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Almost 5 months have passed since I started the experiment and I can finally say that I have managed to have a full day with no half-truths or lies. Strangely enough it took me more than I had expected to do it, but it was worth it.
The amount of control over the conversation, the time itself of topics and the quality of the discussion dramatically change when you are fully focused on the conversation. More than a journey to total truth, it has been a journey to improving the quality of conversations and the time spent with people.
On the other hand all this control will drain your energy much more than it would be normal. It requires a lot of attention to every thing that you and the others say. I notice that after some conversation I feel totally drained. Small talk makes you lose the sense of that true involvement that a conversation requires.
Now that I could do it one day, let’s try a week, a month, a year, a lifetime. How hard could it be? |
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Most readers are likely aware of the fact that all reptiles and amphibians are ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals, relying on their environment for thermoregulation. That said, these animals have evolved and adapted incredible survival strategies to ensure survival when environmental conditions become unsatisfactory. One such adaptation is brumation. Brumation is a term used for the hibernation-like state that cold-blooded animals utilize during very cold weather.
On the other end of the spectrum is a state known as aestivation, which like brumation, provides a way for reptiles to handle temperature extremes. However, aestivation occurs when environmental temperatures become too high for healthy physiological function to occur, and thus is beyond the scope of this article.
What is Brumation?
As previously mentioned, brumation can be loosely equated to hibernation among mammals. When a reptile brumates, it becomes lethargic, sometimes not moving at all for the duration of the cold season. In nature, these animals typically find hibernaculums within their environment in which they can be somewhat insulated. A hibernaculum is simply the place where the reptile spends these periods of inclement weather. Burrows, rock crevices, caves and leaf litter are a few examples of hibernaculums documented in nature. Some temperate species can even brumate under water!
The amount of time that a reptile brumates is dependent on a number of factors. Perhaps the biggest variable is in regards to whether the animal is in the wild or being maintained in captivity. In the case of the latter, environmental conditions can be easily manipulated by the keeper at any given time. Other considerations include the age of the animal, its gender, geographical origin, and varying natural conditions. Due to the wide range of species and habits, it is futile to make quantitative generalizations regarding how long a reptile will brumate. In the broadest of terms, reptiles will enter brumation in the late fall (when temperatures drop and the days get shorter) and come out of brumation in spring, triggered by increased temperatures, longer days, and changes in barometric pressure.
Why do Reptiles Brumate?
As ectothermic organisms, reptiles cannot raise their body temperature independently of environmental conditions, and as such must contend with the conditions that nature presents them with. The vast majority of our planet experiences seasonal temperature extremes, from the deserts to the plains to even the tropics. The amount of temperature variation does change from region to region. For example, sub-tropical animals, as well as those found near the equator, often do not undergo what herpetoculturists call a "true brumation." However, these animals are just as receptive to natures cues as those from more northern or southern climates. They may slow down, i.e. reduce food intake, eat less, etc, but not enter a true state of brumation.
Conversely, many reptile species inhabit regions that do in fact get very cold in the winter, and accordingly must have behavioral adaptations in order to survive. In the most basic sense, brumation is a survival tactic - a tactic that has been hard wired into the brains of these animals for well over a million years.
Take for example, the Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldi). Over much of their range they experience summer highs well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the winter temperatures fall far below freezing. Without the option of brumation, these animals would perish. Instead, they construct burrows, sometimes as deep as six feet, and remain in them until conditions become favorable. During this time, the tortoises physiological functions grind to nearly a halt. Feeding obviously ceases, as does digestion and defecation. Heart and respiratory rates also drop.
Suspended animation is a phrase often used to describe this state among reptiles. In fact, there are theories suggesting that these long periods of inactivity may actually lengthen the lives of wild herps much the way your car would last you longer if you kept it garaged and purged of all fluids for 5 months of the year.
Reproductive Connotations
Aside form serving as a survival tactic during seasonal weather fluctuations, brumation (and winter slowing in general) does have an effect on reptile reproduction. Please keep in mind that there are exceptions, but in general, cooler temperatures trigger the production of sperm in males, and prepares females fro ovulation in spring.
Despite this widely accepted theory, many breeders have found that only slight drops in temperature are needed to trigger this reproductive behavior, while others have found to be completely unnecessary. Renowned monitor breeder Frank Retes is well known for his successful captive breeding attempts with a number of Australian, Indonesian, and African monitor species. He is equally well known within the monitor keeping circle for his unique methodology. His monitors are kept warm year round. His motto, "Heat them, feed them, breed them" has proven quite successful. In fact, in an interview in The Vivarium Magazine in the mid 90s he shared that his monitors also have light 24 hours a day.
This radical approach to breeding may seem outlandish, but experimental techniques such as those of Mr. Retes have allowed us to better understand reptiles in captivity. It remains clear that a short period of slight reduction in temperature and/or photoperiod can be vital in triggering reptiles to reproduce, but not always completely necessary.
In my experience, and in the experience of many of my colleagues and friends, true brumation does not seem to be a requirement in maintaining healthy, reproductively active reptiles. Generally a brief, slight change in conditions (as mentioned above) is all that is needed. Furthermore, in most American homes, this requires little work on the part of the keeper, as seasonal fluctuations and physiological cues will occur regardless of husbandry.
This is not to say that allowing temperate herps to brumate at cooler temperatures for longer periods of time is harmful if done properly. In some species, males that have been cooled are much more fertile than those which were not, and therefore more likely to produce viable clutches with a similarly cycled female.
Brumation in Nature
In the wild, reptiles are presented with both internal and external cues that it is time to brumate. Herpetologists have classified these cues into two main categories. The first are endogenous cues, which originate within the animal. Theories regarding endogenous cues suggest that some reptiles (but certainly not all) undergo hormonal changes as well as shifts in neurotransmitter levels and amino acid concentrations. These factors are directly affected by circadian rhythms and the environment, making these biological cues little more than a secondary function of natural climatic changes. The question remains as to whether these internal changes occur spontaneously and trigger brumation, or if the animal begins to brumate and then these physiological changes occur.
It should be made clear that the role of endogenous cues in reptilian brumation is still poorly understood. Exogenous cues on the other hand are those with which we are already familiar and include factors such as photoperiod (day length), barometric pressure, humidity, and temperature. Exogenous cues seem to be of most importance to herps inhabiting temperate zones. Sub-tropical herps, because of the relatively constant conditions they experience, appear to rely more on internal (endogenous) cues.
Brumation is an extremely trying time for all reptile species. As we have discussed, it is a survival tactic at which many species are quite proficient. Nonetheless, many wild reptiles that enter brumation never emerge in the spring. Sometimes the choice of hibernaculum is a poor one, and when conditions become extremely harsh these areas simply do not provide adequate protection. Other times, reptiles may enter brumation with an injury or illness which would normally require supplemental warmth and nutrition to heal properly. In the brumative state these animals tend to succumb to their ailments.
As mentioned above, the length of time that a reptile brumates is extremely variable. A few generalizations can be made, although they are merely guidelines, and should not be considered definitive. Temperate and desert species tend to brumate much longer than sub-tropical and tropical species. In fact, some species originating from truly equatorial ranges do not brumate at all, but simply undergo a mild shift in activity and feeding patterns. Male reptiles typically emerge prior to females, allowing them ample time to establish breeding territories to further their chances of reproductive success.
Brumation in Captivity
Just as brumation can be risky to wild herps, the same holds for captive reptiles. Although they have the added advantage of being carefully monitored by attentive keepers, this does not rule out all associated risks. In general, brumating reptiles in captivity is the subject of much debate. On one end of the spectrum there are those saying that brumation is natural and will ultimately make your reptile live longer. On the other hand, does this unproven potential for longevity outweigh the risks previously discussed? This debate has been a longstanding one, and will continue to be further explored in the future.
I have adopted the following philosophy regarding brumating my reptiles, and have found it to be entirely successful thus far. Keep in mind that because your animals are in captivity, does not mean that they do not receive subtle cues from the outside world. With the exceptions of snakes being kept and bred in rack units (where all light and heat is regulated by the keeper) reptiles will begin showing signs of a winter slow-down and/or brumation regardless of what environmental conditions you provide.
Many temperate, desert, and sub-tropical herps will become less active and feed less in the winter, even when normal ambient and basking temps are provided. I do not adjust the husbandry of my bearded dragons from season to season. They are provided with the same photo-period and heating protocol year round. Yet year after year they begin losing interest in food in late fall, and remain in this psuedo-brumation until spring. During this time, all of my animals will migrate away from all heat sources, and make themselves comfortable in the cooler regions of their enclosure.
The above anecdote should provide some credibility to the idea that reptiles are going to brumate or not regardless of what you do. With the vast majority of pet species, this type of maintenance is not a problem. When you begin dealing with species that undergo a true brumation in winter (and subsequently animals originating in climates with harsh winters) different actions must be taken.
Box turtles (Terepene sp.) are a prime example, and one that has been more closely looked at than most other species. If a box turtle begins showing signs that true brumation is eminent (less activity, burrowing, lack of appetite) you are going to have to prepare a suitable hibernaculum. A hibernaculum is basically a well insulated box that will hold moisture and maintain a relatively constant temperature during brumation. Air holes should be provided to ensure air exchange. For turtles and tortoises (which coincidentally are most commonly brumated using this method), they are typically placed in a plastic bin with 10 to 12 inches of soft, fluffy, and barely moist earth. This can be sterile (no fertilizers, etc) potting soil, sandy soil, Eco Earth, or your own favorite blend. Finely shredded paper is another popular choice, although extended exposure to moisture may lead to disintegration.
This box will become the inner chamber, and will have to be closely monitored for temperature. I highly recommend the use of a quality digital thermometer with a probe that can be placed deep into the hibernaculum substrate. Many breeders actually tape the thermometers probe to the carapace of the turtle. This ensures that you know exactly what temperatures your animals are being subjected to. Remember, not cold enough and your pet will not be truly brumating. Too cold, and they may not wake up at all.
The inner chamber is then placed into another slightly larger box, leaving a 1 to 2 inch space between the walls of the inner and outer chambers. This space can be filled with packing peanuts, shredded paper, or any number of other insulating materials. The idea here is to ensure a constant temperature within the inner chamber, as significant environmental fluctuations during brumation can be problematic.
Although reptiles do not typically feed during brumation, the hydration of the animal must be considered. In the wild most reptiles dig deep into the ground to brumate, providing them with an adequate amount of environmental humidity to keep them from dehydrating. In captivity, it is recommended that your animals be offered water once or twice during brumation. While digging out you slumbering reptiles in the middle of winter may seem counterintuitive, it is very important, and the small amount of time that your animal spends awake will not affect the overall outcome of the brumative process.
Editors Note
Before closing, I would like to re-emphasize that both in the wild and in captivity, brumation is risky business for reptiles. It puts a great strain on their bodies, but one that is nonetheless necessary to the survival of their species.
The guidelines above are just that; guidelines, and should not be construed or interpreted as a definitive source of information on this dynamic subject. If you are considering brumating your reptiles, I would expect you to consult with an experienced herpetoculturist or other expert prior to undergoing this task.
Similarly, if you have any doubt regarding your ability to properly brumate your animals, please get advice from a knowledgeable source. Although once mastered, brumation can be simple and streamlined, it remains one of the most complex and frustrating aspect of reptile husbandry. For this reason alone it should not be taken lightly.
As always, research the needs of your pet in depth prior to obtaining them. This way you can be best prepared to provide them with the best possible of care.
By Jonathan Rheins |
The U.N. World Food Program on Friday appealed for safe access to the Yemeni city of Taiz, saying that fighting between warring factions had blocked food supplies and left thousands of people in extreme hunger.
The last U.N. food aid to reach Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, was more than five weeks ago, when food was distributed to nearly 240,000 people, it said.
About a third of the country's population, or 7.6 million people urgently require food aid.
"We plead for safe and immediate access to the city of Taiz to prevent a humanitarian tragedy as supplies dwindle, threatening the lives of thousands — including women, children and the elderly," World Food Program regional director Muhannad Hadi said in a statement.
"These people have already suffered extreme hunger, and if this situation continues, the damage from hunger will be irreversible."
On Wednesday, warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition that backs Yemen's government bombed Iran-allied Houthi sites across Yemen and dropped weapons to militias in Taiz, in the southwest.
Ten of Yemen's 22 governorates were assessed as being in an emergency food situation in June — one step shy of famine. The assessment has not been updated since then, partly because experts have not managed to get sufficient access to survey the situation.
Wire services |
WWII Code-Breaking Techniques Inspire Interpretation of Brain Data
Enigma machine used by the German military and intelligence in World War II to encode and decode war communications. Credit: Courtesy of Robert Malmgren / acquired from Wikimedia Commons under confirmed public domain usage laws rules
Cracking the German Enigma code is considered to be one of the decisive factors that hastened Allied victory in World War II. Now researchers have used similar techniques to crack some of the brain’s mysterious code.
By statistically analyzing clues intercepted through espionage, computer science pioneers in the 1940s were able to work out the rules of the Enigma code, turning a string of gibberish characters into plain language to expose German war communications. And today, a team that included computational neuroscientist Eva Dyer, who recently joined the Georgia Institute of Technology, used cryptographic techniques inspired by Enigma’s decrypting to predict, from brain data alone, which direction subjects will move their arms.
The work by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Georgia Tech, and Northwestern University could eventually help decode the neural activity underpinning more complex muscle movements and become useful in prosthetics, or even speech, to aid patients with paralysis.
During the war, the team that cracked Enigma, led by Alan Turing, considered the forebear of modern computer science, analyzed the statistical prevalence of certain letters of the alphabet to understand how they were distributed in messages like points on a map. That allowed the code breakers to eventually decipher whole words reliably.
In a similar manner, the neurological research team has now mapped the statistical distribution of more prevalent and less prevalent activities in populations of motor neurons to arrive at the specific hand movements driven by that neural activity.
The research team was led by University of Pennsylvania professor Konrad Kording, and Eva Dyer, formerly a postdoctoral researcher in Kording’s lab and now an assistant professor at Georgia Tech. They collaborated with the group of Lee Miller, a professor at Northwestern University. They published their study on December 12, 2017, in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Neuron firing pattern
In an experiment conducted in animal models, the researchers took data from more than one hundred neurons associated with arm movement. As the animals reached for a target that appeared at different locations around a central starting point, sensors recorded spikes of neural activity that corresponded with the movement of the subject’s arm.
“Just looking at the raw neural activity on a visual level tells you basically nothing about the movements it corresponds to, so you have to decode it to make the connection,” Dyer said. “We did it by mapping neural patterns to actual arm movements using machine learning techniques inspired by cryptography.”
The statistical prevalence of certain neurons’ firings paired up reliably and repeatedly with actual movements the way that, in the Enigma project, the prevalence of certain code symbols paired up with the frequency of use of specific letters of the alphabet in written language. In the neurological experiment, an algorithm translated the statistical patterns into visual graphic patterns, and eventually, these aligned with the physical hand movements that they aimed to decode.
“The algorithm tries every possible decoder until we get something where the output looks like typical movements,” Kording said. “There are issues scaling this up — it’s a hard computer science problem — but this is a proof-of-concept that cryptanalysis can work in the context of neural activity.
“At this point, the cryptanalysis approach is very new and needs refining, but fundamentally, it’s a good match for this kind of brain decoding,” Dyer said.
Brain decoding does face a fundamental challenge that code-breaking doesn't.
In cryptography, code-breakers have both the encrypted and unencrypted messages, so all they need to do is to figure out which rules turn one into the other. "What we wanted to do in this experiment was to be able to decode the brain from the encrypted message alone,” Kording said.
Hear PODCAST: The Brain, Cosmos in the Cranium, Part II -- neurons' secrets and how they make the brain compute
Brain-computer interfaces
A cryptanalysis approach to decoding neural activity is particularly attractive when it comes to brain-computer interfaces that control prosthetics.
Existing brain-computer interfaces can already use such data to move a robotic prosthesis, but Kording and Dyer’s experiment has achieved a significant innovation. Existing technology uses a process known as supervised learning, in which the interface can be trained to recognize which neural firings correspond to which intended physical movements, and can thus “replay” those movements when the subject's motor neurons produce a pattern the device has been trained to recognize.
The new research could do away with the training period required for existing brain-computer interfaces to function and allow robotic limbs to directly interpret their user’s thoughts without even having to be calibrated. It would represent a significant quality-of-life improvement for patients wearing them.
“Supervised training may sound simple, but actually, it can be long and troublesome, and in the end, it can even fail,” Dyer said. “For example, if the patient’s arm is not paralyzed but instead is missing, it’s really hard for the training to work.”
The researchers’ innovation could mean the difference between a patient straining to mentally picture how the arm should move with possibly cumbersome results, and willfully moving the arm in a virtually natural way.
Doorway to mindreading
This cryptanalysis approach also offers promise for brain-computer interfaces to achieve literal mind-reading, the way decoding Enigma allowed for reading encrypted texts.
A patient repeatedly thinking the same sentences would generate neural patterns. “We could build a decoder that transforms those patterns until they look like language,” Kording said. “I think we should be able to do this within the next decade.”
A consistent improvement in brain recording technology could help put this goal within reach. This could become useful for patients unable to speak but could also possibly be abused in espionage, Kording warned. But there's still time to work out the direction future applications take on.
An evolutionary stroke of luck has made this cryptanalysis approach possible. “The brain ended up with this encryption system through natural selection,” Kording said. “So, it’s essentially making the same kind of ‘mistakes’ that allowed us to crack Enigma in the first place.”
Modern encryption systems are so refined they’re impossible to crack. Enigma, on the other hand, was new enough during World War II that it had small imperfections that gave decrypters a pathway into its secrets, making its cracking a fitting inspiration for brain decoding.
PODCAST: The Brain, Cosmos in the Cranium, Part I - when the brain's fate hangs by a few molecules
PODCAST: The Brain, Part III - how we get around, how we focus, and how we zone out
Researchers Mohammad Gheshlaghi Azar, Hugo L Fernandes, Matthew Peich, Stephanie Naufel and Lee Miller of Northwestern University coauthored the study. The work was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke through grants R01 NS053603 and R01 NS074044. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor. |
Gears Of War Comes to Real Life - Introducing the Chainsaw Bayonet
Up Close & Personal Chainsaw Bayonet Pictures:
You may think having a bayonet on your gun is quite retro, but what would you say if we switched out your pain old knife bayonet and replaced it with a powerful chainsaw bayonet. If you have ever played the video game Gears of War chances are you would be pretty excited to run around with a powerful gun with a chain saw attached to the end of it, just imaging the people, I mean zombies you could saw in half!If you were to set one of these up at home, I would highly suggest you treat this chainsaw bayonet like you would scissors; don't run with them, or you might saw off a limb!If you think this is a big joke, I have a video of this bad ass gun/chainsaw combo in action, to back these pictures up! |
The digital publisher has also teamed with online storytelling platform Wattpad to develop projects based on its library of self-published stories.
Vertical video is going to be a focus for Mashable.
The digital publisher on Thursday unveiled a new video product called Mashable Reels designed specifically for the way most people hold their mobile phones. With a look and feel very similar to the Stories feature that Snapchat popularized, which allows people to swipe through different videos and text graphics, Reels will allow Mashable to create interactive videos around different topics. The product is launching with Sprint and McDonald's signed on as partners for videos that focus on Mars, Wonder Woman and Game of Thrones.
"We very strongly believe that the future of video will look nothing like the past," says Gregory Gittrich, chief content officer at Mashable. "Video is going to be consumed more on your phone than on your television." Pete Cashmore, Mashable founder and CEO, adds that Mashable is "probably not going to be better at making a show for the television. The question becomes 'What can you do differently in digital?'"
Mashable was to announce Reels at its NewFront presentation at the Gansevoort Hotel in New York on Thursday, an event also expected to highlight the technology it developed in-house to target specific audiences. That product, Kilogram, is being made available to Mashable's brand partners looking to target everyday influencers, those people who share stories and videos frequently and impact the viewing habits of their followers and friends, and the people who are likely to be influenced or will respond to a brand's message.
The company also has partnerships in the works with online writing site Wattpad and Crackle. With Wattpad, a community for self-published stories, Mashable will work to identify, develop and distribute pilots based on original IP. Mashable will distribute the projects either on its own social and video channels or will look to sell the projects to buyers in the digital video space. Meanwhile, it has teamed with Sony's Crackle to produce video that will complement original series, including StartUp.
Mashable's event comes a little more than a year after the company announced plans to cut its news and politics divisions as it refocused on entertainment, culture and tech verticals and made a push into video — fueled by a $15 million investment from Turner. Cashmore, speaking with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of Mashable's NewFront, explains that the shift helped Mashable grow its revenue by 36 percent last year and saw video views increase fivefold. "Pop culture is web culture now," he says, explaining the focus on those three content buckets.
Gittrich adds that Mashable is still finding ways to cover important news. "The entertainment collision with politics is very much in our wheelhouse, but we're not interested in being the first to give you the results," he says. "The big shift was not trying to be all things to all people." He notes that content production has declined by 29 percent over the last year but that engagement has grown by more than 30 percent. |
Who else is freakin’ stoked for the new season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ to kick off tonight? Well, ABC just revealed the opening number pics and we have to say, Jodie Sweetin is legit Stephanie Tanner and we love it.
Jodie Sweetin, 34, was the first star to be announced as part of season 22 of Dancing with the Stars, with partner Keo Motsepe! Right away, we knew that Jodie knew how to dance since her character on Full House (and now on Fuller House) had been one heck of a dancer — and now, it looks like she’ll be flashing back to her Tanner days for the show!
ABC just posted a ton of pics showing the cast and their partners doing their awesome opening numbers — and Jodie’s is of course in a room that looks a lot like the one Steph and DJ shared on Full House — and the one DJ’s two boys now live in on the Netflix spin-off. We knew Jodie would be taking her Tanner roots with her!
We also know that Jodie did get to dance some on the new Netflix show — Steph has quite a hot number with with Val Chmerkovskiy! “I’ve always loved to dance and Stephanie was a dancer on the show growing up,” Jodie said on GMA. “I definitely don’t call myself a professional but I have some experience. I have some rhythm so I think I’ll be okay!”
She’s also been getting tips from her TV sister, Candace Cameron Bure, who competed on DWTS season 18!
“She’s been really great and excited for me and has shared with me that this is going to be one of the most exciting, overwhelming, physically and mentally demanding things that I’ll ever do, but that it’s incredibly worth it,” she said.
Well we cannot wait for season 22. Do you think Jodie could win DWTS? |
Forget the NEA. Private donors have always been the dominant funders of arts in America. (Katherine Frey / The Washington Post)
During a session at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Aspen Institute president Walter Isaacson asked Perry Chen, founder of Kickstarter, whether it was true that Kickstarter now funds more arts-related projects than the National Endowment for the Arts.
The crowdfunding site has, Chen told Isaacson, funded over $600 million in arts projects. “And," said Isaacson, "that might be now more than the federal government spent on the arts in a given year?" adding a bit later that "in some ways… you’ve invented something that does what the NEA used to do and can’t quite do now.”
Indeed, people have been saying since last year that Kickstarter funds more art-related projects than the NEA. And it's true! For 2012, the NEA had a total federal appropriation of $146 million, of which 80 percent went toward grants. Kickstarter funded roughly $323.6 million of art-related projects if you include all design and video-related projects, which make up $200 million of the total.
It looks like a shocking disparity between government grants and a technology start up, but here’s why it isn’t surprising.
Individuals have always been the backbone of arts funding. The NEA has never tried to compete with individual donors, and that’s the premise of Kickstarter—it’s a platform that allows individual donors to fund projects. In 2011, individuals contributed $13 billion to arts and cultural charities. According to the NEA, individuals make up 75 percent of all private giving, much more than corporations or foundations. Kickstarter, in essence, simplifies the long-held American tradition of individual private donors giving to the arts.
The exchange also highlights another misconception about the arts: that the U.S. government once funded the arts so heavily as to compete with private donors. In reality, the NEA has always made up a small part of overall arts funding when compared to private philanthropy.
At its height during the Reagan, H.W. Bush, and Clinton administrations, the NEA had a budget that hovered around $165 million, topping out at $176 million in 1992. That’s $284 million in today’s dollars, close to double the current NEA budget. It seems like a huge difference—and it is for the institution—but when you consider that arts nonprofits spent over $60 billion last year, according to Americans for the Arts, it's downright minuscule. Even when federal arts budgets grow, they still don’t subsidize arts in the way that private money does.
There’s no doubt that Kickstarter is a tremendous platform for arts giving. It may even help arts organizations reach the elusive young donors they worry about. But it’s not revolutionizing the role of the individual donors—they were always better patrons than government. |
This is the second article in a series about the story and technical details of Goblin Quest: Escape!. If you’d like to support us on Steam Greenlight, you can find our page here: http://botbiteindustries.com/greenlight.php
This post is about the evolution of the game, the iterations in graphics and technology we’ve done over the course of development.
Where we started
When first discussing the game, Matt had brought some concepts with him. His idea was a reverse-tower-defense: a game where you’re one of the many faceless enemies in a horde trying to reach the end of the base. Each map would be a maze of sorts, with towers shooting at you and traps trying to kill you. At the end of each map, you would reach a tower and throw a bomb at it.
We liked the idea and started prototyping and working on it immediately.
Soon someone had the idea to turn the game into 3D. This seemed simple at the time – afterall, Unity supports 3D development and the game is simple enough to not cause too many issues. Looking back, the move to 3D seems a little unnecessary, especially because the final iteration of the game brought back a lot of the 2D feel and aestethics. However moving to 3D had an unexpected benefit that came out during late development: by tweaking lights and creating lightmaps we could create beautiful, eerie atmospheric dungeons using the tools we have. Doing that in 2D would have been way too much work.
Game evolution in 2:50
The simplest way to display how our game evolved is to show it on video! Unfortunately I couldn’t find the original 2D prototype, so the following video displays different stages of development of the 3D game.
Tiles in 3D – a lot of work
You may notice a lot of large and small changes in the video. One of the main graphical changes during development was going from a terrain-based map to an underground dungeon theme. This had a technical reason. You see, to simplify map editing, we’ve worked with a tile-based map editor. The issue with 3D tiles is that they don’t really work with rounded corners – specifically our problem was that we’d have to create a LOT of variations for each corner to be able to fit any element next to any other. We didn’t want to spend time and money on creating lots of variations of these simple elements. Instead, Matt had the idea to move to a block-based system. He came up with the dungeon theme, that fits both the game’s style and our technical requirements.
The basic building block is now a simple cube tile. Each side of the tile can have a random modification. These tiles can be automatically fitted together, with unnecessary elements (inward-facing walls, overlapping columns, etc.) removed. This system worked perfectly for us as it allowed for automating this part of the map creation process. This tile-based system and the map editor itself will be presented in the next article.
Mobile or not?
Part of the game’s evolution was slowly moving from mobile to console targets. There are some people on Greenlight who feel very passionately negative about mobile games, and I completely understand their reasons. The mobile markets have become a terrible amalgamation of clones, free2play cash grabs and just all-out bad, uninspired, shitty games.
On the other hand, there were and are some indie gems that targeted mobile. Just look at games like Monument Valley or 80 days.
Our game started out as a mobile game. Remember, this was in 2012, when (while already filled with cow-clickers) the mobile markets were a little different than today, less saturated. For example, one of my favorite mobile games, PewPew had become a small success. It had a core gameplay somewhat similar to our idea (even though the presentation was completely different). Another similar game that was a smaller success is Only One.
So we started making a mobile game that:
is controlled with a (virtual) joystick
is content-based with a storyline and a small-ish number of short but challenging maps
allows for organic player progression through a simple economy system similar to RPGs
is developed and tested on a PC with a gamepad
has a button-based ability system with a maximum of 4 active abilities (at a time)
has detailed graphics with high-end lighting
Only in the final stages of development did we realise that instead of making a mobile game we actually made… a console game. There was no good application of microtransactions in the game, it wasn’t nearly casual enough for mobile players and is generally not overly simple to control on a touchscreen. It does however look and play amazingly well on a large screen with a game controller. This is why our first and possibly most successful release was on consoles (OUYA, Fire TV) and this is why we’re trying to get on Steam.
What’s next
Again, thanks for reading the article, hope you enjoyed it!
In the next post we will get more technical and take a detailed look at the editor created for the game.
And again, if you wish to support us on Greenlight, the link is: http://botbiteindustries.com/greenlight.php |
Taco Bell will begin testing delivery on Wednesday from more than 200 outlets in California and Texas. (Photo11: Gene J. Puskar, AP)
Taco Bell doesn't want you to have to leave your couch next time you crave a chalupa.
The fast-food company says it will begin testing delivery service on Wednesday at 200 outlets in their Dallas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Calif., and San Francisco Bay area markets.
Customers near the test outlets will be able to order via the delivery service DoorDash.
After punching in your order on the Palo Alto, Calif.-based tech company's app or website, DoorDash will put in the order at your Taco Bell, pick it up and drive it to your home or office. The app will also notify Taco Bell customers when the DoorDash driver is nearing their home or office.
There's no minimum order, but a $3.99 flat fee is added. (You're also encouraged to tip your driver.) Taco Bell officials declined to detail how much DoorDash is being compensated as part of the deal.
During limited testing at stores in Dallas, Orange County, Palo Alto and San Jose, Calif., orders took roughly 38 minutes from when they were ordered to arriving at the customer's door, said Tressie Lieberman, vice president of innovation and on demand at Taco Bell. "We've been talking about delivery for a while, because it's the No. 1 most requested thing" by customers, said Lieberman, who added that Taco Bell would promote its delivery test on Periscope, Snapchat and Twitter in the coming days. The Taco Bell announcement comes on the heels of several other fast-food giants making forays into the delivery world. Burger King began testing delivery service in several cities in the U.S. in 2012. In May of this year, McDonald's began testing delivery in New York City with the mobile app Postmates. Starbucks also announced earlier this year that it would begin testing delivery service in the second half of 2015 with Postmates in Seattle and another service at New York's Empire State Building called Green Apron. Panera also recently began testing delivery service in Louisville, Ky. Taco Bell, whose core audience is young and male, has thrived in mostly suburban markets. Roughly 70% of its sales are generated through the drive thru, company officials say. Mary Chapman, senior director of product innovation at Technomic, said the move into delivery could be a smart move by Taco Bell as it tests the waters in more urban areas and looks to continue to serve Millennials. Last month, the company announced it was opening a Taco Bell that would serve beer, wine and alcohol-spiked freezes in the heart of Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. A second boozy Bell is set to open in San Francisco. "Fewer (Millennials) own cars," Chapman noted. "If you look at the long-term trend, particularly in urban markets, well maybe the drive thru isn't where to look for growth."
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1IIHEv5 |
Image caption The rally in Manchester city centre drew thousands of demonstrators
A primary school dinner lady who attended a march co-organised by former English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson has been suspended.
Rachel Booth was at the rally on 11 June in Manchester, which organisers said was "against Islamic hate".
She said she attended in sympathy for the victims of the Manchester attack that killed 22 people on 22 May.
Moor Nook Primary School, in Preston, confirmed a member of staff has been suspended "pending further inquiries".
Image copyright Manchester Evening News Image caption Rachel Booth has worked at Moor Nook Primary School, in Preston for four years
Thousands of people attended the march by a coalition that calls itself UK Against Hate, held three weeks after a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert.
The rally also drew hundreds of people in a counter-demonstration against the march.
'For the children'
Mrs Booth, who has worked at the school for four years, said the suspension was "a big shock".
"I have never been in any kind of trouble with police.
"The grounds for suspending me are it was an EDL march, which is a load of rubbish. Even if I was part of the EDL, which I'm certainly not, it should not have affected my job."
She said she attended with her mixed race husband, who is a former serviceman, to show solidarity with the bombing victims, not to support far-right extremism.
"I thought it was for the children and so I went," she added.
Image caption Hundreds of counter-demonstrators also attended the rally
The march was criticised at the time by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham who tweeted: "These EDL-types who came today need to have a look at themselves."
In a letter to the school, Mohammed Fyaz, one of the march's organisers, wrote "the event in question was not organised by or linked to the EDL in any way".
He added: "In the democracy in which we live political, religious and moral issues should be allowed to be discussed, questioned and at times challenged freely, without fear of persecution or discrimination."
It is understood a suspension in such circumstances is a "neutral" act and will allow the school to investigate footage from the march featuring Mrs Booth. |
A feature of Alexa I use almost every day is the weather forecast. It's a prominent feature that's baked into your Flash Briefing and you can ask for things like tomorrow's weather, the weekend forecast or for weather anywhere in the world.
However, Alexa's built-in weather just isn't in-depth enough for some. If you want more accurate precipitation information or when the highs and lows will occur, you'll need the help of a third-party skill called Big Sky.
Big Sky uses the Dark Sky API to provide hyperlocal forecasts. Dark Sky, for those not familiar with it, is a weather app for Android and iOS that gives you accurate weather information down to a specific address. It will tell you exactly when rain will start and stop at your location and, in my experience, the accuracy is sort of creepy.
Taylor Martin/CNET
To enable the Big Sky skill:
Open the Alexa app on Android or iOS, or go to alexa.amazon.com.
In the left menu, go to Skills .
. Search for Big Sky .
. Click Enable Skill .
. To create a Big Sky account, click Create One at the bottom of the page.
at the bottom of the page. Enter a username and password, then enter them once more to login.
Once logged in, enter the address for which you want to use for weather forecasts.
Choose whether you want basic or detailed forecast information.
Select Fahrenheit or Celsius and click Submit to finish.
Now to call up Big Sky, say, "Alexa, open Big Sky." This will automatically give you the forecast for the provided address. If you chose detailed information, the forecast will provide the chance of precipitation and approximately when it will start, the relative humidity, the high and low temperatures as well as when they will occur and wind direction.
Here are some other examples of what you can ask Big Sky:
"Alexa, ask Big Sky for the weather in three hours."
"Alexa, ask Big Sky will it rain in the next six hours?"
"Alexa, ask Big Sky for the humidity at 7 p.m."
"Alexa, ask Big Sky if it will rain tomorrow before noon."
"Alexa, ask Big Sky what will the wind speed be in four hours?"
"Alexa, ask Big Sky what's the high temperature in the next seven days?"
"Alexa, ask Big Sky when is sunrise on Thursday?"
"Alexa, ask Big Sky what's the weather in New York City?"
"Alexa, ask Big Sky about the weather this weekend."
The amount of additional information Big Sky gives you is impressive. When I asked Alexa if it will rain today, the response was: "It might rain in Concord today. There's a 41 percent chance." When I asked Big Sky, it responded with: "Likely not. The overall chance of rain on Monday, July 17, is 8 percent. If it does rain today, it's likely that the heaviest rain today has already fallen at 12:00am."
When I asked "Alexa, what's the humidity?," I was told the current conditions and a short forecast -- no mention of humidity. When asking Big Sky the same thing, the response was: "This hour the relative humidity is 50 percent with the wind out of the south-southeast at 3.7 miles per hour."
If at any point you want to change your Big Sky updates from detailed to basic or Fahrenheit to Celsius, just say, "Alexa, ask Big Sky to update my options." |
Contact Information
PNHP California
Website: www.pnhpcalifornia.org
Email: [email protected]
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 460537, San Francisco, CA 94146
Steering Committee: Henry L. Abrons, MD, MPH; Danielle Alexander, MD, MSc; Bill Bronston, MD; Jeff Gee, MD; Scott Goldberg, MD; Don McCanne, MD; Paul Song, MD; Irma Strantz, DrPH To contact our existing local chapters in the San Francisco Bay Area or Sacramento, use the email above with “Attention [Chapter Name]” in the subject line. To follow the Bay Area chapter on Facebook, visit facebook.com/sanfranpnhp. If you would like to participate in forming a new local PNHP chapter in California, please contact [email protected]. Healthy California Campaign Visit www.healthyCA.org to learn more about California’s single-payer legislation, SB 562, and to get involved in the fight for health justice locally. Single Payer Toolbox Google Drive
We have posted materials related to single payer to Google Drive. You may find these materials helpful in recruiting fellow physicians, reaching out to media outlets, planning lobby days, and generally making the case for single payer. Please click here to access this publicly available toolbox.
Media Contacts
Don McCanne, MD
(949) 493.3714 | [email protected]
(PNHP Senior Health Policy Fellow) Dr. McCanne is a family physician in San Clemente, California. For three decades, Dr. McCanne has allotted one-half of his practice hours to indigent patients. He has written extensively in the lay press on single payer and patient-oriented health care, often using the concept of “Universal Medicare” as a model for single payer that the public can understand and support.
Paul Y. Song, MD
(310) 310-1992 | [email protected]
Dr. Paul Song is a board-certified radiation oncologist, biotech executive, and health care reform activist.
He is a national board member of Physicians for a National Health Program, president of PNHP-CA, and co-chair of the Campaign for a Healthy California. He served as executive chairman of the 1.2 million-member Courage Campaign from 2013 to March 2016. He also served as the very first visiting fellow on health care policy in the California Department of Insurance for 2013.
Dr. Song is the chief medical officer of ATGen Global and Cynvenio Biosystems. He recently left the faculty at the Samuel Oschin Cancer Center at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and currently volunteers his time seeing Medicaid and uninsured patients at California Hospital.
He attended the University of Chicago where he graduated with honors and received his medical degree from George Washington University. He completed his residency in radiation oncology at University of Chicago Medical Center.
Dr. Song serves on the boards of People for the American Way, The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, Liberty in North Korea, and The Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center.
Ana Malinow, MD, MSHCPM, FAAP
(713) 417-6381 | [email protected]
Dr. Ana Malinow is a professor of pediatrics at the University of California-San Francisco. She was previously associate residency program director at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Prior to moving to Pittsburgh, Dr. Malinow was associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and attending physician in the pediatric emergency and ambulatory center at Ben Taub General Hospital, where most of her patients were uninsured. Dr. Malinow is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including for grand rounds presentations on health care. She was named one of Houston’s top female physicians by Health and Fitness Sports Magazine.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dr. Malinow earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis and a master’s degree in creative writing before completing her medical education at Case Western Reserve University. She completed residency in pediatrics at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. She also holds a master’s degree in health care policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. Malinow is a past president of Physicians for a National Health Program and co-founder of Health Care for all Texas, a grassroots organization that promotes single-payer national health insurance. She is also co-founder of Doctors for Change, an organization of health care professionals that organize for improved access to health care in Houston and Harris county.
Henry Abrons, MD, MPH
(510) 848-5765 | [email protected]
Dr. Abrons is a national board adviser to Physicians for a National Health Program and a past president of PNHP California. He is a retired physician specializing in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. He has trained and worked in public hospitals in New York City, Chicago, West Virginia, and Oakland.
Local Governments Endorsing H.R. 676
Santa Cruz, CA
West Hollywood, CA
Santa Monica City Council
Local Unions Endorsing H.R. 676
More than 60 California labor organizations have endorsed H.R. 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. A list of these organizations can be found here. For the latest updates on labor endorsements nationwide, click here. |
It was an ugly win, but the Frogs held off the Mountaineers Saturday night in a top 25 matchup. With Iowa State shocking the Sooners in Norman, the Frogs sit alone atop the Big 12, and are the only undefeated team in the conference. They, as they say, control their own destiny the rest of the way. Let’s take a look at what we learned today:
TCU really misses Patrick Morris and Julius Lewis. Without their starting center, the TCU run offense was anemic against one of the worst rush defenses in the country, and without their starting corner (and a banged up Jeff Gladney), the Eers picked on fourth stringer Tony James with great success. Here’s hoping Morris returns soon and Gladney heels up that ankle in short order.
Speaking of run offense... I have no idea what the offensive game plan was for today. TCU saw the 115th ranked run defense come into town and thought ‘let’s not give the ball to Darius Anderson, destroyer of worlds’. Anderson and Kyle Hicks combined for only 20 carries, an obscenely low number against a WVU D that had been gashed by Kansas. The Frogs had 36 total attempts for 176 yards, but, frankly, it should have been much more than that.
Maybe part of the problem was the offensive line? The Mountaineers blitzed on nearly every third down, and the Frogs had little answer for it. The nation’s number one team in third down conversion percentage coming into that game was just 6-15, and the Frogs had a paltry 16 first downs - TOTAL.
Let’s go back to the play-calling for a second - TCU ran the Wild Frog with a jet sweep toss on fourth and one. WHY. And really, for most of the game, it felt like Cumbie and Luper were being a little too cute. Unless they know something the rest of us don’t - and they likely do - it made little sense to me that you wouldn’t challenge the Mountaineer front with your bevy of talented backs. Very frustrating.
But on the other side... Kenny Hill was far from perfect, but he was really pretty good Saturday. His stats won’t jump off the page for you - 15/28 for 188 yards and a touchdown, seven rushes for 28 yards and a TD, and a receiving touchdown of 48 yards. That’s a true triple threat. Hill did what he needed to do - he extended plays, ran when he needed to, avoided sacks (despite the jailbreak blitzes WVU kept throwing his way), and avoided the big mistake - though he came close once. Hill was good, not great, but he brought his team a win. That’s all we can ask.
Eight different TCU WRs caught passes, but for a while it was deja vu all over again, as the group as a whole caught a case of the dropsies. It kept the Frogs from getting in a good rhythm early, and cost them several first downs throughout the game. If that problem returns, the Frogs will have an uphill battle in their quest to compete for a Big 12 title.
On the other side of the ball, the vaunted TCU defensive line struggled with the WVU run game and the mobility of Will Grier. At least three times in the first half alone, a TCU defender had Grier in their grasp, only to see him slip out and make a play. They ended up with just two sacks, while allowing 111 yards to Crawford on a 5.8 yards per carry average. As a team, the Eers went 39-164 and a 3.6 average.
The linebackers had big days Saturday, as Travin Howard, Ty Summers, and Arico Evans combined for 23 tackles. Summers slid back to the middle from DE, with Montrel Wilson missing the game. Evans was banged up as well, and the injury bug has hit the TCU D, hard.
TCU got burned for a couple big plays, something that happens a few times a game in the 4-2-5. One was on a Ranthony Texada CB blitz, a call that GP took the blame for after the game (maybe don’t blitz your best corner when you’re down to fifth stringers). Another was a completely blown coverage when David Sills slipped inside on a crossing route. And Ka’Raun White went for 76 and a score when he flat out beat his man. It was a pretty ugly secondary performance, but with the injuries to TCU - and the Eers ability to find the sub and pick on them - they did a decent enough job. This WVU WR unit is really good - they have a ton of size and speed. TCU was outmatched and it was all they could do to hold them to 24 points. Against that offense, I call it a success.
A big reason they were able to hold the Eers to 24 was that they shut them down in the first half, allowing just a single field goal (though a second try missed). All the credit for that deserves to go to Adam Nunez, who was unbelievable Saturday. Nunez punted even times for 301 yards, downing four punts inside the five. It was an absolute thing of beauty and helped keep the Eers out of the end zone until the third quarter.
Ultimately, this was a gut it out win for the Frogs. It’s actually the perfect scenario if you’re Gary Patterson; after two weeks of everyone telling you how great you are and your team reading their positive press clippings, they came out with GameDay in town and very nearly laid an egg. Think they got a wake up call? I do, and I bet we see a much more focused team next weekend in the Little Apple.
Speaking of the Little Apple, TCU did a much better job against a very athletic QB in Will Grier than I expected, and assuming they tighten up the run defense and play like they did in the second half today on Saturday, that bodes well for the matchup in Manhattan.
Big picture wise, with OU losing today to IOWA STATE (OMG) at home, the Big 12 just got wide open. TCU has to go to Manhattan and Ames this month, and also has back-to-back road games in Norman and Lubbock in November. Expect the Sooners, the Cowboys, and the Mountaineers to stay in the hunt with the Frogs, with the Cats, Red Raiders, and Cyclones all sneaky good.
TCU will likely be ranked in the top five tomorrow, and that scares me. I haven’t seen anything that makes me think that the Frogs are one of the five best teams in the country, but they are one of the few to be 5-0. All we can do is keep winning, and let the chips fall where they may. One more chip fell right Saturday. |
Earlier this year in a southern California storage facility, an aged leather football was pulled out of a box and handed to auction-house officials. Handling the dimpled leather, they immediately recognized the ball’s inscription and its significance.
“GA. TECH. 222 CUMBERLAND U 0.”
“I don’t know if ‘shivers up my spine’ is the right description,” said Terry Melia, a spokesman for California-based SCP Auctions, “but certainly goosebumps to know that I was holding a piece of history” that was once owned by John Heisman, the Tech coaching great.
On Wednesday, the ball believed to be used in Tech’s historic 1916 rout of Cumberland will go up for bidding on the auction house’s website until Aug. 23. Bidding will start at $5,000.
