM microbes have begun to be ubiquitous invaders of the North America ecosystem. This massive invasion took place with little or no public awareness and input, and with very little monitoring of the impact of the invasion. The environmental risk assessments of the commercial microbes were rudimentary and frequently erroneous. We may have a bio-weapons equivalent of a time bomb on our hands.
Article first published 24/04/03
References
Schultze M and Kondorosi A. Regulation of root nodule development Ann. Rev Genet 1998, 32, 33-57. Galibert F. et al (55 authors). The composite genome of the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti Science 2001, 293,668-72 INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY "ISB News Report" May 1998 http://www.nbiap.vt.edu/news/1998/news98.may.html Morrisey J, Walsh U, ODonnel A, Moenne-Laccoz Y, and OGara F. Exploitation of genetically modified inoculants for industrial ecology applications. Antonie von Leewenhoek 2002, 81,599-606 Hoffman A, Thimm T and Tebbe C. Fate of plasmid bearing luciferase marker gene tagged bacteria after feeding the soil microarthropod Onychiurus firmatus (collembolan). FEMS Microbiology Ecology1999, 30,125-35. Kay E, Vogel T, Bertolla F, Nalin R, and Simonet P. In Situ transfer of antibiotic resistant genes from transgenic tobacco plants to bacteria. Applied and environmental microbiology 2002, 68, 3345-53 Center for Disease Control (CDC). Shortage of spectinomycin. JAMA 2001, 286,40 Poumarat F. Efficacy of spectinomysin against Mycoplasma bovis induced pneumonia in conventionally reared calves. Veterinary Microbiology 2001, 80, 23-35 Drug description "streptomycin in tuberculosis" 2003 http://www.atdn.org/access/drugs/stre.html Peng A, Lu Y, Ren J, and Chen Z. Evaluation of the effect of streptomycin perfusion of the labyrinth in the treatment of Menieres disease and endolymphatic hydrops. Lin Chuang Er Bi Yan Hou Ke Za Zhi 2000, 14,438-9 Extension Toxicology Network "Streptomycin-pesticide information profile" 2003 http://ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/pips/streptom.htm EPA fact sheet "Agrobacterium radiobacter k1026 1999 http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/ingredients/tech_docs/tech_006474.htm Kado CI. Horizontal transmission of genes by Agrobacterium Species. In Syvanen M and Kado CI. Eds. Horizontal Gene Transfer 2nd edition, Academic Press, 2002, London. EPA registered biopesticides "Nonviable microbial pesticides" 2002 http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/cb/ppdc/2002/regist-biopes.htm Nielsen K, Smalla K and vanElsas J. Natural transformation of Actinobacter sp strain BD413 with cell lysates of Actinobacter sp, Pseudomonas fourescens and Burkoklderia cepacia in soil microcosms" Applied and environmental microbiology 2000, 66, 206-12. Demaneche S, Kay S, Gourbiere F and Simonet P. Natural transformation of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Agrobacterium tumefaciens in soil. Applied and environmental microbiology 2001, 67, 2617-21 deVries J, Meier P, and Wackernagel W. The natural transformation of soil bacteria Pseudomonas stuteri and Actinobacter sp. By transgenic DNA. FEMS Microbiology Letters 2001, 195,211-15 |
People wait in line to vote in the Arizona Presidential Primary Election at Mountain View Lutheran Church in Phoenix, Ariz., Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT The Associated Press
By BOB CHRISTIE, Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) — Bruce Weiss stewed after waiting 2½ hours in line outside a downtown Phoenix polling place, where juice drinks, snacks and circus animal cookies were handed out by citizens hoping to pacify thousands who turned out to cast ballots in Arizona's presidential primary.
The scene was repeated Tuesday as thousands stood in lines that wrapped around sidewalks at churches, community centers and government buildings after the number of places to vote were cut back as a cost-savings measure. Some voters took shelter from the sun under umbrellas. Others brought lawn chairs. Still others gave up and went home. The last voters entered polling spots after midnight.
"It's like a complete, total failure of government," Weiss said.
