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Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images Pedestrians in Seoul's Myungdong shopping district on Nov. 21, 2008
By 2010, Seoul's women should officially be happy at least the ones with driver's licenses. In May, the city government started to paint 4,929 public and private parking places pink throughout the city, with thousands more slated to go under the brush next year. The pink parking spots, reserved for women drivers so they don't have to walk so far to work or the mall, are part of the South Korean capital's Women Friendly Seoul Project, an effort for the notoriously macho Asian city of more than 10 million to transform itself into a safer, more heel-friendly "space for women."
A nice idea, but the plan may end up reasserting South Korean women's secondary status more than boosting it. Led by Mayor Oh Se Hoon, the $104 million program launched in 2007 under the slogan "Happy Women, Happy Seoul," with a focus on mothers of young children and the unemployed. Assistant mayor of women and family policy affairs Cho Eun Hee says the program will be, among other things, helping to find work for jobless women, paving streets to make them high-heel friendly, building more women's public restrooms, improving lighting in public spaces, creating safe parks for women, expanding a women's taxi service and adding more public day-care centers. Cho says the project aims to eliminate "the inconveniences, anxiety and discomfort that women in Seoul experience on a daily basis." (See 10 things to do in Seoul.)
It's not that working women in South Korea couldn't use the help. Though South Korea is Asia's fourth largest economy, only about half of its women have full-time jobs; in June, nearly 10 million women were employed nationwide, according to the National Statistics Office, compared to almost 14 million men. In Seoul, many women work infamously long hours, with employers offering few systems to help working mothers keep a manageable balance between their jobs and families. "Because of the very high price of child-rearing in Korea, it may prove more economical to stay behind helping children to do better in the school," says Professor Chang Pil Wha of Seoul's Ewha Womans University. Finding a job after maternity leave can also be an uphill battle.
While Seoul's project may help women "worry less about harassment or violence," Chang says, "the question remains about how to share the household chores and responsibilities" so that women can more freely enter and stay in the labor market. Eunyoung Cho, a 25-year-old who will be leaving Seoul this fall to pursue a degree in economics at the University of California, Davis, also questions its efficacy, saying the project seems more political than personal. "The policies make the citizens feel that their mayor is doing something, but they do not feel the changes in their lives," Cho says. "President Lee Myung Bak got huge political fame during his term as the mayor of Seoul. He reformed the public transportation system and constructed a big park in the center of the city. I guess Mayor Oh wants to follow in President Lee's footsteps." (See pictures of Seoul.)
To be fair to the mayor, President Lee hasn't done much either to improve a better sense of gender equality in South Korea. In the 2007-08 Gender Empowerment Measure of the United Nations Human Development Report Office, South Korea ranked low at 64 out of 93 countries. James Turnbull, who writes about Korean gender issues in his blog, Grand Narrative, says that at an Emergency Economy Management Council meeting in January, Lee was quoted by the press as saying, "The most urgent issue on our hands is to create jobs for the heads of households." In other words: men. In 2008, Lee considered dissolving the government's Ministry of Gender Equality, established in 2002 to promote women's rights, into the Health and Welfare Ministry, a move that he backed off from when it ran up against criticism. (See 50 essential travel tips.)
Cho, the economics student, hopes to eventually return to South Korea as a professor, a position that would enable her to pursue a career and, one day, a family. But she knows that other Korean women may not be as lucky, and their needs aren't being met by a plan that accommodates shoe choice over equal opportunity in the workplace. "They are saying that they are doing many things for women, but we do not see any noticeable changes," she says. "They are wasting citizens' money out of the tax that they pay. We don't want pink parking spots." What South Korean women do want, says Cho, is to see more choices for child care so that they don't lose jobs to men when they have families. And a few more female taxi drivers wouldn't hurt either.
See TIME's Pictures of the Week. |
Charles “Lucky” Luciano is one of the most researched, discussed and dissected American mobsters of all time. His name has become synonymous with New York City's high drama gangland days of prohibition bootlegging, the formation of the infamous five families, and controversy over his alleged Last Testament.
However, there exist many fascinating and lurid tales and theories regarding Lucky's rise and fall from the mob’s top spot. Some of these stories are known, but still incite debate, such as the origins of his nickname and menacing facial scars. Other legends are not so well known to the general public
With information culled from rare news articles, government documents and numerous books written on the subject, author Christian Cipollini brings you the book Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend. Its release is scheduled for next month.
This book will give readers a chance to discover Luciano in a way that engages the mystery of his pop culture status, while encouraging further debate over the facts and fallacies that exist about his true role in the history of the American mafia structure.
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Copyright © www.gangstersinc.nl |
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson’s booking on a child abuse charge Saturday has created another crisis for the embattled NFL, already derided for not responding strongly enough to acts of domestic violence by its players.
It also has touched off a national debate about the role of corporal punishment in parenting.
In the eyes of a Texas grand jury, Peterson crossed the line when he repeatedly struck his son with a tree branch, or switch, in May. Peterson’s attorney has said he has never run from what happened — and that Peterson was inflicting the same discipline he endured as a child.
"Obviously, parents are entitled to discipline their children as they see fit, except when that discipline exceeds what the community would say is reasonable," Montgomery County Prosecutor Phil Grant said about 12 hours after Peterson was booked and released from jail on $15,000 bond. He is charged with causing injury to a child age 14 or younger.
Peterson, one of the NFL’s most popular players and widely considered one of the best running backs to ever play, flew from Minnesota to Houston in the early morning hours after authorities indicted him on Friday evening. He has a home in both locations.
The Vikings almost immediately decided to deactivate him for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, and NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said on Saturday that Peterson’s case "will be reviewed under the NFL’s personal conduct policy."
The situation comes as the NFL proceeds with a self-commissioned investigation by a former FBI director into how it handled the case of Ray Rice, who knocked his then-fiancee unconscious in an Atlantic City elevator. Rice was released Monday from the Baltimore Ravens after a video surfaced that showed the violence. The NFL said it hadn’t seen the video before then, but a law enforcement source told the AP it was sent to a league executive’s office in April and provided a voice mail confirming it was received.
Unlike Rice’s situation, Peterson’s case is complicated by his stance that he meant his son no harm but rather was applying the same discipline he experienced growing up.
"Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son. He used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in East Texas," Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said.
Steve Eudey, who coached Peterson as a young boy in Palestine, Texas, and has remained a family friend, said he has heard stories from Peterson about his father Nelson "being a firm disciplinarian."
"Some of the things his dad did to him was to make him tough," Eudey told The Associated Press.
Eudey said he had yet to speak to Peterson since his arrest, but said his actions were consistent with the type of upbringing he had.
"I will go to my grave defending Adrian, but at the same time you can’t harm a child, either," Eudey said. "I know that was never his intent."
Grant, the Texas prosecutor, said the grand jury felt the charge was warranted after spending several weeks reviewing "lots of evidence."
It’s not unusual for people subjected to physical discipline as children to use corporal punishment against their own children, experts say, and courts will sometimes consider that as a mitigating factor when sentencing an abuser. Peterson faces up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine if found guilty.
News of Peterson’s charges led several prominent athletes to tweet about their experiences with corporal punishment when they were children.
"Am I the only one that got hit with a switch? I had to go outside and pick my own switch. It taught values, respect (and) accountability," former NBA star Tracy McGrady said. But he later qualified those remarks, tweeting, "Disciplining a child is vital. Of course any early physical punishment should be within reason, not overboard, and inside certain boundaries."
While the legal process plays out, the NFL is facing a potential test case for the tougher penalties it declared last month for players involved with domestic violence.
Commissioner Roger Goodell announced an initial offence will draw a six-week suspension without pay, though "more severe discipline will be imposed if there are aggravating circumstances such as the presence or use of a weapon, choking, repeated striking, or when the act is committed against a pregnant woman or in the presence of a child."
It is not clear if Peterson’s case will invoke those penalties.
Corporal punishment is legal in Texas, and the law spells out that non-deadly force against a child by a parent or guardian is permissible.
But the punishment is abusive if it causes injury. While a blow that causes a red mark that fades in an hour is not likely to be judged abusive, a blow that leaves a bruise, welt, or swelling, or requires medical attention, could be judged abusive. The child’s injuries will likely be under scrutiny as the case proceeds.
The guidelines also say while spanking with the bare, open hand is least likely to be abusive, use of an instrument "is cause for concern."
The Vikings jumped ahead of the NFL and the legal system by shelving Peterson for the game Sunday. Two other teams — Carolina and San Francisco — have taken heat for allowing players involved in alleged recent domestic violence incidents to continue to play.
The team — and the league — will likely face scrutiny as they decide whether Peterson returns to the field as the legal process plays out. As of Saturday, no decision had been made about his outlook this season, and no court date had been set in Texas. |
After the Senate broke a GOP filibuster on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell earlier today, Sen. Joe Manchin released a statement saying he had concerns about the “timing” and “implementation” of a repeal.
But it seems he took even more issue with the timing of the vote itself, seeing as he skipped the vote altogether to attend a Christmas party.[TPM SLIDESHOW: It’s Over: Senate Repeals Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell]
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told reporters at a press conference that Manchin said he had an out-of-town “family thing” and wouldn’t make the votes, according to the Washington Post.
Manchin spokesman Sara Payne Scarbro elaborated to the Charleston Gazette in an email, saying that he and his wife “planned a holiday gathering over a year ago with all their children and grandchildren as they will not all be together on Christmas Day.”
“While he regrets missing the votes, it was a family obligation that he just could not break,” Scarbro said. “However, he has been clear on where he stands on the issues.”
Christmas has been a rather touchy subject among some senators this season, with Republicans Jon Kyl (AZ) and Jim DeMint (SC) expressing outrage that Reid suggested the Senate work the week of Christmas. DeMint even called it “sacrilegious.” Reid responded: “I don’t need to hear the sanctimonious lectures of Sen. Kyl and [Sen. Jim] DeMint to remind me of what Christmas means.”
Which might be why NRSC Communications Director Brian Walsh put out a rather sarcastic statement about Manchin’s absence:
I’m sure that most Senators, as well as the hundreds of staffers who had to come to work today, would have rather been at a Christmas Party like Joe Manchin. But perhaps in Joe Manchin’s world today was a win-win — not only was he able to skip work and party, but he was also able to avoid voting on two very sensitive political issues. For a Senator who has only been on the job a few weeks, Manchin’s absence today, and the apparent lack of seriousness with which he takes the job he was elected to do, speaks volumes.
Despite Manchin’s absence, the Senate broke the GOP’s filibuster on DADT earlier today 63-33, and then passed a full repeal 65-31. The DREAM Act died 55-41. |
By George Friedman
The current Italian banking crisis carries with it the possibility of bank failures. The consequences of these failures pyramid the crisis because of European Union regulations. Essentially, the position of the European Union is that the European Central Bank (ECB) and the central banks of member countries cannot bail out failing banks by recapitalizing them — in other words, injecting money to keep them solvent. EU regulations go so far as to prohibit Italy from using its state funds to shield investors and shareholders of banks from losses, unless there is risk of “very extraordinary” systemic stress. Rather, the European Union has adopted a bail-in strategy.
The bail-in strategy is in theory a mechanism for ensuring fair competition and stability in the financial sector across the eurozone. It protects countries, like Germany, from spending their money on bank failures in other countries, and keeps the ECB from printing extra money and exposing Europe to inflation that would reduce the position of creditors. The fear of inflation is remote at this moment but it still is an institutional principle of the ECB. And controlling national expenditures on banks imposes fiscal discipline on countries that seek to bail out not just banks, but the equity holdings of investors, who will lose their investment when the bank fails.
The issue is this: who is considered an investor? In the view of the EU, depositors are, in cases of a bank resolution, investors in the bank. The bail-in process can potentially apply to any liabilities of the institution not backed by assets or collateral. There is some insurance available, and there are EU regulations on deposit insurance, but there is no EU-wide system of deposit insurance. This is because creditor nations do not want to share the liability for bank failures in other nations. This means that while the first 100,000 euros ($111,000) in deposits are protected, in the sense that they cannot be seized, any money above that amount can be.
On the surface, 100,000 euros is a substantial amount of savings. But if you consider the position of a professional who has saved all his life for retirement, he may have substantially more. And at interest rates available today, even a bank account with a million euros would not generate enough income through interest to sustain a planned retirement. The principal would have to be used, and in a bail-in, both the planned income and principal (above 100,000 euros) would be dissolved. As for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the bail-in could evaporate payroll accounts and other working capital.
The idea of the bail-in obliterates a distinction that has become fundamental to European and American banking since the massive banking failures of the 1920s and 1930s. It was understood that the purpose of a savings account was to find a safe haven for your savings or your operating capital. The depositor paid for the safe haven by accepting extremely modest interest rates. In contrast, an investor takes on greater risk and is responsible for evaluating the financials of an investment. The bank is an institution that is an alternative to riskier investments.
We saw the consequence of a bail-in procedure during the Cypriot banking crisis. Claiming informally that Cypriot banks contained primarily Russian money meant for laundering, Germany insisted that the bail-in process should prevail. There was undoubtedly illegal Russian money in Cypriot banks, but there were also retirement funds for British expatriates who retired to Cyprus and accounts held by Cypriot businesses. The result was devastating.
Money that had been prudently deposited in a bank — so the depositor believed — was lost as depositors discovered they were considered investors. Employees of hotels, for example, were not paid for a month and then received about half a paycheck for a while. The hotels lost their investments in the banks, without ever having realized that they were investors and without any opportunity to participate in the banks’ success, while unwittingly being exposed to failure.
There is one tremendous consequence in this bail-in strategy. It increases the possibility of runs on banks, particularly by large depositors. As it becomes known that depositors are investors — rather than creditors — and that their assets will be forfeited to pay debtors, the bank ceases to be a safe haven.
The more aware the depositor becomes that he will be treated as an investor, the more he will behave like an investor. Realizing that his bank deposit is all risk with no upside, any indication that risks are mounting will cause a rational actor to withdraw his money, and this will increase the risk of a run and collapse.
It is not clear what the EU is thinking. The American approach to the 2008 banking crisis was that some companies and banks were “too big to fail.” The concept operated on many levels. One was that the federal government ensured that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) had enough money to cover all guarantees. The relatively generous guarantees of the FDIC might not have been sufficient to deal with the crisis. The FDIC insures $250,000 in individual deposits and $500,000 for a married couple. In addition, it insures the same amount at the same bank in different types of accounts. So, if an individual had a personal account, a small corporate account and a foundation account, he could have $750,000 in guarantees at the same bank. And if he had more money, he could open accounts at another bank. The FDIC would cover all of it and the federal government was prepared to ensure the FDIC was able to do so.
Another aspect of the American approach was the infusion of capital into banks to guarantee that the banks could honor their debts. This protected liabilities between financial institutions. It also protected SMEs and individual depositors. Whatever the vices of the bank management, it guaranteed not only that interbank debt was secure, but that the depositors were treated as depositors and not investors — nor even creditors. This, plus aggressive intervention as banks failed, reduced the possibility that depositors would panic, and prevented the economic and political meltdown that a bail-in solution might create.
This was possible because the United States is a single country. Texans might not be happy stabilizing banks in California, but there is no systemic way for Texas to withdraw from the process. In some wild theoretical sense, Texas might have the option to secede, but in practical terms, there is no difference between Texas’ liabilities and California’s. It is a single integrated system.
Europe, for all the discussion of integration, is not integrated. Italy is not Germany, and Italy’s problems are not Germany’s problems. There is no EU-wide deposit insurance system because liability is not distributed a an EU level. Nor, as there is only one currency, are the devices available to the ECB available to Italy. And finally, the European ethos of austerity creates liabilities among the most vulnerable classes.
The consequence of large banks failing is significant. The destruction of large numbers of deposits in what was regarded as a safe haven can also have significant consequences, and not just financial ones.
The sense of vulnerability that the bail-in concept creates among individuals has two consequences. One is a shift in the pattern of saving. Some will decide that if savings are investments without an upside, they might as well get into the equity markets. The risk in these markets is high. Or they may decide that they are better off with their money in gold or hidden under their mattresses. The consequences of that on a large scale are also substantial.
But the biggest consequence is political. If retirees and others lose their savings, and SMEs are unable to pay their staff, the political impact on the established parties, which are already under attack, could transform Europe. If this strategy works to contain the crisis in Italy, fine. But if it spreads into a panic, which is not unlikely, it will resonate for a long time. |
Posted 23 April 2014 - 11:49 AM
Come test the Launch Module!
6:00pm
Wait times (this will automatically be longer due to smaller population on test servers)
Weight Class restrictions (3 of each weight class)
Successful 12 vs 12 matches (did everyone get in ? did every one finish the match?)
Perceived fairness
we are specifically keen to see testing in the public queue
Play 5 Public matches on Public test and earn 1 day Premium Time on your Live account
Play solo
Play in groups
Play with various classes
The test will take place on Thursday, April 24th, 2014, from 12:00pm to10:00pm PDT (3:00pm to 1:00am EDT)Players who have registered to MWO before 10:00am PDT (1:00pm EDT) on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014 will be eligible to participate in the Public Test.Players taking part in the test will be asked to provide us their qualitative and personal experience on the Launch Module with:We will be gathering telemetry on all this data, though your feedback posts and bug reports will still be greatly appreciated.Public matches and Private matches are both available,. With that in mind we are offering an incentive to participants:This free Premium Time will allow you to try out the premium Private match options when the launch Module is available on live.This test will take place exclusively on our Public Test Server, which requires a separate installation of MWO. Please click here to download the Public Test installer In preparation for the new Launch module, we are looking to gather additional telemetry on the new Public matchmaking logic. This will also give us an opportunity to find bugs, as well as gather feedback on how we can further improve the module in the future. Download and Install the Public Test version ! On the scheduled date and time, boot up the Public Test version and login as you would on your normal account.Players participating in the Public Test are asked to focus their attention on dropping in the public queue:Your Public Test account will be based on a snapshot of your Live account taken at 10:00AM PDT on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014.Any changes made to your account after this time will not be reflected in the Public Test. Likewise, any changes made to your account within the Public Test version will NOT be reflected in the Live version.The installer is available here: http://patcher.mwome...neInstaller.exe Please fill out the Bug Report form thread for any issues discovered:Please take a moment to fill in our Feedback poll when you are done testing:Please leave us your Qualitative Analysis and Feedback in the following thread: |
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As a parent, I have found that many people do not know how to work effectively with my autistic children. My children respond well to visuals and become easily bored. Situations that rely on solely on auditory input (sitting still, listening, and discussions) are very difficulty for them. Typical discipline approaches will not work and may even backfire, triggering a full-on melt down.
From my education and experiences in working with children on the spectrum, I have learned quite a bit about what generally is and is not effective. As every child and situation is unique, I asked other parents of autistic children for their input. I also sought out input from autistic adults. The following tips are a compilation of the information gathered.
7 Tips for Working with Autistic Children
1) Have a positive attitude about autism.
A positive attitude goes a long way. Focus on each child’s strengths and what they can do. Learn about autism. Adopt the perception that different isn’t wrong or broken, it’s just different. When adults have a positive attitude about differences, all children will feel accepted and are less likely to be bullied.
Avoid comments about what children “should” be doing by certain ages. We all have things we are good at and things that will take longer to learn. Every child should feel loved and accepted regardless of differences.
2) Develop rapport with the child.
An autistic child may need extra time to become comfortable in a new environment. Respect their space and individual needs. Be kind, friendly, and use a calm tone of voice.
Treat the child as an intelligent person. Social, processing, and sensory differences are not an intellectual difference.
3) Create an autism friendly environment.
Keep a consistent routine. Writing out a schedule of activities may reduce stress in an autistic child. It can help to see what activities will occur in what order. It can also help to see when the activity will be finished. A visual timer can also help provide this information.
If there are going to be changes in the routine, let the child know in advance. A visual schedule can also help the child be aware of coming changes.
Certain types of events and activities may provide a lot of stress for autistic individuals. You may need to avoid games where there are winners and losers. You will also need to avoid taking things away from them.
4) Be sensitive to sensory needs.
Many autistic children have sensory sensitivities. Their bodies may be over- or under- responsive to sensory input. This is neurological and not something they can control. It is just the way they are. Although each child is different, sensory input including sounds, smells, lights or other visual distractions, may be aversive and create stress. Allow a child to use hats, sunglasses, ear plugs, or other devices to deal with sensory sensitivities. Avoid using perfumes, soaps, or lotions with strong odors.
CLICK HERE to read more about sensory processing differences that can occur with autism.
5) Do not expect neuro-typical behavior.
Eye contact may be uncomfortable for an autistic individuals. Other autistic children may not find eye contact relevant. It may be very difficult for a child to make eye contact and pay attention to auditory information at the same time. Do not demand eye contact.
Many autistic children will need to do something with their hands while they are listening. Allow the use of fidget toys or other objects to keep their hands busy.
6) Understand communication differences.
Autistic individuals understand language literally. When communicating with an autistic child, keep in mind that idioms, sarcasm, figurative, or imprecise language may be confusing. Non-verbal social cues may be completely missed. Provide logical and concrete explanations.
Due to social differences, autistic behavior and communication may come across as rude. Literal responses to your language is not meant as disrespect. Be understanding. Autistic children do not intend to be rude. They just do not instinctively pick up on social rules.
Some autistic children also have a processing delay. Allow extra time after asking a question before requesting a response.
7) Be observant and sensitive to needs.
An autistic child may not be able to communicate that they are having a hard time and a meltdown may follow. A meltdown occurs due to a stress overload.
If you are observant, you may see signs that something is wrong and be able to prevent a meltdown. Be kind and respectful and help the child meet their immediate needs. Do not take things away from them. The Proactive and Collaborative Solutions Model provides a way to find out what the problem is and to come up with a solution in a respectful way.*
If a meltdown happens, stop talking. Auditory information may exacerbate the situation. Provide a quiet area for the child to calm down. Parents know their children and will be able to help them during and after a meltdown.
Summary
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological condition that affects the way individuals think and behave. Autistic individuals have differences in the areas of social communication and behavior. Respecting and accommodating neurological differences will allow autistic individuals to successfully join group situations.
Download a free .pdf file of the 7 Tips for Working with Autistic Children here: 7TipsforWorkingWithASD.
Footnote:
*Here is an example of the Proactive and Collaborative Solutions Model in action:
Child is refusing to go into the classroom. Ask, “I noticed you don’t seem to want to go in the classroom. Can you tell me why?” The child responds, “It is too loud.” You reply, “So you don’t want to go in because it is too loud.” If the child replies affirmatively, you could ask them for ideas or suggest some solutions. For example, “Would you be okay going in after the classroom quiets down?” If they agree, you have your solution.
References
Greene, R. W. (2014). The explosive child: A new approach for understanding and parenting easily frustrated, chronically inflexible children (5th ed.). Harper Publishing.
Winter, P. (n.d.). A guide for Teachers of Autistic/Aspergers Students.
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The stock market is not the economy. That’s a simple financial truth, but it’s hard to keep in mind in the midst of a sell-off like the one we saw last Monday, especially with headlines screaming about a “Bloodbath in Global Markets.” So, even as the market rallied last week, concerns lingered over the possibility that the sharp decline in stock prices boded ill for the U.S. economy as a whole, giving us front-page stories fretting about the “real threat to the American economy” and warning of “a leaner era ahead.” These worries are almost certainly unfounded. The market sell-off in the U.S. wasn’t just a matter of panic—it reflected investors’ genuine anxieties about the future. But those anxieties have surprisingly little to do with the current state of the American economy.
The sell-off was driven mainly by the turmoil in China, which is dealing with the precipitous deflation of a stock-market bubble and is struggling to maintain its economic growth. This has led many to believe that China will grow more slowly than anticipated, while Chinese leaders’ sometimes ham-fisted policy moves in recent months have raised questions about their ability to manage the economy. Given how much we hear about China’s economic importance, you might think that these problems would have a big impact on the U.S. They won’t. In fact, total U.S. exports to China are just a hundred and sixty-five billion dollars, less than one per cent of G.D.P. There are certainly firms—including commodity producers, microchip makers, and fast-food companies—for which China is a huge market today. But for most firms the prospect of selling billions of products to Chinese consumers remains more of a promise than a reality. Goldman Sachs, for instance, estimates that just two per cent of the S. & P. 500’s revenues come from sales to China.
So, while a significant economic downturn in China would squeeze Apple, Yum! Brands (e.g., Pizza Hut), and Iowa farmers, most Americans, and most American companies, would barely notice it, at least in the short term. (Goldman Sachs estimates that a one-per-cent drop in China’s growth rate translates into a mere 0.06-per-cent drop in the United States’s G.D.P.) And the flow of goods we import from China is unlikely to be affected by the downturn at all.
Globally, China’s slowing pace of growth has certainly had spillover effects. In the past decade, its boom has created a voracious appetite for commodities of all kinds, from iron ore and copper to oil. As growth there has slowed, the price of these commodities has fallen, and the price of oil has been pushed down further by a production glut. This has been bad for energy and mining stocks, and it’s been very hard on developing economies, like those in Latin America, which relied on commodity exports to China. But for the U.S. economy cheaper commodities are a good thing, putting more money in consumers’ pockets and lowering production costs for American firms.
Some pundits worry that all this market turmoil could presage something like the meltdown of 2007-09 or the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98. Yet those were ultimately severe insolvency crises, involving enormous piles of debt that were not going to be repaid, companies and countries going bust, and economies that were deep in recession. The situation today isn’t analogous. Unlike the Asian countries that got in trouble in the late nineteen-nineties, China is a creditor to the rest of the world, not a debtor. It has plenty of debt troubles—thanks to enormous overborrowing by corporations and local governments—but those are largely internal issues, unlikely to go global. As for the struggling emerging-market economies, they, too, are in much better shape than they were in the late nineties. Nowadays, these countries typically have sizable dollar reserves and, instead of running big current-account deficits, are mostly running surpluses with the rest of the world. So the ingredients for a full-blown financial crisis don’t seem to be in place.
This doesn’t mean that the stock-market correction was irrational. It reflected concerns about the long-term future, particularly when it comes to China. China isn’t hugely important to U.S. companies or exporters today. But the expectation has been that it will become so, before long. Now investors are wondering if the scenario of a billion consumers happily carrying iPhones will take a lot longer to arrive. And there are similar concerns about emerging markets in general. As the level of uncertainty among investors rises, their tolerance for risk falls, which means they’ll pay less for risky assets, and so stock prices go down.
To say that the stock market isn’t the economy doesn’t mean that stock-market crises can’t become contagious; they can dampen what Keynes called the “animal spirits” of managers and consumers, leading them to cut back on investment and spending. Stock prices do have some impact on consumer spending (the richer consumers feel, the more willing they are to spend). Still, market moves need to be severe and long-lasting to make a real difference. The 1987 crash, for instance, saw stocks drop more than twenty-two per cent in a single day. Yet it had no measurable impact on corporate investment, and only a short-lived effect on consumer spending. Americans’ 401(k)s are a bit lighter than they were two weeks ago. America’s economy looks pretty much the same. ♦ |
Just when it seemed there couldn't be any more good news for South Downtown’s redevelopment efforts, plans have emerged for the restoration and adaptive-reuse of the old Atlanta Constitution Building.
According to an Invest Atlanta document, developer Pope & Land, in collaboration with Place Properties, is proposing a nearly $40-million overhaul of the historic building.
To say the work is needed is an understatement. For decades, the shell of the streamlined Art Moderne building has languished at the western edge of Underground Atlanta. Trees grow on the roof, and its boarded-up and bricked-over windows have shielded homeless encampments over the years.
The newspaper left the building in 1953, and it was last occupied by Georgia Power staff in the early 1970s, per the AJC.
The building will be sold to the development team for $2 million, capping off a nearly yearlong RFP process, which caused consternation in preservationist circles.
Plans call for the building to house 67,000 square feet of loft office space, 2,500 square feet of ground floor retail, and a rooftop restaurant. An adjoining residential building will be constructed, with 112 residential units and 142 parking spaces.
Thirty-percent of the units will be income-restricted to 80 percent of the area median income. The housing is guaranteed for 30 years, according to documents.
A rendering shows the restored brick building, with the new modern glass residential building behind, facing The Gulch (which is also rumored to soon undergo a major transformation).
The sales process could take up to four months, meaning work likely won’t begin until next year. |
Yesterday I was looking at my hangar in Hadozeko and noticed I still had two Bellicose’s left from last months Bellicose Bash, high time I lost those I decided.
So I undocked a Bellicose and set a course up the pipe to Eifer an entirely uneventful trip that only involved dodging an Electus Matari camp that was reported in intel.
On the way I decide to sidetrack into Sotrenzur where I picked up an eight month old Harbinger on dscan, I decide to try and find it. And find it I did in belt IV-1, I engaged but When I hit half armour I had only taken like 5% of his armour off so I used ecm-drones to escape. Which was a good move as local spiked as I disengaged and suddenly the harby pilot had plenty of friends in local. The harby pilot called my mighty Bellicose a shitty T1 cruiser in local. Very mean 🙁
A corpie of his later informed me in local the harby pilot had been sitting afk in the belt while going for a piss, protip; don’t do that people, it won’t always be ‘just’ a Bellicose that finds you.
I later ran into the same harby pilot alone on a gate he agressed me, I burned back and jumped and that was that.
So now I had been out for an hour and a half and had still not managed to lose my Bellicose. So I punched in a course for Bosena in Molden Heath, you can ussually get fights around that area. I took the long route through lower Molden Heath, where I found a Proteus on dscan so I hunted that for a bit, no I am not crazy, if you never hunt juicy targets in less juicy ships you never get those epic WTF killmails either, it is really that simple. My ‘shitty T1 cruiser’ apparently intimidated the Proteus pilot so much he went and cowered in his POS. Oh well.
I finally made it to Bosena after two and a half hours still in possession of my ship, I spotted a Rifter and promptly killed it dead. As I was sitting in a safespot waiting for my GCC to wear off I narrow down a Daredevil that appears to be sitting on the Bosena star. Clealy this guy wants to fight, local reveals he has a corpie in system but I don’t see anything on dscan so I decide to go for it, I did want to loose this ship after all.
I land on the star 100km of him. He is sitting still, suspicious, I figure out where he warped to the sun from, warp to the celestial and warp back in to land closer, he’s still there when I land. We lock each other up, tackle, and blasters and autocannons start blazing, to my surprise no corpie in a Falcon unlcloaks on top of me \o/
The Daredevil initially manages to ‘hug’ me and rips through my shields in seconds flat, I’m also -90% webbed, not good. I overheat my afterburner and try to leverage my own two webs so I can get enough range for my 180mm’s to get damage on the devil, my single rocket launcher and medium neut aren’t going to win this for me… The distance actually grows to about 2,5km and with two webs on the DD my guns start hitting him properly. He enters armour as I hit the 20% mark on my own armour and then it goes fast, seems my neut killed enough cap to shut down his defences, armour comes flying of the Daredevil and he quickly pops, just in time as my overheated afterburner burns out about two seconds after.
The DD pilot turns out to be a nice chap and is quite cavalier about the loss; “next time sunshine!”.
At this point it’s midnight for me and I dock up and log off.
Losing a Bellicose is a lot harder then you think! |
Awkward: Merkel asks for a handshake, Trump doesn't respond
CLOSE President Donald Trump is hosting German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House. The two met in the Oval Office for a discussion about NATO and the Islamic State group, among other topics. (March 17) AP
Amid the chaos of President Trump and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel's first meeting in the Oval Office on Friday, a request was made.
Photographers wondered if the world leaders would shake hands.
Merkel turned to Trump. "Do you want a handshake?" she asked.
Trump didn't respond. (To be fair, it seemed loud in the room.)
And then Merkel made a face.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Trump: “Do you want to have a handshake?”
Trump’s response: *crickets*https://t.co/SM9M8S8mjApic.twitter.com/JY60uElrNJ — Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) March 17, 2017
Awkward.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2mbiMIK |
Note
I sometimes plan out my own suicide.
I wonder who would be affected, my mom would be the worst off. Her first son offing himself. I would hope she doesn’t blame herself for it. Perhaps my recently ex-girlfriend. She might try and blame herself for it too, perhaps think that if she hadn’t broken up with me it could’ve been avoided. Or if she’d talked to me more after the breakup. Truth is, I’m relieved she broke up with me. It saves me the hassle of breaking up with her before doing it, or doing it while we were still together and leaving her in relationship limbo. My father would be stoic. I’m sure I was viewed as a failure in his eyes, I was never good enough for his standards. Move on, try again. That would be his feeling toward it, besides, he had his second chance anyway. My younger brother. I’m sure he’d cry at least a bit. I was his role model, someone who he looked up to, someone who pushed him away. I sometimes wonder if that’s the reason I never attempted to get close to him, I knew one day I’d have to cut ties and do this. I think he’d cry, but he’d forget about me eventually. We didn’t have much in common. He’s a smart kid and he’ll probably do something great with his life. The family dog, he’d probably would wonder where I was. Perhaps walk into my room expecting me to be there, but the room hasn’t changed since I’d done it.
The next question would be how I would do it. I would want to lessen the blow on my friends, family and relatives. If I could, I would simply erase myself from history. Never born. There would be no pain involved, simply someone who never was. I don’t have that luxury. The first option that I’d always thought would be the simplest; buy a gun, aim at head, pull trigger. But that would leave a mess. The mental scarring of seeing your sons head blown to bits would probably be enough to drive my mother insane. The next option is hanging, but there is too much struggling if I don’t snap my own neck. I don’t want to suffer more than I have already. Then I thought about electrocuting myself in the bath. It would probably be the quickest and cleanest if I could devise a way to do it.
If I’m going off the electrocution suicide, I’ve already thought of how to execute it. Step one would be leaving a note personally to each family member, trying to explain it in terms they’d understand, my own mindset behind it. Tell them I’m sorry they had to know me and I had to rip myself away like a bandage. I’d leave these notes in my room, perhaps tidy up a bit, this place is beginning to look like a mess. Step two would be to staple a note to the outside of the bathroom door, before closing and locking it. This one would be for the police. It would tell them not to let my family into the bathroom, I wouldn’t want them to see my dead naked body, again, mental scarring thing. Step three, I’d make sure to call the police, report my own suicide. There was something poetic about it being done that way. Step four, I would send a message to my now ex-girlfriend. I’d tell her it wasn’t her fault and this would have happened whether we were together or not. I know she’s going through a depression of her own, I wouldn’t want her to be more depressed over something so trivial and inevitable. Send it off, and drop the toaster into the bath. Something I’d half-heartedly joked about with my friends. A zap, and it’d be over.
I think about this often, but I’m not ready to commit. For now, it’s a fantasy. Something I wish I’d be able to do if it weren’t for all the variables. I don’t want to cause others pain, so for now, I live for them. For my mom, for my brother, for the family dog, perhaps to try and prove my father wrong. Show him I’m not a fuck-up and even if I don’t make it through college I can still do something with my life. I also still think suicide is a cowardly thing. How could it be that bad that there is no other option than to kill yourself? So now I think about just running away. Getting in my car, leaving for a month, maybe more, maybe a year, maybe forever. Drive until I get to a place where no one knows me and start again. Perhaps during this drive though, I realize that my life isn’t so bad. I decide to turn around, come back, finish what I started, maybe work things out with my ex. If something doesn’t change fast in my mindset though, I don’t see a future where I’m truly happy. I’ll play this computer keyboard like a piano and create the saddest tales from my anxiety ridden and depressed soul. No one even reads these, it’s just for me. To read over and realize how dumb I’ve been, how egotistical and selfish. How it really is my fault and no one else can be blamed for the predicament I’m in. Maybe before I take the final bath, I’ll reread this, and think, why didn’t I do it sooner? But then again, maybe I’ll decide that this is just like any other bath, and dry myself off, move on, try again. |
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There are a lot of superhero series on TV. Freeform hopes to stand apart from the rest with Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, a new series that adapts a relatively obscure superhero team in a manner that’s tailor-made for the network’s audience. Far from being about a lone hero tasked with defending a city, or a team of super-scientists battling super-villains, or a law-enforcement agency operating in a world populated by the super-powered, or even a troubled but powerful hero questioning the reality of his own mind, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger aims to be a coming-of-age story for two young adults who find each other despite class differences, racial divides, and their burgeoning superpowers.
Speaking of superpowers, for the uninitiated, Tandy Bowen (a.k.a. Dagger) can emit light daggers while Tyrone Johnson (a.k.a. Cloak) has the ability to engulf others in darkness. It’s officially been announced that Olivia Holt will play Tandy and Aubrey Joseph will become Cloak. Marvel also confirmed the synopsis, but a premiere date has yet to be announced.
Here’s Marvel’s official press release:
The stars have aligned with “Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger” for Freeform! Former Disney Channel star and Hollywood Records recording artist Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph (“The Night Of,” “Run All Night”) will star as Tandy Bowen, a.k.a. Dagger, and Tyrone Johnson, a.k.a. Cloak! “The characters of Tandy and Tyrone have always stood out to me ever since I first met them in the pages of Marvel comics when I was a boy. When Olivia and Aubrey read for the roles, these characters leapt off the page. We’re so excited to see what these talented young actors bring to the Marvel Universe,” said showrunner and Executive Producer Joe Pokaski. “Marvel is delighted to have found our Cloak and Dagger. Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph encompass the true essence of the characters and we are excited for the audience to see them in these roles,” said Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel Television and Executive Producer. “Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger” is a coming-of-age series based on the beloved Marvel characters. Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson come from starkly different backgrounds, each growing up with a secret they never dared share with another soul. Once a privileged little girl, Tandy Bowen watched as her family was destroyed by a disastrous storm that uprooted her life. Now in her late teens, an unexpected encounter with a boy named Tyrone sparks a life changing event. Young Tyrone Johnson wanted nothing more than to prove he was fearless. But when everything he held close was taken away, life taught Tyrone to be afraid. Now older and more sheltered, Tyrone closes himself off. But when he meets a girl named Tandy his life changes forever. “Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger” is produced by Marvel Television and ABC Signature Studios.
For more on Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, be sure to take a look at some of our related articles below: |
Duke Energy Corp. said Monday it is expanding its renewable energy from livestock waste, adding poop power to investments the country’s largest electric company has made in whirring wind turbines and acres of solar arrays.
The North Carolina utility said it contracted with Boulder-based Carbon Cycle Energy to build plant that collects methane from pig and chicken waste and refines and delivers enough gas to generate enough electricity to power about 10,000 homes a year.
“We’re collecting something that goes to waste; we’re putting it to good use and at the same time reducing smell, reducing negative environmental impact,” Carbon Cycle Energy co-founder Thomas Mulholland said.
The project is one of the largest in a growing number of waste-to-fuel efforts
spurred by a 2007 state law that requires electric utilities to get 12.5 percent of their power from renewable energy and energy efficiency by 2021. More than half the states have similar requirements. But North Carolina, the country’s second-largest pork producing state, with about 8.8 million hogs, is one of the few that requires utilities to produce some power from swine and poultry waste. |
PRFC will host group D at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium starting March 14
San Juan, Puerto Rico- Puerto Rico FC is excited and proud to announce that it will take part in the 2017 Caribbean Club Championship, and will host Group D. After many days of diligence and hard work by PRFC President Tom Payne and the entire club staff, along with several top executives from CONCACAF, PRFC's qualification to the region's most important competition was solidified.
"We are excited to be a part of this prestigious tournament that is so important to our organization and our fans. This is a unique opportunity for the entire island to come together and show the rest of the Caribbean what Puerto Rican football is all about. We look forward to seeing all the fans of soccer here on the Island come out and support your Puerto Rico FC." said Payne
PRFC will host group D in the first round of the 2017 Caribbean Club Championship at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. Doubleheader action is set for Tuesday, March 14th and Thursday, March 16th, and the all-important final matches on Saturday, March 18th. The group will consist of Portmore United FC (JAM), Scholars International (CAY) and SV Transvaal (SUR) in a round robin format in which the winner will move on to the final round for a chance to qualify for the CONCACAF Scotiabank Champions League.
Stay tuned to puertoricofc.com for more information about tickets and the full match schedule.
The NASL’s 2017 season kicks-off Saturday, March 25th at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. Get your season tickets now by calling 787-722-PRFC or go to puertoricofc.com/tickets and find more about our exclusive season ticket holder benefits. |
Here's some advice on how to get some time off from work: Have your daughter send a really cute letter to your employer, asking them to give you a day off.
Bonus points if the letter is written in crayon.
One little girl decided to give her dad a hand. She wrote his employer, which happens to be Google, a letter, asking that they cut him some slack with the work schedule.
Imgur
The letter reads:
Dear Google Worker,
Can you please make sure when daddy goes to work, he gets one day off. Like he can get a day off on Wednesday. Because daddy only gets a day off on Saturday.
From, Katie
P.S. It is Daddy's BIRTHDAY
P.P.S. It is summer, you know
Perhaps it was the crayon, or perhaps it was that final nudge about it being summer, but Google obliged.
In a letter back to Katie, her dad's boss, Senior Design Manager Daniel Shiplacoff, not only complimented Katie's dad on his hard work, but also gave him a bonus week off. Since it is summer, after all.
Imgur
A Google spokesman confirmed to The Blaze that the letter is, in fact, the real deal. |
Is it important that more people speak English? Only this week, David Cameron launched a new scheme encouraging more Muslim women to learn the language, one argument being that the inability of many to do so weakens their voice , and in doing so strengthens radicalisation.
It’s true that ignorance of English is a personal cost for anyone living here, perhaps a personal tragedy, but I doubt it’s a long-term social problem.
The vast majority of immigrants do learn English, and while immigration discontent can be fuelled by the language issue, as in Catalonia, where migrants tend to learn Castilian, our tongue is hardly under threat. English is so all-powerful in fact, that it has even replaced Arabic as the lingua franca of jihad, and recordings of foreign fighters in Syria show Chechens, Turks, Arabs and Brits communicating in the language of the King James Bible. Isis has even opened two English language schools in Raqqa for the families of foreign fighters. So it’s on the same page as the prime minister, in that regard at least.
I’m much more worried about the number of people learning the other historic language of England; the language used at the first parliament, spoken at Runnymede in 1215, a language that still features in much of our legal system and which, until 1858, was the only one on British passports: French.
Last year, just 10,328 people took French A-level in Britain, a fall from 13,907 in 2010; German has also declined sharply and, although Spanish has increased, the overall number taking the three largest European languages had gone down by 3,000.
The story is the same with GCSEs, with last year seeing declines of 6% in French and 10% in German; this was despite the coalition briefly reversing the long-term fall by including a foreign language in the eBacc.
Much of the blame for this can be placed with the Blair government, which dropped the requirement for foreign languages at GCSE level. As a result, the number of people taking them soon went down by almost a half. But the same trend is noticeable in the US, where in just five years French college applications fell by almost a quarter.
It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that the study of French is dying in the English-speaking world; and who can blame pupils for dropping what is a difficult subject? I certainly would have. I hated French at school, mainly because I was no good at it, and only in my late 20s fell in love with all things Gallic, and started taking evening classes.
By then, of course, it was an uphill struggle: life gets busier, and the brain finds it harder to absorb new ideas – which is why, one-by-one, our musical tastes, political views and haircuts get stuck at whatever age we gave up on trying new things. (I’m not quitting: after all, Alfred the Great learned Latin in his 40s, and he had the Vikings to contend with.) My reading has improved but my spoken French is still reminiscent of the undercover British agent in ‘Allo ‘Allo.
It’s oddly paradoxical that this decline in linguistic decline happened at the same time that a new generation of progressive Britons embraced cosmopolitanism and cultural diversity. It often seems that this enthusiasm was more in the abstract. One can be keen on having lots of foreign restaurants nearby yet still be strangely incurious about other cultures.
Our ignorance of the EU’s other 23 tongues can’t help the British Europhile cause. From its outset, the European project was an institution shaped by bilinguals from border regions: Robert Schuman came from Luxembourg, the son of an Alsatian; Konrad Adenauer was a Rhinelander, Paul-Henri Spaak Belgian, and Alcide De Gasperi a Tyrolean.
The monolingual British have always been left out of the conversation and Edward Heath’s mangled, awkward attempts at French symbolised how, deep down, we never really fitted in (by contrast his opponent, the Eurosceptic Cassandra Enoch Powell, spoke up to a dozen languages, and in the week of the 1975 referendum gave speeches in German, French and Italian).
And while Britons have become complacently used to the cultural dominance of the Anglophone United States, we’ve recently been caught unaware by how much news is now made in France and Germany, where the great questions of the 21st century are being asked and answered. The refugee crisis emphasises how dependent English monolinguals are for their news on a shrinking minority of people who understand German.
I haven’t even raised the numerous ways in which knowledge of French can improve our lives, such as an appreciation of literature, film or music; nor the famous Charlemagne quote that a new language gives one a new soul – something rather echoed by findings in neuroscience that suggest bilingualism allows the brain to look at ideas in a fresh way.
The Cameron government ruled that from 2014 all children aged 7-11 must reach some proficiency in a foreign language, which is good news, but French will increasingly slide. My daughters’ primary school teaches only Spanish. Having found this out, I promptly decided to take them to a French school every Saturday.
I appreciate this is possibly just one more thing that they’ll hate me for me when they’re older. And it is partly an act of stubbornness on my part, raging against the modern world like that French farmer who drove his tractor into McDonald’s.
It’s also my inner reactionary, crying out for a more civilised era when French was the language of diplomacy and culture, and the European aristocracy all spoke the language rather than MTV English (it’s a little known fact that French is the mother tongue of the German aristocrat Prince Philip).
But I also like to hope that this is also the start of a long love affair with the language for my children, and that French does not follow Latin into becoming a niche cultural pursuit understood by a tiny minority. For once a tradition is broken it is very hard to resurrect, except as kitsch. |
If Houston Needs Anything Post-Harvey, It’s Salami
Houston, TX, is still in the early stages of recovery after Hurricane Harvey ripped through coastal Texas, killing dozens and leaving tens of thousands more homeless. To put it mildly, Houston is a city that’s hurting.
But if there’s one thing that helps heal all wounds, it’s meat. Large chunks of salty, kosher meat.
Enter Seth Leavitt, CEO of Abeles & Heymann and purveyor of “kosher deli provisions.”
Leavitt is the brains behind the (only semi-self serving) “Send a Kosher Salami to Houston” campaign, which is raising funds to, yes, bombard Houston with thousands and thousands of kosher salamis—one for each sold by A&H.
“Our goal is to raise $15,360 by September 14th,” Leavitt explained. “In just two weeks we plan to ship 3,072 (That amount is equal to two full pallets), of kosher salami to the kosher community of Houston just in time for the Jewish New Year.”
While I imagine the Jewish community of Houston is probably in need of things like “houses” and “dry clothes,” salami is certainly good too. And, to date, Leavitt’s campaign has raised nearly a third of its goal.
“There is still time to purchase a salami if you have not done so already,” Leavitt wrote in an online update. “All it takes is 1 minute and ten dollars. We will match your purchase.”
So, give a salami, get a salami. Seems like a pretty good deal. And feel free to send some spicy mustard along, too. |
While it’s good that the Supreme Court refused Feb. 22 to hear cases put forward by some Kentucky counties looking for judicial sanction of their public Decalogue display – thus leaving intact a lower court’s ruling banning it – it’s unfortunate that such debates haven’t yet been settled.
In 2005, the same counties were told to take down the Ten Commandments, but have since put them into a larger display that includes other public documents, such as the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence, that use the term “God.” The ACLU argued that the counties were simply trying to change the content of the display so that they could legally convey the same message: America is a faithful, religious nation.
The ACLU didn’t have a hard case to argue: the litigants admitted this as their goal.
The fact of the matter is that, while the word “God” appears here and there on federal documents, this was never a nation built on any single religion or faith. It also isn’t a nation whose founders were unanimously religious. Some were Christians, some were opposed to Christianity and some were anti-religious.
This bears repeating: a good portion of our nation’s founders were anti-Christian or anti-religious.
Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1800 in his journal, “Gouverneur Morris had often told me that General Washington believed no more of [Christianity] than did he himself.” At another time Jefferson said that he didn’t find any “redeeming feature” in Christianity, and even went so far as to rewrite the Bible, taking out references to the divinity of Jesus.
Benjamin Franklin, believed to be a Deist, said that he wished Christianity “were more productive of good works … I mean real good works … not holy-day keeping, sermon-hearing … or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments despised by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity.”
These quoted founders would likely be as appalled at Judaism, Islam or any other religion as they were of Christianity. The point here isn’t to bash any particular religion. If we’re to bash anything, it should be attempts to force any belief system on the American people.
Here is where another argument creeps in: The Ten Commandments, supporters of their public inscription insist, are not simply religious dogma but the basis of morality. This is nonsense.
To talk about the Ten Commandments, it’s first necessary to ask, “Which version?” The Exodus version or the Deuteronomy? Both are slightly different – not a good quality in the bedrock of your morality – and it’s hard to figure out where to actually divide them to make them into “ten” commandments, instead of the more than 15 directives in each set of Biblical verses.
Let’s look at the list most people think of when they consider the Decalogue, as listed by Wikipedia. Even this list is suspect, as it shows different numbering systems for Jews, Catholics and Lutherans, other Protestants and the Orthodox. The first three or four (depending on whether you’re counting the ban on making idols separately), all say the same thing in different ways: make sure you honor only the Abrahamic God, and do it correctly. (This isn’t a viable option for atheists, Hindus, Buddhists and many millions of others, and it certainly isn’t compatible with the Constitution.)
Some of the commandments are good: Don’t kill, don’t steal (“steal” may only refer to kidnapping, based on some interpretations, so it might be okay to pocket a few things at the store). It’s good to honor your parents, though it’s hard not to feel bad for the victims of child abuse. The commandment doesn’t have an “except” clause.
Most people are against adultery, but is it really in the same league as murder?
And then there are the commandments that forbid thought crimes. Thou aren’t supposed to covet your neighbor’s stuff (anyone, apparently, wishing they had the same lawnmower as the people across the street is guilty of a something akin to murder). Nor are you supposed to covet his wife. (Only men count, apparently.)
Thankfully, these commandments are not the basis of American law, nor are they the basis of our founder’s morality. Wouldn’t it be awful if they were? Nearly half of all our rules would be in violation of the first amendment, and a fifth of our laws would, in the spirit of 1984, ban thought crimes.
The beauty of the U.S. is that, unlike Britain or France, it was set up as a secular state. All people, regardless of their beliefs, enjoy the same rights. Under our Constitution, a Catholic, an atheist, a Jew, a Muslim – whomever – have the right to believe what they wish.
But they’d better not try to make it the law. |
WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- A woman was sent to the hospital after a toilet exploded at the General Services Administration (GSA) Building in DC, building officials said.
DC Fire Spokesman Pete Piringer confirmed the woman was taken the the hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries.
The GSA Regional office building employees were sent a memo, warning them to not use the bathrooms in the building, because the plumbing may be dangerous. The building is on 7th and D SW.
"DO NOT flush toilets or use any domestic water. Due to a mechanical failure, there is high air pressure in the domestic water system that resulted in damage to toilets. The engineering staff is working to correct the issue," the memo said. "There has been damage to flushed toilets that has resulted in injuries. We will announce when the issue is resolved." |
Beijing: Minister of Environement Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Friday said that India was carrying out a verifiable scientific research to establish the benefits derived from 'Panchagavya' which also has medicinal values.
'Panchgavya' is a mixture of five cow products -- cow dung, cow urine, cow milk, curd and clarified butter 'Ghee'. It is used in some traditional Indian rituals.
Harsh Vardhan was attending a clean energy ministerial meet in the Chinese capital, where he said his ministry has taken up research in this field in a bid to "settle controversies" over the benefits of cow milk and urine.
The visiting minister said his ministry has asked scientists to come up with verifiable findings.
He told media here last night that scientists are working to validate 'Panchagavya' efficacy.
"If you have to talk about it to the whole world, even for 'Ayurveda', we know it is well defined and good and people can live for hundred years, but we have to scientifically validate it to prove it to the rest of the world.
"For 'Ayurveda' also, our laboratories in Jammu are doing this. When we established 'AYUSH' (ministry). We have put in Rs 5,000 crore for the ministry and there is a lot of scope," the minister said.
"If you say anything spoken by someone about importance of cow milk, or the 'Panchagavya', you will be surprised very senior scientists in IIT Delhi and all across the country are working on this issue and the importance of cow is well established in our literature and well proven," he said.
About the Paris climate deal, Vardhan, who is also the environment minister, said India would fulfil its climate change commitments under the accord and derive 40 per cent of its energy from non-fossil fuels by 2030 regardless of the US decision to pull out of the agreement last week by US President Donald Trump.
(With inputs from PTI) |
YouTube updates have been rolling out about every week or two for the last couple of months. Most of the changes haven't been very big, but they're polishing up little aspects of the app in notable ways. The latest version bump doesn't bring significant modifications, either, but it's continuing the trend of small but visible changes. A permanent Cast button has been placed in the action bar and there are updated icons in the privacy selector for uploads. A quick teardown also reveals that we might finally be able to choose to download just the audio track for offline playback, which should make it much easier to store music for the road.
What's New
Permanent Cast Icon
left: old version, right: new version
The first change should stand out almost immediately after starting up YouTube. A Cast button has been permanently affixed to the action bar, even if there's not a Chromecast or Android TV around. It's present in almost every screen of the app, except for Settings and the video upload workflow. If there's no Cast target available, the icon will simply remain grayed out and doesn't respond to taps.
It's not clear if this is a bug or if the icon was intentionally made permanent. Perhaps Google wanted to avoid the experience of having the Cast button pop into existence a second or two after YouTube launched, or maybe this is just a branding decision to remind people that they should use their Chromecast more often. Whatever the case may be, I imagine many users without a Cast receiver of some kind are going to see the new icon as an obnoxious waste of pixels that takes up space that should belong to titles.
I hate to be the person that calls out design issues, but I think this might be getting a little over the top. Here's the Uploads screen, with 4 buttons stacked in the action bar.
New Icons For Video Privacy
left: old version, right: new version
If you're adding any content to YouTube through the Android app, you're going to see a slightly cleaned up privacy picker. The icons representing Public, Unlisted, and Private have been replaced with sharper looking and more communicative versions. The pop-up box has also been made a little larger for easier tapping, and the background color has also been turned from gray to white to up the visibility a bit.
Teardown
Disclaimer: Teardowns are necessarily speculative and usually based on incomplete evidence. It's possible that the guesses made here are totally and completely wrong. There is always a chance that details may change or plans may be cancelled prior to the launch of a new feature discovered in a teardown. Much like rumors, nothing is certain until it's officially announced. : Teardowns are necessarily speculative and usually based on incomplete evidence. It's possible that the guesses made here are totally and completely wrong. There is always a chance that details may change or plans may be cancelled prior to the launch of a new feature discovered in a teardown. Much like rumors, nothing is certain until it's officially announced.
Upcoming: Audio-Only Downloads For Offline Playback
It looks like YouTube is about to add a new option to the Quality selector for storing content offline. There's a new string that suggests we'll have the option to grab just the audio track from a video, and leave the visual component behind. The name for the string matches the naming pattern for the current offline selectors, and the feature makes perfect sense, so there's not much guesswork here. The only question is how long we have to wait before this feature goes live.
new: <string name="offline_video_quality_audio_only">Audio Only</string> old: <string name="offline_video_quality_360p">360p</string>
<string name="offline_video_quality_720p">720p (HD)</string>
This has been a pretty heavily requested feature, since music videos needlessly take up a lot of space when many people only want the audio to play back with the screen turned off. No doubt, this will make a lot of Music Key subscribers very happy.
For reference, these are the current options as seen in the Settings screen or while making a request to add a video to offline storage.
Download
The APK is signed by Google and upgrades your existing app. The cryptographic signature guarantees that the file is safe to install and was not tampered with in any way. Rather than wait for Google to push this download to your devices, which can take days, download and install it just like any other APK.
File Name: com.google.android.youtube-10.19.53-101953130-minAPI15.apk
Version: 10.19.53 (101953130)
MD5: 0adbd4c2bc25d4615b761cc2a05df927 |
HAKU
Suvi Korhonen
Suomalainen lautapeliaiheinen sivusto on poistettu Googlen hakutuloksista. Sivun perustajan mukaan hakukonejätti ilmoittaa, että sisältö ei ole tarpeeksi omaperäistä tai painavaa, että Lautapeliopas.fi pitäisi löytyä Googlen hakukoneella etsimällä.
Miten vuonna 2009 perustettu sivusto on yhtäkkiä muuttunut roskasisällöksi?
Lautapeliopas.fi:n perustaja Mikko Saari sai tammikuussa Googlelta ilmoituksen, että koko sivusto on köykäistä sisällöltään (thin content) ja että se poistetaan hakutuloksista. Saari ajatteli, että asia hoituu merkitsemällä Wordpress-julkaisualustan luomat arkistosivut niin, että hakukone ei indeksoi niitä.
Mutta muutostenkaan kanssa Googlen kanta ei muuttunut. Vastaus pyyntöön päästä takaisin hakukoneen listaukseen sai maanantaina kieltävän vastauksen.
”Oletin, että Lautapelioppaan uudelleenarviointipyyntö olisi mennyt heittämällä läpi ja että kyse olisi ollut jostain virheestä. Mutta ei, ei mennyt. Lautapeliopas on edelleen poissa Googlen indeksistä”, Saari harmittelee.
Nyt hakemalla Googlessa sanalla ”lautapeliopas” löytyy ensimmäisenä Lautapeliopas.fi:n perustajan Saaren omat sivut, joissa kerrotaan oppaan perustamisesta sekä Lautapelioppaan Facebook-profiili. Saari on palkittu pelaajien parissa Kultaisella lohikäärmeellä ahkerasta työstään peliharrastuksen edistämiseksi ja sivuston ylläpitämisestä.
”Googlen Suomen toimistosta ei suostuta vastaamaan kysymyksiin yhtään, eikä netissäkään palvella – hyvin käy ilmi, että olen hyödyke, enkä asiakas”, Saari sanoo.
Kävijämäärä romahti
Tivi kysyi Googlen kommenttia tapaukseen. Yhtiö tarjosi vastaukseksi vain linkkiä ohjesivulle, mutta ilmoitti, että ei enempää kommentoi asiaa.
