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JAMMU: Expressing concern over reported Chinese incursions into Indian territories, BJP on Friday charged that it is an outcome of the policy failures of successive Congress governments at the Centre.
"This is an outcome of India's failure to perceive China's well-planned policy to exploit ambiguity over the LAC which has been perpetuated by successive Congress governments in New Delhi", BJP J&K chief spokesperson, Jitendra Singh said here on Friday.
He alleged that it started from the first Congress government headed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and unfortunately even today, despite frequent recent incursions by Chinese, the present UPA government led by Congress is making no determined effort to redeem this ambiguity.
He expressed concern over reports that China has incrementally occupied nearly 640 square km of area on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh and the National Security Advisory Board member Shyam Saran having confirmed that China has also stopped Indian troops from patrolling at the LAC in Ladakh.
Singh went on to explain that the LAC, also known as the MacCartney-MacDonald Line , is an assumed border between India and the People's Republic of China.
Alleging that there were no lessons learnt even after 1962, Jitendra Singh said the term "LAC" was allowed to gain legal recognition through Sino-Indian agreements signed in 1993 and 1996.
He quoted the 1996 agreement which stated, "No activities of either side shall overstep the Line of Actual Control".
In spite of all these agreements, Singh said the Chinese continue to revel in ambiguity over LAC and even after the three week standoff between Indian and Chinese troops earlier this year, the Chinese troops are regularly intruding into Indian territory and also committing human rights violation by causing fear among the local population on Indian side.
BJP spokesman called upon the UPA government to come out with a policy document on China. | {
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As the Palestinian Authority said Sunday it planned to move forward to secure support for the draft resolution it presented the UN Security Council last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would “vigorously oppose it” and not accept any “diktat.”Netanyahu, speaking at a Hanukka candle-lighting ceremony with IDF soldiers at Latrun, said Israel has sent a clear message to “those leading the diplomatic assault against us” that Israel expects “the responsible elements in the international community to reject this proposal.”He said that the current “diplomatic attack led by the Palestinian Authority” is “designed to deny us our very right to defend ourselves and seeks to deny us the legitimacy of our very existence.”Earlier in the day, at the weekly cabinet meeting, during which National Security Council Adviser Yossi Cohen briefed the ministers on the various moves in the diplomatic arena on the Palestinian issue, Netanyahu said: “Parts of Europe have been rife for many years with anti-Israel sentiments and anti-Semitism.”Along with working with friends in the US and in Europe to push back against these forces, Netanyahu said Israel is “working to advance and develop new alliances and partnerships, for example with countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa and other places in the world.”His words came on the same day PA officials said that consultations were under way with various parties aimed at paving the way for a vote on their draft resolution, which calls for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.The officials said that until now they have not been able to secure the required nine votes of the Security Council permanent members. According to the officials, only seven permanent members have thus far announced their intention to vote in favor of the proposed resolution.Abbas Zaki, a senior Fatah official, said that some countries – including the US – are seeking to delay the vote in the Security Council on the Palestinian statehood resolution.“There are American efforts to prevent a vote on the resolution,” said Zaki, who is close to PA President Mahmoud Abbas. He claimed that Washington is still opposed to the draft resolution despite the changes introduced to its wording.Zaki said that despite the US opposition, the Palestinians are determined to ask the Security Council to hold a vote on the resolution in the near future.The Palestinian envoy to the Arab League, Mohamed Sbaih, called on the US to refrain from vetoing the resolution when it is brought for a vote at the Security Council.According to a report Friday on the Foreign Policy website, US Secretary of State John Kerry cautioned EU ambassadors that any action by the UN Security Council would strengthen the hands of Israeli “hard-liners.”Sbaih said the Palestinians and some Arab countries have begun consultations with various international parties to secure their backing for the Palestinian statehood bid.He warned that the Palestinians would seek membership in international organizations and treaties, including the International Criminal Court, if the US thwarts the bid.Netanyahu, in his comments at Latrun, said that the diplomatic front was just one of two fronts that Israel was facing simultaneously, the other front being the attacks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations.He said Israel was rebuffing the attacks on both fronts.Regarding Hamas, he said that Israel sent a clear message over the weekend with an air attack on Gaza that followed a mortar attack emanating from the coastal strip that “we are not prepared to countenance the firing of even one rocket, and we are responding accordingly and with force.” | {
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Abgasgrenzwerte Porsches schmutzige Tricks
Die Autoindustrie will weismachen, der Dieselskandal sei ausgestanden. Doch Zweifel sind angebracht. Das belegen Messungen des SPIEGEL bei einem Porsche Cayenne, der die Grenzwerte selbst auf dem Prüfstand nicht einhält. | {
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In a statement, Mr. Fairfax’s spokeswoman did not indicate whether he would testify but accused Republicans of “engaging in political theater” and said they were seeking partisan gain from the accusations.
“House Republicans want to pursue this historically unprecedented course of action because the accused is a popularly elected Democrat,” said Lauren Burke, Mr. Fairfax’s spokeswoman.
The sexual assault claims, Ms. Burke said, should be taken up by “law enforcement professionals.”
House Republicans framed their decision to move forward with the hearings as a response to the requests of the two accusers, who have been urging the Legislature to investigate and have repeatedly stated their willingness to testify. But the inquiry could also make the election-year quandary Virginia Democrats find themselves in even more painful.
The specter of public hearings into the allegations against Mr. Fairfax, who is black, would not only revive a scandal that had started to quiet, it would also serve as a reminder that Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring, who are white, have refused to resign after admitting they wore blackface in their youth. All 140 seats in the Virginia General Assembly are on the ballot in November and Republicans are clinging to narrow majorities in both chambers.
[Read more about how Mr. Northam is trying to repair his relationship with black Virginians.]
House Republicans and Democrats had met earlier in the week to discuss crafting a bipartisan response, but by Thursday were criticizing one another over how to deal with the claims against Mr. Fairfax.
The Republicans had sought to create a 10-person investigative panel, equally divided between parties, to examine Ms. Watson’s claim that Mr. Fairfax raped her in 2000, when they were Duke University students, and Dr. Tyson’s accusation that he sexually assaulted her during the 2004 Democratic convention in Boston.
But Democrats were uneasy about creating a forum they said would politicize the accusations and indicated they would prefer that law enforcement handle the matter. | {
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Fler elever anmäler sina lärare för kränkningar, men det behöver inte betyda att lärarna agerar fel. När elever inte visar respekt för sin omgivning finns det en gräns för hur mycket hänsyn de själva kan kräva i utbyte.
I mars förra året lyfte en lärare ut en så kallat stökig elev ur klassrummet. Enligt rektorn var det befogat, men Skolinspektionen krävde att kommunen skulle betala 25 000 kronor i skadestånd till eleven. Bland annat ansågs det vara kränkande att klasskamraterna såg eleven bäras ut.
I ett annat aktuellt fall lyfte en lärare bort en elev som blockerat framkomligheten i skolan cafeteria med möbler, bland annat en soffa som eleven lagt sig i och vägrade flytta sig. Oproportionerligt våldsinslag, menade Skolinspektionen, och krävde skadestånd till eleven på 10 000 kronor. I det fallet överklagade skolan i tingsrätten, och vann, men att det över huvud taget lyftes krav på skadestånd talar sitt tydliga språk.
I dagarna rapporterade Expressen att anmälningarna mot lärare för kränkningar mot elever nästan har fördubblats de senaste fem åren. Frågan är bara om det, i ljuset av ovanstående berättelser, verkligen är uteslutande negativt.
På bara en eller två generationer har relationen mellan elever och lärare förändrats totalt. Katederläraren med sin pekpinne var kanske inte allas favorit, men han eller hon hade åtminstone (ofta) auktoritet nog att upprätthålla någon form av grundläggande ordning i klassrummet. Ordning är i sin tur inte alltid det mest lockande för ett barn i skolåldern, men ska man lära sig någonting i skolan är den nödvändig.
I dag har makten förskjutits bort från läraren. 63 procent av eleverna i femman och 56 procent i nian upplever att andra elever stör ordningen i klassrummet, men samtidigt har lärarens auktoritet vittrat bort till den grad att de inte alltid vågar ingripa över huvud taget. Hamid Zafar, tidigare högstadierektor och nu barn- och utbildningschef i Mullsjö, kritiserar utvecklingen mot allt fler anmälningar och kritikbeslut:
– Om Barn- och elevombudet alltid landar i att barnet har blivit kränkt och att skolan ska föreläggas med vite, då har vi ett problem. Då vet ju läraren inte när man har möjlighet att ingripa, när man kan stoppa stöket. Läraren är samtidigt ansvarig för de andra barnens säkerhet också.
De elever som ska respekteras är de som är i skolan för att lära sig, inte de som saboterar för andra.
I boken Kunskapssynen och pedagogiken (Dialogos, 2017) beskriver idé- och lärdomshistoriken Ingrid Wållgren hur postmodernismens urskillningslösa maktkritik har inspirerat en nedmontering av lärarens auktoritet. ”En lärare som i dag säger vad en elev ska lära sig kan göra sig skyldig till auktoritärt maktanspråk, det vill säga missbruka sin maktställning.” Tänk då hur den postmoderna pedagogiken måste se på att fysiskt avlägsna en elev som förstör sina klasskamraters studiemiljö.
Dessutom kan det vara farligt. Parallellt med att anmälningarna mot lärare ökar, ökar också anmälningarna om fysiskt våld mot lärare lavinartat. Hot och våld beskrivs ofta som vardag för lärare, och de personliga hoten blandas dessutom med hot om just att anmäla läraren. Nästan fyra av tio lärare har mottagit sådana hot från elever eller föräldrar enligt en undersökning för ett par år sedan. Det är inte konstigt att lärare drar sig för att ingripa.
Problemet är bara att det behövs. Enligt Skolinspektionens skolenkät våren 2018 känner sig enbart 44 procent av niondeklassarna trygga i skolan. Om eleverna inte kan känna sig trygga i skolan kommer deras studieresultat knappast få något större uppsving den närmaste framtiden.
I mångt och mycket är den postmoderna pedagogiken utformad efter önsketänkande. Om bara alla barn hade haft förmågan att ta ansvaret för sin egen inlärning, och instinktivt behandlat varandra bra, hade läraren kunnat retirera från katedern och sväva runt någonstans i gränslandet mellan handledare och kompis. Men barn är inte alltid sugna på att plugga om de kan komma undan med att låta bli, och de är definitivt inte alltid välvilligt inställda till varandra. De är precis som vuxna, med andra ord, fast yngre. Många av dem är intresserade av att gå i skolan och hyfsat trevliga mot varandra, men många av dem kommer också att jävlas med andra så länge de kommer undan med det.
Läraren står alltså inför en ”grupp mot grupp”-situation. Endera visar man hänsyn mot de elever som sköter sig och säger ifrån – eller till och med slänger ut – dem som beter sig dåligt. Eller så visar man hänsyn mot dem som beter sig dåligt, låter dem fortsätta blockera framkomligheten, spela mobilspel under lektionerna, förolämpa lärarna – och tar därmed ingen hänsyn till de elever som beter sig bra, och får sin inlärningsmiljö förstörd av ociviliserade klasskamrater.
Det är självklart vilka läraren bör prioritera. De elever som ska respekteras är de som är i skolan för att lära sig, inte de som saboterar för andra. Det är mycket möjligt att den som fysiskt avlägsnas ur klassrummet i sina klasskamraters åsyn känner sig kränkt, men man kan inte kräva mer respekt av personer i sin omgivning än man själv är beredd att ge.
Man kan inte kräva mer respekt av personer i sin omgivning än man själv är beredd att ge.
Svensk offentlighet tenderar dock att ha en väldigt överseende attityd gentemot dem som skadar andra. Förövare betraktas som offer, enligt logiken att det är omgivningens fel när någon ”hamnat” utanför samhället, och omgivningen därför har en skyldighet att kompensera dem. Ofta lägger det offentliga mer pengar och energi på att locka tillbaka dem till ett laglydigt liv, än på de medborgare som redan följer lagar och regler, som när det avslöjades att Malmö stad tillhandahåller lyxlägenheter för yrkeskriminella medan skattebetalarna själva ofta har svårt att klara av bostadspriserna.
Att anmälningarna mot lärare ökar kan bero på att fler elever inser att de kan få stora summor pengar i skadestånd om de synar lärarens bluff och ifrågasätter dess auktoritet. Men det kan också innebära att fler lärare är beredda att lägga korten på bordet och slänga ut den som inte beter sig bra.
Tyvärr ökar även andelen anmälningar som leder till kritikbeslut. Lärare som prioriterar de elever som förtjänar det och avlägsnar dem som beter sig dåligt behöver få omgivningens stöd, inte böter.
– Jag är lite orolig över om vi får en utveckling där lärare blir så rädda för anmälningar att de inte kan göra sitt jobb på ett bra sätt, kommenterade utbildningsminister Anna Ekström. Det har hon all anledning att vara. | {
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Maria foi a primeira. Tinha 14 anos quando se começou a interrogar sobre “o que é matar os animais para os comer”. Foi nessa altura que fez a primeira tentativa de se tornar vegetariana. “Não deu, não consegui”. Mas continuou a ler, a juntar informação sobre a indústria, a saber mais sobre os direitos dos animais e, quando fez 17, tomou a decisão. “Acordei um dia e pensei que não queria continuar a compactuar com este tipo de indústria. Estava já muito consciente e a sentir-me hipócrita. Ia ter um almoço e pensei ‘não vou comer aquela carne, não quero, fazia-me mesmo uma certa repulsa”.
Marta foi a segunda. Tinha visto o exemplo da Maria da Paz Carvalho, sua prima mais velha, hoje com 20 anos, e não teve grande dificuldade. “Desde pequena nunca gostei assim tanto de carne e peixe era aquela coisa que não queria, os meus pais tinham que me obrigar.” Nessa altura, era ainda apenas uma questão de gosto. Só mais tarde, por causa de Maria e do que começou a ler sobre o assunto, é que se tornou, para Marta Novais, também uma questão ética.
“Em 2016, tinha 16 anos, era Páscoa e disse à minha mãe que não queria almoçar carne, ela disse que estava bem e a partir daí nunca mais comi carne nem peixe.” Em três meses, Marta tinha deixado também os ovos, o leite e o queijo. “Na Páscoa fiz-me vegetariana, no Verão já era vegan.” No seu caso, a transição para o veganismo foi natural e muito mais fácil do que a mudança de Maria, que teve mais dificuldade em abandonar coisas como “um bolo que leva manteiga”, por exemplo. “Já não cozinhava omeletes há um ano, mas continuava a comer bolachas com ovos. Foi das coisas que mais me custou. E o queijo também.”
A “repulsa da carne”
A seguir, foi Francisco. Primo de Maria e de Marta, Francisco Silva Dias tinha assistido à mudança nas duas e, nesse mesmo ano de 2016, em Dezembro, também ele se tornou vegetariano. “Nós conversamos imenso, a minha família discute sobre tudo e é muito fácil as modas espalharem-se entre nós”, diz. “Comecei a ganhar noção do que era a indústria, nunca me tinha questionado sobre isso. Mas depois de perceber, senti também um bocado essa repulsa da carne. Ainda comi peixe durante algum tempo. Hoje, praticamente não como produtos de origem animal, mas ainda não posso dizer que sou vegan.”
Leonor foi a última, entre os quatro primos (mas, diz, sorrindo, ainda há lugar para mais conversões, porque os irmãos não são vegetarianos). “Antes disto acontecer na minha família, nunca me tinha passado esta ideia pela cabeça.” Como os pais e os irmãos sempre tinha comido carne e achava “a coisa mais normal do mundo”. Mas de repente “a Maria começou, depois a Marta e nos Natais já estávamos a ver documentários sobre veganismo, depois o Francisco tornou-se e eu comecei a sentir cada vez mais empatia, a dar mais importância àquilo que fazia, e deixou de fazer sentido achar normal e não questionar.”
Às vezes, a decisão já foi tomada, a convicção está lá, mas não é fácil dar o passo. Sabe-se que vai acabar por acontecer, mas é preciso escolher a altura para começar. “Um dia”, conta Leonor Novais, “cheguei à escola, estava com isto na cabeça, a perguntar-me quando é que vou começar e a minha melhor amiga disse ‘parei de comer carne’ e eu pensei ‘pronto, é impossível, não posso mesmo continuar’”. Aconteceu há um ano e meio. Depois, nos últimos seis meses, cortou com o peixe também. Mas reconhece que é tudo muito mais fácil quando está rodeada por pessoas que fizeram a mesma opção. “Já tinha todo o apoio possível, com eles [os primos] é super fácil, temos este sentimento comum e é muito bom.”
Curiosamente, foi o momento de cortar com o peixe que deu uma outra realidade à decisão. “Aí tornava-se mais real, chegar ao restaurante e dizer ‘quero o prato vegetariano’, já não tinha mais a escolha do peixe. Mas soube-me muito melhor, por coerência, para não me sentir hipócrita.”
Foto Paulo: "À medida que o tempo vai passando, parece que o corpo se adapta à ideia e [comer carne] torna-se cada vez mais inimaginável"
Mas esta não é apenas uma história de primos. Combinamos a conversa com Maria, Marta, Francisco e Leonor em casa de Francisco, em Lisboa, e juntam-se a nós mais dois amigos dele, também vegetarianos (ou quase, dado que Paulo ainda come peixe, ocasionalmente). As histórias não são muito diferentes e percebe-se que nos meios em que circulam este é um tema que começa a interessar a um círculo cada vez maior de rapazes e raparigas das suas idades.
Também no caso do Paulo Frazão Silva, a decisão estava lá algum tempo antes da passagem à prática. “Tinha uns 14 anos e tinha pensado que quando fizesse 16 ia tornar-me vegetariano. Era um plano, quando lá chegasse pensava nesse assunto. Não sei porquê, mas parecia-me lógico.” Acabou por acontecer mais cedo. Tem hoje 16 anos e já não come carne há um ano e meio.
Lembra-se bem do momento. “Estava a comer carne e pensei ‘e se isto fosse um pedaço de um corpo humano?’. Isso deixou-me com tanta repulsa que virei-me para a minha mãe e disse que não queria comer mais carne.” Para surpresa dele, a mãe disse que também não queria e decidiram começar essa aventura juntos. “Vivendo numa casa com mais três pessoas que comiam carne, a minha mãe não se sentia à vontade para fazer isso sozinha”, explica. “O meu pai come carne, o meu irmão mais novo também. Comíamos todos, como come a maior parte das pessoas, que é muito.”
A adaptação acabou por ser mais fácil do que poderiam imaginar. As refeições à base de peixe aumentaram para todos em casa e “há aquelas ocasiões em que acaba por haver bifes para um lado e soja para o outro, mas funciona bem”.
Um bocado hipócrita
Para Joana Semedo, outra amiga também convidada para esta conversa, tudo começou por uma questão de coerência. “Desde o oitavo ano que me interessava imenso por alimentação e nutrição”, diz. A informação ia-lhe chegando, mas confessa que não se sentia ainda suficientemente motivada para agir. Até que um dia a professora de Filosofia pediu aos alunos para escreverem um texto sobre um tema à escolha e ela resolveu escrever sobre vegetarianismo.
Empenhou-se em explicar “porque é que era mais ético, melhor para a saúde e porque é que se devia prestar mais atenção ao assunto”. Havia, no entanto, um problema que a incomodava. “Cheguei ao final do texto e pensei que estava a ser um bocado hipócrita. Decidi nesse dia deixar de comer carne.”. Admite que “não foi por especial empatia” com os animais – “foi por achar que era errado criticar uma coisa que eu estava a fazer”.
Comunicou aos pais e a primeira coisa que a mãe lhe disse foi que achava que seria uma fase, mas, fosse como fosse, Joana teria que cozinhar para ela. “Os meus pais fizeram questão de dizer que ia ser uma coisa que eu ia fazer sozinha e pela qual ia ter que me esforçar.” Isso acabou por ser bom. “Descobri que gostava mesmo de cozinhar e ganhei o gosto de descobrir novos vegetais e coisas diferentes.”
Foto
É com humor que descreve os jantares com a família mais alargada e as perguntas que ainda lhe fazem: “Joana, já não comes carne? Mas ainda comes frango, não? O que é que se passou?” É sempre motivo de conversa e de curiosidade. “Algumas pessoas acham ofensivo por pensarem que nós estamos a criticá-las por não fazerem o mesmo.” No entanto, garante, não quer “impingir” nada aos outros e muito menos ofendê-los. “As pessoas demoram a processar as coisas. Eu tive esta informação toda e mesmo assim demorei tempo.”
Marta partilha da opinião de que mais vale “não ser chato”. Quando vêem a comida dela, alguns interessam-se e pedem para provar. “É melhor isso do que dizer-lhes ‘acabaste de matar não sei quantos animais e gastar não sei quantos litros de água nesse hambúrguer’. Aí a pessoa diz ‘esquece, não gosto de vegetarianos’”.
Não começar de repente
Todos concordam que, mesmo em termos físicos, este é um processo que pode demorar mais ou menos tempo, mas durante o qual o corpo se vai desabituando de certas coisas. “Quando se começa ainda se sente um bocado aquela saudade do chouriço, do presunto”, confessa Paulo. “Depois, à medida que o tempo vai passando, parece que o corpo se adapta à ideia e [comer carne] torna-se cada vez mais inimaginável.” Joana garante que percebe imediatamente se há carne ou peixe num prato. “Arroz com caldo de carne, por exemplo, nota-se logo”, concorda Paulo.
"Quando uma pessoa começa, pensa só ‘coitados dos animais’, mas depois descobre que há implicações a todos os níveis, não só éticos, mas de sustentabilidade, de utilização e desperdício de recursos" Paulo
Têm cuidados porque sabem que isso é essencial numa mudança de alimentação deste tipo. Paulo conta que quando foi à médica, já chegou dizendo que era vegetariano e levando com ele toda a informação sobre o equilíbrio nutricional. E ela “ah, ok, estás bem, não perdeste 25 quilos, não estás muito pálido, ok, se acontecer alguma coisa, avisa”.
Francisco assegura, por seu lado, que há hoje tanta informação disponível sobre o tema que “é uma coisa que se aprende a aplicar rapidamente”. Sim, reforça Paulo, explicando que já teve pessoas a fazer-lhe perguntas: “Eu digo, vai vendo, não comeces de repente, se comias arroz com carne não tires a carne e não comas só o arroz, por favor.”
A escola, por outro lado, ajuda pouco. “A única coisa de que me lembro é uma referência em Filosofia, no 10.º ano, um pequeno texto de um filósofo que falava do vegetarianismo”, recorda Paulo. Maria lembra-se de terem “estudado a sobrepesca” e nada mais. É verdade, intervém Joana, com uma gargalhada, “mas nunca apresentavam como solução comer menos peixe.”
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É verdade que as cantinas escolares passaram a ter opções vegetarianas, mas não lhes parece que haja ainda todo o cuidado para que o equilíbrio nutricional seja sempre garantido. “Não é como na Ásia”, diz Paulo, “em que há uma grande tradição vegetariana. Nós não temos isso e quando queremos fazer comida vegetariana é uma lasanha vegetariana. As pessoas nem conseguem imaginar o que podem fazer com ingredientes vegetarianos.”
Eles, os quatro primos e os dois amigos, estão felizes com a opção que tomaram e tudo o que lêem ou vêem reforça as convicções que já tinham. Paulo conclui: “Quando uma pessoa começa, pensa só ‘coitados dos animais’, mas depois descobre que há implicações a todos os níveis, não só éticos, mas de sustentabilidade, de utilização de recursos, de desperdício de recursos. E há muitas implicações que acredito que nem nós conhecemos.” | {
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Navy SEAL trial exposes divide in normally secretive force The court-martial on war-crimes charges of a Navy SEAL has provided a rare view into an insular community and likely will have a long-term impact on one of the military's most secretive and revered forces
SAN DIEGO -- It was called the "The Sewing Circle," an unlikely name for a secret subsect of Navy SEALs. Its purpose was even more improbable: A chat forum to discuss alleged war crimes they said their chief, a decorated sniper and medic, committed on a recent tour of duty in Iraq.
The WhatsApp group would eventually lead to formal allegations that Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher fatally stabbed a wounded Islamic State captive in his care and shot civilians in Iraq in 2017.
Gallagher, 40, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A jury of mostly combat Marines will ultimately decide the fate of the 19-year-veteran and Bronze Star recipient charged with murder, attempted murder and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline for posing with the corpse for photographs.
No matter the outcome, the court-martial at Naval Base San Diego has provided a rare view into the insular Navy SEAL community and likely will have a long-term impact on one of the military's most secretive and revered forces. It has pitted veterans against each other both inside the courtroom and out in a fierce debate over brotherhood, morality and loyalty.
"SEALs, it seems to me, have been seeing themselves as God-like on the battlefield, and there is a real danger in taking that view of one's unit or one's self," said Gary Solis, a former military judge and Marine Corps prosecutor who teaches law at Georgetown University. "I think this will alert the SEAL community that the rules apply to them."
The case has laid bare challenges among U.S. special forces as the United States increasingly relies on such troops, which make up only 2% of the military yet carry out most of its battles around the globe.
A number of special forces members are on trial this year. A U.S. Navy SEAL last month pleaded guilty to hazing and assault charges for his role in the 2017 strangulation of a U.S. Army Green Beret in Africa.
The scandals have prompted a review by the Navy's top commanders into the behavior of the special warfare teams. During Gallagher's trial, it was revealed that nearly all his platoon members readily posed for photos with the dead militant and watched as Gallagher read his reenlistment oath near the body in an impromptu ceremony.
Lt. Jacob Portier, the officer in charge, has been charged separately for overseeing the ceremony and not reporting the alleged stabbing.
The trial also has shown the struggles of military courts in prosecuting alleged war crimes. The lead prosecutor was removed after allegedly tracking the defense team's emails to find a news leak, and the lead investigator acknowledged on the stand making mistakes.
Closing arguments are expected Monday. A jury of five Marines and two sailors, one a SEAL, will weigh whether Gallagher, on his eighth deployment, went off the rails and fatally stabbed the war prisoner as a kind of trophy kill, or if the boy died from wounds sustained in an airstrike and Gallagher is being falsely accused by junior SEALs trying to permanently oust a platoon chief they hate.
Nearly a dozen SEALs have testified over the past two weeks. Most were granted immunity to protect them from being prosecuted for acts they described on the stand.
Seven SEALs said Gallagher unexpectedly stabbed the prisoner on May 3, 2017, moments after he and the other medics treated the 17-year-old boy.
Two SEALs testified they saw Gallagher plunge his knife into his neck, including Special Operator Corey Scott, who stunned the court when he said he was the one who ultimately killed the teen by plugging his breathing tube with his thumb as an act of mercy. The Navy has said it's considering perjury charges against Scott.
An Iraqi general who handed the wounded prisoner to the SEALs testified that Gallagher did not stab the boy. And Marine Staff Sgt. Giorgio Kirylo said after the militant died that he moved the body to take a "cool guy trophy" photo with it and saw no stab wounds on his neck.
Gallagher also took photos of himself with the corpse. In one picture, he's holding up his knife in one hand and holding the militant by his hair with his other hand. He later boasted in a text, "got him with my hunting knife." Defense lawyers say it was just a warrior's attempt at dark humor.
"The Sewing Circle," the WhatsApp group chat, formed with a select few members of Alpha platoon after they returned to San Diego from their deployment in 2017.
In the thread, Gallagher was referred to as "El Diablo," Spanish for "the devil."
"Not sure how to handle him," Scott texted. "But he is ready to fight and kill."
Gallagher's lawyers say the group chat was used to orchestrate a smear campaign to bring down their demanding platoon chief. A SEAL troop commander told the court that the allegations, which he took no action on for months, were suspect because they came about as Gallagher was being considered for a Silver Star and a promotion. Platoon members testified that the team was fractured, and the running joke was that if something was missing from a care package, Eddie took it.
But his accusers said it went beyond the theft of sunglasses and snacks. "The Sewing Circle" members tried to distinguish themselves as the "True Brotherhood" vs. the "Real Brotherhood," which supporters of Gallagher have coined for themselves.
"The Real Brotherhood is people who are OK with war crimes," said Dylan Dille, a former SEAL sniper from the platoon who testified that Gallagher took shots at civilians from the sniper tower, hitting an old man and young girl. He did not see him pull the trigger either time.
Defense attorney Timothy Parlatore shot back that maybe the Real Brotherhood "are older guys who don't like you and other SEALs who tell lies."
Special Operations Chief Craig Miller, who was also part of "The Sewing Circle," testified that he saw Gallagher stab the captive multiple times with a custom-made knife Gallagher would carry in the belt loops of his pants. Miller said he told the platoon's officer in charge about the stabbing during their tour but that nothing happened.
SEAL sniper Dalton Tolbert told the court he did not recall who started the chat group but that the intent was to talk with others who were disturbed by what they saw on the deployment and decide what to do.
"I shot more warning shots to save civilians from Eddie than I ever did at ISIS. I see an issue with that," Tolbert texted others.
After plans were discussed about going to the commodore, an investigation was opened and Gallagher was arrested.
Weeks before the trial, Tolbert, who was accepted to the famed SEAL Team 6 that killed Osama bin Laden, sent a text urging his teammates to speak up no matter what was at stake.
He told the court his dream of doing covert operations with Team 6 is likely over now that he's been publicly identified in the case. | {
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009 Synopses I have two screenplays going into the various Canadian and Quebec funding agencies for rewrite funding this round, which means I'm writing a whole bunch of auxiliary material for the applications: long synopses, short synopses, dramatis personae (!), "author's vision."
It's odd to write an "author's vision" of a screenplay; I mean, read the screenplay, eh? And if the author's vision doesn't come through, then it's not a very good one. And anyway, who cares what the author's vision is; it's what comes through in the screenplay that counts. On the other hand, this is for a rewrite funding application, so by definition the author's vision isn't coming through perfectly if the thing needs a rewrite. So the document helps the funders figure out what you are going for.
I hate writing synopses of a completed script. Just hate it. But I've found two ways to make the process work for me.
The second is to write the synopsis for the rewrite, not the synopsis for the current draft. I spent a couple of hours driving over the mountains to New York talking over a thriller synopsis with Lisa. We talked over what made sense and what didn't make sense. Some character motivations got changed. Some scenes got dropped. Some got changed. One may get added.
(There's really nothing like a long drive for working on screenwriting stuff, I've found. We've created a lot of our TV ideas in the car.)
I know it's easier to write a synopsis by blitzing through the pages and writing down what you see. That's certainly faster. But if you use every opportunity to come at your script from a different direction creatively, you'll see room for improvement. A synopsis can be a chance to strip your script back down to its story. Often, problems that weren't apparent when you're looking at the pages become obvious when you retell it as a story. You realize that once scene doesn't follow, or it's framed wrong, or it needs to be completely switched around.
I wonder what we'll do on the road to East Hampton?
The first is to try to write the synopsis off the top of my head, without looking at the script. This gives me a shorter, snappier, clearer synopsis. It also tells me if the story is holding together. If there are spots where I can't remember what comes next, then the plot isn't as strong as it could be. I have two screenplays going into the various Canadian and Quebec funding agencies for rewrite funding this round, which means I'm writing a whole bunch of auxiliary material for the applications: long synopses, short synopses, dramatis personae (!), "author's vision." Labels: writing is rewriting 1 Comments: Back to Complications Ensue main blog page.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California has become the first state to ban the sale of animals from puppy mills.
Gov. Jerry Brown announced Friday that he has signed a law requiring pet stores to work with animal shelters or rescue operations if they want to sell dogs, cats or rabbits. It still allows private breeders to sell animals directly.
Thirty-six cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, already have similar bans on mass breeding operations.
Supporters said the state measure, AB485, ensures better treatment of animals.
The pet store industry said it removes important consumer protections.
Brown did not comment on his decision.NORTH BAY FIRE COVERAGE:
>>MORE STORIES | {
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My favorite toy as a child was a tiki god sculpture made out of coal.
My grandfather, a coalminer in Eastern Kentucky, had received the statuette as a gift while working for a company that named all their mines after tiki gods—Martiki, Pontiki, Toptiki.
“They named them that for good luck, so nothing bad would happen,” he surmised. Why else would tiki culture show up in the middle of Appalachia?
The tiki god was a catalyst for delving further into a wormhole of splashy, campy tiki treasures. I swooned over Elvis’s gyrating hips in Blue Hawaii, plucked on my grandfather’s ukulele and hornswoggled neighborhood children into staging backyard productions of South Pacific.
The trappings of tiki culture combined a Carmen Miranda-style flamboyance and unflappable midcentury cool that I found utterly intoxicating: the kind of adult world that seemed worth living in.
That’s even before I knew about the best part—tiki drinks.
Whether by dumb luck or a lifetime of rubbing my tiki god friend to make wishes, I now make my home in New Orleans at a time when the city’s tiki celebrants are crawling back out of the woodwork after a long snooze. In a city that needs no excuse to get rowdy, tiki has the inherent ability to take a night of drinking from black-and-white to Technicolor in a flash, with nuanced rum and fruit juice concoctions that can dazzle even the most seasoned cocktail veteran.
The city’s tiki roots run deep. “Without New Orleans, there might not have been a tiki movement at all,” says Jeff “Beach Bum” Berry, the country’s foremost tiki scholar and torchbearer of next generation tiki culture.
Courthouse records don’t indicate that tiki mastermind Donn the Beachcomber (née Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt)—who often claimed a New Orleans birthright—was born in the city proper, but he spent a good portion of his childhood there as the son of a hotel manager. The influence of the city’s spirit and Louisiana staples from the turn of the 20th century—such as Planter’s Punch—are evident in Donn’s seminal tiki potions that catalyzed a national craze for Zombies and Mai Tais in post-World War II America.
