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Weary and disheartened after failing in desperate attempts to cross the Channel, many migrants in the French port of Calais are looking to asylum in France as a fallback © AFP/File Francois Lo Presti Calais (France) (AFP) - Weary and disheartened after failing in desperate attempts to cross the Channel, many migrants in the French port of Calais are looking to asylum in France as a fallback. "England would be good, but I'm tired," said Sadam, a 24-year-old Sudanese migrant who has decided to apply to stay in France. Like for many other migrants, his decision stemmed more from exasperation than desire. "It's so hard to get to England," said Sadam, who has been in France for three months. Authorities have imposed stricter security measures for ferries and for trucks using the Channel Tunnel, making it more difficult for migrants to get to Britain from Calais. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to cross over, many of the some 3,000 migrants in the Calais area stay in the "New Jungle", a makeshift camp several kilometres (miles) from the city centre. Many have family in Britain and can speak English, and the British authorities have been accused of making it too easy for them to work illegally. Djamal, a young Afghan man, also decided to try his luck in France after attempting to cross the Channel to no avail. He and three friends, leaning against the counter of one of the many stalls that have sprung up at the camp, said they have tried "every night for a month" to cross the series of barriers and get past the police guarding the Channel Tunnel. Djamal lifts his friend Dawlatzal's trouser leg to show a bandage covering an injury caused by barbed wire. Another friend shows cuts on his arms, legs and torso. The trek is not only dangerous, but physically taxing. With each futile attempt, the young men must spend another two hours retracing their steps -- before trying yet again the next night. - Expedited applications - But not all of the migrants want to get to Britain. Kalim, 28, who serves tea at his informal restaurant in the migrant camp, said he had wanted to stay in France from the start. He said he understands that the French government "cannot give a home to everyone". And for Kalim, the risk of death or injury posed by trying to cross over to Britain was not worth it. Since the beginning of June, at least 10 people have been killed trying to get through the Channel Tunnel. Adam, a 26-year-old from Darfur, said his goal had always been to come to France. "When I arrived in Paris, I saw people (migrants) in the streets without any organised camps, and then I came here to Calais." Applying for asylum in France, however, is only the beginning. "We have to wait six, seven months. They tell us that they'll provide housing, but in the meantime, what can we do?" Djamal said. But local officials say that the processing of asylum and refugee applications has been expedited, particularly in Calais. According to the French immigration office, in Calais there are "shorter waiting times than in the rest of the country, and access to housing is a priority". But Maya Konforti, of the Migrant Hostel organisation, says that measures introduced by French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to accelerate the application process have not been very effective. "Two months ago, they gave papers to 111 Eritreans in 24 hours. But... they did it one Saturday and then it was over," said Konforti, who is affectionately called "mama" by some of the migrants. Philippe Wannesson, an activist and writer of a blog on migrants and migrant rights, said the process had in fact sped up: "It's less than six months rather than more."
Austin attorney Adam Reposa claims responsibility for 'White People Only' stickers [YouTube] An attorney in Austin, Texas appears to claim responsibility for targeting local businesses with stickers saying there were “exclusively for white people,” KXAN-TV reported. “Why I did it is pretty obvious,” a shirtless Adam Reposa says in a video posted online. “Because it would be obvious that even though people know the real problem — and the real problem is that people without money are getting f*cked. They’re getting pushed out, and pretty quick. This area of town is turning into whites only.” The stickers were first spotted on five businesses on the city’s east side, bearing the message, “Maximum of 5 colored customers, colored [back of house] staff accepted” and a copy of the city’s logo. They were quickly condemned by both local officials and state Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D), who called the stickers a “tasteless” joke. In the video, Reposa suggests that he intended to provoke this type of response. “I knew I could just bait all of y’all into being as stupid as you are,” he says. “Just allowing the issue to be framed in the most simple way — ‘Oh, he said an offensive term. Let’s not worry about the actual condition of the way things are, let’s worry about an offensive term.'” The Austin Chronicle reported that Reposa released a separate video, shot inside a home, in which he specifically criticizes Dukes for her response to what he called a “trenchant analysis” of gentrification and segregation in the city. “She not only falls for the bait and thinks that these businesses are the ones putting it up, she goes on to call it racism,” he says. “To her, the worst thing is to make a joke and use the word ‘colored,’ not the reality that all the black people and Mexican people are getting kicked out of East Austin.” He goes on to claim that he can use technology to help Dukes “not look so stupid.” “You’re a sucker. You bit it. Why? Because you give a f*ck,” he argues. “Because of your feelings. Because you have such an emotional attachment to these things that you utterly lose your perspective.” Local authorities are reportedly looking into the videos, but it is unclear whether Reposa will be charged for his purported actions. Reposa’s video confession, as posted online, can be seen below. His video attacking Dukes can be seen here.
On our recent trip to Great Wolf Lodge we stopped into the Bear Paw Sweets & Eats shop. I was so intrigued by the Banana Dog listed on the menu. We didn’t order any banana dogs that day, but I knew it was something I would be making at home. I love it when the family gets excited about something that is so easy to prepare. This morning for breakfast we had banana dogs and this recipe only required only the following four ingredients: whole grain hot dog buns bananas peanut butter (we used crunchy) jam or jelly Spread some peanut butter and jelly over the hot dog bun and place a peeled banana into the center. The banana dog was a huge hit this morning and it would also be great as a snack or for lunch. Enjoy!
Contacting the DNC Mailing Address: Democratic National Committee 430 S. Capitol St. SE Washington, DC 20003 Main Phone Number: 202-863-8000 (For questions about contributions, please call 877-336-7200) Email: To send us your comments by email, please fill out the form below. If you have a DNC request that requires a response, please use the DNC's mailing address or phone number listed above to contact us. Some fields are required so that we might send a reply if circumstances warrant. Please do not make scheduling requests here. You may mail them to the address above. Email: * First Name: * Last Name: * Address: City: State/Region/Province: AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV WY -- AA AE AP AS FM GU MH MP PR PW VI Zip: * Phone: Your Comments: * Please leave this field blank: * denotes required field
AS DUSK descends on the Sinchon neighbourhood of Seoul, a wave of Saturday shoppers melts away into restaurants and bars. But in a windowless room several floors above the throng, Ji Yu-tae is steeling himself for a very different night's entertainment. His only companions are a bottle of vitamin drink, cigarettes and a monitor displaying a scene from Aion, one of South Korea's most popular online games. When the hunger pangs become irresistible, he will click a box in the corner of his PC screen and order instant noodles. By Monday morning, after two days of almost non-stop gaming, Ji will make his way to work, pale and sleep-deprived, but content that he has progressed in the virtual world that has been his second home for the past two years. Hundreds of gamers compete in Seoul, South Korea, where 90 per cent of people have high-speed home internet. Credit:AP Seated next to him among rows of screens at this ''PC bang'', an internet cafe in the South Korean capital, are scores of fellow obsessives whose attachment to online gaming is fast becoming a problem in the world's most advanced internet society. According to the government, about 2 million South Koreans - nearly one in 10 online users - are addicted to the internet. Many spend every waking moment immersed in role-playing games, in which players form alliances to guide their characters through mythical worlds, collecting extra powers and other items as they go. ''I've been playing this for about two years and won't stop until I get to the end,'' Ji, a 27-year-old mobile content developer, says as beads of sweat form on his brow. But he denies that he is addicted. ''It's my way of relieving stress. I could drink or go to the cinema, but this is how I want to spend my spare time. I don't have a girlfriend, and I'm not likely to meet one here.''
Posted on 02 May 2012 by author Tweet Earlier today, Rockstar announced its strategy on launching DLC packs for Max Payne 3. Unfortunately, the outfit’s policy is similar with L.A Noire prioritizing ‘quantity’ of content rather than quality which begs the question, will this trend continue until the release of Grand Theft Auto V? Before we get into that, we’ll just summarize the ways of obtaining MP3’s DLCs. The easiest one will be purchasing Rockstar’s pass which costs $29.99 (2400 MSP) enabling you to receive all content packs for Max Payne 3 until the end of 2012 with a 35% discount compared if you’ll buy each DLC piece by piece. Possible Effects For GTA V’s Future Content So what does ‘this’ have to do with GTA V? For one, this hints that Rockstar is willing to include bunch of minor DLC packs for the sandbox game unlike before, on GTA IV, where players only receive big content packs. We’ve seen this trend on L.A Noire, then on Max Payne 3 and there’s a big chance it will happen on the open-world title too. Next issue is about the division of content packs for single-player / multiplayer mode. For MP3, you can see most of its downloadables beginning with “Local Justice” caters multiplayer mode only, leaving players who’ll only play single mode wondering if there’s something left for them. Will this happen on GTA V as well? Lastly, one of the biggest concerns of some fans is the idea on how Rockstar’s new DLC strategy may be a part of the main multiplayer story for GTA V. For Max Payne 3, the case is like that since its multiplayer disc is only 500MB – the rest of its content will be supplemented if you’ll download its content pack. This means, if you aren’t willing to purchase any content packs, you won’t have the chance to finish the story of MP3’s multiplayer mode. For GTA V, this will be a disaster should Rockstar implement the same procedure since most players (including us) play its multiplayer mode. Obviously, the last thing players want is to receive only a part of it on day-one and download its remaining pieces via DLC – that would be a deal breaker if you’ll ask me. Our Take While these things are just speculations, there’s a growing concern on the part of players wondering if Rockstar will implement the same treatment for GTA V. If you’ll ask me, it’s most likely the company will introduce GTA V’s future content under Rockstar’s pass so players will be able to purchase all of them with some added discount (yeah, similar with Call of Duty: Elite) — and that’s just fine. However, the dilemma will start if RS decides to launch an incomplete story for GTA V multiplayer mode requiring players to download its DLC just to finish it. Like we said above, this will create havoc among players. Most probably, the company will use MP3 as a barometer to weigh-in the reaction of players, and if things go well, we’ll soon see a similar scenario for GTA V. So are you in favor about Rockstar initiating the same DLC policy from Max Payne 3 to GTA V? Show your comment below. You might also like Story by pinoytutorial
"I'm pretty shaken," Illinois Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez said after he and Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., were asked to leave a meeting on Capitol Hill with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on Thursday afternoon. "I've been here 25 years and I've never been told by the Speaker of the House that I can't attend a meeting I've requested," Guitierrez said afterward, Politico reported. Advertisement: According to the lawmakers, both members of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus were barred from entering a meeting between congressional leaders and the federal agency that has ramped up its immigration enforcement following the inauguration President Donald Trump. While eight Democrats -- including Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) -- were eventually allowed to attend Thursday's meeting with ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan about deportation raids, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters that no invite was initially extended to members of the Hispanic Caucus. No members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus were invited either. "Members of the CHC expressed interest in attending, and to accommodate the request, we welcomed the chair of the CHC to join on behalf of the other members," House Speaker Paul Ryan's spokesperson AshLee Strong told Politico. "We are confident that the CHC chair is capable of representing the views of her caucus, and this arrangement was made very clear to the CHC ahead of time." Ryan, who did not attend Thursday's meeting, organized the briefing after ICE abruptly canceled a meeting with Democrats and members of the Hispanic Caucus previously scheduled for Tuesday. ICE officials said the agency canceled the initial meeting because the Hispanic Caucus attempted to invite too many people. "Oh my God! That room is big enough. They have not filled it to capacity," Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., who was not allowed to attend the meeting, complained to reporters outside. According to the Huffington Post, Pelosi complained at the meeting that she had “never been in a meeting where an agency can designate who can attend.” She also called Ryan's move “highly unusual.” Advertisement: "It was the speaker's staff that came to me, and I know her very very well, and she said she was speaking on behalf of the speaker, that there were a limited number of seats," Gutiérrez said. When Reps. Gutierrez and Torres showed up, Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-VA, asked them to leave, the Huffington Post reported: Before [Torres] left, she asked ICE officials when she could get answers to questions about the raids. She said the officials did not answer; instead, Goodlatte told her that Republican leadership could get information to them. "I was asked to leave and I was told that if we would like to have a meeting with ICE, that we need to go with the leadership of the majority party here and ask them to schedule a meeting and ask them to schedule a meeting for us with ICE," Torres told her colleagues waiting outside the room. “I speak English ― I don’t need a translator,” Torres told reporters afterward. “My constituents elected me to represent them here. I should be able to participate and hear firsthand what ICE is saying and what ICE is doing in my communities.” Aside from Guitierrez and Torres being booted from the meeting, Reps. Grace Napolitano and Juan Vargas, both democratic representatives from California, were not even allowed in. I was expecting to get let in, we're the ones who were asking for this meeting, now we've been barred from the meeting," said Vargas. "I want to know what they're doing, and now we've been barred from this meeting that we called for." I was asked to leave the meeting with #ICE by @SpeakerRyan staff. Never before in 20 plus years has this happened. pic.twitter.com/Vbe0BnsZNK — Luis V. Gutierrez (@RepGutierrez) February 16, 2017 Goodlatte defended his decision and told reporters that the arrangement was "agreed upon ahead of time." He added that there were more Democrats than Republicans in the meeting. Advertisement: Rep. Linda Sanchez, a Hispanic Caucus member who did attend the meeting, said lawmakers were told by Homan that they "can and should expect many more arrests and removals this year." Nearly 700 undocumented immigrants who were arrested in ICE raids across multiple states over the weekend -- only 75 percent had a criminal record, according to ICE officials. One such raid, in the so-called sanctuary city of Seattle, resulted in the detention of a 23-year-old Mexican immigrant who has received protection under president Obama's Deferred Action Program twice. “It was hard to not leave that meeting and believe that the Trump administration is going to target as many immigrants as possible,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-TX, who attended the meeting, told reporters.
Roggvir being executed in Solitude Roggvir is a Nord NPC from Solitude Location [ edit ] You encounter Roggvir as you enter Solitude and witness Roggvir's Execution. He is being executed for treason. Family [ edit ] Roggvir is the brother of Greta and the uncle of Svari Occupation [ edit ] Before being sentenced to death for treason, Roggvir was a guard at the Solitude Gates. Quests [ edit ] Return to Grace, where you have to deliver Roggvir's Amulet of Talos to Greta Dialog [ edit ] During the execution, Roggvir talks about how the High King was not murdered, but rather died in a fair duel. If you try and save Roggvir, he does not have any additional dialog. Notes [ edit ] You cannot save Roggvir from the execution. Either the guards will manage to kill him anyway when he escapes, or he randomly dies afterwards (or disappears). Also note that if you get to close to where Roggvir is during the execution, the guards will assume you are trying to rescue him, and will attack. Inventory [ edit ] Amulet of Talos (After he dies)
You must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters Europe and the North Atlantic were treated to a solar eclipse Friday morning. I jealously watched Facebook updates from friends who made the trip to the Faroe Islands, a tiny archipelago halfway between Iceland and Norway that is about the size of Raleigh inside the Beltline, to experience the total eclipse. While skies were clear to the north on the icy Norwegian islands of Svalbard, the 20,000 visitors to the Faroe Islands weren’t as fortunate. There and in much of Europe, clouds blocked the show. European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti shared eclipse photos from the International Space Station (ISS). She was able to capture the umbra, or darker portion of the moon’s shadow just as it first touched the Earth’s surface. Previous eclipses have been photographed from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) as well. The crew of the Mir space station captured an incredible image of the Aug. 11, 1999, total solar eclipse as it passed across Europe and the Middle East. The umbra, where observers could see the sun completely blocked by the moon, is surrounded by the fuzzy penumbra where a partial eclipse was visible. In March 2006, ISS Astronauts captured images of another total eclipse over the Mediterranean Sea. A nearly round shadow over Cyprus and the coast of Turkey are visible in the image. The shadow nearly fills the frame because the ISS was just 230 miles up. This may seem like a long way away, but it is comparable to the distance from Raleigh to Washington D.C. So why aren’t there similarly spectacular images of the latest eclipse from the ISS? A little back of the (really big) envelope math shows that as that umbral shadow first touched the Earth, the ISS was 1,400 miles to the southeast, approaching the coast of Portugal. From that vantage point the shadow was just visible on the horizon. Like the shadow cast very late in the day when the sun is low, the shadow cast by the moon during an eclipse onto high latitudes near the poles is also very elongated, rather than the rounder shadows seen in eclipses closer to the equator. By the time observers on those northern islands caught the first glimpse of totality about 40 minutes later, the ISS was nearly on the other side of the world between Australia and Antarctica. The next total solar eclipse will occur March 8. It will be visible from South East Asia through the Pacific. This is well within the orbit of the ISS, but whether the timing works out for a great photograph remains to be seen. The next total solar eclipse visible from North America is on August 21, 2017. The path of totality first touches North America along the Oregon coast and will pass through extreme western North Carolina before bisecting South Carolina. Tony Rice is a volunteer in the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador program and software engineer at Cisco Systems. You can follow him on twitter @rtphokie.
BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) - Schools, businesses and government offices were shut in many parts of India on Thursday as protesters blocked roads and trains as part of a one-day nationwide strike against sweeping economic reforms announced by the government last week. Members of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) shout anti-government slogans during a nationwide strike in Srinagar September 20, 2012. REUTERS/Danish Ismail The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and smaller parties from both the political left and right called the strike to protest against a 14 percent increase in heavily subsidized diesel prices, and a government decision that opens the door to foreign supermarket chains investing in India. The measures, part of a package of economic reforms aimed at boosting a sharply slowing economy, have triggered a political firestorm. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s biggest ally, the Trinamool Congress party, said it would pull out of the coalition on Friday unless the reforms were reversed, raising the risk of an early election. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) urged Singh not to yield to the pressure, saying the reforms, long demanded by Indian business leaders, were crucial for economic growth. “Good economics seldom makes for good politics,” it said. The CII said the one-day strike had cost the economy $2.3 billion in lost production and trade. It did not say how it had arrived at the figure, but hundreds of thousands of owners of mom-and-pop “kirana” stores, who fear the retail reform will drive them out of business, were reported to have shut for the day in protest. Bigger companies gave staff the day off or allowed them to work from home. A usually bustling Bangalore, India’s IT and outsourcing hub, wore a deserted look as offices and shops closed down and public transport came to a halt. But in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, banks and offices were open as usual. Across the country, morning commuters were left stranded at train stations and bus stops as protesters squatted on railway tracks and laid siege to bus depots. Supporters of the BJP and other opposition parties also burned effigies of Singh and blocked roads with burning tires. “If we don’t protest now, the central government will eliminate the poor and middle-class families,” said Santi Barik as she protested in Bhubaneswar, capital of the eastern state of Odisha. Government offices, businesses, schools and banks in Bhubaneswar were shut, and similar shutdowns were reported in other cities, including Hyderabad, the IT hub that is home to offices of Microsoft Corp and Google Inc. BULLOCK CARTS AND BUFFALOES In Bangalore, most of the 3,500 staff employed by Intel Corp and 10,000 staff at Cisco Systems Inc were asked to work from home, company spokesmen said. Infosys Ltd and Wipro Ltd gave workers the day off. On the outskirts of Kolkata, capital of West Bengal, protesters smashed car windows and damaged buses as panic-stricken commuters fled their vehicles, police said. In Bihar state, protesters marched through the streets of the capital, Patna, sitting on buffaloes. “We will be left with nothing but bullock carts and buffaloes to move around in towns due to frequent hikes in fuel,” said protester Punam Devi. The Congress party-ruled coalition, which has a record of buckling under pressure, partially rolled backed a petrol price increase this year after facing a similar strike. Some Congress officials have hinted that the 5 rupee per liter diesel price increase could be cut, and a new limit on subsidized cooking gas cylinders may also be raised. But the Congress party has held firm against calls for the retail reform to be scrapped, despite the threat by Trinamool Congress to withdraw its ministers on Friday - which would leave Singh with a minority government. Singh is counting on support from two regional parties to prop up his shaky coalition in parliament. But the leader of one of the parties, Mulayam Singh, was among protesters marching in New Delhi on Thursday, underscoring the difficulties Singh will face in pushing forward with his economic reforms. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram played down suggestions of an early election. Slideshow (15 Images) “We have enough friends today. We had enough friends yesterday. So I don’t see any reason why you should doubt our stability,” he said. The BJP is seeking to exploit anger against the diesel increase and retail reforms ahead of a series of state elections later this year and national elections due by 2014. Mom-and-pop grocery shop owners are an important constituency for the BJP. Tiny family-owned kiranas are ubiquitous, dotting densely packed neighborhoods across India. Some of them are walk-in stores but many owners operate out of garages or hole-in-the-wall stalls.
New Zealand's blasphemy law will remain after the National and Maori parties voted against removing it (file photo). OMG, could this be true? It's still illegal to blaspheme in New Zealand. Parliament had the opportunity to remove decades-old anti-blasphemy laws but, heaven's above, bailed out on Tuesday night. Labour MP Chris Hipkins introduced an amendment to remove anti-blasphemy laws but both the National Party and the Maori Party voted against throwing it out of the Crimes Act.. MAARTEN HOLL/FAIRFAX NZ Bill English speaking about New Zealand still having blasphemy laws. It comes after Prime Minister Bill English said earlier in May that he didn't previously know the blasphemy laws existed, but "we could get rid of them". It's understood National changed its mind about dealing with the law quickly and with the help of the Maori Party stopped it going through. READ MORE: * Surprise that NZ still has anti-blasphemy laws * Blasphemy complaint against Stephen Fry * Prominent Kiwis' letter says free speech is under threat REUTERS Actor Stephen Fry is the subject of an Irish police complaint alleging blasphemy. Instead, the government wanted to go through the process of select committee and give the public the opportunity to submit on the potential law change. The intention was to include the blasphemy law in the next Crimes Act Amendment Bill, which was being worked through but there was no specific timeframe for when it might make it to Parliament. On Wednesday English said his preference was to "go through the proper process rather than just spontaneous amendments on the floor of the House". But he said once a bill to scrap the law does go to Parliament he expects it would be repealed. Hipkins said it was a "sad day for freedom of speech, tolerance and leadership". "What moral authority does New Zealand have condemning other countries for draconian blasphemy laws when we have one of our own that we refuse to repeal?" The law - which appears not to have been used since 1922 - came to light after reports British entertainer Stephen Fry faced police investigation in the Republic of Ireland for comments he made about a "capricious, mean-minded, stupid God". Blasphemy remains an offence in New Zealand punishable by up to 12 months' jail. English previously said "laws that overreach on addressing robust speech are not a good idea". Anglican Archbishop and Primate Philip Richardson also said it was time to get rid of the arbitrary and archaic law. "My view is, God's bigger than needing to be defended by the Crimes Act," he said. ACT leader David Seymour had originally pushed for an MP to introduce a private member's bill to repeal the law. "Especially in the context of the terrible atrocities in Manchester, we need a fearless debate about freedom of speech and what is acceptable in a free society. These kinds of laws make New Zealand look a bit hypocritical," he said. The Humanist Society of New Zealand, which represented the 41 per cent of people in the country who were not religious, were appalled by the vote in Parliament. President Sara Passmore said the decision to keep the law was a "clear vote against human rights". "By refusing to remove the blasphemy law from our Crimes Act, the Government is saying we are not free to criticise and challenge all ideas. This decision was backwards, and not in line with international trends. We think people, not ideas, should be protected". * Comments on this article have closed.
But to reach that place in the firm­a­ment, Gil­librand will have to pull off what many politi­cians be­fore her have had to do: re­con­cile her past polit­ic­al iden­tit­ies with her present ones. Gil­librand isn’t the first Demo­crat from a rur­al, cent­rist back­ground to try to build a bridge to the pro­gress­ive wing of the party. (See: the oth­er Clin­ton, Bill.) And of­ten, it can be easi­er to ac­com­plish than those lib­er­als try­ing to con­vince rank-and-file voters that they are one of them, as both Barack Obama and John Kerry be­fore him struggled to do. But that doesn’t mean she won’t have some ex­plain­ing to do on what can be po­litely termed her evol­u­tion. It’s a stretch to ima­gine Gil­librand run­ning for pres­id­ent any time soon: There’s a Hil­lary-sized shad­ow hanging over 2016, and Gov. An­drew Cuomo also ap­pears above her on the New York depth chart. But this is a Demo­crat­ic Party des­per­ate for new blood and new tal­ent. At 46, Gil­librand fits the bill per­haps bet­ter than any­one — and she has be­gun to build a na­tion­al per­sona that can match her am­bi­tions. Her battle against the Pentagon over sexu­al as­saults in the mil­it­ary has won her head­lines and praise. At the same time, she’s a stun­ningly ad­ept fun­draiser who earns loy­alty from her col­leagues the old-fash­ioned way — by dol­ing out money. It’s telling that when po­ten­tial wo­men pres­id­ents are men­tioned, the list tends to be­gin and end at Clin­ton. There is op­por­tun­ity there. “My own view is that I think Gil­librand is one of the people in the United States of Amer­ica that I think can be pres­id­ent of the United States,” Hoy­er says. A less­er tal­ent might be torn between her two selves: the rur­al cent­rist from the closest thing that New York has to “real Amer­ica”; and the Wall Street-fin­anced, cor­por­ate law­yer who’s ap­peared in fash­ion shoots for Vogue magazine. But after a rocky start in a polit­ic­al ca­reer that has las­ted less than a dec­ade, she has a found a way to turn the di­cho­tom­ies to her ad­vant­age. Kirsten Gil­librand is de­term­ined to have it all — and, along the way, per­haps give Demo­crats their next bright, young na­tion­al star. In short, she is now much more like Sen. Schu­mer than at­tendees at the fair might sus­pect. “She is an ex­traordin­ar­ily bright politi­cian,” says Rep. Steny Hoy­er of Mary­land, the No. 2 Demo­crat in the House. “And I use ‘politi­cian’ in a good way.” Gil­librand is good at hav­ing it both ways, and not just when she’s split­ting the dif­fer­ence between look­ing healthy and au­then­t­ic at Beef Day. This up­state nat­ive who once bragged about keep­ing shot­guns un­der her bed also raises more money from the fin­an­cial sec­tor than any of her Sen­ate col­leagues (her haul in­cluded $89,700 from Gold­man Sachs last cycle, the most among cur­rent mem­bers of Con­gress). Self-ad­orned with the humble goal of giv­ing a “voice to the voice­less,” she spent 15 years rep­res­ent­ing, among oth­er cli­ents, Philip Mor­ris. Once the proud own­er of an A rat­ing from the Na­tion­al Rifle As­so­ci­ation, Gil­librand watched her grade plum­met to an F after she was ap­poin­ted to the Sen­ate and began sup­port­ing bills to curb gun traf­fick­ing. She has shif­ted her stance, too, on im­mig­ra­tion, mov­ing away from the hard-line po­s­i­tions she ad­op­ted as a mem­ber of the House of the Rep­res­ent­at­ives. The crowd ap­proves. She feels like one of their own. “My hus­band told me I could come to this event only be­cause it was Gil­librand,” an apple farm­er re­coun­ted to me after the cook-off. “If it had been [Chuck] Schu­mer, he said he would have to di­vorce me.” She awards her top vote to a bean-in­fused mush­bur­ger (“ex­tra points for be­ing healthy”), while also telling the crowd of meat en­thu­si­asts that her fa­vor­ite one might have been the one with cheese, ba­con, and an egg. (“If you just keep adding enorm­ous amounts of cho­les­ter­ol, it makes any­thing de­li­cious!”) Rick Lazio’s re­fus­al to eat a Gi­an­el­li’s saus­age here at the New York State Fair dur­ing his Sen­ate race against Hil­lary Rod­ham Clin­ton in 2000 may have had something to do with why he lost. It was “akin to push­ing away a kiss­able baby on the stump,” the New York Daily News said. Gil­librand knows bet­ter than to turn away a baby. There’s a ham­burger-cook­ing con­test to judge. SYRA­CUSE, N.Y. — It’s closer to break­fast than lunch, but Kirsten Gil­librand — wedged between five bulky men at a red-and-white-checkered table — nev­er­the­less smiles un­til her eyes crinkle as a ham­burger smothered in blue cheese and spin­ach is placed in front of her. She digs in, first with her fin­gers, then with a knife and fork, skip­ping the bun en­tirely. Bur­gers be­fore 11 a.m.? Sure. But not even on home soil will the Demo­crat­ic sen­at­or eat carbs. LEFT TURN In 2009, two days be­fore Gil­librand was sworn in to the Sen­ate as Hil­lary Clin­ton’s suc­cessor, the 100-year-old Span­ish-lan­guage news­pa­per, El Di­ario, splashed her pic­ture across their cov­er with the head­line: “Anti In­migrante.” The piece quoted Peter Rivera, an As­sembly mem­ber and now New York’s com­mis­sion­er of labor, as say­ing her “hard-line stance” of op­pos­ing am­nesty for un­doc­u­mented im­mig­rants “bor­ders on xeno­pho­bia.” At the same time, a slew of House mem­bers, such as Reps. Car­o­lyn Malo­ney and Car­o­lyn Mc­Carthy, threatened to run against her in 2010 be­cause of her con­ser­vat­ive re­cord on guns. But Gil­librand was already work­ing to court pro­gress­ives. One of her earli­est moves in the Sen­ate was to hire the Mir­Ram Group, a pub­lic-af­fairs con­sult­ing com­pany with ties to the His­pan­ic com­munity, in­clud­ing then-As­sembly­man Rivera. Mir­Ram set up meet­ings throughout New York City between Gil­librand and His­pan­ic lead­ers in or­der for her to “listen and learn” about pri­or­it­ies with­in the Latino com­munity. She met with Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., a meet­ing in which Gil­librand would of­fer her sup­port on the Dream Act, the pro­posed le­gis­la­tion that would grant leg­al status to some chil­dren of il­leg­al im­mig­rants. For someone who had once op­posed Eli­ot Spitzer’s plan to provide un­doc­u­mented res­id­ents with driver’s li­censes and who sup­por­ted cut­ting aid to sanc­tu­ary cit­ies, it was more than a ton­al shift. Gil­librand sat down with policy ex­perts like Muz­af­far Chishti of the Mi­gra­tion Policy In­sti­tute, who told Na­tion­al Journ­al he was “ex­tremely in­trigued by how quickly she changed her stance.” She also met with El Di­ario. “I was stressed out,” Lu­is Mir­anda of Mir­Ram said about the en­counter. “But she was such a good listen­er and so em­path­et­ic that she im­me­di­ately dis­armed people. Just take a look at the cov­er­age from be­fore the meet­ing, and how it ended in just a couple of weeks.” It was all right out of the Hil­lary Clin­ton play­book; 16 months be­fore her own elec­tion to the Sen­ate, Clin­ton traveled the state on her own “listen­ing tour.” Gil­librand says today that her evol­u­tion makes sense, as she now rep­res­ents an en­tire state in­stead of just one con­gres­sion­al dis­trict. For that trans­form­a­tion to be cred­ible, however, Gil­librand needed to un­der­take what Clin­ton had be­fore: an ob­serv­able peri­od of “edu­ca­tion,” even if it was one that was no­tice­ably brief. (Ac­cord­ing to The New York Times, Schu­mer even had to tell her to “slow down” so that it didn’t look quite so blatantly polit­ic­al.) Take her stance on guns. When Gil­librand was in the House, rep­res­ent­ing her up­state dis­trict, she voted with the NRA 100 per­cent of the time. She sup­por­ted a bill lift­ing gun re­stric­tions in the Dis­trict of Columbia, co­sponsored le­gis­la­tion that would make it more dif­fi­cult for law-en­force­ment agen­cies to ac­cess gun-trace data, and was called by the Daily Beast a “bizarro ver­sion of Sarah Pal­in.” But the day after she was ap­poin­ted to the Sen­ate, Gil­librand made her way to a rally in Har­lem held by the Rev. Al Sharpton. She told the crowd she could po­ten­tially be flex­ible on the is­sue of gun con­trol, and left to a stand­ing ova­tion. She spent the next few weeks talk­ing with ad­voc­ates and vic­tims of gun vi­ol­ence. “There aren’t a lot of drive-by shoot­ings or any­thing up in her old dis­trict,” says Jack­ie Hilly, who at the time was ex­ec­ut­ive dir­ect­or of New York­ers Against Gun Vi­ol­ence, and who or­gan­ized sit-downs with the sen­at­or. “Once she star­ted talk­ing to all the vic­tims and see­ing that side of the dev­ast­a­tion, she was pretty much open right away to sup­port­ing dif­fer­ent kinds of bills.” With­in months, Gil­librand came out and op­posed one of the very bills she had co­sponsored in the House. She, in­stead, ad­ded her name to a bill to fight gun traf­fick­ing with Rep. Mc­Carthy, the same con­gress­wo­man who had been threat­en­ing to chal­lenge her in a primary. Her grade from the NRA tumbled to an F, something that a spokes­man said he couldn’t re­mem­ber see­ing dur­ing his dec­ade at the or­gan­iz­a­tion. And yet Gil­librand’s re­versal has not been com­pletely per­suas­ive to the gun-con­trol crowd. “If people change their po­s­i­tions, even if it’s in the dir­ec­tion you like, you also have to think how com­mit­ted are they to it,” says Arkadi Ger­ney, who was the polit­ic­al dir­ect­or of May­ors Against Il­leg­al Guns at the time of Gil­librand’s as­cen­sion and who now works at the Cen­ter for Amer­ic­an Pro­gress. Part of the prob­lem is that Gil­librand has not been a per­fect ally for the gun-con­trol move­ment. While Con­gress was in the midst of an epic struggle to pass a bill on back­ground checks, gun-re­form ad­voc­ates were do­ing whatever they could to pull vul­ner­able mem­bers off the fence. When Gil­librand brought up her bill on gun traf­fick­ing — a bill that would make it a fed­er­al crime for straw pur­chasers to leg­ally buy weapons in states with loose gun laws and sell them to people in oth­er states with stricter laws — some wor­ried that the back­ground-check bill, one of deep im­port­ance to Schu­mer, would suf­fer. “The back­ground-check bill was both the biggest policy fix and the most sal­able,” says one Wash­ing­ton gun-re­form ad­voc­ate who be­lieved that Gil­librand was more in­ter­ested in build­ing her brand than ush­er­ing in suc­cess­ful le­gis­la­tion. “Neither of those facts was per­suas­ive to Gil­librand, who was so eager to in­tro­duce the first bill with bi­par­tis­an sup­port that she screwed Schu­mer by rush­ing out a traf­fick­ing bill. It was watered down, it was polit­ic­ally low-hanging fruit, and it gave mem­bers in both cham­bers an ex­cuse to say they sup­por­ted something. It let them off the hook way too easy.” The back­ground-check bill has yet to make it to a vote. Na­tion­al Journ­al‘s vote rat­ings help tell the story of Gil­librand’s polit­ic­al jour­ney. In 2007, after her first year in Con­gress, NJ ranked her as the 185th most lib­er­al mem­ber of the House. By 2010, one year in­to her Sen­ate ten­ure, she had be­come Schu­mer’s ideo­lo­gic­al twin, tied with him as the 10th most lib­er­al mem­ber of the cham­ber. The fol­low­ing year, she sat atop those rank­ings, along with Ore­gon’s Jeff Merkley. UP­STATE ROOTS So far, Gil­librand’s in­con­sist­ent re­cord hasn’t dam­aged her. Even when her op­pon­ent in the 2012 elec­tion, con­ser­vat­ive law­yer Wendy Long, tried to make an is­sue of it, it didn’t get much trac­tion. “People don’t like flip-flop­pers, but it was hard to make the case be­cause she was not com­ing out to en­gage,” Long says. “And it was less of a polit­ic­al li­ab­il­ity since she had aligned her­self up to fit in with one of the bluest states.” Not only did her re­cord not hurt, but in a sense hav­ing mul­tiple per­son­al­it­ies may be, in an odd way, a boon to Gil­librand’s long-term pro­spects. Sure, her haters have plenty to glom on to. (“I re­gard her as be­ing one of the worst kind of politi­cians I can think of,” says Roy Beck of the anti-im­mig­rant group Num­ber­sUSA. “Her flip-flop­ping is just in­dic­at­ive that she’s just com­pletely in it for her­self,” Long grouses.) But most of her con­stitu­ents get the op­por­tun­ity to see in her what they want to see. “She un­der­stands that even when she takes po­s­i­tions that might be seen as re­strict­ive to gun en­thu­si­asts, she can talk to them and ex­plain her po­s­i­tion and her back­ground,” says Demo­crat­ic strategist Joe Trippi. “It dis­arms people”…. That sounds bad in that con­text, but that’s what she does.” In oth­er words, if she no longer votes like a cent­rist, she still knows how to com­mu­nic­ate like one. Nev­er mind that she spent 15 years as a Man­hat­tan law­yer; to up­staters, she’s the closest thing to one of them they can hope for in the Sen­ate. It’s why at a press con­fer­ence, held just hours after the ham­burger cook-off, on in­vas­ive spe­cies harm­ing the Fin­ger Lakes — one in which Asi­an clams, not Re­pub­lic­ans, were the en­emy — she could say this: “I was just read­ing the Farm­ers’ Al­man­ac, and it’s go­ing to be one of the most bru­tally cold win­ters.” And no one laughed at her. Schu­mer could nev­er pull off a line like that. That could partly ex­plain Gil­librand’s strong show­ing last year: She got 72 per­cent of the vote, a high­er per­cent­age than the seni­or sen­at­or has ever garnered. “It’s a pretty con­ser­vat­ive area around here,” says Robert Hard­ing, a loc­al re­port­er who was cov­er­ing the event. “And there’s this really pess­im­ist­ic view of New York City. You’ll hear people talk­ing down about New York City politi­cians all the time, but you don’t hear that about Gil­librand.” Gil­librand’s cred­ib­il­ity up­state has been built up over gen­er­a­tions. Her ma­ter­nal grand­moth­er, Dorothea “Polly” Noon­an, paved the way for her in Al­bany. She was a plain-speak­ing dy­namo of a wo­man who wiel­ded in­flu­ence be­hind the scenes. She worked as the right-hand wo­man for Erastus Corn­ing, the so-called May­or for Life of Al­bany, for years. The only job Noon­an was ever able to hold for him was sec­ret­ary, but the title be­lied her im­port­ance. “She was as power­ful as they let wo­men be in that era,” says Paul Grondahl, the au­thor of May­or Corn­ing: Al­bany Icon, Al­bany En­igma. “She was a power broker who could get out the wo­men’s vote, help en­force re­tali­ation against those who went against the ma­chine, and wasn’t afraid to spout pro­fan­it­ies and go toe-to-toe with the men.” Nat­ur­ally, Noon­an was an “in­spir­a­tion” for Gil­librand and, two gen­er­a­tions later, the young, as­pir­a­tion­al wo­man took that same drive and ad­ded a little big-city pol­ish to it. And Gil­librand’s own am­bi­tion is well-known. Early in her con­gres­sion­al ca­reer, her col­leagues went so far as to call her Tracy Flick, a ref­er­ence to the blond, lad­der-climb­ing char­ac­ter from the film Elec­tion. Her up­state roots are genu­ine: Born in Al­bany, Gil­librand stud­ied at an all-girls school in Troy be­fore at­tend­ing Dart­mouth. She in­terned with Re­pub­lic­an Sen. Al D’Am­ato, at­ten­ded UCLA law school, and from 1991 to 2000 worked at the Man­hat­tan white-shoe firm of Dav­is Polk & Ward­well. Her work with the cor­por­ate firm in­cluded rep­res­ent­ing Philip Mor­ris in the Justice De­part­ment’s probe in­to the to­bacco in­dustry, a role doc­u­mented at length by The New York Times. But if Gil­librand’s work would have alarmed loc­al Demo­crats, her ef­forts at rais­ing money and or­gan­iz­ing wo­men on be­half of Hil­lary Clin­ton’s sen­at­ori­al cam­paign more than made up for it. “She just wouldn’t ever take no for an an­swer,” re­mem­bers Kar­en Fin­ney, a former Demo­crat­ic Na­tion­al Com­mit­tee spokes­wo­man, who along with Gil­librand helped form a group of young pro­fes­sion­al fe­male fun­draisers. Gil­librand began to seek out an op­por­tun­ity to run for of­fice her­self. Be­liev­ing that the city was already over­crowded with qual­ity can­did­ates, she asked her hus­band, Jonath­an, how he felt about rais­ing kids up­state, and they moved the fam­ily to Hud­son. Itch­ing to get in­to a race for the 20th Dis­trict, an area that gave 54 per­cent of its vote to George W. Bush in 2004 and which runs from the Up­per Hud­son Val­ley north in­to the Ad­iron­dacks, she toyed with the idea of run­ning in 2004, only to be told by Clin­ton that 2006 would be a bet­ter year for her. Demo­crats gained 31 seats in 2006, and with the help of old Clin­ton hands like Howard Wolf­son, Gil­librand would be one of them. It was a nasty elec­tion — the kind that would have made her grand­moth­er proud. Dur­ing the cam­paign, present-day pho­tos cir­cu­lated show­ing her op­pon­ent John Sweeney at a fra­tern­ity party; ques­tions were raised about money he re­ceived from dis­graced lob­by­ist Jack Ab­ramoff; and a po­lice re­port was leaked in which Sweeney’s wife said her hus­band was “knock­ing her around the house.” Sweeney tried un­suc­cess­fully to paint Gil­librand as just an­oth­er New York City car­pet­bag­ger, but Gil­librand’s con­nec­tions to the area were evid­ent. Many of the cam­paign staff spent the cam­paign liv­ing in Noon­an’s old house. Gil­librand won with 53 per­cent of the vote. Once in Con­gress, she joined the Blue Dog Co­ali­tion of con­ser­vat­ive Demo­crats, voted against the bank bail­out, and earned sup­port from good-gov­ern­ment types for pub­lish­ing her sched­ule on­line. The Times her­al­ded her de­cision to of­fer a level of trans­par­ency “simply un­heard of in Con­gress.” When Clin­ton was ap­poin­ted sec­ret­ary of State, Gil­librand — with her con­ser­vat­ive dis­trict and vot­ing re­cord — may have seemed like an odd choice to re­place her. But des­pite be­ing a re­l­at­ive un­known, Gil­librand had power­ful sup­port­ers — most not­ably Schu­mer. Even with her stances on gun con­trol and im­mig­ra­tion, New York’s seni­or sen­at­or lob­bied New York Gov. Dav­id Pa­ter­son to ap­point her. “I un­der­stood that people do grow and evolve,” Schu­mer told me when asked why he sup­por­ted Gil­librand. “And she has.” Did she give him any as­sur­ances that she would change her tune? “She didn’t have to,” he says. “I just used my judg­ment.” BAT­TLING THE PENTAGON In the Sen­ate, Gil­librand made a name for her­self quickly, fight­ing for com­pens­a­tion for 9/11 first-re­spon­ders and for re­peal of the mil­it­ary’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. (She ul­ti­mately was on the win­ning side of both battles.) The vic­tor­ies earned Gil­librand a re­spect from the lib­er­al base and a repu­ta­tion for tenacity. More not­able re­cently has been her quest to com­bat the scourge of sexu­al as­sault in the mil­it­ary. The Pentagon has es­tim­ated — based on an­onym­ous sur­veys — that 26,000 cases of sexu­al as­sault oc­curred in 2012 alone. Com­pound­ing the prob­lem, in Gil­librand’s view, is that com­mand­ing of­ficers take part in the ad­ju­dic­a­tion pro­cess of of­fend­ers. “The chain of com­mand has failed them,” she said in an in­ter­view, not­ing that less than 4,000 of those cases were ac­tu­ally re­por­ted. “And if you can’t trust them to de­liv­er justice, it makes it much less likely to even re­port cases.” Gil­librand’s push to re­move sexu­al-as­sault cases from the chain of com­mand has pit­ted her against her more seasoned col­leagues in the Sen­ate. Carl Lev­in, the chair­man of the Armed Ser­vices Com­mit­tee, and Claire Mc­Caskill, a former pro­sec­utor, have whipped against it, sup­port­ing in­stead their own le­gis­la­tion that re­forms the pro­cess but keeps the chain of com­mand in­tact. They, along with Pentagon of­fi­cials, ar­gue that Gil­librand’s pro­pos­al would be det­ri­ment­al to the au­thor­ity of com­mand­ing of­ficers. But Gil­librand has shown an abil­ity to con­nect across the aisle in a way that many of her fel­low Demo­crats haven’t. When she an­nounced her sexu­al-as­sault plan, she was flanked by two of the most con­ser­vat­ive mem­bers in the Sen­ate: Ted Cruz, from the mil­it­ary-heavy state of Texas, and Rand Paul, the tea-party stal­wart from Ken­tucky. “She made a very strong ar­gu­ment,” Cruz would say. Gil­librand, who has been ca­jol­ing her col­leagues re­lent­lessly on the le­gis­la­tion, main­tains she is draw­ing close to a ma­jor­ity, but find­ing a fili­buster-proof 60 votes could elude her. Still, her work has drawn at­ten­tion to the is­sue — and to her. There’s been a spot on the Daily Show, a pro­file on NPR, and chat­ter in the mar­gins that she could mount a pres­id­en­tial cam­paign. Gil­librand’s own team, however, says she isn’t act­ing like a politi­cian who wants to land on the na­tion­al radar. “If Kirsten Gil­librand was us­ing polling to de­cide what is­sues to at­tack, she would not have chosen gay mar­riage, 9/11, and mil­it­ary sexu­al as­sault,” says Je­frey Pol­lock, the sen­at­or’s poll­ster. “These are def­in­itely not go­ing to rank as top three things in av­er­age voters con­scious­ness”…. These are is­sues that have been left for dead, and she said she wasn’t will­ing to give them up.” That doesn’t mean there aren’t be­ne­fits. The 2012 pres­id­en­tial elec­tion saw the largest gender gap since Gal­lup began meas­ur­ing such things in 1952. Pres­id­ent Obama was able to over­come los­ing the male vote by 8 per­cent be­cause he had a whop­ping 12-point ad­vant­age over Mitt Rom­ney with wo­men. It was the first time since 1996 that a can­did­ate for pres­id­ent won by win­ning wo­men and los­ing men. Along that line, Gil­librand has in­tro­duced a series of bills aimed at in­creas­ing wo­men’s stand­ing in the eco­nomy. The mul­ti­part le­gis­la­tion would in­crease the min­im­um wage, ex­pand paid fam­ily med­ic­al leave, provide uni­ver­sal pre-K, make qual­ity af­ford­able day care ac­cess­ible, and man­date equal pay for equal work. “These are not new ideas,” Gil­librand says. “There just has not been ac­tion on it. It’s im­port­ant to put them in the spot­light and have a na­tion­al de­bate about it.” The best way to drive the is­sues for­ward, she says, is to in­crease the num­ber of wo­men on the Hill past the re­cord num­bers (about 20 per­cent in both cham­bers) that are there already. And when that hap­pens, Gil­librand will be a ma­jor reas­on why. Dur­ing the last cycle, she raised $1 mil­lion for wo­men can­did­ates — in­clud­ing Mc­Caskill — with her Off the Side­lines PAC. This time she has pledged to double it. That gives her lever­age in the Sen­ate that oth­ers lack. “She’s one of those sen­at­ors that if she’s not with you on something, she’s prob­ably not go­ing to be per­suaded,” says a staffer who has worked with her. “But no one will com­pletely try and shut her out be­cause she can raise so much money for you. She’s a lot of sen­at­ors’ ‘frenemy.’ “ “This is what makes her a ma­jor in­side play­er,” adds Hank Sheinkopf, a New York Demo­crat­ic strategist. “New York is the ATM of Amer­ic­an polit­ics.” WALL STREET’S OWN There are prob­lems that come with that. Obama, the lib­er­al pop­u­list, had to court Wall Street in his pres­id­en­tial run, was cri­ti­cized for then tak­ing it too easy on large banks, and ul­ti­mately re­versed him­self and ac­cep­ted su­per PAC funds to fin­ance his reelec­tion. In the 2012 cycle Gil­librand, the erstwhile up­stater, raised more than $3 mil­lion from the fin­ance, in­sur­ance, and real-es­tate in­dus­tries; Schu­mer, a long­time sup­port­er of Wall Street, raised $212,000. (It was, of course, a nonelec­tion year for Schu­mer. The last time he was up for reelec­tion, in 2010, he pulled in north of $5.5 mil­lion. Gil­librand came in second that year.) Over the sum­mer, Gil­librand made the pil­grim­age to one of the holy sites for rising stars of the Left: the Daily Show. In the past, it’s been friendly ter­rit­ory for Gil­librand, as Jon Stew­art helped her achieve hero status for her work on the 9/11 First Re­spon­ders Health Fund. But Stew­art was on sab­bat­ic­al, leav­ing Gil­librand to con­tend with John Oliv­er, who des­pite his gee-whiz Brit­ish earn­est­ness, wasn’t about to give the sen­at­or a pass. “I’m un­com­fort­able about something, and, I think, I’m hop­ing that you’re go­ing to make me feel bet­ter about it,” Oliv­er said. “Help me un­der­stand the re­la­tion­ship between banks and polit­ics. Be­cause on the Venn dia­gram of that, you are right in the middle of that”…. What I deeply want to know is, what do you have to do for that?” It’s a ques­tion, too, that many pro­gress­ives want to know as well. As the Left con­tin­ues to push to de-con­sol­id­ate the in­dustry’s power, some say that Gil­librand’s re­cord since com­ing to the Sen­ate has been less than stel­lar. “She’s ac­tu­ally a prob­lem,” says Bart Naylor of Pub­lic Cit­izen. “She’s not someone we go to when we want change on bank­ing re­form.” Naylor points to a let­ter she wrote ask­ing for the delay of the “Vol­ck­er Rule,” a pro­pos­al in the Dodd-Frank le­gis­la­tion that would reign in risky trad­ing by the coun­try’s largest banks. While Gil­librand likes to say she sup­ports the rule, the lan­guage of the let­ter echoes ar­gu­ments of those in­terests that have sought a more ex­tens­ive delay. The New York Times’ ed­it­or­i­al board also raised con­cerns about Gil­librand in Ju­ly of this year re­gard­ing yet an­oth­er let­ter she signed, in which the sen­at­or urges delay of an­oth­er por­tion of the Dodd-Frank law, this one in­volving de­riv­at­ives. In do­ing so, The Times con­ten­ded that Gil­librand was “go­ing against the cause of re­form, lob­by­ing for delays that would de­rail the law.” “It’s im­possible to prove that the money in­flu­enced her, but all we can say is, Gil­librand gets money from Wall Street and does things as far as I can tell that Wall Street wants,” Naylor says. In an­swer­ing Oliv­er, Gil­librand channeled the rur­al pop­u­list she once was, sound­ing far more like Rand Paul than Chuck Schu­mer. “Let me give you some con­fid­ence,” Gil­librand said smack­ing the table. “We had a very large vote about the bank­ing in­dustry — it was called the bail­out. I voted against the bail­out.” Of course, that was a vote in 2008 — back when her con­stitu­ents all lived more than 100 miles from down­town Man­hat­tan and when she raised less than a quarter of what she did last cycle from Gold­man Sachs. Back when she nev­er had to pick between bean bur­gers and beef ones and could hap­pily boast about the guns un­der her bed. It looks like that per­son is gone for good. But should Gil­librand seek na­tion­al of­fice bey­ond New York, don’t be sur­prised if she has a second life. Or would it be a third?