The ball belongs to the LA84 Foundation, a non-profit that funds youth sports in southern California and studies the role of sports in society. The foundation inherited it as part of a vast collection of artifacts from a sports museum opened in the 1930s — the Helms Athletic Foundation — by a man named Bill Schroeder. His collection reportedly included boxing gloves worn by Jack Dempsey, a uniform worn by Babe Ruth and a bat used by Ty Cobb.
When the museum moved locations in the early 1980s, boxes of items went into storage, including the 222-0 ball. They had remained there until June, Melia said, when the LA84 Foundation decided to put them up for auction as a fundraiser. Other items from the collection include a 1906 World Series game ball, gloves worn by Dempsey and a pair of football cleats worn by Jim Thorpe in the filming of a movie about his life.
The LA84 Foundation does not have information about how Schroeder, who died in 1987, came to possess the ball. In an e-mail, foundation spokesman Wayne Wilson wrote that inventory records indicate that Schroeder donated the ball to the museum.
“His usual way of acquiring an item was simply to write to someone and ask him to send something,” Wilson wrote. “It is likely that he wrote to John Heisman and asked for an autographed game ball, but we have no way to confirm that.”
Melia noted that Schroeder collected at a time when there was no financial incentive to fabricate memorabilia. The vastness of his collection, too, would seem to lend credence to the ball’s authenticity. The ball also comes with a letter of provenance from both the Helms Athletic Foundation/LA84 Collection.
Save a couple of photographs, Tech does not have any mementoes from the game, nor does the College Football Hall of Fame, which will open in Atlanta on Aug. 23. Hall of Fame historian and curator Kent Stephens said the Hall of Fame does not purchase items.
Presumably, with a one-of-a-kind ball up on the market, someone else will. |
Hi everyone! Since you are here, you most likely know who we are. But if you are here and you happen to not know who we are, then let us expound. We are Anadel, an Indie/Rock band based in Napa, CA (wine!). In 2011, we released our first full-length album "Flying South". Since then, we have written a lot of new material, and we're eager to get it recorded. Our new material, we believe, is a better representation of who Anadel is now, than who we were two years ago.
We are asking for the exact amount of funds needed to complete our project ($4,200). Whatever you can give, whether it be $1, $100, or even just sharing our project on your facebook or twitter, is greatly appreciated!
If you donate to our project, we want you as involved in the process as possible. Therefore, every day that we are in the studio, we will be posting pictures, videos, and blog tidbits exclusively for only you to see. This insider access to our recording process may definitely show you the serious, intense, excitement of recording, but we may also include things like...JT and Rob doing a push-up standoff, Ben going into a detailed explanation of why he likes mocha's, Keri having a heart-to-heart with her violins (yes, she talks to her violins...weird!), or Steven gazing at himself in the mirror. Anything can happen in the studio, and we want to keep you informed of these important goings-ons.
Thank you so much from all of us for your support! |
The Parramatta Eels have today confirmed the signing of Kieran Foran for the next two seasons, with an option for an additional two seasons.
Foran has reaffirmed his commitment to the Eels from 2016 and will commence with the club in November 2015 for pre-season training.
“Kieran has been very professional while the club worked through the process and I thank him for his approach,” said Eels Chairman Steve Sharp.
“I would also like to thank our Members and fans for their patience throughout this process with a good result for all achieved in the end.”
“It’s now time to move on and get back to focusing on football. Our Members and fans showed incredible support last Saturday night and we want to see them out in force on Monday night when we take on the Wests Tigers.”
Read more at ParraEels.com.au |
Li Keqiang and Modi Li Keqiang and Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang next week as both leaders travel to Myanmar for the East Asia Summit and ASEAN summit meetings, officials in Beijing told India Today.
Sources in Beijing said the Chinese side was especially keen for Premier Li to have his first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Modi. Chinese officials point out that Li was the first foreign leader to speak with Modi on the telephone following his swearing-in, with the two sharing a 40-minute telephone call. Li pledged then to build a "robust" relationship with Modi's government.
Modi and Li - who is second-ranked in the Communist Party of China (CPC) after President Xi Jinping - are both scheduled to travel to Naypyidaw in Myanmar next Wednesday, for three-day visits for the East Asia Summit as well as India and China's respective meetings with ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) from November 12-14. With both leaders set to have tightly packed schedules with bilateral meetings fixed on the sidelines of the two summits, officials cautioned that the meeting between the two prime ministers was not yet confirmed.
But sources said the Chinese were keen for the meeting to go ahead to build on the outcomes of President Xi Jinping's September visit to Gujarat and New Delhi. As the Premier, second-ranked Li holds the reins of the Chinese economy and has a more hands-on role than the President in executing policy, as the head of the Chinese State Council or Cabinet.
Although President Xi's India visit was, in some sense, overshadowed by the stand-off in Chumar along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), Indian and Chinese officials said they are keen to focus on the positives, such as the 20 billion dollar investment pledge from China, and to take concrete steps to move forward agreements such as the setting up of China-dedicated industrial parks in India. |
Disney/Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Do You Remember The Failed Zack And Cody Spin-Off That Featured Selena Gomez?
When The Suite Life of Zack and Cody premiered during Disney Channel's Golden Era it was an instant success, so it's a no-brainer that Disney would have been into a spin-off series featuring the show's beloved characters — especially after Cory in the House, the channel's first spin-off, became a hit.
And thus, The Suite Life on Deck was born, right? Well, yes and no. That show debuted in 2008, but there was another spin-off, starring everyone's favorite engineer, Arwin Hochauser (Brian Stepanek), that was never picked up as a series.
Disney
Arwin!, also known as Housebroken, filmed a pilot episode in 2007 before Disney pulled the plug. Unlike On Deck, it did not feature Dylan and Cole Sprouse. The show followed Arwin as he left the Tipton Hotel to move in with his sister and help raise her three kids, all while living in a Smart House-designed home.
Besides Stepanek, the show starred Samantha Droke, Pretty Little Liars star Nia Peeples, and Selena Gomez, before her Wizards of Waverly Place days. Gomez played Alexa (strikingly similar to ‘Alex'), Arwin's niece.
While the show has never been released in full, there are still several surviving clips floating around the Interwebs for your viewing pleasure.
The pilot revolved around Alexa sneaking out to a party, only to later get busted by Arwin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMLiEv1F9EQ
Jasmine Villegas, who played middle child and insane neat-freak Lidia, shared different clips from the show in her acting reel. https://youtu.be/pBwoXBa5dy4?t=35s
A promo for the show featured Arwin entering the house, which basically went all Pat on him and went berserk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZdMxyLQw1A
So, while it's a major bummer Arwin! never saw the light of day, we still have The Suite Life on Deck and Wizards of Waverly Place to watch on repeat forever. |
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Sonos is wildly popular for a reason. We in the tech biz toss the term “wireless multiroom audio” around a lot, but what Sonos really does is put great-sounding music in every corner of your home or business — and they make it dead simple. We like to think of Sonos as the audio company Apple wishes it could be — one that gives you amazing sound that “just works.” So what could possibly raise our enthusiasm about the company and its wares? We have the answer for you here in our Sonos One review.
Sonos isn’t alone in this game any longer. Alexa came along and blew the home speaker floodgates wide open. With its open digital assistant platform, Amazon was able not only to popularize its own speaker products, but also to see to it that Alexa started popping up everywhere and controlling everything. Today, if your product doesn’t work with Alexa, it’s considered behind the times. What’s more, Google was prodded to get in on the action and is now pushing its own line of speakers.
Sonos had to pivot, and pivot it has. In October, Sonos announced the Sonos One, a reimagined version of its popular Play:1 speaker that’s built to be the smartest smart speaker on the market. Out of the box, the Sonos One supports Amazon’s Alexa, but the company promises Google Assistant will come to the One sometime in 2018. Follow below to find out if the company’s latest effort to even further simplify whole-home audio is as successful as it sounds.
Out of the box
Dan Baker/Digital Trends
Sonos long ago perfected its out-of-box experience, drawing inspiration from the folks at Apple and making it all its own. Inside the Sonos Play One box, you’ll find a simple setup card, information on downloading and setting up Amazon’s Alexa app, and a clever sort of “dial” meant to inform and inspire you to tell Alexa how to get music going in your home.
Setup
We’ve been praising Sonos for its foolproof setup process, and we’re going to go ahead and keep heaping on the kudos. Figuring out how to seamlessly integrate Amazon’s Alexa assistant and app into its ecosystem is something the company says it pored over for months — and it shows. The process is, like all things Sonos, dead simple.
We’ve been praising Sonos for its foolproof setup process, and we’re going keep heaping on the kudos.
Plug the Sonos One into a wall outlet, pull the Sonos app up on a smartphone or tablet, and let the app walk you through the process. It will begin by having you create a Sonos account if you don’t already have one. From there, the app will discover the speaker automatically and prompt you to grant it access to your Wi-Fi network – if for some reason Wi-Fi isn’t available or stable enough, the speaker can be connected via Ethernet cable (not included) but don’t do that unless instructed.
Once the Sonos One has been connected to your network and you’ve named it (Living Room, Bedroom, Den, Kitchen, etc), the app will prompt you to use Trueplay, room-tuning software from Sonos. We strongly suggest you take the two minutes or so that this requires to get the speaker sounding its best – it really does make a significant difference.
Once you’re done walking around the room waving your phone in the air, you’ll be prompted to activate Alexa. This will require you to access the Amazon Alexa app, so make sure you’ve downloaded it and started an Amazon account if you don’t already have one.
From there, you can choose from a list of 50 music apps like Apple Music, Deezer, and more for Alexa to access. Specific apps — including Amazon Music and Music Unlimited, Tunein Radio, Pandora, iHeart Radio, Sirius XM, and Spotify — can even be set as the default streaming app for Alexa to use when you ask for a specific song or artist. Sonos also recently teamed with Pandora to add full support to Pandora’s mobile app, in case you’re a fan.
Ease of use
If you’re used to talking to Alexa through an Echo speaker or Fire TV device, you already know that Alexa is pretty good at deciphering your requests and turning them into actions. Alexa isn’t perfect, though, so if you’re new to this, expect a bit of a learning curve when figuring out what Alexa can and can’t do.
If you think Alexa is smart now, wait until you use it on a Sonos One speaker.
If you think Alexa is smart now, wait until you use it on a Sonos One speaker. By designing the Alexa Sonos skills from the ground up, the company has made getting the music you want on the speaker you want a breeze. For those who own multiple Sonos speakers, getting your favorite tracks playing in the right place is about to become a whole lot more fun.
Say a command like, “Alexa, play my Jazz playlist in the Kitchen,” and the Sonos speaker in your kitchen will begin playing your music in seconds. You can also set up a separate stream using Alexa. Ask the speaker to “play the Trends with Benefits podcast in the den,” and you’ll soon be listening to Greg Nibler and yours truly cutting it up over the latest tech in an entertaining half-hour podcast.
Thanks to Sonos’ microphone implementation, you can issue these voice commands from just about anywhere within earshot of the speaker. We were also impressed with how music could be blaring at full volume, but the microphones still caught us when we said “Alexa,” to bring the speaker to attention.
Sound quality
The Sonos One sounds exactly like a Sonos Play:1 speaker, which is to say it is one of the best-sounding compact multiroom wireless speakers you can buy today. Expect more bass than you thought possible from such a small speaker, with uncongested midrange, natural sounding vocals, and clear, sparkling treble. Frankly, the only thing that’s going to sound significantly better than a Sonos One speaker in your room is two Sonos One speakers. If you want a deeper dive into sound quality, just head over to our Sonos Play:1 review.
Complaints
Sonos is big on pointing out that its speakers connect via Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth, and while Wi-Fi has its distinct advantages, there’s no arguing Bluetooth is a convenience most folks want. We want to give the Sonos One a perfect score, but without Bluetooth, we had to knock it down half a point. Also, one of the great things about the Play:1 speaker is its ability to be mounted to the wall or ceiling thanks to the inclusion of a 1/4-inch threaded insert. With such great far-field voice reception, we’re confused Sonos eliminated the insert in the One. These are hardly deal-breakers, but explain why we didn’t go for a full five stars here.
Warranty information
Sonos provides a standard warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship in every Sonos product for one year from the date of shipment from Sonos or the date of the original retail purchase from an Authorized Sonos Dealer. You can learn more about the warranty here.
Sonos One Compared To
Our Take
The Sonos One is everything we’d hoped it would be: The best-sounding self-contained Alexa-enabled speaker you can buy, with the promise of Google Assistant and more coming soon, and the convenience and flexibility of Sonos’ killer app and ecosystem.
Is there a better alternative?
No. Right now, the only way you can get better sound quality with similar features is to connect an Echo Dot speaker to a more elaborate speaker system, and that doesn’t mean it’s going to give you the full Sonos experience.
How long will it last?
The Sonos One should last longer than most smart speakers given expected updates, and Sonos’ ability to build upon its flexible platform. As for build quality, the Sonos One is among the best-built powered speakers you can buy today, with the Riva Arena right up there with it.
Should you buy it?
Yes. If you want all the convenience of Alexa (and Google Assistant coming soon) along with Sonos’ intuitive system and excellent sound quality, the Sonos One is the only speaker of its kind.
Update: This review has been updated following the Sonos One’s newly launched Spotify support. |
Spam N Eggs, the favorite party of Los Angeles, got absolutely insane last Thursday night.
When I got word from Transparent Agency early on that DEAN would be performing at Spam N Eggs, I immediately requested a press pass in anticipation of things going down the right way. Spam N Eggs is a party … a throwback to the classic days of raves with changing locations and DJ lineups, before all types of techno was lumped into the one label of EDM. It never has a set date and you gotta keep your eye out for the announcement of the events or you might just miss it! If you love to dance, party, and enjoy hearing an array of amazing DJs spin live, Spam N Eggs is your perfect event, and this one was no exception.
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The day before the event, though, we got word that outside press had been cut off. I immediately had a sad, but once I got myself composed and stopped hulking out, I reached out and asked if we could do it fan-account style and they agreed to let us in as press. Empanada was banned, but my trusty crappy cell phone had gotten a major overhaul and a new battery. I was ready to rumble!
This time, it was thrown at Club Bound L.A. which has apparently become the favored location in Koreatown for all kinds of events (and was the club that our nugu faves BgA filmed their choreo)! The moment word got around that DEAN was performing, the event sold out so fast that people were desperately trying bid for aftermarket tickets online. As such, when we got to the club the line was literally around the block because people had started lining up before the sun had gone down.
When the crowd was finally allowed in, they filled the place to capacity as was promised. The VIP section was stacked with Transparent Agency family members like Far East Movement and Dumbfoundead; mixed with ISAtv heads and heavy hitters like Dan AKA Dan and Rekstizzy. Ben Baller was also there with Tiny and a whole collection of music industry monsters hiding in corners of booths watching the place overflow with thirsty fans waiting to see DEAN croon them outta their panties.
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DJ Zo spun the crowd through current and classic hip-hop and R&B, mixed in some mild EDM, and kept the crowd pumped as they waited hours outside then hours crammed on the dance floor for DEAN.
Here’s the thing, and for those of you who’ve been to K-pop shows you can attest to this, but the people who go to K-pop shows … they don’t dance. They just stand there, a massive group of people either staring at their phones or staring at the stage waiting. It’s incredibly awkward, especially when K-pop fans come to events that aren’t K-pop. DEAN isn’t K-pop, and Spam N Eggs is a rave, so the visual of everyone just standing there and staring at DJ Zo while he spun at a rave was more like witnessing a cult waiting for the Kool-Aid to kick in.
Dumbfoundead actually got fed up enough that he got on the mic right before DEAN came out and said something like, “This is the last mix! This ain’t no K-pop show! I wanna see you dance! I don’t wanna see robots! If I see two of you doing the exact same moves, I’m kickin’ your ass out!”
DJ Zo then proceeded to spin his last song, and the crowd went K-pop wild, which means they put their hands up and swayed to some non-existent breeze.
Then DEAN finally hit the stage and people predictably went nuts! He got up on stage in his jeans, white shirt, baseball cap, and camel-colored blazer, lookin’ like that one college professor you’d consider getting freaky with to up your crappy grade, and sang his heart out. Girls screamed so loud around me that I couldn’t hear the music at one point. I have never seen so many people body roll in an audience in all my life! And I’ve seen some shit! He grooved on stage, as fans reached and pawed at him, and he sung songs like “21” and “I’m Not Sorry“.
DEAN’s voice is exactly how it sounds on the singles, by the way, and I’m not even kidding with you. There’s usually some type of variation from mixing and producing, but he sounds exactly the same and it’s almost creepy.
Can we also take a moment and giggle like schoolgirls at the way DEAN dances? Because seriously, at first I couldn’t understand this massive collective thirst for his ass, but after seeing him live, I might actually understand a bit of it. He’s just so adorable.
When the show ended, people immediately scattered, either to the bathroom or the bar, and we could finally breathe on the dance floor.
In any case, the thing I came away with from the night was that if you get the chance to catch DEAN live, definitely do it.
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Thank you to Transparent Agency and Spam N Eggs for letting me come thru! |
Justine Greening, the education secretary, has struggled to produce evidence for expanding grammar schools, as the chief inspector of schools claimed returning to such as a system would cause Britain to fail as a nation.
The cabinet minister argued that more grammar schools would “turbo-charge” the prospects of bright children from poorer backgrounds, but struggled to identify the evidence or political mandate for making the reforms.
She was confronted on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme with comments from Sir Michael Wilshaw, the chief inspector, who said it would be bad for the country to move towards a system where only a small proportion of children have a good education.
“We will fail as a nation if we only get the top 15% to 20% of our children achieving well. We have got to get many more children achieving well. My fear is that dividing children at 11 and creating grammars and secondary moderns – because that is what we will do – then we won’t be able to achieve that ambition,” Wilshaw said.
Greening, who was educated at a comprehensive school, said she had a huge respect for Wilshaw but the proposals being set out by May would insist that new grammars accept more children from poorer backgrounds or sponsor other schools.
The education secretary said children from poorer backgrounds who got into grammars did twice as well as other children in grammars. But she had no answer to why it would improve the education and prospects of poorer children overall, including those who do not get into grammar schools.
“We want to see a 21st-century approach on grammars. Grammars are stuck in the past from a policy perspective and it is time to open up that debate and look at how they can work for a 21st-century education system in Britain.”
The Conservative MP Dr Sarah Wollaston suggested the changes risked undermining the prime minister’s promise to reduce inequality.
She told the Today programme: “If you stand on the steps of Downing Street and talk about wanting to reduce inequality, I think you have to follow the evidence and, I’m afraid, sooner or later you have to deliver on evidence-based policies.”
She added: “I think we need to be very careful that we’re not ending up giving one message but introducing policies that go in the opposite direction.”
Wollaston said allowing faith schools to select 100% of their pupils by religion, which May is also due to announce, was a “regressive step” that she would vote against in parliament.
Greening said the government would continue to raise standards in all schools while allowing parents to have the choice of sending their children somewhere where they would be academically stretched.
Challenged to identify the government’s mandate for carrying out such reforms, Greening said Theresa May “was very clear when she came into Downing Street that she wanted to create a country for everyone”.
Pressed again on the fact that the policy was not in the Conservative manifesto, she argued that David Cameron had paved the way for existing grammars to expand.
Theresa May will give more details of her new policy at a speech in central London on Friday. She will announce an end to the ban on the creation of new grammar schools and attempt to head off critics by proposing measures intended to prevent poorer children losing out.
The prime minister will end days of speculation by confirming that her government will reverse the “arbitrary” ban on the creation of new grammar schools that has been in place since 1998.
She will say: “For too long we have tolerated a system that contains an arbitrary rule preventing selective schools from being established – sacrificing children’s potential because of dogma and ideology. The truth is that we already have selection in our school system – and it’s selection by house price, selection by wealth. That is simply unfair.”
She will confirm that new selective schools will be allowed to open and that existing schools will be able to become grammars. “This is about being unapologetic for our belief in social mobility and making this country a true meritocracy – a country that works for everyone,” she will say.
As well as expanding selection by academic ability, May is also expected to signal that new faith schools will be able to choose more pupils on the basis of their religion, ending the admissions cap, which was aimed at preventing children from being segregated by faith, another measure likely to prove controversial.
New free schools, which are state funded, are allowed to select only half of their pupils on faith grounds, under the rule, which will now be lifted.
The Catholic church lobbied for the rule to be changed but, as recently as last September, the Department for Education said it had no intention of rewriting the rules.
May’s move to expand grammar schools is likely to prove controversial with the Conservative modernisers she banished to the backbenches, as well as teaching unions and education campaigners.
Cameron said in 2007 that he thought the debate on grammars was “pointless”, because “parents fundamentally don’t want their children divided into sheep and goats at the age of 11”.
May will promise to consult on ways to mitigate the risk that poor children – who tend to be under-represented in existing grammars – are relegated to sink schools as selection is expanded. Options in a paper expected to be published on Monday will include:
• Forcing new selective schools to take a minimum proportion of pupils from lower income households.
• Requiring them to establish a new non-selective free school, or a primary feeder school in an area with a high density of lower income households.
• Requiring them to sponsor an existing underperforming, non-selective academy school.
The plans will form part of a wider package of education reforms, including an effort to narrow the gap between universities and the schools system. Universities that want to raise tuition fees for students will be obliged to make their expertise available to younger learners, by setting up a new school or take over an existing, failing school, for example. |
This week marked the start of the qualifiers for the largest Dota 2 tournament of the year: The International 2015. Teams from across the globe are duking it out to try and secure a spot in the final event and the opportunity to take home a piece of the prize pool which sits at a cool 9.2 million dollars. Tensions are high, as The International is commonly considered the event that most professional Dota 2 teams look to all year.
During the American region qualifiers match between ROOT gaming and team eHug, a prankster made use of a blank username and sneaked into the lobby, joined the English casting slot and proceeded to play J-Pop and anime themed music. The English casters either ignored their unexpected noisy co-caster or spoke over the music. But how did the prankster manage to pull it off? Joining a tournament lobby requires a player, caster, or admin to know the tournament lobby password, one that’s unique to each lobby. It’s anyone’s guess as to how the culprit managed to get a hold of the lobby password. Check out the video below to see what eSports fan got to enjoy.
For those of you curious, the song playing is Orange, which is the 2nd ending theme to the anime, Toradora.
The jokester also posted a number snarky comments in boxes usually reserved for color commentary on statistics. Check out a few examples below:
A full imgur album of all snarky messages is available here.
Needless to say, tournament admins will be more careful from this point forward. What do you think, a hilarious joke or an immature annoyance? Let us know in the comments below!
Need more gaming reviews and news? Be sure to give @APGNation and our Steam Curator page a follow and like our Facebook page! |
his week, new details regarding The Shadow of Things to Come have emerged. Avid readers of the works of speculative fiction writer Tad Williams may remember that The Shadow of Things to Come is the working title of a forthcoming novel, written by Williams, and set in the Osten Ard universe (previous novels in the same universe included the now-classic “Memory, Sorrow and Thorn” series composed of The Dragonbone Chair, Stone of Farewell, and To Green Angel Tower, as well as the forthcoming novels The Heart of What Was Lost and The Witchwood Crown, both set for publication in early 2017).
This week, several Treacherous Paths contributors from across the globe met with Tad Williams at his strange and wonderful home near Santa Cruz in Northern California, and the bestselling author of more than twenty science fiction and fantasy novels revealed some tantalizing new details regarding what will likely be his 23rd full-length novel, The Shadow of Things to Come.
Writes Treacherous Paths contributor Ylvs:
The Shadow Of Things To Come will feature the fall of Asu’a 500 years ago, told from the perspective of a Nabbanai envoy from the court of [Imperator Enfortis]. So we’ll see Asu’a before its fall, [and] probably witness Ineluki killing [the Erl King] Iyu’unigato…
So Shadow will tell of the end of the Sithi empire in Osten Ard, as the Peaceful Ones are routed from the great city of Asu’a and the Erl King’s lands by the cold iron of the mortal Rimmersmen.
Many readers have long requested from Williams that he write one or more full-length novels set in this era, ever since The Dragonbone Chair was published in October 1988, with that volume containing several tantalizing glimpses (told only in flashback sequences) of the end of Iyu’unigato the Erl King’s reign in Osten Ard, as the ravaging northmen destroy the last and greatest of the nine Gardenborn cities:
During [Imperator] Enfortis’ reign the iron-wielders came. Nabban decided to withdraw from the north altogether. They fell back across the river Gleniwent so quickly that many of the northern frontier outposts found themselves entirely deserted, left behind to join the oncoming Rimmersmen or die. Nabban withdrew its armies from the north, becoming for the first time purely a southern empire. It was just the beginning of the end, of course; as time passed, the Imperium folded itself up just like a blanket, smaller and smaller until today they are nothing more than a duchy—a peninsula with its few attendant islands. Without the Imperial garrisons, […] the north was in chaos. The shipmen had captured the northernmost part of the Frostmarch, naming their new home Rimmersgard. Not content with that, the Rimmersmen were fanning out southward, sweeping all before them in a bloody advance. They robbed and ruined other Men, making captives of many, but the Sithi they deemed evil creatures; with fire and cold iron they hunted the Fair Folk to their death everywhere… Now the people of Hernystir—a proud, fierce people whom even the Nabbanai Imperators never really conquered—were not at all willing to bend their necks to Rimmersgard. They were horrified by what the northerners were doing to the Sithi. The Hernystiri had been of all Men the closest to Fair Folk—there is still visible today the mark of an ancient trade road between this castle and the Taig at Hernysadharc. The lord of Hernystir and the Erl-king made desperate compact, and for a while held the northern tide at bay. But even combined, their resistance could not last forever. Fingil, king of the Rimmersmen, swept down across the Frostmarch over the borders of the Erl-king’s territory… In the year 663 the two great hosts came to the plains of Ach Samrath, the Summerfield, north of the River Gleniwent. For five days of terrible, merciless carnage the Hernystiri and the Sithi held back the might of the Rimmersmen. On the sixth day, though, they were set on treacherously from their unprotected flank by an army of men from the Thrithings, who had long coveted the riches of Erkynland and the Sithi for their own. They made a fearful charge under cover of darkness. The defense was broken, the Hernystiri chariots smashed, the White Stag of the House of Hern trampled into the bloody dirt. It is said that ten thousand men of Hernystir died in the field that day. No one knows how many Sithi fell, but their losses were grievous, too. Those Hernystiri who survived fled back to the forest of their home. In Hernystir, Ach Samrath is today a name only for hatred and loss. That was the day that Sithi mastery in Osten Ard came to an end, even though it took three long years of siege before Asu’a fell to the victorious northerners. If not for strange, horrible magics worked by the Erl-king’s son, there would likely have been not a single Sithi to survive the fall of the Castle. Many did, however, fleeing to the forests, and south to the waters and… and elsewhere… About the Erl- king’s son… it is better to say nothing.
Williams’ announcement regarding The Shadow of Things to Come comes just five months before the release of The Heart of What Was Lost, the first full-length Osten Ard novel since the publication of To Green Angel Tower in Spring 1993. That volume hit the New York Times bestseller list, and it remains one of the longest novels ever written in the English language, at 1,083 pages in hardcover (1,600 pages in paperback).
Altogether, five new Osten Ard novels are expected during the next five or six years (Williams writes at a fairly fast pace, and has never experienced the extended publication delays of fantasy authors like George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, or Robert Jordan, publishing, on average, one book every 1.5 years).
We at Treacherous Paths will reveal more details regarding the new Osten Ard novels when we can. |
CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving’s eyes are pointed forward, and once he’s back on the floor, the Cavaliers’ star guard intends to keep looking ahead.
"I’m a Ferrari without a rearview mirror," he said.
Irving, who hasn’t played since breaking his left kneecap in the NBA Finals, is finally fully cleared to practice and said Thursday that he’s moving toward his return. But Irving would not commit to exactly when he’ll make his season debut.
"You’re not getting anything out of me," he said, smiling. "No percentages, no target dates, nothing. I’m feeling good. Personally, I’m in a great place just being able to be out here and practice with the guys, being able to go up and down and continuously, as well."
He said when he first went up and down the court, he was more controlled.
"Today, there was a lot more up and down, being able to test my wind, being able to test my knee, going from offense to defense and translating and being able to get out in the fast break and being able to try my moves that I’ve been practicing, kind of knock off most of the rust I’ve had," he said.
Irving fractured the kneecap in Game 1 of the NBA Finals last season while trying to cut to the basket. Without him, the Cavs were missing one of their top offensive players and couldn’t stay with the Warriors. Golden State won the title in six games.
Irving has been patient during his comeback. He’s listened to his body and his doctors so as not to have any setbacks. Irving has had injuries, but none as serious as this one. He’s being cautious but promised that once he’s given the OK to play, nothing will hold him back.
"If I’m putting myself in a position to be out there and I’m 100 percent, then I’m going to go out there and I’m not going to take any extra days off or take a week off just because erring on the side of being cautious," said Irving, who was slowed by tendinitis earlier in the postseason. "Anything can happen at any given moment, and I still have no regrets from what I did last year, going out there, and even playing injured."
Irving says he won’t change his mindset of leaving it on the line when he plays.
"I still have that competitive fire inside and when I’m cleared to play, I’m going out and playing," he said. "There’s no looking back after that."
The Cavaliers, who will play at New Orleans on Friday and Miami on Saturday, have opened 13-5 despite not having Irving, starting guard Iman Shumpert and with center Timofey Mozgov still struggling after offseason knee surgery. Shumpert is now practicing after being sidelined with a broken wrist and could be back soon.
For Irving, the climb back from the injury has been grueling.
"It’s a mountain when you’re injured," he said. "Different base camps like they have on Mount Everest and you go to different base camps and you try to just to get them. Sometimes you’re going to fall down the mountain and sometimes you’re going to get even further on the day. This past week has been the biggest steps I’ve taken mentally and physically to being out there and being ready to be out there with my guys." |
An unmanned cargo ship packed with science experiment materials plus food, water and clothes successfully docked at the International Space Station on Saturday, NASA partner Orbital ATK said.
The cargo ship, Cygnus , which blasted off Tuesday on the resupply run, was carrying 7,900 pounds (3.6 metric tons) of supplies to the station for the ISS crew of six astronauts, as well as components to support dozens of science and research probes.
Cygnus was captured by the space station's robotic arm, operated by crew members, and guided into its berthing port. The operation was over by 1452 GMT.
"Our flexible Cygnus spacecraft has a lot of work left to do. Following its stay at the ISS, and for the first time, we will undertake three experiments onboard the unmanned spacecraft," said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group.
The pressurized vessel will stay at the ISS until May. After loading it with trash and once it is at a safe distance from the station, NASA engineers will then set off a blaze inside the capsule to see how large flames behave in space.
NASA has set off tiny controlled fires in space in the past, but never tested how large flames react inside an orbiting space capsule.
Cygnus' cargo also includes an instrument that, for the first time, will allow experts to evaluate, from space, the chemical composition of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere.
It was also carrying a new 3D printer and another scientific highlight includes a so-called Gecko Gripper, a mechanism similar to the tiny hairs on the feet of geckos that makes it possible for them to stick to surfaces.
This technology could one day be used on the hands and feet of robots that would move along the exterior of spacecraft to carry out inspections and repairs.
It is Orbital's fifth supply mission to the ISS, as part of a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to deliver necessities to the astronauts living in space. |
Freebird Live Closed On January 21st, 2016
After 16 years in Jacksonville Beach, Freebird Live has evolved into one of the country's premier live music venues.
Showcasing a spectrum of national and regional touring artists as well as select inspiring local artists. The name "Freebird Live" reflects our focus on live music, offering a variety of genres to satisfy your musical interests.
Freebird Live features the latest state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems. A non-smoking two story music venue with a current capacity of 700 with 2 full bars, a unique railed balcony overlooks the ground floor stage. Freebird Live is a general admission, standing room only music venue. The venue also has an open-air, exterior wrap around balcony designated as the smoking area.
UPDATE: Freebird Live officiially closed their doors on January 21st, 2016. Their final show was January 20th, 2016 with Galactic! Thank You for supporting live music with us over the past 16 years! |
The Frontend at GitLab is getting better and better every day. Today we did two big things, and I'd like to share them with you and our big plans for the future.
If you use the GDK, then make sure you update it! If you have no idea what I am talking about, then just keep reading.
Please see the documentation for instructions on updating your GDK.
Please see our troubleshooting guide for any issues when updating your GDK.
Feel free to report any additional issues you find.
Our big Frontend plan
Vue is awesome. I wrote an article a while ago that showed GitLab's love for Vue. Today's article is a way to show our plan over the long term to make GitLab as fast and performant as possible with Vue and webpack. We want to make GitLab the easiest to develop for Frontend Developers.
One of the lessons I live by is "It's not always about the tools you use, but how you use them." Saying "we chose Vue", does not imply success. This also means that we could be using Angular or React and have just as awesome of a product. Vue is simply the way there.
How do we plan to use Vue over the long run to make GitLab better, faster, easier and more awesome?
The plan below is a work in progress and very ambitious, but I believe that it will result in a much better frontend for development and performance. This document is also a reference to myself of the things we plan to do here at GitLab's Frontend.
A healthier Frontend
When I started at GitLab, our stack was (oversimplifying here) Rails with jQuery. It hasn't changed much big picture wise except for Vue. Smaller picture, we've added many linters, better code coverage, and many other great things.
1. Rewrite only what you need to
We are not rewriting GitLab's frontend entirely in Vue. That would be a very bad idea. It's not a bad idea for everyone, but it's a bad idea for a startup. It would cost a tremendous amount of time and money. The existing jQuery code (although some say is uncool) has been tested and works very well. There is no need to rewrite functionality that works well, unless there is going to be a major gain.
We also aren't writing every new thing in Vue. You do not need to do this either. But, it would be hard to find some part of the UI that would not benefit from even the simplest parts of Vue.
Examples of this are:
The issue page (which shows an individual issue), has a lot of jQuery on it. We won't rewrite now, because it works well. We will rewrite small parts in Vue once we make certain features more real-time. We are currently making the title and description real time. The Issue Boards, which Phil wrote, was a perfect candidate for Vue. It was a brand new feature and had lots of reactive parts. The current issue page loads all comments at once and adds lots of event listeners to the page. This page could benefit from Vue for performance reasons. We could make the comment section a Vue app and make the comments a component with the emoji picker as components as well, etc. While we're in there, we'll amp up the UX by allowing you to see the comment you linked to immediately without waiting. There are better ways to show massive amounts of comments so we have to potentially rethink that. The pipelines page rewritten in vue for the arrival of real time updating. The environments was written in Vue. There are many other places where we will be using Vue in the future and where we are already using Vue. Too many to list here.
As you can see, we won't just slap Vue on everything.
2. Add in webpack
Rails has this awesome system of grabbing your Ruby libraries and bundling them into your app. bundle install will install all the stuff you need from your Gemfile . So why does Frontend have to stick all their libraries in the vendor directory? Are we not on point enough to have our own library delivery system? The javascript ecosystem has matured since the asset pipeline first arrived, and we now have npm install and advanced code bundling tools that we can take advantage of.
By introducing webpack into the equation (merged and ready for action!) we gain multiple benefits.
Javascript libraries aren't being bundled directly with the GitLab source code or included within gem wrappers. e.g. jquery-ui or bootstrap-rails are included as a ruby gem and we are at the mercy of the gem maintainer to keep the Javascript library up to date. When code is shared between files, we can make sure we don't load lodash twice, for example. If both files load lodash, we should only load the code for lodash once. Not only will lodash not be included twice, but with tree shaking only the components of lodash that we use will be included rather than the whole library. We can add hot module replacement to make our Vue development quicker. This is a development bonus, as our current development takes loads of time to refresh the page while developing GitLab. Spicy! We can now manage our dependencies properly. This should help a lot of frontenders to contribute to GitLab. Devs won't need to figure out the whole Rails Javascript situation in order to contribute. We can also dictate manually what we want to include. SVGs are going to be huge. webpack bundles SVGs directly into our Javascript. Right now, SVGs live in a specific directory in Rails. We use Rails helpers to pull in SVGs. With webpack we can pull in SVGs one at a time because webpack precompiles assets. We won't have to fetch SVGs with an HTTP request. We don't have to do tricky HTML hidden elements which is technical debt. We don't have to mess around with SVGs in CSS. You cannot change the color of SVGs in CSS. We use a lot of Ruby to solve Javascript and CSS problems. Now we can solve those problems on our own using only frontend tools. Using webpack's CommonsChunkPlugin we split all of our common vendor libraries into their own separate file. Since these change very infrequently, they can stay cached for a much longer period of time. With webpack's code splitting feature you can load just the JS you need to boot. Then you do a require.ensure() or System.import() . With this, we can tell webpack to request only exact JS you need. It keeps the size of the file really small. For example if you have modal.js for modals. If someone never uses the modals the code never loads. As soon as someone opens a modal, the JS gets loaded on demand. We can now properly manage our global scope. We can now do a import x from y instead of having our scripts pollute the global scope and pass classes around on window.gl.lol . We can slim down the our Vue bundles because we can precompile templates and omit the template compiler from our production code. Evan You (the creator of VueJS) explains this in the feature overview for Vue 2.0: There will be two different builds: Standalone build: includes both the compiler and the runtime. …
Runtime only build: since it doesn't include the compiler, you need to either pre-compiled templates in a compile step, or manually written render functions.
We used TurboLinks in GitLab, but we've recently removed it with the linked merge request, merged on 2017/02/03.
With TurboLinks, clicking a link won't navigate to a new page in the default browser GET request way. Instead, Turbolinks will replace the body tag of your app with the new content. All your Javascript is loaded one time, when using the asset pipeline. This usually only loads some small HTML and JavaScript. On GitLab, our pages would load an average of 20kb on each page load versus the full JavaScript file size of 800kb+. Turbolinks is a great solution for many projects. When you start introducing slightly more complex Javascript it becomes a pain. We did speed tests on pages with Turbolinks and without Turbolinks and we found that the pages without Turbolinks performed better. We discovered that Turbolinks works well when you don't have a lot of event listeners to manage. To add to this, we will be able to make our pages even faster in the future because we will divide the Javascript up between pages better with the help of webpack. We were previously writing a lot of extra code to handle all of Turbolink's problems and we can remove that code now.
The problem we need to solve
When your JS is loaded one time for multiple pages, events become a major problem. If you are using gem 'jquery-turbolinks' as we are, then the $ ready function will fire on every page load even though the page isn't loading in the traditional sense. It's painful to write page specific Javascript without including it for the whole app. We do it and it's fine, but, why? There really isn't a reason for a lot of our JS that needs to be included on every page.
Any external links do load faster so, we need to be careful about performance.
If you aren't careful, your events will get loaded multiple times and thus fire multiple times. For example, take the following code:
$ ( function (){ $ ( document ). on ( 'click' , '.some-element' , function (){ console . log ( 'Click loaded' ); } });
That click event will be loaded on every page and thus fire multiple times every time .some-element is clicked.
The Solutions
There are a few remedies to this problem. Some are good and some are bad.
Don't create events in $ ready callbacks. Use the following stinky solution: $ ( document ) . off ( 'click' , '.some-element' ) . on ( 'click' ... I call this the die live method. Old jQuery code people use to write die().live() everywhere. That's the old school jQuery off().on() . Write an event manager to be a delegate for all added events. Remove Turbolinks and make sure you load only the code you need on each page.
I am opting for option 4, in order to make our development lives easier and get multiple performance gains.
The Bonus
After we remove Turbolinks we can do something really cool. We can have each page live on its own. Then, certain pages can be their own Vue apps. For example, we can make the file browser its own Vue application. The merge request page can be its own application. The code for the file viewer won't need to be loaded on any other page and the same goes for other pages. This is not anything new, this is just basic web development. This is also not a new paradigm, and we would not be the first.
Conclusion
There is the argument for making the whole site a single page application, but I think this would just be the hardest to maintain and has zero benefits for the performance and the user. Also, there's a higher chance of making GitLab a janky app. For example, the profile page could be potentially very light, and there would be no reason for that if someone is linked directly to the profile page; it should load every single piece of Javascript in our project.
This is just one small step for GitLab and one giant leap for the frontend team. In the future you will see many new cool things coming from our team. This move was one step in that direction.
Questions, suggestions, ideas? Please leave a comment below or tweet at us @GitLab! |
A poll released Monday put Barack Obama in the strongest position yet when matched up against Mitt Romney, the Washington Post reported. Fifty-one percent of voters said they would choose Obama, and 45 percent said Romney. Against Newt Gingrich, who was outflanked by Romney in Florida and Nevada, Obama's lead was greater: 53 percent to 45 percent.
Romney, who cruised to victory in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, has had two solid wins since a stumble in South Carolina last month. But GOP candidates have struggled to overcome messaging issues. The poll inidicated that 55 percent of close campaign watchers say they do not approve of the Republican candidates' talking points.
More from GlobalPost: Mitt Romney wins Nevada by wide margin
Obama gave the annual State of the Union address just last week, and with better-than-expected jobs numbers released last Friday, the poll gave him a job approval rating of 50 percent, which is higher than it has been since May 2011, just after the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Good economic news also buoyed voters' approval of Obama's handling of the economy, which was at 44 percent, the highest in 13 months, ABC news reported.
More from GlobalPost: Wall Street backs Mitt Romney
In addition, Romney's business experience, which is a central component of his campaign claim that he knows how to create jobs, is still a powerful draw among independent voters, who decided the last election. The Post reported: "...by nearly 5 to 1, independents are more apt to view Romney’s business experience as a reason to support rather than oppose him."
But there is still little to become complacent about. Even if most voters still prefer Obama over Romney, "Among registered voters, 49 percent say Obama’s performance warrants a second term; exactly as many say it doesn’t," the Post reported. |
We're taking our play about small-town homophobia Off Broadway and to one of the most anti-gay places in America: Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.
Our fundraising goal will allow The Bus to play Off Broadway at 59E59 Theaters for four weeks beginning the week of October 3rd and perform in Topeka, Kansas in early November, immediately following our Off Broadway run. If we meet or exceed our goal, these monies will go toward producing both, the Off Broadway and Topeka shows of The Bus.
ABOUT THE PLAY:
The Bus tells the story of two boys who, late at night, regularly rendezvous in a parked church bus just to be close. When their secret meeting place is in danger of being discovered, the boys find themselves in the middle of a family conflict between a large church and a small-town gas station—and the clash proves explosive. Touching, sometimes haunting, often humorous, and swirling with suspense, The Bus was called "a bona-fide surprise hit, drawing big crowds and positive reviews," by the Burlington Free Press.
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR THE BUS:
"An extraordinary play…a powerful striking piece that's all the more remarkable because it's the first stage work by the playwright who effectively toes the line between drama and melodrama in a script that tackles such volatile subjects as Christianity, teen homosexuality and the flammable bonds of family…a taut, often darkly amusing script." The Burlington Free Press
"It was a joy to see this script come to life. The main characters, two teenage boys coming to terms with their sexuality, community and impending adulthood, are absolutely convincing." Out in the Mountains
"An enormous success … a complex and timely drama about small town tensions caused by the fierce interplay of sexuality, mega-church religiosity, homophobia and pride." Vermont Times
COOL REWARDS:
A one-of-a-kind smiley pendant that we've created out of reclaimed bus metal. Each pendant is designed by Dostie (from the video) then cut and created from salvaged metal from an old school bus.
New Reward! -- Katharine Montstream Print:
This summer view of Burlington is from the lake looking back at the city. According to artist Katharine Montstream, "This area is ideal for landscape painting. Between the weather and change of season, there's no lack of material." See more of Katharine's work at kmmstudio.com or at her studio at Union Station. Hurry, only 12 prints available!
59E59 THEATERS IN NEW YORK CITY:
59E59 Theaters is a critically acclaimed Off Broadway theater complex with three stages. Owned and operated by the not-for-profit Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation, 59E59 Theaters brings new, innovative, and challenging work to East Side audiences from across the United States and around the world. 59E59 Theaters were honored with a Drama Desk Award in 2008. www.59E59.org
59E59 Theaters in New York City
FIND OUT MORE:
Please visit our website at www.TheBusThePlay.com
2006 Cast and Crew of The Bus |
Most American Jews honor their late parents with a memorial plaque, regular cemetery visits or attending Yizkor services.
Stephanie Kahn, a nurse, is honoring her parents by opening a medical marijuana dispensary together with her husband Jeffrey, a rabbi.
The Kahns’ dispensary, in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Takoma, where they live, recently passed its final inspection by the Department of Health and is slated to open this week.
And, they want to assure you, it is totally legal.
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Stephanie’s father was sick her whole life with a difficult case of multiple sclerosis. His doctors advised him in the 1970s that marijuana could relieve his pain.
“He was a strait-laced businessman and especially in those days, when marijuana was associated with the counterculture, he didn’t like the idea, but he tried it,” Kahn recalled. “He was positive it helped him. It made a huge difference, and that made a huge impact on me.”
