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Double DTM champion Mattias Ekström is set for a busy weekend when he heads to Hockenheim in May, combining both DTM and FIA World Rallycross Championship driving duties together in the same weekend.
World Rallycross joined DTM at Hockenheim last season in a move that was highly popular with fans but EKS RX brought in Edward Sandström to take drive while Ekström concentrated on his DTM role.
The announcement that Ekström will be driving in both championships is a clear sign of his commitment to World Rallycross and also how focuses he is for the season ahead as he looks to topple Petter Solberg from the top for the World Rallycross tree.
“Being able to race in the DTM and in rallycross at Hockenheim is like Christmas and Easter combined on a single day for me,” says the 2004 and 2007 DTM Champion.
“I’m very thankful to Audi for this unique opportunity. Following the final pre-season tests in my Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM at Hockenheim, I’m all fired up for the first two DTM races of the new season. We have good chances of repeating last year’s victories. That I’ll be able to additionally compete with world stars like Ken Block, Petter Solberg and Sébastien Loeb at the wheel of my S1 EKS RX quattro in front of thousands of Audi fans at the Motodrom is fantastic.”
While Ekström is hopeful of reaching the World Rallycross final race he is realistic, “On Friday and Saturday, I’ll definitely be on the grid. On Sunday, the time between the DTM qualifying session and the final rallycross races is pretty short. But, I’d have to qualify for the RX finals to begin with.” |
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
It is time for Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua to hang up his gloves, but I can almost guarantee you that he won't. It's going to get a lot sadder and a lot uglier before it's over.
Last night, the former UFC light heavyweight champion and PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix winner was dropped and finished within a minute by late replacement, Ovince St. Preux. OSP was a horrible match up for Shogun when he stepped in for Jimi Manuwa because even at Shogun's best he struggled to stop takedowns from the better wrestlers of his division. The thinking was that Shogun was getting taken down and laid on. OSP didn't get a chance to do that though, as Rua went down on the first good punch of the fight.
Face first, no thought for defense.
I'm going to let you in on a secret: I stopped writing previews for Shogun's fights a while back, because frankly he hasn't had a good showing since before I began writing. I'll write a feature on his most memorable fights or the techniques he used at his best and I'll hope no-one notices. It gets old writing “he's still leading with his face and swinging wild” and it was certainly getting boring being told I was wrong when he occasionally picked up a win by way of his opponents' standing perfectly still for him. Last night, Rua was the same he has always been, plodding forwards swinging hooks. Occasionally kicking, without set up or follow up.
The three best striking performances of Shogun's life—against Lyoto Machida (x2) and Chuck Liddell—stand in stark contrast to the rest of his career. Against Liddell he timed his kicks beautifully, stayed over his hips and feet, and moved his head following his punches.
Not conventional boxing, but an overhand into a weave, covers up and continues moving his head, and even sneaks in a winding body kick to break Liddell's flurry. There's no-one arguing that this isn't beautiful, thoughtful, technical striking.
Against Machida, he forced Machida to retreat and chopped out The Dragon's legs repeatedly. His performances against both men were sublime and it seemed to be largely because Shogun wasn't so concerned with getting either man out of there with one punch. In fact, Shogun looked as different in those fights as his old rival, Forrest Griffin looked in only his bouts with Rua and Quinton Jackson. Sometimes the stars align, and a good fighter with great attributes uses great technique. Those are the near perfect performances a fight fan lives for.
Rua, like so many other MMA fighters as they get older, became fixated on his hands. Wanderlei Silva was exactly the same—he'd made a career out of swarming on opponents with an unpolished but multi-dimensional striking style and his use of the double collar tie—but he became obsessed with knocking everyone out with punches, and he just couldn't do it. It wasn't a lack of power, it was a lack of skill in actually landing those haymakers.
And it isn't just MMA fighters either. So many hard punching boxers became almost caricatures of themselves. Prince Naseem, Roy Jones, Mike Tyson, George Foreman after he lost his title the first time. It becomes all about that punching power and not the boxing which made it land. Even Sugar Ray Robinson wrote candidly in his autobiography that the moment he became fixated on knocking people out was the moment he started struggling to do much of anything in his fights.
And that is the same way Shogun been for quite some time. His punches are not hidden, there are no set ups, he throws them and he hopes the other guy stands there and eats them. As far as his punching goes, when he's not leading with the overhand, Shogun's craftiest technique is his shifting left hook.
But when it works well, it has been because he's been throwing kicks, jabs and all sorts of other stuff to keep the opponent guessing. Chuck Liddell thought he was throwing a left hook counter to a right low kick and hit the deck like a burlap sack full of soup. But if Shogun isn't showing that variety, and he doesn't move his head, and he stands in front of his opponent for several moments before running in, he's more than likely to just run himself onto punches.
It's that always coming in on a straight line, and never deviating. Never feinting or faking. Never offering anything that might dissuade an opponent from simply breaking off and circling away, or countering. And that's exactly what Ovince St. Preux did, and he managed to deck Shogun on the first attempt.
Outpointing Machida on the outside with low kicks gave Machida an incentive to step in and fight. But not a single one of Shogun's opponents since he lost the title has been given any reason to step in and fight him. A couple of them were silly enough to, but he's certainly doing nothing to make them.
I've already prattled on too long about this, but it has become obvious that Shogun can be easily out manoeuvred in his bouts. There are still some light heavyweights who haven't got the memo about his punching power, and will stand and trade with him, but their number grows smaller by the day. What we're looking at now is a Keith Jardine era Wanderlei Silva. He'll get the occasional knockout, and it'll probably be spectacular, but it will rely on the other guy fighting to just about the worst gameplan possible.
The rest of the card wasn't much less awful than the main event. Warlley Alves stormed out of the gate against Alan Jouban, gassed hard, then did nothing for much of the fight and picked up a shameful hometown decision, and Caio Magalhes stopped his second fight by illegal hammerfists to the back of the head, and the referee didn't bat an eyelid.
Just amazing... Here's the first one.
The sole ray of sunshine on this dismal night of fights came in the form of Thomas Almeida. I've never seen Almeida fight before, but he looked brilliant against Tim Gorman. Gorman came out fast and looked to take Almeida down. Almeida used the threat of a ninja choke to fend Gorman off to begin with, something we're seeing more and more in the UFC, Martin Kampmann used it well against Carlos Condit.
But I really enjoyed was the fluidity of Almeida's striking. He doesn't jab a whole lot but he'll slip and throw the right hook, hoping for a cross counter, and immediately follow with three or four punches, a couple to the midsection and a high knee with his lead leg. Everything but the kitchen sink was being thrown and most of it was landing. Almeida was a favorite going in, but it is always great to watch a fighter work so fluidly and with such variety.
UFC Fight Night 56 was nothingon Friday's Fight Night 55—which was one of the best events of the year—but that's the way the fight world goes, you never know what you're going to get.
Check out these related stories:
Luke Rockhold Tops the UFC's Night of 11 Finishes
Becoming Shogun: Coming of Age in Japan |
Editors' Note: For coverage of the January 2015 snowstorm, follow our live blog here. This article is about a storm from March 2014.
The storm that weather forecasters have been highlighting for days is now in the early stages of its transformation from a seemingly ordinary low pressure center, stirring up light rain and snow, to a fierce beast of a storm capable of sinking ships, stirring up hurricane force winds, and flooding coastal locations with a storm surge.
Fortunately for the U.S., unless the storm makes an unexpected turn, it appears that it will hit America's northern neighbor with far more fury than any part of the East Coast. This should come as a relief to residents of the Jersey Shore, who took the brunt of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, as well as winter-weary residents of Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
The storm is in the process of consolidating its energy from several different areas of low pressure and atmospheric spin into one dominant, rapidly intensifying low pressure center. It will draw strength from the unusually sharp temperature differences between air masses along the East Coast as well as steep sea surface temperature gradients off the East Coast. These temperature differences will allow the storm to intensify at a nearly unheard of rate as it clips the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states with wind-whipped light to moderate snow on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Fortunately, it is unlikely to produce heavy snowfall in the big cities of New York and Boston. Instead, most forecasts confine the biggest impacts — including hurricane force wind gusts and blizzard conditions — to Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, and extreme northeastern Maine. Instead of being directed at the U.S., the storm's full fury will be reserved for the Canadian Maritimes, including Halifax, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Computer Model Projection from Canada's GEM model, showing a strong storm over the Canadian Martimes on Wednesday. Colors show wind speed in lower atmosphere. Image: Weatherbell.com
In a sign of the stakes for eastern Canada, The Weather Channel even sent Mike Seidel, one of its most prominent storm-chasing meteorologists, to Halifax to cover the storm. While the station has sent forecasters abroad to cover hurricanes, this is a rare instance in which they have deployed an expert abroad for a snowstorm.
Blizzard & Storm Surge Warnings up for Halifax. 12"+ & gusts to 70 MPH on Wed. We're live from Nova Scotia
http://t.co/L5AivdZYyq
@kalinCBC — Mike Seidel (@mikeseidel) March 25, 2014
In Canada, the storm is expected to be more intense than the February 2004 "White Juan" storm, which dropped two to three feet of snow in Halifax, bringing the city of nearly 400,000 people to a standstill. That storm brought 12 straight hours in which snow fell at a rate of at least two inches per hour, according to Environment Canada. This storm will pack a bigger punch than that event in terms of wind and high waves, but it will be moving relatively quickly, which will limit snow totals to closer to two feet in most areas.
This storm poses a dire threat to mariners unlucky enough to be caught in its circulation, since it will pack winds exceeding 85 miles per hour, and waves that could top 45 feet in height. The National Weather Service has highlighted this threat in its forecasts, and has warned Cape Cod residents that they too could see wind gusts to hurricane force, or 74 miles per hour, or greater.
Latest 12z NAM highlights 1-2 kft agl N wind across the E-half of the Cape, ACK, & E-waters of 85 mph @ Wed morn into afternoon. — NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) March 25, 2014
According to the Weather Network, a Canadian weather outlet, this storm will be a dangerous event. "Residents of the Maritimes are used to big storms — it’s something we wear as a badge of honor," Weather Network chief meteorologist Chris Scott wrote on the station's website. "But there are some storms which are memorable, and this Wednesday’s blockbuster could be in the category."
"We’re absolutely confident that Wednesday’s storm will be a big one for the Maritimes and Newfoundland. However, White Juan wasn’t just a big one — it dumped unbelievable, titanic amounts of snow approaching 100 cm [3.3 feet] that brought the winter hardened city of Halifax to a complete stop for days. The upcoming storm has a very similar track and overall pattern to White Juan. However, Wednesday’s storm is strengthening sooner and will be moving more quickly," Scott wrote.
Environment Canada, which is Canada's equivalent to the U.S. National Weather Service, is also warning of potentially serious storm surge-related coastal flooding as the storm approaches and passes just southeast of Halifax on Wednesday afternoon. By that point, the storm may have a minimum central air pressure as low as a typical Category Two or Three hurricane. |
Jewish people know how to party.
Especially on Purim when we are told straight up to eat, drink and be merry.
Just look at Israel where the streets are alive with revelry, with parades, with dancing and singing… and costumes… Ohhhh the costumes. It’s like the whole entire country becomes The Castro on Halloween.
And there’s a reason why we tear it up on Purim: We are celebrating the fact that long ago in Shushan, Persia, the wicked Haman wanted to annihilate the Jewish people, and through the bravery and creativity of the secretly-Jewish Queen Esther, we were saved. (The story is way more complicated than that, but that’s kind of it in a nutshell)
Back in the day — (i.e., in the ’80’s when I was a kid) it was customary for kids to dress up as one of the characters in the story of Purim. But now, especially in Israel, anything goes.
So here goes:
Send me your Purim pics, and I’ll add them: [email protected] |
From LAN parties to MLG, the history of competitive gaming has been a fascinating one. Following up on similarly themed episodes, like the one back in October that explored the indie gaming community, PBS's Off Book is tackling the world of competition, cramming as much info as it can into a seven and a half minute piece, including the move from entertainment into an industry, including the growing pains associated with its push into the pop-culture. It's an interesting look, with plenty of input from MIT sociologist T.L. Taylor. And it offers up a good glimpse for those of us who don't possess the chops to get handed one of of those giant novelty checks in front of a room full of excited spectators. Live vicariously through the video after the break. |
Sheriff Joe Arpaio has sent letters to current and former attorneys in the Maricopa County Attorney's Office warning them to watch their words if they speak to investigators looking into possible unethical conduct by former County Attorney Andrew Thomas.
The letter threatens the attorneys with criminal charges if they reveal "confidential" information about the sheriff's inquiries into county Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox and Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe.
Interim County Attorney Rick Romley responded with a letter of his own warning Arpaio that he was overstepping the authority of his office.
In late March, Arizona Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch appointed a Colorado attorney to conduct the investigation. John Gleason, who handles such inquests for the Colorado Supreme Court, has been in Phoenix in recent weeks to work on the case. Gleason could not comment because of his own ethical obligations.
On May 3, Arpaio mailed letters to current and former county attorney staffers, saying, "This letter is intended to advise you that I do not consent to you revealing any information provided to you by my office, regardless of any personal incentive to breach the attorney-client privilege."
At the end of the letter, he wrote, "Be advised that should you disclose any information that could harm any pending criminal investigations, I will consider charging you with violations of applicable statutes."
Phil MacDonnell, Thomas' former chief deputy, received one of the letters. "It gave me pause," MacDonnell said.
However, Romley fired off a letter to Arpaio citing case law and informing him that the relationship between the two offices is not attorney and client but law enforcement and prosecutor. Citing case law, Romley said that the County Attorney's Office "does not render legal services to the investigators."
As for the threat to file criminal charges against anyone who testifies to the Bar, Romley wrote, "This threat is not only inappropriate but is a clear abuse of your authority as sheriff of Maricopa County. Thereby, I shall be forwarding your letter" to the U.S. District Attorney's Office.
Republic reporter JJ Hensley contributed to this article. |
“Mr. Robot”
June 26, 2015
Valli Herman
Now that the USA network gave its new cyber drama, “Mr. Robot,” a second season–days ahead of its premiere, Christian Slater might want to get used to his character’s eclectic look, a mix of patterns and eras.
With Rami Malek as Elliot, a young programmer, Slater co-stars as the leader of a secret hacker community where he’s known as Mr. Robot. Though Malek wears the tech world uniform of jeans and a nondescript hoodie, the pilot’s Costume Designer, Mairi Chisholm, established Slater’s character with more theatricality.
“In the pilot, he’s described as a homeless man. We didn’t want to go too overboard with that. We did specifically choose the type of jacket he’s wearing,” said Chisholm, who sourced it from Universal’s stock. “It’s an ‘80s computer repairman jacket. It has a patch on there that says, Mr. Robot–Service with a Smile. He takes on that name as his identity…in the hacking world.”
The jacket was nicely aged, “with holes in all the right places,” and a red lining that, “gives you a subliminal feeling, like, is this a guy you want to trust?”
Though the jacket aligns with the series’ aesthetic nod to ‘80s Atari games and synthesized music, Chisholm was wary of going overboard with the retro-tech look. He also wears a ‘50s thrift shop cardigan.
“We wanted to show that he’s an odd guy making odd choices with this odd piece,” Chisholm said.
Accessories also add to Mr. Robot’s layered persona. In the pilot, he wears two scarves, a gray, cable knit and a blue windowpane, along with fingerless gloves, aviator sunglasses and, a personal contribution from Slater, a weathered beige baseball cap.
“It was really good because it had this texture on it,” said Chisholm, who removed the sewn-on patches and kept the stitch marks.
The artfully jumbled ensemble says something about the character: “He’s not a conformer. He’s about not letting ‘the man’ win. He’s like Robin hood for the people,” she said.
Costume Designer Kim Wilcox continued on the series after the pilot was picked up.
“Mr. Robot” airs Wednesdays on USA at 10 p.m. / 9 Central |
Acrosser’s latest rugged vehicle-PC runs Linux on a 5th Gen Intel Core Broadwell-U processor, offering sufficient power to run multiple, simultaneous apps.
The Acrosser “AVI-QM97V1FL” vehicle-PC is aimed at systems integration projects like telematics, data recording and fleet and logistics management. A pair of DDR3-1333/1600 SO-DIMM sockets hold up to 16GB of non-ECC RAM. Supported 14nm 5th Gen Intel Core Broadwell-U processor models range from the Core i3 5010U, up through the Core i5 5350U, to the Core i7 5650U at the upper end.
Acrosser AVI-QM97V1FL vehicle-PC, front (upper) and rear views
(click image to enlarge)
Two types of storage are supported on the AVI-QM97V1FL: SATA III 2.5-inch SSDs, and an M.2 SSD. The dual SSD setup lets you split storage for different jobs, like using the 2.5-inch drive for database management while reserving the M.2 SSD for the system’s OS and control software. The 2.5-inch SSD bay is externally swappable and offers anti-vibration and shock features.
A single mini-PCIe socket can be equipped with communication options, such as a Sierra 7355 4G LTE and GPS module or a Sparklan 251N(BT) WiFi and Bluetooth module. An externally accessible SIM slot, for use with the cellular module, allows changing of the cellular configuration card without opening the case.
AVI-QM97V1FL front (upper) and rear details
(click image to enlarge)
The AVI-QM97V1FL offers one HDMI and one DVI port for video output. Other interfaces include four USB 3.0 ports, two RS232 ports, and one RS422/RS485 port, all on DB9 connectors. There are also two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, plus a CAN bus that supports both 2.0A and 2.0B protocols. A GPIO (4 in, 4 out) interface is accessible via a front panel-mounted DB15 connector.
Power to the AVI-QM97V1FL can range from 9 to 30 volts using a 3-pole terminal block. System management software implements smart boot/shutdown and low battery monitoring processes that help protect against operating system crashes, and Driver ID security is supported by an i-Button capability. The device operates at temperatures of between 0 and 60° C, and is rated to IEC-60068 levels of shock and vibration resistance. The case measures 290 x 190 x 45mm and weighs 4Kg.
Acrosser supports the AVI-QM97V1FL with Fedora 21 and Ubuntu 15.04, as well as Windows 7 and 8.
Specifications for the AVI-QM97V1FL include:
Processor: Core i3 5010U — 2x cores @ 2.2GHz; Intel HD Graphics 5500 Core i5 5350U — 2x cores @ 1.8GHz / 2.9GHz turbo; Intel HD Graphics 6000 Core i7 5650U — 2x cores @ 2.2GHz / 3.1GHz turbo; Intel HD Graphics 6000
Memory — Up to 16 GB of DDR3-1333/1600 RAM via 2x SODIMMs
Storage: 2x SATA III ports w/ power connectors, 1x swappable 2.5 inch anti-shock/vibration SSD bay 1x M.2 SSD
Display: HDMI type A connector DVI-D connector
Wireless: SIM card slot (external) Antenna connectors for optional mini-PCIe based WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 4G LTE
Networking — 2x gigabit Ethernet ports
Other I/O: 4x USB 3.0 ports 2x JST pin headers 2x RS232 ports 1x RS422/RS485 ports (GPIO selectable) 1x CAN bus 2.0A/2.0B interface Audio line-out, mic-in
Expansion — 1x mini-PCIe socket; includes externally accessible SIM slot
Other features — watchdog timer, H/W monitoring, LEDs, i-Button
Power: Input — 9 to 32V DC (+/-5%) 3 pole terminal block Smart boot/shut-down anti-crash control by power subsystem System boot/shutdown delay (up to 1 hour) Power on/off via remote cable switch or serial connection to battery and ingition switch Low battery voltage monitoring and configurable shutdown
Operating temperature — 0 to 60°C
Ruggedization: Anti-vibration — 5 to 500 Hz, 3GRMS(CF/SSD), when operating with SSD (IEC 60068-2-64) Anti-shock — 50G 500m/s2 11MS, when operating with SSD (IEC 60068-2-27)
Weight — 4 Kg
Dimensions — 290mm x 190mm x 45 mm
Operating systems — Fedora 21, Ubuntu 15.04, Windows 7, Windows 8.1
Further Information:
The AIV-QM97V1FL vehicle-PC appears to be shipping now, at an unstated price. More details may be found at the company’s AIV-QM97V1FL product page. |
The dangers of Illinois as a ‘right to work’ state
Gov. Rauner has asked state and local lawmakers to consider adopting union-free business zones. So let’s imagine Illinois as a “right to work” state.
First a clarification. The phrase “right to work” is a misnomer that has little to do with the right of a person to seek and accept gainful employment. Anti-union proponents use “right to work” to refer to an option under federal labor law that allows workers employed by a unionized employer to receive the full benefits of a labor contract without paying for any of the cost to gain those benefits. In fact, no employee anywhere in the country has to join a union and no employer has to sign a labor agreement.
In Illinois, nearly 900,000 workers employed by thousands of union employers are covered by labor-management agreements, which shape the middle class standards that prevail in the state. If, however, Illinois adopted rules that allowed workers to forsake their obligations toward the common good, not only would it violate the fairness principle, but also the capacity to protect the quality of life for all workers would be damaged. Union bargained contracts unquestionably provide workers with higher incomes, more and better benefits and a stronger “voice” in the workplace. However, when workers are encouraged to accept the higher standards of living that flow from unionized workplaces, while also opting out of making any financial contributions to the contracts that protect them, then the capacity of unions to lift up all workers will be compromised.
The results of “right to work” in Illinois for working men and women would be punitive. According to a 2013 University of Illinois study that I co-authored, workers would suffer a substantial income loss from 5.7 percent to 7.3 percent. More damaging to middle class standards, workers would experience the equivalent of a decade-long wage freeze. Additionally, fewer workers would have health insurance and retirement savings. As if this was not bad enough, the losses would be particularly harsh on women and people of color. Overall, in less than a decade, annual total labor income in Illinois would drop by between $35 billion and $40 billion, and the poverty rate would increase by at least 1 percent. That would not only be terrible for the newly poor, but it would be a burden on every citizen of the state, as Illinois would lose $1.5 billion in annual state income tax revenues. If Illinois had been “right to work” in 2013, government assistance from the Earned Income Tax Credit would have been $307.1 million higher, further straining the public budget.
There is no doubt that if Illinois were to become a “right to work” state, the ability of work to lift people into the middle class and provide a ladder to prosperity would be severely handicapped. A lot of workers would be left struggling to hold on to middle class respectability, but not many, if any more people employed, because fraudulent “right to work” laws have no discernible long-term impact on employment growth. In the end, with “right to work” in Illinois, the unilateral authority of employers to determine how men and women should labor for their daily bread would replace workplace democracy. Hard to imagine that kind of Illinois.
Robert Bruno is a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois. |
The WSJ reports that China has opened an antitrust investigation into the acquisition of Uber China by local rival Didi Chuxing. The deal went ahead a few months after Apple invested $1B in Didi Chuxing.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said Friday it has opened an investigation into Didi Chuxing Technology Co.’s acquisition of Uber Technologies Inc.’s China business, after it received questions over whether the ride-hailing deal complied with the nation’s antitrust law.
The Chinese government has requested details of the deal, together with an explanation for why Didi Chuxing failed to apply for an antitrust review before proceeding. The company had earlier said that it did not believe Uber China’s revenue was high enough to require this.
Apple said at the time of its investment that it was for strategic as well as investment reasons. It has been speculated that Apple’s car project may be geared towards autonomous ride-hailing services. |
When a relief plane for the Physicians without Borders isn’t allowed to land by US military authorities at the airport in Port-au-Prince, there is an outcry.
But Israeli military authorities will not allow any relief planes at all to land in the Gaza Strip (the Israelis destroyed Gaza’s airport in 2001).
We cheer when a Haitian child is rescued from the rubble, but ignore the thousands of Gazan children who are suffering malnutrition and being buried by Israeli policy, a policy that is a war crime. I am of course not the only to be struck by this contrast: see also Phil Weiss and others quoted at his essential site.
On Wednesday, 80 international aid groups called upon Israel to change its policy of blockading civilians in Gaza, because it is having severe negative effects on the health of Gazans.
Admittedly, the situation in Gaza is not as dire as that in Haiti. But it is very, very bad, and it is man-made. The Israeli government imposed a blockade on the Gaza strip in 2007 and has maintained it ever since. It limits the import of fuel and staples, and punishes the whole population. Since half of the 1.5 million Gazans are children, the Israeli siege of the little territory is among the more massive ongoing cases of child abuse in the world. There is a virtual news blackout on this atrocity in the US mass media, and attempts of two sets of activists to get humanitarian aid to Gaza in recent weeks were largely ignored by them.
Nor is the Gaza blockade a mere preoccupation of utopian human rights activists. It has become an element of regional geo-politics. It is part of the reason for significant tensions between Israel and one of its few allies in the Middle East, Turkey. As Turkey has democratized and Muslim sentiments have become more important in its politics, and as it has increasingly emerged as a new Middle Eastern power (some speak of neo-Ottomanism), its concern with issues such as Gaza has become more central. The horrible condition of the Gazans is often the lead story on Arab satellite news channels such as Aljazeera, and public anger about it (expressed as much toward the US and the Egyptian regime as toward Israel) is at a boiling point. That anger feeds into terrorism against the West. The Gaza blockade is isolating Israel and fuelling a widespread boycott movement in Europe, Canada and South Africa. And, of course, the blockade makes even the virulently anti-Shiite Sunni fundamentalists of Hamas willing to take aid from Iran, bestowing a toehold in the Levant on Tehran. The French statesman Talleyrand once observed of Napoleon I’s murder of the Duc d’Enghien that “It is worse than a crime; it is a blunder.” The same could be said of the Gaza blockade from the point of view of any realistic Israeli and US foreign policy.
Last year UNICEF found that about one in ten children in Gaza is severely malnourished, to the point of stunting. The Israeli blockade is deeply implicated in this semi-starvation of tens of thousands of children, as is the Gaza War launched by Israel a little over a year ago, which wrecked nearly one-fifth of farms and deeply hurt agriculture in general. Gaza once flourished agriculturally, but it was cut off by Israel from its natural markets in the Levant, and the US and Egypt have been induced to support the blockade.
The World Health Organization fact sheet on Gaza’s plight, issued yesterday, reads like a post-apocalyptic Hollywood film. WHO says:
‘ The closure of Gaza since mid-2007 and the last Israeli military strike between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009 have led to on-going deterioration in the social, economic and environmental determinants of health. Many specialized treatments, for example for complex heart surgery and certain types of cancer, are not available in Gaza and patients are therefore referred for treatment to hospitals outside Gaza. But many patients have had their applications for exit permits denied or delayed by the Israeli Authorities and have missed their appointments. Some have died while waiting for referral. . . Supplies of drugs and disposables have generally been allowed into Gaza. However, there are often shortages on the ground mainly because of shortfalls in deliveries . . . Delays of up to 2-3 months occur on the importation of certain types of medical equipment, such as x-ray machines and electronic devices. Clinical staff frequently lack the medical equipment they need. Medical devices are often broken, missing spare parts or out of date. . . – Health professionals in Gaza have been cut off from the outside world. Since 2000, very few doctors, nurses or technicians have been able to leave the Strip for training eg to update their clinical skills or to learn about new medical technology. This is severely undermining their ability to provide quality health care. . . . GAZA’S ECONOMY IN COLLAPSE Rising unemployment (41.5 percent of Gaza’s workforce in the first quarter of 2009) and poverty (in May 2008, 70 percent of the families were living on an income of less than one dollar a day per person) is likely to have long term adverse effects on the physical and mental health of the population [the unemployment is a direct result of the Israeli blockade]. . . OPERATION “CAST LEAD” — IMPACT ON HEALTH FACILITIES AND STAFF [I.e. the Israeli war on Gaza in winter 2008-2009] – 16 health workers killed and 25 injured on duty – Damaged health services infrastructure:
+ 15 of 27 Gaza’s hospitals
+ 43 of its 110 Primary Health Care services
+ 29 of its 148 ambulances – The lack of building materials is affecting essential health facilities: the new surgical wing in Gaza�fs main Shifa hospital has remained unfinished since 2006. Hospitals and primary care facilities, damaged during operation �Cast Lead�, have not been rebuilt because construction materials are not allowed into Gaza.’
The UN complained that while Israel has a fair record of allowing treatment of Gazans in Israeli hospitals, and that record has improved, some 300-400 requests a month are met with substantial delays or turned down. This issue was foregrounded by a lot of the wire services who picked up the story, but it seems to me not the most important problem. The blockade is the problem.
The Israeli blockade is aimed at weakening Hamas, a fundamentalist party-militia that won power in the Palestine Authority in the elections of January 2006. (Ironically, the Israelis had supported Hamas the late 1980s in hopes of splitting the Palestinians) When the Bush administration and Israel successfully induced the Palestine Liberation Organization of Mahmoud Abbas to make a coup in the West Bank and dislodge the elected Hamas government there, Hamas managed to hang on to power in Gaza, in part because of strong public support. Hamas has committed terrorism against Israeli civilians, and launched small rockets at nearby Israeli towns. It had however made a truce with Israel in 2008, which it observed until Israel broke it, and no Israelis had been killed by Hamas rockets in the lead-up to Israel’s war on the small territory.
Collectively punishing 1.5 million Gazans in order to weaken Hamas is in any case strictly illegal in international law and is a war crime. According to Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949:
‘Article 33. No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.’
Not only is today’s ongoing blockade a war crime, but it follows on and continues destructive policies of the Israeli military during the Gaza War, as the Goldstone Report for the United Nations concluded. The Boston Globe reported Goldstone’s defense of his findings at Brandeis University (h/t Mondoweiss.
‘ Goldstone said his central criticism of Israel is that its strategy intentionally applied disproportionate force in Gaza to inflict widespread damage on the civilian population. His report found that the Israeli air and ground attacks destroyed 5,000 homes; put 200 factories out of operation, including the only flour factory in the country; systematically destroyed egg-producing chicken farms; and bombed sewage and water systems. “If that isn’t collective punishment, what is?’’ Goldstone asked.’
Very little of this destruction deliberately visited on civilians has been repaired, in large part because the Israelis won’t allow the materiel in necessary for rebuilding.
Until President Obama does something to end the Gaza siege and its attendant horrors, his Mideast policy will remain an abject failure.
End/ (Not Continued) |
State Recreational Medical Transportation Cultivation Notes
Alabama felony
(1st-offense possession is a misdemeanor) non-psychoactive CBD oil not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Alabama First-time may be punished as a misdemeanor, but further possession, or intent to sell, can result in felony charges.
Alaska legal legal up to 1 oz. (28 grams)[9] 12 plants in a household with two adults 21+,[10] or no limit with commercial license Main article: Cannabis in Alaska Legalized by Measure 2 on November 4, 2014.[11]
Arkansas Illegal legal medical use only Main article: Cannabis in Arkansas Possession under three ounces a misdemeanor; Cities of Fayetteville and Eureka Springs labeled cannabis their lowest law enforcement priority. November 8, 2016: medical marijuana legalized when Issue 6 passed by 53%.[15]
California legal legal up to 1oz. (28 grams) six plants, or commercially licensed Main article: Cannabis in California July 1975: Senate Bill 95 reduced the penalty for possession of one ounce (28.5 grams) or less of cannabis to a citable misdemeanor.[16]
November 1996: first state to legalize medical marijuana when Proposition 215 passed by 56%.[17]
November 2016: Proposition 64 passed by 57% to 43%, legalizing sale and distribution, effective January 1, 2018.
Colorado legal legal up to 1 oz. (28 grams) six plants, or commercially licensed[18] Main article: Cannabis in Colorado Colorado Amendment 64 legalized the sale and possession of marijuana for non-medical use on November 6, 2012, including cultivation of up to six plants with up to three mature.[19][20] Second state to legalize recreational marijuana after Washington.
Connecticut D decriminalized legal felony (legal for medical use) felony Main article: Cannabis in Connecticut Possession less than a half-ounce by those 21 or over, results in graduated fines, and confiscation. Under 21 face more sanctions, with temporary loss of drivers license.[21]
Delaware D decriminalized (civil infraction) legal medical use only medical use only Main article: Cannabis in Delaware February 10, 2012: Governor Markell suspended medical marijuana after a Justice Department letter threatened federal prosecution. On August 31, 2016, Gov. Markell signed House Bill 400, expanding medical cannabis programs for those with a terminal illness.[22][23]
Florida illegal legal medical use only medical use only Main article: Cannabis in Florida November 8, 2016: medical marijuana legalized as of July 1, 2017 when voters passed Amendment 2 by 71%.[24]
State Recreational Medical Transportation Cultivation Notes
Hawaii illegal legal against program rules. medical use only Main article: Cannabis in Hawaii June 15, 2000: Governor Benjamin Cayetano signed bill legalizing medical marijuana. First state legislature to do so.[34][35] July 14, 2015: Governor David Ige signed bill allowing medical cannabis dispensaries.[36] July 14, 2016: Governor Ige signed law expanding medical cannabis programs.[37]
Idaho misdemeanor (85 grams/3 oz. or less) illegal not clearly stated felony Main article: Cannabis in Idaho Possession of 3 ounces or less a misdemeanor up to 1 year prison or fine up to $1,000 or both. More than 3 ounces but less than 1 pound a felony up to 5 years prison or fine up to $10,000 or both.[38]
Illinois D decriminalized (civil infraction) legal legal for medical use misdemeanor (legal for medical use) Main article: Cannabis in Illinois Cannabis Control Act of 1978 allowed for medical marijuana but was never implemented.[39][40]
August 1, 2013: Gov. Pat Quinn signed bill legalizing medical marijuana effective January 1, 2014.[41]
March 22, 2017: lawmakers proposed legalizing recreational marijuana[42] allowing possession up to 28 g and five plants.
Indiana misdemeanor up to 6 months, $1000 fine CBD oil less than 0.3% THC, legal for any use not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Indiana 1913: prohibited
Iowa illegal cannabis oil less than 3% THC not clearly stated felony Main article: Cannabis in Iowa 2014 CBD oil legalized
Kansas misdemeanor CBD oil containing 0% THC, legal for any use not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Kansas 1927: prohibited
2018: CBD oil exempted from definition of marijuana.[43][44][45]
Kentucky misdemeanor (less than 8 oz (230 g)) CBD oil not clearly stated misdemeanor (less than 5 plants) Main article: Cannabis in Kentucky 2014 CBD legalized
Louisiana illegal legal medical use only illegal Main article: Cannabis in Louisiana 1924: prohibited
2015: medical cannabis legalized
Maine legal legal legal to carry up to 2.5oz. (71 grams) up to six plants, or commercially licensed Main article: Cannabis in Maine 1913: prohibited
1976: decriminalized
1999: medical cannabis [46]
2009: further decriminalization [47] [48]
2016: legalized recreational[49]
Maryland D decriminalized (10g or less) legal medical use only illegal Main article: Cannabis in Maryland April 14, 2014: SB 364 decriminalized possession of 10 grams or less punishable by $100 fine for first offense, $250 fine for second offense, and $500 fine plus possible drug treatment for third offense. HB 881 legalized medical cannabis. Both laws effective October 1, 2014.[50][51]
State Recreational Medical Transportation Cultivation Notes
Massachusetts legal legal up to 1 oz. (28 grams) 1 oz of marijuana outside the home, 10 oz inside the home, up to six plants. Main article: Cannabis in Massachusetts 2008: decriminalized cannabis by 63% vote on Question 2. One oz or less punishable by $100 fine. [52] [53]
2012: medical marijuana legalized when Question 3 passed by 60%. [54] [55]
2016: legalized recreational marijuana when Question 4 passed by 54%.[56]
Michigan legal legal medical and recreational 2.5 oz of marijuana outside the home, allows 10 oz and up to 12 plants per household Main article: Cannabis in Michigan 2008: legalized medical cannabis
2018: legalized recreational cannabis
Minnesota D decriminalized legal medical use only illegal Main article: Cannabis in Minnesota 1976: decriminalization [57]
2014: medical cannabis legalized[58]
Mississippi D decriminalized (first offense; 30 grams or less) CBD oil not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Mississippi 1978: decriminalized
2014: CBD legalized
Missouri D decriminalized legal not clearly stated legal for medical use Main article: Cannabis in Missouri 2014: decriminalized
2014: CBD legalized
2018: Missouri voters approved Amendment 2, allowing for the distribution and regulation of medical cannabis.
Montana illegal legal medical use only medical use only Main article: Cannabis in Montana Possession 60 grams or less up to 6 months in prison and fine of $100–$500. Second offense up to 3 years in prison or fine up to $1,000 or both. More than 60 grams a felony up to 5 years in prison or fine up to $50,000 or both. Intent to distribute a felony up to 20 years in prison or fine up to $50,000 or both.[59]
Nebraska D decriminalized (first offense only) illegal not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Nebraska Possession up to one ounce fined up to $300 for first offense, with potential mandatory drug education. Second offense fine up to $500 and up to five days' jail, third offense up to $500 fine and maximum one week jail.[60]
Nevada legal legal medical and recreational use (adults at least 21) 6 plants per household Main article: Cannabis in Nevada November 7, 2000: medical marijuana legalized with 65% vote on Question 9.[61][62]
November 8, 2016: recreational marijuana legalized when Question 2 passed by 54%.[63] Home cultivation allowed if 25 miles away from store.[64]
New Hampshire D Decriminalized (up to three-quarters of an ounce) legal medical use only medical use only Main article: Cannabis in New Hampshire July 23, 2013: medical marijuana legalized when Governor Maggie Hassan signed HB 573.[65][66] July 11, 2015: Governor Hassan expanded medical marijuana law.[67] July 18, 2017: Governor Chris Sununu signed bill decriminalizing up to three-quarters of an ounce.
New Jersey illegal legal medical use only illegal Main article: Cannabis in New Jersey January 18, 2010: medical marijuana law signed by Governor Jon Corzine. Maximum 1 year in prison and 1,000 dollar fine for possession of up to 50 grams.[68][69] September 19, 2016: Governor Chris Christie signed Assembly Bill 457 adding PTSD as qualifying condition for medical marijuana, effective immediately.[70]
State Recreational Medical Transportation Cultivation Notes
North Carolina D decriminalized (.5 oz or less) CBD oil illegal illegal Main article: Cannabis in North Carolina 1977: decriminalized
2015: CBD legalized
North Dakota illegal legal medical use only Main article: Cannabis in North Dakota November 8, 2016: legalized medical marijuana when voters passed Measure 5 by 64%.[78]
Ohio D decriminalized (civil infraction) legal not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Ohio June 8, 2016: Governor John Kasich signed legislation legalizing medical marijuana.[79]
Oklahoma illegal legal not clearly stated legal with medicinal license Main article: Cannabis in Oklahoma 1933: criminalized [80]
2015: Governor Mary Fallin signed law allowing CBD oil for children with epilepsy. [81]
June 26, 2018: Voters in Oklahoma approved State Question 788, legalizing medical marijuana.
Pennsylvania illegal legal illegal illegal Main article: Cannabis in Pennsylvania Medical use law signed by Governor Wolf April 17, 2016. Possession of 30g or less up to 30 days in jail and fine up to $500. More than 30g a misdemeanor up to a year in jail and $5000 fine.[89]
Rhode Island D decriminalized (civil violation) legal medical use only medical use only Main article: Cannabis in Rhode Island Possession of an ounce $150 fine, three violations within 18 months a misdemeanor with larger fines or prison or both.[90]
South Carolina misdemeanor[91] cannabis oil less than 0.9% THC CBD oil illegal Main article: Cannabis in South Carolina 2014: Governor Nikki Haley signed Senate Bill 1035, "Julian's Law", allowing children with severe epilepsy to be treated with CBD oil if recommended by a physician.[92]
State Recreational Medical Transportation Cultivation Notes
South Dakota misdemeanor illegal not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in South Dakota Personal use of 2 oz or less a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by maximum 1 year in prison and maximum fine $2,000.[93]
Tennessee misdemeanor (less than 1/2 ounce; first or second offense only). cannabis oil less than 0.9% THC CBD oil misdemeanor: 9 plants or less; felony: 10+ plants Main article: Cannabis in Tennessee First-time possession one year supervised probation instead of one year in prison; *Possession of 1/2 ounce or more for resale a felony. CBD oil possession allowed as of May 4, 2015, if suffering seizures or epilepsy with recommendation of doctor.[94]
Texas Illegal. "Cite and Release" in Houston, Dallas, and Austin residents of Travis County CBD oil not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Texas Dec. 2014: "possession of up to two ounces of marijuana can result in a jail sentence of up to six months and fine of up to $2,000."[95] June 1, 2015: governor Greg Abbott signed a bill legalizing CBD oil for medical use.[96]
Utah misdemeanor legal not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Utah HB 105 signed in 2014 allows use of low-THC cannabis oil for patients with epilepsy.[97] HB 195 signed in March 2018 allows cannabis for certain terminally ill patients.[98] Possession up to an ounce 6-months prison and maximum fine $1,000. Over 10 ounces $10,000 fine. Selling any amount a felony with 5 years in prison and $5,000 fine.[99]
Vermont legal (up to one ounce, no commercial sales) legal (medical sales allowed) legal two mature plants, four immature Main article: Cannabis in Vermont May 19, 2004: medical marijuana legalized when Senate Bill 76 passed,[100] expanded in June 2007 by SB 7.[101]
June 6, 2013: Governor Peter Shumlin signed HB200 decriminalizing one ounce.[102] January 2018: HB511 passed, [103][104][105] legalizing one ounce and two plants,[106] taking effect on July 1, 2018.[107][108][109] First state legislature to legalize recreational marijuana.[110]
Virginia misdemeanor cannabis oil less than 5% THC not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Virginia First offense- Unclassified Misdemeanor up to 30 days jail and $500 fine or both, and loss of driving privilege or community service.[111] 2nd offense Class 1 misdemeanor up to 12 months prison and $2,500 fine or both, plus loss of driving privileges. [112]First offense may qualify for deferred disposition & dismissal with drug assessment, classes, community service, and loss of driving privileges for six months, but does not qualify for expungement, remaining on record permanently.[113]
Washington legal legal legal legal with restrictions and licensing Main article: Cannabis in Washington (state) Legalized by Washington Initiative 502 in 2012, the law permits anyone over 21 to carry one ounce, and it requires licensed sellers, distributors and growers. Home growing is not allowed except for medical use.[114] First state to legalize recreational marijuana (Dec 6, 2012, by 4 days).[115]
West Virginia misdemeanor legal not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in West Virginia "Compassionate Use Act for Medical Cannabis; providing for protections for the medical use of cannabis..."[116]
Wisconsin misdemeanor on first offense, felony on subsequent offenses[117] CBD oil qualified patients may have 12 plants and three oz of leaves or flowers. [116] felony Main article: Cannabis in Wisconsin First possession a misdemeanor fine up to $1,000 or imprisonment up to 6 months, or both. Second offense a Class I felony fine up to $10,000 or imprisonment up to 3.5 years, or both.
Wyoming misdemeanor CBD oil not clearly stated illegal Main article: Cannabis in Wyoming Being under the influence of marijuana is a misdemeanor up to 90 days in prison and fine up to $100. Possession three ounces or less a misdemeanor up to 1 year in prison and fine up to $1000.[118] |
KOKJALI, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi military medics rushed a man whose mouth had been blown apart by mortar shrapnel into their temporary field clinic on the eastern edges of Mosul.
They bandaged the wound and gave him morphine as he gasped in pain, bleeding profusely onto a camp bed laid out in the courtyard of an abandoned home.
Seconds later, a boy with a large hole in his leg and one arm peppered with cuts from a shell blast was brought in on a stretcher. “That’s already more than 30 people wounded today,” a medic said. “And two dead.”
All the victims are from areas closer to the center of Mosul and which Iraqi forces recaptured from Islamic State two weeks ago - but which they have sometimes struggled to secure as civilians remain within the range of the jihadists’ mortar and sniper fire.
Black armored vehicles sped into the clinic run by the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) throughout the morning, ferrying in the casualties - an elderly man shot through the knee, another with a leg wound, a girl hit in the chest.
U.S.-backed forces fighting to drive Islamic State out of Mosul, the militant group’s Iraqi stronghold, are facing stiff resistance from fighters using car bombs and human shields to slow their advance.
“Most casualties here are civilians,” medic Mohammed, 23, said at the clinic in the Kokjali area. “Islamic State shell randomly or target civilians with mortar and sniper fire. Most of the wounded are from mortars.”
A Reuters correspondent also saw a wounded soldier brought back from the front line a few kilometers (miles) to the west.
Mortar shells fired by Islamic State landed intermittently in the area while the medics from the CTS forces treated the wounded.
“Part of the problem is securing the areas the special forces have taken,” Mohammed said. “If bigger army units or the federal police came in to clear the areas behind where CTS have advanced, maybe fewer people would be getting hurt, and it would make our job easier.”
DOZENS WOUNDED EACH DAY
Military doctor Captain Nizar said his comrades treated between 50 and 200 wounded civilians every day. “We had 25 civilian deaths yesterday,” said Nizar, who did not give his full name.
Reuters could not independently verify casualty tolls, but in the space of two hours the correspondent saw one dead body and at least six other wounded including two serious cases.
The medics had put up a white flag with a red crescent close to the clinic. The building had been damaged by shellfire and was mostly empty apart from several camp beds used to treat patients.
A crude surgical table stood in the hallway, made of metal stands and a wooden board, surrounded by boxes of painkillers and wound dressings.
Captain Nizar said those who were more seriously wounded were taken to hospital, sometimes more than an hour’s drive away in Erbil, capital of the Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region. For some, it was clear to the medics that it would already be too late.
An injured man receives treatment by Iraqi special forces soldiers in Mosul, Iraq November 22, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
Earlier, Ahmed Hussein wept standing over the body of his 17-year-old son Ayman, who had been shot through the back just half an hour before in Mosul’s Zahra neighborhood.
Ayman, his eyes closed and mouth open, was wrapped in a blanket placed on a stretcher outside the clinic after medics had tried in vain to save his life.
“It was a sniper, I think,” 48-year-old Hussein said, his voice trembling. “The bullet went through next to his heart.” |
Getting used to Gmail’s new compose window has been hard for many of us. I have grown to like the multi-tasking abilities it offers, because it works like a tab in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Some of you may still prefer focusing on your email, though, so Google has given us a solution… kind of.