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's leadership is being tested as his poll numbers dip and his supporters question his commitment to fight for them, analysts say. Dozens of interviews this summer in six states conducted by The Washington Post and published Sunday revealed a growing sense of gloom and disappointment by the president's supporters over his administration's present course, especially coming after an August congressional recess dominated by angry attacks from opponents of his healthcare reform agenda. Many say his fundamental approach of reaching out to Republicans to find bipartisan consensus on contentious issues isn't working and that his strategy of allowing Congress to work out compromises is failing, contending that a more forceful Obama presence is needed to regain political momentum from his vocal critics, the Post said. "Until last week, he was still trying to play ball with the Republicans who said, 'We're going to bring you down,'" Karen Davis, 42, a Jersey City, N.J., musician who raised funds for Obama last year, told the newspaper. "Now I'm thinking, 'This isn't what I voted for.'" Freshman Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida said Obama needs "to not only combat the lies, but to combat the liars."
The comedian tells an audience in New York that his "proudest moment" was the time he humiliated the "Tonight Show" host on live TV. Jimmy Kimmel is no fan of his new time-slot rival, Jay Leno. Asked what he thinks about the Tonight Show host at a talk Monday night at New York's 92nd Street Y, xfinity.com reports, the comedian and upcoming Emmys host replied without hesitation, "F--- him." The angry words came after Kimmel expressed admiration for David Letterman, who he'll also be facing off against when his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, shifts from a midnight to 11:35 p.m. start time. Q&A: Jimmy Kimmel on His Big Move to 11:35, Hiring Plans and 'Tonight Show' Cuts "How about Leno?" the event's host, Bill Carter, author of The Late Shift (1995) and The War for Late Night (2011), asked, to which Kimmel offered his explicit, two-word response. Kimmel then discussed the time -- during the tense period when NBC was attempting to restore Leno to his 11:35 p.m. slot, at Conan O'Brien's expense -- that he did a blistering impression of Leno on Live!, replete with white wig and prosthetic chin. Leno responded by inviting Kimmel on his 10 p.m. NBC show, The Jay Leno Show, to participate in a "10 on 10" segment. In it, Kimmel was even more merciless with his responses to Jay's list of queries. STORY: 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' Moved to 11:35 p.m.; 'Nightline' Bumped to 12:35 a.m. Kimmel looked back on the exchange fondly at Monday night's event, telling Carter, "It was probably my proudest moment." "People, it turns out, really don't like Jay Leno," Kimmel said, adding, "We have not spoken since that time." Kimmel was spotted in the Mill Basin neighborhood of Brooklyn on Tuesday with a production crew. He attended P.S. 236 as a child before he and his family moved to Las Vegas.
Westfield Garden State Plaza will be open for business Wednesday, after being closed all day Tuesday after a 20-year-old man suspected of firing multiple shots was found dead of a self-inflicted wound early Tuesday, according to authorities. Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said the body of Richard Shoop, 20, of Teaneck was found in a back area of the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus. He said Shoop killed himself with the same weapon he used at the mall and that a suicide note was found. No other injuries were reported. Searches of the Garden State Plaza mall are complete and there is no further evidence of explosives or weapons. The mall will be open to retailers and their employees only beginning at 6:00 am so they can prepare their stores and collect any personal items left behind. The mall will be open for customers at 10:00 am, when all entrances will be available. It will take weeks for toxicology reports to indicate if the gunman was under the influence. Shoop had several magazines of ammunition with him. Authorities said the reason is unknown, but they will continue to examine his intentions. Authorities will assess whether his weapon was fired more than six times. Paramus police said Shoop's body was discovered around 3:20 a.m. Tuesday deep within a lower level of the mall that is not a public area. The suspect's brother, Kevin Shoop, spoke to reporters outside the family home and expressed sympathy for the victims. "My brother intended to harm nobody else but himself," Kevin Shoop said. "Just sadly, he decided to make an act of self-indulgence by taking his own life publicly. And it's a tragedy for us all." LINK: VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE SCENE The incident began when Shoop walked into the mall at 9:19 p.m., just before closing, wearing dark clothing and a motorcycle helmet and fired several shots into the air. The gunfire sent customers and employees scrambling for safety. At 12:13 a.m., SWAT team officers in tactical gear could be seen shooting out the window of Neiman Marcus as they searched for the suspect. Then, at 12:50 a.m., law enforcement officers raided Shoop's home, a few miles away on Emerson Avenue in Teaneck, where they found a suicide note. Authorities believe he stole a gun from his brother, then modified it to resemble an assault rifle. They believe that is the weapon found next to his body inside the mall. "He does have a history of drug use and drug abuse, but we do believe the motive for what he did tonight was suicide, whether self-inflicted or, God forbid, suicide by cop, which no one ever wants to see," Molinelli said. "And it looked like that was his motive. At this time, based on what we know, it did not appear that he entered the mall to actually shoot anyone. And I say that because it appears that he did have ample opportunity to do that and chose not to." There are reports that when police arrived at Shoop's home, they encountered a man holding a screwdriver who answered the door. Cops told him to drop it, and he apparently complied. Authorities say Shoop worked at a nearby pizza place and was not a mall employee. He reportedly was a user of MDMA, the active drug in ecstasy and molly, among other drugs, and had a police record. He did not, however, have a history of mental illness. Witnesses said the sound of gunfire sent customers and employees rushing hysterically for the exits and hiding places at the mall, which will remain closed on Tuesday. However, access will be allowed to the parking lot for those who need to pick up their vehicle. Please use the Route 17 Southbound entrance only. Jessica Stigliano, 21, of Ridgefield, who'd been in the food court, told The Associated Press that she had thought, "Not many people run for their life, but that's what I'm doing right now." Bergen County spokeswoman Jeanne Baratta told the AP that SWAT teams concentrated their search in the northeast corner of the 2.2 million-square-foot mall, near a Nordstrom store, believing the suspect might still be in the mall. She said authorities found one bullet casing. Hundreds of law enforcement officers converged on the mall, which was put on lockdown. New Jersey State Police landed a helicopter in the parking lot and SWAT teams with K-9 units went through the mall and evacuated anyone who was still there. Nick Woods was working in the Lego store when a woman ran by shouting that there was a shooting. Woods said his supervisor locked them in a back room, along with a man and a child who ran into the store. When they finally peeked out two hours later, he said they saw police officers standing outside and Woods called 911 to ask that the officers be told they were coming out. He said the emergency operator told him she couldn't contact individual police officers and that he should walk out with his hands in the air. "I had to go out of the store shouting at the officers with my hands up, and they turned and pointed their guns at me," Woods said. "It was one of the scariest experiences of my life." Joel Castaneda, 18, of Englewood, who was working at the Ann Taylor Loft store, also spent time locked in a back room. He said he heard several loud bangs and thought they were from construction at the mall, but then saw people running. He said people rushed into his store and they locked themselves in a back room - employees and customers alike - where they pulled out cellphones to try to get news or reach loved ones. Carlos Sinde, 36, of Queens, was alerted by fire alarms going off while he was watching previews for the 9:20 p.m. showing of the movie "Gravity" at the mall. He said he walked into the mall where someone was saying "I think there was a shooting," but he didn't take it seriously. Then, security guards ran up, urging customers to leave. He said one security guard was crying. "Once the security guards started telling us what was going on, that's when there was hysteria," he said. Early Tuesday, families were being escorted by police to a Chili's restaurant on the outskirts of the mall area to be reunited with others who had been in the mall for hours. Althea Brown, 26, of Paterson told NorthJersey.com she was in a clothing store when she saw a man walk by and then heard three shots followed by two more. She said he appeared to be wearing body armor and was wearing a helmet with the visor pulled up. Najde Waters, who works in customer service at H&M, said when they heard shots his manager and store workers followed an action plan they'd rehearsed for just such a scenario. "We all prepare, like schools do. We have a plan where we all meet up in the back of the store and if we can exit together out the front we do, but in this case we had to exit out the back," Waters said. He said they went to their meeting place near a light pole. The mall, which has more than 270 stores, is located about 15 miles northwest of Manhattan. (The Associated Press contributed to this report)
Amazon filed a trademark on July 6th for a service described as “We do the prep. You be the chef.” The application describes the service as akin to other meal prep services like Blue Apron, saying customers will be provided with “prepared food kits... ready for cooking.” Last month, Amazon announced that it was acquiring supermarket chain Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. The platform has been testing grocery delivery services since launching AmazonFresh in 2007, expanding to AmazonFresh Pickup and Amazon Go — a physical brick-and-mortar grocery Amazon is currently testing in Seattle without lines or checkout counters. The trademark application says the meal kits will be frozen, prepared, and packaged kits that contain everything from meat to seafood to vegetables and seasonings, but will consist primarily of grains, rice, noodles, pasta, or bakery products. It also mentions a loyalty rewards program, consisting of points and coupons that can be issued to frequent users. Blue Apron is currently the largest meal kit provider in the US, but since its initial public offering, shares have fallen; today they hit an all-time low below the $7 mark. Groceries are one of the last hurdles in Amazon’s quest to sell us everything, and with the company’s inroads within this vertical over the past several years, meal kits are a natural evolution.
My queer kid is 26, so “back to school” is no longer part of my active vocabulary. But I still enjoy watching the parents on my block escort little ones to their first day of kindergarten or elementary school. I flashed this year on the small percentage of those children who, like my child, will come out one day knowing themselves to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or agender. I imagined those kids headed to new classrooms, all feeling loved, valued, and supported for who they were in that moment. I wanted to believe they were dressed in the outfits they chose for the special first day. I hoped they were carrying the backpack they had picked out and that their hair was styled how they wanted it, regardless of the gender expectations they’d been assigned at birth. Seeing those kids, I thought about how far I’d come from the years I took my son to first days of school wearing shorts when I knew he would have preferred a skirt. I also meet parents who think my experience raising a child who now identifies as queer might somehow make me an expert on their child. An aquaintance asked me recently how to know if her 4-year-old boy who liked dresses and lipstick was struggling with gender issues or just engaging in imaginative gender play. I was struck by the phrase “struggling with gender issues” in connection with a kindergartner. I couldn’t imagine the child being anxious over LGBTQ youth homelessness or transgender inequality. I figured the mom was referring to gender identity, a term I didn’t learn until my son was in college. And I knew from my son’s early years there was also a good chance the person struggling was the mom, not the child. My son came out by telling me, “Inside my head I’m a girl.” He was 2 years old. At the time, I had no idea what that meant. There were few resources in 1992, no internet, little knowledge, and a lot of misinformation and stereotyping. Terms like transgender, gender-nonconforming, gender-creative, and gender-expansive didn’t exist. I struggled to understand my toddler, and I knew the mom questioning me was probably experiencing the same confusion and worry I felt when my then-6-year-old son took one of my lipsticks and hid it under his pillow. Whenever I’m asked to weigh in on whether or not someone’s child is transgender, gender-nonconforming, gay, or just going through a phase, I say I honestly don’t know. And then I ask my own question: Is your child happy? If the answer is yes, what that child wears, likes to play with, or wants to be called shouldn’t really matter, I say. As long as they love their child unconditionally and listen carefully to what their little boy or girl tells them about himself or herself, their child will eventually help them answer the pressing question. And gender experts exist to help the parents understand what might lie ahead for their child and their family. On the other hand, if I learn their little boy becomes withdrawn when told he’s too old to play with his sister’s dolls or a little girl stomps her feet when told she must wear a dress to a party or a child withdraws after being told they can only be a boy based on their anatomy, I feel a rush of sadness. Usually those parents are just worried, as I once was, that their child will be teased or bullied by other children when they get to school. While I understand the desire to protect gender-nonconforming and trans kids, I don’t think any parent wants to be become their child’s first bully. In the time my gender-nonconforming child grew from toddler to adult, I learned it’s never too late to learn from your child as much as you learn for your child. So here, for parents who want to better understand a child who may be different than they’d ever expected, are four things I’ve learned or unlearned: 1. Gender may not be what you think it is. Gender for me used to mean one of two boxes you checked on a driver’s license application. But I now know that I was confusing sex and gender to mean the same thing, which I think a lot of people still do. Gender identity is about how you feel inside, who you know yourself to be. And it develops over time. We all discover ourselves as we grow, and finding our true gender selves is part of that discovery. The gender experts will tell you that if a child’s sense of self is being denied, they will likely become distressed, low-spirited, or depressed. And for me, any one of those words connotes a child struggling not with their identity but with a search for freedom within their family. 2. There’s no right way to be a boy or a girl. Transgender kids will tell you that a girl can have a penis and a boy can have a vagina. A gender-nonconforming, gender-creative, or gender-diverse child knows that boys can be happy wearing dresses, playing with Barbie dolls or liking the color pink. Kids are as unique as their fingerprints, so it follows that not every child will fit inside the boundaries of pink or blue that our historically rigid society has constructed as the norm. 3. Every child is a whole person. Each child — and adult — has traits that our society has deemed as either “masculine” or “feminine” but are in fact just the characteristics that make up a complete person. Some boys like to express the “feminine” side of their whole being, while the same can be said for girls and those traits labeled “masculine.” I like to project how much kinder and more accepting our society would be if sensitivity and nurturing qualities in all kids were as valued as strength and assertiveness. 4. A gender-nonconforming or trans child is a thought leader. If your child is defying gender norms and stereotypes, they are re-shaping the way we think about gender. They are at the center of a sea change not only among families but in schools where diversity and fairness are key and among those legislators who want to ensure all children are treated equally under the law. I compare gender-nonconformity to handedness. Being right- or left-handed is just who you are. Right-handedness is more common, but that doesn’t make it correct, more “normal,” or the only way to be. Increased visibility of our less common trans and gender-nonconforming children is broadening awareness and expanding the national conversation about gender. I like to think they are among the leaders on progress to rework society’s rules about gender identity, gender expression, and the expectations that follow an “M” or “F” stamped on a birth certificate. JULIE TARNEY is the author of My Son Wears Heels: One Mom's Journey From Clueless to Kickass. For more information, please visit MySonWearsHeels.com.
What is a king or a queen? There is no simple answer to this question – or, rather, there are several answers and they are constantly changing. It is important to keep this in mind when forming judgements of individual rulers. They can only be fairly assessed in the light of contemporary beliefs and ideas. Two fundamental questions we need to ask are, ‘What did this ruler think he or she should be doing?’ and ‘What did his/her subjects think he or she should be doing?’ It is ironic that some of the fiercest arguments about what constitutes a good king have, for centuries, raged around the reputation of the monarch who had the shortest reign in the last thousand years of English history (excluding Edward V, Lady Jane Grey and Edward VIII, who were proclaimed but never crowned). No reputation has suffered more than that of Richard III from the romantic adulation or vituperative condemnation of commentators viewing it from the moral high ground of later ages. Richard has been labelled an ambitious child-murderer, as well as an enlightened ruler viciously libelled by his enemies. Yet this is a man who ruled for a mere 777 days. There is not enough evidence for us to conclude whether the last Plantagenet was a good king or to even decide what kind of a king he would have been given more time. However, his chequered, sanguinary and tragic career might enable us to throw light on a more important question: what did rulers and their subjects understand by ‘kingship’ in those last years of Medieval England? Richard was born in 1452 at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire, a location with an ominous air. It was here that Henry VIII’s discarded queen, Catherine of Aragon, would be obliged to live out her last years and, later, it witnessed the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. Such events were far in the future, but England’s royals had problems of their own in the mid-15th Century. Richard was still an infant when the Wars of the Roses began. He would never know an England fully at peace. By the time of his death 33 years later, 16 major battles and skirmishes had been fought between partisans of the House of Lancaster (claiming the throne through descent from Edward III’s third son, John of Gaunt) and the House of York (representing descendants of Edward III’s fourth son, Edmund, Duke of York). Theoretically, the conflict was about legitimacy, and England’s major landholders took sides in support of the candidate they regarded as having the strongest claim. In reality, of course, the reasons for this series of baronial wars were more complex. They involved family and feudal affiliation, economic grievances, land ownership and territorial ambition. Many participants changed sides in pursuit of personal advantage. The battles of these dislocated years cannot be thought of as heroic, manly clashes of men-at-arms disporting themselves on spirited chargers and brandishing bravely fluttering heraldic banners. England was ungoverned and ungovernable and its people, at all social levels, suffered mightily. …in divers parts of this realm, great abominable murders, robberies, extortions, oppressions and other manifold maintainences, misgovernances, forcible entries… affrays, assaults, be committed and done by such persons as either be of great might, or else favoured under persons of great power, in such wise that their outrageous demerits as yet remain unpunished, insomuch that of late divers persons have been slain… So complained the House of Commons in the Parliament Rolls – the Rotuli Parliamentorum – 1459, deploring the failure of the royal courts of justice to resist the pressures brought to bear on them by the nobles and their bully boys. England needed strong leadership – and that was precisely what it did not have. When Richard was seven, his father was slain at the Battle of Wakefield and one of his brothers was executed in its aftermath. He was spirited out of the country to a haven in Burgundy. The Lancastrian victory had been won in the name of Henry VI, a poor feeble-minded man more fitted to be a monk than a king. Yorkist hopes now centred on Richard’s eldest brother, Edward. But would he make a better job of kingship than Henry? Only time would tell. Another 11 years of fluctuating military fortunes would pass before Edward of York was able to take his place securely on the English throne. He had his rival locked in the Tower of London, where he was killed. Since Henry’s heir, Edward, Prince of Wales, had been killed in battle, Edward IV could claim that God had vindicated the Yorkist cause, confirming the legitimacy of the dynasty by victory in battle. Edward was king by divine right and popular acclamation. Richard, now Duke of Gloucester, was second in line to the throne after his elder brother George, Duke of Clarence. The Lancastrian cause was kept alive but its claim to legitimacy hung by the slenderest of threads. The Lancastrian nominee, Henry Tudor, was not of the blood royal, being descended from the widow of King Henry V, and he was now in precarious exile in Brittany. But just when it seemed that the long dynastic conflict was reaching its bloody conclusion, another family entered the lists. In 1464, defying the advice of his advisers, who counselled him to make a matrimonial alliance with a suitable foreign princess, Edward had married in secret Elizabeth Woodville, the beautiful 27-year-old widow of the Lancastrian knight, Sir John Grey, Lord Ferrers. This love match with a woman who was not from the ‘top drawer’ provoked “great displeasure to many great lords, and especially to the larger part of all his council.” It cast doubt on Edward’s political judgement; he seemed to be “led by blind affection and not by rule of reason” (according to the letter of the diplomat, Lord Wenlock). Not only was Edward marrying beneath himself, he was forming an alliance with a notoriously ambitious family. Elizabeth’s father, Richard Woodville, had been raised in the household of the Duke of Bedford. On that nobleman’s death, he had secretly married the widowed duchess. The couple went on to produce no less than 14 children, all of whom expected to share in the good fortune of the eldest sister. They did not hope in vain. Titles, lands and honours were lavished on the queen’s relatives. The very expansion of this upstart clan was a threat to the political status, quo and resentment by the Yorkist establishment did not diminish with the passage of time. Edward IV was ‘big’ both in stature and personality. He was almost two metres tall with the build to go with this prodigious height. If his vices were obvious, so were his virtues. The characteristic that seems to have most struck those who met him was affability. In him, the ferocious warrior king and the cultured sensitive monarch came together in a rare combination. The brave military leader who never lost a battle was also the cultured collector of books and the patron who left as his architectural legacy the Gothic masterpiece of the chapel of Saint George at Windsor. The writer of the Croyland Chronicle eulogised the Edwardian regime: …you might have seen in those days, the royal court presenting no other appearance than such as fully befits a most mighty kingdom. The Woodvilles set much of the tone, establishing dominant fashions in music, dress and literature. One early vernacular book to come from William Caxton’s Westminster press, Sayings Of The Philosophers, was translated by the queen’s brother, Earl Rivers. After 1475, the king had little to fear from the Lancastrians. His campaigning days were over and his health deteriorated. Security did not bring out the best in Edward. He allowed his passions full rein, becoming at once a voluptuary and a tyrant. His athletic frame ran to fat. He spent his time between the sumptuous residences he had built or extended close to the capital. These splendours were largely financed out of the property confiscated from his enemies and taxes and fines he imposed both to fill the treasury and deter potential opposition. The prudent monarch who had prided himself on his willingness to pardon the offences of opponents now reinforced his authority by manipulating the law as he stamped out the last embers of opposition. His most notorious act was the impeachment of his brother George for treason. There is no doubt Clarence deserved his sentence. He had repeatedly plotted with Edward’s enemies and made no secret of his hostility towards the queen and her family. But Edward personally and fiercely browbeat parliament to condemn the duke by Act of Attainder (against which there could be no defence) and then had him executed privately within the confines of the Tower (traditionally by having him drowned in a barrel of malmsey wine). The Croyland Chronicle changed its verdict on the regime: After the perpetration of this deed, many persons left King Edward, fully persuaded that he would be able to lord it over the whole kingdom at his will and pleasure… The king… appeared to be dreaded by all his subjects while he himself stood in fear of no one. This was the pattern of kingship with which the teenage Richard of Gloucester grew up. In his earlier years, the bond between the royal brothers was strong (and made stronger by their shared mistrust of Clarence). Richard was groomed to participate in the political and military activities of the government. Edward bestowed upon him lands, titles and responsibilities. Before he reached the age of 20, he was constable of England (commander of the royal armies), lord high admiral and governor of the North. Grants of property and – crucially – castles beyond the Humber made him the biggest landowner in the potentially troublesome shires far from the capital, and by property deals and exchanges, he added consistently to his northern holdings. Richard fought valiantly and effectively, not only against Lancastrian forces at home, but also in France and Scotland (it was he who, in 1482, won the border town of Berwick-on-Tweed permanently from the Scots). His commitment to the Crown was total. There can be no doubt that without his support, Edward would have been unable to bring all England under his sway, and it is worth pointing out that, until the death of Clarence, Richard had not the slightest prospect of inheriting the Crown. But he and his brother were cut from different cloth. Richard was small of stature and (if the skeleton recently discovered at Leicester really is his) with a slight spinal deformity. He could scarcely impress friend or foe with his physical presence. He was of a serious cast of mind, self-disciplined, hard working and more than usually pious for his times. A later age might have dubbed him ‘puritanical’. Shakespeare came close to the truth when he made his stage Richard display contempt for “sportive tricks”, “the lascivious pleasing of a lute” and the vanity that craves “an amorous looking-glass”. He was a man of action rather than a contemplative. He was sparing in his appetites. Observers noted that he ate and drank little at feasts. When he became king, he did not emulate his brother by establishing a glittering court, representing all that was best in cultural refinement. On the continent, the Renaissance was dawning. Enlightened princes, nobles, churchmen and merchants rivalled one another in their patronage of painters, musicians, poets and scholars. This was not Richard’s style. It could reasonably be argued that, during his brief reign, he had no time or leisure to cultivate the arts of peace but he had had a long preparation in the years before when he ruled most of northern England as a quasi-monarch. It is legitimate to include an assessment of his activities there in any overall picture we may form of his exercise of power. No contemporary chronicles claim for him any artistic sensitivity or deep interest in scholarship. This does not mean he was an empty-headed boor. On the contrary; one foreign diplomat to discerned “so great a mind in so small a body”. He was particularly well versed in the law and could argue cases with skill. He was profoundly interested in heraldry and founded the College of Arms by royal charter in 1484. This concentration on legal process and heraldic detail reveal Richard’s essential motivation: he was focused on the responsibility to rule – and rule effectively. Armorial panoply and the splendour of royal ceremonial gave visual expression to the authority of the monarch and the loyalty he demanded of his magnates, firmly founded on law. At the root of Richard’s public and private life was a genuine, if conventional, piety. He made more religious endowments than any other Medieval king. He regarded York as his ‘capital’ and the Minster was the major recipient of his generosity. Among his lavish gifts were silver and gilt altar ornaments, decorated copes and a bejewelled processional cross. He planned to build in the cathedral complex a college (a religious guild, not an educational establishment) where 100 priests would daily say masses for Richard and his family. Similar, smaller institutions were proposed for Barnard Castle and Middleham. The king also bestowed land and money on Wilberfoss Nunnery among other religious sites. One educational establishment to become a recipient of Richard’s bounty was Queens’ College, Cambridge, which received endowments in 1477 and 1484. The college still has the right to a badge displaying Richard’s boar’s head emblem on a cross and a crozier. The accumulation of disastrous events that marked the last 28 months of Richard’s life began with the death of Edward IV in April 1483. The security his strong rule had provided went to the grave with him. The immediate reaction was to set the political and kindred networks among the nobility quivering. That threatened a return to dynastic intrigue and military conflict. The late king was succeeded by his 12-year-old son, Edward V, and had decreed that Richard was to act as protector of the realm until the boy’s coming of age. But thereafter, uncertainty loomed. The young king was very attached to his mother and uncles, so the smart money was on the ascendancy of the Woodvilles. Several of the realm’s movers and shakers were alarmed at the prospect – and Richard was one of them. To add to the precarious situation, Lancastrian hopes received a boost. Henry Tudor, from his long-term exile at the court of Duke Francis II of Brittany, was in touch with supporters across the Channel, some of whom now visited him to pledge their swords. Amid the swirling fog of rebellion, murder and treachery that spread over the land (not to mention the obfuscating clouds of romanticising partisanship contributed by later writers) two facts stand out clearly. The first is that Richard grasped the initiative, behaving with ruthless logic to maintain stability. The second is that, despite this, events developed their own momentum that he was unable to halt. The old king’s death was followed by days of confusion. The divided royal council was uncertain to whom custody of Edward V and his younger brother should be granted. Richard was in no doubt. He claimed the protectorate without waiting for it to be confirmed. He intercepted Earl Rivers, who was en route for London with the new king, and had the royal brothers installed in the palace quarters at the Tower. Rivers and his associates were taken north to Pontefract Castle where, two months later they were executed for treason against the protector. It was a pre-emptive strike, the sort made by a practiced military strategist, and there may well have been reason for it. Though unlawful, it was prudent. The Woodvilles must also have been taking stock of the political situation and deciding how best to secure their position. Unfortunately for them, Richard acted first. Once committed, there was no going back. Richard embarked on a process of eliminating all opponents – real and assumed. He had entered a dangerous game in which the consequences of losing would be fatal. England’s political elite were faced with a clear choice: they could be ruled by Richard or the Woodville faction or the Lancastrian claimant over the water. The protector’s prompt manoeuvres had secured his position in the short term but his bloodthirsty deeds frightened former friends. By late June, he had brought military resources down from the North, tried unsuccessfully to persuade the Duke of Brittany to surrender Henry Tudor and made the shocking ‘revelation’ that Edward V was not, in fact, king, because Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was null and void by virtue of his pre-contract to another woman. Little Edward and his brother were, he claimed, bastards. The only rightful heir to the throne was himself. A well-drilled assembly of London notables petitioned him to take the Crown and his lavish coronation took place on 6 July. By the autumn, pockets of disaffection were appearing in several areas. Richard’s one-time supporter, the Duke of Buckingham, had made a pact with Henry Tudor, which only failed because storms prevented the Lancastrian from landing on the south coast. By now it was being widely rumoured that Richard had murdered the princes in the Tower. It seemed to many like poetic justice when Richard’s only son and heir died the following April. Within a year, his wife was also dead. Still the king continued to do what he conceived to be his duty. He travelled the country, keeping court, administering royal justice. The contemporary chronicler, John Rous, wrote of Richard that: he ruled his subjects in his realm full commendably, punishing offenders of his laws… and cherishing those that were virtuous… The Croyland Chronicle tells us that the king welcomed the invasion of Henry Tudor. All would now be settled in manly combat – something in which he was well versed. He doubted not that God would vindicate him in battle and that thereafter he would – according to the Chronicle – be able to “comfort his people with the blessings of unchallenged peace.” He did not deviate from this conviction and was cut down at Bosworth only yards from his adversary. The rest is history. More is the pity. For of all English monarchs, none has had his reputation more raked over by historians, biographers and romanticisers. Bias and distortion started immediately. John Rous, who had so warmly endorsed Richard’s style of kingship, reversed his judgment as soon as Henry Tudor ascended the throne, excoriating Richard as a deformed monster who had murdered his own wife. Thomas More and Shakespeare built on this legend. With the passage of time, other writers became witnesses for the defence or the prosecution in the trial of the last Plantagenet. In 1768, Horace Walpole cried “a plague on all your houses”. Referring to the works of Thomas More and Francis Bacon, he wrote in Historic Doubts On The Life And Reign Of King Richard III: two of the greatest men in our annals have prostituted their admirable pens, the one to blacken a great prince, the other to varnish a pitiable tyrant. It is a judgement I warm to. When dealing with such a complex character who lived in such complex times, we must put away the pots of white and black paint – unless it be to create shades of grey. If we make moral judgements based on some timeless standard, we get things hopelessly wrong. If we try to see Richard in his contemporary context, we shall stand a chance of understanding the man and his times. So, where do I believe Richard III stands in the development of English monarchy? He lived in a fractured nation and knew he had the responsibility to establish peace. He was responsible to the people, who wanted to get on with their lives within a framework of just laws and security. He was responsible to God, whose agent he was and, like the King of Kings, he had to inspire love and dread. To meet these responsibilities, he had to do things that, in other mortals, would be described as cruel, capricious and diabolical. In 1484, he wrote this mission statement for his bishops: …our principal intent and fervent desire is to see virtue and cleanness of living to be advanced, increased and multiplied, and vices and all other things repugnant to virtue, provoking the high indignation and fearful displeasure of God to be repressed and annulled… This was not hypocritical hogwash. Richard was a clear thinking and industrious ruler who understood what needed to be done. Kingship was a solemn charge from God and its purpose was the wellbeing of the people. The divinely anointed Medieval monarch had to have the conviction that he knew what was best for his subjects and the courage to pursue what he believed was right. To be irresolute, like Henry VI, was a disaster. To be distracted by personal vices, like Edward IV, was a betrayal of trust. To be a child, like Edward V, and therefore under the direction of advisers with their own agendas, was a sad misfortune. Thus Richard believed and thus he justified to himself the seizure of the Crown. When I think of King Richard, I am sometimes reminded of the poet Wordsworth’s eulogy of ‘Duty’ as the “stern daughter of the voice of God”. If the fragments we can collect about his character allow us to draw up a psychological profile, what they suggest is a man with ice in his veins; a man with a sacred calling, a vocation, demanding tireless effort, unflinching determination and self-sacrifice. Richard Plantagenet was a disciple – and a victim – of duty. He had the enormous problem of keeping the peace achieved by his brother. Of course, he was part of that problem. His high ideals could only be realised through acts, many of which were base. But what did the people think of their new guardian and defender? Apart from the nobles and their retainers who were voting with their feet, the only body whose reaction we can consider is parliament. This national assembly met only once during the brief reign, from 23 January to 20 February 1484. Lords and Commons dutifully endorsed the Titulus Regius, setting out the reasons for Richard’s usurpation. About the attainders of the king’s leading enemies they were more nervous, though eventually compliant. The most compelling reason for any king to summon parliament was his need for money. Richard was no exception. The people’s representatives granted him the customary rights to levy customs and excise duties. But they demanded quid pro quos. Richard graciously conceded reforms in matters of taxation, trade regulations and the operation of law courts. The remarkable fact about all this is that it is not remarkable. The tug-o’-war between king and parliament was no different than it had been in earlier reigns. As far as the representatives of the people were concerned, it was ‘business as usual’. That helps us to see the reign of Richard III in perspective. Had he not been ‘the last of the Plantagenets’ and had 1485 not come to be regarded as a turning point in English history, the events of the previous few months would have merged into the narrative of what was a turbulent century. Richard would have been seen as a king struggling to contain the ambitions and rivalries of his barons – as his predecessors had done. He would have been recognised as a ruler whose legitimacy and divine vocation sanctioned bloody acts – just as they had for his forbears. He would have been known as a monarch who believed that what he willed was pro bono publico – in common with those who had occupied the throne before him. He was not an innovator. He was a man of his times, and it is as such that we must judge him. For more on the rise and fall of the Plantagenet dynasty pick up the new issue of History of Royals or subscribe and save 40% on the cover price.
Islamic State militants used mortar rounds containing a mustard agent against Kurdish Peshmerga troops fighting in northern Iraq in August, Kurdish representatives said, citing the analyses of blood samples taken from 35 combatants. “Signatures of sulfur mustard” were discovered in blood samples of 35 Kurdish fighters, who were exposed southwest of the regional capital of Erbil, Reuters reported, citing a statement by the so-called Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs. Peshmerga are the military forces of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, which are managed by a separate ministry of the local government. The troops sustained wounds characteristic of the agent, which is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997, the statement added. The August attack involved 37 mortars “releasing white smoke and a black liquid” upon detonation. The statement didn’t specify the number of Peshmerga fatalities incurred in the attack or the severity of the wounds suffered by the troops. According to the Kurdish military, the samples were tested in a laboratory outside Iraq, where they were delivered with the help of members of the “Global Coalition against ISIL.” The letter also called on countries fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq and Syria to provide the Kurdish Peshmerga with equipment to protect them from chemical attacks. Mustard gas causes painful burns and blisters that have a strong immobilizing effect on those who come into contact with it. However, the chemical has to be present in large quantities to become deadly. The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs said that IS carried out an attack with “weaponized chlorine” in January and has used chemical weapons on at least four other occasions in 2015. READ MORE: Islamic State using chemical weapons in Iraq & Syria – report In mid-September, the BBC cited an unnamed US official who claimed that Islamic State has put together a group to produce toxic chemicals such as mustard and chlorine gas. “We’ve seen them use it on at least four separate occasions on both sides of the border – both in Iraq and Syria,” the official said at that time. LISTEN MORE:
Yasae said: It is just to build up hype. This is what I mean by people not actually knowing what they want. Even if "we" were to ask for super duper early footage - which "we" didn't - it's always the wrong choice. There's hardly anything of relevance in early media beyond the fact that the game exists at the time the footage was compiled. Those sneak peeks will become obsolete. It's not that things become obsolete, it's that obsolete things become marketing because every big game has to be announced and shown 50 years early. Battlefront is a great example, and I'm glad they haven't shown much of it, though were I to be honest it'll probably look much worse than what they've shown now. But to go years without showing much of a game? Or alternatively, to go years showing bits and pieces of an unfinished game? That's really what consumers want? I mean wow, I guess I didn't get the memo. Click to expand... The general consumer? No. They just watch a few trailers, maybe see a review, and go buy the game.The thing is, we the gamers are beating developers and publishers over the head for more information all the time. I run really close to the Zelda fan base and I know this all too well. New game came out? Great! We're already asking for information about the new one as soon as we can, and asking when we can see it. This is what people do. We want our cake and to eat it too.So developers will push things out fast (maybe it's not them, it could be the PR department pushing for it) and we end up with something that doesn't represent the final game.I am not saying that happened in this case or any specific case, but it is true that we are always demanding more from them as soon as possible.
Usher just dropped a powerful new track called “Chains,” a collaboration with Nas and Bibi Bourelly that’s a TIDAL exclusive in the most fascinating sense of that phrase. To hear the song, listeners must use Google Chrome or Firefox with their video cameras turned on; it’s for something called “Don’t Look Away,” which forces you to stare into the eyes of unarmed victims of gun violence in the United States. The software knows when you turn away from the screen, pausing the song and commanding you to continue staring — pretty impactful maneuvering that goes hand-in-hand with a nicely produced Usher song in which he chants “We still in chains / We still in chains” repeatedly. Don’t miss this one. “I chose to introduce the song through the ‘Don’t Look Away’ experience because it is important not only to feel the issue but to face it,” Usher said in a statement. “The pain and suffering that these victims and their families have endured is something we must never forget. When we look away from this problem it gets worse. To fix it, we have to face it.” Per Rap Up:
Terra Nova is an exoplanet I’ve been thinking about for a couple of years now. In my RPG times I’ve GM’d a couple of sessions on Terra Nova (some of them good, some of them flops), this helped me to get some nonsense and impractical ideas thrown out. Let’s introduce you to the planet itself. Terra Nova TN is the fifth planet of an atypical binary system, composed of a brown dwarf and a G-type main sequence star, slightly more massive than our sun. This creates a wide elliptical orbit for planets within the system. Because of this, TN has a wide array of weather conditions which would be inhospitable to most earth life, but the florofauna of TN has adapted in various ways to the chaotic weather patterns of the planet. I will disclose a lot more detail about TN in another article soon. The Spintree The Spintree is an organism that from a distance resembles a palm tree with vertically...