Fast-forward almost 40 years, and find the Kahns, after decades spent pursuing their respective caring professions and raising children, retired empty-nesters “looking for something new and different to do,” as Stephanie put it. Because of their experience with Stephanie’s father, they were closely following the push to legalize marijuana in D.C., which happened in 2011.
Today, 18 states in addition to the District of Columbia have legalized pot for medicinal purposes, and in last November’s election, voters in Washington State and Colorado approved its recreational use. A majority of Americans support legalizing the drug, according to a Pew Research Center poll released earlier this month. Most Americans no longer see pot as immoral, or as a gateway to other drugs. Under federal law, it is still classified as a dangerous drug with no legitimate uses, but so far the feds haven’t formally challenged any of the state statutes.
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Jeffrey, who has painful memories of working as a Reform rabbi outside Chicago with AIDS sufferers who could have benefited from medial marijuana, had the idea of opening a dispensary. Stephanie thought their two sons would be horrified, but she was wrong.
“Our family sees it as a way to honor my parents, to have a place where people like my parents could go … that will help people who desperately need help,” Stephanie said. “It just seemed beshert [fated]. We were in the right place at the right time.”
So this actually is your grandfather’s pot shop. Stephanie and Jeffrey are eager to dispel any association of their dispensary with popular drug culture, like High Times magazine or the television show “Weeds.”
The Kahns themselves have never used pot recreationally, they say. They also plan to donate their profits to charities that support either the conditions that afflict their customers, or their neighborhood.
The Kahns, and their regulators, are right to be cautious, say traditional Jewish voices.
There’s a tension in Judaism regarding medical marijuana, said Rabbi Simkha Weintraub, the rabbinic director of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, who leads workshops on Jewish spiritual resources for confronting illness and creates healing rituals.
On the one hand, the tradition gives substantial latitude in order to alleviate pain; for example, the administration of morphine to ease distress might be allowed even if it shortens life. Then again, maintaining social order by respecting the laws of the state is also an important value. What’s more, Rabbi Weintraub worries that recovering addicts who are not terminally ill might experience challenges to their sobriety if a doctor prescribes a drug like marijuana; he has even written a prayer for such patients that begins, “Healer of all flesh: I come before You in fear and hope.”
Similarly, Dr. Abraham Twerski, a chasidic rabbi and a psychiatrist specializing in substance abuse, said he worries that doctors will be too liberal in prescribing marijuana, which is known to cause young people in particular to lose their energy and drive.
“There’s no need to suffer unnecessarily if there’s a safe method of pain relief,” he said. “The worry is that this is not safe.”
The Kahns are pretty square, and their dispensary will be, too. But if they weren’t, they could never have gotten their 350-page application through in D.C., where two-plus years after the city council legalized the drug for medical purposes, the Kahns’ and two other approved dispensaries are still waiting for that green light to go ahead and open.
When that happens, they will provide salves, creams, tinctures and food products to sufferers of the five conditions — AIDS; HIV; glaucoma; cancer and multiple sclerosis, like Stephanie’s father — that in D.C. qualify a resident for a medical marijuana prescription. The Kahns will purchase those products from growers — 95-plant maximum — likewise licensed by the city after a complex application process.
“This is as legal as it can possibly be. It is very, very regulated,” Jeffrey said. “We want to make sure that we are as compliant as possible.”
Clearly, D.C. is not Colorado, and the Kahns are nothing like Mason Tvert, the giggly Jewish activist with a genius for media stunts profiled by Jewish Telegraphic Agency right after last November’s election as the man behind that state’s successful campaign to permit residents over 21 to possess up to an ounce of pot.
Indeed, Jews like Tvert have long been visible proponents of marijuana for both partiers and those in need of pain relief. Think Abbie Hoffman, who wrote, upon the founding of the Youth International Party, or Yippies, “We shall not defeat Amerika by organizing a political party. We shall do it by building a new nation — a nation as rugged as the marijuana leaf.” Think poet Allen “Pot is fun” Ginsberg.
Former High Times columnist Ed Rosenthal owns the Quick Trading Company, which publishes books about marijuana cultivation and lifestyle, many written by Rosenthal himself, who blogs under the nom de guerre “Guru of Ganja.” “Weeds” creator Jenji Kohan participated in Reboot, the avant-garde Jewish cultural network. Even Israel is an international leader in marijuana research, and its Health Ministry is considering the distribution of medical marijuana in pharmacies. Talk about making aliyah. Literally.
In creating their dispensary, the Kahns say they are trying to walk a middle path. They see it as “a professional place that doesn’t have the drug culture atmosphere,” and “no element of drug kingpins.”
They even want to offer marijuana strains that do not provide the mellow trip so eagerly sought by your garden-variety pot enthusiast.
“We know there are people who would like to be able to tap the medicinal benefits without the psychoactive elements. They view that as a nasty side effect,” Jeffrey said.
[email protected]; @thesimplechild |
A drunk squirrel managed to cause hundreds of dollars of damage to a bar in England. According to the Telegraph, an employee of the Honeybourne Railway Club initially thought the bar had been robbed when he came in on Sunday night until he saw an "animal staggering around."
The place was "absolutely ransacked," notes the employee. Somehow, the rodent managed to turn the handle on a barrel of beer, which emptied it onto the floor. The employee tells the Independent, "He must have flung himself on the handle and drank some as he was staggering around all over the place and moving a bit slowly." He adds, I've never seen a drunk squirrel before. He looked a bit worse for wear."
The employee and two customers spent an hour trying to corner the squirrel before they caught it and took it outside. But that was only after it managed to cause £300 ($486 USD) worth of damage. Needless to say, the squirrel has been barred from the bar for the "foreseeable future." Though to be fair, being banned from a bar is probably better than being the primary suspect in a massive nut theft. |
A recent article in The Copenhagen Post on the emerging Chinese tourism market suggests tourists are leaving the nation’s capital wholly unimpressed with what’s on offer.
As one of “the more independent tourists” (whatever that could possibly mean in the following context) pointed out: “Copenhagen seems boring. We don’t know what to do or what to see. We have been to Tivoli and the Hans Christian Andersen Museum twice”.
The familiar vitriol of the article’s online comment section echoes the sentiment of the man who apparently planned and paid for a family holiday only to take a three kilometre guided walking tour of attractions so tedious he decided to see them again. But is Copenhagen really as unremarkable as it seems? Actually, yes.
There really is nothing to see here, if by ‘something’ you’re referring to towering phalluses (or is it phalli?) of historical importance. There’s an obvious lack of tourist-stopping, camera-clicking grandeur within the city but unless human slavery and a couple of decades of unimaginable cruelty are back on the political agenda, we probably won’t be getting a world wonder of our own in the near future. So why visit such an expensive city with so little to show for itself?
In what may turn out to be a recurring theme in this column, I’ll appeal to the authority of someone infinitely more intelligent than myself to argue a weak and wayward point. Daniel Kahneman is a psychologist, best-selling author and winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics. He is best-known for his work with human judgment and decision-making, behavioural economics and hedonic psychology (or happiness economics). His 2011 work, ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’, explains ‘the two selves’ – a way of assessing well-being as experienced from moment to moment by ‘the experiencing self’ and then collated over time as memories by ‘the remembering self’.
Here’s a quick thought experiment from Kahneman that will hopefully shed some light on both his idea and the reason I’m about to hijack it. If money, time and commitment were no issue, where would you go for your next holiday? I’d take an old British motorbike and ride it around Europe until it quite literally fell to pieces beneath me. It would be uncomfortable, painful, dangerous and frustrating but it would certainly be an experience worth remembering. Now the same question, except this time, all of your memories (and your frankly amateur photos) are wiped. Would you choose the same holiday?
If the answer is no (and personally, I’d make the switch to a coastal town in southern Spain with a good book, a better friend and more red wine than any human being should safely consume in a lifetime) then you’ve just discovered the disconnect between your two selves and hopefully realised that your ‘remembering self’ has a tendency to drag your ‘experiencing self’ through possibly unwanted adventures in the hope of acquiring desired future memories.
So, here’s my tourism campaign. Copenhagen is a holiday destination for your experiencing self. A place to finally indulge your oft-forgotten but simpler, pleasure-seeking self. Maybe we don’t have the oversized clocks, giant TV antennas and structurally questionable towers from the 14th century your remembering self is hoping for, but maybe you can treat your experiencing self to a beer and a barbecue on Islands Brygge. Maybe a cosy coffee in Vesterbro, a bit of fresh air in Christiania, an overpriced meal at Nyhavn and a night out in Kødbyen is what you need. Maybe a day in Frederiksberg Gardens nursing a hangover and soaking up the rare summer sun is Copenhagen’s Niagara Falls.
It’s hard to feel like yourself when you travel. We queue for hours in the pouring rain. We pay extortionate entrance fees. We fight our way to the front of crowds. We buy expensive cameras and take poorly exposed photos we’ll never look at. We get secretly disappointed when we thought it would be bigger. Then we tell all our friends we went to The Louvre because that’s what people who go to Paris do. We’re so busy ticking boxes on imaginary cultural scorecards and practicing the stories we’ll tell our friends back home that we forget why we left it in the first place. |
Preview | Recap | Notebook
Hornets-Suns Preview
By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Mar 31 2012 9:01PM The Phoenix Suns are trying to stay alive in the Western Conference race, but will have to do it without Grant Hill for a few weeks. Following back-to-back losses, the Suns hope they can start getting back on track Sunday night when they host the New Orleans Hornets. Phoenix has lost four of six after winning four straight and sits in 10th place in the West - 2 1/2 games behind the final playoff spot. If the Suns (25-26) are going to get back into the race, they'll have to find a way to do it without Hill, who underwent surgery Friday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He's expected to return before the end of the season. Hill is averaging 10.7 points and is considered Phoenix's best defensive player. The Suns are giving up 97.6 points, but 105.0 in the last two without Hill. "It's going to be tough," Steve Nash said about fighting for a playoff spot without Hill. "We kind of need everything to go exactly our way these last few weeks, and we're going to have to just be really tough - physically and mentally - and together, and try to find a way to win some of these games that people don't expect us to win." Phoenix has favorable matchups in its next two games, facing consecutive opponents with losing records in New Orleans and Sacramento. However, after that, the schedule gets more difficult with visits to Utah and Denver - two of the teams it is chasing. The Suns have been off since a 103-86 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Nash had 15 assists, but just one point, and Phoenix shot 37.5 percent. "We have 15 games left and we have to regroup and find a way to win games as soon as possible," Nash said. "We have overachieved thus far, but we are in a position to crawl back into the playoffs and prove everybody wrong." The Suns have won their last two against the Hornets - both in New Orleans - after losing the first meeting at home. Nash scored a season-high 30 points in a 120-103 victory on Feb. 1. The Hornets (13-39) have lost four of five, including an 88-85 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday after giving up Kobe Bryant's 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. New Orleans had just eight players available for a second straight game. Jarrett Jack, who missed the previous game, had 18 points and 10 assists while playing with a sprained right ankle, but missed a go-ahead bank shot with 4.9 seconds left. Trevor Ariza, Carl Landry and Chris Kaman all sat out, while new father Gustavo Ayon and Emeka Okafor weren't with the team. Despite being shorthanded and lacking depth in the frontcourt, the Hornets hung with the Lakers, even leading 75-65 with 7:58 left, but coach Monty Williams knows playing on back-to-back days presents another challenge. "You just want to play the game that way," Williams said of the team keeping motivation. "I'm more concerned about the health of those guys that played tonight, a few guys that were limping. ... So, I hope and pray that we have the kind of effort tomorrow." Sunday ends a five-game road trip for the Hornets, who are 8-18 away from home.
Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited
Dudley scores 21 to lead Suns past tired Hornets
By BOB BAUM
Posted Apr 02 2012 12:43AM PHOENIX (AP) The tired, last-place and short-handed New Orleans Hornets were just the opponent the Phoenix Suns needed to get back to .500 and gain a bit of ground in their bid to make the playoffs. Jared Dudley scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half and the Suns beat the Hornets 92-75 Sunday night to pull within 1 1/2 games of Houston for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Shannon Brown, starting for injured Grant Hill, added 16 for Phoenix. Channing Frye had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Marcin Gortat scored 13 and Steve Nash handed out 14 assists for the Suns, 16-1 this season when their opponent scores 90 or fewer points. Jason Smith and Marco Belinelli scored 14 apiece for the Hornets. Jarrett Jack added 13. New Orleans - finishing off a five-game, seven-day road trip - became the third team in the NBA and first in the West to lose 40 games. Phoenix dominated the game at the foul line, going 19 of 21 to the Hornets' 7 of 9. "We had to come out and get the win," Dudley said. "We are at home, fighting for playoffs. We see that Houston has been losing, Utah has been losing, so we have to keep it going. It is going to come down to the road games, so the home games are must wins. It doesn't matter who comes here." The Suns play seven of their next eight on the road. "We are going to have games that we have to win and a lot of those games are going to be on the road," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "For us, this is our first playoff game and we get on a plane and fly to Sacramento and that will be our next playoff game. I think that is how we have to approach it." After the Suns took a 50-41 halftime lead, Brown led an 18-4 run that put Phoenix ahead 70-49 with 4:36 left in the third quarter. He started the outburst with three free throws after being fouled by Belinelli, then stole the ball from Smith and sank a 3. Brown ended the run with a 14-footer. Dudley scored six straight points during the surge. "We knew they were a little bit tired and wanted to jump on them and keep them down," Brown said. The Hornets scored six in a row to cut it to 72-58 on two free throws by Greivis Vasquez before the Suns' Josh Childress sank a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer to boost the lead to 75-58 entering the fourth. It was just the fourth 3 of the season for Childress and first since Feb. 4. New Orleans got no closer than 12 in the final quarter. The Hornets led only once, 33-32 on a 3-pointer by Al-Farouq Aminu with 7:31 left in the first half. "We have been in situations before off a back-to-back and this was the first time that I thought it affected us from an energy standpoint," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "I thought the ball didn't move tonight. ... We had 19 turnovers and you can't win games on the road with 19 turnovers and not getting to the free throw line. That is a recipe for a loss." Phoenix used an 11-2 run to go up 49-39 on a pair of free throws by Frye with 1:46 left in the half. Michael Redd started the spurt with a three-point play and Brown scored on a reverse layup and 21-footer. The Suns' Robin Lopez, on his 24th birthday, scored all 10 of his points in the nine minutes of the second quarter on 2 of 2 shooting and 6 of 6 from the foul line. "He really `beasted' us," Williams said. Frye had eight points and nine rebounds in the first half. The Hornets, already ravaged by injuries, lost Chris Johnson with a concussion in the first half. NOTES: After dressing just eight players the previous two games, New Orleans had 10 this time with the return of Chris Kaman from a five-game absence due to illness and Gustavo Ayon from a three-game leave for the birth of his child. ... The Suns' Markieff Morris missed his second straight game with the flu but Gentry said the rookie forward is expected back for Tuesday's game against the Kings. ... Phoenix won the season series 3-1.
Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited |
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Nathaniel Clyne is never going to be a player you try to emulate at school, at five-a-side or on Sunday league pitches. You’re never going to have his name on the back of your shirt.
He is a footballer with very little flamboyance – a quiet character who gets on with his job and doesn’t make headlines on or off the field.
Ignore these things, though, because Liverpool are really missing their understated, underrated right-back more and more by the game.
A recurring theme in modern football is that a player’s stock actually rises when he is on the sidelines, and Clyne is the perfect example of this.
Last season, flack started to come the 26-year-old’s way after some uninspiring performances, with his attacking game particularly lacking.
The general consensus was that Trent Alexander-Arnold fully merited replacing his older teammate, and supporters were starting to question whether he was good enough for a club of Liverpool’s size at all.
Having made the last of his 41 appearances of 2016/17 against Middlesbrough on the final day, Clyne hasn’t been seen in a competitive game since.
A back injury has kept him out of the side since appearing against Tranmere Rovers in pre-season back in July, and his return still looks a fair way off.
In the time since the England international has been unavailable, Liverpool’s defence has got worse than it has ever been under Jurgen Klopp.
It had never exactly been convincing with Clyne in the side, in truth, but this season has been a whole new level of ineptitude.
Liverpool have shipped 16 goals in just nine Premier League games, 15 of which have come away from home, and we have had to endure genuine thumpings at the hands of Man City and Tottenham.
Some of the defending has been beyond atrocious, with Sunday’s performance at Wembley the latest in a long line of embarrassing displays at the back.
Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez have dovetailed at right-back for the Reds, and although both have coped fairly well despite their tender years, neither are remotely at the all-round level of Clyne yet.
They simply aren’t experienced enough to deal with certain in-game situations, and they are coming up against players who are stronger, quicker and more seasoned.
Neither are the key reason for Liverpool being so bad at the back this season – Dejan Lovren takes the gold medal in that respect, with Simon Mignolet and Joel Matip taking home silver and bronze, respectively – and Clyne’s steadying influence has been greatly missed.
The former Southampton man is about as unspectacular as you can get as a footballer, but there is one thing he guarantees like no other player in the Liverpool squad: consistency.
A bad game for Clyne is a five-out-of-10 performance and invariably involves him crossing poorly and not offering enough thrust down the right flank. Displays like that are few and far between, however.
In general, he will guarantee you at least a six-out-of-10 showing every week, going effectively about his business and defending with great focus and solidity.
How many other Reds players deliver consistently week in, week out? I would say there’s a strong argument to say not a single one.
The likes of Mignolet, Lovren and Matip cannot be trusted to shine on a game-by-game basis, and the same applies to the much improved Alberto Moreno, who deserves great credit for knuckling down this season.
A dreadful mistake is never too far around the corner from the Spaniard.
Jordan Henderson is more consistent than many, but will forever divide opinion about whether he is good enough, and Emre Can is horribly guilty of going from world-class to pub standard in the space of one game.
Gini Wijnaldum goes missing away from home, Roberto Firmino can’t seem to string together a formidable run of form and even the majestic Philippe Coutinho has a few too many off days.
It is too early to judge Mo Salah, but early evidence suggests he will be good most weeks, despite not always being the most ruthless.
This lack of consistency is a major reason why Liverpool are arguably the Premier League’s most unpredictable side, and they are crying out for more metronomic figures to steady the ship.
Clyne is that man, and his return to the side cannot come soon enough.
He is never going to be a world-beater, and Alexander-Arnold has every chance of usurping him over time, but for now, he is someone the Reds need back in the team every week.
Liverpool have kept five clean-sheets in Clyne’s last six appearances for the Reds, which helps show they are more secure with him involved.
His return to the fold isn’t suddenly going to have a miraculous effect on Liverpool’s disastrous back-line, but it will undoubtedly still make a difference.
People were very quick to write off Clyne, and his injury was actually met with positivity by some, but these last few months have shown exactly what he brings to the table.
Almost without noticing, he brings more calm to the team, adds experience and just silently gets on with his business.
Liverpool could do with more like him. |
Palo Alto, CA-based Nanosys, the nanotechnology startup that has struggled to regain altitude after a high-flying debut in 2001, is switching on the afterburners this week.
To finance a move to a larger facility where it will have more space to manufacture its nano-engineeered materials for lighting and digital displays, the company is about to close a $25 million Series E venture round, with $5 million more potentially to follow by October 1, CEO Jason Hartlove told Xconomy on Monday.
Samsung, the South Korean electronics giant, is supplying $15 million of the new equity investment through its affiliate Samsung Venture Investment Corporation. The rest is from the company’s existing investors, and the $5 million second tranche is reserved for new investors. [Correction: In an earlier version of this paragraph, the second tranche amount was listed as $10 million.]
At the same time, Nanosys is announcing two other agreements with Samsung. There’s a multi-million-dollar licensing deal that will give Samsung access to Nanosys technology that could help it manufacture more efficent thin-film solar panels. And Samsung will also fund work at Nanosys to develop new quantum-dot crystals—the core of the startup’s technology for lighting enhancement—that don’t contain cadmium, a toxic element whose use is restricted in Europe and other regions.
The deals are critical ones for Nanosys, which wandered for years without a commercial product and brought in Hartlove as a turnaround CEO in 2008 (see this July 21 profile). The agreements give the startup more resources to expand into the two markets—displays and batteries—where Hartlove believes it can most quickly commercialize its own work, while at the same time allowing it to cash in on unexploited parts of its patent portfolio, particularly in solar technology. “This is a strategically important deal for us,” Hartlove says.
Gearing up to move to new quarters has been one of Hartlove’s highest priorities. The company has won a contract to supply the quantum dot phosphors inside the “QuantumRail,” a component that increases the brightness and efficiency of LED backlights for mobile device displays, to Korea’s LG Innotek, and is pursuing additional customers. That means it now has to make the phosphors in industrial quantities. But in its current location—tucked into a Palo Alto office park with burgeoning Web and software companies such as Facebook a stone’s throw away—the startup is “basically out of capacity, really footprint-limited and fire code limited,” says Hartlove.
The company will use the growth capital round to open a new facility in a larger industrial park. “It’s here, still, within the Bay Area,” Hartlove says. “We haven’t announced a site yet, but that’s what the new capital is for, the capacity expansion to meet our 2011 revenue goals.”
The next problem is an environmental one. Manufacturers of smartphones and notebook computers can use the QuantumRail technology to tune the frequencies emitted by the LED backlights in their liquid crystal displays, resulting in a far richer range of colors. But there’s a downside—the quantum dots, which are actually nanocrystals made of cadmium selenide. Cadmium is a … Next Page »
Wade Roush is the producer and host of the podcast Soonish and a contributing editor at Xconomy. Follow @soonishpodcast
Trending on Xconomy |
After last week's deadly bombing in Boston, news that Toronto foiled its own terrorist attack might have come as a relief.
A plot to blow up a rail line between Canada and the U.S. was thwarted on Monday, and Canadian police have arrested two suspects, Chiheb Esseghaier, of Montreal, and Raed Jaser, of Toronto.
But the most surprising part of the story might be how the suspects were discovered: They were turned in, reports say, by leaders of their own community.
Muhammed Robert Heft, who runs Toronto's Paradise Forever Islamic Center, says that one of the suspects -- he won't say which -- started expressing extremist beliefs to a member of the city's Muslim leadership a year ago.
"They were espousing some views that were starting to ruffle feathers and make people uncomfortable," Heft said. "They focused on demonizing Western society and suggesting that there has to be some kind of retribution or revenge for the perceived grievances of this individual."
The community leader -- Heft declined to give his name -- became concerned, and suggested to Heft that he monitor the suspect.
"It went to a stage where it was a constant topic of conversation. The community leader realized that the person was not changing their views. They worried that something might eventually happen," he explained. |
It’ll be a brave Yes voter who buys a newspaper (other than The National) or switches on their TV or radio today, because Scotland is already enduring an outpouring of concentrated spin and outright deception that perhaps even exceeds that seen in the last few weeks before the independence referendum.
Blood pressures will be soaring across the land as people are told things about the final report of the Smith Commission that are flatly at odds with the reality, by journalists and broadcasters who either know perfectly well that what they’re saying is false or haven’t bothered to try to find out.
Below, you’ll find the facts.
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1. Firstly, the Commission’s recommendations are just that – recommendations. They are not law, and are not binding on any government or party.
The Commission, for example, recommends the devolution of Air Passenger Duty and the Aggregates Levy. But devolution of Air Passenger Duty and the Aggregates Levy were also recommended by the Calman Commission in 2009 (paragraph 27), yet NOT devolved by the subsequent Scotland Act.
As happened in 2010, it’s perfectly possible than the incoming UK government could simply reject the recommendations once elected. Scottish Labour decided against the devolution of Air Passenger Duty in its devolution proposals earlier this year and has made no subsequent statement revising that view.
[EDIT 6pm: Indeed, the party has now released a statement demanding that the UK government take measures to prevent English airports being disadvantaged, which in practice means abandoning the whole plan.]
By way of example of the Smith report’s non-binding nature, it also states that “MPs representing constituencies across the whole of the UK will continue to decide the UK’s Budget, including Income Tax” – a sop to Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling’s complaints that Scottish MPs would become “second-class” if income tax was fully devolved (which it hasn’t been in any event).
Yet within minutes David Cameron had announced his intention to press ahead with legislation for “English votes for English laws” in the next few weeks, saying the case for EVEL was now “unanswerable”.
Labour even helpfully insisted on the Smith Commission saying its recommendations would “not be conditional on the conclusion of other political negotiations elsewhere in the UK” (page 9). Cameron can therefore legitimately claim that EVEL is a completely separate issue to Smith, and does not breach it.
Labour’s only comfort in terms of their Scottish MPs becoming inferior representatives unable to help a Labour government get UK budgets through Parliament must be that on current polling, they’re not going to have any anyway.
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2. Despite the hysterical front page of today’s Daily Record, the “Scottish Government budget” will NOT be “almost doubled” by the recommendations, even if they were implemented in full. The Smith Commission report is extremely clear on the subject:
(All emphases in this post are ours.)
It’s hard to see how that statement could be any less ambiguous: no more cash.
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3. The Record also claims, breathless with excitement, that “Scotland will be allocated £5 billion of VAT receipts, 50 per cent of the VAT take in the country”. But the Smith report makes abundantly plain that this too will NOT result in any extra money for the Scottish Government’s budget:
“The receipts raised in Scotland by the first 10 percentage points of the standard rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) will be assigned to the Scottish Government’s budget. These receipts should be calculated on a verified basis, to be agreed between the UK and Scottish Governments, with a corresponding adjustment to the block grant received from the UK Government in line with the principles set out in paragraph 95.”
Paragraph 95 is the section we’ve quoted in point (2) above, which explicitly says that any changes should not result in an increase or decrease to the Scottish Government budget, directly at odds with the Record’s spin.
What that means is that any “extra” money assigned in VAT will be immediately clawed back from the block grant – in other words, the amount of money in Holyrood’s budget will be exactly the same, but some of it will be labelled differently.
Westminster, to all practical intents and purposes, will hand Scotland a tenner with one hand and take back two fivers with the other hand.
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4. Almost all welfare powers will remain reserved to Westminster:
Housing benefit will NOT be extricated from Universal Credit, as Labour’s devolution proposals had claimed would be possible (without ever explaining how). Holyrood’s power over it will extend only in being able to choose to pay housing benefits weekly or fortnightly instead of monthly. Fetch the bunting and cancel police leave.
Paragraph 45 merely reiterates what is the current position – Holyrood can mitigate the effects of the bedroom tax by paying it out of its own budget. It will NOT be able to “abolish” the tax. The only change recommended by Smith is that Holyrood will now be able to do so for other benefits without requiring Westminster’s permission first.
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5. As we’ve previously discussed, the changes to control of income tax are in any practical effect non-existent, and were almost all provided for already by the Scotland Act 2012 and due to be implemented by 2015/16 anyway.
But even the limited new proposals in Smith are all but meaningless. As noted by the BBC’s Douglas Fraser today, it is in practice close to impossible to effectively vary income tax rates inside the borders of a unitary state:
Smith also does NOT propose devolution of revenue from income tax on savings and dividends – something else which WAS recommended by the Calman Commission report (paragraph 32) but not implemented. This further reduces any possible powers of wealth redistribution, as does Westminster’s retention of personal allowances.
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It would be churlish to claim that the Smith Commission report doesn’t recommend ANY new powers at all. For example, there’s this:
Sarcasm aside, allowing the public sector to bid for rail franchises, the devolution of some limited powers relating to the Crown Estates and fracking, some incapacity benefits, and the ability to give 16/17-year-olds the vote in Holyrood elections, are to be welcomed (if actually implemented). It wasn’t plausible for the Commission not to throw Scotland SOME crumbs, and crumbs are better than nothing.
Nevertheless, the Smith report represents the absolute bare minimum the Unionist parties thought they could possibly manage to get away with. In terms of devolving to Holyrood the ability to create jobs, grow the economy or improve social justice, it offers nothing whatsoever. It won’t rescue a single family from a single foodbank.
(Although at least it’ll be possible to put up road signs showing them where it is.)
The partial “devolution” of VAT receipts is simply the relabelling of one part of the money that Holyrood already gets. Expressly and explicitly, as a fundamental guiding principle of its work, the Commission’s recommendations will NOT add a single penny to the Scottish Government’s budget.
The “new” tax powers, meanwhile, are cosmetic and almost entirely unusable – Tax Research UK this morning called them “the worst possible solution for everyone”. The best that Scotland can hope for is that if the Scottish Parliament doesn’t exercise them they will do no damage.
The Scottish and UK media, for its own varying and sometimes contradictory reasons, will spend today and much of the next few months attempting to massively exaggerate the actuality and the ramifications of Lord Smith’s conclusions. Readers should trust them even less than usual, if such a thing is possible. |
The Georgetown men’s basketball team is on an exhibition trip to China, where things got pretty intense on Thursday in a game against the Bayi Rockets in Beijing.
First reported on Twitter by the Washington Post’s Gene Wang, the Hoyas got into a brawl with their Chinese opponents, and from the looks of these photos on Sina, it got pretty intense. (UPDATE: Click here to watch video of the incident.)
Here was Wang's first tweet about the incident:
"Bedlam at Hoyas game vs Baiyi. Benches cleared. JTIII pulls team off court in 4th quarter. Fans hurled bottles at team."
Pro Athletes' Wives & Girlfriends
Georgetown coach John Thompson III issued the following statement following the game:
“Tonight, two great teams played a very competitive game that unfortunately ended after heated exchanges with both teams. We sincerely regret that this situation occurred," Thompson said in the statement. "We remain grateful for the opportunity our student-athletes are having to engage in a sport they love here in China, while strengthening their understanding of a nation we respect and admire at Georgetown University.”
Witness accounts place the blame on bad officiating, and this Georgetown message board has a pretty detailed first-person account. From the post:
Weird News Photos: Holiday Edition
Two minutes into the fourth, they were pressing full court, trapped one of our guards (I forget who it was), and then must have pushed or punched him on the ground after he made the outlet pass, because then there was a shoving match and then a bit of a fight, and then the whole thing set off. He tried to get away as quickly as possible as the Chinese players sort of converged on him, and then benches cleared, and then people on the Chinese bench started picking up chairs. Everyone on the other side of the court started fighting as well. Brawl spread all over the court, and then off the court. After it kicked off it immediately became possible for the crowd to get involved, and then they did. As we tried to get the team off the court, bottles (plastic ones, thankfully) came out of the crowd at the team and everyone left. Security was there (sort of), but it was more equivalent to mall cop-quality security rather than actual security. The Georgetown staff wanted the security to get on the floor, but honestly these guys didn't have a clue what to do. They escorted the whole alumni contingent out fairly quickly after that. Game over, 64-64 (following another intentional foul).
To make matters worse, the two teams are scheduled to play again Sunday night in Shanghai.
On Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden visited the Georgetown squad before their game against another Chinese team. According to the official White House blog, the Hoyas' two-week visit to China "reflects an ongoing push to expand people-to-people exchanges between our two countries, as well as an effort to strengthen the U.S.-China relationship through sport."
UPDATE: Gene Wang of the Washington Post has filed his detailed account of the situation here.
Questions, comments or tips? Email Sarah at [email protected]. You can also follow her on Twitter (@sarahschorno). |
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Lack of clean drinking water is one of the major risks to human health in the world today. This book not only teaches safe water habits but also every page is made from a technologically advanced filter paper, capable of killing deadly waterborne diseases. Each page is coated with silver nanoparticles, whose ions actively kill diseases like cholera, typhoid and E. coli.
The best news of all, and governments please take note, is that The Drinkable Book is actually very cheap to produce. In Africa alone 355 million people don't have access to a clean water source, so ideas like this one bring much needed hope.
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The cold war between America's two largest retailers just turned hot.
In a note this morning from Deutsche Bank's freight and logistics analyst Amit Mehrotra, he notes that the "WMT vs. AMZN battle is heating up" and points to a report by DV Velocity, according to which a well respected transportation industry consultant told attendees of a logistics conference that Walmart (WMT) is telling trucking companies that it will no longer do business with them if they continue moving goods for Amazon (AMZN).
This follows similar reports citing WMT’s “request” for its tech partners to stop using Amazon Web Services.
The news, while suggestive perhaps of Walmart's growing desperation in its war with the retail juggernaut that is Amazon, has dramatic implications not only for the future of retail (and associated prices) but for one of the most important US industries: trucking, and the number of people it employes.
According to Deutsche, these developments, "are likely to have significant implications for U.S. transportation companies, in our view, as Amazon and Walmart remain two of the largest users of truckload capacity. For reference Walmart represents about 14% of SWFT’s operating revenues and traditional retail accounts for about half of WERN's total sales (WMT around 4%)."
A map of Amazon's multiplying fulfuillment centers is shown below.
And, as CNBC reported last week, WalMart warned some tech companies that if they want Wal-Mart's business, they can't run applications on Amazon's cloud platform, Amazon Web Services, some tech companies told The Wall Street Journal. Wal-Mart uses some tech vendors' cloud apps that run on AWS, Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Toporek told the Journal, though he declined to say which apps or how many. But Toporek did acknowledge instances where Wal-Mart is pushing for AWS alternatives, the Journal reported Wednesday.
Wal-Mart spokesman Toporek told CNBC in an email: "Our vendors have the choice of using any cloud provider that meets their needs and their customers' needs. It shouldn't be a big surprise that there are cases in which we'd prefer our most sensitive data isn't sitting on a competitor's platform." Wal-Mart doesn't appear to be alone in this push to leave AWS, either.
Other large retailers are reportedly requesting that service providers move away from AWS, the Journal said, citing technology vendors that work with retailers. Adding to the many growing conflicts of interest, Amazon has confirmed a number of retailers it competes with use AWS, for example GameStop. The battle between Wal-Mart and Amazon is only heating up, after Amazon announced plans last week to acquire brick-and-mortar grocery retailer Whole Foods. With Amazon stepping into Wal-Mart's turf in grocery, Wal-Mart has been trying to beef up its e-commerce presence.
In light of AMZN's recent expansion with the purchase of WFM, one can see why WMT is starting to take it much more seriously. Perhaps Amazon's latest push (and WMT's lobbying effort) may explain why Trump decided to finally reignite his long-simmering war with AMZN CEO Jeff Bezos, when this morning he tweeted “The #AmazonWashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet taxes (which they should) is FAKE NEWS!” |
At last night's Republican debate, in Miami, the campaign to stop Donald Trump from within the Party appeared to be all but over. The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, appeared onstage before the debate to reassure the audience that “this Party is going to support the nominee—whoever that is—one hundred per cent.” During the main event, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz seemed to have parachuted in from an earlier moment in the campaign, when the stakes were low and the policy discussions were earnest. “I cannot believe how civil it’s been up here,” Trump observed midway through. “Be smart and unify,” he said in his closing statement. Trump is trying to seem more Presidential. The Party is trying to find a way to live with him.
This week, the news from the trail had been dominated by two alarming encounters. On Tuesday night, Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, grabbed the arm of a Breitbart reporter named Michelle Fields, who was trying to ask Trump a question, and pulled her aside so roughly that he left bruises. (On Friday morning, Breitbart pointed to newly released footage of the incident, which indicated that the person who grabbed Fields may not have been Lewandowski.) On Wednesday night, a twenty-six-year-old African-American man named Rakeem Jones was being escorted out of a Trump rally in North Carolina (he said that a woman who was with him had started shouting) when a white Trump supporter punched him in the face. At Thursday night’s debate, CNN’s Jake Tapper quoted Trump encouraging the crowd, at a rally back in February, to attack another protester. “Knock the crap out of him, would you?" he said. “I promise you I will pay for the legal fees." Tapper asked Trump whether he thought he had done anything to “create a tone” that encouraged violence. Trump said that he hoped he had not. Then he praised his supporters' passion and blamed the victims. "We have some protesters who are bad dudes. They have done bad things,” Trump said. “And we had a couple big, strong, powerful guys doing damage to people.” Tapper gave Trump's opponents a chance to respond to him, but they mostly passed. Cruz agreed that there’s a “frustration that is boiling over,” and Kasich explained that “there are people out there who are worried about their jobs.” Rubio told a story about his immigrant grandfather, who believed that in America anything is possible.
It was a Rubio crowd last night in Miami, which hasn’t been true in a while, and when he spoke he got the loudest cheers. He was also, when the debate turned to foreign policy, the most commanding figure on the stage. Rubio pointed out, in response to Trump's remark that “a lot” of the world’s Muslims “hate us,” that “if you go to any national cemetery, especially Arlington, you’re going to see crescent moons there," and explained how American foreign policy is dependent on Muslim allies. Trump, who was clearly out of his depth, kept talking about “deals,” the bad ones he was going to cancel and the "strong, solid" ones he was going to make, as if foreign engagements could be smoothed over by a quick trip to Loehmann's. He insisted that his previous call for forty-five-per-cent tariffs was not a policy proposal but a “threat” to force economic competitors to "behave." (This is one way in which Trump is backing away from some of his most extreme positions: insisting that they were always just opening bids.) Asked to compare his position on Cuba to Rubio's and Obama's, Trump said, “I think I'm somewhere in the middle”—and for a moment it seemed as though he was earnestly trying to figure it all out.
And yet the debate seemed to bend around Trump, and there were further suggestions that the Party will do so as well. CNN spent the whole first section of the debate on trade, and made it obvious how much this has become Trump's turf. Kasich was asked if his support for some free-trade deals meant that he was “catering to board rooms at the expense of the American middle class.” Rubio, who was, as late as last fall, staunchly pro-trade, suggested that perhaps the free-trade agreement with Mexico had not been wise. Cruz insisted that trade and immigration “are hurting the working men and women of this country." The longer this went on—“Let's talk more about how American jobs are impacted by foreign workers," Tapper said at one point—the stranger a spectacle it seemed. Four years ago, economic isolation had no traction in the Republican primary. Now it is the consensus. The Party is chasing a different kind of voter. The problem in this chase, for Rubio, Cruz, and Kasich, has nothing to do with their biographies—they are “the son of a bartender and the son of mailman and the son of a dishwasher,” as Cruz concisely described them—or their capacities for empathy. The failure is in their policies. Rubio is becoming the iconic figure of this position, trapped between the policies of the old conservative vanguard and an increasingly blue-collar electorate. He promised a zero-per-cent capital-gains tax. Trump promised a trade war and a big wall to keep foreign workers from taking people's jobs. Guess who is winning.
The Republican contest goes on, and it may not, after all, resolve itself before the convention. And yet the field has narrowed and, after Ohio and Florida vote on Tuesday, it may narrow further. During the debate last night, Trump announced that Ben Carson would be endorsing him today. A few months ago, Trump compared Carson’s “pathological temper” to the problems of a child molester. At the debate, he said that he is “going to have Ben very involved with education.” That, as much as anything, gives you a sense of the relationship between Trump and the G.O.P. right now. |
Lawyers for Lance Armstrong, the cycling hero turned PED pariah, told a court today that he didn’t defraud his former sponsor because they should have known he was doping—even though he denied it at the time.
It sounds about as absurd as Standard & Poor’s recent claim that their clients should have known their advertised independence was just something they made up to sell more ratings. But in this case, Armstrong’s lawyers are right.
The sponsor in question is the cash-strapped US Postal Service, which is why Armstrong is charged with defrauding the government for lying about his drug use. If the court finds him to be a fraudster, he’ll need to pay about three times the $40 million the USPS spent to sponsor him between 1995 and 2004. That’s as much as $120 million to the government and to a former USPS teammate, Floyd Landis, who originally brought the suit as a whistleblower and stands to gain up to a third of any penalties.
Armstrong has admitted that he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs throughout his Tour de France career, but that doesn’t make it an open-and-closed case. His lawyers point out that allegations were raised in 1999 after Armstrong tested positive for steroids (just a cream he used for saddle sores, he said at the time) and again during the 2000-2002 investigation of the entire USPS team, after a team doctor was videotaped by reporters disposing of materials including a Norwegian performance-enhancing drug. As it turns out, the entire team was doping, including Landis.
But USPS apparently did little to respond to these reports, and instead renewed the sponsorship. With good reason: Armstrong was busy “winning” seven consecutive Tours de France, and USPS was basking in the reflected glory. It was not asking for information about doping or adding new restrictions to its endorsement contract. If USPS wins this case and gets Armstrong to cough up the money, no team sponsor will ever care whether its riders are cheating or not, giving riders one more incentive to dope.
Of course, that supposes that the Tour de France isn’t shut down by global warming first. |
TOKYO -- Japanese autoparts maker Nifco has decided to sell The Japan Times, an English-language daily newspaper, to Tokyo-based public relations company News2u Holdings for an undisclosed amount at the end of June.
Nifco purchased the paper in 1996 because its U.S.-educated founder and president at the time, Toshiaki Ogasawara, wanted to bring news from Japan to the world. But following Ogasawara's death last year, the company decided the time was right to sell The Japan Times.
It was always more of a pet project than a business investment, with a Nifco official saying, "We didn't expect synergies with our core businesses."
Nifco said Monday it will sell its entire stake and sharpen its focus on the auto business, which it said is undergoing rapid changes in the areas of information technology and the environment.
The Japan Times was launched in 1897 and covers a wide range of Japanese news, from politics to sports, in additional to international coverage. It has a circulation of some 44,000 and 120 employees, according to Nifco.
Nifco's financial statements show that revenue from the "other businesses" segment -- mainly the newspaper unit -- was 2.7 billion yen ($24 million) for the year ended in March, with profit at 8 million yen.
Despite the razor-thin margins, Nifco held onto the company for as long as it did out of respect for its founder. But Ogasawara's death at age 85 in November 2016 opened the door to a sale, which the official said the company had been considering even before the founder passed away.
News2u said it will maintain the paper's editorial independence, as well as its editorial policies and payroll.
The company runs an online platform that provides corporate news releases. An official told the Nikkei Asian Review that it sees the potential for synergy in digital businesses, such as The Japan Time using News2u's digital information platform.
Regionwide trend
The Japan Times joins an expanding list of Asian English-language newspapers that have undergone structural reforms recently.
In May, Taiwan's China Post published its last print edition and went digital-only. "This isn't goodbye," the paper said in an announcement, explaining the change after 65 years of publication.
The China Post followed the Taiwan News in going paperless, leaving only one English-language print newspaper in Taiwan, the Taipei Times.
Looking into an increasingly uncertain future, news publications are slashing their payrolls. Singapore Press Holdings, the publisher of the city-state's largest newspaper, The Straits Times, last year announced it would cut up to 10% of its roughly 4,200 jobs over the next two years.
In 2015, the Jakarta Globe, an English-language daily belonging to Indonesian conglomerate Lippo Group, cut most of its staff and went digital-only.
Nikkei deputy editor Ken Moriyasu contributed to this report. |
poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201701/648/1155968404_5298675237001_5298656487001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true Ryan, McConnell signal GOP won't change torture laws
PHILADELPHIA — House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated Thursday that congressional Republicans are not interested in changing the definition of what kinds of interrogation practices constitute torture.
“I believe virtually all of my members are comfortable with the state of the law on that issue,” McConnell said during a press conference ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Republican retreat happening here.
Story Continued Below
“And torture is illegal,” added Ryan. “We agree with it not being legal."
Their comments come as Trump has signaled he intends to review interrogation practices for terror suspects. Trump repeatedly said during the 2016 campaign that American interrogation practices should be toughened, though he appointed a secretary of defense who has publicly opposed harsher interrogation measures.
McConnell noted that newly-confirmed CIA Director Mike Pompeo, too, has “made it clear he’s going to follow the law.”
Here in Philadelphia, other Republicans were even more adamant against reviving enhanced interrogation tactics. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was held for more than five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, vowed that Congress will not reopen the debate over torture, stressing: "It's the law and it's very clear."
"When he brings up this issue of torture again, I have to speak up -- I have to speak up, I have to -- I have no choice on that," McCain told reporters in Philadelphia. "Because of legislation, because of my own personal experience, because of everything that I've seen."
Trump's Defense Secretary James Mattis, a retired Marine general, and other senior military officials "will tell you: It. Does. Not. Work," McCain said.
"Torture takes away the most important aspect of the United States of America -- we are a moral nation, we are not like other countries, we don't torture people," he said. "It's not only the issue of torture. It's also the issue of what kind of nation we are." |
Being a rather conventional ex-politician I still subscribe to this view. I would have preferred Hillary Clinton to have won the presidency and I can see myriad problems in almost every decision Trump has made so far. In my preferred world, the last 10 days would be a bad dream from which we can now wake up.
But whether you are someone who has signed the petition against Trump’s state visit, or a protester in the streets, or a friend of Hillary like me, we all now have to get used to the awkward fact that this is reality. Trump beat our friends and overcame all normal assumptions by campaigning according to his own rules, developed over his whole career. The lifeless bodies of his conventional rivals’ careers now lie scattered at his feet.
