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MAY 21 2013 BY JAY COLE
Quite possibly on their way out of the office last Friday, the Audi PR department put out a “hit” on the Tesla Model S, by penning an article entitled:
“Not so fast to put Tesla on that particular pedestal“
In a nutshell, before turning out the lights for the weekend, Audi was trying to get ahead of a CNNMoney article that says the Tesla Model S is outselling many of the larger, more established nameplates’ high end vehicles, or in Audi’s case, the A8.
And while Audi makes some salient points, most specifically that the title of CNN’s piece “Tesla sales beating Mercedes, BMW and Audi” is giving consumers the impression that the Model S, as a single car, is outselling the entire Audi lineup (which it is not), the whole Audi retort to a 3rd party news story reeks of the high road not taken.
Audi is fighting the wind here if you will. And not doing a particularly decent job of it.
Why would the 104 year old company (the last 47 as a subsidiary of VW) want to even comment on this piece? And why so heavy handed, calling into question Tesla’s long-term viability?
“To be sure, Tesla has been riding a boom in investor and consumer interest based on its apparent ability crack the code for EV sales with its $70,000-and-up Model S. But while Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk has raised Model S sales estimates for 2013 to 21,000 units, the brand faces a number of long-term issues that also were noted this week by American press.”
But more than all of this, should not Audi do a little fact-checking of their own before calling out someone else on responsible journalism?
“But the fact is that Tesla’s reported sales of 4,750 units of its Model S electric car in April were less than half of Audi of America sales of 13,157 vehicles in the month, which represented a 16-percent rise from a year earlier. BMW and Mercedes-Benz sold even more than that.”
Fact is, Tesla likely only sold a little more than a third the number of Model S electric sedans that the German company reported for them in April, as Audi used an old Tesla sales estimate of 4,750-odd cars for the first quarter as a jumping off point for their statement; that is of course before Tesla reported actual sales of 4,900 sold during the first three months of the year a couple weeks ago.
One would assume if Audi was going to get the first three months of the year confused with April, they would at least use actual Tesla sales results somewhere in the calculation. Also, of interest Audi only sold 467 A8s in April of 2013, not the 1,462 they mention in the press release…that is actually their sales from January to March.
Basically, the Audi intern (who we can assume wrote this press release) wanted to turn the tables on the California start-up, and use Audi’s April sales of all their models to compare to Tesla’s Model S sedan’s single April sales result (which aren’t publicly available) to illustrate itheir point, but ended up using a two month old estimated data point for the 1st quarter in lieu of any actual figures that might make the comparison somewhat poignant.
/countdown to a retraction in 3, 2, 1 …
Checkout Audi’s press release for yourself here.
UPDATE: Audi has since pulled the press release, but no worries as we have serious OCD issues and cache everything we see in print…full release is below for your perusal. |
The unusually strong European rebuke of Israel’s plans to tighten its grip on land sought for a Palestinian state marks at least a 30-year low point in relations, say Israeli foreign policy scholars. While the nature of Europe’s complaint is not new, the tone reflects both heightened urgency about salvaging the two-state solution, and accumulated impatience with a government seen as diplomatically tone deaf.
“What we now witness is not an eruption of emotions or a political eruption, it is a result of years of an evolution that has been taking place … in which Israel loses gradually but steadily the sympathy of public opinion in Europe,” says Avi Primor, former Israeli ambassador to both Germany and the European Union.
While he and others see a potential for a serious deterioration of relations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government appears undeterred by Europe’s response so far to plans to expand West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements. Despite Europe being Israel’s largest trading partner – or perhaps because of it – Israel is largely unconcerned about the diplomatic flap inflicting any permanent damage.
“We have very strong relations with European countries and I’m sure we’ll overcome this in the near future,” says Danny Danon, deputy speaker of the Knesset and a member of Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party. “I think we will have to deal with that [Europe’s] response, but we will continue to build in our capital in Jerusalem, and in settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria,” he says, using the biblical names for the West Bank.
Is Europe’s criticism registering?
Mr. Danon, who is also a member of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, says he was surprised by the diplomatic backlash from Europe because it showed a double standard after last week’s successful Palestinian bid to be recognized as a state at the United Nations.
“The message is very clear: if the Palestinians will take unilateral steps, Israel will do the same,” he says. “I haven’t seen any similar [European] response to recent Palestinian steps.”
But a fellow member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Nachmann Shai, says Israel’s retaliatory settlement moves are detrimental to its global standing and reflect an about-face, after Netanyahu so carefully worked to get international opinion on Israel’s side during the eight-day Gaza campaign that ended Nov. 21.
“We lost this credit overnight because we didn’t know how to react to the Palestinian request at the UN,” says Mr. Shai, who has represented Israel’s interests to the world in many different positions over the course of his career, including as spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces. “The fact that we reacted by challenging the world community by doing something that we know for sure will make them angry … it’s like shooting ourselves in the leg, it’s against our interests.”
The Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment.
Hurt feelings
Some have characterized the dispute as the result of hurt feelings on both sides. European officials, who have shown more sympathy to Israel’s concerns than those of their own constituents – most recently sticking their necks out to support Israel’s recent military operation in Gaza – can’t help but feel that Israel has proven ungrateful.
“As much as we try to put a sophisticated analytical veneer on all this ... I don’t think you can completely dismiss the human reaction,” says Mark Heller, a fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. “It may not have been intended as slap in the face, but it looks like a slap in the face.”
On the Israeli side, meanwhile, years of harsh statements from Europe and the United Nations have left many calloused.
“There are undercurrents in the psyche, deeply held feelings that, ultimately, nobody likes us anyway, no matter what we do, and we’re really on our own,” says Dr. Heller. “Nobody else cares what we think, so why should we care what they think?”
Lowest point in decades
Sharon Pardo, director of the Center for the Study of European Politics and Society at Ben Gurion University, calls the current flap “one of the lowest points in the history of more than 50 years of EU-Israeli relations.” The only other incident he sees as comparable is the 1980 Venice Declaration, which recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization and affirmed the Palestinian right to self-government.
He says there were clear signals of growing European frustration leading up to this week’s rebuke.
When Britain, France, and Germany said after a UN Security Council meeting a year ago that they were “dismayed” by Israeli settlement building, Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed their “inappropriate bickering” with Israel and warned that they were “bound to lose their credibility and make themselves irrelevant” – suggesting that they direct their energies instead to bigger problems, like Syria.
Blacklists, ban under consideration
More recently, the EU has reportedly been mulling a plan to blacklist violent Israeli settlers from entering its member countries. And there has been a move to ban or at least label products made in Israeli settlements.
Prof. Pardo says the kind of “megaphone diplomacy” seen this week signals that Europe, which prefers dialogue over punitive measures like sanctions, feels it cannot get through to the Israeli administration and is trying to send a message not only to the government but also Israel’s voters ahead of Jan. 22 elections.
“We see a much more assertive EU … that is sending a message to the Israeli government that we are not willing to play the games by your rules,” he says. “We have a completely different set of rules. It’s either you follow us, or for the first time we will react in a different way than you’re used to.”
The best, and perhaps only, way to get EU-Israel relations back on track and avoid further deterioration, such as the EU refusing to upgrade trade and technological agreements with Israel that would otherwise become quickly outdated, is to engage in meaningful negotiations with Palestinians, says Prof. Primor.
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Whether those negotiations lead to real peace isn’t as important, he says, pointing to the effect of signing the 1993 Oslo Accords.
“Immediately we became the blue-eyed boy of the EU and we could get all the advantages that we wanted, all the modifications of the agreements that we wanted,” he says. “This could happen again.” |
In a unanimous ruling, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the right to privacy as a fundamental right under the Constitution. The top court overruled the previous judgments in the M P Sharma and Kharak Singh cases, which had found that the right to privacy was not protected by the Constitution. The bench observed that privacy is intrinsic to freedom of life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
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The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar, comprises Justices J Chelameswar, S A Bobde, R K Agrawal, R F Nariman, A M Sapre, D Y Chandrachud, S K Kaul and S Abdul Nazeer. The bench had reserved its verdict on the matter on August 2, after a marathon hearing spread over six days. The matter was referred to a constitution bench by a five-judge bench hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the Aadhaar Act.
The question of whether the right to privacy is a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution was first raised in the apex court before a three-judge bench. A batch of petitioners had challenged the Centre’s move to make Aadhaar mandatory to benefit from social and welfare schemes. The three-judge bench had referred the case to a larger bench on July 7, which was set up by the CJI. The five-judge Constitution bench had on July 18 decided to refer the matter to a nine-judge bench.
Here are the highlights on the Supreme Court’s ruling on right to privacy:
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03.45 pm: On behalf of the government of India, Attorney General has also argued that right to privacy is a part of fundamental rights, with reasonable restrictions: Ravi Shankar Prasad
03.30 pm: The government welcomes the Supreme court judgement on Right to privacy. The government has been of view, particularly with regard to Aadhar that Right To Privacy should be fundamental right: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
03.00 pm: Congress President Sonia Gandhi says Congress and Opposition together spoke for right to privacy against “arrogant” attempts of BJP govt to curtail it. She said that the verdict strikes at unbridled encroachment and surveillance by State, its agencies on life of common man.
2.33 pm: Former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav thanked the Supreme Court for its ruling.
‘निजता’ के मौलिक अधिकार की सुरक्षा के लिए सुप्रीम कोर्ट का धन्यवाद। — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) August 24, 2017
2.00 pm: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has reacted to the Supreme Court’s verdict on Twitter. He said, “Welcome the SC verdict upholding #RightToPrivacy as an intrinsic part of individual’s liberty, freedom & dignity. A victory for every Indian. SC decision marks a major blow to fascist forces. A sound rejection of the BJP’s ideology of suppression through surveillance.”
12.40 pm: In a press conference, former finance minister P Chidambaram welcomed the Supreme Court’s judgment on the right to privacy. Calling it a “landmark” judgment, he said the Aadhaar conceived by the UPA government was “perfectly compatible” with the right to privacy. “It is the interpretation of this government of the Article 21 which is an invasion of Right To Privacy,” he added.
12.15 pm: Kollywood actor Kamal Haasan tweeted, “SC upholds the right to privacy Nothing vague or amorphous about it. People thank the Honourable Judges. These are moments that make India.”
11.36 am: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweets, “Thank u SC for this v important judgement.” Click here for more reactions.
11.32 am: Odisha MP Thathagata Satpathy says “I adore the strength of this nation. Viva India”.
11.31 am: Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah has reacted to the judgment on Twitter, saying, “I have a right to privacy & it’s a fundamental one. Yeyy.”
11.29 am: Senior advocate in the SC, Salman Khurshid, tweets, “Privacy Fundamental Right has far reaching implications 4 our democracy. Celebrate the defeat of forces that wish to intrude in our lives. Hope cheer leaders remember the govt aggressively opposed Privacy Right before Court. Shall await ministers congratulating the PM for this.”
माटी कहे कुम्हार से तू क्या रोंदें मुओये, इक दिन ऐसा आए गा मैं रोनदो तोए
Warning of institutions of democracy to government of PM Modi — Salman Khurshid (@salman7khurshid) August 24, 2017
11.27 am: Former finance minister P Chidambaram takes to Twitter welcoming the SC’s ruling. He says, “Privacy is a fundamental right. The freedom that was won in 1947 has been enriched and enlarged. Privacy is the core of personal liberty. Article 21 has acquired a new magnificence.”
11.26 am: BJP’s Subramanian Swamy has tweeted, “Welcome the SC judgment that Right to Privacy is a fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Constitution. Now onto Aadhar modification.”
11.20 am: Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has called the SC’s judgment “path-breaking”. Taking to Twitter, he said, “Path breaking & seminal judgement of Supreme Court declares ‘Privacy’ as fundamental right. A great victory for liberty & freedom. S.C rejects Modi Govt’s attempt to whittle down the right to privacy as a fundamental right by AG’s plea of no mention in Constitution.”
11.15 am: In response to the judgment, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury has tweeted, “Congratulations to all lawyers, activists, others who fought this govt’s sinister designs to deny Indians their fundamental right to privacy. A far-reaching judgement which will have consequences in various domains, as technology is playing a greater role in our day-to-day lives. We have been opposed to mandatory Aadhaar, data misuse by foreign tech corporates. This judgement will pave the way for securing our rights.”
Congratulations to all lawyers, activists, others who fought this govt’s sinister designs to deny Indians their fundamental right to privacy https://t.co/mZJeL9Ax9U — Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) August 24, 2017
11.10 am: In case you’re just joining us, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling, just ruled that the right to privacy is intrinsic to freedom of life and personal liberty as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution. The bench overruled the two existing judgments by the court on privacy, one delivered by an eight-judge bench in 1954 (M P Sharma case) and the other by a six-judge bench in 1962 (Kharak Singh case).
11.00 am: Speaking to reporters, senior counsel Prashant Bhushan said, “The judgment doesn’t say anything about the right of citizens to share biometric details for Aadhaar. The nine-judge held that it is a fundamental right. Any law passed cannot infringe upon the reasonable restrictions on your right to privacy. If the government says Aadhaar will be required for travel and purchases then in my view these are unreasonable restrictions… it is a setback to the government as they said right to privacy is not a ‘wholly qualified’ right.”
10.52 am: Privacy is intrinsic to freedom of life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, the nine-judge bench ruled.
10.50 am: The top court’s previous decisions in the M P Sharma and Kharak Singh case “stand overruled”. The two judgments had found that right to privacy was not protected by the Constitution.
10.45 am: The nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court has held that privacy is a fundamental right under the Constitution.
10.41 am: The Supreme Court has held privacy as a fundamental right.
Privacy part of fundamental rights guaranteed under part 3 of Constitution: Supreme Court @IndianExpress — Ananthakrishnan G (@axidentaljourno) August 24, 2017
10.40 am: The bench has assembled and will deliver the verdict shortly.
10.30 am: Here’s a profile of four young lawyers, who took it upon themselves to break down court proceedings and educate the public — mainly by live-tweeting and through blogs — on the legalese of the debate. Prasanna S, Apar Gupta, and Kritika Bhardwaj are assisting senior counsel Shyam Divan, who is representing four privacy petitioners, and Gautam Bhatia is assisting another senior lawyer, Arvind Datar, who is arguing for the Election Commission and for privacy as a fundamental right. Read: Rhodes scholar to Carnatic singer, meet 4 young lawyers in privacy fight
10.15 am: During the course of the hearing, the Supreme Court had at one point sought to know why citizens are wary of sharing personal information with the State, but have no problem in doing so with private companies. Justice D Y Chandrachud had observed, “When someone uses an iPhone or iPad with fingerprint login, their personal details are already in the public realm… Is there something qualitatively different when the State does the same (seek personal information)?”
10.02 am: In an opinion column in The Indian Express, Alok Prasanna Kumar provides a definition of privacy: “Privacy is not only about hiding something or keeping it secret. It is, at its core, the right to be left alone. It doesn’t mean that one is withdrawing from society. It is an expectation that society will not interfere in the choices made by the person so long as they do not cause harm to others. It means that one’s right to eat whatever one chooses, the right to drink what one chooses, the right to love and marry whom one chooses, to wear what one chooses, among others, are rights which the state cannot interfere with.” You can read his entire piece here.
The Bengaluru-based author is a senior resident fellow at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.
10.00 am: The Centre, which argued against privacy being a “wholly qualified” fundamental right, had said it would be subject to reasonable restrictions, just like other fundamental rights. Attorney General K K Venugopal said, “Since the right to privacy consists of diverse aspects and is a sub-species of the right to liberty, every aspect of sub-species will not qualify as a fundamental right”. Read more here.
9.55 am: Here are some observations which were made during the marathon six-day hearing: Senior counsel Gopal Subramanium, who argued for declaring privacy a fundamental right, had said, “…privacy was embedded in the expressions liberty and dignity as appearing in the Preamble to the Constitution. Liberty is inalienable… all choices are a part of the exercise of liberty… humans cannot exist without liberty… liberty is heart and soul of the Constitution.”
Senior counsel Soli Sorabjee, who also argued for declaring privacy a fundamental right, had said, “Non-mentioning of privacy rights explicitly in the fundamental rights does not signify it does not exist. It can be deduced from other fundamental rights mentioned in Part III of the Constitution. Freedom of press too was not mentioned but deduced so.”
9.45 am: Ahead of the apex court’s ruling on privacy, here’s a quick look at two existing judgments of the court on privacy. An eight-judge bench in 1954 (M P Sharma case) and six-judge bench in 1962 (Kharak Singh case) ruled that there was no fundamental right to privacy in the Constitution.
In the first case, the aggrieved parties had challenged the constitutional validity of conducting searches and raids on their property and their private records being taken away. But the eight-judge bench ruled: “…a power of search and seizure is, in any system of jurisprudence, an overriding power of the State for the protection of social security and that power is necessarily regulated by law.”
In the second case in 1962, the petitioner challenged the constitutional validity of Chapter XX of the Uttar Pradesh Police Regulations, which allowed authorities to open a “history sheet” against him, despite lack of evidence, and bring him under “surveillance”. The six-judge bench had held that “the right of privacy is not a guaranteed right under our Constitution, and therefore the attempt to ascertain the movements of an individual is merely a manner in which privacy is invaded and is not an infringement of a fundamental right guaranteed in Part III (fundamental rights)”.
Read more: M P Sharma and Kharak Singh: The cases in which SC ruled on privacy
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9.30 am: Welcome to our live blog on the Supreme Court’s ruling on the right to privacy where we’ll be tracking all the developments inside and outside court. |
(Reuters) - Gas jets from inside a comet hosting Europe’s Philae lander may launch the hibernating probe out of its ditch and back into sunlight for a battery recharge, a former mission manager said on Monday.
A mosaic of a series of images captured by Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera over a 30 minute period shows the European Space Agency's lander Philae descending towards the Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko before touchdown November 12, 2014. REUTERS/ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA/Handout via Reuters
The European Space Agency’s Philae lander wrapped up an unprecedented 57-hour mission on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on Saturday. The washing machine-sized spacecraft, which was released by its orbiting Rosetta mother ship on Thursday, ended up in a ditch after bouncing off the comet’s surface.
A camera aboard Rosetta, which flew less than 10 miles above the comet’s surface, captured the final minutes of Philae’s descent, bounce and drift across the comet’s face, pictures released by the European Space Agency on Monday showed.
The unintended bounce, a result of Philae’s harpooning ice screws failing to anchor into the surface, left the lander in a ditch, shielded from the sun needed to charge its battery for an extended mission.
Scientists anxiously waited as Philae hustled through an automated series of experiments – including drilling in the comet’s body — and, against the odds, survived long enough to radio results back to Earth.
Before shutting down, Philae shifted its position to try to catch more light on one of its solar-powered panels. The comet, nicknamed 67P, is heading toward the sun, accompanied by the orbiting Rosetta satellite.
The increasing amount of sunlight may serve another purpose besides charging Philae’s dead battery. As the comet warms, it releases jets of gas, which could potentially hoist Philae out of its ditch.
“It could be a natural way that it gets lifted up,” former Rosetta manager Gerhard Schwehm said at a teleconferenced NASA science advisory panel meeting in Washington, D.C. “If a little activity starts there, then the chance that it comes off is fairly high.”
Gravity on the comet’s small body is about 100,000 times less than Earth’s, giving Philae the relative weight of a piece of paper.
The comet’s surface was harder than scientists originally thought, which is partly why its harpooning landing system failed. Schwehm however said that may have been a blessing in disguise.
“Perhaps it was good that (Philae) didn’t fire the harpoons because if they would not have penetrated you might have had a much bigger problem,” he said.
Early results from the ongoing Rosetta mission are expected to be released next month at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco. |
• Sell your home, then buy it back, then move it. That's what Clarkson's Newman family did when their home was expropriated to makeway for the QEW cloverleaf at Fifth Line. The family bought a new home in Erindale and moved, but when the Department of Highways listed the old structure for sale, they bought it and had it towed to Tea Lake to use as a summer cottage. (Aug. 17, 1966)
• Practice your Esperanto with lessons from Mrs. H. Gillam of Port Credit. Soon, everyone will be speaking this newly-created neutral language of the future. Mrs. Gillam's five-year-old daughter says her prayers every night in Esperanto. Nekredebla! (That means incredible, for you Esperanto newbies. Guess you better sign up for those lessons before you get left behind...) (Aug. 31, 1966)
• Brush up on the Bible after someone takes out an ad in the usually quite tame Coming Events listing of our Classified section (home of bake sale announcements and curling club tryouts) under the heading "Moment of Truth" advising of the return of Jesus to Earth in less than 10 years. The reason for his return at that time? To subdue the communists. Okey dokey, then. (Sept. 14, 1966)
• Have your tonsils removed, like seven-year-old Debbie White of 2472 Brockhurst Rd. because apparently there is no story too small for The Mississauga News in 1966. (Oct. 6, 1966)
• Share your love of the little fishies at a meeting of the Golden Horseshoe Guppy Club of Ontario. Call - no joke - Mr. Fisher. (Feb. 8, 1967)
• Go shopping with News reporter Ronald Lawrence, as he sets out to prove the housewife boycott of local supermarkets over high prices is a bunch of hooey. After finding plenty of bargains, he declares women are finding they can't stretch their food budget far enough because they are easily distracted by unnecessary items like "tissues in 11 assorted colours" which cost more to produce, but "today's women demand." (Nov. 9, 1968)
• Show off a daring in a new Christmas party outfit, as advised by by our Femme and Fancy column. Be it comes with a disclaimer: "A word of warning - keep party pants for intimate gathering where you are familiar with your hostess and fellow guest." Good advice, wouldn't want a party pants panic to break out so close to the holidays... (Nov. 23, 1966)
• If short on cash, dig out the lucky nickel cemented into cornerstone of Credit Valley School of Nursing next to South Peel Hospital (aka Mississauga Hospital) (Sept, 4, 1968)
• Join the Ville Riders motorcycle gang, lead by Rev. David Busby of Trinity Anglican of Streetsville and help raise money for charity (Sept. 11, 1968)
• Check out a Port Credit Jaycees talk by marriage counsellor and expert Arnold Thaw as he advises people eschew traditional arrangement, and just to "shack up," because traditional marriage will be gone by the year 2000, replaced by groups of five to seven families living in one apartment in a "group marriage" arrangement. Did we mention he was a bachelor? (Sept. 25, 1968)
• Sign up for baton twirling lessons at Ridgewood Public School Saturday mornings. (And keep your eyes open, it's never too soon to scout new members for your upcoming "group marriage" collective.) (Sept. 25, 1968)
• Keep an eye out for a man wanted in an assault near Enola and Lakeshore roads. He is described as 'sloppy and slouchy.' (Possible accomplices may include Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy or Dopey) (Oct. 2, 1968)
• Donate "game meat" including moose, deer and bear for refreshments for the police's annual turkey shoot Oct. 5, 1968 in Streetsville Park. BTW, It's BYOS (Bring your own shotgun).
• Weigh in at council on concerns over naming of Huron Park Recreation Centre, after someone points out the Hurons are traditionally considered foes of Mississaugas tribe, the town's namesake. Thoughts to change the name to Mississauga Recreation Centre obviously didn't pan out. (Sept. 4, 1968)
• Fuss up about making off with the Third Clarkson Scout Group's tug-of-war rope. They need it back. Please call Mrs. Pearse, and maybe this doesn't have to go on your permanent record... (Oct. 2, 1968)
• Join "live-minded women" (was that a typo or were these just some fiesty females?) for an evening with the Canadian Housewives Register, created for women "bound during the day with young children" and seeking some female chat. Topics will include hypnostism, interior design and wine making. (Nov. 6, 1968)
• Apply to be an order filler, picking out records at Capitol Records Malton warehouse (Nov. 12, 1968)
• Start your own police force - Port Credit Motors has 13 for sale, fully equipped and marked. Nope, don't see any way this could lead to trouble... (Nov. 20, 1968)
• Put a sign in your window and join the brand-new Block Parents program, letting kids know they can get help if they are lost or injured while exploring the neighbourhood (Nov. 27, 1968)
• Volunteer to roll all the the 6,866,255 pennies local trick-or-treaters collected for UNICEF in little cardborad boxes they carried around their necks on Hallowe'en night (Dec. 11, 1968)
• Stop letting your nylons bag around your ankles in public, if you don't want to be featured on our 'fashion no-nos' story on the Women's Page. Your children will be shunned at school. Your husband will be turned away from the club. Have you no shame? (Dec. 11, 1968)
• If you are under 18, curse the News for telling your parents report cards went home today. No hiding that F now, junior. (Dec. 18, 1968)
• Join the panic over a local outbreak of the Hong Kong flu, until the medical officer finally reassures everyone it's just plain old Canadian flu, so just blow your nose and calm down (Jan. 8, 1969)
• Follow the 'the-world-was-a-more-trusting-place-in-1969-apparently' advice of our business columnist and write down, and carry with you, your new seven-digit identification number so that you can make use of one of the new "computer wickets." These IDA (Identification, Dispensing and Accounting) machines dispense five pre-set amounts, in denominations of $20, with each note packed into a separate cigarette pack-sized plastic container. (Jan. 15, 1969)
• Cheese off your elders with logic like Grade 12 Holy Name of Mary student Miss Marilyn Sparrow, who momentarily stuns a panel of adult experts at a dangers of marijuana talk by suggesting that reefer madness could be stemmed by making it legal and profitable for the government by selling it through an LCBO-type regulator. (Jan. 22, 1969)
• Stock up on traps, as an early thaw flushes rats the size of "big cats" out of their dens and into the streets of Mississauga. Picture the running of the bulls, only smaller... (Feb. 5, 1969)
• Mull over the ramifications of the U.S. resisting the switch to the metric system, the world's final major holdout, as Canada's federal cabinet moves towards adopting it. With 90 percent of the world agreeing, should the U.S. be pressured into it? Otherwise, you know what they say, give them a centimetre and they'll take a kilometre...(Feb. 12, 1969)
• Marvel at the logic of a nine-year-old as he explains that his father could never get in a drunk driving accident, because he brings his "two or three crates of beer home," lies down on the carpet "and off he goes," thereby eliminating the risk of mishap because "he can't even fall down as he is already on the floor." Fair enough. (March 5, 1969)
• Visit the Meadowvale's new botanical gardens, council's all excited about building. (What? No? Didn't happen? Oh, never mind then. Scratch that...) (March 12, 1969)
• Attend funeral services for Lenvar Lee, founder of the Lee Funeral Home, will be held at ….wait for it…Lee Funeral Home. File under O for obvious. (March 12, 1969)
• "Drop in , crash and have fun" ('cause that's what the headline says...), at the new Ten to Six Club at 3819 Morningstar Dr. This new teen drop-in centre, born in the generously-provided basement of Mr. and Mrs. J. McCreary, features tinfoil-covered walls, low slung coffee or coke tables, and cushion covered floors." It runs 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Admission is one candle (I kid you not...) (April 2, 1969)
• Heed the reminder to clean the tobacco residue off the inside of your windshield so you can see properly (April 2, 1969)
• Take pet care advice from group of 8 year old Grade 3 students from St. Dominic's School, whether it be Theresa Kelly's suggestion "get a leech for your dog" (whether a typo or a suggested companion is lost to time), Dianne Masson's can't we all just get along philosophy of "Dogs like you. Why don't you like them?," or the downright zen words of young John Gauci advising "Don't treat a dog like an animal." Right on, man. (April 16, 1969)
• Whip your family up a futuristic feast in one of the country's new home-use microwave ovens, which measure 15 x 22 x 17 inches. It boasts it can hold a 24-lb turkey. Take that, George Jetson. (April 23, 1969)
• Double-check the credentials of your boob tube installer, after ads in the paper warn that unqualified technicians have incorrectly hooked up some sets, leaving families exposed to dreaded "TV RADIATION." At least it's not the Hong Kong Flu... (April 30, 1969)
• Head to New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel to catch the American premiere of Mississauga's 12-minute colour film "Land on the Move," promoting local industry at New York''s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. If you miss it there, the film, which won an award at Cannes Film Festival,will next travel to Montreal. (May 13, 1969) |
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Coventry City Football Club have issued a warning to their supporters following a letter from the FA
The FA have written to the club about the recent series of protests by Sky Blues fans at home games.
The governing body of English football say they will continue to monitor the behaviour of City fans both inside and outside of football grounds, and any deliberate disruption of a game will leave the club open to FA sanctions.
Following the letter from the FA, Coventry City have released a statement on their website asking supporters to refrain from blowing whistles that may cause distraction and/or interrupt a match.
The Sky Blues are next in action on Saturday, February 21, when they entertain Fleetewood Town at the Ricoh Arena in League One. |
The essence of the Farnsworth House's elegant, less-is-more beauty can be described in a single, inelegant term: site-specific. Located 58 miles southwest of Chicago, this white, precisely honed box of steel and glass is all the more striking because architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe poetically contrasted it with its colorful, ever-changing surroundings —- trees, meadows and a seemingly peaceful river.
Yet the Fox River has shown little respect for Mies' brilliant juxtaposition of the natural and the man-made. In the past 18 years, the river has inundated the house three times. The worst flood, in 1996, smashed one of the home's huge plate-glass windows, sending more than 5 feet of water inside and causing thousands of dollars in damage. Mies, ironically, designed the house's stiltlike columns to avoid just such a calamity.
Confronted with the prospect of more flooding, the house's owner is carefully weighing how to preserve and protect the house, two goals that potentially conflict. Keep the house where it is, and the river is almost sure to flood it again someday. Move the house away from the river to higher ground, and its authenticity would be compromised. Such are the choices in an era when disastrous "100-year floods" seem to occur every few years.
Is there a middle way? The owner, the Washington-based National Trust for Historic Preservation, believes it may have one. The trust is considering a daring plan that would temporarily move the house from its site, build a pit beneath it and insert hydraulic jacks that would lift the house out of harm's way the next time the Fox attacks it. Or so goes the plan, which seems like something out of a science fiction movie.
The trust will present this and two other long-term options in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday at a closed-door meeting of architects and preservationists. A public meeting will be held May 29. Work on the house could start next winter. Whatever option is selected, the Farnsworth — originally a country retreat, now a house museum — will have to be temporarily moved so its foundations can be rebuilt or replaced.
"It's concerning to us that the house has already flooded a number of times," said Stephanie Meeks, the trust's president, who discussed the proposals with the Tribune last week. "Given the research, we feel compelled as the stewards of this property to take that threat seriously and consider what our options are." She and the organization's board of trustees have not settled on a plan, she said.
The options are not cheap. A consultant's report estimates that the hydraulic system would cost $2.5 million to $3 million. Another plan, whose top price is pegged at $2.9 million, would place the Farnsworth atop a sloping, 9-foot-high mound built on the home's current site. The third option, a relative bargain at $300,000 to $400,000, would move the house to high ground several hundred feet from the river, but it's almost surely a non-starter.
When a group of preservationists bought the house for more than $7.5 million at a tension-filled 2003 Sotheby's auction, it argued that the Farnsworth belonged in only one place — not on some estate in the Hamptons, but near the Fox River, precisely where Mies and his client, Chicago doctor Edith Farnsworth, put it 1951. Moving the Farnsworth House so far from its original site would violate that precept. It also would destroy the house's serenity by placing it close to nearby River Road, which gets its share of noisy cars and trucks even if it isn't the Dan Ryan Expressway.
To its credit, the trust has arrived at this critical juncture carefully. A study it commissioned found that flooding poses a greater risk to the Farnsworth House now than ever before. The trust also convened a technical advisory panel including respected figures such as Chicago architect Dirk Lohan, Mies' grandson. The panel concluded that the hydraulic system was the "most promising" option.
A subsequent study, by the engineering firm Robert Silman Associates, fleshed out that option, saying something more complex is needed than a conventional hydraulic lift that raises a car in a repair garage. Instead, the firm envisions below-ground steel trusses that, when activated, would shift from a horizontal position to a vertical one, raising the house on a concrete slab, as if it were a trophy on a plate. Once floodwaters were pumped out of the pit, the house could be lowered.
The audacious hydraulics proposal could simultaneously allow the trust to preserve and protect the house, yet it's far from a sure thing: Would its construction disrupt the surrounding landscape? Are there less expensive, less intrusive solutions that would rely more on landscaping than technology, which, as we all know, can sometimes go haywire?
"I think one of the risks is that this is a new application of an old technology," Meeks said. "The risk is overcoming the question mark in people's minds. People will want to be satisfied that it's the simplest solution." Mies himself was a master of the difficult art of the simple. It remains to be seen whether the hydraulics plan is an appropriate match for him and his riverfront masterpiece.
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Twitter @BlairKamin |
A day later, they were still talking about Kyle Korver’s dunk.
Even his wife.
“When I got home my wife was up … and she kind of wanted to see it,” Korver said. “She missed it. We looked at it. Someone sent me a text with the video. I was like ‘Yeah, that was all right.’ My wife was like ‘I’m glad that you are good at what you actually do.’”
The dunk sent the Philips Arena in a frenzy and caught the attention of social media when Korver finished a second-quarter fast break in a 110-91 victory over the Pacers Wednesday. It was the first dunk for Korver in two years and just the 16th of his career for the sharp-shooter.
As he leads the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage, seeing the guard dunk was cause for attention.
Following the game, Korver admitted that he won $100 from center Elton Brand. It turns out there was a wager on what would happen first - a Korver dunk or a Brand 3-pointer.
Korver better wait to spend the money.
“That was a joke,” Brand said. “I don’t really bet but he did it. He’s not going to get any money for that fingertip dunk. No way he’s not getting any money for a fingertip dunk.”
Perhaps a dinner then.
Note: The Hawks-Pacers game Wednesday was the highest-rated game of the season on SportSouth. According to the network, the game did a 2.93 rating. The previous high was against the Clippers on Dec. 23 that had a 2.78 rating in the Atlanta market. It was the highest-rated game since the 2011-12 season. |
Giving birth is, in so many ways, an act of faith. It involves a kind of radical trust in our bodies that I equate with tawakkul, trust in Allah, the One who made our bodies. For me, being a doula is also an act of faith. A doula is someone who supports and comforts a mother in childbirth, building a relationship with her over the weeks leading up to the delivery and sometimes continuing to support a new mother in the weeks that follow.
It’s a contemporary word for a role that, prior to modern obstetrics, most women found in friends, neighbors, or family members.
I attend births in hospitals, birth centers and homes, and many of them are with Muslim families. I choose to do this because I am awed by birth, because I witness the positive effects of my support, and because I see the ways in which my work can mitigate the harm done by health care professionals who are sometimes uncompassionate, hurried and even poorly trained. There are growing numbers of Muslim doulas out there, but we need more.
Why more doulas? A comprehensive review by the respected Cochrane Collaboration, a nonprofit that independently reviews medical research, showed that doula care—including the information and emotional support we provide, the pain relief measures we use and the advocacy we perform on behalf of women and their partners—has undeniably positive benefits not only on women’s experiences of their labors, but also on labor outcomes themselves.
Studies show that today’s medical model of childbirth involves practices that can impede the normal process of labor, one result of which is our shocking cesarean rate. Today, one in three babies in the United States is born via surgery, which can have both short and long term negative impacts on mother and baby, some of which we are just beginning to understand; mothers have trouble breastfeeding and experience a painful recovery in the early postpartum stage, while babies have a higher prevalence of allergies and autoimmune diseases. Meanwhile, women supported by a doula are more likely to give birth vaginally, without the use of forceps or a vacuum. They are less likely to request pain medication and, on average, have shorter labors. Aisha al-Hajjar, a doula in Saudi Arabia and founder of a Muslim birth doula training program called AMANI, also reminds us that “birth has a profound, lifelong effect on women, that can either be empowering or traumatic.” Having a doula increases the probability that a woman will remember her child’s birth as a positive experience.
I’d like to see these benefits expanded within the Muslim community, starting with African American Muslims. African American babies (regardless of socioeconomic background) are over twice as likely to die in infancy and see the highest rates of preterm births and low birth weights. While researchers posit many theories as to why this is the case, the most convincing one looks at the physiological impact of racism itself, finding that the long-term physiological effects of racism-related stress and underlying health disparities can trigger preterm labor. Because over half of native-born American Muslims are African-American, it is critical that we use doulas to curb these alarming statistics. If this weren’t reason enough, as Islam becomes increasingly racialized in the U.S., the stress associated with acute racism is impacting Muslims more broadly than before. A 2006 study found that in the months after 9/11, women with Arabic names in California experienced the same kinds of negative birth outcomes associated with racial discrimination against African American women.
Photo Source: natalieanndesign.blogspot.com
The immigrant community constitutes another segment of Muslim Americans who are in need of doulas. Some of the women I work with, hindered by language or cultural barriers, have a hard time navigating our medical system. They find themselves confused and overwhelmed by the amount of information doctors and hospital staff throw at them, and to add to the problem, some are refugees carrying memories of traumatic and violent experiences, which leave them even more psychologically vulnerable during birth. It is an immense blessing to support these women, ensuring their comfort and increasing their awareness and understanding of the choices they can make. We need more doulas to guarantee that these Muslim women’s voices are heard.
Regardless of which slice of the Muslim American population Muslim doulas work with, they bring cultural literacy that the modern-day health care system simply cannot offer. The religious and cultural traditions that shape our pregnancies, births, and postpartum periods, are usually unfamiliar to our care providers. Muslim understandings of modesty, hygiene, gender relations, privacy and dietary requirements are relevant to women’s feelings of comfort, yet care providers rarely receive training to help them understand or anticipate these differences.
There is tremendous spiritual reward in supporting a woman through birth. I am a first-hand witness to the vulnerability, curiosity, discomfort, laughter, frustration, sadness, and incredible delight of childbirth. I am there when a woman is amazed by the power of her own body. I am there when mothers and their partners see their babies for the first time and their hearts break open with joy. I am there when births don’t go the way mothers imagined, and I am there when a mother undergoes surgery and recovery. Muslim doulas serve God by serving women and their families. As Aisha al-Hajjar puts it, “One can’t help but keep strong bonds with Allah when witnessing the miracles of pregnancy and birth over and over again.”
Photo Source: doulamatch.net
This work is important because it involves women supporting women, women nurturing women, and women empowering women. As Muslims, those are gifts that we’re called to bring to all of our sisters. I invite Muslim women to step up, maybe step outside of their comfort zones, and bring their energy and compassion to a place where it will not only change the families they work with, but it will change themselves.
Resources:
· AMANI Community Center: http://www.amanibirth.com/p/teacherdoula-training.html
· The International Center for Traditional Childbearing Doula Training: http://ictcmidwives.org/
· Doulas of North America (DONA): http://www.dona.org/http://www.tolabor.com/
Krystina Friedlander is a childbirth doula, midwifery student, and childbirth educator in Boston, Massachusetts. Her website is www.barakabirth.com.
Topstory Photo Credit: emom.co.za |
SuperSampling after recent update
My SteamVR settings seem to have been reset.
I was playing a game and the performance wasn't so good at times. Title: "Onward"
So I was going to lower the supersampling that I have set!
Suddenly I had to find out that the settings have been removed/reset!
"steamvr" : {
"background" : "#0D0D0DFF",
"renderTargetMultiplier" : 2
That's everything to see in steamvr. I remember there was a lot more before the update.
I'm sure I have set the multiplier to 1.4. (Steam automatically set it to 1.39999999 I think.)
How come it is set to 2 now after the update?
Did SteamVR read the graphics card info and then set it to 2.0 regarding the performance?
Now it makes sense to me why the VR Desktop has been so unpresponding and the PC was lagging a bit when watching Steam Videos on the 2D desktop while SteamVR was running in the background. SteamVR drawn a lot performance in 2.0x mode.
And now it makes sense why the dashboard has appeared so sharp to me.
In Afterburner I can see a GPU idle usage of ~21%-22% on 2.0x SuperSampling.
When I set it to 1.4 and restart SteamVR it is 10%-11%. 1.0x results in 7-8% usage.
Why is it set to 2.0 by default?????!!!!! 2.0 does not work out on a GeForce GTX 1070, neither 1080.... ? |
Check out every walk-off home run since 1973 in this beautiful infographic
There's little greater in baseball (or life, really) than a walk-off home run. In a game with no clock and that could conceivably carry on until the heat death of the universe, it is the deep drive into the stands in the bottom of the ninth that lets the players rush onto the field and the fans jump and scream in a revelatory experience not all that dissimilar from an ancient Pagan sun ritual, that trumps all.
It is in that spirit that we bring to you the infographic to end all infographics. That's right, it's the walk-off of infographics on walk-offs.
This is the full and total accounting for every walk-off dinger from 1973 through the All-Star break, with every blast cataloged and served up to you in pleasing graphical form. Click on the graphic to view in full-size:
You may also thrill to learn that there have been two walk-off home runs hit in the sixth inning: Bobby Rhawn of the New York Giants hit the second and final home run of his career off of the Brooklyn Dodgers' Hank Behrman in the second game of a doubleheader just as daylight was fading, and Dusty Rhodes homered for the eighth time in 11 games to give the New York Giants the win before a heavy downpour ended the game.
As for the War and Peace option, the one that kept fans in endless suspense the longest before giving them sweet reverie, that belongs to Harold Baines who homered off Chuck Porter in the bottom of the 25th inning on May 8, 1984. This came after the Brewers and White Sox traded three runs in the 21st frame.
As for pitchers, while Craig Lefferts is the only pitcher since 1973 to hit a walk-off, there are at least thirteen others that we know of. Sadly for Wally Burnette, who finished his career with a 116 ERA+ in three seasons, he gave up two homers to pitchers. Whoops.
Michael Clair writes about baseball for Cut4. He believes stirrup socks are an integral part of every formal outfit and Adam Dunn's pitching performance was baseball's greatest moment. |
The Tigers, as they seemingly always do, have a bullpen problem. They rank 26th in the majors in bullpen ERA (4.37) and 25th in FIP (3.92), as Joe Nathan has been a disaster in the ninth inning, and Al Albuquerque, Phil Coke, and Ian Krol haven’t been very good at protecting leads before Nathan takes the hill either. When your most reliable reliever is Joba Chamberlain, you know there’s some issues.
So on Wednesday night, the Tigers did what contending teams with bullpen issues do; they paid through the nose — giving up Double-A starter Jake Thomspon and rookie reliever Corey Knebel — to get an experienced, high-quality closer, acquiring Joakim Soria from the Rangers. Soria has been fantastic this year, posting a ridiculous 1.07 FIP, thanks to the lowest walk and highest strikeout rate in his career. Oh, and the fact that he hasn’t allowed a home run yet. That helps too.
Of course, not allowing home runs in Texas is a neat trick that Joe Nathan pulled off last year, and that hasn’t really carried over to his pitching this year in Detroit, but even when the home runs return, Soria should still be pretty big upgrade for the Tigers relief corps. However, even very good relievers only pitch about 10 innings per month, and with just a little over two months left in the season, there just aren’t that many innings left for Soria to make a significant difference in the standings. Besides, the Tigers were extremely likely to win their division even without Soria, as they currently hold a 6 1/2 game lead over the Indians and a 7 game lead over the Royals.
In terms of moving the playoff odds needle, perhaps no significant trade made this month will have less of an effect that the Tigers acquiring Soria. But this trade isn’t about the regular season. This trade is about the postseason, and the potential impact Soria could have in October.