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — With the season opener just a few days away, it is beginning to sound more and more like Cleveland Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum is nearing a return. Two weeks ago, Cavs coach Mike Brown revealed Bynum was getting “close.” Then, on Sunday, Brown added a little light to the situation by saying the 7-foot free-agent signee went through “most of practice.” Article continues below ... That included full-court 5-on-5 drills — something that shows Bynum, who missed all of last year in Philadelphia with knee issues, is progressing. There’s parts of practice that (the doctors) don’t want him to do,” Brown said. “So he hasn’t participated in every aspect of practice, all the time, if that makes sense.” Brown then read from his entire practice sheet, indicating which drills Bynum took part in, and those Bynum did not. And according to that sheet, Brown was right. Bynum really did participate in most of practice. The Cavs open the season Wednesday at home vs. the Brooklyn Nets. So the next question, of course, is if Bynum will be ready to play in an actual game. That is one question Brown cannot answer. “I’m not even speculating on that,” Brown said. “What I’m waiting for is the doctors to say he can play. When the doctors say it, that’s when I’ll make a decision as to whether or not to play him. But the doctors have not cleared him yet.” Bynum has been spotted working out both before games and after practices. He appears to be moving well. But the Cavs are in no rush and that makes sense. Theoretically, it would be better to have Bynum healthy for the first playoff game than the first regular-season game. And when healthy, Bynum is the type of player who can play a major role in getting your team to the playoffs — especially with Cavs teammates such as Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Jarrett Jack and others. Bynum’s last season of good health came in 2011-12, when he played in 60 of 66 possible games with the Los Angeles Lakers (who were coached by Brown). Bynum averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds that year. The Cavs believe he can get back to that level, or something close. But for now, the idea is just to get him in a game, and that day appears to be looming. Off the Bench • Second-year Cavs center Tyler Zeller, who has been practicing following an appendectomy, very well could be available for the season-opener. “I have not been told by doctors he’s OK to play Wednesday, but he went through every single (practice) drill,” Brown said. • The Washington Wizards are expected to waive three of the four players obtained in a trade with the Phoenix Suns last week. The Wizards will keep center Marcin Gortat, the prize of the deal, but say goodbye to guards Shannon Brown, Kendall Marshall and Malcolm Lee. • Brown and Marshall are already drawing interest around the league, with some reports stating Brown will head to the Lakers. Marshall, a second-year point guard, could hear from the Philadelphia 76ers, one league source told FOX Sports Ohio. • Names of others recently cut players drawing interest around the league: Forwards Royce White, Josh Childress and Damion James, and guards Royal Ivery, Jermaine Taylor, Seth Curry and Vander Blue. • One NBA general manager told FOX Sports Ohio that veteran free-agent guard Richard Hamilton has been contacted by no less than seven teams. It appears that Hamilton will wait until about the midway point of the season to sign somewhere. • That GM also gave his prediction for the Eastern Conference playoffs: 1. Miami; 2. Chicago; 3. Indiana; 4. Brooklyn; 5. Cleveland; 6. Detroit; 7. New York; 8. Washington. • As an aside, the GM does not work for any of those teams. • Both Sixers guard Evan Turner and center Spencer Hawes are in the final years of their contracts. Scuttlebutt around the league is that both will be moved prior to the February trading deadline. Twitter: @SamAmicoFSO
TABERNACLE, N.J. — A shooting at a home in a secluded wooded area of southern New Jersey left two children dead and a woman believed to be their mother and the children’s brother critically wounded, state police said Thursday. Officials said they were not prepared Thursday afternoon to say whether the shooting in Tabernacle is considered a murder-suicide, but they did say there is no active search for a shooter and there is not believed to be a dangerous person in the area. Police did not release the name of the victims, saying they need to reach next of kin first. State police said they received a call from another relative in the home at about 9:15 a.m. reporting that the mother and children — believe to be middle-school and high-school aged — had been shot. The woman had a single shot to her head; officials would not say where the children were shot. All were found in the same room, and a handgun believed to have been the only weapon used was found, police said. The two survivors were taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. Five other people live in the home, but authorities say none reported hearing any shooting. The reason for that was another issue that officials said they couldn’t explain yet. “It’s going to be a long time before we know exactly what happened,” state police Detective Geoff Noble said. Authorities said all the other residents of the home had been accounted for. The Burlington County community is located in the sparsely populated New Jersey Pinelands, about 30 miles east of Philadelphia. Neighbors said they did not know the residents of the house and did not hear any commotion Thursday morning until troopers arrived and helicopters began hovering overhead. “It’s very quiet, peaceful,” said Mike Watson, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years. “You can hear a pin drop.”
By Miguel Rivera WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders believes IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC world champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) needs to a knockout victory in order to defeat Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Golovkin defended his titles against Canelo back on September 16th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The contest ended in controversial twelve round split draw. There was a loud outcry from fans and media, after one of the three official judges had scored it 118-110 for Canelo - a scorecard that Canelo's own promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, openly criticized. Most experts saw bout as a close contest, with the majority viewing Golovlin as the deserved winner. Canelo and his handlers believe they should have been given the verdicts and the titles. There are now ongoing discussions to make a rematch for May 5th, Cinco De Mayo weekend. Neither of the boxers would take an interim-bout to prepare for the rematch. The two sides are reportedly close to deal and hope to finalize the remaining details in the very near future so they can begin to promote the pay-per-view bout. If the rematch takes place, it will likely land back in Las Vegas and Saunders expects Canelo (49-1-2, 34 KOs) to get the victory, regardless of what happens during the fight - if the contest goes to the judges. "Golovkin must go out there and knock him out, because if they go to the cards they will give the fight to Canelo, even if he loses," Saunders told Fox Deportes. Saunders is waiting for the outcome of their negotiations. If the discussions fall apart, then the British fighter could very well become a player to land Canelo or Golovkin in the new year. Saunders (26-0, 12 KOs) made a statement last weekend, when he traveled over to Canada to dominate former IBF world champion David Lemieux over twelve rounds.
It’s that time for Avatar Press to let the world know what’s coming from its bevy of creators in September 2015. And because Bleeding Cool is owned by Avatar Press, we get first dibs on what’s coming. Which means new comic books from Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, Jacen Burrows, Kieron Gillen, Si Spurrier, Mike Costa, Mike Wolfer and more… CROSSED +100 VOL 01 TPB $19.99 Writer: Aland Moore Cover & Art: Gabriel Andrade MR, Color, 160 pages Alan Moore, the man who revolutionized comics, returns to tell a horrifying tale in the world of Garth Ennis’ grueling survival horror series, Crossed! Set 100 years in the future, Alan Moore has created a whole new world and history with a stunning attention to detail. Examining how civilizations rebuild and how generations grow, Moore weaves a rich tapestry of humanity evolving under extreme hardship, all of which is lushly rendered by Gabriel (Ferals) Andrade. Archivist Future Taylor leads a salvage team working to rebuild the historical record of the original Crossed outbreak. She’s seen them in videos, but never any live ones, the Crossed are part of the distant past. Until suddenly, a handful appear, and the blood begins to flow. All is not as it seems as a horrific mystery unfolds and once again Alan Moore redefines the medium. This masterwork is a self-contained whole new world, no prior knowledge of the Crossed series is needed. Crossed +100 Vol 1 TP contains the full first story arc originally presented in issues #1-6 of the comic book series. Also available in hardcover with an all-new cover by Gabriel Andrade. CROSSED +100 VOL 01 HC $27.99 Writer: Aland Moore Cover & Art: Gabriel Andrade MR, Color, 160 pages GOD IS DEAD VOL 06 TPB $19.99 Cover: Jacen Burrows Writer: Mike Costa Art: Emiliano Urdinoa & Juan Frigeri MR, Color, 144 pages The Titans are on the verge of being driven back into imprisonment, but a cornered animal is very dangerous. Now their ultimate ally has been called and Gaia, the mother of titans and the very Earth itself has come to their aid. What force can stand against the very soul of the world? The threads of the God is Dead universe finally are woven together in an unforgettable arc as “American Gods” joins the primary storyline and Gabby, the girl who would be a god, must meets her final destiny. The God is Dead world is an incredible mashup of modern mythology that has to be seen to believed! This volume collects issues #31 – 36 of the ongoing God is Dead series. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD COMPLETE TPB SLIPCASE EDITION $79.99 Cover: Jacen Burrows Writer: John Russo, Mike Wolfer, David Hine Art: Mike Wolfer, Dheeraj Verma, German Erramouspe MR, Color, 5 Volumes Zombie fans demanded it, the most unprecedented and horrifying night in American history continues as The Night of the Living Dead world expands with these shocking trade paperbacks! With stories set on that fateful evening in 1968 and expanding to the next generation in the 1970s, these tales expand the original frightening legend to new heights of undead horror. Shocking reports from rural areas continue to flood the airwaves with accounts of the recently deceased rising up to kill the living. Now government officials begin counter-measures to calm an increasingly panic-stricken public. Questioning whether or not the unbelievable stories are truth or simply an elaborate hoax perpetrated by militants opposed to the Vietnam War, the attention of the nation’s Capitol is focused on a threat more believable, as thousands of protesters converge on Capitol Hill to voice their opposition to the War. This five volume collection includes the original Night of the Living Dead Volumes 1, 2, and 3 graphic novels along with the innovative 1970s follow up series Night of the Living Dead: Aftermath Volumes 1 and 2 presented in a one-of-a-kind value priced collector’s slipcase. PROVIDENCE #4 REGULAR CVR $4.99 Writer: Alan Moore Covers and Art: Jacen Burrows MR, Color, 40 pages (no ads), monthly, 4 of 12 Alan Moore’s horror event of the year continues to push the limits of the comic book medium with an incredible ad-free 40 page fourth issue! Robert Black’s journey into the heart of the USA in 1919 continues as he finds the citizens of Salem to be most interesting. This work has been researched and developed by Moore and Burrows over the course of several years. The end result is an amazing tome of Lovecraftian influenced nightmares where Moore has written every cover, every single page, and every nuance of this work to create his most fully-realized vision to date. Fans of Moore’s immersive style and meticulous grasp of storytelling will be thrilled to add this essential piece of comics history to their collections! Available with Regular, Pantheon, Portrait, Dreamscape Wraparound, Women of HPL, and a special Ancient Tome Incentive cover, all by collaborator Jacen Burrows. MERCURY HEAT #3 REGULAR CVR $3.99 Cover: Silva Brothers Writer: Kieron Gillen Art: Omar Francia MR, Color, 32 pages, ongoing monthly Kieron Gillen delves deeper into his new world of Mercury as surly cop Luiza goes for wild ride on the surface! The smash-hit of FCBD continues monthly with the sizzling sci-fi world where cyborgs and memory crystals crash into a good old-fashion cop drama! Available with Regular, Wraparound, Art Nouveau, Excessive Force, and a special Designs Incentive Cover by the Silva Brothers. CROSSED +100 #10 REGULAR CVR $3.99 Cover: Gabriel Andrade Writer: Simon Spurrier Art: Rafa Ortiz MR, Color, 32 pages, monthly Crossed: Wish You Were Here scribe Simon Spurrier takes Alan Moore’s incredible reimagining of Crossed in the future into a breathtaking ongoing monthly series! Future Taylor beings to discover what Beau Salt’s actual seeds of destruction are, and finds out that Crossed settlements aren’t what they seem to be . Several special themed covers continue to enrich the series: *American History X Wraparound – Each of these will depict a specific time in the past hundred years, showing how things have changed and offering a peek at some key events. Each cover will display the year in which it takes place to help build the full picture. Art by Gabriel Andrade. *Crossed Wires – The Crossed just don’t see or make things the same way a person would, these images celebrate that day-to-day madness. Art by Christian Zanier. *Disastered – These will show how America has changed since the original Crossed outbreak. Art by Christian Zanier. *Horrific Homage – What if the Crossed were there from the very beginning of comics? This edition will be an Homage to a great Golden Age cover. Art by Michael DiPascale. *Wishful Fiction – The evolution of science-fiction would have been very different with the Crossed as we show you here! Art by Jacen Burrows. CROSSED +100 #10 RED CROSSED RETAILER ORDER INCENTIVE CVR Cover: Jacen Burrows Writer: Simon Spurrier Art: Rafa Ortiz MR, Color, 32 pages, monthly CROSSED: BADLANDS #84 REGULAR CVR $3.99 Cover: Christian Zanier Writer& Artist: Mike Wolfer MR, Color, 32 pages ***In Stores September 16, 2015 Convinced by Morgan and Olivia that their food source could either be compromised or possibly even be the source of whatever started the Crossed epidemic, the bridge dwellers begin to re-think their survival strategy, and select a “procurement team” to venture to the ground in the search for supplies and untainted food. But having lived in the relative safety that the collapsed bridge provides since the beginning of the outbreak, can the team possibly be prepared for what they will find down on the ground, among the roving gangs of Crossed? Available with Regular Cover by Christian Zanier, Wraparound & Torture Covers by Raulo Caceres, C-Day Worldwide Cover by German Nobile, Art Deco Cover by Michael Dipascale, and Red Crossed Incentive Cover also by Zanier CROSSED: BADLANDS #84 RED CROSSED ORDER INCV CVR Cover: Christian Zanier Writer& Artist: Mike Wolfer MR, Color, 32 pages ***In Stores September 16, 2015 CROSSED: BADLANDS #85 REGULAR CVR $3.99 Cover: Christian Zanier Writer& Artist: Mike Wolfer MR, Color, 32 pages ***In Stores September 30, 2015 As the procurement team from the bridge reach their goal of the Pharm-Rite drug store and face the unthinkable horrors awaiting them, the alliances of those they left behind with newcomers Morgan and Olivia begin to erode. Following the “gospel” of the women’s survival guide, the survivors on the bridge and on the ground find their once sound confederacy unraveling. But which is worse- The maniacal, natural urges of the Crossed, or cold, calculated murder by someone who is uninfected? Available with Regular Cover by Christian Zanier, Wraparound &Torture Cover by Nahuel Lopez, C-Day Worldwide Cover by German Nobile, Art Deco Cover by Michael Dipascale, and Red Crossed Incentive Cover also by Zanier. CROSSED: BADLANDS #85 RED CROSSED ORDER INCV CVR $3.99 Cover: Christian Zanier Writer & Artist: Mike Wolfer MR, Color, 32 pages ***In Stores September 30, 2015 GOD IS DEAD #42 REGULAR CVR $3.99 Cover: Jacen Burrows Writer: Mike Costa Art: Juan Frigeri MR, Color, 32 pages, monthly The world has been remade and the realms of man and god are separate. With the slaughter of gods fighting daily, being reaped, and set back to combat, all seems truly futile. But somewhere, voices from Earth’s past are weaving stories about the realms of both the mortal and the divine. And those tales may spell doom for the peace that has divided the two realms in new creation. Available with Regular Cover by Jacen Burrows, Enchanting & End of Days Covers by Jose Luis, Iconic Cover by Juan Frigeri, a Carnage Wraparound Cover by German Nobile, and a special Gilded Incentive Cover also by Frigeri. GOD IS DEAD #42 GILDED RETAILER ORDER INCENTIVE CVR Cover: Juan Frigeri Writer: Mike Costa Art: Juan Frigeri MR, Color, 32 pages WAR STORIES #12 REGULAR CVR $3.99 Writer: Garth Ennis Cover &Art: Tomas Aria MR, Color, 32 pages, ongoing Hayes and Aitken’s private war is suddenly interrupted, as the gentlemen of Germany’s Waffen SS take a hand. Captured and brutally interrogated, the future seems bleak for the two young Irishmen- but the battle about to begin will eclipse their fears and feuds completely. A stand is taken against the greater enemy, in the third and final part of Our Wild Geese Go. Available with Regular & Wraparound Covers by Tomas Aria, and Good Girl Nose Art & Battle Damage Retailer Incentive Covers by Matt Martin. CROSSED: BADLANDS #75 PHOENIX ART DECO COVER $9.99 Cover: Michael DiPascale Writer: Kieron Gillen Art: Rafa Ortiz MR, Color, 32 pages, monthly Get a piece of Crossed history as Kieron Gillen’s first arc begins in bloody fashion with this exclusive Art Deco Cover previously available at the Phoenix Comic Con! Limited to just 350 copies these rare Crossed collectibles will be the perfect addition to your collection! UBER #25 MIGHTY MARIA COVER $9.99 Cover: Michael DiPascale Writer: Kieron Gillen Art: Daniel Gete MR, Color, 32 pages, monthly Maria kicks some serious butt on this painted cover by Michael DiPascale! Limited to just 350 copies! IGNITION CITY- COMPLETE SERIES COLLECTOR BOX SET $99.99 Box Set of comics 32 books: Warren Ellis’ Sci-fi epic featured tons of great, rare, cover variants and for the first time every one of them are collected in this special box set! Every cover on all five issues, including the rare convention covers, are here, the complete set! Nine covers on #1, five covers on #2, five covers on #3, five covers on #4, and eight covers on #5 – 32 books in total in a set priced less than original retail prices! Limited to just 100 sets! About Rich Johnston Chief writer and founder of Bleeding Cool. Father of two. Comic book clairvoyant. Political cartoonist. (Last Updated ) Related Posts None found
Someone recently asked me about what sort of things I usually try to pay attention to when using electional astrology in order to elect an auspicious date to begin a venture, and I thought that it would be a good idea to share some of those tips here for people who are interested in the subject. Electional astrology is a branch of astrology that is used to select an auspicious time in the future to begin a specific venture or undertaking. That is to say, it is the proactive attempt to choose a specific planetary alignment or chart that will be the most conducive to whatever it is that you want to initiate in the future, for example such as the start of a journey, the beginning of a marriage, or the founding of a building. The retroactive application of astrological principles in order to study something that has already started at some point in the past is usually referred to as inceptional astrology, although this too involves studying an astrological chart that is set for the ‘inception’ or beginning of that venture. Originally in Hellenistic astrology both of these approaches fell under the category of katarchic astrology, from the Greek word katarche (καταρχή), the astrology of beginnings. There aren’t at lot of good contemporary manuals on electional astrology out there at the moment, so sometimes information about what to look for in a decent election can be hard to come by. Hopefully you will find these tips useful. First I want to make a few remarks though. Two Approaches to Electional Astrology The way I see it, there are basically two ways of going about doing electional astrology. The first approach is to take the basic rules that astrologers use in order to gauge the strength or weakness of certain parts of the chart, and then to invert them so that you are using the rules to select a specific moment in the future in which a chart set for that moment in time would be considered especially strong or auspicious. This approach to electional astrology relies more on traditional astrological notions about what it means for a planet to be strong or weak, dignified or debilitated, and auspicious or inauspicious. The underlying implication is that when a planet is well-placed, the areas of life associated with that planet or that part of the chart will run more smoothly. This is a notion that virtually all forms of ‘traditional’ astrology take for granted. The second approach to electional astrology is to select a chart in the future that best reflects the nature of whatever venture or undertaking you are planning to begin at that time. This approach dispenses with the traditional notion of primarily ensuring that all of the planets are stronger or more dignified in the electional chart, and instead attempts to simply find a chart where the symbolism of the planetary placements are the most evocative or congruent with what you are trying to begin at that time. Now, sometimes these two approaches can be mutually exclusive, since what is favorable in one approach is not necessarily as favorable in the other, although ideally a decent electional chart will incorporate elements from both approaches. In this list of tips we will primarily be dealing with the first approach, which focuses on selecting auspicious placements, although it is important to keep the second approach in mind as well. With these preliminary remarks out of the way, let’s get to the top 10 tips for choosing an auspicious electional chart. 1. Establish the Most Symbolically Important Beginning of the Election This is the first and sometimes most crucial step in determining any electional chart. Horoscopic astrology is founded on the principle that the future of any object, entity or venture can be determined by examining a chart cast for the moment of its birth. As a result of this underlying premise, it is crucial to figure out what the most symbolically significant moment is for the beginning of your election, and then to focus your attention on finding a suitable chart for that moment. For example, although Barack Obama was elected to be the next president of the United States on November 4, 2008, technically he does not fully become the president until he is sworn into office during the inauguration ceremony at noon on January 20th, 2009 in Washington, DC. This is the symbolically significant moment in this particular election, and a chart cast for the moment of his inauguration will reflect the nature and future of his presidency. Use this as an example when you are trying to figure out what the most symbolically significant moment is for any election that you are working on. While figuring out precisely what this moment is can sometimes be difficult in certain contexts, there is almost always a predominant moment of importance in the process of starting any new venture, and the chart for that moment will have important implications for its future. 2. Find Periods When the Planets Are Dignified The next step is to examine an ephemeris and identify certain periods in the future when one or more planets are somehow dignified. What you should be looking for primarily is planets that are either in their own sign, exaltation, or are in a mutual reception with another planet by sign. These planets will be stronger, and usually better able to affect their own significations in a way that will be beneficial or constructive with respect to your election. Start with the slower moving planets, and once you have found a period when at least one or two of them are dignified, then attempt to find a day close to that period when the Moon is also dignified. Since the Moon is the fastest of all of the ‘planets’, it usually is easier to start with the slower moving ones and then to fine tune the exact day based on her placement. This step alone will help you to narrow down your time frame, as you will notice that it is not very often that there are one or more planets that are in their own sign, exaltation, or are in a mutual reception by domicile. You should have at least one planet that is dignified in this way in the chart, as this will help to ensure the strength of at least one area of the election, although the best elections have several dignified planets. At the very least, try to avoid periods in which several of the planets are depressed, for example by being in the sign of their fall or, to a lesser extent, detriment. 3. Avoid Periods In Which Your Dignified Planets Are Afflicted in Some Way As a corollary with the second rule, try to avoid periods in which certain planets are afflicted or otherwise debilitated. While it may be nice to have Venus exalted in Pisces or Mercury in his own domicile in Gemini, if those planets are exactly opposite to Mars and Saturn then any benefits that they may receive by being dignified may be seriously hampered by the affliction that they receive from the malefics. Additionally, it is also best to avoid other periods in which the planets are debilitated, such as for example when a planet is retrograde or under the beams of the Sun (within 15 degrees of conjunction). Being retrograde can delay the manifestation of the significations of the planet, while being under the beams will make them more obscure or hidden. If you simply can’t avoid having certain planets that are retrograde or under the beams, then at least try to make it so that the retrograde planet is close to stationing direct, or the planet that is under the beams is close to making a heliacal rising. 4. Ensure that the Ruler of the Ascendant is Strongly Placed Once you have gotten to the point of narrowing down a specific date it is important to start thinking about the precise time for the election, and in order to do this you really need to focus on picking an ascendant that that is ruled by a auspicious placed planet in the chart. One of the single most important planets in any electional chart is the ruler of the ascendant. The ruler of the ascendant is the planet that will often times best characterize the nature of the election, as well as its overall success or failure. In natal astrology the ascendant itself is often characterized as pertaining to the physical body and appearance of the native, and in horary astrology the ruler of the ascendant always signifies the querent in the chart. Similarly, in electional astrology the ruler of the ascendant is the planet that is most closely associated with the election itself, as well as its general constitution and purpose. This is the planet that you should strive to find an excellent placement for in any electional chart. Set the ascendant in your electional chart so that its ruler is one of the planets that you selected earlier that is dignified and not afflicted. Whatever the strongest planet is in your electional chart, make sure that you make that planet the ruler of the ascendant. 5. Focus on Applying Aspects An important conceptual rule in electional astrology that goes back to the earliest strata of the tradition is that applying aspects indicate the future, while separating aspects indicate the past. This was originally a large part of the reason why applying and separating aspects were noted and paid close attention to in horoscopic astrology, and it is the reason why this consideration is still noted by many modern chart calculation programs today. Conceptually it makes sense because applying aspects indicate that two planets are literally moving towards each other, while separating aspects indicate that they are literally moving away from each other, or at least they are relative to completing an exact aspect with one another. The practical implications of this consideration are that the separating aspects in any electional or inception chart will describe the circumstances that led up to the election, while the applying aspects will indicate subsequent developments relative to the election once it has begun. Ideally you want the important planets in your electional chart, such as the ruler of the ascendant, to be applying to exact aspects with the benefics, Jupiter and Venus. This will indicate the expansion and stabilization of your election in the future. At the very least, try to avoid having the important planets in your electional chart applying to the malefics, as this will often lead to strife and failure with respect to your election in the future. Of course, its possible that you may very well wish to set up an election to fail at some point, in which case you would want your planets applying to the malefics, although I am outlining this list under the assumption that you are looking for tips on how to select an auspicious electional chart that will bode well for the future of a specific endeavor. If you must have some of your planets configured to the malefics in your electional chart, at least try to make it so that they are separating from exact aspects with them. 6. Carefully Consider the Applying Aspects of the Moon This is a corollary of the previous consideration, although it bears emphasizing because of the important status of the Moon in electional astrology. In electional astrology, as well as in horary for that matter, the Moon is only second in importance to the ruler of the ascendant in the chart. That is to say, the Moon is extremely important, so make sure that she is just as well-placed as the ruler of the ascendant, if not better. Because the Moon is the fastest moving of all of the bodies, she will alternate between applying and separating aspects more frequently than any of the other planets. Her applying aspects as especially important because of her special status in electional astrology though, so make sure that she is either applying to benefics or to neutral planets such as Mercury. Since the Moon moves so quickly she has a special orb of 13 degrees for applying and separating aspects, which is approximately her average daily motion. Try to make sure that she is applying to something positive within 13 degrees. Many electional texts urge you to avoid beginning new ventures when the Moon is void of course. In the Medieval tradition this was defined as a situation where the Moon is not applying to any planets before she makes an ingress into a new sign. In the Hellenistic tradition the definition of void of course was a bit different, with the Moon simply not applying to any planets within 30 degrees regardless of sign boundaries. The general notion seems to be that if the Moon isn’t applying to any planets that there is literally nothing happening in the future of that endeavor, and thus the subject of the election comes to naught. So, generally speaking, I would recommend that you have the Moon applying to another planet in your election. 7. The Moon Indicates the First Part of the Matter, its Ruler the Second This is an older rule for electional astrology that was prevalent in the early Hellenistic tradition, and although I haven’t seen it as often in the Medieval tradition, it is quite useful. The gist of the idea is that the placement and condition of the Moon will indicate the circumstances surrounding the first part of the endeavor that your election is based on, but the condition of the planet that rules the sign that the Moon is placed in will indicate the circumstances surrounding the second part or outcome of the election. Or, in more simple terms, the placement of the Moon indicates the beginning of your endeavor, and the placement of the lord of the Moon indicates the outcome. In practical terms this means that even if the Moon is really well placed, if its lord is very poorly placed then the matter will go well in the beginning but then there will be problems later on. Conversely, if the Moon is really poorly placed but its domicile ruler is really well-placed, then there will be major problems in the beginning, but later on things will be more smooth and successful. Of course, if the Moon and its lord are both in terrible condition then the endeavor will suffer problems throughout, but if they are both auspiciously placed then the subject of the election will go well from beginning to end. The take home lesson here is to pay attention to the lord of the Moon, as well as the Moon itself. This is one of the reasons why it is good to have the Moon in her own sign, because then she is her own lord, and if she is well-placed then you don’t have to worry about anything else. This is actually good advice when you are studying the condition of any planet, because even though this rule primarily relates to the Moon in electional astrology, the same rule applies to studying the condition of any planet in a chart. 8. Planets In or Ruling the House Associated With the Election Should Be Strong Although this is not possible in every election, it is important to try to determine if there is a specific house in the chart which has a close association with the subject of the election. For example, if the person is electing a chart for the start of a journey to a foreign country then this would be a 9th house matter. If it is a marriage election then it is a 7th house matter. And so on. If you are able to identify a specific house that is associated with the election then try to make sure that the planet that rules that house is well-placed, as well as any planets in that house. So, for example, if we are electing a chart for a a foreign journey then we wouldn’t want the ruler of the 9th to be in the sign of his depression, placed in the 12th house, retrograde, under the beams of the Sun, afflicted by the malefics, etc. Nor would we want to have an applying Mars-Saturn conjunction taking place in the 9th house in the electional chart. Instead, it would be better to have the ruler of the house under consideration be angular, direct in motion, in his own sign or exaltation, free from the beams of the Sun, and applying to the benefics. Placing some benefic planets in the house under consideration wouldn’t hurt either. 9. Pay Close Attention to Sect The concept of sect is important in electional astrology because it is useful for quickly identifying which planets are going to be more problematic in a chart, and conversely which planets are going to be more helpful. Sect helps to demonstrate that the malefics are not always fully malevolent, nor are the benefics always fully benevolent. It largely depends on the sect status of a planet in a given chart. Generally speaking, Saturn is not as malefic in a day chart, and Mars is not as malefic in a night chart. However, when Saturn is in a night chart, or Mars is in a day chart, these are the planets that you have to watch where you place in your electional chart, as they will be the source of some of the greatest difficulties and problems in the election. Also, Jupiter is the more of a benefic in a day chart, and Venus is the more of a benefic in a night chart. However, when they are contrary to this, they have their benefic significations restrained or downplayed somewhat. Always identify which of these two planets is acting as the more beneficent one, and then place that planet in a part of the chart that will help to support the election. For a more detailed explanation of this concept please see my previous post on the astrology of sect. 10. Put the Ruler of the Ascendant in the House Under Consideration Under certain circumstances it is advisable to place the ruler of the ascendant in the house that is in accord with the topic of your election. This goes along with the second approach to electional astrology which I mentioned earlier in the article, since this would help to ensure that the electional chart actually reflects the subject of the election. So, for example, if I was setting up an election for a trip then I would place the ruler of the 1st in the 9th house. If I was building a home I would place it in the 4th house. If I was starting a new organization or social network of some sort then I would place it in the 11th. Sometimes this approach is more about making the chart look like what you would like to achieve as a result of your new venture. So, for example, you might place the ruler of the 1st in the 2nd if your goal was to make some money. It all depends on the context of the election. Concluding Remarks and Further Reading Well, that’s it. If you keep these 10 tips in mind then you should have more than enough information in order to select an auspicious electional chart, or at least to avoid some of the major pitfalls. This isn’t a fully comprehensive list, but it is definitely enough to get you started. If you would like to learn more about electional astrology then you might be interested in signing up for my online course on electional astrology. For further reading on the subject I would recommend that you check out the 5th book of Dorotheus of Sidon’s work, which is the oldest extant text on electional astrology. Virtually all later Hellenistic and Medieval authors drew on Dorotheus’ work on elections in one way or another, so it comes highly recommended by about 2,000 years of astrologers. Or, if you would rather have someone else select an auspicious election for your new venture, check out the electional astrology consultations page on my website and we can set up an appointment. I also have a monthly podcast on electional astrology where I outline the four most auspicious electional charts I can find over the course of the next few weeks. If you have any of your own tips for electional astrology then I would love to hear from you. Let me know in the comments section below. Share this: Facebook Twitter Google Reddit Email Article tags:
Like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Sign up here. © 2015 Fearless Parent Read Part 2 — (Un)Informed Consent: What’s Going on with Merck? I’ve been dismayed by the national measles brouhaha characterized by the Four “Astroturf” Horsemen of Vaccine Hysteria: Fear, Anger, Blame, Hatred. The unvaccinated must be hunted down and punished Measles is deadly We need a federal mandate for (measles) vaccination No exemptions for anyone There’s nary a mainstream outlet that hasn’t jumped in and piled on. For a group of investigative journalists, health reporters, seasoned writers, and popular bloggers that claims to wrap themselves in the cloak of modern science, there’s precious little scientific or even analytic thinking, let alone responsible, measured discussion. It remains to be seen whether mainstream journalism will grow a spine. In the meantime, however, what concerns me is how little parents know about the combination measles, mumps & rubella vaccine (MMR). I worry about informed consent. In this post (Part One), we address the safety of the vaccine itself. In Part Two, we’ll investigate what’s going on with its manufacturer, Merck & Co. Documentation of adverse events Let’s start with the basics: Measles can travel via neurons to your brain Measles virus can present as three different forms of infection in the central nervous system. We’ve known that measles virus can travel via neuronal spread and enter the brain. It’s called “axonal transport” and it’s as fast as it sounds. What is not commonly understood, however, is that it’s not just the natural contraction of disease that’s implicated. Vaccination can carry measles virus to your brain, too. From a study in the peer-reviewed Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology: [A]ttenuated vaccine strain can traffic to the brain under conditions of poor immune surveillance. Injection of MMR vaccine can cause the live measles virus to hop a neurological bullet train to your brain. The Merck Manual acknowledges that vaccines can cause brain damage: Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain that occurs when a virus directly infects the brain or when a virus, vaccine, or something else triggers inflammation. The spinal cord may also be involved, resulting in a disorder called encephalomyelitis. The problem is that we don’t know as much as we should, given the way we vaccinate children today. This 2012 peer-reviewed summary in the journal Progress on Health Sciences makes a similar point about the neurologic adverse events following vaccination: In this study, the measles viruses were researched, but under the immunization program children also receive vaccinations with simultaneous administration of several viral components. What then occurs in the brain of a child? Presently, there are no studies in this area. Old science, you say? When it comes to informed consent on the MMR vaccine, the package insert is a good place to start. A colleague of mine calculated the average publication date of every piece of science in the package insert and came up with… 1982. We’re talking roughly 33 years ago — with some studies much older than that. Does it make you wonder… How much of today’s vaccine policy is based on yesterday’s science? Who’s responsible for updating it? Making a case for R&D? If large numbers of parents are doing this research on their own and calling for more vaccine safety studies, doesn’t this make them pro-science? Who, then, are the anti-science denialists? How about science from one month ago? This new study, “Safety of Measles-Containing Vaccines in 1-Year-Old Children,” was quietly published online on January 5, 2015 by Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Here’s the abstract and the full study. The article compares the administration of MMRV (“ProQuad”) versus MMR + Varicella (“Varivax”) separately. The authors confirm that there are more febrile seizures in children who get MMRV as a single shot than those who get MMR + V separately but on the same day. This is significant. The separation of the shots is not the only variable. In fact, the separation of the shots may not be much of a variable at all since both groups are getting all four vaccine infections simultaneously. It shouldn’t matter where on the body you inject the vaccine viruses since all four vaccine virus strains produce systemic, whole body infections, right? So why is there a difference in health outcomes (i.e., seizures and possibly other sequelae)? The vaccines are not the same. MMRV contains nearly 10 times more varicella potency than MMR + V (this is available in the package inserts). The MMRV group is getting a much higher dose. It’s the total dose of the vaccine that causes the problem. If MMR + V is safer than MMRV, then that argues that M + M + R is safer than MMR. Keep reading to find out why combination vaccines require greater viral potency. Mumps vaccine isn’t effective From 1967-1977, mumps incidence in young children plummeted following introduction of the mumps vaccine. It was nearly eliminated by 2001. Starting in 2006, however, large mumps outbreaks began occurring in vaccinated young adult populations. Possible reasons include waning immunity; a mismatch between vaccine and outbreak strains; viral competition among the M, M, R, and V components of the combination MMR II and ProQuad vaccines. Merck has been monkeying around with the mumps component of MMR while keeping the measles and rubella components stable. The antigenic material, calculated as Tissue Culture Infective Dose (TCID 50 ) units of infectious virus titer, was quadrupled to 20,000 in 1990 and then halved to 12,500 in 2007 (see then vs now). None of these changes were significant enough to invite FDA scrutiny of their lucrative vaccine monopoly. Merck may have known the vaccine wasn’t up to snuff. In 2012, two lawsuits were filed alleging that Merck has engaged in a campaign since the 1990s to hide the declining efficacy of the mumps vaccine. Two former Merck virologists say they witnessed improper testing and data falsification. Measles vaccine is cultured on human tissue The two versions of the vaccine available in the U.S. are MMR-II and MMRV. Both contain WI-38 human diploid lung fibroblasts. This is significant for several reasons: First, these cells are cultured on fetal tissue derived from terminated pregnancies (abortions). For some parents, abortion violates their religious beliefs or principles. Parents who oppose abortion and do not want these and other vaccines cultured on human diploid cells should have the right to decline these vaccines for themselves and their children. Second, injection of human biologics always carries with it the risk of both known and unexpected (“adventitious”) agents, including the possibility of viral contamination (i.e., SV40 in the polio vaccine), ERV infection (endogenous retroviruses), and DNA insertion into the host genome. Buy one, get two “free” – the history If measles vaccine is so important, why isn’t the monovalent measles vaccine available? A monovalent vaccine contains antigens from a single strain of a microorganism. Why do our children have to get vaccine targeted against three different diseases at the same time? MERCK STOPPED MAKING IT… On Christmas Eve 2008, Merck quietly announced on the American Academy of Family Physicians site that it would no longer make separate “monovalent” measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines and would instead be focusing on their combination MMR. shot. This article, which is no longer available on the AAFP, Merck, or any other “establishment” site, read as follows: Merck & Co. Inc. has stopped production and sales of its monovalent vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. The manufacturer instead plans to focus on its combination vaccine, MMRII. Merck spokeswoman Amy Rose said MMRII accounts for 98% of the company’s volume for measles, mumps and rubella vaccines… “The combination vaccine is what’s recommended, and it’s such a significant portion of the orders we see,” said Rose. “It’s in the best interest of public health to make more of that rather than dedicate manufacturing capacity to monovalents.” Rose said Merck had not decided when, or if, it might make the monovalent vaccines available for sale in the future. … THEN THEY FLIP-FLOPPED Merck received a deluge of complaints from concerned parents. The company responded that it would make them again. This commitment was also documented in this Merck Vaccines Supply Status from 7.20.09 (read the footnote). This intention was not long-lived. Perhaps Merck had just been testing the waters and determined there would be no lasting brand damage? The pharma giant quietly reneged in October 2009 with this statement: Based on input from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), professional societies, scientific leaders, and customers, Merck has decided not to resume production of ATTENUVAX® … MUMPSVAX® … and MERUVAX® II. This science-based decision will support vaccination of the largest group of appropriate individuals. Merck will continue to focus necessary resources to ensure that they can help meet current and future global public health needs… [emphasis mine] It is interesting that they chose to describe their decision as “science-based” and their focus expands far beyond our country’s borders. Merck hasn’t spoken on the matter since. I never saw any public discussion about the merits of this decision. Nearly all press related to this significant public health announcement has been removed from the internet. “NO HARM IN GETTING ALL THREE” The AAFP tried a bit of clumsy damage control: Doug Campos-Outcalt, MD, MPA., who serves as the AAFP’s liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices… said Merck’s decision was insignificant in terms of public health… [but] some parents likely will be unhappy. “The use of the single antigen is pretty limited,” he said. “There’s no harm if you need one in getting all three. There are some parents out there that want a delayed vaccine schedule. They want the vaccines spread out over a longer period of time and not so many at once. That’s a lot of hooey. Alternative schedules have never been proven to be superior.” I’d like to see the scientific support for Campos-Outcalt’s statement. Combination vaccines are associated with the lion’s share of vaccine injury compensation claims. Scientists acknowledge that combination vaccines have greater “reactogenicity” [Katkocin & Hsieh, p. 57]. Reactogencity is the property of a vaccine to produce common, expected adverse reactions (i.e., injury and death). PARENTS SPEAK UP Parents wanted the individual vaccines very badly. Some were in the process of separating the vaccines. I was contacted by dozens who were frantically calling pharmacies and children’s hospitals across the country trying to locate the last few remaining doses. I know of parents who traveled overseas with their children to obtain the individual measles vaccine. Although the monovalents are unlicensed in Britain, private clinics that offer the single vaccines do a brisk business, and parents are willing to pay out of pocket. The “Single measles jab” article in the Daily Mail says it’s not illegal to import the vaccines and names private practice doctors who can help. Demand and supply I am not arguing for measles vaccination with the monovalent vaccine. This serious, private medical decision is for parents to make. But let’s examine the logic for a moment. There are some parents who choose not to vaccinate their children with MMR or MMRV who might opt to vaccinate their children against measles if the monovalent measles vaccine were available: Maybe they agree with the World Health Organization that rubella is typically a mild, self-limited illness (and chickenpox, too). Maybe they don’t want the human fetal DNA fragments in the rubella vaccine. Maybe their child already has positive titers for mumps and/or rubella. If the stated public health goal is to prevent measles outbreaks, and vaccination is the proposed solution, why not offer the measles vaccine in all forms that parents are willing to accept? I offer three possible reasons: #1: PROFITABILITY Combination vaccines are more profitable. Exclusive reliance on combination shots results in more vaccines purchased and administered. Let’s use New Jersey’s “Minimum Immunization Requirements for School Attendance” to illustrate the point. Children born after 1/1/90 need 1 dose of mumps vaccine, 1 dose of rubella vaccine, and 2 doses of measles vaccine. Since it’s not possible to get the measles vaccine separately, children must receive 2 doses of each to meet NJ’s mandate for day care and school admission. #2: INCONVENIENT QUESTIONS Availability of both individual vaccines and the combination vaccine might prompt parents and clinicians to scrutinize differences and ask Merck some difficult questions: Q: Why is there so much more scientific literature on the safety of the individual measles vaccine and very little on the combination MMR vaccine? Q: Are you concerned about immunological interference between components of a combination vaccine? I found this statement by a Merck scientist about the challenges of making MMRV: “Numerous studies have shown that when a monovalent dose of varicella vaccine is added to an MMR vaccine the titer of antibody against varicella is reduced by about one-half. This is believed to be due to immunological interference by the measles vaccine.” Q: Can you explain this statement in the Merck’s package insert for MMR about multiple simultaneous vaccination? “Routine administration of DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) and/or OPV (oral poliovirus vaccine) concurrently with measles, mumps and rubella vaccines is not recommended because there are limited data relating to the simultaneous administration of these antigens.” [page 9] #3: WHO’S IN CONTROL? The availability of individual vaccines gives parents and clinicians greater flexibility and control over vaccine selection and timing. If sufficiently large numbers of children are vaccinated using different vaccines and schedules, it could give rise to disconcerting variations in health outcomes. Requiring all children to receive the combination vaccine takes this potential scenario off the table. *** Hundreds of millions of children have received Merck vaccines. The combination MMR is its flagship vaccine: profitable and prevalent, with exceptionally consistent and high compliance. Public confidence in vaccines is based upon trust. Parents should know that Merck has every interest in serving up a very simple narrative about vaccine safety and individual choice. It doesn’t mean that all parents will choose not to vaccinate. It does mean that they have to work hard to get the information they deserve. Next up: Part 2 in our series on (Un)Informed Consent and the Measles, Mumps & Rubella Vaccine. What’s Going On with Merck?
‘Harry’, the biography of IRA Forties man, Harry White, as told to Uinsean MacEoin, is one of those books about the republican movement’s armed wing more talked about than read. There is a reason for that. The book, which was first published in 1985, is out of print and available copies are as rare as snow in August. There is a theory, undoubtedly aprocryphal, that so irate was the IRA leadership at the mass divulging of secrets by Harry White that they bought up and pulped all available copies. Whatever the truth, ‘Harry’ is exceedingly difficult to get hold of. I’ve been searching for it for years with no success but in the last few weeks I found an American bookshop with one copy for sale. I can assure you it is a great read and gives a fascinating insight into the IRA’s 1939-1940 English bombing campaign and the state of the IRA in the 1940’s. These were the men who, in their old age, protested against the left-wing direction taken by the Goulding IRA, effectively beginning the split of 1969 and then saw the new Provisional IRA they had been widwives to, develop into a fighting force, the strength and ferocity of which they could never have imagined in their own heyday. This was also the IRA which saw members of the Adams’ family, pre-Gerry the MP and TD, on active service. Father, Gerry Snr. was, at age 16 1/2, arrested in 1942 after he wounded a policeman in the foot and was himself wounded twice. He was then jailed for eight years and served five. Uncle Dominic, as a new book on the IRA’s 1939 campaign alleges, played an important role in the 1939 bombing campaign in England and stands accused of being the mastermind behind the August 1939 bicycle bombing in Coventry which claimed five innocent, civilian lives. Another uncle, Paddy, was OC of IRA prisoners in Crumlin Road for a while. Harry White also happens to be the uncle of Danny Morrison, for so long P O’Neill during the years of the Adams’ leadership. If you look at the first extract from ‘Harry’ reproduced below you will see a reference to a secret line of communication to IRA prisoners in Crumlin Road jail which was run from a general shop on the Falls Road owned by Danny’s mother Susan and his aunt Cathleen. In exchange for extra wartime rations of candy, a prison warder was happy to ferry messages back and forth between IRA prisoners and their leaders. The authorities never discovered the line. So many of the names recounted in ‘Harry’ are familiar from the later Provo campaign, compelling evidence that being in the IRA was often something handed down from father to son. Except what made the Provisional IRA so much deadlier than the Forties men was the fact that a whole new generation, unconnected to the IRA of the past, were persuaded to join up after August 1969. One other episode in ‘Harry’ jumped out at me and it raises the question of when precisely did the IRA begin ‘disappearing’ informers or other miscreants whose deeds they would rather keep quiet. Was Jean McConville part of long, disreputable tradition? Aside from documented instances of revenge and unauthorised disappearances of West Cork Protestants and Anglo-Irish luminaries carried out after the Truce by the IRA in that area, the conventional history of the period does not describe any other instances of ‘disappearances’ during the conflict with the British. However in 2013 claims that the IRA of the Anglo-Irish war era disappeared up to 200 informers were made by Trinity history professor Eunan O’Halpin. In 2014, as this brokenelbow post recounts, the claim was repeated by Gerry Adams who suggested that the Provisional IRA was therefore no different, morally speaking, from the creators of the modern Irish state and in fact could be said to be superior in that regard since it has made efforts to recover the lost bodies whereas the IRA of Collins and de Valera did not. O’Halpin’s and Adams’ assertions have, however, been – as I put it in that post – ‘comprehensively’ and ‘brutally’ dismissed by journalism academic and Sinn Fein activist, Niall Meehan. You can read his response to O’Halpin on that brokenelbow post. So what is the truth? Harry White gives a detailed account of the court martial of a Belfast man accused of betraying arms dumps to the RUC. The man is found guilty – justifiably so according to White – and is sentenced to death. The execution is planned. As White writes it: “He was supposed to be taken out then and shot and buried on the mountain.” The court martial had taken place in Swatragh in south Derry. Harry, who had eaten some tainted meat was ill and lying in bed in a nearby cottage, waiting to hear the fateful shot. But nothing. Eventually the would-be executioners arrive back with an excuse. There had been a bad frost overnight and the ground was too hard to dig a grave, they said. It soon become clear to Harry however, that the executioners had lost their nerve and in the face of the condemned man’s protestations of innocence could not bring themselves to do the deed. A few days later however, after a flight from the RUC, the accused man’s body was found floating in a river. There doesn’t seem much doubt that the group headed by Harry White intended to bury the accused informer in an anonymous grave on a mountainside somewhere in south Derry. If the intention was to later tell his family where to locate the remains, then he does not say so. In the absence of anything written to the contrary one can only assume that this was a ‘disappearance’ Jean McConville-style. What is striking about Harry White’s account of this episode is its matter-of-fact tone. If this was the first time since the 1920’s that the IRA had ‘disappeared’ someone then there is nothing in his prose to suggest that, no comment, no surprise, no explanation. It is therefore difficult not to conclude that ‘disappearing’ people and the IRA were not strangers to each other long before Jean McConville.