Trump’s rules are to dominate the agenda, shake things up, court controversy and maintain credibility by sticking to his plans, even if he has to blame others for them not working. And he is the legitimate President of the United States of America, a country vital to our economy and our security. The reason his decisions are so controversial is that he is changing the policies of the most powerful country on earth. The reason his travel ban affects so many people is that America is the greatest home of innovation, enterprise and freedom – a place we want and need to visit.
This is why the petition to cancel Trump’s proposed state visit, while a convenient way for people to make their views known, is misguided in its purpose. If the Prime Minister were to give in to such pressure and revoke an invitation she has just extended, it would neither change Trump’s policies nor be in the interests of the United Kingdom. |
We’ve all seen them. We’re at home watching TV, when right after some beautiful and expensive Nike commercial, comes an ad for a local car dealer, furniture store, or personal injury attorney.
And it is bad.
Sometimes, these commercials can be so bad that they end up being good, although no one can be sure if that’s intentional or not.
So, how does this happen? I mean, advertising is advertising, right? Is it just the fault of bad production teams? Is it local businesses with no idea how to sell themselves? Is it the fault of the local affiliates who are often in charge of producing these monstrosities/gems?
The truth is, it generally isn’t the fault of anyone. Plenty of talented people work on the spots. Great video editors, excellent producers, and solid production teams spend time on ads like these every day. But generally, not a lot of time.
As the old adage goes, “Good, fast, cheap…..pick two.” These local business spots are almost always stuck in the fast and cheap categories, which means there isn’t a lot of room for good in the equation.
Network affiliates have to find ways to get these local businesses to advertise on their channels in the first place. The best way to do that, is to offer them low budget production that won’t break the bank over at Jackie & Priscilla’s Recliner Emporium. (No offense intended to Jackie and Priscilla if this is a real business somewhere.)
In turn, the network affiliate isn’t making much money, so they need to churn out the ads quick and dirty. Again, the teams behind them may be very talented, but with no time, it’s really hard to make anything look good.
Small production teams may take on these projects to help pay their own bills but they know they aren’t going to be able to produce anything special, so it just becomes something that has to get out the door…..and fast.
Sometimes, these local ad budgets are so small that they don’t even have money for local tv air time, and they go straight to YouTube. This isn’t always bad, as YouTube obviously has a lot of traffic, but if your ad is terrible, don’t expect people to be flocking to watch it or to use your services.
One thing for the small businesses to remember is that the quality of your ad represents the quality of your brand and your business. This is exactly why Nike spent millions on the commercial that ran before yours. Of course, no one expects Jackie and Priscilla to cough up millions or buy a spot in the Super Bowl rotation, but a little polish goes a long way.
And for the small production companies, producers, and editors working on these projects, it wouldn’t hurt to put out an ad every now and then that would be worth putting in your portfolio. Or even having something worth sharing with potential advertisers that is a cut above the rest.
There is no fail safe recipe for a good ad. As mentioned above, sometimes the worst ad of all ends up being the best. But this isn’t easy to pull off, and it’s generally an accident anyway.
It still takes effort to make sure lighting and camera work is correct. It takes some coaxing to get Jackie and Priscilla to say their lines as if they weren’t sleepy robots. And it still takes good editing and graphics to tie the whole thing together (minus the sleepy robot takes).
But one thing that can help take some of these local commercials to a higher level is After Effects templates.
How so you say?
Well, consider this. First off, sometimes the small production teams tasked with pulling off these commercials don’t have a dedicated designer on staff. The editor may be required to create custom graphics which can be time-consuming and maybe out of her wheelhouse. The result may be something that feels like an afterthought.
Secondly, if time is dedicated to making graphics that look professional and well composed, that generally means that time has to be pulled from other aspects of the project like editing, or audio mixing. Not ideal either.
Meanwhile, a great After Effects template does half the work of graphics creation. An editor or designer with minimal knowledge of After Effects can easily go in and update text, change colors, and even tweak animations to match the commercial.
Template items can be used just as they are with minimal updates, or they can be tweaked for more customization and be used again and again. And with a catalog of AE templates at your disposal, there will be no shortage of new looks and professional design elements that can take some of the headache out of the “good, fast, cheap” scenario.
There is no magic formula to making a good local business commercial on a tiny budget. And even the best editors, designers, and templates can’t save every spot. But when you are trying to make Jackie and Priscilla happy while maintaining your own sanity, and getting home at a reasonable hour, every little thing helps.
Here are some After Effects templates that might be very useful for a local business commercial.
Unless you are working with The Bang Bang Lady & The Boom Boom Lady, or perhaps The Credit MacDaddy, do yourself a favor and take a look at some templates that could make your day a little shorter and your project a little more easy to watch. |
Steven Seagal granted Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin
Posted
Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Russian citizenship to action film actor Steven Seagal.
The 64-year-old Seagal has been a regular visitor to Russia in recent years and has accompanied Mr Putin to several martial arts events, as well as vocally defending the Russian leader's policies and criticising the US Government.
Seagal is the latest in a string of foreign celebrities to be awarded Russian nationality by the Kremlin in recent years. Others include French actor Gerard Depardieu and US boxer Roy Jones Jr.
Mr Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Seagal "has been insistent for a long time in asking to be granted Russian citizenship".
"He is known for his warm feelings to our country, he never made a secret of it, and he's also a well-known actor, which gave grounds to make him a Russian citizen," he said.
Seagal did not immediately comment, though he has previously offered fulsome praise of Mr Putin in numerous appearances on Russian state media.
He also visited Russian ally and neighbour Belarus in August and sampled local vegetables with President Alexander Lukashenko.
Seagal said Mr Putin was "one of the greatest world leaders if not the greatest world leader alive today" in a 2013 interview on Russian TV.
"He cares more about Russia than anybody I know and he's not afraid to stand up and do what needs to get done," he said.
Besides his martial arts engagements with Mr Putin, Seagal, who is Buddhist, has been a regular visitor to Buddhist regions of Russia.
AP
Topics: world-politics, actor, russian-federation, united-states |
Jatuporn Prompan and other core members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have been released after being detained by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) for seven days.
Red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar waves to reporters after being released by the National Council for Peace and Order on Wednesday. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)
UDD secretary-general and former deputy commerce minister Nattawut Saikuar, Weng Tojirakan, Tida Thawornseth, Veerakant Musikapong and Korkaew Pikulthong left the Army Auditorium at Thewes in vehicles on Wednesday at 4.50pm.
Mr Jatuporn, the UDD chairman, Mr Nattawut, Mr Weng, Ms Tida and Mr Veerakant were taken into the military custody at the army auditorium when army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha declared a coup on Thursday.
Mr Korkaew was arrested by the military at the UDD rally site on Utthayan road in Thawe Watthana district on the same day.
Mr Korkaew was seen lowering a window of his car to wave and smile to reporters as he left.
Mr Nattawut exited the army's premises in his car with his wife and child. He also slowed the vehicle, lowered the window and waved to reporters.
Mr Jatuporn left via a side gate of the auditorium.
Red-shirt activists Nisit Sinthuprai and Kwanchai Praipana, an Udon Thani red-shirt leader, were also said to have been released.
Former deputy prime minister Pracha Promnok and former deputy commerce minister Chaiya Sasomsap, who reported to the NCPO Wednesday morning, have also been freed.
There were no reports whether other former ministers detained by the NCPO had also been released.
Sources said the release of the UDD leaders followed a gentlemen's agreement between them and the army to help Gen Prayuth Chon-ocha, the NCPO leader, set up a tambon-level reconciliation council in every army region with the participation of people representing all political colour codes. |
Product management conferences are great opportunities for product managers to learn from their peers, network, and — perhaps most importantly—gain the fresh perspective that comes along with a few days away from the office. In recent years, a handful of great, product-focused conferences have cropped up to fill the growing demand. To help you choose an event that’s right for you, we’ve compiled a list of our five favorite conferences for product managers (along with links to their websites for more information).
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“Conferences are great opportunities to learn from your peers, network, and gain a fresh perspective.”
This list of product management conferences would be incomplete if we didn’t also mention ProductCamp and other local meet-ups, which are excellent opportunities for product managers to mingle. However, we chose to focus on larger conferences that attract attendees from all over the world, so that PMs can make informed decisions about whether or not to invest in attending these events.
San Francisco: July 15-16, 2019
London: October 17-18, 2019
Mind the Product is an annual product management conference that takes place on both sides of the Atlantic, with one event in London and one in San Francisco. A play on the British railway warning “mind the gap”, Mind the Product started in England, but has since expanded to become a global community of product managers. In addition to the annual MTP conference, the community also organizes smaller Product Tanks in cities all over the world. (There is most likely one coming up in your city!)
We attended MTP San Francisco for the last 3 years and shared our thoughts in this blog post. One of our favorite speakers was Ken Norton, a former Google product manager and a current partner at Google Ventures, who talked about the importance of making yourself uncomfortable and giving your team space to take risks — because that’s how innovation truly takes place. Another fan-favorite was Des Traynor, one of the founders of Intercom, whose presentation focused on outpacing disruption by thinking about products as systems, rather than as isolated applications.
Although it’s not necessarily the best place to find concrete product management advice, Mind the Product promises to be a congregation of some of the most forward-thinking, cutting edge voices in product management. Their ideas will leave you feeling inspired — and will certainly break you out of your day-to-day putting out fires/backlog management mindset.
Las Vegas, NV: April 9-11, 2019
Barcelona: n/a
Summit is Atlassian’s annual user conference that brings together teams from all over the world to share best practices for building products — both in general and with Atlassian software specifically. The conference kicks off with training sessions on Atlassian products and then transitions into a series of keynotes from product leaders and innovators. Company and industry updates from Atlassian executives are also thrown into the mix.
The focus of the conference is on how teams can work together to build great things (which is no surprise since Atlassian makes software for teams, like Jira, Confluence, and their most recent addition, Trello). Attendees are therefore less homogenous than Mind the Product, which is specifically designed for product managers. At Atlassian Summit, you are likely to encounter a variety of job titles — developers, designers, scrum masters, and the like. There are nevertheless plenty of keynotes that product managers will find valuable, with topics ranging from story mapping and roadmap planning to building a culture of innovation.
Like Mind the Product, Atlassian Summit has two sister events, one in Europe and one in Silicon Valley. Unlike MTP, Summit takes place over three full days and has multiple sessions running in parallel, so attendees can customize their schedules. With lots of speakers and breakout sessions to choose from, product managers of all experience levels are certain to find talks they’re interested in. And if the educational and professional development opportunities aren’t enough to convince you, the conference also ends with a big party, the “Atlassian Bash.”
Dublin, Ireland: April 15-17, 2019
Cleveland, OH: September 23-25, 2019
Industry is a two-day product conference in Cleveland, Ohio that bills itself as a way for product managers to “get out of execution mode and get inspired.” Most attendees are product managers, but the conference also attracts startup founders, CEOs, and “intraprenuers.” Industry is organized by The Product Collective, an organization founded in 2014 to bring product managers together and build community — especially outside of Silicon Valley.
The event includes presentations by featured speakers as well as working sessions focused on achieving specific goals. In past years, speakers have come from companies like Uber, Square, and Google. Some of this year’s highlighted speakers include Jason Fried, Co-Founder and CEO of Basecamp, and Megan Quinn, General Partner at Spark Capital — which supports companies like Oculus, Slack, and Twitter. Work session topics include achieving product-market fit, questioning your assumptions, and the jobs-to-be-done framework. These hyper-specific topics makes this event one of the best product management conferences for those looking for concrete, actionable strategies.
Industry promises to be a gathering of the world’s best product managers, and in that regard it bears a lot of resemblance to Mind the Product, including some overlap between speakers (Melissa Perri, for example, will speak at both conferences this year). Industry, however, is a longer conference and its organizers are headquartered in Cleveland rather than London, making it more convenient for most PMs in the eastern United States.
Austin, TX: May 6-8, 2019
SiriusDecisions Summit is a conference for B2B professionals in product, marketing, and sales. The conference takes place over four days and features several keynote speakers as well as track sessions where attendees can seek help implementing the frameworks presented into their own business practices.
Although not specifically tailored to product managers, SiriusDecisions Summit a unique opportunity for those working at B2B companies. Apart from the educational sessions, it’s also a great opportunity for product managers to network and observe market trends.
Salt Lake City, UT: June 6-7, 2019
Front is a conference for designers and product managers that takes place annually in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s distinct from the conferences we’ve mentioned so far in that it’s focused on in-depth case studies from peers in product management and UX — case studies that showcase the good and the bad. In fact, there is no call for speakers; instead, presenters are invited based on the their body of work. This year’s lineup includes folks like Ciara Peter, Senior Director, Product at Box; Ximena Vengoechea, Research Manager at Pinterest; and Cameron Moll, Design Manager at Facebook.
Front is organized by the team that founded Product Hive, a group that also organizes smaller meetups for the product management and design community in Utah. The conference promises to offer an in-depth look at how product managers and UX designers at diverse companies solve problems. Front differentiates itself from other conferences by erring on the side of tactical advice rather than inspirational rhetoric. In fact, their website advertises no after-party and no alcohol, just “extraordinary content.”
Other Great Product Management Conferences
A few other product management conferences you should consider attending:
San Francisco: n/a
Stockholm, Sweden: March 21, 2019
Melbourne, Australia: October 2019
Sydney, Australia: October 2019
Chicago: n/a
Do you know of other great product management conferences? Please share them in the comments below. |
THE VFL is investigating a verbal clash between Casey Demons coach Justin Plapp and a Werribee fan in the match at Hoppers Crossing on Sunday.
The supporter confronted Plapp on the ground at three quarter time and there was an exchange of words.
VFL State League and Talent Manager John Hook said this afternoon he was disappointed to learn of the incident and had asked Werribee for an explanation.
media_camera Demons coach Justin Plapp says he would be happy to get an apology and ‘move on’. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin
It’s believed the supporter is a past Bees player.
Hook said such episodes put at risk VFL supporters’ ability to go on to grounds at the quarter breaks.
“We’ve discussed it with ‘Plappy’ and the Werribee footy club and we’ll get a proper resolution in the next day or so,’’ he said.
“I’m concerned about it because we don’t want to ever get to the stage where we can’t have people out on the ground, because it’s part of the appeal of the VFL. That’s the last thing we want to do.
“We may have to look at the wider security issue. Security people go on to the ground and they go around the umpires but we may have to use others to walk on and off the ground with the coaches from both sides.’’
Plapp, a Melbourne assistant and the VFL state coach, said he would be happy to receive an apology “and move on’’.
Werribee general manager Mark Penaluna said the club was speaking to the VFL about the incident but declined to comment further.
It came during a roughhouse match that led to suspensions for AFL players Lindsay Thomas (Werribee) and Jake Melksham (Casey Demons).
Thomas received three matches for rough conduct towards Corey Maynard and Melksham copped one match for striking top Tiger Matt Hanson. |
Students are taught that quantum uncertainty is always in the eye of the beholder, but that principle might have been proven false by a new experiment that measured a quantum system which doesn’t necessarily introduce uncertainty. It overthrows a common classroom explanation of quantum mechanics, but the fundamental limit of what is knowable at the smallest scales remains unchanged.
Scientists published their findings in the journal Physical Review Letters. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that there is a fundamental limit to what is knowable about a quantum system. The more precisely the observer knows a particle’s position, the less he or she can now about its momentum, and vice versa. The limit is usually expressed as a simple equation.
Heisenberg explains this principle by exposing how a scientist trying to take a photograph of an electron, has to bounce a light particle off its surface. This reveals its position, but imparts energy as well causing it to move.
Aephraim Steinberg of the University of Toronto in Canada and his team of researchers have performed measurements of photons and showed that the act of measuring can introduce less uncertainty that is required by Heisenberg’s principle.
The group didn’t measure position and momentum, but its polarization states. The polarization state along one plane is intrinsically linked to the polarization along the other. By Heisenberg’s principle, there’s a limit to the certainty to which both states can be simultaneously known.
The researchers compared weak measurements with strong measurements multiple times. They found that one measurement of one polarization did not always disturb the other state as much as the uncertainty principle predicted. In the strongest case, the induced fuzziness was little as half of what is predicted by the principle.
There’s still no way that you can know both quantum states accurately at the same time, states Steinberg. However, the experiment shows that the act of measurement doesn’t always cause the uncertainty.
[via Nature] |
Night-time patrols of Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd by motorcycle club members in 4x4s, vans and on foot have blessing of police
Motorcycle clubs have stepped in to deter looters from targeting flood-hit homes and businesses in the Calderdale Valleys region.
Night-time patrols of Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd are being carried out by bikers who have come from Bradford and beyond to help, with the blessing of police.
“We saw people post on Facebook that they were trying to deter looters, and I thought who better to do that but 20-30 burly bikers,” said Dave Cariss of The Drifters MCC, who has been organising the patrol with his motorcycle club chairman, Lloyd Spencer.
The pair said they had been “overwhelmed” by the response from other clubs, including Pyratz MCC, Broken Bones MCC and Nuntii Mortis MCC, and had been out for the past two nights. More than 30 bikers are expected to gather on Tuesday night to keep a watchful eye into the early hours.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Residents’ ruined possessions on a roadside in Mytholmroyd. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images
“We are not there to hurt anybody. We are not there to scare anybody. We are just there as a presence to deter people who are trying to take what’s not theirs,” said Cariss, 30, a waterways worker from Bradford.
Spencer, who runs the Northern pub on Bradford’s Halifax Road, said the bikers in their leathers and hoodies, and most standing more than 6ft tall, might look intimidating to would-be looters but had been welcomed by the local community, who kept them topped up with hot tea and chip butties.
“We spread out and go wherever needed. The police understood what we were doing. We are not there to offer anything physical. We just show our faces. Obviously we are not vigilantes. A lot of us are quite big, chunky lads, so that helps. We don’t have to really say anything, just turn up,” said Spencer, 57, who is 6ft 5ins and weighs 127kg (20st).
He said members patrolled in 4x4s, vans and on foot – but not on motorcycles because they were too dangerous on the water-, sewage- and diesel-soaked roads. They were gathering each evening at Mytholmroyd community centre, and on Monday night they believe their presence scared off would-be burglars at nearby Calder high school. “We got there, found a window open and footprints on the window, so I think they ran off,” said Spencer.
“You go into Hebden Bridge, and in parts there is no light, it’s like a warzone. Everybody has dumped everything out on the road because the insurance companies have said if they don’t see it, they won’t pay out. So people are putting fridges out and of course, it’s scrap metal.”
He added: “We didn’t want to go knocking on old people’s doors. I am 6ft 5in and Dave’s 6ft-odd, and knocking at some old dear’s door at 9.30pm would probably scare them to death. But we are going to go round tonight and ask if they need anything from shops, because if they are stuck we can nip out and get them some teabags and things like that.
“We are out until the early hours. Last night it was about 1am, and it will probably be the same tonight, We just drive, park, walk, drive, park, walk. With our torches, looking for anything suspicious.”
Spencer said he was planning a fundraising evening at his pub on Saturday to drum up money to replace some of the children’s toys lost in the flood at the Mytholmroyd community centre.
A spokesman for West Yorkshire police said: “As the cleanup of Mytholmroyd, Todmorden and Hebden Bridge continues, we are being made aware of persons attending the area and removing items which are being left outside properties either for disposal or to dry out.
“In order to ensure the safety of empty properties in the area, additional police resources have been drafted in from other districts and areas. In addition to this, several motorcycle clubs from Bradford and surrounding areas have volunteered to patrol the area as extra eyes and ears on the ground.”
For one business, however, it was too late. The Cycle Factory of Todmorden, which only opened recently and was damaged by the Boxing Day floods, has already looted.
In a Facebook post, a company spokesman said: “Struggling for words here we got flooded on Saturday as did a lot of people. Last night we were robbed by the scum of the earth preying on flood victims.” |
Image copyright INS News Agency Image caption Heena Solanki, 34, was found dead alongside Jasmine, nine, and Prisha, four, at their home in Ruislip
A mother poisoned herself and her two young daughters by drinking acid, an inquest has heard.
Heena Solanki, 34, was found dead alongside Jasmine, nine, and Prisha, four, at their home in Ruislip, west London, in April last year.
She had taken the substance from a locked cupboard at the school where she worked as a lab technician.
West London Coroner's Court heard Mrs Solanki was struggling to get on with her live-in parents-in-law.
Police and paramedics who went to the scene were forced back by the fumes from the substance, the court heard.
'Happy and content'
Mrs Solanki's widower, Kalpesh Solanki, found the three bodies.
None of her family attended the hearing but a statement was read out from Mr Solanki.
"Prior to her death I believed that Heena was happy and content," he said.
"We lived a nice life with our two children, Jasmine and Prisha.
"The only thing that I was aware of that made her unhappy was that we lived with my parents."
The inquest also heard from Mrs Solanki's friend, Branali Chambhare, who said she had confided in her that "her father-in-law was a bit cranky and a bit problematic".
Ligature compression
She added that her friend had also clashed with her husband and his parents about their daughters' studies as "she pressurised her children".
"I think her in-laws and husband didn't like it at all," she said.
She said Mrs Solanki never spoke of being depressed or harming herself but used to say she wanted to go and live in India with her children.
Post-mortem examinations found all three died of substance intoxication in association with ligature compression.
Only firefighters wearing specialist breathing equipment were allowed on the scene, where three medicine bottles with residual liquid were found along with a suicide note.
Coroner Chinyere Inyama said paperwork had also been found in the boot of Mrs Solanki's car about chemicals.
He concluded that Mrs Solanki took her own life while Jasmine and Prisha were both unlawfully killed. |
(Reuters) - Below is a list of the 12 countries that buy Iranian oil and could be subject to U.S. sanctions unless they significantly cut purchases, a U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday.
Vessels sail past Malta-flagged Iranian crude oil supertanker "Delvar" (L) anchoring off Singapore March 1, 2012. REUTERS/Tim Chong
The department released the number of countries - but not their names - on Tuesday after saying the United States would grant exemptions to the sanctions to Japan and 10 European Union nations that have cut shipments of Iranian oil.
Countries that won the exemptions have a six-month reprieve from the threat of being cut off from the U.S. financial system under sanctions designed to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, which the West suspects is intended to produce weapons.
Iran says that its program is solely to generate power.
A government source who is not in the State Department earlier gave Reuters a list of 13 countries that did not get an exemption on Tuesday and could be subject to the sanctions.
That list included Morocco. The State Department official, however, said that its information was that Morocco last bought Iranian crude oil in June 2010 and therefore was not among the 12 that may face the sanctions.
However, he stressed that the assessment of which countries could be subject to the sanctions was a dynamic process and that other countries could be added, or dropped, as additional information becomes available.
The State Department official gave the following list of the 12 countries that remain potentially subject to sanctions. The group includes China and India, the top two importers of Iran’s crude, and South Korea, the fourth-largest buyer.
Country: Rank in top buyers of Iranian crude
China 1
India 2
Indonesia NA
Malaysia NA
Pakistan NA
Philippines NA
Singapore NA
South Africa 9
South Korea 4
Sri Lanka NA
Taiwan NA
Turkey NA
(NA indicates the country’s ranking was not immediately available) |
Tom Spackman ... Bounty Hunter Male / Bay-Yon Siu / Captain Childress (voice)
Grey Griffin ... Bounty Hunter Female / Master Nomi Da'Boda / Nariel Pridence / Agent Folaris / Agent Jaysa Wise / Aide Ixa / Fasha Teral / Kixi / Lin / Spirakris Zarem (voice) (as Grey DeLisle)
Bertie Carvel ... Imperial Agent Male / Additional Voices (voice)
Jo Wyatt ... Imperial Agent Female / Apprentice Malora / Apprentice Peyterra / Assistant Overseer Loun / Intelligence Officer / Kory / Loonda / Phyne / Sentry Yashia (voice)
David Hayter ... Jedi Knight Male / Additional Voices (voice)
Kari Wahlgren ... Jedi Knight Female / Feylara / Vereta Fraabaal (voice)
Nolan North ... Jedi Consular Male / Assistant Overseer Markan / B-3G9 / Commander Hunn / Dorrick / Harez Bant / Lord Maddor Rist / Nokril / Pyther / Sergeant Blyes / Traga un-Vhol / Xenteel / Additional Voices (voice)
Athena Karkanis ... Jedi Consular Female / Additional Voices (voice)
Euan Morton ... Sith Inquisitor Male / Additional Voices (voice)
Xanthe Elbrick ... Sith Inquisitor Female / Additional Voices (voice)
Mark Bazeley ... Sith Warrior Male / Additional Voices (voice)
Natasha Little ... Sith Warrior Female / Additional Voices (voice)
Maury Sterling ... Smuggler Male / Captain Eligyn (voice)
Kath Soucie ... Smuggler Female / Jedi Knight Mashallon / Juda / Cantina Patron / Poison Pit Employee (voice)
Brian Bloom ... Trooper Male / Grov the Destroyer / Windredd (voice)
Jennifer Hale ... Trooper Female / Master Satele Shan / Master Bastila Shan / Derelict Vessel Computer / Min (voice)
Stacy Haiduk ... Akaavi Spar / Additional Voices (voice)
Steve Blum ... Andronikos Revel / Baron Deathmark / Fleet Admiral Aygo / Admiral Monk / Agent Shyrack / Beastmaster / BH-7X / Bouris Ulgo / Brel Orus / Brogon / Captain Branno / Chorto Rinn / Commander Geates / Commander Jensyn / Factory Worker / Foreman Meropta / Gate Commander Draxus / Huntmaster Assistant Lek / King Arak Drayen the Third / Lars Baddeg / Major Donovan / Master Khoris / Nok Drayen / Otheros / Roksur / Separatist Officer Dalern / Sergeant Boran / Sergeant Mack / Shady Character / Vaarko Tiyai / Vendor / Vorzoth / Xanar (voice)
Timothy Omundson ... Aric Jorgan / Thorn Operations Chief (voice)
Azura Skye ... Ashara Zavros / Additional Voices (voice)
Troy Hall ... Corso Riggs / Danah Jor / Kai Saddek / Lord Cedarik Killesa / Lord Raffid / Mercenary / Rebelling Noble / Sergeant Inivon / SIS Technician / Supply Officer Cason (voice)
Andrew Bowen ... Doc / Additional Voices (voice)
Anthony Cochrane ... Doctor Lokin / Captain Jerrod / Doctor Jurnak (voice)
Moira Quirk ... Elara Dorne / The Master / Captain Sarnova / Crazed Prisoner Leader / Ensign Brukarra / Lana Corrs / Lord Berow (voice)
Georgia Van Cuylenburg ... Ensign Raina Temple / Additional Voices (voice)
Dion Graham ... Felix Iresso / Marcus Trant / Officer Mal (voice)
Daran Norris ... Gault Rennow / Ashy / Colonel Darok / Condemned Inmate / Doctor Carsiri / Engineer Ferron / Escaped Prisoner / Evoc-Ra / Factory Foreman / Ganuk / Gedron Hix / Kamus Orden / Major Sarell / Malahan / Medical Officer Willem / Minos Porter / Pallos Organa / Republic Ambassador / SIS Operative / Siv-Fi / Veil Two (voice)
Gary Schwartz ... Guss Tuno / Additional Voices (voice)
Kristoffer Tabori ... HK-47 / HK-51 / Agent Welkins / Char-Le / Councillor Saiak / Doctor Kirin / Master Jaric Kaedan / Omana Tragg / The Black Death (voice)
Tasia Valenza ... Kaliyo Djannis / Additional Voices (voice)
Laura Bailey ... Kira Carsen / Thana Vesh / Kendra Novar / Ki Sazen / Lord Krovos / Nexia Kirill / Sarria Jevad / Zera (voice)
Adam Leadbeater ... Lieutenant Pierce / Captain Medle / Fixer Twelve / Lord Varacen / Raymon / Sergeant Rikel (voice)
Joseph Gatt ... Lord Scourge / Zildrog / Additional Voices (voice)
Jen Cohn ... Lord Zash / Master Cala / Master Kalisa Gehnso / Master Tyria / Queen Nyscha / Republic Senator / Rist Messenger / Senator Voralla / Shrine Attendant (voice)
Edward Hibbert ... Lt. Talos Drellik / Additional Voices (voice)
Tom Kane ... M1-4X / Commander Narlock / A-4P0 / AR-G0 / CB-08-4 / Captain Trezin / Commander Vorten Fett / Commander Yajak / Doctor Tabo / General Ando / Grataa / Hallam Organa / Jedi Knight Xerender / Master Sulan / Master Vandar Tokare / ODX-9 / PO-12 / Security Chief / Tazonthe Ghon (voice)
Richard Teverson ... Malavai Quinn / Additional Voices (voice)
Holly Fields ... Nadia / Additional Voices (voice)
Tara Strong ... Risha / Holiday / Daria Thul / Mia Hawkins / Tralie Masoon (voice)
Ron Yuan ... Sergeant Rusk / Additional Voices (voice)
Neil Kaplan ... Skadge / Additional Voices (voice)
David Anthony Pizzuto ... Tanno Vik / Sedyn Kyne / Corridan Ordo / Mandalorian (voice)
Jamie Elman ... Theran Cedrax / Additional Voices (voice)
Johnny Yong Bosch ... Torian Cadera / Additional Voices (voice)
Ifan Meredith ... Vector Hyllus / Additional Voices (voice)
Catherine Taber ... Vette / Princess Katei Panteer / Moracen / Bow La / Egara / Jedi Padawan / Juul / Party Guest / Yael (voice)
Tony Armatrading ... Xalek / Astar Vox / Captain Yudrass / Checkpoint Guard / Elias Inkari / Jailer Zixx / Major Triam / Quarris / Spaceport Security Commander (voice)
Troy Baker ... Zenith / Additional Voices (voice)
Dude Walker ... Ardun Kothe / Security Officer Stansun (voice)
Victor Slezak ... Bengel Morr / Kanjon Slyke / Master Sav / Arkin Bel / Barrager Scientist / Captain Valon / Doctor Edaine / Marauder Leader (voice)
Norm Woodel ... Braden / Commander Bradel / Gearbox / Junter Galt / Master Yollo (voice)
Michael Gregory ... Commander Harron Tavus / Nomen Karr / Commander Rylon / Doctor Charnagus / Grossh / Kellian Jarro / Lord Aurren Panteer / Major Cressen (voice)
Jim McCance ... Darth Baras / General Essith (voice)
Stephen Rashbrook ... Darth Jadus / Additional Voices (voice)
Kate Weiman ... General Garza / Amin-Le / Nurse Jai / Shanatka-Lo (voice)
Timothy Watson ... General Rakton / Overseer Harkun / Captain Laverse / Imperial Captain / Intelligence Officer Breerdin / Moff Yurrion (voice)
Maurice LaMarche ... General Var Suthra / Lox / The Wheezer (voice)
Kevin Michael Richardson ... Jace Malcom / Additional Voices (voice)
Francis Guinan ... Keeper / Hedarr Soongh / Benett / Cortess Nobleman / Dorotsech / Gyl Rosen / Iero / Imperial Officer / Lord Kirnon / Master Jesper Altax / Minister Plennid / Organa Delegate / Yalt (voice)
Robert Pine ... Master Orgus Din / Additional Voices (voice)
Olivia Hussey ... Master Yuon Par / Additional Voices (voice)
James Urbaniak ... C2-D4 / Needles / Ilox / Zan Loren (voice)
Paul Darrow ... Overseer Tremel / Additional Voices (voice)
Doug Bradley ... The Emperor / Additional Voices (voice)
Mary Stockley ... Watcher Two / Additional Voices (voice)
Adam Howden ... Dri'kill Ba'al / Overseer Prithor / Aleksei Dorne / Archaeologist Shellaster / Captain Thaban / Chiss Scout / Elizhis / Engineer Urrisov / Ensign Reyal / Hael Phirce / Imperial Engineer / Imperial Security Guard / Imperial Security Officer / Imperial Soldier / Morrun / Pilot / Sandor / Scout Five / Sentry Tavon / Sergeant Wallax / Slestack / Stranded Imperial Soldier / Thug / Wydr (voice)
Alan Fudge ... The Old Man / Izzeebowe Jeef / Damek-Ol / Baliss Delegate / Chairman Harlon Fane / Commander Gardit / Dak Williks / Datto Wys / Doctor Gantrell / Dokath-Ra / General Faraire / General Vander / General Wendin / Jaq Orin / Kaddreth / Ozurist / Screaming Blade Pilgrim (voice)
Alan Shearman ... Lord Kallig / Captain Lantikus / Lord Kanno / Lord Komo / Lord Mohgren / Major Tradik / Moff Dracen / Sergeant Tegan (voice)
Alec Newman ... Apprentice Maraad / Captain Joris / Imperial Scientist / Imperial Soldier / Imperial Special Forces Soldier / Imperial Trooper / Lieutenant Mei / Lieutenant Orawn / NK-33 / Private Cote / Private Ganbar / Private Wicke / Ri Farrona / Sapper / Sergeant / Sergeant Jaymis / Sergeant Pratt / Sith / Sith Apprentice / Soldier / Technician / Thanaton's Servant / The Old Man Imperial Form / Thul Scout / Thul Soldier / Transport Pilot / Warden Khel (voice)
Alex Fernandez ... Dr. Addy Ingrol / Droid Dr Rep Vendor / Droid Male Assassin Republic / Droid Trainer Republic / Harvester 2 / Mandalorian / Mandalorian 1 / Medic / Militia / Officer / P-2XN / Patron 2 / Pilot / Prison Guard / Prisoner - Killer Kateo / Protocol Droid / Reactor Vault Interface / Refugee 2 / Republic Shuttle Pilot / Republic Squad Leader / Republic Ambassador / Republic Officer / Republic Prisoner / Republic Soldier 1 / Republic Trooper 2 / Resistance Prisoner / Retrieval Sargeant / Rickard Organa / Scientist 1 / Scorpio / Senator Sydia Bodyguard / Sernipidal Colonist / Settler 1 / Shar-Da / Shuttle Operator / Sith Acolyte / Slave 2 / Slicer 2 / Smuggler / Soldier 1 / Soldier 2 / Spaceport Official / Stranded Soldier / Third Voss Commando / Transport Driver / Trobec / Velan-Raz / Velasu Graege / Viray (voice)
Ali Hillis ... Ranna Tao'Ven / Andra Cressen / Azalie / Co'overma / Cortess Noblewoman / Kelia Freen / Laranna Fain / Panteer Messenger / Shayl Tasao / Syreena / Zinda Kent (voice)
Amelia Jackson-Gray ... Corrin / Elana Thul / Lesi Garahe / Maro Vizhen / Zola Arvannus (voice)
Andrew Bridgmont ... Additional Voices (voice) (as Andrew Bridgemont)
Angel Parker ... Madel / Marshall Cavarat (voice)
Ann Christine ... Beryl Thorne / Rylee Dray / Asha-Mu / Kelsa Gerro (voice)
Annie Silver ... Twi'lek Warrior / Communications Officer Sola (voice)
Armand Schultz ... Jonas Balkar / Hale Malcolm / Major Byzal / Bounty Hunter (voice)
Armin Shimerman ... Archduke Kailur / Councillor Belos / Councillor Delquis / Dal-Rin / Darshyn / General Uchang / Governor Chornarov / Jorr-Da / Scientist / Trader (voice)
Ashley Paige Albert ... Minister Sosa / GenoHaradan / Huttese Alien (voice) (as Ashley Albert)
Bill Lobley ... Administrator Kroius / Master Arca Jeth / Senator Barc (voice)
Bo Foxworth ... Lord Tarnis / Agent Jaffkee / Brant Sonn / Chevuk / Cole Darba / Doctor Bertrin / Fawste / Lieutenant Kieral / Nik Deleru / Sixer / Ulldin (voice)
Brandi Burkhardt ... Cana / Cedonia Teraan / Lela Hue / Thendys Noori / Tyrka (voice)
Brandon Johnson ... Officer Danod / RE-M0 (voice) (as Brandon Andrew Johnson)
Brian Bowles ... Lord Vivicar / Lord Rathari / Major Bessiker / Agent Brandis / Captain Graich / Colonel Adun / Colonel Nyzes / Craige Graf / ISD-12 / Lord Khreusis / Major Charkron / Major Dermian / The Wolf Baron (voice)
Brian George ... Moff Hurdenn / Moff Tyrak / Captain Furth / Captain Viatar / Devotek / Engineer Sorrel / Ephran Zell / Korl Torin / Lord Anathemos / Melkor Dinn (voice)
Brian Gross ... Alec Efran / Anuli / Blenks / Haley Organa / Junior Holoreporter / Lieutenant Rale / Thoma (voice)
Bumper Robinson ... Captain Nelex / Mavrix Varad / Agent Soganti / Agent Weller / Battlelord Kreshan / Corporal Garrum / Kodai Burkan / Private Sakal / Ralon Nys / Sergeant Herron / Tempest Squad Commando / Vorr (voice)
Burn Gorman ... Darth Angral / Darth Tormen / Apprentice Ortosin (voice)
Calum Grant ... Gregor Willsaam / Mayor Klerren / Viidu (voice)
Cam Clarke ... Tai Cordan / Biddeck-Va / Bloodworthy / Count Merritt Rineld / Derrin Weller / Freher Wonn / Geris Paelid / Lieutenant Romm / Nyranos / Prellon Garn / Sergeant Carness / Ta Tigal / Wynne Organa / Zenzo / Zylixx (voice)
Charles Dennis ... Baratatta Spirit-Leader / Lew Brell / Urgrec (voice)
Charles Halford ... Captain Cormac / Gezda / Zank Helrott (voice)
Chris Cox ... First Officer Haken / Chance / Benx / Bounty Hunter / Claw / Dekk'lar / Devon Race / Iain Sarkus / Juran Reb / Klemral / Lew Organa / Liefur / Marco Zarik / Master Relnex / Nautolan / Niall Piv / Relus Poh / Republic Prisoner / Sullustan / T'rubba / Tam Daral / Torgan / Vastil (voice)
Christopher Godwin ... Darth Vowrawn / Dread Master Raptus / Admiral Ivernus / Agent Vikurs / Captain Westro / Commander Mericci / Commander Nol / Count Marcum / Father / General Kligton / Iannos Tyrek / Imperial Mine Inspector / Lord Ferrid / Lord Hargrev / Lord Jorad Thul / Lord Paladius / Officer Vengo / Terrak Morrhage / Thul Delegate / Vuk Dimitrius / Vyord Yanol (voice)
Chris Middleton ... Additional Voices (voice) (as Christopher Middleton)
Christopher Neame ... Aristocra Hadro / Captain Ortano / Darth Ikoral / Darth Silthar / General Farvin / Inquisitor Jarobi / Major Sanos / Moff Braynor / Moff Tarandon / Solash (voice)
Cindy Robinson ... Mistress Yalt / Vederiat Ayon (voice)
Clive Revill ... Admiral Davos / Admiral Riserre / Darth Gravus (voice)
Corey Burton ... Darth Serevin / Jedi Master Jun Seros / Supreme Commander Rans / Bas-Ton / Doctor Meln / Donal / Kraay / Lord Varos / Mar-Da / Master Ostar-Gal / Palawa Leader / Slam Streever / Vendor / Vicebaron Heitor / Yuleph Phan (voice)
Corri English ... Bahlea / Jaller / Travi Pott (voice)
Courtenay Taylor ... Sharack Breev / Lady Aitalla / Casey Rix / Ann'ya / Imani / Kalda Biss / Lieutenant Ross / Netula Pahn / Screaming Blade Attendant / Zalia (voice)
Crista Flanagan ... Audila / Corporal Daresha / Nen-Ji / Saber (voice)
D.C. Douglas ... Lekk-Ji / Kal Bedo / Balmorran Farmer / Bounty Hunter / Bounty Hunter Trainer / Captain Farnis / Cathar / Cathar Settler / Communications Officer Raste / Coronet Durasteel Official / Corporal Goran / CorSec Officer / Crew Member / Customer / Czerka Security Commander / DG-93 / Factory Worker / Gambler / Green Jedi / Hirosho / Hutt Cartel Lieutenant / Jedi Knight / Jedi Knight Trainer / Koghaa Thug / Lucen-Tok / Major Dogran / Mandalorian / Nesker / Organ Harvester / Second Mercenary / Taxi Droid / Trooper Trainer / Underworld Vendor / Voss Commando / Weary Doctor (voice)
Dan Milano ... Lieutenant Karlsu / Treezl Zillyons (voice)
Daniel Riordan ... Marshal Ruger / Braum 'Zakkeg' Bourne / Captain Drizan / Captain Elson / Colonel Fierros / Jaro Dev / Salus Bralor / Technician Jonkan (voice)
Dave B. Mitchell ... Kiregan Freem / Bounty Hunter Assassin / Corellian Defender Gixsa / Dutiful Soldier / Eidolon Security Captain / Militia Guard / President Walinor / Rakata Computer / Republic Officer / Republic Soldier / Shajahm-Do / SIS Commander / Squadron Commander / Stranded Soldier / Taxi Droid / Ulgo Champion / Voss Commando / Warden's Husband / Worker / Wounded Soldier / Zak Davies (voice)
Dave Lamb ... Darth Viktus / Lekern Renald / General Kolvin / Imperial Lieutenant / Lieutenant Larbec (voice)
Dave Wittenberg ... Andon Organa / Aphel Jaarn / Captain Quarn / Klage / Lenn Teraan / Raith Bannik / Sylas Wilkes (voice)