Gmail now allows us to turn the compose window “full-screen”. The new compose window pretty much stretches and overs in the center of your screen, making the email the center of attention while keeping the new features. You can still minimize the compose window and multi-task if you wish.
It’s not a complete solution for those who want the old-style compose page, but it gives you more room to work.
How to turn the Gmail compose window full-screen
There are two ways to do this. The first is to do it manually every single time. This is done by simply pressing the expand button in the compose window. It is located in the top-right corner of the window between the “minimize” and “close” buttons in the compose window.
The second way to do this makes the full-screen mode the default option. This means that you will see the full-screen compose window every time after you turn it on. This is done through a little menu within the compose window. It is located in the bottom-right corner, right next to the trash icon.
Clicking on this arrow will display more options and you can then click on “Default to full-screen”. You can then follow the same steps to bring it back to normal.
Like we mentioned, this is not giving you the old-style compose page, but at least Google is listening and trying to meet users in the middle. Enjoy! |
PLANT CITY — His mother and her boyfriend were fighting in another room of their small home when the 15-year-old boy heard a gun go off late Monday night.
He rushed in to see if his mother was okay, police said, and ended up confronting the armed 250-pound man threatening her. Ricardo Gonzales, 42, responded by striking the boy in the head with the gun, according to Plant City police, then stuck it in his abdomen and fired one round into the teenager, critically wounding him.
The boy, who was not identified by police, was rushed to a hospital in Lakeland for emergency treatment. Plant City officers arrested Gonzales about 1:40 a.m. Tuesday.
"My son is stable and is hanging in there," said his mother, April Masias, 32, when reached by phone Tuesday evening.
Police arrived at the aging wood-frame home at 1705 Charles Ave. at 11:42 p.m. Monday after receiving a call about the shooting. Gonzales had threatened the mother and put a gun to her head, according to police, before firing one round into the floor.
After the shooting, he stayed at the home and cooperated with police when arrested, said Plant City police Sgt. Alfred Van Duyne. Gonzales and Masias have a different child in common, Van Duyne said.
Gonzales was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated child abuse. He was being held without bail Tuesday in the Hillsborough County jail.
Records show Gonzales has been arrested more than a dozen times in Florida and has prior convictions for obstructing an officer without violence, disorderly intoxication, driving under the influence, driving without a valid license and petty theft. He was most recently arrested last month on a charge of driving without a valid license, records show.
Neighbors told the Tampa Bay Times that the injured teen's name is Joe and described him as friendly, courteous and protective of family and friends.
Gonzales and Masias moved into the home around last Christmas with five young children — three girls and two boys, according to neighbors.
Charlotte Shelton, 69, who lives down the street, couldn't hear the gunshots over the sound of the local news shows her husband watched on TV. When she saw emergency lights flashing outside their window Monday night, at first she thought it was lightning. Then she realized they were red and blue. The couple watched through their glass front door as the boy was taken out of the home on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance.
"He waved at me," said her husband, Skeet Shelton, 76.
Skeet's daughter-in-law and neighbor, Theresa Shelton, said she heard what she thought might have been neighborhood kids setting off fireworks. When she later learned that Joe had been shot trying to defend his mother, she choked back tears.
"That sounds like Joe," she said. "Joe's a tough kid."
But Theresa Shelton also called him a "sweet boy" whom she once saw bring in her trash can for her as he walked to his school bus stop.
"He always told me, 'If you need anything, let me know,' " she said.
Theresa Shelton said the family is friendly and once brought her a plate while they were barbecuing. Gonzales is often gone during the week, and sometimes takes the teen with him to help work part time, she said. On the weekends, though, they've seen him mowing the lawn and eating with the family at the picnic table in their front yard.
The family took a walk together Monday evening after spending the day hanging out in the yard, washing the car and playing, Shelton said. One of Masias' younger sons had gotten a new Fisher-Price Power Wheels Dune Racer and the kids spent the morning taking turns riding it up and down the rural country street. The box was still sitting by the curb Tuesday afternoon.
Shelton didn't know Gonzales well and had few interactions with him. But she said she was shocked to hear police say he shot the boy. Police had been to the home before — twice for minor disturbances, according to Van Duyne. Shelton had seen the police cars, but said she never asked why they were there.
"They seemed to be happy," she said, "but you don't know what goes on behind closed doors."
Times senior news researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Tony Marrero at [email protected] or (813) 226-3374. Follow @tmarrerotimes. Contact Anastasia Dawson at [email protected] or (813) 226-3377. Follow @adawsonwrites. |
The gig took place at the bottom of one of the rig's legs
Melua and her band performed for workers 303 metres below sea level on the Statoil Troll A gas rig in the North Sea.
"This was definitely the most surreal gig I have ever done," Melua said.
The 22-year-old singer underwent extensive medical tests and survival training in Norway before flying by helicopter to the rig.
"It took nine minutes to go from the main part of the gas platform down to the bottom of the shaft in a lift," said Melua.
"Giving a concert to the workers there was something really extraordinary and an occasion that I will remember all my life."
Deep sea set-list
The songs Melua performed included Closest Thing To Crazy and Nine Million Bicycles.
Melua underwent survival training before the gig
The concert was held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of gas production on Troll A and was filmed for Norwegian TV channel NRK.
Melua is currently the UK's biggest-selling female artist. |
Airline reveals perks of 'business plus' fares and confirms it will submit non-binding offer this week to buy Cyprus Airways
Ryanair has launched a business service in the airline's latest move to revamp its image and catch up with travellers' demands for better treatment.
The airline said its "business plus" fares would give customers flexible tickets, more check-in baggage, priority boarding and "premium" seats – in the first five rows for quick boarding, or on exit rows with extra legroom. It said business passengers already make up more than a quarter of its customers and that the new fares, starting at €69.99 (or £59.99 for UK customers), were designed to get more of their business.
In May, Ryanair said it was "asleep at the wheel" as customers got fed up with receiving bad service in return for low fares. Its rival, easyJet, moved upmarket and launched a business package while Ryanair continued to "unnecessarily piss people off", in the words of Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive.
With O'Leary taking a lower profile, Ryanair has introduced allocated seating, relaxed cabin bag restrictions, reduced charges, and loosened booking conditions.
Its chief marketing officer, Kenny Jacobs, said more than a quarter of Ryanair customers were already travelling for business. He said the new tickets would not see larger seats or extra facilities, bar perhaps USB chargers on new planes:
"We won't be introducing a blue curtain. Customers haven't asked us for the high business fares and facilities, they just want a bit of flexibility and a better schedule. The schedule is very oriented around business travellers: places like Madrid, Milan and Barcelona have three times daily returns, so they can travel there that morning and come back the same day."
Ryanair will also be flying to more city-centre airports, and signing a partnership with another global distribution system to make it easier for firms to book airline tickets for their business travellers.
Ryanair's profits fell for the first time in five years last year while easyJet expects profits to rise strongly in its financial year, which ends next month.
O'Leary had made Ryanair's hidden charges and inflexible booking procedures a selling point to emphasise his cheap fares but consumers grew tired of his antics, forcing a rethink of strategy.
Ryanair launched its summer 2015 schedule from London's Stansted airport three months earlier than last year. It announced three new routes, to Cologne, Edinburgh and Glasgow, meaning passenger numbers from the Essex airport should grow by 1.3 million to 17 million next summer. Jacobs said: "What we're trying to do is get returning customers in who are thinking about next summer's holiday already."
Jacobs confirmed that Ryanair would be submitting a non-binding offer this week to buy Cyprus Airways, the island's loss-making flag carrier, as it investigates expansion into the Middle East and Russia. The purchase would likely see Ryanair operate the airline's fleet of six leased Airbus planes under its existing Cypriot brand, and give it a licence to spread further. He said: "It's a very strategic point in the map of Europe, a logical extension of our European route map and meets Asia and the Middle East. It gives you access to all of that – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Israel, Cyprus and Russia. Whether we do it through the acquisition of Cyprus Airways or not, we'll continue to have an interest." |
Hint Answer 'Don't you trust me?' 'Know that if the tables were turned, I'd show you no mercy.' 'Let us hunt those who have fallen to darkness.' 'Join the glorious evolution.' 'I wanna shoot something.' 'We'll bring them pain!' 'Violence solves everything!' 'This'll be a slaughter!' 'They will fear the wilds.' 'Time to troll!' 'Prepare to be boarded!' 'What delightful agony we shall inflict.' 'How about a drink?' 'Your bidding, master.' 'Let's do this!' 'You wanna play, too? It'll be fun.' 'A demonstration of superior judgement.' 'Tactical decision, summoner!' 'Live and die by the blade.' 'THEY ARE PRIVELEDGED TO DIE AT MY FEET!' 'I do your bidding... for now...' 'I thought you'd never pick me.' 'Everybody dies. Some just need a little help.' 'Trust nothing but your strength.' 'Tonight we hunt!' 'Justice takes wing.' 'Dead man walkin'' 'The dawn has arrived.' 'Fortune doesn't favour fools!' 'I was made for this... Literally.' 'As I live, all will die!' 'Punch first. Ask questions while punching.' 'I'm up to snuff, and gots me an ace machine!' 'Always trust your spirit.' 'The unseen blade is the deadliest.' 'Oblivion awaits.' 'Captain Teemo on duty!' 'My stinger brings ugly death.' 'This'll be a blast!'
Hint Answer 'A new moon is rising.' 'We will kill your enemies. That will be fun.' 'Let the storm follow in my wake.' 'Time to feast!' 'The cycle of life and death continue, we will live, they will die.' 'My blade is yours.' 'The guilty shall know agony.' 'More than just precious stones, I bring you an ancient power.' 'Change... is good.' 'I decide what the tide will bring.' 'I fight for a brighter tomorrow!' 'To the arena!' 'Welcome to the League of Draven!' 'The balance of power must be preserved.' 'I long for a worthy opponent.' 'By my will, this shall be finished.' 'You'd wish the world you know to end! Yesssss' 'The night is my veil.' 'They will regret opposing me.' 'Oh, what do you want?' 'I will bury the world in ice.' 'Rules are made to be broken... like buildings! Or people!' 'If you're buyin', I'm in!' 'To battle!' 'Into the fray!' 'Pleased to meet you!' 'Only the spider is safe in her web.' 'The rivers will run red.' 'Let's go, let's go!' 'Lady Luck is smilin'.' 'Here we go!' 'I do it.' 'Let's get in the fight!' 'My blade is at your service.' 'As balance dictates.' 'So much untapped power!' 'The tempest is at your command.' 'I will be free.' 'On my wings.' |
I love Bing. There aren’t many products (Xbox) that I’ll admit to being a fanboy of but Bing is getting pretty close to that status for me. I’m an oddity because most people don’t use Bing at all; either because they’ve used it and didn’t get the results they wanted, or based on word of mouth about it being so terrible. I don’t know where you fall, but I would bet most of you reading this don’t use or even like Bing. That’s unfortunate because you’re missing out.
Yes, Bing is good. But why do so many people hate it? Why do so many googlers refuse to even give it a try? Why do those who actually do give it a try, enter one search query, fail to get the results they want, and go back to Google, never giving Bing a second chance?
In April, SurveyMonkey conducted a study comparing Bing and Google. 641 test participants were given two pages of search results, one with Bing branding and the other Google, and were asked which results they preferred. Participants preferred the Google results.
In another survey 262 participants were given the same results but this time the branding was swapped: Google results labeled Bing and Bing results labeled Google. More people preferred the Bing results labeled Google.
When you look at both studies an interesting thing appears: more people preferred the Bing results labeled Google than the Google results labeled as Google. According to Matt Wallaert of the Bing team:
Before explaining the psychological forces at work here, let me put to rest any concerns of corporate trickery. Bing wasn’t involved in this study in any way. We didn’t even know it was happening until after the results were released, and since Google recently became a prominent investor in SurveyMonkey, it would be hard to argue that SurveyMonkey had a pro-Bing bias. To the best of our understanding from the outside, this was impartial, data-driven research done by an internal team at SurveyMonkey.
He goes on to explain why people chose based on brand rather than quality. The explanation is found in a psychology concept known as confirmation bias. According to the most accurate encyclopedia on the planet (that was a joke), confirmation bias is a "tendency of people to favor information that confirms their hypotheses".
Confirmation bias has to do with how people process information, particularly any way in which people avoid rejecting their assumptions whether they are searching for evidence, interpreting it, or recalling it from memory.
The Search for Evidence
In this bias, people hold a hypothesis which they assume to be true. They test it in such a way that requires an affirmative answer that supports their hypothesis. In other words, they tend to look for the evidence they would expect if their hypothesis were true. For example, if I assume Bing returns bad results, then I would be intentionally looking for all the bad results instead of the good ones.
Interpreting Evidence
In this bias a person will make a judgment call on the evidence to support their original hypothesis. For instance, again, if a person with a "Bing sucks" attitude, arrives at Bing results, they will interpret those results as bad. But if shown the same results labeled as Google, they will interpret them as good.
Recalling Evidence
Information is remembered selectively. That means that when a person has a positive experience with a service they inherently have a negative assumption about (i.e. Bing) they will only remember the ways in which that service provided a negative experience.
So what?
The point I am trying to make is this, perhaps confirmation bias is the reason why Bing is hated by so many people. Regardless of the fact that in some cases Bing still lags behind Google, in pure search results, I can count on one hand in the past two years where Bing has failed me. From the Bing blog:
Think of it this way: have you ever tried using Bing, not found what you wanted, and then immediately went back to using Google because "Google is better at search"? But then when you use Google and it doesn’t give you the right results, you change your search and try again because you "searched wrong", rather than giving Bing a try? That’s the confirmation bias: if you were truly trying to find out which search engine was better, you’d give them an equal chance to give you right and wrong answers.
This happens a lot. I’ve had people tell me that they’ve tried Bing and did not find what they were looking for. But something tells me that they were not looking hard enough because they didn’t overcome their inherent bias against Bing. I understand that Bing is not perfect and still has some growing to do. Remember, Google wasn’t perfect either and it took time for it to grow into what it is today. Bing is innovating at a rapid pace and although I would love to see it add features a little bit quicker, I’m a happy Bing user.
The Solution
My solution to this problem is this. Try Bing for 30 days. In other words, use Bing and nothing else for 30 days; use the maps, local search, general search, images and travel for 30 solid days and let me know how it goes. This is what I did back in 2010, about one year after Bing launched. I decided to give it an honest try. And I haven’t been back to Google since. Yes, I occasionally use Google when I don’t find what I need on Bing, but eventually I will stop using Google altogether because this behavior has not yielded any positive results for me: if I don’t find it on Bing, I typically don’t find it on Google either. Bing is just that good.
Photo Credit: Gajus/Shutterstock |
The Sunday Talk Shows are filled with various left-wing punditry using two media reports from the Washington Post and New York Times claiming anonymous, albeit transparently political, “intelligence officials” who state: the Russian government “hacked the U.S. election“.
First, the media’s choice of wording is critical within both reports.
It is impossible to “hack an election“. What was hacked was the DNC email system, and John Podesta’s email. WikiLeaks published the content of both “hacks”.
Additionally, WikiLeaks has denied the source of the information was a foreign government.
Both The Washington Post and New York Times, simultaneously, published articles on Friday claiming anonymous sources within the CIA (note: intensely political CIA Chief John Brennan in charge) point to the Russian government as the originators of the hacking. However, both articles are written with very obtuse and non specific language intended to cover over the fact these reports are not actually stating the official intelligence community are making these specific claims.
All other media outlets subsequently take this illogically based presentation and spin their coverage whereby the “DNC hacked” becomes “the election hacked“.
In essence, the MSM takes a politically manipulated original intelligence claim and pushes a political media angle within a manufactured story of their own creation.
When the media reports on their own media reports the concentric circle of a self fulfilling narrative expands toward the infinite horizon of nothingness.
Various Trump administration officials are then commanded to show up for interviews where they are asked to respond to the content of media reports which are based entirely on other manipulated media reports….. And that’s where we are today.
However, if anyone could actually pause and call out this nonsense they might find it useful to reference the already well known politicization of the entire intelligence community apparatus. The politicization was/is so severe it led to an inspector general investigation:
More than 50 intelligence analysts working out of the U.S. military’s Central Command have formally complained that their reports on ISIS and al Qaeda’s branch in Syria were being inappropriately altered by senior officials. The complaints spurred the Pentagon’s inspector general to open an investigation into the alleged manipulation of intelligence. The fact that so many people complained suggests there are deep-rooted, systemic problems in how the U.S. military command charged with the war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State assesses intelligence.
“The cancer was within the senior level of the intelligence command,” one defense official said. (link) If, and that’s a big IF, there is any substantive truthfulness behind the politicized CIA accusation obtusely outlined within the Washington Post report, there is every reason to believe the anonymous sources are the same manipulative “senior intelligence command” already under inspector general investigation. It is transparent to everyone the net intention of this ‘hacked election narrative’ is to provide the professional political UniParty class in Washington DC with a fortified defense mechanism to thwart off the incoming swamp draining. The use of corporate media to protect the corporate legislative body is as familiar, and predictable, as Senators John McCain (see: Keating Five), and Lindsey Graham, fighting against term limits and finance reform on behalf of their corporate interests/benefactors, Wall Street and global interests. However, moving forward there is considerable room for previously outlined optimism. The corruption within the intelligence community officials appears so severe, the White Hats are rising up from within the Defense Department to tackle it head-on. With General Mattis as Secretary of Defense, Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor, General John Kelly as Secretary of Homeland Security, a top-of-class West Point graduate in Mike Pompeo brought in to take over and undoubtedly purge the CIA, and a lame duck struggle breaking out over the NSA with Admiral Mike Rogers, the implications are pretty obvious. The white hats we have needed within the national security and intelligence departments are responding from a select group within the Defense Department. This DoD surge appears to be why corporate interests are railing against “too many generals”. The DoD generals also appears to be why all of those interests -within all of those corrupted political intel institutions- are going nuts thinking about what lays ahead. Mounting evidence supports the ongoing thesis the Department of Defense has actually seceded from the political elites. A wonderfully patriotic soft coup has taken place; and with the election of President Donald Trump, the white hats are poised on the horizon to reconstruct a nationalist-minded defense, security and intelligence apparatus. This is the fundamental paradigm shift many have quietly discussed, yet few imagined possible. Elevate your thinking… I mean REALLY elevate. Now, Look closely: They have much more in common than people are currently grasping…. Think about it. Best Election Ever
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ABORTION, says Theodora, a Greek civil servant, was “an absolute necessity” when she became pregnant last year. Her husband had lost his job and money was too tight for a third child. The procedure, at a private clinic, was “efficient”; she was in and out in three hours. Hers was a typical experience for a middle-class Athenian woman. It is not uncommon for one to have four or five abortions, says a gynaecologist in Athens. In Greece abortion is seen as an ordinary form of birth control.
Most modern contraceptives, however, are not viewed that way. More than half of married Greek women use none at all. Withdrawal and condoms are the methods of choice for most couples who are trying not to have a baby—even medical students, who should know that these fail about a fifth of couples who rely on them for a year. Greeks commonly believe that the pill and other hormonal contraceptives cause infertility and cancer. They also distrust intrauterine devices (IUDs), possibly because they have been taught that tampons are unhealthy.
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The same sort of nonsense keeps abortion rates high in many other countries. Statistics are patchy, especially in places where many abortions are done in private clinics or the procedure is illegal. But a recent study in the Lancet, a medical journal, estimated that 56m abortions are carried out each year worldwide, ending a quarter of all pregnancies. The annual rate, of 3.5 abortions per 100 women of childbearing age, is only slightly lower than it was in the early 1990s.
Although the abortion rate is stable or falling in most rich countries, it is rising in Latin America and some parts of Africa and Asia (see chart 1). Former communist countries have some of the world’s highest rates. During Soviet times abortion was the only method of birth control, and in some countries the average woman would have five to eight abortions during her lifetime. By the time the Soviet Union fell apart it was spending about half of its reproductive-health budget on abortions and associated complications.
Zero tolerance, zero result
For many pro-life politicians, the answer to high abortion rates is to make abortion illegal or harder to get. Donald Trump, a recent convert to the pro-life cause, has vowed to appoint a conservative to America’s Supreme Court. Many religious leaders fulminate against abortion, although Pope Francis softened the Catholic church’s line slightly on November 20th. Abortion remains a grave sin, but penitent women can now be forgiven by parish priests and do not have to go to a bishop.
International comparisons show that bans and restrictions do little to cut the number of abortions. Most women will do what it takes to end an unwanted pregnancy, even to the point of risking their lives. According to the Lancet study, abortion is as common in countries where it is illegal or allowed only to save a woman’s life as it is in those where it is provided on demand.
In many countries the authorities turn a blind eye when the rules are broken. Most of Latin America has strict laws, but a woman able to afford high fees can get a safe illegal abortion in a private clinic. (Poor women go to backstreet abortionists, and are sometimes seriously injured or even killed.) In South Korea abortion is legal only in cases of rape, incest or severe fetal abnormalities, or to save a woman’s life. Still, a study for the government in 2005 estimated that 44% of pregnancies were aborted. A 35-year-old housewife in Seoul who had an abortion in 2011 says she simply went to the doctor who had delivered her two children and said she did not want the baby. Women who call clinics in Seoul to seek an abortion are told that the procedure is not provided but are often invited to come for a “consultation”.
Where the authorities are more vigilant, women often go abroad or buy abortion pills on the black market. Women from Ireland, Poland and Malta can easily get abortions elsewhere in Europe. In 2015 nearly 3,500 women who gave Irish home addresses had abortions in public clinics in England. The internet has made it easier to arrange a safe abortion. Women on Web, a Dutch pro-choice group, offers online consultations on how to use misoprostol and mifepristone, a drug combination approved by the World Health Organisation for abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. It ships them all over the world. In many Latin American countries misoprostol is available as a treatment for stomach ulcers. To avoid suspicion, a woman might ask an elderly relative to buy the drugs for her.
Anti-abortion groups have grown louder in many countries in recent years. But they struggle to enact bans. In October conservative politicians in Poland, where abortion is available only in rare circumstances, backed away from a plan to ban it entirely, following large street protests. Women marched waving coat-hangers, which are sometimes used in do-it-yourself abortions.
When the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church called for a ban in Russia, the country’s minister of health explained that this had been tried for a time under Stalin. It resulted in many deaths from illegal abortions but no change in the birth rate. Mr Trump’s Supreme Court appointee will make little difference to America’s abortion law in the short term. The court has a solid majority for keeping it legal.
Pro-life campaigners have succeeded in making abortions harder to get. In some American states a woman who seeks one must be told that it might cause cancer—a claim unsupported by scientific evidence. In recent years Russia and several other former communist countries have brought in mandatory counselling and “reflection periods” of several days before an abortion can be carried out. Russia’s guidelines describe abortion as the “murder of a living child” and instruct counsellors to “awaken maternal feelings”, convince the woman of “the immorality and cruelty” of abortion and lead her to conclude that the means to raise the baby can be found. Evidence of success is thin. Abortions declined slightly when the state of Mississippi insisted on counselling and a waiting period, but the proportion carried out after the first trimester rose and more women travelled to other states.
Studies of Western countries suggest that few women who have had an abortion regret their choice. Although women with pre-existing mental-health problems can see them worsen following an abortion, such problems also tend to worsen if they carry an unwanted baby to term. But in poor countries, where sterile rooms and well-trained doctors are in short supply, even legal surgical abortions can be risky. In the West less than 1% of abortions carried out by manual vacuum aspiration are followed by complications. In Bangladesh the share is 12%.
Much the best way to make abortion rarer is to prevent unwanted pregnancies. What works is well known: campaigns to educate couples about the various methods; training for doctors and nurses in birth-control counselling; and making contraceptives easy to get. Even in rich countries, however, some or all of these are missing. Bangladeshis and Malawians are keener users of contraceptives than Greeks or Italians (see chart 2). In plenty of countries, including Ireland and Russia, more than a third of married couples who use contraceptives rely on condoms. In Japan that share is an astonishing 90%.
The Catholic church continues to frown on contraception. And many couples fear social stigma and mythical side effects. In South Korea fewer than 5% of women use the pill because they think it is harmful to ingest artificial hormones. Even so, unmarried couples often forgo condoms to signal commitment; men know that women can obtain the morning-after pill without much difficulty and that abortions are a possibility. Professional advice is scarce. A gynaecologist who gave a lecture about sex and contraception at a nursing college was told afterwards that it had made the students “feel uncomfortable”.
A fetish for latex
The head of one HIV clinic in Athens says Greek hospitals often recommend condoms as the most reliable method for avoiding pregnancy. In fact, of every 100 couples who rely on condoms for a year 18% will conceive, compared with 9% for the pill and under 1% for the IUD. Roula, a 30-year-old architect from Crete who studied in England, where four-fifths of women use contraceptives and hardly any rely on condoms to prevent pregnancy (as opposed to sexually transmitted diseases), describes the counselling on the range of contraceptives at her university’s clinic as “enlightening”. In Macedonia, where less than a fifth of women use contraceptives, some doctors view the IUD as a “foreign body” akin to a surgical tool accidentally left inside a patient. Others are averse to prescribing the pill to young women, believing that it will harm their physical development. (It won’t.)
In former communist countries, few older doctors are trained to prescribe modern contraceptives. Luybov Erofeeva of the Russian Association of Population and Development, an advocacy group, says Russian women prefer condoms or withdrawal because they have heard from their mothers and aunts about the complications and side effects from contraceptive pills with high doses of hormones and primitive IUDs used in Soviet times.
In many countries, sex education in schools is woeful. A review of 16 European countries by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), a campaign group, found that the subject was compulsory in only half of them and rarely included scientific information about contraceptives. The main message of a recent pamphlet offering guidance to South Korean teachers is to make the case that students should not have sex. One of the suggestions is to ask pupils to write letters to their imaginary future spouses, to focus their minds on remaining chaste.
Simply getting hold of contraceptives can be such a hassle that women give up. Russian women who want the pill often undergo an unnecessary pelvic exam by a gynaecologist. Some Greek doctors are unwilling to write a prescription for the pill that covers more than six months. Doctors in eastern Europe routinely order all sorts of unnecessary tests before prescribing contraceptives, contravening official medical guidelines.
Cost is often an even bigger deterrent. A Russian woman who wants an IUD has to pay for the device and for the appointment to have it inserted. Abortions in state hospitals, by contrast, are free. Half of the 16 European countries in the IPPF review provide no reimbursement for contraceptives; none fully covers all methods. Even in some countries with generous social welfare systems, including Germany and Italy, women have to pay for contraceptives, no matter how low their income.
This is despite contraception being cheap for governments to provide. England’s National Health Service (NHS) offers every type of contraceptive free to everyone (better-off people must pay part of the cost for other prescriptions). Its buying power means it can pay less than £10 ($12.50) for a year’s supply of the pill and just £18 for an IUD that prevents pregnancy for five years. England has one of the world’s highest rates of contraceptive use.
Contraception also offers an excellent return on public investment. An abortion costs the NHS 13 times the amount it spends on the average contraceptive user per year. The Copenhagen Consensus, a think-tank, estimates that making contraception and sexual-health advice universally available would bring returns worth $120 for every $1 spent, mostly by reducing deaths in pregnancy and childbirth in poor countries.
Many miles to go
Even in England, with its well-run sexual-health clinics and policy of providing contraceptives free, about a fifth of pregnancies end in abortion. And a third of women who have abortions have had at least one before. It cannot be abolished, no matter how enlightened a government’s policy. But the English have more-or-less the right attitude. A high abortion rate is best viewed as a public-health problem that can be cheaply addressed—not through pointless bans or restrictions, but by providing the means to avoid unwanted pregnancies in the first place. |
Premier League side West Bromwich Albion are set to work toe-to-toe with the Indian Super League’s Delhi Dynamos to promote and help develop football in India. West Brom, the only Premier League side to have be affiliated with an ISL club, are doing their best in helping India develop football from its grassroots.
The two clubs will be collaborating with the UK Trade and Industry, the New Delhi government and the University of Wolverhampton in taking football to children as part of what is called the ‘Pass It Forward’ initiative. The Pass It Forward initiative will build on work the club have been doing in the Delhi area for the past few years. This program is expected to spread out to more than 2,000 schools in the wider region.
A group of selective students from the University of Wolverhampton will join in for this cause along with the coaches from West Bromwich Albion Football Club and will be providing technical expertise to the Indian coaches. The initiative is an added help to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to take football to every village in the country as India gears up towards hosting next year’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup, as mentioned earlier on his national talk show.
Both the teams have worked together in the past by promoting each other at their home grounds during their respective league games. West Brom’s former England youth international Adil Nabi had joined the Dynamos, becoming the first Premier League player in history to move directly to the Indian Super League on loan.
Adrian Wright: "There aren't any other @premierleague teams that have an association with an @IndSuperLeague club" #AlbionInIndia 🇮🇳 — West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) April 15, 2016
“We are delighted to team up once again with West Brom on this ground-breaking initiative. At Delhi Dynamos we have shown a great deal of ambition by bringing some of the household names of world football to the club in the past such as Roberto Carlos, Alessandro Del Piero, John Arne Riise and Florent Malouda,” said Delhi Dynamos president Prashant Agarwal at the Press conference for the announcement for this campaign was.
“But ultimately we want to develop homegrown talent who can go and become the next household name in world football. To do that you need to develop football at the grassroots level. A tree cannot grow without strong roots,” he added.
Prashant Argarwal: "Football in India was very popular in 1950. We've taken this decision to develop grassroots seriously" #AlbionInIndia 🇮🇳 — West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) April 15, 2016
West Brom sales and marketing director Adrian Wright too shared his thought on this plan by saying: “We want to establish a legacy that leaves a lasting impression on Delhi and India. It should be a legacy that extols the values of West Bromwich Albion and of course hopefully brings new fans to our attention. But we are also developing our relationship with Delhi Dynamos all the time and our message is clear. We’re there to stay and want to help football develop and through that improve the health and well-being of thousands of youngsters whose lives we can genuinely hope to change for the better.”
Darren Fletcher: "This is a perfect chance for Albion to send coaches to India and teach kids how to play football" #AlbionInIndia 🇮🇳 — West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) April 15, 2016
China had announced to make themselves one of the strongest football by nations by 2050 and this would have given the Indian football fans another topic to have a thought about.This generous effort taken by both the teams has been appreciated a lot by the football fans in India and shows the determination of people to make the country a major footballing powerhouse in the near future.
http://www.exclusivememorabilia.com/last-word-on-sport |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy[1] (sometimes referred to as HG2G,[2] HHGTTG[3] or H2G2[4]) is a comedy science fiction series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, including stage shows, novels, comic books, a 1981 TV series, a 1984 video game, and 2005 feature film.
A prominent series in British popular culture, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has become an international multi-media phenomenon; the novels are the most widely distributed, having been translated into more than 30 languages by 2005.[5][6] In 2017, BBC Radio 4 announced a 40th-anniversary celebration with Dirk Maggs, one of the original producers, in charge.[7] This sixth series of the sci-fi spoof has been based on Eoin Colfer's book And Another Thing, with additional unpublished material by Douglas Adams. The first of six new episodes was broadcast on 8 March 2018.[8]
The broad narrative of Hitchhiker follows the misadventures of the last surviving man, Arthur Dent, following the demolition of the planet Earth by a Vogon constructor fleet to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Dent is rescued from Earth's destruction by Ford Prefect, a human-like alien writer for the eccentric, electronic travel guide The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by hitchhiking onto a passing Vogon spacecraft. Following his rescue, Dent explores the galaxy with Prefect and encounters Trillian, another human who had been taken from Earth prior to its destruction by the President of the Galaxy, the two-headed Zaphod Beeblebrox, and the depressed Marvin, the Paranoid Android. Certain narrative details were changed between the various adaptations.
Plot [ edit ]
The various versions follow the same basic plot but they are in many places mutually contradictory, as Adams rewrote the story substantially for each new adaptation.[9] Throughout all versions, the series follows the adventures of Arthur Dent, a hapless Englishman, following the destruction of the Earth by the Vogons, a race of unpleasant and bureaucratic aliens, to make way for an intergalactic bypass. Dent's adventures intersect with several other characters: Ford Prefect (who named himself after the Ford Prefect car to blend in with what was assumed to be the dominant life form, automobiles), an alien from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse and a researcher for the eponymous guidebook, who rescues Dent from Earth's destruction; Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ford's eccentric semi-cousin and the Galactic President; the depressed robot Marvin the Paranoid Android; and Trillian, formerly known as Tricia McMillan, a woman Arthur once met at a party in Islington and the only other human survivor of Earth's destruction thanks to Beeblebrox' intervention.
Background [ edit ]
The first radio series comes from a proposal called "The Ends of the Earth": six self-contained episodes, all ending with Earth's being destroyed in a different way. While writing the first episode, Adams realized that he needed someone on the planet who was an alien to provide some context, and that this alien needed a reason to be there. Adams finally settled on making the alien a roving researcher for a "wholly remarkable book" named The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. As the first radio episode's writing progressed, the Guide became the centre of his story, and he decided to focus the series on it, with the destruction of Earth being the only hold-over.[10]
Adams claimed that the title came from a 1971 incident while he was hitchhiking around Europe as a young man with a copy of the Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe book: while lying drunk in a field near Innsbruck with a copy of the book and looking up at the stars, he thought it would be a good idea for someone to write a hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy as well. However, he later claimed that he had forgotten the incident itself, and only knew of it because he'd told the story of it so many times. His friends are quoted as saying that Adams mentioned the idea of "hitch-hiking around the galaxy" to them while on holiday in Greece in 1973.[11]
Adams's fictional Guide is an electronic guidebook to the entire universe, originally published by Megadodo Publications, one of the great publishing houses of Ursa Minor Beta. The narrative of the various versions of the story are frequently punctuated with excerpts from the Guide. The voice of the Guide (Peter Jones in the first two radio series and TV versions, later William Franklyn in the third, fourth and fifth radio series, and Stephen Fry in the movie version), also provides general narration.
Original radio series [ edit ]
The first radio series of six episodes (called "Fits" after the names of the sections of Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem "The Hunting of the Snark")[12] was broadcast in 1978 on BBC Radio 4. Despite a low-key launch of the series (the first episode was broadcast at 10:30 pm on Wednesday, 8 March 1978), it received generally good reviews and a tremendous audience reaction for radio.[13] A one-off episode (a "Christmas special") was broadcast later in the year. The BBC had a practice at the time of commissioning "Christmas Special" episodes for popular radio series, and while an early draft of this episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide had a Christmas-related plotline, it was decided to be "in slightly poor taste" and the episode as transmitted served as a bridge between the two series.[14] This episode was released as part of the second radio series and, later, The Secondary Phase on cassettes and CDs. The Primary and Secondary Phases were aired, in a slightly edited version, in the United States on NPR Playhouse.
The first series was repeated twice in 1978 alone and many more times in the next few years. This led to an LP re-recording, produced independently of the BBC for sale, and a further adaptation of the series as a book. A second radio series, which consisted of a further six episodes, and bringing the total number of episodes to 12, was broadcast in 1980.
The radio series (and the LP and TV versions) greatly benefited from the narration of noted comedy actor Peter Jones as The Book. He was cast after it was decided that a "Peter Jonesy" sort of voice was required. This led to a three-month search for an actor who sounded exactly like Peter Jones, which was unsuccessful. The producers then hired Peter Jones as exactly the "Peter Jonesy" voice they were looking for.[15]
The series was also notable for its use of sound, being the first comedy series to be produced in stereo.[16] Adams said that he wanted the programme's production to be comparable to that of a modern rock album. Much of the programme's budget was spent on sound effects, which were largely the work of Paddy Kingsland (for the pilot episode and the complete second series) at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and Dick Mills and Harry Parker (for the remaining episodes (2–6) of the first series). The fact that they were at the forefront of modern radio production in 1978 and 1980 was reflected when the three new series of Hitchhiker's became some of the first radio shows to be mixed into four-channel Dolby Surround. This mix was also featured on DVD releases of the third radio series.
The theme tune used for the radio, television, LP and film versions is "Journey of the Sorcerer", an instrumental piece composed by Bernie Leadon and recorded by The Eagles on their album One of These Nights. Only the transmitted radio series used the original recording; a sound-alike cover by Tim Souster was used for the LP and TV series, another arrangement by Joby Talbot was used for the 2005 film, and still another arrangement, this time by Philip Pope, was recorded to be released with the CDs of the last three radio series. Apparently, Adams chose this song for its futuristic-sounding nature, but also for the fact that it had a banjo in it, which, as Geoffrey Perkins recalls, Adams said would give an "on the road, hitch-hiking feel" to it.[17]
The twelve episodes were released (in a slightly edited form, removing the Pink Floyd music and two other tunes "hummed" by Marvin when the team land on Magrathea) on CD and cassette in 1988, becoming the first CD release in the BBC Radio Collection. They were re-released in 1992, and at this time Adams suggested that they could retitle Fits the First to Sixth as "The Primary Phase" and Fits the Seventh to Twelfth as "The Secondary Phase" instead of just "the first series" and "the second series".[18] It was at about this time that a "Tertiary Phase" was first discussed with Dirk Maggs, adapting Life, the Universe and Everything, but this series would not be recorded for another ten years.[19]
Main cast:
Novels [ edit ]
The novels are described as "a trilogy in five parts", having been described as a trilogy on the release of the third book, and then a "trilogy in four parts" on the release of the fourth book. The US edition of the fifth book was originally released with the legend "The fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy" on the cover. Subsequent re-releases of the other novels bore the legend "The [first, second, third, fourth] book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy". In addition, the blurb on the fifth book describes it as "the book that gives a whole new meaning to the word 'trilogy'".
The plots of the television and radio series are more or less the same as that of the first two novels, though some of the events occur in a different order and many of the details are changed. Much of parts five and six of the radio series were written by John Lloyd, but his material did not make it into the other versions of the story and is not included here. Many consider the books' version of events to be definitive because they are the most readily accessible and widely distributed version of the story. However, they are not the final version that Adams produced.
Before his death from a heart attack on 11 May 2001, Adams was considering writing a sixth novel in the Hitchhiker's series. He was working on a third Dirk Gently novel, under the working title The Salmon of Doubt, but felt that the book was not working and abandoned it. In an interview, he said some of the ideas in the book might fit better in the Hitchhiker's series, and suggested he might rework those ideas into a sixth book in that series. He described Mostly Harmless as "a very bleak book" and said he "would love to finish Hitchhiker on a slightly more upbeat note". Adams also remarked that if he were to write a sixth instalment, he would at least start with all the characters in the same place.[20] Eoin Colfer, who wrote the sixth book in the Hitchhiker's series in 2008–09, used this latter concept but none of the plot ideas from The Salmon of Doubt.[citation needed]
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [ edit ]
In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (published in 1979), the characters visit the legendary planet Magrathea, home to the now-collapsed planet-building industry, and meet Slartibartfast, a planetary coastline designer who was responsible for the fjords of Norway. Through archival recordings, he relates the story of a race of hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings who built a computer named Deep Thought to calculate the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. When the answer was revealed to be 42, Deep Thought explained that the answer was incomprehensible because the beings didn't know what they were asking. It went on to predict that another computer, more powerful than itself, would be made and designed by it to calculate the question for the answer. (Later on, referencing this, Adams would create the 42 Puzzle, a puzzle which could be approached in multiple ways, all yielding the answer 42.)
The computer, often mistaken for a planet (because of its size and use of biological components), was the Earth, and was destroyed by Vogons to make way for a hyperspatial express route five minutes before the conclusion of its 10-million-year program. Two members of the race of hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings who commissioned the Earth in the first place disguise themselves as Trillian's mice, and want to dissect Arthur's brain to help reconstruct the question, since he was part of the Earth's matrix moments before it was destroyed, and so he is likely to have part of the question buried in his brain. Trillian is also human but had left Earth six months previously with Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Galaxy. The protagonists escape, setting the course for "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe". The mice, in Arthur's absence, create a phony question since it is too troublesome for them to wait 10 million years again just to cash in on a lucrative deal.
The book was adapted from the first four radio episodes. It was first published in 1979, initially in paperback, by Pan Books, after BBC Publishing had turned down the offer of publishing a novelization, an action they would later regret.[21] The book reached number one on the book charts in only its second week, and sold over 250,000 copies within three months of its release. A hardback edition was published by Harmony Books, a division of Random House in the United States in October 1980, and the 1981 US paperback edition was promoted by the give-away of 3,000 free copies in the magazine Rolling Stone to build word of mouth. In 2005, Del Rey Books rereleased the Hitchhiker series with new covers for the release of the 2005 movie. To date, it has sold over 14 million copies.[22]
A photo-illustrated edition of the first novel appeared in 1994.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe [ edit ]
In The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (published in 1980), Zaphod is separated from the others and finds he is part of a conspiracy to uncover who really runs the Universe. Zaphod meets Zarniwoop, a conspirator and editor for The Guide, who knows where to find the secret ruler. Zaphod becomes briefly reunited with the others for a trip to Milliways, the restaurant of the title. Zaphod and Ford decide to steal a ship from there, which turns out to be a stunt ship pre-programmed to plunge into a star as a special effect in a stage show. Unable to change course, the main characters get Marvin to run the teleporter they find in the ship, which is working other than having no automatic control (someone must remain behind to operate it), and Marvin seemingly sacrifices himself. Zaphod and Trillian discover that the Universe is in the safe hands of a simple man living on a remote planet in a wooden shack with his cat.
Ford and Arthur, meanwhile, end up on a spacecraft full of the outcasts of the Golgafrinchan civilization. The ship crashes on prehistoric Earth; Ford and Arthur are stranded, and it becomes clear that the inept Golgafrinchans are the ancestors of modern humans, having displaced the Earth's indigenous hominids. This has disrupted the Earth's programming so that when Ford and Arthur manage to extract the final readout from Arthur's subconscious mind by pulling lettered tiles from a Scrabble set, it is "What do you get if you multiply six by nine?" Arthur then comments, "I've always said there was something fundamentally wrong with the universe."
The book was adapted from the remaining material in the radio series—covering from the fifth episode to the twelfth episode, although the ordering was greatly changed (in particular, the events of Fit the Sixth, with Ford and Arthur being stranded on pre-historic Earth, end the book, and their rescue in Fit the Seventh is deleted), and most of the Brontitall incident was omitted, instead of the Haggunenon sequence, co-written by John Loyd, the Disaster Area stunt ship was substituted—this having first been introduced in the LP version. Adams himself considered Restaurant to be his best novel of the five.[23]
Life, the Universe and Everything [ edit ]
In Life, the Universe and Everything (published in 1982), Ford and Arthur travel through the space-time continuum from prehistoric Earth to Lord's Cricket Ground. There they run into Slartibartfast, who enlists their aid in preventing galactic war. Long ago, the people of Krikkit attempted to wipe out all life in the Universe, but they were stopped and imprisoned on their home planet; now they are poised to escape. With the help of Marvin, Zaphod, and Trillian, our heroes prevent the destruction of life in the Universe and go their separate ways.
This was the first Hitchhiker's book originally written as a book and not adapted from radio. Its story was based on a treatment Adams had written for a Doctor Who theatrical release,[24] with the Doctor role being split between Slartibartfast (to begin with), and later Trillian and Arthur.
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide, a collection of the five books in the series written before Adams's death, a leatherbound volume published in the United States by Portland House, a division of Random House, in 1997 The front cover of, a collection of the five books in the series written before Adams's death, a leatherbound volume published in the United States by Portland House, a division of Random House, in 1997
In 2004 it was adapted for radio as the Tertiary Phase of the radio series.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish [ edit ]
In So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (published in 1984), Arthur returns home to Earth, rather surprisingly since it was destroyed when he left. He meets and falls in love with a girl named Fenchurch, and discovers this Earth is a replacement provided by the dolphins in their Save the Humans campaign. Eventually, he rejoins Ford, who claims to have saved the Universe in the meantime, to hitch-hike one last time and see God's Final Message to His Creation. Along the way, they are joined by Marvin, the Paranoid Android, who, although 37 times older than the universe itself (what with time travel and all), has just enough power left in his failing body to read the message and feel better about it all before expiring.
This was the first Hitchhiker's novel which was not an adaptation of any previously written story or script. In 2005 it was adapted for radio as the Quandary Phase of the radio series.
Mostly Harmless [ edit ]
Finally, in Mostly Harmless (published in 1992), Vogons take over The Hitchhiker's Guide (under the name of InfiniDim Enterprises), to finish, once and for all, the task of obliterating the Earth. After abruptly losing Fenchurch and traveling around the galaxy despondently, Arthur's spaceship crashes on the planet Lamuella, where he settles in happily as the official sandwich-maker for a small village of simple, peaceful people. Meanwhile, Ford Prefect breaks into The Guide's offices, gets himself an infinite expense account from the computer system, and then meets The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Mark II, an artificially intelligent, multi-dimensional guide with vast power and a hidden purpose. After he declines this dangerously powerful machine's aid (which he receives anyway), he sends it to Arthur Dent for safety ("Oh yes, whose?"—Arthur).
Trillian uses DNA that Arthur donated for traveling money to have a daughter, and when she goes to cover a war, she leaves her daughter Random Frequent Flyer Dent with Arthur. Random, a more than typically troubled teenager, steals The Guide Mark II and uses it to get to Earth. Arthur, Ford, Trillian, and Tricia McMillan (Trillian in this alternate universe) follow her to a crowded club, where an anguished Random becomes startled by a noise and inadvertently fires her gun at Arthur. The shot misses Arthur and kills a man (the ever-unfortunate Agrajag). Immediately afterwards, The Guide Mark II causes the removal of all possible Earths from probability. All of the main characters, save Zaphod, were on Earth at the time and are apparently killed, bringing a good deal of satisfaction to the Vogons.
In 2005 it was adapted for radio as the Quintessential Phase of the radio series, with the final episode first transmitted on 21 June 2005.