Waits dragged on as long as five hours in Maricopa County — home to metro Phoenix and 1.2 million voters eligible to cast ballots — but where only 60 polling places were open.
By Wednesday, the mayor of Phoenix said the cutbacks were about more than saving money. Mayor Greg Stanton, a Democrat, called for a federal investigation into whether election officials illegally put fewer polling locations in poor or minority-heavy areas.
Stanton in a letter to the Justice Department also cited examples of other policies adopted by elections officials and the state Legislature that have created "a culture of voter disenfranchisement."
Arizona's Republican governor called the primary day foul-ups "unacceptable," and others demanded the resignation of the county's top elections official, Recorder Helen Purcell.
Purcell initially put the blame on voters, stirring a clamor on the Internet. Her name was a trending topic on Twitter. But Wednesday she backtracked, saying she failed to anticipate the effect of intense voter interest on primary turnout.
"I made bad decisions based on the information I had, obviously, or we wouldn't have had long lines," Purcell told The Associated Press.
In the 2012 presidential primary, there were 200 places for voters to cast ballots in the county, which is heavily Republican. By comparison, Pima County — home to more liberal Tucson, Arizona, and a quarter of Maricopa County's population — had 124 voting locations Tuesday.
Ramped-up interest in the presidential primary was also seen Tuesday in Idaho and Utah, where results were delayed as throngs of voters packed caucus sites. Republican and Democratic party officials predicted record turnouts but still underestimated the crowds.
Three-fourths of the Democratic caucus sites in Utah ran out of ballots, sending workers to nearby stores to print more ballots or voters home to bring back reams of paper or even a home printer at one site.
But the biggest outcry was from Arizona.
Shrinking the number of voting spots in the Phoenix area was meant to save $1.5 million, officials said. But other factors that contributed to the fiasco — which saw Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump breeze to victories in Arizona — were the growing number of mail-in ballots the county recorder has seen in the last decade.
When Phoenix news station Fox 10 asked Purcell who to blame for Tuesday's problems, she said, "Well, the voters for getting in line. Maybe us for not having enough polling places or as many as we usually have."
On Wednesday, she complimented voters.
"I don't ever want to deny a voter the ability to vote. I think it's great they turned out in large numbers."
In addition to drawing the ire of fellow Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, Purcell was slammed by Democrats and civil rights proponents, who called the lines the latest sign that the state was making voting for minorities and the poor more difficult.
Teresa Jimenez said she waited in line for nearly two hours in a heavily Hispanic neighborhood on the west side of Phoenix, only to have election officials close the site around 7 p.m. with people still waiting. She went home without voting.
Jimenez said the mood in the line was upbeat as voters — many of them Latino — were excited to cast ballots, but that enthusiasm was crushed when the site was closed.
"It was kind of a depressing site," said Jimenez, a medical assistant and single mother who wanted to vote for Clinton. "Everyone was so happy. Some were first voters. We're all happy and glad we're here. We're going to make a change, but for what?"
State Rep. Reginald Bolding, a Democrat and the only black member of the Legislature, said he visited four county polling places and said what he saw "was disheartening."
"You saw individuals who were seniors, handicapped, you also saw individuals who had to spend their entire workday waiting in line to cast a vote," Bolding said. "And this was directly due to the county recorder's negligence in cutting the polling locations in Maricopa County from 200 to 60 locations."
He said while he didn't suspect the efforts were intended to suppress turnout, combined with cuts in election funding and new laws passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature, he sees a pattern.
"When you start to put all of these different voter-suppression mechanisms in a line, it's hard to believe that this is all coincidental," Bolding said.
Candidates crisscrossed the state with campaign rallies in the days leading up to the election, which intensified voter interest. Added to the mix were independent voters ineligible because they weren't registered with a party, some of whom who lined up anyway and were eventually issued "provisional" ballots.
Ducey suggested one way to fix the problem is by allowing independents who make up the largest voting bloc in the state to vote in presidential primaries.
"A big part of yesterday's problem was registered voters showing up, and being told they couldn't vote," Ducey said. "That's just wrong."