Ohjesivulla kerrotaan, että thin content sisältää automaattisesti luodut verkkosivut, vähän omaperäistä sisältöä sisältävät mainossivut, muualta kopioidut sisällöt sekä läpikulkusivut. Google haluaa nostaa hakutuloksissa esille laadukkaita sivuja ja välttää mainostarkoituksessa nopeasti kyhättyjä sivustoja.
Saaren mukaan tällaista sisältöä ei pelisivustolla ole.
”Lautapelioppaan sivut ovat kauttaaltaan uniikkia itse toimitettua sisältöä, jota Googlen pitäisi arvostaa. Voi olla, että ongelma liittyy Googlen tammikuun puolivälissä tulleeseen algoritmipäivitykseen; senkin kyllä pitäisi tuoda lisäpainoa sivustoille, joissa on pitkiä laadukkaita artikkeleita. Lautapelioppaassa on automaattisesti luotuja arkistosivuja, mutta ne ohjeistettiin jätettäväksi indeksistä pois ennen uudelleenarviointipyyntöä. Näitä on lisäksi lähes kaikilla maailman miljoonista WordPress-sivustoista. Muuten nuo [thin contentin kuvaukset] eivät päde millään tavalla Lautapelioppaaseen”, Saari vastaa.
Diktaattorimaisesti käyttäytyvän Googlen vaikutus verkkosivujen kävijämäärään on Saaren mukaan suuri. Saari miettii Facebookissa julkaisemassaan kirjoituksessa, että Googlen mielivaltaiset päätökset voisivat olla todella kohtalokkaita, jos kyseessä olisi yrityksen verkkosivut. Lautapeliopas on onneksi harrastusprojekti.
Joulun alla ihmiset miettivät lahjaostoksia ja etsivät tietoa lautapeleistä. Lautapelioppaan sivuilla kävi yli 10 000 kävijää päivässä. Valtaosa heistä tuli Googlesta. Sivustolla oli tammikuun alussakin noin 3000 kävijää päivässä. Nyt kävijöitä on noin 1000 päivässä.
Ole hyvä ja kytke Javascript päälle nähdäksesi kommentit. |
THEY have been at this a long time. In 1994 Republicans, newly in charge of Congress, held hearings on what would come to be called “dynamic scoring”. Bills, they said, should be evaluated using the predictive power of macroeconomic models. If the model predicts more GDP growth, then it could be inferred that the growth would produce more tax revenue. During the hearings, however, came an awkward moment. Alan Greenspan, then in charge of the Federal Reserve, told Congress that macroeconomic models were “deficient”. That is, their predictive power, though interesting, was not good enough to rely on. Last year, after the election of Donald Trump, your blogger contacted Mr Greenspan to see whether the models were good enough yet. Mr Greenspan, his office responded, had not yet changed his opinion.
Neither have Republicans. Over the past two decades, in and out of control of Congress, the party has nudged dynamic scoring successively closer to the official policy process until we arrived, yesterday evening, at as dramatic a moment as macroeconomic analysis ever gets. The Joint Committee on Taxation, the nonpartisan Congressional body responsible for evaluating tax proposals, hurried its study (PDF) out on a Thursday afternoon as the Senate was preparing to approve a tax cut. That cut, using the dynamic scoring method Republicans had championed since the age of Newt Gingrich, would still cost $1trn.
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As of Friday morning, the future of that tax bill remained uncertain. It is now up to American conservatives to decide whether their economic policies are social science or market magic.
Lurk near PhD economists online or at conferences, and you will hear them talk about “crisis in macro”. They mean that the models and assumptions most dominant among macroeconomists have failed repeatedly since 2007 to predict or even describe what’s happening. A defence, popular among academics, goes like this: we did get it wrong, but as responsible social scientists, we’re busy and fascinated right now, trying to figure out what was broken and how to fix it. It is a fair defence. In particular young macroeconomists have been using bigger datasets and faster computers to more accurately predict human behaviour. Economists are more likely to accept now, for example, that people with and without access to credit or wealth react differently to the same policy, an idea that is slowly working its way into models at central banks and even at the Joint Committee on Taxation.
This progress is unfortunate for Republicans. In the 1990s social science was on their side. Because data and computing power were harder to come by, macroeconomic models relied on thought experiments. The seminal model showing the ideal capital-gains tax rate as zero, for example, dates to 1986. It assumes that the economy consists of only one person. Also, she is immortal. The Wonder Woman economy, if you will. That model is now interesting only for a lecture on the history of economic thought. We’ve moved on, macroeconomists protest. But economists have. And Republicans haven’t.
It’s still worth asking whether a country should rely on macroeconomic models at all. It’s not completely clear how well they work. To strap yourself into one for predictions ten years in the future is a little like climbing into an experimental airplane. Perhaps fine for a test pilot without a family, but you wouldn’t recommend it for 300 commercial passengers. Or, in this case, 330m citizens.
But if you are going to insist on modeling the future and then planning around it, you have to do it right. The economists at the Joint Committee on Taxation are thoughtful. They read the most recent research. They examine their own models and, when they can, update them—conservatively. If, as Republicans have been insisting for 20 years, we have to assess our tax policies with dynamic scoring, there is no better way to do it than through the JCT. Unfortunately, as modeling has improved, it has not improved in the direction Republicans prefer, which leaves them where they are now. They wanted social science in policy-making, and they got it, in the form of a $1trn tax bill.
So when this bill comes to a vote in the full Senate, we’ll have an answer. If it becomes law, we’ll know that dynamic scoring was never about economics. It was about tax cuts. There’s a huge difference. It is the difference between social science and magic. |
Since Kobe Bryant exited the NBA, Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan has been the league's biggest star to wear Nike Kobes on a regular basis. That will continue this coming season with a retro pair, DeRozan says.
"For sure we're going to have a couple surprises this year, a couple PEs," DeRozan said in an interview session at the launch of Nike's new NBA jerseys in September. "...Something special is going to come together at some point during the season with me and one of the Kobe shoes. I ain't gonna say what number, but it's one of the Kobe shoes."
The three-time All-Star told Sole Collector that the Nike Zoom Kobe 1 is his favorite Kobe model, so it's possible that will be the focus of the project alluded to here.
Nike has been conservative so far with its retro treatment for the Bryant's signature line, releasing older pairs few and far between. |
Again, England suffered the ignominy of being booed inside their own stadium. They had lost for the second time in five days and when the shortcomings are this obvious, with the World Cup draw just round the corner, the only possible consolation can be that nobody surely will be foolish enough to heap unrealistic expectations on this team.
Germany, like Chile, simply reminded everyone about the standard of opposition in England's qualifying programme. Joachim Löw's team did not even have to play particularly well, with their manager acknowledging afterwards he was not fully satisfied. Yet Germany could lope through the match and still expose some old failings in their opponents.
Andros Townsend offered a few flickers of encouragement and Joe Hart, barring one moment of near-embarrassment, can reflect on a restorative performance, but it is difficult to be too positive when the opposition goalkeeper walks off the pitch at the final whistle without a mark on his kit. England did not manage a single shot on target, the first time in a home game since losing 1-0 to Scotland in November 1999. They have not beaten Germany since Colin Bell and Malcolm MacDonald scored the goals in a 2-0 win over Helmut Schön's team in 1975 and it is the first time since 1977 they have lost successive matches on their own ground.
Between them, Chile and Germany have made Hodgson's team look ordinary.
The fact is Germany won, through Per Mertesacker's headed goal, while projecting the sense they were playing a good two or three notches below their optimum. At times, especially in the first half, they showed little appetite to give everything to the occasion. It was when they decided to take the game a touch more seriously that they were comfortably the more distinguished team. All this from a side that left Manuel Neuer, Mesut Özil and Philipp Lahm at home, with Thomas Müller never required to remove his substitutes' top.
A better side than England would have taken control during that 30-minute period in the first half when Germany were misplacing enough passes to agitate Löw and leave the clear feeling that a shock might be possible if Hodgson's men could start to move the ball with more authority. Instead, England were susceptible to a cross into the penalty area, just as they had been for Alexis Sánchez's first goal for Chile on Friday, and Mertesacker took advantage despite the close proximity of Chris Smalling, Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley, all going for the same ball. Mertesacker had an outstanding night and this was not the only occasion he evaded Smalling in England's penalty area. Hodgson, insisting Smalling had put in a strong performance, was either protecting his player or sorely mistaken – hopefully the former. England simply cannot expect to get away with defending this generously in Brazil.
At least Hart showed the force of personality that was required on his return to the team. His first save of the night, from another Mertesacker header, was one of the game's outstanding's moments, even if England were behind within 30 seconds. The ball was never fully cleared and Toni Kroos, a considerable influence for the winning side, clipped another cross into the penalty area. Mertesacker attacked it with more intent than his opponents and his header flashed past Hart into the opposite corner.
Early in the second half, Hart was quickly off his goalline to smother Marco Reus's effort and later there was a splendid one-handed save from Mario Götze's right-foot drive. In between, however, there was another of those dashes outside his penalty area that have undermined his performances. Wembley held its breath as he collided with Smalling and the pair were fortunate Germany did not have anyone to capitalise. Hart's goalkeeping was impressive but in that moment everything could have gone horribly wrong.
Townsend was probably the only other England player to emerge with any real distinction, always willing to drive forward from his position on the right and cracking a shot against a post, from 25 yards, with their best attacking moment. Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole came off because of the injuries that have troubled them recently. Daniel Sturridge, perhaps surprisingly, stayed on, despite his own fitness issues.
He was off the pace and his partnership with Rooney continues to smoulder rather than fully ignite. Rooney put in the usual hard running but it is all huff and puff sometimes and it had no impact against a defence superbly marshalled by Mertesacker and Jérôme Boateng.
Adam Lallana drew praise from Hodgson as "a major find" but there were times when he was peripheral, particularly in the first half, and there was something telling about the loud cheers when Jack Wilshere replaced Cleverley. Jordan Henderson was also brought on and responsible for the one occasion when Germany's defence was almost opened up. His pass was wonderfully measured and a decent touch would have left Sturridge clean through. The striker's anticipation was poor and the chance was gone.
The booing was more voluble than it had been against Chile and Hodgson, with only one more game before he names his squad, has plenty to consider. |
A proposed law that would make it illegal for protesters to cover their faces during a riot or unlawful assembly isn't necessary because there's already a law against wearing a disguise to commit an offence, MPs heard today.
But the MP who wrote the bill says that current law isn't strong enough.
Bill C-309 is intended to make it easier for police to identify and charge violent rioters, Conservative MP Blake Richards says. But James Stribopoulos, an associate professor at York University's Osgoode Hall law school, told MPs on the House justice committee that the Criminal Code already makes it illegal for anyone to wear a disguise to commit an indictable offence.
It's also important to be careful the law doesn't infringe on the rights of those who are in the area with no intent to riot, and that police don't pre-emptively arrest lawful protesters who are wearing masks, Stribopoulos said.
The committee also heard from former RCMP officer Patrick Webb, who said the bill would give police an extra tool to prosecute people who trash property or get violent during riots. Webb worked for the RCMP for 31 years, including at several G8 summits and other public events that drew large crowds and protests.
It's difficult to charge and prosecute somebody, Webb told the committee, if you can't identify them and link them to the crime. Masks make it harder to successfully identify rioters.
Richards says police officers have told him the existing law is designed more to catch people who wear a mask to rob a bank than rioters who cover their faces.
"They've been very clear with me that it's a very difficult section for them to be able to apply to these types of events, unlawful assemblies and riots," he said. "So there actually is a need for a tool that is specifically amending the sections of the criminal code that deal with unlawful assemblies and riots so that it can be applied to this type of situation."
Participating in a riot is an indictable offence that would be covered under the existing provision. But taking part in an unlawful assembly is a less serious crime, which wouldn't be covered. An unlawful assembly is a gathering that causes fear.
It's up to city officials to decide what constitutes a riot, Richards said.
Opposition MPs ran out the clock
Opposition MPs talked for the full hour set aside Tuesday to go through the bill one clause at a time. That's the last step in a committee before returning legislation to the House of Commons for a vote.
Richards said he was disappointed because the bill is an important measure to protect citizens and some of the businesses in major cities.
"I'm hopeful that in the end we'll see the bill pass through committee and move on with what it's designed to do," he told CBC News.
New Democrat MP Françoise Boivin proposed changing the bill to include intent to riot as one of the factors in the crime. Richards' bill leaves the wording as anyone who "commits an offence" by taking part in a riot, which the opposition says is too broad.
Richards says he isn't interested in the NDP's amendment, which he says will "gut" the intention of the bill.
The committee will meet again Thursday to continue clause-by-clause review.
Bill would mean up to 5 years in prison
The new provisions would allow for penalties of up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $5,000 for rioters who wear a mask or disguise.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced Sunday that the Conservative majority formally supports the legislation, meaning it is all but assured of becoming law.
The bill would create two classes of offence.
Those who incite a riot wearing a mask "without lawful excuse" face an indictable offence with prison terms of up to five years.
For those "who participate in an unlawful assembly while wearing a mask or disguise to conceal identity," the charge could be an indictable offence or a summary offence.
Under the summary offence, penalties range up to six months in jail and fines up to $5,000. |
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PASS (function(){"use strict";function g(class){ "use strict"; }; true}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'class' as a variable name..
PASS "use strict";function g(class){ "use strict"; }; true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'class' as a variable name..
PASS (function(){"use strict";var class = 42; class === 42}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'class' as a variable name..
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PASS (function(){"use strict";var class; true}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'class' as a variable name..
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PASS (function(){var extends = 42; extends === 42}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the key word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS var extends = 42; extends === 42 threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the key word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS (function(){var extends; true}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the key word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS var extends; true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the key word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS (function(){function extends(){ }; true}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a function name..
PASS function extends(){ }; true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a function name..
PASS (function(){try{}catch(extends){}; true}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a catch variable name..
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PASS (function(){/extends/.test(function g(extends){ })}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS /extends/.test(function g(extends){ }) threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS (function(){function g(extends){ }; true}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS function g(extends){ }; true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS (function(){var extends = 42; extends === 42}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS var extends = 42; extends === 42 threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS (function(){var extends; true}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS var extends; true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
PASS (function(){({ get extends(){}, set extends(){}, parsedOkay: 42 }.parsedOkay === 42)}); true is true
PASS ({ get extends(){}, set extends(){}, parsedOkay: 42 }.parsedOkay === 42) is true
1212 PASS "use strict";var extends; true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
1213 PASS (function(){"use strict";var extends; true}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
1214 PASS "use strict";var extends = 42; extends === 42 threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
1215 PASS (function(){"use strict";var extends = 42; extends === 42}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
1216 PASS "use strict";function g(extends){ "use strict"; }; true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
1217 PASS (function(){"use strict";function g(extends){ "use strict"; }; true}); true threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
1218 PASS "use strict";/extends/.test(function g(extends){ "use strict"; }) threw exception SyntaxError: Cannot use the reserved word 'extends' as a variable name..
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British Columbia's Transportation Minister has ruled out any reforms to the controversial Vancouver region transit authority to help mayors and their allies win a plebiscite on a new tax to finance transit expansion, dismissing concerns about the issue as a "red herring."
Todd Stone's comments Tuesday come amid polls and public comment that suggest anger over TransLink is driving some voters to oppose the proposal to add 0.5 per cent in the Lower Mainland to the 7-per-cent provincial sales tax, to raise money for such new projects as a new Vancouver subway and light rail in Surrey.
"At this point in time, the province has no plans to make any further improvements to governance at TransLink. This particular issue, we believe, is a red herring in this campaign and we believe it's a distraction," Mr. Stone told reporters during a news conference in Stanley Park.
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He was answering a question about whether he might help out the mayors, who have largely drawn together to campaign for a Yes vote, making their case in news conferences, telephone town halls and interviews.
This week, more than 1.5 million ballots have been mailed to voters across the Lower Mainland. The deadline for returning them to Elections BC by mail or at agency offices is the end of May. The mayors and a wide-ranging Yes coalition argue the tax is key to generating funds for $7.5-billion in projects to clear congestion and facilitate movement of current and future residents.
The referendum has come about because Premier Christy Clark, facing an uphill battle for re-election in the 2013 provincial election, promised voters they would have a say on spending options for new transit if her Liberals were re-elected. The Liberals won the election.
George Heyman, the TransLink critic for the provincial NDP, said Tuesday that Mr. Stone's comments helped reinforce the view that while the minister and Ms. Clark publicly say they hope for a Yes vote, their political behaviour suggests otherwise.
"To call people's concerns about TransLink a red herring when it has become a vote-determining issue is misguided at best," Mr. Heyman said. "It's obvious people considering how to vote are seriously concerned about the accountability of the TransLink board and the transparency of its decision-making."
Last month, TransLink demoted its CEO to an adviser's post and appointed an interim leader to run the organization while a search was launched for a permanent CEO – a move cheered by the mayors, who have said that reform was necessary. The mayors, attentive to public skepticism about getting value for the new tax, have also recruited billionaire Jim Pattison to lead a public-accountability committee that would police spending if the tax is approved.
The province basically holds the reins over TransLink. In 2007, the province stripped the mayors of their ability to control the agency and gave that power to an appointed board.
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Mr. Stone – unveiling a $2.5-billion transportation plan called B.C. on the Move during a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade on Tuesday – said he and Ms. Clark are hoping for a Yes vote. In remarks to reporters later, he added that he has delivered speeches making the case for Yes, but he said he is leaving the heavy lifting to the mayors and their allies in the Yes coalition.
"The Premier and I have said, very consistently, that this campaign is for the mayors council and the Yes coalition to lead," he said. "It's fundamentally up to the mayors and their coalition to get out there and sell their plan."
Mr. Stone dismissed polls suggesting the Yes side is heading for defeat, recalling the Liberals came from behind to win another term in 2013 despite negative polls. "Has it been that long since the lessons we learned in the last provincial campaign?" he asked rhetorically. "It's far too premature to suggest that one side has this in the bag over the other."
Also Tuesday, the minister restated a provincial government commitment to fund one-third of the cost of new rapid-transit projects and the Pattullo Bridge as long as they be accommodated within the province's fiscal plan and are supported by a business case. The province and mayors are hoping for another third from the federal government and other funds would come from local sources.
Mr. Stone said there are only three options ahead: the tax at the centre of the plebiscite, "alternate sources of funding" or the status quo. "It's very much in the best interest of most people who live in this region to support a Yes vote," he said.
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On Tuesday, B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone announced B.C. on the Move, a 10-year transportation plan that will cost $2.5 billion. Components of the plan include:
-$800 million over three years for existing infrastructure and $1-billion to expand major highways and the province's road network. The province will annually resurface 1,000 kilometres of provincial highway.
-A provincial trucking strategy to increase the economic efficiency and safety of the commercial trucking sector.
-$18-million over three years to build new bike lanes and trails, plus such cycle-friendly measures as widening highway shoulders for bikes. |
The Conservative pledge to reduce net immigration to “tens of thousands” lies in tatters. Net migration is now running at over 300,000 a year, just below its previous peak under Labour in 2005. And just as there are upsides to immigration, there are also downsides – especially at these levels. First, as Ryan Bourne has explained on this site, immigration is bad for Britain’s least skilled people: “highly skilled migrants often compete with lower skilled Brits, keeping wages lower than they otherwise would be for that group.” Second, it puts pressure on public services: schools, hospitals, housing, roads, rail, infrastructure. Finally, it can cause social cohesion problems – if large numbers of people don’t speak English, for example.
All the available polling shows that most voters want less migration – though it also suggests that their desire to see a reduction is matched by cynicism about the politicians’ willingness to provide one. But many of those who don’t want less immigration want better immigration control. This one of the reasons why Bright Blue’s manifesto on the subject proposed the publication of an annual migration impact assessment, a new class of national insurance contribution to be paid by migrants, and higher visa and citizenship test fees. This was part of a mix that would see a more relaxed regime for students, tourists, asylum seekers and family members, plus a gross rather than a net target.
But whether or not you are part of the majority that wants less immigration, or part of the even larger one that wants better immigration control, you will find that the bedrock EU principle of free movement is a roadblock to both. Originally, it applied only to workers in a smaller EU, or community, of western European states. But first the Maastricht Treaty broke the link between movement and work during the 1990s, and then enlargement in 2004 swelled the number of people entitled to come here. Nigel Farage made political hay with the latest wave of those entitled to do so – entrants from Romania and Bulgaria: the number of the former last year rose fivefold.
EU migration is less than half the total – roughly 270,000 people last year compared to 290,000 from outside the EU. It is possible to imagine that the Government might meet its net migration target were Britain to experience a slump while the Eurozone boomed, or solely by imposing further restrictions on the number of students who enter from outside the EU. But this would plainly be both an unreliable and undesirable way of reducing numbers. The prospect of a booming Eurozone and bust Britain is – shall we say – a bit remote. Indeed, the new minimum wage looks as though it will be, inter alia, a magnet for further EU immigration. And no-one designing a rational migration system would begin by making it easier, say, for low-skill Slovenians to enter Britain than higher-skill Indians.
But as matters stand, Theresa May is straining to get net migration down by yet another push to reduce non-EU student numbers. (These represent over half of the non-EU immigration total.) A more reasonable course for both those who want lower immigration and better immigration control would be to control EU entry directly. A lower number of EU migrants would give policy-makers more leeway. They could aim for lower migration, either net or gross. Or they could settle for a higher rate than the lower immigration lobby would like, and trade off fewer EU migrants for more non-EU family members, asylum seekers, tourists and students – exactly as Bright Blue propose.
This was also the approach outlined in our own ConservativeHome Manifesto. It should be conceded at once that leaving the EU would not automatically guarantee lower migration. As a group of Business for Britain authors pointed out recently, EEA members, such as Norway and Iceland, have also signed up to free movement: “should the UK seek to retain the EEA’s access to the European Single Market, in all likelihood this means little substantial reform of the EU’s free movement rights for the UK,” they wrote. However, they went on to say that coming to a new arrangement with the EU that would qualify or exclude the principle of free movement would be “politically tricky, but not impossible”.
“The UK could also have access to a wider global talent pool without the uncontrolled pressures of free movement, and its immigration policy could be fairer by providing enhanced opportunities for highly skilled workers from the rest of the world to work in the UK,” they continued, suggesting a range of options including the extension of free movement rights to economically advanced nations outside Europe, or its restriction to economically-developed Western European states, or a reformed work visa regime – or a mixture of all together.
In essence, they were outlining a spectrum of options which range from aiming for more immigration to going for less. But either way, we would have more control than now: we would be exchanging a policy that has failed for one that would work. Furthermore, the policy hasn’t simply failed in the past: it is set to carry on failing unless recession comes. (David Cameron’s original lower net immigration promise – “no ifs, no buts” – has now been downgraded to an aspiration.) Even a downturn might not deliver a net reduction – and, in any event, it is perverse to rely on economic failure to deliver migration control success. In the absence of EU-wide willingness to curb free movement significantly, the only route to better immigration control is Brexit. |
EXCLUSIVE: Jonny and Woodward reunited... 10 years after World Cup triumph: Winning that final was the problem with my career... I've never watched a replay of that winning kick against Australia
Ten years after winning the World Cup for England, Jonny Wilkinson bares his soul to Sir Clive Woodward in an astonishing interview.
SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Jonny, it’s 10 years already since that World Cup final! But for both of us the long journey to Sydney started six years earlier. You don’t know this but I first watched you play at Bisham Abbey with the unbeaten England schoolboys’ team in 1997. I’d just got the job and I came to watch you play.
JONNY WILKINSON: Really? We were never told the new England coach was coming...
Head to head: Clive Woodward and Jonny Wilkinson relive the memories of England's World Cup win in 2003 Good to talk: Woodward and Wilkinson masterminded England's win over Australia 10 years ago
WOODWARD: You wouldn’t have known who I was! But you came into the senior set-up six months after that. You were an 18-year-old without any caps… six years later you swung your wrong foot to drop the goal that won the World Cup.
WILKINSON: It sounds simple, doesn’t it? I was very fortunate that at that young age I had a huge amount of security and support around me. The security was not ‘you’re going to play every game’ but being put in a situation where my development and confidence was of huge concern.
WOODWARD: People forget how daunting it is for a young man to walk into the England changing room, do you remember doing it?
WILKINSON: You never forget. I walked in and saw Martin Johnson’s intimidating frown and thought: ‘They hate me’. But at the same time, Johnno had that face in 2003 and I think he liked me by then! I was brought in during the 1998 Five Nations. I watched you guys smash Wales and thought: ‘Great, I’ll be doing a lot of watching because they certainly don’t need me!’ Then came Ireland. There wasn’t long to go when somebody called me over, ‘Jonny, get back to the bench, you’re needed’. I’m glad it happened that quickly: I ran over, heart pounding, and took my jacket off. I just stood on the wing for five minutes — it was perfect!
Waiting game: Wilkinson prepares to make his England debut against Ireland in April 1998
WOODWARD: During the week you used to sit at the back of the class, not saying anything. I told you I needed you at the front, presenting on this and that, talking. At the time I was tough on you because I needed my quarterback to lead. You know you’ve got a good group of players but you’re trying to produce something special. Did you feel that?
WILKINSON: Absolutely. I had no frame of reference, I only knew your England, but the whole thing fuelled itself — there was a depth of thought and an emphasis of getting the right people to do the right jobs. The No 1 reason behind the success in Australia was the culture that was created. The idea was to look after everyone enough to ensure that all the most technical and intimidating parts of the game became instinctive and natural. You put the codes and rules in place but then it was driven by the players. Even for team meetings, it wasn’t a case of ‘I don’t want to be late,’ it was a case of ‘I can’t bear to be late’.
WOODWARD: Anything less than 10 minutes early was late on England time! But it was the players who agreed to all that and there were hundreds of similar things. My ultimate plan was that if every individual could become the best player in the world in their position, a real superstar player, then the team would become a great team. So we brought in specialists for every individual and for every element of the game, from peripheral vision to tackling technique to footwork.
WILKINSON: That balance is the golden ticket — finding the line between the coach directing but also empowering the players. I want to go on to the pitch with a plan, then the empowerment part is me working out what to do with that plan once it comes under fire. I liked the fact that five years down the line I was still being told on a Tuesday how to tackle properly. You gave us the weaponry to attack the game.
Training days: Woodward and Wilkinson discuss tactics ahead of an England game
WOODWARD: Do you remember those ‘murderball’ sessions? Full-on defensive drills for a set time. I used to absolutely hate them because I wanted everyone fit and I had a real row with Phil Larder (the defence coach) over you. I said we could do ‘murderball’ but I wanted you in a yellow bib. I even physically put you in the bib. You were quite stressed about it, you hate special treatment, but I said: ‘No, I’m head coach, you’re wearing the bib’. I walked away thinking ‘that showed him’, but of course I turn around, see the bib on the floor 20 yards away and you go and smash a forward. It was a seminal moment that summed you up.
WILKINSON: But now I’d want to wear the yellow bib! It makes sense. I look back now and think: I was playing against my friends, in the same team, and I was trying to smash them. If you called a ‘murderball’ session tomorrow, I’d be the first guy in your ear to say: ‘Listen, if you want me fit on Saturday, you better leave me out ’.
WOODWARD: There was one match that stands out for me in the build-up to 2003. It was against the French in the Six Nations. We got beaten and I was furious. You hit 25-plus rucks — a ridiculous work-rate — but I had to sit you down and say: ‘Jonny, you’re the fly-half, we don’t need you fighting, rucking, smashing people. We need you in the line.’ You are the ultimate team player, it is in your DNA, but what I had to get across to you was that for the sake of the team they didn’t need you to be throwing yourself into every ruck. It was a very significant moment. Was there a similar tipping point for you?
Main man: Wilkinson scored five penalties, a conversion and a drop goal as England beat France in 2003
WILKINSON: I felt something building when we went Down Under in the summer of ’99 to play the Centenary game in Australia. They were a big team and a good team but I remember feeling in control, knowing if we got off to a good start, there was no reason why we would lose. And it started to build from there. They came over a year later and Dan Luger scored in the corner in the last minute. It was like the Roger Bannister four-minute mile — it was our marker towards the World Cup.
WOODWARD: Earlier that year, after we lost the Grand Slam up in Murrayfield, we spent a long time reinforcing the mantra: ‘It only takes 20 seconds to score’. That Australia match summed it up with spooky precision. It wasn’t just the winning, it was that everybody held their cool.
WILKINSON: There’s another spooky story. I remember a meeting, years before 2003, and you came over to where I was sat with Mike Catt and asked me: ‘If you set up for a drop goal every time you went into the opposition territory, how many points could you feasibly score?’ I was trying to add the threes up in my head, at which point Catty chirps up with ‘How many “f”s are there in bothered?’ I looked at him and laughed but the point stuck: drop goals can win games.
Axis: Wilkinson with Mike Catt after the World Cup
WOODWARD: Rightly or wrongly, I always compare teams to that 2003 team. Our 10-12 axis was amazing — you working alongside Mike Catt or Will Greenwood, who were such good talkers. We had an explosive back three and a celebrated back row, but another key element was the supreme ability of our tight-five forwards. Woodman, Thompson, Vickery were big and tough but they could really run and pass the ball and that’s traditionally a very un-English thing to do.
WILKINSON: Catty and Greenwood were certainly great talkers — if they were here now we wouldn’t get a word in! But that communication was the key. I remember coming off the pitch at Twickenham and doing TV interviews with the media being very flattering and I was feeling like a fraud, thinking: ‘Are you kidding me? I’m not a genius — I just heard someone say give him the ball, so I gave him the ball!’ My best-looking games were when someone was in my ear for 80 minutes telling me what to do, whereas my actual best games were when it was backs to the wall, dogging it out, coming up with something.
WOODWARD: For me it always came down to pressure and my aim was always to build a team that could withstand anything and keep their composure. The most pressurised week I remember was the build-up to our opening game of the World Cup against South Africa. I thought if we won then, we would make the final and I’ve never seen more tension in the whole team than that week.
WILKINSON: For me, pressure was half-time against Wales in the quarter-finals (Wales were leading 10-3). It was one of the worst feelings I’ve ever had in a changing room. But talking about it now it feels like one of the best because I’ve never felt anything more intense than that team talk.
Everybody thinking: this isn’t supposed to be happening, this cannot finish now. Half the guys want to scream and shout, half are speechless, but it was an intensive, organised re-gathering.
Even the structure of half-time was meticulous. Two minutes to get your kit, then into groups: who would talk when and what about. When it really counts, that structure really means something.
Relief: England almost came unstuck against Wales in the World Cup quarter-finals before edging through
WOODWARD: The week building up to the final was decidedly calm. The night before the final the locals were tooting horns and singing until the early hours, screaming ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie’ and wearing T-shirts with ‘Keep Jonny Awake’.
WILKINSON: My over-riding memory of the build-up was the wall of white every time we left the hotel. When you travel abroad supporters wear the colours, so half of Manly felt English and we were cheered whenever we walked on to the coach for training.
WOODWARD: On the day of the final I woke up ridiculously early and went for a walk on the beach on my own at 5.30am. The breakfast routine was normal and we did that line-out session on Manly beach which got a huge crowd. I went out for lunch with some friends on Manly pier but was quickly surrounded by supporters asking me what on earth I was doing. I said: ‘Where do you want me to be — kick-off isn’t for seven hours!’ We got on the coach a little earlier than usual because it was a long journey. It was an unusually cold night for November in Australia and the difference with the warm-up for a World Cup final is that everyone is already in their seats.
WILKINSON: I remember a huge amount from that night but for me it’s an emotional memory. I can recall all the action, but what I remember is what it felt like at the time. The changing room beforehand was both incredibly calm and incredibly tense, everybody going through their usual habits. Then came the warm-up in front of a packed house and the anthems. I remember the images, what everything looked like, but how I remember them is by recalling the senses — the sight, the sound, the smell, the feel of everything that happened in that game. There were certainly ups and downs. We conceded that early try after only six minutes, to Lote Tuqiri, but we stayed totally calm. The scrums went against us and we just couldn’t get two scores ahead.
Setback: Lote Tuqiri scored an early try for Australia in the World Cup final against England
Pinged: England were consistently penalised in the scrum as they battled with Australia in the final
WOODWARD: We played well. The scrum was annoyingly me intensely — we were the stronger pack but being endlessly pinged — but it isn’t the time to throw your toys out of the pram. Half-time was calm — it was just about reinforcing messages. The problem is the referee stopped us really playing, because the scrum sets up your attack. The big call was bringing on Jason Leonard and I only did that to sort out the scrums. The first thing he did was put his arm round Andre Watson, saying: ‘Listen, I’m the best scrummager on the planet, there will be no more problems’. He deserves a huge amount of credit. As coaches we weren’t allowed on the touchline, but with seconds to go I saw (Australia coach) Eddie Jones on the side, so I was out of my seat and legging it downstairs.
By the time I’m down it was the full-time whistle (score: Australia 14 England 14) and the guys had gone into a huddle. Johnno gave his speech and I knew he would be saying the right things — that this was not about emotion but thinking correctly under intense pressure in a 30-minute match. But you didn’t go into the huddle. I saw you go and practise your kicking but I wanted a quick word with you. I walked over and said: ‘Jonny, just to say we’ve got to play down their half, you’ve got another great kicker in Catty with you now, just kick and keep the ball down there.’ You looked at me and said…
WILKINSON: ‘No s***!’
Pep talk: Woodward had a chat with Wilkinson before the start of extra time in the World Cup final
WOODWARD:You apologised for swearing afterwards. I just remember smiling at the time. You were in control and I knew the whole team would be in control because of the amount of time we had spent talking about this exact situation. So I went up to Johnno and said: ‘This is going to be won by a penalty or a drop goal, so keep kicking’. The other spooky thing is where you were practising from, which is quite far out for you. It’s exactly the spot where you kicked a penalty two minutes later at the start of extra time.
WILKINSON: I first went into that extra-time huddle but I just couldn’t handle it. We’re in a World Cup final, we’ve got two minutes until extra time and we’re doing a huddle on the pitch. Next I was expecting somebody to run out with the oranges! I thought, ‘I can’t do this’. All I ever had in my head was exactly what you said. I’d already missed a few drop goals and I knew that, more than likely, it would fall on my shoulders. I’m thinking: ‘Seven years you’ve been telling me this, I’ve got it!’
WOODWARD: Towards the end of extra time, Lewis Moody nearly charged down a kick by Matt Rogers and he ended up slicing his punt. We have one line-out left and it all comes down to ‘zig zig’ — the drop goal routine we’d planned for years. The mindset is to score between the posts. You don’t go wide, you just keep punching forward, left and right of the ruck. Keep the ball in the channel in the middle of the pitch. Ben Kay saw Moody unmarked at the back and brilliantly changed the line-out call.
WILKINSON: Quite often, when I make a call, I’ll also be running through with everyone what they have to do. I’ll turn to the centre, the winger and talk them through, even though they know. Yet with that one play, the most important play I’ve had in my career, we called it once and I didn’t say anything to Mike Catt, I didn’t say anything to the forwards. Everyone just did it. All the key lessons from the last six years came down to that moment. Under the most severe pressure is normally when teams fall apart but that one play summed up everything. Even after I struck that drop goal I was checking to see if the referee had given a penalty for anything before the ball went over.
Lift off: Wilkinson takes the drop kick that would win the World Cup and seal his place in the history books
WOODWARD: I wasn’t watching you. I was watching everybody else. The ball sails over and all I’m screaming is ‘re-start, re-start’. If Australia win that ball then we can lose the World Cup. Most of the team weren’t in their right positions! Trevor Woodman should never have been in the middle of the park to catch that ball. The Aussies saw him isolated and kicked short to try to win it back. But he leapt like a salmon to take an amazing catch!
WILKINSON: Then Catty kicks it out and I watch the ball in the air... You know, I’ve never watched it again. I’d love to watch a load of those games but I’ll only watch them when the emotional memories drop off a bit, but for the moment I love the fact that when I think about it I still get the emotion with it. I don’t want to watch things in black and white because it will take away from it.
WOODWARD: The celebrations went on for a long time. You don’t dare think about them beforehand. You take your medal and spend time with your team-mates and family, just trying to take it in. I remember still being pretty cranky with the referee! The changing room was open, everyone was invited in. And the Australians were brilliant. They were devastated but they were so gracious. The plane journey home stands out — just a totally unscripted party.
The whole plane was full of England fans. British Airways were brilliant and from the moment we took off everyone stood up and just mingled, passing the trophy around! There was beer everywhere. When we landed, you just couldn’t get back to your seat, so everybody sat anywhere. One fan was asleep in mine. Then on the leg from Singapore to London, everyone just passed out.
Do you remember the day we got back from Australia? We were welcomed by supporters at Heathrow then we jumped on the coach to Pennyhill Park, where we were mobbed by yet more fans.
We were all saying goodbye and I asked you where you were going. You said you were jumping in a taxi to take you to Heathrow and flying back to Newcastle. I couldn’t believe it. I was sponsored by Jaguar at the time and I told my driver: ‘You’re not taking me home, you’re driving Jonny back up to Newcastle!’ You still didn’t learn when you got there, though. You went shopping at your local supermarket and caused a mini-riot.
VIDEO: Sir Clive Woodward relives England's World Cup triumph
Party time: England celebrate their late, dramatic and historic victory over Australia in the World Cup final Golden boy: Wilkinson's life changed over night as he became a sporting superstar after England's win Royalty: Woodward celebrates with Prince Harry in the England dressing room following the country's win
WILKINSON: I wouldn’t swap it for anything in my career, but that one night changed everything. Life stopped being simple. I have a very unhealthy fear of being celebrated. It doesn’t feel right. If I had my time again after the World Cup I would face up to it more. I remember walking into my house in a hat, then sending my mate out in my car wearing the same hat, so me and my brother could drive off in his car and escape out the back.
Maybe I should have gone out there and got used to the fact my life had changed, but at the same time showing people that I hadn’t. But I didn’t. Instead, I hid from it and that kept the problems going. It made me feel fragile.
WOODWARD: The years that followed brought an incredibly unlucky run of injuries for you. It wasn’t just a question of dealing with becoming a poster boy of British sport.
WILKINSON: The adjustment would certainly have been easier but for the injuries. I should have turned around in 2003 and said: ‘That’s that done, life can’t get any better, let’s just enjoy it.’ But I didn’t and because I couldn’t play, everything was related to that night. I made it a burden. I’ve thought a lot about the first half of my career, then the obvious break with all the injuries, then the second half, which includes my time now with Toulon. Things made a lot more sense in that first period. As time goes on I’m realising how precious those years were. In a way, the problem in my career was winning the World Cup.
Life changing: Wilkinson and his England team-mates were met by hordes of fans back in England Nation rejoices: Fans of all ages lined up to welcome their heroes home from Australia
WOODWARD: You know your website hardly mentions the World Cup. Is that a conscious thing?
WILKINSON: I tend to stay away from anything too celebratory and that was my issue with the World Cup. It was the ultimate experience, but I needed to put it behind me so that I could move on. My first game after Sydney was up in Newcastle against Northampton, and it was a relief. But I got injured. And for the next 10 months I got lost.
WOODWARD: You say you got lost but you always had a remarkable temperament to keep dealing with the setbacks. After I left England it sounds like your injuries took over your career for a short time.
WILKINSON: I had 14 injuries before I was able to get back on the field with England and I lost that feeling of everything making sense. I missed all of 2004, ’05 and ’06, so the 2007 World Cup was my comeback. Then I missed all of 2008 and ’09 and there had been a generation change. I didn’t know whether I was trying to hold on or chase my way back. At one point I tried to pretend I was 18 again, trying to pretend that I’d never played for England, but nobody else was going to give me that freedom. Being dropped for a game made sense before the 2003 World Cup, but after it felt like, ‘Oh my God, what has my life come to?’
I had to sit and watch Charlie Hodgson play brilliantly. I remember going down to play Gloucester at the Shed one year, after being injured God knows how many times. I thought: ‘Great, they always give you a kicking in the warm-up.’ A Gloucester welcome is one to relish. But it was different. It was almost like, ‘Oh here he comes, give him a cheer, he’s had a tough time.’ But I wanted them to shout at me, I didn’t want pity.
Blow: Injuries have blighted Wilkinson's career since his defining moment in the World Cup final
WOODWARD: But, all these years later, you have achieved a remarkable thing in bookmarking your career with two great highs. By winning the Heineken Cup with Toulon you achieved the two biggest things a rugby player can, but a decade apart. I can’t think of any rugby player, or indeed many athletes, who have achieved anything similar in that time frame...
WILKINSON: I realise now that a career is about the day-to-day journey. A few guys in the pub may want to talk about who was better than who, who won what, but for me it is about the constant desire of wanting to get better, regardless of the setbacks. What matters in your career comes from the attitude, desire, relationships, ambitions of you and your team-mates. It is those things that make for a great life — and productivity will come from these things.
WOODWARD: You talk about yourself as an obsessive person and I consider myself totally obsessive — I think it’s a great trait. You have been writing things down and making notes since you were seven and that detail and focus is what makes you the player you are. You would make a brilliant coach. Is it something you plan to do?
WILKINSON: I have a few aspirational ideas — a clothing line and a nutrition line — but I also love to see guys get the best out of their skills, so in that way I love coaching. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and researching how best to do things, on and off the field. We have some talented young No 10s at Toulon and I would love to guide them. At the same time, it would be great to work with props on left-hand spin passing, to help second rows attack the line — not just the guys who play fly-half.
Still going strong: Wilkinson helped Toulon win the Heineken Cup final last season
WOODWARD: Your last World Cup was 2011, which was a very different experience to ’03. Can you put your finger on what actually happened? Looking in from the outside, there were plenty of guys with incredible status there, so how did it go so wrong?
WILKINSON: In any team you need a basic understanding to be there. There was a connection in 2003, guys just got on with each other. But even if we occasionally didn’t, if there was a little bit of this or that, it just made training a bit more intense. It actually kind of helped. But in 2011, that simple connection wasn’t there, and then everything you do feels like you’re trying to force it. I was playing with guys who had never even seen me play rugby because I’d been injured so long. Guys didn’t know how to talk to each other: ‘Apparently this guy played in 2003 and I’m supposed to respect him but I’ve never met him.’
I was supposed to tell these guys what to do, but I didn’t know if they believed in me yet, and on the pitch I didn’t know where the ball was going to go. A lot of that falls on my shoulders: I didn’t find that connection either and for only the second time in my career the amount of external pressure from the media just got into my head enough to get me lost.
WOODWARD: You were always dogmatic and stern. That was a huge strength of yours, not a weakness or a problem.
Bad memories: Wilkinson is dejected as England crash out to France in the World Cup in 2011
WILKINSON: But in New Zealand I had to ask myself: ‘Am I just a guy who is super uptight? Are my team-mates thinking, “He’s killing us and he’s killing the mood?” ’ I think I’m getting on with everyone but then I’m out at 7am practising my kicking. I didn’t know how to get on with the team, but as the central hub at No 10 you need to know all that. You can be sure as hell everyone got up in the morning and tried to make it work, but it still wasn’t working.
WOODWARD: My final question: What is the most valuable lesson you have learned in your career?
WILKINSON: The support of the player has to be such that it isn’t a case of the higher you strive the further you fall. With the right support, players know they can aim for the 10 out of 10 performance and land on a seven at worst. But if that system isn’t there and you ask a player to go for a 10, he won’t because he’s afraid of falling on a two. If you’re not sure of a situation you go for an eight, but who wants to finish their career and look back at those days they just got by?
That drop goal was a case in point. The severity of the lessons on the way to 2003 — like those missed Grand Slam deciders — was key to our understanding of what to do in extra time, of what to aim for. All the lessons came down to those 60 seconds. It was made to be, it was set up for that final play. All the lessons were encapsulated.
Sir Clive Woodward and Jonny Wilkinson were speaking to Luke Benedict |
If you want a big swig of despair, listen to the people who know something about the global economy. Roger Altman, a former deputy Treasury secretary, is arguing that America and Europe are on the verge of a disastrous double-dip recession . Various economists say it will be at least another three years before we see serious job growth. Others say European banks are teetering — if not now, then early next year.
Walter Russell Mead , who teaches foreign policy at Bard College , recently laid out some worst-case scenarios on his blog: “It is about whether the international financial system will survive the next six months in the form we now know it. It is about whether the foundations of the postwar order are cracking in Europe. It is about whether a global financial crash will further destabilize the Middle East . ... It is about whether the incipient signs of a bubble burst in China signal the start of an extended economic and perhaps even political crisis there. It is about whether the American middle class is about to be knocked off its feet once again.”
The prognosis for the next few years is bad with a chance of worse. And the economic conditions are not even the scary part. The scary part is the political class’s inability to think about the economy in a realistic way.
This crisis has many currents, which merge and feed off each other. There is the lack of consumer demand, the credit crunch, the continuing slide in housing prices, the freeze in business investment , the still hefty consumer debt levels and the skills mismatch — not to mention regulatory burdens, the business class’s utter lack of confidence in the White House, the looming explosion of entitlement costs, the public’s lack of confidence in institutions across the board.
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No single one of these currents prolongs the crisis. It is the product of the complex interplay between them. To put it in fancy terms, the crisis is an emergent condition — even more terrible than the sum of its parts. |
Tom Hiddleston is nothing if not versatile. He’s tackled Shakespeare, appearing as Cassio in an acclaimed stage version of Othello opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor; portrayed writer F. Scott Fitzgerald in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris; took the role of a kind soldier in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse; and, last but not least, inhabited the villainous Loki in Thor and its upcoming sequel, Thor: The Dark World, as well as The Avengers, winning Best Villain at the MTV Movie Awards for the latter.
The 32-year-old Brit’s latest role sees him switch gears once more, portraying a tormented, oft-shirtless rocker-vampire in Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive. Adam (Hiddleston) is a suicidal vampire living in Detroit, which is now a desolate wasteland, where he produces moody music for his own consumption. His centuries-old lover, Eve (Tilda Swinton), lives out in Tangiers, and has a more positive outlook on the undead life. When Eve pays Adam a visit, his melancholy dissipates.
Hiddleston, a genial fellow, looks mighty dapper in a bespoke three-piece suit. He sat down with The Daily Beast at TIFF to discuss his myriad projects.
Were you like, “OK, I get to play a rocker/vampire. You don’t even need to show me the script. I’m in.”
[Laughs] Honestly, everything. I met Jim Jarmusch in November 2011 and I’d just finished shooting Avengers. I was doing press for War Horse, and was about to start The Hollow Crown for the BBC and PBS. In this swirl of superheroes and soldiers and Shakespeare, here was one of the great American indie auteurs, and we sat, and he pitched it to me. He said, “This is a love story about two old souls who are refined, sophisticated, delicate, and in danger. They’re very poetic, and it will be you and Tilda Swinton, and you’re a musician and she’s a bohemian… and by the way, you’re vampires.” It was the easiest “yes” in the world. And I’d always wanted to make a love story, because I’ve never made one like this, which is basically a love song.
Much of the film is set in Detroit, which is depicted as this wasteland, which is interesting because Detroit was not bankrupt yet while you were filming. Pretty prescient.
It’s funny when I mention it in the States, because people are like, “Oh, you were in Detroit…,” as if it was some hard thing, but I love it—probably because it was exotic to me. As a city in the United States, it’s about as close as you can get to ancient, in a strange way. It’s like one of those fast-forwarded videos of a flower growing from a seed, blossoming, then fading and dying. That’s what happened to Detroit. But it still has this incredible soul with the music, Motown, Jack White, and Marshall Mathers. Jim has a great affection for Detroit and it rubbed off on me, too.
Had you ever fantasized about being a rock star?
[Laughs] I’m not a good enough musician, honestly. When I was a teenager, I played the guitar and the piano, and played sports, and I acted, but acting was the thing that I kept wanting to do most. But I’ve always loved music. And Jim and I, for months on end, talked about music, his friends Tom Waits and Iggy Pop, Mick Jagger in his early days in Nick Roeg’s Performance…
…Oh, Performance is a fantastic film. Such an interesting social commentary— contrasting the hippie Jagger and the buttoned-up gangster.
That was a big reference point for us—a dilapidated old house, living in it and being bohemian.
Back to all the dabbling as a youngster—why did you choose acting over sports and music?
I think it offered the most complete experience for me to be creative, and probably suited my talents, in a way. Acting, for me, is so many things. I love entertaining, but there’s an intellectual curiosity that I get to satiate there, and there’s a great research element where you’re learning all the time about people, experiences, literature, and art, as well as meeting new people. Acting is a total art form because it doesn’t just demand that you bring your brain to bear on the material, it demands that you bring your body, and your heart, and often your brain can get in the way. I remember a specific time in my early-to-mid teens in a cinema where I believed being an actor was a very noble thing. The actors and directors I was watching showed me different things about the world; about life. Spielberg, Gilliam, Tarantino, Nanni Moretti. When I was a teenager, those were the people making exciting work. I just wanted to be a part of this amazing community of people.
Is it intimidating to work with vampire Tilda Swinton?
She’s not. She is one of the most free-spirited people I’ve ever worked with. There’s a very infectious rebelliousness of spirit about her. She’s not a conventional actress, and never has been, and I don’t think she’s ever wanted to be. It all feels like an extension of herself, or her curiosity, in a way. She had been working on this with Jim for eight years before I came on.
But it must have been a little intimidating to shoot that scene where you two are lying on the bed naked staring at each other. It reminded me of the recent MoMA demonstration she did, where she rested in a transparent box.
Not at all! I remember at the time, she said, “This is who we are… we’re all born this way.” There was no self-consciousness or vanity to it.
Adam and Eve are opposites, but very much in love. Adam is a tortured soul that feels cursed by his “affliction,” while Eve sees the bright side to every situation.
So much of our definition of love, as a human race, is founded upon the rock of the idea of mortality—the idea that we know we’re going to die. So, you want to find someone to share your life with because you know it’s short. But what if your life was not short? What if it was eternal? How would that change the way that you love, and the way that you see and accept your lover?
Adam also looks down on humans, or “zombies,” as he calls them, and the state of humanity makes him sad. How do you feel about the state of the world, and does it make you sad?
It’s a strange world, for sure. We live in a great age, truly. Just the ease with which we travel and connect—so many of us, anyway—and we have such a high standard of living. I love that Louis CK sketch where someone is complaining about the WiFi breaking down on an airplane and he goes, “YOU ARE SITTING ON A CHAIR IN THE SKY! YOU’RE EXPERIENCING THE MIRACLE OF HUMAN FLIGHT!” So in one way, the world is a miracle of invention and imagination. In another way, it would be nice if we could stop fighting each other.
Have you seen the Twilight movies?
I saw the first one, which I enjoyed. I thought it was a really interesting piece about adolescence, and high school, and the eternal position of a teenager feeling on the fringes of life.
Unlike the Twilight kids, you weren’t some young actor who was thrown into a blockbuster and became an instant star. You really worked your way up the ladder. What would you consider your big break?
I did, yeah. There was a production of Othello in London with Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is one of the greatest actors I’ve ever shared a stage with, and that production was, apart from being one of the proudest moments of my career, everyone came to see it and it really dictated the course of the next four years of my life. Kenneth Branagh and Joss Whedon came to see Othello, and those men are pretty much responsible for everything else that happened. I spent a year with Branagh on Ivanov and Wallander and Thor, and then Joss wrote me a fantastic part in Avengers. And, from my work with Ken, I did Midnight in Paris and War Horse.
Not every actor can take on such a wide variety of roles, going from Shakespeare to winning MTV Video Movie Awards as a supervillain, to a rocker-vampire.
The thing is: I love so many different types of films. Honestly, four years ago on a Friday night, I went to see The Proposal, the romantic comedy with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, which I loved, and on the next night, I went with a different friend to see Antichrist. I couldn’t tell you on Sunday morning which one I enjoyed more. I genuinely enjoyed them both for what they were. I think to have a varied palate is good. It keeps you sharp.
And you’ve got Thor: The Dark World coming out soon.
What’s interesting is it’s a new dynamic. In Thor, I was the antihero who turned into a villain; in Avengers, I’m the out-and-out bad guy; and in Thor: The Dark World, Malekith, played by Christopher Eccleston, is the villain, so I occupy a unique position because I’m sort of an ally.
Are we going to see you pop up in the Avengers sequel?
I don’t think so. I think James Spader’s got that one sewn up.
Did Spader come to you with any questions about Avengers?
No, James Spader doesn’t need my advice! He’s a great actor and he’ll do a wonderful job.
You could just ask him about spanking, or something.
[Laughs] Yeah, I’ll say, “Don’t spank the Hulk!” |
Olivia Chow’s commanding lead in Toronto mayoral polls has slipped, setting up a potential battle between resilient Rob Ford and consensus builder John Tory, according to a new Forum Research survey. “This race is up for grabs,” Forum president Lorne Bozinoff said in an interview Wednesday. “There is no front-runner now. It’s ‘who has the best vision for Toronto?’ This could be a real battle for the ages.”
John Tory's potential entry into the mayoral race could make it significantly more challenging for others, a new poll finds. ( STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO )
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· Attorney General can't clarify which law keeps Bill Blair mum on Rob Ford · Interactive map: 2010 mayoral election results Chow, the Trinity-Spadina NDP MP, still wins all of the various two-way, three-way and four-way 2014 mayoral matchups that Forum put to 1,239 Torontonians in an automated phone survey Tuesday. But Chow’s margin in a head-to-head match has slipped to 53 per cent to Mayor Ford’s 42 per cent support, with 5 per cent undecided. That’s down from her 60 per cent support in mid-March to Ford’s 39 per cent, with 7 per cent undecided.
The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent, 19 times out of 20. The Oct. 27, 2014, election campaign does not officially start until Jan. 1, but Ford constantly speaks of his re-election bid as other potential candidates are starting to draft campaign teams and fundraisers.
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Public excitement over Chow’s potential candidacy — she says she’s only mulling a run — appears to have faded a bit, said Forum president Lorne Bozinoff. Ford, meanwhile, benefited from a lull in the crack video scandal that has failed to shake his hardcore support. ALSO FROM THESTAR.COM: · Pilot resignations hit ORNGE air ambulances · Teachers’ sick days up along with long weekends · New condo buyers could face big bills at move-in time John Tory, the radio host, former Ontario PC leader and failed 2003 mayoral candidate now gauging support for a 2014 run, would handily beat Ford in a head-to-head contest 52 per cent to 35 per cent, the poll suggests. Putting all three heavyweights in the ring, if the election were held now, would see Chow win with 40 per cent, trailed by Ford at 30 per cent and 25 per cent for Tory. “When Tory is in the race, it’s a real toss-up,” Bozinoff said. “Any of them could win. “All three are veteran politicians with a certain amount of baggage. This would be a tough, tough campaign — very aggressive with no stone left unturned.” Tory’s reputation as a left-leaning conservative with cross-party appeal could help him steal support from both rivals, Bozinoff said. His support had faded since he opted to sit out the 2010 campaign. “Tory can promise the concern for taxpayers without the theatrics we have seen with Ford,” Bozinoff said, adding that, to clinch re-election, Ford needs an extra 10 to 15 per cent support on top of his “Ford Nation” diehards. The Star recently reported that TTC chair Karen Stintz, the fiscally conservative Eglinton-Lawrence councillor who split with Ford over transit expansion, has begun to build a campaign team for her 2014 election bid. Stintz polled last in the various matchups proposed by Forum. They range from 23 per cent support in a three-way race that would have Ford and Tory virtually tied, at 33 per cent and 32 respectively, to only 9 per cent in a four-way race led by Chow with 36 per cent, Ford 32 per cent and Tory 19 per cent. “Stintz at the moment is a tier-2 candidate while the other three are all tier-1,” Bozinoff said. “Many voters consider her, I think, a downtown candidate, not a suburbanite. I don’t think she connects with Ford Nation. She’s just not from their ’hood.” The poll also included combinations with public works chair Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34, Don Valley East). Minnan-Wong, who was considering a run for mayor if Ford’s conflict of interest case thrust the city into a mayoral byelection, polled well behind the others, with support as low as 2 per cent. Minnan-Wong has privately urged Tory to run for mayor, sources say, and would likely be a key figure in his 2014 campaign team.
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Rosetta Crashes Into Comet, Bringing Historic Mission To End
NASA YouTube
This is the way the Rosetta ends: not with a bang, but with a slow-motion crash.
The historic spacecraft has transformed scientists' understanding of comets over the past two years, as it orbited the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet and sent a stream of images and data back to Earth.
Now scientists have steered it into the comet for a "Grand Finale" of data-collection, and Rosetta has lost contact with Earth forever.
The spacecraft launched by the European Space Agency ended its mission by streaming data back to Earth as it free-fell toward the bumpy surface of the comet.
As NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reported yesterday, the controlled crash-landing won't have destroyed the spacecraft — it was traveling at about walking speed when it hit the comet. But the antenna will no longer be precisely angled at Earth, and the signal will be lost.
The final impact is believed to have occurred at 6:39 a.m. ET Friday, and the last signals reached Earth around 7:20 a.m. ET.
You can watch live coverage of the event from NASA and ESA in the video above. The final moment was a little anticlimactic: After dramatic images of the comet, the moment of impact was revealed in a chart.
When Rosetta hit 67P, the flow of data and images stopped, and the silence let scientists on Earth know that the mission was over.
During the final descent, the Twitter account for Rosetta sent out images of the comet as it grew closer and closer — and tweeted farewell to its space-probe friends.
By crashing on 67P, Rosetta is following the journey taken by its famous little lander, Philae, the first probe ever to make a controlled landing on a comet.
Philae sent unprecedented data back to scientists on Earth. Unfortunately, the probe had bounced on its landing and wound up with its solar panels shaded, limiting the amount of power it had. It wound down into silence as its batteries ran out. The Twitter account for the lander marked its quiet demise with tragic tweets — "it's cold and dark," it said.
Rosetta has since documented exactly where on the comet Philae landed, showing how the probe was wedged in a shadowy crack.
The scientists organizing Rosetta's "Grand Finale" apparently prioritized research over sentimentality, and Rosetta's landing site is not near the resting place of Philae.
