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Any parent who has worked to alter the behavior of a son or daughter understands baseball commissioner Rob Manfred's position as he decided what to do about the Boston Red Sox's violation of baseball’s rules against using technology in the dugout to steal signs.
The rule is established, given to teams in writing. And Major League Baseball apparently confirmed what the New York Yankees alleged was accurate: Through the use of a watch in the dugout and the adept handling of that decoding information by veteran players, the Red Sox repeatedly gained what was potentially a competitive advantage by rapidly relaying signs to the hitters.
In short: The Red Sox were caught red-handed. Sign-stealing is not against baseball's rules, but everybody in baseball has been told that using technology is a violation, and Boston was nailed.
From Manfred’s statement: “Based on the investigation by my office, I have nonetheless concluded that during the 2017 season the Boston Red Sox violated the regulation quoted above by sending electronic communications from their video replay room to an athletic trainer in the dugout.”
The penalty: An undisclosed fine to be donated to hurricane relief efforts in Florida.
Manfred essentially punted on the discipline and offered the weak refrain of worn-out parents everywhere: Well, the next time we catch you, you’re really in trouble. From his statement: “I have received absolute assurances from the Red Sox that there will be no future violations of this type. ... Moreover, all 30 clubs have been notified that future violations of this type will be subject to more serious sanctions, including the possible loss of draft picks."
No one was specifically reprimanded. No suspensions. Nothing.
Manfred’s penalty was toothless for a franchise worth billions of dollars, and time will tell whether the get-out-of-jail free card will embolden other teams to try (or continue) to do the same -- and whether they’ll take the commissioner’s warning against future violations any more seriously than a teenager who gets off with a warning.
Time will tell whether other circumstances arise in which a scrutinized team or player might offer the same excuse that MLB seemed to embrace in the Boston case -- that everybody tries to steal signs.
It is surprising that Manfred didn’t treat the Boston case the same way MLB treated Michael Pineda and his gob of pine tar in 2014. Everybody knew then and everybody knows now that dozens and dozens of other pitchers break the same foreign-substance rule that Pineda broke, for the same reason -- to grip the ball better. Pineda’s mistake was to be so blatant about it that Red Sox manager John Farrell had to ask the umpires to check on the pitcher, and MLB effectively threw the book at Pineda, suspending him for 10 games.
Not only did Manfred pull his punches on his discipline of the Red Sox, but he also seemed to provide Boston some cover by simultaneously announcing that the Yankees had been guilty of a much lesser violation at the same time. From the statement: “In the course of our investigation, however, we learned that during an earlier championship season (prior to 2017) the Yankees had violated a rule governing the use of the dugout phone. No club complained about the conduct in question at the time and, without prompting from another club or my office, the Yankees halted the conduct in question."
Sources from both teams have indicated that MLB preferred that none of the charges ever become public, and by seeming to provide false equivalence of the infractions of the respective teams, it’s as if Manfred’s message is: I’m really punishing both of you, and you can both go to bed early without the sprinkles on your ice cream. | {
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The twelfth episode of Untangled is exploring how we can restore the quickly disappearing forests of the planet and how we can build new sustainable systems to provide a good life for both animals, plants and people.
Willie Smits from the Masarang Foundation in Indonesia is talking about his efforts to rebuild the rainforest on Borneo after it was devastated by the palm oil industry.
And Jan-Peter Doomernik, Enexis, and Sam Butler are giving insights on how to create new and out-of-the-box ecosystems from the Odyssey Hackathon that we visited for the last episode of Untangled.
Listen to the episode here:
Provide your feedback here: | {
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Patch readers will remember Cliff the dog from an earlier story as the pit bull mix who was rescued by LifeLine Animal Project, then placed into a loving home, but remained in danger from a birth defect that often kills dogs before they reach adulthood.
Cliff had a cleft palate, a condition that usually causes puppies to slowly starve to death because they can't feed normally from their mothers. Even if they do manage to get some nutrition from their mothers, or are fed by humans from a tube, liquid will often leak into their sinuses or lungs and cause pneumonia.
At over a year old, no one knew how Cliff managed to survive into adulthood. He was rescued by LifeLine after being tied to a tree and left on an abandoned property. Soon after being rescued, he was placed into a home with Decaturites Matt and Cassy Gayman, who grew to love the dog with the unusual condition. They made him a part of their family, took him on long runs, discovered he loved their five cats and became distressed as his cleft palate started to cause health problems.
The sturdy and sweet-natured survivor wasn't out of the woods. Studies say that his cleft palate would cause his health to deteriorate through inability to eat normally accompanied by gum and heart disease. The Gaymans could see it already starting to happen.
If his cleft palate wasn't fixed it would significantly shorten Cliff's life.
The only way to solve Cliff's palate problem was through detailed and specialized reconstructive surgery. It wasn't an easy surgery and at $2,300, it wasn't cheap.
Animal lovers and Patch readers were touched by Cliff's tale and responded. Donations came into a fund set up by LifeLine to get Cliff's surgery done by Dr. Julie Duvall at Georgia Veterinary Specialists. The fund grew but didn't reach the full amount needed. | {
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Die Shooter-Reihe Battlefield ist vielen Spielern insbesondere durch ihre zerstörbare Umgebung ein Begriff. Möglich macht das die regelmäßig weiterentwickelte Frostbite-Engine, die in ihrer dritten Version auch beim kommenden Star Wars: Battlefront zum Einsatz kommt. Das bedeutet jedoch nicht gleichzeitig, dass es auch im Star-Wars-Shooter eine größere Zerstörungsorgie geben wird.
Patrick Bach, der General-Manager des zuständigen Entwicklerstudios Dice, findet nämlich, dass ein zu hoher Zerstörungsgrad nicht wirklich zur Marke Star Wars passt:
"Star Wars als geistiges Eigentum [von Disney] gibt uns die groben Umrisse dessen vor, was wir hier machen. Wir werden also keine exzessive Zerstörung als Feature einbauen, nur weil wir es könnten. Es geht doch viel mehr darum, was man in einem Battlefield-Spiel braucht und haben möchte und was in einem Battlefront-Spiel, so Bach gegenüber engadget.com."
Wenig später bestätigte auch der offizielle Twitter-Account zum Spiel den im Vergleich zu Battlefield geringeren Zerstörungsgrad in Star Wars: Battlefront. Auf Nachfrage eines Nutzers heißt es dort, dass man die Zerstörung der Spielwelt dort nutze, wo es Sinn ergebe. Gleichzeitig wolle man jedoch etwas erschaffen, dass in den Grenzen des Star-Wars-Universums glaubwürdig sei.
Star Wars: Battlefront erscheint in Europa am 19. November 2015 für den PC, die Xbox One und die PlayStation 4 - Vorbestellungen sind schon jetzt möglich. Erste Gameplay-Szenen aus dem Spiel wird es auf der E3 2015 zu sehen geben.
Mehr:Star Wars: Battlefront - Die Fakten: Planeten, Dogfights, Spielmodi & Grafik
Star Wars: Battlefront - Screenshots ansehen | {
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Three new species of tiny frogs from Papua New Guinea are described in the latest issue of Zookeys. Dr Fred Kraus, University of Michigan, who in 2011 in Zookeys described the world's smallest frogs Paedophryne dekot and Paedophryne verrucosa, now adds another 3 species from the genus Oreophryne to the remarkable diversity of this region.
The three new species Oreophryne cameroni, Oreophryne parkopanorum and Oreophryne gagneorum are all rather minute, with total body lengths of around 20 mm. These tiny frogs, however are still substantially larger than the species that claimed the smallest frog prize in 2011. Paedophryne dekot and Paedophryne verrucosa are only half of the length of the three new additions to the frog diversity of Papua New Guinea, with an astonishingly small body size ranging between 8-9 mm.
The subfamily to which the new species belong is largely restricted to New Guinea and its satellite islands. Of the constituent genera, Oreophryne is presently one of the largest within the Papuan Region.
"Although the description of the new species treated herein now brings to seven the number of Oreophryne species reported from the north-coast region of New Guinea, the presence from these areas of additional specimens of uncertain identity suggests that additional species likely await description," explains Dr Kraus about the diversity of the genus within the region. "I have at least a dozen more new Oreophryne species remaining to be described from this region, and large portions of this terrane system remain unsurveyed."
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Original Source:
Kraus F (2013) Three new species of Oreophryne (Anura, Microhylidae) from Papua New Guinea. ZooKeys 333: 75. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.333.5795 | {
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１８～３９歳の日本人は男女とも性交渉未経験者の割合が諸外国より高いことが分かった/Shutterstock
香港（ＣＮＮ） １８～３９歳の日本人男女の４人に１人は異性との性交渉を経験していないとの研究結果が、このほど新たに発表された。未経験者の割合は、米国などに比べてはるかに高いことが分かった。
東京大学で国際保健学を専攻する研究者チームが論文をまとめ、８日発行の公共保健専門誌に発表した。
それによると、日本では１８～３９歳の男性のうち、女性との性交渉を経験したことのない人が２０１５年の時点で２５．８％と、１９９２年の２０．０％からさらに増えた。女性でも未経験者の割合が、９２年の２１．７％から１５年には２４．６％に上がった。
これに対して英国や米国、オーストラリアの調査では、３０代前後の未経験者が１～５％にとどまっている。
研究チームによると、今までも日本で性交渉の経験がない成人が増えていることは指摘されてきたが、全国規模のデータを使ってこの問題を取り上げた研究は初めて。
同研究では、過去３０年間に実施された全国規模の出生動向調査７件のデータを分析した。各調査の回答者は１８～３９歳の１万１５５３～１万７８５９人。性的少数者であることを自己申告した人は対象に含めず、既婚者は全員性交渉を経験していると推定した。 | {
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Queen Elizabeth takes personal tone in Harry-Meghan statement Queen Elizabeth is now expressing her support for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back from royal life following “crisis talks” Monday. One royal watcher says the personal tone of the queen’s statement on the two shows she’s “talking about Harry as a grandmother.” Charlie D’Agata reports. | {
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50 years after JFK, 'mail-order' guns still easy to get
If he had had accesss to the Internet, Lee Harvey Oswald could have used it to obtain a weapon. If he had had accesss to the Internet, Lee Harvey Oswald could have used it to obtain a weapon. Photo: HANDOUT Photo: HANDOUT Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close 50 years after JFK, 'mail-order' guns still easy to get 1 / 5 Back to Gallery
WASHINGTON -- Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, with a mail-order Mannlicher-Carcano 6.5 millimeter bolt-action rifle, for which he paid $19.95 plus shipping and handling.
Fifty years later, obtaining guns via mail is less common because the U.S. Postal Service imposes major restrictions on firearms shipments.
But despite a myriad of federal and state laws regulating gun transactions, buying a firearm via the Internet is commonplace.
Where Oswald mailed his money order with a coupon torn from an ad in the National Rifle Association's American Rifleman magazine, troubled individuals today can search online and similarly get their hands on powerful weapons with no questions asked, gun control advocates claim.
"Here we are 50 years later, still confronting these horrific shootings," said Sue Hornik, executive director of New York-based States United to Prevent Gun Violence. "Only now, we have assault weapons that are a lot more powerful than anything on our streets when Kennedy was president."
But gun-rights organizations insist that Internet sales are little more than a marketing medium through which buyer and seller come together. The Internet "does not provide any legal opportunity to simply buy a firearm as if it were a pair of jeans," an NRA fact sheet states.
There are 4,000 or more websites that facilitate gun sales between buyers and sellers, according to one estimate. Some, like cheaperthandirt.com, have their own inventory and require that all transactions be finalized through a federally licensed firearms dealer near the buyer, who runs a background check before completing the sale.
Others, like armslist.com, operate along the lines of Craigslist or eHarmony, bringing buyer and seller together to complete their own transactions.
Under federal law, any interstate firearms sale -- whether the seller is a licensed dealer or private individual -- must be concluded by a licensed dealer with a background check through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
The system is designed to establish whether an individual is qualified to purchase a gun. Disqualifications include felony conviction, mental illness adjudication and receipt of a restraining or protective order.
But U.S. law generally does not extend to sales within state borders. Those sales are governed by state laws -- if they exist.
Ten states -- including Connecticut, New York and California -- require a background check or permit to complete intrastate sales of all weapons. In addition, six states require them for handgun sales.
But the remaining states -- including Texas -- do not require background checks for in-state purchases.
Bipartisan background check legislation sponsored by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., would have required background checks on all online sales, whether interstate or intrastate. The measure fell six votes short of breaking a Republican-led filibuster in April.
"Until we address this particular flaw in our policy, it's hard to imagine we can make any progress on guns," said Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research in Baltimore. "We're swimming against the tide until we correct this."
Armslist.com is the main focus of gun-control advocates' ire. The website organizes gun sales by individual states, which helps buyers in lightly regulated states avoid background checks.
Sellers list their wares item by item and buyers can post ads broadcasting their wants. Armslist.com did not return email requests for comment.
A study in September by the advocacy groups Third Way and Americans for Responsible Solutions found that armslist.com advertising in states without background checks is twice the average of those states that require them.
An investigation by Mayors Against Illegal Guns concluded that of 607 gun-seekers on armslist.com identified as living in the state where they placed the ad, 3.3 percent -- one in 30 -- had committed crimes that would have prevented them from passing background checks.
Gun-rights advocates counter that anyone intent on causing mayhem will find a gun one way or another.
"People can argue that just one transaction is too many if someone gets killed, but that assumes the murder wouldn't have happened without the questionable transaction," said Jeff Knox, head of the Arizona-based Firearms Coalition. "That's a false assumption. While guns are sometimes used as tools of violence, they are more frequently used for defense, and even more frequently not used as weapons at all, but as sporting goods, works of art, and insurance policies."
But gun-control advocates point to horror stories illustrating how "the Web really opens up so many opportunities and makes it way too easy for dangerous people to find guns," as Lindsay Nichols of the San Francisco-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence put it.
Last year, a Wisconsin man, Radcliffe Haughton, who was under a restraining order obtained by his wife, Zina Daniel, bought a semi-automatic Glock pistol through armslist.com with no background check. The next day, he went to his wife's workplace and killed her along with two others before killing himself.
"This is not a gun rights issue," said Elvin Daniel, Zina's brother who described himself in a Politico op-ed as a gun owner, hunter and NRA member. "This problem is about illegal guns."
Allie Wright and Rachel Jackson of the Hearst Newspapers Washington Bureau contributed to this report.
[email protected] | {
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Apple manufacturer Foxconn has started shipping the first iPhone X units to countries in Europe and the Middle East, according to a Chinese report on Monday.
China-based Xinhuanet said the first batch of 46,500 units have already been shipped out from Zhengzhou and Shanghai to the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. However, the initial shipments of iPhone X units were much lower than previous iPhone models, according to the Chinese-language Commercial Times.
Although Foxconn has ramped up its output of iPhone X to 400,000 units a week recently from the previous 100,000 units, the increased production still cannot meet market demand, said the report, citing data from Rosenblatt.
Forecasts for iPhone X production have consistently pointed to lower-than-average numbers in the run-up to the smartphone's launch on Friday, November 3. Last week an analyst with Taipei-based Yuanta Investment Consulting lowered his production estimate for the iPhone X to 36 million units, down from 40 million.
The revised forecast followed earlier warnings that Apple's TrueDepth camera may be the main production bottleneck of the iPhone X ramp. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said the facial recognition system is "far more complex" than those on competing devices, which is making it challenging for Apple to achieve mass production.
Kuo said shipments of iPhone X components will likely ramp up in mid to late October. Meanwhile, customer pre-orders begin October 27, with the potential for them to exceed 40-50 million units, according to Kuo, further suggesting the phone could be hard to come by for some time. Lower adoption of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus also indicate that many customers may be waiting for the iPhone X.
(Via DigiTimes.) | {
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(Editor's note: In a previous version of this story, we reported that it was the roof that collapsed. This has been corrected in this version) | {
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Rebirth attained exclusively through Amitabha-recitation
As discussed in my previous article*, all practitioners of Pure Land Buddhism should understand and believe in the concept of the independent action of “Namo Amitabha,” otherwise they will be unable to settle their minds with complete faith in the exclusive practice of Amitabha-recitation for rebirth in the Land of Bliss. “The independent action of Amitabha’s name” is expressed from the point of view of Amitabha’s proactive deliverance. But from the point of view of aspirants for rebirth in Amitabha’s Land of Bliss, it means that all wishes, like rebirth in the Land of Bliss, can be fulfilled. This can be termed “all goals achieved solely through Amitabha-recitation.” These two expressions are just like two sides of a coin.
The Name “Namo Amitabha” is actually the Dharma Body of Amitabha Buddha, which is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. The Name “Namo Amitabha” works independently for our rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land as it is all-sufficient in terms of merits and virtues because of Amitabha’s fulfillment of his Fundamental Vow. Moreover, all benefits accrued in this life (before rebirth) and in our future life (after rebirth), through the exclusive practice of Amitabha-recitation, occur naturally and spontaneously, independent of any self-generated merit or virtue on our part.
Amitabha-recitation is easy to practice, almost effortlessly so compared with other practices in Buddhism. Yet the reward is splendid in the extreme—rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land, a realm of unconditioned nirvana. While this may seem to be unreasonable and to violate the Law of Cause and Effect, which, all things being equal, correlates reward with the effort we invest, Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow transcends the Law of Karma with its own inexorable logic.
Adding other practices is not required
Practitioners of Pure Land Buddhism should note that it is not Amitabha-recitation combined with upholding the Five Precepts that enables us to be reborn (although upholding the precepts is the basic moral responsibility of all Buddhists). Neither is it Amitabha-recitation mixed with proficiency in dhyana meditation that enables us to be reborn (although meditation is a basic Buddhist practice to cultivate our mind). In pristine Pure Land Buddhism, precepts and meditation are NOT directly related to rebirth in the Land of Bliss. Only Amitabha-recitation is taken into account in this regard.
Moreover, it is not Amitabha-recitation plus wisdom (the study and comprehension of profound Buddhist sutras and teachings) that enables us to be reborn. It is not Amitabha-recitation combined with the Bodhi Mind (the Four Great Vows) that enables our rebirth. Why is this so? Because Amitabha’s name contains all the wisdom and Bodhi Mind necessary for our rebirth. For details, we can refer to Amitabha’s 22nd, 25th, 29th, and 30th Vows. Only Amitabha-recitation is taken into account for rebirth in the Land of Bliss.
Thus, from the perspective of the Pure Land practitioner, no other Buddhist practices are required beyond the exclusive practice of Amitabha-recitation to facilitate our deliverance through Amitabha. In accordance with Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow, all that aspirants need to do to ensure rebirth is to exclusively recite Amitabha’s Name. Amitabha’s deliverance, based on his Fundamental Vow, is unconditional, equal, and sovereign. This point bears repeating: we rely on Amitabha’s vow power contained in his Name for rebirth in the Land of Bliss. We merely recite his name—Namo Amitabha—and we effortlessly attain rebirth through the independent action of Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow.
Exclusive practice of Amitabha-recitation is the main practice of nianfo (Buddha-invocation or Buddha-mindfulness in Chinese), which is unique to Pure Land Buddhism and different from other forms of nianfo practiced in other schools of Buddhism. No other supplementary, complementary, or additional practices are required for rebirth in Amitabha’s Land of Bliss because Amitabha-recitation is all-inclusive, all-embracing, and all-sufficient. Master Shandao, the de facto founder of Pure Land Buddhism, identifies Amitabha-recitation as the karma of assured rebirth because it accords with Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow.
Drawbacks of mixing other practices with Amitabha-recitation
Some people may argue: “OK, I’ll recite Amitabha’s name, but I see no harm in adding other virtuous practices. In fact, that should be better than merely reciting the name. It’s true that pristine Pure Land Buddhists treat those virtuous practices as the daily duties and responsibilities of a human being, but I think virtuous practices may be helpful in expediting rebirth in the Land of Bliss, and perhaps attaining a higher level of rebirth.”
So why is mixing or combining other Buddhist practices with Amitabha-recitation not recommended? Firstly, Amitahba-recitation is the only practice specified by Amitabha Buddha in his Fundamental Vow; he names no other practice. Any practice that varies from Amitabha’s teaching of deliverance is regarded as doubting Amitabha’s vow power and wisdom, which is detrimental for rebirth in the Land of Bliss.
Secondly, other Buddhist practices are unnecessary because Amitabha-recitation alone is more than sufficient to enable the aspirant to be reborn in the Land of Bliss. Only Amitabha’s supreme merits and virtues are required for rebirth in the Pure Land; any other merits and virtues are incompatible and considered impurities that lower the chance of rebirth and postpone the opening of the lotus flower in which the aspirant is reborn.
In his commentary on the Ninth Contemplation in the Contemplation Sutra, Master Shandao says: “For all the other various practices, although they are virtuous they are incomparable to Buddha-invocation [Amitabha-recitation in Pure Land Buddhism]. That is the reason why the independent action of Buddha-invocation is widely extoled everywhere in various sutras.”
Pure Land Buddhism is a teaching of deliverance from the side of Amitabha Buddha, not a teaching of cultivation. In pristine Pure Land Buddhism, rebirth is achieved solely through the exclusive practice of Amitabha-recitation, which relies on the independent action of Amitabha’s name—Namo Amitabha! Rebirth in the Land of Bliss through Amitabha-recitation means that all our wishes are fulfilled (in terms of both wisdom and blessings), all our goals are achieved (all goals in the practices of the Five Vehicles) and all benefits (in our present life and the future life) are attained solely through Amitabha-recitation.
* The Independent Action of “Namo Amitabha” | {
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Albert Einstein
The only scientists who kept the Business-as-Usual sign hanging out during the war were the mathematicians and astronomers. The other men of learning were engaged in war work. Physicists were making better range-finders, chemists were making better poison gases, and theologians were proving that their gods were in the trenches qualifying for meritorious-conduct medals and kisses on both cheeks. But the astronomers and mathematicians were not doing their bits. While the war was in progress, Albert Einstein was completing his theory at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, and British astronomers were working on plans to test it. It was fraternizing with the enemy. Scientists of this type have always been dangerous internationalists.
They did incalculable harm to Church and State at an earlier time by casting suspicion on the Bible truth that the earth was flat and had four corners, and even today a man who meddles with the universe is regarded as unsafe. One of the organizers of the American Legion started an agitation to bar Einstein from the United States as a Red; the Woman Patriot Corporation lodged a complaint against him with the State Department; an American consular official nearly heckled the scientist into abandoning an American trip; Cardinal O’Connell denounced the Einstein theory as false, atheistic, and immoral; a religious writer charged that Einstein had cribbed the theory from the writings of a thirteenth-century saint. Nevertheless, Einstein slipped past the immigration authorities in 1930, and he did it again last October. Today, he is openly carrying on mathematical work at Princeton.
The anti-nationalistic taint in astronomy manifested itself when British astronomers, even before the Treaty of Versailles had been signed, confirmed the new theory that had been made in Germany. On May 29, 1919, two expeditions under the Union Jack—one at Sobral in Brazil, and the other at Principe off the coast of West Africa—photographed an eclipse in order to discover whether starlight, as Einstein’s calculations had indicated, was twisted when it passed a massive body like the sun. They reported that Einstein was right. Since then, his theory has been retouched in detail, but its essentials have been repeatedly verified. No important scientist is to be found among the skeptics, although there is every incentive to debunk Einstein, if it can be done. Immortality awaits the man who can overthrow Einstein.
The popular uproar over the theory surprised no one more than the author of the theory. He had been almost a recluse. His contacts had been with quiet, scholarly men of his own type, and his sudden glory appalled him. Interviewers, photographers, lion-hunters, cause-promoters, testimonial-seekers, and reflected-glory chasers of every kind came swarming into his life. A man of soft, plastic nature, Einstein was helpless in their hands. He was forced into the rôle of publicist, propagandist, and oracle. After fourteen years of experience with international nuisances and go-getters, Einstein has developed some resistance, but he has not yet learned how to say “No” successfully, and he is still the prey of determined busybodies. The Einstein of 1933 has become fairly reconciled to the occupation of popular idol. He has developed into a mixer, a wit, an authority on things in general, and the probable successor of George Bernard Shaw as the world’s miscellaneous consulting expert, but his countenance still reflects the bewilderment of his early years as a demigod in spite of himself. Permanent astonishment shines from his great eyes under their apprehensive brows.
When he first became famous, Einstein was a strange compound of cosmic wisdom and worldly inexperience. Presented by Lord Haldane to the Royal Society in England as a man of unparalleled intellectual boldness, Einstein found himself intimidated by the livery of the Haldane retainers. “He is too formidable,” said the Professor later at the Haldane place, when Mrs. Einstein wanted to summon the butler to fix a window. When he visited the Queen of the Belgians, Einstein failed to notice the welcoming party at the railway station and surprised the royal household by arriving on foot, baggage in hand. The Professor and his wife were both bewildered by the barbaric hospitality which overwhelmed them on their earlier visits to this country. They agreed that they must blindly accept whatever occurred to them in this bizarre republic; at a dinner in Cleveland, Mrs. Einstein, shrugging her shoulders at what appeared to be an elegant American eccentricity, ate a bouquet of orchids which she found on what seemed to be a salad plate. Einstein knew things that everybody else was ignorant of, and was ignorant of things that everybody else knew. The name of the richest man in the world meant nothing to him. He used a $1,500 check from the Rockefeller Foundation as a bookmark, lost the book, and could not remember who had sent the check. It took Mrs. Einstein some weeks to clear up the affair and to obtain a duplicate check, which was needed to pay the salary of an assistant.
“My God, do you even have to sleep in those things?” Facebook
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Einstein is a mental Hercules, according to those who know his work. He has performed prodigious labors. By all the theories of physiognomy, he should be a granite-visaged Norse god of the Hindenburg type, instead of looking like a poet or musician. On theoretical grounds, he should have an iron will, instead of being pliant, docile, compromising. The explanation seems to be that Einstein, unlike most men of achievement, has never had to coerce or harden himself. His work was an exalted revel and his whole scientific life was a perpetual carnival, to judge from a speech of his at a dinner in Berlin in honor of the physicist, Max Planck. A preceding speaker had talked of the “agonizing toil” and “superhuman will” required of a great scientist. Einstein demurred. “This daily striving,” he said, “is dictated by no principle or program, but arises from immediate personal need. The emotional condition which renders possible such achievements is like that of the religious devotee or the lover.” On another occasion, Einstein described the impulse to grapple with his problems as “a demoniac possession,” needing no stimulation from conscious effort of the will. Einstein’s own theory about himself must be correct; nothing else could account for his irresistible energy in his own regions of thought and his lamblike helplessness in ordinary contacts. To catalogue a few of his lost wars of everyday life:
For a time he refused to play the violin for charity because of his modest estimate of his own ability, and because he thought it unfair to professionals; under pressure, however, he gave many recitals. He declined a de-luxe cabin on a trip to America because of his scruples against luxury, but accepted when informed that he was hurting the feelings of the steamship line. On his trip to India, he refused to travel in a rickshaw because he thought it degrading to use a human being as a draught animal; he reconsidered, however, on the ground that rickshaw boys must live, and patronized them extensively. Hating fuss and feathers, he has been induced to make triumphal progresses on four continents. He has compared mass newspaper interviews to being bitten by wolves and to being hanged, but nevertheless he is frequently gang-interviewed.
This easy yielding to pressure would lead another man to cheapen himself, but Einstein is saved by his aesthetic sense and his unworldliness. He could not do anything sordid. He doesn’t want anything; there is nothing about the man for temptation to work on. When he received the Nobel Prize in 1921, he gave it to charity. When a magazine offered him an amazing sum for an article, he rejected it contemptuously. “What?” he exclaimed. “Do they think I am a prizefighter?” But he finally wrote the article after arguing the magazine into cutting the price in half. It is said that he declined his present post at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton on the ground that the salary was preposterously munificent, and was persuaded to accept only by the promise of an enormous pay cut. He objected to gifts, but his 1930 trip to this country netted him five violins and other valuable booty. His backbone stiffened, however, when an admirer sought to press on him a Guarnerius valued at $33,000; this he firmly refused, saying that he was not enough of a musician to do justice to the instrument. Probably no man has been more plagued than Einstein by offers of money for testimonials for toothpaste, pimple-eradicators, corn plasters, and cigarettes. He brushed all this aside as “corruption” and would have no compromise. Einstein regards money as something to give away; in 1927, he was aiding one hundred and fifty poor families in Berlin. | {
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) said Wednesday that the U.S. corporate tax rate—among the highest in the world—is not too high.
President Donald Trump's tax plan released in April would lower the corporate tax rate to 15 percent, while reducing several existing tax deductions to make up the difference. But Warren disagrees with the plan.
"Somebody’s going to have to pay the bills to keep the government running," Warren told Yahoo. "A generation ago, corporations paid 30% of what it costs to run the federal government. Today, corporations pay less than 10 percent."
Warren said her alternative proposal to raise the corporate tax rate was rooted in "fairness."
"The way I see it, taxes and the whole debate around taxes is ultimately going to be about who pays a fair share to keep this government running and that’s the question we need to look at on the corporate side and on the individual side," she said.
The United States has the third highest corporate tax rate in the world and the highest in OECD countries. U.S. corporations pay 39.1 percent in state and federal taxes, compared to as low as 15 percent in countries like Canada and Germany.
Among the prominent Democratic supporters for lowering the corporate tax rate are former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. | {
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Friday on his nationally syndicated radio show, conservative host Mark Levin reacted to Fox Sports 1’s Jason Whitlock accusing members of the far left of wanting to “overthrow everything” after ESPN’s Max Kellerman criticized the NFL for playing the national anthem before games.
Levin echoed Whitlock’s comments, adding that the far left perpetuates “self-hate, balkanization, tribalization [and] the evisceration for the American culture.”
“[Whitlock] is exactly right,” Levin said. “The destruction of everything good, undermining the values and beliefs and traditions and customs of the country — we’ve got this contradiction going on here. We have people from all over the world, every single background and culture and color and height and sex and the rest fighting to get here, to get into America legally and illegally. And yet, we have a force within our borders, a force in our country that is perpetuating self-hate, balkanization, tribalization [and] the evisceration for the American culture that rejects the notion of a melting pot — quite the opposite.”
“[T]hese voices are not only in the streets, these voices are in Washington at the highest levels of the Democrat party, these voices are in Hollywood, these voices are in the media, these voices come from tenured professors and tenured teachers in our high schools,” he continued.
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent | {
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Many thanks to David Goren who shares this dialog between Jamie Labadia and Glenn Hauser via the DX Listening Digest:
** GUYANA. Hi Glenn, I have the Voice of Guyana on the air at, don’t laugh, 400 watts. 3.290 MHz is the freq. I am going to repair a few more amplifiers and get them up to about a kilowatt for now. Have to reconfigure the combiner though. The antenna is in rough shape, but surprisingly being heard well down into interior Guyana, which is the main purpose. (On a portable no less!!) I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going. It’s 80 degrees and very “tropical” here now. Best Regards (Jamie Labadia, visiting Guyana, 0147 UT Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Checking around 0300 UT Feb 2, I do have a JBA carrier on 3290- via the DX-398 but not the PL-880 – could be it. Slightly on the lo side; much weaker than 3320 S Africa, 3330 Canada. Will it be on all-night?
After local noise sources diminish, Feb 2 at 0629 I try again, and now a very poor signal on 3290- in English sounds like BBCWS, but not // or not synchro with 9460.
Meanwhile after I post this news ASAP on the DXLDyg, reports come in: Brandon Jordan in TN had it at 0333 on 3289.973, 0359 switching to BBC overnight feed just like they used to do. Bruce Portzer in Seattle also had a carrier around 0500. Daniel Wyllyans in Brasil was already hearing it as an unID. Forwarded these reports to Jamie and he replies at 1127 UT Feb 2:
“Yes, That’s us!! That was a repeat of the Sunday afternoon program. Made for great listening while working on the amplifiers — Nat King Cole, Glenn Miller, Woody Herman. Thanks to all of the great DXers out there. I will be working on the transmitter until just after local sundown, then leave it on the air until the next morning. Glenn, thank you very much for this great resource. Surprised more engineers aren’t using it as their “remote S meter”!! Jamie“
He said he planned to put V of Guyana on a higher frequency for better domestic coverage. 5950 used to be the daytime channel on the originally 10-kW transmitter, and it might be OK in the daytime now with possible het from Bolivia on 5952+, but at night there would be clashes from Germany, Iran, Ethiopia; and R. Pio XII until it closes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) | {
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A True Miracle in this crazy world
Get over 50 fonts, text formatting, optional watermarks and NO adverts! Get your free account now!
Gassed up the snowblower, in preparation for winter - hoping to get it to start before the snow hits - It starts on the first pull
Check out all our blank memes | {
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HOUSTON.-México ganó su octavo campeonato de Copa Oro.
Con el duelo de este domingo, fueron seis las ocasiones en que mexicanos y estadounidenses se enfrentaron en la final de la Copa Oro.
El saldo favorece a los “aztecas”, con cinco campeonatos por sólo uno de los “americanos”.
La última vez que se midieron en esta instancia fue en el lejano 2011, cuando México consiguió una memorable remontada y ganó el juego por marcador de 4-2.
Incluso la anotación de Giovani Dos Santos es una de las más recordadas de los últimos tiempos.
Sólo en el 2007, en ese entonces la selección dirigida por Hugo Sánchez, sucumbió ante Estados Unidos en una final de Copa Oro.
MINUTO A MINUTO:
Termina el partido y ¡México es Campeón de la Copa Oro!
87' CAMBIO DE MÉXICO:
Entra: Diego Reyes
Sale: Andrés Guardado
87' Disparo de Estados Unidos dentro del área y Guillermo Ochoa detiene en dos ocasiones
86' CAMBIO DE MÉXICO:
Entra: Roberto Alvarado
Sale: Uriel Antuna
80' CAMBIO DE MÉXICO
Entra: Carlos Rodríguez
Sale: Rodolfo Pizarro
74' ¡GOL! de México, Jonathan Dos Santos dispara de pierna izquierda después de que Raúl Jiménez bajara el balón dentro del área para abrir el marcador
71' Disparo de Christian Pulisic que sale desviado de la portería de Guillermo Ochoa
El balón es rechazado por la defensa de Estados Unidos
66' Tiro de esquina a favor de México
54' El balón se va por encima de la portería de Estados Unidos
53' Tiro libre a favor de México
51' Gran jugada de Rodolfo Pizarro, Raúl Jiménez abanica el balón dentro del área
50' ¡México vuelve a salvarse! Andrés Guardado rechaza el esférico en la línea de gol dentro de la portería de Guillermo Ochoa
¡Arranca el segundo tiempo!
¡Termina el primer tiempo!
44' Rodolfo Pizarro cayó mal en una jugada en medio campo y se lesionó el brazo, pide su cambio
42' Disparo de Jonathan Dos Santos que sale desviado de la portería de Estados Unidos
37' Disparo de Uriel Antuna desde afuera del área, el balón sale desviado de la portería de Estados Unidos
30' ¡México se salvó! Paul Arriola llega al área mexicana y se quita a Guillermo Ochoa, el disparo pasa cerca de la portería tricolor
16' Rodolfo Pizarro desborda por la banda izquierda y mete un centro que remata Andrés Guardado, el balón se va por encima de la portería de Estados Unidos
15' El marcador se mantiene sin goles en el Soldier Field de Chicago
7' Altidore se quita de encima a dos defensas mexicanos y saca un disparo que pasa muy cerca de la portería de Guillermo Ochoa
5' Christian Pulisic llega con peligro al área mexicana, Guillermo Ochoa "achica" y detiene el disparo
1' Disparo de larga distancia de Jonathan Dos Santos, el balón es controlado por el portero de Estados Unidos
¡Arrancó el partido!