The messy elections also added to a debate in Arizona and Utah about the costs of holding presidential nominating contests. Arizona leaders want to do away with their primary and make parties pay for the nominating contest. Utah lawmakers decide every four years whether they want to pay for a presidential primary and let the state run elections, or leave the cost_and operations_to the parties.
___
Associated Press reporters Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City and Josh Hoffner and Ryan Van Velzer in Phoenix contributed.
— This story has been corrected to show Pima County had 124 polling locations Tuesday, not 134. |
Cliff Owen/Associated Press
Former four-division world champion boxer Adrien Broner announced his intention to vote for Donald Trump as the next president of the United States in an interview with Power 105.1 FM's The Breakfast Club Wednesday.
As seen in this video of the interview featuring Charlamagne Tha God and Angela Yee, courtesy of TMZ Sports, Broner cited Trump's plan to lower taxes as the primary reason for his endorsement of the Republican candidate:
The 26-year-old defeated Ashley Theophane in his most recent fight on April 1 by knockout, but he was stripped of the WBA light welterweight title prior to the bout for failing to make weight.
Aside from his presidential endorsement, Broner has been in the news quite often recently. He served 10 days in jail in April for violating his probation in relation to a 2015 drunk driving arrest, per TMZ Sports.
In addition to that, Broner called out retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. following his victory over Theophane, according to David P. Greisman of BoxingScene.com (warning: Article contains uncensored language):
Y'all probably know about this. Somebody I look up to, somebody that I admire, took the chance to do an interview and talk all bad about me. Now I don't know how y'all look at it, but I'm a man who learn s--t from physical activity—so Floyd, you've got to come see me. You gotta see me, point blank period. I'm a man at the end of the day and I come from the streets, the trenches, I came from nothing, water and cornflakes. I will never let another man disrespect me. I don't care if we sparring or fighting. Let's get it on.
While Mayweather has left the door open for a return to the ring, per an interview with Showtime's Jim Gray (h/t ESPN.com's Dan Rafael), there has been no indication that he will fight Broner, even if he does attempt a comeback.
In Mayweather's absence, Broner appears to have developed into boxing's most controversial figure and often finds ways to stay in the headlines.
Trump is quite divisive in his own right, so Broner's desire to see him occupy the White House is fitting.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter. |
France has become the first country openly to admit it has supplied the Libyan rebels with weapons – a measure banned by the UN Security Council. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has labeled the move as a major violation of the UN resolution.
“We have asked our French colleagues if the statement about weapon supply from France to the Libyan rebels is true,” Lavrov said. “We are waiting for the answer. If that is proved to be true, that would be a major violation of the UN resolution 1970.”
The move was also condemned by the African Union, while China indirectly objected to it.
A French military spokesman, Colonel Thierry Burkhard, said the arms, including machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, as well as munitions, were parachuted in to besieged rebels.
According to the official, the deliveries took place in early June in the western Nafusa Mountains, when Gaddafi's forces encircled the civilians and refused to allow a humanitarian aid corridor there, AP reported on Wednesday.
Chairman of the African Union Jean Ping has condemned the move in an interview with BBC, saying it threatens to put the entire region at risk.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei indirectly opposed France’s actions on Thursday, saying that countries should avoid actions that go beyond UN Security Council directives.
Spokesman for the rebels Mahmoud Jibrilm who is now in Austria, said more weapons are needed to fight against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. He also said the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council needs large amounts of money from foreign sponsors to fund its programs for civilians.
Meanwhile the UK on Thursday said that it is supplying body armor to the rebels. Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK was offering 5,000 sets of body armor, 6,650 police uniforms, 5,000 high-visibility vests and communication tools to Benghazi. The equipment is meant for the rebel police.
“Armed rebels are not civilians, which the UN wants to protect”
France has been among the main powers behind the NATO-led air campaign, officially aimed at protecting civilians from assaults by Gaddafi's forces. However, many view a change of regime in Libya as the main reason of the alliance’s involvement in the country.
The Libyan National Transitional Council last week also received its first tranche of financial help from the international community to the amount $100 million, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague announced on Wednesday. The rebels are receiving funds from several nations including the US, the UK, Italy and France.