We’re all pretty familiar with the fact that relievers just don’t pitch enough innings to be highly valuable in the regular season, but the game is played differently in the postseason. The increased frequency of off days makes it easier to lean on your best relievers more often, and the importance of each game provides an incentive to make sure that the best pitchers are on the mound the most often. And this shows up in their usage patterns.
For illustration, the most frequently used relievers throw about 5% of a team’s total innings over the course of the regular season; that’s ~75 innings out of around 1,450. Most are a bit under that, but if you’re really aggressive with your closer usage or have a relief ace working in a setup role, you can give him 5% of the total innings pie from April through September.
Now, let’s take a look at the percentage of innings pitched by elite relievers in last year’s postseason. Eight of the top 20 relievers in 2013 WAR made it to at least the division series and pitched in multiple games. Here are their percentages of innings pitched for last postseason:
After throwing 5.1% of the Red Sox innings in the regular season, Uehara threw nearly double that amount in the playoffs. For reference, 9.6% of a team’s total regular season innings would equal out to about 140 innings per year. Based on the fact that the average leverage index when Uehara entered the game was 1.76, you could equate the impact of the innings he threw in the postseason to a starting pitcher that threw 246 innings in the regular season.
Yeah, elite relievers can matter an awful lot in October, which is why teams continually trade legitimate prospects to acquire them in July. Of course, Uehara carried the heaviest workload of the elite relievers, so this is basically the absolute best case usage scenario for a relief ace in October. The A’s managed to use Doolittle similarly, but only through one round, and every other team who advanced beyond the division series gave a lighter workload to their best bullpen arms. The average percentage of innings pitched for these eight relievers was 6.5%, which still translates a regular season workload of about 95 innings, but doesn’t match what Boston got out of their closer.
But, again, we have to factor in that while these pitchers are throwing fewer innings, they are pitching in innings that have a greater impact on wins and losses than a starting pitcher does, and we can’t simply equate one reliever inning with one starting pitcher inning. The way this is handled in reliever WAR is through chaining, which gives the reliever credit for pitching in higher leverage situations but doesn’t incorrectly assume that those innings would have gone to a replacement level reliever instead.
So, yes, Soria might only throw a handful of postseason innings, and reliever performance is volatile enough that perhaps he won’t end up making a significant difference for the Tigers. In that case, they’ll have just punted one of their best pitching prospects and a power arm who might have been a useful reliever himself. Certainly, this is the kind of deal that could easily backfire, and the Tigers may very well regret this deal in the long run.
But they made this because of the potential for an Uehara-style impact. Uehara’s dominance over a very large workload was one of the primary reasons the Red Sox won the World Series last year, and despite their diminished importance in the regular season, relievers can matter an awful lot in the postseason. We shouldn’t diminish Soria’s potential impact on the Tigers playoff run just because individual relievers don’t matter as much in the regular season.
If Brad Ausmus learns from the mistakes Jim Leyland made last postseason — note the very low percentage numbers for Benoit and Smyly on that list above — and aggressively uses Soria this October, this trade could end up being a significant difference maker for the Tigers. The idea that relievers don’t really matter that much holds up to scrutiny in the regular season, but the postseason is a different game, and it’s one where guys like Joakim Soria can matter a lot more. |
"We love Trump!" chanted attendees of the 2017's National Boy Scout Jamboree during President Donald Trump's Monday address in Glen jean, WV.
After deriding "fake media" and "fake news," Trump endeared the crowd: "I love you, too."
"By the way, just a question - did President Obama even come to a Jamboree? The answer is no," said Trump, mocking Barack Obama.
Watch the moment below.
Trump described passion, momentum, and perseverance as attributes contributing to personal success.
"But when you do something that you love, remember this, it's not work," said Trump.
Trump noted that his cabinet includes many Boy Scout alumni, including Secretaries of Energy, Health and Human Services, and State, Rick Perry, Tom Price, and Rex Tillerson, respectively.
Throughout his remarks, Trump vacillated between praising the Boy Scouts' ethos and political considerations such as Republicans' ostensible efforts to repeal "Obamacare."
Boy Scouts listen as US President Donald Trump speaks during the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Summit Bechtel National Scout Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia, July 24, 2017.
Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter. |
After growing up poor in a predominantly African-American neighborhood of Cincinnati, the young adults had reached their early 20s. One by one, they passed through an MRI machine that displayed their brains in sharp, cross-sectioned images.
For those who had been exposed to lead as toddlers, even in small amounts, the scans revealed changes that were subtle, permanent and devastating.
The toxic metal had robbed them of gray matter in the parts of the brain that enable people to pay attention, regulate emotions and control impulses. Lead also had scrambled the production of white matter that transmits signals between different parts of the brain, largely by mimicking calcium, an element that plays a critical role in brain development.
Scars left by lead have had significant consequences for the study participants and their communities. As children, they struggled in school more than those who had not been exposed. As teens, they committed crimes more frequently, University of Cincinnati researchers reported.
"What we found — and continue to find — is that lead sowed the seeds of their future," said Kim Dietrich, a neuropsychologist who has been following the group of nearly 300 people since they were born in the late 1970s. "It isn't conducive to behavior we associate with normal development, making smart decisions and success."
People have known for centuries that lead is poisonous, and removing it from gasoline and paint has dramatically reduced exposure for American children.
But a growing body of research is making it clear that the toxic legacy of lead has far more wide-ranging effects than previously known. Lingering dust from paint and deposits from old vehicle emissions continue to harm thousands of children in older industrial cities like Cincinnati and Chicago.
Once an obscure academic specialty, lead poisoning is gaining new appreciation from economists, criminologists and education experts as researchers document how early exposure harms children in ways that don't become apparent until years later. The damage ends up costing taxpayers in the form of increased spending on health care, special education and law enforcement.
Last month, a Tribune investigation found that lead hazards are festering in the same parts of Chicago that have given the city a national reputation for violence and academic failure. In impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhoods like Austin, Englewood and Lawndale, more than 80 percent of the children tested in 1995 had dangerous lead levels.
Today those kids are in their early to mid-20s, when criminal behavior peaks.
As evidence mounts of the links between lead poisoning, poor school performance and crime, some scientists are starting to focus on lead pollution as a key factor in Chicago's violence.
Tribune Graphics Tribune Graphics
"People in neighborhoods like Englewood have faced multiple assaults over different periods of time — job losses, segregation, housing discrimination," said Robert J. Sampson, a Harvard University researcher who has been studying Chicago for more than two decades. "Yet through all of that there is this persistent lead poisoning. It creates a social context where kids are at a clear disadvantage."
Sampson recently added lead data to his existing research on poverty, education and crime in Englewood and other neighborhoods. The results, he said, were shocking. A map of lead poisoning rates among children younger than 6 in 1995, for instance, looks very similar to a map of aggravated assault rates in 2012, when those kids were 17 to 22 years old.
"It's not something I appreciated before," Sampson said. "But when I see the astounding levels of lead poisoning in these communities, it makes complete sense that it is part of the cycle of deprivation."
Politicians and policymakers have yet to catch up to this line of thinking, seemingly regarding lead pollution as a problem solved long ago. During the past five years, federal and state officials have sharply cut funding to screen kids, inspect properties and eliminate lead hazards.
With less money directed at the problem, children ages 5 and younger continue to be harmed at rates up to six times the Chicago average in corners of predominantly African-American neighborhoods on the South and West sides, according to the Tribune's analysis of city records.
One researcher working in Chicago, Anne Evens, recently published a study that draws a sharper focus on how lead is still ravaging the city years after it faded as a local and national issue.
A former chief of lead poisoning prevention at the Chicago Department of Public Health, Evens obtained the lead tests of more than 58,000 children born in the city from 1994 to 1998 and compared the results with how they performed on standardized tests in third grade.
Her peer-reviewed study, published in April in the scientific journal Environmental Health, found that exposure to lead during early childhood significantly increased the chance that a student would fail reading and math tests, even when controlling for other factors such as poverty, race, birth weight and the mother's education level.
The scope of what Evens found is staggering: At three-quarters of Chicago Public Schools, the average lead level of third-graders exceeded a standard established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in each year from 2003 to 2006.
Why is third grade so important? That's when children begin to use reading to learn other subjects, and studies show students who fail to master reading skills during such a critical year are more likely to fall behind in later grades and drop out of high school. Dropouts are significantly more likely to end up in jail than to get a diploma.
Some teachers and reading specialists know that kids exposed to lead as toddlers are more likely to act out, have trouble staying on task and struggle to work well with classmates. Yet it doesn't come up in the debate about how to improve schools.
"I used to think that lead was only a problem years ago for kids who had eaten a bunch of paint chips," said Karl Androes, co-founder of Reading In Motion, a nonprofit that trains CPS teachers to improve reading skills in kindergarten and first grade through music and drama. "That's also why we've had trouble getting the (education) foundations or the principals to pay attention to it." |
Credit: MorgueFile Image
The gods are a distant, but potent force in fantasy RPGs. While they rarely interact in meaningful ways with the populace at large, there are certain servants they deem worthy. Men and women whose prayers are answered, and who are graced with the touch of the divine. They are given the right to perform miracles in the name of the gods, and they draw their power from a well deeper (and sometimes darker) than mortal minds can comprehend. They are known by many names throughout the world, but to those of us sitting around the table they're called clerics.
Clerics come in all shapes and sizes, colors and creeds. They serve gods, as well as ideals, and they can be built to achieve an infinite variety of goals. But too often they all end up sounding the same; zealous evangelists who seem to have little motivation outside of their divine calling.
If you've been looking for a way to get out of the missionary position, here are a few, simple tips you should keep in mind. As always, I'd like to remind folks that this list is geared toward the Pathfinder roleplaying game, but the advice may be useful for similar systems.
For more great gaming insight, head over to my blog Improved Initiative. Or, if you're interested in the 5 Tips articles for the rest of the classes, you'll find the master list for all the ones in the base book at 5 Tips For Playing Better Core Classes (The Complete List).
Tip #1: Decide If You're Part of an Organized Church
One of the major assumptions we make about clerics is that they are part of an established, organized church. After all, it seems every small town you come to has at least a one-room chapel, and there are typically entire districts of major cities devoted to houses of worship. The roads are lined with shrines, and it is rare indeed for a settlement not to have at least a nominal faith in some deity.
However, nowhere in the class description does it say clerics must be priests in the traditional sense. Just like how paladins don't have to be part of knightly orders, clerics don't need to go through seminary, and take the vows of an organized church. They are chosen by the gods themselves, not empowered by their fellow men. So it's entirely possible that someone dedicated to a god of war found their faith on the battlefield, sword in hand, as he slew in his god's name. Someone might study with a lone hermit in the wastes, learning a faith at the feet of a sage no one else has even heard of. A cleric might even be considered a heretic by members of the established religion, but even though they claim this person is not a true servant of their god, there is no denying the power they wield.
On the other hand, if you are part of an established religion, then what is your role within the church? Are you a missionary, who goes to other places to spread word of your faith? Are you a chaplain, seconded to a military as an agent of the faith? Are you a scholar, or a teacher, who instructs acolytes in the rituals and spells of your order? Or are you something else? This can solidify the character in your mind, and make it much easier to get a grasp on what's expected of them, in terms of their duty to the church.
Tip #2: Decide If You Worship a God, or Follow an Idea
Credit: MorgueFile Image
As players, we're used to clerics being the servant of one, specific god. Once in a great while we'll find someone who's a servant of a pantheon, but that's pretty rare. Typically we think of it as one cleric, one god, and that cleric has a personal relationship with that god. There's a lot of character flavor to be had there, because you have to ask what that kind of a relationship does to someone. Do they try to embody that god, or are they someone you would never expect to be part of that faith?
However, there's another option players either forget, or overlook. Because a section on page 39 of the Core Rulebook states that clerics can follow an idea, or a philosophy, instead of a god. This presents an opportunity (and challenge) that players don't often think about. An established religion has rules and regulations, and gods have myths that set forth how their followers should act. But what does a cleric who follows the idea of knowledge do? Or someone devoted to the concept of good? The book itself says you should sit down with your DM to have a long, involved discussion on the subject, but it can be freeing for players to feel they have a hand in shaping the essence of their cleric's faith, and putting it into an idea rather than into a deity.
In either case, though, it's important for you to ask how your cleric first found faith, and why they were chosen by whatever force it is that grants them power. Because that incident can shape them as surely as anything in their holy book. If they have one.
Tip #3: Ask How You Pray
Clerics are prepared casters, and as such they have to spend an hour at a certain time of day praying to their patron for spells. Most of us hear that, and we picture a cleric kneeling in quiet contemplation, sending their thoughts up to the divine to dip a little power out of their well.
That's all well and good for members of quiet, contemplative, pious faiths. But what about those who serve raucous, violent, or artful gods? Would they accept prayers from someone just sitting quietly in a field, muttering to themselves?
As mentioned in Improved Initiative's What Does Your Spell Preparation Look Like? post, you can get a lot of insight to your cleric when you ask what their ritual preparation actually is. What time of day do you pray, for instance? And what environment is preferred? What rituals do you perform, and do you need any special tools in order to perform them? Do you drip holy water and oil onto your blade, and draw a sanctified whetstone down its length while speaking the warrior's mantra? Do you make a series of beautiful charcoal sketches, then light them in a brazier so the smoke will reach your goddess in the clouds? Do you whisper your prayers to an insect, a fox, or a tree, trusting them to bring your words to the nature god who empowers you?
Don't be afraid to get creative with it!
Tip #4: Ask What Your Vows and Sins Are
Credit: MorgueFile Image
Every faith has a doctrine, whether it's an official one or not. And as we know, clerics who fall out of synch with the divine forces that grant them power will lose most of their class features. But what are the things your cleric does to please their patron? What are the things they are prohibited from doing?
For example, lots of players assume that clerics (and paladins) have taken vows of chastity as part of their faith. That might make sense for some servants of some deities, but it makes no sense for others. What good is a chaste servant of the god of family? Are clerics allowed to use drugs? Or must their use be prescribed under certain circumstances as an imbibing of a holy substance used to reach a higher plane of consciousness? Are you allowed to raise your hand to stop violent acts? Does your faith have enemies that you must face, regardless of the circumstances?
If your faith is the bedrock of your adventuring career, then it's important for you to know what you have to do to please (or at least avoid displeasing) your patron divine force. Keeping your alignment within one step is well and good, mechanically, but it isn't as helpful a metric as sitting down with your DM to talk about what the tenets of your faith are, and how you keep them.
Fortunately for cleric players, Paizo has fleshed out a lot of the specifics regarding the gods and their faiths in their world. Everything from splat books like Gods and Magic to Inner Sea Gods will help you find what you're looking for.
Tip #5: Ask Who Your Cleric Is, Behind Their Faith
Faith is the defining feature of a cleric. Without it they have no patron, no magic, and they aren't markedly different from most normal people. But a cleric is more than who or what they pray to. Their faith is a defining feature of their life, but it should not be the only feature of it.
So ask who your character was before they found their faith. Ask how their faith has shaped them, and how it's altered their life goals. Ask what their temptations are, and how they deal with them. Ask who their friends are, who their family is, and if they had to leave anyone behind to answer the call of the divine. Do they ever miss that life? Do they have hobbies? Do they want to retire, and pass the mantle on to someone else in time? Or do they seek to die gloriously in their god's service, either to become a martyr, or to guarantee a place in the afterlife?
Despite their borrowed power, clerics should also be people. And when an actual person practices a faith, it can often have some unexpected results. Embrace those, and see where it leads you! |
The following is a release from 11Nine Fat Bikes!
ev·o·lu·tion – noun
the gradual development of something, esp. from a simple to a more complex form.
synonyms: development, advancement, growth, rise, progress, expansion, unfolding
re·de·fine – transitive verb
1: to define (as a concept) again : reformulate
2a : to reexamine or reevaluate especially with a view to change
b : transform
Sometimes being part of the norm is fine, but what happens when that’s just not good enough for you and you make a choice to redefine yourself?
11nine Fat Bikes has chosen to do just that. Normalcy is not in our vocabulary. We choose the words evolve and redefine to better describe what we’re setting out to do.
We’re redefining the existing class of fat-bikes as you currently know them. Our goal is to give options to the fat bike community that allows the species to evolve into a top predator.
Introducing the 11nine Fat Bikes SIMUS and DIREWOLF.
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Frame only
Roller- frame, wheel set, 11nine suspension fork,”lulu”, Cane Creek AngleSet, Race face- Turbine cranks. And a Marzocchi Roco Lite shock (on suspension frame)
Or complete builds, to order
Spec bike will be available also at a later date.
Production frames in 6000-Series Aluminum are due to arrive early 2014.
11nine Fat Bikes will be on the floor at 2013 Interbike, held in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 18 – 20. If you’d like to experience the evolution up close and personal, please contact us at [email protected].
Check them out on Facebook at 11nine Fat Bikes.
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Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The heckle and Dylan's response were caught on tape and later released on a live album by the singer
Fifty years ago, Bob Dylan was at the centre of a storm, with arguments raging on both sides of the Atlantic about whether his decision to play electric sets meant he had sold out his folk roots.
The controversy began at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival in the US, where he was booed when he played electric and it came to a head, unexpectedly, towards the end of his 1966 world tour at a concert in Manchester on 17 May.
Frustrated by what he was hearing, one man decided to vent his fury as the sound ebbed before Dylan's final song of the set with a heckle that has become one of the most famous in musical history.
He shouted a single word - "Judas".
Musician and author Dr CP Lee was in the crowd that night and has since written a book about the world tour.
He says it has been "reckoned to be one of the pivotal moments in popular music in the 20th Century, on a par with the riot at Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in Paris".
Image copyright Mark Makin Image caption Mark Makin took the only known photographs of the gig from his seat in the fourth row
At the time, he was a 16-year-old schoolboy, eager to see Dylan after missing his concert in the city the year before.
He says from the start, the gig had a distinct atmosphere and - with no pun intended - it was "electric".
"That night, standing outside, there were people arguing, lots of speculation and quite a sense of an impending event.
"We'd read in 1965 about booing at Newport and the impression we got was that Dylan had come back on with an acoustic guitar and everything was alright.
"The side door opened and in we went. We could see amplifiers and a drum kit on the stage and people were going 'oh no'.
"Some of us had read Melody Maker that week, which said there had been booing in Dublin and people wondered what Dylan was going to do."
'Bewildered, shell-shocked'
Mark Makin, who "by chance" took the only known photographs of the show, remembers the sense of "trepidation" but adds that it "wasn't as if people didn't know what was about to happen".
"We had all read that this was going to be electric. They were all just hopeful that it might not."
The gig had two halves: the first saw Dylan taking the stage alone and acoustic, while in the second, he played with the backing of his band, The Hawks.
Makin, who was in the fourth row with his school friends, says the audience was "delighted" with the acoustic set.
"Everybody was whisper quiet. These days, everyone roars with the recognition of the first line. It never happened then. You didn't dare miss a second of it.
"I suppose there was an expectation that he might not [play electric], he just might carry on - because we had such a good first half, he might just do more of the same."
Bob Dylan goes electric
Image copyright Getty Images
Dylan found fame as an acoustic folk singer in the early 1960s. His first four albums had more chart success in the UK than in the US, with 1963's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan reaching number one
He introduced an electric sound on his 1965 releases, Bringing It All Back Home - which had an acoustic and an electric side - and the fully-electric Highway 61 Revisited. They peaked at number one and four respectively in the UK
Dylan played an acoustic set on 24 July 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival before returning to play an electric set the following day
The set was met with a mixture of cheering and booing. Dylan and his band left the stage, before the singer was persuaded to return and play two acoustic numbers
He went on to face similar responses on his 1966 world tour, which used the same format of an acoustic set, followed by a electric show
His next five studio albums - Blonde On Blonde, John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning - all reached the top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic, with all but Blonde On Blonde hitting the UK top spot
BBC World Service: Witness - Dylan goes electric
Lee remembers people in the intermission "breathing a sigh of relief and I heard somebody say 'oh, he's seen sense. He's not going to use the band, he's realised he's wrong'."
Little did they know what was to come. Returning for the second half, Lee says drummer Mickey Jones "blasted into Tell Me, Momma [and] it was the loudest thing I'd ever heard".
He says that at the end of that first number, "people were bewildered, shell-shocked even", but shortly after, the protests began.
"Throughout the second half, people started slow hand-clapping. Groups of people were standing up, facing the stage accusingly and then walking out.
"There were random shouts here, there and everywhere."
And then there was a shout from the circle - "Judas". Lee says the heckle stung Dylan "to the quick".
"He lets the guy have it. You can really see that he has rankled Dylan.
"The look on his face... he turned around and said 'I don't believe you'. It was an incredibly antagonistic moment."
Lee says Dylan then stepped away from the microphone, swore as he told the band to "play it loud" and they "lurched into Like A Rolling Stone, which was this giant juggernaut".
Image copyright Mark Makin Image caption Makin says Dylan's opening electric number - Tell Me, Momma - 'hit like a freight train'
Makin saw what happened in that second half differently.
"When he came on, he'd got a smirk on his face, because he knew what was going to happen.
"He'd had this elsewhere in the months prior to this and he had it completely under control and was not going to be dissuaded by anybody.
"He piled in with Tell Me, Momma, and it hit like a freight train, because it was a real rocker and screamer.
"People sat there stunned."
'I shouted Judas'
Makin points to a problem with the sound as the reason for the abuse Dylan received, an issue which it has also been claimed was behind the discord in Newport too.
"I think the problem was the Free Trade Hall's total lack of musicality - it was a square-sided building and when the sound was projected from a PA like that, it hit the wall at the back and came straight back at you with an echo and a reverb.
"All you could hear was this mush of sound. I think that was what hurt people.
"It wasn't that we didn't expect him to be electric, but if if he had just come in at three quarters of the decibels, it might have worked."
It is not known whether it was the electric set or the sound quality that vexed the famous heckler - in fact, as Lee explains, it is not even known for certain who shouted.
"Andy Kershaw and myself made a documentary for BBC Radio 1 in 1999 and were contacted by a guy who had emigrated to Canada called Keith Butler, who said 'yes, I shouted Judas'.
"But there was always an element of doubt. He had shouted something but I think he was confused about whether he had shouted that.
"After the broadcast, we got a call from a very irate person who said 'my husband shouted Judas and here he is now'.
"He was called John Cordwell. Andy and I met John and he had a lot of people who were with him who said 'yes, he shouted it out and we all applauded and thought he was great for having done it'.
"Sadly, both of them have passed away now, but it's funny - you wait 30-odd years for Judas to turn up and you get two at once."
Image copyright Mark Makin Image caption Makin took an entire roll of film at the concert, managing to get 'about nine usable shots'
Lee says Dylan reacted so viciously because of the word used in the heckle.
"I think being called Judas was the point. Betraying what? It's quite ridiculous.
"That level of antagonism against an artist is unimaginable nowadays. It couldn't happen now - people would just either like it or not.
"This was not a bad set, it was absolutely fantastic what they played.
"It was eye-opening and revolutionary. I'm so glad there is a record of it."
The recording of the concert surfaced as a bootleg at the end of the 1960s and was officially released by Dylan in 1998.
Lee says it was an "incendiary" performance and that what happened that night - the heckle, Dylan's response and the ferocity with which he played the second half - changed music forever.
"In essence, it's the night that pop music became rock music.
"It was heavy metal, it was thrash metal, it was death metal, it was everything that's come since then.
"I was totally aware, the moment it finished, I knew I had been present at something that was seismic.
"I knew, from that night on, that things would never quite be the same again."
Electric 50, a celebration of the Free Trade Hall show by Manchester's musical community, takes place at Manchester Academy 3 on 17 May. |
Don’t you just love that moment of returning consciousness when you wake up?
It’s a little shock, followed by a moment of snoozing.
Shortly after comes the feeling that something isn’t right, you wake up a little more and figure out things are okay after all, and return to peaceful snoozing.
Not today. Not fucking today.
Oh sure, most of it was the same as every other time, but then I realized that what I saw was not my nightstand, nor the cabinet on the other wall.
From what I could see I was in a hospital room.
I was drunk yesterday but not to the point that I blacked out.
I remember standing up from behind my computer at two in the morning, walking to the toilet and emptying my bladder while leaning on the wall.
Heck, I even remember crawling up the stairs and into bed next to my wife. Did I have an accident overnight?
I tried to get up on my elbows, only to be shocked that they were not where I expected them to be.
I moved my hand up to my face and smashed it against my nose.
The big shock came when I tried to move my arm again, more careful this time, and saw a little hand.
A baby’s hand. What was this?
I tried to talk and all I could manage was a soft cry, almost a whimper.
I screamed and the cry got louder, but this was not my voice.
My heart felt like an ice cold hand took hold of it and my throat froze up to the point that I could not swallow.
For a moment I believed I was in a nightmare and could wake up every second now, but none such thing happened.
I tried to get up but kept failing time after time. I tried to roll around and kick but my legs were firmly bound inside a blanket.
At last, I kept screaming. I screamed till my throat hurt and my eyes were full of tears.
I don’t know for how long I screamed but after some time I saw a nurse walking towards me.
As she came closer I stopped screaming and she started talking:
“Hey buddy, what a smart little fellow you are! Are you hungry? Let’s go see your mother!”.
My surroundings began to move and it took me a moment to realize I was actually in a baby bed on wheels, a plastic tub with a mattress in it.
We drove past other little beds on wheels and into a long hallway.
We were stopped a few times by people telling me that I was cute but finally we entered another room where I saw a big bed, and two people sitting next to it, talking to the person in the bed.
“Hello mommy, look who is awake!” the nurse proclaimed and everybody turned heads.
She lifted me out of my plastic prison and up to the bed, and for the second time in my life I saw my mother for the first time.
Only this woman was not my mother, and who were those other people?
The man and woman seemed to be in her thirties and there was a girl that seemed to be 4 or 5 years old.
But still, the woman spoke to me with a loving voice:
“Is my little boy awake? Yes? What a cute little boy you are!” and than almost without interrupting turned her head towards the man and said:
“Do you see how much he looks like your father Ben? He’s clearly going to be a real Ansley!”.
Ansley? I never heard that name before.
Who were these people, and did I really look like them?
How could that even be possible?
I was Austin Solomon and I had been Austin Solomon for my whole life!
I could feel the panic returning and as I tried to talk I started crying again.
But before my it could peak to the level it did before, she held me up and looked me in the eyes:
“What’s up little boy? Are you hungry?”.
Without hesitation she opened the hospital dress and drew me close to one of her breasts.
Startled I tried to back out but I had nowhere to go. Firmly she pushed my mouth against the nipple and in a reflex I drunk.
It was oddly comforting. It felt like it was everything I needed and after a few moments I heard the talking fading away and my eyelids going heavy. I fell asleep.
And now I am here. Again, it must be a dream or a nightmare, but it feels like I’m fully awake.
I cannot move, none of my limbs respond and I cannot turn my head. But but I can move my eyes around and all I see is a small room.
The walls look like poorly painted wood, and yet none of it feels real. At the wall opposite me there is a red door, made of metal.
In front of me is a little table and chair that look like they came out of an old classroom.
The door swings open and a man in a suit with a briefcase walks in. He closes the door without saying a word, walks up to the table and puts the briefcase on top of it.
He opens it, takes out some paperwork, closes the briefcase and sits down.
“Solomon? Austin Solomon?” He sounds bored. He sounds like he has been in this situation a million times.
I respond: “Yes. Please, can you tell me what is going on? Is this a nightmare?” - “Please hold your questions for later mister Solomon. I will explain what is happening, but first we need to sort out some paperwork.”
I start getting angry. Who is this jerk? Clearly he knows what is going on!
“Paperwork?? Are you insane? Return me to my home man, my wife, my bed, everything! Give me back my life!” - “I’m sorry mister Solomon, I’m afraid that is not possible. You died last night from a cerebral infarction.
Your wife woke up because of your spasms and she called an ambulance.
They got you in to the hospital in under one hour and tried thrombolysis but the tissue plasminogen activator was not as effective as it should be due to your high alcohol consumption over the last months. You never even woke up.
If you want I can refer you to article STROKEAHA.114.007143v1 which describes the effect of alcohol on thrombolysis. Now, if you please hold until we’re done with the paperwork here I’m more than happy to explain the situation and answer your questions. You should be happy to be here anyway.”
Article? Happy? What the hell was this guy talking about?
He kept sounding just as bored, as if he had gone trough this so many times, that he did not care for the emotions of, what, his clients?
I had no idea why I was here and what my role was.
His bored behavior calmed me down a little because well, if he is used to it, then there must be some sense behind this, right?
“Okay, what is this paperwork, mister ehh, what was your name again?” -
“I believe I did not introduce myself mister Solomon, but you may call me Adam.
Thank you for working with me here. In short, you have been revived. Try to take more care of yourself in this one.
Now, since this is your first time, you will have to sign this disclaimer that you will tell no one about this nor write anything about your experience down nor record it in any other way. Also you are not allowed to contact former friends and family, not even your wife, in any way.
We will try to direct their and your lives in a way that you will likely never meet in person with anyone you personally knew before, but in case it accidentally does happen, you must act as if you meet them for the first time.”
Revived? This is getting weirder and weirder.
And who is he to tell me not to contact my wife? Of course I’ll contact my wife! I love her!
“But why should I sign this? What if I contact her anyway? I love her! You can’t take her away from me!”
He sighs, takes of his glasses and starts to clean them. Puts them back on.
“Mister Solomon, please try to understand that I took no one away from you. You died. Possibly related to your extensive intake of alcohol lately.
If only for that reason you are to blame and other than that it was the way of life.
You should be pleased with the extra life you are getting. There are not a lot of people who are given this chance but most of them turned out really well.
Some of the best minds of the past era’s you might say. People like Plato, Buddha, Socrates, Shakespeare, Newton, Einstein have been before you.
Obviously a lot of the current leaders of the world in politics, industry and other professions are as well rebornists but we never disclose names of people who are alive now. Still, some of them have been revived multiple times and carry the memories of generations.
The reason that you may not disclose information about this process is that there is no way to prove it to others than your relatives. However, they can never love you in the way they did, and before you grow old enough to contact them their lives have changed.
Right now your wife is arranging your funeral together with your good friend Jake, and four years from now they will start living together as it is something that brought them close. If you would meddle in this business, as a child, can you see what would happen? Once you made her believe that it really is you, what can she do? You are a child and she is happy again.
Of course your photo will still be on the cabinet, and both she and Jake will look at it regularly since you are missed. On your birthday and the day you died they will even burn a candle in front of it, but, eventually they will both realize that you are gone forever. You are missed, you will never be forgotten, but you have no place anymore in their lives. If you go ahead and contact them anyway, we have no other option but immediate termination of your life before you can reveal any sensitive information. We will see ahead of time if you are planning to do this and warn you up front, but if you happen to go trough with it, all we can do to stop you is termination.”
This is nuts. I feel the panic rising again but I hold it back. So I died and have been given a new life?
He holds up his hand: “Mister Solomon, please read the rules of engagement contract so we can get this over with. After that I’m ready for all your questions.” He picks up a paper and holds it in front of me. I read:
Rules of engagement to be signed on first revival. This set of rules is made between GAEA and the person formerly known as Austin Solomon, now newborn in the Ansley family, from now on referring to as ‘the rebornist’. 1) The rebornist hereby states to never contact friends, relatives, partners or other close entities from any former life. 2) The rebornist hereby states to never talk to anyone about the process of being revived. 3) The rebornist hereby states to never write down or record in any other way information about the process of being revived. 4) The rebornist hereby states to accept his new family as his or her own and live in their midst as their child. 5) The rebornist hereby states to understand that living by these rules is in the best interest of his own life, and accepts that his life can be terminated immediately in case he fails to follow these rules. To sign this document, please speak out loud 'I understand and accept these rules’.
“Okay, I’ve read it. What if I don’t accept?”
He takes the paper down and without a blink he says: “Then you will die. For now you are a baby sleeping in his mothers arms. If you refuse to accept this chance for a new life, you will die of natural causes and not only give up your own life but also bring a lot of sadness and grief to a young family. If you have any more questions, please ask them now.”
So this is it. The final chance for a new life. A life where I already know about life, and thus can use this to advance in a way others often can’t. I can accept this and be a newborn baby. I would go to school in a few years and because of what I know I will be a great student. I possibly can become anything I want. I have a clean slate and I can make a fresh start. Didn’t I always dream of this? It’s not the way I expected it to be, but a new life to start, without learning the lessons? This could be an amazing chance. How did I get this life anyway?
“Mister ehh, Adam? How did I get this life anyway? And who is GAEA? Who are you anyway? Are there more of you?” -
“You got this life because GAEA decided you had potential for this world. Some would call it natural re-selection.
Your upcoming life will prove if you have or not, and if you are an asset to society you will most likely have another one. GAEA (pronounced Gaia) is the spirit of our earth. It is well known in human tales and myths because in the past, people actually managed to speak about this process. Luckily we have advanced since then. We are the guardians of GAEA. We have no name except that we all call ourselves Adam towards humans. We have no individual memories or thoughts but we are connected to the spirit of GAEA. Because of this we know everything, all the time. There is no set number of us, but more or less instances of us will be created when needed. This room, my appearance, the language we use and everything else except the rules of engagement are a product of your own subconsciousness that is being fed by GAEA.”
So this is what it comes down to eh? I accept and walk away, live my new life and be great at it. Not accept and what, I die?“ - "Yes. You die.” - “And what happens then?” - “That is yours to find out once you die. I’m here to help you get through the revival process, I’m not here to tell you about the afterlife. This should stay a secret to mankind forever, because it is what drives their will to live.”
So I guess I better accept, if I want to die, all I have to do is decide to talk about this. “Okay, show me the paper” He picks it up again and holds it in front of me. “I understand and accept these rules”
The paper changes color and turns into stone, and the last line changes into:
Read and accepted by the rebornist. Set in stone for eternity.
He takes the slate away and puts it in his briefcase, together with the rest of what is apparently my dossier. “Thank you mister Ansley. Enjoy your new life and make the best out of it.”
The room slowly turns dark and the temperature seems to go up.
Don’t you just love that moment of returning consciousness when you wake up?
It’s a little shock, followed by a moment of snoozing.
Shortly after comes the feeling that something isn’t right, you wake up a little more and figure out things are okay after all, and return to peaceful snoozing.
I’m safe. I’m safe and sound on my mothers belly, wrapped in a warm blanket.
And for the first time in my life, I have nothing to worry about.
Nothing at all. |
According to the Atlantic Wire, an internal FBI report obtained by CNN shows that the FBI had to fire "numerous employees for things like sexting, spying on their bosses, and getting 'happy endings' at a massage parlor."
HuffPost Justice reporter Ryan Reilly joined Alyona Minkovski Huffpost Live on Friday to discuss the unfolding story.
"Its coming from people who are both using their personal mobile devices and interrupting office culture as well as people who are using their government issued blackberries to do this," Reilly said.
"There are thousands and thousands of employees within the FBI," Reilly said, and though we hold FBI agents to a higher moral standard, "it's not a massive, massive problem."
The FBI's disciplinary reports are quite detailed in outlining exactly what various employees are doing, perhaps in an effort to stymie such behavior in the future.
One report included details about an employee emailing nude photographs of herself to her ex-boyfriend's wife. The report goes so far as to note that the "employee failed to cease contact with ex-boyfriend and wife after twice being ordered to do so by supervisor and Chief Security Officer," and included that the employee was suspended for 10 days.
Watch the Full Segment on HuffPost Live. |
by
A former Israeli army Chief of Staff, a man of limited intelligence, was told that a certain individual was an atheist. “Yes,” he asked, “but a Jewish atheist or a Christian atheist?”
Lenin, in his Swiss exile, once inquired about the party affiliation of a newly elected member of the Duma. “Oh, he is just a fool!” his assistant asserted. Lenin answered impatiently: “A fool in favor of whom?”
I am tempted to pose a similar question about people touted to be neutral in our conflict: “Neutral in favor of whom?”
The question came to my mind when I saw an Israeli documentary about the US intermediaries who have tried over the last 40 years or so to broker peace between the Palestinians and us.
For some reason, most of them were Jews.
I am sure that all of them were loyal American citizens, who would have been sincerely offended by any suggestion that they served a foreign country, such as Israel. They honestly felt themselves to be neutral in our conflict.
Bur were they neutral? Are they? Can they be?
My answer is: No, they couldn’t.
Not because they were dishonest. Not because they consciously served one side. Certainly not. Perish the thought!
But for a much deeper reason. They were brought up on the narrative of one side. From childhood on, they have internalized the history and the terminology of one side (ours). They couldn’t even imagine that the other side has a different narrative, with a different terminology.
This does not prevent them from being neutral. Neutral for one side.
By the way, in this respect there is no great difference between American Jews and other Americans. They have generally been brought up on the same history and ideology, based on the Hebrew Bible.
Let us take the latest example. John Kerry is carrying with him a draft plan for the solution of the conflict.
It was prepared meticulously by a staff of experts. And what a staff! One hundred and sixty dedicated individuals!
I won’t ask how many of them are fellow Jews. The very question smacks of anti-Semitism. Jewish Americans are like any other Americans. Loyal to their country. Neutral in our conflict.
Neutral for whom?
Well, let’s look at the plan. Among many other provisions, it foresees the stationing of Israeli troops in the Palestinian Jordan valley. A temporary measure. Only for ten years. After that, Israel will decide whether its security needs have been met. If the answer is negative, the troops will remain for as long as necessary – by Israeli judgment.
For neutral Americans, this sounds quite reasonable. There will be a free and sovereign Palestinian state. The Jordan valley will be part of this state.
If the Palestinians achieve their long-longed-for independence, why should they care about such a bagatelle? If they are not considering military action against Israel, why would they mind?
Logical if you are an Israeli. Or an American. Not if you are a Palestinian.
Because for a Palestinian, the Jordan valley constitutes 20% of their putative state, which altogether consists of 22% of the territory they consider their historical homeland. And because they believe, based on experience, that there is very little chance that Israelis will ever willingly withdraw from a piece of land if they can help it. And because the continued military control of the valley would allow the Israelis to cut the State of Palestine off from any contact with the Arab world, indeed from the world at large.
And, well, there is such a thing as national pride and sovereignty.
Imagine Mexican – or even Canadian – troops stationed on 20% of the territory of the USA. Or French troops in control of 20% of Germany. Or Russian troops in 20% of Poland. Or Serbian troops in Kosovo?
Impossible, you say. So why do American experts take it for granted that Palestinians are different? That they wouldn’t mind?
Because they have a certain conception of Israelis and Palestinians.
The same lack of understanding of the other side is, of course, prevalent in the relations between the two sides themselves.
On the last day of anno 2013, Israel had to release 26 Palestinian prisoners, who had been held since before the 1993 Oslo Accord. This was part of the preliminary agreement achieved by John Kerry for starting the current negotiations.
Every time this happens, there is an outcry in Israel and rejoicing in Palestine. Nothing exemplifies the mental gap between the two peoples more clearly than these contrasting reactions.
For Israelis, these prisoners are vile murderers, despicable terrorists with “blood on their hands”. For Palestinians, they are national heroes, soldiers of the sacred Palestinian cause, who have sacrificed more than 20 years of their young lives for the freedom of their people.
For days, all Israeli networks have reported several times a day on demonstrations of bereaved Israeli mothers, clutching in their hands large photos of their sons and daughters, crying out in anguish against the release of their murderers. And immediately after, scenes in Ramallah and Nablus of the mothers of the prisoners, clutching the portraits of their loved ones, dancing and singing in anticipation of their arrival.
Many Israelis were cringing at this sight. But the editors and anchormen would be astonished if they were told that they were inciting the people against the prisoner release, and – indirectly – against the peace negotiations. Why? How? Just honest reporting!
This revulsion at the other side’s rejoicing seems to be an ancient reaction. The Bible tells us that after King Saul was killed in the war against the Philistines, King David lamented: “Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon (both Philistine towns) ; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.” (II Samuel. 1:20)
Binyamin Netanyahu went further. He made a speech denouncing the Palestinian leadership. How could they organize these demonstrations of joy? What does that say about the sincerity of Mahmoud Abbas? How could they rejoice at the sight of these abominable murderers, who had slaughtered innocent Jews? Doesn’t this prove that they are not serious about seeking peace, that they are all unreformed terrorists at heart, out for Jewish blood? So we cannot give up any security measures for a long, long time.
The prisoners themselves, when interviewed by Israeli TV immediately after their release, argued in excellent Hebrew (learned in prison) that the main thing was to achieve peace. When asked, one of them said: “Is there a single Israeli, from Netanyahu down, who hasn’t killed Arabs?”
The gap of perceptions is, to my mind, the largest obstacle to peace.
This week Netanyahu gave us another beautiful example. He spoke about the continued incitement against Israel in Palestinian schoolbooks. This item of right-wing Israeli propaganda pops up every time the other tired arguments are let out to grass.
How can there be peace, Netanyahu exclaimed, if Palestinian children learn in their classes that Haifa and Nazareth are part of Palestine? This means that they are educated to destroy Israel!
This is so impertinent, that one can only gasp. I don’t think that there exists a single Hebrew schoolbook that does not mention the fact that Jericho and Hebron are part of Eretz Israel. To change this one would have to abolish the Bible.
Haifa and Hebron, Jericho and Nazareth are all part of the same country, called Palestine in Arabic and Eretz Israel in Hebrew. They are all deeply rooted in the consciousness of both peoples. A compromise between them does not mean that they give up their historical memories, but that they agree to partition the country into two political entities.
Netanyahu and his ilk cannot imagine this, and therefore they are unable to make peace. On the Palestinian side there are certainly many people who also find this impossible, or too painful.
I wonder if Irish schoolbooks have obliterated 400 years of English domination or abomination. I doubt it. I also wonder how English schoolbooks treat this chapter of their history.
In any case, if an independent (neutral?) commission of experts were to examine all the schoolbooks in Israel and Palestine, they would find very little difference between them. Of Israel’s four main school systems (national, national-religious, western-orthodox and eastern-orthodox), at least the three religious ones are so nationalist-racist that a Palestinian competitor would be hard-pressed to trump them. None of them says anything about the existence of a Palestinian people, not to mention any rights on the country they may possess. God forbid (literally)!
To be more than a mere fragile armistice, peace needs reconciliation. See: Mandela.
Reconciliation is impossible if either side is totally oblivious to the narrative of the other, their history, beliefs, perceptions, myths.
John Kerry does not need 160 or 1600 experts, neutral or otherwise. He needs one good psychologist. Or maybe two.
One can easily understand the feelings of a mother whose son was killed by a Palestinian militant. If one tries, one can also understand the feelings of a mother whose son was ordered by his leaders to attack Israelis and who returns from prison after 30 years.
Only if the American intermediaries, neutral or otherwise, understand both can they contribute to furthering peace.
URI AVNERY is an Israeli writer and peace activist with Gush Shalom. He is a contributor to CounterPunch’s book The Politics of Anti-Semitism. |
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A lawsuit filed last week by a former GOP staffer in the Iowa state Senate claims that US Senate candidate Joni Ernst, a Republican, saw male colleagues sexually harass a female employee when Ernst served in the state Senate and “did and said” nothing to stop the abuse.