Rosetta would have to bounce a "long way" on landing to nestle next to its lander, one scientist commented on the livestream.
Nell has more on the scientific implications of Rosetta's mission:
"The time Rosetta spent orbiting this comet has given scientists an unprecedented opportunity to watch one of these icy bodies in detail as it approaches the sun. Most previous comet missions only flew past a comet (one spacecraft, Deep Impact, deliberately collided with a comet), which meant that scientists could retrieve data for only a few hours or days. "Planning for the mission began in the 1980s, says [Matt Taylor of the European Space Agency]. " 'You're looking at over 30 years to get you to a science target. It takes time and effort,' he says. 'There are scientists and engineers who have spent their lifetime working on this mission.' "Comets interest scientists because these complicated icebergs could shed light on our solar system's beginnings. 'Comets are the best preserved samples of solar system material from the origin,' says Paul Weissman, a scientist with the Rosetta mission at the Planetary Science Institute. 'They've been totally unmodified since 4.5 billion years ago, when the planets and the sun formed.' "He says Rosetta has already turned up a lot of surprises. For example, researchers previously thought comets had only small, active areas on the surface that spewed jets of dust and gas. " 'It turns out, almost all of the surface is active,' Weissman says, 'but it's active at a very low level. So it's a very different mechanism than what we previously thought. This is going to send everybody back to the drawing boards to understand how this mechanism works.' "
Enlarge this image toggle caption Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images
Rosetta was launched in 2004 and reached 67P in 2014. Now it and Philae will be resting on the comet "indefinitely" — traveling through the inner solar system for the next half-million years or so, before being ejected into a more distant orbit, Weissman told Nell.
The Rosetta spacecraft said goodbye to its fans on Earth with a series of tweets, announcing "mission complete" in a variety of languages with cartoons reminiscing over the good times Rosetta and Philae had.
When the series concluded with the two spacecraft hunkering down for an eternal sleepover, more than a few Twitter users confessed they were getting more emotional than they'd expected. |
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Ten years after the US Supreme Court barred a real recount of Florida ballots and handed the presidency to the candidate who had lost the popular vote of the republic—in the original sin of the last decade—the United States still has an unstable and unequal election system that is ripe for gaming by political insiders and that too frequently rewards money and power rather than fostering democracy. Ad Policy
The Florida fight exposed some of the worst pathologies of the electoral process: ill-defined and inconsistent rules for resolving disputes over voter eligibility, different ballot designs from county to county, different voting technologies (ranging from paper ballots to the most advanced scanners) from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, unclear requirements for when and how recounts should occur, partisan control of the process and uneven timelines and requirements for getting a result and certifying it. The result was an imagined chaos—not genuine chaos, as all the challenges could have been addressed and resolved if Florida officials had been motivated to do so—that provided an opening for an activist High Court majority to intervene on behalf of its preferred candidate.
After Al Gore (the Democratic contender who won the national popular vote by more than 500,000 ballots and was the clear choice of the plurality of Floridians who went to the polls on November 7, 2000) announced on December 13, 2001, that he was giving up the fight to have all of Florida’s votes counted, there was a good deal of talk about getting things right. New laws were written. New money was expended. New technologies were developed. And meaningful, if not definitional progress was made on some issues and in some states.
But, a decade on, we still have the old problem of an uneven and unequal election map that allows for more democracy in some states and less in others.
As Fair Vote’s Rob Richie notes, the United States still lacks some of the most basic standards and practices when it comes to voting and elections.
"Upholding fair voter access and protecting voting rights should not be a partisan issue," he explains. "In our decentralized system however, some states do a better job at protecting these rights than others."
For instance, in nine states, citizens can register and vote on Election Day. In forty-one others, they must go through an often complex process weeks before the election, and then hope that the paperwork was processed correctly and delivered to the right polling place. Needless to say, states that allow Election Day voter registration have significantly higher voter turnout patterns—and significantly fewer problems making sure that eligible voters are able to cast ballots.
There is no universal standard for voter registration, no universal standard for counting votes, no universal standard for recounting votes and no universal standard for resolving too-close-to-call elections. Some states are models of efficiency and good practice (Minnesota, for instance), while others are disasters waiting to happen.
What this means is that, in any given election cycle, millions of Americans who would like to vote are disenfranchised—either because of barriers to registration, confusing rules, uneven standards for resolving disputes over eligibility, machinery that does not alert voters when a bad ballot is cast and practices that undermine the ability of voters to assure that their sentiments are recorded. In close presidential elections, this creates an uneven circumstance where voters in states that maintain best practices are significantly more likely to influence the result than voters in states that are less serious about democracy. It also means that members of the House and Senate are elected by different rules—even though their authority is equal once they arrive in Washington.
Of course, some of them arrive in Washington via the ballot box while others come via political appointment—since states have different rules for filling Senate vacancies.
With all due respect to federalism, there remains a crying need for reforms that address what is now separate but unequal democracy.
What sort of reforms?
Here are five that make practical and democratic sense:
1. Guarantee the Right to Vote in the Constitution
As Justice Antonin Scalia noted in the Bush v. Gore deliberations, Americans have no constitutionally-defined right to vote or to have those votes counted. As a result, we have no universal standards for holding elections or tabulating results. There are no guarantees from state to state, and sometimes even from jurisdiction to jurisdiction within a state, that Americans will be able to cast a ballot or that their sentiments will be registered in support of the candidate they want to see elected. This makes the United States an international outlier, and allows for many of the challenges we continue to face with regard to elections.
Congressman Jesse Jackson, D-Illinois, proposed a Right-to-Vote Amendment to the Constitution in 2001 and has continued to submit it in each new Congress. It is time for every member who takes democracy seriously to sign on as a cosponsor.
The Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution does a great job of promoting the Right to Vote Amendment.
2. Enact Universal Voter Registration
Fair Vote says: "Universal voter registration would modernize voter registration in the US so the government shares responsibility for registration with its citizens to ensure full and accurate voter rolls. Complete registration will significantly reduce duplications and omissions on the voter rolls and help create a system that balances the twin goals of election accessibility and security."
"[While] complete and accurate voter rolls are the international norm, in the US nearly 1 out of every 3 eligible citizens are not registered and thus unable to vote on Election Day. To some this might sound shocking, but a simple examination of our voting system reveals why so many Americans are not registered to vote. Voter registration is a voluntary act, much like voting itself. Neither the federal, state nor local governments are required to register citizens. Instead, state and local boards of election rely on individual citizens, non-partisan and partisan voter registration organizations, and political parties to register voters. Not surprisingly, this decentralized system leaves many unregistered," FairVote continues.
To address the problem, FairVote has developed a list of seven common-sense recommendations that can be adopted on a federal, state or local basis to move the United States closer to 100 percent registration.
They include:
* Use existing government databases to automatically register all citizens to vote.
* 2. Create a fail-safe policy to ensure voters left off the rolls can register and vote on Election Day.
* 3. Set a uniform voter registration age of 16-years-old to systematically register youth. Tie this policy with a national "voting curriculum" in every high school.
* 4. Require US citizens to register to vote when completing taxes or actively opt out of the process.
* 5. Tie Post Office change-of-address forms to the voter registration database
* 6. Require state or local governments to send every residence a notice of those registered at that location. Residents may then make changes as needed and return the updated form.
* 7. Provide every US citizen, upon birth or after naturalization, a voter registration number similar to a Social Security number to be used in all elections and activated when a voter turns 18.
3. End Discrimination Against Ex-Felons
Former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris famously developed a variety of strategies to disenfranchise ex-felons in the state prior to the 2000 election. Harris was so "successful" that she ended up disenfranchising innocent voters who happened to have the names similar to those of ex-felons.
Harris took advantage of uneven and confusing laws in states across the country regarding the voting rights of ex-felons. While two states (Maine and Vermont) allow all felons to vote even when they are incarcerated, many other states go to extreme lengths to deny voting rights to men and women who run into trouble with the law. In two states, Virginia and Kentucky, individuals who are convicted of felonies are permanently disenfranchised.
What’s the bottom line? "Nationally," according to the Sentencing Project, "an estimated 5.3 million Americans are denied the right to vote because of laws that prohibit voting by people with felony convictions. Felony disenfranchisement is an obstacle to participation in democratic life which is exacerbated by racial disparities in the criminal justice system, resulting in an estimated 13% of Black men unable to vote."
The Sentencing Project and the American Civil Liberties, working with many other groups, have succeeded in addressing some of the worst abuses. According to a new Sentencing Project report, an estimated 800,000 people with felony convictions have gained the right to vote as a result of changes in felony disenfranchisement policies in twenty-three states. Chicago Tribune columnist Stephen Chapman observes that "in a period of often bitter divisions, we have a rare case of simple good sense overcoming partisan impulses."
That’s true. But much more needs to be done at the state level to end not just the specific disenfranchisement of those who have paid their debts to society but the broader use of ex-felon disenfranchisement as a voter- suppression tool.
4. Address Voter Suppression and Intimidation
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other groups documented multiple instances of voter suppression and intimidation in Florida in 2000. In addition to Harris’s official scheming, there were incidents outside polling places that recalled the worst days of the "Jim Crow" south.
Since 2000, there has been more attention to voter suppression and intimidation. But the problem persists. Karl Rove even got Republican-appointed US Attorneys into the act.
Legislators in some states have begun crafting legislation to make it illegal to intentionally deceive voters about their eligibility and to launch coordinated campaigns of suppression and intimidation.
To keep abreast of efforts to assure that every citizen knows their voting rights and feels comfortable exercising them, check out the Brennan Center’s important work on this front.
5. Eliminate the Electoral College
If the United States elected presidents by popular vote, Al Gore would have assumed the presidency in January 2001. After all, he won by 543,816 votes—a margin almost five times that of John Kennedy over Richard Nixon in 1960. Unfortunately, America actually elects its presidents by Electoral College votes. That’s the only reason that the Florida recount mattered in 2000; Governor Jeb Bush and Secretary of State Katherine Harris needed to game the system to deliver the necessary Electoral College votes to Jeb’s brother.
A vestige of the compromises at the founding of the American experiment that allowed slavery to continue, the Electoral College was never a good idea. Now, it is now widely identified as one of the more anti-democratic (and incomprehensible) institutions on the planet.
Efforts to eliminate the Electoral College go back more than a century and have been supported by leaders of both major parties. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to get the Constitutional amendment through Congress—since small- and medium-size states see maintenance of the Electoral College as a tool to maintain influence in presidential elections.
An innovative campaign, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, seeks to reduce the influence of the Electoral College by cobbling together an agreement among the states that would effectively replace the Electoral College with a direct, nationwide vote of the people. According to the National Popular Vote campaign: "Nationwide popular election of the President can be implemented if the states join together to pass identical state laws awarding all of their electoral votes to the presidential candidate receiving the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The proposed state legislation would come into effect only when it has been enacted, in identical form, by enough states to elect a President—that is, by states possessing a majority (270) of the 538 electoral votes."
Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Washington—with 73 electoral votes—have formally joined the compact, while many other states are considering doing so.
For more on the campaign, go to the National Popular Vote campaign website.
To follow all the campaigns for fair elections. visit the FairVote site.
——————————
John Nichols is the author of Jews for Buchanan (The New Press) a study of the Florida recount fight about which Publishers Weekly says: "Nichols doesn’t dryly build a case; he tells compelling stories revolving around the deeper, more troubling notion that the American people and democracy itself were robbed." |
President Hamid Karzai has condemned a NATO air strike in Afghanistan's lawless east that Afghan officials say may have killed up to eight civilians, the latest evidence of friction between the president and his international backers.
Karzai's office also lashed out on Sunday at the senior U.S. diplomat for Afghanistan and Pakistan, James Dobbins, after Dobbins referred to the Afghan conflict as a "civil war".
"President Hamid Karzai termed the attack on women and children against all internationally agreed principles and strongly condemned it," Karzai's office said in a statement.
Civilian deaths have been a long-running source of friction with Afghan leader Karzai's international backers. He has forbidden Afghan troops from calling for foreign air strikes, though that ban is not always adhered to, and NATO advises crews not to fire at or bomb populated areas.
The air strike was targeting insurgents in the border province of Kunar, a mountainous province that shares a long and porous border with lawless tribal areas of Pakistan. The province has long been considered a hub for foreign insurgents, including members of al Qaeda.
"We can confirm that we undertook a precision strike in ... Kunar, and are able to confirm 10 enemy forces killed," said a spokeswoman for the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, First Lieutenant Ann Marie Annicelli.
NATO had received no reports of civilian casualties, she said.
Kunar police chief Abdul Habib Sayed Khaili and provincial governor Shuja ul Mulk Jalala said at least eight civilians, including three women, four children and a truck driver, had been caught up in an air strike targeting Taliban fighters. They said the truck was hit after the driver gave the Taliban fighters a lift.
The strike occurred at about 5pm on Saturday, Jalala said.
INSURGENCY
Karzai's criticism of the NATO strike came within hours of him reacting angrily to an interview with Dobbins on Voice of America on Thursday.
In the interview Dobbins was asked if he expected civil war to break out in Afghanistan next year if the Afghan government is unable to reconcile with the Taliban, who have been fighting western-backed forces since being ousted from power in 2001.
"There already is, of course, a civil war in Afghanistan. The question is, will it intensify?" Dobbins responded.
The Afghan state is sensitive to suggestions the war with the Taliban is a civil war, as it suggests foreign troops are in the country to bolster Karzai, not to fight terrorism.
"If (this war) is an insurgency, then it is an internal issue for Afghanistan which would require no U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan," Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faizi said in a statement.
"Afghanistan is the victim of terrorism and we believe that the war in our country is the fight against terrorism that has roots outside our soil.
"The reason for the U.S. and NATO presence in Afghanistan as mandated by the United Nations is to fight against terrorism only."
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The U.S. appeared to retreat from the remarks in a statement posted on the website of its Kabul embassy.
"Recent remarks that referenced Afghanistan currently being in a state of civil war were not intended to reflect all of the sources of conflict in Afghanistan," the statement said. (Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Patrick Graham) |
The hull of the Royal Canadian Navy ship HMCS Athabaskan was damaged when it broke loose from its tow line last week and went adrift off Scatarie Island in Cape Breton, CBC News has learned.
The Iroquois-class destroyer, which is currently docked in North Sydney, has at least seven holes in its hull along with several dents and scrapes. It also appears the ship's frame may be warped along the waterline.
The Royal Canadian Navy declined to comment to CBC News about the extent of the damage.
HMCS Athabaskan was in St. Catharines, Ont., for a refit and was on its way to Halifax for the winter when it went adrift on Friday night.
The tow line to the 130-metre vessel was reconnected with the help of a Cormorant helicopter from the airbase in Greenwood, N.S.
There was no one on the ship at the time of the incident.
HMCS Athabaskan went adrift off the same island where the bulk carrier MV Miner went aground in September 2011.
The MV Miner was on its way to Europe when the tow line snapped. The rusting ship is still beached off Scatarie Island despite several attempts to refloat it. |
* Bridges, roads could be washed away, hitting harvest transport
* “High degree of confidence” weather extremes linked to climate change
* Enough food, but problem is distribution - professor
By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle
OSLO, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Downpours and heatwaves caused by climate change could disrupt food supplies from the fields to the supermarkets, raising the risk of more price spikes such as this year’s leap triggered by drought in the United States.
Food security experts working on a chapter in a U.N. overview of global warming due in 2014 said governments should take more account of how extremes of heat, droughts or floods could affect food supplies from seeds to consumers’ plates.
“It has not been properly recognised yet that we are dealing with a food system here. There is a whole chain that is also going to be affected by climate change,” Professor Dr John Porter of the University of Copenhagen said.
“It is more than just the fact that there are droughts in the United States that will reduce yields,” he said. Like the other experts, he said was giving personal opinions, not those of the U.N. panel.
After harvest, floods could wash away roads or bridges, for instance, between fields and factories processing the crop. Or warehouses storing food could be damaged by more powerful storms. Such factors were likely to hit poor nations hardest.
“There are reasons to expect more frequent (price) spikes, given that it will be more common to see conditions that are considered extreme,” said David Lobell, an assistant professor at Stanford University in California.
GRAIN STORAGE
Other factors could dampen rises, however, “including responses such as raising grain storage or changing trade policies”. He said Stanford was trying to produce models of the likelihood of price spikes to understand the risks.
“It’s a distributional problem - there is enough food in the world. But the distribution doesn’t work,” said Bruce McCarl, a professor at Texas A&M University. Climate extremes could aggravate food price swings, he said.
The worst drought in five decades in the United States has pushed up corn prices by more than 50 percent from late May to record highs above $8 a bushel. Hot, dry weather has also hit crops in southern Europe.
A U.N. report on climate extremes in March said it was “virtually certain” that days with extreme heat would increase. Among other findings, it said it was likely that downpours would increase as a percentage of total rainfall.
Scientists are traditionally wary of linking individual extremes such as the U.S. drought to climate change - weather events from heatwaves to dust storms have happened throughout history.
But James Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, expressed “a high degree of confidence” this month that the European heatwave of 2003, the Russian heatwave of 2010 and the Texas and Oklahoma droughts of 2011 were “a consequence of climate change” because they were so extreme.
His conclusion was challenged as too definite, even by some experts who say risks of such events are rising with greenhouse gas emissions, led by China and the United States.
On the positive side for food output, a slight rise in temperatures is likely to help plant growth overall.
RISING TEMPERATURES
But long-term net benefits are doubtful, especially because U.N. studies say rising greenhouse gas emissions are on track to push temperatures up by more than 2 Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, set by 200 nations as a threshold for dangerous change.
Temperatures have already risen by almost 1 degree (1.6F). Nations such as Australia could lose out more than others benefit.
“In Australia there are huge areas where you can grow wheat. If that goes, I don’t think there are northern areas that can take up the huge production lost,” said Kaija Hakala, of MTT Agrifood Research Finland.
With more frequent climate extremes, researchers said there would be hard choices with a projected rise in the world population to 9 billion people by 2050 from 7 billion now. They urged more research into drought- or flood-resistant crops.
“We may be hitting a point where it’s getting harder to get technological progress” in raising yields, McCarl said. Annual yield growth for U.S. corn had slowed to about 1.5 percent from stellar rates of about 3.5 percent in the early 1970s.
Porter said the world had so far escaped predictions that population growth would outstrip food production, most famously by English writer Thomas Malthus in 1798.
But he said the world now had triple goals of producing food for people, crops for biofuels and feed for animals, often raised for their meat. “In my view we can have two out of those three and not all three,” he said.
A shift towards more vegetarian diets would help, he said. |
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The U.S. House on Friday passed major defense budget legislation aimed at authorizing funds for the Pentagon that was inclusive of language restricting LGBT rights.
By a vote of 299-120, the Republican-controlled House approved its version of the fiscal year 2013 defense authorization bill. The $642 billion package aims to provide funding for military programs and pay for service members, but includes anti-gay provisions that were adopted by the House Armed Services Committee during its markup of the legislation.
One provision in the bill, the “conscience protections,” is for military personnel and chaplains who object to homosexuality. Under the language, service members could harass gay colleagues and chaplains could discriminate against service members by religion, gender, sexual orientation or race.
Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said he’s “disappointed” the language was included in the legislation passed by the House.
“The fact of the matter is, there are already in place adequate protections for chaplains and service members in this area,” Sarvis said. “This language weakens implementation of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal, which Americans support and which our nation’s military leaders have said is being implementing smoothly.”
Another provision in the bill would prohibit same-sex couples from holding marriage ceremonies on Defense Department property. The Pentagon has previously issued guidance saying such facilities should be available on a sexual orientation neutral basis.
Sarvis also objected to this language in the legislation.
“This is yet another attempt by a few opponents of military equality who are looking to turn the clock back on progress and relegate gay and lesbian service members to second-class status,” Sarvis said.
The White House Office of Management & Budget issued a Statement of Administration Policy earlier this week objecting to the anti-gay provisions, calling language barring same-sex couples from marrying on military bases “potentially unconstitutional.” The White House issued a veto threat on the legislation based on certain provision in the bill, included provisions related to the detention of detainees, but stopped short of explicitly stating the anti-gay language merited a veto.
The Senate has yet to take action on its version of defense authorization legislation for the upcoming fiscal year. Next week, the Senate Armed Forces Committee will begin its markup. Differences between the House and Senate versions will be addressed in conference committee later this year.
Similar anti-gay language was included last year in the previous House version of the defense authorization bill. The language was ultimately removed in conference committee before each chamber voted again to approve the final version of the legislation.
CORRECTION: An initial version of this article incorrectly stated service members could opt out working gay colleagues under the “conscience protections” in the legislation. The Blade regrets the error. |
Author's Note: Warning This chapter contains explicit sexual content.
Chapter 6
Pyrrha awoke to feel a weight on her arm and breath on the top of her head. She lifted her head to look Nora in the eyes and only just managed to avoid screaming when she saw it was Sun. It took her a few seconds to process the situation but she was quickly able to calm down. Nora had probably been the first one to wake up, then had slipped out without waking Sun or herself. Sun was pretty cute when he was sleeping, messy hair and drool included. Still a bit tired and discouraged from getting up by the room's cold air, Pyrrha snuggled into Sun as he unconsciously reached out and embraced her, and soon she fell back to sleep.
Some time later Sun woke up. He felt hair against his chest and an arm draped over him. He opened his eyes, expecting Nora, but got Pyrrha instead. "Pyrrha!" He gasped, somehow keeping his exclamation a whisper. "Shit…" Pyrrha was probably not going to be thrilled about them ending up this close. And where was Nora? Click. Sun raised his head a bit to see Nora standing at the foot of the bed, grinning ear to ear. She had her phone out and was snapping pictures. No doubt she had engineered the situation on purpose.
Pyrrha stirred, looking up at Sun as he looked at Nora. "Oh, morning Sun." Pyrrha said. She rolled away from him and stretched. "Sleep well?"
"Hey, I'm really sorry…" Sun started.
"There's nothing to apologize for." Pyrrha cut him off. "Waking up in your arms was a surprisingly enjoyable experience."
"Aw...so cute." Nora squealed.
"So you're not mad?" Sun asked.
"No, not at all." Pyrrha confirmed. "And...I think I have my answer." Pyrrha sat up and looked Nora in the eyes. Nora lowered her phone. "Nora, Sun...yes."
"Awesome!" Nora cheered.
"And I want to be a part of it." Pyrrha continued. "If this is happening, it's going to be with all three of us."
"Sweet!" Nora exclaimed. "Three-way!"
"Yes Nora, three-way." Pyrrha laughed. "That is if Sun's onboard."
"You're sure?" Sun asked. Pyrrha nodded. "Completely?" Pyrrha nodded again. "Well, I guess this is happening."
"Are you certain?" Pyrrha asked.
"Oh yeah." Sun said. "I made my choice a while ago. Didn't want to influence your decision though."
"That's very thoughtful." Pyrrha smiled. "Thank you."
"Nah, it's the least I could do." Sun shook his head.
"So, shall we get this party started?!" Nora asked as she whipped off her shirt.
"Sorry Nora, but it'll have to wait." Sun declined. "I have a class to teach in an hour and I don't want to rush this. You're both welcome to attend if you'd like."
"I'd love to." Pyrrha agreed.
"I'll pass." Nora sighed. "I'll let this be your thing."
"Sun and I...have a thing?" Pyrrha asked.
"I guess so." Sun laughed.
"That's...pretty cool." Pyrrha chuckled. "Hopefully I don't forcefully embrace the concrete this week."
"I gotta' call Yang!" Nora exclaimed. "I can brag again." She skipped out of the room, leaving Sun and Pyrrha alone. They shared a laugh before falling into a comfortable silence.
"You're really ready for this?" Sun asked after some time had passed.
"Ready?" Pyrrha sighed. "Not entirely." She leaned against Sun who slid his left arm around her waist. She took his right hand in her own. "There are a few things we'll need to talk about, things we'll need to work through, but I do want this Sun. I'm confident in that now. Together we can make this work." She faced Sun, smiling warmly, cupped his cheek with her left hand before closing in for a kiss.
Pyrrha had a great time at the parkour class, and managed to avoid any serious falls. She signed up to attend regularly, and though Sun was against it, she insisted on paying like everyone else. After a quick change of clothes the pair headed out, picking up some food on the way home. When they arrived they were in for a surprise. Rose petals scattered on the floor made a path from the front door to the bedroom. Sun diverted to leave the food in the kitchen before rejoining Pyrrha at the bedroom door.
"Well, I think it's safe to say Nora's eager." Pyrrha joked.
"I'm almost afraid to see what she has in store." Sun said.
Pyrrha pushed the door open to see Nora reclining, nude, on a bed covered with red satin sheets. Candles burned all around the room. "Welcome back." Nora smirked. "Let's make a baby."
"Nora...we don't own satin sheets." Pyrrha observed.
"I called in a favor from Yang and Winter." Nora explained.
Sun sniffed the air. "Banana?" He gasped. "Seriously?"
"I also got strawberry and mint!" Nora cheered. "They make so many kinds of scented candle, I couldn't choose just one! Now come on. Drop those pants and let's get this show on the road."
"Nora, slow down." Pyrrha requested.
"Aw...well...oh!" Nora gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rush things." She jumped up and started around the room, blowing out the candles.
"It's alright." Pyrrha smiled. "I probably should have said something to you this morning."
"I'm still sorry." Nora said.
"Don't be." Pyrrha said. "Now, we brought lunch. We can talk about things over a nice meal."
"Sweet!" Nora cheered. Without putting on any clothes, she rushed for the kitchen.
"She's going to eat naked, isn't she?" Sun asked.
Pyrrha laughed. "You have no idea how hard it is to get that girl to put clothes on."
Pyrrha sat in the middle of the couch, Sun and Nora on either side of her, holding her hands. "I have a...a fear of...penetration." Pyrrha admitted.
"Oh shit!" Nora exclaimed. "I forgot!"
"Well, to be fair, I never told you it was a fear." Pyrrha said. "Just that I didn't like it as much as...other things, and it's more focused on...well male penetration."
"O-oh!" Nora gasped. "Pyrrha, you don't have to…"
"But I do!" Pyrrha protested. "God I want to! I don't want this stupid phobia ruling me, just another shadow my parents cast over me even now."
"Pyrrha, breathe." Sun advised.
Pyrrha took a few deep breaths to calm herself, pulling Sun and Nora closer as she did. "Of all the things they did, all the lies, all the insecurities they fostered in me, this is the most...humiliating." Pyrrha groaned. Pyrrha's voice cracked and intensified as she continued, tears welling in her eyes. "I was terrified during high school. Then, when I finally got away from them in college, and finally had a relationship, I was too scared to ask for sex, and he lacked the confidence to do it himself. It was a nightmare. I was too scared to even pleasure myself. I spent so much time aroused and unable to do anything about it. I was terrified of putting a fucking tampon in for crying out loud!" The crying and wavering was gone, replaced by anger and yelling. "Don't touch yourself, it's dirty Pyrrha! Don't bleed on the sheets Pyrrha! Don't ever have sex Pyrrha, it's painful and you'll catch a disease! Well isn't that a lovely thing to tell a fourteen year old?!"
"Pyrrha…" Nora started. She and Sun wrapped Pyrrha in a closer embrace as she sobbed.
"I'm done letting them hurt me." Pyrrha declared. "I love you Nora, and Sun, I know in time I'll love you too. I want to do this, I want to heal. I just need to prepare myself first. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll get there. I promise."
"So no touching?" Nora asked.
"Maybe a little." Pyrrha chuckled. "Baby steps and all that."
"Heh, literal baby steps." Sun laughed.
"First Yang and Nora, now you with the puns?" Pyrrha laughed. "How will my sanity survive?" They all laughed before settling into a comfortable silence. Pyrrha wiped her tears on her sleeve.
"Hey, Pyrrha...I thought you were okay with masturbation when we met." Nora said.
"Ah, yes…" Pyrrha sighed. "Well, Glynda helped me a lot when we met, including setting me straight about that sort of thing...she also bought me a vibrator…"
"I'm having a very hard time picturing that." Sun shook his head.
"Emphasis on hard!" Nora cheered.
"God, you two…" Pyrrha giggled.
"Was it that little ball massage I found in your sock drawer?" Nora asked.
"Nora!" Pyrrha gasped. "...yes."
Sun decided to stay at Nora's house for the time being. He made a quick trip home to pack a bag of clothes and other things he would need before returning. In the meantime Pyrrha had told Nora about her kiss with Sun. Nora demanded kisses of her own, kisses she soon received. Over the next few days she would continue kissing both of them, seemingly at random. When it came time to shower Nora tried to drag both of them in with her, but Sun did not feel right joining her. Out of respect for Sun, Pyrrha did not join Nora either. Nora did manage to talk them into letting her sleep in the nude, even though Sun would again share the bed.
On Sunday Nora insisted the trio go shopping. She wanted her house to seem more homey for Sun, and the shopping trip would provide the chance to get a few things to help with that. That night they shared the bed again, as they would continue to do over the next few days. It was all beginning to seem more natural and comfortable. On Monday and Tuesday both Sun and Pyrrha had jobs to go to. Things went back to the old normal to a degree, but Nora was even more over the moon than usual. On Wednesday they would finally get another opportunity to spend more time together. In the afternoon Pyrrha had no appointments, and Sun had only one class to teach, which he passed off to Sage just this once.
Over the previous few days the trio had been ramping up their intimacy. It took several forms, increased and more intense making out, lots of physical contact and wandering hands. There was only one last step to take, but it was a large and precipitous one, and once taken there would be no going back. Nora had been ready from the beginning and was eager to go, particularly given that Pyrrha had stopped their sex to avoid causing Sun to feel left out. Having made his decision, Sun was ready. That just left Pyrrha.
Sun's back slammed against the front door as Pyrrha hungrily attacked his lips, her hands clenching his shirt. Sun cupped her rear with one hand and fumbled for the door with the other. It opened before he could locate the knob, and he very nearly fell backwards into Nora. She latched onto the pair, Pyrrha barely missing a beat as she shifted her kiss from Sun to Nora. The trio slowly shuffled in, unwilling to split up, a mess of groping hands and labored breaths. Nora shifted her lips to Sun's as Pyrrha trailed kisses down Nora's neck.
Pyrrha suddenly pulled away. "Sun, Nora...I'm ready." She declared.
"Really?" Nora cheered.
"You're sure?" Sun asked.
Pyrrha kissed both in turn before nodding shakily. "I am." She said, her voice cracking. "I am. I want to do this. I-I just need some help."
"We'll take things slowly." Sun promised.
"I'll get the room ready!" Nora exclaimed before rushing into the bedroom.
Pyrrha smiled, more strongly this time. "Pyrrha…" Sun started.
"Sun, I do want this." Pyrrha assured him. "I promise. Right now my body really wants this, wants you Sun. I'm ready, just a little scared."
Pyrrha pulled Sun into a tight embrace as Sun ran his fingers through her hair. He lightly tugged her hair to pull her head up so he could look her in the eyes. "You've got nothing to be scared of here." Sun encouraged. "We're gonna' take things slow and gentle, and if at any point you wanna' stop we will, no questions asked. Okay?"
"Okay." Pyrrha nodded. "I can do this. We can do this."
"Sex nest ready!" Nora yelled from the bedroom.
"Ready?" Sun asked.
Pyrrha smiled. "As I'll ever be."
"How did I get into this position?" Pyrrha groaned. She sat on the bed nude, an equally naked Nora pressed up against her back, a disrobed and erect Sun standing before her.
"Well, we were making out, then I sat behind you, and spread your legs." Nora answered.
"Nora...it's staring at me." Pyrrha complained, not sure if she should look at Sun's erection or avert her eyes.
"It's just a dick Pyrrha." Nora laughed. "Say hello."
"H-hello?" Pyrrha stammered as Nora stifled a giggle.
"Touch it." Nora encouraged. "Touch the dick."
Pyrrha whined as she reached a trembling hand to grasp Sun's length. She ran her fingers over it, feeling the texture of his skin. "This is...really weird." Sun sighed.
"And yet you remain erect." Nora observed.
"It's a good kinda' weird." Sun chuckled.
Pyrrha's face turned beet red. "Isn't it so tiny and cute?" Nora squealed.
"It's huge!" Pyrrha exclaimed.
"Thank you!" Sun said.
"Pshh." Nora scoffed.
"It's scary." Pyrrha sighed.
"It won't hurt you." Nora assured her.
"But everyone says it does the first time." Pyrrha countered.
"Mine was painless, and it was with Ren!" Nora declared.
"Forgive me for not trusting your perception of pain." Pyrrha huffed. "I...I thought they were supposed to have extra…"
"Sadly he's the runt of the litter." Nora teased.
"She's talking about foreskin Nora." Sun groaned.
"Well that too." Nora shrugged.
Pyrrha ran her hand up to the tip and Sun flinched. "Ah!" He gasped. "Gentle, it's sensitive."
"So...like a clitoris?" Pyrrha asked.
"Exactly, except with a small shaft to massage you with." Nora added.
"That's...interesting…" Pyrrha said.
"I'm not small Nora." Sun countered. "Ren was just freakishly huge."
"God yes he was…" Nora reminisced.
Pyrrha carefully ran her hand along and squeezed the tip. "It's spongy." She giggled.
Sun shook his head. "Funny thing is I've had stranger sex." He laughed.
"Haven't we all?" Nora joked.
"No." Pyrrha said flatly.
"Pyrrha, how are you feeling?" Nora asked.
"A little less worried." Pyrrha replied. "I...I think we should try now."
"You sure?" Sun asked.
"Positive." Pyrrha confirmed.
"Alright, let's start with some rubbing then." Nora suggested.
"O-okay…" Pyrrha stammered. She let go of Sun, taking Nora's hand instead. Sun gently rubbed the head of his penis against Pyrrha's lips. She tensed up, whimpering and Nora kissed Pyrrha on the cheek, murmuring words of encouragement in her ear. Pyrrha's whimpering turned into small squeaks as her anxiety faded and pleasure took its place. She lay her head back, her breath growing heavier. "Sun…"
"Is this okay?" Sun asked.
"Yeah…" Pyrrha gasped. "W-we can try…"
"You wanna' try and go in?" Nora asked.
Pyrrha nodded, clenching Nora's hand harder. "I'm ready." Pyrrha declared. Sun adjusted his angle, slowly pushing the tip in. Pyrrha jerked, grunting, and Sun slowly eased in as Pyrrha relaxed somewhat, only for her to jerk again when Sun encountered an obstruction. 'Th-that's my…"
"It's okay, just wait a minute." Nora soothed. "Try and get used to the feeling. If you think you can't, if you want to stop, we still can."
Pyrrha nodded and worked on slowing her breathing. Nora trailed gentle kisses along Pyrrha's neck as Sun massaged her thighs. Pyrrha took a deep, shuddering breath, before closing her eyes.
"Now." Pyrrha nodded. She yelped then groaned as Sun pushed himself in. She wrapped her legs around him and arched her back. Pyrrha squeaked as she felt Sun move slightly within her, then felt a small smile grow across her face. "I...I did it!"
"You okay?" Sun asked. "Does it hurt?"
"A-a little." Pyrrha replied. "It's not sharp anymore though. It's...it's like an ache, but it's fading. This feels...warm."
"It's 'cuz his blood's pumpin'!" Nora cheered. "It's what makes him hard."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Pyrrha said. "Sun?"
"Yeah?" Sun asked.
Pyrrha released Nora's hand and Sun shifted to lean lower, allowing her to cup his face, pulling him in for a long kiss. "R-ready?" She asked.
"Yeah." Sun nodded. "Nora?"
"Buckled in." Nora smirked.
Pyrrha chuckled and Sun grinned before pulling out. Pyrrha tensed, gasping slightly as he pushed back in. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in close, every thrust drawing more and more vocal expression of her pleasure. Sun increased his speed and power as Pyrrha's volume increased. "Pyrrha I'm…" Sun started, cut off by her building moans.
Nora's hands wandered, massaging and teasing Pyrrha's breasts before she reached a hand down between her legs to toy with her clit. Pushed over the edge, Pyrrha let out a cry, wrapping herself around Sun as tightly as possible as her orgasm sent shudders of bliss through her body. She became vaguely aware of the warmth pooling in her pelvis, but as her orgasm faded exhaustion began to set in. She felt herself slowly fading away.
"Oh God, is she alright?" Sun gasped. Unnerving did not begin to describe the situation. Pyrrha orgasmed, Sun orgasmed, then after having him wrapped up so tightly, Pyrrha just went limp.
"She'll be fine." Nora assured him as she slipped out from beneath Pyrrha. "She did the same thing the first time we did it."
"Uhn...Nora…" Pyrrha groaned.
"See, she's fine." Nora declared. "Hey sleepy head."
Pyrrha sat up. "Hey...what...did I pass out again?" She asked.
"Yep, scared poor Sun half to death." Nora confirmed. "How are you feeling?"
"Great...I love it when that happens." Pyrrha smiled.
"All thanks to my magic fingers." Nora laughed, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers.
"Sun...you look...concerned." Pyrrha observed. "Are you alright?"
"Just a little worried about you." Sun replied. "I've never had...that...happen before. And um...I kind of uh...I came in you. I'm really sorry. I tried to pull out but you had me wrapped up pretty tight."
"Don't worry about it." Pyrrha shook her head.
"Yeah, we'll just get some morning-after pills." Nora suggested.
"Good idea." Pyrrha agreed. "Just to be safe. From now on we should probably use a condom too."
"Well...is there anything I can get you now?" Sun asked.
"No, I'm okay." Pyrrha answered. "Just...really tired. I think I'll run to the bathroom then take a nap."
"Alright." Sun said. "I'll need a break anyway. Mind grabbing me a towel while you're in there? I still don't feel right walking around your house naked."
"No problem." Pyrrha said. After a short trip to the bathroom Pyrrha returned with the promised towel. She passed it to Sun. "I'm...just give me an hour."
"Sure thing." Sun nodded. Pyrrha flopped down on the bed, falling asleep almost as soon as she made contact.
Sun and Nora left the bedroom, Sun quietly shutting the door behind himself before he followed Nora to the living room. Nora jumped onto the couch and giggled, rubbing her hand between her legs. "You know, there are a lot of ways we can pass the time." Nora smirked.
"I'm still gonna' need a while Nora." Sun reminded her.
"Junior might, but you've still got your hands...and your tongue." Nora persisted. "You're not selfish are you? Gonna' leave little ol' me all pent up?"
"Oh, like I've been every night this week?" Sun countered.
"You could have gotten naked too!" Nora protested.
"Someone had to take mercy on Pyrrha." Sun joked.
"Oh, she would have loved it." Nora laughed. "She usually ends up sleepin' naked anyway...after I'm finished with her."
Sun headed to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water. Nora moved to the edge of the couch, allowing Sun to sit beside her. He passed her one of the bottles and started downing the other. After a few big gulps he looked over at Nora who was in the process of giving him her patented puppydog eyes. "What?" Sun asked.
"I'm really horny." Nora replied.
Sun laughed and put his arm around Nora's shoulders. "Come here." |
Raptors Adding Two New Jerseys Next Season
They don’t call it “The Six” for nothing.
According to a report we touched upon earlier, the Toronto Raptors will be wearing a new alternate “stretch” uniform in the 2016-17 NBA season and, as we’ve learned since, will also be wearing a throwback look (no, not that one). With their four existing uniforms this will bring the total jersey count to six for the 2016-17 season.
The new “stretch” uniform will reportedly follow the colour and trim design of the current red away uniform while the lone change will involve the front wordmark. Our sources have told us that it will be a wordmark design to honour the Chinese New Year 2017 celebration. The NBA has taken part in this celebration for the past two seasons with the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Washington Wizards have all worn special alternate uniforms.
Using this information and speculation, I’ve put together a mock-up of what a Raptors Chinese New Year uniform might look like in 2017.
As for the throwback uniform? It looks like an homage to the old Toronto Huskies, Toronto’s first pro basketball team and an original member of the NBA during it’s inaugural season. In fact, the first game in league history was a match between the Huskies and New York Knicks at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens; 2016-17 will be the 70th anniversary of that game and season. Previously worn during the 2009-10 season and 1996-97 season.
Unlike the 1997 and 2010 versions, this one looks like it’ll be blue:
Give us your thoughts on this new development in the comments below.
Additional photos courtesy of NBA.com, USA Today, and ESPN.com |
In a speech on Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would not allow President-elect Donald Trump to scrap the nuclear deal as he said he would during his campaign.
Rouhani said Trump “wants to do many things, but none of his actions would affect us” in a speech at the University of Tehran, carried live on Iranian state television.
“Do you think he can rip up the JCPOA? Do you think we and our nation will let him do that?” Rouhani said, according to a Reuters report. JCPOA stands for “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” the formal name of the Iran nuclear deal.
NBC News notes the Iranian president pointedly refused to say Trump’s name during the speech, referring to him as “some man… elected in the U.S.”
Rouhani also criticized Congress’s vote to extend the Iran Sanctions Act for another 10 years, a bill President Obama is expected to sign.
“There is no doubt that the United States is our enemy. If Obama signs ISA but uses waiver rights to cease its implementation, it still infringes the nuclear agreement and we will react to it,” said Rouhani, who is the great “moderate” hope of Iran, according to the Obama administration.
In an address to the Iranian parliament on Sunday, Rouhani said it would be “a blatant violation of the Iran deal, and it will lead to our ultimate answer” if Obama signs the ISA extension. The parliament broke into chants of “Death to America!” as he was speaking.
Iran received some support from China, whose Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, said the nuclear deal should “not be affected by any changes in the domestic situations of the countries concerned.”
“What is important is to honor commitments and place emphasis on good faith when it comes to differences or possible differences,” said Wang, as quoted by AFP.
Wang spoke at a press conference after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who declared that Iran “will not allow any party to unilaterally undertake any actions that are in violation of the nuclear agreement.”
As for Iran’s relationship with China, Zarif said it had “no reservation and no ceiling,” because Tehran and Beijing “share common principles and a common agenda for the future of the global system.” |
Suicide Most Likely on Mondays, According to UK Study
by Kevin Caruso
August 25, 2005
A UK study recently published in "Health Statistics Quarterly" indicated that more people die by suicide on Monday than on any other day of the week.
Clinicians studied 34,935 suicides in Great Britain from 1993 to 2002, and found there were an average of 11.1 suicides on Mondays and an average of 9.6 suicides for the other days of the week.
By percentages, and including gender, 16 percent of British male suicides and 17 percent of British female suicides occurred on Mondays.
The study confirms previous data indicating that there are more suicides on Mondays. However, in contrast to previous studies which indicated that the "Monday Effect" was due to despair over retuning to work, this study indicated that the employment status of the individuals who died by suicide was not germane, and, further, age was not a factor.
Thus, whether employed or unemployed, old or young, suicidal individuals are more likely to die by suicide on Mondays.
It should be noted that although there is a statistically significant jump on Mondays, the disparity in the numbers is not that large (9.6 to 11.1).
We can thus conclude that there is a SLIGHTLY greater chance that a suicidal person will die by suicide on Monday, rather that any other day.
As always, suicidal individuals need to receive treatment, and there needs to be great vigilance in monitoring them.
If you or someone you know is suicidal, please go to the Home Page of this website for immediate help.
Thank you.
I love you.
Take care,
Kevin Caruso |
The Latin American region, made up of Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, installed 625 megawatts of solar photovoltaics (PV) in 2014, a 370 percent increase in annual growth over 2013. That’s according to the newly released Q4 2014 Latin America PV Playbook from GTM Research.
FIGURE: Latin America PV Installations, 2013-2015E
Source: GTM Research Latin America PV Playbook
With its strong utility-scale market, Chile led the region in PV installations in 2014, making up more than three-quarters of the Latin American total. In the fourth quarter alone, Chile installed double the amount of Latin America’s annual total in 2013.
The report ranks Mexico and Brazil in second and third place, respectively.
Mexico installed 67 megawatts of PV in 2014, down from the 72 megawatts installed in 2013. However, don’t count the Mexican market out. GTM Research solar analyst Adam James notes in the report, “The real opportunity for Mexico lies ahead.” James cites a forecasted 84 percent growth rate through 2018, with a cumulative capacity of 3.3 gigawatts at that point.
Despite ranking third in the region this year, Brazil did not live up to expectations. The report cites net metering problems and a lack of financing as constraining the distributed generation market in the country. Brazil installed 21 megawatts of PV in 2014, up from 19 megawatts the year prior. “Next year,” writes James, “may improve with the introduction of lower-cost capital from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), tax breaks at the national and state levels, and increased access to financing for distributed generation.”
Latin America is beginning another breakthrough year, solidifying its position as the fastest-growing region in the history of the solar market. GTM Research forecasts the market to install 2.1 gigawatts of PV in 2015.
Key findings from the Q4 2014 report include:
625 megawatts of PV were installed in Latin America in 2014, representing 370 percent annual growth over 2013
The largest regional markets for solar in 2014 were Chile, Mexico and Brazil
GTM Research expects the region to install 2.1 gigawatts in 2015, a 237 percent increase in annual growth over 2014
The largest markets in 2015 are expected to be Chile, Honduras and Mexico
The total PV project pipeline for Latin America now exceeds 30 gigawatts
For more information and key findings, download the brochure here.
***
About the Latin America PV Playbook
Latin America is the global frontier for unsubsidized markets. Eyeing its potential, GTM Research introduced the Latin America PV Playbook, the industry’s most in-depth analysis of the budding market. The PV Playbook is delivered quarterly and includes PV installation figures, forecasts, market and policy analysis, and an ongoing project database. |
Vertcoin has become the second cryptocurrency do deploy Lightning Network technology after its SegWit activation this weekend.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, developers confirmed both enhancements had successfully begun, Vertcoin’s price spiking over 50 percent as a result.
SegWit successfully activated on Vertcoin network as of block 713,664! — Vertcoin (@Vertcoin) May 7, 2017
In activating Lightning Network (LN) transactions, Vertcoin becomes the only cryptocurrency other than pioneers SysCoin to embrace the full benefits of an upgrade the Bitcoin community is still debating.
The move clearly met with approval from investors. At press time on Monday, Vertcoin’s market cap was almost $16 mln with the price of a coin nearing $0.50.
Similar consequences came as a result of SysCoin’s LN activation at the end of April. Its price has continued to grow since the initial announcement.
First mover advantage regarding both SegWit and LN has come in the form of significant value addition, leading to suggestions that upgrading could provide an easy method for developers to turn coins into “get-rich-quick” schemes.
Only three currencies have committed to SegWit so far, however, with Vertcoin and SysCoin coming after the highly-publicized start of Litecoin’s transition.
Litecoin is due to activate SegWit on Wednesday, its price hovering at around $30 in anticipation. |
The group of contributors behind Bitcoin Core, the reference implementation of the Bitcoin protocol, have taken a lot of heat in the past year or so due to the misunderstandings related to the project’s development process. The project has made strides towards improving their communications over the past six months, but there are many in the Bitcoin community who believe there is still room for improvement.
One of the key improvements for Bitcoin Core lately has been the introduction of Ciphrex CEO Eric Lombrozo as the spokesperson for the project. Lombrozo is a longtime contributor to the project, and he’s been tasked with the job of clarifying various aspects of Bitcoin Core with the media and the general public as a whole.
CoinJournal recently chatted with Lombrozo to get a better understanding of current and future improvements to the Bitcoin Core development process.
Development on Higher Protocol Layers
As many have come to learn over the past year, most Bitcoin Core contributors now view the Bitcoin blockchain as a settlement layer. Higher-layer protocols, such as the Lightning Network, are expected to improve the scalability of the network this year, but this focus on layered protocols also has implications for the development process. Lombrozo explained:
“Changes to consensus rules involve significant logistics challenges and can be contentious. It would be better if we could avoid having to change them frequently.”
When developers are able to experiment with the Bitcoin protocol in ways that do not break consensus, there should be an increase in experimentation and flexibility for new contributors to Bitcoin. Lombrozo stated, “The way I see it, the consensus layer should focus on dispute resolution and short proofs — with all the application logic in higher layers.”
New protocol layers, such as advanced payment channels and sidechains, could allow developers to bring new features to Bitcoin in a more-timely fashion.
Segregated Witness, BIP 9, and Sidechains are Helpful
In addition to the often-hyped sidechains and Lightning Network, Segregated Witness (SegWit) and BIP 9 may also be helpful in creating a more efficient development process. In the past, Lombrozo has spoken about the benefits of BIP 9 and its ability to allow many soft forks to be deployed simultaneously.
Johnson Lau, who is a relatively new contributor to Bitcoin Core, is currently working on a new scripting system for Bitcoin that could enable some useful features such as better privacy and trustless, cross-blockchain exchanges. He recently told CoinJournal, “SegWit and BIP 9 (Version Bits) makes introduction of new scripting system like MAST much easier than before.”
Lau also noted that re-enabling certain opcodes has been discussed for years, and he doesn’t think he would be able to implement new opcodes without the SegWit and BIP 9 framework. SegWit’s ability to simplify the process of updating Bitcoin’s scripting language has been touted as a key benefit of the improvement in the past, and the fact that this is Lau’s first C++ project is a testament to that simplification.
Figure Out Governance First
Of course, before a complete upgrade to Bitcoin Core’s development process can take place, much more needs to be figured out in regards to Bitcoin’s system of governance. Blockchains are still an extremely new area of study, so not many people (if anyone) completely understand how these systems should be governed at this point in time.
Although Bitcoin Core is attempting to create a more-open development process, Lombrozo falls short of saying developers should be able to push new changes to Bitcoin’s consensus rules directly to miners for their approval. He explained, “There needs to be a vetting process prior to deployment. We should not be deploying soft forks that are unlikely to activate.”
Closer collaboration between Bitcoin Core contributors and the worldwide bitcoin mining community appears to have led to a more efficient model of governance in 2016, but we’ll have to see how the BIP 9 rollouts of CHECKSEQUENCYVERIFY and Segregated Witness do over the next few weeks and months.
According to Lombrozo, miners have the power to enforce soft forks but not hard forks, which makes them (hard forks) a far more complicated tool for governance. Developers for other Bitcoin proposals, such as Bitcoin Classic and Bitcoin XT, tend to disagree with this view, but they have not gained anywhere near the necessary levels of support to implement their proposed changes.
Once more options for experimentation are available for developers, the pace of innovation on top of Bitcoin should increase. |
MSNBC “Hardball” host Chris Matthews isn’t much for keeping his promises of transparency when it involves political contributions to his wife’s congressional campaign.
Last June, the blabbermouth commentator insisted on his show that he would be “transparent and fair in our coverage” after his wife, Kathleen, announced that she was running as a Democrat for the open seat in Maryland’s 8th District.
Since then, Kathleen Matthews, a former news anchor and Marriott exec, has received a total of $79,050 in campaign contributions from prominent former and current politicians featured on her husband’s long-running cable-news show.
“As a journalist, I also know how important it is to respect certain boundaries on my support for her both in my public role and here on MSNBC,” her husband said on his program.
“And while most of you know that our show doesn’t typically cover congressional races, I will continue to fully disclose my relationship with her as part of MSNBC’s commitment to being transparent and fair in our coverage,” added Matthews.
But Matthews, who has made glowing references to Kathleen on his show without mentioning her campaign, hasn’t uttered a word about the contributions his 62-year-old wife has received from his TV guests.
The revelation is another black eye for NBC, which bounced Brian Williams as anchor of the network news last year and dispatched him to MSNBC after he fabricated details of stories he covered.
The Intercept, which broke the story of the “Hardball” campaign connection Friday, compiled a laundry list of questionable donations. It showed some political heavyweights making contributions just before or after their appearances on the show.
The political action committee for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) gave $10,000 to Kathleen’s campaign on June 20, 2015 — two days before Gillibrand appeared on “Hardball.”
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) contributed $1,000 on Jan. 11, 2016, one day before she was interviewed on the program.
Chris Matthews’ guests, their spouses or their PACs donated $79,050 as of Dec. 31 — about 5 percent of the $1.5 million Kathleen had raised as of then.
At least 11 of the donations came from guests after they appeared on Matthews’ show.
Paul Pelosi, husband of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), put $1,000 into Kathleen’s coffers.
Jackie Clegg-Dodd, wife of Chris Dodd, a former Connecticut senator and president of the Motion Picture Association of America, gave $500. Dick Blum, husband of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), maxed out with a $2,700 donation.
MSNBC issued a statement saying it “does not book guests on the basis of political contributions. That would violate not only our ethical obligation as journalists, but also violate the standards of NBC News.”
Chris Matthews did not return calls for comment.
“Working women know it is possible to have their own career and not depend on their spouse for success,” said Kathleen Matthews’ campaign manager, Ethan Susseles. |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, leading in the polls among women voters, said on Friday he wants to help working women fight discrimination and juggle the demands of motherhood but stopped short of making promises on gender equality if he wins re-election.
U.S. President Barack Obama waves after delivering remarks at the White House Forum on Women and the Economy in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington April 6, 2012. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
At a White House event on women and the economy, Obama noted “there has been a lot of talk about women and women’s issues lately,” a nod to the emergence of contraceptive rights, working women and all-male establishments as heated issues in his race for re-election in November.
“But I do think that the conversation has been oversimplified,” Obama said. “Women are not some monolithic bloc. Women are not an interest group. You shouldn’t be treated that way.”
A USA Today/Gallup poll released this week showed Obama with a strong edge over Republican Mitt Romney, his most likely rival for the White House, among women voters in electoral battleground states including New York, Ohio and Virginia.
Obama won 56 percent of women’s votes in 2008, giving him the edge he needed to win the election over Republican contender John McCain.
His fellow Democrats have accused Republicans of waging a “war on women,” with proposed cuts to healthcare and the birth control group Planned Parenthood. The White House, meanwhile, has sought to cement Obama’s support for women with moves such as a policy requiring employers to give women free birth control.
Obama, who was raised by a single mother, said that for him women’s issues were not a passing concern.
“Women are over half this country and its workforce, not to mention 80 percent of my household if you count my mother-in-law,” the father of two girls told the group. “Every decision I make is about making sure they, and all our daughters, and our sons, grow up in a country that gives them the chance to be anything they set their minds to.”
The president said he was pushing for legislation to equip working women with more tools to fight pay discrimination, given that women in the United States still earn 77 cents for every dollar a man does for the same work, despite equal-pay legislation he signed in 2009.
SMALL STEPS
“When more women are bringing home the bacon, but bringing home less of it than men who are doing the same work, that weakens families, it weakens communities, it’s tough on our kids, it weakens our entire economy,” he said.
White House officials said they were focused on encouraging companies to give women more flexible working hours, including telecommuting options, and other small steps to help mothers care for their children while advancing their careers.
More ambitious plans, including increasing the length of maternity and paternity leave in the United States, which is a fraction of that afforded to parents in Europe, Canada and other advanced economies, is not on the immediate agenda.
“Extending parental leave is really something that requires Congress to act,” a senior administration official said, saying gridlock on Capitol Hill and a fractious relationship between Republicans and the White House made such an agreement unlikely.
Obama has yet to outline much of his agenda for a second term. As the campaign has gained momentum, he has focused on blaming Republicans in an unpopular Congress for blocking key initiatives and warned voters that Republicans would hurt the middle class and repeal health and retirement programs.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said the president supported women’s admission to the all-male Augusta golf club, which is currently under pressure to allow in the female chief executive of IBM. Romney then said he also thought women should be allowed in. |
The reality is I was working on a new animation for today, but because of a busy family weekend I wound up not having the time to finish it. I had a great weekend though. My wife and I took my oldest to see Toy Story 3 on Saturday. Though, there is one scene in that movie that was downright disturbing to me. I won’t elaborate for those who haven’t seen it, but those who have should know exactly what I’m talking about. Also, the carnival was in town. So we all went there as well. And then went to a Peekaboo’s parents’ pool yesterday to go swimming. The temperature was 109 degrees and 101 degrees in the shade and on top of that Hampton Roads is the humidity capital of the world so that only compounded it further. Nonetheless, it was a fun filled family weekend that I wouldn’t change for the world, but it did detail what was originally planned. Well, poop.
In the meantime, enjoy this comic and I will shoot for the animation on Thursday. |
For over 30 years promoters of green energy have proclaimed the hydrogen economy is around the corner. Now this could finally become true. While some energy experts claim that hydrogen from renewable energy is prohibitively expensive, companies like ITM in the UK are proving in the market that this technology is already competitive. They produce hydrogen for use in cars and in the form of power-to-gas to be used in the gas network. Energy journalist and author David Thorpe has the exciting story.
Ever thought what will happen to the UK’s gas network when the UK moves towards its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent of 1990 values by 2050?
The owners of these networks, which serve almost half the UK population, want to ensure it has a life beyond carbon. So they’ve been busy commissioning studies on the options available. Several of these claim it is possible to convert the gas grid to take hydrogen. Yes, one day you could be cooking on hydrogen, and certainly if not that, biogas or syngas. These reports are:
A UK-wide conversion of the grid to hydrogen gas could, it’s claimed by H21, reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with domestic heating and cooking – currently over 30 per cent of the UK’s total emissions – by a minimum of 73 per cent, as well as supporting decarbonisation of transport and local electricity generation.
Barking up the wrong tree
However, over 90 per cent of today’s hydrogen is mainly produced by a process called steam reforming, which uses fossil fuels – natural gas, oil or coal – as a source of the hydrogen.
A typical steam methane reforming hydrogen plant with a production rate of one million cubic metres of hydrogen a day produces 0.3-0.4 million standard cubic meters of CO2 a day, which is normally vented into the atmosphere.
Hydrogen produced from gas this way is two to three times the cost of the original fuel. Its global warming potential is 13.7kg CO2-e per kg of hydrogen produced. Coal gasification, another major production method, delivers even worse emission levels.
To fully obtain the benefits of using hydrogen, we must therefore either produce it from renewable energy – or capture and store somewhere the carbon dioxide removed during steam reforming – a process called carbon capture and storage. H21 and all the other reports are proposing the latter.
However, ever since CCS was first proposed over 15 years ago the economic and technical case has not been made. Moreover the government has cancelled its £1 billion support programme for the technology. CCS has always seemed to me a get-out-of-jail card to permit business as usual in terms of fossil fuels and energy use while seeming to tackle climate change.