Governments do it, companies do it, criminals do it. But in recent years some of the highest profile computer hacks have come from so-called hacktivist groups. Each week hackers target a new organisation or government website. Many of these hacker activists claim to belong to the amorphous group known as Anonymous or an off-shoot of it. Their aim? To wrest control of the internet from states and big corporations and give it back to the people. Or simply to have fun. The FBI, the Metropolitan police, the US Senate, Sony, PayPal and Visa have been some of the highest profile victims of the hackers. More often than not the attacks come in the form of DOS, or denial of service, attacks - effectively flooding websites with requests so that they crash. In some cases the hackers have managed to steal personal and financial records from the organisations and then post them online. Sometimes the reason given by the hackers for these attacks is as a response to official actions taken against Wikileaks or attempts by the authorities to close down certain websites, such as free music download sites. The FBI and police have had some success in tracking down some of the hackers - many of them just teenagers. In "The Hackers" Simon Cox delves into the strange world of hacktivism, as he tracks down some of these hackers and speaks to those trying to catch them. Show less
One of the founders of the Pirate Bay, the most popular file sharing website in the world, has seen his prison conditions modestly improve after more than 100,000 people signed a petition asking authorities to allow books and other basic conveniences. Gottfrid Svartholm, who is also known as Anakata, is currently awaiting trial in Denmark for charges related to hacking into the Danish social security database, driver’s license database, and an IT system belonging to the CSC Corporation. Svartholm, who was one of the three founders of the Pirate Bay along with Peter Sunde and Fredrik Neij, filed a failed appeal with the Swedish authorities and was extradited to Denmark in November. He has spent much of the time since in solitary confinement, in part because prison officials were reportedly afraid he would try to transmit secret information with other people. TorrentFreak now reports that those conditions have begun to loosen, partly because of an online petition that attracted more than 105,000 signatures from around the world, with that number jumping by tens of thousands every few days. It is addressed to Denmark’s prime minister and asks for Svartholm’s release, yet also made the more realistic request of giving him something to read. “During his incarceration in Sweden Anakata began to take some advanced mathematical courses in order to increase his education and to give him something to do during his detention there,” the petition said. “As of now, prison authorities have left him without access to any type of reading material. He is now allowed to have newspapers, magazines, books that are in the prison library, or his books that were brought with him during extradition. Since his arrival he has received no letters, only a handful of postcards.” "With only 9 hours a week of contact outside of his isolation cell, reading and educational materials are important for anakata. He is a computer genius and it is important for not only mental but physical health to keep a mind active," it said. His mother Kristina told TorrentFreak she once sent him a magazine only to have it denied because the guards were worried it may contain hidden information. “One of the magazines that Gottfrid subscribes to it ‘The Economist.’ I get his copy at my home address every week, wrapped in plastic, directly from the publishers,” she said. “According to the police officer in charge, this magazine could contain ‘secret messages’ and he therefore has to check it and read it before handing it over.” Svartholm faces six years in prison if found guilty, although a Swedish court found him guilty in an unrelated hacking case and sentenced to two years in prison there. TorrentFreak confirmed that he is now allowed to have a maximum of ten books in his cell at a time. He may also leave his cell and socialize with others, although his visitation time does not exceed one hour a week. “The petition must have put a tremendous pressure on them,” Svartholm’s mother added. “Gottfrid is now allowed to have a PlayStation 2 in his cell. He has bought one from the prison service, but he is still waiting for his order of a memory card so he can save games, and a second-hand controller so he can play with fellow inmates.”
Junior Bailey Clark will toe the rubber for the Blue Devils in Friday's season opener against Toledo downtown at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. After making the ACC tournament in 2014, Duke struggled with inconsistency last season. Although the Blue Devils started the year off strong and finished with several signature wins, a seven-game losing streak ultimately cost them an invite back to the ACC tournament. Just nine games into Duke’s 2016 campaign, the squad is trying to get back on track once again. After winning four of their first five games, the Blue Devils suffered two consecutive defeats last weekend. Although Duke rebounded against Davidson Tuesday, they fell again Wednesday night on the road, scrapping together just four hits in a 5-1 loss at Campbell. But the Blue Devils will have an opportunity to rebound when they return to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for a three-game weekend series against Toledo. Duke’s starting pitching rotation will feature its three top aces, with junior right-hander Bailey Clark beginning the series Friday at 6 p.m. Southpaw Trent Swart will start Saturday at 5 p.m, and Cornell transfer Brian McAfee will close out the slate on the mound Sunday at 1 p.m. The series marks the beginning of a long home stretch, during which the Blue Devils will play 12 consecutive games at the DBAP and try to piece together their most dangerous lineup with the start of ACC play on the horizon. “We’re still looking at different lineup combinations,” Pollard said. “This gives us one more weekend to look at some different lineup combinations, to get some guys some reps and to get some guys into the game that haven’t been in there yet because of injuries.” Pollard said he expects sophomore Ryan Day—who has been nursing a hamstring injury—to return against the Rockets. Although the Blue Devils’ starting pitching rotation features mostly juniors and seniors, Duke’s batting lineup has at times included four freshmen and five sophomores, with mixed results. Freshmen outfielder Jimmy Herron and shortstop Zack Kone lead the Blue Devils with .368 and .358 batting averages among Blue Devils with at least 15 at-bats, and sophomore centerfielder Evan Dougherty has a team-high three home runs and seven RBIs. But despite the early success of some of Duke’s youngest hitters, they are continuing to search for consistency at the plate. Dougherty hit three home runs and Herron and sophomore Max Miller added a combined five hits in Duke’s 8-1 win against Ohio State Feb. 26. But just a day later in a 1-0 loss to Liberty, the Blue Devils (5-4) failed to capitalize when they put men aboard in the three final innings, including loading the bases in the eighth. Duke was held to just five hits against the Flames, with sophomore Peter Zyla notching two and Dougherty picking up a single. The Blue Devil offense came alive against Davidson, pushing across a season-high nine runs, five of which came in the first inning. But the next evening, Duke once again failed to take advantage of several opportunities when they had runners in scoring position against Campbell. Pollard attributes his squad’s inconsistency and mistakes to youth, and said that practice time and repetition will help Duke become more consistent as the season continues. “It takes patience to allow guys room to grow. We spent a lot of time in practice today talking about how Campbell pitched us last night and the adjustments that some guys could have made to adapt to that,” Pollard said. “But those things will correct themselves with experience. We have to be patient with them and give them an opportunity to get out there and get experience…and understand that we have to live with some mistakes as these guys grow as players.” Duke’s batters will try to get back on track against Toledo’s weekend starting pitchers Steve Calhoun, Ross Achter and Sam Schutes. Calhoun is a 6-foot-7 left-hander who is 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA. Achter—another southpaw—has two losses with an ERA north of 6.00, and Schutes sports a 4.50 ERA. The Rockets (1-6-1) have struggled in their first eight games with losses against Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Niagara. Although Toledo tied the Buckeyes in their second meeting of a two-game series played in Vero Beach, Fla., and then defeated Charlotte, the Rockets are currently on a three-game losing streak as they head to Durham. Toledo has relied on home runs and extra base hits to threaten opposing defenses and pitchers. Infielder Dan Zuchowski leads the Rockets’ main lineup with 10 hits in 30 at-bats and owns one of the Rockets' seven round-trippers so far this season. Pollard said that because the Rockets have to deal with the colder temperatures and snow up north, they have likely practiced mostly inside, and will improve as the weather warms up. “The biggest thing that jumps out is that they have a lot of power. And obviously the DBAP is a ballpark that is conducive to power,” Pollard said. “They’re a good club. They’re a team that will get better every time that they’re out. At times, that can make for a scary club to play.”
China's Sui Wenjing (Top) and Han Cong perform during the pairs short program of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017 in Helsinki, Finland, on March 29, 2017. Sui and Han took the first place of the short program with 81.23 points. (Xinhua/Liu Lihang) HELSINKI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China topped the pairs short program on Wednesday at the World Figure Skating Championships 2017 here. The Chinese pair, silver medalists last year, scored 81.23 points. German pair Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot finished second with 79.84 while Russians Evgenia Tarasova and Valdimir Morozov on third with 79.37 points. The other Chinese pair Duo Xiaoyu Yu and Hao Zhang placed fourth with 75.23 points. The defending champions, Canadian pair Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, were unexpectedly listed at the 7th place. The World Figure Skating Championships 2017 is held at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki. A total of 193 players from 36 members of the International Skating Union have been qualified for the championships.
The indie production company Ozymandias Media is asking for help to fund a documentary looking at the issue of police killing dogs. They've just launched a Kickstarter campaign with a compelling eight minute preview, which you can watch below. (Disclosure: I'm interviewed in the preview, and would presumably appear in the documentary. I also plan to donate. But that's the extent of my involvement in the project.) I've written quite a bit on this problem. It has become something of a pet issue. (Sorry. This post needed a little levity.) It's difficult to say for certain if these shootings are happening more frequently, or if we're just more aware of them now because of social media and the ubiquity of smart phone and surveillance cameras. There's just no comprehensive data on cops shooting dogs. But several older police officers I interviewed for my recent book told me they're shocked by how often they're seeing these stories. Some said they couldn't recall a single such incident over the course of their careers in which they or a colleague had no choice but to kill a dog. Last year, J.L. Greene and I looked at 24 cop-shoots-dog cases from recent news reports. We called the relevant police agency from each story to inquire about whether officers at those agencies receive any training on how to interact with dogs. Groups like the Humane Society and ASPCA offer such training to any police department in the country -- training on topics like how to read a dog's body language, how to distract an aggressive dog, and more generally how to handle interactions with dogs without killing them. Of the 13 police agencies that returned our calls, just one said they offered anything of the sort. Contrast that to the U.S. Postal Service, which gives its mail carriers regular training on interacting with animals. A U.S.P.S. spokesman also told me that there are vanishing few dog attacks on postal workers that require hospitalization. But this is about more than just a lack of training. The former law enforcement officer interviewed in the preview video below blames pet owners and the lack of training, but puts little blame on the officers who are actually killing these dogs. There's a particularly striking moment in the video where he says that most cops don't want to kill dogs, "But they have no other choice, because nobody's told them anything different than to just shoot the dog." Think about that for a moment. He's essentially saying that for some cops, the default reaction is to kill at the slightest provocation -- that they need to be told not to kill if we expect them to show restraint. I can certainly conceive of some scenarios in which a large, aggressive, unchained dog might post a legitimate threat to a police officer (although, as the Kickstarter page points out, the number of documented cases in which a police officer was killed by a dog is approximately zero). But we've recently seen stories of cops killing leashed dogs, fenced dogs, chained dogs, dogs captured on restraint poles, and dogs that, at worst, are capable of inflicting a minor break in the flesh. In just the last few years, cops have killed chihuahuas, Jack Russell terriers, dachshunds, and countless other small breeds. In nearly all of these cases, the officers' actions were later determined to have been justified. When police departments don't give any training on dog interaction, and then decide that dog shootings are justified based only on officers' subjective statement that he feared for his safety (regardless of whether or not that fear was rational), the inevitable result is that any incident of any cop shooting any dog will always be considered justified. For pet owners, this comes off as a pretty callous. Officer safety -- protection even from irrational, perceived threats of minor injuries from small dogs -- will always justify an officer's decision to kill the family pet. In an interview with me for my book, Norm Stamper, the former police chief of Seattle and a 28-year cop, said he thinks the phenomenon began with a legitimate problem -- that some drug dealers use vicious, powerful dogs to guard their supply -- but that it has since gotten way out of hand. Or, put another way, it's yet another unintended consequence of the drug war. "Among other things, it really shows a lack of imagination. These guys think that the only solution to a dog that’s yapping or charging is shooting and killing it. That’s all they know. It goes with this notion that police officers have to control every situation, to control all the variables. That’s an awesome responsibility, and if you take it on, you’re caving to delusion. You no longer exercise discrimination or discretion. You have to control, and the way you control is with authority, power, and force. With a dog, the easiest way to take control is to simply kill it. I mean, especially if there are no consequences for doing so.” In a separate interview, Stamper added, "I think all of this drug-war imagery has produced a mentality that didn't used to exist. It's 'I'm part of a war, I have a mission, and nothing is going to get in the way of me completing that mission.' You're kicking down doors, barging in with guns, and when animals do what animals do, they become collateral damage. Too many officers have gotten rather callous about it, I'm afraid." Former drug cop Russ Jones put it more bluntly: "I guess somewhere along the line a cop shot a dog under questionable circumstances and got away with it. Word got out, and now it seems like some cops are just looking for reasons to take a shot at a dog. Maybe it just comes down to that -- we can get away with it, therefore we do it.” Judging from the preview, the documentary looks like it will be probing and critical, but fair enough to give law enforcement sources the opportunity to present their side of the issue. If this is an issue that troubles you, you might consider making a donation to fund the effort to bring it to a larger audience. A warning, though: The video below contains graphic video of law enforcement officers shooting dogs. It's terribly disturbing. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to give my dog a hug.
Israeli Christians are enrolling in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at a record pace. There could be as many as 200 in 2016. Around 48 Christian youths attended a seminar on Tuesday, including two young women. International Business Times reported the seminar educated the recruits on “military preparation” along with “a leadership course.” “They arrive with very high motivation for military service,” explained IDF Col. Pini Gonen, adding: Just last week Jennifer, an Arab Christian soldier, was selected for exceptional performance in a course operating [the] Iron Dome [missile defense system]. She also finished basic training with exceptional ratings. I believe that the number of recruits will rise. Already today you can see [Christian] officers at the rank of major in the teleprocessing branch, [the] navy, and other units. Even more senior rankings are just a matter of time. IDF witnessed a rise in Christian youths in late 2013 when 84 Arab Christians joined. Christian enrollment went up to 100 in 2014. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded and celebrated the Christian soldiers in December at an Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum. “We are brothers, we are partners – Christians and Jews and Druze and Muslims who defend the State of Israel,” he told the recruits. The Islamic State’s (ISIS/ISIL) elimination of Christians in Syria and Iraq also motivated the Israeli Christian to pick up arms. In March, Israel Today reported that a young Christian soldier explained on Facebook “why he and so many young Israeli Christians” join IDF:
BotW Guide: Giant Horse For those who want to live large in the saddle and need to find their ride. This is a guide to locate a unique mount in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. If you’re aiming to tame this mega-horse it’s highly recommended: that you activate the Tower in the Nautelle Wetlands, unlock the Owa Daim or Ka'o Makagh Shrines, have sneak boosting clothes (Sheikah outfit) or elixir (Sunset Firefly+Keese Eyeball) as well as several stamina refilling foods (Staminoka Bass, Apple+Courser Bee Honey) on you. In-game this mount is first mentioned at the Highland Stable by Perosa. Perosa reveals that a giant horse lives in the Toabab Grassland, which is located northeast of the stable if you want to ride there. However, fast-traveling to the Owa Diam Shrine than paragliding south from the cliffs of Mount Faloraa cliffs is an even faster trip. Be aware that if you do take the paragliding option, on the road to Highland Stables are two very strong enemies, Lynels, that can move fast and attack at range. You’ll have to ride the giant horse back that way, so keep possible route safety in mind for that future trip. Once you make it to the Toabab Grassland there’s a specific location in front of six normal-sized horses that the giant horse stands. Look for the one with a dark body and orange mane and tail. Depending on your angle of approach either down your sneak elixir and creep towards it from behind or scale a tree and paraglide over- until you can get on its back. Like all mounts you’ll have to sooth it with L, be sure to consume restoring elixirs or food when your stamina approaches red. It’ll take a bit more than two stamina wheels worth of stamina to tame it. Even after the giant horse stops trying to buck you off, it’ll fight your lead. Best soothe it the moment it moves against your will and also when it’s obeying your commands. If you do that its bond with you will grow quickly during the ride from Taobab Grasslands to Highland Stable. For the quickest bond boost, dismount and repeatedly hold food items like Apples for it to eat. Once at the stable you’ll see these stats: 5 stars Strength, 2 star Speed, — Stamina. The giant horse has the maximum strength out of the register-able mounts. While it isn’t very fast, because of size its trot is as fast as a 3 star speeds gallop, despite only having 2 stars in speed. Once it reaches top speed it’ll maintain that speed. It also has a unique bridle and saddle. Enjoy living large with your king-sized horse!
Bug Description == Impact == It was impossible to launch a gnome-session-based desktop on a system where hardware accelerations is not available (such as old hardware, or when using a remote desktop). That looks like a quite popular use case — more than a hundred of people marked this bug as affecting them. == Test Case == The original bug description below contains a test case. == Proposed Fix == The fix backports an upstream commit which adds --disable- acceleration- check commandline option, and makes Upstart user session pass that flag to gnome-session when the session is gnome-fallback (aka gnome-flashback -metacity) . Of course, that option can be used with other sessions as well. This was fixed in vivid in version 3.14.0-2ubuntu4. == Regression Potential == The option was accepted upstream, and nobody complained so far. So the regression potential should be low. This bug will cause static grey or black screen instead of opening remote session using Forwarded- X/XRDP/ VNC/NX/ X2GO/Chromoting from x2goclient, rdpclient( reminna/ vinagre/ mstsc), SSH, VNC, NOMACHINE and etc. == Original Description == 1) lsb_release -rd Description: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Release: 14.04 2) apt-cache policy gnome-session gnome-session: Installed: 3.9.90-0ubuntu12 Candidate: 3.9.90-0ubuntu12 Version table: *** 3.9.90-0ubuntu12 0 500 http:// us.archive. ubuntu. com/ubuntu/ trusty/main amd64 Packages 100 /var/lib/ dpkg/status 3) What is expected to happen is when one installs xrdp on the host and attempts to use remmina or vinagre on a Ubuntu 14.04 client to RDP in, it works. 4) What happens instead is it shows a gray static screen as per attached screenshot. This would appear an issue with gnome-session as per client log: cat .xsession- errors. old Script for ibus started at run_im. Script for auto started at run_im. Script for default started at run_im. init: indicator- application main process ended, respawning init: indicator- application main process ended, respawning init: indicator- application respawning too fast, stopped Xsession: X session started for at Sun Jul 20 15:25:59 CDT 2014 X Error of failed request: BadValue (integer parameter out of range for operation) Major opcode of failed request: 109 (X_ChangeHosts) Value in failed request: 0x5 Serial number of failed request: 6 Current serial number in output stream: 8 localuser:moniker being added to access control list X Error of failed request: BadValue (integer parameter out of range for operation) Major opcode of failed request: 109 (X_ChangeHosts) Value in failed request: 0x5 Serial number of failed request: 6 Current serial number in output stream: 8 Script for ibus started at run_im. Script for auto started at run_im. Script for default started at run_im. Script for ibus started at run_im. Script for auto started at run_im. Script for default started at run_im. gnome-session- is-accelerated: No composite extension. gnome-session- check-accelerat ed: Helper exited with code 256 gnome-session- is-accelerated: No composite extension. gnome-session- check-accelerat ed: Helper exited with code 256 ** (process:2565): WARNING **: software acceleration check failed: Child process exited with code 1 ** (x-session- manager: 2565): CRITICAL **: We failed, but the fail whale is dead. Sorry.... The following is not a WORKAROUND, create /etc/xorg.conf : Section "Device" Identifier "Intel Graphics" Driver "Intel" Option "DRI" "False" EndSection ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04 Package: gnome-session 3.9.90-0ubuntu12 ProcVersionSign ature: Ubuntu 3.13.0- 32.57-generic 3.13.11.4 Uname: Linux 3.13.0-32-generic x86_64 ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.2 Architecture: amd64 CurrentDesktop: Unity Date: Sun Jul 20 15:35:23 2014 InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-06-22 (28 days ago) InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140417) PackageArchitec ture: all SourcePackage: gnome-session UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
Coinciding with the historic Paris climate change agreement, sporting goods giant adidas has shown off its new sneakers. Made of a combination of plastic found in the ocean, recycled polyester, and fishing nets, these sustainable shoes were 3D printed. For now, they’re just a prototype, but this collaborative effort with Parley for the Oceans shows what can be done with all the man-made waste drifting in our seas. 3D printing these days is incredibly advanced, with medical scientists even able to print 3D heart structures using off-the-shelf technology, so it should come as no surprise that the midsoles of a pair of sneakers can be manufactured using this process. Earlier this year, adidas and Parley for the Oceans showcased a shoe made entirely from recycled ocean plastic and illegal, deep-sea gillnets. The 3D-printed midsole is the new development being showcased this month; it is an offshoot of adidas’ Futurecraft 3D, a technique of 3D-printing midsoles designed to suit the need of any specific individual. Image credit: The 3D-printed midsole. Adidas “World leaders forging an agreement is wonderful, but we shouldn't need to be told to do the right thing,” Eric Liedtke, adidas Group Executive Board member responsible for Global Brands, said in a statement, referring to COP21. “The industry can't afford to wait for directions any longer. Together with the network of Parley for the Oceans, we have started taking action and creating new sustainable materials and innovations for athletes.” Parley for the Oceans is an organization that seeks to permanently end ocean plastic pollution. Through education and activism, they hope to use high-profile projects like this to draw attention to the detrimental effects that humanity is having on the world’s marine environments. Adidas is a founding member of the group. Plastic is, for the most part, not biodegradable. If it makes its way into the ocean, it will remain there for an extremely long time. Plastic bags take up to 20 years to decompose, whereas a plastic beverage bottle takes up to 450 years. Humanity has flushed and dumped so much plastic into the sea that it is accumulating at an astonishing rate in huge whirlpools known as “gyres.” Two in the North Pacific, for example, are collectively called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – appropriately named, as it contains enough surface plastic to spread out across an area roughly twice that of the continental United States, by some estimates. This trash represents a huge threat to marine life, which can become entangled in or consume the stuff.
The People’s Deputy Anton Gerashchenko is ready to register a bill to supplement the Criminal Code that suggests to impose criminal liability up to 5 years for the denial of “Russian aggression”. “In order to protect the information space of Ukraine from Murayev’s activity and to use the force of law, today I signed a bill to supplement the Criminal Code of Ukraine with Article 442-1, which I suggest to impose criminal liability (up to 5 years of imprisonment) for public denial of the fact of the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine. Tomorrow I will register this bill in the Verkhovna Rada and I suggest to put it on the agenda,” wrote Gerashchenko on his page on Facebook. Gerashchenko noted that currently statements denying the fact of “Russian aggression” aren’t punishable under law. “Murayev and those similar to him publicly repeatedly deny the fact of Russian aggression, they call the situation with the occupation of a part of Donbass by Russia a civil war, thus implementing the media agenda of Russian propaganda. From the point of view of the law statements such as the one made by Murayev and those similar to him aren’t punishable. They are covered by freedom of speech and pluralism of opinions. Yes, indeed, Article 34 of the Constitution of Ukraine guarantees freedom of thought and speech, the right to the free expression of views and beliefs. However, this same article provides the possibility of restriction via the law for the benefit of national security, territorial integrity, public morals,” said Gerashchenko. He noted that “in many countries of the world there is criminal liability for public denial of the Holocaust. And it isn’t considered an infringement of freedom of speech and freedom of thought”. As a reminder, earlier the People’s Deputy Evgeny Murayev in the “Ukrainian Format” program called the “Revolution of Dignity” a coup d’etat. The present people’s deputies considered it an insult and left the studio. Translated by Ollie Richardson and Angelina Siard
Pope Benedict’s surprise resignation has set off a frenzy of speculation as to who the next pope will be and what changes he might bring to Catholicism. Benedict was well-known as an enforcer of orthodoxy, cracking down harshly on nuns, supporters of same-sex marriage and other progressive factions within the church, and the beleaguered liberals in Catholicism are hoping that the next pope will bring a change of direction. However, the odds of this are slim. All of the cardinals who’ll elect the next pope were chosen by either Ratzinger or John Paul II, making it almost certain that they’ll choose someone with virtually identical views. One of the current front-runners (according to the bookies, because apparently people place bets on this) is Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, who’s expressed his support for African laws that make homosexuality illegal, and who’s said that wearing a rainbow sash should be grounds for denial of Communion. For the record, I think it’s extremely unlikely that they’re going to pick someone who isn’t a white European male, but we’ll see soon enough how I do with that prediction. But all the debates and speculation have brought to light a surprisingly common delusion: the belief among many Catholic liberals that they can influence this process, that they have some kind of say in the governance of the church. Even before the pope’s resignation, there was evidence of this belief. Take Tony Flannery, a liberal Irish priest who’s been ordered by the Vatican to stay silent for the rest of his life unless he would sign a sworn a statement promising never again to challenge church teachings about contraception, homosexuality or the all-male priesthood. Flannery has refused to agree to this (meaning his excommunication is probable), and in his public statements, appears to believe that this violates some rule of due process, that the church owes him a trial or a chance to defend himself: He believes the church’s treatment of him, which he described as a “Spanish Inquisition-style campaign,” is symptomatic of a definite conservative shift under Pope Benedict XVI. “I have been writing thought-provoking articles and books for decades without hindrance,” he said. “This campaign is being orchestrated by a secretive body that refuses to meet me. Surely I should at least be allowed to explain my views to my accusers.” About the statement he’s been asked to swear to, he says: “How can I put my name to such a document when it goes against everything I believe in,” he said… “If I signed this, it would be a betrayal not only of myself but of my fellow priests and lay Catholics who want change.” Except that it doesn’t go against everything he believes in – because he’s a Catholic priest. That’s supposed to mean he believes in the authority of the Pope as God’s representative on Earth who can issue infallible proclamations about doctrine and morals. That’s part of the definition of a priest. If he doesn’t believe that, then he must have gone through the rite of ordination under false pretenses. On the same note, the author Anne Rice posted on Twitter the other day encouraging ordinary Catholics to contact the Vatican and to voice their opinions about who the next pope should be, in the apparent belief that the church welcomes or would listen to or heed such feedback: I hope Catholics everywhere speak up and out as the church ponders a new pope. Talk to Rome! Offer your wisdom… Like Flannery, Anne Rice seems to think that lay Catholics have a voice in the church’s governance, or that, if they don’t have one, they’re owed one. But common sense ought to tell against this: the hierarchy has never given the slightest regard to what ordinary people think. The church’s absolute prohibition on birth control is almost unanimously ignored by lay Catholics. The prohibition of divorce is also widely disregarded. Marriage equality for same-sex couples now enjoys majority support in the U.S. and elsewhere, and is becoming the norm even in historical strongholds of Catholicism like Spain and Portugal, in defiance of the Vatican’s wishes. If the church cared what its members thought, it would long since have abolished the teachings that a vast majority of them refuse to accept. Instead, if anything, the Vatican has redoubled its insistence that agreeing with everything it teaches is essential to Catholic faith. Along the same lines, Salon asked its Catholic and ex-Catholic readers to provide their “wish list” for the new pope, eliciting suggestions about lifting the ban on contraception, allowing women and married men to be priests, and other sensible, rational measures that will never happen. Catholic gay-rights advocates also hope for positive change, although in most cases their optimism is tempered by realism. E.J. Dionne even ludicrously imagined the possibility of choosing a female pope. In one sense, this misguided hope is a sign of humanity’s moral progress. Ideas about democracy, about human rights, about accountability, and about equality have become so widely accepted, most people now expect that every institution they participate in will respect them. This is normally a good thing, but there are times when that democratic optimism runs smack into a brick wall of reality, and this is one of them. Although liberal and progressive Catholics may be well-intentioned, they’re acting as if they don’t understand what it is they’ve signed up for. The Roman Catholic church is not a democracy. The church hierarchy isn’t elected, doesn’t have any checks or balances, and it doesn’t solicit or care about the opinions of ordinary churchgoers as to how things should be run. On the contrary, the Catholic church is an absolute monarchy! It’s run by a dictator-for-life who’s not accountable to anyone, who can’t be overruled, and who effectively chooses his own successor. In the U.S., the president is formally chosen not by popular vote, but by a majority of the Electoral College, although the electors are supposed to vote in accordance with the popular vote in their state. But now imagine if the electors didn’t have to pay any attention to the popular vote, and imagine if the president, during his term in office, could handpick the electors who’d choose the next president after him. Now you get some idea of how governance works in the Catholic church. Because the hierarchy is self-perpetuating, it has no accountability and no need to pay attention to outside criticism. The only influence that ordinary Catholics can exert, the only way they can signal their disapproval, is through the indirect route of no longer attending services or giving money. Anything else, the church can and will take as support for their current political program. The church was born in an era of empires and monarchies, and it modeled its leadership on the societies of the time. But while all those empires have fallen and those monarchies have become democracies, the church has stayed mired in the past, clinging to the medieval model of one absolute ruler who makes the decisions for everyone. If ordinary Catholics are surprised or dismayed to realize this, it’s only because they made the mistaken assumption that moral progress within the church has kept pace with moral progress in the wider world.
Several people on Facebook drew my attention to a misleading press release about Joseph Atwill, who is listed there as a “Biblical scholar,” even though there is no evidence that he has relevant qualifications or research to his name. His view is similar to ones that have been discussed on this blog before. The press release claims “ancient confessions recently uncovered now prove, according to Atwill, that the New Testament was written by first-century Roman aristocrats and that they fabricated the entire story of Jesus Christ.” That such claims were recently uncovered by someone who is not a historian of the ancient world is unlikely to turn out to be true. Even when scholars come into possession of allegedly new and exciting sources, they sometimes turn out to be fakes. I suspect that this sensationalism will turn out to be nothing other than yet another attempt to promote his self-published book Caesar’s Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus:Flavian Signature Edition – and launch another one . For some reason, Jerry Coyne is also still peddling mythicism , history’s version of creationism. It just illustrates that someone can be a defender of our best scholarly conclusions in one area and cast them aside in another. I wonder whether he’ll jump on Atwill’s bandwagon. When people make sensationalist claims, and when people believe them only to be disappointed, it just makes the work of scholars that much harder, as we try to come up with scholarly reconstructions, float new ideas to their peers, critically evaluate evidence, and offer nuanced conclusions.
President Obama promised Friday there would be “costs” if Russia moved troops into Ukraine, but he didn’t specify what those costs might be. Sen. John McCain has several suggestions for Obama, including the sanctioning of high-level Russian officials; restarting missile defense plans in Eastern Europe; and bringing Georgia, a former Soviet republic, into NATO. McCain plans to push from the Congressional side, he told The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview Saturday evening. McCain wants the administration to expand its threat to pull out of the G8 Summit in Sochi scheduled for June. That limited move is unlikely to convince Putin to give up his control of Crimea, where Russia has its 15,000-man strong Black Sea Fleet and where unmarked but Russian-controlled paramilitary troops control the two main airports. “I think Obama’s threat is laughable,” McCain said. “But I think we ought to do it and every other international gathering of leaders, because the one thing that Putin enjoys is strutting on the international stage.” McCain added that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- who inaugurated the Obama administration’s “reset” of relations with Russia in 2009 -- had totally misjudged Russia. “Of course she got it wrong,” said McCain. “She believed that somehow there would be a reset with a guy who was a KGB colonel who always had ambitions to restore the Russian empire. That’s what this is all about.” Next, McCain wants the administration to more broadly apply a law that enables the U.S. government to sanction Russian officials guilty of human rights violations. The Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law and Accountability Act, which Obama signed into law in 2012, has so far only been used against low-level Russian officials. But McCain said that if top Russian officials were involved in the decision to send troops into Ukraine, they should be added to the list as well, which would subject them to visa bans, asset freezes, and international scorn. “We must consider legislation to respond to this,” McCain said. “The Magnitsky bill can be expanded for holding people responsible for these acts of aggression.” Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking Republican Bob Corker also called Saturday for targeted sanctions against senior Russian officials. McCain said additional economic sanctions against Russia writ large were also called for. After that, McCain wants the Obama administration to reverse its decision to scuttle missile defense plans for Eastern Europe, plans that Putin objected to strongly. The Obama administration claimed that its decision to scrap the plans was not a concession to Russia, but it came at a time when Obama wanted to work with Russia on further reducing nuclear-weapon stockpiles. Such cooperation now seems far-fetched. Lastly, McCain argues that the Obama administration should work with NATO to speed up the process through which Georgia (invaded by Russia in 2008) could move towards joining the defense alliance. It’s an unlikely move, but Georgia has been seeking an interim step called MAP status. But that effort has been hampered by the fact that Russia occupies two Georgian territories. Ukraine, which voluntarily withdrew from NATO consideration years ago, might now have more incentive to join the alliance, McCain said. McCain stresses that there is no U.S. military option for responding to Russian aggression in Ukraine, nor should there be. NATO response is not a viable option, and the Ukrainians can’t fight the Russians on their own, he said. “The reality is that they do not have the military capability to stand up to Russia. That’s just a fact. I’m sure they know that,” he said. McCain is also amazed at what he sees as the Obama administration’s total lack of foresight that Russia would have moved troops into Ukraine. As of Thursday evening, U.S. intelligence officials were saying they saw no evidence that Russia was planning a military intervention in Ukraine. On Friday morning, Secretary of State John Kerry said he had received assurances from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Moscow would not do anything that could even be misconstrued as a military intervention. “Kerry’s statement was laugh out loud ridiculous, if it wasn’t so serious,” said McCain. “This is prima facia evidence of the delusional attitude that the administration had toward Vladimir Putin.” By Friday afternoon, President Obama was warning Putin publicly to withdraw his forces from Ukraine. (Director of National Intelligence James Clapper held a classified briefing for senators on the situation the same day.) Saturday morning, top members of Obama’s national security team met at the White House to consider policy options for Ukraine. Obama did not attend, but Clapper, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey were seen leaving the White House following the meeting. “I think it’s very clear that this whole operation took this administration and the intelligence community by surprise, but it shouldn’t have,” said McCain. The White House put out a statement Saturday afternoon reading out Obama’s 90-minute phone call with Putin on Ukraine from Saturday. The White House statement didn’t specify any “costs” for Russia besides suspending preparatory meetings for the G8 summit in Sochi. “President Obama made clear that Russia’s continued violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively impact Russia’s standing in the international community,” the White House said. “Going forward, Russia’s continued violation of international law will lead to greater political and economic isolation.” McCain said Obama has not spoken out strongly enough against Russian behavior. “He should publicly condemn this behavior which is worthy of the gangster label,” he said. “This is a page out of the old Soviet playbook. Send your paramilitary troops and FSB and foment disorder. And then of course the Russians will say they have to come in and restore order. It’s the old playbook, the old KGB Colonel Putin at work again.”
Two German States Have Already Hit 100% Renewable Electricity April 28th, 2016 by Guest Contributor In 2015, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein generated more renewable power than households and businesses in each state consumed. Germany has 16 states, three of which are city-states, leaving us with 13 Flächenländer (which could be roughly translated as states that are not only urban areas). In the countryside, renewable energy production is easier than in developed areas, and population density – and hence, power consumption – is lower. So it’s natural for rural states to reach 100 percent renewable electricity first. Back in 2014, I wrote about how Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (which borders the Baltic and Poland) had already reached 120 percent renewable electricity for 2013 as a whole. Essentially, the state exports quite a bit of electricity. Furthermore, the calculation is net; the state is reliant on neighboring areas at times of low wind and solar power production in particular. In 2015, the state increased its net share of renewables in power supply to 130 percent (report in German). Onshore wind made up roughly 2.6 TWh of the total of 4.9 TWh, followed by power from biomass at 2.3 GWh, PV at 1.2 TWh, and 0.6 TWh of offshore wind. Schleswig-Holstein is another German state to watch. Located along the North Sea and bordering Denmark, this state had 78 percent renewable power in 2014 – but it apparently reached 100 percent net last year (report in German). If heat and mobility are included, however, the share drops to 24 percent – much lower, but still considerably above the German average of 14 percent. Biomass made up 46 percent of this energy, followed by 44 percent wind power and 10 percent other. The state has a target of 300 percent renewables. Reprinted with permission.
We got the chance to chop it up with the crew over at Concepts about their new release (which drops today) called the C-Note. Once again Concepts teams up with New Balance for this collaboration and chooses the 998 silo to customize. Read on to find out what their main inspirations behind the drop are, why they continue to work with New Balance and their expectations for this release. (All photos provided by Siren) How do you feel about the amount of New Balances being released in the last year or so? New Balance is doing a good job of keeping the amount being released limited which is good. How do you like working with New Balance? Working with New Balance is great. They give us a lot of freedom which is always good. How did the first collaborations come about with New Balance? We have always had a great relationship with New Balance and have carried them for a long time. Its great because they are literarily down the street from us. What is the concept behind the C-Note collaboration? The inspiration behind the C-NOTE is the number US $100 bill that are getting ready to launch this October. The new 100 dollar bill was original suppose to come out a few years ago but has had trouble and the last run was actually stolen during transit. We liked the colors and thought that using a made in USA shoe would only make sense. What key features does the C-Note have? The C-NOTE is made in the USA. Anytime you can get something made in the USA its good it helps jobs in the USA and its something that is made close to home. What do you take into account when choosing colors for a collaboration? We don’t want the shoe to just be color by numbers. We try to focus on a real idea that we want to present to the consumer whether it be a story, materials, etc. Will there be an accompanying custom box or clothing releasing with the C-Note? We did do a concepts box for the first 100 people in store. The box was also made locally in Massachusetts and took as much sampling as the shoes did. What feeling do you want people to take away from the C-Note? We want the consumer to be excited about the shoe as well; excited to wear it. What expectations do you have for this drop after the success of the “Kennedy” and “Seal”? Every drop we have had is bigger then the last. We expect this to be the biggest one yet. What do you see New Balance doing differently than other brands? New balance has done a good job of keeping distro and production limited. Its hard in these days and they have stayed true to that. How is Concepts pushing the limits on it’s new releases? Alot of the projects we are doing from now on will only be released at our store only. We have started to help design new uppers with certain brands instead of just coloring up a shoe. There is a lot in the works so stay tuned…
DIGG THIS Its name somewhat anachronistically means “assembly of old men.” George Washington famously — and, it must now be admitted, with excessive optimism — characterized it as an institutional saucer intended to cool legislation passed in the intemperate heat of the moment. Its members demand, with entirely unwarranted self-approval, to be called, collectively, the World’s Greatest Deliberative Body. Sober observers understand it to be the most corrupt legislative assembly in human history. To those characterizations of the United States Senate we must now add another, perhaps the final one: Gravedigger of the republic. With the Senate’s passage of the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bailout last Saturday (July 26), the United States of America has now become the world’s first full-service kleptocracy, a form of government described earlier in this space as a government of, by, and for the robbers. We are supposed to pretend to believe that the Senate, so great was its anxiety over the nation’s economically distressed homeowners, met in a rare Saturday session for the sole purpose of administering the balm of Gilead on hardworking families who confront the bleak prospect of foreclosure. There may be people who believe such a thing, or at least profess to do so. They are pretty much the kind of people who believe that peace, prosperity, and progress will magically ensue after next January 20, when the Holy One, Barack Obama (peace be upon him) ascends to the presidency, not astride a White Horse, but rather mounted upon a flying unicorn that emits healing rainbows from its butt. No, it’s not the travails of the productive that would earn such attention from the Senate. When the Senate sacrifices so much as a minute of its down time, it does so not to relieve our burdens, but to add to them in the interest of their fellow parasites. When Congress created the Federal Reserve in 1913, it did so in a lame-duck session. The Fed’s proponents described its handiwork as an independent entity that would prevent “panics” and maintain the integrity of our currency and financial system. The Fed was presented to the public in pseudo-populist drag: It was supposedly the bane of the big banking interests. This was, in every particular, a conscious inversion of the truth. The Fed was, is, and every shall be a product and protector of those interests. It has practically destroyed the value of US currency, and engineered numerous financial crises, including the one currently unfolding. The measure passed last Saturday is being described to the public as a “homeowner” bailout. It is nothing of the sort. It supposedly creates an independent oversight mechanism to rein in the excesses of Fannie and Freddie. This, too, is an unalloyed falsehood. Let us disambiguate the key issue right now. This is a measure to nationalize Fannie and Freddie, plundering the population at large — through direct taxation, the more insidious tax called inflation, or both — to bail out two fascist entities that have been used to enrich the politically connected super-rich through the most corrupt means imaginable. Furthermore, this measure prefigures the eventual nationalization of the entire financial system under the supervision of an executive branch official with practically unlimited power to appropriate and allocate funds without congressional action. OK, sure, he has to file a report with Congress regarding his expenditures. But this takes place after the fact, and Congress will be able to do nothing but complain, if it can bestir itself even to that extent. Congress has yielded its war powers to the executive branch. It has now effectively surrendered the power of the purse, as well. What, then, remains by way of the legislative branch’s ability to check the executive? Nobody responsible for this is willing to admit that truth; they’re too busy taking refuge in contrived ambiguities. The figure sent out to pollute headlines and palliate a nervous public last week was that fixing Fannie and Freddie will cost “at least” $25 billion. That’s a bit like saying there are “at least” 25 gallons of water in Lake Michigan. The Congressional Budget Office, in an artful display of tactical equivocation, said that the bailout could cost anything from $100 billion down to “nothing.” That latter estimate would be dismissed as magic thinking were it not a transparent and cynical effort to propagate such delusion among that part of the public paying attention to the ongoing economic collapse. As the Wall Street Journal summarized, the $25 billion figure was arrived by following a time-honored government accounting algorithm: Some accountant at the CBO threw a dart at the wall. In fact, the bailout measure places in the hands of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson the discretionary authority to pour as much money into Fannie and Freddie as he deems necessary. He can extend an unlimited credit line to either or both of those government-chartered companies; he can use federal funds to buy shares in either, or both. There is no limit to what can be spent on the bailout, or the extent of government involvement it will entail. In his efforts to lobby congressional Republicans on behalf of the bailout, Paulson reportedly assured them that he has “no intention” of using those extraordinary powers. This means, of course, that they will be used immediately. It also means, inevitably, that Fannie and Freddie will be nationalized, and that taxpayers will pay the full burden of the bailout. Senate Republicans — clap-torn whores, every one of them — put up a show of reluctance, perhaps because the White House likes a little role-playing action of that sort. This meant that Treasury Secretary Paulson had to convene several meetings with Republicans in order to pretend to overcome their reluctance to support a measure that will impecuniate their constituents in order to pay off the imponderably huge bad debts assumed by politically protected thieves. The Fannie/Freddie bailout is another example of the familiar equation behind corporatism (or, to use the more loaded synonym, fascism): The risks are subsidized, the losses are socialized, and the profits are privatized. There are former corporate executives who spend their days looking at striped sunlight and showing with their backs to the wall for crimes identical to those of former Fannie CEO Franklin D. Raines and his comrades. But because Raines and his posse used a Government-Sponsored Entity to commit their crimes, they’re free to enjoy nearly all the fruits of their fraud. I find it remarkable that next to nothing has been said by way of condemning Raines and his fellow corporatist thieves. Doing so is nearly as unthinkable as permitting those two government-sponsored companies to fail, as they should. According to former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, the bailout wouldn’t be necessary if people were willing to do their part by throwing their money away without the government forcing them to do so: “Emergency legislation was necessary because market participants were unwilling to buy Fannie and Freddie’s debt; investors doubted that the government-sponsored enterprises were healthy enough to repay it and did not draw sufficient reassurance from the implicit guarantee of federal support.” This is why, according to Summers, “Anyone who cares about the health of the US economy should welcome the … rescue plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac….” Imagine an armed robber lecturing his victim that it wouldn’t have been “necessary” to threaten the victim’s life, and the lives of his family, if they had simply handed over their money on demand, and you’ll have a suitable moral parallel to the statement above. Eventually — and for that, read “pretty damn soon” — the entire daisy-chain of fraud we call our financial system will devolve into a scene of violent chaos akin to the denouement of Reservoir Dogs, only immeasurably bigger and unimaginably bloodier. Already, the robber’s pact holding the system together is starting to fray, as fractional reserve banks start gagging on each other’s IOUs. Witness the fact that cashier’s checks being issued by California’s newly federalized IndyMac bank aren’t being honored by other banks: Customers who cash out of IndyMac are finding that they won’t be able to access their funds for up to two months. It’s not difficult to imagine the impact this will have on households who expected to use those funds to make mortgage or tax payments, or have other irrepressible financial needs. It took roughly a tithe of FDIC’s deposit insurance fund to bail out IndyMac. Last week’s bank failures — First National Bank of Nevada and Arizona’s First Heritage Bank — involved combined assets of about $3.6 billion. With Wachovia, Washington Mutual, and many other major banks primed to blow, the day will soon come when — in the words of James Kunstler — the FDIC will simply “choke and croak on this wad of losses…. When American depositors get screwed out of their deposits” — as they already are; vide the observation above regarding IndyMac’s dodgy cashier’s checks — “the full force of the fiasco will drag the dollar underwater like the legendary Kraken of old preying on a babe thrown overboard. Then the forces of darkness will really be loosed.” Last week, Congress went on record regarding its priorities: With a handful of noble exceptions (conspicuous among them the stalwart Rep. Ron Paul of Texas), they demonstrated a willingness to ruin what remains of the dollar and destroy the Middle Class in order to rescue — temporarily — the ber-rich Robber Class. The people responsible for this betrayal will be campaigning in their districts during the coming weeks. It would be instructive to them, and may be heartening to their victims, to see at least a few of them on the receiving end of timely and forceful rebukes, delivered in language — and other expressive conduct — appropriate to the occasion, and prevailing security environment. The Best of William Norman Grigg
Metro Nashville Police officers arrested a man for the rape of a 78-year-old woman during a home invasion. William Douglas McElrath Jr. was arrested Thursday at a relative's home on 16th Avenue North. McElrath Jr. allegedly went to the victim’s home in the Trinity Lane-Jones Avenue area Thursday morning and asked whether she wanted her lawn mowed. When she replied no, the victim said McElrath asked for a drink of water. The woman let him inside for a brief drink, but then asked him to leave. She then left with her two grandchildren to walk them to school. McElrath Jr. allegedly broke into her home through a back window while she was away, because when she returned home, he was inside. She said he then attacked and raped her. He fled through the back door when guests of the victim knocked at the front of the house. They immediately called police after learning what had occurred. The woman was taken to Nashville General Hospital. Shortly after police responded to the home, McElrath was spotted and interviewed by officers but they did not have enough evidence to arrest him at that time. The victim subsequently positively identified McElrath from a photo lineup, allowing officers to make the arrest on 16th Avenue North. McElrath is on the sex offender registry in relation to a 1994 rape conviction. He was also convicted of aggravated burglary and multiple robbery counts in the 1990s. McElrath Jr. is a convicted rapist and robber. Police released very few about the crime, but we will update this story as soon as more information becomes available.