When tiki began to sweep the country, New Orleans grabbed on with both hands for a three-decade ride, and it was only natural. A melting pot with hundreds of years of French, Spanish, African and Native American influences, New Orleans’ embrace of a drinking trend with similar cross-cultural roots—from Caribbean to Indonesian—made sense. From the Hawaiian Luau in the Fontainebleau Motor Hotel, to The Outrigger Room inside the swanky St. Charles Hotel, tiki spots spawned like rum-fueled gremlins across the city during the 1950s and ’60s.
While the drinks sloshed around by drunken frat boys in blinking cups might not match up with tiki’s revered cocktail cannon, Bourbon Street and the tiki movement have more in common than meets the eye. The two occupy opposite ends of an escapist dichotomy, and each possesses a finely tuned brand. The primary intersection of these two liquor-fueled escapes is the Hurricane, a downright treacly sweet concoction with both New Orleans street cred and tiki roots.
The grand dame of them all, though, was Bali H’ai, a lakefront bar on Pontchartrain Beach. Beginning in the early 1950s, the A-frame, tiki-grass-covered palace was owned and operated by the grandparents of Bryan Batt—who played the Ann Margret-loving art director Sal on Mad Men—and became an exotic, luxurious haunt for celebrities, pro football players and country music stars.
But, like the rest of the country’s tiki havens, New Orleans’ embrace of the genre all but disappeared in the 1970s and early ’80s—a period that marked the beginning of Bourbon Street’s co-opting of tiki traditions, much of it fueled by the rise of Jimmy Buffett.
While some Bourbon Street concoctions might look like tiki drinks, they’re the result of the Parrothead “trop-rock” movement of the 1980s, according to cocktail aficionado and writer Wayne Curtis. Curtis contends that the majority of Bourbon Street’s most popular drinks have their heart in Margaritaville.
“The drinks on Bourbon might be rum-based, but they invoke that Jimmy Buffett, laid back vibe that took over in the 1980s after tiki went downhill,” says Curtis.
While the drinks sloshed around by drunken frat boys in blinking cups might not match up with tiki’s revered cocktail cannon, Bourbon Street and the tiki movement have more in common than meets the eye. The two occupy opposite ends of an escapist dichotomy, and each possesses a finely tuned brand.
The primary intersection of these two liquor-fueled escapes is the Hurricane, a downright treacly sweet concoction with both New Orleans street cred and tiki roots. On my first trip to Bourbon Street, I was in awe of the drink’s ruby red color and quickly found myself incorrigibly drunk. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of bad drunk you might be, drink a couple of Hurricanes and you’ll quickly find out.
Tall tales surround the origin of this drink, with credit roundly given to French Quarter landmark watering hole Pat O’Brien’s. (According to Curtis, the drink’s origin story may be a bit more complicated, as a recipe similar to Pat O’s appears in The Rum Connoisseur, a pamphlet from 1941.) With all the proper trappings of a tiki drink—rum, fruit juice and sass—the Hurricane exploded onto the scene in the mid-1950s, but as the decades slid on, the Buffett bastardization set in. The drink’s color shifted from a pale pink to blood red, and a packet of Kool-Aid-style “hurricane” powder replaced juice for the sake of factory-style efficiency.
Awash in both mass appeal and urban folklore, the Hurricane is one of the few drinks that dances along the razorblade of negative connotations and historical prestige with a certain finesse not shared by its Bourbon Street brethren, the Hand Grenade and the Shark Attack. It eventually became such a staple that even Don the Beachcomber added a version to his repertoire, cementing Bourbon Street’s gift back to the annals of tiki.
While boozed-up, quasi-tropical concoctions spent decades elbowing their way to the forefront of touristy New Orleans, tiki lurked just below the surface of the city’s mainstream culture. One of the most prominent spots for underground tiki is the legendary “tikioke” night at The Saint—a dank, dark bar more closely associated with metal bands and brooding twentysomethings than Aloha shirts. No one is immune to tikioke’s charms: I once sang “Do the Clam” by Elvis while wearing a giant, glitter temporary tattoo of a koi fish.
From the doldrums of a black metal bar to the bleeding edge of trendiness, tiki’s recent revival in New Orleans has spread across the city with an infectious zeal, as Fogcutters and Painkillers now grace the lips of hardnosed cocktail lovers and joie de vivre generalists alike.
The heart of this revival in New Orleans is found a stone’s throw away from the strip clubs and “Big Ass Beer” signs of Bourbon. Decatur Street—a long, winding stretch on the outer edge of the French Quarter—has become ground zero for the renaissance. Anchoring one end is Tiki Tolteca, which opened this summer and sits perched—crow’s nest style—on the second floor of an old Saffron-colored building. The Don Ho soundtrack, tiki hut-shaped bar and velvet cushioned nooks allow drinkers to be quickly transported to a tropical paradise while sucking on boozy tiki candies and sipping drinks that feature an old Peruvian fertility potion.
On the other end of Decatur is Cane & Table, the kind of upgraded proto-tiki joint that quietly turns out complex, well-balanced drinks in a space that feels like a stately, well-preserved English hotel bar plopped down in the Caribbean. If Hemingway were around today, this would be his bar.
Cane & Table was the first of New Orleans’ “new-new” tiki arrivals in 2013, offering tropical spins on standard craft cocktails—like Banana Manhattans—a flower-lined, labyrinthine courtyard, and a specialty whale mug (if you ask nicely and bat your eyelashes) all allow drinkers to forget they’re steps away from reflexology parlors and a loitering crew of gutter punks.
Straddling the middle of Tiki Tolteca’s delightfully cheesy, over-the-top kitsch and Cane and Table’s dark wood sophistication is perhaps the most important piece of Decatur’s tiki strip: Jeff Berry’s soon-to-open tiki lounge, Latitude 29. The spot promises to be one of the most sought after tiki destinations in New Orleans, and likely the country.
“There’s no other city that’s so cocktail-centric or hospitable, where cocktails are woven into the fabric of a place so well,” said Berry. “So, when it came time to find a place to open a bar, we knew it had to be New Orleans.”
For a girl growing up across from a cow pasture in Eastern Kentucky—a place light years away from Polynesian beaches—a token of tiki provided me with a lei-wearing, ocean front fantasy life that fueled a lifelong adventurous spirit. In New Orleans, this kind of otherworldliness has long been drawing in those—like me—who are full of wanderlust like a moth to the tiki torch, where Mai Tai aficionados and Bourbon Street revelers alike can create their own version of a rum-driven paradise.
Hear a conversation with home tiki bar owner Joe Desmond and Jeff “Beachbum” Berry about the in a segment of PUNCH Radio on Heritage Radio Network. [33:40] | {
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Google Play, formally known as the Android Market is the official app store for Android, which offers a range of online music, eBooks, games, movies and various apps. If you have Android based operating system in your smartphone, tablet or any similar device then Google Play is just like an ocean from where you can buy and download as many apps as you want. ths
Now, it is obvious that if you download any app on your phone, then your family members will also be curios to have it in their phones. There should be a way to share it with family members and that’s why google has come with a new plan named Google Play Family Library, which will allow 6 people to share one google play account. Prior to this Google launched family music plan last year, which was appreciated by users, and now they have expanded the service to more features. The plan will be rolled out worldwide by the end of this month in many countries and now working in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and United States.
In this article, we will be talking about how to setup Google Play family account in your phone or tablet. But before that, let’s talk about what are the requirements to setup Google Play family account. Please note that setting up a Google Play family account will work on Android devices only, not on iOS or browser.
What is the Criteria for a Manager of the Google Play Family Account?
If you meet the criteria, then you can set up a family account on Google Play to buy features like Google play Music family plan for your group and they will also have access to such tools. In order to set up the account you need to add a payment method and being the family manager you would be responsible for every purchase. Switching the family group is allowed only once in a year. A person who wants to create a Google account should,
Has to be an adult and age should be 18 or above
Has to have a valid credit card
Shouldn’t be a member of any other family group on Google Play
His/her Google Account shouldn’t be through school or workplace.
Has to be a citizen of Australia, Germany, Japan, Brazil, France, Canada, United States or U.K.
What is the Criteria to be a Member of the Family account?
After creating a group, a family manager can invite up to five members to join it. Each member has to meet the following criteria to be a member of that group,
A member has to be 13 years of age or older.
He/She must have an active google account which should be from school or work.
Should be a citizen of the same country
Shouldn’t be an active member of any other google play family group.
Family members are also allowed to switch group only once in a year.
What are the Steps to Create a Google Play Family Account?
A user cannot set up the family group from any iOS browser or device, they need to download and open the Play Music app on their Android device.
Go to Google Play Music Icon
Click on Menu icon on top left corner
Select “Subscribe”
Select “Family” and click on “Set up Family” at the bottom right corner
Click on “Get Started” and then on “Continue” to add your payment details.
After this it will ask you to set the payment method which will be used by the family members to buy and download any service. In order to choose a payment method you can select any exiting credit card or add details of any new one.
Once you update the payment info, touch “Accept”.
Now you can invite your family members to join the group but make sure that you invite only those people are trustworthy because the amount would be deducted from your credit card and you would be responsible for their purchase through Google Play. In order to invite a member,
Select Invite
Touch Continue
Continue Music Purchase
Touch Subscribe.
You will get an email confirmation when a member joins you.
So, these are the simple steps that will help you to setup Google Play family account and manage it later.
If You have a smartphone phone or any other device that runs on Android based OS then it is open for you, but is advisable to use the facility to create a group and involving others carefully as this could be problematic if a member spend too much money to buy desired apps without taking your permission to do so. | {
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A federal appeals court in Oregon on Thursday granted a motion from the Trump administration for a temporary stay in a lawsuit brought forward by a group of young people who argue that the government is violating their rights by not adequately battling climate change.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a 15-day stay in the case for either it or the Supreme Court to consider a motion by the Trump administration to dismiss the case.
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"As set forth fully in the accompanying memorandum of law, a stay is warranted because...Defendants will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; Plaintiffs will not be harmed by a stay; and the public interest will be well-served by a stay in order to facilitate the review by the Ninth Circuit that the Supreme Court contemplated," the Trump administration wrote in its court filing earlier this week.
Philip Gregory, a co-counsel for the plaintiffs, told the AP that he hoped the temporary stay would be followed by the trial proceeding as planned. The lawsuit argues that the federal government has known about the effects of climate change for 50 years, and is depriving them of life, liberty and property by doing little or nothing to stop it.
“Given the urgency of climate change, we hope the Ninth Circuit will recognize the importance to these young Americans of having a prompt trial date," Gregory said.
“We are pleased this stay is only temporary,” he added. “We want to commence presenting the climate science in court as soon as possible.”
The Supreme Court rejected a request from the Trump administration last week to halt the lawsuit, but wrote that the federal government can still petition a lower court to dismiss the case.
The Obama and Trump administrations have battled the lawsuit for years, arguing that the case would force the federal government to make policy decisions through the court system rather than prescribed legislative processes. | {
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MrUrKe: Hello Tulex and thanks for accepting this interview! Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
MrUrKe: When you are not playing Dota, how do you entertain yourself? What are you doing for a living?
MrUrKe: Do you keep managing your real-life and virtual obligations both successfully?
MrUrKe: Both you and your brother have been playing DotA for a long time. What do your parents think of this? Are they stopping you or encouraging your careers?
MrUrKe: Gaming in Czech Republic and Slovakia seem to be developed, having several top organizations. What can you say about it? What is people's opinion on gaming in general?
MrUrKe: How did you start with DotA? Was it random battle.net pubbing like many of us did?
MrUrKe: Until recently you were playing with your brother in a team. How did that affect your team's progress?
MrUrKe: Seems like TI2011 was the turning point for you, because after playing together with your brother and your country mates for so long, you joined a foreign team. Why was that?
MrUrKe: Do you regret your decision?
MrUrKe: As stated before, you joined Swedish Mortal Teamwork ranks. When did the offer come? How long have you been thinking about accepting it or not?
MrUrKe: You are playing in a ‘mixed nationalities roster’. How do you feel about it?
MrUrKe: Since you are now using English as a primary communication language, do you have a hard time adapting to it?
MrUrKe: Ever since DHW2011 mTw is not doing any great. After recent roster changes it seems like the situation is still the same. What do you consider as the problem in your team right now?
MrUrKe: The community is often accusing your team, saying that you don’t deserve a structure like mTw behind you. What can you say to those people?
MrUrKe: And what about your organization. Is mTw supportive in these hard times?
MrUrKe: Let’s get back to your history a bit. Before entering the mTw venture, you played in Storm Games Clan for several years. What do you consider as your career highlight in DotA (as a team)?
MrUrKe: What about you personally. When do you think, you were on your highest level in DotA. What do you consider as your biggest personal success?
MrUrKe: Your former teammates are now having hard times finding their own form and stable structure for themselves with their recent department from SGC. What are your supporting words to them?
MrUrKe: With the team change you changed your role a little bit, now you take care of the hard lane and utility. How do you like your new role?
MrUrKe: You're known for your really successful Windrunner and Ancient Apparition. Are they your personal hero favorites?
MrUrKe: Dendi once called Windrunner’s shackleshot the ‘best’ spell in the game. Do you agree on that or you have an other opinion?
MrUrKe: Recently KuroKy talked about the engine and the game as a whole with joindota.com. He thinks that the game is much easier than before, and that a new engine affects the metagame a lot. Do you have any comments on the above mentioned?
MrUrKe: Have you played HoN or LoL maybe? What do you think about other ARTS titles? Is competition between them going to help the genre or do you see it otherwise?
MrUrKe: In terms of ‘player professionalism’ LoL seem to be ahead of DotA in a big way. LoL players are able to completely focus on the game, having decent earnings from their streams, tournaments and sponsors. What is a key factor in developing Dota as a real esport?
MrUrKe: Do you think Valve and IceFrog are heading in the right direction so far?
MrUrKe: Does lag play any role in Dota 2? In several leagues we have seen multiple problems with spectators, or server problems when playing against oversea teams. Should they continue playing European tournaments?
MrUrKe: What hero is going to shake the meta-game the most in your opinion?
MrUrKe: Do you think that weekly patches affect scene stability in a big way? Or it is good for teams to learn how to adapt?
MrUrKe: There are some indications that Dota 2 is going to be free-to-play and that Valve is going to add a cosmetic shop. What do you think about that?
MrUrKe: So we reached end of this interview. It was my pleasure to have you here Tulex. Do you have any final words? Or any finals shoutouts?
We are puting this interview series on hold for the next two weeks, since our next 'in deep' interview is going to be in video format
After interviews with Sergey 'God' Bragin and Dominik 'Black^' Reitmeier , it is time for our third in deep interview feature. This time with DotA veteran, elder of the Zima brothers, Michal 'Tulex' Zima . Read bellow about his personality, his thoughts about playing in one of biggest European powerhouse, mTw , as well as some notable moments in his long and successful DotA career.Tulex: Hello, my name is Michal Zima, I’m going to be 21 in few weeks and I play Dota2 for mTw.Tulex: I study at the moment, so not really working; I worked for about 4 months when I wasn’t attending university. As for entertaining we got ourselves an Ultimate Frisbee team in the place I study (but it’s just for amateur tournaments, so just for fun) and also normal activities like going out with friends for a beer etc.Tulex: My time schedule is pretty flexible, so not really. But if I wanted to be more successful in my studies, then it could get problematic.Tulex: Well, they are actually pretty cool with it. Though my father would prefer if I actually cared more for studies instead of Dota, but they never tried to stop us from playing. Our mother also watched some of our matches (she had fun time listening to v1lat, since they both know a bit of Russian) and she tries to watch news about us sometimes etc.Tulex: I think it’s really much worse than you think. Apart from SGC there was never a sponsor for a DotA team that could provide much; I myself got cheated by few of the known names in multigaming here. Prizes for the tournaments aren’t that high either, but that’s to be expected, since sponsors never really cared about Dota here that much, although I hope it will get better now with Dota2. As for opinion on gaming, I think people still don’t have the mentality to truly accept it as a "sport" or as something serious, but its getting better in this aspect as well I guess. I still believe it just needs more time.Tulex: We used to played some battlefield in a game club with my classmates (it was actually Storm Games Club, which became my sponsor later *smiles*) and someone was playing Dota there, so I tried it as well and got hooked on it. When I got computer which could run online Dota, I started playing more on Xpam and by some random chances of meeting people I got into competitive.Tulex: It was pretty cool, it was personal plus. I’m not sure if it affected our team progress, but it was definitely positiveTulex: Well, Tonicek and Iacek had to stop playing because they needed to start working. Then after ESWC my brother also decided to stop because of his studies. So it was just me and craNich left and I had no real motivation to try to build another instance of SGC. I paused a bit after that, but got hooked on Dota again after New Year and I decided that I’m going to find myself a foreign team for a change.Tulex: No, not really.Tulex: I played a few scrims as a standin with syndereN and guys when they needed a player, and then I was also a standin for them in some weekend tourneys. After that syndereN offered me to join them. I pretty much instantly said yes. I think it was around 2 months ago.Tulex: It’s ok, since everyone can communicate in English. Only disadvantage is that I would actually have to travel by myself for LAN tournaments.Tulex: Not really, I’m really used to listen to English language all the time, since I watch most of the movies in it, I also read a lot in English. I had to adapt in speaking it myself, but it’s solid now.Tulex: Hm, we got really hurt by the fact, that we didn’t really have a stable 5 since Grunts PC broken down. Also I don’t think we are doing so bad considering we are a new team, in the first tourney we played we managed to beat Fnatic and Quantic, then lost to CLG in semis. We also got recently into joinDOTA masters finals, beating compLexity and Western Wolves on our way. It’s just that our in game play is very unstable because we have to play with standins a lot. I hope we will resolve this problem soon.Tulex: You either can support us, or hate us. If it makes you feel better about yourselves, then feel free to flame us on the internet, I personally don’t care much. Mortal Teamwork is a great organization and I’m sure they know what’s best for them.Tulex: I’m not as much in contact with them as syndereN, but I feel they are doing their best for us, which is really great.Tulex: Finishing 3rd in MYM Pride tournament and then 2nd in EEDC season 2. Also the fact, that I managed to stay in a team for around 4 years, and still fight in the top 10 of Europe. For Dota2 it was beating EHOME at last ESWC.Tulex: It’s really hard to think like this in DotA, since it’s heavily team game, but probably in the 2nd instance of SGC when I was the team captain, just because of the fact that I made the picks.Tulex: It’s really hard to create a stable team with Czech/Slovakian players, but I support them all the way and will be their biggest fan *smiles*.Tulex: Well I played pretty much everything during my DotA career, started as hardcore support in first SGC, then switched to solo, then support again; afterwards I played carry, now the offlane role and when we play with notahax I play secondary support then. But I like the hard lane role, especially because the heroes played there are usually quite fun (Windrunner).Tulex: I love them, but I’m still waiting for Phantom Assassin to come in as my personal favorite *smiles*. Generally I like heroes with blink-like spells (Mirana, Akasha, etc.).Tulex: I feel like it’s the best non-ultimate spell in the game, but if you cant land it its one of the worst *smiles*.Tulex: It’s obviously different, but I don’t feel it’s necessary that much easier. The fact that all heroes are not implemented yet, affect metagame much more in my opinion. Also KuroKy denied the interview a bit in some of his comments, so I’m not really taking it that much into consideration/didn’t think much about it.Tulex: I played both; I got really bored after playing them for a while. I believe HoN is going to die out, since already many of the top teams are switching to Dota2. And well for guys which don’t like a real challenge there will be LoL, it’s a good game in its own way, but I just don’t enjoy it so I don’t want to comment on it more.Tulex: Money, as in sponsors/salaries/tournament prizes, people enjoying the game/watching it and bigger media coverage of the game/pro matches.Tulex: I love the game so far as most of the people playing it do, so yes definitely.Tulex: It’s really absurd to play the game on US West servers. I don’t really want to restrict a team from competing in a tournament if they desire to and if they are as good as aL, for instance, but I myself don’t enjoy playing the game on that server at all. It would be probably fair if they didn’t add American player to their roster recently as well, but what can you do. I’m really looking forward to see a LAN competition between the teams, to really prove skill gap.Tulex: I love to say phantom assassin *smiles*.Tulex: It’s OK because we know the heroes from dota1 at least, if it would be completely new hero each week, then I would hate it. I hope it gets more stable when all the important heroes are added.Tulex: Its cool, I would pay for the game anyway, so I didn’t really trouble myself with this factor. As long as it’s good I’m going to be happy. Cosmetic shop idea is cool also.Tulex: Shoutout to all my current and past teammates and to my team mTw and our sponsors XMG, Sennheiser, Kaspersky and Eizo. Also for all fans out there, I made recently Facebook page to interact with you, so follow me at http://www.facebook.com/mTwTulex | {
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When California’s aid-in-dying law takes effect this June, terminally ill patients who decide to end their lives could be faced with a hefty bill for the lethal medication. It retails for more than $3,000.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals, the company that makes the drug most commonly prescribed by physicians to aid patients who want to end their lives, doubled the drug’s price last year, one month after California lawmakers proposed legalizing the practice.
“It’s just pharmaceutical company greed,” said David Grube, a retired a family doctor in Oregon, where physician-assisted death has been legal for 20 years.
The drug is Seconal, or secobarbital, its generic name. Originally developed in the 1930s as a sleeping pill, it fell out of favor when people died from taking too much or from taking it in combination with alcohol. But when intended as a lethal medication to hasten the death of someone suffering from a terminal disease, Seconal is the drug of choice.
“It works very quickly and very gently,” says Grube, who is also the national medical director for Compassion and Choices, an advocacy group. “People fall asleep with no complications. It’s a very gentle passing.”
In 2009, Grube remembers the price of a lethal dose of Seconal — 100 capsules — was less than $200. During the next six years, it shot up to $1,500, according to drug price databases Medi-Span and First Databank. Then Valeant bought Seconal last February and immediately doubled the price to $3,000.
This story is part of a partnership that includes KQED NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. ( details
Most drug companies justify such hikes by pointing to high research costs. But Grube says that’s not the case with Seconal. It’s been around for 80 years.
“It’s not a complicated thing to make, there’s no research being done on it, there’s no development,” he says. “That to me is unconscionable.”
Valeant bought several other drugs at the same time it bought Seconal, raising some of those prices as much as 500 percent. That sparked a congressional investigation into its pricing practices. (The company’s CEO resigned Monday).
“Valeant sets prices for drugs based on a number of factors,” the company said in a statement, including the cost of developing or acquiring the drug, the availability of generics and the benefits of the drug compared with costly alternative treatments. “When possible, we offer patient assistance programs to mitigate the effects of price adjustments and keep out-of-pocket costs affordable for patients.”
The most likely explanation for raising the price of Seconal is the lack of generics, says Mick Kolassa, founding partner of Medical Marketing Economics, a firm that advises drug companies on how to price and market their drugs.
Seconal went off patent in the early 1990s. There were some generics for a while, but then demand shrank and manufacturers abandoned them.
“So that meant when the current company bought it, they didn’t have any generic competition, simply because the market got so small that it left,” Kolassa said. “So in situations like that, a company can acquire it and raise the price.”
Kolassa says it’s also possible that the demand for even the brand-name drug is so low that it’s hard to recoup the costs of making and selling it.
“Here’s a company that said, ‘Well, we can raise the price, keep it on the market and make some money with it. Or we can walk away and the product goes away,’” he said.
Whatever the explanation, what cancer patients like Elizabeth Wallner see is a drug company taking advantage. She has one word to describe the pharmaceutical executive who decided to double the price of Seconal: “Scumbag.”
Wallner was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer five years ago. It spread to her liver and lungs. She always thought that if her suffering became too unbearable, she would consider ending her life. But she never thought about the price tag of the lethal drug.
“You’re going to make money off my death,” she said.
She’s most worried about her son.
“You are literally, at that point, taking the money from children,” she said. “Everything I have, if I’m going to die tomorrow, everything I have will be left to my son who will be 20 years old and almost 100 percent on his own.”
Under the California aid-in-dying law, it is optional for health insurance companies to cover the costs of the practice. Most private insurers plan to do so, according to the California Association of Health Plans.
So does the state’s Medicaid program.
But for patients who aren’t covered, there is a cheaper alternative: a three-part drug cocktail that can be mixed by a compounding pharmacy for about $400.
Grube says the cocktail works just as well, but doctors usually don’t prescribe it because of the hassle some patients have to go through to get it. Seconal, on the other hand, is a ready-made pill, routinely available at most retail drugstores.
He says advocacy groups are working on campaigns to reduce drug costs and to educate doctors and patients about the law.
“My dream is that any Californian who will choose aid in dying would have few burdens or barriers to jump through,” Grube said.
Katie Orr contributed reporting from Sacramento.
This story is part of a partnership that includes KQED, NPR and Kaiser Health News.
KHN’s coverage of prescription drug development, costs and pricing is supported in part by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. | {
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The White House’s nominee to head a top US conservation agency lacks her predecessors’ experience while her political connections raise potential conflicts of interest, a Guardian analysis has found.
Aurelia Skipwith, who started her career at the agrochemical giant Monsanto, has been nominated to lead the interior department’s Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees endangered species and wildlife refuges.
Most former directors spent many years working at the agency or in similar state agencies before ascending to the top post. But Skipwith’s record shows no background in conservation before she joined the Trump administration less than two years ago as deputy assistant secretary of fish, wildlife and parks.
Skipwith holds degrees in biology, molecular genetics and law and has worked in crop science and corporate affairs. In law school, she worked with two consulting firms which were founded or co-founded by her fiance, a politically well-connected Montanan who runs in the same circles as the outgoing interior secretary, Ryan Zinke.
Brett Hartl, government affairs director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said: “She’s clearly smart. That’s not the question.”
But he said Congress sets a high bar for the position, requiring certain qualifications because “it’s such a science-heavy, complicated agency to run”. US law says a director must be, “by reason of scientific education and experience, knowledgeable in the principles of fisheries and wildlife management”.
The nomination is the latest example of how Zinke installed people with industry or political ties throughout the agency, ushering in an expansion of resource extraction at the expense of conservation, according to documents obtained by the Guardian. Hires have come from the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity and the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The deputy secretary, David Bernhardt, who will run the agency at least until a replacement is confirmed, is a former fossil fuel lobbyist.
Skipwith joined Monsanto, which has come under criticism for its cancer-causing weedkiller, in 2006 after earning her master’s, according to her résumé. She was a lab technician and then molecular analyst.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has already made one decision favorable to Monsanto. The service rescinded a ban on farms within national wildlife refuges using bee-killing pesticides and the genetically modified crops that can withstand them.
Amit Narang, a regulatory policy advocate for Public Citizen, said senators should question Skipwith about her background and her interactions with lobbyists and corporations.
“She has a potentially fundamental conflict of interest. It’s hard to imagine exactly why she’s getting this job except because of favoritism or connections,” Narang said.
Aurelia Skipwith was a lab technician and a molecular analyst at Monsanto. Photograph: Rogelio V Solis/AP
An interior department spokesperson said that Skipwith “is a scientist and legal professional with a diverse portfolio of experience in conservation, agriculture and international development”.
Most previous directors have been educated in wildlife management or wildlife ecology. Some specialized in forestry or fisheries management.
John Turner of Wyoming, nominated by George HW Bush, had been a river guide, rancher and wildlife biologist before taking the position. Barack Obama’s director from 2011 to 2017, Dan Ashe, had been the deputy director of policy and science adviser at the service for nine years before his nomination. For five years before that he was chief of the national wildlife refuge system.
Ashe, now CEO of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, praised Skipwith’s nomination. “In a field where diversity is sorely needed, it is encouraging to see a woman and person of color nominated to this important and prominent leadership position,” he said.
“I offer Ms Skipwith my congratulations on this great honor, and the very best as her education, experience and knowledge are considered by the US Senate,” he said.
While Skipwith doesn’t have the typical experience of a director, she does have ties to Montana, the home of interior secretary Ryan Zinke, who is resigning amid investigations into whether he used his office for personal gain.
Outside of her six years at Monsanto, Skipwith lists experience at two firms where she worked with her fiance, Leo Giacometto. He is a former US marshal who was in the Montana legislature, was state agriculture director and was chief of staff to the US senator Conrad Burns.
Giacometto, a longtime lobbyist, is known to some Montana sources as a political power broker, someone who could elevate or sink a campaign for public office.
Other than her work at Monsanto and with lobbyists, Skipwith claimed only brief government experience while in law school. She was a consultant at the US Agency for International Development for five months and a summer intern at the agriculture department.
The department declined to respond specifically to a list of more than two dozen questions about Skipwith’s resume, including discrepancies about when she worked for some employers.
Skipworth and Giacometto did not respond to requests for clarifications or comment.
Another employer while she was in law school, the agriculture business Alltech, said she worked for the company during the time she was a consultant at USAid, although that is not how she described her work history on her résumé. She said she started at Alltech later.
Because Skipwith has not yet been confirmed by the US Senate, the White House would need to renominate her next year when new lawmakers arrive in Washington in order for her to take the job. The White House did not respond to questions about whether she would be renominated.
Jimmy Tobias and Kathleen McLaughlin contributed reporting | {
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VICTORIA’S 32,306 deer hunters are battling to regain access to almost 360 square kilometres of state forest northeast of Dargo and north of Wongungarra, after State Government bureaucrats locked them out.
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning staff have told hunters a “mapping error” had forced them to exclude crown land from the Victorian Game Management Authority’s Eastern Deer Hunting Maps.
“It recently came to light that some of these maps were inaccurate or out of date and did not show where certain grazing licences had been granted so they were removed from the website,” a DELWP spokesman said.
Under the Victorian Firearms Act hunters must gain approval from these leaseholders before entering the areas. However the names of these leaseholders are not made public.
“DELWP helps facilitate communication between grazing licence holders and hunters, where possible, to enable permission to be obtained,” the spokesman said.
But Australian Deer Association executive officer Barry Howlett said DELWP’s suggestion was absurd, given thousands of hunters used the area.
“This country has been hunted for at least the last 35 years,” Mr Howlett said.
“There’s been no consultation with us. DELWP has just gone and issued grazing licences, effectively locking it up.
The ADA and Sporting Shooters Association of Victoria have approached Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford in a bid to resolve the issue.
But progress has been slow.
As of this week the smaller of the two leased regions, north or Wongungarra reappeared on the GMA maps’ site.
But when The Weekly Times tried to read the map northeast of Dargo a message appeared stating: “Map 52 is currently being updated by the DELWP”.
SSAA Victoria hunting development manager David Laird said it was a ludicrous situation, with GMA and DELWP at loggerheads on the issue. “We now have two government departments unable to agree on where people can legally hunt. If the Government can’t get it right, how can our members?”
Ms Pulford’s office said she was looking into the issue and would have more to say soon. | {
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Many Australians are left perplexed when media coverage of high-profile criminal cases is suddenly suspended or abbreviated “for legal reasons”. The current committal hearing of Catholic Cardinal George Pell on historical sexual offences engages the principle of “open justice” and some of its most important exceptions.
Coverage of such matters is restricted at various stages of criminal trials. This is because of the relative priority the courts and lawmakers have assigned to the principles of open justice and the administration of justice, and the competing rights of free expression, privacy and a fair trial.
What is ‘open justice’?
The principle of open justice dates back to at least the 12th century; it involves people’s access to observe the goings-on in a courtroom. It was later extended to the media as “the eyes and ears of the public” in court.
Australia’s High Court has ruled that open justice is of constitutional significance, and nothing should be done to discourage the media from publishing fair and accurate reports of what occurs in the courtroom. But, it added, the principle is not absolute.
An open court involving fair and accurate media coverage is thus the default position for Australian courts. The common law recognises only a limited number of well-defined exceptions. Lawmakers have developed hundreds more.
One important common law limitation is in the area of sub judice contempt. This puts a halt to prejudicial coverage of a criminal matter from the moment an accused is arrested or charged right through until the appeal period has expired.
Important restrictions here are upon any suggestion an accused might be guilty (or innocent), coverage of contested evidence that may or may not be put to a jury, coverage of earlier proceedings (such as preliminary hearings and royal commissions), interviews with key witnesses, details of any confessions, the criminal history or character evidence about the accused, and visual identification of the accused if that might be at issue in a trial.
Specific restrictions on court cases
Legislation in all Australian jurisdictions has placed a litany of further restrictions on attendance at – and reporting on – a host of situations. These include family law cases, juvenile cases, mental health proceedings and – most relevant here – sexual matters.
The statutory gags forcing closure of courts, banning of coverage, and de-identifying of parties vary in important ways. This is because lawmakers have placed a differing emphasis on the competing rights and interests.
For example, if Pell was facing his committal hearing in South Australia or Queensland, he could not even be identified until after he is committed to trial – if that eventuates.
Lawmakers in those states have decided the reputational damage attached to an allegation of a serious sexual offence is so damaging that an accused person should not be identifiable until it is proven there is at least a prima facie case to answer at trial.
In Victoria, where Pell’s committal hearing is taking place, the accused can usually be identified. However, other restrictions apply either under legislation or in suppression orders issued by a presiding judge or magistrate.
In no Australian jurisdiction can the victim (known as the “complainant”) be identified – directly or indirectly – in sexual matters. But the laws vary on whether they might be identified after proceedings with their permission or the court’s permission.
This means complainants who might have been identified in earlier coverage or proceedings are suddenly rendered anonymous from the moment the matter is “pending” – after the arrest or charging of a suspect.
Special protections apply to complainants during committal hearings involving sexual offences. This includes closing the court while victims give evidence.
A complex array of policy issues inform these kinds of restrictions. These include the perceived vulnerability of victims, their privacy, and the important likelihood that victims might not come forward to bring charges of this nature if they sense they might be in the media spotlight.
Do we need a rethink in the digital age?
Victoria has had more than its share of journalists and others falling foul of court restrictions through defiance or ignorance of the law.