There are two alternatives:
producing hydrogen using electrolysis from renewable energy, dismissed in the reports as too expensive, and
using steam reforming of methane but instead of storing the carbon underground, using it as a feedstock in other industrial processes. This is called Carbon Storage and Utilisation (CCU). None of the reports above mention it.
Carbon Storage and Utilisation (CCU)
Carbon dioxide is valuable as a feedstock in many ways: for fuels, chemistry, foods like fizzy drinks and polymers – even used as a component in a replacement for concrete. So why not make use of it?
“CCS is basically a non-profit technology, where every step is costly. CCU however has the potential to produce value-added products that have a market and can generate a profit.” says Dr Lothar Mennicken, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
The economics are also a function of the value placed on greening up the gas grid
The report CCU in the Green Economy from The Centre for Low Carbon Futures shows CCU can be profitable with short payback times on investment. It says: “Although only a partial solution to the CO 2 problem, under some conditions using CO 2 for CCU rather than storing it underground can add value as well as offsetting some of the CCS costs.”
So that could take care of some of the problem. But to solve the rest we can turn to renewables – and solve another problem along the way – the intermittency of wind and solar.
Towards the hydrogen economy
The reports cited above dismiss producing hydrogen by electrolysis using renewables as too expensive. But it’s not.
The most recent British source for the cost of producing hydrogen using this method is an apparently reliable one: the Energy Institute of University College London, who produced a report in April last year authored by Samuel L. Weeks about using hydrogen as a fuel source in internal combustion engines. This states: “hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water is extremely expensive, around $1500/kWh”.
The editor of The Ecologist magazine, Oliver Tickell, observes that it struck him as being way too expensive. Professor Weeks and the UCL Energy Institute were unable to give me the source for the $1500 figure. So I turned to a company which is already making hydrogen from renewable electricity for grid balancing and fuel cell powered cars: ITM Power. They provided me with another professor, Marcus Newborough, who is their Development Director. He gave me a much lower figure.
Much, much lower.
He said:
“We are currently selling high purity hydrogen at our refuelling stations for fuel cell cars at £10/kg of hydrogen. Each kg contains 39.4kWh of energy, so that’s about 25 pence/kWh or $0.33/kWh. The ambition is to decrease the $/kWh value as more stations are manufactured and more FC cars are in circulation. So yes the $1500/kWh number looks absurd to us.”
Indeed it does. It is 4,545 times larger, if we are comparing like with like. And I’m still mighty curious as to why UCL Energy Institute got it so wrong.
Not only is ITM using the gas for hydrogen car filling stations, a chain of which it is opening in the UK (on a full tank of hydrogen a fuel cell car can drive up to 300 miles), it is also using it to inject into the grid.
Power-to-gas
The process is called power-to-gas (P2G) and it is useful when too much renewable electricity is being produced compared to the demand which exists at that moment. Instead of it going to waste it could be used to produce hydrogen as a form of energy storage and used when required.
Professor Newborough told me that, “The power-to-gas approach is a form of energy storage and (in the UK) there are various assessments and discussions ongoing (via BEIS (the new UK government department dealing with energy and industry), OFGEM (the British energy regulator), UK National Grid, DG Energy in Brussels (the European Commission’s Department dealing with energy) and The European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE) etc) but no conclusive economic framework yet for energy storage to operate within.”
He said that P2G is particularly advantageous for its following abilities:
to respond to an instruction from the grid operator to charge up or absorb electricity
to hold on to the stored energy for a significant period without incurring energy losses
to discharge energy on demand at a desired rate
to be scaled up in number or capacity as we head towards a much more renewable electricity system.
“P2G is part of this alongside batteries, pumped storage etc.,” he said. “Fundamentally the economic benefit is greatest for those technologies that possess the operational advantages of being able to respond very rapidly and/or hold onto the energy for a long period and/or discharge energy at a controllable rate across a very long period. Now power-to-gas is particularly advantageous in each of these respects.”
The European potential, in 2050, of this value would be “in the hundreds of gigawatts”. That’s massive
ITM has a pilot P2G system operational in Frankfurt with 12 other companies that together form the Thüga group.
At the end of 2013, this plant injected hydrogen for the first time into the Frankfurt gas distribution network. It therefore became the first plant to inject electrolytic generated hydrogen into the German gas distribution network, and possibly anywhere in the world. Final acceptance of the plant was achieved at the end of March 2014.
Overall efficiency is said to be over 70% and the plant is now participating in Germany’s secondary control (grid balancing) market.
The conditions for being allowed to do this are extremely stringent. Systems have to respond in under one second when they receive a command to increase to maximum power or decrease to zero power to demonstrate that they are suitable for frequency regulation. The energy is discharged as hydrogen and should be available for as long as required.
The Frankfurt system has been shown to do this and can react to variable loads in the network.
Work is ongoing to see how the plant can be integrated into an increasingly intelligent future energy system. “For the duration of the demonstration, we want to integrate the plant so that it actively contributes to compensating for the differences between renewable energy generation and power consumption,” says Michael Riechel, the CEO of Thüga Aktiengesellschaft.
The regulatory framework is playing catch-up
Professor Newborough told me that the payment structures for providing such services have yet to emerge.
In the UK, the National Grid is introducing an Enhanced Frequency Response service to pay energy storage technology operators to provide sub-second response. “ITM has already pre-qualified to provide such a service,” he says.
They are also introducing a Demand Turn Up service which will pay operators £60/MWh for operating overnight and on summer afternoons to absorb excess wind and solar power.
“Clearly the economics of P2G are a function of such balancing services payments from the grid operator and the electricity tariff,” he continued, “but in addition P2G offers a greening agent to the gas grid operator in the form of injecting hydrogen at low concentrations into natural gas.”
The McKinsey report warns that current regulations lag behind the potential of these technologies. Reviewing them is the key to unlocking this enormous opportunity, something for governments and regulators to look at
“So the economics are also a function of the value placed on greening up the gas grid. By analogy we have seen in recent years in France, Germany and the UK, feed-in tariffs for injecting bio-methane into the gas grid as a greening agent and these have been up to four times the value of a kWh of natural gas.”
“The economic case therefore depends on a combination of value propositions and costs – providing services to the electricity grid, the electricity tariff paid, the value of green gas for the gas grid and the capital cost of the plant. In this context it is not possible to state firm figures at this time, but equally it is important to state the underpinning factors as described above.”
Advantages of hydrogen over batteries
A report on energy storage undertaken by McKinsey and Co last year found that using variable renewable electricity this way could use nearly all excess renewable energy in a scenario in the future in which there was a high installed capacity of renewable electricity generation.
Reusing this stored energy in the gas grid, for transport or in industry it said, would provide a valuable contribution to decarbonising these sectors. The European potential, in 2050, of this value would be “in the hundreds of gigawatts”.
That’s massive.
This future scenario, in which countries are reliant for much of the electricity on renewables, is likely to be common.
The McKinsey report contrasts the use of hydrogen with the use of batteries, which it calls power-to-power or P2P because its electricity rather than gas which comes out.
In this situation hydrogen scores better as a storage medium because batteries can either be emptied (in which case they can’t supply the demand) or full (in which case they can not be charged even if the generator is generating). By contrast, hydrogen can continue to be pumped into the grid or into vehicles and the limiting factor instead is the limit of local demand for the distance to the demand from the generator. This is shown in the following diagram:
caption: How low energy storage capacity is a limiting factor for the use of batteries.
Nevertheless the McKinsey report warns that current regulations lag behind the potential of these technologies. Reviewing them is the key to unlocking this enormous opportunity, something for governments and regulators to look at.
So it now seems that the most likely route to creating the hydrogen that goes into our gas grids could be from electrolysis using renewables after all.
Yet, like many cutting-edge low carbon technologies, it’s early days. The Germans are pioneering this method as part of their transition strategy. It’s one part of the picture.
For over 30 years the prophets of green energy have been promoting the idea that the ‘hydrogen age’ is just around the corner. The gas is abundant in the form of water, molecules of which possess two hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom.
Making it from water using electrolysis releases only oxygen and no pollutants. It can then be burnt in any suitable boiler, cooker or vehicle and used in fuel cells. All we have to do is get it to the right place at the right time at the right price.
The problem has always been the right price, that provides the market incentive for investment in the necessary infrastructure. Perhaps that time is almost here.
With the UK Met office saying that we have already reached 1.38°C temperature rise since the beginning of the industrial revolution and the Paris Agreement aspiring to keeping that rise to 1.5°C the task of mainstreaming these technologies becomes even more urgent.
Editor’s Note
David Thorpe is the author of: |
Canada's move to impose sanctions on 30 Russian officials was "senseless and reprehensible" and has led to retaliatory measures, Russian officials said.
Canada announced the sanctions on Friday against Russian officials it accused of complicity in the death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009 while he was in prison after alleging state tax fraud.
Kirill Kalinin, a spokesman for the Russian diplomatic mission in Ottawa, told the official TASS news agency late on Friday retaliatory actions against Canadians had already been set in motion.
"Canada's decision on extending anti-Russian sanctions under a false pretext of a hypocritical protection of human rights is absolutely senseless and reprehensible," said Kalinin.
Ottawa's move "is isolating itself from one of the key global powers" and "pushes Canada's foreign policy back to the narrow black-and-white world view, incompatible with modern geopolitics", he added.
"Dozens of Canadians" have now been barred from entering Russia in response, Kalinin said, without specifying who would be affected.
Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed: "the list is long, with dozens of names on it".
The foreign ministry said in a statement those targeted are "Russophobic Canadian citizens who have consistently worked to destroy bilateral relations."
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In 2008, the whistle-blower Magnitsky accused Russian interior ministry officials of organising a $235m tax scam, but he was then charged with the crimes he claimed to have uncovered. Human rights groups allege he was beaten in prison before he died under unclear circumstances.
His detention and death ignited serious diplomatic tensions between Russia and some western countries, including the United States.
Canada last month passed a Sergei Magnitsky Law, which targets Russian officials for human rights violations. Ottawa followed the Magnitsky Act passed by the US that led to sanctions on more than 40 Russian officials. |
A rash of “fake news” articles, spread by Russia, was the reason Hillary Clinton lost the election—or so the mainstream media and the Left tells us.
But the term “fake news” has been poorly defined and attached to so many articles that it is essentially meaningless at this point. This might actually be by definition, as the term “fake news” should reasonably mean completely made up stories, but can now be applied to articles with perspectives that differ from the mainstream media’s, such as conservative news outlets.
I recently wrote about the mainstream media’s own “fake news” problem over at the Hill, and I may have been uncharitable in my own definition of the problem. What I wrote about fits into the current ambiguous definition of fake news, but the stories I included don’t neatly fit into what should be the commonly understood meaning of the term. As such, I think we should differentiate between different types of “fake news” to better understand what’s really being discussed.
Actual “fake news”
This should only apply to stories that are completely made up. One of the most famous examples of this would be Stephen Glass’ “Hack Heaven,” the article that finally brought down his fake reporting. The article claimed that a 15-year-old computer hacker broke into Jukt Micronics’ computer network, and was subsequently hired as a consultant for the software company. The problem was that Jukt Micronics didn’t exist (I’m not even sure if the hacker existed either); Glass made everything up and even had his brother pose as an executive for the company when his article was questioned.
It then turned out that Glass made up quotes from alleged sources for other articles and even created fake business cards and websites for them.
That should be what is considered fake news: Fabricated stories designed for clicks.
“Fake news” that is actually satire
While the Onion is obviously best at this game, there are other websites out there trying to copy the recipe. These articles are fake, and are supposed to be humorous. One of my favorite Onion headlines this year was “Report: Getting Out Of Bed In Morning Sharply Increases Risk Of Things Getting Even Worse.” It’s clearly fake, but it’s not supposed to seem real—in contrast to Glass’ work.
Poorly-reported news that fits an agenda
I would say this is the biggest problem the media currently faces. The most recent example would be The Washington Post’s article, originally titled: “Russian hackers penetrated U.S. electricity grid through a utility in Vermont, officials say.”
The author didn’t get a comment from the Vermont facility, but did include quotes from numerous congressmen who wanted to appear tough against Russia and continue to spread a narrative that Russia is trying to harm the U.S. Burlington Electric issued a statement to Vermont’s Burlington Free Press that made it clear the whole story was a nothingburger: “We detected the malware in a single Burlington Electric Department laptop NOT connected to our organization’s grid systems.” (Emphasis original.)
The Post eventually retracted the article, admitting that “the incident is not linked to any Russian government effort to target or hack the utility.” In addition, there may not have even been malware on the laptop in question.
The story was badly reported, but not wholly made up. This was an example of extremely sloppy reporting that appeared to support The Post—and much of the mainstream media’s—narrative about Russia.
Another famous example of this in recent years is Rolling Stone’s article about an alleged gang-rape at the University of Virginia. The story relied on a single source whose tale of sexual assault fit every preconceived notion the author—and, again, the mainstream media—had about the issue: Fraternity members are rapists, college women are in constant danger, and schools don’t care. The author, Sabrina Erdely, not only failed to independently confirm the story by talking to the victim’s friends who were there the night of the alleged incident—she also didn’t confirm the alleged rapist even existed.
The story turned out to be completely wrong—but, again, it wasn’t wholly made up by the author. Instead, she investigated only what she needed to in order to fit her narrative.
Misleading news designed to promote a narrative
This is slightly different, I would say, from the previous category—and the “Russia hacked the election” narrative perpetuated by the media is a perfect example. Reading phrases like this, one could reasonably assume that Russia’s government somehow hacked into U.S. voting machines and altered votes in order to help Donald Trump win the election.
A recent Economist/YouGov poll found that 52 percent of Democrats actually believe this (though let’s not pretend we should start trusting polls based on how they performed in 2016, I point this out merely as an interesting anecdote).
The idea of Russia “hacking” the election to help Trump actually refers to the belief held by many Democrats (and some in U.S. intelligence agencies, though so far there doesn’t appear to be concrete evidence of this) that Russian hackers were behind the leak of Democratic National Committee emails. But Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has denied the connection, and so the more likely scenario now appears to be that Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta simply fell for a phishing scam that allowed access to the emails.
Of course, admitting that Russia may have “hacked” the election by simply releasing authentic DNC emails contradicts the conspiracy theory that the election was stolen from Clinton by hacked voting booths.
Further, it’s another method by which the mainstream media can pretend that it—and the Left—in no way contributed to Clinton’s loss. Instead they blame Russia, election fraud, “fake news” and James Comey’s decision to continue the FBI investigation into Clinton’s private email server—ignoring the very real possibility that none of these things actually influenced the electorate. It’s hard to imagine a factory worker in Michigan being more upset about Donna Brazile giving Clinton debate questions in advance than the loss of his livelihood due to dwindling jobs or overseas manufacturing.
Because the media will continue to console itself with claims of “fake news,” we should all understand how best to discern between what is fake and what is sloppy, misleading reporting. |
Well not literally of course. Not even metaphorically either – this isn’t going to be a petty indirect dig at a fashion frenemy. More like a new pair of snake skin booties that I take on a stroll on these concrete streets mixed with the soggy fall grass – however grateful we are hitting mid November without premature snowfall.There is something so luxurious and fashion forward about any accessory mocking the snake skin. The faux snake skin look is perfect for keeping PETA and your wallet happy.
I have been getting a lot of compliments on these booties followed by a jaw dropping shock when they find out they are from ECCO shoes. Yes, ECCO, E- C-C-O, NO it’s not an old lady store and they have really caught up with trends and making it not only comfortable, but very versatile for a wider age group.These snakeskin boots are part of there Shape collection which includes their highest heel yet (see more about the collection here).
These booties stuck out the most to me because shockingly it’s sometimes nice to step away from a classic all black look and these booties are a perfect example of that. The navy blue snake skin still keep it fairly dark and neutral allowing you to match with almost all of your wardrobe. Not to mention with a 35 mm heel and structured feel it allows you to dress it up but also comfortable and neutral enough to go with your everyday look. What more could you want out a shoe?
I got a peak into the upcoming ECCO holiday and Spring 2017 collection and let me tell you how impressive the bejeweled heels, classic take on sneakers- functional and stylish with an incredible color range and, athletic wear and winter boots. Check out all the amazing new shoes available at ECCO.
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Why are thousands of young protesters taking to the streets, resisting tear gas and pepper spray, to fight the government of a global superpower in Beijing? Our alienated next generation is demanding the right to use the vote to reverse a long-hidden deterioration of Hong Kong’s free market.
They want to stop local crony capitalism – the worst in the world according to The Economist – that is not only morally wrong, but also worse for development.
As real wages in Hong Kong stagnate, the cost of living has skyrocketed. This has increased poverty, and widened the rich-poor divide - the worst inequality gap in the developed world.
A lack of reform to equalise access to education, housing, and healthcare has stopped equal opportunity and labor mobility. Moreover, limited welfare and retirement protection leaves many feeling that they have been left behind in old age. Because of these limitations, booms in finance, trade, retail and real estate do not trickle down from the rich. This will eventually stunt local consumption and in turn investment, harming long-term growth.
There is resistance to these economic ideals from rich, elite tycoons. As they are aided by Beijing’s policies, they normally support them. Hence, the closed door meeting between Xi Jinping and Hong Kong’s tycoons last month.
These tycoons become super-rich thanks to artificial barriers to competition in utilities, transportation, shipping, supermarkets and real estate. It gives tycoons no incentive to innovate to beat competitors, which inevitably leads to low environmental and quality standards.
This power concentration provides pricing power to exploit consumers and workers. It also reduces fair competition, which is worse for growth than any short-term investment reduction from restructuring these cartels. To top it off, they take the majority of their earnings through tax-free dividends, increasing the tax burden on the middle class.
Government priorities seem to cater more to tycoons than to the average consumer, who represents Hong Kong’s best interests at this moment. For example, the government is slow to reduce land prices that are so high that only the wealthiest developers can afford to bid. Land revenue is automatically invested in infrastructure that is increasingly turning into ‘white elephants’, great novelties to have, but too expensive to upkeep.
All these new high-speed rail links, runways and flyovers ignore massive structural problems of poverty and inequality. And as Spain’s current stagnation shows, a lack of consumption caused by poverty can do more damage than reduced infrastructure spending.
A vote is a right to voice an opinion to correct ineffective government policy. The emotional and logical argument is there, but the character argument is missing because of the lack of public leadership.
Mainland China has begun a strong anti-corruption, anti-monopoly, and equal opportunity drive, yet reverses course with Hong Kong. Perhaps this is because the political fight has overshadowed the economic argument.
Of course, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying believes that giving each and every person deciding power is not the best thing for our economy and here's why. |
There’s no such thing as “books for boys” and “books for girls.” But because gendering is a cultural phenomenon, brought on by social beliefs that there are inherent and important differences between boys and girls, it’s impossible to escape those ideas. This is why adults continue to lament the lack of books “for boys” in the world. It’s why there are continuous articles and think pieces about what happened to the books “for boys” in kid lit. Even the most well-meaning, socially-conscious adults fall into this trap, believing that the boys are being left behind and that girls and girl interests “dominate” the children’s book world.
But what does it mean for a book to be “for boys?” Is it a male author? Is it a male main character? Is it a book that appeals to the interests of boys specifically, whatever those are?
Today, Amazon released their 2014 top-selling titles. Let’s take a look at what the hits in kids and teens were.
It’s a nice mix of books for very young readers, as well as books for those who are older teen readers. But…tell me where the women are dominating here?
If we were to break down the books by gender — which is subjective and ridiculous, but we’re going to do it — then we could note that male authors constituted 11 of the 20 authors on the list. There were 7 female authors listed and there were two books from Scholastic, with no authorship attached. I did not count Kathryn Limbaugh because the books isn’t selling on her authorship in the least (that’s all Rush), and I did not count Michael Chamberlain because he’s a narrator, not the writer.
If you rolled the Minecraft books into the male author category, which makes sense since Minecraft is a “boy” thing, then you’d show 13 “books for boys” and 7 “books for girls.”
But wait!
Veronica Roth’s Four isn’t about a female character. It’s a collection of short stories about Four, a main male character in her best-selling Divergent series. So let’s move that book over to the “books for boys” category, too. Now we’re up to 14 “books for boys” and 6 “books for girls.” If you’re going to play by that game, too, then R. J. Palacio’s The Julian Chapter is also a “book for boys,” since the main character is a boy and he’s featured on the cover.
Since Hollow City has a girl on the cover, despite being written by a male author, is it a “book for boys” or is it a “book for girls?” I guess because it’s grey and spooky looking and the girl isn’t really there — she has a hole through her! — then maybe it’s fine as a “book for boys” title.
Remember when people talked about how girly YA was? Take a moment to check out the YA book covers featured. Of the “books for girls” segment of the YA titles, just one book features a girl in a big, fancy dress. The other “books for girls” covers feature a back of a girl and her long braid, and two feature a cast of characters, so it’s not just a girl or group of girls.
And what of that Frozen book? Isn’t Frozen about girls? Interesting to see that the Frozen title most frequently purchased by Amazon customers doesn’t feature Elsa or Anna prominently, but Olaf.
What if we looked at the ways that the books are coded? Are there more “girl books” by appearance or more “boy books?” Even Cinder, which features a girl on it, isn’t coded as a feminine read. It’s dark, there’s no face nor body squarely on it, and the font isn’t particularly gender friendly one way or another.
It’s mad to try to label books or fit them into gender boxes. More, it’s mad to insist that there’s a hole in the children’s book market for boys because that’s simply not true. It’s a choice to suggest otherwise.
So, where are the “books for boys?” You’re buying them.
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Nano-hologram paves way for integration of 3-D holography into everyday electronics (w/video) (Nanowerk News) An Australian-Chinese research team has created the world's thinnest hologram, paving the way towards the integration of 3D holography into everyday electronics like smart phones, computers and TVs (Nature Communications, "Nanometric holograms based on a topological insulator material").
Interactive 3D holograms are a staple of science fiction - from Star Wars to Avatar - but the challenge for scientists trying to turn them into reality is developing holograms that are thin enough to work with modern electronics.
Now a pioneering team led by RMIT University's Distinguished Professor Min Gu has designed a nano-hologram that is simple to make, can be seen without 3D goggles and is 1000 times thinner than a human hair.
"Conventional computer-generated holograms are too big for electronic devices but our ultrathin hologram overcomes those size barriers," Gu said.
"Our nano-hologram is also fabricated using a simple and fast direct laser writing system, which makes our design suitable for large-scale uses and mass manufacture.
"Integrating holography into everyday electronics would make screen size irrelevant - a pop-up 3D hologram can display a wealth of data that doesn't neatly fit on a phone or watch.
"From medical diagnostics to education, data storage, defence and cyber security, 3D holography has the potential to transform a range of industries and this research brings that revolution one critical step closer."
Conventional holograms modulate the phase of light to give the illusion of three-dimensional depth. But to generate enough phase shifts, those holograms need to be at the thickness of optical wavelengths.
The RMIT research team, working with the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), has broken this thickness limit with a 25 nanometre hologram based on a topological insulator material - a novel quantum material that holds the low refractive index in the surface layer but the ultrahigh refractive index in the bulk.
The topological insulator thin film acts as an intrinsic optical resonant cavity, which can enhance the phase shifts for holographic imaging.
Dr Zengyi Yue, who co-authored the paper with BIT's Gaolei Xue, said: "The next stage for this research will be developing a rigid thin film that could be laid onto an LCD screen to enable 3D holographic display.
"This involves shrinking our nano-hologram's pixel size, making it at least 10 times smaller. |
(Scott Lynch / Flickr)
DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg appeared before the City Council's transportation committee yesterday to talk about the state of cycling infrastructure in the city and the de Blasio administration's commitment to The Cause. Trottenberg pledged to build 50 miles of bike lanes each yearthe same pace that Bloomberg Politburo member Janette Sadik-Khan made them.
Only 5 of those 50 will be protected bike lanes, which studies show decrease the amount of injuries suffered by all road users by 20%. Only 35 of the 960 miles of bike lanes in the city are protected; 650 are on-street lanes, and 310 are on greenways, parks, and bridges.
"In Manhattan, [5 miles] is the equivalent of about 100 city blocks," Trottenberg said when Manhattan Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez asked why the administration wasn't building more protected lanes. "There's a fair amount of intensive work that goes into a safely designed protected bike lanework with the community groups, engineers, merchant groups, work that we think is very important."
The administration has already built 43 miles of bike lanes this year, including the protected lane on Lafayette Street. Paerdergat Avenue in Canarsie and Fort George Hill in Washington Heights will soon be getting two-way protected lanes, and Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights as well as 106th Street in East Harlem will also sport lanes.
"Even though there are some highly visible bike lanes in Manhattan and Brooklyn, conditions for cyclists are not good in most parts of the city, which is exemplified by the intolerably high death toll among cyclists this year," Transportation Alternatives' executive director, Paul Steely White, testified.
"The city has seen 18 bike deaths so far in 2014. We can and must bring those numbers down, and building more protected bike lanes an important way to do that as we work toward the goal of Vision Zero."
Trottenberg acknowledged the criticism.
"If we want to accelerate that rate, I think that's a discussion for us at some point. With our existing resources, we think we're moving as aggressively as we can and that New York City is moving more aggressively than any other city in the country." (Though as one advocate points out, Seattle is building more than 6 miles of protected lanes each year until 2020).
Trottenberg also reiterated multiple times that her agency has "been really trying to work closely with the NYPD," and stressed how important their participation is in keeping the streets safe for all New Yorkers. Yet no one from the police department bothered to show up to the hearing. "I can promise you, it's a really active dialogue we're having with the NYPD," Trottenberg said.
Almost all the councilmembers who spoke at the hearing pleaded for Citi Bike to hurry up and expand to their neighborhoods, even if that meant scaring up public funds to do the job. New Yorkers use the bikes twice as much as residents of other cities with bikeshare, and 30,000 of the 240,000 bike trips made every day are on bikeshare.
"For now, the mayor has made it a principle that it is not going to be a taxpayer-funded program," Trottenberg said. "I'm not ready to make an announcement on that today, but certainly we want to press ahead on phase three."
Josh Benson, the DOT's director of bicycle and pedestrian programs, added that phase two of Citi Bike would be in construction "by early 2015."
The DOT also announced a "Bridges on Bikes" campaign that would reengineer bike crossing on bridges, especially the Harlem River crossing. Another pilot will allow cyclists to strap a bike to an MTA bus and cross the Verrazano Bridge. |
We’re three games into the NBA Finals, and everything is upside down. The whole world told us to get ready for a veritable repeat of Spurs-Heat, but this is more Heat-Mavericks. The Warriors look frozen and lost. The Cavs are wreaking havoc with killer defense and one great player making history on offense, and though it seems to be working to perfection, it doesn’t quite seem real. Is LeBron seriously averaging 41 points, 12 boards, and eight assists in 47 minutes a game? Is this real life? Is Matthew Dellavedova a real person? When did the NBA Finals turn into fan fiction?
This series is great because it’s completely baffling. But if you’re trying to understand how we got here, go back to the 2011 Heat-Mavs Finals.
In that series, we watched one of the most incredible upsets the NBA has ever seen, and it came with a performance that changed one superstar’s legacy forever. But as much as anything Dirk Nowitzki did, the reason the Mavs had a chance was because Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler were everywhere, disrupting everything.
That’s what Tristan Thompson is doing for the Cavs. He’s making the Warriors just vulnerable enough for LeBron to kill them.
Thompson’s offense reminds me of Charles Barkley’s quote about DeAndre Jordan — “If you left DeAndre Jordan in the gym all night and told him he couldn’t dunk, he’d have six points in the morning” — but that’s besides the point. He dominates all the little battles that the Cavs are currently winning.
On defense, he and Timofey Mozgov have made the Warriors look hopeless at the rim, and Thompson has been quick enough to hang with Golden State’s guards when he’s switched onto them off picks. On offense, he’s crashing the boards, and he’s been so good that it’s forcing the Warriors to keep rebounders close to the rim instead of leaking out for fast breaks. It’s destroying that “pace” piece of the pace-and-space juggernaut we saw in Golden State all year.
Thompson is averaging 14 boards a game in these Finals, and even that number feels misleading. Just watch him for a few minutes at a time. There’s almost no missed shot that he doesn’t get his hands on, and as big as he is, he’s also quick enough to throw his body all over the court to create loose balls. It adds a high-percentage security blanket to an offense full of low-percentage shots. If LeBron is the wrecking ball, Thompson is the chain allowing him to swing over and over again.
So … what if we spent the entire season worshiping the wrong restricted free agent power forward?
That’s the subplot that’s shaping these games. Thompson has been invaluable for the Cavs, while Draymond Green has been mostly invisible for the Warriors.
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
After Game 3, it was reported that Dray been battling a sore back after a fall in Game 2, so that’s a partial explanation. But it may not be all of it. Draymond struggled in Game 1 too. He’s been getting abused on the boards, which was expected, but he’s also been rushing things on offense and missing shots from all over the court. You know how people look at the Warriors lineup and say you have to pick your poison? So far, Draymond is the Cavs’ choice.
Through three games, he’s shooting 27 percent from the field, and he’s 1-for-8 from 3. These would be horrible numbers for any starter, but it hurts twice as much for the Warriors.
Just yesterday, half of Zach Lowe’s column on the Kevin Love trade talks last summer was dedicated to Golden State personnel expressing satisfaction with their decision to go with Draymond instead. “He didn’t just fill the power forward position,” GM Bob Myers told Zach. “He overfilled it.”
If you look at how the Warriors went from a good sixth seed to the team that spent most of this season with the league’s top-ranked defense AND its top-ranked offense, the conversation starts with Green, not Golden State’s new coach, and not even its MVP. It was Draymond who created the flexibility that made them terrifying on both ends of the court.
His ability to shoot and make plays allowed them to play fast and space the floor. His passing and penetration meant they could run the offense through their big men, letting Steph Curry and Klay Thompson spend a lot of time playing off the ball. On defense, his quickness allowed the Warriors to play an aggressive switching style that created turnovers, which led to fast breaks and more easy points. In general, he gave the whole team an edge that hadn’t been there before.
Right now, that edge is gone.
Draymond’s shooting is off, and he’s rushing his playmaking, which contributes to how lost Golden State looks on offense. On defense, the Cavs are pounding the ball with isos, making Golden State’s aggressive switching — and Draymond’s signature skill — more or less irrelevant. Hurt or not, Game 3 was the first time all year that playing David Lee felt like a smarter alternative.
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
I’ve been shamelessly in the tank for Draymond all year long. Until a month ago, I hadn’t thought of Tristan Thompson since I’d laughed at the Cavs for taking him in the top five in the 2011 draft. But here we are. Add this to the list of baffling Finals developments. Green and Thompson aren’t even guarding each other most of the time, but there’s no question who’s making a bigger impact.
What if Thompson is just the better player? What if it turns out that height still matters in the NBA? What if this series is exposing Draymond’s limits?
These are the two most critical role players for either team, and while one struggles like we’ve never really seen before, the other is out here channeling the ghost of Ben Wallace every night. This isn’t over, obviously. It’s dangerous to count out Green, who’s spent his career rising to the occasion and proving people wrong. That’s one reason Warriors fans should feel some hope. But until then, if you want to know why it looks like the Cavs have been dictating terms in these games, start with Tristan Thompson. |
We’ve found another 3D print to join Amon’s mask from The Legend of Korra: this electrified glove, preferred weapon of the Equalists.
Created by 3D Central, the 3D printed parts are made to be glued to a Youngstown kevlar glove. This means that it can still be worn as a glove, unlike the gauntlets they recently made.
Files to make your own gloves and can be found for free on MyMiniFactory and Thingiverse. 3D Central also maintains an Etsy store where they sell their latest designs. Since this is one of the older ones they made, it’s no longer in stock, but you could always shoot them a message and request it.
This story brings us to a close of our short-lived celebration centred around the Avatar franchise. We kicked it off a few days ago as the The Last Airbender recently had its 12th anniversary. We started things off with 12 3D prints from the original show. |
It appears as though Phil Davis is on the verge of signing with Bellator MMA.
According to sources close to the situation, Davis, 30, is very close to inking a new multi-fight contract with the promotion, and the deal could be officially announced as soon as Wednesday.
Davis, whose UFC contract expired after his January loss to Ryan Bader at UFC on FOX 14, has a 13-3 (1 NC) record. He started his career an impressive 9-0 before losing to Rashad Evans at UFC on FOX 2 in January 2012. "Mr. Wonderful" holds notable wins in the UFC over Alexander Gustafsson, Brian Stann, Tim Boetsch, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Lyoto Machida and Glover Teixeira. He is currently ranked no. 7 in the UFC's light-heavyweight rankings.
MMA Sun first tweeted about the possibility of the signing last week.
A four-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Penn State University, Davis is managed by Zinkin Entertainment, who's long had a great working relationship with Bellator president Scott Coker.
No word just yet on when Davis is currently scheduled to debut for the organization.
Update: Bellator has announced the signing of Davis.
“I can’t wait to be fighting in Bellator and wreck shop on everyone,” said Davis in a statement. “I am the absolute best and most dominant grappler to ever fight in MMA and I’m excited to get in there and compete at my new home.” |
Orchard Park, N.Y. — The script for the Buffalo Bills' Week 15 game against the Green Bay Packers was supposed to go something like this: Aaron Rodgers would lead an unstoppable offense into Ralph Wilson Stadium and continue on his record-setting pace. The Packers would head back to Wisconsin with a six-game winning streak, leaving the Bills' final two games as a formality on the way to their 15th straight season without the playoffs.
But the Bills flipped the script.
Rodgers not only wasn't his MVP self, he was reduced to a pedestrian final stat line of 17 of 42 for 185 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble. The Bills came up with big plays on defense and special teams (a punt return for touchdown), and it was just enough to give the Bills' a 21-13 win and their first eight-win season since 2004.
» Game recap | Boxscore
Just when the Bills looked dead in the water, they were able to upend a team many consider to be a favorite for the Super Bowl. They held Rodgers to zero touchdowns and two interceptions, something no other team has done to him in his entire career. He finished with the worst quarterback rating of his career. For those counting at home, the Bills have now limited Peyton Manning and Rodgers to a combined zero touchdowns and four interceptions the last two weeks.
The Bills' offense was still less than impressive, but the defense is good enough to steal wins, and they did it again on Sunday.
1. Kyle Orton struggles
While Rodgers' struggles were somewhat unexpected, Kyle Orton's struggles weren't a surprise. Even against a Packers' defense that seemed beatable, Orton completed just 14 of his 27 passes for 158 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. His string of terrible games continues.
2. Stephon Gilmore dominates
Part of the reason the Bills were able to shutdown Rodgers was because of how effective their cornerbacks were. Stephon Gilmore in particular was outstanding, blanketing Jordy Nelson at times and making it tough for Rodgers to connect on plays down the field. Gilmore gets criticized by fans often, but he has the look of a shutdown corner on Sunday. Corey Graham wasn't too bad, either.
3. Bills run defense looks vulnerable
A week after allowing C.J. Anderson to rush for three touchdowns, the Bills allowed over 150 yards rushing on Sunday. Eddie Lacy often had huge holes to run through and piled up 108 yards from scrimmage. The Bills were able to escape with a win, but the run defense is starting to look beatable.
4. Special teams comes through
Despite kickoff specialist Jordan Gay booting a kickoff out of bounds, the Bills had an excellent day on special teams. Marcus Thigpen returned a punt for a touchdown, and Mario Williams blocked a field goal. The Bills needed to score points in unconventional ways, and that's exactly what they did Sunday.
5. Penalties still an issue
The Bills again had a tough time staying out of trouble. They were penalized 10 times a week after taking 11 penalties against the Broncos. This time, the penalties didn't come back to bite them, but it's still something Buffalo needs to get cleaned up. |
I have delayed an elevator and held the door open for a stranger.
I have delayed an elevator and held the door open for a stranger.
Never I have delayed an elevator and held the door open for a stranger.
Once I have delayed an elevator and held the door open for a stranger.
More than once I have delayed an elevator and held the door open for a stranger.
Often I have delayed an elevator and held the door open for a stranger.
Very Often
I have before being asked, voluntarily looked after a neighbour’s pets or children without being paid for it. I have before being asked, voluntarily looked after a neighbour’s pets or children without being paid for it. Never I have before being asked, voluntarily looked after a neighbour’s pets or children without being paid for it. Once I have before being asked, voluntarily looked after a neighbour’s pets or children without being paid for it. More than once I have before being asked, voluntarily looked after a neighbour’s pets or children without being paid for it. Often I have before being asked, voluntarily looked after a neighbour’s pets or children without being paid for it. Very Often
I have bought ‘charity” Christmas cards deliberately because I knew it was a good cause.
I have bought ‘charity” Christmas cards deliberately because I knew it was a good cause.
Never I have bought ‘charity” Christmas cards deliberately because I knew it was a good cause.
Once I have bought ‘charity” Christmas cards deliberately because I knew it was a good cause.
More than once I have bought ‘charity” Christmas cards deliberately because I knew it was a good cause.
Often I have bought ‘charity” Christmas cards deliberately because I knew it was a good cause.
Very Often
I have offered to help a handicapped or elderly stranger across a street. I have offered to help a handicapped or elderly stranger across a street. Never I have offered to help a handicapped or elderly stranger across a street. Once I have offered to help a handicapped or elderly stranger across a street. More than once I have offered to help a handicapped or elderly stranger across a street. Often I have offered to help a handicapped or elderly stranger across a street. Very Often
I have donated goods or clothes to a charity.
I have donated goods or clothes to a charity.
Never I have donated goods or clothes to a charity.
Once I have donated goods or clothes to a charity.
More than once I have donated goods or clothes to a charity.
Often I have donated goods or clothes to a charity.
Very Often
I have helped push a stranger’s car out of the snow.
I have helped push a stranger’s car out of the snow.
Never I have helped push a stranger’s car out of the snow.
Once I have helped push a stranger’s car out of the snow.
More than once I have helped push a stranger’s car out of the snow.
Often I have helped push a stranger’s car out of the snow.
Very Often
I have helped an acquaintance to move households.
I have helped an acquaintance to move households.
Never I have helped an acquaintance to move households.
Once I have helped an acquaintance to move households.
More than once I have helped an acquaintance to move households.
Often I have helped an acquaintance to move households.
Very Often
I have given a stranger a lift in my car. I have given a stranger a lift in my car. Never I have given a stranger a lift in my car. Once I have given a stranger a lift in my car. More than once I have given a stranger a lift in my car. Often I have given a stranger a lift in my car. Very Often
I have helped carry a stranger’s belongings (books, parcels, etc.). I have helped carry a stranger’s belongings (books, parcels, etc.). Never I have helped carry a stranger’s belongings (books, parcels, etc.). Once I have helped carry a stranger’s belongings (books, parcels, etc.). More than once I have helped carry a stranger’s belongings (books, parcels, etc.). Often I have helped carry a stranger’s belongings (books, parcels, etc.). Very Often
I have given money to a charity.
I have given money to a charity.
Never I have given money to a charity.
Once I have given money to a charity.
More than once I have given money to a charity.
Often I have given money to a charity.
Very Often
I have pointed out a clerk’s error (in a bank, at the supermarket) in undercharging me for an item.
I have pointed out a clerk’s error (in a bank, at the supermarket) in undercharging me for an item.
Never I have pointed out a clerk’s error (in a bank, at the supermarket) in undercharging me for an item.
Once I have pointed out a clerk’s error (in a bank, at the supermarket) in undercharging me for an item.
More than once I have pointed out a clerk’s error (in a bank, at the supermarket) in undercharging me for an item.
Often I have pointed out a clerk’s error (in a bank, at the supermarket) in undercharging me for an item.
Very Often
I have offered my seat on a bus or train to a stranger who was standing. I have offered my seat on a bus or train to a stranger who was standing. Never I have offered my seat on a bus or train to a stranger who was standing. Once I have offered my seat on a bus or train to a stranger who was standing. More than once I have offered my seat on a bus or train to a stranger who was standing. Often I have offered my seat on a bus or train to a stranger who was standing. Very Often
I have given money to a stranger who needed it (or asked me for it). I have given money to a stranger who needed it (or asked me for it). Never I have given money to a stranger who needed it (or asked me for it). Once I have given money to a stranger who needed it (or asked me for it). More than once I have given money to a stranger who needed it (or asked me for it). Often I have given money to a stranger who needed it (or asked me for it). Very Often
I have donated blood. I have donated blood. Never I have donated blood. Once I have donated blood. More than once I have donated blood. Often I have donated blood. Very Often
I have done volunteer work for a charity. I have done volunteer work for a charity. Never I have done volunteer work for a charity. Once I have done volunteer work for a charity. More than once I have done volunteer work for a charity. Often I have done volunteer work for a charity. Very Often
I have helped a classmate who I did not know that well with a homework assignment when my knowledge was greater than his or hers. I have helped a classmate who I did not know that well with a homework assignment when my knowledge was greater than his or hers. Never I have helped a classmate who I did not know that well with a homework assignment when my knowledge was greater than his or hers. Once I have helped a classmate who I did not know that well with a homework assignment when my knowledge was greater than his or hers. More than once I have helped a classmate who I did not know that well with a homework assignment when my knowledge was greater than his or hers. Often I have helped a classmate who I did not know that well with a homework assignment when my knowledge was greater than his or hers. Very Often
I have let a neighbour whom I didn’t know too well borrow an item of some value to me (e.g., a dish, tools, etc.) I have let a neighbour whom I didn’t know too well borrow an item of some value to me (e.g., a dish, tools, etc.) Never I have let a neighbour whom I didn’t know too well borrow an item of some value to me (e.g., a dish, tools, etc.) Once I have let a neighbour whom I didn’t know too well borrow an item of some value to me (e.g., a dish, tools, etc.) More than once I have let a neighbour whom I didn’t know too well borrow an item of some value to me (e.g., a dish, tools, etc.) Often I have let a neighbour whom I didn’t know too well borrow an item of some value to me (e.g., a dish, tools, etc.) Very Often
I have made change (i.e. small cash) for a stranger. I have made change (i.e. small cash) for a stranger. Never I have made change (i.e. small cash) for a stranger. Once I have made change (i.e. small cash) for a stranger. More than once I have made change (i.e. small cash) for a stranger. Often I have made change (i.e. small cash) for a stranger. Very Often |
Vote-buying or genuine public service in Makati?
Last October 16, 2014 the Makati City government conducted pre-bidding conferences for four (4) projects that will supply items to be given out as Christmas giveaways in the coming December. Nothing wrong with giving Christmas gifts per se, but is spending P260 million just a bit too much?
P260 million for “groceries, canned goods, T-shirts and bags”?
The official website of the Makati City government shows the official “Invitation to Bid” for four projects — with an aggregate Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) of P260 million — to procure “groceries, canned goods, T-shirts, bags, and other Christmas giveways” that will be distributed to Makati residents and public school students by December 2014.
Here’s a screencap of the summary of bid invitations from the Makati City official website.
The four (4) projects to be bid out, and their corresponding budget allocations, are as follows:
4 Christmas Giveaway projects in Makati City
Approved Budget for the Contract "Groceries and Canned Goods for Christmas Giveaways - 2014" Php 118,352,168.00 "T-shirts and Bags for Christmas Giveaways - 2014" 76,225,740.48 "Christmas Giveaways for Public High School Students of DepEd Makati" 23,893,932.87 "Christmas Giveaways for Public Elementary and Pre-School Students of DepEd Makati" 42,121,953.89 TOTAL Php 260,593,795.24
Sure, thousands of Makati residents will benefit from the giveaways, but is it prudent to spend P260 million on one-time dole outs?
This, considering that other government agencies scrimp on their approved annual budgets that pale in comparison to the total amount of the Makati Christmas giveaways this year.
Take a look at the meager annual budgets of some government agencies and compare this with the humongous amount for Christmas giveaways by Makati City mayor Junjun Binay.
Makati Christmas giveaways vs. budget of other government units
Government Agency / Institution Approved Budget for the Entire Year 2014 Mindanao Development Authority Php 98,807,000.00 National Anti-Poverty Commission Php 148,948,000.00 Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Php 182,313,000.00 Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Php 334,555,000.00 Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Php 923,348,000.00 Total of Makati City's 4 Christmas Giveaways Php 260,593,795.24
For example, the P118-million contract to purchase “Groceries and Canned Goods for Christmas Giveaways” is bigger than the entire year’s budget of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).
Scrimping on a budget less than P100 million in 2014, the MinDA is an agency mandated to “promote, coordinate and facilitate the active participation of all sectors to effect socioeconomic development of Mindanao.” Surely more people from Mindanao would benefit, in the long run, if the P118 million Christmas giveaway allotment was merely given as additional budget to the MinDA agency.
Also the P260 million total of the four Makati Christmas giveaway projects easily dwarfs the 2014 full-year budgets of two other government agencies: the National Anti-Poverty Commission (2014 budget of P149 million) and the Philippine Sports Commission (2014 budget of P182 million). Perhaps if the additional money were given to them instead, we’ll have more funds to reduce poverty in the country and to improve the sports environment and plight of our national athletes.
Without a doubt, thousands of Makati City residents will be happy and thankful for the city government’s giveaways this Christmas. But you be the judge: Is this a case of genuine public service or early electioneering in Makati City?
Vote and join the poll below! |
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Lady Gaga absolute killed the Super Bowl half-time show - but despite her incredible performance, some viewers were left a little disappointed.
The singer's performance had promised to be politically charged in the wake of protests against Donald Trump.
But, although her lyrics reference 'black, white and beige' and 'gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgendered life', there appeared to be no direct attack on the US president.
Fans took to Twitter to question why there was no reference to the controversial Muslim ban, or the Women's March or, apparently, anything.
But was Gaga REALLY going to pass up an opportunity on the world's biggest stage to throw some serious shade at Trump?
Well, no. And she didn't.
The superstar's dig at Trump was simple and subtle but crushingly effective.
Gaga opened the half-time show with a poignant medley of “America the Beautiful” and “This Land is Our Land” - an alternative national anthem.
The Woody Guthrie American classic has also become an anthem for protestors fighting against Trump’s proposed immigration bans and border walls.
As she perched on the roof of the stadium, the sky behind her illuminated with red, white and blue stars.
(Image: BBC)
(Image: BBC)
At the start of the performance, the stars were divided in half - but as she continued to sing the patriotic medley, the stars aligned.
The subtle dig wasn't missed by one viewer in particular - Hillary Clinton.
The former Presidential candidate, who lost out to Trump in a heartbreaking election defeat, tweeted her praise for Gaga.
The star then belted out a medley of her greatest hits, including Poker Face, Just Dance, Born This Way, Bad Romance and more.
Dressed in an embellished blue and silver bodysuit and matching boots, Gaga look amazing as she strutted her stuff on stage.
Half way through her performance, she slowed the pace down as she sat down to play the piano for Million Reasons.
(Image: Rex Features)
(Image: Rex Features)
"America, how you doing tonight? We're here to make you feel good. Do you want to feel good?" she told the audience.
And half way through the song she also gave a shout out to her parents who were in the audience.
She then hugged her fans as she returned to the stage to sing Bad Romance, and also managed a quick outfit change.
(Image: Getty Images North America)
(Image: Getty Images North America)
Ditching the bodysuit, Gaga then flashed her tummy in a pair of silver hot pants and a white top.
Fireworks went off above the stadium as she finished up her performance with an epic mic drop and jump off stage.
(Image: Getty Images North America)
Hours before taking to the field, Gaga took to Instagram to reveal she would be performing solo despite rumours Beyonce might be making an appearance.
"I want to say thank you to my fans for cheering me on all these years," she wrote. "There will not be any guest performers tonight, I'm doing these 13 minutes solo!
(Image: Rex Features)
(Image: WireImage)
"I dedicate every second to the love, diversity, compassion, and wild spirit of our fan base. To that kid who felt unwanted, or the grown up who remembers how hard it was to find acceptance. This is for you. It is also for those whose hearts and minds have opened to our message.
"Thank you for believing in us so we could be here today little monsters this is YOUR stage. And I'm gonna leave my heart on it so you never forget it. Let's do this. Xoxo Love, Gaga p.s I LOVE YOU SO MUCH." |
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We break down some of the most cost-effective ways to improve your creative process, from optimising your monitoring system to adding affordable new tools to your setup.
It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to spend a lot of money to make good music. The truth, as Thomas Cox explained in his recent Attack column, is that expensive gear doesn’t matter so much as good ideas and creativity. It’s tempting to think that spending thousands on new synths and drum machines will automatically make your music better – or that you just can’t make good music until you buy that fancy new piece of hardware – but that doesn’t have to be the case.
Nevertheless, sometimes you do need a little something to revitalise your creativity, force you down a new direction or just improve your ability to get the most out of what you already have. The great news is that there are plenty of cheap ways to do exactly that. Improving your workflow on a budget could be as simple as downloading a free piece of software, improving your studio setup or simply rethinking part of your approach. They’re not always the most glamorous options, but glamour alone never produced a great track. Join us as we run through some of the most affordable ways to revitalise and refine your creative process…
Free Plugins
Where better to start than with the cheapest option of all? The old adage may tell us that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but the sole exception to that rule might be in the digital world. The plugin landscape is wide and varied, with much publicity given to the latest and greatest instruments and effects from the big players. Often – but not always – commercial software companies can afford to employ the best designers to create the nicest-looking interfaces, or hook up with hardware manufacturers to deliver an ‘authorised’ emulation. However, there are also some fantastic cheap (or entirely free) options. Here are some of our favourites:
Togu Audio Line (TAL) is now best known for its excellent Roland Juno-60 and SH-101 emulations, but the company began life making free plugins. The pick of the bunch are the U-NO-62 synth and TAL-CHORUS-LX effect. U-NO-62 isn’t quite as realistic as the paid emulation, but it’s still a great synth in its own right. TAL-CHORUS-LX is exactly the same as the excellent chorus in U-NO-LX. They’re must-haves for anyone into classic analogue sounds, and available for both Mac and PC.
Melda Production’s MFreeEffectsBundle is a huge package of tools and utilities in Windows and Mac VST and AU formats. The range of filters, modulation effects and dynamics tools on offer is fairly straightforward, but these effects offer a useful addition to the standard plugins found in your DAW. For PC users, the Variety Of Sound collection offers a similar collection of EQs, reverbs, tape emulation and more.
E-Phonic’s Drumatic 4 is a very affordable drum synthesis tool for Mac and PC, but if your budget’s even more limited (and you’re on a PC) then version 3 is the way to go – it’s still available as donationware.
There are now hundreds of free instruments, effects and sample packs on the market, but there’s one important thing to remember: not all of them are any good! Don’t fall into the trap of thinking more plugins in your menu must be better. Remember that sometimes too much choice can be just as bad as not enough.
Related
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Indonesia is reportedly studying the possibility of seeking international arbitration. This was after a Chinese coastguard vessel prevented Jakarta from impounding over the weekend a fishing boat that was caught in the Natuna Sea – the waters surrounding Indonesia’s Riau province. Indonesia detained the eight Chinese crewmembers.
It was not the first such incident. In 2010 and 2013, Chinese vessels also demanded the release of Chinese fishermen and a trawler apprehended by Indonesia in the Natuna Sea. The incident over the weekend comes on the heels of reports that 11 Filipino fishermen were shooed away from Panatag Shoal off Zambales by the Chinese.
In 2012, the Philippine Navy apprehended eight Chinese fishing vessels around Panatag. One of the vessels was found with a cargo of illegally collected corals, giant clams and live sharks. Chinese maritime surveillance ships, however, prevented the Philippine Navy from arresting the fishermen.
The incident contributed to the decision of the Philippines to ask the United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal in The Hague to define the country’s maritime entitlements under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. A decision is expected within the year. Recent reports said Vietnam, Japan and now Indonesia are studying a similar approach to settle its maritime disputes with China.
This is what happens when Beijing’s response to its neighbors’ protests against its expansive maritime territorial claims is met with even more aggressive moves in disputed waters.
Beijing is painting its activities as part of efforts to protect the environment, marine resources and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. But this is belied by numerous incidents in which Chinese maritime vessels, almost always armed, deprive marginalized fishermen of their livelihood, in waters that are a long way from China’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone as defined under UNCLOS. Beijing should not wonder why its avowed peaceful rise rings hollow, especially among several nations in its own backyard. |
is a programming language for writing physical simulations. Ebb programs are performance portable: they can be efficiently executed on both CPUs and GPUs. Ebb is embedded in the Lua programming language using Terra, which can itself be embedded in C/C++ programs as a library.
Ebb code looks like this:
import "ebb" local L = require "ebblib" -- load the triangle mesh local ioOff = require 'ebb.domains.ioOff' local PN = require 'ebb.lib.pathname' local mesh = ioOff.LoadTrimesh( PN.scriptdir() .. 'bunny.off' ) -- define globals and constants local timestep = L.Constant(L.double, 0.45) local K = L.Constant(L.double, 1.0) local max_change = L.Global(L.double, 0.0) -- define fields: temperature and change in temperature mesh.vertices:NewField('t', L.double):Load(function(index) if index == 0 then return 3000.0 else return 0.0 end end) mesh.vertices:NewField('d_t', L.double):Load(0.0) -- functions executed for-each vertex local ebb compute_diffusion ( v : mesh.vertices ) var count = 0.0 for nv in v.neighbors do v.d_t += timestep * K * (nv.t - v.t) count += 1.0 end v.d_t = v.d_t / count end local ebb apply_update ( v : mesh.vertices ) v.t += v.d_t max_change max= L.fabs(v.d_t) v.d_t = 0.0 end -- the simulation loop for i = 1,300 do if i % 30 == 0 then max_change:set(0.0) end mesh.vertices:foreach(compute_diffusion) mesh.vertices:foreach(apply_update) if i % 30 == 0 then print('iter #'..i, max_change:get()) end end
Adding visualization routines, (in repository version) we can see the result of the above simulation.
Ebb was designed with a flexible data model that allows for encoding a range of different domains. As a non-exhaustive list, Ebb supports triangle meshes, grids, tetrahedral meshes, and particles. For example, here is a similar heat diffusion program written for a grid:
import 'ebb' local L = require 'ebblib' local GridLib = require 'ebb.domains.grid' local N = 40 local grid = GridLib.NewGrid2d { size = {N, N}, origin = {-N/2, -N/2}, width = {N, N}, periodic_boundary = {true,true}, } -- define constants, globals and fields local timestep = L.Constant(L.double, 0.45) local conduction = L.Constant(L.double, 1.0) local max_diff = L.Global(L.double, 0.0) grid.cells:NewField('t', L.double):Load(function(x_idx, y_idx) if x_idx == 4 and y_idx == 6 then return 1000 else return 0 end end) grid.cells:NewField('new_t', L.double):Load(0) -- compute diffusion local ebb update_temperature ( c : grid.cells ) var avg = (1.0/4.0) * ( c(1,0).t + c(-1,0).t + c(0,1).t + c(0,-1).t ) var diff = avg - c.t c.new_t = c.t + timestep * conduction * diff end -- measure statistic local ebb measure_max_diff ( c : grid.cells ) var avg = (1.0/4.0) * ( c(1,0).t + c(-1,0).t + c(0,1).t + c(0,-1).t ) var diff = avg - c.t max_diff max= L.fabs(diff) end -- simulation loop for i=1,360 do grid.cells.interior:foreach(update_temperature) grid.cells:Swap('t', 'new_t') if i % 10 == 0 then -- measure statistics every 10 steps max_diff:set(0) grid.cells.interior:foreach(measure_max_diff) print( 'iteration #'..tostring(i), 'max gradient: ', max_diff:get() ) end end
Again, we can visualize this simulation
Furthermore, domain libraries are user-authorable and can be coupled together in user code. For example, Ebb seamlessly supports coupling particles to a grid, or coupling the vertices of a mesh to a grid. By adding the following code to the preceding grid-based heat diffusion, we can set up a particle advection driven by the heat gradient.
-- create and initialize particle relation local particles = L.NewRelation { name = "particles", size = N*N, } local particle_positions = {} for yi=0,N-1 do for xi=0,N-1 do particle_positions[ xi*N + yi + 1 ] = { xi + 0.5, yi + 0.5 } end end particles:NewField('pos', L.vec2d):Load(particle_positions) -- establish link from particles to cells particles:NewField('cell', grid.cells) grid.locate_in_cells(particles, 'pos', 'cell') -- define particle advection local ebb wrap( x : L.double ) return L.fmod(x + 100*N, N) end local ebb advect_particle_position ( p : particles ) -- estimate heat gradient using a finite difference var c = p.cell var dt = { c(1,0).t - c(-1,0).t, c(0,1).t - c(0,-1).t } -- and move the particle downwards along the gradient var pos = p.pos - 0.1 * timestep * dt -- wrap around the position... p.pos = { wrap(pos[0]), wrap(pos[1]) } end
To advect the particles, we add two lines to the simulation loop:
for i=1,360 do grid.cells:foreach(update_temperature) grid.cells:Swap('t', 'new_t') particles:foreach(advect_particle_position) grid.locate_in_cells(particles, 'pos', 'cell') if i % 10 == 0 then -- measure statistics every 10 steps ... end end
A visualization of the advection
The tutorials and code repository contain both simpler and more elaborate examples, explained in more detail.
Liszt is …
A project at Stanford University to develop domain-specific languages for physical simulation. Liszt is focused on performance portability. Performance portable programs are programs that can be run efficiently on a variety of different parallel systems/platforms/architectures. (e.g. CPU, GPU, Multi-core, Clusters, Supercomputers)
Documentation and artifacts for the original Liszt language can be found online.
Ebb is the primary DSL for the Liszt project, with specialized DSLs for collision detection and other problems in the works.
Ebb contributors
Gilbert Bernstein Chinmayee Shah Crystal Lemire Matthew Fisher Zach Devito Phil Levis Pat Hanrahan |
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When Erik Samuelson was dragged to watch Wimbledon at Plough Lane by his son back in 1987 he could scarcely have imagined that almost three decades later he would be masterminding the club’s return to their spiritual home.
Since then there has been an FA Cup victory, the demise of Plough Lane, temporary lodgings at Selhurst Park and the move to Milton Keynes before the rise of AFC Wimbledon.