Unemployment rate rises to 6pc despite nearly 16,000 new jobs Updated Australia's unemployment rate has risen to 6 per cent, despite almost 16,000 jobs being added. The Bureau of Statistics figures for June show a 0.1 percentage point increase from last month's upwardly revised jobless rate of 5.9 per cent, which was originally reported as being 5.8 per cent in last month's release. Economist forecasts had centred on the jobless rate rising to 5.9 per cent, up from 5.8 per cent where it had been for several months. Job creation slightly beat forecasts, with analysts expecting around 12,000 new jobs to have been added last month. However, of the total 15,900 jobs added, 19,700 were part-time and were offset by a fall of 3,800 full-time positions. On a more positive note, the proportion of people in work or looking for it rose 0.1 percentage points to 64.7 per cent, contributing to the rise in the unemployment rate, in spite of jobs growth. Monthly hours worked also increased by almost 1 per cent to 1.63 billion, showing some underlying strength in the labour market. As an indication of the jobs market's relative stability at the moment, the ABS trend figures that smooth out monthly volatility were steady at 5.9 per cent, and are only 0.2 percentage points higher than June last year. Jobs data 'a mixed bag' The Commonwealth Bank's chief economist Michael Blythe says there are positives and negatives in the latest employment figures. "A mixed bag, we're still generating positive jobs numbers and that's good, equally we've hit the sticker shock number of a 6 per cent unemployment rate," he told Reuters. "The bottom line is the economy is strong enough to be generating positive jobs growth, but it does underline the Reserve Bank of Australia's point of view that it's going to be a pretty slow grind before the unemployment rate is back on a downtrend again." Deutsche Bank economist Adam Boyton says further increases in the unemployment rate are more likely than any sustained improvement in the short term. "Our employment tracker – comprised of 11 different indicators of labour demand and sentiment – flags only very moderate growth in employment over the coming 3-6 months of around 7,500," he wrote in a note on the data. "Such a pace of jobs growth would be likely, in our view, to see the unemployment rate drift higher." BT Financial's chief economist Chris Caton says that likely rise in unemployment will put rate rises even further off the Reserve Bank's agenda. "The rise in the unemployment rate will put to rest the idea that it peaked some months ago, and hence push back even further the first rate rise," he observed in a note. The state data was also a mixed bag, with New South Wales, Western Australia and Tasmania all recording some improvement in participation and steady jobless rates, but Victoria and South Australia's labour markets deteriorating last month. Queensland and the two territories posted very modest worsening of their employment prospects in June. State-by-state NSW: Unemployment steady at 5.7 per cent; participation up from 62.9 to 63 per cent. Vic: Unemployment up from 6.2 to 6.5 per cent; participation down from 64.4 to 64.1 per cent. Qld: Unemployment up from 6.2 to 6.3 per cent; participation steady at 66.3 per cent. SA: Unemployment up from 6.9 to 7.4 per cent; participation up from 62.1 to 62.9 per cent. WA: Unemployment steady at 5 per cent; participation up from 68.3 to 68.4 per cent. Tas: Unemployment steady at 7.4 per cent; participation up from 60.9 to 61 per cent. NT: Unemployment up from 3.8 to 3.9 per cent; participation steady at 75.7 per cent. ACT: Unemployment steady at 3.6 per cent; participation down from 71 to 70.8 per cent. Source: ABS. All data seasonally adjusted, except Tasmania, NT and ACT which are trend, due to small sample size. Source: ABS. All data seasonally adjusted, except Tasmania, NT and ACT which are trend, due to small sample size. Topics: unemployment, economic-trends, business-economics-and-finance, australia First posted
The BCCI is set to finalise what it calls a "balanced" schedule of bilateral commitments in cricket's new international calendar, one that will protect players' interests as well as board revenues. That schedule will be the focus of an ICC members' workshop in Singapore on December 7 and 8, called to finalise the details of a new Future Tours Programme (FTP) spanning 2019-23. In the last two months, Indian players led by captain Virat Kohli have been open in their criticism of an increased workload. Kohli and MS Dhoni, have argued that for the team to perform better and consistently over longer periods, the players needed to have enough break in between commitments. After winning the Test series at home against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, Kohli once again stressed he was desperate for a break. Since the start of the 2016-17 home season in September, India have played a total of 60 international matches across all three formats. However, the BCCI, which is shepherded by Committee of Administrators (CoA), has decided to balance the player workload. "In the last one-and-a-half years, we have played mostly at home" a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. "In the next 18 months, we are going to play mainly away. But in the new FTP, we have kept a balance between home and away series every year. Secondly, there won't be longer tours with both long and short formats combined." The new FTP will comprise the Test and the ODI Leagues, which commence in 2019 and 2020 respectively. In the Test League, every country plays six opponents home or away in a two-year window which will start immediately after the next 2019 World Cup. Talks to sketch out a new schedule have been ongoing for a while now, and BCCI officials believe that the influence of their board on the eventual FTP will be clear soon. The Indian board has been busy discussing the finer points of the scheduling with a number of Full Members; in November, the board called ICC general manager of cricket, Geoff Allardice - who is overseeing the creation of the new calendar - to explain to him their thinking moving ahead. Earlier this year, BCCI chief executive Rahul Johri met his counterparts from ECB and Cricket Australia (CA), Tom Harrison and James Sutherland, to discuss the scheduling ahead of first round of ICC meetings in Auckland. It was in Auckland in October where the ICC Board approved in principle the Test and ODI Leagues. "The new FTP is a BCCI document," the official said. "BCCI has already put in what, who and when it wants to play, leaving the rest of the world to work around it." According to the official, India will play longer Test series of three to five matches against Australia, England and South Africa and stick to the minimum two Tests against the rest of the members. "We have taken advantage of the fact that we have to play six countries in two years at home or away. The word 'or' is important because that shows we can balance the series." Playing the top-ranked teams will also have a "positive impact" on broadcast rights for home series, which are up for renewal from April 2018. Considering India played a lot of international cricket at home in this rights cycle, the BCCI derived optimum income from broadcasting rights and sponsors. However, that will be slightly offset over the next 18 months when India start travelling overseas from January with tours to South Africa, England Australia and New Zealand. "We play the good teams more as it will have a positive impact on the media rights," the official said. "The wide fluctuations would not be there which can affect the revenues eventually. Balancing the needs of the players too has been addressed." To protect its home season, the BCCI has split it over two windows: India will play at home between October-November and then host another opponent during February-March before the IPL. The BCCI also alerted the ICC that India will not play any international cricket 15 days prior to and after the IPL. In a note to the its members - the state associations - the BCCI distributed an FTP proposal detailing the matches India will play between 2019-23. This will be presented at a special general body meeting on December 11. As per the table, India are listed to play 84 days of international cricket in 2019-20; 68 in 2020-21; 77 in 2021-22 and 47 in 2022-23. These matches only comprise the Test and ODI leagues and any further bilateral series India will engage in outside of the FTP. Importantly, this schedule does not include matches played in global ICC and Asian Cricket Council tournaments. According to Vinod Rai, the CoA chairman, Kohli and the players have been made aware of this new schedule. In the past few months Rai, along with Johri, has met Kohli, Dhoni and India coach Ravi Shastri to discuss player compensation as well as the team management's needs. "We have made a presentation to the players where the number of days per year is mentioned clearly in the new FTP," Rai told ESPNcricnfo, and said Kohli and the rest had accepted the plans. "So the workload is manageable." One significant point the players wanted was an end to long tours. Going forward the BCCI wants any bilateral tour to comprise only Tests, or only ODIs. Other requests made by players included not to have a single-match limited-overs series especially after a Test series. The players also wanted Twenty20 matches to be played before a Test series. "After the Tests, the players said there is no interest left," Rai said.
With a little help from genetic engineering, researchers at one Massachusetts company say they've created an organism that takes sunlight, water and carbon dioxide and creates liquid fuel. Bill Sims, CEO of Cambridge-based Joule Unlimited, says the process utilizes a bacteria, produces a chemical product and secretes it. The result? A fuel that can fill demands for diesel and ethanol. "The product that we make is diesel. It's very high cetane to very premium diesel. It is fungible, so it's infrastructure compatible," said Sims. The product can be used in trucks, heavy equipment and further refined into jet fuel. Simply put, the organism created secretes the fuel in a direct process, working faster than current biofuel technology that often uses algae. "The organism lives naturally in the wild and we thought it would be an ideal platform organism that we can then use for our engineering efforts," explains Sims. "We do a process that we call genome engineering. And that is a combination of systems biology, synthetic biology and genetic engineering; and that work that we do in our biology labs when we are here allows us to create the process that converts the key elements of photosynthesis directly into molecules of interest." Officials with the Energy Information Administration report that diesel consumption in the United States has steadily risen in recent years. In 2005, 9.4 million barrels were used. In 2009, 1.04 billion barrels were consumed. In 2010, diesel supplied 5.9% of the U.S. energy needs. Joule is taking the first big step toward commercialization, leasing more than 1,000 acres of land in Lea County, New Mexico. They hope to prove the organism can produce fuel quickly, on a large scale, nearly anywhere. Sims believes the technology can revolutionize part of the fuel industry, meeting transportation needs virtually anywhere around the world. "What this approach brings is not only environmentally friendly, but it also brings localization to the fuel business for the first time. It also provides for consistency of availability or supply and cost. None of this has ever been present in the oil business in the past," said Sims. "It brings energy security. It brings job creation." Sunlight, water and waste CO2 are widely available. Sims says the process is environmentally friendly and can even take advantage of waste CO2 from traditional power plants nearby. "We believe it's quite green. We are taking waste water and waste CO2, so tapping into flu stacks, so, therefore, turning something people generally view as bad directly into something that fungible that burns cleaner than gasoline. The only other output from our process, besides the product itself, is pure oxygen. So there's no CO2 being produced as part of the process," said Sims. The company could seek to locate near coal-fired plants, natural gas plants or factories where an abundance of waste CO2 is available. Ian Bowles, the former Energy and Environment Affairs Secretary in Massachusetts, acts as managing director of RHUMB Line Energy, a consulting firm that specializes in emerging and existing energy supplies and creating partnerships in the industry. Bowles says one of the greatest challenges new suppliers face is raising capital. "In the case of an energy product, you're talking often times of hundreds of millions of dollars of infrastructure to build the plant that produces something whether it's electricity or a fuel -- and that's been the challenge for clean energy is getting over that commercialization gap," said Bowles. One selling point Joule can utilize may be its need for CO2. There is no shortage of supply, but companies are seeking ways to get rid of it. "That's been one of the great questions over time is what do you do with all that CO2 coming out of traditional fossil fuel plants? People have been exploring injecting it into recovery of natural gas or petroleum wells, sequestering it underground in giant caves, burying it in the deep ocean and people have tried for a generation to figure out how to make algae efficiently and haven't been able to do that and so the idea of recycling CO2 which we're creating in our power plants into a fuel source is absolutely a vital challenge," says Bowles. Click here for more Energy in America stories.
A field of tomatoes wilts. A stand of tanoak trees dies. A forest of bay laurels and manzanita withers. An orchard of citrus yellows and decays. A wildland restoration project crumbles into dust. Potatoes turn rancid and spongy. These are the calling cards of Phytophthora, the destroyers of plants. Phytophthora are oomycetes, water molds, a distinct phylogenetic lineage of microorganisms. Once mistaken for fungi because of their long, filamentous branches (hyphae), water molds are actually Heterokonts, close relatives of the brown rack and kelp that hug the California coasts. There are hundreds of species of oomycetes. They live everywhere, streams, ponds, oceans and soil. Some even live in arid, desert climates. Regardless of the environment, oomycetes feed by absorption, decomposing dead material and taking in nutrients or by parasitizing other species. Oomycete parasites infect fish, amphibians, plants and people. Saprolengnia parasitica causes lethal infections in bass, trout, catfish and flounder. Pythium insidosum causes chronic skin lesions in mammals. Saprolengnia and Leptolengina kill frogs. Some infect passing microscopic organisms with spore harpoons. The most infamous and notorious Oomycete parasites infect plants. The genus Phytophthora (Greek phyton “plant” pthora “ destroyer) is made up entirely of plant pathogens. Some Phytophthora are famous. Phytophthora infestans was responsible for the blight during the Great Irish Famine, causing a diaspora of ~1 million Irish people and the deaths of approximately 174,000. Some, like Phytophthora fragariae, which infects strawberries and raspberries, are more obscure. the vast majority are entirely unknown, living undetected in their native habitats.
Southampton fans are being given the chance to bid for a host of fantastic player experiences to raise money for Saints Foundation and Mary’s Meals. Fifteen unique experiences, including golf with Jay Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse, go-karting with José Fonte and Cédric and a nice spaghetti meal with Victor Wanyama, are all up for grabs. Supporters can now bid on any one of the experiences via Saints Foundation’s Charity Stars website, with the bidding process open until 5pm on Monday 9th May. Auction prizes will then re-open during the 2015/16 Player Awards, which are being held at St Mary’s Stadium on Wednesday 11th May, with fans in the room and at home able to bid again. Winners will be confirmed at the end of the night. The unique experiences available are: • A nice spaghetti meal with Victor Wanyama. • Tenpin bowling with Jordy Clasie and Cuco Martina. • A VIP cricket experience with Charlie Austin. • Darts with Oriol Romeu, Juanmi and Paulo Gazzaniga. • FIFA 16 with Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Bertrand. • Go-karting with José Fonte and Cédric. • A round of golf with Shane Long and Steven Davis. • A haircut with Graziano Pellè and his barber. • A kit man experience for a Premier League game. • A game of table tennis with Sadio Mané. • A spa day with Dušan Tadić and Florin Gardos. • Three sets of tennis with Harrison Reed and Matt Targett. • A sushi lunch with Maya Yoshida. • A round of golf with James Ward-Prowse and Jay Rodriguez. • A goalkeeping session with Kelvin Davis, Fraser Forster and Maarten Stekelenburg. For full information on each experience, please visit the Charity Stars website by clicking here. All experiences are now available to bid for, with all money raised being split between Saints Foundation and Mary’s Meals. Over £30,000 has already been raised for the two charities since Saints announced that Mary’s Meals would become their first ever International Charity Partner earlier this season. Please note fans must have an eligible Customer Number to bid on any of the unique experiences with the Saints players. All experiences are subject to Saints Foundation’s terms and conditions.
We have complained all season about the episode stills of cut scenes being released but I think it’s a good thing that the episode still of Sammi from a deleted scene (below) got released. I’m pretty confident that the scene with Sammi getting arrested was supposed to be the real ending scene/ the ending that Cam saw (when he said it was his favorite script or whatever the tweet was about) and other cast members were also expecting? There must’ve been a more logical ending for the episode, and also a “happier” ending for Ian and Mickey but TPTB decided to cut that. I think the cast stopped tweeting because of that, because it was an ending they didn’t see coming. Fuck you Shameless’ TBTP. Thursday ‹ 285 notes 285 notes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (often shortened to just "Me First" or "The Gimmes") are a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in San Francisco in 1995. The Gimmes work exclusively as a cover band. They specialize in rapid-fire punk interpretations of a wide range of songs, often with a humorous edge. The band is named after a children's book of the same name by Gerald G. Jampolsky and Diane V. Cirincione. History [ edit ] The band's first release came with 1995's Denver, a 7" single released on band member Fat Mike's record label Fat Wreck Chords, featuring two John Denver covers. The band released four more singles in 1996 and 1997, each on a different label and named after the artist covered on that particular release, as well as some compilation appearances. Their first full-length album, Have a Ball, was released July 29, 1997. Each album by the band has a different theme: Have a Ball focuses on classic 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s songs by singer/songwriters like Elton John, Neil Diamond, and John Denver; Are a Drag consists entirely of show tunes; Blow in the Wind of 60s classics; Take a Break of contemporary R&B songs (by artists such as Boyz 2 Men, Lionel Richie, and Vanessa L. Williams). Their fifth album Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah (recorded live at a bar mitzvah) consists of pop music from the 1960s through the 1980s by artists such as REO Speedwagon, Styx and The Beatles, as well as traditional songs like "Hava Nagila". The compilation album Have Another Ball! features 60's-80's classics. The band entered the studio on April 3, 2006 to work on their sixth album, Love Their Country, which was released on October 17, 2006.[3] The theme of this album is country and western, and includes covers of tracks by Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Hank Williams, Sr. and Johnny Cash.[4] Prior to the release of the album, Fat Wreck Chords released a digital label sampler, iFloyd which included "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" by the band.[5] In late 2006, Fat Wreck Chords released another digital label sampler Christmas Bonus, containing a previously-unreleased cover of Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans".[6] In August 2006 Me First and the Gimme Gimmes were scheduled to play three dates at PNC Park after Pirates games, but after they got booed on the first night, the next two nights were cancelled.[7] They were to play along with fireworks during the post-game "Skyblast" shows. On December 5, 2007, Fat Wreck Chords released a flash MP3 holiday bonus sampler called Hanuk-Comp containing "The Boxer", originally released on the 1997 Garf single.[8] There is also a downloadable podcast that features commentary from Fat Mike and Floyd during breaks between songs in which the next album is revealed.[9] The compilation Have Another Ball! was released on July 8, 2008; it comprises all the B-side recordings from the Have a Ball singles, plus covers of "Sodomy" (from Hair) and Diana Ross's "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)". Fat Wreck Chords released Go Down Under on February 1, 2011, featuring covers of 5 songs by Australian artists.[10] On September 13, 2011 (in anticipation of a tour of Japan) Fat Wreck Chords released a 5-song EP, Sing in Japanese.[11] In a Reddit AMA on January 28, 2014, Fat Mike revealed the next album theme would be "Divas".[12] Featuring covers of Barbra Streisand, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga, Are We Not Men? We Are Diva! would be released on May 13, 2014 on Fat Wreck Chords. On November 30, 2018, they released a cover of "Santa Baby". Members [ edit ] The core lineup, left to right: Cape, Slawson, Raun, Burkett, and "Jake Jackson" (Chris Shiflett) "Fill-in" members for tours Costumes [ edit ] The Gimmes have a gimmick of wearing quirky matching costumes during their live shows. Some of the themes match the albums, such as when they dress in cowboy outfits to accompany the album Love Their Country or in drag as various characters from musicals in Are a Drag. They have also worn pajamas, red suits, cheerleader outfits, shiny suits and fezzes, and, during one show in Camden, NJ on the Warped Tour, dressed as the band AFI (who in turn dressed as The Gimmes). Easily the most common and popular costume set are their matching Hawaiian shirts of varying styles and colors over the years. Discography [ edit ] Albums [ edit ]
Indeed, the perception of homosexuality as abhorrent and sinful has textual roots in the Old and New Testaments, portions of which were also incorporated into the Quran. The most commonly cited examples, the eight so-called clobber passages, range from the admonition in Leviticus 18:22 (“Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination”) to the declaration in Corinthians 6:9 that the “effeminate” are among the “unrighteous” who shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Sex between men was called sodomy in a reference to God’s destruction of Sodom, and even consensual male intercourse was criminalized under the name sodomy. In 1986, when the Supreme Court upheld a sodomy statute in Georgia, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger noted in his concurring opinion that “condemnation of these practices is firmly rooted in Judeo-Christian moral and ethical standards.” Yet as far back as 1964, representatives from Baptist, Quaker and Episcopalian congregations in San Francisco formed a Council on Religion and the Homosexual to bridge the chasm between gay people and churches. One year later, the city’s branch of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods called for consensual homosexual behavior to be decriminalized. Such early steps led to more explicit efforts in the 1990s and 2000s by activists like Rabbi Yoel Kahn in Reform Judaism and Rabbi Steven Greenberg in Orthodox Judaism to formulate a textual basis for accepting gay identity, sexuality and marriage. In 2006, the Catholic theologian Daniel C. Maguire, a professor of religious ethics at Marquette University in Milwaukee, published a pamphlet, “A Catholic Defense of Same-Sex Marriage,” sending copies to 270 bishops. “We have no moral right to declare marriage off limits to persons whom God has made gay,” Dr. Maguire wrote. “We have no right to say that marriage, with all of its advantages and beauty, is a reward for being heterosexual.” In response, the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States denounced the pamphlet as “irresponsible” and “false teaching.” Across denominational lines in 2008, a leading Mormon theologian and former bishop, Dr. Robert A. Rees, was formally silenced for about a year by his local leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, apparently for his consistent advocacy of compassion for gay and lesbian Mormons. The denomination was at the time campaigning for Proposition 8, the California ballot measure striking down same-sex marriage in the state. Even so, theological dissidence has grown across the spectrum. Some scholars questioned whether the “clobber passages” referred to all homosexual activity or only to coerced sex or sexual rituals associated with idol worship. Many theologians asked why the condemnation of homosexuality should continue to be enforced when hardly any religious person today would follow the Bible’s injunction in Deuteronomy 21, for example, to stone to death a disobedient child. The American Muslim religious scholar Reza Aslan and a co-author, writing recently in Religion Dispatches, reminded their community of Islam’s commitment to care for “those who are persecuted.” Dr. Rees has cited the Mormon belief in the sacredness of family as consistent with the acceptance of same-sex marriages.
In a major gain for the Obama administration’s all-out campaign to sell the Iran nuclear accord to US lawmakers, one of the most prominent Jewish Democrats in the US Congress announced his support for the deal Tuesday. A strong supporter of Israel and seventeen-term House Representative Sander Levin of Michigan said the agreement reached earlier this month between Iran and six world powers was the most effective way to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. “Israel’s security has and always will be of critical importance to me and our country,” Levin, 83, said in a statement, according to The New York Times. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up “I believe that Israel, the region, and the world are far more secure if Iran does not move toward possession of a nuclear weapon. I believe the agreement is the best way to achieve that. In my view, the only anchors in public life are to dig deeply into the facts and consult,” he said. Levin’s remarks come as US Secretary of State John Kerry warned skeptical members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee not to nix the contentious nuclear deal with Iran, insisting that it includes strict inspections and other safeguards to deter cheating by Tehran. “If Congress does not support the deal, we would see this deal die — with no other options,” Kerry told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday as he testified in defense of the agreement for the second time in a week. Congress has begun a 60-day review of the international agreement that curbs Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from sanctions stifling its economy. Obama has pledged to veto any vote by the strongly Republican Congress that disapproves of the agreement. AP contributed to this report
For other people named Maria Anna of Saxony, see Maria Anna of Saxony (disambiguation) Marie Anna of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (15 November 1799 – 24 March 1832), (full name: Maria Anna Carolina Josepha Vincentia Xaveria Nepomucena Franziska de Paula Franziska de Chantal Johanna Antonia Elisabeth Cunigunde Gertrud Leopoldina), was a princess of Saxony. She became Grand Duchess of Tuscany by her marriage to Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Family [ edit ] Marie Anna was born in Dresden, one of the seven children of Maximilian of Saxony by his first wife Caroline of Bourbon-Parma. Her father was a son of Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony. Her mother was a daughter of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma. Through her mother, Maria Anna was also a direct descendant of Louis XIV of France and William the Conqueror. Life [ edit ] During her short life she showed an especial interest for ancient paintings and classical poetry, acquiring the Liber Interitus by Horace for an unknown but extremely high price. She was inspired by Gnostic writings to write a short poet entitled Chuchotet d'Archont, published posthumously. Along with her husband she was the founding patron of L'Istituto Statale della Ss. Annunziata, the first female boarding school in Florence set up to educate aristocratic and noble young ladies. She died in Italy of tuberculosis she passed onto Auguste, her only surviving daughter. Marriage and issue [ edit ] Her husband's granddaughter Archduchess Luise of Austria described Maria Anna as a "highly nervous girl who was so terrified at the idea of meeting her unknown bridegroom that she refused to leave Dresden unless accompanied by her sister" Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony.[1] As her sister agreed to travel with her, Maria Anna duly married on 16 November 1817 the future Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, son of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his first wife Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily. During the celebrations, Ferdinand became attached to Maria Anna's sister, and they were later married. Her sister Maria Ferdinanda thus became Maria Anna's stepmother-in-law.[2] They had three children: Carolina Augusta Elisabeth Vincentia Johanna Josepha of Austria (1822–1841) Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria (1825–1864) Maria Maximiliana Thekla Johanna Josepha of Austria (1827–1834) After Maria Anna's death at Pisa in 1832, her husband married Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies. Ancestry [ edit ] References [ edit ] Sources [ edit ]
The players whom Bob McNair employs were not happy about his comments at a recent NFL owners meeting. The Texans nearly staged a team-wide walkout Friday, a few hours after McNair apologized for comparing NFL players to “inmates” in a prison, ESPN reported. Houston’s best offensive player, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, skipped practice for “personal reasons,” but ESPN later confirmed it was in response to McNair’s comments. Head coach Bill O’Brien said he is “100 percent” with his players. see also Owner's 'inmate' comment erupts into NFL infighting It might not be the best idea to make a... Texans offensive lineman Duane Brown said McNair’s comments “ sickened ” him and were “horrible,” according to the Houston Chronicle. Brown also said he wasn’t surprised by the comments, and that Houston players are not done dealing with the issue. Brown’s wife also spoke out on the issue. “My husband has put his BODY & MIND on the line for your team for 10 YRS & to you he is an “inmate,” Devi Brown wrote. “You owe these players RESPECT & support.” ESPN reported the Texans will “do something” before the game Sunday but have not decided what yet. Texans rookie Treston Decoud tweeted, “I don’t believe he is the only owner that feel that way … smh.” McNair sparked the outrage by saying, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison,” during an NFL owners meeting one day after he and 10 other NFL representatives met with current and former players to discuss the issues behind the national anthem protests. McNair has apologized for the racially insensitive analogy, but count outspoken Seahawks star Richard Sherman — who will play against the Texans this weekend — among those who don’t believe the apology was sincere. There is going to be another meeting between NFL representatives and players next week, reportedly Tuesday, Oct. 31, in New York. Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback who ignited the movement by sitting and then kneeling during the national anthem last season, is expected to attend.
SAN FRANCISCO — Less than four years after Huawei Technologies and Symantec teamed up to develop computer network security products, the joint venture is being dismantled because Symantec feared the alliance with the Chinese company would prevent it from obtaining United States government classified information about cyberthreats. According to two people briefed on the deal, Symantec’s decision was a pre-emptive political maneuver timed to coincide with the United States government’s efforts to share more classified cyberthreat information with the private sector. People with knowledge of the venture, who would speak only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak, said Huawei had already laid off several workers in Huawei Symantec’s Silicon Valley offices this month and planned to move its entire operation out of the United States, largely because of increased American government oversight. In the next two weeks, Symantec, the Mountain View, Calif., computer security software firm, is expected to sell its 49 percent stake in the venture to Huawei for $530 million. The companies first announced the sale last November. In a news release, Enrique Salem, Symantec’s chief executive, said the project had “achieved the objectives we set four years ago” and would “exit the joint venture with a good return on our investment.” As online espionage proliferates, the United States government has grappled with how best to share its classified cyberthreat intelligence with the private sector. In January, the Pentagon transferred an information-sharing pilot program, called the Joint Cybersecurity Services Pilot, to the Department of Homeland Security. The program was originally intended to share classified National Security Agency intelligence with military contractors. Homeland Security is expected to extend the program beyond those companies to antivirus companies, like Symantec, and network providers. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Symantec worried that its ties to Huawei would be a disadvantage when it came to being the recipient of classified threat information, according to the two people briefed on the matter. Cris Paden, a Symantec spokesman, declined to comment. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. William Plummer, a Huawei spokesman, said that from Huawei’s perspective “both companies had a positive experience with the joint venture.” He added, “We are going to streamline the organization market by market including in the U.S.” National security concerns have long dogged Huawei. Ren Zhengfei, Huawei’s founder and chief executive, is a former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army, and American government officials and regulators have repeatedly raised concerns about Huawei’s close ties to the Chinese government.
What do you get when you take a cheeseburger, slap some bacon on it, pile on another hamburger patty, and then finish it all off with a chicken breast? In my home it would be called a “snack” but at Burger King, it’s now known as the “Meat Monster.” Unfortunately, this monster will only be attacking the hearts of burger buyers in Japan… for now. The King unveiled the Monster last week as part of its “Have It Your Way” campaign, trying to encourage people to make a la carte additions to their Whoppers. While the PDF press release breaks down the cost of the Monster and its components (it will run you around $9.70), it doesn’t seem to make mention of the calorie count. But if you were to make the same beast using the U.S. equivalents of the elements in the Monster, you’d be looking at: 1160 calories, 24g of saturated fat, 240mg of cholesterol, 13g of sugar, 54g carbs, 69g of fat, 1.5g of trans fat, and 2290mg sodium.
Image copyright Nanning TV Image caption All wrapped up: Getting away in a hurry would be a challenge in Nanning Residents of a city in southern China have been attaching "skirts" to their cars to protect them from rats. Locals in Nanning, in the Guangxi autonomous region, came up with the unusual solution after rodents were found to be clambering inside the vehicles and gnawing through the wiring. Parked cars have been spotted around the city sporting the makeshift, wraparound shields - dubbed "car maxi skirts" in the Chinese media - some fashioned from fabric and chicken wire, others using bamboo. "There are many rats in this area," local man Mr Zhao tells Nanning TV, adding that it's a particular problem during cold spells when rats like to snuggle down in warm places, like car bonnets. "Putting these around the cars is a good thing, and it can also prevent small children from scratching them," he says. But it seems some of less-robust creations are no match for the rodents' gnashers. One woman shows the TV reporter a rat-sized hole in one car skirt. "Can't you see? The rats have nibbled a hole through it," she says. Many social media users are amused by the curious sight, with one person writing on the popular NetEase web portal: "I like this elevated Guangxi humour." Some share the locals' frustrations, but others think they're overreacting. "Are they preparing against a large-scale rodent invasion?" one user asks. One suggests a solution which doesn't involve wrapping your car in chicken wire: "They can raise a number of cats, we have a few strays on our estate, the rats don't dare come out." But regional differences are also evident in many comments. Guangxi has a reputation for using both cats and dogs for meat, and is home to the infamous Yulin dog-eating festival, widely frowned upon elsewhere in China. "Guangxi people have eaten all the dogs and cats, that's why there's a rodent disaster," reads one comment. Image copyright Nanning TV Image caption Locals are hoping the improvised rat-deterrents will spare their cars' wiring Next story: Hong Kong ladies' night app defies legal ruling Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.
Materials and Methods Extant eggshell material The emu eggshells (Dromaius novaehollandiae) were produced by captive birds and are stored in the ZFMK collections (ZFMK uncat.). Emu eggshell is reported to contain minimal amounts of PP in addition to some of the highest naturally occurring amounts of BV (Gorchein, Lim & Cassey, 2009). Fossil eggshell material We sampled three oviraptorid Macroolithus yaotunensis eggs from the collections of the NMNS and STIPB covering three geographically and taphonomically distinct Chinese deposits. Investigated specimens were collected in the Liguanqiao Basin near Nanyang in the province of Henan (STIPB E54/1), from the Hongcheng Basin in the province of Jiangxi (NMNS CYN-2004-DINO-05/I), and the Nanxiong Basin in province of Guangdong (STIPB E54/3). Detailed descriptions of the localities in context of geological and taphonomic settings are included in the Supplemental Information. Macroscopically, all oviraptorid eggshell samples had a blackish to blackish-brownish (after cleaning them from adherent sediment) color, revealing a very subtle shimmer of blue–green at angled light conditions. Historically, samples derived from the Liguanqiao Basin are Late Cretaceous in age and derived from the fluvial/alluvial deposits (red sandstones) of the Hugang Formation. They have been housed in STIPB since 1983 and were previously described by Erben (1995). Preserved oviraptorid eggs from the Hongcheng Basin in the province of Jiangxi were obtained from the Late Cretaceous Tangbian Formation which comprises fluvial red sandstones. The Hongcheng Basin and the Nanxiong Basin may belong to the same extended basin complex (Liu, 1999). The Late Cretaceous strata of the Nanxiong Basin are divided into the Yuanpu Formation and the overlying Pingling Formation. The Yuanpu Formation, which might be correlated with the fossil-rich Mongolian Djadochta Formation, yielded our eggshell samples from alluvial sediments (red silt-sandstones), and is dated as Maastrichtian in age (Zhao et al., 1991). One of two preserved complete eggs (Fig. 1A) from the Chinese province of Jiangxi (NMNS CYN-2004-DINO-05) which were previously assigned to the oviraptorid egg parataxon Macroolithus yaotunensis was sampled over four zones of the egg (Figs. 1B and 2B), prepared for histology, and then used for porosity measurements (see Supplemental Information). These four zones represent the blunt, middle, and acute parts of the egg, and were separated to approach zonal differences in porosity values which were tested for maximum porosity at the mid portions to indicate egg storage in an open nest (based on Varricchio et al., 2008). Measured porosity values were compared to published dinosaur and avian porosity patterns and used to calculate the eggshell water vapor conductivity. Samples for chemical analyses were taken separately. Sediment adhering to the complete eggs (NMNS CYN-2004-DINO-05/I) was sampled additionally to confirm that we are not dealing with wholesale sample contamination. A single sediment sample (red silty sandstone) was available to test against wholesale contamination with BV and PP of the sample since only the complete oviraptorid eggs from the province of Jiangxi provided original, attached matrix sediment. The two-remaining fossil oviraptor eggshell samples represent isolated fragments freed of original matrix. Figure 1: Provenance of Heyuannia eggshell, reconstructed zonal egg water vapor conductance, oviraptor clutch structure, and corrected, reconstructed egg color. Heyuannia huangi egg (NMNS CYN-2004-DINO-05/I) calculated from BV and PP concentrations and porosity measurements (see (A) Geographical map of China. The capital city, Beijing, is indicated by the red star. Red shaded provinces indicate the three different localities where the specimens were collected: the Liguanqiao Basin in Henan, the Hongcheng Basin in Jiangxi, and the Nanxiong Basin in Guangdong (see Supplemental Information ). (B) The reconstructed color and average zonal water vapor conductance of the left Jiangxiegg (NMNS CYN-2004-DINO-05/I) calculated from BV and PP concentrations and porosity measurements (see Supplemental Information ). (C) Top view of an oviraptor clutch (PFMM 0010403018). This clutch illustrates how eggs are arranged in pairs with their blunt ends pointing to the clutch center. The eggs are arranged in layers separated by sediment. (D) Reconstruction of a partially open oviraptorid nest. Note that the original inclination of the eggs would have been steeper than their preserved attitude (C) due to sediment compaction. Figure 2: (A) Pair of oviraptorid Heyuannia eggs (NMNS CYN-2004-DINO-05) from the Chinese province of Jiangxi before sampling. Porosity measurements and calculations of water vapor conductance are based on these eggs. Pieces of eggshell from each of the four zones depicted in (B) were used in porosity measurements. (B) Egg model separated into four zones used for zonal porosity measurements. Therefore, double half-prolate spheroids and cone models of the idealized egg were used to estimate the zonal surface areas to eventually approximate water vapor conductance. Zone 1 represents the blunt end of the egg, zones 2 and 3 the mid portions, and zone 4 represents the pointed end of the egg. Methods We used two commercial standards (biliverdin dihydrochloride and protoporphyrin IX, purchased from Sigma Aldrich), one extant bird eggshell sample (emu), the three fossil Heyuannia huangi eggshell samples, and one sediment sample (reddish sandstone) for High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Electrospray Ionization Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (HPLC ESI Q-ToF MS). The basis for this sample selection was (1) to demonstrate reproducibility in three fossil eggshell samples, (2) to exclude the possibility of wholesale contamination due to sample or system exogenous PP or BV input by analyzing sediment adhering to a sample of eggshell, (3) to provide a sensitivity control and quality marker of the analytical routine based on precise detection and quantification of emu eggshell (ranging from the upper (BV) to the lower (PP) detection limit in terms of pigment concentrations), and (4) to generate a calibrated concentration signal for quantification based on the known concentrations of the commercial standards. Adhering sediment and other superficial contaminations were chemically removed from all eggshell samples by a boosted decalcification of the outermost sample surfaces. 500 µL of disodium EDTA solution (100 mg/mL), adjusted to a pH of 7.2, were added to the 180–562 mg eggshell samples and sediment control sample, each of which was stored in 1 mL Eppendorf tube. Samples were incubated for 5 min and then transferred to fresh Eppendorf tubes. The decalcification residue was discarded. Pigment decalcification was performed immediately after preliminary cleaning of the samples. The three oviraptorid eggshell samples, the emu eggshell, and the sediment control sample were incubated again in the EDTA solution which was already used for initial cleaning, this time for 5 min. During this 5 min, the sample tubes were vortexed three times for 1 min. Vortexing was performed with uncapped tubes to allow outgassing of the carbon dioxide generated. After 5 min of incubation in the EDTA decalcification solution, all sample tubes were centrifuged at 15,000 g for 1 min. After centrifuging, the supernatant solutions were collected in separate tubes, while the decalcified sample precipitates were filled up with fresh EDTA solution from the stock. Incubation of 5 min followed, including vortexing 3× in uncapped tubes, as in the previous step. The samples were centrifuged again at 15,000 g for 1 min, supernatants were collected, and the precipitates filled up with fresh EDTA solution. As in the previous step, incubation of 5 min including vortexing of the uncapped sample tubes followed. After a final round of centrifuging for 1 min, supernatant solutions were collected, and the partially decalcified precipitates were used for the final pigment extraction. 1 mL of acetonitrile/acetic acid (4:1, v/v) was added to the decalcified sample pellets for 10 min of incubation, including 2 min of vortex-mixing. Afterwards the sample tubes were centrifuged at 15,000 g for 2 min, and the supernatant solution holding the pigment extract were transferred into fresh Eppendorf tubes, and stored in a dark environment at 4 °C. The commercial standards were dissolved in the same acetonitrile-acetic acid solution (4:1, v/v) and stored with the sample pigment extracts. The filtered extracts and commercial standard solutions were stored less than 24 h before they were injected into an HPLC Dionex Ultimate 3000 (Thermo Scientific) separating sample compounds by using a EC50/2 Nucleodur C18 Gravity 3 µm column (Macherey-Nagel). Reverse-phase HPLC was run at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. HPLC was started at 90% H 2 O containing 0.1% acetic acid. The gradient started after 1 min and reached 100% acetonitrile after 14 min. For an additional 7 min, the column was flushed with 100% acetonitrile (containing 0.1% acetic acid). For the biliverdin analysis, 15 µL sample solution was injected, and 20 µL for the protoporphyrin detection. 2 min of washing runs between each sample extract cleaned the entire system. The liquid chromatography system was coupled to a micrOTOF-Q mass spectrometer (Bruker) with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source inducing positive ionization. Data were collected in positive full scan MS mode over the range of 50–1,000 m/z, using a capillary voltage of 4.5 kV and an end plate offset of −500 V. The dry heater of the ESI source was set at 200 °C. Nitrogen desolution and nebulizer gas flow was 10.0 L/min; the nebulizer was run at 2.2 bar. Time-of-Flight (TOF) detection allowed the determination of the accurate masses of biliverdin and protoporphyrin. Figure 3: ESI (+) MS extracted ion chromatograms (EICs) for mass 583.2520 ± 0.01/0.05 m/z, indicative of BV, and mass 563.2653 ± 0.01/0.05 m/z, indicative of PP. We identified BV and PP by retention time, exact mass and isoform/tautomer separation. EICs for 583.2520 ± 0.01/0.05 m/z are depicted for the commercial BV standard, emu eggshell, extracts of Heyuannia huangi eggshells derived from the Chinese provinces Henan, Jiangxi, and Guangdong and the sediment control extract from Jiangxi. Unmodified BV elutes after 8 min retention time, and was proven present for the biliverdin commercial standard, the emu eggshell, and the three oviraptorid eggshells. The sediment sample was used as control for contamination, and its EIC does not show a peak after 8 min retention time, proving the absence of biliverdin in the sediment sample and the originality of biliverdin detected for the eggshell samples. EICs for 563.2653 ± 0.01/0.05 m/z are depicted for the commercial PP standard, emu eggshell, Heyuannia huangi eggshell derived from the Chinese provinces Henan, Jiangxi, and Guangdong, and the sediment sample from Jiangxi. Unmodified PP elutes after 14 min and was proven present for the PP commercial standard, the emu eggshell, and the fossil oviraptorid eggshells. There is no peak in the PP EIC for the sediment sample after 14 min, what proves the absence of PP in the sediment control sample, and the originality of PP in the eggshell samples. Peak intensity correlates with pigment concentrations in the extracts. Results We reliably identified both BV, as [M + H]+ with 583.2520 m/z (calculated mass: 583.2551 g/mol) after 8 min retention time, and PP, as [M + H]+ complex with 563.2623 m/z (calculated mass: 563.2653 g/mol) after 14 min retention time (Fig. 3A) in the commercial standard solutions, the emu eggshell, and the three fossil oviraptorid eggshell samples. The commercial standard solutions of known concentrations were used to identify the chemotrait-specific, diagnostic retention times for BV and PP on the chromatographic column. Elution of BV was consistent after 8 min, while elution of PP delayed consistently until 14 min of the run mobile phase gradient (consistent with Igic et al., 2009). A second compound-diagnostic trait was provided by ionization after elution from the chromatographic column, followed by exact mass determination of the [M + H]+ ion complexes. Differing behavior of BV and PP native to eggshells compared to commercially purified BV and PP was ruled out by identical retention times, number of isoforms/tautomers, and exact mass peaks of emu eggshell BV and PP and the commercial standard solutions. Furthermore, maximum sensitivity of the HPLC ESI MS system was demonstrated by precise detection of pigment concentrations in the emu eggshell solution which approached the upper (BV) and the lower (PP) detection limits. The extracted ion chromatograms (EICs) for BV and PP obtained from the sediment sample whole ion mass spectrum yielded signals within broader tolerances of the BV and PP exact masses, but no peaks corresponding to the commercial standard calibrated retention times were identified. Absence of a diagnostic mass peak after 8 min retention time on the column for BV, and after 14 min retention time on the column for PP, is a significant demonstration of absence of trace amounts BV and PP in the sediment sample. Thereby, contamination of the samples or the detection system was excluded and originality of the detected pigments in the oviraptorid eggshell samples is guaranteed. Quantification of the detected pigment concentrations based on commercial standard calibration was determined by application of an experiment-empirical correction for the extraction loss of BV due to its increased hydrophily of the fossil oviraptor eggs. We found the highest preserved concentrations of BV in the eggshells from Henan (6 nmol/g), followed by the eggshells from Jiangxi (2 nmol/g) and those from Guangdong (1 nmol/g). The preserved PP concentrations ranged from 2 nmol/g in both the Henan and Jiangxi eggshells to 1 nmol/g in the Guangdong eggshells. Our empirical correction applied to the fossil eggshell samples yielded very realistic pigment concentration estimates for the emu eggshell of 2 nmol/g PP, and 266 nmol/g BV which fall into the reported range of emu eggshell pigment concentrations in the scientific literature (Table S1). The bluish shimmer of the fossil oviraptorid eggshells suggests generally higher BV concentrations than those we detected, as also found in a similar study on pigment preservation in subfossil moa eggshells using the same methodology. The color of the fossil eggs suggested higher BV concentrations than the authors managed to detect. Taken together, our study and the study by Igic et al. (2009) imply that bluish or greenish coloring degradation products of BV remain which therefore shows slightly different chemical properties and different exact masses, and is thus not detected by an LC MS system targeting unmodified compounds measurable against commercial standards. To demonstrate the perceivability of a visual color signal based on the detected pigment concentrations in the oviraptorid eggshells, we plotted our pigment concentrations into the comprehensive pigment concentration-color matrix of Cassey et al. (2012). Our three dinosaur egg color data points fall in the visibly olive-green color range between Haliaetus albicilla and Circus aeruginosus (Cassey et al., 2012). They plot in the cluster of unspotted eggs, suggesting an immaculate, homogenous coloration. No patterns were visible in the fossil eggs (Fig. 1). Since the preserved fossil oviraptor eggshell color suggests originally higher BV concentrations, taphonomy needs to be considered to generate a realistic, native oviraptor egg color reconstruction. Because BV is more reactive and more hydrophilic, and thus soluble in sediment-percolating aqueous fluids, the concentrations of unmodified, preserved pigments after at least 66 million years of sedimentary burial are much more likely to be significantly lowered than those of the more stable, hydrophobic PP (Falk, 1964). Therefore, the taphonomic projections of our preserved pigment concentrations in the avian egg color space (Cassey et al., 2012) realistically lift the investigated oviraptor egg colors significantly towards much higher BV values, while the shift towards increased PP values would be only minimal. However, our fossil oviraptor eggs would remain deeply nested within the area of unspotted eggs (based on Cassey et al., 2012). Such an additional taphonomic correction of the reconstructed egg color approximates an intensively blue–greenish oviraptorid egg color. Whether the differences in preserved pigment concentrations between the three fossil oviraptor egg samples from different localities reflect intraspecific variation in egg color or different taphonomic conditions in the deposits cannot be reliably assessed at this point and requires future investigations. Since these differences in preserved pigment concentrations in the oviraptorid eggshells affect the BV values much stronger (range 6–1 nmol/g) than they affect the PP values (range 2–1 nmol/g), we assume that differences in color are more likely to be taphonomic. In vivo intraspecific variation of egg color would most likely affect BV and PP concentrations equally, while taphonomic effects affect BV concentrations much stronger than PP concentrations (Falk, 1964). Also, the original egg color is overprinted by a generally blackish-brownish hue (Fig. 1). This brownish discoloration traces back to preserved, oxidatively crosslinked eggshell organic matrix proteins of the AGE/ALE-type (Wiemann et al., 2016). Our reconstruction of colored eggs for oviraptors is consistent with our reevaluation of the oviraptorid nesting mode: we consider oviraptor eggs as lying at least partially open in the nest (consistent with (Norell et al., 1995)). This reconstruction is based on the estimated water vapor conductance of 108.66 mg H 2 O day−1 Torr−1 for the Heyuannia egg NMNS CYN-2004-DINO-05/I from the province of Jiangxi (Fig. 1A). This value is calculated from the four zonal conductances deduced from zonal porosity counts (Supplemental Information). The highest values for shell porosity were found in the middle portion of the oviraptor egg (zones 2 and 3), and especially pronounced in zone 3 with a resultant conductance of 43.6 mg H 2 O day−1 Torr−1 (Table S5). The pointed end (zone 4) which is stuck in the nest material, has a calculated conductance of 22.88 mg H 2 O day−1 Torr−1, while the exposed blunt end (zone 1) has a calculated conductance of 13.77 mg H 2 O day−1 Torr−1 (Table S5). Conclusions Our study extends the origin of colored eggs from crown birds to oviraptorid dinosaurs. The result has important implications both for the origin of avian biology and the reproductive biology of theropods dinosaurs. This work also broadens the scope of paleontological research on molecular preservation and ecology to hard vertebrate tissues. Our study ties together previous hypotheses on the eumaniraptoran origin of partially open nesting, and paternal care. Also, potential future avenues for investigation are posed by the potential linkage between blue–green egg color and communal nesting, as well as polyandry, which represent yet unaddressed topics in extinct archosaurs. The second aspect of our work focuses on its implications for molecular and soft tissue preservation through deep time. Chemically stable, relatively small biological molecules such as PP and BV appear to be protected from complete degradation over millions of years in carbonate biomineral matrices, in an oxidative sediment milieu. Similar biomolecule preservation may also be present in enamel, dentine and bone mineral. Ancient biomolecules and the soft tissues which they construct pave the way to trace life and its behaviors through time and, thus, invite further studies since they are easily detectable, more abundant than expected, and revolutionary in their ecological implications.