And Another Thing... [ edit ]
It was announced in September 2008 that Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl, had been commissioned to write the sixth instalment entitled And Another Thing... with the support of Jane Belson, Adams's widow.[25][26] The book was published by Penguin Books in the UK and Hyperion in the US in October 2009.[25][27]
The story begins as death rays bear down on Earth, and the characters awaken from a virtual reality. Zaphod picks them up shortly before they are killed, but completely fails to escape the death beams. They are then saved by Bowerick Wowbagger, the Infinitely Prolonged, whom they agree to help kill. Zaphod travels to Asgard to get Thor's help. In the meantime, the Vogons are heading to destroy a colony of people who also escaped Earth's destruction, on the planet Nano. Arthur, Wowbagger, Trillian and Random head to Nano to try to stop the Vogons, and on the journey, Wowbagger and Trillian fall in love, making Wowbagger question whether or not he wants to be killed. Zaphod arrives with Thor, who then signs up to be the planet's God. With Random's help, Thor almost kills Wowbagger. Wowbagger, who merely loses his immortality, then marries Trillian.
Thor then stops the first Vogon attack and apparently dies. Meanwhile, Constant Mown, son of Prostetnic Jeltz, convinces his father that the people on the planet are not citizens of Earth, but are, in fact, citizens of Nano, which means that it would be illegal to kill them. As the book draws to a close, Arthur is on his way to check out a possible university for Random, when, during a hyperspace jump, he is flung across alternate universes, has a brief encounter with Fenchurch, and ends up exactly where he would want to be. And then the Vogons turn up again.
In 2017 it was adapted for radio as the Hexagonal Phase of the radio series, with its premiere episode first transmitted on 8 March 2018[28][29] (exactly forty years, to the day, from the first episode of the first series, the Primary Phase[30]).
Omnibus editions [ edit ]
Two omnibus editions were created by Douglas Adams to combine the Hitchhiker series novels and to "set the record straight".[31] The stories came in so many different formats that Adams stated that every time he told it he would contradict himself. Therefore, he stated in the introduction of The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide that "anything I put down wrong here is, as far as I'm concerned, wrong for good."[31] The two omnibus editions were The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide, Complete and Unabridged (published in 1987) and The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide, Complete and Unabridged (published in 1997).
The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide [ edit ]
Published in 1987, this 624-page leatherbound omnibus edition contains "wrong for good"[31] versions of the four Hitchhiker series novels at the time, and also includes one short story:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide [ edit ]
Published in 1997, this 832-page leatherbound final omnibus edition contains five Hitchhiker series novels and one short story:
Also appearing in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide, at the end of Adams's introduction, is a list of instructions on "How to Leave the Planet", providing a humorous explanation of how one might replicate Arthur and Ford's feat at the beginning of Hitchhiker's.
Other Hitchhiker's-related books and stories [ edit ]
Related stories [ edit ]
A short story by Adams, "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe", first appeared in The Utterly Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book, a special large-print compilation of different stories and pictures that raised money for the then-new Comic Relief charity in the UK. The story also appears in some of the omnibus editions of the trilogy, and in The Salmon of Doubt. There are two versions of this story, one of which is slightly more explicit in its political commentary.
A novel, Douglas Adams' Starship Titanic: A Novel, written by Terry Jones, is based on Adams's computer game of the same name, Douglas Adams's Starship Titanic, which in turn is based on an idea from Life, the Universe and Everything. The idea concerns a luxury passenger starship that suffers "sudden and gratuitous total existence failure" on its maiden voyage.
Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, a character from Life, the Universe and Everything, also appears in a short story by Adams titled "The Private Life of Genghis Khan" which appears in some early editions of The Salmon of Doubt.
Published radio scripts [ edit ]
Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins collaborated on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts, first published in the United Kingdom and United States in 1985. A tenth-anniversary (of the script book publication) edition was printed in 1995, and a twenty-fifth-anniversary (of the first radio series broadcast) edition was printed in 2003.
The 2004 series was produced by Above The Title Productions and the scripts were published in July 2005, with production notes for each episode. This second radio script book is entitled The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Scripts: The Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases. Douglas Adams gets the primary writer's credit (as he wrote the original novels), and there is a foreword by Simon Jones, introductions by the producer and the director, and other introductory notes from other members of the cast.
Television series [ edit ]
The popularity of the radio series gave rise to a six-episode television series, directed and produced by Alan J. W. Bell, which first aired on BBC 2 in January and February 1981. It employed many of the actors from the radio series and was based mainly on the radio versions of Fits the First to Sixth. A second series was at one point planned, with a storyline, according to Alan Bell and Mark Wing-Davey that would have come from Adams's abandoned Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen project (instead of simply making a TV version of the second radio series). However, Adams got into disputes with the BBC (accounts differ: problems with budget, scripts, and having Alan Bell involved are all offered as causes), and the second series was never made. Elements of Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen were instead used in the third novel, Life, the Universe and Everything.
The main cast was the same as the original radio series, except for David Dixon as Ford Prefect instead of McGivern, and Sandra Dickinson as Trillian instead of Sheridan. Interview with Sandra Dickinson on 1st June 2018, where she talks about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. [32]
Other television appearances [ edit ]
Segments of several of the books were adapted as part of the BBC's The Big Read survey and programme, broadcast in late 2003. The film, directed by Deep Sehgal, starred Sanjeev Bhaskar as Arthur Dent, alongside Spencer Brown as Ford Prefect, Nigel Planer as the voice of Marvin, Stephen Hawking as the voice of Deep Thought, Patrick Moore as the voice of the Guide, Roger Lloyd-Pack as Slartibartfast, and Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish as Loonquawl and Phouchg.
Radio series three to five [ edit ]
On 21 June 2004, the BBC announced in a press release[33] that a new series of Hitchhiker's based on the third novel would be broadcast as part of its autumn schedule, produced by Above the Title Productions Ltd. The episodes were recorded in late 2003, but actual transmission was delayed while an agreement was reached with The Walt Disney Company over Internet re-broadcasts, as Disney had begun pre-production on the film.[34] This was followed by news that further series would be produced based on the fourth and fifth novels. These were broadcast in September and October 2004 and May and June 2005. CD releases accompanied the transmission of the final episode in each series.
The adaptation of the third novel followed the book very closely, which caused major structural issues in meshing with the preceding radio series in comparison to the second novel. Because many events from the radio series were omitted from the second novel, and those that did occur happened in a different order, the two series split in completely different directions. The last two adaptations vary somewhat—some events in Mostly Harmless are now foreshadowed in the adaptation of So Long and Thanks For All The Fish, while both include some additional material that builds on incidents in the third series to tie all five (and their divergent plotlines) together, most especially including the character Zaphod more prominently in the final chapters and addressing his altered reality to include the events of the Secondary Phase. While Mostly Harmless originally contained a rather bleak ending, Dirk Maggs created a different ending for the transmitted radio version, ending it on a much more upbeat note, reuniting the cast one last time.
The core cast for the third to fifth radio series remained the same, except for the replacement of Peter Jones by William Franklyn as the Book, and Richard Vernon by Richard Griffiths as Slartibartfast, since both had died. (Homage to Jones' iconic portrayal of the Book was paid twice: the gradual shift of voices to a "new" version in episode 13, launching the new productions, and a blend of Jones and Franklyn's voices at the end of the final episode, the first part of Maggs' alternative ending.) Sandra Dickinson, who played Trillian in the TV series, here played Tricia McMillan, an English-born, American-accented alternate-universe version of Trillian, while David Dixon, the television series' Ford Prefect, made a cameo appearance as the "Ecological Man". Jane Horrocks appeared in the new semi-regular role of Fenchurch, Arthur's girlfriend, and Samantha Béart joined in the final series as Arthur and Trillian's daughter, Random Dent. Also reprising their roles from the original radio series were Jonathan Pryce as Zarniwoop (here blended with a character from the final novel to become Zarniwoop Vann Harl), Rula Lenska as Lintilla and her clones (and also as the Voice of the Bird), and Roy Hudd as Milliways compere Max Quordlepleen, as well as the original radio series' announcer, John Marsh.
The series also featured guest appearances by such noted personalities as Joanna Lumley as the Sydney Opera House Woman, Jackie Mason as the East River Creature, Miriam Margolyes as the Smelly Photocopier Woman, BBC Radio cricket legends Henry Blofeld and Fred Trueman as themselves, June Whitfield as the Raffle Woman, Leslie Phillips as Hactar, Saeed Jaffrey as the Man on the Pole, Sir Patrick Moore as himself, and Christian Slater as Wonko the Sane. Finally, Adams himself played the role of Agrajag, a performance adapted from his book-on-tape reading of the third novel, and edited into the series created some time after the author's death.
Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phase Main cast:
Radio series six [ edit ]
The first of six episodes in a sixth series, the Hexagonal Phase, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 8 March 2018[35] and featured Professor Stephen Hawking introducing himself as the voice of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Mk II by saying: "I have been quite popular in my time. Some even read my books."
Film [ edit ]
After several years of setbacks and renewed efforts to start production and a quarter of a century after the first book was published, the big-screen adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was finally shot. Pre-production began in 2003, filming began on 19 April 2004 and post-production began in early September 2004.[36]
After a London premiere on 20 April 2005, it was released on 28 April in the UK and Australia, 29 April in the United States and Canada, and 29 July in South Africa. (A full list of release dates is available at the IMDb.[37]) The movie stars Martin Freeman as Arthur, Mos Def as Ford, Sam Rockwell as President of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox and Zooey Deschanel as Trillian, with Alan Rickman providing the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android (and Warwick Davis acting in Marvin's costume), and Stephen Fry as the voice of the Guide/Narrator.
The plot of the film adaptation of Hitchhiker's Guide differs widely from that of the radio show, book and television series. The romantic triangle between Arthur, Zaphod, and Trillian is more prominent in the film; and visits to Vogsphere, the homeworld of the Vogons (which, in the books, was already abandoned), and Viltvodle VI are inserted. The film covers roughly events in the first four radio episodes, and ends with the characters en route to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, leaving the opportunity for a sequel open. A unique appearance is made by the Point-of-View Gun, a device specifically created by Adams himself for the movie.
Commercially the film was a modest success, taking $21 million in its opening weekend in the United States, and nearly £3.3 million in its opening weekend in the United Kingdom.[38]
The film was released on DVD (Region 2, PAL) in the UK on 5 September 2005. Both a standard double-disc edition and a UK-exclusive numbered limited edition "Giftpack" were released on this date. The "Giftpack" edition includes a copy of the novel with a "movie tie-in" cover, and collectible prints from the film, packaged in a replica of the film's version of the Hitchhiker's Guide prop. A single-disc widescreen or full-screen edition (Region 1, NTSC) were made available in the United States and Canada on 13 September 2005. Single-disc releases in the Blu-ray format and UMD format for the PlayStation Portable were also released on the respective dates in these three countries.
Stage shows [ edit ]
Flyer for the 1979 stage production at the ICA of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
Adam Pope playing Zaphod in an amateur production of HHGTTG by Prudhoe's Really Youthful Theatre Company
There have been multiple professional and amateur stage adaptations of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. There were three early professional productions, which were staged in 1979 and 1980.[39][40]
The first of these was performed at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, between 1 and 19 May 1979, starring Chris Langham as Arthur Dent (Langham later returned to Hitchhiker's as Prak in the final episode of 2004's Tertiary Phase) and Richard Hope as Ford Prefect. This show was adapted from the first series' scripts and was directed by Ken Campbell, who went on to perform a character in the final episode of the second radio series. The show ran 90 minutes, but had an audience limited to eighty people per night. Actors performed on a variety of ledges and platforms, and the audience was pushed around in a hovercar, 1/2000th of an inch above the floor. This was the first time that Zaphod was represented by having two actors in one large costume. The narration of "The Book" was split between two usherettes, an adaptation that has appeared in no other version of H2G2. One of these usherettes, Cindy Oswin, went on to voice Trillian for the LP adaptation.
The second stage show was performed throughout Wales between 15 January and 23 February 1980. This was a production of Theatr Clwyd, and was directed by Jonathan Petherbridge. The company performed adaptations of complete radio episodes, at times doing two episodes in a night, and at other times doing all six episodes of the first series in single three-hour sessions. This adaptation was performed again at the Oxford Playhouse in December 1981,the Bristol Hippodrome, Plymouth's Theatre Royal in May–June 1982, and also at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, in July 1983.
The third and least successful stage show was held at the Rainbow Theatre in London, in July 1980. This was the second production directed by Ken Campbell. The Rainbow Theatre had been adapted for stagings of rock operas in the 1970s, and both reference books mentioned in footnotes indicate that this, coupled with incidental music throughout the performance, caused some reviewers to label it as a "musical". This was the first adaptation for which Adams wrote the "Dish of the Day" sequence. The production ran for over three hours, and was widely panned for this, as well as for the music, laser effects, and the acting. Despite attempts to shorten the script, and make other changes, it closed three or four weeks early (accounts differ), and lost a lot of money. Despite the bad reviews, there were at least two stand-out performances: Michael Cule and David Learner both went on from this production to appearances in the TV adaptation.
In December 2011 a new stage production was announced to begin touring in June 2012. This included members of the original radio and TV casts such as Simon Jones, Geoff McGivern, Susan Sheridan, Mark Wing-Davey and Stephen Moore with VIP guests playing the role of the Book. It was produced in the form of a radio show which could be downloaded when the tour was completed.[41][42] This production was based on the first four Fits in the first act, with the second act covering material from the rest of the series. The show also featured a band, who performed the songs "Share and Enjoy", the Krikkit song "Under the Ink Black Sky", Marvin's song "How I Hate The Night", and "Marvin", which was a minor hit in 1981.
The production featured a series of "VIP guests" as the voice of The Book including Billy Boyd,[43] Phill Jupitus,[44] Rory McGrath,[44] Roger McGough,[45] Jon Culshaw,[43] Christopher Timothy,[46] Andrew Sachs,[47] John Challis,[48] Hugh Dennis,[43] John Lloyd,[43] Terry Jones[44] and Neil Gaiman.[43] The tour started on 8 June 2012 at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow and continued through the summer until 21 July when the final performance was at Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh.[49] The production started touring again in September 2013,[50][51] but the remaining dates of the tour were cancelled due to poor ticket sales.[52]
Live radio adaptation [ edit ]
On Saturday 29 March 2014, Radio 4 broadcast an adaptation in front of a live audience, featuring many members of the original cast including Stephen Moore, Susan Sheridan, Mark Wing-Davey, Simon Jones and Geoff McGivern, with John Lloyd as the book.[53]
The adaptation was adapted by Dirk Maggs primarily from Fit the First, including material from the books and later radio Fits as well as some new jokes. It formed part of Radio 4's Character Invasion series.
LP album adaptations [ edit ]
The first four radio episodes were adapted for a new double LP, also entitled The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (appended with "Part One" for the subsequent Canadian release), first by mail-order only, and later into stores. The double LP and its sequel were originally released by Original Records in the United Kingdom in 1979 and 1980, with the catalogue numbers ORA042 and ORA054 respectively. They were first released by Hannibal Records in 1982 (as HNBL 2301 and HNBL 1307, respectively) in the United States and Canada, and later re-released in a slightly abridged edition by Simon & Schuster's Audioworks in the mid-1980s. Both were produced by Geoffrey Perkins and featured cover artwork by Hipgnosis.
The script in the first double LP very closely follows the first four radio episodes, although further cuts had to be made for reasons of timing. Despite this, other lines of dialogue that were indicated as having been cut when the original scripts from the radio series were eventually published can be heard in the LP version. The Simon & Schuster cassettes omit the Veet Voojagig narration, the cheerleader's speech as Deep Thought concludes its seven-and-one-half-million-year programme, and a few other lines from both sides of the second LP of the set.
Most of the original cast returned, except for Susan Sheridan, who was recording a voice for the character of Princess Eilonwy in The Black Cauldron for Walt Disney Pictures. Cindy Oswin voiced Trillian on all three LPs in her place. Other casting changes in the first double LP included Stephen Moore taking on the additional role of the barman, and Valentine Dyall as the voice of Deep Thought. Adams's voice can be heard making the public address announcements on Magrathea.
Because of copyright issues, the music used during the first radio series was either replaced, or in the case of the title it was re-recorded in a new arrangement. Composer Tim Souster did both duties (with Paddy Kingsland contributing music as well), and Souster's version of the theme was the version also used for the eventual television series.[54]
The sequel LP was released, singly, as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Part Two: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe in the UK, and simply as The Restaurant at the End of the Universe in the USA. The script here mostly follows Fit the Fifth and Fit the Sixth, but includes a song by the backup band in the restaurant ("Reg Nullify and his Cataclysmic Combo"), and changes the Haggunenon sequence to "Disaster Area".
As the result of a misunderstanding, the second record was released before being cut down in a final edit that Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins had both intended to make. Perkins has said, "[I]t is far too long on each side. It's just a rough cut. [...] I felt it was flabby, and I wanted to speed it up."[55] The Simon & Schuster Audioworks re-release of this LP was also abridged slightly from its original release. The scene with Ford Prefect and Hotblack Desiato's bodyguard is omitted.
Sales for the first double-LP release were primarily through mail order. Total sales reached over 60,000 units, with half of those being mail order, and the other half through retail outlets.[56] This is in spite of the facts that Original Records' warehouse ordered and stocked more copies than they were actually selling for quite some time, and that Paul Neil Milne Johnstone complained about his name and then-current address being included in the recording.[57] This was corrected for a later pressing of the double-LP by "cut[ting] up that part of the master tape and reassembl[ing] it in the wrong order".[58] The second LP release ("Part Two") also only sold a total of 60,000 units in the UK.[56] The distribution deals for the United States and Canada with Hannibal Records and Simon and Schuster were later negotiated by Douglas Adams and his agent, Ed Victor, after gaining full rights to the recordings from Original Records, which went bankrupt.[59]
Audiobook adaptations [ edit ]
There have been three audiobook recordings of the novel. The first was an abridged edition (ISBN 0-671-62964-6), recorded in the mid-1980s for the EMI label Music For Pleasure by Stephen Moore, best known for playing the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android in the radio series and in the TV series. In 1990, Adams himself recorded an unabridged edition for Dove Audiobooks ( ISBN 1-55800-273-1), later re-released by New Millennium Audio ( ISBN 1-59007-257-X) in the United States and available from BBC Audiobooks in the United Kingdom. Also by arrangement with Dove, ISIS Publishing Ltd produced a numbered exclusive edition signed by Douglas Adams ( ISBN 1-85695-028-X) in 1994. To tie-in with the 2005 film, actor Stephen Fry, the film's voice of the Guide, recorded a second unabridged edition ( ISBN 0-7393-2220-6).
In addition, unabridged versions of books 2-5 of the series were recorded by Martin Freeman for Random House Audio. Freeman plays Arthur in the 2005 film adaptation. Audiobooks 2-5 follow in order and include: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe ( ISBN 9780739332085); Life, the Universe, and Everything ( ISBN 9780739332108); So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish ( ISBN 9780739332122); and Mostly Harmless ( ISBN 9780739332146).
Interactive fiction and video games [ edit ]
Sometime between 1982 and 1984 (accounts differ), the British company Supersoft published a text-based adventure game based on the book, which was released in versions for the Commodore PET and Commodore 64. One account states that there was a dispute as to whether valid permission for publication had been granted, and following legal action the game was withdrawn and all remaining copies were destroyed. Another account states that the programmer, Bob Chappell, rewrote the game to remove all Hitchhiker's references, and republished it as "Cosmic Capers".[60]
Officially, the TV series was followed in 1984 by a best-selling "interactive fiction", or text-based adventure game, distributed by Infocom. It was designed by Adams and Infocom regular Steve Meretzky[61] and was one of Infocom's most successful games.[62] As with many Infocom games, the box contained a number of "feelies" including a "Don't panic" badge, some "pocket fluff", a pair of peril-sensitive sunglasses (made of cardboard), an order for the destruction of the Earth, a small, clear plastic bag containing "a microscopic battle fleet" and an order for the destruction of Arthur Dent's house (signed by Adams and Meretzky).[63]
In September 2004, it was revived by the BBC on the Hitchhiker's section of the Radio 4 website for the initial broadcast of the Tertiary Phase, and is still available to play online.[64][65] This new version uses an original Infocom datafile with a custom-written interpreter, by Sean Sollé, and Flash programming by Shimon Young, both of whom used to work at The Digital Village (TDV). The new version includes illustrations by Rod Lord, who was head of Pearce Animation Studios in 1980, which produced the guide graphics for the TV series. On 2 March 2005 it won the Interactive BAFTA in the "best online entertainment" category.[66][67]
A sequel to the original Infocom game was never made. An all-new, fully graphical game was designed and developed by a joint venture between The Digital Village and PAN Interactive (no connection to Pan Books / Pan Mcmillan).[68][69] This new game was planned and developed between 1998 and 2002, but like the sequel to the Infocom game, it also never materialised.[70] In April 2005, Starwave Mobile released two mobile games to accompany the release of the film adaptation. The first, developed by Atatio, was called "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Vogon Planet Destructor".[71] It was a typical top-down shooter and except for the title had little to do with the actual story. The second game, developed by TKO Software, was a graphical adventure game named "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Adventure Game".[72] Despite its name, the newly designed puzzles by TKO Software's Ireland studio were different from the Infocom ones, and the game followed the movie's script closely and included the new characters and places. The "Adventure Game" won the IGN's "Editors' Choice Award" in May 2005.
On 25 May 2011, Hothead Games announced they were working on a new edition of The Guide.[73] Along with the announcement, Hothead Games launched a teaser web site made to look like an announcement from Megadodo Publications that The Guide will soon be available on Earth.[74] It has since been revealed that they are developing an iOS app in the style of the fictional Guide.[75]
Comic books [ edit ]
The front cover of the DC Comics adaptation of the first book
In 1993, DC Comics, in conjunction with Byron Preiss Visual Publications, published a three-part comic book adaptation of the novelisation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This was followed up with three-part adaptations of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe in 1994, and Life, the Universe and Everything in 1996. There was also a series of collectors' cards with art from and inspired by the comic adaptations of the first book, and a graphic novelisation (or "collected edition") combining the three individual comic books from 1993, itself released in May 1997. Douglas Adams was deeply opposed to the use of American English spellings and idioms in what he felt was a very British story, and had to be talked into it by the American publishers, although he remained very unhappy with the compromise.
The adaptations were scripted by John Carnell. Steve Leialoha provided the art for Hitchhiker's and the layouts for Restaurant. Shepherd Hendrix did the finished art for Restaurant. Neil Vokes and John Nyberg did the finished artwork for Life, based on breakdowns by Paris Cullins (Book 1) and Christopher Schenck (Books 2–3). The miniseries were edited by Howard Zimmerman and Ken Grobe.
Don't Panic towel
Many merchandising and spin-off items (or "Hitch-Hikeriana") were produced in the early 1980s, including towels in different colours, all bearing the Guide entry for towels. Later runs of towels include those made for promotions by Pan Books, Touchstone Pictures / Disney for the 2005 movie, and different towels made for ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, the official Hitchhiker's Appreciation society.[76] Other items that first appeared in the mid-1980s were T-shirts, including those made for Infocom (such as one bearing the legend "I got the Babel Fish" for successfully completing one of that game's most difficult puzzles), and a Disaster Area tour T-shirt. Other official items have included "Beeblebears" (teddy bears with an extra head and arm, named after Hitchhiker's character Zaphod Beeblebrox, sold by the official Appreciation Society), an assortment of pin-on buttons and a number of novelty singles. Many of the above items are displayed throughout the 2004 "25th Anniversary Illustrated Edition" of the novel, which used items from the personal collections of fans of the series.
Stephen Moore recorded two novelty singles in character as Marvin, the Paranoid Android: "Marvin"/"Metal Man" and "Reasons To Be Miserable"/"Marvin I Love You". The last song has appeared on a Dr. Demento compilation. Another single featured the re-recorded "Journey of the Sorcerer" (arranged by Tim Souster) backed with "Reg Nullify In Concert" by Reg Nullify, and "Only the End of the World Again" by Disaster Area (including Douglas Adams on bass guitar) (help·info) . These discs have since become collector's items.
The 2005 movie also added quite a few collectibles, mostly through the National Entertainment Collectibles Association. These included three prop replicas of objects seen on the Vogon ship and homeworld (a mug, a pen and a stapler), sets of "action figures" with a height of either 3 or 6 inches (76 or 150 mm), a gun—based on a prop used by Marvin, the Paranoid Android, that shoots foam darts—a crystal cube, shot glasses, a ten-inch (254 mm) high version of Marvin with eyes that light up green, and "yarn doll" versions of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Trillian, Marvin and Zaphod Beeblebrox. Also, various audio tracks were released to coincide with the movie, notably re-recordings of "Marvin" and "Reasons To Be Miserable", sung by Stephen Fry, along with some of the "Guide Entries", newly written material read in-character by Fry.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk launched his Tesla Roadster into an elliptical heliocentric orbit as part of the initial test launch of the Falcon Heavy. On the car's dashboard, the phrase "Don't Panic!" appears, as a nod to the Hitchhiker's Guide.[77]
International phenomenon [ edit ]
Many science fiction fans and radio listeners outside the United Kingdom were first exposed to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in one of two ways: shortwave radio broadcasts of the original radio series, or by Douglas Adams being "Guest of Honour" at the 1979 World Science Fiction Convention, Seacon, held in Brighton, England. It was there that the radio series was nominated for a Hugo Award (the first radio series to receive a nomination) but lost to Superman. A convention exclusively for H2G2, Hitchercon I, was held in Glasgow, Scotland, in September 1980, the year that the official fan club, ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, was organised. In the early 1980s, versions of H2G2 became available in the United States, Canada, Germany (Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis), Denmark (Håndbog for vakse galakseblaffere), the Netherlands (Transgalactisch Liftershandboek), Sweden (Liftarens guide till galaxen), Finland (Linnunradan Käsikirja Liftareille) and also Israel (מדריך הטרמפיסט לגלקסיה).
In the meantime the book has been translated into more than thirty languages, such as Bulgarian (Пътеводител на галактическия стопаджия), Czech (Stopařův průvodce Galaxií), Farsi/Persian (راهنمای مسافران مجانی کهکشان), French (Le routard galactique), Greek (Γυρίστε το Γαλαξία με Ωτο-στόπ), Hungarian (Galaxis Útikalauz stopposoknak), Italian (Guida galattica per gli autostoppisti), Japanese (銀河ヒッチハイク・ガイド), Korean (은하수를 여행하는 히치하이커를 위한 안내서), Latvian (Galaktikas ceļvedis stopētājiem), Norwegian (Haikerens guide til Galaksen, first published as På tommeltotten til melkeveien), Brazilian Portuguese (Guia do Mochileiro das Galáxias), Portuguese (À Boleia Pela Galáxia), Polish (Autostopem przez galaktykę), Romanian (Ghidul autostopistului galactic), Russian (Автостопом по Галактике), Serbian (Autostoperski vodič kroz galaksiju), Slovenian (Štoparski vodnik po Galaksiji), Spanish (Guía del autoestopista galáctico), Slovak (Stopárov sprievodca galaxiou), Turkish (Otostopçunun Galaksi Rehberi) and Georgian (ჰიჩჰაიკერის გზამკვლევი გალაქტიკაში)[78].
Spelling [ edit ]
The different versions of the series spell the title differently−thus Hitch-Hiker's Guide, Hitch Hiker's Guide and Hitchhiker's Guide are used in different editions (US or UK), formats (audio or print) and compilations of the book, with some omitting the apostrophe. Some editions used different spellings on the spine and title page. The h2g2's English Usage in Approved Entries claims that Hitchhiker's Guide is the spelling Adams preferred.[79] At least two reference works make note of the inconsistency in the titles. Both, however, repeat the statement that Adams decided in 2000 that "everyone should spell it the same way [one word, no hyphen] from then on."[80][81]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Notes
Bibliography
Official sites
Other links |
There were huge pro-Democracy protests in Hong Kong this week, and as we already noted, state media in China reacted pretty awkwardly, describing the event as a big chance for everyone to exercise and have a jolly old time.
That wasn't the only hilarious response to the protests, however.
The media also tried to depict a massive pro-mainland demonstration.
Except as internet sleuths quickly observed (via @cloudyip) the propagandists failed Photoshop 101.
This was supposedly a photo of a 500,000 strong pro-mainland protest, except even in a tiny crowd, you can see the same faces used multiple times.
Liberty Times Net
This comic on Facebook has some fun with the Photoshop failure:
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'They Should Be Walking With Blindfolds': Schumer Blasts GOP for 'TrumpCare II' Bill
Huckabee: Why Manafort Wiretap Should Be 'Frightening' for Every American
Several mainstream media personalities ripped President Trump's speech to the United Nations, including MSNBC's Chris Matthews and ABC's Terry Moran.
Moran, the network's chief foreign correspondent, said that Trump's threat to obliterate North Korea if the Kim regime attacks the United States amounts to a "war crime."
"The words 'totally destroying' a nation of 25 million people, that borders on the threat of committing a war crime," Moran told George Stephanopoulos.
Stephanopoulos, a former spokesman for Bill Clinton, said Trump possibly "opened up a justification for preventative war against North Korea."
Off-air, Moran tweeted a more mixed review of Trump's speech.
Trump declares the US is ready " to destroy North Korea." That's an immoral threat. Threaten vicious regimes, not innocent people. — Terry Moran (@TerryMoran) September 19, 2017
Trump tearing into the North Korean dictatorship in terms no world leader has ever used. Good for him. — Terry Moran (@TerryMoran) September 19, 2017
"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime." Trump brings his WWE rhetoric into the General Assembly. #UNGA — Terry Moran (@TerryMoran) September 19, 2017
Matthews said Trump "lowered the bar for human decency" with his remarks.
ABC's Joy Behar appeared to take Moran's tack on the event, saying he is "talking about annihilating millions."
Meanwhile, former UN Ambassador John Bolton said on Fox News that Trump made the best speech of his presidency.
On The Five, Kennedy said it wasn't surprising to "see people react with hysteria" to Trump's remarks.
"They haven't quite gotten the concept that that's not the best way to counter this president," she said.
Watch more above.
Tomi Lahren's Final Thoughts: Another City, Another Riot
Tucker: Emmys Showed the 'Contempt the Ruling Class Has' for Middle America |
Suppose you pull into a gas station and notice that the price for a gallon of regular unleaded seems awfully high—more than $4, compared to the $3.30 or so you're used to paying. If you're in a hurry, you might decide to pay the premium. If you have a couple minutes to spare, you might go to the station down the street where prices are lower. In Indiana, you would have a third option: Buy the gas and call the attorney general:
Three Hendricks County gas stations agreed to refund customers after Attorney General Steve Carter's inquiries about excessive pricing last week. A Speedway and two Marathon gas stations on U.S. 36 set prices at $4.09 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline for a period of time last Friday, sparking complaints to the attorney general's office. The stations agreed to provide customers with refunds of the difference between the market price at the time and the higher price—70 cents a gallon. "These prices stuck out like a sore thumb and were clearly excessive in the marketplace," Carter said. "Our inquiry into the matter has resulted in an outcome favorable to customers." "The system has worked," Carter added. "The attorney general's office is regularly monitoring gasoline pricing and the market pricing to ensure a quick investigation and review of excessive pricing reports. The stations involved have cooperated with our inquiry and recognize the need to provide customer refunds."
How does Indiana's gasoline czar know a station is guilty of "excessive pricing"? When its competitors are charging less. Possibly Indiana motorists, even without a crack staff of taxpayer-funded investigators, are also capable of gathering this information. They could, say, consult those gas station signs with the prices displayed in big numbers. If that takes too much effort, here's a website where they can do gas price comparisons without even leaving home.
I don't quite understand where Carter gets the legal authority to dictate gasoline prices. His website explains the circumstances in which consumers should file an "incident report":
In 2002, the Indiana legislature adopted a law making it illegal to engage in excessive pricing during a state of emergency. The law is designed to prevent retailers from profiting at the expense of consumers should any emergency, like the September 11 tragedy, ever occur again. This law is triggered when the governor declares a state of emergency; the law can only be used while the state of emergency is in place and where there are insufficient cost factors to justify the increase. There is no specific percentage of price increase that is prohibited by the law. The law prohibits any price increase that "grossly exceeds" the price at which the gasoline was available before the emergency was declared.
Is Indiana under a perpetual state of emergency?
[Thanks to Nicolas Martin for the tip.] |
The official Twitter account of Symphonium's Chika Chika Idol CG anime project announced on Saturday that it has launched a campaign for anime on the Japanese crowdfunding service Makuake.
The English version of the project's official website additionally announced on Thursday that a Kickstarter campaign for the project that was scheduled to launch on Friday has been delayed. Symphonium will announce a new date for the campaign on the project's English website and Facebook page.
Additionally, the Japanese official website began streaming a promotional video for the crowdfunding project on Saturday.
Rewards for the Makuake campaign include the anime via digital download or Blu-ray Disc, as well as wallpapers, a visual book, soundtrack and solo CDs, T-shirts, autographed illustrations by character designer Mochiko Kagamino, autographs from cast and staff members, and a mention on the anime's official website or in its ending credits, among others. Rewards for donations above 240,000 yen (about US$2,044) include a shoutout video featuring one of the main characters, an appearance in the official manga, and dinner with staff. The crowdfunding campaign aims to raise 15 million yen (US$127,850), and as of press time it has raised 1,657,900 yen (US$14,131).
Rewards for the upcoming English Kickstarter campaign include a digital download of the anime for US$25 and a special edition Blu-ray Disc package for US$50, along with other currently unannounced items.
The story of Chika Chika Idol will follow the everyday lives of a group of "underground idols." The anime will use a "cell look" style of 3D CG animation that aims to replicate traditional cel animation.
In addition to the anime, the project's official website features a free four-panel manga in English.
The cast of the planned anime includes:
Marika Kono as Tenka Akasaki
Yuki Kuwahara as Sumi Yuki
Rika Tachibana as Abigail "Abbey" Williams
Ayane Sakura as Hisame Nagasawa
Yuri Yamaoka as Yataro
Yasutake Honjo created the concept for the anime and will also serve as producer. Hiroshi Nishikiori (A Certain Magical Index, Azumanga Daioh) will direct the anime, and Wataru Osakabe is in charge of design. Mochiko Kagamino created the character designs, and also draws the manga for the anime's official website. Studio Mouse is handling the anime's voice production management, and F-Sik is behind the 3D CG production.
Source: Anime! Anime! |
A license permits broadcasting, but the licensee has no constitutional right to be the one who holds the license or to monopolize a…frequency to the exclusion of his fellow citizens. There is nothing in the First Amendment which prevents the Government from requiring a licensee to share his frequency with others…. It is the right of the viewers and listeners, not the right of the broadcasters, which is paramount.
— U.S. Supreme Court, upholding the constitutionality of the Fairness Doctrine in Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC, 1969.
—
Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair
Sinclair
Baltimore Sun
When theretreated from pre-election plans to force its 62 television stations to preempt prime-time programming in favor of airing the blatantly anti-John Kerry documentary, the reversal wasn’t triggered by a concern for fairness:back-pedaled because its stock was tanking. The staunchly conservative broadcaster’s plan had provoked calls for sponsor boycotts, and Wall Street saw a company that was putting politics ahead of profits.’s stock declined by nearly 17 percent before the company announced it would air a somewhat more balanced news program in place of the documentary (, 10/24/04).
But if fairness mattered little to Sinclair, the news that a corporation that controlled more TV licenses than any other could put the publicly owned airwaves to partisan use sparked discussion of fairness across the board, from media democracy activists to television industry executives.
Variety (10/25/04) underlined industry concerns in a report suggesting that Sinclair’s partisanship was making other broadcasters nervous by fueling “anti-consolidation forces” and efforts to bring back the FCC’s defunct Fairness Doctrine:
Sinclair could even put the Fairness Doctrine back in play, a rule established in 1949 to require that the networks—all three of them—air all sides of issues. The doctrine was abandoned in the 1980s with the proliferation of cable, leaving citizens with little recourse over broadcasters that misuse the public airwaves, except to oppose the renewal of licenses.
The Sinclair controversy brought discussion of the Fairness Doctrine back to news columns (Baltimore Sun, 10/24/04; L.A. Times, 10/24/04) and opinion pages (Portland Press Herald, 10/24/04; Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10/22/04) across the country. Legal Times (11/15/04) weighed in with an in-depth essay headlined: “A Question of Fair Air Play: Can Current Remedies for Media Bias Handle Threats Like Sinclair’s Aborted Anti-Kerry Program?”
Sinclair’s history of one-sided editorializing and right-wing water-carrying, which long preceded its Stolen Honor ploy (Extra!, 11-12/04), puts it in the company of political talk radio, where right-wing opinion is the rule, locally and nationally. Together, they are part of a growing trend that sees movement conservatives and Republican partisans using the publicly owned airwaves as a political megaphone—one that goes largely unanswered by any regular opposing perspective. It’s an imbalance that begs for a remedy.
A short history of fairness
The necessity for the Fairness Doctrine, according to proponents, arises from the fact that there are many fewer broadcast licenses than people who would like to have them. Unlike publishing, where the tools of the trade are in more or less endless supply, broadcasting licenses are limited by the finite number of available frequencies. Thus, as trustees of a scarce public resource, licensees accept certain public interest obligations in exchange for the exclusive use of limited public airwaves. One such obligation was the Fairness Doctrine, which was meant to ensure that a variety of views, beyond those of the licensees and those they favored, were heard on the airwaves. (Since cable’s infrastructure is privately owned and cable channels can, in theory, be endlessly multiplied, the FCC does not put public interest requirements on that medium.)
The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows or editorials.
Formally adopted as an FCC rule in 1949 and repealed in 1987 by Ronald Reagan’s pro-broadcaster FCC, the doctrine can be traced back to the early days of broadcast regulation.
Early on, legislators wrestled over competing visions of the future of radio: Should it be commercial or non-commercial? There was even a proposal by the U.S. Navy to control the new technology. The debate included early arguments about how to address the public interest, as well as fears about the awesome power conferred on a handful of licensees.
—
— Rep. Luther Johnson (D.-Texas), in the debate that preceded the Radio Act of 1927 (KPFA, 1/16/03)
—
In the Radio Act of 1927, Congress mandated the FCC’s forerunner, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), to grant broadcasting licenses in such a manner as to ensure that licensees served the “public convenience, interest or necessity.”
As former FCC commissioner Nicholas Johnson pointed out (California Lawyer, 8/88), it was in that spirit that the FRC, in 1928, first gave words to a policy formulation that would become known as the Fairness Doctrine, calling for broadcasters to show “due regard for the opinions of others.” In 1949, the FCC adopted the doctrine as a formal rule (FCC, Report on Editorializing by Broadcast Licensees, 1949).
In 1959 Congress amended the Communications Act of 1934 to enshrine the Fairness Doctrine into law, rewriting Chapter 315(a) to read: “A broadcast licensee shall afford reasonable opportunity for discussion of conflicting views on matters of public importance.”
—
— U.S. Supreme Court, Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC, 1969.
A decade later the United States Supreme Court upheld the doctrine’s constitutionality in Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC (1969), foreshadowing a decade in which the FCC would view the Fairness Doctrine as a guiding principle, calling it “the single most important requirement of operation in the public interest—the sine qua non for grant of a renewal of license” (FCC Fairness Report, 1974).
How it worked
There are many misconceptions about the Fairness Doctrine. For instance, it did not require that each program be internally balanced, nor did it mandate equal time for opposing points of view. And it didn’t require that the balance of a station’s program lineup be anything like 50/50.
Nor, as Rush Limbaugh has repeatedly claimed, was the Fairness Doctrine all that stood between conservative talkshow hosts and the dominance they would attain after the doctrine’s repeal. In fact, not one Fairness Doctrine decision issued by the FCC had ever concerned itself with talkshows. Indeed, the talkshow format was born and flourished while the doctrine was in operation. Before the doctrine was repealed, right-wing hosts frequently dominated talkshow schedules, even in liberal cities, but none was ever muzzled (The Way Things Aren’t, Rendall et al., 1995). The Fairness Doctrine simply prohibited stations from broadcasting from a single perspective, day after day, without presenting opposing views.
In answer to charges, put forward in the Red Lion case, that the doctrine violated broadcasters’ First Amendment free speech rights because the government was exerting editorial control, Supreme Court Justice Byron White wrote: “There is no sanctuary in the First Amendment for unlimited private censorship operating in a medium not open to all.” In a Washington Post column (1/31/94), the Media Access Project (MAP), a telecommunications law firm that supports the Fairness Doctrine, addressed the First Amendment issue: “The Supreme Court unanimously found [the Fairness Doctrine] advances First Amendment values. It safeguards the public’s right to be informed on issues affecting our democracy, while also balancing broadcasters’ rights to the broadest possible editorial discretion.”
Indeed, when it was in place, citizen groups used the Fairness Doctrine as a tool to expand speech and debate. For instance, it prevented stations from allowing only one side to be heard on ballot measures. Over the years, it had been supported by grassroots groups across the political spectrum, including the ACLU, National Rifle Association and the right-wing Accuracy In Media.
Typically, when an individual or citizens group complained to a station about imbalance, the station would set aside time for an on-air response for the omitted perspective: “Reasonable opportunity for presentation of opposing points of view,” was the relevant phrase. If a station disagreed with the complaint, feeling that an adequate range of views had already been presented, the decision would be appealed to the FCC for a judgment.
According to Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of MAP, scheduling response time was based on time of day, frequency and duration of the original perspective. “If one view received a lot of coverage in primetime,” Schwartzman told Extra!, “then at least some response time would have to be in primetime. Likewise if one side received many short spots or really long spots.” But the remedy did not amount to equal time; the ratio of airtime between the original perspective and the response “could be as much as five to one,” said Schwartzman.
As a guarantor of balance and inclusion, the Fairness Doctrine was no panacea. It was somewhat vague, and depended on the vigilance of listeners and viewers to notice imbalance. But its value, beyond the occasional remedies it provided, was in its codification of the principle that broadcasters had a responsibility to present a range of views on controversial issues.
The doctrine’s demise
From the 1920s through the ’70s, the history of the Fairness Doctrine paints a picture of public servants wrestling with how to maintain some public interest standards in the operation of publicly owned—but corporate-dominated—airwaves. Things were about to change.
The 1980s brought the Reagan Revolution, with its army of anti-regulatory extremists; not least among these was Reagan’s new FCC chair, Mark S. Fowler. Formerly a broadcast industry lawyer, Fowler earned his reputation as “the James Watt of the FCC” by sneering at the notion that broadcasters had a unique role or bore special responsibilities to ensure democratic discourse (California Lawyer, 8/88). It was all nonsense, said Fowler (L.A. Times, 5/1/03): “The perception of broadcasters as community trustees should be replaced by a view of broadcasters as marketplace participants.” To Fowler, television was “just another appliance—it’s a toaster with pictures,” and he seemed to endorse total deregulation (Washington Post, 2/6/83): “We’ve got to look beyond the conventional wisdom that we must somehow regulate this box.”
Of course, Fowler and associates didn’t favor total deregulation: Without licensing, the airwaves would descend into chaos as many broadcasters competed for the same frequencies, a situation that would mean ruin for the traditional corporate broadcasters they were so close to. But regulation for the public good rather than corporate convenience was deemed suspect.
Fowler vowed to see the Fairness Doctrine repealed, and though he would depart the commission a few months before the goal was realized, he worked assiduously at setting the stage for the doctrine’s demise.
He and his like-minded commissioners, a majority of whom had been appointed by President Ronald Reagan, argued that the doctrine violated broadcasters’ First Amendment free speech rights by giving government a measure of editorial control over stations. Moreover, rather than increase debate and discussion of controversial issues, they argued, the doctrine actually chilled debate, because stations feared demands for response time and possible challenges to broadcast licenses (though only one license was ever revoked in a dispute involving the Fairness Doctrine—California Lawyer, 8/88).
The FCC stopped enforcing the doctrine in the mid-’80s, well before it formally revoked it. As much as the commission majority wanted to repeal the doctrine outright, there was one hurdle that stood between them and their goal: Congress’ 1959 amendment to the Communications Act had made the doctrine law.
Help would come in the form of a controversial 1986 legal decision by Judge Robert Bork and then-Judge Antonin Scalia, both Reagan appointees on the D.C. Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. Their 2-1 opinion avoided the constitutional issue altogether, and simply declared that Congress had not actually made the doctrine into a law. Wrote Bork: “We do not believe that language adopted in 1959 made the Fairness Doctrine a binding statutory obligation,” because, he said, the doctrine was imposed “under,” not “by” the Communications Act of 1934 (California Lawyer, 8/88). Bork held that the 1959 amendment established that the FCC could apply the doctrine, but was not obliged to do so—that keeping the rule or scuttling it was simply a matter of FCC discretion.
“The decision contravened 25 years of FCC holdings that the doctrine had been put into law in 1959,” according to MAP. But it signaled the end of the Fairness Doctrine, which was repealed in 1987 by the FCC under new chair Dennis R. Patrick, a lawyer and Reagan White House aide.
A year after the doctrine’s repeal, writing in California Lawyer(8/88), former FCC commissioner Johnson summed up the fight to bring back the Fairness Doctrine as “a struggle for nothing less than possession of the First Amendment: Who gets to have and express opinions in America.” Though a bill before Congress to reinstate the doctrine passed overwhelmingly later that year, it failed to override Reagan’s veto. Another attempt to resurrect the doctrine in 1991 ran out of steam when President George H.W. Bush threatened another veto.
Where things stand
What has changed since the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine? Is there more coverage of controversial issues of public importance? “Since the demise of the Fairness Doctrine we have had much less coverage of issues,” says MAP’s Schwartzman, adding that television news and public affairs programming has decreased locally and nationally. According to a study conducted by MAP and the Benton Foundation, 25 percent of broadcast stations no longer offer any local news or public affairs programming at all (Federal Communications Law Journal, 5/03).
The most extreme change has been in the immense volume of unanswered conservative opinion heard on the airwaves, especially on talk radio. Nationally, virtually all of the leading political talkshow hosts are right-wingers: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Oliver North, G. Gordon Liddy, Bill O’Reilly and Michael Reagan, to name just a few. The same goes for local talkshows. One product of the post-Fairness era is the conservative “Hot Talk” format, featuring one right-wing host after another and little else. Disney-owned KSFO in liberal San Francisco is one such station (Extra!, 3-4/95). Some towns have two.