Kirsten Anderson, a former communications director for the Iowa Senate Republican Caucus, filed the lawsuit against the caucus on October 16. She claims that she was a victim of sexual harassment when she worked for the caucus and that when she complained to her superiors, she was fired. “By way of just one example, Sen. Joni Ernst of Red Oak and Sen. Sandra Greiner of Keota witnessed sexual innuendo and inappropriate behavior exhibited by their male colleagues and did and said nothing while female staffers stood by unable to say anything,” the suit alleges.
The lawsuit mentions Ernst just once, and Anderson does not name Ernst, who is a member of the caucus, as a defendant. But Democrats in Iowa, where Ernst is in an extremely tight race against Democratic candidate Bruce Braley, have seized on the allegation in the final weeks of the campaign.
In a statement sent to reporters, Ernst denied that she had witnessed sexual harassment in the Legislature, adding, “As a former colleague, I hope [Anderson] is not being exploited ahead of the election.” A spokeswoman for Ernst called Anderson’s lawsuit “an obvious effort by Bruce Braley to smear Joni Ernst two weeks before the election.”
Three prominent Iowa Democrats pounced on those remarks at a news conference organized by a consulting firm with ties to Braley’s campaign.
“Rather than express concern for a young woman who worked under her, she immediately attempted to impugn the integrity and motivation of that young woman.”
“Rather than express concern for a young woman who worked under her, she immediately attempted to impugn the integrity and motivation of that young woman,” Bonnie Campbell, the former attorney general of Iowa, said at the conference. “This is, in the world we inhabit, classic blaming the victim. I think the most offensive thing is the suggestion that this young woman, who has done something very courageous…was politically motivated by secret outsiders and that she didn’t have either the intellect or the integrity to make her own decision about whether to file such a very serious lawsuit.”
“I’m a supporter of Bruce Braley, but that wasn’t my motivation,” Campbell told Mother Jones, explaining her role in orchestrating the press conference. “I said what I said because Ernst’s record is really bad on women’s issues and I don’t want her to win this election.”
Michael J. Carroll, Anderson’s attorney, denied that there are political motivations to the lawsuit or the timing. “We were on a deadline,” Carroll tells Mother Jones. “We had to file the lawsuit by October 29 or we forever lost the right to do so…You could say, well why didn’t we file it earlier? That only would have given the candidates and campaigns more time to make something out of it.”
“While the lawsuit mentions state Sen. Ernst, it also mentions many other state senators, including Democratic senators,” Carroll continues. “It had no political angle at all. It was a purely factual statement about who had seen or heard or experienced or did certain things in their ordinary jobs as state senators. That’s it.”
Her suit echoes claims that she made to the press and the Iowa Civil Rights Commission after she was fired in May 2013. At that time, Anderson said that she had overhead a GOP staffer make an explicit comment about the perceived sexual orientation of the Senate clerk and that a Republican state senator had made sexual comments to her.
“[This] is not about public embarrassment. My goal is to change the work environment at the Capitol.”
Anderson said that she had complained to senior Republican staffers about a pattern of harassing behavior among GOP lawmakers and staff. She also said that she had sent a memo outlining her complaints to a senior Republican staffer and was dismissed later that day. Responding to those allegations, a Republican staffer said that the party had fired Anderson for substandard work. “[This] is not about public embarrassment,” Anderson said back then. “My goal is to change the work environment at the Capitol.”
A spokesman for the state Senate Republicans declined to comment to Mother Jones.
Braley and Ernst have gone back and forth on the subject of sexual harassment before as both vie for support from female voters. (A recent poll shows Braley winning women by double digits.) Ernst made headlines in August after she told Time that during her time in the military, “I had comments, passes, things like that.” She added, “These were some things where I was able to say stop and it simply stopped but there are other circumstances both for women and for men where they don’t stop and they may be afraid to report it.” In another interview, Ernst promised to combat sexual assault in the military, if elected.
Shortly after those interviews, Democratic operatives privately circulated an account of how Ernst had investigated a 2004 sexual-assault allegation made by a soldier under her command when she was a captain in the Iowa National Guard—and alleged she had “covered up” the incident.
Military records obtained by the Register showed that the female soldier under Ernst’s command had not been consistent in her account of the alleged assault and that several eyewitnesses contradicted her initial story. A psychiatrist treating the female soldier, however, concluded that she “exhibited common symptoms of someone who had experienced a rape.” Ernst and other investigating officers concluded that the soldier’s claims were unfounded. Ernst punished the male soldier accused of sexual assault for an alcohol violation he admitted during the investigation.
In response to Democrats’ criticism about Ernst’s role in this episode, her campaign asked a former judge advocate general at Patton Boggs, a white-shoe DC law firm, to review the case. Maj. General Mike Nardotti concluded that Ernst acted properly. |
PA Images
This article is part of our weekly history series. You can read previous entries here.
In his outlook as a man and his attitude as a boxer, Naseem Hamed flew in the face of national sensibilities. In his cocksure swagger, taunting demeanour and deliberate, cultivated gobshite persona, he was never going to be universally beloved in Britain, even if his talents were widely admired. He singularly failed to live up to the national expectations of a sportsman, obliterating as he did the vaunted ideals of modesty, decorum and general seemliness. Instead – dancing about the ring, gurning maniacally at his opponents, adorned in his customary leopard-print shorts – he was a brilliant bully, a charismatic character and a man of monumental hubris, who seemed to make it his mission in boxing to be only as celebrated as he was hard to like.
Part of the motivation behind this was doubtlessly his sense of self. Growing up in Sheffield in the seventies and eighties, the son of Yemeni immigrants, discrimination was an everyday part of Naseem's childhood and early life. In Nick Pitt's The Paddy and The Prince: The Making of Naseem Hamed, Riath Hamed, Naseem's older brother, is quoted as saying: "We suffered a lot from racism in the early days. There were bricks through our windows, pellet guns shooting at the windows and 'NF' sprayed on our windows and doors." The graffiti in question was the hallmark of the National Front, who had a significant presence in Sheffield at the time. Indeed, one of the reasons that Naseem's father introduced him to boxing was so that his son, who grew to be just over 5"4, could defend himself from racially motivated attack, which was not exactly uncommon on the streets of the industrial north.
In the amplified arrogance of his persona, then, Naseem was perhaps reacting against the society he had been brought up in. Unlike the upper-class gentleman shtick of Chris Eubank or the pantomime antics of Frank Bruno, Naseem had no desire to be accepted in Britain, and rejected the cultural norms of British sportsmanship, with its inclination towards humbleness and decent treatment of the fallen foe. This was what made him brilliant, in a way, alongside his incredible agility and deceptive deadliness in the ring. He had no desire to treat his opponents with correctness or decency, and forfeited the usual etiquette and protocol for gaudy spectacle and a penchant for cruelly beating people to a whimpering, chastened and degraded pulp.
The ultimate example of this was Naseem's 1995 WBO title fight against Welsh champion Steve Robinson, held in the open air at Cardiff Arms Park. Much as his family had been humiliated by insults and jibes when he was a child, he humiliated Robinson in front of his home crowd, battering the Cardiff-born fighter to within an inch of his life. It wasn't just the pummelling Naseem handed out to Robinson that shocked people, but the way he goaded, ridiculed and tormented him, fighting with his guard down, grinning insanely, sticking his chin out and hurling his opponent to the floor at various times in the fight. The home crowd, initially rooting for Robinson, were soon silenced. It was as if Naseem was embarrassing not only his opponent, but the spectators who supported him at the same time.
Having already been knocked down in the fifth round, the referee finally stopped the fight in the eighth after a left hook dropped the beleaguered home fighter. Naseem raised his hands above the fallen man, looking down on him with utter contempt. In a spectacular display of pomp and pageantry, the Prince was crowned WBO featherweight champion, though the whole thing had been somehow sadistic, even by the standards of nineties boxing. It had certainly been a tragic performance from Robinson, who would never be quite the same fighter again.
READ MORE: The Cult – Chris Eubank
While Naseem's boxing had been nothing short of fantastic, it also made for difficult viewing. His speed, punching power and ability to avoid a hit were peerless, but so too was the nastiness of his approach, and the sheer, undiluted spite on show. It was as if he was cultivating a reputation as the antithesis of traditional British sport, wearing the loincloth of a Hollywood barbarian while beating the shite out of his enemies, mocking and provoking fans, spectators and the boxing establishment along the way. Here he was, an obnoxious, angry second-generation immigrant with a hypnotic presence and a knack for violence. It was meant to be provocative and, in nineties Britain, it was, even if some fans came to love it nonetheless. Naseem was able to harness the power of hubris like no other, though he seemed to think that nemesis would never arrive in turn. In the end, regardless of the motives behind the Prince's persona, it redressed the balance as it is invariably wont to do.
The cosmic reckoning came six years later, with Naseem having swaggered and taunted his way to 15 more wins in that time. He had contested a grand total of 35 career fights by then, winning all of them, with 31 coming by way of KO. He had broken America, beating a string of famous fighters on the other side of the Atlantic and even unifying the WBC and WBO titles at one point. He had been carried into the ring in a palanquin, flown in on a mechanical flying carpet, and accompanied by British and Yemeni flags as if he was royalty of the most distinguished sort. He would gyrate provocatively as he walked to the ring, strut about to nineties garage, then somersault his way over the ropes and spark out all comers. It was as if – having transcended his status as a British sporting subversive, having ruffled not only his country of birth, but America too – he was now appealing to the universe directly, challenging it to curb his arrogance and, for want of a better expression, come and have a fuckin' go.
The universe eventually accepted that challenge, and nominated its champion in the form of Marco Antonio Barrera. The Mexican veteran had long been touted for a shot at the Prince, and the fight was scheduled for April 2001, not long after Naseem's 27th birthday. With the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as the chosen venue, one might have thought the snazzy surroundings would complement the flashiness and flamboyance of the Prince. Instead, he came into the fight run down and generally unfit. Confidence had become complacency, and Naseem was about to pay a high price.
Having broken his hand in his victorious bout against Augie Sanchez, Naseem had been forced to undergo surgery, and had spent a year and a half out of the gym in the meantime. Two months prior to the fight with Barrera, he came in at 40 pounds overweight. While he lost much of that in the build up to the weigh in, he still struggled to make the cut and ended up resorting to last-ditch tactics, like running on a treadmill in the early hours of the morning and shadow boxing frantically in the heat of his hotel steam room. Emanuel Steward, the former boxer and then trainer who had come in to help Naseem get up to scratch for the fight, later said that he thought the Prince looked massively off the pace.
READ MORE: The Battle Of Britain – Remembering Lennox Lewis' Epic Clash With Frank Bruno
Meanwhile, Barrera's preparation had been meticulous. The fight was for the vacant IBO world featherweight title, and he had no intention of handing it to Naseem. Evidence of Naseem's fitness issues came in the manner of his entrance to the ring, during which he dispensed with his usual somersault over the ropes. He simply wasn't in the right sort of shape for it, and needed to conserve his energy for the gruelling battle ahead.
From the first bell onwards, the Prince's opponent looked sharper, fitter and, for once, meaner than him, catching him with thunderous punches again and again as the bout progressed. Far from his usual charismatic self, Naseem looked lacklustre and deflated, while his punches were perpetually a millisecond late. The dexterity on which he had previously prided himself seemed to have evaporated, and the fight soon took on a seriously one-sided complexion. Come the end of the 12th round, Barrera raised his arms in triumph, and Naseem made little effort to contradict him. The judges' decision came unanimously in Barrera's favour, with scores of 111-116, 112-115 and 112-115.
While the fight was perhaps not the utter schooling it was immediately made out to be, Naseem can hardly have begrudged the gloating reaction of the press. He had made a career out of shameless self-congratulation, and the media took the opportunity to humble him with relish comparable to that he showed his defeated rivals. There were perhaps some mitigating circumstances to his poor performance, not least his injury, but also his split with long-time trainer Brendan Ingle and his increased commitment to his Islamic faith. For a combination of reasons, his head was not in the fight, but neither the press nor the public were in any particular mood to be charitable. The Prince had brought the ensuing crowing upon himself, and saw all those years of demeaning beatings, egotistical pressers and ostentatious entrances come home to roost.
While Naseem would come back to win the IBO featherweight title against Manuel Calvo, he had lost his swagger, and was booed by the crowd for a limp points victory. That would be his last professional fight, and he retired soon afterwards at the age of 28. His loss to Barrera might not have been quite as devastating in terms of performance, but there were echoes of his brutal abasement of Steve Robinson in the collapse of his personal stock after the defeat. The world has a way of making sure that what goes around, comes around. That was true even for Naseem, the angry young man from Sheffield who rose up to become a cruel and compelling prince.
@W_F_Magee |
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday asserted that his proposed ideological tests for immigrants would prevent future terrorist attacks in the United States, while also accusing his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, of facilitating the spread of terrorist attacks in the United States through her "weakness."
"These attacks and many others were made possible because of our extremely open immigration system, which fails to properly vet or screen the individuals or families coming into our country," Trump said during a campaign event in Estero, Florida. "Attack after attack, from 9/11 to San Bernardino, we have seen how failures to screen who is entering our United States puts all of our citizens, everyone in this room, in danger."
Trump said that ideological tests to assess an immigrant's "world view," which he has proposed before, are an important component of such vetting.
The primary suspect in Saturday's New York City and New Jersey bombings, Ahmad Khan Rahami, is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Afghanistan, according to the FBI. The Republican nominee lamented that Rahami is likely to receive modern medical treatment and access to a lawyer.
"Now we will give him amazing hospitalization. He will be taken care of by some of the best doctors in the world. He will be given a fully modern and updated hospital room, and he'll probably even have room service, knowing the way our country is," Trump said. "And on top of all of that, he will be represented by an outstanding lawyer. His case will go through the various court systems for years. And in the end, people will forget and his punishment will not be what it once would have been. What a sad situation."
Trump last year proposed a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. He has since described the ban in geographic terms, saying Monday that he would restrict immigration from "dangerous countries" while focusing on the threat of radical Islam.
"We cannot let this evil continue. Nor can we let the hateful ideology of radical Islam . . . be allowed to reside or spread within our country. Just can't do it," Trump said in Estero. "We will not defeat it with closed eyes or silent voices. Anyone who cannot name our enemy is not fit to lead this country."
Trump said that Clinton "caused the problem," blaming her immigration positions in part. He incorrectly stated that Clinton supports "open borders."
"She very much caused the problem, when you think about it. Her weakness, her ineffectiveness, caused the problem. And now she wants to be president? I don't think so," he said. "Hillary Clinton is a weak and ineffective person. And I will tell you, if you choose Donald Trump, these problems are going to go away."
Trump said that Clinton "refuses to say the words 'radical Islam,'" and is thus unwilling to confront terrorist threats directly.
"In fact, Hillary Clinton talks tougher about my supporters than she does about Islamic terrorists. She calls the patriotic Americans who support our campaign, many of them cops and soldiers, deplorable and irredeemable - and she means it," he told thousands of supporters gathered in Estero. "Has she ever talked that way about radical Islam? No."
Trump also said the authorities should use "whatever lawful methods are available to obtain information" from the suspected New York and New Jersey bomber. He called on Congress to pass measures ensuring foreign enemy combatants are "treated as such." Trump has in the past voiced support for bringing back waterboarding as an interrogation tactic.
The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan contributed to this report from in Washington, D.C. |
The NHL has been allowing fans to vote for the captains of the NHL All-Star Game in January, a system they ran to choose the starters in previous All-Star games.
Since every player must make themselves available for the All-Star game and players who dodge it receive game suspensions, the National Hockey League always makes it so every player is eligible for the fan vote. By having every player available for an online fan vote, NHL fans have made it a game to them.
A few years back, NHL fans decided to try and get Rory Fitzpatrick, journeyman defenceman of the Vancouver Canucks, into the 2007 All-Star Game as a starter. Fitzpatrick finished third in Western Conference defenceman voting with 550,177 votes, more votes than Chris Pronger and only 22,892 votes shy of second place Niklas Lidstrom. Slate even questioned the NHL’s final results, calling it “Rorygate.”
This year, two campaigns have emerged in trying to push both John Scott of the Arizona Coyotes and Rob Scuderi of the Pittsburgh Penguins to be voted in as captains. Scott has been openly against the voting, saying he knew it was a joke and didn’t want his name in the headlines this way (I guess he’d prefer to be in the headlines by punching people in the face? I digress) and made it clear he definitely did not want to be voted into the All-Star Game. He currently sits first in the voting. The Scuderi campaign, much smaller in interest, is with a lot of vitriol from Penguins fans who want him off the team. Scuderi currently sits 32nd in voting, ahead of fellow Penguin Phil Kessel, with fans openly calling it a troll.
Help pull off the best troll ever and vote Rob #Scuderi into the All-Star Game! #ScuderiASG — Pittsburgh Boy (@PittsburghBoy82) December 3, 2015
This is different to Scott, who while some have said it’s to put a goon in the vote, others have expressed adoration for Scott and his charity work, feeling this could be a good way to praise an unsung hero on the ice.
The truth is that this is NHL fans on the internet’s way of being petulant children about a fan appreciation weekend that the National Hockey League runs for profit. The change to a three-on-three format is all about creating more excitement and goals, and running a fan vote is to create excitement for everyone that their favourite players might be recognized as All-Stars. It’s still something brought up when a player is in contention for the Hockey Hall of Fame, and players show a lot of pride in the title. I’m not saying we should respect the All-Star game as some holy institution, but if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Fan votes that embarrass players isn’t the way to go about it.
So how can the National Hockey League fix this? It’s pretty simple. If the NHL All-Star Game is now running a three-on-three mini-tournament, the fan voting can only be for the top three scorers of every team with at least 15 games played. This prevents plugs from being voted for. If someone misses the mark, oh well. Them the breaks. Get more points early in the season.
Of course, this isn’t the only fix the NHL should consider. The National Hockey League and its fans have made it very clear that the All-Star game is only for offence. When Montreal Canadiens fans voted in Mike Komisarek in 2009, the decision was criticized by many. Being a defensive-minded defenceman could not be considered all-star material. If that’s the case, why do we invite the best goaltenders to this? Nobody wants to see defence, so let’s stop inviting the goalies. Even when Carey Price made his best effort to do something exciting as a goalie, nobody wants goalies shutting the doors down. We have an epidemic of people complaining about the lack of goals instead of ever being impressed by what goaltenders can do today, so let’s make sure the All-Star game is all about offence. We can always invite some ECHL goaltenders instead. This also ensures nobody has to freak out about their starting goaltender getting hurt at the game, which once happened to Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders.
Do you really want to get crazy on how we can fix the All-Star Game? Here’s my proposal. Sunday, January 31st, is the All-Star Game with Saturday, January 30th being the skills competition. Teams play their last game on Wednesday, January 27th. Why not on Thursday or Friday, teams run their own skills competition/all-star game for their local fans to decide who goes to the All-Star game? Every city in the league will get extra revenue from fans showing up to see their own superstars play and we get to see who has the best skills out of each. This way, the player that goes to the All-Star skills competition on the Saturday and plays on Sunday are the very best of their team. If it ends up that a John Scott is the fastest skater with the best shot and is MVP of his All-Star team game, hey, that’s what ended up happening. The fans might lose interactivity, but they at least get to see who is the best from their clubs before seeing if their team representative is the best in the league. You could also invite extra players for the skills competitions based on their skating and shooting scores.
The All-Star game is about the fans, but that doesn’t mean the fans should have 100% control over the decisions made for players who strive to be all-stars in their careers. Let the John Scott’s of the world use the All-Star game as a vacation for their knuckles and bring only the best of each team. |
Kat Bailey By Kat BaileyEditor in Chief
We've known for a bit that EA was working on a story mode for Madden 18. But it wasn't until today that we were really able to grasp the full extent of what EA is trying to accomplish with their flagship NFL franchise.
As EA revealed during their press conference, Madden 18's story mode will in effect be an adventure game: a seamless interactive movie in which you influence your choices through branching dialogue. There will be no NFL games in this mode, but Madden's core mechanics will manifest in other ways, such as through high school football, drills, and quicktime events.
We talked about its development with EA creative lead Mike Young, who goes in depth on Longshot's genesis, why they're going in this direction, and the challenges of building what amounts to a new game from scratch.
How long have you been working on Longshot?
Mike Young: I've personally been working on it for about four years. There's about a year and a half of just story development before we brought on 10 more people, then we developed pre-production for six moe re months, then we've been building it for the past two years.
Four years ago was 2013. So this was something you envisioned as the next step for the current generation.
Young: Yeah, I've always been a big story and gaming fan as well as a sports fan. Really my dream getting into the industry back in 1999 when I was in NBA Street was a sports game borrowing from other genres. Even when I got my first job my demo was an RPG whiffle ball game on the Game Boy. It's always been my passion to mix genres.
Why haven't we seen a story mode like this up until now?
Young: You know, from being so close inside the industry, I think gameplay and authenticity are always king. The graphics and technology you need to even pull off a story of this cinematic quality and the tech to allow the characters to actually express themselves. So it was a little bit about allowing the tech to catch up, and personally for me as a sports gamer, I feel like sports were scratching the competition itch or the fantasy of control, but maybe wasn't delivering the emotional investment I'd get from playing a Last of Us or Telltale Game. And I think as we caught up with graphics and presentation and gameplay, it was kind of looking at what's the next frontier. And to me story is universal, which is why we're starting to see sports games try this stuff.
Did you kick this off concurrently with FIFA's The Journey, or were these two things that started separately?
Young: It was kicked off before The Journey had decided to do a story mode, actually. I had met with their people and actually pitched this idea to all of the EA Sports teams this crazy idea of Longshot, and I had been pitching a campaign mode for sports. I'm pretty sure without Frostbite we really couldn't do it, and that's one of the things that held us back from trying to execute this thing, and they were getting Frostbite first. In the meantime, I think they were seeing some of the other sports franchises go down this path and have some success. So I think everyone will assume that Madden saw The Journey's success and followed in its footsteps, but we've had our own path to get to this point.
I find it interesting that you've been working on this since 2013 but you weren't sure it would work without Frostbite given that the Ignite Engine was initially positioned as EA's next-gen sports engine.
Young: When you've worked on something so long, I think there's some naivete at the start. I don't think we always believed that it couldn't work without Frostbite. We'd had some success with the Madden 15 intro, and I remember even yourself having some nice comments about that and how you'd love to have that quality of presentation throughout the Madden game. That was kind of us proving that we could do it and achieve high emotional content and storytelling both from cinematography and the acting.
But we really struggled to do anything off the field, we struggled to have convincing lip sync... any lighting condition that wasn't on the field with football players and pads was a real struggle. Frostbite is such an amazing content engine, shaders look amazing, we were able to build a world for Longshot that has such a diverse cast on and off the field. There are more than 45 actors in this thing of all races, shapes, genders.... padded, unpadded. And that was the stuff that was always so difficult. I used to be an art director in Madden, and any time we wanted to do something like the NFL Combine, we were usually blocked by how hard it is to create convincing-looking players without pads. That's why I think we were held back from doing something of this quality.
The story mode stars Devin Wade as a prospect who was out of football for a couple years but now wants to try and get into the NFL. That really is quite the longshot.
Young: Well, when my journey started four years ago, I partnered with NFL Films to try and tell a story that everyone could relate to. I didn't really want to go down the path of unlocking cribs and agents and the superficial side of being a player, but I wanted to go back to the roots and inner dreams we all had about the superstar we wanted to be, and why we fell in love with the game. I wanted to go back to that emotional space.
One thing I did to give the pitch some running legs was to get people emotionally engaged was to partner with NFL Films and partner with a couple producers. We went to a couple regional combines and followed a few guys from that all the way to Draft Day. It was a really big inspiration to see that there were people out there who were genuine longshots because they ended up at a Junior College, or they dropped out, or they were second string behind a much better player. There's a lot of scenarios that led people to believe that they could do it if they were given a chance. I do think that it's going to stand out though because most of the story-type content is play along with a season... and it's the drama of a locker room, playing time... coaches office drama. Our story is more of a relatable personal journey.
So it's not necessarily going to be a story where you pick a team, get drafted, get on the field... it's going to be much more about the journey up to the combine?
Young: Yeah, our story starts at the 2017 NFL Regional Combine and takes you all the way up to Draft Day, so there won't be a single NFL game played in this mode.
It strikes me as incredibly risky to abandon your core gameplay like that. What are your thoughts on that?
Young: I suppose it's risky, but I've felt like telling the best story... it's about football, it's about passion, it's about a dream of playing in the NFL. There are NFL personalities throughout. There's a sense that you are a part of the NFL through the story, with people like Bill Cowher commenting on your career, with Dan Marino being your mentor.
It's not just an Entourage story, you're spending time with Dan Marino, playing catch, hearing his stories, connecting on more of a personal level. You're very integrated into the NFL Draft itself. So it's definitely a risk, but I didn't want to just follow some formula because I think you ultimately end up with a cliched, boring experience. For people to really care they have to have surprises, they have to really connect to the people, to not just be, "From Zero to Hero. I'm going to win a Super Bowl." We've had that. So I hope people will really give it a shot; but so far with our playtesting people really relate to it, and aren't missing that. And I think that it's because they have stuff like the NFL Combine, things they've wanted in Superstar Mode for so long.
Can you give me an idea what the actual structure of the mode will look like? How you're going to progress, how you're going to advance, that sort of thing?
Young: Yeah, I'm really excited about this. We've built it like a playable movie, so it's going to flow from scene to scene with no loading. You'll have no sense that you're really in the game. There's no menus, no assigning XP... you're just immersed in this story that you're interacting with. I think it's more like a format of a campaign mode than a career mode with cutscenes, so the journey is... the play is so various. You have things like branching dialogue, you have quicktime events, you have high school football games, you have padless football games, you have multiple ways to throw, you have classroom things.
Devin's background is that he was a spread QB, he was a star coming out of high school, he flamed out in college, but to get to the next level he has to have the growth that Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota had to have. They hadn't taken snaps under center, they weren't calling plays in the huddle, they had to get much more advanced in reading defenses. So Devin Wade has to go on that journey to go from undraftable to draftable. So we've made a lot of these classroom and learning experiences feel like something where you're on the hotseat on a TV show like Gruden Camp. A super old-school reference, but the Bully videogame where you have to go to class to keep your grades up and learn different things. So I feel like as you go through the mode, it's not this repetitive game, practice, 90 second story sequence... there's a lot of variety to what you're doing.
On the subject of Bully, is this football class? Is this school?
Young: I'll say that Devin has to go on a journey to learn how to be an NFL QB and not just a high school QB. Imagine watching the All-22 and having to identify the safety, calling out the different formations, or learning read progressions. So there's stuff on and off the field that's essentially training, but you feel like you're in a movie montage. There's no screens, no "Hit three targets to progress." You're just in this story with this coach, and you feel a lot of stress about these decisions. All of it is being reported on your scouting report. So games like Fallout have... if you're playing along you might make a choice and it'll say, "Piper liked that." You feel like there's some kind of system behind the scenes driving your choices and meaning something. Our version of that is the scouting report where things Devin does on and off the field can alter the story.
Tell me a bit about the high school experience. My first thought was NBA 2K's college scenes. Is it something like that?
Young: Yeah, I'm really proud of this. When we made the First Interactive Experiences in Madden 15, 16, and 17, I loved that we tried to make the story scenes feel seamless with the on-field presentation. Custom commentary with the gameplay moments, and custom camera banks, we wanted to keep that same quality through the story scenes and the gameplay. That was our target here, which was to go even beyond what you said was impressive in 2K. First of all, why we go to high school is to get to know our star, the player potential he had, and the man we want him to become again. So we go back to high school and we're in a small town in Texas, it's Friday Night Lights-style football, the fields will look genuine... and they will look genuine because they are.
We went to real locations in Texas. We have custom commentary for that mode-- different commentators, different audio mix that makes it sounds like it's coming from the local airwaves, they'll even call the games with a different style. These guys don't know football as well as the pros, but they know stories about players because they've been in the town for years. It's kind of like Grand Theft Auto where you're driving and hearing story being dramatized on the way to missions, you're going to hear a lot of storytelling from these commentators. There will be bands, cheerleaders... it will feel like authentic Texas football.
It reminds me a bit of Heavy Rain. Is that a good analogy?
Young: It is. I think we're more interactive, but Heavy Rain is definitely one of my early inspirations. Telltale, particularly the Walking Dead series, is definitely an inspiration as far as meaningful choices. I think a lot of sports games in the past have been in the world of cliche nice guy, cliche bad guy, or don't take a position at all. I want true conflict in the choices, with the lesser of two evils being a factor. Multiple things will be at stake with your answer; there will be a timer, there will be a pressure. Obviously we're not talking about life and death with zombies, but in any good story scene the character is in conflict, and your choices reveal who they are... and who you are. So in that way we're taking Telltale and Heavy Rain and trying to make it all playable. We don't want scenes where you're not touching the controller. I think this will have more influences from non-sports games than previous sports story modes.
Can you tell me more about the Combine?
Young: Well Devin Wade is a quarterback. Him and his friend Colt, who was his high school best friend and wide receiver... he's kind of like a Danny Amendola-type as far as talent and size, heart, speed. They're headed to this Combine, and there's a mix of quicktime events, there's a mix of this new way to pass--we have a version that's inspired by a new core Madden mechanic--there are things like pocket movement drills. It definitely sets up the rest of the story, but what's pretty cool to me is that people wanted this type of experience, but you're going to see padless players in authentic Combine outfits doing authentic drills, and you're going to be in control of it. You will feel like Devin is being watched and judged on everything he does there, whether that's a branching dialogue choice, or his ability to react fast, or his ability to follow directions. It's a pretty cool mix of stuff, really.
Will this be totally separate from the classic Connected Franchise?
Young: They're going to remain two separate things. There's still a huge value in being able to create yourself, pick your position, and have that more sandbox experience. We're treating this as more of a campaign mode in length and value to the product. It's one of the best things to do first when you come to the Madden game. It's going to do well with lapsed gamers or younger gamers who love the NFL, love games, but feel intimidated by Madden because of the playcalling or the button complexity. I think we do a good job of ramping you through things you're probably already familiar with: quicktime events, dialogue choices, things that any gamer knows about, and ramping you up to full playcall. And because Devin's story is really about learning and getting up to NFL calibur, gamers are going to accidentally learn more about football than they had, which will empower them more when they're in playcall in games. They will have learned a few basics about why things are done the way they are, what playcalls mean, what routes mean, which I think will be a side benefit. So Superstar Mode will absolutely carry over.
Will features introduced in Longshot carry over into the rest of the game? Combine Mode, for example?
Young: One thing we will have right of the gate is a really strong Ultimate Team connection throughout the mode. Even 15 minutes in you will be unlocking content in Ultimate Team. We will have fictional characters, but we will also have recognizable players like Chad Ochocinco and Dan Marino that you can unlock as well. There's stadiums, uniforms, and one thing that's really cool is that, if you love the Longshot story, there will be ways to play something that got mentioned in the story that got mentioned but you never got deep into. So a way to get more of the story through solo challenges in Ultimate Team. So I think that crossover will be pretty cool. And, of course, if you love having an Academy Award winning actor Mahirsha Ali and he's the father of the main character and he's one of the coaches that you can unlock in Ultimate Team, that's pretty cool, too.
Can you elaborate on the multiple endings?
Young: The goal of the mode is to get Devin drafted, but his best friend is also on a ride with him. So the choices you make on and off the field will have an impact on the potential outcomes. Whether Devin gets drafted, whether Colt gets drafted, and you will definitely feel responsible for the outcome based on the choices you make. There's direct feedback in the moment, you will have a real sense that people are watching. But there's also a great mystery: What matters? What doesn't matter? I don't want to give too much away for the ending, but they are really cool and have really interesting surprises. But we wanted to have different experiences. I'll just go back to a personal experience with Walking Dead Season 2: for a week I was bummed out because I made a choice that sent Kenny off to die. I kind of wanted to go back and replay it, but that was the real choice I made. So if you can get people to second guess themselves, I think you're being successful with games that have choices. You want people to feel like their journey is special
Well it all sounds extremely different from FIFA's The Journey or what NBA 2K has done in the past. That said, did you learn anything from FIFA's rollout last year?
Young: Yeah, we're great partners, and our team spent a lot of time with them on tech, Frostbite, their learnings on what was hard to close out. But as a creative, I had read their initial script and followed along as they built it, and I was curious about how fans reacted to it. I talked to the creatives about how successful they thought certain parts were, or where they would potentially take it in the future. Everyone is going to perceive this as a sports story mode, so it would have been foolish not to pay attention and think about what they're doing. I don't know necessarily that we changed anything based on what they made.
But one thing that's interesting when you're a big company and someone is successful is that you're asked, 'Well why aren't they just like they are?' So you do have to put a lot of thought into why you make different choices, and I ultimately think we're really strong and right for our audiences. What people don't want is a copy of something else. Instead of a pitch, it's the field! People get bored by cliches, people get bored by the same emotional journey, people get bored by the same thing over and over again in sports. How many boxing movies have been a rehash of Rocky? You don't want to rehash the same emotional arc over and over again. And from a play standpoint, it's definitely interesting for sports, but what we're making is a story mode that just happens to be about football.
I find it interesting that in taking this approach you kind of neatly sidestep a lot of the problems that other games tend to face. For example, you're meant to feel like you're in the shoes of a player who's trying to get into the NFL, but if you're too good, it's kind of immersion breaking. Which is why you have QTEs, minigames... why you're sidestepping stats... is that fair?
Young: Yeah it's completely fair. That's why I keep going back to the world 'relatable.' I've been on sports gaming forever, and NBA Street's career mode worked because anyone could imagine going on a street ball court and holding their own. When you imagine yourself as an NFL player who's 280 pounds of muscle, and you're a 40-year-old broke down guy sitting behind a desk, that fantasy is a little bit gone. But in the territory we're in most of our audience has played Pop Warner or high school football, and they had those dreams, and they can relate to Devin.
It's not just emphasizing with a guy who's not getting enough playing time. You're talking about a guy who's chasing a dream and is struggling possibly with confidence. A persona story for me that connects to Devin is that I switched high school when I was a sophomore, and I was afraid to try out for the baseball team because I was afraid I would embarrass myself. I think a lot of people would rather not try than be embarrassed when pursuing a dream, so I think there are some nice relatable themes where you're not having to jump that believability gap. That's why I love this territory of this origin story.
Story modes have kind of become the future of sports games. Why are they trending in this direction?
Young: We've reached this point where the technology has caught up to a point where, yeah there's awesome graphical leaps, yeah there's 4K coming, yeah the AI gets better. But people are buying so few games. They buy kind of the top ten as far as the big blockbuster console games. I think you see that people want more out of the sports games like FIFA and Madden because it might be the one game they buy all year. And people have different motivations for playing. I think story is one area where we're the furthest behind--an emotional connection.
I think it's a really fascinating place to be because there's a lot of ways to attack this, and ours is a very different take. I see a lot of other interesting takes on creating yourself and what that could mean. It's just an under-developed area. If you think about career modes, you sort of feel like you've done that territory over and over and over again. You add better and better features, but personally I think people feel like they don't add those really exponential leaps that reinvigorate them. I don't know, it's a tough question.
You mentioned people who were feeling alienated by Madden. It makes me think of a football writer saying that Madden felt like rocket science to him. There's this growing gap between casual fans who just like football and the hardcore people who are playing every year, experience MUT, and really understand the game. And it seems to me that Longshot to me is a way to bring Madden back to the masses.
Young: Yeah that's really important to me. You wouldn't believe how many NFL coaches I've spoken to who can't play Madden because their stick skils are too daunting, and their kids will kick their butt. You can see they're genuinely embarrassed because they're head coaches and should dominate, so it's not just 'casual' in terms of people who barely care about the sport. There are people who deeply love the NFL, it's one of their favorite pastimes--they have six fantasy teams, jerseys, season tickets. But they're still not coming to Madden. People have to take notice this year because the game has so much for everyone. Beyond Longshot there are really cool modes as well that will let more people in the door. It's definitely not an anti-core year--I think the core will love Longshot for a lot of the NFL fantasy stuff that's part of it--but that story layer is what allows more people to join in and be part of Madden.
Do you see Devin Wade being a long-term fixture for Madden, or is this more of a one-off thing?
Young: We wrote it as an origin story, and I think our hope is that people will want to see more of these characters, particularly Devin and Colt. It's kind of a buddy film in that there's these two characters you're rooting for and this really deep relationship with a lot of emotional range. I loved making this thing more than anything in my entire career. The team is so excited about the places we can go with this. We have 45 sets: small-time American roadsides, VFWs... just the whole spectrum. We wanted this to feel epic. There's cinematic transition shots, and establishing shots. There's stuff that took a month of development time that's literally in a 10 second shot. There's so much cool stuff here, and we love building it, and hopefully the audience wants more.
I was going to say how wild it is that you built so many assets for this thing. That kind of explains why this has never been done before. You have to build so much.
Young: Yeah. Back in the day it was painful because we love the fans, but they'd say, 'Why don't you put in X, Y, and Z?' And you'd be like, 'I'd really like, but it's literally impossible to make a guy in a suit look good. It'll take half a year to do that.' We had a really high bar for Longshot. A lot of the early sports games were like two guys in a poorly lit hallway. There's such a lack of sets, everything takes place in a bedroom, a locker room, a hallway, field, GM office, back to the bedroom.
There's an epicness to Longshot: 45 different characters, women and children, which was nearly impossible to build in Ignite. All different races, all different ages, all different sizes. It's so cool. We never wanted this cheap scene with just two people talking. We wanted amazing staging and blocking that meant something to scenes. I think the acting is really, really strong, I'd put it up there with anything in games. So I'm really excited for people to see it. People are expecting The Journey, which is awesome, but since we're trying to do something so different, I think there will be a surprise and delight moment of how it actually is.
Will there be DLC?
Young: I can see a world where that's possible. We do need to see how the audience responds to Devin and Colt in particular and this kind of storytelling. I'm very hopeful that they demand that there's more of these guys, whether that's episodes, or a new season. I do know that we feel that there's more story in this world that we created, and I'm personally preparing as though we are. I can't wait to see in August if the audience feels the same.
I'm just genuinely amazed that you're building what amounts to an entirely new game and bolting it on top of Madden.
Young: Yeah it is kind of crazy now that you say it out loud like that. We do want it to feel like you've gone in this special portal. We never could have done it without 29 years of the awesome Madden engine, because that drives the action sequences. If you didn't have that, you couldn't just do something like this. I think it's a good partnership, and worse case you've gotta take notice because it's definitely interesting.
Madden 18 will be out August 25. Check out our complete listing of everything we know for more info. |
URBANA — An administrator who was a bit player in the "Category I" scandal is now on leave after an apparent problem with reporting admissions data from the University of Illinois' law school.
Paul Pless, assistant dean for admissions in the law school, has not returned a call from The News-Gazette.
UI spokesman Tom Hardy would not confirm that Pless is on administrative leave but did say that the person in question was an assistant dean for admissions in the law school, Pless' former title.
A person answering the phone at the College of Law's admissions office said Pless "is on temporary leave."
The UI acknowledged on Sunday that inaccurate data about the grades and test scores of this semester's incoming first-year law school class was posted on its website.
The data has since been removed. Hardy said the university had not sent the incorrect information to the American Bar Association, which is mandated to collect such information.
Just last month, the ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar sanctioned Villanova University for inaccurate law school admissions data, according to the ABA Journal.
The UI Ethics Office received information Aug. 26 that led to a review about possible inaccuracies in student profile data.
John Colombo, the law school's associate dean for academic affairs, has been placed in charge of the college's admissions office, which is responsible for the collection and dissemination of student selectivity data.
The data involve Law School Admission Test scores and grade-point averages of the incoming Class of 2014 that may have been inaccurately reported on the College of Law's website and in promotional materials.
On Monday, President Michael Hogan wrote the UI community an email that said, in part:
"This is unpleasant news and is apt to disappoint, even anger, anyone who hears it. At the same time, however, we can also say that a new culture has taken hold at our University. A tone of integrity and transparency is apparent across all of our campuses, and people are no longer reluctant to come forward. We take questionable actions seriously and review them thoroughly and expeditiously."
The UI Ethics Office and Office of University Counsel are leading the review.
Duff & Phelps, an independent advisory firm with expertise in data processing and forensic analysis, has been hired to work on the issue, along with Theodore Chung of the law firm Jones Day, who will conduct the review with the assistance of College of Law officials, Hardy said Sunday.
Pless' name came up in the so-called Category I scandal when he noted in a April 25, 2006, email that "a few spots" in law school would go to "special interest" students in the 2006-2007 school year.
Two days later, he complained that letting in one of the special interest students would jeopardize the goal of a 3.5 median grade point average.
Of the student, he said in April 27 email: "There is no track record of success, and when he is faced with the rigor of our program here, there is no reason to expect anything other than failure."
"I find it hard to justify admitting a student that we know will struggle here and that we know will struggle to pass the Bar."
Julie Wurth contributed to this story. |
Fiat Driven By "Jennifer Lopez" Actually Broke Down During Commercial Shoot In Bronx Share
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With a Jennifer Lopez lookalike seated behind the wheel, a Fiat 500 actually broke down on a Bronx street during the recent filming of a TV commercial purportedly showing the actress driving around the borough in which she grew up.
As seen above (click to enlarge), the Fiat came to a halt during filming in September on East 136th Street in Mott Haven. While two men tinkered with the engine, the J. Lo stand-in sat patiently at the wheel, her face obscured by honey-colored hair styled just like Lopez’s.
The embarrassing breakdown of the sporty Fiat was spotted by journalist Ed Morales, who lives on the Mott Haven block where the commercial was filmed. Morales (with whom the entire TSG staff once worked at The Village Voice) blogged about the Fiat shoot last month, noting that “the protagonist was a woman in a white blouse with streaked, perfectly blown-out straight hair.”
Morales, who thought the woman resembled the actress Jennifer Espositio, only learned that it was supposed to be Lopez when he saw the Fiat 500 commercial, which began airing in mid-October.
The children seen in the photo’s background also appear in the Fiat commercial, which shows them chasing the vehicle down the street (presumably because the prodigal Jenny had returned to the Block). |
If Walmart has its way, it will change the look and powertrain of 18-wheels trucks as we know it.
Walmart showcased its futuristic truck March 26 at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience is a tractor-trailer that combines leading edge aerodynamics, an advanced turbine-powered range extending series hybrid powertrain, electrified auxiliary components, and sophisticated control systems.
Walmart said this all in one package has been developed in support of the company’s sustainability program.
In a first step launched in 2005, Walmart announced its goal to double fleet efficiency by 2015. Walmart trucks log millions of miles every year, so when it comes to sustainability and fleet efficiency, the goal was simple: deliver more merchandise while driving fewer miles on the most efficient equipment. As of last year, the company had achieved an 84 percent improvement in fleet efficiency over its 2005 baseline.
“Walmart is continually looking for innovative ways to increase our efficiencies and reduce our fleet’s emissions,” said Tracy Rosser, senior vice president of transportation at Walmart. “The Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience is a bold step in transportation technologies that, although not on the road in its current form, will serve as a learning platform for the future that will accelerate our progress toward our goals.”