David Andriole ... Captain Ofaree / Lieutenant Hollis / Major Vinson / Master Ryen / Master Sergeant Volere / Natho / Seeker Kabath / Zeer (voice)
David Kaye ... Ambassador Averdon / C5-M3 / General Korvan / Addalar Hyland / Agent Moritt / Aven / Chief Trig / C6-N8 / Dajan-Ko / Dester / Doctor Ryamn / Fadith-Ki / Fleet Admiral Numinn / Garthe / Goren-Bo / Hammer Computer / HRRM-5 / Jeren Organa / Jerris Rez / K0-29 / Laryn-Ki / Lazhae / Master Halykus / Master Oric Traless / NR-02 / QM-35 / Republic Flight Commander / Sama-Ro / Security Chief / Therod-Ton / TM-09 (voice)
David Lodge ... Captain Ascercia / Dalga-Wo / Doctor Shi Bata / Gryffin Remus / Hendrick / Intake Officer / Lieutenant Gundo / SIS Assassin / Voss Acolyte (voice)
David Rintoul ... Lord Praven / Captain Vandorn / Commander Rayfel / Darth Iratus / General Krau / Lieutenant Boonan / Lieutenant Davrill / Lord Cineratus / Lord Thos / Sergeant Torken (voice)
Dominic Rickhards ... Dathis Elgin / Lieutenant Major Pirrell / Tenus Paato / Crazed Prisoner Leader / Imperial Interrogator (voice)
Don Leslie ... Jindo Krey / Sulkhaz (voice)
Don McCorkindale ... Councillor Torvix / Doctor Orlian / Dread Master Tyrans / General Edikar / General Koloch / Imperial Civilian / Imperial Speaker / Khun Tazith / Lord Duen / Lord Fulminiss / Lord Korek / Lord Melicoste / Lord Pallas / Lord Vacuus / Major Nost / Major Pharoth / Manda / Moff Dolus / Moff Rugenth / Security Officer / Sith Lord / Thul Noble (voice)
Edita Brychta ... Agent Kayd / Captain Suladi / Captain Yunaali / Doctor Ganalya / Doctor Wylenn / Lieutenant Treshoda / Major Orpharya / Master Kirbi / Servant Eleven (voice)
Eduardo Roman ... Additional Voices (voice) (as Eduardo Idunate)
Ella North ... Yadira Ban (voice) (as Elia Saldana)
Emily Bergl ... Adeline Marr / Allia / Angry Settler / Corellian / Cortess Noble / Crystal / Factory Worker / Family Member / Fourth Tank Resident / Ghost Cell Elite / Giana Kayl / Green Jedi Master / Hallen / Hospital Warning System / Hotel Hostage / Jedi Knight Trainer / Jorda Pell / Kariya / Kindra Gann / Laria / Medical Assistant / Mine Center Computer / Overworked Officer / Padawan Cora / Patron / Promised One Lurr / Recorded Message / Refugee / Reporter / Republic Colonist / Republic Sentinel / Republic Vendor / Security Officer Matto / Smuggler Trainer / Third Mercenary / Underworld Vendor / Vadria Tallion / Voss Acolyte / Voss Settler / Weary Refugee (voice)
Eric Nelsen ... Viyo Kobbeth / Private Farn / Paul (voice)
Ève Karpf ... Inquisitor Urinth / Overseer Ragate (voice)
Ewan Bailey ... Markus Thul / Captain Ilun / Agent Brayso / Captain Heedley / Captain Switts / Chief Engineer / Chief Trabier / Colonel Eben / Commander Dasim / Commander Jakker / Engineer Soleks / Fannatex / Hawk Leader / Imperial Attache / Imperial Guard / Imperial Guard Churnis / Imperial Soldier / Lieutenant Kadriss / Lieutenant Muir / Lieutenant Nalto / Lord Kras / Lord Tetsu / Major Damarus / Officer Jeral Vesk / Private Erelut / Sergeant Namada / Striker Squadron Pilot (voice)
Ezra Godden ... Dread Master Styrak / Watcher Three / Captain Fizik / Chiss Tactician / Ensign Corian Shye / Inquisitor Arzanon / Lieutenant Parson / Lord Atren / Lord Velnine / N4-S4 / Officer Ferrig / Sergeant Karloss / Tannac / Vaiken Comm Officer (voice)
Fay Masterson ... Agent Feyenn / Agent Ryleah / Darth Synar / Emma Thex / Lieutenant Mallohe (voice)
Fred Tatasciore ... Tarro Blood / Grand Marshal Cheketta / Adjudicator Refain / Annihilator 6K-A2 / Ariavos / Captain Denal-Zon / Carnus / Chief Rannos / Commander Geland / Destris Veran / Fashk / General Ilic Nadab / Gormak / Gradak Ungan / Houk / Hull / Hutt / Jawa / Jek Kardan / King Sethun / Master Ogan-Dei / Nodin-Fe / Paus / Pevthak-Fra / Senator Arnus / Sheriff Encot / Teeno / The Infernal One / TuMarr / Valen-Da / Vendor / Waxx / Wesner (voice)
Gary Martin ... Jailer Knash / Lord Abaron (voice)
Geoff Pierson ... Benton Maas / Councillor Tommik / Hacken Berge / Master Bestros / Master Boudyn / Master Delsa (voice)
George Coe ... Doctor Godera / Grommik Kurthson / Keyo-So / Master Chamma / Master Wyellett / Senator Grell (voice)
George Newbern ... Master Volryder / Captain Perovius / Commander Naughlen / Kon Yel / Lieutenant Tasser / Scientist (voice) (as George Newburn)
Gideon Emery ... Captain Revar / Tobin Harlan / Abdan Sho / Alek Teral / Cavill Arin / Comms Officer Jule / Lokir-Ka / Peyton Swole / Sadoll / The Argent Serpent / W6-S4 / Captain Winborn / Colonel Hunt / Narvurin / Spice Trader (voice)
Graham McTavish ... Executor Krannus / Lord Skar / Commander Moriden / Commander Tainor / Corgan Sturm / Sergeant Tulsar / Shadow (voice)
Greg Ellis ... Alif / Commander Tritan / Lerek Serrus / Lieutenant Kaid / Lieutenant Needa / Major Artano / Watcher One (voice)
Gus Gallagher ... Acolyte Jonos / Imperial Guard / Imperial Soldier / Rinn Miner / S-K6 / Security Police / Sergeant Tebar / Sergeant Varless / Shock Troop Officer / Squad Captain / Thul Guardsman (voice)
Harry Van Gorkum ... Captain Labe / Captain Orzik / Colonel Siturn / Dzoun / Kilo Detton / Lord Goss / Lord Pharshol / Major Tyrus / Obenth / Tenantius Thul / Weng Wrightsyn (voice)
Hedy Burress ... Tala-Reh / Senator Vanara Kayl / Agent Poz / Aleyna Hark / Ali-Le / Chanya Medaal / Doctor Fash / Eseni / Hunter / Lin / Maya Drin / Mayor Airen / Padawan Avitla / Professor Ley'arsha / Republic Fleet Captain (voice)
Ivan Kaye ... Sajar / Admiral Holtz / Dromund Kaas Officer / Lord Ondorru / Major Shellaster / Moff Masken / Watcher Eight (voice)
J. Grant Albrecht ... Danbar Hue / Duras Fain / Ga'ram / Jax Dumont / Savorin Malfus the Seventh (voice)
Jake Robards ... Aide Cohn / Barrager Technician / Cahel Tse / Captain Refour / Corellian / Coruscant Businessman / Deringon Lobacc / DX-TX / Ellis Tarn / Ensign Marko / Exchange Thug / Flash / Godan-Ur / Green Jedi / Havren / Hopeful Citizen / Justicar / Kaldona / Lieutenant Lazlo / Lieutenant Weggland / Lord Norn Girard / Mandalorian / Master Benn / Organa Soldier / Orth Quane / Parr / Pedestrian / Prison Guard / Private Finn / Private Gramm / Refugee / Ruso Zin / Webb / White Maw Sergeant Halrii (voice)
James Vincent Meredith ... Mandalore the Vindicated (voice) (as James Meredith)
James Russo ... Vaz Traniff / Colonel Tott / Commissioner Jonah Carter / Davon Kull (voice)
Jamie Alcroft ... Admiral Shai / Councillor Jalta / Gavon Kroan / General Durant / Master Cerik / Rinnas Edu / Warden Playt (voice)
Jamie Bamber ... Ffon Althe / Sergeant Garus (voice)
Jarion Monroe ... C2-N2 / Alien Refugee / Anchorhead Citizen / Androclus Methodius / Benthus Outpost Commander / Berix / Bomb-Carrying Droid / Brazzer / BT-9 / Captain Sulle / CEC Board Member / Ciphas / Corellian Defender Syrin / Corporal Yung / Cortess Escort / Councillor Rodin / Cultist Three / Dahl Harris / Dibbon / Doctor Ortis / F8-N0 / Foreman / Former Worker / Governor Pzail / Green Jedi Councillor / Hanar-Ye / Hoth Station Controller / King Lorro / Lord Dugan Cortess / Major Cobus / Master Quilb / Matthew Herral / Medical Droid / Mercenary / Militiaman / Mir-Ki / Moff Talor / New Men Leader / Officer Moro / Petitioner / Pirate Blackmarketeer / Poison Pit Employee / Poronth Ghon / Prinn / Randun Ard / Reconstruction Officer / Republic Captain / Riot Control Officer / Rist Master Assassin / Salarr / Scientist / Security Control Center / Sej Verlin / Semist Bada / Separatist Commander Bol / Sergeant Ganno / Shadow Arsenal Computer / Ship Computer / Siantide Droid / Sith Scientist / Smuggler / Survivor / T6H-5R / Tasan-Ge / Turbolift Computer / Voro Hesh / Voss Adjudicator / Voss Official (voice)
JB Blanc ... Droid Assassin / General Hesker / Lord Lokar / Lord Medechas / Moff Graham (voice)
Jeb Brown ... Rogun / Bashenn / Colonel Brint / Colonel Hauer / Conspirator Mercenary / Corporal Hartke / First Tank Resident (voice)
Jen Taylor ... Zareen / Albea / Fixer 308 / Lya Charrel (voice)
Jerry Hauck ... Director Rigel / Gunta-Mer / Jindra-Var / Republic Commander (voice)
James M. Connor ... Darmas Pollaran / Izak / Militia Guard / The Prince (voice) (as Jim Connor)
Jim Cummings ... Master Oteg / General Skylast / Bounty Hunter / Chief Enforcer / Commander Bragan / Doctor Chull / Galen Besk / Guard Captain / Master Bedoch / Master Berin Fraal / Randor Mohl / Reclamation Service Pilot / Runner Grannon / S3-E3 / Senior Agent Zane / Sergeant Hurd / Skeptical Citizen / Zale Barrows (voice)
Jim Ward ... Master Cin Tykan / Agent Kellor / C86 / Colonel Marric / Daven Tam / Denri Ayl / Director Fenn / Foreman Rhamm / General Karastace Gonn / Knight Wen / Lieutenant Weeznod / Major Garik / Rade-Sa / Samm Bradber / Scout Chief Moorint / Var'soonta (voice)
Joe Nunez ... Commander Ghulil / Fez Burba / Nurkolas / Bartender / Black Sun Smuggler / Cantina Patron / Master Wole Vahn / Navigator Plex / Toybox (voice)
John Garry ... Karrels Javis / Red Squad Commando / Republic Commando (voice)
Jonathan Cake ... Darth Thanaton / Deadfall / General Greist / Lord Grathan / Lord Haresh / Major Swaine Lothar / Reid Gandon / Watcher Seven (voice)
Jonathan Keeble ... Agent Dellocon / Captain Shivanek / Colonel Daksh / Colonel Drefin / Commander Gerault / Commander Tarkus / Fixer Two / General Merion / Imperial Citizen / Imperial Commando Sergeant / Imperial Diplomat / Imperial Guard / Imperial Interrogator / Imperial Marine / Imperial Noble / Imperial Officer / Imperial Scientist / Imperial Shocktrooper / Imperial Soldier / Intelligence Computer System / ISD-80 / Kilit Leader / Library Guard Captain / Lord Urduun / Lord Wratchen / Master Sergeant Hayg / Minion of Pain / Moff Ganthus / Pyron Aide / Sergeant Thent / Sith Inquisitor Trainer / Sith Warrior Trainer / Speechmaker / Stranded Imperial Commander / Third Tank Resident / Thul Noble (voice)
Jonathan Kydd ... Horak-Mul / Ivory / Captain Garrett / Captain Helricks / Captain Rigel / Colonel Baramak / Doctor Narem / General Dane / Lieutenant Berrig / Lord Chayloss / Lord Krillis / Sergeant Namarr / Specialist Zahn (voice)
Joseph Millson ... 2V-R8 / Darth Ravage / Darth Acharon / Apprentice Frun / Auselio Gann / Commander Dorne / Ensign Slinte / IK-4C / Imperial Officer / Lieutenant Ogden / Lieutenant Thorpe / Lieutenant Trell / Lord Senu / Lord Vago / Major Kouvar / Malcom Terrax / Overseer Chaskar / Specialist Nattis (voice)
Josh Cohen ... Inquisitor Ferav / Captain Barstead / Captain Franges / Captain Pandorr / Eliss Pim / Lieutenant Quorr / Lieutenant Whist / Private Shon / Sergeant Skolin (voice)
Josh Keaton ... Lieutenant Laskin / Anitol Rosspar / Ensign Durmat / Ensign Peters / Ensign Tane / Field Agent Burne / Gilroh / Huckster / Jedi Quorian Dorjis / Jettison / Kal / Major Endran / Moisture Farmer / Morsel / Padawan Kosh / Padawan Sewlor / Phi-Ton / Rikael Lysannis / Riloh / RK-C3 / Saylew / Senate Page / Sergeant Jaynes / Sergeant Tenn / Survey Team Leader / Survivor / Technician / Trace / Voss Acolyte / White Maw Lieutenant Risold (voice)
Julian Holloway ... Ambassador Yoran / Corporal Haddon / General Bourom / General Rosh / Lord Shendan / Operative Bator / Sergeant Tark / Theovor Mindak (voice)
Julian Sands ... Grand Moff Regus / Lord Ryvus / Officer Keeling / Yudin Thul (voice)
Julian Stone ... Captain Jeelg / Lord Drowl (voice)
Julian Wadham ... Moff Phennir / Captain Tolto / Captain Tremont / Doctor Korvus / Factor Jarvus / Guardsman Lassicar / Lieutenant Sorchka / Lieutenant Tanido / Lord Feras / Lord Shaythin / Naman Fal / Officer Cresken (voice)
Julianne Buescher ... Agent Valland / Deera Ulyette / Keran Vondi / Senator's Wife (voice)
Julianne Grossman ... Supreme Chancellor Saresh / Aja Novar / General Konya / Kar'wa / Master Landai (voice)
Juliet Landau ... Valyn Thul / Momi Andrell / Neiya Chault / Prisoner (voice)
Karen Strassman ... Eva Kaayz / Dariana Frayus / Doctor Ressel / Kel'sara / Newscaster / Republic Announcer / Republic Vendor (voice)
Keith Szarabajka ... Commander Madine / Bolan / Esh-kha / General Ortol / Getzo / Jenar-Sei / Locke / Pak Taldine / Weequay (voice)
Kenneth Danziger ... Captain Habbaz / Lieutenant Horn / Lord Beldiss / Lord Magras / Major Faradin / Prakkath / Rul Jophen / Sergeant Cormun / Sergeant Larkin (voice)
Khary Payton ... Master Arfan Ramos / Fauler / Agent Galen / Beke Talrott / Tolec-Da (voice)
Kiff VandenHeuvel ... Skavak / Axis / Jordel Tlan / Oren Ward / Slave Leader / Tre Nareves (voice) (as Kiff Vanden Heuvel)
Kirk Thornton ... APC Driver / Avers / Braedon Agareth / C-5D1 / Captain Scov / Captured Resistance Member / Communications Officer Homax / Concerned Soldier / Corporal / Corporal Tabber / Droid Vendor / Ghost Cell Assassin / Girard Nobleman / Huttese Twi'lek / Impatient Soldier / Imperial Lieutenant / Imperial Trooper / Ivan Stahl / Mandalorian / Myahh / Officer Legat / Organa Scout / Palawa Follower / Pedestrian / Prison Guard / Private Cawelyn / Private Guard Captain / Republic Colonist / Republic Scout / Republic Soldier / Republic Trooper / Screaming Blade Supporter / Sensor Technician / Sergeant Dern / Smuggler / Smuggler Trainer / Symo / Voss Commando / White Maw Sergeant Feldon (voice)
Kosha Engler ... Darth Nurin / Eskella / Lalya Verron / Lord Loyat / Lord Vadus / Lord Velash / Suri (voice)
Laraine Newman ... Celestra / Darth Ekkage / Fieler Dan / Girard Noblewoman / Linh / Magra-Su / Magremme Thrakus / Moff Lett-Shara / Runner Mishta / Senior Reporter / SIS Agent (voice)
Larry Cedar ... Captain Taith / Commander Phraken-Nal / Corellian Pilot / Cyborg / Enaq / Guard Lieutenant Brok / Hutt Cartel Enforcer / Keth / Kom Orda / Laeras-Wu / Lieutenant Quisun / Master Joce / Panthin-Dro / President Galthe / Promised One Rukil / Republic Senator / Resistance Member / Rist Delegate / Secretary Nadien / Senator Jol Zackin / The Creeper / Ulgo Delegate / Whitat (voice)
Leif Riddell ... The Red Blade / Fa'athra Foreman (voice)
Leigh-Allyn Baker ... Ambassador Asara / Ceta Farr / Iopiane Ratle / Senator Oranda (voice) (as Leigh Allyn Baker)
Lex Lang ... Agent Fau-Kes / Ardon / Bashun / Conrad Gall / Gormak Zak / Guard Captain Yils / Ono-Mi / Sergeant Jolis / Sergeant Mathin / Tal / Urbax / White Maw Sergeant Karhei (voice)
Lloyd Floyd ... Do Zonn / Gatekeeper / Gorry / Huttsbane / Kindin / Liam Dentiri / Lieutenant Virk / Zeven (voice)
Lloyd Owen ... Captain Rago / Commander Byten / Kinto Symms / Lieutenant Trace / Lord Torius / Vemrin (voice)
Lorri Holt ... Master Sidonie Garen / Alma / Baroness Chay Cortess / Commander Viqui / Daru'da / Ensign Ta / Keikana Herot / Lady Renata Alde / Leah / Leisha Vamden / Parvin Willsaam / SIS Contact / Solentz (voice) (as Lori Holt)
Lucy Robinson ... Darth Lachris / Dread Master Bestia / Vaverone Zare / Abusive Sith / Administrator Reese / Agent Madel Felth / Black Talon Computer / Cellvanta Grathan / Chamberlain / Colonel Surab / Colonel Trill / Commander Vorel / Computer Voice / Darth Minax / General Gesselle Organa / Halidrell Setsyn / Imperial Civilian / Imperial Doctor / Imperial Noble / Imperial Officer / Imperial Scientist / Junia Tavrak / Lady Dak-Ah / Lieutenant Sylas / Lord Reyzek / Lord Shaar / Moff Sorin / Noble / Operative Melindra / Overseer Sathel / Sith / Sith Inquisitor Trainer / Sith Lord / Sith Warrior Trainer / Space Station Computer / Thul Guardsman / Thul Noble / Thul Noblewoman / Voidstar Computer (voice)
Lydia Leonard ... Lana Beniko / Ladra / Lord Zavrasha / Acolyte Nataya / Agent Nianla / Anora / Anyarah / Chane / Cultist One / Desora / Ibellia Ran / Imperial Agent Trainer / Imperial Soldier / Intelligence Officer Kytoma / Ismar Brengle / Kelara Sakoal / Kilit Three / Lieutenant Keighlah / Lieutenant Synnoran / Lord Trok / Lunatta / Maiya Vix / Medic / Minder Fourteen / Rora Seake / Samara Mindak / Sera Fray / Sergeant Lodani / Ship's Computer / Sith / Vendor / Watcher Nine / Watcher Six (voice)
Malcolm Sinclair ... Darth Charnus / Darth Mortis / Captain Helid / Captain Isen / Captain Jaggard / Colonel Proshen / Darth Enraj / General Grann / Imperial Fleet Captain / Major Ovech / Yavorus (voice)
Marie Westbrook ... Sergeant Jaxo / Ria / Tivva / Concierge / Gambler (voice)
Mark Hildreth ... Cole Cantarus / Nalen Raloch / Captain Dal / Captain Kalor / Captain Ozzik / Captain Trey-yen / Confident Soldier / Corporal Anders / Doctor Hope / Gabe Dovaro / Iceheart Carac / Lefry / Master Corin Tok / Memnon Demaratus / Razak / Red Hand Magaran / Rylan Stallos / Sherro / Special Agent Tander / The Defenestrator / Veil Three / Wheel (voice)
Mark Lewis Jones ... Colonel Vrain / Darth Andru / Darth Decimus / Darth Vengean / Moff Zamar (voice)
Mark Moseley ... Dheno Rey / Flingeld / Kellik (voice)
Martin Jarvis ... Dorian / Inquisitor Zyn / Lord Alaric / Major Bryson / Major Pathel / Spindrall / Torrun (voice)
Matt Servitto ... Doctor Lorrick / Captain Sero / Captain Xuss / Etah-Rel / Ker-Na / Oudon / Rally Master Merrk Kelborn / Senator Zian / Suva-Rak (voice)
Matthew Ashforde ... Agent Veld / Ambassador's Aide / Commander Ollien / Deranged Sith Apprentice / Imperial Commander / Imperial Explosives Expert / Imperial Lieutenant / Imperial Naval Officer / Imperial Operative / Imperial Security Officer / Imperial Soldier / Imperial Trooper / Lieutenant Marcovic / Lieutenant Roval / Lord Kavos / Private / Private Anlen / Research Assistant Starforth / Soldier / Technician Noraz (voice)
Matthew Labyorteaux ... Attros Finn / Fuse / Gaden-Ko / Master Yul-Li / Militiaman Tonn / Nebula Security Officer / Sir Deris Panteer / Wounded Twi'lek (voice)
Matthew Piazzi ... The Shining Man / 05-D6 / Balmorran Citizen / Balmorran Farmer / Bounty Hunter / Cantina Patron / Cartel Trader / Corellian / Czerka Strike Team Leader / Droid Owner / Engineer Kuthana / Families Thug / Factory Computer / Father / Gruff Worker / Igro / Jedi Consular Trainer / Justicar / Lieutenant Cadix / Lieutenant Tamso / Lieutenant Xorem / Master Cabaril / Matare / NA-71 / Navigator Travis / Parthos Outpost Commander / Premier Vonn / Prime Minister Cal Falcone / Prime Minister Milarzen / Prince Shange / Reprogrammed Medical Droid / Republic Officer / Rogue Expedition Commander / Sarel Corro / Screaming Blade Devotee / Second Tank Resident / Sergeant Dutonian / The Black Codex / The Virus / Thul Suitor / Voss Commando / Vyru / White Maw Captain / Wounded Bystander (voice)
Michael Beattie ... Sonn-Vi / Danison Varik / Captain Jefris / Captain Rikdine / Custodian Droid / Helik / Technician / Trigo Shane (voice)
Michael Harney ... Darth Marr / Master Tol Braga / Arkis Wode / Agent Reeho / Captain Bathens / Customs Agent Broll / DX-M2 / Foreman Varl / General Gelrex / Karish-Ma / Mala-Ren / Miner Foreman / Officer Jansen / Ohta / Strom / Ulgo Commander / Vol Kolla (voice)
Michelle C. Bonilla ... Huttese Alien / Nautolan Alien / Ortolan Alien (voice) (as Michelle Bonilla)
Miles Anderson ... Admiral Hestun / Councillor Caicos / Engineer Mucdermon / Falner Oeth / Kalatosh Zavros / Lord Nefarid / Master Ters / Mentor / Murbek Gehn / Senator Starsnow (voice)
Montego Glover ... Padawan Fia / Republic Prisoner / Vye (voice)
Nan McNamara ... General Thelonia Redrish / Sophia Farash / Achitan / Archivist Wintag / Dana Hunt / Doctor Ianna Cel / Kaiya Stas / Lieutenant Bela Whinn / Malea Janarus / Rona Riggs / Seismologist Hare'en / Vana-Xo (voice)
Nancy Linari ... Alde Delegate / Bounty Hunter Trainer / Cantina Waitress / Casino Patron / Corellian Defender Yagorn / Green Jedi / Guarded Refugee / Industrial Plant Computer / Injured Voss Pilgrim / Jedi Consular Trainer / Kina-Re / Maelrich Alde / Prisoner / Promised One Ku Ki / Republic Senator / Republic Vendor / Resistance Member / Serving Girl / Ship's Computer / Shuttle Pilot / Slave / Soldier / Terrified Settler / The Entity / Tiffan Nye / Trooper Trainer / Voss Adjudicator / Voss Commando / Voss Healer / Voss Messenger / Voss Scholar / Warden / Weylin-Po / Wounded Bystander (voice)
Neil Dickson ... Captain Ardmore / R-5TM / Sadus Vraal / Senior Science Officer Sakoal (voice)
Neil Ross ... Moff Jiak / Colonel Vorgath / Darth Arho / Duke Horis Thul / Guardian of the Inner Sanctum / Lord Kavaros / Lord Ranath / Master Sergeant Korum / Republic Simulation Droid / Torkel Laphmer (voice)
Nicholas Boulton ... Watcher X / Lord Draahg / Stark / Valis / Vokk (voice)
Nick Jameson ... Colonel Gaff / Colonel Thorus (voice)
Nika Futterman ... Treek / Agent Halloway / Chemish Or / Danla Zin / Doctor Senessa / Labine / Lady Muriel Corwin / Lady of Pain / Melarra / Promised One Baral / Rehanna Rist / Sraja (voice)
Patrick Gorman ... Geric / Master Silvarte (voice)
Paul Eiding ... Colonel Senks / General Grayne / Officer Serik (voice)
Peter Lavin ... Ergast / Captain Golah / Captain Zender / Commander Marcus / Eton Vok / Guard Kullin / I-M3 / Lieutenant Trason / Lieutenant Vekarr / Mysterious Sith / Sergeant Darro / Wounded Terrorist (voice)
Peter Renaday ... Warren Sedoru / Captain Gostel / Commander Bevek Thul / General Linel Organa / Lem Karner / Lord Rist / Lord Teral / Master Eriz Vossan / Roggar Den / The General (voice)
Phil LaMarr ... Master Syo Bakarn / Darbin Sull / Agent Ottau / Bailey / Bilikin Drell / Burnok / Captain Alethios / Cy Krolo / Elihsu / Injured Voss Pilgrim / Jerol Nex / Queensguard Captain / Reki / Republic Soldier / Sanju Pyne / Secretary / The Flame / Voss Commando (voice)
Phil Proctor ... Devar Gann / Doctor Vernan / Gon-Sa / Master Nimi / Master Orbis Keln / Maverse Pontilo / Officer Vempor / Orin-Va / Tarkos Sund / Vanel / Zoo Official (voice)
Quinton Flynn ... Gayem Leksende / Hunter / Numen Brock / Private Falk (voice)
R. Brandon Johnson ... Jogo the Carver / Lieutenant Kollis / Myles (voice)
Reno Wilson ... Lieutenant Coria / Private Dromol / Private Ozer (voice)
Richard Doyle ... General Aves / Ambassador Rove / Captain Hardin / Combat Simulation Analyst / Luran Gonthor / Master Garon / Rasmus Blys (voice)
Richard Epcar ... Assassin Leader / Captain Dragen / Captain Lieber / Captain Theraguin / General Krepkit / Ironfist / Kamen Proy / Krel / Lieutenant Doorn / Milosh Varta / Q'kal / Renegin / Sedoya Senn / Senator Krasul / The Eidolon / Ukabi / Vorlo Stragen (voice)
Richard Laing ... Kaal / AR-72 / Balek / Lieutenant Durand / Lieutenant Palinx / Praetor Nollus (voice)
Rob Rackstraw ... 2V-R8 / Apprentice Girik / Arrax / B-6NX / Black Talon Marine / Captain Augatta / Captain Granta / Captain Kanen / Captain Reskin / Commander Jastal / Commander Vergost / Commander Vilos / Fixer 66 / Generator Command Center Warning System / Gevin Thul / Heirad / Imperial Flight Commander / Imperial Technician / Lieutenant Borgin / Lord Kyrus / Major Locke / Sergeant Darrst / Stanel Thul / Traffic Control Droid BZ-9D (voice)
Robert Clotworthy ... Supreme Chancellor Janarus / Senator Evran / Master Rajivari / Blaesus / Colonel Deulo / Colonel Finley / Gizmel / Major Jazen / Master Rubatin / Officer Silas / Sor-Nak / Taxi Droid (voice)
Robin Atkin Downes ... Ancient Droid / Baron Zacar Girard / Beryl / Captain Andrik / Captain Vakar / Curt Willham / Dindo / Dolin Organa / Erris Wyum / Jari Orez / Kaleesh Warrior / Lieutenant Randa / Lord Modo / Lord Razer / Master Noab Hulis / Pargon Sisto / Ransomer / Saphrro / Sergeant Katcho / Talan-De / Tyrodall (voice)
Roger Craig Smith ... Arkan / Combo / Corporal Rand / Druan / Ensign Belkan / Grik Sonosan / Hance Rugel / Heerimus / Hib-R-ak / In-iK / Jaen Kett / Jiik / Morant / Nam-aK / Nim-Sa / Officer Narong / Padawan Mennaus / Pat-aK / Private Murtag / RA-30 / Ro-tuK / Scorch / Technician Jalba / Zak (voice)
Roger Jackson ... Sel-Makor / Madaga-Ru / Elios Maliss / Ambassador Grub / Asa-Ku / Count Alde / DK-9 / GenoHaradan / Herald of Karagga / Koru Tama / Lord Dak-Ah / Peema Ahuff / Remmy / Senator Tudos / Sorno / Technician Prand / Tookreek / Yelzrin / Yjal (voice)
Ron Bottitta ... Commander Calum / The Voidwolf / Dolgis / Denova Imperial Wargame Droid / Lieutenant Ganev (voice)
Rozi Baker ... Child / Renalda Agareth (voice)
Rupert Degas ... Bax Kholer / Briefing Officer Halpern / Captain Evlen / Captain Oklart / Captain Phenter / Captain Trage / Citizen / Colonel Teeg / Commander Gargun / Commander Rilan / Dark Guardian / Darth Achelon / Debtor / Doctor Parvux / Doctor Revis / DX-AX / G-T7 / Gerr / Imperial Commando Lieutenant / Imperial Prisoner / Imperial Soldier / Imperial Vaccination Officer / Lanniter Droge / LI-45 / Lord Charnoq / Lord Renning / Minder Twenty / Outpost Captain / SD-9 / Secretary Lieutenant Petrak / Sergeant Arlos / Sergeant Loren / Sergeant Ritter / Son / Sunder Ghettz / The Ambassador (voice)
Ryan Kitley ... Adan / Crewman Vepp / Elric Organa / Ensign Cav / Ensign Vise / Green Patrol Leader / Gwe-Ro / Nervous Settler / Padawan Jerikko / Private Falch / Republic Comm Officer / Republic Commando / Republic Corporal / Republic Soldier / Republic Tech / Republic Trooper / Resistance Member / Screaming Blade Convert / Soldier / Spanios / Technician / Voss Commando (voice)
Salli Saffioti ... Jedi Entity / Murghir / Alya Selray / Bera-De / Captain Yelto / Cera / Colonel Bartaph / Doctor Soprin / Doctor Synoda / Duchess Vala Organa / Ellis / Kahrin Wek / Master of Questions / Matriarch Sumari / Merchant / Mola Haxtor / Neyla Hawkins / Samara Organa / Talsa-ko (voice)
Sara Mornell ... Additional Voices (voice) (as Sarah Mornell)
Scott McShane ... Balmorran Prisoner / Benta-Lo / Edan-Je / Garel-Mo / Kel-Fi / Luth-Ki / Sathra-Kan / Sergeant Kobbeth / Telsin-Fal / Veil One / Vell Narroc (voice)
Scott Whyte ... Brant Organa / Colony Security Officer / Lieutenant Torve / MP-77 / Private Vekker / Sergeant Vandal (voice)
Sherman Howard ... Admiral Revald / Chief Rieekan / Director Antayen / General Frellka / Guardian / Jicoln Cadera / Kord Murdok / Lanius Carr / Major Valyn / Master Tharis Orne / Master Timmns / Sergeant Nidaljo (voice)
Simon Chadwick ... FimmRess / Lord Serjay Thul / Lord Malichose / Citizen / Corporal Jillins / Ensign Verr / Imperial Messenger / Imperial Soldier / Imperial Trooper / Lieutenant Piloc / Ralesk / Sergeant Charnso (voice)
Simon Templeman ... Grand Moff Kilran / General Threnoldt / The Eagle / Admiral Fraabaal / Admiral Jefand Ange / Captain Bryn / Captain Guyvar / Commander Stron / Darth Skotia / Fell Dargun / Imperial Commander / Imperial Soldier / Lieutenant DeMare / Royal Executioner / Thul Nobleman (voice)
Stark Sands ... Ambassador Jannik / Aelan Kalder / Colonel Jadick / Corporal Sajin / Grommik Kurthson - Young / M-2VB / Mandalorian Warrior / Na-TaK / Navigator Tarev / Pashon Cortess / RL-4 / YD-33 (voice)
Stephen Critchlow ... Moff Sarek / Captain Renzfeil Neuwt / Colonel Gorik / Duke Keldas Thul / General Gurveer / Major Brega / Major Veir / Rehmar Thul / Science Officer Garboza (voice)
Steven Brand ... Darth Mortis / Kel'eth Ur / Colonel Valda / Commander Kasstroff / Commander Lanklyn / Commander Pritch / Commander Vames / Corporal Lanoyo / Doctor Olkav / Elder Revanite Jhorval / Lieutenant Bregor / Lord Calaverous / Sergeant Molcarrus / The Master Hologram / Vex Dantos (voice)
Stuart Organ ... Moff Pyron / Colonel Grang / Colonel Harok / Lieutenant Veet / Moff Broysc (voice)
Susan Boyd ... Crysta Markon / Isbet Varta / Master Heljus / Mila Escalus (voice) (as Susan Boyd Joyce)
Thomas F. Wilson ... Commander Bhoenn / Elz Organa / Gele'ren / Hutt Cartel Slaver / Jatta Kuum / Orrick Gwyndon / Rowan Delk (voice)
Tim Bentinck ... 44-ND / Agent Beshar / Agent Feldon / Alert System / Apprentice Telo / Archaeologist / Captain Eisek / Captain Jesh / Captain Lett-Shara / Chiss Defector / Chiss Security Officer / Commander Flayn / Commander Graul / Commander Krade / Count Ferrin / CR-97 / Droid Vendor / Dromund Kaas Trooper / Fleet Commander / Imperial Agent Trainer / Imperial Commando Captain / Imperial Commando Leader / Imperial Extractor / Imperial Fleet Captain / Imperial Guard / Imperial Guard Captain / Imperial Marine / Imperial Officer / Imperial Shuttle Pilot / Imperial Soldier / Imperial Vendor (voice)
Tinsel Korey ... Leeha Narezz / Adjudicator Mirev-Ka / Jewl'a Nightbringer / Prudy / Thendys Noori (voice)
Todd Cummings ... Bracco / Ethics Officer Drage / Master Strayen / Odar / Odeph / Odumis Mer / Rex Geer / Trymbo (voice)
Travis Willingham ... Warden Graal / Nevis Kitt / Hoth Shuttle Pilot / Huttese Twi'lek (voice)
Vanessa Marshall ... Master Bela Kiwiiks / Alauni / Chaney Barrow / Daizanna / Ensign Rosha / Kayla Perlis / Komi / Master Injaye / Master Sumalee / Voss Pilgrim / Yana-Ton (voice)
Victoria Gay ... Captain Lorant / Imperial Ensign / Lord Shalath / Major Nedecca / Noble (voice)
Vyvan Pham ... Alilia / Ashaa / Trea Kobbeth / Wraith (voice)
Zach Hanks ... Agent Diyaz / Captain Marshall / Carteri / Caspar Knowles / Derrik Reed / Ethen Wessiri / Gen Vizla / Jomar Chul / Kotal-De / Larris Cozekk / Lieutenant Rufar / Major Fel / Nikollan Kord / Nivi'sec / Private Kree / Republic Captain / Sedni Maruk / Sergeant Nerrick / Sergeant Rossiker (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Philipp Baltus ... Imperial Agent - German (voice)
Rasmus Borowski ... Sith Warrior - German (voice)
Robbie Daymond ... Ephemeris / Tatooine Exarch / Mercenary (voice) |
TV critics’ rising frustration with rape scenes in entertainment programming resulted in a clash with HBO’s new programming chief at the Television Critics Association’s press tour in Beverly Hills on Saturday.
During a Q&A to discuss the network’s content, reporters pressed the network’s new top executive Casey Bloys on the issue after watching the pilot for upcoming sci-fi thriller Westworld — which includes a scene (spoiler ahead) where a life-like female android “host” is raped off-camera by a human male guest inside the show’s ultra-realistic theme park. Acclaimed new crime drama The Night Of also includes a storyline about a woman being victimized, and some critics have long taken issue with the sexual violence in fantasy hit Game of Thrones.
“For the Westworld pilot, the point in Westworld is they’re robots,” said Bloys, who took over the network’s top programming job two months ago. “How you treat a robot with human-like qualities? Is that reflective of how you would treat a human? It’s a little bit different than Game of Thrones, where it is human-on-human violence. But to your larger point: Is it something we think about? Yeah, I think the criticism is valid. I think it’s something that people take into account. It’s not something we’re wanting to highlight or trying to highlight, but I think the criticism is point taken on it.”
Later in the afternoon, Westworld showrunner Lisa Joy added: “It was definitely something that was heavily discussed. Westworld is an examination of human nature, the best parts of human nature, but also the basest parts of human nature, and that includes violence and sexual violence that have sadly been a fact of human history since the beginning. So when we were tackling a project about a park where you can come there and act out any desire you have, without impunity, it seems like an issue you have to address. Sexual violence for everybody on my team is something we take very seriously, it’s extraordinarily disturbing and horrifying.We really endeavored to not have it be about the fetishization of those acts, it’s about exploring and establishing the crime, and the torment of the characters.”
Back in the executive session, Bloys was asked if the network — and premium cable in general — were relying heavily on sexualized violence as a way of scene-setting and world building. “I’d like to not think so,” he said. “Using Game of Thrones, violence is not just specific to women, it’s men and women. It’s indiscriminate, I would say, so I don’t think so. I think it’s violence in general. I don’t know that it’s specific to women. Men are killed as well.”
Critics pressed: Why were women being assaulted more than men?
“I don’t necessarily see it as specific to women,” Bloys pushed back. “The point of is there a lot of violence in Westworld and Game of Thrones? Yes, but I don’t necessarily think that it’s specifically isolated to women.”
Critics continued to ask about the issue, specifically making the point that shows don’t depict sexual violence on men. “No, you haven’t seen men being raped,” he agreed. “But the point I would make in Game of Thrones for example is men are castrated, a guy is fed a cake made of his sons. The violence is pretty extreme on all fronts. I take your point that so far there have not been any male rapes, but my point is the violence is spread equally.”
When asked if HBO shows would eventually depict that same type of violence toward men, Bloys quipped, “We’re going to kill everybody.”
HBO also announced Westworld would premiere its debut season on Oct. 2. See the trailer below. |
Enter a living, breathing, fantasy world! Guild Wars 2 defines the future of online roleplaying games with action-oriented combat, customized personal storylines, epic dynamic events, world-class PvP, and no subscription fees!
Experience a new kind of high-impact, fast-paced combat. Attack on the move, dodge and roll away from enemy blows, team up with other players, and take advantage of environmental weapons to dominate the battlefield!
Remember, is YOUR story. Your choices determine how your personal story evolves; with thousands of possible variations, no two players will have the exact same experience. Competitive play in Guild Wars 2 is easy to learn, but offers challenges for new players and hardcore PvPers alike. In Player vs. Player matches, small teams of players battle over maps packed with objectives, while in World vs. World, armies of hundreds of players from competing servers wage war across four sprawling maps.
Highlights |
Last week Affectiva, a startup developing emotion recognition technology, announced it had raised $12 million in funding, a pretty hefty sum for a start-up that's not trying to be another Instagram of video or Groupon for dogs. The company spun out of research from the affective computing group at MIT, who have been working for several years to design technology that can understand human emotion — which sounds creepier than it is.
Affectiva isn't trying to peer into your innermost thoughts; it just wants to watch what happens to your face and skin when you're watching an ad, or using your phone, so that technology can sense when we're frustrated, confused, bored or (maybe) even happy.
"Affective computing – when I envisioned the whole field originally — was to make people's communication with technology more respected. Instead of ignoring these important signals, it should acknowledge when it’s frustrating for us and try to do better," said Rosalind W. Picard, the pioneer of affective computing as well as chief scientist and co-founder of Affectiva.
There are two ways that Affectiva's trying to do this — with Affdex, a webcam that tracks the muscle movements on your face, and with Affectiva Q, a sensor that can measure any subtle electrical changes on your skin. While they differ in what they're measuring (muscle movement vs. skin conductance), they're both trying to achieve the same thing — how does what you're seeing, or using, make you feel?
"It's recognizing changes in your face and skin, looking at patterns of those changes. When we get lots of lots of data for certain facial expressions, we try to make an informed guess about what emotional states are most likely," Picard told me. "It doesn’t directly read your emotions; it reads patterns, like people."
But people are inherently different, and even for similar emotions, we might make very different facial expressions. A furrowed brow can mean confusion or skepticism, and frustration can even take the shape of a smile, says Picard. That's why Affectiva's trying to watch as many faces as possible, to gather data for every kind of emotional response. The more data they get, the more accurate technology will eventually become at READING YOUR MIND. (Or like, your face, anyway.)
Shopper Sciences, a market research agency, used Affectiva's technology to track the emotions of shoppers over Black Friday last year. They asked in-store shoppers to wear the Affectiva sensor wristband and online shoppers to allow a webcam to watch their faces, in an effort to understand how different emotions might affect spending. They found that people online and in-store experienced similar levels of excitement and stress while shopping, but those who browsed online before heading into stores were less stressed and more confident — and spent an average of $400 more.
That capability is exactly why marketing companies and investors are deeply interested in spending tons of money on something that's seems ridiculously difficult and highly speculative: Billions of dollars are thrown away on advertising every year, and no one really knows how it makes most people feel, says Picard. "They don’t know if it's boring, amusing, annoying or interesting you. They don’t if you're scowling, frowning or shaking your head — and that’s a pretty serious waste of money. “ |
On Friday, President Obama travelled to Tennessee to outline a plan to provide free community college for all. Mere hours had passed since the federal government’s announcement of the latest employment figures, which were encouraging. In December, the unemployment rate stood at 5.6 per cent, the lowest rate since the end of the recession. Beneath those promising numbers, though, clear gaps were evident. For high-school graduates without an advanced degree, the unemployment rate was 5.3 per cent, but for those with a bachelor’s degree, the rate was more than two percentage points lower—2.9 per cent. At Pellissippi State Community College, in Knoxville, Obama told the students in his audience:
You came to college to learn about the world and to engage with new ideas and to discover the things you’re passionate about—and maybe have a little fun. And to expand your horizons. That’s terrific—that’s a huge part of what college has to offer. But you’re also here, now more than ever, because a college degree is the surest ticket to the middle class. It is the key to getting a good job that pays a good income—and to provide you the security where even if you don’t have the same job for thirty years, you’re so adaptable and you have a skill set and the capacity to learn new skills, it ensures you’re always employable. And that is the key not just for individual Americans, that’s the key for this whole country’s ability to compete in the global economy. In the new economy, jobs and businesses will go wherever the most skilled, best-educated workforce resides. Because businesses are mobile now. Technology means they can locate anywhere. And where they have the most educated, most adaptable, most nimble workforce, that’s where they’re going to locate. And I want them to look no further than the United States of America.
Obama’s comments reflected a significant shift in what college means to American society and the U.S. economy. For centuries, it functioned as a social rite of passage for people from a certain background—a place where young, well-to-do men learned about the world, discovered their passions, and had a little fun. It was only in the second half of the twentieth century, especially after blue-collar jobs became harder to find because of outsourcing and automation, that a bachelor’s degree became something more pragmatic—a prerequisite to earning a good, middle-class living. In 1940, five per cent of people in the U.S. over the age of twenty-five had finished at least four years of college. By 2013, that figure had risen to thirty-two per cent. At this point, it’s well understood that there exists a persistent gap in employment rates and wages between those with bachelor’s degrees and those without. On average, those who graduate from four-year colleges are not only employed at higher rates but also earn over fifty per cent more than those with only a high-school degree.
Obama’s response to this problem has been to make college a more practical choice for more people, and to that end he has recently undertaken a number of initiatives, including expanding Pell grants and capping student-loan payments at ten per cent of borrowers’ income. But the community-college proposal is especially notable. It would cover the cost of two years of community college for any student who maintains a grade-point average of 2.5 (about a C+), or higher. The federal government would cover three-fourths of the student’s expenses, at an estimated cost of sixty billion dollars over ten years, and states would be responsible for the rest.
This represents a huge investment, for one thing, but it also represents a shift in how the government—or one influential branch of it, at least—views higher education. The Obama Administration has framed its community-college proposal as the obvious next phase of an expansion that has taken place over the past several decades in the number of years of schooling seen as required for a young person to be educated and which, therefore, ought to be subsidized by the government. In other words, in the Obama Administration’s view, college has become the new high school. The Obama argument in favor of supporting this transformation is, by and large, an economic one rather than a cultural one: people who are college-educated have better employment prospects, and a nation with more employable people is more competitive.
For now, Obama’s proposal remains a proposal. Unlike some of the policy measures he has taken through executive actions, this one would require support from a Republican-led Congress, which isn’t at all guaranteed. G.O.P. leaders have so far been circumspect, and Cory Fritz, a spokesman for the Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has said, “With no details or information on the cost, this seems more like a talking point than a plan.” Some of the proposal’s most vocal critics, perhaps surprisingly, have been those who want to make higher education more affordable but are concerned that such a move would provide free community college to students regardless of their financial situations. An eighteen-year-old with affluent parents would be able to attend for free, just like someone less well off, which seems, to them, like a poor use of resources. In fact, Pell grants already cover the cost of community college for most low-income students, so more-affluent students could receive the greatest net benefit from the plan.
There’s another issue, though, that has received less attention. What about the assumption underlying the proposal, that a college education makes a person more employable? In a blog post accompanying Obama’s announcement, Betsey Stevenson, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, included a chart showing that college graduates earn more than those who have only finished high school. That chart, however, compares the wages of high-school graduates with those of people who finished four years of college—not people who hold the associate’s degrees conferred by community colleges, which Obama’s plan would facilitate.
In fact, research suggests that people with associate’s degrees don’t hold jobs, or earn more money, at a substantially higher rate than high-school graduates. In December, for example, the unemployment rate of 5.3 per cent for high-school graduates wasn’t much higher than the 4.9 per cent rate for people with associate’s degrees or some other amount of college less than a bachelor’s degree. Statistics about wages are harder to come by, but they generally suggest that people with associate’s degrees tend to earn around ten per cent more than high-school graduates—a welcome income bump, for sure, but not a particularly large one.
Obama hopes, in part, that by making community college more affordable—and therefore encouraging more students to attend—he will make it likelier that they will move on to a four-year college and complete a bachelor’s degree after earning an associate’s degree. He told his audience in Tennessee about Caitlin McLawhorn, a graduate of Pellissippi State who is a beneficiary of a state program that is similar to what Obama hopes to offer. “She was raised by a single mom,” he said. “She helped make ends meet, getting her first job almost the minute she could, two days after her sixteenth birthday. When it came time for college, the money wasn’t there. But Caitlin lives in Tennessee, so she knew she had a great, free option. She completed two years at this institution. Now she’s a senior at Maryville College. She’s working full-time, just like she has since her first day of college.”