When Edward Monks, a lawyer in Eugene, Oregon, studied the two commercial talk stations in his town (Eugene Register-Guard, 6/30/02), he found “80 hours per week, more than 4,000 hours per year, programmed for Republican and conservative talk shows, without a single second programmed for a Democratic or liberal perspective.” Observing that Eugene (a generally progressive town) was “fairly representative,” Monks concluded: “Political opinions expressed on talk radio are approaching the level of uniformity that would normally be achieved only in a totalitarian society. There is nothing fair, balanced or democratic about it.”
Bringing back fairness?
For citizens who value media democracy and the public interest, broadcast regulation of our publicly owned airwaves has reached a low-water mark. In his new book, Crimes Against Nature, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. probes the failure of broadcasters to cover the environment, writing, “The FCC’s pro-industry, anti-regulatory philosophy has effectively ended the right of access to broadcast television by any but the moneyed interests.”
According to TV Week(11/30/04), a coalition of broadcast giants is currently pondering a legal assault on the Supreme Court’s Red Lion decision. “Media General and a coalition of major TV network owners—NBC Universal, News Corp. and Viacom—made clear that they are seriously considering an attack on Red Lion as part of an industry challenge to an appellate court decision scrapping FCC media ownership deregulation earlier this year.”
Considering the many looming problems facing media democracy advocates, Extra! asked MAP’s Schwartzman why activists should still be concerned about the Fairness Doctrine.
What has not changed since 1987 is that over-the-air broadcasting remains the most powerful force affecting public opinion, especially on local issues; as public trustees, broadcasters ought to be insuring that they inform the public, not inflame them. That’s why we need a Fairness Doctrine. It’s not a universal solution. It’s not a substitute for reform or for diversity of ownership. It’s simply a mechanism to address the most extreme kinds of broadcast abuse. |
Now that four-star small forward Justin Jackson has committed to the Terps, Maryland basketball has the ninth-best recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports. In a season where the team will be looking to replace four out of five starters from 2015-16, that's a big deal.
With Jackson signing on, the class goes up 13 spots, from No. 22 to No. 9, on 247Sports' class calculator. A big recruiting class is what Maryland needed after losing the bulk of its minutes from a year ago. Jackson will likely slide into the starting lineup right away, guards Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter should see plenty of playing time and fellow small forward Micah Thomas should fill a smaller role.
Jackson's commitment also gives Maryland the second-best class in the Big Ten, behind Michigan State. The Terps leapfrog Indiana, which moves one spot down to No. 21.
Duke, Kentucky, Arizona, Michigan State, UCLA, Virginia, Connecticut and Mississippi State are the only schools ranked higher than Maryland in the 2016 recruiting class. |
If you're a member of the overlapping Venn Diagram of comic book readers and My Little Pony fans, then your prayers to Princess Celestia have been answered: During this morning's panel at Comic-Con International, IDW and Hasbro announced a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic comic series by Catie Cook and Andy Price, set to launch this November . Cook's cute, cartoony style has made her a ComicsAlliance favorite , but as a writer, she's probably best known for her equally cute webcomic, Gronk . Either way, she's a huge fan of My Little Pony , as is Price.
Of course, a Friendship is Magic comic faces a bit more of a challenge than just being cute. One of the more interesting things about the show is how it managed to find a legion of fans outside of its target market -- namely, older viewers who were attracted to the show for its sharp wit, engaging characters and clean designs, myself included. It presents an interesting challenge, and I was able to ask editor Bobby Curnow about how IDW's version was going to approach it:
"We're trying our best to capture the tone of the show, which has plenty of witty jokes that appeal to older fans. It's silly and irreverent, but at the same time, it's still very character focused, which is a crucial ingredient for any smart story. Basically we're just working on making the stories as strong as possible, and everything falls into place from there. It helps that the writer of the series, Katie Cook, is a big fan of the show, and is a naturally warm, friendly, funny and silly person. I think the scripts come off pretty naturally as a result, while at the same time retaining a real comic book feel. Andy Price, the artist, certainly helps in that department. "
In addition to making the company about 20% cooler, My Little Pony 's arrival at IDW also means that the publisher has struck a comic book licensing deal with almost all of Hasbro's major properties, including G.I. Joe , the Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons . When asked if this would lead to a big Hasbro crossover, possibly involving the Ponies teaming up with Snake-Eyes and Optimus Prime to explore a lost dungeon, Curnow's response was about what you'd expect: "I'd love that as well. Anything is possible, I suppose! (But not likely!)"
As yet, no official art for the series has been released, but visitors to Price's DeviantArt page can check out character studies and other art that shows he's got a handle on the characters, as well as the MLP banner that he created for IDW's booth: |
Plant-based restaurant chain, Veggie Grill, has been serving up delicious, healthy, and sustainable vegan food for the last ten years now. Launched in 2006, Veggie Grill prides itself in providing customers with inventive ways to include whole foods and fresh vegetables in their diets – and people are gobbling it up by the bowl. Considering 70-80 percent of Veggie Grill’s clientele are not even vegan, let alone vegetarian, Veggie Grill appeals to more than a just niche market.
Recent studies have shown that around one-third of Americans are choosing to leave meat off their plates more frequently and a 2015 survey by market analyst Mintel found that 61 percent of consumers say they enjoy menu items that heavily feature vegetables. The rise of health-conscious eaters who are choosing to eat less meat more often is the driving force behind Veggie Grill’s success.
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“We get people who just want to eat in the better-for-you space. This is a theme in America, now, I think,” said Greg Dollarhyde, Veggie Grill’s California-based chain’s “Chief Energizing Officer,” in an interview with Nation’s Restaurant News. This growing sector in the population led Veggie Grill to expand and establish 29 locations, from California to Washington and Oregon as well. Now the chain is set out to redefine fast food in major cities outside of the West Coast.
Dollarhyde explained that the company is working on real estate, looking to expand into new areas. Some of their prospective targeted markets include Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Miami, and the District of Columbia. They’re not just looking to open up Veggie Grills in popular cities where vegans may have other options. Instead, they’re looking to strategically place themselves in locations where those looking for healthy food may have a difficult time finding it. This includes urban locations like healthcare facilities, airports, and college campuses.
The chain has not grown in popularity largely due to amazing veggie burgers, or mock meats that perfectly emulate steak or chicken. In actuality, customers have been flocking to their eateries, in search of hearty, nutrition-dense meals, that fuse together the fun experience of eating out, without the gnawing guilt of overindulgence afterwards.
“We call these people who are putting veggies at the center of the plates and celebrate this kind of eating as ‘veggie positive.’ Research we’ve done shows there are millions and millions of veggie positive adults in the U.S.” shared Dollarhyde. Veggie Grill sets itself apart in a fast-food saturated community by catering to these “veggie positive” adults, not only with what their menu includes, but what they leave out, such as preservatives, excess salt, and trans fats.
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“As Americans learn more about how food is directly tied to our health and well-being, as well as the health of the planet, they are seeking better options, namely less meat, and more plant-based foods,” said Nil Zacharias, Co-Founder of One Green Planet. “This explains the rise of meatless and dairy-free options in grocery stores, the proliferation of veggie options in fast food chains, as well as a growing interest in clean, plant-based sources of protein and vegan cooking. The demand is there across the country and now restaurant chains like Veggie Grill are finally here to meet it.”
Looking back at the last decade of Veggie Grill’s success, we don’t think the chain’s growth will be slowing down any time soon. With more consumers, driven by both health and environmental reasons, deciding to eat plant-based at least a few times a week, if not more, Veggie Grill’s customer market is constantly expanding. Now the question is: can they create enough new bowls to keep up with demand?
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Image Source: Veggie Grill/Facebook |
Karl Power is a prankster from Droylsden, Manchester known for appearing uninvited at sporting events as an impostor. Most notoriously he appeared in the Manchester United team photo before a UEFA Champions League match against Bayern Munich in 2001.[1]
After the stunt, there was a nationwide manhunt in the United Kingdom for Power with tabloid newspapers asking their readers to write in and give them information.[citation needed] He was unmasked to BBC Sport by men's magazine Front. The magazine revealed that Power had entered the stadium pretending to be with a TV crew to gain access to the pitch[2] and simply walked back to the stands again afterwards to watch the game.
He is a long-term friend of Manchester band Happy Mondays. The hit single "Fat Neck" by their follow-up band, Black Grape, is a tribute to him. He also appeared in Puressence's pop video, "Walking Dead", with Happy Mondays dancer Bez.
Manchester United team photos [ edit ]
On 18 April 2001, before Manchester United's Champions League match against Bayern Munich, Power walked onto the pitch in team colours as an impostor, and took up a position next to player Andy Cole. Although he was noticed by other players, he managed to remain in place for the team photo.[2]
England national cricket team [ edit ]
When the England cricket team played against Australia at Headingley in 2001, Power walked out to bat with the team. Moments after entering the field, he removed his helmet and was immediately recognised.[3]
British Grand Prix at Silverstone [ edit ]
In 2002, he beat Michael Schumacher to the winners' podium at the British Grand Prix.[4]
Wimbledon [ edit ]
Power managed to get onto Centre Court at Wimbledon and play a short game before a Tim Henman match.[5]
Re-enactment of Diego Forlán goal [ edit ]
On 5 April 2003, Power and several accomplices (hotshot, beanie & bri) invaded the Old Trafford pitch prior to Manchester United's game with Liverpool.[6] Dressed in full United kit, Power and company re-enacted a goal scored by Diego Forlán against Liverpool at Anfield earlier that season. This stunt saw Power banned for life by Manchester United.[7] |
1972
Late on a January morning you arrive at Heathrow after a long series of flights. It had been daytime when you left Calcutta. This is the second time you’ve been in the air.
You’re planning to stop in London for a couple of days, then fly on to Boston. Your final destination is Tulsa, Oklahoma, where you will start college.
You hand over your traveling papers. Instead of a passport, you carry an Identity Certificate issued by India, identifying you as a refugee from Dacca. For just over a month, you have had a country, Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan. Only a few countries have recognized the new republic; the U.K. hasn’t.
“You don’t have a diplomatic mission here. We cannot let you in.”
Politely you respond, “I have traveling papers, they say I can return to India, I have a ticket and visa for the U.S. I’m only stopping here to visit friends.”
“We cannot let you in.”
You try again, holding back something in your voice. When they look at you, barely eighteen years old, weighing 85 pounds, what do they see?
No.
“What do I do?” you ask.
“You can go into detention, or we can put you on the next flight to Boston.”
“If I accept detention, will my chances improve?”
“No, you wait for two days until your flight.”
A TWA flight leaves within the hour. They retrieve your luggage, hurry you to a police car, and with your second-hand wool coat flapping in the cold wind, you climb onto the plane lugging the suitcase in your hand. You think people on the plane look at you like you’re some criminal being deported. Crossing the Atlantic, you wonder how you’ll be treated when you land.
When you arrive at Logan, morning there as well, the official looks at your papers and greets you with a smile. “Welcome to America. You’re the first person from Bangladesh.” The U.S. has not recognized Bangladesh either—in fact, it supported the war against your people—but this man takes your travel papers seriously and perhaps he reacts to you differently because this is Boston and Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts has been vocal in his support for the people of Bangladesh.
You exhale. The ground feels solid again.
You are stopping in Boston for a few days to visit your older sister who teaches at a Catholic girls school in Newton. But you’re two days early and you only have one dollar in your pocket. You have a $25 travel voucher but you haven’t cashed it yet. A woman at the Travelers Aid desk offers directions and helps you make a phone call to your sister’s home. Your eleven-year old niece is home. You tell her you have arrived early and you’ll make your way on the subway, then catch a taxi from the station. She’ll have to provide the fare.
Outside the airport, there is snow on the ground—you’ve never seen snow before—the temperature is eighteen degrees and a wind blasts your face and your mouth goes numb and your words freeze. You board the shuttle to the T, then a Blue Line car headed for Government Center. You’re to change here for the Green Line, one bound for Riverside, but there are too many Green Line options, you get confused and end up on the street outside the station. You have no change to go back and try again. You find a cab, you give him your sister’s address and hope that your niece can cover the additional fare.
The taxi ride is a blur. You haven’t seen your sister and her children since they emigrated here two years ago. Years later you’ll still remember: piles of snow outdoors, central heat inside, a soft bed with fitted sheets, chilled cranberry juice at breakfast. Your nephew’s crazy about Bobby Orr who plays something called ice hockey.
Your sister will show you Cambridge and downtown Boston, she will get you clothes, including a warm parka. At MIT, you are greeted by the Rosa Luxemburg Students for a Democratic Society handing out leaflets protesting the British army murders in Belfast on Bloody Sunday. It’s a welcome sight.
Your sister has arranged for you to speak to seniors at her school about the war in Bangladesh. You even get a small stipend. The girls are almost your age, but you feel like you’re a hundred years older. They have no idea about your life, you probably think they might be like the kids in the Archie comics you read before the war turned life upside down.
You like what you see of Boston: a thickly urban city, efficient mass transit, universities, engaged students. You fly on to Tulsa and start college. It isn’t as cold there but you can’t tell the difference; cold is cold. You try to resume a normal life and in the gaps, you try to sort out the last year of life when you became a refugee uprooted by war.
1971
Just a year ago, your life had a certain normalcy, perhaps even innocence. Then came a night of gunfire and you entered a world you read about in books. You were suddenly face to face with war.
You were in your final year of secondary school but the times were turbulent and you’d lost interest in schoolwork. You were active in campus politics; the previous year you’d led a month-long strike. You worked with an organization carrying out post-cyclone work in a remote island in the south. With some friends, you were putting together a small magazine. The first issue of The Rebel was nearly ready.
You were not unfamiliar with military rule. Just a couple of years ago, the opposition had brought down a decade-long dictatorship. Elections had been promised and delivered, but the military refused to respect the results in which the nationalist party you supported won an overwhelming majority. The people rose in nonviolent rebellion, the military responded with mass slaughter.
They came for Hindus, for politicians, for rebellious youth. You and a brother three years older figured you would be targeted. Your eldest brother had been in the army, but at their base, the Bengali troops were attacked by their erstwhile comrades. They fought back but had to retreat into India. The military detained his wife and infant child. It would be months before they were spirited to safety.
Like thousands of others your mother thought it prudent to leave the city. You joined her with other relatives, retreating to her father’s village, a place you had never visited. You stayed there for some weeks until the soldiers arrived there and set fire to Hindu homes. You returned to the capital, but not home.
Feeling useless but at risk, you wanted to find a way to engage. You decided to flee across the border to India. Two attempts failed when you couldn’t find the contacts to guide you across. You were moved by the generosity of people who tried to help, one family insisting you eat the only substantial item in their meager evening meal, a single cooked egg.
The third time, you joined your brother and a deserter from the border guards, and this time, after a journey on bus, auto-rickshaw, rickshaw, and on foot, you made it across. You reunited with your oldest brother. Your brothers readily agreed with your desire to move to Calcutta; later you would discover they were eager to send you away from the front.
You are lucky. You do not have to live in a refugee camp or hustle for shelter. Your eldest brother’s wife has relatives in Calcutta and they welcome you. You reconnect with some schoolmates. You try to make yourself useful, joining a documentation project. With three friends, you do a stint at a guerrilla training camp on the border. On the way back, you get jailed, accused of being Pakistani spies. Some of you enlist in the final weeks of the war. But you’ve been disturbed by what you’ve seen among some of your leaders and partisans, your mind’s on fire, and you have trouble figuring out what you should do.
Meanwhile your brother in the United States has been wanting you to move there for college. You’ve put him off. You’re not too keen on America, though you accept that America’s more than its president. Soon, the war ended; the Bangladesh liberation forces and the Indians rout the Pakistani occupation. Your homeland now free, you trekked home, along the way witnessing tragic scenes of devastation. With your earlier idealism cracked, many things not feeling right, you agree to move to the United States—fully intending to return.
1972
You’re in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where some of your family have emigrated. You move into your brother’s apartment which he shares with your mother and younger sister. The three of you share a room until your mother returns home a few months later.
Culturally you’re prepared for America. Schooled by missionaries from the United States, you’re fluent in English. From the school library, you read the Hardy Boys and Tom Swift. Your family subscribed to Life , Time , and Readers Digest . On TV, you had watched Dr. Kildare , The Fugitive , and Mission Impossible . You had listened to Nat King Cole and Jim Reeves on the Voice of America. On LPs you’d listened to Joan Baez and the Four Tops.
The campus is three blocks away. Your brother introduces you to the routines of daily life: shopping, laundromat, meals. You attend classes, work at the computer center, make a few friends, finding yourself drawn to outsiders: among them an Iranian woman and a single mother who fled an abusive marriage in Pecos, Texas. You ask her out on a date; she tells you she’s the mistress of a married man; all three of you go out to see the Concert for Bangladesh.
Tulsa feels far from the world familiar to you. The newspapers, militantly conservative, do not carry much world news. The only news from home comes via a magazine from Singapore that arrives at the library several weeks late. You have family, teachers, and friends, but it is hard for others to relate to what you’ve gone through, you find it hard to even formulate the questions you have. The library becomes your refuge and you read voraciously. You encounter Sartre and Camus; their writings in the aftermath of war speak to you. You discover Emma Goldman, Danilo Dolci, Thomas Merton.
In your alone time, you try meditation. For a long time you will treat yourself harshly, setting impossible standards and failing to live up to them. You have trouble negotiating desire and responsibility. You will sometimes have unfair expectations of others, and people you love will suffer your buried frustrations. Years later you would learn a word to describe your condition: survivor’s guilt. Naming it will help assuage it.
One morning you arrive on the campus green and encounter a protest. Nixon is dropping bombs on Hanoi and Haiphong in Vietnam, and some students organize an open mike speakout. You feel you should say something. The Nixon who’s bombing Vietnam armed the Pakistani butchers; he was culpable in the genocide against your people. You walk up to the mike and have your say. You feel it important to share the story of another people who’ve been on the receiving end of Nixon’s cruelty. This stand will gain you new friends, but also some enemies. The foreign student advisor warns you that you should stick to your studies. You never return to see her again.
You had enrolled in engineering but move to the social sciences. Tulsa continues to feel remote, and you seek out a transfer. You think Boston will fit you better, and Brandeis accepts you with a generous scholarship. New worlds open to you, you find more like-minded people, even people you see as mentors. Soon after you arrive, Boston is caught up in near race war. Witnessing images of black children in school buses set upon by white mobs, how can you stay passive? You find yourself drawn again to active engagement with the world around you. You love what Boston as a big city offers but you also encounter its cruel side: you are called racial slurs and even assaulted once.
You arrived on refugee papers but no longer a refugee. You came as a foreign student, with the intention of returning. With time, you become an immigrant. Some of it has to do with the distancing hand of time; it takes ten years before your first visit home. Some of it has to do with love and relationships; opening yourself to companionship brings new responsibilities. Some of it has to do with your belief that you should engage with the world around you wherever you live. You move multiple times, to the midwest, back East, then all the way to the West. You realize you will never fully belong anywhere again, but at a certain point you discover that you have made this country your home.
“The Golden Door” is our weekly essay series that offers first-person perspective on the immigrant experience in the United States.
Collages by Sarah Lutkenhaus |
But before the new mobile OS arrives the question many have is:
"What will differentiate the platform from iOS and Android?"
One answer according Microsoft's Satya Nadella and Joe Belfiore is,
"Continuum" for phone.
Critics argue that projecting the small screen of a phone to a larger display to mimic a desktop environment has been tried and has failed before. They offer the Motorola Atrix as an example. They've concluded that the factors that contributed to the failure of the Atrix will also lead to the eventual failure of Continuum. If Motorola's Atrix represented the full scope of Microsoft's position with this similar technology, I'd be a critic too. However, that is not the case. Allow me to project a bigger picture. We will look at: Technology
Industry Position
Timing
Technically Speaking Let's first take a look at the technology. In a nutshell, both Microsoft and Motorola promised to combine the functionality of multiple devices within the context of one. With the added support of peripherals, both companies promised that their particular approaches could essentially turn your pocketable smartphone into a PC. The Motorola Atrix was released four years ago in Q1 2011. The device ran Android 2.2 (Froyo) though the newer Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) had been available for approximately two months by the time the Atrix was released. We'll hit on that fragmentation bit in a bit. Motorola's approach was simple. It was essentially a plug and play proposition. A user could plop his/her Atrix into a proprietary Motorola desktop ($129) or laptop ($499) dock and his/her phone screen and apps would display as larger versions of themselves on the new display. Unfortunately, there was no coding within the mobile apps to make them function more like desktop apps once on a larger screen. They remained just phone apps, behaving as phone apps on a "non-phone" display. This particular dilemma is at the core of similar attempts at this one-device-for-all-scenarios solutions. The Asus Padphone suffers from the same fate. Microsoft's Continuum has a remedy for this.
At its core To understand the differences between Microsoft's approach and that of its competitors, we must understand a fundamental aspect of Continuum. Continuum is not simply a feature that Microsoft is implementing on a single hardware device. As I shared in "Highs and Lows Part V: Continuum", it is an ideology governing how Microsoft is approaching the transient nature of modern computing. By way of a synergistic OS and hardware combination that can conform to a user's needs, Continuum is an ecosystem-wide platform solution that currently supports hybrid Windows devices and Windows 10 Mobile phones. The new category of devices that Nadella alluded to in his "7/10/14" memo may also benefit from Continuum. So what is the remedy for the app dilemma faced by Microsoft's competitors? Universal apps of course. Microsoft's pioneering efforts to create a single OS core for all Windows devices has established a bridge that successfully conveys apps across form factors. Though there is some code tweaking required to tailor apps for each form factor, the dream of coding once for all devices has been realized. Windows 10 empowers developers to code a single app that is optimized to work as users would expect with a mouse and keyboard (shortcuts and all) for the desktop environment. Plus it maintains the small touch environment of a phone. Additionally Continuum enabled Windows phones can connect wirelessly to a keyboard and mouse, and with a Miracast set-up, to a larger display. Microsoft will also provide a hub currently dubbed the 'Munchkin' (unconfirmed $99 price) that will have numerous ports to facilitate a wired connection. Because Continuum is a platform capability of Windows 10 rather than simply a device feature, Microsoft's OEM partners will be capable of creating similar hubs to accompany their Windows 10 phones. Acer's recently announced Jade Primo and hub are an example. The open competition among OEMs will help keep Continuum accessory costs in check. Unlike Motorola's expensive sole proprietor solution. Moreover, Microsoft's solution allows for a smartphone to power two screens simultaneously. That means a parent can wirelessly project a video to a larger screen for junior while dad triages emails on his Windows phone. The Atrix was incapable of this.
Power position The technology is just the first piece of this puzzle. The unique industry position of each of these firms is the second profoundly critical component. First, Motorola as a single OEM (among many), simply using and contractually constrained by Google's version of Android, had little power over the OS beyond skinning it. They weren't even using the most recent version of the OS at the time. Thus, though Motorola created hardware designed with the flexibility to conform to various scenarios, they couldn't modify the OS to do the same. Android at its core was not designed to reshape to fit diverse form factors. Additionally, in 2011 the fragmentation that still plagues the Android platform upon which the Atrix was built was even more profound. By contrast, Microsoft controls the Windows 10 operating system. As such the company has deliberately designed Continuum as a fundamental component of the OS. Any Windows 10 device (phone/tablet) with the proper hardware will, therefore, have the ability to use Continuum. Microsoft will also manufacture Continuum enabled hardware and has many OEM partners (and is courting others) who will do the same. The sheer scope of Microsoft's position in the industry to promote and support Continuum through partnerships, first party device production and full control of the OS dwarves the minuscule impact Motorola's Atrix had on the industry four years ago. Many of Microsoft's 1.5 billion PC users are upgrading to Windows 10 which at its core erases the barriers between the PC and the mobile versions of the OS. This decision is a powerful power play. With the support of OEM partners, Microsoft has the resources to bring Continuum to the broad base of Windows users. If that fails or succeeds is yet to be seen. The point here is that since Motorola's efforts to "converge" devices was not something built into the core of Android (as it is with Windows) their impact on the industry and its chances for success were negligible. Additionally, the Atrix, which was only sold through ATT in the US (though available in other regions), had limited distribution. Now Microsoft is no stranger to limited carrier support. However, the fact that Continuum is a platform-wide capability that will have the benefit of multiple OEM partners, and the additional distribution channels of Microsoft retail ensures that Continuum enabled phones will be more widely distributed than the Atrix ever was.
Timing is everything The Atrix failed for many reasons. The main reason? The world wasn't ready. When the Atrix launched in Q1 2011, we were about four years into the iPhone initiated a new age of smartphones. At that time, the market was dominated by devices under 5 inches. In late 2011, however, hints of a new age began to emerge. The "huge" 4.7" display of the HTC Titan and the even more "titanic" dimensions of the 5.3" Samsung Galaxy Note dominated headlines. These phones that were pushing the size envelope were also pushing the industry into its next chapter. In the years that followed, a Samsung led charge provoked OEMs to produce ever larger phones that teased at the dimensions of small tablets. We now exist in an industry where the new norm is 5" plus phablets. Phablet being the word created to describe the combination of a phone + tablet our smartphones have become. Take note, these larger devices are not just bigger phones existing in the same type of consumer space that was the reality from 2007 - 2011. During that time frame, consumers saw their devices as "phones" with added capabilities. Steve Jobs' (who is credited with heralding in the age of the smartphone), 2007 introduction of the first iPhone, corroborates this notion.
"...an iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator." - Jobs 2007
Devices under 5 inches, which were the norm for that period, fit well within a paradigm where users still saw greater use case scenarios for larger computing devices. With the advent and widespread acceptance of powerful 5" – 6" phablets, computing activities previously reserved for PC's and tablets have now shifted comfortably to the smartphone. Phablet's are routinely used for web surfing, gaming, listening to music, watching videos, banking, emailing, chatting, video and picture editing and much more. Take note that those computing activities were added to the things inherently baked into a mobile platform. Thus creating a merger of formally PC/tablet use case scenarios with the mobile environment of the phablets many of us now own. Computing is indeed increasingly mobile. The industry has flowed organically into a place, a particular paradigm, where people are very comfortable using their smartphones/phablets as a composite device. It happened naturally. The pent up demand for the larger iPhones that saw record sales is additional evidence to this reality. As smartphones continue to bear the load our tablets and PCs historically bore, they may continue this natural progression from our primary computing device toward our only computing device. Both the technological and human components of the industry are meeting at a crux where a convergence of computing modalities is becoming the accepted norm.
The time is right The 4" Motorola Atrix did not exist in a consumer space that had evolved to the point of near single device dependency. A space where PC's and tablet sales are on the decline and smartphones are heavily relied upon for more advanced computing needs. This is the space into which Microsoft has introduced Continuum, the Windows 10 OS, and the universal app platform. Microsoft is the only tech company to have designed an ecosystem platform that will support devices that are that all-in-one solution the industry seems to be headed. Consequently, Continuum achieves what Motorola's Atrix (and similar solutions) could not. It benefits from a universal app platform where apps are optimized for both a phone and desktop environment.
It is a core component of the OS and ecosystem platform that OEM partners can take advantage of by building Windows 10 phones and peripherals.
Industries, businesses, and municipalities can be key partners in supporting the third party support infrastructure for Windows 10 devices (hubs/docking stations). By contrast, the Atrix suffered from the following. Phone apps that were not optimized for a larger display.
Motorola did not control the software platform essential to support the hardware.
Motorola was a single OEM offering a single device rather than a provider of a platform capable of supporting an industry.
Accessories required for the Atrix were proprietary and expensive.
The Atrix had limited distribution.
Wrap-up Critics may be right. Continuum may fail. But if so it won't be for the same reasons the Atrix failed. Motorola's approach was that of a feature specific to a device that was part of a larger ecosystem.
Microsoft's approach is a platform play that will power a diversity of devices across an entire ecosystem. |
https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/72/2478/v-b-launcher-equipped-u-s-remington-model-1917-rifle
The standard American grenade launching system in World War One was the Vivien-Bessiere, borrowed directly form the French. It had been adopted by France in 1916, replacing copies of the British Martin-Hale rod grenades. The V-B was a cup type launcher using a pass-through type of grenade and standard ball ammunition. A hole through the body of the grenade allowed the bullet to pass clean through the grenade, triggering a 5-7.5 second time fuse in the process. The gas pressure behind the bullet would then launch the grenade to a distance of 80-190 yards, depending on the inclination of the rifle. It could be fired from the hip if necessary, but firing form the shoulder was just a bad idea. The intended firing method was to rest the stock on the ground - although launching racks were also built for using the system from fixed positions in trenches.
The US would develop 4 iteration of the launcher, basically to improve its fixation to the rifle. This example is a Mk IV, with a spiral locking channel to firmly fix the launcher behind the rifle’s front sight. Two versions were made; a smooth one for the 1903 Springfield and one with a knurled ring at the muzzle for the 1917 Enfield. Both were identical in function, but dimensioned to fit the specific barrel diameters of the two different rifles. The Model 1917 V-B launcher would remain in US service until the 1930s, actually seeing some use in WWII in the Pacific theater.
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Part three of my questions for this coming season: will the plus-minus machines keep humming? On how to think about plus-minus metrics, and the players that will test our conclusions this year.
October 23, 2017
This is Part 3 of a three-part series on my questions for the coming season. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.
There’s a lot to be excited about when the NBA starts again, but for me no part of it is more exciting than that feeling of suspense as we get ready to find out how all of the new teams, new players, and new schemes play out. It’s not just about watching the story unfold, though. It’s about learning from it as we go. Every year there are questions we have going into the NBA season, and this is our chance to find the answers — and hopefully be able to apply what we learn to the future.
The top three things I’m hoping to learn from the 2017-18 season?
I’ll address each of these in separate articles. Here is the third.
Will the plus-minus machines keep humming?
In the summer of 2001, the Dallas Mavericks made a splash: they inked Evan Eschmeyer, a former second-round pick with under 2,000 NBA minutes to his name, to a 6 year, $20 million contract (the equivalent of a deal around $7.5M per year in today’s salary cap). Why drop that kind of cash on an unheralded backup? It seemed they knew something the rest of the NBA didn’t.
Eschmeyer ended up playing fewer than 500 minutes with Dallas. He didn’t log any minutes in the final three seasons of his contract. A few years ago, Mark Cuban pointed to the Eschmeyer signing as a mistake made by overvaluing plus-minus data. In retrospect, Cuban said, the data that convinced the Mavs to sign Eschmeyer was too small of a sample to rely on.
In 2005, the Rockets had a tough cut to make coming out of training camp. They had a player they thought might be a defensive savant, but he was a 6-6 big man who couldn’t shoot and whose jump shot was so broken it was clear he never would. When injuries struck mid-season, though, they called him up from the D-League and saw him make the most of his opportunity. In the roughly 500 minutes he saw the floor the rest of the season, Houston’s defense was elite.
Heading into the 2006-07 season, the Rockets came to a bold conclusion: Chuck Hayes should start at power forward. And by the time the numbers had settled at the end of the year, the results were once again clear-cut. Hayes had started half of the team’s games, played almost 1,700 minutes, and, for the second consecutive year, the Rockets were massively better on defense when he played than when he sat. Houston quietly re-signed Hayes to a small, three year deal, and continued to reap the benefits of Hayes’ undervalued defensive prowess.
Hayes and Eschmeyer illustrate both the enormous power and the enormous danger of plus-minus metrics. On the one hand, these metrics capture everything that happens on the court. If it matters to a team, then it will impact the score. And if it impacts the score, plus-minus measures it. That player that’s always saving loose balls, barking out defensive assignments, and hounding the opposing point guard up and down the court? Traditional stats don’t capture his value — but plus-minus does. |
.NET Blogs to Follow - The Ultimate List
Written by Thomas Ardal , November 17, 2017
In the series:
Back in the day, books were the only way to gain knowledge. I remember spending hundreds of hours in book stores and in the local library, digging up old books about programming. Fast forward to 2017 and my focus has almost entirely shifted to blogs. Here's my personal list of my recommendations for .NET blogs to follow.
Really don't need any introduction. Scott's blog is one of the best resources for .NET developers. Besides blogging about .NET, Scott also writes a lot of interesting posts about productivity.
With his Azure Tips and Tricks series (currently 50 posts), Michael's blog is packed with good stuff about Microsoft Azure.
Much like Hanselman, Troy is a well-known blogger among .NET developers. If you haven't starting looking into security, Troy's blog is a great place to start. Besides blogging, Troy is the founder of a number of great tools like Have I been pwned and ASafaWeb.
Microsoft MVP Derek Comartin is writing a lot of interesting posts, primarily around .NET. If you are into CQRS, Derek is writing a lot about the subject too.
Everyone is talking about ASP.NET Core, right? Well, if you want to know more, Damien's blog contains a lot of good stuff.
Doesn't really seem like a personal blog, but I cannot figure out if it's a company blog or not. With that said, Talking Dotnet offers some great posts about ASP.NET and related technologies.
I have been following Mads, a fellow Dane, for years. Mads blogs a lot about web technologies and standards. He has been quiet for a couple of years, but it seems like a newly found love for ASP.NET Core, resulted in a range of new blog posts from Mads.
The "happiest developer" in the world MVP Iris Classon writes a lot of good posts. You can catch Iris as a speaker on a lot of international conferences as well.
Microsoft employee Steve isn't the most productive blogger. But when he writes, I listen. Steve is the founder of Knockout.js, which is a great MVVM framework for JavaScript. React and Angular may have received all the attention during the last years, but Knockout still just works.
If you are using any variant of ASP.NET, you are probably running on this guy's code. Phil were part of the team creating ASP.NET MVC at Microsoft, but have worked for GitHub in recent years. While the number of .NET related blog posts drastically decreased when Phil moved to GitHub, the posts are still very high quality.
Much like Steve Sanderson, Ben doesn't blog a whole lot. But when he does, the posts are always long, thorough and very high quality. Ben blogs primarily around Azure and ASP.NET Core.
Christian writes a lot of good posts about .NET. I've learned a lot about ASP.NET Core from Christian and his blog. Recently, he seems to have found a new love of his life: TypeScript.
The impressive thing about Dustin's blog is, that I don't even need to follow it. Every time I google some kind of ASP.NET related subject, I end up on Dustin's blog anyway :) This is definitely one of my go to blogs for ASP.NET (Core).
If Iris is the "happiest programmer on the planet", Mogens is probably "the nicest". Besides being nice, Mogens is a talented .NET developer with a lot of good blog posts in the baggage. Besides blogging, Mogens is the founder of Rebus, the best service bus for .NET (IMO).
Another blogger with awesome posts is Mark Rendle. If you're into ASP.NET, you will never be disappointed after leaving one of Mark's posts.
You got me! That's actually my personal blog. After founding elmah.io, I don't blog as much as previously, but I try to write at least a few posts every year. I blog primarily around .NET, processes and personal productivity.
Chris Alcock probably offers the best daily correlation of .NET related blog posts. I cannot even imagine how much time and energy this guy needs to put into producing a daily digest like this.
Much like Chris' blog, Morning Dew is a daily digest of online content produced since yesterday. New is broader than The Morning Brew and contains links to mobile posts as well.
A chance for Microsoft MVP's to write blog posts. There's a large fluctuation in the subjects, but a number of good posts for sure.
A must follow for every .NET developer. Stay up to date on the new things going on.
If you're using Visual Studio, the Visual Studio Blog is a good place to stay informed about new versions and features.
It wouldn't be a good post, without a reference to our very own blog. On the elmah.io blog, you will not only find posts about new features. We love writing about technologies that we find and use to build elmah.io.
If you want even more .NET knowledge, maybe attend a conference? Check out our post Great .NET Conferences to Attend.
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Bruce Ling's Abrigador Trail home vandalized and flooded 8 Gallery: Bruce Ling's Abrigador Trail home vandalized and flooded
KENT COUNTY, MI -- A Comstock Park-area couple this week are left making plans to essentially start over after their home was not only damaged by flood water from the swollen Grand River, but also destroyed by a looter late last week. “Everything was flood-ready,” said Bruce Ling, speaking of his riverside home on Abrigador Trail, days before the river crested. He’s dealing with a different situation now. “My wife almost died and our home was destroyed.” The alleged culprit: their neighbor. Mark Scott Vandermolen, 36, is accused of firing a handgun from his property toward Ling's wife, then trashing the Lings' house after they evacuated during the flooding. He was arraigned Monday on charges of felonious assault, third-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of property. The trouble erupted in the early evening of April 18. Bruce and his wife, Rebecca Ling, stacked many of their belongings that day on milk crates inside their single-story home. They had dealt with flooding before, given the location of their home right along the river. This time, after speaking with a friend at the National Weather Service, Bruce Ling had a feeling things could be much worse. They prepared to evacuate. As Bruce Ling returned home Thursday afternoon from taking a load of clothes to a neighbor’s cottage on higher ground, he found his wife on the phone with police. She looked shell-shocked and was "white as a sheet," Ling said, recalling their conversation. Rebecca Ling had been walking out toward the river near their home, removing some plants to bring them away from the water, and was on their porch when she turned around and saw her neighbor — a man with whom they have struggled for years — pointing a gun right at her, Bruce Ling said. He fired three shots, Bruce Ling said, none of which hit his wife. A Kent County sheriff's detective, in a court affidavit, recounted what Rebecca Ling told him. "According to Mrs. Ling, the defendant had in his possession a silver handgun and fired multiple shots at her. Mrs. Ling had to duck around the corner of the house, in fear she was going to be shot," the detective wrote. The gunfire was enough to leave her in fear. After talking with police, the couple packed up and took off to stay elsewhere until the river began to recede. Around 7:30 Friday morning, only hours after they left, Bruce Ling received a call from the daughter of a neighbor along Abrigador Trail. It’s one he says he won’t forget. Window’s on the Ling home were shattered, he learned. Something wasn’t right. Ling pulled up in a boat that day — pushing through water flooding into the street outside — and found not only his windows were shattered, but nearly everything else, too. A set of 19th-century china was toppled over into water rising on the floor inside. Cabinet doors had been ripped off. Appliances were scattered haphazardly in the water. A toilet and sink appeared to have been pulled off the wall and shattered. A file cabinet poked through a slider window, also shattered. The Lings’ pontoon boat had been cut from a line anchoring it near their home and was floating out in the river with their dock. A box of jewelry Rebecca Ling left on top of the refrigerator is missing. Police found blood in the Lings' home and discovered that Vandermolen had a significant laceration to his right hand when they first spoke with him. He was taken to the hospital for the cut and treatment of hypothermia, said Kent County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Jack Smith. Smith said the inside of the Lings' home appeared "destroyed." Shots had been fired inside the house, he said. Vandermolen could not be reached Wednesday. A relative in Newaygo County said he would not want to comment. The couple have feuded with Vandermolen for several years, Bruce Ling said. Court records hint at the strained relationship. "The victim and the defendant have quite a history of violence," the detective wrote in the affidavit. The Lings filed a personal protection order against Vandermolen in November 2010 and received an extension on the order the following year. “We need some justice here,” Bruce Ling said. For now, the couple has a place to stay in Grand Rapids as they wait for flood waters to recede. They’ll head inside to see what is salvageable once it’s safe to enter again, Bruce Ling said. He’s thankful for an outpouring of support from the community, including many who know him and his wife — both musicians — for their involvement with the local music scene. The support, Ling said, is beyond what he could have imagined. |
Java 9 Unsafe resolution - Oracle backs down
We recently published an article concerning Oracle's plans to remove sun.misc.Unsafe from Java 9 and the terrible impact it could have. The article got extremely popular and started a huge amount of discussions in the Java community.
Today, we are please to report that Oracle has heard our concerns and has now decided to leave Unsafe accessible in Java 9!
Here are some quotes from their mailing-list announcement.
They understand how important Unsafe is to Java.
It's well-known that some popular libraries make use of a few of these internal APIs, such as sun.misc.Unsafe, to invoke methods that would be difficult, if not impossible, to implement outside of the JDK.
... and they will leave it alone in Java 9.
If it does not have a supported replacement in JDK 8 then we will not encapsulate it in JDK 9, so that it remains accessible to outside code
Several prominent Java figures have voiced their approval of the plan. Richard Warburton termed it a 'pragmatic compromise':
Its great to hear that this pragmatic compromise is being adopted.
Conclusion###
While we had hoped Oracle would also take this opportunity to document Unsafe and at the same time provide a new set of classes that expose its functionality in a safer way, we are overall pleased with this decision.
We are glad that we were able to voice this issue and be of help to the Java community. Thanks to everyone who helped spread the spread. |
The road to the Champions Korea Spring Finals has begun. After 12 weeks of regular season play, the field of eight has been whittled down to four. The GE Tigers' undefeated rampage through the first three-quarters of the season secured them their automatic spot into the Champions Spring Grand Finals. SK Telecom T1 had an undefeated second half of the season — beating the top placing Tigers 2-0 to end the season — and are seated in the semi-finals, only needing one Bo5 win to meet GE again in the finals.
At the starting line that leads towards the Champions Spring Grand Finals, we have a clash between CJ Entus and the Jin Air Green Wings. Once the kings of Korea, CJ were seen as a rebuilding team coming into the season and were the surprise squad with their third place finish. Jin Air were at the opposite end of the spectrum; they were a surging team at the end of 2014 and seen as a possible contender in 2015, but had a weak end to the season which now has them limping into the playoffs.
Four teams remain.
Three Bo5's left in the season.
Two teams will meet in Seoul for the Champions Korea Spring Grand Finals.
Only one team will end the season as victors and head to the Mid-Season Invitational in Tallahassee, Florida to represent the Korean region against the best the world has to offer.
CJ Entus: The Korean Jokers
The best way to describe CJ Entus is as follows: at this moment, do you think CJ Entus is a Top 10 team in the world?
If you do, they will promptly suck in the next game you watch, feed endlessly and look like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. Coco and Shy will look lost with their tiny champion pools; Ambition will show his growing pains in the jungle; Space will be the Space of old and be a background character in a game where his team needs him to be a main carry; and Madlife, Korea's living legend, will show his age and look like a player who's past his prime.
All that to say that when CJ Entus are bad, they're really bad. Their biggest advantages — team fighting and their wealth of experience — can be their undoing and make then look like a mediocre team at best.
Right when you think that CJ Entus is a bad team, they'll laugh and promptly play the best teams in Korea and pick apart the teams below them in the standings. During the season, every time it looked like CJ's holes were exploited by the rest of the league, they held firm, beat the teams they had to beat to make the playoffs and ended the season on a strong note.
It was truly a team effort on how CJ Entus brought themselves back from what seemed to be a few seasons of rebuilding and trying out new players for aging stars. Moving Ambition to the jungle was a risky move, but he has been a rock for the team all season. While you can argue he's had his share of faults when CJ has been at their worst, he's been able to come into a new role and use the experience he's amassed over the past three years to keep up with the league's younger, more mechanically gifted junglers.
The same can be said about Shy, Madlife and Space. CJ Entus held tryouts and looked to be ready to move their legendary support out to pasture for some new blood, but Madlife isn't ready to hang up his mouse and keyboard anytime soon. Space and Madlife had by far their best season together as a duo, as the two players finally showed some signs of chemistry after countless seasons of minimal impact in the bottom lane.
Shy gets the job done. Give him a tank. Give him Lulu. He will protect, shield and teleport at all the right moments. In a season that was dominated by two more carry-oriented top-laners in Smeb (GE) and Duke (NJE), Shy didn't try to be fancy for a majority of the season. If he wasn't strong on an 'in' champion at the time like Gnar, he didn't try to force the issue and conform to the flavor of the month. He stood in the top lane, did the dirty work, and was repaid by his team by putting on good carry performances and helping CJ lock down a top three seed in the regular season.
I have no idea what to expect from CJ in the playoffs. They could easily lose 3-0 to Jin Air and look like the entire regular season was a fluke, or they could just as easily destroy Jin Air, upset SKT and find themselves in the the Champions Korea Grand Finals for the first time since CJ Entus Blaze lost to MVP Ozone two years ago.
They're smart. They have veteran leadership and experience. And, at their core, CJ Entus is a family. When a lot of people counted them out and denounced their management for perceived terrible roster moves — like the author to this very article you're hopefully still reading at this point — they believed in each other. They look terrible at times and can still be a bit of a joke when things go wrong, but CJ Entus have stuck together and fought through the adversity.
Who needs teammates when you have four brothers beside you?
Jin Air Green Wings: The Sorrowful Story of a Sad Plane
There was once a League of Legends team known as Jin Air. They had a great sponsor, a good support staff and players with amazing potential. But as hard as they tried, each season ended in absolute horror. Their teams would either get destroyed in the regular season, or, if they were lucky, make it to the playoffs and get torn apart in the first round. The Sad Plane flew around the dark skies of South Korea mournfully, hoping that one day their frown would turn upside down.
Finally, after a year of tinkering and playing around with rosters, the Sad Plane finally looked to be on the path to happiness. A strong start to the season. Players making big plays and winning games together as a unit. The attendants of the Sad Plane worked as a cohesive unit, not caring if the passengers fell asleep during their games as long as they won in the end. Everything in the Land of Jin Air was great! The Sad Plane was truly happy for the first time!
... and then Jin Air lost their last six games of the season. The Sad Plane realized he would never be happy and crash landed into the Spring Playoffs. The status quo had returned.
The Jin Air Green Wings were on the right track to becoming an extremely good and calculating team that used their smarts along with their map movements to win instead of outright team fighting. Unfortunately for them, as the season progressed and the game started to change from patch to patch, the Green Wings never adapted. While teams were picking up the new champions, items and compositions, Jin Air were like a 35-year-old trying to relive his glory days in high school — annoying, incredibly sad to watch and trying to act like Jarvan IV is cool and still 'in' this season.
Beneath their massive amount of problems hides an extremely talented team. Pilot has grown into his own this season, beating out CptJack for the starting AD carry role and being the hyper carry Jin Air needs in times of need. GBM, who along with Cpt Jack were former CJ members, has become one of the better mid-laners in Korea and looked to be fighting for the top spot before Jin Air's nose dive to the bottom of the table. Trace, Chaser and Chei all have continued their pace as solid, reliable players at their role who could make it on most teams in Champions.