Se entona el Himno Nacional Mexicano en el Soldier Field
Salen los equipos a la cancha del Soldier Field en Chicago
Alineación de EU: Steffen, Bradley, Arriola, Mckennie, Pulisic, Morris, Ream, Cannon, Altidore, Miazga y Long. | {
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UN conceals Picasso’s “Guernica” for Powell’s presentation
By David Walsh
8 February 2003
In an act with extraordinary historical resonance, United Nations officials covered up a tapestry reproduction of Pablo Picasso’s anti-war mural “Guernica” during US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s February 5 presentation of the American case for war against Iraq.
Picasso’s painting commemorates a small Basque village bombed by German forces in April 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The painter, in desolate black, white and grey, depicts a nightmarish scene of men, women, children and animals under bombardment. The twisted, writhing forms include images of a screaming mother holding a dead child, a corpse with wide-open eyes and a gored horse. Art historian Herbert Read described the work as “a cry of outrage and horror amplified by a great genius.”
The reproduction has hung outside the Security Council chamber at UN headquarters in New York since its donation by the estate of Nelson A. Rockefeller in 1985. As the council gathered to hear Powell on Wednesday, workers placed a blue curtain and flags of the council’s member countries in front of the tapestry.
UN officials claimed that the cover-up was simply a matter of creating a more effective backdrop for the television cameras. “When we do have large crowds we put the flags up and the UN logo in front of the tapestry,” asserted Stephane Dujarric. New York Newsday, however, reported that “Diplomats at the United Nations, speaking on condition they not be named, have been quoted in recent days telling journalists that they believe the United States leaned on UN officials to cover the tapestry, rather than have it in the background while Powell or other US diplomats argued for war on Iraq.”
The right-wing Washington Times was obliged to note: “Television cameras routinely pan the tapestry as diplomats enter and leave the council chambers, and its muted browns and taupes lend a poignant backdrop to the talking heads. So it was a surprise for many of the envoys to arrive at U.N. headquarters last Monday for a Security Council briefing by chief weapons inspectors, only to find the searing work covered with a baby-blue banner and the U.N. logo.”
Further damaging Dujarric’s claim, the Toronto Star’s art critic Peter Goddard wrote that “the coverup may have been prompted by UN realization that images of the mural’s vivid anti-war message were televised world-wide when it appeared as a backdrop to the Jan. 27 interim report by chief weapons inspector Hans Blix.”
A group of protesters held up copies of Picasso’s painting outside the UN on Wednesday while Powell was making his warmongering appeal.
Aside from its general evocation of anti-war sentiment, Picasso’s painting threatened to speak to historical parallels that the Bush administration and UN officials were clearly determined that the media or the public should not make.
For an entire generation the bombing of Guernica and Picasso’s interpretation of the event signified the barbarity of fascism and the widespread determination to resist its violence and brutality.
The bombing of Guernica, by the German Luftwaffe in support of Francisco Franco’s Nationalist army, was one of the first opportunities for European fascism to reveal its murderous face.
German bombers launched an unprovoked attack on the Basque village of 5,000 at 4:30 in the afternoon, the busiest hour of a market day. According to one account, “The streets were jammed with townspeople and peasants from the countryside. Never before in modern warfare had noncombatants been slaughtered in such numbers, and by such means” (Lael Wertenbaker, The World of Picasso, 1967).
From 4:30 to 7:45 the squadron of German airplanes rained uncontested bombs and gunfire on the village. “Villagers who were not immediately killed fled to the fields to take refuge, only to be ravaged by plunging machine gun fighters” (Thomas Gordon and Max Morgan, Guernica: The Crucible of World War II, 1975).
One-third of the population of the village was either killed or wounded. The fires that engulfed the city burned for three days. Isolated farms as far away as four miles were bombed.
A survivor of the attack recounted, “The air was alive with the cries of the wounded. I saw a man crawling down the street, dragging his broken legs.... Pieces of people and animals were lying everywhere.... In the wreckage there was a young woman. I could not take my eyes off her. Bones stuck through her dress. Her head twisted right around her neck. She lay, mouth open, her tongue hanging out. I vomited and lost consciousness” (Gordon and Morgan).
The bombing of Guernica had no strategic military significance. It was an opportunity for the German military—with the authorization of Franco—to test its powerful new air force. The killing and maiming of 1,700 Spanish villagers was essentially done for bombing practice. The raid also had the aim of intimidating and terrorizing not simply the Spanish population, but any and all of those who might oppose the fascist onslaught.
After news of the massacre had reached Paris, more than one million people flooded the city’s streets on May 1 to protest the atrocity. Eyewitness accounts filled French newspapers. Stunned and horrified by the black and white photographs of the bombing’s devastation, Picasso quickly sketched the first images for the Guernica mural. Three months later the painting was delivered to the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. Following the victory of Franco’s fascist army, with the aid of Hitler and Mussolini, Picasso forbade the work’s display in Spain until the country enjoyed “public liberties and democratic institutions.” “Guernica” was returned to Spain on October 25, 1981, on the centenary of the painter’s birth. | {
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday urged European Jews to move to Israel after a Jewish man was killed in an attack outside Copenhagen’s main synagogue.
“Israel is your home. We are preparing and calling for the absorption of mass immigration from Europe,” Netanyahu said in a statement, repeating a similar call made after attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris last month that killed 17 people, including four Jews.
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Two police officers were also wounded in Sunday’s attack, one of two fatal shootings in the normally peaceful Danish capital on the weekend.
In the first attack on Saturday a 55-year-old man was killed at a panel discussion about Islam and free speech attended by a Swedish cartoonist behind controversial caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
“Extremist Islamic terrorism has struck Europe again… Jews have been murdered again on European soil only because they were Jews,” Netanyahu said in the statement.
The Israeli prime minister said his government was to adopt a $45 million (39.5 million euro) plan “to encourage the absorption of immigrants from France, Belgium and Ukraine”.
“To the Jews of Europe and to the Jews of the world I say that Israel is waiting for you with open arms,” Netanyahu said.
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He had made a similar call after three days of bloodshed in Paris that started with the January 7 attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo where 12 people were gunned down, followed the next day by the shooting death of a policewoman just outside the city.
On January 9, the gunman who killed the policewoman took hostages at a kosher supermarket in Paris. He killed four Jewish hostages before police shot him dead when they raided the store.
The bodies of the four were later flown to Israel where they were buried.
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Officials in Copenhagen described the weekend attacks as an act of terror and said the man believed to be behind the shootings was shot dead after opening fire on police at a rail station.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman sent condolences to Danish counterpart Martin Lidegaard over the attacks, telling him Israel “appreciates Denmark’s cooperation in maintaining the security of Israelis and Jews in Denmark.”
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A statement from the foreign ministry quoted Lieberman as telling Lidegaard that Israel was “ready for any cooperation required on this issue”. | {
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moje-zeme-moje-hrdost:
I know this was just recently a reply to an ask on my blog, but I’m going to use it for a set of links I’ll put on my sidebar soon.
-
Race mixing is genocide. I wish anti’s would stop trying to reduce it to something simple like “love” and “wanting to start a family”. It’s genocide, plain and simple.
While the white genocide covers all of the definition of genocide, race mixing falls into this:
“Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
© Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.”
When white people are brainwashed into finding other sub-species attractive, being told that interracial relationships are glamorous and cool, and that men and women of their own race are bad, but men and women of other races have good qualities, of course they’re going to be motivated to hate themselves and mix. This is genocide via preventing births in the group.
Also, on a related note, when white people are brainwashed to think that owning dogs is more desirable than having children, that children are a hassle and they should just party until their reproductive system doesn’t work, that their “career” is more important than having white children, that white people don’t matter, that the world is “overpopulated” and we need less people, and whatever else reason there is not to have white children, of course they’re going to not have white children. This is genocide via preventing births in the group.
Whoever is doing the brainwashing is doing it with the intent to destroy the white race by preventing births within it.
I know, liberals, anti-racists, and people of the like are taught that the world revolves around their feelings, especially their “love” or lust for someone, but race mixers are just tools used for the anti-white agenda. There is much more to your race mixing than your precious feelings. | {
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Jana Benscoter
For the York Daily Record
Preparing for the upcoming April 26 Pennsylvania Primary, Democrats gathered Wednesday at The Red Brick Bakery and Tea Room in Red Lion to work on their ground game to support presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Organizer George Sanders said he estimated 200 people would either sign up to make phone calls or use social media. Event volunteers reached out to registered voters from Wrightsville to Hanover, and Delta up to York city to let them know about the rally.
“I was excited to see (Bernie) come up as candidate and see him looking to campaign in a different way, sort of like Obama, getting everybody involved,” George Sanders said. “It’s kind of building from the bottom up, but I like (Bernie’s) positions even more.”
Why did York County voters switch parties?
As a small business owner, George Sanders said, he thinks his candidate is a better leader when it comes to both environmental issues and small business owners’ concerns. Based on his experience during previous election cycles in 2008 and 2012, he said he has noticed Bernie Sanders has activated new voters in the Red Lion area.
“He still has a chance,” George Sanders said. “He doesn’t need to win by a large margin, to get right over the edge. He has some big states at the end, even if he doesn’t do super well in New York or Wisconsin, and even here, if he’s even (with Hillary Clinton), if it stays close enough, it’s going to go to the end.”
Millersville University student Zach Ilgenfritz, 20, of Hellam Township, said Sanders’ ideas are what America needs. Ilgenfritz said he disagrees with Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
“In particular, Trump is obviously against Muslims and all that, and I think this is a country where it’s supposed to be freedom of religion,” Ilgenfritz said. “We’re supposed to be created equal, everyone, and I think discriminating people because of their religion or their race is opposite of what America was created for.”
How does the Pennsylvania primary work?
He continued, “I understand that socialism is a little far-fetched, too, but I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
Ilgenfritz and his friend Mark Swartz, also of Hellam Township, said this is their first time voting. Swartz, 20, said he thinks Sanders would make a good president.
“I am very into the whole climate change thing,” Swartz said. “When I look at him, I see someone who is in the race for the people. Where when I look at everybody else, like Trump, they look more…a lot of them make me feel like it’s about ego, especially Trump. Bernie understands what the people are going through.”
Elections 2016 | {
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Netflix are moving ahead with four Marvel shows, with the plan being to then bring them together in a team-up series. As of right now, we don't know if multiple seasons are planned, whether this is a one off deal which will take a few years to play out or if the characters will eventually be brought to the big screen. As of right now, it's just too soon to tell, but with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter on ABC and Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist on the online streaming service, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is aiming to take over television as well. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos was quizzed on what led them to choose these heroes. "It was really based on the theatrical model of The Avengers. Could you take another group of characters, The Defenders, and go about it the same way? Normally they do the big movie and then eventually they get to the group origin story. Having 13 hours to tell each of these stories, you can go right to the origin story and the action at the same time."
We know that Daredevil is set for 2015, but what comes next? Well, Sarandos may have inadvertently revealed exactly that as it turns out that the casting process has already begun for another character. "Right now, the writers' rooms are open and they're looking at casting Jessica," the CCO revealed. "If you sense some hesitation in my voice, that's classic Marvel fashion. They like to keep that veil of secrecy. But Daredevil is already shooting, since that's out first. Eventually the series will run very close together. You can then have a separate season where the characters will cross over." As for whether these cross overs will reach the movies, he would only say: "It has definitely been talked about."
With the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy likely set to team-up at some point in the next few years, throwing The Defenders into the mix could be very interesting, even if it would result in a VERY crowded movie. Ultimately, it's hard to imagine superheroes such as these not one day factoring into Marvel's big screen plans at some point. When talk turned to how the tone of this take on Daredevil will differ to the 2003 movie starring Ben Affleck, Sarandos said, "The series will not be afraid to go darker than the film did. What we love about this particular set of heroes is that they're a little more down to Earth. Costume wise and also in that these are gritty crime stories, more in the streets than in the clouds." While his point about the costumes may be true for Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, could this mean that Daredevil and Iron Fist WON'T be suiting up in spandex? We'll have to wait and see! What do you guys think? | {
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Siddharth Devnani, the co-founder and partner of SoCheers InfoTech, an Indian marketing and advertising company, shares his insights on the newly proposed data protection laws.
Why is India looking at data privacy laws?
The objective looks two-fold. One is where the regulators can have access to data - and local
companies will have to oblige when they demand for this. The other is to prevent storage of private data of Indian citizens in other countries without their explicit consent. There is also the angle of preventing companies from misusing their user data.
What implications will this have for businesses?
A lot of companies, especially multinational corporations, would have to shift their data inside the country's borders, which may need changing their technical architecture and internal processes. This will further have an impact on their operating costs.
What about the impact on users?
As end-users, we would have some peace of mind, knowing that our data is unlikely to reach the hands of foreign regulators. On the flip side, it also gives an easy direct access of our data to local
regulators - which is really the point of all this.
Could this create fears about how user data might be accessed and used within India?
Smarter users are likely to get paranoid - owing to our country's track record on the topic of data security and attitude towards privacy.
What are the potential challenges?
Where AI is powering much of our digital lives today - from which posts you see on Instagram, to which credit card transactions are marked as fraud, to what jokes Siri or Amazon’s Alexa deliver on demand - it is based on the huge chunk of data the tech companies gather from millions of users across the world. Fragmenting this country-wise will hamper the ‘learning’ ability of the AI to some extent. That is if these MNCs are not allowed to send copies of Indian users' data - which is still an open question awaiting clarifications.
What impact could this have?
Smaller start-ups from the western world will be blocked-out almost entirely from entering the country where it would not be feasible for them to set up shop. We might see some of these halting their existing services in India. | {
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【3月14日 AFP】（写真追加）ロシア人元実業家のニコライ・グルシュコフ（Nikolai Glushkov）氏（68）が、英ロンドンの自宅で不審死を遂げたことが分かった。英ロ両国のメディアが13日、報じた。同氏は、ロシアのウラジーミル・プーチン（Vladimir Putin）大統領反対派だった故ボリス・ベレゾフスキー（Boris Berezovsky）氏とつながりのある人物だった。
英国では現在、イングランドで起きた神経剤によるロシア人元スパイ襲撃事件を受けた懸念が高まっており、英政府は過去に不審な死を遂げた複数のロシア関係者に関する調査を行う意向を表明していた。
報道によると、グルシュコフ氏は12日、ロンドン南西部ニューモールデン（New Malden）の自宅で、娘のナタリアさんによって発見された。ロシア紙コメルサント（Kommersant）は遺族の話として、同氏の遺体には「首絞の跡」があったとした上で、他殺か自殺かは今のところ不明と伝えている。
ロシアで大きな影響力を持つ新興財閥（オリガルヒ）だったベレゾフスキー氏は、一時はプーチン氏を支持していたものの、後に反プーチン派に転向。2013年にロンドン郊外の自宅の浴室で首つり遺体で発見された。
ベレゾフスキー氏が所有していた航空大手アエロフロート（Aeroflot）や自動車大手アフトワズ（Avtovaz）で幹部を務めた経験があるグルシュコフ氏は当時、ベレゾフスキー氏は何者かに殺害されたとの見解を示していた。(c)AFP | {
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Adjective
The biweekly mortgage loan was started in Canada and is now offered by lenders in the United States. This loan is similar to the standard fixed-rate loan except for the frequency of payments. Instead of making one monthly payment, the borrower makes a payment equal to one-half of the normal monthly payment every two weeks … — Stephen R. Mettling et al. , Modern Residential Financing Methods ,
Last week ABC brought back Dick Cavett … and introduced syndicated newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin as Cavett's biweekly alternate (Thursday and Fridays). — Harry Waters , Newsweek ,
She attends biweekly classes and studies at the library every Saturday. | {
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North Dakota oil production rose 4 percent in January after a dismal December, though the forecast for the next several months is tepid.
The state's oil fields pumped out 980,294 barrels per day in January, up from 942,322 in December, as the weather improved a bit, according to data released Wednesday by the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources. The all-time production high was 1.23 million barrels per day in December 2014, which occurred just as global oil prices began plummeting.
North Dakota — the nation's second largest oil producing state — saw its largest month-over-month decrease on record in December as three snowstorms and icy, windy weather pummeled the state.
"The first half of January was as bad as December 2016, but the last 10 days of the month the weather was dry, warm and a little windy," Lynn Helms, the mineral department's director, wrote in a monthly report.
"We had real good weather for putting some wells back into production," Helms said in a conference call. "Things got back on trend."
Still, he said production should remain flat if not fall in the next few months. In fact, he doesn't expect monthly production to top 1 million barrels per day again until 2018's fourth quarter.
North Dakota produced 1 million barrels per day from April 2014 through July of last year. Since then, the state has topped 1 million barrels per day only in October and November.
One positive sign: The number of drill rigs looking for oil has increased in recent weeks. The rig count is now 44, up from 39 in February. The all-time high was 218 in May 2012.
"Operators are shifting from running the minimum number of drill rigs to incremental increases through 2017, as long as oil prices remain between $50/barrel and $60/barrel WTI," Helms wrote.
"A lot of operators are talking about adding a significant number of rigs this year."
The West Texas Intermediate benchmark oil price has been mostly hovering between $52 to $56 per barrel since December, the longest stint above $50 since the summer of 2015 and a big improvement from the February 2016 nadir of $30 per barrel.
But oil prices fell 5 percent Wednesday, with the WTI hitting a 2017 low, settling at $50.28. Prices fell sharply Wednesday on news that weekly U.S. oil inventories jumped higher than analysts expected, for a record high. | {
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In a series of tweets, US President Donald Trump accused Senator Richard Blumenthal of lying about his service in the Vietnam War, after Blumenthal accused the Trump campaign of taking "payouts" from Moscow.
Trump, who is currently working from his golf resort in New Jersey while the White House is under renovation, lambasted the Democrat from Connecticut by bringing up a controversy about Blumenthal's military service in Vietnam.
"Never in US history has anyone lied or defrauded voters like Senator Richard Blumenthal," Trump tweeted Monday, dubbing his critic "a phony Vietnam con artist" who is now a leading advocate of "hoax Russian collusion" charges.
Interesting to watch Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut talking about hoax Russian collusion when he was a phony Vietnam con artist! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017
Never in U.S.history has anyone lied or defrauded voters like Senator Richard Blumenthal. He told stories about his Vietnam battles and.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017
...conquests, how brave he was, and it was all a lie. He cried like a baby and begged for forgiveness like a child. Now he judges collusion? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017
Blumenthal was elected to the Senate in 2010, defeating a Republican challenger for the seat vacated by the retiring Democrat Chris Dodd. During his campaign, it emerged that he had spoken about being “in Vietnam,” but never actually saw combat during that war. Blumenthal served in the US Marine Corps Reserve from 1970 to 1976, and was discharged with the rank of sergeant.
READ MORE: Trump: Investigators should look into Hillary’s emails, not fake Russia story (VIDEO)
The senator responded on Monday morning, accusing Trump of "bullying" and saying that this was not about him, but about the integrity of the special counsel.
This issue isn't about me - it's about the Special Counsel's independence and integrity. — Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) August 7, 2017
Several hours later, Trump fired back.
I think Senator Blumenthal should take a nice long vacation in Vietnam, where he lied about his service, so he can at least say he was there — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017
The spat began on Saturday, when Blumenthal accused Trump's campaign of collusion with Russia in the 2016 US election by accepting "financial payouts straight out of their playbook sabotaging democracies," and called on the Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate the allegations.
Russian financial payouts straight out of their playbook sabotaging democracies. Mueller must follow the money. — Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) August 5, 2017
The Connecticut Democrat has been an outspoken advocate of the “Russian collusion” theory. In June, he led the 196 Democratic lawmakers in filing a complaint before a federal judge, accusing the president of accepting “emoluments” ‒ payments or gifts from foreign states without congressional approval ‒ in violation of the Constitution.
"The president’s failure to tell us about these emoluments, to disclose the payments and benefits that he is receiving, mean that we cannot do our job," Blumenthal said at the time. | {
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I hammered my ten inch stake into that boy 's tent. The wind won't blow it away now!
893 shares | {
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［ワシントン １５日 ロイター］ - トランプ米大統領は１５日、イスラエルのネタニヤフ首相とホワイトハウスで会談し、中東和平の実現に向けイスラエルとパレスチナの「２国家共存」にこだわらない考えを表明した。
パレスチナ国家を樹立し、イスラエルとの共存を目指すとしてきた米国の方針を転換した格好だ。
ただ、イスラエルが進めるヨルダン川西岸などでの入植地拡大については自制を求めた。
両氏の会談は昨年の米大統領選後初めて。
共同記者会見でトランプ氏は「２国家と１国家のいずれも選択肢にある。当事者双方が望む方が好ましい。私はどちらでも受け入れ可能だ」と述べた。
また、中東和平に取り組む考えを表明したが、和平には双方の歩み寄りが不可欠で、最終的には両者が条件で合意しなければならないとも強調した。和平実現に向けた新たな提案は行わなかった。
ヨルダン川西岸などでの入植地拡大については「少し控えてほしい」とネタニヤフ首相に自制を促した。 | {
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A man who claims to be a Nest engineer posted a scathing review of the company on Reddit this week.
The unnamed engineer said in the post that the security system, alarm and, thermostat company is on 'deathwatch' and explained that funding will soon be cut and that executives will 'flee once their golden handcuffs unlock.'
The angry poster, who has not been verified as a Nest employee, said that Nest CEO Tony Fadell is a tyrant of a boss.
Scroll down for full post
Sick and tired: A man who claims to be a Nest engineer posted a scathing review of the company on Reddit this week. The unnamed engineer said in the post that the security system, alarm and, thermostat company is on 'deathwatch'
CEO: The angry poster, who has not been verified as a Nest employee, said that Nest CEO Tony Fadell (pictured) is an awful boss who overworks his employees who are so tired that they sleep in corners of the office
'Tony and his goons demand crazy timelines so much that 'crunch time' has basically lost meaning. Just when your labor bears fruit, they swoop in, 180 the specs you just delivered on, then have the gall to call your team 'incompetent' for not reading their mind and delivering on these brand-new specs. I waste most of my time in pointless meetings, or defending my teams so they don't flip their desks and walk out,' he wrote of the supposed Nest office culture.
He went on to say that disheveled employees' lives and marriages are being destroyed and that they are forced to take naps in bathrooms because they are so overworked.
'People fall asleep in corners and cry in the bathrooms, health and marriages are suffering. Already the churn is insane, close to half the company if not more. Skilled engineers can tell the environment is toxic, so we're filling vacancies with mostly sub-par talent,' continued the post.
The anonymous man continued his rant and warned the CEO that he can’t hide anything from engineers.
'Tony, you can't hide anything from engineers. We know how many units are actually being sold, how many subscriptions lapse, how many fail or get returned. We know about that time-bomb flaw you ignored so people will have to upgrade. We can see the data in those executive dashboards you think we don't know about,' he said.
'But go ahead, keep trashing us in public. We dare you to tell everyone just how much of that $340M was due to a simple Dropcam rebrand, and not the thermostats and smoke alarms. Good luck shipping that critical new project after restarting it for the umpteenth time. Ah, that feels better. Now off to the other 4 meetings I have today,' he concluded.
The employee might be referring to Fadell's criticism of employees who came from Dropcam to work at Nest . Fadell came out saying that those engineers, 'were not as good as we hoped,' according to 9To5Google.
After garnering attention from his post, the disgruntled employee added that despite having issues with the CEO, he is supportive of his fellow employees of the company.
'I'm still proud of what my teams have accomplished at Nest. A lot of engineers, managers, and support staff have built something really cool. The cloud services are slick, and the hardware is beautiful, even if you operate local-only for those products that can still function that way,' he wrote.
The Reddit user isn't the only one who highlighted the issues with Nest in recent weeks.
According to a new report from The Information, ever since Google bought Nest in 2014, the company has been slow to unveil new products and revenue is below expectations.
Dropcam CEO Greg Duffy also criticized Fadell and said he ran Nest like a 'tyrant bureaucrat.' | {
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(1) Comments are moderated, but with the lightest of touches, to exclude only off-topic comments or obviously racist or similar remarks.
(2) My clearing a comment implies neither that I agree nor that I disagree with the comment. My opinion is expressed in my words and my words only. Since this blog has more than 1500 posts, and since I at least occasionally comment myself, the blog provides more than enough material for readers to discern my opinions.
(3) If a reader finds an offensive comment, I urge the reader to e-mail me; if the comment is offensive, I will gladly delete it.
(4) Commenters who either misrepresent their identity or who engage in obvious troll behavior will not have their comments cleared. Troll-like behavior includes, but is not limited to: repeatedly linking to off-topic sites; repeatedly asking questions that already have been answered; offering unsubstantiated remarks whose sole purpose appears to be inflaming other commenters.
| {
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Third Party and Independent Opposition to the Two-Party State | {
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James Davison will attempt to race both the Daytona 500 and the 104th Indianapolis 500 in 2020, as a new partnership makes its first NASCAR foray in the Great American Race.
Danica Patrick was the last racer to compete in both marquee events in the same year (2018). Kurt Busch competed in the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in 2014.
Davison, a 33-year-old Australian, is partnering with BYRD Racing and Brodie and Sarah Hayward of Hayward Motorsports. Davison will also compete in select sprint car events under the Hayward Motorsports banner.
OILFIRE Whiskey will be the primary sponsor for the Daytona 500 entry, and an associate sponsor for the Indianapolis 500.
Though partner programs for both races are still being finalized, BYRD and Davison expect to be returning to familiar territory during the month of May for Davison’s 6th run at Indy.
Davison finished a career-best 12th last year in his fifth Indy 500 start.
David Byrd, whose family has been a long-time participant at Indy and at the grassroots of racing, appreciates the importance of fostering drivers and mechanics through the USAC ranks.
“There can be no top levels of racing without the grassroots,” Byrd said. “From the intensity of the competition to the passion of the fans and the promoters, and the often thankless dedication of the guys that turn the wrenches, it all filters upwards. It’s where we got our start. No matter we do, it will always have our heart and our support.
“Be it IndyCar or NASCAR, motorsports thrives when at least some of its drivers have, develop or maintain a connection with the hundreds of thousands of passionate fans that fill the stands at hundreds of short tracks across America week in and week out. We want to develop drivers that have the ability to stand in both worlds.”
Although Davison ran the Rolex 24 Hours from 2014-2016, Speedweeks will mark the Melbourne native’s first attempt around the 2.5-mile high-banked oval in a stock car. Davison has four starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series—including three races for Joe Gibbs Racing, where his best run was fourth at Mid-Ohio in 2017.
“This is the next step for Hayward Motorsports as we venture into NASCAR and IndyCar,” Brodie Hayward said. “Sarah and I appreciate the opportunity to watch these drivers grow and rise through the racing ranks.”
Hayward Motorsports announced on Tuesday that two-time USAC champ Chris Windom will pilot the No. 19 in the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car tour next season.
“I’ve known Brodie for quite a few years and the opportunity arose not too long ago for us to do a deal for next year,” Windom said. “I know how great of an operation they’re putting together—what they have and what they want to do in the future. I didn’t think there was any way I could say no to that. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Tanner Thorson, 23, the 2016 USAC National Midget Champion, will drive the No. 19 midget for Hayward. Thorson returns to competition next weekend in the Gateway Dirt Nationals. OILFIRE will also sponsor the No. 19 midget in the 2020 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway.
“We sponsored a couple of NASCAR events this season and sponsored some of Brodie’s races earlier this year at Indy and Chili Bowl,” said OILFIRE president Carroll Lockhart. “His teams are topnotch. His quality of drivers and crews are some of the best out there. I feel with OILFIRE, the racing fans are the type of audience and clients that my company is trying to market to.
“As the industry shows in the whiskey business, music fans, racing fans and sports fans drink a lot of whiskey. So it was an easy choice for me. That’s why I jumped on the chance to sponsor Hayward in 2020.” | {
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GRAMERCY, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police are investigating after a woman was found dead inside a trash compactor at a Manhattan condominium.Authorities responded to the scene at the Zeckendorf Towers building on One Irving Place just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.The 48-year-old resident was discovered unconscious and unresponsive inside the trash compactor by an employee of the building.She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity has not yet been released.Residents said they received an email instructing them not to use the trash chute for the time being and all the chutes were locked shut.Police are reviewing surveillance video from inside and outside the condo building.The investigation remains ongoing.---------- | {
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“A Florida convenience store owner is preparing to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against local police after collecting more than two dozen videos detailing what he describes as regular harassment by officers against both customers and his employees.
The Miami Herald reported that since installing cameras at his store in June 2012, 207 Quickstop owner Alex Saleh has amassed footage of Miami Gardens police arresting people for trespassing despite them having permission to be at the store, as well as conducting searches without a warrant and in at least one instance, reporting a trespassing arrest saying one of Saleh’s employees was loitering outside the business when video of the arrest showed him being taken into custody while he was working inside.
The employee, Earl Sampson, has reportedly been put in jail 56 times, searched more than 100 times and questioned more than 250 times over the past four years, despite Saleh informing police on several occasions that he worked at the establishment.”* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian break it down.
*Read more here from Arturo Garcia / Raw Story:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/21/miami-gardens-store-owner-films-a-years-worth-of-outrageous-behavior-by-local-cops/
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Buy TYT Merch: http://theyoungturks.spreadshirt.com/ | {
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The World Game can reveal the deal was struck between the two clubs late on Thursday afternoon - although the Mariners are less than happy at being held to ransom by the player.
Austin, 25, was a standout for the Mariners in his debut A-League season, racking up five goals and two assists in 23 appearances after returning from the lower leagues of England.
His pace and dribbling on the left win instantly caught the eye and many clubs coveted his services - including Victory coach Kevin Muscat - although rumours of a mid-season switch ultimately came to nothing.
Austin requested not to take up the automatic second year option on his contract and become a free agent, much to the chagrin of the Gosford-based club.
Mariners executive vice chairman Peter Storrie issued a statement on the club’s website firmly rebuking Football Federation Australia for their existing contract rules.
“We signed Mitch 12 months ago when he was out of contract in the UK and gave him a chance to shine in the A-League,” Storrie said. “Mitch played a certain amount of matches, which triggered a second season in his contract.
“Mitch requested to terminate his contract which highlights why the FFA should re-consider the rules around transfer fees between A-League Clubs, if not the smaller clubs are just going to develop players and lose them to bigger clubs with no compensation.”
As A-League clubs cannot offer transfer fees, Victory offered Pain up instead, a move the player agreed to after being reduced to a bit-part role in the past two years. Of his 25 appearances in that time, only one came as a starter.
The 22-year old looked to have a bright future when he made his Socceroos’ debut in 2013 but the arrival of Kosta Barbarouses effectively made him second-choice on the right-side of attacking midfield.
Now Victory must replace both of them after Barbarouses signed on as a marquee player at Wellington Phoenix for next season. | {
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It was a couple days after my latest drunken escapade of stupidity and recklessness when I determined I had reached the end. The latest embarrassment – yet another angry rant – so compromised my reporting career that in my severely warped mind I became convinced there was nothing else left to do.
I would finally kill myself.
This time, all the pain and anger would mercifully stop.
I’ll never forget the sense of calm that enveloped me that early morning in July as I gathered everything that was property of The Associated Press – laptop, cell phone, etc. – and climbed into my car. I drove to the bureau office, numbingly wrote a letter of resignation, pressed send, turned out the lights and left.
Next stop: the county sheriff’s office to apply for a gun permit.
Seven months later, I’m still here. Somehow and thankfully, I climbed back over the hotel balcony in Las Vegas last summer. Luckily, I never did pull the trigger on that gun I held to my head.
When I had a lull in the dread that was often so overwhelming, I finally answered an email from my persistent sister. Thanks to her quick flight to Charlotte and relentless urging, I finally sought help. I’m now on two antidepressants that are doing wonders, alcohol-free for the second time after a relapse, and hopeful I can someday gain back the trust of all the people I hurt.
But perhaps the most important thing I want to do is implore others like me to seek help. There is hope – and I never thought I would say, write or think that.
Depression remains an unspoken word to many, and embarrassing to many who suffer from it. Where I come from, you deal with your problems quietly and on your own. But even if I that wasn’t the case, it wouldn’t have mattered. Until recently I didn’t even know I was suffering from clinical depression.
I didn’t fit the TV description. I was rarely despondent or wanting to stay in bed all day. I masked my feelings by blaming others and seeking escapes through alcohol and other dubious behaviors. My physical symptoms weren’t tears. They were anger, back and knee pain and memory loss.
To start, I’ve always been a little odd. Social settings always unnerved me. Difficulty dealing with people cost me girlfriends, friends, hampered my career and stunted my growth as a person. To avoid embarrassing social interactions, I often avoided them entirely. People either thought I was a loner, aloof, a jerk or all three. That led me unwittingly down the road to depression and a common way to combat it: self medicating.
As I got older I discovered this incredible drug that would not only loosen me up if I needed to meet people or attend a social function, but also provide an addicting buzz that dulled the pain: alcohol.
There’s a period of time, usually between drinks 5-8, where I could function like a “normal” person and feel tremendous. I could be the funniest guy in the room.
Trouble was, I never stopped at eight drinks. So often around 11, or 16 or 24 I would either do something embarrassing or get angry at my lot in life and lash out at others. This was the way I could let out all the frustrations that were bottled up inside for so long, even if they were directed at the innocent.
Over the years I was fortunate my reckless behavior didn’t kill me or someone else. Yet, for much of the time I remained oblivious to what was really wrong with me.
I had a great girlfriend, had moved from radio broadcasting to a good job as a sports writer for the AP, bought a condo in uptown Charlotte within walking distance of the arena, football stadium and countless bars and was relatively financially secure. I should have been happy. Check that, I should have been ecstatic.
Instead, I was miserable.
But I didn’t think of it as depression. In fact, I did a common thing men with depression do: blame others. I lashed out at my girlfriend, the kindest person you’ll ever met. Then I cheated on her and eventually lost her. I was short tempered with friends and co-workers.
To get a reprieve from the feeling of worthlessness I turned to drinking and other risky behavior that produced a fleeting adrenaline rush. I had back and knee pain, which amazingly is another symptom of depression. I would be startled when others would bring up good things that happened to me in the past that I couldn’t recall, yet another symptom.
I spent too much money on too many stupid things. But I never worried about the long term consequences because I never expected to be around anyway.
I was 16 when I first thought about killing myself. By my sophomore year at Syracuse the urge was more pronounced. While I didn’t think about blowing my head off every day, it was always tucked away there in the background. Yet it was certainly never something I could tell anyone about. I felt it would make me look weak.
Never did I think I would live a regular life. A family and normal career? Absolutely not. My life would be short. There was no way I could feel like this for too much longer. The level of angst before simple social interactions was overwhelming. The feeling that I couldn’t do anything right was just too much to bear.
My behavior had been out of control for a couple years before my angry message to a source in July caused me to hit bottom. But when I quit my job and found out it would take up to a month before I got my handgun permit, I panicked. I’d have to live for another month?
I tried to hide. Because my work cell phone was the only phone I had, I was fortunately unreachable. When a worried friend knocked on my door and I didn’t answer, I decided I’d go on a trip to spend the rest of my money and get away from all the people I was convinced were trying to bother me.