I’d like to tell you about a desk. It’s a plain piece of furniture with two uncomfortable roller chairs drawn up to it, and a box full of wooden spoons underneath. On top there’s not much except a whiteboard, a phone, and a bunch of old posters. It doesn’t look like much, but to me, it says something about where video games are at right now. This desk is the Freeplay desk. Freeplay is Australia’s longest-running games event, dating to 2004 – an Independent Games Festival founded here in Australia only a year after Eric Zimmerman had provocatively asked the San Franciscan developer’s conference whether independent video games existed at all. I’m the Director of the festival and have been since 2014; the desk is, despite Freeplay’s robust outward appearance, all that is actually concrete about the festival. It’s not much, I guess. It isn’t always used – Freeplay doesn’t employ anyone full-time at the moment – but it sees a small hive of activity around our calendar of events every year. It’s crucial for getting stuff done, and for being in the right place at the right time. You see, this desk is in the Wheeler Centre, one of Australia’s major cultural hubs – it’s where the Melbourne Writers Festival, the Emerging Writers Festival, Express Media, and the City of Literature Office live. It’s where stuff happens. We’ve worked with all of these organisations over the years in a variety of ways. Despite ostensibly being about books and literature, these people are really interested in supporting games. Just a few weeks ago, the City of Literature Office, noticing that there was an upcoming State Creative Arts forum coming up and that no-one from the world of video games was attending, bought two tickets for Freeplay and gave them to us, no questions asked, and no reciprocality expected. They did it because they wanted video games to be at the table. That’s a story we’re hearing more of lately. Video games are back at the table, whether that’s via the recent Senate Inquiry or renewed press attention. Video games tick the in-demand boxes as an innovative, ‘disruptive’ media form. Last week every resident organisation of the Wheeler Centre had their funding cut by the Australia Council for the Arts. Express Media – an organisation that exists to give young writers a break and a head start – now has no organisational funding. The Emerging Writers Festival – who have run sessions of video game criticism, who have broadcast an interview with an Australian game maker inside their own video game – now has no organisational funding. The list goes on. It goes on so long it becomes nauseating: sixty-five arts organisations had their funding cut last week. Sixty-five. Many of these will not be able to survive without it. The list is long and varied beyond those already mentioned: Ausdance, Black Arm Band, Cultural Partnerships Australia, Meanjin Literary Journal (something that has been funded since 1961), the National Association for the Visual Arts, and Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, just to name a few more. The Next Wave Festival was also defunded. This is extra important because Next Wave actually created Freeplay in 2004 and ran it for its first three festivals. It is no overstatement to say that without Next Wave, Freeplay would not exist. Without Next Wave, Australia would not have been able to begin an Independent Games Festival while the rest of the world scratched their heads and wondered if it was even possible. This stuff has a measurable impact on Australian games culture. Although maybe we’d like to think that we’re self-sufficient, Australian video game culture doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Every Australian game, every local studio has deep ties to the way that Australia is a creative country in ways that very few people realise. It goes back right to the start – Beam Software, Australia’s very first game development company, was actually founded as part of a book publishing house. The whole Australian video game industry was in effect kickstarted by writers. Australia’s thriving arts community has helped make our video games industry what it is. It’s shown game makers that creativity and critical thinking are the keys to success, that we don’t always have to follow the international model, that there are always other ways to make video games, that we can create and hit our own standards and goals. It’s this kind of context that has made our industry the envy of the world – creative, intelligent, and unwilling to lie down and take bad news without a fight. Australia’s biggest cultural institutions – the orchestras, the theatre companies – are still okay for the time being. What this looks like instead is all support being pulled like fraying twine away from the organisations meant to help young people. If Australia’s young people are locked out of arts and culture like this, then video games will be all the worse for it. We may be – as the recent Senate Inquiry into the future of the Australian Games Industry reported – an agile, innovative industry that should be on the government’s agenda. But that doesn’t mean that we can exist by ourselves. In the best-case scenario, in a future where Australian video games thrive, this still means a nation where there are fewer collaborators, fewer writers, fewer critics, fewer artists, and fewer mentors to make Australian video games great. We’d be collateral damage, left as an exciting industry stuck in a culture-less nation. Maybe the Freeplay desk would still get use, but it would be work done in an empty building. There’s no point in growing an Australian games industry that isn’t also part of a thriving cultural community. We do, of course, have the chance to change that – a chance to help our friends in the writing, theatre, and creative communities. The Australian games industry, as we know, votes. We should tell our politicians that our arts and culture are more important than ever. Have you subscribed to Kotaku Australia's email newsletter? You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
One of the more interesting rumors floating about back when “Star Trek: Discovery” was first announced was that showrunner Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal,” “American Gods”) had planned to do the series in an anthology format with different eras of “Star Trek” explored with each new season. Of course Fuller exited the project and what we’re left with is a standard serialised drama set within one period – ten years before the time of Captain Kirk. As part of a new Trek-centric issue of EW (via TrekMovie, a source has finally confirmed that original report and goes into a bit more detail about Fuller’s vision which was: “to do for science fiction what ‘American Horror Story’ had done for horror”: “Fuller sat with CBS executives to deliver his pitch. It wasn’t just for a ‘Trek’ series but for multiple serialized anthology shows that would begin with the ‘Discovery’ prequel, journey through the eras of Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and then go beyond to a time in ‘Trek’ that’s never been seen before.” CBS wasn’t prepared to go that far, instead opting to create a single serialized show and seeing how it performed first. Other Fuller ideas that were set aside included “a more heavily allegorical and complex story line” (ie. more like “Star Trek”), and a “subdued spin on the original series’ trio of primary colors [for uniforms]”. The article goes further into the clashes with the studio from the $6 million per episode budget being insufficient to the hiring of procedural vet David Semel to direct the pilot which the network wanted. Fuller, who clashed with Semel, reportedly wanted a proper film director and even reached out to filmmaker Edgar Wright for the gig. The main issue though was scheduling with Fuller being let go by CBS in October last year. CBS Studios president David Stapf says Fuller’s fingerprints are still there: “The good news is Bryan created a really nice template that was unbelievably specifically detailed.” Fuller himself adds: “I got to dream big. I was sad for a week and then I salute the ship and compartmentalize my experience.” Fuller got his start working on episodes of the acclaimed “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and the less well-regarded “Star Trek: Voyager” before he went on to forge his noted producing career. The non-Fuller ‘Trek’ kicks off September 24th on CBS All Access.
Not for the first time Cuban forces are doing Russia’s dirty work, this time in Syria. On Wednesday it was reported that a U.S. official had confirmed to Fox News that Cuban paramilitary and Special Forces units were on the ground in Syria. Reportedly transported to the region in Russian planes, the Cubans are rumoured to be experts at operating Russian tanks. For President Obama, who has staked his legacy on rapprochement with America’s adversaries, the entrance of Cuba into the bloody Syrian civil is one more embarrassment. Russia, Iran, and Cuba—three regimes Obama has sought to bring in from the cold—are now helping to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad, ruler of a fourth regime he also tried in vain to court early on in his presidency. Obama has been holding his hand out in a gesture of goodwill to America’s adversaries only for them to blow him a raspberry back in his face—while standing atop a pile of Syrian corpses. Yet for seasoned Cuba-watchers the entrance of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces into the Syrian civil war is a surprise but hardly a shock. A surprise because Cuba was forced two decades ago to curtail its military adventurism by a deteriorating economy (the Cuban military has been reduced by 80 percent since 1991). Largely thanks to the involvement of Cuban troops in the fight against Apartheid South African in Angola in the ’70s and ’80s (not to mention the more recent medical “missions” to disaster-stricken parts of the world) Cuba has gained something of a reputation for internationalism. At one point the Cuban presence in Angola reached 55,000 soldiers, inflicting a defeat on South African forces which helped precipitate the end of apartheid. “The [Cuban army’s] decisive defeat of the aggressive apartheid forces [in Angola] destroyed the myth of the invincibility of the white oppressor,” Mandela told the Cuban leader on a visit to Havana in 1991. In recent years Angola has lent the Castro regime a romantic penumbra which says that, for all its faults, the Cuban revolution is on balance progressive (watch the film Comandante by the ludicrous Oliver Stone to get a sense of what I mean). Yet while everyone remembers Cuban heroics in Angola, few remember Cuban terror in Ethiopia. Those of us who are old enough probably recall the Live Aid concert organised by Bob Geldof in 1985, put on to raise money to help alleviate Ethiopia’s worst famine in a century. 400,000 people died in the famine of 1984/85, and while many people remember the gut-wrenching television images of fly-speckled children with pronounced rib cages and distended stomachs, few know that the tragedy was largely a consequence of the policies pursued by the Communist dictatorship that ruled Ethiopia at the time—a regime propped up by Cuba and the Soviet Union. The Russians airlifted 17,000 Cuban troops to Ethiopia over the 14 years the Dergue—the dictatorship which ruled Ethiopia—were in power. During 1977-78 it is estimated that over 30,000 Ethiopians perished as a result of the Red Terror unleashed by the Communist government. During the terror, Sweden’s Save the Children Fund denounced the execution of 1,000 children—children whom the communist regime had preposterously labelled “liaison agents of the counter revolutionaries”. As with Stalin’s war on the kulaks in the ’30s, Ethiopia’s Marxist government embarked on its own utopian ventures in the countryside, forcing between 12 and 15 million Ethiopians into collectivized farms. According to Alexander De Waal, one of the foremost experts on the Horn of Africa, “more than half this mortality [400,000] can be attributed to human rights abuses that caused the famine to come earlier, strike harder, and extend further than would otherwise have been the case.” The Ethiopian army, reinforced by Cuban troops, prevented the distribution of food to areas of the country whose inhabitants were rumoured to be sympathetic to opposition groups. Following Russia’s lead, Cuba’s alliance with African nationalism extended to support for the bloody regimes of Nguema Macias in Equatorial Guinea and Idi Amin in Uganda. Cuba also gave political cover to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan—an odd position for a member of the non-aligned group of nations to take, until you consider that the Soviet Union might have limited the massive aid it sent to the island had Cuba stepped out of line. A genuine affinity certainly exists between many of the world’s dictatorships based on a common hatred of the liberal democracies. Quickly sensing the way the wind was blowing in Tehran, the former Cuban President Fidel Castro was one of the first heads of state to recognize the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, informing then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini (disingenuously for someone who had previously interned religious believers in labor camps) that there was “no contradiction between revolution and religion.” Similarly cordial relations have also long existed between Cuba and Syria, where Cuba has intervened militarily in the past. From 1973 to 1975 a Cuban tank brigade was stationed facing the Golan Heights after the Israeli victory in the Yom Kippur War. In 1985, then-Syrian President Hafez al-Assad wrote to Fidel Castro honouring the friendship between both countries as beneficial “for the two peoples in their joint struggle against world imperialism and its allies. Ultimately, though, Cuba’s reported entrance into the conflict in Syria should be seen as the island paying new dues to its benefactor in the Kremlin. While the Obama-Castro relationship has filled the headlines in recent months, the overtures the Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been making toward Cuba have gone largely unnoticed. Last year Putin wrote off a massive $32 billion of Cuba’s debts to Russia—a 90 percent reduction in what was previously owed. Putin also pledged to assist oil exploration projects off Cuba’s northern coast and reopened Russia’s Cold War spy base in Lourdes, south of Havana. Putin is reportedly indignant at the U.S. for what the Russian president considers to be U.S. meddling in his country’s “backyard” in Ukraine. Putin’s generosity toward Cuba is thus an attempt to wrestle back the initiative by discomfiting the United States 90 miles off the coast of Florida. But Russia’s newfound enthusiasm for Cuba has another happy side effect: just like in old times a Russian leader can ask its Cuban padawan to get its hands dirty. UPDATE 10/28/15: The Cuban government and White House Press Secretary Joshua Earnest have both denied Fox News’s report that Cuba sent troops to Syria to help prop up the Assad regime.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has landed in Kelowna, B.C., Friday for a meeting with his B.C. caucus, with the expectation much of the talk would be about oil and pipelines. While the Prime Minister's Office released few details about the agenda, it did tweet a picture of Harper and his MPs at the caucus meeting. Later Harper and his MPs met with local supporters at a Conservative Party barbeque at the Quails Gate Winery in West Kelowna. The prime minister gave an 18-minute speech at the event, but made no mention of oil or pipelines, instead focusing on his government's achievements since being elected in 2006. Sources have told the CBC's Chris Hall the B.C. trip is part of the prime minister's push to build support for the Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipeline projects. Starting Monday, Harper has directed key ministers to head to B.C. to meet with First Nations and other leaders. The new initiative is in large part a response to a report from the prime minister's special pipelines representative in British Columbia, Douglas Eyford, who told Harper last month that negotiations with First Nations — especially on Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway — are a mess. The Prime Minister's Office tweeted this picture of Stephen Harper with the caption, 'Working lunch with fellow caucus members in Kelowna.' (PM Stephen Harper/Twitter) Eyford urged the federal government to take the lead role in dealing with Indian bands on both the Gateway project and the proposed expansion of Kinder Morgan's Trans-Mountain pipeline. But Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, the president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, told CBC News there is little support among First Nations groups for the Enbridge pipeline project. "There is no evidence that this is the case that there are a significant number of First Nations communities that are actively involved in being part of this project," said Phillip. Phillips said he worries the federal government is meeting with the leaders just to fulfil the requirement of consulting with First Nations on the issue.
D is a systems programming language. Its focus is on combining the power and high performance of C and C++ with the programmer productivity of modern languages like Ruby and Python. Special attention is given to the needs of quality assurance, documentation, management, portability and reliability. The D language is statically typed and compiles directly to machine code. It's multiparadigm, supporting many programming styles: imperative, object oriented, and metaprogramming. It's a member of the C syntax family, and its appearance is very similar to that of C++. For a quick comparison of the features, see this comparison of D with C, C++, C# and Java. D is not governed by a corporate agenda or any overarching theory of programming. The needs and contributions of the D programming community form the direction it goes. Multiple compilers exist for the D programming language, including the Digital Mars compiler (dmd), the gnu compiler (gdc), the upcoming ldc compiler, and even a .net D compiler is in the works. They are all based on the same open source front end code. dmd has an X86 code generator. It currently targets Windows and Linux. But now that the Mac is on X86 machines, it opens the possibility for a straightforward implementation of dmd on the Mac. The only way to find out how feasible it is is to get a Mac and get to work on it. Over Christmas I ordered a MacMini from Amazon. Compiler development doesn't require a powerful machine or lots of memory and/or disk space, so a low-end machine will do nicely. I've never used a Mac before, so I was also curious how the machine would work. It didn't take long to get it up and running. I keep spare keyboards and mice around (because they break often), and plugged them in along with an old monitor. The monitor and mouse worked perfectly, but the Mac had some trouble with the keyboard, and needed to be configured for it. The machine comes with the gnu dev tools, though they needed to be installed separately. I then figured out how to remotely connect to the Mac over the LAN, and (the Mac people will hate me for this) put the Mac in the basement and operate it remotely with a text window. From a text window, the Mac is just another Unix machine. I put all the source code to the compiler on it and set about trying to compile it. Most of that consisted of finding all the conditional compilation: #if linux and changing it to: #if linux || __APPLE__ Remarkably, there were very few API differences that needed to be accounted for, a couple gcc differences, and the compiler was running. I thought I'd start by assuming that the C ABI on the Mac was the same as for Linux, and configured dmd appropriately. The first big problem is that dmd can generate both Intel OMF and ELF object file formats, but the Mac used the Mach-O format. The best way to learn a file format is to write a dumper for it (called "dumpobj" for object files). Object file specs are usually wrong in some detail or other, and the mach-o spec is no exception. The Mac comes with an object file dumper called otool. Unfortunately, otool doesn't give a clue as to the structure of the object file, nor will it disassemble any code that is not in a __text segment. So I also got the Digital Mars disassembler, obj2asm, converted to work with mach-o files. Fortunately, the Mac uses Dwarf for its symbolic debug information format, and dmd has a Dwarf generator, so that should be good to go. But when I first looked at the debug output of gcc, there was a "macinfo" section. Uh-oh, some undocumented Macintosh enhancement. Googling (how indispensible google has become) "macinfo" revealed my mistake -- I had forgotten that Dwarf had a special section for information on C preprocessing macros called "macinfo". I forgot about it because D doesn't have a text macro preprocessor. Object files on the Mac are all generated as pic (Position Independent Code), necessary so that shared libraries will work. On Linux, pic is an option. Pic is done completely differently on the Mac, so this was where most of the work was so far. Some other differences: Names get an '_' prepended to them, although when using gdb you have to leave off the '_'. There's no thread local storage mechanism in the object file format. This is a serious shortcoming, and I'll have to figure out a solution. There are special sections for C strings and read-only literals that the linker can compress redundancy out of. I finally got to the point where dmd would compile "hello world" and using dumpobj to compare object files with that produced by gcc for the C "hello world", it looked like it should work. The gcc one worked fine, and the dmd generated one crashed with a segmentation fault. I was really pulling what few strands of hair I had left out over that one, as I could not find anything wrong with the fixups or object layout. Eventually, I noticed that the gcc version was putting some unneeded space on the stack, and I suspected something was up. Put out the same extra stack, and it started working. Googling around some more, I discovered that code on the Mac that calls any library functions must align the stack to 16 bytes. Tweaking the code generator to do this, now I had "hello world" working in D on the Mac. It Works -- Sort Of I had "hello world" working, but I was using D as a C compiler to do it. All that existed was a main() function. There was a long way to go -- functions, data, the runtime library, the test suite, etc. First I'd try and build the runtime library. Doing so exposed a lot of conditional compilation issues that had no case for OSX. I found that Linux has a bunch of API functions that are missing in OSX, like getline and getdelim, so some of the library functionality had to revert to more generic code for OSX. I had to be careful, because although many system macros had the same functionality and spelling, they had different expansions. Getting these wrong would cause some mysterious behavior, indeed. After compiling the library modules, they had to be combined into a library file. Normally this is just done with ar, the standard "archive" program, but dmd has a nice feature where it can build the library directly without having to write object files out to disk. Not only is this very fast, but it makes the build process simpler by obviating the need to manage the object files. The archive file format is supposed to be a standard, but of course everyone implements it very differently. The OSX archive format spec is only about half there, and what is there is wrong on a few details. This is where building a file dumper again comes in real handy. By varying the input to ar, dumping the resulting archive, and seeing how things change, one eventually figures out the format. If you get it wrong, the OSX linker ld likes to help you out with a convenient "Bus error" message. To figure those out, it's back to puzzling out the hex dumps of the archive dmd generated against the one ar generated. I did finally figure it out; the archive format has some definite oddities like entries are aligned on 4-byte boundaries but the object file within each entry must be aligned on 8-byte boundaries, offset by 4. Weird. Anyhow, once that was working and the linker accepted the archive, it was very pleasing to see how fast dmd would chew through the code and build the library. Unfortunately, none of the library code ran, and I mean none of it. When the compiler was originally designed, I attempted to do the right thing and abstract away the memory model and the object file format. Because I had only one example, the abstraction lines turned out to be in all the wrong places. I coined the term "premature abstraction", which, like the related term premature optimization, is coming up with all the wrong abstractions because you don't know what you're doing. (Andrei Alexandrescu suggested I write a column about that, but a quick google search showed I was not original and the term is already in use!) For example, the data structures being written out were divided into mutable and immutable sections, the immutable stuff being destined for a read-only hardware protected memory section. But on OSX, read only data sections get marked as "TEXT" and put in with the code, where they are expected to be position independent. Position independence means no relocations are possible at program load time, meaning the read only data cannot have any pointers in it. If there was a relocation in the TEXT section, the loader didn't complain, you just wound up with garbage for a pointer. So, all the data structure generating code had to be carefully gone through and separated into "has pointers" and "no pointers" blocks, and the "has pointers" stuff gets routed to the regular mutable data segment. Another tricky problem with position independent code on OSX is the way data variables are accessed. If they are defined within the module they are referenced in, one indirection is generated. If defined externally, two are necessary. The trouble is, the D programming language allows forward references to data, so there's a chicken-and-egg problem in deciding what to resolve first. The last problem is D needs to generate some tables that are coalesced with other tables, such as the exception handling data. To group stuff together, it is put in a specially named segment. The problem is locating the beginning and end of that segment at run time. The solution is a trick I learned long ago in the DOS world -- to always put out that special segment as a trio of 3, always in the same order. The linker thankfully will then maintain the same order in the executable, so to find the beginning of the second segment, a global variable is put in the first and third segments, and the addresses of those globals neatly bracket the table in the second segment. This is the way I'm going to try and do thread local storage, too. Now that dmd is generating three very different object file formats, where the abstraction lines should be is a lot clearer. Finally, tonight, I got the runtime to start up, run, and shut down successfully. Next, I'll try to get the test suite to run. It Works! The short version -- it's done and out! I had thought retargeting the D programming language to the Mac was just an object file format change -- a week, maybe two. It turned out to be six weeks. I feel like Yosemite Sam walking through a mine field, managing to step on every single mine in it. So let's pick up where I left off at the end of my last entry, where I had just gotten the library to compile and a couple sample pieces of code to link to it and run. Now it was time to run the test suite. It's essentially impossible to develop a compiler without some sort of test suite. The one I use is an ad-hoc collection of every fixed bug and other assortments of things. The beauty of putting in every fixed bug is that the bugs stay fixed, and the quality of the compiler steadily ratchets forward. Over time, this makes for a formidable test suite. If it passes the suite, I know it's at least as good as the previous version, and if it shows to not be, that failing gets added to the suite for next time. (I've discovered that just throwing volumes of code at the compiler is fairly useless as a test suite. The test code has to be crafted to test specific things and verify correct results.) The first thing that failed was exception handling. But surprisingly, it only took me about an hour to get that to work. Exception handling is complicated and hard to understand, and I expected a tough slog. The EH design in the back end dates back to when it was a 16-bit compiler (Digital Mars C++ was the only C++ compiler to ever implement exception handling on DOS). The support code moved to 32 bit DOS extenders, then Linux, and now OSX with very little change. The OSX support needed to tweak the assembler bits to keep the stack 16-byte aligned. (Exception handling for Win32 is completely different, using Microsoft's Structured Exception Handling scheme.) The dmd exception handling system is completely independent of g++'s. The two do not interact with each other. D is binary compatible with C++ name mangling and single inheritance, and g++ on OSX uses the same protocol for this as on Linux which dmd is already compatible with, so that was easy. My next problem was the floating point failed miserably. Some investigation showed that, uniquely, OSX aligns the CPU's 10-byte reals on 16-byte boundaries. This is 6 bytes of pad for each. I don't know the reason for this; Linux uses 12 and Win32 uses 10. It's just that if you have large arrays of reals, it's going to chew up 60% more space. Oh well, it was easy to account for in the code generation. The worst problem I had was my own fault. The front end is only few years old. But the back end code generator is about 25 years old (it may be the oldest code generator still in professional use!). Although it is well debugged (sporting a thorough test suite), fast, and generates great code, it uses a lot of global variables to communicate. Problem after problem was traced back to the use of global variables. Over time I'd eliminated a lot of them, but there's a lot left. It's hard to change how a function works if there's a back channel of globals passing state around. Globals break encapsulation, making code difficult to understand. Of course I wouldn't write it that way today, hopefully I've learned something in the last 25 years. You might ask "why not just rewrite it" and certainly that thought comes to mind. The problem is a code generator is about a zillion special cases, most of which interact with each other. Getting that all adjusted, tweaked and working right across the broad spectrum of code that it must generate is years of work. It's not something you throw away and rewrite lightly. But there is some hope. The Mach-O generating part is a lot nicer than the Elf generating part, which itself is much nicer than the very old OMF generator. And if I'm doing open heart surgery on a particular section, I'll refactor it and rely on the test suite to make sure the patient recovers. Acknowledgments Thanks to Sean Kelly for his invaluable help with the more complex OSX system library work. Thanks to Jason House, Andrei Alexandrescu, Bartosz Milewski, Sean Kelly, and Cristian Vlasceanu for reviewing this.
It is hard to imagine what punishment might ever be enough for the parents of a 13-year-old girl who took her out of Canada for a polygamous marriage to a 49-year-old man, knowing that she would subsequently be raped. Brandon James Blackmore, 70, and Emily Gail Blackmore, 60, are the parents. At the time, both were living in Bountiful, B.C. and were devoted to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and its prophet, Warren Jeffs. Tried in November and convicted in February of the unlawful removal of a child for illegal purposes, the Blackmores will be sentenced on Friday. The offence has never been used before. There are no precedents, only the Criminal Code’s maximum penalty of five years in jail. Listen to Vancouver Sun columnist Daphne Bramham detail Friday’s scheduled sentencing of Brandon James Blackmore and Emily Gail Blackmore. But in determining whether or for how long to imprison the Blackmores, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Paul Pearlman might consider the penalties in the 2010 child trafficking law. It has a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment and a mandatory minimum of five years in jail. The penalty increases to life with a mandatory minimum of six years if it involved aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, murder or kidnapping. During the trial, it was clear that the parents’ only rationale for their acts was the same defence used by Nazis during the Nuremberg trials: They were only following orders. Gail Blackmore refused legal representation and made no effort to defend herself. Her estranged husband did have a lawyer. His strongest argument was that the Crown failed to prove that his client knew before leaving Canada that Jeffs intended to sexually exploit his child. The judge rejected that argument based on the testimony of former FLDS members. All of them said they were taught at home, at school and at church that the purpose of marriage was to produce as many children as possible, and that wives must be fully compliant to their husbands’ desires. It all began with a phone call to Brandon Blackmore on Feb. 26, 2004 from Jeffs, who told him “the Lord had revealed that his 13-year-old daughter belonged to me and we would discuss that when he brought her down south sometime Friday.” According to Jeffs’ diary, which was entered as evidence, the prophet clearly knew that what he was asking Blackmore to do was illegal. He noted that the marriage “will hasten the persecutions against me and this people as the apostates in Canada will inform the authorities.” Within hours, the Blackmores left the southeastern B.C. community, crossing the U.S. border at Porthill, Idaho within minutes. With them was an older daughter, who was already one of Jeffs’ more than 80 wives. They arrived in Short Creek on the Utah-Arizona border the following day, and on March 1, Brandon Blackmore was summoned to Jeffs’ office. The marriage of his young daughter “was the will of the Lord,” according to Jeffs’ diary entry. “I asked him (Blackmore) to bring his wife and daughter at 1 o’clock p.m. He gave full submission and determination to me and to the Lord to submit to the Lord’s will.” At that later meeting, Jeffs told the three of them, “this girl was called on a mission and they received it joyfully.” Within the hour, the prophet and the Grade 8 student were married. The parents witnessed the ceremony, but didn’t linger. They retraced the nearly 1,800-kilometre trip and were back in Bountiful two days later. A week after the girl’s 14th birthday in September, she was raped. It is recorded in Jeffs’ diary and in her church-held personal records as the day she received “the Love of God.” Jeffs made an audio recording of it that was played in the B.C. courtroom. The girl’s half-brother, Brandon Seth Blackmore, identified her tiny, frightened voice amid the panting. The girl — now 25 — did not testify at her parents’ trial. But the petite, young woman (whose name is protected by a court-ordered publication ban) did come to court the first day with her mother. She wore a drab, pioneer-styled dress mandated by the prophet. The life that her parents committed her to is unimaginable. Within months of her marriage, Jeffs was indicted by an Arizona grand jury on child sexual abuse charges and became a fugitive, moving with some of his favourite wives between safe houses dotted across the western United States and Canada. Jeffs has been in jail since his arrest 11 years ago. But his wives are still on the move, spirited between safe houses by the prophet’s most loyal men. The wives are not allowed to remarry. Even if they were, the prophet has banned all FLDS members from sexual conduct until he is free. Undoubtedly, Jeffs promised this young woman heaven. But where she has ended up is more like hell. And no judge, no laws and no punishment can make up for that. [email protected] Twitter: @daphnebramham The offence Section 273.3 (1) of Canada’s Criminal Code states: “No person shall do anything for the purpose of removing from Canada a person who is ordinarily resident in Canada and who isunder the age of fourteen years, with the intention that an act be committed outside Canada that if it were committed in Canada would be an offence against section 151 or 152 or subsection 160(3) or 173(2) in respect of that person.” The elements of the offence are: • The accused must have done something for the purpose of removing a person from Canada. • The person to be removed must be a resident of Canada. • The person to be removed must be under the age of 14 years. • The accused must know the person is under the age of 14 years. • The accused must know the person is ordinarily a resident in Canada. • The accused must intend that an act be committed outside Canada, which would be an offence under s. 151 (sexual interference), or 152 (invitation to sexual touching) of the Criminal Code if it were committed in Canada.
Since the election I've woken up terrified, fearing for my wellbeing more than I have in a decade. So many of us can name friends, family members, and others closeby who voted for candidates that intend to strip LGBTQ+ people, Muslims, people of color, immigrants, or otherwise nonmainstream communities of rights. They would limit our access to services and dehumanize our identities. We are traumatized and furious, not merely at the results but also at the people we might have trusted (or not). And in the next few days we are headed home for the holidays, something often traumatic in itself. We may get misgendered or be subject to countless other forms of discrimination; now we must spend time with family members who have voted against us and we feel that much more emotionally vulnerable. What to do? When I heard the political leanings about a dear family friend, I sent a scathing email. Knowing her to be a confident, independent woman who has built a successful business, I could not understand how she might vote for someone so evidently misogynistic. Given her family legacy as the daughter of refugees, it seemed baffling that she would vote for someone xenophobic. Since she is religiously observant, I found it hard to comprehend how she voted for candidates who pride themselves on unethical, immoral life choices. And most personally to me, I was deeply disturbed and offended that she might vote for a ticket so intolerant of my life as someone queer and trans, the lives of my friends, of those of my community, and of people in all marginalized communities. Politicians supportive of the upcoming administration seek to impose a narrow-minded view of society upon our country and have worked diligently to further legislation that would have the nonconforming among us back in the closets, eking out existences in the shadows, restricting us to the margins of society. They incite violence, hatred, and bigotry of all forms: racism, sexism, antisemitism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and so much else. They have made clear that one of their first intentions is to repeal protections against transgender youth, some of the most vulnerable in the LGBTQ+ community: these kids are bullied in schools and on the streets, just as I had been, and often feel threatened even by their families. Now they will be under siege by the very government charged with their protection. These adolescents are me, 30 years apart. This person's vote was not merely political but personal: it suggests she was willing to overlook the rhetoric, the immorality, and all the other forms of bigotry, and that she placed her 'hope for a strong leader' ahead of my safety. Whether intended as such or not, her vote was an assault on me and all I hold dear. She wrote back saying she finally understood the adage "never talk religion or politics." And now I will face her on Thursday. For some in our communities, going home may be too emotionally unsafe. Feel free to avoid; 'miss the bus' and spend the days instead with friends walking in nature or on the couch with Netflix and a blanket. There are countless good (and trashy) movies to watch, and untold seasons of television yet to binge. Reject turkey and order pizza. Some have no choice but to visit with family, yet still are unable to tolerate the anxiety. Deep breaths, and there is no shame locking oneself away with a laptop or cellphone to focus on 'last minute homework' or a 'report due at work'. Take a plate of food to a bedroom while you Instant Message, text or Skype with friends, and remember it will be over soon. But for those of us who are able, now, possibly more than ever, it is critical we talk about politics. If the people in our lives are so utterly naïve or indifferent to the impact this rhetoric and the proposed legislations will have on us, we MUST make them even more aware. We must make clear our rage and suffering especially to those closest to us, and to their friends, and to all the acquaintances we encounter, reminding them that their choices are not merely abstract, detached conclusions of economic calculation but instead are statements about how much they value our identities and our lives. We must tell them over the dinner table. We must tell them at work. We must tell them on the streets. We cannot not talk about it until we live in the pluralistic, welcoming society we all hope this country to be. Now I wake reenergized. And so as the holidays approach and every day thereafter, as we gather with our families, I would urge every one of us who can to confront our reluctance and instead force those conversations. Refuse to let those people sit around the table comfortably in their ignorance. These exchanges may be awkward, but they are essential forms of nonviolent resistance.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A bill that could establish the country's first statewide animal abusers registry has its roots in Grand Rapids. Earlier this month, state Reps. Paul Muxlox and Harvey Santana introduced a bill that would create a sex offender-type registry for anyone convicted of animal abuse. The idea, in part, came from the work of Thomas M. Cooley law student Renee Edmondson, who helped write a majority of the law. "It's going to keep some animals out of the abusers' hands," Edmondson said of the registry. "And you might save someone from human violence down the road." The bill, H.B. 4535, would force anyone convicted of dog fighting, animal neglect or other animal cruelty crimes to register within five days of sentencing or his or her release from jail or prison. Anyone relocating to Michigan with similar convictions in other states must register within 21 days of moving. People will remain on the registry for five years. Under the law, animal shelters or adoption agencies are mandated to check the registry and cannot adopt out a pet to someone on it. Pet shops, breeders and the public will also have access to the registry, including photos of the convicted animal abusers. Edmondson said breeders and pet shops support the law but a mandate on private businesses could be toxic in the current legislature. Reps. Paul Muxlow and Harvey Santana Muxlox, R-Brown City, and Santana, D-Detroit, introduced the bill on April 10. It was referred the state house Judiciary Committee. Both feel the legislation, named Logan's Law in honor of a husky who had acid thrown in his face, has a strong chance of passing through the legislature. Similar bills have been tried before and have stalled, said Chris Zavisa, the chief of staff for Santana. Logan's Law has bipartisan support. There is also a plan to fund the registry. The Animal Legal Defense Fund, a California-based animal advocacy group, has pledged $10,000 to start the registry, said Zavisa and Edmondson. Zavisa estimated the registry would cost about $8,000 to start and fund for the first year. After that, the animal fees paid by registrants will fund the system. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which already has a dedicated Animal Protection Unit, has agreed to manage the registry, Muxlow said. "We're not looking for more regulation, but we're also not looking for more abuse either," Muxlow said. "There are a lot of animal lovers and supporters out there. I think they'll get behind this." Similar registries already exist in some counties in New York, Zavisa said. No state has a statewide registry. Without knowing it would someday become a bill, Edmondson began working on the animal abuse registry in 2011. Edmondson and fellow Cooley law student Danielle Dawson, who together funded the school's Animal Law Society, drafted a framework for the registry after suggesting it to a Grand Rapids attorney. The looked at the sex offender and child abuser registries, mashed them together and created the animal abuser registry, Edmondson said. A few months later, Feb. 2012, Santana introduced similar legislation on the house floor. Surprised, Edmondson read it, noticed some holes and had ideas to make it stronger. She called Santana's office, and the lawmaker quickly invited her out to Lansing to work with his staff. Santana, an animal lover himself, was moved to create the registry after Andrew Thompson, a former Michigan State University medical student, brutally killed 12 greyhound puppies. Thompson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation. "Basically, there's nothing to stop Andrew Thompson from walking into a pet store and getting another dog," Zavisa said. At the same time, Muxlow was working on early versions of Logan's Law. As the 2012 legislative session drew to a close, both bills started to die. The two representatives decided to cross the aisle and present a unified bill early in the 2013 session. The bill was introduced in time for Humane Lobby Day, April 16, when animal rights activists converge on Lansing to talk to representatives and senators about legislation. Jen Aulgur, director of education and community programs at the Humane Society of West Michigan, said news of the registry was buzzing among advocates. She said the registry would be a big help to her organization. "If someone comes in and has a history of animal abuse, we would have no way of knowing," Aulgur said. "Any step that we can take to help prevent it from happening again is a good law." The registry could prevent future animal abuse and violence toward humans, Edmondson said. There is a strong correlation between animal and human abuse, she said. In February, the Animal Law Society invited Phil Arkow, who has studied the connection between animal abuse and domestic violence and child abuse, to speak in Grand Rapids on the topic. Edmondson has always been an animal lover and would bring home stray cats when she was young. She hopes to continue working with the legislature and to further animal rights after her graduation in May. "It allows me to protect animals, to stand up for animals, to be the voice they don't have," she said.
New Overwatch Hero Revealed: ‘Ana Gameplay Trailer’ Has all this excitement about a new Overwatch hero kept you in suspense? If you were expecting ‘Sombra’, well you have a few seconds to be sad before it is revealed that Ana, Overwatch’s new medical sniper may in fact be Pharah’s mother! Several hints are dropped during the trailer including the fact that it takes place on Temple of Anubis and also that Pharah is featured prominently in the trailer’s cast of supporting heroes. In terms of abilities, Ana seems to be able to cast a damage reduction cool-down on friendly targets, she is also able to heal targets with a scoped snipe heal and it is possible that her ultimate is able to anesthetize enemy targets from long range. No word yet on when we will get to play Ana, but as with all things Blizzard, I’m sure it will be a surprise. What do you think of Overwatch’s first post-launch addition? Let us know in the comments section!