You want to pick the Green Wings. The talent is certainly there, but it's almost like they can't stop reliving the best parts of the first half of the season and don't want to face the harsh realities of what is new in the game. They're still an on-point and smart team when they want to be, knowing how to ward the map and control the pace of the game, but none of that has mattered when they get stomped into the ground with inferior compositions.
The good news for Jin Air is that even with their massive problems, they still played well against the three playoff teams in the regular season. They split the two series against SKT and CJ, and they gave GE a strong run for their money and didn't roll over in either of their losses to the Spring finalists this season.
You want to believe the Sad Plane can have his moment in the sun instead of always having a storm cloud follow him everywhere, but they're going to need to have a strong shift in the way they play if they want that to happen.
The Verdict:
Every part of me wants to pick Jin Air. CJ Entus are looking great right now, meaning they're in for a great fall shortly. Jin Air, who are currently in their great fall, need a ray of hope and sunshine against CJ before they get slaughtered by Faker and co. in the semifinals.
If, and this is a big if when looking at Jin Air's history, the Green Wings can start playing like a current team than being stuck in the past, I think they're the better team than CJ. Chaser can be spotty at times and feed gigantic amounts once every ten games, but he's usually one of the better and more reliable junglers in Korea. Ambition has held his ground so far this season, but Chaser has all the tools to beat him.
The marquee matchup for me will be in the bottom lane. Pilot, if he gets the start over CptJack, is one of the sneakiest but greatest players of the season. He has started nineteen games, making him less prominent than the other ADC's, yet he has put up huge numbers when his name has been called. Space has definitely improved and we can call him one of the better ADC's in the league. However, Pilot has the potential to be the AD carry with more time and patience behind him.
While I think either team will be huge underdogs against SKT in the semis, they both have moments where they can hang with the elite. But right when you think you're ready to call them World contenders, they fall on their faces and embarrass themselves. This series is truly one of the most unpredictable in any of the regional playoffs; the outcome could change every day of the week depending on how a team is feeling.
I want to pick Jin Air.
I want to fly with the Happy Plane.
I want to continue believing CJ Entus is a lie and that their family motto will end up being a gigantic farce.
Jin Air should be the better team. The thing is, there have been many times in Jin Air's history where they should have been much better than what they actually were. CJ, while having their moments of complete and utter terrible play, can say they've been to the mountain top and know what it means to be winners.
Until Jin Air can prove they can get past the first round of the playoffs, their frown will never really be flipped upside down.
Prediction: CJ Entus 3 - 1 Jin Air
Tyler "Fionn" Erzberger is a staff writer for The Score eSports, and he will be bringing you coverage of the Champions Korea Spring Playoffs. He just realized he picked CJ Entus to win a playoff series and doesn't know what to do with himself. You can follow him on Twitter. |
A 20-year-old Reisterstown man was convicted of sex offense and assault charges Thursday in the rape of a 16-year-old girl at a Johns Hopkins University fraternity party in 2014.
Jurors voted to convict Ethan Turner of second-degree sex offense and second-degree assault. But they found him not guilty of second-degree rape, the most serious charge he faced. Turner was accused along with another man of forcing sex on the intoxicated victim in the basement of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house.
Turner was immediately taken into custody as supporters sobbed in the courtroom. Sentencing was set for April 7.
The other man charged in the case, Chaz Haggins, 22, pleaded guilty last week to rape and received 20 years in prison, with all but five years suspended.
Assistant State's Attorney Robert Perkins told jurors in closing arguments that the men — who were not Johns Hopkins students — forced sex on a vulnerable girl who had been taken to a college party by her older sister, who was friends with the men. The victim had never drunk alcohol before, became heavily intoxicated and was abandoned by her sister, authorities said.
"Instead of helping her, [Turner] took advantage of these vulnerabilities," Perkins said.
Turner's defense attorney, Matthew Fraling, said his client was not involved in the assault. He said the victim's mental state at the time — her blood-alcohol level was estimated at 0.17, more than twice the standard for drunken driving — made her identification of Turner as a second attacker unreliable.
"At the end of the day, the state has one witness — one highly intoxicated and inebriated witness," Fraling said, adding several times that he was not "pillorying" the victim. "How many times [on the witness stand] did she say, 'I can't remember'?"
Haggins' DNA was found on the victim's body during a forensic examination, which revealed bruising and bleeding. Two other DNA profiles were found but could not be conclusively linked to other suspects, which Fraling highlighted as cause for reasonable doubt.
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at Johns Hopkins was first temporarily suspended following the announcement of the rape charges. But after throwing a party during the temporary suspension, the university in July 2015 revoked its recognition of the chapter for at least four years.
The chapter cannot host social activities of any kind, recruit new members or hold fraternity meetings while under the suspension. In an email to students, university officials wrote that the suspension "is indicative of the university's continued efforts to hold members of our community accountable for building and upholding a safe, supportive, and inclusive campus environment."
Perkins said a student fraternity member encountered the victim after she emerged from the basement, crying out that she had been raped. He was the one who called police, Perkins said.
The victim was consistent in her account that she had been forced to have sex by two men, with a third entering the bathroom at one point.
A third man who was a friend of Turner and Haggins testified that he entered the bathroom, saw the girl alone and clearly drunk, and left because he "didn't want nothing to do with" someone in that state.
Turner had acted as a lookout while Haggins assaulted her, then took his own turn, Perkins said.
"When these defendants were finished getting what they wanted, they left her alone and victimized," Perkins said.
The victim's sister later showed her pictures of Haggins and Turner, and she identified them as her attackers.
Fraling said the victim had gone through a "traumatic and devastating" experience — but at the hands of Haggins. He said the victim's sister failed to care for her at the party and manipulated her into identifying Turner as one of the suspects. He also questioned whether the victim was standing by her account because of a pending $30 million civil suit filed against the men, the fraternity and Johns Hopkins in July.
Baltimore Sun reporter Carrie Wells contributed to this article.
[email protected] |
The Planck acceleration is the acceleration from zero speed to the speed of light during one Planck time. It is a derived unit in the Planck system of natural units.
Formula and value [ edit ]
Planck acceleration may be stated as
a P = c t P = 299792458 m / s 5.39116 × 10 − 44 s {\displaystyle a_{\text{P}}={\frac {c}{t_{\text{P}}}}={\frac {299792458\ m/s}{5.39116\times 10^{-44}\ s}}}
≈ 5.560815 × 10 51 m / s 2 {\displaystyle \approx 5.560815\times 10^{51}\ m/s^{2}}
≈ 5.670453 × 10 50 g {\displaystyle \approx 5.670453\times 10^{50}\ g}
where a P is the Planck acceleration, c is the speed of light, t P is the Planck time[1] and g is the standard acceleration of gravity.[2]
Meaning [ edit ]
The Planck acceleration is the highest acceleration conceivable in the Universe, as the speed of light is the highest possible speed and the Planck time is the shortest possible duration of any meaningful physical process. This limitation does assume that relativity has natural units. However, it is not clear whether any object in the Universe actually reaches or can reach the Planck acceleration. One event where the Planck acceleration was possibly reached was the Big Bang, in regard to the acceleration of the expanding Universe during the Planck epoch. Also, within a black hole, such acceleration might be possible beyond its horizon, but that is certainly unknown (and what lies beyond a horizon is beyond the reach of physical observation).
In a classical description, photons emanating from their subluminal source (for example, a particle-antiparticle collision) experience zero acceleration, as they always travel at the speed of light. However, since the Planck time is the least conceivable delay, the "instantaneous" production of a photon pair can not be distinguished from the acceleration of a photon from zero to the speed of light in a Planck time, thereby achieving a Planck acceleration. In other words, nothing higher than the Planck acceleration can be measured, since that would imply measuring a time interval shorter than the Planck time.
As with other quantities at the Planck scale, the physics of the Planck acceleration are not yet fully understood.
If the mass of the body is given, then a second limit, Caianiello's maximal acceleration, also applies:[3]
a Caianiello = 2 m c 3 ℏ {\displaystyle a_{\text{Caianiello}}={\frac {2mc^{3}}{\hbar }}}
If the length L of the body is given, another limit exists on the acceleration that can be supported[4]
a Max = c 2 L {\displaystyle a_{\text{Max}}={\frac {c^{2}}{L}}}
See also [ edit ] |
Organizers for the Congressional Baseball Game planned to make additional tickets available for Thursday’s night game after selling more than 20,000 tickets.
WASHINGTON – Organizers for the Congressional Baseball Game made additional tickets available for Thursday’s night game due to high interest in the charity event and have sold more than 20,000 tickets.
The game is being held less than 48 hours after members of the Republican congressional baseball team were attacked by a rifle-wielding gunman during a practice in Alexandria.
So far, the event has raised more than $1 million due to an outpouring of generosity, said Meredith Raimondi, with Epiphany Productions.
In comparison, last year more than 9,000 people attended the charity event, which raised more than $500,000, according to Congressional Baseball Game for Charity.
Each year, the tickets and sponsorships raise several hundred thousand dollars for local charities. This year proceeds support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and the Washington Literacy Center. And the Capitol Police Memorial Fund was added yesterday following the shooting.
U.S. Capitol Police officers, who were at the Alexandria ball field as part of Rep. Steve Scalise’s security detail, and three Alexandria police officers responded to the shooter.
Two Capitol Police officers were among those injured along with Scalise, a representative from Louisiana.
A D.C. tradition, the game dates back more than a century.
Tickets are available through the Washington Nationals. Or click here to donate.
WTOP will broadcast live play-by-play coverage from Sports Director George Wallace, Capitol Hill correspondent Dave McConnell and Sports Editor Noah Frank on 1500 AM beginning at 7 p.m.
WTOP’s Noah Frank contributed to this report.
Like WTOP on Facebook and follow @WTOP on Twitter to engage in conversation about this article and others.
© 2017 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. |
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*** PLEASE READ — 2017 Broad Street Mile Canceled ***
We regret to announce that this year’s Broad Street Mile has been canceled. Several reasons went into this decision and at this point we believe it is the best course of action. We apologize to those that have started promoting teams and had plans to attend. Over the past four years we have worked hard to bring local community groups a fun and efficient fundraiser, and we hope to bring the event back in 2018. We plan to make an announcement on next year’s event by early 2018.
Again, we are very hopeful that the event can return and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.
If you have any further questions, feel free to email Johnathan Mayo at [email protected]. |
It has been thirteen years since the last 2D Metroid game appeared on a Nintendo system. I became a fan of the series in 2004, just shortly after Metroid: Zero Mission released. Despite being a huge fan of the franchise, I have never had the opportunity to look forward to a traditional side-scrolling Metroid title, until now. Metroid: Samus Returns is a reimagining of the classic Game Boy title Metroid II: Return of Samus, which released back in 1991. By comparison, Samus Returns brings a much-required update, with environments redesigned from the ground up to match Samus’ enhanced arsenal of weapons and new abilities.
The game opens with a comic-strip-style recap on the Metroid story so far; where a Galactic Federation Research ship has retrieved a living sample from planet SR388, and was taken down by Space Pirates on its return voyage in order to use the power of the Metroids to take over the galaxy. This leads into the events of Samus’ first mission on planet Zebes and how she was able to thwart the Space Pirates’ plans, serving as a great introduction to new players who may not be familiar with the Metroid series. It concludes with the Galactic Federation identifying the threat that the Metroids continue to pose and coming to the realisation that Samus Aran must once and for all exterminate every one of them, including their evolved forms on their home planet SR388.
The controls of Samus Returns are relatively simple: you move Samus with the Circle Pad in eight directions, and when holding down the left trigger, you can aim in a full 360 degrees to fire your weapons with accuracy, which is a new and welcomed addition to classic Metroid. The face buttons allow Samus to jump and fire her weapon, and combining this with right trigger swaps the ammunition to missiles. As you progress through the game, different weapons can be selected on the touch screen and are easily accessible with your thumb. Thanks to the dual-screen nature of the 3DS, the minimap is always available on the bottom during gameplay, allowing you to see exactly where you are, including the locations of important equipment such as save stations and places where you can replenish your health or missiles. Map pins of different colors can be placed using the touch screen to remind you of points of interest to revisit later. I personally found these to be very useful for locating a stray missile expansion towards the end of the game, which I am sure I would have struggled with otherwise. Another helpful feature is the teleporters, which will allow you to travel around or between areas, making backtracking to previous areas much less tedious than in the original game. I think they are yet another handy addition that will help those who wish to complete the game with a one hundred percent clearance rate.
Samus is equipped with a Metroid radar to show how many of the deadly creatures are remaining on SR388. As Samus descends into the planet and gets closer to a Metroid, the radar will begin to beep, getting faster the nearer you get, a feature that made clearing up the remaining Metroids a much simpler task over the original. It was great to see how each Metroid could be approached and learning their different tells. I was impressed with how certain Metroids behaved differently and would make the most of their natural environment, such as dropping bombs into water to electrify it or crawling through gaps into different areas for Samus to hunt down. When you destroy a Metroid, you collect its DNA which can be returned to Chozo Seals located near hazardous acid. This acid will only lower once all Metroids in the area have been defeated, allowing you to progress deeper into the planet. Returning DNA to a Chozo seal will reveal the location of a nearby Metroid husk, giving you a good indication of where to go if you are struggling.
Our favorite bounty hunter also has a couple of abilities that are new to the series. The first is the Melee Counter, a powerful physical attack where Samus swings her arm cannon and hits a charging enemy in the face, putting it into a daze temporarily. She can then follow up the attack with a barrage of beam or missile shots to deal some serious damage and also show off some awesome moves in the process as the camera changes to a different perspective temporarily. While I was able to nail the timing of the Melee Counter almost immediately, there were missed opportunities where I struggled to hit a foe first time, and I feel it will take some players a bit of practice to execute it effectively on some of the tougher, more unpredictable enemies later in the game. My advice would be to listen closely for a sound prompt when a creature is about to charge at you, allowing you to successfully land the hit.
The second new addition to Samus’ arsenal is her Aeion abilities. There are four to collect, and each one will help you greatly in some way throughout your adventure. Aeion abilities are powered by Aeion energy, which can be obtained from killing enemies or recharging it at appropriate locations. You can increase the size of your Aeion energy meter by collecting tanks hidden around the planet. The Scan Pulse can be used to unleash a wave of energy that highlights breakable surfaces within your current location. It also reveals undiscovered areas of the map and any hidden items. Lightning Armor creates a protective electrified barrier around Samus that will shield her from some of the damage dealt by environment and enemies. It will also strengthen your Melee Counter. Beam Burst enhances your current beam weapon to unleash a barrage of shots to bring down enemies faster. Some enemies require the Beam Burst in order to be defeated, so be sure to keep your Aeion tank replenished.
The final Aeion ability is Phase Drift, which was my personal favorite of the four Aeion abilities. Phase Drift slows down time, and this has various uses. The most obvious one would be to dodge enemy attacks, but another clever application of it is to give yourself enough time to pass over fragile blocks before they break. This ability seems to have replaced the classic Speed Booster power which, as some Metroid veterans will be disappointed to hear, is not present in Metroid: Samus Returns. However, you can still move quickly through areas using a combination of Power Bombs and Spider Ball, and I am going to use this opportunity to coin the term “Spider Bombing”, which was a lot of fun once I realized it could be done. Overall, I feel the Aeion abilities are another great feature that will help players progress through the game but can be disregarded for those who want a more challenging experience, with the exception of Beam Burst, which is necessary to pass through some areas.
On a side note, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of nods to Metroid Prime in the game. The scan visor was an essential tool in the Prime series, and the Scan Pulse Aeion ability seems to offer a similar role in this game. The Grapple Beam lets you pull blocks from some enemies and obstructing tunnels similar to the Grapple Lasso in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. There are also several music arrangements taken straight from the Metroid Prime games or resembling them closely, such as the superheated areas (Magmoor Caverns), the item collection theme, and the theme that plays when you obtain a new Aeion upgrade. There is even an enemy that will send out a pulse of energy that disables Samus’ Aeion abilities temporarily, which is somewhat similar to the Rezbit in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, where Samus is hacked and has to reboot her suit systems. Considering that the series producer Yoshio Sakamoto sees the classic and Prime games as separate things, it is great to see the two different types of Metroid game finally come closer together.
SR388 is a beautiful, vibrant planet, with environments filled with vegetation that is alive and breathing, awash with wonderful but deadly creatures. The two-dimensional side-scrolling game has evolved to include some terrific backdrops that move and break, which are further enhanced by turning up the 3D slider on your system. Nintendo 2DS owners are going to be missing out big time, as Metroid: Samus Returns is by far the best 3D experience I have ever played on the system. This was clear from the opening cutscene giving off a diorama effect but even more so later when I was freezing enemies and watching the shards of ice shatter out towards me. It felt like I could just place my hand through the screen and touch it, and I have not felt this excited about 3D since the 3DS first released six and a half years ago.
I am happy to report that the soundtrack for Samus Returns is a solid addition to the game that complements its eerie, isolated nature very well. Despite the original game not having a great deal of memorable music, I am pleased to say that many of the original themes have been included, along with some brand-new pieces and fan favourites from the past. Even the different Metroid evolutions have their own theme this time around, and the bits and boops of the less memorable area music from the original are peppered across some of the new compositions. Unfortunately, not every track from the original made it in, and I was disappointed that one theme in particular was replaced with a brand new composition, something I feel should have been brought up to date instead of being replaced. I was surprised to see that the game had been composed by Daisuke Matsuoka, a musician new to the Metroid series under the direction of veteran Metroid composer Kenji Yamamoto, with sound coordination by Minako Hamano. The music of Metroid is something I am incredibly passionate about, and I certainly would not object to hearing more from Matsuoka-san in future games!
Sadly, not all games are perfect, and I do have a couple of minor complaints. While I accept that Samus Returns is aiming to appeal to new fans as well as old, I appreciated how scarce missiles were in the original game, which encouraged you to use them sparingly. Samus Returns has recharge stations everywhere, which removes something special in my opinion. Checkpoints are also a feature in this game that make save stations redundant and encourage the player to be more careless in their approach.
Metroid: Samus Returns is the traditional 2D Metroid title I never thought we would see again. It features the backtracking, isolation, and atmosphere that are at the core of the Metroid franchise. The collaborative efforts of Yoshio Sakamoto and the team at MercurySteam are nothing short of exceptional; they have created a solid title that Metroid fans have been screaming for all these years but also a title that newcomers are going to be able to grips with quickly. The game certainly opens the doors to future Metroid installments, and I hope that Nintendo will consider working with MercurySteam in future games, as they clearly understand what a Metroid game is all about. Perhaps it is finally time for the sequel to Metroid Fusion?
After playing Metroid: Samus Returns, I consider myself incredibly fortunate and lucky to be a Metroid fan. Samus has well and truly returned!
Review copy provided by Nintendo UK |
Image copyright Getty Images
Gangs who sexually abuse young girls should be given longer prison sentences where there is evidence of racism, the solicitor general has said.
Robert Buckland told the Telegraph that racism cut "all ways" and should be "front and centre" when it is part of grooming and sexual abuse cases.
On Wednesday, 17 men and one woman were convicted over abuse in Newcastle.
They were mainly British-born from Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Iraqi, Indian Iranian and Turkish communities.
In Newcastle, victims as young as 14 were plied with alcohol and drugs before being forced to have sex by a "cynical organisation".
Over the course of four trials, 20 young women gave evidence covering a period from 2011 to 2014.
'Racial hostility'
However, some politicians have questioned why their offences were not seen as being racially aggravated in the courts.
Mr Buckland said tougher prison sentences should be given when it was established that sexual abuse was racially aggravated.
"The law does not discriminate," he said.
"When it talks about sentencing increases for racial aggravation it doesn't cut one way, it cuts all ways.
"Where there is a racial element in sexual abuse cases the law is clear that courts can apply a sentencing uplift."
Image copyright Northumbria Police Image caption The 17 men and one woman were convicted of rape, supplying drugs and conspiracy to incite prostitution
The trials in Newcastle followed a number of similar cases - including in Rotherham and Oxford.
Mr Buckland expressed concern that fears of being accused of racism might have deterred the authorities from adopting a tougher approach.
"There has been an institutional reticence when it comes to Asian gangs that groom and abuse white girls," he said.
"Some people have been more concerned about being labelled racist than dealing with child safeguarding."
'Work together'
Speaking on Wednesday, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said sexual predators were "not restricted to any single ethnic group, religion or community".
She added: "I want to be absolutely clear that political and cultural sensitivities must never be allowed to get in the way of preventing and uncovering it."
Labour's Sarah Champion said the UK needed "to be upfront that the majority of the perpetrators have been British-Pakistani".
The Rotherham MP called for the government to research why this is happening.
"The government aren't researching what is going on," she said. "Are these cultural issues? Is there some sort of message going out within the community?"
Ms Champion said the "far right" would attack her comments for "not doing enough" and the "floppy left" would call her racist.
"This isn't racist, this is child protection," said the MP for Rotherham, where at least 1,400 children were found to have been exploited between 1997 and 2013. |
Dallas Cowboys defensive end George Selvie (98) watches the ball before the start of a drill during the afternoon practice at Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, California on August 6, 2013.
IRVING - Dallas Cowboys starting defensive end George Selvie was back on the practice field with a helmet on for the first time this week Friday at Valley Ranch and is expected to play Sunday against Denver.
Selvie was going through drills in his first practice back after sitting out all week with a concussion he suffered last Sunday at San Diego.
Also, starting wide receiver Miles Austin wasn't practicing again, putting his status as doubtful to play Sunday against Denver. Austin missed the game against the Chargers with a strained left hamstring.
Cowboys starting strong-side linebacker Justin Durant and reserve defensive end Edgar Jones - both out with a strained groin - also weren't practicing again Friday.
Follow Brandon George on Twitter at @DMN_George. |
Expand Miners dig for diamonds in Marange, Zimbabwe. © 2006 AP Photo
(Jerusalem) - The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme should not allow further exports from the Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe until the government makes clear progress in ending abuses and smuggling, Human Rights Watch said today. Participants in the scheme, an international body that oversees the diamond trade, are scheduled to meet in Jerusalem from November 1 to 4, 2010.
Human Rights Watch research from July through September established that large parts of the fields remain under the control of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces soldiers, who harass and intimidate the local community and engage in widespread diamond smuggling.
In November 2009, the government of Zimbabwe and the Kimberley Process agreed to a joint work plan, in which Zimbabwe committed to a phased withdrawal of the armed forces from the diamond fields, and for a monitor to examine and certify that all shipments of diamonds from Marange met Kimberley Process standards.
"The government made a lot of promises, but soldiers still control most diamond fields and are involved in illicit mining and smuggling," said Rona Peligal, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Zimbabwe should mine its diamonds without relying on an abusive military that preys on the local population."
Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called on Kimberley Process members to address human rights abuses in Marange and recognize human rights issues as a fundamental element of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme mandate.
At a special meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, in July, Kimberley Process members agreed to permit Zimbabwe to export two shipments of diamonds under supervision of the body's monitors, on condition that the body would investigate conditions in the Marange fields. The agreement also tied all future exports of diamonds to clear and measurable progress in ending smuggling and abuses, and allowed for local civil society groups to participate in monitoring progress in the fields.
Human Rights Watch learned that the Kimberley Process team sent in to review conditions in the fields in August was routinely obstructed by government officials from conducting its activities and was unable to gather crucial information about conditions in the majority of diamond fields.
In recent investigations in Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch researchers found that while violence had decreased in the fields, the army and police continued to commit abuses, which put Zimbabwe in violation of the minimum standards required for membership in the Kimberley Process:
The Zimbabwean army uses syndicates of local miners to extract diamonds. Local miners told Human Rights Watch that the army coercively recruits local people to help the army dig for diamonds. Many people are afraid to refuse, fearing that the soldiers will beat and harass them.
In July, a scuffle between police, soldiers, and local miners ended in the death of a miner, who was hit over the head with an iron bar by a policeman. There has been no investigation into the miner's death.
Widespread smuggling of Marange diamonds has not ended. Scores of buyers and middlemen openly trade in Marange diamonds in the small Mozambican town of Vila de Manica, 20 miles from Mutare.
"The Kimberley Process should not allow the export of further shipments of diamonds from Marange until there is meaningful progress to end smuggling and abuses by the army," Peligal said. "Without these kinds of reforms, international consumers risk purchasing 'blood diamonds.'"
Certain portions of the fields are being mined by private firms with clear connections to members of the former ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the military, which continues to engage in smuggling in the fields.
With elections proposed for 2011, reports of ZANU-PF and military involvement in diamond mining raise serious concerns that revenue from the diamonds will be used to fund political violence ahead of the elections, Human Rights Watch said.
"Revenue from Marange should benefit the people of Zimbabwe, not finance political violence," Peligal said.
The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme consists of governments and observers from the diamond industry, and nongovernmental organizations, who meet once a year to discuss the implementation of the scheme. |
From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.
Blue Flute
あおいビードロ
Blue Vidro Pokémon Global Link artwork Introduced in Generation III Pocket Generation III Items Generation IV Battle items Generation V Items Generation VI Items X Y Generation VI Medicine OR AS Generation VII Medicine Fling Power 30
The Blue Flute (Japanese: あおいビードロ Blue Vidro) is a type of medicine introduced in Generation III. It is one of the flutes.
In the core series games
Price
In the Generation V games, the Blue Flute can be sold to the billionaire maniac in Undella Town for 7000.
Effect
Generation III
When used in the field or in battle, wakes a sleeping Pokémon.
Generation IV
When used in battle, wakes a sleeping Pokémon. (The Blue Flute can no longer be used outside of battle.)
Generation V and Pokémon X and Y
The Blue Flute serves no practical purpose other than to be sold.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
When used in the field or in battle, wakes a sleeping Pokémon.
Description
Acquisition
Trivia
The Blue Flute (along with the Red Flute and Yellow Flute) was moved to the medicine pocket in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, meaning that it has been in three different bag pockets over three generations.
In other languages
Language Title Japanese あおいビードロ Blue Vidro French Flûte Bleue German Blaue Flöte Italian Flauto Blu Korean 파랑비드로 Palang Vidro Spanish Flauta Azul |
But some well-known speakers will be there . According to this intelligence report," compiled by the Boston police under the heading "Criminal Act--Groups-Extremists," among them will be Cindy Sheehan and a "BU professor emeritus/activist" whose name is redacted--it was the late Howard Zinn.
These excerpts come from one of several documents and videotapes obtained through a lawsuit brought against the Boston Police Department by the ACLU of Massachusetts and Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. We are making these criminal "intelligence" reports public today, along with a report analyzing its significance--and a video of some of the peace activists who have been targeted.
We now have proof of what peace groups and activists have long suspected: Boston Police officers have worked within the local fusion spying center, the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), to monitor the lawful political activity of local peace groups and track their movements and beliefs. This information has been retained in searchable electronic "intelligence" reports bearing labels such as "Groups - Civil Disturbance," "Groups--Extremists," "HomeSec-Domestic" under the heading "Criminal Act."
Under what interpretation of the US and Massachusetts Constitutions can the non-violent First Amendment activity of groups like Veterans for Peace and United for Justice with Peace be routinely classified as a criminal act?
If you have glanced at the US Senate subcommittee report on fusion centers that came out earlier this month, you may not be surprised to hear that Boston's fusion center has been collecting dubious "intelligence" and violating civil liberties in the process.
Fusion centers were set up in the aftermath of 9/11 to facilitate the sharing of "terrorism-related" information among local, state, and federal law enforcement and private entities. But the Senate subcommittee report finds that the nation's 70 or so fusion centers (the exact number is in dispute--DHS, which contributed the seed funding for the centers, doesn't know how many exist today) have not uncovered a single terrorist plot.
Indeed, the spying centers have produced "nothing of value," and instead needlessly duplicate the "more efficient information-sharing process already in place between local police and the FBI-led Terrorist Screening Center."
Their output is often, in the words of one government official, "a bunch of crap."
Much of it is also "potentially illegal," according to the US Senate report, because it falls foul of federal privacy regulations and Department of Homeland Security guidelines that forbid the routine monitoring of groups and individuals unless there is reason to suspect them of criminal activity.
The BRIC's own guidelines say the same thing.
And yet we now know that the BRIC, local and state police and the FBI have worked together to monitor and create "intelligence reports" on groups and individuals where there is no demonstrated link to crime or terrorism. There are indications that these illegal reports have been shared around the country, just how widely we don't know.
Given the secrecy surrounding the "information-sharing" surveillance systems that have been erected since 9/11 and the lack of any accountability mechanisms, we can't determine exactly where reports generated by the BRIC end up. Inaccurate information could have found a permanent home in a myriad government--and even private--databases, with harm to lives that can never be repaired.
The documents we received in response to our lawsuit demonstrate that the BRIC cannot effectively police itself.
According to the BRIC's guidelines, "intelligence reports" that do not reference criminal activity should be destroyed after 90 days. And yet we obtained reports that should never have been written in the first place and were still being retained after five years. Why should it take an ACLU/NLG lawsuit to highlight the BRIC's failure to enforce its own rules?
We know the political surveillance revealed in these documents wastes scarce tax dollars and police resources that would be better focused on building community trust and solving actual crimes.
And we know that political spying is bad for democracy.
You can view this videotape to hear some of the peace activists who have been monitored by the police or questioned about their personal beliefs talk about the "chilling impact" such surveillance can have on such core American values as freedom of expression and assembly.
Today, we are calling on the Boston Police to cease the routine surveillance of peaceful protests and the monitoring of individuals who take part in them.
And we are asking you to join us in demanding that reforms are put in place to ensure that there will be no policing of dissent in Massachusetts.
Let's work together to ensure that our Commonwealth--and all of America--remains a Constitutionally protected free speech zone. |
This article is over 1 year old
Background records sought for Mohamed Noor, who fatally shot the Australian as she approached his squad car
US investigators are looking into the mental health and medical records of a Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Australian native Justine Damond in July.
A search warrant filed publicly Tuesday shows an investigator with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was seeking investigative background records, including pre-employment psychological exams and unredacted personnel files, of Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor.
Court documents show the city provided investigators with the requested information.
Why? The question that still hangs over Justine Damond's killing Read more
Noor fatally shot 40-year-old Damond on 15 July after she called police to report a possible sexual assault near her house. Damond, who was engaged to be married, was shot as she approached the squad car that Noor and his partner were in.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Justine Damond, an Australian living in the US, was shot by police officer Mohamed Noor. Photograph: Instagram
Damond’s death drew international attention and led to the forced resignation of the city’s police chief.
The search-warrant application, dated 31 August, seeks similar information for Noor’s partner, Matthew Harrity.
Harrity, who was driving the police vehicle at the time, told investigators that he was startled by a loud sound near the cruiser and, immediately afterward, Damond approached the driver’s side window. Harrity told agents that Noor fired his weapon from the passenger seat, hitting Damond.
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to prosecutors, who have said they expect to make a decision on whether to charge the officers by the end of the year.
Harrity and Noor are on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues. |
Page Content
Fun boating adventures on the Huron River!
We offer many fun river events and programs such as River Camps for ages 7 to 14 years, River Kids for ages 2 to 7 years, night paddles, boat auctions, Huron River Day Festival, kayak and SUP instruction and much more.
We offer river trips, the 2.5 hour Barton to Gallup and the 1.5 hour Argo to Gallup, and 2-mile stillwater paddles. Boats available are kayaks, canoes, rafts, stand up paddleboards, paddleboats, and rowboats. Tube rentals at Argo for floating in the Argo Cascades.
Two locations in the Ann Arbor on the Huron River each offering different river trips, boat rentals and programs. We have 100's of boats available to rent and do not take reservations. Go to the livery that offers the trip and boat that best fits your adventure today.
"Do Not Eat Fish" From the Huron River Advisory Issued by the State of Michigan
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is advising residents to avoid swallowing foam on the Huron River as it may contain high amounts of PFAS.
The advisory includes that "touching the fish or water and swimming in these water bodies is NOT CONSIDERED a health concern.Therefore, the Gallup and Argo canoe liveries will maintain full operations.The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is advising residents to avoid swallowing foam on the Huron River as it may contain high amounts of PFAS. Visit the PFAS webpage for additional information . |
We spent a week on Christmas Island as medical consultants – we were shocked by the pervasive sadness, the despair in children and in adults, and the lack of dignity offered to detainees
The recent announcement that most Australian detention centres will close and all asylum seekers will be transferred offshore to Nauru and Manus Island confirms the fears of children currently detained on Christmas Island.
In March, we spent a week on Christmas Island as medical consultants to the Australian Human Rights Commission's inquiry into the impact of immigration detention on children. Most families and children had been in detention for six to nine months, and no processing of their claims for asylum had occurred. They were predominantly from countries we hear about every day as places of war, conflict and persecution: Afghanistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Burma, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
'Many children are symptomatic, anxious and unhappy'.
At that time there were 1,700 detainees on Christmas Island, including 356 children and about 25 babies who had been born in detention. Half of the children were aged five or under, and there were 41 unaccompanied children (under 18 and without family to care for them).
A young child draws the sadness and isolation behind the bars.
Along with three other colleagues, we interviewed 230 families. While we talked, we provided paper and pens and invited children to draw pictures that would tell us something about their lives. The drawings included here come from these interviews.
Fear on the boat trip to Australia. Nightmares about the waves and drowning are common.
The UN convention on the rights of the child, which Australia ratified in 1990, can be described in shorthand as identifying that children need:
• Provision (of food, shelter, education)
• Protection (from harmful and traumatic experiences, including abuse, torture, exploitation, arbitrary detention)
• The chance to participate in decision-making about their lives. How this should occur depends on a child’s age
This drawing by an 11 year old (read right to left) shows war at home, the boat journey and the sadness in detention of the family, including pregnant mother.
These rights seem clear and unarguable and are largely enacted in policies and services for children living in Australia. What we saw on Christmas Island suggests that immigration detention impacts on adequate provision for, protection of and participation by children at all ages and stages, from birth to 18 years old.
This is a very disturbing drawing by a young child. The figure has no mouth and is oddly proportioned. The bars are prominent.
Childhood adversity and exposure to violence, trauma and parental despair disrupt normal development and are well documented to impact on children’s outcomes. The gravest impacts come from cumulative and prolonged adversity which are not balanced or mitigated by protective experiences and relationships. Positive learning environments – such as quality childcare,or meaningful activities with supportive adults – are protective for children facing adversity.
Another drawing comparing the sad life in detention with the happy life outside.
Immigration detention on CI is an impoverished and harsh environment with little opportunity for safe play and exploration, education, physical exercise or for nurturing family time. Most children have had very little schooling and many had only been for three hours a day for 10 days out of the eight months they were detained.
Clear message from an eight year old girl.
Detention has been shown to be harmful for children in Australia and in many other countries, with worse impacts the longer the detention continues. Offshore detention with increased isolation in remote and harsh circumstances exaggerates that adversity.
It also increases the difficulties and the costs associated with providing health and educational services. It is impossible for providers, however well resourced and intentioned, to ever balance or mitigate the damaging impact of detention itself. And parents, no matter how committed or competent they are, cannot adequately provide for, or protect their children in this environment.
This drawing by a child includes a smiling Tony Abbott holding a gun. The experience of detention has been conflated with that of war and death at home. A fear of transfer to Nauru or Manus is included.
Most shocking about our visit was the pervasive sadness, the despair in children and in adults, and the extreme fears about the future. Many children are symptomatic, anxious and unhappy; some were withdrawn, had begun wetting the bed, and parents were concerned about delays in their children’ speech or recurrent games about drowning or playing at being “officers”. Some younger children were biting themselves or hitting their heads in distress, many had disturbed behaviour and sleep.
Pain and distress is showing on all faces.
Powerlessness is reinforced for parents in daily humiliations. Families line up in the sun or rain (there is little shelter) and wait, then show ID cards for food (holding their own issued plastic cup, plate and cutlery) for medicines to be handed out, or to see the nurse or doctor. For parents with little ones there is additional lining up for nappies, baby wipes and scoops of formula – only three are dispensed each time.
Use three nappies or make up three bottles of milk and you need to line up all over again. And at 11pm and 5-6 am there are knocks on the bedroom door, entry of an officer with a torch and roll calls. This adds to the disturbed sleep in children and adults, which is very common.
The poignant words of a 16 yr old boy who is in detention alone.
The way that decisions about family separations are made and enacted is another source of great fear and distress. Transfers of family members for medical reasons to the mainland sometimes result in prolonged family separation, including of children from parents. The “ageing out” of boys ( the term for turning 18) means they can be moved suddenly to the adult camp or to Manus Island, and some families have been suddenly “extracted” to Nauru. These transfers often occur in the early hours of the morning and with no warning (for “operational reasons”) and are big contributors to the pervasive fear and anxiety.
A young child's drawing.
For children in asylum seeking families who are detained on Christmas Island and will be moved to Nauru or Manus, the adversities are cumulative. They include past as well as current trauma. The children show in their drawings the issues that concern them and how this makes them feel. They are eloquent about the impact on their feelings about themselves, about life and about the future. What we see and what the drawings show is children who are scared, sad and disillusioned.
A young child (about four years old) draws himself crying. The face of the other figure is blacked out.
If they are moved to Nauru or Manus their circumstances are likely to be even worse. |
Premise Edit
Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku! — Aku, in the original opening title sequence, used in episodes II through LII Samurai Jack tells the story of a young prince (voiced by Phil LaMarr) from feudal Japan, whose father (Sab Shimono and Keone Young) received a magic katana used to defeat and imprison the supernatural shape-shifting demon Aku (Mako Iwamatsu). Eight years later,[5] Aku escapes, takes over the land and holds the Emperor hostage, but not before he sends away his son to travel the world and train so he can return and use the magic sword to defeat Aku. On his return, he faces and almost defeats Aku, but before he could land a finishing blow, Aku creates a time portal that sends the prince turned samurai into the distant future, with anticipation that he would be able to deal with the samurai by that time.[6] The samurai prince arrives in a dystopian retrofuturistic Earth ruled by Aku. The first people he encounters call him "Jack" as a form of slang, which he adopts as his name.[4] His given name is never mentioned. Most episodes depict Jack overcoming various obstacles in his quest to travel back to his own time and defeat Aku, and his quest is prolonged occasionally by moments where either he nearly succeeds in returning to his own time,[7][8][9] or conversely, Aku nearly succeeds in defeating Jack,[10][11][12] only to be thwarted by the unexpected. Setting Edit The retro-futuristic world is inhabited by robots, extraterrestrials, talking animals, monsters, magical creatures, and deities. Areas may have advanced technology like flying cars, while others resemble ancient times or industrial conditions. What's more, Aku has brought aliens from other planets to inhabit Earth, while destroying the habitability of the alien planets. Criminals and fugitives take refuge on Aku's Earth. Mythological and supernatural creatures make regular appearances, and coexist among the technologically-advanced inhabitants. However, the planet has hardly been urbanized, and there are a number of episodes that take place in uninhabited areas of the world, such as forests, jungles and mountains, which have remained largely untouched even as Aku began his conquest and reign over every sentient being.[13][14][15] There are even a few communities that have not been affected by Aku's dominance, such as the Shaolin monks, who managed to hide and maintain their numbers in a secret place that is beyond the reach of Aku's seemingly omniscient vision.[16]
Episodes Edit
Production Edit
Conclusion and revival Edit
Reception Edit
Other media Edit
See also Edit
Notes Edit
^ Premiere Movie after being thrust into Aku's future, wherein local youths use the name "Jack" to refer to him. When asked later on what his name is, the character declares, "They call me Jack."[4] The main character adopts his name during theafter being thrust into Aku's future, wherein local youths use the name "Jack" to refer to him. When asked later on what his name is, the character declares, "They call me Jack." |
For the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, it is a risk vs. reward issue.
That’s what football is – risk vs. reward.
Pass or run? Go for it or kick? Dive for the first down or slide?
Medical decisions on a daily basis are no different.
The reward of having a quarterback who is among the best playmakers in the NFL is obvious.
So what is the risk?
Rodgers could suffer a break at the fracture site or the screws could pull out. The plates he had inserted during surgery in October are metal and unlikely to break, no matter how hard he is hit or slammed to the ground. And he was double-plated. The most likely break would come at the end of the plates, though even that possibility is remote.
If he did suffer another break, it would almost certainly not be a career-threatening injury. There is always a small risk every time a player steps on a football field that a career will be ended, just like every time you get in a car there is a risk you could get in a fatal accident.
If there was a re-fracture, Rodgers would go through the pain and hassle of another surgery, this time with a longer recovery. But he would certainly recover in 4-6 months and be essentially guaranteed to be ready for training camp, if not before. I have no doubt he would be able to play next season. In my 17 years in the NFL, I never heard of a clavicle fracture or re-fracture that ended a career.
The fact is, there is no way for Rodgers clavicle to be 100 percent healed eight weeks after surgery. Full healing won’t occur for at least six months.
If the question were simply what is best for his clavicle, he should not play football this year. Or next. Or ever.
If the question is whether it is safe enough to play now, then the answer will be found in the CT scan Rodgers reportedly had on Monday.
If he is at 80 percent healed with the additional strength provided by the two plates inserted during surgery, it is safe enough for him to return.
If the Packers don’t clear him to play this week, don’t expect him until Week 17. It is unusual to repeat a CT scan one week apart, as healing is not that dramatic. He won’t go from 60 percent to 80 percent in seven days.
The Packers doctors are historically careful with their players, and that is not a bad thing.
I am sure they will make the correct decision after weighing the risk and the reward. |
Last September we were among the first to note that Hillary's "Oh Shit Guy" (a.k.a Paul Combetta), who was responsible for wiping her private server clean with BleachBit despite acknowledging he was aware of a Congressional subpoena demanding the preservation of all records, was looking like he would be the 'fall guy' to take the blame for Hillary's various federal crimes.
For those of you who "do not recall" all of the specifics of Platte River's involvement in the Hillary email scandal, here are a couple of refresher posts:
Well, as it turns out, Combetta was one of the Clinton aides offered an immunity deal by Comey which the "FBI was handing out like candy."
That said, Platte River Networks' CEO Treve Suazo was not offered such a deal and, after obstructing an investigation led by Rep. Lamar Smith (R - TX) of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee for the better part of year, he has just been referred to the DOJ for prosecution. Per The Washington Free Beacon:
Rep. Lamar Smith (R., Texas), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, has asked the DOJ to prosecute Platte River Networks CEO Treve Suazo for obstructing a congressional investigation into his company’s role in providing security for Clinton’s home brewed email server, which began the subject of widespread debate following revelations that it had multiple security vulnerabilities. Senior congressional aides apprised of the situation said their investigation shows there is mounting evidence there were "pretty serious cyber security concerns" with Clinton’s server. Multiple subpoenas and letters from the congressional investigation team went unanswered by Platte River, prompting Smith to refer the case to the DOJ for criminal prosecution. Congressional investigators allege that the company is guilty of failing to produce key documents, making false statements to Congress, and of obstructing the investigation into Clinton’s server. At least two subpoenas issued by the committee were not answered by Platte River.
As one committee aide noted, "This is atypical. There were absolutely zero negotiations, there was no willingness on their part to discuss whether any information they would provide would satisfy the committee's request. It was just the company, with council, refusing to discuss the matter."
Seems that maybe not everyone can just wipe their problems clean, "like with a cloth", the way Hillary can. |
why you should think before ranting
According to an anti-science demagogue, teaching evolution and being an atheist is banned by law.
I’m not sure why an American far right pundit wannabe, Timothy Birdnow, is writing in a Canadian conservative publication about how much he hates atheists, but apparently he is. And his thesis is not a lot saner than the story of a father threatening to report his daughter to the FBI for being an atheist. According to Birdnow, the Constitution doesn’t allow atheists to be atheists since it only specifies freedom of religion not freedom from religion. Clearly, the man is not exactly what you’d call the brightest legal mind in the nation, to put it mildly. He also isn’t good at editing his articles because after insisting that atheism and unbelief aren’t protected by law, he tries to turn atheism into a full blown religion with the following strained attempt at logic…
Atheism worships (they hate that word) the Cosmos, Evolution, and Reason. The Big Bang and Darwinian Evolution are the creation myths, and the Big Crunch the prophecied [sic] cataclysm.
You know, I’ve never encountered an atheist who prays to a picture of Darwin or a poster from a physics class with a graphic of the Big Bang. I’ve never seen an incantation over The Origin of the Species or a homily after the reading of A Brief History of Time. There’s also no building where atheists gather once a week to recite or memorize passages from the latest papers on astrophysics and evolutionary biology. So where’s the worship and the ritual? Oh and the whole thing about the Big Crunch as the doomsday cataclysm? At the rate that our universe is expanding, it seems very, very unlikely that it would actually happen. The current mainstream idea of how the universe will end involves the observable cosmos running out of fuel over trillions of years. If you’re going to make comparisons, at lest try to get your cataclysms right. But his argument gets even stranger…
Oh, I know; these are scientific concepts and not simply faith-based stories.
So then what’s your point? If you know these aren’t just tall tales, what are you complaining about and why are you comparing them to myths written sometime during the bronze age? The evidence for all those scientific concepts are repeatable, observable facts. The evidence for the Bible is people demanding that we accept it as a true account and an accurate transcription of conversations with a supernatural entity. Sorry but when the facts are in front of me, I’m temped to go by the facts. But that’s just what Birdnow expects and counters with…
Of course, this means that the ultimate questions of where this random, mechanistic universe came from cannot be answered. God is as good of an answer as any, but most atheists simply insist there can be none and believe in a mechanical universe that generated spontaneously with physical laws balanced just right for the evolution of life and human consciousness.
If you believe you can’t answer the question of where the universe came from and decide to invoke a creature for which we have no evidence in any way, shape or form other than philosophical musings of your fans, you are intellectually lazy. God is not as good an answer as any because we have no proof for an all knowing and omnipotent creature creating the cosmos. Hell, if we need to use magic to make a theory work, that theory is just wishful thinking. And the whole idea that the laws of physics are balanced just right for evolution and for human consciousness? Nonsense according to physicists.
There are plenty of other things I could mention in Birdnow’s long, tedious, grossly uninformed rant which has so much hatred and passion emptied into it, one can imagine him foaming at the mouth and barking while he pounded this fiery mini-screed into his keyboard. But it’s probably best that I leave it at this. Just because you write in a way that makes readers imagine you leaping out of the screen and trying to beat them over the head with something heavy, doesn’t give your arguments a single shred of validity. |
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted a new indication to an electric stimulation device for use in helping to reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal.