The problem was when I get to a certain low point, I don’t even want to drink. It takes too much effort. So this cross country trip didn’t make life better. That’s when I stopped in Vegas and decided to jump off the ledge. The pain was just too much.
But I changed my mind, in part because I was afraid I would mess it up. Knowing me, I’d hit one of the lower ledges on the way down and not die, putting a burden on my family as a living vegetable. Not wanting to do it never entered the equation. The gun was likely fool proof. I did plenty of research online about how to do it properly.
I returned home and the permit was in my mailbox. So was an email from my college soccer referee assignor who wondered if I was available this fall.
That email saved my life.
I had refereed for many years but had virtually stopped a couple years ago. It was too hard to drink as much as I did and stay in proper shape. I had since put on weight. Yet I remembered I actually experienced a sense of accomplishment when I refereed. I thought I might try to work some matches. I could make some money that way and I thought I would then kill myself at the end of the season.
So I cashed out my 401k to pay the mortgage for a few more months and went on an intense diet and running program. By the end of the college season I had shed more than 50 pounds and was running up to 11 miles per day. Running had replaced alcohol as my addiction.
Then the soccer season ended and I lost my way again.
To avoid thinking about my lack of a future, I drove home to Massachusetts to see my parents in a plan that included staying there for a couple weeks before driving them to my sister’s house in Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. But on the night of the holiday an incredible feeling of dread overwhelmed me. There was nothing else to distract me from the reality I was a worthless, miserable, failed human being.
It was time to die. This time, for real.
I quickly told everyone I was leaving the morning after Thanksgiving. I went on one final run when I got home – then decided to go to the bar.
Within two weeks I was all the way back to self-destruction mode. I traded the runner’s high for the old, reliable alcoholic buzz. In a way, I think I was making sure before I died I experienced that overwhelming sense of self-loathing again.
I was drinking a case of beer or more every other day. (I would be so hung over and feel so badly the next day I didn’t have the strength to drink.) On the off days I made plans to end my pitiful existence. I even watched “Leaving Las Vegas” to put my 38-year life into perspective.
I finally went to the gun store and purchased my gun. I then bought my ammunition. As I tried to decide whether to kill myself in my condo or in my car, I worried about my parents. I knew they would be hurt, but only because they weren’t fully aware of what a failure I was. Everyone else I thought wouldn’t care – or would quickly get over it. In reality, I had few close friends. There were many other people who rightfully thought I was a jerk.
Yet I didn’t pull the trigger that early January afternoon on the floor of my bedroom. Why, I don’t know. There was something deep down inside that told me to wait.
A couple days later I finally replied to one of the many emails I had ignored from sister. She was there in a couple of days, and after one final night tying one on, I checked myself into a behavioral health center.
After a night wearing a hospital gown, eating spaghetti and meatballs with a plastic spoon and hanging out with the severely mentally ill in an observation area – I had for the first time admitted I wanted to kill myself – I was given pills and orders to find a way to stop drinking.
It’s been a couple months now and it’s hard to describe the transformation. Simply put, I no longer want to die. I’ve experienced small joys I either forgot were possible or never enjoyed before.
Whether I can keep this going, I don’t know. I ruined my professional career and refereeing doesn’t pay all the bills. I’m hopeful someone will take a chance on me and I can return to writing, reporting or sports in some way. I miss the people I worked with and covered. I miss being productive. I’m excited to think what I could accomplish now that I’m no longer chemically imbalanced.
My biggest hope is maybe somebody will read this and say, “That’s me!” If so, there is a way out. Really.
I never thought a couple tiny pills would do any good. But medication can help. Support from others is crucial. You can’t do it alone. And it’s not your fault you feel this way.
To those out there who have been the target of my angry rants and selfish behavior, I’m sorry. For those who trusted me and were let down, I apologize. But maybe you can at some point give me another chance.
I want to give life a shot. | {
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Innan den IS-kontrollerade staden föll kunde hundratals IS-terrorister och deras familjer lämna Raqqa. Medlemmarna i terrorgruppen kunde ta med sig både sina familjer och vapen ut ur staden.
Ögonvittnen har berättat om ett 50-tal bussar och lastbilar som lämnade Raqqa.
En av dem som lämnade innan terrorgruppens fall var den svensk-norske Michael Skråmo som lämnade Göteborg och Sverige tillsammans med sin familj 2014, skriver SVT Nyheter.
Spelade in propagandavideos
Han har under sin tid i terrororganisationen varit en profil på sociala medier och försökt få ner andra att ansluta sig och resa till Syrien.
Bland annat har han gråtandes i en propagandavideo vädjat till svenska jihadister.
– Vi behöver er att komma ner hit och ge stöd till Guds religion, sa Skråmo i videon.
SVT har tagit del av en konversation där Skråmo skickat meddelanden till Jesper Söder, som frivilligt anslöt sig kurdiska gerillagruppen YPG som tog upp en väpnad kamp mot Islamiska staten.
"Vi gjorde fredsavtal och usa och sdf gav oss bussar ut." skriver Skråmo.
Den USA-stödda alliansen SDF som domineras av YPG slöt avtalet med IS via medlare.
Också GT har tagit del av meddelandena som skickades i oktober förra året.
Söder svarade då att han inte trodde att Skråmo var en av jihadisterna som var kvar. Och frågar om familjen också tagit sig från Raqqa.
"Min familj kom ut ja Alhamdolilah"
Bland annat skriver Skråmo:
"Jadu du vet inte hur vi fungerar precis när ni tror att ni har tagot oss hoppar vi fram i mitten och dominerar ytor ni aldrig skulle förutspå"
och
"Hoppas ni kan ta hand om folket av raqqah efter ni förstört hela staden"
Oklart hur många som tog sig ut
Enligt uppgifter till SVT ska Skråmo och hans familj nu befinna sig i en annan ort i de östra delarna av Syrien som är fortsatt kontrollerat av IS.
LÄS OCKSÅ: Svensken stred för IS - fick barnbidrag från staten
Uppgifterna om hur många IS-terrorister som tog sig ut ur Raqqa är oklara men varierar mellan 200 och 300, skriver SVT. Med deras familjer blir det ett tusental personer.
Dessutom ska runt 400 civila ha använts som mänskliga sköldar för att skydda evakueringen av IS. | {
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It seems to be common sense that, once a state recognized marijuana as a medicine, it would then follow up by developing a system to facilitate access to those who need it the most. That, of course, has yet to happen. There are only a few states that officially permits dispensaries to sell the herb. Patients anywhere else have to depend on their own supply, a caretaker’s supply, or the black market to get their medicine.
Deciding whether or not you should grow marijuana or have a caregiver do it for you must be thought over carefully. The grower candidate must consider many factors.
Is there enough space to grow? Most gardens require a minimum of around 9 square feet (0.8 square meters). This, of course, averages out to a space that’s about 3 feet x 3 feet (0.9 meters x 0.9 meters). If growing outside, a plant can use anywhere between 4 and 25 square feet (0.4 to 2.3 square meters). Download my free marijuana grow bible for more tips about growing marijuana plants.
Do you feel confident in your horticultural abilities? Marijuana isn’t that hard to grow, but it can be tremendously stressful to begin a project pessimistically.
Do you use enough medicine to make cultivation worthwhile? If you only use miniscule amounts of marijuana, it probably won’t make sense to waste all the time and money it requires to grow marijuana. For example, if you only go through a quarter of an ounce per month, then the effort, time, and money probably won’t balance out. Indeed, maintaining a garden could cost as much as $1,000 per year, which is an amount many people aren’t willing to part with.
Do you feel uneasy about growing such a controversial plant? In certain states, marijuana cultivation is legal with a doctor’s recommendation. Even in those instances, however, you do run a risk of arrest if their gardens attract adverse attention from neighbors, landlords, cops, or even unfriendly relatives and acquaintances. If you feel wary about having a taboo plant on their property, it might be a good idea to avoid a personal marijuana garden.
Potential growers must prepare themselves for the stark reality in which medical marijuana garners far less than benevolence from most law enforcement, even in locales where it’s technically legal. It’s wise to mentally prepare yourself for potential arrest or, at the very least, some legal hassles.
Gardener candidates need to also be aware that marijuana has somewhat of a seductive quality. It’s entire lifecycle, from seed (or cutting) to ripeness and senescence, spans only about a quarter of a year. One day is like a year in the marijuana plant’s life. It is also dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Also, unlike most birds and mammals but very much like humans, the female form of the plant is prized for its beauty. It is not particularly rare for gardeners to become obsessed with growing marijuana. From my personal observations of these growers, I have concluded that using marijuana is not addictive, but growing it certainly is.
If you can bypass all the legal paranoia, growing marijuana is a very rewarding and often pleasant experience. It grows fast and responds quickly to different environmental changes. Over a single season you’ll experience the entire life of a living organism that has existed symbiotically with humankind so long that some scientists suggest that wild marijuana doesn’t even exist.
You can find feral marijuana (hemp) in the Himalayas and across the Caucasus as well as in the Midwestern United States. Despite its inherently weedy nature that can allow it to grow without human intervention, its progenitors intersected with our species causing permanent changes in its evolution. The symbiotic relationship has had a profound effect on both species.
With human intervention, cannabis spread from its native home in the Himalayan valleys to every continent on the Earth. In return, cannabis has provided humans with shelter, clothing, food, medicine, and a distinctly altered consciousness.
No longer content to grow the plant outdoors, humans in the past half-century have overseen the advent of indoor varieties bred to thrive under artificial lighting. Today, in the California dispensaries, indoor-grown marijuana is considered more valuable (and, thus, more costly) because of its higher quality and the overall consistency of indoor buds.
If you want to start growing, download my free grow guide and order some marijuana seeds. All top quality marijuana seeds are available in my marijuana seed shop. We ship seeds to the US, CA and many other countries. For any growing related question please visit the marijuana support page.
Source: ILoveGrowingMarijuana.Com | {
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To escape from extremism and xenophobia, Europe needs to carve a European Islam, not an Islam composed of communities influenced by their countries of origin, argue Massimo D’Alema and Tariq Ramadan.
Massimo D’Alema is President of European progressive think tank, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies. Tariq Ramadan is President of the European Muslim Network
Europe is in a paradoxical situation. The tragic challenges that shook Europe in 2015 should have encouraged it to pursue greater political unity and to initiate a debate on Islam. However, the fight against “Islamic terrorism” and the admission of refugees are creating feelings of fear and insecurity, which are pushing people in the opposite direction.
On the one hand, in Europe, xenophobia and racism fuel the idea that the European Union should shut itself in and become a fortress cut off from the rest of the world. On the other hand, there are the migration flows. They cannot be stopped, but must be controlled using the maximum foresight required to avoid serious social, cultural and religious consequences. That is the future of Europe.
More and more, Europe is becoming a multi-ethnic, multi-faith, multicultural, multilingual society. But if Europe is not capable of building a sustainable cohabitation space, it calls into question the very existence of the European Union project, and going beyond that, the source of our nations’ wealth: the cultural heritage upon which our values are based.
That is why, when refugees leave their country, with its war and bombings, there is first of all a moral duty, a duty of dignity that reminds us of our citizenship, which is not just there for our own protection. Unfortunately, it was the photo of a dead child on a beach in Turkey that really caused significant numbers of Europeans to begin to collectively grasp the scope of the refugees’ plight. Unfortunately, that momentum was lost. Commission officials are still unable to compensate for the European Council’s lack of political vision, although there appears to have been some progress, with the idea that the so-called Dublin regulation – the EU law that determines that the management of refugees is a national issue – belongs to a past century.
Security, yes, but what about beyond that?
It isn’t that we are not concerned about the security of our fellow citizens. An effective strategy must be developed for peace in Syria, for stability in Libya and to stamp out the fascism of “Islamic State”, but looking beyond that, what is the political strategy? The forces deployed since the attacks on November the 13th and the state of emergency are the means, but what is the end?
It isn’t that we are not concerned about the security of our fellow citizens, but we must not forget that education and social diversity are sustainable and essential elements for establishing peace and for living together.
We must not forget that the European Union was created so that nations that were fighting each other could live and grow old together in peace. We regret the lack of European response from Brussels and European vision from our political leaders, but we also have reason to ask ourselves: does European awareness currently exist among the citizens of the twenty-eight member states?
Islamophobia in Europe
At the same time, we must discuss an issue that has never been addressed. What is Islam in Europe? Where do these “lunatics,” who are not refugees, but European citizens, come from? Why are Jews, Christians, Muslims and atheists incapable of living together peacefully – and, on the other hand, how can Islamophobia be dealt with?
Recently, at a conference in which we both participated, one of the audience members, a veil-wearing Belgian Muslim woman of Moroccan origin, spoke of the pressure she felt at having to defend herself with regard to what is happening with “Islamic State,” because for her, those people are not Muslims.
It would be too simple to say that they have nothing to do with Islam. It would be a little like venturing to suggest that Stalinism was not communism. From a strictly Islamic and religious point of view, they are Muslims, although their behaviour is obviously not consistent with the principles of Islam. However, they oblige us morally and intellectually to take a stand on what they do. They force Muslims to distance themselves from their rhetoric, which condemns everyone but themselves to hell.A religious response is needed, but not just a religious response. Although it is of course easier to recruit from the margins of society, with high levels of poverty and unemployment, studies show that the terrorists involved in New York, London, Madrid, Beirut and Paris had very often fallen into extremist violence after a religious commitment of just a few weeks, and this was true regardless of their academic background or social class. There is therefore a real problem in regard to education, manipulation, internet indoctrination, drug use and political exploitation of religious matters.
The case for a European Islam
Our Muslim fellow citizens are at the front line in the fight against violent extremism, because they are its primary victims. However, we must all fight this political, cultural and social battle together. Paradoxically, Muslim extremists and European Islamophobes share the same idea that “Islam equals violence.” This perception is not only false, but also dangerous.
To escape from this unfounded ideology, we need a European Islam, an Islam of European citizens and not an Islam composed of communities influenced by their countries of origin. We need an Islam inspired by minds that are open to change and the challenges of the modern era, rejecting a literal reading of the Qur’an and in tune with the new historical context. That kind of Islam would make an important contribution to European culture in the 21st century and beyond. It would also be a powerful antidote to the religious fanaticism that exists in all religions and, at the same time, constitute a response to the rigid, ultra-conservative Islam, occasionally proclaimed by some terrorist groups.
If Muslims share responsibility for the emergence of this European Islam, the EU Member States and their institutions will have to recognise that Islam is a European religion and that its contribution is necessary and important. | {
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The West Australian sports reporter Jordan McArdle takes a look at what’s happening in the country and amateur leagues around WA in his weekly column.
Kep has a kick in the Kimberley
Former Fremantle cult hero Kepler Bradley kicked a couple of goals in his cameo in the West Kimberley.
Bradley, who was up in the region for remote school football clinics as part of his role at WAFL side Claremont, re-united with his ex-West Perth teammate Bradley Trpchev at Bidyadanga.
Trpchev is the principal at the Bidyadanga School.
Don't miss the latest sports news! Was $13 now $7 per week for 12 weeks* (Digital + Print) Enjoy unlimited access to thewest.com.au and everyday digital editions on any device. Thursday - Monday papers home delivered with all of the latest footy news! *T&Cs apply
The Emus had a resounding 86-point win over Towns to go 5-0 with Courtney Thomas and Kamahl Bamba (three goals apiece) also hitting the scoreboard.
Camera Icon Former Docker Kepler Bradley in action for Bidyadanga against Towns in Broome. Credit: Jakeb Waddell
Fellow unbeaten side Cable Beach sit atop the WKFL ladder with a massive percentage of nearly 400.
The Greenbacks disposed of Broome Bulls by 51 points with Ijaz Corpus, Ben De Meo, Dion Parriman and Jordan King all impressive, while Tom Cox and Sonny Dann kicked two goals apiece.
Former West Coast goalsneak Lewis Broome booted three majors to help Looma defeat Broome Saints by 35 points, backing up from his six-goal performance the week before.
Vincent Skinner, Remahli Skeen (three each) and Deromitt Wilson (two) were also among the multiple goal-kickers, with Jefferson Pindan, Sylvester Rangie, Jacob Dunn and Kizzam Skeen also damaging.
Angus Bout-Lyne (three goals), Johann Jack (two), Tim Watson, Jack Reagan and Bruce Greatwich were the Saints’ best.
In the final game of the round, Peninsula Bombers edged out Derby by 15 points thanks to the efforts of Elijah Howard (five goals), Bart Djiagween (three), Jayden Howard, Ashley Spowart and Darryl Williams.
Ty Sturt, Kadin Bauer, Daniel Mooney, James Kendall, Kitching Kheanan tried hard in a losing cause for the Tigers.
Van Berlo debuts, LeCras considers comeback
Ex-Docker Jay van Berlo pulled on the boots for the first time since retiring from the WAFL after last year’s grand final.
The former West Perth captain kicked a goal on debut for Cervantes as they remained undefeated in the Central Midlands Coastal competition with a 35-point win over Moora.
Van Berlo’s signing could convince fellow ex-Falcon Brent LeCras to come out of retirement.
Angus Allen, Ben Watson, Tyson Lord, Daniel Del Prete and playing-coach Lewis Harvey were instrumental for the Tiger Sharks.
Lord, Allen and sharpshooter Tom Parker each kicked two goals for the reigning CMCFL premiers.
Ex-West Coast midfielder Adam Cockie continued his red-hot form for the Mavericks, with Mitchell Nash, Ben McGillivray, Kurt Tanner and Tim Jubb also good.
Camera Icon Adam Cockie tackles Cervantes debutant Jay van Berlo in the Tiger Sharks’ win over Moora. Credit: Tiger Sharks Photography
Former West Coast and Carlton midfielder Callum Chambers and Brent LeCras were a couple of familiar faces in the legends match, won by Cervantes against the Northern Warriors.
It was a big weekend for the club, which raised more than $8000 for Motor Neurone Disease with their very own Big Freeze.
Lancelin-Ledge Point (4-2) looks the biggest threat to Cervantes’ premiership defence after chalking up another big win, this time over Dandaragan by 39 points.
Former East Perth forward Ben Noakes has been a huge recruit for the Pirates since arriving last month, adding another three majors.
Luke Waldram and Matthew Barrett also kicked three goals, with Conor Davidson, Jackson Harwood and Ben Horne each adding two.
Former East Fremantle and Subiaco speedster Davidson was best-afield, with Michael Armitage, Julius Battista and Aaron Jarvis also having an impact.
Hamish Rodgers (three goals), Alistair Dolton (two), Jordan Perry, Charles Forrester, Mathew Helms and Mitchell MacKenzie were the Saints’ best.
Ex-Eagle helps end Pinjarra’s form slump
Former West Coast and East Fremantle midfielder Jamie McNamara had a day out in the Peel league.
McNamara booted five goals, including the first three of the match, to help get the Tigers’ premiership defence back on track.
The 72-point win over Halls Head was Pinjarra’s first win in three weeks, with Brett Milward, Dean Miller, Adam France, Robert Bird and Stephen Martin also starring.
Danny Smith, Matt Ballantyne, Travis Sexton, Tyson Phillips, Mathew Allen and Mitchell Royal were decent in a losing cause for for Lightning.
Camera Icon Former Sharks champion Jamie McNamara has been a huge addition for Pinjarra. Credit: Michael O'Brien
Mandurah Mustangs caused the upset of the round, defeating Rockingham by two points.
Matthew Bennell, the younger brother of luckless Docker Harley, kicked three goals in the win, with Blayne Hull, Daniel Cransberg, Nathan Thomas, Jarryd Calver and Brandon Penny also among the Mustangs’ best.
Former Carlton rookie Bradley Walsh was the Rams’ best alongside Steven Kenny, Mitchell Anderson, Zayne Selkirk, Braden Piggott, Fraser Millar (three goals) and former AFL Academy member Noah Hura (two).
Baldivis won a tight contest against South Mandurah by 18 points, with Ben Higgs (three goals), Aden Field, James Russell, Jarrad Heal, Josh Branchi and Josh O’Neil prominent.
Falcons sharpshooter Bradley Holmes added another two majors to take his season tally to 30, with Jack Shanahan, Jack Varley, Riley Steinbock, Michael Holmes and former Collingwood player John Bennell, Harley’s older brother, also good.
Former South Fremantle player Jacob Martinez was huge in Centrals’ 67-point win over Waroona.
Lachie Johnson, Callum Collard and Matthew Thompson kicked three goals apiece for the victors, with Brendan Erceg, Dylan Thomas and Bradley Mcphail also good.
Winning start for ex-Saint in the ammos
Former St Kilda forward Nick Winmar kicked two goals on debut for University in the Perth Football League’s A Grade competition.
Winmar, who quit Claremont last month after starting the season in the WAFL reserves, was important in Uni’s 42-point win over North Fremantle.
Fellow ex-Tiger Matthew Davies and Sean Trombetta also kicked two goals apiece against a side which includes former Collingwood midfielder Ryan Cook and ex-Shark Andrew Stephen.
Camera Icon Nick Winmar during his St Kilda days. Credit: The Slattery Media Group
WAFL champion Aidan Parker sung the song in 400th senior match as Scarborough downed Kingsway, with his former Subiaco teammates Marc Re and Jordan Adamson-Holmes kicking two goals apiece alongside Mitch McPhee.
The ladder-leading Sea Eagles’ premiership defence is ticking along nicely, with eight wins from as many starts.
Last season’s grand finalists Fremantle CBC had a big win over North Beach, with Matthew Leece (three), Jonty Turner and Justin Morisey (two apiece) among the goal-kickers.
In other A Grade results, Wembley edged out Kingsley by eight points and Wanneroo beat Trinity-Aquinas by 16 points in a low-scoring affair.
Tendai Mzungu lined up for his fourth game of the season for the Boomers, while fellow ex-Docker Ryan Murphy kicked the team’s only goal.
Three-time Bernie Naylor medallist Ben Saunders is just four goals away from cracking the half-century mark in the B Grade.
The former South Fremantle sharpshooter has 46 majors in just eight games since arriving at Wesley-Curtin, who kept their unbeaten start to the season rolling with an 89-point thrashing of Maddington.
Saunders kicked six and his former Bulldogs teamate Cory Dell’Olio added four for the Tigers, who held the Bulls to just 1.5.
Second-placed West Coast recorded a 17-point win over Swan Athletic, while Whitford beat Willetton, Ballajura knocked off Kalamunda and Collegians were too good for Mt Lawley.
Freddie finds new home
Freddie Clutterbuck lined up for Quairading in the Avon on Sunday, just days after he quit Swan Districts.
Clutterbuck, who played 133 WAFL games for East Perth (100) and the Swans (33), kicked two goals in the Bulls’ 37-point win over York.
His former Royals teammate Dean Cadwallader was also among the goal-kickers, while ex-Demon Redmond Dobson, Sean Hayes, Aaron Wheeler and Ray McIntosh starred.
A pair of West Perth product did their bit for York with Tim Guatta booting two goals and Steven Potente also having an impact.
Blake Borrett (two goals), Jacob Sounness and Kobie Summers were also good in a losing cause.
Railways won a thriller over a fast-finishing Kellerberrin-Tammin by three points, with Charles Colledge, Mitchell Price, James Morris, Chris Luff and Nathan Deblecourt impressing.
Alex Rogers, Liam Ward, Nick Taylor, Jake Dowding and Corey Dixon were a big part of the Kats’ fightback, while star forward James Venturini and Rowan Ward kicked two goals each.
Maddington beat star-studded Geckos in Bali
Maddington Bulls won the Bali Masters 9s grand final against the odds.
The Bulls recorded a thrilling two-point win over the Bali Geckos, which had ex-AFL players including Steven Baker, Stephen Milne, Troy Luff and Ricky Olarenshaw at their disposal.
Wade Zanetti and Paul Devine were among Maddington’s better players in the tournament.
If your club or league has a local footy story worth telling, get in touch at [email protected]. | {
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DENVER -- A person diagnosed with measles may have exposed people in the Denver and Boulder areas to the disease last month, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Health officials said the individual, who was unvaccinated and had traveled internationally, visited a number of locations in Denver, Aurora and Boulder between Dec. 21 and 29.
Those locations include AFC Urgent Care Denver East on Dec. 27 and Parker Adventist Hospital ER on Dec. 29, where they were hospitalized until Jan. 1.
People who visited the following locations should monitor themselves for measles symptoms:
Westerra Credit Union
14305 E. Alameda Ave. in Aurora
Visited Dec. 21 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
King Soopers Buckley Square
17000 E. Iliff Ave. in Aurora
Visited Dec. 21 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Vitamin Cottage
3440 S. Tower Road in Aurora
Visited Dec. 21 from 1 to 5 p.m. and Dec. 27 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Walmart Supercenter, Pioneer Hills
5650 S. Chambers Rd. in Aurora
Visited Dec. 21 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Alfalfa's Market
785 E. South Boulder Road in Louisville
Visited Dec. 22 from 2 to 4 p.m.
T Mobile
1590 28th St. in Boulder
Visited Dec. 22 from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
uBreakiFix
1136 Spruce St. in Boulder
Visited Dec. 22 from 3:30 to 7 p.m.
Rebecca's Apothecary
1227 Spruce St. in Boulder
Visited Dec. 22 from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Falafel King
1314 Pearl St. in Boulder
Visited from Dec. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Flatirons Mall, specifically, T Mobile and Brookstone
1 W. Flatiron Crossing Dr. in Broomfield
Visited Dec. 22 from 6 to 10 p.m.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
1644 E. Evans Ave. in Denver
Visited Dec. 22 from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Dollar Tree Englewood Plaza
351 W. Englewood Parkway in Englewood
Visited Dec. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Walmart Supercenter
601 Englewood Parkway in Englewood
Visited Dec. 23 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Sprouts Farmers Market
2880 S. Colorado Blvd. in Denver
Visited Dec. 23 from 6 to 8 p.m.
AFC Urgent Care
760 S Colorado Blvd. in Denver
Visited Dec. 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
T Mobile Blvd Center
1685 S. Colorado Blvd. in Denver
Visited Dec. 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lifetime Fitness
5000 E. Dry Creek Rd. in Centennial
Visited Dec. 27 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Parker Adventist Hospital Emergency Department
9395 Crown Crest Blvd. in Parker
Visited Dec. 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Dec. 30
Anyone who develops symptoms of measles should call their doctor’s office. Officials said people who think they have measles should not go directly to their doctor’s office to avoid potentially infecting others.
Symptoms usually begin 7 to 14 days after exposure but can take up to 21 days to appear. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, red eyes that are sensitive to light and coughing. A few days after those symptoms show up, a red rash appears on the face and eventually spreads to the rest of the body.
A person with measles is contagious for four days before the rash appears and up to four days after the rash goes away.
Parents should check their children’s vaccination records to ensure that they have received the MMR vaccine.
Two doses of MMR are recommended, with the first vaccination occurring between one year and 15 months of age and the second occurring between ages 4 and 6 before entering school.
--------- Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines.
Or, keep up-to-date on the latest news and weather with the Denver7 apps for iPhone/iPads, Android and Kindle. | {
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The scene: a meeting in Vancouver Park Board offices near English Bay in April 2017.
A member of the Vancouver Aquarium's board of directors, Derral Moriyama, had occasion to remind park board chair Michael Wiebe of words spoken by one of his fellow commissioners at a special hearing held a month earlier to debate the issue of keeping cetaceans in captivity.
Tempers had been hot; Green commissioner Stuart Mackinnon gave an impassioned statement lambasting aquarium staff and drawing historical parallels to a time when "both the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese Army committed atrocities in the name of science."
The meeting between Moriyama and Wiebe is detailed in notes filed as part of an affidavit sworn in an ongoing B.C. Supreme Court battle between the aquarium and the board.
He wrote that — during that April meeting — an "aggressive" Wiebe accused the aquarium of failing to be collaborative. Moriyama responded.
"What about us being compared to war criminals, Nazi Germany, and especially The Japanese Imperial Army when you have a proud Japanese-Canadian sitting across the table from you? How collaborative is that, Mr. Wiebe?"
'We left it at that'
According to Moriyama's notes, Wiebe went on to apologize, saying "rhetoric is overstated" at such proceedings.
"I said it was much more than rhetoric. I told him that in my opinion, and I know this is shared by many on the board, we are a world class organization who are not valued by either the Park Board or the City. He acknowledged we are indeed a world class institution with many world class staff and researchers. We left it at that."
Vancouver Aquarium John Nightingale announced a decision this week not to house whales or dolphins at the facility anymore. He said the debate is 'debilitating' to the aquarium's mission. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)
Moriyama's 13-page affidavit is just a tiny part of a court file that fills a cardboard legal box and a bulging folder.
Taken together, the documents paint a picture of the fractured relationship which led to the park board's ban on the display of cetaceans last May. And ultimately to the aquarium's dramatic decision this week to stop housing whales and dolphins altogether.
They provide a window into just how polarized the public and private battle became between the body overseeing one of the world's best-loved parks and an internationally renowned facility which has attracted more than 44 million visitors in the past 60 years.
The legal fight is still a going concern, expanded by an intervention from two animal rights organizations that could take the case into what Justice Christopher Grauer described as "novel" territory.
The aquarium challenged the ban on four grounds: that the Park Board had overstepped its authority; that the process was procedurally unfair; that the bylaw was unacceptably vague and that the restriction would deny the aquarium a Charter-guaranteed freedom to express its viewpoint on the ethics of keeping cetaceans in captivity.
Supporters of a Vancouver Park Board bylaw change to ban cetacean import and display from the Vancouver Aquarium arrive at the meeting approving the changes on May 15, 2017. (David Horemans/CBC)
But in their application to intervene, Animal Justice Canada and Zoocheck say the courts have been clear that freedom of expression is not protected which it comes to the expression of violence or an activity "intimately connected" with violence.
"The capture and captivity of cetaceans constitutes a form of violence, in the same way that the capture and confinement of human beings constituted violence," their application reads.
"Both activities involve the coercion and involuntary captivity of living beings with the capacity for self-determination, complex thought and the ability to suffer."
In their application, the animal activists say they're concerned that tying freedom of expression to the captivity of animals could have implications for zoos, circuses and even dog fighting.
"Proponents of dog fighting could argue that the activity of dog fighting, however cruel and harmful, is an expressive 'performance', or otherwise necessary to express the idea that dog fighting is an entertaining activity, or to educate the public that dogs are not always killed in these encounters," the application says.
'Debilitating' to organization's mission
The aquarium sought to deny Animal Justice Canada and Zoocheck from taking part in the legal fight. But Grauer decided they brought a unique point of view to the table.
It's a theme which runs from 1996, when public sentiment prompted the aquarium to commit to not capturing cetaceans from the wild for display, to last week when CEO John Nightingale said the debate had become "debilitating" to the organization's mission — science and public passion don't always make for comfortable partners.
The Park Board cites the influence of documentaries like The Cove and Blackfish in its response to the aquarium's original petition.
But the death of two of the facilities' belugas in 2016 was also clearly a turning point.
An investigation would find that Aurora and Qila died of unknown toxins.
A Vancouver Aquarium staff member kisses Aurora the beluga in December 2014. Court documents suggest the public debate has been demoralizing for employees. (Neil Fisher/Vancouver Aquarium)
Aquarium staff were brokenhearted.
An affidavit from chief financial officer Catherine Imrie suggests their grief was compounded by a subsequent loss of revenue from the organization's attendance, membership renewals and retail sales.
According to Imrie, general admission from Dec. 1, 2016 to May 31, 2017 was down nine per cent from the same period the previous year. Member attendance dropped 17 per cent. Membership renewals fell by 22 per cent.
Even the sales of beluga-themed merchandise from the gift shop — including plush toys and souvenirs — dropped by 33.6 per cent.
'A philosophical question'
This week, the Park Board welcomed the aquarium's decision but withheld comment on the legal case while it's before the courts.
In its response to the original petition, the board makes clear it believes it has the authority to ban the display and import of cetaceans and that the process which led to its decision was fair.
"In their consideration of cetaceans in captivity in Stanley Park, all of the commissioners acted conscientiously, diligently and with open minds," the response says.
"Through their own process and the processes of former boards they were well informed about the issues."
According to the notes he filed with his affidavit, Moriyama left the April meeting with a belief the writing was on the wall.
"My gut issue is that the main issue — no cetaceans in the park — is not going to change," he wrote.
"It was also evident they do not like the negative media attention and expect us not to drag them into anything, but to work with them on solutions that serve their purposes (not necessarily ours)."
At that point, the board was a month away from voting for a ban but had already committed to amending the bylaws.
"At the end of our discussion I asked a philosophical question," Moriyama's note reads.
"I said before the vote we owned five belugas in captivity that could not be released in the wild. After the vote, nothing changed. So are they just saying not in (my) yard?" | {
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It's a cool, early spring night in Santa Monica, California, and Ian Rogers is sitting cross-legged on the floor of his house, a glass of red wine at his side, a Minor Threat record on the stereo.
The lean-framed Rogers, a few months shy of 40, is dressed in jeans, a light sweater, and sneakers. At my request he's giving a tour of the many tattoos he's accrued over the past two decades: a smiling visage of Sly Stone, the logo for Steve Jobs' NeXT computer, the names of his two daughters.
They're all blood-borne testaments to the three passions—music, technology, and family—that have propelled Rogers for most of his life. Today he's CEO of Topspin Media, a company that helps artists interact with (and sell to) their listeners directly. But that's just the latest pivot in a career full of deep-horizon foresight and Gump-ish good luck.
- Better Than Human
Rogers got his start in the industry as a college kid in the early '90s, when he built one of the first music sites on the web—a crude but dense tribute to the Beastie Boys. Since then he's been a firsthand witness to the music's bumpy, grumpy transition into the web era. He helped midwife the MP3, sold albums online well before iTunes, and foresaw the pay-what-you-like model back when people were happy to shell out $19 a disc. Later, as a dotcom exec, he spent years trying to build a streaming service that would have looked a lot like Spotify does today.
Rogers has always urged the industry to make music easier to get—advice the major labels have consistently ignored, choosing instead to erect an obstacle course of odd laws, adversarial formats, and frustrating software. Partly as a result, the business has slowly deteriorated from a cash-moated kingdom to a midapocalyptic crazytown, with all sides locked in gainless combat.
Today, though, Rogers is through trying to tell the labels anything. With Topspin, he's hoping to prove that musicians are better off kicking out the middlemen and doing the grunt work themselves. They can use Topspin's software for everything from selling concert tickets to collecting fan data to distributing MP3s and merchandise. Topspin isn't the only direct-to-fan company, but it's one of the biggest, with tens of thousands of users and a client list that includes Eminem, Paul McCartney, and the Pixies.
But Topspin's biggest lure might be Rogers, who's long been an inadvertent oracle for the industry; many of his commonsense solutions have gone on to become the law of the land. If anyone understands how to steer the perpetually transmogrifying music biz, it's him. Not just because he's a smart dude but because his own life—like that of his industry—has been a series of sudden, momentous, and fateful changes. Strangely, understanding Roger's personal story is helpful in understanding both the missteps and the future of the recording industry.
It's an unlikely tale, given that the only "plan" Rogers ever really made, back when he was a teenager, was to get stoned and skateboard the rest of his life.
But, like most grand plans, it all came undone when he met a girl.