Having failed to get a top driver such as Kris Meeke, who has instead signed a long-term deal with Citroen, Makinen wants to mix experience with young talent in his two-car line-up. Lappi, 25, broke into the international rallying scene with Skoda Motorsport in 2013 and became the European champion a year later. The Finn spent the previous season in WRC2 and was always a force to be reckoned with, having taken two victories in Poland and FInland as well as two second places on his way to fourth in the standings. Lappi signed up for another season in the secondary championship with Skoda, starting his campaign in Rally Sweden. However, he also took part in his maiden Rally Monte Carlo a week ago, and impressively ended up as the second non-WRC car in ninth place overall. "Lappi is one of the most interesting young drivers on the rallying scene," said Makinen. "I would like to give him a drive in 2017." Although Mikko Hirvonen has recently been brought on board by Toyota to spend the season developing the 2017 Yaris, the Japanese marque has yet to announce drivers for its competitive return. Additional reporting by Giacomo Rauli
Nothing will set this post up better than the truth, so here it is: Vogue thinks Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik are gender fluid because sometimes they wear each other’s clothes. In an article titled, “Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik Are Part of a New Generation Embracing Gender Fluidity,” writer Maya Singer opens describing Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando, asserting that a passage from it “could easily be mistaken for a manifesto posted yesterday on Tumblr.” (Sure, if you have never read anything before.) She discusses Jaden Smith modeling womenswear, Pharrell Williams wearing pearls, Evan Rachel Wood wearing a tux, Young Thug being Young Thug. “This gender-bending approach to fashion has begun to achieve critical mass in pop culture and on the catwalk,” writes Singer, like the ‘80s never happened—Prince never donned lace, heels, and eyeliner, George Michael never rocked pearls and leather, Annie Lennox never wore her hair cropped and a suit, Boy George was always, unequivocally in his presentation, a boy. (Eventually in the piece, she does admit that Prince and David Bowie did, in fact, happen.) And then we get to the money shot: This new blasé attitude toward gender codes marks a radical break. Consider the scene one recent morning out in Montauk, New York, where the photos accompanying this story were shot: Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik snuggle in interchangeable tracksuits as, nearby, Hadid’s younger brother, Anwar, rocks back and forth on a tire swing, his sheer lace top exposing scattered tattoos. For these millennials, at least, descriptives like boy or girl rank pretty low on the list of important qualities—and the way they dress reflects that. “I shop in your closet all the time, don’t I?” Hadid, 22, flicks a lock of dyed-green hair out of her boyfriend’s eyes as she poses the question. Advertisement Matching tracksuits? If that’s the case then I do believe Waiting for Guffman’s Ron and Sheila Albertson invented the concept of gender fluidity: A little more about the free and unclassifiable Gigi and Zayn: “I shop in your closet all the time, don’t I?” Hadid, 22, flicks a lock of dyed-green hair out of her boyfriend’s eyes as she poses the question. “Yeah, but same,” replies Malik, 24. “What was that T-shirt I borrowed the other day?” “The Anna Sui?” asks Hadid. “Yeah,” Malik says. “I like that shirt. And if it’s tight on me, so what? It doesn’t matter if it was made for a girl.” Hadid nods vigorously. “Totally. It’s not about gender. It’s about, like, shapes. And what feels good on you that day. And anyway, it’s fun to experiment. . . .” Advertisement Yes, it’s so much fun to experiment. Label vaguely androgynous fashion “gender fluidity”! Why not? Mix things up—literally! You can always take your boyfriend’s boxers off and wear them as a cape! Is there any doubt that standards in terms of gender-appropriate apparel are relaxing? No way, that is clearly happening, and there are examples in Singer’s piece that speak to it. In fact, she interviews actual people who identify as gender fluid, though their presence in the piece is obscured in the service of making Gigi and Zayn look edgy. Which brings us to another question: Is dabbling with gender presentation different than asserting gender identity (the latter of which being the umbrella that gender fluidity falls under)? You bet your Anna Sui T-shirt it is! Advertisement Marc Jacobs shows up late in the piece as a voice of reason: “These kids—I’m not sure they’re any different from the people I saw at Danceteria or Mudd Club in the eighties,” Jacobs says. “The difference is that back then, the expression—extreme looks, cross-dressing, what have you—was hidden away in a speakeasy or a club. Today, thanks to the Internet, that culture is widely exposed.” Right, that makes sense. The article could have been just that. But then, it wouldn’t have been an article. Advertisement Update: A Vogue spokeswoman emailed this to Jezebel:
Of course none of the doctors Taisha has seen carry the ethical versions of the vaccines her children need – those vaccines are practically impossible to find nowadays! Now doctors administer vaccines that were made with tiny little innocent stem cells violently ravaged from the bodies of poor, helpless aborted fetuses. It’s DISGUSTING. Do doctors not realize that, OK, vaccines are important and all, especially the ones for hepatitis A & B, polio, measles, mumps and rubella, but the Catholic Church is MORE important? Because it is. Yes, it would be shitty if one of Taisha’s kids came down with one of those diseases - especially measles since it’s highly contagious - but really, if she isn’t given a choice then what is she supposed to do? Give her faith the middle finger and vaccine her kids anyway? Oh HELL no. Aborted fetuses deserve a little more respect than that, and so do Taisha’s kids. Thank God there are still some Catholic doctors who understand that. Related: I Stand With Planned Parenthood (submitted by Anonymous)
(CNN) -- The growing push to restrict the collective bargaining rights of government employees has reached the far-flung state of Alaska. There, a Republican state lawmaker has introduced legislation that would strip many public employees of the right to collectively bargain for hours, benefits and working conditions. State employees could still collectively bargain for wages under the legislation. The bill exempts firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians, who, according to Title 40 of the Alaska Statutes, are prohibited from going on strike. The bill's sponsor, state Representative Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, said his legislation mimics a measure that was passed by the Wisconsin Legislature earlier this month, signed into law and is now the subject of a lawsuit. "It is the Wisconsin arrangement," Gatto told CNN. Gatto said that his bill, like the Wisconsin measure, is aimed at curbing state costs. Similar bills to limit collective bargaining rights also are pending in Ohio and Indiana. Opponents of the bill give the measure little chance of passing this session. That's because the 2011 session of the Alaska Legislature is roughly two-thirds over, they said. Also, opponents said, Alaska lawmakers have been focused on controversial legislation to roll back the state's oil and gas tax on profits earned by petroleum companies in the state. Gatto said he doesn't necessarily disagree that his bill probably won't pass this year. "This is such a union state," Gatto said. "But if you just decide that it doesn't have a chance that guarantees the public will never know about it. You have to build, build, build and ultimately if you do enough building, you'll end up with a house." House minority leader Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, said Gatto's bill "would be a particularly onerous thing to drop on state employees." Kerttula said public employees are still smarting from a 2005 overhaul of the state's retirement, pension and health care system. Kerttula called the switch "a disaster" in a state that has a difficult time retaining qualified teachers and police officers. "I cannot tell you how wrong she is," Gatto said. "We have teachers lined up to teach here because we pay a decent wage." Gatto agreed with Kerttula that the bill would face tough sledding in the state Senate, where, unlike the GOP-controlled House, the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats is evenly divided. Kerttula, nevertheless, said the Democratic minority leadership is taking the bill seriously. Gatto said he thinks he can get his bill to the House floor for a vote and and that, if it gets that far, the measure could get passed out of the chamber. Because the 2011 session is the first year of a two-year session for the Alaska Legislature, the bill would not have to be reintroduced in 2012. State Representative Berta Gardner, D-Anchorage, who is the House minority whip, wondered whether the proposed collective bargaining bill for Alaska public employees could spark as fierce an argument as Wisconsin's, which prompted 14 Democrats to leave the state in an unsuccessful effort to kill that bill. "If the Democrats flee here," Gardner said, "we'll have to go to Canada."
The controversial novelty Hawaiian shirt worn by British scientist Dr. Matt Taylor which ‘broke the internet’ after a furious ‘shirtstorm’ whipped up by enraged feminists has proven surprisingly popular, selling out on American shirt supplier Alohaland.com. Although Dr. Taylor’s favourite shirt was a hand-made custom given to him by a close friend as a birthday present, a virtually identical shirt made to a similar cut and with the same fabric has long been available online. The shirt, originally referred to by the fabric pattern name ‘New Gunner Girls’ but now refereed to on the website as the ‘Matt Taylor Astronaut’, has been the subject of a rush of orders that has overwhelmed the American manufacturer. The company has posted an apology for customers not receiving their orders, remarking the entire stock of fabric had been depleted and was now being reprinted, a process that would take a minimum of eight weeks. Over 400 orders had been placed for the shirts at the time of the statement, which is available in styles for women, men, and children. Thanking customers for their patience, the owner regretted not being able to respond to all the emails and questions she had received, remarking there were “hundreds” to get through. The gunner girls shirt came to international prominence as the European Space Agency celebrated the successful deployment of the Philae lander on comet 67/P, the first time a spacecraft has touched down on in this way. The image of Dr. Matt Taylor celebrating the culmination of a ten-year space flight while dressed in his informal beachwear was beamed around the world, much to the anger of some. After persistent abuse from the Twittersphere, Dr. Taylor cracked and was filmed breaking down in tears during a subsequent press conference, perhaps a sad end for what could have been a glorious chapter in the technological progress of man. Although gunner girls is out of stock in America, there are options remaining for casual-dressing contrarians. Still available for purchase are the excitingly patterned, Barbarella-inspired ‘Galactic Gals’ shirt, and ‘Risky Business’, decorated with scantily dressed young ladies on motorcycles. Alternatively, Essex-based Elly Prizeman, the lady designer who made Dr. Taylor’s custom shirt is now considering putting the shirt into production herself – perfect for budding astronauts.
I think everyone with Facebook on its phone is familiar with this common phenomenon. You know, I am talking about the Facebook push notifications. For moments that you have nothing to do and find yourself looking for some distraction, a nice given, but mostly I reckon the continuously evoking push messages as distracting and annoying from what I need to do during the day/week. It makes me less productive, as it keeps me sometimes out of my concentration, makes the tasks I need to fulfill taking longer and performing less well. So, why do I not delete the app if I consider it to be so annoying? Having the application on my phone has some advantages as well. It keeps me up to date of all the ‘noteworthy’ things happening on Facebook. Ok, what I should mention is that it is Noteworthy according to Facebook terms. These push notifications giving me note of specific things and announcements happening on Facebook, and allows me to only look on Facebook when there is really something going on. I’m not only using Facebook as a way of leisure, but also as a way of communicating with all sorts of people. I have study communities on which we discuss stuff related to assignments, friend communities, party announcements, birthday announcements and the last news on company related developments. I have never considered to delete the Facebook apps on my phone, as I am afraid that I would probably miss out on important notifications of these specific communities. Moreover, it is not really convenient to delete the app, as by deleting these apps I won’t be able to use Facebook chat anymore, I have to use Facebook through safari, which will make the battery of my phone die more soon. Anyways, I am still wondering what will happen If I delete both applications. Will my behavior on Facebook change, will I still manage to keep track of the important notifications, will I still be attracted to use Facebook through safari and will I miss the Facebook messenger. A friend of mine always used to say, you can always consider things, but you’ll never know how things work out when you’ll never try. So lets give it a try, lets start my first Facebook rehab: One week without Facebook notifications on my phone. DAY 1 - Monday 29 september The day and moment of the truth. As easy as it is, I first went on my phone to delete the Facebook Messenger and the Facebook app itself. Really easy process on itself, kind of hard in reality. However I can proudly say that I managed to delete both apps! Afterwards I went on my Facebook account through the use of my laptop and changed the notification settings so I would receive as less as push messages as possible. And for now, let the game begin! From the moment on that I left my house, I felt a kind of happy and curious. Curious on how this experiment will work out, and if I would survive. Today I had a meeting with someone of my study for a deadline on wednesday. We already made the deal (through Facebook messenger) that we would meet up in the food court, so nothing to worry about. However, the travel by train was a bit inconvenient. Besides staring out of the window, sleeping and reading, exploring all the apps on my phone is one of the most common pursuits. For the whole day, I’ve been working together with my study partner on the assignment behind a computer. Facebook obviously open in one of my tabs, made it easy to keep up with the conversations going on about another assignment. What I noticed on my way back home, is that I started to explore other apps I already have. I keep up with the latest news ( or at least I try to ) by using the app Feedly, so think this is becoming one of my new app friends. DAY 2 - Tuesday 30 september Waking up in the morning was a bit different. Lately I’m already performing really well with waking up. No snoozing time for me. But laying down for 5 to 10 more minutes to go through the last emails and messages has actually been a ritual for me ever since a couple of years. However, besides whatsapp and Telegram messages and some email, there was nothing noteworthy this morning. Today was meant as study day again. I’ve been spending my whole day on the University of Amsterdam to finish an assignment. I got not that much attracted by my phone, as I was having conversations with people through Facebook messenger on my laptop. In the evening I was having drinks with some friends. It was a bit inconvenient, that I could not keep track of what people of my study group were saying on FB. Especially because the deadline was the day after. However, I could still use whatsapp to chat with only one group member. DAY 3 - Wednesday 1 oktober Day of the due! Still the morning was a bit strange, hard to get rid of an habit! When I was going to the train, I thought of taking a Metro newspaper with me for some leisure in the train. After being done with the paper, the other 40 minutes were fine. I reckon that its still a bit strange to not have the two FB apps on my phone. Especially because besides using it as a tool to communicate with someone, it was also an app I used to feel up some little moments during my day that I didn’t have anything to do. Now I can’t fall into my habit of empty looking at my screen to other FB posts, I spent my time more on daydreaming. One funny remark, I reckon that my battery dies less soon as on other days. Could be because I had some busy days, but after deleting the FB apps, I switched the location tracking off as well. DAY 4 - Thursday 2 oktober Office day. While being at the office, I’m not using my phone that much as people keep track of what you are doing during the day. So Facebook was open in a screen again, but I haven’t used it that much. As I can’t use it when don’t have my computer with me, I unconsciously try to use it a bit less as communication tool. I actually haven’t used FB that much this day, and I didn’t miss it as well. The only thing I can mention about today, is that there are just a less amount of messages on my phone on daily base. A bit inconvenient, as I was used to get spammed by all sorts of posts, but nice and quite overall. DAY 5 - Friday 3 oktober I’m actually getting a quite of used to not look on FB for leisure purpose, because it takes to much time and effort to load the Facebook page all the time on my phone. Today in the train the network was worse as well, so I read an article for today and slept a bit. The only inconvenient thing of today was, that I was about to meet up with someone who is used to communicate with me through FB for some kind of reason (probably we were both working in the office and always communicating through the Facebook channel ). This caused some little struggles, but after just calling her, communication was back on track! DAY 6 - Saturday 4 oktober Today me and some friends had a really big dinner at the other side of The Netherlands. We had a group page on FB with some other girls to talk about presents, and I was about to go to town to buy the present. It was not really convenient that I could not finally communicate which color bracelet I bought, but my roommate did the communication for me (after sending her pictures on Whatsapp, which she sent to the girls on fb). Its just annoying that there is a really easy and convenient way of communicating with other people, sharing pictures and a poll, and that I can’t make use of it when I’m not nearby a computer. That evening I haven’t used my phone a lot, as I was on a dinner party. DAY 7 - Sunday 5 october Final day! I’m saying this with a bit of happiness in my voice. This week wasn’t that bad at all. It was kind of easy to live without the Facebook messenger and app, as there are a lot of other tools to communicate with one another. However, the fact that I didn’t see the two blue labels in my homescreen anymore, cannot automatically press on them when I was bored for one minute, and didn’t receive any push messages anymore, was a bit strange to me. It made me sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable, that I would miss out of important stuff happening on FB, and that some friends were wondering why I was not responding. The world obviously wouldn’t end without Facebook, but I reckon that it is really deciding how I am sometimes unconsciously behaving. Sometimes without being aware, I opened my phone, found myself ending up in the home screen, wondering why I turned on my phone. I want to be more aware of what I’m doing with all the time I have during the day, to make myself more productive. I think the removal of the Facebook apps really contributed to me being more productive and aware of my time spending, but on the other side it was more time consuming as well. To contact people by Whatsapp, call with them, communicate with one person who acted as a kind of conduit, was not convenient at all. For this reason I will download both apps again. I just can’t miss out on all the things happening in the Facebook communities I’m in.
Rugare Gumbo, expelled from ruling Zanu-PF after opposing Mugabe’s plan for life presidency and for his wife to be deputy, attacks ‘dictatorship and tyranny’ One of Robert Mugabe’s oldest and closest allies has launched a scathing attack on his presidency, accusing him of trying to turn Zimbabwe into a monarchy by lining up his wife to succeed him. Rugare Gumbo, who has known Mugabe for 50 years, was this week expelled from the ruling Zanu-PF party amid bitter factional infighting. On Thursday the president told a party congress there was a “treacherous cabal” bent on removing him from power. But Gumbo rejected the charge and accused the 90-year-old of authoritarianism as he seeks to appoint his controversial wife, Grace Mugabe, as his deputy and heir apparent. “I feel betrayed,” Gumbo said in his first interview since his expulsion. “After serving my country for so many years and being involved in the liberation for such a long time, I feel really let down because we could have worked together until his demise.” For years, Gumbo served as Zanu-PF’s information and publicity secretary, defending the president and party against allegations of repression, human rights abuses and election rigging. Now, cast into the political wilderness, he speaks more freely. “The way things are happening, it’s hard not to conclude that there is amount of dictatorship, there is an amount of tyranny, there is an amount of authoritarianism,” he told the Guardian in the capital, Harare. “If you’re going to appoint your vice-president, that smacks of authoritarianism in this age when people should be elected. To me, it doesn’t make sense.” Gumbo claimed that he, vice-president Joice Mujuru and other senior figures are being purged because they objected to Mugabe’s plan to name himself president for life and Grace – dubbed “DisGrace” and “First Shopper” by critics – as his deputy instead of holding internal elections. “Mugabe said he wants to rule for ever. We said no, it’s not right, it’s not democratic. It’s not right that you hold a congress with unelected people. For some of us, that’s unacceptable.” The president intended to build a dynasty, Gumbo added, starting with the first lady. “All the signs seem to be leading to that. These are appointments so there’s no ’accepting’ it. I don’t like the idea of monarchy, as it were. I’ve no problem with women competing to be president, but certainly I don’t like the way they’re trying to impose her. We want refined leaders, people who have experience. I don’t think she has the experience.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Under fire … vice-president Joice Mujuru. Photograph: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Grace Mugabe has publicly denounced Mujuru, seen as a relative moderate, and the state-controlled Herald newspaper has launched fierce attacks on Mujuru’s character. In recent days, Mugabe has accused the vice-president of plotting to assassinate him and even asking witch doctors to cast a magic spell using water insects named Mugabe and Mujuru. Gumbo, 74, responded: “The rubbish they’re talking about, trying to assassinate him … They used the word ’assassinate’ to frighten people. It pains some of us because, to be honest, we never ever organised his ouster. Joice Mujuru was so loyal to Mugabe that you could never say anything against him in her presence. To talk about a coup is unbelievable.” Gumbo first met Mugabe in prison in 1964 during the liberation struggle against white minority rule in what was then Rhodesia. He is the only surviving member of Zanu’s war council and pushed for Mugabe to become leader of the movement when others had doubts. “I’ve lived to regret that decision,” he said. When the pair fell out in Mozambique, Gumbo was held captive in a pit that was six metres deep, four metres long and two metres wide, he recalled. “It was terrible.” Eventually, he got back in favour and joined the government in 2000. He has regularly attended meetings of Zanu-PF’s decision-making politburo under Mugabe for the past decade. Looking back on the life and career of Africa’s oldest president, he reflected: “He was really bright, alert, articulate, committed to the nationalist cause. He was really quite radical. But his personality changed of late. He’s no longer himself. He was young and vibrant; now he’s a tired old man.” Neither Gumbo nor Mujuru was present at the Zanu-PF congress, held in a cavernous tent on a field hastily named “Robert Mugabe Square” with a service road called “Dr Grace Mugabe Way”. Mugabe threatened to turn the law on 59-year-old Mujuru, telling the crowd: “As we thought we were working together, they were doing their own thing, a cabal parallel to the party, planning their own future, planning how to change the leadership, planning about kicking the president out of power.” Speaking in Shona, he described Mujuru as a “thief” and “crook” and accused her of “gross corruption” in several gold and diamond-mining deals. “Those who are or were involved in corrupt activities, you are going to be prosecuted wherever we have enough evidence,” he warned. Wearing a yellow baseball cap and jacket bearing his face, Mugabe appeared drained at the end of his speech. But Grace, wearing matching colours, smiled as she led 12,000 delegates singing and dancing. Parliamentary speaker Jacob Mudenda gave a vote of thanks, referring to Grace as “mother of the nation and mother of revelations”. Mujuru took part in the 1970s guerrilla war, and was known as Teurai Ropa (Spill Blood). She married Solomon Mujuru, a former army chief who died in a fire at his farm in 2011. The congress ends on Saturday with the appointment of new leadership. Grace is set to become head of the Zanu-PF women’s league, giving her a seat on the politburo. Despite his advanced years and rumours of cancer, Mugabe is running unchallenged as Zanu-PF’s candidate for the 2018 general election. He will then be 94 years old.
Sports Josh McCown deserved a better ending than this DENVER — Josh McCown knew right away. He knew he was done. Definitely for the rest of Sunday’s game. Likely for the rest of this season. And possibly for his career, which has spanned more than 15 years and eight different teams. That’s why, when McCown emerged from the trainer’s room in the bowels of Sports Authority Field at Mile High after breaking his left hand late in the third quarter of the Jets’ 23-0 loss to the Broncos, his eyes already were red from the burning of tears. McCown, who’s been enjoying the finest season of his career at age 38, was raw with emotion when he spoke to reporters. It was when he was asked, given how much he has relished this renaissance season of his, about what he was feeling “emotionally,” that McCown could no longer hold his emotions in check. He took nearly 20 seconds trying to compose himself before answering with tears in his eyes and his voice cracking. “It’s been the best [season] because of the guys … not numbers,” McCown said. “It’s been the best because of the group of men in the locker room.’’ Pause. “I’m just proud to be a part of it,’’ McCown said. “So thankful they let me be a part of this team.” It’s actually the Jets who should be thankful McCown has been a part of their team because he’s been the heart and soul of Gang Green. McCown has been a gift for the Jets. He’s has touched every player in the Jets locker room and had a profound effect on many of them with his selfless leadership. That’s what made it so difficult to watch McCown get hurt then learn the news it looks like the injury is season-ending. The start against the Broncos was McCown’s 13th of the season, matching his career high for a season, set when he played for the Cardinals in 2004, when most of his Jets teammates were in grade school. Before Sunday, McCown had played every down for the Jets this season and was on pace to become the first Jets quarterback to do that since Richard Todd. Yes, Richard Todd. Sunday’s game against the Saints in New Orleans would have been McCown’s 14th start, surpassing his personal high, hopefully en route to playing a full 16-game season for the first time. So the Jets didn’t just lose a game in noncompetitive fashion Sunday in Denver. They put an end to their best feel-good story, one of the best in the league. McCown entered Sunday having completed 67.8 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. Though he did make one bad throw that was picked off by Broncos safety Darian Stewart in the second quarter Sunday, McCown never had a chance with the deplorable performance his offensive line put in. Yet there he was after the game, sounding like it was he who let his team down. After he was finished with his postgame press conference, McCown walked slowly out of the locker room with his right arm on the shoulder of Todd Bowles. They had a brief chat, and McCown headed toward the team buses. “You want to be out there with your guys, and I feel like I let them down,” McCown said before boarding the bus. “From this point in your career, each game is so special and precious, so you don’t want it to end this way.” Asked if his raw emotions stemmed from wondering if this could be the end of his career, McCown said: “Yeah, you never know. You get flooded with emotions about all those things because you don’t know. I don’t know what’s next. The possibility of something coming to an end … you just don’t know. I love these guys so much, these coaches. I love this organization, and it means a lot to me to be here.” The hour or so after the injury McCown spent in that barren trainer’s room might have been the most agonizing 60 minutes of his NFL career. “It was emotional,” he said. “You’re just thinking through the game, thinking through everything … thinking through 16 years. It’s just emotional. I’m very, very thankful. I hate for it to end this way, but I’m just so thankful that I got to be a part of this.” McCown sounded like a guy who’s resigned to this being the end. Here’s hoping it’s not.
TLC The Parents Television Council (PTC) is outraged over TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras” episode featuring a 3-year-old dressed as the Julia Roberts prostitute character in “Pretty Woman” (watch the video). “We have a serious problem when a network formerly known as The Learning Channel features a toddler, who probably hasn’t even learned to read, dressed as a prostitute showing off her sexy strut,” the PTC told TMZ. “For years we’ve seen adult sexuality being inappropriately and aggressively foisted on innocent young children, but children today are being sexualized at younger and younger ages,” PTC added. “All available data suggests they will suffer for it later in life.” Wendy Dickey, the mother of the toddler who sported the skimpy costume complete with thigh-high boots, defended the outfit and said it’s no more revealing than a gymnastics suit. “I’m raising my child just as well as any mother does … I take my kid to church every week … at least I’m not forcing them into sports and getting my child injured like some parents,” Dickey said. People need to look at their own family and what they’re doing. I don’t know why people are focusing so much on pageant moms when there’s much more harmful things people are letting their children do!” Why are people focusing on your 3-year-old, Ms. Dickey? Maybe because you dressed her in a trashy sex-worker’s outfit complete with thigh-high boots and allowed the whole thing to be featured on national television. Follow Bay Area Moms on Facebook and on Twitter @bayareamoms.
ANIMAL activists are combing a forest in eastern China for more than 1000 kittens rescued from a meat supplier only to be let loose by local authorities, an organiser said Monday. Animal protection volunteers and local police intercepted a truck "filled with cats'' destined for dinner plates last week, said an activist surnamed Ni from the Wuxi Small Animal Protection Association in eastern Jiangsu province. But local government officials released the felines - some as young as four months old - into a nearby mountain forest to fend for themselves, Mr Ni said. "They were being sent to Guangzhou to be eaten by people,'' said. "We didn't want to release them, our volunteers had places to keep them. It's definitely irresponsible.'' Volunteers are now scouring the hillsides with cages in an attempt to capture the cats, and hope to put those found up for adoption, Mr Ni said, adding that more than 50 have been retrieved in the last week. "Some of the cats are hungry, and haven't eaten, while others have been run over by cars,'' he said. The state-run Beijing Youth Daily said Sunday that authorities seized the cats because the lorry owner did not have the correct documents, but decided to release the animals into the wild as there was no source of funds to have them put down. China's small but growing ranks of animal activists have staged a number of rescues in recent years. Cats are not commonly eaten in most parts of China but some restaurants, particularly in the south, continue to serve them as food. Around 600 cats stuffed into wooden crates and on their way to such a fate were rescued after a truck crash in January. A convoy of trucks carrying some 500 dogs to be sold as meat was stopped by volunteers on a highway in Beijing in 2011 and the animals retrieved. China does not have any laws to protect non-endangered animals. Originally published as Search for 1000 kittens in forest
Two pets are dead and a person is missing after a Virginia Beach house caught fire on Sunday morning, officials say. A home, located on the 4900 block of Sullivan Boulevard, caught fire around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, claiming the lives of a cat and a dog who lived in the residence. Officials say the fire may have been started by an electric space heater, according to a Virginia Beach Fire Department news release. Firefighters extinguished the flames, which were coming through the right side of the two-story home, around 5:15 a.m. First responders found two other cats alive inside of the home. They were given back to their owner. All four people who lived in the home were not hurt during the fire. One of the residents of the home, Monica Lamping, is missing, said Virginia Beach Police Department Master Police Officer Linda Kuehn. A missing persons report for Lamping was filed on Sunday.
Getty Images Some (including one who works here) have suggested that Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler eventually will regret his decision not to join his former team at the White House to celebrate once again their Super Bowl championship from four months ago. Others (including me) believe Osweiler shouldn’t regret it. It’s ultimately a personal decision, which for Osweiler is surely more personal than the desire to remain with his new team, focusing on learning a new offense and eventually winning a new Super Bowl trophy. Beyond the work ethic he’s trying to demonstrate in Houston, Osweiler surely has lingering hard feelings about the fact that he was benched after going 5-2 as a starter and beating the previously-unbeaten Patriots in prime-time. Consider Osweiler’s comments from Monday, during which he explained that he stayed in Houston to participate in an OTA session with his new teammates. “That’s what my answer was last week,” Osweiler said. “I stand by that answer. My answer hasn’t changed. I believe that every single practice, every single rep, every single meeting that I can get in this new offense is the most important thing for myself and my teammates right now. So yes, I stand by what I said last week.” His that’s-my-story-and-I’m-sticking-to-it explanations suggests that, at some level, Osweiler believes (correctly or not) that the decision to bench him late in the regular season was more about placating Peyton Manning, whose anger over not being put back in the lineup culminated in a one-fingered salute to coach Gary Kubiak during a filmed workout before Manning was put back on the field. Could the Broncos have won the Super Bowl with Osweiler? Probably. Could they have gotten there with him? Maybe not. Regardless, any NFL quarterback who aspires to be remotely successful in any setting has to believe that he could have and would have taken the Broncos to the Super Bowl and won it. To be properly motivated in his new surroundings, Osweiler needs to leave that chip on his shoulder — especially since he’ll be playing the Broncos in Denver this season. Osweiler doesn’t need to make any apologies for his decision, or to enhance it by admitting that he’s still miffed by the fact that the Broncos treated him like Deputy Dawg in deference to the Sheriff. Think of it this way: Would the laser-focused Manning have swapped a navel-gazing celebration for work on a work day? Would Tom Brady? Last year, Brady bailed on the team’s first White House trip in 10 years by claiming he didn’t have enough advance notice. (He reportedly was working out on his own at the team facility while the rest of the Patriots went to D.C.) While some (including me) questioned whether he opted not to attend because he was miffed about a moment of snark from a White House spokesperson regarding Brady’s performance in his initial #Deflategate press conference, no one questioned Brady’s sanity for choosing work over play. Osweiler’s decision reflects the mentality that we’ve come to expect from ultra-obsessive franchise quarterback, who live, sleep, eat, breathe football. Why is anyone surprised that he’s behaving in the way that other franchise quarterbacks would?
Santos starlet Victor Andrade has set his sights on the Premier League with the young striker hoping to mimic the career of his godfather, former Manchester City striker Robinho. Andrade has spoken of wanting to join the Brazilian contingent in the Premier League. • Trio on Barca's radar The 18-year-old Andrade has just witnessed his former team-mate, Neymar, move to Europe in a €57 million move to Spanish champions Barcelona. And with the World Cup in his home country next year, Andrade said it was time to joining the growing Brazilian contingent in England. “Quite simply, I would love to play in Europe,” Andrade told the Mirror. “My godfather Robinho has told me of the great experiences he had at Real Madrid, Manchester City and AC Milan. He told me how it made him a better player because playing in Europe means you must adapt to different styles and systems. “I think it will be a great education for me. Everybody around the world knows about the strength of the Premier League. “And many Brazilian players have done well when they have played in England. Players like David Luiz and Oscar at Chelsea and now Paulinho has gone to Tottenham to play alongside Sandro. “It is a very exciting prospect for me. My dream is to play for Brazil in the World Cup and I believe that moving to Europe will help me because it will help my all-round game. “I have no problem with Santos. They have helped me a lot. But I think the time is right for me to experience a change.”
A Word from the President of the German Go Federation Welcome to the European Go Congress in Oberhof! As you probably know, Germany became host of the European Go Congress 2017 just a few days before Christmas 2016. Despite the short time that this leaves for the preparation of the congress, I can assure you that we will make your time in Germany most enjoyable. Besides the main tournaments, we will set up a wide variety of side tournaments, including some new events such as Biathlon Go (giving special credit to Oberhof as a world-famous biathlon place) or Tsume Pair Go, that have never been part of an EGC program before. You might know that the congress was originally meant to take place in Turkey and a later decision to move the congress to Russia was revoked. Taking the difficult circumstances of this process into account, we included the Turkish and the Russian Go Federation into our organising team: There will be some special Turkish and Russian events in Oberhof and we cordially invite you to join! Of course also many professional players will be there for you, so you can enjoy professional lectures, game commentaries and simultaneous games as well. Oberhof is easily accessible by car from many central European countries, and there are good train connections to the international airports in Frankfurt and Nuremberg. When you need a break from Go, you might want to explore the beautiful nature of the Thuringian Forest or try some winter sports in summer: Master the bobsleigh run in a real bob (with wheels), do some biathlon shooting or go for Nordic Skiing in the big indoor skiing arena! If you have children, they will enjoy the trip a lot: the hotel has a swimming pool and a big playing area with bouncy castles, slides, a small football pitch, table tennis etc. Outside the building you can play mini golf or beach volleyball. Moreover, we will offer excursions to some interesting places around Oberhof, such as the Fairy Cave in Saalfeld or the Unesco World Heritages Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, the Old Town of Classical Weimar, the Bavarian town of Bamberg and many more. You are most heartily welcome to join the congress in Oberhof. Come and play Go with us and bring your friends and families as well for a unique experience! See you in Oberhof! Michael Marz President of the German Go Federation
Young Soldier The death of Lord Randolph Churchill on 24 January 1895, aged just forty-five, and before Churchill had been able to prove himself to his father, clearly had a profound effect. Churchill became a cavalry officer in the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars only a month later but almost from the beginning his mind was set on following his father into politics. To do this he needed fame and fortune. In the five years between 1895 and 1900, he sought them both by getting himself transferred to as many dangerous places as possible and then writing up his experiences as newspaper articles and books. He was shot at in Cuba, fought in what is now Pakistan, on the Afghan border, survived a cavalry charge in the Sudan, and made the headlines by escaping from Boer captivity in South Africa. This section tells you how the young Churchill launched himself on the world. On his arrival in Durban in December 1899, Churchill was hailed a war hero after his daring escape from the Boer POW camp. His new fame allowed him to override the objections of the War Office and he continued to assume the dual role of officer – with a local volunteer unit, the South African Light Horse – and war correspondent. For the next six months, he encountered fire, took part in the bloody and unsuccessful battle of Spion Kop in January 1900 and, as the war turned in Britain’s favour, was present at the relief of Ladysmith and the occupation of Pretoria. Returning to England in July 1900, Churchill was feted on the streets of Oldham. Read More > Churchill left Harrow School in 1892 and went to a ‘crammer’ to help him pass the entrance exam into the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, which he eventually did on the third attempt in 1893. He found life at Sandhurst much more suited to his temperament and talents than school life. Military topics such as tactics and fortifications were far more appealing to him than mathematics and he was a skilled horseman. The practical nature of the course appealed to him and he passed with credit in December 1894, twentieth out of a class of one hundred and thirty. In February 1895, Churchill joined the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars, a fashionable cavalry regiment, as a 2nd Lieutenant, as a way of gaining some experience before working his way into politics. Churchill’s regiment, the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars, amalgamated with the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars in 1958 to form the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars. After further cuts in 1993, the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars amalgamated with the Queen’s Own Hussars (formerly the 3rd King’s Own Hussars and 7th Queen’s Hussars) to form the Queen’s Royal Hussars. It is a fine game to play – the game of politics – and it is well worth a good hand – before really plunging. Churchill, in a letter to his mother, 16 August 1895 Read More > In his last youthful military adventure, Churchill joined British forces in the Boer War. Churchill set off, armed with the important things in life – sixty bottles of spirits, twelve bottles of Rose’s Lime Juice and a supply of claret – and arrived in Cape Town late on 30 October 1899. He was famously captured only two weeks later by the Boers when the armoured train on which he was travelling in Boer-occupied territory was ambushed and derailed. He made a dramatic escape the following month, making his way to Durban, with the Boers offering a reward of £25 for the recapture of their well-known prisoner, ‘dead or alive’. His dispatches from the Boer War were republished as two books, London to Ladysmith via Pretoria (1900) and Ian Hamilton’s March (1900). Read More > Desperate to join the army reconquering the Sudan, lost following the death of General Gordon in 1885, Churchill managed to obtain a temporary commission as a Lieutenant with the 21st Lancers while again also serving as a war correspondent, this time for the Morning Post. In August 1898 he travelled up the Nile with the expeditionary force under General Kitchener. Read More > With all his writing and journalism gaining the attention of the political authorities (due in no small part to a promotion of his activities by his mother Lady Randolph), he resigned from the army in April 1899. Politics beckoned. He had already spoken at a few political meetings in the Autumn of 1898 and attempted to enter Parliament as a Conservative, but failed – by a small margin – at the by-election in Oldham in 1899. But more action was to beckon. A serious colonial war had begun in South Africa and Churchill managed to secure another lucrative assignment to report on the war for the Morning Post. The contract he negotiated with the newspaper, a salary of £250 a month and all expenses paid, made him the highest-paid war correspondent of the day. Read More > Back home in Britain, in 1896, Churchill did all he could to get posted to Egypt or Matabeleland in South Africa, where he could see some action and get noticed – to no avail. He eventually sailed to India with his regiment in the Autumn of 1896. Confined to a life of polo and military routine in Bangalore, he eventually took matters into his own hands and, armed with a contract as a war correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, travelled to the North West frontier to join the Malakand Field Force. Here he did find himself in danger. Although the fighting on the north-west frontier against the Afghan tribes in 1897 couldn’t really be called battles, there was a real risk of being killed and Churchill had several narrow escapes. Read More > Churchill had a period of leave and managed to obtain his first assignment as a war correspondent for the newspaper. He was reporting on the rebellion against Spanish rule by guerilla rebels in Cuba when he first came under fire. It was also in Cuba that he first refined his well-known taste for fine Cuban cigars. He was attached to the Spanish forces as an observer but his writings reveal considerable sympathies for the Cuban rebels. Read more about Churchill’s time in Cuba here. Read More > The British army in the 1890s numbered 225,000, arranged in 140 battalions, 55 percent of which were stationed overseas. There were 17,000 cavalrymen in twenty-eight calvary regiments, six to nine of which were in India at a given time. The great glories of Waterloo and the Zulu War were history, and Britain was generally at peace. There had been no war with a European power since the 1850s. As Churchill later wrote, he grew up during “the august, unchallenged and tranquil glories of the Victorian Era” Churchill was interested in things military from an early age. His earliest surviving letter is about toy soldiers, flags and castles, written when he was seven years old. Although accident-prone and often ill, the boy enjoyed the manly pursuits of riding, swimming, shooting, fort-building and catapulting vegetables at passersby. He read history but he also read boy’s adventure tales like King Solomon’s Mines, Treasure Island and of course Every Boy’s Annual which was filled with stories of Victoria Cross winners. He may well have read the popular stories of GA. Henty. The subtitle of Churchill’s autobiography, A Roving Commission; is said to have come from a Henty title. Many others could have served: By Sheer Pluck, In Freedom’s Cause, Held Fast For England, When London Burned, No Surrender, or my own favorite for Lieutenant Churchill, The Golden Cannon. Read More > By Celia Sandys I bade him a restrained but decisive farewell and walked out into the street with a magnificent oration seething within my bosom and only half a crown in my pocket…I thought of dinner and was pallidly confronted with the half-crown! No, that would not do! A journey to London on a beautiful half holiday, keyed up to the last point of expectation on a speech that might have shaped the national destinies undelivered and to go back to Sandhurst upon a bun and a cup of tea was more than fortitude could endure. In order to console himself in a more satisfactory manner, Winston resorted to the pawnbroker’s shop where, he related, “I received one of those tickets which hitherto I had only heard of in music-hall songs and a five-pound note. This is not the first time I have spoken in public but it is the first time I have spoken on this subject. What I have to say will have no effect on any national destiny and far from being confronted with an empty hall followed by a bun and a cup of tea, I am faced with a room full of people and a sumptuous dinner. I do not have to seek consolation. Just brace myself and get on with the job! Read More > Richard M. Langworth Finest Hour No. 105 Winter 1999-2000 Portions of this article are excerpted (omitting technical details and appraisals) from the author’s book, A Connoisseur’s Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill. I often wish modern writers who say Churchill was a racist would read his conversation with his Boer captors in London to Ladysmith. This was–remember–1899, when every Englishman alive supposedly believed in the utter supremacy of the white race, English branch. Read More >
The entrance into the Cameron Highlands was filled with stunning, dramatic scenery contrasted with terrible motion sickness. The first thing you notice about the Highlands, other than the lush, beautiful mountains is that it is a good ten degrees cooler than Kuala Lumpur. When we tried to tell friends and family back in Sydney that we were relishing this cool weather it fell on deaf ears, but to us, it was paradise. Not having to change your shirt several times a day and having the entire cycle of clothing in your backpack last more than a week was a welcome reprieve. It’s the little things you value after 4 months of travelling. We initially spent two days in the Highlands (we ended up returning for several more days later in the trip) and spent them on tour around the town visiting a tea plantation, doing forest treks and walks through the woods. The Sungai Palas tea plantation was staggeringly beautiful, rolling green hills bursting with tea trees with no end in sight. People would tentatively step into the crops only to disappear amongst the foliage within seconds. The smell was unexpected, a mixture that resembled brewed tea and freshly mown grass. We were able to sample some of the different brews at the plantation cafeteria and enjoyed the breathtaking view. The Cameron Highlands was a great stop on our Malaysia ramblings and a nice way to cool down. Next stop, the sweltering food paradise of Penang! NB: Apologies for any inconvenience caused by the severe lateness of this post but let’s be honest, we are busy having way too much fun in Tokyo. Getting there: Bus from KL; 4.5-5 hours. Staying: Gerard’s Place. This is a really cosy guesthouse that truly makes you feel like home. Tip of the trip: Definitely make a trip to the Mossy Forest and the Sungai Palas tea plantation, they are both absolutely stunning. You can follow innerwesttosoutheast via email by entering your email address at the top of the home page or at the bottom of this page, below the comments section. RSS feed: https://innerwesttosoutheast.wordpress.com/?feed=rss
With Steven Stamkos due to become an unrestricted free agent at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, it’s natural to circle that moment as the point when the frenzy begins. However, there is significant motivation for the 26-year-old centre to end the uncertainty beforehand – even if he’s not returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s because the only possible way for Stamkos to receive a maximum eight-year contract is to sign off on a new deal by Thursday night. It could come in one of two ways: An extension with Tampa, which seems highly unlikely, or as part of a sign-and-trade agreement between the Lightning and his desired destination. That stands as an intriguing scenario, particularly with murmurs growing around the industry that Stamkos has already started to pare down his list of suitors. It would allow him to achieve maximum security under the collective bargaining agreement while giving the Lightning the chance to get something in return for his services – a proposition that interests Tampa general manager Steve Yzerman. “Never given it a thought so maybe I should think about it,” Yzerman said when asked about the sign-and-trade scenario at the entry draft last weekend. “It’s an interesting idea … well losing him for nothing or losing him for an asset? I’d love to get an asset for him.” The Stamkos camp, led by agent Don Meehan of Newport Sports, essentially controls the situation. They’ve had an open interview period to speak with rival teams since Saturday and also enjoy the protection of a no-movement clause in the player’s expiring deal. As a result, they would have to be central in orchestrating the first sign-and-trade agreement in NHL history. For teams looking to add Stamkos there may even be a benefit to completing that sort of maneuver with the Lightning. They would have to part with an asset, sure, but it also offers the chance to lower the player’s eventual cap hit by spreading it over eight years rather than the maximum seven they could offer on the open market. (If Stamkos’s price is $80-million over the length of the deal, for example, that amounts to an $11.43-million annual cap hit on a seven-year contract and $10-million on an eight). Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo, Detroit and Boston are among those believed to have interest in the two-time 50-goal scorer. There are bound to be others as well, including some teams that have likely flown below the radar to this point. A player of this stature, and at this stage of his career, has never been so close to unrestricted free agency in the NHL’s salary cap era. Stamkos is averaging .55 goals per game since entering the league in 2008 – second only to Alex Ovechkin during that time. Even though his push towards free agency has seemingly played out in slow motion because it’s been under the microscope for so long, don’t be surprised if this situation finds a resolution before Stamkos officially hits the open market.