Now, within the next few weeks, AFC Wimbledon will lodge a planning application for a stadium on the site of the current greyhound track in Merton, a stone’s throw from what used to be Plough Lane where Wimbledon played until 1991.
AFC are confident they will be successful — they should find out if that is the case in the spring — and if all goes well they will be playing in the stadium by the start of the 2017-18 season.
With a capacity of 11,000 that could be expanded to 20,000 if they progress through the leagues, the potential stadium move would complete an astonishing journey.
“We started with nothing; no ground, no team, no manager, no kit, no training ground,” said Samuelson, AFC’s chief executive.
“Now we’re in the Football League, looking solid and are hoping to build a new ground. The story of the old Wimbledon was quite romantic, and it would be romantic for us to come home, to be back in the heart of our community where we belong.”
AFC are based at Kingsmeadow Stadium with a capacity of 4,850 and situated six miles from the proposed new home. The club’s swift ascent through the football pyramid is in danger of being stymied by their current ground and the lessons have been learned after the dilapidated state of Plough Lane eventually led to Wimbledon’s demise.
“The last thing we want is to be as successful as the old club were and then choke to death as the old club did due to the stadium,” said Samuelson.
The proposals make great play on the potential of coming home to a community where much of the club’s off-field work is still done.
The scheme includes plans for 600 homes and it is hoped it will help regenerate the area in much the same manner as Arsenal’s move to Emirates Stadium.
Yet there are rival plans to expand the greyhound stadium to a 4,500 seat arena while some local residents have made their objections to AFC’s plans clear.
Samuelson acknowledges there is a debate to be had but said: “They will continue to make their case but we expect to be successful.
“If we are successful we will be improving that particular part of the borough and will be the catalyst for development and improvement around it.
“It is about coming back to where our hearts are. Wimbledon and Merton should have a proper Football League team. We did a detailed market survey and there are a huge amount of existing fans in the area who don’t come any more, or people who follow the club from Merton but have never been. Our records show 15,000 households have been connected to us in one way or another over the last three years.
“The percentage of people from Merton we’d need to come to give us a decent average gate is not very high. A year from now there could be spades in the ground, and 2017 is frighteningly close.” |
Cranes move loads of materials at dusk at the Hudson Yards construction site in New York. Julie Jacobson/AP
Without the onerous zoning that has made it hard to build in places like New York City and San Francisco, lagging regions might be even worse off than they already are.
For a growing chorus of urbanists and city-builders, the key to rebuilding our cities, reigniting innovation, and improving productivity lies in getting rid of the onerous zoning codes and land-use restrictions that are holding back much-needed development—particularly housing—in leading superstar cities and tech hubs like New York and San Francisco. In a much cited and highly influential study of a year or so ago, two economists, Chang-Tai Hsieh of the University of Chicago and Enrico Moretti of the University of California at Berkeley estimated that land-use restrictions reduced U.S. GDP as a whole by roughly 9 percent a year—roughly $1.5 trillion a year in today’s dollars. That’s a big bite. Now, an update to that study by the two extends their research and takes a deeper dive into the so-called “spatial misallocation” of people, jobs, and productivity that results from such land-use restrictions. One big takeaway, which supports their previous findings, is that such housing constraints lowered the aggregate growth by more than half between 1964 and 2009. That’s another huge number which understandably many urbanists and pundits have focused on, with some agreeing and some questioning their model.
Leave that as it may, my reading is that the study makes two other very important contributions to the debate over the future of cities that have largely been ignored. A better case for investment in transit and high-speed rail First, the study makes a powerful case—a potentially game-changing case—for investing in mass transit, light rail, subways and even high-speed rail to connect places together. Near the very end of the study the authors point out that such investments in transit are likely to have a much bigger positive economic impact than eliminating land use restrictions. Why? Because transit can link outlying places, where land is relatively cheap and housing more affordable, to the more expensive cores of these places. As they put it, “[a]n alternative is the development of public transportation that links local labor markets characterized by high productivity and high nominal wages to local labor markets characterized by low nominal wages.” And then they get specific: For example, a possible benefit of high speed train currently under construction in California is to connect low wage cities in California’s Central Valley—Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno—to high productivity jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area. This could allow the labor supply to the San Francisco economy to increase overnight without changing San Francisco housing supply constraints. An extreme example is the London metropolitan area. A vast network of trains and buses allows residents of many cities in Southern England—including far away cities like Reading, Brighton and Bristol—to commute to high TFP employers located in downtown London. Another example is the Tokyo metropolitan area. While London and Tokyo wages are significantly above the U.K. and Japan averages, they would arguably be even higher in the absence of these rich transportation networks. Our argument suggests that U.K. and Japan GDP are significantly larger due to the transportation network. Their factoring in of the long-run effects on productivity and economic growth would seem to change the terms of the debate over transit. Most leading economists dismiss high-speed rail, on the grounds that the (huge) immediate short-run costs exceed its immediate short-run benefits. (The latest estimate to build California’s line is $64 billion.) But Hsieh and Moretti are effectively arguing that the long gains in productivity and economic growth—and in creating more and better jobs—are even more enormous, adding up to a huge share of foregone productivity and economic growth.
Framed in these terms, investments in transit are more than just a short-term stimulus or way to alleviate congestion: They are a way to improve the long-term capacity of the economy to generate greater productivity, increase growth, and create more good jobs. Without land use restrictions in superstar cities, geographic inequality would be worse The second big takeaway from the study is that strict land-use restrictions in superstar cities and tech hubs like New York City and San Francisco have functioned to shift employment growth to other places, mitigating and staving off to some degree the growing geographic inequality of winner-take-all urbanism. Cities are changing fast. Keep up with the CityLab Daily newsletter. The best way to follow issues you care about. Subscribe Loading... You don’t need to read all the sophisticated math in their paper to grasp the basic logic about spatial misallocation. If there were fewer impediments to building in New York and San Francisco, more companies, jobs, and people would flow there, and less would be left over for a whole bunch of places—especially parts of the Rust Belt that have been so hard hit by the economic crisis and broader economic transformation of the U.S. and global economies. Land-use restrictions have functioned as a de-facto place-based policy, mitigating the adverse effects of geographic inequality. They have probably helped to stave off the worst of Rustbelt decline. In fact, their models seem to suggest that, in the absence of land use restrictions, the contribution of New York and the Bay Area over the past few decades would rise from 5 to 12 percent of GDP growth. Rust Belt metros, on the other hand, would decline from 15 to roughly 11 percent of GDP growth. When it comes to jobs, the study finds that between 1964 and 2009, employment growth would have been more than a thousand percent higher in the New York metro; almost 700 percent more in San Francisco; and nearly 250 percent higher in San Jose, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Meanwhile, the Rust Belt would be that much more rusty: Employment would be roughly 170 percent lower in Binghamton, New York, and Muncie, Indiana; roughly 200 percent lower in Mansfield and Youngstown, Ohio; and almost 300 percent lower in Kokomo, Indiana.
Another way to think about these land-use restriction is that they have functioned as a de-facto place-based policy, mitigating the adverse effects of geographic inequality. They have probably helped to stave off the worst of Rust Belt decline. They might have given the Sunbelt a boost, too. While the study estimates that the rate of growth and contribution of growth of Sunbelt metros (with their more liberal land use policies), would stay roughly the same, the logic of their argument and much of the conventional wisdom suggests that the harsh land sue restrictions and high housing costs of coastal metros has at least in part contributed to the great Sunbelt migration. In other words, land-use restrictions not only have effects on productivity and growth, they have significant distributional effects as well. Even as they have put the brakes on the development of America’s most vibrant metros, reducing the productivity and growth of the U.S. economy as a whole, they have simultaneously eased the spatial inequality. Just try to imagine how bad our geographic divide might be if New York and San Francisco were even more dominant than they are now—if they had captured an even greater share of national productivity and growth of the sort outlined by these models? If you think Trumpism and populism are bad, those divides might have produced an even stronger and more enduring backlash. Blue progressive America would be even more concentrated, surrounded by an even larger sea of Red. That’s something to keep in mind, even as activists in places like the Bay Area, Seattle, and Portland work hard to overcome onerous land-sure restrictions that have limited the supply of affordable housing. Were it not for those regulations, we’d likely be an even more spatially unequal and divided nation than we are today. |
Washington, D.C. — Youth homelessness in America is nearing epidemic levels, and the problem among the transgender community is disproportionately acute. At least one in five transgender young people have experienced homelessness, and many of them have encountered discrimination, harassment, and abuse in shelters and other services meant to serve as safe spaces when there is nowhere else to go.
The Center for American Progress released a report today that outlines the unique difficulties that homeless transgender young people face, including housing, employment, and education discrimination; inadequate health and social services; and family rejection that can trap youth in a cycle of homelessness. The report also analyzes state, local, and federal policies that are inadequately serving transgender homeless youth and makes recommendations for improvements.
“Transgender young people who are homeless face significant challenges to their health, safety, and well-being—and these disparities often begin before they leave home,” said Hannah Hussey, Research Associate for LGBT Progress at CAP and author of the report. “In order for these young people to reach their full potential, we need a comprehensive approach that provides equal and adequate access to services and that addresses the systemic problems of poverty, violence, and discrimination that cause housing instability in the first place.”
The report makes the following recommendations:
Provide the resources needed for homeless and at-risk transgender youth to stabilize their lives, including shelters and transitional living programs, skill-building opportunities, health promotion programs, and family intervention services.
Implement strong nondiscrimination policies and eliminate barriers to services in shelters, health care, vital records, and law enforcement.
Address the root causes of homelessness through changes to the interlocking systems that hold transgender youth back from reaching their full potential, including housing, employment, education, public accommodations, juvenile justice, and foster care.
Expand data-collection efforts to include gender identity in respectful and confidential ways.
Click here to read the report.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Tom Caiazza at gro.ssergorpnacirema@azzaiact or 202.481.7141. |
After getting selected by the Raptors in the 2014 NBA Draft, ESPN NBA Draft expert Fran Fraschilla stated that Bruno Caboclo was "two years away from being two years away". Although that statement might have been taken with a negative connotation, the move was an example of the Raptors' pursuit of "low risk, high reward" players.
For Caboclo, that journey was quickly off to a bumpy ride as the Brazilian forward was stuck in a state of basketball purgatory. As the Raptors were sharing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with 13 other squads, they really didn't have any control over how much playing time that Caboclo got in the D-League. Averaging 8.9 MPG in just 7 games, Caboclo never got an opportunity to even get a taste of what it's like to compete against solid NBADL competition.
That lack of playing time was explained, by then-Mad Ants assistant coach Jaren Jackson in an interview with SportsNet Canada:
"The experience was tough in Fort Wayne for Bruno, it was," says Jackson, who won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999. "We didn't have a one-on-one affiliate like some other teams do, and it meant we had different priorities [than the Raptors]," he says. "We were an experienced team. We had a number of veteran players brought down to us, players who we could throw out there and say ‘Go' and they could contribute and help us win. But a younger player like Bruno sometimes gets lost on assignments figuring out who he's supposed to defend, situations like that where he walks away feeling uncomfortable."
"There's so much upside that I could see immediately why [the Raptors] took him in the draft," Jackson continues, "But he came to us essentially as a college freshman. And so he fits what the D-League is all about: He needs to play in the D-League and evolve as a player, to be able to play through his mistakes."
Weary of repeating those same problems, Masai Ujiri and the Raptors acquired their own NBADL affiliate, in the Raptors 905. Located in Mississauga, 20 minutes away from downtown Toronto, the Raptors' brass would easily be able to keep track of Caboclo's day-by-day developments in the D-League.
Those developments became positive for Caboclo and the Raptors organization, as he had a solid 2015-16 campaign. In a vastly improved 34 minutes per game, Caboclo put up 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game on 40% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc. Although those numbers aren't exactly awe-inspiring, it's impressive for a player that only played 355 minutes of organized ball (international, college, NBADL, NBA) before this season.
For being such an inexperienced player, it was notable to see how comfortable Caboclo appeared on both ends of the floor. That was extremely evident on the offensive end as Caboclo acted as the "swiss army knife" of the Raptors 905. With a wide array of offensive skills: cutting, perimeter shooting, crashing the boards and facilitating.
Caboclo's defining skill is currently as an on-ball cutter, as 40% of his shots came from inside the inside the paint. He was extremely efficient from inside the restricted area, as he shot 71%. The Raptors forward was able to accomplish such efficiency due to the combination of his solid speed and incredible length.
In a similar mold to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Caboclo moves to the paint like a gazelle, as he can move from the perimeter to the paint in around 2-3 steps. Alongside that, his 7'7 wingspan has allows him to finish in ways that most players aren't able to. Even when he's not able to speed past his guy, Caboclo has some impressive handles which allows him to work past an opponent as he cuts to the basket. As evident in the play below, Caboclo is able to use a pretty spin move to maneuver his way past an inside defender and get an easy dunk.
Although Caboclo's offensive game is headlined by his ability as a cutter, his developing ability as a shooter could push him from being a solid prospect to a bonafide stud. That progression was apparent over the course of the season. He closed the season shooting 33% from 3, Caboclo actually shot 36% from beyond the arc once the calendar turned to 2016.
That improvement was due to Caboclo perfecting his shooting stroke. He's showcased an ability to either shoot off-the-dribble or off catch-and-shoots. Particularly with his work off-the-dribble, Caboclo can become a dangerous offensive weapon combined with his ability as a cutter.
No matter how skilled Caboclo becomes on the offensive end, his bread and butter will always be on the defensive end. Standing at 6'9 with a 7'7 wingspan and supreme athleticism, Caboclo has the kind of body that NBA teams can only dream about. The reasoning behind that is that Caboclo's frame gives coaches an opportunity to put him at multiple positions. While he worked mainly as a small forward, Raptors 905 head coach Jesse Mermuys slotted Caboclo him in as a power forward and even as a center over the course of the 2015-16 season.
Bruno Caboclo was able to effectively utilize that frame and athleticism on the defensive end, as he averaged 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Those 1.8 blocks per game put Caboclo 8th among D-Leaguers. An example of those defensive skills is evident in the clip below as Caboclo sticks with a cutting James Ennis until he's able to use his incredible 7'7 wingspan to make the clean block.
For a player with such limited experience, Caboclo showcases incredible defensive fundamentals. Looking past his ability to make the big block or steal, Caboclo showcases tremendous defensive awareness. Caboclo was able to quickly recognize where he was on the court and what he needed to do. That awareness was evident as Mermuys was comfortable with implementing Caboclo as the team's free safety, allowing him to create all kinds of chaos. Those risks paid off, as opponents average 5 points per 100 possessions less when Caboclo was on the court (103.1) compared to when he was on the bench (108.7).
The improvements that Caboclo made over the course of the season with the 905 has made it not so far-fetched to think that he can become a contributor to the Raptors next season. In an interview with SportsNet's Blake Murphy, Coach Jesse Mermuys said the following about that possibility:
"So much can happen in an NBA summer, but absolutely," Mermuys says. "He's moved himself so much further along. It's not like where it was, where there's no way you could put him in a game. It's not out of the question that he could go into a game and possibly impact a game with his length and his shooting."
Realistically, Mermuys' statements seem to be more optimistic than realistic at this point While he made some huge strides during the 2015-16 season, Caboclo still needs to gain some more playing time before you'd be comfortable with become a member of the big league club's rotation. Despite the solid play, Caboclo still had his issues with trying to stay out of foul trouble, as he committed 3.7 fouls per game. A lot of those issues rests on Caboclo's lack of experience, as he still had mental lapses which is pretty common in young players.
Caboclo's still definitely a work in progress but I don't think even the most hopeful person would expect him to already be this solid. Caboclo's sheer ability to stand out as one of the NBADL's best forwards in 2015-16 is a huge accomplishment. In a span of 12 months, Caboclo went from getting DNP's with the Mad Ants to averaging 16.7 points and 7.6 boards post All-Star break.
With that kind of progress, it would seem only right for Caboclo to have NBA aspirations in the near future. |
We’re STILL in Dubai as this week’s episode of Real Housewives of Melbourne opens — honestly, this trip is stretching out even longer than Sex & The City 2.
For the last afternoon of their holiday, Chyka’s booked out the extravagant ‘bridge suite’ at their hotel for the ladies to try on a bunch of expensive jewellery, drink, and fight.
Last week’s Real Housewives recap: ‘You maliciously ruin families’
Janet’s more than thrilled with the idea:
Chyka, resplendent in a power-caftan, tells the others that Lydia is joining them in the suite despite their massive fight of last episode — but that she has no intention of causing a scene with her. Once Lydia arrives, it appears she has other ideas.
It’s a frosty atmosphere that greets Lydia, made all the more awkward by the fact that Chyka and Lydia are wearing very similar outfits.
“Lydia arrives wearing the same outfit to Chyka. The timing of it was just …” Susie trails off, but it’s clear she knows Lydia’s broken one of the Ten Housewife Commandments: Thou Shalt Not Rock Similarly Printed Kaftan To Housewife Thou Art Feuding With.
“It was pretty intense, I almost felt like … she didn’t want me there,” says Lydia, her ability to pick up on the most basic of social cues coming along in leaps and bounds.
“We’ve brought only the best of the best, FOR the best,” the diamond saleswoman tells them as they try on their million dollar pieces. She seems to be working under the misunderstanding she’s meeting heads of state and not a bunch of boozed-up Toorak housewives.
In among this orgy of mindless consumerism, Lydia decides she’s got a plan, Stan: She wants to resolve her issues with Chyka, right there and then.
Chyka shuts her down in polite Chyka style, saying she just wants to enjoy the remainder of their holiday and they can sort it out when they’re back in Melbourne — but she’s careful to specify that Lydia “really hurt” her and she “knows what she’s done.”
Chyka retires to a sofa with Jackie — but Pettifleur joins them, and asks Jackie outright if she feels “responsible” for creating all this tension. Bless her, Chyka’s response is just to start sculling her champers:
Spying the convo from across the room, Lydia then slinks over to join them.
Basically, the exact thing Chyka said mere minutes ago she didn’t want to happen is now happening. She and Jackie quickly shut the confrontation down, rising to leave, but not before Lydia and Jackie cause a bit of a scene:
Jackie: Why’d you come over? Why’d you come over?
Lydia: Because I have a friend here, that’s why.
Jackie: She’s actually not. She’s actually not. And you’re not a friend to her.
Lydia: Oh really? Oh really? Whatever Jackie, cos you know everything.
Jackie: I do. I’m a know it all.
It’s schoolyard bickering of the highest order, but the best bit is Gamble, roused from her diamond-induced trance by the commotion, looking around in a daze and asking, ‘What’s going on…?’
That’s it for Dubai — in the next scene, the ladies are back home, and we can only predict the Dubai jaunt blew the budget so much their big season four trip will be to Wobbie’s World.
Back in Melbourne, Janet’s catching up for dinner with ex-husband Brian. It’s crunch time for the pair — they’ve been dancing around the idea of reconciling all season, and they need to make their minds up. There’s still so much affection there, and we’d actually love these two crazy kids to work it out (Brian’s historical affection for holiday wristies notwithstanding).
But alas, it’s not meant to be. Both agree they’re better off as friends — and friends they will be, as they finish dinner with a laugh and a warm hug.
“It was a great night … and it was a good 17 years,” says Janet, in what is one of the more bittersweet — dare we say, human — moments seen in three whole seasons of RHOM.
Next, we’re with Jackie and Ben as they visit a fertility doctor to get the medical all-clear ahead of their burgeoning family plans.
Asked if they’re practising birth control, Ben says they “use an interesting form of contraception,” but won’t elaborate further. Yes? What is this ‘interesting’ form of contraception? Glad Wrap?
Now it’s time for Ben to produce an, ahem, specimen. This is the moment we didn’t know was coming (pardon the pun) but we’ll never quite recover from, folks: former Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies and his psychic wife retire to a small room for a good old fashioned HJ.
Incredible scenes:
In a St Kilda restaurant mercifully far away from all this filth, Lydia meets Janet and Gina for lunch — and a spot of advice on how best to approach the Chyka situation.
“How is Chyka? You know, I still don’t know actually what I’ve done or what I’ve said. I actually don’t know,” Lydia insists.
Janet thinks this is a bald-faced lie:
“It’s like it’s all piled up like a big pile of s**t, and now Lydia’s put her little head out the top of it and she’s just drowning in s**t,” says Janet, with no small amount of glee.
They haven’t even ordered a starter when Lydia, feeling the pressure to admit to her wrongdoings, rises suddenly from the table, mid-sentence, and walks out. It’s … a bizarre over-reaction.
Back at Lydia’s house, she asserts that she’s “sick of hearing all this negative stuff about Dubai.” She’s got bigger fish to fry — after all, Figaro’s not going to harass himself:
She’s also got to organise her mum’s birthday party. Housefriend Johanna’s on hand to help, which gives Lydia an opportunity to drop this pearler:
“I love having Johanna around — she learns so much, and I think it’s really good for her. In fact, when Johanna says goodbye after an eight-hour day, I look at her and think ‘Why are you going? Stay longer!’”
We’re at Gina’s house next, where she’s enlisted the services of a professional ‘life coach to the stars’ to help her stay on top of her busy schedule.
Holistic Life Coach ‘Teymara’ has worked with clients including Lionel Richie, Joel Madden, Lionel Richie, the Hiltons, Lionel Richie, and Lionel Richie.
Seriously, Teymara drops Lionel’s name into just about every sentence. He’s a perfectionist. Shades of Quincy.
Teymara informs Gina that she “actually from that soul group that has come onto the planet to make a difference. The same as Lionel, Lionel’s in that soul group. It’s like Lionel.”
Lionel? Lionel Richie is it Teymara? Oh have you worked with him have you doll?
Gina starts to look a little concerned at the 50th mention of Lionel Richie:
As Teymara mentions Lionel Richie three, four, five more times in a row, Gina interjects, pointing out that she’s not quite in the same calibre as four-time Grammy winner Lionel Richie.
“YES BUT YOU WILL BE!” Teymara shoots back.
Gina, our advice: get out of there before you come to in Teymara’s basement sutured to Lionel Richie Human Centipede-style.
Finally this week, we’re at the opening of Chyka and Bruce’s luxe new restaurant, Glasshouse.
As the girls arrive and pose for the paparazzi, Janet encounters a little Housewife job hazard: “Jackie, don’t push my tits up, they’ll be able to see my implants! Stop that!” #relatable
“Let’s have a lovely night, drama-free!” Jackie announces, which as we all know is the International Housewife Incantation for summoning drama.
It doesn’t take long, as Lydia soon insists she’s not worried about seeing Chyka because they’ve actually already cleared the air privately. The others all call bulls**t on this because it is, in fact, bulls**t.
“Do I have to explain myself again?” asks Lydia in a piece to camera. “If so, I’m gonna make something else up.” GREAT PLAN, WHAT COULD GO WRONG.
Pettifleur then goes in to bat for her friend, defending Lydia — rather aggressively — to the rest of the group. This devolves into an argument between Pettifleur and Gina about whether or not it’s OK to point your finger in someone’s face, while both point their fingers in each other’s faces.
Lydia, standing directly between them, seems to be preserving her battery life as she stares off into the middle distance:
“Why the hell do I keep going to support Lydia over and over again, when she gives me nothing in return?” Pettifleur asks. Something’s brewing between these two.
Sitting down to dinner, Pettifleur confronts Lydia. “I just went in batting so hard for you, and I got eaten alive. You said nothing. I put my SOUL out for you,” she says.
Lydia’s having none of it. “It’s like, shut up squirrel. I’m not going to fight like a dirty girl in a gutter.”
Pettifleur says she’s questioning their entire friendship because of Lydia’s earlier silence.
“Seriously? Oh my god. You know what? Shut up, SHUT UP,” Lydia shouts.
“You’re an idiot. You’re a F***ING idiot. F***K off.”
By this time, the rest of the table is listening in with keen interest, quietly munching on their dinner rolls.
“Pettifleur and Lydia, best of friends at a beautiful event, having a kerfuffle?” Excellent use of the word ‘kerfuffle’, Jackie.
With that, Pettifleur storms out, the dramatic impact of her exit only slightly dulled by the fact that, from the back, her outfit makes her look more than a little like McDuff from Johnson and Friends.
Gamble sums up the prevailing mood among the Housewives as we sail toward’s next week’s season finale:
“It’d be a pretty lonely place being Lydia right now ...”
Next week: season finale time! The girls force Lydia’s hand on her behaviour, and she has an explosive confrontation with both Jackie and Chyka. Jackie promises to “talk the real s**t” — BRING IT.
The Real Housewives of Melbourne screens 8:30pm Sundays on Foxtel’s Arena Channel, and check back here right after each episode airs for our full recap. In the meantime, chat all things Housewives with recapper Nick Bond — who often gets mistaken in the street for Alfred from Johnson and Friends — on Twitter at @bondnickbond. |
JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines what we learned from the Jaguars’ 37-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Field Sunday
*1. The Jaguars need to lead. *All teams like to lead. All teams want to lead. Considering how the 2017 Jaguars are built – to run, play defense and rush the passer – they really need to lead. This team is going to have a tough time coming from behind. It couldn’t Sunday.
*2. Leonard Fournette is the real deal. *Forget the rookie running back’s stat line Sunday: 14 carries, 40 yards, one touchdown. As was the case in Week 1, Fournette early Sunday showed the power, strength and instincts that made him the No. 4 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. Those same traits will make him one of the NFL’s best at his position sooner rather than later.
3. Blake Bortles struggled Sunday … No other way to say it: the Jaguars’ quarterback finished Sunday completing 20 of 34 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions, but he was 9 of 9 in the fourth quarter for 134 yards and a touchdown. Entering the fourth quarter, he was 11 of 25 for 89 yards and two interceptions. The interceptions came on tipped passes and weren’t completely his fault, but the inability to make plays downfield in the passing game hurts this offense.
*4. … and the Jaguars do miss Allen Robinson. *He’s the team’s No. 1 receiver and he’s out for the season. He also was usually good for at least two or three first-down converting third-down receptions a game. Those were missed in the second and third quarters Sunday as the game slipped away.
*5. The Jaguars have to stay close. *OK, this is kind of a combination of Nos. 1 and 2, but if the Jaguars can’t lead, they need to at least stay close. Staying close will allow them to utilize Fournette. When he was a factor Sunday, the Jaguars were in it. When he wasn’t, the game felt out of control.
*6. The Titans’ offensive line is good … *We knew this already, but it was evident how Sunday how much better the Titans’ offensive line was than that of the Texans in Week 1. The result was the Jaguars’ defensive line didn’t dominate. The Jaguars can’t expect the 10 sacks and three sack/fumbles they registered the Texans every week. But for this team to compete, it needs to pressure the passer better than it did Sunday. That’s another reason this team must stay close; it’s hard to pressure the passer when the opponent doesn’t need to throw.
*7. The Jaguars are still in first place. *Yes, Sunday was difficult. And yes, giving up 30 consecutive points was disturbing. But just as winning by 22 points in Week 1 didn’t make the Jaguars a Super Bowl contender, losing by 21 in Week 2 doesn’t end the season. The Jaguars are 1-1. Same as the Texans. Same as the Titans. And they’re tied for first with those two teams.
*8. Jaguars safety Barry Church hits hard. *Man …
*9. Even injured, teams don’t want to test Jalen Ramsey. *The Jaguars’ second-year cornerback missed all three days of practice with an ankle issue. He started Sunday. The Titans threw in his direction once. Probably smart.
*10. This team can’t commit turnovers and win … *The Jaguars were plus-four takeaway/giveaway in Week 1 against Houston and won by 22 points; they were minus-two in Week 2 against Tennessee and lost by 21 points. Not a coincidence.
*11. … and it can’t commit crucial penalties and win, either. *This was more telling than the turnover statistic. The Jaguars committed 10 penalties for 99 yards Sunday, but it was when they committed them that mattered. The Jaguars offensively committed a major penalty on five of six possessions from the middle of the second quarter through the end of the third quarter. They did not score on any of the possessions and the Titans turned a 3-3 tie into a 23-3 lead. Head Coach Doug Marrone and several Jaguars players hammered the postgame theme: this not a team that can “play behind the chains” and expect to win.
*12.Special teams lapses still kill. *Big plays against the Jaguars’ special teams were a recurring theme last season during a season-defining, late-season losing streak. The area hurt in a big way Sunday, with Adoree’ Jackson catching a 59-yard punt by Brad Nortman in the middle of the field and returning it 46 yards. The play seemed to take the fight out of the Jaguars’ defense. Titans running back Derrick Henry’s 17-yard touchdown run came two plays later, and the Titans scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions after that.
*13. The Jaguars must follow their formula. *We maybe knew this already, but Sunday drove the point home: the Jaguars must limit mistakes, play swarming defense, run well and win the turnover margin to be successful this season. They started Sunday running well and playing good defense, but mistakes led to too many negative situations they couldn’t overcome. |
43 products found matching "gstar".
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Image Name Style Stock $ From Description
Archon Disc Golf Discs Innova Distance Driver Champion 12 $13.99 GStar 17 $13.99 Star 17 $13.99 Echo Star 10 $11.99 Champion Glo 7 $14.99 I-Dye Champion 10 $15.99 Champion (Glo CFR) 5 $14.99 5 11 5 -2 2
Best Choice for: Long and reliable S shots, tailwind drives, downhill distance, long turnover drives.
About the Archon from Innova: The Archon is a new distance driver that blends the graceful long turn... Long and reliable S shots, tailwind drives, downhill distance, long turnover drives.The Archon is a new distance driver that blends the graceful long turn... (more) Best Choice for: Long and reliable S shots, tailwind drives, downhill distance, long turnover drives.
About the Archon from Innova: The Archon is a new distance driver that blends the graceful long turn of the Katana with the smooth fade of a Wraith. It has been described as a longer Valkyrie. This will be a great disc for players looking to master their games and rule the course. Long and reliable S shots, tailwind drives, downhill distance, long turnover drives.The Archon is a new distance driver that blends the graceful long turn of the Katana with the smooth fade of a Wraith. It has been described as a longer Valkyrie. This will be a great disc for players looking to master their games and rule the course. (hide)
Aviar Driver Big Bead Disc Golf Discs Innova Putt and Approach GStar 17 $13.99 Star - ----- 1 2 3 0 2
Best Choice for: Durable approach disc and superior short range driver. Great putter for windy days.
Innova say this about the Aviar Driver Big Bead: The Star Aviar Driver is made from the Big Bead driv... Durable approach disc and superior short range driver. Great putter for windy days.The Star Aviar Driver is made from the Big Bead driv... (more) Best Choice for: Durable approach disc and superior short range driver. Great putter for windy days.
Innova say this about the Aviar Driver Big Bead: The Star Aviar Driver is made from the Big Bead driver mold. This is the same mold used for the KC and JK Aviar. It has the same flight characteristics of these ever popular discs plus the additional bonus of Star plastic. Star plastic gives the Aviar Driver more durability and offers players another grip option. Great for drives, approaches and putts. Durable approach disc and superior short range driver. Great putter for windy days.The Star Aviar Driver is made from the Big Bead driver mold. This is the same mold used for the KC and JK Aviar. It has the same flight characteristics of these ever popular discs plus the additional bonus of Star plastic. Star plastic gives the Aviar Driver more durability and offers players another grip option. Great for drives, approaches and putts. (hide)
Beast Disc Golf Discs Innova Distance Driver DX 20+ $6.99 Pro 20+ $9.99 Blizzard Champion 17 $13.99 Champion 20 $13.99 GStar 20+ $13.99 Star 20+ $13.99 Glow 11 $9.99 I-Dye Pro 1 $12.99 I-Dye Blizzard Champion - ----- I-Dye Champion 14 $15.99 5 10 5 -2 2
Best Choice for: Maximum Distance, turnover driver, tailwind drives, beginner players looking for more distance from a driver.
Innova says this about the Beast: The Beast issued in the era of the wide ri... Maximum Distance, turnover driver, tailwind drives, beginner players looking for more distance from a driver.The Beast issued in the era of the wide ri... (more) Best Choice for: Maximum Distance, turnover driver, tailwind drives, beginner players looking for more distance from a driver.
Innova says this about the Beast: The Beast issued in the era of the wide rimmed driver. The Beast was an instant classic when it was released; giving players more distance using less power. The Beast's high glide, high speed and high speed turn all combine to give big distance. It is suitable for beginners and pros alike. A favorite of two-time World Champion Barry Shultz. Maximum Distance, turnover driver, tailwind drives, beginner players looking for more distance from a driver.The Beast issued in the era of the wide rimmed driver. The Beast was an instant classic when it was released; giving players more distance using less power. The Beast's high glide, high speed and high speed turn all combine to give big distance. It is suitable for beginners and pros alike. A favorite of two-time World Champion Barry Shultz. (hide)
Colossus Disc Golf Discs Innova Distance Driver Champion 12 $13.99 GStar 20+ $13.99 Star 20+ $13.99 I-Dye Champion 10 $15.99 Champion (Glo CFR) 10 $17.99 5 14 5 -2 3
Best Choice for: Fast, long, distance off the tee. Hyzer-flip shots, flex shots, sidearm driver.
Note: The Champion plastic flight ratings are 14, 5, -1, 3
About the Colossus from Innova: The... Fast, long, distance off the tee. Hyzer-flip shots, flex shots, sidearm driver.The... (more) Best Choice for: Fast, long, distance off the tee. Hyzer-flip shots, flex shots, sidearm driver.
Note: The Champion plastic flight ratings are 14, 5, -1, 3
About the Colossus from Innova: The Colossus if Innova's first driver to eclipse the Speed 13 barrier. It casts a long shadow. Standing tall atop the golf charts, the Colossus is a faster driver that can be handled by the masses. Fast, long, distance off the tee. Hyzer-flip shots, flex shots, sidearm driver.The Colossus if Innova's first driver to eclipse the Speed 13 barrier. It casts a long shadow. Standing tall atop the golf charts, the Colossus is a faster driver that can be handled by the masses. (hide)
Colt Disc Golf Discs Innova Putt and Approach DX 20+ $6.99 XT Pro 20+ $9.99 GStar 19 $13.99 Star 13 $13.99 1 3 4 -1 1
Best Choice for: Putting, short to medium drives, touch and accuracy approaches, beginners.
Note: XT Pro Prototype stamp ratings 3/3/-1/1
About the Colt: The Colt is a new V-Tech putter with a ... Putting, short to medium drives, touch and accuracy approaches, beginners.The Colt is a new V-Tech putter with a ... (more) Best Choice for: Putting, short to medium drives, touch and accuracy approaches, beginners.
Note: XT Pro Prototype stamp ratings 3/3/-1/1
About the Colt: The Colt is a new V-Tech putter with a flatter profile designed for driving, approaching and of course, putting. It uses a shallow rim to cut through the air. The V-Tech nose provides excellent torque resistance for throwing the Colt hard or soft, with similar turn and fade. Dave Dunipace calls it ''The Great Equalizer'' because anyone can benefit from the unique flight characteristics of the Colt. Putting, short to medium drives, touch and accuracy approaches, beginners.The Colt is a new V-Tech putter with a flatter profile designed for driving, approaching and of course, putting. It uses a shallow rim to cut through the air. The V-Tech nose provides excellent torque resistance for throwing the Colt hard or soft, with similar turn and fade. Dave Dunipace calls it ''The Great Equalizer'' because anyone can benefit from the unique flight characteristics of the Colt. (hide)
Daedalus Disc Golf Discs Innova Distance Driver Champion 18 $13.99 GStar 20+ $13.99 Star 13 $13.99 I-Dye Champion 13 $15.99 5 13 6 -3 2
Best Choice for: Tailwind drives, long turnover drives, long range roller, beginner and intermediate players looking for their first speed 13 driver.
Innova says this about the Daedalus:
Note: The... (more) Tailwind drives, long turnover drives, long range roller, beginner and intermediate players looking for their first speed 13 driver. Best Choice for: Tailwind drives, long turnover drives, long range roller, beginner and intermediate players looking for their first speed 13 driver.
Innova says this about the Daedalus:
Note: The flight ratings for the Prototype Stamp Daedalus are 13,6,-4,2. The INNOVA Daedalus is a new maximum downwind distance driver crafted for less powerful players. The disc will double as a long distance roller for more advanced players. The Daedalus likes to be thrown low. Make sure it doesn't soar too close to the sun. Tailwind drives, long turnover drives, long range roller, beginner and intermediate players looking for their first speed 13 driver.. The INNOVA Daedalus is a new maximum downwind distance driver crafted for less powerful players. The disc will double as a long distance roller for more advanced players. The Daedalus likes to be thrown low. Make sure it doesn't soar too close to the sun. (hide)
Dart Disc Golf Discs Innova Putt and Approach DX 20+ $6.99 R-Pro 20+ $9.99 Champion 20+ $13.99 GStar 10 $13.99 Star 12 $13.99 Echo Star - ----- 1 3 4 0 0
Best Choice for: The Dart is especially good for long range putts and go-for shots. Putting and short straight approaches.
Innova says this about the Dart: The Dart has a flight similar to our Aviar Putt... The Dart is especially good for long range putts and go-for shots. Putting and short straight approaches.The Dart has a flight similar to our Aviar Putt... (more) Best Choice for: The Dart is especially good for long range putts and go-for shots. Putting and short straight approaches.
Innova says this about the Dart: The Dart has a flight similar to our Aviar Putt & Approach but has less low speed fade and a little more range. The nice thing about this disc, besides the improved grip, is that it holds the line for a long time. The R-Pro Dart is our first disc available in our new R-Pro material. R-Pro is good to grip and good to stick in the target. The Dart is especially good for long range putts and go-for shots. Putting and short straight approaches.The Dart has a flight similar to our Aviar Putt & Approach but has less low speed fade and a little more range. The nice thing about this disc, besides the improved grip, is that it holds the line for a long time. The R-Pro Dart is our first disc available in our new R-Pro material. R-Pro is good to grip and good to stick in the target. (hide)
Dominator Disc Golf Discs Innova Distance Driver Blizzard Champion - ----- Champion 7 $13.99 GStar 10 $13.99 I-Dye Blizzard Champion - ----- 6 13 5 -1 2
Best Choice for: Headwind drives, sky Anhyzer S shots,
Innova says this about the Dominator: The Dominator is a speed 13 plus distance driver designed to give the best of control and long line shaping ... Headwind drives, sky Anhyzer S shots,The Dominator is a speed 13 plus distance driver designed to give the best of control and long line shaping ... (more) Best Choice for: Headwind drives, sky Anhyzer S shots,
Innova says this about the Dominator: The Dominator is a speed 13 plus distance driver designed to give the best of control and long line shaping for higher power players. Similar to the Katana, with more high speed stability, the Dominator has the glide to maximize distance with a predicable turn. Lower power players will be able to use the Dominator in weights down to the mid 130s in Blizzard Champion plastic. Headwind drives, sky Anhyzer S shots,The Dominator is a speed 13 plus distance driver designed to give the best of control and long line shaping for higher power players. Similar to the Katana, with more high speed stability, the Dominator has the glide to maximize distance with a predicable turn. Lower power players will be able to use the Dominator in weights down to the mid 130s in Blizzard Champion plastic. (hide)
Krait Disc Golf Discs Innova Distance Driver Blizzard Champion 10 $13.99 Champion 13 $13.99 GStar 11 $13.99 Star - ----- I-Dye Blizzard Champion - ----- 6 11 5 -1 2
Best Choice for:Straight drives, 'Go to' distance driver, and long distance shot shaping
Innova says this about the Krait: Power players will be able to use the Krait as a finesse driver or long range ro... Straight drives, 'Go to' distance driver, and long distance shot shapingPower players will be able to use the Krait as a finesse driver or long range ro... (more) Best Choice for:Straight drives, 'Go to' distance driver, and long distance shot shaping
Innova says this about the Krait: Power players will be able to use the Krait as a finesse driver or long range roller. Moderate arm speed produces a straight, long drive. Although the Krait doesn't have a lot of fade, it's still a very effective driver in windy conditions. Sidearm throwers will appreciate the resistance to turn combined with a slow fade at the end of the flight. A favorite of Paul McBeth. Straight drives, 'Go to' distance driver, and long distance shot shapingPower players will be able to use the Krait as a finesse driver or long range roller. Moderate arm speed produces a straight, long drive. Although the Krait doesn't have a lot of fade, it's still a very effective driver in windy conditions. Sidearm throwers will appreciate the resistance to turn combined with a slow fade at the end of the flight. A favorite of Paul McBeth. (hide)
Leopard3 Disc Golf Discs Innova Fairway Driver DX 20+ $6.99 Champion 20+ $13.99 GStar 20+ $13.99 Star 20+ $13.99 Champion Glo 14 $14.99 I-Dye Champion 12 $15.99 3 7 5 -2 1
Best Choice for: Straight line driver, all around driver, anhyzer shots, rollers, beginner player first driver.
Innova says this about the Leopard3: This Leopard3 has nice controllable turn fight out of ... Straight line driver, all around driver, anhyzer shots, rollers, beginner player first driver.This Leopard3 has nice controllable turn fight out of ... (more) Best Choice for: Straight line driver, all around driver, anhyzer shots, rollers, beginner player first driver.
Innova says this about the Leopard3: This Leopard3 has nice controllable turn fight out of the box. It can be thrown smooth for straighter flights or hard for more turn. Adjusting the angle of release makes this a versatile fairway driver. Just slightly faster than the original Leopard. Straight line driver, all around driver, anhyzer shots, rollers, beginner player first driver.This Leopard3 has nice controllable turn fight out of the box. It can be thrown smooth for straighter flights or hard for more turn. Adjusting the angle of release makes this a versatile fairway driver. Just slightly faster than the original Leopard. (hide)
Leopard Disc Golf Discs Innova Fairway Driver DX 20+ $6.99 Pro 12 $9.99 Champion 15 $13.99 GStar 20+ $13.99 Star 20+ $13.99 Echo Star - ----- I-Dye Pro - ----- I-Dye Champion 12 $15.99 3 6 5 -2 1
Best Choice for: Straight line driver, all around driver, anhyzer shots, rollers, beginner player first driver, young player first driver in lighter weights.
Innova says this about the Leopard: The Leopa... Straight line driver, all around driver, anhyzer shots, rollers, beginner player first driver, young player first driver in lighter weights.The Leopa... (more) Best Choice for: Straight line driver, all around driver, anhyzer shots, rollers, beginner player first driver, young player first driver in lighter weights.
Innova says this about the Leopard: The Leopard should be everyone's first fairway driver as it is has excellent glide and is easy to throw straight and far. The Leopard is a great turnover disc for players of all skill levels. More experienced players can use the Leopard for throwing distance stretching 'Hyzer Flip' shots. The Leopard makes a dependable long range roller. Straight line driver, all around driver, anhyzer shots, rollers, beginner player first driver, young player first driver in lighter weights.The Leopard should be everyone's first fairway driver as it is has excellent glide and is easy to throw straight and far. The Leopard is a great turnover disc for players of all skill levels. More experienced players can use the Leopard for throwing distance stretching 'Hyzer Flip' shots. The Leopard makes a dependable long range roller. (hide)
Mako3 Disc Golf Discs Innova Mid-Range Champion 20+ $13.99 GStar 19 $13.99 Star 20+ $13.99 3 5 5 0 0
Best Choice for: Stable straight shots, slight-hyzer shots, mid-range sidearm disc.
Innova says this about the Mako3: The Mako3 is the newest version of the remarkably straight flying Innova Mako. This m... Stable straight shots, slight-hyzer shots, mid-range sidearm disc.The Mako3 is the newest version of the remarkably straight flying Innova Mako. This m... (more) Best Choice for: Stable straight shots, slight-hyzer shots, mid-range sidearm disc.
Innova says this about the Mako3: The Mako3 is the newest version of the remarkably straight flying Innova Mako. This mid-Range disc is the perfect solution for anyone who wants a straight flyer with very limited fade. The Mako3 is available in the new Champion plastic, and is slightly faster than the original Mako. Players will like the Mako3's glide for added distance. The easy to grip and release rim offers clean consistent releases. The Mako3 is a great disc for one disc rounds. Stable straight shots, slight-hyzer shots, mid-range sidearm disc.The Mako3 is the newest version of the remarkably straight flying Innova Mako. This mid-Range disc is the perfect solution for anyone who wants a straight flyer with very limited fade. The Mako3 is available in the new Champion plastic, and is slightly faster than the original Mako. Players will like the Mako3's glide for added distance. The easy to grip and release rim offers clean consistent releases. The Mako3 is a great disc for one disc rounds. (hide)
Mamba Disc Golf Discs Innova Distance Driver Champion 20+ $13.99 Metal Flake Champion - ----- GStar 20+ $13.99 Star 16 $13.99 StarLite - ----- Echo Star 5 $11.99 I-Dye Champion 19 $15.99 3 11 6 -5 1
Best Choice for: Tailwind shots, turnover shots and an out of the box roller.
Innova says this about the Mamba: The Mamba has more high speed turn than any of our long range drivers, so throwing into a h... Tailwind shots, turnover shots and an out of the box roller.The Mamba has more high speed turn than any of our long range drivers, so throwing into a h... (more) Best Choice for: Tailwind shots, turnover shots and an out of the box roller.
Innova says this about the Mamba: The Mamba has more high speed turn than any of our long range drivers, so throwing into a headwind is not recommended. For those with less driving speed, it will add distance. For the medium armed crowd, it will shape long lines for turnovers and straight shots, as well as hyzer flips and even big rolls. Tailwind shots, turnover shots and an out of the box roller.The Mamba has more high speed turn than any of our long range drivers, so throwing into a headwind is not recommended. For those with less driving speed, it will add distance. For the medium armed crowd, it will shape long lines for turnovers and straight shots, as well as hyzer flips and even big rolls. (hide)
Manta Disc Golf Discs Innova Mid-Range DX 20+ $6.99 Champion 20+ $13.99 GStar 20 $13.99 Star 20+ $13.99 2 5 5 -2 1
Best Choice for: Gentle right turning shots, tailwind approaches and short drives, turnover shots, beginner disc, medium to long range roller.
Innova says this about the Manta: The Manta is a stable to un... Gentle right turning shots, tailwind approaches and short drives, turnover shots, beginner disc, medium to long range roller.The Manta is a stable to un... (more) Best Choice for: Gentle right turning shots, tailwind approaches and short drives, turnover shots, beginner disc, medium to long range roller.
Innova says this about the Manta: The Manta is a stable to understable Mid-Range featuring VTech. It has a gentle turn when thrown with power and smooth straight glide when thrown flat with moderate power. The Manta is a good choice for beginners and is ideal for any player looking for a ?beat in? Mid-Range for finesse shots. Gentle right turning shots, tailwind approaches and short drives, turnover shots, beginner disc, medium to long range roller.The Manta is a stable to understable Mid-Range featuring VTech. It has a gentle turn when thrown with power and smooth straight glide when thrown flat with moderate power. The Manta is a good choice for beginners and is ideal for any player looking for a ?beat in? Mid-Range for finesse shots. (hide)
Mystere Disc Golf Discs Innova Distance Driver Champion 8 $13.99 GStar 20+ $13.99 Star 18 $13.99 Shimmer Star (TFR) - ----- 5 11 6 -2 2
Best Choice for: Long and reliable S shots, tailwind drives, downhill distance, long turnover drives.
About the Mystere from Innova: The Mystere is the newest Speed 11 Distance Driver from Innova. Simil... Long and reliable S shots, tailwind drives, downhill distance, long turnover drives.The Mystere is the newest Speed 11 Distance Driver from Innova. Simil... (more) Best Choice for: Long and reliable S shots, tailwind drives, downhill distance, long turnover drives.
About the Mystere from Innova: The Mystere is the newest Speed 11 Distance Driver from Innova. Similar to an Archon with an extra glide gear, this friendly flyer promises long turns and smooth fade. The Mystere is currently being offered exclusively through Innova's Player's Package Sponsorship Program. Long and reliable S shots, tailwind drives, downhill distance, long turnover drives.The Mystere is the newest Speed 11 Distance Driver from Innova. Similar to an Archon with an extra glide gear, this friendly flyer promises long turns and smooth fade. The Mystere is currently being offered exclusively through Innova's Player's Package Sponsorship Program. (hide)
Rhyno Disc Golf Discs Innova Putt and Approach DX 20 $6.99 Pro - ----- R-Pro 20+ $9.99 Champion 8 $13.99 GStar 12 $13.99 Star 12 $13.99 I-Dye Champion - ----- Champion (Glo CFR) 3 $17.99 3 2 1 0 3
Best Choice for: Putting, short to medium drives, accuracy approaches.
Innova says this about the Rhyno: The Rhyno is an overstable putt and approach disc that can handle headwinds. Great for players wit... Putting, short to medium drives, accuracy approaches.The Rhyno is an overstable putt and approach disc that can handle headwinds. Great for players wit... (more) Best Choice for: Putting, short to medium drives, accuracy approaches.
Innova says this about the Rhyno: The Rhyno is an overstable putt and approach disc that can handle headwinds. Great for players with lots of throwing power as the Rhyno stops on a dime and stays close to the basket. It is a must have disc for short to medium up shots and putting into the wind. The Pro-line model is also called a ?Soft? Rhyno and is made to be super soft and flexible in an extra grippy plastic that grabs the chains. Putting, short to medium drives, accuracy approaches.The Rhyno is an overstable putt and approach disc that can handle headwinds. Great for players with lots of throwing power as the Rhyno stops on a dime and stays close to the basket. It is a must have disc for short to medium up shots and putting into the wind. The Pro-line model is also called a ?Soft? Rhyno and is made to be super soft and flexible in an extra grippy plastic that grabs the chains. (hide) |
For years, East Austin residents have decried gentrification. As Austin property values appreciate exponentially, developers have descended upon the city to capitalize on the hot real estate market. But the positive impact of renewal and the rebuilding of deteriorating neighborhoods is having a corrosive side effect on longtime, lower-income residents, in many cases forcing their displacement from neighborhoods they've long called home.
The lower Eastside is increasingly dotted with high-end restaurants and chic bars where homes once stood. Many residents seem surprised at the brisk pace of new development. Long seen as home to a largely Latino working class, the area is quickly being transformed to appeal to an affluent customer base.
"I was born and raised here for the past 35 years, and I am heartbroken," said Bertha Delgado, president of the East Town Lake Citizens Neighborhood Association. "I'm also angry. All of our minority-owned businesses that we valued are gone. It's more of a devastation to see everything rapidly go without anything slowing down."
The transformation has taken place over the course of several years, dating to the early Aughts when property values began to blow up, but the February demolition of a longtime Latino-owned piñata shop arrived as a resounding riptide. In their rush to capitalize on SXSW by staging a party on the land, F&F Real Estate Ventures – co-owned by Darius Fisher and Jordan French – simply demolished the Jumpolin party supplies store at 1401 E. Cesar Chavez, with no effective notice to Sergio and Monica Lejarazu, the Mexico-born couple who had operated the store for the last eight years. The demolition is seen by community leaders as a clear illustration of developer greed and insensitivity to established neighborhoods from which they now seek to profit. Subsequent comments by French in an interview with CultureMap – comparing the Lejarazus to roaches and implying Jumpolin may have actually been a front for illicit activity – had an unsavory undertone of bigotry.
Along the way, the Eastside has emerged as ground zero in the reignited gentrification debate. "I think that community was a little slow in recognizing where this whole thing was going to go," said Mercedes Lynn de Uriarte, associate professor at the UT-Austin School of Journalism, who led a three-year study on the sector's gentrification with her graduate students. She pinpoints bolstered commercial development in the area as more recent: "They started gentrifying there in 2008, and there were early warning signs with spikes in property taxes."
De Uriarte said gentrification-fueled displacement of residents often disproportionately affects minorities. Moreover, Austin's history of segregation concentrated Latinos and African-Americans on the Eastside via the 1928 Austin Master Plan. "It has to do with class more than anything," de Uriarte said. "But because class falls along racial and ethnic lines, minorities are often the first victims." According to Neighborhood Scout – a data-rich portal detailing neighborhood statistics – the East Cesar Chavez neighborhood is not only predominantly Hispanic, but one of the most Mexican enclaves in the country, with 58.9% of residents with Mexican ancestry.
Academic studies reinforce the conclusion. In February, the University of Toronto's Martin Prosperity Institute named the Austin/Round Rock area as the most economically segregated large metro area in the U.S. The gap between rich and poor is growing nationwide, according to the report, but it's more dramatically seen in Austin, with its high population density.
What's striking about the report is that the division is primarily between the east and the west – but if West Austin and its accompanying suburbs have long been out of the question for lower-income families, the Eastside is becoming unaffordable as well. Neighborhood Scout weighs in with its statistics to illustrate this widening chasm: the East Cesar Chavez "median real estate price is $314,236, which is more expensive than 91.7% of the neighborhoods in Texas and 76.3% of the neighborhoods in the U.S."
An earlier study by UT-Austin's Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis showed a 5.4% decline in the city's African-American population between 2000 and 2010 – a trend partially attributable to gentrification. Austin earned the distinction of being the only fast-growing city in America losing African-Americans.
In the Neighborhood, but Not of It
Cody Symington, a co-owner of the popular Cenote cafe at 1010 E. Cesar Chavez, acknowledges his own role in adding to the neighborhood's gentrification. But in arriving to the neighborhood with a new eatery, he said he tries to be sensitive to the community – an attribute likely informed from spending his formative years on the Eastside. He reached out to the owners of Jumpolin shortly after their business was demolished to offer his space for a fundraiser for rebuilding costs. On March 28, the Lejarazus raised nearly $2,000 in sales of diminutive keepsake piñatas and cascarones. A concurrent fundraiser on GoFundMe has raised more than $5,000. The couple hopes to find a new site for their business and is currently operating at a borrowed site at 4926 E. Cesar Chavez.
"We were, for lack of a better term, gentrifiers when we moved into East Cesar Chavez," Symington said. "But we knew we were moving into a community that was already there." Rather than razing a building to suit his needs, Symington set out to preserve the older building where Cenote is now located, once a private home. He quickly learned the city's rules – particularly those related to parking – make preservation difficult. "We moved here in 2010, but opened in 2012," he said, attributing the gap between move-in and opening to back-and-forth discussions related to parking issues. "Unfortunately," he said, "the city does make it extremely difficult to preserve a building. It boils down to parking."
But he knew saving the old building was an important part of entering into the established neighborhood: "Our goal was not to be gentrifiers, but we knew that's what people would call us. I actually lived in the neighborhood in 2007. I can't now; I can't afford it."
That sensitivity – coupled with Cenote's goodwill toward their former neighbor, Jumpolin – has helped ingratiate the self-described gentrifiers into the neighborhood. But often, residents feel slighted at the tone-deafness of other recent arrivals clumsily trying to assimilate into the neighborhood culture.
Amy Thompson, a neighborhood advocate, recently contacted Cycleast to inquire about the fate of the landmark La Lotería mural, only to discover it had been painted over by an artist commissioned by SXSW organizers ahead of the music festival. The resulting artwork by Australian-based graphic artist Rone was culturally out of sync, she said. "According to Rone, he was told to paint something respectful of the neighborhood," Thompson wrote in an email. "So he chose a portrait of a local girl. He obviously meant well, but this is nothing more than tokenism and further insult to injury." The new mural was commissioned by POW! WOW! Hawaii, which partnered with SprATX and SXSW to create murals at four Austin locations for the SXSW Impos- sible Wall Project. According to the description of the project on the SXSW website, it "brings together local artists and international artists to transform ordinary walls throughout the downtown area into large public works of art for the Austin community."
Cycleast owner Russell Pickavance – who reopened his shop at 1619 E. Cesar Chavez last year – acknowledged that painting over the mural was his idea. While he understands residents' concerns about gentrification, he prefers to see the trend in a positive light given its tactics of renewal and refurbishment of older neighborhoods. "I am the one who requested it get painted over; it's all on my shoulders," Pickavance said, noting the idea was met with enthusiastic approval from his landlord, property owner Louis Joseph. "The mural had been there for a long time, and I wanted to revitalize this space and show people we were here. Murals naturally fade over time. You can touch it up, but if you touch it up, aren't you remaking it? I wanted to continue the heritage of the painted wall. My thought was to continue that tradition of a mural on a wall, but every year doing a new mural."
Now that the old, recognizable mural is gone, Pickavance also conceded he may have been too hasty in not fully considering its cultural currency: "Where I was shortsighted is that I didn't think about the fact the people who painted it might still be in the neighborhood. I definitely know part of me made a mistake. I'm aware I've hurt some people. But this is being in the middle of trying to maintain the cultural heritage of the community and have new art and have it continue to be vibrant. That was my intention."
Graffiti artist Armando "Lace" Martinez sees the increasing eradication of the neighborhood's artistic expressions as further evidence of a changing landscape in the neighborhood where he's spent his entire life. The mural "has nothing to do with Eastside culture," he said. "It looks nice and neat and real good, but it doesn't fit the neighborhood. We've had murals up but they've been painted over once the buildings are gone or they change owners."
He and other artists are now joining Delgado in an effort to save the community's remaining murals. For his part, Pickavance noted he has offered to bring in the original artists to paint a new mural in the rotating artwork plan. He also notes his commitment to his new neighborhood, pointing to the large community space he included in the shop – four times the size of his previous location at 501 Pedernales – as further evidence of his genuine respect.
French's own post-demolition theories about Jumpolin – positing it as a possible front for illegal activity – offer up yet another example, an extreme one, of not only tone-deafness but complete lack of understanding of minority enclaves. "Probably their livelihood was selling helium and stolen bicycles," French theorized in an interview with CultureMap. "They weren't making a living selling piñatas; they were selling something else. I don't want to speculate what that is. That's just my opinion, though."
But even as an outsider, French would've come to learn that such businesses are part and parcel of the Latino fabric had he done his due diligence on his tenants' livelihood. He would've learned that piñatas have a rich history dating to 14th century Spain where they were used primarily during the Lenten season. He would've learned how piñatas were later introduced into Mexico in the 16th century, and still remain popular in mostly Hispanic households for use at children's birthdays, quinceañeras marking a young woman's coming of age at turning 15, or during Las Posadas, a nine-day celebration running December 16-24.