Former journalist and blogger (now senator) Derryn Hinch has twice been jailed as a result of contemptuous coverage – once in 1987 for broadcasting prejudicial talkback radio programs about a former priest facing child molestation charges, and again in 2013 after refusing to pay a A$100,000 fine for blogging the prior convictions of Jill Meagher’s accused killer in breach of a suppression order.
Read more: You wouldn't read about it: Adrian Bayley rape trials expose flaw in suppression orders
Two ABC journalists were convicted of identifying a rape victim in radio broadcasts in 2007. They and their employer were later ordered to pay her $234,190 in damages in a civil suit for the invasion of her privacy among other injuries.
In 2017, Yahoo!7 was fined $300,000 for contempt after it published social media material about a victim and the accused. The publication forced the jury in a murder trial to be discharged.
Many of the restrictions on coverage are problematic in the digital era. Mainstream media are more likely to be charged with sub judice contempt than social media users because the large audiences of mainstream media mean their prejudicial coverage is more likely to reach potential jurors.
The cross-jurisdictional nature of digital publishing also renders journalists and social media users subject to the tangled web of restrictions on criminal justice reporting when covering a criminal matter from another state.
Court orders to take down earlier reportage on websites are typically futile, because online dissemination is so widespread. So, the bizarre situation exists where the prior character evidence and coverage of earlier proceedings still sits online for anyone to access with a simple search of an accused’s name.
This is problematic if a rogue juror decides to become a cyber Sherlock Holmes. It means we require better training of jurors.
Read more: Trial by social media: why we need to properly educate juries
Suppression orders are also a problem because these are typically circulated only to mainstream media in the trial’s immediate vicinity. This leaves others blissfully unaware of the orders. Some orders – known as “super injunctions” – are so secret that even publication of the fact they have been issued is prohibited.
Victoria’s Open Courts Act was meant to reduce the number of suppression orders and inject an element of consistency to the issuing of these. However, it has been problematic.
At least the media are better assisted in the modern era. Court information officers help explain the various restrictions and keep the media well briefed in high-profile trials – as they have done in Victoria during Pell’s committal hearing. | {
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Last updated at 17:04 28 November 2007
A seven-year old boy from Cambodia has a rather unusual best friend. Koun Samang has been spending time with his python, which now weighs 18 stone, since he was born.
They are the same age and have hardly been separated in their whole lives.
Most parents would be horrified to find their child curled up with such a creature but Samang's father, from the Kandal province, is happy for his son to play with the six-metre-long reptile.
Scroll down for more...
"My boy and the snake have been living very happily since he was born seven years ago. They are the same age," said Samang's father Koun Samol.
The snake is named Chomran, which means "lucky" in Khmer.
Samang spends his days playing with Chomran, hugging the snake and trying to teach it tricks.
Scroll down for more...
The snake "eats ten kilos of duck and chicken in one week", Koun Samol said.
Unlike most snakes in the area, Chomran does not eat rats or frogs, as its diet is similar to that of Samang.
The whole Koun clan believe the snake has brought them good luck and they treat it like a member of the family. | {
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Slideshow ( 3 images )
LONDON (Reuters) - British house prices suffered their first fall in monthly terms since shortly after June’s Brexit vote, mortgage lender Halifax said on Tuesday, a latest sign of a slowing in the housing market.
House prices fell 0.9 percent in January alone after a 1.6 percent surge in December. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to house prices remaining flat on the month.
It was the first fall since August of last year.
Annual house price growth cooled to 5.7 percent, down from 6.5 percent in December and again weaker than the Reuters poll forecast.
Halifax said house prices would continue to be supported by a shortage of properties for sale and low levels of house building, but also dampened by weaker economic growth and increasing pressure on spending power.
Last week rival mortgage lender Nationwide said British house prices rose at their slowest annual rate in more than a year last month. | {
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Queensland’s generously remunerated premier has had a pay increase, putting her earnings at more than the British and Canadian prime ministers.
The Queensland Independent Remuneration Tribunal has recommended a $6,559 raise for Annastacia Palaszczuk, taking her annual salary to $385,719.
That’s more than the salaries of the UK prime minister, David Cameron ($307,373), the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau ($328,949), and the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi ($43,345).
Few world leaders will take home more money than Palaszczuk this year; they include the Singapore prime minister, the Hong Kong chief executive, the US president and the Australian prime minister.
The tribunal will also raise the salaries of state MPs by $2,530 to $151,425. “Taking into account a range of factors, the tribunal concludes that an increase in base salary is warranted,” its written determination said.
The pay rises have been backdated to September 2014.
The tribunal awarded the pay rises partly to keep MP salary increases in line with other states, which it said had risen on average by 4.43% since July 2013.
The issue of Queensland politicians’ pay has been contentious. The former Liberal National party set up the independent tribunal to oversee the process after it came under fire for awarding MPs a generous pay rise in 2013.
Protests also met the new panel’s decision in March 2014 to award senior politicians big rises, including a $67,000 top-up to the salary of the then premier Campbell Newman, putting him on almost $380,000 a year.
Palaszczuk made an election commitment to ensure MPs’ pay rises were not proportionately greater than those awarded to public sector workers. The Labor government passed laws linking MPs’ pay to those of public servants in May 2015. | {
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After last year’s disaster, risk management and environmental awareness become the new normal in Sierra Leone.
Regent, Sierra Leone – A deafening sound from outside made Kalilu Daboh, an imam on the outskirts of Sierra Leone‘s capital, Freetown, rush out of the mosque.
As soon as he was out, he saw the hill in front of him collapsing. He instantly turned his head towards the direction of his house.
It had disappeared.
“I was told everyone had been buried by the mud. Four of my children died, together with my wife,” says Daboh.
“It was the first time I experienced this kind of disaster.”
Exactly one year ago, an estimated 1,000 people were killed and 6,000 others affected in a mudslide and flood disaster that devastated Regent, a mountain town located just outside Freetown.
For the next three months, Kalilu Daboh, who has lived in Motorbeh in Regent for 11 years, and his three remaining children found shelter in a camp hosting affected members of the hillside community.
He received food and rent assistance from the United Nations and The National Commission for Social Action, and was able to get out of harm’s way.
“When I received my package, I relocated in the same vicinity but to a safer place,” says Daboh.
“I have now moved away from the disaster site. Even if that kind of thing happens again, I will not be affected.”
Last year’s mudslide occurred in Regent, a mountain town located outside Freetown [Lilah Gaafar/Al Jazeera]
Sierra Leone hosts an annual rainfall of 3,600 millimetres and ranks in the top 15 most vulnerable countries to disaster risk worldwide.
Freetown, where the ocean meets the mountains, is particularly defenceless.
Originally thought to be the result of heavy rain brought on by climate change, this was not solely a natural disaster, but one of environmental degradation and poor planning, according to experts.
“The interference of human beings in nature was clearly visible in the affected areas, as well as the high-risk areas around the disaster zone,” says Muhibuddin Usamah, the UN Development Programme disaster management specialist who was deployed to Sierra Leone after last year’s flash floods and mudslide.
“In the last four decades, there has been a loss of 60 percent of forest in western Freetown. Unfortunately, the trend is increasing and without perception of risk, floods, landslides, and other hydro-meteorological disasters are on the rise,” he adds.
“The ease of being close to the city centre is a factor that means local populations settle in areas that are not supposed to be habitable. The unplanned housing development has caused the forest boundary to be pushed five kilometres.”
Future risk
Kalilu Daboh, another member of the community, used to go to Freetown to sell gari, cassava and charcoal. But since the disaster, he says he has not been able to continue his business.
“Now I volunteer and teach Arabic at the Islamic school. I receive stipends,” he says, adding that if he has the opportunity he would like to relocate to a different area.
Unlike Daboh, not everyone affected are as mindful of future risk.
Seventy-five percent of affected community members still reside in the same disaster-prone areas, considering it unlikely that they would be affected by a landslide or flooding in the future.
The Recovery Needs Assessment Report conducted by the World Food Programme in July 2018 concluded that low-income households were the majority of those affected, and they remain highly vulnerable to seasonal flooding and a vicious cycle of asset loss.
Even though the threat of future floods and mudslides is real, last year’s disaster was nonetheless a catalyst for change.
Sunil Saigal, the UN’s resident coordinator in Sierra Leone, commended the then-national security coordinator and the Office of National Security (ONS) for leading the mobilisation of a massive response from the early hours of August 14, 2017.
“There is a need to invest in disaster prevention and long-term environmental management, and the UN has continued to work with ONS and other institutions on these issues,” says Saigal.
Looking forward, John Vandy Rogers, the director of disaster risk management for ONS who led response and recovery efforts on behalf of the government, said that there are lessons to be learned one year later.
“Community engagement is key, early warning is paramount, mitigation is critical, and the ONS has a central role in terms of human and environmental security.”
Looking over the landslip, Daboh cannot believe a year has passed.
Where his house once was now lays sapling trees. The UN and the World Bank support the government in reforesting this area.
“This is very good. The trees will keep the soil in place and prevent future disasters,” says Daboh.
He considers disaster-risk preparedness as the new normal.
“People are more aware of environmental dangers now, of building under the hill and living by the river banks,” he says.
“When it rains, everyone anticipates that something worse can happen.
“Every day, I am thinking about my family and the children I lost.” | {
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This will not be the first time China ventures into space. (Photo : Reuters)
The most exciting astronomical event of August 2015 is Perseid meteor shower. The shooting star event that peaks in mid-August will light up the night sky offering a spectacular sight for the astronomy enthusiasts. Here is a guide to all the major sky events of August 2015.
Perseid Meteor Shower: The much awaited meteor shower, Perseid peaks during Aug. 12 and 13. It is said to be one of the best meteor showers to observe shooting stars. News publication Washington Post notes that American Meteor Society states that this year about 100 meteors an hour are expected to be produced.
The shower will last until Aug. 26, 2015. The best time to observe the meteor shower is from midnight of Aug. 12 to morning of Aug. 13 from a dark location, away from city lights. Perseid is best visible in Northern Hemisphere. The meteor shower finds it origin in comet Swift-Tuttle and its radiant point lies in the constellation Perseus.
The Perseid is expected to put up a great show this year, as the narrow crescent moon remains almost invisible in the night sky.
New Moon: On Aug. 14, 2015, the New Moon will emerge. During this event, the moon is barely visible and remains positioned at the same side of the Earth as the Sun, according to Seasky.org's Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events for Calendar Year 2015. The event reaches its peak at 14:53 UTC. It is said to be the best time for sky gazers to observe various celestial objects as the moonlight remains dim.
Full Moon/Super Moon: Astronomers have already witnessed three Super Moons so far this year; the fourth will emerge on Aug. 29, 2015. According to the aforementioned website, this August Full Moon is also known as Green Corn Moon, Grain Moon, Full Strugeon Moon. The event reaches its peak at 18:35 UTC when the moon will be positioned opposite side of the Earth. As the moon comes close to Earth, it will appear bigger and brighter than usual on this day. The next Super Moon will occur on Sept. 28, 2015.
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Dennis Hopper’s record collection is mostly dollar-bin CRAP and can be yours for just $150,000
If you’re ever looking to whip yourself up into a solid proletarian rage, I highly recommend surfing your internetcomputerbox over to Moda Operandi to get a gander at the appallingly useless trinkets and bullshit the 1% throw thousands upon thousands of dollars at while American children starve. Headphones bedazzled with Swarovski crystals? Check. A $30,000 duffel bag? You betcha! A goddamn quilted leather Pac Man machine? Treat yourself, Barron, you deserve it.
This holiday season, that site is offering a one-of-a-kind item—the late Dennis Hopper’s actual record collection. The description and photos reveal that Frank Booth rocks basically the same record collection as your bemulletted never-married uncle who goes to the State Fair to see Heart.
With a career spanning almost six decades as an actor, filmmaker, photographer, artist ,art collector and Hollywood enfant terrible, Dennis Hopper collected over 100 record titles during his lifetime. Including iconic artists and bands such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Fleetwood Mac, Leonard Cohen and Miles Davis, this collection provides an incredible view into the world of one of America’s most culture-defining men.
The price tag on this is $150,000. Which is insane—I don’t care WHO owned it, this is a pile of extremely common records that, with exceptions we’ll note, should cost all of $100 to collect if even that. Bridge Over Troubled Water, Future Games, James Taylor’s debut, Dragon Fly? I could find affordable copies of all those bin-cloggers within an hour IF I had any desire to listen to them.
Now, the photos also show what appear to be test pressings of Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Meshkalina” by the Peruvian rock/folk/psych band Traffic Sound, both of which are mighty goddamn cool artifacts. Also mitigating the price tag is that “[a] portion of the sale price will be donated to The Future Heritage Fund, which was founded in partnership with the New Mexico Community Foundation (NMCF) to support a range of cultural and artistic nonprofit organizations in New Mexico.”
This isn’t an auction. If you want to be the person who spent 150 large on what amounts to a thrift store bin, just click “ADD TO BAG” and go with Jesus.
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Netflix is going to be dropping some coin in the Great White North.
Under an agreement with the government of Canada, Netflix has agreed to invest a minimum of $500 million Canadian (about $400 million U.S.) in original productions in the country over the next five years.
Netflix will establish a permanent, multipurpose film and TV production presence in Canada — the first time that the company has done so outside the U.S. With its spending commitment, Netflix will work with Canadian producers, production houses, broadcasters, and other partners to produce original Canadian content in both English and French.
“Today’s announcement affirms there’s more to come as Netflix launches Netflix Canada, our permanent production presence in Canada,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our work with Canadian talent, producers, broadcasters, and other local partners to create Netflix originals in Canada for many years to come.”
Of course, Netflix has already been doing biz in Canada. In announcing the pact, the Canadian government called out “Alias Grace,” a co-production of CBC, Netflix and Halfire Entertainment.” The adaption of Margaret Atwood’s novel, starring Anna Paquin and Sara Gadon, will air on CBC Television in Canada and will stream on Netflix globally. The six-hour miniseries, written and produced by Sarah Polley and directed by Mary Harron, is set to premiere Nov. 3 on the streaming service.
Netflix also teamed with CBC on “Anne,” a retelling of “Anne of Green Gables,” which premiered in March. In addition, Netflix has brought back mockumentary series “Trailer Park Boys,” shot in Nova Scotia, for multiple seasons; and the streamer co-produced sci-fi series “Travelers,” starring Eric McCormack, which was shot on location in Vancouver.
Part of the Netflix agreement with the Canadian government specifically covers French-language content on the Netflix platform. That’s centered on a $25 million Canadian investment pledge by Netflix to stage “pitch days” for producers, as well as recruitment events and other promotional and market development activities.
Like numerous countries around the world, Canada has sought ways to funnel entertainment production money into its country from tech giants like Netflix.
“We are encouraged to see global online platforms highlighting the great talent that Canada has to offer,” the Canadian government says in its newly released Creative Canada policy framework statement, citing companies like Netflix, YouTube, and Facebook. “But we also know that digital platforms can – and must – do more.”
The government of Canada pegs arts and culture as representing a $54.6 billion industry in the country, providing direct jobs for more than 630,000 Canadians.
Pictured above: Sarah Gadon in “Alias Grace,” a co-production of Netflix, CBC, and Halfire Entertainment | {
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By Nicholas West
New Internet communication system for robots to share information and learn from each other, while merging with the Internet of Things.
Some of us humans have become concerned about neuroscience research conducted under Obama’s BRAIN project, as well as similar research sponsored by the European Union in even greater amounts of money – it exceeds $1 billion combined. The goal is nothing short of decoding the human brain and discovering new ways to develop both narrative and pharmaceutical mind control.
Running parallel to this initiative is the marriage of robotics with artificial intelligence. The evolution of the humanoid robot is advancing by baby steps, but is coming of age rather quickly; so much so, that many experts see humans completely outsourced to robots by 2045 at the latest, while killer robots will arrive much sooner if not properly managed.
Two new developments sought by the European Union are even more startling: a cloud network where robots can do their own research, communicate with one another, and collectively increase their intelligence in a full simulation of human interaction. And a new project in Germany that seeks to translate the open Internet into a suitable robot language to prompt accelerated learning.
A project started a few years back makes it clear where the final frontier lies: RoboEarth. A team of scientists from 6 research institutes including Philips electronics and Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands developed a prototype for an Internet “Wikipedia For Robots,”
The project seeks to create robots’ very own cloud: a vast network, database and computation engine “where robots can share information and learn from each other about their behavior and their environment.”
RoboEarth, then, is cloud storage and computing for robots: its database is intended to store knowledge created by both humans and robots in a robot-readable open format. To date, that knowledge is basic: maps to help mobile robots navigate; task information like how to pick up a cup; and object-recognition data such as digital models of real-world objects.
Currently the problem, according to robotics engineers, is that robots can perform well in very limited tasks, as directed, but do not perform well where environments require real-time problem solving and the split-second adaptability that humans can perform. This was made painfully clear in the well-funded DARPA Robotics Challenge, where even the winner was nothing more than a lumbering shell of clunking mechanics that could demonstrate brawn but not brains.
And while artificial intelligence has come a long way in raw power to match and even exceed the computational abilities of humans, there is still something severely lacking. The RoboEarth project believes it has identified that lacking component that could give “life” to robots: family learning – essentially the nurture part of the equation where nature can only be mimicked. Once established, some of the autonomous functions that have been implemented will transcend beyond merely self-directed communication, and will enter the sphere of evolutionary intelligence. Also employing the Internet of Things, researchers present the following scenario:
RoboEarth’s proof-of-concept demonstration is simple for humans, but hard for robots: serve fruit juice to a random patient in a hospital bed. In a fake hospital room at Eindhoven Technical University in the Netherlands, one robot mapped out the space, located the “patient’s” bed and a nearby carton of juice, then sent that data to RoboEarth’s cloud.
A second robot, accessing the data supplied by robot number one, unerringly picked up the juice and carried it to the bed.
Luckily – or unfortunately from the researchers’ point of view – the test ultimately failed when the juice was dropped on the way to the patient. Nevertheless, the concept of robotic cloud data transmission and access was seen as a success. This is all being imagined as a way to introduce the concept of robotic family caregivers:
The greying population means there is an urgent future need for robots to take over caring or household tasks. To enable robots to successfully lend a mechanical helping hand, they need to be able to deal flexibly with new situations and conditions. For example you can teach a robot to bring you a cup of coffee in the living room, but if some of the chairs have been moved the robot won’t be able to find you any longer. Or it may get confused if you’ve just bought a different set of coffee cups. (Source)
RoboHow believes it has the answer to go beyond the concept of RoboEarth by opening up the entire Internet. Think of it as adding robots to the Internet of Things. The initiative is being conducted at the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bremen in Germany.
RoboHow has to make explicit many parts of complex procedures that humans can simply infer — like how to turn on an oven, or where to find needed ingredients. The plan is to eventually enable robots to search the internet for info or instructions they need to complete assigned tasks without external (read: human) intervention. For now, people have to identify, demonstrate and feed RoboHow the right data, as bots left to their own devices would inevitably grab bad or incomplete information. So, it seems that our future robot overlords still need us meatbags around… for a little while longer, at least. (Source)
The final sentence has become quite typical of these announcements: a bit of gallows humor to short-circuit people’s first instinct to see the creepy, threatening aspects first. It’s all just a hilarious joke you see. In reality, learning from others is one of the ways that humans (and other sentient life forms) avoid a very dangerous and often inefficient route to developing their abilities beyond those of an autonomic type. It is an evolutionary construct. When one further examines the move to give robots the same parameters that apply to a survival of the fittest, it’s not a huge stretch to imagine that the outcome will be a bit more than a pet robot flipping your pancakes or preparing gourmet cuisine at your every whim.
For those of us who are intrigued by the power of technology and would like to see it manifest in the most beneficial ways possible, this is one more sign that we must become involved in the dialogue of how this will ultimately be applied.
Here are just a few questions to consider; please add your own in the comment section.
Given all of the revelations about data breaches and blatant violations by corporations and governments, can we be sure that this cloud system is secure?
If robots can achieve the level of development that scientist have planned for them, are we ready to accept them socially?
Do we give away part of our humanity when we turn over traditional human work and interaction to robots and artificial intelligence?
And what happens if this experiment takes on a life of its own?
Main article source:
http://www.33rdsquare.com/2014/01/roboearth-project-aims-to-build-cloud.html#more
Recently by Nicholas West:
Updated: 7/7/2014 | {
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State Rep. Vernon Jones of Georgia, a Democrat, said Wednesday that he will be stepping down from his post, triggering a special election. The shocking announcement comes about a week after the Democrat endorsed President Donald Trump, a Republican, for the 2020 election.
“I’m sick and tired of me and my family being attacked and harassed by the Democrat Party for putting my country before my party,” Jones told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement on Wednesday. “I take pride in being an independent thinker. I intend to help the Democrat Party get rid of its bigotry against Black people that are independent and conservative.”
“Turn the lights off, I have left the plantation,” he continued. “Someone else can occupy that suite. Therefore, I intend not to complete my term effective April 22, 2020.”
In a tweet posted Wednesday afternoon, Jones reiterated: “Earlier today, I made the decision to not seek re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives,” he wrote. “I look forward, however, to continuing to serve my community in other ways and doing all I can to re-elect [Donald Trump]. We will Make America Great Again.”
Earlier today, I made the decision to not seek re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives. I look forward, however, to continuing to serve my community in other ways and doing all I can to re-elect @realDonaldTrump. We will Make America Great Again 🇺🇸 — Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) April 22, 2020
Last week, Jones announced his endorsement of Trump, praising the president for his handling of the economy and issues impacting black Americans.
“It’s very simple to me,” Jones detailed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “President Trump’s handling of the economy, his support for historically black colleges and his criminal justice initiatives drew me to endorse his campaign.”
“This is not about switching parties. There are a lot of African-Americans who clearly see and appreciate he’s doing something that’s never been done before,” he continued. “When you look at the unemployment rates among black Americans before the pandemic, they were at historic lows. That’s just a fact.”
In a series of tweets posted over this past few days, Jones criticized the Democrat Party for putting illegals over American citizens and taking the black voting bloc for granted.
“The modern day Democratic Party has become more about defending the interests of illegals than it has the actual American people,” he posted April 21. “I take issue with that.”
The modern day Democratic Party has become more about defending the interests of illegals than it has the actual American people. I take issue with that. — Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) April 21, 2020
In another tweet, the Democrat wrote, “I’ve seen more Democrats attack me for my decision to endorse [Donald Trump] than ask me why. They’ve used and abused folks in my community for far too long, taking our votes for granted. Black Americans are waking up. An uprising is near.”
I’ve seen more Democrats attack me for my decision to endorse @realDonaldTrump than ask me why. They’ve used and abused folks in my community for far too long, taking our votes for granted. Black Americans are waking up. An uprising is near. — Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) April 21, 2020
“The Left hates me because they can’t control me,” another post read. “They can stay mad.”
The Left hates me because they can’t control me. They can stay mad. — Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) April 22, 2020
“Straight white men aren’t the black community’s enemy. Decades of failed liberal policies that have fostered dependency are,” wrote Jones.
Straight white men aren’t the black community’s enemy. Decades of failed liberal policies that have fostered dependency are. — Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) April 22, 2020
“While my party may have left me, freedom-loving, country over party Americans have embraced me. Thank you, all. Our work is only just beginning,” he said Wednesday.
Thanks to you all, I am almost at 50,000 followers. While my party may have left me, freedom-loving, country over party Americans have embraced me. Thank you, all. Our work is only just beginning. — Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) April 23, 2020
WATCH:
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a subscriber. | {
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Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.
More than 74 million American barbecue each year.
Last year Americans bought roughly 900,000 tons of charcoal briquettes. Kingsford, a unit of Clorox, has about 80% market share.
According to a Web survey, most Americans decide when to take their food off the grill by cutting into it, seeing "if it looks done," and/or "poking it with a fork."
But 21% just "wing it."
A record 17.4 million grills and smokers were sold in 2007.
That same year, revenues at leading grill maker Weber-Stephen Co. neared $200 million.
The Natural Born Grillers of Olive Branch, Mississippi, beat out 261 teams to win $26,000 at last year's World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, Tennessee. They served a whole hog.
Holidays that get the most grills fired up: Memorial Day (69%), Labor Day (74%), and the Forth of July (86%).
The George Forman grill has sold almost 100 million units since its 1995 debut.
19% of Americans prefer to grill indoors.
People who make $100,000-plus are 7% more likely to time their barbecue and 3% more likely to use a thermometer.
In the summer, the average American grill owner spends 4.4 hours barbecuing each week.
Why Didn’t I Think Of That
How Chef Nobu built his sushi empire
Boiling Mad: Crabs Feel Pain
The Big Five Budgeting Sins
The Death Of American Middle Class | {
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Story highlights Trump gained 8 points since August to land at 32% support, the new CNN/ORC poll says
Ben Carson rose 10 points to land in second place with 19%
Washington (CNN) Donald Trump has become the first Republican presidential candidate to top 30% support in the race for the Republican nomination, according to a new CNN/ORC Poll, which finds the businessman pulling well away from the rest of the GOP field.
Trump gained 8 points since August to land at 32% support, and has nearly tripled his support since just after he launched his campaign in June. The new poll finds former neurosurgeon Ben Carson rising 10 points to land in second place with 19%. Together, these two non-politicians now hold the support of a majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, and separately, both are significantly ahead of all other competitors.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush stands in third place with 9%, down 4 points since August, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz holds fourth place with 7%. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker follow at 5%, with all other candidates at 3% or less, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who notched the only other statistically significant shift in the poll by falling 5 points since August.
Trump's gains come most notably among two groups that had proven challenging for him in the early stages of his campaign -- women and those with college degrees. While he gained just 4 points among men in the last month (from 27% in August to 31% now), he's up 13 points among women, rising from 20% in August to 33% now. Trump has also boosted his share of the vote among college graduates, increasing his support among those with degrees from 16% in August to 28% now. Among those without degrees, he stands at 33%, just slightly higher than the 28% support he had in August.
Read More | {
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The majority of the story is set in and around the Aokigahara Forest, a forest at the northwest base of Mount Fuji in Japan known as a popular destination for suicide. Sara Price (Natalie Dormer), an American woman, receives a phone call from the Japanese police telling her that they think her troubled twin sister Jess Price (also Dormer) is dead, as she was seen going into Aokigahara forest. Despite the concerns of her fiance, Rob, she journeys to Japan and arrives at the hotel where her sister was staying. At her hotel, Sara meets a reporter named Aiden. They drink together, and she tells him of her parents' death. In reality, her father killed her mother, then committed suicide, but she tells him they were killed by a drunk driver. Her sister saw the bodies, but she didn't look. Aiden invites her to go into the forest with him and a park guide, Michi, so she can look for her sister.. | {
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さて、今週のエンターテインメントは、久々となるＩＴガジェット系のお話でございます。欧米はもとより、日本でも大きな話題となった身に付けて持ち歩くことができる「ウエアラブル端末」の“切り札”と言われた米アップルの腕時計型端末「アップルウオッチ」の人気が、当初の盛り上がりに反し急降下しているというのです。（岡田敏一）
調査会社「まず、決定的な機能（アプリ）が無い。次に…」
アップルウオッチは日米英などで４月１０日からネットでの購入予約の受付が始まり、同月２４日から販売が始まりました。同じアップルのスマートフォン「ｉＰｈｏｎｅ（アイフォーン）」の「５」以降のモデルと連動させることで通話やメールの送受信のほか、心拍数の測定・記録などができる優れものです。いかにも未来の機器っぽい感じだし、毎朝、ジョギングなど運動をしている人や、健康に気遣っている人にはもってこいと話題になりました。
販売価格は最も安いスポーツタイプが３４９ドル～３９９ドル（約４万２８００円～約４万９０００円）、標準モデルが５４９ドル～１０９９ドル（約６万７４００円～約１３万４８００円）、１８金を使った最高級機種が１万ドル～１万７０００ドル（約１２２万円～約２０８万円）と３種類あり、若者からセレブに至るまで、さまざまな層の多様なニーズに対応しています。
全世界で爆発ヒット間違いなしと騒がれました | {
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by rawpixel.com トヨタ が生み出したとされる「問題の原因を特定するためには、『なぜ』を5回繰り返すことで当初は見えなかった問題の原因が見えてくる」という「5回のなぜ」メソッドは、 なぜなぜ分析 ともいわれて広い分野で使われています。そんな5回のなぜを使って原因を特定するメソッドを医療の現場に応用する際の問題点について、カリフォルニア大学でヘルスケアの研究を行う Alan Card 准教授が解説しています。 The problem with ‘5 whys’ | BMJ Quality & Safety https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/26/8/671 なぜなぜ分析とは、ある問題が引き起こした要因「なぜ」を提示し、さらにその要因を引き起こした要因「なぜ」を繰り返し提示していくという問題分析手法です。5回ほど「なぜ」を繰り返すことにより、当初は見えていなかった問題の遠因と対策が見えてくるという主張から、「5回のなぜ」メソッドともいわれています。
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2019年04月13日 09時00分00秒 in メモ, Posted by log1h_ik
You can read the machine translated English article here. | {
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In honor of MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition, which opens at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science this week, we thought we'd provide our own public service and explode a few myths about Denver, starting with...
• Denver has 300 days of sunshine a year. Not exactly. Here's the explanation we got a few years ago from state climatologist Nolan Doesken of Colorado State University. It's an oldie but a goodie:
"This is a question that comes up several times per year. You will find in many Chamber of Commerce publications from all areas of Colorado that we get at least 300 days of sunshine each year. The only problem is, there is no official definition of 'days of sunshine,' so there is no data set that you can easily turn to. Have you ever wondered if anyone actually keeps track of stuff like this? It turns out that for many years, three locations in Colorado have operated an instrument called a 'sunshine switch' — Pueblo, Denver and Colorado Springs. If this instrument is cleaned and perfectly calibrated (which it rarely is), it can tell you minute by minute each day when the sun was shining. We did a study over ten years ago based on these three stations and found that for Denver, if you count every day when the sun came out for at least one hour, that then you could come up with an average of around 300 'days of sunshine' each year.
Info myths about Denver
"But my assumption is that most people, if they heard 'day of sunshine,' would assume that meant it was a sunny day. The National Weather Service did establish a criterion for determining clear, cloudy and partly cloudy days based on sky cover. Any day with an average sky cover of 30 percent or less was considered a clear day, while if the sky cover was 80 percent or more (averaged from hourly sky-condition reports between sunrise and sunset), it was considered a cloudy day. Anything in between counts as 'partly cloudy.' Based on this definition, there are 115 clear days, 130 partly cloudy ones and 120 cloudy days, on average, each year. Over in Grand Junction, the number of clear days is great (137), but the number of cloudy days is almost the same (121).
"But the fact is, here in Colorado and much of the Rocky Mountain region, there are relatively few totally clear days, but a whole lot of days when the sun peeks out at least a little. Therefore, we tend to brag about our sunshine — but mislead folks along the way.... In the Denver area, there are probably only 30 to 40 totally overcast days per year, and some of them are even fairly bright — about 300 days would have at least one hour of sunshine sometime during the day, but only about 115 days per year fit the classic definition of 'clear.'
• Denver is in the mountains. As soon as you arrive in this city, you know that this myth misses the mark...by about twelve miles, according to calculations by Visit Denver. But then, that organization still touts Denver's 300 days of sunshine.
• Cows walk the streets of Denver. Only in January, at the kick-off of the National Western Stock Show. But there are plenty of horses' asses wandering around the rest of the year.
• There are so many men here, this town is really Menver. While gender inequality in certain bro-heavy ski towns may have given rise to the "Menver" concept, the statistics don't back it up. According to the 2010 United States Census (the last record we downloaded before the government shutdown), the sexes are pretty evenly divided in Denver: For every 100 females, there are 102.1 males.
"Since Denver is in the fittest state in the nation, caters to outdoorsy types plus boasts to be the Napa Valley of beer — women safely assume that there is a Mountain Man McDreamy around every corner — hence Menver," explains Amber Miller, spokeswoman for Mayor Michael Hancock. "All the single ladies must have gotten the rugged-man memo, because the playing field is actually a wash! I guess the 'Yeti' isn't just an imperial stout from Great Divide — it's the myth of Menver. Do you believe?"
• You can buy pot in any bar in town. Not officially, and definitely not legally — and that will still be the case come January 1, when the state's first recreational pot shops open. | {
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Improving your interview skills is a crucial task on your professional productivity agenda. No matter if you like it or not, at some point of your life you would have to face the much dreaded interview process. Statistics shows that most of the executive level opportunities are not published publicly and are taken via referrals. But in 100% of the cases, you would have to face at least an HR specialist and a decision maker. This is called in interview.
Most obviously, if you are an extrovert and if you are able to “sell yourself” as a product, you would have advantage over the other candidates. But even if you are not, there are some steps that you could follow in order to increase your chances and crush the competition. In any case, this article is mostly targeted at the people that do not feel comfortable when facing an interview.
Time to read
Time to read: 15 minutes (based on 150 wpm)
Only tips (no introduction): 8 minutes (150 wpm)
Why should you listen to me?
I was lucky enough to have been interviewed by two Fortune-500 companies, to have passed both interviews successfully and to have been hired by both companies. Moreover, in both cases I was trained how to do those interviews from the inside. This made me realize most of the mistakes, that people made on those interviews on one hand. And on the other hand, helped me perfect my interview skills.
I would admit here that any case is different and any company is different than the rest. If you read the whole article and you still feel uncertain about the upcoming interview, please feel free to reach out to me on Facebook, Twitter or Email.
What is the purpose of the interview?
They (the hiring people) always say that, but you (the interviewee) never actually listen. The purpose of the interview is for the company to make sure that you are the right person for the job. And for you to make sure that the company is the right place for you.
There are companies where you will immediately see that there is no chemistry between you and the interviewers. Have the courage to immediately end such interviews! This will help you build trust in your skills. And will not waste your time.