It is the fall of 1987 and Rogers—lanky, barely 15, with a long-banged skater hairdo—is playing hooky in his buddy's Firebird Trans Am, rapping along to LL Cool J's "I'm Bad" as the boys make their escape to the Michigan border. Behind them is Rogers' hometown of Goshen, Indiana, a small industrial city with a population of about 20,000 people—many of whom, it seems to Rogers, do not care for him. He and his friends are skateboarders, and in the mid-'80s, for reasons that still won't make sense years later, skateboarding is viewed as a social ill, somehow more akin to devil worshipping than, say, loitering. Rogers and his crew are chased away from wherever they try to lay down wheels. They feel genuinely hated.
Just when Ian Rogers thought he'd get stoned and skateboard forever, it all came undone. Since then, his life—like the music biz—has been a series of sudden, momentous changes.Which is why, every once in a while, they ditch class and take hours-long road trips to Illinois or Michigan, where they coast the concrete with a minimum of hassle. Today the boys are headed to Ann Arbor, and once they arrive Rogers will look around and think the same thing he does whenever he leaves home: "This is the real world."
But at the end of these short furloughs, Rogers and his friends always wind up back in Goshen. Odds are it will stay that way. No one talks to him about going to college, though he's a smart kid—a bit of a prodigy, even. Before he was 10 years old, he was taking computer programming classes. There's a picture of him from that time, sitting in front of his stepdad's Apple II, his mullet swaddled in a giant pair of headphones. A few years later, his stepdad moved out, taking the Apple with him, and money got tight. Rogers hasn't really touched a computer since.
So he skates, dodges the local jocks, and tries to get out of town whenever he can. When he's not on his board, he listens to music. Rogers grew up with his older brother's hard-rock albums in one ear and his mother's country collection in the other, but lately he's been taken with hip hop and punk, two genres that smart, stranded kids tend to glom on to out of desperation. There's this one song, by Minor Threat, that he plays all the time: I can't keep up, I can't keep up, I can't keep up, the lyrics go. Out of step with the world. Whenever he hears that song, he feels as though he's listening to friends he simply hasn't yet met.
But that kind of music can be hard to find in Goshen, where the closest decent record store is more than 20 miles away and MTV-ignored bands like the Misfits are all but urban legends—rumored to exist, impossible to verify. Rogers has to depend on either his friends' mixtapes or the records he mail-orders from the back of fanzines.
One day, not too long after his Ann Arbor trip, a 7-inch EP from a Bay Area punk group called Isocracy arrives in the mail. On a song called "Funky Brakewire," one of the members gives out his home phone number. Rogers calls it, and someone answers. It's not the most revelatory conversation, but for a moment the distance between Goshen and the rest of the world doesn't seem so vast.
He winds up calling the band several times, so much so that, almost 25 years later, he will still recall the number. Yet nothing about those talks can change the fact that Rogers is stuck in Goshen. He vows to do little more than get high and screw around, and he spends the next few years sliding through strange cities with his friends, always in motion but never really going anywhere.
Geek dad: Ian Rogers and his daughter, Zoe—who was born when he was just 17—grew up together at the center of the digital music revolution, with a little help from friends and surrogate family members the Beastie Boys.
And then: an unexpected bump. It appears on the belly of his girlfriend, Susi, and she decides to let it grow.
In a strange way, Rogers is prepared for this. His own mom gave birth to her first child when she was around 16, and though his parents have since split up, Rogers' dad stuck around town, living within walking distance of Ian's mother's house. They made it work, but Rogers knows such a situation is rare. "I've got to figure out how to deal with this," he thinks, "because if I don't, I'm going to live in a trailer park."
He and Susi graduate from high school early and decide to get married—mostly because it will qualify them for more financial aid. One morning in February 1990, the couple gets into Rogers' Chevy Nova and heads down to the courthouse to fill out the paperwork. Their moms have to come with them. They are 17 years old.
Rogers works two jobs: one as a dishwasher at a hospital kitchen and one as an announcer at a local jazz station, where he digs into the record library. He hates the syrupy fusion stuff but gets lost in albums like Miles Davis' Pangaea—records that, at first, are assaultive and unpredictable, kind of like punk.
The station offers Rogers a full-time job for $10,000 a year. But when he looks at all the costs of raising a kid—even with the help of WIC cards and Section 8 housing—he realizes jazz radio is no way to make a living. Rogers' mother had decided in her late thirties to go to college; maybe he could do it too.
"You've got a kid. You're gonna need money," Rogers' stepdad told him. "Get a computer science degree. You were always good with that shit."Rogers finds a community college an hour outside of Goshen, and baby Zoe arrives just a few weeks before his first class. At night, when he's not studying, Rogers paces around his living room with her in his arms, listening to the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique. One time he falls asleep with her on the couch, only to wake up in a panic, wondering if he dropped her.
They are getting by. But the commute to school is tough, and their options in Goshen are limited. All Rogers can think is "We gotta get out of here."
Susi has taken a year off to be with Zoe, but she got a scholarship to Indiana University, Bloomington, and the offer is still good. They decide to move out there together, and Rogers is able to enroll as an education major. "Thankfully," he'll say many years later, "I knocked up the smartest girl in school."
One day Rogers talks to his stepfather, a truck driver who's been divorced from Rogers' mom for a few years. "You've got a kid," his stepdad tells him. "You're gonna need money. You don't want to be a grade-school teacher. Get a computer science degree. You were always good with that shit."
Rogers walks into the school's computer science department and tells a faculty member he wants to switch majors. She hands him a card and says to send her an email. It's 1991 and he has no idea what that means.
A year later, Rogers is in an office on campus, listening to "Also Sprach Zarathustra." Most people who've heard the dramatic surge of brass and bombast have only experienced it on their stereo or perhaps while watching the opening moments of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. But now it's playing on a school computer. Which in 1992 is really kind of bonkers.
Rogers is still at IU Bloomington, where he's worked his way into the honors program. As part of a computer science project, he's helping the school transfer its hefty music library onto NeXT workstations. For decades, students who needed to hear a piece of music would have to show up at a prearranged time, sit at desks equipped with headphones, and listen to a record en masse. Now all Rogers has to do is press Play and an .au file delivers the music.
This is such a novelty that the head of the music library occasionally marches people in to watch Rogers load up a song. Most people at this point still haven't experienced the Internet, and those who have are doing so mostly with some tight-gripped hand-holding from AOL or CompuServe. But Rogers has been exploring Usenet discussion boards, where he occasionally posts David Bowie lyrics and oversees a Beastie Boys FAQ. Through Usenet he can chat about music with people from all over the country. He is not alone anymore, and he starts to realize, in conjunction with the library project, that the days of long-distance record store schleps might soon be over.
"This is the future of music," he thinks.
Rogers and his colleagues have heard about the World Wide Web, which is mostly of interest to a small sect of academics, government workers, and futurist porn enthusiasts. Thanks to the library project, Rogers begins learning how to build sites, and in the fall of 1993 he starts an unofficial homepage for the Beastie Boys. There are virtually no templates to work from, so he fills it with everything he can find: lyrics, discographies, and photos and magazine articles he's scanned. The site doesn't look great, but it's remarkably thorough, down to the last obscure 12-inch.
Rogers spends hours creating the site, which he works on when not studying or taking care of Zoe. By now he and Susi have split up. They got married in part for the benefits, but Rogers knew it wouldn't last. They lived together until they could afford to live apart, with Rogers ultimately moving into an apartment across the street. Divorce at that age is easier than you might think: There's no money or possessions to argue over, and since Ian and Susi have agreed to raise Zoe together, it mostly comes down to logistics.
Then Rogers gets an unexpected call—from Beastie Boys manager John Silva. Rogers panics; he figures they're shutting his fan site down. Instead Silva asks him to take over the Beasties' all-new professional site—and, while he's at it, to do work for some of Silva's other clients. To Rogers, this almost doesn't make sense. The site is just something he does for fun. Why would anyone actually want to pay him for this? It's like hiring a bunch of 14-year-olds to copyedit Penthouse Forum.
But Rogers agrees and is soon charging $8.50 an hour to make sites for the Breeders and Bonnie Raitt, and even freelances a project for John Tesh: Live at Red Rocks. He hires some friends and starts his own business, all while studying for a graduate degree and raising Zoe. He has a new girlfriend now, but when she sees Rogers moving his bed into the closet to make room for more business supplies, she takes it as a bad sign and soon dumps him.
Eric Ray Davidson
In the summer of 1994, after months of working for the Beasties, Rogers is asked to meet the group in Indianapolis, where they're co-headlining that year's Lollapalooza. At first he declines the offer; he's terrified that they're only asking him to come out of obligation and they'll see him as some dweeby interloper.
But the Beasties don't just want to meet Rogers; they want him to show them what the Internet is. This gets him excited. He agrees to go.
They meet up backstage and spend the day shooting hoops, riding skateboards, and talking about punk rock. "All the things I thought about them from the music were true," Rogers says.
Toward the end of the day, Rogers asks them if they want to talk about the Internet. But they're out of time and need to get on the road to the next city.
"We like you," Beastie Boy Michael Diamond tells Rogers. "Why don't you just stay on tour, and we'll figure more of this stuff out?"
Rogers drives back to Bloomington, drops off Zoe with his mom, and travels to their next gig, in Detroit. Backstage, a roomful of musicians and managers watch as Rogers shows them the future of their industry via a series of slowly refreshing web pages on a monochromatic screen.
But the Beasties get it. They're no longer the beer-pissing wiseasses they were in the late '80s, when they acted like smirking Vikings, cruising from town to town with a giant inflatable dong. They're older now, if not necessarily mature, and they're one of the few acts to grow more self-sufficient as they get bigger: They run their own self-published magazine and label, and they're heavily involved with their own fan club. They see potential not just in the web but in Rogers.
A few months later, the Beasties ask him to go on the road with them again, this time for weeks, not days. He's supposed to be working on his PhD, but he decides to do it—and to take 4-year-old Zoe along for some dates. Together the two leave Indiana. They never really go back.
It's the spring of 1995, and Rogers is standing next to a stage at the Santa Barbara Bowl, watching floppy discs careen through the air. It's only the second night of this weeks-long road trip with the Beasties, and one of Rogers' duties is handing out discs featuring a Beastie Boys custom-made browser, which they'd built with a company called Spry (Netscape is still four months from going public). But instead the audience has turned the discs into ad hoc projectiles, and as Rogers watches one of them ricochet off the Beasties' keyboardist, he becomes convinced he's about to get kicked off the tour.
Yet the group keeps him around, and over time Rogers is upped from freelance devotee to full-time digital consigliere. He not only manages the website (which he updates regularly from the road) but also indulges the groups' borderline-nutso creative whims. The Beasties have always been culturally curious, staunchly DIY art brats, and this makes them ideal test pilots for the still-undefined web. While other groups are debating whether to hold an AOL chat, the Beasties are building CD-ROMs and filming QuickTime VR tours of their recording studio. "We would come to him with ideas and say, 'Hey, can we do something like this?'" Diamond says later. "And he'd look at us like we were crazy but say, 'Yeah.'"
The Beastie Boys were always culturally curious, staunch DIY art brats, which made them ideal test pilots for the all-new World Wide Web.One night on the road, Rogers finds Adam "MCA" Yauch writing postcards to Beasties fans. "Every day, I do a few of them," he explains. "I enjoy it." The moment sticks with Rogers. To him it all but defines what punk rock should be.
At this point, the web is seen within the industry—by those even aware of it—as either a vague threat or a far-off promise, and the efforts of Rogers and the Beasties mostly fly under the radar. That is, until the group's 1998 tour, when Rogers and the Beasties begin uploading live tracks from the road in a new, readily downloadable format—MP3. The songs are the kind of sample-heavy, legally iffy mixes that the group could never put on an album. To Rogers, people need to hear them.
But executives at the band's label, Capitol Records, freak out, and the ensuing ruckus winds up in The Wall Street Journal and on the cover of Red Herring. Eventually the MP3s are allowed to stay online, but to Rogers, the whole fight is ridiculous: Why would a label get in the way of its own artist?
It's a question he will face frequently over the next few years. Though he left Indiana to be with the Beasties, he's eager to stay in the tech world and starts toggling between working for the Beasties' multimedia company, Grand Royal, and for a series of dotcom companies. In 1998 he joins Nullsoft, which has recently launched its desktop MP3 player, Winamp. The software has millions of users, so Rogers naively goes to the major labels and asks if they want to partner up and sell MP3s directly to listeners. "Their response was (A) What's an MP3? and (B) No way, that will never happen. We'll never sell an MP3," Rogers recalls. "And it was so exasperating." Nevertheless, through Grand Royal, Rogers does spearhead the first ever simultaneous digital and physical release, making At the Drive-In's Relationship of Command available for purchase as an MP3 on the same day it hits the CD bins.
In May 1999, Nullsoft is acquired by AOL. Napster is the MP3 trading site of choice but is about to be sued into oblivion. So despite being owned by AOL, Nullsoft releases Gnutella, the first peer-to-peer MP3-sharing service, which quickly earns the ire of the parent company. Rogers soon finds himself pinging uncomfortably between the emerging capabilities of the evolving MP3 world and the interests of his friends, many of whom are musicians and are terrified of file-sharing. "Gnutella was really hard for me to defend personally," Rogers says today. "I had this circle of musician friends who were like, 'Ian, what the fuck are you doing?' And our response was 'Suing this will not work. What you have to do is put out an alternative to it.'"
But the Nullsoft experience proves instructive, particularly when it comes to Winamp. Though the player is distributed as shareware—meaning users are urged but not forced to shell out the $10 fee—the company still pulls in $100,000 a month. The lesson for Rogers is simple: Fans are willing to pay. You just have to give them a reason to buy. (Years later, when Radiohead's Hail to the Thief album is leaked online, Rogers urges the group's manager to put a button on the Radiohead website asking fans to pay whatever they want for the record—a strategy the band eventually uses with 2007's In Rainbows.)
A few years later, on a weekday morning in Los Angeles, Rogers is skating through the streets of Santa Monica, Zoe standing on the front of his board. Ian, Susi, and Zoe moved out here for good in the mid-'90s, when Zoe was about four. Zoe splits her time between her parents 50-50. On the days when Rogers drops her off at school, the other kids watch Zoe get off his board and tell her how cool her brother is.
She grows up around her dad's friends, most of whom are, like Rogers, twentysomething skateboarders. When Zoe is in third grade, she and Rogers move to the canyon town of Topanga, and he and Susi begin home-schooling her. The couple can't keep up with Zoe. They spend hours working on a lesson plan, only to watch her plow through it in 45 minutes.
Rogers makes sure there are plenty of extracurricular activities as well. He sets up a half-pipe in the backyard, and soon she's learning to ride. She also inherits her father's skill for coding and love of music. Together they rap along in the car to early-'90s hip hop like EPMD and the Pharcyde, and Rogers takes Zoe on regular trips to a local record store, where he manages not to wince when she picks out Korn and Mariah Carey albums.
Like her dad, Zoe spends a lot of time around the Beasties. Rogers always tries to bring her on the road with him for a few days, where Zoe watches the shows from the side of the stage. She spends so much time around the group that the Beasties record a song, "Unite," which mentions her by name in the lyrics. Whenever she's at one of their concerts, she runs around the stage as Yauch introduces her to the crowd: "Zoeeeeeeee"!
Throughout the '00s, Rogers consults for the Beasties from time to time but embarks on a series of high-profile new media jobs. After leaving Nullsoft, he cofounds a proto-cloud company called Mediacode, where Zoe accompanies him to so many venture- capital meetings she has the pitch memorized.
Eventually Rogers winds up at Yahoo, becoming head of Yahoo Music, where he oversees the site's streaming music and video services. He loves the gig, but working with the music industry head-on requires way too much time haggling over licensing and results in DRM software that takes forever to install. He grows tired of the pointless mazes the labels have erected around their music. He has long espoused his belief that "convenience wins, hubris loses," and it irks him to see the majors still undermining the very technologies that could save them. "I was fighting with executives over music-video rights," he says later. "It was depressing."
Rogers remembers what it was like having to work to find music—to make those hour-long drives to the record store a few towns over—and he doesn't want to be in the business of barriers. In 2007 he gives a speech at an industry conference in which he declares he won't accept any more label requests that make it harder for fans to get the music they want. "Life's too short," he tells the audience. "I want to delight consumers, not bum them out." Internet rumors put him as the top choice to spearhead Google's new music service. But Rogers is getting off the corporate wagon. A few months later, he leaves Yahoo for Topspin.
In the company's offices not far from Rogers' home, the heroes stare back at you from the wall: There are framed photos of Minor Threat and the Beasties, and the fold-out cover of Paul's Boutique—which the company helped reissue a few years ago—hangs near a Ping-Pong table. There's also an Elvis pinball machine and a drum set by the door, next to a bookshelf holding both Gene Simmons' autobiography and a guide to email marketing.
As Siouxsie and the Banshees plays overhead, Rogers and his team talk about one of the bigger fall projects: Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, a documentary about the team of pro skateboarders in the '80s. Topspin is expanding into film, but most of its clients are musical acts, ranging from stadium headliners like Maroon 5 and Lady Gaga to slow-build, grassroots performers like Band of Horses and Amanda Palmer.
The fan-artist dynamic has changed radically in the two decades since Rogers was stuck in Goshen. Nowadays, talking to that punk band on the phone would be "like getting an @reply today," he says—still thrilling but hardly a rarity. Most acts now attempt to forge some sort of communication with their fans, whether it's an emo late-night Tumblr confessional or a publicist-dictated Facebook page.
What's changed, though, is the way those interactions can now be tracked, analyzed, and used to sustain lifelong (or at least career-long) relationships, which is what gets Rogers most excited about Topspin. The Pixies, for example, used the company's software to collect email addresses of fans, pinpoint them by zip code, and book an entire tour playing cities often overlooked on normal touring schedules. Smaller acts can use Topspin to give away an MP3 or two and then grow their fan list to the point where they have 2,000 followers, then 5,000, then even more. "You build it up until you've got a little business," Rogers says. "That's a gigantic innovation for artists."
Ultimately, he says, he'd like to "fix the artists' end of the spectrum"—which could also be interpreted as a pledge to help bands sneak past the major-label structure as much as possible. In the nearly five years since he left Yahoo, the industry is still holding a tight rein on music. He cites Spotify, which spent years trying to build up all the proper licenses in the US. "It shouldn't be that hard. The fact that it has cost them that much money to get to where they are is not their fault. It's the industry's fault. The industry has stood in the way of building something the industry needs."
Of course, the ego-engorged, multi- tentacled suck-mollusk that is the modern music business still reigns—major-label acts maintain a greasy hold on the charts, and it's impossible to score a big hit without radio. But direct-to-fan companies like Topspin are starting to persuade even the least DIY-inclined artists to bypass the big-label system as much as possible. Eventually Topspin may represent one of the biggest power grabs for musicians since the indie-music boom of the '80s.
By Rogers' own admission, Topspin hasn't yet lived up to its full potential: The software has been tweaked throughout the past year to make it more user-friendly, and the company has had to wrestle with the various existential crises that come with trying to serve both time-demanding high-end artists and struggling newbies. Still, notes Pixies manager Richard Jones, "people have an element of trust in Ian, and are willing to gamble on what he's doing." After all, Ian has been seeing the future of music for more than two decades.
Back at home in LA, Rogers is scrolling through a playlist he's titled Second Acts, filled with bands that initially started out as sequels: New Order, Public Image Limited, Bell Biv Devoe.
Rogers' new wife, Julie, and their 6-year-old daughter, Lucinda, are asleep in the house, after a meal of pizza and guitar-shaped popsicles. Ian and Julie met at a Christmas party a few years ago; at the time, Zoe was taking care of a guide-dog puppy. "I showed up, like, in a suit, with a kid and a puppy," he says, laughing. "Which is a great way to meet girls."
Rogers shows me one of his favorite photos from his time with the Beasties: a picture of Yauch backstage, holding Zoe's teddy bear. Just a few weeks after we meet, Yauch will pass away at the age of 47, after suffering from salivary-gland cancer for almost three years. Rogers will fly to New York for the memorial service, and he'll spend the weeks following Yauch's death telling Julie random, suddenly remembered stories from his time with the Beastie—about their snowboarding trips, or how Yauch wanted to name their CD-ROM project Dingleberry Harvester.
But he'll also make another trip out East, this time to Boston, where he watches Zoe graduate from MIT with a 5.0 GPA. (She's now at Stanford, studying for a PhD in genetics.) That weekend Rogers posts a lengthy tribute on his blog: "What can I say?" he writes. "Not a damn thing. You've already gone further than I ever could have dreamed." Then he adds: "Congrats, baby. You did it. Take a breath. Please, be happy. Know you've already succeeded. Be OK with whatever comes next. Don't be afraid of changing course."
Contributing Editor Brian Raftery (@brianraftery) wrote about music-industry pundit Bob Lefsetz in issue 20.02. | {
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While she's used to taking celebrity portraits like those of actress Keira Knightley, chef Jamie Oliver or the rock band Beastie Boys, photographer Jenny Lewis shows that she's just as skilled at capturing beautiful portraits of mother and child. One Day Young is a touching photo project that shows mothers with their babies within 24 hours of their birth. Lewis didn't know any of the mothers beforehand, rather, she called out for participants in the London borough of Hackney with this message:
“My aim is to capture the extraordinary bonding, warmth and strength between mother and infant. In fact the whole range of amazing emotions felt at that time, as the mothering instinct kicks in. Having had a home birth, I am particularly interested in catching this moment of intimacy in the home, where the outside world has not burst the bubble…”
Look through the photographs and you'll see a wide range of emotions displayed on each woman's face. However, there's one feeling that runs throughout…pride. “Motherhood really brings people together, it doesn't matter how much money you've got, or what your job is, you've just done this amazing thing so everyone feels joyous and proud,” Lewis said.
Update: We were lucky enough to get a hold of Lewis to ask her some questions. Read that interview, below.
What inspired you to want to start this series?
I'm not entirely sure. I think having had two amazing natural births, one in a pool in the hospital and one at home, I felt I had a duty to women to let them know it could be ok to offer images of support and encouragement. I had grown up knowing nothing surrounding birth except pain and fear until I came across Ina May's birth stories by chance. Just reading those stories made me realize that if they could do it so could I. I felt supported and encouraged by women I had never met and wanted to pass the same message onto other women, not being a writer a series of images seemed to be the way to do this.
Emotionally, how were the moms? Were they calm, frantic, or excited?
I was completely surprised at the serenity I found at each house. You imagine mayhem, screaming and crying and drama, yet in reality, you are invited into the calmest space ever. It got me thinking that post birth is so misrepresented in our culture/media and this is unhelpful to women and new families. If you were told about this overwhelming calmness, women would feel reassured they would be able to cope. The only stories I heard before I had my children were ones of pain straight to sleepless nights. This episode of pure joy seemed to be missing, so it was a surprise to me.
How many women did you photograph in all?
I've shot around eighty case studies and have a further thirty booked. Obviously, you never know if anyone will be home within 24 hrs if they go to hospital so I won't be photographing all of them.
What is your favorite portrait and why?
All the subjects who have taken part mean so much to me, from the woman who told me she lost her previous baby in childbirth, while I was taking pictures of her son who was four hours old, to the woman with her fourth healthy child. The mother who finally had a child after 10 years of IVF and numerous miscarriages, to the woman whose own mother died in childbirth that she never got to meet her. There are so many stories – single mothers, women struggling with older handicapped children, and a young couple who had only just met and got a little over-excited on New Years Eve. All of these stories are entwined for me with the images and I find it impossible to single any one out.
What did you learn from creating this series?
Having photographed all sorts of people for years, I was struck by the lack of self consciousness in these portraits. It really made me think about all the barriers people put up and the masks they hide behind when they are faced with a camera. These are, by far, the most natural portraits I have ever taken. The women are just themselves with nothing to prove, they have such a sense of pride and strength.
Is the project ongoing?
I expected to work on the project for six months, but three years later I am still shooting and still getting goosebumps during every session. I am looking for a publisher and somewhere to exhibit the series at the moment. Maybe that will be my deadline to stop, or at least stop this series and start another.
Jenny Lewis's website | {
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The mother of the woman who was killed while protesting a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. this weekend said her daughter was a passionate activist who wished to bring an end to injustice.
Heather Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, said her daughter’s tragic death should be used as “a rallying cry for justice.”
“Heather was not about hate, Heather was about stopping hatred,” Bro said in an interview with the Huffington Post. “Heather was about bringing an end to injustice. I don’t want her death to be a focus for more hatred, I want her death to be a rallying cry for justice and equality and fairness and compassion.”
Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal, was killed when a man drove his car directly into a group of counter-protesters. Police identified James Alex Fields Jr. as the alleged driver, and he is currently facing numerous charges including second-degree murder.
“She always had a very strong sense of right and wrong, she always, even as a child, was very caught up in what she believed to be fair,” Bro said in another interview with the Huffington Post. “Somehow I almost feel that this is what she was born to be, is a focal point for change. I’m proud that what she was doing was peaceful, she wasn’t there fighting with people.”
During a speech at a church in Charlottesville Sunday morning, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe honored Heyer in front of the congregation. He also posted a photo of her on Twitter, where he said she “died standing up against hate & bigotry.”
Federal law enforcement are now conducting a civil rights investigation into the horrific incident, which has been called an act of domestic terrorism by a number of politicians and Charlottesville officials. The incident injured at least 19 others.
Two Virginia officers were also killed Saturday when their helicopter crashed as they assisted law enforcement efforts at the rally.
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Ron Paul is sure that the US government is engaging in a coverup about Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down on July 17 near the Russian border over territory controlled by Ukrainian rebels.
A coverup of what exactly? And why? And how does he know? These mysteries may never be solved. But let’s take a look at how the sausage of conspiracy theory is made. Paul:
“The U.S. government has grown strangely quiet on the accusation that it was Russia or her allies that brought down the Malaysian airliner with a buck [sic] anti-aircraft missile.”
Has it now? I haven’t read a single article about MH17 from a Western media outlet that doesn’t mention that conclusion. It so happens that the media cycle has moved on from last month and the frequency of articles about the shoot down has decreased, in part because of a lack of new information.
This is only “strange” to Paul because he believes everything in the media is being controlled by our government. Apparently this week the government wants us to miss Patch Adams, not hate Russia.
“The little that we have heard from U.S. intelligence is that it has no evidence that Russia was involved.”
This bull straddles the fence between misleading half-truth and outright lie. Then it kicks down that fence, stomps on it, and defecates violently.
There are good reasons to think that the rebels, using Russian military hardware, accidentally shot down the plane. Ukrainian intelligence wiretaps of separatists appear to show that as many as three Russian-made Buk radar-guided missile systems were brought across the border. The geolocation data of a Russian soldier’s Instagram pictures appear show him working on a Buk missile launcher on the Russian border and inside Ukraine.
On the Thursday that MH17 was brought down, the separatist “prime minister” Igor Girkin took credit on his social media account for shooting down what he said was a Ukrainian transport plane. After it became clear that a passenger jet had been shot down (and no transport plane was missing), Girkin deleted the post.
Moreover, the strike on the Malaysian flight didn’t happen in a vacuum: numerous Ukrainian planes were shot down that week. The night before MH17 fell out of the sky, a Ukrainian jet was shot down by an air-to-air missile (no prizes for guessing whose air force Ukraine holds responsible). The same day, rebels shot down two more Ukrainian jets, and that Monday, a Ukrainian military transport plane was shot down by a missile that Ukraine claims was fired from Russia’s side of the border.
So is Russia responsible? Maybe not directly. In June, rebel forces had, according to the Herald Sun, seized a military base that housed Buk launchers, and most Western officials have argued that it was separatists using weapons given to them by Moscow, not Russian forces themselves, who shot down the plane.
But there’s reason to think that untrained rebel militiamen could not have operated a complex radar-guided missile system on their own. It’s not a point-and-shoot video game. That might explain what Russian communications specialists were doing taking selfies inside Ukraine, and might explain photos and dashcam footage that Ukrainian intelligence claims shows a Buk launcher being smuggled into Russia two days after the attack.
“Yet the war propaganda was successful in convincing the American public that it was all Russia’s fault.”
Back up. Dr. Paul, you just claimed that the only thing the US government has said is that there’s no reason to believe Russia was involved. You’re invoking the authority of the government to disprove the idea that Russia was involved, while also blaming it for promoting the idea Russia was involved.
And what “war” propaganda? Who exactly is conspiring to get the US into a war with Russia? It sure isn’t the Obama administration. Except for what amounts to stern finger wagging, they’ve made no moves towards World War III that I can see.
“It’s hard to believe that the U.S., with all of its spy satellites available for monitoring everything in Ukraine that precise proof of who did what and when is not available.”
This is cringe-inducingly stupid. “All its spy satellites available for monitoring everything in Ukraine”? First, the Ukraine-Russia border is about 1,500 miles long, and that’s only an infinitely thin line. Ukraine itself is 233,000 square miles.
Apparently Paul imagines the US government can see every square inch of the planet, 24/7, but satellites can only see where you point them. I’m willing to bet that not all of the United States’ spy satellites are looking at Ukraine or Russia, but even if they were, they couldn’t do what Paul claims they must be doing.
“When evidence contradicts our government’s accusations, the evidence is never revealed to the public—for national security reasons, of course.”
What is this evidence? Where is it? This is a classic conspiracy theorist tactic: claim that the lack of evidence for your conspiracy theory is itself somehow evidence of a conspiracy. In Ron Paul’s bizarro world, the less evidence there is, the more it proves your claim!
“Some independent sources claim that the crash site revealed evidence that bullet holes may have come from a fighter jet. If true, it would implicate western Ukraine.”
“Independent sources”? Citation needed. [Update below.] But it seems that Paul may be repeating a garbled version of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s story that a Ukrainian SU-25 close air support plane was flying near MH17’s route and shot it down. The problem with this, as already explained here by Mike Rothschild, is that “the SU-25 isn’t an interceptor and has a ceiling of just 23,000 feet – and MH17 was flying at 33,000 feet when it went silent.”
Then there’s the basic question of motivation: why would Ukraine shoot down a civilian passenger jet flying from a European country to southeast Asia? The separatists have no air force of their own, so there’s no reason for Ukraine to be randomly shooting big unarmed planes out of the sky. The Kremlin-owned Interfax suggested that it was an attempted assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin’s plane, which they claimed was nearby. But Putin wasn’t anywhere near there.
“Questions do remain regarding the serious international incident. Too bad we can’t count on our government to just tell us the truth and show us the evidence. I’m convinced that it knows a lot more than it’s telling us.”
These are just more classic conspiracist tactics: the “just asking questions” defense and the “there’s things we don’t know” cliche. Dr. Paul, of course questions remain, and of course there’s things the CIA doesn’t tell you. But that doesn’t give you a license to just make stuff up.
I too would like to know a lot more about the shooting down of Malaysian Flight 17. Too bad the Russian-backed rebels wouldn’t let investigators reach the crash zone for two weeks after the event. Too bad the fighting has gotten so bad the search had to be suspended after just days. Too bad the corpses are so burned, broken, and dismembered that we don’t even know how many bodies have been recovered.
Ron Paul, we supported your presidential campaign precisely because you stood against war and aggression. Those things didn’t suddenly become okay just because they’re being done by a foreign government instead of our own. Too bad we can’t count on you to just stick to non-interventionism, instead of parroting Russian propaganda and defending Putin’s imperialism.
Update: Several people have suggested that Paul was referring to this 55 second clip (the staple of any good conspiracy theory) from a CBC interview last month. In it, OCSE employee Michael Bociurkiw, who had been on the job for less than three months, describes his first impression of the wreckage on the ground. He says that he saw pieces of fuselage that he thought “almost looked like” it had been hit with bullets, and that he didn’t see any obvious missile parts.
The full interview is interesting and quite moving, but the short clip is hardly dispositive. Bociurkiw states explicitly that he isn’t an expert and does not have the training to identify such things, and that more qualified investigators had arrived since then. Moreover, real systematic investigation and recovery efforts didn’t start until two weeks after the crash, during which time the rebels took control of the black box, bodies, and other evidence. Since then, the search has been suspended multiple times due to violent clashes in the region.
Bociurkiw also states that on the second day he was there, he witnessed men “hacking into [the cockpit] with a power saw.” There was no quarantine of the area, no effort to save and catalogue evidence, no effort to preserve the integrity of the crime scene. He describes the conditions as a “conflict zone, with no security to the site.” Eight members of his initial OCSE team were briefly kidnapped and held.
I would like to know more about what happened to that plane, but we will only get that if there is a credible and full investigation. That’s looking more and more difficult as the weeks drag into months. If such an investigation overturns the evidence so far that implicates the rebels, so be it. Governments–all governments, not just ours or Russia’s–do stupid and evil things. Unlike some people, I have no prior commitment to blaming or defending anyone. But “we don’t know for sure yet” doesn’t justify making things up, and it doesn’t justify ignoring the things we do know, so far. | {
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The controversial and mysterious Koch Brothers' may be bad for America.
In an interview on Yahoo's Daily Ticker, T. Boone Pickens singles out brothers Charles and David's Koch Industries, which among other items produces fertilizer and chemicals, as single-handedly preventing the U.S. from setting a cohesive energy policy.
"The biggest deterrent to an energy plan in America is Koch Industries," the BP Capital founder tells Yahoo's Aaron Task. "They do not want an energy plan for America because they have the cheapest natural gas price they've ever had, and they're in the fertilizer business and they're in the chemical business. So their margins are huge. And they do not want you to have an energy plan, because if you had a plan, then natural gas prices would come up."
The second-largest private company in the United States, Koch Industries has spent at least $5 million in lobbying in each of the past four years, and given at least $1,000,000 in seven of the last eight election cycles, according to data from OpenSecrets.
In 2008, the company spent nearly $18 million on lobbying for oil and gas interests alone, according to Open Secrets. They've already spent $2.3 million on oil and gas lobbying in 2012.
Pickens concedes that it is generally difficult to find the momentum to put together a cohesive energy plan.
"It isn't a failure of the Democrats. It's not a failure of the Republicans. It's a bipartisan failure. Over the years neither party could provide the leadership to have an energy plan."
SEE MORE: Morgan Stanley's Guide To Investing In Natural Gas | {
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EXCLUSIVE
NeNe Leakes' streak on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" is finally coming to an end ... at least based on what's NOT been going on during season 9 tapings.
TMZ has learned they've been shooting for weeks now, and NeNe is nowhere in sight.
It seemed like she was possibly coming back to the main cast after being named a guest last season. She's been busy with a HSN clothing line, one woman tour, new game show and a stint on "Fashion Police."
Our 'RHOA' sources tell us producers have added at least one new cast member, and NeNe -- the only remaining OG ATL housewife -- doesn't look to be part of plans going forward.
We're told "guest appearances" are always a possibility, but as of now producers aren't counting on having NeNe. | {
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Watches you pop-fly out in the bottom of the 9th high fives you in the dugout and says "Good Contact!"
799 shares | {
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Inability of foreign resident to perceive rejection cited as key factor in ruling.
On the night of June 26, 2016, a 23-year-old Japanese woman was sitting on a train travelling from Aichi Prefecture’s Chitahanda Station to Kanayama Station, in the prefectural capital of Nagoya. At some point, the 44-year-old man sitting next to her, a Brazilian national living in Nagoya, introduced himself.
He asked the woman her name, what kind of work she did, and eventually asked her for her phone number, which she gave. As they continued talking, he took hold of her right hand, kissed her three times, and, according to the woman, began touching her lower body from outside her clothing.