In fact, situations like McLawhorn’s are exceedingly rare. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that, among students who started at two-year colleges, only about ten per cent had completed a degree at a four-year institution within six years; another thirty per cent had earned an associate’s degree, while about sixty per cent had dropped out or were still enrolled. Let’s assume that McLawhorn earns a bachelor’s degree sometime in the next couple of years. For every McLawhorn, there will be nine students who don’t make it that far.
Despite raising McLawhorn as an example, Obama seems to be aware of this shortcoming. Some aspects of his plan, which have been less discussed than the promise of free tuition, are meant both to improve graduation rates and to encourage community colleges to run programs that better prepare students for the workforce. According to a fact sheet released by the White House, colleges will be expected to “adopt promising and evidence-based institutional reforms to improve student outcomes”—for instance, offering academic advising and scheduling that better fits students’ needs. Obama also wants to help fund community-college programs with “strong employer partnerships” and “work-based learning opportunities” that are meant to help workers get jobs in fast-growing fields such as energy, technology, and advanced manufacturing. The details of these aspects of Obama’s plan have yet to be spelled out, but as Congress considers Obama’s proposal and puts forth ideas of its own, they will be worth some attention. If Obama and Congress can make higher education more accessible, that would be impressive. But making it more effective would be even more so. |
Olivier Busquet sides with Colman over Poker’s Old Guard
Pete - Tuesday, November 25, 2014, Written by- Tuesday, November 25, 2014, Live poker
Considering that they are extremely close friends – Olivier Busquet mentored Dan Colman on his road to poker stardom – it comes as no real surprise that the pair have similarly negative views when it comes to some of the games older (and often more controversial) generation of stars.
Colman recently launched a verbal tirade in the direction of Phil Hellmuth on the forums of 2+2, claiming that the 13-time WSOP bracelet winner should held responsible until proven innocent for his involvement with and promotion of Ultimate Bet – a company that stole millions from the poker community – rather than hailed as a forefather of the game.
And now Busquet has chimed in with his own – far more general - assault on poker’s old guard, claiming that they should be thankful to the community, rather than the other way around:
“It genuinely shocks me that people are so convinced by the myth that certain people’s personalities played an important role in the growth of poker.”
“Not saying general dynamic of having “stars” didn’t contribute, saying it wasn’t big & the individuals were place holders easily replaceable.” Tweeted Busquet.
“The idea that current pros ‘owe’ some past group of pros for paving the way or growing the game is just nonsense.”
“If anyone should be thankful it’s pros who were at the right place at the right unique time & made money w/out having to be good at poker.”
Steve Wolansky takes down 2014 Borgata FPOC
Florida native Steve Wolansky has added to what’s been a breakout year career wise in 2014 – he won his first WSOP bracelet back in June – by taking down the recent Borgata Fall Poker Open Championship (FPOC) for a career best $330,887 pay day.
Wolansky beat a field of 548 players who each anted up the $2,500 buy-in for a shot at glory, and managed to battle through a tough final table that included fellow WSOP bracelet winner Paul Volpe.
Volpe and chip leader Larry Abrams looked in good shape to see heads up play when the final table began, but it was Wolansky and Taylor von Kriegenbergh who stayed the course.
Wolansky held the lead going into heads-up, and von Kriegenbergh didn’t look like recovering until the very last hand of the match.
On a flop of 9s-7c-5c, von Kriegenbergh held Ac-4c for the nut flush draw, which was ahead of Wolansky’s 10s-8s for an open ended straight draw. The As hit the turn to improve both players, and the Ks spiked on the river to give Wolansky a winning flush, and another big title. |
For all my BJP friends: unlike Narendrabhai, I am human. We do make the odd mistake and that’s what makes life inte… https://t.co/ARyHovsQXC — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) 1512541171000
Rahul's Twitter account had posted a question +
22 सालों का हिसाब #गुजरात_मांगे_जवाब प्रधानमंत्रीजी-7वाँ सवाल: जुमलों की बेवफाई मार गई नोटबंदी की लुटाई मार गई GS… https://t.co/zkzloJ4VSZ — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) 1512452108000
NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tendered an apology for his tweet containing erroneous figures highlighting the price rise of essential commodities.The Congress leader, in a tweet, said that unlike the Prime Minister, he is a human who is prone to making mistakes.On Tuesday,for the BJP by highlighting the price rise of essential commodities and tweeted a table with figures showing the percentage rise in prices of gas cylinders, daals, tomato, onions, milk and diesel.However, all the percentages were inflated by 100 points on that table. That is, the table said, for example, that daal prices have risen to 80 Rs a kilo from 45 Rs a kilo. That's a percentage rise of 77 percent, but the table tweeted by Rahul showed a rise of 177 percent.Below is the content of his original tweet.The tweet was later deleted and replaced with a corrected table. |
Update: You can now buy vadouvan at places like Amazon and The Spice House (where they are actually using my Red Lentil Soup recipe without permission, ahem.) It will probably be stronger than my homemade version, so if you use packaged vadouvan, start off with a third of the amounts listed in the recipes below and add more to taste.
You may not have heard of vadouvan, but I’m predicting it will be the next trendy ingredient. It’s been popping up on restaurant menus a lot lately and caused a bit of web chatter when Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet, mentioned trying it a few months ago, but now that Gourmet has published a recipe for it in this month’s issue–as well as on its site–I’m sure that soon everyone will be making this formerly hard to procure seasoning.
So what is it, and is there any reason other than trendiness to try it? The short answers are 1) a Frenchified version of a south Indian seasoning and 2) Yes.
According to Gourmet, vadouvan originated around the French settlement of Pondicherry in southern India. It appears to me to be a version of the Tamil Nadu seasoning vadagam or vadakam, which is made by combining onions, dal, cumin, curry leaves, and other spices, shaping the mixture into balls, and drying them in the sun to be stored for later use. In the Gourmet version, shallots are added to the mixture, which is roasted in the oven until practically dry, giving it a deep, smoky taste.
Since, as you know, I’m crazy for anything smoky or cuminy, I just had to try this recipe. It took a while, and it required me to heat up my oven and to hover nearby for frequent stirrings. And once I made it, my kitchen smelled like onion and curry for days, though perhaps turning on a vent fan would have helped, something I realized after the fact. But now that I’ve got it made and safely stashed in my freezer, I’m thrilled that I’ll be able to add this savory, oniony, lightly-curry-scented flavor to anything quickly and easily with just a couple of tablespoonfuls.
Of course I adapted the recipe. The original made twice as much, and I was unwilling to commit so many pounds of shallots and onions to an untried recipe. It also called for frying in oil, though not a huge amount considering how much it makes, but I wanted to be able to add the seasoning freely without worrying about how much added fat it contained, so I reduced the oil to just a few quick sprays to keep it from sticking or burning. I altered the ingredient amounts just a little, adding a touch more cumin and mustard seed just because I like them. And finally, I used fresh hot chile peppers because I’ve got more of them than I can use in my garden.
Print 5 from 1 vote Add to Recipe BoxGo to Recipe Box Vadouvan Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 2 hours Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes Servings 1 cups Author Susan Voisin Ingredients 3 small hot chili peppers or 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
8 cloves garlic peeled
2 large onions about 1 pound, peeled and cut into eighths
1/2 pound shallots peeled and halved
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek or whole fenugreek ground in coffee mill
1/2 tablespoon curry leaves thinly sliced (optional)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Instructions Remove the stems from the peppers, place them in a food processor with the garlic, and process until minced. Add half of the onions and pulse to chop coarsely. Remove from the processor and repeat with remaining onions and shallots until all are coarsely chopped.
Spray a large skillet with canola oil and heat on medium-high. Add the chopped vegetables. (Turn your face away as you do this because the fumes will cause you to tear up!) Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until onions begin to brown, about 15-20 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and stir well.
Preheat oven to 350. Cover a 4-sided baking pan with parchment paper, spray the paper lightly with canola oil, and transfer the onion mixture to it, spreading it out as thinly as possible:
Spray the top of the mixture lightly with canola oil. Bake until browned and most moisture is gone, 1 to 1 1/4 hours, stirring regularly to break up the onions as best you can. Be careful not to burn!
Cool, break up any large clumps, and store in the refrigerator up to one month or the freezer up to six months. Nutrition Facts Vadouvan Amount Per Serving (1 recipe) Calories 386 Calories from Fat 27 % Daily Value* Total Fat 3g 5% Sodium 3255mg 136% Total Carbohydrates 84g 28% Dietary Fiber 8g 32% Protein 15g 30% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Tried this recipe? Post a photo and mention @susanffvk or tag #fatfreevegan
I didn’t want to give you this long-cooking recipe without also showing you a couple of ways to use it. For my first use of vadouvan, I went with something simple, something that adapts easily to different seasonings, something using Indian ingredients, and something my family always likes: red lentil soup. Cooking the lentils with vadouvan gave them an indescribably smoky, sensual flavor. The curry flavor is there, in the background, but the pungency of the roasted onions and shallots wins out. It was a taste that my whole family loved.
Print 5 from 1 vote Add to Recipe BoxGo to Recipe Box Red Lentil Soup with Vadouvan Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 55 minutes Servings 4 large servings Author Susan Voisin Ingredients 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1 onion chopped
1 1/2 cups masoor dal or small red lentils picked over and rinsed
4 cups water
1/3 cup Vadouvan (start with 1 tbsp. of packaged vadouvan or curry powder)
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes I used fire-roasted
3-4 cups baby spinach Instructions Heat a large saucepan over high heat. When hot, add the cumin and mustard seed; cook for 1 minute or until seeds begin to pop. Immediately add the onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add the lentils, water, vadouvan, garlic, and coriander. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook, covered, until lentils are completely soft, about 20 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and salt to taste. Simmer, uncovered, adding more water if necessary, for about 20 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the spinach and cook just until wilted but still bright green. Nutrition Facts Red Lentil Soup with Vadouvan Amount Per Serving (1 serving) Calories 306 Calories from Fat 9 % Daily Value* Total Fat 1g 2% Sodium 372mg 16% Total Carbohydrates 54g 18% Dietary Fiber 25g 100% Protein 23g 46% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Tried this recipe? Post a photo and mention @susanffvk or tag #fatfreevegan
The vadouvan-cashew cream sauce in the recipe below may be the single greatest reason you should take the time to whip up a batch of vadouvan. I made this for lunch today, eating two of the four servings, and I could easily go back and eat the whole batch. The sauce makes the recipe and would be wonderful on tofu, tempeh, seitan, baked potatoes–anywhere you want a rich, oniony, almost meaty taste. Someday soon I’m going to be simmering chunks of tofu and sliced mushrooms in this sauce and serving it over rice.
Print 5 from 1 vote Add to Recipe BoxGo to Recipe Box Grilled Eggplant with Vadouvan-Cashew Cream Sauce I used small white eggplants from my garden, but any kind of small eggplant will do. Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 40 minutes Servings 4 Author Susan Voisin Ingredients 2 small eggplants
2/3 cup plain soy milk or other non-dairy milk
1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cashews
1 tablespoon Vadouvan (start with 1 tsp. of packaged vadouvan or curry powder)
1 large tomato
1/2 small green chile seeds removed and minced
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper Instructions Cut off the tops and bottoms of the eggplants and slice them into 1/2-inch slices. If you like, you may salt the eggplants and allow them to "weep" for half an hour before rinsing and proceeding with the recipe; I did not bother with this.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook on a well-oiled grill pan until browned on both sides and soft in the middle. (You may also broil or bake the eggplant.)
While the eggplants are cooking, make the sauce by blending the soymilk, nutritional yeast, cashews, and vadouvan in a small blender. Pour into a saucepan, add salt to taste, and bring to a boil. Turn down to very low and keep warm until eggplants are ready.
Chop the tomato and add the garlic, chile pepper, and vinegar. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Assemble on appetizer plates by layering a spoonful of sauce followed by three slices of eggplant with a little sauce between each slice. Top with the tomato mixture and enjoy. Notes Makes 4 appetizer-sized servings. Nutrition Facts Grilled Eggplant with Vadouvan-Cashew Cream Sauce Amount Per Serving (1 serving) Calories 99 Calories from Fat 18 % Daily Value* Total Fat 2g 3% Sodium 48mg 2% Total Carbohydrates 18g 6% Dietary Fiber 7g 28% Protein 5g 10% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Tried this recipe? Post a photo and mention @susanffvk or tag #fatfreevegan
More vadouvan goodness:
Vendaya Keerai-Kathrikai Kaozumbu (traditional Tamil Nadu vegetable gravy served with rice)
Cauliflower in Cast Iron Pot (veganizable!) |
Double whammy means biggest monthly hit to real pay growth since financial crisis
15 Mar 2017, by Geoff Tily in Economics
Pay growth down and inflation up means the lowest real pay growth for more than two years, and the sharpest decline on the month since the global recession in 2009.
Average earnings growth slowed to 2.3% in January 2017 from 2.6 % in December
Inflation rose to 1.8% in January from 1.6% in December
Real pay growth fell to 0.8% from 1.4 %.
Real pay growth was last lower in 0ctober 2014 when it was 0.4% (green line on chart below).
The reduction in real pay growth rate of -0.6 percentage points on the month was the largest since December 2009, when real pay growth also slowed by -0.6 ppts on the month (green column).
Moreover normal service on nominal pay growth (the red line) appears to have been resumed, where forward steps too quickly become backward steps.
Real earnings annual growth, per cent
Source: ONS
While it is early days to call a decisive slowdown in nominal pay, it is striking that this slowdown comes across all the major industries in the private sector. The chart below shows nominal pay growth slowing in each of manufacturing, services and construction sectors.
Compared with recent peaks,
services is down -0.3 ppts
manufacturing is down -0.9 percentage points and
construction is down -4.0 ppts (albeit from a much higher figure)
Strikingly, manufacturing and construction pay growth peaked in the middle of 2016 …
Pay growth by industry, per cent
Source: ONS, AWE regular pay
We might be used to it, but shrinking nominal pay growth is not what we would expect of an economy in good health. With the Budget a major but unsurprising dis-appointment from a macroeconomic point of view, Theresa May seems content to leave Britain drifting towards a new living standards crisis. |
A Republican congressman from New York has proposed legislation that would overturn state gun-control bills nationwide, including those in Hawaii.
Hawaii has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the country. In a 2015 report in the magazine Guns & Ammo, Hawaii ranked fifth, with only Washington, D.C., New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts having tougher laws.
Gun-control supporters credit the state’s laws for its low rate of violent crime by gunshot, and particularly its avoidance of the mass killings by assault rifles that have terrorized communities on the mainland. The last mass murder by gunfire in Hawaii took place in 1999, almost two decades ago.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
On the mainland this year, there have been 221 mass shootings of more than four people at a time, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group that tracks shootings.
On Monday, Rep. Chris Collins of upstate New York introduced House Resolution 3576. It would ban state or local governments from regulating rifles or shotguns more strictly than federal restrictions. Current laws on the books in places like Hawaii would be voided.
In a press release, Collins made it clear as he proposed his bill that his specific goal is to overturn New York state legislation signed into law by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2013 — the so-called SAFE Act — that expanded the definition of assault weapons, imposed background checks by ammunition dealers and required mental health professionals to report clients likely to injure themselves or others so that they can be prevented from getting guns.
“This legislation would protect the Second Amendment rights of New Yorkers that were unjustly taken away,” Collins said as he unveiled his proposed legislation to reporters.
U.S. House of Representatives
This kind of preemption bill, which overturns state and local laws in favor of federal legislation — has long been sought by the National Rifle Association.
According to the NRA website, local and state gun-control laws are unconstitutional and “create confusion” because they vary from state to state, “potentially placing otherwise law-abiding citizens at risk of violating an ordinance of which they were not previously aware.”
The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution establishes the “right to keep and bear arms” as part of a “well-regulated militia.”
The NRA has already been active in state capitals around the country seeking legislation that bans restrictions imposed by city and county governments, according to The Atlantic.
Gun-control advocates say Collins’ bill, if enacted, would jeopardize state laws that have resulted in the Hawaii’s unusually low gun death rate. According to the non-profit Law Center to Prevent Violence, it is one of the “most extreme” measures of its kind.
“This legislation would override many of Hawaii’s strong laws, including its licensing and registration requirements for rifles and shotguns,” said Lindsay Nichols, federal policy director of the law center. “Like other recent proposals by the gun lobby, it would undermine the traditional authority of the states to protect their citizens from gun violence. It would upset the current system of gun regulation, throwing into question the safety of many communities.”
In the islands, gun laws are covered under Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 134. They include laws that require permits for all firearms and that require permit applicant’s names to be checked first against a national database that tracks people convicted of felonies or violent crimes, including domestic abuse.
“This legislation would override many of Hawaii’s strong laws, including its licensing and registration requirements for rifles and shotguns.” — Lindsay Nichols, Law Center to Prevent Violence
Nichols said Collins’ bill has just been introduced, so its prospects are unclear.
It is likely to attract at least some support, with the House and Senate firmly in Republican hands, and with some pro-gun Democrats anxious to keep their jobs.
Legislators in conservative, rural districts vie against each other to burnish their pro-gun credentials. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, now U.S. secretary of energy, and would-be presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas both have A-plus ratings from the NRA. Collins has touted his “Grade A” rating from the NRA to his constituents.
According to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, some 315 people are shot each day in the United States.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 15,872 people were murdered in the United States in 2014, and 11,008 of them were killed by firearms.
So far this year, there have been 36,497 gunshot injuries or deaths, and an additional 22,000 suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archives. There have been 1,200 cases where guns were used in self-defense, according to the archive. |
With another year of record-breaking warmth just over, the passage of a new climate treaty is definitely timely. But even if these new diplomatic and legislative efforts are successful the planet is ensured some amount of long-term warming—enouigh that around 8% of species are likely to go extinct due to climate change. If the warming is greater than current models project, that number could double.
In all likelihood, though, those numbers are an underestimate, because there are species that no climate scientists are keeping track of. In fact, there are a lot of them, and we may come to miss them quite a bit if they disappear. Who are these guys? Microbes.
There are currently no published studies of how climate change may cause extinction of microbial species. However, there are researchers exploring how warming can alter microbial communities, and their results tend to show that microbial consortia and their functioning are sensitive to climate change.
In experiments at the Harvard Forest, for example, long-term artificial warming led to reductions in both total and active microbial biomass as well as to changes in how the soil community behaved1. Even short-term experiments with just a few months of warming have found reductions in growth and functional diversity as well as evidence for local extinctions2. Interestingly, immigration of new bacteria to those communities was unable to rescue them from these effects, indicating that the ease with which microbes are able to move around may not be enough to prevent negative impacts of climate change.
An alternative way of studying microbial sensitivity is to transplant intact communities to warmer sites. Recent work doing this with grassland soils in China has also shown loss of soil microbial biomass as well as changes in composition and function3. The microbial community was not resistant to warming—it changed—and it wasn’t resilient—it didn’t recover over time through acclimation to the new environment. These results, combined with a significant reduction in diversity, imply that species were lost from the community. These data were not analyzed to test specifically for local extinction events, however, so while it seems like extinctions were likely we cannot know for sure.
Admittedly it can be pretty hard to study threats to microbes. Most of the species we’ve found have not been documented as anything more than a snippet of a genetic sequence, and there are untold numbers out there for which we don’t even have that. At last count, there were 84 named bacterial phyla (one of the broadest taxonomic groupings), but we have cultured representatives for only 12 of those4. It is very hard to experimentally determine sensitivity to changing conditions for microbes that you can’t isolate and grow. The cultured species that we have in cell line collections or biobanks like ATCC and the German equivalent DSMZ focus almost exclusively on type strains rather than capturing the diversity possible within species—so how much variation there is in sensitivity is even harder to study. On the flip side, keeping track of species in wild communities can be notoriously difficult, particularly with rare taxa, so it may be almost impossible to document a real extinction event with certainty.
“Maybe we don’t need to worry about microbes,” you might think. “They grow all sorts of places. Heck I can’t even keep my house clean, so I’m sure they’ll be fine.” You wouldn’t be the only one to think this. Microbes as a group (which is not actually a single, evolutionarily related group. I’m talking here about bacteria, archaea, and microscopic eukaryotes, i.e. the vast majority of life on earth) have survived all the mass extinctions (arguably causing at least one of them), and they can be found in the most extreme environments on the planet. But it turns out that most of them are extremely specialized5. So as we lose the habitats they are specialized to—climate change is expected to decimate wide swaths of ice sheets, permafrost soils, mangrove forests, and areas above tree line—it is very likely that species that are specific to these habitats will also be lost.
There is at least one group of microbes we can be certain is going to go extinct—all the bugs who are exclusively associated with a species of plant or animal that itself is going to be impacted by climate change. These include the bacteria that make amino acids for insects threatened by shifting phenology, the dinoflagellates that share their photosynthesized sugars with corals dying from ocean acidification, and the nitrogen-fixing bacteria whose legume hosts need cool environments. Host-association is just another form of habitat specialization, and at least 8% of those habitats seem destined for destruction. Even microbes that aren’t necessary for the growth of their hosts will be threatened by losing their partners. Climate change researchers have been calling for a greater inclusion of interactions in models of climate change induced species loss because biotic interactions are an important determinant of species success. Microbe-host interactions are critical for this from the perspective of both parties.
While inability to disperse or evolve under new conditions is expected to limit microbial taxa much less than larger organisms, it is not really clear how much these factors will protect microbial species. While high mutation rates, horizontal gene transfer, and short generation times can produce fast evolution in microbes, it can still be hard for microbes to adapt. For example, in Richard Lenski’s long term evolution experiment, E. coli was able to evolve the ability to use a new sugar they couldn’t before6. But, the mutation arose in only one of the populations, and the rate of the necessary mutations arising was just once per trillion cell divisions. Furthermore, many microbes are extremely slow growing—with doubling times in the tens of thousands of years. How much evolution could serve to buffer these taxa from climate change remains totally unknown.
Even if microbes can adapt fast enough, entire suites of lifestyles may be lost as the environments that require them disappear. If the great-great-great-great granddaughter of a cell is still around but has evolved a totally new suite of functions, isn’t it fair to say the original “species” has been lost? And in the face of increased variability in climate, the loss of a function like cold tolerance may result in ensured extinction down the line.
In recorded history, we know of only two microbial species that have gone extinct. Both were driven out intentionally by humans. These events were met with headlines like Rinderpest, Scourge of Cattle, is Vanquished. Today we mourn the passing of the passenger pigeon—to the extent that there are active attempts to bring them back—but not that of smallpox. Continued efforts to extinguish other pathogenic microbes, like polio and malaria, are lauded and given multi-million dollar campaigns. But in the future, the microbes we lose while we weren’t looking may be missed as much as the American Pika and coral reefs. Microbes play critical roles in biogeochemical cycling, plant productivity, human health, and even climate itself. They produce much of the oxygen we breathe. We cannot begin to predict how the earth would function without 16% of them, and this is in no small part because we haven’t even tried. More research is needed into the likely impacts of climate change on microbes, although it may be too late for many already. Thanks to programs like the Earth Microbiome Project, we may at least one day be able to identify what we have lost, but in the absence of efforts to systematically preserve microbial species diversity repopulation efforts will be impossible.
References:
1. Frey, S. D., Drijber, R., Smith, H., & Melillo, J. (2008). Microbial biomass, functional capacity, and community structure after 12 years of soil warming. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 40(11), 2904-2907.
2. Lawrence, D., Bell T., & Barraclough T. G. (2016). The effect of immigration on the adaptation of microbial communities to warming. The American Naturalist, 187(2).
3. Liang, Y. et al. (2015). Long-term soil transplant simulating climate change with latitude significantly alters microbial temporal turnover. The ISME Journal.
4. Youssef, N. H., Couger, M. B., McCully, A. L., Criado, A. E. G., & Elshahed, M. S. (2015). Assessing the global phylum level diversity within the bacterial domain: A review. Journal of Advanced Research, 6(3), 269-282.
5. Mariadassou, M., Pichon, S., & Ebert, D. (2015). Microbial ecosystems are dominated by specialist taxa. Ecology Letters, 18(9), 974-982.
6. Blount, Z. D., Borland, C. Z., & Lenski, R. E. (2008). Historical contingency and the evolution of a key innovation in an experimental population of Escherichia coli. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(23), 7899-7906. |
The case involving University of Miami football players Jahair Jones and Trevor Darling might not be over.
A “technical glitch’’ in the way the police officer wrote the arrest affidavit for Jones caused the “resisting officer without violence” charge to be dropped Thursday, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office spokesperson Terry Chavez said by phone to The Miami Herald on Friday afternoon. However, Chavez said, “the police officer came in to the State Attorney’s Office, and we had him correct the defect in the form.”
So, now, Chavez said, “we are reviewing his statement to determine if we will be filing charges.
“It’s something that sometimes happens.”
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Darling’s arrest affidavit was written correctly, Chavez said, and his charge — also “resisting officer without violence’’ — still stands.
Jones, 19, and Darling, 20, were arrested Wednesday night in Miami Beach, according to the separate affidavits, for being in the middle of the roadway and “impeding traffic,” then ignoring the two police officers’ repeated orders to remove themselves from the roadway.
The officer who wrote Jones’ arrest affidavit described the situation in terms of “the defendant and co-defendant” or “the defendants,” instead of writing it in singular terms, because that affidavit just pertains to Jones.
“This is a common occurrence, and the defect is usually remedied by conducting a pre-file conference with the arresting officer,” Chavez wrote in an email to The Herald. “The officer has since appeared for a pre-file conference, and we are reviewing his statement to determine if we will be filing charges.
“The defect did not exist in Mr. Darling’s A-form, and as such, those charges will stand.”
It will take probably about two weeks to determine if the misdemeanor charges will be filed for Jones.
Darling still does not have a court date for his case. It was originally believed Darling’s case would also be dropped, but now that remains to be seen.
Spring football practice begins Tuesday at UM, and the players’ statuses for practice have not yet been revealed. Both are offensive linemen, with Darling the starting left tackle in every game last season. |
Pierre Gosselin writes:
Amazon is now showing that Fritz Vahrenholt’s and Sebastian Lüning’s controversial book Die kalte Sonne (The cold sun), released in German last year, is now coming out worldwide in English.
The title of the English version: The Neglected Sun, and the publisher is Stacey International in London.
Their book created quite a stir in Europe, especially in Germany. The warmist establishment pretty much had seizures over it.
Fritz Vahrenholt, chemistry professor, is also the author of the 1986 book “Seveso ist überall” (Seveso is everywhere), a book on the deadly risks of chemical pollution. That book made him one of the fathers of Germany’s modern environmental movement. Until just a couple of years ago Vahrenholt was a big believer in anthropogenic global warming, and accepted the IPCC gloomy reports as the final word on the subject – until one day he began taking a closer look at the real data. He couldn’t believe some of the shenanigans going on in the science, and so together with geologist Dr. Sebastian Lüning, he co-authored Die kalte Sonne.
Despite a massive orchestrated campaign by environmental activists against Die kalte Sonne, it soared to No. 1 on the Spiegel bestseller list. That success has obviously served as the springboard to the English edition. Now it’s going to be hitting bookshelves worldwide.
According to Amazon, the book will be available on September 1 and it can already be pre-ordered. Interestingly its release is right before the IPCC’s 5th assessment report. Talk about timing. The Neglected Sun can be pre-ordered at any bookshop.
Here are some reviews on the original “Die kalte Sonne” version from German media outlets:
“Author’s high profile assures there’s going to be a debate”.
– Jochen Marotzke, Director, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg (Spiegel 06/2012, p-134)
Book’s assertions “challenge the results of climate science and the IPCC.”
– Süddeutsche Zeitung, 13 September 2012,
“With his book, the departing CEO of RWE Innogy, Fritz Vahrenholt, has rekindled the climate debate in Germany.”
– Cicero, 27 February 2012,
“A book co-authored by environmental activist and RWE manager Fritz Vahrenholt revitalizes the debate: ‘Die kalte Sonne’ will bring us cooling.”
– Die Presse Österreich, 10 February 2012
“Commotion over Fritz Vahrenholt’s clams on climate change. But our society needs to accept maverick thinkers. The head is round so that we can think in all directions. In Germany blockheads govern all too often.”
– Hamburger Abendblatt, 20 February 2012
“New fracas erupts in the climate crusade. … A book attacks international climate science. … ‘Die kalte Sonne‘ has stormed the bestseller lists.“
– Bild der Wissenschaft, 07/2012
“This book is a must for those who cherish the value of scientific research.”
– getabstract, 2012
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Amazon.com is expanding an internal policy of paying employees cash to leave their jobs if they're unhappy and not engaged in the company long term.
In an annual letter to shareholders Thursday, Amazon CEO Jess Bezos outlined details of the longstanding offer, under the header "Please Don't Take This Offer."
The idea is simple. Once a year, the company offers cash payouts to any employee who no longer wants to work for the company. The offers start at $2,000 for employees have worked for the company for at least a year and escalates to $5,000 after enough years of service. The innovative idea was first developed by Zappos, an online shoe retailer that Amazon absorbed five years ago.
"The goal is to encourage folks to take a moment and think about what they really want," Bezos said. "In the long run, an employee staying somewhere they don’t want to be isn’t healthy for the employee or the company.
"We hope they don’t take the offer; we want them to stay," Bezos said.
The company is in the midst of an aggressive expansion plan, adding thousands of new employees and adding dozens of new warehouse and distribution centres to handle the volume that comes with millions of new products.
Amazon had 117,300 employees at the end of 2013, an increase of about 30 per cent from the figure 12 months earlier. |
The percentage of U.S. undergrads who rely on the federal government for financial aid soared above 50 percent in the most recent survey from the National Center for Education Statistics. The data show that for the first time, a majority of students got federal help.
NPR’s Claudio Sanchez reports for our Newscast unit:
“The new figures from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that from 2007 to 2011, the percentage of undergraduate students who depend on federal loans and grants jumped from 47 percent to 57 percent. “And it’s not just the neediest students — students in all socioeconomic groups are increasingly dependent on government aid. “Students who rely on government aid receive about $8,200 on average. But this is climbing, too, because college tuition and fees at public institutions are going up.”
According to the survey, the majority of students at every income level except those whose families make more than $100,000 received some type of federal aid. And those above the century mark weren’t far behind, at 47 percent.
In its report on the survey, Politico notes that while federal aid is being tapped more often than ever, when it comes to the aid colleges dole out, they’re nearly as likely to give a grant to students from wealthier families as they are to give it to those whose family makes less than $20,000 a year.
“About 39 percent of students from families making less than $20,000 per year received grants from colleges’ own funds,” Politico reports. “But so did 38 percent of students from families with incomes of more than $100,000, up from 33 percent four years ago. The average grants were higher for the wealthiest students, who averaged $10,200 in college aid, than for the poorest, who got about $8,000.”
To collect its data, the National Center for Education Statistics surveyed some 95,000 undergraduate and 16,000 graduate students who are attending 1,500 postsecondary institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey was carried out during the 2011-2012 academic year.
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Read the full story on NPR.org » |
This article was written by a LIVEKINDLY contributor. If you wish to contact the author directly, please email us at [email protected]
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Bloody vegans! Always judging me for what I put in my mouth. It’s my body, my personal choice. What gives them the nerve?
Elitist fixie riding hipsters.
Vegan propaganda is rife, in fact I made a list. We need to stop this!
10 Annoying Things Vegans Do
1) The amount of billboards I see on my way to work promoting The Broccoli Industry’s corrupt agenda. Remember the celebrity endorsed “Got Broccoli” ads? As if that’s the only way I can get calcium. I don’t need David Beckham with a floret beard telling me what to eat, thanks.
2) The food pyramid. Bit top heavy on the veggies, no? As if plants have all the protein a human needs to grow! Have you seen those scrawny Silverback Gorillas?
3) That fancy-ass “Nut milk”. Come on. How unappetizing does that sound? “Drink nut milk for strong and healthy bones!” they say. Excuse me, but I’d rather tug on some cow udders. Cows need to be milked don’t you know? They were put on earth to feed humans, not their own babies – fools.
4) Cartoon veggies. Bloody everywhere, smiling and promoting products with their own chopped up body parts in! What kinda sick fuuuu..!
5) And on the topic of cartoon characters, what about the ones plastered all over that highly processed, factory farmed vegan ‘food’? “Buy this cruelty free happy meal and get a free toy!” – manipulation by marketing moguls at its finest – kids love that garbage.
6) Some might think I’m a crazy Vegetable Rights Activist when I say this but.. we’re taught that the pronoun for plants is ‘it’, as if they’re just some kind of object or commodity. They’re individuals! Plants have feelings too. I mean, they don’t have central nervous systems or scream and bleed when you cut them open but, seriously… how can vegans sleep at night knowing that they’re funding such a cruel industry?
7) A carrot is a carrot is a carrot. Why are you trying to force me to see something for what it really is? It’s totally misleading. Take a leaf out of the meat industry’s book and use euphemisms like no-one’s business. Bacon, ham, leather, steak. In this day and age it’s important we stay disconnected from our food. I mean, who’s gonna wanna buy a chunk of dead pig flesh? Jeez.
8) MEMES! Can we talk about memes for a second? And trolls? God damn, I am so tired of anti-carnist jokes. “Broccoli tho”. Come on guys, where’s your originality? Those veg-heads must be lacking in B-12
9) “Humane” slaughter. GTFO – how can you cut the eyes out of a potato humanely? Of course that shit’s gonna hurt, I don’t care how much you loved him.
10) And the worst thing? Facts! Always coming at me with the facts. As if that means anything. I’m gonna need more evidence that animals feel pain before I give up my bacon sandwiches. Bigger correlation between colorectal cancer and meat consumption please. Climate change who?
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Owner of Urban Cellars Curtin, Paul Cains - with his four-year-old daughter Sophie - fears the stalemate between the owners and residents could kill the local shops. Credit:Jamila Toderas The family's spokeswoman Tania Parkes said they would wait until a series of community panel discussions on the draft master plan were finalised before attempting to redevelop the site again. But Chris Johnson from the Curtin Residents Association said they were angry the shops would be closed "with no DA in train". Bookshop and cafe Beyond Q closed its doors on Sunday and has begun moving its 186,000 items to its new premises in Cooleman Court in Weston Creek. Hoping to open there by the end of September, owner Simon Maddox said it was bittersweet moving away from the community that had embraced his business for 15 years.
"We've had so many people in last few days regretting the fact we have to move out of Curtin, but we've also had lots of people saying it's great we're coming to Weston Creek," Mr Maddox said. "Our new shop is going to bit different to Curtin but we're trying to keep the same atmosphere, the same caring for community. We're going to have the larger part of the bookshop downstairs, we're running the public cafe down the arcade and we'll have what we're calling a speakeasy upstairs too." The Curtin Milkbar will remain open until the end of the year. Owner Aidan Sallace said he was looking at reopening in Woden and did not think he would return to Curtin. Urban Cellars' lease runs out on September 30 although owner Paul Cains said they had not yet had formal notification to move out.
Mr Cains, who also owns Prohibition Bottleshop in Kingston, said he wanted the building to be developed sooner rather than later so he can move back to Curtin. He has been offered a spot in the new building and fears a stalemate between the owners and residents could kill the local shops. "When we signed the lease four years and nine months ago we knew we could only stay here for four years and nine months because of the redevelopment," Mr Cains said. "Being a Curtin resident myself, I'm looking forward to the development. No one wants a Giralang or a Woden. Six storeys didn't go through, we all agree it was too big, but something needs to be done. "If this lays vacant for two or three years, it will have a huge impact on the foot traffic. Coles review their lease every year, if people stop coming it could make the future of the whole shops uncertain."
However Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur said Curtin would not end up like Giralang, where the shops closed for a redevelopment which has been delayed for more than a decade due to legal challenges. "There is still a lot more to Curtin. It's not possible that it could be as bad as Giralang. The Coles is going to stay there, the vet will stay there, the chemist will stay there, Club Lime will stay there. Curtin shops will survive this," Ms Le Couteur said. Planning minister Mick Gentleman said Giralang and Curtin were like "comparing apples and oranges". "The proposed development at the Curtin shops was originally refused by the planning and land authority on planning grounds," Mr Gentleman said. "This is in contrast to the situation at Giralang, where the proposed development was approved by the planning and land authority but was then held-up due to prolonged legal action."
Mr Johnson said the closure would not be the "death knell" of the shops but he was concerned would lower the quality of what was there. Ms Le Couteur said the government should consider doing a land swap with the owners of 44 Curtin Place "that works for the owner and works for the community". She said a land swap, which would be part of the discussion with the community panel, could include a government-owned car park so the development could be pushed back. Loading This would allow the develop to built to their intended height without overshadowing the Curtin Square, a key criticism of the failed development bid.
Mr Gentleman said the government was not "actively" considering a land swap because new planning controls in the draft master plan would "mitigate impacts on the centre's microclimate", including the overshadowing of buildings. |
eye Title Creator
Books to Borrow 910 910 Join Waitlist The Ringworld engineers by Niven, Larry texts eye 910 favorite 1 comment 0
Books to Borrow 435 435 Join Waitlist Blue Mars by Robinson, Kim Stanley texts eye 435 favorite 1 comment 0
pt. 1. Peacock Mountain -- pt. 2. Areophany -- pt. 3. A new constitution -- pt. 4. Green Earth -- pt. 5. Home at last -- pt. 6. Ann in the Outback -- pt. 7. Making things work -- pt. 8. The Green and the White-- pt. 9. Natural history -- pt. 10. Werteswandel -- pt. 11. Viriditas -- pt. 12. It goes so fast -- pt. 13. Experimental procedures -- pt. 14. Phoenix Lake
Topics: Life on other planets, Life on other planets -- Fiction, Mars (Planet) -- Fiction
Books to Borrow 383 383 Join Waitlist When heaven fell by Barton, William, 1950- texts eye 383 favorite 0 comment 0
"Aspect."
Topics: Human-alien encounters, Human-alien encounters
Books to Borrow 222 222 Borrow Farside cannon by Allen, Roger MacBride; Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) DLC texts eye 222 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 215 215 Borrow Flinx in flux by Foster, Alan Dean, 1946-; Goodwin, Michael, 1951-; Sweet, Darrell K; Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) DLC texts eye 215 favorite 0 comment 0
"A Pip and Flinx Adventure."
Topics: Humanx Commonwealth (Imaginary organization), Flinx (Fictitious character)
Books to Borrow 191 191 Join Waitlist Beginning operations by White, James, 1928- texts eye 191 favorite 1 comment 0
"A Tom Doherty Associates book."
Topics: Science fiction, English, Human-alien encounters, Life on other planets, Space medicine
"First paperback printing, November 2000"--T.p. verso
Topic: Science
Books to Borrow 185 185 Join Waitlist Dirge by Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- texts eye 185 favorite 1 comment 0
"A Del Rey book."
Topics: Humanx Commonwealth (Imaginary organization), Interplanetary voyages, Life on other planets
Books to Borrow 182 182 Borrow Deep Freeze by Zach Hughes texts eye 182 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 177 177 Join Waitlist Diuturnity's dawn by Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- texts eye 177 favorite 0 comment 0
"Del Rey."
Topics: Humanx Commonwealth (Imaginary organization), Life on other planets, Human-alien encounters
Books to Borrow 172 172 Borrow Beholder's eye by Czerneda, Julie, 1955- texts eye 172 favorite 0 comment 0
Esen, while exploring a world, is captured by the natives. To escape she breaks a rule, and reveals the existence of her species to a fellow prisoner
Topics: Quar, Esen-alit (Fictitious character), Ragem, Paul (Fictitious character), Human-alien encounters,...
Books to Borrow 165 165 Borrow Starship by Randle, Kevin D., 1949-; Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) DLC texts eye 165 favorite 1 comment 0
Topics: Interplanetary voyages, Science fiction, American
Books to Borrow 164 164 Borrow Voyage To The City Of The Dead by Alan Dean Foster texts eye 164 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 157 157 Borrow Hell's gate by Weber, David, 1952-; Evans, Linda texts eye 157 favorite 0 comment 0
"A Baen Books original"--T.p. verso
Topics: Space warfare, Life on other planets, Science fiction
Books to Borrow 153 153 Borrow The ashes of worlds by Anderson, Kevin J., 1962- texts eye 153 favorite 1 comment 0
Topics: Life on other planets, Space warfare
Books to Borrow 148 148 Borrow Mid-Flinx by Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- texts eye 148 favorite 0 comment 0
"A Del Rey Book."
Topics: Flinx (Fictitious character), Flinx (Fictitious character)
Books to Borrow 147 147 Borrow Domain by Alten, Steve texts eye 147 favorite 0 comment 0
"A Tom Doherty Associates book."
Topics: Life on other planets, Antiquities, Mayas, End of the world, Archaeologists, Thriller fiction,...
Books to Borrow 146 146 Borrow Jumping off the planet by Gerrold, David, 1944- texts eye 146 favorite 0 comment 0
"A Tom Doherty Associates book."
Topics: Lunar bases, Lunar bases
Books to Borrow 141 141 Join Waitlist Meeting At Infinity by John Brunner texts eye 141 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 139 139 Borrow Catastrophes, choas and convolutions by Hogan, James P texts eye 139 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 135 135 Borrow Inherit the earth by Stableford, Brian M texts eye 135 favorite 1 comment 0
"A Tom Doherty Associates book."
Topic: Twenty-second century
Books to Borrow 134 134 Borrow Antares victory : a novel by McCollum, Michael texts eye 134 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 132 132 Borrow Slipt by Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- texts eye 132 favorite 0 comment 0
Living next to a toxic chemical dump is Jake Pickett, the magic man. He can turn bullets to dust or collapse skyscrapers with his mind. But all he really wants to do with his "magic" is entertain the local kids. Then one day, the giant chemical company decides to eliminate the people who have been affected by their mess--people like Jay
Topics: Factory and trade waste, Magicians, Factory and trade waste, Magicians
Books to Borrow 130 130 Join Waitlist The World Swappers by John Brunners texts eye 130 favorite 0 comment 1
( 1 reviews )
Books to Borrow 121 121 Borrow Melchior's fire by Chalker, Jack L texts eye 121 favorite 1 comment 0
"A Baen Books original"--Title page verso
Topics: Life on other planets, Treasure troves, Life on other planets, Treasure troves
Books to Borrow 116 116 Borrow Under attack by Jayne, Hannah; Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) DLC texts eye 116 favorite 0 comment 0
Sophie Lawson, a human agent of the Underworld Detection Agency who is immune to magic, helps a fallen angel search for the Vessel of Souls while a string of killings and destruction has San Francisco's demon population on edge
Topics: Paranormal fiction, Magic, Murder, Paranormal romance stories
Books to Borrow 115 115 Borrow Vamparazzi : an Esther Diamond novel by Resnick, Laura, 1962- author texts eye 115 favorite 0 comment 0
Playing a scantily clad vampire victim in an off-Broadway play, struggling actress Esther Diamond now may be the target of someone who claims to be a genuine bloodsucker
Topics: Diamond, Esther (Fictitious character), Actors, Actresses, Vampires, Murder
Books to Borrow 114 114 Borrow Phobos by Drago, Ty texts eye 114 favorite 0 comment 0
Originally published: 2003
Topics: Space stations, Murder, Murder, Space stations
Books to Borrow 112 112 Borrow Kensho by Schmidt, Dennis (Dennis A.) texts eye 112 favorite 0 comment 0
Topics: Science fiction, American, Science fiction, American
Books to Borrow 111 111 Borrow Closed system by Hughes, Zach; Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) DLC texts eye 111 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 108 108 Borrow Resurrection by Dayton, Arwen texts eye 108 favorite 0 comment 0
"A ROC book."
Books to Borrow 102 102 Borrow Stellar Fist by Geo. W. Proctor texts eye 102 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 101 101 Borrow The Cingulum #2 Cloak Of Illusion by John Maddox Roberts texts eye 101 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 97 97 Borrow Primeval : an Event Group thriller by Golemon, David Lynn texts eye 97 favorite 0 comment 0
Topics: Event Group (Imaginary organization), Secret societies, Treasure troves
Books to Borrow 97 97 Borrow The Alejandra variations by Cook, Paul; Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) DLC texts eye 97 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 92 92 Borrow Lethal exposure by Anderson, Kevin J., 1962-; Beason, Doug; Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) DLC texts eye 92 favorite 0 comment 0
Topics: United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kreident, Craig (Fictitious character), Government...
Books to Borrow 91 91 Borrow The noise revealed by Whates, Ian texts eye 91 favorite 0 comment 0
After first contact with an alien civilization is made, soldier Jim Leyton leaves his agency and allies himself with a mysterious faction, meanwhile, scientist Philip Kaufman suspects that the virtual world is not what it seems
Topics: Human-alien encounters, Soldiers, Mixed reality, Human-alien encounters, Mixed reality, Soldiers
Books to Borrow 86 86 Borrow Helix Wars by Eric Brown texts eye 86 favorite 0 comment 0
Books to Borrow 84 84 Borrow The domino pattern by Zahn, Timothy texts eye 84 favorite 0 comment 0 |
Mr. Ahlberg said his company, which pulls intelligence from open and closed web forums, ISIS propaganda forums, social media and an array of other information tools, has yet to see any public pronouncement from the Islamic State that would indicate it has acquired hacking capabilities.