From the hiring company’s side
Most of the times a company knows exactly what kind of specialist they are searching for. If not, this is bad for the company. Usually there is already a defined role within a team that is missing and should be taken from someone (you!). This translates into a set of skills, which the perfect candidate should posses.
In order to test if a candidate has those skills, the interviewers will try to put the interviewee in situations that might reveal that skill or the lack of it. This is usually measured with the STAR technique, which will be covered later.
Another topic on the agenda of the interviewers is to make sure that the personal culture of the candidate matches the company culture. This is not very tangible and most often the “gut feeling” should be considered. There is nothing you can do, if your culture does not match the target culture. And in any way, you would not like to work in such a place.
Last but not least, you might be put into an absurd situation with a provocative question or problem. The task here is to see how you would handle a difficult situation and what tools you would use to solve the problem. This is also something very hard to fake, so I would suggest to stay true to yourself. That task can sometimes take the form of an “assessment center”, which I will covert in one of my next posts.
From the interviewee’s side
What you get from an interview is also very important. First of all, you get to test your skills and see if you have reached the level required by the company. It is OK if you do not. There is nobody that excels at each and every interview in their life. If you are applying for a position that is one level ahead of you, you will get a reality check if you are good enough.
Your second task is also to make sure that your culture matches the culture at the company. Once again, do not fear to walk away, if that is not true. Consider doing it with dignity: “I would like to interrupt you here and let you know that I am not comfortable with the culture of the company! I wish you success in finding a suitable candidate!”
And your most important task is to find out if you want to work at that position. Prepare and ask plenty of questions to allow you to understand your “future” job description and your “future” responsibilities. Ask as many questions as the interviewers allow.
The STAR technique
The STAR technique is one of the tools used by the interviewer to assess your skills. This is just an example, as there are other similar tools. Understanding the way things work is more important as the tool itself.
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Actions, Result. What is basically means is that the recruiter is trying to identify a context (Situation) in your experience where you faced a specific problem (Task). Based on your experience and information you took a certain steps (Action) to solve the problem. And most importantly, your actions lead to a certain outcome (Result).
As an interviewee you should always try to structure your experience to match that framework. Why? Because it would not be enough if you had a problem, tried to solve it and did not measure the outcome. Or if you had a problem that you solved, but could explain why. Or if you solved a situation that was not a problem and you received good results.
The elevator speech
An elevator speech is a clear, brief message about you. It communicates who you are, what you are looking for and how can the interviewer company benefit from you. It should take no longer than 30 seconds (or the time it takes for an elevator to reach its destination).
You should prepare your elevator speech in general and fine tune it for each interviewer company.
Mastering your interview skills
Improving and eventually mastering your interview skills is achieved by preparation with the STAR technique in mind. It is like when studying for the SAT, you make sure you learn the structure of the exam first. And then, based on your skills and strengths, go through the material and learn it in a way that will be most useful during the exam.
1. Research phase – what the company looks for
In this step you will attempt to read between the lines and try to find out what exactly does the company want. Unfortunately, most of the companies use templates for the job opportunities. But in any case you should try to extract as much information as possible.
Examples of information that you might find in the opportunity description:
City and country where you are going to work
The team that you will be joining (e.g. Global Procurement or Dev Ops)
Your desired profile (e.g. Marketing specialist with MBA or Quality Engineer with ITIL)
Your future responsibilities (this is the most important field)
Write everything down and especially emphasize on the responsibilities. Then try to search what responsibilities are required for the desired profile in other companies. There might be some more clues there. Do the same with the name of the team that you will be joining.
Last but not least, research the company mission statement and vision. It should be available on the main page. There should also be a set of values, in which the company believes. These are even more clues on what the company is searching for.
2. Preparation phase – what you can offer
This is where your interview skills come into play. At this point you should have a vague idea where will eventually be working, what will be expected of you. And most importantly, you will have a list of responsibilities, skills and competences that you would have. It is helpful if you already know your skills. Check out this article about finding your strengths and this article about evaluating your strengths on the topic of finding your skill.
This step depends on your personal style and therefore you can approach it differently. The main idea is to review all the items on your list (responsibilities, skills and competences) and try to prepare two or more anecdotes from your experience, where you showed the required skill. I would personally write the whole story down and then try to rehearse it as many times as possible. Some of my customers find it easier to only write bullets in order not to forget what story are they telling.
Remember the STAR technique. Make sure that each story/anecdote has a defined situation, clear task, a set of actions. Do not forget about the result. It should be as measurable as possible and if possible the measures and the success criteria should have been formulated before you started.
Do not forget to write, review or tweak your elevator speech. Ideally, it should match your other stories.
3. Questions phase – prepare what are you going to ask
Based on your understanding of the job opportunity, the culture of the company and your skills, you should already have a few questions to the company. Prepare as many questions as you can that would make it clearer for you what you are eventually going to do. Ask about the team, the tasks, the projects. Everything that would help you understand the position better and make up your mind if you want it or not.
There is also another category of very helpful questions. Try to define them as though you are already working for the company. This would make them physiologically picture you inside the company. For example:
How would you see a person with my profile in the company 3 years from now?
What would you assign a person with my profile on his or hers first working day?
4. Rehearsal phase – what you are going to say
In order to perfect your answers and depending on how much time you have, you may consider rehearsing your answers during the days before the interview. I personally would ask myself a random question (or pick a random bullet from the list with skills) and simulate an interview situation. I would either tell the complete story or just list the S, T, A and R in my head. Finally, I would also try to figure out what kind of follow-up questions could follow. But this is probably too much.
5. Concentration phase – what to do right before the interview
I have heard it many times from many people and customers who are good at presentations, or other performance. You should stop reviewing/rereading your notes at some point before the interview. For me the period is about 1-2 hours, for others it is 5-10 minutes. The purpose of this step is to give your brain some time to relax and refocus on the upcoming task. If you obsess to the very last second with the bullet and story that you fear you have forgotten, you will stress too much.
Ideally you could meditate and practice mindfulness. Or you could start a conversation with one of the other candidates. You could also review some brochures, if you had already arrived to the office where your interview will take place.
6. Execution phase – how to behave inside
Breathe deeply and try to calm yourself when somebody finally comes to pick you up. Remember that you are also interviewing them, not only the other way around. Remind yourself about all the interview skills that you have improved in the preparation process. Do not concentrate on your bullets, lists and do not rehearse anything more. Be present in the moment.
Depending on the situation, you may wish to revert the roles in the interview, at least in the beginning. Use this advice with caution. This is a list of unexpected steps that would make you stand out.
Instead of answering the first questions, ask for permission to ask a few questions about the position. For example “to make sure that the position is right for you”.
Ask the interviewers to brake the “student teacher frame”. For example do not sit across the table, but try to sit on the shorter side so that you could be facing the interviewers sideways.
If they offer you a coffee, juice or water, accept the offer and use the opportunity to scout the room and make yourself comfortable with it.
Start a small talk conversation about the weather, or the traffic, or the building, or the business model of the company. It will also make you more comfortable.
7. Ask questions
Do not forget to ask your questions, when you are given the chance!
If the interviewers do not give you this information, ask what the next steps in the hiring process are.
Summary
Mastering your interview skills requires a set of steps that need to be undertaken. First of all, you need to understand the purpose of the interview from the “other side” – the side of the hiring company. Then, you have to understand the process that the big companies follow to pick the correct candidates. And last but not least, you have to learn how to prepare yourself for each interview. | {
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A total of three State Police Commission board members have resigned after it was revealed they were involved with allegedly illegally funneling thousands of dollars to political campaigns, matching the same charges against Louisiana State Troopers Association (LSTA) Executive Director David Young that they were supposed to be investigating.
Franklin Kyle, Freddie Pitcher, William Goldring have now all resigned from the State Police Commission, according to sources close to the Hayride.
Last month, the Hayride reported how Kyle, Pitcher and Goldring, along with Kyle and Goldring’s wives and Goldring’s company, Magnolia Marketing, had all contributed thousands of dollars to political candidates.
Their activities match what LSTA’s Young has been charged with, which is alleged illegal funneling of thousands to political campaigns over the course of more than a decade.
The Louisiana State Constitution and State Police Commission rules clearly prohibits the LSTA and its members from “participating or engaging in political activity” be it for a state political candidate or a national political candidate. Active-duty state troopers aren’t even allowed to make social media posts about politics, much less endorse or fund political campaigns.
Still, that has not stopped Young and the three members of the State Police Commission from finding a way to write checks for big bucks to politicians.
Take a look at all of the donations the State Police Commission members and their relatives have given, compiled by LouisianaVoice:
Interestingly enough, the State Police Commission has been putting off an investigation into the money-funneling scheme, having less than half of the 180 days now to open and investigation, investigate the matter and conclude the investigation. | {
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There is no major difference in the gender identity development of children raised by same-sex parents compared to those adopted by heterosexual couples. These are the findings of a new study in Springer's journal Sex Roles. Lead author Rachel Farr of the University of Kentucky in the US says that the toys that children prefer to play with in their preschool years are much more tell-tale about whether they will grow up to conform to typical gender norms or not.
The study included 106 families headed by lesbian, gay or heterosexual parents. Farr and her team examine how gender-typical behavior develops over time within different family structures, and whether it remains relatively consistent as children grow older. The researchers observed the play styles and the toys that the families' preschool children preferred during playtime. The parents also completed relevant questionnaires. Farr's team returned five years later to interview the children.
The types of play and behavior that most children displayed were found to be typical of their gender, and already appeared to be set in motion from early childhood onwards. The few preschool children who played more with toys that are not typically assigned to their sex were in their later school years more likely to aspire to jobs and to prefer activities that are not typically ascribed to their gender.
The data show that family structure had little influence on how children's sense of gender would develop. Moreover, little truth was found in the idea that lesbian or gay parents might encourage or allow more gender nonconformity among their children.
"Parental sexual orientation and family type did not affect children's gender conformity or nonconformity in any significant way," emphasizes Farr. "Our results suggest that the gender development of children adopted by both lesbian and gay parents proceeds in typical ways, and is similar to that of children adopted by heterosexual couples. It therefore appears that having both a male and female role model in the home is not necessary for facilitating typical gender development among adopted children, nor does it discourage gender nonconformity."
Farr believes that the findings may help attorneys, judges, social workers, and adoption agencies when they consider issues about how the sexual orientation of parents may influence the development of their children's gender roles. | {
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Yeah! I really like their stuff, it's awesome too because a lot of time I want to play all these games... But I don't have enough time. So I can put on their videos while I do other stuff. Hilarity + game playing + work, all at the same time! | {
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January 26th, 2015
Keep calm it’s only poison
A quick update on the e-cigarette and e-liquid poison scare stories..
Much has been made of the rapid rise in calls to US Poison Centers (chart by Clive Bates from AAPPC data)
Commentators have piled in, highlighting the rapid percentage rise between years. Some examples…
Poison reports in context
Two factors are likely to explain these observations: (1) the rapid rise in e-cigarette and e-liquid use – a good thing as it displaces smoking; (2) the increased fear about these products arising from the negative publicity and fear-mongering in the press and by ‘public health organisations’. But such rises have to be put in context… in the United States there were 2.6 million calls in 2013, and 0.06 percent of those related to nicotine. See American Association of Poison Control Centers Annual Report 2013 Table A17 (chart by Clive Bates from AAPPC data – plots the data points from 2013, 2014 alongside the top calls to poison centres – data in the appendix below)
The point is that poisons and risks of exposure are ubiquitous in society, and are associated with products from which society benefits. We do not ban them or over-regulate them, we find proportionate approaches to managing the risks.
Peak Poison
Calls to poison centers may also be affected by publicity – and there was quite a media blitz in March and early April 2014, leading to ‘peak poison’.
Source for graph: American Association of Poison Control Centers Annual Report 2013 Figure 6 p.1063.
How poisonous?
As well as being proportionate about the scale of exposure, there is also the question of how dangerous nicotine liquids actually are. Dr Bernd Mayer showed that conventional estimates of the toxicity (the dose that would kill 50% of subjects) was based on poor experiments undertaken in the 19th Century and that these likely exaggerated the toxicity by 10-20 times.
Mayer B. How much nicotine kills a human? Tracing back the generally accepted lethal dose to dubious self-experiments in the nineteenth century. Arch Toxicol 2014; 88: 5–7. [link] [blog]
The trade association ECITA commissioned expert advice from consultants Bibra on how e-liquids should be classified under the European Classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) Regulation. The report is excellent: see ECITA’s summary: How Toxic is E-liquid…
European officials have been wrongly labelling e-liquid as extremely toxic. This is the view of ECITA, based on a report by toxicology consultants which has been verified by Professors Riccardo Polosa and Bernd Mayer, and Dr Jacques Le Houezec. The civil servants had been misclassifying e-liquid as either a CLP category 2 product, alongside strychnine, or a category 3 product, alongside formaldehyde. The new report demonstrates that the acute oral and dermal toxic hazards of the strongest consumer e-liquids only merit being classed as category 4 – along with washing-up liquid – while the vast majority of e-liquid (which has nicotine concentrations below 25mg/ml or 2.5%) does not require any type of formal hazard warning. ECITA will still mandate its members to provide clearly labelled e-liquid in child-proof containers.
Pragmatic approach – not a cause for panic
Instead of indulging in panic-stricken commentary or regulatory over-kill, there is a simple measure, which meets the requirement for a duty of care to consumers. Just ensure tamper proof containers are used, as set out in ISO 8317 – Child Resistant Packaging. Something the industry can easily do and increasingly does.
Of course, regulators could have mandated this by now if they were taking a pragmatic and proportionate approach to regulation under consumer protection legislation. Instead they are indulging in legally vulnerable and grandiose schemes like the FDA’s deeming regulation, EU Directive 2014/40/EU Article 20 or attempting to de facto outlaw these products by classifying them as medicines or poisons (Canada and Australia).
Appendix: calls to US poisons centers – data
E-cigs & liquids 2013 1,543 E-cigs and liquids 2014 3,957 Analgesics 298,633 Cosmetics 199,838 Cleaning substances 196,183 Sedatives 153,398 Antidepressants 109,110 Foreign bodies 103,737 Cardiovascular drugs 101,544 Antihistamines 99,176 Topical preps 89,287 Pesticides 85,033 Alcohols 70,258
Source (non-nicotine): 2013 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers ’ National Poison Data System (Table 17A)
Source (nicotine): AAPPC E-Cigarette Devices and Liquid Nicotine | {
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Jack King once said,"few players [or fans] recall big [games] they have won, strange as it seems, but every player [or fan] can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats [and losses they have been a part of or witnessed]."
That quote perfectly captures how it feels to be a Miami Hurricanes fan.
During the past 25 years or so the University of Miami has enjoyed being the preeminent team in college football. They have won multiple National Titles and put together stretches of brilliance on the field.
Miami has trounced teams by 50 plus points. They have tormented the Florida State Seminoles by handing them nail biting losses. On several occasions they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Yet, despite all the wins it's the losses you always seem to remember.
These are defeats that stick with you for the rest of your life.
They serve as painful reminders of what could have or should have been but wasn't. The moments and plays you relive over and over in your head. You torture yourself with the what if this happened or what if that had occurred, constantly conceiving ways to rewrite history. All the while making the agony worse and worse.
Miami didn't lose much for an entire decade. This made the few losses that much harder to deal with.
As a result of their success between 1983 and 1993, Miami fans and members of the program had become incredibly spoiled. For some time they felt entitled as if it was their right to win a championship each and every year. Anything less never seemed to suffice or as Ricky Bobby would say "if you ain't first you're last."
The "championship or bust" mentality hasn't gone anywhere but the expectations did change for a while.
In the mid to late 1990s Miami began to lose its strangle hold on the trophy. The team was put on probation and losses became more frequent. Things had changed and the college football world was more balanced.
Then in 1999 the "U" was back. It was instantly back to the Miami fan of old. You know the pounding on your chest and screaming "King Kong ain't got nothing on" us.
Thus for the majority of the last two plus decades it has often seemed as if a Miami Hurricanes loss was a down right tragedy. It's made them hurt more. Often for good reason as for a while any and every Hurricane loss was another blown chance at adding to the trophy collection.
With that in mind we will now take a look at the "Top Ten" most painful losses in Miami Hurricanes football history. | {
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Are you a lady? Do you code? Are you searching for a similar bunch of ladies to discuss code with?
You’ve come to the right place. We meet monthly to hear talks from leaders in the field and hack whilst developing our code-fu in the process.
What if I don’t code?
We are going to be discussing some pretty in-depth, geeky stuff. If you are not deterred by that and are still really excited about coming, you’re more than welcome. If you’re looking for a good place to learn to code, that’s excellent news! There are some brilliant meetups where you can work with other people who are getting started. Message us and we'll point you in the right direction.
Do I have to be a lady?
If you consider yourself to be a lady, we do too. If you identify as non-binary, you are more than welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you soon. | {
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WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 9: At right, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) speaks with reporters after a vote at the U.S. Capitol, May 9, 2016, in Washington, DC. Senate Democrats defeated a procedural vote on an energy bill, which increases funding for the Department of Energy and Army Corps of Engineers. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
In North Carolina, the NRA spent $6.2 million on the incumbent Republican Sen. Richard Burr, the most it has ever invested in a down-ballot race. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
BY: MIKE SPIES AND ASHLEY BALCERZAK
OpenSecrets Blog and The Trace partnered on this story; it was published by both outlets.
The National Rifle Association took a historic gamble in 2016, and it paid off in a huge way.
The gun rights group placed multimillion-dollar bets on Donald Trump and six Republican Senate candidates locked in highly competitive races. It poured $50.2 million, or 96 percent of its total outside spending, into these races, and lost only one -- an open seat in Nevada, vacated by the Democratic Minority Leader, Harry Reid. That race cost the NRA roughly $2.5 million.
The NRA's big night came as a tidal wave of white voters without college degrees voted overwhelmingly for Trump, leading to one of the biggest election-night upsets in memory. The reasons why this demographic turned out in such high numbers for the GOP nominee will be parsed for years, and it is not at all clear how much of a factor his embrace of the NRA's hardline position on gun rights played into the outcome.
But the NRA's investment, which was more than any other outside group, paid for a slew of ads that directly targeted the same voters who propelled Trump to victory. The organization's radio and television spots sought to cast Hillary Clinton and the Democratic rivals of its preferred Senate candidates as an existential threat to the Second Amendment, and national security. It is a message that resonates in the gun belt, a swath of primarily Southern and Midwestern states where Trump achieved some of his most consequential victories.
In October alone, according to the Center for Public Integrity, roughly one out of every 20 television ads in Pennsylvania was sponsored by the NRA. That same month, the group paid for one in nine ads in North Carolina, and one of every eight in Ohio. The ads imply that Clinton and Democrats would leave law-and-order abiding citizens defenseless. In one spot, a woman is alone in bed when a burglar breaks into her home. The narrator intones, "Don't let Hillary leave you protected with nothing but a phone."
Trump won all three states, and the NRA's preferred Senate candidates also swept to victory.
The NRA's largest 2016 outlay was the $30.3 million it spent in support of Trump.
In North Carolina, the group spent $6.2 million on the incumbent Republican Senator Richard Burr, the most it has ever invested in a down-ballot race. Burr won by about six percentage points. Elsewhere, the NRA helped elect Senators Marco Rubio in Florida; Roy Blunt in Missouri; Todd Young in Indiana; and Rob Portman in Ohio. It spent between $2 million and $3.2 million on each of those races.
The numbers account for independent expenditures--unrestricted money spent on ads and other media, independent of official campaigns.
The 2016 election results represent a continuation of the NRA's impressive success rate when making substantial investments in closely-contested races. Over the three prior election cycles, the group disbursed $1 million dollars or more toward 14 congressional races, and achieved its desired outcome 11 times. To help Republicans win back the Senate in 2014, it spent $20.6 million dollars on five key races in the upper chamber, and in each of them, its preferred candidate won.
This election cycle, the NRA spent more than $52 million--a number that will rise as final campaign finance figures are tallied -- to carry on its effort to increase Republican control of government, a mission that has ramped up since the Citizen's United decision in 2010, when the Supreme Court removed caps on independent expenditures. The sum is by far the greatest in the organization's history, smashing its previous record, of $31.7 million, set in 2014.
In federal elections, the NRA typically ranks among heavyweight outside spending groups. For the second cycle in a row, it has earned a place in the top ten. But 2016 was a unique year for the organization, owing to the fact that many super PACs, like Karl Rove's American Crossroads GPS, which spent roughly $115 million to elect Mitt Romney in 2012, declined to back Trump. The NRA stepped in to fill the void, putting at least $30.3 million on the line to help elect the real estate mogul, more than any other outside group -- including the leading Trump super PAC, which spent $20.3 million.
By comparison, the gun rights group deployed about $12.5 million to help Romney in 2012.
The close relationship between the NRA and Donald Trump began in May, when the organization endorsed the candidate earlier than it had ever endorsed a Republican presidential contender. Trump appeared before thousands of people at the NRA convention in Louisville, Kentucky, where he gleefully accepted the organization's official support.
"The Second Amendment is under threat like never before," Trump told the crowd. "Crooked Hillary is the most anti-gun, anti-Second Amendment candidate ever to run for office."
In July, the NRA's top lobbyist, Chris Cox, was given a prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. He reminded attendees that the next president would fill a Supreme Court vacancy, and the new Justice could directly affect gun rights.
"A Hillary Clinton Supreme Court means your right to own a firearm is gone," he said.
Before Election Day, polls suggested that the Senate, under Republican control since 2014, was up for grabs. Now in the position of defending the upper chamber, the NRA focused the majority of its resources on six toss-up seats, hoping to keep or flip them Republican.
The House, under Republican control before the election, was not expected to change hands, and so it was not a priority for the NRA. All told, it sprinkled roughly $1 million over 48 races. The group made two substantial investments in Republican incumbent candidates -- just under $215,000 in Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, and about $175,000 in Bruce Poliquin of Maine. Both candidates won.
[Graphics: Francesca Mirabile for The Trace. Photo: Lionel Hahn/ABACAPRESS.com] | {
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news, local-news,
A severe weather front passing over the south of the state has resulted in widespread power outages right across Bunbury. Mail followers reported power outages at the Bunbury Forum Shopping Centre, the Australind Tavern and at the Caltex in Clifton Park at about 4.30pm this evening. Some traffic lights have also ceased to function around Bunbury and motorists are urged to exercise caution while on the road. Western Power indicates that power is expected to be restored at approximately 7-8.30pm. If you have seen any fallen powerlines or hazards, please call 13 13 51 immediately.
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/gJWBG64ytWfSt3NfdQEqsh/41c73e60-3f93-49c2-8fac-18d4c5c66f58.jpg/r1_0_1199_677_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg | {
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The first thing I do when I wake up each morning is look at the long list of notifications that have silently accumulated on my phone as I slept. The second thing I do is wipe away the gunk that silently accumulated in the corner of my eyes over the course of the night. No matter what you call it – sleep, sand, eye boogers – you know the stuff I'm talking about. I've always wondered what it was made of and why it forms, so I went and found out.
It all begins with tears – or more precisely the tear film that coats our eyes. Mammalian eyes of the terrestrial variety, whether they're found on the faces of humans, dogs, hedgehogs, or elephants, are coated in a three-layered tear film that allows the eyes to function properly. (Tears work somewhat differently in marine mammals like dolphins and sea lions.)
Closest to the eye is the glycocalyx layer – a layer made mostly of mucus. It coats the cornea and attracts water, which allows for the even distribution of the second layer: the water-based tear solution. It might be just four micrometres thick – about as thick as a single strand of spider silk – but this layer is very important. It keeps our eyes lubricated and washes away potential infections. Finally, there is an outer layer composed of an oily substance called meibum, which is composed of lipids like fatty acids and cholesterol. | {
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Mitt Romney loves "gender equality." Just not in America.
Mitt Romney loves "gender equality." Just not in America.
Aw, shucks, Mitt. You sure do make a Lady-American feel special.
Sure, you want to "get rid of" our largest provider of health care because religious liberty. And sure, you don't know what you think about equal pay—although your party and your advisers and your surrogates think it's a bad idea on account of how it's unfair to make employers pay women what they pay men because freedom. And sure, you may or may not support a constitutional amendment to take away our autonomy and bestow it on microscopic eggs because life. And sure, you believe what working women care about most isn't the size of their paychecks, but having flex time so they can rush right home to cook dinner for their families because ... well, because you're a ginormous douchehole.
But, as you explained in the final presidential debate, at least women in the Middle East are going to have it soooooo good under a Romney presidency because gender equality.
No, really. Gender equality:
ROMNEY: Well, my strategy is pretty straightforward, which is to go after the bad guys, to make sure we do our very best to interrupt them, to -- to kill them, to take them out of the picture. But my strategy is broader than that. That's -- that's important, of course. But the key that we're going to have to pursue is a -- is a pathway to get the Muslim world to be able to reject extremism on its own. [...] And how do we do that? A group of Arab scholars came together, organized by the U.N., to look at how we can help the -- the world reject these -- these terrorists. And the answer they came up with was this: One, more economic development. We should key our foreign aid, our direct foreign investment, and that of our friends, we should coordinate it to make sure that we -- we push back and give them more economic development. Number two, better education. Number three, gender equality. Number four, the rule of law. We have to help these nations create civil societies.
You see? Romney will use "gender equality" as a strategy to fight Muslim extremism because nothing stops Muslim extremists dead in their tracks like "free abortion on demand!" and "equal pay for equal work!" Not that a (giggle) President Romney would give women free abortion on demand or equal pay for equal work, because he doesn't actually support those things. But man, he is so going to win the war on terror by using gender equality. He's going to gender equality those terrorists right out of existence.
And not just that. Oh no. As he explained in his opening remarks, Romney's going to hit them with some "opportunity for greater participation on the part of women in public life" for good measure:
With the Arab Spring, came a great deal of hope that there would be a change towards more moderation, and opportunity for greater participation on the part of women in public life, and in economic life in the Middle East.
Okay, well, he's not actually going to do that. After all, Romney thinks a woman's place is in a binder, not public life. But he is shocked and amazed that President Obama didn't use his magic fairy dust to make women have more opportunities in the Middle East because he totally should have done that.
See, women? This is why Romney is just the big strong man we need because he will say "gender equality" in a debate without actually explaining what that means better than anyone else. And we all know that after getting that flex time so we can spend more time with our pots and pans, there's nothing women care about more than having a president who uses "gender equality" to fight terrorism while denying women's equality at home.
Want real gender equality right here at home? Please give $3 to each of our Daily Kos-endorsed women candidates for the House and Senate, so we can send more, better women to Congress to fight for real equality. | {
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Newtownville Books
Author Jaime Clarke's new novel "Vernon Downs" will be available on Amazon in April of next year, but fans and new readers who heed the author's plea can get a copy this December. His only request: Buy "Vernon Downs" straight from the publisher and not from Amazon.
In a Web site aptly named pleasedontbuymybookonamazon.com, Clarke lays out his call to support independent publishing and push back against the aggressive cost-cutting tactics of Amazon that, he says, are great for consumers but detrimental to the livelihood of independent publishing.
Jaime Clarke
Clarke -- who also published the novel "We're So Famous," edited and co-edited a number of other titles and was a founding editor of the Boston College-published literary magazine Post Road -- is co-owner of an independent bookstore in Boston called Newtonville Books.
"As a bookstore owner, I see small presses come and go -- they usually publish a book or two and then fold after running out of money," Clarke writes. "For many small publishers like Roundabout, Amazon accounts for a large portion of sales, but the publisher realizes very little of the purchase price owing to Amazon's discounting policies."
"Vernon Downs" is published by Roundabout Press, from which readers can preorder the book online. Any royalties on sales received from preordering the book now from Roundabout will go directly to the publisher, Clarke said. In addition, anyone who buys the book from Roundabout can get it shipped to them in December. Amazon can't start selling the book until next April, according to Clark, after "Vernon Downs" has gone through the publishing process to get an official bar code.
We've reached out to Amazon for comment and will update this post when we hear back.
The author's move is just one more chapter in the "Amazon vs. small businesses" battle that has expanded especially with regard to books. In July, US District Court Judge Denise Cote ruled that Apple had conspired with five of the largest publishing companies in the US to fix e-book prices. Resting upon the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the decision has all but secured Amazon's position as the largest and most successful bookseller for years to come.
Despite the fact that independent bookstores have been making a steady comeback as small businesses rebound in the strengthening economy, three independent East Coast bookstores have filed suit against Amazon and major publishers in an attempt to level the playing field. President Barack Obama even got pulled into the debate after New England Independent Booksellers Association Director Steve Fischer late last month condemned the president for visiting an Amazon warehouse in the wake of the Apple e-book decision.
In an interview with CNET on Friday, Clarke laid out his reasoning for why readers should shift support towards independent publishers -- even it if it means slightly higher prices -- and the current issues authors, publishers, and booksellers face in the rising e-book and Amazon era. The following is an edited version of that conversation.
Q: Why would you urge people not to buy books, or at least your book, from Amazon? Is it simply that people should not buy books published from independent publishers on Amazon, or that people should avoid all book buying on Amazon because of what you think it's done to the industry?
Clarke: My campaign to urge interested readers to purchase my novel "Vernon Downs" directly from the publisher is mostly economical, which is to say small, independent publishers like Roundabout Press need all the capital they can lay their hands on.
Unfortunately, most indie publishers rely on Amazon to sell their books, and to quote F. Scott Fitzgerald, the price is high. Indie publishers realize a fraction of the purchase price and are at the mercy of Amazon's discounting policies. As a bookstore owner, my obvious preference is that readers buy books at bookstores, but I know a lot of readers don't live in proximity to a bookstore.
Given Amazon's dominance, where do you see both the e-book market and physical book selling at large in five years time?
Clarke: Industry numbers have borne out what I suspect all along: The e-book market is the new audio book market. E-books are settling to be about 20 percent of the book market, which is what audio books were in the '80s and early '90s.
"Most indie publishers rely on Amazon to sell their books, and to quote F. Scott Fitzgerald, the price is high."
I actually think e-books might be creating new readers, which isn't a bad thing. But people who love books, love books. And books have been around for 500 years. A bigger threat is whether or not the current generation values the book. They'll be around, but will they be read?
What will happen to independent publishers and bookstores as Amazon's hold continues to solidify?
Clarke: Amazon has done all it's going to do to the industry, I think. It's interesting that Amazon's early ambitions were to be the Walmart of the Internet. Books were incidental to their plans -- books just happened to be sitting in warehouses across the country ready to be shipped. It could easily have been lawn furniture.
Now that Amazon is the Walmart of the Internet, it's clear they want to take on technology service providers like Apple. They seem to be hanging around books and publishing mostly out of spite.
Recent reports are saying that independent bookstores are thriving even in the age of Amazon. Do you find this to be true in your own experience with Newtonville Books, and if it is indeed true, what do you think are the causes of the uptick in interest?
Clarke: My wife and I bought Newtonville Books in 2007, just before the economy collapsed. A number of stores were shed and, in fact, we bought Newtonville because it was going to close.
It's true that the number of new bookstores has increased in the last couple of years, which is likely owing to the improving economy. I think any community that is so inclined can support a small, independent bookstore. The big, warehouse bookstore with deep discounts (for instance, Borders and Barnes & Noble) are dinosaurs and are frankly just trying to replicate physically the Amazon experience.
But if having a neighborhood bookstore is important to the neighborhood, it can be done. Even if it means only buying half your books on Amazon, or one in three. I recently heard [Amazon CEO] Jeff Bezos bragging about how Amazon is a customer-centric company, meaning he doesn't listen to all the criticism about Amazon's shoddy corporate policies, etc. All is in service to giving the customer the lowest price, fast and easy.
"[If] having a neighborhood bookstore is important to the neighborhood, it can be done. Even if means only buying half your books on Amazon."
But I'd argue it's not that customer-centric, especially if the customer's house catches on fire and the fire department can't come because the customer bought all their stuff on Amazon without paying sales tax. Or the customer's kids have to be bused an hour away because the local school had to close because of the loss of tax revenue on all those Amazon sales -- on down the line.
Some individuals claim that Amazon's self-publishing and digital selling tools have removed the barriers for young and upcoming writers to get published. Is this accurate in your eyes?
Clarke: I don't have a lot of experience with that side of Amazon. I'm a populist by nature and so I'm against barriers, especially as it relates to art. Amazon is a marketplace and their terrible corporate policies notwithstanding, they're likely providing a valuable service to the little store in Iowa who has something on their shelves that a customer in New Mexico is desperate for.
That may be true, too, for self-publishing. If so, great. I'm sure all the advantages are really on Amazon's side of the transaction, though. They've never shown themselves to be concerned with art or art-making. Just money.
What is the benefit to literature in having both independent and large publishing houses to help curate and assign value to creative works?
I worked in publishing in the late 1990s and know firsthand that like any big business, publishing is mostly guessing. It drives aspiring authors crazy, but books are mostly published based on the passions of a few people, i.e., the author, the author's agent, and the author's editor.
Though in the last decade or so that circle has widened to include marketing people and others at the publishing house, I suspect. I think that's why there are more and more independent publishers springing up.
What makes the publishing industry different in your opinion from other the institutions around other creative media like music?
Clarke: The music and movie industries have undergone a dramatic digital revolution, and while the early going was rough, it seems like those industries are adapting well. The difference for books is simply it's a printed medium.
"As a society we have respect for reading so much so that we disparage reading things on our computers as a matter of rote."
We listen to music and don't really care what the delivery system is. Same for movies. We sit and stare but don't really care which format we're staring at. But inherent in the book is the idea of reading, and as a society we have respect for reading so much so that we disparage reading things on our computers as a matter of rote.
We imbue reading with seriousness and revere "People Who Read," which conjures the image of someone spending time with a book. As I say, that reverence could be in jeopardy with the current generation, but we'll have to wait to see. | {
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OTTAWA - Less than 18 months after being honoured as the NHL's coach of the year, Paul MacLean is out of a job.