Freescale has just introduced the world’s smallest ARM Cortex-powered microcontroller unit (MCU), the Kinetis KL02. Compared with its nearest competitor, the Kinetis consumes 25% less board area yet provides 60% more general purpose input-output (GPIO). Freescale has not identified the customer driver for this chip but a quick look at the datasheet may give us rough idea — its end use may be closer to home than you might at first think. For a chip of this size (1.9 x 2.0 millimeters), you might expect some essential features normally associated with a full-blown microcontroller to be missing, but that is clearly not the case. The Kinetis includes 12-bit analog to digital conversion, an analog comparator, a low power UART, and high speed inter-chip communications using either the SPI or I2C bus. It uses a 32-bit processor, 32k of flash memory, and has 4k of RAM. Also it incorporates several Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) modules, which can be used for effective but simple digital-to-analog conversion. PWM sometimes gets a bad rap as the poor man’s D-to-A, but for low-end systems it is often the best way to get a command voltage for motors, or convert to a current for electromagnets, heaters, or actuators. The size of the Kinetis makes it perfect for new applications including the Internet of Things or swallowable devices to image your internals. Going one step further on that theme (OK, possibly two or three), bloodborne nanobots controlled by magnetic resonance navigation is now new frontier with huge potential that could be better explored with chips like this. Freescale has already delivered devices used for wireless activity/sleep cycle trackers like the Fitbit They also have found application in tubing-free insulin pumps like the Omnipod. Perhaps the most interesting detail on the Kinetis spec page is the Human-Machine Feature section. Interfaces like a brain-computer interface (BCI) not only require a lot of raw computing power, likely handled by other dedicated chips, but also a lot of GPIO. FPGAs are the go-to technology for high-speed and low power when you have a lot of inputs, but the smallest FPGA now available doesn’t come close to the Kinetis’ footprint. You also want to have direct memory access (DMA) and support for pin interrupts, both features also found in the Kinetis. Finally Freescale makes mention here of the capacitive touch interface which supports up to 16 electrodes with DMA transfer. This is pretty exciting stuff for any brain-computer interface or implantable tech designer. As a miniature front-end to handle up to 16 channels of data collection, the Kinetis might even open up the possibility of putting the hardware inside the skull at the site of the electrodes, instead of burying it elsewhere in the body and threading leads under the skin. Proximity is critical for noise reduction, even after current amplification as you want your system as close to the recording site as possible. Up until now most BCIs have mainly been stimulator devices, but for more complex control feedback from the neurons in the vicinity of stimulation will be mandatory. Chips like the Kinetis will be instrumental in making the next generation of implantable tech a reality. Now read: Researchers create brain computer interface that bypasses spinal cord injury paralysis
Article submitted by Donn Ingle. We’ve run out of articles! If you like Debian Package of the Day please submit good articles about software you like! Fonty Python is available from the fontypython package in both Debian and Ubuntu in Universe. Fonty is a wxPython app so will work in any desktop environment. It also has a command-line interface which avoids the gui. What the font? As a graphic designer, one is called-upon to create artwork for many things. Fonts change from one client to another, from one job to another. If busy enough, then one can soon amass a vast pile of font files. Some are downloaded from the net as freeware, others are purchased, others are supplied by the clients for their work. These font-files are stored somewhere, independently of the system fonts managed by the Debian package manager, possibly sorted in whatever fashion you prefer. It’s crazy to have these fonts all installed at the same time. Besides whatever that may do to your computer’s speed, it has one gigantic drawback: it clutters up font-selection boxes. Have you ever tried to find a font in a list of 500 fonts? Bleh. What you need is a way to herd fonts and that’s what Fonty does. Bring out yer fonts! Fonty will let you gather your fonts and structure them into “collections” —or what I call “Pogs”— a place to keep tyPOGraphy (well, why not?) Think of Pogs as “groups”, “bags”, “cases”, “boxes” —that kind of thing. It’s an oddball word invented to describe a bunch of font files. Ye olde basic idea You visually gather fonts into Pogs. You then install a Pog and all the fonts within it are active on the system. You finish your work and then uninstall the Pog. Your fonts never move from where they live (so don’t worry). Neither are copies of your fonts made; only links to the original files are used to install the fonts into your home .fonts subdirectory. For example, you might have a Pog called logoZoo into which you place all the TTFs you need to design a logo for a Zoo. After that, when you need to work with them, you simply install the logoZoo Pog and start your design app. All those fonts will now appear in Inkscape or The Gimp, and other apps. Do your work as normal, and forget about fonts. When you are done designing, you uninstall logoZoo and all those fonts go away. The links to the original files are removed from your home .fonts directory, effectively uninstalling each font. Fonty is also great for just looking at fonts wherever they are on your computer, without having to install them first. Fonty also has a command-line, allowing very quick use. You can install or remove pogs without having to start the entire gui, which is neat. Quick tour The layout of Fonty is supposed to be as simple as possible. I stayed away from context-menus and drag and drop because I find them hard to use. The flow is left-to-right with the sources of fonts on the left and their targets on the right. Point 1: You choose a Source Folder (or Source Pog) on the left. Point 1: You choose a Source Folder (or Source Pog) on the left. Point 2 & 3: You then see the fonts in the middle. You can page or Point or search around (Points 5,7). You click the fonts you want to use. Point 4: On the right, you choose a Pog, or make a new one. Point 6: Once you have a Target Pog selected, you can place fonts that you ticked into it. Point 8: On the bottom-right you then Install or Uninstall Pogs as you need them. There is a settings box (ctrl+s) where you can change the sample text and sizes. Check the help too — it’s full of tips and quite short. Bad fonts Some fonts are simply bad to the bone. Fonty relies on freetype and PIL to open and draw the glyphs, and when this fails so does Fonty. I have put a lot of effort into catching this, but it does not always work. When a font crashes Fonty, you should get a popup box telling you which one did the deed. You really ought to remove that font! Some fonts cannot be displayed, and Fonty will show that by using coloured bars in the display area. There is also a menu item (File > Check Fonts) that you can point at a given directory and scan it for fonts that will crash Fonty. Use this when you want to cull all the fonts that are bad. Font Flavours Originally, Fonty could only show TTF files. Since then I have expanded it to include OTF, Type1 and TTC files. As far as I can tell, being only seminiscient, this all works. i18n Fonty speaks your language; or it will if you translate it. There are a few translations available and you can join the project to contribute others. Fonty needs help With Python heading for version 3 and all kinds of other changes, Fonty is falling behind. She still works quite well, but I cannot spend the time I want to on her. If there’s anyone out there who wants to stick a fork in her and run —please do. I hope to find some time this year to have another go; fix some bugs and include a few translations I have been sent, but I can’t be relied upon. You can check out the author’s home page for Fonty and the project home page.
Story highlights The hunter put the shotgun on the ground, but the safety was off The dog stepped on it, shooting the hunter in the foot (CNN) Sometimes you have to hunt for a good story. Other times it does the hunting for you. Allie Carter was hunting with her dog Trigger in northern Indiana over the weekend when she became the object of an international punch line. The 25-year-old laid her 12-gauge shotgun on the ground. The safety was off. Her 10-year-old chocolate lab did the rest. "A dog stepped on the trigger, causing the gun to go off and strike a female hunter in the foot," Indiana Conservation Officer Jonathon Boyd told CNN affiliate WBND Yes, a dog named Trigger shot her human, accidentally as far as we know. Trigger has had little to say about the matter. Read More
It's pronounced OOH-YAH. Exactly like that. We have generally done our best around here to avoid writing every Kickstarter-related video game project out there. To do so would be to subject you to endless stories of people making weird mobile zombie games, or what have you, and that's not really important to many people. However, sometimes there are projects that definitively go beyond the usual scope of gaming Kickstarters, and the Ouya is one such case. Posted today, the Ouya was proposed as a new gaming console based on Android 4.0. The full technical specs can be found on the Kickstarter page, but the basic gist includes a Tegra3 quad-core processor, 1 gig of RAM, 8 gigs of internal Flash storage, and full HD support. Of course, the big potential draw for developers is the freedom they'll have to develop for the device. In fact, everyone will have the opportunity to design for the device, as it's billed as hacker friendly. Rooting the console won't void your warranty, and hardware hackers are encouraged on the Kickstarter page to "create their own peripherals." The other potential big draw would be the price of the console: $99. The original budget for the Kickstarter funding was $950,000, a number that's already been surpassed a mere eight hours after its initial posting. In fact, at last tally, it's hovering dangerously close to the $1 million mark. An Android-based box to put in front of my TV maybe isn't number one on my priority list, but it's kind of amazing the groundswell of support this project garnered. Obviously there's an audience, so all that's left to do now is see how the product shapes up. You can check out the Kickstarter pitch video below, if you're curious.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a regular contributor to PostEverything One of the odder aspects of that very bad, no good, horrible H.R. McMaster and Gary Cohn op-ed of last week was their claim that President Trump had affirmed Article 5 of NATO — “an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies” — when he very clearly had not. Yesterday, Politico’s Susan Glasser dropped a bombshell of a story that explains why the Trump team’s messaging on this seemed so strange: The president also disappointed — and surprised — his own top national security officials by failing to include the language reaffirming the so-called Article 5 provision in his speech. National security adviser H.R. McMaster, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson all supported Trump doing so and had worked in the weeks leading up to the trip to make sure it was included in the speech, according to five sources familiar with the episode. They thought it was, and a White House aide even told The New York Times the day before the line was definitely included. It was not until the next day, Thursday, May 25, when Trump started talking at an opening ceremony for NATO’s new Brussels headquarters, that the president’s national security team realized their boss had made a decision with major consequences — without consulting or even informing them in advance of the change … The president appears to have deleted it himself, according to one version making the rounds inside the government, reflecting his personal skepticism about NATO and insistence on lecturing NATO allies about spending more on defense rather than offering reassurances of any sort; another version relayed to others by several White House aides is that Trump’s nationalist chief strategist Steve Bannon and policy aide Stephen Miller played a role in the deletion. (According to NSC spokesman Michael Anton, who did not dispute this account, “The president attended the summit to show his support for the NATO alliance, including Article 5. His continued effort to secure greater defense commitments from other nations is making our alliance stronger.”) Do read the whole thing. So why is this such a big deal of a story? The United States is a member of NATO, which means that Article 5 is legally binding whether Trump says so out loud or not. Unlike NAFTA or the Paris climate treaty, I’ve been assured by smart lawyer types that Trump cannot unilaterally withdraw. So why does this story matter? First, it puts the lie to the notion that Trump can be constrained by the adults in the room. I was dubious of the “Axis of Adults” language when it was first proffered — by last week I was laughing at the lot of them. Still, reasonable people could disagree over whether the mainstream foreign policy folks like Mattis or McMaster could sway Trump when it was important. Given that European allies were clearly fidgety about Trump’s commitment to the alliance, that speech was important. Second, it makes it clear that Trump possesses core policy beliefs and will stick to them even if given contrary advice by policymakers. On the Paris treaty, this is a guy who “started with a conclusion, and the evidence brought him to the same conclusion,” in the words of Kellyanne Conway. On the Muslim travel ban, this is a guy who tweeted the following last night despite loud warnings from Justice Department lawyers: That's right, we need a TRAVEL BAN for certain DANGEROUS countries, not some politically correct term that won't help us protect our people! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017 As Maggie Haberman tweeted out yesterday morning, “The idea that anyone can stop Trump from doing something once his mind is made up is off.” Given that Trump’s core foreign policy beliefs are antithetical to the liberal international order, this is going to be a bumpy foreign policy ride. The real reason Glasser’s story is so devastating, however, is that it undercuts the influence of Mattis, Tillerson and McMaster going forward. In the wake of Trump’s first overseas trip, Mattis tried to do cleanup in Asia, and then Tillerson and Mattis both tried in Australia. To their credit, they said all the right words. Except that those words don’t mean much, since Trump is not listening. They now all sound like Nikki Haley, who is going around sounding thoroughly mainstream but also not necessarily having any influence over foreign policy. This story is particularly devastating for Tillerson. As Politico’s Eliana Johnson and Michael Crowley reported Sunday, Tillerson has focused all his energies on earning Trump’s trust at the expense of communicating with anyone within his own State Department. He has essentially relied on just two or three key staffers, such as director of policy planning Brian Hook. That’s a defensible move, if it works. But as Johnson and Crowley noted: The lack of Trump appointees at the State Department’s regional desks and embassies, and the sidelining of many career diplomats, has added pressure on Hook’s office to develop policy for Tillerson. It’s also led foreign governments to seek out other avenues of communication. Trump has nominated only a handful of U.S. ambassadors, and some countries have responded simply by reaching out directly to Hook or to other White House officials, including Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. If foreign officials were trying to reach Kushner before this story, they are likely redoubling their efforts now. Unless and until Tillerson can demonstrate his ability to shape Trump’s actions, there is not much incentive in talking to him. There is a vicious feedback loop at work here. Mattis, McMaster and Tillerson lose influence over Trump. This encourages foreign officials to look for their own back channels. This undercuts their influence even more. Nothing fundamentally changed with this story. And yet, in its own way, it’s a devastating indictment of the influence of Trump’s mainstream policy advisers.
HYDERABAD: Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu continues to ride the wave of her success at the Rio Games . TOI has learnt that the Hyderabad-based shuttler has signed a three-year deal with sports management company Baseline that could be worth up to Rs 50 crore, the highest ever for any non-cricket player.Tuhin Mishra, managing director and co-founder of Baseline, told TOI this is the best deal signed by an Indian shuttler. "Her soaring popularity has attracted the attention of so many companies. In the next three years, we will work to maximise her value. Even after achieving stupendous success, her humility and the value she brings to women power is remarkable," said Mishra.Baseline will now manage Sindhu's brand profiling, licensing, endorsements etc. While 16 companies are said to be keen on Sindhu endorsing their products, Mishra said she is in the final stages of signing with nine. Ever since Sindhu returned from the Olympics, so many people have been approaching her. In the last few days we've had intense discussion on whom to endorse. So far we have finalised nine companies. Maybe by the end of next week we will be signing with them. As for the rest, we are yet to take a decision," Mishra said, adding that a wide range of companies have approached them."We have finalised deals with financial institutions, women-centric brands etc. At this stage I cannot disclose the complete details," he added.Like her coach Pullela Gopichand , who had refused to endorse Cola brands, Sindhu will also not endorse products which have an adverse influence on youth."Another important aspect is that she will allocate very limited time for commercials. Her practice time will not be affected," Mishra said.Under the deal, Sindu will receive a certain amount of guarantee money upfront every year while the rest will depend on her endorsements. Asked to specify exactly how much Sindhu would earn, Mishra said, "I can't give a figure now but given the response that we are getting and the sponsors we have on board, Sindhu's will be the best deal that a non-cricket star can get."
Smartphone owners will be able to download films to their mobiles in less than a second by 2020 as part of a roll-out that will start in London, Boris Johnson will pledge this week. Unveiling the capital’s first long term infrastructure investment plan, Mr Johnson said the world’s first major ‘5G’ mobile network will be deployed in the city by 2020, working in collaboration with the University of Surrey. He claimed “London is earning a reputation for being the tech capital of Europe and that is why we need to ensure every Londoner is able to access the very best digital connectivity. Rapidly improving the connectivity of this great city is a key part of the Infrastructure Plan for London.” The mayor will also promise that much more accurate information about broadband speeds at individual properties will be made available to prospective tenants or purchasers. He will also use the data, developed with the telecommunications industry, to develop a map of where improvement is needed most urgently. He said that a mixture of new technologies, as well as traditional broadband, are likely to be needed.
“Nobody can make a tradition,” Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote; “it takes a century to make it.” There are American traditions, because there have been three centuries of American history; yet this is a brief period of time, when one remembers that some of the traditions of Europe and Asia and Africa have their roots in a past ten thousand years distant. The American experience, moreover, commenced just at the time when the force of tradition in Europe was beginning to give ground before private judgment, widespread literacy, philosophical rationalism, and modern exact science. Yet despite its late growth, tradition in America has far greater influence than many Americans admit, exercising still a power over American minds which a pragmatic educational system and a thoroughgoing mechanization of life have been unable to efface. Everyone seems to be enthusiastic about tradition nowadays—especially the people who denounce most things established in morals and politics.Professor Henry Steele Commager thinks that the great American tradition is a tradition of doubting everything; Mr. E. V. Walter, writing in Partisan Review, endeavors to establish a radical tradition of knocking institutions down; even Communists avow their enthusiasm for “the American tradition of civil rights,” particularly the Fifth Amendment. One of the more amusing instances of this new affection was an article by Mr. Robert Gorham Davis, a Marxist, in The American Scholar, five years ago, in which he denounced with a virulence which would have done credit to Marx himself a great many people who had deviated from the “democratic tradition” of America—the Southern Agrarians, the New Critics, and everyone else who failed to admit that the American Tradition is a levelling collectivism. “Every circumstance in this country has tended to the strengthening of this tradition,” he wrote, “and no social basis exists for a rival tradition of serious cultural significance.” Now I happen to think that America has room aplenty for a variety of traditions; diversity and freedom of choice, indeed, are themselves American traditions. And I do not think that there is a Marxist “tradition” embedded in American ways and hearts. Therefore I believe it to be worth the trouble to write something about what the word “tradition” really means, especially here in America. The word “tradition” has several usages, of which the two most important, in our time, are these: (1) a belief or body of beliefs handed down from age to age by oral communication; (2) a custom handed down from one age to another, acquiring by prescription almost the force of law. Until the end of the eighteenth century, the word ordinarily was used to describe Christian doctrines not explicit in the scriptures, but accepted as valid because they had been communicated from the earliest ages of the Church, and presumably originated in divine revelation. No decent definition of the word “tradition” will permit of its employment as a synonym of “ideology.” Democracy is not a tradition, nor is monarchy, nor is Marxism, nor is Benthamism. It is possible for traditions to exist under a democratic domination, or under a monarchical regime; and probably traditions will persist, although much discouraged by one means or another, under a Marxist state or a Benthamite domination of dry utilitarianism. Traditions are not abstractions; they are particular beliefs and customs closely related to private life and faith. The American Republic has its traditions, and so has the Cambodian Kingdom; but traditions are not created by political authority, and ought not to be debased into party slogans. Only for the past century and a half has the word “tradition” been employed to signify “ancient customs” or “established habits of life in society.” Edmund Burke, for instance, writing in the last years of the eighteenth century, used the word “prescription” to convey these meanings, rather than the word “tradition.” When we speak of tradition in America, then, generally we mean prescriptive social habits, prejudices, customs, and political usages which most people accept with little question, as an intellectual legacy from their ancestors. They take these customs and opinions to be good because they have long been accepted as good, and they inquire very little into the origins or sanctions for these traditions. These traditions are very numerous, and some are in conflict with others; yet, provisionally, we may take for examples of American traditions such received opinions as the following: belief in a spiritual order which in some fashion governs our mundane order; belief in political self government; belief in the importance to human persons of certain natural private rights; belief in the value of marriage and the family. Now of the examples given here, none are entirely peculiar to America; and it must be borne in mind that America originated very few of her own traditions—except for such remnants of Indian tradition as survive in odd corners—but instead received nearly all her traditions from the Old World, modifying them somewhat to suit the American experience. Tradition does not recognize militant nationalism, and it would be presumptuous to write as if Americans had manufactured an entirely new set of received opinions to supersede the judgment of the ages. The religious and moral traditions of America are derived almost wholly from venerable Judeo-Christian sources; as a vigorous dissenting scholar of our time, Professor T. V. Smith, writes, “Our religious system is Judeo-Christian, and we must put ourselves inside that Weltanschauung, not outside it, if we are to further our common spiritual ends.” In this body of Judeo-Christian ethical and spiritual tradition, Protestant Christianity has long had the preponderant influence in America; but Catholicism also has made itself felt strongly since the eighteenth century, and now is almost coordinate in power with Protestant tradition; while Judaism has very greatly increased its influence in America during the past sixty or seventy years. The whole body of assumptions that underlie American private life and social policy, indeed, is profoundly Christian; and these assumptions exercise their power through the force of tradition, rather than the authority of positive law, America having no establishment of religion. The fact that the Christian tradition in America often is flouted does not mean that it has ceased to exist: as T. R. Glover wrote more than forty years ago, in his The Christian Tradition and Its Verification, “Whether there be truth in the Christian religion or not, our first fact is a world-wide society, with a history of nineteen centuries. It touches every part of life, conditions and suggests our thoughts, shapes us, and makes a background for us—and all this in ways that are beyond our reckoning or our understanding—so that we can hardly think of ourselves apart from the fact of the Christian Church and its influence.” The fundament of tradition in America, then, is simply world-wide Christian tradition. America has no new religion and no new morality. And that this tradition is actually increasing in power, the addition to the American oath of allegiance of the qualifying phrase “under God,” by act of Congress in 1954, suggests rather strongly. If American religious and ethical traditions come almost wholly from Christian and Jewish sources (combining, of course, those classical ideas which were incorporated into Christian and Western civilization), American social traditions are derived chiefly from British tradition. The polyglot nature of the twentieth-century population of the United States has not altered this fact: in one degree or another, American citizens of other racial or national origins have come to conform to the old British pattern substantially established in the seventeenth century. Only the Germans and the Irish have maintained in America, over any great period of time, a distinct body of traditions derived from non-English sources; and even with the Germans and the Irish, the established British set of social traditions has prevailed for the most part, the exceptions being of no great significance. Islands of French tradition remain in Louisiana, and of Spanish tradition in New Mexico and Texas; but these are not considerable enough to constitute any coherent opposition to the domination of British social customs and inherited opinions. American attitudes toward representative government, private property, local and private rights, political community, decent manners, family relationships, and even the physical pattern of civilized life, all are derived principally from British custom; and these constitute true traditions, accepted unquestioningly by the mass of Americans as “the American way of life,” even though they were originally imported from Britain in the seventeenth century, and have been strengthened by borrowings from British society ever since. The American frontier and American democracy modified these traditions for a time, but never modified them beyond recognition. These traditions have been woven into the American consciousness still more intricately by an education based, formerly at least, on the study of English literature. Thus—as a German-born scholar, Professor Carl J. Friedrich, observed recently—“To all intents and purposes, the United States is today a highly traditional society, in the sense that arguments from tradition carry a great deal of conviction.” Dr. Friedrich goes on to remark that American tradition, indeed, is especially accessible to analysis, “since it is embodied in certain written documents available for inspection and detailed consideration”—the Declaration of Independence, the Constitutions of the United States and of the several States, and the principal writings and speeches of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Adams. The appeal to tradition, religious or social, almost always meets with a sympathetic response in America; the hostility toward tradition, often to be found in modern Europe—French or Spanish radical detestation of “traditionalism” may suffice for examples—is an unusual phenomenon in America. Radical Americans in politics, even the Communists, ordinarily have endeavored to prove that their particular program was really in harmony with the deeper American traditions. To say that America is a land without traditions, then, is to fly in the face of popular opinion and of historical evidence. America has not created many traditions; but she has borrowed and inherited great traditions, chiefly the Christian tradition in religion and the English tradition in politics, and enlarged upon these. Yet, this said, the student of American thought and society needs to acknowledge that there is no single body of traditions in America, and that all traditions labor under certain handicaps in the United States. The diversity of religious tradition already has been suggested; the cultural and social tradition, too, has its several branches, the principal ones being the Southern and the New England bodies of tradition. A South Carolinian and a man from Maine ordinarily have more in common with each other than either of them would have, in terms of social tradition, with a Rumanian; still, considerable differences of habit and taste separate them even today, and these traditional differences, profoundly important when human welfare is in question, too often are ignored by the statistical sociologist. Moreover, the average South Carolinian and the average man from Maine both tend to lack in some degree the almost congenital attachment of many Europeans to things established, as M. Gabriel Marcel suggests in his essay “The Concept of Spiritual Heritage” (Confluence, September, 1953): “For an ever increasing number of persons, our heritage is no longer accepted as such…. I thought of an American officer in a little town in Burgundy that had been almost destroyed by the war who said to a young friend of mine, ‘You should be grateful to us for having destroyed all these antiquities. Now you will be able to build a new and more orderly town.’” The bustle of American life, the migratory habits of many Americans, the frequent exchange or rebuilding of houses, the rarity of old landed families, the great influence of press and radio, and—until recent decades—the continual influx of masses of immigrants, in short, have operated to decrease the influence of tradition in American life. But at the same time, American respect for the Founding Fathers, for republican institutions, and for prescriptive religion, morality, and family relationships, have checked this assault upon tradition, so that, curiously enough, in a nation with only three centuries of history behind it, the mass of the people are probably as sympathetic to tradition as is the bulk of the population anywhere else in the world. In an age when tradition has been terribly hacked and battered in China, India, Africa, Eastern Europe, and much of Western Europe, Americans generally have reaffirmed their faith in the wisdom of their ancestors and in their prescriptive ways of living. Professor David Riesman, in his Lonely Crowd, suggests that the “tradition-directed individual” is a dying breed in America, to be replaced by “other-directed individuals” who will make the mass-appetites and fads of the hour, rather than prescription, the basis of their conduct. Certainly an ominous tendency in such a direction may be discerned in many quarters in the United States. Mr. Riesman’s principal example of a tradition-guided individual, however, is a Harlem scrubwoman, come to America from the West Indies, and living a life intellectually isolated from the people who surround her. This peculiar example suggests that Mr. Riesman tends to leave out of account the much more pervasive traditions of Christianity and British political and social usage, which, together with American veneration of their constitutional and juristic structure, form a body of traditions much more important and elevated than a scrubwoman’s prejudices and superstitions. It is quite possible to be at once a tradition-directed individual in America and at the same time a person of high intellectual attainment. Speaking for such thinking traditionalists, Mr. Richard Weaver, in his Ideas Have Consequences, makes “a plea for piety”: “The plea for piety asks only that we admit the right to self-ordering of the substance of other beings…. The most vocal part of modern impiety is the freely expressed contempt for the past. The habit is to look upon history in the same way that we look upon nature, as an unfortunate inheritance, and we struggle with equal determination to free ourselves from each.” Professor Weaver sees in Christian and classical and Western tradition, and in American prescription—especially the, traditions of American rural life—an incalculably powerful bulwark against the sterile collectivism of a mass-society without piety. Sometimes, however, the claims made for “American tradition” are extravagant. “Democracy” is spoken of as an “American tradition,” and so is “individualism.” Although of course a measure of democracy and a strong element of aggressive individuality were present in American society from its beginnings, neither of these general terms can properly be said to have been so generally and unquestioningly accepted by the mass of men as to have constituted a valid tradition. Tradition is something more than mere political ideology. Properly speaking, the traditional attachment in America has been to prescriptive local and representative government, rather than to “Democracy” as an abstraction; while as for “Individualism,” the term was rarely employed in American social discussion until the 1920’s. Tradition, indeed, by its very nature is opposed to moral and social isolation—that is, to doctrinaire individualism in the sense of Bentham or Godwin or Spencer. Tradition, by definition, is the common possession of a people, what Gabriel Marcel calls “diffuse gratitude,” closely joined to piety, and linking together the generations that are dead with the generation that is now living and with the generations that are yet to be born. Therefore there can be no tradition of “individualism,” if by individualism is meant the doctrine that man can be guided simply by his private interests and private stock of reason. T. R. Glover puts this succinctly: Robinson Crusoe on his island is hardly a type of the human soul. We are too individualistic—too apt to forget that Robinson Crusoe had an axe and a number of other fascinating things brought from England, all of which implied humanity, and the long history of civilization. He had also a Bible in English, we may remember, which again implied a long history of religion. The individual inherits all this—he is made by it; it is in him; and sound thinking requires the recognition of this fact also, as well as all other relevant facts, in the fulness of its meaning. Without the religious history of the race behind us, not one of us is likely to achieve anything, either in his own religious life or in his thinking. If he starts afresh, he is most like an artist who begins without perspective, and ignores all that has been learned and felt of color. Here is expressed the essential value of tradition; and the American, like Robinson Crusoe, is not a law unto himself, but participates in that vast body of tradition which goes back to Job and to Plato, and far beyond Job and Plato. Books on or by Dr. Kirk may be found in The Imaginative Conservative Bookstore. The Georgia Review, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Fall 1955). Reprinted with the permission of The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.
In addition to having its own arsenal of digital weapons, the U.S. National Security Agency reportedly hijacks and repurposes third-party malware. The NSA is using its network of servers around the world to monitor botnets made up of thousands or millions of infected computers. When needed, the agency can exploit features of those botnets to insert its own malware on the already compromised computers, through a technology codenamed Quantumbot, German new magazine Der Spiegel reported Sunday. One of the secret documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and published by Der Spiegel contains details about a covert NSA program called DEFIANTWARRIOR that's used to hijack botnet computers and use them as "pervasive network analysis vantage points" and "throw-away non-attributable CNA [computer network attack] nodes." This means that if a user's computer is infected by cybercriminals with some malware, the NSA might step in, deploy their own malware alongside it and then use that computer to attack other interesting targets. Those attacks couldn't then be traced back to the NSA. According to the leaked document, this is only done for foreign computers. Bots that are based in the U.S. are reported to the FBI Office of Victim Assistance. The NSA also intercepts and collects data that is stolen by third-party malware programs, especially those deployed by other foreign intelligence agencies, if it is valuable. It refers to this practice as "fourth party collection." In 2009, the NSA tracked a Chinese cyberattack against the U.S. Department of Defense and was eventually able to infiltrate the operation. It found that the Chinese attackers were also stealing data from the United Nations so it continued to monitor the attackers while they were collecting internal UN data, Der Spiegel reported. It goes deeper than that. One leaked secret document contains an NSA worker's account of a case of fifth party collection. It describes how the NSA infiltrated the South Korean CNE (computer network exploitation) program that targeted North Korea. "We found a few instances where there were NK officials with SK implants on their boxes, so we got on the exfil [data exfiltration] points, and sucked back the data," the NSA staffer wrote in the document. "However, some of the individuals that SK was targeting were also part of the NK CNE program. So I guess that would be the fifth party collect you were talking about." In other words, the NSA spied on a foreign intelligence agency that was spying on a different foreign intelligence agency that had interesting data of its own. Sometimes the NSA also uses the servers of unsuspecting third parties as scapegoats, Der Spiegel reported. When exfiltrating data from a compromised system, the data is sent to such servers, but it is then intercepted and collected en route though the NSA's vast upstream surveillance network. The documents published by Der Spiegel also shine more light on the malware capabilities of the NSA and the rest of the Five Eyes partners -- the intelligence agencies of the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. One leaked document from the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) describes a unified computer network exploitation platform codenamed WARRIORPRIDE that is used by all Five Eyes partners and can be extended through plug-ins. Der Spiegel released samples of an old keylogger program dubbed QWERTY that likely acted as a WARRIORPRIDE plug-in, so that the security industry can analyze it and possibly find other connections. The keylogger was among the files leaked by Snowden to journalists. Another leaked document dated June 2012 describes the technical accomplishments of a malware writer working for one of the Five Eyes agencies. One of the computer network attack (CNA) tools he developed is codenamed PITIEDFOOL and can be used to wipe data from computer hard disk drives at a preconfigured time after first disabling Volume Shadow Copy (VSS), a Windows backup service that can be used to restore data. "I took a build of FUZZYEBOLA from last month, and without recompiling inserted the PITIEDFOOL binary with configuration details to execute it at a certain time," the tool's author wrote describing a test. "At that time I saw the process usage slightly increase (from 0% to around 2%) and a few minutes later the system rebooted and didn't come back up. Running a file recovery tool over the entire drive yielded some files (from scraping headers) but nearly the entire contents of the drive were irrecoverable, and if it had been configured to securely wipe every sector on the drive after killing the MFT and VSS it wouldn't have been able to recover anything at all. Success!" If national security agencies are adopting such destructive file wiping malware programs, their use might become a frequent occurrence in the future. Wiper malware was used in August 2012 to destroy data on 30,000 computers at Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia; in March 2013 against South Korean banks and broadcasting organizations, and recently against Sony Pictures Entertainment in the U.S. In each of those cases, previously unknown hacktivist groups claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, the FBI later attributed the attack against Sony to North Korea, resulting in new U.S. sanctions against the country.
From Homestar Runner Wiki Party! Clapping Party! Clapping Party is a video game originating from the Strong Bad Email slumber party, which Homestar Runner says is the only video game he is allowed to play. Its objective is to cause two on-screen hands to clap by clicking the text "PRESS HERE TO CLAP". After clapping three times, a screen will appear that says "ROUND CLEAR!!". On the second round, clapping three times unlocks Blistergeist mode. This involves a ghost in a hockey mask attacking the hands with a chainsaw, causing large blisters to appear on them. It can be played by clicking the word "questionable" at the end of slumber party. According to Strong Sad, the game features an end boss. The false autoplay for the Halloween toon Haunted Photo Booth on YouTube is apparently a video of 10 hours of 1080p Clapping Party gameplay. edit] Appearances edit] See Also
Should Elon Musk’s Boring Company ever get the technology and the regulatory approvals in shape to move forward with building a network of tunnels underneath Los Angeles, now we know what that system might look like. The company recently published a map on its website detailing the first proposed routes. The longest artery stretches about 40 miles from the Sherman Oaks neighborhood, located north of downtown Los Angeles, to Long Beach Airport, which is in the southeastern corner of LA county. This primary path more or less traces the same route laid out by Interstate 405, and would feature smaller tributary tunnels running off to Santa Monica, Venice, South Bay, Los Angeles International Airport, and Hawthorne (where SpaceX and The Boring Company are headquartered). A second route would run east-west from LAX to south Los Angeles, before following State Route 110 north through downtown and ending at Dodger Stadium. As we learned in April when Musk first showed off the concept behind The Boring Company, the plan for these tunnels is to solve Los Angeles’ famous automotive congestion by moving some of the traffic flow below ground. But they’re not just empty tunnels; instead, a car on the surface would dodge traffic by taking a sort of elevator down, which would then move as a “sled” through the tunnels at speeds of 150 miles per hour. Bus-like “pods” would move non-car owners around the city, too. The company stresses in the caption for the map that the initial routes are a “concept,” not “a finalized alignment.” The part highlighted in red represents a 6.5-mile stretch that the company wants to use as a “proof-of-concept” tunnel. There, it would perform verification tests of all the necessary systems, like the car sleds that will whisk riders to their destination, but also the equipment and processes being used to build the tunnels in the first place. The company calls this the “Phase 1” section of the tunnel, and says it won’t be used by the public until it is “deemed successful by County government, City government, and The Boring Company.” Back in August, The Boring Company won approval from the Hawthorne, California city council to dig a two-mile-long test tunnel under the city streets that surround its headquarters. While that tunnel seems to be coming along nicely, the company has also shared a test video of one of the sleds in action, as well as a demonstration of the elevator concept. In July, the billionaire CEO combined two of his concurrent transportation projects when he tweeted that he received “verbal govt approval” to build an underground Hyperloop that would connect New York City to Washington, DC.
A new round of polling from three Super Tuesday states shows Donald Trump dominating the Republican contest, with Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio locked in tight battles for second. These early polls show Trump leading in a diverse set of states across the country, including: Georgia, Vermont, and Massachusetts. In Georgia, with the second biggest number of Super Tuesday delegates after Texas, Trump has 32 percent support, a 9 point edge over second place Marco Rubio with 23 percent. Ted Cruz is third with 19 percent support. Trump has gained 5 points in support since the last Georgia poll in early February, but his 9 point margin has stayed flat as Rubio has also gained. Cruz has gained just 1 point since the beginning of the month. Trump and Rubio are tied in the Atlanta metro-area, while Trump has a large 15 point lead in the rest of the state. Another interesting aspect of the poll is that Rubio is running last, even behind Kasich and Carson, among Republican voters 40 or younger. In the Super Tuesday states in New England, Massachusetts and Vermont, Trump has large leads against the rest of the field. In Massachusetts, Trump draws an overwhelming 50 percent of the likely Republican primary vote. Rubio is a distant third with just 16 percent, followed by Kasich at 12 percent and Cruz at 10 percent. Unsurprisingly, the top issue for Massachusetts Republicans is “dissatisfaction with government,” picked by 35 percent of voters. The next most important issue, at 20 percent, is the economy. Almost half of Massachusetts Republican voters, 44 percent, say Ted Cruz is the “least honest” of the candidates. Trump is the second “least honest” at 20 percent. In Vermont, Trump has a 15 point lead over second-place Marco Rubio. Trump has 32 percent, followed by Rubio with 17. Ted Cruz is in third with 11 percent, followed closely by John Kasich with 10 percent. There are two enormous caveats to the Vermont poll, however. The poll was conducted over a two-week period, February 3-17 and the Republican sample is tiny. The poll sample is only 151 likely Republican voters. The margin of error in the poll is 9 percent, almost high enough to render the poll meaningless. In addition, the poll was conducted before Jeb Bush dropped out of the Presidential race. He earned 8 percent support in this poll. It isn’t at all clear where his support will go before Super Tuesday. A total of 11 states will vote in the Republican contest on Super Tuesday, March 1st. A twelth state, Colorado will vote for delegates that day, but won’t vote for a Presidential candidate. The Colorado delegates will go to the convention “unaffiliated.” All other polling of Super Tuesday states is from early February or earlier in the campaign. These earlier polls provide a base-line of each candidate’s support, but tells us little of the race today. In these, Ted Cruz led in two, Texas and Arkansas. Rubio led in Minnesota. Donald Trump led in Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma and Virginia. No Republican candidate for President has swept all of the Super Tuesday contests since Bob Dole in 1996. Donald Trump, however, is currently near accomplishing that feat. If Cruz can hold onto his leads in Arkansas and Texas, however, he will likely win sufficient delegates to keep the contest competitive and undecided throughout March.
Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra ( Punjabi : ਮਦਨ ਲਾਲ ਢੀਂਗਰਾ) (18 February 1883 – 17 August 1909) was an Indian revolutionary independence activist. [1] While studying in England, he assassinated Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie , [2] a British official, cited as one of the first acts of revolution in the Indian independence movement in the 20th century. Dhingra studied at Amritsar in MB Intermediate College until 1900. He then went to Lahore to study at the Government College University . In 1904 he led a student protest against the principal's order to have the college blazer made of cloth imported from England. Dhingra was expelled from the college. At that time Dhingra was a student in the Master of Arts program. He was under the influence of the nationalist Swadeshi movement . He studied the literature concerning the causes of Indian poverty and famines extensively, and felt that the key issues in seeking solutions to these problems lay in Swaraj (self-government) and Swadeshi (independence). Dhingra had to work as a clerk , at Kalka in a Tanga (carriage) service being run to transport British families to Shimla , and as a factory laborer. He attempted to organise a union there but was sacked. He worked for some time in Mumbai before acting upon the advice of his elder brother, Dr. Bihari Lal, and going to England to continue his higher education. In 1906, Dhingra departed for England to enroll at University College , London, to study mechanical engineering . [3] He was supported by his elder brother and some nationalist activists in England. [ citation needed ] Dhingra was disowned for his political activities by his father Gitta Mall, who was the Chief Medical Officer in Amritsar, who went so far as to publish his decision in newspaper advertisements. [4] Dhingra arrived in London a year after the foundation of Shyamaji Krishnavarma's India House in 1905. This organization was a meeting place for Indian revolutionaries located in Highgate . [3] Dhingra came into contact with noted Indian independence and political activists Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Varma , who were impressed by his perseverance and intense patriotism which turned his focus to the freedom struggle. Savarkar believed in revolution by any means and inspired Dhingra's admiration in the cult of assassination. [3] He allegedly gave Dhingra arms training. Later, Dhingra became distant from India House and was known to frequent a shooting range on Tottenham Court Road . He joined, and had a membership in, a secretive society, the Abhinav Bharat Mandal founded by Savarkar and his brother Ganesh. Several weeks before assassinating Curzon Wyllie, Dhingra had tried to kill Curzon, Viceroy of India. He had also planned to assassinate the ex-Governor of Bengal, Bramfield Fuller, but was late for a meeting the two were to attend could not carry out his plan. Dhingra then decided to kill Curzon Wyllie. Curzon Wylie had joined the British Army in 1866 and the Indian Political Department in 1879. He had earned distinction in a number of locations including Central India and above all in Rajputana where he rose to the highest rank in the Service. In 1901 he was selected to be Political Aide-de-Camp to the Secretary of State for India. He was also the head of the Secret Police and had been trying to obtain information about Savarkar and the revolutionaries.[5] Curzon Wyllie was said to have been a close friend of Dhingra's father.[4] On the evening of 1 July 1909, Dhingra, along with a large number of Indians and Englishmen had gathered to attend the annual 'At Home' function hosted by the Indian National Association at the Imperial Institute.[3][6] When Sir Curzon Wyllie, political aide-de-camp to the Secretary of State for India, was leaving the hall with his wife, Dhingra fired five shots right at his face, four of which hit their target. Cawas Lalcaca[7] (or Lalkaka), a Parsee doctor who tried to save Sir Curzon, died of Dhingra's sixth and seventh bullets,[3] which he fired because Lalcaca had come between them.[5] Dhingra's suicide attempt failed and he was overpowered.[5] He was arrested immediately by the police.[3] Trial Edit Dhingra was tried in the Old Bailey on 23 July. He represented himself during his trial but did not recognize the legitimacy of the court.[3] He stated that he did not regret killing Curzon Wyllie, as he had played his part in order to set India free from the inhuman British rule, and as revenge for the inhumane killings of Indians by the British Government in India.[3] He also stated that he had not intended to kill Cawas Lalcaca.[5] He was sentenced to death. After the judge announced his verdict, Dhingra is said to have stated: "I am proud to have the honor of laying down my life for my country. But remember, we shall have our time in the days to come".[citation needed] Madan Lal Dhingra was hanged on 17 August 1909 at Pentonville Prison.[3] He also made a further statement, which is rarely mentioned. Statement of Dhingra in the court Edit Dhingra made the following statement before the court: I do not want to say anything in defense of myself, but simply to prove the justice of my deed. As for myself, no English law court has got any authority to arrest and detain me in prison, or pass sentence of death on me. That is the reason I did not have any counsel to defend me. And I maintain that if it is patriotic in an Englishman to fight against the Germans if they were to occupy this country, it is much more justifiable and patriotic in my case to fight against the English. I hold the English people responsible for the murder of eighty millions of Indian people in the last fifty years, and they are also responsible for taking away ₤100,000,000 every year from India to this country. I also hold them responsible for the hanging and deportation of my patriotic countrymen, who did just the same as the English people here are advising their countrymen to do. And the Englishman who goes out to India and gets, say, ₤100 a month, that simply means that he passes a sentence of death on a thousand of my poor countrymen, because these thousand people could easily live on this ₤100, which the Englishman spends mostly on his frivolities and pleasures. Just as the Germans have no right to occupy this country, so the English people have no right to occupy India, and it is perfectly justifiable on our part to kill the Englishman who is polluting our sacred land. I am surprised at the terrible hypocrisy, the farce, and the mockery of the English people. They pose as the champions of oppressed humanity—the peoples of the Congo and the people of Russia—when there is terrible oppression and horrible atrocities committed in India; for example, the killing of two millions of people every year and the outraging of our women. In case this country is occupied by Germans, and the Englishman, not bearing to see the Germans walking with the insolence of conquerors in the streets of London, goes and kills one or two Germans, and that Englishman is held as a patriot by the people of this country, then certainly I am prepared to work for the emancipation of my Motherland. Whatever else I have to say is in the paper before the Court I make this statement, not because I wish to plead for mercy or anything of that kind. I wish that English people should sentence me to death, for in that case the vengeance of my countrymen will be all the more keen. I put forward this statement to show the justice of my cause to the outside world, and especially to our sympathizers in America and Germany. I have told you over and over again that I do not acknowledge the authority of the Court, You can do whatever you like. I do not mind at all. You can pass sentence of death on me. I do not care. You white people are all-powerful now, but, remember, it shall have our turn in the time to come, when we can do what we like.[8] Verdict of court Edit While he was being removed from the court, he said to the Chief Justice- "Thank you, my Lord. I don't care. I am proud to have the honour of laying down my life for the cause of my motherland." [9] Reactions Edit Guy Aldred, the printer of The Indian Sociologist, was sentenced to twelve months hard labor. The August issue of The Indian Sociologist had carried a story sympathetic to Dhingra. Dhingra's actions also inspired some of the Irish, who were fighting their own struggle at the time. Some modern historians[who?] claim that the trial was grossly unfair and biased. Dhingra was not given a defense counsel (though this was at his own request, in support of his contention that no British court had authority to try him), and the entire process was completed in a single day.[citation needed] Some legal experts[who?] claim that it was not the business of the court at the time to decide the time and location of execution. Gandhi condemned Dhingra's actions. To quote, It is being said in defense of Sir Curzon Wyllie’s assassination that...just as the British would kill every German if Germany invaded Britain, so too it is the right of any Indian to kill any Englishman.... The analogy...is fallacious. If the Germans were to invade Britain, the British would kill only the invaders. They would not kill every German whom they met.... They would not kill an unsuspecting German, or Germans who are guests. Even should the British leave in consequence of such murderous acts, who will rule in their place? Is the Englishman bad because he is an Englishman? Is it that everyone with an Indian skin is good? If that is so, there should be [no] angry protest against oppression by Indian princes. India can gain nothing from the rule of murderers—no matter whether they are black or white. Under such a rule, India will be utterly ruined and laid waste.[10] After Dhingra went to the gallows, The Times of London wrote an editorial (24 July 1909) titled "Conviction of Dhingra". The editorial said, "The nonchalance displayed by the assassin was of a character which is happily unusual in such trials in this country. He asked no questions. He maintained a defiance of studied indifference. He walked smiling from the Dock." Although the British were outraged publicly, admiration for Dhingra's act was privately expressed by David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, who is reported to have called Dhingra's statement "[t]he Finest ever made in the name of Patriotism".[11]