The woman did not appreciate these overtures, and after filing a complaint with the police the man was arrested in March of this year, before being arraigned in April ahead of being placed on trial in Nagoya district court for the incident. Prosecutors sought a sentence of two years in prison, but on September 5 the trial ended with the defendant being cleared of all charges.
Presiding judge Mihoko Tanabe, a woman herself, accepted the man’s claim that he did what he did only because he felt that the woman welcomed the physical contact (though he denies touching her lower body).
Tanabe’s decision was prompted by a number of factors. “This was different from a situation in which a chikan [groper] suddenly gropes a woman, and we cannot dismiss the possibility that the defendant believed he had the plaintiff’s consent.” the judge commented, acknowledging that the two had been engaged in a conversation before the man’s physical advances. In addition, the plaintiff neither appealed to other passengers for help nor moved to a different car of the train, and while Tanabe recognized the woman’s inner objection to what the man was doing, as evidenced by her police complaint, she ultimately felt that the lack of overt protestations also made it possible for the defendant to think what he was doing was acceptable. “Particularly as the defendant is a foreigner, he was unable to understand the defendant’s sentiment of rejection, and believed she was merely bashfully shy. We cannot deny the possibility that the defendant thought his feelings were reciprocated.”
Following the verdict, Nagoya Deputy Public Prosecutor Yukinobu Hayakawa said he is discussing what options remain regarding appeals to higher authorities. Meanwhile, defense lawyer Tatsu Morikawa said that he found the judgement reasonable and fair.
Having never ridden public transport or played the singles game in Brazil, I can’t comment on how reasonable the scenario is of chatting up a woman more than 20 years younger than you on a short train ride (it’s only a half hour from Chitahanda to Kanayama), and doing it so charmingly that she just has to make out with you then and there. And granted, it’s not like May-December romances, chance encounters leading to meaningful relationships, or love/lust-at-first sight never happen in Japan.
Still, the chances of all those love story cliches lining up at once are extremely slim, and while the man in this trial walked away free, he could have avoided the whole mess if he’d simply stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, his pickup game wasn’t that strong.
Sources: Chunichi Shimbun via Hachima Kiko, Yomiuri Online, Mainichi Shimbun
Top image: Pakutaso | {
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Almost half of the White Card referrals in this year’s FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International matches have been successful, and the initiative is making an impressive impact in overturning foul play.
White Cards, which allow teams to challenge the referee during a break in play if they feel a wrong call has been made, can be used twice in a match by each team, once in each half. The success rate thus far has been 41,18 per cent.
Of the successful White Cards used so far in the FNB Varsity Cup, 57% have overturned a foul play decision, meaning that dangerous and early tackles are being clamped down on thanks to the use of technology.
The White Card, which was first used during the inaugural season in 2008, made a comeback this year and is endorsed by the South African Rugby Union (SARU). André Watson, SARU General Manager Referees.
Varsity Cup prides itself on innovation, and Duitser Bosman, CEO of Varsity Sports, believes that the use of technology in sport is a good thing. “Look at the way the Decision Review System in cricket has changed and progressed over the last few years,” he said, but added that for a system to be understood well took a bit of patience. “Something like the White Card has a long way to go, but we have to remember that this is a system nobody has used before, and so it will take time for players to understand it."
One downside of the White Card is the time it takes out of the game, which can disrupt the flow of the game, but it’s something that Bosman believes will get better the more the system is used.
The average time it’s taken this season for a referral to be made is a minute and 57 seconds for White Card decisions, compared to the one minute 29 seconds for referee referrals. It is, however, important to consider the nature of decisions being referred. With a large number relating to foul play, it’s natural that these decisions will take longer.
Bosman said: “The more the system is used, the easier it will get for players to know when to use it and when not. We all want to see the correct decision at the end of the day, and it’s clear that the system does work.”
From Natalia Pereira
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PV: 7 | {
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O propriétario da empreiteira OAS, César Mata Pires, em foto de outubro de 2011 durante o lançamento do livro 'Como Superar o Cancer', de Paulo Hoff, em São Paulo — Foto: Mastrangelo Reino/Folhapress
O maior acionista da empreiteira OAS , César Mata Pires, de 67 anos, morreu nesta terça-feira (22) enquanto caminhava pelo Pacaembu, bairro da Zona Oeste de São Paulo . A suspeita é que ele tenha sofrido um infarto fulminante.
Engenheiro civil formado pela Universidade Federal da Bahia em 1971, Dr César, como era chamado, começou sua carreira na Odebrecht. Fundou em 1976, na Bahia, a OAS com outros dois sócios. “Anos depois, com a multiplicação dos negócios, ele comandou o Grupo OAS, multinacional na área de infraestrutura”, diz nota da empreiteira.
O empresário era casado com Tereza, uma das filhas do ex-senador baiano Antônio Carlos Magalhães (ACM), e tinha três filhos e seis netos.
Em 2015, a revista Forbes estimava que a fortuna de Pires era de US$ 1,6 bilhão.
Morre, em SP, César Mata Pires, fundador e principal acionista da OAS
Lava Jato
A empresa é uma das grandes construtoras brasileiras que têm executivos como réus na Lava Jato. Segundo a denúncia, a empresa participava do chamado “clube” de companhias que, por meio de um cartel, fraudava licitações da Petrobras. Para conquistar os contratos, as empresas pagavam propina a diretores da estatal e a partidos políticos, com intermediação de operadores.
As primeiras denúncias contra executivos da OAS vieram à tona em 2015. Na época, a Justiça Federal em Curitiba condenou a cúpula da empreiteira por crimes cometidos em contratos e aditivos da OAS com a Refinaria Getúlio Vargas (Repar), no Paraná, e com a Refinaria Abreu e Lima (Renest), em Pernambuco.
Em maio deste ano, o Ministério Público Federal (MPF) confirmou que estava negociando acordo de colaboração premiada com ex-executivos da OAS. A declaração foi feita durante audiência para ouvir o depoimento do ex-diretor da empresa Agenor Franklin Medeiros. O acordo, no entanto, não foi homologado.
Recuperação judicial
A empresa chegou a pedir recuperação judicial, perdeu protagonismo e cortou mais da metade de seus funcionários desde então. Em 2013, antes da Lava Jato, o Grupo OAS tinha cerca de 120 mil funcionários. No fim de 2015, o número caiu para 70 mil e, em março deste ano, era de 35 mil. | {
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The long campaign against the dreaded Tyranids of Hive Fleet 1 Cthuga ground on, the Cyavunnh system was beset by all manner of vile bioforms. The previous battle of Lernin Kerv had been a defeat for the defending Astra Militarum. The Krablokistan 47th had been fighting a losing battle against the Great Devourer. intelligence reports had suggested a significant cluster of synapse lifeforms amid the ruins of Lernin Kerv 2 Beta, Djemtri "two guns" Vlashvilli overall commander of the 47th and most of his senior aides had been incapacitated by a venomous burrowing spore mole that had erupted into the overall command bunker so the duty of leading an attack to attempt to hamstring what counts for the Tyranids command structure had to be led by a relatively inexperienced commander Polke Maltroc.
Greetings. It's time for another one of those mildly amusing battle reports that I have been churning out recently. This time, it's a return to the beleaguered planet of Lernin Kerv where my Astra Militarum force received a proper beating due to my own ineptitude. Many moons later, I hope to gain revenge on Stuart's icky army of unplesantry. The game was 1850 points and I used the same army I have used in the last few games for those who haven't seen any of them here's my list.
Battalion Detachment + 5 CP (90 PL, 1852 points)
HQ;
Company Commander, Grand Strategist, Kurov's Aquilla, Plasma Pistol, Power Sword.
Tank Commander, Leman Russ Demolisher.
Primaris Psyker, Smite, Nightshroud, Psychic Barrier.
Troops;
Squad Fang; plasma gun.
Squad Stinger; Meltagun, Missile Launcher, Boltgun for sergeant.
Squad Talon; Meltagun, Missile Launcher, Boltpistol for sergeant.,
Elites;
Chuck Nimrod; platoon commander, plasma pistol, powerfist.
Ratlings x 10
Sergeant Harker
Special Weapons Squad 3 x flamers.
Squad Cutter; Veterans, heavy flamer, 3 x Meltaguns, Vox caster.
Squad Vicious; Veterans, heavy flamer, 3 x Plasmaguns, Plasma pistol for sergeant.
Fast Attack;
Hellhound; Heavy Flamer, Track Guards
Heavy Support;
Heavy Weapons Squad; 3 x Autocannon
Heavy
Weapons Squad; 3 x Heavy Bolter
Leman Russ Battle Tanks; Battlecannon, Lascannon, Plasma Cannon, Stormbolter x 2.
Dedicated Transport;
Chimera; 2x Heavy Flamer, Storm Bolter, Track Guards
Chimera Heavy Flamer, Heavy Bolter, Storm Bolter, Track Guards.
The plan is a pretty standard one, soften up the filthy xenos with my big guns, scoot the Hellhound and veterans in Chimeras into objective grabbing positions (if possible) and hopefully win the day for the forces of humanity. Stuart's list was the first time I'd be facing them since the new codex and with that the chances or horrible strategems and hideous alien weapons with special rules coming out of the wazoo seemed likely.
Battalion Detachment;
Hive Fleet: Kraken
HQ ; Malanthrope
Neurothrope: Power: Psychic Scream, The Norn Crown, Warlord, Warlord Trait: Synaptic Lynchpin
Troops; Genestealers 4x Acid Maw 20x Rending Claws
Tyranid Warriors; 4 x Deathspitter, Scything Talons . Tyranid Warrior: Scything Talons, Venom Cannon
Tyranid Warriors; 4 x Deathspitter, Scything Talons . Tyranid Warrior: Scything Talons, Venom Cannon
Elites; Hive Guard ;3x Hive Guard: Impaler Cannon
Spearhead Detachment
HQ: Hive Tyrant : Monstrous Rending Claws, Monstrous Scything Talons, Power: Catalyst, Power: The Horror, Wings
Heavy Support ; 3 x Carnifexes . 2x Monstrous Scything Talons, Adrenal Glands, Bone Mace, Spore Cysts, Tusks
Trygon Prime: Adrenal Glands, Biostatic Rattle, 3x Massive Scything Talons, Toxin Sacs
Tyrannofex : Rupture Cannon, Stinger Salvo
Total: [100 PL, 1849pts]
As you can see there is a lot of nasty things in the list, for me, the rupture cannon and Biostatic Rattle sound particularly unpleasant but as every guardsman knows, it's not the size of the weapon or how well it is welded that counts, it's faith in the Emperor and contempt for alien lifeforms that wins the day!
The Mission
a dice was rolled and it came up Tactical Gambit, this is a fun little mission from Chapter Approved 2017 where a player declares how many tactical objectives they will achieve per turn. if you get it right you gain the same number of VP's in addition if you get it wrong your opponent gets them. I am pretty sure my overestimation of guardsmen will prove problematic in this mission.
Set up So we placed terrain and objectives as you do and a battlefield was born. I set up my veterans in chimeras on the left flank, tanks heavy weapons and ordinary guardsmen to the centre and special weapon squad and hellhound to the right. Stuart's army deployed left to right was as follows; malenthrope, genestealers, tyranid warriors, carnefexes, more tyranid warriors, tyrannofex, neurothrope, hive guard and hive tyrant. The trygon prime was all nice and snug under the ground humming happy little tyranid songs to itself waiting to pounce. Once all these nasties were deployed I placed my ratlings to the right to hopefully kill something important. We then rolled off to see who went first, it was Stuart! Then by some divine intervention (if you believe in that sort of thing) or random chance, I rolled a 6 stealing initiative and annoying Stuart to boot. The Game Now some people think running an Astra Militarum army is pretty much talent less as all I have to do is stand back and shoot. This is I suppose fairly accurate as the only model I moved in my first turn was the Hellhound. Others might say it takes great courage and mental fortitude to only move forward with one model and I'd much prefer that to be the general consensus. I decided to go for two tactical objectives (as you do it before you get cards it is really a gamble) and got cards that were not very achievable. Of particular note was the priority orders received whereby my commander had to go to objective 1 (a storage facility) and defend it. Considering the foe, and all the alienesque movies I have seen in my life it screamed ambush so my commander decided to stay put for now. Other objectives were Kingslayer, master of the warp and secure objective 3. Of these only one was relatively simple to acheive (master of the warp), objective 3 was on the other side of the table surrounded by stealers and tyranid warriors and the warlord was untouchable this turn due to him hiding and too many nearer targets. Stuart is far too wily an opponent to leave his warlord out in the open and the nearest target to my heavy weapons unfortunately.
The eastern side of the battlefield, it's probably worth noting all my battles seem to be me attacking from the south, funny that.
The three Carnefex stooges, Curly, Larry and Throat-Rip-Death-Hell.
Tyranid warriors, tyrannofex, hive tyrant, neurothrope and some hive guard.
Stealers, tyranid warriors and the aforementioned three tyranid stooges.
My shit crop of tactical objectives!
My first turn was thwarted by the neurothrope's aura effect giving every organism around it a -1 to hit. Coupled with the hive tyrants -1 to hit for his spore cysts, my shooting was limited. I did manage to kill a few stealers and take the tyrannofex down a bracket, but that was with all my tanks. I even failed to cast a psychic power so my original prediction of 2 objectives fell short, giving me a first turn score of fuck all and Stuart getting two for me being optimistic.
There's no way the commander is going to go to that objective, it has around 80 attacks within short claw range! Also barely visible is the malthrope warlord skulking like a champ behind the storage containers.
Stuart gets two VP's for participating, he also has given a genestealer the job of guarding the die, I think his name was Colin, or Gary.
Stuart's battle turn arrived and I got to experience the joys of the new tyranid codex. I cannot for the life of me remember what Stu's tactical objectives were but he was sensible and said he'd achieve one. Then I found out what Hive Fleet Kraken's special ability was; when advancing roll 3 die and pick highest. Yikes! Needless to say a lot of high yield advances were made. Coupled with some gimpy regeneration, the Tyrannofex had jumped up a bracket! The Hive Tyrant moved towards easy charge range for both the Ratlings and Hellhound, the three tyranid stooges split up and advanced and the Tyranid Warriors moved normally to shoot.
After a redonkulous advance the heavy bolter squad experience squeaky bum time.
More squeaky bums on the west side of the battlefield.
And yes, a third helping of squeaky bum time! Curly and Throat-Rip-Death-Hell weren't as quick as Larry. Larry must have been suckling on the adrenal nipple for longer than the others. Dirty Larry! You could be forgiven for thinking this is turn 2. It is not.
The Tyranid shooting was pretty good bracketing the Hellhound. This in itself isn't a big problem as I alway give them track guards to get them into inconvenient places (for the enemy anyway). Several guardsmen also bought the farm from Tyranid bio-weaponry. In the assault phase the stealers easily made it into the Heavy Bolters and the Hive Tyrant plumped for the Ratlings. Some overwatch failed to damage the Tyrant but a couple of Genestealers left the table early. In the actual hitting things segment the Heavy Bolters all left the table and the Hive Tyrant did one on the Ratlings, killing 4 or 5 of them. In the morale phase I used insane bravery to give Stuart something to think about; leave the Ratlings there and fly away to attack other stuff or wipe them out.
Larry the Carnefex is using that age old annoying gimmick of repeatedly say to the tank commander "not touching, not touching2 when he is clearly is invading his personal space. Carnefexes are so mean.
Here is some dice Stuart rolled that he was not happy with. I think they were hit rolls to presumably destroy/damage either the Hellhound/Leman Russ. either way, it amused me.
Shades of Starship Troopers in this picture.
At the end of turn one Stuart is racing away into the lead, Colin is now guarding 7 VP's and has been joined by Ralph the Ratling, he is only guarding 2 VP's. I think the master of the warp tactical objective gave Stuart a bumper crop of VP's here.
At the start of my turn I go for 1 tactical objectives (damn you pessimism). Probably as I was trailing badly too I thought getting two would be achievable and at the same time realistic. it has to be said at this point I had control of two objectives (as I did in the first turn) so it is not an unreasonable possibility that one or other of them might be mentioned in the cards I pick up. They aren't though. I do pick up seize objective 1, you know the scary one over by the storage crates. at the same time the tyranid warlord is over the - a Malthrope so seizing the objective or killing the warlord might work. So I disembarked both squads of veterans to get rid of the stealers and get to objective 1. The Hellhound moved towards the Tyranid Warriors to hose them down with the Emperor's holy fiery liquid and the Ratlings stepped away from the Tyrant to give the big guns something to shoot at.
At the start of my turn there were two elephants in the room, this is a 3 metaphor for tyranids in my deployment zone, or something. All I really know is I need to get these things out of their living state into a more acceptable deceased one so my guardsmen can continue to think happy thoughts and what not.
So to summarise turn two, Larry was killed as were the genestealers. Also Curly was exterminated 😊. The Hellhound managed to inflict a paltry one or two wounds on the Tyranid Warriors due to some shite die rolling, I failed to kill the hive tyrant. The Tyrannofex I think went back down a bracket or two. On the plus side a unit of meltagun armed vets wounded the Malthrope then assaulted him kicking it to death in true football hooligan fashion. Sadly for me the guardsmen were far too successful as they managed to achieve two tactical objectives rather than the one I had predicted.
The veterans having giving the Misanthrope some melta blasts, prepare to give it a taste of hob nailed boots.
For clarity the jauntily placed shipping container has been removed to emphasis just how much shit the tyranid warlord would be in if he was facing close combat troops. It has one wound left.
The now exterminated Malthrope, with the victorious guardsmen standing over it's still twitching corpse. Sadly this particular veteran squad has been transferred to the penal battalion for 'over-exuberance following of orders'.
Colin and Ralph eye each other menacingly, Colin looks smug.
Rare footage from the North of the battlefield.
The Hellhound who could. In an attempt to stop Venom Cannons and other nasties targeting my Leman Russ the Hellhound goes for the distraction play.
And the more traditional view from the south.
Stuart generally avoids having his soul trapped in the magic picture box as he may well think it is 'bad juju'. Dylan has no such qualms. Unknown to Stuart, he can be seen in the reflection of the window. I now have total control of his psyche! #teamvoodoo
Stuart went for 1 objective in his turn, and as often say in my batreps, shit got real. The Trygon erupted from the earth, in a probably very dramatic way which is impossible to recreate on this blog without some serious photo editing software and a hacksaw. The Hive Tyrant flew next to the guardsmen in the picture below, I put a filter on the picture for dramatic effect (sauna I think). Other movement in the phase was Throat-Rip-Death-Hell made a bonkers advance move to stand over the smoldering carcass of Larry (who said Carnofexes didn't have feelings?). The Hive Guard remained where they were as they have indirect Impaler Cannons. Speaking of unpleasant sounding items, the Tyrannofex's rupture cannon is worth noting, not only does it sound disgusting, it's pretty hard hitting too.
Using the Terrorcam® some guardsmen will shortly be filling in underwaer requisition forms (those that survive anyway).
A less threatening filter.
To summarise this turn, using a after getting his Trygon into a dangerous position Stuart couldn't roll high enough to get into combat, the Tyrant didn't wipe out the guardsmen. The Tyranid Warriors left combat with the Hellhound and the Tyrannofex took their place. It's probably worth noting Stuart was using all manner of unsportsmanlike tricks like regenerating things I wanted to kill and pulling all sorts of weird acts that he referred to as 'tactics'.
After all is said and done the Hive Tyrant doesn't managed to destroy the unit. Despite being filmed bt Terrorcam®.
10 - 4 to Stuart.
In turn three I made the now customary random guess for tactical objectives (2 this turn I think), and then set about not achieving said amount. What I did have was the opportunity to shoot the crap out of filthy xenos scum. I had two units in close combat, the guardsmen battling the Tyrant stepped out of combat but I left the Hellhound to distract the Tyrannofex. The psyker smote the Hive Tyrant, and in the shooting phase the Astra Militarum killed the Tyrant, the Trygon and Throat-Rip-Death-Hell. Killing the Tyrant was only managed as 3 flamer armed troopers managed to douse him in Prometheum®. The close combat between Hellhound and Tyrannofex wore on without the Tyranid creature smashing the rapidly driving forward and reversing tank.
Throat-Rip-Death-Hell is exhausted from his advancing.
Trooper Beard and sergeant Laspistol prepare to execute the lightly wounded Carnefex. Trooper Beard was only too happy to double tap him with his plasmagun on full power. Trooper Beard did not die by his own hands this game.
Although it might seem like a largely unrewarding modelling project, I would like to build two Carnefex carcasses piled on top of each other for next time I'm playing Tyranids, just in case.
Two large Tyranid critters in all their glory!
Nailed it! I declared 1 tactical objective and got it! Finally getting the hang of the game. Disregard Stuart's score please. Actually looking at the fact he has 12 to my 6 I probably declared more than 1.
So at the end of my turn Stuart had most of his army gone and decided to concede. He was well ahead on VP's but I had both units of veterans pretty much unscathed plus two functioning Leman Russ and assorted guardsmen. Had we played another couple of turns I may have wiped them out completely. To be honest the game was tricky due to my unfortunate TO cards. As two units were sitting on objectives all game I was a little unlucky to not have drawn either capture or defend these.
Two vehicles duke it out in the middle of the battlefield.
The final positions of the troops, all that is left on the Tyrand side is the Tyrannofex, Neurothrope, Hive Guard and a single Tyranid Warrior.
Apres Match
Once again Stuart was a tricky opponent. There is some really nasty shit in the Tyranid Codex and the Hive Fleet Kraken special rules make for a very mobile army. A couple of things in the close combat phase helped me out as the Genestealers couldn't get into another combat after wiping out the Heavy Bolter squad. It was unfortunate as they were up in a building and a 3" consolidating move couldn't get them into either the Leman Russ of Chimera. Once again the Catachan regimental doctrine was excellent as it really allows my tanks to churn out lots of heavy weapons shots. By far the best moment of the game was the veterans kicking the Malthrope to death around the sinister storage facility. With Chapter Approved looming on the horizon the game will be less about wiping out your opponent and more about objectives. I am looking forward to playing some of these new scenarios. Summing up the game was a win by technicality but had it been played a few weeks later would probably been a win for Stuart. The fairest thing would be to call it a draw.
1) Cthuga in High Gothic sounds a lot like Stuart. | {
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A former adviser for the Trump campaign defended the president’s derogatory tweets about the FBI, saying they’re an “insurance policy” to protect from bias within the bureau.
“The president’s tweets are an insurance policy for the American people to make sure that its leading law enforcement organization remains unbiased,” Michael Caputo told CNN on Tuesday.
Trump has called the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election a “witch hunt” and railed against the FBI, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and former FBI Director James Comey, who the president fired in May.
Read More
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today! | {
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Lev Parnas can’t catch a break. The Soviet-born businessman who teamed up with Rudy Giuliani to dig for dirt on President Donald Trump’s perceived political foes in Ukraine has pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges. But now a jilted investor in a years-old movie deal gone bad is going after the $200,000 that Parnas put up to get out of jail while he awaits trial.
That money secured Parnas’ $1 million bail bond in New York, where he faces allegations that he and a group of business associates knowingly violated campaign-finance laws in order to ingratiate themselves with Trump and grease the wheels for business interests in the U.S. and Ukraine.
It was a sizable cash payment for a man who is so deeply in debt. Parnas still owes more than $500,000 to a former business associate who won a federal court judgment against him in 2013. In fact, efforts in state and federal courts in Florida to recoup that money have resulted in the release of documents that are largely responsible for the legal predicament in which Parnas currently finds himself. | {
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Disney‘s theme park blog has posted some new concept art for Disneyland’s upcoming Star Wars attraction, and it basically looks like a dream come true.
The landscape has kind of a Naboo vibe, featuring domed buildings, rocky canyons, and lush green forests. The Millennium Falcon has pride of place in the middle of the park, with an outdoor market in the foreground.
The blog describes the Star Wars attraction as the largest ever single-themed expansion at Disneyland, stretching over 14 acres.
As with other Disney resort locations, it will be populated with familiar characters—although Disney is yet to reveal which ones. Apparently the Star Wars park will include “citizens, aliens and droids,” meaning that some lucky Disney employees will get to be full-time Star Wars cosplayers when this place opens.
BONUS: I watched every ‘Star Wars’ in one sitting:
| {
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Chelsea have cooled their interest in Celtic striker Moussa Dembele and are prioritising other targets to strengthen their attack this month.
Dembele has been monitored by Chelsea since he was at Fulham between 2012-16 and made an enquiry for the Celtic forward 12 months ago.
The Blues were scared off by the Scottish club's £40m valuation at the time, although he remained on their wish-list in the summer.
Dembele is the subject of a lot of speculation over a January transfer once again, but it is understood that Chelsea are unlikely to make a bid.
The Blues are looking to improve their forward options, with Michy Batshuayi still not trusted by coach Antonio Conte to be back-up to first choice Alvaro Morata.
As Standard Sport revealed last month, Batshuayi hopes to secure a loan move to play more first team football and secure a spot in Belgium's World Cup squad.
Chelsea want Monaco's Thomas Lemar, even though he is more associated with being a left-sided player, and have sent scouts to watch Red Star Belgrade frontman Richmond Boakye. They are also competing with Tottenham for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley.
Brighton, West Ham, Stoke and Everton have all been linked with Dembele, who has scored just eight goals in 21 appearances for Celtic this season. | {
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Forge yourself into a legendary boss in Arcane. Sit down with our gameplay developers and work out an idea...
Includes:
4× HD Wallpapers
HD Wallpapers 2× Arcane Digital Key
Arcane Digital Key OST Soundtrack
Mass Mention in 'The Legends' Tab
Digital Art Book
2× Arcane Pre-Release Demo
Arcane Pre-Release Demo Founders Tool Kit
2× Signed Poster
Signed Poster Founders Armour + Spells
Design A Goblin
Create A Weapon
Design A Mage
Design An Entity
Become A Boss
Less | {
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A new poll conducted for FOX 5 Atlanta shows Stacey Abrams with a slight lead over Brian Kemp in a statistical dead heat in the race for Georgia Governor.
The new Opinion Savvy poll for FOX 5 shows Democrat Abrams at 48.1 percent and Republican Kemp at 47.2 percent.
The poll of 623 Georgia voters which was conducted Sunday and Monday has a margin of error of 3.9 percent.
The poll shows Libertarian Ted Metz at 2 percent with 2.7 percent of the people surveyed unsure.
If neither Abrams nor Kemp can gain more than 50 percent of the vote in next Tuesday’s election, voters would return to the polls in December for a runoff between the two candidates.
Both Kemp and Abrams are crisscrossing the state Tuesday as they push for voters.
Secretary of State Kemp is being joined by current Governor Nathan Deal, Republican Lt. Governor nominee Geoff Duncan, Attorney General Chris Carr and other statewide Republican candidates on a Georgia Republican Party “Road to Victory” bus tour Tuesday.
On Tuesday afternoon, Kemp will be joined by President Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara at stops in Marietta and Roswell.
Abrams has her campaign events, which she calls her “We Are Georgia. Our Voices. Our Time” bus tour.
On Tuesday afternoon, Abrams will hold early vote rallies with local leaders in LaGrange and East Point. | {
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تعتبر شركة عزل فوم بحي الملك فهد من أكثر الشركات التي لها خبرة طويلة وصيت كبير في مجال العزل بكل أنواعه (المائي، الحراري والصوتي) باستخدام أحدث الأجهزة ومن خلال عمالة مدربة على القيام بكافة الخدمات المطلوبة منهم على أكمل وجه مع ضمان على الخامات والخدمة لا تقل عن 10 سنوات.
المهام التي تقوم بها شركة عزل فوم بحي الملك فهد
تهتم شركة عزل فوم حي الملك فهد بتقديم خدمات متكاملة لعملائها في كل جانب قد يحتاجه وذلك حتى لا يبحث كثيرًا ويكلفه الأمر الوقت والجهد، ومن أبرز المهام التي تقوم بها هو ما يلي :-
عزل بولي ايثيلين ويولي يورثيان.
العزل المائي.
العزل الحراري.
العزل الصوتي.
عزل أسطح شينكو.
عزل حمامات السباحة والخزانات لمنع تسريب المياه.
عزل الجدران لحمايتها من التعرض للرطوبة.
مميزات افضل شركة عزل فوم بحي الملك فهد
تمتلك شركة عزل بحي الملك فهد مجموعة من المتخصصين في مجال العزل الحراري والمائي وكشف تسريبات المياه على مستوى المملكة السعودية.
تحتل شركتنا المرتبة الأولى في مجال العزل بين غيرها من الشركات الأخرى المتخصصة في نفس المجال.
تقديم ضمانات للعملاء لفترات طويلة تصل إلى 10 سنوات.
امتلاك فروع كثيرة في كافة مدن المملكة السعودية حتى يمكن لعملائنا الحصول على خدماتنا في كل مكان.
الاعتماد على أجهزة ومعدات حديثة في كشف التسريبات دون تكسير.
استخدام مواد خام للعزل على درجة عالية من الجودة بحيث تستمر لفترات طويلة دون تعرضها للضرر أو التلف.
توفير أرقام ساخنة متعددة وفريق من خدمة العملاء المدرب للرد على كافة استفسارات وأسئلة العملاء أو حجز الخدمة وذلك طوال الأسبوع وعلى مدار 24 ساعة.
يمكن لعملائنا الحصول على الخدمات مقابل أسعار زهيدة ورخيصة إذا ما تم مقارنتها بالشركات المنافسة بالمملكة.
الحرص على تقديم خصومات وعروض تنافسية على مدار العام لكل عملائنا الجدد والقدامي.
لطلب الخدمة واستفسارتكم | {
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A Russian security researcher accidentally discovered API and firmware issues that allowed her to take over all Xiaomi FurryTail pet feeders.
The Russian security researcher Anna Prosvetova, from Saint Petersburg, has accidentally discovered API and firmware issues that allowed her to take over all Xiaomi FurryTail pet feeders.
Last week, Prosvetova revealed on her private Telegram channel (@theyforcedme) to have discovered the flaw in the Xiaomi FurryTail pet feeders.
“While studying the feeder API, I discovered some records that run on the screen of any of these devices, as well as data on the WiFi networks of the people who bought them.” explained the experts. “After a couple of clicks I was able to feed any dog or cat, although it also has a malicious use, as it is possible to delete the schedules programmed by the user, which would leave the pets without food.”
Xiaomi FurryTail pet feeders are smart pet food dispensers that can be controlled via a mobile app to release certain quantities of food at specific times of the day.
Prosvetova bought a Xiaomi FurryTail pet feeder from AliExpress for $80, and testing the API implemented by the device she was able to find 10,950 active devices worldwide.
The researcher explained that the devices were exposed online without authentication, she was able to change feeding schedules. The expert also discovered that the devices were also using the Wi-Fi ESP8266 chipset that is affected by a flaw that could be exploited by an attacker to download and install new firmware, and reboot Xiaomi FurryTail pet feeders.
Attackers could abuse the issue to carry out various malicious activities, including DoS and DDoS attacks.
“At first she only found 800 of these devices online, although soon after this figure increased to 6, 500, to finish its count in almost 11 thousand feeders. Fortunately, Prosvetova claims that she would be unable to use these devices to negatively impact any cat or dog.” reads the post published by SecurityNewspaper.
“According to cybersecurity experts, this flaw exists because these devices have an ESP8266 driver, which allows the installation of a fake firmware to compromise their security and perform other activities, such as formatting, botnet integration, among others”
The researcher notified Xiaomi of the security vulnerabilities she discovered that acknowleding them and announced it will fix the issue as soon as possible.
Pierluigi Paganini
( SecurityAffairs – Xiaomi FURRYTAIL, hacking)
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Twitter is an invaluable source for real-time information and building communities through conversations, but for the uninitiated, it’s still a mystery.
On Twitter, there is no coddling the new people who sign up for the service. And when public tweets are suddenly picked up by major media outlets, confusion can ensue.
On Wednesday, Twitter user @steenfox set out to rouse conversation about a very serious and personal topic. “What were you wearing when you were [sexually] assaulted?” she asked. Buzzfeed picked up the conversation and put together a list of the public responses.
The original poster (@steenfox) and advocates across the Internet were outraged at Buzzfeed’s seemingly crass aggregation, and it sparked a conversation about whether or not it’s okay to publish public tweets.
The legality is cut and dry—yes, publications can embed your public tweets. Whether or not they should is another question entirely.
Identifying victims of sexual assault has always been a journalistic gray area; publications rarely identify victims of rape unless the victim submits their approval. While Buzzfeed claims the author asked for permission before posting all the responses, the original poster says she didn’t.
This is not the first time a publication has come under fire for posting public tweets. After the presidential election in 2012, Jezebel rounded up a list of racist tweets sent from teenagers around the country criticizing President Obama and calling him inappropriate names. Eventually the publication went one step further and outed the students by contacting their schools to ask about the racist tweets, a move that many people said crossed the line.
After the Buzzfeed article was published, a handful of people were confused as to why their post was used at all. The publication eventually removed three tweets that were included in the original post. Continued confusion and discourse over posting public tweets reveals a problem Twitter has yet to solve: It has a user base that misunderstands the tools at hand, and it’s both the company’s and community’s job to better educate new users how, exactly, they tweet.
No, It’s Not Obvious
Some people still don't get the point. But, #hedgehogs.
On Facebook, which is still the world’s most popular social network, you’re encouraged to add friends that you know personally, and grow your community privately by sharing personal information to a relatively small network of people you already know. You can tailor your privacy settings to only allow friends and family to see your posts and comments, or you can have a public page from which publications can embed status updates.
With over one billion users, Facebook’s growth is, in part, due to the simplicity of the social network. It’s about friends, photos, and statuses—mini diaries of your life. The user interface is straightforward: You make friends and you share stuff with them.
When a new user signs up for Twitter, she gets suggestions on whom to follow; instead of friends or family, it’s celebrities like Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian. And chances are, if you follow a celebrity, they won’t follow you back.
The average active Twitter user has just 61 followers, compared to the 200 friends an average Facebook user has. But Facebook is a contained, controlled environment: You decide who reads and sees your information, for the most part. Twitter, by contrast, seems arbitrary—the handful of people you follow and who follow you back starts with a rather small pool, but actually has endless reach.
How Do I Use Twitter
Twitter wants to be “the Internet’s town square,” but it doesn’t do a good job communicating what, exactly, that means, or how people should use it.
In traditional town squares, community members congregate. It’s a place for the exchange of ideas, protests, and city meet ups. In some cases, like protests in Ukraine, news literally happens on the town square, which then makes its way to Twitter timelines everywhere.
Twitter isn’t for everyone, but that’s the goal. In the beginning, the social network attracted early adopters and super users that got it. The tools and community were then built by those same people. The hashtag, for instance, was created by a user, not the company. The people who use it regularly have even formed sub-communities on Twitter that lead to memes that only a handful of groups actually understand. (Weird Twitter, anyone?)
But Twitter still has issues evangelizing its services to the masses, which becomes a problem when folks tweet personal information thinking only their followers will see it. To its credit, Twitter’s “Discover” page helps new users navigate the waters, though it is still unclear how tweets are used, exactly.
In the company’s first post-IPO earnings call earlier this year, CEO Dick Costolo said Twitter is seeing slow growth, even amid increasing revenues. Despite its 241 million monthly active users, adding more hasn’t been easy. Perhaps it’s because the whole point of Twitter is still a mystery to so many people.
Even the company’s founders couldn’t agree on what Twitter is. According to the book Hatching Twitter, cofounders Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass and Ev Williams all had different visions for the company that eventually morphed into what Twitter is today—an amalgamation of status updates, breaking news, and memes.