The Ottawa Senators fired MacLean on Monday after an 11-11-5 start, though the problems team executives had with the coach extended back into last season when the Senators missed the playoffs.
Senators general manager Bryan Murray told a news conference Monday that assistant Dave Cameron will be the new head coach of the team.
"I've had some tough days lately," said Murray, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment and watched longtime Senator Daniel Alfredsson retire last week. "This is one of them."
MacLean, the first NHL coach to be fired this season, wore out his welcome among Senators players with tactics that led to many games in which they were outshot. Through 27 games, Ottawa has given up the second-most shots in the league behind only the Buffalo Sabres.
Murray, who broke the news to MacLean at 9:30 a.m. Monday morning, said he had grown frustrated watching the Senators struggle with turnovers night after night.
"We continue to be a big turnover team in our zone," said Murray. "Our goaltending has been, to say the least, outstanding most nights to give us a chance to win hockey games. The chances against our team are, some nights, atrocious. I think there's an obligation for a lot of people, the players included, to perform better than that. But the leader of the pack always is the coach."
MacLean's defensive tactics that allowed opponents easy entry into the attacking zone were responsible for the Senators being outshot 34.4 to 28.8 on average this season.
"I think positioning in our own end is a big, big issue," said Murray, adding that he would talk to MacLean about the problem but "nothing changed in that area."
Murray also said there was an "uneasiness" in the dressing room.
"Some of the better players felt that they were singled out a little too often maybe," said Murray. "That's today's athlete. They want to be corrected, coached, given a chance to play without being the centrepoint of discussion in the room."
Murray said he thinks Cameron's teaching style will be more effective.
"I think he'll relate a little bit to what we need here with some of our youth in particular," said Murray, who agreed with one reporter that communication with MacLean had become a "one-way street."
"This sometimes happens when there's pressure on people, they're not as open to listen and take ideas and go back and forth in the communication part of it," he said. "Players today more than ever need and want that."
Cameron has extensive coaching experience at the Junior A and AHL levels, including coaching the 2011 Canadian world junior team, but has never been an NHL head coach.
In parts of four seasons the Senators went 114-90-35 under MacLean, making the playoffs in his first two seasons.
MacLean won the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL coach of the year in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season after leading a team ravaged by injuries to Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson to the playoffs.
The Senators have the lowest payroll in the league at US$56,280,726, according to CapGeek. They're 10th in the Eastern Conference.
MacLean, a 56-year-old from Antigonish, N.S., who previously served as an assistant to Mike Babcock in Anaheim and Detroit, was in the first season of a new three-year deal.
Murray said after last season, he felt MacLean deserved a chance to redeem himself.
"I was really in his corner to come back," he said. "Sometimes you have a bad year." | {
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Truth is, self control is a skill that we all possess.
It is present within every individual but it takes the right amount of effort and mind set to discover it within yourself, and it is the key component of emotional intelligence. It’s easy to focus on our failures that our successes tend to pale in comparison when it comes to self control. The effort that is required to put in for achieving a goal is basically called self control and failure is actually failing to control your inner self.
“Learning self control is one of the primary tasks in every person’s childhood”
According to scientists self control is important to many life events and outcomes. The environment that we live in, tends to challenge every bit of our self control but it depends on the person and his ability to control his wishes and avoid distractions so that you remain focused on your main aim. It’s essential to understand what’s going behind the mysterious force of self control as there is no much place for waiting in today’s marketplace.
Learning self control is one of the primary tasks in every person’s childhood, and parents need to work on teaching their children self discipline from an early age so by the time they reach a more mature phase of life they have full command on what they actually intend to do in life. Self control can have a very deep influence on a wide range of activities and we can be a better person if we exercise self control in daily life.
If you’re determined to achieve high in life you need to combine a passion for a single mission and tackle with every obstacle that might come your way no matter how long would it actually take. The kids who are better at self control actively reduce the way they are tempted by the immediate rewards in their environment and are better at avoiding things that distract them. | {
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Its exchange protocol of tokens based on smart contracts will become an additional guarantee of liquidity of the project’s internal currency regardless of the token’s size, sales volume or quotations. Moreover, the possibility of conversion of arcona on any other token of a network will reduce its volatility and will help to avoid exchange spread.
Own ICO of Bancor took place in June, 2017 and in the first hour of a crowdfunding campaign the project attracted more than $83 million, and the total amount of ICO was $116,7 million.
The Arcona’s team is sure this partnership will help to solve such problems as to an output to the market of our cryptoassets. Bancor, in return, considers that tokens of global AR-ecosystem will become an interesting and useful product in the general basket of smart tokens. | {
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In this section, I'm mostly referring to JSON/YAML/TOML/ini files, which are the most common config formats I encounter.
I'll refer to such configs as plain configs. Not sure if there is a better name for it, please let me know!
An incomplete list of my frustrations:
JSON doesn't have comments , by design 🤯
, by design 🤯 bits of configs can't be reused For example, while YAML, in theory, supports reusing/including bits of the config (they call it anchors), some software like Github Actions doesn't support it Usually, you just don't have any means of reusing parts of your config and have to copy-paste. .gitconfig uses a custom syntax for merging the configs
can't contain any logic This is considered as a positive by many, but I would argue that when you can't define temporary variables, helper functions, substitute strings or concatenate lists, it's a bit fucked up. The workarounds (if present) are usually pretty horrible and impose cognitive overhead. Programming language constructs are reinvented from scratch : variables and string interpolation Ansible uses Jinja templates (!) for variable manipulations. Github Actions use a custom syntax for that In addition, they've got their own set of functions to manipulate the variables. Have fun learning a new language you never wanted to! scoping I.e. there are several custom scopes for env directive in Github Actions. control flow for loop: build matrices and 'excludes' always give me a headache if statement: e.g. when in CircleCI
can't be validated You can validate the config syntax itself (i.e. check JSON for correctness), but you can't do semantic checks. This is kind of a consequence of not having logic in the config files. Typically you'll have to write a supplementary program to check your configs and remember to call it before passing to a program. Very few programs bother with that and usually, your program crashes because of something that would be trivial to catch with any simple type system .
YAML simply stands out with its implicit conversions and portability issues There are enough rants about it, so I'll just leave a link to a good one: "YAML: probably not so great after all".
Summary: we spend time learning useless syntax, instead of productive work. | {
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Late July, hackers posted details alleged stolen from a system belonging to a Senior Analyst at security firm FireEye/Mandiant. The company provides update.
Late July, hackers have posted details alleged stolen from a system belonging to Adi Peretz, a Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst at security firm FireEye/Mandiant.
The leaked archive is a 337MB PST file containing the expert’s emails. Leaked archive also includes images of its accounts, including One Drive, Live, LinkedIn, geo-tracking of personal devices for at least a year, billing records and PayPal receipts.
“In addition to that are images detailing the compromise of their One Drive account, Live account, LinkedIn account, geo-tracking of personal devices for at least a year, billing records and PayPal receipts, credentials for an engineering portal at FireEye, WebEx and JIRA portals, as well as Live and Amazon accounts. There are also records related to an alleged customer, Bank Hapoalim, and internal documentation and presentations, including one for the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) from 2016.” reported Salted Hash.
The security firm has denied any intrusion in its systems, while the hackers who published the alleged Mandiant Internal Leaks claimed it was part of the ongoing campaign #OpLeakTheAnalyst.
Today FireEye provides an update on the event following its investigation into allegations made earlier this week that FireEye had been breached. As background, on July 31,
According to the security firm, the hackers did not hack the company network or the Adi Peretz’s personal or corporate computers.
The login credentials used by Peretz were exposed in the past in numerous data breaches, including LinkedIn.
The experts discovered that the attackers started using the stolen credentials to access several of the Victim’s personal online accounts (LinkedIn, Hotmail and OneDrive accounts) in September 2016.
The documents publicly released were obtained from the Victim’s personal online accounts and many of them were already available online.
Below the list of conclusions published by FireEye in a blog post.
The Attacker did not breach, compromise or access our corporate network, despite multiple failed attempts to do so.
The Attacker did not breach, compromise or access the Victim’s personal or corporate computers, laptops or other devices.
We confirmed the Victim’s passwords and/or credentials to his personal social media and email accounts were among those exposed in at least eight publicly disclosed third party breaches (including LinkedIn) dating back to 2016 and earlier.
Starting in September 2016, the Attacker used those stolen passwords and/or credentials to access several of the Victim’s personal online accounts, including LinkedIn, Hotmail and OneDrive accounts.
The Attacker publicly released three FireEye corporate documents, which he obtained from the Victim’s personal online accounts.
All of the other documents released by the Attacker were previously publicly available or were screen captures created by the Attacker.
A number of the screen captures created by the Attacker and posted online are misleading, and seem intentionally so. They falsely implied successful access to our corporate network, despite the fact that we identified only failed login attempts from the Attacker.
FireEye highlighted that the Victim supports a small number of customers, only two of them were impacted by the leak.
Below the actions conducted by FireEye:
We contacted the two identified customers as soon as we learned of this incident and have kept them apprised of the situation throughout the week.
We immediately contained the Victim’s systems.
We collected and reviewed forensic data from the Victim’s systems.
We disabled the Victim’s FireEye corporate accounts.
We worked with the Victim to regain control of his personal online accounts.
We worked with the Victim to secure his personal online accounts, including implementing multi-factor authentication where possible.
We communicated to all FireEye employees, both verbally and in writing, a reminder to be vigilant and provided detailed steps to best secure their personal accounts.
We worked with the Victim and his online third party service providers to obtain any available log data that could assist our investigation.
We reviewed all data sent to and from FireEye email to the Victim’s online accounts.
We reviewed authentication and access activity on the Victim’s corporate, single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor, and third-party accounts.
The investigation is still ongoing.
Pierluigi Paganini
(Security Affairs – FireEye, OpLeakTheAnalyst)
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Nearly half of the staff involved in the recovery of the bodies of the 29 men killed in the Pike River mine disaster have been laid off.
Nine staff, including Marty Palmer, whose son, Brendan Palmer, 27, was killed in the November 2010 blast, have been given a month's notice by the mine's receivers.
A spokesman for some of the Pike River families, Bernie Monk, said experts were probably going to be brought in from Australia, so there was not much more the staff based on the West Coast could do.
''It's sad to see people lose their jobs. However, they had been spoken to about it a while ago, so it's not been a major surprise.''
He suspected more of the remaining 11 staff, including another victim's parent, would be laid off as the receivers did not have much money.
The families just wanted to see the removal of the bodies, he said.
''They are standing in line like us; waiting for their men to come out.''
The continued cost of the recovery was believed to have been a factor in the redundancies, but the mine's receivers could not be reached for comment.
In the weeks after the disaster, 114 mine employees were made redundant, leaving 43 people employed by the mine.
Further redundancies followed last year, including former chief executive Peter Whittall. | {
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There’s still a lot of season left, granted, but Ravens fans should be pleased with the way head coach John Harbaugh has been running things through three games. Baltimore has built an offense that seems perfectly suited to quarterback Lamar Jackson’s many gifts, and Harbaugh has shown an in-game aggressiveness that’s rooted in genuinely sound analytical thinking. This ought to serve the Ravens well in what’s shaping up to be a crummy AFC North.
The Ravens spent the offseason signaling that they’d look to turn the clock back toward a run-centric offense, with Jackson and his running ability as its fulcrum. But that’s not exactly what new coordinator Greg Roman’s offense has been doing. The Ravens are all-in on Jackson’s ability as a dual threat—and they’re mixing it up.
According to analyst Warren Sharp’s data, the Ravens ran the ball a ton on first and second down (41 rushes, 19 passes) in their Week 1 blowout of the overmatched Dolphins. But in their last two games, their pass-run ratio on early downs has been 64:54. On all downs, Jackson has already rushed 27 times for 172 yards and a touchdown. But he’s also taking plenty of shots downfield, with 21 attempts of 20 yards or more (which ranks second in the NFL, behind Matt Stafford’s 22, according to Pro Football Focus), and eight completions (which ranks tied for fifth). Jackson’s intended air yards, per NFL Next Gen Stats, is 10.7, fifth-most in the league. The Ravens have also combined this sort of big-play threat with a solid dose of play-action: Per PFF, Jackson has play-faked on 33.6 percent of his dropbacks, which ranks seventh among qualified passers. The Ravens are less interested in balance than in making full use of what Jackson does best. And right now Jackson’s Total QBR of 80.2 ranks only behind Dak Prescott’s (90.4), Patrick Mahomes’s (89.6), and Tom Brady’s (85.6). Which is pretty good company.
It’s not just about play design, though. Harbaugh has also chosen to be aggressive by utilizing some forward-thinking risk assessment of fourth downs and two-point conversions. Per Pro Football Reference, the Ravens have already gone for it seven times on fourth down, tied with the Eagles and Dolphins for second-most in the league, and trailing only Washington’s eight. Like the Dolphins, Washington is perpetually playing from behind. But the Eagles had used a similarly aggressive fourth-down strategy to win the damn Super Bowl two years ago. It’s what a lot of smart analysis has been telling teams to do for years.
In Sunday’s loss to the high-powered Chiefs, knowing he’d need to maximize every possession, Harbaugh went for it on fourth down four times, converting three. The first was a fourth-and-3 from the Chiefs’ 9-yard line on Baltimore’s opening possession. The result was a Jackson scramble for a first down. On the next play, the Ravens were in the end zone. The next instance happened early in the second quarter, with the Ravens trailing 7-6 and facing a fourth-and-1 from their own 34. A handoff to Gus Edwards out of the shotgun picked up the first down. Four plays later, facing a fourth-and-2 from its own 47, Baltimore tried again. A Jackson pass to Marquise Brown fell incomplete. And in the fourth quarter, trailing by 17, the Ravens successfully executed a fourth-and-5 from the Chiefs’ 27, sustaining a drive that ended in a touchdown.
It’s true that the failed fourth-down attempt in the second quarter gave the Chiefs the ball near midfield, and that Kansas City scored a TD on that possession. But the risk/reward of win probability (or game-winning chance, depending on whose statistical model is being used) dictated that Harbaugh made the right call both times in the second quarter.
A similar approach informed Harbaugh’s decision to go for 2 after the Ravens cut the Chiefs’ lead to 30-19 with 12:27 left in the fourth quarter. That attempt also failed, but the win probability the Ravens would have gained by kicking the extra point was only slightly better than what it would have been with a failed attempt, and far lower than it would have been with a successful two-pointer.
Harbaugh, to his credit, owned his decisions and backed them up by explaining the sound quantitative reasoning behind them.
I recommend watching that video to get a sense of what was asked and how Harbaugh responded to each question. But for those not inclined to view it, here’s what he had to say:
“I have a good understanding of the numbers and how it worked ... It’s very detailed and well-thought out. I think I was pretty clear about it last night, but we’re standing by our decisions. Our decisions gave us the best chance to win the game, in that particular game. These are not league-average choices. These are determined by this game and for this game specifically, in that venue; weather is even factored into it. There’s a lot of factors that go into it that are mathematically calculated. And that’s why we did it. It wasn’t a field-position game. It was a possession game. And making the most of each possession was what counted and that’s what we were attempting to do, and for the most part we did a really good job of it.”
And:
“Getting it to nine gives you a much better chance of winning than taking it to overtime. You still have a chance to do that with the second two. And if for some reason they happen to kick a field goal or score a touchdown, it also enhances your odds. So while you may think getting to 10 is the thing to do, it’s the thing to do if you want to go to overtime. It’s not the thing to do if you want to win the game in regulation, and that’s what we were trying to do.”
And:
“The analytics guys will tell you I don’t follow the analytics nearly enough. They’ll tell you I go by my gut way more than I go by the analytics, and I do. Because the flow of the game, the feel of the game, situations you’ve been in ... all those things are something, as a coach, you have a real sense for. So I’ll go against the analytics a lot more than I’ll go with it, in terms of 50/50 close calls. But in a game like that, those were definitely decisions that gave us the best chance to win, and put us in the best position to win the game, no question. If we hadn’t made those decisions, especially the fourth-down decisions, we wouldn’t have been within a score at the end of the game. Period.”
One final flourish: After pulling within 33-28 with 2:01 to go (and failing on another two-point try) , Harbaugh had Justin Tucker attempt a dropkick on the kickoff, which resulted in a fair catch that prevented any time from running off the clock. The Ravens had just one timeout remaining, so the maneuver basically bought them an extra timeout with the two-minute warning. That it didn’t ultimately work because the Chiefs picked up a first down and salted the game away isn’t the point. Harbaugh again worked to maximize his team’s opportunities in a game in which it would need all of them.
Football is undergoing an analytics arms race. Smart teams already understand this, and are behaving accordingly. The Ravens certainly appear to be one of those smart teams. | {
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Φλέρταρε με την αυτοκτονία, για ακόμα μια χρονιά, αλλά τα κατάφερε ο Ατρόμητος! Οι Περιστεριώτες είδαν το 2-0 του ημιχρόνου, να γίνεται 2-2 και τα χαμόγελα πάγωσαν...
Όμως ο Ρισβάνης έδωσε τη λύση, κάνοντας το 3-2 και τελικά ο Ατρόμητος πανηγύρισε με τον κόσμο του την πρόκριση στον τρίτο προκριματικό γύρο του Europa League όπου θα αντιμετωπίσει την Λέγκια.
Έτσι έπαιξαν
Ομάδα που κερδίζει δεν αλλάζει κι έτσι ο Γιάννης Αναστασίου παρέταξε τους ίδιους έντεκα με αυτούς της Σλοβακίας. Σε σύστημα 4-4-2, ο Μέγιερι ήταν στο τέρμα, με τον Κιβρακίδη δεξιά και τον Κατράνη αριστερά, με τους Γούτα, Ρισβάνη στόπερ. Στον άξονα βρέθηκαν οι Χαρίσης, Μάντσον, δεξιά ήταν ο Ούμπιδες κι αριστερά ο Ενσικουλού. Στην κορυφή της επίθεσης βρέθηκαν ο Βέλλιος με τον Μανούσο.
Από την άλλη Πίτερ Χιμπάλα, προχώρησε σε δύο αλλαγές σε σχέση με το πρώτο παιχνίδι. Σε σύστημα 4-3-3, ο Γέντλιτσκα ήταν στο τέρμα, με τον Μπλάκμαν στα δεξιά και τον Κόστρνα στα αριστερά, ενώ στόπερ ήταν ο Κρούζλιακ και ο Όραβετς. Αμυντικός μέσος ο Βίντα Μ., με τους Κάλμαρ και Ρόναν μπροστά του. Στην επίθεση βρέθηκαν δεξιά ο Ταϊβό, αριστερά ο Τσμέλικ και στην κορυφή ο Ραμίρεζ.
Την καθάρισε σε ένα πεντάλεπτο!
Ο Ατρόμητος δεν αντιμετώπισε το παραμικρό πρόβλημα απέναντι στην Ντουνάισκα Στρέντα στο Περιστέρι! Οι ποδοσφαιριστές του Γιάννη Αναστασίου μπήκαν αποφασισμένοι, απείλησαν στο 5' και στο 12' με τον Μανούσο και εν συνεχεία... καθάρισαν την πρόκριση σε ένα πεντάλεπτο!
Στο 22', ο Κατράνης πήρε την μπάλα από το κέντρο και με μια τρομερή ατομική ενέργεια έφτασε μέχρι και την αντίπαλη περιοχή. Εκεί προσποιήθηκε δυο φορές στον αμυντικό των Σλοβάκων, έφερε την μπάλα στο αριστερό και πλάσαρε για το 1-0 σημειώνοντας το παρθενικό γκολ της καριέρας του. Πέντε λεπτά μετά όλα τέλειωσαν!
Ο Μανούσος μπήκε στην περιοχή από τα αριστερά, προσποιήθηκε κι ανάγκασε τον Όραβετς να τον ανατρέψει, με τον Ιρακινό ρέφερι να δείχνει την άσπρη βούλα. Την εκτέλεση ανέλαβε ο πρώτος σκόρερ του Ατρόμητου στην Ευρώπη κι ευστόχησε για το 2-0.
Μπορούσε και τρίτο!
Σε ένα υπέροχο πρώτο ημίχρονο, ο Ατρόμητος θα μπορούσε να είχε φτάσει και στο 3-0! Όμως στο 29', ο Βέλλιος από κοντά πλάσαρε με τον Γέντλιτσκα να σώζει. Στη συνέχεια οι Περιστεριώτες απείλησαν ακόμα τρεις φορές.
Πρώτα στο 30' με ένα σουτ του Μανούσου να φεύγει άουτ, στη συνέχεια στο 43' με τον Γένλτιτσα να μπλοκάρει το σουτ του Βέλλιου και τέλος στο 45+1', όταν η κεφαλιά του Γούτα έφυγε άουτ. Κάπως έτσι το 2-0 έμεινε μέχρι το τέλος του πρώτου μέρους και οι Περιστεριώτες περίμεναν ακόμα 45 λεπτά για να πανηγυρίσουν την πρόκριση μαζί με τον κόσμο τους.
Μείωση κι άγχος...
Το δεύτερο ημίχρονο άρχισε με αρκετά άσχημο τρόπο για τον Ατρόμητο. Οι Περιστεριώτες, είδαν την Ντουνάισκα Στρέντα να πιέζει ακόμα πιο ασφυκτικά και να καταφέρνει να μειώσει στο 54'. Μετά από σέντρα από τα αριστερά, ο Γούτας δεν έδιωξε καλά, η μπάλα έφτασε στον Ραμίρεζ που από κοντά πλάσαρε μειώνοντας σε 2-1.
Η εικόνα του Ατρόμητου ήταν τραγική και στη συνέχεια. Όλοι έβλεπαν τους... εφιάλτες του Περιστερίου να επιστρέφουν! Και τελικά επέστρεψαν.
Νέο παιδικό λάθος, πέναλτι και ισοφάριση
Αρχικά στο 55' ο Βίντα Κ. απείλησε και ο Μέγιερι έσωσε, ενώ στο 58' το πλασέ του ίδιου έφυγε λίγο έξω. Στο 60', ο Μάντσον πήρε μια κεφαλιά κι έστειλε την μπάλα άουτ, όπως κι αυτή του Όραβετς στο 62'. Πέντε λεπτά αργότερα, ο Καχίλα απείλησε με μακρινό σουτ, πριν η Ντουνάισκα Στρέντα φτάσει στην ισοφάριση.
Στο 72', ο Κατράνης έκανε λάθος στην άμυνα, οι φιλοξενούμενοι έκλεψαν και ο Καχίλα έκανε πέναλτι στον Μπλάκμαν. Την εκτέλεση ανέλαβε ο Κάλμαρ, ο οποίος ευστόχης και... πάγωσε το Περιστέρι, μιας και οι Σλοβάκοι πλέον θέλανε ένα γκολ για να προκριθούν και ο Ατρόμητος έμοιαζε να τα έχει χαμένα!
Ο Ρισβάνης επανέφερε την ηρεμία!
Τελικά η λύση στο άγχος που είχε κυριαρχήσει στους γηπεδούχους, ήρθε μέσω των δύο αρχηγών τους. Ο Ούμπιδες εκτέλεσε φάουλ, ο Ρισβάνης στο δεύτερο δοκάρι έπιασε την κεφαλιά και σκόραρε για το 3-2, που πλέον έδινε ηρεμία στους Περιστεριώτες...
Δέκα λεπτά αργότερα, το πλασέ του Βίντα Μ. μετά από εκτέλεση φάουλ έφυγε άουτ, ενώ στο 89' ο Ρόσα βρήκε τον Νάτσο, ο οποίος βρέθηκε απέναντι στον Γέντλιτσκα, αλλά πλάσαρε ψηλά άουτ.
Τον έσωσαν Καχίλα και Μέγιερι!
Κι όμως η Ντουνάισκα Στρέντα έχασε δύο τρομερές ευκαιρίες να ισοφαρίσει και να δώσει νόημα στις καθυστερήσεις! Πρώτα στο 90' με τον Καλμάρ να πλασάρει και τον Καχίλα με το κεφάλι να σώζει πάνω στη γραμμή, ενώ ένα λεπτό αργότερα, ο Ρόναν σούταρε από κοντά με τον Μέγιερι να κάνει σπουδαία απόκρουση και να κρατά το 3-2.
Ο Ατρόμητος βγήκε και πάλι στην κόντρα στο 93' με τον Μανούσο όμως να μην μπορεί να νικήσει τον Γέντλιτσκα. Στο 97', ο Κάλμαρ με απευθείας εκτέλεση φάουλ από πολύ μακριά έστειλε την μπάλα στο δοκάρι και κάπου εκεί όλα τέλειωσαν με τον Ατρόμητο να παίρνει τελικά αυτή την πρόκριση που λίγο έλειψε να χάσει μέσα από τα χέρια του!
MVP: Κατράνης και Ρισβάνης θα μοιραστούν αυτόν τον τίτλο, αν και θα μπορούσε εδώ να βρεθεί και ο Ούμπιδες. Όμως ο πρώτος άνοιξε τον δρόμο στον Ατρόμητο για να... καθαρίσει από νωρίς (σ.σ. οπως έδειχνε) την πρόκριση, ενώ ο δεύτερο πέτυχε το γκολ που ηρέμησε την ομάδα και έβαλε μια και καλή τέλος στην υπόθεση πρόκριση, όταν το 2-0 του 45', είχε γίνει 2-2!
ΑΔΥΝΑΜΟΣ ΚΡΙΚΟΣ: Ολόκληρη η αμυντική λειτουργία του Ατρόμητου! Οι Περιστεριώτες πραγματικά βγήκαν στο δεύτερο ημίχρονο σαν να μην ξέρουν τι πρέπει να κάνουν... Η Ντουνάισκα μείωσε και στη συνέχεια έκανε ό,τι μα ό,τι ήθελε στην αντίπαλη άμυνα, με αποτέλεσμα να φτάσει στο 2-2 και να τρομάξει για τα καλά άπαντες στο Περιστέρι. Σίγουρα ο Γιάννης Αναστασίου θα έχει πολλά να πει στους ποδοσφαιριστές του για την εικόνα της επανάληψης.
ΣΤΟ ΥΨΟΣ ΤΟΥ: Ο Ούμπιδες. Για ακόμα ένα παιχνίδι ο αρχηγός του Ατρόμητου ήταν εξαιρετικός. Μπορεί να μην έβαλε γκολ, έκανε όμως την ασίστ στο 3-2 του Ρισβάνη και ήταν ένας πραγματικός ηγέτης για άλλη μια φορά! Από κοντά και πάλι ο Γιώργος Μανούσος που έκανε εξίσου ένα πολύ καλό παιχνίδι.
Η ΓΚΑΦΑ: Στο πρώτο παιχνίδι ήταν από τους καλύτερους του Ατρόμητου χωρίς να χάσει την παραμικρή φάση για 90 λεπτά, στο Περιστέρι όμως είναι μέσα και στο πρώτο γκολ που δέχεται η ομάδα του. Ο λόγος για τον Δημήτρη Γούτα που δεν στάθηκε... τυχερός στο διωξίμο που έκανε στο 2-1 των Σλοβάκων, με αποτέλεσμα οι αντίπαλοι να το εκμεταλλευτούν και να σκοράρουν.
ΤΟ ΣΤΡΑΓΑΛΙ: Ο ρέφερι της αναμέτρησης, είχε αρκετή δουλειά! Έδωσε σωστά δύο πέναλτι, ένα σε κάθε ομάδα, ενώ οι βοηθοί του τα πήγαν καλά χωρίς να χάσουν κάποια φάση. Μια καλή διαιτησία είχαμε και στο Περιστέρι.
ΤΟ ΤΑΜΕΙΟ ΤΟΥ GAZZETTA.GR: Ο Ατρόμητος πανηγυρίζει την δεύτερη πρόκριση στην ιστορία του. Οι Περιστεριώτες, είχαν να διαχειριστούν το 1-2 της Σλοβακίας και για 45 λεπτά τα έκαναν όλα τέλεια φτάνοντας στο ημίχρονο να προηγούνται με 2-0. Όμως πρέπει να ξεχάσουν την εικόνα που έδειξαν στην επανάληψη, βγάζοντας στον αγωνιστικό χώρο μια ομάδα χωρίς αρχή μέση και τέλος. Έχει μπροστά του δύο πολύ δύσκολα παιχνίδια με μια πολύ έμπειρη ομάδα από την Πολωνία. Η Λέγκια μπορεί να αντιμετωπίσει αρκετά προβλήματα και να απέκλεισε δύσκολα την Κουόπιο, όμως σε καμία περίπτωση δεν συγχωρεί το παραμικρό λάθος που θα κάνει ο αντίπαλος. Ο Γιάννης Αναστασίου σίγουρα το γνωρίζει και έχει να πει πολλά στους ποδοσφαιριστές του, κυρίως για την εικόνα του δεύτερου μέρους.
Οι συνθέσεις:
Ατρόμητος (Γιάννης Αναστασίου): Μέγιερι, Κιβρακίδης, Ρισβάνης, Γούτας, Κατράνης, Μάντσον, Χαρίσης, Ούμπιδες (86' Νάτσος), Ενσικουλού (71' Ρόσα), Βέλλιος (60' Καχίλα), Μανούσος
Ντουνάισκα Στρέντα (Πίτερ Χιμπάλα): Γιέντλιτσκα, Όραβετς (62' Βεζελόφσκι), Κρούζλιακ, Βίντα Μ., Μπλάκμαν (79' Ντίβκοβιτς), Κόστρνα, Κάλμαρ, Ρόναν (46' Βίντα Κ.), Τσμέλιν, Ταϊβό, Ραμίρεζ | {
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President warns presence of foreign forces in Gulf creates ‘insecurity’, after US says it will send more troops.
Iran will present a security plan for the Gulf at the United Nations General Assembly this week, said President Hassan Rouhani, while warning foreign forces to “stay away” from the region.
In a televised speech on Sunday marking the anniversary of the start of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980, Rouhani said Iran extended its “hand of friendship and brotherhood” towards countries in the region willing to cooperate in the Tehran-led effort to oversee security in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz – a vital gateway for the global oil industry.
In response to a recent decision by the United States to send more troops to the area, Rouhani went on to warn against the presence of foreign troops in the Gulf.
“Foreign forces can cause problems and insecurity for our people and for our region,” said Rouhani, who will travel to New York City later this week for the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN.
But some analysts expressed scepticism on whether Rouhani’s security initiative could come to fruition, particularly without the United States being involved.
Simon Mabon, a senior lecturer on international relations at Lancaster University, said Iran sees itself as being “uniquely qualified” to organise a regional security structure.
Rouhani is likely to argue the past presence of foreign militaries has only “brought devastation” and they need to extricate themselves from the Gulf, while Tehran wants only to work with neighbouring nations based on “dialogue and consensus”, he said.
“[But] that type of rhetoric will not be well received in Riyadh and, to be honest, I can’t see this taking off the ground if there is no place for the United States in this security architecture,” Mabon told Al Jazeera.
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Saudi oil attacks
Tensions in the region have reached new heights following attacks on two major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia last week.
The United States and Saudi Arabia have accused Iran of being behind the attacks on the Saudi Aramco plants, responsibility for which was claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have been locked in a war with a Saudi-UAE-led military coalition since 2015.
Iran has denied any involvement.
Saudi Arabia will seek to make a case at the UN General Assembly for concerted action to punish and deter arch-foe Iran after the oil strikes.
However, even Riyadh’s main allies – the United States and the United Arab Emirates – have little appetite for a conventional military confrontation, which may spark a war in the Gulf and drag in other oil producers, diplomats say.
The September 14 attack “was a big escalation, there is a clear problem. But it is a real dilemma of how to react without escalating further”, said a Western diplomat. “It is not clear yet what the US wants to do.”
Following the oil attacks, Washington said it was preparing to send weapons and hundreds of troops to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The US is also leading a maritime coalition, which includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UK and Australia, to secure the area’s waterways and key oil trade routes.
In his speech, Rouhani called on the foreign powers to vacate the Gulf region.
“Wherever the Americans or our enemies have gone … there has been insecurity afterwards,” he said.
“Your presence has always brought pain and misery… The farther you keep yourselves from our region and our nations, the more security there will be.”
Rouhani’s speech was largely seen as a rallying call, said Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig, reporting from Tehran, where a military parade marked the 39th anniversary of the start of the eight-year war with Iraq that began when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980.
At the parade, Iran displayed the Khordad-3 air defence system that shot down a US drone in June. It also showed an Iranian medium-range missile that can travel up to 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) putting it in range of Iran’s archrival Israel and US bases in the region.
Similar parades were held in major cities and towns across the country including the port city of Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz.
State TV showed scores of Iranian fast-attack boats, as well as air defence and other military equipment. It also carried images of Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces rappelling down the side of a sailing ship.
‘Economic terrorism’
The attacks in Saudi Arabia have deepened a crisis that has escalated since US President Donald Trump withdrew from the multilateral nuclear deal signed in 2015 between Iran and world powers. Since then, Washington has reimposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian economy and pledged to drive Iran’s oil exports to zero.
In response, Tehran has gradually scaled back its nuclear commitments and rejected any talks unless all sanctions are lifted.
During his speech, Rouhani described the sanctions as “economic terrorism” but said the “revolutionary people” of Iran were not intimidated by what he described as “threats”.
“Our people, for the last 40 years, and over the last 10 years specifically, we have been able to tolerate the pressure of the sanctions,” he said.
Ahead of the UN General Assembly, Riyadh said it wants a peaceful resolution, but if a probe proved the strike came from Iran then “this would be considered an act of war”.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the US aims to avoid war with Iran, noting the additional forces deployed to the Gulf were for “deterrence and defence”.
But he added: “If that deterrence should continue to fail, I am also confident that President Trump would continue to take the actions that are necessary.”
The threat of outright war is likely to make all sides cautious.