But if such research were too much to handle, French could've resorted to Entrepreneur.com, which lists a piñata business as one of its lucrative start-up ideas: "What a great business and concept," the website reads. "Home based, unique, low overhead, minimal startup costs, virtually no competition and no limitations on business growth and expansion."
In a previous interview, Sergio Lejarazu said there was more to it than that: "When you talk about a piñata store, people think there's no investment and they're produced like magic," he said in his native Spanish. "But a piñata store is not only maintained with sales of piñatas but party supply rentals. We offered a service for bounce houses, tents, tables, chairs, piñatas, margarita and popcorn machines, balloons. It gave us enough to live," he said of the business he and his wife, Monica, started eight years ago. "We saw an increase in sales before it fell to the ground."
Lack of Oversight
In identifying the gentrification wave, Bo McCarver was indirectly ahead of the curve. After spearheading fights against eastward annexation by UT in the Eighties, he helped create a nonprofit solely for the purpose of buying neighborhood homes and preserving them as affordable housing as a shield against commercial encroachment. Block by block, his nonprofit Blackland Community Development Corp. purchased at least one home – creating a homestead patchwork that served to complicate any future efforts by developers to buy entire swaths of real estate for commercial development. Today, that prescient tactic is tangible with the collection of dozens of little homes designated as affordable housing.
"You spread your bets," McCarver said of the piecemeal approach the nonprofit undertook 25 years ago – a move he calls the poisoned watermelon strategy. "If someone is stealing watermelons, you don't want to poison the whole field. It makes it very difficult for a developer who wants to have the whole block. We have 49 units now, some duplexes. We also have a little enclave with six cottages in Robert Shaw Village."
But he conceded this approach would be difficult to replicate today, given the inflated property values.
Delgado sees a similar buying pattern in the East Cesar Chavez neighborhood, but with a different aim. Instead of preserving homes as affordable housing, residential properties are increasingly being purchased by outside investors only to be torn down and converted into short-term rentals for out-of-town visitors, she said. The increased abundance of STRs in the neighborhoods' midst illustrates how Austin's music scene, and its attendant festivals, have actually helped spur gentrification in established neighborhoods.
"They're demolishing our homes and building two-story McMansions and turning them into short-term rentals," she said. "At least 10 homes have been demolished in the past month, and, so far, 51 have been demolished," she added, noting the most recent pair of felled homes were along Canterbury Street. While decrying the process, she also wonders why the city hasn't made any overtures in exerting control through historical preservation – particularly given the neighborhood's roots in municipally sanctioned segregation of minorities.
City officials say the cottage industry centered on development of STRs is difficult to regulate, with 1,200 such projects spread out throughout the city and just 65 code compliance officers to ensure the rules to develop them are being followed. Last year alone, the city had 19,000 complaints from residents related to STRs in their midst, said public information and marketing manager Candice Cooper.
"Within probably the last six months or so, we're starting to see our STR properties that are operating starting to take on a different form, if you will," Cooper said. And that form is not often in the best interests of established neighborhoods and runs contrary to the spirit of the STR experience.
F&F Ventures emerges yet again, as a case study of an unchecked STR cottage industry. A year or so before buying the property where Jumpolin once stood, along with an adjacent property at 95 Navasota, the would-be real estate tycoons also bought three small homes in the same neighborhood, which are now listed on Airbnb as STRs, and were heavily promoted during this year's SXSW. A pair of those homes are near where Jumpolin once stood: one at 93 Navasota directly behind the demolished site, and another at 206 San Marcos St.
After the Chronicle alerted city officials to the drastic transformation of those homes into STRs, they began investigating F&F Ventures' practices in that realm as well. "You, through your email to us on the San Marcos property, actually prompted us to open up a case," Cooper said. "Because of your sending information to us, we're opening a new case and starting to open a second."
The San Marcos Street property – somehow converted from its original 2-bedroom, 1-bath configuration into the 7-bedroom, 3-bath setup advertised on Airbnb – was particularly concerning, Cooper said. After the Chronicle's inquiry, city staffers read the Airbnb descriptions for themselves – not a traditional practice for them, she acknowledged – and learned each partition had its own lock, which only heightened their concerns.
"We have city codes and ordinances that the City Council has passed, and we have a responsibility to make sure residents are safe," Cooper said. "That's the big picture; that's the main goal. We want to maintain Austin as a livable city but also make sure residents are safe."
Senior public information specialist Jacqueline Ballone later confirmed that the city is also looking into possible violations at F&F Ventures' property at 93 Navasota, where an Airstream trailer was parked as further STR housing, in apparent violation of city rules. "Our neighborhood team and our STR enforcement team is working together to make sure this property comes into compliance," Ballone wrote in an April 2 update via email in reference to the San Marcos property. "We have discovered a number of violations at the property, one being for Work Without Permit, the other for Over Occupancy."
F&F Ventures listed its STR room rates during the recent SXSW, asking as much as $1,800 to rent out an entire structure. Among past complaints listed by tenants staying in the houses were ongoing construction, no hot water, dirty sheets, cramped quarters, no window covering, and a shared bathroom for up to eight people.
Turning Back the Tide
District 3 Council Member Pio Renteria acknowledged the growing presence of STRs in a landscape that once was a largely Latino enclave comprising established homes. He conceded he, too, is an STR operator, converting one of two houses he owns with his wife to accommodate short-term rental guests. But unlike commercial STR operators, his is a Type 1 STR, granted a homestead exemption requiring that its owners live on-site at least 51% of the time. He and his wife are in compliance, given they now live in a converted garage apartment behind the property, which is located across from Martin Middle School. It's the Type 2 STR variety he labels as being run by "absentee owners" that's become a city scourge, he suggested.
"I saw that coming," he said of gentrification that prompted him to diversify his real estate holdings as an alternative stream of income. "So what I did was get a loan and buy a secondary unit because we were going to need some kind of revenue because taxes were starting to increase by the thousands. We rented it out as a SXSW vacation rental and made $3,000 on it, and now I had some kind of extra revenue."
Like other Eastside residents, the Council member and his family also have been touched by gentrification. Two years ago, his son sold his own house on Cesar Chavez – which had increased in value from $165,000 when he first bought it to $375,000 when he sold – to find a bigger replacement to house his growing family. He opted to move to the city's southwest side, where he bought a home for $214,000, Renteria said.
Those fluctuating values illustrate the demand for housing on the suddenly trendy Eastside, he noted. How times have changed: "Fifteen years ago, you couldn't even get a pizza delivered in that neighborhood," he observed.
Sometimes, Eastside residents feel the city itself has a bias toward developers' interests rather than theirs. The Jumpolin case to them exemplifies this bias, given that no steps were taken to ensure the business was vacant. In the city's protocol for demolition permits, making sure tenants have been properly notified of imminent demolition or eviction is not part of the process. "There's nothing in our applications that says this building is occupied," conceded historic preservation officer Steve Sadowsky. "That's the responsibility of the person applying for the demolition permit. I think that's a policy decision, and that's not mine to make."
The city's main area of focus as it relates to demolition permits is to ensure the property about to be demolished has no historical value. But even here, some Eastsiders wonder why greater effort wasn't made to prevent the demolition, given the building's early, circa-1936 manifestation as a Phillips 66 gas station that helped form part of the community's early fabric.
Given gentrification's seemingly inexorable advance, residents wonder if anything can be done to stop it, or at least to mitigate its most negative side effects. McCarver has suggested persuading some people (should they have no other heirs) to will their homesteads to a preservation-minded nonprofit, ensuring that even after death a piece of their neighborhood's history might survive. State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez suggests that an effort to freeze property rates for longtime residents could, in theory, become state legislation.
But the former prescription would, by its nature, have only limited application. The latter would require a constitutional amendment, and potentially mean broad revision of the residential property tax system – both formidable tasks. Instead, Rodriguez is hoping to reignite an idea he first espoused in 2005, centered on using Tax Increment Financing to create more affordable housing amidst rising property rates.
City Council approved such an ordinance in 2008, enabling the first tax increment reinvestment zone, East Austin's Homestead Preservation District. It would utilize TIFs, land trusts, and land banks to create an affordable housing buffer against gentrification. But the executing details, in particular of the TIF districts, have never been implemented, even as Eastside property values continue to climb. (Land trusts or land banks work by holding the land in trust, meaning the homeowner's cost is confined to the housing itself; TIFs reinvest incremental gains in property taxes into the defined district, directly for affordable units or other improvements.)
Renteria said he will reintroduce the idea during the next meeting of the Housing and Community Development Committee he heads, with hopes of city action to implement the measure. Rodriguez remains hopeful, but laments the time lost since the idea was first proposed, amid the continually changing landscape of the Eastside where he lives – four blocks from the former Jumpolin site. "I think it's [the Preservation District] always been a good idea, but the TIF component has never happened," he said. "Ten years later, [the city is] still debating it."
Next month marks the 16th anniversary of the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Plan's adoption by City Council. Its summary paints a neighborhood picture palpably celebrating the cultural richness of the working-class Latino enclave: "The Neighborhood wants to remain a place where people sit on their front porches and wave to their neighbors or lend a helping hand, and where working people, the elderly and young families can afford to live. It hopes to be a neighborhood that flourishes and supports all types of people, from artists to day laborers, from the elderly to newborns."
But that was then. Since its May 13, 1999 adoption, the idealism of that master plan seems increasingly anachronistic, a curious relic of days gone by. The gentrification wave is just too powerful, the prevailing market forces entirely too strong. |
The Balik Scientist Bill seeks to institutionalize the program of the Department of Science and Technology that encourages overseas Filipino scientists to return and serve the country
Published 5:11 PM, May 13, 2017
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines needs 19,000 more scientists to be a significant force in research and development, Senator Paulo Benigno "Bam" Aquino said on Saturday, May 13.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco) suggests a ratio of 380 scientists per every million population.
During a hearing on Senate Bill No. 175 or "Balik Scientist Bill", it was discovered that the country only has 189 scientists per million, far from the ideal figure. There are about 110 million Filipinos based on the latest census. (READ: Can the Philippines produce its own Einsteins?)
“Paano tayo makakasabay sa ibang bansa pagdating sa research at development kung kulang tayo ng 19,000 scientists?” asked Aquino, author of the bill and the current chair of the Senate committee on science and technology. (How do we keep up with other countries in terms of research and development if we lack 19,000 scientists?)
The Balik Scientist Bill seeks to institutionalize the program of the Department of Science and Technology.
The program provides overseas Filipino scientists with financial benefits and incentives to encourage them to return and contribute to research that will address development gaps in the country.
“Sa tulong ng panukalang ito, mahihikayat natin ang mga Filipino scientist sa ibang bansa na bumalik sa Pilipinas at tumulong sa pagpapaunlad ng ating research and development,” Aquino said. (With the help of this measure, we can encourage Filipino scientists abroad to return to the Philippines and help boost research and development.)
The Balik Scientist program is among the priority measures of the Senate committee on science and technology.
Data from the Senate committe shows that the country pales in comparison with other countries in terms of the number of scientists in the government and private sector.
According to the committee, South Korea and the US have 5,300 and 3,500 scientists per million, respectively. In Southeast Asia, Malaysia has 2,000 scientists per million – way higher than the Philippines' 189 per million.
A 2015 report from UNESCO Institute for Statistics shows that among 157 countries, Israel has the biggest number of scientists per million population at 8,300. In Asia, South Korea is tops with 6,900 scientists per million as of 2015.
Meanwhile, Singapore and Malaysia each have 6,700 and 2,100, respectively. They are the top two countries in Southeast Asia with scientists.
Higher budget
According to Assistant Secretary Teodoro Gatchalian of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), current funding for the Balik Scientist program will increase significantly if passed into law.
The DOST has a budget of P25 million for the program this 2017. The increase will attract more Filipinos in the field to return home and serve the country, Gatchalian said. (READ: Making policy decisions on the Philippine scientific enterprise system)
The Balik Scientist program under the DOST was first established in 1975 under Presidential Decree No. 819 under the administration of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos. It was implemented until 1986.
Former President Fidel V. Ramos revived the program in 1993 and put it under the DOST through Executive Order No. 130. – Rappler.com |
Server Deployments: week 10
As always, please refer to the server deployment thread in the forums for the latest updates / changes.
Main (SLS) Channel
On Tuesday March 4th, the Main channel was updated with the infrastructure update deployed the RC channels in week 9.
Release Candidate Channels
On Wednesday March 5th, the three RC channels should be updated as follows:
BlueSteel and LeTigre should receive a new server maintenance project which contains the following bug fixes: Fixed a bug in which the server release notes link in “About Second Life” would sometimes fail to appear Fixed a bug in which certain objects had incorrect status when crossing between regions Fixed a crash mode
Magnum will remain on the same version as week 9, which comprises the infrastructure update and enables support for a new version of the inventory service, AISv3. To make use of this new feature, login with the Sunshine Project Viewer.
SL Viewer Updates
The Merchant Outbox viewer appeared as a release candidate (version 3.7.3.287344) on Monday March 3rd. This viewer addresses some of the problems affecting some users when using the Merchant Outbox, as specified in the release notes and my report here.
A new Snowstorm viewer is expected to surface in the viewer release channel as an RC the near future. Among other things, this should contain STORM-1831, which is designed to improve syntax highlighting in the viewer’s LSL editor by allowing the viewer to obtain the information required for syntax highlighting directly from the simulator the viewer is connected to. The server-side support for this was deployed at the start of 2014, and the viewer code, contribution from Ima Mechanic with help from Oz Linden, has been a little held-up in making its way through the Lab’s QA process. However, referring to it at the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday March 4th, Oz indicated the code is now on the “home stretch”.
JIRA Re-opening
There is still no news as to when this week the JIRA will be re-opened. There is also a question as to whether the re-opening will allow all reports to be viewed by anyone, or whether it will only apply to those reports filed once it has been reopened. Note that this is currently a question over the re-opening, not an actual official statement from the Lab. We’ll doubtless learn more once the necessary changes have been made to open-up the JIRA system once more.
Other Items
llSetKeyframedMotion: object stalls and autoreturn defeats
Prior to his departure from the Lab, Andrew Linden was approached by Talarus Luan about issues with llSetKeyframedMotion. Essentially, a number of issues have been reported with objects (such as vehicles) using the function, including:
SVC-7556 – Objects with llSetKeyframedMotion() stop running after region restarts (Talarus’ issue)
SVC-7787 – Objects using llSetKeyframedMotion() can defeat a parcel’s autoreturn if they travel to and from another parcel
BUG-1624
Responding to the issue of SVC-7556, Simon Linden said, “suspending in the middle of KF motion and resuming with that huge time jump sounds really ugly. I haven’t tried it, but if you want to code for that, it might be best to detect the region restart event, reset the position and re-start the key frame motion.” In terms of the Lab dealing with it, he admitted, “given the other things that need attention, it’s not likely to get to the top of the list soon.”
With regards to SVC-7787, his news was in a similar vein, “That is how parcel timing is designed … it measures the current time in the parcel, so if you leave and come back, it’s reset. So there’s a loophole there, yes … and I don’t think we’ve come up with a good alternative. “
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Whatever happened to the American dream of going to college, landing a great job and living happily ever after? College is supposed to be about getting off to a great start, but it’s a financial noose that threatens to kill our young and everybody else too. The U.S. has the dubious distinction of now having more than $1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt.
The crisis has the full attention of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which in a recent blog , presented its sobering findings. “Unlike other consumer credit products, student debt keeps growing at a steady clip. Students borrowed $117 billion in just federal student loans last year. And students continue to borrow private student loans, which lack the income-based repayment and deferment options of federal student loans. If current trends continue, there will be consequences not just for young people, but for all of us,” wrote CFPB’s student loan ombudsman Rohit Chophra.
Worse still, he writes, "according to data from the Department of Education, federal student loan debt isn't growing just with new originations -- with so many borrowers unable to keep up with interest payments, debt is growing even for many who have left school. Too much debt means too much risk for a generation of young people, many of whom are struggling in today's economy."
What’s the impact? Excessive student debt slows a recovery still trying to find its sea legs. Study after study has shown that young people are delaying the traditional rite of passage of launching out on their own and starting families. With so much debt, on average about $26,000 for undergrads, and many unemployed or underemployed, they are running back home, instead of looking for their first apartment or home.
A decidedly grim picture could get worse. In July, if Congress doesn't get its act together and takes some of the momentum of a crisis with explosive potential, a 2007 law that kept federally subsidized Stafford loan interest rates low will expire this summer, meaning the rates will double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent. This is more bad news on top of the real possibility that proposals to financial aid may become reality – the Pell Grants could move from mandatory to discretionary spending, meaning who knows what will happen, but likely none too good. There is also a bill to repeal the expanded Income-Based Repayment program, that lessens the sting of college students by letting them pay back what they own in proportion to their salaries.
The CFPB is working with the Department of Education, and launched a Know Before You Owe project , to solicit input on a “financial aid shopping sheet”. The sheet is designed to help students understand the debt implications of their college choice. CFPB is supervising private student loan providers to ensure they comply with Federal consumer financial protection laws and CFPB is providing tools for borrowers to help them navigate their student loan repayment options. A newly established student loan complaint system will help ensure that private student lenders and servicers are responsive to potential mistakes and problems that borrowers encounter. This summer, the CFPB will release the full results of its private student loan market.
Where is the outrage over the continue increase in tuition at a time when some colleges are raising salaries for their presidents?
Just this week a plan was approved to give pay raises to two university presidents in California. This comes at a time when the California State University system is grappling with a $750 million budget shortfall and is considering limiting enrollment for the spring semester.There’s something so wrong with this picture. Students will pay the price, families will pay the price, society will feel the ramifications for some time to come.
Also on Forbes: |
Welcome!
*UPDATE as of June 8, 2015*
This project is no longer accepting submissions. If you participated, please fill out this form to receive a thank you card in the mail. This form will close on Monday, June 15, 2015 and the cards will be mailed by the following week.
Thank you!
The purpose of this page is to promote an art project that engages women around the world by contributing a small piece to a large art installation. The goal for this project is for at least 100 women to crochet one or more of these wisteria vines and submit them for display in an installation that will be shown in an exhibition that opens on May 1 at Lovebomb in Richmond, VA, USA. The aim of this project is to showcase the strength and individuality of the women who participate. That is why the color of yarn and length of the vine are left to the discretion of the participants. Each woman submitted one index card with their name and hometown on it and the cards will be compiled in a book that will be displayed alongside the installation.
This project is the capstone piece of the artist, Amy Reader’s, time as an undergraduate student and is a part of her Honors Thesis Exhibition at the University of Richmond. The time for submissions has closed. Please check back for pictures of the final installation after May 1, 2015.
Any questions can be directed to [email protected]. You can also find me on Ravelry and Instagram under @readamy
Thank you and I hope you will join me on this exciting adventure! |
A Washington, D.C., appeals court is set to hear arguments later this year on new net neutrality rules, which critics say could lead to government regulators censoring websites such as the Drudge Report and Fox News.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments against the Federal Communications Commission's rules on Dec. 4. A panoply of amicus briefs filed with the court last week offer a preview of the arguments.
In its February vote on net neutrality, the Federal Communications Commission stated that broadband providers do not have a right to free speech. "Broadband providers are conduits, not speakers … the rules we adopt today are tailored to the important government interest in maintaining an open Internet as a platform for expression," the majority held in its 3-2 vote.
The rules, which went into effect in June, require that broadband providers — such as Verizon or Comcast — offer access to all legal online content. It did not place such a requirement on "edge providers," such as Netflix and Google. The FCC defines edge providers as "any individual or entity that provides any content, application, or service over the Internet, and any individual or entity that provides a device used for accessing any content, application, or service over the Internet."
Writing in separate briefs, former FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth and the Center for Boundless Innovation in Technology argues that the rules violate the First Amendment right of Internet providers to display the speech they choose.
"If rules such as these are not reviewed under the most rigorous scrutiny possible, government favoritism and censorship masquerading as 'neutrality' will soon cascade to other forms of mass communication," the center argues.
Furchtgott-Roth argues that the differentiation between content providers and broadband providers is an unconstitutional division. "In addition to compelling speech, the order impermissibly singles out broadband providers without imposing similar requirements on the speech of other Internet entities who also act as gatekeepers," his brief states.
While the rules have yet to apply to such gatekeepers, observers have warned that may come if net neutrality is allowed to stand.
"If the court upholds the FCC's rules, the agency's authority over the Internet would extend from one end to the other," Fred Campbell, president of the Center for Boundless Innovation in Technology, told the Washington Examiner. "Because the same theories the FCC relied on to impose its new regulations on Internet service providers are also applicable to companies like Apple and Netflix, the FCC could extend its regulatory reach much further in the future."
Specifically, Campbell said, the FCC will likely try to control political speech.
"This possibility raises the risk that Congress or the FCC could impose restrictions on Internet video and other services that have traditionally been imposed on over the air broadcasting and cable television, including the fairness doctrine that once put the government in charge of determining whether broadcasters were fairly representing both sides of an issue," he explained.
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, who voted against the net neutrality rules, has said such restrictions may be coming if net neutrality is allowed to stand, warning in March that online political content like the Drudge Report could face greater regulation.
"It is conceivable to me to see the government saying, 'We think the Drudge Report is having a disproportionate effect on our political discourse," Pai said. "He doesn't have to file anything with the [Federal Election Commission]. The FCC doesn't have the ability to regulate anything he says, and we want to start tamping down on websites like that.
"Is it unthinkable that some government agency would say the marketplace of ideas is too fraught with dissonance? That everything from the Drudge Report to Fox News … is playing unfairly in the online political speech sandbox? I don't think so," Pai added.
Other organizations that have filed lawsuits against the rules include the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, TechFreedom, the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy, the International Center for Law and Economics, and others. Those lawsuits take aim at a range of issues, from the legal authority of the FCC to impose the regulations to the adverse economic impact that they will impose.
Proponents of net neutrality say the FCC needs to have power over the Internet precisely to ensure free speech is protected, and that the policy prevents Internet providers from blocking or throttling traffic to websites they don't like.
"The attention being paid to this topic is proof of why the open and free exchange of information must be protected," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said. "The Founding Fathers must be looking down and smiling at how the republic they created is practicing the ideals they established."
The court is expected to make a decision early next year. |
Copyright by KRON - All rights reserved
DUBLIN (KRON) -- Reports of an intruder at a U.S. Army facility in Dublin Tuesday morning were unfounded, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff's officials began investigating reports of an intruder at around 10:30 a.m. at the Army training facility located at 620 6th Street, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.
The Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, commonly known as Camp Parks, was on lockdown due to a possible intruder.
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded and conducted hour-long searches of the area.
There were no confirmed shots fired and no intruder was located, authorities said.
Deputies contained the scene and stated there was no immediate threat.
Multiple law enforcement agencies continued to search the area for any possible threat. The sheriff's officer was using a drone in the search.
Copyright by KRON - All rights reserved KRON4 is on the scene.
Copyright by KRON - All rights reserved KRON4 is on the scene.
Around 11:00 a.m., Dublin schools in the area with summer school and daycare programs were told to shelter in place after reports of the situation, according to Dublin Unified School District officials.
Dublin's community and schools were not on lockdown. Students in the schools were released to parents who arrive to pick them up, according to the school district.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted at about 3:30 p.m.
The sheriff's office, which runs nearby Santa Rita Jail, also said that reports of an escape at the jail are false and that the jail has nothing to do with the situation at Camp Parks.
Further details are unavailable at this time.
Stay with KRON4 News for updates on this developing story.
Using UAV to expedite search. Media stage at Arnold and Gleason area. Scene contained no immediate threat known/seen pic.twitter.com/L4OZcyoY4d - ACSO (@ACSOSheriffs) June 21, 2016 |
THE mother of a baby boy who died after he was allegedly beaten, raped and burned has described the violent hours leading to her son’s death.
Mervyn Kenneth Douglas Bell went on trial in the Supreme Court today, pleading not guilty to murdering and sexually assaulting the baby last year.
He is accused of taking the 10-month-old child away from his mother in Broome and assaulting him over a 15-hour period before taking his body to the Fortescue River Road House on March 19 last year.
The boy’s mother was the first witness to take the stand, describing how Bell beat her naked in a Broome street. She also tearfully recalled the moment police told her the boy had died.
The mother, 28, told the court she went with Bell at his cousin’s house where they were all drinking. A verbal argument started and the woman left for a friend’s house three doors down and then returned, only to find the group still arguing.
As she started walking back towards her friend’s home, Bell hit her from behind.
“He bashed the s*** out of me,” she said.
The court was told Bell had ripped the clothes off the mother-of-two, pummelling her while she lay naked on the street.
He then allegedly got into a car and “went to run me over” the woman said, before a neighbour appeared and stopped him.
The mother was admitted to hospital with a ruptured spleen and kidneys and fractures to her collar bone and ribs.
While she was in hospital, her father tried to collect the baby from a friend’s house.
But when he arrived at the hospital to see her the next morning, he told her the baby was missing.
That morning, police told her the child was being taken to Karratha Hospital.
As the woman, her father and older son were about to leave for Karratha, she was again visited by police.
“I knew from their faces when they got out of the car ... then they said it, that he had passed away,” she said.
During her opening address, prosecutor Amanda Forrester said the injuries to the child could only have been intentional.
“There could not have been any other intent but to kill,” Ms Forrester said.
“If he had not intended to kill, he intended to cause harm.”
Bell’s counsel did not make an opening address to Justice John McKechnie in the judge-only trial, which continues this week.
Originally published as ‘Baby bashed, burnt, raped’ — court |
Hello there! After a three-week hiatus, I'm very pleased to be writing one of these posts again and delighted to reintroduce the Eurogamer Show.
As I mentioned in the post announcing that we were putting the project on hold for a few weeks, we felt the show as it existed wasn't really doing what we wanted it to do; which is to say sparking conversation, getting some of our lovely staff writers in front of the lens and, most importantly, helping you get to know us.
Not that I'm saying sticking Ian's face into Homefront: The Revolution wasn't fun, of course, but it wasn't the best way to give you a feel for our personalities, or to help bring you into the conversations we'd otherwise be having in the kitchen while waiting for the slightly intimidating coffee machine to do its thing.
What I'm trying to say is that we've stripped the show back. We've made it more relaxed, more focused and, hopefully, more interesting. Here's the first episode, in which Christian Donlan shares a story of an unusual bug and asks the question 'when should we review games?' |
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – December 14, 2017 – In response to Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) vote today to repeal net neutrality regulations, Sprint (NYSE: S) issued the following statement:
“Sprint applauds the FCC’s efforts to simplify a complex and challenging issue, while balancing multiple stakeholder interests in this important proceeding. Our position has been and continues to be that competition is the best way to promote an open internet. Complex and vague regulations previously created uncertainties around net neutrality compliance. The Commission’s decision today eliminates those uncertainties and appears to allow Sprint to manage our network and offer competitive products.”
About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54 million connections as of Sept. 30, 2017 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
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Gothic architecture brought a revolution in the history of medieval architecture. Just to be clear here that gothic architecture has nothing to do with Goth. It is not also originated from any religious influence. Gothic architecture is a comparatively new style of architecture evolved from Romanesque architecture in France and succeeded by the Renaissance. Gothic architecture became popular and quickly adopted by all Western Europe. Gothic architecture’s unique and bizarre style easily differentiate it from other medieval architectures.
It has some signature characteristics like pointed arch, ribbed vault and flying buttress. Versatility and light have a great importance in Gothic art. Gothic style was prominent from the mid-12th century to the 16th century. Over a period of four centuries many cathedrals, churches and other buildings were built in Gothic style in Europe.
10 Famous Gothic Cathedrals of Medieval Europe:
Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe is some of the priceless work of art. Here is our list of top 10 famous Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe that will amaze you with their incredible architectural beauty.
10. St Stephen’s Cathedral
St Stephen’s Cathedral is regarded as the most important religious building in Vienna. This Gothic cathedral becomes one of city’s most recognizable icons for its presence in many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history. Two churches were built here before the construction of this Gothic cathedral. Since its construction in 1147, it has undergone a continuous process of preservation and restoration.
Over the centuries, the interior of this Gothic cathedral architecture was changed again and again. It has four towers. The tallest of all is the south tower. It was seriously damaged during Second World War. The diamond patterned tile roof was added in 1962. Around one million people visit this Gothic architecture every year.
Also Read: Top 10 most attractive cities in Europe
9. Burgos Cathedral
Burgos Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Burgos, Spain. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this one of the important Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe is one of the best tourist attractions in Spain. King Ferdinand III of Castile and Mauricio ordered its construction. It was built over on the site of the former Romanesque cathedral. After a two centuries break, the construction was complete in 1567.
8. Reims Cathedral
Reims Cathedral or Notre-Dame de Reims (Our Lady of Reims) is famous for being the place where kings of France were crowned. It was completed in the 13th century. This one of the major Goth cathedrals of medieval Europe is a major tourist spot, attracting one million tourists every year. The cathedral was celebrated its 800 years in 2011. The central portal, surmounted by a rose window is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1991.
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7. Milan Cathedral
This Gothic architectural wonder is the 5th-largest church in the world. It took around six centuries to complete this gigantic creation. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan. The roof of the cathedral is open for the tourist. It gives a panoramic view across Milan. This is one of the best tourist attractions in Milan.
The famous statue of the Virgin Mary, the Madonnina atop Cathedral. It has been both praised and criticized by the artists for the centuries. A new lighting system, based on LED lights has been developed recently to this medieval Europe’s Gothic cathedral.
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6. Seville Cathedral
Seville Cathedral is a medieval wonder of Gothic architecture. Built in the early 16 centuries, this is the largest cathedral in the world. The significance of this Gothic art is not merely bound to its colossal beauty. It exhibits the post Reconquista power and wealth of the city. The Gothic cathedral was built on the site of a large Almohad Mosque. It got its recognition of World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.
The cathedral has the same large, rectangular-plan of the replacing mosque but they added extra dimension of height. Some columns and other elements from the earlier mosque was used. The most interesting fact is the tower bell known as La Giralda which they converted from the mosque’s minaret, is now the city’s most well-known icon.
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5. York Minster
York Minster is one of the finest cathedrals of medieval Europe. Built over 250 years, it is the largest of its kind in this region. Magnesian limestone (a creamy-white colored rock) was used for the buildings. The north Transept of the cathedral is famous for its “Five Sisters”. Five elegant lancet windows topped by five smaller gabled lancets. The cathedral’s chapter house is a splendid example of the Gothic Decorated style.
The wooden roof is a real beauty and remarkable art of medieval Europe. It has a long tradition of creating wonderful stained glass and has a huge collection of stained glass. York Minster is among the first to have a carillon of bells. This one of the top Gothic cathedrals plays an important role in the history of England.
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4. Notre Dame de Paris
The cathedral is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in France. Over 13 million people visit this medieval Europe’s Gothic cathedral makes it even more popular than Eiffel Tower. It was a victim of French revolution and an extensive restoration work was necessary to get the perfect shape. Its reliquary houses some of Catholicism’s most important relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, one of the Holy Nails and a fragment of the True Cross. On December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor in this cathedral.
Also Read: Top 10 tourist places in France
3. Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is one of the greatest masterpiece of Gothic art of medieval Europe. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Cologne, Germany and was the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne for a long time. Its splendid Gothic art work earns it a status of World Heritage Site and attracts 20,000 people every day. It took over seven centuries to build this masterpiece. Obviously the work was not continuous but it got a chance to flourish by many eras art work.
It is now a symbolic figure of the city. Notable art works of the cathedral are Shrine of the three king, a wooden sculpture depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. The cathedral was dedicated to the saints Peter and Mary. Like many other European architecture, it also had to suffer the same fate and needed to restoration.
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2. Santa Maria del Fiore
Santa Maria del Fiore or commonly known as Florence Cathedral is one of the largest Gothic cathedral of medieval Europe. Designed by Italian architect Arnolfo di Cambio, this one of the finest Gothic cathedrals was completed in 1473. It is the main church of Italian city Florence. Along with Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile, this Gothic art is enlisted in UNESCO World Heritage.
This Gothic cathedrals has a great historical importance. It has been the seat of the Council of Florence. It was the place where Giuliano di Piero de’ Medici was murdered in the Pazzi conspiracy. Renowned preacher Girolamo Savonarola used to preach here. Its façade was built later in a neo-gothic style and dedicated to the Mother of Christ.
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1. Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral is without a doubt, the most famous Gothic Cathedrals of Medieval Europe. It is also known as also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres. For its extraordinary architectural magnificence, it is enlisted in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. Built between 1194 and 1250, it is one of the few architectures that stands with its original shape and design.
It is a pilgrimage to the believers and same important place for the architecture connoisseur. According to legend, since 876, Chartres Cathedral has accommodated the tunic of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Sancta Camisia. The antiquity was said to have been given to the cathedral by Charles the Great. The king received it as a gift during a trip to Jerusalem. The Christians have venerated the cathedral especially for this reason. During the Second World War, the Gothic cathedral was severely damaged.
Also Read: Top 10 famous Christian Monasteries |
The racism of evolution theory has been documented well and widely publicized. It is known less widely that many evolutionists, including Charles Darwin, also taught that women are biologically inferior to men. Darwin's ideas, including his view of women, have had a major impact on society. In a telling indication of his attitude about women (just before he married his cousin, Emma Wedgewood), Darwin listed the advantages of marrying, which included: ". . . constant companion, (friend in old age) who will feel interested in one, object to be beloved and played with—better than a dog anyhow—Home, and someone to take care of house . . ." (Darwin, 1958:232,233).
Darwin reasoned that as a married man he would be a "poor slave, . . . worse than a Negro," but then reminisces that, "one cannot live the solitary life, with groggy old age, friendless ... and childless staring in one's face...." Darwin concludes his discussion on the philosophical note, "there is many a happy slave" and shortly thereafter, married (1958:234).
Darwin concluded that adult females of most species resembled the young of both sexes and from this and the other evidence, "reasoned that males are more evolutionarily advanced than females" (Kevles, 1986:8). Many anthropologists contemporary to Darwin concluded that "women's brains were analogous to those of animals," which had "overdeveloped" sense organs "to the detriment of the brain" (Fee, 1979:418). Carl Vogt, a University of Geneva natural history professor who accepted many of "the conclusions of England's great modern naturalist, Charles Darwin," argued that "the child, the female, and the senile white" all had the intellect and nature of the "grown up Negro" (1863:192). Many of Darwin's followers accepted this reasoning, including George Romanes, who concluded that evolution caused females to become, as Kevles postulated:
. . . increasingly less cerebral and more emotional. Romanes . . . shared Darwin's view that females were less highly evolved than males—ideas which he articulated in several books and many articles that influenced a generation of biologists. Romanes apparently saw himself as the guardian of evolution, vested with a responsibility to keep it on the right path. . . . University of Pennsylvania . . . paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope wrote that male animals play a "more active pan in the struggle for existence," and that all females, as mothers, have had to sacrifice growth for emotional strength . . . (Kevles, 1986:8,9).
One reason nineteenth century biologists argued for women's inferiority was because Darwin believed that "unchecked female militancy threatened to produce a perturbance of the races" and to "divert the orderly process of evolution" (Fee, 1979:415).
Darwin taught that human sex differences were due partly to sexual selection, specifically because men must prove themselves physically and intellectually superior to other men in the competition for women, whereas women must be superior primarily in sexual attraction. Darwin used examples of cultures that require the men to fight competitors to retain their wives to support this conclusion. Because "the strongest party always carries off the prize," the result is that "a weak man, unless he be a good hunter . . . is seldom permitted to keep a wife that a stronger man thinks worth his notice" (1896:562).
Other examples Darwin uses to illustrate his conclusion that evolutionary forces caused men to be superior to women included animal comparisons. Since humans evolved from animals, and "no one disputes that the bull differs in disposition from the cow, the wild-boar from the sow, the stallion from the mare, and, as is well known through the keepers of menageries, the males of the larger apes from the females," the same must be true with human females (Darwin, 1896:563). Further, some of the traits of women "are characteristic of the lower races, and anti therefore of a past and lower state of civilization" (1896:563,564). In summary, Darwin concludes that men attain,
. . . a higher eminence, in whatever he takes up, than can women—whether requiring deep thought, reason, or imagination, or merely the use of the senses and hands. If two lists were made of the most eminent men and women in poetry, painting, sculpture, music (inclusive of both composition and performance), history, science, and philosophy, with half-a-dozen names under each subject, the two lists would not bear comparison. We may also infer, from the law of the deviation from averages, so well illustrated by Mr. Galton, in his work on "Hereditary Genius" that . . . the average of mental power in man must be above that of women (Darwin, 1896:564).
Obviously, Darwin totally ignored the influence of culture, the environment, social roles, and the relatively few opportunities that existed in his day, as well as historically, for both men and women.
The conclusion that women are evolutionarily inferior to men is at the core of Darwin's major contribution to evolutionary theory: natural anti-sexual selection. Since selection in the long term prunes out the weak, all factors which facilitate saving the weak work against evolution. Males are subjected to more selection pressures than women, including the supposed tack that, in earlier times, the stronger, quicker, and more intelligent males were more apt to survive a hunt and bring back food. Consequently, natural selection would evolve males to a greater degree than females. Since women historically have focused primarily on domestic, often menial, repetitive tasks and not on hunting, they were less affected by selection pressures. Further, the long tradition of males has been to protect women: only men went to battle, and the common war norms forbade deliberately killing women. War pruned the weaker men, and only the best survived to return home and reproduce. The eminent evolutionist, Topinard, concluded that men were superior because they fought to protect both themselves and their wives and their families. Further, Topinard taught that males have
all of the responsibility and the cares of tomorrow [and are] . . . constantly active in combating the environment and human rivals, and thus need] . . . more brains than the woman whom he must protect and nourish . . . the sedentary women, lacking any interior occupations, whose role is to raise children, love, and be passive (quoted in Gould, 1981:104).
Women's inferiority—a fact taken for granted by most scientists in the 1800s—was a major proof of evolution by natural selection. Gould claims that there were actually "few egalitarian scientists" at this time. Almost all believed that "Negroes and women" were intellectually inferior. These scientists were not repeating prejudices without extensive work and thought; they were attempting to verify this major plank in evolutionary theory by trying to prove, scientifically, that women were inferior.
One approach which was seized upon to substantiate that females were generally inferior to males was to prove that their brain capacity was smaller. Researchers first endeavored to demonstrate empirically that female cranial capacity was smaller, and then that brain capacity was related to intelligence, a more difficult task (Van Valen, 1974:417-423).
Among the numerous researchers that used craniology to "prove" the intellectual inferiority of women, one of the most eminent was Paul Broca (1824-1880). One of Europe's "most prestigious anthropologists" and a leader in the development of physical anthropology as a science, Broca, in 1859, founded the prestigious Anthropological Society (Fee, 1979:415). A major preoccupation of the society then was measuring various human traits, including skulls to "delineate human groups and assess their relative worth" (Gould, 1981:83). Broca's conclusion was that human brains are:
. . . larger in mature adults than in the elderly, in men than in women, in eminent men than in men of mediocre talent, in superior races than in inferior races . . . other things equal, there is a remarkable relationship between the development of intelligence and the volume of the brain (Gould, 1981, p. 83).
And, as Gould notes, Broca's research was not superficial: "One cannot read Broca without gaining enormous respect for his care in generating data" (1981:85).
Broca was especially concerned about proving women's inferiority to men: "Of all his comparisons between groups, Broca collected most information on the brains of women vs. men . . ." (Gould, 1981:103). He concluded that ''the relatively small size of the female brain depends in part upon her physical inferiority and in part upon her intellectual inferiority" (Gould, 1981:104). Broca also concluded that the disparity between men's and women's brains was still becoming even greater, which he explained was the "result of differing evolutionary pressures upon dominant men and passive women" (Gould, 1981:104).
These views were expounded by many of the most prominent evolutionists of Darwin's day. The thunder of the field of social psychology and a pioneer in the collective behavior field was Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931). This scientist, whose classic study of crowd behavior (The Crowd; 1895) is familiar to every social science student, wrote that even in:
. . . the most intelligent races . . . are a large number of women whose brains are closer in size to those of gorillas than to the most developed male brains. This inferiority is so obvious that no one can contest it for a moment; only its degree is worth discussion. . . . Women . . . represent the most inferior forms of human evolution and . . . are closer to children and savages than to an adult, civilized man. They excel in fickleness, inconsistency, absence of thought and logic, and incapacity to reason. Without a doubt there exist some distinguished women, very superior to the average man but they are as exceptional as the birth of any monstrosity, as, for example, of a gorilla with two heads; consequently, we may neglect them entirely (Gould, 1981:104,105).
Re-evaluation of the conclusion that females were less intelligent found major flaws both in the evidence that "proved" women's inferiority and in major aspects of evolution theory.
Fisher even argues that the whole theory of natural selection is questionable, quoting Chomsky's words that:
. . . the processes by which the human mind achieved its present state of complexity . . . are a total mystery. . . . It is perfectly safe to attribute this development to "natural selection," so long as we realize that there is no substance to this assertion, that it amounts to nothing more than a belief that there is some naturalistic explanation for these phenomena (1972:97).
Another method used to attack the female-inferiority conclusion of evolution was to attack the evidence of evolutionary theory itself. Fisher, for example, makes the following observation:
The difficulties of postulating theories about human origins on the actual brain organization of our presumed fossil ancestors, with only a few limestone impregnated skulls—most of them bashed, shattered, and otherwise altered by the passage of millions of years—as evidence, would seem to be astronomical (1979:113).
Actually, many of the attempts to disprove the evolutionary view that women are intellectually inferior to men attacked the core of evolutionary theory because it is inexorably bound with human-group inferiority, which must exist, from which natural selection may select. The inferiority-of-women conclusion was so ingrained in biology, Morgan concludes, that thinkers in this area tended to "sheer away from the sole subject of biology and origins," hoping they could ignore it and "concentrate on ensuring that in the future things will be different" (Morgan, 1972:2). She stresses that we cannot ignore evolutionary biology, though, because believing the "jungle heritage and the evolution of man as a hunting carnivore has taken root in man's mind as firmly as Genesis ever did." She concludes that evolution must be reevaluated, and that scientists have "sometimes gone astray" because of prejudice and philosophical prescriptions. She argues that the prominent evolutionary view that women are biologically inferior to men must be challenged, and in this and scores of other works that preceded her, dozens of writers have adroitly overturned the conclusion that women are biologically inferior to men, and, by so doing, have undermined a major plank in evolutionism.
References |
The socialist market economy of the People's Republic of China[22] is the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP[1][23][24] and the world's largest economy by purchasing power parity.[25] Until 2015, China was the world's fastest-growing major economy, with growth rates averaging 6% over 30 years.[26][27] Due to historical and political facts of China's developing economy, China's public sector accounts for a bigger share of the national economy than the burgeoning private sector.[28][29] According to the IMF, on a per capita income basis China ranked 71st by GDP (nominal) and 78th by GDP (PPP) per capita in 2016. The country has an estimated $23 trillion worth of natural resources, 90% of which are coal and rare earth metals.[30] China also has the world's largest total banking sector assets of $39.9 trillion (252 trillion CNY) with $26.54 trillion in total deposits.[31][32]
China is the world's largest manufacturing economy and exporter of goods.[33] It is also the world's fastest-growing consumer market and second-largest importer of goods.[34] China is a net importer of services products.[35] It is the largest trading nation in the world and plays a prominent role in international trade[36][37] and has increasingly engaged in trade organizations and treaties in recent years. China became a member of the World Trade Organization in 2001.[38] It also has free trade agreements with several nations, including ASEAN, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea and Switzerland.[39] The provinces in the coastal regions of China[40] tend to be more industrialized while regions in the hinterland are less developed. As China's economic importance has grown, so has attention to the structure and health of the economy.[41][42]
To avoid the long-term socioeconomic cost[43] of environmental pollution in China,[44][45] it has been suggested by Nicholas Stern and Fergus Green of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment that the economy of China be shifted to more advanced industrial development with low carbon dioxide emissions and better allocation of national resources to innovation and R&D for sustainable economic growth in order to reduce the impact of China's heavy industry. This is in accord with the planning goals of the central government.[46] Xi Jinping's Chinese Dream is described as achieving the "Two 100s", namely the material goal of China becoming a "moderately well-off society" by 2021, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party and the modernization goal of China becoming a fully developed nation by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.[47] The internationalization of the Chinese economy continues to affect the standardized economic forecast officially launched in China by the Purchasing Managers Index in 2005. As China's economy grows, so does China's Renminbi, which undergoes the process needed for its internationalization.[48] China initiated the founding of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in 2015. The economic development of Shenzhen is dubbed as the next Silicon Valley in the world.[49][50][51][52]
In recent years, government claimed growth numbers have come under increased scrutiny, with both native and foreign financial and economic observers, as well as Chinese government officials, claiming that the government has been overstating its economic output. Examples include the provincial government in Liaoning publicly admitting that the government had been overstating GDP by 20% when publishing its economic data from 2011 to 2014. Tianjin's trillion yuan GDP claim for 2016 was in fact a third lower, at 665 billion yuan ($103 billion).[53][54][55] Some analysts believe China's official figures for GDP growth are inflated by at least 50%.[56] A Wall Street Journal survey of 64 select economists found that 96% of respondents think China's GDP estimates do not "accurately reflect the state of the Chinese economy".[57] However, a paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2017 argued in the opposite direction.[58] Regarding the credibility of official data, China's premier (then Party Secretary of Liaoning Province) has been quoted as saying the GDP numbers are "man-made" and unreliable and should be used "for reference only".[59]
Regional economies [ edit ]
Distribution of GDP in China (except Taiwan) in 2007
China's unequal transportation system—combined with important differences in the availability of natural and human resources and in industrial infrastructure—has produced significant variations in the regional economies of China.
Economic development has generally been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the interior and there are large disparities in per capita income between regions. The three wealthiest regions are along the southeast coast, centered on the Pearl River Delta; along the east coast, centered on the Lower Yangtze River; and near the Bohai Gulf, in the Beijing–Tianjin region. It is the rapid development of these areas that is expected to have the most significant effect on the Asian regional economy as a whole and Chinese government policy is designed to remove the obstacles to accelerated growth in these wealthier regions.
GDP by Administrative Division [ edit ]
There are 33 administrative divisions in China. Below are the top administrative divisions in China ranked by GDP in 2017,[60] as GDP was converted from CNY to USD using a FX rate of 6.7518 CNY/USD.[61]
Hong Kong and Macau [ edit ]
In accordance with the One Country, Two Systems policy, the economies of the former British colony of Hong Kong and Portuguese colony of Macau are separate from the rest of China and each other. Both Hong Kong and Macau are free to conduct and engage in economic negotiations with foreign countries, as well as participating as full members in various international economic organizations such as the World Customs Organization, the World Trade Organization and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, often under the names "Hong Kong, China" and "Macau, China".
Development [ edit ]
See also: List of administrative divisions by Human Development Index (HDI).
The economic reforms implemented in 1979 helped to propel China into the ranks of the world's major economic powers. China shows a great development potential from its remarkable economic growth rate in these years.[citation needed]
[63] China vs World by Nominal GDP per capita
To guide economic development, the Chinese central government adopts "five-year plans" that detail its economic priorities and essential policies. The Thirteenth Five-Year Plan (2016–2020) is currently being implemented.[citation needed]
Like Japan and South Korea before it, China has grown steadily, raising the income levels and living standards of its citizens while producing goods that are consumed globally. Between 1978 and 2005, China's per capita GDP grew from $153 to $1,284. Its current account surplus increased more than twelve-fold between 1982 and 2004, from $5.7 billion to $71 billion. During this time, China also became an industrial powerhouse, moving beyond initial successes in low-wage sectors like clothing and footwear to the increasingly sophisticated production of computers, pharmaceuticals, and automobiles.[citation needed]
However, it remains unclear how long the Chinese economy can maintain this trajectory. According to the 11th five-year plan, China needed to sustain an annual growth rate of 8% for the foreseeable future. Only with such levels of growth, the leadership argued, could China continue to develop its industrial prowess, raise its citizen's standard of living, and redress the inequalities that were cropping up across the country. Yet no country had ever before maintained the kind of growth that China was predicting. Moreover, China had to some extent already undergone the easier parts of development. In the 1980s, it had transformed its vast and inefficient agricultural sector, freeing its peasants from the confines of central planning and winning them to the cause of reform. In the 1990s, it had likewise started to restructure its stagnant industrial sector, wooing foreign investors for the first time. These policies had catalysed the country's phenomenal growth. Instead, China had to take what many regarded as the final step toward the market, liberalizing the banking sector and launching the beginnings of a real capital market. According to an article in Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy by Mete Feridun of University of Greenwich Business School and Abdul Jalil from Wuhan University in China, financial development leads to a reduction in the income inequality in China.[64] This process, however, would not be easy. As of 2004, China's state-owned enterprises were still only partially reorganized, and its banks were dealing with the burden of over $205 billion (1.7 trillion RMB) in non-performing loans, monies that had little chance of ever being repaid. The country had a floating exchange rate, and strict controls on both the current and capital accounts.[citation needed]
In mid-2014 China announced it was taking steps to boost the economy, which at the time was running at a rate 7.4% per annum, but was slowing. The measures included plans to build a multi-tier transport network, comprising railways, roads and airports, to create a new economic belt alongside the Yangtze River.[65]
Issues with overclaiming [ edit ]
Chinese provinces and cities have long been suspected of cooking up numbers, with the focus on local government officials, whose performance are often assessed based on how well their respective economies have performed.[66] In recent years, China claimed growth numbers have come under increased scrutiny, with both non-Chinese financial and economic observers as well as Chinese government officials claiming the government has been inflating its economic output.[67][68][69] Instances of overclaiming officially came to light when:
Binhai New Area in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. Tianjin's trillion yuan GDP claim for 2016, was in fact a third lower, at 665 billion yuan ($103 billion).
Inner Mongolia’s government also stated, that about 40% of the region’s reported industrial output in 2016, as well as 26% of reported fiscal revenues, did not exist.
The provincial government in Liaoning publicly admitted that the government has been cooking the books when publishing it's economic data from 2011 to 2014. Liaoning, frequently called China's rust belt, admitted in 2017, that local GDP numbers from 2011 to 2014 had been inflated artificially by about 20%.
Regarding the credibility, a team of Bloomberg economists wrote "We don't have total confidence in the numbers, and we are surprised by the acceleration in services output given the collapse in the equity market,". A Wall Street Journal survey of 64 select economists found that 96% of respondents think China's GDP estimates don't "accurately reflect the state of the Chinese economy."[70] According to some analysts, Chinese officials likely "overstate GDP by about 2 to 3 percentage points,".[71] China's own premier has previously said he's far from confident in the country's GDP estimates, calling them "man-made" and unreliable, according to a leaked document from 2007 obtained by WikiLeaks. He said government data releases, especially the GDP numbers, should be used "for reference only."[72]
Analyst Gary Shilling suggests that China's official figures are off by as much as 50%; he estimates an actual growth rate of 3.5% rather than 7%. Other analysts like Wilbur Ross and Donald Straszheim agree with this assessment, and estimate a growth rate at around 4% or less. Donald Straszheim even went as far to say that growth rates in what he describes as old China are as low as 0%, while explaining that the "new" China of services and consumer spending is tough to measure in the absence of robust data from the private sector.[73]
Regional development [ edit ]
These strategies are aimed at the relatively poorer regions in China in an attempt to prevent widening inequalities:
Foreign investment abroad:
Go Global, to encourage its enterprises to invest overseas.
Key national projects [ edit ]
The "West-to-East Electricity Transmission", the "West-to-East Gas Transmission", and the "South–North Water Transfer Project" are the government's three key strategic projects, aimed at realigning overall of 12 billion cu m per year. Construction of the "South-to-North Water Diversion" project was officially launched on 27 December 2002 and completion of Phase I is scheduled for 2010; this will relieve serious water shortfall in northern China and realize a rational distribution of the water resources of the Yangtze, Yellow, Huaihe, and Haihe river valleys.
Macroeconomic trends [ edit ]
In January 1985, the State Council of China approved to establish a SNA (System of National Accounting), use the gross domestic product (GDP) to measure the national economy. China started the study of theoretical foundation, guiding, and accounting model etc., for establishing a new system of national economic accounting. In 1986, as the first citizen of the People's Republic of China to receive a Ph.D. in economics from an overseas country, Dr. Fengbo Zhang headed Chinese Macroeconomic Research – the key research project of the seventh Five-Year Plan of China, as well as completing and publishing the China GDP data by China's own research. The summary of the above has been included in the book Chinese Macroeconomic Structure and Policy (1988) Editor: Fengbo Zhang, collectively authored by the Research Center of the State Council of China. This is the first GDP data published by China. The State Council of China issued "The notice regarding implementation of System of National Accounting" in August 1992, the SNA system officially is introduced to China, replaced Soviet Union's MPS system, Western economic indicator GDP became China's most important economic indicator (WikiChina: China GDP, The First China GDP).
The table below shows the trend of the GDP of China at market prices estimated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with figures in millions (Chinese yuan).[74][75] See also.[76] For purchasing power parity comparisons, the US dollar is exchanged at 2.05 CNY only.
China's Historical GDP for 1952 –present[77](SNA2008)[78]
(purchasing power parity of Chinese Yuan, as Int'l.dollar based on IMF WEO April 2018[79]) year GDP GDP per capita (GDPPC)
based on mid-year population Reference index GDP in billions real
growth
(%) GDPPC real
growth
(%) Mid-year
population
in thousands exchange rate
1 foreign currency to CNY CNY USD PPP
(Int'l$.) CNY USD PPP
(Int'l$.) USD 1 Int'l$. 1
(PPP) p2017 82,712.20 12,250.39 23,589.60 6.9 59,660 8,836 17,015 6.3 1,386,395 6.7518 3.5063 r2016 74,358.50 11,194.69 21,231.94 6.7 53,974 8,126 15,411 6.1 1,378,665 6.6423 3.5022 r2015 68,905.21 11,063.07 19,414.84 6.9 50,251 8,068 14,159 6.4 1,371,220 6.2284 3.5491 r2014 64,397.40 10,483.40 18,138.58 7.3 47,203 7,684 13,295 6.8 1,364,270 6.1428 3.5503 2013 59,524.44 9,611.26 16,641.35 7.8 43,852 7,081 12,260 7.3 1,357,380 6.1932 3.5769 2012 54,036.74 8,560.28 15,218.19 7.9 40,007 6,338 11,267 7.4 1,350,695 6.3125 3.5508 2011 48,930.06 7,575.72 13,958.08 9.5 36,403 5,636 10,385 9.0 1,344,130 6.4588 3.5055 2010 41,303.03 6,101.34 12,476.00 10.6 30,876 4,561 9,326 10.1 1,337,705 6.7695 3.3106 2005 18,731.89 2,286.69 6,551.90 11.4 14,368 1,754 5,026 10.7 1,303,720 8.1917 2.8590 2000 10,028.01 1,211.35 3,687.72 8.5 7,942 959 2,921 7.6 1,262,645 8.2784 2.7193 1990 1,887.29 394.57 1,108.48 3.9 1,663 348 977 2.4 1,135,185 4.7832 1.7026 1980 458.76 306.17 306.76 7.8 468 312 313 6.5 981,235 1.4984 1.4955 1970 227.97 92.60 19.3 279 113 16.1 818,320 2.4618 1960 147.01 59.72 8.0 220 90 -0.2 667,070 2.4618 1952 67.91 30.55 119 54 568,910 2.2227
The following table shows important economic indicators in 1980–2017.[80]
Year Total Investment
(in % of GDP) Inflation rate
(in Percent) Unemployment
(in Percent) Budget balance
(in % of GDP) Government debt
(in % of GDP) Current account
(in % of GDP) 1980 35.5 % n/a 4.9 % n/a n/a n/a 1981 33.5 % 2.5 % 3.8 % n/a n/a n/a 1982 32.4 % 2.0 % 3.2 % 0.2 % n/a n/a 1983 32.4 % 2.0 % 2.3 % 0.0 % n/a n/a 1984 34.9 % 2.7 % 1.9 % 0.1 % n/a n/a 1985 39.5 % 9.3 % 1.8 % 0.9 % n/a n/a 1986 38.2 % 6.5 % 2.0 % −0.3 % n/a n/a 1987 37.8 % 7.3 % 2.0 % −0.7 % n/a n/a 1988 39.5 % 18.8 % 2.0 % −1.0 % n/a n/a 1989 37.5 % 18.0 % 2.6 % −0.9 % n/a n/a 1990 34.4 % 3.1 % 2.5 % −0.7 % n/a n/a 1991 35.7 % 3.4 % 2.3 % −1.0 % n/a n/a 1992 39.6 % 6.4 % 2.3 % −1.2 % n/a n/a 1993 44.0 % 14.7 % 2.6 % −0.9 % n/a n/a 1994 40.8 % 24.1 % 2.8 % −1.7 % n/a n/a 1995 39.6 % 17.1 % 2.9 % −0.9 % 21.4 % n/a 1996 38.2 % 8.3 % 3.0 % −0.7 % 21.3 % n/a 1997 36.2 % 2.8 % 3.1 % −0.7 % 20.4 % 3.8 % 1998 35.6 % −0.8 % 3.1 % −1.1 % 20.5 % 3.0 % 1999 34.9 % −1.4 % 3.1 % −2.3 % 21.7 % 1.9 % 2000 34.3 % 0.4 % 3.1 % −2.8 % 22.8 % 1.7 % 2001 36.3 % 0.7 % 3.6 % −2.6 % 24.4 % 1.3 % 2002 36.9 % −0.8 % 4.0 % −2.9 % 25.7 % 2.4 % 2003 40.4 % 1.2 % 4.3 % −2.4 % 26.6 % 2.6 % 2004 42.7 % 3.9 % 4.2 % −1.5 % 26.2 % 3.5 % 2005 41.0 % 1.8 % 4.2 % −1.4 % 26.1 % 5.7 % 2006 40.6 % 1.5 % 4.1 % −1.1 % 25.4 % 8.4 % 2007 41.2 % 4.8 % 4.0 % 0.1 % 29.0 % 9.9 % 2008 43.2 % 5.9 % 4.0 % 0.0 % 27.0 % 9.1 % 2009 46.3 % −0.7 % 4.3 % −1.5 % 34.3 % 4.8 % 2010 47.9 % 3.3 % 4.1 % −0.4 % 33.7 % 3.9 % 2011 48.0 % 5.4 % 4.1 % −0.1 % 33.6 % 1.8 % 2012 47.2 % 2.6 % 4.1 % −0.3 % 34.3 % 2.5 % 2013 47.3 % 2.6 % 4.1 % −0.8 % 37.0 % 1.5 % 2014 46.8 % 2.0 % 4.1 % −0.8 % 39.9 % 2.2 % 2015 44.7 % 1.4 % 4.1 % −2.8 % 41.1 % 2.7 % 2016 44.1 % 2.0 % 4.0 % −3.7 % 44.3 % 1.8 % 2017 44.4 % 1.6 % 3.9 % −3.9 % 47.8 % 1.4 %
Systemic issues and environment [ edit ]
Over the years, large subsidies were built into the price structure of certain commodities and these subsidies grew substantially in the late 1970s and 1980s.[81]
By 2010, rapidly rising wages and a general increase in the standard of living had put increased energy use on a collision course with the need to reduce carbon emissions in order to control global warming. There were diligent efforts to increase energy efficiency and increase use of renewable sources; over 1,000 inefficient power plants had been closed, but projections continued to show a dramatic rise in carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.[82]
National debt [ edit ]
The International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis[83] and other sources, such as the Article IV Consultation Reports,[84] state that, at the end of 2014, the "general government gross debt"-to-GDP ratio for China was 41.44 percent.[85] With China's 2014 GDP being US$ 10,356.508 billion,[85][86] this makes the government debt of China approximately US$ 4.3 trillion.