How To Protect Your Privacy
The standard post setting on Twitter is public, but there are ways for users to maintain their privacy. You can make an account private by selecting “protect my tweets” under privacy settings; it prevents anyone who isn’t following you from reading your tweets. Once your account is private, you must approve all follower requests.
In recent months, Twitter has pushed its direct messaging product, a service that works just like other messaging apps, but posts are limited to Twitter’s traditional 140 characters. It’s impossible to message all users, however; Twitter requires users to mutually follower each other before messaging.
If Twitter were so obvious, we wouldn’t need articles like this one. We wouldn’t need writers to blogsplain the product, or post condescending subtweets about how people should know how to use it. Because it’s clear people don’t.
For Twitter to grow into the global town square it wants to be, its leaders will need to figure out how to better educate constituents on how to use the service. And hopefully, unsuspecting tweeters won’t have to request their post be removed from listicles because of a simple misunderstanding.
Image courtesy of dicophilo on Flickr. | {
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Uma decisão liminar da 6a. Vara de Justiça Civil do Distrito Federal proíbe o Diário do Centro do Mundo de utilizar a palavra pela qual ficou conhecido o caso do helicóptero da família do senador Zezé Perrella, apreendido com 445 quilos de pasta base de cocaína.
Os advogados do DCM, Francisco Ramos e Caroline Narcon Pires de Moraes, estiveram em Brasília e formalizaram à juíza Gabriela Jardon Guimarães de Faria, da 6a. Vara Cível, que concedeu a liminar, que reconsiderasse a decisão.
Nesta sexta-feira, 25 de agosto, a magistrada decidiu mantê-la:
“A determinação de fl. 248 não me parece impossível de cumprimento, como alegam os contestantes. Ainda que a expressão “helicoca” tenha se sagrado como de uso corriqueiro pela imprensa de uma maneira geral para se referir ao episódio da apreensão de droga no interior do helicóptero de propriedade do autor, a proibição de que a mesma não seja, por ora, mais utilizada nas publicações de autoria dos requeridos é perfeitamente executável para eles, que podem (e devem) continuar a exercer o seu munus jornalístico no relato do episódio, sendo este o caso, mas com desprezo à expressão e eleição de outras em substituição”, determinou a juíza.
O DCM recorreu ao Tribunal de Justiça do Distrito Federal.
O pedido de liminar foi apresentado pelo senador Zezé Perrella, que entrou com outra ação contra a DCM e, nesta, também contra o Google. Essa segunda ação corre na 16a. Vara Cível do Distrito Federal e o objetivo é, conforme a petição apresentada à Justiça:
“a) a retirada de todo conteúdo difamatória que associe o nome do requente às palavras “helicoca”, helicóptero ou cocaína do sítio eletrônico www.diariocentrodomundo.com.br;
b) a exclusão, do buscador Google, de todas as notícias que associem o nome do requerente às palavras “helicoca”, helicóptero ou cocaína;
c) a retirada de todos os vídeos da plataforma Youtube.”
Nesta ação, o juiz Cleber de Andrade Pinto negou liminar, em uma decisão de cinco páginas, na qual afirma que a divulgação de “informações acerca do homem público permitem que a sociedade tenha ciência do caráter e das características deste, sendo importante instrumento de controle da atividade pública por ele exercida”.
O magistrado também cita a revelação pela Procuradoria Geral da República de interceptação telefônica entre os senadores Zezé Perrella e Aécio Neves:
“Destaque-se, ainda, que o fato de a cocaína ter sido apreendida em aeronave da propriedade da família do requerente é incontroverso, sendo, inclusive, corroborada por este.
Por fim, é fato notório que o requerente foi flagrado em interceptações telefônicas se auto-intitulando traficante de drogas.
Se o próprio requerente, de brincadeira ou não, assim se nomeia, homem público que é, devendo manter o decoro tanto em sua vida pública como em sua vida privada, não pode exigir, ao menos em sede liminar, que as informações trazidas pelos requeridos sejam excluídas de plano”.
O helicóptero da família do senador Zezé Perrella foi apreendido em novembro de 2013, em uma fazenda de Afonso Cláudio, no interior do Espírito Santo. Trazia 445 quilos de pasta base de cocaína do Paraguai.
Foram presos os dois pilotos e mais dois homens, que ajudavam a descarregar a droga. O flagrante foi o resultado de uma operação conjunta da Polícia Federal e da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo.
Antes mesmo da conclusão do inquérito, alguns dias depois do flagrante, o delegado da Polícia Federal Leonardo Damasceno, responsável pela investigação, deu entrevista para dizer que a família do senador Zezé Perrella não tinha nenhum envolvimento com o crime.
O helicóptero estava registrado como propriedade de uma empresa da família e um dos pilotos, Rogério Antunes, era funcionário da Assembleia Legislativa de Minas Gerais e ocupava cargo de confiança por indicação do filho de Zezé, Gustavo, na época deputado estadual.
Mas, segundo o delegado, a aeronave foi usada sem o conhecimento do senador e de seu filho.
Todas estas informações foram divulgadas pelo Diário do Centro do Mundo, que desde o início da cobertura procurou falar com Zezé Perrella.
Eu estive pessoalmente no gabinete do deputado Gustavo e pedi ao assessor de imprensa que me colocasse em contato com o deputado e também com Zezé Perrella.
Deixei meu cartão, aguardando retorno, mas o assessor disse que não havia interesse da família em falar mais sobre o caso, pois a Polícia Federal já tinha inocentado Zezé e Gustavo.
O inquérito foi concluído sem que a Polícia Federal informasse a quem pertence a droga.
Os quatro homens presos foram colocados em liberdade seis meses depois da apreensão, no dia em que prestariam depoimento.
O helicóptero foi devolvido à família Perrella.
Quase quatro anos depois, o caso da cocaína apreendida no Espírito Santo ainda não foi julgado. | {
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Dear Captain Awkward, I am so scared. I keep messing things up financially. I just don’t know how to do it. How to DO MONEY. But it’s a paradox, because I am earning a decent amount. It’s a paradox about which I feel rather ashamed, because I am aware of my privilege. I come from a middle-class family of financial flailers–always earning a comfortably middle-class salary, yet always lurching, always in debt, always bouncing checks, always living paycheck to paycheck, always STRESSED AS FUCK about money, yet never really changing (or seeming to know how to change) spending habits, or debt, or livingsituation, or whatever the fuck it is you do to live with lower financial stress. I am just like my parents in this regard. I am so scared. I am always living paycheck to paycheck, and even that isn’t enough. To illustrate what I mean, I often have to stop eating for 3 days before paychecks, I tend to bounce checks once every month or two, and I’ve had to postpone my student loan payments 3 times in 4 months. It is not so easy to just move, either–my rent is pretty decent for the location, especially considering that now I don’t have a car (a crash last summer, another financial fuckeroo), it is important to live near my workplace. I just don’t know where to start. Whenever I google stuff about getting financial advice online for free, it’s always some advice that comes in the form of happy go lucky blank slates. Like, these super-duper positive people writing how-to’s as though they are teaching the teenage children of rich and stable folks how to save their allowance. Fuck that shit! I don’t want advice that is starting from some elusive, unrealistic (at least for me, but probably for most) baseline of financial stability and emotional okayness. I want some advice that respects my baseline of terrible credit, shitty habits, major upcoming expenses, MAJOR student loan debt, major shame and self-loathing, and total overwhelm and fear. I feel so fucked. I am scared. I know that here, Captain, you tend to respond to stories. However, I also know that you love advice blogs in general, that you’re an aficionado of the genre. Therefore my question is a request for help in finding some other advice blogs: do you know of any places on the internet I can go to find the kind of help, the kind of realistic, open, detailed, respectful advice I’m looking for? And frankly if you have thoughts on my situation, I will definitely take your advice, too. Thanks a lot, Financially Flailing
Dear Flailing,
I hear you that you feel scared—and that you feel especially ashamed because you recognize your relative good fortune to date. Would it help to know that you are not alone, that you are now among the majority in the US? Living paycheck to paycheck—or well behind one—is common, including in folks who’ve had sound opportunity. So kudos to you for actively seeking to set straight what so far feels to you like an impossible situation.
As you’ve found, the advice common in financial guides does not apply to everyone, or at least not to everyone’s starting point. Many such resources assume a near-magical combination of higher-income, plus a naturally frugal bent, plus a supportive family, plus a state of emotional zen, plus a cognitive capacity to navigate institutions ranging from banks to universities, plus plus plus. Not everyone has all of these. Folks with barriers such as stress, grief, cognitive limitations, a difficult family history, an experience of abuse, or a disability are often left to their own devices and, like you, feel embarrassment and shame that they aren’t “succeeding.”
Many mainstream resources don’t help. In fact, they exacerbate the issue by making it difficult for folks to come out of their financial closets. I know it didn’t help me one iota when all the advice seemed to scream, “Be an entirely different person! Become an extrovert! Don’t have Asperger’s or depression! Have more physical stamina!” Ack. Our financial path must—at its most basic level—honor who we are at our heart, not to mention at our physical capacity.
You’re smart, articulate, and educated but, as you’ve discovered, these qualities alone do not lead to financial success. But other ones do.
As a volunteer, I serve some of my region’s lowest-income people. Interestingly, some had extremely high income (think executive directors and an NHL player) before needing help to secure and then live on $510 per month. As is usually the case, their financial flailing was not about a lack of drive, commitment, hard work, or intelligence. These folks’ careers relied on these characteristics. So what else is at play?
You seem to be painfully aware that you have sufficient income and status, and that there is some self-sabotage going on. This means that while you feel like a failure you’re actually already two steps ahead of the game!
I propose five strategies to help you fulfill your dream of financial well-being:
1. Prepare. Interestingly, preparing for financial recovery involves no file folders, specialized software, or fee-based advisers. Getting ready will involve just the simple step of writing down five free things you can do when you start to feel overwhelmed. What soothes you? A bubble bath? A run? Knitting? Texting with a dear friend? Meditation? A pitch black room? The Pogues on maximum volume? Post your list to at least five key places: your bathroom mirror, your car dashboard, the top of your shoe, your wrist, wherever you will see this prompt to self-soothe rather than spend. When the judgement or panic begins to arise, implement one of your personal self-soothing options. (And if you spend instead? No big deal, because you’re going to put in place the next steps too.)
2. Connect. The primary difference I see in people who transition from struggling to stable is emotional back-up. Many of us rely on spending to alleviate intolerable levels of loneliness, isolation, fear, anger, guilt, and more. Ironically, when we then spiral into shame about our spending, we often spend even more to cope! For this reason, I recommend your second step be putting support in place. For a sociable introvert or a person with a wild schedule, an online forum such as that offered by the Simple Living Network might be the best bet. For a person who thrives in live groups, the twelve-step program Debtors Anonymous can be a boon. If you have access to affordable one-on-one therapy, I encourage you to take that opportunity, too.
Even when these resources use financial floundering as a focus or anchor topic, much more will happen. This is because for most of us, money is attached to loss, hope, grief, attachment, and shame. When we focus on our finances, our money issues begin to resolve but so do layers of psychological struggle. When we act on one, we are inherently acting on both. So in healing financially, it is critical to have support not just to spend more judiciously, but to live through the emotional layers that arise when we shift the very way we’re interacting with our world. Your support person or group provides practical support while simultaneously (and more importantly) caring for your heart—walking you through your shame and out the other side while you implement change.
3. Envision. Take up to an hour to consider your personal goals. What are your dreams? When you see yourself in twenty years, what is your life full of? What does that look like, smell like, sound like, taste like? Pull related photos out of magazines, jot down key words, or chat about it into your phone or video camera. The sky’s the limit. Record everything you truly desire materially or environmentally. Silence? A turntable? An English country garden? The opportunity to raise a child?
4. Assess. Does your current lifestyle match this vision? If your heart tells you that in the future you want a peaceful cottage to write in, does spending $4 on ice cream today align with that? Don’t judge or kick yourself. Just notice. Watch yourself as though you are a scientist—a neutral third party curious about the patterns.
5. Record. On any given day, write down every penny that comes in to your life and every penny that goes out. This includes the dollar to the busker and the auto-debit for the internet bill. This activity can seem intimidating, because we anticipate seeing evidence of unmitigated disaster: pen hitting paper minute by minute, volumes of scrawled notes. It needn’t be overwhelming, though, and in fact can be strangely soothing. When we record in a notebook every penny as it goes out or in, we begin to see the power we have—the choice we get to make from moment to moment. We give ourselves a glimpse of our healthy decision-making capacity. Record nothing from before this moment, and nothing from beyond now. Just this moment’s transaction. As you record, accept your feelings. (Rely on your list for self-soothing.) Don’t try to modify your spending; no one else need see the information. Just record. Do this in as many moments, on as many days, as you feel up to it. Your consciousness will take it from there.
Once we have these five elements or practices in place, we naturally take steps to increase our income—asking for a raise, babysitting for a neighbour, snagging that grant—and decreasing our expenses—applying for a halt in student loan interest, canceling the gym membership we never use, inviting friends to a potluck in place of our usual Friday night restaurant outing. We do these one at a time, as our support team helps us to.
When we’ve connected more deeply with ourselves—and recognized our right to honor our truest self—we begin spending on that which aligns with our own deepest values, and declining to spend on that which others told us we should want: marriage, a magazine subscription, the university degree. Of course, the actual details of what we spend or save on are unique to each person, which is why our financial journey is often one of achieving physical, psychological, and relational freedom as well.
When we align our finances with who we really are at heart—ditching other people’s priorities in favor of honoring our own values and dreams—the perplexing paradoxes resolve. In the end, it seems that near-magic is involved after all, but it’s you who creates it.
Joon Madriga was marginalized by a severe yet undiagnosed brain-based disability, which left her on the streets. She subsequently found her way to help herself, then thousands of others. Her recently released book, Rising: Strategies for the Broke, the At-Risk, and Those Who Love Them, is available on Amazon.com. She blogs at financialtipsforthebroke.com and welcomes your questions and struggles there.
Moderator Note: Readers, feel free to recommend other resources & techniques in the comments. I’d prefer to see recommendations in the form of “X site/forum/tool worked really well for me, here’s how and why” over “You should try X.” | {
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There are too many polar bears in parts of Nunavut and climate change hasn’t yet affected any of them, says a draft management plan from the territorial government that contradicts much of conventional scientific thinking.
The proposed plan — which is to go to public hearings in Iqaluit on Tuesday — says that growing bear numbers are increasingly jeopardizing public safety and it’s time Inuit knowledge drove management policy.
“Inuit believe there are now so many bears that public safety has become a major concern,” says the document, the result of four years of study and public consultation.
“Public safety concerns, combined with the effects of polar bears on other species, suggest that in many Nunavut communities, the polar bear may have exceeded the coexistence threshold.”
Polar bears killed two Inuit last summer.
The plan leans heavily on Inuit knowledge, which yields population estimates higher than those suggested by western science for almost all of the 13 included bear populations.
Read more:
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Ancient polar bears survived low ice periods on dead whales, study shows
Scientists say only one population of bears is growing; Inuit say there are nine. Environment Canada says four populations are shrinking; Inuit say none are.
The proposed plan downplays one of the scientific community’s main concerns.
“Although there is growing scientific evidence linking the impacts of climate change to reduced body condition of bears and projections of population declines, no declines have currently been attributed to climate change,” it says. “(Inuit knowledge) acknowledges that polar bears are exposed to the effects of climate change, but suggests that they are adaptable.”
Environment Canada’s response says that’s “not in alignment with scientific evidence.” It cites two studies suggesting the opposite.
Andrew Derocher, a University of Alberta polar bear expert, is blunter.
“That’s just plain wrong,” he said. “That’s been documented in many places now — not just linked to body condition but reproductive rates and survival.”
The government of Nunavut declined an interview request.
Its position is strongly supported by the 11 Inuit groups and hunters’ organizations that made submissions.
“(Inuit knowledge) has not always been sufficiently incorporated by decision-makers,” says a document submitted by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the Inuit land-claim organization. “The disconnect between the sentiment in certain scientific communities and (Inuit knowledge) has been pronounced.”
Pond Inlet wants to be able to kill any bear within a kilometre of the community without the animal being considered part of the town’s quota. Rankin Inlet simply wants to lower bear populations.
In its submission, the Kitikmeot Regional Wildlife Board expresses frustration with how polar bears are used as an icon in the fight against climate change.
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“This is very frustrating for Inuit to watch ... We do not have resources to touch bases with movie actors, singers and songwriters who often narrate and provide these messages,” it says.
“We know what we are doing and western science and modelling has become too dominant.”
The management plan doesn’t propose to increase hunting quotas immediately. It contains provisions for increased education and programs on bear safety for hunters and communities.
It does say hunting bans would no longer be automatically applied to shrinking populations and that “management objectives ... could include managing polar bears for a decrease.”
Derocher doesn’t dispute potentially dangerous bear-human encounters are becoming more frequent. But he, and other southern scientists, insist that’s happening as climate change reduces sea ice and drives bears inland.
“They will move into communities seeking food. There’s lots of attractants around northern communities.”
Places where attacks have occurred are not areas with the highest bear densities, he said.
The plan reflects Nunavut’s desire to control its own wildlife resources, Derocher suggested.
“They don’t ask for input from southern scientists. The less input from the south is where it seems to be moving.”
Derocher said the Inuit’s ability to export polar bear hides — or the ability of their hunter clients to take such items home with them — depends on whether the rest of the world trusts the animals are being well-managed.
“If the stated goal is to have fewer polar bears, that may be the tripping point whereby polar bear management in Canada comes under renewed scrutiny.”
Canada has fought off two international attempts to ban the trade of polar bear products.
The territory’s wildlife management board will take what it hears at the public hearings and include it in a final document, which will go before the Nunavut cabinet for approval.
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
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"The walking dead" are not the zombies they're the survivors | {
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IMG_9764
Only had my 50mm on me at the time so I stitched together 7 vertical shots of Leviathan.
Done | {
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Your workers’ compensation rate is determined by your average weekly wages at your current employment.
However, your employer is only obligated to pay your benefits up to a certain amount. If your weekly average wage is very high, then you may only get a portion of your wages because your weekly benefits will reach the maximum amount allowed under Florida law.
You can find out more about your workers’ compensation rates by providing wage information to your workers’ comp lawyer, and by checking out this site here.
Basic Benefit Rates in Florida
To calculate your average weekly rate, your employer will look at the previous 13 weeks of your employment. If you have 13 weeks of continuous prior employment, then your employer will simply add all of your wages together and divide by 13.
Your benefit rate is then roughly 66 percent of your average weekly wage. The number of dependents that you have and your marital status will also affect your actual benefit rate.
This basic calculation will need to be adjusted if you took any of the following:
vacation time
sick pay
or were otherwise unavailable to work your regular hours
Generally, your employer will simply look at the prior week and replace the irregular week to find a 13-week average.
If you have not been employed for 13 weeks with your current employer, then your employer may have to either:
Take the weeks that you were employed to find an average
Otherwise, the employer may also look to a “similar” employee to compare what his or her wages have been for the past 13 weeks
New Benefit Rates in Florida
Florida does have a minimum benefit amount, but is one of the lowest in the country at $20.00 per week. The maximum benefit rate may be more important for some workers.
Every year, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity determines the statewide average weekly wage for all Florida workers. This report is based on employer reports of what they are paying their employees. Only those employers that are subject to the Florida’s workers’ compensation laws will report this information.
The new rate that is effective as of January 1, 2016 is $863.00 because the average weekly wage for the State of Florida is $862.51.
This rate will apply to anyone that is injured after January 1, 2016. Those who have already been awarded workers’ compensation benefits will not have any change in their benefit amounts. This is partly because the benefit rate is determined at the time of the injury.
West Palm Beach Workers’ Compensation Lawyer – Working for You!
Workers’ compensation can be a complex issue—and one that requires a lot of process, paperwork, and patience. In fact, some individuals find workers’ comp laws in Florida frustrating, confusing, and overwhelming. This is just a few reasons why it’s a good idea to work with a West Palm Beach workers’ compensation attorney for your claim.
For more information about potential workers’ compensation rates, contact an experienced workers’ comp lawyer. He or she will be able to tell you what you should be receiving from your employer or workers’ compensation insurance company.
Visit here to get started with a West Palm Beach workers’ compensation lawyer today. | {
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“I didn’t want them to feel alone,” she said.
The November day she was filmed in the YouTube video, the atmosphere on campus was tense. Racial incidents had unfolded throughout the semester, she said, and the black student group was protesting from a tent encampment in the center of campus. The night before, a truck with a Confederate flag had driven around near the campsite, which the students interpreted as an intimidation tactic.
The morning the video was shot, the university’s president, Timothy Wolfe, had stepped down. The protesting students had spent hours talking to the news media, Ms. Click said, but asked for a break so they could prepare for a news conference. At that point, a human wall formed around the campsite to keep reporters out.
When Ms. Click spotted Mr. Schierbecker, she said, she was suspicious of him and didn’t believe he was with the media. The students’ protocol for perceived threats was to involve some of the bigger protesters to defuse the situation, she said, hence her call for “muscle.”
“I wasn’t prepared for that interaction,” she said, adding that she wished she had taken the time to “respectfully converse” with the student.
“I certainly didn’t mean what I said to be a call for violence,” she said.
Mr. Schierbecker, in a telephone interview, said he had watched and read most of Ms. Click’s recent interviews, but was not sold on her explanation.
“I think she still has a lot to own up to,” he said. “I don’t believe her when she says I caught her in an odd moment.”
Ms. Click’s efforts to recast her narrative have been further complicated by the release last week of a video from the October homecoming parade that shows her cursing at a police officer trying to move protesters off a road. She defended that reaction as most likely being “fairly common for people pushed by police unexpectedly in the middle of an angry crowd.” | {
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Which media streaming services are you subscribed to? Check all that apply. | {
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< Back to current issue of Immigration Daily < Back to current issue of Immigrant's Weekly From Refugees To Americans: Thirty Years Of Vietnamese Immigration To The United States by Alicia Campi of the Immigration Policy Center Thirty years after the fall of the Saigon government, Vietnamese Americans celebrate the fact that they have moved far beyond their refugee origins and become successful economic and political players in U.S. society.
The 20th century is often called the “Age of the Uprooted.” [1] A prime example of this “uprooting” is the Vietnamese refugee crisis which unfolded in the mid-1970s after the end of the Vietnam War. The crisis resulted in both the creation of the modern Vietnamese American community and a fundamental reformulation of U.S. refugee policy. The 1.2 million-strong Vietnamese American community reflects upon this dramatic historical journey in 2005, which marks ten years since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam, and 30 years since the fall of the Saigon government, which initiated the ‘first wave’ of Vietnamese refugees. Moreover, Vietnamese Americans celebrate the fact that they have moved far beyond their refugee origins and become successful economic and political players in U.S. society. Waves of Vietnamese Refugees In 1975, in the closing days of the Vietnam War, about 130,000 Vietnamese who were generally high-skilled and well-educated, and who feared reprisals for their close ties to Americans, were airlifted by the United States government to bases in the Philippines, Wake Island, and Guam. They were later transferred to refugee centers in California, Arkansas, Florida, and Pennsylvania for up to six months of education and cultural training to facilitate their assimilation into their new society. Although initially not welcomed by Americans (only 36 percent in a national poll favored Vietnamese immigration), President Gerald Ford signed the Indochina Migration and Refugee Act of 1975, which granted the refugees special status to enter the country and established a domestic resettlement program. The bill was amended in 1977 under the sponsorship of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) to permit refugees to adjust to a parolee status and later become permanent residents. In order to prevent “ghettoism” [2] by concentrating resettled Vietnamese in one geographic area, refugees were initially dispersed across the country. [3] This deliberate scattering of the first influx of refugees did not last, as most eventually moved to California and Texas. This first wave of refugees was followed by a second major exodus out of Vietnam that began in 1978 and lasted into the mid-1980s, totaling almost 2 million people (3 million if Laotians and Cambodians are included) who fled communist re-education camps and the 1979 Chinese invasion of Vietnam. This group of refugees swamped the neighboring Southeast Asian countries Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong – countries of ‘first asylum’ [4] – at a rate that ranged from 2,000 to as many as 50,000 refugees per month. Thousands of these desperate asylum seekers fled Vietnam in rickety wooden boats and would become known as ‘Boat People.’ Overwhelmed first-asylum countries resorted to expelling the Boat People. President Jimmy Carter responded by ordering the 7th Fleet to seek out vessels in distress in the South China Sea. His Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, told Congress in July 1979 that: We are a nation of refugees. Most of us can trace our presence here to the turmoil or oppression of another time and another place. Our nation has been immeasurably enriched by this continuing process. We will not turn our backs on our traditions. We must meet the commitments we have made to other nations and to those who are suffering. In doing so, we will also be renewing our commitments to our ideals. [5] However, it was evident that U.S. refugee policies, which had been created in the aftermath of World War II, were not adequate to handle the hundreds of thousands of Indochinese refugees seeking to enter the United States. The Vietnamese Impact on U.S. Refugee Policy The United States was one of the original signatories of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first modern international agreement on asylum, as well as the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Yet the U.S. government only addressed refugee issues through ad hoc legislation (for Hungarian and Cuban refugees, for instance). [6] The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952 contained no provisions expressly covering the resettlement of refugees. It wasn't until 1965 that Congress amended the INA to provide for the resettlement of refugees as a new category of ‘conditional entrants,’ defining ‘refugee’ only in terms of geography (from the Middle East) and political regime (from communist countries). Conditional entrants were capped at 17,400 annually. In 1968, the United States acceded to the 1967 United Nations Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, but continued to use its own definition of ‘refugee.’ Finally, in June 1980 U.S. law was brought into compliance with the international definition of ‘refugee’. [7] Recognizing that the Vietnamese refugee crisis was a world problem, the United Nations convened the First Geneva Conference on Indochinese Refugees in July 1979. The United States, together with the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Canada, agreed to be a country of resettlement. In addition, first–asylum countries promised to continue receiving refugees and the communist Vietnamese government agreed to make efforts to stop illegal departures and to establish an Orderly Departure Program (ODP) under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The ODP involved interviews of released reeducation center detainees and their close family members in both the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, and in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. By the end of the program on September 30, 1994, the ODP allowed 167,000 Vietnamese former detainees (together with their family members) and 523,000 Vietnamese refugees, immigrants, and parolees to come to the United States. In addition, over 89,700 Amer-asian children with accompanying family members also were admitted. [8] Another 18,000 Vietnamese were resettled under the 1996-2003 Resettlement Opportunity for Vietnamese Returnees (ROVR) for certain refugees still in asylum camps or recently returned to Vietnam. From 1975 through 2002, a total of 759,482 Vietnamese arrived in the United States as refugees. [9] In 2005, refugee interviews are scheduled to resume in Vietnam and for 1,855 Vietnamese living since 1989 in the Philippines.
Vietnamese Americans Today “For the past 30 years, Vietnamese American contributions are often forgotten because Vietnamese Americans are mostly referenced in terms of a war. More than reminders of a war, we are a refugee community that has built new homes in a country of opportunities.” - Hung Nguyen [10] As the history of refugee flight from Vietnam would suggest, Vietnamese Americans see family reunification and long waits for citizenship as the most significant immigration issues they face. But the community in the United States is equally concerned with its role in American society. In 2000, the 1.2 million-strong Vietnamese American community made up 10.9 percent of the Asian population, and was the fifth largest Asian immigrant group in the United States. [11] This represents a dramatic transformation in a relatively short span of time. Vietnamese immigrants were only identified separately by the Office of Immigration Statistics in the decade of the 1950s, when 335 were admitted as refugees and became Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). This number had risen to 832,765 LPRs by 2003. [12] Almost 40 percent of Vietnamese Americans live in California and another 12 percent in Texas. As of 2000, 44 percent of foreign-born Vietnamese had become U.S. citizens, the highest naturalization rate of all Asian groups, [13] even though Vietnamese had the highest proportion (62 percent) of persons who spoke English less than “very well” at home. Although the Vietnamese community has a per capita income 40 percent lower than the national average, the median family income is the highest of all the Southeast Asian American refugee populations ($46,929 according to the 2000 Census). Moreover, the Vietnamese have the lowest rate of receiving public assistance (10 percent) among Southeast Asian groups. [14] Among all Asian ethnic groups, the Vietnamese are known to be especially anti-communist, very active politically, and more likely to vote Republican. [15] Carving Out Entrepreneurial Niches The Vietnamese who came to the United States, especially in the second wave of migration, often had rudimentary education and skills, which made integration into their new homeland all the more challenging. With little English-language or technical training, Vietnamese exhibited great entrepreneurial spirit by finding niche occupations which could allow them to immediately earn money to support their families. According to the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans, businesses owned by Vietnamese Americans employed 97,035 people, had an annual payroll of $1.1 billion, and generated annual receipts of $9.3 billion in 2003. [16] The Vietnamese revitalized and even re-invented some traditional job categories. Many first and second-generation Vietnamese are small business owners and have established restaurants or auto-repair shops. However, low-skilled Vietnamese in particular have had a pronounced impact on two industries: nail care and commercial fishing and shrimping. Not Just Another Nail Salon The nail salon business in the United States in 2003 was worth more than $6 billion. The number of salons shot up from 32,674 in 1993 to 53,615 in 2003, and revenues have grown 67 percent in the past decade. Vietnamese quickly saw that nail shops could become profitable family businesses, and even males learned how to manicure and pedicure in order to support themselves. Nails Magazine credits the Vietnamese with changing and re-defining the industry more than any other group, helping to increase the number of salons by 374 percent over the past decade, and making nail care a service that anyone from teens to working women can afford. Vietnamese Americans alone make up 37 percent of licensed technicians nationwide and dominate 80 percent of the industry in California. [17] In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Charlie Ton has built a multi-million dollar empire with over 700 nail franchise locations (many located in Wal-Marts as ‘Regal Nails,’ which is growing at the rate of 125 per year). His headquarters has 50 employees in the nail supply division and 10,000 nail supply customers. Although most of Ton’s products are imported, he has begun manufacturing some goods in the United States to increase his profits. His franchisees are sold for $50,000 apiece, making the total market value of the salons more than $35 million. Now Ton is developing coffee shop franchises, which also may end up in Wal-Marts around the country. [18] Commercial Fishing and ‘Big Shrimp’ Many Vietnamese immigrants to the United States in the late 1970s had been fishermen in Vietnam and so moved to fishing communities on the Texas Gulf Coast. The immigrants found work in low-paying jobs on fishing boats, cleaning fish, and in restaurant kitchens, tolerated because they took jobs that local workers did not want. But when Vietnamese pooled their money to buy shrimp boats and began competing with the fishing businesses of native-born locals, hostilities arose, including armed clashes with hooded Klu Klux Klan members. Between 1979 and 1981 several Vietnamese-owned shrimp boats were burned in Galveston Bay and there were reports of snipers firing on Vietnamese boats. The Southern Poverty Law Center employed the then-unorthodox strategy of using business laws as the legal foundation for a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the Vietnamese fishermen against the Klan to prevent further intimidation and violence. The U.S. District Court in Houston, Texas, sided with the Vietnamese fishermen’s claims under both Texas contract law and federal antitrust law (Section 1 of the Sherman Act). [19] In addition, Congress passed a law in 1990 guaranteeing the fishing rights of resident aliens, which overturned California laws prohibiting non-citizens from operating commercial fishing boats. Vietnamese American fishermen have learned the benefits of civic participation through their own organization, Vietnamese American Commercial Fishermen’s Union, and through regional commercial trade organizations such as the Southern Shrimp Alliance. A turning point was reached when two Vietnamese Americans joined the board of the eight-state, 230-company shrimp-industry coalition in 2002. One of the new Vietnamese board members, Calvin Nguyen, commented: “We know there are different cultural and language barriers between American and Vietnamese fishermen, and we want to help. We need to be involved in our industry.” [20] Today, Vietnamese Americans account for 45 to 80 percent of the shrimping industry in some areas, although less than one-half of one percent of the Vietnamese works in this occupation. It is estimated that 5,000 Vietnamese American immigrants shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico and many others are involved in longline tuna and inshore crab harvesting operations. [21] Shrimp have evolved from a specialized delicacy to the most popular seafood in the United States. However, the Gulf Coast trawlers only catch 10 percent of the country’s demand; the rest is imported. In recent years, Vietnamese-American fishermen have suffered, along with their Anglo and Cajun counterparts, from the low price of imported shrimp. They all successfully joined together in an anti-dumping petition against six Asian and South American countries (including Vietnam), persuading the U.S. government to impose tariffs on imported shrimp in 2004 to protect the livelihoods of both Vietnamese American immigrant and native-born commercial shrimpers. [22] Moving Beyond a Tragic History The tragic exodus of Vietnamese refugees in the post-Vietnam War era played a major role in the crafting of current U.S. immigration policies. The U.S. government, motivated by feelings of responsibility for a situation created by its own military intervention [23], developed its new refugee policies in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This cooperation with the United Nations was recognition that refugee flows and the challenges faced by first-asylum countries are global issues. Because the numbers of Vietnamese refugees admitted to the United States were so large, the U.S. government had to establish an Office of Refugee Resettlement. This system later expanded in order to handle the resettlement of many other ethnic groups. However, as with so many other immigrants, the Vietnamese have moved beyond defining themselves just as refugees in a new country. Over the past three decades, the Vietnamese have established their own businesses and profoundly influenced their local communities. Economically, Vietnamese Americans have energized niche markets such as nail care and shrimping. They are a politically active immigrant group and are increasingly building coalitions with others to confront common problems. To celebrate Vietnamese heritage, the Smithsonian Institution’s Asian Pacific American Program is planning to open its first Vietnamese American Exhibit in Washington, DC in 2006, with financial support from Vietnamese immigrants and community organizations. It is evident that the Vietnamese, although a relatively new Asian immigrant group, are finding their own voice in their new homeland. Endnotes 1 A. Lakshmana Chetty, “Resolution of the Problem of Boat People: The Case for a Global Initiative,” ISIL Year Book of International Humanitarian and Refugee Law, World LII, 2001, pg. 1 (www.worldlii.org/int/journals/ISILYBIHRL/2001/8.html). 2 William T. Liu, Transition to Nowhere: Vietnamese Refugees in America. Nashville, TN: Charter House, 1979. 3 President’s Interagency Task Force on Indochina Report, December 15, 1975, pg. 11. 4 A concept in refugee resettlement circles which defines the “first nation” as the nation to which an individual refugee first arrives. “Asylum for Vietnamese Refugees,” S6354, June 7, 1989. 5 Statement by Secretary of State Cyrus Vance before the Sub-Committee on Immigration, Refugees, and International Law of the House Judiciary Committee, July 31, 1979. 6 Displaced Persons Act of 6/25/1948; Refugee Relief Act of 8/7/1953; Fair Share Refugee Act of 7/14/1960. 7 Any person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” 1967 United Nations Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, Art. 1.2, United Nations Treaty Series No. 8791, Vol. 606, pg. 267. 8 U.S. Department of State, “Refugee Admissions Program for East Asia,” January 16, 2004 (www.state.gov/g/prm/rls/fs/2004/28212.htm. 9 Southeast Asian Resource Action Center, Table – Office of Refugee Resettlement. 1982-2001, 2003 (www.searac.org). FY 1975-1980 statistics from Ruben G. Rumbaut, “Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian Americans.” In Min Zhou & James V. Gatewood, eds., Contemporary Asian America: A Multidisciplinary Reader. New York, NY: New York University Press, 2000, pg. 182. FY 1981-2000 statistics from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, Annual Reports to Congress. FY 2001 and 2002 statistics from U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Refugee Reports, December 31, 2002. 10 Hung Nguyen, President of National Congress of Vietnamese Americans, NCVA Interviews on NPR’s Talk of the Nation and CNN International, April 27, 2005 (www.ncvaonline.org/archive/pr_042705_NPR_CNN_Interviews.shtml). 11 Terrance J. Reeves & Claudette E. Bennett, We the People: Asians in the United States, Census 2000 Special Reports, CENSR-17. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau, December 2004, Figure 1, pg. 4. 12 Office of Immigration Statistics, Dept. of Homeland Security, 2003 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, September 2004, pg. 14, Table 2, “Immigration by Region and Selected Country of Last Residence Fiscal Years 1820-2003.” Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese parolees and refugees live permanently in the United States but are not counted as LPRs because they are not required to adjust to a permanent status. 13 We the People, pg. 9, Figure 6. 14 U.S. 2000 Census (www.consus.gov/population/www/cps/cpsdef.html). 15 48 percent of Vietnamese voters surveyed in the 2004 election were registered Republicans. Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, The Asian American Vote 2004, A Report on the Multilingual Exit Poll in the 2004 Presidential Election. New York, NY: 2005. 16 “Vietnamese Americans Fight for Freedom and Democracy,” October 8, 2004 (www.ncvaonline.org/archive/pr_100804_Vietnamese Freedom.html). 17 “Nail Care Industry shows huge growth in US,” September 27, 2004 (www.cosmeticweb.co.za/pebble.asp?relid=8480&t=203 ). 18 Mukul Verma, “Regal Empire,” Business Report, August 17, 2004. 19 Andrew Chin, “The KKK and Vietnamese Fishermen,” University of North Carolina School of Law, 2001 (www.unclaw.com/chin/scholarship/fishermen.htm). 20 John DeSantis, The Courier, October 23, 2002 (www.vietnamese-american.org/102802.html). 21 John DeSantis, “Promised land, imported seafood,” National Fisherman.com, September 2004. 22 Radley Balko, “Big Shrimp: A Protectionist Mess,” January 3, 2005 (www.cato.org/dailys). 23 “Where is home? Indochina’s Evacuees in the United States,” Indochina Chronicle. Berkeley, CA: Indochina Resource Center, September 1975, pg. 3.