“I doubt anyone has the appetite for a direct clash between the US and Iran,” said Barbara A Leaf, who was US ambassador to the UAE from 2014-2018 and is now a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
“It really requires re-establishing deterrence. Clearly there is none now.” | {
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Call him because your fake tooth fell down the drain Takes his day off to make you a new one
427 shares | {
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} |
President Trump lashed out Tuesday at Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who is calling for his resignation over the multiple allegations of sexual assault against him. And Trump did so in a suggestive tweet that critics say demeans women.
“Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office ‘begging’ for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump,” the president wrote on Twitter. “Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!”
Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office “begging” for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017
“The insinuation in this tweet is clearly sexual and it’s demeaning to women,” BBC News anchor Katty Kay remarked.
“Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand?” Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted. “Do you know who you’re picking a fight with? Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump.”
Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand? Do you know who you're picking a fight with? Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump. Nevertheless, #shepersisted. https://t.co/mYJtBZfxiu — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 12, 2017
Story continues
Gillibrand responded in a tweet of her own.
“You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office,” she tweeted.
You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office. https://t.co/UbQZqubXZv — Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) December 12, 2017
Gillibrand also addressed Trump’s tweet at a press briefing on Capitol Hill.
“It was a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice, and I will not be silenced on this issue,” she told reporters. “Neither will the women who stood up to the president yesterday. And neither will the millions of women who have been marching since the Women’s March to stand up against policies they do not agree with.”
Gillibrand is one of at least 56 female lawmakers — all Democrats — calling for a congressional investigation into the allegations against Trump. On Monday, Gillibrand took it a step further, saying Trump should resign.
“President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign,” Gillibrand told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. “These allegations are credible; they are numerous. I’ve heard these women’s testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.”
Three of Gillibrand’s male colleagues — Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. — joined her in calling for Trump’s resignation.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, more than a dozen women came forward, accusing the real estate mogul and former reality television star of sexual misconduct. Trump fiercely denied their claims, many of which emerged after the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape was made public in October 2016. In the infamous tape, Trump boasted that his celebrity status allowed him to forcibly kiss and grope women.
Trump again denied the accusations on Tuesday.
“Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia — so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don’t know and/or have never met,” Trump tweeted. “FAKE NEWS!”
Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia – so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don’t know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017
Earlier Monday, three of the women who accused Trump during the campaign repeated their claims on Megyn Kelly’s morning NBC show and later at a news conference.
Samantha Holvey, a former Miss USA contestant who says Trump personally inspected her and other women prior backstage to the 2006 pageant, said the so-called #MeToo movement spurred them to come forward again.
“It was heartbreaking last year. We are private citizens,” Holvey told Kelly. “And for us to put ourselves out there, to try to show America who this man is, and especially how he views women, for them to say, ‘meh, we don’t care,’ it hurt. And so, now it’s just, like, all right, let’s try round two; the environment is different, let’s try again.”
Trump accusers Rachel Crooks, Jessica Leeds and Samantha Holvey appear at a press conference in New York on Monday. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)
Another Trump accuser, Melinda McGillivray, appeared on Kelly’s show Tuesday.
At the White House Monday, press secretary Sarah Sanders dismissed the renewed allegations.
“Look, the president has addressed these accusations directly and denied all of these allegations,” Sanders told reporters. “And this took place long before he was elected to be president. And the people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process.”
Not everyone in the Trump administration holds that view. On Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on CBS’ “Face The Nation” that the women who have accused Trump have every right to speak up.”
“They should be heard, and they should be dealt with,” Haley said.
According to the Associated Press, Haley’s comments “infuriated the president.”
Read more from Yahoo News: | {
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Fred sez,
Students for Free Culture has organized a grassroots conference for, and about free culture, technology, copyright, remixing, and free software. Because most students have a fall break, we've booked it for Columbus Day weekend (October 11th and 12th) at Berkeley, University of California. We're launching the conference's site today and opening registration.
We'll have keynotes by Lawrence Lessig, Pam Samuelson, and John Lilly of Mozilla.
Day 1 will be public panels and presentations in conjunction with the keynotes, and Day 2 will be workshops, team building, and learning about effective activism.
We're doing a pay-what-you-feel system reminiscent of the one made famous by Radiohead and Girl Talk, but with one extra twist: ours also shows publicly what the average amount paid is, and right now it is around $27.
Finally, we have raised money in order to fly students in active chapters out to Berkeley for the conference, so if you're interested in attending and have registered your chapter with Students for Free Culture, please book your flights now and visit our Travel page for more information.
Take a look at the schedule, or register now.
Thanks and see you in a month! | {
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While French president Emmanuel Macron gifted Chinese president Xi Jinping a rare Domaine Romanée-Conti 1978 valued around 20,000 euros during his China trip, Xi matched up with arguably one of the best Chinese wines produced today in return.
It’s not a hefty-priced Chinese wine produced by LVMH’s high-altitude Ao Yun in Shangri-la region in Yunnan (US$300) or equally expensive DBR Lafite’s first Chinese wine Long Dai in eastern Shandong province (US$335), but rather a white wine from the country’s family-owned winery Silver Heights in northwestern Ningxia province costing less than US$45 a bottle.
The wine is understood to have been served to the French president on November 5 during a state dinner hosted by Xi in Shanghai during Macron’s three-day visit in China.
It’s not immediately known if other Chinese wines were also served at the dinner.
The boutique winery was apparently not aware of the news until local Ningxia government relayed the news to the Gao family much later after the event. The winery told Vino-joy.com the wine served at the state dinner was Silver Heights Family Reserve Chardonnay 2017.
Made with 100% Chardonnay, the wine is described by the winery as a Burgundian style white, and aged in a Burgundian barrel for 12 months before release.
Coincidentally the first vintage of the white wine, 2014 Family Reserve Chardonnay, was also served at another state dinner when German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited China in 2016.
Founded in 2007 by father and daughter team Lin Gao and Emma Gao, Silver Heights stood out from volume-focused big producers like GreatWall Winery or Changyu, and came to be known as the Chinese equivalent of a French ‘garagiste winery’.
Over the years, it has grown literally from Gao family’s house in Ningxia to now one of the most internationally acclaimed Chinese wineries.
Its 2009 vintage of Emma’s Reserve, its top cuvée made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with limited production of 2,000 bottles, is still the highest rated Chinese wine by Jancis Robinson MW, scoring 17 points out of 20.
The winery makes a few ranges of wines, namely Emma’s Reserve, The Summit, Family Reserve and Last Warrior.
Its wines are sold in Hong Kong through Watson’s Wine.
Vino Joy News is committed to bring you the most trustworthy news report on China’s wine industry. We’d like to hear your feedbacks and comments on our stories. You can reach us at [email protected].
You can follow us on Facebook @VinoJoyNews and WeChat on 悦聊酒VinoJoyNews. | {
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Blockchain technology is nothing new and it will become more prevalent as time goes on. To some, it is the future, and to others, it’s a nuisance; either way blockchain technology is here and is making an impact on the world as we know it. The tech can be utilized in a variety of ways, from currency to contracts, and everyone from large financial institutions, to the average person, is learning how to use it.
In layman’s terms, blockchain is a string of shared data that contains verified historical record in chronological order to prevent alteration. It is almost completely tamperproof and because of this, it’s being used to secure information in almost all aspects of life. Blockchain is the tool that will enable solutions to many problems that plague society today. It is becoming one of the most tested technologies among financial institutions, as well as many others. The research and development taking place is allowing it to be implemented at an exponential rate.
Plant a tree in the forest and soon that tree becomes just as much a part of the forest as any other. All of the roots begin to interconnect and share their past knowledge, spreading their resources far and wide to help the forest grow as a whole. We are the seedlings and that forest is HyperionX.
We look to spread our roots all across the globe, sharing the platform with anyone who wants to grow with us. Each node added onto our customized blockchain is like a new Tree growing in our forest. The more nodes we have, the more security there will be. Tree Token will power the platform and soon the users will control the ecosystem that they inhabit.
Hyperion’s goal is to connect people and businesses from all around the globe and build a strong community of like-minded individuals. We aim to develop a platform where the community can grow and exist in a decentralized, transparent, self-sufficient ecosystem. We want users from all across the world to be able to connect, network, share, trade and grow in an environment that can be utilized by people of all technical skill levels. The consensus of the community will determine all decisions to prove the power of true decentralization. As the community grows so will the strength of the blockchain. We wish for people to have the freedom that they deserve, to do as they please and, with this project, we believe that it can be done. We want users to earn rewards on our platform for simply participating, while also giving the opportunity to expand their businesses. This is a project built for the people, by the people.
HyperionX offers real-world solutions to real-world problems by supporting what blockchain stands for: decentralization, transparency and adaptability.
To learn more about us, go to our website at https://www.hyperionx.org/. | {
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Episode 65 (Recorded on April 5)
DISCORD LINK: https://discord.gg/XKY2aYj
Empyreal Articles:
https://www.level99games.com/blog/2018/4/11/empyreal-spells-steam-specialist-preview
https://www.level99games.com/blog/2018/4/4/empyreal-spells-steam-engine-preview
"ZA WARUDO!"
Secret Actors What We've Been Doing: Empyreal and Magic Taverns Pipeline: More Empyreal! Your questions answered and our news delivered
This blog supports an RSS Feed which you can add to your podcast app of choice to automatically get each episode as it releases! Here's a link to the feed!
Music provided by Wesley Slover | {
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It's hard for me to remember that there was a time when I thought I would never be able to say "I follow divine guidance", and it was just about 4 days ago.
It's difficult to imagine my days, and nights, without that still small voice around. I can't qualify what I get as "hearing" something. For the same reasons I can't qualify as seeing things other people don't see, because I don't "see" things in the same way I see the physical things we all see. It's similar to seeing and hearing things because what I receive are words and pictures in the broadest sense, but it's just different. It's like.... It's like an idea but it comes in differently. It doesn't show up like you thought about it. It shows up like you have an inbox and you read it more as a feeling than an external sense, it's more like you just understand it.
It's not pushy, unless that's what you need or ask for. It isn't ever mean or trying to invoke fear. Ever. It just shows up. It's also pretty easy to ignore if you're trying. A lot of people do. I did. Still do sometimes, but I'm getting farther from that lifestyle. I'm always trying to find ways to listen more.
I didn't used to. I used to drown it out. The extra sense used to scare me, by no fault of it's own. I got scared of what would happen as a consequence of following guidance, I didn't want to be weird in that way, I didn't want anyone knowing I wasn't cool.
Cool kids didn't follow God and try to be good. Doing good (which is what divine guidance insists you be) is cool in a long term, genuine, and if we're being truly fair kind of way, but being cool as a young person is none of those things. At least, I was afraid that it wasn't. I certainly wasn't. I only listened to that still small voice in those days when I needed it's protection or it was saying what I wanted to hear.
I've grown up now and I finally went ahead and said, 30 is the year they learn just how weird I am! I'm going to be Good!
Then I waited until I was a few months into 31 and I wrote this.
The reality is though, I'm not weird at all. If anything, feeling and almost kinda like seeing and hearing things from an outside divine source is nothing strange. It's been extremely common since the dawn of man. However you believe that dawn happened, when it did it was also the dawn of the divine guidance. I am not the first nor the last to attempt to argue with God in my head like "Nah, they don't need my help, they would probably just get offended by my offer." and I'm not the last to stop arguing and just do it, and watch love, kindness, and grace happen as if it was just me being me.
But it isn't just me being me. Well, it kind of is, but it isn't my idea. The part that was my idea was the to listen to my prompt and go "Ok, fine" part, and do what I was supposed to do. But, the actual meat of the thing comes from something much wiser.
Whether you call this omnipresence God, or The Universe, or The Source, or Purplemonkeydishwasher, it's the same. It is not dependent on language, or language restrictions. It's been called "having a conscience" and that seems like a logical way to label it but I think that's like feeling the baby kick and having a doctor tell you it's just gas, you know it isn't just gas even though for a lot of people it may have been. It's not the same as "hearing voices" either, I think that parallel is drawn to make it easy to dismiss. Even though Joan of Arc famously called her divine guidance her "voices", she heard them and saw them externally, as well as having internal guidance, so the name makes sense.
There is a lot of money to be made by having guidance. So many people identify with the experience others describe and the advice they translate from the guidance. From psychics, to gurus, to empaths, to angel healers. It's a beautiful community. But, because there is a lot of money, there is a lot of fraud. It's easy to write off as fake because some people have been. It's also convenient to write off, or reserve hesitancy to some degree, because if you truly believe in omnipresence and interconnectedness while you forget to have faith and trust, and you continue to hold onto to fear and anxiety, you're bound to have a breakdown, or any level of freak out.It's more convenient to dismiss the idea all together.
But, if you remember all the essential stuff, to keep faith and trust, it balances out. That's where peace and harmony happen. That's the sweet spot where it all starts coming together. That's when you start really having fun. And that's when I started considering this whole "Let's tell people!" prompt I kept getting. It sounded too scary before.
Let's tell them, it's ok. Let's tell them if they have a "voice" telling them to be kind, soft hearted, compassionate, and understanding, it's more than ok and completely "normal". If you feel like you need to drown out that voice to try to fit into whatever image or type you think they (whoever they are) want, I totally get it. But, don't.
Being "cool" isn't what you think it is, no matter what age you are. Being cool is having people say they don't how they could do it without you, being cool is giving someone hope that maybe the whole world isn't a bunch of lying jerks. Trust love, have faith in kindness, provide hope (even if it's just bringing coffee for a struggling coworker), and seek that still small voice you may be trying to ignore, that one that keeps trying to get you to do the right thing even when all your logical judgment and attempt at foresight tell you it's in vain.
Sometimes guidance can feel terrifying, I won't lie. Being guided to do the right thing is hard, we worry how it will be received. But, that starts to go away. Each day I gain more confidence, when I thought I was already confident enough, in the guidance I receive. Each day I follow more and more of it without trying to talk myself out of it. I still mess up daily, getting in my own way, but it's getting easier. There is no way to sound normal in conversation when you have to stop and go "Hold on, there's a woman God is saying I need to help one table over, will you excuse me?" so most of us just do it and say nothing.
When I was 18, I was driving along and my tire popped. I pulled into a gas station and a very unassuming middle aged man stood well back from my window and asked if I had a spare. I popped the trunk and he told me to just stay in my car. He changed my tire and safely put the new one on and when he was done he let me know that he had been a mechanic and it would get me around but I would need a new full size tire. I thanked him and offered to give him the $20 I had on me, he said "You keep it. My momma always told me God put us here to help each other, so that's what I do." That stuck with me. Could it have ended badly? Sure. But, it didn't and a good man made sure he took care of his fellow human. And when we take the opportunity to help someone, it takes the opportunity to take advantage of them in their moment of need away from someone who may. It's like a side effect of following God's guidance.
There is other guidance out there, it's easy enough to tell the difference though. There are people with sad motivations, there are voices people hear that guide them in harming and hurting, those are not the same thing, nor are they equal in anyway. I choose to ignore those would be guides and opt to align myself with love and kindness, peace and joy. I listen to that still small voice. | {
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she wanted some space and time So i gave her a coffin and eternity
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PM Modi will host journalists over tea today in the national capital
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting journalists over tea in the national capital in what is his first formal outreach to the media.The 'Deepawali Milan', as the event is being called, is being held at 9, Ashoka Road, adjoining the BJP headquarters. Nearly 400 invites had been sent out for the event which is also being attended by BJP president Amit Shah, cabinet ministers and senior party leaders.The function comes just a day ahead of the Prime Minister's tea party for allies, an event much talked about for a possible grand reunion between the ruling BJP and the Shiv Sena even though the former allies are taking tentative steps towards reviving their partnership to take power in Maharashtra.Invitations have been sent out to all MPs of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the Sena. Sources say Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is not likely to be present and Anant Geete, the only Sena minister in the central government, will lead the party delegation.The BJP ended its 25-year partnership with the Sena last month, just before the Maharashtra polls, after intense bickering over seat-sharing. The two remain allies at the central level.
The BJP won the most number of seats in the polls but needs 22 more for a majority. The Sena would have been a natural choice to fill the gap, but Sharad Pawar's NCP has complicated matters by offering unconditional support to the BJP. The BJP has not rejected that offer and its leaders have said the Sena must accept that it is not in a position to bargain.The BJP appears to have resolved its other problem in Maharashtra; a possible row over the chief minister's post between two of its most prominent state leaders - union minister Nitin Gadkari and state party chief Devendra Fadnavis - has been resolved with a "Diwali Milan" between the two. Mr Gadkari on Thursday repeated that he is not in the race for chief minister and does not want to return to state politics. | {
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Casey Kasem Made Shaggy From Scooby-Doo Go Vegetarian!
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The current article you are reading does not reflect the views of the current editors and contributors of the new Ecorazzi
There probably isn’t a person out there that hasn’t spied a Scooby-Doo cartoon in their lifetime. Alright, that’s a bit of a reach — but I can clearly remember watching it while growing up in the 80s; which isn’t bad for a cartoon that debuted on September 13, 1969.
Anyways, we’re probably all familiar with the character Shaggy Rogers — the goofy, cowardly slacker that’s constantly-hungry, along with his partner-in-crime Scooby-Doo. What you might not know is that Shaggy was originally voice by none other than legendary radio host Casey Kasem — something he continued doing for a staggering twenty-eight years!
After Kasem went vegetarian, he lobbied Hanna-Barbera to change Shaggy’s diet to reflect this. Apparently, those efforts were unsuccessful and Kasem left in 1995 after he was asked to perform the voice for a Burger King Kids’ Club commercial. Flash-forward to 2002 and Casey was brought back to the world of Scooby-Doo after producers agreed Shaggy would become a strict vegetarian. Now you know why “Scooby Snacks” are plant-based!
With Kasem retiring this past July 4th after thirty-nine years of counting down the hits on his American Top 40 program, we thought it fitting to salute the man for giving us so many laughs as kids, tunes to groove to, and for promoting the veg scene. Kasem once said, “What’s terrific today is the idea that as a vegetarian you are not only making a contribution to the animals, but also to your health and the safety of the planet.”
Good luck, Casey!
via VegetarianStar | {
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North Melbourne has secured another one of its impressive youngsters with Ryan Bastinac signing until at least the end of the 2017 season.
The 22-year-old says there is nowhere else he would rather be than Arden Street.
"There was never any doubt in my mind (about re-signing). I've always wanted to be a one club player, that's been my goal ever since I first got drafted, so I'll be here for a long time hopefully," Bastinac told NMFC.com.au.
"I'm very excited. It's been a pretty tough year, but to sign for three years at a great club with great team-mates, I'm really rapt.
"North is home for me, coming into the club every day to hang out with all your mates, it can't get much better than that."
Bastinac has had some challenges in 2014. Struggling to find form, he has worn the sub vest in North's past two matches.
"It's been really hard, I'd never been the sub before but it was just something I had to deal with. It's a team game and I had to play that role for those two weeks. No one likes to be the sub but someone's got to do it. It was really challenging but I think it's been better for me to go through something like that."
The midfielder has taken the role in his stride, concentrating on the positives.
"I've started on the bench a few times anyway in a normal game and you're still in the zone, you know you're going to come on in a couple of minutes. But when you're the sub, you can actually watch the game properly and you almost feel like a supporter, you're watching everything unfold from the sidelines. You never know when you're going to come on as a sub and when you do you want to come on have a significant impact."
Despite the ups and downs of the season so far, Bastinac remains confident in his ability to return to his best. Against the Cats, he was brilliant with 15 possessions and two goals in a little more than a quarter of game-time.
"Hopefully the weekend against Geelong kick-started my season off again because I haven't been happy with how I've been going this year, so to get some confidence out of my second half against the Cats, I was really happy and hopefully I can finish the rest of the year off well," Bastinac said.
"I want to be an elite midfielder, an elite player for the club and do my best for the team. Whatever they want me to do I'll do it. I've got really close people around me who support me all the way so when times get tough, like it has for some parts of this year you've always got the backing of them and the support to get through anything."
Individual form aside, Bastinac is focused on the team's improvement.
"I think it's just been our starts in games that have really hurt us. When the opposition get four of five goals in front, it's hard to come back and win from that, we've made it pretty hard for ourselves. But I know with the boys we've got we can match it with anyone and we're going to be good. It's about bridging the gap between out bad performances and our good performances. "
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punjab
Updated: Mar 17, 2017 21:33 IST
In a bid to avoid closure of liquor vends in the city in the wake of the Supreme Court order, the UT administration has amended its earlier notification and declared the state highways as ‘major district roads’.
As per a notification issued nearly 20 years ago, all major roads in the city were state highways and fell within the ambit of the SC judgment. The court had directed all states and union territories to close liquor vends on all national and state highways.
The administration also made it clear that no liquor vends will be allowed 500 metres from either side of the Madhya Marg and the Dakshin Marg. While the Madhya Marg passes through Sectors 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 26, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 27 and 28, the Daskhin Marg runs through Sectors 38, 37, 36, 35, 34, 49, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55 and 54. Also roads passing through 43, 42, 22, 21 and 20 will have no vends.
Nearly 20 liquor vends may have to be shifted from these sectors to other places.
The UT administration had constituted a four-member committee to review the classification of roads. The committee comprising UT chief engineer Mukesh Anand, chief architect Kapil Setia, MC chief engineer NP Sharma and assistant excise and taxation commissioner Rakesh Popli gave a green signal to de-notify these roads and later the report was also endorsed by the district attorney (DA) Legal.
Sources in the UT administration said that UT is now mulling to reframe the norms governing the district highways. The roads in Chandigarh have been classified into seven categories from V1 to V7. V1 is a fast road connecting the city with other towns), V2 is arterial road, V3 is a fast vehicular sector dividing road, V4 is a meandering shopping street, V5 is a sector circulation road,V6 is an access road to houses and V7 is a footpath and cycle track.
Petitioner to take up matter in SC
The petitioner in the case, Harman Sidhu of NGO ArriveSAFE, said, “Chandigarh has set an example as how to defeat the apex court’s order. Now, the same example will be followed by other states also. I will take up the matter in the Supreme Court during the next hearing on March 20.” | {
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This version is a big step forward for the project. The version v0.3 allows you to plug any kind of tracers (e.g: Valgrind, Qemu, Pin, DynamoRIO, ...), allows you to simplify your symbolic expressions, to perform symbolic optimizations, to perform online or offline analysis, the libTriton is now available for OSX, Linux and Windows (without pintool), there is a new C++ and Python API and many more... Below, the short list of the main features added.
Externalize analysis from pintool (see #226)
libTriton available for OSX, Linux and Windows (without the pintool)
Tracer independent (see doc)
SMT Simplification Passes (see doc)
New semantics format (see source)
Offline / Online analysis
Symbolic Optimizations (see doc)
New C++ and Python API
Switch to Capstone for a multi-arch design
Semantics bug fix
Engines bug fix
For this version, we have pushed 272 commits and closed 84 issues since the v0.1. Several efforts have been done around the execution speed and the RAM management. Then, a big step forward has been done on the semantics manipulation. To be short, below is the list of the main features added.
32-bits support
Semantics representation as AST
Eval SMT expressions
Generate several models
Create and modify your own AST
Speed up execution
Blacklist and whitelist of jited images
Less RAM consumption
Engines improved
Semantics added
Bugs fixed
Code coverage tool
Basically, this first version contains: | {
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Photo : AP
After a nine-week strike, thousands of Mariott Hotel workers in San Francisco won a contract with significant wage increases and better benefits. How did they do this? Strike. Strikes work.
Strikes Work The Chicago teacher's strike is over. It worked. The Verizon strike is over. It worked. Strikes Read more
In Chicago, hundreds of teachers have gone on strike, seeking not only better salaries for themselves but better funding for their schools. Of course, we cannot predict what the final outcome of their strikes will be. But we can note that 2018 has seen statewide teachers strikes spanning America from Arizona to West Virginia, and the vast majority of them have already resulted in better pay and working conditions for those teachers. Why? Because strikes work.
Any employer, public or private, needs employees to do the work. If they did not need employees doing the work to make the place run, they would not have employees. If the employees refuse to work, the employer has a significant problem: the factory or store or restaurant or office or school or other enterprise is no longer operating. They may threaten or cajole or beg or scream, but after they have exhausted themselves with that, they will have to negotiate. An employer is nothing without employees. That is why strikes work.
A strike is a big deal. It is a last resort. It is a lot of work. It is a lot of stress. But when it is over, you will probably be better off than you were before. Because the bosses and the owners need all of you even more than you need them. If you have serious problems at work, unionize. And then, if you still have serious problems, consider a strike. They work.
Burning shit and smashing things in the street can work too. Strikes are the nice option :) | {
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Haenry and Ozon proudly present the Weekly Puzzle Challenge!
We will present you a fresh puzzle every week. You need to solve it and upload your best replay. But how is this possible? There is no puzzle mode in Maniaplanet? Noooope chuck testa! TGYoshi did the 1010101 and created a fully working puzzle mode for Maniaplanet. Thanks a lot!
How to play a puzzle?
Download the puzzle maptype and put it into myDocuments/Maniaplanet/Scripts/MapTypes/TrackMania/
and put it into Unpack the zip file so that you have …/ Trackmania/Puzzle.Script.txt
Download the map from MX
Open the map with the editor in the Trackmania2 Title .
. Solve the puzzle.
Upload your best replay to the map on Maniaexchange.
What to win?
1st place: 10 points
2nd place: 7 points
3rd place: 5 points
4th place: 4 points
every other place: 3 points
Week 1
You can now watch the replays of week 1. Enjoy!
WPC – THIS MAP IS FINISHED 😮
Deadline Sunday 6, 23:59CET
Week 2
You can now watch the replays of week 2. Enjoy!
WPC – Boosters are op
Deadline Sunday 13, 23:00 CET
Week 3
WPC – The Number Two | {
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A former Battle Creek man was sentenced Monday to 31 days already served in the carbon monoxide death of an 11-year-old girl.
Harold Ward, 46, of Marine City, had faced up to 15 years in prison in the March 3, 2017, death of his girlfriend's daughter, Chloe Stevens.
Stevens died after she and Ward and the child's mother, Sandee Confer, formerly of Port Huron, were found unconscious in a commercial building at 784 W. Michigan Ave. in Springfield, where they were living.
Calhoun County Sheriff Department detectives said the building, where Ward had an upholstery business, did not have electric service and Ward was running a gas-powered generator inside the building to power a kerosene heater. He had fashioned a small apartment in the back of the building.
All three were overcome with carbon monoxide and critically injured.
Ward was charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse but on Sept. 27, in an agreement with prosecutors, he entered a no contest plea to child abuse in the fourth-degree with a sentence agreement of his 31 days already served in jail.
"When he was originally charged it seemed clear that what he did was dangerous and grossly negligent," Prosecutor David Gilbert said Monday afternoon. "He was not aware it was grossly negligent, no matter how aware we are.
"It might explain why we do commercials about not doing things like this.
"When he was charged, the thinking was that a reasonable person might not have done something like that because it could quite possibly kill everyone," Gilbert said. "In the end it turned out he may not have known it would be the result and that is the reason for the plea bargain. Based on the initial evaluation, everyone should know it is dangerous but not everyone does know that."
Ward did not speak at the sentencing but his attorney, John Vincent said, "the family has gone through more than enough with this terrible tragedy."
Vincent had said at an earlier hearing last year that Ward had borrowed the generator and hadn't operated it before.
"If he knew what he was doing he would not have put himself at risk and everyone else," Vincent said then.
"This is sad," Circuit Judge John Hallacy said. "There is nothing this court can do that will bring her back for anybody. It is a shame that it happened.
"But the criminal culpability and nature and severity of that culpability and the sentence the court could impose, I believe that the agreement is appropriate given your background and mental health history and limitations. Along with what happened in this particular case, there is nothing the court could do that would serve justice in this matter."
More:Man ordered to trial in child's carbon monoxide death
More:Albion man facing charge of sexually assaulting 16-year-old girl
Contract Trace Christenson at 269-966-0685 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter:@TSChristenson | {
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: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable inon line
Legends of Eisenwald is a tactical RPG from Belarusian developer Aterdux Entertainment. It borrows heavily from classic tactical strategy franchises like Heroes of Might and Magic and Disciples, but takes a rather unique approach to the genre nonetheless. After spending a few dozen hours with the game, I’m ready to pass judgement – let’s get started with this Legends of Eisenwald review!
A Brief History of Historical Combat
There are many similar tactical combat, fantasy RPG games – besides the two I mentioned above, there’s also games like King’s Bounty and Age of Wonders to consider. If you’ve never played any of these games before, I’ll give you a quick rundown.
Generally, these games are split into two major parts. In the first part, you explore a world map, with towns, castles, and other interesting structures and armies scattered around it. Here, you spend your time going from place to place, undertaking quests, and building an army. When your army comes into conflict with enemy troops, the game switches to a close-up combat view to resolve the engagement. Here, you give commands to your individual soldiers and have them duke it out on a tactical grid until one army emerges victorious.
Eisenwald’s Approach
What does Legends of Eisenwald do differently? Well, for one, the fantasy setting is a bit more down-to-earth, with medieval Germany providing the backdrop. Gone are elves, dwarves, dragons, and so forth. There’s still magic of a sort, although it’s called “spiritual power” here. There are also various enchanted weapons and accessories and so forth.
It’s all more of a “legends come to life” situation than a “enter a whole-cloth fantasy world” affair. Honestly, with the number of games trying to create entire languages, religions, races, and so forth, it’s kind of refreshing to not have to re-learn everything in order to understand the plot of Legends of Eisenwald.
I found myself interested in the plot and its various twists and turns. There are a fair number of interesting characters, and some of the developments caught me by surprise. Side quests and tavern rumors flesh out the minor characters and bring a lot of flavor to the story as well. The titular “legends” are interesting bits of lore, with beautiful artwork to accompany them.
Pro Tip Listen to the gossip in taverns – there are some dialog options that are only unlocked when you’ve heard particular stories.
I was initially worried about the quality of the English translation of the game, since the early help text wasn’t always grammatically correct. However, on the whole it is done well and didn’t distract from my enjoyment of the story.
Combat in Minature
Another major change from most other similar games is the scope of Legends of Eisenwald’s combat. Most tactical RPGs have large grids, and many support giant armies clashing swords at the same time. This can give a game a really epic feel to its combat, but it comes at the expense of a lot of complexity. There’s complexity in setting up and properly balancing/leveling your army, and the complexity of the combat itself can make engagements drag on.
Legends of Eisenwald opts instead for a much smaller maximum army size, and a much smaller tactical grid. Soldiers are set up in a triangle formation, with the widest row being your front-line infantry, followed by your archers, and then by your support troops. Your “army triangle” faces off against the enemy “army triangle” with only a couple of hexes separating them from the start.
Pro Tip You can rearrange these lines if you want to, but in general this pattern works well. You might put a melee soldier on the second line if they have low HP or defense, for example. This allows them to flank a bit, and stay protected on their first turn.
Melee troops can only attack the closest enemy to them, although they can pick between multiple targets if the distances are the same. There is no movement without attacking, so archers and support units are generally well protected, as they’re rarely the closest target while melee troops survive.
This all sounds like the sort of thing that would yield combat that is less interesting, but I found it very freeing. More complexity doesn’t always mean that the options you’re choosing between are interesting. Instead of wasting time at the start of every battle bringing your troops into position, you can get right down to the actual meat of combat.
Combat proceeds quickly as well, which keeps it from becoming a chore. There’s an auto-resolve option that you can choose at any time during a battle, so if you’ve got the enemy on the ropes, you can just hit the “Fast Combat” button to wrap up the battle, get your spoils, and move on to the next fight.
Pro Tip The automatic combat is surprisingly fair – don’t be afraid to use it!
Eisenwhaaat?
Legends of Eisenwald is a marathon of a game, and will easily devour dozens of hours of your gaming time. When a game is this long, though, there are often little nagging elements that get on your nerves as the hours wear on.
Movement on the world map is kind of a pain. You have to click on your destination to move there, and clicking again stops you. However, you can’t pan the camera at all, so getting to a distant destination can yield a painful series of clicks. The world map also doesn’t always show paths that obviously, so trying to get to certain remote areas can be a frustrating trial and error process.
On the world map, time is stopped whenever your army is stopped, unless you click a button to let time flow. Remembering the state of this toggle and messing with it while the game is throwing various objectives at you can sometimes be problematic.
The tracking of side quests also needs improvement. Sometimes the next objective is vague, or the destination is unclear and there’s no waypoint to assist you in understanding the directions. Occasionally, I’ve gotten an obviously old waypoint for a quest, when I know that’s not the next destination. In one serious case, I wasn’t able to advance the main plot despite doing what the journal said was required. I had to open the scenario file and try to figure out what I was missing before the next stage of the quest would trigger.
The main campaign of the game is broken up into chapters, and at chapter breaks a large amount of your stuff disappears. Soldiers and their equipment are often lost, spare gear is taken, etc. I can understand that having your power level carry over between chapters might yield significant balance problems, but still it’s kind of sad to see the soldiers you invested hours in reset because the plot advanced and we had to move to a new area.
Pro Tip Your hero’s gear carries over, so it generally makes sense to give them all the best stuff you find, as that way you’ll never lose it.
It’s possible to garrison troops in castles and other fortifications for defense. However, if an enemy attacks, you have no control over the engagement. If your army loses, those soldiers are gone forever, including any gear they had. Thus, playing defensively seems like a very risky move. I tended to secure castles and then leave them undefended, and instead fight the enemy army while it was on the move.
There are a lot of things the game doesn’t quite adequately explain. Upon encountering new features for the first time, a popup appears, but the only way to get back to these tutorials is from the main menu.
Upgrading your troops is needlessly opaque as well. There are upgrade different tracks for the various troop types, but there’s no telling what the benefits of each different troop type are. The best you can do is a small popup that gives some limited information.