The UN Security Council resolution 1970, which was adopted on February 26, imposed an arms embargo on the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, preventing weapons from being supplied to anyone in Libya. The UN Security Council resolution 1973, which established a no-fly zone over Libya, allowed NATO countries “to take all necessary measures… to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.”
As the unrest has been continuing in Libya since mid-February, the fighting between the forces of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and the rebels, backed by the NATO forces, seems to have reached a stalemate.
France’s admission to arming rebels undermines the whole reasoning behind the bombing campaign, says John Laughland, the director for the Institute of Democracy and Co-operation in Paris.
“The argument, as we know, war predicated on the accusation that Libyan government was attacking civilians. The admission that France war arming the rebels is very obviously an admission that what’s going on in Libya is a fight between the government and armed rebels, and armed rebels are not civilians. So any attack on the armed rebels in Libya is therefore not necessarily a war crime. In other words this news is not only incompatible with the case that’s being made for the war in Libya, it completely contradicts it,” he told RT.
George Kenney, a former US diplomat, said that France had also apparently shipped a couple of light tanks to the rebels, and that this would only lead to more problems later.
“That was very foolish on the part of France. We do not know who these rebels are. We do not know what they are going to do with these weapons. And I would suspect that some significant percentage of the weapons will find their way into the hands of terrorists and will just become another problem for us to have to deal with later on.” |
Whatever the outcome of the leadership election, we know that there will be many in our party who are disappointed with the result. Someone winning inevitably means that others will have lost.
It will take time for wounds to heal – particularly after a fractious contest. That is why it’s vital we choose a deputy leader who can unite the party. Someone who can rise above the divisions and bring us together to focus on the real fight of challenging this divisive Tory government.
I back Stella Creasy as the unity candidate for deputy leader because whoever wins the leadership race, I believe she can do this job – and do it with compassion, vision and integrity.
She has drawn praise from all parts of our movement and spoken clearly of the need for Labour to move on from the tribalism that has plagued our past and could risk our future.
She is supported by MPs who back each one of the four leadership candidates, demonstrating her broad appeal and ability to work with everyone. And Stella is the choice for deputy leader that would enthuse and inspire Labour members – as shown again in recent days by a LabourList poll of party supporters.
A vote for Stella can help guarantee that Labour will not have an all-male leadership team. For that to come to pass in this day and age would send a terrible signal about Labour being stuck in the past rather than a modern campaigning force ready to face the future.
Stella will help ensure that we can draw on the broadest range of support inside and outside Parliament. Like myself, she is part of a new group of politicians in the Labour Party, elected from 2010 onwards. We’ve only ever sat on the opposition side of the House of Commons and share a deep desire for this to change.
However, the scale of the challenge is so great that ‘business as usual’ just won’t cut it. Now is the time to think radically about how we work – and this is where Stella really stands out. She has bold ideas about how we campaign in the future, how we harness technology and find genuine ways to engage with people.
Her award-winning, law changing campaign on Wonga highlighted her natural abilities in this field. And as part of her deputy leadership campaign she’s delivering campaign training sessions across the country. She’ll prioritise renewing Labour as a movement, not a machine.
I have been particularly struck by how popular she is with Labour Party members outside our traditional activist base – demonstrating her ability to be heard above our internal chatter and really connect with people. These members are our greatest asset and I know that Stella will be able to offer them the support and motivation they need and deserve.
Stella is tough and a woman of real substance and principle. But what I admire most is her ability to deliver. I have great faith that when she pulls the levers, something actually happens. That’s what we need in a deputy leader. Vision alone is nothing without the ability to implement it.