Copyright: The material above was originally produced by the Immigration Policy Center of the American Immigration Law Foundation. Reproduced with Permission. About The Author
Alicia Campi is a Research Assistant with the Immigration Policy Center. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ILW.COM. | {
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WASHINGTON -- The Senate overwhelmingly rejected a bid to preserve some $4.5 billion in food stamps funding, as part of the massive farm bill, on Tuesday.
The amendment to keep that spending in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, offered by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), failed 33 to 66. Sixty votes were needed to pass.
Gillibrand had hoped to prevent food aid cuts in the $969 billion bill by trimming the guaranteed profit for crop insurance companies from 14 to 12 percent and by lowering payments for crop insurers from $1.3 billion to $825 million.
"We all here in this chamber take the ability to feed our children for granted. That is not the case for too many families in America," Gillibrand said just before the vote. "Put yourselves for just a moment in their shoes. Imagine being a parent who cannot feed your children the food they need to grow. It's beneath this body to cut food assistance for those who are struggling the most among us."
The cuts target the so-called heat-and-eat initiative in which 14 states automatically make families eligible for more food aid if they receive even $1 in help paying their utility bills. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the decrease would amount to about $90 a month for an affected family, representing a quarter of its food budget.
"Half of the food stamp beneficiaries are children, 17 percent are seniors, and unfortunately now 1.5 million households are veteran households that are receiving food stamps," Gillibrand said, referring not just to heat-and-eat participants, but the broader population of food stamp recipients.
Four of Gillbrand's colleagues on the Republican side voted with her, including Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who was a co-sponsor of the amendment. But 22 of her fellow Democrats balked, seeing as abuse the heat-and-eat initiative she was trying to save. Those Democrats included the chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.
"Here's what's going on: In a handful of states, they found a way to increase the SNAP benefits for people in their states by sending $1 checks in heating assistance to everyone who gets food assistance," said Stabenow. She allowed that heating costs are properly a factor in determining the need for aid, but said that states like New York and Massachusetts are going too far.
"Sending out $1 checks to everyone isn't the intent of Congress," Stabenow said. "For the small number of states that are doing that, it is undermining the integrity of the program in my judgment. This is about accountability and integrity."
Congress has grown increasingly concerned about spending for the food stamp program. Some 26 million Americans received the aid in 2007, while more than 44 million received it last year, at a cost of $76 billion. The Congressional Budget Office estimated recently that demand will continue to grow through 2014 in the wake of the recession.
The House has proposed even steeper cuts. The 2013 budget resolution passed by the lower chamber calls for $134 billion in cuts over 10 years. The House Agriculture Committee's version of the farm bill would slash $33 billion over 10 years.
The Senate's version, while much more modest in its cuts, would move in the same direction. Moreover, it likely represents the best-case scenario for food stamp advocates when House and Senate negotiators work out the differences between their measures later in the year.
The Senate's farm bill is expected to pass later this week.
Michael McAuliff covers politics and Congress for The Huffington Post. Talk to him on Facebook. | {
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Desert boots, those stalwarts of summer footwear, just got a seriously cool upgrade thanks to Clarks and Drake's label October's Very Own. Dropping today are three versions of the made-in-England chukka in beige, black, and purple—yeah, purple—suede.
Along with the three colorways, the special-edition desert boots are also monogrammed with "OVO" across the entire surface, giving them a bit of understated flair over the desert boots you probably already have in your closet. They'll look great with everything from chinos and light-wash jeans to a casual suit.
The shoes will be available starting today at October's Very Own stores and at us.octobersveryown.com. But they won't be available for long. If you're looking for a boot that'll give your warm-weather wardrobe some street cred and style at the same time, move quick and snap them up before they're gone.
Scott Christian Scott Christian is a style writer based in Los Angeles.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io | {
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Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
They called Sgt. Henry Johnson "Black Death," a soldier from the all-black "Harlem Hellfighters" unit who fought off two dozen Germans with a gun and then a knife during World War I.
But when the war ended and the lauds from President Theodore Roosevelt and the French, who awarded him their nation’s highest award for valor, the "Croix de Guerre avec Palme," faded into the recesses of American history, Johnson couldn’t even get a pension. It was an era of racial segregation and Johnson, who spoke out against racism in the Army in a 1919 speech, died at age 32 after having spent his post service career as a porter for the rail service.
Now, nearly a century after his efforts in battle, the White House announced this week that Johnson will receive the Medal of Honor. Johnson and another WWI veteran, William Shemin, a Jewish sergeant who lied about his age in order to serve, and eventually led a platoon in battle, will be awarded the nation’s highest military honor on June 2.
Shemin’s daughter will accept the award on his behalf. Johnson’s award will be accepted by Command Sergeant Major Louis Wilson of the New York National Guard.
For New York lawmakers, including former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the quest to ensure Johnson’s efforts were recognized was a nearly twenty year saga requiring exhaustive research, getting legislation approved by Congress to waive the statute of limitations, and advocacy by historians.
Bill introduced for Henry Johnson Medal of Honor campaign - Times Union http://t.co/61XzZxpMg6 via @TimesUnion — Paul Tonko (@RepPaulTonko) September 11, 2014
"Sgt. Henry Johnson, an Albany resident and Harlem Hellfighter, is a true American hero, who displayed the most profound battlefield bravery in World War I, yet the nation for which he was willing to give his life shamefully failed to recognize his heroics, just because he was a black man," Schumer said in a statement.
"This century-old injustice finally made right will be a profound gesture that will rectify a sad chapter in American history. And our nation will finally say ‘Thank-you’ to Sergeant Johnson, and the countless other African Americans who put their lives on the line for a nation that failed to treat them with full equality before the law," Schumer said.
In the early 1900s, Johnson, who was living in Albany, New York, was inspired by the Army’s recruitment efforts to join an African American regiment nicknamed "the Harlem Hellfighters" to help with the campaign in Europe. Johnson and his comrades were deployed to Europe and given menial tasks like digging latrines.
But as France struggled to keep up its war efforts, Gen. John Pershing lent the French the "Harlem Hellfighters" with one bit of advice: Keep a close watch on the black soldiers because they are "inferior" to whites, according to the New York State Military Museum.
The French outfitted Johnson, who was a private at the time, and fellow soldier Needham Roberts, a private from Trenton, New Jersey, in French helmets and weapons, taught them a smattering of French phrases and sent them to an outpost at the edge of the Argonne Forest, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
It wasn’t long before Johnson heard the "snippin’ and clippin'" of Germans cutting the wire fences near the French camp. He and Roberts jumped into action and lobbed grenades into the night in the direction of German fire, according to historical accounts.
The Morning Rundown Get a head start on the morning's top stories. This site is protected by recaptcha
Eventually, the two men were surrounded. Johnson swung his gun, which had jammed, at the enemy forces and when that broke and he was hit on the head, he whipped out a bolo knife and slashed a path for he and Roberts to escape.
"Each slash meant something, believe me," Johnson later said, according to historical records and Smithsonian Magazine. "I wasn’t doing exercises, let me tell you."
When it was all done, Johnson had killed four German soldiers and wounded roughly 20 more. He suffered 21 wounds during the melee and his effort helped hold the line against the Germans.
"There wasn’t anything so fine about it," Johnson would later say, according to the Smithsonian article. "Just fought for my life. A rabbit would have done that."
Johnson returned to his home country a hero and rode with the Harlem Hellfighters in a Fifth Avenue parade. He was also promoted to sergeant and the military used his likeness to recruit and sell war stamps with an ad campaign that read: "Henry Johnson licked a dozen Germans. How many stamps have you licked?"
But because his discharge papers didn’t mention his injuries, which included a severely damaged foot, or his battle efforts, Johnson never received a pension. Nor did he receive, at the time, the Purple Heart, which is awarded to those wounded in military service.
Johnson’s story faded into history.
Then, in 1999, a local historian and Vietnam veteran John Howe brought Johnson’s story to the attention of Schumer’s office, according to congressional aides.
Sgt. Henry Johnson's story is one of heroism and courage. Thanks to @SenSchumer he will get the honor he deserves. https://t.co/PwfeOjBw4P — Dan McCoy-CountyExec (@MCCoyCountyExec) May 15, 2015
Staffers struggled to find facts and information that were seemingly lost to history. Schumer took Johnson’s case to some of the highest levels of the Pentagon, office aides said, but the criteria for awarding the Medal of Honor is strict and without thorough documentation and after the death of Howe, the quest was stymied.
Then a few years ago, a young congressional staffer named Caroline Wekselbaum came across an article about Johnson. She asked about previous efforts and asked the senator and his staff if she could poke around on it.
She dug up records online that were thought lost and, because she did military casework for Schumer, she knew what the Army awards branch needed.
After a few weeks of intense searches, she found a communique from Gen. Pershing that few knew existed. Written shortly after the battle, Pershing reported Johnson’s acts and recommended him for bravery.
She then found other documents from Johnson’s foxhole buddy, Needham Roberts, and others who give the needed firsthand accounts.
Armed with this new evidence, Wekselbaum reworked the original Medal of Honor application.
"I loved working on this - it's very gratifying to see it actually happening after years of hard work by so many people, " Wekselbaum told NBC News.
The Army confirmed that new information used to approve Johnson’s award included battle accounts from his colleagues.
"After a formal review, it was determined that Sgt. Henry Johnson’s actions warranted approval," Army spokesman Wayne Hall told NBC News.
Johnson’s story has recently become more well known.
In the 1990s, Albany erected a monument to honor Johnson. The bust was placed in a traffic circle at the intersection of Henry Johnson Boulevard and Willett Street.
President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded Johnson a Purple Heart, and the story of the "Harlem Hellfighters" has been crafted into a graphic novel.
Johnson’s son, Herman Johnson, who was a major flew during World War II as part of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen, according to the Smithsonian, was thrilled to learn that his father was buried with full honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Herman Johnson died in 2004.
"It took years of exhaustive research to prove his claim, impassioned advocacy by local historians and by his relations, and legislation passed through both houses of Congress to waive the statute of limitations on his award to get this done, but the effort has finally paid off," Schumer said in a statement. "It will be one of my proudest accomplishments as senator to see our country’s highest military honor bestowed upon Henry Johnson." | {
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Ubisoft has today announced that Assassin’s Creed 3, a game which we have a plethora of new content available for, will be on display during PAX East next week.
While it won’t be playable, the game will be demoed live by Ubisoft at booths 824 and 836 throughout the duration of the event.
Along with AC3, Ubisoft also plans to bring other high profile games to the convention, such as Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier and Far Cry 3.
Via: GameInformer | {
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In 2010, a programmer traded 10,000 bitcoins for two Papa John's pizzas.
Today, those coins would be worth more than $80 million.
In honor of that purchase, the crypto world celebrates Bitcoin Pizza Day on May 22.
Watch bitcoin trade in real time here.
Happy Bitcoin Pizza Day!
On May 22, crypto enthusiasts around the world celebrate the anniversary of one of the earliest bitcoin purchases: two Papa John's pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins.
Laszlo Hanyecz, a programmer, purchased the two pizzas in 2010 from another person in Jacksonville, Florida, according to The New York Times. In an interview with the newspaper in 2013, Hanyecz didn't sound too broken up about the deal.
"It wasn't like bitcoins had any value back then, so the idea of trading them for a pizza was incredibly cool," Hanyecz said.
Still, those coins would be worth $82 million at bitcoin's Tuesday price of $8,200 a coin, according to Markets Insider data. There's a Twitter account that provides a daily update on how much the pizzas would have cost based on the latest price of bitcoin.
Twitter/@bitcoin_pizza
For its part, CoinDesk released a 'Bitcoin Pizza Day' Price Tracker on Tuesday.
eToro sent Business Insider UK a pizza to celebrate the day. Here's a tweet from finance reporter Oscar Williams-Grut:
Bitcoin gained worldwide attention at the end of last year as it soared close to $20,000 a coin and infiltrated trading and investment firms across Wall Street. But its origins trace back to 2008 and an anonymous creator known as Satoshi Nakamoto, whose vision was to create a rival financial system based on a technology called blockchain.
Still, many merchants are wary of accepting bitcoin because of its spine-tingling volatility. Last year, Morgan Stanley described the lack of places to buy goods with bitcoin.
"The disparity between virtually no merchant acceptance and bitcoin's rapid appreciation is striking," the analysts wrote.
That hasn't kept Wall Street away. Several top trading firms are active in crypto markets, including DRW and Virtu Financial. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs is preparing to launch a bitcoin-trading operation, and Morgan Stanley has been looking to beef up its equity-research unit with crypto experts. | {
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Anthony Noto, Twitter's COO, is in negotiations to take the top job at online lender Social Finance, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC on Saturday, ending SoFi's search for a new chief executive that was prompted by a sexual harassment lawsuit.
An offer has been extended, although terms haven't yet been solidified or a final decision made, according to this source. However, an announcement is likely in the next few days. The news, was first reported on Saturday by The Wall Street Journal.
Last year, SoFi was among several high-profile Silicon Valley firms that took a reputational hit because of allegations of sexual impropriety. Last year, CEO Mike Cagney resigned under a cloud of scandal, after reports of harassment and a related lawsuit rocked the start-up.
Meanwhile, Twitter itself has suffered an exodus of top talent in its C-suite in recent years, with those departures being voluntary. A spokesperson for the company told CNBC that "as a policy, we don't comment on rumors and speculation."
A representative for SoFi declined comment to CNBC. | {
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He followed that up with the Tweet that Marcellino (R-Nassau County) liked that said: “However, bombs sent to Obama, CNN and H.Clinton is sort of poetic, considering the bombs they've sent.” | {
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DETROIT (AP) — Detroit’s planning commission has approved the city’s new urban agriculture zoning ordinance.
The Detroit Free Press reported that Thursday night’s action takes the city closer to officially recognizing community gardens and encouraging new and larger urban farms. The commission is an advisory board to the Detroit City Council, which could take up the proposed changes in early 2013.
The decision doesn’t settle whether Detroit will sell vacant residential lots on the city’s east side to Hantz Farms for a large-scale tree-growing project.
The City Council is expected to take up the Hantz Farms proposal Tuesday.
Hantz Farms wants to put vacant Detroit land to use for agriculture. Some neighborhood activists and nonprofit leaders have opposed Hantz Farms’ plans, saying they amount to a land grab. | {
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No Way Did i just blow his head off?
1,008 shares | {
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CIA’s NightSkies tool can hack, remotely control iPhones without user knowing
RT.com
WikiLeaks has revealed the CIA’s alleged ability to infiltrate and control iPhones through a tool called NightSkies, which is physically installed onto factory fresh iPhones and allows the CIA to monitor and download files from targets’ phones undetected.
The revelation is part of WikiLeaks’ latest Vault 7 release named ‘Dark Matter.’
NightSkies works in the background and grants “full remote command and control,” to the CIA, allowing it to upload and download files from iPhones, including details from the owner’s phonebook, text messages and call logs, and to execute actions on the phones as it wishes.
READ MORE: #Vault7: WikiLeaks releases ‘Dark Matter’ batch of CIA hacking tactics for Apple products
In the press release regarding the latest ‘Vault 7’ leak, WikiLeaks claims that NightSkies “is expressly designed to be physically installed onto factory fresh iPhones.”
A 2008 document featured in the release explains that NightSkies v1.2 must be physically installed and will only start beaconing information once the user starts to use the phone.
#DarkMatter A breakdown of the three components used in #NightSkies – CIA tool installed on new iPhones to allow monitoring & manipulation pic.twitter.com/2Q8E9PtWr8 — Christine Maguire (@_ChrisMaguire) March 23, 2017
Nightskies is made up of three components: an implant, a Listening Post (LP) and a post-processing program.
The implant runs undetected on the phone once it has been physically installed.
The CIA monitors the phone for activity, including its browser history file, YouTube video cache or mail metadata. Once it is used for the first time, NightSkies kicks in and sends information to a preconfigured LP.
LPs are used to monitor devices, such as computers and phones, which have been hacked with the CIA’s malware implants. They can be physical or virtual and stored on a CIA computer server.
The NightSkies LP works as a “drop box” for information. It is unable to decrypt the packages it receives, in order to maximize security should the LP be compromised.
The post-processing component handles the information received by the LP from the implant in the phone. It “is intended to occur in a secure environment,” and decrypts and processes the ”payload” received from the target’s phone.
Certain ‘limitations’ are mentioned in the document, with the CIA warning that, “If the target does not use any applications that we monitor (MobileSafari, MobileMail, MobileMaps, etc..), then it is possible the beacon may not get triggered by the target.”
A “failsafe trigger” exists to bypass this problem, but it would be far more conspicuous to any targets and would be a last resort in cases of inactivity on the aforementioned apps.
#DarkMatter is just a small example of material to come – Assange on more #Vault7 data dump (LIVE AUDIO) https://t.co/3FXGd7E9fF — RT (@RT_com) March 23, 2017
The revelation that the CIA is physically infiltrating factory fresh phones suggests it has accessed the organization’s supply chain, meaning they may be accessing phones as they are shipped to targets, with CIA agents or assets physically tampering with suspects’ phones before they even receive them.
The fact that NightSkies was on version 1.2 by 2008 suggests it had been employed before then. The document references a 1.1 version, and explains that NightSkies has the capability to self-upgrade once installed.
___
http://www.rt.com/viral/382080-nightskies-cia-infiltrate-iphone/ | {
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The internet has spoken—actor Jack Black is relevant, not just as a movie star or musician, but also as a game streamer. It's hard to argue otherwise after his new YouTube channel Jablinksi Games amassed over 1 million subscribers in less than a week, and then more than doubled that number to over 2.1 million subscribers a few days later.
"I am proud to announce the launch of my new channel, Jablinksi. This channel will have games, food, and life," the description for Black's introductory video reads.
In the 28-second video clip, the Tenacious D star promises (jokingly?) that his channel is going to be "bigger than Ninja, it's gonna be bigger than PewDiePie."
That short video has racked up nearly 6.4 million views, whereas a second video announcing the 1 million subscriber milestone has amassed over 5.1 million additional views. Not bad for 77 seconds worth of content.
How big will his channel grow? That remains to be seen, though as Comic Book noticed, this website that tracks YouTube analytics projects that he'll hit 1 billion subscribers in six months. That's probably way over optimistic, with the site reading way too much into his channel's initial flurry of subscribers.
Still, Jack Black could be on to something big here. We'll find out soon enough—according the channel, he'll be posting videos every Friday. | {
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The following list is accurate as of a late August press date. A condensed version will be published in SLM's October 2016 issue.
Editor's Note: The month of August, traditionally a slow one in the industry (due to last-minute vacations and getting kids off to school), held true to form this year, with a handful of closings (5) and about twice that number of openings (9).
Additions and changes are in boldface.
Closings:
Papagayos: 4658 Gravois, July 31
I Scream Cakes: 7326-B Manchester, August 7
The Little Dipper: 2619 Cherokee, August 18
Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant: 5257 Shaw, August 20
St. Louis Rib House: 5656 Oakland, August 20
Taqueria la Monarca: 8531 Olive, August 27
Cardwell’s in Clayton: 8100 Maryland, October 1 (announced)
Openings:
New York Tom's Food Truck: July 29
Coma Coffee: 1034 S. Brentwood, August 1
Nathaniel Reid Bakery: 11243 Manchester, August 1
Twin Peaks (Romano's Macaroni Grill): 963 Chesterfield Ctr, August 1
Amore Pizza: 450 Rue Saint Francois, August 9
Sarah's on Central: 127 S. Central, Eureka, Mo., August 10
Comet Croissanterie & Creamery: 640 W. Woodbine, August 15
Mariscos el Gato (Mexcla): 2818 Cherokee, August 15
Les Bon Temps Creole Cuisine: 1268 Bryan, O'Fallon, Mo, August 16
8 Dollar Deli (Smoothie King): 6600 Delmar, August 25
asia: 1 Ameristar Blvd, St Charles, Mo., September 1
The Garden on Grand: 2245 S. Grand, September 1 (weekend hours only at present)
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill: 1501 Beale, St. Charles, Mo, September 5
Hot Box Cookies: 9 N. Central, September 9
Narwhal’s Crafted Urban Ice: 3906 Laclede, September 9
Coming Soon:
Confluence Kombucha: 4507 Manchester, mid-September
Grimm's Tree Brewing: 1029 Thiebes, Labadie, Mo., mid-September
Asia Noodles: 777 River City Casino, late September
French Quarter (food truck): late September
Gezellig Tap House and Bottleshop: 4191 Manchester, late September
The Sliced Pint (Ozzie’s Restaurant & Sports Bar): 1511 Washington, late September
The Stellar Hog (Super’s Bungalow): 5623 Leona, late September
Sauce on the Side: 4261 Manchester, late September
Shisha (SOHO): 4229 Manchester, late September
Snow Factory St. Louis (Cheese-ology): 6602 Delmar, late September
The U.R.B. (Joyia Tapas): 4501 Manchester, late September
Wicked Greenz (Bocci Wine Bar): 16 N. Central, late September
Bobby's Place (Bruno's American Grill): 2652 Hampton, September
Hopskeller Brewing Co.: 116 E. Third, Waterloo, Ill., September
ANEW Rooftop and Test Kitchen: 501 N. Grand, early October for rooftop event space, early November for Test Kitchen
Chris' @ The Docket (The Docket): 100 N. Tucker, early October
Circa STL (Zydeco Blues): 1090 Old Des Peres, early October
Mauhaus Cat Cafe and Lounge: 3101 Sutton, early October
Mona's (Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant): 5257 Shaw, early October
Sister Cities Cajun & BBQ (The Brick): 3550 S. Broadway, mid-October
Yiro/Gyro: 3900 Laclede, mid-October
Cibare Italian Kitchen: 777 River City Casino, late October
Kaldi's Coffee: 3900 Laclede, late October
The Shack (Lester's Bar & Grill): 14810 Clayton, late October
Vicia: 4260 Forest Park, late October
Vincent Van Doughnut: 1071 Tower Grove, late October
Firecracker Pizza and Beer: 4130 Manchester, October
Polite Society (Ricardo's Italian Cafe): 1923 Park, October
Sardella (Niche): 7734 Forsyth, October
Hofbräuhaus St. Louis-Belleville: 123 St. Eugene, Belleville, Il., fall
Missouri Beer Company: 22 W. Industrial, O'Fallon, Mo, fall
Rock & Brews (Estancia Mexican Restaurant): 17258 Chesterfield Airport, early November
Three Kings Pub: 40 Ronnies Plz, mid-November
The Blue Duck (Monarch): 7401 Manchester, late November
Double Barrel Lodge: 200 E. Main, Belleville, Il, late November
Hi-Pointe Drive-In (Del Taco): 1033 McCausland, late November
Twin Peaks (Olive Garden): 2351 Maplewood Commons, late November
Llywelyn's Pub (Vista Grande): 3300 Mid Rivers Mall, November.
Nudo House (Einstein Bros. Bagels): 11423 Olive, November
1818 Chophouse: 1405 Green Mountain, O'Fallon, Il., late fall
Cork & Barrel Chop House and Spirits: 7337 Mexico, St. Peters, Mo, late fall
Crushed Red (Krieger's Sports Bar & Grill): 1684 Clarkson, late December
1764 Public House (Harold’s Deli): 4910 West Pine, December
Billie - Jean (Yo My Goodness): 7610 Wydown, early 2017
Rosalita’s Cantina (Casa Gallardo): 12796 Manchester, early 2017
Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery: 4715 Macklind, spring 2017
Moving:
Spare No Rib: from 2200 Gravois to 3701 S. Jefferson, (Lucky Buddha), September
2nd Shift Brewing: from 1401 Olive, New Haven, MO to 1601 Sublette, fall
Herbie's Vintage '72: from 405 N. Euclid to 8100 Maryland (Cardwell’s in Clayton), October
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at [email protected]. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. | {
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UW to play Virginia in Big Ten/ACC Challenge
Journal Sentinel staff
The Wisconsin men's basketball team will travel to Virginia to play coach Tony Bennett's Cavaliers in the 2017 Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Big Ten announced Thursday.
UW coach Greg Gard and Bennett, the son of former Badgers coach Dick Bennett, served together as assistant coaches on Bo Ryan's 2001-'02 and 2002-'03 Big Ten championship teams.
UW and Virginia last met in the Challenge in a home-and-home series in the 2012-'13 and '13-'14 seasons. The Cavaliers won at the Kohl Center, 60-54, in 2012, and the Badgers won, 48-38, in Charlottesville the next season.
The Badgers, who won Big Ten/ACC games against Syracuse the past two seasons, are 9-9 all-time in the event.
Virginia has won three straight Challenge games and is 11-6 all-time.
Here is the rest of the schedule. All dates, times and television will be announced at a later date.
Northwestern at Georgia Tech
Duke at Indiana
Notre Dame at Michigan State
Miami at Minnesota
Penn State at North Carolina State
Boston College at Nebraska
Michigan at North Carolina
Clemson at Ohio State
Louisville at Purdue
Florida State at Rutgers
Maryland at Syracuse
Iowa at Virginia Tech
Illinois at Wake Forest | {
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Kevin Johnson
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — A former State Department analyst accused of leaking classified defense information on North Korea to a Fox News reporter pleaded guilty Friday in federal court.
As part of the government's plea agreement with Stephen Kim, the former analyst acknowledged disclosure of the information and will be required to serve 13 months in prison followed by a year of supervised released, if the deal is approved.
The investigation, while focusing on Kim, also raised questions about the Justice Department's investigative tactics after it was revealed that authorities also secretly obtained the e-mails and tracked the movements of Fox News reporter James Rosen as part of the inquiry.
Among the most politically charged documents related to the inquiry was a 2010 search warrant affidavit outlining the government's pursuit of contents from the reporter's e-mail account. It stated in part that "there is probable cause to believe that the reporter has committed or is committing a violation…as an aider and abettor and/or conspirator to which the materials relate.''
The case and separate disclosures that the Justice Department secretly obtained phone records from 20 phone lines used by Associated Press journalists as part of an un-related leak investigation, prompted Attorney General Eric Holder to issue new guidelines for dealing with journalists in leak investigations.
Kim, 46, was detailed to the State Department's Bureau of Verification, Compliance and Implementation (VCI) at the time of the disclosure. At the time, Kim worked as a senior adviser for Intelligence to the assistant secretary of State for VCI. According to court documents, on June 11, 2009, Kim "knowingly and willfully" disclosed information related to the military capabilities and preparedness of North Korea and was contained in an intelligence report that Kim accessed on a classified computer database.
Within hours of the disclosure, prosecutors said, the information was published and included the material Kim had disclosed.
"Today, Stephen Kim admitted to violating his oath to protect our country by disclosing highly classified intelligence about North Korea's military capabilities," U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. said. "Stephen Kim admits that he wasn't a whistleblower. He admits that his actions could put America at risk. Within hours of the dissemination of a top secret intelligence report about North Korea, he exposed its secrets, which were then broadcast to the world.''
Kim's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said his client "takes full responsibility for his actions,'' but maintained that Kim "did not steal any information.''
"Stephen Kim did what so many government officials do every day in Washington, D.C.: He talked to a reporter,'' Lowell said in a written statement.
"Stephen did not reveal any intelligence sources or methods. The information at issue was less sensitive or surprising than much of what we read in the newspaper every day. At the time of the disclosure and during the case, many former government officials and media commentators noted that the information was nothing significant, that much of it was in public sources and the the prosecution ... was another example of the over-classification of information by the government.''
Because Lowell said Kim faced "draconian penalties'' of the Espionage Act that exposed him to up to 15 years in prison, the attorney said his client decided to "move forward with his life.''
"His life has been in limbo for four years,'' Lowell said. "With his plea today, he hopes to find a path back to some normalcy.''
Kim's sister, Yuri Lustenberger-Kim, said the government's prosecution had taken a "horrific toll on my brother and our entire family.''
"We had to make a difficult choice given that our resources are exhausted, both financially and emotionally and because we want Stephen to have a second life,'' Lustenberger-Kim said. "The decision to plead has been the most wrenching, painful decision in our collective family experience.'' | {
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Peacemakers unite to defeat terrorism
Guerrillas attack Israeli outposts in response
March 13, 1996
Web posted at: 9:10 a.m. EST (1410 GMT)
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (CNN) -- The participants in the "Summit of Peacemakers" pledged unity Wednesday to stop a bloody wave of terrorism that has washed over the Middle East in recent weeks.
U.S. President Bill Clinton, co-hosting the one-day summit with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek, outlined a plan agreed to by the 29 world leaders who attended. According to Clinton, a "working group" of world leaders will report in 30 days on the plan's goals: enhancing the peace process, promoting security, and ending the terrorist attacks. (254K AIFF sound or 254K WAV sound)
The conference at Sharm el-Sheikh, a resort town along the Red Sea, was boycotted by Syria and Lebanon, who complained that too much emphasis was being put on Israel's interests at Arab expense. At the post-summit press conference, Mubarak and Clinton both said they believe Syrian leader Hafez Assad is committed to the peace process.
Mubarak opened the conference, exhorting the assembly of kings, presidents, sheiks and prime ministers not to "resort to despair." The enemies of peace, Mubarak said, must be stopped in their attempts "to abort our process."
Other leaders, in their opening remarks, echoed Mubarak's comments, but they differed in their approach to the task of stopping extremist violence.
Arafat urges change in Israeli policy
"Our dream of freedom and independence can never prosper in the middle of a sea of blood and tears," said Palestinian Assembly President Yasser Arafat. He pledged the support of the Palestinian people in uprooting the violence of extremist factions, but urged Israel to end its policy of closing off the West Bank and Gaza. (255K AIFF sound or 255K WAV sound)
"Collective punishment has never been the proper tool to provide security and stability," he said, adding that preventing Palestinians from reaching jobs across closed borders created a "hotbed for extremism and violence."
Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres evoked images of children killed by terrorism in recent weeks, and demanded stronger action from the Palestinians.
"Terrorism knows no borders," he said, "so borders must not restrain action to smash the terrorist snake." (357K AIFF sound or 357K WAV sound)
Russian President Boris Yeltsin denounced the spate of terrorist bombings in Israel that killed 62 people in nine days, and offered Moscow as a site for a new conference to give fresh life to the Middle East peace process.
"Terrorism is terrorism anywhere and struggle against terrorism should be of universal character," Yeltsin said.
Clinton praised the character and strength of the leaders gathered at the Egyptian Red Sea resort, saying the summit was "proof and promise that this region has changed for good." (230K AIFF sound or 230K WAV sound)
"From all over the world we have come to state a very simple unified message," Clinton said. "Peace will prevail."
Hamas calls for withdrawal of Israelis
While the 29 leaders gathered in Egypt, Hamas -- the Islamic organization that has claimed responsibility for four bomb attacks in Israel since February 25 -- argued that their attacks are justified.
"The reason that our military apparatus had carried out attacks against Israeli targets was the continuing occupation of Palestinian lands," Hamas said in a statement. "This targeting stops automatically when the occupation ceases."
As the conference opened, Islamic guerrillas took advantage of Lebanon's boycott to launch attacks against Israeli military outposts in southern Lebanon. It is not known if there were any injuries in the attacks.
"At the very moment when the summit is being held our fighters are carrying out marvelous attacks, our strugglers are hitting the enemy posts, the posts of the Israeli enemy occupying our land," a camouflaged guerrilla told Reuters.
At the same time as the mortar and grenade attacks, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon protested the conference by going on strike.
Lebanon and neighboring Syria both permit Islamic guerrillas to stage their attacks from within their borders.
Related Stories | {
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No More Room in Hell Original Soundtrack
We're pleased to announce that our OST will be coming to Steam & Bandcamp this Halloween!
We've released a couple tracks already on our Bandcamp page which also has the album currently avaliable for preorder. Click here to check it out.
"No More Room in Hell - Original Soundtrack Volume 1" by Garrett "ThoughT" Lindquist presents over 45 minutes of music from the Source mod "No More Room in Hell." Each track has remastered for this release by Andrew Glassford. Bandcamp purchases have a wide array of formats to choose from. The steam release comes with both MP3 320 and FLAC for the audiophiles out there.
Our music is one of the most beloved parts of the game, and this OST is no exception. It makes a perfect score for your commute to work or school, for studying, or smashing the undead hordes! | {
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Nikon has introduced Z50, a basic, APS-C sensor camera that uses a similar Z-mount system,, just like the Nikon Z6 and Z7 full-frame mirrorless cameras. The brand new Nikon Z50 price range is about $859 body only, alongside, the company will introduce two new DX-format lenses. Nikon says the Z50 will ship in November.
You can also avail the bundle offer to purchase the camera with a 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens for $999.95. You can also buy a two-lens kit 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lens for a total of $1349.95, and still, this is below the total of $1,800 Nikon Z6. Nikon introduced this camera to target different audiences like Instagram generation and for those who want a special camera for video.
The leaked images seem to confirm rumors that the Nikon Z50 will have an EVF, which would put it close to the Sony A6400 than the Canon.
The Nikon Z50 mini camera provides a 20-megapixel “CMOS” sensor, single SD card slot, tilting 3-inch touchscreen that flips down for selfies, 11fps continuous shooting, weighs about one pound, and also has a flip-down rear display for selfies and videos with some pretty remarkable low light/high ISO chops to show off.