There are also a few bugs here and there – I had around 5 crashes to desktop while playing, although it was probably 1 crash every 3 or 4 hours at the most. Autosaves are frequent, so I never lost much progress. Still, it’s not what you want to see from a finished product.
Legends of Eisenwald Links: Homepage, Steam Release: 7/2/2015 Rating: - Good Our Thoughts: Legends of Eisenwald is a compelling game, despite its flaws. It manages to simplify and take the grind out of battles, while still feeling epic in its storytelling. It’s big in the areas where scale means fun, and streamlined in the areas where many other games lose steam. It has several issues that hold it back, although hopefully post-launch support will iron most of these out.
Review Policy | {
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WEST FARGO - Pierre Freeman has a whole kit of gadgets he uses to inspect the cleanliness of area restaurants.
But perhaps the most important tool is his ability to detect when managers or employees are serving him a heaping helping of baloney.
“You kind of get a feel for some people that they may not be fully honest, or they may not even know, and they may be nervous,” said Freeman, who’s been an environmental health practitioner with Fargo Cass Public Health since November but has prior experience working in law enforcement.
“So you have to kind of gauge that,” he said, “and that’s getting to know that person and getting to know those managers very well. It really is an act of people observation.”
In Cass County, 194 of 627 food service establishments had at least one critical violation during health inspections from June 10, 2013, through June 24 of this year, according to data requested by The Forum.
In Moorhead, Dilworth and Glyndon, 76 of 143 establishments had at least one critical violation over that same time span.
Critical violations are usually related to items that could cause foodborne illness and may stem from problems with food temperature, washing hands or keeping food preparation equipment and surfaces clean.
Restaurant Inspections 2013-2014
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Core violations are less serious and usually relate to general sanitation and facility maintenance issues, such as dirty floors or improper lighting. Clay County reports refer to core violations as “noncritical.”
In Cass County, 394 of 627 eateries had at least one core violation, and 206 establishments had no violations at all.
In Moorhead, Dilworth and Glyndon, 132 of 144 had at least one noncritical violation, and 10 establishments had no violations.
Health officials and restaurant owners in both counties said the image of health inspectors has improved over the past few decades.
Whereas they were seen as “stiff regulators” before, now they try to be educators, said Michelle Zins, an environmental health practitioner for Fargo Cass Public Health.
“We don’t want to walk into a place and people get scared,” Zins said. “We want to be approachable. We want people to ask us questions instead of doing things that maybe aren’t the right thing but were too scared to come to us to ask.”
Common violations
The most common critical violation in Cass County over the past year was related to properly date-marking food and/or keeping potentially hazardous food at a proper temperature. Eateries were dinged 181 times for that violation, some multiple times over multiple inspections.
In Clay County, the violation was issued 43 times over the past year.
Any food prepared in the kitchen has to be used within seven days, Zins said. A restaurant can be flagged for that if just one item of food doesn’t have a date label on it, which is why the violation happens so often, she said.
“It’s not that they’re not treating their food appropriately, it’s just that there could be a container of coleslaw not date-marked, or something like that,” she said.
Potentially hazardous food also has to be kept either above 135 degrees or below 41 degrees. It can only be out of that temperature range for a maximum of four hours before it has to be thrown away.
The second-most common critical violation in Cass County was dirty food contact surfaces, like a prep table, can opener blade or meat slicer. That violation was cited 72 times over the past year in Cass County and 50 times in Clay County.
O’Leary’s Pub, 808 30th Ave. S., Moorhead, had the most critical and core violations of any restaurant in Clay or Cass counties, with 13 critical and 43 core violations over three inspections. The critical marks included several dings for not date-marking food and dirty food contact surfaces.
Jonathan Sands, a kitchen manager at O’Leary’s, said new owners took over the pub in January, and he acknowledged that “there were definitely issues” before he was hired in March.
“I think these issues have been resolved, and we’re only going to go up,” Sands said.
The pub was cited with six critical violations after a March 11 inspection. A return inspection was conducted 10 days later, during which the critical violations dropped to two.
“We’re really just trying to change our name here,” Sands said.
Casey’s General Store at 2002 25th St. S., Fargo, had four critical violations in one inspection, the highest ratio of critical dings per inspection in Cass County.
Brian Johnson, vice president of finance and corporate secretary for Casey’s, pointed out that the inspection took place on June 3, about two weeks after Casey’s took over the local Stop-N-Go stores.
Data shows that the Stop-N-Go store at that location was inspected on Nov. 22, and was flagged for two critical and two core violations.
Johnson said the next round of inspections will go “quite well” after Casey’s has had time to fully implement its policies and procedures in the former Stop-N-Go sites.
“All the issues have been addressed,” Johnson said. “Quite honestly, Casey’s prides itself on our history of cleanliness.”
Babb’s Coffee House, 604 Main Ave., Fargo, was second worst in Cass, with seven critical violations over two inspections, or a ratio of 3.5 per inspection. Babb’s also had the most critical violations of any other restaurant in the county over the past year. The coffee shop was flagged for violations such as not date-marking foods, improper hand-washing and keeping food contact surfaces clean. Joel Onsurez, a manager at Babb’s, said they teach proper cleaning policies, but it’s difficult to maintain when you have high turnover.
“The food itself is fine,” he said. “It’s just a matter of educating employees on protocol. But, again, by the time you get them educated, they quit, so you start all over again.”
In Moorhead, Sunset Lanes, 620 Highway 75 N., had six critical violations in one inspection, tied for the worst ratio in Clay County. The dings included not properly date-marking food, not cleaning the inside of the ice machine and not having a designated hand sink near the food prep area.
Owner Mike Emerson said Sunset Lanes wasn’t in the best condition when he bought it three years ago. He spent about $20,000 last year upgrading the kitchen.
He said a new hand sink will be installed soon and that the ice machine is professionally cleaned every six months, but he said sweeping renovations to an old building can be expensive.
“What we’re trying to do is obey the law but also try to just keep a mom-and-pop type business open,” he said. “That’s where we’re struggling.”
Crave Burger Co., 2501 8th St. S., Moorhead, also had six critical violations in one inspection. The eatery was dinged for not having a certified food manager on staff, not labeling spray bottles with their contents and for not having a proper sanitizing dispenser in the kitchen’s three-compartment sink, among other things.
Troy Thomson, who owns Crave, Extreme Pita and 9 Iron Bar and Grill, said some of the problems extended from when the building was remodeled from an Extreme Pita into Crave last year. The burger joint opened last Aug. 5 and the inspection occurred Aug. 9.
After the inspection, Ecolab fixed the sink, sanitizer and spray bottles, and the restaurant has a certified manager now, Thomson said.
“We don’t prepare for health inspections, per se, just because, for one, we never know when they are,” he said. “We want to try to practice food safety all the time.”
Power of observation
By state law, Fargo Cass Public Health must inspect each food service license holder once a year, but as an unwritten rule, inspectors try to visit at least twice a year.
Minnesota’s inspection requirements vary depending on the type of eatery, but Clay County tries to inspect every place once a year, said Bruce Jaster, the county’s director for environmental health.
In a recent mock inspection of Sandy’s Donuts in West Fargo, inspector Freeman stood near the front counter to make sure all the workers had their hair covered. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his own white hairnet.
First stop on the inspection is the hand-washing sink. Freeman cranked on the hot water and pumped soap into his palm.
“If I’m not washing my hands, how can I expect them?” he said. As he dried his hands, he again quietly observed employees.
Inspections for a smaller kitchen like Sandy’s might take 45 minutes to an hour, so inspectors only get a snapshot of how the business operates.
“Use every moment you get to observe everything you can,” Freeman said.
With his experience in law enforcement, Freeman said he likes to start in one place and eventually make a circle back to where he started. As he goes along, he uses a thermometer to probe meats and soups, and small slips of test paper to check the strength of sanitizer.
It would be impossible to scan every inch of a kitchen, so Freeman looks for what he calls “indicators,” or clues that staff might not be keeping up with cleanliness.
At Sandy’s, he used a small, silver flashlight to illuminate the floor tiles in the corner of the kitchen and hidden under shelving. They were spotless, which means the staff likely does a good job cleaning the entire floor, not just visible areas, he said.
Most inspections are unannounced, so Freeman acknowledges that he might walk into an eatery right after lunch rush, which means the floor may be dirty or some items disheveled.
That’s why he brings the store manager with him during inspections so he can ask questions and make sure proper cleaning policies are in place.
“It’s inevitable,” he said of dirty floors. “After I cook, I’ve got stuff on my floor. But we all clean at a certain point, and that’s going back to the policies that they have in place.”
A huge part of the job is building good working relationships with managers and owners. A sour relationship, he said, means managers are less likely to listen and learn.
After he’s done in the kitchen, Freeman heads to the lobby and whips out a laptop to type up a report. He likes to leave positive notes, a lesson he learned from being a father.
“My kids will never learn to do good things unless I praise them on the good things,” he said. “Positive reinforcement and positive feedback will go 10 times further than negative slamming.”
There are cases when managers won’t listen, and steps have to be taken to temporarily close a restaurant if the public’s health is at risk. Jaster said he can only recall one Clay County restaurant in his 27 years with the county that was shut down for health reasons.
Zins could also only think of one time that it’s happened in Cass County. Inspectors suspended the food license of the Grand Buffet last year, and it never reopened, she said.
“When we have to be the enforcer, we will,” Jaster said. “But we’re out there to try and assist these people and make them understand what they’re doing has an effect on a lot of people.”
Mark Ostlund, who’s owned Sandy’s Donuts for almost 31 years, said he agrees with that. He said there’s no “mad rush” to start scrubbing when an inspector walks through the door.
“He’s not here to catch us. That’s not his intent,” Ostlund said. “He’s here to train us to do it right.”
Alternate way to see how area restaurants fared on their inspections | {
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The Season 7 Rocket League World Championship was historical in a lot of ways, but one of the most important changes was the addition of South America. From the inaugural season of the Grand Series to their first-ever appearance at the World Championship, the last few months have been full of memories for the South American region.
We caught up with Enzo "Tander" Toledo and Matheus "Matix" Rodrigues of teams INTZ e-Sports and Lowkey Esports to talk about what it's been like to represent their region in the Grand Series and the World Championship.
New Horizons
After years of community-organized tournaments and a do-it-yourself approach, the South American region finally got their chance at World Championship qualification in Season 7 of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS). The official South American path to the World Championship would run through the Grand Series, a brand new league set up to give the region their first-ever shot at playing with the biggest and best teams on the planet.
For Matix, it gave him the motivation to continue growing and building his skill set in Rocket League. "I was very excited about the opportunity to finally compete for the World Championship," he says. "It motivated us to keep training." Meanwhile, Tander felt the pressure to perform every match because he realized that the stakes were higher than they'd ever been before. A trip to New Jersey and a chance to be one of the first South American representatives to grace the World Championship stage made him strive even harder for greatness. "We knew how much this meant for us, every match was extremely important for our qualification for the World Championship," he says. "Being part of this historic season for our region and being the first South American Champions of the RLCS is something I will never forget."
The teams used Grand Series League Play as an opportunity to learn on the fly and level up their play in preparation for the World Championship. It wasn't a solve-all for any of the teams—they knew they needed international experience as a true litmus test—but it was a huge, positive step towards providing stability and an opportunity for South American teams to play through an entire season of sustained, high-level play.
"I think we all improved a lot during the season, but of course the level of play in South America is lower than that of the best international teams," admits Tander. "I would say we did the best we could in terms of preparation, but we still need some more international experience to reach the level we want for the upcoming seasons, and to truly put up a fight for the world title in the future." When asked about League Play preparing him for the World Championship, Matix says he saw it as a way to augment his game and learn new skills throughout a series. "I think so, especially the games against Lotus, Erodium, and Lowkey that were more hard-fought," he says. "We could always absorb something new and improve."
From the Grand Series to Worlds
Once League Play ended, it was on to the Regional Championship for both Matix and Tander. Their teams met in the Upper Bracket Semifinals where Lowkey Esports took a narrow 4-3 win over INTZ e-Sports, putting Tander one step away from World Championship qualification, while Matix had one more life left in the Lower Bracket.
Lowkey had another hurdle to overcome in the form of South American heavy-hitters, Erodium. In what was a razor-close series, Lowkey prevailed to punch their ticket to the World Championship. For Tander, his initial reaction was pure shock and an unstoppable outpouring of emotion followed by the silence of astonishment. "I just screamed and froze after I scored the overtime goal, while my teammates were screaming," he recalls. "That series against Erodium was definitely the most intense of our careers, so scoring the goal that ended it, prevented the reverse sweep, and took us to Worlds basically left me with no reaction."
Meanwhile, Matix and INTZ e-Sports were tasked with two more series to make the World Championship. In what became the defining underdog story of the Grand Series, Matix and company dispatched Lotus 4-1 and then Erodium in an upset that nobody saw coming. It was the first true Cinderella story in Grand Series history and it couldn't have come at a more meaningful moment. Matix was understandably in disbelief, but once it settled in, he and his family couldn't help but celebrate. "Wow, I did not believe it at first," he says. "When I finally realized it, I celebrated a lot with my family."
Lowkey Esports went on to defeat INTZ e-Sports 4-1 in the Grand Finals to take the first-ever crown of the Grand Series, but the work to get to the World Championship was already done for both sides. With their tickets locked in, both Tander and Matix had time to reflect on what their qualification meant to them.
The moment of qualification is, obviously, a time to celebrate. Yet, it means more than just happiness. It gave both players perspective and validated all that they had given up to put themselves in a situation to succeed. "All my effort was worth it," explains Matix. "All the hours I spent training and trying to see where I was going wrong finally paid off." That's a sentiment that Tander echoes as well. For him, the qualification made all of the years without a clear path to the World Championship worth it. "It was a relief after working so hard even when South America was not part of RLCS. I have played and qualified for many tournaments during my career, but nothing compares to the World Championship," he says. "Being at LAN as the champions of South America on the regions’ debut is the pinnacle of my career so far."
All Eyes on Them
Before they knew it, it was time for Tander and Matix to head to New Jersey for the Season 7 Rocket League World Championship. The gravity of the tournament wasn't lost on them.
"It was a great feeling to be part of the big event that I have been watching for the past three years," says Tander. "Being there and finally meeting all the players, casters, and staff that I got used to seeing from my home made me realize that I was finally part of this." Matix felt the same way, but also cited the electric energy of the crowd as a key component that got him excited. "I found it very exciting. All the atmosphere of competition and all the euphoria of the fans," he explains. "Playing against the players that I always watched was incredible."
They both have played in tournaments and in front of fans before, but never close to the scale that they experienced at the World Championship. When you hit that stage for the first time, it can completely rack your nerves. Being at the center of attention of thousands of fans completely changes the complexion of playing Rocket League. Hitting Flip Resets from home is one thing, but competing on stage is another beast entirely. "[It was] a different feeling, I had never played for so many people," Matix admits. "I did not feel that it affected my performance but I played with a knot in my stomach." Matix wasn't the only one feeling the pressure (and hype). Tander felt like each play was more consequential as a result of being on stage. "Such a big stage full of people makes every decision feel much more important," he says. "It was our first time playing outside of Brazil so I didn’t expect much support, but there were a lot of people there supporting and cheering for us."
If the South Americans were nervous, it didn't show in their performances. While they came up winless this time around, the games never felt out of hand or that they were heavily outmatched. South America's trademark aggressive flair was there, yet it was their lack of experience that sealed their fate. Regardless of the results, South America's first shot at the World Championship left the impression that there's a ton of potential that could be unlocked as the region continues to develop.
"[It was] insane," Matix says. "The competition was at a level that we had never experienced. We tried to adapt as quickly as possible but we still lacked experience." Tander agrees and believes that the pressure is on to take what he learned and turn in an even better performance next time. "Playing at this level was not something we were used to, but I know that now the fans expect us to improve and start winning series at the next international events," explains Tander. "We learned so much about the different playstyles across the regions, and we will definitely take what we learned back to South America to improve our level of play."
On to the Next One
Even though the Season 7 World Championship is in Matix and Tander's rear view mirrors, the effect that it had on them continues to shape how they view and approach Rocket League. For both of them, being at the World Championship proved to them that they are professionals and that they need to approach the game with that in mind. When you hit the World Championship pitch and you're not that far away from taking series off some of the best teams on the planet, it has to be a shock to your system. What seemed like a pipe dream only months ago is a reality, and that reality is that both Matix and Tander are some of the best players the game has to offer. But, this is only the beginning of a long road of incremental improvements that will take them to the next level.
"I feel that everything I had known from the scene and myself as a 'professional' has totally changed," says Matix. For Tander, it proved that a South American career in the game he loves so much might not be out of reach after all. "We realized that we can compete against the top international teams," he says. "As the South American [region] grows with more support from the organizations and the community, there will be many opportunities to have Rocket League as a career in South America."
When it comes down to what truly makes these players tick, one word really seems to be apt: passion. They played purely out of passion before, and now with more support behind them, that passion shows in every touch of the ball and every mechanical flourish they pull off. This isn't where South America's story ends. In fact, we might have just read the introduction to an unwritten novel. Whatever comes next, both Matix and Tander want to prove their worth and make their region proud. It's not every day that the opportunity to become the face of a region comes knocking, but Tander and Matix have seized their chances and are looking to make an even bigger splash in the future.
"We knew our first World Championship would be a tough challenge, but we accepted that challenge and learned as much as we could," says Tander. "Now we will focus on using what we learned and work hard to make sure we become top contenders at international events. We will make South America proud." | {
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Bei DAS! auf dem Roten Sofa erklärt der Schauspieler Oliver Wnuk, warum es ihm wichtig war, seinen eigenen Fernsehfilm in der Heimat zu drehen und warum Komödien viel anstrengender sind als Dramen. mehr | {
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Bradley Quaresma, de 20 anos, natural de Portugal, foi esfaqueado no West Ham Lane Recreation Ground, em Stratford, em Inglaterra.
De acordo com o Evening Standard, o acidente aconteceu na tarde de quinta-feira e os serviços de emergência ainda estiveram no local mas não conseguiram salvar Quaresma.
Testemunhas frisaram que havia famílias acompanhadas por crianças na altura do ataque e que se instalou o pânico no local. “Houve uma grande quantidade de polícias que patrulharam o parque e escoltaram as pessoas para que estas se sentissem em segurança”, explicou um homem que estava no local.
Os amigos do português ficaram em choque e, segundo o mesmo órgão de comunicação, comentaram a situação nas redes sociais, referindo que o jovem será sempre lembrado com um sorriso no rosto, uma pessoa divertida, atrevida e cheia de vida.
Dois adolescentes do sexo masculino acabaram por ser detidos nas proximidades do local do crime. Os suspeitos, com 16 e 17 anos de idade, serão interrogados pelas autoridades.
Recomendados para si | {
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WASHINGTON — In an address billed as an examination of the future of politics, Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin on Wednesday admonished politicians in both parties for debasing political discourse, urging candidates to lift their gaze toward matters of serious policy and to strive for civility.
It was a familiar role for the speaker: He has become something of a Washington scold, deploring desultory campaigns and ill manners. “Looking around at what’s taking place in politics today, it is so easy to get disheartened,” Mr. Ryan told an audience of House interns assembled for the speech. “How many of you find yourself just shaking your head at what you see from both sides of the aisle these days?”
In the most striking part of his speech, Mr. Ryan faulted himself for having referred to the “makers and takers” in society when he was the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 2012.
“As I spent more time listening, and really learning the root causes of poverty, I realized I was wrong,” said Mr. Ryan, who has made attacking poverty a central goal of the House. | {
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By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Comedian and actor Ricky Harris, who had a recurring role on Chris Rock's "Everybody Hates Chris" sitcom and voiced several characters that appeared in hip-hop albums, died Monday. He was 54.
Actor Ricky Harris in 2011 in Long Beach, California. Jerod Harris / Getty Images, file
A cause was not immediately available but Harris' manager, Cindy Ambers, said the comedian suffered a heart attack two years ago, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The son of a preacher, Harris grew up in Long Beach along with childhood friend and rapper Snoop Dogg. The two sang in their church choir.
Harris' first movie role was in the 1993 drama "Poetic Justice," starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur. He was also known for voicing characters that appear in Hip Hop albums, including several by Snoop Dogg.
Snoop Dogg posted a video on Instagram about the death of Harris saying the actor was "my big brother, my homeboy" and a "Long Beach original."
Fellow performers posted condolences on social media.
"Devastated!!! #RIP to the One and Only #RickyHarris," tweeted Cedric the Entertainer.
Devastated!!! #RIP to the One and Only #RickyHarris Always been a super solid dude https://t.co/XPUQqx5sia — CedricTheEntertainer (@CedEntertainer) December 27, 2016
Ice Cube also expressed his condolences.
Damn, we lost Ricky Harris. The world is a little less funny today. RIP homie. pic.twitter.com/5AalZndlx2 — Ice Cube (@icecube) December 27, 2016
Actor and comedian Eddie Griffith weighed in as well.
Rest in Power Brother Ricky. pic.twitter.com/JnXGmX4Z0e — Eddie Griffin (@EddieGriffinCom) December 27, 2016
Harris is survived by his mother, his ex-wife and two daughters. | {
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Ty Dellandrea, the 19-year-old from Ontario, is trying to make a statement that he deserves a chance to stay in the NHL and not return to junior hockey. Riley Tufte, the 21-year-old from Minnesota, is hoping to make the transition from college hockey and get his chance at the NHL level. And Joel Kiviranta, the 23-year-old from Finland, believes he can jump right in at the NHL level and be a key member of the Dallas Stars from opening night.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Maybe the best thing about the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City is the diversity of the players and the opportunity that sits out there for each of them.
[RELATED: Dellandrea not looking ahead in quest to make Stars' roster | Complete tournament coverage]
On Saturday, Kiviranta made a strong argument for his case.
Dallas' prospects lost a 7-4 game to the New York Rangers prospects, but Kiviranta tallied three goals and looked a step ahead of his teammates. That shouldn't be a surprise for a player that helped Finland win a gold medal at the World Championships last spring, but the transition from the European game to the smaller ice of the NHL still is challenging -- and Kiviranta still has to prove a lot to a team that just signed him as an unrestricted free agent in May.
"I thought he showed his experience and his age, and for his second North American game, I thought he advanced pretty well in his play," said Texas Stars coach Derek Laxdal, who is coaching the Stars' prospects.
"We talked about propelling yourself into the Dallas training camp, he's one of those guys who can take these four games and propel himself moving into Dallas. It's a good chance for him to build on the next game Monday."
And that's all that Kiviranta wants. Asked if he hopes to play in the NHL, he simply said, "Of course."
Kiviranta has played five seasons in Finland's top league, so he has been pushed by mature competition for much of his career. He also played nine games in the IIHF World Championship and tallied two goals and one assist. Finland beat a Russian team in the semifinals that included Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Malkin. They beat a Canadian team in the finals that had Mark Stone, Kyle Turris and Sean Couturier.
"That gave me a lot of self-confidence," Kiviranta said. "It was a lot of NHL guys, and I know I can play against them."
Now, it's a matter of making the Stars believe.
Kiviranta signed a two-way deal, so he could either start in the AHL or the NHL. With 11 forward spots pretty much taken, Dallas still has three possible positions waiting for players on the opening night roster. Kiviranta will be in a real battle with players like Dellandrea, Denis Gurianov, Jason Robertson or tryout player Stefan Noesen.
He is expected to be ready and expected to be playing a North American-style game quickly. Kiviranta is a good skater who gets in and out of tight places and moves the puck quickly. He also has a knack for finding the open spots where you can score goals.
"I think his style of play fits into the North American game very well from I've seen in the first two games," Laxdal said. "I think he will fit in a lot quicker than a guy who is more of a puck possession guy, I think he's going to adapt quicker to the North American style."
Laxdal could get a chance to coach Kiviranta in the AHL this year, and there's nothing wrong with that. But the young Finn said there is extra motivation in possibly playing with Esa Lindell, Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen in Dallas. Kiviranta has played with Lindell and Hintz in the past, and said he liked his interactions with them in the Stars dressing room in Frisco before the prospects headed to Michigan.
"Last week when they came, I almost screamed hallelujah," Kiviranta said with a smile. "With Finnish players, I could have communication."
Right now, he's simply speaking the language of hockey.
"This tournament is high octane, guys who can wheel and skate in small spaces, and I think he's adjusted very well," Laxdal said. "Not only that, he's handled the physical play well. He's got everything check-marked to become an NHL player."
Game 3: Dallas Stars (1-1) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (2-0)
Monday, 1 p.m. CT
Where: Centre ICE Arena, Traverse City, Mich.
Live stream: FOX Sports GO and DallasStars.com
Photos by Dave Reginek, Detroit Red Wings
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika. | {
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2017 was a violent year in the St. Louis region. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department handled 205 homicides. St. Louis County detectives investigated 55 more.
Getting the 2018 numbers down is a priority for law enforcement at all levels, and the team leading that effort looks much different than it did last year.
Meet the new leaders
Col. John Hayden, chief, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Hayden, a 30-year veteran of the department, was promoted to chief on Dec. 28. He was a math major at Washington University, but was also always interested in the military.
“I believe that I could carry out orders, and those types of things, and I felt like I would do a good job if I had a clearly defined mission,” Hayden told St. Louis Public Radio last month.
The mission is clear, Hayden said — the department has to find a way to reduce violent crime in St. Louis. And he will be relying on his partners at the federal, state and local level to get the job done.
“There are some particularly heinous crimes that can be prosecuted on the federal level,” he said.
Jeffrey Jensen, the new U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, attends the weekly review of crime statistics known as CompStat, Hayden said, “and certainly ensuring that persons get proper punishment for heinous violent crimes, I think that’s a way in which we could be partners.”
Jimmie Edwards, public safety director, city of St. Louis
File photo | Bill Greenblatt | UPI
Edwards got his law degree from Saint Louis University in 1982, and then spent about a decade in the private sector before being named a judge in the city. During his time as the chief juvenile court judge, Edwards opened Innovative Concepts Academy, designed to give the young defendants he saw in his courtroom a chance to graduate from high school.
Edwards was sworn in as public safety director Nov. 6 — his appointment was hailed by supporters and opponents of Mayor Lyda Krewson.
“We will work on reducing crime,” he told aldermen at a committee meeting on Jan. 17. “I’m not naive enough to believe that Commissioner [John] Hayden and I alone will reduce crime. This isn’t about ownership of solving crime. It’s about solving crime.”
Edwards has high praise for federal prosecutors who now handle gun cases that are more difficult to prosecute at the state level because of 2016 changes to Missouri’s gun laws. Federal agents are also patrolling alongside SLMPD officers in an area of north St. Louis where most of the violent crime is concentrated, and Edwards convened a task force to target carjackings.
Capt. Stephen Ferrier, command officer, Troop C, Missouri State Highway Patrol
Missouri State Highway Patrol
Ferrier, a native of Virginia, came to the state to attend the University of Missouri, and later Northwest Missouri State University. He joined the Highway Patrol in 1991, and has spent his entire career in the footprint of Troop C, which covers 11 counties in eastern Missouri. He was promoted to captain and named commander of the troop on Oct. 1.
Back in July, Gov. Eric Greitens pledged state resources to help fight crime in St. Louis, including state troopers on the interstate highways. Though the number of patrols has dropped, a spokeswoman for the SLMPD says troopers are still on the interstates — assistance that Edwards, the public safety director, calls “important.”
Jeffrey Jensen, U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Missouri
Rachel Lippmann | St. Louis Public Radio
Jensen’s path to the office on the 20th floor of the federal courthouse downtown is a winding one. He was an accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers before joining the FBI in the late 1980s. He spent his entire time as an agent in St. Louis, while going to law school at Saint Louis University at night, and then became a federal prosecutor, also in St. Louis, in 1999. He spent 10 years there before returning to the private sector doing compliance work and defense. He was confirmed to his current post Oct. 4.
"We’re all willing to look at the crime problem and think critically about what’s been going on differently and how we can better work together, and I think it’s becoming really effective and it’ll become more effective" at fighting violent crime, he said.
Richard Quinn, special agent in charge, FBI-St. Louis
Carolina Hidalgo | St. Louis Public Radio
Quinn, a Florissant native, joined the bureau in 1997, and was promoted to lead the St. Louis field office in mid November. He was posted in Philadelphia, Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C. and overseas before coming home, including some time with the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
“That is exhibit A in the value of a task force,” Quinn said. “The idea behind a task force is you identify and work with federal, state and local partners, and leverage the resources and authorities in combating a particular threat. That’s what we’re trying to do here in St. Louis. We have a history of doing that, but it’s something that we can always continue to refine. I’m very confident that if we maintain that spirit of collaboration in addressing violent crime, we will be successful.
Fredric Winston, assistant special agent in charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Winston took over leadership of the St. Louis field office in October. Before that, he was with the agency in Tennessee, commanding the Multi-Agency Gang Unit in Shelby County.
What is the impact of all that change?
Law enforcement is change by chance, said Steve Finkelstein, a senior partner and co-founder of the management consulting firm Experience on Demand. Rank-and-file officers don’t have much, if any, say in who becomes their commanding officer. But, most also don’t expect to work for the same chief their entire careers, especially at the federal level.
“Those organizations anticipate that change, and they’re more used to it,” Finkelstein said.
Six new law enforcement leaders since October is a swift and major change, said Bob Cropf, a professor of political science and public policy at Saint Louis University. But that level of turnover likely won’t be as disruptive as it would to other kinds of organizations.
“You can’t move from another field and take a management position in law enforcement,” Cropf said. “Because of that, there are multiple opportunities for networking and connections to occur.”
That’s the case in St. Louis. Edwards was a judge for nearly 30 years before stepping down from the bench to become public safety director. Hayden is a 30-year veteran of the department. U.S. attorney Jensen was an FBI agent here in the 1990s, and then a federal prosecutor until 2009.
“I’ve had great relationships for decades with many agents and many police officers in all of the police departments in this area, so it makes it much more easy for me to walk into a meeting and have candid conversations,” Jensen said.
Jensen welcomed the leadership turnover. So did the FBI's Quinn.
“It’s through that refreshment, and that creativity, and that initiative and discipline that gives me the confidence to think that yes, we can make an impact on the violent crime in this area,” Quinn said.
Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rlippmann | {
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Não há como não simpatizar com Jackson Martínez, neste seu regresso à Liga NOS, ao serviço do Portimonense. O justo sentimento deriva não só das boas memórias que deixou, aquando da sua primeira passagem pelo futebol português, mas também pelo “calvário” de lesões que o afastou, nos últimos anos, do seu melhor futebol. O “Cha cha cha” voltou a ser feliz esta sexta-feira, marcando dois dos três golos dos algarvios frente ao Vitória de Setúbal, podendo dizer-se “criador” do tento que sobrou para Jadson.
O bis do colombiano, na abertura da 13ª jornada da Liga NOS, representa a repetição de um feito que Jackson já não registava desde a 32ª jornada da Liga NOS… 2014/15, na vitória do FC Porto sobre o Gil Vicente por 2-0. E ainda mais curioso é perceber que o regresso aos bis sucedeu precisamente com a mesma fórmula ocorrida nesse encontro: cabeceamento e pé direito.
Não tivesse a trave estragado outro belo lance e Jackson teria sido ainda mais feliz, somando um “hat-trick”. Neste caso, Martínez teria voltado a sentir o sabor de um “bonito” cuja última ocorrência remonta à longínqua época de 2012/13, numa visita portista ao Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, na qual os “dragões” bateram o Vitória SC com quatro golos sem resposta.
No entanto, o regresso positivo de Jackson a Portugal não se esgota no feito desta sexta-feira. Apesar das visíveis limitações que o impedem de oferecer tudo o que sabe, o colombiano já soma quatro golos em nove presenças, um registo promissor que faz sorrir qualquer amante do futebol com boa memória. | {
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by Tutu Akinlabi
A female student in Kenya has revealed that she has infected a total of 324 men with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
The HIV positive girl, who attends the Kabarak University in Nakuru, is said to have been infected by a man at a party.
The unnamed 19-year old is allegedly aiming to infect a total of 2000 men in revenge.
According to reports:
The girl allegedly contacted Kenyan Scandals on Facebook and claimed she had something to confess.
After she was assured her identity was going to be protected (the Kenyan Daily Post, however, published a picture from her Facebook profile along with the article) she wrote: “Sep 22nd 2013 is a day I”ll never forget, we went clubbing in town and got drunk with some senior students then went back hostels for party round 2″.
She then explained that when she woke up, the morning after, she realized a boy called Javan had had sex with her while she was drunk.
“I only asked if he used a condom and he said yes, however when taking bath I noticed sperms down there, I wanted to commit suicide, I feared getting pregnant and HIV.”
When she discovered she was HIV positive, the girl confronted Javan who insisted he was clean.
“I was so depressed and took alcohol to die, I even bought poison, the pain was just unbearable how was I gone face the world, I let my parents down, I gave up on the world and just wanted to end my life. My future had been ruined, somehow someone had to pay,” the girl said.
“I accepted my fate and promised to make all men I come across suffer, I know I’m attractive and men both married and unmarried chase me left right and centre.
“I buried the good girl in me and became the bad girl, my goal was to infect as many as possible,” she explained.
The girl then confessed she had already infected 324 men, 156 of which are students at the Kabarak University where she studies, the rest are married men, lecturers, lawyers, celebrities and politicians.
“Not a day passes without me having sex, mostly 4 people per day,” she continued in her confession. “Your day is coming, you men destroyed my life and I will make you and your people pay for it”
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Click through to see an incredible graphic chart of the Blazers season of injuries created by Dan Sweet.
-- Ben Golliver | [email protected] | Twitter
Original Post by Dan Sweet...