“Given the scope of the epidemic of opioid addiction, we need to find innovative new ways to help those currently addicted live lives of sobriety with the assistance of medically assisted treatment. There are three approved drugs for helping treat opioid addiction. While we continue to pursue better medicines for the treatment of opioid use disorder, we also need to look to devices that can assist in this therapy,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “The FDA is committed to supporting the development of novel treatments, both drugs and devices, that can be used to address opioid dependence or addiction, as well as new, non-addictive treatments for pain that can serve as alternatives to opioids.”
The NSS-2 Bridge device is a small electrical nerve stimulator placed behind the patient’s ear. It contains a battery-powered chip that emits electrical pulses to stimulate branches of certain cranial nerves. Such stimulations may provide relief from opioid withdrawal symptoms. Patients can use the device for up to five days during the acute physical withdrawal phase. Opioid withdrawal causes acute physical withdrawal symptoms including sweating, gastrointestinal upset, agitation, insomnia and joint pain.
To permit marketing of this device for this use, the FDA reviewed data from a single-arm clinical study of 73 patients undergoing opioid physical withdrawal. The study evaluated patients’ clinical opiate withdrawal scale (COWS) score, which is a clinical assessment conducted by a health care professional that measures opioid withdrawal symptoms such as resting pulse rate, sweating, pupil size, gastrointestinal issues, bone and joint aches, tremors and anxiety. COWS scores range from 0 to more than 36 — the higher the number, the more severe the withdrawal symptoms are to a patient.
Prior to using the device, the average COWS score for all patients was 20.1. Study results showed that all patients had a reduction in COWS of at least 31 percent within 30 minutes of using the device. Overall, 64 of the 73 patients (88 percent) transitioned to medication assisted therapy after five days using the device, along with any medications needed for persistent symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting.
The FDA cleared the EAD (electro auricular device, now called Bridge Neurostimulation System) in 2014 for use in acupuncture. FDA’s granting of the current request for the NSS-2 Bridge expands the use of the device as an aid to reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. It is available only by prescription. The device is contraindicated for patients with hemophilia, patients with cardiac pacemakers or those diagnosed with psoriasis vulgaris.
The FDA reviewed the NSS-2 Bridge device through the de novo premarket review pathway, a regulatory pathway for some low- to moderate-risk devices that are novel and for which there is no legally marketed predicate device to which the device can claim substantial equivalence.
The FDA permitted marketing of the NSS-2 Bridge device to Innovative Health Solutions, Inc.
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
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TORONTO -- The Dallas Stars suffered another loss on Tuesday night and moved one step closer to forcing general manager Jim Nill to become a seller on March 1. Now seven points back of a playoff spot with exactly three weeks to go until the trade deadline, the Stars must a go on a serious roll. Starting now.
"Our focus is trying to get into the playoffs here,'' Nill said as his team skated on Tuesday morning at Air Canada Centre before a 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. "We're still there. We're taking it game by game.''
And that's not a cliche. The Stars' trade deadline strategy is hanging by the moment. Either the team rips off a massive run here or Nill will have no choice but to start auctioning off some of his pending unrestricted free agents.
Topping the list would be cagey veteran Patrick Sharp, whose Stanley Cup experience and creative hands could help any contender.
"Who knows what's going to happen?" said Sharp, who'll be a UFA on July 1. "I'm in the same boat as Jim. I'm focused on Dallas and trying to string together a few wins. You look at our conference. There's a lot of teams saying the same thing, that they feel they're in striking distance of the playoffs and good things can still happen. That's where my focus is now.
"But obviously I've been around a while. I know what lies ahead if that doesn't happen. But I'm not too worried about it either way.''
How did it even get to this point? The Stars won the Central Division last season and gave the St. Louis Blues all they could handle in a titanic second-round playoff series.
Now here they are, with their playoff chances looking slim.
"It's been a frustrating season. We've been chasing it all year,'' Nill said. "It started in the summer and World Cup, with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin [recovering from injuries]. And then we lost two guys for the year out of camp. We struggled early. We didn't get off to a good start. I'd say the last 10 games we're starting to look like ourselves. But do we have time now?''
For Sharp, sweating out the trade deadline would be a new sensation after coming to Dallas in an offseason trade from the Chicago Blackhawks two years ago.
"Yeah, it would be something new for me this time of year to switch teams," he said. "But again, I'm trying to play the best I can so that doesn't happen.''
Defenseman Johnny Oduya is another pending unrestricted free agent, but he has been on injured reserve because of an ankle injury and it's unclear whether he will return this season, so perhaps he will stay put. Forward Patrick Eaves, another pending UFA, is a smart player who can play up and down on forward lines and help a second-unit power play, so he would be a useful addition to a contender. Veteran winger Jiri Hudler was traded at the deadline a year ago from the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers, so he knows the drill. But this time around the pending UFA has a little more going on off the ice.
The Stars hoped Jiri Hudler would help augment their offense when they acquired him last offseason, but the 33-year-old forward missed more than a month of action because of illness. Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire
"I had a newborn six days ago, a little son,'' said Hudler with a smile Tuesday. "When I signed here it was because I felt we had a legit chance to win. I still believe that.''
Hudler yearns for the chance to be part of something special again, whether that's in Dallas -- or, if the Stars end up dealing him, as part of a contender elsewhere.
"A couple of years ago in Calgary we had that unbelievable run, and obviously earlier my career in Detroit it was always automatic with that great team we had," Hudler said. "You want to repeat that feeling every year. You get used to it easily. Obviously, we're not in a great situation here now. You can see the standings. We need to win a lot of games, but it's possible. I've been in that situation before.''
One more thing to keep an eye on is whether Nill attempts to upgrade his goaltending before the March 1 deadline with an eye to next season or whether he waits until the summer to do so. The Stars have reportedly talked to the Pittsburgh Penguins about Marc-Andre Fleury, although it appears there's nothing imminent on that front. |
NAPA — With depth issues on the interior of the defensive line, the Raiders announced the signing of defensive tackle Myles Wade on Wednesday.
Oakland has been without projected starting tackle Pat Sims since the start of training camp with an undisclosed injury. During Tuesday’s practice, both Vance Walker and rookie Stacy McGee left with injuries. Walker is also projected to start.
Brandon Bair, who can play both end and tackle, has also been a spectator during the last two practices, as has nose tackle Johnny Jones.
If none of those players are able to return to practice Thursday after a player’s day off Wednesday, that leaves the Raiders with second-year man Christo Bilukidi and undrafted rookie free agent Kurt Taufa’asau.
Wade, 6-foot-1 and 300 pounds out of Portland State, spent time with the Seattle Seahawks last season but did not see game action and has also previously been in camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For more on the Raiders, visit the Inside the Oakland Raiders blog at ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders. Follow Jerry McDonald on Twitter at twitter.com/Jerrymcd. |
Normally for something such as this, we'd stick a note in the DBR or just tweet it out to make sure that Baylor fans got the message. Not so today, because Ted needs our help. On the /CFB subreddit, they are taking nominations for the greatest hype videos of the year, fan-made or otherwise. The esteemed Nick_Pants has already nominated Ted's "Hey Baylor -- Let's Do This" video from before the OU game, so now we just need votes. If you chose, you could also nominate another video, either from Baylor or Ted, that you like better. It doesn't matter.
With all due respect to Ted and the work he's done since, this is still my favorite of the videos, partly because of the way it dovetailed into the Everyone in Black theme Baylor put forward for the game and partly because of how much I loved that game. If you're looking for other potential submissions, feel free to browse through our Baylor Hype Videos hub here at ODB for ones you might like better. |
2013 Marks 50th Anniversary of President Kennedy’s Establishment of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama named sixteen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. The awards will be presented at the White House later this year.
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Executive Order signed by President John F. Kennedy establishing the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as the first ceremony bestowing the honor on an inaugural class of 31 recipients. Since that time, more than 500 exceptional individuals from all corners of society have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
President Obama said, “The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives to enriching ours. This year's honorees have been blessed with extraordinary talent, but what sets them apart is their gift for sharing that talent with the world. It will be my honor to present them with a token of our nation's gratitude."
The following individuals will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom:
Ernie Banks
Known to many as “Mr. Cub,” Ernie Banks is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. During his 19 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, he played in 11 All-Star Games, hit over 500 home runs, and became the first National League player to win Most Valuable Player honors in back-to-back years. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, his first year of eligibility.
Ben Bradlee
Ben Bradlee is one of the most respected newsmen of his generation. During his tenure as executive editor of The Washington Post, Mr. Bradlee oversaw coverage of the Watergate scandal, successfully challenged the Federal Government over the right to publish the Pentagon Papers, and guided the newspaper through some of its most challenging moments. He also served in the Navy during World War II.
Bill Clinton
President Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States. Before taking office, he served as Governor and Attorney General of the State of Arkansas. Following his second term, President Clinton established the Clinton Foundation to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote health and wellness, and protect the environment. He also formed the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund with President George W. Bush in 2010.
Daniel Inouye (posthumous)
Daniel Inouye was a lifelong public servant. As a young man, he fought in World War II with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, for which he received the Medal of Honor. He was later elected to the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives, the United States House of Representatives, and the United States Senate. Senator Inouye was the first Japanese American to serve in Congress, representing the people of Hawaii from the moment they joined the Union.
Daniel Kahneman
Daniel Kahneman is a pioneering scholar of psychology. After escaping Nazi occupation in World War II, Dr. Kahneman immigrated to Israel, where he served in the Israel Defense Forces and trained as a psychologist. Alongside Amos Tversky, he applied cognitive psychology to economic analysis, laying the foundation for a new field of research and earning the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. He is currently a professor at Princeton University.
Richard Lugar
Richard Lugar represented Indiana in the United States Senate for more than 30 years. An internationally respected statesman, he is best known for his bipartisan leadership and decades-long commitment to reducing the threat of nuclear weapons. Prior to serving in Congress, Senator Lugar was a Rhodes Scholar and Mayor of Indianapolis from 1968 to 1975. He currently serves as President of the Lugar Center.
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is a country music legend. Raised in rural Kentucky, she emerged as one of the first successful female country music vocalists in the early 1960s, courageously breaking barriers in an industry long dominated by men. Ms. Lynn’s numerous accolades include the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
Mario Molina
Mario Molina is a visionary chemist and environmental scientist. Born in Mexico, Dr. Molina came to America to pursue his graduate degree. He later earned the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering how chlorofluorocarbons deplete the ozone layer. Dr. Molina is a professor at the University of California, San Diego; Director of the Mario Molina Center for Energy and Environment; and a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Sally Ride (posthumous)
Sally Ride was the first American female astronaut to travel to space. As a role model to generations of young women, she advocated passionately for science education, stood up for racial and gender equality in the classroom, and taught students from every background that there are no limits to what they can accomplish. Dr. Ride also served in several administrations as an advisor on space exploration.
Bayard Rustin (posthumous)
Bayard Rustin was an unyielding activist for civil rights, dignity, and equality for all. An advisor to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he promoted nonviolent resistance, participated in one of the first Freedom Rides, organized the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and fought tirelessly for marginalized communities at home and abroad. As an openly gay African American, Mr. Rustin stood at the intersection of several of the fights for equal rights.
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is a celebrated jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. Born outside Havana, he became a protégé of jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie and gained international acclaim as a dynamic performer. He defected to the United States in 1990 and later became an American citizen. He has been awarded nine Grammy Awards and is widely considered one of the greatest living jazz artists.
Dean Smith
Dean Smith was head coach of the University of North Carolina basketball team from 1961 to 1997. In those 36 years, he earned 2 national championships, was named National Coach of the Year multiple times, and retired as the winningest men’s college basketball coach in history. Ninety-six percent of his players graduated from college. Mr. Smith has also remained a dedicated civil rights advocate throughout his career.
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem is a renowned writer and activist for women’s equality. She was a leader in the women’s liberation movement, co-founded Ms. magazine, and helped launch a wide variety of groups and publications dedicated to advancing civil rights. Ms. Steinem has received dozens of awards over the course of her career, and remains an active voice for women’s rights.
Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian
C.T. Vivian is a distinguished minister, author, and organizer. A leader in the Civil Rights Movement and friend to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he participated in Freedom Rides and sit-ins across our country. Dr. Vivian also helped found numerous civil rights organizations, including Vision, the National Anti-Klan Network, and the Center for Democratic Renewal. In 2012, he returned to serve as interim President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Patricia Wald
Patricia Wald is one of the most respected appellate judges of her generation. After graduating as 1 of only 11 women in her Yale University Law School class, she became the first woman appointed to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and served as Chief Judge from 1986-1991. She later served on the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. Ms. Wald currently serves on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is one of the world’s most successful broadcast journalists. She is best known for creating The Oprah Winfrey Show, which became the highest rated talk show in America for 25 years. Ms. Winfrey has long been active in philanthropic causes and expanding opportunities for young women. She has received numerous awards throughout her career, including the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2002 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010. |
In 2008, Arti Chauhan (name changed to protect identity), mother of a 12-year-old girl, a 9-year-old boy and a 6-year old girl, became aware that two pills— mifepristone and misoprostol, taken with a day’s gap between them—could induce an abortion, a procedure she considered when she got pregnant when her boy was just a year old.Chauhan, 28, wife of a daily wager employed in a fabrication workshop in Mt Abu in southwest Rajasthan’s Sirohi district, did not want another child so soon.“A neighbour told me about the medicine,” she said. “I bought it from the medical store for Rs 500. I aborted in 10 days. It was easy. I suffered no stomach cramps. It was much cheaper than having to pay for a surgical abortion.”Three years earlier, Chauhan had paid Rs 2,000 to a private doctor in the neighbouring town of Abu Road for a surgical abortion. “I had a baby daughter at the time, I wanted another child—a boy—but after a couple of years,” she said.Chauhan’s story is echoed across India: Millions of women become pregnant because they lack access to contraceptive devices to limit or space their families, or are fearful of using them, or, like Chauhan, are ignorant about contraceptive devices. More than 10 million women terminate their pregnancies in the privacy of their homes, reflecting the government’s failure to adequately address family planning needs, endangering mothers and keeping India more populated than it might be if women had access to and knowledge of contraceptives. family planning programme and budget skewed towards sterilisation leaves one in five women with an unmet need for contraception in India , according to the District Level Household and Facility Survey 2007-08.Eliminating all unwanted births by adequately meeting the need for contraceptives would reduce India’s total fertility rate below the replacement level–a stage where the population neither increases nor decreases–of 2.1. India’s fertility rate is currently 2.3, but if women were provided contraceptive devices and guaranteed safe abortions, apart from keeping women safe, fewer babies would be born, and the fertility rate could fall to 1.9 (the same as US, Australia and Sweden), according to an estimate made by the 2005-06 National Family Health Survey, the latest available.“If the government adequately focuses on preventing unwanted births and on empowering women to make the right decisions, India’s population could actually start falling,” said Poonam Muttreja, executive director, The Population Foundation of India, a nongovernmental organisation working on population issues.After the birth of her third child—a girl she did not want—the Chauhans wanted a second boy. A neighbour suggested contraception. “Then I started using Mala-D ,” she said.Chauhan has been able to source Mala-D, a government-distributed oral contraceptive pill, from the local government health facility, without break over the last six years. Otherwise, she would be repeatedly popping pills to terminate unwanted pregnancies, in doing so facing the prospect of complications such as severe abdominal or back pain, heavy bleeding with clotting, cramps, fever, vomiting, nausea, foul-smelling discharge, perforation and injury. An estimated 2 to 5% Indian women require surgical intervention to resolve an incomplete abortion, terminate a continuing pregnancy, or control bleeding, according to the World Health Organization.The taking of pills to induce an abortion enters the national data as no more than pharmaceutical industry sales data. “Most of India’s unreported abortions are not to terminate unwanted teenage or single women pregnancies,” said Muttreja. “Medical abortion has become a proxy contraceptive for married women from socially and economically less privileged households.”Against 0.7 million reported annual abortions, India logged sales of 11 million units of popular abortion medicines, mifepristone and mifepristone, according to this June 2016 report in Lancet , a global medical journal.“Our analysis of the 2015-16 family planning budget shows that 85% of the allocation was for sterilisation versus barely 1.5% for spacing and limiting methods,” said Muttreja.So, millions of women needing abortions rely on pills—easily available over-the-counter or from health workers like auxiliary nurse midwives and accredited social health activists—and the advice of a neighbour or a pharmacist, instead of a doctor.“Some of the women I see are so desperate to abort their pregnancies that they have taken the pills twice,” said Kusum Lata Agarwal, a government medical officer at Abu Road.A greater focus on spacing and limiting methods by making more contraception options available would help avoid unwanted pregnancies in the first place and reduce reliance on abortion pills, said Muttreja.At present, Indians have a choice of five state-provisioned contraceptive methods—condoms, combined oral pills, intrauterine devices, male and female sterilisation—and starting in March 2016 in Haryana, the first state to implement a new government directive, an injectable contraceptive.“Research estimates that every new option added to this basket of choices will increase the modern contraceptive rate by 8-12%,” said Muttreja. With the Indian contraceptive prevalence rate at 52.4%–meaning a little more than half of Indian women, or their partner, are currently using at least one method of contraception–plenty of scope exists to increase the rate, which would, in turn, bode well for population control.Hard-to-get contraceptive devices leave women heavily dependent on surgical or medical abortion to eliminate unwanted pregnancies.Surgical abortion was legalised in India with the advent of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act in 1971, marking a major step forward for Indian women. “Abortions by quacks were putting women at great risk,” said Suneeta Mittal, director and head, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon.Unhygienic, unsafe invasive procedures using sticks and concoctions, violent abdominal massages: Women in India have suffered all of this and more.Until the legalisation of mifepristone and misoprostol in 2002, no more than 6% of primary health centres 31% of larger community health centres nationwide offered safe abortion services. Now, women could pop pills in the privacy of their home.“Medicine eliminates the cost and risk surrounding hospital admission, anaesthesia and surgery; and it offers more privacy than a surgical abortion,” said Mangala Ramachandra, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Fortis Hospitals, Bengaluru.Privacy is important because there is a stigma associated with abortion in urban and rural India.The MTP Act, 1971, requires hospitals to identify women by numbers instead of their names to keep their identity confidential. “We strictly follow numeric identification, but some women still feel conscious about stepping into a hospital,” said Ramachandra.In rural India, women may also opt for pills to “avoid being shamed in a hospital by insensitive government hospital nurses and doctors who play up the stigma surrounding abortion”, said Muttreja.“Some women consult unregistered private providers of abortion services because they offer greater confidentiality and are less judgemental than public health system professionals,” she said.In September 2015, IndiaSpend reported how poor, pregnant women in rural India were compelled to pay for deliveries and post-delivery services at supposedly free public health centres.The gap between recorded and estimated abortions based on medicine sales suggests women are aborting foetuses, primarily female. India’s gender ratio in 2011 was 940 females for 1000 males.Another concern is the health risk to women from terminating their pregnancies unaided at home. “More than half of all abortions in India continue to be unsafe,” said Vinoj Manning, executive director, Ipas Development Foundation, an advocacy. Among unsafe abortions, he counts home attempts as well as procedures by back-street quacks.“Incomplete abortions have increased from around 30% to over 50% in the last five years, which shows the increase in unsuccessful home medical abortion attempts,” he said.Half the women who developed induced-abortion-related complications attempted to terminate their pregnancies at home, according to this 2012 study in Madhya Pradesh, published in the International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.When a home abortion attempt goes wrong, many women suffer and spend money needlessly because they approach providers who are not qualified to help: 95% of the women of the Madhya Pradesh study first sought care from one or more private doctors and chemists—only later did they go to a district hospital or medical college hospital equipped to take care of them.One way to increase the count of abortions and track the use of medical abortion is to improve record-keeping by doctors. Incomplete abortions or post-abortion complications are currently outside the purview of the MTP Act, despite being common occurrences.“About 97 of every 100 abortion cases I see are married women who have taken pills at home,” said Agarwal. “They come to me for incomplete abortion or for the management of post-abortion complications.”Two years ago, Agarwal was trained in conducting and recording abortions by the state with support from the Ipas Development Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation working with the public health system to strengthen women’s access to abortion care. Since then, she maintains more records than the law currently requires.“Prior to being trained in comprehensive abortion care, I was assisting women visiting my facility for incomplete abortions but only showing such procedures as evacuations, not abortions,” she said. “Our seniors never checked our records. Now I record even incomplete abortions as abortions.”Another way to control use of mifepristone and misoprostol is to make these abortion pills available only through the government, but that would impinge on a woman’s right to end a pregnancy and could create new challenges for needy women, said experts.“Supply should be restricted to government practitioners,” said Agarwal, but on the day this reporter visited the facility where she works, abortion pills were out of stock.Abortions are mostly being done for unwanted pregnancies, we said. Most such abortions typically occur in the 20-week timeframe of the MTP Act, 1971, said experts.Under the Act, abortion can be done up to 20 weeks, if “the continuance of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or [risk of] grave injury to her physical or mental health”.Abortion is also allowed if substantial risk exists “that if the child born, would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped or incapable of survival”.Current law attaches conditions to abortion to protect female foetuses, “which is good”, said Mittal from Fortis.Now, however, medical advances can create compelling situations for the abortion of even wanted pregnancies beyond 20 weeks. That means the law must be revised.“Advanced prenatal diagnostics allow many deformities and other medical conditions of the foetus to be identified—such as cardiac conditions, neural tube defects, genetic malformations, microcephaly, etc.—sometimes after the pregnancy has crossed 20 weeks,” said Mittal. “So the law should be amended to allow women to end a pregnancy beyond 20 weeks if the foetus is diagnosed with any serious deformity.”Abortion is a better option than giving birth to a seriously handicapped child, she said, or facing the prospect of early neonatal death, even when the pregnancy was planned.By Charu Bahri(The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform. Charu Bahri is a freelance writer and editor based in Mount Abu, Rajasthan with IndiaSpend.) |
The Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, and the manager of opposition business, Christopher Pyne, made for the doors but Mr Abbott was ordered back by the Speaker, Anna Burke, because it was too late to leave. His vote was counted. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott makes a failed dash for the door of Parliament. Credit:Sky News A fleet-footed Mr Pyne made it out before being noticed by Ms Burke, thereby negating Mr Thomson's vote. Despite the fact that the House live minutes show Mr Abbott did vote in the first vote this morning, Mr Abbott would not confirm that he was in the chamber for the vote. "I’m not going to go into the precise details of who was what where," he said.
Greens Leader Christine Milne said Mr Abbott's behaviour today demonstrated that he could not be regarded as a responsible candidate for the prime ministership. Independent MP Craig Thomson votes with the opposition during a division in Parliament. "You're not allowed to run out of the house when a vote is called," Senator Milne said. Back in the house, Labor again tried to gag the Coalition motion to debate debt and Mr Thomson voted with the Coalition a second time. This time, Mr Pyne returned to the house, but sat in the adviser's box and did not vote, while Mr Abbott stayed in his office in protest.
Mr Thomson taunted Mr Abbott, saying he should cross the floor and sit on the Labor side "if he is truly negating my vote". Another gag was called at 9.45am, and another at 9.55am. Mr Thomson voted with the Coalition a third time and fourth time. Mr Abbott's abstention was designed to negate Mr Thomson's vote and reinforce his principle that the Coalition would never accept his support on anything. The opposition does not want to ever accept Mr Thomson's vote, fearing it could create a precedent in which it may have to grant him a pair in case he takes extended leave from the Parliament, thus negating any numerical advantage it would achieve from his absence. Mr Abbott has also been demanding the government never accept Mr Thomson's vote, claiming it is tainted.
Sitting in his office while the numbers were being counted, Mr Abbott told the National Times Labor should refuse to accept Mr Thomson's vote just as John Howard used to refuse the turncoat senator Mal Colston's vote by having a Coalition senator abstain. He said the Coalition would never be trapped into having to grant Mr Thomson a pair. Loading "We don't give pairs to independents and we will never accept Thomson's vote under any circumstances," he said. Mr Abbott later said that Mr Thomson's decision to side with the Coalition was a stunt.
"It was obviously a stunt orchestrated by Craig Thomson, Anthony Albanese and the government," Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra.
The Opposition Leader said his hasty exit from the chamber was to prevent the Coalition accepting Mr Thomson's vote.
"Christopher Pyne and I suddenly realised he was in the chamber," he said.
"As soon as it became it apparent [that Mr Thomson was siding with the Coalition we] absented ourselves from the chamber," Mr Abbott said.
The Opposition Leader said the Coalition would "absent one of our members" whenever Mr Thomson chooses to vote with the Coalition and called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to do the same thing: "this is a tainted vote". |
Image copyright Getty Images
A US court has awarded $500m (£395m) to a firm which sued Facebook and other defendants over the use of its virtual reality technology.
The jury found Oculus, which Facebook bought in 2014, had breached a contract with video game developer Zenimax when launching its own VR headset.
Oculus said it was "disappointed" and would appeal against the ruling.
The case threatened to overshadow Facebook's latest results, which showed it enjoyed a strong end to the year.
Facebook's net profit more than doubled to $3.6bn in the fourth quarter.
The social network was helped by 53% growth in advertising revenues, and said it was on course to hit two billion users in the first half of 2017.
'Trade secrets'
Shortly before the results came out, the court awarded Zenimax damages from Facebook, Oculus and Oculus executives following a three-week trial.
Zenimax had argued that its early innovations in virtual reality were unlawfully copied when Oculus built its own headset, the Rift.
An Oculus spokesperson said the jury rejected this argument, but did find that Oculus breached a contract with Zenimax and infringed some of its copyright.
"The heart of this case was about whether Oculus stole Zenimax's trade secrets, and the jury found decisively in our favour," the Oculus spokesperson said.
The firm did not comment on the $500m damages.
Copyright infringement
Zenimax chief executive Robert Altman said: "We are pleased that the jury in our case in the US District Court in Dallas has awarded Zenimax $500m for defendants' unlawful infringement of our copyrights and trademarks."
The co-founder of Oculus, Palmer Luckey, was found to have broken a non-disclosure agreement with the firm.
Analysis
Image copyright Getty Images
By Dave Lee, BBC North America technology reporter
Few people will have given Mark Zuckerberg as many headaches as Palmer Luckey.
The 24-year-old founded Oculus VR, and when Facebook stepped in to buy the firm for $2bn, he was rewarded very handsomely indeed. Then it went a bit downhill.
First, it was revealed he was using some of that money to fund a pro-Donald Trump trolling campaign, which led to Facebook removing him from public view. He didn't even turn up to his own company's developer's conference last year.
And now, a jury has ruled that he broke a non-disclosure agreement that'll mean $500m in damages (unless Facebook wins on appeal).
Mark Zuckerberg doesn't display many emotions - but you wonder what he'll be like behind closed doors on this one.
As it stands, Palmer Luckey is still a Facebook employee, but what he's doing there is anyone's guess - the company won't even tell me his job title.
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg testified last month that "the idea that Oculus products are based on someone else's technology is just wrong".
Zenimax, which owns id Software, a video games developer, was suing Facebook for $2bn.
Along with the claims against Palmer Luckey, it alleged that John Carmack, co-founder of id, took intellectual property belonging to Zenimax when he left the firm to join Oculus as its full-time chief technology officer.
'Stellar quarter'
Virtual reality is only a small part of Facebook's current business, but is seen as important to the firm's strategy over the next 10 years.
Most of Facebook's fourth-quarter revenue - which jumped 54% to $27.6bn - came from adverts on its social network.
"Facebook had another stellar quarter, delivering record revenue, user growth and profitability, as it rides the shift of advertising to online," said Martin Garner, a senior analyst at CCS Insight.
"However it expects advertising growth to slow in 2017, so it expects to be less profitable this year."
Fake news
Other challenges that Facebook face this year include a changing approach to privacy in Europe, an uncertain business landscape in the US and challenges in China, Mr Garner said.
The social network has also been widely criticised after some users complained that fake news on its platform had influenced the US presidential election.
In a call with analysts on Wednesday, Facebook executives signalled it would tackle the problem through the use of more artificial intelligence.
They also said many of Facebook's new users were in India, where telecoms operators had offered free data packages for Facebook traffic.
For the full year, Facebook grew its net profit by 177% to $10.2bn. |
WINNIPEG — The man who stabbed to death and beheaded a fellow passenger on a Greyhound Bus in Manitoba has been approved to move from a mental hospital to a group home in Winnipeg.
Vince Li killed Tim McLean during the bus trip on the TransCanada Highway near Portage La Prairie in July, 2008. He was later found to be not criminally responsible for the murder, due to mental illness.
Li has resided ever since at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre but has been given increasing freedoms, including unsupervised outings in Selkirk and Winnipeg.
“Recently the Board dealt with a request from the hospital to increase privileges for Mr. Li so that the hospital could grant an extended pass to reside at a Level 5 group home in the city of Winnipeg,” John Stefaniuk, chair of the Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board told Global News Friday.
READ MORE: Vince Li could soon move to Winnipeg
Tim McLean’s mother, Carol de Delley spoke to Global News over the phone Friday afternoon, “My heart drops because this is solidifying my fear that I’ve had since the beginning of this. I’ve been trying to make people aware of the fact that this individual is going to be walking amongst us again. And it’s just now that he’s actually going to be out in the neighborhood that people are starting to hear what I’ve been saying.”
At a hearing at the board in February, doctors recommended he move to a psychiatric unit at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre and “with continuous assessment” possibly be allowed to move to a Level 5 group home in Winnipeg.
READ MORE: Timeline of decisions in the case of Vince Li
It’s not known if Li has yet made the move, or the location of the facility where he may be staying.
Stefaniuk says a level 5 group home typically has 24 hour staffing, supervision and administration of medication, and “at the very least a curfew.”
READ MORE: Winnipeggers react to increased freedoms for Vince Li
Li’s doctors have consistently praised his progress during treatment for schizophrenia, and say he is a very low risk to re-offend violently, as long as he stays on his medication.
READ MORE: Vince Li’s risk of offending again is low, psychiatric experts say |
The Romney campaign and veterans groups opposed to a lawsuit in Ohio filed by President Barack Obama's campaign continue to portray the suit as an objection to certain voting privileges for military voters.
The Romney campaign and veterans groups opposed to a lawsuit in Ohio filed by President Barack Obama�s campaign continue to portray the suit as an objection to certain voting privileges for military voters.
But two constitutional-law professors from different battleground states � Ohio and Florida � strongly disagree with the Romney campaign, and some other veterans groups say that Romney is supporting denial of voting access to hundreds of thousands of Ohio military veterans by opposing Obama�s lawsuit.
In July, the Obama campaign, the Democratic National Committee and the Ohio Democratic Party filed suit against Secretary of State Jon Husted in federal court, seeking to restore in-person voting access for nonmilitary voters on the last three days before Election Day. The Romney campaign circulated an exchange Romney had on Friday with a reporter in Las Vegas, in which he answered a question about an Obama lawsuit in Ohio seeking to reduce some in-person voting days for military voters � which was not accurate.
Romney campaign spokesmen and attorneys insist it was never the campaign�s belief that Obama�s lawsuit sought to reduce in-person voting days for military personnel and their families, despite the campaign�s circulation of that original exchange and some aides� messaging to that effect on Twitter.
But the Romney campaign is holding steadfast to its position that the Obama lawsuit opposes giving military voters three extra days to cast early ballots in person, seizing on the lawsuit�s use of the word arbitrary to describe Ohio lawmakers� decisions to restore those days for military voters but not for other Ohio voters.
All eligible Ohio voters had in-person, early-voting access through the day before Election Day until Statehouse Republicans� passage of House Bill 194 last year. The Obama lawsuit, in asking the court to restore those days for nonmilitary voters, says Husted ruled �appropriately� by ordering boards of elections to extend early-voting deadlines for military and overseas voters.
�We disagree with the basic premise that it is �arbitrary� and unconstitutional to give three extra days of in-person early voting to military voters and their families, and believe it is a dangerous and offensive argument for President Obama and the DNC to make,� Romney campaign general counsel Katie Biber said in a memo released on Sunday.
Last week, the Obama campaign filed a court brief insisting its original suit doesn�t challenge � appropriate accommodation(s)� for military voters. The Democrats also said they�re questioning only whether the state can �arbitrarily and without justification withdraw from all other Ohio eligible voters the same right they previously had to vote the weekend and Monday before Election Day.�
Diane H. Mazur, author, military veteran and law professor at the University of Florida, called the Romney campaign�s argument �inaccurate and silly,� referring to federal voting-rights protections provided to military personnel by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voter Act.
Dan Kobil, a law professor and constitutional expert at Capital University in Bexley, said, �The Obama campaign isn�t saying anything about disadvantaging the military, only that the government can�t treat groups differently with regards to a fundamental right like voting, without justification.�
But Mark R. Brown, another Capital law professor, called Obama�s legal argument �weak,� and both the Romney campaign and the 15 military organizations seeking to have Obama�s lawsuit dismissed continued to press their objections yesterday. Kevin T. Shook, the lawyer representing those military organizations, said Obama�s arguments were �flatly incorrect as a matter of constitutional law� and they intervenedto prevent �adangerous precedent that would curtail the rights of military voters in other contexts.�
Also yesterday, a separate group of military veterans who support Obama�s lawsuit, including Democratic former U.S. Rep. John Boccieri of Alliance, said that most of the about 900,000 military veterans in Ohio would not qualify for extended early-voting privileges under current Ohio law.
[email protected]
@joevardon |
I remember the first time racism found its way into my life. It was Edmonton in 1981. I had just moved to Canada from Nigeria.
That's right, a mixed race six-year-old boy with a name that wasn't so popular on the prairies. I probably had a bit of an accent too. I was in the playground near my home playing with the other neighbourhood kids. I thought everything was cool until out of the blue one of them yelled out "Ni**er" and it was directed at me! Now, I don't remember what triggered it and I didn't actually know what it meant but, I knew it was mean.
I went home and told my Mom what happened. She, like any protective Mom, was furious. She explained the "N" word is a "derogatory term some people use to describe black people."
From that point on while living in that neighbourhood, I had to deal with being called the "N" word whenever one of my "friends" or schoolmates was angry with me or wanted to make fun of me.
At its worst point, three neighbourhood kids chased me down the street with baseball bats calling me racist names because they didn't want me to play with them any more.
At first, after learning what that word means and realizing that there are people out there that hated based on race, I got angry.
Each time I was confronted with overt racism I would either respond with a rude statement of my own, or fists. The more this happened though, I saw that I was the one who was losing. The other kid would achieve his or her goal. My blood pressure would go up, I would get in trouble from teachers or my parents for fighting and at the end of it, there was no closure. I would be left completely unsatisfied and spent.
My Dad eventually explained to me that I can't control the way other people act. I can only control how I react. I know myself better than anyone else so, if someone calls me a name because I'm black, I know better.
Another kind of racism in Winnipeg
When I got older and moved to Winnipeg I seemed to fit right in at my new school. I didn't hear the N bomb throughout my time in elementary and junior high here. I felt as though I had escaped racism but I hadn't.
Actually the racism had just gone beneath the radar. I realized as I got older and my circle of friends got bigger, that I often heard people talking about things like being scared on the bus downtown because they had been mugged by a couple of "native" guys.
This type of racism didn't fade as I grew up either. Just last winter I was walking home through the Winnipeg skywalk when I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a couple of years. He also happens to be black. We stopped off to the side of the skywalk and chatted. We hadn't even been talking for 10 minutes before a security guard walked up, stood between us and said "you guys have to move along. You've been standing here for almost an hour getting in people's way. This isn't a place for you to hang out."
I asked him why he thought we had been there for an hour. His response, "I was watching you on the security cameras." I was angry not only because he had singled us out - of the hundreds of people who stop throughout the day to catch up with a buddy in the skywalk - but because he was lying to make a case for kicking me out.
I asked if we could go and look at the time code because I had been paying attention to the time and knew we had only been there for about 10 minutes. He declined. I told him that I knew what he had seen: two black guys with hoodies and toques stopped in the skywalk.
I could feel my blood boiling as the security guard contacted police who were in the area and had them come to escort me out.
As I got angrier and the police arrived, it dawned on me this is a no-win situation for me. This security guard wasn't going to back down, nor would he admit he was judging two books by their covers and apologize.
As the security guard stood his ground and one of the police officers pointed out that I would have to leave if security wanted me to, I could hear my Dad's voice in my mind, "You can't control how others act, only how you react."
I decided to leave the skywalk before things escalated even further. In the following days I used that skywalk a number of times.
On each trek I saw people standing and talking to each other. One day I even saw a man, who happened to be in business attire and was white, drinking a coffee sitting in one of the skywalk window areas.
No sign of security in the area.
That lesson from my Dad has been invaluable to me through out my life. Not only did it give me a way to deal with racism without losing, it also allowed me not to be distracted by someone else's views.
A racism no one calls racism
The truth is, racism is alive and well in Winnipeg. But it's a type of ignorant racism or racism that no one calls racism.
It has worked its way into regular conversation. Many acknowledge it but say it's harmless. It has become part of everyday language so that it goes unnoticed by most, beneath the radar, until it bubbles over like we recently saw when comments from Lorrie Steeves made on Facebook went public this past week.
What do we do about it?
Well, I'm a true believer that people can change but I can't force them to change. I just think back to what my Dad told me as a kid in Edmonton and resign myself to the knowledge that no matter how much I argue with someone, they will keep on believing what they believe until another experience contradicts it.
While I don't believe we can force a bigot to change his or her tune, I do think we can be a part of the experience or the conversation that prompts someone with racist views to change their mindset.
Those of us lucky enough to work in media have that added responsibility. I try to lead by example as well as open up frank discussions about race with a large audience.
I do believe that those who are guilty of what I call "ignorant racism" would change their ways if they realized some of their actions or statements were considered racist.
My responsibility as a Winnipegger who is a visible minority with a reasonably large audience, is to be that friend; the one who lets you know, in private, that what you said was out of line.
Not to ridicule but to help out a friend who I care about.
Though I don't believe I alone can make a bigot change their tune, I do believe that as a media personality I can play a major role in opening people's eyes to ignorant racism.
I mean if you don't know you're offending minority groups why would you stop? |
(CNN/Money) Kevin Spacey made the set of Netflix’s “House of Cards” into a “toxic” work environment through a pattern of sexual harassment, eight people who currently work on the show or worked on it in the past tell CNN. One former employee told CNN that Spacey sexually assaulted him.
The former production assistant, whose account has never previously been disclosed, told CNN that Spacey sexually assaulted him during one of the show’s early seasons. All eight people, each of whom spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional repercussions for speaking out, described Spacey’s behavior as “predatory,” saying it included nonconsensual touching and crude comments and targeted production staffers who were typically young and male.
The new accusations follow an explosive article published less than a week ago by BuzzFeed News, in which actor Anthony Rapp said Spacey made sexual advances toward him in 1985, when Rapp was 14 years old. |
A baby suffered a cracked skull from a fall in the preemie ward at an area hospital, with officials blaming mechanical failure on an incubator door. But the family is having a hard time with that explanation.The Bronx mother says it simply does not make any sense that a tightly-wrapped baby would roll out of an incubator, even if the door did suddenly pop open. But that's what she says the hospital is saying caused her baby's serious head injury.It is an Eyewitness News Investigators' exclusive.The neonatal unit at NYU Medical Center is considered one of the best in the city, so when Amelia Lopez gave birth to her premature baby last month, she thought her 3.5-pound daughter Penelope was in good hands.Until, that is, she got a voice mail message from the director of Neonatal Services."Good morning, Mrs. Lopez, this is Dr. (Pradeep) Malley," the message said. "Your baby is just fine, but around 9:30 this morning, the door of the isolate (incubator) where your baby was placed accidentally opened. Now, we are investigating what actually happened, but your baby did fall through the open hole to the floor. But again, your baby is fine."Lopez was shocked."You hear there's an incident with your baby and she's fallen," she said. "Your mind automatically thinks the worst."Lopez rushed back to the hospital, where she demanded a meeting with doctors and nurses to try to get answers as to how her baby -- wrapped up inside an incubator -- could have possibly fallen to the floor."Who's responsible, what happened, how can this happen?" she said.Hours after the fall, tests revealed Penelope had a serious head injury."The CAT scan showed that she did indeed have a skull fracture," Lopez said. "From the fall."Feeling the hospital was stone walling her, Lopez called the police, and an immediate investigation began. She says the hospital is blaming a faulty door latch on the incubator, which allowed the door to open and the baby to roll out and fall to the floor."So that's what they're claiming happened, that it opened by itself and she slipped out," she said. "So that it was actually a mechanical failure vs. human failure."Lopez's attorney, Peter Gleason, says the hospital's explanation is hard to believe."Thus far, my client has not been given any plausible explanation on how a 2-week-old premature baby who cannot roll over fell out of the port in the incubator," he said.NYU Langone Hospital responded in a statement, saying "We extend our deepest apologies to the family for this unforseeable accident...We are committed to identifying the cause to prevent similar incidents from occuring."Penelope remains in the hospital and has started to gain weight. That is a good sign, but it's the future that worries Lopez."To have anybody have that kind of fall to their head and have a fractured skull, I mean she's barely fully developed as she is," she said. "So how is that going to affect her development?"Lopez says a neurologist told her Penelope will have to be monitored for years for any long-term impact from the fall. A spokesperson for NYU Medical Center says they will continue to be "open and transparent" with the family as they learn more from their ongoing investigation. |
With a magic trick that’s more smoke than mirrors, one of Saturn’s most mysterious rings has deceived astronomers for decades with an optical illusion.
As described by astronomers Matt Hedman and Phillip Nicholson, the B ring—Saturn’s brightest—has been deceptively opaque, making astronomers think that it contains up to seven times more mass than it actually does.
The study, published January 22 in the journal Icarus, marks the latest attempt to weigh the B ring, an important piece of data for understanding how Saturn’s rings formed.
The planet’s other rings haven’t proven nearly so tricky. Astronomers used density waves, ripples that form like a traffic jam as ring particles get jostled by Saturn’s moons. Change a ring’s density, and the waves within it change shape—letting scientists calculate the ring’s mass from the waves alone.
But the B ring has a complex structure that makes it hard to see and track density waves. So for years, many astronomers have guesstimated: If there’s more stuff in the ring, the thinking goes, the ring would be less transparent.
If the B ring is anything, it’s opaque—the solar system’s most opaque ring, in fact—leading some to suggest that by itself, it has up to twice as much mass as Saturn’s moon Mimas.
The new analysis from NASA’s Cassini probe pores over subtle density waves in the B ring to suggest that, depending where you look, the B ring holds just half to a seventh of the mass it appears to. It’s a convincing trick, a bit like pretending to perform incredible feats of strength with hollow plastic dumbbells.
The downward revision doesn’t dethrone the B ring, however: it’s still probably the most massive ring around Saturn. But scientists will have to wait until 2017 to definitively peer behind the B ring’s curtain. Cassini will finish its mission at Saturn with a “grand finale” next year, giving astronomers a chance to narrow down the ring’s mass, once and for all. |
Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott are proving there are no depths to which they will not sink to persuade the Australian people they are the toughest in relation to asylum seekers. The demonising of asylum seekers continues apace.
The Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, has tried to suggest they are now all economic refugees. If they are, they are sent back, and Carr knows that. He had no information which would have justified that comment. When the Gillard government stopped processing in August of last year, more than 90 per cent of those processed up to that point were genuine refugees.
Vietnamese refugees aboard the refugee boat Kien Giang in 1979. Credit:Fairfax Library
The fact remains that, however unpleasant the Australian government tries to be, it cannot match the terror from which those who are genuine refugees are fleeing. That remains the fundamental flaw in the policy of deterrence.
On his visit to Indonesia, Prime Minister Rudd emphasised the importance of a regional solution and welcomed the fact that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had announced Indonesia would chair a meeting to discuss regional solutions to the problem. That decision, to work through the so-called Bali process, did not last very long and then Rudd came out with his Nauru and Manus Island solution. I am advised he did so without a cabinet decision, certainly not a full cabinet decision. |
President Vladimir Putin has urged Russian historians to combat what he called attempts to rewrite history based on geopolitical interests by providing their own interpretation of past events.
Speaking to scholars and history teachers on November 5, Putin said that "attempts to reprogram societies of many countries, including our own, are obvious. And this cannot be unrelated to attempts to rewrite history, to tune it to certain geopolitical interests."
"But to prevent this from happening there ought to be people like you -- experts -- who not only inform about the events of the past in an objective and full-fledged manner, but also provide an assessment of them," Putin said.
Russian officials often bristle at criticism of Moscow's actions in the recent and distant past.
Putin took issue with "the Soviet Union being blamed for the division of Poland" in a 1939 Nazi-Soviet pact.
"How about Poland itself? What did it do when the Germans invaded Czechoslovakia? Poland took a chunk of Czechoslovakia for itself," he said, laughing. "And then it got hit back in in return." |
BRIEF
Defining Powerhouse Fruits and Vegetables: A Nutrient Density Approach
Jennifer Di Noia, PhD
Suggested citation for this article: Di Noia J. Defining Powerhouse Fruits and Vegetables: A Nutrient Density Approach. Prev Chronic Dis 2014;11:130390. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd11.130390.
PEER REVIEWED
Abstract
National nutrition guidelines emphasize consumption of powerhouse fruits and vegetables (PFV), foods most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk; yet efforts to define PFV are lacking. This study developed and validated a classification scheme defining PFV as foods providing, on average, 10% or more daily value per 100 kcal of 17 qualifying nutrients. Of 47 foods studied, 41 satisfied the powerhouse criterion and were more nutrient-dense than were non-PFV, providing preliminary evidence of the validity of the classification scheme. The proposed classification scheme is offered as a tool for nutrition education and dietary guidance.