Stella is undoubtedly the candidate who can help build a better Labour Party that we all want to be part of. However you decide to vote in the leadership election, I urge you to support Stella to be our next deputy leader. |
Interest Payments Per Year $1,367,580,000 Interest Payments Per Second $43 National Debt Per Citizen $29,961 Debt as % of GDP 115.65% GDP Of Cyprus $21,942,080,611 Cyprus Population 847,008
The National Debt Of Cyprus
As part of the EU, Cyprus is monitored by Eurostat, which collects statistical data on member states, including that of national debt. Eurostat measured Cyprus’s national debt at 97.5% of GDP at the end of 2017. The IMF uses a slightly different measurement method for national debt. That organization stated the gross national debt to GDP ratio of Cyprus was 99.3% and the net debt to GDP ratio was 81.2% at the end of 2017. The Cypriot government itself calculated its debt to GDP ratio as 98.4% at the end of 2017.
Gross debt sums up all of the money owed by all levels of government in the country. Net debt reduces that figure by deducting from the debt the value of the assets held by the government.
The national debt of Cyprus is high. It also has some unusual characteristics — the country has the highest percentage of debt held by non-residents of all the countries monitored by Eurostat at 82.2%. The extraordinary debt figures of Cyprus are the results of a banking crisis that occured in the country from 2012 to 2013. The country is still recovering from the effort that its government had to go to in order to solve the problems created by banking debt.
The Cypriot banking crisis
Leading banks all across the globe ran into a liquidity crisis in 2008. Cyprus wasn’t excessively affected by this event. However, the problem of the world’s banking sector eventually hit Cyprus.
The core of the 2008 crisis lay in over leveraged property development and banks extending mortgages to those who struggled to make payments. This problem continued to run in Cyprus and the lowered economic activity in the developed world that resulted from the 2008 crisis collapsed the Cypriot property market in 2012. Fewer international buyers of vacation properties resulted in lower sales figures for Cypriot developers, a property overhang, falling property valuations, and bankruptcies.
When Cyprus’s banks were left with unpaid loans to bankrupt property developers, they became unable to cover the loans that they had taken out internationally to provide funds locally. Cypriot banks had invested in Greek government debt. When the government of Greece faced a crisis in 2011, the EU and IMF bailout conditions demanded a “haircut” in the value of Greek government bonds. This meant that holders of Greek government debt had to accept a halving in face value of their bond holdings. This pushed Cypriot banks further towards insolvency.
The losses of the banks meant that they wouldn’t be able to pay back bank account holders in case all customers decided to withdraw their funds. This situation risked bankrupting the government, which had given depositor guarantees for all of the country’s banks.
The fact the many of Cyprus’s banks were owned by the banks of other European countries, that the parent banks had provided large loans that were unlikely to be paid back, and the fact that Cyprus is part of the Eurozone meant that Cyprus’s banking crisis became a problem for other European countries as well.
The Republic of Cyprus had to bail out its banks with the assistance of EU funds and the IMF. This problem increased the country’s national debt from a debt to GDP ratio of 65.7% at the end of 2011 up to 109.4% by the end of Q3 2016. The country has been improving its debt positions since then, but it still has a long way to go before it will have paid off all of the debts accumulated during 2012 and 2013.
Cyprus’s debt profile
The difficulties of the banks of Cyprus meant that they could not raise funds from international loans. The necessity of forcing haircuts on the holders of both Greek and Cypriot government debt made it impossible for the country to raise any more debt by selling bonds to traders. So, the debt profile of Cyprus changed from one that issued bonds in order to finance a government deficit, to one that need to seek intergovernmental loans.
Cyprus’s priority of paying down its IMF and European assistance loans means that the prospect of increasing the national debt is not a medium-term goal. Instead, the government is focused on reducing the national debt.
The table below shows how the debt profile of Cyprus has changed because of the 2012-2013 bank bailout. These figures are from the PUblic Debt Management Office of Cyprus and the numbers shown represent millions of Euros.