Hacking attacks are barely mentioned in Dabiq, the Islamic State’s online magazine, and other instructional documents, according to an analysis by Recorded Future. The words “cyber,” “cyber attack” and “hacking” do not appear in any of the 740 recent ISIS propaganda and instructional materials that Mr. Ahlberg’s company looked at. Nor do any ISIS materials focus on such attacks as a core ambition.
Of the two Islamic State sympathizers believed to have the most sophisticated hacking skills, one, Ardit Ferizi, a 20-year-old citizen of Kosovo, has been imprisoned in Malaysia. He is awaiting extradition to the United States where he faces up to 35 years in prison, according to a Justice Department indictment.
The other, Junaid Hussain, a 21-year-old British-born Pakistani who is credited with breaking into the United States Central Command’s Twitter and YouTube accounts in January, was killed in a drone strike in Syria in August.
Still, officials worry that even with their ranks of talented hackers depleted, the Islamic State could one day recruit more sophisticated hackers. The group has already shown itself to be adept at using social media to draw in new members, said Rita Katz, the executive director and co-founder of the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors ISIS’s online activity.
Online discussions among ISIS members used to take place almost exclusively in password-protected forums, Ms. Katz said. But Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr offer a far bigger audience, as well as a means of communicating with other fighters and prospective recruits.
It was on Twitter that Mr. Hussain and Mr. Ferizi, both well-known hackers, re-emerged as ISIS fighters. On Twitter, Mr. Hussain publicly instigated online attacks, posted information on American military forces and officers, and cheered on other fighters in the group, according to Ms. Katz. |
The Hypocrisy of Democracy (or When the Glue Comes Undone)
by Joey Skaggs
As an artist, satirist and activist, I am very fortunate that I live in America. My freedom is never taken for granted and I cherish my rights to criticize the misuse of power. I”™m well aware of what happens to people who live in other countries where there is no tolerance for dissent. Not that this is a perfect country”¦ If it were, I would be out of a career!
I read an article by Andrew Sullivan called “Democracies end when they are too democratic“, published May 1, 2016 in New York Magazine and I think it”™s worth sharing. The messages are vital to our democracy.
This article led me to want to share a short story I like to tell every time there”™s an election. This was told to me by Lew Jain, an old cowboy who lived in Northern Idaho. I met him in 1965, when I spent a summer painting landscapes near Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Once upon a time, a very long time ago–way before people existed–the world was populated only by dogs. It was very difficult being a dog, because all they did was fight amongst themselves. Consequently, there were homeless dogs; hungry dogs; sick, suffering and dying dogs. Big dogs picked on little dogs. Little dogs picked on littler dogs. It was, in essence, a dog-eat-dog world.
So, after what seemed like an eternity of turmoil, the dogs gradually realized they better do something to change their world. They decided to have a Bow Wow and put an end to their problems by electing a leader. One dog barked, “I think we should elect for our leader the French Poodle, the smartest dog!” A French Poodle seconded the motion, but another dog yipped, “Wait! Just because the French Poodle is a smart dog, he”™s not a tough dog. He”™s not as tough as the Doberman or the Pit Bull or the German Shepherd. I say we should elect the German Shepherd as our leader.” “Woof woof,” barked a German Shepherd, seconding the motion. “Grrrrr,” said another dog. “Just because the German Shepherd is a tough dog, he”™s not as fast as the Whippet or the Saluki or the Greyhound. I say we should elect the Greyhound, the fastest dog, as our leader.” “Bow wow!” said a Greyhound seconding the motion.
“You gotta be kidding me,” howled another dog, “Just because the Greyhound is the fastest dog, he can”™t pull the sled like the Huskey.” “Wait,” said another dog, “He can”™t swim like the Labrador, he can”™t smell like the Bloodhound, or do tricks like the Border Collie.” And the vicious fighting started all over again.
It seemed none of them could ever agree about who should be their leader. Finally, one little mutt, with a long wet nose, floppy ears and a bushy tail said, “Wait! I know who should be our leader!” All the dogs stopped their fighting, raised their ears and wagged their tails, looking at him as he proclaimed, “We should elect the dog whose asshole smells the sweetest!”
All the dogs barked in agreement and began sniffing each other”™s butts, looking for their leader. This tradition continues to this day, which is why dogs sniff butts. They are still looking for the asshole that smells the sweetest. And this explains how I”™ve always felt about politics.
NOTE: This story is also available here on Huffington Post. |
A bus carrying university exchange students back from Spain's largest fireworks festival crashed on Monday on a main highway in the northeast, killing at least 13 passengers and injuring 34 others, officials said.
The passengers included Spaniards and foreign nationals from around 20 countries, authorities said.
The bus, which was carrying 57 passengers, appeared to have hit a guardrail of the AP7 highway before cartwheeling across the road, slamming through a divider and landing on its side, said Jordi Jane, spokesman for Spain's northeastern Catalonia province.
The students, part of the Erasmus exchange programme, had travelled to the eastern city of Valencia to take part in the renowned Fallas fireworks festival and were returning when the bus crashed, Jane said. Most were studying at two universities in Barcelona.
The crash took place near Freginals, halfway between Valencia and Barcelona.
Initially, Jane said 14 had died in the crash, but Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz later confirmed the death toll was 13. He said 28 passengers received medical treatment in local hospitals and others received first aid at the crash site.
The regional government of Catalonia said in a statement in the early evening that "according to the latest data, the ill-fated bus had students from Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Italy, Peru, Bulgaria, Poland, Ireland, Japan, Ukraine, Holland, Belgium, France, Palestine, Turkey, Greece." It added that two countries, New Zealand and Finland, were still pending confirmation.
The statement said autopsies had been completed on nine of the 13 dead and a judge would release the bodies to families once full identification was complete in all cases.
Poland's Foreign Ministry said one Polish man was hospitalised after the bus crash and Swiss authorities said one young Swiss woman was injured, but had been discharged from a hospital.
The bus that crashed was one of five that had travelled to the festival with students from Barcelona, the Catalan government said in a statement.
Television images from state broadcaster TVE showed the bus also crashed into an oncoming car on the opposite side of the highway. The passengers in the car were injured, the Catalan government said.
The bus driver was being held at a police station in the city of Tortosa, Jane said. Road conditions were good at the time of the crash and investigators were looking into the cause of the tragedy, he said.
Fernandez Diaz said the driver passed alcohol and drug tests he was given. |
Feisty and firm, capricious and correct, insatiable and insecure, Gautam Gambhir was one of the most complete batsmen between 2008 and the 2011 World Cup. He opened well in all three forms of the game. He could be more aggressive than Virender Sehwag, played the kind of back-to-the-wall innings that would do Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman proud, and accumulated without taking any risks, much like Sachin Tendulkar has been doing in the last quarter of his career. Either side of that period, though, livid disappointment with his technical flaws dominating his other attributes. Still, with over 10000 runs from his 56 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is - not to mention leading Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles - Gambhir has been a grand contributor to Indian cricket.
Gambhir almost did not make it, "not wanting to play anymore" when he was dropped for the 2007 World Cup. For about eight first years of his career, he was the domestic cheque that would not be honoured at international level. While the bowlers on the Ranji circuit swore by this little left-hand batsman, he had just two international centuries to show after 13 Tests and 19 ODIs when he was left out of the World Cup party.
He came back with massive runs in domestic cricket, a few important technical adjustments, and with the reputation of being the best player of spin in India, outside the international side. A century in his second ODI back and a final-winning fifty in the inaugural World Twenty20 paved the way for his Test return. Test fifties against Murali and Mendis in the summer of Murali and Mendis in 2008 told him he belonged. In his next 13 Tests, he scored eight centuries: centuries to set up wins, centuries to bat opposition out, and centuries to hold on for draws, including the near 11-hour marathon in Napier. The Arjuna Award came his way, the ICC named him the Test player of 2009, but much more tellingly Sehwag called him the best Indian Test opener since Sunil Gavaskar. He scored a match-winning 97 in the 2011 World Cup final.
After the World Cup, though, began a more serious, almost terminal decline. As the Indian Test side went from sublime to ridiculous, Gambhir's failures went unpunished. In England and Australia, where India lost eight continuous Tests, Gambhir was a walking wicket, poking at deliveries outside off. From being a captaincy candidate at one time, he went to struggling to keep his place in the side.
With the arrivals of M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, Gambhir was sidelined until an England tour in 2014 when he was called-up as back-up opener. But his return after more than a year out of international cricket ended on a sour note when he was dropped after four innings. Gambhir was on far firmer ground in the IPL - having been a mainstay at Delhi Daredevils and then going to Knight Riders for a record US $2.4 million in the 2011 auction. Gambhir went into the 2016 IPL with 39 fifty-plus scores - the second-most by an Indian in all T20 cricket.
Sidharth Monga |
This article is from the archive of our partner .
It only took about six weeks for developers to take all of the theoretically creepy things the Internet dreamt up about the face computer of the future and turn those into real-life Google Glass nightmares. In addition to that creepy walking-and-stalking app Wink, Glassholes can look forward to a porn app, plus apps that that take advantage of an upcoming facial recognition API. Yes, the reality of Glass wearers surreptitiously watching sex videos is upon us: "Thanks to the imminent arrival of Google Glass porn, I just got creeped out for the first time about the prospect of a Glass-filled future," writes CNET's Eric Mack. "Now I will forever have a disturbing visual stuck in my head of the disturbing visuals that Glass users will be, well, sticking to the sides of their heads," he continues, after watching this short, pretty SFW promotional video from MiKandi, a top adult Android app provider:
For most people, however, Google's new facial recognition API presents a more terrifying scenario in terms of creepiness — you know, because of the privacy implications. The technology will enable apps to, know, remember a face, find your friends in a crowd, match your interests to other creeps at networking events, and build intelligent contact books, as Stephen Balaban a co-founder of API builder Lambda Labs explained. Some of that sounds useful, but what if you don't want your face to be recognized? Is there any escape? And surely this is only the beginning of potentially uncomfortable things that coding dorks will build into computer glasses of the future.
But we knew this would happen, didn't we? Remember all those articles freaking about Google Glass as a huge privacy violation, so much so that legislators want to make it illegal? Indeed, the bloggers predicted this. Or, another theory: This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. All those freak-out trend stories gave developers all the right ideas for how to use Glass. Way to go, Internet. You've crowdsourced an army of cyborg creeps.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected]. |
“I have been very concerned about media bias and the total dishonesty of the press,” said Donald Trump today on Reddit. “I think new media is a great way to get out the truth.”
New media had its own issues today as Trump’s Reddit AMA today didn’t quite go as smoothly planned with few responses from the usually social media savvy ex-Celebrity Apprentice host in the first half hour. At one point a moderator on the subreddit jumped into say: “Mr. Trump is landing for his next rally and its interrupted his wifi, he will be back shortly.” Attracting over 16,000 comments early on and going up over 24,000, the AMA was initially delayed by about 15 minutes from its 4 PM PT start time by supposedly poor internet connection on Trump’ campaign plane on its way to Ohio.
Trump did have two certain victories today over the over an hour AMA – he provided 13 answers to President Barack Obama’s 10 in 2012 He also drew a thousand more comments/questions that the then running for re-election POTUS. Trump ended the session around 5:30 PM PT with a “I am off to my rally in Toledo! Had a great time answering questions on Reddit!” on his Facebook page.
Declaring that he is “never tired of winning,” Trump answered questions about media consolidation, plus more on immigration and visa abuse, voter fraud, NASA, attracting Bernie Sanders supporters and taking swipes at “Crooked Hillary Clinton,” Trump told the Reddit community that “one of the first things I will do is to repeal and replace disastrous Obamacare. He added, “I will put forward an amazing new plan, which will include many reforms, such as letting people buy insurance across state lines, increasing choice and competition, and bargaining for better, cheaper drug prices.”
Today’s remarks come just hours after a controversial Florida presser conference by the candidate. The Republican nominee for President saw the media boil over Wednesday over his comments about Russia’s alleged role in the DNC hack and seemingly encouraging the Putin regime to find and release the over 30,000 emails that the former Secretary of State deleted from her personal server before the subsequent FBI investigation. Unlike in past elections when opponents stay significantly off the trail, Trump has been in full campaign mode this week during the DNC – on and off-line.
“Crooked Hillary Clinton will not do press conferences because she cannot explain her illegally deleted 33,000 emails, or her disaster in Libya, or her role pushing TPP (which she would 100% approve if she got the chance), or her support for a 550% increase in Syrian refugees, etc,” Trump reiterated on Reddit this afternoon, not backing down from his earlier attacks on the Democrat. One commenter allowed on the forum wrote “LOCK HER UP” over and over in response to Trump’s answer – the chant against Clinton was popular at the RNC last week and even was screamed out by Sanders supporters at the DNC earlier this week.
“She is totally bought and sold by special interests,” Trump said of his POTUS seeking rival in another answer. “She and her husband have been paid millions and millions by global corporations and powerful interests who will control her every decision. She is their puppet, and they pull the strings.”
Like Obama did during the 2012 election, the former reality TV host looked all seamlessly set to participate in a highly promoted AMA on the online community. “Hello The_Donald readers and the entire Reddit community — this is going to be SO huge and I’m looking forward to answering your questions,” said a posting at around 3:30 PM PT Wednesday from Trump himself. “I’m doing this in flight to visit the great people of Toledo, OH, so Internet connection might be spotty — I promise you, I’ll answer all the questions I can. I want to do BIG things for America and as your President, I WILL Make America Great Again! Be back in 30 — 7 pm ET!”
In anticipation of trolling and Trump being digitally leg-trapped in embarrassing questions that could lead to a media frenzy, moderators of the forum on Reddit’s third most active community will be keeping a close eye on comments and letting only established users chime in. |
A Republican legislator from Montana has proposed a law that seems like something out of another decade — or perhaps even another century.
State Rep. David Moore has proposed a new bill that would ban “any device, costume, or covering that gives the appearance of, or simulates, the genitals, pubic hair, anus region, or pubic hair region.”
“Yoga pants should be illegal in public anyway,” he added following a debate over the bill. Although the law would not make yoga pants or speedos illegal, it does call for the elimination of all nipple exposure, male or female.
RELATED: Yoga teachers: Overstretched and underpaid
Moore’s bill is reportedly part of an effort to strengthen the state’s indecent exposure laws, though it would reduce penalties for indecent exposure from potentially life in prison to a maximum of five years and a $5,000 fine.
Still, critics of the legislation and women in particular, have taken offense to what they consider Moore’s preoccupations with appropriate outer-garments. The Montana legislature also raised eyebrows last year when they endorsed a new dress code policy that went out of its way to crack down on ”skirt lengths and necklines.”
“My big problem is that women are set aside for an admonishment in the document, basically telling us to mind our skirt lines and mind our necklines, and that feels very 19th century to me,” Democratic Montana House Minority Whip Jenny Eck told the Helena-based news station KXLH at the time.
“Women can be trusted to get up in the morning and dress appropriately,” she added. “Would the sergeant of arms be the clothes police checking our skirt lengths and cleavage?”
Meanwhile, this is not Moore’s first foray into matters of the flesh. Last year, he proposed a bill to curb nude cyclists.
Nonetheless, his remarks are not the most extreme Republican condemnation of yoga-related activities to date. In 2013, a passage from a 2008 book by Republican Virginia lieutenant governor candidate E.W. Jackson was unearthed, showing that he believed their was a link between yoga and Satanism.
“When one hears the word meditation, it conjures an image of Maharishi Yoga talking about finding a mantra and striving for nirvana .… The purpose of such meditation is to empty oneself .… [Satan] is happy to invade the empty vacuum of your soul and possess it. That is why people serve Satan without ever knowing it or deciding to, but no one can be a child of God without making a decision to surrender to him. Beware of systems of spirituality which tell you to empty yourself. You will end up filled with something you probably do not want,” wrote Jackson in “Ten Commandments to an Extraordinary Life.”
Jackson was soundly defeated in his 2013 campaign for lieutenant governor of Virginia. |
Q: Do you think Hassan Whiteside is worth a max-dollars contract next season from what we've seen so far? Also, do you think he will end up back on Heat? -- Phillip, Surfside.
A: The problem with establishing a maximum salary is that everyone and anyone who is close to that figure seeks that figure. No, Hassan is not worth the same maximum salary as LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Steph Curry. But other than tenure in the league, the NBA makes no delineation regarding statistics, productivity or potential when it comes to the maximum. Anyone and everyone is eligible, if there is a market. So this is where I say you have to take a step back and first ask yourself: Is there a better use of $22 million in salary-cap space next season than solely on Whiteside? For example, could there be more bang for your buck with both Pau Gasol and an extra 3-point shooter? That, to me, is going to be where the debate starts. It also could be why the Heat seek a lower starting point than the maximum, to make it easier to justify the contract in terms of the overall cap. But, yes, I do see Hassan coming back, because with their fragile state regarding the uncertainty with Chris Bosh, the Heat can't leave themselves with a dire void(s) in the power rotation. But, again, that's the perspective on May 21. The one thing about free agency is that it constantly evolves (and hasn't even started yet).
Q: It's safe to say that two of the five starters who started the playoffs will not be here when the 2016-2017 season starts? -- Ben.
A: Yes, just not sure which two. It is interesting how there wasn't a single thought regarding Joe Johnson during either Erik Spoelstra's or Pat Riley's season-ending media sessions. And if you are going to keep Hassan Whiteside, it would make it very difficult to also find the dollars for Luol Deng. Of course, you could find those Deng dollars (or even Joe Johnson dollars) if Goran Dragic is moved. So your math is probably correct. What remains to be seen is exactly which two (or more) of the playoff starters won't be back.
Q: I think Pat Riley's comment about Goran Dragic, regarding what he is going to do if the other team takes his offensive game away, is disingenuous. Yes, Dragic can improve his skills to create more space on offense, but the truth is the Heat's offense isn't terribly creative. That is a fact. They were hard to watch sometimes. The Heat became fun to watch when they ran the ball. Fact. And if the other team takes away your first few options on offense, isn't it on the coach to come up with a creative plan to counter? Riley should have addressed the Heat needing more creativity on offense. It doesn't always have to rely on your star. -- Stuart.
A: The thing is, the Heat went into the season with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade as the primary options. Then Hassan Whiteside emerged. Then, out of necessity, they moved toward Dragic. Then Joe Johnson arrived and they settled into more halfcourt. So the question becomes where Goran will stand on the priority list when Spoelstra maps out next season's game plan. |
This bizarre selfie-hand designed by artists Justin Crowe and Aric Snee will make sure that you won’t have to take another lonely selfie ever again! Sure, you’ll still be lonely, but your selfie will look like your friend took it for you!
In truth, the project is a wonderful piece of social commentary on “the growing selfie stick phenomenon, and the constant, gnawing need for narcissistic internet validation.” Crowe’s description is merciless; not only does it solve the lonely selfie problem, but “better yet, it doesn’t talk or have emotions of any sort. You can even create fake accounts and use its finger to like all your images; it’s not you, it’s the hand! ‘Selfie arm’ is made of fiberglass, is lightweight and portable, and fortunately only a prototype.”
Read on for Crowe’s answers to Bored Panda’s questions about his work!
More info: justincrowestudio.com | aricsnee.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram (h/t: petapixel)
“There is a backwardness to the act of taking a selfie – one that ultimately makes you feel more alone,” Justin Crowe told Bored Panda.
“The Selfie arm is a sarcastic Band-Aid to fix that feeling and it also compromises the whole premise behind taking the selfie. These ideas gave birth to the Selfie Arm”
“I have taken a selfie (for research purposes only, I swear) and I liked it. I don’t take selfies very often”
“The Selfie Arm is art-disguised-as-design and we are offering a limited edition of 10 artist signed Selfie Arms at $6,200 each”
Thank you, Justin Crowe, for talking to Bored Panda about your work! |
Rocketing Into the Blue
SpaceX’s well-known competitor in the private space industry, Blue Origin, is making strides in its efforts for private citizens to breach the final frontier. While SpaceX pushes forward to its lunar mission in 2018, Blue Origin’s founder, Jeff Bezos, is confident in his company’s plan to send two astronauts to space by the end of 2017. Now, Bezos has revealed the engine that will propel his company to its next stage — the BE-4 rocket.
The rocket was finally unveiled after six long years of development. The engine is expected to be ready for take off by 2019. Seven of these engines will power the upcoming New Glenn rocket. The New Glenn is similar to its predecessor, the New Shepard, in that it will be a reusable space vehicle with a first stage that can return to the launch site standing upright upon each flight. There will be two New Glenn rockets — a 2-stage and a 3-stage version. The New Glenn is expected to be 7 meters (23 feet) in diameter and range from 82 meters (270 feet) to 95 meters (313 feet).
A New Flight Plan
So where do the BE-4 engines come in? The first and second stages will have boosters made up of the BE-4 engines, while the third stage will incorporate an older BE-3 engine. A distinction between the New Glenn and the New Shepard is that the former will be equipped with enough power to carry heavy cargo payloads and astronauts into orbit around the Earth.
While the New Glenn has yet to be made, it’s expected that the New Glenn sporting the BE-4 engine will be delivering goods and people by the end of the decade. In the meantime, the BE-4 engine will undergo certification at Blue Origin’s West Texas-based site. |
Photos: Wonders of the universe This is an artist's concept of the tiny moon Hippocamp that was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope. Only 20 miles across, it may actually be a broken-off fragment from a much larger neighboring moon, Proteus, seen as a crescent in the background. Hide Caption 1 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe In this illustration, an asteroid (bottom left) breaks apart under the powerful gravity of LSPM J0207+3331, the oldest, coldest white dwarf known to be surrounded by a ring of dusty debris. Scientists think the system's infrared signal is best explained by two distinct rings composed of dust supplied by crumbling asteroids. Hide Caption 2 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An artist's impression of the warped and twisted Milky Way disk. This happens when the rotational forces of the massive center of the galaxy tug on the outer disk. Hide Caption 3 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This 1.3-kilometer (0.8-mile)-radius Kuiper Belt Object discovered by researchers on the edge of the solar system is believed to be the step between balls of dust and ice and fully formed planets. Hide Caption 4 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe A selfie taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on Vera Rubin Ridge before it moves to a new location. Hide Caption 5 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe The Hubble Space Telescope found a dwarf galaxy hiding behind a big star cluster that's in our cosmic neighborhood. It's so old and pristine that researchers have dubbed it a "living fossil" from the early universe. Hide Caption 6 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe How did massive black holes form in the early universe? The rotating gaseous disk of this dark matter halo breaks apart into three clumps that collapse under their own gravity to form supermassive stars. Those stars will quickly collapse and form massive black holes. Hide Caption 7 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope captured this image of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. Astrophysicists now believe it could collide with our galaxy in two billion years. Hide Caption 8 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe A mysterious bright object in the sky, dubbed "The Cow," was captured in real time by telescopes around the world. Astronomers believe that it could be the birth of a black hole or neutron star, or a new class of object. Hide Caption 9 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An illustration depicts the detection of a repeating fast radio burst from a mysterious source 3 billion light-years from Earth. Hide Caption 10 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This is an artist's illustration off the most distant solar system object yet observed, 2018 VG18 -- also known as "Farout." The pink hue suggests the presence of ice. Hide Caption 11 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Comet 46P/Wirtanen will pass within 7 million miles of Earth on December 16. It's ghostly green coma is the size of Jupiter, even though the comet itself is about three-quarters of a mile in diameter. Hide Caption 12 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This mosaic image of asteroid Bennu is composed of 12 PolyCam images collected on December 2 by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a range of 15 miles. Hide Caption 13 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This image of a globular cluster of stars by the Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most ancient collections of stars known. The cluster, called NGC 6752, is more than 10 billion years old. Hide Caption 14 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An image of Apep captured with the VISIR camera on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. This "pinwheel" star system is most likely doomed to end in a long-duration gamma-ray burst. Hide Caption 15 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An artist's impression of galaxy Abell 2597, showing the supermassive black hole expelling cold molecular gas like the pump of a giant intergalactic fountain. Hide Caption 16 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An image of the Wild Duck Cluster, where every star is roughly 250 million years old. Hide Caption 17 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe These images reveal the final stage of a union between pairs of galactic nuclei in the messy cores of colliding galaxies. Hide Caption 18 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe A radio image of hydrogen gas in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Astronomers believe that the dwarf galaxy is slowly dying and will eventually be consumed by the Milky Way. Hide Caption 19 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Further evidence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy has been found. This visualization uses data from simulations of orbital motions of gas swirling around about 30% of the speed of light on a circular orbit around the black hole. Hide Caption 20 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Does this look like a bat to you? This giant shadow comes from a bright star reflecting against the dusty disk surrounding it. Hide Caption 21 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Hey, Bennu! NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, on its way to meet the primitive asteroid Bennu, is sending back images as it gets closer to its December 3 target. Hide Caption 22 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe These three panels reveal a supernova before, during and after it happened 920 million light-years from Earth(from left to right). The supernova, dubbed iPTF14gqr, is unusual because although the star was massive, its explosion was quick and faint. Researchers believe this is due to a companion star that siphoned away its mass. Hide Caption 23 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This is an artist's illustration of what a Neptune-size moon would look like orbiting the gas giant exoplanet Kepler-1625b in a star system 8,000 light-years from Earth. It could be the first exomoon ever discovered. Hide Caption 24 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An artist's illustration of Planet X, which could be shaping the orbits of smaller extremely distant outer solar system objects like 2015 TG387. Hide Caption 25 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This is an artist's concept of what SIMP J01365663+0933473 might look like. It has 12.7 times the mass of Jupiter but a magnetic field 200 times more powerful than Jupiter's. This object is 20 light-years from Earth. It's on the boundary line between being a planet or being a brown dwarf. Hide Caption 26 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe The Andromeda galaxy cannibalized and shredded the once-large galaxy M32p, leaving behind this compact galaxy remnant known as M32. It is completely unique and contains a wealth of young stars. Hide Caption 27 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Twelve new moons have been found around Jupiter. This graphic shows various groupings of the moons and their orbits, with the newly discovered ones shown in bold. Hide Caption 28 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Scientists and observatories around the world were able to trace a high-energy neutrino to a galaxy with a supermassive, rapidly spinning black hole at its center, known as a blazar. The galaxy sits to the left of Orion's shoulder in his constellation and is about 4 billion light-years from Earth. Hide Caption 29 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe 'Oumuamua, the first observed interstellar visitor to our solar system, is shown in an artist's illustration. Hide Caption 30 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Planets don't just appear out of thin air -- but they do require gas, dust and other processes not fully understood by astronomers. This is an artist's impression of what "infant" planets look like forming around a young star. Hide Caption 31 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe These negative images of 2015 BZ509, which is circled in yellow, show the first known interstellar object that has become a permanent part of our solar system. The exo-asteroid was likely pulled into our solar system from another star system 4.5 billion years ago. It then settled into a retrograde orbit around Jupiter. Hide Caption 32 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe A close look at the diamond matrix in a meteorite that landed in Sudan in 2008. This is considered to be the first evidence of a proto-planet that helped form the terrestrial planets in our solar system. Hide Caption 33 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe 2004 EW95 is the first carbon-rich asteroid confirmed to exist in the Kuiper Belt and a relic of the primordial solar system. This curious object probably formed in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter before being flung billions of miles to its current home in the Kuiper Belt. Hide Caption 34 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 28th anniversary in space with this stunning and colorful image of the Lagoon Nebula 4,000 light-years from Earth. While the whole nebula is 55 light-years across, this image only reveals a portion of about four light-years. Hide Caption 35 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This is a more star-filled view of the Lagoon Nebula, using Hubble's infrared capabilities. The reason you can see more stars is because infrared is able to cut through the dust and gas clouds to reveal the abundance of both young stars within the nebula, as well as more distant stars in the background. Hide Caption 36 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe The Rosette Nebula is 5,000 light-years from Earth. The distinctive nebula, which some claim looks more like a skull, has a hole in the middle that creates the illusion of its rose-like shape. Hide Caption 37 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe KIC 8462852, also known as Boyajian's Star or Tabby's Star, is 1,000 light-years from us. It's 50% bigger than our sun and 1,000 degrees hotter. And it doesn't behave like any other star, dimming and brightening sporadically. Dust around the star, depicted here in an artist's illustration, may be the most likely cause of its strange behavior. Hide Caption 38 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This inner slope of a Martian crater has several of the seasonal dark streaks called "recurrent slope lineae," or RSL, that a November 2017 report interprets as granular flows, rather than darkening due to flowing water. The image is from the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Hide Caption 39 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This artist's impression shows a supernova explosion, which contains the luminosity of 100 million suns. Supernova iPTF14hls, which has exploded multiple times, may be the most massive and longest-lasting ever observed. Hide Caption 40 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This illustration shows hydrocarbon compounds splitting into carbon and hydrogen inside ice giants, such as Neptune, turning into a "diamond (rain) shower." Hide Caption 41 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This striking image is the stellar nursery in the Orion Nebula, where stars are born. The red filament is a stretch of ammonia molecules measuring 50 light-years long. The blue represents the gas of the Orion Nebula. This image is a composite of observation from the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explore telescope. "We still don't understand in detail how large clouds of gas in our Galaxy collapse to form new stars," said Rachel Friesen, one of the collaboration's co-Principal Investigators. "But ammonia is an excellent tracer of dense, star-forming gas." Hide Caption 42 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This is an illustration of the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the sun. The NASA probe will explore the sun's atmosphere in a mission that begins in the summer of 2018. Hide Caption 43 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe See that tiny dot between Saturn's rings? That's Earth, as seen by the Cassini mission on April 12, 2017. "Cassini was 870 million miles away from Earth when the image was taken," according to NASA. "Although far too small to be visible in the image, the part of Earth facing Cassini at the time was the southern Atlantic Ocean." Much like the famous "pale blue dot" image captured by Voyager 1 in 1990, we are but a point of light when viewed from the furthest planet in the solar system. Hide Caption 44 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, using infrared technology, reveals the density of stars in the Milky Way. According to NASA, the photo -- stitched together from nine images -- contains more than a half-million stars. The star cluster is the densest in the galaxy. Hide Caption 45 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This photo of Saturn's large icy moon, Tethys, was taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which sent back some jaw-dropping images from the ringed planet. Hide Caption 46 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This is what Earth and its moon look like from Mars. The image is a composite of the best Earth image and the best moon image taken on November 20, 2016, by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The orbiter's camera takes images in three wavelength bands: infrared, red and blue-green. Mars was about 127 million miles from Earth when the images were taken. Hide Caption 47 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe PGC 1000714 was initially thought to be a common elliptical galaxy, but a closer analysis revealed the incredibly rare discovery of a Hoag-type galaxy. It has a round core encircled by two detached rings. Hide Caption 48 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe NASA's Cassini spacecraft took these images of the planet's mysterious hexagon-shaped jetstream in December 2016. The hexagon was discovered in images taken by the Voyager spacecraft in the early 1980s. It's estimated to have a diameter wider than two Earths. Hide Caption 49 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe A dead star gives off a greenish glow in this Hubble Space Telescope image of the Crab Nebula, located about 6,500 light years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. NASA released the image for Halloween 2016 and played up the theme in its press release. The agency said the "ghoulish-looking object still has a pulse." At the center of the Crab Nebula is the crushed core, or "heart" of an exploded star. The heart is spinning 30 times per second and producing a magnetic field that generates 1 trillion volts, NASA said. Hide Caption 50 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Peering through the thick dust clouds of the galactic bulge, an international team of astronomers revealed the unusual mix of stars in the stellar cluster known as Terzan 5. The new results indicate that Terzan 5 is one of the bulge's primordial building blocks, most likely the relic of the very early days of the Milky Way. Hide Caption 51 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An artist's conception of Planet Nine, which would be the farthest planet within our solar system. The similar cluster orbits of extreme objects on the edge of our solar system suggest a massive planet is located there. Hide Caption 52 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An illustration of the orbits of the new and previously known extremely distant Solar System objects. The clustering of most of their orbits indicates that they are likely be influenced by something massive and very distant, the proposed Planet X. Hide Caption 53 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Say hello to dark galaxy Dragonfly 44. Like our Milky Way, it has a halo of spherical clusters of stars around its core. Hide Caption 54 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe A classical nova occurs when a white dwarf star gains matter from its secondary star (a red dwarf) over a period of time, causing a thermonuclear reaction on the surface that eventually erupts in a single visible outburst. This creates a 10,000-fold increase in brightness, depicted here in an artist's rendering. Hide Caption 55 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Gravitational lensing and space warping are visible in this image of near and distant galaxies captured by Hubble. Hide Caption 56 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe At the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, researchers discovered an X-shaped structure within a tightly packed group of stars. Hide Caption 57 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Meet UGC 1382: What astronomers thought was a normal elliptical galaxy (left) was actually revealed to be a massive disc galaxy made up of different parts when viewed with ultraviolet and deep optical data (center and right). In a complete reversal of normal galaxy structure, the center is younger than its outer spiral disk. Hide Caption 58 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of the Crab Nebula and its "beating heart," which is a neutron star at the right of the two bright stars in the center of this image. The neutron star pulses 30 times a second. The rainbow colors are visible due to the movement of materials in the nebula occurring during the time-lapse of the image. Hide Caption 59 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe The Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of a hidden galaxy that is fainter than Andromeda or the Milky Way. This low surface brightness galaxy, called UGC 477, is over 110 million light-years away in the constellation of Pisces. Hide Caption 60 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe On April 19, NASA released new images of bright craters on Ceres. This photo shows the Haulani Crater, which has evidence of landslides from its rim. Scientists believe some craters on the dwarf planet are bright because they are relatively new. Hide Caption 61 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This illustration shows the millions of dust grains NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sampled near Saturn. A few dozen of them appear to have come from beyond our solar system. Hide Caption 62 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This image from the VLT Survey Telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile shows a stunning concentration of galaxies known as the Fornax Cluster, which can be found in the Southern Hemisphere. At the center of this cluster, in the middle of the three bright blobs on the left side of the image, lies a cD galaxy -- a galactic cannibal that has grown in size by consuming smaller galaxies. Hide Caption 63 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This image shows the central region of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The young and dense star cluster R136, which contains hundreds of massive stars, is visible in the lower right of the image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Hide Caption 64 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe In March 2016, astronomers published a paper on powerful red flashes coming from binary system V404 Cygni in 2015. This illustration shows a black hole, similar to the one in V404 Cygni, devouring material from an orbiting star. Hide Caption 65 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe new map of the Milky Way was released February 24, 2016, giving astronomers a full census of the star-forming regions within our own galaxy. The APEX telescope in Chile captured this survey. Hide Caption 66 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This image shows the elliptical galaxy NGC 4889, deeply embedded within the Coma galaxy cluster. There is a gigantic supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. Hide Caption 67 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An artist's impression of 2MASS J2126, which takens 900,000 years to orbit its star, 1 trillion kilometers away. Hide Caption 68 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Caltech researchers have found evidence of a giant planet tracing a bizarre, highly elongated orbit in the outer solar system. The object, nicknamed Planet Nine, has a mass about 10 times that of Earth and orbits about 20 times farther from the sun on average than does Neptune. Hide Caption 69 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An international team of astronomers may have discovered the biggest and brightest supernova ever. The explosion was 570 billion times brighter than the sun and 20 times brighter than all the stars in the Milky Way galaxy combined, according to a statement from The Ohio State University, which is leading the study. Scientists are straining to define the supernova's strength. This image shows an artist's impression of the supernova as it would appear from an exoplanet located about 10,000 light years away. Hide Caption 70 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Astronomers noticed huge waves of gas being "burped" by the black hole at the center of NGC 5195, a small galaxy 26 million light years from Earth. The team believes the outburst is a consequence of the interaction of NGC 5195 with a nearby galaxy. Hide Caption 71 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An artist's illustration shows a binary black hole found in the quasar at the center of the Markarian 231 galaxy. Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope discovered the galaxy being powered by two black holes "furiously whirling about each other," the space agency said in a news release. Hide Caption 72 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe An artist's impression of what a black hole might look like. In February, researchers in China said they had spotted a super-massive black hole 12 billion times the size of the sun. Hide Caption 73 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Are there are oceans on any of Jupiter's moons? The Juice probe shown in this artist's impression aims to find out. Picture courtesy of ESA/AOES Hide Caption 74 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Astronomers have discovered powerful auroras on a brown dwarf that is 20 light-years away. This is an artist's concept of the phenomenon. Hide Caption 75 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Venus, bottom, and Jupiter shine brightly above Matthews, North Carolina, on Monday, June 29. The apparent close encounter, called a conjunction, has been giving a dazzling display in the summer sky. Although the two planets appear to be close together, in reality they are millions of miles apart. Hide Caption 76 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Jupiter's icy moon Europa may be the best place in the solar system to look for extraterrestrial life, according to NASA. The moon is about the size of Earth's moon, and there is evidence it has an ocean beneath its frozen crust that may hold twice as much water as Earth. NASA's 2016 budget includes a request for $30 million to plan a mission to investigate Europa. The image above was taken by the Galileo spacecraft on November 25, 1999. It's a 12-frame mosaic and is considered the the best image yet of the side of Europa that faces Jupiter. Hide Caption 77 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This nebula, or cloud of gas and dust, is called RCW 34 or Gum 19. The brightest areas you can see are where the gas is being heated by young stars. Eventually the gas burst outward like champagne after a bottle is uncorked. Scientists call this champagne flow. This new image of the nebula was captured by the European Space Organization's Very Large Telescope in Chile. RCW 34 is in the constellation Vela in the southern sky. The name means "sails of a ship" in Latin. Hide Caption 78 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe The Hubble Space Telescope captured images of Jupiter's three great moons -- Io, Callisto, and Europa -- passing by at once. Hide Caption 79 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe A massive galaxy cluster known as SDSS J1038+4849 looks like a smiley face in an image captured by the Hubble Telescope. The two glowing eyes are actually two distant galaxies. And what of the smile and the round face? That's a result of what astronomers call "strong gravitational lensing." That happens because the gravitational pull between the two galaxy clusters is so strong it distorts time and space around them. Hide Caption 80 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Using powerful optics, astronomers have found a planet-like body, J1407b, with rings 200 times the size of Saturn's. This is an artist's depiction of the rings of planet J1407b, which are eclipsing a star. Hide Caption 81 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe A patch of stars appears to be missing in this image from the La Silla Observatory in Chile. But the stars are actually still there behind a cloud of gas and dust called Lynds Dark Nebula 483. The cloud is about 700 light years from Earth in the constellation Serpens (The Serpent). Hide Caption 82 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This is the largest Hubble Space Telescope image ever assembled. It's a portion of the galaxy next door, Andromeda (M31). Hide Caption 83 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe NASA has captured a stunning new image of the so-called "Pillars of Creation," one of the space agency's most iconic discoveries. The giant columns of cold gas, in a small region of the Eagle Nebula, were popularized by a similar image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995. Hide Caption 84 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Astronomers using the Hubble Space pieced together this picture that shows a small section of space in the southern-hemisphere constellation Fornax. Within this deep-space image are 10,000 galaxies, going back in time as far as a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. Hide Caption 85 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe Planetary nebula Abell 33 appears ring-like in this image, taken using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. The blue bubble was created when an aging star shed its outer layers and a star in the foreground happened to align with it to create a "diamond engagement ring" effect. Hide Caption 86 of 88
Photos: Wonders of the universe This long-exposure image from the Hubble Telescope is the deepest-ever picture taken of a cluster of galaxies. The cluster, called Abell 2744, contains several hundred galaxies as they looked 3.5 billion years ago; the more distant galaxies appear as they did more than 12 billion years ago, not long after the Big Bang. Hide Caption 87 of 88 |
It is impossible to miss when you fly into New York City and spot the golf course in the shadow of the Whitestone Bridge. It is hard to avoid when you stroll along Fifth Avenue, or venture past the skating rink or carousel in Central Park. And it is there in bright lights, no less, when you pass the sleek hotel near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel: the name of Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Trump has embraced his roots as a New Yorker as being crucial to his presidential bid, and in so doing, the Republican candidate has given the impression as he crossed the country that he is a force to reckon with in the city of his birth.
But while Trump remains a visible brand name around the city’s five boroughs, it is much harder to discern his imprint as a classic power broker, someone who is feared and can make things happen with a phone call or a quiet aside with the right person at the right time.
His real estate holdings in New York are modest; he did not make the top 10 in lists of major condominium developers and power players in real estate in the city, as judged by several publications. He does not belong to trade groups like the Real Estate Board of New York or the Association for a Better New York. He rarely interacts with top politicians or government officials, or contributes to campaigns. Discussions about a bid for governor in 2014 never got off the ground. |
Dark Matter, the indie game accused by customers of releasing unfinished last week, has been pulled off of Steam until it gets a proper ending, and Steam users say they're getting refunds if they ask for them.
A report by Gamasutra also says the development studio, which blamed Dark Matter's abrupt conclusion on the fact it ran out of money when a Kickstarter campaign didn't succeed, laid off most of the staff working on the game after that effort failed
Michiel Beenen, InterWave's managing director, acknowledged to Kotaku that the studio is "indeed working on an alternative ending that should hopefully fix the biggest complaint of the current way the game ends.
"We should hopefully have this done end of this week or beginning of next week. Valve has indeed also made sure we would make this better before returning it to Steam," Beenen said.
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Asked about InterWave's staffing level, Beenen declined to comment, other than to reiterate that InterWave continues to work on the game.
Dark Matter, a side-scrolling 2.5D platformer, released on Steam for $15 (discounted to $13.49) on Oct. 17. (It also went on sale on Good Old Games, where it remains listed.) Players complained that the game released in an incomplete state because, after about four hours of play, the game abruptly served a screen full of text explaining the end of the story and declaring the game over.
On the Steam forums this weekend, an InterWave representative said the studio had plans to create a larger game, but a failed £50,000 Kickstarter caused them to scale back sharply and release what they could. InterWave defended Dark Matter as a completed game, noting that its product description said it contained 14 levels—which it does.
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That said, InterWave apologized for the game's conclusion, and evidently constructing a better one is a requirement to get the project back on the Steam Store. |
Although it’s increasingly common, telecommuting may be hazardous to employee evaluations. But employers can take steps to ensure that remote workers are judged fairly.
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These days, more and more corporate employees are working at least part of the time from home offices. Working from home, or other types of remote work arrangements such as using a drop-in work center, can be beneficial to both employees and companies. However, our research suggests that these nontraditional arrangements also have hidden pitfalls. Employees who work remotely may end up getting lower performance evaluations, smaller raises and fewer promotions than their colleagues in the office — even if they work just as hard and just as long.
The difference is what we call passive face time. By that we are not referring to active interactions with coworkers or clients, but merely to being seen in the workplace. To be credited with passive face time you need only be observed at work; no information is required about what you are doing or how well you are doing it.
Even when in-office and remote employees are equally productive, our research suggests their supervisors might evaluate them differently because of differences in their passive face time. Especially in white-collar settings, the presence or absence of passive face time may influence evaluations used to determine the fitness of employees for specific tasks such as team leadership. As Jack and Suzy Welch wrote in a 2007 BusinessWeek column:
Companies rarely promote people into leadership roles who haven’t been consistently seen and measured. It’s a familiarity thing, and it’s a trust thing. We’re not saying that the people who get promoted are stars during every “crucible” moment at the office, but at least they’re present and accounted for. And their presence says: Work is my top priority. I’m committed to this company. I want to lead. And I can.
Related Research K. D. Elsbach, D. M. Cable and J. W. Sherman, “How Passive ‘Face Time’ Affects Perceptions of Employees: Evidence of Spontaneous Trait Inference,” Human Relations 63, no. 6 (June 2010): 735-760.
For the last decade we’ve studied the concept of passive face time from the perspective of hundreds of corporate workers, including both supervisors and subordinates. (Details of our research were published in the June 2010 issue of Human Relations . See “Related Research.”) We used observation, unstructured interviews and tightly controlled experiments to gather information about how passive face time affects employee evaluations. This data led us to three key findings.
1. There are two kinds of passive face time. The first, which we call expected face time, is simply being seen at work during normal business hours. The second, which we call extracurricular face time, is being seen at work outside of normal business hours — arriving before most employees arrive, staying late or coming in to work on the weekend. When you are at work is noticed by your coworkers and supervisors. “Who cares?” you might legitimately ask. It turns out your boss and coworkers do. This leads to our second finding.
2. Different kinds of face time lead to different evaluations. The two forms of passive face time lead to two kinds of “trait inferences,” or conclusions about what type of person someone is. Specifically, we found that expected face time led to inferences of the traits “responsible” and “dependable.” Just being seen at work, without any information about what you’re actually doing, leads people to think more highly of you.