Walmart stated the new truck project aims to demonstrate a wide range of cutting edge technologies and designs Walmart is considering in an effort to improve the overall fuel efficiency of its fleet and lower the company’s carbon footprint. Although the prototype currently runs on diesel, its turbine is fuel neutral and can run on compressed or liquid natural gas, biofuels or other fuels.
The prototype is the result of collaboration between, amongst others, Walmart, Peterbilt, ROUSH, Great Dane and Capstone Turbine. Walmart proudly stated almost every component on this vehicle is cutting edge and showcases innovations of the future that will drive increased efficiencies.
The retail giant described the various aspects of its Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience as follows:
Tractor: Walmart and Peterbilt have collaborated on aerodynamic, hybrid, electrification and alternative fuel projects in the past, each with incremental gains in fuel efficiency and emission reductions. The Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience tractor combines many of these projects in a single vehicle.
“Peterbilt’s goals of producing the most fuel-efficient, aerodynamic, and lightweight trucks in the industry mirror those of Walmart,” said Landon Sproull, chief engineer at Peterbilt. “Our combined efforts help build a business case for these technologies in the future, as well as support one of our best customers.”
Aerodynamics: Designers used extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to optimize the truck’s styling. The truck’s shape represents a 20 percent reduction in aerodynamic drag over Walmart’s current Peterbilt Model 386. By placing the cab over the engine, the truck’s wheelbase is greatly shortened, resulting in reduced weight and better maneuverability. Walmart relied on product development supplier ROUSH to carry out the vehicle’s construction with these detailed design specifications.
“We work every day with customers from the automotive and aerospace industries, all of whom have a laser focus on maximizing efficiencies through improved aerodynamics,” said Tom Topper, ROUSH’s executive director of prototype services. “This design is revolutionary and truly world class.”
Range Extending Series Hybrid: Range extending hybrids are a synergy between electric trucks and series hybrids, and their design reduces the energy storage size required for trucks to run on batteries alone. With Walmart Distribution Centers now located closer to metropolitan areas, transport vehicles have shorter transit times to their delivery destinations. These shorter trips reduce the vehicles’ average trip speed and create more opportunities to recover energy through regenerative braking. The generator and energy storage on the truck are scalable based on the range desired.
Turbine Power: The truck features a microturbine Range Extender generator developed by Capstone Turbine Corporation. The company also engineered the truck’s integrated hybrid drivetrain solution. The use of a hybrid powertrain allows the turbine to remain at optimum operating revolutions per minute (RPM), while the electric motor/energy storage handles acceleration and deceleration. A longer-range version of this powertrain would feature a larger turbine and smaller energy storage system.
“We developed this microturbine hybrid electric drive system by assembling the best team of technology leaders in the industry,” said Steve Gillette, director of business development for Capstone. “We look forward to the day when these energy-saving features are standard offers for the market.”
Fuel Neutral Capability: Turbines by their nature are fuel neutral and produce very low emissions without the need for aftertreatment. Turbines are also appealing because of their few moving parts, low maintenance requirements and lighter weight.
Component Electrification: With automobiles moving to electrified accessories such as power steering and air conditioning, this truck scales those systems up for use on a larger vehicle. These electrified components are used only when needed and at peak efficiency.
Charge Mode: When keyed on, the truck automatically detects the state of charge of the batteries and starts charging them, if needed, using the turbine engine. Charge mode can be manually selected if an operator wishes to “top off” the batteries prior to shutting down.
Electric Vehicle Mode: For use in urban areas, the truck will run on electric power alone until the battery state of charge hits 50 percent. At that time the turbine will automatically start and begin charging the batteries.
Hybrid Electric Mode: For maximum range, this mode runs the turbine continuously, only shutting down if the batteries run out.
Trailer: The vehicle’s trailer, manufactured by Great Dane, offers a host of fuel-saving features. The trailer body is built almost exclusively with carbon fiber, including one-piece carbon fiber panels for the roof and sidewalls, saving nearly 4,000 pounds when compared to traditional designs. The trailer’s convex nose also enhances aerodynamics while maintaining storage space inside the trailer. Other special features of the trailer include special low-amperage LED lighting strips, composite trailer skirts, aerodynamic disc wheel coverings, a Posi-lift suspension, and a one-piece, fiberglass-reinforced floor panel with a 16,000 pound forklift rating.
“This road-ready prototype trailer is a bold step in transportation technologies,” said Adam Hill, vice president of product and sales engineering at Great Dane. “We look forward to further collaboration with Walmart to create more fuel-efficient vehicles of this type in the future.”
Walmart said key partners in its Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience – in addition to Peterbilt Motors Company, ROUSH, Capstone Turbine Corporation and Great Dane – include Qualnetics Corporation, Allison Transmission, Transpower, New Eagle, Fiber-Tech Industries, Grote Industries, Inc., Laydon Composites Ltd., Isringhauser Seats, Graykon, LLC, Dometic Corp, RealWheels Corp, Corvus Energy, Parker Hannifin, Accuride, Milliken Chemical, SAF-HOLLAND USA, Inc. and Whiting.
“The creation of this showcase vehicle was only made possible through strong collaboration with our partners, and we thank each of them for their valuable contribution,” said Rosser. “It’s important that we continue to work collectively on future innovations and challenge ourselves to look boldly at fleet efficiency in new and different ways.” |
If you are a fan of the Final Fantasy and Assassin’s Creed franchise, then you’re in for a surprise!
It was announced on Thursday by Square Enix that Final Fantasy XV will have a free DLC crossover event with Assassin’s Creed. The event which called “Assassin’s Festival” will begin on August 31 until January 31, 2018. Now that’s enough time for you enjoy the two different franchises in one awesome game.
Square Enix also released two trailers of the DLC event along with its announcement. You may watch the two versions below:
Aside from this announcement, game director Hajime Tabata said in an interview with gaming website Polygon that they will not develop a sequel but instead focus on story-based “Episode” installments which stars Noctis’ party members. Tabata said he will do what he can to add more story in the later part of the Final Fantasy XV game.
In a Twitch livestream that happened in Gamescom 2017 in Germany, Tabata have teased that the game’s content might be heading to the Nintendo Switch.
He also answered a question in relation to the franchise’s future plans: “There’s another certain console out there people may be thinking of, sounds a little bit like you guys, your name “Twitch,” I think we’ll just leave it there… Everyone on the Final Fantasy XV team, they love this specific console that sounds a lot like Twitch, they may want to think something about that in the future.”
Also during Gamescom, a PC game and smartphone game titled Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition was announced as well as the PC version of Final Fantasy XV. The game was first released for the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 last November.
Source: Polygon |
Buy Photo Nana Hosmer Griffin, Waylon Wood, and David Fine in costume for the production of “Young Frankenstein” at Asheville Community Theatre. Many of the garments exhibit tricks costume makers can use at home for Halloween, such as distressing with spray paint. (Photo: Pat Barcas/ASHEVILLE SCENE)Buy Photo
Rifling through his personal possessions, Jim Lauzon felt like a dung beetle.
Today (with an improved outlook), Lauzon owns LaZoom Tours with his wife, Jen Lauzon. Their buses feature costumed characters performing outrageous antics in the aisles and on city sidewalks. No doubt you've seen Sister Bad Habit, the nun in men's footwear, on her sky-high bicycle.
But back when he felt like a dung beetle, Lauzon was in the middle of a move. All his possessions suddenly seemed like, well, dung to him. His outlook seemed dark, but it led to a lighthearted costume for an upcoming parade.
"If something comes into your mind, know that it's really easy to make a great costume for cheap money," he said. "It's so much more rewarding if it's something you're trying to get across to the world."
And so, Danny the Dung Beetle was born out of a vest, some foam piping from the hardware store, duct tape and spray paint. But what is a dung beetle without his ball of excrement? Lauzon created the scatological prop from trash bags, balloons, tape, paint, hay and handfuls of grass from his yard. It weighed in at under 10 pounds and was easy to push through the streets of New Orleans.
"Everything I do is guerrilla for the most part, and it's fun," he said. "I think sometimes you just need the audacity. Anybody could do it. I think sometimes people are just scared."
As Halloween approaches, Lauzon and his colleagues in local costume design share their tips and tricks for creating over-the-top costumes you'll remember for years.
Tip 1: Inspiration is all around you.
A great costume starts with an idea, but don't worry if you don't have something in mind. There are lots of ways to get inspired.
McKinney Gough, who designs costumes at Asheville Community Theatre, recommends finding materials that interest you, even if you don't know what to do with them right away.
Buy Photo Shoes line shelves and are piled high in boxes in the Asheville Community Theater Costume Shop on Friday, October 2, 2015. (Photo: Abigail Margulis/amargulis@ashev)
"I often work backwards with a product I want to work with," she said. "I do a lot of interesting stuff with textiles and salvaged linens and draperies and upholstery and that kind of stuff, and I also make a lot of things out of paper, so sometimes if I have a cool paper that I like, I say, 'Oh what can I use this for?'"
A lot of times, those fabrics emerge from what designers call the "Goodwill bins." They're not talking about the Goodwill retail store on Patton Avenue where the garments hang neatly on hangers. They're talking about the adjacent outlet, which offers a free-for-all fabric picking experience and an affordable pay-by-the-pound system.
Lauzon walks laps through the bins with his hands behind his back, visually perusing for something that catches his eye. By the time he starts his second look, other people have moved the contents around, so there's something new to look at, no hands-on work required.
Tip 2: Commitment is key.
Ashli Arnold, the resident costume designer at Flat Rock Playhouse, often finds herself in situations that feel like bizarre dreams. While designing a butterfly-themed showgirl costume for "Gypsy," she found herself in Big Lots holding decorative butterflies to her midsection in an effort to determine which insect provided the most appropriate level of coverage.
"Sometimes in this job, you have these moments where you're like, 'Oh, this is real life,'" she said. "I remember for like a week going to all the stores in town looking for butterflies that would be an appropriate crotch cover."
Buy Photo Waylon Wood as Frankenstein's monster. (Photo: Pat Barcas/ASHEVILLE SCENE)
That attention to detail creates costumes that look great, but bringing them to life requires a certain amount of attention to attitude. Lauzon recommends acting the part.
"What I really encourage is to just think, 'Who do I want to be for that night,' and I encourage you to stick to being that for the night because that's the one time you can really play and play out being somebody," he said. "Some of my friends, I've met in costume, and I'm like, 'Oh my god, you're really a frog, I love you, I love you, I love you."
Both Arnold and Lauzon discourage sexiness for its own sake — it's just not that interesting, they contend.
"I'm challenged by the sexy part I guess because my wife and I always go the opposite way where it's not sexy," Lauzon said. "It's gruesome or over-the-top weird. That's what we enjoy is over-the-top fun."
Not sure what to be? Lauzon recommends simply dressing a zombie because it's easy to shred your clothes and dirty your face and come up with a well-executed look, and if you pull a gruesome face, that's all the acting skill you need. "Just don't be a sexy zombie," he added.
Tip 3: Don't sew? Don't worry.
"You can hot glue gun anything," Gough said. "Costumes don't need to last a long time."
When altering garments, Gough recommends preserving machine-sewn hems where they'll show — at the bottom of a dress, for example — and cutting and gluing in hidden places, such as waistbands. If you need a quick hem, hot glue ribbon over the raw edge.
Buy Photo Asheville Community Theater Marketing Director Jenny Bunn holds up a dress in the costume closet on Friday, October 2, 2015. (Photo: Abigail Margulis/amargulis@ashev)
Choosing fabrics wisely also eliminates the need to hem the edges. Arnold recommends non-elastic knits.
"You just cut them into the shape you want, and that's it," she said. "They drape well. They make great capes, things like that."
She also recommends materials such as tulle, which are easy to cut and knot into different shapes. She often sticks the puffy translucent material into waistbands to make skirts. She creates bustles out wide-weave mesh (such as the kind used by rug makes that's easy to find at craft stores) and tulle.
Tip 4: Don't be afraid to cut.
Lauzon calls this concept the best piece of advice from a fashion designer friend in New Orleans the best costume-related hint he has ever received. It's not just useful for altering thrift-store finds. It's also good for altering plastic masks from the costume shop: Enlarge the eye holes. Create larger nostrils to let in more air and avoid condensation, or simply cut off the bottom half.
Buy Photo Here are three hats used in the production of "Young Frankenstein" at the Asheville Community Theater on Friday, October 2, 2015. The show runs through October 25. (Photo: Abigail Margulis/amargulis@ashev)
Tip 5: You have to wear this thing, so make sure it's comfortable.
"You'll have a lot more fun if you're comfortable," Arnold said. "Who wants to be constricted all night? Pick something you're going to be pretty comfortable in and even that you don't mind getting dirty or trashing. Between the fake blood and the booze that everybody has, is it something that you really want to wash and keep?"
And make sure it's not an impediment to socialization. Talking, drinking, dancing, standing and sitting are all important. "Don't exile yourself from the party just so you can be a fish," Lauzon said.
Also, remember you're going to be drinking, whether that's fruit punch or beer, and what goes in must come out. "The one thing you want to consider is your escape plan because you're going to have to go pee at some point," Lauzon said. "That's where I recommend Velcro."
For the ladies, Gough suggest skirts for this very reason, and if large hoops are involved, a wing-woman to help you hoist your hoops.
Tip 6: Mind your head.
There's lots of real estate atop the noggin. Lauzon recommends making the most of it.
First, engineer a sturdy foundation for your cranial creation. Lauzon buys foam heads at wig shops and craft stores, fashions a simple wooden base so they're stable and covers them in cellophane so nothing sticks to them as he works. He cuts the brims off of old baseball caps, adjusts the hat for size and pins it to base.
Buy Photo The costume closet at the Asheville Community Theater holds many costumes, shoes, hats, props and various other items used in past and current productions. (Photo: Abigail Margulis/amargulis@ashev)
At this point, he becomes the Dr. Frankenstein of headpieces. Wielding a can of spray foam, he creates a base. atop the cap. Great Stuff is fine, he said, just don't get the super expanding variety. The basic foam will do.
The foam serves as a base and an adhesive. Set whatever you like into it. Birdcage? Doll house? Toy car? Anything works as long as it's light enough for your neck to carry it.
"You can go as big as you want to because it's so easy and it's so possible out of fabric and foam and duct tape," he said.
Tip 7: Light it up.
Arnold no longer competes in the costume contest at Hendersonville's Black Rose Public House. She said it started to feel a little unfair given her professional advantage. But when she won a few years ago as an alien, she attributed the victory to the LED lights she twisted into the costume.
Check the floral section for lots of easy-to-wear, watch battery-powered lights.
Tip 8: Try it on.
Your ingenious creation is probably going to look great on Halloween, but you want to make sure it's comfortable and sturdy, so why not do a dress rehearsal, just like a theater professional?
Buy Photo There are many boxes filled with miscellaneous items to use in productions in the costume closet at the Asheville Community Theater on Friday, October 2, 2015. (Photo: Abigail Margulis/amargulis@ashev)
"You want to be standing there at 6 o clock on Halloween trying to put your hair into a beehive and then realize that you're not doing so hot," Arnold said. "If you're planning on doing something for Halloween or a Halloween party, don't wait til right then and there to learn it. Practice first before you get to your actual event."
Tip 9: You too can be a master costume maker — with the help of your Internet friends.
Designers agree: There's never been a better time to make a costume. Arnold keeps an iPad in the costume shop for pulling up images, and Gough takes to Pinterest for inspiration. Lauzon looks on Youtube for how-to videos to enhance his guerrilla tactics. The trick is to remember that you can make just about anything cheaply, so don't let any online source convince you to buy costly materials.
Sometimes keeping costs down means accepting a wider interpretation of a character, but that's part of the fun, Gough explained. You develop a narrative and build on the story you already like. As she says to her daughter, "Do you think Cinderella only has one dress?"
Flat Rock Playhouse rummage sale
Yes, this entire article is about making your own costume, but Flat Rock Playhouse is providing an interesting short cut to the process that was too good no to share.
On Oct. 10 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the state theater will clean out its costume shop and host a sale of vintage pieces, worn costumes and more. Some of the wares are a little tired from life on stage, but other pieces have never been used by the theater. Props, furniture, wigs and more will also be on sale at 2661 Greenville Highway in Flat Rock.
Material matters
The costume experts talked at length about supplies and materials. Here are some of their favorite tools.
Acting in character
Baseball caps (brim or no brim)
Baskets (interesting hat bases)
Coupons
Duct tape
Dye
Elastic
Exacto knives
Foam padding (for creating volume)
Foam heads
Headliner (a foamy material easy to find at craft shops)
Hot glue
Iron-on adhesive
Knit fabrics (that don't fray when cut)
LED lights
Packing tape (It's great for mold making.)
Paint stir sticks from the hardware store for use as supports
Paper (for example, a paper tutu)
Pipe insallation for creating bendable structure
Pillowcases (Cut arm-holes, and you've got a base for a costume.)
Ribbon
Rigid wrap (sort of like paper maiche but easier)
Safety pins
Scissors (If you want to go pro, keep separate pairs for different materials.)
Spray paint (Using lots of different shades to create highlights and low lights creates the illusion of fancy.)
Sprayfoam
Tulle
Thrift store finds
Velcro
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Weapons and explosives confiscated by Iraqi security forces from Islamic State militants in Ramadi in December 2015, on display at an Iraqi army base.
Several months after Iraqi troops flushed ISIS from Ramadi, the work of making the city safe is just beginning.
In the seven months that ISIS controlled Ramadi, its militants laced the Iraqi city with bombs and other booby traps intended to maim and kill government troops. When they were finally flushed out in December, they abandoned caches of explosives and other weapons. Now an American firm has arrived to figure out just how much unexploded ordnance is strewn across the city, and to teach Iraqis how to spot it.
The training, which will ultimately allow Iraqis to disarm and remove the bombs themselves, is the first step in helping Ramadi residents return to their city.
“As rapidly as we can make this happen safely, is as rapidly as the people who have been displaced from their homes and from the city can begin to return to it,” said David Johnson, vice president for strategic development and Washington operations at Janus Global Operations. “That’s an integral and important part of the political process and allowing the Sunni population to go back to their homes.”
Earlier this month, the State Department awarded the Tennessee-based firm a 12-month, $5 million contract to do initial training and to survey unexploded bombs, abandoned explosives, and IEDs in neighborhoods of Ramadi and the city’s water station in Tamim.
A team of Janus trainers, including former U.S. and foreign military with special skills, are already in Iraq, and could begin teaching locals how to spot explosives as soon as next week, Johnson said. Bomb-detecting dogs are en route and more trainers will arrive soon “so we can ramp this up as quickly we can.”
The 7,000-person company has offices around the world. “We’re not a huge company, but we’re the largest one on the planet that does this kind of work,” Johnson said.
In Bosnia and Laos, the State Department is paying Janus to clear the explosive detritus of wars long past. In Iraq, the fighting is still going on.
“What’s distinctive about what we’re working on in Ramadi is that it is very close to the line of contact,” Johnson said. “The security situation is something that we’re going to pay a great deal more attention to than we do in places that are largely pacified.”
They’re also going to be dealing with a different variety of unexploded ordnance. Unlike the manufactured and military-issue landmines and other weapons found on many former battlefields, ISIS left behind mostly improvised explosives.
“We’re also dealing with an irregular force, so the types of abandoned munitions…are going to be potentially different,” Johnson said. “We’ll have to be paying a great deal of attention to the technical challenge of this as well.”
The exact number of IEDs in Ramadi is unknown, but the city likely has a higher proportion of IEDs than other former battlefields, said Steven Costner, deputy director of the State Department’s Weapons Removal and Abatement office, which is overseeing the project in Ramadi.
ISIS made frequent use of the homebrew devices as it took over and held Ramadi, according to the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Agency, the arm of the Pentagon that oversees its counter-IED efforts. In the initial assault, militants used tunnel bombs and vehicle-borne IEDs. Later, they emplaced “belts of IEDs” in the surrounding rural areas.
Meanwhile, some 60,000 Ramadi residents fled their city. So far, only an estimated 10,000 people have been able to return due to the large number of IEDs and other explosives.
“Right now, what we’re seeing is that Iraq is dealing with a large number of civilians that are fleeing population centers, such as Ramadi, Mosul, [and] Sinjar,” said Natalie Wazir, the senior program manager for Near Eastern affairs in State’s weapons removal office.
“As these internally displaced persons begin to leave these cities, they’re going to other areas where they’re encountering explosive remnants of war,” Wazir said. “And as they return to their homes, they’re also experiencing these hazards.”
As well, she said, international humanitarian organizations have had a difficult time getting into the city to conduct assessments because of the security situation.
Janus’ assessment and training project will give officials a better idea about how many IEDs and bombs are in Ramadi and how long it will take to remove them, Wazir said.
As the Iraqi soldiers moved through Ramadi expelling ISIS, military technicians cleared IEDs on roadways so troops could maneuver. Now Janus will train the the Iraqis how to assess the remaining IEDs and explosives in other areas of the city. Eventually, as their competency grows, the company will train them to disarm the bombs.
A Growing Priority
Since 1993, State’s Weapons Removal and Abatement office has spent $2.5 billion to clear landmines and other explosives in more than 90 countries. The amount of money being spent on weapons destruction is “going up and is becoming a higher priority for us and other countries,” Costner said.
Afghanistan has consumed the largest chunk of that money, nearly $400 million (as of 2014, the latest data available) to destroy mines and unexploded bombs. State has spent the second-most money in Iraq, $282 million, and work there has been proceeding faster in recent years, according to State Department officials. It’s not all ISIS-related; teams are still clearing landmines from the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and bombs from 1991’s Desert Storm.
As for the Ramadi project, State is working to secure an additional $15 million for the project from other countries, U.S. officials said. On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates pledged $10 million to repair infrastructure in Ramadi and other Iraqi cities damaged by ISIS.
During a recent visit to Washington, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg suggested that NATO might also help clear IEDs in Iraq.
“Improvised explosive devices was the biggest killer of Iraqi forces when they re-took Ramadi from ISIL,” Stoltenberg said at an April 6 Atlantic Council event. “They are a threat which NATO has extensive experience in countering. “Our current training program responds to this urgent need and we should do more for Iraq,” he said, touting the alliance’s training of Iraq officers in Jordan. |
When my boyfriend and I started dating two years ago, we fell in love pretty instantly. I got on birth control faster than you can say "baby," we both took an STD test—and then, like many exclusive lovebirds, we ditched the condoms.
Now I live in a safe little bubble where all my fears of contracting an STD have disappeared. This is because conventional wisdom tells me that if my boyfriend and I are both STD-free and only having sex with each other, we will remain in the clear.
But monogamy is not always perfect—and people do lie. This reality is the basis of a new study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, which compared the relative safety of monogamous relationships to open relationships ("consensually non-monogamous") in terms of sexually transmitted diseases.
If you think you're safe as a bonafide member of the monogamy club, you may want to think again.
For the study, Justin Lehmiller, director of the Social Psychology Graduate Program at Ball State University, recruited 556 participants aged 18 or older who were in relationships (351 monogamous and 205 consensually non-monogamous). Of the sample, 77.9% identified as heterosexual, 3.8% identified as gay/lesbian, 14.4% as bisexual, and 4.0% opted to write in their own identity.
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Each participant was asked about his or her current relationship, past sexual experiences, condom use, and how often they were tested for sexually transmitted infections—as well as any additional sex partners outside of their primary partner.
They were also asked if their primary partner was aware they were having sex with other people. The point of all of these questions was to figure out if having more sexual partners—i.e., being involved in an open relationship—would increase one's risk of contracting an STD.
It turns out it did not.
Despite having more lifetime sexual partners, people in open relationships were not any more likely to have an STD than those in monogamous relationships. Not only that, the people in open relationships were actually much safer about sex. They wore condoms with all their extra partners and got tested much more frequently. They were also less likely to lie to their primary partner about an extra-sexual dalliance.
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For example, in the non-monogamous group, 72.4% of participants reported sexual involvement with someone other than their primary partner. Of those, 36.7% reported that their "primary partner did not have specific knowledge of this information." So about a third of the sample wasn't being totally upfront, but wasn't technically breaking any relationship rules since they were in an open relationship.
In the monogamous group, on the other hand, 24.4% reported sexual involvement with someone other than their primary partner. Of those individuals, 75% reported that their primary partner did not have specific knowledge of this information. Almost all of them were keeping it a secret.
Not only that, people in the monogamous group were less likely to wear condoms with their side sex partner. Which makes sense—if you're in an exclusive relationship and not using condoms ever, you might carry that practice over to extra sex partners as well. Combine that with less frequent STD testing, and suddenly, monogamy isn't as fool-proof as we might have thought. This led Lehmiller to state in his paper:
The present findings reveal that monogamy is often implemented imperfectly. Persons who have made monogamy agreements often break them, and when they do, they are less likely to take safety precautions, get tested for STIs, and disclose those extradyadic encounters to their partners than persons who agree to some form of negotiated nonmonogamy … Thus, many people in monogamous relationships may not be as safe as they assume.
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Lehmiller noted that the finding that one in four people in the monogamous group were cheating lines up with previous research on infidelity. "The potential danger of monogamy is that, if your partner puts you at risk by cheating, you’re unlikely to find out until it’s too late," Lehmiller told me over email.
Finally, to cover all his bases, Lehmiller compared the STI rates of those in the monogamous group who actually remained monogamous to those in open relationships—and again, found no difference in prevalence of STIs.
"People in open relationships seem to take a lot of precautions to reduce their sexual health risks," Lehmiller told me. "They have more open communication with their partners, a greater likelihood of using condoms with all of their partners, and higher rates of STI testing. Altogether, this means that open relationships aren’t as risky as people think."
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In conclusion—monogamy is not a guarantee, so continue getting tested. (Duly noted!) And just because someone chooses to be polyamorous doesn't mean they also have herpes.
Taryn Hillin is Fusion's love and sex writer, with a large focus on the science of relationships. She also loves dogs, Bourbon barrel-aged beers and popcorn — not necessarily in that order. |
Image copyright Rachael Drouet Image caption Theo the cat and his haul of toy foodstuffs
A pet cat with a track record for stealing has slipped back into his criminal ways despite convincing his owner he was a reformed character.
Kleptomaniac Theo, from Ipswich, first hit the headlines in 2013 for stealing Christmas decorations.
Recently he has been stealing toy food, including a pineapple and an aubergine.
"We are deeply ashamed of our cat, especially as he had convinced us that he had changed his criminal ways," his owner wrote to neighbours.
Rachael Drouet created a leaflet for her neighbours in a bid to reunite the stolen items with their rightful owners.
"This year has been relatively quiet, save for some Bettaware catalogues and the odd flat balloon," the leaflet read.
"Until a few days ago when he started bring home toy food.
"So far we have cheese, a green pepper, fish, a pineapple, an aubergine, and a felt basket to put them all in."
Image copyright Katie Drouet photography Image caption Owner Rachael Drouet said Theo had a varied history of nicking neighbours' belongings
Theo, a five-year-old Siamese cross, also managed to bring home a child's body warmer.
Earlier this year, he stole a catalogue from a house down the street owned by a policeman, which Ms Drouet said "wasn't ideal".
Among the items stolen in the last couple of years are muslin cloths, fluffy pens, a USB phone charger cable and a child's piece of art.
Theo also took to stealing Christmas decorations from neighbours' trees.
Ms Drouet said this year she managed to reunite items from Theo's haul with their rightful owners before too long.
"I wrote the flyers and then luckily managed to find out who all the things belonged to," Ms Drouet said.
"You get tired of knocking on neighbours' doors and saying 'me again'". |
Card Player’s 2014 WSOP coverage is sponsored by CarbonPoker.
It hasn’t been done since Dan Harrington a decade ago.
Los Angeles poker pro Mark Newhouse, who finished ninth in the 2013 World Series of Poker main event, was one of the biggest stacks in the room with less than 40 left in the 2014 main event. Newhouse was the chip leader going into the final 79 on day 6.
“Dan Harrington did it, but that was in a different era,” Newhouse said. “It is a major accomplishment. I am hoping I can do it. I don’t know where it ranks; I don’t necessarily put a lot of thought into that stuff, but I hope to be the one.”
In 2003 and 2004, Harrington outlasted 839 and 2,576 players respectively. Both of Newhouse’s fields were well over 6,000 players, so it is indeed a different era.
According to Newhouse, the fact that he is going for poker history has made things somewhat different at the table. “I think some players may fear me a little bit because of it, while others may be trying to outplay me more,” Newhouse said. “It’s an interesting dynamic.”
Card Player TV had the chance to speak to Newhouse during a break in play.
For more coverage from the 2014 summer series, visit our WSOP landing page.
If you can’t get down to the Rio, you can still compete with Carbon Poker. Click the banner below for more info. CP readers are eligible for an initial deposit bonus of 200 percent up to $5,000. |
Mayor Rob Ford has angered teachers and parents at the Etobicoke high school where he coaches football — and prompted an investigation by the Catholic school board — with comments the teachers say depicted the school in a “demeaning way that was filled with untruths.” The board’s review of Ford’s interview with Sun News last week comes in response to an anonymous letter sent to senior board officials by a “significant” number of teachers at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School.
Mayor Rob Ford is lifted by his team following a football victory. ( RICHARD LAUTENS / TORONTO STAR )
In the letter, signed “The Don Bosco Staff,” the teachers said Ford’s words were “disgusting” and “no reflection of the real Don Bosco.” The Don Bosco parent council was so perturbed by Ford’s comments that it is calling a special meeting to decide how to respond, said co-chair Teresa Bridport. Ford, Bridport said, conveyed the false impression that Don Bosco is an unsafe and gang-infested place whose only redeeming feature is football. In fact, she said, the school is a thriving and improving institution with a dedicated faculty, motivated students, and other attractive extracurriculars.
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“I still believe his heart is in the right place. And I’ve said that before. It’s just that he does not know how to speak. He does not know how to communicate in a positive light. The way that he’s talking makes it look like all the kids at Don Bosco would be in the gutter if it wasn’t for him and his football program. And that’s not true,” said Bridport, who has two children at the school. “It’s such a negative thing, what he’s saying, and it’s so untrue. For him to say that unless they play football their life is shot is so untrue. So untrue. We appreciate that he volunteers at the school; we appreciate the time he puts in for the football program. But not if he’s going to speak the way he’s speaking. We’d be better off without him as the football coach if he continues to speak this way. . . This has to stop.” Board spokesperson John Yan said the interview contained “a number of inaccuracies,” which he would not specifically identify. In general, Yan said, “the interview is an inaccurate portrayal of the community.” “We share the same concerns expressed by the Don Bosco community,” Yan said. “We really don’t have any comment at this time. We’re taking all their concerns under advisement, and we’re seeing what appropriate actions, if any, we may take.” Before he became the coach at Don Bosco, Ford was told he was no longer welcome as the coach at North York’s Newtonbrook Secondary after a 2001 confrontation with a player. His spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Ford made his contested statements in a conversation with Sun News early-morning host David Menzies, who lavished praise on Ford for his work with the Don Bosco team. Don Bosco, located at Islington Ave. and Dixon Rd., is home to many low-income students, and Ford has said frequently that football helps players avoid crime and keep their grades high. Speaking to Menzies, Ford said members of the team “just wouldn’t go to school” and would have “no reason to go to school” if not for football.
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“You can’t tell them to get an education. But I use the football as a carrot. I said: If you don’t go to school, and you’re (not) passing, you don’t play football. Oh, they’ll do backflips to play football,” Ford said. Ford also called the football players “smart,” hard-working and financially prudent. But he said many players “come from gangs” and have “broken homes.” He spoke of bailing players out of jail. He referred to Don Bosco as a “tough school” in a “tough area.” And he agreed with Menzies’ suggestion that some former or current members of the team would be in jail or dead if he had not launched the team. “I truly believe that,” Ford said. “A lot of kids have said that to me. A lot of parents have said that to me.” The teachers’ letter said: “There is a sense of outrage in our school community in regards to his continued detrimental messages. Once again his comments depict our school in a very negative light. It is exasperating since we have been spending so much volunteer time and energy on community outreach to demonstrate the commitment, the excellent programs and the successes of our student body. Again, much of this good will and good work has been lost with his most recent media interview.” In a 2008 interview with Menzies for a National Post article, a former Don Bosco player who had received a NCAA scholarship, Jerome Miller, said “Rob Ford has been able to take a lot of kids off the street.” The mother of another player told the Globe and Mail last year that the media would be “reporting on the body on the street” without the football program. Some Don Bosco students, parents and staff, however, have bristled at Ford’s portrayal of students as would-be criminals. Some teachers were unhappy when Ford said, during a high-profile controversy about the team’s use of a private TTC bus, that “very few people can control these kids.” His brother, Councillor Doug Ford, drew private criticism for saying players “look up in the stands and they don’t see a father, they don’t see a mother, they see Rob Ford standing there and supporting them.” It is not clear how many teachers endorse the anonymous letter. Rene Jansen in de Wal, president of the Toronto secondary unit of the Catholic teachers’ union, said the letter “was broadly supported by the staff.” Don Bosco’s students and staff have made a concerted effort to repair the school’s reputation. In April, three busloads of supporters attended a board meeting to ask for trustees’ help in eliminating the spread of negative messages about the school, which they said has improved markedly in recent years under principal Ugo Rossi. In October, students and teachers invited reporters to a “Give Your School a Hug Day” intended to bring attention to the Don Bosco’s positive attributes. Student Nicholas Thompson, 16, who gave a speech about stereotypes, said black students at the school are portrayed unfairly. “It’s just like, ‘We’re bad, we’re thieves, we’re criminals, we’re just sports stars,’” he told the Star. Said Bridport: “Many of the teachers spend many hours volunteering for the leadership program; taking the kids on trips; there’s a group of kids going to Europe on March break, my daughter’s going to Boston in April. So, lots of teachers that put in extra hours to help with things that are not football. And I think people forget that. Although football is wonderful for the people who play it, that’s not what our school is all about. We’re about a lot more.” |
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Come chat on our fan-made Discord page Check out the wiki for more information!FROST is the successor to the much beloved and much hated DUST Survival Simulator for Fallout: New Vegas. FROST's goal is to transform the world of Fallout 4 into a freeform survival game with an emphasis on lore and visual storytelling. Set in the years following the Great War of 2077, you will see new, replaced lore, challenging new enemies, and many overhauled gameplay systems. Many areas in the game world have been visually overhauled as well.In FROST, the goal is not to complete quests and join factions. Most vanilla NPCs have been removed or changed beyond recognition. Your only mission is to survive, however long.-If you are new to Fallout 4 modding, go here first to set up your .ini file. This is essential for modding.-Extract FROST.rar into your main Fallout 4 directory (or use a mod manager like the rest of us).-Extract the contents of the FROST Start Saves file into your save games folder (C:\Users\username\Documents\My Games\Fallout4\Saves by default).-Alternatively, download Vault 111 Quickstart and use that save.-v0.4 and v0.5 require Far Harbor, Nuka World, and Automatron. v0.2, v0.21, v0.3. require Far Harbor. v0.11 and before do not require any DLCs.You MUST use the saves provided in the download section to start your game (unless you elect to use an Alternate Start mod and are so badass you can survive the outdoors without a gas mask (more about that below)). Be aware though, not all Alternate Start mods are supported. I do not recommend playing FROST on your current save or trying to start a new game with FROST installed.-FROST is a total overhaul of your gameplay experience, and I mean total. Just about anything that alters stats, levelled lists, weather or NPCs will conflict. Place FROST at the very bottom of your load order to minimize these conflicts.-It is recommended that you disable all other DLCs except those required while playing, otherwise you will have perk and workbench conflicts.-FROST is not fully compatible with Alternate Start mods. Some may work, depending on how the start itself is handled, but if you spawn in an outdoors location without a gas mask you will irradiate to death fairly quickly. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS FOR YOUR FIRST PLAYTHROUGH. You will die very quickly. Gas Masks of the Wasteland is partially compatible. Be sure to use this patch Fallout 4 Seasons - Winter is a great alternative if you dislike FROST's snow textures.-Lethal Combat: Enemies will kill you in just a few hits and you will do the same to them. Your best bet is to take cover and not get shot.-IMPORTANT NOTE: In regards to melee- Yes, you do do less damage than your enemies at level 1. Take perks, git gud. As would make sense in real life, the player and all human NPCs receive the same damage... with guns and explosives. Melee weapons depend entirely on the skill of the user. When you start the game you are a malnourished, half-dead prisoner. You're weak and have just woken up from a coma, so OF COURSE you don't do as much damage with a pipe as a hardened Cannibal or Survivor would do. Taking the appropriate perks will put you on the same level as your enemies. After all, they do more damage BECAUSE they have these perks. Please realize this before you froth at the mouth and start screaming "unfair!". It is fair, you just need to gain some experience.-Deleveled Loot and Enemies: A common misconception about the difficulty of FROST; the entire world is deleveled. At level one you have a chance of running into Level 50 Deathclaws and veteran enemies. It's rare, but possible. At the same time, you also have a chance to find guiding missile launchers and heavy combat armor. Don't get discouraged if you run into an enemy that is extremely difficult to kill. It may be out of your league to kill at the current moment, but that doesn't mean that everything is. As you level up, the world will not level with you. You'll be more able to handle situations you were once forced to run from.-Scarcity: Ammo, meds, and other useful things are very rare. To find them in large quantities you'll have to go to where it'd make sense for them to be (i.e. medicine is more often found in hospitals).-Radiation: Radiation is now far more deadly. Not only are all sources of radiation amped up, the new Atmospheric Radiation system gives all players constant rads if they dare to explore the outdoors without a protective gas mask.-AI Tweaks: Enemies use ammo, and vary in accuracy. Lower level enemies will spew rounds to the wind while expert marksmen will take you down from across the battlefield with one well-placed headshot. Beware.-Settlement Overhaul: Hi-tech workshop items require schematics to build, which can be scavenged and collected in the world. Settlements have also been nerfed to be much more difficult to protect and will function more as personal bases.-Legendaries Removed: No more god weapons (except for a handful of uniques)! You'll use what you can get your hands on and be happy with it.-Carryweight: Carryweight has been dramatically lowered (assuming you're playing on Survival mode and not one of those Easy-mode milk-drinkers). You will only carry the necessities.-Perk Edits: No more simply picking meat off of bodies! Invest in the Hunter perk to harvest goods from your kills. Or take the edited Rifleman, Commando, and Gunslinger perks to increase your range and accuracy with their respective guns.-And much more!FROST takes place just after the Great War. As such, the lore, world, and enemies reflect this change. FROST includes...-A newly implemented Subway System with over 22 large new cells (including 1 friendly city) that connects each of the vanilla Fallout 4 subway stations-Hundreds of new notes and terminal entries detailing the extensive new lore of the world. Follow notes and discover hidden conspiracies!-8 distinct new factions to interact and battle with! These completely replace all vanilla factions.-Many revised and edited vanilla cells (WIP)-Many new weapons and armors to add greater diversity to the new factions and enemies.For a proper lore-friendly Survival-Horror experience!TRANSLATIONSTEXTURES & MESHES-MADMAX713- Raider Overhaul assets-Horus05- Commonwealth Scavvers assets-tookiejones- Survival Go-Bags assets-textures.com- snow textures-Herofonts (dafont.com)- Bronx Bystreets font-Jonathan S. Harris (dafont.com)- True Lies font-ghostfc3s- Subway Runner station resources (modified- for Concord/Lexington stations).-killshots2- Ghoul Masks, Wendigo model/textures, fix for Angel's Hood model.-Gogy28- Bear Hunter Armor-WickedRhyme- Homemade Explosives-m150- TochAndLantern-Derpsdale- Spirit Forms assets-DSJ- Federation/Alliance Armors, Alliance/Themis FlagsSCIPTING-Dan- Hallucination Scripting ExtraordinaireWRITERS-Sojak246-Your401Kplan-SeraphimDreams-JackOfHearts-Dman51(Please contact me if you contributed notes but do not see your name here. I will verify with you if they were included or not.)MUSIC Cameron McKinley - "Begin Again" Main Title arrangementFROST is very much a work in progress. Since this is still an early build, there will be many, many bugs, inconsistencies, anachronisms, and other unappealing things. My hope is that you will still be able to enjoy the mod in its rough state and will report these issues in a clear and respectful way. Know that FROST will be updated often and will have numerous content dumps. An Xbox version will likely be uploaded in the distant future. I do not know specifically "when", other than that it will be very far down the line. If you don't like the mod, please keep in mind that it is a free, amateur production. It did not take years off your life to download it. The design choices are the way they are because that is what I enjoy. Writing me an outraged letter cursing my family's name probably won't get much changed, but a thoughtful suggestion might. The way in which you interact with other people makes a difference. Thank you. |
Microsoft counsel addresses question of US search warrant for Hotmail emails stored in Ireland: ‘We would go crazy if China did this to us’
The United States government has the right to demand the emails of anyone in the world from any email provider headquartered within US borders, Department of Justice (DoJ) lawyers told a federal appeals court on Wednesday.
The case being heard in the second circuit court of appeals is between the US and Microsoft and concerns a search warrant that the government argues should compel Microsoft to retrieve emails held on a Hotmail server in Ireland.
Microsoft contends that the DoJ has exceeded its authority with potentially dangerous consequences. Organizations including Apple, the government of Ireland, Fox News, NPR and the Guardian have filed amicus briefs with the court, arguing the case could set a precedent for governments around the world to seize information held in the cloud. Judges have ruled against the tech company twice.
Counsel for Microsoft contends that the US search warrant should not have been used to compel it to hand over emails stored in Ireland. “This is an execution of law enforcement seizure on their land,” Joshua Rosenkranz, counsel for Microsoft, told the court. “We would go crazy if China did this to us.”
Decision in Microsoft case could set dangerous global precedent, experts say Read more
The DoJ contends that emails should be treated as the business records of the company hosting them, by which definition only a search warrant would be needed in order to compel the provision of access to them no matter where they are stored. Microsoft argues the emails are the customers’ personal documents and a US warrant does not carry the authority needed to compel the company to hand it over.
“This notion of the government’s that private emails are Microsoft’s business records is very scary,” Rosenkranz told the court.
The three-judge panel hearing the appeal consists of judges Victor Bolden, Susan Carney and Gerard Lynch, the last of whom successfully prosecuted commodities oil magnate Marc Rich in the late 1980s. Rich counted among his clients embargoed Iran, apartheid-era South Africa and Chile under Pinochet.
Lynch’s case against Rich hinged on subpoenaed documents from Swiss companies, a fact both he and assistant US attorney Justin Anderson were quick to point out. When Rosenkranz said the warrant constituted a violation of national sovereignty, Lynch said: “That’s exactly what the Swiss said we were doing in Marc Rich. I stood there and argued it to this court.
“We don’t do foreign relations,” Lynch said. “If Congress passes a law and the executive wields it like a blunderbuss in such a way as to cause international tensions, that’s for them to worry about.”
But Lynch also expressed reservations about the government’s contention that this was a particularly powerful search warrant. “I have a lot of experience with search warrants,” said Lynch. “I’ve signed a few of them, and they don’t require you to disclose things.”
Warrants give law enforcement the right to enter and search premises; subpoenas compel their targets to disclose information. “It’s a subpoena dressed up as a warrant that also has the powers of a subpoena?” Bolden asked Anderson, who told him it was indeed.