Debt Type 2010 2017 A. DOMESTIC 12,701.4 11,297.2 B. FOREIGN 5,793.3 15,588.7 1. Long-term Loans 1,000.6 10,649.1 Budgetary Central government 822.4 10,636.2 of which IMF Loans 0 676.4 ESM Loans 0 6,300 of which financial sector recapitalisation 1,500 Other 0 Local Authorities Loans 128.7 0 Semi-government organisations 49.6 12.9 2. Medium-term Securities (E.M.T.N.) 4,550 4,710.6 Social Security Funds 341.3 204 3. Short-term Securities (E.C.P.) 242.7 0 4. EFSF 0 229 C. UNCONSOLIDATED GENERAL GOVERNMENT DEBT 18,494.7 26,885.9 D. CONSOLIDATED GENERAL GOVERNMENT DEBT 10,862 18,724.7 % of GDP 56.3 98.4
As these figures show, the domestic debt of the Cypriot government has not changed much in the seven years between the end of 2010 and the end of 2017. However, the overall debt has increased by about 8 billion Euros. All of this amount was sourced from loans and not through bonds.
The repayment tasks of the government of Cyprus was made harder by the high cost of emergency debt.
Who manages Cyprus’s national debt?
The Ministry of Finance is in charge of organizing the government’s budget which is the ultimate source of further debt in the country. This department is answerable to the country’s parliament. However, the Ministry does not implement its own debt policy. Instead, the Public Debt Management Office is tasked with managing the country’s national debt.
The Public Debt Management Office’s task is to get that public debt down. Part of that responsibility lies in reducing the cost of servicing that debt by paying down high interest loans by taking out lower cost debt. This strategy saves the country money, thus free up more funds to pay down more debt.
The graph below shows the success of the PDMO’s strategy to reduce the cost of the debt.
How does the Cypriot government raise loans?
The previous “haircut” imposed on bond holders makes the trader community wary of buying Cypriot government bonds. However, there are some investment instruments that the PDMO can use to raise lower cost loans. These are:
Short-term finance
Guaranteed debt obligations
Short-term instruments reduce the risk of default because traders tracking the health of developing problems would be able to end their involvement before any credit event could evolve. The PDMO is able to sell 13-week Treasury bills. These instruments do not pay interest. However, they are sold at a discount and redeemed at full face value.
For long-term financing, governments usually offer bonds. Although the trader community has no appetite for Cypriot government bonds at the moment, the PDMO is able to sell 6-year bonds to three different sectors. These are:
6-year Retail bonds
10-year Euro Medium Term Notes (EMTN)
Private bond placement
Retail bonds are not tradeable on any secondary market. However, members of the public who buy them have the right to cash them in with 30 days notice.
The EMTN program is a method of placing Cypriot government bonds under other legal jurisdictions, making it impossible for the government of Cyprus to change the law and cancel or reduce its obligations to the holders of those bonds. These bonds are subject to English law and are tradeable on the London Stock Exchange. This form of instrument has been the most successful device for the PDMO to raise cheaper debt for the government of Cyprus.
The PDMO has also issued bonds as a form of debenture to secure private loans from banks and foreign governments.
What facts should you know about Cyprus’s national debt? |
One of my Monday morning rituals is to check out Postsecret and peruse the week’s selection of postcard confessionals. A former co-worker turned me on to the voyeurism of this blog almost 6 years ago now. When I was first introduced to the blog and read each of these confessions (they’re not really secrets if you think about it) what struck me was the consistency and repetitions of certain themes. Granted, Postsecret selects for what’s going on seasonally so you’ll get family confessions around the holidays, sex confessions around Valentine’s Day, and the ubiquitous “my father was a no good sonofabitch” secrets around Father’s Day.
However, it’s during the off weeks, when there is no impending holiday or no important world events (like a mass shooting of innocent children) that the themes and regularity of confession really solidify when you pay attention. I’ve used a select few of these secrets as header pictures for a handful of my posts, but my secret is that I’ve made a habit of keeping tabs on a specific themes of postsecrets this year. So, from the selections I’ve collected below, see if you can figure out my secret themes,..
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With real estate prices out of reach for the average citizen in Vancouver, some are resorting to renting pricey closets. This quaint den/closet is offered at $600/Month with everything included (hydro, internet, & heat). Do closets even have heat registers? You’ll also have access to the living room, kitchen, and bathroom in case you get a little stir crazy.
Available now is this furnished “den” with a single bed & wardrobe. The ad says, “Room is exactly how it shows in the pic.” It can be yours for $550/Month.