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Objective
Powerhouse fruits and vegetables (PFV), foods most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk, are described as green leafy, yellow/orange, citrus, and cruciferous items, but a clear definition of PFV is lacking (1). Defining PFV on the basis of nutrient and phytochemical constituents is suggested (1). However, uniform data on food phytochemicals and corresponding intake recommendations are lacking (2). This article describes a classification scheme defining PFV on the basis of 17 nutrients of public health importance per the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Institute of Medicine (ie, potassium, fiber, protein, calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, zinc, and vitamins A, B 6 , B 12 , C, D, E, and K) (3).
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Methods
This cross-sectional study identified PFV in a 3-step process. First, a tentative list of PFV consisting of green leafy, yellow/orange, citrus, and cruciferous items was generated on the basis of scientific literature (4,5) and consumer guidelines (6,7). Berry fruits and allium vegetables were added in light of their associations with reduced risks for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and some cancers (8). For each, and for 4 items (apples, bananas, corn, and potatoes) described elsewhere as low-nutrient-dense (1), information was collected in February 2014 on amounts of the 17 nutrients and kilocalories per 100 g of food (9). Because preparation methods can alter the nutrient content of foods (2), nutrient data were for the items in raw form.
Second, a nutrient density score was calculated for each food using the method of Darmon et al (10). The numerator is a nutrient adequacy score calculated as the mean of percent daily values (DVs) for the qualifying nutrients (based on a 2,000 kcal/d diet [11]) per 100 g of food. The scores were weighted using available data (Table 1) based on the bioavailability of the nutrients (12): nutrient adequacy score = (Σ [nutrient i × bioavailability i )/DV i ] × 100)/17. As some foods are excellent sources of a particular nutrient but contain few other nutrients, percent DVs were capped at 100 so that any one nutrient would not contribute unduly to the total score (3). The denominator is the energy density of the food (kilocalories per 100 g): nutrient density score (expressed per 100 kcal) = (nutrient adequacy score/energy density) x 100. The score represents the mean of percent DVs per 100 kcal of food.
Third, nutrient-dense foods (defined as those with scores ≥10) were classified as PFV. The Food and Drug Administration defines foods providing 10% or more DV of a nutrient as good sources of the nutrient (3). Because there are no standards defining good sources of a combination of nutrients-per-kilocalories, the FDA threshold was used for this purpose. The 4 low-nutrient-dense items were classified as non-PFV.
To validate the classification scheme, the Spearman correlation between nutrient density scores and powerhouse group was examined. The robustness of the scheme with respect to nutrients beneficial in chronic disease risk also was examined by comparing foods classified as PFV with those separately classified as such based on densities of 8 nutrients protective against cancer and heart disease (ie, fiber, folate, zinc, and vitamins B 6 , B 12 , C, D, and E) (2,4).
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Results
Of 47 foods studied, all but 6 (raspberry, tangerine, cranberry, garlic, onion, and blueberry) satisfied the powerhouse criterion (Table 2). Nutrient density scores ranged from 10.47 to 122.68 (median score = 32.23) and were moderately correlated with powerhouse group (ρ = 0.49, P = .001). The classification scheme was robust with respect to nutrients protective against chronic disease (97% of foods classified as PFV were separately classified as such on the basis of 8 nutrients protective against cancer and heart disease). For ease of interpretation, scores above 100 were capped at 100 (indicating that the food provides, on average, 100% DV of the qualifying nutrients per 100 kcal). Items in cruciferous (watercress, Chinese cabbage, collard green, kale, arugula) and green leafy (chard, beet green, spinach, chicory, leaf lettuce) groups were concentrated in the top half of the distribution of scores (Table 2) whereas items belonging to yellow/orange (carrot, tomato, winter squash, sweet potato), allium (scallion, leek), citrus (lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit), and berry (strawberry, blackberry) groups were concentrated in the bottom half (4–7).
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Discussion
The proposed classification scheme is offered in response to the call to better define PFV and may aid in strengthening the powerhouse message to the public. The focus on individual foods in terms of the nutrients they provide may facilitate better understanding of PFV than green leafy, yellow/orange, citrus, and cruciferous food groups that are emphasized. Messages might specify PFV to help consumers know what they are and choose them as part of their overall fruit and vegetable intake. As numeric descriptors of the amount of beneficial nutrients PFV contain relative to the energy they provide, the scores can serve as a platform for educating people on the concept of nutrient density. Expressing the nutrient desirability of foods in terms of the energy they provide may help focus consumers on their daily energy needs and getting the most nutrients from their foods. The rankings provide clarity on the nutrient quality of the different foods and may aid in the selection of more nutrient-dense items within the powerhouse group.
Foods within particular groups were studied; thus, other nutrient-dense items may have been overlooked. Because it was not possible to include phytochemical data in the calculation of nutrient density scores, the scores do not reflect all of the constituents that may confer health benefits. Warranting study is the utility of approaches defining PFV based on the presence (regardless of amount) of nutrients and phytochemicals. Although nutrient density differences by powerhouse group were examined, a true validation of the classification scheme is needed. Future studies might identify healthful diets and examine correlations with PFV or look for correlations between intake of PFV and health outcomes (3).
This study is an important step toward defining PFV and quantifying nutrient density differences among them. On the basis of the qualifying nutrients, 41 PFV were identified. The included foods may aid in improving consumer understanding of PFV and the beneficial nutrients they provide.
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Author Information
Jennifer Di Noia, PhD, William Paterson University, 300 Pompton Rd, Wayne, NJ 07470. Telephone: 973-720-3714. E-mail: [email protected].
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References
Nanney MS, Haire-Joshu D, Hessler K, Brownson RC. Rationale for a consistent “powerhouse” approach to vegetable and fruit messages. J Am Diet Assoc 2004;104(3):352–6. CrossRef PubMed World Cancer Research Fund. Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. Washington (DC): American Institute for Cancer Research; 2007. Drewnowski A. Concept of a nutritious food: toward a nutrient density score. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;82(4):721–32. PubMed Van Duyn MA, Pivonka E. Overview of the health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption for the dietetics professional: selected literature. J Am Diet Assoc 2000;100(12):1511–21. CrossRef PubMed Higdon JV, Delage B, Williams DE, Dashwood RH. Cruciferous vegetables and human cancer risk: epidemiologic evidence and mechanistic basis. Pharmacol Res 2007;55(3):224–36. CrossRef PubMed Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Washington (DC): US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service; 2010. Shaw A, Fulton L, Davis C, Hogbin M. Using the food guide pyramid: a resource for nutrition educators. Alexandria (VA): US Department of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion; 2001. Seeram NP. Recent trends and advances in berry health benefits research. J Agric Food Chem 2010;58(7):3869–70. CrossRef PubMed USDA national nutrient database for standard reference, release 26. Washington (DC): US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service; 2013. Darmon N, Darmon M, Maillot M, Drewnowski A. A nutrient density standard for vegetables and fruits: nutrients per calorie and nutrients per unit cost. J Am Diet Assoc 2005;105(12):1881–7. CrossRef PubMed A food labeling guide: guidance for industry. College Park (MD): Food and Drug Administration; 2013. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/UCM265446.pdf. Accessed February 12, 2013. Otten JJ, Hellwig JP, Meyers LD, editors. Dietary reference intakes: the essential guide to nutrient requirements. Washington (DC): National Academies Press; 2006.
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Tables
Table 1. Bioavailability of Nutrientsa Used to Weight Nutrient Density Scores, 2014
Nutrient Bioavailability, % Iron 18 Riboflavin 95 Niacin 30 Folate 50 Vitamin B 6 75 Vitamin B 12 50 Vitamin C 70–90 Vitamin K 20
Table 2. Powerhouse Fruits and Vegetables (N = 41), by Ranking of Nutrient Density Scoresa, 2014
Item Nutrient Density Score Watercress 100.00 Chinese cabbage 91.99 Chard 89.27 Beet green 87.08 Spinach 86.43 Chicory 73.36 Leaf lettuce 70.73 Parsley 65.59 Romaine lettuce 63.48 Collard green 62.49 Turnip green 62.12 Mustard green 61.39 Endive 60.44 Chive 54.80 Kale 49.07 Dandelion green 46.34 Red pepper 41.26 Arugula 37.65 Broccoli 34.89 Pumpkin 33.82 Brussels sprout 32.23 Scallion 27.35 Kohlrabi 25.92 Cauliflower 25.13 Cabbage 24.51 Carrot 22.60 Tomato 20.37 Lemon 18.72 Iceberg lettuce 18.28 Strawberry 17.59 Radish 16.91 Winter squash (all varieties) 13.89 Orange 12.91 Lime 12.23 Grapefruit (pink and red) 11.64 Rutabaga 11.58 Turnip 11.43 Blackberry 11.39 Leek 10.69 Sweet potato 10.51 Grapefruit (white) 10.47
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The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. |
News
Forty-eight malnourished horses removed from neglectful owner Colorado Humane Society & S.P.C.A and Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center™ assisted the Park County Sheriff’s Office with the removal of 48 neglected horses from three different locations near Hartsel, Colorado on Thursday. Read More
Show us your pet’s pearly whites during National Pet Dental Month Your pet’s pearly whites need some attention, and there’s no better time than National Pet Dental Month to take a deeper look into your furry friend’s oral health! Read More
Saving horses at the Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center Imagine being so frightened that you feared for your life, but starvation outweighed your fear and you took the risk of the unknown just for a few bites of food. This was the reality for the 11 horses discovered that day. Read More |
Italian opera house accused of dealing 'a blow for national pride in a moment of crisis' by going German for its season opener
One hundred and fifty years after they helped forge their home nations' ideas of pride and patriotism, Wagner and Verdi have proved they can still provoke a bust-up between Germany and Italy.
As opera houses around the world gear up to celebrate the 200th birthdays of the composers – they were both born in 1813 – the decision by Milan's La Scala to seemingly overlook its local hero and instead open its season on Friday with Wagner's Lohengrin has sparked angry criticism.
The theatre's decision to opt for Wagner, whose pounding operas were the soundtrack for German unification, over Verdi, whose uplifting works inspired Italy's own Risorgimento, comes as Italians feel the bite of austerity policies they see as dictated by Berlin, a humiliation lightened only by Italy's beating of Germany in the European championships this summer.
"This choice is a smack for Italian art, a blow for national pride in a moment of crisis," Milan's daily newspaper, Corriere della Sera, declared, claiming there was disquiet in the orchestra at La Scala, where Verdi made his professional debut. "Would the Germans have inaugurated a Wagnerian year with a work by Verdi?" asked the paper.
Peter Conrad, the British author of Verdi and/or Wagner, a study of the lives of both men, agrees. "As La Scala's musical director and a Wagner specialist, [Daniel] Barenboim has put his tastes ahead of Italy's," he told the Guardian. "This reminds me of how a German banker paid for a bust of Wagner to go up in Venice at the start of the 20th century before the local town hall then shamefully put up one of Verdi next to it. Italy gets trampled on because it is not good at celebrating its own culture."
However, Stéphane Lissner, La Scala's general manager, pointed out that next year the theatre will stage five works by Wagner against eight by Verdi and open next season with Verdi's La Traviata, "which is chronologically exact, because Verdi was born in October, while Wagner was born in May," he said. "The rest is just stupidity and ignorance." Moreover, Barenboim – a Wagner expert – was only free this month, he added.
Barenboim has chimed in, saying: "What difference does it make inaugurating the season with one or the other when almost all the works of both will get performed?"
Unlike La Scala, Naples' San Carlo opera house – for which Verdi composed works including Luisa Miller – has had no doubts about opening its season this week with La Traviata.
"Verdi is in the DNA of Italians," said the San Carlo's artistic director Vincenzo de Vivo. "After Italy unified he believed in the country but felt betrayed by politics, and if we can convey his moral values today through music we can help the rebirth of Italy."
Conrad said the row reflected the intense rivalry between the composers and their supporters. "Verdi went incognito to the Italian premiere of Lohengrin in Bologna with a copy of the score and wrote 'mad' in the margins, while Wagner thought Verdi's work was hurdy gurdy," he said.
"When Wagner died, Verdi almost crowed and went on to have a second career in which he composed Otello and Falstaff, although he resented critics who saw Wagner's influence in them."
Anti-German sentiment flared at the first performance of Lohengrin at La Scala in 1873, with loud whistling and scuffles breaking out in the audience. A fearful Wagner, who had turned up to conduct, decided to get off the stage and let an Italian pick up the baton.
Since then, La Scala's hardcore music lovers have kept their feisty reputation alive, and were back in action at a concert on Monday, whistling singer Cecilia Bartoli for what they considered an under par performance, prompting Barenboim to tell the crowd: "We are at a concert, now shut up."
Come Friday, fighting in the audience may not be on the cards when Lohengrin returns to Milan, but Conrad said the night would be more than just about opera: "This row is about the continuing balance of power in Europe – there is always a nationalist edge when we talk about Verdi and Wagner." |
Sometime around 1990 and not too long out of college, I held what memory tells me was my first true dinner party, in a three-bedroom brownstone duplex in Brooklyn, where the rent was approximately $1,200 a month. The menu revolved around a pork loin stuffed with sausage and dried apricots, a recipe that came from “The New Basics,” which along with “The Silver Palate Cookbook,” its predecessor, and the various musings of Laurie E. Colwin would have made up the near entirety of any young aspiring cook’s kitchen library. That evening, we were paying tribute to a friend who had recently begun working as a writer for David Letterman, and in that spirit my roommate and I purchased several bottles of Kendall-Jackson chardonnay for $11 each, feeling very grand about it.
Judged by the rigorous standards we impose today, it took very little to be considered a food person in New York 20 years ago. It was a time when it was possible to go for very long periods without meeting even one 24-year-old who could tell you anything about sea urchin or the cured meats of the southern Tyrol. With the exception of an annual birthday dinner that might be spent at the Mesa Grill or the now-closed Chanterelle, restaurants, for those of us newly inaugurated into adulthood, were not ends in themselves but rather places to go to pass the time before heading to the parties where you would lose all sense of it. I spent many wonderful hours at Bistrot Margot, a restaurant, now defunct, on Prince Street, but I could not now recall the contents of any meal I ever consumed there. |
We now have more information about the bonus comic that is to come with One Piece Box Set 3: Thriller Bark to New World, Volumes 47-70.
Alexis Kirsch, the current editor of One Piece for the English Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, confirmed on this week’s Shonen Jump Podcast episode that the upcoming One Piece Box Set 3 will come with two special One Piece crossovers. Spanning over 48 pages combined, the big box set will have “Cross Epoch,” Akira Toriyama and Eiichiro Oda’s collaborative work that was first published with chapter 439 of the One Piece manga, and the Toriko crossover, entitled “Taste of the Devil Fruit,” which originally came out with One Piece chapter 619. In addition, One Piece Box Set 3 will come with a double-sided colored poster.
One Piece Box Set 3 will be available for purchase starting October 4. It was first announced by VIZ at this year’s Anime Boston panel. With content spanning 5,056 pages, the first volume included in this set will continue the Thriller Bark arc from volume 47 “Cloudy, Partly Bony,” and conclude with volume 70 “Enter Doflamingo.” One Piece Box Set 3 will cover up to the first chapter of the Dressrosa arc, chapter 700 “His Momentum.”
VIZ introduced the big One Piece manga box sets with “East Blue and Baroque Works” on November 5, 2013 and contained volumes 1 to 23. In addition, the first One Piece box set came with a double-sided poster and Oda’s “Romance Dawn” one shot. Following up the first set, One Piece Box Set 2: Skypiea and Water Seven was released on November 4, 2014 with volumes 24 to 46. Similar to its predecessor, the second box set included a double-sided poster, as well as the special One Piece chapter that was originally released to commemorate One Piece Film: Strong World’s release.
Please support One Piece by purchasing its official releases. VIZ Manga is now selling two box sets: One Piece Box Set: East Blue and Baroque Works (volumes 1-23) and One Piece Box Set 2: Skypiea and Water Seven (volumes 24-46) on Amazon at a great price.
SOURCE: Shonen Jump Podcast (Episode 150) |
Mayan Artwork Uncovered In A Guatemalan Forest
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tyrone Turner/Copyright 2012 National Geographic Tyrone Turner/Copyright 2012 National Geographic
Archaeologists working in one of the most impenetrable rain forests in Guatemala have stumbled on a remarkable discovery: a room full of wall paintings and numerical calculations.
The buried room apparently was a workshop used by scribes or astronomers working for a Mayan king. The paintings depict the king and members of his court. The numbers mark important periods in the Mayan calendar.
The room is about the size of a walk-in closet. It's part of the buried Mayan city of Xultun. There are painted murals on three walls, depicting a resplendent king wearing a feather and four other figures. Mayan paintings this old — the site dates to the ninth century — are very rare; tropical weather usually destroys them.
But David Stuart, an anthropologist at the University of Texas, Austin, says the numbers are the most intriguing discovery. "The wall is covered in numbers and this is something that really got our attention very early on," he says. "This is an unusual thing about the Xultun mural."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Illustration by William Saturno and David Stuart/Copyright 2012 National Geographic Illustration by William Saturno and David Stuart/Copyright 2012 National Geographic
Stuart says some of the numbers are calendars that mark Mayan ceremonies, or the cycles of the moon, Venus and Mars. Some calculations appear to be efforts to predict lunar eclipses.
"It's kind of like having a whiteboard in your office where you write down numbers you want to remember if you are a physicist or a mathematician," Stuart says. "And it's amazing it's on a wall. It's not in a book."
Mayan numbers are written with bars and dots. Their use in calendars and astronomy is well-known from a Mayan book called the Dresden Codex, which is written on the bark of a fig tree. But the Xultun murals are centuries older than the book.
Writing in the journal Science, the scientists say the murals confirm what Mayan archaeologists have been saying for years: The Mayan calendar does not predict the end of time in 2012, as some New Age prophets have argued. In fact, the murals register future time stretching far beyond 2012.
Archaeologist William Saturno from Boston University compares Mayan calendars to a car's odometer.
"If we're driving a car," Satruno says, "we don't anticipate that at 100,000 miles the car will vanish from beneath us. We know that it will reset to zero, and the next 10th of a mile we go we'll have another number to look at."
What these Mayan timekeepers were doing was simply marking the passage of time from past to future, but in discrete intervals.
The buried city of Xultun was discovered in 1915 but was so hard to get to that archaeologists mostly ignored it. Saturno started exploring it in 2008. A member of his team found the mural room two years later, under just a few feet of soil. They got an emergency grant from the National Geographic Society to dig into it.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tyrone Turner/Copyright 2012 National Geographic Tyrone Turner/Copyright 2012 National Geographic
Looters had stolen everything removable, but the murals and the numbers remained.
Saturno says there may be lots more to find at Xultun. They've examined only about 1 percent of the buried city. |
If you're planning on purchasing Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain and have both an Xbox One and PlayStation 4, you're likely going to want to go with the PS4 version, as it looks "slightly better" on Sony's console.
This news comes from Game Informer, who reports that Ground Zeroes "looks slightly better on the PS4 compared to the Xbox One." Not only that, but it appears series creator Hideo Kojima agrees. "Kojima notes that MGS V looks slightly better on the PS4 compared to the Xbox One, something we also noted before he mentioned it."
So there you have it. While it certainly shouldn't come as too much of a shock considering PlayStation 4's edge in the technical department, it will still rile up fanboys nonetheless.
[Via Videogamer] |
Community cut-up/The Soup snarkmaster general Joel McHale has been tapped to riff on all things Washington as host of the 100th annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, to be held Saturday, May 3 and broadcast on C-SPAN.
Recent WHCD emcees have included Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Jay Leno.
“We’re thrilled that Joel will headline the dinner when we celebrate our centennial,” White House Correspondents’ Association president Steven Thomma said in a statement. “He’s sharp, funny, and just the type of comic who can navigate the unique challenge of our dinner, making fun of Democrats, Republicans and especially the news media. Washington can use a little good-natured ribbing.”
Proceeds from the annual dinner — which has increasingly become a celeb-studded affair — go toward scholarships and awards that recognize aspiring and accomplished journalists.
Who do you think make for easier targets: Kardashians, or politicians? |
John Hinderaker of the Powerline Blog had better watch it, or Conservatism Inc. might take his membership card.
Apparently, Hinderaker has figured out that continued Islamic immigration will doom Europe, and thinks along the same lines about Mexican immigration to this country.
Concludes Hinderaker in a recent Powerline post, "The Camp of the Saints is here. Not someday, but right now."
We await the obligatory designation of Powerline as a "hater" because he has read, we are led to believe, that "racist" novel.
Hinderaker also points to a piece from The Associated Press that begins as follows:
Nearly a year after the Obama administration launched a massive public relations campaign to dispel rumors of a free pass for immigrant families crossing the border illegally, internal intelligence files from the Homeland Security Department suggest that effort is failing. Hundreds of immigrant families caught illegally crossing the Mexican border between July and September told U.S. immigration agents they made the dangerous trip in part because they believed they would be permitted to stay in the United States and collect public benefits. The interviews with immigrants by federal agents were intended to help the Obama administration understand what might be driving a puzzling surge in the numbers of border crossings that started over the summer.
No one in the Obama Administration is unclear about what invited this toxic flood of Third World humanity. It's the amnesty.
Creating the flood is why Obama promised it. He wants to brown the country and create a permanent Democratic majority. |
Watch offwdith master Pamela Shanti Pack send the Mental Block, pitch 2 on first ascent "Kill Artist"
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Over the course of five years, La Sportiva climbing athlete Pamela Shanti Pack has worked, refined and battled the "Kill Artist" a five-pitch offwidth in Moab's Long Canyon. After the first “warm-up” pitch, described by PSP as a series of “steeply, overhanging calf-locks (5.12),” pitch two begins with “the hardest and most powerful moves I’ve encountered on an offwidth,” followed by an exposed mantle to enter a chimney created by a detached block. Coined by PSP and climbing partners as the Mental Block, the crux section begins with the mantle to enter the 20-plus foot chimney created by the massive block that remains constricted and suspended in the crack. After working through the chimney, the most committing move of the route is “a foot-over-the-head offwidth invert to layback off a knee-lock” to exit the chimney back onto the face. Once past the Mental Block, the remainder of the pitch consists of 40-feet of runout crack climbing.
“It’s worth it for that one move,” says Pack, of the cruxy and exposed invert required to move around the Mental Block. This type of inversion, or “Levitation,” is based on a technique first performed by Randy Leavitt and Tony Yaniro in the late ‘70’s, when the pair developed a method that used handstacking combined with placing a single kneelock in an offwidth in order to climb horizontal roof cracks. While the inversion pivot was the most compelling aspect of the climb, PSP also acknowledges it was the most dangerous move to protect; “we’ve decided that’s it’s really dangerous to place pro behind the Mental Block. If you fall it could shift the block and kill everybody.”
In order to protect the route and avoid shock loading the Mental Block, PSP placed bolts at the end of the chimney and one on the face to clip before attempting the Levitation-inspired inversion;
“I established a route a couple of years ago- maybe five years ago- in Vedawoo, Wyoming, called 'The Forever War,' on a 60-degree leaning offwidth roof. Before there were any bolts, I did take a fall on it and ended up having two surgeries…when you do this invert style, you cannot place gear in front of yourself because you block your own path, and if you place gear behind yourself, when you fall you come right back out and you hit your head. I was lucky that I didn’t die, and I did not want climbers to take that fall.”
After five years of work, PSP finally put down the “Kill Artist” on April 26, 2017. Of the pivot-inversion, she recalls it as one of the two (the second being on the Vedawoo route “8 ounces to Freedom”) most inspiring moves executed on a climb in the entirety of her climbing career, “it’s these moments of absolute biomechanical perfection that make all of that risk and training worth it. So, there’s been two seconds of my life that I’ve been really psyched.”
Photos: ©Dustin Moore
Video: ©Vansion Roadshow Productions, LLC.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PAMELA SHANTI PACK is a member of the La Sportiva Climbing Team.
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The Lord of the Rings is an epic tale of good and evil, centering around a lowly hobbit’s quest to destroy the One Ring with its magical power before it falls into the hands of Sauron, the dark lord. The story is well-known by now, if not in its own right then from the popular Hollywood adaptations of the tale. But what is the deeper significance of the story? What does the ring really stand for? Is the ring a symbol of our quest for political power, and if so, then was Tolkein an anarchist? Join us this month on Film, Literature and the New World Order as we explore these issues with Andrew Hoffman, co-host of the Revelations Radio News podcast and author of “The New World Order and the Eugenics Wars.”
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Next month: Gaslight
Filed in: Film, Literature & The New World Order |
Manchester’s Student Union Bans Speakers from Society Event after Hosting One Who Advocated Execution of Gays
Reginald Harper Blocked Unblock Follow Following Oct 7, 2015
After the University of Manchester Students’ Union banned both Milo Yiannopoulos and Julie Bindel from a society event, you may be wondering, what kind of speakers will they allow?
University of Manchester’s Students’ Union has been in the news quite a bit over the past week for censoring opponents on both sides of a debate. Julie Bindel, a lesbian feminist activist, was banned from a society event because she has held views that the Students’ Union deemed “transphobic.” The union placed severe restrictions on her opponent, Milo Yiannopoulos, a conservative gay journalist and outspoken critic of progressive feminism. Days later, the Students’ Union saw fit to ban him as well.
Oh, before I forget: the prospective title of Yiannopoulos and Bindel’s debate? “From liberation to censorship: Does modern feminism have a problem with free speech?”
You just can’t make this stuff up.
If you’re like me, you may be wondering, if individuals on both sides of this debate have been silenced, then who does the Student Union allow? Who could possibly be politically correct enough to earn a platform at a society event?
It didn’t take long to find my answer. This isn’t the first time a Manchester society event has made the headlines: at a 2013 society event put on by the Students’ Union, the event speaker said that in an ideal society, all gays would be killed. (Rememeber, the two speakers who have been censored — Bindel and Yiannopoulos — are both gay.)
During the event Colin Cortbus, a Middle East studies student, asked if “in the Islamic society in which you strive for” people would “feel comfortable, personally and morally, to kill a gay man?” The chairwoman responded, “Absolutely.” She went on to say that two gay men kissing on that very campus would ideally be subject to the death penalty.
This made headlines because Cortbus had the forethought to film the meeting secretly. (The video has since been pulled from YouTube as a violation of YouTube’s policy “prohibiting content designed to harass, bully or threaten.”) The Students’ Union responded with a statement from Wellbeing Officer Cat Gray, which declared they were “deeply concerned with the covert filming of a student event within the Union.” Global Aspirations for Women made no apology for any of the remarks made at the society event. Quite the opposite, Khadijah Afzal, chair of Global Aspirations and speaking on behalf of the society, told student rag The Mancunion that their focus on this aspect of the event showed that they were “ignorant of Islam as a political system.”
So who has the Students’ Union permitted to speak at their events? Those who advocate for mass execution of homosexuals. And we’re supposed to believe it’s Bindel and Yiannopoulos who are the dangerous ones. |
Michael Andersen, Green Lane Project staff writer
The new Linden Avenue in Seattle, our pick for No. 5 nationally. Photo: SDOT.
Two years ago, PeopleForBikes launched the Green Lane Project to help focus attention and expertise around something that we decided was going to be the next big thing in city biking: the protected bike lane.
It’s always nice to be right.
As the thermoplastic dries on this year’s round of terrific protected bike lane projects, we decided to scour the country for a comprehensive (and subjective) ranking of the best of the best. We talked to experts and advocates around the country, looked at technical photos and schemes and read the news reports to understand not just how these bike lanes were designed, but why. Though the word “complete” can be hard to define for something as malleable as a city street, every project on this page has been in some clear sense finished during this year.
Here’s what we found.
1) Dearborn Street, Chicago
Chicago’s 1.2-mile showpiece isn’t the country’s most sophisticated downtown bikeway because of its on-street markings, though they’re excellent, or its quick-and-simple plastic-post barriers. The really remarkable thing about Dearborn is that bikes get their own traffic signals. Maybe that’s why stoplight compliance has soared from 31 percent to 81 percent and bike traffic has more than doubled since the lane went in. Did we mention that one of its local fans has given the lane its own Twitter feed? We challenge any other street project in the country to inspire such devotion.
2) Indianapolis Cultural Trail
A labor 15 years in the making, Indy’s Cultural Trail (which includes 1.5 lane-miles of on-street protected bikeways) shows how physically beautiful a great on-street bikeway can be — and how a first-rate facility can stimulate real estate development nearby: more than $100 million by the time it officially opened in May. No wonder Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican, has been known to stop by the city bike coordinator’s office to ask, “What’s next?”
3) Guadalupe Street, Austin
The half-mile spine of Austin’s university district is now one of the country’s best examples of a complete street, with pedestrian-friendly shops, bus stops and a first-rate bike facility that connects to other lanes in an integrated network. In a time when many U.S. cities still ban comfortable biking from busy commercial corridors, Austin is showing why they’re actually a perfect match.
4) Fell and Oak Streets, San Francisco
Near intersections on Oak, green striping replaces plastic posts to show that bike and car traffic must merge. Photo: SFBC.
They run for just a quarter mile each, but for San Franciscans, these lanes make all the difference for a couplet of much-traveled roads that also serve as crosstown arterials for cars. Removing auto parking here was the key to a low-stress connection between Golden Gate Park and The Wiggle, the old riverbed that is now the city’s most popular east-west bikeway. Plans for more permanent planters are in the works.
5) Linden Avenue, Seattle
Seattle’s philosophy on protected bike lanes is influenced by its northern neighbor, Vancouver BC: do them up nice the first time, with an artful combination of posts, low concrete curbs, drainage ditches, dedicated traffic signals and plentiful painted markings. There’s no better example of that than Linden Avenue, a useful connector in a far-north neighborhood that Seattle Bike Blog (maker of the video above) rightly called “world class.”
6) First Avenue, New York City
Photo: Jacob for Streetsblog NYC.
When Mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to reverse course on a plan to add great bike lanes to upper First and Second Avenues, East Harlem didn’t stand for it. “I pay my taxes like everyone else, and we deserve the same treatment north of 96th Street,” resident James Garcia testified. With the help of City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, good sense prevailed. First Avenue now has a protected bike lane from 72nd to 125th Streets. “I’m not only a cyclist but a mom with four kids who all cycle, and also a driver. It makes complete sense,” said Peggy Morales, who chaired the committee that recommended that the lanes replace 166 on-street parking spaces. “We should be able to go cycling without having to take our lives into our own hands.” Yep.
7) Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
A bike box on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. Photo: CDOT.
The success of Milwaukee Avenue’s new mile or so of better bike lanes, which combine physically protected lanes with stretches buffered by paint, is a lesson to planners: the best place to put a buffered lane isn’t necessarily where you wish people would pedal, but where they’re already pedaling. It’s the same principle as sidewalks, which are built along desire lines that people naturally carve out. Biking is so important to Milwaukee Avenue that when this project came under fire, three local retail joints on the corridor piped up in its defense.
8) 10th Street, Atlanta
Photo: Atlanta Office of Planning.
Maybe because it’s been stuck for years in some of the worst traffic in the country, the capital of the New South is turning out to be a fertile ground for big bike improvements. Early this year, Mayor Kasim Reed turned heads around the country by promising to double Atlanta’s bike lanes by 2016. The protected bikeway on 10th Street, which opened a few months later, was the first of its kind in the entire Southeast and promises to be a model for more.
9) Cherry Street, Seattle
Any other one-block uphill stretch of protected bike lane beneath a highway viaduct, one block from the second-tallest building on the West Coast, would be nothing more than a pretty good idea. But Cherry Street’s protected bike lane makes our list because of who suggested it: a pair of anonymous safety-minded community members calling themselves the “Reasonably Polite Seattlites” who spent $350 of their own money to install these bollards in the dead of night, then sent the city an email to explain why. The coolest thing of all: after removing the temporary installation, city planners realized the activists were right and installed a proper version themselves.
10) Overton Park Road, Memphis
Photo: City of Memphis.
Here’s the most remarkable thing about this protected bike lane, Memphis’s first: In 2010, this city didn’t have a single bike lane of any kind. In the three years that followed, this storied city on the Mississippi has made a new name for itself by making advanced bike lanes like this one standard on all new repaving projects of its majestically wide thoroughfares. The first great song about biking in Memphis? Only a matter of time.
The Green Lane Project is a PeopleForBikes program that helps U.S. cities build better bike lanes to create low-stress streets. You can follow us on Twitter or Facebook or sign up for our weekly news digest about protected bike lanes. Story tip? Write [email protected] Correction: An earlier version of this post confused “avenue” with “street” in Atlanta and New York.
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Given the ever-emerging media coverage and accessible literature on the subject of Narcissism in recent years, with its hefty emphasis on males representing 75% of this challenging population, many of us can begin to imagine and perhaps even recognize the emotional ruptures created by a narcissistic dad on his child. You may even know the woman married to such a narcissist.
She, often an “offended” family member as well, seeks to protect her children, discretely and consistently righting the wrongful messages and working to heal them from the noxious impact of their narcissistic father… whether happening within an intact marriage or from a post-divorce angle.
If the marriage ends, we might imagine this same mom, who will likely gain primary (or at least shared) custody of the children, spending a good deal of time repairing the hurts and upsets her children will experience (using strategies to prevent potential parental alienation from occurring), instigated by residual and revengeful reactions of a wounded and hostile narcissistic dad during his visitation-custodial days with the children.
But, few of us can yet fully fathom the reality and the fateful fallout of growing up with a Narcissistic Mother (!) despite such classic movies as Mommie Dearest, Ordinary People, or Gypsy, to name a few.
The scenario of a narcissistic mom tends to be seemingly harder to digest. We expect that surely the maternal instinct phenomenon would innately foster tendencies to protect, to unconditionally love, nurture, support, and cherish the vulnerable little being born into the woman’s life, no? And yet such a seemingly sensible hypothesis is, sadly, not the case for all who enlist the role of “mom”.
Some children are instead born to a self-absorbed Femme Fatale, Diehard Domestic Diva, or the (my-suffering-is-bigger-than-anyone’s-suffering) Martyrized Momma. It’s all about her: in scenes from a perpetually “victimized” state or right up in your face, demanding your attention and adherence to her wants and needs.
The narcissistic mom can cast a surrealistic dark shadow on the self-esteem of her young ones. She can also cast the glow of guilt like no other. To illuminate this idea, I share the words of my client, Debra, who suffered the slings and scars of a narcissistic mom: “It was exhausting lugging that heavy spotlight around all the time… the one that I was designated to hold up steadily, shine directly upon my mom, especially when in the company of others.”
That “heavy spotlight” was an illustrative metaphor referring to a little Debra who always had to be at her most adorable and precocious best… pretty, smart, talented, and anything else that would more than adequately reflect her mom’s image to the world as utterly “perfect”; an image that would insure her entitled right to be the envy of all in her presence.
This little girl would be primed to harvest the unfulfilled and often grandiose dreams of her mom, expected to become the best in show… perhaps the prima ballerina, the lawyer, the doctor, the wealthily married, or simply the beauty queen. While at the same time, she would have to manage the contradictory and confusing experience of being treated as the rival, a threat to a resentful woman who felt denied the very privileges that this little girl—her daughter—was being granted (or more accurately put, having foisted upon her!).
Debra was never allowed to feel truly good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, or worthy of any of the attention she received, lest she steal the spotlight from her mom. It was mom’s glory game and she was a mere moveable pawn on the chessboard.
But at the same time, she was expected to perform as the consummately desirable and most extraordinary child any parent could wish for, via her appearance, her speech, her awards, academic, athletic, and artistic performances… in order to maintain her mother’s top billing rank on the most-magnificent-mom marquis.
“There was never any ‘me-ness’ in my life, no sense of my own realness vis-à-vis my mother. And, I never felt that I was acceptable enough, despite working so hard to be who she wanted me to be, despite all the attention she would enjoy when others complimented the me-her figure that I was… despite hours of caring for her and consoling her when she would become lonely or depressed”, Debra would say.
“Me-lessness” or the missing “me” in the identity of many a child (especially a daughter) of a narcissistic mom, refers to the absence of developing, cultivating, embracing, and encouraging the essential essence of the self. The sense of “me”— the emerging, self-actualized and adaptive personality— gets elaborated over time, throughout the child’s development. It’s formed by a combination of the child’s innate makeup and natural inclinations matched with a caregiving environment that lovingly (not perfectly) meets the emotional needs of the child and supportively fortifies access to the discovery of the child’s unique preferences, dreams, imagination, creativity, strengths, and challenges. These caregiving navigators, i.e., parents, are the ones who know when to fasten the seatbelt and when to unlock the door, allowing for both safety and discovery to occur in the life and growth of their child, such as: self awareness and “other” awareness, the notion of limits, give-and-take, tolerance, joy and frustration, belonging, self-expression, spontaneity, feeling seen and understood, securely connected as well as appropriately autonomous. These are some of the most important emotional milestones that add to guiding the path for growth and healthy attachment to self and others to emerge; preparing the child to eventually live in the world with the capacity to successfully engage in the
interpersonal as well as the independent domains, and to know how to thoughtfully cultivate and maintain a balanced, authentic, and satisfying life.
Narcissism not only stifles the me-ness in the child, it can flat out ignore it, especially if the child’s temperament and inclinations are not well-matched to the prescribed and self-consumed needs of the parent who harbors this personality profile.
Debra, like many adult children of narcissistic mothers, would go on to struggle with food and body image issues, perfectionism and procrastination, always feeling that she was not attractive enough or intelligent enough… the internalized message of mom had now become a familiar and automatic message resonating from what seemed like her own voice. She would develop a self-defeating pattern of using food as the soothing ally for her upsets and insecurities, as a means of detaching from painful beliefs and emotions.
I have treated other women and men plagued with this developmental life experience, some who went on to instead mimic their narcissistic mother, becoming narcissistic types themselves; while still others ended up on the path of surrender, giving in to their sense of nothingness, forfeiting the search for their lost selves, and instead designing a life that had them again bending and flexing to become whoever and whatever was expected of them—be it in their relationship with a (narcissistic) partner, with a boss, or even among their friends.
You may wonder: How does a parent end up getting away with this? Where is the other parent? Where are the rest of the adult caregivers? Does no one stand up to the narcissist? Most partners-spouses are also at the mercy of the narcissist. They may become depressed and disconnected, rooted in their own avoidance, hopelessness, or self-blame, tattered by the onslaught of demeaning and threatening words of the narcissistic partner. Others may try to amend the emotional casualties caused by the offending parent, but repair is difficult when dealing with consistently toxic exposure.
To paraphrase the beautiful words of Dan Siegel (Parenting from the Inside Out), the greatest gift we give to our children to support their healthy growth and development is a healthy parent. Of course getting the narcissistic person to treatment takes leverage—better known as a meaningful consequence that the narcissist does not want to experience—and this is not always easy to access in the current condition or to create as a future outcome. It also takes a very competent therapist who is skilled at working with this challenging client, utilizing an effective therapeutic approach, and although not impossible, this is not an easy find either.
Kathryn Rudlin captures the essence and the elements of healing from the hurts caused by a narcissistic mother in her beautifully written book…
GHOST MOTHERS: Healing From the Pain of a Mother Who Wasn’t Really There:
“Have you ever tried to hug a ghost? You end up hugging yourself. The longing for a real mother will diminish as your needs are met in other ways….
…What I’ve learned is that the more you learn to trust, appreciate and listen to the intuition that has helped you survive the turmoil you’ve experienced, the more you’re able to access deeper levels of living, and healing. These are the hidden gifts of having to deal with this pain. Ultimately, your ability to accept your ghost mother’s limitations, and to move past her illusiveness, leads to the creation of a rich environment for healing that stands in stark contrast to how you grew up. In this new way of living, you appreciate being treated kindly by others, acknowledge yourself as a powerful person, and see wonderful possibilities for the future.”-Kathryn Rudlin, LCSW
If you are a parent who is poised to take steps to end the legacy of narcissism that resides in your family’s generational history, the one who seeks to break the chronic chain, and make this the final stop on the treacherous train ride… you will need to secure some golden nuggets in your parenting toolkit. Be sure that empathy and unconditional love are right on top, right within your reach. With this in place – your child stands a great chance of feeling seen, connected, accepted, and valued, of developing a “me-ness” as well as a sense of “otherness” that they can successfully carry forth into celebrations of joyful times and face the challenging ones, appreciating the magical moments as well as the far-less-than-perfect ones… a child who is prepared to experience and effectively interface with the real world, the one filled with beauty and bumps.
www.disarmingthenarcissist.com |
It seems like another skeleton falls out of the United States’ closet every day. Whistleblowers are coming out of the woodwork, and the government is struggling to keep the scandals contained. Still, tattling on the powers that be is nothing new. Love ’em or hate ’em, here are ten of the most famous US government whistleblowers.
10 Gary Webb: The Dark Alliance
In 1996, Gary Webb, a writer for the San Jose Mercury News, published a series of articles known as “Dark Alliance.” The articles detailed how the CIA turned a blind eye as Nicaraguan drug traffickers sold and distributed crack cocaine in Los Angeles throughout the 1980s. It also described how the Reagan administration protected drug dealers from prosecution.
According to Webb, the CIA allowed the traffickers to ship large amounts of drugs into the country because the profits were being used to fund the Reagan-supported Contras (a rebel group opposing the socialist Sandinista government in Nicaragua).
Naturally, insinuating the crack cocaine epidemic of the ’80s was partially caused by the government was a controversial stance—especially when the Reagan administration was already tainted by the Iran-Contra affair. Because of this, Webb’s articles were initially viewed with contempt by the government and his fellow journalists. Speaking out caused him to lose his position at San Jose Mercury News and he was never able to find a job writing daily news again.
In 2004, he was found dead with two gunshot wounds to the head. The official cause of death was considered suicide. Although Webb’s family is confident his depression and inability to find a job drove him to suicide, there are many who believe he was murdered.
Unfortunately, Webb was not vindicated until after his death, as recent internal investigations and declassified documents have affirmed his Dark Alliance reports.
9 Mark Felt: Watergate
Arguably the most famous whistleblower in US history, FBI agent Mark Felt was responsible for feeding sensitive details about the Watergate scandal to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, which ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Felt was an anonymous source who went by the nickname “Deep Throat,” and he didn’t reveal himself as the informant until 2005—officially ending a public 30 year guessing game.
As most folks know, Felt told Woodward about the Nixon Administration’s illegal attempts to spy on political opponents at the Watergate Hotel, as well as a widespread spying and sabotage ring meant to help Nixon win re-election. Felt also believed he was passed over as director of the FBI (following the death of J. Edgar Hoover) because Nixon wanted a man in charge who was easier to control.
There were many players involved in uncovering Watergate, and Woodward and his partner Carl Bernstein later admitted they were surprised people became so captivated by Deep Throat—he’d mostly just confirmed info they’d gotten from other sources. Nevertheless, receiving confirmation from the second in command at the FBI was just what they needed to legitimize their stories.
In 2008, Felt died peacefully in his home at the age of 95.
8 Daniel Ellsberg: the Pentagon Papers
In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg disclosed the Pentagon Papers and confirmed what many US citizens had suspected for decades: the government lied about its actions and involvement in the Vietnam War through four consecutive presidential administrations.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara originally commissioned the papers in 1967 in an effort to create a history of the Vietnam War and a sort of “what not to do” account for future administrations. However, as the research grew more extensive, those involved realized the government had repeatedly lied to its people. Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst, worked on the study and became fed up with the dishonesty, subterfuge, and seemingly endless war. So Ellsberg leaked the top secret papers to The New York Times, which published a series of articles on the report’s shocking findings.
Some of the worst evidence found in the papers was:
• The administration had strong intelligence that Vietnam was a war they could not win, but they joined anyway.
• The US had no real interest in helping South Vietnam and entered the war only for political maneuvers.
• Leaving the war before a pro-American government was installed was never considered.
• The John F. Kennedy administration had plans to overthrow South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem.
• On the campaign trail, President Johnson promised to scale back the war even though he had specific plans to bomb North Vietnam.
• The US expanded the war and conducted bombings and raids without informing the American people.
The list goes on and on, but it boils down to Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon all lying about Vietnam.
Ellsberg’s whistleblowing earned him and Russo a front row seat in front of a Los Angeles grand jury. They were charged with espionage, conspiracy, and theft, but the case was declared a mistrial when it was discovered the government illegally tapped Ellsberg’s communications . . .
7 Thomas Drake: Trailblazer
How did Thomas Drake, a former senior executive at the National Security Agency (NSA), end up working retail at an Apple store? By doing such dastardly things as trying to protect the 4th Amendment and eliminate wasteful spending. Yes, a man who was once privy to the nation’s greatest secrets and technological strategies found himself showing people how to use the latest apps on their iPhone.
In reality, the gig at the Apple store was likely a relief for Drake, considering he was once being prosecuted under the Espionage Act of 1917 and facing 35 years in prison. He came into the government’s crosshairs after disclosing unclassified information about Trailblazer, a $1.2 billion dollar NSA program that infringed on people’s right to privacy.
The government initially designed Trailblazer as a method of sifting through the increasing amounts of electronic communications created by the Internet, cell phones, and elsewhere. While having a program to fill such a need is understandable, there was an alternative program (known as Thinthread) that was more efficient, only cost $3 million, and didn’t violate the privacy of ordinary citizens. Although Drake continually advocated using Thinthread, the bloated and unlawful Trailblazer system was adopted instead.
In 2011, the NSA’s case against Drake collapsed and all felony charges against him were dropped. He never spent a day in jail and was only charged with the misdemeanor “exceeding the authorized use of a computer.”
6 Bunnatine (Bunny) Greenhouse: US Army Corps of Engineers/Halliburton
The US government’s cozy relationship with the oilfield services company Halliburton has frequently roused suspicion. Things looked even worse in 2003 when Bunny Greenhouse, the chief contracting officer at the US Army Corp of Engineers, came forward saying the government showed favoritism to Halliburton and granted them a contract to rebuild the oilfield facilities in Iraq.
So, what was the problem with the contract? It was a no-bid arrangement, which means no other company had the opportunity to offer a price for the work. The Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR) was simply pushed through the usually cumbersome bureaucratic channels with no competition and given a seven billion dollar five-year contract. It was Greenhouse’s job to monitor and approve such contracts, and she argued through the whole process that the arrangement was unjust. How was she rewarded for doing her job and trying to save the US money? She received poor performance reviews, demoted, and stripped of her top secret clearance.