You get labeled when you put in extracurricular face time, too. But rather than just being considered dependable, you can get upgraded to “committed” and “dedicated.” As one manager said:
There seems to be a norm that anyone hoping to move up in the management ranks needs to be here late at night and on the weekends. If you’re not willing to do that, you’re not going be seen as dedicated enough to get promoted.
3. Managers may not be aware they are making evaluations based on face time. Our interviews suggest that managers’ inferences based on passive face time are unintentional — even unconscious. This supports research findings that people generally form trait inferences spontaneously, without realizing they are doing so. As one subject we interviewed noted:
I think it really has sort of an automatic negative effect when a manager is in crisis mode, and they look and notice you’re not there. It’s kind of irritating to them if you’re not immediately available, or [on the other hand, comforting] if they can check and see you are there in the office, just in case they need you. Because they’re in crisis mode they may not even really remember what it was that irritated them, but they’ve just got this feeling that you’re unreliable or something.
To test our interview findings, we conducted a series of experiments in which managers from a dozen industries were asked to recall employee traits after reading written descriptions of the employees. If a participant mistakenly said that a trait — for example, “committed” — had been listed in a description of someone who was described as working late in the office, they were said to have unconsciously inferred that trait. The results were clear and robust across multiple samples: Managers were 9% more likely to unconsciously attribute the traits “dependable” and “responsible” to people who put in expected face time and 25% more likely to unconsciously attribute the traits “committed” and “dedicated” to people who put in extracurricular face time. These results were statistically significant across each of our experiments.
Remote Workers’ Face Time Tactics » Remote Workers’ Face Time Tactics Many remote employees use “virtual” face time to make up for their absence from the office. Here are some common tactics, as described by employees in our study: Make regular phone or e-mail status reports. Used by 83% of remote workers. “Take advantage of technology to let colleagues know you are working from home. When I work from home, I send my colleagues e-mail messages reporting progress. I try to make them aware that, while they left at 5 p.m., I am still working after 9 p.m.” Be extra visible when in the office. Used by 35% of remote workers. “I work hard when I am at the office and point out to colleagues and my boss when I do things such as miss lunch and breaks because I am working to meet a deadline. I also make sure I meet with my supervisor every time I’m in the office to make sure he sees me and I can update him on what I’ve accomplished.” Be immediately available at home. Used by 26% of remote workers. “When I’m working from home I respond immediately to e-mails, so that somebody isn’t sitting around saying, ‘She’s not in the office today so now I’ve got to wait for her to get back to me.’ I make sure I respond to people just as quickly as I would if I was in the office. And I have our phone systems’ pagers, so if somebody leaves me a message, it’s going to page me. So it’s not as if I’m not available if people need me. It’s not like I’m sitting in the back yard sunbathing or something. They know they can get me.” Get others to talk you up. Used by 22% of remote workers. “I try to make sure that my peers and the other directors know who I am. I make sure they know my name and what I’m doing. Whenever I get a chance I go say hello, say a couple of words about what I’m working on. The more they see me, the more they are going to remember me when it comes time for my appraisal. And they are likely to say a positive thing about me and talk about me to my supervisor.” E-mail or voice mail early or late in the day. Used by 20% of remote workers. “I send voice mail late in the evening because my boss’s voice mail system would report what time the message was left and if it came from home or work. It was an important cue that I was working hard, even though he couldn’t see me.”
Implications for Managers
Our findings suggest several steps managers should take to prevent unfair employee assessments.
1. Don’t use trait-based evaluations. Growing evidence from research on performance appraisal suggests that these evaluations are flawed in a number of ways, including not being linked to companies’ strategies or objective outputs and not helping employees understand what to change. Our findings add to this evidence by showing that trait-based evaluations — measuring employee “leadership ability” or “teamwork,” for example, may be biased by the mere physical presence of employees at the work site.
2. As much as possible, use objective output measures. Critics of remote working arrangements have long suspected that telecommuters lose out on specific types of information, such as hallway conversations or impromptu help from coworkers. Our findings suggest that remote workers might be further handicapped by perceptions that they are not as responsible or committed as other employees. To avoid such unfair perceptions, managers who implement telecommuting and flexible hours should revise their performance appraisals to measure mostly objective outputs, such as number and type of projects completed or expert evaluations of project quality.
3. Consider work arrangements when using peer feedback. Many organizations use “360-degree” appraisals in which employees are rated by peers and subordinates as well as managers. However, our research suggests that coworkers and subordinates may be just as prone to making unconscious trait judgments as managers are.
The bottom line is that employees should be wary of work arrangements that reduce their office face time, and supervisors should be wary of using trait-based performance measures, especially when evaluating remote workers. Finally, employees working remotely need to make sure they are evaluated on objective outputs. Barring that, you might consider sending an e-mail to your boss tonight . . . say, around midnight. advertisement |
Northern Strike Exercise Features Joint STARS Participation
For the last five years, the Michigan National Guard has hosted Northern Strike, a National Guard Bureau-sponsored exercise uniting about 5,000 service members from 13 states and five coalition countries at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in northern Michigan.
This year, the exercise features one of the most advanced and versatile pieces of military technology: the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, known as Joint STARS, an advanced ground-surveillance and battle-management system.
The E-8C Joint STARS is a modified Boeing 707, an aircraft that was originally manufactured in the 1960s. Internally, it's equipped with 22 radios, seven data links, two internets and secure telephone capability, all operated by 21 personnel.
The Joint STARS team consists of the Georgia Air National Guard's 116th Air Control Wing, the active-duty 461st Air Control Wing, and Army Joint STARS personnel and it provides simultaneous wide-area joint airborne command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support over land and water from a manned platform to combatant commanders around the globe.
The joint total-force integration unit operates the world’s only Joint STARS weapon system, based out of Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. Its role during Northern Strike 2017 is to provide battle-management command and control as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data.
Realistic Scenarios
The realistic training scenarios during Northern Strike 2017 present the Joint STARS team with "abundant opportunities to hone our wartime capabilities while incorporating our joint and multinational partners," said Air Force Lt. Col. Kenneth Billings, mission crew commander with the 116th Air Control Wing's 128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron. |
The art of quietly skulking in the shadows, treading softly and waiting in the wings for a stealthy kill has become incredibly loud over the past few years. Since 2006's Hitman: Blood Money, Arkham Asylum lent the stalk 'em-up genre the gravitas of an icon as well as a handful of new ideas. Meanwhile, last year's Splinter Cell: Conviction turned Sam Fisher into a primitive, snarling action hero.
You'd probably expect Hitman: Absolution to have caught up with the times. And it has, to a point. After five years away, IO Interactive marks the return of Agent 47 by landing him in territory which comes perilously close to that previously explored by Ubisoft Montreal in Conviction. At first sight, Absolution is a game that's just as happy to put a pistol in its player's hands as some piano wire.
The game is set in a rain-lashed Chicago whose grim, oppressive look defines the tone of what's to follow. Agent 47 is introduced in an abandoned library. Flashes of lightning crash through tall, gothic windows, sporadically illuminating discarded volumes and bookshelves draped in tarpaulin. Bumbling cops wander around while up above, in the darkness, Agent 47 presses himself against the balustrade.
One by one the cops are picked off. The methods and the pace feel a step removed from the previous games; this is stealth that's quick to climax, fast and direct in its action. Moving from cover to cover has a rhythm as well as a muscular grace, while the way our hero shimmies across ledges and leaps across gaps suggests the clumsy marionette stylings of past Hitman games are no more.
Stay still and the influence of another stealth game begins to seep through in bright, phosphorous yellow. Agent 47 now has access to Instinct, a feature that IO Interactive insists is an offshoot of his genetically enhanced, near supernatural abilities. Enemies across the map are highlighted in glowing yellow, and in a manifestation of 47's foresight their paths are laid out as a flaming trail.
In an effort to sidestep the problems encountered by Batman: Arkham Asylum (in which players would rely wholly on the comparable Detective Mode), there will be limitations in place. How exactly these will be implemented remains a mystery. The trail will, traditionalists will be pleased to learn, be optional, with harder difficulties removing it all together.
There's more to appease the hardcore too. The improvisational element of the past returns with a visceral twist. Takedowns are savage and brutal, with Agent 47 taking whatever's to hand and transforming it into an instrument of death. A power cord gets wrapped violently around someone's throat, a marble bust comes thundering down on someone else's head and a baton is used to audibly snap a neck.
Environments are susceptible to player tinkering, and through all the bustle and noise of this new brand Hitman the old sensation of being given a murderous toy box returns. A fuse box can be sabotaged, used to coax one cop out while plummeting the others into darkness, raising the morbid question: who to kill first?
In the action that ensues, the most brilliant addition to this toy box emerges. Agent 47's targets are now much more than binary automatons; they're well-defined characters who respond to whatever obstacle you put in their way believably. Playing with the hunted before swallowing them whole looks to be that much more delightful than before. |
House Democrats are accusing the Department of Transportation (DOT) of improperly lobbying Congress and other organizations to support a legislative effort to overhaul air traffic control.
The minority members on the House Transportation and Infrastructure and the Appropriations committees asked the DOT’s inspector general on Wednesday to investigate whether agency officials violated federal laws in urging support for a bill that would privatize the country’s air navigation system.
In a letter to the watchdog organization, the lawmakers claim that “at least four DOT political appointees” have contacted lawmakers and aviation or airport association representatives to build support for the bill, either through e-mails, written materials or phone calls.
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The lawmakers pointed to a memo emailed to Hill staff by Chris Brown, the associate administrator for government and industry affairs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), that said “it’s time for the U.S. to join most of the industrialized world and separate its ATC system from the agency that also provides safety oversight.”Brown previously worked for United Airlines and Airlines for America, which have long been pushing for the spinoff plan.The letter also highlighted a DOT website outlining the proposal and included a report from The Hill that the White House sent a high-ranking official to Capitol Hill to woo skeptical Republicans on the plan.Democrats argue that this violates federal anti-lobbying laws, which prohibit federal dollars from being used to “pay for any personal service, advertisement, telegram, telephone, letter … intended or designed to influence in any manner a Member of Congress, a jurisdiction, or any official of any government, to favor, adopt, or oppose, by vote or otherwise, any legislation.”“Even when viewed in the light most favorable, these e-mails, phone calls, and other activities are highly irregular, at best,” the Democrats wrote.
A DOT spokeswoman said all information was shared in compliance with federal rules.
“The Department has shared factual information in support of the President’s Air Traffic Control Reform initiative with members of Congress and other stakeholders in response to questions and issues that have frequently come up," the DOT said. "This has been done in compliance with the Anti-Lobbying Act."
The Democratic letter comes as the battle over air traffic control heats up on both sides.
Supporters of the spinoff model, who have been working hard to educate members and the public about the proposal, say that opponents are just desperately scrambling to find new lines of attack against the idea.
The legislation has so far remained stalled in the House, while the Senate has decided not to include the proposal in a long-term aviation bill. |
We know that Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan doesn't care for a lot of aspects of today's music industry: distribution of streaming revenues , the " feckless idiots " who run the industry and asinine questions about Kurt Cobain's death are a few recent examples.
Speaking of Cobain, at a recent Q&A in Atlanta, Corgan lamented the state of modern alternative rock and said, "You do not hear people playing guitar the way Kurt Cobain played guitar.
Corgan said in full :
Listen to most alternative rock, you hear very little guitar. You hear a slight return to guitar in maybe the last year, but it’s more like a prop. You do not hear people playing guitar the way Kurt Cobain played guitar, the way I played, even a Stone Gossard [of Pearl Jam ], you know what I mean? A very individuated style, that says this is our band, and this is the way we rock.
He went on to shoot down the use of the Telecaster guitar, lambasting it for its "real thin sound" that doesn't intrude on the track's vocals:
Guitar is a prop in alternative music now, and the reason most of them play Telecasters, for anyone that knows music, is because it’s a real thin sound. It gets a lot of energy, and does not get in the way of the vocal, because it’s all about the vocal. So when we look at that landscape right, and we can not get played on the radio, and the difference between that audience knowing our new music and not, is can we break through? To me it’s the same, when we looked at the landscape in 1992, or 1994, when we were making those albums, we still had to step back and say: ‘Okay, if we’re going to penetrate this market, can we do it in our own style?’ And I think there’s plenty of substantive stuff in the Pumpkins’ past that shows I can penetrate any of those markets if I write an A-level song and we produce it in a contemporary frame.
Smashing Pumpkins are currently on the road in the U.S., so check out their upcoming tour dates at their website . |
We could sit here and talk for ten years about how amazing the worlds are in Hayao Miyazaki films, dreaming about turning them into theme parks, and just generally loving the stories he brought us over the years. But for all of of the time we've all spent watching Studio Ghibli films and pretending we could spend time in the world of movies like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, wouldn't it be nice to actually have a piece of those places at home with you? Thanks to a Japanese papercrafting company, you can have a part of the Miyazaki world right in your own home. Sort of, anyway.
As our friends at Rocketnews 24 report, thanks to the paper crafting company in Japan called Sankei that brought you the Cat Bus paper crafting kit, you can create a miniature version the village from Spirited Away. If you've never seen any of the amazing miniatures that a Sankei paper crafting kit produces, don't for a second think you're in for a low quality result. You can expect an incredibly detailed village once your project is all said and done, and even better, it's not going to make you want to poke your eyes out in the process. While there are several small pasrts to take care of like the details both outside and inside Chihiro's parents' food stall, you don't need to be a paper crafting master to make the village successfully. Each of the pieces is laser cut on paperboard, so you only need to glue the pieces together. That's right, no awkward attempts at folding and cutting paper--just grab some adhesive to stick it all together. |
The news out of Steubenville today is a *small step* in the right direction for a town that seems to be plagued with cover-ups in an attempt to save their beloved football team. Two young men were sentenced to juvenile detention in the Steubenville rape case today. I suggest you look up what they put the victim through if you are not familiar with the story. Anyway, as per usual when the internet discusses rape, there’s some pretty horrible stuff online today.
Take it away, Twitter…
And Conservative news website, Breitbart, would like you to focus on how evil Anonymous is (because they helped bring much of what happened in Steubenville to light):
And over on Reddit, a number of comments posted to the more mainstream subreddits had to be quickly downvoted…
And over on Facebook, folks seemed to focus on trying their hardest to blame the victim and her being drunk. Here’s a small sample…
(Update: There’s so many, I just put up a second post HERE.) |
Rum-running, or bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting (smuggling) alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. Smuggling usually takes place to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. The term rum-running is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; bootlegging is applied to smuggling over land.
It is believed that the term "bootlegging" originated during the American Civil War, when soldiers would sneak liquor into army camps by concealing pint bottles within their boots or beneath their trouser legs. Also, according to the PBS documentary Prohibition, the term "bootlegging" was popularized when thousands of city dwellers sold liquor from flasks they kept in their boot legs all across major cities and rural areas.[1][2] The term "rum-running" most likely originated at the start of Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933), when ships from Bimini in the western Bahamas transported cheap Caribbean rum to Florida speakeasies. But rum's cheapness made it a low-profit item for the rum-runners, and they soon moved on to smuggling Canadian whisky, French champagne, and English gin to major cities like New York City, Boston, and Chicago, where prices ran high. It was said that some ships carried $200,000 in contraband in a single run.
History [ edit ]
Kirk and Sweeney with contraband stacked on deck Rum runner schooner with contraband stacked on deck
It was not long after the first taxes were implemented on alcoholic beverages that someone began to smuggle alcohol. The British government had "revenue cutters" in place to stop smugglers as early as the 16th century. Pirates often made extra money running rum to heavily taxed colonies. There were times when the sale of alcohol was limited for other reasons, such as laws against sales to American Indians in the Old West and Canada West or local prohibitions like the one on Prince Edward Island between 1901 and 1948.
Industrial-scale smuggling flowed both ways across the Canada–US border at different points in the early twentieth century, largely between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan. Although Canada never had true nationwide prohibition, the federal government gave the provinces an easy means to ban alcohol under the War Measures Act (1914), and most provinces and the Yukon Territory already had enacted prohibition locally by 1918 when a regulation issued by the federal cabinet banned the interprovincial trade and importation of liquor. National prohibition in the United States did not begin until 1920, though many states had statewide prohibition before that. For the two-year interval, enough American liquor entered Canada illegally to undermine support for prohibition in Canada, so it was slowly lifted, beginning with Quebec and Yukon in 1919 and including all the provinces but Prince Edward Island by 1930. Additionally, Canada's version of prohibition had never included a ban on the manufacture of liquor for export. Soon the black-market trade was reversed with Canadian whisky and beer flowing in large quantities to the United States. Again, this illegal international trade undermined the support for prohibition in the receiving country, and the American version ended (at the national level) in 1933.
One of the most famous periods of rum-running began in the United States when Prohibition began on January 16, 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect. This period lasted until the amendment was repealed with ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933.
At first, there was much action on the seas, but after several months, the Coast Guard began reporting decreased smuggling activity. This was the start of the Bimini–Bahamas rum trade and the introduction of Bill McCoy.
With the start of prohibition, Captain McCoy began bringing rum from Bimini and the rest of the Bahamas into south Florida through Government Cut. The Coast Guard soon caught up with him, so he began to bring the illegal goods to just outside U.S. territorial waters and let smaller boats and other captains, such as Habana Joe, take the risk of bringing it to shore.
The rum-running business was very good, and McCoy soon bought a Gloucester knockabout schooner named Arethusa at auction and renamed her Tomoka. He installed a larger auxiliary, mounted a concealed machine gun on her deck, and refitted the fish pens below to accommodate as much contraband as she could hold. She became one of the most famous of the rum-runners, along with his two other ships hauling mostly Irish and Canadian whiskey as well as other fine liquors and wines to ports from Maine to Florida.
In the days of rum running, it was common for captains to add water to the bottles to stretch their profits or to re-label it as better goods. Any cheap sparkling wine became French champagne or Italian Spumante; unbranded liquor became top-of-the-line name brands. McCoy became famous for never watering his booze and selling only top brands. Although the phrase appears in print in 1882, this is one of several folk etymologies for the origin of the term "The real McCoy."
On November 15, 1923, McCoy and Tomoka encountered the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca just outside U.S. territorial waters. A boarding party attempted to board, but McCoy chased them off with the machine gun. Tomoka tried to run, but the Seneca placed a shell just off her hull, and William McCoy surrendered his ship and cargo.
The Rum Row [ edit ]
McCoy is credited with the idea of bringing large boats just to the edge of the three-mile (4.8 km) limit of U.S. jurisdiction and selling his wares there to "contact boats", local fishermen, and small boat captains. The small, quick boats could more easily outrun Coast Guard ships and could dock in any small river or eddy and transfer their cargo to a waiting truck. They were also known to load float planes and flying boats. Soon others were following suit, and the three-mile (4.8 km) limit became known as "Rum Line" with the ships waiting called "Rum row". The Rum Line was extended to a 12-mile (19.3 km) limit by an act of the United States Congress on April 21, 1924, which made it harder for the smaller and less seaworthy craft to make the trip.[3]
Rum Row was not the only front for the Coast Guard. Rum-runners often made the trip through Canada via the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway and down the west coast to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Rum-running from Canada was also an issue, especially throughout prohibition in the early 1900s. There was a high number of distilleries in Canada, one of the most famous being Hiram Walker who developed Canadian Club Whisky. The French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, located south of Newfoundland, were an important base used by well-known smugglers, including Al Capone, Savannah Unknown, and Bill McCoy. The Gulf of Mexico also teemed with ships running from Mexico and the Bahamas to Galveston, Texas, the Louisiana swamps, and Alabama coast. By far the biggest Rum Row was in the New York/Philadelphia area off the New Jersey coast, where as many as 60 ships were seen at one time. One of the most notable New Jersey rum runners was Habana Joe,[citation needed] who could be seen at night running into remote areas in Raritan Bay with his flat-bottom skiff for running up on the beach, making his delivery, and speeding away.
With that much competition, the suppliers often flew large banners advertising their wares and threw parties with prostitutes on board their ships to draw customers. Rum Row was completely lawless, and many crews armed themselves not against government ships but against the other rum-runners, who would sometimes sink a ship and hijack its cargo rather than make the run to Canada or the Caribbean for fresh supplies.[citation needed]
The ships [ edit ]
CG-100, a typical 75-foot patrol boat , a typical 75-foot patrol boat
Linwood set afire to destroy evidence Rum-runnerset afire to destroy evidence
At the start, the rum-runner fleet consisted of a ragtag flotilla of fishing boats, such as the schooner Nellie J. Banks, excursion boats, and small merchant craft. As prohibition wore on, the stakes got higher and the ships became larger and more specialized. Converted fishing ships like McCoy's Tomoka waited on Rum Row and were soon joined by small motor freighters custom-built in Nova Scotia for rum running, with low, grey hulls, hidden compartments, and powerful wireless equipment. Examples include the Reo II. Specialized high-speed craft were built for the ship-to-shore runs. These high-speed boats were often luxury yachts and speedboats fitted with powerful aircraft engines, machine guns, and armor plating. Often, builders of rum-runners' ships also supplied Coast Guard vessels, such as Fred and Mirto Scopinich's Freeport Point Shipyard.[4] Rum-runners often kept cans of used engine oil handy to pour on hot exhaust manifolds in case a smoke screen was needed to escape the revenue ships.
On the government's side, the rum chasers were an assortment of patrol boats, inshore patrol, and harbor cutters. Most of the patrol boats were of the "six-bit" variety: 75-foot craft with a top speed of about 12 knots. There was also an assortment of launches, harbor tugs, and miscellaneous small craft.
The rum-runners were definitely faster and more maneuverable.[citation needed] Add to that the fact that a rum-running captain could make several hundred thousand dollars a year. In comparison, the Commandant of the Coast Guard made just $6,000 annually, and seamen made $30/week.[citation needed] These huge rewards meant the rum-runners were willing to take big risks. They ran without lights at night and in fog, risking life and limb. Often, the shores were littered with bottles from a rum-runner who sank after hitting a sandbar or a reef in the dark at high speed.
The Coast Guard relied on hard work, reconnaissance, and big guns to get their job done. It was not uncommon for rum-runners' ships to be sold at auction shortly after a trial — often right back to the original owners. Some ships were captured three or four times before they were finally sunk or retired. In addition, the Coast Guard had other duties and often had to let a rum-runner go in order to assist a sinking vessel or handle another emergency.[5]
Alcohol smuggling today [ edit ]
For multiple reasons (including the avoidance of taxes and minimum purchase prices), alcohol smuggling is still a worldwide concern.
In the United States, the smuggling of alcohol did not end with the repeal of prohibition. In the Appalachian United States, for example, the demand for moonshine was at an all-time high in the 1920s, but an era of rampant bootlegging in dry areas continued into the 1970s.[6] Although the well-known bootleggers of the day may no longer be in business, bootlegging still exists, even if on a smaller scale. The state of Virginia has reported that it loses up to $20 million a year from illegal whiskey smuggling.[7]
The Government of the United Kingdom fails to collect an estimated £900 million in taxes due to alcohol smuggling activities.[8]
Absinthe was smuggled into the United States until it was legalized in 2007.[9] Cuban rum is also sometimes smuggled into the United States, circumventing the embargo in existence since 1960.[10]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ] |
Because in a city with $18 cocktails, we must find balance
Listed in no particular order.
It’s just easier to read with numbers…
Mid-Wilshire
A post shared by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (@lacma) on Feb 17, 2017 at 4:06pm PST
General admission for L.A. County residents is free after 3 p.m. on weekdays—just bring your ID—and, if you moved here from elsewhere, a utility bill that shows your current address. The museum is free to all on the second Tuesday of every month, and on select federal holidays. Note: the museum is closed on Wednesdays.
Hollywood
Get there at least an hour early to wait in line for the best improv show in the city!
USC Campus, Downtown
Check the events page for screenings. They’re all free of charge and open to the public. Just make sure to RSVP online.
Hollywood
Before the crowds fill in, take a tour of the Hollywood Bowl and check out the museum which features famous faces that have graced the stage. Off-season hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Seasonal hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to showtime, and Sunday 4 p.m. to showtime.
5. Picnic at The Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood
A post shared by macoliciousfan (@macoliciousfan) on Jun 13, 2015 at 12:33pm PDT
The Bowl grounds—including the picnic areas surrounding the bowl, and the amphitheater itself—serve as a public park during the day, with plenty of free parking. And the Hollywood bowl’s best kept secret: You can come hear the LA Phil rehearse for free in the mornings (usually Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to a little after noon, but it’s best to call ahead).
Lancaster
The stunning two-story glass building houses a museum worth your visit. Exhibits rotate every three months or so and feature curated works of art from highly respected California artists.
San Pedro
The massive, ornately decorated bell was given to Los Angeles by the Republic of Korea to consolidate friendship between the two countries. It’s worth nearly $600,000, and you can picnic in the shadow of its pavilion.
Monrovia
The picturesque 8,000-square-foot museum is located in a 1925 Spanish-style building. It’s open on Thursdays and Sundays, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Pacific Palisades
The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is a temple, meditation garden, and shrine. The beautiful grounds provide a relaxing escape for people of all faiths— it’s the perfect spot to meditate or relax. Admission and parking are always free.
Thousand Oaks
A post shared by Jonathan Hicken (@jahicken) on Mar 18, 2017 at 2:37pm PDT
Explore six distinct gardens, and learn a thing or two about world cultures.
Torrance
Tours are free on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 p.m., but spots are limited so be sure to make a reservation.
MacArthur Park
In the summer, this charming outdoor pavilion hosts a program of 50 free, family-friendly concerts, spanning a variety of genres. Bring a blanket and picnic to spread out on the lawn.
13. Monrovia Friday Night Family Street Fair
Monrovia
Food vendors and live entertainment line up every Friday starting at 5 p.m.
Hacienda Heights
Fifteen acres of Ching dynasty architecture and gardens are waiting for you. Free self-guided tours are available on weekdays, and free guided tours are available for groups of less than 14 on weekends. Do not miss the temple’s unexpectedly delicious vegetarian buffet.
A post shared by Nature // Earth // Travel (@passportforallcountries) on Mar 23, 2017 at 12:00pm PDT
Go hiking and explore outer space at this L.A. classic.
Perris
Let’s face it. We all went through a train phase at some point in our childhoods. Access to the grounds and buildings is free, and riding the trains costs $8 to $12.
Sierra Madre
Learn about how jams, jellies, and fruit butters are made and sample some for yourself. Free tours available on Saturdays by appointment.
Culver City
Paintings, statues, and all kinds of art from the Cold War era live in the little-known Wende Museum. Free on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays/Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
University Park
Cool off and check out this relic of a museum that dates back to the 1950s. Tours can be made by appointment.
Downtown
A post shared by Laurent Journo (@laurent_j_journo) on Mar 12, 2018 at 1:40pm PDT
The paper somehow lands on your doorstep every morning, but what happens before it gets there? Find out in tours that can be made by appointment for groups as large as 40 people. If you can’t manage to wrangle up 39 friends, the building’s grand front lobby is open to the public, with a display of the paper’s most significant front pages from over the years.
Pasadena
Kids will freak out over this children’s museum loaded with outdoor fun, games, and… mud (they say it has health benefits?!) Head over on the first Tuesday of every month when the museum is free from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Simi Valley
Get a glimpse of California’s railroad history. Tours are available Saturdays and Sundays. Call for an appointment.
Venice
Built in 1905 by a real estate developer inspired by the Italian original, the Venice Canal Historic District remains one of the most charming areas to take a scenic stroll.
Hollywood
Guided tours of this Scientology center are available every day from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Learn about the life of the religion’s enigmatic founder from tour guides who will only kind of try to convert you.
Eagle Rock
A post shared by Adrian & Erin (@food.enabler) on Sep 11, 2016 at 12:14pm PDT
Over a dozen beers are available on draft (you have to pay for those), and walk-ins are welcome for tours (that’s the free part) on Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m.
Downtown
Explore Mexican-American culture for free every day except Tuesdays.
Brentwood
Access to sprawling gardens and countless works of art is free, but parking is $15. Metro has two bus lines—the 734 and 234—that stop there.
Downtown
Admire high-end fashion for free, tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Windsor Square
View rotating shows of edgy contemporary art in a converted Masonic lodge. While admission is free, booking your tickets online in advance is required.
Pacific Palisades
A post shared by Ceyda Ulasan (@ceydaulasan) on Mar 23, 2017 at 9:00am PDT
Enter a world of Greek and Roman art and architecture, every day except Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Exposition Park
Open every daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Downtown
Free tours of their substantial collection historical artifacts available by appointment.
North Hollywood
A psychedelic exhibition of old McDonald’s characters. Open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call (818) 763-711 to schedule a tour.
Downtown
Open every day except Monday. Tickets are free with a reservation.
West L.A.
A post shared by Eddy Joaquim (@aquiali) on Mar 23, 2017 at 7:01pm PDT
Free every day, featuring everything from contemporary to classical art.
Downtown
Take a look at rotating exhibitions from Japanese-American artists and learn the shameful history of California’s World War II internment camps. Free every Thursday from 5 p.m to 8 p.m., and all day on the third Thursday of the month.
Miracle Mile
Entrance to the museum may be $12, but exploring the tar pits outside is free, asphalt-scented fun.
Chatsworth
Take a look at the vintage Valley on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Pasadena
This three-acre botanical garden is a stunning hidden gem.
Exposition Park
A post shared by Maryna (@maryna_snihyr) on Mar 23, 2017 at 7:55pm PDT
Free on the first Tuesday of every month.
El Segundo
Learn about aviation just steps from LAX, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Downtown
Peek around this 1893 office building near Grand Central Market to see a backdrop made famous by numerous Hollywood movies. The building has been on the National Historic Landmark list since 1977.
Century City
Free admission every day with tons of photos from around the world to admire.
Fairfax
Free with tours available every day from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (and only open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays).
Westwood
A post shared by Mike (@theatticbat) on Mar 23, 2017 at 4:50pm PDT
Explore art and artifacts from cultures all around the world, Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Exposition Park
Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5 p.m.
San Bernadino
A free look at the history of the world-famous fast food chain. Quite different than the McDonaldland museum.
Beverly Hills
Admire a stunning private art collection; tours available by appointment.
49. Botanical Tours at the Natural History Museum
South L.A.
Head to the gardens of the Natural History Museum for free tours on summer nights.
El Segundo
A post shared by Automobile Driving Museum (@theadmorg) on Jan 14, 2017 at 4:10pm PST
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
[continued on next page]
Downtown
Free music and performances in DTLA’s Grand Park all summer long.
Beverly Hills
Open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., with guided tours of the center.
El Segundo
At this museum, you don’t just get to look at art—you get to make it, too.
Glendale
Ever wonder exactly what happens to your water before it comes out of your faucet? And what happens to it after? Free tours will teach you that and more. Make sure to call for an appointment.
Elysian Park
A post shared by Nathan Masters (@nathanmasters) on Feb 16, 2017 at 2:01pm PST
Explore some stunning stone structures right outside the police academy.
Rampart Village
The place is home to the largest church pipe organ in the world. Hear it in action every Sunday morning at 10:30.
Echo Park
This stunning home has been restored with original artifacts belonging to one of the most influential people of the 20th century—firebrand Pentecostal preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. The museum is open to the public for free Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., excluding holidays.
58. Attend a Taping of The Price is Right
Mid-City
The energy and enthusiasm on this set is out of this world. Just be sure to RSVP online.
Santa Monica
Sign up for the arts and crafts.
Palos Verdes
A post shared by Suzette (@suzette008) on Aug 7, 2017 at 2:22pm PDT
Explore sprawling gardens on the garden’s monthly free day. Check out the calendar here.
Altadena
This replica will make you feel like you’re in Europe.
Montecito Heights
Yes, there’s a real winery in the middle of Los Angeles. Tours available Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m., and weekends from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., just call ahead.
Lancaster
8,500 square feet of exhibits, with free tours offered once a month.
Various library locations
Movies screen for free at L.A. Public Libraries. Check out their schedule online.
Glendale
A post shared by Devon B. (@jaydotbyers) on Mar 20, 2017 at 1:43am PDT
The museum hosts free exhibits about history, culture, and religion on a regular basis.
Sylmar
Browse old-fashioned cars for free Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Arcadia
Take a tram ride at Santa Anita and see the grounds where a horse racing legend once stomped, with tours departing Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.
Holmby Hills
Originally built for Walt Disney himself, this barn now showcases his love for trains and railroads. It’s open on the third Sunday of every month from 11 am to 3 p.m.
Burbank
See a classic car show every Friday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Hollywood
A post shared by School Night (@itsaschoolnight) on Oct 12, 2017 at 12:08pm PDT
KCRW DJ Chris Douridas hosts this weekly series of intimate live performances by artists on the cusp.
Pasadena
Tour the gorgeous mansion on Thursdays at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. from February to August.
Echo Park
Stop by Echo Park’s iconic music venue on Monday nights and you’ll be treated to free shows by bands that probably won’t be playing such small rooms for much longer. Alums of the residency program include Local Natives, Foster the People, Girlpool, and The Buttertones.
Playa del Rey
Learn about water treatment and sustainability, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with tours by appointment.
Boyle Heights
Various events throughout the year feature local musicians.
Downtown
A post shared by @twotwomi on Nov 7, 2016 at 10:27pm PST
Admire 19th century architecture and see a glimpse of L.A. history from Monday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are available by appointment.
Chinatown
Explore Italian-American life in L.A., open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Buena Park
Dine and enjoy a medieval show for free on your birthday! Note: if you bring friends, they’ll have to pay for themselves.
Studios around the city
See what goes on behind the scenes and be part of a live studio audience for one of the many shows filming in L.A. Check the schedule to pick a show and reserve tickets.
Irvine
See the basketball team in action. Check the season’s schedule to get to the next practice.
Irvine
A post shared by LA Rams Fans (@laramsfans) on Jun 17, 2016 at 11:10am PDT
These camps tend to be fan-friendly with chances to say hello and get autographs from players.
Departs from San Pedro, Long Beach, and Dana Point
As long as the birthday person signs up online, their ride is free—provided that you purchase a second ticket.
San Pedro
Free admission, and best of all, free parking, to a market featuring local artisans. Open Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Beverly Hills
Explore the grounds of this history city-owned estate, the park is open to the public daily.
Griffith Park
Visit this awesome Western museum on the second Tuesday of any month for free admission. They’ve got horses, cowboys, and Native American artifacts—including a saddle you can hop on. Bonus: Have a county library card? Try this.
Downtown
A post shared by VISUALS ARE LYRICAL (@what_the.jeffpg) on Jan 14, 2017 at 12:23pm PST
Have you been searching for that giant rope swing overlooking the city? Prayers, answered. This 600-acre park is a must-see.
Downtown
Free parking? Yep. Outdoor outlets to charge your devices? You bet. Stunning view of downtown? Only the best.
Griffith Park
It officially closed in 1966, but that hasn’t stopped visitors. Abandoned cages now make awesome picnic spots, and there are even benches and grills. Take the trail to see views of the lion’s den and don’t forget to check out Haunted Table 29.
Malibu
Here’s another awesome secret spot. From the base of the trail, head south down the beach until you find a rocky outcropping blocking your path. Low to the ground, there’s a passage through the rock that’s relatively easy to squeeze through—if you get on your hands and knees. TRUST US, it’s worth the view from inside your own private alcove. Pro tip: bring a picnic basket and spend the day in this mini oasis. On weekdays, the beach itself is practically deserted.
Pacific Palisades
No need to stamp your passport to see a game of polo. Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades holds weekly matches. Don’t forget a blanket (you’ll be sitting on the grass).
Pasadena
A post shared by Avo Jansen 🇦🇲🇱🇧 (@jansenavo) on Aug 8, 2017 at 10:29am PDT
There’s a waterfall at the end of this hike, and it is stunning. The trail is nearly four miles long, so plan out about two hours for your trip.
All over L.A.
All you have to do is sign-up online with any active Facebook account to unlock hundreds of current and former celeb addresses.
Bel Air
Have a library card? Check out this trick to get into Skirball (and other L.A. museums) for free!
Downtown
Not many know about this one. Head up to the 27th floor, find the staircase to the observation deck, and you won’t be disappointed.
94. Picnic at Augustus F. Hawkins Natural Park
Compton
Looking for a beautiful garden space to sprawl out for a picnic? This park boasts pecan and avocado trees, a cactus garden, wetlands, and a citrus orchard. If you’re looking for a hidden picnic table, there’s one of those, too. To find it, continue north on the walking path past the amphitheater and you’ll find it.
Palos Verdes
A post shared by Chezy (@hungrychez) on Mar 7, 2017 at 6:34pm PST
There’s a spot at the Point Vincente Interpretive Center (it’s right by the lighthouse), and it might just be the best whale watching spot in the city. Bring your own binoculars and have yourself a day.
96. See Santa Monica via Camera Obscura
Santa Monica
You’ll find this one on our Insider’s Guide to the 100 Hidden Gems of L.A. list: Just ask for the key to the camera at the art lab office, then hike up the stairs to a dark, empty room on the second floor. Rudimentary camera technology projects a view of the beach onto a white disk in the center of the room.
97. Volunteer at TreePeople
Multiple Locations
Spend your free time making a difference. TreePeople has an events calendar of volunteer opportunities. Just be sure to register online.
Palos Verdes
This may not be an easy trail, but it’s definitely incredible. Hike down to the shoreline to see what remains of the Dominator ship (it was stranded back in 1961). Note: wear appropriate footwear, it’s a rocky path!!
Fullerton
This historic house is a large Spanish Colonial Revival style mansion built in 1924. Use your library card for free admission. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Culver City
A post shared by Discover Los Angeles (@discoverla) on Jan 15, 2017 at 12:35pm PST
Climb one of L.A.’s greatest staircases for a stunning view of the L.A. skyline.
RELATED: L.A. Museums Are Going to Be Free for Just One Day
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Former Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who now leads the Bills, has never been one for impulse control.
He says what's on his mind. Always has. Probably always will. And, of course, there was the whole business with Ryan getting a Mark Sanchez tattoo, and then having the colors altered once he took the Bills job.
PLUS: Calvin Pryor says Jets' secondary 'can be a dominant group' in 2015
Now, Ryan is going to jump out of an airplane. Seriously.
Here are the details from The Buffalo News' Aaron Besecker:
This weekend's "Thunder of Niagara" air show will feature plenty of jets - and one former Jet. The Air Force Thunderbirds will scream across the Niagara County skies during the two-day event at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.
Fighter jets and stunt planes will cruise over tens of thousands in the crowd. And Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan, the former coach of the New York Jets, will leap with the Army's Golden Knight parachute team on Friday, during the VIP-day lead-up for the event. Ryan will participate in a tandem jump with the team.
No word on whether Ryan has ever gone skydiving before. But it seems like he'll be in pretty capable hands, with the Army parachute team.
Maybe Ryan will even take the Army guys for a spin in his absurdly designed Bills-themed pickup truck as a thank-you gesture.
Darryl Slater may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook. |
We know some of you Toshiba Thrive owners were a bit bummed when the manufacturer announced that the Android 4.0 update for your tablet would be delayed. Well it seems that whatever was causing the delay has been resolved and there are now reports of the Android 4.0 ICS rolling out to Thrive owners earlier than expected. This was announced by a Toshiba rep on the Thrive forums and several improvements that users can expect from the Android 4.0.4 update includes improved video and audio performance, improved camera functions, improved signal strength and connectivity just to name a few. The update should be rolling out but if you haven’t received the notification to update, you can try to pull it manually by accessing the “Service Station” app on your tablet and check for updates. In the meantime if you’re a Thrive owner who has already updated their device, let us know in the comments below on how it is treating you!
[Image credit – Mokul Modi]
Filed in . Read more about Android, Thrive and Toshiba. |
Greenwood police are searching for jewel thieves who broke into a store in the middle of the night.
The break-in happened last week at the Alternative Creations jewelry store, and while some of the items can be replaced, much of the missing inventory is either custom-made or customer's family heirlooms.
Owner Michael Dyson said the thieves came in through the roof, like something out of a Hollywood movie.
"They cut through a steel corrugated roof, and it was an opening about that wide and that long," Dyson said.
From there, police believe four men took part in disabling the alarm system.
"Cut the video wires and the alarm system, went back up through the roof, waited a couple of hours then re-entered the business," said Greenwood Police Officer Courtney Burrello.
Dyson said the thieves all but cleaned him out -- $200,000-$300,000 worth of inventory was stolen.
"I'm really mad that … my customers, I got nothing to say to them as far as I don't have any answers," Dyson said.
One of the only things thieves left behind is the DVR that stores surveillance recordings. Police said they can see the four men were wearing masks. They plan to release those images to the public Wednesday. |
Story highlights Sessions said Trump's tweets about him were "hurtful"
The attorney general said he believes Trump remains committed to making the country "great again"
Washington (CNN) Attorney General Jeff Sessions says that President Donald Trump's critical tweets about him were "kind of hurtful," but insists he "made the right decision" in recusing himself from investigations related to the 2016 campaign.
"I understand his feelings about it," Sessions told Fox News' Tucker Carlson on Thursday of Trump, who recently said he is "disappointed" in the Justice Department head. "Because this has been a big distraction for him. But ... I'm confident I made the right decision, a decision that's consistent with the rule of law."
Why am I in El Salvador w/ #Sessions? Tune in at 8PM ET for the answer to that & the latest on his relationship w/ #Trump @FoxNews #Tucker pic.twitter.com/l8f1wB1kdL — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 27, 2017
Sessions said that the flurry of tweets Trump has sent off criticizing him were not the easiest to swallow, but he still defended his boss's leadership style.
"Well it's kind of hurtful, but the President of the United States is a strong leader," Sessions said, adding that he believes Trump remains committed to making the country "great again."
"He is determined to move this country in the direction he believes it needs to go to make us great again, and he has had a lot of criticisms -- and he is steadfastly determined to get his job done and he wants all of us to do our jobs and that's what I intend to do," Sessions said.
Read More |
In the 1978 book I wrote with Jerome Clark, Creatures of the Outer Edge, I first documented my 1977 investigations of the Dover Demon. During my initial fieldwork, I coined the file name, “Dover Demon,” which found a life of its own. Importantly, I got to the case to examine all the eyewitness details before the media did.
Now, almost 40 years later, searching the archives, retired Boston Museum of Science Planetarium assistant director Walt Webb forwarded a scan of an original article from 1977. The news item contains mention of a part of the Dover Demon episode I have never re-told – the weird Men in Black incident that happened in the wake of the Dover Demon sightings.
Here is how these encounters were captured in two cooperating newspapers at the time: The Daily Transcript, August 30, 1977 and The Needham Chronicle, August 31, 1977.
The article was “That ‘Demon’ in Dover was Real to UFO author in Needham” by Joan Wright. (Of course, I never saw myself as a “UFO author,” but I gave up having any control over headline writers long ago.)
The specific section under focus noted:
It could be coincidence, but Coleman implies it’s more. He reported that two months to the day of the first sighting, two ‘men in black’ appeared at the Dover House, (similar in philosophy to the Walker House) looking for Coleman. A woman at the school gave the men Coleman’s address but they never contacted him. However, the men told the woman not to tell anyone about the Dover Demon. Wearing black leather jackets and white motorcycle helmets, the men, according to the woman, stood perfectly erect with their arms by their sides and spoke in a monotone. They identified themselves as investigators from the National Geographic. Coleman spoke to a friend in Ohio who, in what appears to be another coincidence, experienced the same thing. The man said that three years ago, after a sighting in Ohio, two men fitting the same description, talking the same way, and also identifying themselves as being from National Geographic, demanded of some witnesses that they not say a word about what they saw.
Footnote: “Dover House” was a group home in Dover, for emotionally disturbed boys, serving as a residential branch of the treatment center, the Walker School for Boys, in nearby Needham, Massachusetts. In 1977-1978, I was Walker School’s overnight program director and a social work masters graduate therapy intern there.
In terms of this Dover Demon Men in Black case, perhaps these individuals were nothing more than X-Files fans who went overboard, a bit, in trying to track me down. Still, the “National Geographic” cover story is a weird one.
Various Fortean friends of mine – the late John A. Keel, the late Jim Keith, Jerome Clark, Timothy Green Beckley, Kenn Thomas, and most recently Nick Redfern – have written extensively about Men and Women in Black. I refer you to their work on the topic for more insights on that subject.
Extraordinary Encounters by Jerome Clark (2000)
The Unidentified and Creatures of the Outer Edge by Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman (2006)
Operation Trojan Horse by John A. Keel (2013)
Mystery of the Men in Black: The UFO Silencers by Timothy Green Beckley and John A. Keel 9u8(2012)
Men in Black: Personal Stories and Eerie Adventures by Nick Redfern (2015)
The Real Men in Black by Nick Redfern (2011)
Women in Black by Nick Redfern (2016)
Visit the Dover Demon exhibit at the International Cryptozoology Museum. |
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