Anderson said that a warrant required a very high legal standard, and said that the case wasn’t about who ultimately had the intellectual property rights to the emails. “It’s not about ownership, it’s about custody and control,” he told the judges.
He further said that the US couldn’t reasonably be expected to know the nationality of someone committing a crime. “It is highly unlikely at the time the government is issuing a warrant in a narcotics case that it knows the nationality of the persons involved,” he said.
Judge Carney grilled the government counsel on his interpretation of the statute in play, the Stored Communications Act of 1986, which Microsoft contends could not possibly have foreseen international cloud computing.
“The warrant doesn’t care where these records are,” Anderson told Carney.
She asked: “And what indication is there in the statute that Congress didn’t care, either?”
Lynch seemed fascinated that there were so few American regulations on what Microsoft could choose to do with its clients’ emails. He asked whether the company could take everyone’s emails “to some briefcase-bank country that has no regulations and disclose them to the National Enquirer” and Rosenkranz acknowledged that legally it could. (“Our business model would evaporate,” he said in answer to a similar question earlier in the hearing.)
“Both sides are in agreement that there are not as many protections on electronic communications as electronic communicators might like because the providers can do whatever they want with those communications, so long as they do it abroad,” Lynch concluded.
At the end of the hearing, Lynch echoed Rosenkranz’s call for legislation from Congress to clarify the decades-old law – Microsoft has called for Congress to pass the Law Enforcement Access to Data Stored Abroad (Leads) Act, though he observed to Rosenkranz that the legislature isn’t known for its speed. “It would be helpful if Congress would engage in that kind of nuanced interpretation,” he said, “and we should all be holding our breaths for when they do.”
A ruling in the case could come as early as October or as late as February. |
Massachusetts Senate candidate and Wall Street "Enemy #1" Elizabeth Warren was caught on video last month decrying the GOP's charge that Democrats are engaging in "class warfare."
"I hear all this, you know, 'Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever,'" Warren said. "No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody.
She goes on to describe how the "social contract" helps everyone.
"You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did.
"Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."
Watch the video below: |
It’s important to make it clear at the start that I’m very bad at Team Fortress 2. I’m pretty bad at most online shooters, with the odd exception of Quake 3, where back in the day I was: alright. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy them – I just don’t do very well in them. It’s also not to say I’m no good at shooters. Offline, single player, I’m fine. I think the point is, everyone else is a lot better than me, and so I die a lot.
With that out the way, I’d like to make an appeal: Please, Medics, don’t ubercharge me.
I can’t handle the pressure. You might think a burst of invincibility is exactly what I need, but the moment I see that percentage figure appear on the screen, I fall to pieces. Suddenly I’m no longer able to just muddle along in my own remarkably embarrassing fashion, heading in entirely the wrong direction, or trying to capture a protected base, but instead I’m beholden to another player.
There’s still a thimble of anonymity in a ten-man team. I can muddle along at the bottom of the scoreboard, the unheard sighs of my teammates not affecting me as I blow myself up with a rocket, or press the wrong button and turn invisible in front of the entire opposing team. But once that wispy stream of healing magic is attached to me, I’m done for. It’s too much. And I spontaneously do the stupidest thing imaginable, which normally involves falling off a cliff, or standing stock still in front of an enemy sentry.
I’m suddenly exposed. It’s like when I drive. I’ve no sense of direction to the point where I can get lost going up a flight of stairs. In a car, my average trip involves about thirty-four hasty turns in other people’s driveways or dodgy U-turns in wide junctions. And that’s fine on my own – I’m used to me, and my exceptional incompetence. But the moment there’s someone else in the car, my uselessness is exposed. “Oh, sorry, yes – this is just sort of how it works with me.” And they glance at the door handle and regret their decision. I’m a good driver – safe, capable. I just don’t drive in the direction I need to go. That Medic behind me is that passenger. In fact, worse, he’s the teacher in an exam, who suddenly looms behind your shoulder looking at what you’re writing, and you forget anything you might have revised.
It’s too much! I never know when I’m invincible, and then infuriate the more capable player who thought to give me this opportunity by standing facing a wall throughout my immortality. I hear people telling stories, where they say, “I couldn’t believe this idiot. I ubercharged him, and all he did was go and get first aid!” And I bow my head and feel sympathy for that mocked player, knowing that he too can’t handle the weight of responsibility.
So please don’t ubercharge me. Clearly it’s not worth your time, but more, it’s ruining mine. Sure, I know how ungrateful I sound, and I promise, it’s not a criticism of you at all. It really is me. There are other people more deserving of your attention and effort. I, meanwhile, will be getting killed by the same sentry eight times in a row before I remember where it is. |
* Deadly Maul - Quest: Using Dread Maul on an enemy hero gains a stack of Maul. Upon reaching 30 stacks, permanently increase the damage of Dread Maul to 9% health steal.* Join Me - Reduces the channel time of Dark Conversion by 1 second* Other Hand - Finger of Death gains an additional charge* Immortal Regeneration - Collecting a regeneration globe permanently increases the amount Mal'Ganis heals by 1% up to 25%. Upon reaching 25%, Mal'Ganis spawns a Regeneration Globe whenever he switches forms.* Reaching Maul - Increases the range of Dread Maul by 33%* Demonic Skin - Activate to gain a shield that absorbs up to 33% of Mal'Ganis's health. Mal'Ganis will drain the shield, healing himself for the same amount over 6 seconds.* Dark Wind - Reduces the cooldown of Dark Flight by 5 seconds* Cloud of Bats - Increases the range , width and speed of Carrion Swarm by 33%* Not a morning person - Sleep slows the target by 25% for 2 seconds after they wake up* Peaceful Slumber - Sleep can now be cast on allies, causing them to regenerate up to 25% of their health over the duration.* Starving to Death - When cast on an enemy, Vampiric Spirit drains for twice as long but causes the enemy's attack to heal for twice as much.* Nathrezim Champion - When cast on an ally, it is casted on Mal'Ganis as well* Invincible Maul - Dread Maul makes Mal'ganis unstoppable for 1 second.* Demonic Rage - Targets with Vampiric Spirit burn nearby enemies for 23 damage a second* Middle Finger - Destroys, removes, and prevents shields and healing on the target for 3 seconds.* Blind as a bat - Enemies hit by Carrion Swarm are blinded for 2 seconds and can only see in a cone in front of them.* Never Sated - Increases Vampiric Spirit's duration in all ways by 100%* Rude Awakening - Enemies put to sleep become vulnerable for 2 seconds after waking up, increasing the damage taken by 25%.- Every time a hero dies, Mal'Ganis gains a charge of Immortality. Mal'Ganis can spend these charges to reduce the cost of his respawn by 6 seconds- Dread Lord is permanently active and Mal'Ganis gains resistance; decreasing all damage taken by 25%.- Cunning General's duration is increased to 60 seconds. Keep takedowns, keep conversions, mercenary captures, and objective wins reduce the cooldown of this ability by 10 seconds.- Passive: Every 3rd minion wave will be a wave of demons instead, who take 25% reduced damage from minions and mercenaries and deal 25% more damage to minions and mercenaries.- Active: Call down an Infernal from the sky, dealing massive damage to non-hero units. The Infernal is a beefy melee siege unit that burns all nearby enemies over time, has a cleave attack and deals massive damage to structures.- Passive: Mal'Ganis gains stealth when Dark Flight's passive is active.- Active: Remove all enemyvision for 3 seconds. 60s cooldown |
SAN FRANCISCO — Cortana’s learning the neighbourhood. Google’s digital assistant can’t tell a joke. And Siri apparently has a thing for the metric system.
Those are just a few of the things I learned after staging a face-off between the three leading digital assistants. Apple’s Siri and "OK Google" — they’re not big on personification at Google — are now standard on smartphones; Microsoft recently added its Cortana service to Windows 10, so it works on PCs, too.
Now that just about anyone can talk to their phone or computer, we wanted to see what happens when you try.
Though none of the assistants are perfect, they do have distinct personalities, even if they’re just deliberate artifacts of their creators.
I asked the same 10 questions of each service, using an iPhone with Siri, a Nexus phone with Android’s "OK Google" and a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet with Cortana.
INFORMATION PLEASE
First up: Some basic factual questions. All three did pretty well when asked, "What’s it like outside?"
Cortana earned extra points for answering with a spoken weather report. Google and Siri each showed a screen image that listed current conditions and a forecast.
All three supplied President (Barack) Obama’s age. When asked, "What’s his wife’s name?" they all remembered that the question referred to the U.S. president, and correctly identified the First Lady: Michelle Obama.
Similarly, they all knew the length of the Golden Gate Bridge. But for some reason, Siri answered in metres, while Cortana and Google stuck to feet.
AT YOUR SERVICE
Next came more complicated tasks, such as finding the nearest pharmacy. Google and Siri listed three within a half-mile of The Associated Press bureau in downtown San Francisco. But neither mentioned the drug store on the ground floor of the building where the bureau is located. Cortana did.
Posing questions is hungry work. I asked for help making a lunch reservation at Credo, a fancy restaurant around the corner. Siri and Cortana were stumped, but Google automatically fired up the Open Table app on the Nexus phone, with the form already filled out to make a reservation. Too bad the place is so trendy; it was booked for weeks.
Ever feel like ducking work to catch an afternoon movie? (Shhh! Don’t tell my editor.) All three assistants had local movie listings at their digital fingertips. But Siri led off with a new release at a theatre just half a mile from the AP bureau. With a couple of taps, Siri had opened Fandango, an app that lets you buy tickets online.
Google also connected with Fandango. Cortana had more trouble; Microsoft lags behind Apple and Google in the number of apps that work with its software, and I couldn’t get the right Fandango app to load on a Surface tablet.
JUST FOR LAUGHS
Finally, a personality test. I challenged each to tell a joke. Siri had the best answer: "If I told you a joke in my language, I’d have to explain it."
Then I tried the famous line from 2001: A Space Odyssey in which astronaut Dave Bowman tells the ship’s computer: "Open the pod bay doors." Cortana knows the right answer: "I’m sorry Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that." But Siri had a better one: "Doesn’t anybody knock anymore?"
To be clear, these aren’t the witty rejoinders of some artificial intelligence. The creators of Siri and Cortana thought it would be fun to preload each service with humorous answers to predictable questions.
Google doesn’t bother with such frills. Sticking to its search-engine roots, "OK Google" answered the 2001 question by silently presenting a series of Internet links, starting with one for a YouTube clip from the movie.
Likewise, when asked about the meaning of life, Siri and Cortana were both ready with a quip. Google just recited a dry definition that only a biologist could love: "Life is the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter. …"
FINAL SCORE
All three services are good on factual questions. Siri’s programmers have the best sense of humour. Google stays focused on the task at hand. And Cortana is quickly catching up to both of them. |
The Eastern Clash, the second major international tournament for HGC 2017, will kick off on March 16 and run till March 18 in Shanghai, China.
As an Asian counterpart to the last Western Clash, the Eastern Clash will pit the top HGC teams from China, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia against one another. Three Korean teams - L5, MVP Black, and Tempest - all of which have held championship trophies in the past, will compete in the event.
Among the big three, fans praise Tempest for their spectacular performances thanks to the team’s explosive teamfighting capability. Most agree that signing on former MVP Black warrior Sign and super rookie ModernLife made for a successful rebuilding. We were fortunate enough to sit down with Tempest to hear their stories.
▲ ModernLife, Hide, Sign, Lockdown, and duckdeok (From left to right)
Congratulations on finishing third in the first half of HGC KR Phase One. What have you been up to lately?
Gyeong Hwan “Hide” Jin: I had a brief break after completing the first half of the season. I’ve been too busy, so I traveled a bit for a breath of fresh air. I should probably get back to training. I was a little tied up with visa issues for the Eastern Clash.
Ji Hoon “Sign” Yoon: I’ve been pretty busy analyzing VODs because the Western Clash began right after the first half of the season. I do have more spare time now though.
Many teams in HGC KR Phase One went through rebuilding. Do you think that Tempest’s rebuilding was successful?
Kyung Deok “duckdeok” Kim: I think it was. Our results aren’t quite there, but I believe we can get to a higher place than the old Tempest did because the current team atmosphere is excellent.
Hide: I’m satisfied, especially because I didn’t set my goals super high. ModernLife must have had the toughest time among the four veterans, but I’m glad he bonded well with the team.
Your performance in the early season was somewhat shaky. How did you manage to break the mold?
Hide: I guess it’s because we’ve historically faced strong teams for the opening match. I think we improved through exchanging feedback after each match.
Jin Hak “ModernLife” Jang: I was pretty mad after the match against MVP Black. My teammates consoled me a lot, which made me a better player.
Sign: I once thought about quitting pro gaming, and my skills were pretty rusty. I think something in me switched back on after the match against Black.
How’s everything going with preparing for the Eastern Clash?
duckdeok: Since we’ve worked hard to prepare for the event, I’m confident in the first matchup this time around.
Jae Hoon “Lockdown” Jin: I think we’ll reap good results since everyone is so hard at work.
Are there any foreign teams you’re keeping a watchful eye on?
Sign: It’s eStar. They scrim a lot with Korean teams and have excellent teamfighting capability. Just as it was the case before, they can come back with a well-timed teamfight at any time.
What will we see at this Eastern Clash in terms of meta and heroes? Are you preparing anything special regarding those?
Sign: First off, I think Tassadar is really strong, so we’re working on a Tassadar comp. Maybe we’ll see more Chromie, who shined in the Western Clash.
Hide: Diverse support heroes saw play in the Wester Clash. Watching heroes like Tyrande and Lúcio being played makes me think that recent support heroes aren’t just healbots. Instead, teams put more emphasis on the utility that support heroes can bring. I believe Korean teams will bring a variety of support comps to the Eastern Clash.
▲ Team captain and reliable support Hide
I heard you were ecstatic to see the Probius reveal at the Western Clash. What are your thoughts on the hero?
duckdeok: As a former StarCraft 2 player, I was happy to see Probius, who brings back good old memories of splitting workers. I’m a little sad that he’s more of a situational pick depending on battlegrounds with clear counters. He’s really good on maps like Braxis Holdout and Battlefield of Eternity where laning is important, but he falls short in teamfight-oriented maps.
Ever since you’ve let your hair grow, fans have taken to calling you “Miss Lockdown”, and an Open Division team used your face on their team logo. How do you feel about that?
Lockdown: At first I let it grow because I got lazy, but it’s gotten to the point where I feel too attached to cut it. Although I agreed, I was a bit flustered when they asked me for permission to use my face on the logo. It’s a bit embarrassing to this day.
▲ Tempest assassin Lockdown's long hair generated buzz among fans.
Are there any secrets to your “carry support” status?
Hide: I think that’s because I’m committed to contributing more than simply providing heals as a support player. I believe I have more to offer than other players because I have somewhat flex-like tendencies. That said, those plays are only possible because of cover from my teammates.
As a transfer player on the team, are you under any pressure to perform shotcalling and drafting duties?
Sign: I wouldn’t so much call myself a transfer player; rather, I’m more of a returning one. Since the team itself is pretty relaxed in terms of the internal atmosphere, I don’t feel that pressured. I did some shotcalling and drafting on my past teams.
What does “1 Modern Rag” mean to you?
ModernLife: It was harrowing at first. I now call myself 1 Modern in games. I think it’s alright.
Editor's Note: This is a meme referring to the former LoL player Ssong, who widely varies in his performance (ex: 1 Ssong means mediocre levels of play, while 6 Ssong implies legendary status). The numbers correspond to each number on a die, emphasizing RNG nature of his form.
▲ ModernLife has shown continuous growth in every match.
What did OGN HGC KR commentator OPrime mean to Tempest?
Hide: He was a good partner, one who helps out when working together. I’m still personally close to him. I think it’s wonderful that he and I are doing great. I hope he’ll do even better.
Among the three Korean teams competing in the Eastern Clash, people view Tempest as the team with the most spectacular teamfights using your aggressive playstyle. Any thoughts?
duckdeok: I don’t particularly prefer teamfights, but I tend to get aggressive since I was in charge of the frontline in the old Tempest. In the Eastern Clash, though, I’d like to show you winning games with delicate macro plays.
Hide: I guess people say that about us because we adapt our playstyles according to the opponent. We also prefer using brute force to win rather than widening the lead with macro plays when we’re ahead. That’s why we don’t shy away from teamfights.
Can we expect to see the resurgence of the Summer Champions in the second half of the Phase One?
Sign: I think you can expect better performance from us in the second half. Since I’m a former Spring Champion, and Tempest is strong in the summer, I hope you keep your expectations high and cheer us on.
Anything else you’d like to say before we wrap up?
Hide: I’m always thankful for fans who take an interest in the team. I’m a bit bummed out that not many Korean live audiences will be able to join since this Clash takes place in China. Regardless, I hope many of you will tune in to give us more cheers than criticism.
duckdeok: I’ll work hard to achieve my goal of defeating L5 and MVP Black at the Eastern Clash. I believe we’ll reap good results as long as we keep those goals in mind.
Lockdown: I hope to show you some awesome plays.
ModernLife: I started Heroes as a support and now switched to melee flex, a role which needs to take initiatives. I think my inexperience was a part of the reason I displayed quite a few subpar performances. I’m still improving every day, so I hope you watch me grow.
Sign: I’m grateful to everyone who roots for the team or me personally. I’ll do my best to bring you even better performances and plays than I showed you at HGC. Thank you all. |
The Pakistani government is going to introduce an online visa application system for issuance of visas to all foreigners through Pakistani missions abroad.
This development was conveyed by the Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar, who on in a press conference on Tuesday said; “The government has taken multiple steps to make the system of issuance of visas transparent.”
Chaudhary Nisar has received permission from PM Nawaz Sharif to introduce an online visa system. Moreover, the government would also increase visa fees, making them at par with the ones charged from Pakistanis.
The online visa system would be complemented by a digital databank for the issuance of a visa to all foreigners issued through Pakistan missions across the globe. He has already directed NADRA to establish the database. The Interior Minister said:
“The practice that ‘the right-hand does not know what the left hand is doing’ should be eliminated completely. Anyone’s name, who is applying for the Pakistani visa, will be in the record for [cross] checking of government functionaries and security agencies.”
Also, the Immigration Service Department would be a separate entity in the future as Chaudhary Nisar announced its separation from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). He said: The FIA should not have any connection with the Immigration Department and it must be a separate service.”
The government already has an online appointment method for Pakistnis living in Dubai. Through this service, they can apply for the passports and NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) easily without having to stand in the long queues.
Through online visa system, the government wants to ensure that nobody enters Pakistan without proper documentation. The decision has been made in the wake of 2014 visa scandal including Hussain Haqqani, the Pakistan ambassador in Washington who issued visas to thousands of US citizens without conduscting any verification. |
In early January, suspended New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez tweeted a photo of himself with Orioles third baseman Manny Machado and Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso attending a Jay-Z concert in South Florida.
Last month, Orioles manager Buck Showalter seemed to allude to the Machado-Rodriguez relationship without specifically mentioning A-Rod, saying, “We all make decisions about who we surround ourselves with.”
Well, Machado told FOX Sports this weekend in Boston that he considers Rodriguez not just a friend but a “great friend.” He added that he will remain close with Rodriguez even as A-Rod serves a 162-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs and attempting to hinder baseball’s investigation of the now-defunct Biogenesis Clinic.
Article continues below ...
“You can hang out with who you want,” Machado said. “He’s my friend. He’s done nothing wrong to me. He has been nothing but a great friend to me.
“Like a lot of people say, you always want to have good people tell you good things. That’s what I see with him. He helps me with my fielding, my hitting, even off-the-field stuff.”
Machado, however, made it clear that he does not approve of Rodriguez’s use of PEDs.
“What he has done, it is what it is. He did what he did. Do I put him on a pedestal for that? No. But he’s still my friend. That’s not going to change,” Machado said.
“It’s just like Adam (Jones) in here or anybody else: If you’re my friend, you’re my friend. You can’t push him aside because he did something bad in the past. All of us have.”
Machado and Rodriguez are both natives of Miami. Machado grew up idolizing Rodriguez and even displays some of the same mannerisms. Rodriguez once joked, “He does me better than me.”
Showalter, after Machado threw a bat toward third base and displayed other out-of-character behavior during a series against the Oakland Athletics last month, was asked if he had noticed any change in Machado since last season.
“When he’s here with us from February until, we hope, to October, he’s fine,” Showalter said, according to the Baltimore Sun. “I can’t tell you what happens when the season’s over. I don’t think anybody can.
“We all make decisions about who we surround ourselves with. We all go back to what our mom said, ‘You are who you hang around with.’ For seven or eight months, I know who he’s hanging around with, for the most part. He’s a good kid who means well. He just made a bad decision.”
Showalter was referring to Machado throwing his bat; baseball suspended Machado four games for that action and one game for an incident that occurred two days earlier, when he took exception to a tag by A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Machado has said repeatedly that he regrets his conduct that weekend and that he will learn from it. He does not, however, regret his friendship with Rodriguez.
“He’s my boy,” Machado said. “He always will be.” |
In multiple meetings since January, Mr. Cruz’s advisers discussed Mr. Walker’s effort to win support from both the center-right and more conservative wings of the party, according to Republicans familiar with the sessions but who were not authorized to speak on the record.
Witnessing Mr. Walker’s early boomlet, along with some of the Wisconsin governor’s initial stumbles, prompted Mr. Cruz to announce early, ahead of the other hopefuls in both parties, the Republicans briefed on his strategy said.
Mr. Cruz and his advisers, recalling his path to victory in Texas, saw more opportunity than risk in dispensing with any exploratory phase: In 2012, Mr. Cruz entered what was initially a crowded Republican field more than a year before the Senate primary and slowly earned support from conservative activists through intensive travel and on the strength — and uncompromising nature — of his rhetoric.
He now plans on pursuing a similar presidential campaign, portraying himself as not only the most doctrinaire candidate, but as the one most willing to fight for the principles of the conservative movement.
Kellyanne Conway, a Republican pollster, said that distinction could help Mr. Cruz win over the party’s hard-line activists.
“It’s not necessary for him to show that he’s the most conservative, but that he’s the most courageous conservative,” she said.
Asked about Mr. Walker’s impact on Mr. Cruz’s timing, Jason Miller, a Cruz adviser, said voters were “hungry to have a conservative in this race willing to lead, and Senator Cruz is willing to stand up and do just that.” He added: “Our campaign has a clear path to victory, we can raise the money and we’re ready to go.” |
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday that the agency will not carry out immigration enforcement operations in areas hit by Hurricane Irma in an effort to encourage undocumented immigrants to seek help without fear of reprisal.
"DHS will not conduct non-criminal immigration enforcement operations in the affected area," the agency said in a statement.
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"At the request of [the Federal Emergency Management Agency], local and state authorities, DHS law enforcement personnel will be in the affected area to conduct search and rescue, air traffic de-confliction and public safety missions," according to the statement. "When it comes to rescuing people in the wake of Hurricane Irma, immigration status is not and will not be a factor."
The move aims to create a safe haven for undocumented immigrants to seek help without fear of punishment as the extreme Category 5 storm approaches the nation's shores.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said saving lives would be the agencies' "highest priorities."
The agencies made similar statements regarding people affected by Hurricane Harvey, which wreaked havoc across southeastern part of the Lone Star State, leaving dozens dead and displacing scores more.
The DHS warned that it will continue to enforce the law should it notice any criminal activity.
"However, the laws will not be suspended, and we will be vigilant against any effort by criminals to exploit disruptions caused by the storm," the statement continued. |
The latest diatribe against Caucasian people comes about because the people of Alabama recently almost put “a racist pedophile Republican” — Roy Moore — in the United States Senate.
That would actually be alleged pedophile, and Portland State University’s Jake Johnson does get around to using that term eventually (at the end of his piece, natch) — that is, when he’s not throwing around the F-word in abundance.
The almost 21,000 votes that separated winner Alabama US Senate seat winner Doug Jones and Moore was a “fucking hairline,” Johnson writes in The Vanguard, and only 38% of Alabamans came out to vote … which means over half the eligible voters “decided they didn’t give a fuck whether a racist pedophile […] was elected.”
Johnson completely overlooks any nuance (and isn’t that a popular liberal notion?) and many of the same factors which enabled Donald Trump to upset Hillary Clinton last year. Indeed, he engages in the very same progressive antics that make right-leaning and moderate voters to say (in his vernacular) “f*** it” and cast their votes not in favor of a highly flawed candidate, but against people like him.
Not to mention against the media and the establishment, too.
From the piece:
Remember, this contest was set to replace the Senate seat previously held by America’s racist great-uncle Jeff (a racist who can never seem to recall how fucking racist he is until he’s being racist, and even after he’s just been extremely racist cannot recall those repugnant thoughts that have thoroughly corroded his tiny Keebler-elf brain). … Republicans not only elected Donald Trump, but they were also more than happy to support and promote a man who reminisces about the days America still endorsed slavery. When an African American at one of Moore’s rallies in September 2017 asked Moore what Trump meant by wanting to make America great again, Moore told the individual when he thought America was last great, and the publicly spoken response was atrocious and telling: “I think it [the United States] was great at the time when families were united—even though we had slavery—they cared for one another,” Moore responded. “Our families were strong, our country had direction.” … But fuck it, let’s vote for that fuckin’ guy. It seems Republicans are testing their limits for what kind of trash they can elect into office. Apparently, you can be a racist or a pedophile, but you might not win if you’re both—and even if you are, you still have a pretty solid fighting chance.
“[Doug] Jones’ win is a victory for Democrats and the U.S. in general,” Johnson concludes. Yet, somehow, Moore’s near-victory in a single state signifies that all white people are repugnant.
What was that about a “tiny Keebler-elf brain”?
Read the full op-ed.
MORE: Defund College Republicans because yhey ‘oppose our humanity’
MORE: Portland State paper fires editor for quoting Muslim student’s Koran comments
IMAGE: Damian Navas/Flickr
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This picture of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6744, which could be the Milky Way's twin, was taken at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile.
Almost like a postcard from across the universe, astronomers have photographed a spiral galaxy that could be a twin of our own Milky Way.
The distant galaxy, called NGC 6744, was imaged by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile. The pinwheel lies 30 million light-years away in the southern constellation of Pavo (The Peacock).
We are lucky to have a bird's-eye view of the spiral galaxybecause of its orientation, face-on, as seen from Earth. It's a dead ringer for our own home in the cosmos, scientists say. [See the Milky Way's galactic twin NGC 6744]
"If we had the technology to escape the Milky Way and could look down on it from intergalactic space, this view is close to the one we would see — striking spiral arms wrapping around a dense, elongated nucleus and a dusty disc," according to an ESO statement. "There is even a distorted companion galaxy — NGC 6744A, seen here as a smudge to the lower right of NGC 6744, which is reminiscent of one of the Milky Way’s neighboring Magellanic Clouds."
The main difference between NGC 6744 and the Milky Way is the two galaxies' size. While our galaxy is roughly 100,000 light-years across, our "twin" galaxy extends to almost twice that diameter, researchers said.
The photogenic object is one of the largest and nearest spiral galaxies to Earth. It's about as bright as 60 billion suns, and its light spreads across a large area in the sky — about two-thirds the width of the full moon — making the galaxy visible as a hazy glow through a small telescope.
The reddish spots along the spiral arms in NGC 6744 represent regions where new stars are being born.
The picture was created by combining four exposures taken through different filters that collected blue, yellow-green and red light and the glow coming from hydrogen gas. These are shown in the new picture as blue, green, orange and red, respectively.
Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcomand on Facebook. |
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:4794:]]I pretty much figured it was a given that Tom Hiddleston would be assembling in The Avengers 2; however, turns out that might not be the case.
Hiddleston will be appearing in Thor 2, "The Dark World," up to his old tricks again menacing his brother Thor. My thinking was that this time around Thor and Loki became friends with Loki going on to fight alongside the Avengers against Thanos in The Avengers 2.
Guess again.
Tom Hiddleston reveals that he hasn't talked to Joss Whedon about it and that maybe audiences by then would be tired of Loki.
"I don't know, and that really is the honest answer. I know I've been known for obfuscation in other quarters, but I have no idea," Hiddleston said, reports UK's MSN.com. "I haven't spoken to Joss. He's definitely doing it. So I suspect not, only because I think that probably the audiences are tired of Loki being the bad guy. Maybe the Avengers need somebody else to fight."
Perhaps Hiddleston just gave us a clue as to his role in The Avengers 2, which seems in line with my aforementioned speculation, but regardless, of course Hiddleston would still love to do The Avengers 2.
"But I'd love to be part of it again," he said.
What do you think? Can you imagine The Avengers 2 without Tom Hiddleston?
The Avengers 2 assembles May 1, 2015 with Iron Man 3 on May 3, 2013, Thor: The Dark World on November 8, 2013, Captain America: Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy movie on August 1, 2014 and Ant-Man on November 6, 2015..
Head on over to the Cosmic Book News The Avengers Movie Hub for more news, images and trailers.
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:4449:]] |
Photo by Amanda Koellner
Jack White’s 2014 headlining performance at Bonnaroo is widely considered one of the greatest sets in the festival’s 13-year history. Now, the gig will be forever immortalized in a new three LP vinyl package, which headlines the latest installment of Third Man Records’ subscription series The Vault.
The live album has been mixed by Third Man’s in-house engineer, Vance Powell, “and stands as a marked improvement over the on-the-fly board mix heard in webcasts, YouTube uploads and shady downloads,” according to a press release. The vinyl will come pressed on white, blue, and black, “housed in a soft-touch, telescoping box, topped off with a lenticular television on the cover.”
The package also includes a DVD of the full performance, re-edited from the original raw footage by Brad Holland, as well as 8×10 photographs from the concert, a customized Jack White patch, a backstage pass sticker, a poster., and a custom-designed USB drive with bonus material.
White’s Bonnaroo set spanned 26 songs at two-and-a-half hours (some 45 minutes longer than their originally scheduled set time). The setlist was comprised of material from White’s entire career, including songs by The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and his two solo albums. Among the highlights, “Icky Thump” serving as set opener; the first performance of “Astro” in over three years; a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Lemon Song”; and “Seven Nation Army”, during which the entire field of 70,000+ sang along. Below, watch video of the full performance as ripped from the webcast.
The Vault package will be shipped beginning October 31st. Subscribe here.
Setlist:
Icky Thump (The White Stripes)
High Ball Stepper (Solo)
Lazaretto (Solo)
Hotel Yorba (The White Stripes)
Temporary Ground (Solo)
Missing Pieces (Solo)
Steady, As She Goes (The Raconteurs)
Top Yourself (The Raconteurs)
I’m Slowly Turning Into You (The White Stripes)
Freedom at 21 (Solo)
Three Women (Solo)
You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told) (The White Stripes)
We’re Going to Be Friends (The White Stripes)
Alone in My Home (Solo)
Ball and Biscuit (The White Stripes)
The Lemon Song (Led Zeppelin cover)
Encore:
The Hardest Button to Button (The White Stripes)
Hello Operator (The White Stripes)
Misirlou (Dick Dale and His Del-Tones cover)
Sixteen Saltines (Solo)
Cannon (The White Stripes)
Blue Blood Blues (The Dead Weather)
Astro (The White Stripes)
Love Interruption (Solo)
Little Bird (The White Stripes)
Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes) |
The more detail we can get on the inner workings of the brain, the better our chances of understanding and treating it, and scientists have just unveiled a new high-definition recording probe that's thinner than a human hair.
Its developers say the extra accuracy could revolutionise our insight into the brain's wiring, mapping neural networks in ways that haven't been possible before, and showing us how different brain activities relate to different behaviours.
The new silicon probes are called Neuropixels, and according to the international team behind them, they could prove invaluable in figuring out how diseases like Alzheimer's and conditions such as depression take hold of the brain and interfere with its normal function.
"To understand the brain, we need to understand how a lot of neurons spread all over the brain work together," says one of the researchers, Matteo Carandini from University College London in the UK.
"Until recently, it was possible to measure the activity of individual neurons within a specific spot in the brain or to reveal larger, regional patterns of activity – but not to do both at the same time."
A Neuropixel with attached processing unit. (imec)
These wafer-thin probes measure 10 millimetres (0.39 inches) in length and are just 20 micrometres thick (that's 0.00078 inches).
Despite their small size, they pack in 100 tiny, super-sensitive recording spots per millimetre, enabling them to map the brain in incredible detail as well as automatically getting data ready for computer analysis in real-time, as neural activity happens.
Compare that with the wire electrodes in use today, which only have a few dozen sensors fitted to each one.
"To give a basic analogy, these probes move us from the era of small black and white TV sets, to large, high-resolution flat screen displays," says one of the researchers, Andrew Welchman from the Wellcome Trust in the UK.
"Neuropixel probes will change what we know and even how we think about the brain."
And there's still plenty left to discover about how this most important of organs, fitted with more than 70 billion neurons, actually works – we're learning all the time about the roles of different areas of the brain, how the brain deals with waste and disease, and how it can heal itself.
From next year, Neuropixels will be made available to scientists at cost price, and 400 prototypes are already in use at research centres across the globe. For now they're being used solely on mice and rats, animals with brains known to be good models for the human brain.
The Neuropixels will allow experiments over long time periods, without restricting the animals: researchers have already shown how animals fitted with the sensors can move around freely, and one experiment lasted 150 days.
Another planned study will look at mice foraging for food, and will be able to map data from multiple labs to simultaneously record the activity of 1,000 neurons in mice, covering the animals' entire brains as they all carry out the same task.
Eventually, this high-resolution mapping technique should give us a better idea of how emotions are regulated and how decisions are made, as well as all kinds of other insights.
"These probes are a game changer," says Carandini. "If you place them appropriately, you can really study how different parts of the brain work together at the neuronal level."
The research has been published in Nature. |
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Hospital chiefs were today revealed to have spent more than £10,000 of NHS cash fighting plans to move a bus stop on Westminster Bridge.
Bosses at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust launched a campaign against proposals for a “floating” bus stop that would enable a segregated cycle lane to be built on the bridge.
Documents released under freedom of information laws revealed the trust has spent £10,249, including £9,971 on legal advice, on its campaign so far — despite its own staff urging it to promote the health benefits of cycling.
Road safety campaigner Tom Kearney said: “As a critically-injured TfL bus crash survivor whose life was saved by the NHS, I am gobsmacked that NHS funds and personnel are being casually expended to prevent the creation of manifestly safer cycling conditions directly in front of St Thomas’ Hospital.”
The documents, obtained by cycle campaigners who support the lanes, show how senior executives, including trust chairman Sir Hugh Taylor and trust secretary Peter Allanson, spent months mounting a campaign of opposition to the bus stop move.
Under the plans, cyclists would follow a route “behind” the bus stop. Trust chiefs feared that passengers heading for St Thomas’ Hospital would be placed in jeopardy as they stepped from the bus and crossed the bike lane.
An email to Mr Allanson revealed attempts to “round a few people up, including one or two in wheelchairs”. It added: “A guide dog for the blind would be good but I don’t know anyone with one.”
Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey, whose support was secured by the trust, today said she was dismayed at the way some cycling campaigners had attacked people expressing concerns.
She told the Standard: “I have no objection and have never opposed a cycle lane on the bridge.
“There must be a solution that allows the cycle lane to be built in a different position. I don’t see why they can’t keep the bus stop where it is.”
Ms Hoey added: “I understand that the Mayor [Sadiq Khan] has said he wants it sorted. No one wants to get into court.”
A trust spokesman said: “We are campaigning against this particular floating bus stop because we are concerned about the safety of patients visiting St Thomas’ Hospital, as well as the safety of cyclists.
“TfL’s proposal could put patients and carers at risk, especially the elderly, disabled and families with children in buggies and wheelchairs — community groups, including those representing the elderly and people with visual impairments, support our concerns.”
The cycle lane would provide a car-free link with the east-west cycle superhighway on the Embankment.
Floating bus stops are already in use outside the Royal London Hospital, in Whitechapel Road and along the CS2 cycle superhighway to Stratford.
A TfL spokesman said: “We’re still engaging and talking with the trust to find an amicable solution.” |
Photo via Instagram
Well, fellow Jai Paul compatriots it’s come to this. We’ve now reached that sad point in any obscure artist's career where their songs become reduced to sample/cover territory, as evidenced by the new Ed Sheeran-featured Rockie Fresh track “Are You With Me?” This isn’t the first time the electro-R&B specialist has been used as a sample: Look no further than the traces of Paul's "BTSTU" on Drake’s “Dreams Money Can Buy” or Beyonce’s “End of Time.” However, there is something slightly perturbing about Ed Sheeran's cover of “Jasmine” and how clean his vocals sound in comparison to the distorted original.
Fucking love this jai Paul tune — Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) June 6, 2011
One supposes this could be a good thing for Mr. Paul. Maybe he'll tire of hearing Ben Khan imitate his sound and hearing people cover his tunes that he'll finally be inspired to finally drop a new single. Or hell, maybe an album? 2016 just started, there’s hope. Probably not though, because he's too busy doing something else that is important. And maybe we're just salty fans who are tired of convincing people to listen to an unfinished album with no track titles on it. Sorry, Sheeran. The rest of you enjoy this and Rockie Fresh’s impressive new mixtape The Night I Went To… |
By Simon “Sottle” Welch
Recently Frodan posted a thought provoking article on the state of Hearthstone casting, which you should read before delving any deeper into my response. Before I even get started I want to echo Dan’s sentiment that this is in no way a call out to any individual caster, or to the casting pool as a whole. This is introspective as much as it is extrospective. Furthermore, while Dan has earned the right to make this sort of analysis through years of work and experience, I, resoundingly, have not. So take everything I say with a pinch of salt.
The general sentiment of what he wrote is that casting in Hearthstone has fallen too deep into a comfort zone of high energy, positivity, and fluff/filler content, and fallen too far away from actually analysing the game in an insightful manner. Despite being someone that has moved away slightly in style from the latter towards the former, I do agree, but allow me to elaborate.
Frodan with the HCT Spring European competitors.
In the early days of my casting career, I went IN. I went in hard. I did not care who I offended or who I alienated. I had basically zero regard for player egos or whether or not the viewers would agree with me over the more popular personalities I was criticising. All I cared about was the integrity of the game and my conviction that a particular line a player took was incorrect. While this style helped me make a name for myself in the early days, I also faced heavy criticism for it. For every tweet or Reddit post I received telling me I was a breath of fresh air, I received one asking “who the hell are you to be telling [insert top player here] how to play?” On top of this I received advice from prominent community members who told me that even though they personally enjoyed my style of casting, it would end up burning bridges in the long run.
While the abrasive style was working for me to an extent, it wasn’t until I started working on the technical side of casting that I started to be hired to do bigger events. I can’t speak with any factual basis as to why, but I can guess that I was viewed as too risky, too dry to the average viewer and too likely to say something controversial. And yes, believe it or not, there is a technical side of casting, and it’s probably a huge reason why your favourite caster is your favourite caster. Frodan for example has an incredible delivery, his voice is warm and welcoming, but also authoritative when needed. He understands when to ride the energy of a broadcast and when to create it himself. He can effortlessly make transitions between different broadcast elements and is outstanding at both integrating himself into, and leading a conversation. These are things that come naturally to some people, and less so to people like me. These are the skills that lead to the criticism that casters are homogenised and all sound the same, but I personally believe they’re essential to the quality of an overall broadcast. They’re not things that you pick up on naturally as a viewer, but subconsciously, these are the things that are keeping you engaged.
superjj on the casting desk.
So, to address the first of Frodan’s points: “Casters, Be More Honest; Players Be More Open Minded” - Yes, I agree entirely. But I would also add two points to this. Firstly, production teams and tournament organisers needs to do the same. There are a lot of fantastic analysts out there who are not given the opportunity to show their stuff on the big stage because these events tend to favour the people that have been doing this for a long time, the familiar voices that everyone is used to. Competition is fantastic in any industry and the Hearthstone Championship Tour Caster Search initiative has been a huge positive for Hearthstone casting as a whole because it has introduced so many new voices, not only to the viewers, but to other casters themselves. When there are more voices with different styles, different knowledge bases, and different experiences, not only is there a greater pool to allow us all to learn from each other and improve together, but the competition for spots is higher meaning that we all individually have a fire lit under us to improve and be the best we can be. Secondly, honesty and positivity are not mutually exclusive. As I mentioned, I do think that presentation is a huge part of successful casting, or more generally, a huge part of communication in general. One of the reasons why Firebat has found himself in a position of receiving great acclaim as a caster in recent months is that not only does he have excellent game knowledge, he also has a great ability to condense complex points into layman friendly terms, and knows how to use his voice to accentuate these points and to make sure he grabs the attention of the listener. We, as a team can be more critical of plays without losing any of the atmosphere that Hearthstone has cultivated as a scene. The game, and the broadcast is supposed to fun, and that atmosphere is important. The balance is extremely difficult to find, and it’s very possible that I as much as anyone have gone too far in the other direction. While I don’t think for a second that Frodan is advocating a departure from the happy-go-lucky Tavern atmosphere entirely, I simply want to re-iterate the point that there is much more to successful casting than just talking sense about the game.
Of course none of this so far detracts from Frodan’s core point, that’s there’s room for more high level analysis. So why isn’t there more of it? Part of it is the fear from casters that too much heavy analysis will stray too far from the established dynamic of Hearthstone broadcasts, and sure, some of it is a lack of knowledge on our part, but before we delve too deep into the solutions to these problems, let’s address a couple of important points first.
Teammates Noxious and Sottle cast together. Image courtesy of multiplay
Do Hearthstone casters have to be as good as the players they’re casting to provide insightful analysis?
No. Emphatically no. If you’ve ever been to a large open Hearthstone event, you’re probably familiar with the experience of being sat around with 10 or more other like-minded people watching a game of Hearthstone and talking about the play. On almost any given turn, someone in your group is going to disagree with the play that is made and suggest something different, often, their play will be provably superior when you delve into it. But here’s the point: Is that guy the best player in your group because he spotted the best play that turn? Absolutely not. Firstly, that correct player will be different on every turn. Secondly, they’ve simply approached that turn in a different way and come out with a better solution to the problem because of it. Hearthstone is a game of divergent paths that open up based on the different decisions that each player makes on each turn. Each individual player might be examining a different one, two, or three of these paths depending on their depth of thought, leading them to think in a different way. Even the best players in the world can get tunnel visioned on one specific path and would simply benefit from another pair of eyes, regardless of whether or not they’re a weaker player overall. This is where the caster comes in. We can be that additional pair of eyes and provide insight into alternate paths that the player may not have considered. Of course, we have to be careful not to do this with “caster vision”, or the ability to see both player’s hands, but by focusing purely on the statistical likelihood of certain outcomes and counter-play we can sometimes divine a superior line that the player has overlooked.
Even if the casters were the best players in the World, would they spot the best play more often than the player?
Nope, probably not. The player only has one thing to focus on—the game. As a caster, you’re dealing with production talking in your ear, you’re listening to your co-casters to ensure that you’re maintaining the flow of conversation, you’re focusing on your delivery, formulating thoughts in advance so that they come out smoothly, and looking out for opportunities to fit in greater narrative points, or callbacks to previous important moments—and this is just scratching the surface. When a caster “misses lethal” or forgets a card has been played, this isn’t because we can’t count, it’s because our brains were elsewhere, dealing with some other important aspect of the broadcast. That’s not an excuse, and in a perfect world it wouldn’t happen, but it’s reality. So the player, fully engrossed in the game with the isolation of a booth or soundproof headphones is naturally going to be more focused on finding the correct play than we are, and it’s where the natural caution of objecting to a player’s line comes from.