After feeling discouraged and increasingly harassed, Greenhouse went public with the information while also revealing that Halliburton frequently overcharged the Pentagon, and Donald Rumsfeld’s office controlled all aspects of the shady arrangement.
Greenhouse eventually filed a lawsuit against the US Army Corp of Engineers for her treatment. In 2011, her employers settled the case for 970 thousand dollars, which reflected full restitution for lost wages, compensatory damages, and attorney fees.
5 Coleen Rowley: FBI
Immediately after the September 11th tragedy, Americans were dumbfounded and wondering how a primitive group of terrorists could unleash an attack on US soil without drawing suspicion from any of the country’s intelligence agencies. It seemed impossible, and it was.
While government agencies feigned utter surprise, FBI Special Agent Coleen Rowley immediately came forward explaining that her Minneapolis field office knew Zacarias Moussaoui (one of the 9/11 conspirators) had paid eight thousand dollars in cash for Boeing 747 flying lessons and was planning a suicide hijacking. However, her requests to search Moussaoui’s room and computer were denied by her superiors.
Frustrated by the mishandling of information before and after the attacks, Rowley wrote a 13-page memorandum and hand-delivered copies to FBI Director Robert Mueller and two members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Among other things, the letter claims the bureau deliberately thwarted efforts which may have stopped the September 11 tragedy. Time magazine printed full details of the memo in its June 3, 2002 edition titled, “The Bombshell Memo.”
Rowley also testified in front of the 9/11 commission about the debacle and wasn’t shy in saying the deadly attacks could have been delayed or completely avoided if her office had been allowed to properly investigate the suspected terrorist.
Rowley retired from the FBI in 2004 and was named one of Time’s “Persons of the Year” in 2002.
4 Bradley Manning: United States Army
US Army Private Bradley Manning is responsible for what some have called the biggest leak of secret military data ever. His actions also helped put WikiLeaks on the map, as he provided the organization with hundreds of thousands of classified documents.
Because Manning was a known disgruntled and often bullied worker, there is some debate regarding his intentions for the leak. Was he really trying to inform the public about crimes, brutality, and corruption within the government, or was he simply seeking revenge on his military associates, which he described as a “bunch of hyper-masculine, trigger happy, ignorant rednecks.” Two of his superiors even advised not sending Manning to Iraq (where he eventually accessed the secret documents), because he was considered a “risk to himself and possibly others.” However, Manning was one of the few qualified intelligence analysts available, and evidently the Army thought his skills were worth the risk. Obviously, their gamble didn’t pay off.
Among the things Manning revealed were:
• A secret video, nicknamed “collateral murder” that showed US air crew laughing after killing dozens of people (including reporters and civilians) in an air strike.
• Detailed records of the civilian death toll in Iraq (even though the military repeatedly said there was no record). Out of 109,000 deaths logged in a six year period, 66,081 were unarmed civilians.
• US Soldiers committed horrific acts of torture on Iraqi prisoners, and despite hundreds of filed complaints, authorities never investigated.
• US defense contractor DynCorp was involved in child trafficking.
Currently Manning is being imprisoned by the military and is facing 21 charges, including “aiding the enemy,” which comes with a life sentence. Yes . . . Manning is in jail for exposing the US government paying a company that sold child slaves.
3 Russell Tice: National Security Agency/Defense Intelligence Agency
Does the NSA really care about the phone conversation you had with your grandma or the embarrassing pics you messaged your significant other? Apparently so.
According to Russell Tice, an ex-NSA intelligence officer, “The National Security Agency had access to all Americans’ communications—faxes, phone calls, and their computer communications. It didn’t matter whether you were in Kansas, in the middle of the country, and you never made foreign communications at all. They monitored all communications.”
Besides illegally wiretapping and eavesdropping on ordinary citizens, it seems US intelligence agencies are especially curious about the goings on of journalists. Tice says he personally witnessed communications channels of journalists being recorded 24/7 and, although he’s not sure what they did with the info, he’s confident it’s digitized and in a database somewhere.
In June 2013, Tice also divulged that the NSA even conducted unconstitutional domestic spying on judges, military officials, members of congress, and more. Perhaps most shocking was the revelation that, back in 2004, his office was given the task of wiretapping a “40-something-year-old wannabe senator” from Illinois. Five years later the wannabe senator became president of the United States. And now he’s listening in on you!
Tice was labeled “paranoid” by the NSA, demoted, and finally fired. He continues to tell his story to the media, Congress, and anyone who’ll listen.
2 Edward Snowden: National Security Agency
Edward Snowden worked as a technical contractor for the NSA, and is currently making headlines for disclosing info on warrantless mass surveillance programs conducted by the US and British governments. Essentially he is whistleblowing about the same types of things Russ Tice did in 2005, but for whatever reason, it’s awoken the sleeping masses this time around. People everywhere are wondering why and to what extent the government is intruding into their private lives.
Some of the most shocking info Snowden has leaked is:
• An order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to Verizon instructing them to hand over all metadata for all US customer phone calls. Note—that is all phone calls made by US citizens. Every phone call every minute of every day. Did you just talk to your mom? The NSA now has a record of that. Oh—and if you’re not in America, they are listening to you too if you spoke to an American or had any phone conversation with anyone in the world that passed through the US phone system.
• The NSA program PRISM, which allows the NSA to monitor people’s email, web searches, and overall internet use (has direct access to Google, Facebook, and Apple).
• NSA’s record of hacking into China’s computers, universities, and mobile phone companies.
As of June 2013, Snowden is country-hopping and trying to find a safe haven to avoid extradition. If brought back to the US he will face multiple charges, two of which fall under the Espionage Act: unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communications of classified intelligence with an unauthorized person.
Although some on the left regard him as a traitor, most view Snowden’s disclosures as the most important in American history. Even Daniel Ellsberg said there has never been a more crucial leak (including his own Pentagon Papers). On his blog he wrote, “Snowden’s whistleblowing gives us the possibility to roll back a key part of what has amounted to an ‘executive coup’ against the US constitution.” Change we can believe in? Well it sure is a change from the days when every US citizen wasn’t spied on by their government!
1 Peter Buxtun: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
Today, we get our feathers ruffled when we learn the government is secretly spying on ordinary citizens. However, that injustice pales in comparison to what happened between 1932 and 1972 when the US Public Health Service tricked people who were already down on their luck into becoming human lab rats.
It began when the US Public Health Service teamed up with the Tuskegee Institute to study the long term effects of syphilis on the human body. They contacted a group of 600 poor, African American men (399 of which had syphilis) and offered to give them free health care. However, this “health care” never involved treating the men for syphilis or even informing them they had the disease. Instead, the clinicians told the men they had “bad blood,” an ambiguous and unscientific term for a variety of illnesses. Making matters worse, by the 1940s, penicillin was a proven cure for syphilis—yet none of the men received it.
Thanks to Peter Buxton, a 27-year-old employee of the US Public Health Service, the 40 year study was put to an end in 1972 when Buxton revealed information about the experiment to the Washington Star. He went public with the details after filing multiple complaints within his organization and didn’t receive a response. Unfortunately, dozens of men had died and many of their wives and children were infected by that time.
In 1997, President Bill Clinton offered an official apology for the racist and inhumane study, but it seems the damage was already done.
Content and copy writer by day and list writer by night, S.Grant enjoys exploring the bizarre, unusual, and topics that hide in plain sight. Contact S.Grant at [email protected] |
I often come across code with little or no infrastructure for error handling. This is a big mistake, one that’ll make you pay increasingly as the code base grows. Why? Because your code’ll end up with loads of this:
try { ParseText(SomeText); } catch (Exception e) { MessageBox.Show("Error while parsing.", "My Application", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error); // Skipping the rest due to the error return; }
It may look OK but there are several problems with the error handling code above, some more severe than others.
Code duplication
A message box for displaying error messages to the user should almost always have an error icon, the application name as the title, and an OK button. Repeating this all over the code base is not very DRY and should be avoided.
A message box for displaying error messages to the user should almost always have an error icon, the application name as the title, and an OK button. Repeating this all over the code base is not very DRY and should be avoided. Inconsistency
A related problem is that when you leave programmers with only the general error handling routines of the platform chances are they’ll end up doing things differently, resulting in an inconsistent user experience; For example showing some error dialogs with an error icon and some without.
A related problem is that when you leave programmers with only the general error handling routines of the platform chances are they’ll end up doing things differently, resulting in an inconsistent user experience; For example showing some error dialogs with an error icon and some without. Information loss
A more serious problem is the fact that the code in the example, by ignoring the exception object, drops information that could be important to track down a bug. We could of course mititgate that problem somewhat by showing the error message of the exception to the user (by concatinating e.Message), but we’d still miss an important piece of information: the stack trace.
Since dumping a pile of function calls in the face of the users is a no no, what we’d really need is a way to put the details in a non-intrusive place, for example a log file. If the Error Handling Infrastructure doesn’t make this easy, we’re likely to leave that kind of information out completely. For shame.
A more serious problem is the fact that the code in the example, by ignoring the exception object, drops information that could be important to track down a bug. We could of course mititgate that problem somewhat by showing the error message of the exception to the user (by concatinating e.Message), but we’d still miss an important piece of information: the stack trace. Since dumping a pile of function calls in the face of the users is a no no, what we’d really need is a way to put the details in a non-intrusive place, for example a log file. If the Error Handling Infrastructure doesn’t make this easy, we’re likely to leave that kind of information out completely. For shame. Not automation-friendly
But the most severe problem with a spread out usage of UI displaying methods like MessageBox is that it makes your code impossible to automate. If someone has to monitor a scheduled run of for example unit tests, and every now and then klick an OK button, it kind of beats the purpose of automation.
So here’s my advice: Implement a strategy for handling errors at the earliest possible time. That is, right after setting up continuous integration for the Hello world application.
Properties of an Error Handling Infrastructure
So how should a error handling infrastructure be like? There’s only one rule. It has to be easy!
If it isn’t simple to use, it won’t be used, and programmers end up using the general purpose message showing methods again, or worse, not doing any error handling at all.
I usually build my error handling interfaces around two use cases.
Displaying error messages Logging error messages
These are often used in combination, for example
try { ParseText(SomeText); } catch (Exception e) { ApplicationEnvironment.ShowErrorMessage("Error while parsing: " + e.Message); ApplicationEnvironment.LogError(e); return; }
Or, to avoid code duplication, combined into a single convenient method.
try { ParseText(SomeText); } catch (Exception e) { ApplicationEnvironment.HandleException("Error while parsing", e); return; }
When you design your error handling interfaces don’t be afraid to add lots of convenient methods. Remember, it has to be easy to use and that’s what convenient methods are all about, as opposed to utility methods who generally need to be given more arguments. In this case I prefer the Humane interface design style instead of a minimal interface approach.
Needs to be configurable
Furthermore, the Error Handling Infrastructure needs to be configurable or support some other kind of dependency breaking technique like dependency injection. For instance, you should be able to mute all error messages intended for the user, and instead write them to the error log. This way your code will be able to run in a scripted environment, like during unit testing.
There are many ways to design an Error Handling Infrastructure. You could create your own message dialogs allowing the user to send a report right away, you could use the built in application log of the operating system or just plain text files, etc etc.
Whatever you choose to do, don’t forget to do it early and make it easy.
Cheers!
Previous posts in the Tools of The Effective Developer series: |
Control over the supply of currency is one of the most important tools of economic stabilization that any country has. If used poorly, it can wreak devastation. But if used correctly, it can be a great cure for unemployment.
The problem is that Europe's various countries have very different economies and very different economic situations. It's impossible to make monetary policy that's equally appropriate for Greece and Germany, and since Germany is larger and more important, the European Central Bank winds up doing what's right for Germany. That's a sensible enough decision under the circumstances, but it means that Greece is perpetually stuck with an inappropriate monetary policy and disastrous consequences for the Greek economy.
In theory, this could be fixed with a much deeper form of economic integration that would continually send vast sums of money from richer European countries to poorer ones, like this:
But for understandable reasons, the citizens of richer countries don't like that idea.
Consequently, Europe has ended up stuck with an unworkable economic system. The single currency is a valuable and important sign of Europe's political commitment to peace, integration, and unity, but it makes managing unemployment and inflation essentially impossible.
To get the full story, watch our video above, or on our YouTube channel. |
The enemies in ZHEROS’ world
A swarm of creatures fatally infests the world of the ZHEROS universe: mechanical and bio-mechanical creatures, which constantly try to put obstacles on Captain Dorian and Mike’s way. Starting from this, we planned the making of troops of potential enemies.
We had plenty of ideas to begin with, at least there was that. First step was defining some general background and taking inspiration from the idea that the ZHEROS universe is populated by both mechanical and organic creatures, with odd but dangerous looking, we decided to divide the enemies into two categories: the robotic ones and the mutations.
From this basic assumption we started a series of simple sketches focusing more on the general shape and silhouette of the characters more than anything else.
This is one of many concept sheets that were created and it was a starting point for our next decision: enemy types and connection to the environment.
We wanted to adapt each creature to a specific setting: robots could live in a hi-tech environment like the laboratory, while the biomechanical creatures could find place in a more or less natural location like the forest.
We decided to start focusing on those two points narrowing down the initial sketches to a few chosen ones and refining them.
Each creature needed one or two possible attacks/weapons and had to fit in the Light, Medium, Heavy category we all agreed on.
The Heavy ones were some of the most fun to work on:
From more robotic characters to mixed mutation we came up with some really weird creatures…
It was useful for ZHEROS gameplay and locations, but also inevitable, to select the more interesting enemies. Therefore, we picked the “creatures” that met some particular requirements: the category (robot vs bio-mechanical) according to the locations (laboratory vs forest), and the type of attacks (light attacks vs heavy attacks). This to offer variety during the game in both look and gameplay.
Some of the enemies that we really loved had to be cut…some time because of gameplay needs, others for technical difficulties or simply because of time constrains.
The lucky ones in the end were picked to be part of ZHEROS roster! It’s a shame they’re going to face Mike and Dorian… |
If you never went to Poland, you probably don’t know why I’m going on about polish roads. Well, Poland is huge. I mean, you need some good hours to go around it. Fortunately, they do have some good amounts of highways that tie the big cities. Some of them are paid, some aren’t. But it doesn’t really matter, since most of the national roads are quite easy to around. Except the road from Krakow to Oswiecim, which is mostly a hill road with very few overpass chances. But that in another article.
I first entered Poland on the road from Slovakia, on a local roads, on the road to Zakopane. The road through Zakopane was interesting, we saw an interesting architecture on the Polish houses that we’ve never expected. Because it was snowing, we didn’t really went very fast.
Nevertheless, we’ve were happy to go slow on this polish road, because we had quite a view. And Zakopane it’s quite a place to visit. However, we’ll talk about it in a future article. Let’s stick with the polish roads, which are quite interesting.
How the polish roads are divided
You can divide polish roads into four categories: motorways, expressways (or euro roads), voivevodship roads and local roads, know as powiat or gmina.
Motorways in Poland
In Poland you have over 3000 km of motorway. To be precise, 3274 KM in March 2017. Also, in the following years, we’re going to see more motorways in Poland. More like 5000 km by 2030. Due to cost and geography, they haven’t managed to build more roads in the last 20 years. Also, most of the highways have been built in the last 15 years, since Poland had joined the EU.
There are three main highways in Poland:
A4 – Going from the Ukraine border town of Korczowa near cities like Przeworsk, Rzeszow, Debica, Tarnow, Brezsko, Krakow, Katowice, Opole, Wroclaw ad Legnita, entering in Germany near Cottbus.
A2 – Starts from Warsaw and goes near cities like Lodz and Poznan, until going into Germany towards Berlin. Probably in the future we’re going to see it extended to Bialystok and there further on to Lithuanian and Belarusian Borders.
A1 – This highways goes from the port towns of Gdynia and Gdansk to Lodz, going near cities like Grudziaz and Wlocklawek. While it’s shorter than the other highways, they plan to construct it all the way to Katowice and further on to the Slovakian and Czech borders.
They do plan to build more highways in other parts of the country, since there are a lot of big cities in Poland that don’t have good connection to the main highways.
The cost of travelling on the polish motorways is 8 to 10 zlots per 100 KM, depending on the motorway you are on.
Expressways in Poland
Expressways are the national roads that unite most of the big cities that are now not directly linked by higways. These are still good quality roads, some of them with 4 lanes, but with smaller maintenance costs. Although Poland is a country with a lot of highways, these roads can become quite crowded in some days of the week. From all the expressway roads that you can find in Poland, two of them are the busiest:
E28 or 6th road, that goes from Szczecin through Kozalin, Slups and finally Gdynia, being the big Baltic sea coastal road. This is one of the most important roads in the country, since Gdynia is the biggest port town in Poland and from there quite a lot of merchandise find it’s way to the rest of the Europe.
Another crowded road is the one from Zakopane to Krakow (47th road). This one is not a long road, but being the main connection from Zakopane, a big mountain tourist attraction and Krakow, the biggest city in the south of Poland, you are going to see a lot of “staus” here.
There are of course the roads that go north to south in the eastern part of Poland. There will be a highway there in the near future, but not until 2020, for sure. That’s why roads like Lublin – Rzeszow and Lublin Bialystok can become quite busy in the weekends.
Expressways are an important part of the country and they are going to remain important for the following 10 to 15 years. Until all the big cities in Eastern Poland are easier to get through.
Voivodeships roads in Poland
If you aren’t aware, Poland is quite a big place divided in voivodeships. And every Voivodeship has a lot of local important roads in it’s care. Most of them are single carriage roads, with a few dual carriage ways, on the most important bits.
Most of the roads are in good shape and shortcuts if you want to go around the country. Also, those are a good way to discover polish towns and villages and see how the polish people are living.
Powiat or Gmina roads in Poland
If you don’t know the difference, let me explain. Powiat roads are county roads, powiat being a subdivision of a voivodeship in Poland. These are clusters of towns that group to form a comunity. A county, to make it simple to understand.
On the other had, gmina are local roads. Town and villages from Poland are the ones responsible for maintaining the infrastructure on those roads. Almost 2/3 of these roads haven’t seen pavement in their days.
In conclusion, that’s what you need to know about the Polish roads. A huge country, lots of motorways, expressways and small roads that make the country easy to traverse, even if it’s a vast place. |
Two men have been arrested in what authorities say is the first known plot in Maryland involving a new type of crime: Using a drone to smuggle drugs, tobacco and pornography into a prison.
Two law enforcement officers found the four-rotor mini-helicopter on the rear passenger seat of a Ford pickup truck parked outside the state prison complex near Cumberland on Saturday evening, they wrote in court documents.
They said they also found a handgun and six plastic-wrapped packages that contained contraband items, including packets of synthetic marijuana, rolling papers, buprenorphine and pornographic DVDs.
"You can't make this stuff up," Corrections Secretary Stephen T. Moyer told reporters Monday outside the Patuxent Institution in Jessup.
Attempted drone deliveries of contraband have been reported in other states, including Ohio and South Carolina. The issue was a hot topic at a recent national conference of correctional officials, said Pete France, deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
Moyer called the threat of contraband drone deliveries "an emerging problem" for the prison system, and said officials were researching ways to prevent it. He said drone-detecting technology would cost between $350,000 and $400,000 per institution.
"Contraband fuels violence, and we are committed to keeping it out for the safety of our staff and the inmates," Moyer said.
The two suspects were identified as Thaddeus Shortz, 25, of Knoxville in Frederick County and Keith Brian Russell, 29, of Silver Spring. Each faces multiple drug- and gun-related charges in connection with the incident, according to court records.
Moyer said officers from the Western Correctional Institution, a maximum-security facility in Cumberland, spotted the vehicle on a side road off U.S. 220 near the prison complex about 8 p.m. Saturday.
The vehicle and its occupants had been under surveillance "thanks to a great deal of intelligence information," he said.
Officials would not say whether the suspects had successfully delivered contraband with the drone. They said it could carry between 6 and 8 ounces of cargo.
Authorities wrote in charging documents that a state trooper and a member of the C31 Narcotics Unit — a law enforcement task force in Allegany County — received information Saturday that Shortz, a former state prison inmate, would be trying to fly a drone over the Western Correctional Institution.
Police set up a surveillance operation outside the prison complex, authorities wrote, and watched two men, later identified as Shortz and Russell, step out of a Ford pickup and look around using binoculars.
After the men were stopped, authorities wrote, officers found the drone on a passenger seat of the truck, and the remote control was on the floor behind the driver's seat.
Shortz told police that the other man "was flying things over the wall including K-2, Suboxone, tobacco and pornographic movies to an inmate" inside the state prison, authorities wrote.
Police said they found 11 DVDs with pornographic titles, 51 packages of "Scooby Snax" — suspected synthetic marijuana — 116 packages of buprenorphine, suspected tobacco and hundreds of rolling papers. A .40-caliber handgun was discovered under a seat.
Shortz and Russell each had a "walkie-talkie type radio device," authorities said.
Shortz was released on bail Sunday, court records show. A person who answered the phone at a home phone number listed for him in court papers hung up when a Baltimore Sun reporter called.
Russell was being held at the Allegany County Detention Center on $100,000 bond, according to court records.
Neither man had an attorney listed in court records.
Authorities said Monday they were preparing charges against an inmate suspected of involvement in the alleged plot. That inmate's name has not been released. Moyer said contraband was discovered in his cell.
Matt Scassero, the head of the University of Maryland's drone testing center, said there have been cases of successful airborne delivery of contraband to prisons, and he expects to see more in the future.
"Just like any other technology, you have good uses and bad uses," he said.
Scassero said new laws might be needed to deal with such plots. He envisions prison systems hiring companies that are adapting military technology to detect and stop the vehicles.
Corporations and academic researchers are looking at a range of methods — including radar, lasers and cameras — for sensing drones.
Once an unauthorized drone has been targeted, it's a question of stopping it without harming anyone on the ground below — potentially by taking over its controls or trapping it in a net.
"You need a variety of technologies," Scassero said.
In South Carolina, investigators found a crashed drone with marijuana, tobacco and cellphones last year near a prison in Bishopville. A man was prosecuted in that case and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Gov. Nikki Haley funded extra security measures to defend the state's prisons against drones, corrections spokeswoman Stephanie Givens said, including new towers and thermal-imaging cameras.
In late July, a brawl involving at least nine inmates broke out at an Ohio prison after a drone dropped off a package in the facility's recreation yard, according to a corrections department incident report.
Investigators concluded someone intercepted the package before its intended recipient could get it, causing the fight. A corrections officer later found a package containing heroin, marijuana and tobacco, according to the report.
Corrections officials and the state highway patrol are still investigating the incident, an Ohio prisons spokesman said. In the meantime, managers and officers have formed a task force to come up with ways to stop future deliveries of contraband by drone.
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One of the largest League of Legends brands in the world, Team Solo Mid, has become embroiled in a tug of war with European based gaming organisation H2K for the services of the player Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen.
The Danish jungler, who was last seen plying his trade for SK Gaming, appeared to have agreed to a deal with H2K only for an eleventh hour bid from TSM to complicate the move and leave the player wanting to review his decision.
The professional League of Legends scene is known for its crazy off-seasons where teams vie to secure the best available players to either improve their chances of winning or staying in the League of Legends Championship Series. Team Solo Mid have had quite the rebuilding job this time around, losing jungler Lucas “Santorin” Larsen, support player Jang-sik “Lustboy” Ham, and top-laner Marcus “Dyrus” Hill. H2K also had similar issues, letting jungler Jean-Victor “Loulex” Burgevi’s contract expire after a year of service and support player Raymond “kaSing” Tsang becoming a free agent.
TSM had been in talks with other players about the important jungling role within the team. The news about Johnsen will come as disappointing to former TSM jungler Maurice “Amazing” Stückenschneider, who multiple sources told us was discussing a potential return to his old team. It seems that has now fallen through with Johnsen being the preferred signing for TSM.
H2K believed they had filled one of their roster gaps after talks with Johnsen saw him reportedly agree to join the team. However, after TSM got wind of the move, they made a counter-offer of their own for the player, something that H2K management believe is tantamount to poaching. They believe the agreement they had in place was binding and as such have mobilized their legal team in a bid to, at the very least, receive some compensation for a player they expected to be representing them next season.
They have also instructed Riot Games, who not only develop the game but control the league, to review the approach from TSM.
In regards to the issue, H2K management issued the following statement:
H2K has worked diligently and professionally to identify and secure a roster of talented players for its League of Legends team. Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen is a key piece of the roster that has been assembled for the coming year. H2K, Svenskeren and his family engaged in long discussions and negotiations that culminated in a deal between the parties. Both agreed, in writing, to execute a contract formalizing that deal. This was a legally binding agreement which H2K relied upon as the basis to stop negotiations with other player who were being considered for the Jungle position. In the midst of executing the final contract, Andy “Reginald” Dinh of TSM contacted Svenskeren and attempted to poach him. Upon learning of the attempted poach, Richard Wells, CEO of H2K informed Reginald that H2K had a binding agreement with this player. Over several communications, H2K clearly advised TSM that Svenskeren was a critical part of the team structure, and TSM’s illegal and anti-competitive actions would cause serious financial harm to H2K. TSM was indifferent and determined to continue with the poaching—Reginald’s only response to Richard Wells was, “Well just do what you need to do”. With no other options, H2K asked its counsel to formally notify TSM that their actions constituted tortious interference with H2K’s legally binding employment agreement with the player. TSM have a well-deserved reputation for abusing their stature in eSports to poach players from well-established teams. They seem to believe that they are entitled to ignore poaching rules and other teams’ contracts in order to fend off competition from smaller franchises. This sort of behavior threatens the competitive balance in League of Legends and eSports generally. H2K would like to see Riot Games more aggressively combat such behavior in the League of Legends.
Since Breitbart’s initial contact with both organisations about the story, we are informed the situation has escalated, with TSM owner Andy “Reginald” Dinh reportedly saying that as far as he is concerned the player has signed for them and that he will also let the lawyers thrash it out to arrive at a resolution.
TSM declined to comment on this story at this time.
Follow Richard Lewis on Twitter @RLewisReports. |
YouTube screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET
When Apple announced the features of iOS 8 -- expected to appear in a new generation of devices this fall -- the company was lauded for offering more choice in cloud services, notification widgets, and software keyboards as well as allowing more services to populate share sheets.
There was one key technology in its mobile operating system that Apple did not make available to app developers -- Siri. Apple's virtual assistant, which made a name for itself based on its natural interaction, only works with the company's hand-picked applications. Apple's reluctance to open up Siri fully has some justification. Keeping up with the specialized and conflicting vocabularies used by different apps could get difficult and lead to a sharp drop-off in the natural interaction illusion.
Siri's limitations have already been picked up on by Microsoft. In July, the software giant released a video spot demonstrating some of the ways its own Cortana virtual assistant can outsmart its Apple rival. But there is an important feature that Cortana now has that isn't highlighted in that spot: the latest version of Cortana can hand off verbal commands to apps.
After activating Cortana, you can say something like, "Foursquare, find me places to eat," and Cortana will pass on the request to the recently refocused Yelp competitor.
The need to specify the app breaks up the illusion of having a conversation with a human assistant who wouldn't need to be told which app to use. You'll also have to be more precise about syntax than you would be with a Siri query such as, "Do I need my umbrella tomorrow?" Finally, apps wont be able to continue the Cortana dialogue, just dutifully fulfill their requests. However, the added flexibility is worth it.
The capability doesn't just benefit users, it benefits developers. Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system, which faces challenges in a mobile market dominated by Apple's iOS and Google's Android, has long surfaced app functionality to the top of its user interface with Live Tiles and now Live Folders. With the new Cortana feature, app functionality can be activated without digging into the app list, even if an app hasn't been pinned to the Start screen.
Of course, anything Microsoft can do to attract more and better apps to Windows Phone is a step in the right direction. Not surprisingly, several of the apps that already work with Cortana are from the combined Microsoft/Nokia entity itself, including Skype, MixRadio, and Cortrends, which relays trending information from Bing. Foursquare and Twitter are two of the leading third-party players.
Windows Phone 8.1 is still relatively new, and there's great potential for Cortana's app hand-off to streamline the smartphone experience even more than Live Tiles. Consider how many times you enter apps to do a quick task such as checking an email, sending a Facebook message, or ordering a car from Uber. Cortana's app hand-off could perform all these tasks, and there's potential for tighter integration down the line if app developers work directly with Microsoft.
Cortana may be a latecomer to the virtual assistant pool, but it's one that isn't afraid to call out for a little help in the service of the user -- even if it has to make a few compromises to do so. |
CLOSE Major League Soccer received expansion bids from 12 cities Tuesday, including Indianapolis, for expansion to MLS in 2020 and 2021. Only four cities will be picked. Video courtesy of MLS
Rendering of Indy Eleven's proposed stadium. (Photo: Provided by Indy Eleven)
Twelve cities are vying for four spots as Major League Soccer looks to expand for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir handed in the team's expansion paperwork at MLS headquarters in New York on Tuesday. The Eleven's bid includes a proposed 20,000-seat Downtown stadium that will cost in excess of $100 million, according to the team's latest estimates.
So how does the Eleven's bid stack up against the competition?
Here's a look at 11 other cities with MLS aspirations:
Nashville, Tenn.
Nashville’s ownership group first made contact with MLS officials last year. Unlike several others getting looks, Nashville has never fielded a pro soccer team at any level. And Nashville's metropolitan population is the smallest of the cities under consideration.
“We do sit in a bit of an underdog role, on the one hand,” said John Ingram, the lead investor of Nashville's bid. “On the other hand, I’ve never really been as concerned about where you start as where you finish."
Securing a stadium remains a crucial box that is unchecked for Nashville, but the group has made important progress. The Tennessean first reported Jan. 26 that Mayor Megan Barry has zeroed in on the city-owned Nashville Fairgrounds for a future MLS stadium and is throwing her support behind the group’s bid.
Although Nashville lacks widespread notoriety as a pro soccer town, the steering committee hopes the city’s string of well-attended international friendly matches at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium show the city has a passionate fan base that can grow.
The most recent, a match between Mexico and New Zealand in October, drew 40,287 fans. In December, Nashville was named one of 14 cities that will host matches in next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Detroit
Detroit’s bid is a joint venture between NBA owners Tom Gores and Dan Gilbert, who announced in April their plans for a $1 billion development at the former Wayne County Jail site that would include a 23,000-seat soccer-specific stadium.
“Detroit sports fans are some of the most passionate in the world. No where else can you find as many major league teams in the urban core than in Detroit,” Gilbert said in the statement. “Since soccer is the most popular global sport, we also hope having an MLS team will put Detroit on the map with new audiences, attracting more visitors and more residents to the city.”
On Friday, the county announced it will try to restart the long-stalled jail project. But on Monday, a statement attributed to Matt Cullen, head of Gilbert's Rock Ventures, said the Gilbert team is working to develop an offer for the jail site.
MLS commissioner Don Garber has previously stated the jail site is the preferred location for a potential MLS stadium should Detroit be awarded an expansion team.
St. Louis
Rendering of potential Downtown St. Louis soccer-specific stadium. (Photo: HOK)
Considered a favorite, along with Sacramento, Calif., for 2020 expansion, St. Louis' bid is led by Paul Edgerley, former managing director at Bain Capital.
St. Louis voters could decide whether to help the financing of a new 20,000-seat stadium April 4. A proposal first needs to be approved by the Board of Alderman on Friday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Post-Dispatch reports the proposal would put $60 million in city money toward the stadium, along with $95 million in private money. The ownership group also would pay for construction cost overruns, maintenance and any shortfall in the city's financial obligation if the city's funding revenue source falls short of projections.
"We’ve spent a lot of time with MLS officials and feel that St. Louis is very well positioned to be awarded a club," Edgerley said in a news release. "There is still a long way to go, but thanks to the recent progress made possible through collaboration with city officials, we are very close to bringing Major League Soccer and a multi-purpose stadium to the downtown area.”
Sacramento, Calif.
Up until Tuesday, it was all but assumed that Sacramento, with its strong ownership group and shovel-ready stadium plan, would be a lock for 2020 expansion.
Well, not so fast.
It seems there's some turmoil among the impressive group of Sacramento investors, led by Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle. The group includes Meg Whitman, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprises, and Dr. Griff Harsh, a professor of neurosurgery and otolaryngology at Stanford University Medical Center. Several local investors in the Sacramento Kings, as well as Jed York of the San Francisco 49ers, also are part of the group.
However, the role the Sacramento Republic, the city's USL team, played in the MLS expansion bid process Tuesday, or lack thereof, has created some confusion. Deadspin has more on the situation.
The club's downtown stadium plan for a 20,000-seat MLS stadium has already cleared all regulatory approvals, according to a statement by the team.
Phoenix
Rendering of proposed soccer-specific stadium in Phoenix. (Photo: Major League Soccer)
Phoenix is the largest city in the country without an MLS team.
The investment group is led by Berke Bakay, the chief executive officer of Kona Grill, along with former Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon McCarthy, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phoenix group revealed a plan to privately fund the building of a new, climate-controlled, soccer-specific stadium on a 45-acre site that is under contract. The soccer complex will include the club's academy, as well as light rail access for fans.
“We offer MLS the largest population of Millennial and Hispanic soccer fans, and the most TV households," Bakay said in Tuesday's release. "Phoenix is also the only expansion market without an existing MLS team within 400 miles. It’s time for the MLS to come to the southwest and rise with our fans in Phoenix.”
Raleigh/Durham, N.C.
CLOSE Promotion video of North Carolina FC's proposed Major League Soccer expansion bid. Courtesy of Major League Soccer
A group led by North Carolina FC owner Steve Malik has confirmed an expansion bid has been submitted for the Raleigh/Durham area. Formerly the Carolina Railhawks of the North America Soccer League, NCFC rebranded in December with an eye on MLS expansion.
The area has been one of the fastest growing regions in the country for over a decade, giving it the highest growth rate among MLS-contender markets.
In the statement announcing the official expansion application, North Carolina FC noted it would reveal more information about its stadium plans in the coming weeks.
San Antonio
San Antonio's bid is led by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which runs United Soccer League side San Antonio FC. The seventh-largest city in America with a population of 1.4 million, San Antonio often has flirted with the MLS, but never crossed the finish line.
SS&E negotiated an $18 million deal with the city and Bexar County to purchase Toyota Field in 2015, where San Antonio FC currently plays.
“The only reason we did this deal was to get to MLS,” Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, told MLSSoccer.com. “There was no other reason.”
Cincinnati
An attendance juggernaut in the United Soccer League, FC Cincinnati currently play at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium, but will look to build a soccer-specific stadium if granted an MLS expansion.
By month's end, the franchise is expected to provide a list of greater Cincinnati sites to MLS where a new soccer stadium and related facilities could be built. Jeff Berding, team president and general manager, has declined to comment on the sites that will appear on the short list.
“We have our eyes wide open here," Berding told The Enquirer in November. "We have said, 'OK, here's a map of Greater Cincinnati. Here's the river. Here's UC. New stadiums are approximately 20 acres. We live in a pretty dense urban environment, a historic urban environment. Where would 20 acres even exist?' "
Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies jumped from the NASL to USL this offseason. Now, they've set their sights on MLS. And they went big on trying to make an impression at MLS HQ on Tuesday. Owner Bill Edwards brought a packet filled with more than 200 letters of support from local politicians, and roughly 30 co-workers and friends to present the bid. During their pitch, the group proposed an expansion of Al Lang Stadium into an 18,000-seat facility.
The MLS has called Tampa home before. The Tampa Bay Mutiny were an original member of MLS in 1996, but folded in 2002 amid ownership concerns.
San Diego
You think San Diego wants another pro franchise after being jilted by the Chargers?
While most of the expansion bids were hand-delivered in New York, MLS commissioner Don Garber received the San Diego delegation's paperwork aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, joined by the city's mayor Kevin Faulconer and U.S. national team icon and MLS star Landon Donovan.
San Diego's proposal includes a privately-funded 30,000-seat stadium where the former home of the Chargers sits. The local ownership group includes former Qualcomm president Steve Altman, technology entrepreneurs Massih and Masood Tayeb (co-founders of Bridgewest Group), San Diego Padres managing partner and local investor Peter Seidler and sports media executive Juan Carlos Rodriguez.
"Any city can really come out and support our league but it seems like we have something very special in San Diego," Garber said at Monday's battleship ceremony.
Charlotte, N.C.
Rendering of proposed soccer-specific stadium in Charlotte. (Photo: Courtesy of Major League Soccer)
Charlotte sports entrepreneur Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, officially submitted the bid despite the Charlotte city council recently canceling a vote on a proposal to spend $43.5 million on a soccer stadium, putting its bid in limbo.
Per the Charlotte Observer, Speedway Motorsports executive Mike Burch said the group will ask the city for the original request of $43.75 million. Burch added that he believes council members ultimately will vote for subsidizing the project.
“The city is trying to put forth tourism dollars, and we think this is a great use of those dollars,” Burch told the Observer. “Every day that goes by that we’re not putting our best foot forward is a day we potentially risk falling behind."
CLOSE No one could accuse Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir of lacking ambition. But his bid to join the expanding Major League Soccer is a big leap. Here are the pros and cons. (Dwight Adams/IndyStar) Wochit
The Tennessean, Detroit Free Press, Arizona Republic and Cincinnati Enquirer contributed to this story. |
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Dogs 101: Boston Terrier Fun Facts Information Most Popular Dog Breeds – Animal Facts
He’s an All-American breed and the official breed of the great state of Massachusetts. Now known as the “American Gentleman” for his pleasant temperament, he wasn’t always so gentle. But, now he’s a playful, fun breed, that’s a great choice for people who want a cheerful and energetic companion. Hi, welcome to Animal Facts. Today we look at the dog with the tuxedo coat and stylin’ attitude, the Boston Terrier. Let’s get started, but before we start, take a moment to like and subscribe for more fun, fauna facts.
Let us know about your doggy in the comments below.
10. The Boston Terrier was developed in Boston in the late 1800s by crossing the bulldog with White English Terriers. He is one of the few truly all-American breeds and is often referred to as the national dog of the United States. The breed was recognized by the AKC in 1893, and was one of the first Non-Sporting dogs bred in the U.S. and was the first of the 10 made-in-America breeds currently recognized by the AKC. Despite being called Boston Terrier, these pooches are not technically terriers. You’ll notice that they are excluded from the terrier category on the AKC website.
9. In 1976, the Boston Terrier was chosen as the bicentennial dog of the U.S. Three years later, he was named the official state dog of Massachusetts. Rhett the Boston Terrier is the mascot of Boston University. Wofford College in South Carolina and Redlands High School in California also claim the Boston Terrier as their mascots.
8. Like their English Bulldog relatives, early Boston Terriers were bred for pit fighting and were much larger and heavier than they are today, weighing up to 44 pounds. Modern Boston Terriers typically weigh half that much. As dog fighting fell out of fashion and legality, the breed evolved into the smaller, gentler companion dog we know today.
7. The Boston can be happy as a couch potato or a canine athlete — whatever you want to do, he’ll be right there beside you, like a second shadow. He’s agile and intelligent enough to do it all, from learning tricks to competing in agility, obedience or other sports. And you don’t usually have to worry about a lot of attitude either; a well-bred, well-socialized Boston gets along well with children, strangers, and other pets. The Boston Terrier is at home in any situation and never meets a stranger; everyone is a potential new friend.
6. The short-snouted Boston Terrier, along with Pugs and Shih Tzus, are brachycephalic, meaning they have small nostrils, long palates, and a narrow trachea. Brachycephalic dogs are prone to snoring and complications with general anesthesia. Because of the short face, care must be taken that the Boston does not get overheated. Bostons also chill easily and, in general, should be protected from extreme cold, too. They are definitely house dogs, not outdoor dogs. Bostons do snort and snore, but these are usually endearing rather than irritating qualities.
5. Despite their small size, Boston terriers are considered excellent guard dogs. They are very protective of their families and their loud bark is enough to alert their companions of danger. Although they are small they are not yappy dogs.
4. One of the physical traits that Boston Terriers inherited from their English Bulldog forebears is a head size that’s proportionally larger for their body size than average. As a result, Boston Terrier heads are too big for natural birth to be possible. In almost all cases, Boston Terrier puppies must be delivered via C-section to ensure their safety and that of their mothers.
3. They can be stubborn, kinda like my co-host,[ hey stop that] so persistence and consistency are definite pluses in training methods. They are sensitive to your tone of voice, and punishment can make them shut down, so training should be low-key and motivational. Some are more amenable to training than others. If your Boston seems unwilling to get with the program, try to figure out what motivates him. Usually, food works, but praise or a favorite toy may also be the key to successful training.
2. While most of us are used to seeing the Boston Terrier in the usual black with white coloration, the most common coat pattern seen in the Boston, other acceptable colors include brindle, seal or any combination of the three. The dark color must be proportional to the white markings on the dog, according to the breed standard.
1. In the autumn of 1901, Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan visited Presto Kennels in Newton, Massachusetts, where Keller met a Boston Terrier named Sir Thomas. Known for his independent streak, Sir Thomas did not make friends easily, but he seemed to form an instant bond with Helen. Several months later, to celebrate the end of midterm exams, Helen’s classmates at Radcliffe College presented her with Sir Thomas as a surprise gift. “Is it really mine?” Helen asked as she burst into tears. “Oh, I am so happy.”
Us too, Helen, us too.
Well, there ya have it, 10 fascinating facts about the cordial canine companion, the Boston Terrier. We love hearing about your pooches, so let us know about your Boston in the comments below. Before ya go, take a moment to like and subscribe for more fun, fauna facts. And as always, catch ya next time.
Summary Title Dogs 101: Boston Terrier Fun Facts Information Most Popular Dog Breeds - Animal Facts Description He’s an All-American breed and the official breed of the great state of Massachusetts. Now known as the “American Gentleman” for his pleasant temperament, he wasn't always so gentle. But, now he’s a playful, fun breed, that's a great choice for people who want a cheerful and energetic companion.
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A Hanmer man said he's upset because Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas is refusing to sign a form to make his 16-year-old daughter exempt from having to receive a vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella.
Mark Nyman said his daughter, Megan Nyman, a student at Chapleau High School, was being threatened with expulsion unless she received the vaccine. But he said he's opposed to her receiving the shot, as is Megan herself.
Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, parents can fill out an affidavit which exempts their children from vaccines for conscientious or religious reasons. The form must then be signed by a public official.
But Nyman said when he phoned Gélinas' office to see if she'd sign the form for him, he was told that she'd taken a personal stand against signing these affidavits.
When contacted by NorthernLife.ca, Gélinas — a physiotherapist by training who's the former executive director of Sudbury's francophone community health centre — said she's taken this stance because of her support of vaccinations.
She said vaccines prevent deaths and long-term harm to people's health, as well as protect those who cannot receive the shot.
“This is something that is good for children, it is good for society, and the science is there,” said Gélinas, who's also the NDP's health and long-term care critic.
The MPP said she prefers that people go to their health-care providers to have the form signed instead so they can have “a health conversation about their decision, not a political one.”
She said she checked with the province's integrity commissioner, and it's up to individual MPPs whether or not they sign affidavits.
So far, though, Gélinas said she's only had the one request to sign the vaccination exemption form.
Nyman, though, said he feels MPPs should remain neutral about such matters, and sign affidavits regardless of their personal views.
He said he's now going to have to go elsewhere to have the form signed, and will likely be charged a fee, whereas Gélinas provides such services for free.
There's been 16 recent cases of measles in Ontario recently, part of a larger outbreak in North America.
The situation has prompted an angry response from several parents upset their children have been put at risk of contracting measles, thanks to people opposed to vaccinations.
Nyman said he thinks the risks associated with measles are “overblown” — he said he had the disease as a kid, as is none the worse for it.
He said he also thinks there may be harmful effects associated with vaccines.
“I don't believe chemicals should be dumped into our system,” Nyman said.
The majority of mainstream medical sciences points to decades of use and thousands of studies for safety and efficacy as proof that vaccines work and work without harming human life. |
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Donald Trump showed that he is a candidate on the verge of a nervous breakdown by claiming during his rally in Atlanta, GA that all polls showing Hillary Clinton winning are phony.
Video:
During a rally in Atlanta, GA, Trump claimed that all of the polls that show Hillary Clinton winning were phony, “So now, they’re saying she has built a massive team. She’s got almost nine hundred people, and she’s spending money, and Trump has seventy-three people, but you know we’re doing very well. Watch what the end result is. Watch what the end result is. And when you look at the phony poll numbers that I’m seeing. Take a look at the poll numbers from right after this horrendous, and horrible, and something that we have to stop attack.”
Let’s take a look at the most recent polls. Hillary Clinton led Trump in the Bloomberg Politics poll by 12 points, and Clinton leads Trump by seven points in the latest NBC News/Survey Monkey tracking poll. Hillary Clinton has led Donald Trump in every national poll over the past three weeks, and her margin continues to grow.
As Joe Scarborough said, Trump is crazy and obsessed with his image. By calling the polls showing Hillary Clinton ahead, which are all of the polls, fake, Trump is leaving what little grasp that he once had on reality behind. It is clear that Donald Trump can’t mentally handle the fact that he is doing poorly in the presidential election.
Trump is losing it, and his comment about the fake polls were the first sign that the Republican Party is on the verge of being taken on a descent into madness.
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1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and mushrooms with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Fry for a couple of minutes until soft then remove from the heat.
2. Put the beans, breadcrumbs and egg in a food processor and blend together. You can make this completely smooth or leave some chunks of beans if you prefer.
3. Place the bean mixture in a large bowl and add the onion, garlic, mushroom and spices with a bit more salt and pepper. Mix together using your hands until combined. Shape into 4 large burger patties and fry on a griddle pan until browned (and of course, in the summer cook them on the BBQ). Remember nothing really needs to be cooked to a certain temperature here. You just need to fry until they’re browned, held together and hot through.
4. Serve in the baps with the salad and whatever other sides you like.
Spruce it Up
We’ve gone for a (sort of) Mexican vibe with our spicy bean burger but try some different flavour/spice mixes. Go down the Asian route using fresh red chilli, ginger and lemongrass. Or have a try with some Mediterranean flavours using dried chilli flakes and crushed fennel seeds.
And as for filling your bap, well sliced beef tomato and red onion wouldn’t be a bad idea. |
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