This tight closet with no windows is being passed as a den in the ritzy TV Towers on Robson Street. It can be yours for $490/Month. The ad says, “Den has a private bed and desk.” You can get a real sense of size when you compare the size of the room to that giant looking Corn Flakes box.
This furnished “den” is being advertised at $490/Month in the Firenze building on Abbott Street in Vancouver, BC. It comes with a single bed, desk, hanger, and drawer. The ad says, “Enough for 1 person to live in.”
For $430/Month you can get this roomy utility closet which is fitted with the condos electrical panels. Perfect for those nights when the breaker goes, you’ll have easy access to switch it back on. In addition to the $430/Month, you’ll need to pay a $215 one time damage deposit fee, you know, in case you ding the walls of the closet.
See four more closets to rent in Vancouver, BC here! |
As the White House and congressional leaders woo votes to authorize military intervention in Syria, certain lawmakers serve as important bellwethers — and potentially critical components — to the math of 218.
Military action in Syria is, ultimately, a policy vote. But it is also, inescapably, a political one.
Voting against Syria could forever mar a Republican as soft on defense, just as voting for it could brand a Democrat a war hawk. And how members vote could play roles in leadership elections down the line. Elections could be won or lost and legacies built or dashed based on this vote — and lawmakers know it.
There are many votes that could be insightful gauges: Kosovo, Libya, perhaps even the fiscal cliff.
But the last time the White House and Republican and Democratic leadership were on the same side of a key vote was the National Security Agency amendment from Michigan Republican Justin Amash. The NSA amendment pitted libertarian Republicans and liberal Democrats against establishment lawmakers concerned with national security. It came within seven votes of adoption.
It was also the first time a majority of Democrats sided against President Barack Obama on a national security issue. And, as one Democratic aide put it, Democrats learned that “the sky won’t fall” if they vote against Obama.
Another way to handicap the vote is by looking at individual legislators.
These 20 so-far-undecided House lawmakers are ones to watch:
Republicans
Kevin McCarthy of California
The No. 3 Republican in the House has yet to decide if he’ll join Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va. He probably will, but his reluctance already indicates just how tough a vote this could be. And the last thing Boehner and Obama need is the guy in charge of counting votes not on the team.
Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin
Ryan, the proverbial GOP thought-leader, carries a great deal of weight in the House. Like McCarthy, he will probably side with leadership. But this vote also will be one of the defining ones heading into the 2016 presidential race, should he make a run.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington
The No. 4 Republican still hasn’t said which way she is leaning, but if she sided against Boehner and Cantor, it would be significant.
Her staff says she is “carefully considering” intervention and she is “awaiting final legislative text,” so she is unlikely to announce her position soon. McMorris Rodgers will likely have a strong sense of how Republicans are leaning when she makes up her mind.
Tom Price of Georgia
Price says he is still undecided, but whichever side he comes down on could enjoy a big boost. Price is well-respected in the Republican ranks, and many Southern Republicans look to him for guidance.
Bill Huizenga of Michigan
Huizenga is a middle-of-the-road Republican who doesn’t like to make trouble. But he has just enough of an independent streak to break from Republican leadership. On the Amash NSA amendment, Huizenga was undecided up to the last moment. He voted for the amendment, but multiple sources say he was willing to flip if leadership needed him.
Cory Gardner of Colorado
The sophomore Republican has made a name for himself as a conservative to watch. Gardner is likely torn on the issue of Syria. He wants to please leadership, and he wants to please his young libertarian-leaning friends. He doesn’t want to be soft on defense, but he doesn’t want to start a war. His dilemma is a lot like the dilemma facing other Republicans.
Jim Jordan of Ohio
When conservatives want to know where conservatives stand on an issue, they often look to Jordan — the former chairman of the Republican Study Committee.
Scott Rigell of Virginia
Rigell’s prominence rose when he led the charge to get President Barack Obama to go through Congress for authorization of Syria. Now that Obama has gone that route, Rigell seems inclined to vote no, but if he were to back Obama, that could prove significant.