The Z50 has a mic input and headphone jack among its various ports. Rumors are coming that the camera sensor will be similar one already used in the Nikon D500, released more than two years ago, back in 2017.
Thanks For Reading | {
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NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal on Monday adjourned all pending cases in view of the lockdown in the national capital to contain the spread of coronavirus The green panel issued a circular in this regard."As per the competent authority, in the wake of recent outbreak of coronavirus and flu, all concerned are intimated that all pending matters till March 31 stand adjourned," the circular said.According to the communication, matters listed for hearing on March 23 and 25 have been deferred to July 13, those listed for March 26 and 27 have been fixed for July 14 and cases listed for hearing on March 30 and 31 have been adjourned to July 15. | {
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Since Disney began diving into its back catalog with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010), the studio has glided through the realm of sequels, remakes, and reimagings of its animated classics with ease. While some films fared better than others, both critically and financially, the post-Alice lineup of Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Christopher Robin (2018) have proved there’s plenty of life left in this method. So far, only Alice’s sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), proved to be a true box office bomb, raising the question of these re-adaptations' sequel potential.
With Aladdin projected to bring in a healthy haul domestically for the long Memorial Day weekend, Disney is unlikely to be worried about the continued viability of its animated remakes. As if that was ever really in question. But what comes next for these characters? While we’re still a ways off from a situation where Disney has run out of animated films to adapt, the studio is moving through its library with a quick confidence that is perhaps suggestive of a larger plan. With Marvel and Star Wars at its disposal, Disney has learned the power of longevity, and telling stories that last an era. Is it possible that Disney’s remake magic, as financially successful as it is, holds more creative potential than just nostalgia?
Still to come on Disney’s docket are Mulan and Cruella, both set for 2020, and there are a number in development, though the status is unclear for projects such as remakes of The Little Mermaid, The Sword in the Stone, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Lilo & Stitch. There’s still plenty left to pull from, both modern classics and the more niche titles. It seems inevitable that we’ll see announcements and releases for The Princess and the Frog, The Rescuers, The Aristocats, Hercules and my personal pick, The Great Mouse Detective, within the next decade. But Disney’s remakes and its animated films seemed destined to meet in the middle, as the time that divides their releases grows increasingly short.
At the rate Disney is moving, both in terms of theatrical releases and streaming, live-action remakes of Frozen, Moana, and Zootopia don’t seem out of the realm of possibility. How long until it feels like Disney is just making animated movies to eventually remake them in live-action? Maybe it already does given how effectively Disney has managed to push nostalgia ahead. I’m sure parents everywhere are aghast at the idea of children already being nostalgic for Frozen and anticipating a live-action film, but maybe it's coming sooner than they think. Perhaps Disney has a way to appeal to their nostalgic base while also telling new stories.
Aladdin is the first of Disney’s remakes to establish a clear path for a sequel, with the villainous Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) getting trapped in a lamp but not before promising revenge on Aladdin (Mena Massoud), Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and Genie (Will Smith). This sequel setup doesn’t exactly come as a surprise given that Disney’s direct to video animated sequels, The Return of Jafar (1994), and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996) have become semiclassics in their own right, at least for the generation that grew up with them. Certain events, like the Genie’s freedom resulting in his human transformation prevent direct adaptations of those sequels, but further Aladdin movies seem like a safe bet should this one prove successful. Outside of Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent, both reimaginings, Disney has yet to pull the cord on sequelizing its remakes. A sequel to The Jungle Book was announced but has yet to gain traction since director Jon Favreau moved on to The Lion King. But should it happen, then there’s also the potential for the stories of Belle, Cinderella, Aladdin and Jasmine to continue.
Last year, Disney’s marketing for Ralph Breaks the Internet was centered around seeing all of Disney’s animated princesses together for the first time. That prospect partly overshadowed the excitement about a continuation of Ralph’s story. If Disney could get that much interest out of what amounts to a few scenes, then perhaps it should consider doing that for an entire film. The animated movies themselves are perhaps too precious for a company-wide crossover, though Disney did do something similar on television with House of Mouse. Live action though seems like a more fitting space to test this idea of a cinematic universe of Disney characters. ABC’s Once Upon a Time did something similar though the versions of the characters were significantly different from their Disney counterparts, despite the references to those animated films, and eventually the show became more of a collection of characters in the public domain than Disney exclusive. But a film with Emma Watson, Lily James, Angelina Jolie, Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, and some CGI animated voiced by Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Seth Rogen and Donald Glover, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken would have to be a success, right? Or maybe Disney can just skip the pretense and make a live-action Kingdom Hearts film. In any case, these characters seem too big to simply be confined to remakes, and perhaps sequels and crossovers are the means to craft something new out of the familiar. | {
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By Winona LaDuke
In the middle of winter, the Bears sleep and dream of food, and of adventures to come. That’s the time when we reflect and make plans for the spring. A Bear is also what they call a falling stock market – and that’s what happened this December. As of Christmas, all of the major indexes have lost l6 to 26 percent from their highs this summer and fall. Barring huge gains during the upcoming holiday period, this will be the worst December for stocks since 1931. We have officially entered what investors call a Bear Market.
So, what does the Bear Clan do during a Bear Market? That’s the question I ask myself as I dig into my stored foods – maple sugar, honey, berries, manoomin, hominy, potatoes and meat. We plan for the future, our own Indigenous economies. Nationally, some of this is reflected in what’s called the Green New Deal and the Farm Bill. As we emerge to spring, it seems that Washington is beginning to move towards what we would call the 8th fire.
Green New Deal
This year, Minnesota had the highest voter turnout of any state in the mid term elections. And it shows in some small ways. Nationally, despite heavy voter suppression and a bunch of other monkey business, we elected some young visionary leaders, including those talking about a Green New Deal which will capitalize the next economy.
Incoming Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has called for a “Green New Deal” to get the country off fossil fuels by 2030. Her leadership is joined by allies like the Native women just elected to Congress; Deb Haaland (NM) and Sharice Davids (KS), and by Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, the first Somali American elected to congress.
The Sunrise Movement is a new generation of leaders and the shakeup in Washington is just beginning. The plan looks to address the failing infrastructure in this country, whether it’s the water crisis of Flint Michigan or the aging powerline which caused the latest fire in California. The plan seeks to employ people in jobs that matter for the environment and basic human needs.
Support for the Green New Deal is showing signs of becoming a litmus test among lawmakers who may run for president. Some elements include: Government-led investment in energy and resource efficiency, as well as reusable energies and microgeneration; Low-carbon infrastructure redevelopment in order to create jobs; A directed tax on the profits of oil and gas companies with proceeds being invested in renewable energy and energy efficiency; curbing corporate tax evasion; and a Global Marshall Plan initiative to finance the transformation. Sounds sort of dreamy, right?
Well, it’s happening here on White Earth, on Red Lake, and throughout the north as Indigenous people lead. In the Twin Cities, the Little Earth Green Zone represents a Community’s vision for the future, where local jobs and green space make life beautiful, and energy is local – all important in a time of climate change and chaos. While state leadership on climate change and the Green New Deal has been lacking, tribal organizations and governments continue to move ahead.
Here at White Earth, Akiing, a subsidiary of Honor the Earth, will bring a solar thermal manufacturing factory on line, offering solar thermal panels nationally, straight outta Ponsford. The Red Lake Tribe continues to move to more solar, and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community continues to expand its renewable and food system work. Tribes are looking at climate change, and every tribe is looking at renewable energy. As investors flee from fossil fuel stocks (over $6 trillion divested thus far) there will be opportunities to invest in tribal renewable projects, particularly as the world looks upon Minnesota as a battle ground over the choice between fossil fuels (Line 3) and the next economy.
Farm Bill Brings Home the Hemp and the Food
The Notorious FB, the Farm Bill, was signed into law by Trump in late December. The bill includes about 63 provisions for tribal governments, focused on food production, food security and infrastructure. Kudos for hard work on this goes to a coalition and the leadership of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community which organized the Native Farm Bill Coalition as part of the tribe’s Seeds of Native Health campaign in the fall of 2017. Since that time, 170 tribes have joined the effort.
“This farm bill acknowledges the fundamental sovereignty and competence of tribal governments far more than previous farm bills,” said Keith Anderson, vice chair of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and co-chair of the Native Farm Bill Coalition. “It gives tribes greater control over our food systems and accords our tribal producers new parity in access to USDA programs.”
“This is really one of the first times where you saw a large number of tribal governments coming together speaking with one strong voice and being able to get a substantial number of changes,” said Colby Duren, executive director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas.
Working together, we can do so much more. And there will be food for many generations of bears.
Some Farm Bill changes include allowing tribal producers new parity in access to USDA programs, and creating a pilot project program in commodities. “What that really allows is [for tribes] to be able to say. ‘What are the types of foods – traditional food, healthy food, locally produced foods – that we want to be able to have our citizens have access to in these food programs,’” said Duren. “Those are different things that can really help build our tribal food economies, because you’re helping to be able to support the producers of the food and able to get healthier foods and locally produced foods to the people who are using those programs.”
The Bill requires the USDA to establish alternative tribal programs for its Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program and establishes a demonstration project to allow tribes to manage federal forest and Bureau of Land Management lands adjacent to reservations.
There will also be more opportunities for tribal colleges to access agriculture research funds, and tribal governments will be allowed to join with states on international trade delegations. As markets increase for organic and Indigenous foods, all of this will bolster tribal economies.
In addition to food, hemp is explicitly removed from the list of federally banned drugs under the Controlled Substances Act and legalized in the Farm Bill.
“This law …paves the way for the first federally-sanctioned commercial hemp grows since World War II.” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said in a press release.
Native people have a long history with hemp. Traditional weavings for centuries have been made with what’s called Indian hemp, and decades of tribal hemp production have suffered from bans. Today, as hemp grows in the US market – the largest hemp market in the world – tribes can be at the table. Hemp Business Journal estimates the total retail value of all hemp products sold in the United States to be at least $688 million for 2016.
The data shows that the hemp industry is growing quickly, and according to Sean Murphy, the Journal’s founder and publisher, sales are projected to be nearly $2 billion by 2020. The surge is expected to be led by hemp food, body care and CBD-based products. On White Earth, we expect to do all of these, plus fiber.
That Moment in Time
We know this is a moment in time in Minnesota and our world. As the United Nations tells us that we have 12 years to drastically reduce carbon emissions, communities and newly elected leadership take up the challenge. Now would be an excellent time to prepare our communities for climate change.
In this moment, as described by our prophets a thousand years ago, we move to the Green Path. That Path is the 8th Fire. Some people will make a future based on the stock market, some will take that future in hemp, solar panels and manoomin.
In Washington, the power which elected new leadership moves towards the Green New Deal; we will see what Minnesota does, but the tribes will move ahead regardless. And for now, as the Bear looks to the world outside, we will make plan the leaders can follow. | {
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ISLAMABAD // Pakistan's leaders have authorised the government to complete an agreement to reopen overland Nato supply routes to Afghanistan that Pakistan closed six months ago after 24 of its soldiers were killed by accident in a Nato air strike.
Islamabad had risked being excluded from a Nato summit in Chicago this weekend if it failed to reopen the routes.
Shortly before Pakistan's Defence Committee of the Cabinet announced its decision on Tuesday night, Nato invited Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, to attend the summit. Qamar Zaman Kaira, the information minister, told a news conference yesterday that Mr Zardari would attend.
Speaking to a cabinet meeting yesterday, the prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan's relations with the United States and Nato were passing through a "delicate phase" and the government had to take "critical decisions".
Pakistan is an important US ally in the war against terrorism but relations deteriorated after the US special forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani town in May last year and the Pakistani soldiers' deaths in the air raid last November.
Pakistan retaliated by closing the supply routes through which Nato transports 40 per cent of its non-lethal supplies to Afghanistan.
Pakistan's parliament last month recommended that the government should seek an unconditional apology from the US for the air-strike deaths. The US has said it regrets the incident but has refused to apologise.
Mr Gilani's office said in a statement that military authorities had been asked to negotiate "fresh border ground rules" to avoid incidents such as the one in November.
The reopening of supply lines is a sensitive issue in Pakistan where anti-American sentiment runs high. But analysts said Pakistan could not afford to be excluded from international efforts to stabilise Afghanistan. Moreover, Pakistan depends on billions of dollars in US aid to keep its economy afloat.
"They made the point by closing routes for six months that there are certain red lines," said the retired general turned security analyst, Talat Masood. "But they have to show the flexibility in the larger interest of the country because they thought they would be internationally isolated if they did not open it … it's a wise decision."
However, the opposition called the move a "sell-out".
"It's a shame," Nisar Ali Khan, an aide to the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the opposition leader in the National Assembly, told Geo television. "They have done it for the sake of just an invitation" to the Chicago summit.
Despite the imminent opening of the supply routes, the troubles between Washington and Islamabad are far from over.
Pakistan's parliament has called for an end to US drone strikes against militants operating in Pakistan.
Pakistan also complains about slow payments from the Coalition Support Fund, which reimburses Pakistan for the use of its infrastructure in the war on terrorism.
The US, in turn, has been demanding that Pakistan acts decisively against militants.
US officials also suspect that Pakistan's main spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence, maintains ties with militant groups in a bid to use them as a bargaining chip in the political settlement of the Afghan issue.
[email protected] | {
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File - In this Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 photo, citizen journalism image provided by an anti-Bashar Assad activist group Edlib News Network (ENN), which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, rebels from al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the Nusra Front, sit on a truck full of ammunition at Taftanaz air base, that was captured by the rebels in Idlib province, northern Syria. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN) | {
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President Trump is already winning the battle for 2020, Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign manager said Monday.
"What we're focusing on is defeating Trump. If you look at the polls, and people can’t focus on this [enough], the general election is in six states, that's it. It's in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, and Arizona. That’s the whole general election," Kevin Sheekey told CNN's "At This Hour with Kate Bolduan."
"Right now, Donald Trump is winning. He is winning that election," Sheekey continued. "It’s very tough for people who don’t live in New York or California to understand that, but that is what’s happening ... Mike was doing everything he could from the sidelines and he finally decided it wasn’t enough to sit on the sidelines and he needed to do what he could to alter that dynamic."
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG OFFICIALLY ENTERS 2020 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RACE
Bloomberg officially entered the presidential race on Sunday with the release of a one-minute video ad that was posted to social media.
"I’m running for president to defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America," Bloomberg tweeted. "I believe my unique set of experiences in business, government, and philanthropy will enable me to win and lead. Join our team."
Sheekey said Bloomberg is running for president because he believes Trump is leading the country down a path to ruin.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
"Mike is getting in this race because he thinks that Donald Trump is an existential crisis, and he thinks he’s on a path to victory," he said earlier in the interview.
"He’s getting in to alter that dynamic. We’re going to run a campaign against the president. We're going to run a campaign to make Mike the Democratic nominee. We're going to try to bring those together." | {
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Dildos at Walgreens
A dildo is a type of sex toy used to simulate intercourse. Historians have found evidence of dildo use dating as far back as Ancient Greece, and today, there are many different styles of available for women to enjoy. You can find many options for your pleasure and experimentation at Walgreens. All of the dildos featured in the adult toys department can be shipped to your home in discreet packaging to ensure your privacy is protected.
Selecting the Right Style
A basic dildo has a long shaft and a basic phallic shape, but today, dildos are available in many different styles beyond the basics. To determine which type is right for you, you should first consider your needs. Are you planning to use the toy only for self-stimulation or will it also be used with a partner? Some dildos have flat bases that can make them easier to use on their own. Others have two ends and are intended for use with a male or female partner. If you're looking for a traditional single-ended dildo, you'll find that there are different shaft styles. Some are smooth while others have ribs and bumps along their surfaces for enhancing your pleasure. Some models are also designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Sometimes called kegel exercisers, these toys may help to improve bladder control or muscle tone.
What are Dildos Made of?
Dildos don't just vary in style. They also can be made out of many different types of materials, so you'll need to consider which type you prefer when making your selection. Toys made of glass, metal and hard plastic are nonporous and easy to clean; however, they are not flexible. Toys made of silicone, vinyl, rubber and nylon have more give and can bend. You'll need to decide whether you prefer a more rigid or more flexible dildo when making your selection.
Dildo Accessories
A dildo can be used on its own during masturbation or partner play, but there are also accessories that can be used with this type of toy. Strap-on harnesses can be worn by women to simulate sex with a dildo. If you plan to purchase a harness, you'll need to choose a dildo that will fit onto the base. You may also want to purchase a storage case for your toy if one is not included. Properly storing your toy can help to keep it sanitary. Cases and holders can also make it easier to discreetly store your toy at home or to take it with you when you travel.
Care and Safety
In order to ensure your safety, be sure to clean your dildo according to the manufacturer's instructions after every use. Before using the toy, inspect it for any signs of wear and tear. Never use a toy that is cracked or otherwise damaged. If you are using your dildo with a partner, slip a latex condom over the shaft to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases. Using a lubricant can enhance safety and pleasure when using a dildo alone or with a partner. | {
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Mention “vegan” and “child” in the same sentence and sit back and brace yourself. Everyone has an opinion on vegan kids. Most think it’s too restrictive a diet and so couldn’t be healthy, others claim these children will develop brain damage from lack of vitamin B12 and such dietary choices are akin to child abuse. Are they right?
Vegans eliminate all animal products from their diet, meaning dairy, eggs, even honey are strictly off the menu.
Can a child who is vegan from birth grow up happy and healthy? Is the vegan lifestyle hard for them to adhere to and whose choice is it really, the child’s or the parents?
All the articles written about vegan children are from the point of view of the adults we decided to ask the kids themselves what they thought about growing up vegan.
(Because of the sensitive nature of this story, to protect the children involved we have removed the option to comment on this story. | {
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We have reached the top of the mountain...or volcano...or whatever you want to call it. Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Episode 15. The finale of this pretty amazing first season did not disappoint. With less action than we are used to but more easter eggs than we could count, it did not disappoint.
Join the Two Dads, Clay and Corey, and the step dad of the week, Luke, as we walk you through all the great moments of this final episode of DISCO. We have high hopes for the next season of Star Trek: Discovery and cannot wait to review it for you when it comes back.
If you found our little podcast only for this show, we want to thank you for the listens and we hope you check out the other recaps and reviews we have done and stay tuned for what we have coming up. Be on the lookout for weekly reviews including: Black Panther, Annihilation, Red Sparrow, Jessica Jones Season 2, and Westworld Season 2. Like, Share, Subscribe, and LLAP. | {
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As the Vikings head into their off-season program, I thought I’d start an occasional series over the next couple months on key veterans the Vikings are counting on to help deliver a Super Bowl victory.
I’ll start with the lightning rod himself: Quarterback Kirk Cousins.
All Stats But Nothing Super
Kirk Cousins has completed four seasons as a starter in the NFL. If you’re looking for reasons to like Cousins’ game, just look at his stats: He’s averaged 4,368.5 yards passing/year over those four seasons. He’s completed 67.8% of his passes. He’s averaged 27.8 TDs a season, vs. 11.5 INTs. He also holds a 98.1 passer rating over that period. All of these are very similar to Tom Brady’s (aka the GOAT) career averages.
Except win-loss record. And that’s where the criticism of Kirk Cousins starts.
He’s never been more than an average QB because he’s basically a .500 winning percentage QB. And in four seasons his playoff record is 0-1. And he never wins big games. Or beats good teams. Or makes many clutch plays. He’s dependent on the team around him, rather than carrying the team. He’s a game manager, not a leader.
Kirk Cousins Career Stats: Record in Primetime Games: 6-13 Record on Monday & Thursday Night: 1-12 Record vs. Winning Teams: 5-25 Record vs. Winning Teams in 2018: 1-6 Career Road Record: 13-23-2 Post-season Record: 0-1
These criticisms are valid, to the extent he contributed to the results. The same is true of his passing stats.
All of the above was on display last season for the Vikings.
He threw for 4,298 yards, 30 TDs and 10 INTs, 70.1% completions, 99.7 passer rating.
Meanwhile the Super Bowl winning QB last year threw for 4,355 yards, 29 TDs and 11 INTs, 65.8% completions, and a 97.7 passer rating.
But rather than winning the Super Bowl, the Vikings finished a disappointing 8-7-1, going 1-6 against winning teams. The Dolphins were the only winning team (at the time) they beat.
And then there’s this about the Vikings’ 2018 season:
Washington, at the end of the Kirk Cousins Era, loved Cousins the person and wasn’t entirely sold on Cousins the player. The Vikings, after one year of Cousins as the franchise guy, understand the reticence. His numbers were exquisite—70 percent passing, 4,298 yards, a 30-to-10 TD-to-interception ratio. But the Vikings, as it turned out, needed to win three of their five December games to make the playoffs. They won two. In the three losses, they fell behind New England 10-0, Seattle 21-0 and Chicago 13-0 … and Cousins led three touchdown drives in 32 total possessions in those games. - Peter King, NBC Sports - Football Morning in America
Every year since Cousins has been a starter, despite his passing stats, he’s faced the same criticism and mediocre winning record.
So What Changes?
Cousins will turn 31 before he begins his fifth season as a starter. He’ll have a new offensive coordinator and scheme - his fourth in five seasons. His first two were under Sean McVay, then Matt Cavanaugh, and last season John DeFilippo. This season he’ll be officially under Kevin Stefanski, but running Gary Kubiak’s offense.
So, from a coaching/scheme standpoint, this season begins the same as most of the others for Cousins: learning a new scheme and working with new coaches. Cousins has always played in different flavors of a west coast offense, so what difference will a new one make?
Maybe this year the offensive line is better, so that could make a change. But Cousins has played behind better offensive lines in Washington - with the same results.
He’ll have largely the same players as last year at the skill positions too. And pretty much the same defense.
Looking at it this way, there is little to suggest anything but the same old, same old from Kirk Cousins - and another .500 season.
And yet there are prospects for change.
A Different Approach?
One could argue that with Kevin Stefanski, Cousins is working under yet another unproven offensive coordinator with little to no track record. But the truth is that Cousins will be running Gary Kubiak’s scheme, with largely Gary Kubiak’s staff, and with Gary Kubiak advising both Kevin Stefanski and Mike Zimmer on all things offense. And Gary Kubiak and his scheme does have a track record- and a successful one at that.
One of the features of Kubiak’s brand of west coast offense is a greater emphasis on the run. As an offensive coordinator he’s almost always been in the top 10 in both rushing attempts and yards. The 2017 Vikings were also top 10 in both rushing attempts and yards.
Kirk Cousins has never played in an offense with a running game like that.
Not even close.
RUNNING GAME
During those past four seasons, the running game part of Cousins’ offense has never been good, and has gotten steadily worse. It’s gone from ranked 20th in yards in 2015, to 21st, then 27th, and finally 30th last year in Minnesota. Rushing attempts and run/pass play percentage has gone back and forth- but never very high - while rushing yards have gone from bad to worse.
The Vikings haven’t lost a game in over three years when they’ve rushed for over 100 yards
But with Mike Zimmer making it clear he wants to run the ball more, and Gary Kubiak having a well established commitment to running the ball, I expect the Vikings will run the ball more, come hell or highwater. In particular, I expect the Vikings to run the ball about 45% of the time this season, compared to about 35.5% last season. This would be more in-line with the 2017 Vikings season - and Kubiak’s average as a head coach or offensive coordinator.
PLAY ACTION
The other mainstay of Kubiak’s offense has been the play-action pass.
Kirk Cousins has been the best play-action passer in the NFL over the past four years. His
Kirk Cousins has been the best play-action passer in the NFL over the past four seasons, based on his play-action passer rating over that span
passer rating on play-action passes, beginning in 2015, has ranked 1st, 11th, 2nd, and 4th over the past four seasons among QBs with at least 100 play-action attempts, according to Pro Football Focus. His play-action passer rating has averaged about 116 over that span, vs. 98.1 overall.
And yet every year, he’s well down the list in the percentage of play-action passes run. In 2015 he ranked 18th, 15th in 2016 and 2017, and 20th last year.
That is likely to change this season as Gary Kubiak favors play-action, and so have the Vikings for most of Kevin Stefanski’s tenure on the offensive staff. Starting in 2012, the Vikings have ranked 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 3rd, 9th and 2nd in percentage of play-action passes, beginning with Bill Musgrave as offensive coordinator, to Norv Turner, and ending with Pat Shurmur. That percentage dropped to 20th under John DeFilippo last season.
Given all of the above, I would not be surprised to see play-action passes account for somewhere close to 30% of a passing plays - vs. 20.8% last season.
Last season Cousins’ passer rating was 116.1 in play-action vs. 95.2 without it. Yards per attempt (YPA) was nearly 2 yards more in play-action (8.6 vs. 6.7), and his completion percentage was 77.1% vs. 68.2 without it. Given those differentials, it stands to reason that if play-action passing increases, so too will Cousins’ passing efficiency.
MORE UNDER-CENTER PASSING
Similarly, Cousins’ career passer rating under center is 109.1 vs. 90.1 in shotgun- a relatively large differential. And yet last season, 78% of Cousins’ passing attempts were from the shotgun formation. Last year his passer rating under-center was 114.6 vs. 95.5 in shotgun.
Before Gary Kubiak took over as Offensive Coordinator in Baltimore in 2014, 85% of Joe Flacco’s pass attempts were from the shotgun formation. In 2014, that percentage was cut over half to 38%. In 2018, 78% of Kirk Cousins’ pass attempts were from the shotgun formation, despite a much higher passer rating under-center. Will that change under Kubiak like it did with Flacco?
Gary Kubiak has preferred his QB to be under-center, but strayed from that with Payton Manning- who preferred shotgun- while head coach in Denver. Other than that, Kubiak’s QBs have operated mostly under-center. Matt Schaub, who played most of his career under Kubiak, was under-center about two-thirds of his passing attempts. Brian Griese, John Elway, and Joe Flacco were all primarily under-center passers under Kubiak as well. For Flacco, it was a severe change - going from 15% to 62% under-center after Kubiak took over as offensive coordinator in 2014. Flacco’s passer rating jumped from 73 to 91 that year - his highest to-date since 2010.
Given all that, I would also expect the percentage of Cousins’ pass attempts from under-center to double from previous years. In the past, Cousins’ has averaged only about 27% of passes from under-center. Again, looking at passer rating differentials between shotgun and under-center, you would expect a significant increase in under-center passing to have a positive effect on Cousins’ passer rating.
Football Is A Team Game
All that may be well and good - and may help Cousins’ stats - but the question remains: can Cousins win more games - big games, prime time games, road games ?
The answer is both long and simple.
In the past Cousins has been the focal point and lightning rod. He’s been expected to carry his team - because his team has never had a good running game - and only last season a good defense. So, when the chips are down, and the lights are brightest, all eyes point to Cousins.
And when the QB is expected to carry the team, without a good running game or defense,
Not many top quarterbacks can carry their team absent good running games and defenses. Even future Hall of Famers like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have struggled with mediocre win-loss records without the aid of a good team around them. On the other hand, quarterbacks often seen as the greatest of all time - guys like Tom Brady and Joe Montana - have seldom been without top 10 defenses and running games to help make their success possible.
the results are somewhat predictable. Not only with Cousins, but with other top QBs as well:
Cousins is 32-30-2 since becoming a starter in 2015, with a 98.1 passer rating.
Aaron Rodgers, with the all-time highest career passer rating, but who has suffered from the same problem in Green Bay in recent years, is only 30-24-1 since 2015, with a 98.2 passer rating.
Another future first ballot Hall of Fame QB - Drew Brees - suffered the same problem from 2014-2016. He went 21-26 over that span, despite a 99.9 passer rating and averaging over 5,000 passing yards a year.
Russell Wilson went 9-7 in his only season (2017) without a top 10 defense and/or running game in Seattle.
Other QBs with top 10 all-time passer ratings haven’t done well either when asked to carry the team. Philip Rivers, who had a good defense for a few seasons, went 60-68 between 2010-2017, with a 94.4 passer rating. Tony Romo went 24-23 between 2011-2013, despite a 96.1 passer rating over that stretch.
All of these QBs, Cousins included, are top 10 career passer-rating QBs all-time, among QBs with at least 1,500 passing attempts.
By contrast, the GOAT - Tom Brady - with the 4th best 97.6 career passer rating - has had only 3 seasons in his 17 playing years without a top 10 defense, and only 5 without a top 10 running game. 13 times the Patriots made it to at least the AFC Championship during that span, 9 times to the Super Bowl, and six times world champions.
In the 17 consecutive years Joe Montana and Steve Young started at QB for the 49ers (not including the strike-shortened season) they had at least a top 8 or better defense every season but one. And only 5 years did they not have a top 10 running game. 10 times the 49ers made it to at least the NFC Championship, and 5 times they won the Super Bowl.
Football is a team game.
So, can Cousins break out of his mediocre winning ways? Sure he can. Just give him the defense and running game that Brady, Montana and Young had most of their careers.
Getting Back to 2017
The last time the Vikings put together a top 10 defense and top 10 running game - in 2017 - they went 14-4 and made it to the NFC Championship with a backup QB that hadn’t done much before or since. Case Keenum won against winning teams, in the post-season, on the road, and in prime time. His previous career passer rating of 78.4 jumped to 98.3.
But in 6 of those 18 games (33%) they had 100 or fewer rushing yards - including both post-season games. They lost 4 of those games, and nearly 5 if not for the Minneapolis Miracle. Case Keenum’s average passer rating in those games was 76.0.
Last season, while still having a top 10 defense, the Vikings had 100 or fewer rushing yards in 12 of their 16 games (75%). They went 4-7-1 in those games. Cousins’ average passer rating in those games was 101.3.
For comparison, Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Patriots had 7 games with 100 or fewer rushing yards last season - none in the post-season. They went 2-5 in those games. Brady’s average passer rating in those games was 90.4.
The Patriots defense was ranked 7th in points allowed last season, the Vikings’ 9th.
Since Gary Kubiak has been either an offensive coordinator or head coach- running his scheme- there have been 11 seasons where he’s had a top 10 defense in points allowed. Only one of those seasons did he not have at least 10 wins.
The Vikings have had a top 10 defense in points allowed the past four years running.
As an offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak has had 100 or fewer rushing yards in 57 of 208 games, or 27.4%. That’s a little over 4 in a 16 game regular season. If that rate were to continue next year, along with the Vikings win rate in both 101+ and under-100 yard rushing games, the Vikings - and Kirk Cousins- would go 13-3.
Signs of Improvement
Beyond the question of supporting cast - run game in particular - there is also the question of how Cousins performs in key situations.
Last year showed some signs of improvement in a couple key areas.
UNDER PRESSURE
First, Cousins has been improving when under pressure. Last year he had his best passer rating (83.1) and ranking (7th), among QBs under pressure with at least 400 pass attempts. That’s nearly a 20 point increase in passer rating under pressure over 2017.
RED ZONE
The other area of improvement has been in the red zone. Cousins had struggled in the red zone the previous two seasons, with an 83.3 and 83.8 passer rating. Last year Cousins improved to 114.7 - a 30 point improvement and career high.
THIRD DOWN
He also improved on 3rd down, going from a 86.5 to 92.6 passer rating, although he did better in this area in 2015 and 2016 - with a 100.9 and 97.0 passer rating respectively. A better offensive line in those years likely had an impact.
ACCURACY
Kirk Cousins has always been an accurate passer, but this past season he improved in this area as well, improving his adjusted completion percentage (completions + drops) / (attempts - throw aways, batted passes, spikes, hit while throwing) to 79.5%. That was 2nd best in the league last season.
His 70.1% completion rate was also a career high, and also 2nd best in the league.
BIG GAME PERFORMANCE
The other area worth mentioning is how he fared against good teams, on the road, in prime time. Here are Cousins’ seven best games last season:
Week 2: On the road against the Packers. 118.8 passer rating.
Week 4: On the road against the Rams. Prime time. 117.2 passer rating.
Week 5: On the road against the Eagles. 109.6 passer rating.
Week 8: At home against the Saints. Prime time. 107.7 passer rating.
Week 11: At home against the Packers. Prime time. 129.5 passer rating.
Week 12: At home against the Dolphins. 112.2 passer rating.
Week 15: On the road against the Lions. 137.9 passer rating.
Every one of those games was either on the road, in prime time, and/or against a team with a winning record. The Vikings went 4-2-1 in those games. Generally, if a QB’s passer rating is north of 100 in a game, he’s doing his job.
On the other hand, Cousins’ worst five games were:
Week 12: On the road against the Patriots. 70.4 passer rating.
Week 10: On the road against the Bears. 76.5 passer rating.
Week 17: At home against the Bears. 79.4 passer rating.
Week 3: At home against Buffalo. 83.4 passer rating.
Week 6: At home against Arizona. 87.0 passer rating.
1-4 record. 3 home games, 2 road games, one in prime time. 3 against playoff/winning record teams. In the four losses, the Vikings averaged 12 rushing attempts for 48.5 yards.
LATE GAME PERFORMANCE
Career-to-date, Cousins’ average passer rating has declined as the game goes on. 105.7 in the first quarter, 95.5 in the 2nd, 93.1 in the 3rd, 89.1 in the 4th, and 71.4 in OT.
But last year his 4th quarter performance jumped to 100.4, and his OT performance to 106.0. Those passer ratings are behind only his 1st quarter passer rating, which was 112.1 last season.
Similarly, Cousins’ career-to-date passer rating when trailing late in a game (less than 2 and 4 minutes to go), has been poor - averaging only 76.9 in those situations.
But last year his average passer rating in those situations spiked to 108.6 - a 40% increase going from bad to excellent.
Bottom Line
There is nothing that suggests Cousins, with the aid of a top 10 defense and running game, can’t substantially improve his winning percentage in any type of game, or win a Super Bowl.
His career passer rating currently ranks 9th all-time.
Looking at the other top 10 QBs in all-time passer rating - Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Dree Brees, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Steve Young, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan - all but one has struggled with mediocre winning percentages any time they did not have a top 10 defense and/or running game. The only exception has been Peyton Manning, who is the only player in NFL history to win the NFL MVP award five times.
The main difference between Cousins and the QBs on that top 10 list that have won a Super Bowl is that they’ve had a top 10 defense and running game to work with, while Cousins never has.
The media tends to lionize those QBs with multiple Super Bowl victories, hailing them as heroes for carrying their team to victory, but the truth is that is seldom the case. The reality behind sustained success - as the Patriots have enjoyed in the 21st century, the 49ers in the 80s and 90s, and the Vikings and Steelers in the 70s, is a combination of top 10 defense, running game, and a good quarterback. If all you have is the latter, history shows you’re unlikely to be a Super Bowl contender.
For the Vikings, the reason for the decline between 2017 and 2018 wasn’t Kirk Cousins, who outperformed 2017 Case Keenum by most key metrics. The small decline in the defense contributed to the disappointing season, but it was the running game dropping from 7th to 30th in league rankings that had the biggest impact. 2018 saw the number of sub-101 yard rushing games spike to 75% from 33% in 2017. And given the Vikings haven’t lost a game in three seasons when they’ve rushed for over 100 yards, but win only about a third of the games when they rush for less than that, that spike in poor rushing games was the difference.
For Cousins, he improved in several aspects of his game last season, including key areas where he had been weak in the past - under pressure, red zone and late game performance.
That, combined with a renewed commitment to improving the run and Gary Kubiak’s offensive scheme, are reasons to be optimistic about Cousins and the coming season.
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