By the mid-2010s, many analysts have expressed concern over the overall "size" of the Chinese government debt.[87][88][89][90]
A 2015 International Monetary Fund report concluded that China's public debt is relatively low "and on a stable path in all standard stress tests except for the scenario with contingent liability shocks", such as "a large-scale bank recapitalization or financial system bailout to deal, for example, with a potential rise in NPLs from deleveraging".[91]
"Shadow banking" has risen in China, posing risks to the financial system.[92][93]
Chinese authorities have dismissed analysts' worries, insisting "the country still has room to increase government debt."[94] Former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, earlier in 2016, commented that "the ... debt pile facing China [is] an 'internal' problem, given the majority of the borrowings was issued in local currency.[95] Many economists have expressed the same views as Bernanke.[96]
Regulatory environment and tax system [ edit ]
Though China's economy has expanded rapidly, its regulatory environment has not kept pace. Since Deng Xiaoping's open market reforms, the growth of new businesses has outpaced the government's ability to regulate them. This has created a situation where businesses, faced with mounting competition and poor oversight, take drastic measures to increase profit margins, often at the expense of consumer safety. This issue became more prominent in 2007, with a number of restrictions being placed on problematic Chinese exports by the United States.[97]
From the 1950s to the 1980s, the central government's revenues derived chiefly from the profits of the state enterprises, which were remitted to the state. Some government revenues also came from taxes, of which the most important was the general industrial and commercial tax.
The trend, however, has been for remitted profits of the state enterprises to be replaced with taxes on those profits. Initially, this tax system was adjusted so as to allow for differences in the market capitalization and pricing situations of various firms, but more-uniform tax schedules were introduced in the early 1990s. In addition, personal income and value-added taxes were implemented at that time.
Inflation [ edit ]
[98] Consumer price inflation in China
During the winter of 2007–2008, inflation ran about 7% on an annual basis, rising to 8.7% in statistics for February 2008, released in March 2008.[99][100][101]
Shortages of gasoline and diesel fuel developed in the fall of 2007 due to reluctance of refineries to produce fuel at low prices set by the state. These prices were slightly increased in November 2007 with fuel selling for $2.65 a gallon, still slightly below world prices. Price controls were in effect on numerous basic products and services, but were ineffective with food, prices of which were rising at an annual rate of 18.2% in November 2007.[102][103] The problem of inflation has caused concern at the highest levels of the Chinese government. On 9 January 2008, the government of China issued the following statement on its official website: "The Chinese government decided on Wednesday to take further measures to stabilize market prices and increase the severity of punishments for those guilty of driving up prices through hoarding or cheating."[104][105]
Pork is an important part of the Chinese economy with a per capita consumption of a fifth of a pound per day. The worldwide rise in the price of animal feed associated with increased production of ethanol from corn resulted in steep rises in pork prices in China in 2007. Increased cost of production interacted badly with increased demand resulting from rapidly rising wages. The state responded by subsidizing pork prices for students and the urban poor and called for increased production. Release of pork from the nation's strategic pork reserve was considered.[106]
By January 2008, the inflation rate rose to 7.1%, which BBC News described as the highest inflation rate since 1997, due to the winter storms that month.[107] China's inflation rate jumped to a new decade high of 8.7 percent in February 2008 after severe winter storms disrupted the economy and worsened food shortages, the government said 11 March 2008.[108] Throughout the summer and fall, however, inflation fell again to a low of 6.6% in October 2008.[109]
By November 2010, the inflation rate rose up to 5.1%, driven by an 11.7% increase in food prices year on year. According to the bureau, industrial output went up 13.3 percent. As supplies have run short, prices for fuel and other commodities have risen.[110]
Investment cycles [ edit ]
Chinese investment has always been highly cyclical.[111] Ever since the 1958 Great Leap Forward, growth in fixed capital formation has typically peaked about every five years. Recent peaks occurred in 1978, 1984, 1988, 1993, 2003 and 2009. The corresponding troughs were in 1981, 1986, 1989, 1997 and 2005.
In China, the majority of investment is carried out by entities that are at least partially state-owned. Most of these are under the control of local governments. Thus booms are primarily the result of perverse incentives at the local-government level.[112] Unlike entrepreneurs in a free-enterprise economy, Chinese local officials are motivated primarily by political considerations. As their performance evaluations are based, to a large extent, on GDP growth within their jurisdictions, they have a strong incentive to promote large-scale investment projects.[113][114] They also don’t face any real bankruptcy risk. When localities get into trouble, they are invariably bailed out by state-owned banks. Under these circumstances, overinvestment is inevitable.
A typical cycle begins with a relaxation of central government credit and industrial policy. This allows local governments to push investment aggressively, both through state-sector entities they control directly and by offering investment-promotion incentives to private investors and enterprises outside their jurisdictions.[115] The resulting boom puts upward pressure on prices and may also result in shortages of key inputs such as coal and electricity (as was the case in 2003).[116] Once inflation has risen to a level at which it begins to threaten social stability, the central government will intervene by tightening enforcement of industrial and credit policy. Projects that went ahead without required approvals will be halted. Bank lending to particular types of investors will be restricted. Credit then becomes tight and investment growth begins to decline.[117]
Eventually such centrally-imposed busts alleviate shortages and bring inflation down to acceptable levels. At that point, the central government yields to local-government demands for looser policy and the cycle begins again.
Financial and banking system [ edit ]
Most of China's financial institutions are state owned and governed.[118] The chief instruments of financial and fiscal control are the People's Bank of China (PBC) and the Ministry of Finance, both under the authority of the State Council. The People's Bank of China replaced the Central Bank of China in 1950 and gradually took over private banks. It fulfills many of the functions of other central and commercial banks. It issues the currency, controls circulation, and plays an important role in disbursing budgetary expenditures. Additionally, it administers the accounts, payments, and receipts of government organizations and other bodies, which enables it to exert thorough supervision over their financial and general performances in consideration to the government's economic plans. The PBC is also responsible for international trade and other overseas transactions. Remittances by overseas Chinese are managed by the Bank of China (BOC), which has a number of branch offices in several countries.
Other financial institutions that are crucial, include the China Development Bank (CDB), which funds economic development and directs foreign investment; the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), which provides for the agricultural sector; the China Construction Bank (CCB), which is responsible for capitalizing a portion of overall investment and for providing capital funds for certain industrial and construction enterprises; and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), which conducts ordinary commercial transactions and acts as a savings bank for the public.
China's economic reforms greatly increased the economic role of the banking system. In theory any enterprises or individuals can go to the banks to obtain loans outside the state plan, in practice 75% of state bank loans go to State Owned Enterprises. (SOEs)[119] Even though nearly all investment capital was previously provided on a grant basis according to the state plan, policy has since the start of the reform shifted to a loan basis through the various state-directed financial institutions. It is estimated that, as of 2011, 14 trillion Yuan in loans were outstanding to local governments. Much of that total is believed by outside observers to be nonperforming.[120] Increasing amounts of funds are made available through the banks for economic and commercial purposes. Foreign sources of capital have also increased. China has received loans from the World Bank and several United Nations programs, as well as from countries (particularly Japan) and, to a lesser extent, commercial banks. Hong Kong has been a major conduit of this investment, as well as a source itself. On 23 February 2012, the PBC evinced its inclination to liberalise its capital markets when it circulated a telling ten-year timetable.[121] Following on the heels of this development, Shenzhen banks were able to launch cross-border yuan remittances for individuals, a significant shift in the PBC's capital control strictures since Chinese nationals had been previously barred from transferring their yuan to overseas account.[122]
With two stock exchanges (Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange), mainland China's stock market had a market value of $4.48 trillion as of November 2014, which makes it the second largest stock market in the world.[123]
In August 2013, creation of an as yet unnamed high-level body to gather and analyze financial information and trends was announced by the central government. The central bank would participate as would people from other organizations engaged in financial matters. It would not have direct regulatory authority, but would attempt to function at the highest professional level in order to provide appropriate guidance to regulators with respect to matters such as shadow banking that are potential sources of instability.[124] An article published in International Review of Economics & Finance in 2010 by Mete Feridun (University of Greenwich Business School) and his colleagues provide empirical evidence that financial development fosters economic growth in China.[125]
Stock markets [ edit ]
See 2015 Chinese stock market crash for current events
People's Daily commentary published 21 April 2015 touting the Chinese bull market, "What's a bubble? [126] Cartoon that sometimes accompanied reprints of thecommentary published 21 April 2015 touting the Chinese bull market, "What's a bubble? Tulips and Bitcoins are bubbles"
As of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015 the financial industry had been providing about 1.5% of China's 7% annual growth rate.[127]
Despite slowing of the economy, as of June 2015 the Chinese stock index, the CSI 300 Index, which is based on 300 stocks traded in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, had risen nearly 150% over the past 12 months. In an effort to forestall damage from collapse of a possible economic bubble fueled by margin trading the central government raised requirements for margin lending. Economic damage from a crash in 2007-2008 was limited due to margin lending being highly restricted.[128] In early July, after a fall in the markets of nearly 30% from their 12 June highs, there were efforts by blue-chip, often state-owned, firms, the Chinese securities industry, and the central government to stabilize the market by buying back stock and increasing purchases of the stock of established firms; however, much of the volatility has been in smaller, less-established firms that had been heavily invested in by unsophisticated, often working class, investors who had purchased stock based solely on its rapid increase in valuation.[129] 80% of Chinese stocks are owned by individual investors, many novices.[130] As of 10 July 2015 efforts by the China Securities Finance Corporation, CFS, a firm created by China's commodities and stock exchanges to finance trades,[131] had apparently stabilized the market.[132][133] Major Chinese securities firms were required by the China Securities Regulatory Commission to buy, and hold, a substantial amount of securities affected by the downturn. Using funds supplied by the central bank and commercial banks the China Securities Finance Corporation purchased enough stocks to halt the slide acquiring as much as 5% of the stock in some firms. Lines of credit were extended by CFS to 21 securities firms, some of which also purchased up to 5% of some companies stocks. Some of the small cap stocks acquired may be overvalued.[131][134]
Chinese stocks fell about 10% during the last week of July 2015 with record breaking losses on Monday.[135]
Currency system [ edit ]
1 RMB to U.S. dollar since 1981
The renminbi ("people's currency") is the currency of China, denominated as the yuan, subdivided into 10 jiao or 100 fen. The renminbi is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of China. The ISO 4217 abbreviation is CNY, although also commonly abbreviated as "RMB". As of 2005 the yuan was generally considered by outside observers to be undervalued by about 30-40%.[136][137] However the IMF stated that the yuan is now correctly valued.[138]
The renminbi is held in a floating exchange-rate system managed primarily against the US dollar. On 21 July 2005, China revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and, since then has moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies and has allowed the renminbi to fluctuate at a daily rate of up to half a percent.
The rate of exchange (Chinese yuan per US$1) on 31 July 2008, was RMB 6.846, in mid-2007 was RMB 7.45, while in early 2006 was RMB 8.07:US $1=8.2793 yuan (January 2000), 8.2783 (1999), 8.2790 (1998), 8.2898 (1997), 8.3142 (1996), 8.3514 (1995).
There is a complex relationship between China's balance of trade, inflation, measured by the consumer price index and the value of its currency. Despite allowing the value of the yuan to "float", China's central bank has decisive ability to control its value with relationship to other currencies. Inflation in 2007, reflecting sharply rising prices for meat and fuel, is probably related to the worldwide rise in commodities used as animal feed or as fuel. Thus rapid rises in the value of the yuan permitted in December 2007 are possibly related to efforts to mitigate inflation by permitting the renminbi to be worth more.[139] An article published in International Review of Economics & Finance in 2010 by Mete Feridun (University of Greenwich Business School) and his colleagues provide empirical evidence that financial development fosters economic growth in China.[125]
During the week of 10 August 2015, against the background of a slowing Chinese economy and appreciation of the U.S. dollar, the People's Bank of China devalued the renminbi by about 5%.[140] The devaluation was accomplished by pegging the official rate to closing market rates. A market-based "representative" exchange rate against the U.S. dollar is one of the requirements for designation of a currency as one with Special Drawing Rights (SDR) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), one of China's goals.[141] Since the late-2000s, China has sought to internationalize the renminbi. As of 2013, the RMB is the 8th most widely traded currency in the world.[142] In November 2015 in advance of G-20 and IMF meetings, IMF director Christine Lagarde announced her support for adding the yuan to the SDR currency basket. The announcement gave 'green-light' to official approval at the 30 November IMF meeting.[143]
Sectors [ edit ]
Agriculture [ edit ]
China is the world's largest producer and consumer of agricultural products – and some 300 million Chinese farm workers are in the industry, mostly laboring on pieces of land about the size of U.S farms. Virtually all arable land is used for food crops. China is the world's largest producer of rice and is among the principal sources of wheat, corn (maize), tobacco, soybeans, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, oilseed, pork, and fish. Major non-food crops, including cotton, other fibers, and oilseeds, furnish China with a small proportion of its foreign trade revenue. Agricultural exports, such as vegetables and fruits, fish and shellfish, grain and meat products, are exported to Hong Kong. Yields are high because of intensive cultivation, for example, China's cropland area is only 75% of the U.S. total, but China still produces about 30% more crops and livestock than the United States. China hopes to further increase agricultural production through improved plant stocks, fertilizers, and technology.
According to the government statistics issued in 2005,[144] after a drop in the yield of farm crops in 2000, output has been increasing annually.
Production of wheat from 1961 to 2004 (data from FAO in 2005, y-axis: production in metric tons)
According to the United Nations World Food Program, in 2003, China fed 20 percent of the world's population with only 7 percent of the world's arable land.[145] China ranks first worldwide in farm output, and, as a result of topographic and climatic factors, only about 10–15 percent of the total land area is suitable for cultivation. Of this, slightly more than half is unirrigated, and the remainder is divided roughly equally between paddy fields and irrigated areas. Nevertheless, about 60 percent of the population lives in the rural areas, and until the 1980s a high percentage of them made their living directly from farming. Since then, many have been encouraged to leave the fields and pursue other activities, such as light manufacturing, commerce, and transportation; and by the mid-1980s farming accounted for less than half of the value of rural output. Today, agriculture contributes only 13% of China's GDP.
Animal husbandry constitutes the second most important component of agricultural production. China is the world's leading producer of pigs, chickens, and eggs, and it also has sizable herds of sheep and cattle. Since the mid-1970s, greater emphasis has been placed on increasing the livestock output. China has a long tradition of ocean and freshwater fishing and of aquaculture. Pond raising has always been important and has been increasingly emphasized to supplement coastal and inland fisheries threatened by overfishing and to provide such valuable export commodities as prawns.
Timber transported from a woodlot in the hills of Zhangpu County , Fujian
Environmental problems such as floods, drought, and erosion pose serious threats to farming in many parts of the country. The wholesale destruction of forests gave way to an energetic reforestation program that proved inadequate, and forest resources are still fairly meagre.[146] The principal forests are found in the Qin Mountains and the central mountains and on the Sichuan–Yunnan plateau. Because they are inaccessible, the Qinling forests are not worked extensively, and much of the country's timber comes from Heilongjiang, Jilin, Sichuan, and Yunnan.
Western China, comprising Tibet, Xinjiang, and Qinghai, has little agricultural significance except for areas of floriculture and cattle raising. Rice, China's most important crop, is dominant in the southern provinces and many of the farms here yield two harvests a year. In the north, wheat is of the greatest importance, while in central China wheat and rice vie with each other for the top place. Millet and kaoliang (a variety of grain sorghum) are grown mainly in the northeast and some central provinces, which, together with some northern areas, also provide considerable quantities of barley. Most of the soybean crop is derived from the north and the northeast; corn (maize) is grown in the center and the north, while tea comes mainly from the warm and humid hilly areas of the south. Cotton is grown extensively in the central provinces, but it is also found to a lesser extent in the southeast and in the north. Tobacco comes from the center and parts of the south. Other important crops are potatoes, sugar beets, and oilseeds.
In the past decade, the government has been encouraging agricultural mechanization and land consolidation to raise yields and compensate for the loss of rural workers who have migrated to the cities.[147] According to the most recent statistics by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the annual growth rate of agricultural mechanization in China is 6.38 percent. By 2014, the integrated mechanization rate had risen to nearly 60 percent, with the rate for wheat surpassing 90 percent and that for maize approaching 80 percent.[148] In addition to standard agricultural equipment like tractors, China's agriculture cooperatives have begun using high-tech equipment, including unmanned aerial vehicles, which are used to spay crops with pesticides.[149] Good progress has been made in increasing water conservancy, and about half the cultivated land is under irrigation.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, economic reforms were introduced. First of all this began with the shift of farming work to a system of household responsibility and a phasing out of collectivized agriculture. Later this expanded to include a gradual liberalization of price controls; fiscal decentralization; massive privatization of state enterprises, thereby allowing a wide variety of private enterprises in the services and light manufacturing; the foundation of a diversified banking system (but with large amounts of state control); the development of a stock market; and the opening of the economy to increased foreign trade and foreign investment.
Housing and construction [ edit ]
The real estate industry is about 20% of the Chinese economy.[150]
Energy and mineral resources [ edit ]
Electricity: Production: 6.5 trillion kWh (2017) [151]
Consumption: 2.8248 trillion kWh (2006)
Exports: 18.7 billion kwh (2015) [152]
Imports: 6.2 billion kwh (2015)[152] Electricity – production by source: [153] This chart shows the Chinese electricity production by source in time Thermal: 70.4 (67.1% from coal) (2017) [151]
Hydro: 17.8% (2017)
Renewables: 7.3% (2017)
Nuclear: 3.8% (2017)
Other: 0.7% (2017) Oil: Production: 3,631,000 bbl/d (577,300 m 3 /d) (2005)
/d) (2005) Consumption: 6,534,000 bbl/d (1,038,800 m 3 /d) (2005) and expected 9,300,000 bbl/d (1,480,000 m 3 /d) in 2030
/d) (2005) and expected 9,300,000 bbl/d (1,480,000 m /d) in 2030 Exports: 443,300 bbl/d (70,480 m 3 /d) (2005)
/d) (2005) Imports: 3,181,000 bbl/d (505,700 m 3 /d) (2005)
/d) (2005) Net imports: 2,740,000 barrels per day (436,000 m 3 /d) (2005)
/d) (2005) Proved reserves: 16.3 Gbbl (2.59 × 10 ^ 9 m3) (1 January 2006) Natural gas: Production: 47.88 km 3 (2005 est.)
(2005 est.) Consumption: 44.93 km 3 (2005 est.)
(2005 est.) Exports: 2.944 km 3 (2005)
(2005) Imports: 0 m 3 (2005)
(2005) Proved reserves: 1,448 km3 (1 January 2006 est.)
Since 1980, China's energy production has grown dramatically, as has the proportion allocated to domestic consumption. Some 80 percent of all power is generated from fossil fuel at thermal plants, with about 17 percent at hydroelectric installations; only about two percent is from nuclear energy, mainly from plants located in Guangdong and Zhejiang.[154] Though China has rich overall energy potential, most have yet to be developed. In addition, the geographical distribution of energy puts most of these resources relatively far from their major industrial users. Basically the northeast is rich in coal and oil, the central part of north China has abundant coal, and the southwest has immense hydroelectric potential. But the industrialized regions around Guangzhou and the Lower Yangtze region around Shanghai have too little energy, while there is relatively little heavy industry located near major energy resource areas other than in the southern part of the northeast.
Due in large part to environmental concerns, China has wanted to shift China's current energy mix from a heavy reliance on coal, which accounts for 70–75% of China's energy, toward greater reliance on oil, natural gas, renewable energy, and nuclear power. China has closed thousands of coal mines over the past five to ten years to cut overproduction. According to Chinese statistics, this has reduced coal production by over 25%.
Since 1993, China has been a net importer of oil, a large portion of which comes from the Middle East. Imported oil accounts for 20% of the processed crude in China. Net imports are expected to rise to 3.5 million barrels (560,000 m3) per day by 2010. China is interested in diversifying the sources of its oil imports and has invested in oil fields around the world. China is developing oil imports from Central Asia and has invested in Kazakhstani oil fields. Beijing also plans to increase China's natural gas production, which currently accounts for only 3% of China's total energy consumption and incorporated a natural gas strategy in its 10th Five-Year Plan (2001–2005), with the goal of expanding gas use from a 2% share of total energy production to 4% by 2005 (gas accounts for 25% of U.S. energy production). Analysts expect China's consumption of natural gas to more than double by 2010.
The 11th Five-Year Program (2006–10), announced in 2005 and approved by the National People's Congress in March 2006, called for greater energy conservation measures, including development of renewable energy sources and increased attention to environmental protection. Guidelines called for a 20% reduction in energy consumption per unit of GDP by 2010. Moving away from coal towards cleaner energy sources including oil, natural gas, renewable energy, and nuclear power is an important component of China's development program. Beijing also intends to continue to improve energy efficiency and promote the use of clean coal technology. China has abundant hydroelectric resources; the Three Gorges Dam, for example, will have a total capacity of 18 gigawatts when fully on-line (projected for 2009). In addition, the share of electricity generated by nuclear power is projected to grow from 1% in 2000 to 5% in 2030. China's renewable energy law, which went into effect in 2006, calls for 10% of its energy to come from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Mining [ edit ]
Energy and mineral resources
Outdated mining and ore-processing technologies are being replaced with modern techniques, but China's rapid industrialization requires imports of minerals from abroad. In particular, iron ore imports from Australia and the United States have soared in the early 2000s as steel production rapidly outstripped domestic iron ore production. Also China has become increasingly active in several African countries to mine the reserves it requires for economic growth, particularly in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon.
The major areas of production in 2004 were coal (nearly 2 billion tons), iron ore (310 million tons), crude petroleum (175 million tons), natural gas (41 million cubic meters), antimony ore (110,000 tons), tin concentrates (110,000 tons), nickel ore (64,000 tons), tungsten concentrates (67,000 tons), unrefined salt (37 million tons), vanadium (40,000 tons), and molybdenum ore (29,000 tons). In order of magnitude, produced minerals were bauxite, gypsum, barite, magnesite, talc and related minerals, manganese ore, fluorspar, and zinc. In addition, China produced 2,450 tons of silver and 215 tons of gold in 2004. The mining sector accounted for less than 0.9% of total employment in 2002 but produced about 5.3% of total industrial production.
Hydroelectric resources [ edit ]
Three Gorges Dam
China has an abundant potential for hydroelectric power production due to its considerable river network and mountainous terrain. Most of the total hydroelectric capacity is situated in the southwest of the country, where coal supplies are poor but demand for energy is rising swiftly. The potential in the northeast is fairly small, but it was there that the first hydroelectric stations were built—by the Japanese during its occupation of Manchuria.[155] Due to considerable seasonal fluctuations in rainfall, the flow of rivers tends to drop during the winter, forcing many power stations to operate at less than normal capacity, while in the summer, on the other hand, floods often interfere with generation.
Thirteen years in construction at a cost of $24 billion, the immense Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River was essentially completed in 2006 and will revolutionize electrification and flood control in the area.
Coal [ edit ]
Coal mining in Inner Mongolia
China is well endowed with mineral resources,[156] the most important of which is coal. China's mineral resources include large reserves of coal and iron ore, plus adequate to abundant supplies of nearly all other industrial minerals. Although coal deposits are widely scattered (some coal is found in every province), most of the total is located in the northern part of the country. The province of Shanxi, in fact, is thought to contain about half of the total; other important coal-bearing provinces include Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Jilin, Hebei, and Shandong.[157] Apart from these northern provinces, significant quantities of coal are present in Sichuan, and there are some deposits of importance in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou.[157] A large part of the country's reserves consists of good bituminous coal, but there are also large deposits of lignite. Anthracite is present in several places (especially Liaoning, Guizhou, and Henan), but overall it is not very significant.[158]
To ensure a more even distribution of coal supplies and to reduce the strain on the less than adequate transportation network, the authorities pressed for the development of a large number of small, locally run mines throughout the country. This campaign was energetically pursued after the 1960s, with the result that thousands of small pits have been established, and they produce more than half the country's coal. This output, however, is typically expensive and is used for local consumption. It has also led to a less than stringent implementation of safety measures in these unregulated mines, which cause several thousands of deaths each year.[159]
Coal makes up the bulk of China's energy consumption (70% in 2005), and China is the largest producer and consumer of coal in the world. As China's economy continues to grow, China's coal demand is projected to rise significantly. Although coal's share of China's overall energy consumption will decrease, coal consumption will continue to rise in absolute terms. China's continued and increasing reliance on coal as a power source has contributed significantly to putting China on the path to becoming the world's largest emitter of acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide and greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide.
As of 2015 falling coal prices resulted in layoffs at coal mines in the northeast.[160]
Oil and natural gas [ edit ]
Chinese oil reserves
China's onshore oil resources are mostly located in the Northeast and in Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Shandong, and Henan provinces. Oil shale is found in a number of places, especially at Fushun in Liaoning, where the deposits overlie the coal reserves, as well as in Guangdong. High quality light oil has been found in the Pearl River estuary of the South China Sea, the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai, and the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang. The country consumes most of its oil output but does export some crude oil and oil products. China has explored and developed oil deposits in the South China Sea and East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Gulf of Tonkin, and the Bohai Sea.
In 2013, the pace of China's economic growth exceeded the domestic oil capacity and floods damaged the nation's oil fields in the middle of the year. Consequently, China imported oil to compensate for the supply reduction and surpassed the US in September 2013 to become the world's largest importer of oil.[161]
The total extent of China's natural gas reserves is unknown, as relatively little exploration for natural gas has been done.[162] Sichuan accounts for almost half of the known natural gas reserves and production.[163] Most of the rest of China's natural gas is associated gas produced in the Northeast's major oil fields, especially Daqing oilfield. Other gas deposits have been found in the Qaidam Basin, Hebei, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, and offshore to the southwest of Hainan Island.[164] According to an article published in Energy Economics in 2011 by economists Mete Feridun (University of Greenwich) and Abdul Jalil (Wuhan University in China), financial development in China has not taken place at the expense of environmental pollution and financial development has led to a decrease in environmental pollution. Authors conclude that carbon emissions are mainly determined by income, energy consumption and trade openness and their findings confirm the existence of an Environmental Kuznets Curve in the case of China.[165]
Metals and nonmetals [ edit ]
Iron ore reserves are found in most provinces, including Hainan. Gansu, Guizhou, southern Sichuan, and Guangdong provinces have rich deposits. The largest mined reserves are located north of the Yangtze River and supply neighboring iron and steel enterprises. With the exception of nickel, chromium, and cobalt, China is well supplied with ferroalloys and manganese. Reserves of tungsten are also known to be fairly large. Copper resources are moderate, and high-quality ore is present only in a few deposits. Discoveries have been reported from Ningxia. Lead and zinc are available, and bauxite resources are thought to be plentiful. China's antimony reserves are the largest in the world. Tin resources are plentiful, and there are fairly rich deposits of gold. China is the world's fifth largest producer of gold and in the early 21st century became an important producer and exporter of rare metals needed in high-technology industries.
China also produces a fairly wide range of nonmetallic minerals. One of the most important of these is salt, which is derived from coastal evaporation sites in Jiangsu, Hebei, Shandong, and Liaoning, as well as from extensive salt fields in Sichuan, Ningxia, and the Qaidam Basin. There are important deposits of phosphate rock in a number of areas; Jiangxi, Guangxi, Yunnan and Hubei. Production has been accelerating every year. As of 2013 China is producing 97,000,000 metric tons of phosphate rock a year.[166] Pyrites occur in several places; Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, and Shanxi have the most important deposits. China also has large resources of fluorite (fluorspar), gypsum, asbestos, and has the world's largest reserves and production of cement, clinker and limestone.
Industry and manufacturing [ edit ]
China Railway HXD1B Manufacturing Company
Industry and construction account for 46.8[167]% of China's GDP. Between the years 2011 and 2013, China used more cement than the United States consumed during the entire 20th century.[168] In 2009 around 8% of the total manufacturing output in the world came from China itself and China ranked third worldwide in industrial output that year (first was EU and second United States). Research by IHS Global Insight states that in 2010 China contributed to 19.8% of world's manufacturing output and became the largest manufacturer in the world that year, after the US had held that position for about 110 years.[169][170]
In November 2012 the State Council of the People's Republic of China mandated a "social risk assessment" for all major industrial projects. This requirement followed mass public protests in some locations for planned projects or expansions.[171]
Major industries include mining and ore processing; iron and steel; aluminium; coal; machinery; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemical; fertilizers; food processing; automobiles and other transportation equipment including rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; consumer products including footwear, toys, and electronics; telecommunications and information technology. China has become a preferred destination for the relocation of global manufacturing facilities. Its strength as an export platform has contributed to incomes and employment in China.
Since the founding of the People's Republic, industrial development has been given considerable attention; as of 2011 46% of China's national output continued to be devoted to investment; a percentage far higher than any other nation.[172] Among the various industrial branches the machine-building and metallurgical industries have received the highest priority. These two areas alone now account for about 20–30 percent of the total gross value of industrial output.[173] In these, as in most other areas of industry, however, innovation has generally suffered at the hands of a system that has rewarded increases in gross output rather than improvements in variety, sophistication and quality. China, therefore, still imports significant quantities of specialized steels. Overall industrial output has grown at an average rate of more than 10 percent per year, having surpassed all other sectors in economic growth and degree of modernization.[174] Some heavy industries and products deemed to be of national strategic importance remain state-owned, but an increasing proportion of lighter and consumer-oriented manufacturing firms are privately held or are private-state joint ventures.
The predominant focus of development in the chemical industry is to expand the output of chemical fertilizers, plastics, and synthetic fibers. The growth of this industry has placed China among the world's leading producers of nitrogenous fertilizers. In the consumer goods sector the main emphasis is on textiles and clothing, which also form an important part of China's exports. Textile manufacturing, a rapidly growing proportion of which consists of synthetics, account for about 10 percent of the gross industrial output and continues to be important, but less so than before. The industry tends to be scattered throughout the country, but there are a number of important textile centers, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Harbin.[175][176]
Steel industry [ edit ]
In 2011, China was the largest producer of steel in the world producing 45% of the world's steel, 683 million tons, an increase of 9% from 2010. 6 of 10 of largest steel producers in the world are in China. Profits are low despite continued high demand due to high debt and overproduction of high end products produced with the equipment financed by the high debt. The central government is aware of this problem but there is no easy way to resolve it as local governments strongly support local steel production. Meanwhile, each firm aggressively increases production.[177] Iron ore production kept pace with steel production in the early 1990s but was soon outpaced by imported iron ore and other metals in the early 2000s. Steel production, an estimated 140 million tons in 2000 increased to 419 million tons in 2006. Much of the country's steel output comes from a large number of small-scale producing centers, one of the largest being Anshan in Liaoning.
China was the top exporter of steel in the world in 2008. Export volumes in 2008 were 59.23 million tons, a 5.5% fall over the previous year.[178] The decline ended China's decade-old steel export growth. As of 2012 steel exports faced widespread anti-dumping taxes and had not returned to pre-2008 levels. Domestic demand remained strong, particularly in the developing west where steel production in Xinjiang was expanding.[177]
On 26 April 2012, a warning was issued by China's bank regulator to use caution with respect to lending money to steel companies who, as profits from the manufacture and sale of steel have fallen, have sometimes used borrowed money for speculative purposes. According to the China Iron and Steel Association the Chinese steel industry lost 1 billion Rmb in the first quarter of 2012, its first loss since 2000.[179]
Automotive industry [ edit ]
Chinese-made car, Geely GC9
By 2006 China had become the world's third largest automotive vehicle manufacturer (after US and Japan) and the second largest consumer (only after the US). Automobile manufacturing has soared during the reform period. In 1975 only 139,800 automobiles were produced annually, but by 1985 production had reached 443,377, then jumped to nearly 1.1 million by 1992 and increased fairly evenly each year up until 2001, when it reached 2.3 million. In 2002 production rose to nearly 3.25 million and then jumped to 4.44 million in 2003, 5.07 million in 2004, 5.71 million in 2005, 7.28 million in 2006, 8.88 million in 2007, 9.35 million in 2008 and 13.83 million in 2009. China has become the number-one automaker in the world in 2009. Domestic sales have kept pace with production. After respectable annual increases in the mid- and late 1990s, passenger car sales soared in the early 2000s. In 2006, a total of 7.22 million automobiles were sold, including 5.18 million units of passenger cars and 2.04 million units of commercial vehicles.
In 2010, China became the world's largest automotive vehicle manufacturer as well as the largest consumer ahead of the United States with an estimated 18 million new cars sold.[180] However, new car sales grew only by an estimated 1% between 2011 and 2012 due to the escalation in the Spratly Islands dispute, which involved Japan, the world's third largest producer of vehicles.[181]
China's automotive industry has been so successful that it began exporting car parts in 1999. China began to plan major moves into the automobile and components export business starting in 2005. A new Honda factory in Guangzhou was built in 2004 solely for the export market and was expected to ship 30,000 passenger vehicles to Europe in 2005. By 2004, 12 major foreign automotive manufacturers had joint-venture plants in China. They produced a wide range of automobiles, minivans, sport utility vehicles, buses, and trucks. In 2003 China exported US$4.7 billion worth of vehicles and components. The vehicle export was 78,000 units in 2004, 173,000 units in 2005, and 340,000 units in 2006. The vehicle and component export is targeted to reach US$70 billion by 2010.
The market for domestically produced cars, under a local name, is likely to continue to grow both inside China and outside. Companies such as Geely, Qiantu and Chery are constantly evaluating new international locations, both in developing and developed countries.[182]
Other industries [ edit ]
Substantial investments were made in the manufacture of solar panels and wind generators by a number of companies, supported by liberal loans by banks and local governments. However, by 2012 manufacturing capacity had far outstripped domestic and global demand for both products, particularly solar panels, which were subjected to anti-dumping penalties by both the United States and Europe. The global oversupply has resulted in bankruptcies and production cutbacks both inside and outside China. China has budgeted $50 billion to subsidize production of solar power over the two decades following 2015 but, even at the sharply reduced price resulting from oversupply, as of 2012 cost of solar power in China remained three times that of power produced by conventional coal-fired power plants.[183]
China is the world's biggest sex toy producer and accounts for 70% of the worldwide sex toys production.[184] In the country, 1,000 manufacturers are active in this industry, which generates about two billion dollars a year.[184]
As of 2011, China was the world's largest market for personal computers[185]
Services [ edit ]
The output of China's services in 2015 ranks second worldwide after the United States. High power and telecom density has ensured that the country has remained on a high-growth trajectory over the long term. In 2015 the services sector produced 52.9% of China's annual GDP, second only to manufacturing. However, its proportion of GDP is still low compared to the ratio in more developed countries, and the agricultural sector still employs a larger workforce.
Prior to the onset of economic reforms in 1978, China's services sector was characterized by state-operated shops, rationing, and regulated prices—with reform came private markets, individual entrepreneurs, and a commercial sector. The wholesale and retail trade has expanded quickly, with numerous shopping malls, retail shops, restaurant chains and hotels constructed in urban areas. Public administration remains a main component of the service sector, while tourism has become a significant factor in employment and a source of foreign exchange.[186]
Chengdu, China, is home to the world's largest building—the New Century Global Center, which, at 100 m (328 ft) high, 500 m (1,640 ft) long, and 400 m (1,312 ft) wide, houses retail outlets, a 14-theater cinema, offices, hotels, the Paradise Island waterpark, an artificial beach, a 150 m (164 yd)-long LED screen, skating rink, pirate ship, fake Mediterranean village, 24-hour artificial sun, and 15,000-spot parking lot.[187]
Telecommunications [ edit ]
China possesses a diversified communications system that links all parts of the country by Internet, telephone, telegraph, radio, and television.
China's number of Internet users or netizens topped 137 million by the end of 2006,[188] an increase of 23.4% from a year before and 162 million by June 2007, making China the second-largest Internet user after the United States, according to China's Ministry of Information Industry (MII). China's mobile phone penetration rate was 34% in 2007. In 2006, mobile phone users sent 429 billion text messages (on average 967 text messages per user). For 2006, the number of fixed-lines grew by 79%, mainly in the rural areas.[189]
Tourism [ edit ]
China's tourism industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the national economy and is also one of the industries with a very distinct global competitive edge. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism directly contributed CNY 1,362 billion (US$216 billion) to the Chinese economy (about 2.6% of GDP).[190] In 2011, total international tourist arrivals was 58 million, and international tourism receipts were US$48 billion.[191]
Domestic tourism market makes up more than 90% of the country's tourism traffic, and contributes more than 70% of total tourism revenue. In 2002, domestic tourists reached 878 million and tourism revenue was $46.9 billion. A large middle class with strong consumption power is emerging in China, especially in major cities. China's outbound tourists reached 20.22 million in 2003, overtaking Japan for the first time.
It is forecast by the World Tourism Organization that China's tourism industry will take up to 8.6% of world market share to become the world's top tourism industry by 2020.
Chinese business-travel spending is also forecast to be the highest in the world by 2014, overtaking the United States. According to a Global Business Travel Association study, total business-travel spending is expected to reach US$195 billion in 2012.[192]
It is forecast by Euromonitor International that China will overtake France as the leading travel destination by 2030.[193]
Luxury goods [ edit ]
Luxury spending in China has skyrocketed, an indicator of the country's newfound wealth. For example, the Chinese bottled water industry is forecast to more than double in size in 2008, becoming a $10.5 billion industry. Meanwhile, as those who once had no recourse but low-quality tap water take advantage of its availability in supermarkets, those who had little or no running water are now capitalizing on its availability. Tap water production and supply is expected to grow by 29.3% in 2008, to $11.9 billion. China's automotive industry is expected to expand by 29.5% to nearly $200 billion. Also, consumption of chocolate and other confectionery is to increase by 24.3%, as the industry expands to $4.6 billion. Additionally China's fast food industry has been growing at a 20.8% annual rate as major players such as McDonald's enter the market. The LVMH Group, who own major luxury brands including Louis Vuitton apparel, Moët & Chandon wines and champagne and Hennessy cognacs, reported earnings growth of over 25% in 2007 in China, with the country accounting for around 16% of LVMH's global business.[194]
After an October 2012 ban on government agencies purchasing luxury goods, often used as "gifts", sales of luxury goods in China remained strong but slowed, even falling slightly for some luxury retailers in the 4th quarter of 2012,[195] with sales of shark fins and edible swallow nests (once staples of lavish government banquets) down sharply.[196]
Retail sales in China account for only 7% of global retail sales of luxury consumer goods; however, Chinese buyers account for 25% of global retail sales of luxury consumer goods. Many shops in international travel destinations have specialized staff devoted to Chinese customers.[195]
Cybercrime [ edit ]
As of 2016, computer crime is a lucrative illicit practice in China. An academic study released in August 2012 by the University of California (UC) Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, claimed that China's "cyber black market" involved over 90,000 participants, cost the local economy 5.36 billion yuan (£536m), negatively impacted upon 110 million internet users (22%), and affected 1.1 million websites (20%) in 2011.[197] In July 2012, China's State Council released a set of information security guidelines as a measure to combat cyber crime that included increased auditing, security reporting, and monitoring, and a commitment to "reduce the number of internet connection points".[198]
Labour and welfare [ edit ]
A window washer on a skyscraper in Shanghai
Labor makes ceramics in Yunnan
One of the hallmarks of China's socialist economy was its promise of employment to all able and willing to work and job-security with virtually lifelong tenure. This socialist policy is known as the iron rice bowl.
In 1979–1980, the state reformed factories by giving wage increases to workers, which was immediately offset by sharply rising inflation rates of 6–7%. The reforms also dismantled the iron rice bowl, which meant it witnessed a rise in unemployment in the economy. In 1979-80 there were 20 million unemployed people.[199]
[200] This chart show the Chinese employment by sectors during time
China's estimated employed labor force in 2005 totaled 791.4 million persons, about 60% of the total population. During 2003, 49% of the labor force worked in agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 22% in mining, manufacturing, energy, and construction industries; and 29% in the services sector and other categories. In 2004 some 25 million persons were employed by 743,000 private enterprises. Urban wages rose rapidly from 2004 to 2007, at a rate of 13 to 19% per year with average wages near $200/month in 2007.[201] By 2016 the average monthly wage for workers engaged in manufacturing goods for export was $424. This wage, combined with other costs of doing business in China, had, more or less, equalized any Chinese cost advantage with respect to developed economies.[202]
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) was established in 1925 to represent the interests of national and local trade unions and trade union councils. The ACFTU reported a membership of 130 million, out of an estimated 248 million urban workers, at the end of 2002. Chinese trade unions are organized on a broad industrial basis. Membership is open to those who rely on wages for the whole or a large part of their income, a qualification that excludes most agricultural workers.
In 2010, the issues of manufacturing wages caused a strike at a Honda parts plant. This resulted in wage increases both at the struck plant and other industrial plants.[203][204][205][206][207]
The 2010 census found that China was now half urban and rapidly aging due to the one child policy. This is expected to lead to increased demand for labor to take care of an elderly population and a reduced supply of migrant labor from the countryside.[208]
Due to worsening pollution, the corruption and political uncertainties of the one-party state and the limited economic freedom in an economy dominated by large state-owned enterprises, many skilled professionals are either leaving the country or preparing safety nets for themselves abroad.[209][210][211] In the decade up to 2014, 10 million Chinese emigrated to other countries, taking assets and their technical skills.[212] Perceived corruption continued to grow worse in China as it dropped from 75th to 80th place in Transparency International's index of state corruption.[213]
A law approved February 2013 will mandate a nationwide minimum wage at 40% average urban salaries to be phased in fully by 2015.[214]
External trade [ edit ]
Global distribution of Chinese exports in 2006 as a percentage of the top market
International trade makes up a sizeable portion of China's overall economy. Being a Second World country at the time, a meaningful segment of China's trade with the Third World was financed through grants, credits, and other forms of assistance. The principal efforts were made in Asia, especially to Indonesia, Burma, Pakistan, and Ceylon, but large loans were also granted in Africa (Ghana, Algeria, Tanzania) and in the Middle East (Egypt). However, after Mao Zedong's death in 1976, these efforts were scaled back. After which, trade with developing countries became negligible, though during that time, Hong Kong and Taiwan both began to emerge as major trading partners.
Since economic reforms began in the late 1970s, China sought to decentralize its foreign trade system to integrate itself into the international trading system. In November 1991, China joined the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group, which promotes free trade and cooperation in the economic, trade, investment, and technology spheres. China served as APEC chair in 2001, and Shanghai hosted the annual APEC leaders meeting in October of that year.
After reaching a bilateral WTO agreement with the EU and other trading partners in summer 2000, China worked on a multilateral WTO accession package. China concluded multilateral negotiations on its accession to the WTO in September 2001. The completion of its accession protocol and Working Party Report paved the way for its entry into the WTO on 11 December 2001, after 16 years of negotiations, the longest in the history of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. However, U.S. exporters continue to have concerns about fair market access due to China's restrictive trade policies and U.S. export restrictions.
[215] and shown here is a Chinese container ship unloading its cargo at With bilateral trade exceeding US$38.6 billion, China is India's largest trading partnerand shown here is a Chinese container ship unloading its cargo at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Navi Mumbai , India
China's global trade exceeded $4.16 trillion at the end of 2013. It first broke the $100 billion mark in 1988, $200 billion in 1994, $500 billion in 2001, $1 trillion mark ($1.15 trillion) in 2004,$2 trillion mark ($2.17 trillion) in 2007,$3 trillion mark ($3.64 trillion) in 2011, and $4 trillion mark ($4.16 trillion) in 2013. The table below shows the average annual growth (in nominal US dollar terms) of China's foreign trade during the reform era.
Period Two-way trade Exports Imports 1981–1985 +12.8% +8.6% +16.1% 1986–1990 +10.6% +17.8% +4.8% 1991–1995 +19.5% +19.1% +19.9% 1996–2000 +11.0% +10.9% +11.3% 2001–2005 +24.6% +25.0% +24.0% 2006–2010 +15.9% +15.7% +16.1% 2015 −8.0% −2.8% −14.1%
The vast majority of China's imports consists of industrial supplies and capital goods, notably machinery and high-technology equipment, the majority of which comes from the developed countries, primarily Japan[citation needed] and the United States[citation needed]. Regionally, almost half of China's imports come from East and Southeast Asia, and about one-fourth of China's exports go to the same destinations[citation needed]. About 80 percent of China's exports consist of manufactured goods, most of which are textiles and electronic equipment, with agricultural products and chemicals constituting the remainder. Out of the five busiest ports in the world, three are in China. The U.S. trade deficit with China reached $232.5 billion in 2006, as imports grew 18%. China's share of total U.S. imports has grown from 7% to 15% since 1996.
Trade volume between China and Russia reached $29.1 billion in 2005, an increase of 37.1% compared with 2004. A spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, Van Jingsun, said that the volume of trade between China and Russia could exceed 40 billion dollars in 2007.[216] China's export of machinery and electronic goods to Russia grew 70%, which is 24% of China's total export to Russia in the first 11 months of 2005. During the same time, China's export of high-tech products to Russia increased by 58%, and that is 7% of China's total exports to Russia. Also at that time period, border trade between the two countries reached $5.13 billion, growing 35% and accounting for nearly 20% of the total trade. Most of China's exports to Russia remain apparel and footwear. Russia is China's eighth largest trade partner and China is now Russia's fourth largest trade partner, and China now has over 750 investment projects in Russia, involving $1.05 billion. China's contracted investment in Russia totaled $368 million during January–September 2005, twice that in 2004.
Chinese cars at a dealer's lot in Nizhny Novgorod , the traditional capital of the Russian automotive industry
Chinese imports from Russia are mainly those of energy sources, such as crude oil, which is mostly transported by rail, and electricity exports from neighboring Siberian and Far Eastern regions. In the near future, exports of both of these commodities are set to increase, as Russia is building the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline with a branch going to the Chinese border, and Russian power grid monopoly UES is building some of its hydropower stations with a view of future exports to China.
Export growth has continued to be a major component supporting China's rapid economic growth. To increase exports, China pursued policies such as fostering the rapid development of foreign-invested factories, which assembled imported components into consumer goods for export and liberalizing trading rights. In its 11th Five-Year Program, adopted in 2005, China placed greater emphasis on developing a consumer demand-driven economy to sustain economic growth and address imbalances.
Foreign investment [ edit ]
China's investment climate has changed dramatically with more than two decades of reform. In the early 1980s, China restricted foreign investments to export-oriented operations and required foreign investors to form joint-venture partnerships with Chinese firms. The Encouraged Industry Catalogue sets out the degree of foreign involvement allowed in various industry sectors. From the beginning of the reforms legalizing foreign investment, capital inflows expanded every year until 1999.[217] Foreign-invested enterprises account for 58–60% of China's imports and exports.[218]
Since the early 1990s, the government has allowed foreign investors to manufacture and sell a wide range of goods on the domestic market, eliminated time restrictions on the establishment of joint ventures, provided some assurances against nationalization, allowed foreign partners to become chairs of joint venture boards, and authorized the establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises, now the preferred form of FDI. In 1991, China granted more preferential tax treatment for Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprises and contractual ventures and for foreign companies, which invested in selected economic zones or in projects encouraged by the state, such as energy, communications and transportation.[citation needed]
China also authorized some foreign banks to open branches in Shanghai and allowed foreign investors to purchase special "B" shares of stock in selected companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Securities Exchanges. These "B" shares sold to foreigners carried no ownership rights in a company. In 1997, China approved 21,046 foreign investment projects and received over $45 billion in foreign direct investment. China revised significantly its laws on Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises and China Foreign Equity Joint Ventures in 2000 and 2001, easing export performance and domestic content requirements.[citation needed] The Vice Minister of Finance Zhu Guangyao announced, foreign investors will be allowed to own up to 51% on domestic financial service companies. Formerly foreign ownership was limited to a 49% stake in these firms.[219]
Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's rapid expansion in world trade and has been an important factor in the growth of urban jobs. In 1998, foreign-invested enterprises produced about 40% of China's exports, and foreign exchange reserves totalled about $145 billion. Foreign-invested enterprises today produce about half of China's exports (the majority of China's foreign investment come from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), and China continues to attract large investment inflows. However, the Chinese government's emphasis on guiding FDI into manufacturing has led to market saturation in some industries, while leaving China's services sectors underdeveloped. From 1993 to 2001, China was the world's second-largest recipient of foreign direct investment after the United States. China received $39 billion FDI in 1999 and $41 billion FDI in 2000. China is now one of the leading FDI recipients in the world, receiving almost $80 billion in 2005 according to World Bank statistics. In 2006, China received $69.47 billion in foreign direct investment.[220] By 2011, with the U.S. seeing a decline in foreign investment following the 2008 financial crisis, China overtook it as the top destination for FDI, receiving over $280 billion that year.[221]
Amid slowing economic conditions and a weakening yuan in 2015, December of that year saw a 5.8% drop in FDI to China.[222] While China's rank as the top receiver of FDI continued through 2014, the slowing of inbound investment in 2015 combined with a massive rebound in foreign investment to the United States resulted in the U.S. reclaiming its position as the top investment destination.[223] Data from the American Chamber of Commerce in China's 2016 China Business Climate Survey confirms this trend, although it also demonstrates that China remains a top investment destination. This survey of over 500 members found that "China remains a top three investment priority for six out of ten member companies," though this is a decline from the 2012 high of eight out of ten respondents considering China a top priority.[224]
Foreign exchange reserves totaled $155 billion in 1999 and $165 billion in 2000. Foreign exchange reserves exceeded $800 billion in 2005, more than doubling from 2003. Foreign exchange reserves were $819 billion at the end of 2005, $1.066 trillion at the end of 2006, $1.9 trillion by June 2008. In addition, by the end of September 2008 China replaced Japan for the first time as the largest foreign holder of US treasury securities with a total of $585 billion, vs Japan $573 billion. China has now surpassed those of Japan, making China's foreign exchange reserves the largest in the world.[citation needed]
As part of its WTO accession, China undertook to eliminate certain trade-related investment measures and to open up specified sectors that had previously been closed to foreign investment. New laws, regulations, and administrative measures to implement these commitments are being issued. Major remaining barriers to foreign investment include opaque and inconsistently enforced laws and regulations and the lack of a rules-based legal infrastructure. Warner Bros., for instance, withdrew its cinema business in China as a result of a regulation that requires Chinese investors to own at least a 51 percent stake or play a leading role in a foreign joint venture.[225]
Another major development in the history of foreign investment in China was the establishment of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone in September 2013.[226] The Zone is considered a testing ground for a number of economic and social reforms.[227][228] Critically, foreign investment is controlled via a "negative list" approach, where FDI is permitted in all sectors unless explicitly prohibited by the inclusion of a given sector on the Negative List published by the Shanghai Municipal Government.[229]
Chinese investment abroad [ edit ]
Outward foreign direct investment is a new feature of Chinese globalization, where local Chinese firms seek to make investments in both developing and developed countries.[230] It was reported in 2011 that there was increasing investment by capital rich Chinese firms in promising firms in the United States. Such investments offer access to expertise in marketing and distribution potentially useful in exploiting the developing Chinese domestic market.[231]
Since 2005 when Lenovo acquired IBM's ThinkPad, Chinese companies have been actively expanding outside of China, in both developed and developing countries. In 2013, Chinese companies invested US$90 billion globally in non-financial sectors, 16% more than 2012.[232]
Between January 2009 and December 2013, China contributed a total of $161.03bn in outward FDI, creating almost 300,000 jobs. Western Europe was the largest regional recipient of Chinese outward FDI, with Germany receiving the highest number of FDI projects for any country globally.[233]
There are two ways Chinese companies choose to enter a foreign market: organic growth and Merge & Acquisition (M&A). Many Chinese companies would prefer M&A for the following reasons:
Fast. M&A is the fastest way for a company to expand into another country by acquiring brand, distribution, talents, and technology. Chinese CEOs has been used to growing at 50%+ speed and do not want to spend capital.
China market. China has become the world's largest economy. Many Chinese acquire foreign companies and then bring their products/services to China, anything from premium cars to fashion clothing to meat to Hollywood movies.
Cheap capital access. The huge Chinese domestic market help many Chinese companies accumulated financial capital to do M&A. Chinese government also provides long-term, low-interest capital for companies to expand abroad.
Low risk. M&A helped Chinese companies avoid risk of failure of organic growth as they got an established company with everything in place.
Cheap labor. Some companies may move part of the manufacturing in high labor cost countries to China to reduce the cost and make the product more attractive in price.
Trade and policy barrier. Chinese companies in many sectors face quota limitation and high tax, which prevent them from being competitive in foreign markets.
Depressed assets. 2008-2010 global economic crisis created liquidity problems for a lot of western companies and reduced their market value. Chinese companies believe it is a great opportunity for them to buy these depressed assets at discount. China's direct foreign investment in non-financial sector growth from US $25 billion in 2007 to US$90 billion in 2013, more than three times. [234]
China is growing in investments and influencing power over Europe, and the EU has begun to take notice.[235]
At the beginning, state-owned enterprises dominate the foreign acquisition and most of the money goes to oil and minerals. Since 2005, more and more private companies start to acquire non raw material foreign companies. Below is a list of the top 15 outbound deals from Chinese companies:[236]
Date Acquirer Acquirer industry Target Target industry Target country Deal value in USD 3 February 2016 CNAC Saturn (NL) BV Chemicals Syngenta AG Chemicals Switzerland 41,840.11 23 July 2012 CNOOC Canada Holding Ltd Other financials Nexen Inc Oil and gas Canada 19,119.31 1 February 2008 Shining Prospect Pte Ltd Other financials Rio Tinto PLC Metals and mining United Kingdom 14,284.17 2 June 2017 China Investment Corp Alternative financial investments Logicor Ltd Non residential United Kingdom 13,742.43 14 July 2017 Nesta Investment Holdings Ltd Other financials Global Logistic Properties Ltd Non residential Singapore 11,553.58 22 August 2017 China Unicom (BVI) Ltd Telecommunications services China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd Telecommunications services Hong Kong 11,255.81 6 October 2016 Park Aerospace Holdings Ltd Transportation and infrastructure C2 Aviation Capital LLC Transportation and infrastructure United States 10,380.00 14 October 2015 China Tower Corp Ltd Telecommunications services China-Telecommun tower asts Wireless China 9,948.41 21 June 2016 Halti SA Other financials Supercell Oy Software Finland 8,600.00 24 June 2009 Mirror Lake Oil & Gas Co Ltd Oil and gas Addax Petroleum Corp Oil and gas Switzerland 7,157.40 1 October 2010 China Petrochemical Corp Oil and gas Repsol YPF Brasil SA Oil and gas Brazil 7,111.00 16 March 2016 Anbang Insurance Group Co Ltd Insurance Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc REITs United States 6,500.00 24 October 2016 Hna Tourism Grp Co Ltd Travel services Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc Hotels and lodging United States 6,496.88 17 February 2016 Tianjin Tianhai Invest Co Ltd Transportation and infrastructure Ingram Micro Inc Computers and peripherals United States 6,067.41 22 March 2015 Marco Polo Industrial Hldg SpA Other financials Pirelli & C SpA Automobiles and components Italy
However, the fast growth and M&A deals did not change consumers' low quality and low price perception of Chinese goods and brands. According to market consecutive researches by the Monogram Group, a Chicago-based advertising agency, in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012, American consumers' willingness to purchase Chinese products across all categories except PC remained the same or became worse during 2007-2012. The only sector in which Americans were more likely to purchase was personal computers, maybe due to the brand building of Lenovo.[237]
Moreover, many M&A deals have failed because companies underestimated the challenges and failed to restructure the company.
Case 1: Shanghai Auto acquired 48.9% of Korean Ssangyong at US$500 million in 2004, making it the most ambitious acquisition in Chinese auto industry at the time. Shanghai Auto wanted the brand and technology to expand its footprint in China. However, the cultural difference, the objection to transfer the technology and the failed sales of new SUV model put Shanghai Auto's ambition of expansion in jeopardy. It caused huge conflict between Ssangyong employees and Shanghai Auto as things didn't go well as planned. And the 2008 global economic crisis put Ssangyong on a survival mode, let alone expansion. After the negotiation with the labor union to reduce wages failed, Shanghai Auto decided to exit from Ssangyong and didn't get a penny back for their US$500 million investment.[238][239]
Case 2: In 2004, TCL, the largest TV manufacturer and one of the fastest growing companies in China, acquired TV business including Thomson and RCA brand from Thomson Electronics of France to form a joint vendure called TCL-Thomson Electronics (TTE). For the coming two years, the company recorded huge loss, especially in Europe. Several factors contributed to the failure:
Failure of Due Diligence. Right after TCL acquired Thomson's TV business, the TV market shifted to LCD technology, put Thomson out of date. As CEO of TCL, Dongsheng Li, said in 2012 "They betted on the wrong thing where the market would go. They thought Thomson's DLP could be the best choice."