Ann Wagner of Missouri
Wagner is a freshman to watch in general. The ambitious Republican is eager to please leadership, but she is also trying to maintain her conservative credentials among her young colleagues. She is one member constantly in communication with her colleagues. If the GOP mood swings against Syria, Wagner will pick up on it.
Tom Cole of Oklahoma
Cole — a close Boehner ally — seems to be leaning against intervention in Syria but could still go the other way. Cole is suspicious of any bombing campaign that doesn’t end with the United States securing chemical weapons.
Democrats
James E. Clyburn of South Carolina
The No. 3 Democrat in the House is not afraid to vote against leadership and the White House. He did just that when he recently voted for the Amash NSA amendment. But the former Democratic whip and former Congressional Black Caucus chairman has in the past been inclined to support the president and could prove key in getting Obama's base behind him — or not.
Marcia L. Fudge of Ohio
The leader of the CBC is a key vote. She, Clyburn and Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., a former and unofficial leader of the CBC, could help sway the outcome. They face a substantial dilemma: oppose the war or oppose the president.
Xavier Becerra of California
The House Democratic Caucus chairman told CQ Roll Call over the weekend that this was a vote of conscience. So if Becerra’s conscience is leaning one way or another, that could be a good indication of the overall direction of the Democratic conscience. Becerra will probably support intervention, but if he doesn’t, it would be a bad sign for Democratic leadership.
Joseph Crowley of New York
The vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus has yet to state where he stands, but if he comes out against striking Syria, many Democrats will notice. Crowley defied the White House to back the Amash NSA amendment.
Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut
DeLauro is a close Pelosi ally. She’s also a liberal conscience who isn’t afraid to break from leadership.
Jan Schakowsky of Illinois
Schakowsky is another one of Pelosi’s best friends — and she, too, is undecided. Now in her eighth term, she’s been in the House long enough to have seen the consequences of authorizing military force. Schakowsky is also on the Intelligence Committee. If Schakowsky votes no, other members might see it as a sign that the intelligence on Syria is not compelling.
Jim Himes of Connecticut
Another member of the Intelligence Committee, Himes can speak forcefully and convincingly on Syria. He seems likely to vote against intervention, but if he comes out for striking Syria, Democrats will listen.
Himes, like many Democrats, faces his own dilemma. He came to Congress in 2008 after a war-weary public ushered in a Democratic majority. But Himes is also a fan of Obama. He said recently it “pains” him to oppose the president on such a key issue as Syria. If Himes can do it, other Democrats could follow.
Jared Polis of Colorado
Polis seems open to the idea of a limited strike “if we have the ability to do it, without adversely affecting our security.” But Polis is a member whose position will likely depend on the details of the resolution. If he is convinced by an argument that, for example, a resolution is the best way to restrain the president’s use of force, Polis could be an important ally.
John B. Larson of Connecticut
The former chairman of the House Democratic Caucus seems open to backing a strike as long as it doesn’t mean “boots on the ground.” Once again, the text of the resolution and the mood of the caucus will matter. Whichever way he is leaning is a good indication where other Democrats are headed, too.
Zoe Lofgren of California
Lofgren calls herself a “skeptic,” but she says she will give the question “the kind of thorough consideration that such a question deserves.” Lofgren is known to concern herself with the details, and she was elected to Congress during 1994's Republican wave. If she signs off, other Democrats may trust her judgment.
Emma Dumain contributed to this report. |
It's official! The Shield tablet is here!
Well, okay, not quite—but a "Shield tablet" product page has popped up on Nvidia's TegraZone website. The page is blank except for a QR code that, disappointingly, just points to the Shield section of Nvidia's online store. Its presence does lend weight to recent reports about just such a device, though.
According to those reports, the Shield Tablet may be a powered by Nvidia's Tegra K1 processor, and it may have the ability to stream PC games from a desktop machine, much like the current Shield handheld. The Shield Tablet might have an eight-inch, 2048x1536 display, too, if it's the same as that Nvidia "Mocha" prototype we heard about last month.
Maybe the skeleton product page means Nvidia will reveal the Shield Tablet soon—perhaps at E3 later this week. I guess only time will tell. (And thanks to TR reader SH SOTN for the link.) |
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