So what’s the answer genius?
Okay, sure, so for the most part, this has read like a series of excuses as to why we all suck. But the simple fact of the matter is that we can and should do better. This is where the real meat of Frodan’s article comes in. The message that we should all work harder and strive to be better is a noble one, and I support it wholeheartedly. Where we differ however, is our outlook on the methodology. I understand the argument, in other games prominent casters are ex-pros who have passed their technical peak and no longer have the reaction time or mechanical skill to compete, despite their mind still being sharp. In Hearthstone, there’s no such barrier, meaning why shouldn’t casters be competing at the same level as players if they’re thinking at a suitable level to be able to criticise them? But the point at hand is not a matter of “can we do it?”, but “should we do it?”. Is it the best use of our time in order to provide the best broadcast experience to a viewer? I don’t feel it is.
The Hearthstone Championship Winter Tour broadcast crew. Image courtesy of @PlayHearthstone
Personally, I don’t feel like grinding ladder and open tournaments is the best way to provide more insightful commentary, nor does it have any noticeable impact on you being an point of authority. Casting has its own skill-set and much like how many professional Hearthstone teams now employ a data analyst whose skills lie in data collection, evaluation, and meaningful output over actual technical and strategic skill, Hearthstone casters have different requirements other than simply being good at the game.
For one, the ladder experience is markedly different from the major tournament experience and putting a win-streak together with a meta-counter deck does not put you in a position to insightfully address a tournament format. I would rather grind out 100+ games with a deck I don’t understand fully, or a new arrival on the scene, than simply try to jam the best decks to a high ranking. That to me, seems more like progress. TJ hasn’t suddenly improved as a caster or gained more authority because he finished top 100 last season. He’s constantly improving as a caster because he works insanely hard. His level of research is unmatched, both prior to the event, and during. Prior to events he’s unparalleled at gathering player info, unearthing powerful lesser known decks, and understanding the current meta. During the event he’s meticulously collecting data on player’s winrates and deck success rates. This is what allows him to say insightful things about what he sees in front of him, not climbing the ladder with Yogg Zoo.
Furthermore, I believe there a lot of things that can be done that don’t even involve playing the game that have more of a marked impact on your ability to provide relevant analysis. The data and the tools are all out there already. Recently, Vicious Syndicate launched Data Reaper. This tool allows us access to real world matchup information on a scale we’ve never seen before and opens up the gates to an entirely new level of analysis. No longer is the question of “who’s favoured in this matchup” answered by one guy’s opinion, or the cringe worthy “it’s pretty draw dependant”. Now we have data, and cold, hard facts. Of course, the info provided by Data Reaper is tempered by various factors, not everyone who is sending in data is going to be playing the decks optimally, but it creates a new path for a caster to take. If you see a matchup number that you disagree with, think about why that is. What could they be doing differently from you? Is it because one deck is harder to play than the other? Do the matchup stats start to differ as you approach Legend level games? Think about all those factors and then go test them, now you have gained insight. On top of this, the pro community is a burgeoning cauldron of knowledge on high level intricacies. If you’re struggling to find something noteworthy to talk about in particular matchups, go talk to a deck specialist, ask them for their matchup stats, ask them what they’re doing in particular matchups that you’re struggling with, then again go and test. The deck guides I write for Icy Veins are also a huge positive for me, as it means I already have a bunch of relevant thoughts internalised in a presentable and succinct way and means that whenever i’m playing the game to test decks for these guides i’m playing with the mindset of how i’m going to present information i’m gathering to a devouring audience. The overarching theme here is that playing to learn is much more beneficial than playing to win for a caster.
So, to the point of whether or not tournament wins or a top 100 finish are beneficial for a caster as a trusted source of authority. Personally, I don’t think it is. When I started gaining some recognition as an analyst, it wasn’t because I was winning online tournaments or placing in a Gfinity major as I was at the time. It was simply because I was saying things that (for the most part) made sense and knew how to present them in a way that was convincing and authoritative. That for me is the final point here. It’s a simplistic conclusion to an overly wordy article, but the goal as a caster should be to put yourself in the best position possible to provide the most insightful and engaging commentary possible, if you keep doing that, people will want to listen to you and trust and value what you say—whether or not you have shiny badges of honour next to your name. We can all do more, we can all work harder, but the goal in my opinion, should not be to follow the path of the players that we are commentating on, but to put ourselves in the best position possible to understand, analyse, and yes, in some cases contradict what they do.
About the Author
Sottle is no stranger to the competitive environment. The compLexity Hearthstone player comes from an unorthodox background of being a Yoyo Champion in Great Britain, as well as virtually beating people up as a competitive fighting game player. Nerve-damage in his hand forced him to exchange the button mashing for the virtual card game Hearthstone. As a pro player he made his mark in the scene, as a caster he is a rising force, now the next step for him is to build up his name as a personality in the scene as well. Follow the Brit cast tournaments, play games, interact with his stream and have fun in Arena, the ladder or just Q&A sessions - Sottle is always the perfect mix between entertainment and education. |
For its second anniversary, Ei8ht Ball will release two limited barrel-aged beers. (Photo: Provided)
Ei8ht Ball Brewing is turning two. To celebrate, the Newport brewery is planning a limited release two barrel-aged beers.
Reintarnation, the brewery's bourbon barrel-aged golden ale, and Rye’ld, a rye whiskey barrel-aged English mild, will be released at 5 p.m. Friday in the taproom. Only 100 bottles ($12.99 each; limit two per person) of each will be available on a first come, first served basis.
Reintarnation is Ei8ht Ball’s Tarnished golden ale aged in New Riff Distilling’s nine-year-old O.K.I. straight bourbon whiskey barrels. It won a bronze medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival competition and took gold at the 2014 Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers.
Rye’ld is Ei8ht Ball’s spring seasonal, Queen, a mellow easy drinking mild, aged in O.K.I. rye whiskey barrels.
Ei8ht Ball Brewing, 95 Riviera Dr. (inside the Party Source), Newport. 859-291-0036 or http://ei8htballbrewing.com/.
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Warriors and Men’s Wearhouse to Debut Limited-Edition Warriors-Branded Joseph Abboud Sport Coat
Team Will Host Pop-Up Studio Fitting Nights At Oracle Arena During Each Home Game Next Week Starting On Sunday, March 9 Vs. Phoenix Suns
The Golden State Warriors and Men’s Wearhouse have partnered this season to offer fans at Oracle Arena 150 Joseph Abboud limited-edition, individually-numbered custom sport coats, featuring Warriors-branded interior lining. The Joseph Abboud limited-edition, Warriors custom sport coats are a first for the Men’s Wearhouse in the NBA and will be available for purchase at Pop-Up Fitting Studios during next week’s Warriors home games. The Warriors and Men’s Wearhouse will host the first of three Pop-Up Fitting Studio Nights at Oracle Arena this Sunday, March 9 during the team’s game against the Phoenix Suns.
Fans who purchase a Warriors-branded Joseph Abboud custom sport coat will be measured on-site at Oracle Arena and will receive the sport coat at an exclusive ceremony with NBA Legend Jerry West in Oracle Arena’s private event space later this season. Pop-Up Fitting Studios will be available in section 111 and the Mezzanine Suite level outside of suite M8. Fans who wear the jacket to future games will also receive special building privileges, such as access to the Warriors Courtside Club.
Fans will only be able to purchase a limited-edition Warriors-branded Joseph Abboud custom sport coat during one of three Pop-Up Fitting Studio Nights the team is holding this season.
Below are dates for upcoming Pop-Up Fitting Studio Nights:
Sunday, March 9 against Phoenix Suns
Tuesday, March 11 against Dallas Mavericks
Friday, March 14 against Cleveland Cavaliers
The partnership with Men’s Wearhouse also covers sales and marketing elements related to the 2013-14 season, including radio, social media, online and in-arena messaging. |
BOSTON (CBS) — In need of some help at the hot corner, the Boston Red Sox have signed veteran third baseman Ryan Roberts.
To make room for Roberts on the 25-man roster, ,infielder Brock Holt was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Boston will be Roberts’ fifth team during his eight-year MLB career, and he’ll be active for Monday night’s game against the Texas Rangers.
The 33-year-old Roberts played for the Tampa Bay Rays the last two seasons after being acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in July 2012, and is a career .245 hitting with a .321 OBP. He was designated for assignment last August and had agreed to a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs in December, but opted out of the deal two weeks ago.
Roberts, whose rather extensive collection of tattoos has led to the nickname “Tat-Man,” had his best season in 2011 while with the Diamondbacks. He hit .249 with a .341 OBP while clubbing 19 homers to go with 18 stolen bases. Where he’ll help Boston the most is against lefties; Roberts hit .305 with four doubles and four home runs in 85 at-bats against left-handed pitching last season.
Roberts has spent most of his career at third base (217 games), but played 48 games at second for Tampa Bay last season. He has also played some outfield in his career, which mostly came during his four years in Arizona.
The Red Sox found themselves in need of a third baseman after placing Will Middlebrooks on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with a right calf strain.
MORE SPORTS COVERAGE FROM CBS BOSTON |
CLOSE Muslim American women discuss common misconceptions about the hijab. This is from a series of short films called The Secret Life of Muslims, created by filmmaker Joshua Seftel. USA Today
Buy Photo An investigation has been completed in the case of a student's hijab being removed at a Nashville charter school, according to New Vision Academy's attorney. (Photo: The Tennessean/File Photo)Buy Photo
An investigation that led to the indefinite suspension of a Nashville charter school teacher after someone removed a student's hijab in a classroom has been completed, according to a New Vision Academy attorney.
Alex Payne, an attorney with Dunham Hildebrand, PLLC, said the school's founder and principal Timothy Malone launched the investigation last week.
"There has been no further action and the teacher is on an indefinite suspension" without pay, Payne said. A meeting is pending with the teacher, he said.
More: Islamic rights group calls for criminal investigation in removal of Nashville student's hijab
The incident, recorded on Snapchat, has spurred national attention, including calls by the nation's largest Muslim advocacy organization for a criminal investigation and the firing of the teacher.
The teacher's suspension and the Snapchat recording were first reported by WSMV News Channel 4.
In video, it shows a student hiding her face while someone removes her hijab. In the video, someone can be seen playing with the girl’s hair as she tries to keep it covered. The Snapchat video is captioned "pretty hair."
Reach Jason Gonzales at [email protected] and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.
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Published by Steve Litchfield at 19:49 UTC, December 9th 2015
A veritable feast of tweaks to Microsoft's official music player for Windows 10, Groove Music, after a gap of a month, but it's all available now, so go get it and enjoy. Intriguing in the changelog is that you can swipe in from the left to bring up the hamburger menu. Wait, what? Why the heck can't Microsoft do this with all its other platform applications? We should be told...
Here's the official changelog for Groove Music v3.6.1573.0 since the previous update:
Songs and albums in your collection now sort by the date you’ve added them by default. You can still switch to sorting alphabetically (or by artist in the case of albums).
You can now swipe from the left to bring up the hamburger menu. It makes it easier to use the app with a single hand!
Press-hold to re-order tracks within a playlist.
Previously only plays from your collection would appear in Recent Plays – now it also includes things you’ve played directly from Explore. [Groove Music Pass Required]
We now show download progress in the title bar, and also provide an entry point to the download manager from within the left nav menu. This aligns with what the Movies & TV app includes.
Tell Cortana to ‘Play Electronic’ and she will shuffle all your electronic music for you. [where Cortana is supported]
In the event that, during an upgrade, we need to rebuild the database (this should be very infrequent), we’ll show a little explanatory dialog explaining what’s happening.
If we detected songs which are duplicated between OneDrive and Music Pass we pop a notification asking if you’d like us to automatically remove them.
We reverted the recent change to the font size of the song title in Now Playing. It’s smaller now.
And for Continuum: We’ve updated the layout of the artist gallery to have proper spacing, alignment and remove the color-matched square backgrounds. We’ve added the Explore modules to the Artist Details page at larger resolutions. [Groove Music Pass Required] We’ve updated the layout of Explore at higher resolutions to look correct, and also respond better to scroll wheel. The modules also have a flipper control to allow scrolling within the page.[Groove Music Pass Required] Updates to the Search results page layouts to look good at higher resolutions. Updates to the layout of the Add to menu at higher resolutions. Updates to the layout of the Recent Plays gallery at higher resolutions.
You can update Groove Music in the usual way in the Store application for Windows 10 Mobile, either on a Lumia 950/XL or an older device with the W10M Insiders Preview installed.
Here's the new version in action:
The database of music in your phone is rebuilt after updating - allow about five minutes for a large collection of music....; (right) I like the way Microsoft has started to build changelog summaries into each app update nowadays....
Asking Cortana to play a music genre and (right) using the very welcome new slide-out hamburger menu - let's have this across all core apps, please, Microsoft! |
There’s a peculiar thing happening in the world of marijuana users.
The percentage of US workers testing positive for marijuana has fallen below 2%, according to an analysis released by American medical testing company Quest Diagnostics. The study, based on a scan of millions of patients tested as part of the company’s drug monitoring service, shows a marked decline in positive testing over the past 10 years—back in 2002, just under 3% of US workers tested positive for marijuana.
But that runs counter to the direction of actual marijuana usage. A significantly greater percentage of Americans aged 12 years and older now report having used weed (7.3%) in the past month than did back in 2002.
So why the discrepancy? There could be several reasons.
For one, the vast majority—some 75%, according to Quest Diagnostics—of workplace testing happens as part of pre-employment screening. That affords those being tested a warning to curb their usage before the test. Basic urine testing—which is still the most comment form of drug screening—often fails to detect traces of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, after only a few weeks (pdf). There’s an entire section on Reddit dedicated to the discussion of drug tests, in which a handful of purportedly chronic marijuana users claim to have passed urine tests after only two weeks.
Then there’s the spread of products that intentionally or unintentionally help drug users pass such tests on short notice. One such example is an “herbal cleanser” sold over-the-counter at nutrition outlet GNC. Although not explicitly advertised as such, the cleanser has been frequently mentioned in drug test-related forums, and includes several references to its use in subverting drug tests in its product reviews section.
Another possibility is that the testing pool is growing as more companies screen for drug use. Revenues at diagnostic testing companies are expected to grow to $2 billion this year, more than doubling since 1990. If the broader pool of test-takers includes more non-users of marijuana, the percentage of those who test positive for the drug should fall. |
For the past few years, governments have been gradually remaking the airport, transforming the single security check into a system of tiered clearances and background checks. You can see this logic at work in programs like CBP’s Global Entry and TSA’s Pre-Check, which let you pass through security lines faster if you’ve gone through the pre-clearance system in advance.
Facial recognition is shaping up to be a big part of the system too, as the cameras and databases put in place for biometric exit start to extend to US citizens at TSA checkpoints. That would let airport security quietly separate both low-risk passengers (if you’re in Global Entry) and high-risk passengers (if your face is on a watchlist) from the main group. If it works, it could mean better security and less wait time, provided you can stomach the civil liberties concerns associated with algorithmically sorting passengers by risk.
More types of vetting means more types of passenger
But as the plan moves forward, we’re seeing all sorts of new wrinkles that most observers had never even thought about. More types of vetting means more types of passenger (Global Entry passengers, No Fly List passengers, risky-but-unvetted passengers), and sorting through all of those passengers is tricky. Even if you can match all of the faces to tickets, you still have to get all of them to the right security line at the airport — so the most recent development has to do with lines. This fall, Homeland Security released two new contract solicitations focused on making airport lines smarter and more complex. One focuses on measuring how long a line is, basically a thermometer for how well all of this is working. The second one calls for “intelligent traveler wayfinding” technologies to direct people through the ever-more complex lines that are clearly on the way.
Airports also may not have access to the information to route passengers to the correct location, for example, whether a passenger is a Trusted Traveler or not. DHS would like to facilitate wayfinding by providing travelers with real-time information on how to efficiently navigate the FIS area and receive a tailored CBP inspection process based on the traveler admissibility status. This wayfinding is envisioned to get to lane-level precision for travelers – such as delivering them to the lane for Trusted Travelers only, or a specific lane within the primary inspection area.
We don’t know exactly what any of this will look like — although a Whole Foods checkout line would be a pretty good guess. The whole point of the solicitation is to get ideas from the private sector, so we won’t have any real proposals until responses start coming back.
Still, it suggests a strange future for airport lines. You might choose your level of pre-clearance vetting in advance, have your face scanned quietly as you approach the checkpoint, then wait for an automated system to tell you how closely you’ll be scrutinized. And if past systems are any guide, the algorithm making those assessments will be a closely held secret. |
Linkin Park announced their One More Light World Tour today via Genius below, a first for both the genre-defying band and the lyric annotation platform. Produced by Live Nation, the One More Light World Tour with special guest, Machine Gun Kelly, kicks off July 27th in Boston, MA at the Xfinity Center. In an effort to put tickets into the hands of real fans, first access to tickets for the One More Light World Tour will be reserved exclusively for fans – not scalpers or bots. The Linkin Park Presale – powered by Ticketmaster Verified Fan, will utilize unique fan-first technology to level the playing field and ensure fans compete against other fans for tickets – not software. The more you participate, the higher your spot in line and the better your access to tickets. Linkin Park Fan Club (LPU) members will get priority, but anyone can work their way to the top.
May 9 . Fans and LPU members can register for the tour pre-sale right now at May 12 – for more information visit Pre-sale begins. Fans and LPU members can register for the tour pre-sale right now at https://presale.linkinpark. com/ . General on-sale is set for– for more information visit livenation.com
Linkin Park will release their highly anticipated seventh studio album, One More Light, May 19 via Warner Bros. Records. The band’s risky creative choices – swinging wildly from song to song, album to album – are a hallmark of their career, and One More Light is no exception. Their most personal to date, the album is built on the stories of six voices coming clean about their lives and struggles, as if it were the first time. OML isn’t bigger, louder, or more avant-garde, it’s more human. The One More Light World Tour set list will combine the biggest hits of Linkin’s Park expansive career, as well as material from the new album, with all the intense high energy and passion the band is known for. “Our fans know how much love we put into our live show,” says guitarist, Brad Delson. “They know how much we enjoy the connection when we play a fan favorite on stage. The emotional and sonic content of this new batch of songs is going to bring a whole new dimension to the show.”
Every single full-priced ticket purchased for the tour includes a choice of a standard CD or standard digital copy of the One More Light album (a $10.99 value). Special guest on the tour is EST 19XX/Bad Boy/Interscope recording artist, Machine Gun Kelly. He is set to release his third studio album, bloom, the same day tickets go on sale for the tour – Friday, May 12 . The inspiring debut single, “At My Best” featuring Hailee Steinfeld, was the number one most added song at Rhythmic radio, and has received 20.3+ Spotify streams to date. His “Bad Things” single earned Machine Gun Kelly his first #1 song on Pop Radio, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
One More Light World Tour won’t be the first time Linkin Park and Machine Gun Kelly shared the stage. In 2014, Machine Gun Kelly joined LP for a rendition of “Bleed It Out” on the band’s surprise appearance at the Van’s Warped Tour. Also joining the tour in Boston, Philadelphia and Uncasville, is one of Japan’s most popular and electrifying live rock bands, ONE OK ROCK. $1.00 from every full-priced ticket sold on the tour will benefit Music For Relief, the charity foundation Linkin Park founded in 2005 to aid survivors of natural disasters and environmental protection. For further info go to Thewon’t be the first time Linkin Park and Machine Gun Kelly shared the stage. In 2014, Machine Gun Kelly joined LP for a rendition of “Bleed It Out” on the band’s surprise appearance at the Van’s Warped Tour. Also joining the tour in Boston, Philadelphia and Uncasville, is one of Japan’s most popular and electrifying live rock bands, ONE OK ROCK. $1.00 from every full-priced ticket sold on the tour will benefit Music For Relief, the charity foundation Linkin Park founded in 2005 to aid survivors of natural disasters and environmental protection. For further info go to www.musicforrelief.org
LINKIN PARK ONE MORE LIGHT WORLD TOUR
w/ special guest MACHINE GUN KELLY
July 27th Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center*
Aug 1st Philadelphia, PA @ BB&T Pavilion*
Aug 2nd Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live*
Aug 5th Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena*
Aug 7th Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug 8th Toronto, ONT @ Budweiser Stage
Aug 10th Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Aug 12th Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
Aug 14th Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Aug 15th St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
Aug 17th Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
Aug 19th Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Ampitheatre
Aug 20th West Palm Beach, FL @ Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre
Aug 22nd Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
Aug 23rd San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
Aug 25th Dallas, TX @ Starplex Pavilion
Aug 26th Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Arena
Aug 28th Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center Arena
Aug 30th Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
Sept 1st Lake Tahoe, NV @ Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys
Sept 2nd Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
Oct 14th Seattle, WA @ KeyArena**
Oct 15th Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena**
Oct 17th Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center at Fresno State**
Oct 18th San Jose, CA @ SAP Center at San Jose**
Oct 20th San Diego, CA @Mattress Firm Amphitheatre**
Oct 22nd Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl**
* Dates also with ONE OK ROCK
** Support To Be Announced |
13.) What if I miss a payment or will be late re-paying?
If you feel like you will not be able to repay your loan on time or are having money issues, please contact your lender directly as each lender has different code of practices and terms. The terms and conditions relating to your loan will have been provided to you by the lender before you signed your loan agreement and will have sent you a reference copy to retain. The consequences of non-payment can include:-
• Making it more difficult for you to obtain credit in the future.
• Further interest or charges being applied to your loan as you will need to amend your original loan agreement with an extension.
• If you are unable to resolve the issue with your lender, they may refer you to a third party credit agency.
So please read carefully the terms and policy presented by the lender before accepting your loan agreement. If you are likely to miss or have any problems making a payment you should contact the lender directly. |
Greg Bogacz, 27, and an as-yet unarrested accomplice, sexually assaulted two women in the early morning hours of Halloween as the women were leaving a West Town club called The MID, prosecutors said. View Full Caption Chicago Police Department
COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Two women were leaving The MID nightclub in the West Loop shortly after 3 a.m. on Halloween when two men attacked and sexually assaulted both of them, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The victims, ages 29 and 30, left the nightclub at 306 N. Halsted St. and walked to their SUV, which was parked in the 800 block of West Wayman Street, prosecutors said. When they got there they discovered a broken window and possessions missing from inside.
As they stood on either side of the SUV assessing the damage, two men snuck up behind them, each wrapping their hands around the women's necks, prosecutors said.
Greg Bogacz, 27, strangled one of the women until she lost consciousness while his alleged accomplice, who has not been arrested, muffled the screams of her companion, prosecutors said.
The two men forced the women into the SUV, where they sexually assaulted and beat them, prosecutors said.
One of the women was able to escape, prosecutors said. She ran, mostly naked, for several blocks until she encountered several people working outside of a warehouse. They called 911.
Meanwhile, Bogacz's accomplice dragged the other victim by her hair from the SUV to his own vehicle, prosecutors said. A witness allegedly saw him and noted a portion of his license plate. The woman later escaped.
Both the women later identified the men in surveillance video from The MID, prosecutors said. The video footage was provided to the media, and police received multiple tips leading to the arrest of Bogacz, officials said.
Cook County Judge Donald Panarese Jr. ordered Bogacz held on $300,000 bail during a brief court hearing Wednesday. His alleged co-defendant remains on the loose.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: |
Caltex Socceroos Head Coach Ange Postecoglou has named his final 23-player squad for the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Japan and Thailand.
Postecoglou has settled on a very experienced playing group with Awer Mabil and Danny Vukovic the only uncapped players.
With the results from these two upcoming matches critical, Postecoglou is looking forward to the challenge.
“Throughout this qualification campaign we have looked to evolve and improve from match to match,” said Postecoglou.
“I believe that the players that we have named today are ready for these two very important matches.
“Our focus is to get a positive result against Japan and then look to finish the group stage with a win on home soil in Melbourne against Thailand,” concluded Postecoglou.
The Caltex Socceroos will begin to assemble in Tokyo from Sunday 27 August 2017.
Opta Widget: media:opta:0cfc15c8-5d7f-4a24-8e13-c7763100c5df
Caltex Socceroos 23-Player squad for the following matches / tournaments:
2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier v Japan (Saitama; 31 August 2017)
2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier v Thailand (Melbourne; 5 September 2017)
Name Club, Country A International Caps (Goals) Mustafa AMINI Aarhus Gymnastikforening (AGF), Denmark 1 (0) Tim CAHILL Melbourne City FC, Australia 100 (48) Milos DEGENEK Yokohama F. Marinos, Japan 11 (0) Alex GERSBACH Rosenborg BK, Norway 3 (0) Jackson IRVINE Burton Albion FC, England 13 (1) Tomi JURIC FC Luzern, Switzerland 26 (7) Robbie KRUSE VfL Bochum, Germany 55 (4) Mitchell LANGERAK VfB Stuttgart, Germany 8 (0) Mathew LECKIE Hertha BSC, Germany 44 (5) Massimo LUONGO Queens Park Rangers FC, England 29 (5) Awer MABIL F.C. Paços de Ferreira, Portugal - Jamie MACLAREN SV Darmstadt 98, Germany 4 (0) Ryan McGOWAN Al-Sharjah, UAE 20 (0) Mark MILLIGAN Melbourne Victory, Australia 59 (6) Aaron MOOY Huddersfield Town AFC, England 26 (5) Tom ROGIC Celtic FC, Scotland 27 (7) Mathew RYAN Brighton & Hove Albion FC, England 35 (0) Trent SAINSBURY Jiangsu Suning FC, China PR 27 (3) Brad SMITH AFC Bournemouth, England 15 (0) Matthew SPIRANOVIC Hangzhou Greentown FC, China PR 34 (0) James TROISI Melbourne Victory, Australia 32 (5) Daniel VUKOVIC KRC Genk, Belgium - Bailey WRIGHT Bristol City FC, England 18 (1)
MATCH DETAILS - 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers
Japan v Caltex Socceroos
Thursday 31 August 2017
Saitama Stadium, Saitama, Japan
Kick-Off: 7.35pm (local) (8:35pm AEST)
The match will be broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports and the Nine Network
Caltex Socceroos v Thailand
Tuesday 5 September 2017
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
Kick-Off: 8:00pm (AEST)
The match will be broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports and the Nine Network
For more information regarding ticketing please visit www.socceroos.com.au/tickets |
We’ll likely remember 2015 for two things: first, the loss of an astounding amount of amazing genre contributors and second, a slew of insanely awesome horror anthologies.
We’re choosing to focus on the latter, as the former is only bound to leave us feeling depressed, already missing talents like Wes Craven, Betsy Palmer, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Geoffrey Lewis (to name but a few.) While we won’t forget any of the greats who departed this earth in 2015, it’s always important to focus on the positive side of life. It’s imperative that we stop to take in the good things, while we’re still here to enjoy them.
One of those good things comes in the form of a handful of awesome anthology pictures. These aren’t simple, cheap projects tossed together by green filmmakers who haven’t yet learned to actually make a film; these are projects that boast heaps of talent and tons of familiar faces… faces we’ve come to truly love over the years.
We’ve had a number of seasonal anthos drop in our lap in 2015 (all of which – somehow – were absolutely badass), but those available on the market as of right now aren’t the only film collections headed our way this year. No, there are still a few months left on the calendar, and we’re eyeing a prospect or two headed down the ‘pike. Take a look at the lineup of what just may be the greatest year in history for the horror anthology.
Tales of Halloween: By now you’ve already read the reviews and likely been swallowed by the hype. But Tales of Halloween is a lot more than hype; it is horror the way horror fans want horror. Gritty, gruesome, comical, unrelenting, unforgiving and unforgettable. A massive team of genre vets come together (included in the bunch are Darren Lynn Bousman, Neil Marshall, Lucky McKee, Pollyanna McIntosh, Adrienne Barbeau, Barry Bostwick, Lin Shaye, John Landis, Joe Dante and Robert Rusler – and believe this: That’s only a few of note) to deliver a true fan film. Not in the sense that a phrase like that may have you thinking; we’re talking about a picture designed to please fans of every sub-genre in existence, a movie really aimed at doing one thing and one thing alone: pleasing horror fanatics. It’s a success story, and even today, with Halloween in the rearview, it’s completely worth a late-night watch.
Mexico Barbaro: Having just landed on VOD outlets, Mexico Barbaro, or Barbarous Mexico, is igniting some crazy attention from horror aficionados. Why? Because, first and foremost, it looks wildly promising, bringing some grimy gore, an abundance of nudity, clean cinematography and some clever story concepts to the table. And second, there is an assortment of Mexican filmmakers attached to the project that have already left us quite impressed in the past: Isaac Ezban’s The Incident was a fine film, Jorge Michel Grau’s We Are What We Are was insane, Lex Ortega’s Atrocious far exceeded expectations and Gigi Saul Guerrero’s Evil Dead in 60 Seconds rocked the rock. There’s some amazing international talent involved here, and Mexico Barbaro is definitely an anthology that you’re going to want to see.
A Christmas Horror Story: Arriving nice and early this year, A Christmas Horror Story struck VOD outlets well in advance of the titular holiday. But it was a welcomed early arrival. Much like Mike Dougherty’s fan favorite Trick ‘r Treat, this one interweaves all of the stories to near perfection, never spelling out the fact that we’re watching an anthology, but rather blending each tale together with clarity yet clear points of separation. The movie looks awesome, most of the stories work to entertain and we’re finally seeing a “good” Santa Claus that intimidates while kicking the living shit out of a horde of zombie elves en route to a major showdown with Krampus; Santa’s a bad ass. Factor in a fun appearance from William Shatner (whose character grows increasingly intoxicated as the movie progresses) in the pic’s wraparound, and you’re talking about a Grade A flick.
All Hallows’ Eve 2: Back in 2013 the indie anthology All Hallows’ Eve was welcomed with some critical but generally positive reception. It was clearly a cheap film, just a notch or so above the “micro budget” line, but it sported some very unsettling imagery and efinitely had a few very shining moments. Fast-forward two years, and All Hallows’ Eve 2 is here. Arriving under a blanket of silence, the picture has gone almost entirely ignored, seemingly lost in the buzz surrounding Tales of Halloween. But the movie is a lot stronger than you may expect, and it deserves some notice. There are a couple insane segments awaiting viewers, and the production values are noticeably heftier. As was the case with the first film, we spot a few disconcerting images throughout the film, and it’s got a distinct Halloween vibe to it. Don’t let All Hallows’ Eve slip through the cracks this year. It isn’t as impressive as Tales of Halloween, but if that flick hadn’t seen release this year, All Hallows’ Eve 2 would have a lot more individuals talking.
Southbound: Still yet to hit the mass market, Southbound just arrived on the festival scene, and it’s already drawing big praise. The crew behind the V/H/S films delivers this goodie, and it’s being labeled as superior to the entire V/H/S franchise. Once again Rozanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath and Radio Silence are the creative minds at work, and once again the found footage angle is being utilized, but where some of the V/H/S amalgamation got it wrong, Southbound is said to get it right. A few more fan-friendly faces will be gracing the production, such as Larry Fessenden and Maria Olsen, and the buzz within the review circle is enough to have our interest piqued! Even if Southbound is an entirely foreign project to you, it sounds like it may be worth adding to your must-see list, and it makes for the fifth noteworthy anthology being released this year. |
Parts of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and southwestern USA have seen extremely high May and June temperatures, with a number of records broken. The heatwaves in Europe, which started unusually early, is now forecast to move eastwards to the eastern Mediterranean. They come as the Earth experiences another exceptionally warm year.
Average global surface temperatures over land and sea were the second highest on record for the first five months of 2017, according to analyses by NOAA, NASA-Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Only 2016 saw higher global temperatures due to a combination of a very powerful El Niño event, which has a warming impact, and long-term climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions. So far in 2017 there has been no El Niño event.
Climate change scenarios predict that heatwaves will become more intense, more frequent and longer. It is also expected that the number of hot days and warm nights will continue to rise.
Europe
The Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), which acts as WMO’s Regional Climate Centre for Europe’s Node on Climate Monitoring, issued a new Climate Watch Advisory on 23 June 2017. A period with significantly above-normal temperatures and heat waves, at least for the next two weeks, is expected for most parts of the eastern Mediterranean (from Balkans to Caucasus and Middle East). The weekly anomalies are forecasted with up to +6°C (in a wider area around the Black Sea and Middle East with daily temperature maxima up to or above 40°C). This warm period could come along with thunderstorms, showers or forest fires, it said.
The heatwave originated in the Iberian Peninsula earlier in June as a result of very hot air moving up from the Sahara. DWD said that that due to the weekly forecasts the heatwave would now move from south-western and central Europe eastwards to the eastern Mediterranean during the next two weeks.
The Climate Watch Advisory is used as guidance for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services who are responsible for issuing forecasts and warnings. Meteorological services have also been providing information on air quality, UV levels and wildfire risk.
Iberian Peninsula
Extremely high temperatures of around 40°C contributed to the severity of the disastrous wildfire in Portugal which claimed dozens of lives. The Portuguese national meteorological service, IPMA, said that over the weekend, when the fire broke out, more than one third of its weather stations measured temperatures over 40°C.
Spain:
Spring 2017 (from 1 March to 31 May 2017) has been extremely warm, with an average temperature of 15.4 ° C, which is 1.7 ° C above the average of this term (reference period 1981-2010). It has been the warmest spring since 1965, having exceeded by 0.06 ° C the previous highest value, which corresponded to the spring of 2011. It has therefore been also the warmest spring since the beginning of the 21st century, according to the national meteorological service AEMET.
The marked contrast observed between the maximum temperature anomalies, which were on average 2.5 º C above the normal value of the term, and those of the minimum temperatures, which were only 0.9 ºC higher than the normal ones. A number of places broke temperature records for June for both maximum daytime temperatures and minimum overnight ones.
These include Granada airport, 41.5°C, Madrid Retiro 40.3°C and Madrid airport 40.1°C on 17 June. The peak if the minimum temperatures was on the 19th June, when Salamanca and Zamora had record overnight temperatures of 22.1°C and 23.7°C.
France
Fifty one departments in France have an amber alert for high temperatures on 20 June, according to Meteo France. Temperatures for Monday included 38°C for Bordeaux, 36°C forLimoges, 34°C for Mulhouse and 33°C for Paris, Toulouse, Brest and Lille, according to Meteo France.
A number of stations broke June records, including Cuers at 37.6°C and Toulon 35.3°C. Records for minimum night-time temperatures were also beaten (25.1°C in Montpellier, 25°C in Marseille) on Friday 16 June. Meteo France said that very high temperatures will continue until Friday 23 June, with temperatures between 32 °C and 38 °C in the afternoon, or more than 10°C above the average for this time of year.
Meteo France issued a probabilistic seasonal forecast on 23 June, anticipating above average temperatures for June, July and August, especially in southern Europe.
Other parts of Europe
Many other parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, also witnessed above average temperatures into the low to mid 30°s. London Heathrow airport saw a temperature of 35°C on 21 June. The Met Office said it was the hottest June day since 1976 and the hottest summer solstice on record.
The town of Andernach, on the Rhine river, reached 37.1°C on 22 June, the same day as violent storms, hail, high winds and rain swept through northern and western parts of Germany, causing considerable traffic disruption and a number of reported casualties.
USA
Record heat has been reported in the desert southwest USA and into California. The US National Weather Service has warned that dangerous heat will continue through at least Friday 23 June in Nevada, Arizona, parts of California and Las Vegas.
Phoenix recorded 118°C (47.8°C) on 19 June. In the 11,059 days since the start of record keeping, 118°C heat has only been recorded 15 times. A number of flights to Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport were reportedly cancelled because it was too hot to fly. Tucson, Arizona saw three straight days above 115°C (46°C). Las Vegas equalled its temperature record of 117°F (47.2°C). Needles, California, reported a new record of 125°C (51.7°C). Death Valley National Park recorded 127°C (52.8°C). Death Valley holds the world record for the highest temperature, 56.7°C recorded in 1913.
North Africa, Middle East and Asia
The temperature in United Arab Emirates topped 50°C on 17 May, with 50.5°C in Mezaira.
In the center of Iran's Kuzestan province in the south-east of the country, neighboring Iraq, temperatures reached 50°C on 15 June.
The heatwave in Morocco peaked on 17 May, when there was a new reported record of 42.9°C Larach Station in northern Morocco.
The high June temperatures follow above average temperatures in parts of the world at the end of May. The town of Turbat in southwestern Pakistan reported a temperature of 54°C. WMO will set up an international committee of experts to verify the temperature and assess whether it equals a reported 54°C temperature recorded in Kuwait last July. |
(CNN) -- Rafael Nadal overpowered Tomas Berdych in straight sets 6-3 7-5 6-4 to claim his second Wimbledon men's singles crown and cement his position as world number one.
It is the eighth grand slam crown for the popular Spaniard, who won Wimbledon in 2008 but was unable to defend the title last year due to injury.
Now fully fit, Nadal moved back to the top of the rankings after winning the French Open for the fifth time in six appearances at Roland Garros and has followed up with another triumph at the All England Club.
"To have my hands on this trophy again is more than a dream for me," Nadal told BBC Sport as he reflected on his two hour 13 minute victory on Centre Court.
Czech Berdych put out Nadal's arch-rival Roger Federer in the quarterfinals and dispatched world number three Novak Djokovic to reach his first grand slam final, but found Nadal a far tougher proposition.
"He was really good. He was so strong. The biggest difference between us was that when he got a chance he just took it," Berdych told gathered reporters.
Nadal began Sunday's showdown in the remorseless fashion by which he ended his semifinal victory over Britain's Andy Murray, but it took him until the seventh game to break through on Berdych's service.
He set up three break points with his trademark forehand and a backhand winner did the trick on the second.
A further break saw the Spaniard claim the set 6-3 and serve first in the second set.
Nadal survived three break points in a lengthy opening service game and the second set looked headed into a tiebreak as Berdych served at 5-6.
But two well-constructed points by Nadal and an unforced error from Berdych gave the second seed three set points.
He took the first as Berdych hit wide and was never going to relinquish his control of the match with a two sets lead.
Following the pattern of the second set, Berdych challenged Nadal's opening service game of the third, but failed to take his break point opportunity.
Nadal pounced in the 10th game, setting up championship point as Berdych hit long and sealing victory with a rapier-like forehand passing shot winner.
The 24-year-old is undefeated at Wimbledon since losing to Federer in the 2007 final, claiming the title for the first time in an epic five-set final the following year before being sidelined with chronic knee problems in 2009. |
PEOPLE who write about art exhibitions often see them before they open to the public. So we are accustomed to friends and strangers asking, “Is it good?” But since “ Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan ” opened at London's National Gallery in early November, a new question keeps coming up: “Is it worth it?”
At first this question struck me as odd, even shocking. After all, this really is a once in a lifetime chance to see so many paintings by one of the greatest painters in the history of Western art. Some 18 paintings by Leonardo survive; half of them are on view. They have come from Prague, Rome, Krakow and St Petersburg. For the first time ever—not even Leonardo had this experience—both versions of his monumental "Virgin of the Rocks" can be seen together and in the very same room. This makes it possible to compare his different approaches to a single subject; the moods he chose to convey. (The Louvre's is warm and human; the National Gallery's, which was recently restored, looks like a vision from beyond the grave.)
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For these reason alone—and there are others—for anybody who cares about art, the answer to the question “Is it worth it?” is a blindingly obvious “Yes”.
But the question isn't silly, and the people asking it aren't philistines, necessarily. The same concern that provokes the question also makes it hard to answer. The show is extraordinarily popular. Everyone thought it would be a success, but few imagined that it would rival a Lady Gaga concert as a hot ticket. Within a week of its opening, those who waited for reviews or were too busy to book, found themselves out of luck. The show, which closes on February 3rd, was completely sold out. In spite of the National Gallery's policy that tickets bought from scalpers (and eBay) would not be honoured, people were buying these £16 tickets for more than ten times that much. Gossip columnists have reported on the fashionable people who are desperate to prove they have not missed out.
If there is going to be a burning hot ticket, how dandy that it's for art. The National Gallery should be congratulated for its decision to hold back 500 admission tickets for sale every morning of the exhibition. Getting one is not for the late riser. During the Christmas holiday, queuing began at 6am. These days lines start forming at 7 or 7:30. Bring a folding chair: the museum's doors open at 10am, and its website warns of a four-hour wait. Those who persevere and get a ticket may have to wait much longer. This is a timed-ticket exhibition to help regulate visitor numbers, so it may be five hours later before one gets in. That is what has generated the “Is it worth it?” and the second thoughts before answering “yes”. But these second thoughts don't stick around long.
This art lover always found Leonardo da Vinci a chilly, remote painter, more appreciated than loved. Seeing his glowing “Lady with an Ermine” and then soon after his unfinished but searing St Jerome changed that. I got Leonardo. Well, better slow than never. Much, much better.
Maybe there aren't queues and crowds in Krakow where the "Lady with the Ermine" usually lives. But visiting the Vatican museum where St Jerome hangs is a nightmare. To get to the art there one must climb the stairs and pass through seemingly solid masses of tourists whose only movement is the tapping of their smart phone cameras as they immortalise one another. In comparison, the National Gallery is relaxing. In other respects it is incomparable. The crafty viewer can hang back or speed ahead to find small pockets empty except for communing with Leonardo. “Is it worth it?” Yes it is.
Read more: "Deciphering the da Vinci code" (Nov 2011) |
Whether or not Costco comes to Coit Road in Dallas depends on whether or not the city will give the retail giant a $3 million tax credit; and whether or not the city agrees to provide the credit should be decided this Wednesday by the Dallas City Council.
Preston Hollow Councilman Lee Kleinman, whose district includes the new development, is leading the charge to support Costco, saying it doesn’t just make economic sense, it makes community sense.
“They’re bringing a lot of new jobs to the neighborhood,” he told the Advocate. “Their minimum wage is $13 an hour, which is well above the Dallas living wage of $10.37.”
East Dallas representative Mark Clayton is more wary, questioning why the city should provide a handout to a multi-billion dollar company.
Sponsored Message
“I think it sets a really bad precedent that we’re starting to buy brands,” Clayton told the Advocate. “It’s basically saying if you just hold out long enough, the City of Dallas will pay you to be here.”
The $3 million would be part of the city’s Public Private Partnership Program, which has strict criteria for what projects pass muster. In Northern Dallas, a project must, at minimum, create 100 jobs or bring in $5 million into the city’s coffers. Costco would do both, Kleinman points out, providing 175 permanent jobs in its first year alone and bringing in $16.8 million in sales and property tax during the first 20 years of operations.
“That’s tax revenue we’re leaking to Plano,” Kleinman says, pointing out that Dallas residents regularly drive to Costco locations in neighboring cities because of their deep discounts.
Clayton isn’t against Costco, but wants to save the city’s limited economic development resources for the projects that enhance the city, in more ways than just its economy. He said the Public Private Partnership Program was designed to support projects that fill a needed gap in the city, such as bringing grocery stores to the food deserts of Southern Dallas.
Sponsored Message
“I’d be supportive if they were opening in South Dallas, but they’re not,” he says. “We would love the sales tax revenue but it just doesn’t pass the smell test.”