Lack of understanding of rules and regulations. According to the book Resumption of Trading by Chong Chen, soon after acquisition, Thomson found it in a situation that they couldn’t recruit the talents they wanted and can't fire ones they didn't want.
by Chong Chen, soon after acquisition, Thomson found it in a situation that they couldn’t recruit the talents they wanted and can't fire ones they didn't want. Underestimate of the challenges in cultural difference. Xuesong Tong, vice president of TTE, said in an interview with "China Operation" newspaper in 2005: "The French look down upon their Chinese boss. For example, they wanted to share the design model with TTE, but French just dislike it even though it is a popular one in US market. Also, French feel superior in their language and don't want to speak English, which created huge problem in communication. It takes hours to discuss simple issues and can't reach agreement."
According to Scott Markman, president of Monogram, Chinese companies often moved their business model to developed countries and it doesn't work. Thomson has the problem, they are very good and distribution and operation in China but France and Europe is a totally different world.[ citation needed ]
Mergers and acquisitions [ edit ]
From 1993 to 2010, Chinese companies have been involved as either an acquiror or acquired company in 25,284 mergers and acquisitions with a total known value of US$969 billion.[240] The number and value of deals hit a new record in 2010. The number of deals that happened in 2010 has been 3,640, which is an increase of 17% compared to 2009. The value of deals in 2010 was US$196 billion, which is an increase of 25% compared to the year before.
Demographics [ edit ]
Since the 1950s medical care, public hygiene and sanitation improved considerably, and epidemics were controlled. Consecutive generations continuously experienced better health. The population growth rate surged as the mortality rate dropped more rapidly than the birth rate. China's massive population has always been a major difficulty for the government as it has struggled to provide for it. In the 1950s, food supply was inadequate and the standard of living was generally low. This spurred the authorities to initiate a major birth control program. The Great Leap Forward industrial plan in 1958–60 was partially responsible for a huge famine that caused the death rate to surpass the birth rate, and by 1960, the overall population was declining. A second population control drive began in 1962 with major efforts focused on promoting late marriages and the use of contraceptives. By 1963 the country was in the beginning of recovery from the famine and the birth rate soared to its highest since 1949 with an annual population growth rate of 3%. In 1966, the Cultural Revolution suspended this second family planning program, but resumed four years later with the third attempt by making later marriage and family size limitation an obligation. Since 1970, the efforts have been much more effective. The third family planning program continued until 1979 when the one child per family policy was implemented. By the early 1980s, China's population reached around 1 billion and by the early 2000s, surpassed 1.3 billion. In the 1980s, the average overall population growth was around 1.5%. In the 1990s, this fell to about 1%. Today it is about 0.6%.[241] China's population growth rate is now among the lowest for a developing country, although, due to its large population, annual net population growth is still considerable. One demographic consequence of the one-child policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly ageing countries in the world.
From 100 million to 150 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs.
According to the latest Forbes China Rich List (2007), China had 66 billionaires, the second largest number after the United States, which had 415. In the 2006 Forbes Rich List it stated that there were 15 Chinese billionaires.[242] In the latest 2007 Hurun Report, it lists 106 billionaires in China.[243]
Labor force [ edit ]
In 2012, for the first time, according to statistics released by China's National Bureau of Statistics in January 2013, the size of the labor force, people aged 15 to 59, in China shrank slightly to 937.27 million people, a decrease of 3.45 million from 2011. This trend, resulting from China's one-child policy of population control, is anticipated to continue to at least 2030.
On 29 October 2015, Xinhua, China's state news agency, reported a change in the existing law to a two-child policy, citing a statement from the Communist Party of China, and the new law is effective from 1 January 2016 after it was passed in the standing committee of the National People's Congress on 27 December 2015.[244]
Transportation and infrastructure [ edit ]
Development of the country's transportation infrastructure is given a high priority because it is so strategically tied to the national economy and national defense. Regardless, the transportation infrastructure is still not fully developed in many aspects and areas, and it constitutes a major hindrance on economic growth and the efficient logistical movement of goods and people. China's transportation policy, influenced by political, military, and economic concerns, have undergone major changes since 1949.[245]
Immediately after the People's Republic was founded, the primary goal was to repair existing transportation infrastructure in order to meet military transport and logistics needs as well as to strengthen territorial integrity. During most of the 1950s, new road and rail links were built, while at the same time old ones were improved. During the 1960s much of the improvement of regional transportation became the responsibility of the local governments, and many small railways were constructed. Emphasis was also placed on developing transportation in remote rural, mountainous, and forested areas, in order to integrate poorer regions of the country and to help promote economies of scale in the agricultural sector.
Before the reform era began in the late 1970s, China's transportation links were mostly concentrated in the coastal areas and access to the inner regions was generally poor. This situation has been improved considerably since then, as railways and highways have been built in the remote and frontier regions of the northwest and southwest. At the same time, the development of international transportation was also pursued, and the scope of ocean shipping was broadened considerably.
Freight haulage is mainly provided by rail transport. The rail sector is monopolized by China Railway, which is controlled by the Ministry of Railways and there is wide variation in services provided. In late 2007 China became one of the few countries in the world to launch its own indigenously developed high-speed train.[246] As rail capacity is struggling to meet demand for the transport of goods and raw materials such as coal, air routes, roads and waterways are rapidly being developed to provide an increasing proportion of China's overall transportation needs.[247]
Some economic experts have argued that the development gap between China and other emerging economies such as Brazil, Argentina and India can be attributed to a large extent to China's early focus on ambitious infrastructure projects: while China invested roughly 9% of its GDP on infrastructure in the 1990s and 2000s, most emerging economies invested only 2% to 5% of their GDP. This considerable spending gap allowed the Chinese economy to grow at near optimal conditions while many South American economies suffered from various development bottlenecks such as poor transportation networks, aging power grids and mediocre schools.[248]
Science and technology [ edit ]
Value in dollars of high-tech exports by country in 2009—the value of Chinese high-tech exports was more than twice that of any other nation
Science and technology in China has in recent decades dev |
By James M. Dorsey
An expected decision by Egyptian football authorities to ban as terrorist organisations groups of militant football fans builds on the definition by Arab autocrats of legitimate, democratic opposition forces as violent threats to their grip on power. By leaving youth with ever fewer, if any, options for venting pent-up anger and frustration, it risks pushing them towards violent, militant Islamist groups.
In banning the ultras – groups of fervent, well-organised, street battle-hardened football fans – authorities would outlaw a social force that rivalled in appeal the Muslim Brotherhood that was criminalised last year as a terrorist organisation with the military coup that toppled Mohamed Morsi, the country’s only democratically elected president.
The proposed ban constitutes a response to the re-emergence of football pitches across North Africa as venues of anti-government protest. It also entrenches a policy that Egyptian general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has in common with rulers such as Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad who have redefined the concept of terrorism by incorporating alternative voices that in any unbiased assessment would fail to meet the criteria.
It a policy that is designed to force domestic public opinion and the United States to choose between autocracy or illiberal democracy and the threat of terrorism. It echoes the argument used by ousted autocrats including Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh to justify their repressive policies.
A formal ban is expected during a forthcoming meeting of the Senior Sporting Clubs Committee (SSCC) that groups the heads of Egypt’s major clubs. Mortada Mansour, the committee’s head and president of Al-Zamalek SC, one of two storied and crowned Cairo clubs, has accused Ultras White Knights (UWK), Zamalek’s militant support group, of last month trying to assassinate him.
In a blowback to the walk-up to Mr Mubarak’s downfall and the subsequent anti-military protests, UWK said recently on its Facebook page that has more than 600,000 followers: “The truth is, we took the streets because we cannot be quiet in the face of injustice.” A recent UWK song accused Mr Mortada of being a stooge of the Al-Sisi.
UWK last month stormed Zamalek’s headquarters and demanded Mr Mansour’s resignation for reneging on a promise to lift a nationwide 2.5 year ban on spectators attending football matches.
Authorities last week remanded 36 UWK ultras in custody for 15 days after a clash with security forces in which the fans were demanding the release of fans suspected of the attempted murder. The 36 were accused of breaking Egypt’s draconic anti-protest law, belonging to a group opposed to the law and the constitution, creating chaos, damaging public and private property, interrupting traffic and illegal possession of firearms.
“Article 3 of the charter of the committee makes it necessary for armed football fan groups to be dissolved. There is no hope in the members of Ultras White Knights. The relationship between these members and the officials of our club has reached the point of blood and gunfire,” Mr Mansour said. In separate remarks, Mr Mansour said he had secured the support of Mr Al-Sisi for his fight against terrorism. He said he had asked the president to convene a meeting of the SSCC.
The call to ban the groups that are largely akin to similar controversial but legal football fan groups in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere in the world follows the killing 2.5 years ago of 74 members of Ultras Ahlawy, the militant support group of Al-Ahly SC, Zamalek’s arch rival one of Egypt and Africa’s most storied and crowned clubs, in a politically loaded football brawl in the Suez Canal City of Port Said.
The brawl was widely seen as an attempt by the military and the security forces that got out of hand to cut down to size a force that played a key role to the toppling in 2011 of president Hosni Mubarak and subsequent opposition to military rule. Ultras constituted the foremost group in the waning years of the Mubarak regime and subsequent military rule capable of sustained physical resistance. Fiercely independent, passionately loyal to their club, and aggressive in support for their team, the ultras constituted the one force that refused to shy away from sustained confrontation with security forces whose strategy was limited to intimidation and brute force.
The expected banning also comes among repeated clashes in recent months between the ultras and security forces, fuelled by a ban since Port Said on spectators attending matches; repeated harassment of the football groups and attempts by authorities to portray them as criminals, thugs and hooligans; and mounting agitation by the ultras against pro-regime football authorities.
The coming week will tell whether the ultras will resist their potential banning. The lifting of the ban on spectators for a 10 September African Cup of Nations qualifier in Cairo between Egypt and Tunisia could offer the ultras an opportunity to make a stand. The retrial of those held responsible for the Port Said incident, including 21 supporters of the canal city’s Al-Masry SC who were sentenced to death, constitutes a second potential flashpoint.
While there is little doubt that ultras pride themselves on their violent confrontations with security forces on the principle shared by their brethren across the globe of ACAB, All Cops Are Bastards, the militants insist that they exclusively resort to violence in self-defence. That is more often than not the case with regimes that refuse to engage with their critics and opt instead for often bloody repression.
In the absence of due process, the assertion that ultras are terrorists has yet to be substantiated. Although Egyptians constitute the second largest contingent of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, the outing of some self-declared football fans-turned-Islamist fighters like Younes, a 22 year-old student at Cairo’s citadel of Islamic learning at Al-Azhar University, who joined the Islamic State (IS) the jihadist group that controls a swath of Syria and Iraq, fails to prove the ultras’ association as a group with terrorism.
More alarming for Mr Al Sisi is the cooperation between IS and Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, a Sinai-based group that has killed hundreds of members of the Egyptian security forces over the last year. “We will not be able to change the situation in Egypt from inside, but Egypt is to be opened from abroad,” Younes said in a Facebook interview with Reuters speaking as an Islamist fighter rather than a football fan.
James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies as Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, co-director of the Institute of Fan Culture of the University of Würzburg and the author of the blog, The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer, and a forthcoming book with the same title. |
There are times you wanna yell.
Enough!
Put petty interests aside and do right. Because the world can't take another tragedy. Alabama can't. Tuscaloosa can't. Our consciences can't.
We can't accept another Megan Rondini. Or we'll have to accept the blame.
Not just for what happened to her, but for what happens to others like her. For what's sure to happen to more and more women at the most vulnerable points of their lives.
Enough.
Rondini's the woman who said she was raped while a student at the University of Alabama. Her story appeared in Buzzfeed last week, a gripping tale of betrayal by all the institutions that were supposedly there to protect her.
The police failed her. The University failed her. DCH Regional Medical Center did not provide services she needed. In the end Megan took her own life. She killed herself. A community pushed her away when it should have pulled her close.
Megan Rondini (Facebook)
You can say rape happens everywhere, and it sadly does. You can say there are two sides to the story, and there always are. You can blame the women for what they wear, or how much they had to drink, or where they happen to be, but live with your own complicity if you do.
There must be change. For the women. For our souls.
But it has been hard to come by in Tuscaloosa.
Danielle Fincher, a young doctor who worked at DCH while in medical school, spent two years in Tuscaloosa pushing the hospital to institute a SANE (sexual assault nurse examiners) program, which treats victims with sensitivity and provides the resources they need. She was met with resistance she couldn't understand.
"The attitude was that if we don't talk about it, it doesn't exist," she said.
So she set out, through a University research project, to show how much it was needed. She collected data from 2010 to 2015, demonstrating, among other things, that only 6 percent of rape victims coming to the hospital in Tuscaloosa got the treatment recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Just 22 women out of 400 got what they needed.
PREVIOUS: Alabama turns rape victims into suspects
She and other advocates came up with a plan for a non-profit to house the program and provide all the care for rape victims and all the paperwork that would follow. It, like several other proposals over the last several decades, was ignored. Promises were made, but nothing happened.
"It was not a priority because it's an ugly topic," Fincher said. "In my experience they were not interested in being helpful."
It didn't make sense because the SANE program helps hospitals and women. It is endorsed by the big medical organizations and the DOJ and is present, Fincher said, in the schools or cities of every other Southeastern Conference school.
But not Tuscaloosa. There wasn't enough interest.
Not until Megan Rondini.
Maybe.
Last week, after the pressure of bad national press and a speech about Megan on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, the University and DCH sat to talk about finally making it happen.
On Friday, in a joint press release, they said this:
"A community group that includes the University of Alabama, DCH Regional Medical Center, victim advocates, the Tuscaloosa District Attorney's office, and area law enforcement is working together to establish a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program and a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) in Tuscaloosa County. Since last fall, the group has been working to implement the best model to have SANE-certified care for victims of sexual assault in the Tuscaloosa community. While this long-term solution is being implemented, DCH is training its staff in the SANE course curriculum."
Fincher remains skeptical. She will believe it when she sees it. There have been too many broken promises, and too little interest.
I hope she's wrong. Because it's past time to yell Enough!
It's time to do the right thing, to stop revictimizing women and start respecting them.
We'll hope for the best, and believe it when we finally see it.
John Archibald's column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register and AL.com. Write him at [email protected]. |
New Visualization and Hate Crime Mapping Tool Can Help Prevent Genocide
We are now ready to launch a visualization of the persecution against the Baha’i community in Iran, our longest standing situation of concern being monitored at The Sentinel Project.
Since November we have been using ThreatWiki, a genocide risk tracking and visualization platform to help monitor communities at risk of genocide around the world. This tool is an integral part of our Early Warning System to help us identify communities at risk of genocide.
What is Threatwiki’s role in identifying risk?
Operational Process Monitoring is a continuous process of tracking events in a situation of concern (SOC) to identify event patterns and key actors involved. Events are classified according to the Stages of Genocide Model, which defines nine processes that underlie every historical instance of genocide. The events tracked in Threatwiki are indicators that help us assess the risk of genocide and help us see how far the genocidal process has progressed.
Interested in learning more?
For technical details of this data visualization project, take a look at Jerome’s blog for information on using D3.js, Leaflet.js and Crossfilter.
Want to join us?
The technology team is currently looking for volunteers to continue the development of ThreatWiki, create new data visualization and work on our other IT projects such as Hatebase. Get in touch with us at [email protected] |
Forty years have passed, but ex-Redbird football player Phil Meyer can still conjure an emblematic memory of his former roommate and teammate Mike Zimmer ’79 from their time at Illinois State.
“He had a neck brace, and he was out by our apartment, in our back lot, punting the football,” said Meyer ’79, M.S. ’80, who is now the director of football operations at Southern Illinois University. “He was so determined to do something even if he couldn’t play. He’d punt that thing and go get it, just back and forth. So I remember him being very determined.”
Zimmer had just suffered what turned out to be a career-ending neck injury. Not long after he began a coaching career that has now spanned five decades, more than 5,000 miles over eight stops, and a range of high-level coaching jobs from small-college assistant to NFL head coach.
“I actually did not know what I was going to do,” said Zimmer, a physical education major who wasn’t sure he would even go into coaching after his injury. “I always wanted to stick around sports. Like most athletes, you think you are always going to play. I think the time when I was at Illinois State I kind of started thinking about coaching.”
He reached the coaching summit last year when he was named head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings gave the 59-year-old Peoria native his first head coaching gig, making him the first Redbird to become a head coach in the NFL.
Zimmer immediately turned a Vikings defense that had placed last in points allowed the previous season into one of the league’s better defensive teams.
“I think the biggest thing is getting the players on the same page, making sure they are held accountable and that you’re clear about the things you are asking them to do,” Zimmer said. “Try to figure out what the players can do and then ask them to do it as opposed to the things they can’t do.”
The Vikings finished with a 7-9 record, a respectable result considering the team had to deal with the nearly season-long absence of star running back Adrian Peterson due to his implication in a child abuse case.
“There were some obstacles we had to overcome,” Zimmer said. “We had a coach suspended for a couple of games. We lost our running back for quite a while. We had to play in a different stadium because they are building a new stadium here. We did some good things, just not good enough.”
Zimmer knew he was facing a challenge from the start despite the team starting the season with a 34-6 win over the St. Louis Rams. “I didn’t think it was going to be easy, because I’ve been in this business for a long time. Even the year we won the Super Bowl was one of the hardest coaching years I have ever had,” he said, recalling the 1995–1996 Dallas Cowboys’ championship run. He coached defensive backs for the team at the time.
“I understand it’s a week-to-week proposition,” Zimmer said. His hardest adjustment has been dealing with the media. “You have to do it every single day as a head coach,” he said.
“Really football-wise, it’s not a big change. I’m more concerned with how we can improve the facilities. You’re focused more on one side of the ball as a coordinator. Now you’re focused on every position and how you can get better as a football team that way.”
Zimmer’s preparation for the challenge has come through a remarkable journey. The onetime college quarterback made his name as a defensive guru. He persevered through a 35-year apprenticeship as an assistant coach and dealt with a huge blow in 2009 when his wife, Vikki, died unexpectedly of natural causes at the age of 50.
A three-sport athlete in high school—baseball, football, and wrestling—Zimmer was a good enough quarterback to be recruited by several universities. He chose Illinois State based partly on his father, Bill. A Hall of Fame football and wrestling coach at Lockport High School, the elder Zimmer had a good relationship with the Redbird coaches.
Injuries derailed Zimmer early in his playing career. He broke the thumb on his throwing hand during spring practice of his sophomore year and was moved to linebacker—a position he had never played. The experiment didn’t last long. Zimmer injured his neck in spring practice and again early the following season, ending his playing days. Doctors at Mayo Clinic used some of his hip bone to fuse his vertebrae.
Redbird assistant football coach Ted Schmitz encouraged Zimmer to become a student assistant. He accepted the offer and spent the next two seasons as a defensive coach under Schmitz. The friendship is one of many that remain from his days at Illinois State.
“You meet a lot of great people in college, people I still stay in touch with, guys I played football with,” Zimmer said. “There is just a special connection when you go to school somewhere: We’re all Redbirds.”
After graduation, Zimmer was hired as a part-time coach at the University of Missouri. He hitched on with longtime college coach Mike Price, who chose Zimmer as his defensive coordinator at Weber State in Utah and later at Washington State.
In 1994 Dallas Cowboys defensive backs coach Dave Campo recruited Zimmer to be the nickel back coach for the Cowboys. Their third Super Bowl in four seasons a year later was with a team featuring future Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Charles Haley.
“We had great players,” Zimmer said. “They always believed they were going to win. It was a lot of fun and a lot pressure because you had to win.” Zimmer spent 13 seasons in Dallas under four head coaches and the omnipresent and flamboyant owner Jerry Jones.
As defensive coordinator in 2003, Zimmer helped the Cowboys lead the league in fewest yards allowed and finish second in scoring defense. There was speculation that he would become Dallas’ head coach, but the Cowboys hired Wade Phillips instead.
“There were a lot of rumors. But you know, you never really know,” Zimmer said. “Everywhere I was I tried to do the best job I could. I kind of let other things fall into place.”
Zimmer landed in Cincinnati in 2008. Once again he transformed a weak defense into a perennial top 10 unit. Zimmer also became something of a star on the HBO series Hard Knocks, which followed the Bengals during the preseason and caught Zimmer’s sometimes obscenity-laced exchanges with his players.
“Those are just some outbursts that typically I have with players. I think that gets overblown a little bit,” said Zimmer, who is optimistic about the upcoming season. The team is filled with good young players led by emerging quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Zimmer’s former Redbird coach shares the optimism.
“I think he did a great job last year,” Schmitz said. “He didn’t have the defensive studs. He didn’t have the running back he wanted. He’ll do a great job this year.”
Statistics provided in this story came from pro-footballreference.com. NFL photos courtesy of Minnesota Vikings. |
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- The City of New Haven will celebrate 379 Years of Tradition, Innovation and Idealism on April 24th. The people of New Haven will get the opportunity to reflect on the city's many milestones.
New Haven was a founding city of the United States, and it has the oldest city green in the nation.
New Haven City Hall will also mark some recent achievements, such as pharmaceutical research, transportation, and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge.
This year, Mayor Toni Harp will also recognize some "firsts" for the Elm City, including:
The arrival of the city's semi-professional soccer team The Elm City Express this summer
The launch of three self-guided walking tour books celebrating three of New Haven's most storied neighborhoods: Lower Dixwell, Wooster Square and Downtown.
The launch of Espejismo, an art installation that invites its audience to reflect on the perspectives of others and share personal thoughts about seeing and being seen.
The upcoming signing of a formal Sister Cities Alliance with Changsha, the provincial Capital of Hunan in China, championed by The Yale-China Association.
The dedication of 3 murals depicting historical moments and "memory" of New Haven in City made possible by the family of Albert George.
The celebration will begin Monday at 4:15 p.m. at New Haven City Hall. |
She was one of the longest serving members of the Justice Society of America, and the latest in a pantheon of heroes going back to the original Golden Age hero of Star Man. But for all of that, Stargirl is only a teenager. And could be her biggest strength.
DC’s Stargirl was recently inducted into the Justice League of America team by Geoff Johns and David Finch, serving as one of the team’s youngest members ever. Despite her age however, the young woman born Courtney Whitmore has a long history in comics. Stargirl was created by a young Geoff Johns in 1999’s Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.S. #0, and based lovingly on Johns’ own sister who died tragically in the 1995 TW Flight 800 accident. On numerous occasions Johns has been quoted as saying she’s his favorite character in the DCU, and now with him as the publisher’s chief writer and Chief Creative Officer she is getting her biggest stage yet to go into action.
In this week’s Where Do I Start?, I look back at the character’s 14 year history in comics and pull together five texts that will give you all you need to know on DC’s young starlet.
Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Vol. 1 & Vol. 2: Before Geoff Johns was “Geoff Johns,” he was a young comics writer trying to make his way in the industry. DC gave him that chance by doing a modern day revamp of the classic heroic duo of the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, and thus came Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Partnering with artists Lee Moder, Scott Kolins and Chris Weston, Johns introduced Stargirl (then going by the mantle name of Star-Spangled Kid) as an enterprising heroine who found her stepfather’s superhero gear and takes up the family business. Her stepfather, the original Stripesy, builds a suit of armor to stand by her and protect her as S.T.R.I.P.E. – Special Tactics Robotic Integrated Power Enhancer. Through fifteen issues collected in these 2 trades, Johns and Co. tell a great little father-and-daughter hero story that stands on its own as great comics.
JSA: Fair Play (Vol. 4) : Shortly after her debut in Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E.S., Stargirl joins with other legacy heroes in the historic Justice Society of America title, JSA. This fourth volume shows her very early on in her membership, including one particularly great issue – #29 — where she and Jakeem Thunder are left alone to fend off Solomon Grundy — the villain who killed her predecessor, Star-Spangled Kid. Grundy is even more vicious than usual thanks to a dose of the Joker’s chemicals, but Stargirl and Jakeem finally fend him off in a last ditch effort that leaves Grundy charred from the inside out by Thunderbolt.
Sins of Youth: Starwoman & The JSA Jr.: This is part of the excellent “Sins of Youth” crossover that has it’s own collection, but just one story really focuses on Stargirl — or rather, Starwoman. In this story, Stargirl was transformed into an older version of herself and forced to live up to the standard’s of the original Star-Spangled Kid’s sister, Merry Pemberton, who feels Stargirl never lived up to the family mantle. Stargirl eventually proves herself, and is a major moment for her on her path to becoming a hero.
JSA: Black Vengeance: It all begins with the murder of Stargirl’s parents by the time traveling villain Per Degaton. Determined, Stargirl and the JSA go back in time themselves to the 1950s to save her family. The story features Stargirl fighting for family, but also dealing with her on-again, off-again romance with the traitorous Atom Smasher.
Justice Society of America: Black Adam & Isis (Vol. 5): This collection of 2009-era stories has a trio of great Stargirl-centric stories, most notably #26 — “Black Adam Ruined My Birthday!” In it, Stargirl is bummed about how a recent battle with Black Adam spoiled her plans for a birthday party only to be given a surprise party by the JSA. There’s some great moments here for all of the characters, including one of Starman bestowing Stargirl with her own costume and Cosmic Rod. The climax of the story is when Stargirl goes to the dentist to finally remove her braces — but I won’t spoil that ending. |
An AFAR editor shares how her attempt to escape reality ended up giving her a large dose of it.
Last year, I set out on an open-ended backpacking trip through Central and South America with one of my best friends from childhood. She and I had one-way plane tickets, much-too-heavy backpacks, and an agreement that we wanted to go “everywhere,” see “everything,” and avoid what we considered the “real world” for as long as we could afford to.
I fantasized about the concept of travel and the ways in which the places I would go and the things I would see were going to enhance the quality of my life, change me for the better, and make me happy—permanently. What I was unprepared for were the much less glamorous—but much more impactful—perspectives I ended up gaining when things didn’t go the way I had anticipated. We expect travel to offer us new experiences and a personal escape from the contraints of the societies we know, but the reality is, meaningful travel isn’t a relief from the “real world”—it’s a direct confrontation with it.
Here’s what I truly learned from a year of travel—how my attempt to escape reality, in effect, gave me a large dose of it.
1. Leaving the place you call home doesn’t mean avoiding life’s happenstances or only experiencing the good ones. The same things that can happen to you in your “real life” can, might, and probably will happen wherever you go. Receiving bad news in my personal life was just as devastating to deal with on a white-sand beach in Colombia as it would’ve been from my couch in California. The reality is, you’ll face good and bad things no matter where you are. Regardless, you’ll have to pack your baggage (literally and figuratively) and keep moving—and there’s nothing more valuable than the confidence of knowing through experience that you can do so, even when it’s uncomfortable.
2. Some of your best memories will happen in the most unexpected places, and some of your worst moments will happen in the places that were at the top of your must-do list. I fantasized about the beaches of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras for months before leaving for Central and South America. Those beaches were beautiful, but what turned out to be one of my fondest memories was the warm hospitality of my hospital roommate’s family when I spent three days hooked up to an IV with a 103-degree fever in an emergency room on the border between Brazil and Uruguay. The experiences you’ll cherish and learn from may be the ones you never saw coming.
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Photo by Sarah Buder Never-ending beaches in Utila, Honduras.
Photo by Sarah Buder A normal day's view from a bus in Peru.
Photo by Sarah Buder A coffee farmer in Salento, Colombia.
. Let your plans change. May I say that again? Let your plans change. While in Colombia, my travel mate and I decided to switch arrangements last minute in order to reunite with another backpacker we’d met a few months earlier. To do so, we skipped out on visiting a widely known adventure hub town in Colombia. We ended up at a weekend-long traditional Afro-Colombian music festival in a city that we didn’t previously know existed. We didn’t paraglide over the Andes as we’d expected to in the town we had been planning to visit—instead, we spent four nights dancing ourselves clean, surrounded by thousands of enthusiastic Colombians in the world capital of salsa. Be open to experience and let the world surprise you.. Making snap decisions based on nothing more than urgent necessity is not only totally fine, but it’s also going to happen often. On the way to La Paz , my travel mate and I had a rude awakening when we discovered that our bus, which stopped to allow all of its passengers (including us) a five-minute bathroom break, had just left without us—but with all of our belongings. We immediately determined, with a quick, wordless glance, that this wouldn’t be the day we’d be losing all of our possessions. Instantly, she ran in one direction and I in the other, pleading with every local we could find (in frantic and broken Spanish) to help us track down the runaway bus. An extremely kind man let us hop in his car and (speedily) drove us up, and down, and left, and right, through those windy Andean roads, chasing the bus until we got our things back. Whenever there comes a time in which I need to believe in myself, I think back to that road in Bolivia and remember the day it almost all went awry—but it didn’t, because we handled it. I also remember the importance of accepting help from others, because sometimes it’s as simple as you can’t do it alone.There will be plenty of people you’ll merely cross paths with, but there will be many others whom you’ll quickly and delightfully grow to care about. One night, in the candle-lit living room of the hostel in Guatemala I’d spent months volunteering at, I looked around the room filled with laughing, dirty backpackers from all over the world and felt like I was surrounded by my closest friends—and at that moment, I was. Inevitably, saying good-bye will become a constant. It will make you feel like an incredibly small person in a tremendously large world, and that will be important. The people you meet can leave a surprisingly lasting impact on your life if you allow them to—impressions that will linger in your mind far longer than any view will, no matter how magnificent. You’ll often find that we humans are all totally different and exactly alike at the same time.and the things that wowed you at the beginning of your trip might no longer excite you the same way. Things that should not seem mundane might start to feel just the slightest bit ordinary. The beautifully detailed 16th-century cathedral I toured in Quito didn’t seem quite as remarkable because I’d seen intricate architecture in the last 10 cities I’d visited. My eyes glazed over at the sight of hundreds of cows grazing the roadside fields in Ecuador because I passed cows on every bus trip (and I took a lot of bus trips).Here’s the thing: No matter where you are in the world, no matter how exotic your location, there will always be times when you’ll have to consciously work to maintain your sense of wonder. Your experience is only what you make of it and later what you attempt to learn from it. That will be true anywhere, whether you’re across the globe or down the street from the place you call home.Embarking on a long-term adventure means making a constant commitment to staying amazed at and excited about the life you’re living, the world around you, and the things ahead. And as it turns out, that might be the most useful skill you could ever learn—no matter where you are, no matter what you’re looking at. |
Delhi will file 16 cases against Washington for violating WTO treaties, local media report. India says some American programs in the renewable energy sector are “inconsistent” with global standards.
When asked whether Delhi is planning to “to file 16 cases against the US for violating WTO treaties," Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replied positively.
India to file 16 cases against US for WTO treaty violation https://t.co/nNWY2i0I5Lpic.twitter.com/SvurqHPi8i — Hindustan Times (@htTweets) May 11, 2016
According to the Indian minister, quoted by local media, the American programs at the sub-federal level are inconsistent with WTO rules, in particular with the GATT (General Agreement on Tariff and Trade) 1994, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and/or the TRIMS (Trade-Related Investment Measures) Agreement.
READ MORE: Ukraine to file complaint with WTO over Russia’s trade embargo
In February, the US won a ruling against India at the WTO. Washington accused Delhi of allowing procurements for solar panels entirely produced in India, which hurt American exports.
The US said its solar exports to India had fallen by 90 percent from 2011, when India introduced the restrictive rules. The WTO panel found the requirement under India’s national solar programme to be inconsistent with its treaty rules. |
President Donald Trump speaking at the White House. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images President Donald Trump has asked National Security Council staff to come up with "deliverables" that he can offer to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Germany next week, The Guardian reported Thursday.
It is unclear what those deliverables would look like, but they could include an offer to ease sanctions — which the Trump administration has reportedly looked into at least twice since January — or to give back the Russian diplomatic compounds that President Barack Obama ordered evacuated in December. Obama issued new sanctions and closed the facilities in response to Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
The news comes on the heels of a report published by The Associated Press last week that said Trump had been pushing for a full bilateral meeting with Putin rather than just an informal "pull-aside" on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.
It is unclear what Trump would ask for in return for such concessions, if anything. A former official familiar with the debate inside the White House told The Guardian that the NSC had resisted "offering anything up without anything back in return."
A White House official recently told Business Insider that the administration would not lift or alter the existing sanctions until Moscow "fully honors its commitments to resolve the crisis in Ukraine." But the White House has twice looked into lifting the sanctions since January, including just days after the president's inauguration.
Tom Malinowski, who stepped down as Obama's assistant secretary of state for human rights on January 19, said in an interview earlier this month that if those efforts had been successful, it would have given the Russians "exactly what they wanted in exchange for absolutely nothing."
"As you would expect for a president who campaigned on getting rid of impediments to chummy US-Russia relations, his administration immediately started charting ways forward to achieving that," Malinowski said.
Malinowski said that he and Daniel Fried, who was the chief US coordinator for sanctions policy until he retired in late February, had to lobby Congress to halt the development of the sanctions-lifting package after government officials began ringing "alarm bells about possible concessions being made" to Russia.
The president's defenders say that offering such concessions is a standard diplomatic technique. Others, however, have said the Russians would most likely perceive an offer to roll back sanctions or return the compounds, while asking for little or nothing in return, as a sign of weakness.
"This isn't how negotiation with the Kremlin works," said Molly McKew, an expert on information warfare and a foreign-policy consultant. "If you go in prepared to offer things for ???, you already conceded too much."
But top administration and intelligence officials have reportedly been struggling to convey to Trump the gravity of the threat posed by Russia's election meddling, according to CNN.
Former FBI Director James Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee in testimony earlier this month that Trump never asked him about Russia's interference in the US election as it related to national security in their nine conversations before Trump fired him in May. And National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers told lawmakers in a recent closed-door briefing that he was struggling to persuade Trump to accept the intelligence community's conclusions about Russia's interference, CNN reported.
The Guardian report also follows news that the White House is pushing to remove a key portion of a new Russia sanctions bill passed by the Senate earlier this month that would require the president to inform Congress before taking any action that could alter the sanctions regime.
"There are some provisions in the Senate bill that would inadvertently impair the Treasury's ability to wield its sanctions tools (as we did the other day), risk endangering the trans-Atlantic sanctions coalition, and weaken the administration's ability to credibly signal that it would calibrate our sanctions in response to Russian behavior," a White House official told Business Insider last week.
The official added that while the administration "remains committed" to the existing sanctions and to working with Congress, any effort to alter or remove those provisions "is ultimately a bid to preserve the idea of co-equal branches of government."
"This isn't about sanctions on Russia," the official said. "It is about Congress trying to usurp the executive branch's prerogative to conduct US foreign policy." |
In the TWS newsletter Dispatches, Col. James Moschgat, USAF retired, recounts that while a cadet at the Air Force Academy in the 1970s, his and his fellow cadets' barracks were kept spic-and-span clean by a nondescript old janitor, Bill, who went about his work quietly and efficiently, attracting little attention from the busy young men whose living quarters he maintained. His was a life of just getting by, while theirs were just getting started and aiming high, so there was little to be exchanged between shy old Bill Crawford and these youthful cadets beyond quick "good mornings" and other impersonal greetings made in brief encounters.
I've been meaning to write about this for a couple of months after it first turned up in an emailed newsletter from a veterans' group, Together We Served , of which I'm a member, but all the election and political hoopla kept diverting my attention. Even so, throughout the approaching Christmas season, my mind kept returning to this wonderful story and the life lessons it taught a squadron of America's finest young future leaders and how those same lessons can benefit us all. Now, as we approach the New Year and many of us make resolutions, it is a certainty that you can find inspiration for at least a couple in this story.
This, of course, they did, and laconic old Bill confessed, "Yep, that's me." For the rest of this very emotion-filled and heartwarming story, you really do need to click here to read Colonel Moschgat's account at Together We Served. I promise you that it will make your day better just reading how those cadets changed in their interactions with Bill Crawford. There are a couple of great pics of Bill and some excellent leadership guidelines listed by Col. Moschgat that this experience instilled in him as a future Air Force officer. And if you click on the colonel's link to Homeofheroes.com, there is an additional surprise to this story.
On September 13, 1943, a Pvt. William Crawford from Colorado, assigned to the 36th Infantry Division, had been involved in some bloody fighting on Hill 424 near Altavilla, Italy. "William Crawford's Medal of Honor Citation." The words on the page leapt out at me, "in the face of intense and overwhelming hostile fire... with no regard for personal safety... on his own initiative, Private Crawford single-handedly attacked fortified enemy positions." It continued, "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, the President of the United States..." "Holy cow," I said to my roommate, "you're not going to believe this, but I think our janitor is a Medal of Honor recipient." We all knew Mr. Crawford was a World War II Army vet, but that didn't keep my friend from looking at me as if I was some sort of alien being. Nonetheless, we couldn't wait to ask Bill about the story.
That all changed one weekend in 1976, when Cadet Moschgat was reading a history of WWII and came across an account that stunned him of a battle in Italy. I'll let him tell it:
I've been meaning to write about this for a couple of months after it first turned up in an emailed newsletter from a veterans' group, Together We Served, of which I'm a member, but all the election and political hoopla kept diverting my attention. Even so, throughout the approaching Christmas season, my mind kept returning to this wonderful story and the life lessons it taught a squadron of America's finest young future leaders and how those same lessons can benefit us all. Now, as we approach the New Year and many of us make resolutions, it is a certainty that you can find inspiration for at least a couple in this story.
In the TWS newsletter Dispatches, Col. James Moschgat, USAF retired, recounts that while a cadet at the Air Force Academy in the 1970s, his and his fellow cadets' barracks were kept spic-and-span clean by a nondescript old janitor, Bill, who went about his work quietly and efficiently, attracting little attention from the busy young men whose living quarters he maintained. His was a life of just getting by, while theirs were just getting started and aiming high, so there was little to be exchanged between shy old Bill Crawford and these youthful cadets beyond quick "good mornings" and other impersonal greetings made in brief encounters.
That all changed one weekend in 1976, when Cadet Moschgat was reading a history of WWII and came across an account that stunned him of a battle in Italy. I'll let him tell it:
On September 13, 1943, a Pvt. William Crawford from Colorado, assigned to the 36th Infantry Division, had been involved in some bloody fighting on Hill 424 near Altavilla, Italy.
"William Crawford's Medal of Honor Citation."
The words on the page leapt out at me, "in the face of intense and overwhelming hostile fire... with no regard for personal safety... on his own initiative, Private Crawford single-handedly attacked fortified enemy positions." It continued, "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, the President of the United States..."
"Holy cow," I said to my roommate, "you're not going to believe this, but I think our janitor is a Medal of Honor recipient." We all knew Mr. Crawford was a World War II Army vet, but that didn't keep my friend from looking at me as if I was some sort of alien being. Nonetheless, we couldn't wait to ask Bill about the story.
This, of course, they did, and laconic old Bill confessed, "Yep, that's me." For the rest of this very emotion-filled and heartwarming story, you really do need to click here to read Colonel Moschgat's account at Together We Served. I promise you that it will make your day better just reading how those cadets changed in their interactions with Bill Crawford. There are a couple of great pics of Bill and some excellent leadership guidelines listed by Col. Moschgat that this experience instilled in him as a future Air Force officer. And if you click on the colonel's link to Homeofheroes.com, there is an additional surprise to this story. |
She could keep her public remarks simple and bland. Lord knows enough athletes do that. Anyway, her bio is exemplary: She went to Duke on an academic scholarship and graduated in 2009 with a double major in international relations and African-American studies, and a minor in Arabic. She was also a three-time All-American in fencing. She's a suburban Jersey kid by birth whose father is a retired narcotics detective, and her mother is a soon-to-be retired special ed teacher. And she shares their zeal for public service.
Since committing full time to chase an Olympic berth in 2009, she's ridden the PATH train to nearby New York City to train on weekdays and to mentor the 200 or so kids who show up every Saturday morning at a fencing foundation run by six-time U.S. Olympian Peter Westbrook. When she speaks to those kids or to other groups, which is often, she frequently closes her talks by urging people to be proactive in their communities, and she encourages women and girls to overcome their timidity, dream big, think outside the box -- same as she once did.
She has a poise that's striking, a smile that's hard to forget, and a tenderness that is palpable. She makes no claims to phony toughness, admitting, "I struggled as a kid," with feeling different. She now runs her own clothing business, Louella, which is named after her grandmother, on top of everything else and counts herself as an eloquent example of the way sports can change someone's life. Her mother, Denise, sometimes worries about her -- "I don't want her to lose sight of having fun," she told ESPN in 2011. "I tell her, 'You don't have to carry our entire community on your shoulders.'"
A devout Muslim, Ibtihaj Muhammad says, "I feel I can handle it." (Pronounced: Ib-tee-haj.)
Yet none of that spared 30-year-old Muhammad from having a total stranger ask her if she was a "terrorist" who intended to "blow something up" as she walked through Times Square in mid-April, minding her own business. Muhammad photographed the man and posted his image on Twitter.
As I'm walking down the street, this guy asks if I'm going to blow something up, follows me & says I look suspicious pic.twitter.com/k3jlhFPT7F — Ibtihaj Muhammad (@IbtihajMuhammad) April 16, 2016
Nor was Muhammad spared from having an official in Austin at the South by Southwest conference in March from ordering her to remove her hijab -- the religious head covering that she wears -- before he'd take her photo for her panelist credential. When Muhammad explained why she couldn't remove it, the man scoffed and said, "Well, you're in Texas now."
She says, "At first I thought he was kidding."
Muhammad, who will become the first American athlete to compete at the Olympics in a hijab at the Rio Olympics in August, is philosophical about such incidents as she calmly recounts them. Her gaze is direct. Her temperament even. Yes, she could've chosen to deflect questions about her Muslim faith and being one of the few African-Americans in her sport. But it's a fallacy to think that would've made her life any easier.
So, as she's jokingly said, "I'm just your basic Hijabi Zorro."
There will be other athletes in Rio who are better known than Muhammad, though she is a legitimate medal hopeful in the team and individual sabre events. But it is hard to think of anyone whose symbolism is more important. She has taken her messages of tolerance and what life as a Muslim-American woman is like everywhere she goes, be it "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (where she did a hilarious fencing demonstration with DeGeneres' sidekick Andy Zeron), to interviews she did after she was named to Time Magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2016. In February, she was invited to a private meeting that President Barack Obama held with other prominent Muslim-Americans before he gave a speech at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, his first visit in office to an American mosque.
"Where's my Olympian? Stand up," Obama said before his talk, scanning the audience of hundreds that Muhammad was sitting among, wanting her to rise and hear the applause.
Muhammad prefers to emphasize positive examples like that when describing what her path to the Olympics has become. But she does not shrink from asserting Muslims and minorities should enjoy the same rights and protections in America as anyone else because, "I feel like I owe it to my community, I owe it to people who look like me and fight struggles every day, to hear something different. It's up to all us to combat these things. I have to speak up because I know there were people before me that did it."
She constantly says, "I'm blessed to be in this position."
And this: "I wasn't going to allow other people's misconceptions to change my journey."
So, when reporters inquire about what kind of online harassment she receives on her Twitter or Instagram accounts, Muhammad smiles and says, "Oh, sure, there are internet trolls everywhere. But that's what the delete button is for. And I use it." If asked for examples of prejudice she's experienced, she often diverts the discussion instead to the "hundreds of positive messages that cancel them out," or how after taking up fencing for the first time as a 13-year-old girl, she felt wearing the masked headgear and full-length uniform that covered her body had much the same effect as wearing the hijab: She feels it "liberates" her.
A New Jersey native, Muhammad will be the first U.S. athlete to compete in a hijab in the Olympics. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
"Something I definitely struggled with as a kid was traveling to different schools and different communities and hearing that I made people uncomfortable because of my skin color, because of my religion," she says. "Being covered allows people to see me for my skills and my ideas."
Muhammad knows history. She knows the regard that Muslims are experiencing now in America has had ugly precedents and parallels in our past. The Japanese kamikaze pilots of World War II were regarded with the same horror around the world that jihadist suicide bombers are now. America's response then -- ripping Japanese-Americans out of their homes and throwing them into internment camps -- remains an ugly blot on our history. Similarly, African-Americans have spoken out about being punished for the "crime of being black" since the founding of this country.
What America promises all of its people and what it delivers is often at odds with Dr. Martin Luther King's famous wish that everyone be judged for the content of his or her character. Muhammad feels to be silent, especially at this point in American history, would be indefensible. After the 9/11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center happened 30 minutes away from her family's home in New Jersey, her mother said there was "panic" in their home that night. In the weeks to come, her five children were harassed and she was sometimes screamed at as she drove down the street wearing her hijab. Fifteen years later, it could still happen.
Muhammad has traveled to 30 countries as part of her work and admits she's had to trim in even how late she goes out at night for dinner. She has feared being prevented from boarding flights on the way to her Olympic qualifying meets because of her hijab or fencing equipment she carries.
"We're living in a time where people feel comfortable spewing their hate and harassing the innocent on our streets. We need change," Muhammad tweeted after her incident with the heckler in Times Square.
After Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump demanded that all Muslims be barred from entering the country in response to terror attacks in San Bernardino, California, and around the world, and suggested a national registry for Muslims, Muhammad spoke out forcefully again.
Every weekday, Muhammad commutes into New York to train. The Rio Games will be her Olympic debut. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
"Unfortunately, we have people who are in the presidential race who are providing a platform for hate speech and fearmongering," Muhammad told London's Daily Mail, "and they're creating a space where it's acceptable to speak out against immigrants, to speak out against Muslims and to really publicize this inherent racism that I feel a lot of people have. It creates a really scary environment, and I fear for the safety of minorities in our country. It's becoming more and more acceptable for people to voice their fascist beliefs and it's upsetting.
"I'm hopeful that things will change and soon, because I fear that history is repeating itself. The Civil Rights Movement wasn't that long ago. Segregation wasn't that long ago. Japanese internment wasn't that long ago. And when you think things like you want to ban Muslims from entering the country or you want to build a wall to separate the U.S. from Mexico [as Trump has also said], I think these are things that are reminiscent of really dark times within, not just our country, but worldwide."
Sometimes fear and prejudice talk louder than fairness.
"When I hear people here say they want to throw all Muslims back to 'their' country," Muhammad says, "I think, 'Well, where am I going to go?' I'm American, you know? I've never questioned myself as an American or my position here. This is my home. This is who I am. My family has always been here. We're American by birth. This is all that I know. I feel American to my bones."
Muhammad happened to be standing in the middle of Times Square again as she said that. This time there wasn't a bigot taunting her. She was appearing in late April along with dozens of other American athletes at the U.S. Olympic Committee's "100 Days from Rio" event that was open to the public. She had just spent part of her morning teaching first lady Michelle Obama and 15 to 20 children a few tips about fencing, at times jousting with comically long foam swords that made them laugh.
When asked a couple hours later how she was holding up after speaking to wave and after wave of visitors and reporters, Muhammad sighed and said, "Oh, do I look tired?"
No, someone responded, you seem buoyant.
Laughing now, she said, "I try." |
Bernie’s political revolution will be strangled if it remains imprisoned within the corporate-controlled Democratic Party. Sanders needs to run all the way through November and lay the groundwork for a new party of the 99%.
In the aftermath of Clinton’s decisive victories in South Carolina and most Super Tuesday states, Bernie Sanders’ campaign stands at a crossroads. Even as he reaches new heights of popular support in national polls – topping Clinton in several – it’s becoming increasingly clear that Sanders’ hopes for victory within the corporate-dominated Democratic Party primaries is extremely unlikely to succeed.
Pointing to Clinton’s 200+ earned delegate lead after Super Tuesday, the respected polling analysts at FiveThirtyEight.com quipped that “something truly crazy would have to happen for Sanders to win the nomination.”
Millions are naturally asking: How can they be coronating Clinton already, when national polls have Bernie neck-and-neck with Hillary, and when the vast majority of the country hasn’t even voted yet?
In answer, the talking heads in the corporate media are again rolling out their tired arguments about how Bernie Sanders and his democratic socialism are just too far left for American voters. In fact, Sanders campaign has received enormous support and far more grassroots enthusiasm than Clinton. The problem is not Bernie’s left-wing, working-class policies, it is that the big business Democratic Party is profoundly hostile terrain for such a campaign.
The Democratic Party primary elections are, by design, skewed to favor the pro-capitalist establishment that dominates the party. Especially since the redesign of the process after the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s, the entire primary process – from the super delegates to front-loading the more conservative southern states – is designed as an undemocratic firewall against left insurgent campaigns.
An Historic Campaign
Despite challenging Clinton in an electoral terrain stacked against left and working-class forces, Bernie Sanders’ campaign has achieved stunning, historic successes. Overcoming a near blackout in the corporate media throughout 2015, using mass rallies and social media, Sanders went from single-digit support in national polls to a dead-heat with Clinton by early February.
Bernie’s campaign has captured the imagination and raised the expectations of millions. It has demonstrated that it is possible to build a viable grassroots political revolution, completely independent of corporate cash, and capable of challenging the corporate stranglehold over politics.
Among young people – including young women who were “supposed” to flock to Clinton – Sanders’ call for a political revolution and socialist policies – like free higher education – has won overwhelming support. Sanders raised $42 million in February alone from a record-setting 1.4 million individual donors, outperforming Clinton for the second month in a row (not including the her unlimited Super PAC donations). This is utterly unprecedented for a candidate who refuses corporate contributions.
The grassroots movement behind Bernie wants to fight on, fueled by a healthy determination to overcome all obstacles. This is the spirit driving Socialist Alternative members across the country who have mobilized thousands through #MarchForBernie actions, “Labor for Bernie” activities, public debates, and mass community outreach.
Despite these dramatic successes, the Sanders campaign has failed to win over any significant section of the Democratic Party establishment to challenge Wall Street’s domination of their party. Especially revealing is the failure of Senator Elizabeth Warren to endorse Sanders. In this negative sense, the Sanders campaign is re-affirming what Socialist Alternative has long argued: Building a new mass party for working people is a far more viable project than transforming the Democrats from a party of big business into a vehicle to fight for working class interests.
How is Clinton Winning?
We argued in our previous articles that for Sanders to win, it would require an historic and unprecedented upsurge in voter turnout in the primaries, especially from young voters. This could only happen as part of a massive social upheaval and politicization of U.S. society.
So far the voter turnout has not in any way reached such proportions. The biggest factor favoring Clinton in this regard remains the deep alienation and disgust most workers and young people feel toward “politics,” a mood created by the repeated failures of the Democratic and Republican parties themselves. Most workers and young people won’t even start paying attention until the last months of general election. The minority who do vote in the primary skew heavily toward an older, wealthier, and loyally Democratic electorate.
It would be a fundamental mistake to allow this unrepresentative minority of voters to block the Sanders campaign from reaching a majority of working people in the general election with his far-reaching message.
On the terrain of the electorate participating in the primaries, the weight of the Democratic Party machine has a major impact. The establishment of elected officials, party insiders, and wealthy donors use their power and links to influence unions, civil rights and community groups, and church leaders to turn out their base.
This influence was shown graphically by the role the vast majority of union leaders played in mobilizing the power of labor behind the candidate of the Democratic Party machine without any serious opportunity for their members to debate or decide. While tens of thousands of the most active and fighting union members resisted this top-down effort, and Sanders eventually won several important union endorsements, it was not enough. In the end the power of the labor movement was a key factor in Clinton’s early wins in Iowa, and especially Nevada, which served to reverse Sanders momentum.
The power of the mass media is deployed to undermine anti-corporate campaigns and prop up establishment candidates like Clinton. From the media’s sensationalized coverage of Trump to their policy of ignoring or negatively covering Sanders, their election coverage is a textbook example of the power of the corporate media to shape public opinion.
Only through building up organized class conscious forces – independent working class movements, political parties, and media – can the power of the corporate media be systematically undermined on a mass scale.
On top of all this is the colossal mountain of Wall Street and corporate donations amassed by Clinton and her Super PACs. Despite the historic success of Sanders amassing over four million individual donations, Clinton’s virtually unlimited supply of corporate cash remains a major institutional advantage.
Time to Draw Conclusions
When Sanders launched his presidential bid last year, Socialist Alternative welcomed his campaign’s bold pro-worker message. At the same time we argued that Bernie was “making a fundamental mistake by running in the Democratic Party primary. Instead… he should run as an independent to help build a political alternative to the corporate-owned political parties. There is a glaring contradiction between Sanders’ call for a political revolution against the billionaire class and attempting to carry that out within a party controlled by that same billionaire class.”
Despite our clear disagreement with Sanders decision to run in the Democratic Party, we did not stand aside from his campaign or denounce it from the sidelines, as unfortunately many on the socialist left did. Instead, we worked in a non-sectarian fashion to support Bernie’s left-wing campaign while openly raising our political disagreements along the way. Meanwhile Sanders and his supporters tested out their strategy of trying to take over the Democratic Party.
While it is true that Sanders was able to reach a mass audience by running in the Democratic primaries and participating in the televised debates with Clinton, it is now increasingly clear that this experiment will fail. Despite the historic scale of Sanders’ challenge, the corporate establishment retained firm control of their party and are proving capable of denying Sanders the nomination.
Sanders strategy of trying to carry out a political revolution through the Democratic Party has now been tested. We must face up to the reality that it will not work. It’s time for Bernie, and more importantly, for his supporters, to draw all the necessary conclusions from this experience. If the movement does not break free from the straightjacket of the corporate-controlled Democratic Party it will be used as a left-wing prop for the Walmart, Wall Street, pro-war Clinton campaign.
As we wrote when Bernie launched his campaign: “Sanders has said he will endorse the Democratic nominee, which is very likely to be Hillary Clinton … This will mean that those mobilized by Sanders will be told to support a pro-corporate Democrat, the exact opposite of a ‘revolution’ against the ‘billionaires and oligarchs.’ This could result in the demoralization of those mobilized by the idea of fighting corporate power and the loss of a historic opportunity.”
The impact of the millions mobilized for a political revolution in Sanders’ campaign against the billionaire class being pushed to embrace a candidate of the billionaire class will mean the demoralization, demobilization, and shipwreck of the movement. Bernie Sanders’ campaign has opened up the best potential in decades to build an ongoing political movement to challenge the corporate establishment of both major parties. But this will be tragically undermined unless we get organized – independent of the Democratic Party – to continue and deepen the political revolution, through November and beyond.
That’s why Socialist Alternative has consistently called on Sanders to run all the way through November, regardless of the outcome of the Democratic Party’s rigged primaries. If Sanders is checked within the Democratic primaries, as is increasingly likely, he will need to continue the fight by running as an independent or by appealing to Jill Stein and the Green Party to join their ballot line, rather than allowing the movement behind him to be imprisoned within the corporate-controlled Democratic Party.
Of course, even if Sanders is heading toward defeat in the primaries, we still want to see the maximum vote for his campaign and as many primary victories as possible to bring further pressure on the establishment and to maintain the mobilization for Sanders’ program. Within this ongoing mobilization, the discussion about the direction of the campaign can and must develop.
Stopping Trump and the Right
The central objection raised against Sanders running as an independent — Bernie himself has rejected this — is the threat of acting as a “spoiler,” of dividing the vote and allowing a Republican to win. And with Trump seen as the likely Republican nominee, the determination of millions of workers, people of color, women, and young people to do everything possible to push back the far-right threat is completely understandable.
The problem is, Hillary Clinton is just about the worst possible candidate imaginable to cut across the right-wing, anti-establishment populism of Donald Trump. Alongside the Bush family, the Clinton political dynasty is the living symbol of establishment politics in America. There is a reason most polls show Clinton losing, or neck-and-neck in matchups with the leading Republican candidates! It’s the same reason that, after Obama bailed out Wall Street, the Tea Party Republicans made sweeping gains as the dominant voice, however distorted, appearing to express popular anger with the special interests that corrupt politics.
So far, Sanders “democratic socialism” has captured broader anti-establishment support than Trump’s hateful right-populism. If Sanders attempts to funnel his supporters behind Clinton’s Wall Street campaign it will allow Trump to appear as the only anti-establishment voice in the general election, when tens of millions more will begin tuning in.
Sanders has a political responsibility to run in the general election, both to provide a pro-worker alternative to the corporate candidates, and to cut across Trump’s anti-establishment appeal. As we have already seen, alongside the traditional Democratic Party base, Sanders would draw support from independents and even some Republicans who are repelled by Clinton’s establishment ties. If Sanders refuses to run in the general election, intentions aside, it would be a fundamental failure of leadership on his part, and would, in practice, serve to strengthen Trump’s appeal.
Sanders has said he will not run independently because he does not want to be a “spoiler.” But why not at least explore a run in all the “safe” states (the vast majority of uncontested states that will clearly be won by the Democratic or Republican candidate)? Socialist Alternative would welcome a debate on the left on the pros and cons of such a challenge. A Sanders campaign through November, even if just running all out on the ballot in 40 states or more, could lay the foundations for a new mass party of working people, an historic step forward that would leave behind an organized force to continue the struggle after 2016.
We have an historic opportunity to launch a new party, that runs left candidates who reject corporate cash and pledge to use their positions to mobilize grassroots power to win a working-class agenda like $15 an hour, an end to mass incarceration, free education, and single-payer health care. Bernie’s campaign has already proven the potential exists for a new mass left party that could dramatically change of the face of American politics, especially if linked to a discussion on socialist change, helping to open a new era of social struggle.
Both the threat from the right, and the potential to rebuild a powerful independent left, demands that the movement behind Bernie refuses to be imprisoned within the Democratic Party. We must stay organized and continue the fight for a political revolution through November and beyond, laying the basis for a new party for working people. |
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