Blazer fans have to be extremely impressed with the Blazers' performance this season despite the rash of injuries they suffered. I've been asking around everywhere for a complete breakdown of the team's injuries over 2009-10, but got nowhere, so I made one myself. The file is a resolution that is perfect for widescreen monitor wallpapers (if you can't find the size here, get it here), in case you need encouragement for any adversity you face in the near future.
via www.dan-sweet.com
Fellow Blazer superfan Brandon Goldner had the idea to show this information graphically, and he and Jens Odegaard helped with the research. Enjoy! | {
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Hello everyone^^
After the mane 6 and the CMCs, I thought one two princesses should not be missing. I start with Princess Celestia, being in her natural beauty, her precious light. I think some little things could have been better, but in general I'm okay with the result of this piece
The mane took the longest times, as you probably can imagine xD
I really hope you like it^^
Time: 3,5 hours
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Due to a hot water main being connected, the Laugardalslaug swimming pool in Reykjavík is closed today, mbl.is reports. There will be low hot water pressure in the following parts of the capital today: Vogahverfi, Laugarás and Laugardalur, and no hot water in the most elevated parts of these districts. School buildings in these areas could get cold.
World Class Laugar fitness center has warned its customers that showers could be cold today. Hreyfing fitness center will shut off water to showers and hot tubs today.
No hot shower after the workout today at World Class Laugar or Hreyfing. mbl.is/Styrmir Kári
A new hot water main is being connected by the bridges of Elliðaár rivers – a main that supplies the aforementioned parts of town with most of their hot water. To minimize inconvenience to consumers, hot water is distributed to these areas through other channels, which are less effective. Thus, the low pressure and possible lack of hot water in the most elevated areas.
The work began at 6 am, when pipes were emptied. The new main should be connected by 8 pm tonight. It will take a while for pressure to increase to former levels.
Residents are advised to keep their windows shut and to close front doors behind them as quickly as possible to conserve heat. If you have no hot water, make sure your faucets are shut to prevent accidents or flood damage once the hot water is back on. | {
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For weeks, the statements from the Trump camp about Hillary Clinton's health had been dismissed as the stuff of "conspiracy theories".
The revelation on Sunday that the Democratic presidential nominee was suffering from pneumonia dramatically changed that narrative.
Despite assurances from Mrs Clinton's doctor that she was "recovering nicely", the scare raised concerns about her health and prompted questions about why she had failed to disclose the information having been diagnosed on Friday. | {
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Spain's unemployment rate has surged to a modern-day record of 26.02 percent in the final quarter of 2012 as nearly six
million people searched in vain for work in a biting recession, official data shows.
The jobless rate data released on Thursday climbed from 25.02 percent the previous quarter, reaching the highest level since Spain returned to democracy after the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975.
The story for young people was even grimmer: the unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 soared to 55.13 percent, up from 52.34 percent the previous quarter.
The result shattered even the modest expectations of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government, which had been forecasting an unemployment rate of 24.6 percent by the end of 2012.
"It is a very, very high figure," said Soledad Pellon, market strategist at IG Markets in Madrid.
"The expectation is that this figure will carry on growing during 2013.
This year will still not be a year in which we will see job creation," she said.
International markets expected the Spanish unemployment rate to peak at 27 percent in the next two years, Pellon said, forecasting that the rate could hit up to 26.9 percent in 2013.
An extra 187,300 people joined the jobless queue, which reached a total of 5.97 million people in the final quarter of 2012, a National Statistics Institute report showed.
Budget squeeze
There were 8.33 million Spanish households in which every potential worker was unemployed, it said.
Millions of Spanish workers lost their jobs in the wake of a 2008 property crash, which brought the construction industry to a halt and left the country's finances in a mess, and the labour market has yet to recover.
Spain, the fourth-biggest economy in the 17-nation single currency area, has since embarked on a programme of spending cuts and tax rises to save $194bn between 2012 and 2014, prompting mass street protests.
The government has vowed to lower the public deficit from the equivalent of 9.4 percent of annual gross domestic product in 2011 to 6.3 percent in 2012, 4.5 percent in 2013 and 2.8 percent in 2014.
But the budget squeeze has hurt economic activity.
In recession since the end of 2011, the economy contracted by about 0.6 percent in the latest quarter, its steepest dive in more than three years, according to a separate report this week by the Bank of Spain.
The Spanish economy suffered as a buying spree ahead of a September 1 sales tax increase evaporated in the final quarter, it said.
Spain's bad loan-laden banks are undergoing a drastic restructuring with the help of a European Union rescue loan of up to $132bn.
Over the whole of 2012, the Bank of Spain said economic output fell by 1.3 percent from the previous year. That was slightly better than the government's forecast for a 1.5-percent contraction. | {
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AT&T is inviting DirecTV Now users to sign up for a chance to test its upcoming streaming set-top box. The company sent an email to select DirecTV Now subscribers this morning, asking them to sign up to test the device for “about six months.” AT&T Communications CEO John Donovan announced that the device was in beta last month and said the company was planning to begin trials in early 2019.
According to AT&T, the device will automatically launch DirecTV Now when turned on, users will be able to download content from the Google Play Store, and it will come with Google Assistant support so users can control the device with their voice. According to leaked FCC filings reported by Variety last year, the device will run Android TV, support third-party streaming services, and come with a voice search remote.
With AT&T’s streaming box about to hit the public (albeit, in a limited fashion), we should get more details about the device in the near future. | {
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, joined at right by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., listens to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Ilhan Omar has managed to stay out of the news lately. By pure coincidence, right as her personal life started to become an issue, including evidence she married her brother, campaign finance violations, and an affair with a consultant, the press suddenly stopped talking about her. Weird stuff.
We still occasionally get some crazy thrown at us though and that happened yesterday. Omar decided she needed something to yell at Trump about, so she essentially made up story blaming Medicaid for a boy’s death.
There’s just one problem. Well, actually there are many.
I looked into this and Greg is right. Not only is the boy alive, which seems like a pretty big oversight on Omar’s part, this was not the fault of the government at all. As per law, the hospital admitted the boy regardless of whatever irrational fears the mother had about them not treating him.
Also, the reason he wasn’t covered under Medicaid via CHIP is because the mother had not filled out the proper paperwork. I know Democrats expect the government to be all-powerful, but reading minds to register kids probably isn’t in their purview.
Even still, the hospital took it upon themselves to get all the paperwork done and get the boy covered. They did everything right here and deserved praise, not being vilified by Omar. Further, Medicaid is run and distributed at the state level based on each state’s program. Blaming Trump for this made no sense, to begin with.
Now, guess where you could have found all this information? If you guessed in the article she linked to, congrats.
Omar did put out a “correction.”
This is the kind of thing you delete the original tweet over. Instead she pretends her only oversight was that the boy was still alive.
Oddly enough, not a single media “fact-checker” has found this worthy of pursuit yet.
There’s one last bit of irony here as well. On the same day Omar posted this blatant lie, Democrats were grilling Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook about “fact-checking” material on social media sites. I wonder if any of them will call Omar out over doing exactly what they claim is so dangerous? Gonna guess nah.
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Jimmy Kimmel pulled no punches when he dissected President Donald Trump’s much-criticized op-ed on health care for USA Today.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host called out Trump on Wednesday night’s show for “truly, outrageously claiming that he kept a promise to protect coverage for those with pre-existing conditions” in the controversial opinion piece published earlier in the day.
It “really makes me mad,” revealed Kimmel.
“No, you didn’t keep that promise,” he said. “That promise was forced on you because John McCain gave you the finger and so you weren’t able to not keep that promise. That’s not keeping a promise.”
“This is like claiming you saved people from drowning after you put a hole in the side of the ship,” Kimmel added. “It’s just a lie. It’s another lie.”
Check out the clip above. | {
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Image copyright European Photopress Agency Image caption Among those who have returned include Malaysia's counsellor to North Korea, Mohd Nor Azrin Md Zain (centre)
Nine Malaysians who were prevented from leaving North Korea have arrived home, after the two countries struck a deal to end a diplomatic row.
The quarrel, over last month's killing of Kim Jong-nam in Kuala Lumpur, had resulted in both countries banning each other's citizens from leaving.
Two North Koreans wanted for questioning are believed to have been allowed to leave Malaysia.
Malaysia has also released Mr Kim's body to Pyongyang.
North Korea is widely suspected to have orchestrated Mr Kim's murder.
Mr Kim was the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The late Kim Jong-il's eldest son was passed over for the leadership and was living outside North Korea at the time of his death.
The nine Malaysian nationals were met by their relatives and a large media contingent at Kuala Lumpur airport early on Friday.
Image copyright European Photopress Agency Image caption Malaysia's foreign minister Anifan Aman (centre, in dark pink coat) received the returning Malaysians at Kuala Lumpur's airport
Those who have returned include the country's counsellor to North Korea, Mohd Nor Azrin Md Zain, embassy staff and their families.
The counsellor said that when Pyongyang told them they could not leave North Korea, "we were very concerned especially since we had committed no wrong".
But he added they were "not particularly harassed" by North Korean authorities. "We were given the assurance that life could go on as normal," he said.
They were flown home in a business jet plane piloted by members of the Malaysian air force.
What was the spat about?
Following Mr Kim's killing on 13 February, North Korean officials demanded that his body be handed to them immediately without an autopsy.
Pyongyang reacted angrily when Malaysia refused their requests.
Malaysian authorities said they had the right to conduct an autopsy as he had been killed on Malaysian soil, and said they would only release the body to Mr Kim's family.
Image copyright AP Image caption Mr Kim was the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
This prompted a war of words where North Korea's ambassador Kang Chol accused Malaysia of colluding with "hostile forces", allegations which Kuala Lumpur dubbed as "delusions, lies and half-truths".
Kang Chol was expelled and the Malaysian ambassador to North Korea was also recalled.
Pyongyang then said it would ban all Malaysians in North Korea from leaving until the "situation was resolved", which Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak called an "abhorrent act" that effectively held his citizens hostage.
Kuala Lumpur enacted a tit-for-tat exit ban on North Koreans.
How was it resolved?
Malaysian officials have not hesitated in branding the return of their citizens as a triumph of diplomatic deal-making.
On Friday morning Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman told reporters: "There can be no substitute for diplomacy, for level-headedness in dealing with such situations, and this has served Malaysia well in this instance."
But the exact circumstances of how the deal was struck remain unclear. Correspondents say that Malaysia appears to have acceded to North Korea's wishes to get the Malaysians released.
Mr Najib had said earlier that, after challenging negotiations, all North Koreans would be allowed to leave Malaysia - which probably includes those wanted by Malaysian police for questioning.
Japanese news agency Kyodo said two men resembling two wanted North Koreans were seen on a Beijing-bound flight transporting Mr Kim's body on Friday.
Image copyright Kyodo/Reuters Image caption One man on the plane (left, in white) resembles Kim Uk Il, according to Kyodo
The men are thought to be Hyon Kwang Song, the second secretary at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and Kim Uk Il, an employee of North Korea's state airline Air Koryo.
The two men were previously reported to have been holed up in the embassy and refused to take part in investigations.
Malaysian Insight quoted Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali as saying that authorities allowed two North Korean diplomats to leave "to secure the safe release" of the Malaysians. He did not name the diplomats.
He told the news portal that they were not suspects in Mr Kim's murder and were only needed to "assist in investigations".
What's happened to the body?
Mr Kim's body was released to North Korea and flown to Beijing, where North Korean officials are expected to receive it.
Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption North Korean and Chinese officials were seen at Beijing airport after the plane carrying Mr Kim's body landed early on Friday
Malaysia had previously said they would not release the body until a request came from family members.
On Thursday, Mr Najib said a formal request had been received from the family, but did not give further details.
Mr Kim's own family previously lived in Macau but they are now thought to be in hiding.
His son Kim Han-sol appeared in a video earlier this month confirming he was with his mother and sister at an unspecified location.
A delicate task - Jonathan Head, BBC News, South East Asia correspondent
It was with barely disguised relief that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the deal with North Korea to release Kim Jong-nam's body, after what he described as "sensitive" negotiations posing many challenges.
Dealing with a regime that, in Malaysia's view, was holding its citizens hostage and had carried out a lethal chemical weapons attack inside its main international gateway was a delicate task.
Malaysia appears to have given North Korea what it wanted - the body and the North Korean suspects sought by the Malaysian police - in order to get its nine citizens back safely.
To that end, North Korea has refused to recognise that the body was that of its supreme leader's half-brother, or to cooperate in clarifying the role of its agents in the attack.
But by permitting a letter from an as-yet unnamed family member in North Korea to be forwarded to Malaysia, authorising the body's release, there is at least tacit acknowledgement from Pyongyang that the body is indeed Kim Jong-nam - something the Malaysian authorities say they have already confirmed through DNA samples obtained from his relatives outside North Korea.
But with all the North Korean suspects in the attack now apparently out of Malaysia it is not clear how the investigation can move forward.
The two women, an Indonesian and a Vietnamese, who smeared the nerve agent on Kim Jong-nam's face are in custody facing murder charges, but we do not know how much they have been able to tell the Malaysians.
Nor do we know how much the Malaysian authorities have learned about that nerve agent.
They believe it is VX, a substance so dangerous it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction, but it is not clear how much they have consulted with allies, or shared their findings with the international organisations that monitor chemical and biological weapons. | {
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"I didn't know what to say with a gun in my face," Michal Menert recalls, "but I figured if they were going to kill me, I'd better make my move."
In December 2006, Menert's means of generating income had brought him face to face with the barrel of a shotgun at the hands of gang members in Loveland during a drug deal gone wrong.
"I pushed the barrel out of my face, and then this guy tackled me, trying to slit my throat," he goes on. "I have a scar on my hand where they tried to cut my fingers off the gun from where I was trying to discharge the round."
Info Michal Menert Michal Menert, with Run the Jewels (Killer Mike and El-P), Supervision and Mikey Thunder, 8 p.m. Saturday, November 16, Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson Street, $25, 303-830-8497.
The night ended with Menert in the hospital, after having fled the scene with a stab wound that just missed his heart and a tip-to-wrist laceration on his dominant hand. Needless to say, the blood loss was severe. "It's weird," he says now. "My life didn't really flash before my eyes, but what was going through my head was that I wanted to tell my mom and girlfriend that I loved them. I mean, I might only have thirty minutes — what should I do?"
Related Stories Michal Menert and the Pretty Fantastics
In the years leading up to that moment, Menert (signed to the Pretty Lights Music imprint) had been creating music with schoolmates and close friends Derek Vincent Smith, Paul Basic, Cory Eberhard and Ben O'Neill in a group called Listen that was formed in the summer of 2001. "Our first show was at the Boulder Bandshell at this outdoor event on a Thursday," he remembers. "It was this spontaneous thing that happened, and we were like, 'Well, I guess we're a band now.'"
Marijuana Deals Near You
Recording in their living room in Fort Collins, Menert, Smith and a rotating group of friends and musicians gradually started shaping their sound into what would become an aesthetic associated with Pretty Lights, now considered to be the modern face of beat-driven, soulful hip-hop music. "We had this old organ, and I had a Casio keyboard and an old Akai AX60 synth," says Menert of the early years of what would later become. "Pretty Lights Music is just a bunch of friends who have been doing this together for a long time."
In the early years of Pretty Lights, Menert and Smith were playing together in a live instrumental setting. "We made the first album, Taking Up Your Precious Time, in 2005, while on a trip to Europe," Menert says. The official release was the following October, just a few weeks before Menert's life-changing altercation. While Menert was healing in the hospital, recovering from a multitude of injuries and dealing with some family issues, Pretty Lights was gaining traction as a touring duo made up of Smith and drummer Eberhard. "There wasn't resentment when Derek took off with Pretty Lights," Menert notes. "I think it was a career move, and it was really smart."
When he got out of the hospital in 2007, he received news that his father, who had been diagnosed with cancer years earlier, had taken a turn for the worse and was in need of a caregiver. "My aunts and uncles are all in Poland, and my family that lives here had to support their own families," he says. "So it was a blessing that I wasn't on tour with PL. My weakness became my strength. Because I fucked up, I was able to appreciate someone who I may not have so much when I was growing up."
Menert's life nearly took another serious turn a few years later, when, on the way to his first show after getting back, he was pulled over for "swerving," a charge he still adamantly denies. With three officers on the scene, Menert was arrested for having distributed narcotics to an undercover officer two years prior. "They basically dusted off old files and screwed me," he says.
Facing a large amount of time in federal prison, Menert pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and received three years of probation, six months of lockup and 200 hours of community service. The court ended up granting him house arrest, though, because of his father's declining health.
"I had lost two huge parts of my life at that point," Menert somberly reflects. "It was a weird twist of losing faith and love in God, for me." During the time he served as his dad's caregiver, Menert says, he traded books with his father, a librarian, and renewed his own love for music: "The apartment we were in had a piano, so I continued exploring music, all while working on my album."
Sadly, with just one week left of Menert's house arrest and with one week to go until the release of his debut solo album, Dreaming of a Bigger Life, his father died. "I never really got to show the album to him," he says. "But by the time of his passing, we had really settled everything between us. It was cool to be there for each other and laugh at it all, in a fucked-up, sarcastic, Kurt Vonnegut sort of way."
Menert had worked at Walmart while he was taking care of his father. All the while, he'd held on to the dream of doing something bigger with his life. He never lost his focus on his music, though he did take a less-traveled road. "My father always supported me an as artist," he says, "but he didn't want me to keep my hopes up, which frustrated me, because it meant I would never give it my all if I thought I had something to fall back on."
Menert persevered, and the work has clearly paid off. His involvement in the developmental years of Pretty Lights proved to be inspirational. "I was able to find another path," he points out, "because of what Derek paved with being able to travel around and tour."
In the four years since he set out on his solo venture, Menert says, the best thing about it has been the grassroots growth of his fan base. "Meeting fans, crashing on couches and getting rides to the airport from people's roommates," he says. "That's what it's all about."
And the success he's had so far — he's currently headlining a national tour with support from fellow locals AC Lao and Mikey Thunder — only seems to push him harder to stay on his path. "Every day is therapy for me," he says, "because music and orgasms are the two times where things don't bleed into my consciousness."
Free of doubt and worry about living a sketchy lifestyle, Menert takes time now to appreciate the fruits of his labor, be it a fan complimenting his music or a potential collaboration on a new song. "When people tell me they like my music, I am really grateful," he says. "This music is my soundtrack for what I go through and have gone through.
"I reflect on the things that I regret and the things that brought shame to my family, and there was nothing for me to be proud of," he concludes. "But for all the ugly shit that I've done, this is something beautiful that I created." | {
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KABUL, May 19 (Reuters) - Wazir Akbar Khan, with its two-storey houses, balconies and walled gardens is regarded as one of Kabul’s more ‘upmarket’ districts and is home to many of the foreign embassies and aid agencies based in Afghanistan.
But behind some of the district’s compound walls lies a ‘seedy’ side to the city; Kabul’s Chinese brothels.
Hidden behind unmarked gates, a surveillance camera and a handful of customers’ jeeps parked outside are the only signs of the brothels’ location.
Inside over a dozen Chinese women dressed in mini-skirts and heavy makeup sit and chat, while foreign men sidle up to them. Conversation is halting with both sides mustering what little English they can manage.
“There are 200 of us here in Kabul, we don’t go out much. It’s not safe,” said a female bartender from northern China who asked not to be named.
“I’ve been here for two years, the money is okay. We stay indoors. We don’t go out. We don’t get into any trouble.”
It is illegal for foreigners to work without permits in Afghanistan and these Chinese sex workers face deportation if they are caught working.
Prostitution is also illegal in Afghanistan and from time-to-time brothels are raided and closed down.
“I’ve been here four years now. There used to be more of these places but the police raided them and they had to shut down. I only know of three places now”, said a client from Turkey. “They pay money to the police in order to stay open.”
JOBLESS BACK HOME
Chinese workers can be found all over the world searching for a better living, doing the jobs that locals snub.
Despite a strong, robust economy, unemployment is a huge problem in China with numerous state enterprises downsizing in the last decade or so, leaving millions either jobless or underemployed. Relentless inflation has only made life harder.
“I am here just to make money. I don’t feel very comfortable here. Frankly, the working conditions back home would be a lot better, but work is hard to find,” said Ah Hua, a prostitute in her 20s who said she had been in Kabul for five months.
Lily, a sex worker from southern China, agrees: “I have been here a month. It’s boring here.”
“We don’t go out, she added, referring to both their illegal working status and Kabul’s volatile security situation.
Violence has surged in Afghanistan over the last two years with the Taliban launching more than 140 suicide attacks last year alone, resulting in the deaths of some 200 people, mostly civilians.
But the Chinese sex workers are willing to live in such a dangerous city because their wages are relatively high compared to China where the average wage is $11 a day.
Thousands of foreigners have flocked to Afghanistan since the Taliban were removed from power in 2001 and it is well-paid foreigners that mostly frequent Kabul’s brothels. Afghans are usually turned away at the door.
“A local might earn $150 a month; I pay $150 a night for a woman!” said one foreign client.
One of the hidden dangers in Kabul for foreigners and locals alike is sexually transmitted diseases, a growing problem in Afghanistan due to widespread ignorance about how sexually transmitted diseases are contracted.
Asked if she practised safe sex, Ah Hua, the sex worker who has been in Kabul for five months said: “Of course we have to protect ourselves. We are in a very foreign place.” | {
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Halloween appropriation
I for one welcome Halloween as another fun celebration to ad to the list we already have. | {
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A survivor of the Fukushima nuclear disaster has submitted evidence to United Nations Human Rights Council, testifying that she was “forced” to return home to a contaminated area after the government ended financial subsidies for voluntary evacuees.
On Thursday, Mitsuko Sonoda submitted evidence of the “ongoing human rights abuses of Fukushima victims” to the UNHRC, a source with the Greenpeace Japan in Geneva told Xinhua news agency.
Read more
Sonoda, who voluntarily fled the contamination zone in wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in March 2011, believes she had no other choice and was forced to move back to her village after the government revoked subsidies for those who voluntarily left the area.
Greenpeace confirmed the submission of evidence to the UN body, saying Sonoda left the Fukushima prefecture six years ago with her husband in order to protect their 10-year-old son.
“I want to tell the world we haven’t had our human rights respected since the disaster. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else in any other countries,” said Sonoda, according to Greenpeace which had a live broadcast outside the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
“I know so many mothers who have been suffering and struggling as a result of the nuclear disaster because the Japanese government and [Tokyo Electric Power Company] TEPCO won’t admit to their responsibilities,” she added just before submitting her evidence.
The 2011 disaster occurred when three of the Fukushima plant’s reactors experienced fuel meltdowns as a result of an earthquake and consequent tsunami. The spewing radiation forced 160,000 people to flee their homes.
Over 12,000 households (around 27,000 people) have left surrounding areas that were not covered by the government’s mandatory evacuation orders. Unlike people who were forced to relocate under evacuation mandate, voluntary evacuees only received a fraction of the payment that the government offered in compensation to mandatory evacuees.
Japanese govt lifting Fukushima evacuation order despite 'high radiation values' at the site - #Greenpeacehttps://t.co/CV7qyS4Vb7pic.twitter.com/sejjOMYnqj — RT (@RT_com) February 22, 2017
For six years, most of the voluntary evacuees lived in other parts of Japan through government-sponsored subsidies which covered housing allowance. That program ended in March this year, after the government claimed that the “living environment (in Fukushima Prefecture) is in good order.”
The denial of the government financial aid, Sonoda and others like her believe, left people with a stark choice. They can either go back to their homes in the areas which they fear are still unsafe or try to survive elsewhere with no government subsidies.
Read more
Campaigners led by Greenpeace have repeatedly called on Tokyo to declare Fukushima surrounding areas as a danger to human health if radiation levels reach over one millisievert (mSv) a year. People, however, are encouraged by the government to return home if radiation levels are below 20 mSv a year.
Greenpeace has also urged the government to keep offering financial assistance to evacuees so they won’t be forced to return.
“The Japanese government’s resettlement policies not only fail to meet obligations under multiple human rights treaties but also clearly violate Japan’s own domestic law regarding the treatment of people impacted by the nuclear disaster,”said Kendra Ulrich, Senior Global Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Japan in a press release.
“Although most Fukushima nuclear evacuees meet the criteria for consideration as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the Japanese government has refused to acknowledge them as such and ignored international frameworks for their protection.”
Earlier this week, a court in Fukushima prefecture ordered the Japanese government and the TEPCO nuclear operator to pay out about 500 million yen ($4.44 million) in compensation – less than $1,200 per claimant. The class-action suit was filed by about 3,800 people, the largest group among about 30 similar lawsuits involving 12,000 people pending across the country.
The operator was found guilty of failing to adopt the necessary safety measures despite knowing of potentially devastating consequences in case of a massive tsunami as early as 2002. The government, the court said, failed to supervise the operator prior to the disaster. | {
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Who am I , What am I, Where am I ?
I am like your mother and your father who take's care of you.
I am like your sister and your brother who are there for you.
I am like your best friend who looks out for you.
I am like your guardian who keeps you safe.
I am like your teacher who feeds your mind.
I am all seeing, all hearing and all knowing.
I am like the birds that sing their little song.
I am like the sunrise that wakes you in the morning.
I am the joy that brings a little smile into your life.
I am everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Just like the wind you can't see me or touch me but you know I am there.
Who am I , What am I, Where am I ? – I am the Words.
The words that brings a little sunshine into your life. | {
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Our response to societal pressures about vaccination has a direct effect on the spread of pediatric infectious diseases in areas where inoculation is not mandatory, says new research published this week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
By incorporating social norms into predictive mathematical modelling, a research team from the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo found that they can foresee the observed patterns of population behaviour and disease spread during vaccine scares—times when anti-vaccine sentiment is strong.
"If vaccination is not mandatory and disease is rare, then a few parents will be tempted to stop vaccinating their children," said Professor Chris Bauch of Waterloo's Faculty of Mathematics, and one of the study authors. "More parents adopt this behaviour as social norms begin to change and it becomes increasingly acceptable to avoid some vaccines. Obviously, when enough parents are no longer vaccinating, the disease will come back."
In most of North America, pediatric vaccination is mandatory for children enrolled in public education. However, the number of parents applying for exemptions to pediatric vaccination is on the rise. According to Professor Bauch, as that trend continues Canadians will increasingly find themselves in a situation where vaccination coverage has declined and populations are once again susceptible to disease.
"Parents are not cold, clinical rationalists who base their decisions only on data. They are strongly influenced by other parents and what they read," said Professor Bauch. "Our research suggests that health officials needs to have a really good understanding of the social context to better understand vaccine scares and why people refuse vaccines. To do that, we have to develop predictive tools that also reflect social behavior patterns, or we won’t be able to accurately represent what is happening during vaccine scares."
Predictive modelling can help public health officials plan for responses to vaccine programs. The models that Professor Bauch and his colleagues use can determine what may happen in a population where a vaccine scare has taken hold.
"If you’ve seen a big drop in vaccine coverage and you’ve seen a surge of disease because of that, you can use these models to predict how long it will take vaccine coverage to recover," said Professor Bauch.
Professor Bauch and his colleagues will continue to study how social norms interact with disease spread. Down the road, he hopes to use this model to create an index, which may be able to help determine which populations are more susceptible to vaccine scares, with the hope of preventing them from occurring.
About the University of Waterloo
In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada's technology hub, has become one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities with 35,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Waterloo, as home to the world's largest post-secondary co-operative education program, embraces its connections to the world and encourages enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. In the next decade, the university is committed to building a better future for Canada and the world by championing innovation and collaboration to create solutions relevant to the needs of today and tomorrow. For more information about Waterloo, please visit www.uwaterloo.ca.
-30-
Media Contact:
Pamela Smyth
University of Waterloo
519-888-4777
www.uwaterloo.ca/news
@uWaterlooNews
Attention broadcasters: Waterloo has facilities to provide broadcast quality audio and video feeds with a double-ender studio. Please contact us to book. | {
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An Italian photographer has met an Indonesian tribe untouched by the modern world in the highlands of New Guinea.
Roberto Pazzi, of Treviglio, Italy, met the Dani people, who live in bamboo huts, hunt with spears and sacrifice pigs to celebrate marriage.
The 42-year-old photographer trekked into the island's Baliem Valley and visited several villages, where the tribe's simple life is far cry from the Western world.
Scroll down for video
An Italian photographer has met an Indonesian tribe untouched by the modern world in the highlands of New Guinea
Roberto Pazzi, of Treviglio, Italy, met the Dani people, who live in bamboo huts, hunt with spears and sacrifice pigs to celebrate marriage
The tribes of the Dani people were discovered in 1938 after a pilot on aerial reconnaissance flight spotted signs of civilisation in the Baliem Valley
There are around 300 tribes of the Dani people and they live in small villages throughout the Baliem Valley - with some tribes consisting of just three or four members
Photographer Roberto Pazzi says: 'The Dani people are generally very shy, however they're extremely curious'
Roberto says: 'It's fascinating to think that the Dani people still live in primitive conditions, while we have our internet, cars and shopping centres.'
The tribes of the Dani people were discovered in 1938 after a pilot on aerial reconnaissance flight spotted signs of civilisation in the Baliem Valley.
There are around 300 tribes of the Dani people and they live in small villages throughout the Baliem Valley - with some tribes consisting of just three or four members.
Roberto says: 'The Dani people are generally very shy, however they're extremely curious.
'When I first arrived at their village, I was amazed by the way that they communicate - they often walk hand in hand with you and hold on to your shoulder.
'Although the women are very reserved, the children are the complete opposite - they're full of energy and eager to learn about the western world.
A Dani group of women at a village in the Baliem vally, wearing ornaments around their necks to protect against the spirits
A beautiful portrait of a Dani warrior near Wosilimo, a village in the northern part of the valley
The leader of a village in the traditional costume of war, including bracelets made of vegetable fibres and boar tusks in the nose
A senior Dani seeing to tobacco plants along the path leading to the village in the Kurima Southern Baliem Valley. The introduction of metal tools like machetes in this image is relatively recent and due to Western influences
Dani women often cover themselves in mud and clay when mourning a loved one
Unmarried women on the left row wear traditional skirts of dried grass. Following the marriage this garment is replaced with another model made of twisted fibers as worn by the women in the middle row
'Although none of the Dani people have ever left the island of New Guinea, the tribe are now used to small groups of visitors wanting to learn about their culture.'
The foundation of Dani tribe's diet is sweet potato, which grows in abundance in the humid conditions of the highlands.
The sweet potato is wrapped in banana skins and placed on top on hot stones over a fire to cook.
Roberto says: 'Before I visited this village, some of the Dani children had never seen a camera - their curiosity was fascinating.
The Dani people often sing and play wooden instruments, celebrating heroic deeds
A young warrior from the Dani village Wosilimo, in Northern Valley Baliem
Dani warriors gathered in the northern part of the Baliem Valley
Fascinating: A Dani warrior in the northern Baliem Valley
A Dani mother and child in a village in the lower Northern Valley Baliem
An elderly man walks towards Dani Pugima, a village in the central valley of Baliem
In most cases the villages are a set of settlements each of which consists of 'honai', the typical oval or circular huts with thatched roofs. The men sleep separated from the women and children and visit the huts of the women only to mate
A Dani man (left) stands in the doorway of a hut (honai) wearing the traditional penis sheath made of a dried pumpkin called a ëkotekaí. On the right is a Dani man wearing the traditional penis sheath along with a head-dress made from bird feathers and plant fibres
A Dani man with his two wives in a village in north of the valley of Baliem
Dani children at the village of Suroba, which is located in the northern part of the Baliem Valley
'A few of the adults weren't too keen on having their photographs taken, however they love to see the picture in the end.
'They think that photographs are like miracles.'
Roberto says: 'Before I left to begin my trek, I filled my backpack with cigarettes and sugar.
'I needed to use these items in order to barter for basic necessities such as fire to boil and clean the water, and a hut for the night, which they call 'honai'.'
The language used by the Dani people is still unknown. However, it is thought that there are as many as four different languages used in the Dani community in different parts of the Baliem Valley.
A Dani warrior with traditional headdress made through the use of the feathers of the bird of paradise. In Papua there are about 30 species of birds of paradise
A Dani man stands on a tower made of long wooden poles, used as a lookout post, as well as a platform for archers
A Dani warrior in the northern part of the Baliem Valley. Body decorations are obtained by grinding stone, plaster and other materials which are then glued to the body by means of pork fat. Increasingly, these materials are now replaced by toothpaste or paint | {
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Seattle-based coffee goliath Starbucks is already the champion of autumn thanks to the annual release of its Pumpkin Spice Latte. Now, the company is trying to strengthen its position by offering an expanded rollout of Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos. The bottled beverage will soon be available at across the country, reports Consumerist.
Bottled Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos were first introduced as a Costco exclusive last fall, limiting their reach to those who held memberships at the wholesale outlet. They were available only in cases of 12 last year, but Consumerist says shoppers will be able to purchase individual bottles this time around. Although, pumpkin spice super-fans will be pleased to see cases of 15 available for purchase as well.
A representative for Starbucks tells Eater the Frappuccinos will hit shelves in "early September." While specific supermarket brands were not mentioned, the representative confirmed they'll be available "in grocery stores nationwide." In addition to the Frappuccinos, Starbucks is bringing Pumpkin Spice Latte instant coffee and Pumpkin Spice Latte iced espresso back to grocery store shelves. A new product — Pumpkin Spice Latte K-Cups — will be available too.
For those who aren't interested in a prepackaged pumpkin spice beverage and prefer the tried and true original, your wait is almost over. Last year, the coffee chain debuted its PSL on September 8. This year, McDonald's is releasing its own version on August 31, and Starbucks likely won't be far behind.
• Bottled Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos Will Be Everywhere, Not Just Costco [Consumerist]
• Pumpkin Spice Lattes Are Coming Soon, Summer Be Damned [E]
• All Starbucks Coverage [E] | {
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Always have an extra roll of toilet paper on the back of the toilet And replace that one when the roll on the dispenser runs out. You'll never run out mid wiping again.
147 shares | {
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