Kleinman countered that Costco has an economic formula of how much it will spend to open in a new location, and often seeks tax credits in areas with higher property taxes such as North Dallas. In 2013, Houston’s City Council approved $1 million in tax credits to open the city’s eighth Costco location, citing the overall economic benefit the retailer would bring.
Kleinman added that the 13-acre property Costco is eyeing at 12550 Coit Road has been in the state’s possession and thus “off the city tax roll” for 20 years. He argues it’s better to make some property tax off the land then continue to let it sit.
“Plus we get jobs with high wages, plus we get the convenience for our residents,” he adds. “The more narrow issue is why does Clayton want to be a Costco killer? I understand being a Walmart killer but Costco is supposed to be the good guys.”
Clayton says that’s not a fair assessment since he’s undecided on issue, but leaning against it unless he hears a strong argument as to how Costco will better the neighborhood.
“We already have Sam’s and others like [Costco]” he says. “I’m just not sure we need it.”
If it gets the grant, Costco hopes to break ground this summer. The retail giant would get the first $1 million from the city in June 2017 only if it had added $20 million in infrastructure improvements on the land, and had provided 150 full- and part-time jobs paying at least $13 an hour. The rest of the funds would be paid out every two years in $500,000 increments only if Costco meets certain milestones, such as $100 million in gross sales per year. |
JSqueak – Smalltalk interpreter written in Java 21 June, 2008
Dan Ingalls has released JSqueak, a Squeak interpreter written in Java.
JSqueak (formerly known as Potato) is less than 5000 lines of code, available under the MIT licence. It runs the Mini2.1 image, which is included for convenience. This image contains a complete Smalltalk development environment, including:
Rich text and Text editor
File browser (no file access in VM yet)
Code browser
Decompiler (plus temp-name hints)
Compiler
Source Code Debugger
Dan wrote JSqueak to teach himself NetBeans and Java in the fall of 2006. Although he developed it as a throw-away project, he notes that
it has features that recommend it for further useful service: It is simple Uses Java objects and storage management Uses Java Integers for SmallIntegers
It is general A weak(*) object table enables enumeration and mutation
It is efficient Includes a method cache and an at-cache (**) Also a cache of common SmallIntegers
(*) – This does not mean wimpy — it’s a good sturdy object table — it just doesn’t hold onto garbage.
(**) – This is not an automated teller machine, but a device that speeds up array and stream access. These properties make it a reasonable base for teaching about VM design.
Dan adds that a number of things should be finished or improved if this VM is to see further use – it currently runs between 10 and 30 times slower than the C-based VM! If you wish to track or contribute to such projects, he invites you to add yourself to the (brand new!) JSqueak Interest mailing list.
You can find out more, and run the application as a WebStart Java Application at the JSqueak home page. |
3 Tasting Exercises
Illustration © Julia Rothman.
Salt
Why is salt important to flavor?
“Salt is the most essential seasoning—without it, everything you cook will taste flat,” says Kamozawa. “Even if we eliminate all other seasonings, it’s possible to make a delicious meal seasoning with salt alone.”
5 Principles of Salting
There’s a fine line between the perfect amount of salt and too much, but don’t be afraid to risk over-salting—that’s the only way to learn where the line is. Some salts taste saltier than others. This is true of different types (kosher, sea, table), and even different brands. For consistency, pick an all-purpose salt (kosher) and a finishing salt (Maldon), and stick with them. To increase your chances of hitting the seasoning sweet spot, add salt in small increments while tasting along the way, not all at once. When reducing liquids, add salt only after the liquid is reduced to avoid over-concentrating it. A dish that tastes perfectly seasoned today will often taste under-seasoned tomorrow. This is because foods absorb salt as they sit, so taste and adjust as necessary.
Workout: Applying Salt
Seasoning food isn’t just a question of how much salt to add, but also how to apply it. In this exercise, we salt three pork chops three different ways, then cook and taste them to see how each method affects the meat’s texture, flavor and juiciness.
Exercise Setup
Three 2-inch-thick, bone-in pork chops (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
Fine sea salt
Water
Plastic wrap
Time Needed: 24 Hours
Pork Chop One: Soak in a Saltwater Brine
In a container, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 3 cups of cool water. Add the pork chop, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Drain and pat dry before cooking.
Lesson: The meat absorbs the salty brine, seasoning it throughout and making it extra plump and juicy.
Pork Chop Two: Rub with Salt and Air-Dry in Fridge
Rub 1/2 teaspoon of salt all over the pork chop. Stand the chop on a small plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 hours.
Lesson: Seasoning in advance gives the salt time to penetrate to the center of the chop; air-drying the chop concentrates its porky flavor.
Pork Chop Three: Season Just Before Cooking
Wrap the pork chop in plastic and keep refrigerated. Just before cooking, rub 1/2 teaspoon of salt all over the chop.
Lesson: A nice crust forms on the meat’s surface, but it’s unseasoned in the center. A sprinkle of salt on the center of each slice will balance it out.
Illustration © Julia Rothman.
Acid
How do you brighten flavor?
If a dish has enough salt and still tastes flat, it’s often because it needs a mouthwatering burst of acidity—think of a squeeze of lemon on a piece of fish, or vinegary pickles on a sandwich. If a dish is too acidic, the way to achieve balance is to add fat or sugar to mute the sourness.
Acid Lessons
Acid Thesaurus
The following words all describe acidity in food: sour, tangy, vinegary, bright, sharp.
Two ways to add acid to food:
Add lemon or lime juice. It will add a clean, fresh flavor; citrus is especially good with other fruits, fish and raw or cooked vegetables. Add vinegar. There are so many different options, and each has its own character, from the sweet-sour taste of balsamic to the crisp, fruity taste of white wine vinegar and the aged, oaky notes of red wine vinegar.
When to add acid to food:
Many savory foods benefit from the bright touch of acid: Try adding a little red wine vinegar to a beef stew, lemon juice to mayonnaise and minced pickled onions to a bean salad. Sweets can also taste better with a little bit of acid: Squeeze lemon juice into a fruit puree or fruit salad to make its flavor pop, or fold a tangy bit of sour cream into whipped cream as a topping for chocolate cake.
Workout: Balancing Acid
If you want to learn about acid, teach your tongue by making a vinaigrette. Start by mixing equal parts acid and oil. Next, add more oil one tablespoon at a time, tasting along the way until it tastes well balanced. If you add too much oil, adding more acid will balance it out again.
Exercise Setup
Lemons
Fine sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sugar
Tip: Sugar can also soften acidic flavors, as in a sweet-and-sour sauce. To see how, make an overly sour vinaigrette, then whisk in sugar a pinch at a time until the vinaigrette tastes less harsh, but not sweet.
Step One Lemon and Salt
In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with a pinch of salt, whisking to dissolve the salt.
Taste The juice should taste overly salty; that will decrease as you add oil.
Step Two Add Oil
Whisk in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Taste The lemon should taste more balanced, but still too acidic.
Step Three Whisk and Taste
Now whisk in more olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, to balance the vinaigrette, tasting along the way.
Taste The finished vinaigrette should neither be too sour nor too flabby.
Illustration © Julia Rothman.
Personality
How do you make food more interesting?
Once a dish is seasoned with salt and has just the right acidity level, the next step is to give it some character, such as a fresh accent from herbs or the warmth of spices.
15 Ways to Add a Tasty Spin to Your Food
Warm Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cardamom Hot Spices: cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, black pepper Smoky Flavors: pimentón, diced bacon, smoked salt, chipotles Pickled Flavors: minced cornichons, diced pickled onions, kimchi Briny Flavors: capers, bottarga, olives Sweet Flavors: molasses, maple syrup, honey Floral Flavors: rose water, lavender, saffron Fresh Green Flavors: parsley, tarragon, mint, basil Woody Green Flavors: sage, rosemary, thyme Pungent Flavors: garlic, scallion, horseradish, mustard Spicy Flavors: fresh chiles, Sriracha, Tabasco Savory Flavors: grated cheeses, nutritional yeast, soy sauce Zesty Flavors: citrus zest, ginger, yuzu kosho Nutty Flavors: pecans, pistachios, walnuts, sesame Funky Flavors: anchovies, fish sauce, blue cheese, miso
Workout: Adding Flavor
Sautéed mushrooms have a savory, earthy flavor but are otherwise relatively neutral. Here, we divide the sautéed mushrooms into bowls and then flavor each one with either fresh herbs, lemon zest or crème fraîche, observing how each enhances the flavor of the mushrooms.
Exercise Setup
2 1/4 pounds sliced cremini mushrooms, sautéed in butter and seasoned with salt
Minced fresh herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon)
Lemon zest
Crème fraîche
Bowl One: 2 Tsp. Fresh Herbs
Effect: Lightens the mushrooms with a vibrant, green taste.
Bowl Two: Zest of 1/4 Lemon
Effect: Adds an unexpected, bright, fruity zing.
Bowl Three: 1 1/2 Tbsp Crème Fraîche
Effect: Adds a rich, creamy glaze with a subtle tang.
Video: Cooking Tips from Superstar Chefs |
Early February an Android dev revealed how his popular calendar app was suffering from 85% piracy rates. The news was echoed in dozens of headlines, but how did things turn out? TorrentFreak is informed that sales are dramatically up and piracy has been slashed by a third.
Today Calendar Pro is a popular replacement calendar for Android. Several thousand voters on Google Play agree on its quality, most voting near to the fabled five stars.
However, at the start of February developer Jack Underwood announced that rather than pay for his software, a huge majority are preferring to pirate it instead. The figures were substantial. According to the UK-based dev, 85% of ‘pro’ users were using his software without paying for it.
While that fact might’ve caused some creators to go nuclear, Underwood remained pragmatic. He engaged his public and decided to make light of the situation by introducing some novel anti-piracy measures in his software. Rather than make it unusable, Underwood added some pirate-themed events as detailed in our earlier article.
It turned out to be a great move on the PR front. News of Underwood’s approach spread quickly and dozens of news outlets covered the story giving the developer and his software plenty of exposure. Interested in the effects of this new-found fame, TF caught up with the dev to assess his mood.
As it turns out Underwood was in fine form. News of massive piracy of his app published February 2nd/3rd onwards had certainly turned into a positive. Sales of his software enjoyed a significant boost, as the graph below illustrates.
While reluctant to talk about money generated, Underwood did reveal the size of the increase over regular sales. Today Calender Pro sold around three times more than it usually does after the news broke, leveling to twice as many sales shortly after.
However, it was the effect on Google Play’s rankings that appears to have done Underwood the biggest favor. Following news of the high piracy rates there was a five-fold increase in Play user ratings, averaging a score of 4.8. This means that Today Calendar Pro is now the highest rated calendar on the Play store.
The ratings boost means that sales are now running at a steady 50% uplift, a great result all considered.
Interestingly, however, the free version of the app hasn’t done quite so well. On the first day sales increased two-fold, dropping to 1.5x the day after. Unlike the ‘Pro’ version, there was no change in Play ratings and ‘sales’ are now back to the level they were before.
But perhaps of most interest is how these new figures have affected piracy rates overall, which previously sat at 85%.
“Over the last week pirated installs have made up 56% of the downloads,” Underwood informs TF. “Much better, but I guess we’ll see how long it lasts!”
Finally, Underwood says that interest in the pirate-themed events he added to his software has resulted in lots of requests from users wanting to see them. He’s come up with the following solution.
“Users can now trigger the pirate events themselves. Any event title with ‘walk the plank’ or ‘swashbuckling’ or ‘pirate’ (providing there’s no other trigger words) will cause the pirate images to be displayed,” he concludes. |
Tokyo reporter orders 2.7kg bacon Whopper with 1050 slices of bacon
When the Tokyo Burger King stores announced a "15 strips of bacon on your burger for ¥100 (~$1.25)" promotion, Mr Sato, a reporter for Rocket News 24 ordered 105 slices of bacon on his burger. Apparently, Mr Sato ate the "grotesque agglomeration of ketchup-soaked meat about 3 times the size of the regular whopper" and then rushed home to recuperate.
To see how far they could push it, the newsroom sent Mr Sato back to order a burger with 1,050 slices of bacon. 2 hours later, the 2.7kg treat was presented to him, with an estimated caloric load of 14,300.
Before going to work on the burger, Mr. Sato once again began his primal ritual of psyching himself up, shouting: “This is what real hamburger lovers eat! 10 strips? 100 strips? Like that’s enough! A real man needs 1050 strips of bacon!” Mr. Sato then plunges his face into the top of the burger, holding on to the top bun and a layer of bacon below the beef patty for support. Eventually he runs out of burger to supplement his bacon and simply begins stuffing bacon into his mouth by the fistful, all the while ranting: “Delicious! This is what meat is all about! This is the taste of a real hamburger!” But you’re only eating bacon… In any case, thanks to Mr. Sato’s gluttony, we have learned that there is seemingly no limit to the amount of bacon you can add to a Whopper. Or maybe it’s because this is Japan and they’re just that dedicated to their customers; we’re not sure if we could walk into a Burger King in America and expect the same level of service…
Burger King Japan Offering 15 Bacon Strips for $1 So We Order Whopper With 105 Bacon Strips
We Order Whopper With 1050 Bacon Strips, Struggle to Level Comically Huge Burger
(via Geekologie) |
Wang Xueqi [Photo: Mtime.com]
The superhero blockbuster "Iron Man 3" has finally nailed down Chinese actor Wang Xueqi, who will play Chen Lu, Mtime.com reports.
"Iron Man 3" will be co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios and Chinese entertainment company DMG.
Last week, Wang was snapped talking with "Iron Man 3" chief producer Dan Mintz. [Photo: Mtime.com]
Last week, Wang was snapped talking with "Iron Man 3" chief producer Dan Mintz. Later, insiders from Fan Bingbing Work Studio, which Wang Works for, confirmed that the meeting was about the new film but that the details will be under wraps until September.
In the original comic, Chen Lu is a super villain, who uses radiation on his own body in a bid to defeat Iron Man.
The film may possibly shoot in China in September.
By Liu Shuai |
List of Best and Worst practices for designing a high traffic website Here is a checklist of the factors that affect your rankings with Google, Bing, Yahoo! and the other search engines. The list contains positive, negative and neutral factors because all of them exist. Most of the factors in the checklist apply mainly to Google and partially to Bing, Yahoo! and all the other search engines of lesser importance. If you need more information on particular sections of the checklist, you may want to read our SEO tutorial, which gives more detailed explanations of Keywords, Links, Metatags, Visual Extras, etc.
Keywords 1 Keywords in <title> tag This is one of the most important places to have a keyword because what is written inside the <title> tag shows in search results as your page title. The title tag must be short (6 or 7 words at most) and the the keyword must be near the beginning. +3 2 Keywords in URL Keywords in URLs help a lot - e.g. - http://domainname.com/seo-services.html, where “SEO services” is the keyword phrase you attempt to rank well for. But if you don't have the keywords in other parts of the document, don't rely on having them in the URL. +3 3 Keyword density in document text Another very important factor you need to check. 3-7 % for major keywords is best, 1-2 for minor. Keyword density of over 10% is suspicious and looks more like keyword stuffing, than a naturally written text. +3 4 Keywords in anchor text Also very important, especially for the anchor text of inbound links, because if you have the keyword in the anchor text in a link from another site, this is regarded as getting a vote from this site not only about your site in general, but about the keyword in particular. +3 5 Keywords in headings (<H1>, <H2>, etc. tags) One more place where keywords count a lot. But beware that your page has actual text about the particular keyword. +3 6 Keywords in the beginning of a document Also counts, though not as much as anchor text, title tag or headings. However, have in mind that the beginning of a document does not necessarily mean the first paragraph – for instance if you use tables, the first paragraph of text might be in the second half of the table. +2 7 Keywords in <alt> tags Spiders don't read images but they do read their textual descriptions in the <alt> tag, so if you have images on your page, fill in the <alt> tag with some keywords about them. +2 8 Keywords in metatags Less and less important, especially for Google. Yahoo! and Bing still rely on them, so if you are optimizing for Yahoo! or Bing, fill these tags properly. In any case, filling these tags properly will not hurt, so do it. +1 9 Keyword proximity Keyword proximity measures how close in the text the keywords are. It is best if they are immediately one after the other (e.g. “dog food”), with no other words between them. For instance, if you have “dog” in the first paragraph and “food” in the third paragraph, this also counts but not as much as having the phrase “dog food” without any other words in between. Keyword proximity is applicable for keyword phrases that consist of 2 or more words. +1 10 Keyword phrases In addition to keywords, you can optimize for keyword phrases that consist of several words – e.g. “SEO services”. It is best when the keyword phrases you optimize for are popular ones, so you can get a lot of exact matches of the search string but sometimes it makes sense to optimize for 2 or 3 separate keywords (“SEO” and “services”) than for one phrase that might occasionally get an exact match. +1 11 Secondary keywords Optimizing for secondary keywords can be a golden mine because when everybody else is optimizing for the most popular keywords, there will be less competition (and probably more hits) for pages that are optimized for the minor words. For instance, “real estate new jersey” might have thousand times less hits than “real estate” only but if you are operating in New Jersey, you will get less but considerably better targeted traffic. +1 12 Keyword stemming For English this is not so much of a factor because words that stem from the same root (e.g. dog, dogs, doggy, etc.) are considered related and if you have “dog” on your page, you will get hits for “dogs” and “doggy” as well, but for other languages keywords stemming could be an issue because different words that stem from the same root are considered as not related and you might need to optimize for all of them. +1 13 Synonyms Optimizing for synonyms of the target keywords, in addition to the main keywords. This is good for sites in English, for which search engines are smart enough to use synonyms as well, when ranking sites but for many other languages synonyms are not taken into account, when calculating rankings and relevancy. +1 14 Keyword Mistypes Spelling errors are very frequent and if you know that your target keywords have popular misspellings or alternative spellings (i.e. Christmas and Xmas), you might be tempted to optimize for them. Yes, this might get you some more traffic but having spelling mistakes on your site does not make a good impression, so you'd better don't do it, or do it only in the metatags. 0 15 Keyword dilution When you are optimizing for an excessive amount of keywords, especially unrelated ones, this will affect the performance of all your keywords and even the major ones will be lost (diluted) in the text. -2 16 Keyword stuffing Any artificially inflated keyword density (10% and over) is keyword stuffing and you risk getting banned from search engines. -3
Links - internal, inbound, outbound 17 Anchor text of inbound links As discussed in the Keywords section, this is one of the most important factors for good rankings. It is best if you have a keyword in the anchor text but even if you don't, it is still OK. However, don't use the same anchor text all the time because this is also penalized by Google. Try to use synonyms, keyword stemming, or simply the name of your site instead +3 18 Origin of inbound links Besides the anchor text, it is important if the site that links to you is a reputable one or not. Generally sites with greater Google PR are considered reputable. Links from poor sites and link farms can do real harm to you, so avoid them at all costs. +3 19 Links from similar sites Generally the more, the better. But the reputation of the sites that link to you is more important than their number. Also important is their anchor text (and its diversity), the lack/presence of keyword(s) in it, the link age, etc. +3 20 Links from .edu and .gov sites These links are precious because .edu and .gov sites are more reputable than .com. .biz, .info, etc. domains. Additionally, such links are hard to obtain. +3 21 Number of backlinks Generally the more, the better. But the reputation of the sites that link to you is more important than their number. Also important is their anchor text, is there a keyword in it, how old are they, etc. +3 22 Anchor text of internal links This also matters, though not as much as the anchor text of inbound links. +2 23 Around-the-anchor text The text that is immediately before and after the anchor text also matters because it further indicates the relevance of the link – i.e. if the link is artificial or it naturally flows in the text. +2 24 Age of inbound links The older, the better. Getting many new links in a short time suggests buying them. +2 25 Links from directories Could work, though it strongly depends on which directories. Being listed in DMOZ, Yahoo Directory and similar directories is a great boost for your ranking but having tons of links from PR0 directories is useless or even harmful because it can even be regarded as link spamming, if you have hundreds or thousands of such links. +2 26 Number of outgoing links on the page that links to you The fewer, the better for you because this way your link looks more important. +1 27 Named anchors Named anchors (the target place of internal links) are useful for internal navigation but are also useful for SEO because you stress additionally that a particular page, paragraph or text is important. In the code, named anchors look like this: <A href= “#dogs”>Read about dogs</A> and “#dogs” is the named anchor. +1 28 IP address of inbound link Google denies that they discriminate against links that come from the same IP address or C class of addresses, so for Google the IP address can be considered neutral to the weight of inbound links. However, Bing and Yahoo! may discard links from the same IPs or IP classes, so it is always better to get links from different IPs. +1 29 Inbound links from link farms and other suspicious sites Presumably, this does not affect you, provided the links are not reciprocal. The idea is that it is beyond your control to define what a link farm links to, so you don't get penalized when such sites link to you because this is not your fault. However, some recent changes to the Google algorithm suggest the opposite. This is why, you must always stay away from link farms and other suspicious sites or if you see they link to you, contact their webmaster and ask the link to be removed. 0 30 Many outgoing links Google does not like pages that consists mainly of links, so you'd better keep them under 100 per page. Having many outgoing links does not get you any benefits in terms of ranking and could even make your situation worse. -1 31 Excessive linking, link spamming It is bad for your rankings, when you have many links to/from the same sites (even if it is not a cross- linking scheme or links to bad neighbors) because it suggests link buying or at least spamming. In the best case only some of the links are taken into account for SEO rankings. -1 32 Outbound links to link farms and other suspicious sites Unlike inbound links from link farms and other suspicious sites, outbound links to bad neighbors can drown you. You need periodically to check the status of the sites you link to because sometimes good sites become bad neighbors and vice versa. -3 33 Cross-linking Cross-linking occurs when site A links to site B, site B links to site C and site C links back to site A. This is the simplest example but more complex schemes are possible. Cross-linking looks like disguised reciprocal link trading and is penalized. -3 34 Single pixel links when you have a link that is a pixel or so wide it is invisible for humans, so nobody will click on it and it is obvious that this link is an attempt to manipulate search engines. -3
Metatags 35 <Description> metatag Metatags are becoming less and less important but if there are metatags that still matter, these are the <description> and <keywords> ones. Use the <Description> metatag to write the description of your site. Besides the fact that metatags still rock on Bing and Yahoo!, the <Description> metatag has one more advantage – it sometimes pops in the description of your site in search results. +1 36 <Keywords> metatag The <Keywords> metatag also matters, though as all metatags it gets almost no attention from Google and some attention from Bing and Yahoo! Keep the metatag reasonably long – 10 to 20 keywords at most. Don't stuff the <Keywords> tag with keywords that you don't have on the page, this is bad for your rankings. +1 37 <Language> metatag If your site is language-specific, don't leave this tag empty. Search engines have more sophisticated ways of determining the language of a page than relying on the <language>metatag but they still consider it. +1 38 <Refresh> metatag The <Refresh> metatag is one way to redirect visitors from your site to another. Only do it if you have recently migrated your site to a new domain and you need to temporarily redirect visitors. When used for a long time, the <refresh> metatag is regarded as unethical practice and this can hurt your ratings. In any case, redirecting through 301 is much better. -1
Content 39 Unique content Having more content (relevant content, which is different from the content on other sites both in wording and topics) is a real boost for your site's rankings. +3 40 Frequency of content change Frequent changes are favored. It is great when you constantly add new content but it is not so great when you only make small updates to existing content. +3 41 Keywords font size When a keyword in the document text is in a larger font size in comparison to other on-page text, this makes it more noticeable, so therefore it is more important than the rest of the text. The same applies to headings (<h1>, <h2>, etc.), which generally are in larger font size than the rest of the text. +2 42 Keywords formatting Bold and italic are another way to emphasize important words and phrases. However, use bold, italic and larger font sizes within reason because otherwise you might achieve just the opposite effect. +2 43 Age of document Recent documents (or at least regularly updated ones) are favored. +2 44 File size Generally long pages (i.e. 1,500-2,000 words or more) are not favored, or at least you can achieve better rankings if you have 3 short (500-1,000 words) rather than 1 long page on a given topic, so split long pages into multiple smaller ones. On the other hand, pages with 100-200 words of text or less are also disliked by Google. +1 45 Content separation From a marketing point of view content separation (based on IP, browser type, etc.) might be great but for SEO it is bad because when you have one URL and differing content, search engines get confused what the actual content of the page is. -2 46 Poor coding and design Search engines say that they do not want poorly designed and coded sites, though there are hardly sites that are banned because of messy code or ugly images but when the design and/or coding of a site is poor, the site might not be indexable at all, so in this sense poor code and design can harm you a lot. -2 47 Illegal Content Using other people's copyrighted content without their permission or using content that promotes legal violations can get you kicked out of search engines. -3 48 Invisible text This is a black hat SEO practice and when spiders discover that you have text specially for them but not for humans, don't be surprised by the penalty. -3 49 Cloaking Cloaking is another illegal technique, which partially involves content separation because spiders see one page (highly-optimized, of course), and everybody else is presented with another version of the same page. -3 50 Doorway pages Creating pages that aim to trick spiders that your site is a highly-relevant one when it is not, is another way to get the kick from search engines. -3 51 Duplicate content When you have the same content on several pages on the site, this will not make your site look larger because the duplicate content penalty kicks in. To a lesser degree duplicate content applies to pages that reside on other sites but obviously these cases are not always banned – i.e. article directories or mirror sites do exist and prosper. -3
Visual Extras and SEO 52 JavaScript If used wisely, it will not hurt. But if your main content is displayed through JavaScript, this makes it more difficult for spiders to follow and if JavaScript code is a mess and spiders can't follow it, this will definitely hurt your ratings. 0 53 Images in text Having a text-only site is so boring but having many images and no text is a SEO sin. Always provide in the <alt> tag a meaningful description of an image but don't stuff it with keywords or irrelevant information. 0 54 Podcasts and videos Podcasts and videos are becoming more and more popular but as with all non-textual goodies, search engines can't read them, so if you don't have the tapescript of the podcast or the video, it is as if the podcast or movie is not there because it will not be indexed by search engines. 0 55 Images instead of text links Using images instead of text links is bad, especially when you don't fill in the <alt> tag. But even if you fill in the <alt> tag, it is not the same as having a bold, underlined, 16-pt. link, so use images for navigation only if this is really vital for the graphic layout of your site. -1 56 Frames Frames are very, very bad for SEO. Avoid using them unless really necessary. -2 57 Flash Spiders don't index the content of Flash movies, so if you use Flash on your site, don't forget to give it an alternative textual description. -2 58 A Flash home page Fortunately this epidemic disease seems to have come to an end. Having a Flash home page (and sometimes whole sections of your site) and no HTML version, is a SEO suicide. -3
Domains, URLs, Web Mastery 59 Keyword-rich URLs and filenames A very important factor, especially for Yahoo! and Bing. +3 60 Site Accessibility Another fundamental issue, which that is often neglected. If the site (or separate pages) is unaccessible because of broken links, 404 errors, password-protected areas and other similar reasons, then the site simply can't be indexed. +3 61 Sitemap It is great to have a complete and up-to-date sitemap, spiders love it, no matter if it is a plain old HTML sitemap or the special Google sitemap format. +2 62 Site size Spiders love large sites, so generally it is the bigger, the better. However, big sites become user-unfriendly and difficult to navigate, so sometimes it makes sense to separate a big site into a couple of smaller ones. On the other hand, there are hardly sites that are penalized because they are 10,000+ pages, so don't split your size in pieces only because it is getting larger and larger. +2 63 Site age Similarly to wine, older sites are respected more. The idea is that an old, established site is more trustworthy (they have been around and are here to stay) than a new site that has just poped up and might soon disappear. +2 64 Site theme It is not only keywords in URLs and on page that matter. The site theme is even more important for good ranking because when the site fits into one theme, this boosts the rankings of all its pages that are related to this theme. +2 65 File Location on Site File location is important and files that are located in the root directory or near it tend to rank better than files that are buried 5 or more levels below. +1 66 Domains versus subdomains, separate domains Having a separate domain is better – i.e. instead of having blablabla.blogspot.com, register a separate blablabla.com domain. +1 67 Top-level domains (TLDs) Not all TLDs are equal. There are TLDs that are better than others. For instance, the most popular TLD – .com – is much better than .ws, .biz, or .info domains but (all equal) nothing beats an old .edu or .org domain. +1 68 Hyphens in URLs Hyphens between the words in an URL increase readability and help with SEO rankings. This applies both to hyphens in domain names and in the rest of the URL. +1 69 URL length Generally doesn't matter but if it is a very long URL-s, this starts to look spammy, so avoid having more than 10 words in the URL (3 or 4 for the domain name itself and 6 or 7 for the rest of address is acceptable). 0 70 IP address Could matter only for shared hosting or when a site is hosted with a free hosting provider, when the IP or the whole C-class of IP addresses is blacklisted due to spamming or other illegal practices. 0 71 Adsense will boost your ranking Adsense is not related in any way to SEO ranking. Google will definitely not give you a ranking bonus because of hosting Adsense ads. Adsense might boost your income but this has nothing to do with your search rankings. 0 72 Adwords will boost your ranking Similarly to Adsense, Adwords has nothing to do with your search rankings. Adwords will bring more traffic to your site but this will not affect your rankings in whatsoever way. 0 73 Hosting downtime Hosting downtime is directly related to accessibility because if a site is frequently down, it can't be indexed. But in practice this is a factor only if your hosting provider is really unreliable and has less than 97-98% uptime. Try using a reputed hosting provider such as Hostgator for hosting. -1 74 Dynamic URLs Spiders prefer static URLs, though you will see many dynamic pages on top positions. Long dynamic URLs (over 100 characters) are really bad and in any case you'd better use a tool to rewrite dynamic URLs in something more human- and SEO-friendly. -1 75 Session IDs This is even worse than dynamic URLs. Don't use session IDs for information that you'd like to be indexed by spiders. -2 76 Bans in robots.txt If indexing of a considerable portion of the site is banned, this is likely to affect the nonbanned part as well because spiders will come less frequently to a “noindex” site. -2 77 Redirects (301 and 302) When not applied properly, redirects can hurt a lot – the target page might not open, or worse – a redirect can be regarded as a black hat technique, when the visitor is immediately taken to a different page. -3 |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday approved the expansion of settlement blocs in the West Bank despite international pressure to halt construction in the occupied territories.
Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced the development of 2,500 new housing units, with most located within settlement blocs.
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“We are building — and will continue to build,” Netanyahu said, according to Israeli media.
Today's news follows reports from Monday that Netanyahu has also ordered the lifting of restrictions on construction in East Jerusalem, with hundreds of new units already in the planning stage.
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution in December calling for an immediate end to Israeli settlement expansion.
The resolution was able to pass following a rare abstention by the U.S., which sparked tensions between the outgoing Obama administration and the Israeli government.
The approval of new settlement units in the West Bank appears to signal a new attitude by Netanyahu, bolstered by President Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE’s promise that he will usher in a new era in the relationship between the two countries. |
A proposal by two McGill law faculty students to have women-only hours at the downtown campus gym is causing an uproar at the Montreal university.
When student Soumia Allalou, 23, decided to get back into shape, she contacted the university's gym and asked when women-only hours were. She was surprised to find that there was no such thing.
"Personally I prefer to work out in a women-only environment. I just kind of assumed they would have women-only hours. I asked them if there was a project for that in the works and they said that they didn't think so," said Allalou, who wears a hair covering and cites religious reasons for her preference. She took to Facebook to voice her concerns.
"I feel like there are many women who have a variety of reasons for preferring to work out in a women-only environment. Whether it's how comfortable they are, whether they have had bad experiences at the gym in the past, whether they have less access to the machines. A lot of women tell me they feel intimidated in the weights section," said Allalou.
Women-only hours not unprecedented
Allalou and another law faculty student, Raymond Grafton, have approached the university's student union about instituting women-only hours at the gym a few times a week.
Such a move would not be totally unprecedented at McGill. The university's pool currently has women-only swim hours that were instituted after a female student brought forward similar concerns.
But not everyone is reacting well to Allalou's proposal. An online petition entitled "We oppose women-only hours at the McGill Fitness Centre" has been started by a user identified as Concerned McGill Student. The petition, addressed to the McGill student union and to university administrators, aims to collect 300 signatures.
"All McGill students should be treated equally. Exclusive rights to the gym should not be granted to specific demographic groups. Women who refuse to use the gym when men are present make a choice that they alone are responsible for," reads the petition.
Several of the people who have signed the petition voice similar concerns. One comment by an individual identified as S.B reads: "This is incredibly regressive and paints in dangerously broad strokes of dangerously black and white paint. I don't deserve to be treated as a potential sexual predator wherever I go – neither do you."
Another comment from Phoebe Y reads: "This is absolutely not the solution to a greater issue of inclusivity, body positivity and respect for other religions and identities."
Proposal could go to vote
The Students Society of McGill University (SSMU) is working with Allalou on the possibility of presenting the proposal at a meeting. If that happens, the proposal will go to a vote for endorsement by the student associations represented by the union.
"There has been backlash saying that women should just get over it and feel comfortable around men, regardless of religious or personal reasons that lead them to feel uncomfortable. But when we are talking about religious freedom, it's not a question of asking someone to get over it. That is asking them to give up tenets of their religious practice, which is not something that we should be standing for at McGill," said Claire Stewart-Kanigan, the student union's vice-president of university affairs.
The proposal will then need to be taken to McGill's director of athletics before it can proceed further. No date has been set yet for the proposal to be brought to the SSMU for a vote. |
About
On June 28th, 2006, former Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens told the world, "The internet is not a big truck. It's a series of tubes," among other odd choices of wording while trying to criticize an amendment that would have prohibited ISP's from charging for a tiered internet structure.
The entire internet was listening. Fark, BoingBoing, Wired, and essentially everyone whose livelihood and/or recreation relies on the internet promptly gave their two-cents on the matter. (See the Wikipedia link in the header for more details.)
On July 14th, 2006 "DJ Ted Stevens Techno Remix: A Series of Tubes" video created by Gavin of 13tongimp.com was uploaded to Youtube. The video currently has over 3.7 million views.
Outside the Internet
On May 29, 2012, Wired journalist Andrew Blum published a book on the internet called Tubes – named after the meme. From the Amazon page:
When your Internet cable leaves your living room, where does it go? Almost everything about our day-to-day lives--and the broader scheme of human culture--can be found on the Internet. But what is it physically? And where is it really? Our mental map of the network is as blank as the map of the ocean that Columbus carried on his first Atlantic voyage. The Internet, its material nuts and bolts, is an unexplored territory. Until now.
In Tubes, journalist Andrew Blum goes inside the Internet's physical infrastructure and flips on the lights, revealing an utterly fresh look at the online world we think we know. It is a shockingly tactile realm of unmarked compounds, populated by a special caste of engineer who pieces together our networks by hand; where glass fibers pulse with light and creaky telegraph buildings, tortuously rewired, become communication hubs once again. From the room in Los Angeles where the Internet first flickered to life to the caverns beneath Manhattan where new fiber-optic cable is buried; from the coast of Portugal, where a ten-thousand-mile undersea cable just two thumbs wide connects Europe and Africa, to the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, where Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have built monumental data centers--Blum chronicles the dramatic story of the Internet's development, explains how it all works, and takes the first-ever in-depth look inside its hidden monuments.
Conclusion
Senator Stevens was almost right with his "tube" analogy, but among other things he seemed unable to comprehend the idea of information packets. He is also quoted as saying, "my staff sent me an internet" which helped to contribute to the already popular "Internets" meme coined by the equally inept George W. Bush.
Both are examples of politicians who had the power to make important decisions regarding our current means of communication, yet failed miserably to understand it.
External References |
An American diplomat said that appointing Mohammed Bin Salman as crown prince of Saudi Arabia was like a “dream come true for Israel”, Haaretz reported.
The former US Ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, said that the appointment of Bin Salman opens an unprecedented opportunity for Israel to improve its regional position and supports it in facing its strategic and security challenges.
Shapiro restated the fact that Bin Salman sees a link between Saudi Arabia and Israel’s interests and threats which will allow Tel Aviv to benefit.
Read: Trump’s gambling in the Gulf
Bin Salman’s hatred of groups, specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, and his efforts to confront Iran led him to certain regional alliances, the former US envoy said. It is for this reason that Bin Salman has built strong relations with both the UAE and Egypt.
The rise of strong Arab leaders who see Israel’s enemies as their own enemies actually serves the interests of Israel and the United States.
“This development could lead to the formation of an axis that includes the United States, the Sunni Arab states and Israel since they share common strategic interests and are prepared to confront extremist forces in the region,” he added.
Shapiro, who has also served as an adviser to President Barack Obama on Gulf affairs, urged both Riyadh and Tel Aviv to “use a wise diplomacy in order to achieve greater returns regarding the relationship between the two sides and reduce the damage that could result from the political reality in the region.”
Read more: The Saudi war of words on Qatar
Bin Salman will be ready for a complete normalisation with Israel within the framework of the implementation of the Arab Initiative, Shapiro explained.
Former Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef “is known for being a reliable and trusted partner of the United States in its war on terror,” Shapiro explained, adding that his problem is that he is “a hesitant conservative who cannot adopt real social and economic reforms.”
Saudi should however be careful and not allow the new crown prince to drag it into unnecessary regional conflicts. Shapiro warned that the policies of Bin Salman may harm “American interests”, saying that the escalation of the crisis with Qatar “has already caused damage to Washington”.
It is for this reason, Shapiro said, that the US may issue a strong warning to Bin Salman to stop him from taking steps that “harm the interests of the United States”. |
Kotaku East East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
The Avengers isn't out in Japan yet, but will be later this week. However, the flick's Japanese tagline is making a few people at least very, very upset.
In Japanese, the film's tagline is 日本よ、これが映画だ or "Hey Japan, this is a movie". While some might think that seems innocuous enough, a couple prominent individuals have pointed out the tagline's more nuanced meaning. But is this much ado about nothing?
According to novelist Toshihiko Yahagi, "Having an American say, 'Hey Japan, this is a movie' is deeply unpleasant. I swear that there is no way I'm going to see this film." Yahagi mentioned how the tagline not only deeply offended, but angered him.
Not one to mince words, Yahagi even said that if it were a Japanese individual who wrote this tagline, he'd want to smoke him or her out and take action. The novelist also pointed out how in years past, Captain America, who is featured in The Avengers, was an asshole who proudly killed Japanese people in his comics.
Yahagi's reaction probably seems, well, extreme. Of course, there were those who agreed that this slogan was particularly bad, with some saying that this is just how Americans are. But on 2ch, Japan's largest web forum, some commenters thought that his reaction showed some sort of inferiority complex or that it was silly to get upset by a tagline—especially a tagline that was most likely thought up by a Japanese person!
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Others said that the Japanese film industry has seen better days and that The Avengers should be judged on its merits as a film and not by its tagline. (One individual said it would be interesting to see if 2ch had the same reaction if this had been about role-playing games—implying that 2ch commenters would have probably been pissed off!)
Columnist Takashi Odajima did a much more eloquent job of arguing why the tagline could come across as unpleasant. He explained it would be like colonialists saying to native people, "Hey native people, this is culture." The other example he gave was The New York Times saying, "Hey Japan, this is journalism."
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If people are going to be upset, that's certainly their right to be upset. If other people don't care, then that's also their right to not care. A tagline causing this much discussion is, as one 2ch user jadedly snarked, "a huge success".
The tagline also has sparked a reaction in the Japanese film industry—a clever one at that. Game creator Hideo Kojima, who I don't think has expressed an opinion on this one way or another, spotted an amusing ad in a newspaper; Japanese film The Kirishima Thing is using a new tagline: "Hey Hollywood, this is a Japanese movie". At least some have a sense of humor over the whole brouhaha.
The "Hey Japan" tagline, however, continues to be used and can be viewed on the movie's official Japanese site. The Avengers opens this month in Japan—all along the way, reminding people that it is a movie.
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ハリウッド映画『アベンジャーズ』のキャッチコピー「日本よ、これが映画だ。」に矢作俊彦と小田嶋隆が激怒 [ニュース２ちゃんねる]
(Top photo: Kojima_Hideo)
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. |
“We estimate that will grow to more than 110,000 direct solar jobs by 2016,” said Monique Hanis, a spokeswoman for the organization.
Solar workers install thermal collectors, which convert the sun’s rays into heat used to supply buildings with hot water, for heating and cooling systems and to warm swimming pools. They also install solar panels to convert the sun’s rays into electricity that can power things like appliances and lights. When more electricity is being produced than the customer is using, the excess can be stored in batteries for use at other times. When batteries are full, the surplus electricity can be exported back to the electrical grid if the building is connected to it, offsetting electricity costs from the utility company.
Consumers are turning to solar energy for various reasons, including, of course, the idea that solar power creates no carbon emissions. And many people feel that solar power is important in reducing the dependence of the United States on foreign oil. Some even see a roof festooned with solar panels as an ecological status symbol.
Beyond all of that, government subsidies can reduce the cost of installing solar panels.
Bob Cowen of Morris County, N.J., chose solar panels for his roof for both ecological and economic reasons. To outfit his home with 49 solar panels, he paid $64,700, minus rebates of $42,500 — for an out-of-pocket cost of $22,200.
“The rebates I received from the state of New Jersey made the switch to solar economically feasible,” he said.
In California, Barry A. Cinnamon installed solar panels on his garage in 2001 as a way to save energy costs. Neighbors saw the work and asked him to install panels on their homes, too.
“Some people say their company started in a garage,” Mr. Cinnamon said. “Mine started on top of one.”
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Mr. Cinnamon is now the chief executive of Akeena, which has about $40 million in annual sales and employs 220 workers in seven states. Despite the recession, he estimates that his solar panel installation business will increase 40 percent from last year.
Solar panel installers must be able to lift heavy equipment and should feel confident about working in high places, because much of their day is spent on roofs. As for formal training, Mr. Cinnamon said that a high school or trade school education is all that is needed.
“We’re designing easier-to-install panels so there’s less complicated wiring requirements,” he said, “but electrical experience is a plus” because each project requires someone to perform electrical work.
Some applicants with college engineering or business degrees start as solar panel installers, hoping to move into other jobs — like product designer, sales manager or supervisor — within the company or industry.
GERRY HEIMBUCH, vice president for operations at the Solar Center in Rockaway, N.J., estimates that his company hires a new solar panel installer every month. Many good candidates have come from the sluggish homebuilding industry.
Beside looking for construction and electrical skills, Mr. Heimbuch wants people who can communicate well.
“Our installers need to explain to customers how the new system will work, how to maintain it and how to recognize if there are any issues,” he said.
The Labor Department does not have salary figures for solar panel installers, but in California, Mr. Cinnamon pays workers $15 to $30 an hour, as well as health benefits. His employees can also participate in a stock ownership plan.
In New Jersey, installers hired by the Solar Center start with a three-month training program and earn from $16 to $28 an hour, in addition to health benefits, as they gain skills and take on higher levels of responsibility.
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Mr. Heimbuch observes that his solar-installer work force is drawn to construction and to working outside. But he says the environmental impact is important to the workers as well. “They feel like doing this job is doing the right thing for the planet,” he says. |
“This is certainly not an isolated case,” he said. “The kind of story I hear from this debtor is one that I and other bankruptcy judges around the country are hearing over and over and over again.”
With consumers complaining about the difficulty of getting any response from their mortgage servicers, the effectiveness of the Obama administration’s plan to provide homeowner relief is being threatened. As they wait for an answer on whether they might qualify, homeowners are succumbing to foreclosure and bankruptcy proceedings and winding up in courts — at times in front of judges who are also frustrated.
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Ms. Giguere filed for bankruptcy protection as she was trying to keep her three-bedroom house in a Phoenix suburb, where she lives with her 15-year-old son. Representing the bank at her hearing on Thursday was Joseph Ohayon, senior vice president of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Servicing.
Under preliminary questioning by one of the bank’s lawyers, Mr. Ohayon stated that Mrs. Giguere had repeatedly failed to provide a financial worksheet, a critical document in processing a loan modification.
Under cross-examination by Mrs. Giguere (who had a little assistance from Judge Haines), the bank’s defense withered. From her files, Mrs. Giguere produced a letter from Wells Fargo describing the paperwork that she needed to file for a loan modification. In the witness chair, Mr. Ohayon read the letter.
“Mrs. Giguere is right,” Mr. Ohayon concluded. “The letter did not ask for a financial worksheet.”
Experts said the hearing in Phoenix reflected rising frustration by federal bankruptcy judges with mortgage servicers, which process payments for banks and the investors who own large pools of loans. In recent months, judges in Ohio and Pennsylvania have chastened mortgage servicers for failing to process payments properly and for errors in foreclosure filings, among other concerns.
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“The judges are seeing more and more of a pattern of indifference to record-keeping and good business practices,” said Robert Lawless, a law professor at the University of Illinois who specializes in bankruptcy law.
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One of the biggest complaints by homeowners has been poor communication by mortgage servicers on the status of their applications for loan modifications. In the case of Mrs. Giguere, Wells Fargo decided back in March shortly after she faxed the bank her application that she did not qualify for the Home Affordable Modification Program.
She did not learn of the bank’s decision until Thursday.
“When did you tell the debtors that their loan was no longer being considered for modification?” Judge Haines asked Mr. Ohayon.
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“We haven’t. They’ve never been told,” said Mr. Ohayon, adding: “Customer communication is something we’re taking a serious look at, your honor.”
The hearing with Wells Fargo did not result in any sanctions against the bank for its failure to provide timely information to Mrs. Giguere about her mortgage modification application. But the bank did pledge to improve its communications with customers and to explore avenues for increasing the ease with which homeowners can seek loan modifications.
Wells Fargo has also scheduled a three-day seminar at the Phoenix Convention Center, beginning on Tuesday, in which customers who have submitted loan modification applications can meet with a bank representative in person and learn whether their application has been approved or denied.
Wells Fargo has been criticized for its slow pace in modifying mortgages under the Treasury Department’s foreclosure prevention initiative, which was begun in April. The bank has started trial modifications on about 20,000 home loans under the program, or 6 percent of those who meet the program’s guidelines. JPMorgan Chase, by comparison, has begun modifications on nearly 20 percent of such loans. The banks’ information was issued in a recent report from the Treasury on the progress of the program.
At the hearing, Wells Fargo blamed a series of revisions in the program by the government for the slow pace.
It has also pledged to renew negotiations with Mrs. Giguere over modifying her home mortgage. Yet difficult financial circumstances make it unclear whether she will ultimately be able to keep her home, mortgage modification or not. She has recently gone on food stamps and is receiving free state medical aid; her $240 weekly unemployment check is her main form of income.
When her home shot up in value, she refinanced it several times, pulling out equity to pay off credit card debt and other expenses. She and her husband are divorcing, and he is no longer willing to help pay the mortgage. With little in savings, she has not made a full mortgage payment since November.
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“I’m not perfect, I’ll be the first to admit that,” Mrs. Giguere said. “I’ve fallen behind.” |
China's anti-trust regulator decided to have a talk with Samsung after receiving a slew of complaints from phone makers about price hikes in its memory chips, sources told the 21st Century Business Herald on Thursday.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's anti-trust body for price-related enforcement, has interviewed Samsung about the company's sixth consecutive quarterly hike in memory chip prices, but whether an anti-trust investigation will be initiated is still unknown.
A scarcity in memory chips, widely used in phones and computers, has caused prices to jump since last year. As one of the world's largest chipmakers, Samsung's DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chips account for 48 percent of the global DRAM chip market, while its NAND Flash memory account for 35.4 percent of that chip's market.
At the same time, the price increases have started to make its way to consumers and triggered concerns among phone manufacturers.
Storage has surpassed screen and CPU to become the most expensive item in phone manufacturing, an industry insider told the 21st Century Business Herald.
"Storage has accounted for 25 percent – 35 percent of the phone production cost, and the memory bank prices have inflated by 300 percent over the past year, which is horrifying for phone makers, in particular smaller ones who have little bargaining power," the insider said.
Samsung's chip business has been a cash cow after the Galaxy Note 7 battery explosion scandal decreased demand for its smartphones. In the third quarter this year, the company generated 54.5 billion dollars in revenue, a 29.7 percent uptick year on year, and its profits increased by 179.47 percent to 12.76 billion dollars.
Industry insiders speculated possible collusion between Samsung and other chipmakers fixing prices. After all, this would not be the first time Samsung was involved in an anti-trust case.
Back in 2005, Samsung pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a fine of 300 million US dollars for participating in an international conspiracy to fix prices in the DRAM market, the US Department of Justice had announced. This fine is the second largest criminal antitrust fine in US history.
From April 1, 1999, to June 15, 2002, Samsung conspired with other DRAM manufacturers to fix the prices of DRAM sold to certain computer and server manufacturers, according to the court file. |
Update 1: Apparently an additional IED was just dismantled and disabled inside the Metro.
Update 2: ISIS fighters – obviously – are currently celebrating the attack, although they haven’t yet claimed responsibility entirely. They’re just more in tune with their people and faith, and know that any strikes like this are almost always the handiwork of Moslems.
Update 3: Well, Russian law enforcement just released a picture of the suspect/person of interest in the bombing, and…
Maybe we’re dealing with an angry zombie Rasputin, or maybe the Amish have at last decided to flex their murderous muscles – it’s all open speculation, I suppose.
Or maybe it’s just the Religion of Peace striking again among the hated infidel.
Update 4: Some Russian news sources are claiming that the body of a “Central Asian man” found at the epicenter of the bomb blast proves that the attack was in face a suicide mission, with other suspects (see above) being sought for planting the second IED in a different Metro station.
Original article follows below:
Let’s just go out on a limb here and say that there’s probably a ninety-five percent chance or so that this was the work of Moslem filth – likely either Chechen terrorists or Central Asians recruited by an ISIS affiliated group.
It could be Ukrainian scum as well, I suppose, or maybe even political dissidents led by Jews like Soros, but it’s almost certainly Moslems.
And the fact that children were reportedly killed and wounded in the blast – which was apparently caused by either one or two nail/shrapnel bombs going off inside a metro train – does not bode well for those responsible.
Me personally?
I hope and pray Putin unleashes holy righteous hell upon the subhuman animals that decided to launch their attack today.
And as with any attack, updates will be available as soon as they are received on our end, but for now, there is an RT live-stream for those interested.
From RT:
A suspected bomb blast inside a car of the St. Petersburg Metro system has killed nine passengers and injured over 20 others. The entire transit system is shut down as bomb squads and rescuers respond to the emergency.
The explosion happened as the train was travelling between the stations Tekhnologichesky Institut and Sennaya Ploshchad of the St. Petersburg Metro, the National Antiterrorism Committee (NAC) confirmed. “The preliminary casualty report on the St. Petersburg Metro blast is nine people killed and over 20 injured, some of them seriously,” the NAC said in a statement. “All the victims are receiving the necessary medical and psychological assistance.” Images posted on social media show bodies lying next to the damaged car, with blood apparently spilt on a bench. The St. Petersburg governor’s office said there were as many as 50 victims in the incident, including 10 fatalities. Two of the injured have been taken for surgery while two others are being prepared for operation. The city healthcare committee said 25 people have been brought to hospital in the wake of the blast, including one child. Russian President Vladimir Putin commented that “The causes of this event have not been determined yet, so it’s too early to talk about [possible causes]. The investigation will show. Certainly, we will consider all possibilities: common, criminal, but first of all of a terrorist nature.” |
JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images
Facebook famously boasts it has 1.86 billion users who visit the social network every month. It looks like that number shrank on Friday.
The company, which previously announced it's cracking down on fake accounts, said it's disrupted a major spam operation being run out of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and other countries.
"The apparent intent of the campaign was to deceptively gain new friend connections by liking and interacting primarily with popular publisher Pages on our platform, after which point they would send spam," Shabnam Shaik, a Facebook technical program manager wrote in a blog post.
"We found that most of this activity was generated not through traditional mass account creation methods, but by more sophisticated means that try to mask the fact that the accounts are part of the same coordinated operation," Shaik wrote. "By disrupting the campaign now, we expect that we will prevent this network of spammers from reaching its end goal of sending inauthentic material to large numbers of people."
The number of authentic users matters for Facebook because the company charges marketers and advertisers to reach the most eyeballs. Facebook didn't reveal the number of accounts affected by this crackdown.
Fake profiles, or bots, are an ongoing problem for social networks, and making software that generates the fake fans has become a big-money industry. In 2014, Facebook estimated 67.7 million to 137.8 million accounts were either duplicates or fake.
Twitter has had the same problem. About 15 percent of Twitter's 319 million active monthly users are reportedly bots, according to research from the University of Southern California and Indiana University.
CNET Magazine: Check out a sample of the stories in CNET's newsstand edition.
Life, disrupted: In Europe, millions of refugees are still searching for a safe place to settle. Tech should be part of the solution. But is it? |
Huge strawman of a question here, I don't believe in any of this and don't associate (to my knowledge) with anyone who does. I'll ignore it for the sake of pointing out something your lot has an issue addressing:
You like to pursue and are turned off by romantically aggressive women. You say it's unfair that women are never expected to do the "earning", then turn around and call them sluts in the same breath when they make the mistake of actually giving you what you asked for or showing any interest. There was a post on RP about it just a few days ago. You don't have to accept any deal if you deem it "shitty" (no skin off any woman anywhere's nose, trust me) just don't cry about something that's your own fault like a toddler.
I'm starting to think this perception about how women are "irrational" is more of a projection of your own doublethink.
Edit: Typo. |
[Gamasutra's A History of Gaming Platforms series continues with a look at Atari's 8-bit computer series. Need to catch up? Check out the first five articles in the series, covering the Commodore 64, Vectrex, Apple II, Atari 2600, and Mattel Intellivision.]
When many thirty-something gamers in the U.S. hear the words "8-bit computer," they likely picture a Commodore 64 (C64) or an Apple II. The word "Atari" is forever associated with the arcade and the Atari VCS (aka 2600), the latter of which was covered in an earlier entry in this series.
However, Atari also released a smorgasbord of 8-bit personal computers, collectively known as the Atari 8-bit computer series. The series evolved in dramatic ways, but never quite reached the same levels of popularity as Apple and Commodore systems. Nevertheless, today, the Atari 8-bit platform is as well supported as any other classic computer series.
TYPICAL SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS
Release Year: 1979
Resolution: 80 x 192
On-Screen Colors: 16
Sound: 4 Channels, Mono
Media Format(s): Cartridge, Cassette, 5.25" Floppy Disk
Main Memory: 48KB
An original Atari 800 with the cartridge door open and BASIC inserted into the left cartridge slot.
History and Hardware
Since Atari Inc.'s founding in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell, the company focused first on arcade video games and then added home Pong-style consoles into the mix by 1975. In 1976, Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications to help fund development of the "Stella" home video game project, which was released as the Atari Video Computer System (VCS) in 1977.
The VCS would come to be a breakthrough success, both for Atari and the neophyte home video game industry, but Bushnell left the company in 1978 after a disagreement with Ray Kassar, who Warner had appointed president of Atari's Consumer Division. After Bushnell's exit, Warner named Kassar the CEO of the entire Atari Corporation. Unlike Bushnell, Kassar and Warner management wanted Atari's energies to also turn to the nascent home computer market.
Under Kassar's direction, the creative and relaxed hacker culture of the company was reduced to a Dilbert-like atmosphere of disgruntled nerds and humorless suits. Atari's home computer division was launched and segregated from the home video game and arcade divisions. The VCS's successor, which was already on the drawing board, was re-envisioned as a home computer.
As opposed to competitive computer systems at the time, the "Candy" and "Colleen" 8-bit computer projects (legend has it that Atari engineers would code-name projects after attractive female employees) were designed around Atari's proven strengths in gaming.
The idea was to combine great game-playing abilities with plug-and-play ease of use. Members of the team that worked on the VCS worked on the design of the Atari computers. This team included industry legend Jay Miner, who years later designed another innovative computer, the Commodore Amiga.
The Atari 400, shown to the left with its original membrane keyboard and to the right in a modified form with custom aftermarket full stroke keyboard and open cartridge door, was intended as the entry level model of the system line.
In late 1979, riding the huge success of its VCS, Atari released the Atari 400 ("Candy") and the Atari 800 ("Colleen"). The 400 was intended as a starter computer, while the 800 was a higher-end alternative for more sophisticated users. By 1980, Atari formed a large portion of Warner Communications' total revenue and became the fastest growing company in U.S. history, mirroring Apple's own meteoric success and preceding Commodore's ascension by several years.
"The Atari 400 is a microcomputer that was designed with game-players firmly in mind. Using a 6502 microprocessor combined with 128-color capability and four, independent sound synthesizers, gaming comes quite naturally to this budget-priced home computer." - Electronic Games magazine, 1983 Buyer's Guide
The Atari 400, which used the MOS 6502B microprocessor, came with 8KB RAM (later 16KB), a cartridge port, four controller ports, television output, and a membrane keyboard. This keyboard, which featured slightly indented keys on its plastic sheet-like surface, was intended to be "childproof."
It was easy to keep clean and was resistant to the occasional splash of Kool-Aid, but was notoriously difficult to type on. With some technical effort, the memory could eventually be expanded to 48KB and the keyboard replaced, but even with those improvements the 400 still could not match the overall feature set of the 800.
The popular Atari 410 cassette recorder and 1050 5.25" floppy disk drive, the former with styling that matches the original 400/800 and the latter an aesthetic match for the 600XL/800XL/1200XL. |
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov has lifted the men's singles trophy of 2017 Nitto ATP Finals after defeating Belgian ace David Goffin in a glamorous showdown in London on 19 November, Sunday.
Tennis fans from all around the world have witnessed the battle between two world-class players at O2 Arena. While the 26-year-old Dimitrov took the opening set after a tie-break by 7-5, Goffin fought back and managed to defeat his opponent in the second set by 6-4.
However, in the last set, Dimitrov turned the spotlight towards him when he defeated the 26-year-old Goffin by 6-3.
Both players were seeded to Pete Sampras group after the draw. The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals winner Dimitrov had defeated Austrian ace, Dominic Thiem, Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta, 2017 Paris Masters winner Jack Shock, including finalist Goffin earlier in this tournament.
On the other hand, Goffin won some tough battles against top-ranked players like world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Swiss great Roger Federer and the 24-year-old Thiem.
The win made Dimitrov the first debutant to win the Nitto ATP Finals title since Spaniard Alex Corretja in 1998 when he defeated Rafael Nada's coach Carlos Moyá.
As Dimitrov won all the battles in this tournament including the final, he has received Emirates ATP Rankings points 1500, including the prize money of $2,549,000 and became the world No. 3.
"This makes me even more locked in, more excited about my work, and for what's to come. It's a great platform for me to build on for next year. It's going to be amazing in the off-season. I know what I have to do in order to do good," Dimitrov told ATP.
On the other hand, Goffin achieved the world No. 7 position. He has received 800 points and $1,158,000 prize money after the final battle against Dimitrov on Sunday.
In a post-match interview, Goffin said that he will be featured in the upcoming Davis Cup tournament but before that he needs some rest.
"I proved to myself that I'm in the right place, and I deserve to be here in this tournament. Then match after match, I took more confidence until the final," he said.
"So I'm proud of what I've achieved, even if I'm disappointed about the final," Goffin concluded.
The German legend and former world No. 1 Boris Becker, who won the year-end tournament in 1988, 1992 and1995, brought the winners' trophy to the court. ATP Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode, the event director of Nitto ATP Adam Hogg and the chief operating officer of AEG Europe Alex Hill were also present during the prize giving ceremony. |
Gethin Jenkins has been capped 119 times; Rob Evans has made three Wales appearances
Six Nations: Ireland v Wales Date: Sunday, 7 February Venue: Aviva Stadium Kick-off: 15:00 GMT Coverage: Live commentary on Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru & BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app, plus live text commentary.
Wales' record appearance holder Gethin Jenkins will not play at the 2019 World Cup, says coach Warren Gatland.
However, the New Zealander said he still expected Jenkins to play a big part in this season's Six Nations.
Gatland said the appointment of referee Jerome Garces influenced his selection of Rob Evans at prop over Jenkins, 35, for Sunday's opener in Ireland.
"We've spoken on a few occasions during the World Cup about potentially what happens to him," added Gatland.
"Those discussions have been positive in making sure we respect what he's done for Welsh rugby."
Gatland says he has also spoken with the 119-times capped Jenkins about the need to nurture a long-term replacement.
"He knows he's not going to get through to 2019 and we've spoken about how do we manage the process where we bring someone on as a replacement, and his potential exit strategy as well."
Jenkins, who made his debut for Wales against Romania in 2002, has also played five Tests for the British and Irish Lions.
"He's a professional, he's been around a long time and I have no doubt that when he gets his opportunity he will come on and perform," Gatland added.
Jerome Garces, 42, has been an international rugby official since 2010
Refereeing style influenced selection
Gatland admitted he had opted for three-times capped Evans ahead of Jenkins with Garces' refereeing style in mind.
Jenkins played at prop when Frenchman Garces penalised the Welsh front row in two matches against England in 2015.
"That was part of the conscious decision in terms of that selection," said Gatland. "He's tough at scrum time. He did penalise us a few times, but we were very happy with his control of the game.
"And I think at the moment, from the performances that we've seen recently, he and Nigel Owens are definitely the top referees in world rugby."
Unexpected changes
Media playback is not supported on this device James had to escape goldfish bowl - Gatland
Jenkins' omission was the big surprise in Gatland's selection, which sees four changes to the team who lost to South Africa in the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup.
The return of centre Jonathan Davies was expected, but Justin Tipuric's inclusion on the open side, with captain Sam Warburton switching to the blind side in place of Dan Lydiate, was not predicted.
Tom James returns on the wing, five and a half years after his last international appearance, ahead of Alex Cuthbert.
Sonja McLaughlan presents a preview of the 2016 Six Nations Championship. Guests include Wales forward Ryan Jones and ex-England fly-half Paul Grayson (tonight, 1900 GMT, Radio 5 live). |
A Change.org petition started by a student at Louisiana State University insists the school's mascot, a tiger, is a racist symbol from the days of the Confederacy and demands that the school change the mascot in order to avoid offending black students.
"Louisiana State University named their mascot the Tigers, and they named it during the height of Jim Crow South. This was a time when black men feared for their lives, and were treated as sub human," the petition's author wrote. "This symbol is the most prevalent confederate symbol in the United States."
The petition then goes on to explain that the white men who chose the confederate symbol were known at the time for their violent and racist nature.
"These powerful white males choose the Tiger [sic] as a symbol to honor a confederate regiment called Louisiana's Tigers," it says. "They were known for their propensity for violence on and off the battle field. They were just as violent to the black slaves they owned, and later even more violent once those slaves were set free.
"It is incredibly insulting for any African American to have to attend a school that honors confederate militantism. It is already hard enough to be black at LSU, and these symbols must be changed," the petition says before addressing the issue of white privilege.
The petition also objects to the live "Mike the Tiger" mascot which is kept on campus in a state-of-the-art $3 million habitat that is among the largest and most well-equipped tiger habitats in the world.
"It's also cruel to cage a wild animal for the amusement of privileged white people. They've never been in a cage," the petition read, although LSU is far from the only university to cage their live animal mascot.
The petition, which is seeking 500 signatures, had 453 supporters as of Thursday morning, many leaving their own encouraging and supportive comments.
"For years we suffered subtle slights, but soon we will be the majority. It will be up to us to shape our state in our image, not in the image of our former captors," said one supporter. "Wake up black people. Our time has come."
Another supporter agreed. "Get rid of anything to do with white male power. They're [sic] day is up. Time for us ppl [sic] of color to rule them!"
But not everyone sharing the petition was in support of the proposed mascot change.
"The author of this petition (an alleged college student forced to attend the flagship university of Louisiana) didn't even bother to check Wikipedia for basic facts," said one commenter. "The Louisiana Tigers were not slave owners. They were the poorest Irish immigrants who performed such backbreaking and dangerous manual labor that the slave owners of the time didn't even want their slaves to do it because their lives were considered more valuable."
"I am so sick of people getting their feelings hurt over our history and the past! Grow up, get a job, and support our Country instead of trying to tear it down! My LSU Tiger decor will expand for sure now," said another dissenter.
(h/t: Campus Reform) |
Police try to head off escalating bikie feud
Updated
Sorry, this video has expired Video: Police warn of threat of bikie gang violence (7pm TV News VIC)
Victoria Police say they have credible information regarding the threat of violence in an escalating feud between the Bandidos and the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Tensions were fuelled on Friday night after more than 30 shots were fired at a man who is believed to be Bandidos enforcer Toby Mitchell.
Mitchell was seriously injured in another shooting in 2011 at Brunswick.
Police are describing the threat as very real and Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana says they will crack down hard on any outbreaks of violence.
"When you've got public shootings like last Friday night, with over 30 shots and other activity, the threat is real," he said.
"The thing that concerns us [is if] it plays out in the public arena.
"We have concerns about a feud that is escalating and we're warning our members to take care. We don't want anyone getting hurt."
Assistant Commissioner Fontana says it is an unpredictable situation.
"We're concerned about violence, retaliation - a whole range of things - and we don't know how it will play out," he said.
"[It] could result in abductions. That's a common thing amongst them - where they might abduct people ... some of the other members off the streets.
"Murder, torture, a whole range of things could happen with these people."
Victoria Police are working with the Australian Crime Commission and Federal Police on the operation.
Topics: crime, police, melton-3337, melbourne-3000
First posted |
Breitbart News chairman Stephen K. Bannon (Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP)
Stephen K. Bannon's Breitbart News often accuses the media of reporting fake news, but the former White House chief strategist says the news media has something right — its depiction of him.
Here's an excerpt of an interview Bannon gave to CBS, which will air Sunday on "60 Minutes”:
CHARLIE ROSE: So how do you want to be perceived, you today? Because you have a media image. BANNON: The media image, I think, is pretty accurate. I'm a street fighter.
What an answer!
Let's get one thing straight: This is not a pat on the back for accurate reporting. This is gloating. This is Bannon declaring that he has successfully cultivated the public persona that he wants.
Rose's question was a gentle way of noting that Bannon is frequently cast as a villain — a man who has said his website is “the platform for the alt-right,” a small, far-right movement that seeks a whites-only state, yet who has somehow insinuated himself into the top echelon of political power, even now that he is out of the White House. A book about Bannon and President Trump, by Bloomberg News reporter Joshua Green, has been on the New York Times bestsellers list for six straight weeks. It's called “Devil's Bargain.” Meanwhile, Politico just ranked Bannon No. 1 on a list of 50 people and ideas “blowing up American politics.”
If Bannon felt he was misunderstood, this was his opportunity to say so. Instead, he endorsed the media's portrayal of him — and did so on "60 Minutes,” the most “establishment” news program in America.
On Wednesday, the day that Bannon sat down with Rose, the Daily Mail's David Martosko, whom Trump considered as a potential press secretary, quoted an unnamed White House official, who said, “For someone who liked to trash talk the media, Bannon sure is kissing up to them a lot, no?”
This official doesn't get it. Bannon isn't kissing up; he's trolling. He's telling the rest of the media — on one of the media's biggest platforms — that they have played right into his hands by building him up as a kind of rogue figure, which only amplifies his popularity with Breitbart's target audience.
In classic form, Bannon used the occasion of his "60 Minutes” interview to say something provocatively in-character.
ROSE: Can I remind you, a good Catholic, that Cardinal [Timothy] Dolan is opposed to what's happened with DACA? Cardinal Dolan. BANNON: The Catholic Church has been terrible about this. ROSE: Okay. BANNON: The bishops have been terrible about this. By the way, you know why? You know why? Because [they have been] unable to really — to — to — to come to grips with the problems in the church, they need illegal aliens, they need illegal aliens to fill the churches. That's — it's obvious on the face of it. That's what — the entire Catholic bishops condemn him. … They have — they have an economic interest. They have an economic interest in unlimited immigration, unlimited illegal immigration. And as much as … ROSE: Boy, that's a tough thing to say about your church. BANNON: As much as I respect Cardinal Dolan and the bishops on doctrine, this is not doctrine. This is not doctrine at all. I totally respect the pope, and I totally respect the Catholic bishops and cardinals on doctrine. This is not about doctrine. This is about the sovereignty of a nation. And in that regard, they're just another guy with an opinion.
A conservative like Bannon casting aspersions on the Catholic Church's ostensibly virtuous motive? What is he thinking?
Then again, what was Trump thinking last year, when he feuded with the pope?
Bannon, like Trump, is not a traditional conservative. More than anything, he is an anti-establishment outsider, and picking a fight with Dolan (“just another guy with an opinion”) is one more way to solidify Bannon's image — the image the media has presented accurately. |
MILLWALL produced a defensive masterclass and a clinical attacking display to knock Bournemouth out of the FA Cup at a buzzing Den on Saturday afternoon.
Steve Morison headed Millwall in front in the 26th minute, before Shaun Cummings doubled the lead after the break. The Lions survived an onslaught as Bournemouth piled players forward looking for a goal to get back into the game, but they couldn’t find a way past a rock-solid Millwall defence and Shane Ferguson added a third goal in added time at the end of the game to seal progress through to the fourth round.
Among a number of outstanding performances, Fred Onyedinma’s arguably topped the lot. Such was the amount of ground he covered, he was taken off spent in the 75th minute. One run in the first half had the crowd on their feet but his defensive discipline symbolised the display.
Jordan Archer didn't have a save to make and that he didn’t was down to some supreme defensive performances. Tony Craig, looking like he has a new lease of life at left-back, timed a tackle on Lewis Grabban in the box in the second half that had to be perfect. Shaun Hutchinson summed up his performance with a vital late interception as Bournemouth poured forward trying to get a goal back.
All over the pitch no player shirked a personal challenge and despite having expended an enormous amount of energy somehow Morison was driving into the Bournemouth box in the 89th minute looking for a third, but he shot over the crossbar. He was doing the same a minute later before Callum Wilson had the ball in the net, but the offside flag was up. It was another measure of Millwall’s performance that they remained so concentrated at the back and Ferguson’s goal in no way flattered them.
It won’t take anything away from Millwall’s win that Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe made 11 changes to the side that drew 3-3 with Arsenal on Tuesday night. These things are all relative, and Howe was able to hand starts to French underage international Lys Mousset, bought for more than £6million in the summer, £8million Tyrone Mings and Grabban, the £7million former Lions striker.
They had five players aged 23 or under who had featured five times or fewer for the club. And in the early stages it was Lee Gregory and Morison using their experience to put pressure on the Cherries back four and Adam Federici. Bournemouth wanted to play it out from the back but maybe they had underestimated the effectiveness of the squeeze Millwall would put on them.
The home side should have gone in front in the fifth minute when Gregory anticipated a ball played back towards Federici and blocked the goalkeeper’s attempted clearance. Morison was there but it was a more difficult finish than it looked with Gregory lying on the ground in front of him, and Morison mis-hit his effort wide at the near post.
That didn’t put Bournemouth off their game plan and Federici was almost caught in possession again later in the first half but got the ball away just before Morison reached him. Millwall also had the chance to go ahead in the 14th minute but from Morison’s clever flick forward the ball just wouldn’t come down quickly enough in the box for Gregory.
Morison and Gregory just would not leave Bournemouth’s defenders to work the ball comfortably out from the back and after Morison and Mings clashed referee Andrew Madley had to have a word with both players.
When Millwall went ahead it was reward for that accumulation of pressure being applied by their forward players. Little had been seen from Bournemouth in an attacking sense apart from a shot from Brad Smith that went well over, before Millwall won their first corner of the game in the 26th minute. Morison headed Shaun Williams’ delivery towards Gregory and there was a hint of handball when Emerson Hyndman blocked his shot. From the resulting in-swinging corner from Williams, Morison flicked home brilliantly at the near post for his 80th goal for the club.
Millwall were disciplined in defence, retaining that familiar shape. And it was after a period when they found themselves under pressure that they had the chance to go 2-0 up. Jordan Ibe, who was being kept quiet by Craig, attempted to weave across the edge of the box to work space for a shot. Onyedinma, back deep to give defensive cover, saw the danger and took the ball off the winger before going on a spectacular run up the pitch away from a number of covering Bournemouth players. Onyedinma spotted Gregory’s run across the Bournemouth defence and played in the striker. It was a difficult chance and Greogry dragged his left-footed shot wide.
Right at the end of the first half Onyedinma seemed to have his shirt pulled deep in Bournemouth territory, but the away side broke and almost equalised when Grabban was close to getting a touch to a cross to the near post. And from another short corner Hyndman fired well off target.
Millwall went two goals up four minutes into the second half moments after Mousset could have levelled but sent a header wide. Millwall went up the other end of the pitch and suddenly Gregory and Cummings were sprinting into the box with Morison in possession in the right. Morison’s cross, aimed at Gregory, was palmed away by Fedirici, but only at Cummings who prodded in his second goal for the club.
Bournemouth failed to register a shot on goal during the 90 minutes, and Ferguson sealed the win with a breakaway strike. It was no more than they deserved.
Image: Millwall FC |
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has handily beaten Hillary Clinton to win the New Hampshire primary – and after being dismissed as more or less an ideological sideshow when it first began, his campaign has become an unlikely but remarkable movement.
With the Republican Party in a seemingly unstoppable rightward spiral, as the likes of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump dominate its race, the seemingly unexpected rise of as such a proud left-wing candidate as Sanders might seem inconsistent with every trend in recent American politics. At the beginning of the race, he was unknown to many voters outside his home state of Vermont. He is also the Senate’s only self-proclaimed socialist, a label that many once thought would make him utterly unelectable.
But Sanders’s support for “democratic socialism” hasn’t just been surprisingly popular: it’s rapidly changing the way America perceives socialism and all it stands for.
A major strength of Sanders’ campaign is an economic argument against income inequality. This message is at the heart of Sanders’s self-described democratic socialism, but the “revolution” he’s advocating isn’t a Marxist seizure of the means of production; it’s a democratic political uprising.
But this in itself is hardly anything new by the standards of American politics, even at the presidential level.
Right place, right time
Sanders has explicitly placed himself in the tradition of liberal icon Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The comparison is apt indeed: FDR’s liberalism was not only “socialist” by the standards of realigned American politics, providing the foundation for modern liberalism and the foil for modern conservatism. His conservative opponents in the inter-war years labelled him a “socialist” for his bold initiatives to combat the Great Depression and revive the country from economic collapse.
The Sanders-FDR affinity even extends to specific policies. Sanders regularly cites the Glass-Stegall Act and social security, two of the 32nd president’s better-known initiatives, and Sanders frequently references both during debates, town halls, and stump speeches.
By linking himself to FDR, Sanders is betting that the American public will accept his proposals as anything but radical. In fact, the big government solutions he offers to voters are popular with the American public, as is his brand of socialism in general. And yet, this is largely overlooked by his opponents on both sides. Programmes such as social security and Medicare have been portrayed as “socialist” by some, yet are both “very important” to many Americans across the political spectrum.
This is all testament to the fact that socialism runs deep in America, and that broadly socialist ideals have proven their appeal many times.
Big dreams. Source: Wikimedia Commons
American socialists have been elected and become noted national figures before. Look back to early-20th century Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which elected the first “sewer socialist” mayor in America, Emil Seidel, in 1910. Seidel was also Eugene Debs’s running mate for the Socialist Party in the 1912 US presidential election.
But we need not look a century back to see American socialism in full flower, provided we look in the right place. We could point to the US military – a massive government-owned programme that provides its workers with social benefits for higher education, housing, and specialised, dedicated healthcare.
So various of socialism’s core ideas live on in America’s most visible institutions. And yet, the Democratic Party has backed mostly economically moderate candidates for the past four decades. All the while, Sanders has been articulating this worldview, first as mayor of Burlington, Vermont then from the US House of Representatives and now the US Senate.
So why are he and his brand of out-and-proud socialism suddenly looking so viable? His groundswell of support from younger voters perhaps reflects that more of them view socialism favourably than view it unfavourably. But his success reflects something deeper besides.
A substantial proportion of voters across the political spectrum, and not just younger ones, believe that the status quo is not working for them and that government needs to do more to remedy this – including by redistributing wealth via taxes.
America is primed to find Sanders’s call for “political revolution” appealing. His economic argument offers a chance for actual change, not just hope. His call for bold action to make government work for the middle class, rather than against it, appeals to many struggling Americans, and while his brand of socialism truly marks him as an “FDR liberal”, that isn’t the warning label it might have been before the 2008 financial crisis.
It remains to be seen if he will garner enough support to overcome first Hillary Clinton, then the conservative GOP presidential candidate – but win or lose, it is clear that his campaign has captured the imagination of an American electorate that still dreams of a more equal society.
Michael Espinoza, PhD Candidate, Institute of the Americas, UCL.
This article was first published on The Conversation. |
Henry James is one of the most admired and least appreciated figures in American writing. In a prolific writing career, James is a key transitional figure, not only chronologically between such writers as Jane Austen and George Eliot and the modernists such as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, but also geographically and culturally. His characters, like himself, move between two very different cultures representative of different values. The choice of material in this outstanding collection attempts both to guage the changing response to James and also to establish how consistent his stature as a writer has been. Volume One offers a series of memories of James from friends, critics, novelists, and poets. Volume Two presents contemporary reviews and views of James's work from both the United States and Britain, while Volume Three offers a twentieth century overview reflecting the range of responses to James over time. Finally, Volume Four presents a series of twentieth century interpreations to themajor works. _ |
Big money and big futures on offer at World Junior Squash Champs
By Jim Kayes
And for young Kiwi boys and girls there’s lucrative, life changing scholarships on offer.
Seven coaches from American colleges are in Tauranga for the World Junior Squash Championships scouting six specific players, but with others still able to impress.
Former World No1 John White is the Drexel University coach and already has Kiwi sisters Anna and Hayley Hughes in his team.
He’s shopping for more, but is a discerning buyer saying squash ability alone isn’t enough. Grades have to be high, the person needs to show they can fit into a team and he’s not interested in anyone who misbehaves on court.
“This is the supermarket,” he says of the two-week long tournament that includes an individual competition for young men and women, followed by a women’s team event.
“This is where you see how far up the top shelf they will be. They have to be good at squash, but here you see how they interact with the team, how they represent themselves and the attitude they have on the court.”
Big money is at play with a scholarship to Drexel worth US$70,000 a year covering tuition fees, food, accommodation, books and medical insurance.
And even bigger money can come for those who take up coaching with some wealthy families in the United States happy to build squash courts at home and then pay up to $200,000 a year for private lessons for their sons and daughters.
“It’s mind boggling what some of the coaches are making through private families,” White said.
When White joined Drexel six years ago the university didn’t have a squash programme and courts had to be built. He recruited a team from scratch and is proud to say the men’s and women’s teams are now both ranked in the top 10 in a competition heavy with Ivy League colleges.
Some of them have coaches in Tauranga with Princeton and Harvard both in town, while Cornell’s recently retired coach, Mark Devoy, is at the courts named after his sister, Dame Susan Devoy.
For New Zealand’s No1 junior man Finn Trimble, Susan’s son, Jamie Oakley, played a big part in him joining Dickinson College on a scholarship he’ll take up in late August.
“Jamie’s at George Washington and he’s a good mate of mine so he gave me plenty of advice,” Trimble said. He knows getting into an American college is a potentially life changing move.
“I might turn pro after college, I haven’t decided yet, but I wanted to get something behind me,” Trimble said.
It’s a sentiment shared by New Zealand junior woman Anna Hughes who joined her sister at Drexel in January on a four year scholarship, studying business.
“Squash has no money so you can’t fall back on that and Drexel is just amazing,” she said. “You feel so at home there and I’m so grateful for this opportunity. I want to take advantage of it.”
White has 12 men and 12 women on his books and they hail from all corners of the world including Canada, Australia, Guyana, India, Hong Kong, Colombia, South Africa and Egypt.
He, and the other scouts in Tauranga from Princeton (two), Dickinson, Trinity (two) and Harvard have their eye on three young woman and three men from Norway, South Africa, Malaysia, Australia and Korea and New Zealand.
The supermarket two years ago was in Namibia where 12 of the 16 American college coaches were at the Junior World Champs.
“This is the biggest and best tournament you go to,” White, an Australian who played for Scotland, said. “You get to see everyone you want to look at.”
And then the bidding war begins in earnest. Big money, big chances, big dreams are on offer in Tauranga. |
Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF
It’s not perfect VR, as in this case the headset is simply recreating the mouse/thumbstick view from the regular controls (and not giving you full and proper VR support), but still. This motorbike ride looks like a lot of fun.
Falandorn, the video’s uploader, says he managed it using vorpX (a program that converts existing games into VR games) and an Oculus Rift Dev Kit 2.
GTA V support was added as the latest update for vorpX; if you’ve got the game and an Oculus Rift, you can get the most recent version here.
Here’s another video from ImmersiveGamer83, showing some pedestrian stuff. The VR starts at 7:42:
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(via @simoncarless) |
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Julieta Galante, researcher at the Cochrane Institute of Primary Care and Public Health, Cardiff University’s School of Medicine looks at the differences and similarities between physical and mental exercise
WHEN you think of physical exercise, your mind may well conjure images of unrelenting exertion, a sweat-soaked brow and swollen muscles.
You can immediately picture the proud owner of those muscles, and then a modern gym full of proud owners of muscles. Now try thinking about meditation.
The first things that may spring to mind are two painfully crossed legs, and fingers making obscure gestures. Yet the concept of meditation has a lot in common with the concept of physical exercise.
Playing competitive sport is much like playing games to train your mind. But meditation isn’t so far removed from training in the gym or running in the park. In doing so you are training consciously.
Sitting down to meditate once and expecting something magical to happen, is as naive as going to the gym once and expecting your abs to turn into iron plates.
In physical exercise and meditation, both discipline and effort are required for improvement. People of all abilities can partake in either discipline.
There are athletes and there are expert meditators with remarkable capacities, but they are people who dedicate their lives to their disciplines.
Physical exercise is a broad concept that implies moving your body with the intention of training it.
This could be just mechanically moving your arm, or could consist of highly coordinated actions such as skipping.
There are many tried and tested ways of stimulating the growth of our muscles through isolation exercises and resistance movements.
But with so many billions of neurons charging their way through our brains, how can be sure what areas of our minds we are stimulating?
In focused meditation an object or a sound is used to focus and eventually quiet the mind, thus freeing your awareness. It is much like lifting a weight repeatedly. And the muscle you engage is your concentration; you consciously train your concentration. You choose the object and – if any – the meaningfulness of it.
Mindfulness is like jogging. You don’t focus on one object; you just keep running along in the present moment.
Thoughts of your past or future will return to your mind throughout, but you have to keep running, there is little time to stop and dwell.
Our emotions can also be trained through meditation. Loving-kindness meditation is basically non-possessive well-wishing; well-wishing for ourselves, our loved ones, for those we do not know well and those we have never even met.
People practise it to achieve greater self-respect, to live lives of greater connection, and to stay in touch with what they really care about so that they can act in ways that are consistent with their values.
But does meditation really train our minds in ways that are beneficial to our overall health and wellbeing?
This area of research is growing very rapidly and in science it is essential not to fall into either extreme scepticism or uncritical acceptance. However, there are some encouraging results.
We still do not have all the answers, but a number of studies support the notion that meditation helps regulate attention and emotion – and improves our sense of wellbeing.
Other studies show improvements in physical health, such as resistance to acute respiratory infections.
Some evidence suggests that improvements in brain function may even endure beyond sessions of meditation.
Last year Wales’ former Chief Medical Officer warned in his annual report of stark health inequalities across Wales.
Recent census data revealed Wales is one of the unhealthiest places to live in the UK.
Chronic unemployment and deprivation are affecting the self-esteem, hope and health of entire communities.
People affected by poor health and mental wellbeing often tend to isolate themselves instead of leaning on the support of their community.
Sustained and concerted actions are needed to improve this situation, but improving the way people feel about themselves and others should certainly be one of them.
One of the biggest problems is how to generate resources amid a climate of austerity and how to make them more widely available.
Researchers at Cardiff University have recently tested the feasibility of a web-based loving-kindness meditation course. The course is available to anyone, provided they have not been instructed to avoid physical activity by a medical practitioner.
The web-based format of delivery is a convenient public health tool and represents an inexpensive and effective way of opening up widespread access to exercise instruction.
Researchers at Cardiff University are now launching The Web Wellbeing Experience – a much larger study to clarify the real effectiveness of two free web-based courses, with the dual aim of helping people improve their mental and physical health.
By the end, we hope participants in this study will have abandoned any preconceptions of meditation and the kind of people who meditate.
Perhaps the findings of the study will even encourage some people to worry less about how they look and more about how they feel. |
30 September 2017 | jonsefcik
5 | The Quintessential 5/10 Movie
This movie has such a high rating because people rate it a 10 thinking its the quintessential 10/10 movie. I say different! I say this is the quintessential 5/10 movie, mostly due to my rating system.
I use a rating system from 0 to 10. I consider a 5 average, and use it as my baseline. There are two types of 5/10 movies for me: something completely average or a totally mixed bag where the good aspects about equally cancel out the bad. The latter is easy enough to understand. Paint Drying is the former. A film's achievements will raise the score and any flaws or missed opportunities to objectively improve the film will lower it. A film can be technically perfect with no flaws on the filmmaking level but if nothing noteworthy is done with the premise, characters, or presentation of said premise and characters, I'd give it a 5 since nothing was done with those tools. If you make a film called Paint Drying where the camera is turned on right after a fresh coat of paint is applied to a wall and lasts ten hours, the only way you could technically screw it up is if for some reason the camera wasn't pointed directly at the wall and it wasn't ten hours. While the movie technically didn't do anything wrong, I'd still give it a 5/10 since it didn't do anything clever or noteworthy with the idea. A more conventional example to illustrate this concept would be the Disney film The Rescuers Down Under; it has beautiful animation and there's nothing wrong with it on a technical level, but the story, characters, and tropes are largely standard and recycled. Congratulations! You made a standard, passable film that didn't really break any new ground!
Just because the director's vision was completely satisfied and they made the movie they wanted to in the exact way they wanted to, that doesn't automatically make it a 10/10 movie. I could say "I'm going to make a terrible no-budget indie slasher flick for $100 that isn't self-aware in the least" and even if I made the movie I set out to make, that doesn't automatically mean its a great movie. That would actually be a pretty terrible movie. |
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